Characters - AmarI

THE AMAR'I

Written and Created by: Ian Schue
Copyright ©1997-2003, All Rights Reserved

Index

Information

Per'Tn-Nok - Emperor
Nila’Sann - Empress

Shala - Royal Guard
Ceitah - Royal Guard
Kiené - Royal Guard
Dolsha - Royal Guard
Briec - Royal Guard
Artahna - Royal Guard
Rotga - Royal Guard
Anglor - Royal Guard
Abbeht - Royal Guard

Cohl
Nehl
Turnce
Adris

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Amar’I Information

Pronounced: Am’are’eye

By now, you’ve guessed that the Amar’I play a large part in the story. This document offers a brief overview of the Amar’I Empire, as well as some detailed histories of each of the Amar’I Royal Guards under Nila. The other guards will be added once they come more into the picture. This guide is pretty brief, but it contains a good bit of important information to know, especially about each of the Royal Guards. So take some time to read it through.

Let’s take a bit of a crash course in the Amar’I, first. (No, that’s not a pun...)

At the far end of the Central Core, opposite from the Fox Empire, there’s a vast region of space occupied and controlled by the Amar’I people, an albino (mostly) race, consisting of only Anthros, (no humans or non-fur-covered people). They are a very powerful Empire, by army, economic ability, size, and society.

Amar’I way and lifestyle, is probably as close as any civilized government in the Central Core gets to being a Spartan-Governed life. The people are almost all trained in the arts of war and battle, their whole structure is twisted around it. This comes from many reasons, first of which owing to the fact that the Amar’I Empire, when it started out, was smack-dab in the center of some of the most bloodthirsty races in the galaxy. Needless to say, that put them almost constantly at war, but their strength and resilience beat the odds, and the Amar’I Empire grew at an incredible rate!

Amar’I government is a bit tricky for many people to understand, as we do not typically live a warrior life, nor are we in our own Empire, albino, or say the least, Anthro.

Okay, Amar’I government for beginners...

At the top of the heap, are two ruling persons, the Empress or Queen of the Empire, known as the Dharken, and the Emperor or King, known as the Ra’Dharken. In the story, the Dharken is Nila’Sann, and the Ra’Dharken is Per'Tn-Nok. Both lions, although that is not always the case.

The Dharken and Ra’Dharken rule the Empire and make the laws, as any Emperor or Empress would do. Here’s where the interesting part comes in. Once the Dharken or Ra’Dharken decides to make or change a law, it’s passed into a twelve-member council of Amar’I, who are, as a whole, nearly as powerful as a third ruler. This council is supposed to take the laws and decrees, and find the best way of putting it into action. It’s kinda like in medieval times. The King would say “All our swords should look like this!” holding up his own sword. His page runs off and figures that: the order needs to go to the blacksmiths, who will produce so many swords, at a cost of so many coins, which will be taxed, and these are the people who get the swords, and this is what’s done with the swords that are inferior, and so on and so forth.

The trouble with that part is that the council is also there to advise the two rulers, and that ability has led them to slowly gain a partial-control over the rulers over the centuries. After time, the two rulers were brought to the same level as the council, and later, the council began governing the rulers actions! That’s the state of the Empire right now, and the rulers aren’t standing for it any more. Nila and Per'Tn-Nok aren’t as easily swayed as their ancestors, but neither are the people. One has to remember, that the Amar’I are fiercely protective and devoted to their rulers and leaders.

So, finally, civil war has broken out. Both factions are for the removal of the Council as a ruling-body over the Rulers themselves, but that is where the similarity ends. One side, the side consisting of the Dharken, Ra’Dharken, and most of the Royal Guards, is aiming for the cleansing of corruption from the Council and Empire. They wish to restore the Dharken and Ra’Dharken to the powers and titles that their positions should have kept over the years, as well as deal with the opposite faction which goes against them. They don’t wish to disband the council completely, only put it back in the place it was meant to be in (as a governmental link between the populace and the rulers themselves). The opposite side has broken away from the Rulers and Council, to make their own government, taking with them some of the Ra’Dharken’s Royal Guards and much of the Council members. They are a smaller force, but they have conscripted the resources of some powerful external allies, turning the tide dramatically.

There is some hope for the Council. The Council itself has been arguing over the same topic that started this civil war, for years. The Council divided, unevenly, into two sides; the side joining the break-away faction, and three loyalists to the crowns. The Council set upon itself, resulting in one of the three loyalists being killed, and the other two imprisoned within the capital dungeons. Since the Council members themselves own no territories, the division of the Council was not a swaying point in a military sense. However, it was a major blow to the moral of the loyalist side. The Council members are chosen to represent the people, for the people, and to have any of them betray the crowns showed a deep corruption.

This all could very well mean the end of the Amar’I Empire as it stands today! The only thing keeping both sides from going into all-out war right now, is an ancient and fully honored tradition and law that states that both sides of a total-civil-war must have all their leaders present before a real engagement can begin. The Amar’I people won’t stand for any action that is not fully supported. Large skirmishes have been breaking out, but so far the Empire is relatively quiet at the moment. One thing is for sure, however. If and when the fighting starts, it will be one of the bloodiest times the galaxy has ever seen. The dead will not be counted in hundreds, thousands, or even millions. They will be counted in the billions!

Anyway, to carry on, the next important level of the ruling government, are the Royal Guards, also known as the Ladies and Lords of the court.

Each ruler has six devoted bodyguards and confidants, known as the Royal guards. There are twelve total (actually thirteen, but the thirteenth is not Amar’I and that’s a whole different story...)

The Royal Guards started out long, long ago, at the very beginnings of the Empire. Back then, they weren’t anywhere near as powerful as they are today. In all actuality, they were slaves. Persons sworn into the service of the rulers, in all ways. At night, they were all chained to a central pillar in the Grand Hall of the castle, signifying their sacrifice of freedom to the service of the Empire. The ultimate symbols of loyalty and devotion. At least, they started out without much power or freedom, but like I said, they were considered slaves to the title, and their positions grew worse with the succession of several rulers. At one point, they were no different than whipping-servants, with no function other than to stay chained up and suffer. That was changed when the rulers changed to more righteous ones and rewrote the laws to uphold the proper customs and the reason for the symbols. After all, the twelve guards represented the twelve first warriors of the Amar’I, who’s loyalty, virtue, and service, was legendary.

The Royal Guards were never treated in such a way again. Their titles rose in strength and power over the years and centuries, to being twelve rulers of the twelve divisions of the whole of the Amar’I Empire.

About each Guard’s neck is a solid-gold choker-chain, that is closed upon the initiation of a Guard into service, and it cannot be removed. The crude chain comes from a historical significance. It is said that the first twelve warriors wore golden chains about their necks, to signify their constant and un-waiving loyalty to the Empire and its rulers. The modern-day Guards wear them with pride and honor, and not even death can part them from it.

We know of Nila’s guards already. Shala, Dolsha, Briec, Ceitah, Kiené, and Artahna.

Each of these guards lives a very demanding life, (although you wouldn’t realize it too much from the story so far...).

First, they are charged with the protection of their ruler. This comes above all other duties, which is why their respective ruler can often be found with at least one of their Guards at all times. The Royal Guards are like a self-contained secret-service. It has been a very successful system. In all the years of the twelve Royal Guards, no ruler has fallen to enemy or domestic dangers without meeting the considerable force of the Guards themselves. The total number of rulers who have died under their protection (when the Guards have been overrun and killed), is four.

Second, they are charged with the protection of each other, for to do so is to protect their ruler. The Royal Guards look to one-another as family and close friends, and to kill one is to invoke the wrath of them all. Their devotion to each other can only be seconded by their devotion to their rulers.

Third, they are given an equal share of the Empire, (one-twelfth), and charged with its protection and governing. This makes them, in a very real sense, twelve Emperors in their own right. Any enemies invading their territories are handled by their armies under the Guard’s observation and control. Economic welfare, culture, administering orders and making sure the council’s actions are heard to ensure the actions of the rulers, that’s all part of the Royal Guard’s position. It’s very tense.

Fortunately, the Royal Guards have some help, in the form of their Heads of House. The Head of House is usually the person directly in line to take over the position of the Royal Guard.

Maybe I should explain the notion of “House,” first.

An Amar’I House, is a very powerful thing. For starters, there are twelve Royal Houses, which are where the twelve Royal Guards come from. There are many other Houses on the same level and lower, making up the rest of the Empire, Council, etcetera. A House is, more or less, a “created” bloodline of Amar’I.

Okay, that needs some more explaining...

When an Amar’I is born, he or she is raised by either their mother, or a designated mother (which is usually a retired Royal Guard, since Royal Guards are some of the most experienced and trained both academically and militarily, and are considered honorable and virtuous). They are also segregated, males from females. At the age which the Amar’I has undergone basic schooling (to us, probably eighth grade, which to them would only take about four years), he or she is “placed” in a House. There, he or she will continue their training and schooling, under the direction of the upper-level members of the House. This House, becomes their family, their blood, their title. It is their honor. Also, when an Amar’I is born, they stay with their relations as they enter a House, (sisters with sisters, brothers with brothers). This is why Dolsha and Nehl, sisters, are in the same House. It wasn’t luck, they were specifically placed there.

There’s also a darker side of an Amar’I House. The total devotion of the Amar’I people to their Houses and rulers, makes them extremely loyal. Any Amar’I would rather be skinned alive than do anything against their House, and if ruled directly by a Lord of Lady, their loyalty extends to them as well. One can see how massive chains of corruption, power, weakness, etcetera, can develop in the Empire, if not under the best control. Fortunately, the Amar’I are also a very moral people, and centuries of lessons have taught them how to make a very solid empire, as well as how to control themselves. For the most part. One would have to be a fool to think that nothing bad ever happens. Such as the case now, with this civil war. Some of the Royal Guards and Council Members have betrayed their government in a surge to take power. With them, follow most of their governed people.

