Age of Dragons: Ambassador-Courtier

Age Of Dragons: Main Page -> Age Of Dragons: Lifepaths -> Ambassador-Courtier

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Overview

Words cut deeper than claws

It had been an interesting month for the Solar Ambassador-Courtier called Voice-of-Reason. He'd convinced a belligerent Argent Dragon to lend his armies to defend the borders of a neighbouring Pure Dragon, and convinced that same self-righteous Pure Dragon to accept that help. In doing so, he'd had to convince both that they were doing him a personal favour, which he in turn would repay by persuading a visiting Ashen Dragon scholar to share the scrolls of lore that he had researched. Of course, this meant giving the Ashen Dragon what he wanted, which was help in getting a pack of Hunter Dragons to lay off harrying his cities. This would be achieved, of course, when the Hunters saw a mass of Argent War Dragons setting up a wayfort on the edge of their sky tribe's territory. Of course, once the Ascendancy threat was dealt with, the Solar could earn a favour off the Hunters by "arranging" for the Argents to go home.

Everyone would benefit, and the only reward for Voice-of-Reason would be the general goodwill of all parties, and the satisfaction of coordinating the war against the Ascendancy. That, of course, and the small measure of wealth that the Solar could earn by having his merchants supply the moving Argent army, the sale of the fort building materials he'd been assidiously stockpiling and the opportunity to converse formally with the Ashen Dragon, and plant some seeds of ideas there to be used and abused in a decade or two once they had time to germinate.

Most importantly, the Argent response would lead to the assured, painful and violent death of Hungry-for-Battle, the Ascendancy general in charge of the assault. That Blood Dragon had duelled with Voice of Reason no less than one hundred and fifty years ago, and left a nasty claw-scar on the Solar's left cheek. It had taken a lot of work to see the Blood Dragon moved up the list of generals to lead this raid, to assure that the Ascendancy force would be inadequate for the job, to make sure that the Argent had a pathological hatred of Blood Dragons and to position the surrounding factions so that the Ascendancy would be cut off from retreat after this attack. It had been a lot of work, but it had been worth every iota of effort.

Negotiation, persuasion and the art of manipulation - these were the tools and weapons of this Ambassador-Courtier, and as Hungry-Claw would soon discover, words could cut far deeper than claws.

The Ambassador-Courtier Lifepath

Dragons are socially adept creatures, with even the most brutish of dragons able to play games of intrigue and manipulation at a level far beyond those of mortals.

Whereas a human might be pleased to persuade an adversary to adopt a certain course of action for the next year, or to socially outmanoeuvre someone in court, Dragons play out their social conflicts on far greater levels. With words in the right places, a dragon can cause kingdoms to topple or enemies to be ostracised from society. They can smear the most loved hero as a traitor, or bring the most unlikely allies into the fold. Likewise, a Dragon will happily work over much larger timescales to achieve his goals, recognising that a major victory that takes one hundred and fifty years is likely worth a lot more than one hundred and fifty trivial victories that take a year each.

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Edges

Skills

Courtier's Charm

This Lifepath Skill adds the Dragon's Arete in Ambassador-Courtier when calculating Technique for the following types of tasks:

• Most aspects of spoken conversations, negotiation, persuasion, seduction, intimidation, diplomacy.
• Written communications, subtle finesse and technique with regards to this.
• Manipulating others in conversation or in writing. Preventing being manipulated yourself.
• Maintaining composure in face of social strategies, defending yourself against social manipulation, intimidation and trickery of all sorts.

Charisma of Kings

This Lifepath Skill adds the Dragon's Arete in Ambassador-Courtier when calculating Technique for the following types of tasks:

• Addressing crowds, oratory, working the morale of armies or groups of soldiers.
• Inspiring courage, loyalty or excellence in those under your command.
• Appearing majestic, regal or noble. Playing on your reputation, or defending your honour.

Political Intrigue

This Lifepath Skill adds the Dragon's Arete in Ambassador-Courtier when calculating Technique for the following types of tasks:

• Understanding politics, bureaucracy and webs of intrigue.
• Working blackmail, indirect manipulation, information management and the like.
• Being subtle, cunning or indirect in social and political arenas. Defending yourself against the intrigues of others.

