Green Sun, Black Shadows (CG/Exalted)

Zaratustra · Nov 16, 2015

Alexander89 said:
Those are interesting ideas, since I was thinking of making Impresario's Sure Hand motes committed instead of Permanent. Let's list them:

-Then Infernal never appears injured. He takes damage and penalty as normal, but his body and clothes always appear utterly pristine. Pierce his chest with a sword and remove it, there will be no blood and no hole.
-Suppress the effects of mutations. Considering Oramus is big at giving himself derangements, a method to avoid them piling up is needed.
-He can use unarmed attacks against dematerialized creatures.

I don't think you realy got what I was going for when I sugested being harder to meaningfuly hurt, tought I suspect such would be harder to espress in a system whitout critical hits or called shots, maybe male it so you need three levels of bashing before it becomes letal damage and/or that you need two levels of letal before becoming incapacitated, or perhaps something as simple as always stabilizing altomaticaly so that you never die from something like ignoring your mortal wounds
Also what do you think of the idea of the charm making you immune to the deleterious effects of any physical mutation you may have and alowing you to simultaneously have mutations that would otherwise be mutualy exclusive ? For some reason I find the idea of Oramus being simultaneouly the size of a mouse , completely made of fire, completely made of ice and bigger than a mountain simple too fiting

the DragonBard · Nov 16, 2015

Peanuckle said:
Something like that is more appropriate for Isidoros, who has such a charm IIRC. And that's too much of an advantage for too little a penalty.

The idea is that, as his body becomes more 'alien' normal attacks do less and less to it, so downgrading them to bashing.

Enjou · Nov 16, 2015

@Alexander89 - I've done some fiddling around with some Charms. First, I edited Impossible Dragon's Constitution, and then made Living Paradox.

Impossible Dragon's Constitution
Cost: — ; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None

Both Shaped and Unshaped Oramus is! Faced with the contradictory paradoxical nature of the Impossible Dragon, who can deny him without denying themselves? The power of the Beyond creeps from the Infernal's mind into her body, filling it with Pure Chaos warped by Primordial Essence and granting the following benefits:

- The Infernal doesn't need to eat or drink anymore, raw Essence becoming her sole necessary source of nourishment. In places where she cannot naturally recover Essence by breathing, like the Underworld, she loses one mote of Essence per day unless she eats enough food that would sustain her normally. She can always recover Essence in the Wyld as if it were Creation. If the Infernal does choose to eat, any food is dismantled into its base Essence which nourishes him as if it were the finest repast. Any substance consumed that would provide no nutrition does not do so, though it is still turned into Essence provided it is not indestructible like most artifacts, in which case they pass through the digestive system as normal. Toxic and disease-ridden substances affect the Infernal normally as well.

- The Infernal may consume the living Essence of other beings to recover her own. In the case the warlock eats pieces of a living being, like biting him or eating a cut limb, she recover (target's Essence x 2) motes for each health level the target suffered upon losing that piece of himself. In the case of Raksha, instead recover (target's Essence x 3) motes for health level. If the target being is killed before consumption, it's remains must be consumed within seven hours in order to restore motes. The Infernal may also eat and digest any object tainted by the Wyld or made of Gossamer provided they may fit in her mouth. Once digested it cannot affect the Infernal in any way save from providing sustenance, recovering (object's Resources rating x 2) motes of Essence.

- The Infernal treats Wyld Zones as if they were one step closer to Creation in type for rolling for Wyld Mutations in terms of difficulty, interval, and mutation type. For instance, if in a Middlemarch the Infernal would roll for mutations monthly rather than weekly and at a difficulty of 2 rather than 3. Bordermarches never require a roll, as they are treated as if they were part of Creation.

- Raw impossibilities fill the Infernal's body. Anything from the Infernal's body counts as an Exotic Material that may be used as a crafting component, with an Artifact rating equal to the Infernal's permanent Essence, up to 5. The most readily available use of this is to use one's blood, costing 1 lhl to extract enough for use in a crafting project. The blood must be used within seven days or it will lose its special properties. Damage caused by removal of other parts of the Infernal's body may be determined by the storyteller. However, the nature of Oramus leans towards uniqueness. Attempts to craft anything that is not unique with a material from the Infernal's body suffers an internal penalty of (Essence), to a maximum of 5.

Living Paradox
Cost: - ; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Impossible Dragon's Constitution

Those who look upon Oramus are fascinated by his alien beauty, but they do not truly understand how alien he really is. By taking this Charm the Pure Chaos within the Infernal's body expands its influence to change her even biology even further. Outwardly the Infernal does not seem to change at all, and any mundane inspection will reveal nothing strange. Beneath the warlock's skin however a truly bizarre reality has taken hold. Minor cuts, scrapes, or scratches will appear as normal wounds, but any deeper cut or wound that opens up the Infernal reveals that her innards have been replaced by clockwork gears, miniature galaxies, inky blackness filled with floating eyes that stare at the viewer, or any other number of uncanny things. Maddeningly, each open wound appears to be something different from the others, but all are treated as an Obvious effect. This impossible biology grants the following effects:

-The Infernal's wounds bleed as normal when inflicted, but the bleeding ceases almost immediately afterwards. The Infernal takes no damage from Bleeding, no longer needing to reflexively roll to close her wounds and cease the flow of blood. However, the Infernal may leave the wounds open without penalty if she so chooses to dramatically sow terror, disgust, or confusion among her attackers.

-The Infernal becomes immune to all magical poisons and diseases. The Primordial within recognizes the intruding Essence and Shapes it into harmlessness. Paradoxically, the warlock is still as vulnerable to mundane poisons and diseases as she ever was, even though her preposterous biology should logically make that entirely impossible.

-Mundane surgery on the Infernal's innards becomes nearly impossible. In order to have a chance of success, the surgery must either be aided with an appropriate Charm that is not an Excellency or the surgeon must have an Occult rating of 4+ and an appropriate type of Essence sight such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight. Even then the roll suffers an external penalty of (Infernal's Essence), up to a maximum of 5. Surgery that is skin deep, the use of medicines to treat poison or disease suffer, and healing magic that does not involve surgery suffer no penalty.

For Impossible Dragon's Constitution I changed the text in some places to clarify some things, and I removed the immunity to magical disease and poison. That has been replaced with an initial semi-immunity to Wyld mutations, treating different levels of the Wyld as one level lower. This matches your desire for making the Infernal more of a creature adapted to live in the Wyld. I think it also matches Oramus's theme of borders - he is never truly in Pure Chaos from his perspective, with everywhere in the Wyld he stands being considered a border to something that is not the Wyld in some fashion. It would also make putting Impresario's Sure Hand coming after it more sensible, since you're considering that.

Next is Living Paradox. I took the thing you linked earlier and Charmified it. It eliminates bleeding penalties and adds the magical poison and disease immunity, but also makes mundane surgery impossible when not aided by magic in some fashion.

Krain · Nov 16, 2015

Well, here we go...

Once, there was a group of spies, they had an important mission.
They were to assassinate a certain scientist among the Britannians, who could be working on something horrific.

In this group, there was a man.
...A very foolish man.

He made a mistake.
A moment of weakness, and from there it all came undone, years of effort destroyed.

Now the man was broken, left alone - and in his darkest hour, a beautiful melody was heard, as a woman appeared in front of him, to offer vengeance and through that, perhaps, redemption.
He accepted, clinging to the new desperate hope that had blossomed.

Who came out of the crystal now works, spreading chaos and destruction amongst his enemies wherever he goes.

It is all he has left.

Now, he wages a war of sabotage and misinformation against the Britannian empire.
Military leaders are made to see how pointless all of Britannia is, how there is nothing of worth, maintenance crews become unable to do anything about serious problems with machinery, scientists on the cusp of any sort of improvement find unforgivable flaws.
Carefully incited revolts from refugees in the EU are redirected to the Britannian instigator spy rings.

This time, he will not fail.

'Name': Imaginary
Actual name: Denis
Caste: Fiend
Character concept: Saboteur
Anima Banner: Vantablack eastern dragon, hissing and forming pitchblack stormclouds for wings.

