Choose your poison! [Interest Check]

[Skrakes]

Here's my concept, for the record.

Spoiler

Nail: however he got the name, it turned out fitting given his propensity as seeing every problem as a nail, which just happens to be precisely the right size for his Orichalcum sledgehammer. How he got the sledgehammer is a bit of a longer story. I'll sum it up for you.


Nail won the wrong round of dice against a guildsman asshole. Whatever he won, it was important enough for the Guild to frame him for some serious crime and get him locked up in a Realm workyard on some remote island. This would have been the end of it, if Nail hadn't had the luck to turn up an ancient orichalcum sledgehammer. Though he was mortal, he smashed his comrades' chains. Though he was mortal, he fought his gaolers with all the strength he had. But there was no hope of victory. 200 disorganized mortal rioters could never defeat the Dragon-Blooded. The only thing that might save them is Sol's intervention...


Nail Securing Divine Glory is a Dawn Caste. Most problems look like Nails to him. Taciturn and fairly withdrawn, he watches the world with the suspicious eyes of abject poverty. All he knows now? Time to collect some dues.

 

[Foxtailed_Teki]

Throwing a character in as well:

Spoiler

Born an urchin, she knew to be quick and loyalty was a fickle thing. Of course she also


Knew hunger that no one liked roving bands of pickpockets, and that salt water was not a tasty drink. When the local nobles burned the streets of the infestation of the homeless and thieves’ rings in preparation for a Peleps’ arrival, she learned the scent of burning bodies and you clean home before visitors arrive.


A god of secrets game to her in front of the burning pyres of all she’d cared to know and offered to support her existence if she agreed to work for him and let him see through her eyes. She agreed; to refuse was to starve or wander the island until found and killed. She trained and worked. She found hidden facts and silenced secret-breakers.


At the end, she was ordered to kill a small child of no discernable importance. In testament to her refusal, she carved out her own eyes and set upon her former fellows to protect the child’s life. As she struck the last one, she felt a wave of warmth though she could not see the golden light now pouring from her forehead. She did not immediately understand the significance, but was quick to flee at the noise of incoming men.


Her flight continued until she was off the island so that none would know where she went. In truth, she does not know where she goes now, only that she continues to support her existence until something greater catches her attention.


Edit: Erm, planning on a Night Caste.

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

Submitting a character concept and background, for an Eclipse caste Solar.


Kenji the Falcon of Unity


Appearance

Spoiler

Concept - Background

Spoiler

"When I want to feel free, I imagine myself at sea.


Swimming or sailing. Cutting ever so lightly the azure waves of my beloved Archipelago, flowing with them.


The smell of salt in my nostrils. The fluidity of water around me. The mesmerizing rise and fall of the tide.


My emotions calm and my soul is serene. The endless ocean flows around me". [/color]


First entry in Kenji's journal, aboard the Azure Mist.


Kenji, the one who would be later known as (Golden) Falcon of Unity, was born in the Wavecrest Archipelago to a family with long tradition at seafaring. The firstborn son of a trader captain, Kenji, learnt to swim before he could even walk properly and was taught early the fine art of sailing, becoming quite adept at it as he grew, a fit young man and a fine mariner. Things were going well and his family was discussing even for marriage arrangements, but those carefree times were not to last. His father tried to expand their business, to cover for the families extended needs and began, thus, to utilise trade routes that expanded into Realm controlled territory. This was frowned upon by those Dynasts with naval interests, particularly the members of House Peleps and they decided that his activity had to cease by any means necessary. As Kenji would later find out, there was a certain household inside the Great House of Peleps, that handled the so called, shady dealings considering sea activities. The aptly named Kaizoku, were notorious for being the closest things the Realm had to pirates and their ruthlessness was known and feared.


Fate would have it, that while returning from a profitable voyage to An-Teng, Kenji's father would fall prey to those metaphorical sharks of the Kaizoku household. Even more, Kenji himself was on board. The Realm's dogs came through the mist, from across a shore full of reefs and treacherous currents, closing in on the ship before Kenji's father had any chance for proper reaction. Besides his ship was outfitted for trade purposes, while the Kaizoku one was smaller, faster and armed for naval conflict. After the initial surprise assault, chaos ensued. Kenji - aware of pirates being one of the gravest dangers in a sailor's life, had devoted a considerable portion of his free time to sword training. Longer weapons were mostly useless and obsolete onboard naval vessels and especially in conflicts that took place below decks. The attacker's seemed to share the same preferences, and soon water was not the most common fluid onboard. Amidst the carnage, Kenji fought valiantly to protect his fellow sailors, his father and their ship, but they were outnumbered and outmatched.


