Exalted Champloo Rogues Gallery

[Shalimar]

A Bazaar in Chiaroscuro

“Come closer, I see you admiring this bauble here,” he gestures to circlet of gold, “this is an interesting piece, with a tale that was told to me some years back. When I was a younger more adventurous man,” he smiles.

He holds the crown up, “Ah, so I have your interest. This crown is old, from the First Age from the time before the Contagion, a relic of the old god-kings of yore. Oh do not believe the rhetoric of the dogs of the Realm, those were better days.”

He pauses for a moment looking back and forth, “Oh I too believed once in the ignorance but I saw a Lawgiver in the flesh, I saw his righteous fury and there was no malice in his eyes. They are not demons, oh no. This I know to be true. I was traveling a lonely road, alone like a fool, for I felt I was strong and brave and had blooded a man with my very own blade.”

“But I was beset by bandits, cruel men with blood in their eyes. They had easily overpowered me and gave me a good beating for my troubles. They were going to kill me, as an example when he came walking down the road… another mark for the bandits, or so they thought. They challenged him, he refused and ask that they free me and let me go my way. They replied with violence,” he says with a wry smile.

“Twenty bandits, many still hidden could not deny his strength, he tore through them with this blade that came from nowhere, the golden blade was larger then I am tall, I swear it! It tore these bandits asunder, indeed I was afraid for never had I witnessed anything such as this. When it was over the man walked towards me, his forehead glimmered with a mark, he told me that I would live this night but that I should spread the word that the tyranny of the Realm would be at an end. When I saw his stern gaze and eyes burning with power, I believed him,” the man finishes.

He looks at the crown, “He gave me this, he said in another life it had been a gift to one he had loved. But now it was just a painful reminder of an age now forever lost, and now it can be yours my friend for perhaps 600 dinars?”

Interest in Exalted 2E

I am not even sure if people on this forum play Exalted, but the second edition just came out, and I am itching to try out the new rules! I am just fishing for interest, but if people are genuinely interested I will run a game here and people can see the Magnificent Beauty that is Exalted…

A perfect Circle would be great, but eh I will take what I can get

 

[Shalimar]

Chiaroscuro

This is one of the major cities of the South, located on the coast across the sea is the southern side of the Blessed Isle, the seat of Power for the Realm. Chiaroscuro is nominally a vassal state of the Realm, but one that has much more freedom then most, it is ruled by a powerful mortal, the Tri-Kahn, leader of the three tribes of the Delzahn people.

The city is home to easily over a million people, it is a sprawling urban center built on the ruins of a First Age city, indeed massive ruins still exist where undead horrors lurk. Lines of salt are used to keep these areas cordoned off from the rest of the city. The major industry of the city is trade, farmers live outside the walls, toiling daily to provide foodstuffs for the people actually living in the city.

The architecture is a mix of Arabic, Eastern, and Meso-American styles, depending on when a given structure was built, and who built it. Large bazaars dot the city, the streets are dirt streets, pavement is a rarity in Chiaroscuro though at one time, surely the whole city was paved… but those were better days.

Character Concepts

For those new to Exalted, the first thing you do before you even start putting stats down on your character sheet, is to create a concept for your Solar Exalted. Think carefully about this, because Solar Exalted are not just anybody off the street, these are individuals that were probably some of the best at what they could do as normal heroic mortals and have now been chosen by the Unconquered Sun as Solar Exalted.

So for example say you want to be a swordsman, well your Exalted wasn’t Joe Blow with a sword, no, he was Kevak the Swift. One of the keenest blades in his mercenary outfit, people feared his blade, for it was swift and deadly.

Or…

You weren’t just a diplomat, no you were Silver-Tongued Nan, your words were like honey, and no man could resist your arguments for long. Indeed your many victories in the court were only rivaled by the many marriages you ruined with your smooth demeanor.

In short before they were exalted they were awesome people, now they are nearly immortal demigods, A Solar Exalted barring violence can live on the order of about 5,000 years give or take. You have a divine spark now, and Creation is your oyster.

When you devise the concept also note what Caste you want to pursue. Shooting for a perfect circle here. Dawn is the warrior caste, they are powerful and feared warriors capable of fighting whole armies by their lonesome. Zeniths are the leaders, the firebrands and often priests of the Unconquered Sun; they can turn whole nations to their cause with mere words and their sense of presence. Twilight are the seers and scholars, they are Indiana Jones crossed with Solomon, capable of mending the most grievous wounds and delving into the most powerful spells in creation. Night is the assassin caste, they stalk the enemies with incredible feats of stealth, they are the scouts and rogues, no feat of legerdemain is out of their grasp. Finally the Eclipse are the diplomats, the oath binders, they work well with other supernatural beings and can even learn other abilities or charms from other exalts and spirits, an ability reserved only for the Eclipse.

