"a single day of freedom is worth more than a lifetime in chains"


-- -- --

You cannot deter the tide of disgust when Taldan’s slave is brought before you; his head, adorned with a curved and cracked blue horn, is held low, avoiding your gaze; his shoulders are hunched to make himself seem small – though you note that his height would match yours if he straightened his posture. Your eyes settle on the slave’s face, and you know it is not the orange glow of the broken man’s gaze that you will remember, but the numerous – and meticulously placed – rows of fiery brands. The symbols bear an unmistakable likeness to the crest of House Sodhara; you recall that the guards’ helmets are decorated with the same sigil, and you wonder if the slave had ever been forced to wear one that was fresh from the forge.

You quickly switch your gaze to the arch of his neck, ignoring the frayed locks of black and white hair to fixate it on the orange brands. At first you think each mark is unique, but you look closer and realize that the symbols repeat themselves, though some appear more frequently than others. They don’t seem to follow a discernible pattern (though they do not touch or overlap), and they remain trapped within the borders of the white marking that covers his head and neck.

What you find the most troubling is that, despite the obvious marks of affliction, the slave doesn’t appear worse for wear. None of the brands are fresh, his ribs - hidden beneath bay skin - hardly show, and lean layers of muscle suggest that his masters task him with physically demanding work - though it is clearly not enough to debilitate or maim the branded stallion.

Your lips curl back in a snarl, releasing a slobbery projectile that slides down the slave’s white leg. “Taldan is too soft on you, Sandrat. If you were mine, I would be sure that you suffered.”

*Jhion's brands currently appear black in color*

"people like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves."


-- -- --

Jhion is a wildfire of passion and radiant energy, becoming so infatuated with his ideals that he burns others with the intensity of his flames. When he believes in a cause or an individual, he lets their inspiration overtake him, sometimes losing himself for it is hard for him to distinguish between what he is really feeling and a cause that he pours his heart and soul into. He believes there are no irrelevant actions, that every tumultuous sentiment, every move and every idea is part of something bigger.

His natural confidence and sensitive nature helps communicate his ideals, and it is easy for Jhion to influence others to see his point of view through facts, logic, or raw emotion. He has an affinity for sensing people’s motivations and communicating them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

He lets his emotions guide his actions, changing his mind on a whim despite the effort he has invested into a cause or idea. His thoughts might be abandoned in the moment, but Jhion will always return to them and ensure they are realized to their full potential. Though he is too independent to ask for help, he readily drops whatever he is doing to lend an ear to friends and strangers alike – he knows all too well how it feels to be scorned, and he never wants to inflict that on someone else.

Like iron, the branded stallion is strong, unyielding, and resistant, though he is not nearly as cold: perhaps as a product of his enslavement, Jhion craves social interaction and intimacy but is too scared of punishment to seek them out. Despite this, he manages to seamlessly transition between an enthusiastic and driven idealist to a passionate free spirit when surrounded by the right crowd.

"most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born and never get to see any of it. I don’t want to be most of us"


-- -- --

When he was first taken, the boy was curious. Curious about the plump, embroidered pillows that he was not allowed to sit on, about the books he was told to organize but was forbidden to read, and he was especially interested in the visitors that came to speak with Master Taldan - but he was explicitly ordered to leave them alone. Naturally, forbidden actions are the most enticing ones, and - as any child would - Jhion rebelled.

The boy was battered, beaten, and branded into submission since the day he arrived on the sculpted marble steps. While the other children were taught to read ancient manuscripts depicting the history of House Sodhara, he was taught to tend to the forge, to mold liquid metal into sharpened steel, and to endure the agonizing caress of the hot iron pressed deep into his flesh. He resented his work at first, but as his skill grew so too did his appreciation of a well-forged blade. As he made fewer mistakes - and his fresh brands faded to black scars - Jhion focused more of his attention on gathering information and less on avoiding punishment.

If he wasn’t sharpening blades or polishing armor, the boy was lingering outside of the elaborate sitting room where Taldan boasted of the servant he kept hidden when Solterra abolished its laws supporting slavery. Dignitaries, nobles, and spies could be found sprawled across the cushions, the Lord’s reserve of exotic wines softening their judgement and loosening their lips, spreading rumors (and perhaps even truths) about a Court that Jhion does not remember being a part of.

Though all he knows of the world is encased within the framework of House Sodhara, he learned what he could of the Day Court, collecting information to orchestrate his escape. The slave remembers little of his childhood, save for scattered images of dark, sandy waves, a tangle of nets, and a hail of spears that seemed to fill the sky, and he is determined to see them once more.

