[Exalted] Re-recruiting for Return of the Scarlet Empress - 2-3 players wanted

[OracleofSilence]

Yeah. Although a tree-sailing schooner would be a good mode of transportation...

[Ralasha]

or a Land-Ship. That could actually be done... if you know how to craft the appropriate wonders.

I myself could at best make a small flying dinghy.

I tell you what though, if his character talks like it did in his background, I'm staying away. Going to think the character is insane.
"Who the hell is the Sofa King? What is an M C? What are you talking about? Get away from me!"

[Ifni]

Haslanti airships are 2-dot artifacts (my Solar circle in another campaign just got one, to enormous squeeing all around)... but the East also has a lot of rather large rivers

[OracleofSilence]

No! Spoilsport! We were trying to get him to uy a tree-land-air-anythingnotwater-ship!

[Ralasha]

Well... maybe he'll buy an airship. It's only 2 dots. Does it come with cannons?

I might go with a Mecha.

[Orosboru]

Yes, yes, the airship. Also, warstriders are not universally agreed upon things in Exalted, mostly because they're so costly to maintain. And they're damn rare things.

And come on, Oracle Of Silence. Don't be mean. :P

[Ralasha]

Character done (As done as I can make it without assistance) Where do you want it sent?

I'm a gunslinger/Craftsman. I only have the air crafting skill atm though. So, if anyone wants me to change things around because they have something they think might be useful, such as magitech, genesis, or the like, speak now.

On the other hand, I am able to craft a very large number of prayer rounds a day. Something on the order of 8 an hour.

[OracleofSilence]

I have magitech crafting so that shouldn't be necessary at least. Just as a side note, industrious has decreed that all mundane (air, earth, fire, water, wood) crafting is one skill, but supernatural crafting is separate.

And Orosuboru, not meanness intended. Just thinking out of the box. What is the last thing the Dynast's will expect? A notorious octopus smuggler plying his trade not from the great rivers of the east, but from the canopies of tree's!

Edit: As a side note, Lotus can probably make you one of those if she has the resources...

[Ralasha]

I used craft genesis to make my very own rank 3 familiar. A miniature human. >.>

No. Nevermind, that would just be creepy. I'll just use a spider-monkey. 4 Arms, 4 Legs. Spider-Monkey.

[OracleofSilence]

They actually have a miniature human thing in Wonders of the Lost Age. And yeah. They are super creepy.

Then again, they have a Craft (Genesis) monkey thing. Its also creepy. Actually, Craft (Genesis) is just creepy.

[Ralasha]

Originally Posted by OracleofSilence

They actually have a miniature human thing in Wonders of the Lost Age. And yeah. They are super creepy.

Then again, they have a Craft (Genesis) monkey thing. Its also creepy. Actually, Craft (Genesis) is just creepy.

lol. I like you.

I shall becomes... Peerless Master of Craft (Genesis). Combined with Craftsman needs no tools. With those I shall create my very own race of smart apes! I shall then have them build a statue of me, holding a book under my left arm, and the first of their offspring aloft with my right! It shall be three hundred feet tall, and made of green jade!

[OracleofSilence]

I think I'll just stick with creating unthinkable wonders crafted of materials indicative of their spiritual and occult purpose, designed for no reason other then to exult in the wonders of existence and celebrate the wonders Creation.

[Ralasha]

Or you could take the wyld crafting charms... make artifacts.

[OracleofSilence]

Yep. Going to be working on those soon.

[Ralasha]

I think my Craft (Earth Air, Water, Wood and Fire) allows me to craft some nifty stuff since I'm peerless at it, and I need no tools...

In example: My Prayer Rounds.

Here's what's left:
Craft (Dream)
Source: Gods & Elementals
Craft (Fate)
Source: Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals.
Craft (First Age Devices) - Possibly an error that should have referenced Craft (Magitech)
Source: Compass of Celestial Directions: The Wyld
Craft (Genesis)
Source: Second Edition Core
Craft (Alchemy)
Source: Gods & Elementals
Craft (Quintessence)
Source: Compass of Celestial Directions: Yu-Shan
Craft (Reality)
Source: Wonders of the Lost Age
Craft (Wyld)
Source: This one I don't remember.

