Chejop Kejak
Chejop Kejak is a Sidereal Exalted and the signature character for the Chosen of Secrets.
Biography
With the Empress missing, Chejop Kejak no longer has any rival as the most powerful Exalt in Creation. He is also probably the busiest. As the highest-ranking Chosen of Secrets in the Bureau of Destiny, he works closely with divisional director Nara-O and sometimes with Jupiter herself. Among Sidereals, he leads the Bronze Faction—plus chairs the Capital Convention and serves on every special convention. The Immaculate Order knows him as the unobtrusive special secretary and advisor to the Mouth of Peace… though few remember his name, and no one remembers that he served the previous seven Mouths of Peace as well. Somehow, he also fits in daily martial arts practice.
Much of Kejak’s power comes from sheer age, for he was born shortly after the end of the Primordial War. He rose through the ranks of the Five-Score Fellowship through millennia of hard work and skilled intrigue. In time, he led a faction that sought to prevent idiosyncratic projects whose long-term effects on Creation couldn’t be predicted or controlled. His political archrival, Tammiz Ushun, accepted greater risks in hopes of greater benefits for Creation. Despite their philosophical differences, the two Sidereals remained great friends for centuries.
Kejak suggested the Great Prophecy and led his faction in arguing for the overthrow of the Lawgivers. Ushun argued just as strongly that the Viziers should try to guide the Solars back to sanity and responsible rulership. When he tried to warn the Solar Deliberative, however, Kejak sent the Dragon-Blooded death squad that killed his friend. The Sidereal grieved, but it was necessary in order for the Usurpation to proceed. He’s accepted many other hard necessities since then, from the extermination of the Solars’ servant races to the alliance with the Empress.
No one can accuse Chejop Kejak of self-interest, though. He spends every waking minute working. Even during martial arts practice, a secretary reads him reports, and he dictates letters. He owns an enormous palace in Yu-Shan but lives in a few rooms attached to his office. Since the defection of Ayesha Ura, he’s taken no lovers. Indeed, he has no personal life at all. For all that, Kejak delegates most details to subordinates, while he works on policy and planning.
Chejop Kejak considers himself a simple man: subtle in his methods but straightforward in his goals. He protects Creation at all costs, seeking the greatest good for the greatest number. The glories of the past were an acceptable sacrifice to ensure that Creation has a future.
Kejak believes he always chooses the safest, most certain course based on the best possible information. He never hated the old Solars, even as he killed them. He doesn’t hate their heirs, either, but as the Time of Tumult engulfs Creation, he once more prepares to do whatever he must to restore a safe, predictable and stable future. He does not have much time, however, as he nears the end of even a Sidereal’s lifespan.