Amar’I law can be very gruesome. It’s so terrible, in fact, that it may be one of the reasons the society has held together. The people love the Empire, but they also fear its wrath. The Amar’I have basically five levels of punishment. The first, for lowest of crimes, are fines and prison, demotion, etcetera. The average, or second level punishments, include flogging, being put to a rack, exposure, stoning to near-death, and so on. Pretty tough. The third level of crime, for when a serious crime has been done, such as grand-theft, manslaughter, malpractice, minor-dishonesty and minor-disloyalty (non-royal), more serious actions are taken. The person is branded with a hot iron, and their shoulders are tattooed with the marks of their deed. Dishonesty and disloyalty cases, almost always result in the person’s tongue being removed. (The Amar’I believe the devil of crime is carried from person to person on the tongue of wrongdoers.) Crimes of malpractice or wrong-dealing, can end in having your fingers cut off, or eyes gouged out, or both. Manslaughter, or the harm to others caused by one’s carelessness, can result in being put to the same pains as your victims. An eye for an eye. If you cause an accident, and a person loses an arm, or is paralyzed, so to are you made.

The fourth level is for murder, cowardice, and also includes plotting against the throne but without having taken action yet. These crimes almost always result in severe-maiming or death, and the Amar’I are very serious about death. There is very rarely a quick death given, they do not believe in painless execution for capital crimes. The quickest death an Amar’I can receive, is being beheaded by a sword. Most commonly, condemned Amar’I are beaten to death, tortured, thrown in pits of fire, stabbed, drawn-and-quartered, and worse.

The fifth level, is probably the most shocking and unheard-of punishment known. A non-Amar’I has a very hard time understanding this custom, but it is no-less effective, needless to say. The fifth level of punishment is reserved solely for those who betray the throne in action. The entire House of the person is enslaved, and often many are put to death. The bloodline of that House is finished. Further, the leader of the House, be it a Royal Guard, or Head of House (for lesser Houses too), is publicly humiliated, his or her tongue and limbs removed, their hides tattooed with the crests of their conquers. They are then imprisoned in the Hall of Shame, a side hall from the main hall of the Amar’I Palace (or capital city, for lesser Houses). They are forced to live a life of constant humiliation, as living trophies of triumph.

So you can see the tight-nit culture of the Amar’I people. Their lives are built on camaraderie, and loyalty. Skilled warriors, some of the deadliest in the whole galaxy. Their people are also considered very wise, too, and the age of the Empire makes them a powerful source in the Central Core, thought of as highly as the Fox Empire!

I guess one could say that the Amar’I society is like ancient Sparta, with a Native-American civility, and a modernistic lifestyle.

I suppose I should also mention some other important notes, like their color.

Yes, all Amar’I, are albino. The use of the term “albino” isn’t entirely accurate, since we know that the definition of an albino is a creature that is totally devoid of pigment into their body. Thus they are all white with red eyes (simply put). Albino, in terms of Amar’I, means that they are in fact totally white, but it is a false reality. They are, in fact, white, not white because they are devoid of color pigment. Second, they also maintain their natural markings; tigers have stripes, leopards have spots, etcetera. These markings are diminished, appearing slightly darker than pure black, but they are present. Also, the Amar’I do not have the physical problems of natural albino’s, such as eye problems and mental problems.

So are they really albinos? Naturally, yes...They have done nothing to themselves to become albino-like. It is a truly genetic trait, same as the reason all leopards have spots and all lions have claws. Are they true albinos? No.

Amar’I don’t wear a lot of clothes. That probably should be talked about.

Amar’I believe that the way their bodies are, as far as all-white and such is concerned, is a trait given to them by God, The Maker. They also never really had a culture that grew too chummy with clothes. For those two reasons, they just don’t wear much. For the sake of being polite, and for sanitary reasons, they do cover private areas, but otherwise tend to be rather loose with clothing. The men often only dress loosely in a toga-like garment, and women can be anywhere between that, and totally nude for all but that which covers the groin. The only exceptions are for the Dharken and Ra’Dharken, who, being thought of as next-to-godly, usually dress in something resembling average dress. The Dharken, traditionally, wears a straight silk dress, and the Ra’Dharken traditionally wears a kythra, which is a cross between a toga and a kimono.

Amar’I sexuality and love. Now there’s a zesty topic. Bunch of highly-fit half-nude people running about, that’s bound to lead to a sex-filled culture, right?

Well, maybe-so, but not as much as one would think. The Amar’I have a very open public mind about sex and the body, but it is still revered as most other cultures do. They will engage in sexual acts with non-mates, but only with persons who they consider to be great friends. Offspring by these “engagements” is strictly forbidden, with consequence.

As for love, the Amar’I hold some pretty unusual traditions about love, but it’s not too relevant. The only thing really to note, is that Amar’I are allowed to have more than one mate. At least the males are. Only females of Amar’I royalty and politicians are allowed to have multiple mates. Also, the Amar’I do not hold many social directions against same-sex marriages, except a strange custom that states that males who wish to mate another male, may not have multiple mates. There are no restrictions against females though. So, a male could have another male for a mate, but that would be the end of the list of mates for those individuals. There could only be the two of them. If a female wanted another female as a mate, she could do so, and take another, and another, and so on. Very strange, and also, unlike most other cultures, there is virtually no social unrest about these situations. Not a peep is ever heard, and not because of some sort of control, either.

Society, for the Amar’I, is pretty communal. There are very few private institutions, and if you went to a restaurant, you would find yourself sitting at one of several lengthy tables, all together as one. The people live in support of each other, and social conduct is highly respected. Honor is respected, and the people are very friendly towards one-another. Amar’I hospitality is equaled by very few other cultures. There are no poor in the streets, for the Amar’I do not tolerate derelicts. Mostly, the destitute and poor are entered into the social service institutions, or into the military. Amar’I public-health and medical welfare are renowned throughout the galaxy. No one is left un-cared for. There is also a notable social aspect for cripples and the injured, as Amar’I lifestyle can be very rough, and in times of war or strife, very violent. One in six Amar’I carries an injury at any given time, from battle or play, and one in ten Amar’I has been maimed. Injuries from training and life are frequent. Such is a society built around physical strength. To be injured is a common thing, and other Amar’I are more than ready to lend a hand to anyone in need. (Humans often have an uncomfortable feel or embarrassment when injured or helping the injured. Amar’I do not experience this.) To be maimed in battle is considered worthy of respect, for the individual has shown strength and honor in battle, and has been maimed in the name of the Amar’I Empire. In other words, the crippled are not thought of as weak or that they need care. They are thought of as reputable heroes in their society, and that care and kindness is expected to be given to them. The Amar’I, through necessity, make some of the best and most capable prosthetic devices in the known galaxy. (Kaylen’s artificial limbs came from the Amar’I.) The unusual thing about this, though, is that the Amar’I consider their “replacement” limbs to be like armor or clothing. For instance, an Amar’I who’s lost an arm, will most likely not wear a prosthetic except in times of battle, work, or during periods of political function (such as Courtly duties or foreign visitation).

For most of us, if we lost a limb we’d want it replaced. The Amar’I are indifferent to the idea, and that is just a way they are of a different mindset than something we can understand.

At this time, I should also note the two most popular Amar’I sports. Gohleh, and Phossball.

Gohleh is an Amar'I sport played at the beginning of dusk.

Two teams start out with 16 players each, including one Master and two goalies for each team. It is played in any area large enough, for Gohleh can get to be very rough and very large very quickly. Most often it is played at the edge of a forest, so that both field and forest can be combined in game play for added challenge.

To play, both teams set up a goal, which consists of a long pole with a cup at the top. The pole is rammed into the ground, and the goalies guard the pole. There is no limitation on where the goal can be setup, except that it cannot be on the opposing team’s side of the playing area.

A ball, roughly the size of a soccer ball, made of a material that glows brightly and weighted to roughly ten pounds, is placed in the center of the play area.

The object of the game is to get the ball, carry it to the opposite team's goal, climb up the pole and place the ball in the cup. It can take quite a while to do this and many games end with only two or three points had.

To start, both teams charge the ball. Only the goalies stay behind, as they are restricted to a certain area around their goal. The ball can be kicked, thrown, or carried, but it cannot be thrown or kicked without an intended receiver in mind. For example, one cannot simply run up and kick the ball off in a random direction. There has to be someone to receive the ball, otherwise it cannot be gotten rid of. This rule is guarded by referees, but it is truly controlled by the fact that sending a ball off into an unknown direction could place it into enemy hands.

Once you have the ball, you have several options. You can either move it towards the goal, hold it, pass it to someone else by either kicking or throwing the ball, or you can tag someone with it. Tagging involves simply hitting someone of the opposite team with the ball, from either directly tagging them with it or throwing it at them. Tagged opponents must leave the game to a special holding area for a certain length of time. To the team who made the tag, another player is brought in to play permanently (unless tagged out). The more people you tag, the less players the other team has and the more players your team has. The only players that cannot be tagged out, are the two goalies, and the Master.

Of course, moving with the ball, and standing still with it, is very risky. The opposing team may tackle, or push anyone on the ball-carrying team, so it is best to keep moving or get rid of the ball. Your chances of being clobbered are less if you pose little threat. The opposing team may steal the ball from either direct contact, such as tackling, or by intercepting the ball in a pass, or by taking the ball from the ball-carrier's hands by kicking or knocking it out of their hands.

The goalies have two added advantages. First, they are allowed to freely posses the ball, without fear of being challenged. For instance, if they catch the ball or steal it from someone trying to make a goal, they are allowed to carry it in their area for twenty seconds, during which time no other player may touch them. After twenty seconds, they're fair game for tackling. One trick is for goalies to keep passing the ball back and forth to keep from going over twenty seconds, the only catch being they can't directly hand the ball off. They have to throw it or kick it. This is risky since while the ball is being passed between goalies, it is fair game to be caught by the other team. Second, the goal pole is flexible, and the goalies won't hesitate to grab hold of the pole while the other team is climbing it, and shake vigorously, often slinging the climbing player, and ball, off the pole. Besides tackling, and the weight of the ball which can travel quickly in the game, being slung from the pole is the most dangerous part of the game. One technique used by professional teams in the Amar'I Empire is called Catapulting, for obvious reasons. One goalie, with a little help from the other goalie, can run and grab a hold of the pole high enough to bend it over, letting go to literally fling the climbing player off the pole, often throwing them high into the air.