So that should be enough to get started.

 

[Shalimar]

Alamar Two Stone

In his youth, he was nobody, but he came from a wealthy family, and having nothing of importance to do, he studied. His other siblings found places, and he was content to live his life, studying, spreading the knowledge, and enjoying the books. Of course, he helped to manage the house, increasing the family's wealth three fold before he had reached his third decade of life.

That all changed when his father died. His mother married again, and he was no longer given the choice but to DO. So he did. He travelled, quietly seeking forgotten lore, not caring about the riches(or only enough to keep him fed and able to journey onward), only caring for the knowledge itself.

He explored all sorts of knowledge, considering nothing sacrosanct, for if knowledge was forgotten, what would happen if it became needed again? So, as he travelled, he regained forgotten knowledges and lore, and stored them away as best as he could.

Basic concept, a man who was a bookworm, was content to help run things around the house, until his father died. Then, having no other choice, he became a traveller, seeking old and forgotten knowledge, and making sure that should its knowledge be required, he could provide it.

He cares little for wealth, or fame, only seeking knowledge in all its forms.

ALAMAR'S STATS
[sblock]NAME: Alamar
AKA: Two Stone
CASTE: Twilight
CONCEPT: Explorer / Knowlede Seeker
MOTIVATION: Seek Forgotten Knowledge & Preserve It
ANIMA: Spreading Golden Wings
VIRTUE FLAW: Heart Of Flint

Strength: 2 Dexterity: 4 Stamina: 3
Charisma: 3 Manipulation: 2 Appearances: 2
Perception: 4 Intelligence: 4 Wits: 3

Dawn Skills:

Melee: 3

Zenith Skills:

Presence: 1 Resistance: 2(Favored) Survival: 3(Favored)

Twilight Skills(Favored):
Craft: 2 Investigation: 3 Lore: 5 Medicine: 2 Occult: 5

Night Skills:
Athletics: 1(Favored) Awareness: 2(Favored) Dodge: 2 Stealth: 1

Eclipse Skills:
Linguistics: 2(Favored) Ride: 1 Sail: 1 Socialize: 1

Specialties
Lore(First Age Ruins 1) Lore(First Age Artifacts 1) Melee(Lance 1)

Backgrounds:

Resources 1 Influence 2 Contacts 2 Artifacts 2(Dire Lance) Artifacts 1(Chain Shirt)

Charms:

First Dodge Excellency
First Occult Excellency
First Lore Excellency
First Melee Excellency
Ox-Body Technique(2 additional -1 Levels)
Hardship - Surviving Mendicant Spirit
Crafty Observation Method
Graceful Crane Stance
Essence Lending Method
Spirit Detecting Glance

Virtues:

Valor: 2 Compassion: 2 Conviction: 4 Temperance: 2

Derived:

Willpower: 6
Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 12
Periphereal Essence: 30
Dedicated Essence: 12

Social Combat:

Dodge MDV: (Willpower 6 + Integrity 0 + Specialty(varies) + Essence 2) / 2

Parry MDV: (Charisma 3 OR Manipulation 2 + Ability(varies) + Specialty(varies)) / 2

Combat:

Join Battle: 5

Dodge DV: 5

Soak: 8L/8B, Hardness: 3L/3B (Armor + Stamina)

Damage:

Chaos Reaver(SoulSteel DireLance): Speed 5, Accuracy 12, Damage +10L(Charge)/+14L(Thrust), Parry 5, Rate 2, Drains 2 Essence / Successful Damaging Hit

Fist: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage +2B, Parry 3, Rate 3

Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 4, Damage +3B, Parry 2, Rate 1

Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 4, Damage +5B, Parry 1, Rate 2

Intimacies: First Age Knowledge, Honesty

Health: 4(-0), 6(-1), 8(-2), 1(-4), 1(incapacitated)

Artifacts

"Vahn's Gird": Orihalcum Chain Shirt(Artifacts 1 dot)
Soak: 7L/5B, Hardness: 3L/3B, Mobility: -0, Fatigue 0, Attune 2

"Chaos Reaver": Soulsteel Dire Lance(Artifacts 2 dot)
Speed 5; Accuracy +4; Damage +8L(Charge)/+12L(Brace); Defense +2; Rate 2, Attune 10, Drains 2 Essence / successful hit

Intimacies: First Age Knowledge, Honesty

Health: 4(-0), 6(-1), 8(-2), 1(-4), 1(incapacitated)

Artifacts

"Vahn's Gird": Orihalcum Chain Shirt(Artifacts 1 dot)
Soak: 7L/5B, Hardness: 3L/3B, Mobility: -0, Fatigue 0, Attune 2

"Chaos Reaver": Soulsteel Dire Lance(Artifacts 2 dot)
Speed 5; Accuracy +4; Damage +8L(Charge)/+12L(Brace); Defense +2; Rate 2, Attune 10, Drains 2 Essence / successful hit

Gear

Rucksack
Basic Survival Gear
Several knives(for cooking & skinning)
Lance wrappings(for when in town)
Sturdy clothing

Freeby Points

11: skills
1: background
3: virtue

NOTES: Looks to be done now!

