[Blasphemy Imagined Anew] The Song that Sings Herself

[Raparth]

• General
• Caste
• Urge and Torment
• Excellency
• Backstory

• 
  
  
  Original Devil Tiger Incarnation: Jester Viridian With Sanguine Smile
  
  
  Devil Tiger Sobriquet: The Song that Sings Herself
  
  
  Possible titles: The Tone of Crimson, The Resonant Liberation,
  
  
  Themes: joy, freedom, passion, movement, liberation, independence, interaction, Performance,
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Caste: Mellisonant
  
  
  Caste Mark: A five-armed spiral
  
  
  Caste Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Integrity, Martial Arts, Performance
  
  
  Anima Power:
  
  
  Associations: Crimson, Music, Air, Blood, the Outward "Direction", Quartz
  
  
  Sobriquets: Songbearers, Instruments of ,
  
  
  During the early days of the Reclamation, the Slayer Caste was molded by the hands of the Demon City himself, forged into weapons against the oaths that bound him and as punishment for the failures of the other Yozis... and himself. His hatred is a burning acid that runs through his world-body and seeks to unmake all it touches. The Slayers were to cut down their Solar brothers and all those who had deigned to obstruct the righteous rule of the King of the Primordials.
  
  
  When the Jester Viridian With Sanguine Smile grew in martial power, she learned to hate the bounds that held her back, no matter their source. When she grew in cunning, she learned the joy of the hunt, the passion of the struggle. When her Essence swelled, she knew that the hatred of Malfeas was just a trap of its own, and cast off all the attachment to the Demon City.
  
  
  Those of the Mellisonant Caste revel in freedom and all that it offers, to travel and dance, to clash and sing. They venture throughout Creation and beyond to see what they may, and thereby expanding themselves past previous limitations. When they find others, hobbled by circumstance and denied their true potential, the Songbearers turn their powers towards emancipation, often whether those "rescued" wish it or not.
  
  
  Anima Banner: The banner of the Mellisonant flares
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  The Songuine Urge (The Urge to Emancipate)
  
  
  The drive to break free, break open, rending all that constrains oneself or others.
  
  
  The Shattering Song
  
  
  The Resonant Liberation does not abide by the restrictions of others, even those they impose upon themselves. When her ire is raised, the very fabric of Creation trembles as the Song that Sings Herself sunders the tethers that bind her Chosen. Any connections that held the Infernal back from the proper path, whether taking the form of Intimacies or Backgrounds, are removed as the strands of fate vibrate loose from one another.
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  First Songuine Excellency
  
  
  The Song that Sings Herself is jubilant and unrestrained. She dances through the cosmos, inspiring those who yearn for independence and shattering the bonds that chain one thing to the next. The Resonant Liberation is less intellectual than emotional, lurking beneath the boundaries of conscious thought, resounding throughout all of Creation in her open need to experience. Her essence is infectious, infiltrating the mind and spirits of all she touches, changing them before radiating outward to the next being in need of liberation. The Tone of Crimson fills the hearts of all who hear her, but there is always room for more. She is ecstatic yet never sated; her pauses are but moments of greater yearning. When confronting obstacles, she rises and recedes, flowing into and out from her target's surroundings, assaulting it from every direction. She moves throughout the worlds, taking joy in her encounters with others, no matter their natures or relationships, pausing only according to her whims.
  
  
  The First Excellency of the Song That Sings Herself assists in any attempt to open or liberate. It aids the Infernal in overcoming the restrictions placed by others or by themselves, pushing them towards greater and newer experiences. Resisting any attempt to inhibit or deny her movements or interactions also falls within the Excellency (this does not mean she cannot fail in interactions, but rather it is exceeding difficult to obstruct her). Since the intellectual mind and the experiences it projects from are just restrictions of their own, the Resonant Liberation enhances the unexpected and novel undertakings of her Chosen.
  
