Editing Soft the Sea's Song

[[Image:Girl.gif|frame| [http://seassong.blogspot.com/ Kassie's Diary]  <br>  Apparent Age:  11 <br> Date of Birth:  ?? <br> Hair:  While Golden blond <br> Eyes:  Violet <br> Skin:  Pale <br> Homeland:  ?? <br> Height 4'3" <br> Weight:  85lbs <br> Sex:  female <br><br>  '''Languages Known''':  <br> High Realm  (Kassie cannot read/write yet) <br> ]]

*  ''''' Mordial Kassiopia ''''' [age 24]:  

::*  gender, race, rank:  female, dragonblood concubine

::::  sobriquet:  '''Windswept Candle'''

::*  Brief character description and personality:  imagine Kassiopia at age 24 with black hair -  [http://web.mit.edu/ealba/www/moag.jpg MoaG]...

::*  Short Background, why they know me:  Windswept Candle is/was one of the many concubine kept by the father of Kassie about his war galleon.  Mordial Kassiopia (a slave name) birthed Kassie at age 13 to the Dragonblood commander.  The baby was taken and cared for as one of her fathers children, although Mordial was never made known to be more than a wet nurse to young Kassie and several other children of the commander.  Kassie was only permitted to spend one day with her true mother once a year since she could remember.  But those days were all glorious and inspiring to the young girl.  So much strength came from her mother - hence the sobriquet of "Windswept Candle"... because to this day she's never flickered out.  If anyone would aid Kassie if in a tough position among the Tepet and the Dragonblood it would be her mother - Mordial Kassiopia.  

::*  Brief Skill/Abilities of note:  Compassion and Conviction would be the primary parts that Kassie was given by her mother.  Resolve to survive and thrive through any hardship or lack of attention...  That and her learned ability as a primary geisha of the Tepet.

::*  When/Where last scene by me:  This would likely be the last time she spent a day with her mother.  Every year for her memory she's spent the day of her birth with her mother.  They've never not been together on this day... as yet.

*  ''''' ??name?? ''''' [age ??]:  

*  ''''' ??name?? ''''' [age ??]:  

*  ''''' Silence makes Victims ''''' [age 45]:  

*  ''''' Cazzar Blynne  ''''' [age unknown, appears 40-50s]:  

::*  Male, of some presence or importance within the dock workers of various ports.

::::  sobriquet:  '''the Necessary Evil''', '''the old crow'''

::*  Brief character description and personality:  Cazzar, Mr. Blynne, or the Necessary Evil as he is known is a rat/weasle of a man.  But one with the charisma to lead within the holes and haunts that he inhabits.  His nose is peaked and pointed like a vulture, with a bald head and sloped ears.  His teeth are more like a rat, jutting his lip out as he flicks his greasy tongue over them constantly.  He's unusually thin but you'd never know it for all the layers of cloths he wears, shedding them down when he needs to slip into places or change his appearance even more drastically.

::*  Short Background, why they know me:  Mr. Blynne is as much an outcast as Kassie is in many ways... He constantly "surfs" between ports, staying only long enough to build "business" contacts ... which he eventually angers with his sharp  "I should be running this outfit"  attitude.  He then slips aboard a freighter or galleon to a port where the people have never heard of him  or  (more frequently) have been culled out of the "business" population (ie. killed in deals gone sour).  His business... he's in the business that no one wants to talk about...  he'll do the dirty work passing traitor's dialogues and messages,  spying when needed,  working the gallows so that he can overhear information that he can use to sell or trade.  <br>  As for why someone like Kassie would know this "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagin Fagin]", imagine the little girl playing on the Golden Ivory's ship and low and behold, down in the bilge she finds this stow-away...  Rather than turning him in (as she perhaps should have)  Mr. Blynne bartered with the little girl...  Soon (over the course of the weeks at sea)  she learned to use her small/thin form in similar ways that old Mr. Blynne could.  Lurking and leaping rafter to rafter, rigging to rigging.  She kept him hidden and now and then he takes her up on this hidden passage for any world on the street that she can offer back to her crew and captain, or perhaps even just a story or new technique.

