Chao Daiyu, Leader of Vantage Tactical Solutions

Chao Daiyu was groomed to be king from birth. From the moment he could speak, he was encouraged to socialize with the other children of the court. His parents challenged him to be always a leader to his peers, someone they could look to for direction and guidance. He was the one to suggest the most fun games, the one who knew how to treat a scraped knee and comfort a crying child, and the one who was most strictly punished for breaking the rules.
He inherited his father’s stiff-necked stubbornness, but also his stone-faced patience. As they played, he was never best at hiding, but he would always find every last hiding child. Even when it took him a full hour to find one hiding child, he persevered.
They taught him the important of observing small details about people who lived close to him. He knew the daily routines of each of the nobles, and with little exception could tell any of the other children where their parents were at any time of day. Despite the intimate knowledge of the people of the court, Chao felt disconnected from them on a personal level. He knew that nobles were expected to play nice with his family because of their status, and that at the end of the day they were only as close as they were because of their shared institution. His parents reminded him of this fact often.

“Given the opportunity, any one of these people would jump at the chance to take everything from you."

Rarely was he left alone with the adult nobles. On more than one occasion, a kindly mother or grandmother had taken him aside and asked him how much better he would like a life in the countryside or a life without so much responsibility…or how he should spend more time with their daughters. Even as a child, he knew what they were playing at- Even the youngest animals know when they’re being hunted.
When he turned 12, he began his military training. He was expected to be able to lead not only his people, but groups of soldiers both large and small. He was trained in the effective use of most basic weapons by the same men that trained the soldiers- Bows, swords, hammers, and shields were all part of the program, but his father handled his polearm training personally. Passed down from generation to generation in the Daiyu family was a specialized fighting style- one that focused on singular strikes that mix protecting the user and landing decisive strikes in the same fluid motion.
The style of spear his family used, the Fangtian Ji, was a shorter and more maneuverable polearm. It was forgiving of missed thrusts, not only due to its light profile and multiple points of penetration, but also capable of slashing due to the crescent blades on either side of the center spear. Not only could it be easily reeled in after a missed attack, but thrusts could quickly be turned into slashes and sweeps with little effort on the user’s part.

At 14, his mother took him on a tour of the kingdom’s industries. She took him across their farmlands, then to Shun, the “Middle Daughter” island and showed him the workers in the mines. In painstaking detail, she taught him how resources directly translated to power- and how the ability to exert control over that power was what would turn a strong leader into a powerful king. She next took him across the smaller towns, explaining the process of the moving of these resources. It was more important to control the flow of resources than it was to control the resources themselves. Hoarding ore simply made him a man with many rocks, but taking that ore to a skilled smith turned that ore into weapons, which made him a man who could defend himself. In turn, distributing these weapons to those loyal to him made him a man with an army, and that military power gave him control. That control allowed him to exert authority over his land’s resources and protect them from those who would wish harm upon his subjects, who trusted him to keep them safe. That protection allowed the flow to continue, and when it did so, prosperity would continue for the Dark Nation.

At 16, his parents began his instruction on politics and law. He found law surprisingly interesting, having an eye for loophole management and ‘fool-proofing’. He learned that it was here that he came to understand the truth of his parents’ words- He could not trust any of them. These nobles weighed in on laws, topics, and current events but always managed to sneak in their own self-interests, too.

At 18 he was eligible to replace his father, once he found a bride. Until that time, he ruled by the side of his parents. He found the ‘courting’ process terribly dull, every time his parents brought forth a new prospect, he found them to be irresponsible and, though poorly educated, decidedly lacking in worldly knowledge. He did not just want a wife that could flourish in a castle- He wanted a wife that could flourish anywhere. He wanted to travel, to see the world, and he found the daughters of these nobles to be decidedly home-bound.

Still, despite increasing pressure from his parents, he felt no rush to get around to marriage. His parents treated him as a ruling equal, and he found that he and his parents grew, outside of their family bonds, a genuine professional respect. They had taught him well and came to value his insight. He believed the law existed to suit the people, and if the law came to harm those it existed to protect, then the law needed to change.

He ruled by his parents’ sides for several years, until at age 25, everything changed. A man who Chao’s father seemed to recognize came to the throne room. He concealed most of his body, and spoke with a clear voice, asking to speak to his parents in private regarding a business proposition. Normally his parents would have been outraged by this, but they seemed surprisingly okay with this. After hours shut inside their meeting room, his parents emerged with grave faces. They were unusually quiet, going about packing their things without saying much. Everything seemed to happen so fast- His parents gathered him and his two younger siblings, Ju Long and Pan, and announced their departure.

Chao was left in charge, ruling without a queen. He knew he couldn’t do this alone, and he certainly wasn’t above asking for help. Ju Long and Pan knew the laws well, too. Plus, Ju Long had inherited his mother’s keen eye for economics, and Pan was his father’s pet project. They had taught her all about reading people-- Not from a ruler’s perspective, but a peer’s perspective. Therein was the strength of the eldest brother- He had a deep understanding of how to utilize the strengths of those around him.

When he dealt with the Kingdom’s heads of imports and rich businessmen, he made sure to have Ju Long with him. He was smart as a whip when it came to negotiating, and the Treasurer thanked Chao’s little brother personally for the relief he brought on their funds. In turn, he made sure to have Pan with him when he spoke to regular citizens and smaller merchants. She empathized more closely to individual problems and read emotions well.

He grew a lot closer to his siblings during this time- Admittedly closer to his brother than his sister. Without their parents around to drill them on esoteric underhanded negotiation skills, there was time to really get to know each other. He and Ju Long joked and laughed in their down time, while Pan would tail them and giggle along with them, though she tended to be quiet. Even though times were easier without their parents present, Chao still found the stress getting to him after a while.

It was almost a relief when that odd business-fellow that had taken his parents away came back with his second offer. He took Chao into their meeting room, explaining himself after 3 years of waiting. He wasn’t just a businessman or merchant, he was a spirit in service of Vantage Tactical Solutions. Looking closely at him, it would be obvious that he was not human if he did not cover himself so effectively. Thin roots expanded throughout his body, originating from his heart. They twisted and overlapped, seeming to snake through his very veins.


The spirit explained that Vantage intended a merger of sorts between their enterprises and the Dark Kingdom. Their expansion was moving along quickly, but they needed the royals out of the castle to make their move on the nobles. In turn, they could link the Dark Kingdom to more modern networks of trade that reached the whole world.


Truthfully, he hated the nobles. He hated their sanguine smiles, he hated their predatory behavior, and most of all, he hated that he needed them. The noble families controlled major aspects of trade- If they were to simply disappear, the Dark Kingdom would be destitute overnight. This servant spirit offered him a way to secure his authority under their banner, while still keeping his family name intact. All he had to do was step out of the way, for the time being.
The spirit had more to say, explaining that he really had no choice anyway. If he would not accept the deal, then the spirit warned that it would be forced to subject him to a game that could lead to a fate worse than death.

No threats were needed to persuade him, however. He signed the spirit’s contract, noticing that his decision seemed to… disappoint the spirit. As the spirit packed its things, it gave him directions to his new home- A small vineyard on the northern outskirts of the city. It detailed where he would find his current base of operations, explaining he would be doing some work for Vantage under his father while they worked on the throne. The particulars of the work would be explained by his father directly.

He wasn’t sad to leave the castle behind, but only sad because he would miss them. He knew they would come to understand, given time.

This is so spicily beautiful. It's *chefs kiss*. The opposite of a raging dumpster fire. A spectacular recycling river. Yes!

In all seriousness, approved