Father: Zaoso Kaen
- Priest of Vix in Northwest temple in Xian
Mother: Eimaya Kaen
- Member of the military of Xian
Sister: Izeke Kaen
Parents
Zaoso and Eimaya met in the temple on the Northwest island of Xian. Eimaya came to the temple in search of a place to rest and recover from her injuries. She decided to stay with Zaoso and start a family at the temple, which is where the kids were raised. Zaoso was a powerful mage and practiced the art of magic with other powerful mages from the surrounding islands. He swore an oath to spread the love and warmth of Vix to all who wish to worship Vix. The oath also includes protecting the followers of Vix and defending the nation of Xian. Eimaya was a Captain in Xian’s Navy and was in charge of a battleship that patrolled the waters around Vekir and Scalatia. The ship was attacked and most of the crew was killed. Eimaya washed up on an island and limped to the temple of Vix to get her wounds treated. There she met and fell in love with Zaoso. Eimaya abandoned her military career after the destruction of her ship and she never mentioned anything about her military career afterwards. Eimaya was a very secretive person and would disappear for days at a time.
Conflict/Inspiration
Zaoso was a defender of the island and became very reputable with the other temples and some members of the military. However, he also captured the eyes of his enemies. One night Zaoso was abducted by elite members of a foreign nation and taken away to be questioned. Eimaya tried her best to track down and rescue Zaoso but gave up because she couldn’t go up against an army. Eimaya then turned to her contacts from her old military days and tried to assemble a way to rescue Zaoso and ensure that whoever did this would pay.
Family
After a few years on the island Eimaya became pregnant with twins. The first born was Izeke (Monica) and the second was Saiju (Tristan). They were raised in the temple by their parents but would also learn life lessons from the priests that lived in the temple as well. At an early age Zaoso and Eimaya decided to start training their children in the ways of magic. Izeke was a natural, she was born with the spark. Saiju on the other hand was not born with the spark. However, both Izeke and Saiju trained together in the art of magic. Zaoso noticed the intense power that Izeke had and took her under his wing and started to introduce her to the various forms of fire magic and the duties of a priest. Saiju was jealous of his sister’s gift and kept practicing the basics until he perfected them. He worked day and night every day with the hopes that one day he would be gifted with the spark.
Timeline
- Age 8: Training begins for Izeke and Saiju
- Age 16: Training is divided. Saiju goes off with Eimaya and learns how to incorporate
the sword into his training. Izeke trains with Zaoso and learns different forms and various temple duties.
- Age 20: Zaoso is abducted from the temple and is when Saiju and Izeke split. Izeke
travels to the surrounding islands, sometimes with but mostly without Saiju, to train with the masters in hopes of becoming a master one day. Saiju devotes his life to Vix and disappears for very long periods of time.
- Age 24: Meet up and go after the Dragon.
The overall goal of both Izeke and Saiju is to get their father back but in order to do that they need to work their way up in the temple and the religion to obtain the necessary resources.
Saiju Kaen
Saiju was jealous that he was not gifted with the spark so he trained twice as hard as his sister did and because of that he mastered the basics and became a more disciplined individual. Eimaya saw Saiju’s frustration and dedication so she started to show him how to use the sword. Eimaya herself was trained how to use a sword in the Xian Navy. Saiju quickly grew fond of the idea and started training immediately while also keeping up with his original mage training. By the time Zaoso was abducted Saiju was deep into both his mage training and his sword training.
Eimaya was devastated about the abduction so she started to reach out to her military contacts and her Eclipse contacts to find out more information and try to gather support for a rescue mission. On one of her visits to an Eclipse member Saiju followed her to find out why she kept disappearing for weeks on end. He watched over the meeting and followed the stranger back to a building. Saijun waited a few minutes and then entered after the stranger. He was immediately restrained and thrown to the ground. A blinding light burst from the ceiling but then was immediately covered by a shroud creating a ring of light. Saiju struggled to sit up but noticed figures from around the room entering this ring of light. All of them were wearing black clothes and masks. The masked individuals started chanting and what looks to be their leader emerged from darkness and started speaking. “We call you here Saiju Kaen to invite you into the Eclipse. We have been watching over you for years and see that you have a deep discipline for the art of the sword and the ways of the fire mages. We are a society that can help you further your skills and teach you to unlock your full potential. You have been selected to protect this nation and spread the power of Vix. Do you accept?”
