The Heart of the Dragon (OOC)

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

We both know there are a million ways to spin either side. But I'll try a rational explanation other than "the rule presumably is balanced".

A library is not books. A library is a series of information segments useful to awakened. I don't know about your library, but mine is going to be a couple knowledge spirits anchored to some old books. The spirits have the information. I use. Yours? Probably encrypted notes, highlighted bits of text. Regardless, having Awakened-Eyes-Only knowledge lying there, obviously important, where ye maid, your room mate, the super intendant, your boss at mundane work, a friend, a fling, a casual burglar, or an uninvited Mage intruder can walk in and abscond with it is stupid. Your collated notes on knowledge and magic need to be nominally kept secret, because neither your ministry nor any orde is willing to risk otherwise. A sanctum is just that, a secure space. Your Luxury sweet, your electronic-alarm mansion, these are not secure in the same sense.

Especially when you notice one dot in sanctum is your Mage level security.


I honestly think this is just because we are all operating on different but similar levels of abstraction. If we all agreed on terminology and boundaries with the meta construct we would probably all agree.

What if I have Resources 4 and invest in a good set of locks, a security system, and use Matter to cover the rest?

Or if I have a Sanctum with zero dots in Security?

Or if my library is completely digital?

EDIT: While examining the topic, I saw an interesting suggestion that Size is made free, up to a player character's Resources dots, putting the focus on Security as purchased with XP. Not necessarily suggesting it for this game, just an interesting line of thought.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Edit: Anyone notice that the forum is being really slow tonight?

... I thought it was my phone >_<

Do you mean the embarrassing secret flaw? Dark secret is in Exalted. If you take it as an embarrassing secret though, it means that some people will blame you personally for the bombing if they find out.

Yes, that one. Where I only get XP if I go out of my way to cover it up.

I said he wouldn't like the old resonance, which is grinding oppression mostly. And the old resonance is still dominant in the city. The new stuff coming in via the leylines is, as I called it, a "chip." It's like a tiny shift in a huge monumental edifice, but of course that's enough to draw plenty of notice from the people paying attention.

Ah, That crystallizes it all. Okay, sorry. I am not in my right mind, as I may be coming down with something. I would like to think that I can understand plain English when I'm not pushing myself.

Yeah I approved that before and it still makes perfect sense to me.

Now to figure out how it works with manipulation maybe.

It's not and the fact that this discussion has led to this question makes me think that I've made a mistake in trying to make this sanctum thing a subjective issue.

I'm going to take that as your Official Ruling; however

Spoiler

I honestly wondered at the requirement myself, until I came to understand library as a body o collected knowledge of Supernal matters.

So, I'm just going to change it. Real estate is expensive and Hong Kong is crowded, therefore all real estate, whether bought via sanctum or resources, costs an extra dot. That's the only rule, period, end of discussion. If you spend that extra dot, you get a private sanctum that works just like every other sanctum.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Cool cool, I'm happier with a clear ruling like that.

I will be honest and say this is pretty much what I thought the rule already was. Except the extra dot could go to thematic purchases, such as security (which ensures privacy), or size (for paying extra for good real estate). Which is arbitrarily silly of me because that is exactly the same as costing one extra dot, just with a story attached.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

What if I have Resources 4 and invest in a good set of locks, a security system, and use Matter to cover the rest?

Or if I have a Sanctum with zero dots in Security?

Or if my library is completely digital?

Lock picks, power surge, any rank 1 Mage.

Zero dots in security means you have a magical sanctum anyone else can walk in on – separate from your house.

Hackers, any rank 1 Mage.

You will notice my conceit is that sanctum size is strictly for space which is not your living space. Resources five, sanctum one, you own a skyscraper, and your sanctum is a broom closet somewhere else. Sanctum security is omnipresent magical malaise with no description save flavor; looks can be bypassed, sanctum security reduces the dice pool to bypass those locks.

As I said, we can spin both sides a million ways. I mostly agree with your position, I am probably being reflexively pedantic. I am all for honing the rules to fit play, but until the ST does so (and Anarion has, on occasion) I must go by the books. This entire argument wasn't to defend my position, it wa to display that contentions exists so that a decision could be made in light of that.

EDIT: While examining the topic, I saw an interesting suggestion that Size is made free, up to a player character's Resources dots, putting the focus on Security as purchased with XP. Not necessarily suggesting it for this game, just an interesting line of thought.

This is what I have been suggesting, yes.

[Anarion]

The library merit was the book authors going "oh, we can't have them be traveling encyclopedia salesmen" and deciding that it was associated with a sanctum, just like a hallow. This does not actually mean that you must buy the sanctum merit in order to own books. That would just be absurd.

Library does provide a certain shortcut and a certain guarantee of knowledge. So where a big house with a purchased set of books on Greek religion all bought via resources might have a few holes or be missing some rare volumes, presumably a sanctum with a library on Greek religion is considered to have what you're looking for when it comes time to do magical research.

[Thanqol]

More Mammon stuff from DaveB and others. Anarion, in case you missed it can you give me a yes/no on those Prelacies of Scarcity from the last page?

