Crashing Wave

Master Crashing Wave is a character played by Kaiu Keiichi in Bound Devil Chambers Conspiracy Exalted PbP game in RPG.net

Master Crashing Wave

• Aspect: Water
• Concept: Kung-fu Theologian
• Motivation: Serve and promote the Immaculate Philosophy in all things
• Anima:
• Anima power: For one day, the exalt can breathe as easily in water as in air, and is incapable of drowning. Suffers no environmental penalty for actions taken underwater. Can walk across water as easily as across dry land.

Description

(Please put description here)

Attributes

• Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3
• Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2
• Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4

Abilities

Caste

• Bureaucracy 3
• Investigation 3
• Larceny 0
• Martial Arts 5 (5-Dragon Style +1; Evaluating Opponents Styles +2)
• Sail 0

Favored

• Presence 3
• Occult 3 (Immaculate Heresies +1)
• Integrity 3

Others

• Archery 1
• Melee 1
• Performance 1
• Ride 1
• Socialize 2
• War 2
• Linguistics 1 (High Realm, Low Realm)
• Lore 3
• Awareness 3
• Resistance 2

Backgrounds

• Allies 1 (A former student that acts as your primary assistant)

• Arsenal 4 (The Censor of Upright Martial Philosophy can requisition the use of the Order’s multitude of hearthstones, weapons and armors, with only the Wyld Hunt, highly valued itinerants and the leadership of the Order taking higher priority)

• Backing (Immaculate Order) 4 (See the rights and powers that come with the position)

• Connections (Dojos and Academies) 2 (Allies in whatever dojos or schools you like best, plus a reputation for your own style around the circuit)

• Sifu/Mentor 3 (Ragara Myrron, greatest martial artist in Creation, master of all 5 Celestial Styles and over 20 Terrestrial ones)

Artifact details

Not Relevant

Hearthstone and manse details

Not Relevant

Charms

Martial Arts

• First Martial Arts Excellency

Enlightening Charms

• Pasiap’s Humility
• Moment of Daena’d

Five Dragon Style

• Five-Dragon Claw
• Five-Dragon Force Blow
• Five-Dragon Fortitude
• Five-Dragon Blocking Technique
• Five-Dragon Form
• Five-Dragon Fist
• Five-Dragon Invulnerability
• Five-Dragon Wrath

Water Dragon Style

• Flowing Water Defense
• Rippling Water Strike
• Drowning-in-Blood Technique
• Shrugging Water Dragon Escape
• Water Dragon Form

Virtues

• Compassion 3
• Conviction 3
• Temperance 5
• Valor 2

Other traits

Essence 4

• Personal motes 12
• Peripheral motes 32
• Committed motes (peripheral) X

Willpower 8

Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap

Intimacies

• 5-Dragon Style
• Ragara Myrron, the greatest martial artist in creation, one of only three grandmasters (only 2 of which reside in the Realm)
• The Immaculate Philosophy

The Four Questions

1) Why are you more loyal to the Empress and/or the Realm than the average Dynast?

Wave was raised by the grace of the Immaculate Dragons from being a mere rice farmer in Angu province into the grace of the Dragons. As a youth, he was actually never terribly religious. However, as things were explained to him before he made his choice, he decided that following a path where breeding and connections mattered little, as opposed to dedication and hard work, which are golden coin in the Immaculate heirarchy - well, for a hard working rice farmer, the choice was clear. Further, as a circuit monk, he could avoid the political games that most Dynasts and especially lost eggs would be forced to play. Little did he realise that the Immaculate Order is rife with it's own kind of politics - but everyone in the Order starts as a novitiate, and is treated the same, be they normal human or graced by the Dragons (indeed, Crashing Wave has found that he has been worked harder simply because he is an Exalt, since he was to provide an example to those not so graced.)

In his 300 years of life, he has discovered that the Immaculate way works. His is not the imaginative, ideal faith of the Zealot - his is the faith that comes from living a spiritual life every day, and seeing it's lesson's successfully applied. This is the source of his temperance and compassion - of course people aren't perfect. That's why the way exists. The way exists to bring Creation into a state of harmony, peace and understanding. With the Empress in the center, the great Houses as spokes of the wheel, and normal humans as the rim, the wheel of creation moves onward as life is lived. Loyalty, stabilty and tradition keeps the wheel running smoothly. Human desire and the false reflections of the great Immaculate teachers are the ruts in the road, the wicked Anathema threaten to break the wheel entirely. The Immaculate Philsophy is the both the grease and the road which the wheel turns on.