Essence: 3

Attributes
Physical: Strength 2, Stamina 2, Dexterity 3
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
Social: Charisma 2, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4

Virtues
Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Valor 2, Temperance 2

Willpower
7

Backgrounds
Spies 3 (Brittannia, EU, ME Federation)
Past Life 1
Unvowen Coadjutor 1
Cult 3 (2 + 1 free dot from Yozi)

Abilities
Caste (Fiend): Bureaucracy 3, Linguistics 3, Ride 1, Sail 0, Socialize 3
Favored: Firearms 3, Lore 2 (hacking +2), Presence 3, Stealth 4 (infiltration +1), Investigation 4
Unfavored: Dodge 3, Awareness 3

Charms
Ebon Dragon:Witness to Darkness, Our Little Secret, Golden Years Tarnished Black, Cracked Cell Circumvention, Loom-Snarling Deception, Corrosive Pattern Infliction, Eldritch Secrets Mastery
Adorjan:Sacred Kamilla's Inhalation, Wind-Born Stride, Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion, Faster Than Sight, Foam-Dancing Haste

Motivation: Destroy the Britannian spy network currently rooted in the EU
Urge (Adorjani): Destroy the 'Holy' Britannian Empire, rendering all their efforts to ash.
Intimacies
Brittannia (unforgiving loathing), EU (guilty patriotism), his demon (friendly bemusement), his cult (surprised appreciation), old companions (regrets), Britannian spies (sadistic glee)

So as we've changed Witness to Darkness, decided to change the Charms around, so this guy could get Our Little Secret and Golden Years Tarnished Black, both of which makes him rather scary when it comes to messing up organizations.
I went with 'imaginary' as his fake name... mostly, for the sake of getting 'Imaginary Numbers' as sort of a play on the Britannian system.

I kinda like the idea that Lloyd Asplund would've been assassinated if he hadn't screwed up, but not sure if that's workable?

landcollector · Nov 16, 2015

@Krain
Your character's Patron Yozi is Adorjan, right? Your character should also have a free dot each in Backing (Adorjan) and Influence (Adorjan).

Enjou · Nov 16, 2015

landcollector said:
@Krain
Your character's Patron Yozi is Adorjan, right? Your character should also have a free dot each in Backing (Adorjan) and Influence (Adorjan).

Should just be "Yozi" actually, as with all the other characters in this quest due to the Reclamation being a much more concerted effort this go around.

landcollector · Nov 16, 2015

Enjou said:
Should just be "Yozi" actually, as with all the other characters in this quest due to the Reclamation being a much more concerted effort this go around.

Fair point.

Peanuckle · Nov 16, 2015

@Enjou

- The Infernal may consume the living Essence of other beings to recover her own. In the case the warlock eats pieces of a living being, like biting him or eating a cut limb, she recover (target's Essence x 2) motes for each health level the target suffered upon losing that piece of himself. In the case of Raksha, instead recover (target's Essence x 3) motes for health level. If the target being is killed before consumption, it's remains must be consumed within seven hours in order to restore motes. The Infernal may also eat and digest any object tainted by the Wyld or made of Gossamer provided they may fit in her mouth. Once digested it cannot affect the Infernal in any way save from providing sustenance, recovering (object's Resources rating x 2) motes of Essence.

This is still too powerful. Combined with a charm such as Mutilation Feast Method (Metagaos charm that lets you devour enemies in part or whole) you could regain a lot of motes in the middle of a fight, gaining an unbeatable advantage. Compare this charm to the more common mote-regen food, Chalcanth, which regens motes over a long period of time and gives hallucinations as well.

This charm still does far too much for a starting charm. Compare it to other "body-changers" like Transcendent Desert Creature:

Cecelyne is always home within herself, finding sanctuary in her eternal wastes. An Infernal who learns this Charm gains the following powers as permanent enhancements to his competence:
• He suffers no negative effects from exposure to a place of desolation, including penalties, environmental damage and even visual impairment.
• All foraging rolls that would normally have a difficulty of 4+ have a difficulty of 1 instead (see Exalted, p. 139). This does not make impossible rolls possible in a place where the Storyteller determines absolutely nothing edible can be found.
• The total penalty for starvation or thirst cannot rise above -3 within a place of desolation. The Exalt's perfected metabolism no longer produces waste of any kind, including sweat.
• All mundane attempts to track the character automatically fail with zero successes unless the character allows himself to be tracked. Magically assisted tracking efforts suffer an external penalty of the Infernal's Essence rating instead.
• He adds his Essence rating to the difficulty of all efforts to notice him with an Awareness roll in a place of physical desolation (spiritually desolate places as defined by Withered Soul Wastes don't count for characters who know that Charm). This benefit may be turned on and off at will.

It helps the character survive in his chosen environment, prevents him from starving in said environment and makes him harder to find.

In contrast, your charm lets the character eat anything save artifacts, instantly regain motes by eating scenery, make him more at home in the Wyld and provides an ever-present source of exotic crafting materials. And the "Living in the Wyld" clause is worthless because it's an inferior version of Impresario's Sure Hand.

It's an unrelated hodgepodge of effects that would normally each be their own charm. If we want to explore the idea of Oramus having a body of madness, how about something like this?
=====
Flesh of Horrible Hallucinations
Cost: -- (5m); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

The mind of Oramus is a place of madness and nightmares, fed by the brain-scalding revelations of the Beyond. His body, like all Primordials, is formed according to his own self-image. The Infernal may freely shift any Derangement he suffers from to his body as a negative mutation of equal potency, which lasts for the rest of the scene before evaporating away. By paying 5 motes per Derangement, the Infernal may instead select a positive mutation of equal potency, which also vanishes at the end of the scene.
=====

His lunacies literally become his body, and it's also a great way to dump excess Derangements taken on by other charms.

Living Paradox is good, though. In fact, I'd even call the penalties a bit much. For the third clause about the surgery, I'd remove the (Infernal's Essence) penalty. A comparably charm, Sea-Within-Veins Prana, grants immunity to mundane diseases with no penalties.

Enjou · Nov 17, 2015

Peanuckle said:
@Enjou

This is still too powerful. Combined with a charm such as Mutilation Feast Method (Metagaos charm that lets you devour enemies in part or whole) you could regain a lot of motes in the middle of a fight, gaining an unbeatable advantage. Compare this charm to the more common mote-regen food, Chalcanth, which regens motes over a long period of time and gives hallucinations as well.

It's pretty much what the GM had, so I left it as it pretty much as it was since it wasn't really objected to at the time. I can agree that it might be too powerful, though. Reducing to a maximum gain at a time and spreading it over a period in which the consumed matter needs to be digested would probably be appropriate.

This charm still does far too much for a starting charm. Compare it to other "body-changers" like Transcendent Desert Creature:

It helps the character survive in his chosen environment, prevents him from starving in said environment and makes him harder to find.

In contrast, your charm lets the character eat anything save artifacts, instantly regain motes by eating scenery, make him more at home in the Wyld and provides an ever-present source of exotic crafting materials.

Nothing that can't be hashed out. Charm creation is a process, after all.

And the "Living in the Wyld" clause is worthless because it's an inferior version of Impresario's Sure Hand.

As has been stated, the GM is considering moving Impresario's Sure Hand to come after this Charm, so it being inferior earlier in the tree isn't that unusual - later Charms improve on previous Charms. The GM was asking for a Charm that makes you oriented towards surviving in the Wyld under the themes of Oramus, so it seemed like an ok thing to add.

It's an unrelated hodgepodge of effects that would normally each be their own charm. If we want to explore the idea of Oramus having a body of madness, how about something like this?
=====
Flesh of Horrible Hallucinations
Cost: -- (5m); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: Shaping
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None

The mind of Oramus is a place of madness and nightmares, fed by the brain-scalding revelations of the Beyond. His body, like all Primordials, is formed according to his own self-image. The Infernal may freely shift any Derangement he suffers from to his body as a negative mutation of equal potency, which lasts for the rest of the scene before evaporating away. By paying 5 motes per Derangement, the Infernal may instead select a positive mutation of equal potency, which also vanishes at the end of the scene.
=====

His lunacies literally become his body, and it's also a great way to dump excess Derangements taken on by other charms.

Cool Charm, but it's not really what the GM is asking for as a base Charm. I'm trying to come up with something based on what the GM came up with.

