Editing Character:Mnemon Ai (Bound Devil Chambers Conspiracy)

[[Category:Bound_Devil_Chambers_Conspiracy]]
Mnemon Ai is a character played by (Axelius) in [[Bound Devil Chambers Conspiracy]] Exalted PbP game in RPG.net

==Mnemon Ai==
*Aspect: Earth
*Concept: General-Architect
*Motivation: Serve the Empress and Realm
*Anima: A large Fortress
*Anima power: Spend five motes for being able to use full Stamina for Lethal Soak, add Essence to resist grappling attacks, knockback and any uses of Stamina, but only while in contact with the ground.


===Description===
Mnemon Ai is a man looking to be in his thirties well built and without too much extra fat, his features are not handsome, but neither are they displeasing. He has the apperant inherent noble air and authocratic poise of a general, and often dress in either uniform or military cut robes. His eyes are deep and reveal a large mind within.


===Attributes===
*Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3
*Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2
*Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

===Abilities===
''Caste''
*Awareness 3
*Craft (Earth) 4 (Architecture +1)
*Integrity 3
*Resistance 3
*War 5 (Strategy +2, Siege +1)


''Favored''
*Lore 2
*Melee 4
*Presence 4

''Others''
*Archery 1
*Athletics 2
*Bureaucracy 2
*Lingustics 2
*Performance 1
*Ride
*Socialize 1

===Backgrounds===
*Arsenal 5
*Backing 4
*Breeding 5
*Command 5
*Family 2
*Henchmen 3
*Manse 3
*Reputation 3


=====Artifact details=====

*''Artifact (Artifact X)''
Description


=====Hearthstone and manse details=====

*''Hearthstone (Manse X, page number)''
Description

==Charms==
''Craft''
*1st Craft(Earth) Exellency [descrpition]
*2nd Craft(Earth) Exellency [descrpition]
*Terrestrial Craft(Earth) Reinforcement [description]
*Flaw-Finding Examination [descrpition]

''Melee''
*1st Melee Exellency [description]

''Presence''
*Glowing Coal Radiance [description]
*Aura of Invunerability [description]

''Resistance''
*Ox Body Technique [description]

''War''
*1st War Exellency [descrpition]
*2nd War Exellency [descrpition]
*Terrestrial War Reinforcement [description]
*Enfolded in the Dragon's Wings [description]
*Tireless Footfall Cadence [description]
*Phantom Warrior Horde [description]
*Ramparts of Obedient Earth [description]

==Virtues==
*Compassion 3
*Conviction 3
*Temperance 2
*Valor 4


==Other traits==
Essence 4
*Personal motes 16
*Peripheral motes 39
*Committed motes (peripheral) X

Willpower 7

Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
==Intimacies==
*The 22nd Legion "Bridgebuilders"
*The Mnemon House and his family
*The population of the Realm


==The Four Questions==

'''1) Why are you more loyal to the Empress and/or the Realm than the average Dynast?'''

Mnemon Ai was brought up with the empress as the ideal in this world, considering that he and his family was of her straight bloodline only improved this early bond, and somewhere within this admiration was the deep secret kind of love that probably most dynast males has or is carrying. When then transferring to school, and in particularly the House of Bells, this bond was now fulfilled by his duty and possibility to serve his empress, he always put serving her, and thus the Realm, first, as a true soldier should. During his later military career this duty was even more fulfilled, and nothing drove him forward in the ranks more than the glory of serving the Empress.

Lately he has had a lot of interaction with the Empress, which has resurrected the deep feelings of old within him. He has also started to see the similarities between Mnemon Asari and Sesus Liusa, his first wife and his current lover, and has started to wonder if his choices was because they reminded him of the Empress.


'''2) Who do you serve, apart from the Empress? Who else constitutes a superior?'''

