Tiffa/Ashiar
Contents
History
... I was born in the south, it doesn't matter where. I am... I was, the third child of four. My family lived from the caravans moving to and from the southwest. We mostly dealt with mortals... Exalts rarely came to this part of the world, perhaps the occasional dragon-blooded.
When they came... life in the village would stop. We would throw a celebration for them, bring out the best food, th ebest drinks... everything in our power to please them. Everything in our power to not give them an excuse to grow angry.
We all knew the stories of what they could do. How they could build or destroy a village like ours in a matter of minutes. Me... I was fascinated by it, this power they had. I asked my parents if I could Exalt too... all that got me was a stern spanking and no dinner. That power was not for us.
But I was determined... if I could not be an Exalt, then I would go and see the world. My village got smaller in my eyes every time. I wanted to fight bandits and monsters, not stay in this sleepy little place and have half a dozen children. I pestered my parents so much that... they finally relented. One less mouth to feed. I was sent to the closest city.
... it was so much to take, I was still young, just a village girl... and cities... here, Exalts were present. Here, people paid them respect, but not to the slavish devotion of my tiny home. They seemed so far away, and yet more closer than before...
I trained hard, to learn how to fight. Gender mattered little here, but I still had much to catch up... the years went by quickly, however, and I was soon part of a small marcenary company, dealing mostly in escorting caravans... bandits still plagued the lands.
... and this is how I met Tenth Gauntlet.
Death
He was an earth aspect, tall, handsome, charismatic. He was on his way to meet his brotherhood, and our caravan was traveling the same way. He claimed to like company... so he wanted to travel with us to our destination. There was no way we could have said no.
He was friendly, chatted with us, like he was just another mortal. I overcame my awe and asked him all sorts of questions. He always answered lightly, smiling, complimented me on my looks, I was...
...
We were roughly a week on our travel when it happened.
It was the middle of the night... I was resting, it was not my turn on guard... but I was still awoken by the cries of alarm. I scrambled out of the wagon, my weapon ready... half the caravan was already on fire. I saw shadow fighting in the distance. I grit my teeth and moved in.
How could the bandits have gotten so close without anybody noticing? Why weren't we alerted sooner? All those questions and more were on my mind as I closed into the battle... the figures were more distinct now, we were so outnumbered!
I fought what I could, even out of my armor, I would be damned if I gave up without a fight!
I didn't know where the others were. Was I the only one that had heard the cries of alarm? Half of us were missing, and I didn't see them anywhere! I soon became desperate... until I saw Tength Gauntlet running our way.
This... I thought, this was it. With an Exalt on our side, we would surely win! I turned to the fight again, cut down a bandit, and...
... and then there was a daiklave sticking out of my chest.
Its funny... it almost didn't hurt until he pulled it back, and I fell to my knees. He walked past me, grinning, idly swiping his daiklave in mid air and cleaning off the blood... my blood. I watched as he cut down more and more of my band... of my friends... and only then I began to realize what happened, even as he vanished from my sight.
... Rage overcame me. Never had I felt anything like this. I would not let it end like that. I could NOT let it end like that, not while my heart beat and my blood still ran warm! I climbed to my feet, followed after him... and found him not far away, happily chatting away with four others. Four other dragon-blooded. The sounds of battle had stopped... only when I got close did they notice me.
He chuckled as he looked at me, and clapped twice, praising my guts. I... I asked him why.
He smiled, and said that he HAD been traveling to meet his brotherhood... the other four standing there with him. He had never said... what he would do afterwards. Then, he laughed and turned away, and th ebandits... his lackeys, came to me, with th eintent of finishing me off.
I screamed in rage, in HATE, in defiance, even as I cut them down. My eyes were on his back. The bandits fell like rag dolls around me. In that moment, they were nothing, not worth of my focus, he was the only one that mattered.
... and as I cut my way past through them... one of his companions stepped ahead, and swung a gigantic hammer... and caught me in the chest. The next thing I knew... I was laying on the sand, dozens of feet away from where I had started. I felt as if my body was on fire, the world was turning dark...
... but that smile of his... my anger, it would not let me die. My body broken, I could not move, but I kept cursing his name as loud as I could... whispers, by now.
They just walked away, leaving me to die.
... their mistake.
Exaltation
I could not die... I WOULD not die, not until his head was laying by my feet. And as if answering to my rage, the sun answered.
