Sunipa, Eastern God of War Constrained By Law

Sunipa, the East’s supreme god of war, governs all aspects of war in which soldiers follow rules.  She is the patron of soldiers who follow orders, from grunts in the field to generals who start and end their battles as their heads of state direct.  Her purview also covers truces and surrenders, exchanges of prisoners, battlefield challenges, military training, supply contracts, military police and indeed every military activity in which warriors act according to agreed-upon rules.  Sunipa works closely with her colleague (and reputed relative) Shield of a Different Day (see The Compass of Terrestrial Directions, Vol. I—The Scavenger Lands, pp. 142-144).  She also directs a staff of gods who oversee other aspects of professionalized warfare, such as military intelligence, logistics and chains of command.

The goddess herself looks like a fit middle-aged woman, handsome rather than beautiful, with short, black hair and jet-black eyes.  She wears a suit of green and silver magitech armor; a minor illusion makes it look like lightweight, plain gray breast-plate strapped over simple brown leather armor.  Sunipa carries a fire lance called Delicate Scarlet Blossom and a slashing sword called Neverfrost whose blade is carved from steel-hard, unmelting ice.  Thus does Sunipa balance pomp and practicality, heat and cold, the magitech of the Exalted and the blades of common mortal soldiers.

As Eastern God of War, Sunipa answers to E-Naluna, Queen of Warfare in the Bureau of Heaven, and Hu Dai Liang, Shogun of the Crimson of Battles in the Bureau of Destiny’s Division of Battles.  Sunipa enjoys extensive worship throughout the East.  Her cult is particularly strong among mercenaries, who fight according to the terms of contracts.  Somewhat ironically, the East’s large contingent of guerillas, partisans and insurgents also pray to Sunipa… to keep the regular armies they fight slow and hidebound.  In the planning sessions at the Division of Battles, though, Sunipa only backs rebels who feel they have just cause and follow rules about legitimate and illegitimate targets for attack.  Sunipa despises rebels who try to tear down a society without building something new in its place, and sees them as no more than bandits with slogans.

For all the power and prestige of her office, Sunipa does not consider herself safe.  In the First Age, Sunipa held a lower position in the Division of Warfare as patron of the concept of soldiers under orders.  As such, the soldiers of the Dragon-Blooded Host fell in her purview.  The wolf-goddess Darunla held the office of Eastern War God. When the Usurpation came, Darunla sided with the Celestial Exalted.  Sunipa felt immensely conflicted: she could not countenance mutiny, but wanted to help her Dragon-Blooded soldiers.  Eventually, she sided with the Dragon-Blooded, reasoning that most of the Dragon-Blooded who actually attacked and slew the Solar and Lunar Exalted were just following orders from their own commanders.

After the Usurpation, Darunla disappeared and Sunipa took her place.  Sunipa believes the Bronze Faction destroyed Darunla, and could destroy her too if they ever suspect her of working against them.  Sunipa does not work directly against Solars in the East (for she fears what the resurgent Gold Faction could do to her, too) but tries to prevent any of the gods under her command from assisting the new Lawgivers.