Yuri-50 (pr. Yoo-ree-ell. The ‘fifty’ is never spoken as such, always as an ‘L’.)
From the deepest pit comes the darkest darkness. Wreathed in beauty that twists and fractures the world, none know the origin of the Beast That Enslaves the World With Golden Chains and Crowns of Termites. Born of the Earth, he has descended to something far greater, an instrument of the Yozis he imposes their will upon all. His mission: to perfect the Terrestrial Exalted race that they might become the invincible armies of the Lords of Malfeas.
Around the time of the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, 1200 years ago, the Sidereal Exalted who secretly controlled the Immaculate Order from behind the scenes undertook a program to breed the ultimate Dragon-Blooded Martial Artists, who would be spiritually pure and Essencially powerful enough to transcend the limitations of their Terrestrial Exaltations and learn some of the secret, higher Martial Arts practised by the Celestial Exalted. The five Dragon Paths were the first steps on this road, and it was possible for some of the most enlightened Immaculates to master each of the Paths in turn.
These programs were never completed, for the Empress returned, the Realm changed and the Sidereals withdrew into Heaven. But the programs continued. Without Sidereal guidance, they spiralled out of control for centuries, breeding the more powerful Dragon-Blooded with each other into an increasingly smaller gene pool. Mutations became more common. Madness became more common. And then the Infernals became involved.
To sacrifice one’s life is easy; hundreds, thousands of mortals do it every day for the greater good of kingdom, state or empire. But to sacrifice your very soul for your people takes a courage far beyond what any could expect of another. The funeral of Sharia-K honoured one of Lookshy’s greatest daughters, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her nation’s freedom, and whose memory is kept alive as an example to all citizens. She pierced to the heart of their enemy, but what she suffered for this, none dare to imagine.
In the Southlands of Creation, deep within the territory of the Infernal Host, lies the headquarters of Project JADE (Whose sister projects are STEEL and FLESH). Its goal: to breed the strongest, most powerful Martial Artists possible without Infernal Exaltations – after all, the Terrestrials are plentiful and self-increasing; the Infernals are not. One Infernal Exalted (who goes by the title of “Beast That Enslaves the World With Golden Chains and Crowns of Termites”) is the head of JADE. He is also the father of the current generation of test subjects, codenamed “Batch 50.” Each of the five test subjects, all young adults in the full bloom of their Exaltation, has a different mother, one for each of the elemental Aspects, chosen for their purity of bloodline and strength of Essence.
Except Sharia-K, the mother of the Fire-Aspect, was a Lookshy agent.
A life of slavery. Birthed for the foulest of purposes, to be an instrument of another’s ambition. Suckled by dæmons, taught at the feet of the servants of darkness, honed, shaped to be a living weapon, bred in a futile attempt to achieve an impossible perfection, an unrealisable dream. Her father took everything that made her human from her, and then he took the rest as well. She was insane, like the rest of her incomprehensibly dysfunctional “family.” In her life, she was given but one gift, and this redeemed her. Her mother gave it to her, though she died in the giving.
Freedom.
Her mother educated her as to the true nature of the Infernal Host as best she could, in secret, until one day, seizing her one and only chance, Sharia attempted to escape with her daughter to the safety of the River Province. Upon discovery of this the Air-Aspected subject, Gabri-50, was sent to stop them, and given a suit of Air Dragon Armour in which to do it. When she caught up with the fleeing pair, there was combat, which Yuri won. But only because her mother (who was a potent Martial Artist herself) sacrificed herself to open a weakness in the armour’s defences. However, something unusual happened. In the final moment of her life Sharia released all of her essence (emulating the Immaculate Dragon Hesiesh) and sent her spirit into the Armour, changing it. The Armour, which Yuri took, now repairs and maintains itself and is possessed by the spirit of Sharia, who can communicate with her daughter occasionally, when the walls between the worlds of the living and the dead are weak.
To the girl born in darkness, Lookshy was a fabled land of light. In the stolen armour of her enemy, she flew into the airspace of the River Province. She was met by a force of five Exalts, equipped not dissimilarly to herself, to whom she surrendered. Her debriefing was long and rigorous, but her incredible story was confirmed by every means at their disposal. Into the hands of the ruling council of Lookshy had fallen a dangerous living weapon they could turn against their enemies – only if they could trust her, and themselves, to use it, and use it wisely.
Three years later, Yuri has earned every mote of their trust and become a citizen of Lookshy. Her efficiency as an agent cannot be doubted. She is a bred killer, but she has turned her skill to the service of the state, her mother’s nation that she loved and gave her life for. In this time, Yuri’s missions took her to shadowlands, where the worlds of the living and the dead blend and overlap. She discovered that there her mother could talk to her, for Sharia-K’s ghost was tied to the Dragon armour by the power unleashed at the time of her death. So at times Sharia may teach her daughter, continuing her education. Just as important is the confidence Yuri gains in knowing her mother is still with her, and will always be with her.
Upon reaching the northern lands, she found a small Manse which was neither occupied nor attuned, and so claimed it for herself. The hearthstone that had been used to power the Armour before, she rejected as tainted (her mother’s spirit claimed it hurt her to draw power from it) and instead used the stone from her new Manse. Meanwhile, enraged at the events that had occurred, the Infernal head of JADE swore to get back his errant daughter…
Gabri-50 is dead, but she was weak. Her younger brothers are strong.
Rami-50 was the third birthed from their father. His mother died screeching, her mind burned away by the terrible pains that plagued the pregnancy. At the age of four he picked up the Ashen Bow and shot a bullseye with his first arrow. By the time he exalted, he was a master surgeon, and torturer beyond compare.
Repha-50 has never spoken a word. A fanatical assassin, he brings silent death to the enemies of his masters. They perish in darkness and ignorance, for they never see his face or know the identity of their killer. His appearance is as dark as his soul, as dark as the deepest depths of the oceans of Malfeas.
And then there is Nathani-50, the last of the five to be born. Youngest, but most powerful. Closest to, and most beloved of, their father. Where he treads, the earth shakes. Mortals who look upon his alabaster features weep in agony or ecstasy, enslaved to his will. And when he fights, he fights with the strength of the Titans at his back.
Barely fourteen years old, he has already surpassed his father in evil.
Only time will tell what new horrors he will bring to the Age of Despair, what fresh hell he will seek to make of the world to mirror the madness in his heart.