Darkkling/SiakaStyle

Style Description

Siaka Style Martial Arts is a relatively young Celestial martial art, only having been created since shortly before the Usurpation. The circumstances of its creation are known only to the lore of the No-Moons, as it was one of their number who created the style. What is known about the style's history and its creator is cause for speculation and makes for some of the best Changing Moon tales among the Lunar Exalted.

It is known that Blood-of-Silver, the style's creator, was a No-Moon Lunar from the North West where the storms ravaged the seas and islands constantly, and the wrath of a Storm Mother meant death for those foolish enough to travel on the seas. Blood-of-Silver was the captain of ship and crew that fearlessly sailed the waters of the North West, challenging the Storm Mothers to do their worst against her. The triumph of Blood-of-Silver over the might of the Storm Mothers meant much for the mortals and Exalts under her protection. She inspired them to new heights of daring and above all to excel at the desperate fight for survival on such inhospitable waters.

Blood-of-Silver would take no Solar mate; she refused, despite the many suitors that approached her, laughing in the face of the social maneuvering of her suitors to encourage her to mate with one of them. But the fury of the Storm Mothers could not make her back down, and no Solar ever achieved more than incurring her wrath and a swift death in her hands and the ravenous maws of Siakal's children. Blood-of-Silver had only one love, that of strife and survival upon the open waters. And Siakal, mother of sharks and slaughter was the only partner that Blood-of-Silver would take in her lifetime.

The inspiration behind the style came from one such liaison, while Blood-of-Silver was in one of Siakal's deepwater sanctums. She lay with Siakal and watched the movements and activities of the siaka above them, in awe of their teamwork and ferocity. As she continued to observe them she began to realize the lesson that they could offer to those under her protection, and even to herself. The adaptability and the ease with which the siaka survived moved her to create this style.

Taking inspiration from the siaka, Blood-of-Silver created a style that emphasized survivability through ferocity, adaptability, and teamwork. The groups of practitioners that she created around her became close knit packs, responding with one mind and purpose to dangers and obstacles. Ultimately, she succeeded in her wish to impart something greater than herself to her followers, an aid and way of life that would allow them to persevere through any encounter.

Despite the link between Blood-of-Silver and Siakal, the style holds no allegiance to her nor does she favor the practitioners of this style any more than other martial artists. In truth, martial arts are not a combat style that Siakal prefers. They are too formal and regulated in their movements for her tastes, though she has been known to patronize martial artists who enact their style with brutal ferocity. Observing practitioners of this style does bring back memories to Siakal of her time with Blood-of Silver and so it amuses her to occasionally watch Exalts who follow in the footsteps of her former lover. There is one small link that exists between Siakal and the style, that being the weapon of choice. Siakal watched the movements of her lover while she worked through the formulation of the style and perceived a need that she could fill. Taking on of her own teeth, she requested the creation of a Moonsilver short daiklaive be made using her tooth, and she offered it as a gift to Blood-of-Silver. The weapon was magnificent fashioned in a similar style to the preferred weapon of a number of the islanders in the West, the keris, which was often fashioned with serrated edges and incorporated the teeth of sharks when able. Siakal's offer of the Waveblade design links her to the style and the weapon in myth and legend.

The practice of Siaka Style is one most often found in the West, though coastal regions see the occasional practitioner. The groups of Siaka martial artists are very close knit and bonded through their style, always under the leadership of the school's master, who is called a pandekar. The lineages are wrought with many rituals and tests that mark the progression of students. There are four notable demarcations of rank in this style. The first occurs around the third Charm, which marks the full initiation of the martial artist into the lineage. At this time, the pandekar gifts the student with her own keris, fashioned with the markings of her lineage and is to be worn openly wherever the student goes and is never to be far from her side, even while sleeping. The next division occurs at the form-type Charm. This marks the student as having moved beyond the novice stage and that she now enters into the bulk of her training, and the most brutal part of it. It is an acknowledgment of death waiting for her ahead, but also of the familial ties that she now shares in full with those around her and the responsibility and obligation that she owes them, and they her. The next division is the opposite of the previous. Rather than tying the student to her community, it separates her from it. At the achievement of the penultimate Charm, the martial artist is sent away from her dojo and the students there. There is nothing more that her master may impart to her, nor will her pandekar attempt to. The final lesson must be learned alone. For all intents and purposes, the martial artist has mastered the style in it's fullness, but this does not make her a master of the style, only an advanced student of the highest rank. To become a true master, requires a journey that is unique to the practitioner and promises danger and peril, but also one that is a time-honored tradition and completes the ritual groundings of the lineage.