::*  Brief Skill/Abilities of note:  Running and lurking the high places of the darker places above the streets is his signature ability.

::*  When/Where last scene by me:  Mr. Blynne was last visited by Kassie with the crew of the Silver Falcon, he's likely at one of the ports we travel to frequently.

*  ''''' ??name?? ''''' [age ??]:  

*  ''''' Tepet Ejava ''''' [age 20-30 something]:  

::*  female, Dragonblood

::::  sobriquet:  '''the Roseblack'''

::*  Brief character description and personality:  see the books.

::*  Short Background, why they know me:  Ejava is the elder step-sister of Kassie.  Born of the same father.  Ejava barely knew (or cared) about this sibling, until Kassiopia exalted that is...

::::  Tepet Ejava, famously known as the Roseblack, is a close cousin of Tepet Lisano, his deceased twin sister Tepet Felara, and their brother Tepet Aekino. The infamous “Roseblack,” Tepet Ejava, is a brilliant officer on whom the entire House may soon place all its bets. [[Image:Ejava Roseblack.jpg|frame|'''the Roseblack''']]

::::  Meanwhile, the other Great Houses debate the idea of choosing to support the Roseblack, the nickname of Tepet Ejava, a recent military hero and superior strategist who is currently on campaign in the Southwest with the ragtag Vermilion Legion. Even with such a rebellious and broken force under her command, the Roseblack has given the Realm a series of successes and victories that raise people’s hopes for the empire’s glorious survival and renewal.

::::  At present, no one can quite figure out how to keep her safe from Mnemon. If she were recalled to the Blessed Isle, Tepet Ejava would probably face an accident or even obvious assassination the moment she landed. While she is a military genius, she is not as politically savvy a woman as Mnemon—which is, of course, part of the Roseblack’s appeal. But Mnemon is among the most capable sorcerers in the Realm. Even the Roseblack’s most ardent supporters must face the truth: If the Roseblack wants the throne, she will have to take it and then discover how many supporters she has To offer her the throne is tantamount to signing her death warrant, though, for she likely would not survive long enough to be crowned.

::::  More information about the Roseblack is in Aspect Book: Wood.  

::*  When/Where last scene by me:  Ejava likely visited the crew of the Silver Falcon, as this was one of the many galleons in her father's command.  This ship was the ship that Kassie was stationed on with her mother  (a concubine of her Dragonblood father).  When the Silver Falcon was stolen by Golden Ivory, Kassie only watched as her step-sister's regiment were left behind on the dock...  not knowing if Ejava was there or not.  In the beginning of being outcast, Kassie secretly wished that her older sister would come save her from the pirate thieves.

*  ''''' ??name?? ''''' [age ??]:  

*  ''''' ??name?? ''''' [age ??]:  

:::*  '' Former Dragon-Blood princess, now outcast solar  on the run ''  

:::*  '' I will seek to one day see my kind (a Solar) to the throne, not my sister (the Blackrose) or her kind (Terrestrials/Dragon-Blood) ''  

:::*  ''''' the Golden Ivory's ship - I was ship's first mate in the First Age, I will prove myself worthy in this age'''''  

:::*  ''''' My duty is to my Circle, especially when they are insane, treacherous, or wrong'''''  

:::*  ''''' I am a kung-fu master, but my enlightenment is still incomplete'''''

::  ?? (the GM will supply these)

::*  '''ALLIES''':   

:::::  '''<font color=red> • </font>'''  Each dot in this Background typically represents one ally approximately equal in power to a starting character. More powerful allies require higher ratings. Depending upon both her score in this Background and the power of the allies, your character can have between one and five allies.

::::::*  ''''' The Old-Strong ''''':

::::::::*   gender, race, rank: Male, Dragonblood, retired former high commander.

:::::::::  sobriquet:  '''Commander Virynn Koss'''

::::::::*    Brief character description and personality:  calm and even, willing to take any amount of punishment - phycial or mental.  I imagine his as a mountain of a man but extremely dexterous (imagine [http://www.getsalt.com/upload/AMCHOP06.jpg Paul Sr. from American Chopper]).

