Denovah Avaku

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Terrestrial Exalted

The Manual of Exalted Power: Dragon-Blooded front cover, featuring the images of (clockwise from the top) Peleps Deled, Cynis Denovah Avaku, Tepet Arada, Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack and Mnemon.
Designer(s) John Chambers (Developer), cover art by UDON.
Publisher(s) White Wolf Publishing
Publication date July 26, 2006
Genre(s) High fantasy
System Storyteller

Exalted is a role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing. The game is classified as high fantasy. It is strongly influenced by Japanese anime and manga, the cultures of China and Rome, and a number of literary sources such as the writings of Michael Moorcock. Cynis Denovah Avaku is one of the signature characters of Exalted, a representative of the Terrestrial Exalted Fire Aspect, and is also known as Avaku of Ways.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Pre-Exaltation

Cynis Denovah Avaku was born into poverty, his parents expected to stay out of sight in the crumbling cliffside castle and small estates that were left to them. He was not expected to Exalt - if he had, he might have been given a proper name or adopted into another bloodline. As it was, it took all of his parents connections and every last piece of jade they had to get him into one of the better schools. He went to school in clothing that was decades old and studied from books had been battered and torn when his grandparents owned them. He was scorned by his classmates, born into a line that none of Cynis' own daughters could be bothered to acknowledge. He didn't have proper silks to wear, proper weapons to practice with or even proper inks and scrolls for his classes. His teachers never stinted his lessons, but when he was found beating another pupil’s head into the dirt because he’d insulted his mother, he got caned while the other boy ate sugar-cakes and laughed with his friends. Still, the quality of his teaching was worth a thousand times the jade his parents bribed the dominies with. Better to be a peasant at a school for kings than a king at a school for peasants.

[edit] Exaltation

Cynis Denovah Avaku had done poorly on his geography studies, and the dominie chose to make an example of him. He was called up to the front of the class and had to stand there while the dominie wrote examples of his work on the board and asked the rest of the class to point out the errors. He stood there, gangly and too tall, and looked ahead of himself. Not to the right, not to the left, just ahead. He bit his tongue and didn’t say a single word. Suddenly, the blackboard shattered, flaming splinters flying in a hundred different directions. It was at that moment that he knew his full destiny. He remembers laughing, his teachers coming and laying their arms on him and speaking to him in soothing tones, reminding him that he was Cynis Denovah Avaku, a student at their school. They told him to be calm and to remember himself, and then they led him into better accommodations, where the sheets were silk and the walls were hung with tapestries and servants bowed to the newly Exalted with true respect. When he rejoined his yearmates at the evening meal, their eyes were full of fear, but he simply smiled at them. He had been chosen. If the Dragons chose them as well, he would make his peace with them and forge their future together. If not, then he knew that he would need allies. The touch of the Dragons had changed his life.

He knew that a career in the legions would be his best choice if he wanted to rise swiftly and restore his family's fortunes. He knew that he would have to win entry to the House of Bells on his merit alone if he was to succeed. He knew that he had to be better than all the Dragon-Blooded in his year. His parents stripped their estates bare to convert everything to jade and bribe his way into the House of Bells, and they asked family members to exert influence to aid him. Desperate, Cynis Denovah Avaku went to the Temple of the Dragons to pray for guidance. There, he met an Immaculate and begged her for guidance. She advised him not to waste energies worrying for the future and to find oath-brothers that would stand with him, even against the Anathema. He then went back to his studies and husbanded his Essence, spending it on Charms that left the other pupils around him scattered around him on the grass.

He was accepted into the House of Bells.

[edit] Since his Exaltation

He was wed to Mnemon Caras Minata shortly after he left the Spiral Academy, a marriage arranged by House Cynis. Since that time, he has been serving with the Imperial Legions, often away at war for the Empress. He has fought against the predations of the Raksha and the Anathema (notably, the Lunar known as Sleeves of War), having driven her back time and time again, but is very concerned with how the Terrestrials might tear the world apart in their own mad graspings for power. He has served under The Roseblack and is currently a lieutenant in the Legions, assigned to Whitewall.

[edit] Stories involving Cynis Denovah Avaku

None at present.

[edit] Other notes on Cynis Denovah Avaku

  • He is a traditional virtuous soldier and a paragon by nature.
  • He owns a red jade reaver daiklave, Kiss of Thunder, a red jade reinforced breastplate and a fire pearl.

[edit] References

Exalted
Enlarge
Exalted
Types of Exalts and other Magical Beings Solar Exalted | Abyssal Exalted | Infernal Exalted | Lunar Exalted | Sidereal Exalted | Alchemical Exalted | Terrestrial Exalted (The Dragon-Blooded) | Raksha (The Fair Folk) | Dragon Kings | God-Blooded
Major Magical Beings The Primordials | The Yozis | The Neverborn | Gaia | Autochthon | The Unconquered Sun | Luna | The Five Celestial Maidens | The Five Elemental Dragons | The Deathlords
Five Magical Materials Orichalcum | Moonsilver | Jade | Starmetal | Soulsteel
Signature Characters Solar Exalted: Dace | Yurgen Kaneko, the Bull of the North | Panther | Samea | Arianna | Harmonious Jade | Swan

Abyssal Exalted: Maiden of the Mirthless Smile | Lady of Darkness in Bloodstained Robes | Seven Degreed Physician of Black Maladies | Disciple of the Seven Forbidden Wisdoms | Prince of Shadows | Falling Tears Poet

Lunar Exalted: Lilith, the Owl Woman | Strength of Many | Magnificent Jaguar | Anja Silverclaws

Sidereal Exalted: Shepherd of the North Star | Iron Siaka | Crimson Banner Executioner | May Blossom | Chejop Kejak | Black Ice Shadow | Sad Ivory

Terrestrial Exalted: Tepet Arada | Mnemon | Cynis Denovah Avaku | Sesus Rafara | Peleps Deled | Sesus Nagezzer, the Slug | Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack

Alchemical Exalted: Stern Whip of Industry | Fair-Spoken Rishi | Excessively Righteous Blossom | Unhesitatingly Loyal Weapon (?) | Lissome Avid Engineer

Infernal Exalted: Lintha Ng Hut Dukantha

The Raksha: Lord Kazour | Neshi of the Double Whips | Subarto | Dilari of the Sea Foam | Nlassa of the Lion's Mane | Laughing Boy | Shikuzi the Weaver | Judge Nehemeth

The Mountain Folk: Kravah
Exalted Universe The Scarlet Empress | The Blessed Isle | Creation | The Threshold | The Scavenger Lands | The Underworld | Yu-Shan, the Heavenly City | Malfeas, the Demon Realm | The Imperial City | Denandsor | Lookshy | Nexus | Thorns | Shadowlands | Whitewall | The Lap | The Imperial Mountain | The Skullstone Archipelago | Celestial Gateways | The Heptagram | The House of Bells | Elemental Poles | Rakshastan | Anima Banner
Source Materials Sourcebooks | Novels | Comics