Only the Immaculate way can keep the peasants fed and safe and the empire whole. Anything else leads to madness and destruction for the innocents who live in the Empire and who rely on the Dragon Blooded Host for protection.

Being that he personally knows the Empress (a great honor indeed for such a humble and unworthy monk!), he can see the occasional human imperfections and doubts which creep into her voice, the momentary lapses of face, even the occasional, very very slight twinge of fear, the mote of regret. Is this all staged for his nostalgic benefit? Or is it sincere? This, to Master Crashing Wave, does not matter. The office of Empress is superlatively fufilled. Creation, while filled with it's dangers and intrigues, is largely safe, due to the unthinkable burdens born and resolved by this single woman. She fufills the myth, even in her imperfections, by being bravely herself, giving up every iota of freedom to the throne. The issue is settled. Knowing her personally has not diminished Crashing Wave's loyalty and faith, it has enhanced and fufilled it.

2) Who do you serve, apart from the Empress? Who else constitutes a superior?

Aside from the Mouth of Peace, no one. While in a less important position than the various Wise Interpreters of Dogma and abbots of various important monasteries and temples, Crashing Wave reports only to the Mouth of Peace herself. His authority in his small bureau in the Order is absolute, having moved to it 75 years ago after a successful 30 year tour in the Wyld Hunt. While he has maintained his name on the active reserve list, he has not ridden with the Hunt in a good 20 years. He is considering moving back into an active position with the Hunt, so his Anathema hunting skills do not dull. It was 35 years ago that he destroyed his last Lunar Exalt with his own bare hands, and since those hands are the hands of the Empress' justice, he does not wish them to weaken.

Informally, the Monk shows deference to everyone. A life time of service has taught him humility, and he bows even to peasants with dignified grace. Humility and concentration strengthen one's Essence. He is the traditional model of Immaculate dignity to anyone he meets... but he takes careful note of whomever does not show appropriate respect to a monk. Usually, with a raise eyebrow or a shift in the tone of his voice, he can chastise Terrestrials under 100 years old, since he is the direct representative of the words of the Immaculate Dragons to the world. Generally, he has no trouble attaining the respect he needs to serve others. Further, in the informal pecking order of the Order, Master Wave of course shows deference to those Abbots and masters who have higher effective authority than he does, and stands ready to assist. He has strong working relationships with the Arbiters of Moral Rectitude (with whom he consults concerning the teachings found within martial arts forms submitted to his office for review), the Cloister of Wisdom (as he is one of it's professors), The Synod for Novitiate Instruction (upon which he sits as assistant head chair) and, of course, the Wyld Hunt itself - he's always made it a point to know personally the Paragon and the Masters of the Hunt.

If Master Wave has professional enemies, it's the head of any dojo or martial arts tradition that has a purely secular or heretical focus. He and his monks have destroyed dojos that teach such heretical styles as Snake and Tiger, and such Sifus of such schools as Jade Mountain dread being placed on the Rebuked list (the chief Sifu of the Jade Mountain School, Ragara Lenfow, begged Master Wave to have mercy on his family style - Master Wave gave to him a set of Immaculate Sutras and texts that were to be used in instruction, and commanded him to complete a full pilgrimage circuit of the Blessed Isle, and to afterwards interview with his assistant, Quaking Mountain, an Earth Dragon specialist.) Several Golden Janissary dojos in the Threshold have started referring to their style as the 'Golden Flames of Heshiesh', with banners in the dojos proclaiming holy lessons from the Immaculate of fire, but the Office is still not convinced. After catching the Ill Lily Assassin who murdered Nellens Ven Para, Master Wave watched as the criminal was executed by way of his soul being removed from his body by one of the office's Master of Wood Style. His name is muttered poisonously in the House of Bells, as his office reviews any revisions of the 1001 Actions of the Upright Soldier, making sure that the religious and political orientation of Imperial combat doctrine stays intact. In this, his offices works closely with the Bureau of Military Loyalty and Purity, one of the watchdog agencies in the House of Scales, although Master Waves office really only concerns itself with the training of soldiers on the Fang level, specifically in use of 5 Dragons style integrated with traditional Dragon Blooded combat charms. One recent controversy was the allowance of the 5 Pentacle Spear style into use for specialty Legions units. Since the style has a heavy elemental focus, and is practiced with heavy Immaculate overtones in the Legions, Crashing Wave and his staff approve.