• all of the Charms branching off of Blessings of the Storm Mother use the keris (a modified short sword) or a Waveblade (Short Daiklaive of the appropriate style) as an unarmed weapon

|[Keris|[Spd +2, Acc +1, Dmg +2L, Def +0, Rt 4
|| |[Waveblade |[Spd +3, Acc +4, Dmg +4L, Def +1, Rt 6 (before material bonuses)||

Charms:

Blessings of the Storm Mother
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 1
Prerequisites: none

Blood-of-Silver's defiant challenges of the Storm Mothers garnered her many enemies, but also much respect, even from the Storm Mothers themselves. One such Storm Mother, whom Blood-of-Silver had a long and furious clash with, found much respect for Blood-of-Silver and when Blood-of-Silver began her creation of the style, gifted her with the ability to ride out the worst of storms through her martial art. From that time on, practitioners of this style have had a distinct advantage while at sea. This infuriates Storm Mothers to no end for they recognize the use of this power for what it is.

While active, the Exalt reduces the difficulty for Athletics rolls to keep her balance and footing by her Essence (to a minimum of 1). Also the Exalt does not suffer seasickness, even in the worst of storms. This Charm is not compatible with armor.

Scent of Blood and Strife
Cost: 1 mote
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Blessing of the Storm Mother

Siaka are intimately aware of their surroundings, especially when it concerns violence and strife. Through this Charm, the martial artist is granted a similar awareness. The martial artists sense of smell becomes hyper-sensitive to blood, violence and strife. When the scent of blood and violence is strong in the air the Exalt may reflexively activate this Charm to perceive this. The activation of this Charm allows her to roll Perception + Awareness and pick up scents of violence and blood in the air around her. Given enough successes she may associate this scent with people nearby or pick up fainter scents that may have faded with time. It allows the Exalt to perceive not only past violence, but violent intentions as well. Picking up physical violence is at a standard difficulty, while sensing verbal or social violence is difficulty 2. Characters that attempt to hide their violence (committed or intended) may make a Reflexive Manipulation + Socialize (difficulty 3) against the Martial Artist's own Perception roll. If a scene in which the Exalt has this Charm active erupts into violence, add the Exalt's Martial Arts Rating to her initiative for the duration of the Charm.

Beyond violence attached to people, the Exalt may sense violence surrounding an object or location as well following the rules above, though objects and locations don't generally try to hide things.

Omens of Red Morning (???)
Cost: 3 motes (committed)
Duration: duration of commitment
Type: Special
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Scent of Blood and Strife

The keris, and its artifact equivalent – the Waveblade, has a litany of myths and legends surrounding it, more so than most family blades in Calin, and even more than many artifacts. Entire cults have sprung up around the worship of ancient keris. Myths even go so far as to claim that some particularly powerful keris that have aligned themselves with a family will even manifest powers to protect them. Bearers of keris often say that the keris warns them of impending danger to themselves or their family should they embark on a path that would place them in danger. Myth has it that the gods of storm and sea gave the first keris as a gift to a favored servant who had earned a favor through her bravery and daring.

Myths aside, a martial artist who has achieved this Charm is indeed protected by her weapon as long as it is on her person. Activating this Charm is not a thing done lightly as it ties the Exalt to her weapon more closely than she was before. Performing a short ritual in which she baths the keris in fresh water and the blood of hunted prey and then a small amount of her own, the Exalt “attunes” herself to the weapon for the duration of this Charm. Through the ritual the Exalt commits 3 motes of Essence, similar to attuning to an artifact weapon, and gains the benefit of this Charm as long as the Essence remains committed. After that, the weapon will rattle in its sheath if the attuned person is ever placed in danger. No matter the type of danger, the keris rattles alerting the bearer to immediate danger. The mechanical effects of this are that the attuned Exalt adds her Essence to Perception rolls against ambushes and never fails the subsequent Wits roll. Also, the Exalt may parry unknown attacks with the keris and attacks from behind, assuming that they have an action. The only requirement to gain these benefits, beyond the Essence commitment is that the keris be near enough to the person to be heard (and the bearer will hear it if it is nearby, even if the Exalt is deaf). If not, the keris will still rattle, but the owner gains none of the benefits. Attuned waveblades are slightly different. Because they are more powerful in their attunement to the Exalt, and the owner need not have the waveblade on her person to receive the benefit of this Charm as she hears the rattling in her head if it is not present.

The legends around the keris are old and widely disseminated in certain cultures. Anyone in the area of the keris when it rattles may make a Perception + Lore/Martial Arts roll (difficulty 3) to understand the meaning. If the person grew up in an area where legends of keris are popular and part of the dominant culture, than the difficulty is only 2. Furthermore, practitioners of this style are only at difficulty 1 to understand the meaning.