Mnemon Ai has one main superior apart from the Empress, her daughter Mnemon, his grandmother. While the relation with the Empress has been a distant admiration, Mnemon has been a close relative, support and comfort. He grew up in his grandmother's household, and has not moved out since, apart from the fact that he has been stationed away. He serves her with resolute loyalty, though he has made it clear that he does not take his loyalty for his house higher than that to the Empress and the Realm.

The two of them has a good relation, and when he is at home on the Blessed Isle he usually spend more time with her than with either his wife or mother. He knows that he is not only chosen by his grandmother for his nice manners, but rather for his skill, he is after all one of the few skilled generals in the Mnemon house.

Also, as any soldier, he serves the High Command, but Ai considers this more as an extension of the Empress than another superior to serve. He has, however, been quite loyal to Cathak Canian, since he supports his viewpoint (and he sends him on missons where he can do what he does best). But this will probably be no problem now, since there is the chance of him taking over the post in the Hydra from the ageing general.


'''3) What did you openly achieve in the past century that makes you a worthy subject for historians of the next Age to investigate thoroughly?'''

Ai has a big bag of military victories under his belt, some more or less disputed such as the South Helat Campaign, but is mainly known for his unorthodox way of using his troops in building up the satrapies they are stationed in, it is thus he has gotten the nickname "the Builder". He has also written a few books on road construction, logistics, the importance of infrastucture in war and, mainly, sieges and fortifications.

This use of soldiers as labor has had a great improvement on the Satrapies, often increasing their productivity by manifold as infrastructure and stability is secured. He has sometimes been refered to as "the bridgebuilder between the Realm and Threshold", or simply "the Bridgebuilder", or just "the Builder".

'''4) What weaknesses do you possess that aren't just personal failings, but could be exploited by your enemies to cost you the Game of Thrones? What are the fields of engagement where you can't just apply Game Theory analysis, but instead will act against your interests?'''

Outside of his family and the legion Ai lacks allies, he seldom attend parties, salons, balls and all wotsitsnames, as he sees them as haughty and boring. He is in general not the kind of dynast who is happy to stand around gossiping and plotting with others on large occasions, but prefer a map and a list of intel to work from, this means that he is quite weak politically, but since he seldom ventures into that area, it has been a minor nuisiance.

What Ai, however, does have is enemies, who are slowly, and partly unknowingly, increasing. This has much to do with his involvement in the Satrapies, as he at times has thrown out dynasts and their trading interests from the Threshold, since he has considered them a danger to the balance. Often they have been, and had he not done that the areas would have become poor or risen in rebellion, but the dynasts affected don't think of that, but simply the amount of money they have wasted.
Also, despite his position, Mnemon Ai is a relatively poor man. He does not have a household of his own, but still lives at his grandmother's place. He lacks his own Artifacts, and all that is given to him is usually from either his family or from the Imperial Army.

Another point is the relationship with Sesus Liusa, who is showing signs of pregnancy. This would be quite an embarrasing situation, since Ai is already married. He would not mind remarrying to Sesus Liusa, but that would mean a 38 year wait for his current marriage to break up. Ofcourse, when the eventual birth comes it could be easy to point out pretty much any soldier in the legion, as they probably wouldn't mind taking the fall, but everybody in the Bridgebuilders, and quite a number outside would know that the child would be Ai's.

Oh, and let's not forget Cathak Uthek, one of Mnemon Ai's Dragonlords. The two detest and loathe eachother, but has thus far managed to cooperate to a tolerable extent. Ofcourse, Mnemon Ai is not alone in the dislike of Cathak Uthek, on his side stands all his other Dragonlords, a clear majority of the rest of his officers and pretty much everyone else in the legion, especially those from Uthek's own dragon. And a large number of other Dynasts as well.

