Morrigan Ambrose

Born shortly before the Fracture of Man, she grew up in the safety of the Rayearth with most of her siblings. While her father came back a fraction of himself, she had lived on many war stories of the retired heroes who lived in the capital. The exploits of Yuudai, the Trickery of Ha-Jalah, the ferocity of the Kenshin, the bravery of the Mori, the barbarity of the Matou, the skill of the Oda, so many stories and tales of glory.   Once she grew old enough she threw herself into her studies. Mastering the arts of combat and leadership naturally. A prodigy with both spear and magic, she became a master in both at the age of only 16, even creating the art of Ambrosian Command Magic at this time. Even with her mastery of combat and being put in charge of an army by the age of 18, she never stopped learning, when war and tactics ran dry of books to read she devoured books on other facets of governance.   During the waning years of her father's rule, many border wars occurred. It was during these wars that she met her husband, one of her most trusted and valued commanders. Oda Tsetsu of the Oda family and the Morrigan were attracted by both force of will and their raw skill. Many say that Tsetsu was the only man who could best her in combat, though just as many say it was the other way around. Both were fierce fighters and powerful warriors in their own right, and so they married.   As her father grew old and sought to find a replacement, she was hardly his first choice. Unfortunately for him, a kind ruler was something that could not be afforded. The kingdoms surrounding the Empire were growing more aggressive.   Her eldest brother died during the fracture of man. Her next eldest sibling was a coward, refusing to interact with the military and preferring the company of courtesans and courtiers. Her younger sibling was capable, and intelligent, but had no experience with combat. Leaving only her as the best option. While she had little care for administrative tasks, she was still effective and understood how to delegate properly.   She was raised to the Royal Red and immediately set about securing the borders, turning the experienced and well-trained army she had to the edges of the empire and pushing as far as she could. She only stopped when the administration could no longer manage it.   She returned to the capital only during the lulls between wars, preferring to lean on both her father's wisdom from the Koutoubenmukan and her siblings' abilities to fill her void in the administration.   By the end of her expansion wars the empire she started with had quadrupled in size, and in many ways was straining under the weight of new lands and people to rule. Many of them populated by less than happy conquests. While her administrative abilities were passable, she could not expand her administration to meet these demands leaving the empire larger, more powerful, and less manageable.   As she grew old and looked for an heir she was quick to choose her Daughter Vestia Ambrose. Vestia was in many ways both far too similar, and complete opposites. They were both aggressive, preferred informal business, and never backed down from a challenge. But, where Morrigan was a warrior first, Vestia was a deal maker and diplomat. While the two could only rarely meet without a fight, they understood each other very well.   During her waning years, when she was too old to fight, she began teaching. The brand of family magic she created she passed down to her children and grandchildren, her martial ability she shared with the Gunji Ryoku and various other people. When she wasn't teaching she was directing the battlefield. Unfortunately for her, it was near a battlefield that she took ill. She died a few days later.