Exalted - Unofficial Wiki - User contributions [en]

Shataina/PrincessAmastara2E

2020-07-23T06:18:04Z

Shataina:

== Princess Amastara ==

Dawn Caste Solar Exalt

Both an unbelievably haughty princess and a general beyond compare, Amastara lives to protect her country and her family -- and is horrified by her very nature, because it puts them both in danger.

She also doesn't like her First Age boyfriend, because he's an abusive psychopath. But hey, you can't expect anything less from an Abyssal.

* back to [[Shataina]].
* back to [[Shataina/Characters|Shataina's Characters]].
* back to whatever link we set up for 2nd Ed characters

----

=== Cut Scenes ===

Amastara dreamed: 
 
He comes in like a falling star, bursting through the door, upon her without warning. She has her blade out before he's reached her, has already pirouetted to parry his first and second strikes. With brutal, uncaring strength, he tears the daiklave from her fingers and closes in, punching her back into the wall and pinning her there with one arm. 
 
She fights as hard as she can, Essence blazing around her hands and feet as she twists to kick him. Bruises and cuts flower on his skin. He laughs at her, holding her as she desperately seeks a new angle of attack, then, crushing her to her knees, forces her arms to fold at an impossible angle behind her. Long beyond tears of pain, she still gasps as one arm breaks, screams as he scores savage, bloody wounds down her back. 
 
"Submit," he murmurs. She can see the smile on his lips from the corner of one eye. "Never," she snarls back, but can't repress her own smile, laughing as he pulls her hair, forcing her head back to kiss her. "All right," she says finally, "I'm yours, my love," and relaxes back into his open arms, returning the kiss even as he bites through her lower lip. "Anything. I submit."

-----

Amastara finished her coffee and folded the cards, leaning back in her chair. "Another hand?" she inquired. 
 
"Sorry, General, I'm out," yawned the kingdom's star archer, stretching her arms and legs as she rose. The other two soldiers nodded, exhausted. "Maybe you should sleep too, sir," one of them offered tentatively. 
 
"Nonsense," she said brusquely, standing. "I'll see you all in the morning." 
 
The three exchanged glances. "It's just that, sir, you haven't slept for --" 
 
"I'll be fine," Amastara said firmly. "Sweet dreams. Dismissed." 
 
Sweeter than mine, I hope, she thought as she exited the barracks into the night. She nodded to the guards on duty, paused to share a drag of her cigarette with them, and paced off under the torchlight. She'd ordered that the castle grounds be kept well-lit with the recent troubles. It had the added effect of lending a new ambiance to the walks she'd begun to take recently. 
 
She had to do something not to sleep, she reflected. The drugs she'd convinced the healer to give her made her twitchy and anxious, gave her enough energy to run for hours, but she suspected that if she sat down without something to concentrate on she'd fall right asleep. And she really didn't want to dream. 
 
She tilted her head back, watched the stars, and reflected on who else would be up. Her sister, who she'd played Gateway with into the night, had gone to bed. Her personal guard was turning in, and she oughtn't associate with the common soldiers, probably ... although even they had started to be tempting. Everyone else was asleep. 
 
Except the captive. 
 
The thought came to her unbidden, and she snarled at it internally, but it remained. Amastara took another drag from her cigarette, inhaling as deeply as possible, reveling in its bite. The captive. The Abyssal. My ex. 
 
He's not my ex. I'm not who I was in the First Age. I'm not. 
 
She found herself walking in through the front door of the palace, telling herself she wasn't going down to the dungeon. She almost had herself convinced until she made it all the way there. 
 
"Go ahead and take a half-hour break," she told the night shift standing in front of his cell; they seemed glad of it, saluting and leaving with alacrity. Amastara finished her cigarette and crushed it under her heel. 
 
He looked up and she suffered a momentary recollection of when they'd captured him, just a few nights ago. He had knelt at her sword-point and she'd felt the recognition wash through her like a tide. She couldn't stand watching him kneel to her. It was wrong. 
 
Wrong? He's an Abyssal. Not someone you can trust. And you're not who you were. Any more than he is. 
 
"Amastara," he said mildly. No honorific, she noted, and gritted her teeth. Disrespectful bastard. "To what do I owe this honor?" 
 
That's Princess Amastara to him. We're not on a first-name basis. Gods, I don't even know his name! "What's your name?" she asked without preamble. 
 
"What does it matter?" He was sitting on his pallet, next to a steel bucket. The long hair, black as water, shone, making his skin look so pale as to seem unreal. 
 
"I was just curious," she said airily. "I know you said you don't have one, but everyone has a name. Anyway, you know mine." 
 
