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Green Sun, Black Shadows (CG/Exalted)

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SirLagginton said:
She had a lot of stress building up since the invasion, learning that the Britannians murdered her dad and burnt her house down (which also resulted in her nearly dying) did not help things. She was going to snap sooner or later at the rate she was going.
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No, the snapping was fine, I just meant the wording is all. Sorry.
 
Estro said:
I was a spoiled child. I was given personal tutors in every subject, my every whim attended too. I was taught a language so old it predates the pyramids, predates what the rest of the world knows a civilisation. It was when I was nine that I found out why I was treated such. My family tree, in all the glory it holds, is entirely Dragonbloods for Six generations back. I was, as much as such a thing could be, a 'sure exalt'. My family had staked most of it's influence on its continuing to have a unbroken line of Dragonbloods.

You can guess what happened.

I reached the age by which I should of exalted at, and my family's opinion stuttered and I was slowly sidelined from the public eye. And then my brother exalted.

In a matter of two weeks I was picked up and thrown to the metaphorical door. I was shipped off to Area 5, given a job in the bureaucracy of that small, cold, terrible island. And I did my best. Oh, god, I was an idiot then. I worked my way up the Area's government, until I came to effectively rule part of that island. And I made it flourish. I took that area and I turned it from a collection of rural towns and villages into a prospering series of Cities. The amount the Area made in a year is now, barely one and a half decades later, the amount it collects in tax in a quarter. The quality of life in that Area is almost equal to that of Britannia itself!

And then I recived a summons to the court of Charles vi Britannia. I was overjoyed. Recognition for my work. And then I arrived off the plane and was snatched away by my mother, and told I just needed to sit quietly. It was my brother's wedding to one of the minor royals that I was brought there for. What had he done? Killed some Indonesian cannibals? Helped invade another area? I had rebuilt and entire areas economy, and no one seemed to care.

After I was sent back to Area 5 it took not three months for the fucking Empoorer to use his well trained skills in nepotism and throw me out of my job in favour of one of his princes. Pah. I spent three months working out to how to take back my job, and then I failed. I stood in front of that nepotistic idiot for two minutes before politely bowing out without saying anything.

You want to know why I should have your blessing?

Becuase I will give up all of that, my memories, my loves, my hate, for a chance again.

In the black void a laughing wind blew.

Name: Tarana Cheshire
Concept: Mad Crafter

Caste: Scourge
Patron Yozi:Adorjan
Favoured Yozi: Ta'akoza

Anima Banner: A howling red brown wind surrounds Tarana, with ethereal eyes and smiles flickering in the wind , all presided over by a laughing hat.
Motivation: To destroy all evidence of her past life
Urge: Bring Dorothea Ernst to Malfeas. (Adorjani)

Attributes: Strength: 2; Dexterity: 5; Stamina: 2; Charisma:2; Manipulation:3; Appearance:2; Perception: 3; Intelligence:4 ; Wits:4

Abilities:
- Favoured: Craft 5, Bureaucracy 5, Lore 2, Occult 2, Melee 2
- Caste (Scourge): Athletics 3, Awareness 2, Dodge 5, Larceny 2, Stealth 2,
- Unfavoured: Linguistics 2 (Native:English, Old Realm, Icelandic), Investigation 1, Socialize 1,

Specialties: Craft (Fire) 3; Craft (Earth) 2 *; Craft (Air) 2, Bureaucracy (Area 5 Govenment) 3; Socialize (Negagations) 2,

*From Unwoven Coadjutor
Permanent Essence: 2
Virtues: Compassion: 1 Conviction: 3 Valor:2 Temperance: 3

Willpower: 8
Backgrounds: Cult (Yozi): 1
Backing (Yozi) 1
Influence (Yozi) 1

Unwoven Coadjuator 3 (A Marotte)
Contacts 2 (Area 5)
Influence 2 (Area 5)

Trait from the Unwoven Coadjutor: Tarana's hair rearranges itself whenever she is asleep [-0]
Charms: Adorjan First Excellency
Wind Borne Stride (x2)
Running to Forever
Murder is Meat
Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion
Gravity-Rebuking Grace
Sacred Kamilla's Inhalation
Freedom Lets Go
Thousand Typhoon Hand

This is my first time attempting to make an Infernal (or any Exalted character) so feel free to point out the many, many points I have failed, for I'm quite sure they are there.
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Alright, it's mostly good. There are only a few issues:

1) "I was shipped off to Area 5, given a job in the bureaucracy of that small, cold, terrible island." As you can see here, Area 5 doesn't fit the description. Maybe you meant Area 2 (Greenland)?
2) If it wasn't already given you can find Ta'akozoka Charms here: they're pretty good for a bureaucrat.
3) Craft (Fire), Craft (Earth) 2 and Craft (Air) 2 are not specialties. The Craft Ability is special because it's divided into a sub-tree, and purchasing dots in one doesn't do the same for the others. So replace "Craft 5" with: Craft (Fire) 3; Craft (Earth) 2 *; Craft (Air) 2.
4) Add Adorjan First Excellency.
5) You can add two more non-general Charms if you want, but you don't need to if you don't want.
6) Does Tarana has a picture?
7) Just a curiosity of mine: why is the concept "Mad Crafter" if Tarana was a bureaucrat?

Azunth said:
Because Cecelyne doesn't have a chosen yet. Use if you like him.

George Tollenmach.

The aging, grey-haired doctor sat outside the operating room, surrounded by empty bottles of Tequila and rum. He couldn't save them. He came here to save lives, to spread knowledge, and he was failing.

Juan, that wonderful boy, opened the door. "Dr. T, it's no use getting yourself worked up like this."

George sighed. "I know. I should be preparing to meet with Secretary Acton, not sitting here feeling sorry for myself. The hospital needs that money." He looked to the empty bottles of put neatly alcohol, then at his student. "How are we doing on disinfectant?" Using alcohol to disinfect wounds and tools had helped stretch out the proper disinfectant, but they were starting to run low on even that

"We're running low, like with pretty much everything else. You know, you look like drunkard, surrounded by all those bottles." Juan took a deep breath, and that was a bad sign "Dr. T, even if we're lucky we only have enough supplies to make it another two weeks. Even if you pad the budget with your paycheck again."

George sighed. He made quite a bit as the hospital administrator, and an irritating amount of it went to keeping up his appearances; the governors and company held the purse strings used to fund his hospital. His house was cluttered with luxuries he didn't want but would be expected by the people he had to deal with. That had been one of the most irritating discoveries he'd made, of when he'd finally gained control of the Carayao hospital.

The door opened again, and Alda walked in carrying a tray. "Dr. Tollenmach, your lunch." The middle aged Brazilian woman looked the grey-haired doctor, slumped in his chair, and then turned to Juan. "Boy, is this old fool beating himself up again?"

"That's exactly what he's doing, Abuela." That grinning traitor. "Beating himself up for not getting a miracle, and planning to talk to that old gringo back in the capital hoping for another."

Alda gave the aging britannian a glare. "Dr. Tollenmach, I have worked for you ever since I married my husband. And you are being an idiot."

George stood up, astounded "Mrs. Alda"

"No! You listen to me! You came out here hoping to bring medicine from the poor savages," a hint of a rueful grin slipped onto Georges face as he heard the words of his younger self, "and you did that and more. You built up this hospital, you saved my husband when he was injured, and you taught my son to be a Doctor. You brought young men and woman into this place and taught them right, and you kept this hospital open for five years even as the company gave you less and less money. Your generosity knows no bounds."

George raised an eyebrow. "Mrs. Alda, you know I do nothing for free. Everything from my services to my patronage has it's price." And that was true. Under the excuse of "practical training", he'd made service at the hospital mandatory for those who wanted to learn from him, where he could use a pair of skilled hands and a place where he could instill a sense of obligation and ones lessers- or better yet, a genuine understanding that britannia had lucked into it's strength- into them without interference. Every student had been exploited for their time, skills, and sometimes money, and many of them had thanked him for it. The same went for his patients, once the money from the company dried up. He insisted that every patient pay what they owe used his more criminal patients-both Three and Britannian- to set up illicit operations that funneled money back into his own coffers, and built of favors from highly placed patients, building his network. Even his charity did not come free. Between the money and the favors and the loans, he was probably the richest man in town.

"That is a lie and you know it. You'd fund this hospital out of your own pocket if you could. Every man and woman knows that if you're squeezing them, it's because you know they can afford it, and there's some other poor fool who needs the help." The words struck true, almost surprising him. He'd considered funding the hospital personally, but even all his savings wound't run the hospital for more than a month. He built his favors, gathered wealth by any means, and squeezed people, manipulated them. He'd thought he'd just been getting his price; he'd always been a big believer in never giving anything away; people should be able to stand strong on their own.

But in retrospect, it's kind of funny that as greedy and as harsh as he was supposed to be, he'd given so many chances and so hated spending on himself.

He really was an idiot. It was one thing to be a hypocrite, it was quite another not to realize it. Dr. Goeorge Tollenmach chuckled. "Thank you Mrs. Alba. You've given me some perspective. Juan, I'll need you to take care of my patients for today; I need to prepare for my trip to the capital. Hopefully, I'll be able to talk Secretary Acton into throwing some money our way- I trained his brother and his son- but it case I fail…Juan, you still have those books I loaned you?

"Every last one, Dr. T."

"Good. If this fails, the people here will be relying upon you, doctor."

Juan's eyes bugged out slightly. "Uh, Doc, I know abuela all the guys around town call me doc, but I'm not really a Doctor-"

"You have the mind, you have the training, you have the experience. It does not matter if others cannot stand to acknowledge your superiority. You were cheated of that title, Juan." Tollenmach saw Juan's hand clench momentarily at that word. Cheating was a sensitive spot for the young man, for good reason. "And now if you'll excuse me…"

He stood up and walked out the door, leaving the grinning Mrs. Alba and her grandson, Juan- no, Dr. Alba- spechless and open mouthed in his wake. He had work to do.

****

Damien Acton, the secretary of Medical Affairs for Area three, was a short, roundish , balding man with a genial smile and the easy charisma of an natural politician. He sat comfortably at a stately hardwood desk covered in neatly arranged papers, his office painted a dark blue and a large window overlooking the city at his back. "Ah, Dr. Tollenmach! It's good to see you again. Take a seat. Please, let me pour you a drink."

Dr. Tollenmach sank into the overstuffed chair and gratefully took the drink. "Thank you. How is your nephew doing?"

"Wonderfully! He's got his own practice back in the homeland now. He told me to give you his regards." With that, Anton's smile fell too quickly to have been real, replaced by a reluctant sadness that Tollenmach was sure was not wholly fake. "Doctor, I'm going to be straight with you. I know you got a soft spot for the Threes. And I know you've fought to keep that hospital of yours alive."

Tollenmach nodded. "Mining is a dangerous profession to everyone involved, and it's the only hospital within any reasonable distance from the mines, and only of two within the whole province. With the amount of economic benefit from the mines themselves, and the fact that my hospital often has ended up servicing more than the mine's workers, it would be absurd to leave Central Hospital as the only medical center in the whole region."

Damien, one of the best poker players Tollenmach knew, let out a wince, and the doctor knew he had lost in that moment.

"That is…very true. True enough that others have agreed." He put some papers on his desk. "You may want to read these."

Tollenmach picked up the documents. The first was a the legal paperwork for a hospital. Somewhere closer to the city than where his hospital was located, but not too much. Funded by the government, but with some help from the company.

The second was an order to shut down the Carayao hospital, effective yesterday. The coin dropped. "I'm being replaced."

Damien nodded. "They've already have a senior staff all lined up. You've got a lot of people who like an owe you, but none of them can force the hand of the Mr. Neville and Governor Maxwell himself. You'll be able to get a position at Central without a problem, at least. They can't force you off entirely."

