Revision as of 09:05, 3 April 2010

History

I was born in a tiny village in the west. I never did know who my father was, and my mother... well, she was not a pleasant woman. I also had a younger sister... perhaps half-sister, I will never know. Mother did not care much about either of us, so it was really no surprise when I picked Dew up and took her away, to live with old Summer Rain after a few years. Mother died a bitter woman, and I shed no tears for her.

My life was... oh, I was such a troublemaker back then. I ended up leading the children of the village, pretty much... Dew could never join us though. She was... sickly, sadly, and I always felt it was my duty to take care of her...

It didn't take long for me to hear the siren's call of the sea... it was vast, all around our tiny island, and I felt... that there was more to be seen. I felt... trapped, I guess... thinking back, I wonder if that was what happened with mother... and if it was, I certainly didn't want to stay there. I wanted to be a big adventurer.

However, I could not... -would- not leave Dew behind. My little sister was everything to me... and I think even she knew how much I wanted to set sail. There... came a time, where Dew didn't get sick at all... and so she talked me into going away. It... didn't take too long for her to convince me. So... when the next ship came, I snuck on board and was off.

Being a woman in the West is no easy matter. As a girl, I could get away with it, mostly. That first ship I was aboard was a merchant ship, and I was lucky the captain was a kind man. Personally, I was prepared to fight tooth and nail to be allowed to go, and I'm glad this wasn't required... on this ship, at least. I learned much in those first years.

I sailed the world, I got to see places I would have never dreamt of (and at least one I never want to see again). Ah, I heard about the Tya as well... but honestly, I was a woman, I was not about to pretend to be a man just so I could sail... and I never needed it. I got to see the ports of Paragon, the Imperial City, Nexus... it was always wonderful.

I finally became the captain of my own ship... I seemed to be gifted with an incredible amount of luck. I worked as a merchant, transporting goods here and there... and finally... finally I decided it was time to return home, and see my sister. I left my ship in the hands of good friends, and took a second, smaller one for my trip back home.

... I was... looking forward to seeing her, you know. But when I returned... Old Rain told me that Dew had died, in a faraway island where a doctor lived... one that had apparently been ransacked by pirates. The news... hit me pretty hard. I wish I had been there for her... I feel a let her down sometimes.

... Still, the past is in the past and it cannot be changed. I finally shook myself out of my depression and did all the things I wished to do. I build a house for myself, and I had brought many things to help my hometown grow. I... succeeded, somewhat. At least, the village grew a bit and saw more trade from there on.

... Now, I will confess I was not the most chaste of persons. I enjoy the company of men and women alike, always for fun. So it... was something of a surprise when I discovered I was pregnant... and quite embarrasing when I wasn't sure who the father was. But still... I decided I was going to be the greatest mother I could be, and that I would make my daughter happy.

She was a girl, I called her Rio. She was... sunny, and cheeful, and rarely cried. She made my life happy. The time I spent with her... most of my fondest memories come from the time I was by her side.

... And... I'm sorry I had to leave her behind, when I heard a second, powerful cry... I'm sorry I had to break my promise to my child... but such is fate.

Exaltation

I remember that night very well. It was clear, filled with stars. It was fate that drew me out of the house. Rio was sleeping peacefully... I decided to go out for a walk and see the stars.

And as I walked... I heard a fight in a house, somewhere in the village. A married couple fighting for some reason or other. I could only think on how sad that was... I wished I could take that sadness away and remind them of the happiness they had been through toguether. So I... reached up, and I... pulled something. I could -feel- the anger going away... and the couple's voice lowered, and they began talking... and soon apologizing to each other.

Elsewhere, a child cried from the cold... and I knew her mother was drunk. How could the woman sleep while her child was cold? Another pull... and she woke up, and she went to her child and calmed him and gave him warmth... and cried, because she knew she has been drunk while he had been cold, and I just felt her resolution to not let it happen again...

A fisherman was wide awake, worried because his nets had broken and he lacked the means to repair them... another pull, and soon his eldelry neighbor and his neighbor's daughter came by, as they had heard the problem and wished to help him... they just had been so busy during the day. The fisheman liked the girl too, no doubt... always too shy to speak out, now a way to get them talking...

And... and I felt, I felt I was doing all this! I was subtly controlling what happened in the village, as I wished for their pain or anger to dissapear. It was... it was a breathtaking feeling.

Then... I heard light clapping, and I turned and I saw an unfamiliar woman... a Westerner, no doubt, with long blue hair, not unlike mine, and... wearing clothes that couldn't possibly have protected her from the cold. She approached me, smiling kindly... I could see the stars in her eyes.

"Finally." She said, "It took many years, but you have awoken at last... you look confused lass, but every question you had will be answered now."

She called herself Laughing Storm Dancer, a chosen of Serenity. She talked to me about what I had suddenly become, a Sidereal and a Chosen of Serenity like herself. This... had apparently been destined ever since I was born. It had taken... surprisingly long for me to Exalt, however.

