Cynis Emma

A Character in House of Bells.

Cynis Belar Emma

Emma

Concept: The lively Cheerleader
Aspect: Wood
Anima Banner: Swirling cloud of marigold blossoms and twining vines
Theme Song: "Dashing and Daring" by Rockapella

Biography

Emma's ma always told her that "people power" was the best power; that once you got leverage on a man's soul you could make him do anything. Emma took this advice to heart... sort of. Rather than the cynical manipulative dilettante her family hoped to turn out, they got a bright, enthusiastic, chipper young go-getter with an iron-shod, deep-seated belief in the power of positive motivation. Every day in every way Emma wants to push herself and those around her to be better, and she thinks a smile and an encouraging word are all you need to make that happen.

Unfortunately, her total lack of cynicism would normally give her a life expectancy in Realm society equal to a mayfly, but fortunately, she extends her enthusiastic attitude towards martial pursuits. Seeing the making of a good general in there somewhere, her kindly spymaster uncle Cynis Belar Rokujai shipped her off to the House of Bells to give her a little seasoning.

Personality

Emma sees the bright side of everything. Everything. She thinks everyone is a big sweet-natured softy, deep down inside, and when her opinions and reality intersect she tends to reject your reality and substitute her own, through vigorous and enthusiastic chatter. She's a little dim, and has a hard time sitting still and paying attention to anything long and complicated in class except for her beloved martial arts, although Cathak Branus's style of battlefield tactics appears to have struck a chord with her. She loves bright colors, music, dance, fist-fighting, fruity alcoholic drinks, stuffed animals, and new clothes.

Appearance

Emma is small and compact (about 4'11"), with the stocky body of a gymnast. She has a short sweep of unruly, neck-length green hair, in which flowers periodically and sporadically bloom, and huge, earthy brown eyes. She dresses in a wide variety of outfits to suit the situation (or not), from the scandalously-cut Cynis gowns that her family sent with her to her favorite pink floral kimono to her beloved old battered jade-inlay buff coat.

Character Sheet

Essence Die:

1d6

Virtues

Compassion: 1d10
Conviction: 1d8
Temperance: 1d6
Valor: 1d6

Distinctions

• Cheerfully Oblivious
• Boundless Enthusiasm
• Emotional IQ

[D8 or D4+1E]

Advantages

Skills

• Martial Arts d10
• Performance d10
• Socialize d8
• Athletics d6
• War d8
• Ride d6
• Linguistics d6

Backgrounds

• Breeding d6
• Arsenal d10
• Allies (Popular Girls) d8
• Family (Cynis Belar Rokujai) d6

Charms

Excellencies

• Martial Arts d8
• Performance d8

Techniques

Five Dragon Form: (Form type): As an action, spend 1E to assume Five Dragon Form. Create a d8 Form-type resource die; until the end of the scene, add it to die pools to inflict or resist physical stress or grapples, or to run, jump, or performs feats of strength. This form may be activated automatically using a Watcher opportunity.

Five-Dragon Force Blow: Step back the highest die in an attack pool containing a Martial Arts die to add a d6 and step up physical stress inflicted.

Soul-Stirring Performance Method: When using Performance to create emotional assets, add d6 and step up the effect die.

Friend to All Nations Attitude: Immune to complications and negative social scene distinctions for being in unfamiliar and unfriendly social territory. Being part of the wrong clique or social strata will not be held against you.

Sweeten-The-Tap Method: This charm enhances an attempt to throw a party. All who voluntarily partake of the party have their mental, emotional, and physical stress stepped back one, but they suffer a d8 scene-long inebriated complication.

Passion Transmuting Nuance: Using a Perform or Socialize action, you can alter the nature of an existing emotional asset, resource, or complication without increasing or decreasing its severity; ie, turn lust into rage or turn a joyous crowd into a rioting one.

Panoply

Friend of the Amused Courtesan d10 - (Green Jade Dire-spear)

On loan from her uncle Rokujai, this family heirloom was designed to protect the heirs of House Cynis in any situation they might reasonably find themselves. Other than its puissance as a seven foot long green jade spear, it has several minor benefits:

Benefit: To those who know the secret twist, the Friend shrinks and disassembles into a set of stylishly carved green jade chopsticks with many uses. When worn in a bun, they cause the wearer’s hair to always be immaculate, with no strands out of place, even in a torrential downpour or at the heart of a battlefield. When used to eat food, or stir a drink by an attuned user, they render the attuned immune to non-magical poisons. When used in acupuncture, they create a temporary immunity to socially embarrassing diseases. When used as drumsticks or to beat out a warning signal, they propel sound twice as far as normal. When used as a stylus, they can effortlessly carve shallow messages in any stone softer than granite.

Limit: Shutdown Friend of the Amused Courtesan and gain 1E. Take an action vs. the Doom Pool to recover it.

Milestones

Ditzy

1XP: when an important fact goes over your head.
3XP: When you help someone succeed in spite of, or because of, your ignorance.
10XP: When you unexpectedly make a shrewd decision in an important moment that saves your teammates.

Everyone Should Be Best Friends Forever

1 XP: when you help out a teammate OR an enemy.
3 XP +1 Limit: When your kind nature won’t let you harm someone, or help an ally in need.
10XP +1 Limit: When you overcome your own compassion to do what is necessary, or through inaction choose to allow your compassion to cause great harm to another.

Limit Break: Everything Sucks Forever

You temporarily become Goth for as long as your limit break lasts.

Notes

Family

Cynis Belar Adakio: Emma's father is the consummate Cynis gentleman: a vain, clever, money-obsessed hedonist with deep ties to the flesh trade. He eventually despaired of his only daughter (so far) ever developing a head for business matters, but he's taken some consolation in the idea of having a great general (or at least glory-winning field-captain) in the family, and approved Rokujai's plan to send her to the House of Bells. Adakio wants what's best for his household and his daughter, in approximately that order. He's been vainly trying to make a betrothal match for her outside the traditional Cynis fallback of House Sesus into one of the more military Houses, but so far with no luck.

Cynis Belar Rokujai: or "Uncle Roki" as Emma calls him, is a reformed prostitute, brothel owner and, secretly, one of the best connected spymasters in the Realm. An unorthodox mind himself, he adores his weird, emotive little niece and encourages her to kick back against her family's cynicism and graft. He pulled strings to have her admitted to the House of Bells, and sends her weekly gift packages of clothes, candy, and other tokens of his affection, as well as clever little letters full of notable gossip.