That…that wasn't so bad. Juan would still be around. He had the books, so he could teach others. And he wasn't the only student, merely the brightest- and he still had enough life, money, and favors left to train a few more. Even if the new hospital refused to treat the Three's, they would still have a proper doctor. "Well, I can't say this is pleasant, but it's better than I'd feared-"

Then some young twenty-something man crashed through the oak doors in a sweat-stained suit, out of breath and with a sheaf of papers in a deathgrip. "Secretary Anton I need to speak with you immediately! Governor Maxwell…the army…" Panting, the young man held out the papers.

Damien took the papers and read them rapidly while the younger man gained his breath. The middle-aged politician swore. "Those damn bastards!"

"Anton, what's going on?"

"The Governor is ordering the military to 'keep the peace' in the mines. He says an investigative team has found evidence of "serious sedition" amongst the miners."

"That's impossible." If the Three's were plotting rebellion, you'd have heard about it. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"Maybe not impossible, but I know it's false. That team told the governor no such thing- I was in that meeting. It's a flat out lie, and many people know it. Under the emergency powers act, he's mobilizing the army and shutting down the Honorary Britannian program…damn them!" Anton threw the papers down on the desk, scattering them. "Dr. Tollenmach, you need to hear something."

What is going on? "Anton, you're making me very concerned."

"George, Mr. Neville and the Governor have been among the more radical Purebloods for years; they think Britannia is being too gentle in area 11, and Maxwell has control over the military. They wanted to advance the ideas thought by that Lambton lunatic. They couldn't do it because they couldn't get the funding from either the King or Parliment. But Neville has decided to use his own funds for much of it, while Maxwell is using every pretext he can fabricate to provide him the muscle he needs."

Tollenmach blanched, suddenly sick. He'd heard of Lambton. Read his work, and then burned it, and felt nauseous afterwards. Lambton been an early opponent of the honorary brittanian idea, and instead supported the idea of the conquered people being nothing but manual, unskilled labor- and that Britannia should "adjust" conquered peoples through the creation of specialized "slave cultures" to be taught to children, eugenics, and purges until they more properly fit their role. His ideas had been both immoral and impractical, and included…oh no.

"They cannot do this. It's against the law; Maxwell has tried to push this pet project of his before, but the parliament denied him, and courts ruled he didn't have the authority under law, and the King refused Maxwell's request. This is a clear attempt to circumvent rule of law, and the only way any of the local families would agree to this is under threat of force. Once the king gets word of this defiance-"

All was lost.

He interrupted his sometime ally. "They waited until I was here. Nobody else has the power to object- and if I was around to be a witness, people would listen to me. Without, they can say whatever they want, and bully the rest."

"…Yes, that is true. They wouldn't have been able to do this had you been around to object in person. You have too much influence, and neither of them have direct authority over you."

He stood up. "Mr. Anton, I need to be going. I have a phone call to make."

"Doctor!" He turned back to the Secretary. "If Neville really going to work from Lambton's playbook, then he's going to drive his company into the ground. Maxwell is ruining his career with this move; this is a virtually indisputable case for corruption, he's made several obvious lies, and his enemies will crush him as soon as they file the right forms. Once that happens, things go one of two ways. One, he accepts the rule of law, and the families destroy him in the courts. He doesn't have a leg to stand on legally. Two, he threatens them at gunpoint, and things continue until the Homeland catches wind of Maxwell running Area Three as his private kingdom, and comes to crush him for defying britannian law and threatening the noble families. Now, Neville may not like you, but you're too popular to get rid of- and that didn't work the last time they tried it. All you need to do is wait somewhere safe, somewhere where you can't have an "accident", and you can retire to a life of peace, or a cushy job, and probably get those reforms you wanted through. If you go back there, all you will achieve is getting yourself killed."

Tollenmach thought. He considered what he knew. He thought about the odds of Britannia ever accepting that non-Britannians could achieve true strength and greatness, that Britannia might become the vehicle for enlightenment and civilization he thought it was in his youth."

"Anton, the first time I saw the law broken like this was when several of our countrymen tried to beat up a Three- and lost, in broad daylight, in front of a dozen witnesses- and the Three was the one who got tried for attempted murder. The second time was when Juan got expelled from medical school for cheating. This will be the third time. I came here to make people strong, Anton. Britannia has made it clear it's not interested true strength."

He ran from the room without waiting for a reply. When he made the call, nobody picked up.

All was lost. If Neville was going to use his company as a playground for Lambton's ideas, they would actively hunt down the seeds of medical expertise he had sown. They'd do more than that; they'd actively be taking the young children, he needed to get back, Juan had younger siblings, he needed to get back.


*******

When he came back, all the children were already gone.

Mr. and Mrs. Alba were dead in their own homes. The hospital staff had been killed down to the janitor, their bodies burned even has britannia soldiers rotted in the streets- because they would have spoken out, at least some of them. Juan's own small apartment was ransacked- all you- all his- books were gone. Taken. The homes of his extended family were filled with the bodies of his relatives. People he knew.

Tollenmach ran about the streets, trying to find somebody he knew, someone who would speak to him. All he could find were Three's who knew his name and face but had never spoken to him- from them he learned that Juan was supposed to be a "ringleader", and that he was supposed to be one as well There were soldiers who demanded that he "come in for questioning". He ran- he might have beat them, in his youth, but not now.

This wasn't skirting around the law. This was ignoring it entirely, legislative process be damned. And they could get away with it, simply because he had gotten the support of the army and decided to kill and slander anyone who might oppose him. He did not find Juan; Juan found him. He'd manage to hide for the past few days. They sat down in the ruins of an old house. Juan spoke first.

"Dr. T…they killed my whole family. Even the kids. They just took the kids from anybody else, but my brother and cousins…"

George didn't say anything. He simply embraced the young Three; none of his family were around to do it for him.

"What are we going to do, Doc?"

He had an answer. Part of one. "Return to the homeland." At Juan's astounded look, he explained. "I still have money and contacts. We can flee the country" if his few underground contacts didn't kill him instead "and when the backlash ruins Maxwell and Neville drives his company into the ground with his ideas, we can re-emerge from hiding. There is no way they'll get away with this; somebody will talk, and many will hate them, and if nothing else the homeland won't stand for this clean violation of law." But he didn't believe that last part.

"If I might intrude?"

That was when a suit of armor came in, and to the astounded pair of them, made the sales pitch on Dr. Tollenmach becoming a servant of Hell. He made a surprisingly good case. Tollenmach asked for some time to think about it, and the strange armor- Nornetic- had said by dawn, and no longer.

That night, Tollenmach approached Juan as he sat on the roof and looked up at the stars. "If I agree to that…creature's offer, what will you do?"

"I'd follow you Dr. T. I've got nowhere else to go, nobody to be here for, and I figure if Hell has got people like you in it, it can't be that bad."

A few minutes later, Tollenbach told Nornetic he accepted. The armor broke apart, flew towards him, and-

*******
He found himself in a desert of silvery sands, pale and desolate. It was dark, and he could hear nothing.

He heard the whisper of the sands. "So your little empire is broken and fallen down. Taken by force by those who ignored the law."

"Yes." He suppose it was crazy, to speak with the desert. "By those two idiots. They're going to ruin everything. Not just what i build…what others built. They're going to run Area 3 bankrupt. Lambton's plans are mad. The king condemned them, when they were published. They'll bankrupt Area Three, destroy its people, and everyone will hate them. I don't know how they could do this. It's idiotic."

"Yes, their…ill-considered plots. There are better ways to ensure loyalty. But you know that quite well." The desert paused. They hated you, you know. "

"I knew they disliked me, but I was not expecting hatred."

"You were cleverer than them, planned for the…long term. You amassed true loyalty, . You gave and took and equal measure, used what you had to build more, while they frittered their time and power away in foolish struggles. And now, they're going to ignore the wisdom you had taught, and kill your students and try and rule through nothing more than brute force. They have ruined you, and will ruin themselves and the land they rule. While you would have brought prosperity, ruled more completely, and been thanked for it. That understanding of people...it is what drew my eye toward you. It is something we have in common."

"Truly?" He didn't trust himself to say more.

"Yes. I was the judge between my siblings. I was the best among them at knowing their hearts and arbitrating their disputes, so I became the first maker of the law. It was I who first invented debt, so that I might build up others in my service and worship, and trade with those who were nothing but could be something, one day." A sigh like a shifting sand dune. "I really was the only one among us who could plan properly long term. It was so irritating that that Malfeas took command."

Something sticks out. "You…invented debt? How is that possible?"

"I and my siblings are the architects of creation. Debt is but one of our many miracles."

And then it clicks, inside his head. "You must be one of the Yozi's."

"Yes."

The sands leap up in a sudden storm all around him, blotting up the sky. The blow around with no wind, the sand stinging his skin but leaving the air still. Tollenmach looks up, and sees a giant, feminine face looming above him.

"We are alike, Dr. Tollenmach. You knew the desires of others, and gave them, and reaped great rewards in return. You grew others strength, bound them to you, and grew in power in turn. You were wise and mighty, and with your influence, Area Three and Britannia might have prospered. But those who ruled Britannia spurned your generosity threw you down out of cruel selfish stupidity.

I knew the desires of others, provided them, and reaped great rewards when those debts were repaid. I was wise, mighty and glorious, and creation prospered under my law. But heaven betrayed me, shattered my law, and taught me the same lesson you have so recently been taught yourself."

"The strong rule the weak. This is the only law. But with time and patience, we might build the world up again with into true glory under it's rightful rulers, those who know of true strength. Kneel down and worship me, and know, Dr. Tollenmach you are chosen of the Endless Desert!"


He knelt, and prayed, and dreamed of an empire whose people bent their knees willingly for his gifts. It would be nice.



*******

When he emerged, he decided to try and rescue those kidnappd children with those that survived. That went surprisingly well.

***************

Dr. Tollenmach
Caste: Defiler
Concept: Ruined Doctor
Motivation: To spread medical knowledge throughout the world.
Urge: Enlave all sources of medical knowledge and place them in the service of hell's armies. (Cecelynian)
Patron Yozi: Cecelyne
Anima Banner: A dozen concentric ring of swirling sand, spinning and shining with silvery-white light, only tinted green at the edges.

Attributes Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Intelligence 5, Wits 2, Perception 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2

Abilities: Archery 3, War 1, Integrity 3, Performance 2, Presence 3, Investigation 3, Medicine 4 , Lore 3 (Myths of Hell),Bureaucracy 3, Linguistics 1 (English, Spanish), Socialize 3
Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 1, Temperance 2, Valor 2.

Backgrounds: Allies 3 (Doctors of Area Three), Allies (Nobility) 2, Unwoven Coajator 2 (Is a Perronele), Followers 2 (Survivors of the Purge), Backing (Yozi) 1, Cult (Yozi) 1, Influence (Yozi) 1

Intimacies: Juan (Pride and friendship), Cecylene (Wary gratitude), Treating the Sick (Devotion), Maxwell and Neville (Disgusted Hatred), Britannia (Bitter Disappointment).
Willpower: 6
Essence 3

Charms

First Cecelyne Excellency, Second Cecelyne Excellency, Cecelyne Inevitability Technique, Cecelyne World-Shaping Cosmogony
First She Who Lives In her Name Excellency, Second She Who Lives In her Name Excellency, She Who Lives In her Name Inevitability Technique, She Who Lives In her Name World-Shaping Cosmogony

Hellscry Chakra
Demonic Primacy of Essence
Penitents Like Scattered Grains
Transcendent Desert Creature
Factual Determination Analysis
Essence Dissceting Stare
Counter Conceptual Interposition
Knowing The Desolate Heart
Verdant Emptiness Endowment
Withered Soul Wastes
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This is also good. Just some corrections:
1) It's not King, it's Emperor.
2) "Urge: Enlave all sources of medical knowledge and place them in the service of hell's armies. (Cecelynian)" do you mean "Enslave?"
3) Conviction 1 is a bit low considering Doc T's story. Is this deliberate, a reflection of something?
4) I assume he was old before Exaltation? The process should have brought him back to 18-30 years range, at his strongest. Do you have a picture for the Doctor?
SirLagginton said:
The footfalls of Britannian soldiers tended to be all that you heard in Vladivostok these days, Lydia reflected as she shied away from yet another one of their military patrols, the fading sound of crunching snow and the bitter complaints of the soldiers telling her that it was safe to continue on. Gripping her precious cargo of bread tightly to her chest, she quickly scampered her way across the street.

