Tepet Ejava

Tepet Ejava, also called the Roseblack, is a Dragon-Blooded general and one of those vying for the throne of the Realm in the absence of the Scarlet Empress.

Biography
The granddaughter of the legendary general Tepet Arada, Tepet Ejava was conceived of two high-ranking officers serving on the frontlines of one of the Realm’s campaigns. Her mother refused to surrender command just because of the inconvenience of nursing an infant while on maneuvers, and clever smiths jury-rigged Tepet Ellora’s breastplate to accommodate a tiny suckling infant. Upon Ellora’s return to the Blessed Isle, she was castigated by her father, Arada, for being so cavalier with a Dynastic newborn, but after getting over his anger, the Wind Dancer was immediately taken by his new grandchild. While he never publicly doted on her, Ejava benefited greatly from her grandfather’s patronage, and her admission to the House of Bells awaited only the seeming formality of Exaltation.

That formality was satisfied when Ejava Exalted during her 11th year, a relatively young age for a Terrestrial Exaltation. But she never rested on her laurels or relied on her connections. Diligent, patient and driven, Ejava strove for excellence even beyond the standards of excellence set for her by her Dragon-Blooded peers. After graduating from the House of Bells with the highest marks, Ejava had her choice of assignments. Early success in putting down a peasant uprising in Chanos Prefecture brought her a measure of fame as well as valuable battlefield experience. From there, she used the Imperial Army to see the world like few inhabitants of the Age of Sorrows ever could.

Ejava’s most famous success was the Battle of Tamrin Plain, the tactics of which are still taught at the House of Bells. Initially assigned to assist a Nellens ranching concern against bandits in the Northern Threshold, the Roseblack suddenly found herself vastly outnumbered and caught between 500 beastmen led by a powerful Lunar Anathema on one side and an equivalent force of Fair Folk hobgoblins on the other. In a brilliant tactical display, Ejava managed to divert the beastmen force into the ranks of the hobgoblins, forcing them to fight one another. The Lunar escaped, but his minions were wiped out, as were the Fair Folk forces and the bandits.

The Battle of Tamrin Plain led to her assignment as a dragonlord to the Third Legion in the Northeastern Threshold. Regrettably for all concerned, that posting was brief. Jealous rivals stymied her efforts to devise an effective strategy for dealing with the opposing barbarian armies, and eventually, her superior reassigned her to the Blessed Isle where she was to lobby the Deliberative for reinforcements. Ejava arrived in the Imperial City just in time to learn of the disastrous Battle of Futile Blood and the destruction of her family’s fortunes.

While the Tepet legions were no more, other opportunities remained, but the Roseblack realized that if such opportunities were to be realized, she would need a force she could mold to her own needs without having to answer to some superior officer likely to be her inferior in acumen. Although she received offers to join the command staffs of many of the Realm’s leading generals, Ejava spurned them all for the one position attainable that would give her total control over an entire legion. Unfortunately, it was the Red-Piss Legion, and Ejava’s family was mortified when she accepted command over it. But Ejava saw a value in the Vermillion Legion that others did not: total loyalty. To Ejava, the soldiers of the Red-Piss Legion were the castoffs of the Realm, a massive fighting force whose officer corps consisted almost entirely of Dragon-Blooded cut off from their own Houses. It has taken her years of persistent training and drilling (and the quiet removal of those officers who were incompetent rather than simply bull-headed), but today, the Vermillion is a crack fighting force whose degenerate reputation is a mask for its brutal efficiency and its dedication to the first truly great commander it has ever had.

Of course, a sword that is never unsheathed is a poor weapon, indeed. Though not a pious woman, Tepet Ejava is intensely patriotic. If the Scarlet Empress were to return tomorrow, she would be the first to swear fealty. However, there are no signs the Empress will return tomorrow, the next day or any day thereafter, and in the meantime, the Realm and Creation both slide toward oblivion. Seeing no one else who could possibly seize control of the Realm and maintain it, the Roseblack has come to an awful realization: that she is most likely the best person to sit on the Scarlet Throne. Having accepted that truth, Ejava has become surprisingly calm about the prospect of treason, coup d’etat and bloody civil war against her own kinsmen. She has quietly purged her inner circle of anyone who would not follow her path, and under her leadership, the Red-Piss Legion has become more than a match for any other legion. For now, Ejava waits. Tepet Arada has sent word that he is coming to the Southeast to meet with her. Whether it is to join her cause or to take her head remains to be seen.