How does this sound? Give Impossible Dragon's Constitution these benefits:

1. Can eat Wyld tainted materials and Gossamer as if it was food. (essentially it gets Shaped into food while the Infernal is eating it) Some mote regeneration from this over time. (suggested value would be good) Doesn't affect any other things one might eat.
2. Wyld mutation resistance as already specified. (eventually you want the improved version, but this will do while you're Essence 2 - it certainly gives you an advantage if you're being pursued into the Wyld) Alternatively, some form of controlled addition of Wyld mutations, with a later Charm like the one you have allowing you to remove them.
3. Body parts and blood can be used as crafting material. However, decrease the value of the material by one (Essence - 1, instead of Essence). Also, specifically note that the parts don't currently have any special properties on their own. Your blood is still human blood with all that entails, so there's not much that's interesting or useful you can craft with that I think. Your skin is still human skin, and while it might be better leather than normal human skin you'd probably be better off killing something else and using its skin rather than flaying your own off. Actually useful materials would come from further Charms you'd get (both in Orarmus's Charm trees and those of other Yozis) or by gaining mutations (possibly through the Charm you've given above) in order to change the properties of your various parts so they'd be something actually useful to craft with. (like say you get Dual Gaze Paradox, and so you can use one of your eyes to craft something related to vision, like maybe a monocle that can see dematerialized spirits)

1 and 2 help you survive in the Wyld, and 3 makes you weird like Oramus but without being too powerful on its own.

Living Paradox is good, though. In fact, I'd even call the penalties a bit much. For the third clause about the surgery, I'd remove the (Infernal's Essence) penalty. A comparably charm, Sea-Within-Veins Prana, grants immunity to mundane diseases with no penalties.

I considered adding another benefit, but I wasn't sure what would fit. Removing the penalty would probably work to balance it.

veekie · Nov 17, 2015

Zaratustra said:
For some reason I find the idea of Oramus being simultaneouly the size of a mouse , completely made of fire, completely made of ice and bigger than a mountain simple too fiting

Far more balanced way to do this, allow you to selectively suppress part, or all of a mutation, allowing mutually incompatible mutations to coexist, etc

E.g. having the Giant mutation's benefits without actually being big or suffering the penalties.

Enjou said:
3. Body parts and blood can be used as crafting material. However, decrease the value of the material by one (Essence - 1, instead of Essence).

This already happens.

IIRC, Solaroid blood and flesh of E3+ are already craft materials for artifacts

frozenchicken · Nov 17, 2015

Alexander89 said:
I took inspiration from a Charm in TAW, where it uses the Beyond to strike immaterial beings.
.....
Alright, going to sleep now. Today I'll start the next post - wish me inspiration!

Speaking of TAW and Inspiration, Argent Witches happens to make mention of a character who lives in Malfeas that might make for an interesting encounter.

Zabernik, the Witch of Blue Dreams: Almost as long as she can recall, Zabernik has been surrounded by monsters. She vaguely recalls a soft blue sky and a warm embrace, but they were lost to her when she was dragged across endless sands, and by now she is almost unused to the sight of her fellow humans. Sold into a prayer-harem of the Brass City, the girl was expected to genuflect and wail until her heart gave out and her soul rushed back to the world of her birth. Too young to sink into despair, too old to live in ignorance, it was fear that kept the girl's eyes fixed to the floor.

Her salvation was a teind-ghost with a corpus dyed green by vitriol, bound to the pit for her forbidden arts. This was Merrisa, and she whispered secrets to the girl, perhaps out of pity, or in anticipation of the strength provided by terror. The young slave learned, and as she did, her fear twisted into a contempt that opened her eyes to the dead whispers of the world, present even in the living geography of Malfeas. The White Navigator came upon her in that delirium, and the prayer-pit shone with the moonlight of a New Moon.

The Witch of Blue Dreams is a hooligan, even in a city without rules. She curses demons with blue skin and cackles as the Priest-Judges of the Lawgiver drag them away. She places the weak above the strong and watches them scrabble for purchase at their new heights. She binds demon princes in their own courts and sets them to vandalism. She has danced in the Typhoon of Nightmares and boar-sled behind the Nomad Force.

Anyone looking to kick up trouble in the Brass City might well find Zabernik Merrisa a willing accomplice, though whether their own plans will remain intact and their valuables unlooted is a separate matter. Maybe the only thing certain to draw her attention is news of her ghostly mentor-mother, who vanished some months ago. Was she summoned by a necromancer who knew her true name? Kidnapped by a demon strong enough to force her silence? Drawn into the body of some newborn mortal hell-slave? The Witch is fresh out of leads.

@Krain, it likely doesn't make much difference since you've mixed flavours, but I personally would have classed Dennis as TED-favoured Scourge, rather than the other way around. Spy/Saboteur/Assassin is the general gist of a Scourge, whilst Fiends are portrayed more as Diplomats/Corrupters/Organisers. It's mainly just relevant in that Scourges get a nifty invisibility power which seems like it would fit your character more.

Enjou · Nov 17, 2015

veekie said:
This already happens.

IIRC, Solaroid blood and flesh of E3+ are already craft materials for artifacts

A source to confirm this would be nice. The Infernal's blood being an Exotic Material has been part of the Charm iteration since the GM posted the original version.

NSMS · Nov 17, 2015

Enjou said:
A source to confirm this would be nice. The Infernal's blood being an Exotic Material has been part of the Charm iteration since the GM posted the original version.

The Princess Magnificent has an umbrella that's made from the bones of Solars. Does that count?

Enjou · Nov 17, 2015

NSMS said:
The Princess Magnificent has an umbrella that's made from the bones of Solars. Does that count?

Probably not, unless the bones confer some special magical property to the umbrella. It's not a problem to use Solaroid body parts as a crafting material, it would be more of a matter of if you can make anything really useful out of them.

I did find a Craft rules revision by Revlid - here - that makes the rule that Exotic Materials can't be mass manufactured, except for the regular magical materials. There are exceptions, though, and Lunars have a method by which they can use their own body parts:

A less mundane method of acquiring exotic ingredients (if such a thing exists) comes with Charms. Solars have access to Wyld Shaping Technique and its upgrades, allowing them to pull impossible wonders directly from the Wyld, in the form of caramelized hopes, bottled snake legs, or voices-stewed-in-electrolyte. These exotic ingredients are perfectly functional for use with artifacts, and do not count as mass-produced, as each one is unique, if nonsensical. Note, however, that over-reliance on them can lead to increased raksha activity, and can make such Charms indispensible to the overall infrastructure built by that Solar; a fact the Shogunate was forced to deal with in adapting to a world without Solars.

Both Abyssals and Green Sun Princes have similar Charms to their Solar cousins, while Lunars can use their ability to plumb the Wyld to similar, if lesser effect. Alternately, at higher Essence, a Lunar can turn parts of her own body into exotic ingredients; it is hard to run out of behemoth bones when one can transform into a behemoth and regrow limbs. Living in Yu-Shan itself, Sidereals should have little trouble finding exotic ingredients, and at least one martial art has the ability to produce exotic ingredients in appropriate circumstances. Even the Terrestrial Exalted can eventually gain the ability to occasionally crystallize elemental cores out of their anima that can be used as exotic ingredients.

I don't see any mention of in general using base Solaroid body parts as exotic material, though.

NSMS · Nov 17, 2015

Enjou said:
Probably not, unless the bones confer some special magical property to the umbrella. It's not a problem to use Solaroid body parts as a crafting material, it would be more of a matter of if you can make anything really useful out of them.

Mmm... possibly? The umbrella has bells on it that make anybody who hears them betray their allies (assuming I'm remembering correctly), which would fit with an effect granted by the Solar bones because she crafted the thing using an entire Solar circle whilst she was still alive and a Solar herself.

Enjou · Nov 17, 2015

Ok, here's another crack at those two Charms.

Impossible Dragon's Constitution
Cost: — ; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None

Both Shaped and Unshaped Oramus is! Faced with the contradictory paradoxical nature of the Impossible Dragon, who can deny him without denying themselves? The power of the Beyond creeps from the Infernal's mind into her body, filling it with Pure Chaos warped by Primordial Essence and granting the following benefits:

- The Infernal may safely eat any Wyld tainted materials or anything made of Gossamer as if it were food. When the Infernal places a bite within her mouth the material is instantly changed into a random and unique food that is both delicious and highly nutritious. No morsel will be the same as the last, turning each meal into a veritable parade of flavors.