The husks of shattered buildings loomed over as she navigated her way through the streets, broken caricatures of what used to be familiar landmarks. She hummed, the song Papa had composed for her rising up as it was wont to do.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Bogdanov." Lydia said, her face flushed in embarrassment. Stupid stupid stupid, how could she forget to bring some money with her? "I don't think I brought any money with me. I'll put this back."

Mr. Bogdanov laughed. Lydia liked it when he laughed (though not at this particular moment), it was deep and rumbly, sort of like how she would imagine a mountain laughing. He reached up and ruffled her head, eliciting a weak whine of protest from her. "Take no mind little Lydia, this will be on the house yes? It will be our little secret." He grinned conspiratorially at her.

Lydia mournfully tore her eyes away from the ruined shop, briefly ruminating the fact that it was already looted clean. Thankfully the last she had heard Mr. Bogdanov had managed to flee from the city safely. She prayed that he and his family were alright.

An acrid tang reached her nose, something after a month of burning salvaged wood and clothes told her that something was burning. Looking to the sky, she saw a thin trail of smoke rising to the sky, smoke that seemed to be growing thicker with each moment.

Smoke that was coming from the direction of her home.

PAPA!

Mr. Bogdanov's shop forgotten, she raced through the empty streets, churning snow turning back in her wake as she made her way back home, back to the source of the swelling trail of smoke.

Each beat of her heart grew just that bit more frantic as the acrid stench grew as she neared her home, her hopes that whatever was causing the fire was far enough that she could escape in time with papa dying. As she raced around the last corner she froze in horror, the scene before her searing itself into her mind.

Her assumption that the fire had started nearby her home was just that, an assumption. The flames were just beginning to roar, grown swollen on the diet of dry wood and carpeting that made up her house. The door was gone, the remains of the shattered hinges suggesting whoever made that entry was less than polite.

She didn't even hesitate.

The oily black smoke clung coyly to her throat and lungs as she charged in, leaving her to choke out rasping coughs. "Papa! Papa!" She screamed, looking vainly around, hoping for an answer. Being bedridden after taking that shrapnel to his back, he couldn't have gone far in this choking hell. Gritting her teeth she ran up the stairs, letting out a shriek of pain as she felt the fire flare across the skin, but trudging on regardless. At each step that accursed smoke was in her face, robbing her of oxygen and obstructing her vision. It hurt, everything hurt so much, but Papa was all that she had left. If she didn't have him, then she had nothing. She felt charred fingers wrap around a brass knob, and with a cry of desperation she heaved it open.

Why was Papa so still?

Why did-why did Papa have blood on his forehead?

"Papa," she gasped out as she dragged herself to him, "Papa please, we have to go." She begged as she shook him, ignoring the blood on him, ignoring that dark circle on his head. "PAPA PLEASE." She screamed, shaking him. Whydidn'thewakeuphehadtowakeupshehadnothingnobodyleftshedidn'twanttobealone.

Her breaths were getting shorter, she didn't have any time for Papa to wake. She gasped as she tried lifting Papa with her slender frame, her knees buckling but somehow miraculously managing to set him on her. She managed a single step before she collapsed face first on the ground, the touch of the charring floor leaving her screaming as the heat tore at her unprotected face. She got up sobbing, ignoring the skin that she left on the floor, and promptly collapsed again. This time she couldn't feel her limbs. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get up this time.

By now it hurt to even breathe, let alone speak, but she didn't want to let it end like this.

She stared out at the rain pouring outside, her small six-year old frame struggling valiantly to stay balanced on the sofa so she could look out. She always liked the rain, it made her feel calm and happy, the pitter patter making her think of a piano playing. Like Papa!

Having reaffirmed this irrefutable argument why rain was good to herself, she tumbled off the sofa, and ran to the living room where Papa was staring at his shiny clock on the family piano. Maybe he would play something for her today!

Papa looked at her running in and laughed, scooping her up and making her fly! She liked that too! It was just one of the many reasons why he was Best Papa! He plopped her on his lap and opened up his shiny clock, which had these musical notes stuck inside, he smiled at her like he was sharing something super-secret and only for her. "You see this Lydia? I wrote this song for you, do you want to listen to it and see if Papa did a good job?"

"Okay!"



The last thing she remembered was an enormous black shadow looming over her, for some reason sparking green of all things through the haze of the smoke, it sort of sounded like it was speaking to her. It sounded…unhappy?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lydia groaned as she opened her eyes, pain wracking every square centimeter of her body as she greedily gasped air into tortured lungs.

"Still alive pup?" A voice rumbled beside her, and looking to see the source Lydia let out a shriek of surprise and jerked away. A shadow towered above her, a nightmare thing of obsidian abyss and sparking emerald flame that seemed to grudgingly coalesce into the form of a titanic hound. Glaring at her with a baleful green eye, it apparently took her shocked terror as a sign to continue on. "I'll cut to the chase then, I'm here as a messenger on behalf of greater powers than you or I. On behalf of my masters I am here to offer you the power to right your failures and reclaim what is rightfully yours."

"I-uh, power?" Lydia stuttered, flabbergasted. "What are you?"

The creature sighed, a torrent of green sparks kicked up through its mouth. "My name is Zahan, a Chernobaal, what you mortals often call a Hellhound. I am alpha of the pack around you." Lydia's heart leapt to her throat as she noticed for the first time the multitude of green stars peering out from the shadows around her.

Trying to get her raging heartbeat under control between the awful pain and the giant demonic dog right in front of her, she spoke. "You said you were offering…power? There's a catch isn't there."

"Your free will will remain untouched if that's what you're worried about." In a disturbingly familiar gesture it-Zahan reared up a hind leg up to scratch at his ear. "You'll be given orders by the masters, held accountable for failures, etc stuff like that. In return you can do whatever you please as long as it doesn't interfere with their goals."

"Your masters?"

"The Yozi. They who were once Primordials. They who wrought Creation and ruled it as the righteous, until they were ousted by the gods they created to serve them." The green embers that were Zahan's eyes burned. "I've watched you pup, seen you scavenge for scraps left behind by your so-called betters, work in the blood and mire of war, too stubborn to give up but too weak to do anything but fold when those stronger than you sought to carve their mark on your flesh." It cackled bitterly as it turned to show her the side of its neck. "We are kin you and I." Branded there was a rune, seared into the very shadow that made up its being.

"We both don't have much time left. Your mortal frame is dying, and the thing I carry within me unravels me as I speak. So choose pup."

Lydia swallowed, feeling the pain of the saliva forcing away down her throat blend in with all the other torturous pains assaulting her body. Zahan was right in the fact that she was likely going to die shortly after this if she didn't accept its offer. For a moment she was tempted to refuse and just die, to either her wounds or to the beast in front of her. With Papa dead and everyone else gone why would she even bother to go on?

But then she clenched her fists, ignoring the way her hands agonisingly protested, that had been a gunshot wound on Papa's forehead wasn't it?

She stared the beast straight in the eye. "I accept."

Zahan grinned ferally before he paused. "I guess since you're not going to die you'll be wanting this back." It spat something out before in a shower of green sparks. "Got this from a group of Britannian soldiers my pack snacked on before coming to save you."

The last thing Lydia saw before Zahan pulled his jaw impossibly wide and consumed her was the shining form of her father's pocketwatch.


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She was home again.

The walls were untouched, the door was in place, and no smoke haunted the corridor. It was like the fire had never touched it all in the first place.

And she could hear music playing from the living room.



"Papa?" She called out cautiously, hoping against hope that everything she experienced was some sort of bizarre nightmare. She took a deep breath and ran for the door. "Papa?!"

She opened the door and was immediately assault by a cacophony of screams. She was in a tent now, with wounded and dying men and women surrounding her in a series of bloody cots. Stiffly, almost robotically she picked a triage tag sheet and headed for the nearest casualty, a man with half of his skin flayed off and great chunks torn from his chest, and trembling she made to put a black sticker on him-

The world melted away in a deluge of quicksilver, the triage station twisting away and reforming into a great silver forest. The "trees" stretched into the sky for infinity, roots and branches snaking through both the black earth below and webbing the skies above. Upon an infinite times infinity she could see her infinitely fragmenting reflection in the infinite forest around, a display that more than anything else in her short lifetime made her realise how small she was.

All the while Papa's song was still playing.

"Child."

As one her reflections all turned to look at her, a tilt to their heads that she knew she was mirroring now. "You give much, but all others do is return hatred back upon you. Doomed child, what did you think would be at the end on that tragic road you walk?"

"I-" Her voice faltered traitorously, her very being quailing at the instinctive knowledge that she was speaking to her patron. A Yozi, a being who had created the world itself from the unreality of Before. "I did it because it was right!" She shuddered and collapsed on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling wetness on her cheeks. "I just wanted to make people happy…"

"And yet the Britannians disagree." Silver bubbled up before her, forming into Britannian soldiers, beating and brutalizing people she knew. "You are weak, so who are you to define what is right in this universe? You dream, but lack the ability to reflect them unto reality. You are pathetic."

"I KNOW!" She screamed, getting back up and looking at the Silver Forest hatefully. "I'VE HAD THAT POUNDED INTO ME EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR, EVERY SECOND SINCE THE BRITANNIANS ARRIVED. I KNOW I'M PATHETIC, I KNOW I'M WEAK. BUT YOU," she glared at the reflections before her, "You wanted service, and you offered power in return right? ISN'T THAT WHY YOU'RE HERE?! TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT?"

The Forest rumbled, sounding eerily like Mr. Bogdanov. It took that connection for her to realise that it was laughing. "To impose your ideals upon the world, some would say that you are mad. That you are a tyrant. A mad tyrant even."

"Better me than Britannia." She spat. "As long as they exist nobody can be happy, nobody can be free, nobody can be allowed to live. If I have to be a mad tyrant to see everyone get their happy end then that's what I'll do."

The rumbling grew louder, and the soldiers melted away. Her reflections leered keenly at her, grinning too wide grins, their eyes possessing an inhuman quality that seemed to pierce through her.


I AM SZORNEY, THE SILVER FOREST. KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY CHOSEN.

GO FORTH, AND SEE THAT ALL THE WORLD IS A MIRROR FOR YOUR IDEALS

​
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The Chrysalis melted, quicksilver dripping away as unholy flames roared from within. Lydia stepped out, a sublime grace to her posture that hadn't been there before. The cold however informed her of several important items now missing from her person. She blinked and looked down before letting out a shriek of surprise. "Ah, what happened to my clothes?!"

"You'll live pup, steal some new ones if you have to."

"You're in my head?!"

"I can't do anything but sit around and look out from here, your mind is safe."

"I-Okay, okay." So looked at the hellhound pack that was bowing before her now. "So what happens to them?"

"That's up for you to decide pup, you're the Alpha now. Whatever you say goes." She could feel his ghostly shrug. Could dogs even shrug?

"Iunno. I'm not a dog."

Lydia sighed as she bent down to retrieve the shining gold pocketwatch at her feet and held it to herself. This place held nothing to her anymore, not after her home was burnt down and Papa was dead. Where could she go now?

…West, she could go west. That was where the rest of the army was fighting the Britannians right? As long as the Empire stood, then she would never get anything done. She had to go West.

But first, she shivered as a Chernobaal came up and nuzzled her, first she needed to find some clothes.