"Yes," he said. "I know a lot about you. I have for a while. You're the princess here, hereditary head of the army. You have a brother, a father, two sisters; your mother died of consumption, your father is due to remarry soon. ... Am I right?" 
 
"Researched me, did you?" Amastara stared at him, found herself wanting another cigarette. "How did you know? I didn't know about you." 
 
"No. You didn't." He stood, and sauntered forward. How does he manage to look so good in a damned cell? she wondered. "In answer to your first question, I originally was researching your kingdom." 
 
"Why?" 
 
"I look into all the kingdoms I have missions in." Hands in his pockets, he looked at her. His eyes were as black as his hair. "What do you want?" 
 
The question had a gravity she hadn't expected, and it threw her. He'd asked her once, she remembered, when they first caught him, and she hadn't know what to say then, either. Amastara resisted the urge to step forward. Not this, she thought. Not you. 
 
She coughed. "So," she said icily. "Weak and untrustworthy." 
 
He sighed. "I was trying to protect you." 
 
"By setting my Twilight friend against me? By telling him that I'm weak and untrustworthy? How would that protect me?" Is that what you really think of me? she wanted to shout. That I'm weak? Maybe you should look at whose cell you're in! 
 
"There are a lot of things going on," he said tiredly. "You'll be safer if people think you useless." 
 
"I can take care of myself," she informed him. 
 
"Maybe so." The Abyssal turned away from her, then whirled back around, quickly enough to startle. "You didn't answer my question," he said coldly. "What do you want? Do you want to be hurt?" 
 
What the hell kind of non-sequiteur was that? Who the hell do you think you are? "No, I didn't," Amastara snapped. "And you're full of yourself. You don't know me. I don't care what went on between us a thousand years ago. I'm not who I was." She took a breath and found that she'd adopted a combat-ready stance, tense and glaring. 
 
"Maybe so," he said again, seeming unaffected by her hostility. Tossing his head back, he regarded at the ceiling, half-sighed. "And maybe you do have all the answers. But be careful. You shouldn't trust anyone. Certainly not those other Solars." 
 
"Who says I trust them?" she demanded, and was rewarded by a surprised flash of his eyes. That's right, she thought angrily. Maybe you don't have all the answers either, you self-confident son of a bitch. 
 
"Maybe you'll surprise me," he said softly. 
 
Amastara snapped her eyes away from his face, glared at the granite floor, and began to pace. "Do you dream about me?" she asked suddenly, and cursed herself for the unexpectedly vulnerable tone to her voice. She'd wanted it to sound like a command. 
 
Expressionlessly, he said, "Come forward." A moment later, Amastara realized that she had, and was standing just outside the cell. Somehow, she'd met his gaze again, too. This is insane, she raged at herself, but didn't move. 
 
"Shade," he said, with intensity. 
 
"What?" 
 
"Shade. That's my name. Say it." 
 
"Shade," she repeated back automatically. 
 
"You can call me that," he breathed, "but only you. That name is just for you." Dark, dark eyes; Amastara felt trapped by them. She nodded. 
 
"Now tell me, Amastara," he said, in a voice like velvet. "Of your family, who would it hurt you most to lose?" 
 
"What?" she whispered. 
 
"Whose death would hurt you the most?" Shade watched her, then allowed a small smile onto his face. "Your brother? Your younger sister, perhaps? Your father?" 
 
"I don't --" 
 
"Who?" he demanded. 
 
"My father!" Amastara cried. His stare had caught her; she felt like a butterfly pinned to a board. 
 
"Why?" 
 
"I --" Not a fair question, she thought furiously, and who are you to ask?, but thought was remote; it had been replaced with a kind of terror. Something in her was trying to answer; part of her wanted to answer him. She broke off in a kind of agony. Why did he want to know? she wondered. Don't hurt him -- Shade -- 
 
"I told your friend you were weak," Shade hissed, "because it was true. You are weak -- far too weak. You're going to have to be able to make choices, and they're not going to be easy. You may have thought you could hide your nature and cringe here away from the rest of the world, but you can't be that kind of coward anymore, Amastara!" 
 
In an instant, the anger had broken through. Was I really about to beg him not to hurt my father? Amastara strode forward and grabbed the bars. "And how do you know?" she snarled. 
 
"Because I know you, Amastara," he snarled back. He came straight up to her, his face inches away, and she saw, feeling sick, that he had fangs -- like a monster. "I know you, whether you want me to or not, and when the time comes when you need to choose, you won't choose. What's my name?" 
 
She fought herself, struggling not to open her mouth. For a stretch they stood there, locked face-to-face. I don't want this, she thought, over and over. Finally, with a growl, she shouted it at him like a curse: "Shade!" 
 
Shade thrust his hand out through the bars, palm upwards. "Give me the keys," he ordered. 
 
