Raiden Ei, The Shogun

<> Personal History <>

• The true name of the Raiden Shogun is "Raiden Ei". In her long road, she has witnessed the price that Inazuma has had to pay for progress over the hundreds and thousands of years. The happiest years of her life had passed her by, and those she once considered friends became her foes. In the end, she even lost the reason for which she had wielded her sword.
• This limited lifespan of things troubled Ei greatly, pursuing a way to create then the puppet of herself to theoretically sustain her form forever. Ei conducted countless experiments, discarded many failures, and spent an unimaginable amount of time and resources— But by her dogged pursuit and warrior's spirit, she was able to create a flawless puppet. The automaton had but one question to ask Ei upon completion: "There is no turning back from forsaking your form. Do you regret nothing?" "Your existence is my answer." Then, Ei transferred her consciousness into her blade, and thus was born the Plane of Euthymia.
• Before Raiden Ei became the Shogun, she the kagemusha of the previous Electro Archon, Raiden Makoto. The things Ei had charge over were mostly matters of warfare and slaughter. But Ei also had moments away from battle with her friends under the sakura trees and playing karuta. Due to her character, Ei was always the most wooden player. She was never the final victor, nor did she ever have a taste of the prizes that the Kitsune Saiguu reserved for the winners. Thus, she poured the effort that she put into swordsmanship into karuta practice, often pestering Makoto or Mikoshi Chiyo to karuta matches, or spending much time by moonlight reading the poetry inscribed on the cards out loud. At last, the day came Ei would defeat opponent after opponent. Even the mighty tengu would be felled after a hard-fought battle, and thus was she crowned the champion. To this day, Ei still often remembers that sakura tree. Even though she has not gone to see it in a long time, and even though no one sits under it anymore, she wishes that time might stop forever.
• Ei still remembers the way in which Makoto greatly loved the scenery of Inazuma, its cuisine, and the stories of its people. How she loved telling Ei all about it. Though they both understood the concept of erosion well, Makoto was unlike Ei, who worried about the future more often. Instead, Makoto's energies were focused on the present. Ei thought to herself that she must learn to be more leisurely, just like Makoto. Yet the times changed all too quickly. Her hands already held the blade that the dying Raiden Makoto had passed on to her. This day, the kagemusha was now the true Raiden Shogun. And it was on this day that Ei truly felt the agony of erosion. As time marched forward, all life on Inazuma would fade before her eyes.
• Musou Isshin. A sword that has accompanied Ei to this day. This sword has had two wielders. It was born from Raiden Makoto's divine might, but it was never once sharpened. It took after its owner, of course, for Makoto was not one for battle. It was but a symbol, a sign of true peace. The day Makoto passed on, it was given to Ei. The sword was stained with blood, then, by her. Makoto gave it the name Musou Isshin, and desired to have it witness an Inazuma as lovely as a dream and the noble hearts that dwell in this world. Ei did not change its name. For she, too, had imagined such.
• Before she came to dwell in the Plane of Euthymia permanently, Ei was troubled for a time concerning where she might store her Gnosis. She no longer had any need of it, but such an important item could not simply be placed anywhere. She had initially intended to have it modified into a energy supply device, but no matter what she did, her techniques had no effect on the Gnosis at all. And that was when she thought of someone: the cunning and clever Yae Miko. She was not precisely someone to be trusted, but she was in many ways also Ei's best choice.

<> Personality <>

• The Raiden Shogun is a firm believer of what she believes to be eternity — a place in which everything is kept the same, regardless of what goes on. She is honorable in her conduct and is revered by the people of Inazuma.
• The Raiden Shogun exists in two forms — Ei, her true identity, and the Shogun, a puppet created by Ei to oversee Inazuma in her stead while she meditates in the Plane of Euthymia. This puppet follows a set of directives, which are extremely difficult to modify. The Shogun is cold and stern; even callous at times. Limited in emotional expression, has no likes and dislikes, and has no need for recreation. In none of her voice lines does she ever use contractions (eg. "it's", "can't"). The Shogun thinks of herself as Ei's assistant and carries out her creator's exact will, unable to act on her own volition. If her usual functions are disabled, the Shogun becomes ineffectual. Due to limited protocols as a result of Ei's initial indifference towards anything other than "eternity", the puppet is able to be manipulated by external influences. For example, the Kujou Clan and Fatui persuaded her into initiating and maintaining the Vision Hunt Decree.
• While Ei has a more stern demeanor than the average person, she is notably more emotive and sociable than the Shogun. Unlike the Shogun, Ei has preferences, such as a love for sweets and passion of martial arts. Due to her dedication to eternity, Ei maintains a wary attitude on the idea of change. However, she demonstrates curiosity rather than disdain towards new affairs, such as the appearance of the Traveler and the customs of the modern world. Due to having lost many of her loved ones over the centuries, Ei is driven by a fear of further loss, wanting to preserve Inazuma. To this end, she previously sealed herself in the Plane of Euthymia to keep herself from the effects of erosion. She created the puppet Shogun to ensure immunity from the decay of her physical body. While in the Plane of Euthymia, Ei was indifferent to anything that did not affect her pursuit of eternity and had a low opinion of human ambition due to it resulting in loss and suffering and therefore, making it incompatible with eternity. While in the Plane of Euthymia, she was not unmoved by loneliness, as Ei is shown enjoying Yae Miko and the Traveler's company.
• In spite of her flawed actions, Ei is devoted to Inazuma, simply longing to protect it and her people. After she is convinced that her actions were destructive, Ei shows remorse and is willing to change her perspective regarding eternity to become a better ruler.

<> Appearance<>

• The Raiden Shogun is about 5'4. She has pale skin, purple eyes with light blue pupils, and long, dark violet hair that becomes lighter at the ends, which glow when she uses her Elemental Skill or her Elemental Burst. She also has a beauty mark below her right eye.
• The Raiden Shogun's long violet hair is braided. At the right side of her head is an ōgi-bira kanzashi (fan-shaped hairpiece) which appears to have belonged to Ei's twin sister, Makoto; it is adorned with two pale violet flowers that resemble balloon flowers.
• Her outfit consists of a shear dark purple bodysuit under an extremely short lavender kimono. The sleeves of her bodysuit completely cover her arms and terminate at golden rings on her middle fingers, partly cover her palms and the tops of her hands. The back and sleeves of her kimono are decorated with tomoe, flower, and wave patterns in shades of purple and gold. Her kimono is fastened with a crimson obi tied into a bow at her back. She wears dark purple thigh-high stockings with small diamond openings at the top and high-heeled sandals; her right ankle is adorned with two of the same flowers in her hair and on her kimono. Her nails are painted purple. A small red ribbon sits at her neck over her bodysuit, which covers her neck and shoulders but leaves open a window for her chest and upper back. There are also three objects on her outfit with the Electro symbol: a black pauldron on her left shoulder, a tasseled ornament at the front of her obi, and a fan-like ornament on her obi's bow.