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The Seal Bearers by Cenit by theblackrook

The Seal Bearers by Cenit

theblackrook

I've never really been one to post art I didn't draw, but I was encouraged to share this with you all when a few questions were rose about Rhade and his story. I have my doubts I'll ever fully finish it, I've so much I do and never seem to finish anything because I haven't had motivation. I don't know which stories will actually be well received. But I will tell you a bit about him and the other six like him from the Brotherhood of the Blade story.

Art by cenit cenit

From left to right.

Grant Heinlein;
A Rhesus Monkey born in Nambambia, but raised in Avalon; he is the current leader of the Brotherhood of the Blade. He is a man of conviction and determination. As the leader of the titular Brotherhood, he is aware that the world's abnormally fast advancement of technology and the discovery of certain mysterious elements have caused a severe change in the noösphere. A strengthen, but also a dark perversion of the development of the world's sphere of consciousness that connects all sentient life to Akashic. This drastic shift has the Seven Seals of Agnemor., weapons created long ago for the purpose of deicide and the containing of their otherworldly powers, to awaken and resonate. Fearing that these dangerous weapons could no longer be hidden and protected from the world at large, as they steadily regain their reality shattering power, he breaks the tradition of secrecy and subterfuge of the Brotherhood. He unleashes a full scale campaign to locate and destroy these Seals and the power they contain. He also issues a kill order on their bearers who are now being infused with ancient knowledge and power subconsciously by their awakening Seals. He himself possess the Thunder Seal Sword which is referred to by its ancient name, Solias.

Leona Sanada
A vixen born in Imatsu in Edo, she is a master of Assassin of the Legion of Shadows, a cadre of international Assassins. Trained as a kunoichi of the Shiga clan, she is their finest agent. The Shiga believe in the Edokan religion 'Schichi Hageshiikami'; the seven fierce gods. They worship, Hanzaki whom they refer to as the fires of destruction. His physical embodiment in the world is the sword, 'Kamui'. This burning blade is possessed by the finest killer in the Shiga clan, a title Leona earned by assassinating her lover and childhood friend in his sleep. Leona uses Kamui as the ultimate killing tool, burning her victims to ash and leaving flaming husks of those who stand in her way. Unbeknownst to her however, Kamui is in actuality the Fire Seal Sword and her possession of it draws her directly into the growing conflict of the world. Having encountered the Ice Seal bearer on one of her missions, she is left to questions the legends surrounding her sword and what it means for the future. Like the other Seal Bearers, she is mercilessly hunted by the Brotherhood in order that her Seal may be taken; this began with the systematic destruction of not only the Shiga clan, but the entirety of the Legion of Shadows.

Clayton Morris
A hybrid from Carthmoore, this wombat/kangaroo is a duplicitous rogue agent of the Brotherhood. Raised as one of the Brotherhood's 'True Blades'; Clay is both well trained and well informed about what's really going on in the world. He was raised a member of traditionalist within the Brotherhood who believed as Seven believed, that the swords were an intransient part of the Universe and that their dangerous powers must be contained. Raised loyal to the order, Clay was tasked to lead a team of his fellow true blades to assault the Temple of Bashir in Al'kersh. The aim was the temple's treasure, an artifact they called Maridariel; which the people of Al'kesh believed was the last remaining piece of a savior spirit sent by their creator named Darda'il. After attaining the artifact, its true identity as the Wind Seal Sword is revealed. Clayton is overcome by the power and freedom he gained from possessing the blade, he began to harbor thoughts of treachery against the Brotherhood. After being granted its usage in the task of acquiring the Water Seal Sword and killing its Bearer, Clay began to question Grant's intentions for him as he too was growing in power and knowledge from the Seals usage. After failing to take possession of the Water Seal or kill its bearer, Clayton decides to betray his oaths to the Brotherhood and break into the archives to learn more of the Seals. There he finds the 'Blade Keepers Omnibus' an encyclopedia of the Brotherhood's existence through time. The secrets he finds therein cause him to flee the Brotherhood with the Wind Seal. As the other Seal bearers, he is mercilessly pursued by his former brothers and sisters of the blade.

