GM for Sidereal-focused Exalted game

[eternaldarkness]

Exalted is without a doubt one of my favorite systems and settings ever, and I especially love the Sidereals but can never find a game focused on them, or that will even allow them. So what I'm looking for is an Exalted game that focuses on a few members of the five-score fellowship and Yu-Shan more, with Martial arts action, intrigue, romance, and a plot that really let's me play a Sidereal doing their own thing separate from the other Exalted.

Ideally I'd like a group game, but realistically I know that getting anyone to play exalts that aren't the usual Solar/Lunar/Abyssal dreck is unlikely, so I'll take a solo or two-person game as well.

I have a LOT of character concepts for Sidereals, and I'm willing to adapt to anything a prospective GM comes up with if it gets me a chance to play my favorite exalt type. So interested parties, either players or GM's, please do speak up.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I'm up for playing a Sidereal with you.  Though right now I'm struggling to find my books.  They seem to have disappeared in my recent move.

[Meliai]

I have a huuuuuge soft spot for Sidereals! Sadly I don't know the splat or Yu-Shan (as a setting) quite well enough to run a game, but if you manage to scare up a Storyteller I would love love love to play

[Rook Seidhr]

I wish I could step up to GM this, but the odds of my having personal problems and needing to back out within a month or two are just too high. Maybe with a co-GM.

I might play if another GM steps up and I have enough uncommitted motes at that point.

[eternaldarkness]

Three definite and a maybe! That's good stuff. Now we just need a GM.

[Muse]

  Oh!  I would also love a sidereal game if you can find a GM.  I'd offer to give GMing a try if I weren't so full up. 

[Rook Seidhr]

Muse and I have agreed that we will GM this bad boy together if no one else steps up before two weeks from the date of this post, so stay tuned for further developments.

[eternaldarkness]

Muse and I have agreed that we will GM this bad boy together if no one else steps up before two weeks from the date of this post, so stay tuned for further developments.

Bad ass! I'll be looking forward to it. Throw us some plot ideas and chargen stuffs soon as you guys are ready.

[Angie]

I'll throw in as a player. Good to see Exalted getting some love

[Marie Reynolds]

Ill throw my hat into the arena  as a playeri have always wanted to give the sidereals a try. Though i warn you i have a very basic understanding of them. As i am still in the newb zone with Sidereals.

[Rook Seidhr]

Question for the players and maybe-players: Do you want to be Bronze Faction or Gold Faction, or some sort of funky cross-factional task force? (The latter is kind of hard to put together, but I can imagine it.)

[Meliai]

I'm confident I could make a character from either faction (or an independent, yay independents~) and I think they've both got their appeal, so I'd be happy with any option really.

Bronze could be neat since we'd be dealing with the Golds gaining significant power for the first time since the Usurpation and Bronze schemes starting to fall apart with the Empress gone and Solars returning.

With the Gold faction there's still the underdog aspect, but with their fortunes taking a turn for the better and an upswing in power and numbers with the Jade Prison opening and whatnot.

Compelling stories on both sides~

((This answer was not helpful sorry :D))

[Angie]

Allow me to throw everything into some sort of chaos and declare 'Independent!' Perhaps a Chosen that constantly screws up the paperwork and isn't trusted by either side because he can't get proper cover sheets on his TPS reports. It's only when the player begins playing him that he becomes mysteriously effective...

[eternaldarkness]

I am thinking of a lapsed bronze turned independent.... Really, a supporter of the Lunar ideal of teaching mortals to do what exalts had been doing... sort of a 'Silver Faction'. I think he probably will have come from a barbarian culture, or maybe the realm. Possibly a former Guild member.

[Rook Seidhr]

That's three votes for independent…

I'm thinking this may be an all-independent party. Since there aren't supposed to be that many independent Sidereals, that means the party constitutes all the young independents—any others will be older, probably much older, having joined a faction long ago and then burned out or changed their minds.

This does of course mean that you will get shitty mission assignments but that's just good RP fodder :)

[eternaldarkness]

That's three votes for independent…

I'm thinking this may be an all-independent party. Since there aren't supposed to be that many independent Sidereals, that means the party constitutes all the young independents—any others will be older, probably much older, having joined a faction long ago and then burned out or changed their minds.

This does of course mean that you will get shitty mission assignments but that's just good RP fodder :)

Works for me!

[Meliai]

We have to be buddies because no one else will sit with us at lunch! ;D

Is anyone leaning towards a particular caste yet? I would probably not make a very good Battles but I'd be happy with anything else. I have semi-solid idea for a Secrets and vaguer ideas for a Journeys and an Endings, but I am still super duper flexible at this point.

[Rook Seidhr]

FYI Muse and I are brainstorming and I'm writing up house rules for character creation right now. However, actual play will not begin for a couple of weeks, because Muse is kinda busy. That gives us plenty of time to hammer out character backstories, etc.

[Muse]

  I may be ready sooner than i thought.  :) 

[eternaldarkness]

I can do battles, and Muse and Riveda - take your time.

[Rook Seidhr]

Draft of house rules document.

Comments eagerly solicited. If changes are made, a note will be posted here, but the URL will remain the same.

[Rook Seidhr]

Muse and Riveda - take your time.

We're not going to jump into play before we're ready, but there's no point dragging things out either.

[Meliai]

Oh! Maybe a sort of rough guideline for the sort of scope of shenanigans our characters are likely to have been involved in, giving the somewhat advanced starting power level? It would be helpful for me at least, I've never made an Exalted character starting out much beyond the standard character creation level and I wouldn't want to under/overshoot wrt her backstory exploits too badly

[Rook Seidhr]

By the way, those who know me know that I'm a heavy poster; I will probably be posting multiple times a day. I would prefer that no player go more than two days without posting unless they have some extenuating circumstance (in which case please notify me and Muse as soon as you can). In general the game will probably move at the rate of the fastest player, not the slowest.

[Guancyto]

Things looks to be shaping up quickly here (with houserules and everything) so I'll note interest in playing before it closes.

[Meliai]

Ran my backgrounds by Riveda and he liked my Secrets, so I'm going with her~

Here's the super rough summery of her background, I will pretty it up and add post-exaltation background later

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Okay, the Secrets is the bastard offspring of some un-exalted Dynast or another and a slave girl, identified as a proto-Sidereal when she was still teeny tiny. Naturally folks started arranging for he to be taken up to Yu-Shan or at least somewhere where she wouldn't be raised as a slave, but when they tried to divine where the most auspicious place for her would be everything came back telling them to more or less leave her where she she was. Some strings were pulled and Mom was traded off to another branch of the family and eventually, after she'd grown up a bit, PreSecrets was assigned as the handmaid to a young dragon-blooded girl who was relatively good-natured and had a notable enough Destiny to merit a Sidereal or two keeping a special eye on her, so they could kill two birds with one stone.

PreSecrets is quiet and obedient and has a gentle sort of demeanor so her new mistress grows fond of her pretty quickly and before long she's unburdening all her troubles on Secrets as if she's her friend, not her property. ((more~))

Mostly it's your standard teenage dynast angst, "classes are so hard, Mei-ling is really pretty too bad I have to marry some jerk and have twenty babies, my demonology teacher is creeeeeppy~ ,mom says I'm too young for a Cynis party but Ylva gets to go >:c" and this goes on for a couple years. Eventually, between her mistress blabbing confidential Heptagram-y things to her all the time and various bits of gossip she's "overheard" or traded for with other servants she realizes something fishy is going on and starts to snoop in earnest. Eventually she uncovers a conspiracy between a number of sorcerers. She doesn't know much at all about sorcery so she has no idea what it's actually meant to do, but they appear to be planning some sort of ritual that involves a sacrifice and she's convinced her mistress is intended to be said sacrifice.
So she doesn't have long and can't just go up to her and say "Hey so you know how you've been confiding in me for years well some of the things you said struck me as odd so I've been spying on several members of your House and I think they're going to murder you for nefarious purposes~" so Secrets decides to take things into her own hands and manages to poison the fuck out of one of the conspirators before her Sidereal nanny finds her and spirits her off to Yu-Shan
She still doesn't know exactly what was going on or what happened to her mistress because ~some asshole~ had the files on everyone involved sealed and she hasn't managed to find anything via the Loom itself yet

[Rook Seidhr]

It is not a requirement, btw, that the PCs add up to an exact Circle with one from each Maiden, as long as we have enough to cover the essential roles in a team and not so many that people crowd into the same niches.

It is also not a requirement that everyone take Sifu •••••, but if you all do, I can put you all with the same sifu whom I've already written up, so please consider it. If you don't, I'll just write up more NPCs…it'll give me something to do all day. I'm only in two classes this fall so homework won't take up too much of my gaming time, and until that starts I have very little on my plate.

[Muse]

  I think she's awesome, Meliai. 

  If Riveda is still okay with his deputy also playing a circle member, I'd be interested in Graceful Willow (m)--a chosen of Serenity, dancer and martial artist--or Tourmaline Horizon(f)--a chosen of Journeys. 

[eternaldarkness]

If we get four castes covered, I'll make the fifth. Right now I'm working on an outspoken Chosen of Battles.

[Angie]

Damnit, should have kept a closer eye on this thing. I haven't read the standard CC rules for Sidereals in a while, how far are the houserules from the standard (as I desperately look for the book)?

[Rook Seidhr]

The house rules do not contain all the info from the standard chargen rules—they merely state what is different from the rules in the book. So, in one sense the house rules are 100% different from the book. In another sense, you're mostly just getting extra stuff to build with.

[Angie]

The house rules do not contain all the info from the standard chargen rules—they merely state what is different from the rules in the book. So, in one sense the house rules are 100% different from the book. In another sense, you're mostly just getting extra stuff to build with.

Oh I know they don't, I guess what I'm asking is how much more power do we have. I know Sidereals get a shit ton of extra stuff, and I think I can handle that. It doesn't seem too powerful-at least, not at first (and since we usually deal with Gods, there are in fact bigger fishes)

[Rook Seidhr]

First of all, don't be too intimidated by the word "gods." They're just folks, you know?

