Sohei Reinforcement Armor
Seven Thousand Wonders Unfolding walked through the vast libraries of the Halls of Jupiter, but he ignored the grand shelves and their tens of thousands of books. Instead, he kept close watch on his hands as he flexed his Essence-mechanical fingers. When he reached his master he said, without looking up, "Your friend is very particular."
"You're one to talk," Rivers Between Us shot back from the table where he'd been learning spells from crystal latice displays. "Have you started any of the projects I've asked you to do? Or have you just been staring at your hands for the past week?"
"If you had spent a thousand years in a form as undignified as a manson jar lid with legs, you would take the time to admire a change, too."
"Hhn. I might at that." Rivers pushed away the crystal lattice. "Now what were you saying about Storm of Amber?"
The small god scratched one enamelled fingernail against his metalic chest. "He's particular. Picky. Finnicky. He won't make use of any of the refitted Gunzosha armor. Or the Vine Dragon Armor. He says he won't be able to feel the wind in his hair or the sun on his skin as he rides. Marukan to the core, isn't he?"
"And you've interrupted my studies because in all the Halls of Mars you've been unable to find the solution to the problem." Rivers sighed and pushed back his chair to stand.
"In Mars? No. But here in Jupiter..."
The Twilight looked down at the small god. "Out with it."
"Sohei reinforcement armor."
"Never heard of it."
"I'm not surprised." Wonders sat down in a chair opposite Rivers. He looked like a child at the table; the wondersmith had never seen the god so... independent. "It's a lesser-known variant on gunzosha armor from early in the First Age, designed primarily for military relays from the days before Essence communication arrays were standard. It relies less on plating and more on skirted chain for protection. It's lighter, but..."
"But what?"
"Well, it's rather... obvious. Without a helmet, the integrated targetting subsystem had to be replaced with a holographic Essence display that paints the entire battlefield in a glowing golden ring."
"Our anima displays tend to make us noticable anyway, you know."
"Ah... yes. That had slipped my mind."
Rivers waved the spirit on. "What else?"
"Well, the default suit has a built in voice of command module, but I think I can take that out in favor of something I pulled from designs for a suit of celestial battle armor - shadow inurement plating."
Rivers slumped back into his chair. "'For a suit of celestial battle armor' nothing. That was my idea! Have you been reading through my notes again?"
"I am your secretary, master, and responsible for organizing the thoughts that drip like dew from your furrowed - "
"Enough. You'll make the suit from Orichalc', of course, but what will you use as a fortifying agent for the plating?"
"Well," the spirit preened, "it happens that swimming in the Maruto north of Chaya is a species of turtle, wider around than even a yeddim. It happens that their shells are made of large flakes of a solid nacre that, when polished, take on a perfectly irridecent mother-of-pearl sheen..."
Rivers cradled his head in his hands. "Giant turtles. Enough, enough. I don't want to hear any more of this. Go and make the suit."
Rivers watched as the small god left the library. Wonders was becomming independent, indeed...
Statistics[edit]
Holographic Essence Display*: +2 bonus to all attacks; +1 Parry DV.
Exomuscular Fibers*: Doubles wearer’s ground speed; +2 bonus to Strength for feats of strength and inflicting damage with attacks.
Vitality-Boosting Subsystems*: Wearer regenerates either one level of bashing damage with every action taken during combat or all bashing levels per minute outside combat.
Resiliency Augmentation*: +2 bonus to Resistance.
Shadow Inurement Plating*: Hardness bonus equal to the wearer's Essence vs. Creatures of Darkness.
Orichalcum Magical Material Bonus: +2L/B Soak, +1L/B Hardness.
Upkeep: Maintenance required every 100 hours of use; every 30 missed hours randomly disables one of the powers marked with an asterisk.
Soak +9L/9B, Hardness 5L/5B, Mobility -3, Fatigue 2, Attune 5m
