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Background

Elder Ebon Shadow Style
Having used Thinker's style for a time BronzeTiger, myself, and our other players found a number of problems with the mechanics as well as the balance for our game. Not wanting to scrap what we considered a good idea the style was revised, reworked and changed around. It is still a high essence martial arts style that requires Ebon Shadow Style. However, we find this version interacts better with printed charms and overall game play.

Elder Ebon Shadow Style martial arts is a high essence martial arts style designed around the same concepts as Ebon Shadow, only taken to the utmost extreme. Its charms are the tools of the assassin, and grant mastery over that hallowed art. Elder Ebon Shadow is not explicitly compatible with any weapon or armour, until the form is activated. This is not a Sidereal Martial Arts Style and all Celestial Exalted learn it as a standard Celestial Martial Arts Style.

History
While the techniques of Ebon Shadow are useful, one eventually outgrows such childish tools. To such individuals the assassins work is not merely a job but an art form, one that can elevate death to poetic beauty. The Style was favoured by Night Caste in the First Age. Particularly Kira The Huntress with whom the style became all but synonymous. In this fallen second age it is few that have heard of this style and fewer still that know anything of it.

Style

Vanishing Shadow Meditation</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Ebon Shadow Form

The Character enacting this Charm vanishes from sight, becoming immaterial and invisible. The character may remain so as long as he wishes, so long as he does not move from the spot where he is standing. The character may enact other Charms so long as they do not require physical movement.

Air Walking Prana</b>

<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Obvious
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Shadow Technique

For the remainder of the scene the character can walk upon air. The character makes no sound at all unless he chooses to (this is a perfect effect). The character's normal movement rate applies to horizontal or vertical movement through the air, just as if it were solid ground.

Precision Atemi Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Crippling
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Ebon Shadow Form

Solar Exalted with this charm knows the precise spot to fell any creature acutely measuring the targets life force and crippling it. This charm supplements an unarmed Martial Arts attack. This charm takes effect if the attack hits and inflicts even one health level of damage. If [damage successes x Exalt’s Essence] is greater than the target’s remaining health levels, this charm knocks the target unconscious, and the target remains so for the scene.

Flickering Shadow Attack</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Precision Atemi Strike

Attacking as unpredictably and quick as a shadow flickering from candlelight, the Ebon Shadow master lashes out at his opponent. The targets defense value is reduced by an amount equal to the martial artist’s essence for this one attack.

Illusion of Death Technique</b>

<b>Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Illusion
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Ebon Shadow Form

Sometimes death is necessary. The Ebon shadow master realizes this necessity while at the same time denying it. This charm allows the martial artist to convince those present that he had died just then. Those present see the martial artist die in whatever fashion is most appropriate. Meanwhile, the martial artist can walk off perfectly unnoticed. The Solar’s player rolls ([Wits or Manipulation] + Martial Arts), adding a number of automatic successes equal to the Exalt’s Essence. The first time in each day that someone attempts to realize the truth of the matter or attempts to recognize the character, that person’s player must reflexively roll (Wits + Lore) and achieve more successes than did the Exalt’s player. If he fails his character still remembers the character dying and will not recognize the character if confronted with them.

Elder Ebon Shadow Form</b>

<b>Cost: 15 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form-Type, Obvious
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Illusion of Death Technique, Air Walking Prana, Flickering Shadow Attack, Shadow Stepping Motion 
(All of Ebon Shadow Style)

A character who has invoked the Elder Ebon Shadow is a terrifyingly vague opponent. Any Existing Anima Flare instantly mutes down to nothing, like a candle snuffed out by a strong breeze, and absolutely no number of motes will cause their Anima to flare in any way while they are under the effects of their Elder Ebon Shadow Form. However, motes spent still contribute to the banner and if the Form is dropped they will show. The character's movements also become so swift that he is similarly blurred making it exceedingly difficult to place him in an area to attack him or counter his blows. This means that the character reduces the speed of his attacks by one. Also, effects and penalties against the martial artist cannot reduce their DV below half of its current maximum value due to his blurred form. Finally, in the unlikely event that a character under the effects of the Elder Ebon Shadow Form should die, he explodes in a fountain of dark Essence that totally consumes their soul. All within Essence x 10 yards suffer the Character's Essence in dice of Aggravated damage. The character never leaves behind a ghost and any equipment carried on him disappears into elsewhere where they will await his next incarnation. Also while in this form, the martial artist expands their retinue of style weapons to include anything that could conceivably be used to kill someone. Elder Ebon Shadow Form is explicitly compatible with Ebon Shadow Form and may be activated before or after that Charm and neither Charm disrupts the operation of the other. This is an explicit exception to the proviso below.

Characters may only use a Single Martial Arts Form Charm at a time. If another such Charm is activated while the Elder Ebon Shadow Form is active then it is immediately canceled and replaced by the new Charm.

Defense Negating Strike</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Elder Ebon Shadow Form

The Character makes a Martial Arts attack against his opponent in a weak spot both in his spirit and his body. The target may not apply any soak at all against this attack. Effects that negate damage (Death Parrying Stroke, the Twilight Caste Anima ability, Adamant Skin, etc) work normally.

Chakra Disrupting Blow</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-Ok, Crippling
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Elder Ebon Shadow Form

Striking their adversary in their essential chakras, the martial artist opens the proverbial floodgates of their essence. If the martial artist strikes and does at least one level of damage to their opponent they are subject to its affects. Thenceforth, for the rest of the scene, whenever the target activates a charm they bleed off an additional 5 motes of essence, losing it to their surroundings.

Doomed Mark Methodology</b>

<b>Cost: 15 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Ok
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Elder Ebon Shadow Form

The Ebon Shadow master is adept at locating his mark no matter the location. Using this charm, the martial artist steps into a shadow and emerges from another shadow in the vicinity of their chosen target, as close as is dramatically appropriate to allow for a sneaky approach. This charm can teleport through mortal wards, but is blocked by sorcerous and artifact barriers to teleportation.

Shadow Heart Amalgamation</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Elder Ebon Shadow Form

This charm is a perfection of Ebon Shadow style’s Shadow Body charm. Through their increased mastery the martial artist can invoke this improved Shadow Body. When in this form the shadow body gains a slightly whispy affect. The martial artist becomes unidentifiable, gains their permanent essence in lethal and bashing soak, as well as hardness, and also gains +1 dot to dexterity.

Legion of Shadow Invocation</b>

<b>Cost: 15 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-Basic
Min. Martial Arts: 6
Min. Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Chakra Disrupting Blow, Doomed Mark Methodology, Defense Negating Strike, Shadow Heart 
Amalgamation

Projecting parts of their essence through the principles of the Elder Ebon Shadow style, the martial artist is able to split their shadow apart into many duplicates. Using this charm the martial artist’s shadow splits into their permanent essence rating in entities. Each duplicate has the martial artist’s base dice pools unmodified by charms or artifacts. They have the stats of whatever weapon the Exalt was using at the time (though without any magical affects they might have had). These duplicates have the Exalt’s natural armor soak and seven health levels.

Basalt Ephemera Bulwark</b>

<b>Cost: -
Duration: Special
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Min. Martial Arts: 6
Min. Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Legion of Shadow Invocation

Further mastering the embodiments of themselves created by Legion of Shadow Invocation, all duplicates created by that charm now benefit from the effects of Shadow-Heart Amalgamation.

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