Second, I don't know how to answer "how much more power do we have?" except by saying "Well, you have X more Ability dots and Y more Charms"—in other words, by pointing you to the house rules. I based them on the "established Sidereal" level in Dreams of the First Age, with some modifications up and some down to fit my prejudices. You're about as powerful as I would expect a Sidereal with 30–50 years of experience to be.

[Angie]

As for gods, oh I'm never intimidated, not usually at least. I made a halfling that kicked Thor's ass, anything shy of the Five Maidens themselves isn't even gonna faze me.

Secondly, I like the idea of being established, so I can totally roll with this.

[Angie]

Sorry for the double post, but just to double check, the fact that we get basic training for free means we can drop a single point into one of the three weapon skills at our choice, right? (At the end, it says we need 1 point of Archery, Melee, or Thrown, and since we get that for free, we just pick, right?)

[Rook Seidhr]

(At the end, it says we need 1 point of Archery, Melee, or Thrown, and since we get that for free, we just pick, right?)

Correct.

[Angie]

Estela is mostly done. Charms are picked-she has the first couple moves from Violet Bier of Sorrows, mostly just because A: Secrets of Future Strife doubles your "Initiative" roll, I highly recommend everyone take it because we all get a couple points for freeactually no, it just gives you a number of automatic successes equal to your Martial Arts and B: Joy in Adversary Stance is awesome for Estela because with a few Charms, fucking NO ONE will hit herActually it makes it easier to hit every time you dodge. Silly me not checking the Errata!

EDIT: Current first draft of the sheet, missing a couple Intimacies and an Anima Banner: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i1YqMEbFdgNwtqTNob5ovNtkYwxfh00UbK44q9VdOZI/pubhtml

[Rook Seidhr]

Sidereals don't have an iconic anima. Estela's anima banner is "blue." That's it.

I suppose you could pick a shade of blue…

[Meliai]

Pretty minor issue but as I was starting to shuffle my dots this morning I realized that, due to overlap between the basic bureau training and department minimums, some castes will have more dots that others before we start applying the 35 extra dots we get.

Journeys have 1 dot of overlap with basic training (linguistics), Serenitys have 2 (one linguistics, one socialize), Battles have either 0 (if they put their basic combat dot in thrown) or 1 (if they put their basic dot in archery or melee and put their department dots in the same), Secrets have 4 (2 awareness, 1 socialize, 1 stealth) and Endings have 5 (2 awareness, 2 martial arts, 1 stealth)

Not much in the grand scope of things so I won't pout if you don't want to do anything about the discrepancy, but I thought I should point it out.

[Rook Seidhr]

Basic and divisional training are cumulative (e.g., Chosen of Secrets and Endings get total of Awareness 4).

Fixed! :D

…unless anyone objects? It's just the first thing I thought of.

[Meliai]

No complaints here~

[Muse]

Seems like the best idea to me.  :) 

[Angie]

Estela's sheet updated. Gave her an extra point of Socialize and Linguistics, so I ain't complainin'!

EDIT: Since we're talking house rules, I would like to submit a request: When calculating Parry DV, I tend to throw in Essence into the calculation (so it becomes [Dex+Weapon Skill+Weapon Defense+Essence]divided by 2). It helps to make the heavily armored guys a bit more defensible, and helps other characters have Parry DVs that don't suck!

[Muse]

  For my character, would a male or female be better for the party dynamic? 

[Angie]

Well Estela's gonna be a lady if the name wasn't a tip off, so there's that.

[eternaldarkness]

  For my character, would a male or female be better for the party dynamic?

I personally am fine with any gender configuration, since sexytimes aren't a major focus of the game by default, though they will surely occur. In that respect, gender isn't the issue so much as sexual preference - inevitably, the majority of PC's in any E game prefer women, which I rarely ever play, so it doesn't really matter to me.

I'll get Crimson Path done tonight when I get home.

[Angie]

Oh yeah, for people who want to plot out backstories-Estela has a little bit of a reputation. She has a pretty kickin' Manse and some neat Artifacts as her sheet shows, and I'm going to justify that in backstory as her having gone AWOL to take down a Day Caste Abyssal that she had some history with, and thanks to her efforts, she uncovered and destroyed a ring of Assassins plotting to take out key leaders of Lookshy (and potentially take out the god of Lookshy), resulting in her being forgiven for going AWOL and rewarded for her exceptional service. So if anyone wants to have some connections with her, PM me.

EDIT: Okay I WOULD have a backstory up if I wasn't dealing with Writer's Block. GAH!

EDIT 2: Electric Boogaloo: Estela's backstory! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZxAzez1Y8VBQKrLmA5W3kDEouU8AfPyqvT9ux-LfvzE/pub

[Rook Seidhr]

FYI, occupied with some other stuff right now. Tomorrow I will review backstories so far presented, and hopefully get a chance to go through Scroll of the Monk, The Imperfect Lotus, etc. to make a list of which supernatural MA styles are approved and which are banned (due to being underpowered, overpowered or just generally broken).

[Angie]

The backstory I have is really just to justify why Estela has a bitchin' mansion (and if anyone needs a place to stay or if we want an HQ, Estela is happy to have ya'll over). I am glad that the Yu Shan book, for some reason, actually DOES have the name of the God of Lookshy. Who is female. I don't get it either, but they call her a 'she' so what the fuck.

Estela will only use the Violet Bier of Sorrows for now. It syncs with her duel weapon, Essence dress style.

[Meliai]

Ah, I like the story but there's a couple issues I'm afraid. One's super minor; May Blossom is actually the name of the signature chosen of secrets so that was sort of confusing.

The bigger issue is that our characters exalted 30-50 years ago, as per the house rules document. There weren't Abyssals around until five years before the standard start date, when the Jade Prison was opened and the Neverborn/Deathlords got their clammy ghost hands on a bunch of shards. You might be able to make the stuff with her father work with a dragon-blooded necromancer or a mortal death cult, and have her deathknight stabbing spree later be due to a lingering grudge against death-aligned beings?

Why is Lookshy's city god being female odd?

[Angie]

Ah, I like the story but there's a couple issues I'm afraid. One's super minor; May Blossom is actually the name of the signature chosen of secrets so that was sort of confusing.

The bigger issue is that our characters exalted 30-50 years ago, as per the house rules document. There weren't Abyssals around until five years before the standard start date, when the Jade Prison was opened and the Neverborn/Deathlords got their clammy ghost hands on a bunch of shards. You might be able to make the stuff with her father work with a dragon-blooded necromancer or a mortal death cult, and have her deathknight stabbing spree later be due to a lingering grudge against death-aligned beings?

Why is Lookshy's city god being female odd?

You know, I knew there was someone called May Blossom, but I didn't think it significant. I'll figure something else out, like Purple Rose or something.

Also, whoops. I think I got this game mixed up with the other game I might have been joining and dropped out of (I disliked how high powered it was being). I think I'll have to go with Dragon Blooded in order for said necromancer to have a chance against Purple Rose. It would also make more sense for a newbie Sidereal to be able to beat down a Dragon-Blooded. Dragon Bloods are still in the Loom.

I guess the God of Lookshy being female and called a "God" was just odd to me. I don't mind, just been a while ever since I ran across a situation like that and it struck me as odd.

Thank you for the editing help! I'll get to it.

EDIT: Editing done. Her Intimacy against the undead is still hard coded in. I may have her third intimacy be "She still feels she owes Tuan Yi for her help, and her gifts". All of these Intimacies should be easy adventure hooks!

[Meliai]

Ah! Yeah 'God' tends to be used as gender neutral in exalted, though you do get 'Goddess' sometimes (though not always) when referring to specific divine ladies.

Good luck with your revisions! I...still have basically all my writing to do :'D

[Angie]

Ah! Yeah 'God' tends to be used as gender neutral in exalted, though you do get 'Goddess' sometimes (though not always) when referring to specific divine ladies.

Good luck with your revisions! I...still have basically all my writing to do :'D

Oh the revisions are done. It's mostly the same thing, I kinda just find-replaced all.

[Muse]

  So, the PCs are mostly gals? 

[Angie]

It seems to be turning out that way. I guess something about Exalted lends itself to ass-whoopin' ladies

[Rook Seidhr]

EDIT: Since we're talking house rules, I would like to submit a request: When calculating Parry DV, I tend to throw in Essence into the calculation (so it becomes [Dex+Weapon Skill+Weapon Defense+Essence]divided by 2). It helps to make the heavily armored guys a bit more defensible, and helps other characters have Parry DVs that don't suck!

Sorry, no. Essence is instead of Weapon Defense. If you want a high PDV, get a weapon with a high Defense.

[Angie]

Sorry, no. Essence is instead of Weapon Defense. If you want a high PDV, get a weapon with a high Defense.

Was only a suggestion, just something I do in my own games. I figured I'd toss the idea in, see what happens.

[Meliai]

Meliai activates Unassailable Expisitionary Barrier!

Translation: sorry for the wall of text. I get a bit carried away with backgrounds...

Swift White Hare Chosen of Secrets

((Born 12 Ascending Water 720, Exalted 26 Resplendent Water 736))

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

When Radiant Xuan, a die-hard bronze faction oracle, was unexpectedly cut down in the field his colleagues quickly got to work divining the identity of the infant his shard had chosen. They were elated to find that the child would be born on the Blessed Isle but the mood soured quickly when they realized the new Sidereal wouldn’t be the vaunted progeny of a Great House, raised among the wealth and splendor of the Imperial City and the glories of the bronze faction’s vision, but the bastard offspring of a slave girl and an un-exalted lout with poor self control. Such things are easily mended, though! They would just have to be spirited away to Yu-Shan shortly after birth, or at least to some threshold village where they could be raised without shackles around their wrists, it was just a matter of determining what the most auspicious place for them would be.

Fate, unfortunately, had other plans. The charts were checked again and again, but each time the said the same thing; the child was to stay right where they were. A few minor strings were pulled and the expecting mother was transferred to a safer position among the household servants, and on the twelfth day of Ascending water, realm year 720, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. A recurring dream of a large white rabbit running between the shelves of an endless, dusty library had been haunting the new mother for months, and when her daughter was born with a shock of snow-white hair upon her head she decided it must have been an omen. The girl was named Swift White Hare, a slight she assumes was unintentional as the pun probably does not translate to her mother’s native skytongue.

