DarkheartOne/DiamondHeart

History

Amusingly enough, for being one with the potential to have the Sun's blessing, Keni Amon grew up under relatively calm, even dull circumstances. The son of a large patrician family with some loose (albeit lucrative) monetary ties to House Ragara, he lived a life of relative comfort and luxury, compared to the typical peasant in the Realm. His home was within a sizeable villa a ways away from the rough-and-tumble Chanos---excellent schooling, a touch of social instruction... but what really got his attention as a young boy were the monks of the Order. He had asked one of them, one day, what could make a man throw away everything he has in order to follow the Order's tenets. The monk simply chuckled, and gave Keni an answer:

"The truth."

That answer buzzed in his head for days on end... and before long, at the end of his days in Primary, he surprised his parents with a declaration. Instead of becoming a financier like his father, he wanted to enter the Cloister to see if perhaps that was his calling. His parents, and much of his family, showed intense dismay at his decision, for none of them were particularly fond of the Order and they did not want to see Keni's hopes dashed to bits should he be rejected. Still, Keni's persistance (and a recommendation from the very monk who answered his question, one V'neef Otur)... almost secured him a spot. His lack of Exalted blood was his undoing, and a dejected Keni seemed ready to give up. Otur intervened, offering instead to accept Keni directly into his monastery on the Threshold, The Dome of the Five Perfected Truths, just outside of Yane. Leaping at the offer, Keni embarked on a trip that would change him quickly and extensively. Within months, it became aware to both Otur and Keni that the boy took to the life of an Immaculate with impressive ease, even though he was a mere Postulate at the time. Otur was more than impressed, and soon positioned Keni so that he befriended one V'neef Dogat, a slightly older boy of Fire blood (and who just so happened to be Otur's nephew) who had done a fine job of alienating himself from most everyone else with his fierceness of spirit and bull-headed nature. Ironically, the focused Keni fit him well, and while the two were often in heated arguments over the specifics of Immaculate scripture and how to properly take a stance, they were nonetheless close friends within months.

Time passed quickly, and in time both Amon and Dogat were well-seasoned monks, although Dogat was quickly taking to the path of the foe-burning Fire Dragon. Amon himself was a prodigy of sorts in the arts, but saw himself eclipsed by Dogat's might and felt a small amount of sadness---Otur had reminded him regularly that Dogat would ultimately eclipse his skill, as he was only an exceptionally talented mortal. While the friendship remained, the two slowly grew more and more distant, especially when Dogat went on his first trip out of the monastery to assist in a nearby Wyld Hunt. He had been made aware that Dogat was returning, and thus he waited on the shining golden dome of the monastery, watching the sun rise as another morning dawned on Creation.

Exaltation

It was then that he saw someone walking down the path towards the Dome. At first, he thought it was Dogat... but soon he realized that it could not be him; the figure was too large, too majestic, his steps making flowers bloom and grass grow as he continued onward. Oddly, with the multitude of postulates and monks tending to the fields, none saw the man save for Keni... although he could not even find it within himself to make the strange being's presence known, even when he was suddenly there before him, towering above him with the rising sun at his back, forming a dazzling golden halo; the entire effect was enough to nearly make Keni soil himself, but he found the courage withim himself to ask the man who he was.

His only answer was a four-armed embrace, like a father holding his cherished son close. Keni Amon, for the longest moment, did and said nothing... until he wept on the shoulder of the Unconquered Son, overcome both by the inexplicable rush of... existance that flooded his being and the words that burned themselves into his mind, uttered from the mighty god that was his new father.

"You are mine, now and forevermore. Within your heart lies the calling your formed self could not achieve. Grasp that flame, and let it guide the world to perfection."

The god was gone, and Keni collapsed to his knees, tears running down his cheeks at, suddenly, it all became clear. He was the Chosen of the Sun, a priest of the Glorious Noonday... and he was a brilliant golden beacon of truth and hope.

A beacon that could be seen from a mile away.

Dogat saw it, and he was there in no time, on the Dome's roof, facing Keni. Others had come to try and restrain him, but could not bring themselves to draw close, shielding their eyes from the Solar's swirling anima. Dogat, however, ignited himself, and leapt at Amon, screaming the betrayal and anger than he suddenly found swelling in his breast.

For the first time in V'neef Dogat's life, he was beaten by Keni Amon. How the man knew the patterns and katas of the Wood Dragon so perfectly eluded him, even as he tumbled to the ground below, falling into unconsciousness. Amon, realizing what he had done, did the simple thing and ran for his life. For five days he moved East, as long as his legs would take him, until he collapsed in a grotto between two cliffs, too tired to continue. As the wind howled his name, and a faint memory of Long Ago burned in his head, the young man found the strength to rise and enter deeper into the grotto, finding the tomb-manse cavern where his first self lay, interred hastily.

It was there that, for months, Keni Amon came to grips with what he was, who he had been, and what he was called to do. Only leaving to gather food and the bare neccessities, he meditated and trained, day in and day out, hoping that the old ways would give him an answer... but it was a dream, granted from the Sun, that reminded him of those heart-searing words.