-----

Artifact(**): Chaos Reaver is a massive spear, towering at somewhere around twenty hands in height(nobody has measured the exact size to date). The blade at the end of the staff itself measures approximately six hands by itself, though if the blade was straight and not curved, it'd probably be another two hands in height. The blade has a serpentine curve to it, with runes and signs of old blood having stained its dark etchings. The metal seems to shine light, but in a darkly manner, and its said if you look at it for too long, you see a pair of eyes stare back at you. The full history of this weapon is unknown, but its said that the soul bound within it belonged to an Abyssal so evil, even his own kind feared him. They dragged him to their forge, determined to end his evil, but its said at the last instant before his soul was ripped from his mortal cage, that he performed one final act of evil, imbuing the soul of an innocent into the weapon instead. Whether or not it worked is unknown, as the abyssal still died, and his name has beens stricken from the annals of abyssal history.

Artifact(*): Vahn's Gird is a beautifully wrought set of orichalcum chain mail. The links and metal is thinner than usual, but this is countered by a suit of a cotton like material underneath which has glyphs of protection woven into it. The cotton suit has a string of words on the right shoulder, which says, in the old tongue ...

"Strength in the Right of Virtue. Vahn."

-----

NOTES: Moved from previous post.

HISTORY: Alamar, as he is known, he has travelled for so long and for so far of a distance that nobody even knows his city of birth. They only know his most common nickname of Two Stone, as in he seldom carries more than two stones of gear upon him. He is a man who travels, seeking knowledge of all forms, physical, social, arcane, religious, as well as carnal. Not that he'll ever admit to the last part of course, its improper to discuss such things openly.

He is a man who when not travelling, is often found holed up with various scholars, priests and other men of learning. But, on the chance you find him away from the books or such things, you're likely to find him gambling, but he's a smart one, never gambling more than he knows he can afford to lose.

He wears clothing, that while nice, is obviously designed more for rugged travel than for time spent in the courts. He's been heard to speak numerous languages, and now speaks them all fluently, so again, nobody is sure of his origins. This is perhaps the one bit of knowledge he does NOT share openly.

However, those who have come to know him, know that there was a point that he was not the man of great skill, knowledge, and courage that he is today.

There was a time when he was little more than a timid man, running his family's finances, when he wasnt busy reading the books in the family archives. He was a small, spindly man, hardly worth the trouble of any bandit to get some money off of. Before he was thirty, he had tripled his family's worth, and had his father not died of a mysterious illness, he would have no doubt lived and eventually died within those very same archives.

Some, who know him, say that is what truly drove him to seek knowledge, to understand why his father died, when he didnt have to. Others say he seeks mastery of knowledge so that none may ever be superior to him. And there are those who just say he's consumed by his lust to possess everything that can be possessed. The truth will never be known.

Ten years ago, a story he doesnt like telling unless you can manage to get him deep into the cups, he was a competent seeker of knowledge, but even with all the knowledge and skill he had, it wasnt enough.

The Cult of C'tharess, a religious group far to the east, was hoarding knowledge of an elixer which the townsfolk nearby needed. He would have gladly gone for the knowledge, even if it was not needed to cure a disease ravaging the town. He infiltrated the temple, disabling the guards, and had managed to find the book which detailed how to make the elixer.

But ... they were craftier than he gave them credit for. They wanted him to find the book, so as to make an example of him for the townsfolk.

They easily captured him as he was attempting an escape, and had him strapped down, ready for sacrifice so that they could craft more of their vile disease so as to infect more of the town. He watched as they opened the very same book which had the information about the cure, and realized that his mistake was to not do more research.

He had come in, thinking they were a group of thugs calling themselves a religious order, who were preying on the town. He didnt believe the elixer existed, that it was a smoke screen. However, he had believed if he could get a sample of the disease, he could create an elixer.

He had been wrong in so many ways. Hasty. Foolish.

And now he'd die.

He wasnt ready for death. He refused to die. If he didnt seek out the lost knowledge, then how many more would suffer because of ignorance?

"I awoke later. In my hands was the book that had the cure for the disease. Around me ... they were either dead, or dying. I can't say at the time I understood what happened. But ... I knew I had been given a great gift. I wasnt going to let it go to waste. But ... I didnt have time to contemplate what had happened, I had a town to save. They were lucky, they only lost a third of their men. Only a third. It could have killed them all."

