BillGarrett/RyushiTheMortal

Cloudless Sky is a Dragon-Blooded ruler. He has governed the Righteous and Harmonious Province of Yi-Fan for well over a century and a half. His family has always produced an Exalted heir to sit on the throne. Here in the Eastern Threshold, between the Hundred Kingdoms and the Inner Sea, Yi-Fan is not ideally suited for trade. Nevertheless it is a prosperous kingdom, and the blessings of the gods are showered as liberally as cherry blossoms upon the the breeze.

Only four generations separate Cloudless Sky from the death of the Shogunate. It has been a short enough succession that he and his family remember the old ways. The political boundaries of the province remain much as they were in the Shogunate, if perhaps somewhat expanded as opportunities presented themselves. And Yi-Fan has been a peaceful enough province. Much of this is to the credit of the royal guards and their leader.

The captain of the Tireless Protectors of the Royal Lineage is a mortal, and always has been - there are precious few Exalted in Yi-Fan who are not heirs to the throne, and they serve vital functions in the civilian and military apparatus. Nevertheless, the royal guard have a long and distinguished history. Many times they and their captain have seen battle.

The captain once bore the name Ryushi. He is now called Azure Tiger, in honor of his fighting prowess and the sky-colored Ashigaru armor he possesses. The armor is an enchanted suit, a powerful weapon from the ancient Shogunate that the nearby state of Lookshy deploys in greater numbers than Yi-Fan will ever dream or need. Nevertheless the man who protects the royal personage of Cloudless Sky must be well-heeled for the task.

Azure Tiger bears a sword that burns with flame when he draws it. The edge is the product of Yi-Fan's swordsmiths; the fire is the result of enchantments laid upon it by the Exalted Court-Sorcerer, Crane. He has killed few men with it. The fewer men who must fall under his sword, the better. It does not reflect well upon his leadership if an intruder can come close enough to his master that he himself must dispatch the fellow.

He is a matchless fighter. Years have honed his fighting talents and increased his natural ability. He is considered one of the premiere swordsmen of the East, and tutors the men under his command. His leadership talents have grown in stature as well. He has the respect of his subordinates and the faith of his superiors.

Azure Tiger will never become more than he is; he has reached the pinnacle of his life. There is only one place he can really go from here, after all - a coup against Cloudless Sky and his family. In the miraculous event that he overcame the Exalted of Yi-Fan, of course, he would have failed in his sworn duty. If he had a shred of honor left, he would cast himself onto his sword in the moment Cloudless Sky fell.

Not that such thoughts occur to him on his own. But he does think about it.

Azure Tiger is the sort of man who can safely entertain such thoughts without disturbing his lord. One of the responsibilities of the royal guard is to plan for and anticipate revolutions or other internal attempts on the power of the throne. To that end, Azure Tiger has compiled a list of strategies that plotters might employ, and he has devised counters for every last one of them. He has grown to suspect everyone - even himself. As such, he tests himself from time to time, considering the possibility of his own disloyalty.

So far, he has been loyal. So far, his lord permits him to live.

He is what he is. Once a gladiator, he is now a leader of men and a potent fighter. He had great potential. Now he has grown into it. And someday, he will die, as he has lived.