Jaymin Steele

 “Leave an enemy alive and he makes allies. Kill him and he makes a grave.”

House: Blooded of the Elk
Favored Virtue: Cunning
Titles: the Iron Heart, Winter’s Promise, the Ruthless

Jaymin Steele stands alone in the House of the Elk. A mountain of a man, standing a head above his brothers and sisters, he fought for the right to inherit his father’s lands, leaving bloodshed and tears behind him. It was he who first flew the banner that would eventually adorn the Senate: the Crest of the Elk.

He wore reputation like a crown. Those who plotted against him disappeared and those who aided him flourished. He was a Duke by the age of nineteen and an Archduke by the time he was twenty-five. His lands were unmatched in all of Shanri… and then it all went wrong.

Many operas have been written about the fall of Jaymin Steele, but none so stirring, so moving as The Autumn. A deceptively simple title, but a profoundly disturbing work. After establishing the largest domain in all of Shanri, after dispatching all his enemies, after consolidating the Senate’s power under his thumb… Steele lost his heart to a woman. The widow of his deadliest enemy. Blooded of the Fox. She beguiled him. Entranced him.

And very slowly, she began a delicate and beautiful Revenge.

Demonstrating the patience of a spider, she unmade everything he had built. Turned allies into enemies. Disrupted his trade. Sabotaged his every plan. But her greatest Revenge was at the end.

When she left him, he was on his knees, begging her not to leave. She did not need to kill him. She made Jaimyn Steele beg. That was enough.

Months of long solitude followed. Living off the charity of family—for he had no friends—he spent most of his life under the shadow of despair. But when Revenge finally found his own eyes, what followed was perhaps the most perfect example of vengeance in all of ven literature.

Symbol

Steele’s symbol is the Elk, a crossed Sword and dagger behind the antlers. The Sword symbolizing the conquering Elk, the dagger representing the consequence of betrayal.

Blessings

Steele’s Blessings represent his life. He never acted on his own, but bent the wills of others to accomplish his goals. His hands were always clean of blood… until the very end.