Mnemon Yoyaku
Basic Info
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Full Name: Mnemon Harasa Shenmue Yoyaku
Rank: Archon
Player: Dan H
Aspect: Water
Concept: Enterprising archon
Political Affiliation: Loyalist (Supports an Emperor/Empress, not necessarily the Empress)
Anima: Yak
Motivation: Seat a member of House Mnemon on the throne (His great grandmother would be just fine, if she and several others were to be greeted with unfortunate accidents and he were forced to step up in their place, just as well...)
Weapon of Choice: Black Jade Daiklave ('Ragnarok')
Armor of Choice: Green Jade Lamellar ('Shogun's Scales')
Fighting Style: A mixture of standard Daiklave fighting techniques taught to Legion officers and a few tricks picked up from the Magistrates
Background
Unusual for the children of House Mnemon, particularly of Harasa's line, Yoyaku took very little interest in spirituality or sorcery as a child. Though this disappointed his parents, his sharp wit and knack for clever reasoning enforced their hope that the blood of the Dragons ran within him yet. His performance in primary school ranged from poor to average, much to the chagrin of his family -- Yoyaku's work ethic was notoriously poor, and his marks in school reflected this. Though his family, as nobility, was wealthy enough to buy his way into a decent education, they worried about his chances at one of the four major Academies -- though he was excellent physical specimen, he had not yet Exalted at age 15, and was far below the cutoff for mortal students at even second-best level schools. He impressed his parents yet again, however, when he engineered his own admission into the Spiral Academy -- circumventing both the institutions private security measures and agents of the All-Seeing-Eye, Yoyaku managed to secure proof of an important faculty member's private treason and heresy. He spread word of the information among his closest friends and their allies, ensuring that the information would surface if Yoyaku came to any harm. Then, he effectively blackmailed his way into a spot at the academy, angering many more qualified students and their families above whom Yoyaku was admitted. These people would be the first in a very long line of enemies Yoyaku was to make in the coming years.
Contrary to his performance in primary school, Yoyaku actually did fairly well at the Spiral Academy. Though he still did poorly on most written tests, caring very little to study, he excelled at oral exams and projects -- Yoyaku, for as lackadaisical as he was, got very excited about circumventing the rules. In order circumvent the rules, one had to learn them. As a result, Yoyaku became intimately familiar with Imperial Law, and, more importantly, its loopholes. He was lauded by his instructors for continually coming up with creative and unorthodox solutions to problems, often more efficient and, usually by some exception or nuance, still legal. After his Exaltation (which finally occurred at age 17, though not terribly significant itself, coming as a great relief to his family), he was watched closely by members of House Mnemon who would hope to appoint him a Senator in coming years -- his penchant for finding a way to make almost anything legal within some interpretation of Law would serve them well if they ever hoped to ascend to the throne, given the sort of tactics they were prepared to put into use.
In his upperclass years at the academy, Yoyaku began to develop an interest in the divisions of military in the Realm, seeing it as a serious setback -- He cared little for the complex web of Legion forces, private house armies, house funded legions, and mercenary/merchant forces. For the first time becoming passionate about a subject, his final research project was the design of a system by which all militaries in the Realm could be aggregated into one force, controlled by a Council of representatives from each House, the weight of whose votes was measured by their contribution to the military force and the productivity of any merchants that needed protection. It was considered a successful, if not idealistic project, and Yoyaku graduated from the Spiral Academy with an emphasis in Military Law.
This suited his elders in House Mnemon just fine. They hoped to get him appointed as Senator serving on a Military Committee. Given that any move they made for the throne would be largely political and sorcerous, Yoyaku's presence in a militarily influential body would serve to protect against what would almost certainly be a military opposition from the Roseblack. At their urging (a man with military experience would be a more credible candidate for a military advisory seat within the Senate), Yoyaku joined a threshold Legion and served as an officer during one of their tours. Yoyaku, though he never cared much for a regimented lifestyle, had developed a strong respect for the necessity of rules, and was loathe to tolerate some of the gross violations of Law and indulgences in blatant House intrigue he witnessed, largely the doing of the Legion's general. Acting rashly, he arranged for a coup among other sympathetic troops in his unit, a disastrous effort that resulted both in the defeat of the Legion in battle and the death of its general. Upon his return to the Blessed Isle, his elders were fed up with his continued passive-aggressive streak, alternately demanding respect for the Laws and ideals of the Realm, and then flaunting them in the name of alleged heroism. Up for Court Martial, and subsequent exile or worse, the elders of House Mnemon decided Yoyaku was too much effort to be worth wasting money and favors on, and had essentially abandoned him to the sharks circling in the sea, clamoring for his exposed flesh.
At the last minute, Yoyaku's rebellious streak went unpunished yet again. A magistrate saw his talent for manipulating the law and his underlying passion for a Realm not so lacking in integrity, and saved him from court martial by appointing him an archon. The magistrate trained Yoyaku in the ways of the magistracy, often utilizing his knowledge of the internal workings of the military by making him a liason in relevant cases. The disappearance of the Empress dealt a harsh blow to the laws of the Realm, and, in particular, the magistracy. Today, Yoyaku fancies himself a wandering beacon of justice, fighting to restore order to a Realm on the verge of descent into chaos.
