AnotherJoe/MnemonVerala

Name: Mnemon Verala
Caste: Twilight
Nature: Visionary (Wonders of Sorcery / First Age)
Anima: Laterally-opening eye, revealing a heptagram
Concept: Brigid's rebirth / Dynast on the run
Experience: 206 earned, 203 spent

Attributes:
Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2
Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3
Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Abilities:
Archery 1, Martial Arts 4, Melee 1, Endurance 2, Performance 1, Presence 3, Craft (Architecture) 3, Investigation 2, Lore 3, Medicine 1, Occult 5, Awareness 2, Stealth 2, Bureaucracy 2, Linguistics 2 (Native: High Realm; Learned: Old Realm, Rivertongue), Ride 1, Socialise 3

Specialties:
Stealth (vs. Dragon-Blooded) 1, Investigation (Research) 2

Backgrounds:
Artifact N/A: The Mantle Of Brigid, Resources 2, Contacts 3: Sorcerors / Sages, Manse 2: An uncapped class 3 Solar demesne

Merits:
Legendary Artifact (Mantle of Brigid) 10pts, Brigid's Heir 4pts

Flaws:
Permanent Caste Mark 2pts, Greater Curse 5pts, Beacon of Power

Virtues:
Compassion 5, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 3. Flaw: Heart of Tears

Willpower: 9
Health: 0, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -2, -4, Incapacitated
Essence: 3 (+5)
Essence Pools: Peripheral: 63 (+50)

Charms:

• Martial Arts
  

Striking Cobra Technique
Serpentine Evasion
Snake Form

• Endurance
  

Ox-Body Technique (-1, -2, -2)

• Craft
  

Flawless Handiwork Method

• Investigation
  

Ten Magistrate Eyes

• Occult
  

Spirit-Detecting Glance
Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
Celestial Circle Sorcery
Solar Circle Sorcery

• Linguistics
  

Whirling Brush Method
Swift Sage's Eye

• Terrestrial Circle Spells
  

Invulnerable Skin of Bronze
Demon of the First Circle
Flight of Separation
Emerald Countermagic
Death of Obsidian Butterflies
Stormwind Rider
Flying Guillotine
Incantation of Effective Restoration
Spirit of Might
Lightning Spider
The Tree's Many Branches
Water From Stone
Commanding Presence of Fire
Song of Vertigo

• Celestial Circle Spells
  

Sapphire Countermagic
Dolorous Reflection
Demon of the Second Circle
Whirlwind of Fate
Summoning the Lesser Minions of the Eyeless Face
Force of Life's Summer
The Battle's End

• Solar Circle Spells
  

Adamant Countermagic

Equipment: The Mantle of Brigid, silken clothing, writing brush, inks, paper, texts heisted from the Heptagram

Combat:
Base Initiative 7
Soak 2B/1L/0A
Dodge 3
Attacks
Fist Spd7 Acc7 Dmg2B Def7
Kick Spd4 Acc6 Dmg4B Def6

Character Description

Appearance

At 5'2", Verala is of far less stature than most Dynasts. As a great-grand-daughter of the Empress, and the offspring of two Earth Aspects, she bears the classically sharp features of the Realm, with differences that reflect her ties to the Dragons: a persistent deep brown tan, chestnut hair and hard jade-green eyes. As a side effect of her Exaltation, she bears the mark of the Descending Suns on her brow.

Backstory

Daughter of Mnemon Toril (son of Mnemon, daughter of the Empress) and Ledaal Ilera (who is 12 generations separate from the Empress), Verala's childhood was standard for a Dynastic child. Primary schooling was good to her; between her heritage and her aptness for those skills associated with Pasiap and Mela, it was felt she was sure to Exalt. As such, it was that much farther a fall when she didn't. As an afterthought, her father reviewed her aptitudes and the House's requirements, decided to continue her education in esoterica and spirit lore, and to place her as a set of eyes and ears in the Heptagram.

