MartialArts/UnderworldFinial

Fourteenth Deathlord Style

• by Wings.
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Note: some of the following is heavily based on the events of the campaign in which this style was conceived. Please bear with it. Despite how unbalanced it might or might not be (it was our first attempt at custom Charms), the development of this style was a very important (and emotionally rewarding) part of our campaign. That, beyond the usefulness or crapiness of the style, is what really mattered.

Background

I left a realm of nothingness, of sadness, death and deception. I saw the world outside the realm of madness, and I found joy. I met someone who saw the heart beyond the darkness, and I learned how to love. But the pull of the darkness was strong, and I knew my joy wouldn’t last forever……unless I took action. I let myself fall deeper and deeper within the darkness I had rejected for so long. I ignored the please of my friends and the tears of the person I loved the most. But I didn’t let Oblivion claim me, for I had seen the world outside the realm of madness, and I wished to see it again. And there would be no force in this Universe, not even the Void, that could stop me from doing just that.

The path to redemption is challenging, demanding and as varied as snowflakes. There’s no single way for a deathknight to return to the light of the Unconquered Sun. Whatever path is taken, it will be difficult: a test of mind, body and the very core of the Exalt’s soul.

There are many unknown paths to redemption, and the Fourteenth Deathlord Style is one of them. Conceived by the now-Dawn Caste Blazing White Sparrow (formerly known as the Shoat of the Mire), the principle behind this style is that, before reaching the light of redemption, the deathknight must first travel to the darkest pits of her own tainted soul and unveil the secrets of corrupted power hidden within the whispers of the Neverborn. To catch the eye of the Unconquered Sun, the Abyssal seeking redemption must prove her unfaltering intent, by taking the greatest risk: challenging Oblivion itself. At that point, there are only two possible outcomes: reaching the Unconquered Sun and forever leaving the eternal darkness, cleansing her soul and her tainted Exaltation; or the consuming embrace of Oblivion and unavoidable destruction.

Weapons and Armor

Fourteenth Deathlord Style is a Celestial Martial Art that treats knives and short swords (and by extension, short daiklaves) as unarmed attacks for the purposes of its Charms, representing the perfect and deadly symmetry of Oblivion and the many sides of existence beyond Creation: Heaven and the Underworld.

Note: this style can only be learned by Abyssal Exalted. While the wish for redemption is not a prerequisite to learn this style, those who dare stare at the Eyes of the Void without the will to return to the Unconquered Sun are destroyed for their insolence. In other words, Abyssals who learn this style and do not wish to become Solars can never learn any of the Charms following Fourteenth Deathlord Form. Redeemed Abyssals-turned-Solars can still use every Charm of this style except for Through the Eyes of the Void.

Charms

SEVEN DIVINE COUNSELORS REVERIE</b>

<b>Cost: None
Duration: Permanent
Type: Special
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: None

I prayed for those who knew the horrible truth and paid for it, and they replied to my prayers with their blessings......

The character inherits the wisdom and insight of the fallen Seven Divine Counselors of Stygia, and their infinite knowledge of the secrets of the darkness and those who dwell within. The character adds her Intelligence to all Martial Arts attack, parry and damage rolls against creatures from the Underworld and Malfeas. She only adds half her Intelligence (rounded down, minimum 1) against creatures from Creation. This bonus is not considered to be a Charm bonus. There is no cost to use this Charm - learning it permanently enhances the Exalt's capabilities.

MINUET OF SHADOWLANDS MADNESS</b>

<b>Cost: 3 motes + 1 mote/turn
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 2
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Seven Divine Counselors Reverie

I saw the children with inflated bellies, the lands where no plants would grown and the animals would die, and I felt nothing......

The mere touch of the character is as glancing at the infinite bleakness of the shadowlands, a sight that draws lesser wills to madness, a madness that makes the poor victim clay in the Exalt's hands. This Charm can only be activated after successfully hitting an opponent. Once this Charm is active, for the rest of the scene, the character adds her permanent Essence to her Martial Arts attacks, as well as all parries and dodges against that particular opponent, for a number of turns equal to the number of motes spent beyond 3. In addition, those spent motes also add +1L/+2B per mote to her soak against all attacks, for the same number of turns. This is a natural soak. The character may not spend more motes for the Charm’s duration than her Martial Arts.

HOWLING LAMENT OF THE FORGED SOULS</b>

<b>Cost: 6 motes + 2 motes/extra die
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Minuet of Shadowlands Madness

I looked at my daiklave and heard the moans of anguish of the souls used to forge it, and I felt nothing......

