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longness. i will read and comment later tonight.

Officially a part of Gente "X", the "Y" family is really only a member by a generous interpretation of lineage. Long mistreated and dumped on by others of their Gen as well as members of the other Gens of higher status, which is virtually all of them. The head of the family became frustrated with this treatment over his long years and decided to risk all to improve their fortunes. He began looking for open-minded and ambitious members of the Realm to help in his scheme. He was offering to swear off the Shogunate loyal Lookshy Gens and vow fealty to the Scarlet Empress and join an accomodating clan. This was in hopes of at least improving their lifestyle even if their relative status remained unchanged. It also allowed him to see his decendants rise in power and prestige in the Realm either through service or marriage. The risks of this are the destruction of his family in Lookshy and if they were truely cruel they would leave him alive to suffer its demise. Also until his family was formally adopted the foster child would have to be able to impersonate a member of the Realm, born and bred. Failure in this would not only cause failure in this attempt but likely kill any possibilty of trying again, ever.

"Z", or as he is known now "A", is the selected member of the family to go through this all important trial. He has been trained for several years to be a member of the "Lookshy military" as a scout like his father before him. In fact it was his elder brothers early deaths that made his father start training him much earlier than normal. Widower Amilaar Cho did not do this out of concern for his son but of his reputation. If 3 sons were to fall so easily he would never be able to remarry. Since both "Z"'s brothers were killed by being spotted he was trained rigorously to improve his nimbleness and agility. Knowing and percieving ones surroundings accuratlely was also a prime focus. When "Z" finally started the normal training with all the other children his age he was leaps and bounds ahead of them in many areas but his social interactions had suffered greatly. His every success turned into a point of ridicule, every failure triggered a barrage of taunts and jibes. Soon he did develop some social skill but it was mostly his ability to lie to others. It was during his final scout training that he finally exalted. He was supposed to be abducted from his sleep and locked in a cell, from which was was to escape quietly. However someone decided to play a prank on him and locked him in a box in the cell. He struggled but was no match for the grouped efforts of his peers. The panic set in quickly and his fear of the small box forced his hand. He tried to pound open the box but it was useless. He realized what this meant, and his fear of the price of failure set him off. He sent a bolt of air that tore off the side of the box. He then quickly exited the cell without difficulty but his heightend fear had triggered a need for revenge so he did not head to the assigned point. Instead he went to his barracks where his fellow trainees were dreaming of his humilation in the morning. He still arrived at the assigned place in near record breaking time but the next morning all his bunkmates were either seriously beaten or maimed by their own weapons. The instructors felt that "Z" was fortunate to have been taking his test and therefore not in his bunk when the attack occurred or he could have suffered a similar fate. Between his instructors remarks and his obviously lucky fortune decided his father that he was a suitable candidate for the "Gens head"'s plans with the Realm.

"Z" was soon taken to a private tutor to finish his primary training before being shipped off to the Blessed Isle. He was trained in the normal studies but also in how to be a member of a Realm Clan. He was also prepped for his expected acceptance to the Cloister of Wisdom. There was some risk in this since the normal "forms" were not known by any involved and they dared not ask an Immaculate Monk for details. However the risk was taken so they could be sure he was capable of meeting their demands. Mere months before new students were due to be accepted to the cloister "Z" was shipped off to the isle and introduced for the first time to the family he would become a member of. It was at this time he was informed he would be learning Sorcery by an extremely attractive young woman he instantly fell for.

To be continued

**Details and further info to be added in the near future... had to put it somewhere I could access since I wrote all this at work**

I was born in the Imperial City on the 15th Day of Resplendent Earth in the Realm Year 748. My parents had some apartments in the House Mnemon wing of the Imperial Palace, and it was there that I came squalling into the world. My early childhood was largely unremarkable by Dynastic standards. I rarely saw my parents with the exception of the few times they showed up to praise me or to sternly warn me to do better in my studies. Instead, a small army (or at least, it seemed like an army to a 5-year-old, there were probably only 4) nannies raised and tutored me until I was school aged. I attended Illicar Academy along with a number of other Dynastic children. I did well enough, though I wasn't ever at the top of my class. They expected a lot of me, though, given my House, who my parents are, who my grandmothers are, and (perhaps most importantly) who my great grandmother is. Few, probably none, of the other students were as closely related to the Empress herself as I am, and any who were didn't have that nearness of relation on both sides of the family.

When I wasn't in school, learning academic things, I spent the vast majority of my time in the company of one of my two tutors. One, Ardent Crane, was there to teach me social graces - how to hold my chopstick and where to put them when I wasn't using them, when to bow, how to address my elders, when to speak and, more importantly, when not to. The other, Cool River, was there to train me physically - I learned open-hand fighting, knife fighting, and sword fighting, I learned how to fall, when to stand my ground, and when to retreat. Cool River trained my body more generally, making me run until I was exhausted and lift weights until my arms felt like jelly. It was an awful lot for a ten-year-old. At the time, I was actually better at knife fighting than anything else, but that changed pretty abruptly.

It was during a knife-fighting training session that it happened. I was getting sloppy, I was bored and restless, and frankly wanted to do something else. I'd earned several lacerations on my arm for my lack of focus. As if to jar me back into concentration, Cool River abruptly changed his stance, flipped his knife around and came down at me with an attack from above. This sort of thing had never really happened in our previous exercises, so I didn't really know how to respond. Instinctively I threw my hands up over my head, expecting the sharp pain that I'd come to associate with a knife wound.