Yet Uthek has some powerful friends, who were the ones who made sure he got this position, and those friends still support him. Uthek is one of the largest critics of Ai's use of his legion as construction workers, and on meetings among the high commanders of the legion it seems like he goes out only to annoy Ai the most. As you can understand, Uthek is the last choice Ai would ever want as the following commander of his legion if he leaves for the five headed hydra, but the rumors has stirred the want in Uthek, and he is clearly aiming for the post as general. Maybe he will even try to get it even if Mnemon Ai is not promoted...



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==Backstory==

===Early Life and Schooling===
Mnemon Ai was born as the grandson of Mnemon, the second child of Mnemon Anel and Gan. He showed to be a bright kid from early age, and maybe his combined interest of assembling large constructions of playing blocks and vast arrays of toy soldiers he arranged as young was an indication of what he would come to be later. During his childhood he did the normal activities, but was also interested in craft and strategy more than the other children in the household. He exalted one month before he was scheduled to go to primary school, proving his strong blood.

When going to primary school his interest of battles and construction grew, in fact so much that he was considered a "scroll worm" by a number of his classmates. One night some of those who thought he was weak and only read all time decided to "beat some sense to him", but Ai proved to be almost as skilled with the sword as with his reading and the rest of the time he was left alone by any potential bullies.

When finishing primary school he was given the choice of either pursuing to be an architect or going to the House of Bells to become an officer. In the end his interest of war won, and he was enrolled in the military school. While doing ok in the physical tasks he shone in the mental parts, especially when it was about large perspective strategy and sieges, traditional Mnemon areas.

===Early Military Life===
After getting through the House of Bells as the student of his class he was transferred to a legion in the field. He quickly moved up the ranks and only two years after getting his post as a scale lieutenant he became talon-captain and continued on steadily to becoming a dragonlord in a short time. Some of the more notable confrontations of this time is the Breakout of Blood Canyon, the Hound Dog Hunt and the Zarathas Uprising.

The first of these happened when Ai was a fresh Talon-captain, he and his unit had been on a scouting misseon and was returning to base when assaulted by a greatly larger barbarian horde. With little option left his unit ran with the howling barbarians in his heels for four days before being cornered in the Blood Canyon by nightfall. Blood Canyon was an old battle site where two large armies had clashed long ago, and the barbarians still believed the restless souls of those dead soldiers still roamed at night. Their leaders decided to make camp outside, leaving the legionaries to their own fate in the haunted canyon.

But Ai knew of the barbarians fears and retreated only a short way in before resting his troops. Three hours before daybreak he roused his troops, using white and black clay to paint his soldiers before they would charge the sleeping barbarians. The barbarians were stricken hard, they had never anticipated that the enemy would try and break out and security was lax, many barbarians still sleeping off the pre-victory celebration. In addition the white-gray soldiers stirred fear in them, many cut down where they stood, paralyzed in terror. In less than five minutes a dragon of barbarians lay dead while all that the legionaries had sustained were a few cuts and bruises.

The next day the barbarians would continue the pursuits, but morale was low and desertion a factor, making them an essentially worthless excuse for fighting force.

The Zarathas uprising was happened when Ai had been a dragonlord for quite a while, an anathema mastermind had slowly and secretly gained much power in the area. During the first night a number of teams of assassins managed to penetrate the defenses of a large number of higher officers in a well planned operation. Not all attacked died, but those who didn't become so were badly wounded and knocked out of action, the only to remain unscathed was Mnemon Ai who was forced to take command of the whole legion.

This was a deliberate tactic, the resistance had presumed that since Ai had been so kind and generous to the people he would be reasonable to talk with, and could be persuaded to leave the area. Thus the assassin squad that had been sent was supposed to fail, to spare him.

But the plan was flawed, Ai had no intention to talk, only hours after the assassination attempts he had taken control of the legion, leading them to quickly crush the rebellion before it had time to really start. Only half a week later the whole region had been pacified, the mastermind behind the whole thing executed.