Gohleh is an extremely rough sport, by nature. The ball is heavy and can hit very hard when strongly passed or kicked, and getting tackled is nothing to be taken lightly. Also, getting shaken off by the goalies or flung by them, is almost always painful. The Amar'I people are a race with a warrior heart and they are very strong, which helps them avoid injuries in their favorite rough sport. Recently the game has adopted the use of shin pads, wrist guards and shoulder protectors, which have cut down greatly on the number of game injuries. Also of note is that Gohleh is a coed game, played by both the male and female Amar'I, together.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the Amar'I capital, on Kahmin, do attend at least one game of Gohleh. Professional games are played on the last day of each week in the capital city, and the palace engages in free-entrance games every other night, which are often more exciting than the professional games, since the famous Amar'I Royal Guards often play. After only a few minutes, Gohleh can grow to having several dozen players or more! Some games have been known to reach hundreds of players at a time! Professional games come with the added excitement of player-cameras, remote cameras that weave through the field, and, of course, plenty of good things to eat!

Phossball is an arena-style sport, as opposed to Gohleh, which is played in open fields an forests.

The arena for Phossball is an enclosed room, with no windows or bright lights. Seating, in steep-set rows, is divided by entrance paths that are lit by very dim strings of lights that trim the floor. In other words, a Phossball arena is pitch-black, all the time. Phossball is a relatively new sport in the Empire, despite being centuries old itself.

The playing area is a circular or square area, surrounded by high walls. Depending on the number of players, (two to six), the floor is divided up into different color sections, shown only by a bright outline color. Each player (or team) is assigned a specific color.

The players play naked, and are colored. Before a match, each player is dunked in a tank of a special dye that completely colors their fur in a phosphorescent paint that glows faintly. The paint is harmless, and comes off in a harmless chemical wash. The players then set to painting themselves with markings, like war-paint, in vibrant glowing colors. Most common are lines on the muzzle, ears, or thighs. Symbols of luck or phrases of victory are often written down the sides of the players. Fully painted up, looking like Amar’I ghosts with bright symbols floating on them, they proceed into the arena.

Games are always divided evenly at the beginning. Two on two, three on three, or one on one. Males and females play together.

The game does not get its name from the way the players are colored with glowing paint, but from the ball itself. The Phossball, is a four-inch-diameter ball, that emits a soft white glow when held still. When it moves, it glows brightly, dusting the air with a comet-like white trail. It weighs about two pounds, is highly bouncy yet very hard.

Game play starts with a referee sounding a buzzer. The Phossball is dropped into the center of the arena at a random angle, and the game starts in motion. Players are restricted to their team’s divisions of the floor, allowing them to jump from one division to another but not into the opposite team’s division. Each player has a long scoop-shaped thrower in one hand, used for catching and slinging the Phossball. In the other hand they have a club, or shield, for fending off incoming Phossballs. The players may hold onto the Phossball for up to thirty seconds, but this is rarely ever tested. The scoop is a part of a gauntlet-like forearm piece, and is retractable, allowing the player to either handle the ball for throwing, or to use the scoop for throwing as well.

The objective is to hit the floor of the opposite team’s divisions, thereby turning that division your own color and making it one of your own. The team that “captures” all of the divisions, wins. Players who find that their division has been taken, must move to a division their team owns. More than one teammate can occupy the same division. The Phossball can be bounced off of any surface, including the ceiling and side walls, and double-captures are allowed.

The pace of Phossball is incredibly fast. The Phossball moves quickly, ricocheting off of surfaces like a bullet. The speed of a Phossball out of a well-slung scoop can reach considerable speeds. Injuries are frequent and expected. As with all Amar’I sports, Phossball is treated as a battlefield exercise, and no helmets are worn. Amar’I have died in the arena. The sheer speed and hardness of the Phossball can easily break bones. A good square hit can shatter a femur or snap a spine like a hammer to an egg. Broken fingers and wrists are common. A game can start with six players, and end with only two due to injury, unconsciousness, and even death.

One of the greatest things about Amar’I sport, and probably the reason it is so popular among the masses, is that anyone can play and titles are left in the locker rooms. The capital Gohleh fields and Phossball arenas are often host to the Royal Guards, Council members, Heads of Houses, and even the Rulers themselves. Nila’Sann holds the Palace record for Phossball herself. Any citizen can find himself or herself playing, as an equal, with the very leaders of the Empire. Some, however, would rather their leaders not play such dangerous sport, such as the Council. Many times has Nila been asked not to participate, but she does. So far, through luck and her own great skill, she has not been seriously injured; but she has broken many bones.

Let’s talk about the Amar’I capital world for a bit.

The capital world of the Amar’I Empire, Kahmin, is your typical ocean-less green planet. Lots of lakes and rivers, but no oceans. Well, that’s not entirely true, if you consider the practically hand-made ocean around its equator.

You see, Kahmin is a relatively large planet. At the equator is where the capital city is, where the palace is located. Out in front of the palace is an extensive set of gardens, at the end of which is a wide canal. Made of white granite, this massive canal is over two-thousand feet wide, and roughly three-hundred feet deep. The water is crystal clear, brightened by the sunlight beaming off the white granite, and is always warm at the least. The canal was built to provide an easy way of transportation for the public officials and servants of the capital, who’s homes and residences were built around the palace, (and was started by supposedly divine intervention, and worked on as such great tasks as the pyramids of Egypt).

Shortly after being built, the canal was extended to completely surround the capital palace, to protect it and separate it from the rest of the capital city, although the palace later built a large section of wall that extended out from the palace to encompass some of the nearby grassy fields across the canal at one point. This is the place where the palace Gohleh games are played.

That was many, many years ago. Not long after the Amar’I Empire was created, and the Amar’I Empire has been around for a very long time.

Of course, the palace didn’t start out in the same way it is now. It was originally a large castle. Very large indeed. That survived for over a thousand years, before a devastating fire burned it out. It was never taken by force. A second castle was built, but it came to the demise of the Empire’s expansion, when it was decided that the castle should be demolished and replaced by a palace. Such was done, but it’s rumored that the old dungeons and underground libraries still remain from the first two castles.

A series of palaces were built over the next two-thousand years, and finally, after eleven palaces, the plans for an enormous palace were put into motion. This last palace, large enough to be considered a small city in itself, was erected, and still stands today.

( Click on the image above to see a full map of the Amar'I Capital Complex )

To stay on tangent, as the Empire grew more powerful and wide-reaching, the capital city grew. The city began extending the canal to provide access to the growing city by building the canal straight off from where it had originally began as a straight canal in front of the old castle of the past. This monumental task that was like the pyramids to the Amar’I, was started again. The project was huge, and took many, many years, but soon the canal extended for a hundred miles in each direction. This remained for a time, until the advent of more advanced technology, desire, and the importing of stone, proved that the canal project was not at rest yet. Under Emperor Palthentus, the canal was extended, not just to the limits of the far-vaster city, but around the entire globe of the capital world.

So there’s a two-thousand-foot-wide, three-hundred-foot-deep, sea, running around the equator of the Amar’I capital world of Kahmin.

It’s an amazing engineering achievement, not to mention a huge tourist attraction.

Amar’I weapons. Now there’s an interesting topic, if you can stomach the devastation and a little bit of peculiarity...

Amar’I use some pretty deadly weapons, drawing much of their fighting style from their extensive hand-to-hand combat past. Given a choice, an Amar’I would choose a sword over a gun any day. Would that be a foolish choice? Billions of slain-people say no.

The Amar’I believe that a truly honorable kill comes through skill in combat, and what better way to prove this skill than to take up hand-to-hand arms against a foe, face to face?

Amar’I weapons are some of the most sought-after pieces in the galaxy, for their craftsmanship and abilities are renowned throughout all corners. Not only do the weapons have well placed and designed forms, but their construction is taken as an art (and a very ancient art, at that). Often inlaid with hardened precious metals and etched with intricate designs, no two Amar’I weapons are the same (considering a designed-pair to be one weapon, as they are thought-of as). Each weapon is specifically made for its owner’s abilities and skills; painstakingly adjusted and forged as if each piece were for ceremony alone. Any collector of Amar’I weapons will have a list to no end, for the Amar’I have many variations in killing tools and none of them are used more frequently than the other. Such is the skill of their training and nature, that to say one weapon is less effective than another is to only note chance.

By far the most interesting weapons of the Amar’I Empire, would be those held by the Royal Guards. Made of an “intelligent” metal, their weapons look, and practically are, virtually harmless to begin with. Their weapons all take the form of rough, rudimentary shapes, such as poles or rings. This is a disguise, for as soon as an Amar’I takes hold of his or her weapon, it grows into its true deadly form. This is caused by signals from their hands, and only the Amar’I who owns the weapon may use it. Otherwise it would just be a heavy metal pole, not a light and deadly pike. No one is sure how the Amar’I did this, and the Amar’I aren’t talking. The weapons come out of the Palace Armory, and the source of the materials and construction methods are well guarded. All attempts to steal this technology from the Amar’I have failed, mysteriously.

In regards to these “shape-shifting” weapons, Amar’I weapons have a sort of life-bond with their owners. When an Amar’I comes to status of Royal Guard, he or she is presented with weapons. The weapons are created in a way that allows them to be used by anyone, but the moment they are finalized, they are ready to receive an owner. This basically means that the next person to physically touch the weapon after it is completed, will own that weapon. The weapon will only respond to that person’s energy signature. Everyone has a bit of energy, electricity, flowing through them at all times. The Chinese came close to understanding this energy flow, but while the Chinese studied its uses internally, the Amar’I learned of its uses through their weapons as well as their bodies.

This ability to make a weapon morph into its true form, and back, is not as easy as it sounds. An Amar’I must go through plenty of training to be able to effectively use his or her weapon, and that includes the ability to understand and yield the power of the weapons themselves. It’s not an all-too-understood subject, and it’s something the Amar’I are willing to take with them to the death.

So where does Stanton fall into all this Amar’I mess?

That’s a good question, for as far as any of the Royal Guards are concerned, he’s very important in their lives. Just read some of the information below about the Royal Guards of the Dharken. To some, like Kiené, he’s a savior. To others, Shala and Ceitah for instance, he’s a student and loving friend. To others still, like Dolsha, he’s a mentor.

Can we even grasp at what it means to be this person? Stanton? He’s the mentor, to a Royal Guard, who’s power is secondary only to two people in the whole of an empire as great as that of the Amar’I! He is human, and yet he is welcomed into the Amar’I Empire and greeted as one of their own! He has the ears of the Royal Guards and the two rulers, is out of the reaches of power of the Council, and the Amar’I people themselves see him as a thirteenth Royal Guard! The Royal Guards of the Dharken sleep with him. Most astonishingly of all, all of the Royal Guards look to Stanton as some kind of protector above their own powers. This man, who for all intents and purposes, should be a non-citizen and a subject to the orders of the crowns, literally falls into Court with power of an office not even conceived!

