MartialArts/ShiningPath
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The Shining Path
Once there was a Maiden...
... who looked upon Truth and lost her eyes.
She walked in the dark in an endless pilgrimage of lies,
and met with the voice of truth, knowing he smiled upon her.
She asked where to find truth, to once again bask upon it,
and he answered with a voice of violet flowers.
"Do you not see?" The voice of truth said as he pointed at her heart. "Truth lives inside you."
The Shining Path deals with illumination through the worship of the Bishop of Chalcedony Thurible.
Charms
Sight of Silent Vespers
Cost: 5 motes
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
Their God has lost his sight upon attaining illumination in a proclamation that all it brings is visions of the lies of existence before the truth of the Void! Following in his footsteps many of the shining path have put out their own eyes to prove their worthiness, but those adepts who have attained the transcendental wisdom of the Sight of Silent Vespers can abolish it for visions of truth instead. Their eyes vanish, becoming beacons of spiritual essence as their perceptions rise to see the belief of others.
While this Charm is in effect the adept becomes immune to sight-based effects (for instance, those brought by supernatural beauty on the Abyssal Irresistible Succubus Style, the Hearthstone Gem of Nature's Blinding Beauty, the Lunar Serpent Eye Defense or the Martial Art Phantom Fire-Warrior Style) but becomes blind to everything but devotion - the adept is able to sense the position of all believers upon (her Essence x10 yards), unable to be surprised by any of them and knowingly instantly wether or not they follow the Shining Faith (and what their Cult rating is should they be a False God). She is also able to perceive great concentrations of believers up to (her Essence x100) yards away. Those who believe in nothing but themselves cannot be perceived by this Charm, however, and the adept defends against them as if they could not be seen (increasing the difficulty of all attacks and defenses by 2).
Shining Stigmata Stance
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower, 1 health level
Duration: One Scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Sight of Silent Vespers
The Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible once rose against a great kingdom that spurned his faith, and that was the First Crusade. It stained a path of void through the north before the Deathlord allowed himself to be brought down by Creation and crucified, for he knew he would rise once again and bring the end of the great kingdom. And so he did, bearing the scars inflicted on him by Creation to this day as endless proof that Void Endures! That, the members of the Shining Path say, was the end of the Kingdom of Bagrash Kohl. Emulating the faith their God had in oblivion the adept allows the stigmata of his sacrifice to appear upon their bodies. Every five turns a drop of blood falls from those marks, and falling upon earth, no matter how barren, it gives birth to a blood-red flower that countain this tale in its petals.
While mantaining the Shining Stigmata Stance the adept is able to channel all her Virtues (or Passions) without justification in all actions against opponents who do not follow the faith, doubling their effective value. The adept is also able to ignore wound penalties lower than her own Essence rating while this effect persists as enlightement grows into the pain of her God's Martyrdom.
Initiation Effect
Beings able to access the Bulb of the Perfected Lotus in the manner of the Dragon-Blooded(which includes Ghosts who received the Ebony Illumination) who learn these Charms receive access to Celestial Martial Arts. Learning this Initiation also makes the adept recognized as a Priest of the Bishop of Chalcedony Thurible and the Void, standing to shoulder with the Nephwrack.
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