- The Infernal may also safely eat the flesh of Raksha. Doing so grants the Infernal additional Essence regeneration of (Raksha's Essence) per hour for the next 24 hours. This benefit may stack, but may not exceed 10 motes per hour.

- The Infernal gains limited control over the effects of Wyld mutations inflicted upon her when she fails a resistance roll. She may always choose to receive a Derangement or set of Derangements of her choice matching the point value of the mutation she would have had in lieu of any other type of mutation. She may also freely choose to take on Wyld mutations at any time while in a Wyld zone and may specify the type, though if they are not Derangements the mutation is chosen randomly.

- Raw impossibilities fill the Infernal's body. Anything from the Infernal's body counts as an Exotic Material that may be used as a crafting component, with an Artifact rating equal to one less than the Infernal's permanent Essence, up to 5. The most readily available use of this is to use one's blood, costing 1 lhl to extract enough for use in a crafting project. The blood must be used within seven days or it will lose its special properties. Damage caused by removal of other parts of the Infernal's body may be determined by the storyteller. However, the nature of Oramus leans towards uniqueness. Attempts to craft anything that is not unique with a material from the Infernal's body suffers an internal penalty of (Essence), to a maximum of 5. It should be noted that without the effects of other Charms, mutations, or Shaping effects that would grant special properties to the Infernal's body that any material gained will not have any special properties that would be useful for crafting beyond that of any other human.

Living Paradox
Cost: - ; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Impossible Dragon's Constitution

Those who look upon Oramus are fascinated by his alien beauty, but they do not truly understand how alien he really is. By taking this Charm the Pure Chaos within the Infernal's body expands its influence to change her even biology even further. Outwardly the Infernal does not seem to change at all, and any mundane inspection will reveal nothing strange. Beneath the warlock's skin however a truly bizarre reality has taken hold. Minor cuts, scrapes, or scratches will appear as normal wounds, but any deeper cut or wound that opens up the Infernal reveals that her innards have been replaced by clockwork gears, miniature galaxies, inky blackness filled with floating eyes that stare at the viewer, or any other number of uncanny things. Maddeningly, each open wound appears to be something different from the others, but all are treated as an Obvious effect. This impossible biology grants the following effects:

-The Infernal's wounds bleed as normal when inflicted, but the bleeding ceases almost immediately afterwards. The Infernal takes no damage from Bleeding, no longer needing to reflexively roll to close her wounds and cease the flow of blood. However, the Infernal may leave the wounds open without penalty if she so chooses to dramatically sow terror, disgust, or confusion among her attackers.

-The Infernal becomes immune to all magical poisons and diseases. The Primordial within recognizes the intruding Essence and Shapes it into harmlessness. Paradoxically, the warlock is still as vulnerable to mundane poisons and diseases as she ever was, even though her preposterous biology should logically make that entirely impossible.

-Mundane surgery on the Infernal's innards becomes nearly impossible. In order to have a chance of success, the surgery must either be aided with an appropriate Charm that is not an Excellency or the surgeon must have an Occult rating of 4+ and an appropriate type of Essence sight such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight. Surgery that is skin deep, the use of medicines to treat poison or disease suffer, and healing magic that does not involve surgery suffer no penalty.

For the second I only removed the external penalty, but for the first I made some larger changes.

landcollector · Nov 17, 2015

@Enjou
Re: Impossible Dragon's Constitution

The Infernal may also safely eat the flesh of Raksha

"You shall taste ~~man~~ Raksha flesh!" /Saruman impression

Doing so grants the Infernal additional Essence regeneration of (Raksha's Essence) per hour for the next 24 hours. This benefit may stack, but may not exceed 10 motes per hour.

Is the 10 motes per hour max the sum of (the Raksha-based bonus + standard respiration) or just the bonus?

Re: Living Paradox-

-The Infernal becomes immune to all magical poisons and diseases

Being permanently immune to all of them at no extra cost seems a bit too powerful for an Essence 3 effect.

Peanuckle · Nov 17, 2015

Enjou said:
1. Can eat Wyld tainted materials and Gossamer as if it was food. (essentially it gets Shaped into food while the Infernal is eating it) Some mote regeneration from this over time. (suggested value would be good) Doesn't affect any other things one might eat.
2. Wyld mutation resistance as already specified. (eventually you want the improved version, but this will do while you're Essence 2 - it certainly gives you an advantage if you're being pursued into the Wyld) Alternatively, some form of controlled addition of Wyld mutations, with a later Charm like the one you have allowing you to remove them.
3. Body parts and blood can be used as crafting material. However, decrease the value of the material by one (Essence - 1, instead of Essence). Also, specifically note that the parts don't currently have any special properties on their own. Your blood is still human blood with all that entails, so there's not much that's interesting or useful you can craft with that I think. Your skin is still human skin, and while it might be better leather than normal human skin you'd probably be better off killing something else and using its skin rather than flaying your own off. Actually useful materials would come from further Charms you'd get (both in Orarmus's Charm trees and those of other Yozis) or by gaining mutations (possibly through the Charm you've given above) in order to change the properties of your various parts so they'd be something actually useful to craft with. (like say you get Dual Gaze Paradox, and so you can use one of your eyes to craft something related to vision, like maybe a monocle that can see dematerialized spirits)

1. Maybe just eating Wyld-stuff could count as food? I don't think that adding a mote-regen based on it is a good idea: Again, mote regen is an important limiting factor and overcoming it with a chargen charm isn't good. Chalcanth (the standard mote-regen drink) is hard to get a hold of outside the Demon City and it basically incapacitates you until its finished digesting.

2. Maybe the character can't get negative mutations from the Wyld; it would encourage living in the Wyld and using it as a safe place, which is what other body charms do (Mother-Sea Mastery encourages living in the sea, Transcendent Desert Creature encourages living in desolation). As a balancer, all mutations degrade at a certain rate when you get out of the Wyld, until you're back to normal.

Impresario's Sure Hand could be edited to have an activation/commitment cost so that you can take advantage of positive mutations if you want, but keep them away if you want to remain mostly you.

3. Since others have said that exalted bodies are already crafting materials, maybe it could give a crafting bonus? Maybe something like taking a body part and soaking it in vitriol to purge human weakness gives a material with (Essence + 1) value? I'm not familiar with this rule, so fiddling is required. Oramus already has a crafting materials charm, so this part might be redundant.

landcollector said:
Being indefinitely immune to all of them at no extra cost seems a bit too powerful for an Essence 3 effect.

Sea-Within-Veins Prana (Kimbery, E3) grants total immunity to mundane diseases as well as other things, so there's precedent.

landcollector · Nov 17, 2015

Peanuckle said:
mundane diseases as well

Mundane, not magical though?

Peanuckle · Nov 17, 2015

Just for reference:

SEA WITHIN VEINS PRANA
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Spiteful Sea Tincture The blood of Kimbery is sacred. Whenever an Infernal with this Charm suffers one or more levels of non-bashing damage (including converting bashing to lethal), her wounds create a bubbling high-pressure splatter of poison. The spray hits everything within two yards of the Infernal as a single attack with a dice pool of (Stamina + Resistance + [levels of damage that triggered it]); each victim defends separately. Those hit suffer one dose of poison with the statistics of Spiteful Sea Tincture. Additionally, the Infernal's toxic blood kills illnesses, granting immunity to non-magical Sickness effects. Primordials and akuma are similarly immune to magical Sickness while other users only add (Essence) bonus dice to resist them. A repurchase extends the splatter to (Essence) yards. Further, the character's blood becomes highly caustic. Characters hit by the spray suffer the usual poison and a one-time environmental hazard with (Essence)L Damage and Trauma (maximum Trauma 5). If a non-magical, non-natural close combat weapon unleashed the spray, halve its accuracy, damage and defense (rounded down) until repaired. A second exposure destroys it completely.

So this E3 Kimbery charm not only makes you immune to mundane disease, it gives you a great self-defense mechanism and also gives you a much better chance at resisting magical disease. It's not unbelievable to expect Oramus to have similar protections against magical disease, since magic is his domain.