No, it was not the sun, not the one I grew up knowing... this was the shadow of a sun, its light dim weak, about to die... but still there. It was setting in the horizon, despite it being the middle of the night. Even as it vanished beyond the edge of the world, I knew that it would keep burning, in defiance to the darkness than wanted to conquer it.
... and it filled me with hope.
My body was broken, my blood was spilled on the ground, and yet I still clinged to my life. I would be like that sun. I would not give in to the final darkness. I would deny Death the pleasure of taking me... I would deny Tenth Gauntlet the pleasure of killing me.
It must have taken me hours to move... to simply climb to my knees. Had my heart stopped them, I would have grabbed it with my hand and forced it to continue beating. I looked up to the stars, I saw how dim they looked. I saw one star vanish.
And I screamed my defiance to the world as the Shattered Sun branded his blessing on my forehead.
Revenge
This world is the kingdom of traitors. They call themselves Exalts, and they rule above every person in the world. To them, the people are nothing but tools to use... toys to play with... insects to squash. Their power is glorious and unmatched, and not even the legendary beings of the Wyld can stand up to them.
... Unmatched... until now.
We will bring down their glorious palaces, we will slay their servants. We will destroy their creations, and we will turn those that they have scorned against them. Those that choose to fight for them will die, and those that flock under our banner will only increase in number. They will die and be shattered in payment for their treason, and the Shattered Sun will burn bright once more.
They believe themselves to be unstoppable, but they have never faced us.
They have never faced me.
The time is at hand.
Personality
Once, Ashi'ar was a brave young woman with huge dreams and hopes for the future, dreams that were shattered when death nearly took her. There is almost nothing left of that girl... a fact she herself is too aware of. This is the reason why she rarely uses her name, and instead chose a title to represent her. No longer would the sands of the south be easy prlaying grounds for the Exalts. Any that came close... would leave their blood behind. She would now be the Invincible Guardian of the Bloodied Sands... although the Invincible part of the title she earned after she got her armor.
She does not seem to have a sense of humor, or what little she has is very hard to bring to light. She has a constant look of intensity on her face, and usually a frown. Sometimes, she even appears sad. She does not recall the last time she laughed or smiled, and it feels forever. She long ago ceased to believe herself to be a good person... in her drive, she is aware that she has killed others for simply being in her way. In a way, she loathes what she has become, someone not unlike her sworn enemy, but knows thgat this is the only way to fight them.
She hates Exalts with a passion, especially Dragon-blooded. Only her brothers at arms, other abyssals, are worthy of her respect. She will approach just about every enemy Exalt with the same intention... that to kill them. Any mortal that stands in the way will likely perish in her wake. Ashi'ar still looks for Tenth Gauntlet, or any rumour about him... and mention of his name will get all her attention. There is nobody she wishes to destroy more than him. So far, however, she has had no luck...
Ashi'ar has a vision, a vision of a world with no Exalts. A world where mortals would rule themselves, without fear of the powerful entities that govern their very lives. In the end, this vision also includes her own fate... once the Exalts are destroyed, she will finally pass away without regrets.
Ashi'ar teeters on the edge of a fanatic, only kept in check by the very same morals she learned while growing up. She's not willing to let go of everything... not yet. To do so, to let her former life vanish into he shadows, would be to acknowledge that she is truly dead... and no longer even remotely human.
Appearance
Ashi'ar is and has always been a beautiful woman, although she always appears tired and rather morose. She has long hair, once blonde and now a stark white. Her eyes are wide and blue, but there is a chill in them not found in the eyes of most humans. Her skin was once dark, as all southeners tend to be, but it has since become pale, as if she simply wasn't seeing the sun enough. She is tall and strong, and she rarely smiles... and despite this all, she still turns heads.
The Guardian is a terrifying figure, clad from head to toe in her dreaded soulsteel armor. She moves with an imposible grace for somebody wearing such a thing. The only hints that she's a female are the way that the armor has been shaped around her body, and the bottom of her face, the only thing visible at all. The armor adds a few inches to her already tall frame, and she simply looks much larger than she truly is. The cloak of feathers on her back flicks with the wind, sometimes even giving her the appearance of having dark wings. A mortal with any sense of self-preservation will flee.
Ashi'ar and the Guardian are one and the same, but the two provoke entirely different reactions in people.
Character Sheet
Name: Ashi'ar, The Invincible Guardian of the Bloodied Sands
Concept: An invincible warrior bent on revenge.
Nature: Visionary
Caste: Dusk
Anima: A titanic hybroc made of dark steel, which nontheless seems to be falling appart.