Perhaps a little history now.

Stanton arrived at the Amar’I Palace, expected, and in a very astounding way. He came alone, in the ThorHammer, and for the first time in several hundred years, a starship was allowed to come into the airspace of the palace.

It was quite a scene, for practically every Amar’I at the capital city was out in the streets or at the palace, watching. They obviously knew something big was going on, for a strange starship comes into the fatally-restricted airspace of the palace in plain daylight, and all the palace was in a flourish of titles and display.

From a starship of the likes no-one had seen before, came the single figure of human blood, warrior raising, and mysterious past. He passed through the ranks of a thousand Amar’I soldiers, like a returning General from battle, dressed in his full battle armor. Reaching the top of the lengthy palace steps, to the entrance rotunda where the Dharken and Ra’Dharken stood waiting with their attendants, he took his helmet off, bowed, and from a pouch he drew a folded letter, handing it to the Ra’Dharken. The two rulers, along with their Royal Guards, Council, and soldiers, turned and bid him into the palace; and that was the last thing anyone saw before the next day came and with it the astonishing news that Redhawk, Stanton, had been placed into Royal Guard Shala’s house, with a position “of the Court” that was both serious and powerful, yet vague.

No one is entirely sure how Stanton came to be at the palace. He has no official title, his real reason for being present is unknown, and the power he has in the empire is great, but undefined. The only thing the Court ever let out, was that Stanton was to be akin to Shala’s house, that he was to train under the Royal Court

’s guidance, and that, for all intents and purposes, he was to be regarded as Amar’I, with all the respect and power of a Royal Guard. He was given the weapons and training of a Royal Guard, and that was that.

Stanton may reveal his true purposes with the upcoming war and all, but no one knows for sure.

Anyway, the Amar’I people are a respectable and proud race of people. They have a lot of symbolism in their culture, if you hadn’t noticed.

Now I’ll begin giving a bit of information about each Royal Guard, and a couple Heads of House, too. This should provide a background for each character in the story. Some of this all is known by the crew already, but much has yet to be told to them. Some of you may be asking what the significance of the Royal Guards is to Stanton...Well, here it is...So, enjoy.

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Per'Tn-Nok - Ra'Dharken of the Amar'I

Pronunciation: Pahr-tin’nock

Species: Lion

Age: V=35, A=UK

Height: 6-foot 7 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Per’Tn-Nok is a strong lion, with arms strengthened from battle and a powerful, broad chest. His mane is darker than his white fur, almost gray, as is the tip of his tail. He has a scar on his left shoulder, as well as another on his chest, remnants of battles in his younger-youth.

Occupation: Ra’Dharken of the Amar’I Empire, (Emperor)

Author’s Comments: We don’t know much about Per’Tn-Nok simply because he hasn’t come in contact with the ThorHammer crew and focus yet. What we do know about him is that he is a powerful and respected warrior, and a just ruler with respect and love for his people.

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Nila’Sann (Nila) - Dharken of the Amar'I

Pronunciation: Nee’lah Sahn (Nee’lah)

Species: Lion, Female

Age: V=30, A=UK

Height: 6 foot, 4 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Powerful, yet possibly less-so than a royal guard, due to her royal stature. No visible blemishes.

Occupation: Dharken of the Amar’I Empire.

Author’s Comments: Nila is the tom-boy that never was. She has serious power, being the Empress of such a vast empire as the Amar’I Empire, but she chooses to use her power to aid her own people. This is not entirely unnatural for Amar’I rulers, but she is certainly one of the most benevolent rulers to hold the throne. While the Ra’Dharken, the Emperor of the Amar’I Empire, concerns himself mostly with the strength and foreign interactions of the empire, Nila has taken it upon herself to be a sort of savior of the people. She focuses her days on ruling the homeland, and dealing with domestic issues, even if they do bring her often to a foreign table. She loves her subjects dearly, and they too, indeed, greatly admire her.

Nila is a very kind soul, who masks her warrior spirit easily with a light-hearted nature and a gentle touch. She can get rather depressive at times, since she often thinks she’s fighting an uphill battle day to day, but she’s quick to cheer up and rarely tears into anyone who doesn’t deserve it.

Probably the biggest thing to note about Nila is her affectionate soft-spot for Stanton.

When Stanton arrived on the scene in the Amar’I Empire, Nila was only three years away from becoming Empress. One could say they were both in a very similar boat, and they both spent much of their time training together and, interestingly, going to classes together for their higher-education in the political and social nature of the Empire. One of Stanton’s first duties to the Empire was as a companion to Nila, which was a greatly successful venture, as the two of them took to friendship like fish to water, and while Nila was busy helping Stanton with his understanding of the Amar’I, Stanton provided support for Nila to keep going. Becoming an Empress is a great psychological burden.

There was only one problem. Stanton loves Nila greatly, but as a friend. Nila fell for Stanton at first sight and although she has repeatedly tried to get him to take her hand in courtship, he respectfully declines, much to her frustration. She’s learned to let him alone, but her heart still carries a tender place for him.

Nila is a feline of many talents, aside from being a strong and just ruler. She’s an accomplished writer, tracker, and a skilled dancer. She has a natural singing talent, having performed numerous operas. She also holds the palace record for phossball, and ahmji, and is the palace’s undefeated marble champion.

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Shala

Pronunciation: Sha’la

Species: Tiger, Female

Age: V=36, A=UK

Height: 6 foot 10 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Powerfully built, with a muscular frame and typical tiger’s mane. A pure white coat, with lightened black tiger stripes. She wears a golden chocker-chain about her neck, which cannot be removed.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court.

Author’s Comments: If Stanton was Dolsha’s mentor, Shala was his. To an extent. Of all the people who know Stanton, Shala probably knows him better than anyone, even more than Nila and Ceitah.

Shala is the oldest of the six Amar’I Royal Guards of the Dharken. She’s also the most experienced at warfare, as she has been involved in countless battles. For her size and strength, she pulls off looking beautiful, almost always without effort, but of no intent of her own. While most of the other guards can be considered elegant ladies who are sometimes warriors, Shala is the warrior-sometimes-lady. She’s not a tom-boy or a total jock, but she could care less about the conversation and politics of government. She has a very short toleration for spineless politicians and political backtalk. She’s been known, on far more than one occasion, to threaten, intimidate, and even attack servants and officials. She’s not out of control, though. She just simply cannot stand people sniveling about. There are no suck-up-servants in her home.

Shala and Stanton became friends when Stanton was (curiously) placed into her House. For the first time in known Amar’I history, a male was a member of a female House. To sidestep technicality and stories-yet-to-be-told, Shala was charged with Stanton’s training in the Amar’I ways of war and politics. At that time, Shala was six-years a Royal Guard. It’s been a fair amount of time since Shala took Stanton under her guidance, and needless to say, that time and the intimacy of their relationship, developed their friendship into nothing short of to-death.

As is the way with most un-mated Anthros, and especially the Amar’I, relationships among friends can be extremely intimate. We’ll just leave that hint where it stands. Shala and Stanton had nothing short of a very-close friendship.

A word of warning, however. If one attends Shala’s house, do not be tempted to touch any of the fascinating contraptions adorning shelves and tables, for Shala has an eye for dangerous things...

As an Amar’I Lady of the Court, she receives one-twelfth of the entire Empire as her province of rule. This makes her not only the bodyguard of the Dharken, but a very prominent figure in Amar’I society. She has a personal palace on Kahmin, next to the Royal Palace, and owns land there. Her ownership of lands and territory in the Empire is through the Duchesses and Dukes under her, who rule her lands directly. In her own part of the Empire, she is the Queen of queens.

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Ceitah

Pronunciation: See’tah

Species: Snow Leopard, Female

Age: V = 26, A = 104

Height: Five foot, nine inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Slim, but as other Royal Guards, very powerful. Typical of her species, her body is covered with black rings, some with spots in the center, from head to toe, and her whiskers are long. She has a series of long black stripes going down the center of her back. As with snow leopards, her fur is longer than the short-fur of other leopards, but is not thick and shaggy. She does have a slight mane about her neck, and her tail fur is much thicker. She wears a golden chocker-chain about her neck, which is not removable.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court.

Author’s Comments: Ceitah is a very special lady, and not just in the Amar’I Empire.

Ceitah is next in line to be the head of the Royal Guards, (a title currently held by Shala). It’s not an official title, but it holds great weight in society and in the collection of Guards. The six Royal Guards of the Dharken work like a fine-tuned machine, but there are times when a leader is needed. Ceitah has probably the most stable life of any of the Royal Guards. Her house is strong and fit, her past has been rather peaceful compared to some (like Kiené or Shala), but to say she’s a woman without cares is foolish.

Ceitah comes into the picture in a very strong way. Her friendship with Stanton is equaled by very, very few individuals. (Shala and Kentira, to name most.) It’s rather ironic, however, that Stanton and Ceitah should be so close, for it didn’t look that way in the beginning.

When Stanton showed up at the palace, he was placed under Shala’s house, but while Shala busied herself with his training, Ceitah busied herself with making the human “suitable” for Amar’I court. Not everyone readily accepted a human into society, and Ceitah was probably at the top of that list. She never hesitated to shoot him down a notch, and needless to say, Stanton and Ceitah fought constantly. They hated each other, one could say. Ceitah was always on Stanton’s case about something. Whether she didn’t like his arrangement in the empire (a male in a female house), or that he was human (seeing that there are no human Amar’I), or maybe she didn’t like his unpredictable nature (disappearing, speaking strange languages, skills she never knew humans had, etc.), or maybe she was just jealous of his talent and his sudden placement in the court? No one knew for sure, but they did nothing but rip at each other’s throats.

Stanton does have a lot to thank Ceitah for. She taught him how to be a gentleman, how to act in court, and essentially turned him into a refined man, from the polite-but-crude being he was before. He was never a mess, but Ceitah made sure he wasn’t anything less than perfection either.

The change in their relationship came after a long separation. That separation starts with a pleasant dinner attended by esteemed guests.