[OracleofSilence]

Hrm. Given some of my later plans, I should probably pick up Craft (Dream) at some point...

What the hell would you make with Craft (Reality)?

[Ralasha]

A place with no gravity? a Null-Void zone... a place where the laws of physics operate as you wish... artifacts... alter the wyld... Ah yes, this is craft (Wyld).

[OracleofSilence]

I guess it always comes down to artifacts, doesn't it...

[Ralasha]

Well... if you had a self-restoring warstrider... maintenanceless. Oh look, an artifact warstrider.

Now you ride in style.

[OracleofSilence]

Aren't all Warstriders artifacts? Not to say they cannot be made better, just that they already are...

[Ralasha]

Technically, though they are actually just first age devices. First Age Tech is generally considered to be an Artifact. Let me put it this way, you live in the 800's. You drive a car. It is an artifact.

[OracleofSilence]

No, I get all that, but the term "Artifact" is fantastically poorly defined. Sure, in the first age, Warstrider's were common, but does that necessarily stop them from being artifacts?

They add fantastic amounts of power to their riders, they can turn the tide of battles on their own, and even at the height of the first age, they were fantastically difficult to build and maintain (did you read the crap that they needed to go through to make a Royal Warstrider?). I would say that counts as an artifact, even then. Sure you can make a better one, but that's just a *better* artifact.

Anyway, more to the point, since we now have two crafters, this becomes more important. Industrious, how do you handle artifact possession after the fact? Do we need to pay for the dots, for is it just there?

[Ifni]

industrious posted their rules for buying backgrounds with XP in this campaign here. (Yes, I have been stalking this game since the beginning, why do you ask? ) I presume artifact crafting in-game would fall under the 'if you play it out, you just get it, no XP cost' rules (same as going to the Land of Plot Convenience to loot Dead Solar Tomb).

Eris is mostly done, assuming my artifacts and hearthstones get approved (if not, no big deal, just means I have more BP to allocate). Still some background (mostly regarding meeting her third Major Contact) and manse descriptions to write.

I have Linguistics 5, and while Low Realm / High Realm / Old Realm / Riverspeak are languages she has to know for backstory reasons, that still leaves two open. At the moment I have them as Seatongue and Flame-Tongue because it looked like that would minimize overlap with other people, but any particular requests for languages? (these are languages that came with the Exaltation or afterward, so it doesn't need to be something-that-people-would've-spoken-in-Thorns)

Also, a question about equipment stacking. The errata says, "Bonuses from equipment (including magical material bonuses) do not stack with one another; the character enjoys only the best among his various modifiers. For example, a Dragon-Blooded character with a jade daiklave and jade hearthstone bracers would only lower his Speed by one point - the two magical material bonuses will not stack to produce Speed -2. Likewise, a character wearing lamellar armor and a magic girdle that provides armored soak enjoys only the higher of the two soak ratings - they do not stack together."

The Infinite Resplendence Amulet provides bonus soak, but it does not count as armored soak and says explicitly in the description (written pre-errata of course) that it stacks with armor. Would the Infinite Resplendence Amulet still stack with armor?

(Also, Maugan, I think Kharal's daiklave-attack stats are stacking the speed reducers from jade bracers and jade weapon, right? If so, maybe consider using one of the alternate colored-jade MM bonuses from Oadenol's Codex instead of the core one?)

In an unrelated question, do applicable Specialties count when a Charm says "add your Ability to X"? For example, if I use Durability of Oak Meditation (add Resistance+Essence to soak against an attack) in a situation where my Resistance specialty applies, do I add my Resistance specialty to soak as well? (I'm fine with either ruling, since it'll presumably be the same for PCs and NPCs, it'll just affect how I judge the value of Resistance specialties)

EDIT: Bolded my questions (to other players and ST) so they're actually visible in the wall o' text.

[OracleofSilence]

Okay, I just never found that. Good to know that crafting doesn't suck in this game.

[Ralasha]

So... where do we submit a completed character sheet for review?
On here apparently.

