Akanai

Wife of Husolt, Mother to Sumila and Li Song, Chief Provost of the Sentinels, Mentor of Baatar, Grand Mentor of Rain.

## Appearance

Standing close to 200 cm, a buxom Nordic beauty, blue-eyed with hair like golden silk, tied in a little bun. Toned muscles, broad shouldered, wide hips and long legs that seemed to never end.

Wide golden antlers grow from behind her ears, covering the sides and back of her head, nestled under her hair, framing her icy face. No tail (Rain checked).

### Volume 18

Her half-caribou heritage left no physical marks aside from two nubs of horn she kept filed down and hidden beneath her hair.

## Personality

A strict and demanding woman, who expects the best from everyone and herself. When it comes to defending her own people she tends to be combative but also knows her limits avoiding conflict when unfavorable.

She gives off an air of cold indifference. Whilst in private, she's much more amicable and forthright; quickly tiring of games.

She loves the Empire more than most, or at least the ideals behind the Empire. ‘Every man and woman working towards a common goal, for the safety and well-being of all’.

She pursues the Martial Path because she couldn’t imagine living her life otherwise.

## Background

Akanai grew up in an orphanage run by a kind-hearted old woman who was called Old Sumila. She was the youngest orphan there by the time old Sumila died when Akanai was 15.

As a young child, she ran away from the orphanage to join the Imperial Army, dreaming of finding honor and glory through battle. She toiled and bled for the Empire as an unranked soldier for fifty years, but her efforts and achievements were ignored because of her gender and heritage. After she returned to the Village, she set to work in creating a community that fit her ideals, and so created the Sentinels to protect the Saint's Tribulations Mountains. She obtained the rank of Major sight unseen with five-thousand Martial Warriors under her command.

She received her title, **Herald of the Storms**, after turning the tides of a battle near defeat to complete victory against 50,000 defiled and several demons. Her force of 3,000 Sentinels inspired the surviving Imperial soldiers at the small backwoods fortress after they started with a leaderless 10,000 and held for 10 days. After four hours of battle, the Enemy broke. Following the battle, she chased down every single group of Defiled that managed to slip past, eliminating them all. Under her direction, her surviving warriors hunted down over 20,000 Defiled in the coming weeks, an incredible feat of planning, tracking, and sheer willpower. Their efforts kept the Enemy from razing the surrounding farmlands and villages, saving the surrounding cities from starving through the winter. From a Major in the Defense Forces, she was promoted to Major General, jumping four full ranks, and bestowed with riches and accolades. Her title rang throughout the empire. The Herald of the Storms, for when she appeared, arrows would rain down upon her enemies. After that brief moment of fame, however, she had returned to her home, disregarding fame and fortune, living a simple life.  At least, that was the story known to most.

In reality, her title was given to mock her. When she was summoned to the Central Province to receive a medal denoting her as a Hero of the Empire, she was accused of lying and exaggerating her deeds. Even when she swore an Oath of truth, the court marginalized her achievement with a 'shameful' title since the Empire holds the bow in contempt. To make matters worse, Central's nobles sent warriors to kill her on the journey home, and though she survived, many of her accompanying comrades did not. Ostensibly, the former Emperor soothed her anger by promoting her another rank to Major General. Details of her killing dozens of decorated heroes and vaunted experts of Central were ruthlessly quashed.

## Powers and Abilities

Her signature move in duels is a fast charge at the onset with her ax-lance. Involving a combination of Balance on Windy Leaf, Stalking the Dragon, Darting Fang, and Pierce the Horizon. She calls it the Ground-Shrinking Strike.

In her words, religious debate could infringe upon her Martial Path, because it is the linchpin to everything she’s built upon. The Mother must be real, or else Akanai’s Martial Strength is built on a lie, so she will not even entertain the possibility that she might be wrong.

### Equipment

* Double crescent axe-lance
* Bow: Custom-made with top quality materials
* Armor: Flexible and form-fitting, a double layer of Megalodon leather, the inner lining stitched together with Terror Bird feathers.

## Relationships

**Husolt**: Theirs was a story of rivals turned lovers, almost a century in the making, but their love was all the stronger from their shared trials. A different time that had been, an era of turmoil and disorder, the Empire reeling from a massive incursion of Defiled and civil strife, the Emperor's assassination causing widespread panic. The village directors had gathered and unilaterally decided to close off the borders, and as a foolish child, she ran away from the orphanage, making the journey to Shen Huo on foot to join the army. Nationalism and personal pride had trumped common sense, leaving home to raise her status high enough to be 'worthy' of her lover, a journeyman blacksmith, warrior of renown, and child of luxury. Her letter did little to dissuade him from following, charging after her like a madman, his fury a spectacle to behold. Too late to stop her, he joined the army to stand at her side, leaving behind everything he held dear. Together, they fought for decades against both Defiled and rebels, until the province was safe and they returned home to be married. He never spoke of his adversity, never blamed her for becoming estranged from his parents or for missing their funerals, but it wore heavily on her. It was not until they adopted little Mila that she truly understood the love between family, and it plagued her to have been the cause of her husband's distress.

**Kankin**: Her Quin

**Baatar**: The pup, a model disciple, spoiling her with how easily he learned and obeyed. Formally adopted him as her son.

**Sumila**: Adopted after being delivered by a member of the Protectorate. Named after the woman who took care of the orphanage Akanai grew up in.

**Li Song**: Welcomed her into a home and formally adopted as her daughter.

**Tong Da Fung**: Disciple.

**Falling Rain**: Grand Disciple, grandson and son in law.

## Trivia

* Prefers to be referred to as 'demi-human', viewing 'half-beast' as derogatory.
* She's at least 300 years old since the Sentinels go back at least 250 years.
* Laid with her husband out of wedlock after their first real battle.
* Got so close to the Divine Turtle of Ping Yao when she visited the turtle in her youth that the Protectorate chased her off.
* Akanai files her antlers until they're hidden by her hair because she hates the name caribou.
* Akanai only has one Spiritual Weapon because it incorporates the two weapons she is most adept at: an axe and a spear.
* Akanai is the first half-beast to attain Divinity.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 23
2. ↑ Chapter 326
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chapter 318
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 634
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 541
6. ↑ Chapter 33
7. ↑ Chapter 285
8. ↑ Chapter 301
9. ↑ Chapter 304
10. ↑ Chapter 640
11. ↑ Chapter 475
12. ↑ Chapter 25
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chapter 110
14. ↑ Chapter 276
15. ↑ Chapter 597
16. ↑ Chapter 250
17. ↑ Chapter 67
18. ↑ Chapter 213
19. ↑ Chapter 250
20. ↑ Chapter 291
21. ↑ Chapter 808
22. ↑ Chapter 809