Atago/Synopsis

## Early Childhood

Atago was born in Vertueux, Ede to Amagi and an unknown father. Much of her childhood was spent moving around the city as her mother tried to provide for her. As a child, she didn't fully understand why she couldn't play with Human children or why the laws were different for demi. Repeated lectures from her mother failed to teach her, even when the Humans hit her with rocks and sticks.

At the age of five, she was returning from the market with her mother when they encountered the City Guard. Atago angered one of the Guards during their interrogation of Amagi, prompting the man attempted to attack her. Amagi stepped between them and was killed in her place. The guards then left, leaving Atago alone but alive.

With no one left to support her, Atago lived on the streets of Ede, fighting and stealing to survive. While walking through the streets one day, she observed a demi man preparing to mug a Human woman. She pushed the woman aside and startled the thief away. Rather than report her to the City Guard, which would have led to her execution for assaulting a Human, Lucille Beaumont, an affluent aristocrat, took her home as a servant.

Living in the Beaumont household guaranteed Atago considerable protection, even by Human standards. Lucille treated her as a servant, but marked her as a pet to ensure she couldn't be taken by other Humans. Despite receiving shelter and food, Atago continued to fight in the streets.

## Becoming a Sentinel

Three years after being taken in by Lucille, Atago met Mina, a Serval prostitute. Atago was involved in a scuffle with another Serval, and Mina stepped in to rescue him, revealing herself as the Orchid Moon Sentinel. Atago didn't understand the title, but recognized her strength as more than that of a brawler, and threatened to kill her after she grew stronger.

After time to reflect, Atago realized that she could use Mina's superior skill to improve her own, and sought her out to request training. Hoping that she could quickly discourage her, Mina reluctantly agreed to train her not only to fight with her fists and knives, but also with the bow, spear, and sword.

Atago's training commenced slowly. She could land the occasional hit on Mina, but was overall clumsy, quick to anger, and had little stamina. After a heated argument, Mina questioned Atago's motives for training, believing she only wanted to use lethal force in street fights. Atago corrected her misunderstanding and explained that her goal was to avenge her mother's death by killing the Guards who murdered her.

In lieu of training one day, Mina took Atago to meet the Indigo Post. She claimed that Atago met the criteria the Post was looking for. The Post rejected the idea and threatened to have Mina kill her. Atago managed to punch the Post, knocking his mask off. To her surprise, the Post allowed her to live, and declared her the new Amethyst Sun. He defends Atago from belittlement from his concubine, Kitani, suggesting that Atago may be more dangerous than any of the other Sentinels, or even himself.

## Amon and the Second Wall

Over the years, Atago established her own reputation within the city of Verteux. With Mina as her partner, they harassed the City Guard and avenged any injustice toward Demi-Humans.

However, the endless fighting began to take its toll on her. The bloodbath continued no matter how many Humans were killed, and King Valentin's response was to augment the City Guard with a detachment of soldiers from the Royal Army. Atago turned her focus toward eliminating the new threat.

Aside from her duties as the Amethyst Sun, she was eager to understand the world of Humans, and was fascinated by the difference in treatment she received when her ears and tail were hidden beneath her clothes. Lucille tolerated her interests and accepted that they conflicted with her responsibilities at home. To make up for the unattended duties, Lucille purchased the young Fox demi Ibuki to ensure her own needs were still met.

Lucille entertained Atago's antics to the point of bringing her along to a high-class birthday celebration for Emile du Voltas, the elder son of Lord du Voltas, a wealthy and powerful merchant. There, she met and flirted with Emile's younger brother Amon, for which Lucille beat her afterward.

Following a battle in the streets with a squad of soldiers tasked with eradicating a demi gathering, Atago met Amon du Voltas, the son of a wealthy merchant in the upper echelon of the city's aristocracy. Amon helped her to escape the pursuing soldiers, despite recognizing her as the Amethyst Sun.

Atago and Mina agreed that they could not continue fighting skirmishes in the streets, as the Humans continued to grow more aggressive toward the demi citizens, arresting any not claimed by Humans. Believing instead that they could eventually establish dialogue with the King and request fair treatment, they decided to begin by building a relationship with Amon. Atago invited Amon to a demi party, where they danced together. Afterward, Atago broached the true reason she invited him, asking if he believed they should be executed for attempting to live.

Investigating the mass arrests of demis, Atago and Amon learned that the demis were to be used as labor for constructing a new wall around the city, in order to increase the available living space and move the demis further from the city center. Through his brother Emile, Amon discovered that the project was being led by the retired Royal Army General Francis Tithe. For sharing that information, Atago offered Amon any reward he asked for, so long as she could provide it. He firmly requested to touch her tail, unaware that such an act was considered a grave insult and carried severe consequences for the involved demi.

Atago visited Tithe in his home and informed him that while she would permit him to use the demis as workers, they must be treated fairly. Tithe agreed, and even accepted her proposal to allow the demis to build their own housing in the new city sectors. However, he denied her request to allow the demis to serve alongside Humans in the City Guard, claiming the decision was not his make.

Given the rare opportunity to speak freely with a Human, Atago asked Tithe if he saw any end to the conflict between Humans and demis. He answered that there was no end, not while the demis lacked unity.

## The Schism

*For further reading, see The Schism.*

Her negotiations with Tithe drew the ire of the Indigo Post, who viewed her actions as weak, unbecoming of a Sentinel, and sympathetic toward Humans. Following her abrupt summons, she is ambushed by soldiers. During the ensuing battle through the city, she encountered Amon, who saved her from an attacking enemy she missed.They fled the attacking enemies, but she was wounded in the process. Amon carried her to his family's manor, where Saya, Amon's personal demi pet, assisted with treating her injuries.

During her recovery, she and Saya argued over her use of violence toward Humans and the resulting hardships it evoked on the demi citizens. Amon sent Saya away, and Atago informed him that, because he saved her life multiple times, she owed him a life-debt that cannot be easily satisfied by any trivial means.

Once Atago recovered enough to move, she left Amon's manor and returned to Tithe's estate, opting to forego her Sentinel attire to hopefully build trust with another Human. Though surprised at her age, Tithe agreed to their previous terms, but demanded that she cease activity after the recent battle. Atago refused, promising instead to use her influence to avoid an open war.

Having made arrangements with Tithe, the destruction of the labor camp outside the city and the subsequent slaughter of its inhabitants shocked her. Assuming it was done under Tithe's orders, she once again visited his home, only for him to deny any involvement.

Their discussion is interrupted by Tsurugi, the Mulberry Sword Sentinel, rumored to be in hiding after a particularly bloody campaign against the Royal Army outside the city. Tsurugi carried Atago away from the estate and revealed himself as responsible for the destruction of the camp, claiming he did so on orders from the Post. Atago suggested they would never unite against the Humans under the Post's leadership, eliciting Tsurugi's interest.

Frustrated by the Post's sabotage of her plans and his responsibility for the murder of thousands of demis, Atago roamed the streets