Mnemon Decimus

Age: 21
Alliances: The Immaculate Order, House Mnemon, his Sworn Brotherhood
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Hair: Pale Red, fading into charcoal at the tips
Eyes: Brown, shot through with crags of deep scarlet
Build: 6' 7", about 140 pounds, all of it lean, lanky musculature that lends itself well to quick flitting movement.
Clothing types: In his most comfortable, at ease times, Decimus wears basic cotton robes, when traveling, he wears a padded linen tunic under his breastplate, with thick cotton pants sewn through with fine leather patches.
General Appearance:
Mnemon Decimus is willowy, where most of his brethren are stocky, he is tall where his cousins, brothers, and sisters are squat. He keeps his hair slightly longer than is necessarily practical, a small indulgence that he quietly scolds himself for. His skin is a well toned bronze, which, in the proper light glitters with a faint orange tone. His eyes seem to spark and flare from time to time, seeming to dance like the flames that mark his Aspect. When speaking, though his voice is gentle, there is a soft snapping and popping, like burning twigs.

He keeps his well maintained daiklaives, gifts from his parents upon his Exaltation, strapped carefully onto his back, in hardened leather scabbards that have been dyed black. He walks with a slight weave and bob to his step, his aspect, and naturally occurring confidence gently declaring itself.


Distinguishing Features:
Decimus' most distinguishing feature is his constant attempts to downplay his own presence. Aside from that, his breeding has a way of asserting to the world around him his being touched by Hesiesh. Another note is his constant attempts to make himself appear more like his Earth-touched brethren. He speaks softly, and not very often, he is calm where others of his caste are loudly charismatic.


Habits & Quirks: Constantly downplays his own presence, as well as his breeding. Occasional discomfort around displays of his Aspect. Muttering prayers to the Dragons, constantly in Old Realm, asking for forgiveness and understanding.
Hobbies: When he has free time, he constantly practices his martial arts kata. Other times, he has open his aged copy of Thousand Upright Actions, earmarked and yellowed with age, taking notes and examining them time and again. Decimus also has a great enjoyment of Gateway, and does what he can to play it as often as possible, when it doesn't interfere with his duties.

Magics: Flash Fire Technique
Flame Flicker Stance
Perfect Blazing Blow
Fire Dragon Form
Fiery Hand Attack
Breath of the Fire Dragon
Traits/Abilities: Exalted capabilities. Master of Martial Arts, very, very tough to kill.

Complete Personality Exploration:
The first thing to understand about Decimus is that he is intensely ashamed of his Aspect. He feels as though his inability to be chosen by Pasiap is a deep, personal failing, both of himself, and his quite possibly ignoble past lives. As such, he feels that he is unworthy of his Exaltation, but is determined to use his "misappropriated" gift to the benefit of the Realm, as best as his ability allows.

When directly presented with an example of an accomplished Earth Aspect, or Fire Aspect, he becomes uncomfortable, and quiet. During these times, he often runs his prayer beads through his fingers and murmurs quiet intonations in old realm.

Another thing he very much enjoys is tinkering with some of the more harmless pieces of equipment that are present within his House's domain. He enjoys the work, as it was taught to him by his mother, who is an accomplished thaumaturgist, as well as an Engineer of status within the House; a wonderful, beautiful woman of Earth's embrace.

He is a fairly silent man, one of quiet, slow burning action. In trying so hard to suppress the natural emanations of his element, he has instead expressed them in another method: his fire burns with the slow, potent fury of magma; the flame combined with the stolidity of earth.

Connections of Importance: His family is of the utmost importance to Decimus: His mother is Mnemon Kara, formerly Tepet Kara, a rare Earth Aspect from that family, and a gifted craftswoman. His father, Mnemon Zerem, a well respected General in the army of the Scarlet Empress, always was proud of his son, even in spite of his unexpected Elemental Association.

Decimus is an only child, as both parents felt that one child was enough, and both of them had very demanding jobs. Upon learning that the boy would be accepted to the Cloister, both parents were overjoyed, if a bit saddened that he wouldn't follow in either's footsteps.

The only other person of real impact in Decimus' life is Hopping Minnow, an Immaculate Martial artist. A former Outcaste, he was brought into the folds of the realm 80 years ago, and has since mastered 3 of the Immaculate Styles. Minnow is rumored to know another style or two, but as of yet, he isn't talking.



History:
Mnemon Decimus was born to his parents in the beginning of Ascending Water, on one of the coldest winters known to have occured on the Blessed Isle. His mother would later remark that he kept her warmer than any hearth cat for the first months of his life.

Early on, Decimus was a mellow child, always calm and inquisitive, minding his manners, and being respectful of others. He was also very driven, even as a toddler. When he was six months old, he watched as his older cousins learned to walk. To hear his father tell it; he stared at his cousin's movements for a full day, watching the way his legs moved through the awkward, toddler-waddle steps of "walking". The very next day, Decimus crawled away from his mother, and, after a few harrowing slips, and at least one breath-stealing fall, the baby was on his feet, moving carefully and slowly, with more than a handful of silly, awkward steps added to the otherwise acceptable motion.

When he was 10, he was walking home from the local school, when a group of the older sons of other Dynasts began picking on him, calling him names and making general fun of him. Whenever he tried to walk away, they cornered him, teasing him unmercifully. As he had been taught by his father, Decimus stayed silent, constantly trying to move away from the problem.

Getting frustrated, one of the boys picked up a rock, and swung it at the youth's head. For the briefest instant, fear pricked at the boy's soul; which was quickly replaced by rage, and righteously so! How dare they assault a child of great Exalted?!? For the first, and only time in his life, the fires burned out of control, horribly burning the flesh from the boy holding the rock.

The time after the incident was a sort of haze for Decimus. The other boy was sent to a healing house, along with his family, and, as for Decimus himself, he was left to realize just how unfortunate his circumstances were. He was an abomination of the perfection of his house. Unlike his cousins, who all bore the brilliant, pure cleanliness of Pasiap's love, he was filled with the white-hot vitriol and undeserved pride of the flame.

There must have been something he had done! He clearly had transgressed in a time before, in a past life. It was that moment that he determined to dedicate his life to repenting. He shaved his head, and began studying the Immaculate's teachings. He spent a year asking his parents to send him to the Cloister of Wisdom, and studying the scriptures when he wasn't doing that.

He spent 10 years devoting his entire body, mind and soul to the teachings, internalizing them, and learning at the feet of his master, Hopping Minnow. He has just recently been released to begin, at least in his mind, his atonement.