ATTRIBUTES
PHYSICAL
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 3
Stamina: 5
SOCIAL
Charisma: 3
Manipulation: 2
Appearance: 4
MENTAL
Perception: 2
Intelligence: 2
Wits: 3
ABILITIES
DUSK
(x)Brawl: 3
(x)Melee: 5
(x)Thrown: 4
MIDNIGHT
(x)Endurance: 4
(x)Presence: 4
Resistance: 4
Survival: 3
DAYBREAK
Lore: 3
(x)Medicine: 3
Occult: 3
DAY
(x)Athletics: 3
Awareness: 2
Dodge: 3
MOONSHADOW
Linguistics: 2
(x)Sail: 4
SPECIALTIES
Melee: Multiple enemies: 2
Presence: intimidation: 2
ADVANTAGES
BACKGROUNDS
Abyssal Command: 3
Artifact: 5
Resources: 3
Spies: 2
Underworld Manse: 3
Whispers: 1
CHARMS
Name
1. Ravaging Strike (Brawl)
2. Lashing Tempest Attack (Brawl)
3. Furious Blade (Melee)
4. Five Shadow Feint (Melee)
5. Savage Shade Style (Melee)
6. Artful Maiming Onslaugh (Melee)
7. Gnashing of Steel Teeth (Melee) (custom)
8. Elegant Flowing Deflection (Melee)
9. Fluttering Moth Defense (Melee)
10. Passage Through the Steel Wall (Melee) (custom)
11. Hundred Razor Circle (Melee)
12. Incomparable Sentinel Stance (Melee)
13. Hungry Missle Technique (Thrown)
14. Incomparable Assasin Method (Thrown)
15. Relentless Dog Strike (Thrown) (custom)
16. Ox Body Technique [-1x1, -2x2] (Endurance)
17. Pain Eating Focus (Endurance)
18. Insensible Corpse Technique (Endurance)
19. Ghost Armor Prana (Endurance)
20. Spirit-hardened Frame (Resistance)
21. Armor-Calling Kata (Resistance)
22. Void Banished Mail (Resistance)
23. Agony-Savoring Spirit (Resistance)
24. Enduring Huntsman Method (Survival)
25. Flesh-Mending Discipline (Medicine)
26. Blood Mastery Technique (Medicine)
27. Touch of Gentle Repose (Medicine)
28. Wound-Absorbing Method (Medicine)
29. Spirit Sensing Technique (Occult)
30. Corpus-Rending Blow (Occult)
31. Master Sailor's Memory (Sail)
VIRTUES
Compassion: 2
Temperance: 2
Conviction: 3
Valor: 3
Willpower: 6
Health: -0x1, -1x3, -2x4, -4x1, I
Essence: 3
Personal: 15/15
Peripheral: 17/37
Commited: 20
Soak (B/L/A): 22 (5) / 19 (2) / 17 (0)
ANIMA
* Tyranny Internalized:Last Stolen Light
Truly are the lords of the fading sun masters of battle. By spending a willpower, the Dusk may use (as a non-charm action) any one charm based on a Dusk ability that they see in the very same turn they see it used. They must name which charm they are copying upon spending the willpower, must meet the ability and Essence requirements, but can copy the charms of other Exalts. Using this copy costs it's normal amount for each use.
* Shadow's Province:Opprutunistic Strike
Any time that someone attacks the Abyssal in close combat and fails to achieve any successes on their dice, the Abyssal may spend 3 motes to make a reflexive full dice attack. Should the victim have actually botched, the Abyssal adds each 1 rolled as an automatic success on their attack.
* Lord of Death:Unstoppable Force
Any mortals who gather under Death's banner find themselves less under it's power... while they march. For the purposes of mass combat, double the health levels of the mortal troops under the Dusk's control. Keep track of how many should have died, for after the battle, many will find themselves falling from mortal wounds. To properly fulfill his responsibility as a general, the Dusk Caste must be a known Dusk Caste Abyssal in sole command of the army, in direct combat with his enemies, in control of his faculties and aware of his surroundings -- as long as these conditions are true, his soldiers will fight to the last man.
Linguistics: Riverspeak, Firetongue, Old Realm
---
Expanded Backgrounds
Abyssal Command 3</b>
A caravan is beset by bandits, hopelessly overwhelmed... when suddenly, a figure clad in dark armor arrives. The bandits die by the dozens, their deaths swift yet gruesome. There is little mercy in her wake. As the astonished members of the caravan watch, she turns and walks away.
