JesseLowe/TaiyoKaizoku

Admiral Taiyo Kaizoku

• [[[JesseLowe/TaiyoKaizoku/TaiyoKaizoku2E]] | 2nd edition conversion]]

Character Type: Solar Exalted
Player: jetman
Caste: Zenith
Concept: Solar Navy commander reborn!
Nature: Leader
Anima: A storm-tossed sea.

Attributes

Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Abilities

Dawn: *Melee 5 (Sword +3) Archery 1
Zenith: Endurance 2, Performance 5, Presence 5 (Against all odds +1)
Twilight: *Lore 5, *Occult 5
Night: Athletics 2, Dodge 1
Eclipse: *Bureaucracy 3, Linguistics 3 (Old Realm (full), High Realm (full), Riverspeak (partial), Seatongue (Partial) Low Realm Native), *Sail 4 (Piracy +1)
Note: * = Favored skill.

Advantages

Backgrounds: Artifact 3, Allies 1, Command 3, Followers 3, Manse 3, Resources 4.

Merits: Past Lives +2, Tactical Instincts +3

Flaws: Enemy (V'neef Barada) -2, Wanted (for infamous piracy) -3, Known Anathema -3, Vice (Conviction: Won't harm innocents) -2

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 3
Virtue Flaw: Heart of Flint (Conviction)
Limit Break: 4

Willpower: 10
Health: -0, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -2, -4, Incapacitated
Essence: 4
Essence Pool: 20/46 (29) (committed 17 Peripheral)

Combat

Base Initiative: 7
Soak: 10B/10L/8A (Orichalcum breastplate, 6/8/8)
Dodge: 12
Attacks
Orichalcum Daiklave: Speed 14, Acc 16, Damage 11L, Defense 15, Rate 6
Knife Spd +0 Acc 9 Dam 7L Def 6 Rate 4
Small Essence Cannon: Speed 7, Acc 5, Damage 15B, Rate 2, Range 75, 5 motes per shot.
Light Implosion Bow: Speed 7, Acc 8, Damage 7B/5L (1 mote) or 15B/12L (10 motes), Rate 1, Range 500
Clinch: Speed 1, Acc 4, Damage 5B piercing, Defense 4, Rate 1
Fists: Speed 5, Acc 5, Damage 5B, Defense 6, Rate 5
Kick: Speed 2, Acc 5, Damage 8B, Defense 1, Rate 3

Charms

• Melee
  • Golden Essence Block
  • Retrieve the Fallen Weapon
  • Iron Raptor Technique
  • Edge of Morning Sunlight
  • Corona of Radiance
  • Excellent Strike
  • Hungry Tiger Technique
  • Peony Blossom Attack
  • One Weapon, Two Blows
  • Dipping Swallow Defense
  • Bulwark Stance
  • Heavenly Guardian Defense
  • Fivefold Bulwark Stance
  • Solar Counterattack
• Occult
  • Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
  • Celestial Circle Sorcery
• Perform
  • Respect Commanding Attitude
  • Masterful Performance Exercise
• Presence
  • Harmonious Presence Meditation
  • Majestic Radiant Presence
• Sail
  • Salty Dog Method
• Endurance
  • Ox-Body Technique -1, -2, -2
  • Essence-Gathering Temper

Spells

• Emerald Circle
  • Emerald Countermagic
  • Death of Obsidian Butterflies
  • Calling of the Wind's Kiss
  • Commanding the Beasts
  • Keel Cleaves the Clouds
  • Stormwind Rider
  • Summon Elemental
• Sapphire Circle
  • Sapphire Circle Banishment

Combos

• Transcendant Sword Technique - Excellent Strike, One Weapon, Two Blows and Hungry Tiger Technique
• Supreme Whirlwind Blade - Excellent Strike, Peony Blossom Attack, Hungry Tiger Technique Edge of Morning Sunlight and Solar Counterattack

Thaumaturgy

Knows the Science of Weather Working, Art of Summoning (Beasts) and Art of Warding (Demons, the Dead & Exalted)

Manse

Attuned to the The Halcyon Port of Summer, the Isle of Shadows Beacon (Level 3 Fire) and Defense Grid (Level 3 Sidereal)

Equipment

Orichalcum daiklave mounting a Ashes to Bonfire Gem, Orichalcum Hearthstone bracers (holding a Seacalm Gemstone) and Orichalcum breastplate, Black Jade Blindcloth, 2 daggers in sleeves, nice set of Lookshy-style clothes in cobalt with gold trim, spyglass, uniform and spare uniform with gold overcoat. Ashigaru armor. Large base at Iridia island.