Publicly, his elders still scoff at his past military and political failings, though privately, they are all too happy to abuse his position as an archon, frequently requesting pardons and favored rulings. Not wanting to lose favor with those who he hopes to see ascend the Throne, he will occasionally indulge them, though never in instances where such allowances would step the Realm closer to civil war and away from restored order.
Personality
Yoyaku conceals his respect for order and law well. Most immediately noticeable is his paralyzing, roguish grin, painting a picture of mischief and wit at first glance. He fits in very well with his peers, projecting an air of companionship and knowledge of mutual struggle. He also handles younger members of society very well, knowing when to be playful and when to be protective. On the job, he interacts flawlessly with his elders, able to deliver his and his master's rulings in such a way as to avoid compromising the integrity of either party involved. Off duty, elders tend to spurn his scoundrel attitude, viewing his idealism as veiled naivety and his nomadic nature as a lack of discipline. Having grown up around House Mnemon's multitude of powerful Dragon-Bloods, he was given a firsthand demonstration of the necessity of the law, seeing how readily men and women with power fall into infighting if no structure or ruleset is provided for their interaction. Thus, despite his inherent tendency to break the rules, he has learned only to do so when it is necessary to enforce a rule or ideal that is more important or fundamental to the functioning of society. He deals more gently with conventional criminals (thieves, smugglers, murderers) than he does political perpetrators, seeing their crimes as far more damaging to the stability of the Realm. Having had so many close calls in the past, he has developed a legitimate work ethic, and is known for being relentless in his pursuit of cases while working. Off-duty, however, he is still known as something of a troublemaker and playboy, though he's learned, in most cases, to separate work and play.
Motivation
Originally, Yoyaku intended to make the Realm's militaries more streamlined, that they may become a well-oiled machine capable again of claiming and defending all of Creation. With his court-martial and subsequent appointment as an archon, he began to see the bigger picture, and a need for similar streamlining in all areas of the Realm. The disappearance of the Empress shifted his goals once again. Like most graduates of the Spiral Academy, Yoyaku was knowledgeable enough about the inner workings of the Thousand Scales to know that the government was never designed to work without a monarch. He differed slightly in his approach from many, however. A good number of political thinkers would hope to make sweeping changes to the Realm's political strata with the intent of it becoming a true democracy. Yoyaku looks down upon such attempts. With a monarch at its head, the system worked better, perhaps, than any system had since the days of the First Age. Why rebuild a machine entirely if all it lacks is a single component? Yoyaku, both on and off duty, fights to restore a legitimate monarch to the Scarlet Throne -- obviously, he'd prefer someone of Mnemon's lineage, if not Mnemon herself.
His goals are not entirely unselfish, however. With the vanishing of the Empress, he knows the days of the magistracy are numbered, and the magistracy is the sole source of Yoyaku's continued presence in the Realm. Were it not for its umbrella of political protection, he would be exiled at best, and, at worst, executed. With a strong ruler at the helm, the magistrates and their archons would again have a definitive source of authority, cementing Yoyaku's now-tentative position of power and influence. He has not overlooked his survival, nor has he overlooked his arrogance. He has not overlooked himself as a potential candidate to assume the throne in the distant future, feeling his understanding of the true intentions of Imperial Law make him a superior choice to most others. He is aware how closely Mnemon watches her children, however, and he is extremely cautious, at this point, about ever furthering his own ascent to power -- he is much more readily concerned with seeing a Mnemon monarch of any identity ascend the throne before the magistracy is destroyed.
Panolpy
Yoyaku's daiklave, Ragnarok, was fashioned for him in this Age by his father, a blacksmith. His father was in the business of producing many weapons to arm officers, and as such, the daiklave was relatively simple in its construction, engraved only with his pedigree and the signatures of himself and his father. It bears a single hearthstone setting, in which Yoyaku has set the Stone of Judgment (see below). Though there are more powerful blades to found on the isle, Yoyaku possesses a deep respect for his father, and prizes the daiklave above his other (however few) possessions.
His armor, Shogun's Scales, was given to him by his master upon his appointment to archon. It's of fine craftmanship, and its design hearkens to the days of the Shogunate. As such, it loosely resembles modern-day Lookshyan armor, though its post-production adornment with emblems of praise toward the Scarlet Throne clears up any confusion that may arise as a result of this stylistic similarity.
Over the course of his duties, he has been granted attunement to many manses throughout the Blessed Isle, most notably one that possesses a Stone of Judgment. His master has allowed him to carry it during his work as an archon, as it greatly aids his inquiries into where true injustice is taking place.
Hobbies
Aside from his usual mischief, Yoyaku also became very much interested in calligraphy during his time at the Spiral Academy. He believes himself to be a great poet, and though this analysis is a bit of a stretch, to say the least, he does produce work that is aesthetically beautiful -- works of art moreso in appearance than content, they are nevertheless very impressive examples of good form in High Realm calligraphy.
He has a strong tourist streak, and frequently uses his position as an excuse to explore and initiate himself into new groups of people.
Defining Quote
"A law is valuable not because it is law, but because there is right in it."