AZRE: Mistral
The kingdom of Anima, Mistral is a kingdom matched in aged only by Vale, having formed itself over two thousand years ago. Once a fractured lands of clans, the kingdom of Mistral was formed when Chen Qui brought many of the clans together, building the city of Haven in the Khangris Mountains. With the Jade Palace at the top and the village at the bottom, the constant attacks from Grimm and enemy clans meant that moral was always low, and revolts were a common sight during Qui's reign. It was only two hundred years later did his great grandson build up the villages defenses, creating the tiered city of Haven that it is known today.
During the Great War, Mistral allied itself with the newly formed kingdom of Atlas, managing to push Vale further into itself during the early years. It was only when Vacuo allied with Vale did the war turn, Mistral and Atlas finding themselves losing it and their territories.
Haven Academy
One of the four Huntsman Academies in Remnant, Haven Academy is found in the city of Haven, with Jin as its headmistress.
- “I couldn’t keep Odtsetseg from running to Raven. I couldn’t even stop Seigyoku from leaving to work in the Jade Palace. I… I don’t know if I can do this without you.”
The Headmistress of Haven Academy and one of Ozpin's Inner Circle members, Jin Tong is the youngest of the group, and one of the two Faunus Headmistresses along with Eliana Kokkinos. Not much is known about her past, but her connection to Odstesteg, the previous Summer Maiden, has left Jin feeling unsure about her place amongst the older and more experienced Headmasters in the circle.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Apart from Roxanne, who's nineteen, Jin is the youngest Headmaster of the four.
- Color-Coded Characters: Like the rest of Ozpin's group, Jin represents yellow with her bright colour scheme and the use of gold in Mistrali culture.
- Fairytale Motif: With each Circle member, Jin is the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz.
- Little Bit Beastly: She's a lion Faunus, having a tail that's hidden under her hanfu.
- Meaningful Name:
- Jin is a Chinese name meaning "gold, metal, money", referencing her yellow colour scheme and high position in the wealthy city of Haven.
- Tong is a Chinese name that can mean "command, control, unify", connecting to her position in Ozpin's group with their mission being to unify Remnant against Salem. Can also be ironic since she's the least capable person in the group of commanding anyone, especially compared to Ironwood, a general of the largest military, and Eliana, the leader of the entire kingdom of Vacuo.
- My Greatest Failure: Losing Odstesteg when the Spring Maiden ran away has stuck with Jin, who confesses to Ozpin that her inability to keep the girl with her, on top of letting Seigyoku go to the Jade Palace, has severely impacted her self esteem.
- Silly Rabbit, Cynicism Is for Losers!: Ozpin believes that Jin's inherent faith in humanity and desire to take more morally good options is needed to offset Ironwood and Eliana's more pragmatic personalities, especially when Ozpin does eventually pass away.
The current Spring Maiden, who had disappeared years ago and is currently missing.
- Meaningful Name: Odtsetseg is Mongolian for "Moon flower", with her flower motif being connected to Spring; the seasons which most flowers bloom.
- Only One Name: She has no stated last name, only being known as Odtsetseg.
- Refusal of the Call: Her duties as the Spring Maiden meant that she was supposed to work with Ozpin and his group while training her powers, readying herself for the war against Salem. However, Odtsetseg ran away nearly ten years ago and is currently nowhere to be found.
Mistral Royal Family
The current Empress of Mistral, Empress Huáng Xia is the direct descendant of Huáng Qui, the founder of the Mistrali Empire and the Kingdom that followed after it.
- Dark And Troubled Backstory: While not brought up much in the story, background information reveals that Xia had a consort who was Qiujun's father, only for said consort to try and overthrow her in a coup. She had him executed and has never taken another consort since, keeping her concubines at a distance.
- The Emperor: The latest one of a long lineage, stretching over 2000 years by the time AZRE begins.
- Even Girls Want Her: The concubines in her court have both men and women, revealing that Xia is mspec queer.
- Family Theme Naming: The few people mentioned in her family are named after the seasons, with Huáng Xia meaning "Summer".
- Fantastic Racism: It's revealed that being accepted in her court is very difficult for Faunus, with even Seigyoku being considered an outlier and just so extraordinary that her race doesn't matter in promoting her. The Bakeneko shows more of this, as it's a mixture of ignorance and being raised in a racist society that influences Xia's opinions on the Faunus.
- Meaningful Name:
- Xia is a Chinese name meaning "Summer", carrying on her family tradition of being named after the seasons.
- Huáng is also Chinese, meaning "phoenix", connecting to the Dragon motif of the Xiao Long Family.
- Missing Mom: While still alive, she's very much not an active part of her son's life, even though he's only seven years old. However, the choice isn't entirely based in apathy, as Xia is grateful that Seigyoku chose to comfort him on a stressful day while she couldn't.
- The Phoenix: What her family represents.
The eldest son of Huáng Xia and heir to the Mistral throne, Qiujun is a seven year old boy who's naming day brings out hidden enemies, forcing Seigyoku to leave the Jade Palace in pursuit.
- Children Are Innocent: Despite his temper and questionable opinions, Qiujun doesn't understand a lot of the world, especially the political world of Mistral, and as such leans more on Seigyoku to explain things to him.
- Dead Guy Junior: His name comes from his ancestor; Húang Qiu, though his name has Jun added to the end to differentiate the two.
- Disappeared Dad: His father was Empress Xia's consort, who was involved in a coup when Qiujun was just a baby. Xia had him executed and as such, Qiujun never knew his father.
- The Emperor: He's next in line for the Mistrali throne.
- Family Theme Naming: The few people mentioned in his family are named after the seasons, with Huáng Qiujun meaning "Autumn King".
- Fantastic Racism: As a seven year old, Qiujun's racist views on the Faunus are based entirely on ignorance and being raised on racist propaganda. As such, he doesn't understand that calling Seigyoku, a Cat Faunus, a cat is racist, or that the Faunus Migration that he was taught actively covers up the fact that the Faunus were driven from Mistral and didn't willingly leave.
- Meaningful Name:
- Qiujun is a Chinese name meaning "Autumn King", carrying on her family tradition of being named after the seasons.
- Huáng is also Chinese, meaning "phoenix", connecting to the Dragon motif of the Xiao Long Family.
- Missing Mom: His mother, Empress Húang Xia, is barely in his life due to her duties, which has an detrimental effect on the child. He's prone to tantrums and quickly loses his anger because he's scared and wants his mother, rather than the countless servants that look after him instead.
- The Phoenix: What his family represents.
- The Emperor: The first of Mistral, in fact.
- Family Theme Naming: As the head of the family, he started the tradition of naming the next heir after the four seasons, starting with his own name; Autumn.
- Fantastic Racism: The creation of his Empire also saw many Mistrali Faunus being forced to retreat to the Southern and Eastern regions of Anima, choosing to make their homes in the harsh terrain there rather than deal with the severe racism of the Empire.
- Meaningful Name:
- Qui is a Chinese name meaning "Autumn/Fall", connecting him to his family being named after the seasons and his involvement in ending the Fractured Era of Mistral, allowing the Empire to properly form and build itself up against the Grimm and enemy clans.
- Huáng is also Chinese, meaning "phoenix", connecting to the Dragon motif of the Xiao Long Family.
- Posthumous Character: He has been dead for nearly 2000 years by the time AZRE begins.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Though he has never been seen due to being long dead, Huáng Qui was responsible for the formation of Mistral as an Empire, allowing it to become one of the four kingdoms later on. Without him, Haven, its Academy and everyone who lives in safety would not have that anymore.