::::::::*   Short Background, why they know me: This ally is a retired former commander in the '''Tepet Verilion Legion''' assigned to care for Kassie. He became loyal and loving of the child & is now secret Dragon-Blood aid.  The Old Strong knew and cared for Kassie's mother a great deal.  Some (the Roseblack) taunt that Kassie is more likely the prodigy of old Commander Koss ...  while this is likely untrue (as the Old Strong, though he loved Kassie's mother would likely not have been disloyal to the Tepets)  it is known widely that the Old Strong had loved Windswept Candle (Kassie's mother) from the day they met, over a decade ago.  This love translated into an apathy for following the orders of the Tepet family for the Old Strong which led to one of the greatest defeats in the history of the Verilion Legion,  or at least that's what it has been told...  In reality, the Old Strong would have died on that battlefield that day fighting and defending for the house he swore oath to...  But it was the arts of a sorceror who was hidden on the battlefield that twisted what men saw, making the Old Strong seem weak and less than loyal.  It was something the strong general could never overcome.  His rank was demoted to that of a lesser commander by the end of those battles, and soon was ushered out unceramoniously -  many bitter Tepets passive agressively had him keep his title of commander and the sobriquet (that he'd earned) of the Old Strong.  But they did so with smirks and laughter behind the old man.  He retired to become the chief of care for Kassie, again a slap in the face taunting him from Kassie's father - almost baiting the Old Strong to say "you couldn't have my concubine and you will protect our child"....  to the Old Strongs surprise the child grew in his heart and the rest is an 11 year old dedication of history watching over Kassie...  until the Silver Falcon was stolen!

::::::::*   Brief Skill/Abilities of note: the Old Strong has a top tier power of his own, something that's focused like a razor blade in war...  something that's a one shot kill.  But he rarely uses it.  Instead he relies on his strong skill of tactics and war knowledge... knowing the history and logistics of nearly every battle on record,  so that he can use the information to lead men.

::::::::*    When/Where last scene by me:  the Old Strong is probably hating himself for whatever reason he was not watching over Kassie that day she exalted and was kidnapped by the crew of the Silver Falcon.  It might have been that Kassie's Exaltation took him by surprise blasting him (with her Thunder of Heaven charm) a dozen yards into the sea while the ship and Kassie sailed away.  He's likely now hunting for her and should be catching up soon.  I wouldn't be surprised if he's not tracked her down into the islands and is waiting there for the Silver Falcon to return... to seek vengence on its captain for kidnapping Kassie!!

 

::*  '''CONTACTS''':   

:::::  '''<font color=red> • </font>'''  Each dot of this Background provides one major contact and one additional die for finding minor ones.  

::::::* ''''' Major Contact #1''''' :   ???

::::::* ''''' Major Contact #2''''' :   ???

::::::* ''''' Major Contact #3''''' :  ???

::::::* ''''' Minor Contacts''''' :   Various NPCs met/contacts.

 

::*  '''CULT''':   

:::::  '''<font color=red> •• </font>'''  Gods know that worship gives them power. Your character also learned this lesson and has worshipers who honor her as their patron goddess. It doesn’t matter if the character’s worshipers love or fear her. What matters is that they make regular offerings and prayers to her. However, cults based upon love endure far longer when facing oppression or persecution. If you actively aid your worshipers, your cult will grow and spread. However, the Wyld Hunt attempts to destroy all Solar cults.

:::::  '''''Cult Notes & Description''''':  The members of one large community or several small ones worship you. Several hundred people make daily prayers and full-time priests or nuns tend a few shrines and make offerings to you.

:::::  '''''Benefit''''':  You gain a point of temporary Willpower every morning and also regain two motes of Essence per hour from worship.

 

 

 

:::::  '''<font color=red> ••••• </font>'''  The familiar is a powerful, impressive, dangerous small animal pet that is as intelligent as a child of eight or nine years. It can fetch items and do chores, but it has no book learning and is easily distracted. The familiar can communicate with you as well as if it were speaking by its noises, postures and expressions. It has increased preternaturally intelligence and near-perfect communication.  When it is touching your character, it makes an additional five motes of Essence available. This Essence is “stored” in the familiar but is otherwise treated as Personal Essence. It regenerates only after your character has regained all his own Essence. The character can share one of the familiar’s senses (at a time) when the familiar is within 100 yards.  <br> <br>

:::::: One peculiar modification, called the ember-mouse, allowed the animal to breathe fire.  Records of the exact reasons are lost.  Savants and scholars believe that this creature was often used as an inexpensive fuel source for balloons and derigibles that were so common at the time.  They became a common pet for those with leisure time and a desire to travel. 