Spellbooks

• Black Treatise
• White Treatise
• Lookshy manual with Infallible Messenger, Mast Shattering Spell and Spirit of Might.
• Terrestrial sea spell book with Calling the Gulls With Beaks of Steel, Invocation of the Living Ship, Keel Cleaves the Clouds, Lightning Whip Smites the Waters, Viridian Mantle of Underwater Journeys, Water's Chilling Grasp.
• A notebook with the spell Travel Without Distance

Note

A grave injury in battle left the Admiral without his eyes. He is relying on a black jade Blindcloth to see as he searches for more powerful healing magics.

Experience Points: 200, 33 Bonus Points
Unspent XP: 1, 1 Bonus Point

Character Description and Background

Taiyo was an ordinary customs inspector in Arjuf, an orphan bright and determined enough to teach himself to read and find a decent, if unexceptional, life. He spent any spare time and money reading books.

That all changed when he opened a very old yet naggingly familiar sea chest for inspection and found gleaming Orichalcum weapons and several books. He Exalted when he took the long blade in hand, memories of commanding a great fleet in the Solar Navy in the first age flooding into his mind.

That power brought a new perspective... seeing the Dragon Blooded sitting like vultures on the remains of the superior Solar civilization they had torn down with their treachery.

He knew that the Realm's tottering strength depended on trade, and he intended to use his naval abilities to knock that pillar over. He considers himself the admiral and commander of the first ship of the new Solar Navy (privately) and runs his craft with military discipline.

Unlike the typical bandit of the sea, he sees piracy as a means to an end, and wields it as precisely as his daiklave, striking at carefully selected targets to cause maximum economic impact and disruption, rather than just pure profit. A very healthy share of the plunder goes to the crew, since he generates money by investing to take advantage of the conditions he himself causes with his activities.

His men call him the Captain of 1000 Plans and his enemies call him the Solar Scourge. A master of sword and spell, he takes a cool, methodical approach to everything he does. Morale is high, as he takes the time to explain (simply) his goals and tactics, giving his men a reason to fight and the confidence that they can win, rather than just whipping them into a frenzy for blood and treasure.

That put him at odds with the first other Solar he encountered, a hot-blooded Dawn caste he pulled out of the sea. Monkey challenged him to single combat and was defeated. Seeing potential in the vengance-seeking young man, he bound him to service for a year and a day with a fragmentary spell he had discovered in an ancient text in hopes of moderating his passions. Though he privately agrees with Monkey... the Abyssal are foul and need to be smote, but the time is not right.

No pirate has ever raided the Blessed Isle and survived... even he has been unable to confront the still-potent forces and defenses... but no one has come closer. His recent and greatest raid was on a treasure ship within sight of the Imperial City, carrying off treasures to be displayed on an important holiday. This victory was not without cost though. The ship that served him so well barely made to Lookshy despite using every ounce of skill and power... it sank outside the harbor. Keeping a cadre of officers, he scattered the rest of the surviving crew to spread the word of his plans and deeds. He plans to form a true navy with several ships, and this will attract sailors back to him.

He makes no secret of who he is or what he thinks of the Realm. Every vessel he commands is named the Unconquered Sun and his flag is a golden circle on a cobalt blue field. This has gained him a number of enemies and prices on his head, which he takes as a sign of his success. A secret weakness is that he still sees himself as a First Age naval officer, there to protect and serve... he quails at the thought of deliberately targetting innocent people. He limits himself to legitimate enemy naval and shipping vessels and any shoreside raids for supplies are simply shopping expeditions, not plundering ones.

He retains a fragmented memory of his service in his past life, many battles and a good deal of magical technology information... frustratingly, he knows of a hidden First Age naval depot, but not the location. He would dearly love to acquire a powerful vessel and unleash its power on his enemies.