The character's anima draws upon the power of the souls of the slain, creating a cacophony of disturbing howls and grotesque shapes. Once having activated this Charm, the player rolls the character's Essence each time the character successfully deals at least one point of damage (of any kind) to an opponent. Each success indicates a number of motes of Essence equal to half her permanent Essence (rounded up) that the character drains from the opponent and claims for herself. The player may choose to expend extra motes when activating this Charm to gain extra dice, at the cost of 2 motes per die. The maximum number of extra dice that can be gained equals the character’s Martial Arts. Creatures drained by the Exalt are utterly perturbed by the effect, and on each subsequent turn they must make Willpower rolls (difficulty equals the Exalt's Manipulation score) or take a penalty on all actions to attack the Exalt or defend against her attacks equal to half the Exalt's permanent Essence (rounded up) for the rest of the scene. Soulsteel weapons drain Essence as normal when used in conjunction with this Charm.

PAIN OF UNAVOIDABLE FAILURE</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Minuet of Shadowlands Madness

I witnessed acts of unparalleled treachery and hatred, and saw countless souls consumed by their own folly, and I felt nothing......

The character infuses his hands with Essence, which twists and weaves as it shapes the certain demise of its opponent. The character's unarmed attack deals lethal damage and adds her permanent Essence to her raw damage. In addition, if the opponent attempts to dodge or parry the attack and fails, the number of failures in the defensive roll becomes additional damage dice.

MOUSE IN THE LABYRINTH TECHNIQUE</b>

<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 3
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Minuet of Shadowlands Madness

I saw hordes of mindless slaves throw away their very existences following empty promises of final relief, and I still felt nothing......

The character ties his Essence to the opponent's life-force, gaining a measure of control of its actions. The character's Manipulation is added to the attack roll. If the attack hits, the character adds her Manipulation score to her dodge and parry dice pools as well as her bashing and lethal soak to defend against attacks from that opponent, for the remainder of the scene. This bonus to soak is treated as armor in regards to soaking aggravated damage In addition, both 9s AND 10s count twice on every Martial Arts attack made against that target.

FOURTEENTH DEATHLORD FORM</b>

<b>Cost: 7 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 2
Prereqs: Howling Lament of the Forged Souls, Pain of Unavoidable Failure, Mouse in the Labyrinth Technique

Then I heard the call of Oblivion, calling me, pulling me to its cold yet comforting embrace. Then I remembered.........and I screamed at the top of my lungs, even and my body, mind and soul were being torn apart: "It won't end like this!!!!"

The Fourteenth Deahtlord Form represents the deathknight that dares to face Oblivion and deny it her soul. While she may now become an enemy of all the denizens of the Underworld, from the lowliest ghosts to the Malfeans themselves, she wields the might of her unrelenting soul and the hope of a new path ahead of her.

The Exalt's unarmed attacks deal lethal damage, and she adds her permanent Essence score to attack rolls and her Martial Arts score to damage rolls. Each successful attack drains a number of motes of Essence from her target equal to the number of levels of damage inflicted or the target's permanent Essence, whichever is higher. The character can also choose to heal her own wounds instead of regaining motes of Essence, at the cost of two levels of bashing damage or one level of lethal damage per two levels of damage inflicted. If the target does not have an Essence pool, the character adds her permanent Essence in automatic after-soak damage successes in every attack.

This Charm is not compatible with armor. A character may only have a single Form-Type Charm active at one time.

LOVER’S BREATH METHOD</b>

<b>Cost: 8 motes + 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Fourteenth Deathlord Form

And the battle continued. The Void pulled me closer and I struggled to run away. Nothingess is strong, but there are stronger things. I know that know, as I see their smiling faces.

The character, a step closer to the path of true redemption, learns how to shape the disrupting force of her lethal attacks into regenerative power for her exhausted body and soul. The player rolls Conviction. Successes become bonus dice for the character's attack roll. The attack deals lethal damage regardless of the weapon used. If the character successfully hits and deals damage, the damage dealt becomes restorative power. The character recovers two points of bashing damage per level of damage dealt, or one point of lethal damage per level of damage dealt, or one point of aggravated damage or temporary Willpower per two levels of damage dealt. This Charm can be used with Charms that add dice to attack and damage rolls but not with Charms that add automatic successes.

