Campaign:Warring Realm/Mnemon Kerig Tanila

Basics

Name: Mnemon Kerig Tanila
Player: Shas'O Faiz
Campaign: Warring Realm
Concept: Zealous Commander
Aspect: Earth (Mnemon)
Intimacies: House Mnemon, Jade Scale
Anima Banner: Tanila is surrounded by a torrent of illusory specks of topaz and diamond that swirl around her, growing more brilliant the stronger the banner is.
Anima Effect: Tanila can spend five motes to attune her anima to the nearby stone, taking on the durability of the earth itself. For the duration of the scene, she may soak all lethal damage with her full Stamina. She may also add her Essence to dice rolls to resist grappling attacks or to avoid knockback. Finally, she may add her Essence to her Stamina for all purposes, but only while her feet rest on either earth or stone.
Experience:

Background

Age: 35

Although she didn't realize it at the time, Mnemon Kerig Tanila's family had great expectations of her. The granddaughter of two of the House's most respected Exalts, a family of impressive pedigree, her parents expected to have multiple Exalted children (both of them Earth-Aspected Exalts themselves, with high expectations placed on their marriage to sire successful heirs). Nonetheless, they were quite pleased when she became filled with the presence of the Earth dragon at the tender age of ten and a half. Less pleasing, however, were the four brothers that preceded her. Although two of them exalted, none of them lived up to the lofty expectations that Dynastic society placed on them. Lack of drive, arrogance, misbehavior; all four of them ended up disowned, shipped off to the House of Ancient Stone, or dead, all of them victims of their own shortcomings. The failings of her siblings helped to shape Tanila as she grew. She saw in her brothers wasted potential, the kind that needed to have their decisions in life made for them. She also came to realize that the Realm, as it was, needed that guidance; it was suffering from its own weakness and hubris, much like they did, and like them, might find disaster in a time of trouble (like, say, if the Empress were to no longer sit on the throne), were it not for someone to right its course. She became increasingly devoted to the precepts of the Immaculate Philosophy. She also became very devoted and zealously loyal to her house; her many family members showed a great deal of appreciation to, as well as expectation in, her accomplishments growing up. She had contact with numerous important members of House Mnemon, including her grandparents (and possibly the big lady herself), most of whom instilled in her the idea that Mnemon was the rightful heir to the Scarlet Throne, and that their house, being of the best blood and highest discipline, would lead the Realm into a new age once she succeeded her mother.
At this point in her life Tanila forced herself into a renewed state of refinement. She first managed to secure entry into the Heptagram; this, she felt, was necessary if she was to TRULY understand the crazy world that they all lived in to a degree necessary if she was to have any impact on the future. She did not learn to become a sorcerer like her grandmother, but she DID learn a great deal about Realm history, Occult theory, and more. After that, she opted to continue her education at the House of Bells, where she both honed her personal combat abilities and soaked up as much military theory as she could.
Her renowned grandfather passed away before she graduated. He had held much respect in the House, and on Tanila's return, she was granted the opportunity to command her own scale, to show to her House that she could put what she had learned to good use. She had two trump cards in the form of the artifacts she inherited from her grandfather. She also had access to the resources of her wealthy family, allowing her to arm and staff her scale more adequately than most. This was to work out to her advantage, for Tanila believed that the key to a successful unit was training, arming, and more importantly armouring, them to make them more elite than the enemy. She felt that a single scale of well armed soldiers who could strike at a distance, close the distance and survive the enemy's onslaught before delivering a flawless finishing blow (in other words, HER scale) was worth an entire talon of conscripts. (Of course, such a successful scale also hinged on the commanding officer's skill...) She intended to prove this theory by putting her scale to the test; she did not shy away from accepting assignments to whatever hot spots the House was having trouble with. In conflict after conflict, her scale suffered few losses, and was able to rally other scales in battle and execute tight maneuvers that larger sized units found difficult. (Her mirror also helped Mnemon's forces at large, and helped her reputation; the other commanders were forced to rely on her to give them a tactical overview of the battlefield.)
During all of this time, Tanila's loyalty to both the House and the Immaculate Philosophy shone through. She showed no hesitation, nor compassion, when dealing with her enemies; anyone who stood opposed was rendered asunder. Tanila herself was known for participating in the front lines during smaller-scale battles; her zeal and fury earned her a reputation. She went into melee armed only with her armour's powerful fists, which she used to strangle helpless enemies from a safe distance or rend their flesh up close and personal. Enemies weren't the only ones who suffered this fate, however; she dealt with insubordination and natives who showed disrespect in the same manner. After her tour of duty, she became known to many as "Tanila the Ripper" or "Tanila the Strangler". (The occasional insult of "Tanila the STRIPPER" may be heard by those who dislike her greatly, but never within earshot, naturally.)
The House recalled her and her scale, along with many other forces, after the mysterious disappearance of the Scarlet Empress. To her, it was apparent why: The Realm had been rendered vulnerable, just as she had feared, and Mnemon wished to take the throne for herself, but could not...at least not yet. On the down low, however, Mnemon began to manage certain parts of her house. Like any Exalt in the house, Tanila's actions earned Mnemon's attention; if there was going to be a war, Tanila would be involved, and she would need to be prepared. She was granted command of a full talon (or rather, four scales to complement the talon she already had), as well as the resources to upkeep them, and granted authority to wield them in the interests of the house, within reason. Now stationed at home, and only rarely being sent out abroad, Tanila continues to groom her army, using her reputation as a master strategist and fierce warrior (and even playing up her more violent reputation) to recruit soldiers she sees as worthy additions to one of her scales. She has made it clear to her soldiers, her fellow House members, and Mnemon herself on the rare times that they have met, that she expects there to be a bloody war in the future for the realm, and that she will do everything in her power to bring about victory. The appearance of the new Anathema has also raised concerns; she, like many, see them as a threat to the realm, and if her forces were to be called upon to put down a would-be Anathematic threat, or be challenged by such a threat, she will not hesitate to sunder it.
That was about five years ago...