He emerged from the manse as the Diamond Heart, his new name telling of how his new purpose was like a living, beating diamond--glittering, catching the soothing, illuminating rays of the Sun and spreading them in all directions. That feeling in his spirit and his newfound miracle-tools at the ready, he took the first of countless steps towards the healing of Creation.

Never once has he looked back.

Personality

Driven. Controlled, yes, but a fire burns in Diamond Heart's chest that refuses to die out. The Sun ignited it the moment his soothing arms wrapped around him, and there's little anyone can do to contain it. He knows for certain that the salvation of Creation lies equally in the hands of the Exalted and the mortal populace. Exalted rarely need to know their purpose, so it is his calling to speak to the everyman and everywoman, letting them know that they can reach for the sky as well, united together towards bettering their world. The dream of Creation, hamlet by hamlet, city by city, striving for greatness, is what Keni wakes up to every morning and goes to sleep thinking of every night. It consumes him, but it does not control him. It is what he MUST do, but he has the patience and sense to know that it will take time, and there will be obstacles.

His calling makes up much of what he is, but beyond that Keni Amon is a man of kind words and quiet, purposeful action. When he acts, it is rarely with dramatics and bluster, but it is always done with his full heart--living, laughing, sharing stories of long ago, tending to the sick and inspiring the downtrodden... Diamond Heart puts his entire being into what he is. It is only by the grace of the Sun that he hasn't burned himself out; now, with Exaltation, he can quietly blaze until the job is done.

Appearance

Keni is a man of strong Southern blood, his skin a honey brown and his eyes the color of rust flecked with bits of green. In his days before he entered the Cloister, and then his local Immaculate temple, his hair was a wide and sweeping wave of fire-red, reaching down to his calf muscles. Now, the only signs of this are his bushy, expressive eyebrows. He's handsome, in a way; his features are sharp and rugged, with a slightly trail-weathered look that makes him look a bit older than his actual age (32, for the record) and more fatherly than fierce. That same face, though, can perfectly show kindness, anger and passionate fervor with equal strength--although more often than not, he wears a look of calm and control.

He dresses much in the attire of the Immaculates; his everyday robes are a simple white, made of light, yet durable cloth and tied together with a matching sash. For special matters, he wears a robe that, while shaped like his normal attire, is a soft pink color, decorated with a brilliant rainbow storm of assorted flower petals twining around the right arm from cuff to shoulder, taking the vague shape of the Elemental Dragon of Wood. With either, he wears a plain pair of sandals and a wide-brimmed bamboom jingasa. Normally, his ringed shakujo is also in hand, chiming faintly as he walks.

CHARACTER SHEET

Name: Keni Amon (aka Diamond Heart)
Caste: Zenith
Nature: Visionary
Concept: Quasi-Immaculate Motivational Speaker
Anima: Three spiked wheels spinning and turning in a sphere

Attributes

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

Caste Abilities

Endurance 4
Performance 4 [Inspirational Speeches 2]
Presence 4 [Inspiring Greatness 2]
Resistance 4
Survival 3

Favored Abilities

Athletics 3
Lore 3
Martial Arts 5 (+1)
Occult 3 [Spirits 2]
Socialize 3

Non-Favored Abilities

Awareness 3
Dodge 3
Linguistics 3 (High Realm, Low Realm, Old Realm, Riverspeak)
Medicine 2

Backgrounds

Artifact 3
Contacts 1
Manse 3
Resources 3

Merits and Flaws

Prodigy [Martial Arts] (-2 BP)

+1 die to all Martial Arts rolls

Virtue Specialty [Temperance: Satisfying the Flesh] (-6 BP)

Effective Temperance +3 in applicable situations

Rival (3 BP)

An exceptionally talented, seasoned, and doggedly-loyal Immaculate Blooded who's made it a personal goal to undo Diamond Heart's 'blasphemous' works. Once a fellow student of Keni's, the man known as 'Thrice-Burned' V'neef Dogat (called this due to the fact that he badly burned himself three times before he Exalted, trying to emulate his fireblood father) has shed all emotions he'd felt for the anathema that tricked him into friendship. While he doesn't exactly want him dead... he definitely wants him disgraced and defeated.

Known Anathema (2 BP)

Known by the Hunt, not presently under aggresive pursuit by anyone save Dogat and his followers.