Spoiler

Name: Flash of Dawn
Exalt Type and Caste: Dawn Caste
Anima: Aurora

Spoiler

By spending five motes of Essence, the character may appear glorious and terrifying until the end of the scene (or until she decides to let the effect dissipate). She appears taller and fiercer, with a terrible visage, burning eyes and a deadly, rending grasp. This effect comes into play automatically once the Solar spends 11+ motes of Peripheral Essence.

While this power is in effect, the character exudes a fear aura which causes all opponents attempting to attack or oppose her (socially or physically) to suffer a -1 external penalty on all attack rolls. This unnatural Emotion effect costs five points of Willpower to ignore for the rest of the scene.

The Dawn’s terrifying glory unbound also disrupts attempts at coordinating attacks against her, increasing the difficulty to arrange such attacks by 2.

Additionally, the immense Essence pressure within the character’s anima slows all incoming attacks, increasing the Lawgiver’s DVs by 2.
Finally, Solars of the Dawn Caste are immune to all fear-based Emotion effects while their anima power is active. If a complementary mass combat unit is forced to check for rout because of the Dawn Caste’s actions while this anima is active, they suffer a -2 external penalty to the roll.

Motivation: To bring order, and end tyranny.

Background:Early Life:

Spoiler

Small towns tend to be harsh. Often the only source of money is farming, or selling the yield. That is of course, when you have more than you need to survive. The only other way of making a living is often the quickest way to meet your end. Banditry.

My family wasn't rich, or influential. Often we were lucky to have enough food. Then they took more than we could afford. They did the same to everyone in town. Said that some evil or another had gotten loose somehow. As though that justified taking the food from our mouths. When the merchants came through... at first we could afford to buy enough food to keep ourselves alive. When that stopped, a large number of the people in our town resorted to violence against anyone with coin passing through. Even me. It was simple enough, no one expects a girl to be a threat. Especially when she's just standing there looking pretty.

We killed them of course. Our victims. It isn't as though we had any choice in the matter. If we hadn't we would have been arrested and executed for staying alive. For what we had to do. When the next crop came in, it was back to business as usual... like it was before the big tax.

We didn't see any merchants anymore, and pretty soon the military marched in, remarking that they had reports of bandits in the area. My parents had me hidden in the house under the floorboards. Nothing I could do in a situation like this. The villagers told them that the bandits had left when we chased them off. Then the army got to asking questions. How many, what direction, how well armed, were any wounded...

They must have noticed something was off, because everyone suddenly started shouting, then I heard the sharp sounds of metal, and screams. Then the house started burning.

Then I woke up.

I started digging in the ground underneath me. Still don't know why. I just had to, maybe it was the fear. I found something down there, and grabbed onto it. It was a box, and when I opened it I found a pair of bracers, and two prayer pieces. I put on nthe bracers, and took hold of the prayer pieces. Then I crawled out from under the house. I could smell fire, the village was burning. That's when I blacked out. When I woke up everyone was dead. The soldiers had been shot. All eight of them, the villagers all dead. Even my parents.

My name is Flash of Dawn. I'm a bandit.

Later Life:

Spoiler

I still have trouble, even now, dealing with what's happened. I get flashes of memory from my blackout, but it seems scattered, and incoherent. I know what I am, what I've become, what I've always been. But I still don't know why. I was just a young woman, hiding under the floorboards. Why did the Unconquered Sun pick me?

I've found a few of my belongings, I keep finding them randomly, but when I do, I always know. It's kind of funny, hide under the floorboards, find your guns, hide in a cave, find your armor.

I even managed to find a memory crystal of mine. The man that owned it seemed surprised when it reacted to me. Then he called the guards. Thought I was going to steal it he said, more likely he thought I'm it's rightful owner.

From what I hear, he isn't missed. I didn't miss him either.

'Stand and Deliver!' That's how I make it from meal to meal now, minus the killing. Though I'd rather be raiding a military camp. Or taking a nap on a low hill with a nice breeze.

Occasionally I run into real bandits. By bandits I mean cut-throats. They never get to cut another one. Murder isn't even right when out of necessity, but when you move from place to place, and people already know who you are, and your basic where-abouts... it's stupid, and wasteful. Well, finished todays meal, and journal entry. Wonder what I'll do now.