He will usually refer requests for his assistance in an official capacity to the Cloister of Wisdom, where his office is currently located, unless such requests fall directly under his adminstrative perview as the Censor of Upright Martial Philosophy... which usually gives him carte blanche access to any Dojo in the empire, including the House of Bells itself. Also, while not directly assigned to the Wyld Hunt, as a reservist Huntsman he is on call to assist the Hunt in any way possible, including with political influence, teaching or his own formidable combat power. If an Anathema is reported in whatever area he is in, he will drop everything that he is doing, have a spirit messenger sent to the Paragon of the Hunt reporting on what he knows, and will begin coordinating with local authorities (including the local Immaculate temple) to prepare to support the soon-to-arrive Hunt party. He will also offer his direct aid, depending on the discretion of the Hunt Master who commands the party.

As an associate faculty member of the Cloister of Wisdom, he stands responsible to that school's trustees, but given the respect of his position, he and the Cloister have always had a good relationship. For example, the Cloister always confer with him and his staff concerning whether or not a particular Terrestrial Martial Art should be taught at the Cloister. Since no other Martial Art in creation is superior to the 5 Dragon Paths, he's usually reluctant to give his recommendation to any Martial Art that does not have a clear Immaculate theme or focus. Thus, only the 5 Immaculate styles and 5 Dragons as One are taught officially at the Cloister.

3) What did you openly achieve in the past century that makes you a worthy subject for historians of the next Age to investigate thoroughly?

The historians of martial arts of the restored Solar Deliberative (or the eminent Dragon Blooded Scholars of the House of Bells and the Cloister of Wisdom) will find that Master Crashing Wave, in addition to being a huntsman of some accomplishment and note, would be well regarded for his sparse yet insightful essays on applying the lessons of the Immaculate Dragons in ordinary, accessible language. He always comes back to the Martial Arts, and how they are a metaphor of using one's daily work (be it baking bread, laying bricks, composing poetry or leading armies) to refine one's Essence and to improve the world - by fufilling one's own Dharma as given by the Dragons, one makes oneself greater by way of service - the "Paradox of Humility." "Look to the Empress in how she serves. Terrible is her fury, wise are her pronouncements, sagacious are her eyes, unsurpassed is her might, complete is her justice. She is our support. She serves more completely than the humblest slave. She makes us free! Let us become great as she is great, by our service to her. Give, as she gives!"

In Dharma Stories, A series of amusing tales told in the vernacular, Monk Yellow, Monk Blue, Monk Green, Monk Brown and Monk Red follow their master throughout the empire, observing how people live their daily lives. They argue as to what is moral, what is correct action and what is not. At the end, Wise Master knocks their heads together and has them come up with the correct answer, on their own. The tales generally focus on service, humility and social harmony. Occasionally, Terrestrials appear in the tales, but they are nerve criticised unless they are young, with older Terrestrials being fonts of considered, worldly wisdom and moral virtue.

Crashing Wave writes off those stories as scribblings of his youth, not that really important to the work he does now. "Water flows where it must go. The river wends. My course took an amusing direction back then."

Master Wave will also be praised for his application of standardization to the practice in the World of Martial Arts in the Empire. Like any weapon, Martial Arts is a two edged sword, and this Immaculate was the first to perceive the use of martial arts as a means of education, spiritual refinement, and indoctrination for purposes of societal harmony. Thus, during his 75 year term in his office, the world of martial arts has been made to serve the needs of the Empire, with tournaments used to recruit lost eggs into the Immaculate Order and Pasiaps Stair, to enforce the Empire's will in the provinces, to destroy heresy, and to make sure that personal combat is practiced with the same ideological correctness as Sorcery. It is he who sends the best Martial Artists in the Order to observe various martial arts tourneys across the Threshold, or sometimes participate (although any prizes or favors won are given to the Order as whole.) It is in this way that the Order can have yet another hand in Threshold politics, as a master of an Immaculate style can usually win most Threshold tourneys handily. The Censorial Office of Upright Martial Philosophy serves the will of the Empress as another of her tools to extend the reach of the Empire across the world.

