Tepet Ejava (Exalted 1e)
Quote: It isn’t how you talk that sets your place in history. It’s what you accomplish. Show me how you’ll earn your page in the books.
Prelude: You were, quite literally, born into battle. You are the product of a military household in a military house. Your mother was a storied commander, your grandfather one of the most famous generals in recent memory. Your course was set long before you had any inkling of it. War is as mother’s milk to you, and nothing brings back fond memories of childhood like the smell of blood on the air and the crackle and boom of warworked Essence.
The House of Bells was home to you, and though your lack of tact in the face of wrongheaded mentors brought more grief upon you than most, none could deny your talent or the fact that, when you corrected your teachers, they needed correcting. You went directly to the legions and distinguished yourself at every turn. You did not win every battle, but you never lost to the same enemy twice. And yet, when your Great House faced its greatest fight, you were not there. The “what ifs” haunt you day and night. Could you have turned the tide and prevented the cataclysmic defeat that came to your family, or would you have been just another grave tale of gallantry?
In the aftermath of the Battle of Five Fangs and the death of so many of your elders, you were given command of the Vermilion Legion, an ironic turn of events if ever there was one. In the years since, you have taken that band of cutthroats, rightly reviled by the rest of the empire, and turned it into a fighting force to be feared. Your house keeps you in reserve, waiting for the right moment. You keep your men from being idle by hunting brigands and pirates, knowing that when the time comes to act, you and your soldiers will be ready.
Roleplaying Hints: Some may be better at certain aspects of war, but none surpass you in the all-around. You are direct (some would say intemperate) and honest. You have little time for the subtleties of Dynastic politics, though you can rise to the occasion given no other choice. Everyone knows you can kill as easily as breathing, including you. You feel no need to prove yourself. Your loyalty to your men , your house and your empire is nigh unshakeable, but the last few years have tried even your patience. You long for the chance to take actions that mean something rather than biding your time hunting smugglers and sea rats in order to “build political capital.” There are things you could do, and if your elders do not put you in the field to do them, you may very well take it upon yourself to do so.
Image: Beautiful and terrible. Ejava goes armed and armored nearly every moment of the day, as is just for a general of the legions. Her features are stern, sharp some have said, and her fi gure lush. She takes few pains to sweeten her seeming, but little is needed. Her one vanity is a head of luxurious red hair that falls about her face and strikes an alluring contrast with the emerald tint of her skin.
Equipment: The freedom stone, salt-gem of the spirit’s eye, stone of healing, jade mask (see Savant & Sorcerer, p. 41), green jade daiklave, green jade articulated plate, army of elite troops
Tepet Ejava, The Roseblack, The General Who Would be Shogun (Exalted 2e)
Quote: Well, I hadn’t planned on committing treason today, but here we are.
The granddaughter of the legendary general Tepet Arada, Tepet Ejava was conceived of two high-ranking officers serving on the frontlines of one of the Realm’s campaigns. Her mother refused to surrender command just because of the inconvenience of nursing an infant while on maneuvers, and clever smiths jury-rigged Tepet Ellora’s breastplate to accommodate a tiny suckling infant. Upon Ellora’s return to the Blessed Isle, she was castigated by her father, Arada, for being so cavalier with a Dynastic newborn, but after getting over his anger, the Wind Dancer was immediately taken by his new grandchild. While he never publicly doted on her, Ejava benefited greatly from her grandfather’s patronage, and her admission to the House of Bells awaited only the seeming formality of Exaltation.
That formality was satisfied when Ejava Exalted during her 11th year, a relatively young age for a Terrestrial Exaltation. But she never rested on her laurels or relied on her connections. Diligent, patient and driven, Ejava strove for excellence even beyond the standards of excellence set for her by her Dragon-Blooded peers. After graduating from the House of Bells with the highest marks, Ejava had her choice of assignments. Early success in putting down a peasant uprising in Chanos Prefecture brought her a measure of fame as well as valuable battlefield experience. From there, she used the Imperial Army to see the world like few inhabitants of the Age of Sorrows ever could.
Ejava’s most famous success was the Battle of Tamrin Plain, the tactics of which are still taught at the House of Bells. Initially assigned to assist a Nellens ranching concern against bandits in the Northern Threshold, the Roseblack suddenly found herself vastly outnumbered and caught between 500 beastmen led by a powerful Lunar Anathema on one side and an equivalent force of Fair Folk hobgoblins on the other. In a brilliant tactical display, Ejava managed to divert the beastmen force into the ranks of the hobgoblins, forcing them to fight one another. The Lunar escaped, but his minions were wiped out, as were the Fair Folk forces and the bandits.