While attending a banquet with the other guards and the Dharken and Ra’Dharken, Ceitah overstepped her bounds by correcting him in front of everyone. Stanton was a guest in Shala’s house, and he was there to learn from them all, but he was only doing so out of respect and his own desire. His social status was no different from anyone else’s at that table, and he did not take well to being belittled like a servant. Afterwards, the two of them got into a huge argument, resulting in the two of them storming off, vowing never to speak to the other again. It was very serious and all eyes in the palace were on the two of them.

The silence would last for half a standard year! You couldn’t get the two of them in a room together, no matter how large the room was, and the very mention of the other’s name was destructive.

At the end of the half-year silence, the Court sent Ceitah on an errand to deliver a peace-document to a nation the Empire was currently warring with. Ceitah brought the usual entourage with her for such an assignment, which consisted of fifty warriors, ten servants, and the porters for their belongings. Peace missions were always conducted formally in the empire, and Ceitah’s status with the Empire meant she was to come strong and serious, with the lavish of the Empire. The location was a large forest world were the front of the warring nation agreed to meet to discuss the terms of ending the war.

The trip was supposed to take a long time, over three weeks, and the Court also viewed it as an opportunity to split up Stanton and Ceitah, hopefully creating some peace in the palace, or at least keeping the place intact for a while.

Everything should have gone well. Ceitah was a skilled negotiator, and she had plenty of protection aside from her own skills. No one suspected a thing until she failed to make her daily reports. She had mentioned in her first transmission that the Network communications nets were in shambles and that the signal was going to be iffy. The Court decided that Ceitah was fine, just having communications trouble. No one gave it much more thought until she failed to return after three weeks. Efforts were made to contact her, but to no avail. Another week passed, and still nothing from Ceitah.

The Court sent a whole fleet of ships, complete with two armies, to the world where Ceitah was to have gone. They leveled the place, interrogating anyone they found, but getting nothing. The place had been stripped long before they got there and the only people still living on the planet were natives who knew nothing. The only thing important they found, was Ceitah’s entire staff, including all the warriors, porters, and servants. They found them crucified around the main citadel of the warring nation, skinned. It was the ultimate answer to the talks, but the main fact still remained. No one could find Ceitah.

The Court put the whole empire on alert, mobilized every army, and even hired a dozen bounty hunters to track her down. Everyone feared the worse.

Another week went by, but still no word of Ceitah’s whereabouts. By now, the Court was hoping for even a chance of finding her remains.

It was then, in the desperation of the Court, that the Ra’Dharken and Dharken officially charged Stanton with the task of finding Ceitah. Stanton wasn’t too keen on the idea, but he wouldn’t disobey an order from the rulers, so off he went. He knew where to look, from his experience and his understanding of how people’s minds work. He hadn’t been slacking off over the passing days. His skills at Amar’I warfare and politics grew along with his impressive bounty-hunting talent.

His thoughts were filled with nothing but anger as he piloted the Thorhammer to his best guess location. Returning to the planet Ceitah had been sent to, he landed and began hiking through the forests. When he didn’t find her, he suddenly let himself realize that Ceitah really was missing. He found himself panicked and actually fearing for her. As much as the two of them argued, deep down he never wanted her to come to harm. He returned to the citadel and began searching the place thoroughly, but found nothing. It wasn’t until he started tearing the place apart that he found anything. Something told him that Ceitah came here but had never left; that she was still around somewhere. In his anger he shot the chain of a heavy chandelier hanging over the main hall of the citadel stronghold, and when the truck-sized iron chandelier came crashing down on the stone floor, the floor broke and revealed an opening. He crawled inside and found secret passages that led down under the stronghold. No one had thought to break the thick stone floors of the citadel, and the heavy stone had effectively blocked scans into the ground. The Simplicity was as brilliant as it was insulting.

Deep in the ground, Stanton found a chamber with a heavy iron door. Blasting it off with his handgun, he went inside and found Ceitah, chained between two pillars of stone, stretched up standing. She had been tortured and left to die of starvation and exposure. She was alive, barely; only inches from death. Ceitah was tough, but not that tough.

The room wasn’t empty, and Stanton slaughtered those guarding her like a wolverine guarding its cub. He took her down from the pillars wrapped her in a tapestry, and carried her back to his ship. She eventually made a full recovery after reaching Kahmin, but the real recovery, anyone would tell you, was in their relationship. Stanton had saved her life, and Ceitah had seen what really mattered about the human; his heart.

Like all the other guards, Ceitah developed a strong friendship with Stanton, and from that point on the two rarely ever fought again, and never over acts of indecency. As far as Ceitah was concerned, Stanton was alright, now. She treats Stanton with the respect he deserves, and even loves him as a close friend. Stanton treats her with the noble respect she deserves, and is sure to return her love as often as he can. Ceitah is his confidant in the galaxy to a considerable degree, both being a friend and a constant in his life.

So enough about her and Stanton; Ceitah isn’t his mate.

Ceitah and Nila have a very strong relationship as well. Nila treats her guards like her friends, and Ceitah respects Nila greatly. Nila and Ceitah share the same desire for fun, enjoying the same sports, and Ceitah is Nila’s primary rival in Phosball.

Ceitah’s shadow is her Head of House, Cohl, who being an aspiring and skilled warrior herself is directly in line for a promotion to Royal Guard. Ceitah treats Cohl like a sister, which is nothing unnatural, but while Ceitah is above Cohl she treats Cohl’s opinions with the same respects as she would another Guard. Ceitah has an almost complete trust for Cohl’s mind and opinions, which has been founded on Cohl’s numerous successful undertakings in Ceitah’s stead. Ceitah always adored Cohl, enjoying being her mentor, but up until her kidnapping she hadn’t thought much of Cohl’s future. While Ceitah was bed-stricken in her recovery, much of the job of politics and business in her territory was left up to Cohl to handle, as if Cohl was Acting Royal Guard for Ceitah. If anything, it proved Cohl ready to take on such responsibilities.

Probably the most interesting fact about Ceitah, as far as the ThorHammer crew is concerned, is that Ceitah is to her fellow guards like Kaylen is to the crew. Just as Kaylen acts as the counselor and go-between for the crew, making sure everyone is not fighting and taken care of, so is Ceitah for the other guards. However, her methods can be a bit different. First off, Ceitah is no doctor. She hates doctors. Kaylen’s the first doctor she’ll even talk to. Second, while Kaylen negotiates by quiet talk and vixen sweetness, Ceitah will simply bludgeon you till you see things correctly (uh...her version of “correctly”). If there’s an argument, Ceitah will finish it, and she ain’t afraid to tell-off nobody!

As an Amar’I Lady of the Court, she receives one-twelfth of the entire Empire as her province of rule. This makes her not only the bodyguard of the Dharken, but a very prominent figure in Amar’I society. She has a personal palace on Kahmin, next to the Royal Palace, and owns land there. Her ownership of lands and territory in the Empire is through the Duchesses and Dukes under her, who rule her lands directly. In her own part of the Empire, she is the Queen of queens.

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Kiené

Pronunciation: Keen’eh

Species: Wolf

Age: V=28, A=89

Height: 6 foot

Eyes: Fire-red, albino canine eyes.

Description: A powerful form, common to the lupine type, but still very strong. Broad shoulders and powerful legs, with muscular arms well suited for archery. She wears a golden chocker-chain about her neck, which cannot be removed.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court.

Author’s Comments: Kiené is the silent power behind the Royal Guard team. She brings cunning, keen battlefield sense, and the power of her impressive archery skills.

Wolves are generally known for being muscular and strong, and Kiené is no exception to the rule. She’s lean, aggressive, serious in the line of her duty, and isn’t afraid to twist the arm off of any male in her way! Her off-job nature, however, is very subdued and quiet; much like the captive storm. She’s recently developed a strong, at-first-sight love, with Tenkin, and neither of them know exactly what will happen in that respect.

Kiené wasn’t always as quiet, or stable. Kiené had a very, very rebellious youth, during the time of her young-adult life. Reckless, disobeyed authority frequently, had a terrible temper, and would listen to no one. Things got so bad that she was nearly banished from the succession line and faced with imprisonment, but something happened that she didn’t expect.

When Stanton showed up on the scene, the royal court found themselves with another mischievous soul, although nowhere near as hellion-like as Kiené. The importance of Stanton and Kiené’s relationship, was that Stanton wasn’t afraid to take her down a notch if she got an attitude with him. Often, the Court would ask Stanton to retrieve or stop her from whatever actions she was in. Stanton’s impressive skill at fighting, not to mention his own temper and readiness to brawl, proved to be just what the Court was looking for to control Kiené till she, hopefully, gained some sense. Anyone at the palace, however, will tell you that the fights between Kiené and Stanton were more frightening and destructive than anything!

Stanton managed to eventually bring Kiené’s wild nature under control, through his own force against her and the discipline of the Court, but her temper was like a hair-trigger constantly. Serious thought was going through the channels about keeping Kiené from becoming a Royal Guard, as it had been planned for her future. If that happened, all the charges against her from past actions that had been waived off by her title, such as destroying property, would be allowed to be pressed against her. She faced a very long prison sentence. This was to change in a particularly bloody battle with the Breehm, two and a half years after Stanton came to the palace.

The Breehm, a warrior race in an almost constant feud with the Amar’I Empire, had broken through one of the sectors under the control of Kiené’s family house. The main battle, centered on a rocky-forest-world, would change Kiené’s life forever, though she didn’t know it at the time.

Kiené, Ceitah, Dolsha, and Stanton, were sent to the forest-world to aid in the defeat of the Breehm. During the battle, a Garamite (known as Atek shock troopers, which are like a special warrior-class of the Breehm), cornered Kiené through her own temper and negligence of orders. Kiené, knowing no humility, and being known for having quite the mouth, decided to cause quite a taunt. The Garamite managed to get the upper hand, nearly killing Kiené with his razor-sharp scimitar and heavy iron mace. In retaliation to her insults, the Garamite cut her tongue from her jaw as he held her pinned, for a trophy. Just as the Garamite moved to make the killing blow, Kiené managed to get her boot knife free, using it to castrate the Garamite (which, of course, pretty much stops anything in its tracks).

