Go West (recruitment drive)

sssssz said:
EDIT: SHERWOOD. I MADE YOUR AVATAR. I DEMAND CREDIT AS IT IS A COMPLETELY ORIGINAL ARTWORK THAT SHOULD BE CREDITED TO ME. I am angry like argh
Click to expand...
Fixed! :lol:
 
I'm a bit short on time, but I have fortunately been blessed with some inspiration. Actual chargen will have to wait till next week, but I have relieved some stress with a bit of background writing. It's not the first Exalted character who's inspired from Sun Wukong, but it's my first.


Aenon Imbral, the Azure Sage


Caste: Twilight.


Concept: (Mostly) Wise Wizard.


Motivation: Attain a true understanding of Creation by living an interesting life.


Quote: “Understanding is a single-edged blade, but whether you wield it as a surgeon’s scalpel or a meat-rending daiklave is determined not by understanding itself, but by the sieve of one’s perceptions and reactions. Therein comes the true test of wisdom. Would you like more tea? No? Me neither.â€


Virtue Flaw: Overindulgence (Temperance)


Life before Exaltation


Aenon Imbral was born in the city of Kajeth, a major Haltan trade hub with the Scavenger lands, to a human father and a simian beastwoman mother. Despite the forest nation’s legendary acceptation of beastmen, such unions were largely frowned upon, being seen as a lack of respect for the enlightened animal-touched. Nonetheless, Kajeth proved to be one of the places where such a life was possible. Koral Imbral was a Terrestrial martial artist of the Terrible Ascent-Driven Beast Style serving as an officier in the Haltan guard, and Velevas, his wife, had started her carrier in the shamanic priesthood of Halta, before eloping with her ‘favourite hairless baboon’.


Not fully beastman or human (if such distinctions were ever rigorously established), Aenon was born with a prominent monkey tail, among other things. His animal features did not earn him any particular animosity from Kajeth’s inhabitants (hey, it is Halta we are talking about!), but he knew that it would be stretching tolerance to bring attention to his family’s unusual makeup – especially when he was visiting other Haltan cities.


A free spirit with a mischievous streak, Aenon did not take well to any discipline that he had not decided to impose himself first – which clashed with his father’s martial inclinations. While his fighting style emulated a savage beast, Koral remained a soldier in an ancestral war of extermination against the neighbouring Linowan. His son’s reluctance to embrace his proud military heritage strained their relationship, though never to the point of causing Aenon to leave their home.


Aenon was however fascinated by his mother’s tales – Haltan legends, as well as the occult lore and thaumaturgy she had gained during her studies – and decided that he would explore the entirety of the East to see those legends by himself. His infantile enthusiasm did not cause Velevas concern. He would mature in time.


If only…


His Test of Survival went on smoothly – he even gave in to the temptation of playing a trick on one of the Fair Folk, luring her into thinking she could catch his tail just below the treatise’s two yards limit above the ground, and therefore legitimately feed on him, only to end up hanging upside-down in a trap. Aenon took one of her gossamer trinkets as trophy, though he never openly advertised this exploit to anyone – risking a treaty breach would have been ground for exile. Come to think of it, the tricked raksha never made her plight known to Haltan – or even her fellow Fair Folk, for that matter. She never got the chance to repay him in kind either.


His first real taste of torment went during his four years of mandatory service in the Haltan Guard, after his eighteenth birthday. While he did not mind the training itself – even relishing the opportunity to travel in Halta – it was his unit’s trainer who bothered him: none other than Hukan, one of his father’s martial disciples. The young monkey beastman made a point to remind Aenon of his father’s expectations, though he was never notably harsher on him. Aenon nonetheless disliked the psychological pressure; never mind the usual constraints of military life.


After his service was over, he packed his things and went on to travel throughout the East, discovering the wonders of his country, marvelling at the First Age city of Sal-Maneth, grinding his teeth in frustration when the Fair Folk simply refused to allow him to visit mysterious Yagan… At least, he attempted to explore the Goldwood ruins, but was thwarted by the ‘damned pansy-balled treatise’ which forbade him to tread the forest’s ground on pain of becoming raksha food. He nonetheless sated his curiosity by studying the strange fungi that were such valuable ingredients for Haltan alchemy – mostly self-taught, he impressed an alchemist enough that he took him under his wing as an apprentice. He knew he would not follow through his apprenticeship to the end, but he relished the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.