Virtues and Whatnot

Compassion 3
Conviction 5
Temperance 5
Valor 3

[Willpower] 10
[Essence] 5
[Personal / Peripheral] 25 / 61
[Committed] 8 (Peripheral)
[Virtue Flaw] Contempt of the Virtuous

Possessions

Steel-Shod Shakujo [Substitute Wood Dragon Style Weapon] (as Perfect Staff [Resources 2])
-Speed +8, Accuracy +4, Damage +7B, Defense +3, Rate 4

Shadow-Scourge (Orichalcum Breastplate [Artifact 1])
-8 Lethal/6 Bashing soak, no Mobility or Fagitue penalties, 4-mote commitment
-Grants an additional 2 damage dice against Enemies of Creation

The Promise of A New Dawn (Orichalcum Hearthstone Bracers [Artifact 2])
-Sockets 1 hearthstone, +3 to dodge pool, +2 damage to all attacks while worn, 4-mote commitment
-Socketed with a Windhands Gemstone [Air 3]

Plain bamboo jingasa

Simple white and embroidered pink Immaculate-style robes, matching cloth sashed, simple sandals

Assorted simple incenses, prayer strips and offering bowls

Charms

[Endurance]
Ox-Body Technique

[Medicine]
Body-Mending Meditation

[Occult]
Spirit-Detecting Glance
Spirit-Cutting Attack

[Performance]
Masterful Performance Exercise

[Presence]
Harmonious Presence Medidation
Listener-Swaying Argument
Impassioned Orator Technique

[Resistance]
Durability of Oak Meditation
Essence-Hardened Form

[Survival]
Hardship-Surviving Mendicant Spirit

[Martial Arts: Wood Dragon Style]
Eyes of the Wood Dragon
Mind-Over-Body Meditation
Wood Dragon Vitality
Soul-Marking Strike
Wood Dragon Form
Death-Pattern Sensing Attunement

Expanded Backgrounds

Artifact ●●●

Shadow-Scourge and The Promise were with the long-decayed corpse of his past self, quietly waiting for their master to return. Both are of simple--if masterful--make, more about function than form, and Keni normally wears them under his robes and out of sight.

Contacts ●

His one notable contact in the world is... perhaps the last person anyone would expect. V'neef Otur, now approaching seventy years of age, was there on the day Keni Exalted, and saw everything. However, instead of feeling anger like his nephew, he found himself curious. In the time since that day, he has surrended the leadership of the Dome to Dogat, and has become an Itinerant since... but while he is loyal to the Order, he has developed a soft spot for Diamond Heart's doings, having observed a number of the villages that the Zenith has touched with his message of hope and inner strength. He finally made indirect contact with Amon five years ago, and has since them provided the young man with information on the status of the Order, tidbits on Realm goings-on and politics and the occasional hint regarding problems that Diamond Heart's brand of 'teaching' might be of use in solving. Otur justifies this potentially career-slaying act by noting that the Anathema's actions have been positive and nothing like most heretics... and that it's safer to use him in trouble spots than it is to send younger Itinerants.

Manse ●●●

The Cavern of the Diamond's Heart lay deep within two cliffs east of Yane---while not massively hidden, it's buried far below the earth, within a network of howling winds that whisper the names of whoever hears them. It is both his Manse and his First Age self's tomb; it's also become a sort of emergency fallback point with supplies ready in case Keni needs to lay low. The Manse yields a Windhands Gemstone, which Keni wears in his bracers.

Resources ●●●

The majority of his funds are for the aide and assistance of others, as well as acquiring specific things to appease finicky spirits and godlings; he himself lives as he did in the monastery (effective Resources 1), only requiring the bare neccessities.

Combat Stats

Base Initiative: 7
Base Dodge: 12+3
Hand Strike: Speed 7, Accuracy 11, Damage 3B+2, Defense 12, Rate 5
Kick: Speed 4, Accuracy 11, Damage 6B+2, Defense 7, Rate 3
Shakujo: Speed 15, Accuracy 14, Damage 10B+4, Defense 13, Rate 4

[Soak]15 Bashing, 15 Lethal, 8 Aggravated [Essence-Hardened Form (5L/5B)] [Shadow-Scourge (8L/6B)]

[Health Levels]
-0 ■
-1 ■ ■ ■
-2 ■ ■ ■ ■
-4 ■
In ■

Special Builds

"Belladonna and Blackbird"
120 total Bonus Points, Power Combat, Sol Invictus

Merits and Flaws: 6bp [114]
Essence 5: 21bp [93]
Comp, Conv, Valor 3: 9bp [84]
Temperance 5: 6bp [78]
+1 to CasteDarkheartOne/Favored: 10bp [68]
MA 5: 1bp [67]
Awareness, Dodge, Ling +1: 6bp [61]
Dodge 3, Linguistics 3: 4bp [57]
Manse, Artifact 3: 2bp [55]
Conviction5: 6bp [49]
Wood Dragon to Form: 12bp [37]
Death-Pattern Sensing Attunement: 4BP [33]
+1 to all Caste: 5BP [28]
Medicine 2: 2BP [26]
Orator Technique: 5BP [21]
Mendicant: 4BP [17]
Presence Meditation: 4BP [13]
Charisma, Wits, Perception +1: 12BP [1]
Presence Spec: Inspiring Greatness +2: 1BP [0]
Flaw: Enemy: 3BP [3]
Performance Spec: Inspirational Speeches +2: 1BP [2]
Resources 3: 1BP [1]
Occult Spec: Spirits +2: 1BP [0]