:::::: At some point, through breeding or ill-concieved tinkering this particular trait started to be found in a version designed specifically for covert operations, once called the spider-mouse.  This strange combination of abilities must have made the animal fit enough to survive without the solars of the first age, for this creature, known as the ember-spider, is the only known surviving variant, though even these are extremely rare.

:::::::The torch-tounge ability is an iconic ability for this creature.  The ember-spider can spend 5 motes of essence to launch a flame attack, burning its would-be attackers, and often distracting enemies long enough to escape.  When the ember-spider uses this ability, its back glows as the essence is channeled through its body.

::::::: Alternatively, the ember-spider can use 1 mote of essence to burn a less intense flame for 1 minute.  This flame is treated as an environmental hazard of 2L/action, but cannot be used if the ember-spider is moving. Ember-spiders will emit this flame automatically if scratched or rubbed on the stomach.

::::::: '''Spider-Foot Style''' 4m Reflexive Lasts for one scene:  This is the ability that gives this stealthy mouse variant its name. 

::::::: '''Door Evasion Technique''' 10m, 1wp Reflexive Instant:  Now and again, even the ember-spider cannot find a way to its target.  At a great cost, the ember-spider can take a speed 6 action and burrow through a single wall, ceiling, or floor that is made of a substance that a mouse would eventually be able to burrow through.  This creates a hole for the ember-mouse to travel through. The hole will close up at a predetermined time after the hole is originally made.  Once the time is set, it cannot be changed.

::::::: '''Stealing From Plain Sight Spirit''' 5m:  Often, ember-spiders were employed to “retrieve” various objects. The ember-spider can use the stealing from plain sight spirit ability, but not the version that allows it to steal something it cannot reach

 

: '''Cost''':  1 point  (NOTE:  GM gave one 1pt Combo at character creation)

 

:  '''Cost''':  2 points

 

:  '''Description''':  ???

 

::  na

:::    A characterwith this Flaw stands only four and a half feet tall or less. She has difficulty reaching and manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, reducing her effective Strength by one dot for the sole purpose of meeting the minimum requirements of weapons and large tools. Her reduced size also costs her one -1 health level. Lunar Exalted with this Flaw appear proportionally smaller in all forms unless assuming a specific guise as with Prey's Skin Disguise. In addition to representing children or short adults or pygmy races such as the Djala, this Flaw can aid in portraying extremely gaunt and frail characters of normal height (especially in conjunction with low Stamina).

:::    The character has not yet reached full maturity, and therefore, most adults treat him with patronizing amusement or disdain. Her opinions are generally ignored in favore of those older and wiser, especially in matters for her own good. And that assumes anyone even bothers to hear what she has to say in the first place. The character's player loses one to three dice from all Social rolls involving interactions with adults, depending on the tolerance of the adult in question. Most children also have the Small Flaw. and a measure of Unskilled.

:::    The character is a known criminal, or her actions have somehow incurred the wrath of authorities willing to send hunters after her. Whether she is actually innocent is irrelevant. For on point, the character is mostly likely an escaped slave or has defaulted on a moderate loan, committed a theft or become involved in some other minor crime involving another's property. Pursuit will be slight if at all, though the character will need to keep a low profile if she ever returns home. Three points indicates a murder or violent crime and a certainty of pursuit, with capture mostly likely leading to death or lengthy imprisonment. Five points indicated the character has committed an act of highest inexcusable treason: consorting with the Deathlords or fae, leading a rebellion, assassinating the king, etc. Storytellers should use these guidelines to interpolate crimes rated at two or four points.