APPEARANCES: Alamar "Two Stone" is a man who has obviously been around for awhile, his blackish gray hair, his weathered skin, and the presence of a number of wrinkles says that alone. Sitting down to listen to him talk, you realize he's a well travelled man as well. However, this is not a man who is slowing down, far from it. A strong voice, like a man half his age. Eyes full of passion, and a grip like a man still in his prime says it all. This man is only just started on his journey. His rucksack shows signs of abuse, but its sturdy, and it smells like it was just patched up recently. His spear(the tip is wrapped in cloth while in towns), while old, still looks more than just servicable, and the way he keeps it close says this man is no stranger to conflict. He dresses for the climate, in clothing that looks more like its designed to be rugged and survive the roughness of travel than to feel comfortable. There is no doubt that this place is merely a stopping point for Alamar "Two Stone".

PERSONALITY: Alamar is a friendly, if rather focused man, glad to make new friends, and forever eager to learn new things. It seems that he considers the pursuit of knowledge more vital than even his own life. He does not seem like the sort who is comfortable staying in one location for long, and has a nervous air about him unless he's following a specific goal.

OTHER FACTS: Alamar appears to be a man in his mid to late 40s, but has all the vigor and power of a man in his twenties. He's a well known scholar, sage, and seeker of knowledge. Another unusual fact about him is the fact he has a number of tattoos all over his body, many of apparently mystical importance.
[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

General Stuff

I will choose probably a perfect circle, because well five solars together is a lot of power. A LOT of POWER! I will be going over the concepts as they come in, and try and select the ones that will be fun.

Posting, I tend to post as quickly or as slowly as the players do, I tend to be story oriented. No House Rules, I find that easiest for everyone involved. Have fun, and when we get closer to actually playing I will post some general rules for post formats mainly for keeping track of essence, but also applicable for when using skills/abilities, and of course combat.

Background Stuff

Your backgrounds when we get to that point should include a few things. The characters after they exalted or arrived in Chiaroscuro after their exaltation, came into contact with a minstrel a drunken minstrel who works on the street playing a guzheng, a stringed instrument.

He knew things, and seemed to be in the right place at the right o wrong times. But whatever he was, he seemed at least not an enemy. Indeed this minstrel, known as Drunken Mal lead you to your potential circle mates, although it seems that perhaps in time fate would have done so as well…

Also think about what motivates your hero, Motivation is important. Why he is in Chiaroscuro, is the reason public or private knowledge, and perhaps what he is doing to achieve that goal in the long run or short term.

 

[Shalimar]

Swallow

The bright glass walls and vermilion streets of Chiaroscuro have been my home since I was a babe. My mother and father were poor and desperate, and the move to the vast city was a last opportunity to find a degree of comfort they never had in Gem. They found little of that security. I spent my first ten birthdays on the streets, scraping a living from the crystal gutters just like the rest of the street rats. My fortune changed when a young Delzhani noblewoman took an interest in me. Gilana-Thul was a distant cousin to the ruler of the city, and while she held little wealth compared to her powerful and prosperous cousin, her silken clothing and well-appointed estate might as well have been the palace of Tri-Khan himself to a young girl who’s last meal came from a street vendor’s scrap bucket.

My parents accused me of dishonoring them by taking her small gifts. Closed minds, I thought. Jealous. Resentful. In my mind, I was just doing what they could not do for themselves; aligning myself with someone more powerful. I spent more and more of my time in Gilana-Thul’s estate until by my twelfth birthday, I stopped going home. I was a pet; a mascot- nothing more. My presence was appreciated in the way a cat or doll was. But my mistress underestimated my ability to see… and perhaps more importantly, hear… the happenings of her estate.

Little by little, I built up my ability to hold onto the little secrets of the estate until I played its inhabitants as easily as a musician plays a fine instrument. By my sixteenth year, I had enough secrets about Gilana-Thul and her circle of friends to move. A rival in the family with skills of observation that rivaled my own noticed the power I held over the household and eventually approached me with an offer to share my secrets in return for money. The thought had never crossed my mind! I used the secrets to manipulate, not for income. I declined, of course; Gilana-Thul was kind to me, and betrayal is an option not even the street rats I grew up amongst would consider. But his proposal opened my eyes to the path that would lead me to riches and power beyond anything my parents had ever imagined.

I began opening my eyes and ears to the happenings outside the estate. The streets of Chiaroscuro were awash with information that the privileged would pay handsomely to know. Using my social skills carefully honed inside the estate, some of the wealthiest and most respected people in the vast city were begging for what I knew. Eventually I was able to afford a fine home of my own inside the city center, and through some difficult negotiations with Grandmother Bright, a place for my parents in the Plaza. I never spoke to them, but it made me sleep better knowing they are safe.