The Battle of Tamrin Plain led to her assignment as a dragonlord to the Third Legion in the Northeastern Threshold. Regrettably for all concerned, that posting was brief. Jealous rivals stymied her efforts to devise an effective strategy for dealing with the opposing barbarian armies, and eventually, her superior reassigned her to the Blessed Isle where she was to lobby the Deliberative for reinforcements. Ejava arrived in the Imperial City just in time to learn of the disastrous Battle of Futile Blood and the destruction of her family’s fortunes.
While the Tepet legions were no more, other opportunities remained, but the Roseblack realized that if such opportunities were to be realized, she would need a force she could mold to her own needs without having to answer to some superior officer likely to be her inferior in acumen. Although she received offers to join the command staffs of many of the Realm’s leading generals, Ejava spurned them all for the one position attainable that would give her total control over an entire legion. Unfortunately, it was the Red-Piss Legion, and Ejava’s family was mortified when she accepted command over it. But Ejava saw a value in the Vermillion Legion that others did not: total loyalty. To Ejava, the soldiers of the Red-Piss Legion were the castoffs of the Realm, a massive fighting force whose officer corps consisted almost entirely of Dragon-Blooded cut off from their own Houses. It has taken her years of persistent training and drilling (and the quiet removal of those officers who were incompetent rather than simply bull-headed), but today, the Vermillion is a crack fighting force whose degenerate reputation is a mask for its brutal efficiency and its dedication to the first truly great commander it has ever had.
Of course, a sword that is never unsheathed is a poor weapon, indeed. Though not a pious woman, Tepet Ejava is intensely patriotic. If the Scarlet Empress were to return tomorrow, she would be the first to swear fealty. However, there are no signs the Empress will return tomorrow, the next day or any day thereafter, and in the meantime, the Realm and Creation both slide toward oblivion. Seeing no one else who could possibly seize control of the Realm and maintain it, the Roseblack has come to an awful realization: that she is most likely the best person to sit on the Scarlet Throne. Having accepted that truth, Ejava has become surprisingly calm about the prospect of treason, coup d’etat and bloody civil war against her own kinsmen. She has quietly purged her inner circle of anyone who would not follow her path, and under her leadership, the Red-Piss Legion has become more than a match for any other legion. For now, Ejava waits. Tepet Arada has sent word that he is coming to the Southeast to meet with her. Whether it is to join her cause or to take her head remains to be seen.
Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack (Exalted 3e)
Disgraced and dishonored after losing its legions, House Tepet desperately searches for a means to regain its lost favor. Its greatest hope may lie with a woman who has disdained house politics and dedicated her life to the defense of the Realm.
Tepet Ejava was born while her mother was in the field. War was the first thing she knew, and for good or ill, it set the tone for the rest of her life. As a child, she excelled at strategy and war-games, and her Exaltation attuned her to the violent struggles underlying the natural world. As she matured, Ejava found herself ill at ease in the well-manicured garden of Dynastic society — something that became less metaphorical when she inadvertently devastated the dominie’s beloved rose garden. Her classmates nicknamed her “Roseblack” after the incident, but rather than seethe, Ejava embraced the nickname as a symbol of humility. It stayed with her through her training at the House of Bells, and through her engagements as a newly commissioned officer of the Imperial Legions, from putting down bandits and peasant revolts to vicious battles against Anathema and the Fair Folk. By the time Ejava made winglord, the name “Roseblack” was spoken with pride.
Then came the Battle of Futile Blood. Ejava wasn’t with the Tepet legions when it happened, and still regrets that she wasn’t there to fight alongside them. When word of the Tepet legions’ fate arrived, Ejava found her world upended. Not only had she lost friends, comrades, and loyal soldiers, but the Realm she loved had been dealt a devastating defeat.
Even those Tepets jealous of Ejava’s rising star now acknowledged her value as one of the house’s most capable surviving officers. Promoting her to general, they placed her in charge of the one legion that had been foisted on the house in the partition of the Imperial legions — the infamous Vermilion, or “Red-Piss,” Legion. While many officers might quail at the thought of managing such a disgraceful mob, the Roseblack saw it as an opportunity. Over the past three years, she’s rebuilt the Vermilion into a competent and disciplined fighting force, equal to any legion fielded by the other Great Houses.
Ejava is the consummate Dragon-Blooded officer — disciplined, resolute, and professional. While other members of her house might chide her for putting off marriage, Ejava feels that she’s exactly where the Realm needs her, and that her own career is fulfillment enough. Her closest confidant is the Chanos prefect, Ragara Nova, a socialite who once tried to win her hand. Other than Nova, there are few who’ve really gotten to know her. Her true home is the battlefield, and her soldiers are her true family. She has little time for anything else.