Amastara's hand dropped to the keyring at her belt. This isn't what I want, she thought. No. She tore her other hand away from the bar and fell back a few steps. The Abyssal, too, stepped back, his face unreadable. Poised for flight, she berated herself. Running -- from him? He's a prisoner in a cell! 
 
She ran.

----

=== Character Background and Explanations ===

Description

Princess Amastara is a striking, ethnically Eastern girl with wide, light amber eyes, slightly darker medium-brown skin, and long, straight pale-blonde hair. Barring exceptional circumstances, she always dresses her rank, including a gold-and-garnet diadem that sits low on her brow (and conveniently covers her Caste Mark should she spend a little too much Essence). Her official capacity is almost entirely martial (see "Country Notes" in the "History" section) and she always has both a cavalry sword at her waist (or lately, a jade reaper daiklave) and her ancestral bow (see "Artifact" under "Backgrounds") slung across her back. She also, whenever she's awake, unfailingly wears her armour, unless she's required not to for a party or some such.

History

Born a princess, trained from birth to lead her country's armies into war, Princess Amastara never had any doubt of her abilities or responsibilities. Always believing that her family had the absolute right to rule, she dedicated herself to learning how best to protect them and lead her country. An uprising when she was twenty led to her Exaltation: cornered in the palace with her father by an army of mercenaries hired by a group of dissatisfied nobles, she was prepared to go down fighting until a bar of sunlight fell upon her from an open window. Every mercenary was killed in the ensuing battle, and for a long time only her father knew that she was Exalted.

She tried to keep her nature a secret, knowing that the Realm would destroy her and her country if they knew, but a series of unfortunate events made that impossible. Now Amastara and a few Solar allies have annihilated one airship sent by the Realm, and she is known and accepted as a Solar by her people (which were mostly converted to the faith of the Unconquered Sun by a mind-controlling Zenith Caste). The princess isn't at all happy that she's a known Solar; she's also displeased that her people were forcibly converted to a religion they didn't choose, finding the unnatural influence abhorrent. But she can't argue with the results, and although she considered leaving her country -- for its own safety -- before, she knows she can't do that now: the Brilliant Tempest Kingdom will soon entirely worship the Unconquered Sun, and so whether or not she remains to lead them, she's sure the Realm will crush them if it gets the chance. Hence, she remains, building up the military, and hoping desperately that the Realm has more important things to do than send too many legions to cope with.

Country Notes

Amastara's country, the Brilliant Tempest Kingdom, is one of the largest of the Hundred Kingdoms, and has only one or two real rivals. The situation is uneasy, but relatively stable; times are hard, and it would be a terrible time for a war -- especially since she's a known Anathema, and her armies have already crushed several others in open combat.

Inheritance of the actual throne goes to male heirs first, then girls only when all the (relatively) immediate male heirs have been eliminated. However, the martial aspects of ruling the kingdom are considered the domain of the royal women, and they are inevitably trained in all aspects of battle. They are expected to excel at leading soldiers and fighting; the oldest princess becomes general of the army when her predecessor dies. Generally, male members of the family are considered to have domain over social maneuvering and be best at it.

Backgrounds

Artifact

The ancestral bow of Amastara's kingdom is a longer-than-usual mahogany bow, engraved with elegant curlicues inlaid with red enamel and gilt. It is passed down through the female line; the inheriting princess receives it when she comes of age at 15. It may only be wielded by members of the country's true royal line; anyone who isn't of the proper blood who even tries to touch it will receive a mild shock. It functions as an excellent longbow, requires no attunement, and cannot be broken by mortal means.

Backing

Amastara leads the army, and her soldiers are as devotedly loyal to her as she is to them.

Influence

As princess, Amastara isn't that public a figure -- except to the army. She has a lot of influence, but most of it isn't with the non-military.

Followers

Amastara's personal guard, the Scarlet Guard, has members chosen for unparalleled loyalty and above-and-beyond skill. There are 20 of them, and they have elite statistics.

Resources

Amastara doesn't oversee the royal purse, but she can get access to a lot of money if she has to.

Spies

Though she's more interested in running the army, Amastara is also expected to coordinate the espionage efforts of the Brilliant Tempest Kingdom.

Loose Ends

Flaws

* Eternal Vow / Throwback: Amastara's lover in the First Age is now an Abyssal, and he remembers her as well as she remembers him. Worse, they had a very power-oriented relationship, and one that focused heavily on pain (hers). Her Essence wants to obey him: if he gives her an order, she has to roll Willpower at a difficulty of her own Essence score not to follow it. (You may have noticed that her Limit Break condition is obeying orders. She doesn't like him at all.)

