Saito Satomi

Warrior Poet Saito Satomi

A Brief Accounting of the Life of Saito Satomi
Saito Satomi was born in 4701 AR/7201 IC on the first day of that year, to Clan Saito, a powerful noble family with significant holdings on the northern border of Shokuro. The Saito were immigrants of Minkai to Shokuro, a branch of an older and more powerful clan of the same name in Minkai. They came to lend their swords and followers to the rulers of Shokuro in exchange for land and wealth.
From the day she was born, it was clear Satomi was different. Her unearthly features and strange behavior for an infant made her celestial ancestry abundantly clear, and she quickly came to be regarded as the future of the Saito clan. Yet her family did not suffer insults, and in 7204, a dispute grew between the Saito and the Shazara, a clan of elven Samurai on the southern border of neighboring Jinin. The dispute erupted into a minor border war between both clans. After 3 years of intermittent skirmishing, the Shazara outmaneuvered the Saito, trapping most of the family’s warriors and forcing their surrender. As one of the many conditions of their victory, the Shazara forced the Saito to give over Satomi to them as a hostage for a period of ten years, guaranteeing good behavior.
Over the Silkstring river went the young Aasimar, shuttled away to the holdings of the Shazara. Despite being a hostage with all the restrictions this implies, she was still treated honorably, and her education was seen to. In particular, the priesthood of Shelyn, which was unusually prominent in the Shazaran holdings, trained her in a mixture of human and elvish Samurai practices, both martial and artistic. As the years passed, even the elves saw potential in both her combat skills and her eye for beauty.
In time, the decade was up, and the 16 year-old Satomi returned only briefly to the Saito’s holdings to seek her father’s permission to journey to Amanandar and join the Church of Shelyn. After he, not wanting to offend the goddess, granted it, she traveled to Vannisaria and settled in, dwelling for several years at the Temple of the Eternal and Exquisite Rose. She became somewhat well-known as a performer and duelist, and she began to evince a somewhat unique philosophy concerning art: that with the right mindset and dedication, artistry might lay at the heart of anything.
In 7223 (4723) her father passed away, and her eldest brother, Banri, a devout worshipper of General Suzumu, assumed the leadership of the Saito Clan. Yet Satomi was a threat to him. She was a talented, reasonably well-known figure with potentially powerful allies- she had to be dealt with. Banri contracted the services of a particularly relentless syndicate of assassins who followed Yaezhing to dispatch his sister. Fortunately for Satomi, they drastically underestimated the young warrior poet, sending only one assassin, which she promptly dispatched. Still, she knew more would come, and would not stop coming until she was dead or beyond their reach- the agents of Yaezhing never reneged on a contract. Not knowing who had placed a contract on her life, and not wishing to bring danger or disharmony to the temple where she dwelt, Satomi sorrowfully resolved to go into exile. But to where? The answer came to her in a dream, which she firmly believes was sent by Shelyn herself. She beheld a vast and beautiful temple complex that rivalled the one in Vanissaria, and knew it could only be one place- the Temple of the Upheld and Golden Rose, in Taldor. Travelling light, with only her blades and some provisions, the young samurai began not an exile, as she had originally thought, but a great pilgrimage. She travelled first to Goka, where she boarded a ship that took her to Katapesh. She then boarded another ship, which carried her to Absalom, where she boarded yet another ship for the final leg of the journey She arrived in Oppara on (Date of Approval), in 4725, where she…
The rest of the accounting is obscured.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

One might call Satomi's physique the human ideal- and some do. Her celestial blood has done much to iron out imperfections in all aspects of her appearance, and her build is no exception. She appears lithe without a hint of weakness; robust, yet impossibly graceful.

Body Features

Another quirk of Satomi's heritage is that her dark blue hair turns silver in the moonlight. Some have speculated that this has to do with the unusually luminous full moon present on the night of her birth, but none can say for certain.