Travaris Rhade
One of the last Nambabian wolves or wild dogs; Rhade was and raised in Ganymede. He is a 'Neo-Fencer' or modern day swordsman. Once a promising candidate for the administrative program of Armand-Leonard's Sweeper program, a critical mistake cost him favor and prestige with the organization. Once considered a prodigy, graduating the programs higher learning Academy Excelsior at the age of fourteen, by nineteen his life was a tragic mess; losing his position within the company, whilst also sustaining critical injuries from the incident. With his then fiancee, fellow Excelsior graduate Hikaru Koji leaving him to pursue a career as a bounty hunter, the broken wolf searched for purpose in his life. He found it high up in the Fujiwara mountains of Nikaido. There he was begrudgingly taken in and trained by the ferocious blade masters of Fujiwara; badgers who'd practiced isolationism for many years and held on to the old ways. Believers in the 'Schichi Hageshiikami', they worshiped Shikaido their god of death and the frozen wastelands. They held the treasure, 'Yukimiko' a weapon they believed to be the physical embodiment of Shikaido's wife in the real world. Rhade was granted responsibility of this blade by his late master, Momokawa's daughter, Nanase Kojima. This was done as a final departing insult to her hated uncle who was usurping control of the clan and was responsible for forcing her to renounce her birthright and accept banishment. Neither Nanase nor her uncle knew of the blades true importance or status as the Ice Seal Sword. With the sword and years of training in Nikaido, the very much changed Rhade returned to Ganymede and quickly gained the attention of his former employer; specifically its president Holas Leonard, who appointed him his personal Corporate Investigator. As a CI, Rhade's job was to investigate the company he worked for and put to stop to rogue factions, illegal projects and endeavors that have been hidden from the President and the council. In the pursuit of his duties, he thwarts an attempt on the life of a high ranking administrator by the bearer of the fire seal. Their clash causes a resonance within their Seals to intensify, one felt by all other bearers. He gains the special attention of the Brotherhood who seem to be torn between destroying and recruiting him. Despite an unwillingness to be embroiled in the whole messy business and not believing in the broader legends behind his sword, he nevertheless sets out to find the truth about the swords and Brotherhoods interest in Armand-Leonard.

Asavari Nanda
A tiger born in Sarvadama; she is a former member of the Brotherhood and belongs to the Hanuman sect. The oldest and wisest of the seal bearers, her departure from the Brotherhood to fulfill her duties as 'Shiva' of the Hanuman sect is directly responsible for Grant Heinlein's ascension to leadership of the Brotherhood. Asavari was the first and best choice for that position. She is the bearer of the Earth Seal sword, which she and her sect refer to as Bhaumastra. They believe the weapon to be a relic of a bygone era and world, used to slay Behoman; one of the seven celestial and seal away his otherworldly power. As Shiva of the Sect, it's her duty to protect and command the powers of the Earth Seal. She is seen as a conduit for the memories of Behoman and object of his undying will. Asavari is perhaps the most informed of the Seal Bearers, having predicted Grant's extreme response to the changes in the noösphere. Fearing her power and knowledge, Grant has not dared to make a move against her or the sect. Though she does not support the Brotherhood's actions, she has not yet moved to stop them, unsure the ramification of a confrontation between the powerful Seal Bearers. Her opinion slowly begins to change as the more brazen acts of the Brotherhood brings another Seal Bearer to the steps of her temple. Seeking knowledge and understanding, he is the first of three she would train to counter the Heinlein's machinations.