Languages

[[MoLinguistics|Houseruled Language System]]: Hundred Kingdoms 3; Celestial Old Realm 2; Riverspeak 2; High Realm 2. (In terms of the normal Exalted linguistic system, this character can speak and read Forest-Tongue [her native language], High Realm, Old Realm and Riverspeak.)

Character Generation / Experience

Canon Experience (91): Melee 2-3 (3); Lightning Speed (8); Athletics 3-4 (5); Essence 2-3 (16); Sail 0-1 (3); There Is No Wind (8); Thrown 0-1 (2); Melee Triumphant (8); Ox-Body Technique (8); Presence 2-3 (3); Presence Triumphant (8); Combo (9); Single Leaping Spark Attack (8); Martial Arts 0-1 (2)

Once [[MoExperience|Houseruled]] (33): Investigation Excellency (8); Investigation 1-2 (9); Integrity Excellency (8); [Integrity Willpower rather than Essence] (8)

----

=== Statistics ===

Attributes

Strength: 2 
Dexterity: 5 
Stamina: 3

Charisma: 3 
Manipulation: 3 
Appearance: 4

Perception: 2 
Intelligence: 4 
Wits: 3

Abilities

Archery: 4 (Specialty: Ancestral Bow +2) 
Athletics: 4 
Awareness: 2 
Bureaucracy: 2 
(Dodge: 3) 
Integrity: 3 
Investigation: 2 
Larceny: 1 
(Linguistics: 3) 
Lore: 2 
Martial Arts: 1 
Melee: 3 
Performance: 1 (Specialty: Speeches +2) 
Presence: 3 (Specialty: Leadership +2) 
Resistance: 2 
Sail: 1 
Ride: 2 
Socialize: 3 
Thrown: 1 
War: 4 (Specialty: Her Own Country + 2)

Backgrounds

Artifact -- Ancestral Bow: 1 
Backing -- Army: 3 
Influence -- Princess: 2 
Followers -- Scarlet Guard: 3 
Resources: 4 
Spies: 2

Virtues and Such

Compassion: 2 
Conviction: 3 (Specialty: Loyalty +1) 
Temperance: 2 (Vice: Rage -1) 
Valour: 4 (Limit Break: [[VirtueFlaws/Ikselam|Ikselam's]] Megalomaniac Ambition) 
Floating Virtue Specialty: For Her Country +1

Willpower: 5

Essence: 3 
Personal Essence Pool: 14 
Peripheral Essence Pool: 40 [canonically: 37] (14 committed to Vashtemo [10] and scarlet jade reinforced breastplate [4])

Flaws

Eternal Vow (+1) 
Greater Curse (+5) 
Throwback (+3)

Motivations and Intimacies

Motivation:
*Protect her country, keep her family in power
Intimacies:
*Love of her father
*Love of her brother
*Love of her youngest sister
*Some insane connection to her Abyssal ex-husband
*Loyalty to the soldiers under her command
*Love of her Water-Aspected Han Solo-type lover Kai

Charms and Combat

<nowiki>* </nowiki>Archery Overwhelming 
<nowiki>* </nowiki>Piercing Sunbeam Arrow (Archery damage over time) 
<nowiki>* </nowiki>There Is No Wind 
Single Leaping Spark Attack (Archery reflexive attack) 
Melee Triumphant 
Graceful Crane Stance 
Monkey Leap Technique 
Lightning Speed 
Athletics Overwhelming 
<nowiki>* </nowiki>Dodge Overwhelming 
Integrity Triumphant 
[Integrity Willpower rather than Essence] 
Investigation Triumphant 
Presence Triumphant 
Body-Mending Meditation 
War Overwhelming 
Sun's Battlefield Blessing (War terrain choice)

Base Combat Statistics: (using Ancestral Bow) Speed 6, 12 Attack, Rate 3 
(using scarlet reaper daiklave) Speed 4, 12 Attack, Rate 3, Damage 6L 
Dodge DV: 6 (armoured: 5); Parry DV: 5 
Soak: (armoured) 12B / 11L / 10A; (unarmoured) 3B / 1L / oA 
Mobility Penalty: 1; Fatigue Value: 1 
Health Levels: -0, -0, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -2, -4, -4, -4, Incapacitated [unhouseruled: lose 1 -0 and 2 -4s]

Experience Points: 12 
Magical Experience Points: 0

----

=== Comments ===

Shataina/Characters

2020-07-23T06:05:37Z

Shataina: /* Shataina's Characters */

== Shataina's Characters ==

I have Tendencies when it comes to characters. They tend to be beautiful, intelligent, compassionate (compassionate characters are so much more interesting) and female (go figure). Sometimes I break these Tendencies. Not often.

The characters that are completely done have a * next to them for easy navigation.