Saiju accepts the invitation to join the order with the hopes that he can use their network to reach his father. After accepting the invitation, Saiju stayed with the Eclipse and trained with them for months. The night before his first mission Saiju went back to the temple to pray. In the middle of his prayer his sword started to glow with a deep orange/red hue. Saiju reached for his sword to inspect it and once he touched it fire leaped from his sword and started to surround him. Saiju started to panic and tried to suppress the fire but then realized that he did not feel its pain, only its warmth. He immediately stood up, unsheathed his sword, and began going through the moves of serpent form. Each step he took filled him with energy, each twirl made him feel lighter, and each jab lit up the room with plumes of fire. Once he finished the beginning moves of serpent form he completely circled the statue of Vix in the middle of the room. Saiju looked down and saw the once raging orange and red flames that encompassed his body turned blue and soaked into his clothes. He took off his robes and noticed a large tattoo of a sword wrapped in flames going down his spine. The flames from the sword wrapped over his shoulders and down his arms stopping just before his wrist. Through hard work and dedication the spark has finally gifted Saiju the ability to manipulate fire and control magic. However, it looks like the focus of energy is concentrated on his sword and without the sword he cannot cast any spells.
Saiju stays with the Eclipse and carries out various missions all over Xian and Vekir. His swift use of the sword and the power of his flames have left rumors all over the region and he is known as The Scorched Blade. Though no one knows who The Scorched Blade is or what he/she looks like.
Saiju accepts this mission to go to Dracodryn to collect the flame of an elder dragon so he can start a temple in Hazel that will also act as a base for the Eclipse. This will allow him to gather the necessary resources to launch a rescue attempt to save his father.
Flaws
Silent (almost mute), secretive, no mercy, I will never fully trust anyone other than myself and my family.
Internal Struggle
Saiju has done many terrible things when he was out on missions for The Eclipse, the kind of things that would haunt any normal person for many lifetimes. To not fall victim to these nightmares Saiju leaned into the darkness and became the nightmare, he became The Scorched Blade. He became this nightmare because that is what needed to be done to save his father but he is afraid of what his father/mother will think of him, this monster that he became.
Love Story
The Eclipse tasked Saiju with protecting a priest at one of the temples in Xian. The priest has been advocating for the temple to open its doors to more strangers and travelers so that they can embrace the warmth of Vix. The temple has always had its doors open to travelers but this priest wanted their temple to become a staple destination for travelers from all over. This stance divided the temple, half were on board with the idea while others wanted to remain a small temple that cared for the locals and kept to themselves. The priest was to give a speech to the rest of the priests in the temple and call a vote to move forward with this plan. Saiju was sent by The Eclipse to ensure that the priest gives his speech because if the priest got his way then The Eclipse could use this temple as a hub to meet in secret and as a way to deliver orders to all over the world.
To evade any suspicion Saiju traveled to the town many weeks before the priest’s scheduled speech. This also allowed Saiju to learn how the priest goes about his day to day life which will help with protecting him from any assassination attempts. Saiju entered the town as a normal traveler looking to start over. He quickly got a job at the tea shop and made a deal with the owner where he would work for half of normal wages but in return he got a small room above the shop. This was obviously a terrible deal favoring the tea shop owner but Saiju needed to look desperate. While working at the shop Saiju was able to watch over the priests and track his target to ensure his safety.