Word of mouth and rumours bring people to find this would-be savior. Those that find her, find an avatar of death.
And inevitable, some of these men and women pledge their allegiance to her.
100 men and women follow the Guardian. She has taught them about strategy and warfare. She does not coddle them, but she does not belittle them either. She knows the name of each and every one of them, and gives them the respect they earn. They know what they are fighting for, and they feel, like she does, that their cause is righteous.
Their numbers are still small... but there is a chance that the numbers will grow.
<b>Artifact 5</b>
Most Exalts who die immediately go to Lethe. Most of them. Some don't for various reasons... fearing death, wanting revenge, or whatever. A few of those can only wish they had gone to Lethe, if they could even wish, because their higher souls have been trapped in Soulsteel forged by vengeful ghosts... and a vengeful Abyssal. Said Abyssal's wrath was such that in the end he took his own life, what remained of it, to forge a deadly set of artifacts and trap the souls of the Exalts there indefinitely. His own ghost likely struggles with those within the artifacts to this day.
<b>The Panoply of the Eternal Guardian gained its name from the Abyssal's sacrifice to forge them. It consists of three items: a set of superheavy armor, a great shield, and a grimcleaver fit to be used in one hand.
Deathslayer's Armor (Artifact 5) Soak 17B/17L Mobility -2 Fatigue 1 Hardness 7 Attunement 9
Each part of this armor was crafter with the soul of an Exalt, a good number of mortals who served them, and a good number of ghosts whose rage against them would make them follow even to their prisons. Each gauntlet, each bracer, each boot, legplates, armplates, shoulder piece, chest piece, and helmet has at least the soul of one Exalt in it. Most of them are former Dragon-blooded... but the rumors are that the chest piece was forged upon a Solar's ghost. These powerful souls make the armor only the more powerful.
As it is, the armor is terryfying. Light itself seems to get dimmer around it and its wielder. The constant, endless battle of the spirits within makes the armor itself appear alive, despite being a thing of death. It is almost completely black, hints of red and silver detailing patterns in Old Realm telling the story of how the armor was forged... and some say, the names of those within. It adds a good 6 inches to the user's height, and him appear that much bigger. A cloak of black fathers, some of them made of steel, falls across the back of the armor, almost but not quite dragging throught the floor.
The shoulderpads of the armor appear to have been crafted using skulls as a mold, skulls silently screaming in pain. The helmet provides the only gap in the armor, although only the user's nose and lips can be seen clearly, the helmet covering the eyes. Despite this, the user can see clearly through the helmet, as it wasn't there. There is an etching in the helmet, where the forehead would be. Said etching blazes the castemark of the Abyssal when appropiate, although it does not bleed.
The armor itself is strangely quiet, until battle starts, then the screams of soulsteel begin to emerge, making the user even more haunting. The cloak billows weightlessly even in no breeze, and sometimes appears as if the user had grown two large, black wings.
No mortal force nor weapon may slay the Deathslayer. To even attempt is to risk the weapon, shatting any mortal blade that fails to damage the wearer. While they might be harmed, never will they reach Incapacitated or less without the might of magic. And even the power of magic finds the task of slaying them a difficult one, as upon being dealt a mortal blow, the wearer can spend a point of willpower to roll Essence. Each success negates a single damage success, but even should they fail, they will live on to fight for a number of turns equal to their successes (though damage can still be inflicted). Should they be healed before this time ends, their life has been spared once more.
Wing of the Nightbird (Artifact 4) Spd +5 Acc +4 Dam +4L/8L Def +1 Rate 4 Range 40 Commitment 6 motes
The Exalt who uses the Panoply may appear unarmed but rarely is. The weapon has no obvious place to be carried and is never visible when not being wielded. However, all the user has to do is reach into the feathered cloak and pull, feathers swirling around the user's hands... until a grimcleaver rests in them. Thus, the armor always comes with the weapon... although if the weapon need not come with the armor.
This axe seems to be formed from the bones and still feathered wing of some great beast, feathers being razor sharp and forming the blade. At will, the feathers can flex and seperate or hold tight, adding +4 dice to disarmament attempts. As well, the feathers cast their shadows far and long, which cut much as the originals, causing the first damage statistic and functioning as a thrown weapon.
As well when the wielder uses a charm to aid in a parry against a hand to hand attacker, the wing reflexively opens and twists, so that upon a successful parry, the user may make an automatic disarmment attempt that can not be parried or dodged.