Suspires

The Lore of Words

The Lore of Words concerns itself with understanding and perceiving the magic inherent in language. Magics of communication and of naming are within the reach of lesser magi and with increasing mastery the lore allows for subtle magics that influence the speech or thoughts of others. Wiht increasing mastery, the Lore becomes less subtle, taking words and infusing them with the celestial power of the draconic elder. These suspires use words like swords, cutting deep into the conscious mind.

• Arete 1-10: Perception and Protection

The dragon can now use his suspires to tell truth from lies, to translate words spoken or written in any language, to spot the unintentional truths hidden behind spoken words, and to recognise spoken magics in all their forms. He can also now shield his mind and those of his colleagues to render them immune to the effects of the Lore of Words. He can use his spells to break existing magical influences on others.

• Arete 11-20: Communication and Naming

With a spell the dragon can send his words to a distant message recepient, with the message travelling as fast as the wind is blowing. The dragon cab also cast spells to name a creature within line of sight, immediately learning the calling name that the creature identifies himself with. Other magics might make your words heard above any background noises, or using mirrors or crystal globes to facilitate long distance conversations. He can also turn his spoken words into writing (by speaking over a prepared book or scroll), and he can make written words speak out loud.

• Arete 21-30: Subtle Influences

A dragon can now bind a target to speak only truth, though he cannot force a target to speak. He can make a target remember his words whether he wants to or not. He can make the words of another sound beguiling or discordant. He can make others feel a surge of emotion, though he can't force them to act on that emotion.

• Arete 31-50: Strong Influences

A dragon can now force a target to silence, or force him to answer a question that is asked of him, while bound to truth. He can empower his words so they have the weight of magic behind them, dramatically increasing his powers of persuasion.

• Arete 51+: Invasive Magics

The dragon can now get straight into a target's mind with nothing but words. He can mind control, giving orders that cannot be refused. He can speaks mad words to inflict temporary insanity. He can shape someone's perceptions or memories by describing images to them. He can create written works that are so fascinating that the weak willed cannot do anything else till they are done reading.

The Lore of Binding

The Lore of Binding is the sorcery of social contracts and traditions. This Lore is considered weak by some sorcerers, as so much of it depends on the agreement and consent of all effected by it spells. Ambassador-Courtiers know better: agreement and consent are nebulous things, easily manipulated by a wily courtier, and the spells themselves enforce civilised behaviour with arcane power. With increasing mastery, a Binder can manipulate the celestial laws, working on agreements made by the gods and primordial forces.

• Arete 1-10: Recording Agreement

• Arete 11-20: Perception and Protection

• Arete 21-30: Consensual Bindings / Minor Punishments and Benefits

• Arete 31-50: Forced Bindings / Major Punishments and Benefits

• Arete 51+: Primordial Law / Divine Punishments and Benefits

• Oath of Brotherhood (1 point) (1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)

To cast this spell, the Dragon must breath into the mouth of another Dragon, then inhale their breath afterwards. Both must then speak the words "I swear you are as my kin." After this spell is cast, the Ambassador-Courtier cannot offer violence to his sworn brother, or vice versa. Any physical violence of any sort immediately curses the offending party, marking him with glowing runes of treachery, that burn into his flesh permanently scarring him and reducing him to Physical Resilience 0 (incapacitated), but immediately ending the spell's effect (thus freeing the other to engage in violence as they will). The spell is ineffective on anyone who has slain an immediate member of their own family (i.e. brother, sister, child or parent), and simply will not work in those circumstances. Similarly, if a dragon bound by the Oath of Brotherhood kills an immediate member of his own family, the Oath's effects end, and an instant pang of emotional pain is felt by both of the Oathbound.

