Patkin/SakuraBureaucratsInJuche

Ah! Sakura Love Bureaucrats in Juche!

The Sworn Brotherhood

In 765, four young children of the Scarlet Dynasty were sent to the Chestnut School in Juche to be trained as bureaucrats in the Thousand Scales. Each had become Exalted within their first year and as such banded together as their year's crop of the Dragon-Blooded. The four were provided with an older student as a tutor in the magic Charms of the Immaculate Dragons, and soon the five of them were their own force in academic politics.

Cathak Utika, a boisterous, active and athletic grand-niece of Cathak Cainan annoyed with the paper-pushing busywork given to her by the school. Ledaal Kebok Diduke, an intelligent and well-read granddaughter of the sorcery-inclined Ledaal Kebok household, a prodigy in Shogunate history afflicted with night terrors. Ragara Calel Hared, a reckless youngster known more for his horse-riding skills than his academic career, whose driving goal is the preservation of honor and dignity in the Dynasty, and the adventurous future that awaits him in the Imperial Post. Tepet Tilis Cijal, the quiet and orphaned daughter of a notable dragonlord of the Tepet legions lost in the North, sent to Chestnut as a precaution against further loss in the Great House. And V'neef Irela, daughter of V'neef herself, the sweet and motherly tutor of the brotherhood, ordered to keep watch over the group's actions by the Chestnut School's dominie.

The five of them combined make up the sworn brotherhood of the Diligent Magistrates of Clerical Affairs, a destined brotherhood set to make a difference in the Imperial Service one day. Of course, that's if they can make it to graduation in one piece and don't end up killing each other themselves.

Characters

Each character will be written up according to the character creation system for boarding schools dramas in Exalted: the Dragon-Blooded for those 13 and older. These rules can be found on page 287. In addition, each member of the brotherhood has a future role in the Thousand Scales set for them. These futures can be seen in the parentheses after each brief description.

Members of the Brotherhood

• Cathak Utika - Fire-aspect, female, headstrong and confident (except around boys), full of bravado and the kind of girl who sticks out like a sore thumb in the business-minded Chestnut School. Good friends with Ragara Hared, on whom she has a crush, and rivals with Tepet Cijal, who she sees as competition. Is hoping to enter the House of Bells once she makes it out of the staid bureaucratic primary school she's been stuck with. Idealizes the legions a fair bit, and is constantly frustrated by her current situation. Still, she shows a flair for talking her way out of trouble, and if it comes anyway, she's probably one of the more physically capable members of her sworn brotherhood. (Wise and Knowledgable Advisors of Foreign Tributaries)

• Ledaal Kebok Diduke - Air-aspect, female, earnest young student at the Chestnut School in Juche, tends to daydream during lessons, but remains in the upper 2% of the class. Well-integrated and well-liked, a popular youth in spite of her interest in the occult. Intends on entering the Heptagram like her mother when she graduates from primary school, but is more adept at the lore of the First Age and the Shogunate than sorcery. Is completely oblivious to the romance surrounding her. Wears a hearthstone amulet around her neck, a gift from her mother before Diduke left for boarding school. Holds a lullaby stone within it, a family gift meant to ward away night terrors. (House Service)

• Ragara Calel Hared - Wood-aspect, male, gallant but foolhardy young student at the Chestnut School, more interested in horse-riding than his studies. Parents are both servants of the Imperial Service. Intends on joining the Imperial Post when he graduates from secondary school. Keeps a young hunting dog named Orchid as a companion and familiar. Defended Tepet Cijal in two instances of bullying, and has been thrashed soundly both times, once by those bullying Cijal, and the second by Cijal for sticking his nose into other people's business. Is seemingly unaware of Cathak Utika's feelings for him, since he spends more time trying to get Cijal's attention. (Infallible Conveyors of Official Messages and Heartfelt Expressions)

• Tepet Tilis Cijal - Earth-aspect, female, Ledaal Diduke's best friend at the Chestnut School. Placed in the school by grandparents as her mother died in the North and her father, a patrician, followed her to his grave. A ward of her household, Cijal prefers to keep her family's tragedies quiet to all but Diduke, whom she idolizes. Keeps a strong face, and while not an excellent student, still manages to pass by. Has an inheritance in her name for when she graduates from secondary school, due to her being the only daughter of her parents' marriage, which includes a number of contacts within the Imperial Service. (Honorable and Humble Caretakers of the Common Folk)

• V'neef Irela - Water-aspect, female, a slightly older student in the Chestnut School, requested by the dominie to watch the other four as a favor. Acting as their tutor in the Charms of the Dragon-Blooded, Irela managed to insert herself into their group and keeps them out of trouble. One of V'neef's direct children, Irela expects that her mother will have a place within the Scales arranged for her upon her graduation from secondary school. Often acting like a serene, sweet and blissfully unaware young woman, is truthfully very calculated in her interactions with those she deems as beneath her. (The Humble and Honest Assessors of the Imperial Tax; The All-Seeing Eye)