FrivYeti
New Member
The Ebon Dragon is a creature of lies and mysteries, who has forever set himself against the wills of those around him. Many have wondered what malice lurks in his heart, what monstrous form his inner self takes. Far fewer are those who have suspected the truth, for at the core of the Ebon Dragon there is… nothing.
Maoplena, in a very literal sense, is not real. He is a fragment of consciousness, a meaningless whisper in the shadows and cracks of Malfeas. It is only by the most supreme effort of will that he is able to interact with the universe at all; more normally, he exists in a half-state, quivering on the borders of existence. He has no grand temples, and his passing does not set the races of Malfeas scuttling in fear. There is no known method to draw him into the world, but even if there was, it is unlikely that anyone would notice. Even when he does interact with someone or something, all traces of his involvement are soon wiped away.
Maoplena’s greatest fear, ironically, is solitude. His existence is so tenuous that he fears that, if he were ever completely forgotten, he might lose his grasp on reality and simply cease to be entirely. Much of the time, he simply lurks beyond the world of shape and bemoans his lot in life, but these long stretches are interspersed with bursts of manic, frantic activity, as he attempts to directly interfere and interact with as many individuals as possible, leaving a mark upon the hellish landscape in which he is imprisoned. He has saved nations and destroyed armies, slaughtered families and taken lovers, anything that he believed would lead someone to remember or seek after him. Ultimately, these efforts are always unsuccessful, and he collapses, spent and despairing, into another bout of depression.
When active, Maoplena prefers interactions with the mighty, as the lesser cannot even tell he is interfering with him, but he will take anything. Antagonism, friendship, love – all emotions are the same to the Wind in Dry Grass, and he will attempt to inspire whatever he thinks will leave the largest mark on his target.
Summoning: (Obscurity 6 / 7
Because all evidence of Maoplena fades, there are few sorcerers who have any knowledge of his nature. However, small caches of knowledge do exist, mystically protected against his nonexistence, and the power of those who would research him is such that anyone who knows anything about him likely knows everything. In the First Age, it was exceeding rare for Solars to summon him, however, as his power was very limited for tasks. Most commonly, he was called forth to hide something that a summoner wished never to be discovered, or to act as an exceptional spy.
Motivation:.To be remembered by all things. Maoplena has an intimacy of reverence for the Ebon Dragon, an intimacy of hatred towards Ligier, who he views as having everything he wants, and generally holds several other Intimacies of admiration or hatred for other beings, which he tends to gain and lose quite quickly.
Virtues:Compassion 2, Conviction 1, Temperance 5, Valor 3
Traits:As a Third Circle demon. Maoplena is particularly good at stealth and concealment, and particularly weak in long-term actions such as organization, crafts, and planning.
Sample Powers:
Shape Without Form: Maoplena exists beyond the grasp of reality. He does not possess the ability to Materialize, and Charms or powers that force immaterial spirits to materialize cannot be used against him. Even when someone is capable of viewing or interacting with immaterial beings, they suffer a -10 external penalty to all rolls to notice, interact with, or affect him – this penalty does not apply to rolls made to defend directly against an action he takes against them. Maoplena suffers the same penalty on all rolls to affect anything beyond himself, although the penalty does not apply to attempts for him to notice others. He may attempt to force himself into the world at a cost of one Willpower and ten motes per action, in which case he behaves as a normal immaterial being for the duration (aside from his inability to be forced material, which remains).
Between Emotion And Response: The emptiness of the Whisper in the Dry Grass extends beyond his presence. At the end of any scene in which Maoplena has interacted with anyone or anything, two things occur. First, all physical evidence of his interactions are erased as a perfect Shaping effect. This does not undo damage or construction that he has done, but it does alter it to resemble having been caused by some other force. Secondly, all memories of Maoplena are wiped away as a perfect Illusion effect, which is unnatural mental influence that cannot be resisted with Willpower. Memories of the affected are altered such that they still make sense, but there is no trace of Maoplena within them. The Wind in Dry Grass cannot choose not to affect someone or something with this power.
In This Hollow Valley: Although his nature is normally a great displeasure to him, Maoplena is capable of deliberately forgetting a part of who he is, fading even farther from reality. This costs him 20 motes and an aggravated level of damage, and may be done reflexively. When it does, he utterly ceases to exist for the duration of the current scene. At the end of the scene, however, he must make a Willpower roll at difficulty 4. If the roll succeeds, he may choose whether he reappears at the spot where he vanished, within his sanctum, or at the side of the Ebon Dragon. If the roll fails, he immediately takes five unsoakable levels of aggravated damage as parts of his nature fade away permanently, and remains out of existence for a full day. At the end of that time, he must roll again. This process continues until he succeeds on a roll or runs out of health, in which case he dies normally. If Maoplena is killed by this Charm, it will trigger fetich death in the Ebon Dragon. As such, he has been forbidden from using it unless he is in terrible danger of being utterly obliterated anyway.