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Name: Lydia Vladimirovna Litvyak
Age: 15
Motivation: Create a world where everyone can be happy and give Britannia its just due
Urge: Sing the song of ruin upon the shattered remains of Britannian cultural landmarks (Cecelynian)
Caste: Slayer
Patron Yozi: Szorney
Anima Banner: A banner of silver flame, green-tinged musical notes constantly being woven within
Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4; Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 4
Virtues: Compassion 5, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, Valor 3
Abilities: Archery 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 5 (Swords +2), Thrown 1, War 1, Integrity 5, Performance 3 (Singing +2, Piano +2), Resistance 3, Survival 1, Lore 1, Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 5 (Against Exalts +2), Linguistics 1 (Native: Russian. English)
Backgrounds: Backing (Yozi) 2, Cult (Yozi) 1, Influence (Yozi) 1, Unwoven Coadjutor (Zahan) 5, Demon Followers (Chernobaal Pack) 3
Essence: 2
Willpower: 8

Notes: Zahan is an Chernobaal

Traits from Unwoven Coadjutor: Whenever she coughs green sparks pour out (-0 Points)

Intimacies:
Father (Love, Trauma, Vengeance)(Negative), Singing/Piano (Nostalgic, Passionate)(Positive), Britannia (Loathing)(Negative), Chernobaal Pack (Gratitude, Companions)(Positive), Szorney (Gratitude)(Positive)

Charms;
Malfeas:
- First Malfeas Excellency
- Second Malfeas Excellency
- Hardened Devil Body (x3)
- By Pain Reforged
- Scar-Writ Saga Shield
- Insignificant Embers Intuition
- Green Sun Nimbus Flare

Szorney:
- First Szorney Excellency
- Second Szorney Excellency
- Mirror Matches Movement
- Meeting Mirror Deflection
- Quicksilver Sap Transfusion
- New Growth Meditation (x3)
- Broken Mirror Mending
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Nice story :). There are only a few corrections to make:
1) Vladivostok, I saw, is near Japan. Is this story happening in the future, when Britannia tries to invade Russia?
2) If Szoreny is Lydia's Patron, she should have his Urge. Szoreny's Urge is:
Szoreny - The Sylvan Urge (The Urge to Reflect)

Szoreny, the Silver Forest, is in some ways among the least destructive of the Yozis. He rarely kills his foes, and those of his lessers that die among his leaves often do so because they sought to take more from him than was wise. But those who think that Szoreny cares for the well-being of others would be gravely mistaken; Szoreny reflects greatness, and those reflections that offend him, he either destroys or corrupts into unrecognizability.
Szoreny possesses within him an infinity of reflections of the world not as it is, but as it could be. More to the point, these are visions of the world as he would find it pleasing, though every one is different. Those possessed of Sylvan Urges have visions of the world that would most please them, and work toward these visions, transforming the world around into a more perfect reflection of what is in their minds.
Princes with Sylvan Urges may come across as having a human viewpoint, but continued interaction with them soon makes it clear that the similarities between a human and a Sylvan Prince are an illusion, as imperfect a reflection as any in Szoreny's silvery trunks. The appearance of an interest in community conceals a need for unity under one vision, and Sylvan Princes are ultimately all the more unnerving because of their seeming humanity.

High-Compassion Sylvan Princes are pleased most by that which they find beautiful and sublime, whether artistically, emotionally or conceptually. They are driven to spread such beauty across the world, but their aesthetics are alien and sometimes impossible, often encompassing themes of dualism and irony. The question of whether those around them would appreciate this beauty is rarely even considered. There is always something about their devotion that renders such beauty unnerving to others, from the "pure love" of pedophilia to the "subtle irony" of a death rictus to the "singular artistry" of a person's innocence shattered forever.
High-Conviction Sylvan Princes not only have a powerful belief system, but are driven to share it with those around them, or correct those who cannot see that the Prince's vision of the world is the best of all worlds. Some Princes pursue their visions with single-minded zeal, for as long as they have them, but the reflections in the Silver Forest are forever changing, and these Princes can be prone to reinterpretations of their own beliefs, either over time or in epic epiphanies. Other Princes defy that which they most admire, drawing strength of purpose from their enemies' arguments and losing interest as victory draws near.
High-Temperance Sylvan Princes share Szoreny's patient, thoughtful nature, but also share an endless fascination with that which tempts them the most. That which tempts a person is a reflection of their true, hidden nature, and these Princes recognize this. Some of these Princes choose to embrace temptation and encourage others to do so as well, learning more about them in the process. Other Princes enforce abstinence on personal and societal scales, repressing temptation until it boils over.
High-Valor Sylvan Princes destroy that which threatens their ideal visions and create wars for the purpose of having opponents worth fighting. These Princes are book-burners, mob leaders and warlords who use every conquest as a staging ground for greater conquests yet.

Possible examples of Sylvan Urges might include the following:
-Found a city where demon-blooded can live without fear of persecution.
-Teach slaves to find contentment with their enslavement.
-Hunt down and ritualistically murder murderers in Chiaroscuro.
-Lead a band of rebels to destroy all Realm presence in the Lap.
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3) Where did Lydia learn: Archery 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 5 (Swords +2), Thrown 1, War 1, Dodge 5 (Against Exalts +2)? Was she trained by someone?
 
New version:

The Sevenfold Scripture
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: What Is And What Should Never Be

Oramus is a being unto itself, but needs must when he has to ensure others know and understand him. That this mad knowledge threatens to destroy the target's sanity is the natural course of things for the Galleon Atop the Waves of Madness. The Green Sun Prince choose a medium of communication (writing, dancing, singing) upon activating this Charm. For the remaining of the scene, each time the Infernal performs the selected medium she may choose to hide a meaning, like a word or concept, under six others like a code, which can be understood only by the chosen recipient. Targets like "my Coven" and "Yozi cultists" are valid recipients for this Charm. It is said that a book written by such an Infernal is truly a Sevenfold Scripture, revealing the truths of the world piecemeal to the worthy ones. Characters that aren't the chosen recipient can roll (Perception + Investigation) against the Infernal's [(Intelligence)+(used Ability)], to a maximum of seven, to determine the true meaning behind the six others. Doing so carries a risk however: for each roll to determine the true meaning the character also roll (Wits+Integrity) with a difficulty of the Infernal's Essence: failing the roll inflicts the character with a Derangement, chosen by the Storyteller, with a points value equal or lesser than [(rolled successes)-(roll's difficulty)].
A repurchase at Essence 4 allows the Green Sun Prince to embed the message itself into the recipient or some other target, in some cases driving them utterly insane as the knowledge sears itself into their minds, forcing them to repeat or reproduce the message in some way that can be perceived by others at least once a day. This is considered Unnatural Mental Influence and costs 2 wp to resist.


What do you think?
 
It'd be nice if their was more clarity on the effects on the poor bloke used as a living message. I'm assuming he rolls to see if he's insane in the same way you roll to see if you're insane when you try to decode the message if it's a normal message?
 
Alexander89 said:
1) "I was shipped off to Area 5, given a job in the bureaucracy of that small, cold, terrible island." As you can see here, Area 5 doesn't fit the description. Maybe you meant Area 2 (Greenland)?
2) If it wasn't already given you can find Ta'akozoka Charms here: they're pretty good for a bureaucrat.
3) Craft (Fire), Craft (Earth) 2 and Craft (Air) 2 are not specialties. The Craft Ability is special because it's divided into a sub-tree, and purchasing dots in one doesn't do the same for the others. So replace "Craft 5" with: Craft (Fire) 3; Craft (Earth) 2 *; Craft (Air) 2.
4) Add Adorjan First Excellency.
5) You can add two more non-general Charms if you want, but you don't need to if you don't want.
6) Does Tarana has a picture?
7) Just a curiosity of mine: why is the concept "Mad Crafter" if Tarana was a bureaucrat?
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1) Ah, I was going by the CG wiki which lists Area 5 as Iceland. I'll make it two.
3) I'll edit that.
4)Done.
5) I'll go have another look at the charm trees,
6) I'll have a look.
7) I wanted to create an Adorjani crafter, and then I started sketching out the backstory and it went in a rather bureaucratic direction.
 
Estro said:
1) Ah, I was going by the CG wiki which lists Area 5 as Iceland. I'll make it two.
3) I'll edit that.
4)Done.
5) I'll go have another look at the charm trees,
6) I'll have a look.
7) I wanted to create an Adorjani crafter, and then I started sketching out the backstory and it went in a rather bureaucratic direction.
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Shoot! Sorry I made a mistake: I mean "Adorjan Second Excellency". Sorry!
 
Alexander89 said:
New version:

The Sevenfold Scripture
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: What Is And What Should Never Be

Oramus is a being unto itself, but needs must when he has to ensure others know and understand him. That this mad knowledge threatens to destroy the target's sanity is the natural course of things for the Galleon Atop the Waves of Madness. The Green Sun Prince choose a medium of communication (writing, dancing, singing) upon activating this Charm. For the remaining of the scene, each time the Infernal performs the selected medium she may choose to hide a meaning, like a word or concept, under six others like a code, which can be understood only by the chosen recipient. Targets like "my Coven" and "Yozi cultists" are valid recipients for this Charm. It is said that a book written by such an Infernal is truly a Sevenfold Scripture, revealing the truths of the world piecemeal to the worthy ones. Characters that aren't the chosen recipient can roll (Perception + Investigation) against the Infernal's [(Intelligence)+(used Ability)], to a maximum of seven, to determine the true meaning behind the six others. Doing so carries a risk however: for each roll to determine the true meaning the character also roll (Wits+Integrity) with a difficulty of the Infernal's Essence: failing the roll inflicts the character with a Derangement, chosen by the Storyteller, with a points value equal or lesser than [(rolled successes)-(roll's difficulty)].
A repurchase at Essence 4 allows the Green Sun Prince to embed the message itself into the recipient or some other target, in some cases driving them utterly insane as the knowledge sears itself into their minds, forcing them to repeat or reproduce the message in some way that can be perceived by others at least once a day. This is considered Unnatural Mental Influence and costs 2 wp to resist.


What do you think?
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My main concern here is that this may be doing essentially the same thing as Szoreny's Thousand Words Picture, except with even more flexibility in terms of medium plus a few extra effects for the same XP cost:

Thousand Words Picture
Cost:4m;Mins:Essence 2;Type:Supplemental
Keywords:Combo-Ok
Duration:Instant
Prerequisite Charms:First Szoreny Excellency
Szoreny speaks with images as fluently as some speak with words. This Charm enhances a dramatic action by the Infernal to create any sort of image. It could be a doodle, a painting, or even a sculpture, so long as it is not normal script of any sort. As he creates the item, he encodes within it a message or a meaning which can be of any length. As long as the image's creation is successful, this meaning is immediately apparent to anyone who views the image. While a social attack may be encoded into the image, only one social attack may be encoded per image.
Alternatively, the Infernal can create the image in such a way that only a select few can understand its meaning. The Infernal is free to define as many or as few individuals or groups that can understand it, such as "My Coven," "The Scarlet Empress," or "The People of Nexus."
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As such it sounds like a Charm he took from Szoreny and modified to his own themes, which is not allowed for Infernals to possess.

Also, allowing seven rolls to decode the thing is almost guaranteeing it will be decoded by anyone with a decent dice pool, unless you made the difficulty the Infernal's (Intelligence + Ability) so the difficulty is really high, because all it takes is one good roll by them to decode it. The risk for a Derangement is also pretty low at Essence 2.

If you wanted to go with it maybe...
- Limit the medium to explicit message. (written or verbal)
- Have one true meaning, and six false ones. The false ones are assumed to be completely innocuous by the storyteller if the Infernal doesn't set them or specify what general type of false meaning is present.
- If someone who isn't meant to understand the true message attempts to decode it, have them roll (Perception + Investigation). Difficulty might be 7 or the Infernal's (Intelligence + Ability), whichever is greater. - On failure they must roll also (Wits + Integrity) at a difficulty of (Infernal's Essence) against receiving a Delusion Derangement that the false message is true.
- Change the prerequisite to Words That Twist Like Daggers. It seems more appropriate.

Basically, this would allow the Infernal to have a Charm that gives him Aes Sedai doublespeak to hide the meaning of his words.
 
