MetalFatigue/NirvikalpaAspect
Nirvikalpa, "Without Differences," the Staff
Nishchitartha, the Marriage-Covenant
If Nirvikalpa is "that which stands between," then Nishchitartha is that aspect of Nirvikalpa that stands between Creation and the Wyld. It is the point where Order passes into Chaos and vice versa, the law that governs Rakshastan itself. Nishchitartha is both male and female, both formed and formless, both exalted and debased. (need more here on its attributes and how it manifests in shaped realms)
To tame Nishchitartha and swear to it is to dedicate one's very existence to the goal of becoming the ultimate akshata, the marriage-broker and midwife who shall unite Creation and Wyld, birthing from them a thing both greater and less than either. Rather than committing motes of Essence, the would-be dedicant must surrender his own Heart Grace, which is irrevocably absorbed into Nishchitartha and held hostage; should anyone else wrest the mighty adjuration from him and attune to it, they also gain mastery over his Heart (and the Hearts of all other still-extant raksha who have sworn to Nishchitartha), but such larceny is subject to the same strictures that would normally apply to the theft of the current dedicant's Heart Grace, and attunement requires six scenes of undisturbed meditation. Note that surrendering one's Heart to Nishchitartha precludes casting it into a bonefire, rendering the dedicant forever unable to hold mastery over any Freehold.
Nishchitartha grants its dedicants many powers to facilitate the goal of marrying Creation to the Wyld. That he might triumph over conflict, the dedicant gains initiation into both the Root and the Bulb of the Perfected Lotus, becoming able to purchase both Terrestrial and Celestial Martial Arts Charms at the same XP cost as a Dragon-Blooded; that he might bend human and raksha society to his ends, he gains +2 automatic successes on all mundane (non-shaping) Social rolls; that his integrity of self might not break under the stresses of Creation, he gains +4 natural lethal and bashing soak, one -0, one -1 and one -2 health level, and the ability to parry lethal damage unarmed; and that others might desire to aid him, he gains the permanent version of Adored by All the Worlds (E:tFF p. 168), triggered whenever he enters Creation. These powers impose a cost of only two mutation points for purposes of determining whether the dedicant is calcified, but once a raksha has sworn to Nishchitartha, he can never again increase his permanent Essence or gain any more permanent mutations.
Wielded as a shaping weapon of the Staff, Nishchitartha has Speed +10, Accuracy +4, Damage +9 (piercing), Defense +4, and Rate 5; attacks and parries made using Nishchitartha take no multiple-action penalties, and it may be used to parry attacks from other modes of shaping combat without the need for a Charm or stunt.
If a dedicant of Nishchitartha attempts an action (shaping or mundane) that stays within the letter of Nishchitartha but goes against its spirit, he suffers an environmental penalty of -10 dice. Should he act in a manner that directly and unambiguously opposes Nishchitartha's destiny to unify Wyld and Creation—including ordering or manipulating another to perform such an act—or should he become, for any reason, unable to serve that end for an indefinite period, he has broken his oath; Nishchitartha, enraged, immediately shatters the oath-breaker's captive Heart Grace, annihilating him utterly. No power of lesser magnitude than Nirvikalpa itself can save an oath-breaker from this doom.
Comments
That's... quite limiting. I find it difficult to imagine a Raksha attuning to this oath. It's very nifty, I'll grant you, but it's so permanent. Not to mention stopping Essence growth, not letting you choose new mutations, etc. I could see a small faction of Raksha forming around this oath, but it certainly doesn't seem like something for most of them. - IanPrice
I'd tend to agree. While the ability to split your pool infinitely (after all, no multiple-action penalties) is nice, essentially ruining the character's progression is not. Perhaps increasing the cost to raise Essence by some number, as a start? -- GregLink