* back to [[Shataina]].
* back to [[Characters]].

=== God-Blooded and Demon-Blooded ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/IshiraAmakari]] (Demon-Blood) ~ I'll come up with a decent encapsulated description of this character one day, but today is not that day; the daughter of Makarios defies description. Second favorite character I've made, and certainly the most original.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/RishiRiana]] (God-Blood) ~ Adorable catgirl thief. I wanted a shapechanger and a pooka-like figure, but I'm not so sure about fae PCs and Lunars suck, so I was bereft ... till I figured out that I could make a daughter of the God of Cats.

=== Solar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/PrincessAmastara]] (Dawn Caste) ~ [2nd Edition] Princess of a Threshhold kingdom, arrogant and self-important but willing to die for her kingdom, she tries desperately to preserve it against the hundreds of outside threats, praying that her own Solar nature won't be its downfall.

=== Lunar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/QuicksilverScribe]] (No Moon) ~ A crippled poet who takes solace in her songbird form, she was Exalted by Luna for her bravery and will to survive despite her defect.

=== Terrestrial Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/CynisSierra]] (Fire Aspect) ~ Unsuited to her house, her faith, and indeed, to the Realm entirely, a painter, calligrapher, and poet whose greatest passion is for her art.

=== Abyssal Exalted ===

[[Shataina/DarkFacade]] (Moonshadow Caste) ~ A devoted servant of Oblivion who tore apart his own heart in order to better serve the cause. Page under construction.

=== Esoteric ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki> [[Shataina/LadyShataina]] (Goddess of Stories and former Solar Exalt) ~ the Lady herself. My signature, and favorite, character, but not, regrettably, all that original. This is about as done as it will ever get, but it's not nearly as comprehensive or interesting as my other character pages -- Shataina just doesn't synopsize well enough for me, and [http://www.shataina.com her story] is too long.

Shataina/Characters

2020-07-23T06:05:23Z

Shataina: /* Shataina's Characters */

== Shataina's Characters ==

I have Tendencies when it comes to characters. They tend to be beautiful, intelligent, compassionate (compassionate characters are s much more interesting) and female (go figure). Sometimes I break these Tendencies. Not often.

The characters that are completely done have a * next to them for easy navigation.

* back to [[Shataina]].
* back to [[Characters]].

=== God-Blooded and Demon-Blooded ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/IshiraAmakari]] (Demon-Blood) ~ I'll come up with a decent encapsulated description of this character one day, but today is not that day; the daughter of Makarios defies description. Second favorite character I've made, and certainly the most original.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/RishiRiana]] (God-Blood) ~ Adorable catgirl thief. I wanted a shapechanger and a pooka-like figure, but I'm not so sure about fae PCs and Lunars suck, so I was bereft ... till I figured out that I could make a daughter of the God of Cats.

=== Solar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/PrincessAmastara]] (Dawn Caste) ~ [2nd Edition] Princess of a Threshhold kingdom, arrogant and self-important but willing to die for her kingdom, she tries desperately to preserve it against the hundreds of outside threats, praying that her own Solar nature won't be its downfall.

=== Lunar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/QuicksilverScribe]] (No Moon) ~ A crippled poet who takes solace in her songbird form, she was Exalted by Luna for her bravery and will to survive despite her defect.

=== Terrestrial Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/CynisSierra]] (Fire Aspect) ~ Unsuited to her house, her faith, and indeed, to the Realm entirely, a painter, calligrapher, and poet whose greatest passion is for her art.

=== Abyssal Exalted ===

[[Shataina/DarkFacade]] (Moonshadow Caste) ~ A devoted servant of Oblivion who tore apart his own heart in order to better serve the cause. Page under construction.

=== Esoteric ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki> [[Shataina/LadyShataina]] (Goddess of Stories and former Solar Exalt) ~ the Lady herself. My signature, and favorite, character, but not, regrettably, all that original. This is about as done as it will ever get, but it's not nearly as comprehensive or interesting as my other character pages -- Shataina just doesn't synopsize well enough for me, and [http://www.shataina.com her story] is too long.

Shataina/Characters

2020-07-23T06:04:10Z

Shataina: /* Shataina's Characters */

== Shataina's Characters ==

I have Tendencies when it comes to characters. They tend to be beautiful (this probably arises from some sort of unconscious narcissism), intelligent (I don't like playing characters dumber than I am -- yeah, okay, go ahead and call me arrogant ;), compassionate (because compassionate characters are more interesting to me) and female (go figure). Sometimes I break these Tendencies. Not often.

The characters that are completely done have a * next to them for easy navigation.

* back to [[Shataina]].
* back to [[Characters]].

