LiOfOrchid/LiSheet

Name: Li of Orchid
Caste: Dawn
Nature: Paragon
Anima: A sunburst with sword-like rays
Concept: sword saint

Attributes:
Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4
Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3
Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities:
Archery 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 2, Dodge 4, Endurance 3, Linguistics 3, Lore 2, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 3, Melee 5, Occult 3, Resistance 1, Ride 1, Sail 2, Stealth 1, Survival 3, Thrown 2

Specialties:
Melee: Two Swords 1

Backgrounds: Artifact 4, Manse 2

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3 (5), Temperance 4, Valor 3 (5)
Virtue Flaw: Ascetic Drive

Charms:

• Athletics: Graceful Crane Stance, Lightning Speed, Spider Foot Style, Feather-Foot Style
• Endurance: Ox-Body Technique x2
• Martial Arts: (all taken from MartialArts/WhiteCraneStyle) Poised-For-Flight Attitude, Crane Dances Through the Reeds, Ear-Boxing Technique
• Medicine: Flawless Diagnostic Technique, Body-Mending Meditation, Grevious Injury Recovery Method, Touch of Blissful Release, Wound-Mending Care Technique
• Melee: Excellent Strike, Hungry Tiger Technique, Fire and Stones Strike, One Weapon Two Blows, Golden Essence Block, Dipping Swallow Defense, Bulwark Stance, Fivefold Bulwark Stance, Heavenly Guardian Defense, Solar Counterattack, Ready In Eight Directions Stance

Combos:

• Hummingbird Takes Flight: Excellent Strike, Hungry Tiger Technique, One Weapon Two Blows

Li's weapon strikes twice with such speed that it blurs and disappears, like the wings of a hummingbird in flight. When used, hummingbirds composed of radiant golden essence appear at the point(s) of impact and flit away before disappearing.

• Cutting the Wavecrest: Excellent Strike, Hungry Tiger Technique, Fire and Stones Strike

A powerful and decisive attack maneuver. When performed, a spray of white-gold essence, like a thin sheet of water with the sunlight shining through it, is thrown up from the blade of Li's weapon.

Willpower: 8
Health: -0 / -1 / -1 / -1 / -1 / -2 / -2 / -2 / -2 / -2 / -2 / -4 / Incapacitated
Essence: 3
Essence pool: 16 / 28 (41 w/13 commited)

Merits: Ambidextrous (1). Tactical Instinct (2).
Flaws: Sterile (1). Unusual Appearance: Tya (1).

Mundane equipment: Simple clothes, writing utensils, field gear
Artifacts: Radiance & Brilliance, paired orichalcum straight swords. Burning Tiger, orichalcum grand daiklave. Azure Dragon Chakram, blue jade chakram. Radiant Celestial Butterfly Wards, jade bracers. Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light, black jade. Wings of the Raptor. Wonderous Mortar of Infallible Medication. The Mapping Bird.

Combat:
Base initiative: 8
Soak: 4B/2L
Dodge: 12
Attacks:
Radiance and Brilliance (orichalcum straight swords): Spd 12, Acc 15, Dmg 6L, Def 13, Rate 4
Burning Tiger (orichalcum grand daiklaive): Spd 18, Acc 13, Dmg 15L, Def 10, Rate 4
Azure Dragon Chakram (blue jade chakram): Spd 8, Acc 9, Dmg 7L, Rate n/a, Range 50

Total Experience: 232
Experience Spent: 230
Current Experience: 2
Spent On: Melee 5 (7). Endurance 2 (1). Survival 3 (4). Athletics 3 (3). Dodge 3 (3). Dodge 4 (5). Lore 2 (2). Linguistics 2 (2). Linguistics 3 (4). Ride 1 (3). Willpower 7 (12). Willpower 8 (14). Temperance 4 (9). Conviction 3 (6). Fivefold Bulwark Stance (8). Fire and Stones Strike (8). Grevious Injury Recovery Method (8). Graceful Crane Stance (8). Touch of Blissful Release (8). Wound-Mending Care Technique (8). Ox Body Technique (8). Crane Dances Through The Reeds (8). Ear Boxing Technique (8). "Hummingbird Takes Flight" combo (5). "Cutting the Wavecrest" combo (6). Ambidextrous Merit (2). Solar Counterattack (8). Stamina 4 (12). Awareness 2 (2). Endurance 3 (3). Lightning Speed (8). Spider Foot Style (8). Ready In Eight Directions Stance (8). Heavenly Guardian Defense (8). Athletics 4 (5). Feather-Foot Style (8).

Expanded Backgrounds

Radiance & Brilliance

Artifact ••••
Paired orichalcum straight swords
Spd +4, Acc +4, Dmg +6L, Def +2, Rate 4 (each)
Requires: Strength 1; Commitment 6 (3 per sword)

These orichalcum swords are almost identical in appearance, with slim graceful blades and arching quillons. Each has a single Hearthstone setting in its blade just above the hilt. Individually, each functions as a standard orichalcum slashing sword. But their true powers only manifest when the two are combined.