The damage the Garamite’s blade did to Kiené rendered her unable to speak, which was a crushing blow to her ability to continue the way she was. Frustrated and unable to communicate, Kiené quickly found how alienated she was in the empire. Being finally on the silent side, finally looking at herself and those around her, she realized that no one cared for her at all. She had no friends, no one to turn to, no one willing to give her the patience needed to understand what she wanted. A devastating turnaround, by any standards.

When Kiené returned to the palace, she quickly fell (not entirely of her own situation) into a solitary life of loneliness, fear, and terrible shame. On the eve of her own birthday, knowing no one was likely to give her any tidings of good will, she decided to take a walk on the great dome of the central palace, which was nothing short of dangerous. She had been scolded for doing so many times before. That night, while walking along the edge just above the open perimeter meeting chambers, she overheard to Council discussing the final points of an exile document, which had her name on it.

The last peg of reality hit home and it was more than Kiené could bear. She went home to her bedroom, locking the door. Taking a pair of sharp knives from her dresser, she did what a very extreme few Amar’I every even thought of. In the early hours of the morning, in the Amar’I style, she committed suicide. The Amar’I way of suicide was to draw blades into the inseams, severing the major blood vessels in the legs, as well as the major tendons. Suicide was such a terrible act, such an act of total distress, much more than any non-Amar’I could understand, that the act is taken one way. The cutting of the tendons in the legs ensures that once the act is done, the person cannot go back by trying to seek help in some fit of dying-madness.

Kiené bled quickly, but as we all know, she survived her attempt to end her own life. Kiené may have been out late that night, but to think she was alone would have been foolish. There was another who often was out of bed late at night, and he had a keen sense for detecting things that were wrong. Stanton did manage to arrive in time, breaking through the window entrance, reaching her wounds before it was too late.

Kiené lost so much blood she was in a coma for a whole Mark. She regained consciousness, to find herself surrounded by people, and very remorseful and ashamed. After some days of discussion, it was agreed that Kiené had learned her place and her nature, and that the exile documents would be torn up a year to the day, on her improvement.

Kiené did so, finding her long stay at the hospital a good chance to learn to communicate through sign language and lip-speak. It was also in this time that she seriously looked to her strengths in archery, seeing her true abilities rising. While not attending her sign-language lessons, or making up for all the schooling she skipped on, she learned to refine her archery skills to a legendary level in the empire. When a year had passed, she was presented before the Council and the rulers, and her exile documents were torn. Shortly after, she finally regained the ability to walk again, and rejoined her fellow Amar’I in society, never forgetting her humility, or her past. Her patience and silence is not only a virtue gained by the time spent with her disability, but also the knowledge that her past lifestyle was so reckless that it drove her to attempting to kill herself.

The New Kiené, if you will, is completely changed from the old. She’s much more civil and polite now, and her gentle nature has come through strongly. This doesn’t mean, however, that she won’t hesitate to rip an arrow through your skull for an insult.

Kiené carries an Amar’I recurve bow, characterized by its double-looped shape and all-metal construction. The bow is extremely powerful, requiring a strong arm to draw it, but the bow also requires great skill from the user as each bow is different and the power of the bow is difficult to control. The bow has a draw-weight of a hundred-and-twenty pounds; which just means big-miss-wolf could literally rip your arm off if she wanted...heehee...

She carries two types of arrows: simple bore-fire arrows, and explosive fleches. The explosive arrows carry a broad, four-edged tip, followed by a light-grenade-strength explosive ball. When the arrow strikes home, the charge goes off three seconds later. The bore-fire arrows are her characteristic arrow of choice, for they are difficult to use effectively. The tip is a solid boron stud, honed to a needle-like point. This is followed by a section of the shaft which contains a shaped laser penetrator, creating a six-inch section of light around the forward shaft, in a sense making the arrow even more lethal by providing punch and penetration ability beyond the force of the stud. This gives the arrow the ability to penetrate strong body armor and even light to medium vehicle armor. The shaft itself is rather unique, too. Hollowed out, the inner core contains a gel that remains solid until it is flexed to a certain degree. The outer shaft is made of an extremely strong material, strong enough to withstand the forces of such a bow. There’s a notch in the shaft, just forward of the feathers, where someone with enough strength could press and cause the gel to liquefy inside the shaft. When this happens, a chemical reaction takes place, causing the arrow to literally shatter in less than a minute. Kiené uses her powerful canine jaws to literally bite her arrows before loosing them into a target, and that target soon finds themselves full of the shattered remains of an arrow. It’s buckshot for archers.

Kiené’s favorite things to do are hunting, dancing, playing Gohleh, and generally hanging out.

As an Amar’I Lady of the Court, she receives one-twelfth of the entire Empire as her province of rule. This makes her not only the bodyguard of the Dharken, but a very prominent figure in Amar’I society. She has a personal palace on Kahmin, next to the Royal Palace, and owns land there. Her ownership of lands and territory in the Empire is through the Duchesses and Dukes under her, who rule her lands directly. In her own part of the Empire, she is the Queen of queens.

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Dolsha

Pronunciation: Dole’Shah

Species: Cougar, Female

Age: V=26, A=38

Height: 6 foot

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Muscular and lean, with a pure-white coat except for light-black tail tip. Gold choker-chain about her neck which cannot be removed. Dolsha is missing both legs just above the knee, lost in a recent starship crash-landing.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court.

Author’s Comments: Dolsha is one of the youngest members of the Royal Guards, coming of status when the Royal Guard of her House, who was also her mother, died in battle with the Rythee. Dolsha’s House has long been associated with her noble family, and the bloodline ruling the House continues to pass down through to Dolsha’s sister, Nehl, who’ll now be the twelfth descendant of the bloodline. An impressive lineage, indeed.

Dolsha is possibly the quietest of the six Amar’I Royal Guards to the Dharken, aside from Kiene`. She received much of her guidance and training, both before and after becoming a Royal Guard, from none-other than Redhawk, of which she grew a deep and strong friendship with. Redhawk, Stanton, was her unofficial mentor in her eyes, and she looked up to him for stability, answers, and friendship in the often lonely world of rule.

This all came crashing down when Stanton suddenly left the Amar’I Empire, and all other friends, after a terrible event. Suddenly, the one figure she could always depend on to be the stable point, to understand and turn to, completely changed and left. It’s hard to imagine for most people. It would be like having a loving and friendly mentor, and then one day coming home and out of the blue find he’s taken off, refusing to talk to you and threatening to kill you if you got in his way. Needless to say, the emotional scar of that, went quite deep.

Nila, the Dharken of the Amar’I Empire, can sometimes get into situations not intended, and which her Royal Guards must follow her into, and get her out safely. This was the instance when Nila had gotten the determination to track down some information and people on her own, apart from the bickering powers of the home court, and thus her Royal Guards were obliged to come with her. Dolsha’s sister Nehl had been with them, too, at the time. The result of this incident came into risk when they found themselves trapped on an enemy ship. They managed to escape, but their ship was attacked and disabled, pushed into the atmosphere of Yevikar. The out of control ship plummeted violently into the surface of the planet, but they were all saved from assured death by the quick thinking of two acquired friends and fellow Royal Guard, Shala.

When the ship crashed, the bottom of the ship was ripped clean off, like a block of cheese running at a few hundred miles-an-hour over a cheese grater. While this helped slow the ship some, it unfortunately took its toll as well. When the bottom of the ship was sheered off, a part of the hull was ripped open beneath where Dolsha was standing, and the she was pulled down, along with her sister. They both survived, but lost their legs in the tragic incident.

Anyway, Dolsha accepted the loss of her legs like one accepts a scar, and has tried to continue with her life. Such is the Amar’I way. Had she been on Kahmin, the Amar’I home world and her own place of residence, she would have received a sophisticated pair of cybernetic replacement legs, for use even in battle, but since the crash landing she has been far from those niceties. When she was taken to the Amar’I embassy on Tarth, she was given a custom-made wheelchair to use, until she can get home to her own doctors. Being still a Royal Guard, athletic, and of a persevering mind, she has taken it upon herself to adapt to the wheelchair completely. Amar’I don’t have the as much of the aesthetic desire for themselves as other races, when it comes to missing limbs. Such as that is, Dolsha will probably do as most other Amar’I choose to do, and continue using the wheelchair the rest of her life when her job does not require walking. She already knows many stunts, and has learned to get about almost as well as before.

Back to less grim matters...

When the Royal Guards were reunited with a “changed” Redhawk, Dolsha was understandably the last one to accept his return. It had taken several days of close observation before she would accept him back into her life, but it’s safe to say she’s now alright with him again, although the past will never fully leave her mind.

She spends much of her time, now, either in her quarters on the Thorhammer, hanging out on the bridge, or sticking close to the other Amar’I and Stanton. She’ll never admit openly that having lost her legs has put a ding in her confidence, but she looks for the company of others more than ever. She enjoys the company of the crew, as well, but their lack of understanding for Amar’I ways makes them uncomfortable around her, so she stays pretty close to Stanton. Dolsha also spends much time with her sister, who tragically suffered identically to herself. Dolsha and Nehl have been, more or less, figuring their new lives out together.

Dolsha’s favorite things to do include, of course, practice of her fighting skills, but also playing Gohleh, swimming, racing Turmahn Striders, and phossball.

As an Amar’I Lady of the Court, she receives one-twelfth of the entire Empire as her province of rule. This makes her not only the bodyguard of the Dharken, but a very prominent figure in Amar’I society. She has a personal palace on Kahmin, next to the Royal Palace, and owns land there. Her ownership of lands and territory in the Empire is through the Duchesses and Dukes under her, who rule her lands directly. In her own part of the Empire, she is the Queen of queens.

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Briec

Pronunciation: Breece

Species: Tamahn Lynx (A regular lynx, but much more slender and a bit larger, like a slightly-shaggy leopard with a lynx’s head.)

Age: V=30, A=88

Height: 5 foot, 7 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Briec has a solid coat of white, with a few small spots along her back, shoulders, sides, and hips. She has a short tail and black, very-pointy ears, and a shortened feline muzzle. About her neck is a golden choker-chain, which cannot be removed.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court.

Author’s Comments: Briec is probably the least seen of all the Amar’I Royal Guards on the ThorHammer at the moment. She’s very reclusive and does not care much for having fun. She attained her position through military victories and is not known to play any sports.

Briec isn’t as stern or heartless as she appears. Given a choice, she really would like to be light-hearted and relax a bit, but the closest she gets to that is a cup of coffee.

