Latest revision as of 16:10, 6 July 2005

Shattering Hibiscus

His name was Edhmem. He was a warrior prince, a Zenith Caste Exalted of the Unconquered Sun. His eyes burnt with copper fire, his sword Radiant Lily beat back darkness with petals of flame. His armor Harvest Meadow Mail turned suffering into sheaves of wheat. He was invincible.

He was going to slay Conquest. In his heart there burned a name, Isidoros, the Black Boar that Twists the Skies. Edhmem's entire existence was bent to destroying the name, and the being that bore it, though in so doing, he knew his glory would be diminished. He bore his blade to the edges of the world, where the Primordials lay in waiting. He cast a final farewell to his people, resplendent in loss.

They say that for nine days, all the folk of Edhmem's realm dreamed of his torment. For nine days, every noon there was a scream. Then all was silent, and in the turning of years Edhmem was forgotten.

Thousands of years later, their descendants heard the scream again, and their souls remembered its Exalted timbre, even past the veil of Lethe and many generations. But it was no scream of agony; it was a battle cry.

Shattering Hibiscus bears the daiklave Magma Blossom, which has an eerie resemblance to the legendary Radiant Lily. It isn't clear whather she is Edhmem reshaped, or Edhmem reborn, but her anima banner is the same as his, so she must carry his Exalted soul: a geyser of hibiscus-of-light, that casts white illumination around all nearby. Hers does not have Edhmem's golden tinge, and spins upwards in a whirlwind rather than straight like fire, but it is unmistakable nonetheless. In omen-weather, the flower petals turn to knives, and she stands in a storm of blood.

Shattering Hibiscus is usually seen in a Noh-style kimono with one sleeve torn off; the other sleeve is of the long theatrical style, with the trailing edge shaped into a flower's silhouette; it is embroidered to match.