When she was old enough to be put to work her Sidereal minders arranged for Swift (as she prefers to be called) to be given to a young Dragon-Blooded sorceress named Mnemon Kanya, to act as her personal handmaiden. Kanya herself had a notable enough Destiny to merit the seers keeping an eye on her, and having the two of them in one place simplified their work a bit.

Kanya was lonely and Swift was a quiet girl, obedient and demure. Swift was safe. So, after little more than a few months, the young Dynast was unloading all her burdens on her slave her friend nightly. Swift listened obligingly for years. To idle gossip, to complaints about teachers, to ‘no it’s definitely true love this time, I’m sure!’, to complaints that threw into sharp relief the fact that Swift herself was property and Kanya was a pampered princess. Still, Swift grew fond of her mistress in an odd sort of way. There was an innocence about her than Swift herself had never been privileged enough to possess, and it made her feel strangely protective.

So naturally, when a sudden flash of insight brought to Swift the realization that there was a conspiracy afoot, she took it upon herself to ferret out the truth. It never would have occurred to someone with less attentive ears than Swift, but she eventually heard nearly everything that was spoken of within the compound where she served, either personally or from her fellow servants. A few comments on odd encounters Kanya had experienced at the Heptagram, strange late-night meetings between her parents and other members of the House, and no small amount of snooping on Swift’s part gradually built up a web of occult strangeness around her mistress, some horrible spider waiting for the right moment to devour her. Swift knew little about sorcery at the time; the purpose of the rites and rituals were lost on her, but she know the conspirators meant Kanya harm and that was enough for her. Much to Swfit’s frustration, she only managed to poison one member of the cabal before the Sidereal who was supposed to be watching over her realized she’d taken her Second Breath and swept her off to Yu-Shan.

 

Once among the five-score fellowship and informed of what she really was, the gold faction roped Swift in fast and thoroughly. Though her heavenly minders had tried to keep her sheltered from the darker facets of Blessed Isle society, what terrible things she was personally shielded from she learned of from other servants. Swift wasn’t exactly sure the Solars would have made things as great as the gold faction seemed convinced they could have, but they couldn’t have been worse than the Realm, right?

The elder Sidereals in the Forbidding Manse of Ivy didn’t take Swift’s vocal support of Ayesha Ura and her circle well, but the condescending manner in which many of them attempted to explain to Swift how foolish she was being only strengthened her position. Eventually they washed their hands of her, shoving much of the most tedious work in the Manse onto her. That she could have dealt with, but what finally galvanized the animosity she still harbors for the bronze faction was when she found all records on Mnemon Kanya and the members of the conspiracy Swift had uncovered sealed, and every attempt she made to find out what had come of the situation blocked by more bureaucratic red tape that a Seer of her age and limited experience could hope to overcome.

Once her initial training was completed Swift was assigned to the Convention of Wood and the Convention on Essence Wielders. She was a diligent and dependable asset for the Convention of Wood, but most of her work there was pretty standard fare. For the Convention on Essence Wielders she showed a knack early on for infiltration and built up an impressive track record (for someone her age) recovering spellbooks and instructions for thaumaturgical rituals too dangerous to leave in the hands of mortals. More often than not, however, to truly sequester the knowledge within the books and scrolls a sorcerer or savant had to be eliminated as well, if they were judged to be a danger to Creation. As such, Swift was assigned a partner, a Chosen of Endings named Sen Vosaian. The collaboration proved to be highly effective in the field, but Sen was a member of the bronze faction and the pair spent the vast majority of their time together in Yu-Shan in one seemingly endless spat. Twenty-some odd years of spent working in close quarters and trusting one another with their lives has forged something neither will admit is friendship between them, their fights now more closely resembling the bickering of an old married couple.

Swift was quite confident and happy with her place in the fellowship, right up until the Solars actually returned. The speed with which plans that could reshape the face of Creation were being put into practice worried her. She tried to discuss the matter with several young gold faction friends, only to find herself playing Yozi’s advocate to numerous ways the Cult of the Illuminated could backfire. As one particular friend, an idealistic joybringer, loyally spouted the party line no matter what argument Swift raised she eventually convinced herself to wash her hands of the whole affair and joined the ranks of the independants just as the gold faction was receiving its greatest boon in centuries.

In the wake of her political shift Swift was transferred the the Convention of Fire; she still retains ties to old friends, but things are strained and talking politics with her inevitably leads to arguments. She has found Nazri’s complete lack of tolerance for factional shenanigans refreshing, though she’s fairly certain he, like many bronze stars and independants, is convinced her defection is part of some elaborate ruse. She’s done her best to be as unfailingly honest and forthright as she can for the past five years, but with the timescale Celestial Exalts operate on she’s accepted the bitter reality that it might be a very long time before she’s able to establish a reasonable level of trust with her fellow Seers, if it ever happens at all.

[Rook Seidhr]

Swift approved except for the first sentence, which I am still pondering. I should note that putting it behind Spoiler-Block Concealment Ruse would have been preferable…

[Angie]

*Angie uses Most Glorious Meditative Trance Technique while she waits!*

[eternaldarkness]

Away from my books, but I should get Crimson done by Monday.

[Meliai]

Okay, edit made and spoiler engaged! Back to work on the crunchy bits. Sooooo much errata, sooooooooooo much cross-referencing...

[Muse]

Aron Klail: Chosen of Journeys

   A renowned clockmaker and architect living outside of Nexus, Ronan Klail retired to the countryside with two young and beautiful concubines—White Hart and Winter Moon—to study, design, and perhaps raise a child or three. 

   Winter Moon had been rendered sterile by an accidental overdose of maiden tea, but White Hart bore him a son—Aaron—and three years later a daughter, Rebecca. 

   Intelligent, hard working, and studious, Aaron was in many ways his father's son., but there was one very distinctive difference between the two.  While Ronan was happier—at least in his older years—traveling to distant lands in books and through letters to his colleagues—ever history book, travel journal, and scientific treatise sparked in young Aaron a yearning to race away on horseback and witness these magnificent places and things for himself.   

   Aaron was a dreamer in other ways too.  His father instructed his children in the martial arts for physical fitness and self defense.  Aaron wanted to use those skills, brilliantly and heroically.  Ronan was not satisfied to teach his knowledge as theoretical scholarship alone.  He made sure they knew the full scope of his trade, applied mathematics, architecture, clockwork.  Aaron learned these things hungrily, but wasn't satisfied with tried and true methods.  He wanted to create and innovate, build things no one had ever built before, not even in the first age.  He wanted to create something that would  make a diference, something that could change the world. 

   Between his 19th and his 21st year, motivated by his yearning to see distant places and also by the long distances he had to travel to tryst with various young women who caught his fancy, Aaron did just that.  Using wheels, springs, pedals, and gears, he designed and then built a machine that would allow a single person to travel for many hours at horseback speeds anywhere there was a decent road.  He called his machine a bicycle.  He showed it off to his poorer neighbors.  Every time he came up with a newer, better design, he gave his older working model too a neighbor too poor to afford a horse. 

   He originally approached a guildsman—a business partner of his father—about investing in the device for manufacture and sale. 

   The more he watched his friends and neighbors benefit from his invention the more Aaron began to rethink the idea of selling the design. This 'bicycle' he'd developed represented to him a freedom he wanted to make affordable and available to all—the same freedom to travel that a horse represented.  Travel to market, to a lover's home, to a distant land.  All the things people who could afford a horse could do, his machine could do for a fraction of the cost! 

   With this ideal buzzing in his mind and hammering in his heart, the young man informed the guildsman that he wanted assurances written into their contract that the technology would be distrusted to all social classes at a reasonable price and for a reasonable profit.  It was then that the guildsman began to hem and haw, holding back from the offer.  At first, Aaron was confused.  He reviewed his stipulations. They seemed to him so reasonable and intuitive that he wondered why he'd brought them up in the first place... 

   But... 

   The guildsman—Dominic Shin—owned horse ranches.  Thousands and thousand of acres of horse ranches.  Could he possibly intend to purchase the rights to Aaron's machine and then refuse to produce it? 
   Perhaps he did.  Aaron left the negotiating table that night without an agreement and with strong implications that if Dominic would not distribute bicycles in the way Aaron suggested, who knew many who would. 

   Three days later, bandits descended upon Aron’s home.  They killed several men and dragged away a good many young women, including his sister and his mothers.  They took careful care to smash and burn every bicycle they could find, and they burned Aron’s workshop to ash. 

   Aaron took a blow to the head early in the fight.  He recovered a few hours later under the ministrations of a stranger.  Borrowing a horse from the stranger, he road after the bandits and found them selling the stolen girls to representatives of Dominic Shin.
   
   Aaron can no longer entirely remember the following hours, but a brilliant yellow light lit the night, and when it was done Dominic Shin lay dead at his feet.

   The stranger was there then, splattered with the blood of more than a few of the bandits and Dominick’s house mercenaries.   Not as much as Aaron. 

   “Tell me something, my young friend.  Where is the yellow light coming from?” 

   “Come with me.  I have much to teach you.” 


Artifacts: 
   Though Aaron has crafted a bicycle of Ambrosia, he prefers these days to pilot a Swift Runner. 
   He wears silken armor and an infinite resplendence amulet crafted of starmetal and moonsilver. 
   He wears a pair of Hearthstone Bracers in which is set the hearsthstone from his celestial manse. 

Combat Style: 
   Aaron has learned Air Dragon Style and sidereal throwing charms.  He aspires to master Prismatic Arrangement of Creation style. 

[Rook Seidhr]

Some issues with Aron Klail, will discuss over IM.

[Rook Seidhr]

Also some issues with Estela, will discuss over PM.

[Rook Seidhr]

A thing that came up in private discussion:

Your Backgrounds are yours. If one of them is going to be a plot focus, I'll discuss it with you; but you're not paying to suck. I hate pay-to-suck. So I rarely deploy ninja interior decorators against PC manses, send thieves to steal daiklaves, etc., unless you're hanging onto something without paying XP for it.

[AndyZ]

Which castes do you have so far?