Facial Features

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but many have cast their eyes upon Satomi and declared her features to be flawless. Ironically, she has had few suitors, and those are uncommonly bold individuals, for many find her so enchanting as to be intimidating.

Identifying Characteristics

It is easy to spot Satomi in a crowd, particularly due to the unmistakably blue sheen of her hair, said by some to resemble the shade of blue present in the mane of Shelyn herself.

Physical quirks

Satomi was raised as a noble, and carries herself with an appropriately noble bearing. She maintains a dignified, almost regal posture, and yet manages to avoid seeming distant or high-handed.

Special abilities

Satomi's celestial heritage provides her with a certain number of unique gifts, chief among them darkvision, resistance to many types of elemental forces, and a gift for art and oratory.

Apparel & Accessories

Satomi favors lightweight garments which are fashionable yet tasteful; she dislikes the encumbrance of armor, yet never goes anywhere without her daisho and naginata.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Satomi has lived in many places, and each of them has colored her worldview. She was born in Shokuro, learning the Warrior Code of Ichimeiyo at an extremely early age. Yet her time as a hostage among the elves of Jinin also lent her a measure of their patience and wisdom, not to mention their eye for beauty in all things. She has been impacted yet again her time in Amanandar, where she was inducted into the Cult of Shelyn and the Order of the Songbird.

Gender Identity

Gender is a spectrum, but Satomi feels quite comfortable on the female end of it.

Sexuality

Satomi has had only a few lovers, but they have come from several walks of life and have been of both genders. Like the goddess she serves, Satomi sees physical intimacy as either a prelude or companion to a true romance, and so does not engage in such acts frivolously.

Education

All her life, Satomi has had a first-class education as a noblewoman of importance, but it's focus has shifted in phases. She is quite knowledgeable of her family history, of the tenets of her faith, and in arts of all kinds. She is also an extremely talented student of the blade, but if you asked her, she would say that bladesmanship is as much an artform as painting or poetry.

Employment

Satomi is quite young, and she became a Shelynite almost as soon as she reached adulthood. Thus, she has previously made her living as a junior member of Shelyn's priesthood. Prior to that, her needs were seen to by either her family or her warders.

Accomplishments & Achievements

The Order of the Songbird has a certain standard, and meeting its stringent requirements for skill in both bladework and artistry is perhaps her proudest achievement.

Failures & Embarrassments

Her time as an elven hostage was enlightening, but also quite stressful. Some of the elves mocked her in hidden ways, offering her insults so light that she has often gone years without realizing that that was what they were.

Mental Trauma

Satomi's brother has placed a price on her life, and Satomi agonizes over this. That her once-beloved brother is capable of such treachery wounds her deeply. She was never able to confront him and so has not received closure.

Intellectual Characteristics

Satomi's worldview is such that she sees the potential for art in any endeavor. There is artistry in poetry, painting, and performance, but it is also present in the ploughed field of the farmer, the ringing blow of the blacksmith, and even the drawn blade of the warrior. It is impossible to master every form of art in one lifetime, but it is her belief that the more creative endeavors one engages in, the more fulfilled their life becomes.

Morality & Philosophy

Despite her great gifts and the reverence with which her society accepted her, Satomi has always felt a certain degree of unease with the stringently lawful strictures of the societies in which she has lived. Her muse-touched nature gives her a bit of a chaotic streak, and so, while she lives by a code, she does have a quiet tendency towards rebelliousness, believing that art restricted is art diminished. Despite this, she is adherent of Ichimeiyo, which stresses the bonds of duty quite heavily. This mixture of honor and and unpredictability places her firmly between the extremes of Chaos and Order, but she is equally firmly of the 'Good' persuasion.