I eventually became one of the most sought after broker of information in the city center. Want to know what price Old Man Dulat was going to charge for his incoming shipment of silk? Who is the Varangi ambassador meeting tonight? Why is the Delzhani nobleman so sensitive to comments about his visitor from Paragon? All these secrets were mine to share. I walked the razor-sharp edge between knowing what was needed to be useful and not knowing so much that I became a liability. The lesson of knowing as little as necessary while knowing as much as possible was a hard learnt one.

I was betrayed eventually, of course. The wages of sins, I suppose. While I was never the one to act upon the information I supplied, my hands bore the blood of all those hurt by my words. Kilanusco, a Delzhani who I had met before, approached me with a deal that, in hindsight, was too good to be true. I trusted him to hold up his end of the bargain, but instead he drugged me while whispering sweet secrets to me over a mango sherbet. When I woke, I was in a portion of the city I had never tread before. An area unclaimed by the living residents of Chiaroscuro. I was damned to a short existence being chased by the hungry spirits and vengeful ghosts. The terror crept through my veins like ice-cold water, filling my very being with a deep paralysis. Where I found the will to run, I will never know, but I did. I could feel the incorporeal fingers of the ravenous ghouls and phantoms liking at my heels as I fled, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to reach the salted border before they stopped playing with me to increase my fear and take me.

What happened next was a blur of light and searing pain. My face started to feel hot; the dangerous heat of a fever or infection. But the heat worked its way through my body and dispelled the chill of terror with a brave and confident new light. When I turned to face the spirits, they cowered in fear at what I learned was my anima, a manifestation of the Unconquered Sun’s power. A pair of glowing falcon’s wings, blazing with the bright light of the morning sun, wrapped over my shoulders. A burning circle blazed on my forehead.

The spirits were more willing to talk once they saw what I had become. The idle threats I gave were more than enough to force them to stand down, and I walked out of their hold free and unharmed. But what had I become? I used one of my many saferooms scattered through the city to stay low for a few days while contemplating what I was. Exalted. A Solar of the Crowned Sun, the spirits had said. It took three weeks before I could say the words aloud. I would never be normal again.

My first excursion back into the city was odd. I felt a powerful pull to the people- a need to protect and serve those not as powerful as I was. It was the strange compulsion of one who learned their destiny. I noticed soon that I was being followed. A drunken minstrel I came to know as Drunken Mal helped me wrap my mind around what I was. He led me to others like me. The Solars traditional existed in Circles, a collection of one each of the Castes. My fellow Solars are in some way much like me, and in others entirely different; but they are my kin, in a way that my family never was.

Now the city is open before us. The feel to do something of significance with what Fate has given me was paramount; but what that was is unclear. My web of contacts and connections inside the homes of both the rich and poor are still largely intact, and I intend to use the secrets I find within to do good for these people. Even if some of them do not accept it as what is best.

SWALLOW'S STATS
[sblock] Name: Kaela
AKA: Swallow
CASTE: Eclipse
CONCEPT: Trader in Secrets
MOTIVATION: Protect the people of Chiapetascuro from the powers that be
Anima: Swallow's wings
Virtue Flaw: Contempt of the Virtuous

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

Abilities:
Dawn:
Thrown: 3

Twilight
Investigation (F): 4
Lore (F): 2
Medicine: 1
Occult (F): 1

Night:
Awareness (F): 3
Dodge (F): 4
Stealth: 3

Eclipse (Caste):
Bureaucracy: 4
Linguistics: 3
Ride: 1
Socialize: 4

Charms:
First Socialize Excellency (Add one die to Socialize checks for each mote spent up to Attribute+Ability)
First Investigation Excellency (Add one die to Investigation checks for each mote spent up to Attribute+Ability)
First Dodge Excellency (Add one die to Dodge checks for each mote spent up to Attribute+Ability)
First Bureaucracy Excellency (Add one die to Bureaucracy checks for each mote spent up to Attribute+Ability)
Ox Body Technique (2 additional -1 levels)
Shadow Over Water (Ignore all penalties that apply to DDV for a single attack. Costs 1m)
Speed the Wheels (see page 231, can speed up bureaucratic pocesses, costs 8m)
Mastery of Simple Manners (see page 239, attunes to the social patterns of a group, costs 1m)
Gathering the Congregation (See page 240, attempt to organize those affected under her service, costs 10m, 1wp)
Wild Revelery Approach (encourages group to feel a particular strong emotion, costs 3m, 1wp)

Weapon: Throwing Knives (Fine Quality, Speed 5, Acc +2, Damage +4L w/ bracers, Defense +0, Rate 3, Range 15)

Backgrounds:
Contacts: 4, Resources: 4, Influence: 3, Artifact (Orichalcum Hearth Stone Bracers, Dodge +3, Damage +2): 2, Manse: 1