[Rook Seidhr]

Angiejuusan is writing a second draft of her Chosen of Serenity's background, and has a sheet which I haven't looked at yet.
eternaldarkness is working on a Chosen of Battles but hasn't submitted anything yet.
Meliai has a solid background for her Chosen of Secrets, but no sheet yet.
Muse wrote up a background for a Chosen of Journeys but we need to discuss it.

So the currently-open slot is Endings—but Meliai has a strong concept for a Chosen of Endings Ally.

However, I am not wedded to a perfect Circle for this game, since it will be as much in Yu-Shan as in Creation. Pitch what you want to pitch.

[Angie]

You should look at it. I put a lot of work into that thing. *Huffs*

[AndyZ]

I will ponder an Endings ^_^

[eternaldarkness]

I'm close to done with both the stats and a background for my Battles. It's been a difficult labor of love :D

[Muse]

*Chuckles*  Deputy GM on his way to your sheet now, Angie-chan.  :) 

[Angie]

*Chuckles*  Deputy GM on his way to your sheet now, Angie-chan.  :)

Just Angie is fine.

[Muse]

Angie, I checked your character.  The math looks good.  Here's what I found: 

Atributes:   Base Spent/0 Bonus Points
Abilities:   Base Spent/11 Bonus Points
Backgroudns:   Base Spent/4 Bonus Points
Charms:      Base Spent/5 Bonus Points 
Collegens:   Base Spent/0 Bonus Points
Specialties:   Base Spent/0 Bonus
Virtues:   Base Spent/1 Bonus
Willpower   Base Spent/4 Bonus


Notes:   
   Artifact attunement from peripheral essence does not provoke an anima display.  As such most people prefer to attune from peripheral essence rather than personal. 
   Does not speak Flame Tongue. 

[Angie]

Angie, I checked your character.  The math looks good.  Here's what I found: 

Atributes:   Base Spent/0 Bonus Points
Abilities:   Base Spent/11 Bonus Points
Backgroudns:   Base Spent/4 Bonus Points
Charms:      Base Spent/5 Bonus Points 
Collegens:   Base Spent/0 Bonus Points
Specialties:   Base Spent/0 Bonus
Virtues:   Base Spent/1 Bonus
Willpower   Base Spent/4 Bonus


Notes:   
   Artifact attunement from peripheral essence does not provoke an anima display.  As such most people prefer to attune from peripheral essence rather than personal. 
   Does not speak Flame Tongue.

Would you believe me if I told you I've never, ever, EVER, seen that rule?

[Muse]

  I believe you.  I intenralized the attunement rules back in 1st edtion, so I couldn't tell you where to find them now.  I checked it with Riveda  just in case. 

[Angie]

I mean, if that's how it works, I'll just commit the 10 I need for all my gear from Periphiral and always go around with my gear ready.

[AndyZ]

That's very standard.

As I remember, you do need to have your anime go off when you initially attune, but then it just never does again no matter how long you leave the artifact attuned.

[Rook Seidhr]

I mean, if that's how it works, I'll just commit the 10 I need for all my gear from Periphiral and always go around with my gear ready.

Exactly.

[Muse]

  Do we have anyone who does much with sorcery? 

[Meliai]

Swift definitely has Emerald circle, not sure if she's reached Sapphire yet as her sheet is still in flux. I will let you know as soon as Ive got her charms locked in.

[Angie]

As a somewhat more experienced player...I'd really advice against it. Sorcery kinda sucks compared to a lot of the stuff we can do as Exalted...if we were mortal, Sorcery would rock. We're Celestial though. You don't really get that much bang for your buck. If you wanna go for it though, don't let me stop you. There are some awesome spells-the summon demon spells make you a goddamn rockstar!

[Rook Seidhr]

It is partly an issue of flavor. Kicking off a couple of Celestial Circle spells in combat can be really impressive and fun, even though it doesn't measure up mote-for-mote to the carnage one can inflict with Charms. And utility spells are very powerful. Sorcery is an XP drain, though, and that limits how far you can get into the best MA.

[Meliai]

I'll keep that in mind! I don't really have any part of her sheet entirely nailed down yet, like I said~

[Rook Seidhr]

Because someone asked, the actual rules for Craft (Fate) are in the sidebar on p. 74 of MoEP:Sidereals. You might or might not take dots in it; you are unlikely to be in a position to roll it, but it could be roleplaying fodder (and who knows? Maybe someday you'll chair a committee).

[Muse]

  I've also noticed a few charms that call for Craft: Fate rolls.  They might have all been craft charms. 

[Angie]

I don't have any of those, thankfully. I know, a Joybringer without Craft charms.

[Angie]

Alright, assembling all the Estela stuff into one post:

Image: https://pp.vk.me/c306407/v306407014/86af/DkU9aUyCSaM.jpg (but with blue hair!)

Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i1YqMEbFdgNwtqTNob5ovNtkYwxfh00UbK44q9VdOZI/pubhtml

Origin Story: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZxAzez1Y8VBQKrLmA5W3kDEouU8AfPyqvT9ux-LfvzE/pub

[Meliai]

Perdy!

I'd offer to try and shop her hair blue, but I haven't had much luck with soft painter-y pictures in the past I'm afraid

[ReijiTabibito]

Meliai talked to me about this game.  Partly because she and I are in the middle of an Exalted campaign ourselves, and partly because Sidereals happen to be my particular specialty when it comes to Exalted.  I've read the thread and also looked over the HR document Riveda posted.  Given the emphasis on the Convention of Fire, this sounds like the South to me.  Now, I've gathered that everyone is an Independent, since the HR bans Backing from the Factions.

Here's a question I've got - are the Martial Arts styles from Debris from the Fallen Races available to take?

EDIT: Also, are we actually starting at Essence 2?  You would think a Sidereal with 30-50 years of experience would have gotten it up to 3, probably 4, and quite possibly 5, depending on their particular focus.  Nevermind.  I'm an idiot.

[Rook Seidhr]

Given the emphasis on the Convention of Fire, this sounds like the South to me.

Yes, though the characters will be spending roughly as much time in Yu-Shan as in the field.

Now, I've gathered that everyone is an Independent, since the HR bans Backing from the Factions.

You are correct; that decision was based on the first few players who expressed character ideas saying they wanted to be independents. It also fits well in Convention of Fire.

Here's a question I've got - are the Martial Arts styles from Debris from the Fallen Races available to take?

…

…

I did not expect anyone to ask me that one. I keep saying to myself "I need to make a list of the permitted styles from Scroll of the Monk and Imperfect Lotus" but I didn't think anyone would feel the need for Eye of Heaven Style. It doesn't seem overpowered to me at first glance; might be underpowered, I just don't know.

Given a cool backstory, sure, why not. You'd probably have to have Gold Faction Connections to get that ori reaver, though.

[ReijiTabibito]

Yes, though the characters will be spending roughly as much time in Yu-Shan as in the field.

Okay.  So partly fieldwork and partly politics at home.  RIGHT.

You are correct; that decision was based on the first few players who expressed character ideas saying they wanted to be independents. It also fits well in Convention of Fire.

It does.  Independents work well in three of the five directional Conventions - Air, Fire, and Water.  Earth and Wood are havens for the Bronzes and Golds, respectively.  Air works well for Indeps because the North chair died recently, and now there's a lot of scrambling by both factions to secure the chair for themselves.  An ambitious independent might rise to sit there because one faction would rather deny the other the benefit of it, even if it means one of their own can't sit there.

Fire is easy. Nazri is the Chair in the South, and he's the biggest independent around.  Plus he lives to trip up the factions.

Water partly breathes off Independents.  While the West Chair is a Bronze herself, she has stated that factional politics will not be allowed.  In the West, Bronzes mainly operate in the Wavecrest Archipelago - only allowed to leave the island chain on important convention business.  Golds are allowed everywhere but Wavecrest.  Independents in the West, however, can go anywhere, which makes them highly valuable.

…

…

I did not expect anyone to ask me that one. I keep saying to myself "I need to make a list of the permitted styles from Scroll of the Monk and Imperfect Lotus" but I didn't think anyone would feel the need for Eye of Heaven Style. It doesn't seem overpowered to me at first glance; might be underpowered, I just don't know.

Given a cool backstory, sure, why not. You'd probably have to have Gold Faction Connections to get that ori reaver, though.

Hee hee hee.  Take a look at Eye of Heaven.  I'm not 100% sold on it yet, though I would note that if I did make a character who had it, they would be a former Gold Star, and no, I would probably not use an Ori-Reaver, but rather a pair of PKBs.  The form Charm for Eye of Heaven raises the Strength of the character using it by...I THINK Essence.  Nope.  Martial Arts.


EDIT:  Hey, question to the table.  What is everyone planning on doing for their Martial Arts, since this is a Sidereal game?  I've got a handful of Celestial styles - and I might even stoop to a Terrestrial style - that I've got on tap for my character, whatever they end up being.  Current frontrunning styles are:

Eye of Heaven (from Debris of Fallen Races)
Crystal Chameleon (Most High Maidens)
Ebon Shadow (Scroll of the Monk)

[Muse]

I'll keep that in mind! I don't really have any part of her sheet entirely nailed down yet, like I said~

  Is your character up for vieing yet, Melai? 

  I'm currnetly torn between Journeys and Secrets, and want to avoid overlapping you TOO much.  :)

[Meliai]

She's still got some background dots and bonus points unspent, specialties unassigned and I haven't started colleges at all but the rest is reeeeelatively solid I think? Unless someone tells me I did something super dumb~

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h2hTvo8NRcJIUyjZ7ZsNSfErOKevnzVbNRjftqP1jFQ/edit?usp=sharing

Her main focuses are sneakysneak and snoopysnoop, with lying and knowing everything secondary

[Muse]

Here's a concept aplication for a Chosen of Serenity I'm quite fond of.  Riveda, let me know if you want me to chage or downplay his motivation. 

Graceful Willow

Name:      Lai Aan/Graceful Willow
Type:      Sidereal
Auspice:   Serenity

Age:      57
--Apparent:   21
Birthday:   21st of Ascending Wood
Height:      5’11”
Weight:      175lbs
Build:      Lythe as a willow, but with the dense tone of a fencer.
Skin:      Light gold. 
Hair:      Rich russet with fiery highlights.   
Eyes:      Liquid black with cerulean flecks. 
Style:      Silken hakima and Kimono.  Exceptional slashing sword in a rosewood sheath tucked into his obi for a right handed draw. 