Whenever the two swords are wielded together, they shed a clear golden glow equal to that of a lantern. For a cost of 5 motes, the wielder may intensify the swords' light, causing them to blaze as brightly as the sun for the duration of the scene. This light is visible for miles, and serves to dazzle those who gaze upon the wielder. Enemies attacking her subtract a number of dice from their pools equal to her permanent Essence. This benefit is not cumulative with Snake Form, and only applies to creatures that can see the wielder; blind opponents are unaffected. In addition, for so long as the swords burn with sunlight, they inflict aggravated wounds upon demons, the undead, and other creatures of darkness.

Burning Tiger

Orichalcum grand daiklaive
Spd +10, Acc +3, Dmg +12L, Def +0, Rate 4
Requires: Strength 3; Commitment 0

Burning Tiger is a massive grand daiklaive of orichalcum, chased in red jade. Bright flames burn along its length, flickering in unison with Li's anima.

Forged in the First Age for the Dragon-Blooded lieutenant of Katsuro Neroon the Righteous, Dawn-Light General, Katsuro took up the blade during the Usurpation, after his lieutenant was slain. After Katsuro's death in the North, Burning Tiger was lost for a time; over the course of the Second Age, it resurfaced several times, always a harbinger of war and bloodshed. Within the blade is bound the rage and dying pain of Katsuro. The weapon is ever-hungry for the taste of Dragon-Blooded deaths and has driven its wielders to raise arms against the hated Terrestrials time and again, be they Dynast, Seventh Legion, or outcaste.

Burning Tiger costs no motes to attune. It increases the Conviction and Valor of its wielder by 2 each; it also provides a pool of 4 additional motes of Essence, that when spent, cause the daiklaive's flames to burn brighter and hotter (a stylistic effect only, no extra benefit). Burning Tiger gives its wielder the Limit Break Berzerk Fury. This Limit Break has only 8 boxes, not 10. The daiklaive will attempt to influence its wielder to use it, and use it often, particularly against Dragon-Bloods. A failed Valor roll, as if that Virtue were challenged, is required to avoid attacking Dragon-Blooded on sight; as usual, the character may decide to lose 1 Willpower and gain 1 point of Limit (on Burning Tiger's Limit Break track) in lieu of attacking, if the roll is successful.

Since Li of Orchid's descent into the Underworld, Burning Tiger's Limit Break has changed. Though points of Limit are still gained as with the Berzerk Fury Flaw, when 8 points are accumulated, Katsuro Neroon's spirit possesses Li's body. Katsuro the Righteous has completely different stats than Li, with the exception of physical attributes and appearance. See Katsuro's sheet here.

Azure Dragon Chakram

Blue Jade Chakram
Acc +2, Dmg +4L, Rate 4, Range 50

A blue jade chakram shaped like a dragon biting its own tail. When thrown, it seeks targets of its own accord; it ignores penalties from concealment, cover and environmental conditions. When thrown, it returns to its wielder at the end of the round.

Radiant Celestial Butterfly Wards

Adds +2 to the difficulty to hit the wearer.
Commitment: 4

A pair of bracers made of blue jade, chased in green, engraved with images of flowers and butterflies.

Wings of the Raptor

see Savant & Sorcerer

Minor Artifacts

• Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light. Made from black jade. See whatever the hell book this artifact is from.
• Wonderous Mortar of Infallible Medication. A small mortar and pestle capable of producing nearly any kind of mortal medicine out of thin air.
• The Mapping Bird. A piece of rice paper that can be folded into the shape of a bird, which will magically take flight, circle the area, and return to its owner with an accurate map drawn upon it.

The Golden-Water Palace

Manse •• The Golden-Water Palace is located on a tiny rock of an island, close to Li’s home, Orchid Island. The island is a monolith rising sheer from the waves, with no place to land even a small boat. To reach the cave openings at the top of the island, one must climb from a vessel up the side of the wet cliffs for over 400 feet.

The interior of the Golden-Water Palace is a glory to behold. From the openings around the top of the island, one enters into corridors cut naturally into the rock by flowing water. Into the basalt rock of the walls are cut myriad arcane symbols, etched in gold and bronze. All the corridors lead down into the central hall, a great spherical room with a large pool of water in the center. The interior of the pool is covered in gold and the water within fairly glows, giving the Golden-Water Palace its name. The pool leads into the ocean by means of small passages in the stone beneath and only at the moments of highest and lowest tide are the waters still; at all other times, they churn and whirl in a magnificent whirlpool as the tides drive the waters in and out of the pool.

The looming walls and high columns of the central hall are gilt with gold and bronze and depict various stories and legends of the First Age. Glass-covered shafts in the ceiling, lined with mirrors, let in the sunlight so that at dawn, noon and dusk, the entire hall is filled with dazzling light. A pair of bridges arc thin and gracefully over the pool, meeting in the center. Here, above the center of the whirlpool, is a pedestal where two Hearthstones form – one for the element of Water (Pearl of Pure Waters) and one for the Celestial element of the Sun (Sunhawk's Eye).