Willpower: 10, Essence: 10, Summoning Resistance: 5
Other Notes: None
Maoplena, in a very literal sense, is not real. He is a fragment of consciousness, a meaningless whisper in the shadows and cracks of Malfeas. It is only by the most supreme effort of will that he is able to interact with the universe at all; more normally, he exists in a half-state, quivering on the borders of existence. He has no grand temples, and his passing does not set the races of Malfeas scuttling in fear. There is no known method to draw him into the world, but even if there was, it is unlikely that anyone would notice. Even when he does interact with someone or something, all traces of his involvement are soon wiped away.
Maoplena’s greatest fear, ironically, is solitude. His existence is so tenuous that he fears that, if he were ever completely forgotten, he might lose his grasp on reality and simply cease to be entirely. Much of the time, he simply lurks beyond the world of shape and bemoans his lot in life, but these long stretches are interspersed with bursts of manic, frantic activity, as he attempts to directly interfere and interact with as many individuals as possible, leaving a mark upon the hellish landscape in which he is imprisoned. He has saved nations and destroyed armies, slaughtered families and taken lovers, anything that he believed would lead someone to remember or seek after him. Ultimately, these efforts are always unsuccessful, and he collapses, spent and despairing, into another bout of depression.
When active, Maoplena prefers interactions with the mighty, as the lesser cannot even tell he is interfering with him, but he will take anything. Antagonism, friendship, love – all emotions are the same to the Wind in Dry Grass, and he will attempt to inspire whatever he thinks will leave the largest mark on his target.
Summoning: (Obscurity 6 / 7
Because all evidence of Maoplena fades, there are few sorcerers who have any knowledge of his nature. However, small caches of knowledge do exist, mystically protected against his nonexistence, and the power of those who would research him is such that anyone who knows anything about him likely knows everything. In the First Age, it was exceeding rare for Solars to summon him, however, as his power was very limited for tasks. Most commonly, he was called forth to hide something that a summoner wished never to be discovered, or to act as an exceptional spy.Motivation:.To be remembered by all things. Maoplena has an intimacy of reverence for the Ebon Dragon, an intimacy of hatred towards Ligier, who he views as having everything he wants, and generally holds several other Intimacies of admiration or hatred for other beings, which he tends to gain and lose quite quickly.
Virtues:Compassion 2, Conviction 1, Temperance 5, Valor 3
Traits:As a Third Circle demon. Maoplena is particularly good at stealth and concealment, and particularly weak in long-term actions such as organization, crafts, and planning.
Sample Powers:
Shape Without Form: Maoplena exists beyond the grasp of reality. He does not possess the ability to Materialize, and Charms or powers that force immaterial spirits to materialize cannot be used against him. Even when someone is capable of viewing or interacting with immaterial beings, they suffer a -10 external penalty to all rolls to notice, interact with, or affect him – this penalty does not apply to rolls made to defend directly against an action he takes against them. Maoplena suffers the same penalty on all rolls to affect anything beyond himself, although the penalty does not apply to attempts for him to notice others. He may attempt to force himself into the world at a cost of one Willpower and ten motes per action, in which case he behaves as a normal immaterial being for the duration (aside from his inability to be forced material, which remains).
Between Emotion And Response: The emptiness of the Whisper in the Dry Grass extends beyond his presence. At the end of any scene in which Maoplena has interacted with anyone or anything, two things occur. First, all physical evidence of his interactions are erased as a perfect Shaping effect. This does not undo damage or construction that he has done, but it does alter it to resemble having been caused by some other force. Secondly, all memories of Maoplena are wiped away as a perfect Illusion effect, which is unnatural mental influence that cannot be resisted with Willpower. Memories of the affected are altered such that they still make sense, but there is no trace of Maoplena within them. The Wind in Dry Grass cannot choose not to affect someone or something with this power.
In This Hollow Valley: Although his nature is normally a great displeasure to him, Maoplena is capable of deliberately forgetting a part of who he is, fading even farther from reality. This costs him 20 motes and an aggravated level of damage, and may be done reflexively. When it does, he utterly ceases to exist for the duration of the current scene. At the end of the scene, however, he must make a Willpower roll at difficulty 4. If the roll succeeds, he may choose whether he reappears at the spot where he vanished, within his sanctum, or at the side of the Ebon Dragon. If the roll fails, he immediately takes five unsoakable levels of aggravated damage as parts of his nature fade away permanently, and remains out of existence for a full day. At the end of that time, he must roll again. This process continues until he succeeds on a roll or runs out of health, in which case he dies normally. If Maoplena is killed by this Charm, it will trigger fetich death in the Ebon Dragon. As such, he has been forbidden from using it unless he is in terrible danger of being utterly obliterated anyway.
Willpower: 10, Essence: 10, Summoning Resistance: 5
Other Notes: None
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