Anima:      Cerulean Halo
Motivation:    Destroy the games of divinity. 
Intimacies:   
   Conceal his motivation. 
   Creation and heaven alike will benefit from the resurgance of the dragon kings. 
   Zane Akkadian is a good friend, keeper of much lore that is largely forgotten.
   Zara Akkadian: Respect, possessive love, lust, and loyalty. 

   Lai Aan bears the exaltation of Li Mu Bai, perhaps the most renowned sifu that the Chosen of Serenity ever produced. 

   Shan Xu, Li Mu Bai's student and lover, tracked down his successor.  Finding that he was an orphan on the blessed isle, she saw to it that Lai Aan was taken into an Immaculate temple well known for producing powerful mortal martial artists--including a number of mortal practitioners of Five Dragon style 

   (Events of Exaltation?) 

   After his Exaltation, Shan Xu brought Lai Aan into Yuu Shan and became both his sifu and his mentor.  IT was something of a smothering experience.  Though Lai Aan appreciated her rich gifts and fine instruction, not to mention her beauty and power, her attention was distinctly smothering.  it didn't take him long to figure out that she wanted him to be someone he wasn't--but resembled enough to make matters difficult for them both. 

   Nonethless, Lai Aan took to Yuu Shan like a fish to water.  The martial arts was a familiar aspect that grounded him.  He moved from quiet and polite in social situations outgoing and charming in short order.  Already a graceful man who loved doing kata to music, he took to dance--both performance and social--with a deep passion. 

   After firmly extracting himself from as much of Shan xu's influence as he could, Lai Aan continued to thrive.  He became known as a charming ladies man and great lover.  Naturally, this was quickly identified as a weakness to exploit.  A goddess from the bureau of seasons--having recently been rewarded by the Unconquered SUn with a chance to make a single move in the Games of Divinity, shared a dream of that event with him using a dream stone. 

   Will was quickly addicted to the experience.  He spent a year and a half as his lover's pawn for a chance to experience the dream again and again and again.  He got into minor legal trouble twice before higher ups in the organization caught on to the issue and staged an intervention. 

   Lai Aan went into seclusion for several months to get his head in order.  He trained at martial arts and dance for focus.  He also came ot the most disturbing conclusion of his life. 

   The Incarna were vastly more advanced than he in every way, but... 

   The incarna had been playing the games of divinity for millennia.  If he could be addicted to the memory of a single move... 
   

[Angie]

Somehow I don't think Willow will get far with a hostile motivation like that...

[eternaldarkness]

Somehow I don't think Willow will get far with a hostile motivation like that...

I think it's a great and epic motivation. The Games of Divinity are a plague on heaven and part of the reason for creations misery. Hell, my character would be onboard with that.

[Rook Seidhr]

@eternaldarkness:

We all had a chat this morning in the wee hours on Skype (I would have invited you but you were Away and I figured probably therefore asleep) and agreed that "Unchain the Celestial Incarna from the Games of Divinity" might be a more Serene way to put it. Probably comes down to the same thing in the end though.

Can you please give me an idea of what you've got, background-wise, and what you see your character's niche as being?

[Rook Seidhr]

I have a sense of who's into the fightyfights, who's a face, who's a crafter, etc.…

Anyone planning on going heavy in astrology?

[Angie]

Estela sees it as a useful tool, and since she has the Dragon's Tear Tiara that adds +3 to Astrology, and the Sidereal Astrology stuff is Charisma+Performance...she just might.

EDIT: Assuming the Gem of Grace (+2 to Charisma) and the Dragon Tear Tiara bonus both factor in...on any Sidereal Astrology roll to create a destiny, Estela comes packing a pool of 14 dice. This scares me, in a way...

EDIT 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: The Gem of Grace requires the target to see me, so no, it wouldn't apply. But the Tiara...

[eternaldarkness]

Crimson Path Fo

Name: Crimson Path  Fo      Caste: Chosen of Battles
Player: Eternaldarkness       Faction: Independent       

Motivation: Liberate the Djala from slavery.
Intimacies: (Max 15)
-"Sweet Poison Lin is my friend, poison supplier, and sometimes-lover. I've known her since I first took my Second Breath."
-"Faka Kun can lead the Djala out of slavery....if I can keep her from becoming a divisive figure among them."
-"I despise slavery, and the Guild for making so many of my people into slaves."
-"I owe Nara-O a huge favor for keeping my secret...(Crimson has no idea what the secret is. That's how well Nara-O hid it.)"
-"My father is despicable, but he's all I have left in the world."

Bonus Points: 0/25 (4 Attributes, 11 Abilities, 5 Willpower, 3 Virtues, 2 extra MMBT techniques)

Attributes (4 BP to raise Strength to 4)

    Physical(9)               Social(6)                Mental(7)
    Strength 4                 Charisma 4           Perception 4
    Dexterity 5                Manipulation 3     Intelligence 3
    Stamina  4                Appearance 2       Wits 3

Abilities(Archery 5 - 1 BP. Presence 5 - 1 BP. Dodge 5 - 2 BP. Survival 5 - 1 BP. Stealth 5 - 1 BP. Socialize 3 - 2 BP. Martial Arts 5 - 3 BP)

    Journeys                    Serenity                       Battles
( )Resistance 3        (-) Craft -                     (-) Archery 5
( ) Ride 1                   (-) Dodge 5                 (-) Athletics 4
( ) Sail                        ( ) Linguistics 4         (-) Melee 2
(-) Survival 5             ( ) Performance 3     (-) Presence 5
( ) Thrown                 ( ) Socialize 3            (-) War 4

     Secrets                       Endings                     
( ) Investigation 1     ( ) Awareness 4               
( ) Larceny 1              ( ) Bureaucracy 2     
( ) Lore 3                    ( ) Integrity 3
( ) Occult 3                (-) Martial Arts 5
(-) Stealth 5               ( ) Medicine 2

Crafts
( ) Craft (Fate) 2
( ) Craft (Water) 3

Specialties: Craft (Water) - Poison 1
Archery - Longbow 3.
Occult - Demons 1, Elementals 1
Resistance - Poison 1


Languages: Firetongue, Forest Tongue, High Realm, Old Realm, Riverspeak

Advantages
Backgrounds (25/25)
Acquaintances 2 (The Djala homelands, known by his old name Fo)
Allies 3 (Sweet Poison Lin-Chosen of Serenity)
Artifact 3 (Red Letter - Starmetal Long Powerbow)
Artifact 1 (Infinite Jade Quiver)
Backing (Convention of Fire) 2
Celestial Manse 3
Connections (Crimson Panoply of Victory) 2
Connections (The Guild-South) 2
Connections (The Silver Pact - South) 1
Connections (Sand Pirates - South) 1
Salary 2
Sifu 3

Anima Power
Chosen of Battles Anima Power
(Sidereals p. 113)
A Chosen of Battles reflexively makes
the Lesser Sign of Mars for 10 motes. The Chosen’s anima
billows outward in a brilliant scarlet that engulfs all those
affected. For one scene, he adds (Essence) to the bashing and
lethal soak of the Sidereal and all allies within(his Essence x 10) yards.

Sidereal Dice Caps
The Sidereal limit on dice added by Charms is (Essence).
Their Second Excellency counts each success as only one die
added by a Charm, instead of two as for most other Exalts.

Charms

Charms (30/30, 10 Auspicious or Favored)
Name                                                 Cost;Book/Page
Archery Charms (8)
First Archery Excellency                     1m per die;Exalted 183

Fateful Archery Excellency                 1m per -1 dif;Sidereals 127

GENERALIZED AMMUNITION TECHNIQUE
Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 2, Essence 2;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
With this Charm, a Sidereal can turn any item no longer
than his arm and no heavier than his fist into a fully functional
projectile. Be it a handful of sand, a flounder, a shout, or whathaveyou, the Sidereal gives it the fate of an arrow—so the item functions as an arrow, of whatever type the character wants.

The improvised projectile inflicts damage per a standard arrow
of a chosen type, as well as inflicting any special effects based
on the nature of the projectile. If, for instance, the archer uses
a handful of sand and gives it the properties of a fowling arrow,
his target not only suffers bashing damage from the attack but
might also be temporarily blinded. The Charm also serves as
a peculiar way to send a brief message: turn the words into an
arrow and shoot them near the intended listener.

Generalized Ammunition Technique can be activated for a
cost of 2m to emulate any ammunition costing Resources 2 or
lower.

ANY DIRECTION ARROW
Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 1, Essence 1;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sidereal’s arrow weaves unpredictably in the air,
coming at a target from an unexpected angle. As a result,
the archer may ignore penalties to the attack roll from up
to 50% cover. If the target enjoys better than 50% hard
cover, the full penalties apply.

EVERY DIRECTION ARROW
Cost: 2m
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any Direction Arrow
Weaving her arrows together with strands of martial destiny,
the Sidereal can loose them all in a single shot. Activating this
Charm, the Sidereal may nock and release up to (Dexterity)
arrows as part of a single Archery attack. The base damage of
each individual arrow is added to the raw damage of the attack,
and any tags or special qualities possessed by an arrow are applied to the whole attack.

OPPORTUNE SHOT
Cost: 2m per reduction; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2;
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character spots the moment in which fate intends
for him to take his shot, and he rushes to accommodate. The
Sidereal reduces the Speed of an Archery-based attack by
one tick for every two motes spent to activate the Charm.
Opportune Shot and other effects can reduce the attack’s
final Speed to a minimum of 3.

FIVE SEASONS RESPONSE
Cost: 2m; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3;
Type: Refl exive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Every Direction Arrow, Opportune
Shot
If skill cannot protect one of the Maidens’ Chosen,
then she may trust to the world’s esteem for her offi ce and
duties. If not to that, then to Creation’s fear of what she
hopes to save it from. If not to that, to the world’s dreams
of glories faded that may yet return. And if all these fail, she
may ask for luck and revenge. These are the Five Seasons
Response. If an Archery-based attack strikes the Sidereal,
she may invoke this Charm to refl ect that attack back to
its source. The attacker receives his own attack, using the
same attack roll and including any Charms he used.