Several of Master Wave's writings on martial arts and their teaching are standard texts in the Immaculate Order and across the threshold. Master Wave wrote 100 years ago the authoritative revision of the 5 Dragon Fights as One Terrestrial Martial Arts form, with a simplification that eased instruction of both lay people and non-Exalt monks, used in conjunction with his own to-the-point set of lessons, The Dragons Sit. This is a compilation of Immaculate stories and texts that detail the Immaculates themselves teaching meditation, Essence Control and focusing one's mind and breath. While Immaculate Sutras have always contained this wisdom, Master Wave's set of commentaries have reached a wide audience. The techniques described are inseperable from Immaculate philosophy, however. Master Crashing Wave also lead the committee that finally finished a 50 year long project to revise the training program for Dragon-Blooded Monks - Dragon Sees the Gods and Dragon Touches the Gods - a much more in depth set of lessons to prepare Dragon Blooded Monks for their study of the 5 Dragon Paths. Finally, a set of esoteric and lovely poetry, The 1st Drop, is regarded as the best and most accessible set of commentaries on each of the sutras the compose the Charms of the Water Dragon style, which is used extensively in Immaculate temples that teach Water Dragon to monks, as well as the Cloister of Wisdom. Master Wave, for his part, describes himself as a "scribbler who states the obvious," brushing off any celebrity that his writing and teaching gives him.

4) What weaknesses do you possess that aren't just personal failings, but could be exploited by your enemies to cost you the Game of Thrones? What are the fields of engagement where you can't just apply Game Theory analysis, but instead will act against your interests?

One of the problems in dealing with the old monk is that he's not a typical Dynast. Wishing to control the throne would be absurd - the throne is to be supported! As such, Master Wave may be viewed as more of a tool to be used to influence the Immaculate Order.

Since Master Wave's highest agendas are the health and well being of the whole of the Empire, and his utter faith that the Empress acts with both the greatest puissance and the best faith of the Empire, one way to paralyze this monk would be to convince him that the Empress had no love for the Empire, or to otherwise shatter his faith in the woman. The Empress performing cruel acts for the greater good of the Empire, he can accept - sacrifices must often be made. The Empress callously conducting actions for petty reasons, or treating the empire as something disposable or unimportant, might break him. Or, it might inspire him with a righteous, tsunami like fury to see her removed. Either way, it would neutralize the man by way of unhinging him.

More generally, Master Wave is generally kind, especially towards peasants. While he has generally carried out orders while in the Hunt that have called for the killing of mind controlled or otherwise influenced Realm peasantry and other innocents, such disasters have occasionally caused him to retire to meditation for weeks or months, neutralizing him from taking action. An Anathema holding peasants or normal humans hostage might inspire him to some kind of stupidly heroic action in facing down said Anathema, especially if no other Wyld Hunt Trained or combat capable Terrestrials are present.

Backstory

(See Four Questions)

Notes

(1) His Ally 1, Angry Rose, is a Wood Aspect whom he initiated into Celestial Martial Arts at the time he wrote Dragons Sit, about 100 years ago, when he was conducting his reform of Novitiate training practices. Unlike Master Wave, she stopped her study of 5 Dragon Style at the Form Charm, and has pursued a wide variety of Lore, Bureaucracy and Socialize Charms, so as to assist in his administration of his office. He jokes that "Sister Rose does all those things that I do not have the time to learn how to do myself", as Master Wave's position calls for an intense focus on Martial Arts that surpasses even the attention of the typical Dragon Blooded Immaculate. Angry Rose is anything but, representing a serene and friendly face when acting as Master Wave's secretary. Those who accuse Angry Rose of having any sort of inappropriate relationship with Master usually find their business and political efforts damaged by the web of innuendo and social poison that this unassuming Immaculate can spread.

