Profile
Family name: 寒 (Han)
Given name: 诗夜 (Shiye)
Age: 22
A Courtesan's Son to the King's Bodyguard
Background:
The country is coming to a slow divide between loyalists who dedicated their lives to serve and protect the rightful king, and politicians who plotted to overthrow the young heir to harvest influence and wealth. The government is bent by underhanded networking, and office in court could be discreetly purchased - at the right price.
"Shiye" translates to "ballad of the night", a tribute to his courtesan mother who was known throughout the district for her clear voice. Due to the hereditary caste system, the owner of the courtesan house worked Shiye as an errand boy for the majority of his early childhood until a mercenary who briefed as a customer noticed the boy's unusually quick reflexes and his ability for growth. The mercenary was quick to trade his gold for Shiye's freedom, and took him in to train in the arts of war and carnage.
Shiye became an official member of the band of mercenaries at age 17. Even with his high-performance and martial prowess that far exceeded the norm at his age, he was often ridiculed by the other men for his social status ("No matter how many jobs you take, you're just a courtesan house's errand boy"), and given the bare minimum share from paid missions. The only person he had gotten along with was Ku, and the two was often paired together on missions due to their compatibility.
It was not long until Shiye was assigned to assassinate the king along with several other members, but their attempt had failed as the king and his guards' martial abilities had far exceeded their expectations. Impressed with Shiye's skills at his young age, the king offered the boy a choice of death, or to serve him as a bodyguard. Shiye initially accepted the offer to weasel his way out of death, but eventually saw and agreed with the king's ideals, and pledged his absolute loyalty to help build a better country.
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Personality
- A child at heart when he is off duty, and is often seen feeding the royal kitchen's chickens regardless of the time of the day
- Typically only speaks when he is spoken to due to old habits, but is surprisingly chatty when he takes a liking to a person
- While Shiye is skilled at fighting, he sees it as a job and has no opinion of it as a hobby
- Does not enjoy taking gambles, and knows when to turn tail if he sees the situation is grim unless the king's life is on the line
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Misc.
- Shiye was told that he was brought in to the house as a servant, as courtesan mothers are forbidden to interact with their children. He did receive his mother's earrings as a keepsake.
- Shiye carries two swords, one long, and one shorter and slimmer.
- Proficient in reading and arts, but has very ugly handwriting because he does not have the chance the practice.
- He regularly sneaks out of the palace a night when he is not on duty to see Ku, who still remains a mercenary despite being disbanded from their previous group