MANY MISSILES BOW TECHNIQUE (2 Bp extra transformations)
Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1lhl; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 4;
Type: Simple (Speed 5, DV-1)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Prayer Strip
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Five Seasons Response, Generalized
Ammunition Technique
The Sidereal activates this Charm using a prayer strip
inscribed with the Scripture of the Clay Maiden. Infused
with Essence, the strip rises into the air above the Sidereal’s
bow (holding steady at 10 yards) and glows a garish pink.
The strip’s influence triples the effective range for the
character’s Archery attacks.

What’s more, the character can perform the Generalized
Ammunition Technique in reverse: he can transform
arrows in flight into other materials or phenomena found
in Creation... not all of them physical. The character learns
one transformation when he first learns the Charm. He can
learn as many other transformations as he pleases, either
when he first learns the Charm or later, but each additional
one costs one experience point (or two for one bonus point).
During a scene in which this Charm is active, the Sidereal
can use only one transformation per attack. Each arrow so
transformed costs one mote. A character cannot transform
projectiles he improvises with the Generalized Ammunition
Technique or on arrows made of the magical materials. Some
sample transformations include the following:

• Boulder: In mid-flight, the arrow transforms from
a simple wooden shaft to a large boulder. The projectile
becomes unblockable. It also doubles its raw damage against
inanimate objects. The base Damage of the attack becomes (Exalt’s Essence) if it would be lower. Those who fail to defend suffer automatic Knockdown.

• Fire: The arrow dissolves in the air, to be replaced
by a rain of fire. Everything within (Sidereal’s Essence) yards of the target suffers one action’s worth of environmental damage, as if from a bonfire (see Exalted, p. 131). Paper, dry grass, grease and other easily combustible substances catch fire.

By paying 1wp in Step 1 of resolution, the Exalt may increase the
hazard’s Damage and Trauma to (Essence).

• Health: The Exalt rolls the minimum damage of the attack,
healing levels of damage instead of inflicting harm. Soak does
not hamper this power.

• Love: The arrow disintegrates in midair, and the attacker
compares successes on his roll to the target’s Dodge
Mental Defense Value instead of Dodge Defense Value. If
the attack “hits,” the target falls madly in love with the fi rst
person the target sees. The effect is an Intimacy that the
target cannot voluntarily erode for a number of days equal
to the attacker’s Essence. Ensuing events dictate whether
the feelings linger or wither.

• Precipitation: For one minute after the arrow lands,
rain or snow falls in the area (whichever is the least unlikely
for the location and time of year). The affected area is 100
yards in diameter per dot of the Sidereal’s Essence.

The Exalt may pay a surcharge of 1wp to force
snow or rain out-of-season.

Athletics Charms (2)
Forgotten Earth                                1m;Sidereals 153
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character leans back into the taut strands of fate
and launches from them like an arrow from a bowstring. In
so doing, her leaping distance triples for a single jump.

Burn Life                                          -;Sidereals 153
Cost: —; Type: Permanent
Duration: Permanent
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Despite aphorisms to the contrary, the Exalted burn both
long and bright, their insatiable heroism overwhelming all the
obstacles in their way as they blaze through history towards
their end. When performing feats of strength, the Exalt doubles
his Strength rating and converts bonus dice from stunts
into extra successes (adding double their rating to relevant unrolled pools). This Charm also allows the Sidereal to channel
his Conviction on all such rolls, and on Stamina-based rolls to
resist environmental hazards and poisons.

Craft Charms (2)
EXCELLENT IMPLEMENTATION OF OBJECTIVES
Cost: 4m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Varies
Prerequisite Charms: None
Superb works of magical or mundane craftsmanship can
become tools of destiny in the right hands. With this Charm,
the Sidereal craftsman makes it apparent that destiny simply
cannot wait for the object he's putting together. As a result,
circumstances conspire so the Sidereal fi nishes his work in
a fraction of the time such artifi ce would normally take.
Divide the amount of time a Craft project would normally
take by an amount equal to the character's Essence.

DESTINY-KNITTING ENTANGLEMENT
Cost: 2m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2; Type: Refl exive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Shaping
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
A Seer can bind an objects destiny to his own. 
Thereafter, the character may reflexively spend two motes of
Essence to learn the object's general circumstances: where
it is, what sort of person has it, what that person is doing with it.
The Sidereal can instead spend the two motes to engender a series of events that brings the object back to her. Perhaps a thief steals it and passes it off to a fence in the Sidereal's employ. Perhaps the acquaintance (per the Background) who left with the object chooses that moment to visit the Sidereal and brings it with him.

This Charm can target any object the character owns (Exalted,
p. 238), as long as no other Essence user owns it. This Charm
is a Shaping effect that dictates circumstances and actions; extras  cannot resist this script for the world, while others may spend 1wp to pass off their duty to fulfill destiny to someone else.

If the circumstances aren't ideal for the Sidereal to draw the
object to him, the object might not make it all the way to
his hands, but it makes some progress each time. He may
continue to monitor the object's location until the object
returns to him.

If the Sidereal loses in combat an object affected by
this Charm, he can use a stunt to call it back to his hand.
Doing so must involve the scenery or circumstances:
he can't simply make the object float back to him. But if
an enemy knocks the Sidereal's daiklave from his grasp,
for instance, an arrow meant for the Sidereal's heart might
knock the tumbling blade back into his hand.

A character can bind to herself a maximum number
of objects equal to her Craft (Fate) score. A Sidereal may use
this Charm to observe and affect any number of objects he owns.

He maintains ownership by using Destiny-Knitting Entanglement
to check in at least once every day. Failure to do so allows others to claim it in full, preventing use of this Charm. Other effects that assert absolute ownership of the object will also thwart this Charm. Recalling an object in combat costs nothing and is reflexive.

Dodge Charms (2)
Absence                                             2m;Sidereals 143
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Viziers anticipate attacks upon them, and avoid them.
Apart from the name and Essence cost, this Charm duplicates
Shadow Over Water (see Exalted, p. 227).

Add the following to this Charm:
Even destiny falls into regular patterns, and to avoid one
blow is just as good as avoiding all a foe’s attacks. Sidereals
with Dodge 4+, Essence 3+ may repurchase this Charm. If it
enhanced a successful application of the character’s Dodge DV
against an attacker previously in the same tick, subsequent uses
against that same attacker also raise the target number of the
their dice pool by 1.

Duck Fate                          10m;Sidereals
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Absence
Vibrations in the strands of fate alert a Sidereal to
imminent danger. Her player rolls (Dexterity + Dodge)
against a difficulty equal to the permanent Essence of the
foe responsible for the trouble. (Environmental dangers
are difficulty 1.) If the roll succeeds, the Exalt avoids the
harmful effect. For this Charm’s purposes, a “harmful effect”
includes unexpected attacks, area-of-effect attacks, attacks
with no physical component or even continuous effects with
a duration longer than instant. (The character only needs
to avoid a continuous effect once.) Attacks with very wide
areas of effect (such as the Rain of Doom spell) defeat this
Charm if the character is physically incapable of moving
the distance needed to escape the effect.

The Sidereal’s player must activate this Charm either
before her opponent’s attack roll or as soon as the player
becomes aware of the effect.

This Charm may be employed to avoid any harmful effect
(including all undesired physical, social, mental and spiritual
influence), regardless of applicability or the scope of the attack,
so long as the Sidereal succeeds on the Charm’s activation roll.
It fails only against unexpected attacks, Limit Break and Pattern
Bite. Duck Fate’s fallible activation roll is considered a
unique Flaw of Invulnerability.

This Charm protects the person of the Exalt, including his
possessions. It does not protect allies or distant estates just because they may be represented as Background traits on the Sidereal’s character sheet.

Martial Arts Charms (5)
Violet Bier of Sorrows Style
Secrets of Future Strife                     3m;Sidereals 180
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Accepting the twists and turns circumstance with instant
determination, the Sidereal is never caught off guard. A Join
Battle roll supplemented by this Charm converts up to (Martial
Arts) dice to automatic successes. As part of the roll, the martial
artist may reflexively draw any form weapon of this style.

Flight of Mercury                              2m;Sidereals 181
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Moving with the swift precision of one who knows her destiny,
the Sidereal strikes without hesitation or remorse. An unarmed
attack supplemented by this Charm reduces its Speed
by one point. The martial artist can also move up to (Essence)
yards before making the attack if needed to close range with
her opponent.

Blade of the Battle Maiden               5m, 1wp;Sidereals 182
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Crimson ribbons of Essence trail from the Sidereal’s hands,
the strands of a martial destiny waiting to be seized. This crimson nimbus allows the martial artist to both deal lethal damage and parry lethal attacks while unarmed, and enchants her natural attacks with the traits of a stametal daiklave (except
for clinches).

Alternatively, the martial artist may invoke this Charm to
invoke a form weapon she wields, granting it the magical material bonus of starmetal and rendering it as indestructible as an attuned artifact. It also benefits from the reduced target number for damage.

Joy in Adversity Stance                     5m;Sidereals 182
Type: Reflexive (Step 2)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Each moment’s survival is a small happiness to one who
walks constantly with peril and misfortune. While Joy in Adversity Stance is active, the martial artist gains one bonus die
on her next unarmed Martial Arts attack every time she successfully dodges an attack. Attacks with the Overwhelming tag instead confer two dice when dodged. These bonus dice count as dice added by a Charm, and are discharged at when the martial artist next attacks.

Attacks must be made with hostile intent against the martial
artist and be capable of harming her in order to trigger this
Charm. Using a defense with a Flaw of Invulnerability ends this
Charm’s duration prematurely.

Violet Bier of Sorrows Form           6m;Sidereals 182
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Form-Type, Emotion, Obvious
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
The martial artist takes on the same cold detachment with
which Saturn makes her Sign against those things whose time
has passed. She is reckoning and destruction, a peerless bringer
of endings, and all the princes and kingdoms of the world tremble before her. While Violet Bier of Sorrows Form is active, the martial artist gains the following benefits:
• All enemies see their own end in her, doubling any wound
penalties they take on actions to oppose her in combat. Resisting this unnatural Emotion for one scene costs two Willpower.
• Any unarmed attack she makes against a spirit consumes
one of the spirit’s motes for every level of damage dealt.
• The character’s unarmed martial arts attacks gain an
Overwhelming value of (the lower of her Essence or Martial
Arts rating).

Melee Charms (1)

Harmony of Blows                             2m per attack (+1wp)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Virtue (Temperance)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Uncertain fates may offer several equally attractive
options in parallel. A Seer with this Charm need not choose
one option over the others. Instead, he takes every available
option. When the character activates this Charm, he can
take two extra attack actions using Archery, Martial Arts,
Melee or Thrown, ignoring multiple-action penalties and
his attacks’ listed Rate.

This Charm may be in Combos with Charms of other
combat Abilities. Each attack used in the magical flurry
must use the same Ability and weapon, though.

Harmony of Blows allows the Sidereal to take up to (Dexterity)
attacks as part of the magical flurry it creates. Doing so
costs two motes per action, or a flat cost of five motes if only
Melee attacks are included. No enemy can have more than one
attack directed at them unless the Sidereal pays a surcharge of
one Willpower when activating this Charm.

Presence Charms (2)
Second Presence Excellency            2m per success;Exalted 184

Force Decision                                   4m;Sidereals 156
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion
Duration: Instant
When people face choices, wise Viziers shape the
people’s decisions. The Sidereal subtly channels Essence into
a victim so he makes the decision that the Seer wants. At
the time, the decision seems perfectly natural to the target
character forced to make it, though he might come to regret
it later and wonder what possessed him to choose as he did.
The Seer’s player need merely succeed at a (Manipulation
+ Presence) roll at a difficulty of the target’s Essence;
This Charm targets a character no more than (Essence x 5)
yards away, and the roll to use it is made against the victim’s
MDV. It costs 2wp to ignore this unnatural Compulsion.

The Charm works only on people who really are
weighing different options: it can’t force a person to drop
whatever he’s doing to go do something else. Any decision
imposed must be at least a plausible option in the
circumstances: when the Regent ponders what wine to have
with dinner, you can’t make him decide to declare war on
Thorns. Worst of all, the Charm doesn’t hold the target to
his decision. Habitual waffl ers may still change their minds
a few minutes later. (Bronze Faction Sidereals have learned
that using Force Decision on Regent Fokuf is futile and unnecessary: he agrees with whatever anyone suggests... and
changes his mind the next time anyone speaks.)

Resistance Charms (3)
Ox-Body technique x3

Someone Else's Destiny                    4m
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
When the Sidereal is exposed to a drug, poison, or Sickness effect, as well as influences that cause Derangements or other effects that can reasonably be called ‘madness’, intentionally or unawares, she can lock it away as a memorandum attached to her fate and pass that memorandum off on someone else.

At the drug or poison’s first damage interval (see Exalted,
p. 130), the Sidereal can reflexively activate this Charm instead
of trying to resist the poison. The effect of the substance
separates entirely from the Sidereal’s fate but remains in orbit
around it. The Sidereal can have up to (Essence) suspended
maladies at once.

The substance remains suspended thus until the next
time the Sidereal successfully attacks someone in close combat
and her player rolls at least one die of lethal or aggravated damage.

Whether the damage roll succeeds or not, the orbiting
memorandum transfers to the victim of the attack, whereupon
the substance’s effects kick in immediately as if the victim had
originally ingested the poison or drug himself.

Applying the effect to an attack is done in Step 1 of combat resolution and is voluntary.

Shield of Destiny
(pp. 128-129)
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2;
Type: Reflexive (Step 7)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
The Sidereal reaches out to grasp the fate of an attack headed
her way, carrying it off like a banner to bestow upon someone
else. Calling upon the Shield of Destiny, the Sidereal rolls
(Dexterity + Resistance) in Step 7 of an attack against her.
Every success on this activation roll subtracts a single die from
the post-soak damage of the attack (to a minimum of one die
remaining).

Damage prevented by this Charm remains caught in the
weave of the Sidereal's destiny, vibrating like a trapped fly.
Whenever the Sidereal is attacked, she may release this thrumming tension as an unblockable and undodgeable counterattack that hits automatically in Step 9. The counterattack has damage equal to the amount of dice initially negated by Shield of Destiny, and bypasses both soak and Hardness.

A Sidereal may maintain up to (Essence) activations of this
Charm. She may release these without making a counterattack
if she wishes to, dissipating the tangle of violence throughout
the whole of the Loom of Fate.

Optimistic Security Practice            5m;Sidereals 129
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
Postponing her sacrifice so that she might continue to serve
Creation, the Sidereal flicks her thumb across the strand of
her lifespan, deferring all efforts to cut it. Optimistic Security
Practice adds (Essence) to the Sidereal’s bashing, lethal, and
aggravated soak. If she is not wearing any armor, this rises to
her (Essence + Resistance).

In addition, the Sidereal winds the destiny of (her Compassion
– target’s Compassion, minimum one) of each of her opponents’
positive Intimacies around her own. When attacked,
the Sidereal may interpose the likeness of one of the target’s
Intimacies over her own like a spectral hostage, its eyes pained
by shock and incomprehension at the target’s betrayal. The
target must pay one Willpower to attack the Sidereal through
the figure of his Intimacy; failing to do so causes the attack to
sever the thread of that Intimacy, discarding it from the attacker’s Intimacies completely. The Sidereal gains the benefit
of this defense against any opponent who attacks her until each
of that opponent’s captured Intimacies have been destroyed,
or until the opponent has spent (Sidereal’s Compassion) Willpower to resist. The Sidereal may not capture more than five
Intimacies of any target per scene, and if two Sidereals capture
the same Intimacy, the defense is no longer applicable once
that Intimacy has been severed. This Charm does not allow the
Sidereal a survey of the target’s Intimacies; which Intimacies
are captured are determined by the Storyteller, but the Charm
generally snares those Intimacies the target considers most important first.

Stealth Charms (1)
Soft Presence Practice                      4m, 1wp;Sidereals 170
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
With this Charm, the Sidereal steps lightly around the bonfires
of heroes and dampens her own, moving to disturb none so
that she may work in peace. While this Charm is active, motes
spent on the Sidereal’s non-Obvious Stealth Charms (including
Excellencies) do not contribute to anima flare, and she may
spend up to (Essence) peripheral motes on other non-Obvious
Charms each tick without them counting for anima flare. In
addition, she adds an extra success to her Larceny and Stealth
rolls during the scene.

Walking Outside Fate                        5m, 1wp
Type: Simple
Keywords: Fate
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Soft Presence Practice
A Sidereal who uses this Charm can part the strands of
the weave of fate, stepping between them and outside fate
altogether. The character still physically exists in Creation,
but her new condition makes her almost impossible to perceive.
While the character remains outside fate, creatures
whose Essence ratings do not exceed hers cannot detect
her. If such creatures succeed on a reflexive (Perception +
Awareness) roll, they might realize that some sort of presence
has come among them, but affecting that presence
or attacking it incurs a -2 external penalty on any related
roll. Only characters with supernatural tracking abilities
can attempt to track the hidden character.

The character remains outside fate for as long as she
commits the Essence to the Charm, but causing her anima
banner to fl are such that it causes Stealth Charms to fail
also ends this effect. If two characters walk outside fate in
the same location, they cannot automatically sense one
another. Whether or not one sees or becomes aware of the
other depends on the characters’ relative Essence ratings.
Walking Outside Fate carries the Fate keyword because
other Charms with that keyword have diminished or nullifi ed
effects against characters using this Charm.

To clarify, the character is effectively invisible, and can be
targeted like other invisible characters. She is perfectly immune
to long-term tracking (see Exalted, p. 140), adding (Essence)
dice to any roll-off.

Survival Charms (1)
Becoming the Wilderness                 4m;Sidereals 136
Keywords: Combo-OK, Virtue (Valor)
Duration: One day
Replace the text of this Charm with the following:
The wilderness is not a hazard to itself, and each part unto its
other parts is as one beautiful, moving Tapestry. By activating
this Charm, the Sidereal becomes another part of the wild, and
it accepts him warmly. The Exalt ignores the environmental
impediments of the untamed wilderness, which is distinct from
sculpted gardens or the body-realms of titans. This allows him
to ignore external penalties or difficulty increases from these
factors, the difficulties of unstable footing or water and muck
(Exalted, p. 155), or exhaustion from extreme temperatures
(Exalted, p. 130). On rolls that would suffer these penalties,
the Seer may channel his Valor. The Exalt travels at his maximum overland travel speed with little effort, as if he were on a leisurely walk and ignoring any reductions to his travel speed
due to weather, terrain or magic.

With a Survival and Essence 3+ repurchase, the Sidereal
has come to an understanding that all places are wilderness to
those unfamiliar. He may activate this Charm to function in either true untamed wilderness or in more structured, cultivated
places such as cities and towns. The Exalt cannot make use of
both functions at once, and the divine structure of titan bodies
remain too potent to ignore until Essence 4+.

Colleges

The House of Journeys
The Captain
The Gull
The Mast 1
The Messenger
The Ships Wheel 1

The House of Serenity
The Ewer
The Lovers 1
The Musician 1
The Peacock
The Pillar

The House of Battles
The Banner 1
The Gauntlet 1
The Quiver 2
The Shield 2
The Spear 1

The House of Secrets
The Guardians
The Key 1
The Mask 1
The Sorcerer
The Treasure Trove

House of Endings
The Corpse
The Crow
The Haywain
The Rising Smoke
The Sword

Thaumaturgy
Art of Demon Summoning 1
Art of Elemental Summoning 1

Willpower: 10 (5 BP)

Virtues
Compassion 4 (2 BP)
Temperance 1
Conviction 3
Valor 4 (1 BP)

Dodge DV: 7
Parry DV: (5 Clinch, 4 Kick, 6 Punch) [Dex + (Martial Arts or Melee) + Weapon Defense]  ÷ 2

Dodge MDV: 9
Parry MDV: ([(Charisma or Manipulation) +Ability + pertinent specialty] ÷ 2

Equipment
Hearthstone: Gladestalker's Stone (MANSE •••) (Set in Powerbow) +3 Acc/+3 Dam to Powerbow

Infinite Jade Quiver (Owned)
Cost: 1, 3m commit.
Made of Green Jade. Create an infinite supply of any non-artifact arrow costing no more than resources 1, one type at a time (type can be changed by turning a dial on the Quiver as a miscellaneous action). Arrows vanish after two ticks unless the user pays 1 mote per arrow to create a real arrow from pure essence.

Starmetal Long Powerbow- Red Letter (Owned)
Dire Lance: Speed 6, Accuracy +5, Damage +8L/2, Rate 3, , Attune 6, Tags: 2, B, O. +3 Acc/+3 Dam from Gladestalker's Stone.

M = Martial Arts May be wielded with Martial Arts or Melee.
N = Natural Part of the body; not subject to disarming. Must be wielded with Martial Arts. Can parry
only bashing attacks without aid of a stunt or magic.
O = Overwhelming Damage after the slash is the innate minimum Damage of the weapon rather than the usual
one die.
P = Piercing weapons ignore four points of soak from the target’s armor. If this would give the armor in question an
effective soak value of less than 2, the weapon does not ignore the armor’s final 2 points of soak.
R = Reach Can attack mounted targets or those at higher elevation without penalty.
Th = This tag indicates that a weapon is a Thrusting weapon, capable of being used for Thrust actions. A Thrust action is
identical to an Attack action, save that its DV penalty is -2 and it carries the Piercing tag.

                               Soak
                        B: 4     L:  2    A: 0



Essence                 
(*)(*)(*)(*)( )( )     
Personal       18/18
Peripheral    37/46
Committed   9 Peripheral (3m Quiver, 6m Powerbow)
                         
Health:
-0 XXXX
-1 XX
-2 XX
-4 X
Incapacitated: X


Experience
0

Background/Personality

The Chosen of Battles now known as Crimson Path was born with the name Fo in a city that bordered the south and east where his Djala mother was a slave and concubine to the Outcaste dragon-blood, also his father, who ruled it. Despite his heritage, Fo's life was made no easier as his father wanted no part of the half-breed child and denied any connection to him, instead keeping Fo as a household servant. Fo proved to be a troublesome servant early on as he was spirited, hard-headed, and most of all very good with any weapon that he could get his hands on, which was anything he could get his hands on, as his master quickly discovered when he was very nearly murdered in his sleep the enraged Fo after the young half-breeds mother returned bloody and bruised from a night of indulging his cruel and perverse desires.

Rather than have Fo killed or otherwise punished, the dynast recognized the value of a brave, if somewhat willful, servant and did something entirely unexpected. He offered Fo a deal: he would train Fo to serve as his assistant and bodyguard, and in exchange Fo's mother would never again be the target of his lusts, but if Fo ever tried to flee or kill him again, she would be slain without hesitation. Fo accepted, and before long he learned what the real punishment was for his actions: the fighting arts and wilderness survival skills that his Exalted 'father' taught him would be employed to assist in hunting down and enslaving others, and Fo had no choice but to obey.

After many years of service, Fo began to slowly earn the trust of his master and with that trust came more freedom. By now, Fo had become a warrior of incomparable skill by mortal standards and a masterful hunter besides, killing or enslaving countless unfortunates and even doing battle with gods and other dangerous creatures at his fathers side. Over time both Dragon-Blood and slave came to have some affection for eachother, and Fo might well have spent the rest of his life in this pursuit if not for the sudden and unexpected (to him anyway) Exaltation that came upon him one day after returning from a week-long hunt with his father to find that in their absence, a slave uprising had occurred, and Fo was forced to choose: Fight with the city's forces and help quell the uprising, or forfeit his mothers life.

Fo's conscience won out that day, and thanks to his very auspiciously-timed Exaltation, Fo fought and this time defeated his father, leaving the cruel outcaste injured and near death, but alive. He had every intention of leading the surviving slaves in finally fighting back against their captors, but it was then that that he realized, much to his everlasting annoyance, that the slaves must lose this fight and remain slaves, for the good of all Creation, and with assistance from fellow Sidereal Sweet Poison Lin, completed his first assignment: killing the leaders of the uprising in a way that made them appear to be the sole architects of rebellion, and thus sparing most of the rest.

Fo soon was formally inducted into the Five-Score Fellowship and joined with the Bronze Faction at the urging of Lin, but it wasn't long before his dissatisfaction with the factions dedication to maintaining a rapidly-failing status quo soured him on their ideology and led him to vocally opposed the factions plans. His membership ended after he found himsrlf in a bloody duel with another faction member (in his defense, the other guy started it), and since he had never been fond of the Gold faction's scheming either, he found himself with no faction to call home. That suited him just fine, as he was more concerned with his own agenda, one that put the well-being of creation first, and began with ending the widespread slavery that had become the backbone of the worlds most powerful societies.

Personality: Crimson Path is a revolutionary, preferring to solve most problems and effect change in the most direct way possible, which is often at odds with his duties as a functionary of the Bureau of Destiny. More than once he has been punished for flat-out refusing an assignment he finds morally repugnant - exploiting the weak for the benefit of the strong is not something he does if he can avoid it - and as such, he has had a difficult time gaining much influence or respect, and is currently working at a reduced salary as punishment for a recent transgression. When not on assignment, Fo spends his time carefully guiding the hidden Djala enclaves in the south toward martial readiness, preparing them for the day that he knows will come when they'll need to fight en masse to remain free or die trying.

In combat, Fo is a versatile and unpredictable opponent who prefers to strike from surprise and use various poisons to debilitate stronger opponents, then wear them down by attrition and committing completely to the conflict until the bitter end. Despite his reputation for hot-headedness, he rarely goes into any conflict without a plan, and more than a few bureaucratic rivals and opponents have discovered that picking a fight of any kind with him will only end in one of two ways - with his utter defeat and destruction, or theirs.

[Muse]

Lai Aan should be publicly view-able now. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qiseAc3k1NdIpMknXOMLp4xS7DXzlEETcCOw0LOLf-M/edit?usp=sharing

[Rook Seidhr]

I haven't looked over the stats yet.

The Chosen of Battles now known as Crimson Path

Can we call him "Crimson Path Fo" instead? Just "Crimson Path" is not a moniker the elder Chosen of Battles would let him get away with.

…the sudden and unexpected (to him anyway) Exaltation that came upon him one day after returning from a week-long hunt with his father to find that in their absence, a slave uprising had occurred, and Fo was forced to choose: Fight with the city's forces and help quell the uprising, or forfeit his mothers life.

Fo's conscience won out that day, and thanks to his very auspiciously-timed Exaltation, Fo fought and this time defeated his father, leaving the cruel outcaste injured and near death, but alive. He had every intention of leading the surviving slaves in finally fighting back against their captors, but it was then that that he was approached by the Chosen of Serenity who is still his friend to this day - Sweet Poison Lin - that explained to him how the slaves must lose this fight and remain slaves, for the good of all Creation and helped him complete his first assignment: killing the leaders of the uprising in a way that made them appear to be the sole architects of rebellion, and thus sparing most of the rest.

The way I construe the Sidereal Exaltation, he would have had that realization himself—you get to come up with the rationale for how and why. He would have Exalted in the process of carrying out his decision, and probably run into Sweet Poison Lin carrying out the same mission.

His membership ended after he hurried another Chosen along to his next incarnation at the end of a bloody duel

Sids don't fight Sids. Well, hardly damn ever. Killing one, even in a duel that wasn't intended to be to the death, would make him too much of a pariah to be playable, and might in fact get him "hurried along to his next incarnation" himself. Just fighting a bloody, mutually-agreed-upon duel with another Sidereal would be enough to get both of them censured.

[Marie Reynolds]

Sorry I have fell quiet here was catching up in other areas when work was not getting in the way.So i hope i can still have a  slot in the game.

[Rook Seidhr]

I've got six players; even in pbp, I don't know that I could handle any more, and even if two drop out, four would still be enough to continue the game. So…I think recruitment is closed.

EDIT: which begs the question, in which board should we play?

[AndyZ]

Marie can have my spot. I'm blank on good Sid ideas

[Muse]

  Well, personaly in favor of NC Exotic, but whatever works for everyone.  :) 

[Muse]

Well, in the text chat for the game, everyone's speaking in favor of NC Exotic or Extreme. 

IF anyone can't handle that, please chime in so we know! 

[Rook Seidhr]

Just a note on post rates…

My expectation (and I should have made this clear a lot sooner) is a minimum average of one solid IC post per character per day from all players. Some days you'll probably miss, others you'll post twice—it should all even out in the long term to a minimum of one per day.

Obviously if you're sick, if your granddad died and you can't be arsed due to grief, etc., I'm going to cut you some slack. But if you drop below 1/week we will have to make an arrangement, at the very least.

I'm thinking about tying XP to post rate. If I do, there will still be a minimum award of 1 XP/week if you post IC at all, and the maximum award will be twice the minimum awarded that week, to keep people from flooding just to gain XP. Not that I think any of you would try to game the system like that—and if you did I'd kick your ass out of the game after a warning or two.

Thoughts?

[Muse]

 I ran an exalted game for 3 years.  About 2 yeaers in I had to bump everyone up to the EXP award of the most experienced character on account of the EXTREME imballance. 

  Since then, whenever someone does really cool, either an epic stunt or an OOC neatness like bring a feast to the game, i anounce that that person has earened everyone an expereince point. 

[ReijiTabibito]

That's a solid idea - though, really, you should be asking yourself:

Is this Exalted?

If yes, then are you Exalted? 

If yes, then you are stunting.

Usually experience only gets awarded for 3-point stunts, and then you get 1xp.  But I'd be alright with that as an addenda rule.

[Rook Seidhr]

Game cancelled for reasons. Or anyway, game returned to "seeking GM" state. My apologies for wasting your time. Again.

[eternaldarkness]

I've decided to just run this myself. Recruitment thread will be up as soon as I get off work.

[ReijiTabibito]

So what changed, if I may ask?