Enjou · Nov 17, 2015

landcollector said:
Is the 10 motes per hour max the sum of (the Raksha-based bonus + standard respiration) or just the bonus?

Just the bonus. Regular respiration is not affected.

landcollector said:
Being permanently immune to all of them at no extra cost seems a bit too powerful for an Essence 3 effect.

In addition to the Charm Peanuckle mentioned, Szoreny has this Charm.

Transcendent Toxin Internalization
Cost:-;Mins:Essence 3;Type:Permanent
Keywords:None
Duration:Permanent
Prerequisite Charms:Quicksilver Sap Transfusion
The greatest of poisons can all be derived from Szoreny's sap and so are no danger to the Silver Forest. This Charm brings the Infernal to this realization, making him immune to all poisons.
A second purchase of this Charm makes the Infernal immune to all non-magical diseases and to all magical diseases with a Virulence less than the Infernal's Essence.
Any such poison or disease the Infernal may be suffering when he learns this Charm is immediately cured.

One purchase gets blanket, permanent Immunity to all poisons, and a second (which is free under the homebrew rules we're operating under) gives immunity to all mundane diseases and many magical ones.

Peanuckle said:
1. Maybe just eating Wyld-stuff could count as food? I don't think that adding a mote-regen based on it is a good idea: Again, mote regen is an important limiting factor and overcoming it with a chargen charm isn't good. Chalcanth (the standard mote-regen drink) is hard to get a hold of outside the Demon City and it basically incapacitates you until its finished digesting.

2. Maybe the character can't get negative mutations from the Wyld; it would encourage living in the Wyld and using it as a safe place, which is what other body charms do (Mother-Sea Mastery encourages living in the sea, Transcendent Desert Creature encourages living in desolation). As a balancer, all mutations degrade at a certain rate when you get out of the Wyld, until you're back to normal.

Impresario's Sure Hand could be edited to have an activation/commitment cost so that you can take advantage of positive mutations if you want, but keep them away if you want to remain mostly you.

See the new version. You can eat Wyld stuff freely, and Raksha still provide mote-regen but you're not really going to find Raksha flesh being very available outside of the Wyld (especially with Creation as it is in this verse).

For the second, I made it so mutations inflicted can always be chosen to be made Derangements of choice instead of what they'd otherwise be, and that you can mutate yourself in Wyld zones at will. (Impressario's Sure Hand doesn't wouldn't block mutations you willingly take) Again, the later allows you to choose Derangements, though other mutations types are still random. Control over mutation types could come from Flesh of Horrible Hallucinations as a supplementary Charm.

3. Since others have said that exalted bodies are already crafting materials, maybe it could give a crafting bonus? Maybe something like taking a body part and soaking it in vitriol to purge human weakness gives a material with (Essence + 1) value? I'm not familiar with this rule, so fiddling is required. Oramus already has a crafting materials charm, so this part might be redundant.

Again, I have no official confirmation that Solaroid body parts are considered an Exotic Material in general. I've never heard that rule, and the GM didn't think of it either when he made the original version of the Charm, so I'm not sure it's really correct. I'd need an official source for that to really consider a change.

Peanuckle · Nov 17, 2015

Enjou said:
See the new version.

I like it. Raksha flesh is, as you say, fairly rare and the regen cap is a good idea. The crafting requirements (unique item or penalty) is good too.

Zaratustra · Nov 17, 2015

veekie said:
Far more balanced way to do this, allow you to selectively suppress part, or all of a mutation, allowing mutually incompatible mutations to coexist, etc

E.g. having the Giant mutation's benefits without actually being big or suffering the penalties.

Could you elaborate on how this would work diferently ? because it sounds what I was thinking already, from a mechanical standpoint you could get either the Giant mutation whitout the dowsides of being big, or the Tiny mutation whitout the dowsides of being small, since you could get mutually imcompatible mutations you could get bot benefits and from the outside you would look simultaneously big and small and thus give everyone a headache.

Alexander89 · Nov 17, 2015

[X] Stay there some more, praying to Oramus

You mentally shrug. What's the point of criticizing the behavior of an Unquestionable? Demons aren't human, and you would be a fool to think otherwise. Doesn't make dealing with them less weird though.

Like with the Gem of the Conventicle Malfeasant attuning the new stone is near instantaneous, something you guess is made possible by the original owner transferring ownership to you. You put the Amulet around your neck and hide it under your suit, together with the Deceiver's Stone and the Weapon Ward. The whole setup is not quite uncomfortable, but close. You don't think you can add more without it being evident to an outside observer.

'Are you done?' You ask your advisor.

"-for we are simple servants, insignificant in your eyes. Our faith and devotion-" Nope, he's not.

Then again, maybe it's not a bad idea. You have been helped much by Oramus, but until you can repay him with results...your honest gratitude will suffice. Sitting down in the lotus position, hands on your knees and head bowed, you start praying, putting into appropriate words your honest feelings.

It's...actually a nice feeling, relaxing even. You have never been very religious, even with the Empire's blatant support of the church and use of its themes to further justify the monarchy. Not that you didn't attend when appropriate, but you preferred spending time with your favorite family members and studying for the time you were going to enter the political scene.

...Now that you think about it, the church must be tied to the Celestial Bureaucracy in some way. Which makes it another target, even if you were going to do away with it either way.

At the end of your prayers you stand up, bow a final time, turn around and walk away, posture proud and resolve reaffirmed.

You are a Champion of Hell.

[X] Ask the demons around here what they can offer you

Once outside the temple the Anuhles quickly moves into place around you, your personal honor guard. "What now Boss?" Seyrun, finally coming out of his religious fervor, asks.

'Lord Daendels said the demons living here in the Shattered Cities are all crafters. And since requesting something from them is within my rights, I want to see if there is any-'

"HEY-OH!"

"Gaah!"

Startled (and deafened) by the sudden shout right in front of your face you fall down on your butt. The next few seconds are a blur as you try to recover your bearings, vaguely aware of the Fangs moving between you and whoever surprised you. And shouting, which just make things worse.

Once your hearing is back to normal you push yourself back on your feet with a growl. "Who the hell is-"

"Hey! How are you? I am quite good thank you very much! The weather has been quite nice though I miss Hegra's rains! Those are the most fun! Are you one of those Green Sun Princes I heard so much about? You look scrawny! Shouldn't a Prince look more im-"

The almost literal deluge of words stops you cold, gaping like a fish. Or maybe the real reason is what you are currently looking at:

Girly. Very, very girly. This is the only possible way to describe the creature in front of you, besides ridiculous of course. It's vaguely shaped like a horse, but one drawn by a child, with pink fur and even pinker mane. The face and expression it is currently making are surprisingly human-like, too big eyes notwithstanding.

'What the FUCK is this?'

"Woah! I've met many demons in my life, but this is just plain disturbing!" Great, even Seyrun is confused.

Luckily the Yozis are on your side, because the equine's rambling is interrupted by a hovering rock hitting its head. "Owwie!"

"Pinkie Pie! That is no way to treat a Peer. It is highly unsightly and improper." A new, sophisticate voice says harshly. The owner is another similar horse-like creature, with pure white fur and purple mane.

You're honestly starting to think Oramus's presence is affecting your mind in very bad ways.

"Rarity! You meanie!" The pink horse whines, enormous drops of tears pouring out of her eyes. "That hurt!"

"It was for your own good darling." The white horse says before turning to you and bending her front knees, head kept down. You realize it is bowing. "Greetings Honorable Peer. My name is Rarity, Seamstress of the Shattered Cities. My friend here is Pinkie Pie, Dabbler of Parties and Dreams. Please forgive her: she has an unfortunate tendency to drink new concoctions herself, and they make her...excitable."

Pinkie Pie nods enthusiastically, a jaw-defying grin on her face.

'Oookay...in for a penny, in for a pound I suppose.' "I am Zero." You take a dramatic pose. "The Champion chosen by Wise Oramus to do his will where he cannot. Are you here, perhaps, on Unquestionable Daendels' orders."

"That is correct Peer Zero." Rarity looks up. She and Pinkie Pie are females...right? "As the Chosen of our Great Lord, it is every inhabitant of the Shattered Cities' pleasure to assist you in any way we can." She says proudly. "Everything that is unique in the whole universe can be found here, for every act of creation is a prayer to our Lord."