I've actually designed a Mammonite servitor creature myself, to go along with the Scarcity prelacy I put on the forum a while back. Just as Mymidons are designed to provoke hostilities (the rotes in their dynasty) while also being soldiers dying for a cause they don't believe in, the Mammon creatures encourage people to think of other humans as objects - they're literally dehumanising - and are slaves to be bartered among the Ministry.

The philosophy of Mammon in my notes is based in notions of a hierarchy of purpose and tribute - the worthier you are, the less you *produce* and the more you *take*. Mammon explicitly doesn't glorify mages who add new things to the world - they're about Scarcity, after all. Only the Minister survives entierely on tribute, though, and even he is a slave to the Chancellor, for whom the work of the entire Ministry is tribute.

Big conflict with Vulcan's creative drive there.

Studies have actually shown that when you tell people that something is limited to them, they actively want it more. You can charge only slightly less for a product and say that the reduction is a limited time offer, and people will go for it more frequently because the word "limit" makes them want it more. You can offer a run-of-the-mill toy or appliance with the caveat "only while stocks last", and people will rush to have it.

Heck, place a toddler in front of two toys, and they'll more often go for the one that has been cordoned off.

Significant observation shows that a statistically relevent number of times, people will be more strongly attracted to things that they think they might not wind up getting.

Scarcity makes people want things they otherwise wouldn't.

They're the guys who call themselves "wealth creators" without irony.

[SiuiS]

Man. I am so stuck between life and Prime for rank 2. Life will keep me alive while doing stupid things, prime is necessary for Spirit work.

Also, would tagging/graffiti be craft, or expression?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

More Mammon stuff from DaveB and others. Anarion, in case you missed it can you give me a yes/no on those Prelacies of Scarcity from the last page?

Those are fine. I don't see the sword of scarcity coming up a ton since we don't handle magical tools in quite the same way as core (although reducing paradox is interesting), but the crown looks fine to me.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Also, would tagging/graffiti be craft, or expression?

I'd say crafts, it's not a live performance.

[SiuiS]

Ooh, a snag. Familiar trait says "Storyteller designs the familiar". Do you have your heart set on that, can I do it, or would you prefer a gestalt, where I put something together and you take it under advisement? I plan on spending experience to improve it. Can't get him above squire, but he can be the best damn squire ever.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Those are fine. I don't see the sword of scarcity coming up a ton since we don't handle magical tools in quite the same way as core (although reducing paradox is interesting), but the crown looks fine to me.

Excellent, taking Crown of Scarcity 1, at the expense of some rotes, and I'm probably not taking it any further.

[SiuiS]

And I also pulled a Tessen >_<

Let's see...

Flouresce
Korean Male Thyrsus of the Adamantine Arrow
Shaman of the Concrete Jungle
_________________________

STATBLOCK

Spoiler

ATTRIBUTES

Intelligence 2
Wits 2
Resolve 3

Strength 2
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

Presence 3
Manipulation 3
Composure 4

MENTAL
Academics
Computer
Crafts 1
Investigation 3
Occult 2
Politics
Medicine
Science

PHYSICAL
Athletics 3
Brawl 2
Drive
Firearms 1
Larceny 1
Stealth 3
Survival
Weaponry

SOCIAL (3 XP)
Animal Ken
Empathy 2
Expression 4
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 3
Socialize 1
Streetwise 2
Subterfuge 1

MERITS (6 XP)
Familiar 3
Multilingual (Chinese, English) 1
Resources 2
Sanctum 2
Staff 2
Trained Observer 3
Athletics Dodge 1
Status (Adamantine Arrow) 1


ARCANA
Spirit 4
Life 2
Prime 1

GNOSIS 2
MANA 7/10

WISDOM 7
VIRTUE: Prudence
VICE: Sloth
FLAW: Embarassing Secret (free councilor guerrilla)

Spirit 4/Gnosis 2 is actually just out of reach. Raising gnosis costs 16 XP, and then I remembered that 35 is ten more than 25 and all was right with the numbers.

Merits may be off, I'd swear I was counting them as 3/dot for a minute there... Familiar and trained observer are both non-tiered merits, as is staff I believe (6, 6 and 4 respectively). Trained observer at 3 dots allows me to make perception checks rote, and may also mitigate up to -3 in penalties to said checks.

Resources, sanctum, staff and hallow all work together. I figured rather than have a nightclub, I could be the, or rather a, owner. Resources 2 and sanctum 2 provide space, and energy. I would assume that there is more income than the two dots, but it's tied up in business, strictly as a flavored explanation of how so much space is available. Staff is just that, hired help who are loyal. At two dots they get two broad duties, which would be service and security (service wing predominantly bar tending), an since they're loyal to myself and the Arrow, those who pull security probably think/know we are a front for something, though I doubt they would guess a cabal of wizards. Not quite sanctum level security, but good for mundane stuff, yes?