Virtues:
Valor: 2, Compassion 2, Conviction: 2, Temperance: 3
Essence: 2
Will Power: 5

Personal Essence: 11
Periphereal Essence: 28
Commited Essence: 4

Join Battle: 6
DDV: 5
PDV (with knife): 3

Bonus Points:
9: Abilities
6: Background
[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

Dancing Snow

Dancing Snow was born destined to become a mighty Dynast, her parents both stood very close to the Elemental Dragons, but Snow never reached her full potential. Usually cast-offs like her were sent to the military to serve as grunts, but Snow was sent to the Treshold with her warden instead. He continued to teach her the ways of the Realm and the rest of Creation. She had an incredible aptitude for battle with whatever implement at hand but much preferred the sword. They took to patrolling the countryside, helping in the protection of the villagers from brigands.

On one of these patrols they were ambushed and she Exalted to protect her warden. It turned out he didn't need much protection. He was an Exalt himself, a sidereal from the Gold Faction, who'd been guiding knowing this day would come.

She's got a very cocky attitude and is nearly fearless, she meets any challenge head on and worries about the consequences later, if at all. The Gold Faction employs her as an enforcer whenever an example needs to be made but otherwise gives her a lot of leeway to pursue her own interests.

DANCING SNOW STATS

[sblock] NAME: Dancing Snow
CASTE: Dawn
CONCEPT: Wandering sword
MOTIVATION: Finding an opponent who truly challenges her skills.
ANIMA: Golden Dragon coiling around her
Virtue Flaw: Foolhardy Contempt

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

Dawn Skills (Favored):
Archery: 2
Melee: 5
Martial arts: 4

Zenith Skills:
Integrity: 1
Performance: 1
Presence: 1 (Favored)
Resistance: 2 (Favored)

Twilight Skills
Investigation: 1
Lore: 1
Medicine: 1

Night Skills:
Athletics: 3 (Favored)
Awareness: 1
Dodge: 3 (Favored)

Eclipse Skills:
Linguistics: 2 (High Realm, Low Realm, Flametongue)
Ride: 2 (Favored)
Socialize: 2

Backgrounds:

Resources 2 Mentor 3 Artifact 2 Artifact 3 Manse 2

Charms:

First Dodge Excellency
First Melee Excellency
Dipping Swallow Defense
Bulwark Stance
One Weapon, Two Blows
Striking Cobra Technique
Ox-Body Technique (1 additional -1 Levels, 2 additional -2 Levels)
Graceful Crane Stance
Increasing Strength Exercise
Master Horseman's Techniques

Combo:
Wall of Silk and Steel
First Melee Excellency
Bulwark Stance
One Weapon, Two Blows

Virtues:

Valor 3 Compassion 2 Conviction 3 Temperance 2

Derived:

Essence 2
Willpower 6
Personal Essence: 12
Periphereal Essence: 30 / 23
Commited Essence: 7

Freebie Points

4: skills
5: background
3: virtue
3: Combo

Artifacts

Silken Armor (Artifacts 3 dot)
Soak 8L / 6B; Hardness 3L/3B
Orichalcum Dire Lance (Artifacts 2 dot), Ivory Rain
Speed 4; Accuracy +3; Damage +8L/+12L; Defense +3; Rate 3

Important stats:

Soak
10L/10B
Hardness
3L/3B

Base DVs
Dodge: 5
Parry: 5

Ivory Rain:
Speed 5; Accuracy 13; Damage +10L/+14L; Defense 13; Rate 3
Kick:
Speed 5; Accuracy 8; Damage +5B; Defense 6; Rate 2
Punch:
Speed 5; Accuracy 9; Damage +2B; Defense 10; Rate 3

Intimacies

Relin
Living the Good Life

Appearance:

Snow is a good looking young woman of about 20 years old. She has the lithe and slender body of a professional acrobat or martial artist. Her smooth skin has a golden yellowish teint. She has long black hair that, when loose, cascades down her back in an ebony waterfall. She usually keeps it tied back in a ponytail, loosely tied with a red-silken ribbon.

She nearly always dresses in red silken pantaloons and a long, loose, matching kimono with wide sleeves. It is kept tight around her waist by a light red sash, decorated with flowers made from gold thread, at the center of each flower a small pearl is sewn. One of these flowers is actually a hearthstone setting holding the Gem of Youthful Suppleness.

She keeps her favored weapon, a beautiful, slender, golden headed spear named Ivory Rain, strapped across her back or carries it resting loosely on her shoulder.

