The Zhuque Brotherhood
Cathak Nekuto is at his best when leading troops he's trained himself. Knowing how much Storm of Amber would rely on him as the vanguard of the the circle's armies and to carry out special operations on the field that lesser troops could not manage, he used the Peerless Training Method Protocols to develop a training regimen for supperior warriors and then implemented that regimen with the Flawless Training Execution. He ended up with five skilled soldiers; though they're not the equal of elite troops, time, regular training and field action should see to that. The five are:
- Tama Gui
- Chiri Jing
- Nuri Liu
- Hoto Xing
- Chiko Zhang
Fire in the Rain[edit]
Water dripped off the eaves of the Pagoda of Infinite Strategy with the insistence of prophecy. Throughout the building, people took shelter from the cold near coal-filled braziers or with blankets wrapped around their shoulders. The Pagoda's guards, on the top floor balcony and at the front gate, clustered close together as they watched the spring storm soak the valley around them. The cooks on the second floor kept the ovens warm, though dinner was long over. Even Storm of Amber, his skin warmed by the light of Unconquered Sun within him, had thrown on an extra robe as he sat at his table, reviewing an old treatise on strategy. Only on the sixth floor, where the Zhuque Brotherhood kept their barracks, did a man stand with his chest bared.
And his fellows called him a fool.
"Cover yourself up, Xing," Tama Gui called from her bunk, where she sat playing gateway with Chiko Zhang. "You'll catch your death."
"Not once tomorrow rolls around. Then Rivers will cast his spell, and we won't have to worry about illness again." Hoto Xing flexed his muscles. "I'm just getting used to it now."
"If you're going to be like this after the spell, I swear to the Sun I'll order you to stay home."
"Aww, don't be like that, Gunchei." Hoto Xing bounded down onto his bunk with a mock pout. "You can show some skin, too. I won't mind."
Chiri Jing made a sour face. She was the youngest of the group and from a small range in the south of Marukan; farthest from a soldier's place and least comfortable with their jokes. "You wouldn't mind if we all paraded around her naked all day long."
Hoto Xing winked at the girl. "Now you're thinking! Stand up and show us your walk!" He whistled; Chiri Jing blushed.
"That's enough." Chiko Zhang tossed one of his gateway pieces towards Xing's head, but the other soldier batted it aside.
"I'm just trying to see a little leg." Xing smiled.
"You'll see mine coming for your face if you don't leave that girl alone." Chiko Zhang stood.
Nuri Liu, who had been lying back on his cot until then, opened a single eye. "She can defend herself, you know."
Chiri Jing piped up. "Yeah!"
"Well, it's not like you could defend her," Xing shot back.
The situation broke down quickly. Within seconds, all five were on the ground, flailing their arms and legs with wild abandon. From on the bottom of the pile, Hoto Xing called out happily, "see, this is what I'm talking about! Now if we could just lose some of these clothes, it would be -"
"Just like one of my wife's parties," Cathak Nekuto said as he threw the door open and stomed into the room. "Only a whole lot uglier."
All five soldiers scrambled out of the pile and to attention. They saluted even as they tried to muffle their laughter.
"And my wife was pretty ugly. At ease, you bastards." Nekuto grinned and swung down to sit on the nearest bunk, and the Zhuque Brotherhood relaxed.
"Our time-table's been moved up," the Dragon Blooded commander said. "Rivers' is working his sorcery faster than he thought he would, so your go got pushed up to the morning. We need to leave now if we're going to make it on time. Grab your kit, and let's get going."
Nekuto strode out, and the five soldiers looked at each other. A word from the commander, that was all it took; they could squabble and fight, but at the last they were brothers. They pressed their fists together. "Brothers in fire," Tama Gui said, and they all echoed her words. In a few hours, it would be true - these five would take the fire of Nekuto's anima banner into themselves, make it part of themselves, share it amongst themselves. Brothers in fire.
One by one, they picked up their travel gear and made for the stairs. Hoto Xing was last, and as he shut the door bheind him, he sneezed.
Amalgamated Soldiers[edit]
The Zhuque Brotherhood share the bond of training, of battle and now of fire. To those untutored in the arts of sorcery, they would seem to be nothing other than Fire-Aspected Dragon Bloods with a high breeding; their skin is wan, but flushed at the edges with orange heat, like an ember cooling in the air, and their hair is dark crimson. To touch them is to feel a fever. They are magical, heroic beings, able to heal as Exalts, with the following statistics:
- Attributes
- Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5
- Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2
- Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 5
- Abilities
- Archery 5 (Unit Fire +3), Martial Arts 5, Melee 5 (swords +3), Thrown 5, War 5
- Integrity 5, Presence 4, Resistance 3, Survival 1
- Craft Fire 1, Lore 1, Medicine 2, Occult 1
- Athletics 4, Awareness 2, Dodge 5, Stealth 2
- Bureaucracy 1, Linguistics 1, Ride 5, Socialize 1
- Advantages
- Essence 4 (20 motes), Willpower 7
- Compassion 3, Conviction 4, Temperance 4, Valor 4
- Charms: 2nd Melee Excellency, Infinite Melee Mastery, Increasing Strength Exercise
- equipment: Gunzosha Armor, shock blades, jade thunderbolt shields
As a Mass Combat Unit, the Zhuque Brotherhood has the followng statistics:
- Magnitude 2, Drill 5, Might 5
- Close Combat Attack 8, Close Combat Damage 5L
- Ranged Combat Attack 8, Ranged Combat Damage 6L
- Armor 5, Fatigue 3
- 4 Heroes, 0 Sorcerers, 0 Relays