Except I don't know if it's needed. The combination of the four merits creates a cohesive narrative in my mind, and it's become circular. Without that narrative, the merits could be different. Without the merits, the narrative doesn't exist. If I don't get staff I will probably fold that into security... Which I may do anyway as I temporarily forgot how the merit worked. Heh.

Hallow is a pet project sort of, in that hallows can also generate essence, and create loci. Which means if I play my cards right, my familiar will also be full up on essence a lot. The bad news is there isn't enough XP left after gnosis and arcana boosting to really increase his power.

Oh! And library. I'll make sure my totals are right in the... Uh, later today time, an add in a dot or two of Library. If I miscounted, missed something, or need to explain it let me know. I should be off, as I forgot my tendency to stay awake to finish Rp paperwork... And take longer because I'm awake.

[the_druid_droid]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Yes, that one. Where I only get XP if I go out of my way to cover it up.

Just a warning here - if Mara's supposed to know about this, pretty much the only way she'll not be hostile is if you're willing to undergo a ritual-length brain scan until she's satisfied you aren't to blame.

If Fluoresce actually is in part responsible, I don't really know what to do, other than try and keep it from her. She really wants to see these guys pay.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Ooh, a snag. Familiar trait says "Storyteller designs the familiar". Do you have your heart set on that, can I do it, or would you prefer a gestalt, where I put something together and you take it under advisement? I plan on spending experience to improve it. Can't get him above squire, but he can be the best damn squire ever.

Oh yeah, this is the game where I get to see SiuiS playing a Spirit mage. I am so looking forward to this.

[Anarion]

I'm a little confused, as I don't actually see hallow on SiuiS' sheet anywhere.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Anarion

I'm a little confused, as I don't actually see hallow on SiuiS' sheet anywhere.

I don't have any skill specialties yet, either.
If everything works out fine, then I have 6 merit XP and 8 remaining XP. That is sufficient for at least one dot in each, plus depending on how the merits interact I may move around sanctum dots. But yes, it was getting on towards 08:30 and I needed sleep.

Do you think staff is necessary?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Do you think staff is necessary?

SiuiS, I don't even know what book that merit is from. It's only listed as Gh on the White Wolf Wiki. So, no, it's probably not necessary.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Anarion

SiuiS, I don't even know what book that merit is from. It's only listed as Gh on the White Wolf Wiki. So, no, it's probably not necessary.

I admit now to a little bit of concern, here, as even having met you in the flesh, I can't really read you well. Are you exasperated? Is that an eye roll? Is it strictly a purely academic statement with no emotion whatsoever? Good traits for a storyteller, but I'm not used to it.

Staff is from Ghouls, a vampire sourcebook but which has no prerequisites. I will post the details when I get back home, for posterity. It is similar to luxury in that it's a flavor merit, but I'd it does come up mechanically somehow, then you'll need it.

Originally Posted by the_druid_droid

Just a warning here - if Mara's supposed to know about this, pretty much the only way she'll not be hostile is if you're willing to undergo a ritual-length brain scan until she's satisfied you aren't to blame.

If Fluoresce actually is in part responsible, I don't really know what to do, other than try and keep it from her. She really wants to see these guys pay.

It would be a secret, yes. And we still don't know if the free council actually blew up a train. I know that murdering civilians would be low on his list of acceptable things, if only because it's messy, and obvious. So he would have directly enabled the train being blown up, but it feels like one of those things where he helped a friend throw rocks and break a window, and the friend lobbed a Molotov when he wasn't looking.

Oh yeah, this is the game where I get to see SiuiS playing a Spirit mage. I am so looking forward to this.

Careful, this is experimental for me too. I expect about a Thor of the things I do eventually to be veto'd, if only to test the limits of my cage.

Or I did before Spirit 4 became a thing.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

I admit now to a little bit of concern, here, as even having met you in the flesh, I can't really read you well. Are you exasperated? Is that an eye roll? Is it strictly a purely academic statement with no emotion whatsoever? Good traits for a storyteller, but I'm not used to it.

I'm not exasperated, but I was being somewhat critical there. I knew that you had used a merit that I didn't recognize, but by the name I assumed that it worked in a fairly straightforward manner and wasn't going to bug you about it. I am concerned, however, that you feel free to not only draw on supplements for a different WoD line that I have not read, but also that you feel free to do so when you yourself are not certain of how they work.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Anarion

I'm not exasperated, but I was being somewhat critical there. I knew that you had used a merit that I didn't recognize, but by the name I assumed that it worked in a fairly straightforward manner and wasn't going to bug you about it. I am concerned, however, that you feel free to not only draw on supplements for a different WoD line that I have not read, but also that you feel free to do so when you yourself are not certain of how they work.

Oh, my apologies. I know what the merit does. You work similar to Thanqol however, in that some things don't need spelling out. Buying employees via a merit when resources and "I own a business" could be sufficient to cover it. An analogue is Thanqol's dislike of fighting styles as a concept- why have a merit when you could just take a specialty?

Listing the merit, explaining it's functions, and asking about it was An implicit question about its validity. I am used to such actions as saying "I am going to do [thing]" and pausing a moment to see if said thing receives objection. This is one of those traits I am trying to stop doing though, so it is good that I caught it. More in about 20-30 when I get home.