 

 

 

[[Image:Cassies-shoes.gif|thumb|'''''A little girl and her shoes...'''  <br> Kassie has fashioned and "iron boot" from more traditional asian shoes... As the name implies, an iron boot is a heavy leather boot covered in brass or iron studs or small plates of metal. Iron boots are always worn in pairs. <br> A character wearing iron boots cannot use them to block lethal attacks without a stunt.  ''(see notes to the left)''  <br> [http://wiki.rpg.net/images/3/3b/Cassies-shoes.gif LARGE]]]

<table border="0">

       <th colspan="8" style="background:#330066;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><font color="#cccccc" size="4"> Iron Geta </font></b> </th></tr>

   <td> +6B </td>

   <td> -3 </td>

   <td> 2 </td>

   <td>Str •• </td>

   <td> •• </td>

::  '''Geta''' (下駄) are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. Sometimes geta are worn in rain or snow to keep the feet dry, due to their extra height and impermeability compared to other shoes such as zori. <br> There are several different styles of geta. The most familiar style in the West consists of an unfinished wooden board called a dai (台, stand) that the foot is set upon, with a cloth thong (鼻緒, hanao) that passes between the big toe and second toe. As geta are usually worn only with yukata or other informal Japanese clothes or Western clothes, there is no need to wear socks. <br> The two supporting pieces below the base board, called "teeth" (歯 ha), are also made of wood, usually very light-weight kiri (桐, paulownia) and make a distinctive "clacking" sound while walking: カランコロン or karankoron. A traditional saying in Japanese translates as "You don't know until you have worn geta." This means roughly, "you can't tell the results until the game is over." <br> Merchants use very high geta (two long "teeth") to keep the feet well above the seafood scraps on the floor. The "teeth" are usually not separate, instead, the geta is carved from one block of wood. The "teeth" of any geta may have harder wood drilled into the bottom of the "teeth" to avoid splitting, and the soles of the "teeth" may have rubber soles glued onto them. <br> The hanao can be wide and padded, or narrow and hard, and it can be made with many sorts of fabric. Printed cotton with traditional Japanese motifs is popular, but there are also geta with vinyl and leather hanao. According to Japanese superstition, breaking the thong on one's geta is considered very unlucky. <br> <br>  '''Okobo''' are wooden sandals worn by maiko (apprentice geisha) during their apprenticeship. Okobo are very tall, and usually made from a block of willow wood. Usually, the wood has either no finish or a natural finish, but during the summer months, maiko will wear black-lacquered okobo. They are held to the foot by simple thong-like straps in colors that represent their maiko status. Red straps are worn by new maiko, yellow are worn by maiko that are nearly done with their apprenticeship. <br> Alternatively, okobo are referred to as "pokkuri" or "koppori". These names come from the sound okobo make when walking.  <br> <br> '''Hidden Compartments''':  Kassie has fashioned small compartments in the hard-wooden soles of her shoes. It was "the Necessary Evil" who showed her this technique long ago. She generally hides minor trinkets, keys and such inside for safe keeping. The compartments also act as a nice, if not jarring, little place for Saxon to ride along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:::  '''Charms''': Lisara is a Fire Aspect. For five motes, she can surround herself for a scene with a corona of flames that does no damage to her body or possessions but affects anything else she touches as normal flame would. Bare-handed or grappling attacks against Lisara will cause the attacker to suffer three dice of lethal damage, and any hand-to-hand attacks made by her inflict an additional three dice of lethal damage. She can also ignite flammable materials with a touch. Lisara has First and Second Excellencies for Melee, and First, Second and Third Excellencies for Socialize. She can also add five dice to any single attempt to seduce another. She can cause opponents to burst into flame with a successful Melee strike for single mote, causing an extra four levels of lethal damage for one action, and she can summon a flaming sword out of thin air for three motes and one Willpower. She can also render her steed temporarily immune to the lethal effects of her anima. Lisara has two levels of Ox-Body Technique.

:::  Other Notes: Lisara typically travels with fellow officers in groups of two to six, usually leading detachments of possibly dozens of elite troops. These traits could be used for any young Dragon-Blooded officer. Additionally, the imperial garrison at Chiaroscuro contains a dragon of 500 troops (treat as elite troops), any number of which might accompany Lisara if she knows she is going into combat, especially against Anathema.