When he saw a slender man, with hair coloured as the deep sea and the smell of the ocean about him, closing in on them with steady pace and a wickedly curved sword that emanated a bluish glow, Kenji instictively knew that their situation would be unsalvageable. They were no match for a Dragonblooded and this one seemed bent on tearing their ship apart and slaughtering them to the last man. Despite the voice of logic and self-preservation that almost tore his mind, screaming that he should run and attempt an escape, Kenji decided to make a stand. Boldly, he ran towards him, but the other pirates fell on him and slowed him down. He raged as the Dragonblooded proceeded to slaughter many of the crew and finally decapitate his father, with unnering precision and incalculable cruelty and malice in his face. That moment was the catalyst for Kenji's transcendece from a mortal to an exalted, a Lawgiver, one of the Chosen of Sol Invictus. A brilliant, almost blinding, gold-white light erupted from him, scattering the pirates and devastating the already damaged ship, while his mind and soul overflowed with images of a life unknown - yet so strangely familiar - to him. When he regained consciousness, he saw the Dragonblooded who had killed his father, being somewhat paler, and shouting orders frantically to his men, talking about an Anathema, about demons and other things that Kenji, especially in his dream-like haze could not exactly understand.


Kenji let out a deafening cry as he saw the severed head of his father lieing at the feet of the pirate captain and closing the distance between them in an instant delivered a devastating attack, that knocked the Dragonblooded off his feet and sent him overboard in the waters of the ocean. Then the instinct of self preservation took over him, and he realized that even with all the power he felt coursing through him, he'd be hard pressed to fight the remaining pirates, especially with the wounds he had already sustained. Already, another pirate ship could be seen at distance and Kenji wasn't keen on seeing what troops or weapons it could bring to bear against him. He vowed for revenge and then dived to the cold waters of Wavecrest, swimming at the best speed he could manage towards the point where he knew the shore was.


Time passed and Kenji kept swimming till he almost passed out. He fought with waves, evaded sea predators and lied on calm waters for days and nights, till one afternoon a merchant ship noticed and rescued him. To avoid further attention, and to lay low till he could discover what had happened to him, altering his nature in such an obvious way, Kenji - when he recovered - decided to stay and work on the ship that rescued him, petitioning the captain to allow him to do so, as an expression of his gratitude. The captain looked at him carefully and after consulting the first mate briefly, granted him the persmission to stay onboard and serve as one of the crew. Time passed, and gradually Kenji gained the trust of the captain, rising in status among the crew, using his newfound capabilities to assist both in steering the ship, with safety, through even the worst storms, and also in securing profitable bussines deals, whenever they reached a port. Well, and on a few unfortunate cases when pirates attempted to seize the vessel, he was there with his sword - a treasured artifact he recovered from a semi-sunken shipwreck they discovered - to show them the error in their ways and maintain the safety of both ship and crew.


A couple of years passed, the captain (who was already becoming old) retired and left the ship, after the unanimous decision of the crew, to young Kenji. Overwhelmed at first, but feeling confident for the fact that he had won the trust of the crew, who had seen him in action and knew, that, despite the immaculate philosophy branding their new captain-to-be as Anathema, he was still concerned for their safety and for the general welfare of Wavecrest Archipelago. Bearing a new flag, with the word "Unity" and a sun rising above the sea, their ship conducted trade among smaller islands, secured trade routes from the predations of Coral Archipelago pirates and arrived in port just in time for their captain to intervene and smooth out any differences and quell any animosities that threatened local stability. In the marketplace negotiating the latest price for silk, in the tavern hanging our for some rest and recreation with the crew, at the luxurious estates of powerful individuals, or at seas, navigating through storms and treacherous waters, captain Kenji seemed equally at home.


Unsurprisingly, certain incidents that involved unfortunate occurences for Realm sea vessels went without many suspecting (openly at least) his involvement. After all, if ships arrived at port bringing goods and routes were free of pirates, what did the Wavecrest natives need the Realm for? Weren't they better off on their own?


"Our walls are our ships" as one island governor was heard to state boldly after captain Kenji's departure from his island. And sure as sure, the Wavecrest people can take care of themselves much better than a jaded dynast ever could.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Decisions will come soon. I've been working twelve hour days lately.

 

[MrSerious]

ooo nice picture Ebon!


EDIT: I vote that all our characters be on the run from the Realm/Wyld Hunt

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

ooo nice picture Ebon!

Thank you.


I also found it on two different versions, one with caste mark visible and orichalcum sword and another with his anima in full manifestation.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

ooo nice picture Ebon!
EDIT: I vote that all our characters be on the run from the Realm/Wyld Hunt

I have far worse horrors in store!

 

[Tourmaline]

Exalted! And there's still a chance that I can get in! *weeps tears of joy*


Prepare for a long read. I, uh, got a bit enthusiastic.

