Exalted - Abyssal Mad Artist character

[Cikomyr]

So our GM finally started me playing Exalted, and we are playing Abyssals meant to hunt the Mandate of the Gods (or whatever, not 100% grounded in the mythology yet).

Apparently, he changed thr world's backstory so that we were the first Abyssals during the Golden Age, made the first pact with the Neverborn. It took a coalition of Solars to bring us down eventually, as we lived as Creation's boogeymen/Sauron for a while. The Technique used to imprison us is the one that was eventually used by the Sidereals to capture all other Solars to end the Golden Age.

What i like is that it allows me to develop some dark and ominous backstory. Basically the Great Horror Stories told about me when i was at the peak of my power.. and this is why I decided to create a Jester!!! Yahoo!!

Part of my backstory probably have tales of me walking into a city with my Violin, and i got all children to follow me into the desert.. never to be seen again.

Or when an Army was sent in my Domain, i went alone to meet them, and danced in front of them. They couldnt stop themselves from joining in with me, and for seven days and night, thousand of soldiers danced nonstop until their feet were shredded and they died out.

Think of my character like the ultimate Creepy Mad Artist. My "Domain" was a dozen small kingdoms that i constantly "scripted" to have wars, conquests, drama.. people were better damn to follow my script. Mwhahahaa

All right. You have my background. The GM tried to give us a list of potential Charms, but there are so goddamn many i have no idea where to start. He told us we were allowed to pick 15, and that we should ignore the "excellency" rule (???). Would you have any suggestion to help out a poor lost artist?

[Beans]

I'm guessing you're playing 2e/2.5? The Excellency thing means you ignore if a Charm tells you it requires an Excellency Charm (a sort of generic roll-enhancing charm). This, and getting 15 starting Charms, is nice because you don't tie up so many of your starting Charm picks in Excellencies.

What Caste is your dude?

[Cikomyr]

I'm guessing you're playing 2e/2.5? The Excellency thing means you ignore if a Charm tells you it requires an Excellency Charm (a sort of generic roll-enhancing charm). This, and getting 15 starting Charms, is nice because you don't tie up so many of your starting Charm picks in Excellencies.

What Caste is your dude?

Initially I was going to be Moonshadow, but turns out my desired skillset pushes me more toward Midnight

[Arbane]

Take a look at the Performance Charms- got to be some useful ones in there.
And Dodge, because dying sucks.

[meschlum]

Use the Raksha! Spend a bonus point on having a Grace (probably Cup, though you could argue for Staff - or Sword if you're ambitious), and acquire a few bits of Grace magic (count as artifacts).

Standard of Prosperity

Creation is a terrible land, devoid of the glories of the Wyld, in which the Raksha can barely eke out a tattered reflection of their true ways of life. Even the Creation-born agree, noticing the resources they lack, the goods others possess, their rightful fortune stolen from them. Ever generous, the Fair Folk selflessly sought to grant the desires of mortals, and wove the Standard so it might bless entire kingdoms with the riches it justly deserves, led by the leaders who know best how to care for it and whom to entrust its future to.

Once planted in a seemingly unassuming spot at the border of a nation, the Standard reveals the hidden wealth that others have foolishly ignored. Unfortunately, the means to acquire it a often barely out of reach, held by other lands that have no idea of the true value of what they hold - only weak, underpaid troops and a stubborn refusal to come to a sensible agreement. In the face of such diplomatic rudeness, there is no doubt that the other countries nearby will understand that invasion was the only option, and the war is sure to be swift and victorious.

And it would have been, too - if a third party had not treacherously attacked, laying a spurious claim on our heartland while ignoring our earnest offers of peace and good faith efforts.

Mechanics
3 dot Oneiromancy (9 committed motes, or less)
Assumption of the Living Kingdom - the Standard grants prosperity to the Raksha in an entire kingdom - or more, if they're small and constantly fighting one another.
Mad God Mien - as it is a working of mortal desires, inflamed to the extremes the Fair Folk most enjoy, the Standard's effects cannot be broken by countermagic.
Unitary Being Forge - the Standard grants insight to those it helps - rulers, captains, and other in positions of authority as well as their subordinates - allowing them to perceive the unforgivable insults and insidious plots of others - malicious attempts at bringing down the one leader who can bring fortune to the to land!
Prince and Pauper Approach - the clarity of thought granted by the Standard is such that the one it has chosen will always be able to tell who can be trusted and who is a vicious, treacherous grifter out to ruin the land. A few simple words are enough to make this evident to everyone.

Note that the Standard works on everyone in a position of authority in its (huge) area of effect, making everyone who disagrees with anybody seem treacherous and unreliable, and every communication between people with negative intimacies appear as insulting and vicious as possible. Since Raksha eat strong emotions, the ensuing conflicts turn the place into a prosperous feeding ground.


Teriam's Violin

Teriam was a godling of music and laughter, who believed that the Wyld might be tamed by art. From a sanctum near the edge of creation, she would venture into What Might Be, and return with new tunes, new dances, and the glow of distant stars in her eyes. But the Mandate of Heaven could not allow its lies - that Chaos is a threat, that madness is wrong - to be revealed, and turned on Teriam, breaking her idols and scattering her followers.

Driven ever further, Teriam chose to appeal to the Raksha, who had never betrayed her nor whispered where she might be found, never plotted to use her and be done with the godling when her use came to an end, never treated her as an alien beast corrupted by her wanderings. And the Fair Folk answered, and taught her how to make and invoke the Violin, an instrument forged from the essence of dance and twisted to serve in battle. With it, she retreated to the North, and the mountains shook and collapsed before her reignited might.

Did the Dragonbloods slay her in the end? Was she consumed and lost to the Wyld? Is Teriam wandering Creation yet, under a new guise, altered with revenge on her mind rather than music? Her Violin survives, and so her vengeance does as well.

Mechanics

5-dot Oneiromancy (15 committed motes)
Assumption of the City's Heart - once set, the Violin can be heard over vast distances, whether sound should carry so far or not.
Assumption of Cerements and Bone - the Violin was made from the remains of a score of Dragonbloods who sought to overcome Teriam. In turn, she set their still living screams to harmony and built the Violin from their living essence.
Mad God Mien - powered by the madness of a god, the Violin's effects cannot be broken by countermagic.
Curse of Definition - the uses of the Violin are for the main part obscure. One reliable application is to set it in place, invoke the name of Teriam and two others, and play. The tunes that follow wrap themselves into the minds of all who hear them, turning a step into a shuffle, a hop into a jig, and a moment's dance into an eternity. So long as the Violin plays thus, it is impossible for any who are lured by its notes to stop dancing...

Curse of Definition is expensive, but the most obvious way to force people to dance - and you get an impressive range out of it. It's possible to get similar end results for less with some creativity, of course.


Naturally, if you feel like the above are too expensive, the solution is to have a Raksha ally, who will be happy to create them for you, or have them on hand already. It might cost a few score mortals their souls, but that's a deal! Or you could opt to have a Sword Grace, and simply bind the Fair Folk to your service.