Revision as of 00:34, 6 April 2010

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Jade Mail of the Imperial Cavalry

Much of the great artifice of the First Age is lost forever, and even the lesser arts of the Shogunate are difficult and costly to reproduce. However, there is still a good amount of powerful artifice being undertaken in this darkened world. One of these projects began several hundred years ago, when the Scarlet Empress invested in a small yet powerful force of Cavalry led by experienced Dragon-Blooded. While it's true that most of the Cavalry used by the Realm is that belonging to it's tributary states, the Empress has always been canny and she well understood the importance of a strong and mobile force that could be used in the internal defense of the Realm and even (with some cost and hassel) used in the Threshold if needed. One of the most important parts of this project, and the most successful, was the creation by then the Sorcerer-Smith Cathak Illinir of the Jade Mail.

Largely considered horseman's armor, designed for protection and flexibility, Jade Mail was very well-recieved by the Dynasts that were hand-picked to lead the cavalry regiment. It's impressive cut and noble bearing were quite popular throughout the dynasty for nearly a century, and even after the fad faded the potent armor still had quite a pull with the Dragon-Blooded of the Realm -- especially those that fancied themselves riders. Within the centuries that have followed more than a few other Dragon-Blooded have sought out the Household of Cathak Illinir in order to obtain a suit of it for themselves. By this point, of course, a good segment of the other Houses have stole and perfected the crafting of such potent armor, and it is now a common type of armor worn by the privledged of the Realm.

Jade Mail is, obviously, always made with Jade. It's make is rather complicated, and gets a fair amount of power out of that jade. Some exceptional suits have been made by Illinir that utilize Orichalcum in small quantities, but these are individual and quite rare.

Jade Mail
Artifact •••
Artifact Chain Hauberk
(statistics) 8/11 Soak, -2 Mobility penality, 1 Fatigue
Commitment: 4

Others Powers of the Jade Mail

• Horse-Bound. The armor forms a sympathetic bond between rider and horse, allowing the Dragon-Blooded wearing the armor to utilize the full extent of his power without worry of slaying his mount. This power requires that the rider be mounted and spend a Simple action as well as the expenditure of a single mote of essence to harmonize the wearer's soul with his mount. If the horse and rider are separated, this power ends after the attuned individuals Essence in turns and must be reactivated. There is otherwise no duration limit on this power.
• Enduring. The armor adds strength to the character, empowering him against fatigue and wear that bleeds off even on the mount. When wearing this armor the rider and horse each gain three extra dice to all Stamina+Endurance rolls, and can travel overland for longer periods of time without worrying about fatigue or exhaustion.
• Imperial. Jade Mail is designed nearly as much for appearance as function, each suit being hand-crafted by skilled Sorcerer-Smiths with many subtle touches and a good deal of individual attention. The wearer gains +2 dice on Intimidation or Leadership based rolls, and is filled with a feeling of confidence and surety.