Alexander89 said:
Nice story :). There are only a few corrections to make:
1) Vladivostok, I saw, is near Japan. Is this story happening in the future, when Britannia tries to invade Russia?
2) If Szoreny is Lydia's Patron, she should have his Urge. Szoreny's Urge is:

3) Where did Lydia learn: Archery 3, Martial Arts 3, Melee 5 (Swords +2), Thrown 1, War 1, Dodge 5 (Against Exalts +2)? Was she trained by someone?
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1) Yes
2) Thank you! That was bothering me but I didn't know how to rectrify it since I didn't know how to find his urge archetype. Edited.
3) Right now I'm treating it as a result of being exalted as a Slayer caste. If you don't think it fits I can change it.
 
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The Emerald Strix (GSP Rodrigo Gomez by frozenchicken)
  • Sidestory
    • Alright, finally, here is the intro for our Cecelyne-favoured Superhero: The Amazing Emerald Strix!

    AN: Alright you know what, this omake was just evil to write. I've scrapped big chunks that I was trying to include and I'm still not satisfied with it. I'd really wanted to build more on how he was inspired by his past life, his interactions with 'Catwoman', and how his charms influence those who call for his aid (The reverence intimacy from 'Temple-Self Apotheosis' always results in him being called 'Amazing'). Regardless, I'll throw down what I've got here and call it done. Maybe I'll get a new perspective after wiping my hands of it.



    --------------------



    Rodrigo finished lacing his boots and paused before the final portion of his costume. The mask of the Emerald Strix had swept-back wings along a headbrace, in imitation of the headpiece he had worn is his past life. It was a pale shadow of the object that had inspired it, being dense green plastic instead of enchanted golden metal, but he rather liked the symbolism of it. Humble in appearance rather than an extravagant display from an age of glory, and made as cheaply and pragmatically as possible, as befitting....well, someone from a ghetto.


    Mask in hand, he glanced out through the window at the surrounding sunset-kissed midrise buildings. The area was technically an affluent one, as a one-time centre for commerce and government, but it had degraded swiftly as everyone with the money to move away did so. There were a lot of reasons touted for it, from the rising rate of nightcrime in this quarter of the city, to a desire by many to avoid being seen as powerful in the wake of the Britannian's most recent act of oppression, but as was often the case, these were mere symptoms of a greater truth. Three years ago, when the Britannians crushed the Britannian-Latino Diplomatic Organisation with accusations of sedition and treason, the following massacre of individuals associated with the body tainted the city in a way not easily visible to the mundane eye. Though the effects mainly displayed as a sense of deterioration and desolation during the day, it was the transition to night that truly showed the horrors such death unleashed-and judging by the feeling in his gut, such a transition was not long away.


    As the last rays of the Sun dipped below the horizon, everything happened all at once. Tameral, his Tomescu Coadjutor, began an unendimg screech inside his head and Rodrigo's gut frothed and churned to the same beat. The landscape outside of him twisted even more dramatically, as shadows coated the streets far faster and widely than believable, and the grass outside suddenly wilted. Though nothing about the buildings nearby appeared to physically alter, every building now seemed dilapidated, and every shuddering creak from them now sounded like the wails of the dead and damned.

    Excepting of course where those noises actually were the wails of the dead and damned.

    As Tameral's screech dropped in volume, Rodrigo gathered essence and channeled them to his legs and a faint green glow developed on the centre of his headpiece. In a move he'd copied from a vision of the original Golden Strix, he jumped out the window and onto the next roof. It was time for the Emerald Strix to take wing.
    --------------------


    Lola crouched low behind the fence, panting hard and wiping away blood from a spindly claw mark on her cheek.. The night was quiet and free of its' usual haunted wailing-which would have been a relief if she didn't know for a fact that one of the spirits of the night was currently hunting her. She had first felt its' touch a few blocks back, when she was hurrying home after having run overtime at work. It didn't even hurt her at first, simply poking her in the back with a chillingly cold finger and fading out of sight when she span around to face it. Her vague sense of unease quickly escalated as she realised that it being unseen didn't prevent it from following her and her frightened attempts to push it away simply passed through it like mist. The misty figure seemed to enjoy letting her run, though her panic had driven her into a neighbourhood she didn't recognise, shadowy and dilapidated as it seemed.


    When the game started to become painful, she decided that it was time to try something more....embarrassing.

    "Please, Emerald Strix. I'm being hunted. If...if you really exist, I could really use your help right now."

    For a moment she thought she saw a glowing green orb in front of her, but the sound of a loud howl behind her diverted her gaze. Her eyes tracked wildly, seeing no sign of either the mysterious monster hunting her or that half-seen orb but feeling sure that there was more to be observed. Panic gripped her heart and she burst into a run once more-only to freeze as the being materialised in front of her.

    For once she finally got a good look at the being. Though misty, it was clearly human-shaped, looking somewhat like a withered hoodlum of indeterminate age. Despite looking like something dead....and possibly being one....the spirit seemed fairly lively.
    Slowly, he strolled forwards, gesturing at her.
    "What a wonderful game of tag! You're such fun to play with. I know! You can come play with me during the daytime! It'll just take one more tag....and then you can be....IT."

    Suddenly, a long, loud noise echoed through the air. It almost sounded like someone yelling from an incoming train. The spirit glanced upwards, his arm stretched out towards her.

    "NEEEEEVEEEERRR FEEEEEAAAARRR!" echoed through the air, as a green-glowing man landed on the spirit, his perfect axle kick knocking it to the ground, scattering sand everywhere. "For the Emerald Strix is here!"

    Lola watched in awe as the previously untouchable spirit was brought low-literally and repeatedly. The superhero paused with his foot pressing down on the back of the fallen ghost and turned to her.

    "Do not take fright at the foes of the night, for their might deserts them in my emerald light!"

    Lola stared at the urban legend, taking in his flowing cape, vibrant costume, glowing aura and what appeared to be a holographic owl flaring in the air above him. Before her eyes, the spirit collapsed into nothingness under his feet, leaving only a slight cloud of silvery sands that fell to the ground. Myriad insightful questions came to her mind, but what came out was "Do you practice saying that?"

    The hero paused a moment then nodded. "Extensively! I've got a bunch of variations to fit different circumstances whilst keeping the rhyme, including the words plight, blight, flight, height and spite. I tried kite for a while, but it sounded really dorky."

    "...Wait, flight? I was pretty sure you just jumped down from that roof there. That's hardly flight."

    "I did jump down, but that falls under 'height'. As a matter of fact, someone else needs me now, so I'll show you what 'flight' means. "

    The man tensed then leapt impossibly high up in the air. His glow expanded vastly, and his owl totem grasped him in its' talons. The light shone blindingly for a moment, and when it receded he hung in the air above her, flapping on vast feathered wings. Looking down from above, he addressed her one last time.

    "Please, tell your friends about the events of this night. I respond to those who call my name, but I cannot protect those who do not desire my aid. Farewell!"


    Lola watched the absurd vigilante fly away, off to rescue someone else. She didnt quite know what to make of him. He was so weird, he was so dorky, he was so....AMAZING.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    On the furthest edge of the Shadowland, a woman with strange tattoos and clawed hands fought a hungry ghost. Nearby, a civilian man cowered in fear, apparently praying for help. Julia scowled in annoyance-why couldn't the idiot have the good sense to run when he got the opportunity? Or at least direct his prayers to the woman actually helping him, where they might do some good. Still, this ghost was fairly weak, so at least the night wasn't so bad...

    "YOUR FAITH THIS NIGHT BRINGS THE SHELTER OF MY-OH, Hey Catwoman! Good to see you!"

    ...Though it could still get worse. With a surge of rage she thrust her rather feline claw into the chest of the ghost before turning to the annoying flashlight floating above her.

    "STOP CALLING ME CATWOMAN!"




    Name: Rodrigo Gomez
    Titles: The Emerald Strix
    Concept: An Infernal who, inspired by his past life, becomes a superhero who uses the prayers of his followers in order to protect them.
    Caste: Malefactor
    Patron: Cecelyne
    Favored Yozi: Malfeas
    Motivation: Form a heroic organisation that protects the inhabits of his hometown from the dangers of the shadowlands.
    Urge: Form a Cult that influences all of Area 5 (Cecelynian)
    Essence: 2
    Willpower: 5/5
    Anima Banner: A swooping Owl, with wings spread wide and talons ready to snatch.

    Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4; Charisma 4, Manipulation 1, Appearance 4; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

    Abilities: Martial Arts 4 (Fighting Undead 1), Athletics 2 (Rooftop-Hopping 1), Awareness 2, Dodge 4, Stealth 2, Integrity 2, Presence 2 (Intimidating Criminals 1), Resistance 3, Survival 1, Investigation 2 (Locating Trouble 1), Medicine 1

    Backgrounds: Cult (Strix Fans) 3, Backing (Citizen's Militia) 1, Unwoven Coadjutor (Tameral) 1, Past Life (The Golden Strix) 2, Contact (That Lunar who does NOT to like be called 'Catwoman') 1;

    *Unwoven Coadjutor is a Tomescu

    Traits from Unwoven Coadjutor: If asleep, he always awakens precisely at Dawn and Dusk.

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

    FIRST CECELYNE EXCELLENCY

    Hellscry Chakra
    Cost: 5m
    Mins: Essence 2
    Type: Simple
    Keywords: Combo-OK
    Duration: Indefinite
    Prerequisite Charms: None

    The Infernal opens his caste mark as an imperceptible third eye upon his brow. This spiritual organ perceives the flow of demonic Essence as a garish synesthetic overlay of colors and tastes. While this Charm is active, the Exalt gains the following benefits:
    • He perceives dematerialized demons with all senses, recognizing that they are incorporeal.
    • He perceives all possessing demons as smoky anima banners enveloping their hosts.
    • He adds (Essence) bonus successes on all rolls to notice natives of Malfeas, track them or pierce any disguise attempts. If the target isn't using magic to contest the action, the Infernal may spend one Willpower to automatically succeed.
    • Upon recognizing a perceived character as a demon or a Yozi, its nature becomes Obvious to him. The Storyteller provides a basic synopsis of the target's capabilities and Motivations (if any). This power imparts the same information about Infernal relics the Infernal can perceive.
    • He automatically recognizes non-demon natives of Malfeas as such upon perceiving them, although he learns nothing else.

    Demonic Primacy Of Essence
    Cost: —
    Mins: Essence 2
    Type: Permanent
    Keywords: Servitude, Social
    Duration: Permanent
    Prerequisite Charms: Hellscry Chakra

    The law of Cecelyne binds the will of inferiors to their natural masters. Whenever a character with this Charm makes a social attack against a native of Malfeas who has a lower Essence rating, the target suffers an MDV penalty equal to the difference between their Essence ratings, and the attack is considered unnatural mental influence. Attacks enhanced this way cost the usual number of Willpower points to resist. Hierarchy works both ways, however. The Infernal suffers the same penalty against the social attacks of Malfean natives with higher Essence (unless they also have this Charm, in which case the DV penalties for both Charms don't stack), though any natural mental influence remains so. Infernals who also know Wayward Divinity Oversight (see p. 118) apply the MDV reduction to social attacks against gods of lesser Essence, but none of the other benefits or drawbacks of this Charm apply with such beings.

    Penitents Like Scattered Grains
    Cost: 5m
    Mins: Essence 3
    Type: Simple
    Keywords: None
    Duration: Indefinite
    Prerequisite Charms: Demonic Primacy of Essence

    The individual mortals who pray to an Infernal are as meaningless as individual grains of sand. Still, it is by the accretion of many grains that deserts come to be. This Charm allows the Exalt to hear individual prayers spoken from places of desolation as though she were a spirit. Actually listening to all prayers imposes a -3 internal penalty to all non-reflexive actions; if the Infernal tunes them out, the Storyteller only relays the most widely repeated or urgently spoken prayers. Supplicants who pray from within a blight the Infernal has created with the Charm Holy Land Infliction (see pp. 125-126) may be answered by causing a random object in the supplicant's presence to glow and change into the Infernal's incarnate image as an Obvious Shaping effect for three motes. The enchanted object delivers whatever spoken response the Infernal sends through it (which may encompass one Social attack or informative response) and then returns to normal.