A moment later, it hadn't come. I looked up. I saw a look of awe upon Cool River's face. The knife had literally bounced off my skin, it was now laying on the stone floor several feet away. In my peripheral vision I could see my anima, now billowing out around me - vast, pure white, with sharp lines - like a diamond. I was as surprised as he was. I didn't really know what to do, and I hadn't expected it, so I just took a few steps back, tripped over some of the other training gear that was in the room and sat there in shock while he ran to find... someone... Anyone else.

My mother must have actually been in our small part of the wing at the time, because she arrived pretty quickly. I looked up at her, still in shock, a bit scared, and totally unsure of what to do. He smiled down at me as she helped me to my feet, "Well done," she said to me. I didn't know what she meant at the time. I hadn't really done anything.

A day or two later, after being congratulated by virtually everyone I knew (except one of my older half-sisters, more on that later), I actually met my grandmothers. Oh, I'd seen them before at social functions I'd been made to attend, but I'd never been allowed to speak to them and neither had deigned to do more than smile at me.

Mnemon was the first to see me, given that she was already in the City at the time. She gave me a small tile, which I later learned was craved from white jade, on which is written in Old Realm (which I didn't learn to read until almost two years later) the mantra of her House, which I was now a full-fledged Dragon-blooded member of, "Power through knowledge, mastery through rigor, and conquest through diligence." She congratulated me on being Chosen by Pasiap (undoubtedly she was secretly pleased that her Aspect had triumphed over that of her little sister in me) and assured me that she would be expecting great things from me in the future. It was more than a little intimidating. She also congratulated both of my parents, noting approval at how strong my breeding apparently was.

That shouldn't have surprised anyone, given my pedigree. Both of my grandmothers are daughters of the Empress herself, after all. My grandfathers are likewise of excellent stock. Was it really so surprising then that I should so such strong signs of my aspect? I didn't think so, still don't think so, but people continue to marvel over how strongly Earth Aspected I am, even compared to my mother and grandmother, who are both very strongly Earth Aspected.

A day or two later I met V'neef. She was much nicer - she actually hugged me and tousled my hair. I didn't really know what to make of that. She was also congratulatory to me and my parents and likewise set her expectations high.

A few days later it was back to school. Most of the students seemed to be scared of me at that point. I was unusually young for an Exalt (though not the youngest on record) and so my classmates didn't really know what to make of me. My extra-curricular training also got to be more broad, they brought in a revolving door of Exalted tutors. In hindsight they were trying to figure out where my talents were. I rapidly expressed a talent at Gateawy and other strategy games and a strong preference for open-handed fighting. These, along with my stamina, endurance, and strength, became the primary focuses of my physical training. In school sports the other students started to defer to me a lot as a team captain. I'm not sure if its because I was Exalted, or if its because they honestly thought I was better at it. In either case, my team tended to win more often. This helped me make me more assertive, as befits a Chosen of the Dragons, and to help re-establish my social standing with my classmates.

A few years passed like this. A handful of my other classmates Exalted as well, but most of them didn't join me for a year or two. Once I had finished primary school it was time for a solid discussion regarding a secondary school. I met with my parents and we spoke for hours on the topic. All four major schools were discussed. We all agreed that I didn't really have the demeanor or talents to be a bureaucrat, so I the Spiral Academy was rapidly discarded. House Mnemon certainly had a strong sorcerous streak, and my mother was a graduate of the Heptigram. I hadn't shown much talent in general occult studies though, despite an interest in the topic. My father was a House of Bells graduate serving in the Merchant Navy, and this was another strong option. It is widely known that Ivory Dragons are talented in the arts of planning and warfare, and school sports had shown that I was a capable leader. Neither of my parents wanted me to become a monk. They agreed that the blood of the dragons was too strong in my veins to be wasted without me producing children. The Cloister of Wisdom was a touchy choice for them. I expressed interest personally because of the strong talent I'd shown for unarmed combat and an expressed interest in the emulation of Pasiap.

In the end, it was agreed that I would attend the Cloister so long as I swore to them that I would not become a monk - which I did. In fact, I had my eyes set on spending some time in the Imperial Army after I finished. In any event, I started at the Cloister a year ago at age 13, and now here I am. My parents were thrilled that Ragara Myrrun had interest in training me, how could they not? I think they may be worried that I won't keep my promise though.

Some tidbits I have worked out about the family:

Mother: Mnemon Nona. Age 168. Graduate, Heptigram. Sorceress of some skill. Primarily assists her mother in manging the House business interests. Has a number of children by her first husband, now deceased.

Father: V'neef Rekal. Age 32. Graduate, House of Bells. Commands a ship in the Merchant Navy. Married to Nona in an alliance marriage following the death of her first husband. Second child of V'neef, first son.

Siblings of note:
Mnemon Rellan - 29, older half-sister, last child of Nona and first husband; Graduate, Spiral Academy; extremely jealous of favor shown to Aizan and his obviously superior breeding (her's is about 3 or 4, her father's wasn't great). Does what she can to make his life miserable.
Sesus Podderk - 29, older half-brother-in-law, married to Rellan; Graduate, Spiral Academy; loyal enough to her to share in her efforts to make him miserable - mostly just out of malice rather than out of any feelings of jealousy
Two younger full-blood siblings, aged 8 and 3.

5xp for everyone that has posted so far, and 2 extra for lengthy ones (steven/josh). good job everyone, keep 'em coming.