Attributes

Spoiler

Primary (Physical): 8
Secondary (Mental): 6
Tertiary (Social): 4

Physical:
Strength ●●●
Dexterity ●●●●
Stamina ●●●●

Social:
Charisma ●●●
Manipulation ●●
Appearance ●●

Mental
Perception ●●●
Intelligence ●●●
Wits ●●●

Abilities (Specializations +)

Spoiler

[Note: Place [C]aste and [F]avoured tags, for clarity.]
Total without BP/XP: 28
(If using Dawn Solution rules, 4 free specialty dots, and Abilities can be raised to 5 without BP)


[C]Archery ●●●●●, ●●● (Prayer Piece)
[C]Martial Arts
[C]Melee ●●●●, ●● (Swords)
[C]Thrown
[C]War

[F]Integrity ●●●●
Performance
Presence
Resistance ●●●
[F]Survival ●●, ● (Forage)

[F]Craft ●●●●
Investigate
Lore ●
Medicine
Occult

Athletics
[F]Awareness ●●●●●
[F]Dodge ●●●●●
Larceny
Stealth

Bureaucracy
Linguistics ●
Ride
Sail
Socialize

Backgrounds, Artifacts and Equipment:

Spoiler

Backgrounds:
Cult: ●
Familiar: ●●●

Artifacts and Equipment: 12 XP 3 BP
Artifact: ●●● [Prayer Piece], The Messenger

Speed	Accuracy	Damage	Rate	Range	Ammo	Attune
5	+2	10L*	2	50	5	6

*10A against creatures of Darkness
[Glories Most High: The Unconquered Sun, pg 38]

Artifact: ●●● [Prayer Piece], The Diplomat

Speed	Accuracy	Damage	Rate	Range	Ammo	Attune
5	+2	10L*	2	50	5	6

*10A against creatures of Darkness
[Glories Most High: The Unconquered Sun, pg 38]

Artifact: ●● [Moonsilver Bracers], My Reminder
+3 Dodge DV Dice +2, Lethal Soak +2
[Exalted 2e, Core Rule Book]

Artifact: ●● [Orichalcum Lamelar Armor],

Soak	Hardness	Mobility	Fatigue	Cost	Attune	Tags
+10L/+11B	6L/6B	-1	0	2	3	*

*May be concealed under heavy jacket or cloak.

Artifact: ●● [Reaper Daiklave], Dancer

Speed	Accuracy	Damage	Defense	Rate	Attune
4	+4	+4L	+1	3	5

Resources: ●●
Confiscated ill gotten goods, and ill gotten goods.

Spoiler

> [Exceptional Buckler: ●]

Charms

Spoiler

Ability/Yozi
Excellencies
First Archery Excellency
Archery Essence Flow
First Craft Excellency
First Melee Excellency
First Dodge Excel;ency


[Charms]
Vengeance Draw
Trance of Unhesitating Speed
Essence Arrow Attack
Phantom Arrow Technique
Rain of Feathered Death

Craftsman Needs No Tools
Peerless Paragon of Craft (Mundane)

One Weapon Two Blows
Flashing Edge of Dawn

Durability of Oak Meditation

Combos:
Hail of Bullets Trance of Unhesitating Speed+Arrow Storm Technique.

Tinker in the Kitchen Craftsman Needs no Tools + Peerless Paragon of craft.

Combat Stats:

Spoiler

Join Combat:

Attacks:

Spoiler

Hands:
Acc: X [(((Dex+Martial Arts)+1)+Any other dice bonuses)] | Damage: [Str+0B] | Parry DV: [(((Dex+Ability)+2)= X /2 round up) = Base + Modifiers] | Rate: 3

Feet:
Acc: X [(((Dex+Martial Arts)+0)+Any other dice bonuses)] | Damage: [Str+3B] | Parry DV: [(((Dex+Ability)-2)= X /2 round up) = Base + Modifiers] | Rate: 2

Clinch:
Acc: X [(((Dex+Martial Arts)+0)+Any other dice bonuses)] | Damage: [Str+0B] | Parry DV: - | Rate: 3

Dodge DV: X [((((Dex+Ability)+Essence)+Bonus Dice From Equipment) = X /2 round up) = Base + Modifiers]