Now, I had heard the stories of the Anathema as much as anybody else, but she assured me that Sidereals weren't such. We were chosen by the five maidens to bring order to the world. We worked in heaven itself, alongside with gods.

... Now, this wasn't exactly something easy to believe, as you'd expect, and yet, it felt so... right. I knew I had changed, but I didn't actually -feel- that much different...

It was what she told me next that worried me. I would have to leave my family behind... again. I, as a Sidereal, not only had incredible duties... but I would also make powerful enemies. There was no way I'd be able to care for my daughter and do my new duties.

I... almost asked why I just couldn't stay in my town with Rio instead, but I think I knew the answer to that already. Maybe I wasn't an Anathema, but the smallers slip and... well, Rio would be another target for them. The child of an Anathema... hmm.

Laughing Storm Dancer assured me that Rio's happiness in the future could be assured.

... I asked her to let me think about it for some time. She agreed.

That night, and the following day, I just spent with Rio... she was cheerful even when she took naps. I wished that those days could last forever, but... I knew that it would never be that way now. It was then that I made my choice.

Later that night, I took a sleeping Rio to a friend's house. His name was Yin, known in the town as Old Man Yin, a former adventurer and a good man. He was... surprised, to say the least, when he saw me at his door with my sleeping daughter on tow... and twice so when I begged him to take care of her instead of me. He asked what reason I could have to leave... but I couldn't give him one, at all.

... He asked no more questions. I don't know what he saw or what he thought, but he agreed. I told him that everything in my house he could take as his... I did not need it anymore after all. And then... I left. I couldn't look at my little girl as I went or I knew my resolve would shatter there and then.

Laughing Storm Dancer was waiting for me at the port. My old ship stood there, with no apparent crew as we both boarded it and it took sail. Only there did I let myself break up into tears, and she conforted me.

... I didn't expect to see Rio again... life just seems to enjoy throwing things my way though. But I'll explain that in a bit.

on Yu-Shan

Now, you must understand... it took me a while to actually recover, but I believe the celestial city helped quite a bit. I... I had never even imagined things like the ones I saw that day when I first arrived through the gates to Yu-Shan. Spirits and Elementals just walking down the street like common men and women did in Creation's cities.

It was as much of a shock as it was meeting older Sidereals... Laughing Storm Dancer herself was about 500 years old, while one other I met was around 1500 and didn't look older than me either. It was something of a shock to be refered to as a kid again. A few days ago, I couldn't have imagined what it'd be like to live as long as a Dragon-Blood... but to live older than generations of them?

I was asigned a sifu... who turned to be Laughing Storm Dancer herself. Boy, did she grin. She's actually fairly skilled... but if I thought I had been... wordly, before, I had a few lessons coming.

Still, several years have passed since then... my sifu no longer spends all her time with me (she has better things to do after all), but we do meet from time to time, and... well, she enjoys pouncing on me quite a bit as well.

... Now, there are some factions within the Sidereals, but I didn't care much for them... until I recieved some fairly surprising news.

on Solars

I had been told about the Solars... a bit, anyway. All I knew is that they were fairly rare and pretty powerful, and that over a half of the Sidereals didn't want them around either. So... imagine my surprise when my sifu came to me with some very odd news.

Rio... my Rio, had Exalted as a Solar in the middle of a pirate attack, slaying them all and saving many people that day. She didn't really need to ask about what I was going to do now, I guess.

It has been over 15 years since then... but Rio is still my daughter. I will help her in whatever ways I can... even if she cannot remember me. I owe her that much.

Personality

Luvia was born to be a troublemaker, it seems. She was always irreverent and rude to her elders, and it seems somethings don't change. Despite this, she has a charm to her that lets her gain friends rather quickly. She's happy and flirty and prefers peaceful (and pleasurable) resolutions rather than violent ones... but she's not one to shrink away from danger either.

While its true that Luvia still holds some regret about what heppened to her family, she does not let this get her down. However, it's still something of a sore spot... and she probably overdoes it a bit with her work, by arranging for quarreling families to get back toguether... and breaking appart those that would be better off that way, but she prefers the former to the latter.

Make no mistake. When she's happy, Luvia is the life of the party. She enjoys dancing and singing (and isn't half bad) and drinking and, above all, sex. She considers herself a romantic at heart (with something of a perverted streak) and thus prefers nice evenings with a single partner (... and sometimes with two). Then again, she gets a wild itch from time to time, and... the results are better left to the imagination.

Appearance

Luvia Storm was a beautiful woman as she grew up, and remained that way in her older years. She Exalted sometime in her late 30s, and thus managed to get a nice 'older woman' appearance (She constantly grumbles that her elders tend to look much younger than her, but she's mostly kidding). She has long, bluish hair often held in a low ponytail and blue eyes filled with stars. Her skin has a tanned look to it.

Luvia doesn't wear much when it comes down to clothing, and she prefers blue and silver colors. She enjoys dressing provocately, especially to tease the hell of some of her more uptight elders. She has an easy smile that is on her face most of the time. She enjoys jewelry, and often wears a pair of bracelets as well as a circlet.