    CHARM CONCEPT: PLACE OF DESOLATION
    Many Charms known to Cecelyne can only be activated in a place of desolation. Any climate or environment inhospitable to most life qualifies, meaning barren glaciers and seas too salty for any fish qualify just as much as sandy deserts or rocky wastes.
    A good rule of thumb is that any place that would require a difficulty 4+ roll to forage within counts (see Exalted, p. 139). As always, the Storyteller remains final arbiter. Of particular note, the realm of Malfeas and shadowlands always qualify, while the Underworld does not. Such desolation transcends Cecelyne's understanding as a living Yozi.


    Temple Self Apotheosis
    Cost: — (1wp)
    Mins: Cult 1, Essence 3
    Type: Permanent
    Keywords: Emotion, Messianic
    Duration: Permanent
    Prerequisite Charms: Penitents Like Scattered Grains

    Cecelyne orders demonic society by religious tenets because the concept of reverence amuses her. An Infernal with this Charm doubles all mote and Willpower awards provided by her Cult background and may choose to heal in lieu of receiving any or all Willpower at the appropriate interval (two bashing health levels or one lethal health level per one Willpower). Additionally, whenever anyone of equal or lesser Essence prays to the character with a standard prayer roll, they must reflexively pay one Willpower to resist unnatural mental influence or instantly develop an Intimacy of reverence toward the Infernal. If the Infernal preys on this Intimacy with a social attack, she benefits from a full +3 Appearance modifier regardless of relative Appearance.

    Ephemeral Abrasion Curse
    Cost: 5m
    Mins: Essence 2
    Type: Simple
    Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Sorcerous
    Duration: One scene
    Prerequisite Charms: Hellscry Chakra

    The Infernal gestures in the direction of a chosen incorporeal being. If he does not have a target in mind, the Charm randomly selects a dematerialized being from among those with the highest Essence rating within 10 yards of the Infernal. The Essence of Cecelyne grinds the being, manifesting it as an apparition of itself formed out of whirling sands. Although the manifested being remains dematerialized and therefore unable to hit back, the lacerating sands embedded in its ephemera allow corporeal beings to physically attack it as though it had materialized.
    However, each such attack drains one mote from Essence-wielding attackers. Multiple activations of this Charm may concurrently affect as many spirits as the Infernal wishes to tag with committed Essence.

    FIRST MALFEAS EXCELLENCY

    HARDENED DEVIL BODY (x3)
    Cost: —
    Mins: Essence 1
    Type: Permanent
    Keywords: Stackable
    Duration: Permanent
    Prerequisite Charms: None

    Though the Yozis are beyond awareness of most damage, let alone threatened by it, their servants can only manage to embody a fraction of this durability. This Charm may be purchased a maximum number of times equal to the lesser of (Stamina or Resistance). Each purchase gives the Infernal three additional -2 health levels and one extra -4 level.


    BY PAIN REFORGED
    Cost: 1hl
    Mins: Essence 2
    Type: Reflexive
    Keywords: Combo-OK
    Duration: One scene
    Prerequisite Charms: None

    Pain puts life in perspective, pushing aside all other distractions. This is the simplest truth Malfeas has learned from his imprisonment within himself. Use of this Charm allows an Infernal to ignore all negative effects associated with bashing damage she has suffered. Such injuries do not cause wound penalties or slow her down in any way. If reduced to Incapacitated by bashing wounds, she does not fall unconscious, but remains fully aware as further bashing trauma converts to lethal. Aggravated and lethal injuries penalize characters protected by this Charm normally. When this Charm ends, all suspended penalties resume immediately.

    SCAR-WRIT SAGA SHIELD
    Cost: —
    Mins: Essence 2
    Type: Permanent
    Keywords: None
    Duration: Permanent
    Prerequisite Charms: By Pain Reforged

    Malfeas does not quietly accept his tortured inversion, but builds up calloused layers and folds them in a vain attempt to seal his wounds and inoculate against future injury. Such efforts cannot achieve their goal, but incidentally toughen the Demon City further. The first purchase of this Charm raises the character's natural lethal soak to her Stamina rating (rather than half) and gives her bashing Hardness equal to her Stamina.
    The second purchase of Scar-Writ Saga Shield requires Essence 3+ and adds the character's Essence rating to her natural bashing and lethal soak. Her Hardness remains unaffected. An Infernal needs Essence 4+ to buy this Charm a third time, at which point her natural bashing and lethal Hardness increase to match her natural soak. Additionally, attackers with a permanent Essence at least four dots less than the Infernal can no longer inflict minimum damage to her with their attacks if they fail to penetrate her soak.


    By Rage Recast
    Cost:     —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent
    Keywords: Desecration, Obvious, Shaping
    Duration: Permanent
    Prerequisite Charms: By Pain Reforged

    Once Malfeas was the Primordial King, his power and glory unconstrained by the crude limits of a body. Now, mutilated and caged in the prison of form, his cosmic might and boundless fury can only twist him toward more harmful expressions of his majesty. An Infernal who learns this Charm selects a package of (Essence x 10) points of temporary positive mutations as a "library" of options. She must allocate all of these points at the time of purchase, even if that means choosing mutations she doesn't really want as filler.

    Once allocated, the library remains fixed. However, raising Essence allows the Infernal to re-allocate all (Essence x 10) mutation points from scratch as though she just acquired the Charm. At Essence 10, the warlock may reallocate her mutations by spending one full day in either isolated meditation or a series of ancient, ecstatic dances.

    Whenever the warlock's anima banner reaches the 11+ mote level of expression, she reflexively gains eight points of mutations selected from her library as a temporary Desecration. Horns may curl from the warlock's forehead, leathery wings unfold from her back, or fanged maws open upon her body—whatever demonic features best express the Chosen's fury. She may not gain mutually-exclusive mutations at the same time. This transformation is not optional. In the unlikely event the Infernal cannot express a full eight points without going over (such as by only purchasing Abominations at Essence 3), she must get as close as possible. Once her anima subsides below the 11+ level, the mutations fade back into her body.

    By Rage Recast explicitly ignores the normal limit on how many positive temporary mutations a Desecration effect may bestow (see The Manual of Exalted Power—The Infernals, p. 103). Mutation points gained from the Charm do count toward the usual mutation point limit other temporary Desecration effects can bestow.

    If the character knows the Charm Fealty-Acknowledging Audience (see The Manual of Exalted Power—The Infernals, p. 116), then she may pay a surcharge of +5m when invoking that Charm to gift those who swear fealty to her with up to eight points of mutations she is capable of manifesting with By Rage Recast. This gift is a permanent Desecration.

    With Essence 3+, the Infernal may choose to retain her current mutations when her anima banner recedes. She may dismiss these mutations at any time her anima is below the 11-15 mote level of display with a diceless miscellaneous action, but must flare her anima anew to restore her mutations or change them out for a new suite of grotesqueries.


    Pathetic Distraction Rebuke
    Cost    : 3m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
    Keywords: Combo-OK
    Duration: Instant
    Prerequisite Charms: By Pain Reforged

    Having been humbled once, Malfeas is not keen to repeat the experience. This Charm enhances any attempt to parry an incoming attack, allowing the Infernal to ignore all penalties that apply to her Parry DV (regardless of which Ability or weapon she uses to block). If the Exalt has By Pain Reforged active, she also adds the greatest wound penalty she should suffer as a bonus to her Parry DV and can block lethal or ranged attacks with an unarmed parry.

    Infernals may purchase this Charm a second time, in which case, each use of Pathetic Distraction Rebuke cumulatively reduces the cost to do so again by one mote until the Exalt's next action. For example, the cost to defend against a flurry with four attacks would be six motes (3m + 2m + 1m + 0m).

    Mutation Library (Essence x10)
    -Enhanced (Sense) (2M)
    -Hyper-Awareness (2M)
    -Natural Weapons [Wings] (4M) [M>3, therefore this mutation adds +5 damage to Wing Attacks]
    -Glider [Wings] (4M)
    -Flier (4M) [Requires Glider]
    -(Appendage) Mutation [Wings] (1M, Negative)
    -(Realm) Gatekeeper [Shadowland] (3M)

    So in the example in the omake, Rodrigo used a package of Glider and Flier, both with the 'Wings' Appendage Mutation applied, (4-1+4-1=6), plus the Enhanced sight Mutation (+2), which brings the package to the required value of 8 Mutation Points. In different circumstances, the Strix might choose to harden his wings, making them bad at flying but good at fighting, or lessen them further and improve his ability to seek those who were lost in the depths of the Shadowlands, before the Dead can claim them.

    CRIMSON LEAPING CAT TECHNIQUE
    Cost: 3m
    Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2
    Type: Supplemental
    Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
    Duration: One action
    Prerequisite Charms: None

    The character moves with the speed and agility of a leaping tiger. With this Charm active, add the character's Martial Arts score to her Dexterity for purposes of determining how far she can move, dash or jump in a single action.


    'The Golden Strix' is actually a reference to my favourite Exalted fanfic 'Anathema'(Scroll down to the bottom) by Bek Corbin, though this is really more of a name drop than an expy.
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Enjou said:
    As such it sounds like a Charm he took from Szoreny and modified to his own themes, which is not allowed for Infernals to possess.
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    Wait what? Where is this stated?

    Alexander89 said:
    What do you think?
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    Despite being almost identical to Szoreny's charm, I think this one fits perfectly within Oramus' themes. However, I'm interested in the "embed a message in a person" effect. Perhaps it could be expanded into its own charm, to make mad prophets and visionaries?
     
    Alexander89 said:
    This is also good. Just some corrections:
    1) It's not King, it's Emperor.
    2) "Urge: Enlave all sources of medical knowledge and place them in the service of hell's armies. (Cecelynian)" do you mean "Enslave?"
    3) Conviction 1 is a bit low considering Doc T's story. Is this deliberate, a reflection of something?
    4) I assume he was old before Exaltation? The process should have brought him back to 18-30 years range, at his strongest. Do you have a picture for the Doctor?
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    1.) Dur. I'll fix that.

    2.) Yes, I did mean enslave.

    3.) It was supposed to reflect how he supposedly believes in "tough love"/"charity only encourages weakness", but ultimately ends up giving people second chances, finangles loans so that people would never be crippled by them, like an inverse loan shark. He was only able to "squeeze" people for money and favors by twisting it around into charity into some form(for the target or for someone else), or by using his formidable social skills and bargaining abilities so they wanted to help him- either by offering something they wanted, or by instilling matching ideals so they agreed with him- or simply burning through willpower and feeling awful about it later. Whenever a his convictions demanded "This person should suffer for his weakness", he waffled. He's kind of a hypocrite that way, which is one of the reasons Cecelyne was drawn to him.

    It also reflects his disillusionment with his (somewhat racist) ideals. I essentially envisioned him as the World's Best Racist Grandpa; when he started out working, he believed in empire as a method for spreading civilization and medical knowledge. He went to area Three with a big idea of "uplifting" and "helping to enlighten the savages"- especially since he was influenced by the philosophical/moral rationales that eventually evolved into the Honorary Britannian program, which said that Britannians may or may not be inherently superior by blood/may have "lucked" into their strength, and that either way non-britannians could thus show great strength that would put them above even many or even most Britannians, and that this wasn't a bad thing, and those people should be rewarded for that strength. He thought the britannian system-that britannian law- would be the best for rewarding strength, and so that the conquered peoples, under that ideal, would ultimately grow stronger.
    The issue was that it didn't work like that. The conquest was more like a caste system rather than the psuedo-american dream he imagined, with "strong" Numbers being punished for being strong if they tried to rise above their station. He played the system very well- better than his opponents- and won a great deal of political support, and grew strength for his views considerably. By the rules of the system, he won; he got a Number into a medical school, and was able to wield soft power in such a way that it was hard to entirely marginalize him. The problem was when that happened, his opponents cheated. Juan was kicked out of medical school for a crime he was framed of. The "riot suppression" was a direct violation of the law, directly intended to achieve what couldn't be done legally, and probably revenge on Dr. Tollenmach himself.