Permanent Charms (Effects)
Flashing Edge of Dawn
Ox-Body Technique (x2)

Soak:
Bashing: 15 [((4+11)+Any other Modifiers)]
Lethal: 14 [(((4 /2)+10)+2)]
Aggravated: [Armour+Any other Modifiers)]

Hardness:
Bashing: 6
Lethal: 6
Aggravated: [Highest value from any source]

Health:
-0 [ ][ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
X [ ]

Mental Defenses:
Dodge MDV: 7 [((((7+4)+0)+4)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round down) + Any other bonuses.]
Charisma Parry MDV:
>Presence: 1 [(((3+0)+0)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.]
>Performance: 2 [(((Charisma+Performance)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.]
Manipulation Parry MDV:
>Presence: 2[(((Manipulation+Presence)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.]
>Performance: 2[(((Manipulation+Performance)+Relevant Specialty)+Any other dice modifiers) /2 round up) + Any other bonuses.]

Virtues: 1
Compassion ●●●
Conviction ●●
Temperance ●●●
Valor ●●

Virtue Flaw/Flawed Virtue:
Unshakable Crusade
Virtue:Compassion

The Solar immediately attempts to repair a perceived injustice, whatever te cost.

Partial Control: The Solar may take more strategic actions to correct the injustice.
Duration: One Day
Condition: Witnessing an Injustice.

Intimacies:

Languages:
Low Realm (Native)
Old Realm (Native)

Willpower: ●●●●●●●

Essence:
Permanent: ●●●●
Personal: 19 (19) [(4 x3)+7]
Peripheral: 23 (46) (23) [(4 x7)+7)+11]

Bonus Points and XP:

Spoiler

Bonus Points: 30/30

Total: 30/30 | Merits: 2, Flaws: 3
Ambidextrous 1pt
Selective Conception: 1pt

Code of Honor: 2
Wanted: 1
Experience Points. Spent: 12 | Left: 0 | Total: 12

I am a Tinker, and I'm in your kitchen.

[Orosboru]

Selkirk, Smuggler

Outcast

Spoiler

"This ship is not seaworthy."
The hull was battered and the masts were rotted. The rope was not tarred and the saltwater rusted the nails on the bow. In short, I wouldn't trust this thing to float in a bathtub.

I've been traveling with these chaps for some time now, going after the precious bounty the Guild sets on troublesome pirates who prey on their fleets and evade justice. The glint of jade rubbed between two fingers is a alluring one. Alas, the captain and half the crew have already spent their pay, and nothing could convince them to turn back.

As everyone knows, the Guild detests debtors more than pirates.

"I'll have no more of your cowardice, Selkirk. What, the taste of battle unman you?" The captain roars with laughter. I'm not a coward. I'm just very choosy of where to spend my life. And chasing after sloops with a bad boat doesn't seem the best way to do it.

"We've been running ragged for weeks now, Captain. Best we shore off and spend some time patching our ship together." Idly, I spotted a dim redness in the sky. The morning's omens were not good. The Storm Mothers were out on the sea, this day.

"We'd no money for repairs. And if we give up the chase now, who will say to the Guild, that a yellow-bellied youngster said we can't? We're western men! We'll take out these interlopers without much trouble!" A chorus of agreement comes from the audience. I look into the faces of my fellow man - none of them have sympathy for me. A knot of fear, like staring into a chasm, came to me before I took the plunge.

"Fine." I said. "I'll have no part in this."

"What do you mean, you coward? You're in this, if you like it or not!" The captain is angry.

"That island - leave me there. Siakal can have you all."

Silence. I suddenly am afraid. Would he take me seriously? Most likely, a ship would come by soon to pick me up. If not to take me into their service, at least to take me to the closest port.

The captain smiles. "Alright."

The Island

Spoiler

I am abandoned on a blasted heath, with a lonely coconut tree and a meagre depression of salt water. The crew jeered and laughed at me, painted my stomach yellow before leaving me to my fate. A single piece, filled with firedust, a machete, the clothes on my back and a canteen of water are the only things I take into my self-imposed exile.

