Lun Kuai

An assassin-scholar of the First Age, Lun Kuai lead a small, elite cadre of sages, warriors, and saboteurs responsible for protecting Creation from the depredations of the Yozis and those who would serve their twisted ends. His wife, the Lunar exalt Shaped By Stones, acted as his Lieutenant; together, they lead the Wardens of the Green Sun to hunt escaped demons, deal with those sorcerers who broke the laws that governed the use and servitude of the creatures, and infiltrate and eliminate the infernalist cults that would spring up. His enemies gave him the name Sleeps Between Breaths, for in his prime he worked with a relentless and indefatigable tenacity in hunting down those who had been given into his charge.

As with all the Solars, Lun Kuai’s succumbing to the Great Curse began with small things: overlooking minor infractions committed by friends, sending underlings to take care of matters he should have dealt with personally, and delaying actions to suit his own timetable. But over time, the crimes grew; he began to accept bribes from Exalt, mortal, and even Malfean, turning a blind eye to perversions and atrocities which at one time would have brought the unquestioning full weight of his wrath upon them.

When the usurpation began, Shaped By Stones had already gone into the Wyld with many of her people, unwilling to watch what was happening to her husband and unable to convince him of the danger with which he was faced. Like many of the Night Caste, Lun Kuai spent years fighting a war of attrition with the Dragonblooded and Siderals, moving throughout Creation to locations where he had previously set up safehouses and supply stores. Eventually, however, he began to understand that it was only a matter of time before he fell into his enemies’ hands. As more and more Solars fell, more resources were dedicated to eliminating each individual that remained, and his escapes became increasingly narrower.

In a final moment of lucidity, Lun Kuai journeyed into the Wyld to see Shaped By Stones one last time. They spoke alone for some time, only the tips of their fingers touching as they sat across from one another, the sorrow in their eyes speaking more than the words that left their lips. In the end, he departed again, leaving with her most of the treasures that remained to him, including his twin short-spears, Justice and Mercy, and his battle armor. He took with him only a Heaven’s Glory Shroud, a Sling of Deadly Prowess, a simple chain shirt of Orichalcum, and a thin bracelet made up of a braid of chestnut-brown hair from Shaped By Stones’ head.

Six months later he fell to a hoard of 13 demons of incredible power, summoned from his previous victims and bound by the Sidereals to eliminate him. His body was torn to pieces and devoured by the creatures, but when their masters stepped in to take the small treasures he had carried, they found to their consternation that they had disappeared. They questioned the demons on this, to no avail, but dropped the matter shortly, as none of them were of a particularly powerful or dangerous nature.