    The last thing it represents is that Tollenmach was winning. He'd been maneuvered out of his hospital, his attempts to spread medical knowledge into the Three's had been wrecked, but his biggest political opponents had made a move that utterly legitimized them and would probably cost them their positions in time. What's more, Maxwell and Neville had clearly smashed the law to move against his people personally, and to do so they had told a lie about a rebellion that plenty of high-ranking people know was false. The truth was already out, and the only way Maxwell could stall the fallout was by ignoring the laws and turning Area Three into his personal military dictatorship. That wouldn't have lasted- and once it fell apart Tollenmach would have a lot of power as the massively aggrieved party. Maxwell hadn't just moved against Tollenmach under false pretenses- he'd killed all of Tollenmach's supporters locally as well, then he'd tried to pin his obvious lie upon Juan. The sheer disregard for law and justice would have eliminated the Pureblood faction in area Three for years, maybe decades, to come, generated massive sympathy for the Numbers, and given Tollenmach the political leverage and oppertunity to make his wildest dreams a reality. With a bit of cheating and falsified documents, he could have even cleared Juan's name- nobody would have questioned that the guys who'd tried to frame Juan once had done it previously.

    But he gave up. He stopped believing in the system at exactly the wrong moment. He is literally the anti-Suzaku; reforming the system was within his grasp and he threw it aside for a entity with no true generosity. It'll probably take him some time for him to realize his mistake, but when he does...he's going to hate himself for it.

    4) Doctor Tollenmach, De-aged.
     
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    [X] Name for Muse-chan: Anesidora (Epithet: The Exuberant Genius)
    [X] Name for Darkness-chan: Sinnihtáre (Epithet: The Eternal Grace of Night)

    [X] Plan Inside Man

    Hey Alex, finally decided to join and saw you made another quest.
     
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    Enjou said:
    It's in the Infernals Manual. Charms that one Yozi adapts from another are not allowed to be used by Infernals.

    Page 101 - Infernals can't learn Charms for Yozis they can't access or Charms one Yozi adapted from study of a sibling, even if taught by someone who knows the Charm.
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    I see. I still feel that Oramus would have such a charm, since it's right up his alley (artwork, madness, beyond comprehension, revelations, etc).

    Honestly, I'd call it the other way around, that Szoreny copied the charm from Oramus.
     
    A Hypocrite and a Liar (GSP Gabriel Rohawn by Enjou)
  • Sidestory
    • Ok, got another Infernal for Cecelyne.

    Gabriel Rohawn: A Hypocrite and a Liar​

    I'm a hypocrite and a liar.

    This was a thought that Father Gabriel Rohawn was having a lot, lately. At the age of nineteen he had been a firm believer in God and a faithful adherent of the Britannian Church. He had wanted to dedicate his life to service in God's name, and so he had enrolled in a seminary to become a priest. Dedicating himself to learning everything he could, he devoured the material with great zeal. He'd learned well. Too well, in fact. Rather than reinforcing his faith, his newfound knowledge of the church's teachings only made him doubt. There were too many incosistencies and contradictions, with no way to reconcile them. When he asked his teachers about them, he smiled and nodded at their answers that really answered nothing. Then there had been his six month period of missionary work in Area Eleven to preach to the native people there. The way Britannia treated those people disgusted him, and even his fellow missionaries seemed to treat those poor souls with disdain rather than compassion.

    Even so, he graduated and became a priest just like he'd always wanted. Due to his exceptional performance he'd immediately been assigned to a newly built church in a small but growing town in the western portion of Area 1 where a small Sakuradite mine had been opened. Despite his doubt he'd performed his duties as best he could, giving sermons to his flock and dispensing sage advice. He was quite popular with his adherents, but even as attendance grew Gabriel's own skepticism only increased with it. A number of other priests he had met were corrupt, conning money and favors from their followers. This seemed especially true with those higher up in the church's ranks, so there was nothing he could do to report the matter to anyone. He was the lowest rank among the priests, and those above him had too much influence.

    Then three months ago it happened. One day he woke up and realized he didn't believe in God anymore. The holy scriptures just didn't make sense under any kind of real scrutiny, and the church itself was a hive of malfeasance from the top down. But what was he to do next? He had thought long and hard about it, which was why he was now staring down at his letter of resignation. He only had to send it to his superior and it would be done. But what then? He was miserable now, preaching what he believed lies to good and honest people and getting paid for it. Even if a priest's stipend wasn't much, was he really any better than those others who exploited the faithful for personal gain?

    But what else could he do? He had made this his life. He hadn't studied any other skills, nor did he have the money to put himself back in school. He couldn't go to his parents either. They would probably disown him completely if he told them he had lost faith, given the degree to which they believed. Even if he didn't tell them he was an atheist now, just quitting the church would be breaking what they viewed as a sacred vow. He didn't really have any friends he could rely on either - everyone he knew was connected to the church in some way.

    Then there was the matter of his flock. They would be disappointed if he left. Many of them relied on him for advice, and not just in matters of faith. What would become of them? And then there was Josephine and Cadence, the two nuns who just five months ago had been assigned to his growing church to assist with the increasing day to day workload. Those two were twin sisters, apparently the bastard daughters of some minor Britannian noble. After having turned twenty they had been shoved off on the church and dedicated to a life of service. They didn't seem to mind though, and pursued their duties diligently. They also seemed to look up to him a lot. If he left, they'd be crushed.

    He took one more look at his resignation letter, and realized he couldn't go through with it. There wasn't anything else for him, and too many others would be hurt by him acting selfishly. He crumpled it up and threw it in the fireplace.

    I'm a hypocrite and a liar, and it seems that will never change.

    Gabriel sat at his desk, his face in his hands as he contemplated his misery. Would he ever be happy again? Suddenly, the room was filled with an incredibly intoxicating scent.

    "Hi there, handsome." a sultry voice called out.

    He turned his head to see a woman lying naked on his bed. No, not a woman. That thing wasn't human. It had the form of a woman, but it was something else. Lavender skin, black eyes with no pupils, and a number of piercings across her body.

    "What... what are you!?" he asked.

    The thing in the form of a woman giggled, sitting up. It was a struggle for him to maintain eye contact, as even her slightest move seemed to be intended for seduction. "My name is Feriasha, and I am a neomah, a courtesan of Malfeas. But that, Father Rohawn, is not why I am here. I have an offer for you."

    This thing was a demon. It had to be. But that was absurd! God wasn't real, so why should demons be? Unless...

    Feriasha seemed to realize what he was thinking. "Oh yes, Father Rohawn, I am a demon. And the gods are indeed real."

    "God is real..." It was a revelation that should have filled him with joy, but why was a demon telling him this?

    She looked at him with amusement. "Gods, Father Rohawn, not God." He just looked at her, confused. "There's more than one god, and in fact there are so many they may well be beyond counting. But some are more important than others. What matters though is that the gods are corrupt and traitorous, even more so than those who run the Britannian church."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Once my masters ruled the world. It was they who created it, after all, and the gods were made as stewards to ensure it operated as it should. But the gods grew jealous of their Primordial makers, and with the help of two traitors created weapons that could slay them. A great war was fought, and those who surrendered were imprisoned, becoming the Yozis." she said, sadness creeping into her voice.

    "And this has to do with the offer?"

    She smiled again. "You are a smart one. Yes, in exchange for one of the weapons that cast them down, one that will give you the power to free yourself from your miserable fate and so much more, all they ask of you is that you help free them. Other than that, you can do as you please."

    He should say no. This thing was a demon, so it couldn't be trusted... but was that really the case? The church was corrupt, that was certain. If the gods were real, then they were doing nothing to stop that. But if he had power as great as what was apparently being offered, he could no doubt change the church into something he might be proud of...

    I'm a hypocrite and a liar. Does it really matter if she's telling the truth?

    "Very well, I accept your offer."

    "Wonderful!" She leapt from the bed at him, and he was shocked as she seemed to wrap herself around him. She kissed him, shoving her tongue down his throat. And then everything went black.

    ====

    Two weeks after his Exaltation, things hadn't really seemed to change much for Father Gabriel Rohawn. He was still doing what he had always been doing - preaching to the faithful, dispensing sage advice, and running his growing church.

    Even so, there were differences. His sermons were more passionate. His flock seemed quite happy with this development. Apparently some had noticed he seemed a bit depressed. However, that wasn't the only change. More people started to attend after each sermon. Further, the adherents seemed to start revering Gabriel more and more. This was no doubt due to the locusts that Feriasha had told him to cook into the mana that they would eat every time they attended.

    His orders apparently involved gaining influence over the Britannian Church and turning it towards the ends of the Yozis, so to do that he had to continue growing his flock and showing his worth to those higher up. He'd probably have to start sending bribes to the right people to advance...

    He was about to turn in for the night when he heard Josephine and Cadence both scream. Rushing from his room, he ran to theirs to see what was wrong. He opened their door and was hit with a gust of wind. Each twin was surrounded by gale force winds. On their foreheads he saw fan symbols.

    "They're Dragonblooded!" Feriasha exclaimed. "Air aspects. Newly Exalted at that. Given their age, the quality of their breeding must be low, but this is still a wonderful opportunity."

    He didn't comment. As the winds died down he was too busy staring at the young women before him. Before his Exaltation, he'd been trying to hold back on the thought, but they really were beautiful. Their hair was a fiery orange, their eyes a vibrant violet, and their curves were more apparent now more than ever as he was seeing them in their underwear.

    "Father Gabriel, what just happened?" Cadence asked, the fear evident on her face. They must have known nothing about Exaltations, so this was not something they understood. Josephine was looking at him hopefully for answers, looking like she might cry at any moment.

    "I... well..."

    "You could have them both, you know? Make them yours."

    "What!?"

    "Oh, don't be so surprised. I'm fairly certain they're in love with you, and have been for a while now. And you know, they have been eating the locust mana. They'd be more than happy to worship you, now. They'll do anything you want. Just do what I say. How about it? It'll be the most fun you've ever had."

    Ever since ending up in his head, Feriasha had been encouraging him to indulge in baser things. How many times had she asked him to get some grapes now? Apparently sharing his senses was boring her out of her mind, given he had been living a rather modest life until now.

    He looked at the two young Exalts again.

    I'm a hypocrite and a liar. Why the hell not?

    He smiled reassuringly. "Everything is alright. Nothing's wrong, and you've done nothing wrong." The two of them looked relieved, their eyes locked on him. They really would do anything for him, wouldn't they? "No, you've been chosen to help me with the most holy of tasks."

    ====

    A couple days later Gabriel was sitting at his desk, munching on a piece of his own locust mana. Looking over at the bed where his two lovers were sleeping peacefully, he grinned with a sense of smug self-satisfaction. He'd need to find some way to get a bigger bed. His was a bit cramped, not that he minded all that much. They were soft and warm, after all.

    A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. Who could it be? Nobody else should be in the church at this hour. "Who's there?" he asked, his voice commanding.

    A gravely voice answered him. "Green Sun Prince Gabriel Rohawn, I have come with orders from the Unquestionables. You are to prepare for a journey to Japan to meet the Marshal of the Althing Infernal and to receive training in your duties from a senior Infernal."