Spoiler

Diamond Mind (Diantha), Twilight Caste Solar


Concept: Female Indiana Jones with a daiklave


Motivation: Uncover the lost secrets of the First Age and use them to create a safe, stable society


Appearance: Diamond Mind is an obvious Southerner, with short, pale blonde hair, deeply tanned skin, and vivid green eyes. She is short, about 5’5â€, with the kind of lean, wiry build that tends to be both agile and deceptively strong. While Diamond Mind isn’t what most people would call pretty, she is striking, especially when she smiles. She can pass for a man with enough bandaging on her chest and armor or loose clothing, especially since most Western women wear their hair long.


Background:


Once, there was a girl named Diantha who lived in Chiaroscuro, the daughter of a moderately prosperous blacksmith who hailed from Thorns. Diantha was an only child, so she learned the smith’s trade in spite of her gender. Chiaroscuro is a city of lost wonders, a place where one is surrounded by the presence of the First Age. Diantha was an incredibly intelligent and curious girl, and when she could get away from the forge, she sought out books and scholars who could tell her about ancient artifacts and arcane lore.


There was another factor in Diantha’s interest; her uncle Calum. He was a professional treasure hunter, plumbing the ruins of the South for artifacts and bits of history. Every so often he came to Chiaroscuro to sell his wares, and when he did he stayed with his brother and sister-in-law. Calum was a marvelous storyteller, regaling his wide-eyed niece with wild stories of his adventures.


Diantha thought that she would grow up to be a smith and inherit the family business. That was not what Fate had in store for her. When she was a mere sixteen years old, both of her parents died of fever. She tried to keep the smithy running by herself, but she just didn’t have her father’s experience or her mother’s business acumen. When Calum next came to town, he found his niece struggling to keep a roof over her head.


Calum convinced Diantha to sell the smithy and come treasure hunting with him. After all, he made a decent living, and he was more than willing to take on a smart, strong apprentice. She agreed. For the next five years the pair roamed the South. Diantha learned how to use the swords she once forged, how to spot traps and possible treasure, how to dodge falling stones and bandits’ arrows. Smithing had been well enough, but this was a much more exciting life!


Unfortunately, exciting is another word for dangerous. A streak of bad luck drove the two to attempt a site that was known to be hazardous, more so than they would normally take on. The treasure hunters ran into an enormous guardian construct. Calum fell and twisted his ankle during their flight; before he could get back up, the construct was on him. He yelled for Diantha to run.


She couldn’t leave him behind. The construct was huge, obviously powerful, and plated with strange armor, but Diantha drew her sword anyway and charged. The ruined courtyard lit up with brilliant golden light as she leapt onto the golem’s shoulders. Her blade drove into a gap between its armor plates, severing the control cables that drove the arm holding her uncle. Again and again she stabbed through the thin gaps in its armor, instinctively recognizing the construct’s weak points as it tried to throw her off.


Finally the guardian fell to the ground. Diantha jumped off just in time, landing as lightly as a cat. It was only then that she noticed her uncle staring at her- and the light emanating from her body.


Both of them knew what had happened. The question was whether Diantha had become Anathema, as the Immaculates preached, or whether she had become one of the benevolent god-kings that they saw and read about in ruin after ruin. Diantha certainly didn’t feel like a demon. Considering that she had just saved his life, Calum decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Neither of them was particularly pious in any case; they had seen too many debauched Dynasts in Chiaroscuro to believe that the Dragon-Blooded were all spiritually enlightened beings.


Diantha did not want to keep traveling with her uncle, though. If her nature was discovered, the Wyld Hunt would hurt him, kill him, use him as a hostage, or some combination of the three. Calum agreed. When they got back to Chiaroscuro, the two staged a very loud and very public fight in one of the more popular taverns, each accusing the other of holding back loot. Diantha ‘stormed off’ and booked passage to An-Teng under the name Diamond Mind. She was determined to keep Calum safe, and taking a new name was another layer of protection.


In An-Teng the young Twilight resumed her previous trade, this time in the jungle. It was an alien environment, but she adapted quickly with the aid of her new powers. Diamond Mind made a good living for the first year, saving up money and the best of the artifacts she found for her new ambition; learning to use the lost secrets of the First Age so that she could recreate the safe, peaceful society that she saw in her dreams.


Her luck ran out when she encountered a group of Immaculates with her anima showing, though. Fortunately most of them were mortal and easily defeated, but the lone Dragon-Blooded- a Wood Aspect- wisely fled. Diamond Mind made for the rough port of Dragon’s Jaw, rather than the closer City of the Steel Lotus. She booked passage on the next non-Realm ship to leave harbor, not caring where it went.


She should have cared. It was going to the Blessed Isle.