Ejava is a tall, imposing woman with the same long red hair as the Empress. When in the field, she’s rarely seen without her armor and sidearm — a full suit of green jade articulated plate, and Thorn, her daiklave.
Estatísticas de Jogo
Name: Tepet Ejava
Exaltation: Dragon-Blooded
Aspect: Wood
Goal: To save the Realm by any means necessary
Level: 4
Effort: 5
XP:
Influence: 7
Dominion:
Strength: 14 (+1)
Dexterity: 18 (+3)
Constitution: 16 (+2)
Intelligence: 15 (+1)
Wisdom: 16 (+2)
Charisma: 16 (+2)
Max HP: 24
Current HP: 24
Armor Class: 1
Attack Bonus: +4
Fray Die: 1d8
Hardiness 10
Evasion 9
Spirit 10
Facts
- Granddaughter of the legendary Tepet Arada, daughter of Legion officers.
- Honor graduate of the School of Bells.
- Quelled the peasant uprising of Chanos Prefecture.
- Tactical genius famous for her victory at Tamrin Plain.
- Commander of the Vermilion Legion.
- A patriot of the Realm, with its welfare foremost in her mind.
Words
- Command: Set Charisma to 16. Communicate with any intelligent creature.
- Guards! Seize Him! (Action): Summon up to a Small Mob of minions or half-dozen retainers to appear, if they are within ten miles. Only formally-pledged can be summoned, and they must be able to reach the place on their own.
- Influence of Command (Constant): Raise Influence by 2.
- The Lieutenant’s Wisdom (Action): Commit Effort before giving an order to a person or group in your service. Spend an action to borrow their senses or communicate telepathically and they can respond. A subject can break a bond, but you are aware of it. Ends when Effort is reclaimed or the order is fulfilled.
- The Lines of Rule (On Turn): Spot the true leader of a group. Commit Effort to cause a group of lesser NPCs to obey your orders. Spirit save if someone points out the implausibility of this.
- The Soldier’s Faithful Heart (Constant): Lesser foes who freely pledge to you can never betray you or disobey orders until you dismiss them from service. Only magical coercion can force them to disobey or betray.
- A Thousand Loyal Troops (Action): Commit Effort. A visible NPC regards you as a superior. Worthy foes can save vs. Spirit. Lasts after Effort is reclaimed, unless abused.
- Fertility: Set Constitution to 16. Invincible to wooden weapons or objects, vegetation and plant-based toxins. Perfect control over her reproduction.
- A Second Spring (Action): Commit Effort for the day. All allies in sight are well-fed and rested, regaining 1d6 hp plus your level. Recipients do not need to commit Effort.
- Excellence of Fertility (Constant): Raise Dexterity to 18.
- Seeds of Death (On Turn): Commit Effort. Gain 1d10 magical weapon with a 200-foot range. Lesser foes may die 1d6 months later, unless magically healed, even if the hit does no damage.
- Passion: Set Wisdom to 16.
- Banner of Passion (Action): Commit Effort. All lesser NPCs in earshot or sight are suffused with a powerful emotion. Worthy foes save vs. Spirit each round to throw it off. Lasts a day after it Effort is reclaimed.
- Heart of the Lion (Constant): Invincible defense against fear and unwanted emotion-affecting effects. Commit Effort to share immunity with all allies within 100 yards.
- Terrifying Mien (Action): Commit Effort to the end of scene. All foes who can see or hear you must make a Morale check. Lesser foes roll at -2.
Weapons
Thorn (Green Jade daiklave): +7 to hit, 1d8+3 damage
Other Gear
Green Jade Plate: AC 5
Shield: -1 AC
I was actually looking forward to making this one, but when I got to her, it was difficult to decide what Words to give her. I finally decided to focus on what really makes Ejava Ejava -- her presence and charisma. She's another Dragon-Blood who recognizes that her kind are first and foremost heroes and that's all she wants to be, really. Besides, she has a huge pile of Presence and War charms, which translate pretty well to Command and Passion.
As a Wood Aspect, I felt I should give her some abilities there, so I made her as supple and light as a willow branch (Excellence gift), and the ability to refresh her troops for those forced march occasions. The Seeds of Death gift is more a poison thorn thing, rather than a cancer thing, though it has the same effect. Much like her picture in the Scroll of Exalts, the Roseblack can jab people with vines, or can imbue her sword with deadly poison.
The rest of her gifts all involve leading, commanding, and inspiring. Her fellow Terrestrials may never count as lesser NPCs, but I imagine she can inspire her mortal troops into an utterly loyal fervor quite easily.