===General of a Legion===
Shortly after the Zarathas uprising Ai was promoted general and has stayed so since then. He has been offered to join the high command a few times the last twenty years, but have turned them down, not wanting to abandon his legion. His time as a commander is marked by many victories, but is characteristics of his use of his troops to build roads, forts and other constructions in the areas where they have been stationed, often greatly improving the region. Thus he has gotten the nickname "the Builder" and his legion "the Bridge-builders".

But building is not all his troops can, at many occasions his troops have proved their fighting worth and he his skills as a general, the most notable one the South Helat Campaign.
This was a four year campaign approx 15 years ago where Ai had been given the overall command over two other legions in addition to his own to defeat a rising anathema warlord in the southeast. Upon arriving at the area his own legion and one of the supporting legions clashed with the warlord's army. 17,000 legionaries and support troops went head to head with the more than two times as large force. A hunt had joined the Realm army and constantly nagged Ai to charge straight ahead, killing the anathema general, but he refused. Instead he played it carefully, advancing slowly, taking in the enemy force. After three hours of both armies sizing up each other they clashed together, the elite legionaries making up for them being outnumbered. After a short time it showed that the two forces, and their generals were equal. As night fell both armies, who both had sustained large losses, pulled back.

This was the beginning for the four year campaign where Ai built up his strategic position, fortifying his army and sending diplomats to surrounding areas. He constructed the vast series of fortifications, towers, tunnels and trenches that would be known as Ai's Moving Castle. It started with the erection of Fort Gan, where Ai located his headquarters, and from there started to reinforce and expand the construction. After a while he started building trenches, and at the ends of these, forts and towers during night, rapidly gaining some secured hundred yards or more every night. At the end of the campaign the series of fortifications stretched some 100 miles with numerous branches in different directions.

His actions were often criticised by outsiders of him being slow, and there was voices that demanded that he would retreat, charge or be replaced. Ai was unfazed by this threat, but considered annoying enough that he left his army to go to the capital and speak with the empress herself. After talking he returned to his army, now carrying an order to continue his campaign in the way he pleased until he had defeated the warlord or got an explicit order from the empress.

The war continued for a long time, marked mostly by minor clashes and the legions steadily advancing. At times the enemy would capture a newly built fort at the end of the line, this would be answered by initial fighting, but if the enemy was too big they would retreat to a safer location, and after that often level the fort with siege weapons, fortifications could easily be built again. At times they would build booby-trapped constructions, with one or two weak points that could be struck as the call of retreat sounded to topple the building over the enemy. After some time the enemy grew tired of this and stopped attacking.

The end would come as Ai managed to surround the castle where the enemy warlord resided. It was an impressive castle, nigh-unassailable, and if he would succeed it would take a huge toll on his forces. Ai, however, never had a thought about charging the castle. Instead he cut off all connections to food and reinforcements before starting the half-month long bombardement of the castle that in the end reduced the impressive castle to nothing but a pile of rubble. The warlord's body was found naked under a large stone, mashed into a pulp.

It was this this campaign that gave cause to the famous quote "I came, I waited, I crushed". This expression was coined during the celebration of his victory in the Imperial Capital, as some dynasts asked for details about the campaign. At last he, quite irritated at this point, answered with that, which since then has been a popular expression, especially among the Mnemons. The real quote is really "I came, I waited, I grounded him into the dust", but the other version is easier to say and is more widely spread.


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==Mnemon Ai's Family and Close==

===Mnemon===
Mnemon is the grandmother of Ai and (as you all know) a skilled sorceress and head of the family. She and Ai has a good relation and they like each other, there are rumors about him being a bed fellow on the occasions when he visits the capital, but they have never been proven. In addition to the feelings between the two Mnemon needs Ai, Ai is one of the few skilled commanders in the Mnemon house, and possibly the most able. Also Ai has contributed quite a lot to the riches of the house, not only by spoils of war, but also by improving the Mnemon satrapies, making them peaceful and gain an efficient infrastructure, which has led to some of the earlier poorer satrapies to become some of the most profitable. Ai and his wife both officially live within Mnemon's household (as does his mother), but Ai himself is often away in field, and rarely home.