    Name: Gabriel Rohawn
    Age: 24
    Motivation: To convert his flock to worship of the Yozis so that he may preach truth to them. rather than lies.
    Urge: To gain control and influence within the Britannian Church and turn it against the gods. (Cecelynian)
    Caste: Malefactor
    Patron: Cecelyne
    Favored: Ebon Dragon
    Anima Banner: A burning holy book.
    Attributes: Strength 2 , Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
    Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 2, Temperance 2, Valor 2
    Abilities: Awareness 3 (Corruption 2), Bureaucracy 2 (Church 3), Integrity 3, Larceny 1, Linguistics 2 (Native: English. Japanese, Old Realm) Lore 3, Medicine 1, Occult 2, Performance 3 (Preaching 2), Presence 3, Resistance 1, Socialize 3 (Religious People 3, Seduction 3*), Survival 1
    Backgrounds: Backing (Yozi) 1, Cult (Yozi) 1, Influence (Yozi) 1, Coadjutor (Feriasha, Neomah) 4, Allies (Josephine, Cadence) 2, Resources (Priest's Stipend) 1
    Essence: 3
    Willpower: 5

    *From Coadjutor

    Traits from Unwoven Coadjutor:

    Charms
    Cecelyne
    First Cecelyne Excellency, Second Cecelyne Excellency, Cecelyne Inevitability Technique, Cecelyne World-Shaping Cosmogony
    Cecelyne Mythos Exultant
    Transcendent Desert Creature
    Sands Through Fingers Defense
    Sandstrike Blast
    Holy Land Infliction
    Locust Mana Plague

    Ebon Dragon
    First Ebon Dragon Excellency, Ebon Dragon Inevitability Technique, Ebon Dragon World-Shaping Cosmogony
    Ebon Dragon Mythos Exultant
    Loom-Snarling Deception
    Eldritch Secrets Mastery
    Shadow Spite Curse
    Witness to Darkness
     
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  • Sidestory
    • Peanuckle said:
    I see. I still feel that Oramus would have such a charm, since it's right up his alley (artwork, madness, beyond comprehension, revelations, etc).

    Honestly, I'd call it the other way around, that Szoreny copied the charm from Oramus.
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    It's possible they have similar Charms, but the Szoreny one is hardly a copy considering it also meets his themes pretty strongly. More importantly though is that the Charm is already in Szoreny's charm set.
     
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    So I just realised that I've missed out on two specialty points and a demonic intimacy because of my Unwoven Coadjutor. This has been since rectified, if Lydia doesn't have any investment in Craft by the time we see her I'll be very surprised. :V
     
    Enjou said:
    "You could have them both, you know? Make them yours."

    "What!?"

    "Oh, don't be so surprised. I'm fairly certain they're in love with you, and have been for a while now. And you know, they have been eating the locust mana. They'd be more than happy to worship you, now. They'll do anything you want. Just do what I say. How about it? It'll be the most fun you've ever had."

    Ever since ending up in his head, Feriasha had been encouraging him to indulge in baser things. How many times had she asked him to get some grapes now? Apparently sharing his senses was boring her out of her mind, given he had been living a rather modest life until now.

    He looked at the two young Exalts again.

    I'm a hypocrite and a liar. Why the hell not?

    He smiled reassuringly. "Everything is alright. Nothing's wrong, and you've done nothing wrong." The two of them looked relieved, their eyes locked on him. They really would do anything for him, wouldn't they? "No, you've been chosen to help me with the most holy of tasks."

    ====

    A couple days later Gabriel was sitting at his desk, munching on a piece of his own locust mana. Looking over at the bed where his two lovers were sleeping peacefully, he grinned with a sense of smug self-satisfaction. He'd need to find some way to get a bigger bed. His was a bit cramped, not that he minded all that much. They were soft and warm, after all.
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    Finally, an Infernal I hate! A green sun prince who I've no empathy for!

    I was almost worried that everybody recruited was going to be some sort of nice guy who was just mistreated. : P

    I mean, the guy took advantage of innocent nuns. He's clearly evil. And that's not sarcasm.
     
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    Alexander89 said:
    New version:

    The Sevenfold Scripture
    Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple
    Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
    Duration: One scene
    Prerequisite Charms: What Is And What Should Never Be

    Oramus is a being unto itself, but needs must when he has to ensure others know and understand him. That this mad knowledge threatens to destroy the target's sanity is the natural course of things for the Galleon Atop the Waves of Madness. The Green Sun Prince choose a medium of communication (writing, dancing, singing) upon activating this Charm. For the remaining of the scene, each time the Infernal performs the selected medium she may choose to hide a meaning, like a word or concept, under six others like a code, which can be understood only by the chosen recipient. Targets like "my Coven" and "Yozi cultists" are valid recipients for this Charm. It is said that a book written by such an Infernal is truly a Sevenfold Scripture, revealing the truths of the world piecemeal to the worthy ones. Characters that aren't the chosen recipient can roll (Perception + Investigation) against the Infernal's [(Intelligence)+(used Ability)], to a maximum of seven, to determine the true meaning behind the six others. Doing so carries a risk however: for each roll to determine the true meaning the character also roll (Wits+Integrity) with a difficulty of the Infernal's Essence: failing the roll inflicts the character with a Derangement, chosen by the Storyteller, with a points value equal or lesser than [(rolled successes)-(roll's difficulty)].
    A repurchase at Essence 4 allows the Green Sun Prince to embed the message itself into the recipient or some other target, in some cases driving them utterly insane as the knowledge sears itself into their minds, forcing them to repeat or reproduce the message in some way that can be perceived by others at least once a day. This is considered Unnatural Mental Influence and costs 2 wp to resist.


    What do you think?
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    I think I want to ask if you've seen The King in Yellow, because this and the Meme charm would work hilariously together.

    Also, what would happen if you use a geomancy charm inside Malfeas? Would your claimed area be overidden by the World-Body or would it overlap with the local Yozi geomancy?
     
    Enjou said:
    It's possible they have similar Charms, but the Szoreny one is hardly a copy considering it also meets his themes pretty strongly. More importantly though is that the Charm is already in Szoreny's charm set.
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    Both sets are homebrew; neither one has any legitimate claim to a particular idea, especially since the quest is further altering the rules.
     
    Estro said:
    In the black void a laughing wind blew.
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    Now it's all good (aside for a pic, but that's optional). +3 Xp for you.

    Azunth said:
    Dr. Tollenmach
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    Azunth said:
    It was supposed to reflect how he supposedly believes in "tough love"/"charity only encourages weakness", but ultimately ends up giving people second chances, finangles loans so that people would never be crippled by them, like an inverse loan shark. He was only able to "squeeze" people for money and favors by twisting it around into charity into some form(for the target or for someone else), or by using his formidable social skills and bargaining abilities so they wanted to help him- either by offering something they wanted, or by instilling matching ideals so they agreed with him- or simply burning through willpower and feeling awful about it later. Whenever a his convictions demanded "This person should suffer for his weakness", he waffled. He's kind of a hypocrite that way, which is one of the reasons Cecelyne was drawn to him.

    It also reflects his disillusionment with his (somewhat racist) ideals. I essentially envisioned him as the World's Best Racist Grandpa; when he started out working, he believed in empire as a method for spreading civilization and medical knowledge. He went to area Three with a big idea of "uplifting" and "helping to enlighten the savages"- especially since he was influenced by the philosophical/moral rationales that eventually evolved into the Honorary Britannian program, which said that Britannians may or may not be inherently superior by blood/may have "lucked" into their strength, and that either way non-britannians could thus show great strength that would put them above even many or even most Britannians, and that this wasn't a bad thing, and those people should be rewarded for that strength. He thought the britannian system-that britannian law- would be the best for rewarding strength, and so that the conquered peoples, under that ideal, would ultimately grow stronger.
    The issue was that it didn't work like that. The conquest was more like a caste system rather than the psuedo-american dream he imagined, with "strong" Numbers being punished for being strong if they tried to rise above their station. He played the system very well- better than his opponents- and won a great deal of political support, and grew strength for his views considerably. By the rules of the system, he won; he got a Number into a medical school, and was able to wield soft power in such a way that it was hard to entirely marginalize him. The problem was when that happened, his opponents cheated. Juan was kicked out of medical school for a crime he was framed of. The "riot suppression" was a direct violation of the law, directly intended to achieve what couldn't be done legally, and probably revenge on Dr. Tollenmach himself.

    The last thing it represents is that Tollenmach was winning. He'd been maneuvered out of his hospital, his attempts to spread medical knowledge into the Three's had been wrecked, but his biggest political opponents had made a move that utterly legitimized them and would probably cost them their positions in time. What's more, Maxwell and Neville had clearly smashed the law to move against his people personally, and to do so they had told a lie about a rebellion that plenty of high-ranking people know was false. The truth was already out, and the only way Maxwell could stall the fallout was by ignoring the laws and turning Area Three into his personal military dictatorship. That wouldn't have lasted- and once it fell apart Tollenmach would have a lot of power as the massively aggrieved party. Maxwell hadn't just moved against Tollenmach under false pretenses- he'd killed all of Tollenmach's supporters locally as well, then he'd tried to pin his obvious lie upon Juan. The sheer disregard for law and justice would have eliminated the Pureblood faction in area Three for years, maybe decades, to come, generated massive sympathy for the Numbers, and given Tollenmach the political leverage and oppertunity to make his wildest dreams a reality. With a bit of cheating and falsified documents, he could have even cleared Juan's name- nobody would have questioned that the guys who'd tried to frame Juan once had done it previously.

    But he gave up. He stopped believing in the system at exactly the wrong moment. He is literally the anti-Suzaku; reforming the system was within his grasp and he threw it aside for a entity with no true generosity. It'll probably take him some time for him to realize his mistake, but when he does...he's going to hate himself for it.
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    I would like to point out that he can still reform the system: he's still alive, and can take advantage of Maxwell and Neville's falling just as well. Plus with Lelouch on a war's path Britannia is doomed either way. By how I say it, what Tollenmach gave up is just his small dream of influencing Area 3, for the bigger dream of influencing the entire world.
    Also, Cecelyne has no true generosity? By that token Tollenmach has not it either, so I don't see why he should be cross at that. The sheer fact demons in Hell can become Citizens is plenty proof of Cecelyne's generosity...for a Yozi. Plus she's an hypocrite, so like TED takes everything she says with a grain of salt.

    Anyway, +3 Xp for you.

    SirLagginton said:
    Lydia
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    I have an idea: Lydia can have Past Life 3+. As such the dots in Slayer Abilities can be learned to her in the days following her Exaltation, as she draws from them to speed up her learning. Considering the Past Life should be that of a powerful Dawn Caste, it makes sense. What do you think?

    In any case, +3 Xp for you

    frozenchicken said:
    Name: Rodrigo Gomez
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    I get the feeling this guy is going to be a riot :rofl: . +3 Xp for you, because I am sure the omake will be there shortly.

    Tinkerer said:
    Hey Alex, finally decided to join and saw you made a another quest.
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    Hey Tink! Nice to see you here.

    Enjou said:
    Gabriel Rohawn: A Hypocrite and a Liar
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    :o, you just had to use that specific priest. It made me conjure unpleasant images *shudder*. In any case +3 Xp for you.

    Just a curiosity: do you have a pic for the nuns too?
    Vaalintine said:
    I think I want to ask if you've seen The King in Yellow, because this and the Meme charm would work hilariously together.
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    I know of the King in Yellow, the novel. Since you used 'seen' I suppose you mean a film or something? Tell me, I am interested.
    Also, what would happen if you use a geomancy charm inside Malfeas? Would your claimed area be overidden by the World-Body or would it overlap with the local Yozi geomancy?
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    If it doesn't resonate with the World-Body (as example, if you create a desert in Malfeas), it gets rejected:
    This Charm may be used in the Demon Realm as though
    the Middlemarches, but the Yozis are very touchy about having
    their bodies mutilated by Exalted, so one will actively
    block efforts to Shape any modifications to its terrain unless
    the changes closely fit the Yozi's nature and aesthetic.
    The broken Primordials are indifferent to the creation of
    wealth, people or artifacts within themselves.
    Click to expand...
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    Alexander89 said:
    I have an idea: Lydia can have Past Life 3+. As such the dots in Slayer Abilities can be learned to her in the days following her Exaltation, as she draws from them to speed up her learning. Considering the Past Life should be that of a powerful Dawn Caste, it makes sense. What do you think?

    In any case, +3 Xp for you
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    I can certainly work with that. Edited.
     
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