That’s when dire news reached him: his father had been killed in the war alongside the Bull of the North’s forces. Devastated, he returned to Kajeth as fast as possible but arrived too late for the funeral ceremony. After a poignant conversation with his mother on their future, he returned to Goldwood, intent on becoming a foremost alchemist – and sate his hatred by brewing the most virulent poisons he could design for use against the Linowan.


Exaltation


Aenon returned changed, a brooding, sulky but determined and hard-working youth. He wanted to burn through several stages of apprenticeship by creating a major recipe, thereby proving his peerless skill.


Unfortunately, his first attempts proved fruitless. A strange intuition occurred to him: perhaps an unknown component of the fungi was interfering with the process, which would require an additional refining stage? Filtering the residues of his failed experiments, he was astonished to discover that the fungi contained orichalcum, the Unconquered Sun’s very metal! That is when he realized that the workroom was no longer dimly lit by a few candles, but by his own divine radiance: Ignis Divine had Chosen him.


And why had He done so, if not in tacit approval of his objectives? Vengeance and divine justice.


At first, Aenon all but abandoned the study of alchemy, or even the idea of using his newfound abilities to exploit this unexpected and unique source of magical material. He required a faster tool, and so initiated into sorcery through the Salinan Working. Learning sorcerous demonology, he started his own personal crusade against the Linowan, assisted by a cadre of warrior demons – baidaks, erymanthoi, tomescus…


During a raid against a Linowan outpost, Aenon was however shaken out of his murderous fervour by the sight of a young girl crying over the body of her father, with a blood-ape on the verge of rending her with a swipe of his paw. Feeling deeply ashamed of his own folly, Aenon interposed himself between the child and his own demon, almost subconsciously reaching a state of serenity knowing he did the right thing. Incapacitating the confused minion with the strange, unpredictable moves of the blissful sage, he then dispersed his own troops, consigning them to guard a remote place until the end of their servitude. Taking the young girl under his protection, he returned her to her family. To this day, he still regularly checks on her – either in person when possible or via summoning proxy.


Life since Exaltation


Aenon has been moving around a lot since then. After he reconsidered his priorities and the squandering of the Unconquered Sun’s gift he had been partaking in, he chose to focus his attention on watching over Halta. Tales of the monkey-tailed Exalt who fought off and scared Linowan raiding parties with clever pranks started to appear in the Republic. Though he campaigned whimsically and with no long-term plan – certainly not the genocidal fury he had felt mere months ago – he felt happy and at his place. What is more, during one of his expeditions he freed Hukan and his twin brother Hukar, taken captive by the Linowan and on the verge of being tortured and executed. Both martial artist beastmen pledged their loyalty to the Solar.


But his curiosity for the wonders of Creation had not dimmed – and soon he was bored with mere frontier guarding.


So after a while, he returned to Goldwood, intent on studying that cornucopia of orichalcum. Were the trees and fungi feeding on subterranean deposits, was there a Solar Demesne in the centre of the ruins which was bathing the trees’ roots in aspected Essence, or were they the remains of a First Age experiment? He couldn’t wait to discover it.


In the middle of his journey, however, his newly expanded senses reacted to a small oddity in the local dragon lines. He did not knew why, but the strange configuration and Essence – though twisted since the Usurpation and the Balorian Crusade – reminded him of… something he had built in the First Age.


He therefore changed his course, tailing the dragon line to the South, following it through every Demesne and Manse, every nook and cranny, until finally he found what he was looking for hundreds of miles south of Great Forks. There, in a mist-covered caldera, he found the Manse of his former incarnation. The guardian spirit, after attempting to crush him and his two companions, recognized Aenon’s caste mark. Acknowledging his former master, he told him of the last stand of his previous incarnation: after being intercepted by Dragon-Blooded assassin squads while on her way to the Blessed Isle and the Calibration Festival, she hid her slow vessel, a mobile pagoda, travelling on the back of her Lunar mate to entrench herself in her Manse-fortress. Sadly, they were ambushed by a Sidereal almost at the Manse’s doors – the Twilight was killed before the Lunar, mad with fury, drove off the traitor, pursuing him with murderous intent.


The spirit did not know who the victor was, for the Lunar never found his way back to the Manse. The spirit merely entombed his master’s body and secured her artefacts, safekeeping them for her next incarnation, who would be drawn there by the invisible strands of Creation’s geomancy. He had not expected the fifteen-centuries-long wait, however.