(2) Master Wave makes sure to spend an uninterrupted 2 weeks a year with Sifu Myrron. Great is his privilege to study with the Sifu, who has been the model of his own teaching methods. Beyond all else, Sifu Myrron has taught Crashing Wave (who has been a student of his for the past 150 years, and who started him with 5 Dragons As One instead of one of the Celestial Immaculate styles) that the implicit order of creation can be understood through the observation and emulation of nature, and that all good government, philosophy and right thinking can be attained by the study of the harmony of creation. Myrron, for his part, is like a cross between a laughing, crazed Zen monk and Obi-Wan kenobi whenever Wave visits with him. It is through the teachings of the Sifu that Wave is satisfied with his own level of progress instead of being jealous of younger monks who are more obviously powerful in combat than he, such as the infamous Peleps Deled.

When alone with the Sifu, dialog is easy going but always respectful. Myrron always teaches Wave in his native Low Realm, and does away with much of the strict formality found within Immaculate training halls. But Myrron demands total concentration, questioning, focus and mindfulness - he claimed he wanted Wave to master 5 Dragons so that he'd have a "loose mind", ready to delve deeply into the secrets if the Dragon of Water "instead of these lazy minded temple produced dolts" who often beg him for instruction. He holds up Peleps Deled as an example of everything wrong with Immaculate Instruction methods. "Certainly, he's technically a 'master'. He also misses the entire point of D'anaad's message!" Needless to say, he and his master as often fight over tea, as a wise old uncle might remonstrate with a younger nephew.

Sifu Myrron is Wave's spiritual ancestor and best friend. "He seems so much younger than me," he rues. He yearns to enter the world of pure practice and contemplation that Myrron lives in. To which, Myrron replies, "The Way is lived. This is a challenge to me, it would not be to you. Live your challenge, Exalt, and advance!"

Master Crashing Wave's relationship to the Scarlet Empress

"Brother Wave. Please, attend me."

It was very strange. In a small set of gardens located off of the Imperial Palace, a grotto with many waterfalls was located.

In this place, she wore only a tunic, slippers and a pair of trousers. Her hair was red, but had golden highlights. She had freckles. If he were a less well possessed man, he'd have been struck by the simplicity and ordinariness of her beauty. Here, she could have been any of his students at the Cloister of Wisdom.

"This is my command," she said. "Here, I am merely 'student'. You are the Master. You will correct my form and see to it that I maintain my edge with the 5 Dragons style. Here, I will obey you, only in regards to instruction."

With that, Crashing Wave bowed. "As you command, Supreme Mistress of Creation. If it is pleasing, during these 3 hours, on the appointed days, you will be 'student'. If you do not adhere to my standards and do not perform adequately, you will be dismissed from my instruction. No public mention will be made of this. Am I understood? You may address me as 'Sifu', instead of Master. I am but a student myself, and I will be as much a student as you." To his knowledge, no one had ever dared risk laying such conditions on the Scarlet Empress. But, damn it all, he had taught martial arts for a century, and he knew what worked and what did not. Further, she may be the Empress, but she's still a woman, and he was sure that she'd not respect some fawing sycophant. Not even the Empress was greater than the Way - no one person was.

"Now, student, it is my understanding that you come to me with an advanced understanding of several traditional Martial Arts. However, since I have just become your Sifu, I will not try to second guess your skills. We will start from the beginning. Empty your cup, and drink from the well which I am about to show you, as my Sifu showed me. Now, we will begin."

During the practice, there was hardly ever any talk of politics. Occasionally, the functionary... Kejak? Kejan? What was his name? Would occasionally come in, but she would always command him to wait outside the grotto. Sometimes, traces in her footwork and bladesmanship from creep into her style, but Crashing Wave would follow through with his classic rebuke for his Cloister of Wisdom students - "Empty your cup!" Along with a crack of his bamboo instruction stick. "Water feels, not thinks. Empty your head."

While Crashing Wave might have been tempted to presume more of their relationship, he made sure to treat it as simply what it was - private instruction in 5 Dragons Style. To presume more would be to create a massive breach of trust. Crashing Wave decided to merely be her Sifu - and to let the simple example of his life, which she certainly knew about in full detail - make whatever cases in regards to whatever debates or conversations they may otherwise have had. If nothing else, he was glad he could provide the Scarlet Empress some time to not concern herself with the business of ruling Creation, but to focus on her own spirit. While a master of the Water Dragon style, he always came back to the first moves of the 5 Dragon form he ever learned. The Way is lived, his old Sifu would tell him. So, that he did.

He is uncertain if this invitation to her personal councils of the mighty, in secret, was not perhaps another test.