Council of Generals: The Council of Generals is a rather large entity on theory. Compromising of dozens and dozens of men, approaching a hundred, they are in charge of every aspect of the Imperial Army, as well as all potential aspects, and liasing and sorting out all matters between the Imperial Army and any provincial or noble forces. It is a Herculean task, and thus of course there is a large council in which all members have equal power, say, and ability to influence the outcome in order to best fulfill the will of the Emperor and make sure that the army does not stand united and viciously insubordinate against the will of the best people.
Ha. Ha. In truth they are, and have been for almost two or three generations, united in a sense. Their union is that there are always five powers in the Council, and everyone else bends their knee. The General of the East, West, North, South, and the general of the Center, who is in theory that most powerful, and the one who answers most directly to the Emperor...or to whoever in the court is pulling his particular strings.
Into this complicated mix, Kiralo has stepped, as the first Envoy To The Army From The Imperial Seat in decades, and if he is successful in his position for any longer than a year or two before being swept aside or suborned...the first ever to reach such lofty heights. All others have failed miserably.
Qing'lu of Lineage Nu: Born a bastard of some sort, he is a clearly a fighter. In his late forties, he is the 'General of the South' and thus the Southlands, Nestirin and certain portions of Rerin are all under his sway. He is a brash man, who deeply, deeply hates Kuojah, and yet he seems as well to know his policy, and under his sway are the council members who deal in such vital matters (and ones close to Kiralo's heart) as cavalry. He distrusts Kuang, and dislikes Juae...honestly, none of the other five are spared a harsh word when he gets a chance to dish the dirt.
--Chao of Lineage Hao: In charge of the cavalry of Csirit, he is an intelligent man who, six months ago, extended an offer of help and alliance to improve the cavalry of the Empire. Kiralo deflected calls for anything more immediate by saying that 'If the Wind-Dancers come to Csirit, everything changes'. He is still, one assumes, waiting for this miracle.
Juae: The General of the West, he is not a general at all. An enthusiastic and well-read scholar and bureaucrat, he is constantly, according to others, swept along by the winds of his own passions for new weapons, technologies, and other ways that war might be improved. He casts a deciding vote in council matters, and his opinion of the others is impossible to fully grasp. Either way, he's currently obsessed with an Anlan technology that, according to him, has great promise: in fact, Kiralo has agreed to follow up on this when he becomes Envoy. As has fortunately succeeded.
Ha'dong: The General of the East, he used to be a large supporter of Prince Jinhai. The youngest by far, he tends to be well dressed, in his early thirties. Now he leads the charge against the man, and Qing'lu speculates this is out of shame for his previous conduct. Either way, he is strongly opposed to Kuojah, despite his antagonism with Prince Jinhai as well.
Kueng: The General of the Center, and thus the leader of the entire Council, he is an old, withered man, rich, powerful, and entirely Kuojah's man. He is known for his lechery, at least as a younger man, with the young soldiers under his command. Under his command, though, is the key: he's the real deal, a skilled general that for all his reputation as merely Kuojah's mouthpiece, knows how to
Li-Jan: General of the North. A big, bearded man, he seems in some way to be affecting his stance and northern ways, and yet not much more can be said. It has been claimed that he would 'hear out' Kiralo based on his respect for Kuojah, and that much is clearly true, and yet his character and plans have not been sounded out. Qing'lu has accused him of enjoying sitting on the side and being the 'deciding vote' but it is uncertain whether this is mere prejudice, or a fuller truth.