One day the shop owner sent Saiju out to retrieve some supplies for the shop. Usually this is a quick errand, all he needed to do was go down the street and bring back a few sacks of supplies, but this time it was different. The usual shop owner was out of stock and still waiting on his shipment but it wasn’t set to arrive for another day or two. After hearing the news the tea shop owner remembered his old vendor that lives on top of the mountain, only an hour climb to the top. Saiju was able to purchase the goods and start back down the mountain hoping to be back before the priests got out from their afternoon prayer. On his way back down Saiju was ambushed by thugs. They all jumped out from the side of the road with their weapons drawn. The three thugs looked over Saiju with hungry desperate eyes. Saiju felt his tattoo start to warm up as he felt the rhythm of battle wash over his body but instead of giving in he suppressed the urge. He knew he could take them, but if one got away his cover could be blown and his mission over. “Look what we have here. It’s the tea boy coming to serve us some of his famous tea.” one of the thugs said as he slowly approached. To make it look believable Saiju put up a fake fight and was quickly thrown to the ground. “Tea boy is trying to stop us. Maybe we should teach you a lesson about respecting your elders.” one of the thugs said as they all started kicking Saiju. All of a sudden all of them stopped and one of the thugs yelled out “What are you looking at? Go back to the town. It can be quite dangerous out here in the mountains all by yourself.” The thug started walking away from Saiju towards the stranger that had come up from the road. Without any other words Saiju heard two thumps then a loud slam. The other two thugs looked at each other and started yelling as they broke into a charge towards the stranger. Another set of thumps followed by two more loud slams. Without looking Saiju got up and picked up one of the sacks of supplies. As he was reaching for the other he noticed that the stranger was standing next to him holding the sack, offering it to Saiju. He looked up and met her eyes. She was beautiful. She was a mixture between hardened and strong yet also showed signs of delicate and soft. After a moment the woman spoke up “Are you alright? I think might have dropped this.” Saiju broke his gaze, grabbed the sack, bowed, and said “Thank you.” As he quickly started down the mountain without looking back.
Days passed and everything was back to normal. Serve tea, listen to the gossip between priests, watch his target, and train. One night around closing Saiju was out sweeping the steps to the tea shop when a kid bolted out from the tea shop. The owner came out yelling “Stop that thief! He stole my favorite tea pot!” Without even thinking Saiju threw the broom down and started to chase down the kid. The kid was fast and he knew the streets well but Saiju was faster. After ducking through alleyways, hopping over fences, and whipping through intersections the kid was sure that he lost Saiju but just as he turned out of the alleyway he ran right into Saiju who quickly snatched the kid and the tea pot. The kid struggled to break free but Saiju held him firmly. Then he heard her voice, it cut through the busy street and captured Saiju. Like an arrow hitting its mark. Crisp. Clean. “Line up!” “Front jab!” “High kick!” “Again!” Spinning around Saiju found the source of the voice. It was the woman from the mountain! She looked different but he was able to recognize her. Instead of the traditional robes that women normally wear, and what she wore on the mountain, this time she was in a gi. Not only was she wearing a gi but she was also in front of a class leading warm up exercises. This woman is the sensei of a dojo! The woman looked away from her students and once again locked eyes with Saiju. He couldn’t break free. It wasn’t fear or terror holding him in place, it was something else, something about her warm welcoming amber eyes. The kid, still struggling in Saiju’s arms, took advantage of this distraction and slammed his heel into Saiju’s foot snapping Saiju’s attention right back to the kid. He let the kid go, pushing him away, not too hard but not gentle either. “Scram!” Saiju yelled as the kid took off down the street. Saiju looked back at the dojo and saw that the woman was approaching. He quickly turned and went down the street, disappearing into the crowd.