The first couple of days are spent in anger. I cursed the captain for his rashness, then I cursed myself. If he only listened to reason, and I spoke less plainly, perhaps the lives of those men could have been saved. The thoughts for others quickly vanished as I grew accustomed to my isolation. To my growing dismay, it seems that they have dropped me in a rarely trafficked part of the West, so I must learn how to survive in this desolate place.

The first thing is water - precious life. Surrounded by it, yet not a drop to drink. I learnt that the water in the wellspring is tainted with salt - all of it had to be removed. I spend a couple of days just ladling out the poisonous water, drinking the milk of the coconut in careful rationed doses.

Finally, after some time, a rain came by - quickly filling the empty reservoir. I quickly washed the silt and dirt remaining at the bottom and impatiently watched as the depression slowly filled up . The empty husks of the coconuts, hollowed out with my machete, made excellent stores of water.

The one abundant source of food in the West is fish. No fields of rice of wheat, but wild taro and the riches of the sea. Tales of volcanic islands with fertility rivalling that of the abundant east, sunk long ago by the Anathema, a paradise... but I had to work what I had with me. The fibrous seaweeds and tree barks were eventually fashioned into a string, but I was yet hungry, and the fishing line was not complete.

Binding my machete to a long piece of driftwood, I engaged in the sport of spear fishing the idle fish that wondered by in huge shoals. In my youth, it was a particularly fun activity to do - the best fisher always got the girls. With my improvised spear, I do poorly - but it is enough to feed myself with.

The warm weather and tropical rains made it not a necessity to build a fire, but I have tired of eating raw fish. The firedust in my piece, once a last resort, is a goodly tinder, catching almost anything alight. A cord of driftwood, once dried, provides plenty of fuel - and a signal light, for hope of rescue.

I have improvised a shelter, digging deeper into the earth. I find worms and other little creatures in the earth, supplementing my diet. Finally, I have something proof against the winds and the rains of the storm that inevitably must come.

A little paradise of my own making. But in the end, what proved my undoing was not the needs of the body, but the needs of the mind.

My Torments

Spoiler

I grew a short, scraggly beard, my baby fat disappeared almost instantly - the resources of the island barely enough to keep one from starvation. I notched the days... came to weeks, to months, before I stopped counting. Eventually, time ceased to have meaning or relativity. The thoughts of home grew unbearable. I had a family, who thought I was dead. I had friends on that ship - what if I was wrong, and they came home? Laughing at the base coward Selkirk.

I have forgotten what a woman looks like.

Distant patches of gods I remembered from my youth - any and all, I wasted my breath on the wind. During great storms and crashing waves I huddled in my hole, shivering and hoping. Every time, although they destroyed part of my taro crop, it would always bring something new to keep the status quo.

I have not even the benefit of seasons to tell me the difference in time. Was I born on this day? Is this a Calibration? Does the hearth god need a sweet yam to placate his lusts? Days blended into one another, distinguished only by the passing of clouds and the reflection of the moon on the water.

"Luna, Luna, Luna, take pity on a sailor, and send me a ship." I said.

The next day, a ship came by - a Lintha ship! Horror of horrors! A fate to all men who pass into their possession - castration, and a lifetime of servitude. I doused my fires and panicked. Water was no escape, for there were many eyes that served the Lintha fleet. The only element that could protect me was the earth - and fire. The flame piece, I hoped, still worked. I loaded the clumpy powder and pulled the flint back.

A few tense moments. The sound of a man and a woman, talking in their bestial, yet ancient tongue. The ground water drips. I can hear them scrabbling in my pit fire. Some arguing. *sniffing*. Can they smell me? I hope not. I cursed the fickle goddess in my mind, for sending me exactly what I requested, but not what I needed.

And then... silence.

I heard a voice that was very familiar. It was the captain.
"I marooned a sailor here, the very once, before I came into your service, my master."
A hobbled man, with the mark of servitude. A nasty thought comes to me - I was right. This pleasurable feeling out of another's misfortune is quickly squelched as I hear their footsteps coming closer.

They go towards my hiding place. A hasty, desperate idea comes to me. I pull on the supports holding the loose clay together and a great weight of earth comes down on me. I almost gasp out in pain, but instead I use it to take a long breath.