"And dreams!" Pinkie hops up and down. "I love Oramus's dreams!"

"A bit too much, if I can say so myself." Rarity shakes her head, annoyed. "You just have to ask Peer Zero, and I will bring you to the ones best suited."

"Actually, you may help me already. You said you are a seamstress?" You ask, raising a gloved hand. "It is possible to improve this costume-"

"Mh, mh, mh." Rarity hums loudly, suddenly inside your personal space. Her eyes critically scan every surface of cloth. "I see, I see. Decent enough I suppose. Colors are socially acceptable, and the texture..." She sniffs haughtily. "Passable. For amateurs, that is."

"Hey!" The Fangs cry out in indignation.

"Kill or sew darlings. You can't do both and expect to be good." She replies with sufficiency. "And what's this?" Your mask is ripped from the Anuhle carrying it by a telekinetic force and brought in front of Rarity's face. "I understand the need of secrecy, but it's a crime to conceal such a perfect face." She looks at you dreamily before her eyes light up. "Ah, I know! Follow me!"

Pushed quite adamantly from behind by a rather excited Pinkie you are brought to a nearby building. It is a strange thing, made not of basalt but of a lattice of thin brass filaments. The inside brings to mind the atelier of a tailor, exotic materials and dresses with too many limbs notwithstanding.

"Woah!" You gasp as an invisible force takes off your clothes. You barely manage to put on a shadow-disguise before ending with only your boxer. "What the hell?!"

"Hush darling. I am working." Rarity replies back curtly, a pair of glittery glasses on her face, before letting out with a shrill: "Pinkie! The Calcanth!"

The pinkie demon pushes into place a large cauldron full of bubbling liquid. Then the cauldron opens its mouth and pulls out a long tongue, many alchemical tools resting on it.

"You may want to rest Boss." One of the Fangs offers you a chair. "I think this is going to take a long time."

"Yeah. Those artificer guys are all nuts."

"...This better be worth it." You huff before sitting down, resolving to be just a spectator for now.

Watching the white-furred demon working is...interesting. Rarity may look like she came straight out of a three years old girl's dreams, but she exhibits a single-minded fervor no child would be able to imagine.

She pours Calcanth on your mask together with ground indigo ice and crystal dust.

She takes apart your costume without breaking a single thread, exposing every single one of them to the vapors of a chromatic large scale burned over a fire of silver bark, the flames fanned by the breath of mice made of fire.

This and much more Rarity does, praying loudly all the time while Pinkie divides her time between helping and making sacrifices to small temples.

'Hey. Seyrun.'

"Yes?"

'Do you play Chess?'

You're in the middle of your tenth mental game, the Anuhle slowly but steadily having become good at it, when Rarity finally finishes. "How does it feel darling?" She asks with sparkling eyes.

You grunt, glad to finally have your real clothes back. You tug one sleeve. "The same as before. What changed?"

"Simple! First, the mask." She slides it on your head, the mechanism closing it smoothly. You realize it's easier to see through it, almost like you are not wearing it. "Now even with your face covered you'll always be fabulous!" She sighs in bliss. "Oh. And, as an afterthought, I made so it hides your identity better."

Mask of Zero (Artifact 1): It allows the effects of the Charm "Beautiful In My Way" to go through it even though the face is hidden. It also inflicts a two dice penalty to all rolls to determine the identity of the wearer. Attuning it cost 2 motes.

'Call it an afterthought.' "What else?"

"Sadly I couldn't make the costume itself more durable. That would have required making something new from scratch." She lifts your cape. "Instead I infused your mantle with the essence of a shield. Now you can use it to parry enemy's blows. Even a fiery daiklave will be unable to scratch it."

Silken Mantle of Zero: part of Silken Armor of Zero. It increases Parry DV against attacks by 3.

Silken Armor of Zero: Soak +5L/3B. Attune: 3m. It stacks with other forms of armor. It cannot be detected as magical without the use of magic-sensing Charms such as All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight. It can be worn while performing Martial Arts styles that normally prohibit the use of armor.

"Good enough. I don't plan to enter direct combat often anyway." You take out the scroll Daendels gave you. "Now I need to go. I have a meeting with an Unquestionable."

"We will hold you no longer." Rarity bows. "May your future be full of glory and fortune Green Sun Prince."

"Bu-bye!" Pinkie Pie waves her hoof energetically.

"Yeah, bye." You leave the shop and begins the course back to the airship.

[X] Read the Scroll

Once you're sufficiently afar you open and read the scroll:

"Once, there was a maiden-Why in Malfeas' many secret names are we still using this shitty opening?! We don't even like the Maidens! Here, read this:"

What follow is a densely written map of numerous signs, some quite nonsensical.

"Show up at the time of a Tomescu's cry. Not before, and not after. I am a buuuuuuuuuuuusy woman. Notice the twelve 'u' in 'busy': that'll tell you how busy I am.

Remondin."

Your eyebrow twitches.

"Remondin...according to my notes she's called the Misconstrued Counselor. She's the Sixth Soul of Oramus. Never heard of her before."

'I can see why, if this is how she treats everyone.' Stepping into the airship you show the scroll to the captain. "Can you bring me here?"

His four eyes blink one after the other. "That's the most complicated map I have ever seen. But I think I know where it is. We can be there in two cries of Tomescu."

"Excellent. Let's go then." You sit down on your seat and lean back. 'Where we were?'

"Knight to H7."

{====}

"This...is it?"

"Yes." Answer the guide.

You look up at the absurdly high tower, trying to make an estimate of its height and giving up at 500 yards. "The top?"

"Yes." The guide answers again with a smile. "Lady Remondin's studio is at the very top. By her will it can be reached only through the stairs. Have a good day." She bows before walking away.

"I don't think we have much of a choice Boss. We gotta walk. And we also need to be there for when the Tomescu cry. Who know how she's going to react otherwise."

'I know, I know.' You snort, trying to hide how much hate you have for stairs. 'It's just-'

"Mister? Can you help me?" Someone asks. Turning to the side you see a little girl has walked up to you, her sweet, guileless eyes staring at you imploringly.

You blink. "Yes? What do you need?"

"I need to go there." She points to the tower's top. "But it's too high! I can't do it!"

"You too?" You extend to her a hand. "I'm going there myself. Do you want to come with me?"

"I told you, I can't do it!" She shakes her tiny fists before her eyes light up. "I know! Give me a piggyback!"

"Eh? But-"

"Pleeease?" She asks with a pleading pout, on the verge of crying.

"I...you...alright, alright." You sigh in defeat, a benevolent wry smile on your face. You drop down on one knee. "Jump up little Miss."

"Yippee!" She cries in delight before jumping on your back. Your hands hold her below the knees, and her fingers with scarlet-lacquered nails grab your shoulder. "Go horsie, go!

"Yo-ho." You make the imitation of a horse before starting the long walk up the stairs, the Fangs following closely.

Half an hour later

"Go horsie, go!

"Yo-ho."

One hour later

"Go horsie, go!

"Yo...*pant*...ho..."

Two hours later

"*wheeze* Lis- *pant* *pant* *gasp* ten...urgh...can I drop yo-"

"Go horsie!"

"But-"

"Go!"

"Uuugh..Yi *wheeze* ho...*pant*"

Much later

You don't open the door so much as falling on it, slamming it open with the weight of your body before falling on the ground, the girl still latched to your back.

The Tomescu in the room cries.

The Anuhles drag you forward, up to a desk behind which a man made of mirror shards is writing on a scroll. He stops and looks down at you. "Do you have an appointment?"

What escapes your lips is your lungs' death rattle.

"Peer Zero, Chosen of Oramus." One Anuhle replies for you while another forces Calcanth down your throat. "Message said to be here at the Tomescu's cry."

The mirror shards man takes out a list and hums. "We were expecting you. Please go inside." He then looks at the girl and bows. "Have a good day Lady Remondin."

"Thanks!" She chirps while the Anuhles help you back on your feet. Still weak but reenergized by the gross, but still useful substance you walk to the large doors at the other side of the hall and push them apart.

