DragonBloodedBureaucracy/GoldenCat
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Hierarchies of the Deep
August Octopus Discourse
Cost: 2 motes per reroll
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Bureaucracy: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Benevolent Master's Blessing
Bureaucrats have much to learn with the Octopus. They must have a myriad of hands, each in a different proccess, each handling a different kind of paperwork, each shaking the hand of a different political power, ready to retrat to any of them if the need arises. When faced with an obstacle, they may simply change their discourse, shifting their colors to better approach this different situation. The Bureaucrats who act like the Octopus are resourceful indeed, always having something to fall back in, a second argument to put forth! Using this Charm, the player may reroll the character's Bureaucracy pool completely. He can reroll a number of times equal to his Essence, but must take the last result. If this Charm is used in a combo, the Essence cost of all incorporated Charms must be paid again for each subsequent rerolls, but only one(hopefully successful) negotiation is completed.
Fish Knows Pond Meditation
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisite Charms: None
There is an order in the hierarchies of life in the water – complicated chains of command among schools of fish, relations between predator and prey, territories of coral-farmers and deep hunters alike. They are very different from those in the surface world, but to an Ebon Dragon, come just as naturally. The Chosen that makes use of this Charm understands the bureaucratic ties that bind the water-bound creatures in a radius of her essence in miles. She rolls her Perception+Bureaucracy – one success is enough to know all kinds of living beings in the sea around her, and how dangerous each is; Three successes tell her of their territories, migrations, feeding and mating grounds, and places they avoid; and finally, five or more successes give the Chosen a detailed account on the populated geography of the waters about her, and of what has been happening with creature in those waters. This Charm adds 2 dice to all of the Chosen's Survival attempts at the sea.
Follow-the-Leader Insinuation
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Variable
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Fish Knows Pond Meditation
The hierarchies of the schools of fish are perfect, as they swim as one, move as one, synchronized movements making them split apart and gather together again.... and the skilled Ebon Dragon is able to interfere with that synchrony, subtly herding fish wherever he wishes them to be. The Dragon-Blooded can call any group of water-dwelling creatures no larger than a Siaka he knows of on a radius equal to her Permanent Essence in miles to any given location in this area that he also knows of(Usually by means of Fish Knows Pond Meditation). The Dragon-Blooded rolls Manipulation+Bureaucracy – each success translates in one hour that the Dragon-Blooded will be able to dictate the group’s movements, OR a single group of creatures that the Dragon-Blooded can call.
The Dragon-Blooded may call no more groups of fish than he has dots in Bureaucracy. This Charm pretty much ascertains the Chosen will not lack for ready food when in the sea. Have in mind that abusive uses of this Charm or the ones derived from it in a single area might attract the ire of the Gods responsible for the movements of the sea creatures, for the silent bureaucracy of the deep, who will be far from pleased.
Calling the Distant Functionaries
Cost: 3 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Until Arrival
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Follow-the-Leader Insinuation
Sometimes, the help a bureaucrat needs is not at hand. But far away, somewhere, there is a specialist skilled in the sort of labor he requires, and he can send for it likes ripples made on water, hoping they will come in time. The Chosen sends a call in the water for a type of water-dwelling beast – specifying general size and properties – and lets her essence ripples in the water, subtly, for as far as 20 miles per point of Permanent Essence she posseses – if there is any such kind of beast in those waters, a group, or individual if there are no groups, will come answering her call. Depending on how far the fish are, the longer it will take for them to arrive, of course. The Dragon-Blooded will instantly be aware, after a day, wether or not his call was heard, and he can lift the essence commitment to the ripples then.
Commanding Courts of Carp Concentration
Cost: 4 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Follow-the-Leader Insinuation
Sometimes, simple insinuations are not enough – one must seize an hierarchy by its throat and direct its path, unchanging and relentless as the currents of the ocean. The Dragon-Blooded rolls Manipulation+Bureaucracy, taking control of one group of water-dwelling beasts that he can see per two net successes on the roll, controlling no more groups of water creatures than he has dots of Bureaucracy. The groups controlled will act in any way the Dragon-Blooded wishes, serving as a wall against his foes, striking them, breaking their boats, or jumping on the Chosen’s nets, forfeiting their own lives for the Exalt.
Appointment with the Sea Method
Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Variable
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Commanding Courts of Carp Concentration
The Exalt’s senses and command grow farther than just the creatures that live in the water – they touch the water itself that serves as their enviroment. With this Charm, the Dragon-Blooded calls for an audience with the spirit of a body of water – or of a place closely related with water, such as a reef. The Dragon-Blooded rolls Charisma+Bureaucracy with a difficulty equal to the spirit's Essence – a success indicates the entity will answer, and converse with the Dragon-Blooded as well as it is able. Do note that many spirits possess manneirisms and intellects that are far from those of humans. The knowledge of the Celestial Bureaucracy gleamed by this Charm gives a Water Aspected Dragon-Blooded a bonus equal to his Bureaucracy in any social roll involving spirits assossiated with Water(be they Gods, Demons or Elementals), including other Water-Aspected Dragon-Blooded.
Thousand Streams, One River
Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Appointment With the Sea Method
More than simply calling upon spirits of water, the character understands the courts of water better than any being has the right to! The Exalt needs to gaze upon a spirit or Exalt assossiated with Water(in its Caste Asssossiations or Court, as the case may be. Courts tangential to water, such as courts of rain, would also count) and activate this Charm. He instantly sees all the streams leading to the river that is the spirit, and to which river the spirit that is the stream leads. The Exalt rolls Perception+Bureaucracy - each success is a bureaucratic layer above and below the spirit the Exalt understands in detail, with names and descriptions and duties.
Indenturing the Sapphire Sovereign
Cost: 6 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Variable
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Commanding Courts of Carp Concentration, Appointment with the Sea Method
There are great beasts on the sea. The great whales. Giant Siaka. River Dragon. Squid. Great Sea Elk. And many mores, creatures that dwarf all but the stronger Elementals in size and strength. But even those are not beyond being bribed. With a little gesture of Essence and Will, the Dragon-Blooded offers one of those creatures - which she must be able to see and hear - a contract. She rolls her Manipulation+Bureaucracy with difficulty 3 - each success is one task the great beast will accomplish in exchange for its payment. The Charm expires after a full elemental season, and must be renewed if the Dragon-Blooded has not taken all his favors. This Charm may be used to form a contract between the Chosen and beings greater than mere beasts, but its difficulty increases, at the Storyteller's discretion.
Doning the Sapphire Mantle
Cost: 8 motes, 1 willpower
Duration: Variable
Type: Simple
Minimum Bureaucracy: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Appointment with the Sea Method, Bestowing the Saffron Mantle
Body shimmering in Sapphire scales, the Ebon Dragoness assumes the mien of an Elemental Dragon, master of all in her Element. Gods and Elementals assossiated with the Element of Water may not harm the Dragon-Blooded that assumed this Charm unless she takes hostile action against them or their domain at them first. Spirits with permanent Essence greater than the Dragon-Blooded's are immune to this compunction, but do, however, feel quite a degree of respect for the Dragon-Blooded adopting this Charm. Furthermore, while in this Form, she may reroll all of her Social rolls with water-asossisated spirits as many times as her Permanent Essence, and her authority becomes so palpable that she adds her Permanent Essence to all of her Social rolls and to her Bashing and Lethal soak values - and any one who received her Saffron Mantle receives the same soak benefit.
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