CONSUMING DECAY OF THE LABYRINTH</b>

<b>Cost: 4 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 4
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Fourteenth Deathlord Form

I ran through the Labyrinth for months, unaware of the many shadows and things of evil that stalked me. I ran unaware of them, for I was running away from the greatest of of all evils. And so, those who stalked me and tried to get me only ended up swallowed by the Void. But I still ran.

The Exalt knows how to attune her anima with the very essence of the Underworld, turning it into a force of consumption and decay. The character makes a Martial Arts attack as normal, including the roll for damage. While the attack itself inflicts no damage, the target suffers two impairing effects. First, for every two levels of damage the attack would have otherwise dealt, the target takes a -1 penalty to all rolls. The penalty decreases by 1 with every subsequent turn. In addition, the character may reduce the victim's physical Attributes by a number equal to her Martial Arts score. The character freely chooses how this Attribute damage is dealt. The Attribute loss lasts for the rest of the scene, and it may negate the target's ability to use Charms with minimum Attribute requirements.

Despite of the character's anima being visible or not, the use of this Charm has an immediate effect on her. Creatures around her; be they farm animals, pets, humans or gods, feel an unconscious repulsion towards the character, an inner certainty that there's something definitely wrong about her. She takes a penalty on all social rolls equal to her permanent Essence.

VISION OF IMMEASURABLE MADNESS</b>

<b>Cost: 5 motes + 1 health level
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Consuming Decay of the Labyrinth

With every single step, a new truth dawned upon my mind. A truth I'd rather have never known, but a necessary truth nonetheless. I ran and ran, and my mind was flooded with revelations. I screamed and pushed the twisted words away, but that only made the awareness stronger. I ran and ran, but the end of all things was catching up to me.

Swallowed by the twisted lore and revelations of death, decay and the end of all things, a deathknight seeking redemption must first walk the path of madness and hope to find the light of the path that leads back to the Unconquered Sun. For the remainder of the scene, the character's Intelligence becomes a penalty on all dice rolls except for damage rolls. However, the character can, for the duration of the scene, make two attacks every turn, as long as she uses her Martial Arts ability. She adds her permanent Essence to all damage rolls, and each blow does lethal damage even if the character is unarmed. If desired, a parry or a full dodge can replace one or two of the character's two normal actions, but the character cannot split any of these dice pools to obtain further multiple actions. Finally, the Exalt adds her Martial Arts score to her bashing and lethal soak for the rest of the scene.

TAINT OF STYGIAN WATERS</b>

<b>Cost: 8 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 3
Prereqs: Fourteenth Deathlord Form

I ran past the gates of Stygia, I shunned civilization and ran through the vast plains of bleakness. But no matter where I went or how fast I moved, the whispers of the Neverborn always reached me. Then I understood. And I stopped.

The character's anima resonates with the opponent's life-force, attuning her movements and actions to the other's thoughts and reactions. The opponent rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the character's Essence) before the player makes the attack roll. If the Willpower roll fails, the creature can't dodge or parry the incoming attack without using a perfect defense and, if the attack hits, the opponent's natural soak and half of its armor's soak are negated.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE VOID</b>

<b>Cost: 1 Willpower + 2 motes/reaction
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Min. Martial Arts: 5
Min. Essence: 4
Prereqs: Lover’s Breath Method, Taint of Stygian Waters, Vision of Immeasurable Madness

I turned, and looked at the Eyes of the Void. I saw the beginning and the end. I saw the past, the present and the future. And I saw nothingness. Everything is nothing. Nothing is everything. The paradox of unity and duality. I let the Void claim me......and I found the light.

Then I opened my eyes......and I smiled. I felt something.

......I felt happy.

The Void sees everything and consumes everything. Nothing can escape the cold embrace of Oblivion. The deathknight seeking redemption sees beyond that truth and fights against impossible odds. If she succeeds, she gains awareness second only to the most powerful gods. By spending a point of temporary Willpower, the character gains this supreme awareness. She cannot be surprised, and her eyes see dematerialized spirits as if they were corporeal. Stealth is almost impossible against her: she adds her permanent Essence to all Perception and Awareness rolls, as well as to her initiative. In combat, at the expense of two motes, she can respond to any incoming hand-to-hand attacks with a dodge, a parry, or a counterattack with her full dodge, parry and Martial Arts attack dice pools, even those she is unaware of. She can even parry and counter Melee weapons and attacks. If the character counters, the counterattack doesn’t mitigate the attack's effects in any way. Unlike most counterattack Charms, Through the Eyes of the Void CAN be used in response to other counterattack Charms.