Siaka Form
Cost: 6 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Wary-Predator Instinct

Humans are not creatures natural to water. It is not a hospitable environment to them and holds many dangers. This Charm helps to make up for that lack. With it, the Exalt becomes utterly at home on the sea and need not worry about her survival there, except in the most extreme cases. After a moment's meditation and a ritualized set of movements designed to be performed on land or in water, the Exalt enters into Siaka Form. Her movement on land remains unaffected except that she is more likely to crouch and move closer to the ground. For the duration of the Charm, the water becomes the Exalt's true home. She is completely unrestricted freedom of movement in water, increasing her swimming speed to equal her land speed (except that Strength replaces Dexterity) and adds her Martial Arts to her Strength for the purposes of swimming. The Exalt may also attack and defend as normal. She also gains the ability to breathe underwater or on land, which Lunar practitioners manifest as gills and others manifest as a magical conversion of water to oxygen through their regular breathing cycle. The Exalt also gains additional resistance to the cold water and the pressure of swimming deep, adding her Essence to Resistance for these rolls.

The natural dangers are not the only worries when in the water though. There exists an entire ecosystem of predators that will gladly take a flailing human in the water as a free lunch. The last benefit conferred is an aura of menace that surrounds the Exalt and wards off marine predators, marking her as a creature to avoid. This is ability makes controlled and sentient animals unwilling to attack, but will if pressed with a successful roll at a difficulty equal to the Exalt's Essence. This aura will even make the children of Siakal hesitate for a turn before continuing their attack.

Predator's Patience Method
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Siaka Form

Siaka are patient predators if nothing else. They are, after all, one of Creation's oldest, timeless before the Exalts existed. And they have patience beyond imagining. Scholarly speculation places the origins of the sharks and siaka in the hands of the Maiden of Endings and not Siakal, for siaka are infinitely aware that it is only a matter of time. This Charm is a reflection of that awareness. Given the proper attack, any creature can be brought to its knees left only to struggle in vain against the inevitable.

The martial artist adds her Essence to the raw damage of an attack that does lethal damage. Each point of damage rolled against the victim also inflicts a point of damage against their Dexterity for the purposes of movement (and against Strength for jumping). Should the victim suffer a number of damage (cumulative with multiple attacks of this type, even if they originate from multiple people) then the target is effectively hamstrung and unable to stand, walk or jump, and can only move by crawling or swimming at a rate of 1 yard per turn. This damage also affects pertinent Athletics rolls involving Strength or Dexterity. This “damage” cannot be healed, but only lasts until the end of the scene.

Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Predator's Patience Method

Though siaka are patient creatures it is not the trait they are best known for. More likely, people will have heard about the terribly ferocity of attacks against other marine animals and sailors. Their fame even reaches inland and frightens young children through the stories they hear from parents. And this renown is well earned.

Mimicking the behavior of the hunting siaka, the Exalt attacks her prey, seeking to wound it and cause enough damage to open a wound that will cause it to bleed, weakening it to make the hunting easier. The martial artist makes a martial arts attack as normal, but the attack must do lethal damage. The goal of the attack is to open a wound that will continue to bleed, causing the victim to lose strength and health as time passes.

If the attack succeeds and does even a single level of damage, then the following effects come into play. In addition to the damage suffered this turn, for a number of turns after equal to the Exalt's Strength + Martial Arts he takes a number of unsoakable dice of lethal damage equal to the Exalt's permanent Essence.

Furthermore, such is the magic of this Charm that the wound actively resists closing, even if inflicted on one of the Exalted. Mortals with a grievous wound such as this are surely dead, but Exalts may not make their normal Stamina roll to staunch the bleeding. They may make the roll, but its difficulty is increased to the Exalt's permanent Essence, as are Medicine rolls for the same purpose. Staunching the bleeding also requires that the Exalt take a dice-action to make the roll, and cannot make it reflexively. The wound also opens easier than other wounds. Any action of physical exertion that fails by more successes than the victim's Stamina it opens again, and may continue to bleed, but at the normal rate. If the roll botches, the wound opens automatically. This effect persists until the damage caused by the initial wound has been healed.

Donning the Armor of Siakal
Cost: 4 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Siaka Form

Sharks, especially siaka, possess a tough, rugged hide that protects them from their environment and against predatorial attacks. Unlike fish they do not possess scales, and unlike marine mammals their hide is not skin, but rather something completely unique. Their hide is a series of rough denticles that are capable of cutting a human if rubbed the wrong way.

This Charm allows the Exalt to soak lethal damage with her natural Bashing soak and may parry lethal attacks unarmed. Additionally, the Exalt's unarmed attacks do lethal damage and she adds her Essence to clinch damage.

Striking-the-Water Atemi
Cost: 3 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisites: Siaka Form

Flesh-Rending Strike
Cost: 5 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisites: Donning the Armor of Siakal, [stun augmenter]

Unreasoning Terrors of Dark Water
Cost: 3 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: [stun augmenter]

Riding the Tempest
Cost: 3 motes/attack
Duration: Instant
Type: Extra Action
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisites: Body-Rending Technique, Unreasoning Terror of the Fepths, Striking the Water Atemi

Blood in the Water
Cost: 10 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisites: [extra action]