The ship docked in the city of Arjuf. Diamond Mind had gone from the frying pan to the proverbial fire. The young Solar laid low in the dockfront slums while she tried to find a ship without a Dragon-Blooded on board that wasn’t going anywhere in the South; that was probably where the Wyld Hunt would look for her. Finally she managed to find a ship that fit the bill… and it was going to the Wavecrest Archipelago.


Beggars can’t be choosers. Diamond Mind had just enough money left to book passage after a good bit of haggling. On the long voyage, she learned Seatongue from the sailors, and enough of the sailor’s trade to help with the rigging. If the sailors were suspicious of her incredible balance and dexterity, they didn’t say anything. After an uneventful trip, they docked in the trade city of Gateway on the island of Abalone.


Ebon_Arbiter: Good to see you again! Diamond Mind would be looking for work when she got to Abalone. Would Kenji's ship be looking for another hand, perchance? One who knows how to fight? Since this is the West, she would be dressed as a man when looking for a berth on a ship.


EDIT: Since we've got two Twilight candidates already, Diamond Mind would also work as a Night Caste.

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

I suppose I need a picture too...

Spoiler

 

[Persell]

ooo nice picture Ebon!
EDIT: I vote that all our characters be on the run from the Realm/Wyld Hunt

I have far worse horrors in store!

But what if we want those horrors?

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

Ebon_Arbiter: Good to see you again! Diamond Mind would be looking for work when she got to Abalone. Would Kenji's ship be looking for another hand, perchance? One who knows how to fight? Since this is the West, she would be dressed as a man when looking for a berth on a ship.

Tourmaline: It's great to see you again as well.


I'm sure Kenji would be more than willing to offer you a place in his ship, and he wouldn't matter too much with appearances, while on board. While the natives of the West have a certain strict disposition on such matters (men at sea, women at land), his exaltation has shifted his opinion somewhat and he is learning to value people for what they really are and what they do, rather for what they look like, or what social prejudice would dictate.

 

[MrSerious]

I has a better ship

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

I has a better ship

True.


Artifact sea vessels are wonders of sailing on their own right and amazing to behold while travelling effortlessly and gracefully the great seas of Creation.

 

[MrSerious]

We could always pool resource dots to have a better crew and ship? (Depending on the GM of course)

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

I'd be entirely agreeable to such a possibility ( provided of course that our ST agrees as well).

 

[MrSerious]

The problem - who gets to be Captain? the way my backhistoy has been written - its' me! but I'm amenable to change or negotiation.


Edit: An Eclipse and a Moonshadow working together? How interesting. The possibilities for mischief are endless!

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

The problem - who gets to be Captain? the way my backhistoy has been written - its' me! but I'm amenable to change or negotiation.
Edit: An Eclipse and a Moonshadow working together? How interesting. The possibilities for mischief are endless!

Kenji (my character) was accustomed on being second in command aboard the ships he worked (first with his father, then with the captain who rescued him), before assuming the role of captain himself, due to circumstances. Therefore he wouldn't have a problem with that. And being quite new in this whole "Exalted" and "Anathema" viewpoint, he won't judge by title, but rather by personality and deeds.

 

[MrSerious]

Hmm... I really wish at this point my character turned out a Solar, but the backstory practically wrote itself. I forsee major problems with his Abyssal nature and even his anti-heroic personality compared to someone like Kenji.

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

By the way, unless I decide to go with Silver Voiced Nightingale Style, Ghost will have pretty much NO combat charms.

 

[Arynne]

Join the club...although, when you can turn into a great blue whale, do you need more than Ox-Body Technique? :wink:

 

[Ebon_Arbiter]

Join the club...although, when you can turn into a great blue whale, do you need more than Ox-Body Technique? :wink:

Maybe not even that Arynne. You just win by virtue of pure awesomeness. I still remember fondly when I was a small child and was learning about aquatic life, especially from Jaq-Yves Cousteau's books and documentaries. The impression that whales made on me back then was quite a lasting one. Their size, the fact that despite it, they moved with such grace, hearing them communicate with each other etc, was truly captivating.

 

[Persell]

Oooh, I'll be the ship's magician. We'll always have a following wind, calm seas, etc. Andronicus would have little or no interest in command, so sitting on the aft, controlling the winds and so forth, would be up his alley.

 

[MrSerious]

The great thing about artifact ships - the paddle drive system - Wind? we dont need no stinking wind! Though someone who can repair the first age vessel would be great!

 

[Persell]

That works too. The crafting suite for a FA ship isn't hard to pick up ability-wise, but the bloody things are expensive as murder. (I've owned vehicles like that in real life.)


You were considering the Brilliance-Class of ships?

 

[MrSerious]

Yes, since they're the only artifact 5 warship listed but they have a bloody small cargo capacity.