It was slow the next morning. The priests had exhausted all of their gossip and were left with silence as each of them starred into their tea. Even the routine shuffle of the crowd outside going about their lives seemed slow. Saiju went around the shop tending to the tables and refilling tea cups. He went to the last table and started filling the cup without much thought. In a flash, a hand jutted out from the person’s robe grabbing Saiju by the arm and thrusting him into the chair snapping him out of the morning lull. “Why don’t you have a break and enjoy some tea with me.” it was her. “How did you find me?” Saiju replied in complete shock as if he was still waking up from a deep slumber. She looked down at the tea pot then back at Saiju, “Anybody who drinks tea will recognize that pot.” Saiju looked down, recognizing he was using the pot that the kid stole the night before. “So why didn’t you fight off those thugs from the mountain the other day?” the woman asked as she starting sipping at her tea. “I don’t fight. I am just a simple man who works in a tea shop” “And I am just a helpless girl that tends to her garden dreaming of the day when I finally get married off to a strong man. I saw the fire in your eyes that day. You may act like a simple man but you can’t hide who you truly are.” Her amber eyes captivated Saiju. The longer he gazed into her eyes the more he saw. Fires of Vix that swirled around changing size and intensity. He looked away and stood up, “I’m afraid you are thinking of someone else. Would you like another refill?” He refilled her glass, returned to the kitchen, and disappeared out the back.
The priest Saiju was sent to protect went into the mountains every now and again to visit the smaller homes and bestow the warmth of Vix upon them. During one of these trips the priest decided to stay the night in one of the smaller temples so he can pray with the other priests and reach the further homes the next morning. After the priest went to sleep Saiju decided to do another perimeter sweep and stumbled across a small river that emptied out into ponds. The water was run off from the mountain and remarkably clear and the moonlight revealed areas deep enough to sit in. He stripped down and entered the pond. The cold water sent a shock up his spine making him regret even thinking about going in. Saiju put his hands together, closed his eyes, and concentrated. His tattoos started to glow orange and the water steamed up around him. That’s better, he thought to himself. “I don’t think most tea shop workers have tattoos like that, and they certainly don’t have swords either.” Saiju jumped up and spun around to find the woman standing by a tree watching him. Saiju grabbed his sword and charged at the woman. She expected this and started running away. No. Not away but right at a tree to her left. She leaped up and pushed herself off the tree using her momentum to form a devastating kick right towards Saiju’s head. Saiju slid underneath her nearly avoiding the kick. He dug his still sheathed sword into the ground and used it to swing back around forming his own kick. But she was already up on her feet and slammed her elbow into Saiju’s side causing him to drop. On the ground, Saiju spun his legs around like a whirlwind trying to knock the woman off her feet but she jumped backwards into a back hand spring and landed a few feet away. Saiju used the momentum from his kick to bring himself up to his feet. The woman called out “Finally a worthy opponent.” Saiju leapt forward swinging his sword with an upwards stroke. The woman gracefully evaded and spun around to where Saiju was originally. Saiju turned and once again they were facing each other. “Have you come up here just to die?” Saiju said as he was slowing his breathing. “Not at all. I come because I see the fire of Vix in your eyes. Now I see that Vix has not only touched your eyes but also your sword.” Saiju looked down and saw the soft orange glow of his tattoos. He could feel the warmth, and with the warmth he could feel the energy. He charged at her, this time instead of swiping upwards he swiped level towards the ground but low. She jumped up avoiding the sword but didn’t see his leg sweeping right towards her chest. She was knocked down and Saiju put his sword to her chest. “We are done.” Saiju said looking down at her. “Yes we are.” The woman replied as she quickly pulled Saiju’s sword towards her giving her enough reach to bend his wrist forcing the sword away and using the momentum from pulling Saiju to lift herself to her feet. She slammed her foot against his chest and firmly pressed down. “Wait.” The woman said. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a similar tattoo with the same orange glow. “My name is Miyu.”
Over the next few weeks Saiju and Miyu grew close together. She became a frequent customer at the tea shop and he would always leave her flowers at the dojo. During the night they would escape their lives and train together. Both harnessing the warmth of Vix, they lit up the mountains like shooting stars streaking across the sky. Miyu started to train Saiju in hand to hand combat and in turn Saiju gave her a few lessons with the sword.
This was love.