Away from the central hall are more corridors that wind down into the rock, many of which plunge below water. These passages are unsafe, for like the central pool, the tides force the water in and out of them with tremendous force and a corridor that was dry a moment ago may suddenly be flooded without notice. A few corridors (leading upwards) terminate in small rooms that were once used for living space and storage. These rooms are bare and empty now.

Pearl of Pure Waters</b>

<b>Water •
Trigger: Pouring water over the stone

This pale blue pearl shimmers with golden highlights. The stone purifies any water poured over its setting, cleansing it of all natural impurities. Even seawater becomes as drinkable as the sweetest spring water. Note that water must actually be poured over the stone to be affected; simply immersing the stone in a body of water will have no effect.

Sunhawk's Eye</b>

<b>Solar •
Trigger: None, constant

This translucent stone fades from a brilliant gold at its center to a deep, warm brown at the edges. Bright light cannot impair the wearer's vision. A character bearing this Hearthstone may stare directly at the Sun's light without harm, and is similarly immune to magics that use light to cause blindness.

Character Background

Backstory

Li is an orphan and her parentage, a mystery. She was found as a newborn babe on the shore, on Orchid Island. The simple fisher folk who discovered her assumed she was the child of spirits or possibly the Fair Folk and wanted to leave her to her fate. However, Orchid had as its guardian a God-Blooded hermit, Wudi, who decided to take the child in.

Wudi was the son of Gomata, the Western God of Fertility and Peace. Gomata, as his domains befit, has sired many children throughout the West. As a youth, Wudi committed himself to the study of the blade. He traveled across Creation, seeking adventure and glory. Time passed and as Wudi grew older, he gave up his reckless ways and began to study medicine and sorcery. Finally, after eighty years abroad in Creation, he returned to the west and retired to the peaceful and remote Orchid. He cultivated himself and meditated on the universal flow of Essence, and also acted as benefactor and protector of the simple villagers of Orchid.

Wudi cared for the child and named her Li, which means "revelation." Li was never accepted by the villagers of Orchid, who regarded her with suspicion and kept their children away from her. Seeing that she would never be a part of the simple life that the villagers had, Wudi resolved to teach Li as much as he could, so that she could also strive to perfect herself. He gave Li her first blade when she was six, a thin-bladed dagger; a year later, Wudi gave Li her first book, a primer on medicine. From then on, she trained constantly. She mastered the use of every weapon imaginable by the time she was sixteen and could care for all but the most serious of ailments with ease. Still, the villagers had trouble accepting her as one of their own, though she had lived all her life with them. In order to make her more acceptable, Wudi saw to her initiation into the Tya not long after her first flowering.

By her twentieth year, Li had become more or less a part of Orchid’s society. At this time, a pirate named Zerus had been operating in the area. A devoted worshipper of Siakal, the Western Goddess of War and Blood, Zerus was widely feared. Orchid had been relatively safe from pirate attacks since the arrival of Wudi but Zerus was not deterred by the stories of the hermit God-Blood. When his raid on Orchid came, it was unexpected and deadly.

Wudi and Li spotted the fires from their home on the mountain above the village in the early hours before dawn. They rushed down to help and caught the pirates as they were boarding their ship with captives and stolen treasure. Wudi cut his way through the pirate crew down the shore towards Zerus, Li trailing in his wake. Spotting the old God-Blood, Zerus only laughed and shook a necklace made of finger bones and shark teeth, shouting towards the ocean. Then, from out of the waves came two Children of Siakal, horrific shark-spirits. They came at Wudi with terrible claws and teeth. The God-Blood did his best but it was a losing battle. Meanwhile, Li had charged past the spirits to attack Zerus. Though she her skill had been finely honed by years of training, Li was not experienced in battle; Zerus was a ferocious veteran. They fought among the sand and waves, neither able to gain the advantage until Li heard Wudi cry out behind her and she chanced to see the Children of Siakal knock him down and close for the kill.

At that moment, the dawn broke and Li felt something grow and blossom within her. She felt the power of the Unconquered Sun go into her and with a single blow, her sword cut through Zerus’ spear and then through his chest. She turned to face the two Children of Siakal. She dueled with the spirits for an hour until at last she found her opening and slew them both with a single stroke. The pirates fled, leaving behind their captives, their booty and their dead captain.

By the grace of his father, Wudi survived, though he had lost his left leg below the knee. Familiar with the old lore, he knew what Li had become. The villagers, however, regarded Li with new fear and she quickly realized she could not stay on Orchid. A week after the pirate attack, Wudi had recovered enough to guide her to the Golden-Water Palace, which he had known of, but was unable to exploit himself. There, Li found her daiklaves, Radiance and Brilliance. She also found a small skiff, another artifact of the First Age. The magical boat had enough power to take her from her home across the Western Ocean to the Southlands, where she will seek her destiny...

Other notes

Age: 27
Hair: blue-black
Eyes: grey
Skin: bronze
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 110 lbs
Languages: Seatongue (native). Skytongue. Low Realm. Riverspeak.

Comments

Sheet is current to the end of session 41, 11/17/2004. Added new artifacts. I heart swag.