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

It would be a secret, yes. And we still don't know if the free council actually blew up a train. I know that murdering civilians would be low on his list of acceptable things, if only because it's messy, and obvious. So he would have directly enabled the train being blown up, but it feels like one of those things where he helped a friend throw rocks and break a window, and the friend lobbed a Molotov when he wasn't looking.

I'm just going to tell you now that there are two different Free Council Cabals in this game, and they're both in hiding after the incident. I haven't decided which one Flouresce would be a part of, I'll probably type them both up and let you pick before I tell you which, if any, was responsible for the train.

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Listing the merit, explaining it's functions, and asking about it was An implicit question about its validity.

The problem here is that you're drawing from sources outside core and not telling me. If you had asked a question about the allies merit based on your concept, I could have answered it. But with Staff, at least until you come back and post the text, I'm completely reliant on your description to answer your question about whether it's necessary or not. At that point, you should know better than I do whether it's necessary.

[Thanqol]

Small, last tweak: Given the hate-on one of our party members has for the FC, Vulcan's going to be passing as Mysterium, and I'm changing that last dot of Library to a dot of Mysterium Status. I don't foresee any more tweaks to the character sheet other than adding backstory.

Are there any questions or other things I've missed?

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Small, last tweak: Given the hate-on one of our party members has for the FC, Vulcan's going to be passing as Mysterium, and I'm changing that last dot of Library to a dot of Mysterium Status. I don't foresee any more tweaks to the character sheet other than adding backstory.

Are there any questions or other things I've missed?

That's fine. No other questions at the moment, though when I get more up I'm going to do the same thing you did in Skyscraper Graveyard and ask for relationships with the NPC cabals.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

That's fine. No other questions at the moment, though when I get more up I'm going to do the same thing you did in Skyscraper Graveyard and ask for relationships with the NPC cabals.

Look forwards to it; I can't tell you how much easier that innovation made my job as ST in that game.

[the_druid_droid]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Small, last tweak: Given the hate-on one of our party members has for the FC, Vulcan's going to be passing as Mysterium, and I'm changing that last dot of Library to a dot of Mysterium Status. I don't foresee any more tweaks to the character sheet other than adding backstory.

Whoops

It seemed like the best way to get her there. Although at the moment, I'm still working out what her reaction to the Council will be. Presumably she isn't going to immediately purge anyone with fire, but I gotta sort through it...

EDIT: mfw her theme song has a line about purging people with fire. Win some, lose some...

[SiuiS]

The_Druid_Droid, did you ever post a sheet for Mara? I remember dots but I can't find her.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Essentially, for this gig to work, she has to be working for you guys for some reason. I can't take party leadership because otherwise this will be a Seer game. I need ideas for how this happened; maybe she's paying a debt, maybe she's being blackmailed, or held prisoner, or offered something she can't get anywhere else or something. I'm not sure, this depends on your characters.

We never did figure this out.
Perhaps out open and preliminary work on the new resonant signature would be of interest to her creative urges, when contrasted with Mammon's rules on scarcity. Having been around for a while, Flouresce would doubtless be on a Seer socket somewhere as doing mapping and cartographic surveys of ley-lines and and spirit presence. He would be a natural choice for this, especially with the recent change. I cannot think of a pitch I could offer that doesn't seem intrigued yet though.

Originally Posted by Thanqol

CHARACTER SHEET

Sumi Mukuro

AKA Vulcan
AKA The Silver Collared Administrator
Female Seer of the Throne Moros
“Logic is the beginning, not the end, of Wisdom.”
Theme: Power Slipping

Tracks:
MANA 7/10
WILLPOWER 5/5
HEALTH 7/7

STATBLOCK

Spoiler

ATTRIBUTES
Intelligence 5
Wits 1
Resolve 1

Strength 3
Dexterity 2
Stamina 2

Presence 2
Manipulation 3
Composure 4

MENTAL*
Academics 1
Computer 4
Crafts *4 (Art +1)*
Investigation
Occult 1
Politics 2 (Wolves from Sheep +1)
Medicine 1*
Science*

PHYSICAL*
Athletics 1
Brawl 2
Drive 2
Firearms*
Larceny 1
Stealth 1
Survival 1
Weaponry*

SOCIAL*
Animal Ken*
Empathy 3 (Motives +1)
Expression 1
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 1
Socialize 1*
Streetwise
Subterfuge 3


MERITS*
Enhanced Item 3
Resources 4
Sleepwalker Retainer 1
Striking Looks 2
Status: Mysterium1
High Speech 1

Secret 2
- Luxury 2
- Seer Status 2



ARCANA
Matter 3
Mind 3
Death 1

Crown of Scarcity 1

GNOSIS 1
MANA 7/10

WISDOM: 7
VIRTUE: Charity
VICE: Envy
FLAW: Disabled

DERIVED TRAITS
Willpower 5/5
Defense 1
Health 7/7
Speed 10

ROTES
Sorceror’s Forge (Alter Integrity) Intelligence+Crafts+Matter 13
Illuminating The Inner Temple (Augment the Mind) Intelligence+Computer+Mind 13
Mask of Conformity (Imposter) Intelligence+Subterfuge+Mind 11
Psychic Communion (Telepathy) Wits+Empathy+Mind 7

MAMMON ROTE SPECIALITIES
+1 Crafts, Computer, Persuasion

Enhanced Item: Prosthetic Legs
Damage 4B(+1) Size 2 Durability 8(+2) Structure 5
Pool 9B

XP: 35
UNSPENT XP: 0
ARCANE XP:*
UNSPENT ARCANE:

Interesting. A lot of overlap in the non-mental skills. I approve, actually. The mental differences show how we approach using out physical and social skills.