Appearance

Tanila is only slightly taller than average for her House, and she is not as well built as her strength would seem to indicate; nor is she as well 'defined' as most women her age. Her skin is a soft tan colour, with muted hazel eyes and dark brown hair shorter than most Dragon-blooded women. As a result, she does not cut as imposing a figure as her reputation might warrant, and has to rely on other methods of garnering people's attention and respect. However, she is often in her armour, which adds a touch of imposition.

Personality

Tanila is an intense woman; anything she does, she does with an outcome in mind, and she has a low tolerance for failure and other bullshit, as well as a very limited patience. She has charisma, to be certain, but you don't want to be on the wrong side of it. In battle, especially, Tanila can be quite...visceral. She is fond of disarming her enemies before plunging into them with fists hungry for their blood.(Any of the few people in her house who were familiar with here both before and after she her schooling would have noticed this intensity set in after she donned her late grandfather's armour after graduating from the House of Bells.) She has earnest devotion to what is important to her, however (namely, her House and family), and to the troops in Jade Scale she shares a certain boisterous camaraderie that the other scales don't see. It is not uncommon to see her knocking back a few drinks with some of the senior members of Jade Scale.

Motivation

The ultimate objective is, of course, victory. House Mnemon NEEDS to take the throne, and in the longer term, needs to bring stability to the world as a whole. From a personal standpoint, Tanila wants to be as much a part of that victory as possible, to prove her loyalty; the more she can rip and tear in the House's name, the better. This is the time she has been training for her entire life.
If feasible, she also wants the history books, and Mnemon herself, to remember her as having been key to victory. When children of the future learn of the great war that consumed the Realm, they should know the name of Mnemon Kerig Tanila ((in the same sense that American children know that George Washington was the dude who kicked England's ass)). That's how she'll know she REALLY did her job.
And, of course, the ultimate victory would be for Mnemon to be so grateful to her as to place her in line for the throne. A girl can dream, can't she?

Attributes

Physical	(Secondary)	Social	(Tertiary)	Mental	(Primary)
Strength	●●●○○○○○	Charisma	●●●○○○○○	Perception	●●●○○○○○
Dexterity	●●●○○○○○	Manipulation	●●○○○○○	Intelligence	●●●●○○○○○
Stamina	●●●○○○○○	Appearance	●●○○○○○	Wits	●●●○○○○○

Abilities

Air	Charms	Water	Charms	Earth	Charms	Fire	Charms	Wood	Charms
Linguistics●○○○○○		Bureaucracy●○○○○○		Awareness●●○○○○○		Athletics●○○○○○		Archery●○○○○○
Lore ●●●○○○○○		Investigation ●○○○○○		Craft ○○○○○		Dodge ●●●○○○○○		Medicine ○○○○○
Occult ●●●○○○○○		Larceny ○○○○○		Integrity ●●○○○○○		Melee ●○○○○○		Performance ●○○○○○
Stealth ○○○○○		Martial Arts ●●●○○○○○		Resistance ●●●○○○○○		Presence●●●○○○○○		Ride ●○○○○○
Thrown ○○○○○		Sail ○○○○○		War ●●●●○○○○○	3	Socialize ●●○○○○○		Survival ○○○○○

