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Cassia

Not many of the king's royal strategists could claim Cassia's unbroken string of victories. A master of deployment in force, Cassia turned large military formations into a science. As the king's greatest commander, the equation was simple given Cassia would have access to a force at least as large as her opponent's. No guerrilla warfare or psychological tactics were necessary. Even enemies of the king were said to have surrendered as soon as they heard a rumor that Cassia was on her way. Cassia's rising star was not embraced by everyone. As her influence shined brighter, other powerful nobles in the court seemed to fade. The spark of envy grew into a flame of jealousy until Cassia suffered her first crushing defeat. Her soldiers were slaughtered by an enemy that seemed to know her every move. Even her support corps were flanked and slaughtered by undercover guerrillas. But the worst part of the slaughter only came later. A concerned contact informed Cassia in a secret letter that her own king had invited the enemy to invade with the express intent of having Cassia destroyed in battle. The same plans she had shared with the king before departure became the fuel for the enemy general's victory. And so Cassia could never set foot near a royal court again. How strange that a life so well-lived in honor would end in humiliating exile! But Cassia knew herself. She believed enough in the injustice of what had happened to her to continue putting one foot in front of the other. And so for Cassia, there can be no victory more perfect than clearing her name and showing the world the rightness of what she has done.

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Pan

Pan's life story reads like an abridged version of the empire's own recent history. Pan learned from a young age exactly what matters in a royal court as a palace attendant. His careful and often wise judgments earned him a place of respect that might have endured until this day. Sadly, his rare title of "Royal Advisor" was not meant to last. Pan and his king experienced disaster after disaster, starting with the Cesares Rebellion and ending in the fall of the royal house and splintering of the empire into fiefdoms. Only Pan's great reputation helped him land an appointment to run the border town of Noba. But not even Pan could save Noba from itself. While Noba's peasants roamed in search of food, its nobles ate away at its wealth until there was nothing left but them and the have-nots. Pan survived this period all the more convinced this was not the way forward for his town or any town. Only a rejection of oppression and a heartfelt embrace of commoners could make a town truly great. It was not an easy decision, but eventually Pan left Noba to forge his own oasis of justice in the wilderness: Marigold. Marigold aspires to be different. While other towns covet the wealthy, Marigold sees value only in diligence and hard work. Respect for the land and your fellow citizens counts in Marigold far more than noble blood. Some call Pan a hopeless idealist who is actually endangering his people with such lofty goals. Rather engaging with his critics, Pan wants to let Marigold's near-utopian record speak for itself. The lesson that Pan learned is the peace and stability of the royal era cannot be revived by an official order or aristocratic help. It can only come about when a just and fair system inspires a generation of townsfolk. And this is the real secret of Marigold's success.

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Roman

Eighteen-year-old Roman entered the arena with all the force of a hurricane. The spotlight loved the new challenger with his sinews of iron, fists of steel, and lion's roar. He quickly became the crowd favorite and no swordsman, conniving bandit, or combat-hungry general seemed to get in his way. But it was not to last. Roman entered the championship final at what was supposed to be the top of his game, the actual battle just a stepping stone to the trophy. The crowd went wild but then slowly fell silent as it became obvious Roman was about to be soundly defeated. Nothing in Roman's instincts or training seemed to help him that day. Cheers turned to insults as he left the field, humiliated. Roman was supposed to be a winner. He could not accept the reality that, yes indeed, he could fail. That same stubbornness may explain what happened next. 10 years of this passed in much the same way. Roman would fight his way to the championship and then lose decisively, time after time. He became known as the "eternal runner-up". His star began to fade. Supporters wandered. Then rumors about his impending retirement began to circulate like a nightmare he couldn't shake. Or had the hero-in-waiting simply not found his moment yet? That moment came when the town was overrun by an evil group of mercenaries. The bandits' leader issued an ultimatum to surviving soldiers: defeat me in the arena and we will withdraw. Fail, and you must submit to our swords. No one dared raise a hand... until Roman put himself forward as the people's gladiator. Doubts spread as terrified townsfolk looked on. Could their future really be in the hands of the eternal runner-up? Who always found a way to lose when it mattered most? Then Roman was knocked down and it seemed for a long time he would not get up. The mercenaries hurled insults at him, "Don't you want to try and land at least one blow?!" With great effort he stood. His eyes red and angry, "I only need to land one." The bandit leader laid Roman low again and again, yet he stood up. Wounds which should have been fatal he shrugged off. Was this truly a mortal man? Then Roman retaliated with all his might and with one strike defeated the bandits' champion. True to their word, the mercenaries left. If Roman had wanted to retire then, he could have done so with pride. Or perhaps it was now time for him to train the next generation. Or will an enterprising governor come along willing to work with Roman on other, more important victories to come?

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Valora

Valora's homeland seems at first glance to be a green Paradise, full of rolling mountains and forests. It is anything but. Life there is harsh because these woods are also home to some of the most dangerous beasts ever known. Even a skilled tribe of hunters like Valora's are in a constant struggle of survival against a land that wants to eat them alive. The tribal council is always watching for hunters whose fortunes might lift their own. That day came with Valora's rite-of-passage. Tribal tradition requires those coming of age to take part in the Forest Rite, a deadly game of cat and mouse against one of its greatest beasts. That night Valora returned full of bruises but carrying one of the greatest prizes of all: a giant boar head. There was a moment of awe followed by cheers and a celebratory banquet like no other. Strangely, only Valora seemed uninterested in her own celebration. Ever the hunter, Valora could take no satisfaction in this momentary victory as she continued to sharpen a spear between the light and dark of the campfire. Her true coronation would only come with the next battle… and then the next and so on until she had proved herself beyond all doubt. So Valora found herself crouching in the dense underbrush soon afterward, holding her breath lest the giant warbear notice. The beast bent down. Valora struck with all her strength. One giant paw came crashing down against where Valora's head would have been an instant ago, but the spear was already lodged in the creature's heart. Valora took a deep breath and then began the grisly but familiar task of dissecting her trophy. This was her instinct. Valora almost didn't notice that much angrier bear behind her until it was almost too late. The only reason she survived was that some of the beast's claws got tangled in the spear as she held it out desperately to block the attack. But she went Flying head over heels anyway, landing with an audible crunch as her bones cracked against rocky ground. In her mouth she tasted blood. Yet, there was also a smile there. For in the quiet stillness of the forest she also saw that she had inflected a wound of her own. This was the ecstasy of the hunt. Many such raging hears were dragged before the tribal council. With each the feeling grew that in Valora the tribe had found an emissary worthy to leave the forest for the great unknown. The decision was made that Valora would have the great privilege of shharpening her skill in lands beyond. The day of Valora's departure finally came. It was a hard day, but beyond their little corner of the world lay an ocean of possibilities that should be explored. In Valora the predators of mankind have no idea of the foe they will face. Indeed, what Governor will be brave enough to stand alongside a hunter like Valora as she undertakes her greatest hunt of all?

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