I see a bit of derision. Youve got fancy robot legs, sure, but can you dance? Can you run along a roofs leap building to building, climb the rebar and stand atop the man-made mountain? Sure, you're brilliant, You can make a lot happen, but can you do anything? There's rivalry, respect. You're a good liar. That's annoying but I respect skill. And there's jealousy, I mean, intelligence 5? Damn.

Still, matter is a useful skill. I may hire you just for that. Customized shoes with piton-blades, detachable, portable heel-wheels (well, ball bearings really), and some semiconcealable arm blades I can design but not fabricate.

How known amongst the consoling are you? That could be the very mundane reason we got together, and the resonant shift could have sealed the deal into a cabal.

Originally Posted by the_druid_droid

One more clarification - the OP says that sites removed from the masses carry a 1 dot penalty. Does this apply to any Sanctum/Hallow, or just to ones that are supposed to be less in the thick of the city?

As I read it, you only need to pay that dot once, unless you want several separate sites. So you don't need an extra dot in sanctum and hallow, since they are both the same physical presence.


Detour to Costco. Trying to rush Braz home so I can get that merit up XD

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

We never did figure this out.
Perhaps out open and preliminary work on the new resonant signature would be of interest to her creative urges, when contrasted with Mammon's rules on scarcity. Having been around for a while, Flouresce would doubtless be on a Seer socket somewhere as doing mapping and cartographic surveys of ley-lines and and spirit presence. He would be a natural choice for this, especially with the recent change. I cannot think of a pitch I could offer that doesn't seem intrigued yet though.

I really think that she has to be in some way subordinate or working for you rather than with you. I'm serious when I say if she's got unrestrained full party member rights then you'll be playing a Seer game.

You guys have to have something on her. I'm happy to adapt to whatever this is.

How known amongst the consoling are you? That could be the very mundane reason we got together, and the resonant shift could have sealed the deal into a cabal.

It can't be a mundane reason either. If Vulcan is left to her own devices she'll follow, essentially, a pro-Seer agenda. There has to be a mechanism in place to make her swallow her own priorities and do Pentacle stuff, otherwise there isn't a stable grouping.

[the_druid_droid]

CHARACTER SHEET

Samantha Chu

AKA Mara
Female Adamantine Arrow Mastigos
"A leash can pull both ways."
Theme: Seven Devils

Tracks:
MANA 7/10
WILLPOWER 3/5
HEALTH 7/7

TRACKING

Spoiler

CURRENT SPELLS
Mind Shield (3 Potency)

STATS

Spoiler

ATTRIBUTES

MENTAL
Intelligence 4
Wits 3
Resolve 3

PHYSICAL
Strength 2
Dexterity 3
Stamina 2

SOCIAL
Presence 1
Manipulation 4
Composure 2

SKILLS

MENTAL
Academics 2 (Psychology +1)
Computer 1
Crafts
Investigation 4
Medicine 1
Occult 2
Politics
Science

PHYSICAL
Athletics 2
Brawl
Drive 1
Firearms
Larceny 2 (Breaking and Entering +1)
Stealth 2
Survival
Weaponry

SOCIAL (3 XP)
Animal Ken
Empathy 3
Expression 2
Intimidation 1
Persuasion 3
Socialize 2 (Clubs +1)
Streetwise
Subterfuge 3


MERITS
Status (Arrow) 2
Allies (Silver Ladder) 1
Striking Looks 2
Language (Chinese) 1
Sanctum 2
Hallow 3
Resources 2
Imbued Item (Prime Sight Glasses) 2

ARCANA
Mind 3
Space 3
Fate 1

GNOSIS 1
MANA 7/10

WISDOM: 7
VIRTUE: Fortitude
VICE: Envy

DERIVED TRAITS
Willpower 5/5
Defense 3
Health 7/7
Speed 9

ROTES
Psychic Communion (Telepathy) Wits+Empathy+Mind 11
Remote Viewing (Scrying) Intelligence+Investigation+Space 10
Psyche's Dart (Psychic Assault) Resolve+Intimidation+Mind-Resolve(Target) 9
Illuminating the Inner Temple (Augment the Mind) Resolve+Academics+Mind 9

ARROW ROTE SPECIALITIES
+1 Athletics, Intimidation, Medicine

XP: 35
UNSPENT XP: 0
ARCANE XP:
UNSPENT ARCANE:

DESCRIPTION

Spoiler

Mara is a very pretty, slender girl, with distinctly Chinese-American features. She typically wears her hair in a pixie cut, and in a good mood can seem fae-touched, though she isn't an Acanthus. Her wardrobe is that of an older teenage girl, and she hasn't quite blossomed to the level of "young professional" yet.