Linguistics

• High Realm
• Old Realm

Backgrounds

Breeding: ●●●●●○○○○○ Family: ●●○○○○○ Mnemon Kerig, Tanila's paternal grandfather, was one of the finest generals ever to exist in the modern age. He served his House with the utmost honour and devotion during troubled times in the past, squelching full-blown rebellions in Mnemon's tributaries or defending them from brutal attacks. Kerig's strengthening of Mnemon's military was a factor in Mnemon being able to politically position herself and her house into the state of power they both currently lie in. Tanila grew up with her grandfather's influence in his waning years, although he was still able to regale her with stories of his battles, and later in life, the theory behind his actions. Kerig was overjoyed to see his granddaughter join the House of Bells after she graduated from the Heptagram, although he did not live to see her graduate.
Mnemon Karas, Tanila's maternal grandmother, is still alive. A graduate of the Heptagram, she has spent, and continues to spend, her adult life, in scholastic pursuits, like researching matters of the First Age, Anathema, delving into Arcane theory, the nature of the Wyld, et cetera. Mnemon herself is known to take pleasure in reaping the rewards of such diligent research; take any formal document or memo on such matters that has been written within the past 200 years from her library, and there's a decent chance Karas' name is somewhere on it. It was mainly Karas' influence and persuasion (presumably with a little help from Mnemon herself) that got Tanila into the Heptagram. To this day Tanila consults her grandmother on scholarly issues.
Resources: ●●●●●○○○○○ Command: ●●○○○○○ Details here
Artifact: ●●●●●○○○○○ See under Inventory
Reputation: ●●○○○○○ Tanila's reputation in House Mnemon is that of a zealous, perhaps overzealous, defender of the House's honour and manifest destiny. Many in the realm may also know her as an extremely competent military leader; some may even know of her as an arcane scholar, due to her schooling at the Heptagram. Less savory are the tales, only partially embellished, of her gruesome, 'hands-on' exploits against her enemies, both in battle and afterwards, and even against would-be allies who she had found wanting, earning her the nicknames "The Ripper" and "The Strangler". There are also the lingering questions of whether she is actually a sorceress, which to some outside of her House is a frightening prospect. (It isn't TRUE, of course. Tanila's knowledge of the occult and such matters are purely from a professional standpoint. Those of low rank inside her house might be ignorant enough as to the true nature of sorcerers and the Heptagram to confuse her for one, albeit with no disrespect meant; high-ranking officials from other houses who have been keeping tabs on their potential enemies and compiling information on Tanila as a result would know that she isn't if they've been doing her job properly, but they may find it useful to keep the truth obfuscated and let rumours fester.)

Essence

Essence: ●●●○○○○○○○○○○
Regeneration: (4 per hour plus twice the rating of your hearthstone(s) under normal conditions. remember you gain an additional 4 motes per hour when you're resting)
Personal Essence Pool: 15/15
Peripheral Essence Pool: 35/35
Committed Essence:

Willpower

Willpower: ●●●●●●●○○○○○○○○○○
Temporary: □□□□□ □□

Virtues

Virtues:
Compassion: ●○○○○○
Conviction: ●●●●○○○○○
Temperance: ●●○○○○○
Valor: ●●●○○○○○
Flawed Virtue: Conviction
Virtue Flaw:Conviction pushes the Children of Pasiap to cruel extremes to protect their traditions and ideals, and punish those who threaten them.
Limit: ■□□□□ □□□□□

Combat

Dodge DV: 3
Dodge MDV: 5
Soak: 4B/4L/3A
Pierced: 3B/2L/1A
Hardness: 0B/0L/0A

Health

□ -0
□□ -1
□□ -2
□ -4
□ Incapacitated
□□□ Dying

Advancement

Bonus Points

4 - Resources 4+5
4 - Breeding 4+5
4 - Artifact 4+5
1 - Reputation 2
2 - Family 1+2

Experience Points

30 - Essence 3
8 - Conviction 4
7 - War 4
10 - 3rd War Excellency

See Also

Exalted