The interior resembles, at least in design, the classic study of a lawyer: oval of form, there is an elaborate desk in the middle while the walls are covered by shelves containing many things, from trophies to scrolls.

The little girl finally jumps down. With a big smile on her lips she looks up at you. "We got there Mister! Are you happy?"

"More like relieved." You say slowly, trying to put your breath back under control. "So. Remondin, was it? That guy sa-"

One moment.

Just wait a fucking moment!

"We are in Malfeas! Why would a little girl be here?!" You gasp, pointing at her. Your eyes widen. "And your name...is Remondin..!"

"Out of it already? You're good." She winks at you while pulling out her tongue. Her long, forked tongue.

"Wait what?! Cecelyne's infinity, why I haven't realized it before?!" Seyrun cries out in disbelief.

You splutter in indignation. "This-before-why didn't I...you messed with my mind!"

"If it is of any consolation, most don't snap out of it even after I clearly say to them who I am. That's why I said you're good." The Third Circle Demon in the shape of a little girl walks to the desk and sits on the chair behind it. "I am Remondin, Sixth Soul of Oramus. Some, mostly the wise ones, call me the Misconstrued Counselor. Every ruler of the Demon City has come to search my aid at least once, for I know every possible future."

She leans forward, fingers folded under her chin. The amused, devious smile under the still sweet and guileless eyes make for a horrible contrast. "And since you're a Fiend and I am the most invested in the political scene of Malfeas amidst the Unquestionables of my Oversoul, I'm going to be your mentor from now on, Lelouch." She tilts her head. "Or do you prefer Zero?"

Swallowing the bile you put on a neutral expression and bow. "Please address me however you wish Lady Remondin. If I may ask, was that a test?"

"Half of it."

"Half?"

"The other half is me getting a kick out of making people behave like fools."

Your head snaps up, staring in disbelief at the smiling demon. "Everyone has a hobby. This is mine." Opening a compartment in the desk she takes out a bowl full of creatures with the body of a toad and the face of a tiger. One of them tries to jump out.

Glump!

Like lightning her tongue lashes out and ensnares the fugitive. The only thing you can see is a foreleg between Remondin's lips before she sucks it inside. She holds up the bowl. "Want one? Merrevichs are delicious this time of the year."

The only reason you don't puke is because your stomach is empty. "Your...offer is most gracious, but sadly I am not hungry."

"More for me then!" She giggles. She basically inhales another one before putting the bowl away. "Onto business now. When are you going to leave Malfeas?"

You take a deep breath. This...demon may be a sadistic teaser but for the sake of your ambitions you need to play her game. "If everything goes well in a few days, My Lady. Just the time to see what available resources will be useful for my operations in Japan, and to discuss arrangements with the other Peers. Also, I have an appointment with Citizen Berengiere to hire the services and expand the activities of one of the cults founded by her."

"The one of Ligier? You shouldn't have problems then." She gets off the chair and walks in front of the desk, a bamboo cane appearing in her hand. "In truth I don't even care what you do. But teaching I must, and teaching I will." She raps the other palm with the cane. "What do you know of the proper etiquette when dealing with demons, especially Citizens and Unquestionables?"

"I-"

"Nothing." She interrupts you. "That's what. Show me how you bow."

Grumbling under your breath you do as told.

Wack!

"Ouch!" And instantly receive a whacking under your chin.

"You lower yourself too much! It must be 15° before Citizens, and 30° before Unquestionables. Try again!"

Ignoring the pain you repeat the bow.

Wack!

"Ouch!"

"Don't bend your neck! What must move is your midriff! Again!"

{====}

Outside the man made of shards keeps working, while the Anuhles stay on standby in case their service is suddenly required.

"YOU ARE CRAZY!"

Wack!

"THAT WILL NOT DO! SAY IT PROPERLY!"

"MY BEAUTIFUL LADY, IT IS MY HUMBLE OPINION THAT YOU HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH ADORJAN!"

"BETTER!"

Wack!

"THEN WHY DID YOU HIT ME?!"

"FOR BEING A CHEEKY LITTLE BRAT!"

Wack! Wack! Wack!

"Lady Remondin seems to like your Master a lot." The shards man suddenly comments.

The Anuhles stare back with incredulity, despite not daring to back to a Citizen without being explicitly asked something.

Some of the shards morphs into the facsimile of a smile. "She's being honest. That's why."

Gained:

Mentor (Remondin): OOOOO
Specialty: Socialize (Demons +3)

Remondin, the Misconstrued Counselor, Sixth Soul of the Dragon Beyond the World

This puissant entity advises the rulers of the Demon City, whispering to them her endless knowledge of possible futures. She most often takes the form of a child with sweet, guileless eyes, scarlet-lacquered nails and a forked tongue; she has other shapes, but her nails and tongue mark her in every form. Sorcerers call upon Remondin to learn of perils that may yet come to pass, for she knows the stars of Creation as well as those of Malfeas, and her keen strategic mind may unravel even the most complex and subtle of dilemmas. Yet her subtlety makes her counsel perilous, for her malice may lead those who rely on her wisdom into far greater troubles. She may also call forth the shades of others' possible future selves, either to converse or to do battle on her behalf, and meeting such shades can be disquieting indeed.

{====}

"Crazy...Psychotic...Bitch..." You mutter while resting on a Fang's back as he and the others leave the tower, your whole body hurting too much to move.

"Boss. Can you please stop openly badmouthing an Unquestionable before they toss us inside a Punishment Sphere?!"

"Why? Have I not been punished enough?" You reply back, the Anuhle putting you down with your back against a wall.

"...You are obviously underestimating us demons Boss. Malfeas is the capital of pain. What you are feeling right now is but a caress."

"What happy thoughts you inspire." You sarcastically reply before relaxing, simply waiting for the pain to go away. Even as the other demons give you a wide berth you take the time to observe them in their daily life. Even with the vast differences between here and Earth you soon notice familiar patterns, especially the one where everyone is moving around as if incredibly busy, but lacking enough time to do everything.

That's when you notice it. 'Seyrun?'

"Yes Boss?"

'Playing music and ringing the brass bells is a vital job right?'

"That's right. Without noise Adorjan comes and kills everyone. All fiefdoms employ serfs to make music non-stop. It is an absolutely vital job."

'Then why has that one stopped?'

"...What?"

'That one.' You look in the direction you saw it. 'It looked at something in the distance, made a face, and then ran away. Those Angyalkae too.' You add, seeing a group of the harpists fleeing into a house and barricading the door.

"Oh shit."

'Actually, I stand corrected.' You stand up and cast your gaze across the plaza. 'Everyone is either running away or barricading themselves inside the buildings. Why would they do that?'

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!"

'Seyrun?'

The Dark-Green Fangs look at each other, shriek and run away, pushing away those fleeing into a building to enter them instead. "Where are you going?!" You shout, but they just ignore you.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!"

'Seyrun! What is hap-'

"RUN! RUN BOSS! RUN RUN RUN RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK! IT'S HERE!"

'What is here?!'

"THE NIGHT IS HERE!" He lets out a last scream before falling silent.

And then everything turns black. You blink a few times, but the sudden darkness is so thick you can't even see your own hands. "Is something blocking Ligier?" You look up.

It's a dragon.

No, it's the shadow of a dragon.

You're wrong, it's the shadow of everything.

It's your shadow.

A great serpentine figure, the hollow shadow of a great being that isn't there flies through empty air, darkening the world below and extinguish all light, even the green radiance of Ligier. It stretches across miles or maybe whole worlds.

You are witness to darkness unending.

-Frizzle-

The Deceiver's Stone around your neck gives you a jolt, releasing a pulse of essence through your whole body. A spike of pain pierces your eyes, making you close them instinctively.

-Frizzle-

When you open them again you can see. Everything is still shrouded by darkness, but you can still see your surroundings as if it is clear noon. Somewhat, this feels perfectly natural.

That's when you hear it. The sound of a great horn, playing a doleful song of melancholy and revelry for the night. The temptation to lose yourself in it is strong.

Sadly you can't. Not now, not yet, because there is still much for you to do out there. You have yet to earn the right to be happy. So you stand straight, wrapped in your cape, and wait for what you know is coming.

