Category: Sanguen Clan

Sanguen Vitae: Member (India)

 

Name: Ashoka

Turn Date: 260 BC

Sire: Alexander

Mate: No Mate

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Ashoka was born to the Mauryan emperor Bindusara and a relatively lower ranked wife of his, Dharma. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of Mauryan dynasty. The Avadana texts mention that his mother was queen Subhadrangi. According to Ashokavadana, she was the daughter of a Brahmin from the city of Champa. Empress Subhadrangi was a Brahmin of the Ajivika sect, and was found to be a suitable match for Emperor Bindusara. Though a palace intrigue kept her away from the emperor, this eventually ended, and she bore a son. It is from her exclamation “I am now without sorrow”, that Ashoka got his name. The Divyavadana tells a similar story, but gives the name of the queen as Janapadakalyani.

Ashoka had several elder siblings, all of whom were his half-brothers from other wives of Bindusara. His fighting qualities were apparent from an early age and he was given royal military training. He was known as a fearsome hunter, and according to a legend, killed a lion with just a wooden rod. Because of his reputation as a frightening warrior and a heartless general, he was sent to curb the riots in the Avanti province of the Mauryan empire.

The Buddhist text “Divyavadana” describes Ashoka putting down a revolt due to activities of wicked ministers. This may have been an incident in Bindusara’s times. Taranatha’s account states that Achare Chanakya, Bindusara’s chief advisor, destroyed the nobles and kings of 16 towns and made himself the master of all territory between the eastern and the western seas. Some historians consider this as an indication of Bindusara’s conquest of the Deccan while others consider it as suppression of a revolt. Following this, Ashoka was stationed at Ujjayini as governor.

Bindusara’s death in 272 BCE led to a war over succession. According to Divyavandana, Bindusara wanted his son Sushim to succeed him but Ashoka was supported by his father’s ministers, who found Sushim to be arrogant and disrespectful towards them. A minister named Radhagupta seems to have played an important role in Ashoka’s rise to the throne. The Ashokavadana recounts Radhagupta’s offering of an old royal elephant to Ashoka for him to ride to the Garden of the Gold Pavilion where King Bindusara would determine his successor. Ashoka later got rid of the legitimate heir to the throne by tricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals. Radhagupta, according to the Ashokavadana, would later be appointed prime minister by Ashoka once he had gained the throne. The Dipavansa and Mahavansa refer to Ashoka’s killing 99 of his brothers, sparing only one, named Vitashoka or Tissa, although there is no clear proof about this incident (many such accounts are saturated with mythological elements). The coronation happened in 269 BCE, four years after his succession to the throne.

Buddhist legends state that Ashoka was bad-tempered and of a wicked nature. He built Ashoka’s Hell, an elaborate torture chamber described as a “Paradisal Hell” due to the contrast between its beautiful exterior and the acts carried out within by his appointed executioner, Girikaa.This earned him the name of Chanda Ashoka (Ca??a Asoka) meaning “Ashoka the Fierce” in Sanskrit. Professor Charles Drekmeier cautions that the Buddhist legends tend to dramatise the change that Buddhism brought in him, and therefore, exaggerate Ashoka’s past wickedness and his piousness after the conversion.

Ascending the throne, Ashoka expanded his empire over the next eight years, from the present-day boundaries Assam in the East to Balochistan in the West; from the Pamir Knot in Afghanistan in the north to the peninsula of southern India except for present day Tamil Nadu and Kerala which were ruled by the three ancient Tamil kingdoms.

While the early part of Ashoka’s reign was apparently quite bloodthirsty, he became a follower of the Buddha’s teachings after his conquest of Kalinga on the east coast of India in the present-day states of Odisha and North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Kalinga was a state that prided itself on its sovereignty and democracy. With its monarchical parliamentary democracy it was quite an exception in ancient Bharata where there existed the concept of Rajdharma. Rajdharma means the duty of the rulers, which was intrinsically entwined with the concept of bravery and dharma. The Kalinga War happened eight years after his coronation. From his 13th inscription, we come to know that the battle was a massive one and caused the deaths of more than 100,000 soldiers and many civilians who rose up in defence; over 150,000 were deported. When he was walking through the grounds of Kalinga after his conquest, rejoicing in his victory, he was moved by the number of bodies strewn there and the wails of the kith and kin of the dead.

His victories and ability to unit all of India, caught Alexander’s attention. He made his way back to India, to talk to Ashoka. He was there to witness Ashoka convert to Buddasm and changing his ways. Seeing the man grow and change, he offered him immortality.