=== God-Blooded and Demon-Blooded ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/IshiraAmakari]] (Demon-Blood) ~ I'll come up with a decent encapsulated description of this character one day, but today is not that day; the daughter of Makarios defies description. Second favorite character I've made, and certainly the most original.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/RishiRiana]] (God-Blood) ~ Adorable catgirl thief. I wanted a shapechanger and a pooka-like figure, but I'm not so sure about fae PCs and Lunars suck, so I was bereft ... till I figured out that I could make a daughter of the God of Cats.

=== Solar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/PrincessAmastara]] (Dawn Caste) ~ [2nd Edition] Princess of a Threshhold kingdom, arrogant and self-important but willing to die for her kingdom, she tries desperately to preserve it against the hundreds of outside threats, praying that her own Solar nature won't be its downfall.

=== Lunar Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/QuicksilverScribe]] (No Moon) ~ A crippled poet who takes solace in her songbird form, she was Exalted by Luna for her bravery and will to survive despite her defect.

=== Terrestrial Exalted ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki>[[Shataina/CynisSierra]] (Fire Aspect) ~ Unsuited to her house, her faith, and indeed, to the Realm entirely, a painter, calligrapher, and poet whose greatest passion is for her art.

=== Abyssal Exalted ===

[[Shataina/DarkFacade]] (Moonshadow Caste) ~ A devoted servant of Oblivion who tore apart his own heart in order to better serve the cause. Page under construction.

=== Esoteric ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki> [[Shataina/LadyShataina]] (Goddess of Stories and former Solar Exalt) ~ the Lady herself. My signature, and favorite, character, but not, regrettably, all that original. This is about as done as it will ever get, but it's not nearly as comprehensive or interesting as my other character pages -- Shataina just doesn't synopsize well enough for me, and [http://www.shataina.com her story] is too long.

Shataina

2020-07-23T06:02:14Z

Shataina:

== Why Not? ==

Hi. I'm Shataina. I am finally putting my real name on my page, much good as it will do you; it is Lydia Laurenson. A lot of people call me Taina in online contexts.

* back to [[UserPages]].

=== Contents ===

* [http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Shataina%23%23Content Actual Content]
* [http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Shataina%23%23News News]
* [http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Shataina%23%23Comments Comments]
* [http://exalted.xi.co.nz/wiki/wiki.pl?Shataina%23%23References References]

[#Content]
=== It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time ===

[[Shataina/Artifacts]] 
Artifacts.

[[Shataina/Characters]] 
These are my player characters. Completed sheets include fiction, history, explanations, and statistics. Most are appropriate as low-power NPCs.

[[Shataina/Creatures]] 
These are my more interesting non-player characters and creature types: demons, [[DeathLords]], new races, etc. Completed sheets include descriptions, sometimes fiction, and (rarely) statistics.

[[Shataina/CutForWordCount]] 
A few minor things I liked that were cut from "Exalted" supplements I've worked on, because there wasn't enough word count left to include them.

[[Shataina/Favourites]] 
I resisted making a page to list my Wiki favorites for a long time, but it's been pointed out that it's actually useful for getting people to look at neglected pages that could otherwise be buried in the mass.

[[Shataina/HouseRules]] 
I changed the stuff I really hated. Includes new Appearance rules, Sorcery rules, demon-summoning rules, and my unexpectedly well-known [[ManseCreation]] system.

[[Shataina/Lexicon]] 
A listing of the entries that [[LadyShataina]] wrote for the [[LexiconOfElderDays]]; a quotation from the Lady on the project; more details.

[[Shataina/NexusProject]] 
A listing of the entries I've written for the [[NexusProject]]; more details.

[[Shataina/RandomContent]] 
A list of random Wiki content I've created that doesn't fit under any of my other indices.

[[Shataina/VirtueFlaws]] 
Virtue Flaws.

[#News]
=== Fun Calendarry Thing ===

5.19.08: If you're concerned about [[Lexicon]] references in Dreams of the First Age, then you should read what I wrote about them on my [[Shataina/AboutMe|About Me]] page.

1.28.08: I'm wrapping up my stint as an RPG freelancer this month. I love Exalted, and working on it was an honor and a privilege, but writing RPGs no longer meshes with my life goals. I will be at [[GenCon]] '08, but my next big dream is to go overseas late this year (maybe with the Peace Corps), and I'm not sure what the future holds after that. Thank you to everyone who's sent me good wishes over the years; it means a great deal to me.

12.21.06: Created the[[Shataina/CutForWordCount]] section for material I worked on that didn't make it to print. Now working on "Oadenol's Codex". Was [http://forums.white-wolf.com/viewtopic.php?p=889032 interviewed by an Israeli fan site moderator]. Am learning the Dvorak keyset, and currently suck at typing.