Flowing Shadow Aegis (Artifact 4) Acc +2 Dam +5B (Piercing) Rate 2 Commitment 5 motes
When not equiped, the shield rests on the back of the armor, hidden under the cloak. However, it is remarkably easy to hold the shield ready in a smooth motion. No matter which hands holds the shield, it always appears to fuse directly into the armor for as long as it's held... making it incredibly hard to remove by normal means, but also making it hard for the AByssal to use that hand for anything else.
This is nothing more than a simple soulsteel shield with a blank and shifting mirrorlike surface in the middle, showing what looks upon it, granting it's wielder a +3 cover bonus to the uneducated eye. But each time that an attack is blocked with it, the power of the blow is drawn into the shield, it's shadow held till needed. For each pre-soak damage, the shield gains a pool of points.
The shield can be used as a weapon, releasing the force to throw opponents back as with each point in the pool that is used throwing the opponent back 2 yards. But similarly, there is a resonance between the wing and this shield, allowing the same effect to be used with the axe.
Lastly, for a number of points equal to half the base damage (before attack successes, round down), the wielder may redirect (to a target in range) any attack that misses or is parried with the wing (which does not prevent the user from also disarming a weapon before redirecting an attack).
Resources 3</b>
Guardian herself has little needs. She does not need personal servants, great food or drink, or even a confortable roof above her head. Most of these resources, then, go to feed the mortal troops.
One of her real true possesions is her sand-ship. While not the largest one around, this ship makes travelling across the desert much faster.
<b>Spies 2</b>
Not all those that serve Guardian are in her small army. She has a force of 25 spies in several places in the south, keeping their eyes and ears open for information, especially that regarding Exalts coming and going. They are always careful of not asking too much, but there are few things odd about wanting to know more about Exalts... they are, after all, walking wonders, and many people want to know about them. Her spies report to her via letters, always in code that makes the letters appear as simple gossip.
<b>Underworld Manse 3 </b>
All three of Guardian's stones are set in her armor.
Stone of the Dread Speaker (Level 3) (Based on the Gem of Grace from Bo3C)
The possesor of this gem evokes mild feelings of awe and dread. This gem affects intelligent undead, mortals, and Abyssals. It's nearly impossible to not notice the user. This gives her 3 die to relevant Charisma and Manipulation rolls. Other kind of Exalted, demons, and gods, are unnafected by the power of the gem.
Flesh to Ashes Stone (Level 2)
The stone has a sharp appearance to one side, as if there was a flame expelling itself from the stone, and it has a slight blue flickering glow within its heart. When the holder touches a body that is dead, but still relatively fresh, they may feed upon it's essence as if it were blood. A bright blue flame consumes the body and enters into the user's face, them gaining one mote they normally would from it, but leaving the body as ashes. The oldest a body can be is the user's Permanent Essence in hours, as greater understanding of it allows them to absorb essence more tainted with death than before.
Gem of the Unnatural Metals (Level 1)
Jade resonates magically, especially with those objects that are more "real" in their power. This appears to be a simple orb of jade with a strangely shaped triangle of black jade. This triangle points to the nearest deposit or object made of the four Magical Materials of Creation. Grave goods do not count. The triangle even grows as the Magical Material comes closer to the stone. The stone takes on a different color depending on the Material, red for orichalcum, blue for moonsilver, green for starmetal, and white for jade.
<b>Whispers 1</b>
One does not live between life and death without suffering the consequences. Guardian hears things... dark thinks that whisper to her in the dark, suggestions and taunts. So far, she has shoved them to the back of her mind and ignored as best as she can.
Experience
Total: -1/15 (1 XP debt)
Resistance 4 - 6 Void Banished Mail (Resistance) - 10
Comments
Creepy, scary, and powerful. I like her, she sounds fun. I think she could be redeemed, really, but as a really mortal-focused Dawn defender of the South and the people. Even without that, she's one of the few Abyssals that are just... cool, without being so bluntly menacing. Hmm... *considers possibilities* - MoonSword
- The original Guardian was even more redeemable, she was a Martyr and she trule cared for mortals... and chose being an Abyssal out of dfear of death and desire of revenge. THIS one... its unlikely she can be Redeemed, because the Unconquered Sun is not in command in this worldsetting. The Primordials are, and the Exalts betrayed the Gods and sided with them instead. This oughta be FUN. - Tiffa