Accepting that Aenon had no answer to give him for the delay, he bestowed the Twilight the Manse’s hearthstone, and a few items of his legacy – most notably, the Ideal Golden Rod, an orichalcum wrackstaff with the ability to expand or shrink its length, or even fight on its own.


Intrigued by the part of the tale where his former incarnation hid a travelling pagoda, Aenon decided that he would test his wits by uncovering this wonder of the lost age. Finding a needle in a haystack would have been child’s play compared to the magnitude of the task – the area to be searched, the possibly magical concealments to overcome, the scarcity of clues… He took him the better part of two years – though he had numerous adventures in the meantime, harassing the Mask of Winters’ servants – come now, those guys are far too serious for their own good, never mind the black eyeliner! – and increasing his fame among the Marukani for the help he brought them. He came to the attention of the Wyld Hunt once or twice, but he always managed to elude them, or divert their attention by making one of his beastmen companions pass off as him – yeah, that’s right, he’s only a monkey-face with some funky martial arts, not a demon possessing Venus’ shiny gift to womankind! – and since the Scavenger lands were mostly off-limits to the Scarlet Empire – never mind the race for the throne going on and pumping soldiers from the Threshold – he even got away with it all on his own (…)!


Finally, aided in no small parts by his former incarnation’s memories, he found the pagoda, lying there waiting for him, undisturbed for fifteen centuries. Of course, the loyal crew’s ghosts – including a high-Essence Dragon-Blooded – had probably a hand in dissuading looters or Scavenger lords from ransacking the place. It took a bit of convincing and dodging, but the ghosts finally acknowledged Aenon’s explanation and identity, allowing him to take possession of a battle-damaged pagoda filled with rotting furniture…


It took a while before Aenon had learned enough of the pagoda’s workings to be confident that he could repair it, aided by his Charms. A few months later, the pagoda swiftly rose from the ground, carried on a small cloud. Elated, Aenon decided to circle Creation before coming back to Halta. He had so much to discover! And he was travelling in style, to boot. (He purposefully ignores the fact that the pagoda would be hard-pressed to navigate the Haltan forest. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to itâ€).


Notes and questions:


* Hukar and Hakan are both enligthened martial artist simian beastmen, each mastering a different pinnacle of the Terrible Ascent-Driven Beast Style. At how much would they rate for allies?


* Would you accept, for the Ideal Golden Rod, the statistics of an orichalcum wrackstaff, Flying Silver Dream's ability to fight on its own, the ability to come to its master hands (as per the Charm 'Call the Blade'), plus the ability to shrink down its size to that of a hairpin for one mote, and the ability to add another two yards to its length per mote spent (max. User's Essence), for a rating of 5 dots? (and if so, would you accept him surfing on his flying staff as a stunt during fights? (I'm not asking for a traveling method a la Tao Pai Pai 8) )


*Would a travelling pagoda be ok?


*What about Solar Circle or Celestial sorcery?


*is a 5 dot Solar Manse with a Gem of Perfected Mobility ok?


*suggested mutations/merits: Omnidextry, Brachiation (pox), Fur (pox), Tail, Secret Manse. Well, Tail is somewhat mandatory, but I'd fancy taking the others with additional reward BPs if possible. Depending on the mutations, he'd look like one of those two:


sun-wukong.jpg



400px-Sun_Wukong_wo2.jpg
 
Well, I got this all together and thought it couldn't hurt to post it. As usual it didn't come out like I'd planned when I'd started (so much for Sorcery and Unity of the Closed Fist, or some knowledge of the Path of the Arbiter Style, or Unblinking Sentinel Gaze), but it does the essentials of what I wanted it to do. I'm open to (i.e., would like) advice on improving it, though. And of course backgrounds are malleable for the sake of group cohesion, in the event Bago is chosen.


I have the list of BP and XP spent, and if what I've calculated is right it comes exactly up to 447 exp and 15 BP (not by intent, either). I'll put that up later when I'm not busy.


