Daughter of the Ulaan Khan of Gol and ? of Amber Quiz

Personal Symbol: Russet Horse            Colors: Umber, Sienna  & Wheat

Physical Description:
            Standing just under five feet five inches tall, Singh is unimposing in height but inspiring in stature.  Her swarthy bronze skin wraps up whipcord muscle in a smooth feminine package.  Straight, coal-black hair streams past powerful shoulders to a lean waist.  Parted on top, this flowing mane frames a round face of northern Asian cast.  Full eyebrows shade hazel eyes laughing with jade sparkles.  A pert nose surmounts cherry-dark lips that are quick to smile or pout.  Even at rest, Singh’s every fiber speaks of motion, of kinetic tension and energy.

             Apparent Age: 22     Amber Age: 105         Absolute Age: 80

Psychological Description:
            More than half barbarian, this Khan’s daughter possesses the spirit of the limitless plains.  She shows the fresh enthusiasm of a colt, and is still outgrowing a yearling’s awkwardness.  Singh approaches all things and people as either new friends or new challenges – only repeated opposition will harden her candor into emnity.  The whole of Shadow is meant to be embraced or overcome with equal verve.

Description of Trump:
            Singh sits upon a chestnut horse, leaning back after a hard ride.  She is smiling and her hair and riding silks flow in a morning breeze.  In the background, past a vast plain, a red sunrise is visible over distant mountains.

History:
            Five centuries ago, the Khan Temujin was in desperate straits.  He had consolidated his hold over all of Gol, a feat accomplished by few before him.  But he choose his enemies outside of this Golden Circle shadow poorly.  He warred with Queen Quirabi of Burgami, weakening his forces domestically.  The conflict was unpopular at home, and the Warlord Ula decided to make her move.  She overthrew and slew Temujin after weeks of fighting that earned her the name of Ulaan Kahn, or “the red Khan.”  One of Ulaan’s first official actions after her ascension was to establish a solid alliance with Burgami.
            Two hundred years later, the Khan gave birth to her first son, Tuvin.  Two centuries after that, her daughter Singh was born.  Singh’s birth was well-omened in the ordo (horde), much to Tuvin’s dismay.  But after his initial jealousy, the older brother came to dote on his baby sister.
            Changes were in store.  Five Gol years later, the Black Wall appeared.  It swept down out of Glory Road neatly bisecting the shadow.  Both sides suffered predations, though not as intense as those in other shadows.  Tuvin, however, was stranded on the other side of the Wall from his mother the Khan and the rest of his family.  In an ill-advised  attack, he and his somon tried to break through.  He died in the attempt.
            Singh has nightmare memories of that time.  Dark, slavering things come to spirit off cattle or harass warriors.  She watched her mother the Khan dispatch many dark spirits in defense of Gol, and perhaps this placed in the young girl’s mind the desire to be strong, to be able to defend.  The following Shadow-Storm swept swiftly through the land of the Gols, but it left Singh in a coma for nearly a month.  No one knew why.
            The girl recovered quickly, and nearly as rapidly things in Gol were back to normal.  Singh continue to earn her nickname of “little brook,” because she was forever tumbling and chattering.  As she grew toward adolescence, all were astounded that she only collected minor scrapes rather than broken bones or worse.
            At home on horseback nearly from birth, riding became one of Singh’s overwhelming passions.  Domestic chores were no competition for a fast gallop.  She learned more sedentary skills most often as punishments for wandering too far afield.  But Singh seemed to bring energy to whatever the task, and the Ulaan Khan was more than happy to see her learning the arts of horse and warfare.  Singh excelled at both, surpassing all expectations.
            Having been a babe in arms at Eric’s coronation, and formally presented to the new King Random at age six, Singh was re-introduced to the Amber court in her thirteenth year.  She was a bit rough around the edges, but managed to not unduly embarrass the Khan.
            About three years later, Singh “wandered off” while her mother was making a state visit to Anad.  Anad was capital of the former Yan emperors, city-based rulers in ancient times.  Singh eagerly explored the Forgotten City, walled palace of the Emporer Bilai, abandoned for lo these many centuries.  She saw strange sights and wonders, and was dragged out by her two of her mother’s personal guards.  The guards disappeared shortly thereafter.
            At age twenty, Ulaan without warning brought Singh to the Pattern Room under Castle Amber.   There under the cool gaze of Princess Fiona, Singh assayed the Pattern.  From the center of the Pattern, regarding a disapproving Fiona and a stern mother, Singh reappeared next to them, smiling.  She understood that she could have gone anywhere in the universe, but chose to send a signal that she would stand by her mother, and that it was not so easy to be rid of her.
            After that her mother would not explain, so Singh set out to find out what she was capable of.  She discovered shadow walking when chasing game one day, that by the time the hunt was over she had slain a completely different beast in a shadow a few times removed from Gol.  Once discovered, it was hard to stop exercising this power.  Singh spent decades riding  to see other places, and just for the thrill of the journey.  She mastered hundreds of riding beasts in dozens of shadows.  Her knowledge of animal and medical care expanded.  She honed her physical and mental skills including hunting, tracking, gymnastics, trading and carousing.    Lovers, friends, rivals surrounded her.
            For years she rarely returned to Gol.  Then one day a few decades ago she returned to find the land in trouble.  The Tang, city-dwelling descendants of the Yan emperors, had mounted a conquest of eastern Gol to establish a new dynasty.  They made their move while the Khan was away from Gol. Subetei, right-hand man to Ulaan Khan and leader of her forces in her absence, had been injured in battle.  Factions among the ordo began arguing over the right way to subdue the Tang.  Splintered, the Khan’s forces were losing.
            Singh stepped forward.  Many of the Kurultai opposed her leadership because of her youth, but after a few well-placed broken heads she was able to gather a loose coalition of aymags (tribes).  She led these to victory over the Tangut in the Altai Mountains.  While the Tangut reeled from their first major defeat, the victorious horde renamed the site of the battle Khan-ar (“little Khan”) Pass.
            Before Singh could press her advantage, her mother Ulaan returned.  Taking control of her forces from the “little Khan,” Ulaan easily quelled the uprising.  This taught both mother and daughter an important lesson, however. Ulaan spent much more time grooming her daughter to rule, and Singh spent less time gallivanting in Shadow.  Singh received more intensive training and experience in warfare and diplomacy.
            In recent years, Singh has re-visited the Golden Circle Kingdoms she had been brought to as a child.  She has established her position as heir apparent.  Unfortunately, she is no closer to discovering the real source of her powers or the secret of her parentage.