Koja

Koja was a human man and a lama of Khazari. He became advisor to Yamun Khahan of the Tuigan Horde.

Early life
He came from Khazari and served as a lama at the Red Mountain Temple.

Tuigan Horde
Koja was chosen to be Khazari's emissary to Yamun Khahan of the Tuigan Horde, but betrayed his nation when Yamun offered him the position of Grand Historian to the Tuigan Empire. Although he was forsaken by his god for this act, he served loyally and ably as one of the Khahan's major advisers, even while the Tuigan conquered his homeland. There, he advised that Jadaran, Yamun's son, be appointed governor of Alashan.

During the Tuigan invasion of Shou Lung, Koja was the only historian with Yamun. He recommended that the renegade Shou General Batu Min Ho seek a position as one of Yamun's advisors. While they were staying with the Tuigan, Koja advised the adventurers who would later destroy Solon on Tuigan customs. He also stated that to truly defeat Tan Chin, they would require the Stone Scepter of Shih and recommended that if they wanted more information they should go to the Red Mountain Monastery.

Koja later saw King Azoun IV of Cormyr slay Yamun Khahan, in the Year of the Turret, 1360 DR.

Post-war
Following the war, Koja was a guest of King Azoun IV of Cormyr, living in Suzail for over a year. While there, on the king's request, he wrote an account of his experiences with the Tuigan and their culture. He was aided in this by Thom Reaverson, who worked on a similar project and provided Koja with translations and guidance. The finished work was entitled Life among the Tuigan and gave an accurate and unbiased account of the Tuigan Horde. Nevertheless, Koja dismissed it as an incomplete collection of notes about Tuigan customs, and felt that Reaverson put in an equal amount of work. He began work expanding his notes into a larger volume.

However, Suzail was a city he found too chaotic for his liking. As something of an exotic celebrity in Faerûn, he also felt like a scholarly curiosity or a spoil of war from the court of Yamun Khahan. So when priests of Deneir invited Koja to the city of Procampur in the Vast, he gladly accepted. By the Year of the Helm, 1362 DR, Koja was living at the temple of Deneir there. Koja liked Procampur, as it reminded him of the home he had not seen in ten years, and he grew homesick. The priests appointed Foxe to be his secretary and aide while he was there.

There he was close to finishing his next book, entitled Observations of the Tuigan Historian, Recording the Life of Yamun Khahan from his Rise to his Death in the Lands of the West, from Notes made for King Azoun of Cormyr, tentatively shortened to A History of the Tuigan. However, fictionalized accounts of the war like Lay of the Purple Dragons prompted Koja to attempt to get his work mass-published and widely circulated, to present an honest version to the public, rather than be buried in temple libraries.

To this end, Koja and Foxe sought the services of Forgemaster Inkstain and his new printing press. However, Inkstain quoted a price of 10,000 gold lions just for one copy, and 500 lions for extras, which Koja was unable to pay or raise the money for. Therefore, he accepted an invitation to a banquet held by Duke Jozul Piniago, to ask for the money. However, Piniago only wished to pay for a single copy to grace his own library, so that anyone who wished to read it needed his permission. Insulted by the duke's guests, Koja left and prepared to leave Procampur and finally return to Khazari.

However, later that night, he was summoned to a late dinner with a mysterious Faerûnian woman dressed as a Khazari noblewoman, who presented a full and traditional Khazari meal for Koja, reminding him of home. She wished to be Koja's patron and have his book printed, in exchange for a service. Wary of the offer, Koja cast a Sunlight After Storm sutra, revealing the woman to be the god Deneir. Deneir granted Koja gems worth at least 10,000 gold pieces for the printing and asked him to stay in Faerûn and write his books to educate the westerners. However, he could not go home until he was ready to die; the perfect Khazari scene showed Koja how the memories of his homeland would not be so perfect. Koja accepted the task.

The next day, Koja planned to have his book printed by Inkstain and then begin travelling. He wished to visit Waterdeep, and invited Foxe to accompany him.

Appearance
Koja was a small, gaunt man, who kept his head shaven. He was often seen wearing a faded orange robe and a necklace of prayer beads.

Personality
Koja was a quiet, weak-willed man, easily moved by the plight of innocents. He enjoyed drinking tea on his own and preferred to avoid confrontation. He refused to talk about his abandonment of Khazari, as if the consequences of doing so weighed very heavily on his mind.

Skills
He was a meticulous record-keeper and could write with tremendous speed, keeping notes on most of his Khahan's conversations and deals as he made them. Though he was a man of peace, Koja was skilled at describing the details of war and battles in his writings. He was capable of defending himself, and knew a number of prayers and sutras to help him deal with spirits, including the Pure Thought, Hundred Lotus, and Sunlight After Storm sutras, and another to purify food and drink. He also possessed a number of charms and protective fetishes.

Koja was given a golden paitza by Yamun that would grant him safe passage through Tuigan lands, though he doubted it would work after the Khahan's death. He considered leaving it as a gift to the temple of Deneir.

Publications

 * Life among the Tuigan
 * A History of the Tuigan

Appearances

 * FRA series 2: Black Courser by Troy Denning (1990)
 * FRA series 3: Blood Charge by Troy Denning (1990)
 * The Empires trilogy: Book One: Horselords by David Cook (1990)
 * The Empires trilogy: Book Two: Dragonwall by Troy Denning (1990)
 * The Empires trilogy: Book Three: Crusade by James Lowder (1991)
 * Realms of Valor: "Patronage" by David Cook (1993)