Personality

Snow is a very confident person, bordering on arrogance. She was born and raised to a live of privilege and it shows. While not exactly callous, she's out of touch with the common people. She loves parties, and just having fun in general. But the dance of battle is her greatest joy, though she doesn't go out of her way to pick a fight. She's confident in her belief that she can defeat any single opponent in battle, even going so far as to handicap herself to increase the challenge.
[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

Temari Silent Wind

APPEARANCES: Silent Wind has only slightly tanned skin, a comparitive oddity for a native of the south. More normal is her shoulder length black hair, which is most often braided to keep it manageable during her frequent hunts. She has large grey eyes that seem to be watching everything at once, like there is nothing that she fails see. Silent Wind wears a red sleevless coat over a grey shirt, though at the tops of her arms, a metal arm guard protrudes, indicating some form of light armor underneath. She wears loose fitting grey trousers for ease of movement, and has her coat tied with a golden sash at her waist. Tucked into the sash is a fairly normal short sword. On her back hangs a well cared for leather quiver. Generally very close to hand is an exquisitely engraved long bow.

Silent Wind is fairly short for a Southerner, but she seems larger thanks to her intensity, and her superhuman grace.

PERSONALITY:
People tend to find Silent wind a bit unsettling, she rarely speaks, and she has an intensity in the way she always seems to be looking at everything at once. Those traits may have made her the most accomplished hunter in the south, but they have also served to set her apart from those around her. She is often more concerned with doing things, solving them efficiently and then moving on then taking extra time to smooth things over, leaving her to come off as fairly blunt.

OTHER FACTS:
-Temari is probably one of the greatest Hunters in creation, and is probably reknowned for it
-Temari has 3 Artifacts of the first age, all taken from a manse she had found during her many months spent hunting through the deep jungle, in the more easterly portion of the south.

Temari was aided by a Solar during her Exaltation, which could very well be one of the other Exalts, and allows one of the other players to have a bond with her before we all meet up in Chiaroscuro. It would make sense if it was one of the former Dynasty warriors or Alamar, but if that wouldn't fit for you guys its cool. I was thinking of having her tag along with the first Exalt she ran into to learn more about what it is to be Exalted. Her motivation is protecting people from the abuses of the Realm, especially the Dragon Blooded, and that she can do anywhere in the setting really. I was thinking of making this her first trip to Chiaroscuro, having spent most of her life in the villiages/forests in the southeast.

TEMARI STATS
[sblock]Name: Temari
AKA: Silent Wind
CASTE: Night
CONCEPT: Hunter, Archer
MOTIVATION: Protecting People from the Realm/Dragon Blooded
Anima: A roaring White Tiger
Virtue Flaw: Heart of Flint

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

Abilities:
Dawn:
Archery(F): 5, Melee(F): 3
Zenith:
Integrity: 1, Resistance(F): 3, Survival(F) 3
Twilight
Medicine(F): 2
Night: (Caste)
Athletics: 3, Awareness: 3, Dodge: 5, Larceny: 1, Stealth: 5

Charms:
First Dodge Excellency
First Stealth Excellency
First Archery Excellency
There is No Wind
Trance of Unhesitating Speed
Body Mending Technique
Ox Body Technique (2 additional -1 levels)
Graceful Crane Stance
Shadow Over Water
Seven Shadow Defense (Conviction Flaw)

Backgrounds:
Resources: 2, Manse: 1, Artifact: 2, Artifact: 3, Artifact: 1

Artifacts:
Orichalum Hearth Stone Bracers (2)
Dodge +3, Damage +2, Silent Crane's Heart

Silent Crane’s Heart (Level 1 Solar Hearthstone): This solar hearthstone is a soft yellow in color, and grants the bearer unsurpassable grace and silence when they stalk unseen. This Hearthstone adds 3 dice to all Stealth rolls made by the player.

Orichalum Long Powerbow (3)[Includes Silent Wind's Stats]
Speed 6, Accuracy 12, Rate 3, Range 400
Broadhead 10L, Fowling 10B, Frog Crotch 12L, Target 8L(Pierce),

Orichalum Breastplate (1) [Includes Silent Wind's Stats]
Soak: 9L/9B, Hardness: 3L/3B, Attune: 2

Fine Short Sword:
Speed (4); Accuracy (10); Damage (8L)*; Defense (+1); Rate(2)

Virtues:
Valor: 3, Compassion 2, Conviction: 3, Temperance: 2
Essence: 2
Will Power: 6

Personal Essence: 12
Periphereal Essence: 30
Commited Essence: 12

DDV: 8 = ((5+5+3+2)/2)

Bonus Points:
4 Attribute
6: skills
2: background
3: virtue[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

Ledaal Catala Romen
Zenith
Appearance:
Romen is a slender youth with dark hair and cool blue eyes. Despite lean muscles and calluses on his hands from long hours of practice, his strength belies his frame thanks to his Exaltation. Although he looks about 13 (“I’m just small for my age!”), with the bearing of a Prince of the Earth,and rich (but now somewhat worn) clothes patterned with Immaculate approved elemental images, he’s marked as someone not to messed with casually. Of course, a reddish Daiklave strapped to one’s back and a sword on a hip probably helps to discourage interference. Only a ragged haircut that appears as if it were trimmed with a sword (because it was) ruins the image. It looks cute though.