I hear muffled voices. I do not trust them to leave so easily. But the earth is cold and stifling, and my scent fades away quickly. It is a horrible thing, to be enveloped in the cold clay, breathing the slightest breaths. It is a lightheaded emotion, to be trapped, truely trapped - not under the expanse of sky, but the darkness of the grave.

I feel the desire to struggle, but I resist. Eventually, after I feel enough time has passed, I start digging myself out. I am at the end of my diver's breath - my head feels hot and sticky, and I am slow to move. I want to stop. My muscles burn. But I must go on.

I did not go out for the longest time, and by the time I did, the moon was full in the sky.

Exaltation

Spoiler

A beautiful, beautiful woman - or was it a mysterious man, or a huntress, her maw full of blood? Whatever it was, it floated in the air, as if the ground was uplifting her to her proper place. Radiant stars and comets streaked by her hair like a common garland of flowers, covering her breasts and adorning his chest.

I knew not how to make of it. I was intensely aroused, but I was also deathly scared. There was nothing in this world that could tell you how I felt, or what that moment was. I was staring into the everything, and even the gleaning of the smallest feeling was like touching a alien world.

By the strangest little things - the wood, which sustained me in the first days, the fire, which kept the hearthfires roaring, the earth, which kept me safe, the water, which all life sprang. I had survived everything.

Except this goddess, who came by an aid of ill wind. What does she want from me? I raise my pike, flagging, desperate, and tired. They have taken all my provisions. I will die, either way.

"Enough, Luna! Cursed goddess of fickle desires! Leave me to die! Do not make my last moments more hellish than they already are."

She smiles. And the light fills me.

My New State

Spoiler

When I wake up, I have little suckers on my arms.

After a part of screaming, I notice another thing.

I have no thumbs.

And another part, I realize,

I have no mouth.

Only a beak.

I grin, as a octopus only grins.

There is a rush, as any Lunar can tell you, after Exaltation.

I swim into the sea and I devour many fish. Free, free of all restraint... my human state of perpetual survival almost indifferent from my animal one. After several days I finally manage to return to my human form. Albeit... one with several irregularities.

Let me tell you my visage and appearance. I was a handsome boy,(indeed, it has been commented by many a 'man' who were men or otherwise), but in the grand scheme of things it only bought me a place on a ship earlier than others would. I was lean, even before my exile, and I had the iconic blue hair of my people, limed to give it a bleached colour.

I was shorter than most (which caused no end of teasing), and my key advantage against bigger opponents was my speed and stamina. I was the fastest and most quick angler I knew, and that skill translated easily to shipboard movement. I could dodge and dodge for a long time, until they were exhausted, and then I would take them down. I could swim for deeper depths, and hold my breath (my father had ambitions for me to become a pearl diver). I had skill with a sword, and I learned my skill with a flame piece from a fellow sailor, whose homeland in the south makes use of them readily.

The changes have come so suddenly, and you might think me a monster on closer examination. My blood is blue as my hair, which made my first injury after my visitation rather disconcerting. My skin fades into the colour of my backgrounds, affording me a natural camouflage. Despite my earnest efforts, I seem not to have any control over this - until I learnt a charm, but that's for another day. I have ink sacs that excrete from cleverly disguised holes beneath my nostrils. And I have a set of discrete gills that flare obviously underwater.

Everything that I struggled to accomplish as a mortal seemed so trivial now. Power from the centre of my being made me faster, stronger, smarter. I now was not content to surviving. Now, I had thoughts of escape.

Departure

Spoiler

As I have learned, Exaltation is brighter than a fireworks show, and more flashier than any Dynast could be. A strange ship that flew came around my lonely tree at night, guided by the glow of unrestrained power. Back then, I did not speak the tongue of the sky, so I was alarmed to see more heavily armed strangers barking at me. I hid, but the glow of my sigil gave me away. But instead of chasing me, they... left something. And moved a distance away.

I managed to stomach the courage to open the package, wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. Paper and string! Both valuable things.

A mirror. Some flares. A blanket. And, treasure of treasures... a apple.