Briec’s territories have been under a considerable amount of attack and economic stress, for quite a long time (nearly all her life), and she finds that between guarding the Dharken and protecting her own lands, she’s stretched. She receives aid from other Houses, of course, but one particular enemy of the Empire seems to be fixed upon killing everyone in Briec’s House, and they thus focus very heavily on her territory. She’s spent her whole life fighting constantly, and it’s drained much of her personality to leave just war and the thought of destruction behind.

Briec doesn’t socialize much, because of this, and spends her time waiting for the next battle. With the coming of the Black Forces and the strengthening of the Empire’s enemies, Briec is under a lot of stress to keep hold of her territories. Her armies have been strong enough to hold out in the past, though never easy, but her honor and her House’s honor keep her from seeking total outside help. She doesn’t know what will happen if the enemy grows stronger.

She gladly accepts the title as Royal Guard, and knows that the position takes precedence over her own affairs. It is a great honor to her House and herself. However, if she was given a choice without such pressures, she would give it all up to just be a General of her armies and focus on protecting her people.

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Artahna

Pronunciation: Ar’tahn’na

Species: Pine Cougar, Female (Pine Cougar’s are like a regular cougar, but have no black on their shortened-tails, no markings on their muzzles, are thinner and taller than normal cougars, and have slightly pointy ears.)

Age: V=36, A=UK

Height: 6 foot, 7 inches (A big kitty...)

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Tall, muscular and lean, with a pure-white coat. Gold choker-chain about her neck that cannot be removed. Artahna is missing both arms just above the elbows, lost in a recent starship crash-landing.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard for the Dharken, Lady of the Court. Guard Team doctor.

Author’s Comments: Each of the six Royal Guards has something they like to do, or specialize in. For Artahna, it’s medicine. Her mother, although never a Royal Guard or Head of House, is a respected surgeon and doctor, and much of it rubbed off onto the cougar. Very outgoing, very much a socialite, Artahna likes being a part of the group, and she likes to talk, although not to the point of being annoying. One could argue it is a reason for her successful bedside manner. Her nature, both personality and instinct, makes her the type who loves company and a warm person to snuggle up with in the sun, whether that be a fellow Guard, or long-time friend Redhawk. This is rather peculiar, since while she loves to do these things, she has never shown interest in the opposite sex, either due to shyness, or just not interested in a relationship. The only male she’s been known to hang out with as freely as her fellow Guards, is Stanton, but his constant presence in their lives may have something to do with that. Amar’I Royal Guards are forbidden to take a mate while serving as a Royal Guard, but the law does not limit romantic intentions and engagements.

Artahna does spend quite a bit of time at the Royal baths, however, chatting with fellow female Amar’I of the nobility, or just soaking up the sun; while not training or performing duties, of course. She enjoys long dips in the hot springs, sun bathing, and deep massages. The only other thing to note about Artahna’s character, is that, well, although she intends to one day find a male mate, she is currently only behaving in a lesbian fashion. The Amar’I have no real holdings against this sexual preference, and until further notice this is how Artahna wishes to please her primitive desire. At the Royal Baths of the palace, in the women’s Baths, one can receive pleasure, just as in the male houses. However, Amar’I law prevents males from entering the female baths. The law is very old and almost religious now, and was meant to provide a way of controlling unwanted offspring. Now, it just means that any female wishing pleasure has to be tended by the same sex. There are special women who’s job it is to fill this role. Artahna spends many hours at the baths, receiving just that. Why she is that way, no one really knows, but at least it doesn’t effect her duties or outside life.

Change of subject time...ehem...

Nila, the Dharken of the Amar’I Empire, can sometimes get into situations not intended, and which her Royal Guards must follow her into, and get her out of safely. This was the instance when Nila had gotten the determination to track down some information and people on her own, apart from the bickering powers of the home court, and thus her Royal Guards were obliged to come with her. The result of this incident came into risk when they found themselves trapped on an enemy ship. They managed to escape, but their ship was attacked and disabled, pushed into the atmosphere of Yevikar. The out of control ship plummeted violently into the surface of the planet, but they were all saved from assured death by the quick thinking of two acquired friends and fellow Royal Guard, Shala.

When the ship crashed, Artahna’s console station exploded, burning her hands badly. After the crash, the able survivors escaped the ship, fearing being found there, and ran into the forest, into the below-zero conditions of the Yevikarian polar forests. The incredibly low temperatures, and the fact that Amar’I aren’t accustomed to wearing much clothing, played a devastating card to Artahna. Collapsing in the storm after losing her way, stricken by the cold and the pain of her injured hands, Artahna was rescued at the last moment and saved from death by the crew of the Thorhammer. The cold, however, had frozen her hands completely, and the damage was so great that both of her arms had to be amputated just above her elbows.

Artahna accepted her loss slowly but surely, but has been very reclusive of late. Had Artahna been on Kahmin, the Amar’I home world and her own place of residence, she would have received a sophisticated pair of cybernetic replacement arms, for use in life and battle, but since the crash landing she has been far from such facilities. When she was taken to the Amar’I embassy on Tarth, she was given a pair of simple prosthetics to use, until she can get home to her own doctors, but they are crude and she dislikes the way they look and how embarrassed they make her feel. This fact has caused her to take to hiding in her quarters, not wishing to be seen for long periods of time, especially when having to perform a task, until they reach Kahmin and she can be properly cared for. She has recently, since leaving Tarth for Kahmin aboard the Thorhammer, decided to take up temporary residence in Stanton’s quarters, where some of the Amar’I tend to stay and where she can be taken care of. By far the biggest concern on her mind is the fact that having lost both arms will make it extremely difficult for her to keep her position as a Royal Guard. It has been done before, in the past, but rarely. She tires to comfort herself, but knows that leaving the Royal Guards will be very hard for her, as they are her dearest friends and she enjoys fighting along-side them.

Now for far-less-grim matters...

Artahna has taken Kaylen, ship’s doctor for the Thorhammer, under her wing. She wants to take her knowledge and help Kaylen become a better doctor, knowing that she herself will never be able to perform medical deeds herself. One could say Artahna’s misfortune was actually a blessing in that she has now become a medical professor. She’s also turned to Stanton for a constant source of kind affection, reaffirming and growing their bond as friends.

Artahna loves to practice her warrior skills, but also likes playing Gohleh, soccer, chess, and is a connoisseur of wines and ales.

As an Amar’I Lady of the Court, she receives one-twelfth of the entire Empire as her province of rule. This makes her not only the bodyguard of the Dharken, but a very prominent figure in Amar’I society. She has a personal palace on Kahmin, next to the Royal Palace, and owns land there. Her ownership of lands and territory in the Empire is through the Duchesses and Dukes under her, who rule her lands directly. In her own part of the Empire, she is the Queen of queens.

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Rotga

Pronunciation: Rote’gah

Species: Wolf

Age: V=35, A=UK

Height: 6-foot

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Average lupine features save for white fur. He has several lochs of his wolf-mane braided with a few beads and feathers.

Occupation: Amar’I Royal Guard to the Ra’Dharken.

Author’s Comments: Rotga is your typical warrior-poet. Quiet, reflective, he is fearsome on the battlefield but not quick to jump into the fight if unnecessary.

Rotga is nothing short of experienced in battle, for he has been in some of the largest skirmishes the Empire has seen of late, and has earned himself distinction in each as a hero. Still, he does not look on his medals and battles as his greatest accomplishments. To Rotga, enjoying the beauty of his home is what really gives him pleasure. His favorite things to do include hiking, drawing, writing poems, and playing Gohleh.

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Anglor

Pronunciation: Ahng-lor

Species: Lion

Age: V=37, A=UK

Height: 6-foot 10-inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Muscular and tall, not particularly broad in the chest, but very lean. He has a scar on his muzzle, going over the right side.

Occupation: Royal Guard to the Ra’Dharken.

Author’s Comments: Anglor is a very solitary person who takes his duties with great seriousness and likes to grumble a lot when things go badly. He keeps his mane pulled back in four ties, trimmed, and is never found with tarnish on his uniform or armor. Not absurdly anal, but rather more composed. If asked what his favorite things to do were, he’d answer: serving the Ra’Dharken, polishing his uniform, and staying out of trouble. When no one’s looking, he likes to listen to classical music, practice his personal fighting style, and smiling.

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Abbeht

Pronunciation: Ah-bet

Species: Common Feline

Age: V=32, A=UK

Height: 5-foot 8-inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Being of a non-predatory feline (as apposed to lions or leopards) Abbeht is light in frame and muscular build, though his appearance is deceiving. Strong, agile, and very fast, Abbeht has all the physical qualities of his unintelligent ancestors. His fur, while being predominately white, is splotched with gray and light-black patches, giving him a slight distinction from other felines in the Royal Guard.

Occupation: Royal Guard to the Ra’Dharken.

Author’s Comments: Abbeht is a very interesting character indeed. Five minutes with him would tell you several things. For one, he is very intelligent and well-read and traveled. Second, he’s very calm and gentlemanlike. Lastly, he’s the oldest of the male Royal Guards, and yet he has not been a Royal Guard longer than the other five. Abbeht only received the position of Royal Guard after his long-lived father died in a starship accident, making Abbeht the third most senior Royal Guard.

Abbeht, before becoming a Royal Guard, was Head of House under his father, and through that position did a considerable amount of travel throughout the Empire and beyond. He is easily the most experienced of the Royal Guards in matters of foreign affairs, and his knowledge of other races and cultures is impressive. He keeps, in his home, a museum (though he calls it his “collection”) of cultural gifts, souvenirs, and artifacts from his travels. It was started by his Great, Great, Great Grandfather, some six-hundred years ago. Open to the public, it is considered to be one of the best historical attractions when visiting the Capital area.

As an accomplished actor himself, Abbeht has performed in many Palace productions, and has written half a dozen plays. He has a strange attraction for ancient human theater, especially that of William Shakespeare, to which he has an entire physical collection of plays. He’s been known to quote Shakespeare often, and has the Palace Thespian Organization perform four of Shakespeare’s plays a year, which he both performs in and sometimes even directs.

Abbeht’s good-friend and sometimes fellow-actor, is the young ocelot Cohl. Often, since Cohl is of light strength and small size, she practices with Abbeht. Together, they perfect the art of small-arms combat and martial-arts. Abbeht’s favorite types of weapons are knives and small hand weapons. In battle, he does carry a small sword, only half the size of a normal sword, and usually carries a small shield no larger than a dinner-plate, for parrying blows.

