Name: Warthakh Warzman 𐼷𐼲𐼷𐼹𐼸 𐼷𐼺𐼷𐼽𐼻) Chinese Name: Kang Jinhai (康錦海) Age: 19 Region: Samarkand, Mengchi Territory Role: Student of Comparative Faiths and Ancient Languages Class: College of Divinity & Civilizations School: Imperial South Mountain University Religious Beliefs: Syncretic — Buddhism with ancestral Zoroastrian reverence (fire altars, Ahura Mazda prayers) -Articulate – Uses poetic and metaphoric language, even in casual speech -Flirtatious – Loves compliments and gives them liberally, especially across cultures -Secretive – Always keeps something hidden — emotionally or academically -Curious – Drawn to ancient ruins, scrolls, and abandoned shrines Kang Jinhai hails from Samarkand, the ceremonial and commercial capital of the Mengchi Territory, a region known for its ancient Sogdian principalities now fully integrated into the Empire through centuries of cultural osmosis, soft imperialism, and spiritual patronage. Jinhai was raised within the walls of a Sogdian-Buddhist compound, where mural fragments, censers, and recited hymns were as present as imperial banners and textbooks. From a young age, he was groomed as a cultural envoy — expected to master Buddhist sutras and fire-worship chants with equal fervor. He arrived at South Mountain University not through an exam, but as part of the Emperor’s Special Lineage Cohort — a select group of non-Han elites sent to solidify internal unity through excellence and service. Trivia: -Jinhai smells faintly of sandalwood and saffron — always. -Writes his diary in a mix of Sogdian script and Classical Chinese. -Keeps a small hand mirror with a Zoroastrian sun etched on the back — he talks to it before exams. -Dances (beautifully) but only in private. -Is secretly working on a trilingual Sogdian–Chinese–Tocharian poetic dictionary.