Soon strange demons emerge from hidden passages and the openings into Malfeas' sewers to dance on the tune of the horn, their movements full of surprisingly human-like emotions and sentiments. You ignore them, and they ignore you as something far more fascinating makes her appearance, the dark broods of the night following in her wake.

Even you can't help but be mesmerized by That Which Calls to the Shadows.

Erembour wears silken robes of silver, which cover flawless skin of the deepest black. Her liquid eyes shimmer like the moon, and strands of glowing white hair twinkle amid raven tresses. In her hands she carries a long silver horn curved like a mighty ram's, which she sounds with such dedication and intensity even you are moved by it, and admire her for that.

And then the unthinkable happens: she slows down, her feet taking more time to move forward with each step until she's right in front of you. Looking at you, an unspoken invitation in her gaze.

You bow down in the proper stance drilled into you by Remondin. "I am sorry Lady Erembour. As much as I would love to join, my duty to the Makers binds me. There is much I have still to accomplish under the light, for me to rest in the darkness."

A sound like crystalline bells. With a start you realize that the horn has stopped and Erembour is laughing, a hand covering her mouth like a demure maiden. "He was sad, you know? To lose you." She says. Both of you know who 'He' is. "You were doomed to die, greatly changing the world in doing so. And so he loved you. But he also knew what you could be: for all of us; for the whole world. He made a decision, and helped you cast away your destiny. And so you will live, even as it saddens him."

"I was doomed to die?" You repeat, resisting the urge to look up at the sky. You close your eyes in contemplation. "Ah, I see: the path I always wanted to take, it would have destroyed me sooner or later. Not matter if I won or lost."

She nods in agreement. Her lips move back towards the horn, to stop the song once again.

"I am still going to die."

She stops. Her eyes open, looking at you smiling ruefully.

"Even with an Exaltation, I am still mortal. Even if the chance to live forever were to be offered to me, I don't know if I would be able to take it." You close your eyes again, feeling a deep but familiar sadness. "And who know if I will live long enough to see my dreams become a reality. Because my path hasn't changed: I just gained new responsibilities. It could even be that I will still need to die to realize my dreams, unable to see the world I wish for even for an instant."

You take a deep breath. "But whatever happens, it will be on my terms. Brought on by the consequences of my actions, and no one else. There is no more a guiding force to my life, and I am fine with that."

You spread your arms, face rising to the sky. When you open your eyes again, it doesn't hurt. "I am free. And there isn't a sweeter gift you could have given me. Maybe you don't know what to do with my gratitude. That's fine. Instead, I will repay my debt another way:

I will give you freedom. Just as you gave it to me."

You drop your arms, eyes closed and head shaking with a self-depreciating smile on your lips. "Forgive me Lady Erembour, for making you waste time. Please, continue to-"

A feeling like velvet, gently pushing your chin up. Something incredibly soft presses against the tip of your nose, filling your nostrils with the sweet scents of flower that bloom at night and wither at dawn.

Erembour pulls back, the residual feeling of her lips still scathing hot on your flesh. She smiles. "Know that the night is your friend Lelouch. You made even me curious to see how far you will go."

The silver horn plays again, and the dance resumes. Erembour leaves to catch up with her Oversoul, the dark broods following her. They look at you with awe in passing, but you ignore them like before. Instead you walk to a nearby rock and sit down on it, hands on your lap and gaze staring ahead.

"-oss?"

That was your first kiss.

"-Boss?"

Granted in was on the tip of your nose, but still.

"-ear me Boss?"

Who knew a girl's touch could feel so go-

"DO YOU HEAR ME BOSS!!"

"Gaah!" You scream, falling down on your back. "Seyrun what the hell?!"

"Good, you're back. Boss, the Ebon Dragon is gone: the night ended. I have no idea how you survived all that without becoming an abomination. I though you were a goner!"

"Eh?" Pulling yourself up you realize that, yes, the light of Ligier is back. And so are the demons who were in the streets before, all staring at you like you are some sort of portent.

"Boss! You're back!" The Fangs cry happily.

Bam!

Your foot smashes into the face of the nearest one. "Yes, I am back. I also clearly remember some people ditching me to save their own lives." You snarl, drilling your foot even deeper.

"Eeehehe..." One Anuhle sweatdrops, chuckling nervously. "Why bring up the past? What's done is done." He spreads four of his limbs. "We're all alive! Everything is okay now!"

"ADORJAN COMES!"

Gained:

Charm: Witness to Darkness
Intimacy: Erembour (Massive Crush)(Positive)

{====}

"I'm worried for Lelouch-sama." Kaguya suddenly says in the middle of perusing through the Equitable Market together with Milly and Leila, Rakshata and Akito having offered to act as guides.

"He has been away for awhile, hasn't he?" Milly comments, tapping a finger on her lips.

"Awhile?" Rakshata snorts. "With how big Malfeas is, even with the faster methods of travel it may take weeks to reach a certain place. Believe me, that he's taking a long time to come back isn't a sign something went wrong."

Boom!

The entrance to the sewers blasts open, the metal disk sealing it landing with a loud clank. Out of the newly made passage crawls out a tired and dirty Lelouch, soon followed by the likewise proven Dark-Green Fangs.

"That one is." Akito comments quite bluntly.

"Lelouch-sama!" The young girl, followed by the blonde, runs to the rescue of the raven-haired youth. She looks him over, but finds no apparent injuries. "What happened to you?"

Lelouch gasps, eyes dilated, opening and closing his mouth several time before raising a single trembling finger and saying a word that send shivers down the back of anyone listening. "Adorjan."

"Ouch." Rakshata winces before looking at the hole in the ground, intrigued. "You escaped into the sewers? Clever, if a bit unhygienic."

"There is an entire empire under it. Bigger than Europe." Another gasps. "The Rat King was waging war against the people made of nutcrackers. We fell down right in the middle of the final battle."

Akito raises an eyebrow. "Did you eat something strange?"

Lelouch giggles. "I negotiated a ceasefire and then peace between the two nations. Now they work together to farm the glowing mushrooms they previously used for illumination." Another giggle. "Which, mind you, I am preeeeetty sure are delicious but also highly hallucinogenic."

He looks at Milly and blinks. "Wow, Milly. Since when your skin is blue?"

The Slayer turns to the tanned blonde. "Doctor?"

The Indian scientist massages her nose's bridge. "Bring him to my house. I will see what I can do."

{====}

Some medical attention, a relaxing bath, and twelve hours of sleep later and you're back into perfect form. 'That never happened.'

"What never happened Boss?"

'Good.' You fix your clothes and leave your palace, determined to make up for the wasted time.

"Lelouch-sama!"

Or, maybe, you have to deal with an excitable fourteen year old first. "Hello Kaguya-san. Sorry for making you and the others worry."

"Think nothing of it. I am just glad you're okay now." She smiles cutely. "Are you free to talk now? If not I can come later."

"No, I am free...save for one thing." You hold up a scroll you receive a few minutes ago. "I have arranged a meeting with Citizen Berengiere, to discuss obtaining the services of a cult founded by her for my organization, and help them expand their activities. There isn't a fixed date so maybe-"

"Oh! In that case if you want I can come with you. Like I said to Lord Ligier I am organizing all the cults of Japan into a great organization. This way we can speed up things."

That would be nice. Berengiere expects only you, but it shouldn't be difficult to send a messenger ahead to alert here.

[] Bring Kaguya with you
[] Don't bring Kaguya with you

The next post will signal the end of the stay in Malfeas. If you want to search contact with a Yozi to gains access to its Charmset, you must decide it now. The available Yozi are:
[] Malfeas
[] Cecelyne
[] She Who Live in Her Name
[] Adorjan
[] Kimbery
[] Cytherea
[] Metagaos
[] Szorney
[] Isidoros
[] Elloge
[] Hegra
[] Mardukth
[] Ta'akozoka
====

Nothing to say here, save that perhaps after finishing this Arc there will be a greater delay between posts, as I am entering a delicate period and until the middle of December I will be quite busy.

ebolasos · Nov 17, 2015

You are a horrible person for adding in ponys

Green Sun, Black Shadows (CG/Exalted)

Does not have a custom title.

Probably evil, unfortunately.

Probably evil, unfortunately.

Pet the pretty kitty? Y/N

Hiiii please be my friend!