Aside from tending to his collections, and performing in plays, Abbeht also enjoys reciting poems for the Royal Court, especially Nila’Sann, (whom he is good personal friends with), and diving in the canal.

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Cohl

Pronunciation: Coal (Or sometimes Kail, depending on the dialect.)

Species: Ocelot, Female

Age: V=27, A=UK

Height: 5 foot, 9 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Cohl is typical of the ocelot species. Short, but not stocky, covered with dribbled-black-rings and small spots, with black ear tips and a long tail.

Occupation: Head of House of Ceitah’s House.

Author’s Comments: Cohl is a very loyal and trusted companion to Ceitah, the Royal Guard to which she is Head of House under. She’s always admired Ceitah and would go to the ends of the universe for her. Well studied in politics and academics, she’s very sharp-witted and bright. She’s next in line to take the position of Royal Guard after Ceitah retires, and for that she has all of Ceitah’s blessings.

Cohl was not born in the Empire, she was born on a starship far from the Amar’I borders when her family group (a subsection order of a House, consisting of usually blood-related relatives) was on a diplomatic mission. Cohl was, by some promotion-glitch, kept on starships until she was twenty; by that time all of her friends had been promoted to positions back home or at least to something off a starship. She was beginning to think it was a fault of her own, until the Head of House at that time, Ceitah, put in a call for the refit of several classes of starship in the House’s fleets. One of these ships, happened to be one which Cohl was aboard.

Ceitah and Cohl met out of accident, but the results proved fruitful. Cohl’s many years aboard starships, particularly those called in for the refit, made her an expert on the real needs of the vessels. Ceitah recognized Cohl as a valuable information source, not to mention a very intelligent individual. Cohl was enthralled with Ceitah’s position and the higher ranks of society that she had never been able to reach. Ceitah was so impressed with the young ocelot, that she went to her office one day with the intent of promoting Cohl at least a rank for her services and skills. That’s when the terrible disgrace towards Cohl was discovered and Ceitah immediately set out to fix the problem.

Apparently Cohl’s record had accidentally been tagged with a special mark that said she wasn’t of the right blood and citizenship, due to her birth outside of the Empire in a shaky situation. The record keepers had overlooked the fact that she was born of a noble family group and thus she was never seriously looked at for higher promotion than she already was at.

With the problem fixed, Cohl was immediately promoted four ranks, and removed from the front-line services to be entered into the Academy, which she should have been admitted to several years before. Ceitah jumped at the chance to take the position as Cohl’s mentor and made sure Cohl had all the proper classes and professors, and met all the right people. The aspiring ocelot shot up through the social ladder with ease, showing talent and a keen desire to learn and take part. Her current position, as Head of House for Ceitah’s House, is a great honor to her. She’s fought more for her position than most other Amar’I have, and is quite deserving of the title.

Because of Cohl’s smaller size and lesser strength, she chooses to fight in ways that do not require as much force as her fellow Amar’I. Skilled in the ways of using her body as a weapon, such as martial arts, she likes light weaponry and often chooses to be the silent scout.

Cohl has a few quirky traits to her personality. Ocelots are known for their swiftness and mischievous nature, and Cohl is no exception. Her favorite thing to do is get chased, and she’ll go to all ends to get someone to do it. When she’s not on duty, you’d better watch your stuff, because Cohl likes to snatch up unguarded pens and snacks, just to get you to chase her down for it back. She also has a thing about droids. Cohl loves to taunt the lesser-droids till they shutdown or run off. She likes to pick on their primitive reactions, especially their fear (self preservation circuits) as much as possible. Many a droid has rattled itself to shutdown from her toying. Another trait Cohl has, is that she’s very much a nocturnal cat. Ocelots have eyes well developed for life in the dark, and Cohl loves to wander about at night, sneaking around and “just looking” at anything she can find. Sometimes this gets her into trouble she ought not to be in, but she never risks her career, reputation, or Ceitah’s reputation. She’d rather die than betray her house or bring dishonor to her peers.

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Nehl

Pronunciation: N’el

Species: Cougar, Female

Age: V=24, A=36

Height: 5 foot 10 inches

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Muscular and lean, with a pure-white coat except for light-black tail tip. Nehl is missing both legs just above the knee, lost in a recent starship crash-landing. She wears a golden choker-chain about her neck, which cannot be removed. She also has a small fur-dying on the small of her back.

Occupation: Nehl is Head of House for Dolsha’s House.

Author’s Comments: Nehl is Dolsha’s younger sister, currently Head of House, but not in any way incapable of her position. She’s quiet, but very intelligent and performs her duty to the House and Dolsha with respectable commitment. As Head of House, Nehl is basically Dolsha’s personal attaché, following, taking instruction from, and fighting alongside Dolsha. Unless otherwise said, Nehl goes everywhere with Dolsha as her personal assistant. It is not unheard-of for direct relations to be in a ruling House, but and can prove a bit awkward when Dolsha gives her sister, Nehl, orders, or when Nehl must advise her older sister.

As a Head of House, it’s Nehl’s responsibility to see that Dolsha’s orders are carried out, and to be the diplomatic representative of Dolsha’s House, as Dolsha is most often with the Dharken, or occupied in court.

Nila, the Dharken of the Amar’I Empire, can sometimes get into situations not intended, and which her Royal Guards must follow her into, and get her out safely. This was the instance when Nila had gotten the determination to track down some information and people on her own, apart from the bickering powers of the home court, and thus her Royal Guards were obliged to come with her. This included Nehl, who was with them at the time. The result of this incident came into risk when they found themselves trapped on an enemy ship. They managed to escape, but their ship was attacked and disabled, pushed into the atmosphere of Yevikar. The out of control ship plummeted violently into the surface of the planet, but they were all saved from assured death by the quick thinking of two acquired friends and fellow Royal Guard, Shala.

When the ship crashed, the bottom of the ship was ripped sheered off, and part of the hull was ripped open beneath where Nehl was standing with her sister, and the she was pulled down, along with her sister. They both survived, but lost their legs in the tragic incident.

Nehl, unlike her sister however, has taken the loss of her legs as a tremendous blow to her personal esteem and confidence. She looks ahead in her life, to the time when Dolsha will be forced to step down from Royal Guard from age or injury, and Nehl will have to take her place, already crippled. Dolsha reminds her constantly that she only feels so because she has been fortunate enough to have been in few battles, and that it won’t weigh so heavily when such a time comes that she will have to assume her sister’s position. Dolsha also reminds her that their own mother had lost both an arm and a leg just before becoming a Royal Guard, and that she had lived a very prosperous life as a Guard, despite.

Had Nehl been on Kahmin, the Amar’I home world and her own place of residence, she would have received a sophisticated pair of cybernetic replacement legs, for use in battle, but since the crash landing she has been far from those niceties. When she was taken to the Amar’I embassy on Tarth, she was given a custom-made wheelchair to use, until she can get home to her own doctors. Being still a Royal Guard, athletic, and of a persevering mind, she has taken it upon herself to adapt to the wheelchair completely. She isn’t as outgoing about the wheelchair as Dolsha is, but she has learned to take it in part and develop a skill with it.

Back to less grim matters...

When the Royal Guards were reunited with a “changed” Redhawk, Nehl found herself, too, dealing with a returned Redhawk. Knowing him nearly as well as Dolsha, although never being mentored by him as much as Dolsha, Nehl still had a good friendship with him and had been heartbroken when he suddenly left. Since coming aboard the ship, she has taken to hiding herself from Stanton, accepting him again, but not wanting him to see her like she is. Stanton was always very protective of her, since he was such good friends with Dolsha, and she feels her injury will make him think she’s unable to watch after herself.

She spends much of her time, now, either in her quarters on the Thorhammer, or in the company of the other Amar’I. She’s rather depressive, due to circumstance, but never was much of a socialite to begin-with. Nehl can be rather stiff-minded in her duties, and at other times, very impetuous. She’s young, compared to the other Amar’I she works with, and has much to learn.

Nehl’s favorite things to do include, practice of her fighting skills, playing Gohleh, swimming, racing Turmahn Striders, and climbing trees.

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Turnce

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Adris

Pronunciation: A-Driss

Species: Cougar, Female

Age: V=26, A=30

Height: 6 foot, 1 inch

Eyes: Fire-red, albino cat’s eyes.

Description: Adris is strong, but slightly underweight. Her tail has a black tip and her muzzle has black markings.

Occupation: Head of House to Artahna’s House.

Author’s Comments: Adris is a very cautious, very quiet member of the Amar’I group. She’s not cowardly or inept, she’s just overly careful and a bit timid.

At the time of the story, Adris has just become Head of House for Artahna’s House. It’s a great honor and she is happy to have made it, but in a way she is a bit nervous about the position. She had been promoted up to the position before through her own merits, but it went perhaps too fast for her. She went from the fifth level away from Head of House, to the second, in just two years, due to her talents and skills, which is speed worth note. The level was moderately more difficult, with many more responsibilities and powers, but she kept a level head and was proud to be where she was. Only half a year passed before she found herself being quickly promoted once again. The level above her, one level from being Head of House, was occupied by two Amar’I, who were grievously wounded in a battle and had to be removed from their positions for their inability to function. Adris was immediately pushed up, but no sooner had she taken hold of her new position’s title than the Head of House killed in an accident. She had just barely spoken her own title before she was asked to accept the Head of House title. Like any honorable and aspiring Amar’I, she accepted the title.

Adris then found herself basically the only thing between Artahna, and a twelfth of the Amar’I Empire. A very powerful and important person, with all eyes on her. Responsibility flooded in, as well as her powers and privileges, and the poor cougar never got a chance to take a breath. She hadn’t spent long enough in her previous positions to learn how to handle such a load, and how to act, and thus she follows Artahna around with wide eyes, constantly nervous. Artahna often has to remind Adris that she has the power now to relax a bit and that she shouldn’t care what others think or say if she makes little mistakes because she is new and she is also in a position that puts her above all that.

Adris does have two favorite hobbies. She loves to play Gohleh, and loves to read. When she’s not working, and no games are happening, and she’s been told she can relax now, she can be found curled up in a warm place with a good book.

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