3.21.06: I [http://www.gamegrene.com/node/595 wrote a review of Exalted 2] for Gamegrene.com. On the off chance that you haven't already seen the book for yourself, I think it's the best review ever. :)

10.26.05: I am in Atlanta right now, but won't be here past the end of November. I have contributed little to this site in the intervening time.

[#Comments]
=== It's Comments ===

Wecome to the Wiki. I've always enjoyed your comments on the WW forums.. Girl gamers unite! ;) --[[dissolvegirl]]

:<grin> Thanks. And yeah, absolutely -- there aren't nearly enough of us. 
:~ [[Shataina]]

::Agreed! Both that there aren't nearly enough girls role playing (though there are four in my current group! ^_^) and that I too enjoy your comments on the WW forums, dragonladyflame. Welcome indeed! -- [[BrokenShade]]

:::wow, four? That's pretty rare. I've played in a few one-nighters that had three, but I think that's the closest I've gotten. I remember I played in one with four PCs, all of whom were female, which blew the mind of the ST for some reason ... he was like, "a troupe of chicks going on a dungeon crawl?" 
:::Rock on. 
:::~ [[Shataina]]

:One of my RL gamergirl friends made some stuff on a cafepress shop you might like http://www.cafeshops.com/magicmissile --[[Malikai]]

::Ha ha, that's awesome. I don't know if I personally would ever buy any of that stuff, but it's definitely amusing to look at. 
::~ [[Shataina]]

:::I plan on buying a couple of things from her when I get the funds, More people should. I don't think anyone has yet -- [[Malikai]]

::::You should tell your friend that I'd buy one of the Gamer Girl camisoles if they came in black. Especially if the lettering was dark red instead of green. (Mmm ... red and black ... mmm.) 
::::~ [[Shataina]]

:::::I passed the message along to her, I'll keep you posted -- [[Malikai]] 
:::::... Well she got back to me, apparently the color choices are restricted by what cafepress will produce and they will only screen print on white or something called "ash" (looks like light Grey to me). She also says that even getting them to do the Grey is a bitch - [[Malikai]]

::::::Oh. That sucks. Le sigh. Well, thanks for checking :) 
::::::~ [[Shataina]]

[[Falcon]] - Here's a thought from James you might appreciate. Deathlords have all Solar and Abyssal charms, right? So, Mask of Winters uses Husband-Seducing Demon's Dance...

:Yeah, and I bet he stacks it with Irresistable Succubus Style and observes the fun. 
:<nowiki>:P</nowiki> I don't think the Deathlords are, uh ... defeatable? Maybe the word I'm actually looking for is "touchable"? Or "anythingable"? As written, anyway. Blah. I'm so bored with them. Who cares about something that flat-out wins all the time? 
:You should tell James for me that I've never met anyone who could minmax quite like him. ;) 
:~ [[Shataina]]

Shataina, have you ever considered moseying over to [[WBM]] and writing a chapter? I know you're itching for your Lexicon fix, and it might be a fun diversion in a different style. --[[Dissolvegirl]]

::I actually considered WBM a bit when I noticed its existence, and read the chapters and everything ... it's an interesting project, certainly, but the thing is that it takes soooo much more mental investment than the Lexicon. I'm already writing my senior thesis, etc, and the Lexicon is just a fun diversion that takes basically none of my mental energy, but WBM is a lot more complicated. 
::I might get involved at some stage, but right now, it's just way too much mental complexity for my life. I think this is probably why so many more people do the Lexicon than WBM, actually ... much, much less energy is required, and it also seems to me like it's a lot more freeform, with fewer expectations to weigh one down. 
::Thank you so much for the thought, though! :) 
::~ [[Shataina]]

:::I think the Lexicon is a lot more mental labor than WBM, actually. The fact accumulation is all tied together and stuff. Stuff. - [[willows]]

::::That's interesting. I guess our brains work differently :) 
::::For me, all I have to do for a Lexicon entry is look through the past entries for a few minutes to find a tie-in, and then find an idea (this is the hard part) and take like a maximum of half an hour to write the entry, which can be basically anything as long as it fits whatever constraints were placed on it by previous entries (and for most phantoms, there are only like, 1 or 2 entries that cite it, so there's generally a lot of freedom). 
::::For WBM, though, I'd have to keep track of the plot, the characterization, and all the varying elements of writing a story. I'm already doing a lot of creative writing for my thesis, and it's hard enough writing it even though I already have a plot (and, by the way, I totally suck at plotting). Plus, for WBM, there are generally a lot more previous things that you can't contradict (although there have certainly been phantoms that were super-defined ... those are the exception, though, and people complain about them). And it has to be longer .... 
::::<shrug> I like the idea of WBM, but, as I believe Ikselam has said about the Lexicon, there's something about the format that kinda leaves me cold. :) 
::::~ [[Shataina]]