Name: Ferem Bago


Caste: Eclipse


Concept: Selfless Sentinel of the Skies and Seas


Motivation: Spread Prosperity Through the West


Intimacies: His Circle (Loyalty), Second Chances (Hope), Personal Betterment (Dedication), the Crown of Thunders (Apprehension), the Fish (Pride)


Anima: A flying fish, leaping through nimbus-like hazes of gold and seas of silver


Attributes


Strength â—â—


Dexterity â—â—â—â—â—


Stamina â—â—


Charisma â—â—â—â—â—


Manipulation â—â—


Appearance â—â—â—â—â—


Perception â—â—â—


Intelligence â—â—â—â—â—


Wits â—â—â—


Abilities


Melee â—â—â—â—â— (Finesse Weapons â—)


War â—â— (From the Air â—)


Integrity â—â—â—


Performance â—â—


Presence â—â—â—â—


Craft â—â—â—â— (Air, Earth, Fire, Magitech; Innovating â—)


Investigation â—â—â—


Lore â—â—â—â—


Occult â—â—â—


Athletics â—â—â—


Awareness â—


Bureaucracy â—â—â—â—â—


Linguistics â—â—â—â—â— (Native: Skytongue, Seatongue, Rivertongue, High Realm, Old Realm, Pelagial; Dynastic Dialect)


Ride


Sail â—â—â—â—â— (Airships +1)


Socialize â—â—â—


Backgrounds


Artifact â—â—â— - The Fish, large Air Boat


Originally a First Age derelict hauled from the ocean floor near Seahome, Bago has repurposed it, despite the full extent of the damage being beyond his ability to repair. Instead of futilely trying to rebuild a First Age sea vessel, he has instead turned it into one of the sky. Sails shaped like fins adorn its sides, and its hull and the gas bags have been painted in the style of a giant flying fish. If one looks close, they'd see what looks like speckling is in fact characters in Old Realm, Skytongue, and Seatongue decorated throughout, consisting of prayers to various gods and affirmations of mortal worth.


Artifact â—â— - Light At the World's End, Reaper Daiklave


There were many treasures aboard the wreck that would become the Fish, likely the valuables of an Exalt attempting to escape Creation millenia ago. Most went to the Emissaries of Perfect Water, but Bago claimed this for himself. It resembles a cutlass of pocked crystal, with a core and handle of orichalcum


Backing â—â—â— - Emissaries of Perfect Water


It was only natural for Bago to align himself with the Emissaries, sharing the same goals and desires as them as well as harboring a soft spot for the plights of the Sea People. Likewise, it was only sane for them to align themselves with him, as he possesses more the means to achieve their goals than any one of them. Out of deliberate choice Bago has not attempted to rise to the top of the alliance, hoping that the presence of superiors will help him keep perspective and stay grounded.


Followers â—â—â— - Crew and Technicians


Constructing and maintaining the Fish was and is a large project, and a substantial crew is required to keep it running efficiently. Ironically, most volunteers and contributors were People of the Sea, and the majority of the immediate crew consists of them as well. Totaling about 70 workers, soldiers, and technicians, only about 40 serve on the Fish (hardly any in a military capacity) while the rest wait to help service the airship at Seahome.


Resources â—â—â— - Salvage and Emissary Contributions


When you have a number of people capable of breathing water working for you, retrieving things from the ocean floor is less difficult. These salvaged treasures are supplemented by contributions from the Emissaries, most of which goes to keeping the Fish in top shape.


Artifact â—â—â—â—â— - The Crown of Thunders


Bago will not claim it, he will not use it, and he will not throw it away. He will not wear it, for the one time he briefly considered it he was reminded of just what an unworthy ruler can do with it--and how unworthy he could possibly be. Instead he safeguards and stewards it, looking for the head it truly belongs on, whether it is Celestial, Terrestrial, or even mortal. The tale of how he obtained the Crown is lengthy, consisting of soul-scarring bargains with the Courts of the Fair Folk, the deciphering of lost tablets, and the sacrifice of an eye--a decision that may one day haunt him, if it is true what they say can be done with someone's remains.