A Copper Spider Gets Its Legs

Mnemon Verala was anxious. UnExalted were never allowed this far into the Heptagram; here students were working on their theses, alumni on various personal projects, and demons guarded almost every door. She recognized a tomescu from the texts she worked with daily as a librarian and research assistant to new students. But she wasn't summoned to Mnemon's chamber so she could gawk at things in the halls like some outcaste bumpkin, and her escort promptly found the proper room.

Inside, it was like a different world: the mundane brick of the halls replaced with solid jade of every colour, words in the old tongue carved into the floor and ceiling, and at the center stood Mnemon herself. Though she was the Empress' oldest daughter, Mnemon looked younger than Verala's 22 years, and her appearance displayed her mastery of Essence for all to see. When the door closed, Mnemon turned, and Verala saw she was studying an ancient-looking mantle of red cloth with a hint of gold stitching on a stand in front of her.

"Greetings, grand-daughter." Mnemon said, "You must be wondering what occasioned me to call you here."
"Yes, ma'am." Verala replied, remembering she was before a Prince of the Earth, straightening and casting her gaze to the floor by her feet.
"Please, call me grandmother, and don't be so distressed. We're alone."
Verala relaxed slightly and brought her eyes up to meet the Exalt's.
"That's much better. Now, to the issue at hand; I've called you here to help me conduct a test. All I ask is that you don this cloak; I wish to see its effects on a mortal, and you're the only one I can trust with this." Mnemon removed the silk from its rack and held it out for Verala.

Verala placed the mantle over her shoulders. As she looked up from closing the clasp, it seemed as if all the candles had flared. Light glinted off every surface, and the world seemed clearer, sharper, for a moment. She looked over to see Mnemon tracing lines of essence in the air, intoning syllables in the sorceror's tongue. This must be part of the test, Verala thought. But, as the first glittering black wing melted into sight, she realized what the spell was. She raised her arms to protect herself, however futile she knew the gesture was. Then, before she knew what she was doing, Verala flung her arms out and down in a dismissive gesture, and the storm of obsidian disappeared without even the grating rend of countermagic. As the door opened and guards poured in, Verala realized she was the source of this new light. Again motioning in a curiously familiar fashion, she hoped for protection as she ran past the guards. There was much clanging of steel and jade, but Verala felt only the bite of a jade daiklave across her back before she got to her room. As she hurriedly began packing her few portable possessions, she caught a glance of something in the mirror that stopped her dead. As Verala gazed into the mirror, staring at the walking bronze statue she'd become, with the mark of the Unclean blazing from her forehead, she heard a voice say "Go forth and work such wonders as have not been seen for millenia." When the guards arrived seconds later, all they found were a broken mirror and a few bronze feathers.

Backgrounds, Merits and Flaws

Artifact N/A
The Mantle of Brigid. See above for details on its acquisition.

Contacts 3
Sorcerors and sages, minor contacts represent knowing how to find occult societies in most places. Major contacts as follows:

• Smiling Jade Swallow, guild-employed Outcaste Dragon-Blood sorceror
• Nellens Karela, unExalted, Beneficent Immaculate Liaison Between the Mortal and Immortal in Chiaroscuro
• Peleps Refan, unExalted, old friend, last known whereabouts were in the North touring with the Tepet legions

Manse 2
The Sun-Swept Plateau is an uncapped demesne to the southeast of Nexus. A densely forested plateau on top of a tor, it is called such because nothing there casts a shadow.

Resources 2
A combination of her life savings, and monies made serving as a savant and thaumaturgist in Nexus.

Brigid's Heir
Mnemon Verala carries the shard of the legendary Mother of Sorcery, Brigid.

Permanent Caste Mark
Using the Mantle as a conduit, Brigid's shard forced itself into Verala's frame prematurely, then proceeded to channel Sapphire Countermagic through it before Verala's initiation into even the first circle of sorcery. Luckily for both, the only side effect of this was the searing of the Twilight caste mark into Verala's forehead.

Greater Curse (5pts)
If anyone deserves special attention from the Primordials, it's the one who forged the Exalted's greatest weapon.

Beacon of Power
Verala's constant practice of sorcery, with its massive essence costs, has caused the division between personal and peripheral pools to blur.