LunarTotems/Crab

Introduction

She was afraid. She had every reason to be so. There had been the attack, and her parrents had told her to hide, and she had had to remain silent and still while screams were raging. Then, when night had come she had had to run, a long flight through the night and she had nearly been caught, when the soldiers had found her, had it not been for the sudden voice, close to her ear, whispering to her a way to safety, shining with moonlight, small enough for her but not for the armored soldiers. She had had to run again, and run some more until she was so exhausted she couldn't even feel the pain of her bloodied feet.

When she had rested at last, between the roots of a great oaktree, she had been abducted by strange deformed creatures, and she had though herself lost, caught into even worse hands than the Realm's soldiers. Little Lisbeth before even she was fifteen years old. But they hadn't killed her, instead they had carried her on a long road. Giving her strange, raw meat for only food and calling her Blessed Child. She hadn't understand most of what their twisted mouthes said , and so for seven days she had travelled in monster's arms to an unknown destiny, alone and afraid and with only the light of the Moon to tame her fear.

At last, they put her on the soft, leaves filled ground.

Trees were sparse, and she could almost see small houses or hutts around. But the place she was was different. A big bonfire was burning a few yards from her. Before it, was a strange stone-carved alter. A tall figure was working by the fire, then stopped and came near to her.He was an imposing man, squat and with strong muscles gleaming with sweat. Even more striking where the hundreds jewels and rings and trinkets that pierced his skin, ear, brows, nose, and were gleaming silver by the light of fire and moon. She shuddered at the sight of so much metal warped into flesh.

"Do not be afraid, child." he said. He had a surprinsingly soft voice for a man of such a stature. "We are not you ennemy, but in truth your family. Our mother Luna have called you to her arms, and so we will care for you and teach you the lore of the Moon people."

"Does it hurt ?" she asked, not really knowing wether she meant the piercings or the teaching.

"I will not lie to you, girl. No knowledge can be found without pain, but like the blade forged in fire, you will be made the stronger for it, and with this power you will be able to create your own dreams and wishes."

Stronger ? It sounded appealing after so much days of fear, fleeing, hiding and helpless. With strength she could even find her way to revenge and fulfilling at last the dreams of independance that had killed her parrents.

Annick Flesh-Crafter

Symbology : force and energy expressed through emotions and imagination, and a desire to store memories and possessions

Charms :
Finding the Spirit’s Shape: Crab
Deadly Beastman Transformation (1)
Shaping the Ideal Form
Tool Hand Technique
Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
Tatoo Cutting Wisdom
Form Fixing Method
Moonsilver Shaping Rite
Ritual of Elemental Empowerment

Crab Form : Strength 1 Stamina 1. Can live underwater.

Beastman Form : Dexterity +1 Strength +2 Stamina +1, Rugged Hide, Impenetrable Beast Armor.

Tell : One of his hand looks like a nipper.

This is an idea I wanted to do for a while. A lunar crafter, not as a civilized Lunar bringing tools and techniques to barbarians, but as a mystic sorcerer giving his lore and mana-filled items to his people. Because techniques and crafts can be seen as magical as well as scientific in the right mindset. For most so-called primitive cultures, the act of shaping nature, and especially shaping one's flesh and body through marks, scars, tatoos etc. is fundamental. It's what makes a being into a real Human. The body is formed, grown, finalised by being shaped by a human's hand.

So this character is a priest of Luna (Give him Cult and Followers backgrounds, as well as Artifact of course), one who teaches her ways and her cunning to men by the use of many crafts and magical tools and weapons, and one who teaches younger Lunar into the Silver Way (An aspect I see few No Moon exploring).I though about the crab for this kind of Exalt for two reasons. It's one of the animal the most closely associated with the moon and the realm of unconscious of desires and artistic inspiration, at least in european folklore (in Astrology and Tarot), and because of this kind of crab which slips into dead shells instead of his carapace, then cast them away when he outgrowed them. This is erasing of the boundary between the body and things exterrior to it that is interresting with the theme of body marks and the way shapeshifters may relate to their environment. d looks like a nipper.