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Note: You might have noticed (India) next to the characters name.   While building Sanguen we’re establishing a section in India.  There isn’t enough Vampires to have a Clan or even a Kin Clan at the moment – so they established in India but their ties are to Sanguen.

Image: Irrfan Khan

Sanguen Vitae: Hunter

 

Name: Dastan

Turn Date: 905 BC

Sire: Hassansin

Mate: Tamina

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Dastan doesn’t remember much of his parents. His only memory of his father, telling him to stay hidden. He watched from a hiding place as his father is struck down. The face of the man who killed him is engraved in his memory.

As is the red sash that was always tied around his father’s waist. He had taken it when the villagers had came for him. It was the only thing he had left.

One day, when the Sharaman visited the market square, he saw the young Dastan risking his life to save his childhood friend and fellow urchin, Bis, from the guards, he saw the “Spirit of a Noble King” inside him and so he decided to adopt him as a son, making him next in line to the throne so that the two other Princes would not fight for the crown.

Dastan grew up as one of Sharaman’s sons. He shied away from the courts and focused on training his military skills. He was quick on his feet, and had abilities to get into places most never even thought about.

Dastan and his brothers, under the advisement of their uncle, Nizam, set out to the Persian borders near the sacred city of Alamut. It was said that Alamut has been selling weapons to the Persian enemies in “Koschkan”. Dastan leads a strike force into the city to open the main gates, giving the Persian soldiers the victory. Shortly thereafter, Dastan encounters a man on horseback and defeats him, discovering the Dagger of Time in the process. Alamut’s princess, Tamina, is captured and agrees to marry Tus in order to achieve peace after noticing the dagger in Dastan’s possession. Their father, Sharaman, got angry with them, saying that their “adventure” would not sit well with their allies.

Sharaman reproaches Tus for attacking the city and suggests that Dastan, instead of Tus, should marry Tamina. At the victory banquet, Dastan unknowingly presents a poisoned robe, given to him by Tus, to his father, who dies shortly after donning it. Dastan is blamed for the king’s murder and flees Alamut with Tamina. Together they venture into the wilderness.

In their first camp, Tamina attempts to kill the prince and recover the dagger. During their fight Dastan hits the dagger out of Tamina’s hand, and when he grabs it from the sand, accidentally presses the jewel button on the hilt that activates its rewinding power. Dastan is transported back to just before Tamina tries to kill him. Shocked at what has just transpired, Dastan hesitates, allowing Tamina to slash him across the chest with his sword. Collapsing to the ground, Dastan pulls the dagger from his belt and activates it again, to Tamina’s obvious horror. Again he is taken back to just before the princess tries to kill him.

Dastan realizes that the dagger can turn back time, and that only the one who holds it is aware of this. After this the two continue on into the desert. During their journey, the duo meets a shady ostrich racing-organizer and tax-averse entrepreneur, Sheik Amar, and his knife-throwing friend, Seso. Dastan offers Tamina up as a slave in return for supplies; however, Amar betrays him because he recognizes him as the murderer of the king, for whom there is an “obscene” reward being offered.

Dastan and Tamina escape and return to Persia for Sharaman’s funeral. Dastan attempts to convince Nizam that he did not kill his father. Dastan discovers that Tamina has taken the Dagger; however, he then notices Nizam’s hands are burned by the same poison put on the robe that killed his father. Nizam claims that his hands got burnt by his trying to pull the robe off his brother at the time, but Dastan does not remember Nizam ever touching it, realizing that Nizam must have been the one who poisoned the robe. Garsiv and the city guards appear and attack Dastan and he is forced to escape.

Dastan catches up with Tamina and explains that Nizam was behind the murder. Once Tamina finally explains everything about the Dagger, Dastan realizes why Nizam wants the Dagger of Time: to use it to go back in time and undo saving Sharaman from a lion so he could become king. He fabricated the false allegations that Alamut had been dealing weapons to Persia’s enemies so that he would have the opportunity to search the city for it. Not knowing it’s power is only to fix an instant mistake.

Dastan manages to persuade his brother that he is innocent, only for Garsiv to be fatally wounded by a Hassansin. The Hassansins attack, killing most of the group, while Dastan and Tamina sneak away to the secret cave where they can hide the Dagger. Tamina says she is ready to give up her life to protect the Dagger, but Dastan stops her and tells her that he is not ready for her to die. They are found and attacked and Zolm manages to snatch the Dagger of Time from Tamina.

Dastan stands in front of the Hassassin recognizing him as the man who killed his father. The man laughs and calls him child playing Assassin, pointing at the red sash around his waist. Tells him his father was the last of the great assassins, and with Dastan’s death there will be no more.

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Image: Jake Gyllenhaal