Editing Ashadar Shan (section)

===Character Creation Questions===
'''How old are you?'''
* Ashadar Shan was born in RY 743.  He graduated from secondary school at the House of Bells in RY 764, shortly after the Mask of Winter conquered Thorns and the Bull of the North shattered the Tepet legions.  As of the current year, 768, he is 25.

'''What was your family life like?'''
* Shan was born into a dysfunctional patrician family with dreams of grandeur.  His great-grandfather, Ashadar Caral, was an Lost Egg who’d made his fortune in the Threshold during the Realm-Guild trade war, and whose aspirations of founding his own Great House were crushed more by the incestuous politics of the Scarlet Dynasty than by his children’s failure to exalt.  As a child, Shan watched as his father squandered much of the family fortune on expensive debaucheries, such as Shan’s mother, an exotic wyld barbarian concubine, whose albino-like pallor her son shares. Shan is the last of his line; two other siblings did not survive: his older sister, a member of the Thousand Scales, perished in the Battle of Futile Blood, while his younger brother fell prey to the cannibalistic tendencies of their mother.  Since his father’s overdose on narcotics four years ago, Shan has more than rebuilt his wealth.

'''Where are you from?'''
* Shan was born and raised in the Realm, spending his early childhood in the Ashadar manor in Heroncrest Prefecture, across the Caracal River from Arjuf Dominion.  A small but productive agricultural prefecture, Heroncrest is three day’s ride from Yarrowstalk, the Headquarters of the Wyld Hunt.  Shan attended Primary School at the Harmonious Spire Transcendent, and despite failing to exalt as a Dragon-blooded, his wealth greased the right palms to get him into the House of Bells, where after six years, he graduated – third from last in his class.

'''How were you Exalted?'''
* On a trading expedition seeking to uncover a lost First Age site in the far South, Shan Exalted in the shadowland that had overgrown the ruin.  His new power allowed him to survive the hungry dead that rose from the dark sands, although it came too late to save the rest of the caravan.

'''When did you meet your companions?'''
* Shan has known Cathak Yuusuka since Primary school, although the two drifted apart after her Exaltation.

'''How has power changed you?'''
* Shan always considered Exaltation his birthright, but always expected a Terrestrial Exaltation.  He believes that the duty of the Exalted is to change Creation for the better, shepherding the mortals under their care from the horrors of the Wyld, the tyranny of Lesser Gods, and the demonic predations of the Anathema.  Shan has, however, given up his childhood dream of becoming a member of the Wyld Hunt.

'''What do you think of mortals?'''
* A better question might be, “what is your opinion of those around you?” for Shan is generally of the opinion that, for almost every situation, his way, his opinion, or his actions are the most correct.  He judges others on their own merits, so a talented mortal may be considered more highly than a wastrel of a Dragon-Blooded.  However, it should be pointed out that Shan doesn’t really consider himself much apart from mortals – at least, not much more than he always has.  While he has vague memories hinting at past lives spanning many centuries, Shan is entirely uncertain that these memories are accurate or reliable, thus he continues to regularly take those few anagathics wealth can procure in this fallen age.

'''What motivates you to be a hero?'''
* The Scarlet Empress has disappeared.  The Realm is crumbling.  Barbarians and Anathema rise like weeds to choke the vestiges of civilization.  Shan has the training, the strength, and the influence to change the course of Creation – there are others who will try, but who else could do it and do it correctly?

'''Who or what do you worship?'''
* Shan gives praise, worship and honor to Mela, the Immaculate Dragon of Air.  He privately venerates the Unconquered Sun.  As an experienced trader, he knows the correct rituals to propitiate local road spirits and other little gods to smooth his way.  He has, upon occasion, laid bulls on the altar of Ahlat, the Southern War God – to whom, an Age and more in the past, he was among the first to dedicate a hecatomb.

'''What would drive you to commit murder?'''
* While he would prefer to utilize more subtle methods, Shan is willing to do whatever it takes to gain control of Creation, and knows it will likely require many thousands of deaths.  He is entirely willing to undertake some of them personally.