Romen’s anima banner displays as a pair dragons, one of white gold while the other blazes orange, that coil and twist about him.
Background:

Ledaal Catala Romen is the product of a marriage alliance between houses Ledaal and Cathak, with his mother being a young sorceress and his father a retired general. Tales of his cousin’s, Coren, youthful prowess inspired him to test the limits of his own sword skill – he’s still looking. Honing his prodigious fighting talents didn’t come without cost however; he’s at best indifferent in most academic matters due to lack of interest, and a tendency to over think matters when given extra time.

While on break from primary school, Romen, escorted by his Exalted half brother, competed in a fighting tourney for mortals. The idea is that the extreme competition and pressure pushes skilled warriors toward Exaltation – it’s also a good way to establish or cement a reputation and the prize money isn’t bad for independent individuals. This year, it succeeded in its higher purpose. And now a scarlet 1st place ribbon trails from the pommel of Romen’s blade.

X [Scene in which his brother’s evil girlfriend attempts to assassinate his mother as part of some convoluted plot to advance the position of house Cynic and he exalts. Girlfriend escapes. Mom’s survival in doubt.]

He then makes his way to Arjuf, keeping a low profile and learning to control his “demonic” powers.

X [Romen searches for a boat to Threshold, since it lets him travel, check out those Deathknights his Mom was so worried about, and also reduces the chance that a Wyld Hunt splatters him. Drunken Mal steers him towards a boat heading to Chiaroscuro. His brother comes to kill him, they fight. Romen wins, but can’t kill his brother.]
--

ROMEN'S STATS
[sblock]Stats:


STR: 3
DEX: 5
STA: 3

INT 1
PER 3
WIT 3

APP 3
CHA 4
MAN 2

Valor: 3
Conviction: 2
Temperance: 4
Compassion: 2
Limit: Contempt of the Virtuous

Willpower: 7

Essence: 2
Personal: 13
Peripheral 32
27 free

Resources: 3
Artifact: 3
Mentor: 1


PV 8
DV 5 (6)
MPV 5
MDV 7
Soak 5L/5B
Hardness 0

Motivation: Learn the true nature of Anathema




Martial Arts 2
Melee 5 (Swords +3)
War 1
Integrity 5
Presence 5
Performance 3
Resistance 1
Survival
Lore 1
Athletics 2
Awareness 1
Dodge 3 (one attacker +2)
Linguistics 3
- High Realm (native)
- Low Realm
- Riverspeak
- Flametongue
Socialize 2 (Reading People +1)

2nd Melee Excellency
Dipping Swallow Defense
Solar Counter Attack
Bulwark Stance
Heavenly Guardian Defense (Conv)
2nd Integrity Excellency
Temptation Resisting Stance
1st Presence Excellency
Sagacious Reading of Intent
Mastery of Small Manners

Virtues 6
Skills 6
Specialties 3


Intimacies:
Family
Higher Ideals of the Realm


Reaper DK (Orichalcum) – Essence of Lightning Chained in Steel:
4 spd 18 acc +7L 8 PV 4 Rate
Exceptional Short Sword
4 spd 16 acc +6L 7 PV 3 Rate
Club (scabbard, wooden practice sword)
5 spd 11 acc +9B 5 PV 2 Rate

Punch
5 spd 8 acc +3B 5 PV 3 Rate
Kick
5 spd 7 acc +6B 3 PV 2 Rate
Clinch
6 spd 7 acc +3B x PV 1 Rate

Move 5/tick
Dash 11/tick (3/-2)
Jump 5 v or 10 h (-1)

Backpack
Worksheets (err, scrolls) and notes
Reaper Daiklave Lightning strikes: step 7. 2 motes for +4L raw damage
Exceptional Chain Shirt (+4L/+2B Mobility -0, Fatigue -0)
Exceptional Short Sword
Armored Vambrace (buckler)
Stuff[/sblock]

 

[Shalimar]

NPC Cast

Allies
Drunken Mal: Gold Faction Agent and Contact for the Circle.
Relin: Gold Faction Trainer, Mentor to Dancing Snow.
Sand Rat: Outcaste Dragon-Blood martial artist, friends with Snow.

Enemies
Kilanusco: Influential courtier and enemy of Swallow, suspected to have ties to the Undead.

Neutral Parties
Thurza Dun: Wayward Swan Spirit, recently freed and bound to the Circle.
Talon-Captain Allain Dais: Realm officer, in the service of Dragon-Lord Tepet Lisara

 

[Tokiwong]

I support this thread.