In general, although the intensity of her mood swings has been significantly lowered, she can still turn sullen and quiet if something triggers her, and her mental states can wax and wane long-term as well. When she's happy, or intensely focused, her personality is bright and may even cross into teasing or flirting.

Mara has a pronounced tendency to view her own mind as a research/fix-it project and has difficulty understanding others' desires for mental privacy after half a lifetime of institutional prodding of her psyche. She does however have a blanket ban on directly reading the thoughts of those close to her, largely because of bad experiences in the past, where she discovered that sometimes it's easier not to know what people really want to say to you.


MAGICAL TOOLS

Cup (Creative Power): Telling Stories
Sword (Directed Power): Chain (Currently her bracelet)
Staff (Authority/General Power): Circle
Mirror (Reflections/Echoes): Chinese Hexagrams
Coin (Cycles of Power): Numbers 1-3

PERCEPTIONS:

Mind Empathic Bond
Mara experiences a person's mood herself, although less strongly than the subject, and she may begin thinking thoughts which mirror the current mental state of the person under scrutiny.

Space Bond and Chain
Sympathetic connections are bonds - silver, gold, or iron chains perhaps, the material mirroring some aspect of the spatial resonance, but always connected to the idea of restraint and being tied together.

Fate Casting the Runes
Mara sees the fates and destinies of people through traditional Chinese divinatory and luck symbolism. The hexagrams from the I Ching are very often present.

Prime Spirits of Magic
Since she can only perceive this Arcanum through the glasses she's been gifted, she sees it through the lens of Satori, who enchanted them originally. Spells and other magical effects take on a life of their own and she sees them as swirling, swimming creatures from Chinese folklore, almost as if spells could have Spirits.

NIMBUS
Demon Gate. When Mara casts magic, the air around her shimmers, as if through heat haze or some sort of optical distortion that bends the light around her. When she uses Vulgar magic, the haze blossoms into swirling, multi-colored flame and she is crowned with a halo bearing the pattern of a summoning circle.

HISTORY

Spoiler

PRE-AWAKENING

Samantha Chu (Shadow name Mara), Awakened as a Mastigos. She's Chinese-American via her father's side, still fairly young but Awakened for a few years now. Her life before Awakening was something of a mix between rough and idyllic - her family was solidly upper middle class and rising, but her father was away more often than not on business, and her mother was bad with kids, despite good intentions. In short, being home wasn't so much being part of a family for her as it was sharing a house with two other people who happened to be 20-some years older. It didn't help that she was an only child.

On the other hand, there were two people that made her life tolerable. One was her grandmother on her father's side (who had immigrated to join her son in the US) who used to love giving her little gifts and telling her stories from China. The other was her best friend at school, Sara. The girls had bonded early, and both got pushed toward the outside of the social circle during the turmoil of the middle grades which only deepened their connection to each other.

During their teenage rebellion phase, Sam and Sara would sneak out and go clubbing in the next town over, at first with fake IDs, and then later as full-grown adults (in the State's eyes, at least). In the process, Sam learned some interesting things about lying, sneaking into places she wasn't wanted, and selling entirely made-up stories to bouncers without blinking an eye. The skills came back to pay dividends when she joined up with the Arrow.

The thing that complicated her youth however was her diagnosis at 14 with bipolar disorder. The diagnosis took a while because her first few rounds of mood swings were dismissed as the growing pains all young girls go through, but it was eventually a school nurse who realized that things might be more serious and referred her to treatment. Her family was initially reluctant, but as her shift between high and low started to interfere more and more with life they finally recognized the need for outside help.

Therapy and medication helped, but Sam continued to struggle with her condition throughout high school (which didn't exactly help her social situation) and even delayed heading to college for a while as she worked to sort her life out, with notably mixed feeling on her parents' part.

However, when Sara left for college herself, things got tougher. Sam had more episodes, sometimes didn't take her medicine. A particularly bad week of fights and recriminations seems to have triggered a nasty manic episode/mixed state that caused her parents to hospitalize Samantha for her own safety.

AWAKENING

When Sam was hospitalized, she was evaluated as being a risk to herself and others, and was placed in a carefully-monitored room. Restraints, no sharp objects, the whole nine yards. Even with medication, this attack was like nothing she’d experienced before.

Agitation transitioned into hallucination, and those in turn gave way to a Mystery Play. The faces of the attendants and other patients glimpsed through the tiny window began to take on an awful, demonic cast, and her restraints grew heavier and rougher. While she hung, confused and alone in Hell, a knock came that shook the door in its frame. Her attendants, flabby and yet impossibly strong, had arrived and fastened iron chains around her, which they used to drag her out into the hall and down maze-like corridors of the transformed hospital.