"i will answer injustice with justice"


-- -- --

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vehicula scelerisque tristique. Nam pulvinar tempus tortor sit amet posuere. Sed imperdiet sapien sed velit consectetur cursus. Phasellus tincidunt erat lacus, sit amet finibus nisi viverra vitae. Proin tempor nulla eget tempus lobortis. Pellentesque fringilla, tellus non gravida cursus, sapien risus posuere dui, non tempus nunc eros sit amet lectus. Quisque egestas hendrerit rutrum. Cras iaculis, ligula eget dignissim lobortis, enim justo semper magna, vitae fermentum nulla sapien sit amet felis. Duis est nisi, mollis a congue a, fermentum et ante.

Quisque ac quam interdum turpis rhoncus varius. Mauris mattis dictum gravida. Quisque tempor efficitur massa a fermentum. Pellentesque ac fringilla orci. Suspendisse tempor vehicula libero id ullamcorper. Etiam eu pharetra urna, et maximus orci. Donec in ligula tortor. Etiam maximus eget est vitae finibus. Sed bibendum mauris id sem sollicitudin, nec pharetra ipsum ullamcorper. Integer egestas magna mauris. Donec nec ipsum commodo, sodales ex nec, convallis velit. Aliquam scelerisque turpis ac nibh euismod, nec fringilla felis consequat.

Phasellus ut urna quam. Nam consequat justo in arcu sollicitudin sagittis. Ut blandit efficitur dignissim. Aenean consequat purus elementum, consequat est id, laoreet mauris. Quisque vitae lacus dui. Aenean viverra consectetur nunc, luctus luctus sapien dictum nec. Aliquam gravida at purus at rutrum. Cras facilisis lorem mollis, ultricies leo sit amet, volutpat nunc. Pellentesque lacus neque, euismod eu ornare a, semper eu nibh.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vehicula scelerisque tristique. Nam pulvinar tempus tortor sit amet posuere. Sed imperdiet sapien sed velit consectetur cursus. Phasellus tincidunt erat lacus, sit amet finibus nisi viverra vitae. Proin tempor nulla eget tempus lobortis. Pellentesque fringilla, tellus non gravida cursus, sapien risus posuere dui, non tempus nunc eros sit amet lectus. Quisque egestas hendrerit rutrum. Cras iaculis, ligula eget dignissim lobortis, enim justo semper magna, vitae fermentum nulla sapien sit amet felis. Duis est nisi, mollis a congue a, fermentum et ante.

"find a quote to put here"


-- -- --

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vehicula scelerisque tristique. Nam pulvinar tempus tortor sit amet posuere. Sed imperdiet sapien sed velit consectetur cursus. Phasellus tincidunt erat lacus, sit amet finibus nisi viverra vitae. Proin tempor nulla eget tempus lobortis. Pellentesque fringilla, tellus non gravida cursus, sapien risus posuere dui, non tempus nunc eros sit amet lectus. Quisque egestas hendrerit rutrum. Cras iaculis, ligula eget dignissim lobortis, enim justo semper magna, vitae fermentum nulla sapien sit amet felis. Duis est nisi, mollis a congue a, fermentum et ante.

"find a quote to put here"


-- -- --

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vehicula scelerisque tristique. Nam pulvinar tempus tortor sit amet posuere. Sed imperdiet sapien sed velit consectetur cursus. Phasellus tincidunt erat lacus, sit amet finibus nisi viverra vitae. Proin tempor nulla eget tempus lobortis. Pellentesque fringilla, tellus non gravida cursus, sapien risus posuere dui, non tempus nunc eros sit amet lectus. Quisque egestas hendrerit rutrum. Cras iaculis, ligula eget dignissim lobortis, enim justo semper magna, vitae fermentum nulla sapien sit amet felis. Duis est nisi, mollis a congue a, fermentum et ante.

"find a quote to put here"


-- -- --

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vehicula scelerisque tristique. Nam pulvinar tempus tortor sit amet posuere. Sed imperdiet sapien sed velit consectetur cursus. Phasellus tincidunt erat lacus, sit amet finibus nisi viverra vitae. Proin tempor nulla eget tempus lobortis. Pellentesque fringilla, tellus non gravida cursus, sapien risus posuere dui, non tempus nunc eros sit amet lectus. Quisque egestas hendrerit rutrum. Cras iaculis, ligula eget dignissim lobortis, enim justo semper magna, vitae fermentum nulla sapien sit amet felis. Duis est nisi, mollis a congue a, fermentum et ante.

"find a quote to put here"


-- -- --

Quotes are from HBO's Game of Thrones and George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire; Andrzej Sapkowski's The Last Wish.