Brightfires/KaedeTheButterfly

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Kaede, the Silk-Winged Ghost

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Game: The End of the World, GMed by Shallows
Spirit Type: Minor Divinity
Concept: Pretty but Scatter-Brained Butterfly God
Nature: Caregiver
Inheritance: 3
Picture: (Bug) [[1]] and (Non-Bug) [[2]]

Str 1
Dex 5
Stm 2

Chr 4
Man 1
App 5

Per 3
Int 3
Wts 1

Performance 5
Dodge 5
Awareness 2
Bureaucracy 1
Investigation 1
Larceny 1
Linguistics 1 (Native: Old Realm, High Realm)
Lore 2
Occult 3
Presence 2
Socialize 3
Stealth 2

Merits:
Alternate Shape: Butterfly (4)
Prodigy: Dodge (2)
Enchanting Feature: Wings (2)
Awakened Essence

Flaws:
Mute (4)
Climate Sensitive: Cold (2)
Affected by Spirit Wards

Backgrounds:
Salary 2
Savant 3
Contacts 2
Reputation 3 (Yu Shan: Sidereal Sidekick)
Influence 1 (Ranking Spirit in Suyu’s Household)
Artifact 2 (Multiform musical instrument)

Essence 2
Willpower 7

Compassion 4
Conviction 1
Temperance 2
Valor 3

Spirit Charms:
Materialize (Valor)
Principle of Motion (Valor)
Touch of Grace (Compassion)

Unused XP: 8

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His Artifact:
Cerasatra's Marvelous Instrument- Originally given to Suyu by Cathak Akira, a Dynastic patron, the Marvelous Instrument is a clever creation intended to make traveling musicians' lives easier. There are many variations of the Marvelous Instrument, with an assortment of shapes. In its native form, Kaede's is a fine koto of pale willow and green jade, with moonsilver pegs. Its alternate forms include a biwa, a hand drum, and a long-flute.

Attunement: 3 motes. Once attuned, a user may spend one mote of essence to alter the Marvelous Instrument's form to any of its secondary shapes. It retains that shape until the user switches it again or the attunement is dropped. Use of the instrument adds 1 to Performance rolls.

His History:
Kaede hasn't always been the ornamental house-pet of a Celestial Exalt...

Centuries ago, he was a gainfully employed divinity known as the Silk-Winged Ghost, a proud and beautiful young god from the Division of Nature who over-saw the migrations and well-being of the butterflies on the Sun Pearl Islands. When his bright-winged charges (and their homeland-) were lost to the Wyld during the Great Contagion, like so many other gods, he suddenly found himself stuck in Heaven without a purpose or an occupation.

Poverty and sorrow over the loss of his swallowtails eventually forced him into an abandoned part of the city. The hardships of feral living weren't kind to such a fragile being, though, and over the years much of his pride and power were lost. In time he might have ceased to exist altogether...

Luckily, Suyu has a habit of bringing home strays... which started with the tattered butterfly god. When she found him in a ruined park during an early trip to Yu Shan, the soft-hearted Sidereal couldn't bear to leave him behind. (Much to her sifu's amusement, she insisted that he'd just "followed her home" and that she was only keeping him until she could find a good place for him... It was a scene that Saiya Kadu knew they were destined to repeat many times-)

While Suyu's other adoptees have all moved on to terrestrial assignments or jobs as part of her own staff, her Sifu's, or an ally's, Kaede has stayed with her... Hatsuyuki has taken the place of his long-lost butterflies, and acting as the Sidereal's helper and companion is now the only job that he has any interest in doing.

Kaede has two forms... a green-winged swallowtail (The form he favors in Creation, even though it's small-) and a vaguely fae humanoid with ornamental wings (The form he favors in Heaven, even though he can no longer fly when using it-). He has no real combat capability in either form and neither speaks. Like any ordinary butterfly, he's both completely harmless and absolutely silent no matter what he looks like.

Silence aside, he's an excellent dancer, a good koto player, and a passable spy... He has more courage than he's usually given credit for. He's also socially adept, although his manners are hopelessly old-fashioned by the standards of Yu Shan's society divas. (He was popular in his day, but there was no need to keep up with the latest styles when he was living in the slums, so he's a few centuries behind the times-). He shows great interest in garden flowers, butterflies of any sort, and sweets... He's especially fond of squirmberry jam, biscuits from the Six Gods Bakery, and ambrosial strawberries. He considers himself an excellent judge of character, though that may or may not be true. He takes promises very seriously, and tries to be dutiful... Even though he sometimes gets distracted and forgets what he was supposed to be doing.

Personality-wise, Kaede is devoted and fairly bright, but more than a little scatter-brained. He usually means well, but he's far too easily distracted to be trusted with anything too complex. He's also not the most sensible creature in Creation, having little common sense and absolutely no guile. He's also a little temperamental, and very good at sulking... Though it just isn't in his nature to hold a grudge.

It's the opinion of many in the Fellowship that Suyu spoils him.