As the Play went on, her treatment got worse, until her demon guardians were pulling her in opposite directions at every turn and intersection, and the chains tightened around her. At last, Sam realized she had to do something, or she would die there, cut to pieces by her bonds. She seemed powerless, but an idea dawned on her - that a chain binds two together, but who is the servant and who the master is an issue of perception. To wield power, you first have to claim it.

With that realization she found herself free, holding the chains which now bound her tormenters. She ordered them to take her back, to lead her out, and as they walked the hospital slowly began to lose its nightmare aspect. Finally, Sam found herself standing at the front desk, and before things went black again, she triumphantly signed herself out in the huge black ledger-book.

POST-AWAKENING

When she came to, Sam was still in the hospital, but she discovered that her manic state had passed. Even better, she could feel a new control over her mental equilibrium, and began using it instinctively to balance out her moods, even as she worked to understand her mind and what had happened. Not long afterward, her future mentor, Satori, found her, posing as a family member to investigate the Awakening for the Arrow. Under her guidance, Sam began to learn magic, and her continued mental improvement was eventually enough for the doctors to sign off on her release.

After her discharge, Sam drastically reduced contact with her parents. They were still a part of her life, but she finally enrolled in college and was spending a lot of time with her mentor under the guise of having a new therapist.

Even so, her connection to her grandmother remained strong, and she made sure to call and write letters at least once a week, in addition to keeping an eye on her with Scrying. All that changed however, when her father had occasion to travel to Hong Kong on business and took his mother along, as a chance to let her see her home country again after so many years away.

His trip coincided with the Free Council attack on the train. When the news hit the international airwaves, she first thought that the coincidence was too great for her family to really be in danger, but worries kept nagging her until she finally scryed. That was how Sam found out that both her father and grandmother were killed in the attack. The official word from Hong Kong reached her a few days later.

Now, Sam's pulled strings to be the Arrow's representative in Hong Kong. They had a connection to the city through Satori and a few others from Sam's neighborhood, and nominally she's there to help the other Arrows defend the new ley line patterns. Privately, she's there for blood. She wants to know who's responsible and make them pay for taking away one of the two people she truly cared for. Currently she's willing to work with anyone who's opposing the Council, including the Seers.

EQUIPMENT AND POSSESSIONS

Spoiler

Wardrobe - Cost 2 (No specific book)
Although her day-to-day apparel is fairly casual, Mara believes in dressing for success when going out the club or important meetings. As a result, she’s spent a fair amount on nice clothes and accessories, focusing on quality over quantity.

Lock Picks - Cost 2 (Variant on picks in WoD p. 140)
Mara keeps picks and a few other useful tools, including a drill and pry bar, around for the specific purpose of gaining access to buildings and installations. She’d rather talk someone into letting her in, but sometimes complications arise and you have to do things the hard way.

Pepper Spray - Cost none (WoD p. 140)
Mara first got into the habit of keeping a can around during her old clubbing days, for people who couldn’t take a hint. Satori later made the very good point that it’s hard to resist mental influence when your face feels like it’s on fire. These days, she keeps a couple cans around, and always takes one along with her when she goes out into the city, either in a pocket or in her purse if she’s dressed up.

POLITICS AND CONNECTIONS

Spoiler

Mara likes Ana Lisa She senses a kindred spirit in the girl, and enjoys swapping stories with her, although her frequent hospitalizations kept her from accumulating quite as impressive a store. Of course, a good story doesn’t have to be true, so Mara sometimes embellishes the truth. She is irritated at times by Ana’s stubbornness, and she’s not entirely sure what her motives are, but she of all people can respect having multiple agendas in Hong Kong.

Mara hates Quixote Considering that the Musketeers went to ground after the train incident, Mara considers them likely to have been involved in some way, if not actually conducting the operation. Although she’s never met Quixote in person, all the descriptions she’s heard make him sound like a clown, and the thought of an idiot like that having been the one to kill her father and grandmother makes her blood boil.

Mara owes John Doe When she first came to Hong Kong, Mara’s intentions toward the Free Council were a great deal less moderate than her current stance. John Doe was the one who sat her down and finally convinced her of the wisdom of patience, pointing out that she would need some measure of rapport with the Consilium to be able to act in Hong Kong, and they wouldn’t support a wholesale purge. Although politics didn’t suit her feelings at the time, the slower approach has arguably kept her from getting evicted or worse so far, and she’s not too proud to admit what she owes the man for his advice.

Mara is owed by Annie Lee Mara has been allowing the Silver Ladder increased access to the ley lines she’s been entrusted, provided they promise not to alter them radically without prior approval. She’s been particularly attentive to Annie Lee and her researches into Awakening her children and has allowed her quite a bit of research leeway when it has involved resources she has access to. Mara is perhaps a little jealous that her own mother never seemed to take such an interest in her development, and is making a point to curry favor with the woman as proof of what might have been.

Justin Cheng has something Mara wants Specifically, she believes that as a Guardian, and the representative of a Guardian cabal, he must have access to a great deal of information about the magical landscape of Hong Kong. Mara wants to use his contacts to narrow down her search for the Free Council bombers, and wouldn’t mind having them as allies in actually delivering punishment.