• Claim Hospitality (1 point) (1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)

To cast this spell, the Dragon must be invited into the home, lair or domain of another being, and freely offered something to eat. The Ambassador-Courtier then speaks the words "I accept hospitality." After this spell is cast, the Ambassador-Courtier cannot offer violence to his host, or vice versa. Similarly, those who are under the host's command, or in the Ambassador's retinue cannot harm each other, or be harmed by each other. Any physical violence of any sort immediately curses the offending party, marking him with glowing runes of treachery, that burn into his flesh permanently scarring him and reducing him to Physical Resilience 0 (incapacitated), but immediately ending the spell's effect (thus freeing the mystic binding of others, allowing them to engage in violence as they will).

• Sanctum (1 point) (1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)

To cast this spell, the Dragon must select a Sanctum object that is inscribed with mystic runes (this could be a skull, a gem, a rock, or whatever). The Dragon then breathes on it, whispering the words "I swear that I submit to the Sanctum, and I will draw no blood." Any other Dragons in the vicinity can then do the same, and the Sanctum object will glow slightly with each utterance. For twenty four hours afterwards, none of the Dragons who participated in the ritual may draw blood from any of the other Dragons who were part of the ritual, so long as they are within a ten mile radius of the Sanctum object. Destroying the Sanctum object negates the effect, so Ambassador-Courtiers who wish their Sanctum to have any meaning pick suitably resilience objects. Any Dragon bound by the ritual who does draw blood blasted by arcane energy and reduced to Physical Resilience 0 (incapacitated) by the magics of the ritual, and the effect of the Sanctum spell is immediately ended.

The Greater Lore of Binding

• Justice of the Wheel of Heaven (3 point) (3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)

As he casts this spell, the Dragon points at a target, and pronounces that the target has committed a terrible sin - for example "I name thee kinslayer". If the accusation is correct, then the force of heaven strikes that individual, causing his limbs and wings to be crippled, and his Physical Resilience to be reduced to 0 (incapacitated). However, should the accusation be false, then the backlash of the spell will deal 3 points of Physical Resilience damage to the casting dragon. Only a few select divine crimes can be named and punished by this spell. They include: kinslaying, killing hatchlings, siring or bearing a Harlequin hatchling and raping another dragon.

• Oath Freely Given (3 point) (3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)

The Dragon can only cast this spell as a reaction, when someone speaks a statement of intent within earshot of himself. If successfully cast, that statement is taken to have the force of an oath. If the speaker breaks that oath then he will be struck down with arcane energy, and his Physical Resilience to be reduced to 0 (incapacitated). The speaker is aware of being mystically bound in this way.

• Seat of Neutrality (3 point) (3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)

The Dragon seats himself on the ground, then exhales, and surrounds himself with a halo of silver light. This light remains around him for the next hour, and while it is in place he is both immune to violence, and incapable of it. No direct attack (arcane of physical) is able to harm him, and he can make no direct attack he makes is capable of harming anyone else. Two exceptions apply to this. First, if the dragon moves from the spot where he cast the spell (whether by walking or flying or other modes of transport) the spell ends immediately. Second, the spell offers no protection or control over indirect attacks or environmental damage.

Techniques

Esoteric Linguistic Mastery

Every dragon speaks the draconic tongue of Essraghai, and even the mentally slowest dragon is likely to be a dab hand at mastering mortal languages with only a week or two of practice. This resource represents knowledge of the more unusual languages that a Dragon might come across - ones for which there are no readily available teachers, or which are too alien to master easily. For every 5 points of Lifepath Arete you have, gain fluency in one unusual language. Example languages might include Kraken-speak, Wyverntongue, Low Daemonic and any others that the story introduces.

Xenoculture Mastery

Every dragon is presumed to know his own culture like a native - it comes with being a native! For example, a Solar Dragon would know about Alliance life, the traditions of the Coastal regions, the history of the Solar Accord, of Coastal slang and colloquialisms and of Solar behavioural mannerisms. On the other hand, a Velvet Dragon wouldn't know about those things at all! If you have this Edge, for every 5 points of Lifepath Arete you have, gain knowledge of one culture, gaining the same degree of intimacy with it as a native would.

Note that having this Edge isn't a prerequisite for becoming familiar with another culture - the GM could rule that if you spend enough time immersed in another culture you'll become pretty much native to it. Rather, having this edge lets you automatically keep expanding your cultural nous, as well as retaining and updating your knowledge of already familiar cultures as time passes.