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Cobalt Rivers of Thought

Knowledge is power, and understanding the connections between people and places is integral to understanding the nature of the world. The Cobalt Rivers of Thought seeks to understand these connections, learning about their enemies and their friends at once. Any fool can grab a pointed stick and flail about, but only a true seeker of knowledge may strike at their enemies' most vunerable points, understand their natures and drives, and turn them against one another.

The Cobalt Rivers is thus a rare style to learn, as it requires a student who is both martial and scholarly, at once interested in the defeat of their enemies, and the understanding of the same. It is used primarily by students of the Serenity and Secrets castes, who augment their natural abilities with the powerful Charms listed below.

Limitations

Characters must have an Investigation score of 3 and a Conviction score of 2 to learn Charms of the Cobalt River of History; only those who have considered the world, and are committed to their purpose may walk its mysteries. They must have Conviction 3 to learn Cobalt Rivers of Thought Form, and Conviction 4 to learn (Pinnacle Charm).

Cobalt Rivers of Thought may be used only with one-handed, straight-edged weapons such as straight swords or knives.

Charms

Student's Sutra of Understanding: Once there was a maiden...

Truth Spoken Through Blades
Cost: None (+3m), Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: None
... who went before her enemies to learn their strengths.

Battle is among the most dangerous of activities, and no one enters it without cause. Warriors wield their desires and beliefs with their swords, and such dedication can be understood by an intelligent watcher. This Charm permanently enhances the character, granting her two new abilities:

• When the character successfully parries or dodges an attack, she may reflexively roll her Perception + Martial Arts, at an external penalty of half the target's Manipulation + Socialize. If successful, the character instantly learns one Intimacy of the attacker. The Intimacy that she learns is always one that she does not already know, and is the Intimacy most connected to the current battle of those she does not already know. The character may only learn one Intimacy per tick.
• When the character attacks a target who successfully parries or dodges the character's attack, she may make the same roll listed above. If she succeeds, she learns the rating of one of the target's Virtues, following the same rules as per Intimacies, above.

If a character attempts to use this power against a target with magically-concealed intimacies, the character may spend 3 motes in order to pierce that protection, resulting in Charm roll-off as usual.

The Thought of First Blood
Cost: 5 motes, Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4, Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None
She spoke with them, and they with her... The Sidereals knows her enemies, and in their first meeting they can see how the battle will progress. This Charm supplements a Join Battle roll, and targets one opponent. The character and her opponent both make a Wits + Martial Arts roll. If the character wins, the opponent takes a penalty of (character's Martial Arts) dice to all of her combat rolls for the duration of the scene, as she has seen that the battle cannot be won. Targets may spend one Willpower per action to resist this illusion effect, and once they have spent three Willpower, they are released from the effect. If the target wins, the character suffers this effect, although she must spend only one Willpower to resist it.

A character may target multiple enemies with this power, activating the Charm against each of them, but suffers a -1 die penalty to each roll for each enemy she faces.