[SiuiS]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

I really think that she has to be in some way subordinate or working for you rather than with you. I'm serious when I say if she's got unrestrained full party member rights then you'll be playing a Seer game.

You guys have to have something on her. I'm happy to adapt to whatever this is.



It can't be a mundane reason either. If Vulcan is left to her own devices she'll follow, essentially, a pro-Seer agenda. There has to be a mechanism in place to make her swallow her own priorities and do Pentacle stuff, otherwise there isn't a stable grouping.

Nihilism is a complicating factor because for anything I can think of you wouldn't care. Give me one of your soul stones, maybe?

But I'm not talkin about just mundane work. It was a seer's game, until ye shift, when it became about her soul. The Exarchs not only are predatory ***** for whom the only life is one of paranoia and always looking over your shoulder, but they actively are working to quash Vulcan's own dreams. It's a transaction of intangibles. All signs point to the possible shift being enough to break the seer stranglehold while still keeping her quality of life. No rebukes for creating art. No coming home to find a cryptic had been unleashed in the gallery she was exhibiting, devouring the works. No threats against the creation of thaumium because creation is for lesser creatures. In a zero sum game the minor inconveniences of Ultimate Temporal Power are negligible. This is no longer a zero-sum game (Flouresce says), and I am asking if the subtle pressures of Seer dickery to each other would still be worth the benefits if those same benefits can be acquired for much less.

How valuable is your freedom from oppression? Probably a lot higher now that the product has changed. Freedom from oppression no longer comes with nasty side effects. It has a new formula, one with less migraines and rectal bleeding, and the commercial doesn't have that tacky generic woman on a bike that cuts to old people swimming.

Otherwise, DD, I am all ears. Help?

[the_druid_droid]

As for Mara, the most direct thing to make Vulcan work with her would be some discovery or secret that she's found out. Of course, since Vulcan has Mind 3, it's not clear that she would have found this out via thought-examination in the street... Well, it's something to think on, anyway.

Also, my character sheet is finally up! Woo~

Actually, question Anarion: did I make this up, or is it true in the core that a dot in Order status automatically confers High Speech along with it. I would swear I read that, but now I'm doubting myself. I'll go have a look as well, actually...

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Nihilism is a complicating factor because for anything I can think of you wouldn't care. Give me one of your soul stones, maybe?

Something like that would work. She's a materialist. She cares about material things. She'd also care about the ramifications of breaking a magically sealed oath, etc. In theory, if it has a dollar value she cares about it.

But I'm not talkin about just mundane work. It was a seer's game, until ye shift, when it became about her soul. The Exarchs not only are predatory ***** for whom the only life is one of paranoia and always looking over your shoulder, but they actively are working to quash Vulcan's own dreams.

Not... not really. Vulcan and the Exarchs don't really talk to each other. She doesn't bother them and they don't bother her.

It's a transaction of intangibles. All signs point to the possible shift being enough to break the seer stranglehold while still keeping her quality of life. No rebukes for creating art. No coming home to find a cryptic had been unleashed in the gallery she was exhibiting, devouring the works. No threats against the creation of thaumium because creation is for lesser creatures. In a zero sum game the minor inconveniences of Ultimate Temporal Power are negligible. This is no longer a zero-sum game (Flouresce says), and I am asking if the subtle pressures of Seer dickery to each other would still be worth the benefits if those same benefits can be acquired for much less.

Uhhh, none of those things sound remotely like the Ministry of Mammon. The point of having a Ministry of Mammon is being able to do whatever you want so long as no one else can do what they want. Supremacy through scarcity.

How valuable is your freedom from oppression?

To Vulcan? Not very. Materialist. If people screw with her quality of life she'll get angry but not before.

She doesn't actually value vague intangibles like (fingerquotes) "freedom" at all.

As for Mara, the most direct thing to make Vulcan work with her would be some discovery or secret that she's found out. Of course, since Vulcan has Mind 3, it's not clear that she would have found this out via thought-examination in the street... Well, it's something to think on, anyway.

Would also work. "Random telepathic scanning" is a lame ass way to do it, though, because there's no guarantee the next random Mind mage couldn't do the same.

[SiuiS]

DD, errata changed Languages. You pay 1 dot, an fluency is based on expression.

And yes, it's like the free Mantle dot for having a court. If you're associated with an order, high speech is free.

Thanqol, I'm talking about a 'concrete intangible'. It's got as much value as a projection of profit if a business plan is followed. If this change happens, these benefits Will come by. It's subjective value, but it's not immaterial (pardon the pun).

You've already answered, just wanted to get on the same page. I suspect a spirit shaman is not the best for material goods at the matter level.

[the_druid_droid]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

DD, errata changed Languages. You pay 1 dot, an fluency is based on expression.

And yes, it's like the free Mantle dot for having a court. If you're associated with an order, high speech is free.

Oh, handy. Except now I gotta dot-shuffle. Hrm.