===Mnemon Gan (born Atares Gan) (Earth Aspect)(Dead)===
Mnemon Gan is Mnemon Ai's father and was a Lost Egg found at the age of 50. He was a skilled sorcerer and chose to join the legions, where he became a cadre mage. His skills soon won him some fame and glory, and he was invited to the court. There he met Mnemon and they both managed to charm each other and they became bed companions. Gan was adopted into the house and married to Mnemon's daughter Anel, which led to the birth of three children with Anel (it is uncertain if he got any with Mnemon). Soon after the third child was born Gan went away on a Wyld Hunt, where he was killed by a superior Anathema sorcerer.

===Mnemon Anel (Earth Aspect)===
Mnemon Anel is Ai's mother, a beatiful woman in her third century. She is a daughter of Mnemon and holds a position within her mother's household as hostess and administrator of the lands around it. She frequently moves among the higher circles of Realm society, where she is renowned for her beauty and her dancing skills, and has a large number of lovers and companions, but has not married again since becoming a widow about 130 years ago. She loves her three children who love her back, although she has to say that she feels that her own mother is stealing the attention of her second child, Ai.

===Mnemon Ai's Elder sister===
While Mnemon Ai is a proof of career success for the Mnemon house, his sister is a proof of it's excellent breeding. His sister was betrothed and married very early, since she turned out to be pregnant only half a year into the betrothal, and the family rushed the marriage to be three months later. In the following 150 years of marriage she has managed to produce no less than 21 children, of whom 18 has exalted, one has just entered the age of exaltation and one is still a small child, and she has currently become pregnant again. The group of children is a palette of the five elements, leaning towards the ones of the house, but still varied with 6 Earth Aspects, 5 Air, 3 Fire and 2 Wood and Water.
There is, however the question of fatherhood, as she has spent time in bed with most male (and a large portion of females) in the imperial court, something like half of those in the imperial city (including her own brother once, which they talk very little about) and many more outside the city. This however is not a large problem, since her husband has claimed all children as his and raised them as such, and her grandmother Mnemon trust her in her choosings of well-bred males to produce offspring with.
One could believe that 21 births would wear even a dynast's body, but not this woman's. As the philosopher Ni'Tache said "what does not kill makes stronger.", and she is still in excellent physique and is a great charmer of both sexes.

Worthy of note is the oldest of Ai's nieces, Karla, an air aspect who was born one month later than him and who he spent a lot of time with in his childhood (and some time together in bed in their older youth), who has become a sort of closer sister to him than his real ones. Also, they have been sporadic, but regularly, bed companions since then as a sort of bonding, and it was through Karla's care that he managed to live through the loss of Asari, his first wife.

===Mnemon Ai's younger sister===
Ai's younger sister is far from the children producing factory her elder sister is, having only one child. She was married politically with a Tepet dynast, whom she gave a child within short time. However, short after that the two came into conflict with each other, and their marriage was declared null and void two years ago. The sister went back to her grandmother's house a long time ago, however, bringing the child with her, who has become a smaller conflict between the two houses.

===Mnemon Asari (Fire Aspect) (Dead)===
Asari was Ai's first wife, a Lost Egg sponsored by the Mnemon family through Pasiap's Stair. Adventurer and sorceress she charmed first Ai, and then both Anel and Mnemon, which made them agree on the marriage between the two, despite Asari's much weaker breeding. The two loved each other deeply and fitted perfectly together as a couple. However, the time they spent together as wife and husband was not long, five years after the marriage (and the fourteen years of being engaged) the pregnant Asari went to see her husband before the birth of her child, since they both wanted him to be present, but he could not abandon his post. On the way there her travel party was ambushed by rebels, Asari, wild as she was, had decided to not bring many guards and the party was soon overwhelmed. Asari herself was weakened due to the pregnancy, but still managed to kill all of her assailants. However her wounds were too deep, and she was found the next day dead just outside a village.

