Name: Kublai the Successor of Mikoyan (Browncloaks) or Kublai the Vulture (Paladins) and Edward Ashworth (Name given to him by his master)
Kublai was raised with his Clan, Mikoyan, while the Paladins and their kin think that all the Browncloaks are savage barbarians, the same thought is mutual for the Browncloaks. Contrary to their beliefs, Browncloaks are indeed organized, there are many Browncloak clans. The problem is that infighting and clan rivalry is the cause of their disorganization. Every Clan is only concerned with the survival of its own kin, a tradition held onto since their ancestors. Kublai was born to the Mikoyan Clan, among the Browncloaks, it is rumored to be the Clan where the 'Great Chieftain Mikoyan' originated from. According to the legend, ages ago there was a great leader who united the Browncloak clans under one banner. It was said before the reign of the Great Chieftain there was much despair and death in the land. The elders say that long ago before the Browncloaks and Paladins, all the ancestors of each peoples dwelled in a grand city. A city so grand and awe inspiring that the very sight was known to shaken the hearts of strangers and compel them to join the city dwellers. However disaster struck and the city fell and the world plunged into despair. It was the 'Great Chieftain Mikoyan' who reestablished order in the wake of such chaos. Under his rule, the land prospered and people once again walked safely in the land. However great changes were made under Mikoyan's rule. Such as rather than live in cities where their culture could be decimated in one blow, they were to wander the land so that there would be a greater chance of survival. He even spoke that everyone should first care for his own clansmen before caring for strangers. However as such great leaders, Mikoyan died from old age and the land fell into mourning. Shortly after Mikoyan's death, prominent members of society began forming their own groups and deviated from the Mikoyan Banner. Few of these groups even betrayed the ideas of Mikoyan himself, citing that the man was a tyrant rather than a beloved ruler. Many split from the Mikoyan Banner, this split is what the elders say caused the current conflict. Those who wanted to stick to old traditions, and those who wanted to deviate and find their own path. Today even fewer Browncloaks follow the original teachings of the Great Chieftain, they follow their own path and seek power for themselves.
Kublai born and raised in the Mikoyan Clan. As a child, he was proud to be born into the clan the once great Chieftain was apart of. As a Mikoyan Clansman, he was expected to learn the teachings of Mikoyan by heart and follow traditions strictly. Mikoyan traditions included those of eating your own dead. While others see this are barbaric, it is a great honor. In the mindset of a Mikoyan, to have your corpse eaten away by animals and the elements was a great disgrace. Kubali bindly believed such teachings, for this was the only world he knew. This changed when he was 12, as his clan was resting at a river, Kublai ran down stream to look for more food when he happened upon a caravan of a Paladin Noble. Rather than kill the boy right off, the nobleman decided to capture Kublai so that the Paladins can have a better understanding of their browncloak enemy. As he was taken away, Kublai saw a few of his friends hiding in the bushes, shaking with fear of being taken away like him.
From the rest of his childhood to early adulthood, Kublai was raised and taught in the teachings of the city dwellers. Additionally Kublai was forced to adopt the Paladin religion and take a new name. The nobleman hoped that by teaching and raising Kublai as one of his own, he could manipulate Kublai and gain tactical information on how the Browncloaks operated. At 18 he even gave Kublai the freedom to wander around the city, and to his expectations, Kublai did not attempt to escape. This filled the nobleman with much joy for in his mindset, this once a ignorant Browncloak has become a productive tool for the Paladins. While Kublai cooperated with the nobleman, he secretly plotted his escape from this artificial prison. He cooperated with the nobleman because he wanted to gain information on the Paladins and the society they created. What he found and discovered about Paladin society made him more disgusted with the Paladins. For example, the strong are forced to work for the weak, this can be seen in their society where the 'fat, ignorant lazy and weak nobles' exploit the strong lower classes. Even the Paladins in Kublai's mindset served a weaker power. From what he heard, their leader rarely leads his men from the front, and he often stays inside his city feeding himself on the labor of lower classes. In Mikoyan Tradition, the Clan Leader must always lead the Clan into battle, to not do so will be a cowardly act and the leader will be seen as weak. Additionally, most Browncloaks follow a simple value, their emphasis on strength. In their experiences, weak people do not survive long in the land. Only by sticking together and building strength can they survive. Most Browncloaks and especially for Mikoyan Clansmen value strength over anything else. While usually it is strength in battle, it can be attributed to other skills such as forging, scouting, intelligence, and even luck.
