Shirokiba, Lord of Enchanted Flames
Lord of Enchanted Flames Shirokiba (a.k.a. The Aloof)
The current ruling lord of the Bale-Fire clan of the Crane Basin. He is a shrewd and seemingly aloof sort who would prefer to spend his days drinking tea and tending to his garden. He insists that he is not cut out for ruling, but carries out his duties as needed, triving most when he surrounds himself with courtiers that interest him in discussions of philosophy and games of wit.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Shirokiba is generally seen as too skinny for a man who spends most of his days lounging about. He is not particularly muscular, more lean than anything else, which he attributes to a high diet of fish. He is often well groomed, a further attribute awarded him by his noble status, but often his hands and feet and knees are rough from work done in his personal garden, where he can be found most frequently. Other than the coarse texture of his hands, he appears all the part of a pampered royal, right down to the bushyness of his tail.
Mental characteristics
Education
Being brought up in the royal household, Shirokiba was provided the best education that could be bought. When he was done with his tutoring for the day, he would often never dive deeper into the written materials, instead seek out verbal materials from which to learn and derive better understanding. He is an open forum scholar, thriving most where thoughts can quickly turn into statements and words of debate and intrigue. It is thesemoments when his characteristic aloofness gives way to an eagerness otherwise unseen in him.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Shirokiba is most known for his aloof nature, a seeming lack of interest in most things, especially statecraft. Where this has been observed, this is a quality he sees within himself that he is not only hesitant to address personally, but is constantly struggling with paranioa of the comments made behind his back. In order to counteract this, he has gone out of his way to surround himself with retainers and courtiers that are practiced in the fields he lacks interest in and makes up for his motivation to learn these things by keeping tabs on those he has put in those key places to ensure they do their job well. In this way, he ensures he won't let his clan down with his almost instinctual aversion to the tedium of ruling.
Social
Family Ties
As is tradition, Shirokiba's sister, Yumeko is the Keeper of Enchanted Flames, the leader of the quasi-religious group that tends to and performs ceremonies surrounding the clan's Bale Fires.
Religious Views
Shirokiba does not appear as a devotedly religious person, but that is due to his aloofness, which stops at his interests, dire concerns of his people, and his practice of faith in the Star and the Great Spirits of the Basin. He believes that the spirits permeate all things and will guide any who call upon them, but only the trained ear will be able to hear their call. For this reason, Shirokiba meditates frequently and practices the primary two values of his clan; patience and vigilance, in order to hear the voices and calling of the spirits.
His favorite place to meditate is in his garden in his dwelling. There it is quiet and scerene, the perfect place to center one's self and extend their perceptions outward to the world crafted and protected by the Great Spirits.
Social Aptitude
Shirokiba is not one who busies himself with courtly proceedings as seen elsewhere in the Basin and the wider world. Everyday in his court is a gathering of scholars, philosophers, gymnasts and fools, tradesmen and farmers. He is always looking for conversation and grows incredibly bored when the conversation becomes the dull droning of politics and royal administration. He is terrible at concealing his disdain for such things.
Often, when greeted with dire news, he will lead his retort with a joke or quip that rarely lands as the referrence or allusion he is drawing from is something only he finds funny. That being said, he is never one to lose himself to laughter at his own jokes as, in many cases, he saw his joke as a genuine suggestion. An example being is when the Band of the Bloody Stars came to ask where they might find the Star, Shirokiba replied by asking if they had tried camping out in the mountains, as the Star is known to traverse the mountains. The Band did not understand the suggestion and Shirokiba felt slightly awkward for having suggested it.
Hobbies & Pets
It is no secret the leader of the Bale-Fire clan would rather devote himself to his hobbies rather than rule, but such a mood has not led he or his kin into squallor. Thankfully for anyone paying attention to the clan's accounts, Shirokiba has incredibly cheap hobbies. THose being collecting, sampling, and drinking teas and gardening.
When it comes to his exploration of Tea, Shirokiba is prone to get the most excited. He grows his own favorite teas in his own garden, but those he cannot seem to get the hang of cultivating, he has shipped in from all over the Basin. He will often host small gatherings or tea parties in his dwelling to have his clansmen sample his latest acquisition. Though he does have an insatiable appetite for teas, only more emboldened now that the rest of the world's market has been opened to him, it is a hobby he is more than willing to share with his kin and petitioners.
When it comes to his gardening, Shirokiba finds the practice both exciting, but primarily, relaxing. In contrast to his love of teas, gardening is the sobering hobby that forces him to take gentle and careful care of the flora under his care. He does not ship in exotic plants to add to his garden, but focuses on local flora, primarily those he uses in meals for himself and any guests he may host. Most often, he uses the food he grows to feed himself, his sister, and his sisters retainers and entourage.
Current Status
Ruling in Jiji
Current Location
Ethnicity
Age
Appears 34
Children
Current Residence
The City of Jiji
Pronouns
He/They
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Misty Blue
Hair
Long, often braided, tan like his coat of fur
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
A short hair light tan coat of fur
Height
5'-5"
Weight
134 lbs
Belief/Deity
The Great Spirits of the Basin, The Star
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations
