Name: Kabiko of Yane
Concept: Geisha Caste Entertainer
Nature: Caregiver
Caste: Eclipse
Anima: A golden swan rising from water
Experience
Current XP: 0
Spent XP: 0
Earned XP: 0
Attributes
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 4
Stamina: 2
Charisma: 4
Manipulation: 3
Appearance: 4
Perception: 3
Intelligence: 3
Wits: 3
Skills
C Linguistics 3 (Riverspeak, High Realm, Low Realm)
C Socialize 3
C Ride 1
F Presence 3 (5)
F Performance 4 (6) (Dancing +1)
F Martial Arts 4
F Larceny 2
F Athletics 1 (Acrobatics +1)
Awareness 1
Dodge 3
Lore 1
Medicine 1
Endurance 1
Backgrounds
Allies 2
Artefact 3
Follower 1
Influence 3
Manse 3
Resources 3
Virtues
Compassion: 3
Conviction: 2
Temperance: 2
Valor: 2
Virtue Flaw:
Heart of Tears
Willpower: 5
Essence
Essence: 3
Personal Essence: 14
Peripheral Essence: 35 / 28
Commited: 7
Charms
Respect Commanding Attitude - Performance (Core book, p 172) - 5 motes
Masterful Performance Exercise - Performance (Core book, p 174) - 2 motes/success
Graceful Reed Dancing - Performance (CB: Z, 76) - 2 motes/success
Harmonious Presence Meditation – Presence (Core book, p 175) - 6 motes
Wise-Eyed Courtier Technique - Socialize (Core book, p 211) - 3 motes
Mastery of Small Manners - Socialize (Core book, p 211) - 3 motes
Welcome Guest Method - Socialize (CB: E, p 77) - 3 motes
Leaping Mantis Technique – Martial Arts (CB: E, p74) - 3 motes
Iron-Arm Block – Martial Arts (CB: E, p74) - 3 motes
Mantis Form – Martial Arts (CB: E, p74) - 6 motes
Soak
L: 1 (5) / B: 2 (6) / A: 0
Health
1 x -0 Health Level
2 x –1 Health Levels
2 x –2 Health Levels
1 x -4 Health Level
Incapacitated
Attacks:
Heavenly Thunder Leaves
Spd 10; Acc 10; Dam 1L; Def 13
Punch
Spd 7; Acc 8; Dam 1B; Def 8
Kick
Spd 4; Acc 8; Dam 3B; Def 6
Artefact
Heavenly Thunder Leaves (CB: Z) (Artifact **)
Spd +3; Acc +2; Dam +0L; Def +5
+1 to performance rolls involving dancing
may summon spirits by dancing (dex+performance roll, diff 3)
Collar of Dawn’s Cleansing Light (Bo3C) (Artefact *)
+2 to resist cold, poison and disease
always clean
The Garden of the Courtesan (Solar Manse ***)
Sphere of Courtesan’s Constellation (CB: Z)
Adds to 2 to Performance and Presence rolls
The Garden of the Courtesan is located about a days ride from Yane. It can only be entered through a cave hidden between the trees in the South-Eastern jungle. The entrance is protected by powerful magics and the Dryad who lives inside.
When you enter the Garden you are greeted by a beautiful jungle in constant summer, the temperature stays at a nice 28°C. Several small streams run between the trees and flow into a crystal-clear pond, filled with a variety of tropical fish. Several flocks of beautiful, tropical birds nest in the trees.
(The environment is shaped as if a permanent version of the Celestial Circle spell “Outside Worlds Within” was used).
In the centre of the Garden stands a grand tree with a bark lined doorway. This is Kariëch sanctum made tangible through some First Age magic. Inside this tree are several chambers reserved for Kabiko.
As far as Kabiko knows only she and Kariëch are attuned to the Manse.
The Garden had been hidden from the world by the Solar spell “Pressed Beyond the Veil of Time” until the reincarnation of Gentle Touch of Passion entered the cave. Now it is still under the fierce protection of Kariëch who is loath to allow strangers into its sanctum.
In the centre of Kariëch’s sanctum grows the Sphere of Courtesan’s Constellation.
White Dove (Follower *)
White Dove is a pretty little girl of about 12 years old. She has shoulder length silvery white hair. Her skin is as smooth as silk and the colour of alabaster. Her eyes are likewise devoid of any pigmentation.
I found White Dove when I was walking through Yane shortly after I Exalted. She wore the clothes of the casteless. She sat there against the wall crying. I walked over to her and gave her my handkerchief to dry her tears. When she calmed down a bit I noticed she had a black eye. I asked her who had done that to her and why. She told me between sobs that she was supposed to receive her first client but when she was in the same room with him, she fought him and refused to let him touch her. Afterwards her so called employer had beaten her and thrown her out on the streets.
After her story I told her that I would take care of her from now on and that she would be my apprentice. I went to visit her family and gave them some jade and assured them that their daughter was in good hands. I also promised them that if that bastard bothered them again they should visit me at my house and I would have a word with him.
Since that day she has been my servant and apprentice.
Influence ***
Kabiko is one of the best, if not the best, dancers of Yane and it's surroundings. Even before her Exaltation tales of her performances reached as far as Great Forks and the Realm.
Kariëch (Allies **)
Kariëch is a truly ancient dryad; its tree has been around since the height of the First Age. It was the lover of Gentle Touch of Passion; therefore it swore to protect Gentle Touch’s manse and herself until its tree would die, in exchange Gentle Touch moved the tree into her manse, the safest place she knew. During the last year of her life Gentle Touch cast a spell to hide her manse from the world and protect Kariëch from harm.
When Kabiko wandered into Kariëch’s domain it immediately knew who she was and watched her enter her sanctum and sleep. While Kabiko slept, it prepared a bath for her and washed her clothes. It admired Gentle Touch’s new form and decided to repay its debt. It would continue to honour the agreement it had made with Gentle Touch if her new reincarnation would become its willing lover. Kabiko agreed not disliking what she saw herself.
Kariëch appears as a beautiful, feminine humanoid with long hair consisting of small green leaves and has soft barky skin.
Appearance
Kabiko is a rather petite girl standing only about 1m52 tall, she weighs about 42 kg. Her pert nose, full lips and Exalted state make her look only 16 years old, belying her true age of 20. Her smooth milk-chocolate coloured skin is as soft as the finest silks.
Many a man has lost himself in her beautiful pale blue-grey almond shaped eyes. An artist in Yane once told her that it was as if someone had pricked holes in her eyes and drained all coloration.
She keeps her long black hair tied in a ponytail which reaches all the way to her bum.
Usually she wears a beautiful red-silken dress adorned with gold-threaded embroidery with a matching bodice leaving her mid-rif bear. She had the dress and bodice designed to look like what she saw herself wearing in her dreams of the First Age. She also wears matching red shoes and gloves.
She always wears a beautiful collar made of red silk and orichalcum thread around her neck, although it is usually hidden underneath the collar of her blouse. The collar has a perfectly spherical orange gem set into it.
She keeps her hair back with a beautiful red-silken hair band embroidered with gold thread to match with the rest of her clothing.
She also has a golden piercing in her navel that she got from her grandmother when she became a true Geisha.
Background
I was born about 20 years ago in Yane, the glorious capital of the Varang City-States. My father is a respected clockmaker and my mother a high-ranking astrologer. I have an older brother who is an officer in the city guard.
The hour and day on which I was born was rather unlucky, on the second day of Calibration and on the hour of the Entertainer. Thanks to the position of my parents and brother I was to be raised as one of the more exclusive Geisha of Yane. You might think I always had a life of luxury, but that’s far from the truth. Until I was 5 I was raised by my parents and had a relatively easy life, that all changed shortly after my fifth birthday. I was sent to the Geisha district to live in a compound with several other Geisha. I had to work hard to get some food for the first 2 years, after that my actual training started. My new Older Sister, the older Geisha who had to train me, taught me the traditional dances of the City-States. In addition she taught me to sing, to play several musical instruments. She always told me that the most successful Geisha were usually also the ones who specialised in dancing. Apart from my own native language, Flame-Tongue, I was also taught how to speak High Realm, Low Realm and Riverspeak.
By the time I was 12 I had mastered most of the dances and the niceties of social interactions, now it was time for me to learn to defend myself.
Also about this time my Older Sister started to take me to parties to give potential clients a chance to get to know me. I was immediately asked to perform in several dance-recitals and to pose for the poster of the next spring dance.
After another 2 years shortly after my 14th birthday my Older Sister came to me and told me that the bidding for my virginity had begun. Apparently I had caught the eye of not just one but two of the richest men of Yane. One was a rather handsome, friendly young astrologer who was born at exactly the right time to become rich beyond compare. Being the son of the mayor helped too. The other was an old, fat, boorish, fire-aspect dragon-blooded officer called Sesus Chenow, whose breath smelled of sulphur, I heard the bastard retired a few years ago. Even the richest mortal of Yane can’t really compete with a dragon-blood, so I played my cards well and hoped Chenow would withdraw, but all I managed to do was reach a record that still stands. Chenow eventually paid an amount of jade about equal to what the best Geisha of Yane would have to work for 2 weeks to earn. Of course everybody had neglected to explain to me what was expected of me. He was all but gentle and I cried while he took me, I screamed for him to let me go. I cried for 2 days on end, I was only comforted when my Older Sister told me what I had earned by doing that and that I could go see my family for the first time in 9 years. She also decided to explain more about sex and what was expected of me and that if I didn’t behave better she would throw me out and make me an Outcaste. I resolved to be braver and become the best Geisha of all Yane and maybe even the Varang City-States. I would do anything to prevent becoming an Outcaste.
The next four years I managed to actually managed choose who I lay with. I had become adept at making the man I wanted jealous of the man I didn’t want and so make my target outbid him.
On my 18th birthday I started to have strange dreams about the Sun and a beautiful woman bidding me to travel to a place not far from Yane. After two nights of heavy dreaming and distressing my clients, who were not used to me tossing so much in my sleep, I packed some provisions and took my horse. As I came to the gate the captain, one of my favoured clients, stopped me and asked where I was going. I told him I had got a message from an old Geisha friend of mine who lived in Talt in which she asked if I wanted to perform with her at a party. He told me I shouldn’t travel during Calibration, but I assured him that according to my almanac it was safe for me to travel this day so he let me pass. I rode due east for a about 12 hours, with the occasional pause to rest my horse, and my bum, and to eat, but now it was getting dark fast now and I decided to make camp under a tree. While I was searching for some firewood, which was mostly wet and I didn’t even know how I was going to light it, I tripped over a root. I fell into a dark cave I hadn’t seen before. I lit a candle and investigated a bit further it seemed safer than to sleep under a tree, plus I had sprained my ankle and I didn’t want to be surprised by what ever lived down here while I was sleeping. As I entered the cave I could make out a flight of stairs leading down. At first I couldn’t see the bottom but as I descended some 20 m I noticed a faint light coming from below. Now my curiosity was truly peaked because this was not normal. I walked down and came to a door, when I opened it I couldn’t believe my eyes, beyond the door was a vast tropical forest with flocks of tropical birds nesting in the branches. As I looked up I could see the clear night sky even though I was at least 40 m below the surface. In front of lay a beautiful white marble path, that winded through the forest. Having come this far I decided not to stop and followed the path. It led me to the biggest tree I had ever seen. In the trunk was a bark-lined door and some windows. I had the feeling that somehow this was the place my dreams wanted me to go to, so I entered and allowed my instinct to lead me to the most beautiful bedroom I had ever seen. The bed was made from the living wood of the tree as were the wardrobes. The bed was made with the finest silks I had ever seen and on one of the walls was a huge silver mirror. By this time I was extremely tired, I had been travelling all day and it was getting late, so I undressed and lay down on the bed. I fell asleep almost immediately. When I woke up, from the sounds of birds singing near the window, I was surprised to see somebody had put a warm bath ready for me. I got out of bed and checked the door; it was still locked, so I got into the bath. It was scented with some of the finest perfumes I had ever smelled. After the bath I dried myself with an extremely soft silken towel and put on my clothes. Even they were cleaned. I had never slept so well nor felt so clean. Underneath my clothes I found a beautiful collar with a sparkling gem set into it. I immediately tried it on, whomever was here last night was quite friendly apparently, and paraded in front of the mirror. Suddenly I didn’t see myself in the mirror but the woman from my dreams. Next followed visions of me dealing with people who looked more powerful than any client I had ever had in my life. I saw dragon-blooded officers listening to my orders, spirits doing my bidding. The next thing I heard was a voice it said: “This was and could be again, therefore I Exalt you.” When the vision ended I could see a strange golden mark burning on my brow and I heard a knock on the door. A feminine voice asked whether her dear friend Gentle Touch of Passion was ready to have breakfast. I was startled but my years of training in pleasing someone else made sure that I didn’t sound too surprised when I told her I would be down in a second. I heard her walk away and decided to wait for a while longer before following I redid my make-up and my hair and went downstairs. I was surprised to see something that must be a little god preparing food and making the table. It was naked, but its skin had a strange barky texture. Its hair was long but consisted of hundreds of small leaves. It was beautiful but strange. When it turned around I could see that it was indeed feminine. It greeted me again and introduced itself as being called Kariëch. It told me it was glad that I had finally decided to return home after all those years. I asked it where I was and what happened to me during the night. It proceeded to explain everything it knew about me. It asked me to stay for a couple of days at least to the end of Calibration. It told me that we used to be lovers during the First Age. It told me it used our love and my passion to regain essence. (see spirit charms)
At the end of calibration I travelled back to Yane. People would start to worry and gossip if I stayed away any longer. Everyone was glad to see that I was still alive and well. Nobody seemed to notice anything odd about me so I just got back to work, being a better dancer than ever.