After studying the ways and traditions of the city dwellers for many years, Kublai decided to plan his escape. One day, he told his master that there was a certain area where the Browncloaks would always gather to find more game. This area was known to the Browncloaks as sacred ground for it was rumored to be the area where the Great Chieftain hunted. Kublai even said the Browncloaks often respected others who came to the hunting site and did not kill them in honor of the Great Chieftain's memory. The nobleman gleamed over this seemingly perfect target and gathered an small army of soldiers. However as they came to the supposed grounds, they found nothing but barren Earth. Unknowingly, they were led by Kublai an area known by the Browncloaks as the Plains of the Citydwellers. Many Browncloak clans go to search for the rumored ruins of the great city and as such they encounter other clans who they see as rivals and often fight over areas they claim are the ruins of the great city. To Kublai's luck, two clans that were fighting each other soon noticed the small group of Paladins and attacked them instead of each other. The nobleman was dazed and demanded that Kublai be brought to him at once. But his soldiers replied that Kublai was no where to be found. At days end, only the Nobleman remained, Kublai to the astonishment of the Browncloaks and the Nobleman demanded that the nobleman be kept alive and sent back to the city. When both clan leaders spoke otherwise, Kublai challenged them both to a duel. Everyone thought Kublai was mad, fighting two opponents at the same time, each having a deadly combat prowess. Kublai fought bravely but was defeated and near death. Before he was killed, he suddenly heard a voice speaking to him. The voice identified itself as the Great Chieftain Mikoyan himself speaking beyond the grave. He was ashamed that the Browncloaks are fighting amongst themselves and that many have deviated from his teachings especially those who christen themselves the Paladins. At the end he ordered that Kublai, with the blood of Mikoyan in his veins to take up the banner of Mikoyan and lead them into a new golden age. The Browncloaks are to be united once more and those who don't, especially the Paladins are to be wiped out from the land. The voice stopped speaking and the sword came down. But before it reached his neck, Kublai suddenly grabbed the sword by the blade. Astonished the Clan Leader tried to shake Kublai from his sword but Kublai merely took the sword away from him. Shaken and confused the two clan leaders began to fight again, hoping to defeat him in their next attack. Kublai pointed his sword at them and dashed forward. His opponents were amazed, how could their beaten adversary still have the strength to carry on? Before they realized their error, they were quickly defeated and killed. In shock and awe, one of the Browncloaks asked for his name. Kublai responded that Mikoyan, the Great Chieftain has given him the task to unite the clans once again. And that since Mikoyan spoke to him, Kublai was his successor to the Chieftain's title. Amazed and awe struck, the Browncloaks there swore their allegiance to him. The nobleman was sent back to the city, but not alone. The Browncloaks accompanied him back to the gates of the city. For the noble was given to task to lead the array of horses which dragged the carts of his dead and decaying army back to the city. After the nobleman reached the city gates, the Browncloaks and Kublai left him there.
Many years after, Kublai managed to reunite with his clan and become chieftain without dueling the previous one. His revelation caused him to fanatically devote himself to reunite the Browncloaks under the Mikoyan Banner and obliterate the Paladins and others who deviated from the Great Chieftain's Teachings. He has gained infamy over the years, for the Paladins he is known as the Vulture because he often displays the corpses of the slain Paladins and their kinsman along the road to their city. He doesn't hesitate to kill their peasants, women and children has well for in his mind, they are beyond redemption. They too are displayed among the dead. Among the Browncloaks he is known to be either a powerful Clan Leader, a paranoid and delusional man, a rival, the successor of the Great Chieftain or even a reincarnation of the Great Chieftain himself. In either case, Kublai was given a great task and he will not hesitate to complete it, regardless of the consequences.