After weeks of preparation the day was here, the day the priest gave his speech and the day the vote was being called. This day was the entire reason why Saiju came to this town but now he dreaded its arrival. Saiju was on full alert. The other day at the tea shop he heard the priests talking about starting a new flame. Since he spent all that time doing reconnaissance he knew that they were talking about ending the priest’s life. Saiju was able to sneak into the temple unnoticed and hid up in the rafters above the common area. There he had a great vantage point to scope out any potential threats. There were many priests and they all wore the same dark red garments which made it easy to hide a weapon. In the corner Saiju saw the same group from the tea shop but this time one of them was sweating. He looked nervous. Saiju noticed a bulge in the man’s clothes, only about 8-10 inches long, the priest looked down and covered it up. Saiju quietly climbed down from the rafters and approached the priest. “I would like to make a confession.” Saiju said to the priest. “Not now. There is an important meeting that is about to start and I must be there before it starts.” “Please. I fear that the warmth of Vix has left me and I must confess my sin to once again feel the warmth.” The priest looked at Saiju and said, “Fine. This way to the fires of forgiveness.” The fires of forgiveness is a place where those who have sinned can burn away their shame and relight their fire. It is designed such that a priest sits on one end of the fire and the penitent sits on the other. The seated areas hide the light from the fire so that both the priest and the penitent are in the shadow but when they lean forward the light illuminates their faces. Saiju and the priest sat down, “I plan to kill someone today.” Saiju said and the priest shifted uncomfortably. “Well in that case you haven’t sinned yet. Let the warmth of Vix light your path a different way. By coming here you are taking the first step away from darkness.” “You are mistaken.” Saiju replied. “I am not walking towards darkness. I am darkness.” Immediately the fire of forgiveness went out and a figure started to glow where Saiju sat. With a flash, a sword sliced from one side of the extinguished fire towards the other. The sword burned though the priest’s confession shade with ease killing the assassin inside, leaving sword marks scorched into the wood.
The meeting started and the vote was cast. It was settled. The temple will open its doors to all and become a hub of travel. After the meeting adjourned screams echoed the temple. “Come quick! There has been a murder!” Saiju slipped out unnoticed.
Later that day at the tea shop Miyu burst in sobbing. Saiju ran up to her to comfort her. “What is wrong, my fire?” Saiju said looking down at Miyu. “My father was murdered by an assassin.” Saiju stepped back in shock, “What? How?” “They found his body by the fires of forgiveness. No one saw anything. How could this happen?” “I must leave now” Saiju said. Looking up with tears in her eyes, “You can’t leave now. I need you here. I don’t know what to do. I feel so defenseless.” Saiju’s eyes darkened and he turned away, “I am sorry but I need to think.” With that he left Miyu there crying with no one, no one at all.
That night Saiju meditated trying to figure out what to do. Should he lie to her? Should he tell her the truth? How much of the truth? Would she even believe him?
The next morning Saiju went to Miyu’s house and confessed what he has done and told her everything. The Eclipse, his mission, his father, his one goal in life. She threw him through a wall. “I never want to see you again! And if I do see you you will regret it!” She ran off towards the mountains, Saiju tried to chase after her but she broke a couple of his ribs when she threw him.
Saiju stayed at the tea shop but Miyu never returned. He left her flowers at the dojo but the flowers just piled up. He went up into the mountains to search for her but could never find her. The Eclipse tried calling Saiju back but he lied and said that the speech was postponed and he needed to stay longer.
Months went by and the tea became cold.
A few more months went by and Saiju was returning from another supply trip from the top of the mountain. Saiju was lost in thought, gazing off into the sun wondering if this is what Vix truly wanted of him. He tripped on a rock and fell dropping his supplies. “Are you alright? I think might have dropped this.” Looking up he saw Miyu holding a sack. “Miyu where have you been? I have been looking for you everywhere. I…” Saiju was cut off. “I know. I have been watching you but I needed time to think. There were many times where I could and should have killed you for what you did and there are other times where all I wanted to do was run through the mountains practicing and training.” She looked away,” I have found that my father was going to betray Vix and kill that other priest and he needed to be stopped. I understand why you did what you did but I can never forgive you.” “Please, let me try to make this up to you.” “There is nothing that will change my mind. I love you Saiju but I can’t be with you.” “Will you at least share one more cup of tea with me?” Miyu nodded and they headed to an overlook on the mountain. There they shared one last cup of tea and watched the sunset. Together. For the last time.