:::::After some consideration, I've also realized that I'd have a hard time dealing with characters that aren't totally mine, if you know what I mean. :) 
:::::~ [[Shataina]]

Heya 'Taina. I broke down and went to check out your fantasy survey. I was about two seconds into composing my answer to the first question, when I realized that, to answer it, I'd have to go into comp rel, psych, a bit of soc and maybe some linguistics too, and it'd probably take something on the order of a couple hundred pages to get it all down. Then I noticed the "why do people like fantasy" question, and I knew that, hey-presto, I've got yet another thesis idea just in case I accidentally make it to grad school. So, long story short, thanks for another thesis, but you can't have it for your survey. If you're trying to wring some meaning out of any of this, look no further: LIBRARIES WITH ONE-SHELF FANTASY SECTIONS SHOULD BE BURNED!!!! after you take all the books out of them. Also, librarians who can't tell the difference between a book about Norse mythology and a book whose title includes one or more of the following words should not be rescued from the flames: "Olympus" "Zeus" "Greek" "Roman" "Apollo" etc. - [[SMK]]

:You're welcome for the thesis idea, I guess, although I may be forced to sulk since you didn't take my survey. <sulk> 
:As for your library, you have my most sincere apologies. Did I ever tell you about the library I went to at which they didn't bother separating fantasy, science fiction or horror from other fiction? Mysteries got their own section, oh yes, but not fantasy. Fantasy isn't worthy. Ugh. 
:You should lock the librarian in a room filled with Classics curricula and not let them out until they're educated enough to serve in that capacity. :P 
:~ [[Shataina]]

Your stuff, by the way, is incredibly wonderful. - [[Morpheus]]

:Because you're not biased at all :) 
:But, of course, thank you. 
:~ [[Shataina]] 
:PS: I cast fireball.

No humiliation intended! I just thought it was funny. - [[Miedvied]]

:<laugh> S'okay. I was just amusing myself with that comment. :) The mistake will not be made again. ~ [[Shataina]]

Hey, do you mind using hard paragraph breaks (blank lines) instead of <nowiki> s</nowiki>? I find the jammed-together, unindented paragraphs really difficult to read): - [[willows]]

:<dramatic sigh> I suppoooose. But you'll owe me for it! ~ [[Shataina]]

::Fair enough! - w

I blame you. Both of you. ~*~[[Braydz]]~*~

Someone just hopped into [[WoDIRC]] and asked a quick question, who I can only assume was you, and since I'm up late and I have nothing better to do bu t look up obscure rules in books, the answer is: yes, they can. Terrestrial Circle only, though. 7 BP or 12 XP for the charm, and per spell. - [[LeumasWhite]]

:Thanks! Yeah, it was me. Apparently more people were paying attention than I thought and I just didn't stick around long enough :grin:. ~ S.

Yes, yes, I'm getting ready to run a 2nd edition Exalted game. 
I don't suppose you'd be able to make it to Ann Arbor every other Sunday afternoon/evening, would you? Because I'd love to have you. I also can't wait to tell my players that I'm thick as thieves with the character in the "Death of Obsidian Butterfly" illustration. *grin* 
Anyway I will take your suggestion to heart, though first order of business is buying the core. 

Hugs & Essence, 
~*~[[Braydz]]~*~

:gabriel.carlson@gmail.com 
:Clearly you haven't actually READ my page. 
:But that's ok, I forgive you. 
:~*~[[Braydz]]~*~

Sorry to hear that you're leaving the Exalted world, but I can't fault you your reasons. I do hope that you'll continue to post here on the wiki from time to time; it will be a far less interesting place without you. :) - [[FrivYeti]]

[#References]
=== Reference-Type Things ===

<nowiki>*</nowiki> The philosophy major bit is my favourite quote ever from [http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.com/ Maddox's site]. He may be a raging assmonkey, but he sure is hilarious.

Here are my favourite RPG-related links these days (well, aside from this site, of course):

[http://www.gamegrene.com Gamegrene.com] -- Check this site out, if for no other reason than the fact that I very occasionally write for them.

[http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/fatal.html A fabulously hilarious, vicious review of the awful game FATAL] -- If you want to read this, keep this quotation from the site in mind: [T]his review should only be read if you're mature enough to handle extreme vulgarity, but immature enough to find it funny.

[http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2327 [[SomethingAwful]].com's review of the "Book of Erotic Fantasy"] -- Funny, and much shorter than the above FATAL review. Only to be read if you can deal with [[SomethingAwful]] mocking gamers like they mock everyone else.