MortalsOfTheBlessedIsle

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Character Seeds from the Blessed Isle

Honorable Teacher Balsa Norion -- CrownedSun
A well-heeled member of the Patrician class, Balsa Norion is a gray haired old man who typically dresses in the black robes favored by the faculty of the Earthheart Academy (a well-regarded school near Juche). Even in his late 70s, he retains his full mental acuity and if his vision isn’t as good as it once was he compensates with excellent hearing and a pair of crystal spectacles imported from Chiaroscuro some long years ago. The children view him as a harsh and particularly demanding professor, with no patience for anything but full and complete understanding of all material covered. The other teachers see him as much a part of the Academy as the granite walls or the tall bell-tower; Norion has been on staff even longer than the schools dominie.

Balsa Norion has taught Political History in his particularly straightforward and uncompromising fashion for the past 50 years of his life. The students who take his class leave understanding exactly how the political system works and how it doesn’t, and many go on to take high-ranking positions in the Thousand Scales. He doesn't spare anything from their knowledge. Students learn a rather unflattering but mostly truthful accounting of how the Realm formed, understand the complex interrelations of the Thousand Scales, and discover the role of everything from assassination to adultery in the political system. On at least one occasion the lessons of the (then) young teacher even attracted the attention of the Scarlet Empress – who was amused by his insight into her dominion, and briefly took him as a lover before loosing interest.