Exalted: Jural Three-Trees

A Lunar Exalt native to the Caul, Jural Three-Trees has been assigned with his forces to assist in bringing the Bronze Tide, and especially its leader Lukha Palash, to the Caul.
== Description & Powers ==
Born and raised in the Caul, Jural retains a lot of the attire of his home and has not adapted his dress to the Tide's different cultures the way Lukha has. Though very handsome and socially adept, Jural's somewhat aloof attitude keeps him at a distance from the rest of the Tide's ruling council, which Jural has been happy to use to his advantage in staying above their petty politicking while playing their rivalries against one another.
So far the Circle have witnessed two of his powers first hand. At the meeting with the Solars, he spoke to them through a doppelganger spirit proxy that seemed to act of its own free will, in order to remain out of reach of the Solars until their intentions could be discerned. It was his ability to speak with and direct birds - mostly the native Vesper Gulls - and train them to mimic human speech that they heard which had the most significant implications, however, as Jural used the birds to spy on the unwitting Solars. In doing so he gathered a great deal of incriminating remarks the Solars had made about the Bronze Tide in order to prepare them for the possibility of the Solars attacking the Council the way they had slain Brasidus.
== His Mission ==
As part of the ongoing war for the Caul Jural has been dispatched by his (as yet unnamed) handler on behalf of the leader of the native Lunar forces, the "Black Lion" Sha'a Oka, to find and recruit the newly exalted Lukha Palash, as his burgeoning skill in tactics and leadership will make him a valuable asset to the Silver Pact and the war against the Realm. Unwilling to abandon his people however, Lukha has convinced Jural to help him bring the Bronze Tide with him to the Caul, fulfilling both their need for a new homeland and the Black Lion's need for fresh troops. As such, Jural has managed to secure some extra time and leniency from his superiors in achieving his mission... though how much more time and patience he will be afforded depends on what happens in the coming days.
Lukha and Jural became close over the course of the Bronze Tide's rise, eventually becoming lovers. This was not part of Jural's plans; however it is clear he cares a great deal about Lukha, mentoring him and encouraging his talents as a leader and commander, as well as instructing him on the ways of the Lunars and the Silver Pact for his future role in the war. Assuming he can safely get him to the Caul, that is.
Assigned to Jural and serving as his agents on Baruntulga were a team of Chameleon-men commandos led by the Lunar Gizu, who terrorized the citizens of Nulbaram into evacuating - thus unwittingly sparing a bloodier conflict on both sides - and fought a vicious ambush battle against the Solars on the road to the burial grounds.
== Recent Events ==
After Tokumei used her Infallible Messenger spell on Prasad bin Senona of the Southern Wing despite having never seen or met him, Jural convinced Lukha to lay low, and ordered that all forces that came into contact with the Solars pretend that he was the leader of the Tide, in case the Solars sent something more deadly than a messenger next time. While doing so, he used his birds to spy on the Solars as they rested in the watchtower and at several points until they caught onto the trick at Ostia, gathering evidence and assessing them as a threat. This, combined with his reserved attitude and use of the doppelganger at the negotiations led to a sense of mutual distrust between the Solars and himself.
== Aftermath of the Spear Empress ==
After the Tide narrowly avoided a costly battle in the Bay of Baruntulga - for which even the slowly softening Jural is glad - he followed his lover and protégé to the Grey Eye, both to protect him and to finally find out what the Empress was after. After a frantic flight through the Issyk Jungle they and the Solars arrived at the eye, and Jural used his sorcery to perceive echoes of the recent past in this area. This was how the group found out about Lukha's inadvertently having summoned the Spear Empress. Having fought valiantly alongside the others in the battle, he took the now catatonic Lukha back to the Tide, where he now nurses him as preparations to cross the ocean continue.