I have warm memories of my first apple pie. My mother rarely had any sort of fruit unless it was the disgusting, extremely sour lemons we had to suck on. She always managed to make them taste good - so one day, when my father came back with a jar of apple preserves, she baked them into a pie and since I was the youngest I had the smallest slice but my sisters looked at me so beggingly that I gave them my pie and-

Sorry, I'm rambling. But the smell... the smell!

I take a bite out of the fresh apple. To a starving man, without any sweet or sugar, it is a explosion of flavour. A feast without compare. I roar in pleasure as I crunch it down, the entire thing going down my gullet.

I cry as the emotions take over me. And the next time the airship passed by, I wave at them with a big smile. I could leave this place forever.

[Ifni]

Since industrious indicated the reason to post sheets here was to have inter-character feedback, I took a look through, and had a couple of questions.

Originally Posted by Ralasha

So... where do we submit a completed character sheet for review?
On here apparently.

Ralasha, it might be useful if under BP you listed where you're spending it; I think your math is slightly off at the moment (but if I counted correctly it's off by 1, so no big deal). I'm getting:

14 for Essence 4 (and I remain the only applicant who's not buying E4 at chargen, hmmm...)
6 for raising Abilities (34 dots total, base is 28)
1 for adding Specialties (6 dots total, base is 4)
8 for Backgrounds (19 dots total, base is 7, 4 dots worth from 12 XP)
1 for Virtues (6 dots added, base is 5)
2 for WP (7 dots, base is 5)
2 for Merits
-3 for Flaws
--------
31

I was also told to stay away from Merits/Flaws, when I asked for permission; if you got approval for those ones, of course, no worries (but I might go look through Scroll of Heroes again in that case - although I think Eris' Limit Break will achieve more or less what I wanted to do with Throwback, RP-wise )

Maugan, I don't know the DB chargen rules for this game so not going to try to check your math, but if you wanted, you could save an easy 4 XP by lowering Str to 2 with the original Attribute allocation (putting the other dot into Stamina) and buying Str up with XP rather than Stamina. Sorry if this is presumptuous, just when it's XP-vs-BP economy you can save by doing things in a different order, and Terrestrial-in-a-Celestial-game seems likely to be hard enough that you'll want every bit of XP. If it's an RP-related point, e.g. he was always stronger and tougher than a normal man but got even tougher due to more recent events, then of course, no worries.

Lotus' sheet looks fine except that I can't find your items anywhere (of course, this may just be demonstrating that it's not only my characters who have Awareness 0) and I'm curious to know what the Artifact 3 is

[Ralasha]

Reduced Resources by 1 dot. Thanks Ifni. ^^ Playing a Lunar again? I probably should have gone and made my 3rd incarnation of shieldmaiden... but I've gotten to the point of her being overkill. She gets a good 29B/29L/8A for soak. Iron Kettle Body with armor... yes. Pump-able Iron Kettle Body.. more yes. 5m+1wp= 12/12/8 soak from iron kettle body, stacks with armor. Gotta love resistance charms. Especially broken ones.

[Ifni]

Originally Posted by Ralasha

Reduced Resources by 1 dot. Thanks Ifni. ^^ Playing a Lunar again? I probably should have gone and made my 3rd incarnation of shieldmaiden... but I've gotten to the point of her being overkill. She gets a good 29B/29L/8A for soak. Iron Kettle Body with armor... yes. Pump-able Iron Kettle Body.. more yes. 5m+1wp= 12/12/8 soak from iron kettle body, stacks with armor. Gotta love resistance charms. Especially broken ones.

Hey Ralasha Nope, playing an Eclipse who's pretending to be a Wood Aspect She has a jade sword and knows Dragon-Blooded charms (well, okay, one Dragon-Blooded Charm; being able to chat with someone on the other side of the world is handy). Can also flutter her eyelashes and muster an average of ~20 sux on a Presence+Charisma roll for 3m with a 2-die stunt, if she's negotiating in good faith.

And yes, I'm looking forward to seeing how the Solar Resistance tree works out in 2.5.

[Ralasha]

Unfortunately.. I'm not making Shieldmaiden. I decided to do something a bit different... like make attacks against 8 people... eight attacks each each. For fun.

Also, I'm a tinker. I'm in your kitchen mending pots.