===Mnemon Taria (Air Aspect)===
Mnemon Taria is Ai's second wife, a far relative from the Air branch of the Mnemon house. The two has been married for 30 years and though there is strong affection between the two, there is little love. She has worked for a long time as a minister, but is currently vying for becoming a Satrap. She has two children with Ai, Alit and Sar, who she has big plans for.

===Mnemon Alit (Earth Aspect)===
Alit is Ai's daughter and first child. She exalted early and showed as her grandfather, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother an affinity for magic. She is currently finishing her studies at the Heptagram, and is to be betrothed to her second cousin Sarates when she finishes.

===Mnemon Tar (Un-exalted (thus far))===
Tar is Ai's son and second child. He is twelve and still un-exalted, but shows great skills in martial arts and in the spiritual.

===Mnemon Sarates (Air Aspect)===
Sarates is Ai's cousin's son, to-be-betrothed to his daughter and one of his Talon commanders in the 22nd legion. A graduate from Bell's house with decent marks, who shows more interest in fighting itself than the leading of units, but still a decent officer.

===Dragonlord Sesus Liusa (Wood Aspect)===
Ai's foremost lover and one of the Dragon Lords in the Bridge-builders. She and Ai has had a relation for about 40 years now and it has grown stronger and stronger with time. However, both of them makes difference between love and work, and when acting in command of the legion they are both professional and Ai treats her no better than any other of his Dragon Lords (except for Cathak Utes, but he is a stupid asshole getting his position by friends and not by action). She is still un-married and not even betrothed, since the house Sesus still is unsure to whom to marry her. There can however be some minor problems coming up, the last weeks Liusa has had mood swings, an increased appetite and despite her great physical condition she almost fainted during an exercise. Also her servant has discreetly messaged Ai that her period is late...

===Dragonlord Zeni T'Hor===
Zeni is one of Ai's most senior dragonlords, and one of the clear candidates of taking over the legion, should Ai leave it. He was born a peasant on the isle, but found no happiness in working the earth and left for the legions. By the age of 25 he had climbed up the field promotion ladder to Scalelieutenant when he suddenly exalted, probably due to him possibly being the bastard child of his home's Prefect.
Since then he has climbed the hard way up the ranks to Dragonlord, proving his abilities on the field over and over again. He has never sworn to any one house, keeping neutral and loyal to the legion and army, but is looking towards the possibility of retirement within a graspable time, and is thinking of trying to get a wife within one of the houses. His general's sister would most certainly be a good catch...

===Dragonlord Cathek Hustal===
Cathek Hustal is everything his cousin Cathek Uthek is not; admired by his soldiers, has a good mind for war, appriciated by his peers and writes decent poetry (which he publishes under the name The Unknown Soldier, which contains many gruesome pictures of the hard work, brotherhood and horros of the legions). He is a second choice of Ai's to become general of the legion, and an old companion in battle.

===Tistil Kaser "Old Man" (Mortal)===
Tistil is one of Ai's former Dragon Lords, who now serve with him as an advisor. Tistil was the son of a patrician and managed to pass the prerequisites of the House of Bells exceedingly well for being a mortal and graduated among the top of his class, despite being un-exalted. He was given a position as a Scale Lieutenant in the Bridge-builders, and for thirty years he made an extraordinary career in the legions, to the end so good that he is one of the few mortals gaining the rank of Dragon Lord. He continued to serve as such for ten years before retiring to become an advisor for Ai. He may be old, but he is still in decent shape, and his mind is no less strong as it was before. He and Ai are good friends, and has been for a long time, and while Ai has offered countless of times the old man to retire on one of his house's estates the man has politely refused the offers, he has been a soldier, and shall die a soldier.