Admiral Kaizoku is some 6 feet tall, with rangy limbs too long for his thin frame. His face was far from attractive as the result of a boom swinging into it in his youth, but has healed to blandly pleasant features since Exalting. His dark-blonde hair is dishelved from the wind despite attempts to tame it. He wears a high-collared long coat made of cloth-of-gold, with blue trousers and tunic beneath a First Age breastplate with a sun pattern on the center. His daiklave is a long, curved length of orichalcum with a squared off, trailing tip with a circle cut out of the top of the point, with a simple handguard. A small pair of round glasses perch on his crooked nose.

The sword looks like one of Tidus's from FF X, such as the Hunter Sword, a giant gold/copper cutlass with a squared-off end and a hole behind that.

Kaizoku speaks Low Realm as his native tongue and has learned Riverspeak, Old Realm and High Realm.

Expanded Backgrounds

Followers

Ship's officers (Second mate/kubernetes, proreus, surgeon, purser, master at arms, cook, carpenter)

Comments

Changed Resources to level 4 thanks to that massive donation to the Lookshy war chest. -- JesseLowe Currently blind due to a sandstorm attack.

Training

Previous improvements: Whirlwind Blade Combo, Peony Blossom Attack, Summon Elemental, Keel Cleaves the Clouds, Willpower +2, Masterful Performance Exercise, Lore, Presence, Perform and Occult +1 each, Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Bulwark Stance, Sapphire Banishment, Athletics to 2, Essence to 4, Celestial Sorcery, App to two, Solar Counterattack, Respect Commanding Attitude, Essence Gathering Temper, +1 to Perform. Transcendent Sword Technique Combo +1 Melee, +1 sword spec. Lore and Occult by 1 each, Melee by 1, Presence by 1, Perform by 1, Compassion virtue by 1, learned Ox-Body Technique, Stormwind Rider, Dipping Swallow Defense, Majestic Radiant Presence Hungry Tiger Technique, One Weapon, Two Blows.

2e Conversion

I tried to convert with as little "retconning" as possible, though War instead of Bureaucracy as a favored was a clear one, and I attributed Performance increases to War instead, along with certain charms that have moved to War (and were bought in the hopes of getting Tiger Warrior Training). Golden Essence Block was replaced with Infinite Melee Mastery. Edge of Morning Sunlight and Corona of Radiance both ceased to exist, making it harder to mess with creatures of darkness. The Enemy-Castigating Solar Judgement takes the place of the former, while the latter slot went to a War excellency. I never purchased Resistance, making it simple to switch Endurance over, while the three extra skill points in 2e creation were put into Integrity retroactively. Spells remain unchanged, as do Arts, barring the new Sorcery book. One earned bonus point was spent putting Performance up to 4. Also not sure about how the Merits will work. The first combo is a super flurry attack now, while the second is unchanged... Infinite Melee Mastery has made them both much less expensive mote-wise. Of course, perfect defenses are dirt cheap, so the savings is questionable. Moved Presence specialty to War (naval warfare) and changed the Sail to Warships, as Piracy the act is covered under War as well.

Apotheosis Campaign Update

25 BP from the gap in play, and a certain number of added backgrounds.

• Essence +1 (to 5) 7
• Charisma +1 (to 4) 4
• Fury-Inciting Presence
• Heroism-Encouraging Presence
• Tiger Warrior Training
• +1 Performance (to 5)
• Artifact 1: Perfected Boots (Sometimes you have the need for speed)
• Lore Specialty: Abyssals. Through reading the Mask of Winters' tomes from Juggernaut, speaking with the Auspex and his own experiences, the Admiral has studied about Deathlords and Deathknights than any other (genuinely) living person. This knowledge is not at all comforting.

Backgrounds:

• Allies 2: The Rising Dragons, two circles’ worth of young, angry Nellens Dragon-Bloods who have joined the Solar Navy.
• Cult 1: Hero worship from defeating the Mask of Winters. The Admiral gently tries to steer them to worshipping the Sun instead, but he is closer and easier to see...
• Contacts 1: Taimyo Yushoto of the 7th Legion's Second Field Force
• Resources +1 (to 5) (Investing and plundering pay off)
• Followers +1 (to 5) (Ten thousand Tiger Warriors personally and fantatically follow the Admiral now.)