Virtues


Compassion â—â—â—â—â—


Conviction â—â—â—â—â—


Temperance â—â—â—


Valor â—â—â—


Virtue Flaw: Unshakable Crusade


Essence and Willpower


Essence â—â—â—â—â—


Willpower â—â—â—â—â— â—â—â—â—â—


Personal: 25/25


Peripheral: 47/61


Committed: 14 (4 to air boat, 5 to Chaos-Resistance Preparation, 5 to Reaper Daiklave)


Charms


Melee


1st Melee Excellency


Dipping Swallow Defense


Bulwark Stance


Heavenly Guardian Defense


One Weapon, Two Blows


Peony Blossom Attack


Integrity


Integrity-Protecting Prana


Destiny-Manifesting Method


Truth Shines Through


Righteous Lion Defense (A Worthy Primus Inter Pares)


Shedding Infinite Radiance


Presence


2nd Presence Excellency


Hypnotic Tongue Technique


You Can Be More


Craft


2nd Craft Excellency


Object-Strengthening Touch


Chaos-Resistance Preparation


Investigation


2nd Investigation Excellency


Judge's Ear Technique


Courtier's Eye Technique


Occult


Spirit-Detecting Glance


Spirit-Cutting Attack


Athletics


Graceful Crane Stance


Strength-Increasing Exercise


Bureaucracy


2nd Bureaucracy Excellency


Speed the Wheels


Bureau-Rectifying Method


Heavenly Mandate Marking


Linguistics


2nd Linguistics Excellency


Whirling Brush Method


Letter-Within-a-Letter Technique


Flawless Brush Discipline


Discerning Savant's Eye


Sail


2nd Sail Excellency


Sky Ambush Technique (Custom)


Ship-Claiming Stance


Hull-Preserving Technique


Socialize


Gathering the Congregation


Mastery of Small Manners


Combos


Life-Changing Letter: Whirling Brush Method + Letter-Within-a-Letter Technique + You Can Be More


Earth Rebukes Heaven: Peony Blossom Attack + Spirit Cutting Attack


Artifacts and Equipment


Light At the World's End


Reaper Daiklave


Speed 4, Accuracy 16, Damage 6L, Defense 13, Rate 4


Chain Shirt


3A/4L/3B (Stamina 1L/2B)


Health Levels and DVs


Health Boxes


0: O


-1: OO


-2: OO


-4: O


Incapacitated: O


Join Battle/Debate/War: 4


Dodge DV: 5


Parry DV: 7


Dodge MDV: 9


Parry MDV: 5


Notes:The Fish has been decorated with prayers and inspirational commentary treated with Flawless Brush Discipline, and always has Chaos-Resistance Preparation committed to it. While not against arming it, to date Bago has preferred it remain a vessel of peace, hiding in midair through use of the custom charm Sky Ambush Technique, a variant of Sea Ambush Technique that instead applies to aerial vehicles. The Fish is capable of water landings, and with proper help from the crew to operate its "fins" and the raising of several masts it can move just about as fast as it can in air.


Bago's Righteous Lion Defense is keyed to finding and being loyal to whoever is worthy of wearing the Crown of Thunders.


SOURCES USED


Unshakable Crusade Virtue Flaw: Dreams of the First Age, Salina's character sheet; Compassion-based, sends user on crusade to stop injustice through whatever means


You Can Be More Charm: Mirror of Abyssal Charm Broken Heart Triumph; imbues mortals with more heroic Intimacies and Motivations


Truth Shines Through, Shedding Infinite Radiance, Heavenly Mandate Marking Charms: Glories of the Most High, Unconquered Sun


Large Air Boat Artifact: Wonders of the Lost Age


Crown of Thunders Artifact: Oadenol's Codex


edit: corrected soak value
 
Hehe, my first impulse had been to also make an Emissary of Perfect Waters. It would have been a nice way to bring our characters together, though I have since changed my mind :!:
 
I wasn't being demanding. :P I'm just impatient.


And with my luck, Haku will tell us exactly one week from the posting time, so like at 11pm tonight. :P
 
So, do we actually need to post the character sheets beforehand, or can that wait to find out whether we are chosen? It would be nice to know, so I can throw it together real fast.


EDIT: Ah, nevermind. Found the first post again. It does request a rough sheet, so I guess that will suddenly appear here in about an hour. Off I go!
 
I will note that as of now the submissions are closed while I go over the character sheets/concepts.
 
Ack, curse my luck...


Not only did I choose poorly in my timing of taking a short breather from exalted...But I return in time to still see the advertisement for this game.....Drat...
 
I have chosen...


Chaka - Manosque Preska


Tableface - Ferem Bago


You'll be getting access to the forum, shortly after this post.


I do apologize to everyone else who applied, but limited slots and such as I want only 5-ish players. :(


The forum for the game can be accessed here - viewforum.php?f=16


If anyone else wants to take a looksee at the forum, you could ask here.
 
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