She also always carried a staff around... those that know her know that her sword is within that staff, and thus she's rarely unarmed.

Character Sheet

Name: Luvia Storm
Concept: Sidereal mother of a Solar
Nature: Hedonist
Caste: Chosen of Serenity
Allegiance: Gold Faction

PHYSICAL
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Stamina: 2

SOCIAL
Charisma: 4
Manipulation: 3
Appearance: 4

MENTAL
Perception: 2
Intelligence: 4
Wits: 3

JOURNEYS
Endurance: 1
(X)Sail: 3
Survival: 1

SERENITY
(X)Craft: 2
(X)Dodge: 3
(X)Linguistics: 3
(X)Performance: 3
(X)Socialize: 3

BATTLES
Melee: 1
(X)Presence: 3

SECRETS
Lore: 3
(X)Occult: 3
Stealth: 1

ENDINGS
Awareness: 2
Bureaucracy: 2
(X)Martial Arts: 3

BACKGROUNDS
Acquaintances: 2
Allies: 1
Artifact: 3
Backing: 1
Celestial Manse: 2
Connections: 1
Salary: 2
Savant: 1
Sifu: 2

COLLEGES
The Captain: 1
The Ewer: 2
The Lovers: 2
The Pillar: 2

CHARMS

Name | Cost (Ability)
1. Ox-Body Technique | - (Endurance)
2. Salt into Ash Sleigh | 2 motes + 2 motes per target number reduction (Sail)
3. Stone Skipping Spirit | 5 motes (Sail)
4. Absence | 1 mote per target number reduction (Dodge)
5. Duck Fate | 10 motes (Dodge)
6. Avoidance Kata | 2 motes (Dodge)
7. Compassionate Essence replenishment | - (Peformance)
8. Terrestrial Circle Sorcery | 1 WP (Occult)
9. - Emerald Countermagic | 10 or 20 motes (TCS)
10. - Invulnerable Skin of Bronze | 20m (TCS)
11. Secrets of Future Strife | - (MA)
12. Joy in Adversity Stance | 5m (MA)

Willpower: 7

VIRTUES
Compassion: 4
Temperance: 1
Conviction: 2
Valor: 3

ESSENCE: 3
Personal: 13
Peripheral: 35

HEALTH: -0x2, -1x2, -2x2, -4x1, I

Soak(B/L/A): 2/1/0

Linguistics: Sea tongue, Old Realm, High Realm, Low Realm.

Expanded Backgrounds

Acquaintances: 2

Luvia is known by some people in the West as the owner of a ship who makes odd stops here and there. She's certainly friendly but in most people's mind, not all that remarkable. The crewmembers often forget that the captain doesn't actualy own the ship itself.

Artifact: 3

Luvia wields a starmetal sword called Deadly Secret. The weapon itself is a sword-cane, and thus it just appears as if she's carrying an ornate staff with her all the time. Said staff is about 4 feet height and, while pretty, appears harmless enough. However, with a twist on the tip and a pull, the sword is freed from its wood and green jade sheath.

Deadly Secret works much better when an opponent isn't expecting or aware of the blade. When an enemy is caught by surprise, the sword is all that much faster and sharper. Even if the opponent is aware, the blade is more effective if it's drawn in the same round it attacks. Using the naked blade negates much of its bonuses.

Deadly Secret (First Strike): Speed: +10, Acc: +5, Dam: +10A, Def: +0

The first strike assumes that the enemy has no knowledge of the blade hidden in the staff. The character wins initiative automatically (and rolls only against characters that use similar powers), gets inside the range of the victim, and lashes out with a single, devastating strike. The victim is considered unaware against the attack, which is considered perfect.

This attack can only be used against enemies that have no knowledge of the sword, and only once. Anybody seeing the blade will be inmune against said effect.

Deadly Secret (sheathed sword): Speed: +5, Acc: +4, Dam: +7L, Def: +3

Deadly Secret (naked sword): Speed: +2, Acc: +3, Dam: +4L, Def: +1

Deadly Secret (staff only): Speed +1, Acc +2, Dam: +4B, Def: +4

PC:

Deadly Secret (unprepared first strike): Speed: +10, Acc: +5, Dam: +10A, Def: +0 Rate: 1

Deadly Secret (sheathed sword): Speed: +5, Acc: +4, Dam: +7L, Def: +3 Rate: 5

Deadly Secret (naked sword): Speed: +2, Acc: +3, Dam: +4L, Def: +1 Rate: 5

Backing: 1

Until recently, Luvia considered her independent... and then her daughter became a Solar. This has set her quite firmly in the Gold Faction's side, but she's still in the lower rung of it all.

Celestial Manse: 2

Luvia owns a generous Manse in Yu-shan, although she tends to party elsewhere and doesn't like bringing her job to her house. The place is staffed by a few minor gods that keep the place clean and in proper order. Luvia herself does tend to invite some friends to her home for a friendly (or VERY friendly) visit, but larger parties are better hosted elsewhere.