Taboos

As a member of the Order of the Songbird, Satomi is sworn never to destroy art unless that act of destruction would result in greater art. She views the taking of a life as occasionally a grim necessity, but will always pay tribute to the life she has taken in the form of a poem, painting, or song. As an adherent of Ichimeiyo, she has taken an oath of duty, honor, and obedience to Shelyn, to her family, and to her comrades, and would never break that oath.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Satomi wishes to master her arts- all of them. When she masters one, she moves on to the next. This is the cause to which she has sworn herself. Despite that, she is still a warrior, with all the obligations borne by a Samurai. She will defend her comrades and those weaker than her with courage and honor, but preferably no more violence than is necessary.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Satomi is well aware of how to navigate noble circles and persuade others. Unfortunately, while she always endeavors to be polite, she can also display a regal sort of stubbornness. Often, she cannot be moved from a course once she has set it.

Likes & Dislikes

Satomi values beauty in all things, but she has never forgotten that she is also a Samurai- matters of honor and duty are of great import to her. By the same token, she can be chilly if she perceives that others are throwing these values over.

Virtues & Personality perks

Honor, Loyalty, and Faith, not mention an a unusual degree of wealth.

Vices & Personality flaws

Satomi has remarkably few 'vices,' per se, but others might say that she can often be distracted by aesthetics over substance.

Personality Quirks

A speaker of many languages, Satomi has taken some of her favorite sayings, words, and exclamations from each, and has a habit of inserting them into her speech, no matter which language she is actually speaking. There is beauty in languages, she claims, and often, she wishes to mix the beauty of one language with another, to enhance the beauty of both. This explanation does not make her listeners better able to understand her, however.

Hygiene

Satomi endeavors to keep herself clean; both because cosmetic maintenance is also an art, as well as because disease spreads where one is unhygienic.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Most of her clan lives under the rule of her brother, who wishes her dead. Consequently, she cannot contact them. However, she maintains strong ties to the Church of Shelyn, and is on surprisingly good terms with the Shazara clan of elves in Jinin.

Family Ties

The Saito Clan is numerous and powerful, but quite literally across the world from her present location. Furthermore, it is currently controlled by her brother, who prompted her flight to Taldor to begin with.

Religious Views

Satomi reveres Shelyn above all. Second comes her devotion to the Dragon Empress Shizuru, followed by the rest of the Tian pantheon. She respects many of the gods of the Inner Sea, but in much the same manner she might regard the rulers an upstanding neighbor- they are virtuous and worthy of praise, but they not hers.

Social Aptitude

Satomi is capable of putting many people from diverse background at ease- it is part of her talent as a performer.

Mannerisms

Satomi endeavors to be calm and gentle, but never allows herself to be weak. Kindness is not weakness, and goodness is not toothless- she will dissuade anyone who believes they are.

Hobbies & Pets

Satomi has many hobbies and no pets- she enjoys creating music, tending gardens, and practicing with the blade. She is also an accomplished artist, poet, and weaponsmith. Finally, she enjoys people-watching, but endeavors not cause them discomfort.

Speech

Typically calm and even-mannered, but like anyone, she may lose her temper, or express awe or horror in particularly trying or unusual situations.

Wealth & Financial state

Satomi departed with funds enough to see her to Taldor, but her wealth is now depleted.

Satomi is a member of the Order of the Songbird, an organization of samurai dedicated to artistic pursuits. Satomi sees battle like an art form like any other to be mastered, and has a very expansive sense of beauty.

Current Location

Taldor

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Alignment

Neutral Good

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Most in Taldor simply address her as 'Lady Saito' or 'Mistress Satomi.' She has no formal titles as such.

Age

24 years old

Date of Birth

1st of Abadius, 4701

Birthplace

Northern Shokuro

Current Residence

Oppara

Gender

Female

Eyes

Deep Purple

Hair

Dark Blue

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

5'10

Weight

140 lb.

Quotes & Catchphrases

"Steel may come wrapped in silk, but that does not dull its edge."

"I love the sword for its sharpness, and the arrow for its swiftness, but more than either, I love that which they defend."

Known Languages

Satomi speaks the languages of her homeland, Minkai and Tien, but also the language of the people who took her hostage (Elvish), and the language of the Taldor Colony of Amanandar (Taldane).