Marion Undyne
A blue otter of the great 'Crystal Kingdom' of Ahes, Marion was born to a culture known for their beauty and grace. A matriarchal culture whose males are nearly indistinguishable from its female counterparts, the life of a male born otter is one of pampered servitude to the Kingdom at large. Like all males, Marion was given over to the ‘holt’ at a young age. Since ancient times, Ahes otters have held their males in lavish but well defended sanctuaries called holts where they are protected, educated and groomed for breeding. This is done to try to maintain the dwindling number of purebred Ahes otters within the Kingdom as male birth rates have been disastrously low within their species for hundreds of years. Marion, however was an incredibly highborne male. Of royal blood, his mother is Captain of the Queen's Guard and a decorated war hero. His father is the King Consort and the 2nd Cousin of the royal line. But perhaps most well known is that his Grandmother was the Kingdom’s current ‘Morgen’ at the time of his birth. A cultural warrior title and the keeper of Ahes’ treasure, Curtana. Marion pushed his status and prestige to allow himself freedoms and privileges no other male enjoyed or sometime even wanted. He dreamed of travelling the world and seeing new sites, though males travelling outside of Ahes is a rare thing indeed. Marion trained with his sister Celeste in combat and deep sea diving, despite both being expressly forbidden. When Celeste was acknowledge as the clear favorite to succeed their grandmother, she began to train him in techniques of the Morgen as well. Having been both talented and beautiful beyond measure, Celeste’s ascension discouraged other talented women of their bloodline from trying to match her, making Marion her only sparring partner for a large part of her training. These skills would come in handy after a smooth foreigner manages to seduce and poison her sister in an effort to steal Curtana. Marion thwarted this plan taking Curtana up against the would be assassin revealing the sword to be the Water Seal. Despite the blades power, Marion was unable to match the skill and experience of the assassin who wielded as similar sword with the power of the wind. Nearly killed himself, he is saved by the timely intervention of his mother and the Queen's guard. Despite tradition, cultural stigma and laws... having wielded the sword made Marion in the eyes of the people the new Morgen. He becomes embroiled in the plight of the world in order to see his sister saved so that the blade can be passed back to her, feeling that he hasn’t the experience and moral clarity to wield it, having twice been tricked or coerced into attacking other Seal Bearers.

Dante Silverstone
A Kinkajou from the Narrows of Ervand, Dante was not born into poverty, tragedy landed him their. His parents were both Senior Marshals for the Bureau of Control who lost their lives during a terrorist attack on the BOC’s central base of operations. Growing up a Ward of the State, Dante got in many fights and a lot of trouble as a young man. He was seen as a delinquent to teachers and administrators. This changed when after an incident an old Weilin shop owner, Bao Yifei, took an interest in the boy. Pushing the boy to focus on his natural gifts and teaching him martial arts as a form of mental discipline, she encouraged the boy to pursue sports; specifically Kickball, Ganymede’s national pastime. Dante excelled at the sport and used his martial skills to become a highly recruited student athlete and despite his records of delinquency he was accepted into one of the best high schools in the nation, Vanguard Academy on a sport scholarship. His life had seemed to turn around, he’d fallen in love with a fellow student, a member of the student council. All was well and he seemed on his way to turn the high school success into acceptance to a major collegiate institution. This would not be however as after trying to expose a well connected classmates sexual assault of another friend, he is targeted by the student council. Without the support of his girlfriend or the victim and the council’s influence ends in his expulsion from school. Overcome with feelings of loss and betrayal, Dante lost himself in the harsh streets of the narrows for many years. After turning his life around, living as a humble concierge of a hotel; his peaceful life was turned upside when Ms. Bao arrived to his job wounded and begging for his help. Unable to turn away his childhood mentor, Dante hid her in one of the hotels rooms. She explains that she is the keeper of a powerful artifact to which the an ancient Weilin order has tasked her with hiding. She sends him to retrieve the artifact as it is no longer safe here and she and it must return to Wei. When he returns with the box containing the artifact, he finds Ms. Bao dead amongst the bodies of many strange robed figures. Horrified, he is almost killed when he doesn’t notice more of them assault the room. By sheer luck he escapes, but not before being seen by staff and patrons as he exits the bloody scene. Now wanted for murder, Dante begins his flight not only from the authorities; but the ruthless killers hunting him for the artifact that is revealed to be what the Weilin call Shuānglóng. This is in actuality the Shadow Seal Sword. With no allies and no knowledge of what he should do, Dante becomes embroiled in the growing conflict as both the brotherhood and the Weilin order of the Twin Dragons both wish to kill him to attain the sword.

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