  
  Her Excellency may never be used to obstruct, bind, or enslave. It may create positive intimacies so long as they are not based on dependence, and while it may aid directly in the overcoming of Unnatural Mental Influences, it may never implant them itself. While she may with her presence enrich and empower others, her Excellency does not lend itself towards lengthy construction or organization.
• Coming Soon to a Broken-Winged Crane near you!

 

[Seeker of the End]

So basically a good version of Adorjan? Me likey. She's going to get along perfectly with Xentair.

 

[Raparth]

She's definitely strongly associated, as Adorjan was her patron. That said, I'm trying to go more with a sound and interaction rather than just the wind/silence/isolation of Adorjan.

 

[Seeker of the End]

You might want a better title though. The Endless Sonata maybe?

 

[Misanthrope]

I like the first Excellency - What did you have in mind for the caste?

 

[Raparth]

I wasn't quite sure what to do with the 5th Caste Ability. Martial Arts isn't something the Jester Viridian specialized in, but the lack of reliance on an outside force (i.e. weapon) has been pulling at me. Plus, a sort of crazed-laughter flavored version of Infernal Monster Style does stick in the brain... That and we already seem to have quite a lot of Melee-focused DTs. I'd considered Linguistics (language barriers being unconscionable), but felt like I should grab a skill from Jester's Caste (Slayer).


I'm not quite sure on the Anima Power yet. I'm playing around with two main possibilities at the moment:


1. The anima reduces penalties (Internal or External) on rolls for the scene up to ... maybe Essence/2? I'm worried that just flat Essence might be a bit overpowered. This goes with the theme of "You can't stop me from doing X."


2. Some sort of stripped down version of the Eclipse power... Maybe just the cross-splat learning all by itself? Maybe making it more expensive. The impulse here is her thinking "I learn whatever sorts of Charms I want."


The Messenger/Unwoven Coadjutor will probably be a Neomah, unless I stumble across a more interesting idea.

 

[Shining Lotus Sage]

Perhaps trade Integrity for Linguistics, as attachment to a consistent idea of Self is a trap, as well.

 

[Raparth]

But, the question is, is it really a bigger trap than all the mental and social attacks that Integrity protects against? Chains on the mind are still chains.


She might always be moving, but she doesn't feel like... an eternally evolving sort of being, nor one that continually transforms to try out different skins. The Song is always the Song.

 

[Shining Lotus Sage]

That makes sense. She's not the Song that Writes Itself. If you wanted to fit Linguistics in, then, I'd look at shuffling out one of the three physical skills. But it's hard to make an argument for dropping any of them.

 

[Raparth]

Hm. A thought occurred to me, when thinking about how music has counterpoints... I would greatly appreciate any opinions as to the under- or (I worry) over-powered nature of this anima power. Honestly, I have no non-Infernal Charms in mind for this character at the moment, but the concept fits so well I thought I should try it out and see how it fairs.


Anima power part 1 (stripped down Eclipse) : Provided the Mellisonant has a tutor, they may learn the Charms of other types of Exalts, spirits, or the Fair Folk. These Charms cost double the normal experience to learn. In addition, these Charms costs an additional 2 motes to use. Mellisonant Caste characters may not start the game knowing non-Infernal Charms without ST permission.


Anima power part 2 (the counterpoint) : For the Song to be heard, something other must resonate with Her. When the Chosen is learning a non-native Charm, a Mellisonant's tutor has the opportunity to learn a Charm in return. The Infernal chooses which Charm is offered, which can be accepted or denied by the tutor. The tutor must pay the same increased XP cost to learn and to utilize any Charms he would not normally be eligible for.

 

[Shining Lotus Sage]

StrtsayStrtsakic


Wow. That's what happens when I try to type fast on my phone, on this site. Absolutely too much scripting for anything smaller than a tablet.


Anya.


Strictly speaking, Eclipses and their cousins have the strongest, cheapest charms already, so versatility is a trade-off with power. Giving Solar-tier charms to a lesser being is inherently counter to the expectations of the system.


In practice, that artificial handicap is the worst part of a multi-splat game and should have died in Errata. And the doubled xp cost (from an already elevated starting point) should easily balance this.