Seiraryu/Abis

V'neef Abis: The Devil-Child

History

"You wanna fuck with me!? Come on! Bring it!"

The moment those words came out of young V'neef Abis' mouth, his mother knew that he was going to be a handful, especially since they were directed at her. Little did she know that she was only seeing the surface of the problem. Her son had begun on a downward spiraled path to pits that no child should ever have to suffer. Sometimes she wondered what could be done...but in the end, her husband explained that there was nothing to be done. Especially after the first incident that truly begun Abis' entire lifestyle.

You see, V'neef Idisa and Cathak Orass truly wanted a good child. He was their first child, and they wanted to be proud of the child, to be consumed with love and affection for the child; and for some time, that was possible. Sure, perhaps the child was a bit intense with his need for martial training—but his father was a Cathak! It was to be expected, after all, that a Cathak's child would be interested in the art of power and war. But soon even Orass was shocked and appalled by his only son's behaviour.

When Abis was seven and still in primary school, a teacher had had enough with his violent reactions to anything and everything and his filthy mouth, so he thought to take the child to his knee and give him a thourough spanking to calm the insolent child down. Little did the poor teacher know what he was getting into. As soon as the child had a chance to move, he twisted and bit into the instructor's nose, digging his teeth in with a ferocious, wolf-like snarl that preceeded the removement of most of the teacher's nose to the boy's teeth. While the instructor screamed and dripped blood, the seven year old boy spit the nose towards the man and laughed, blood-soaked lips and teeth grinning viciously. "Go spank yourself, bitch!"

This was only the first of the problems that would acost the V'neef name that accompanied Abis' person. Once he was expelled from that school, he wasn't accepted at any other (word of mouth travelling quickly through the grapevine of the Realm). Finally, a dragon-blooded tutor was issued to him, who could more than put the boy in his place no matter what the child did. This was good, for even though it was to be expected (such things always end up happening), everyone was in shock and terrified when V'neef "Devil-Child" Abis Exalted into a Child of Hesiesh.

It was actually much different than any of those who knew him expected it would be. His tutor, Peleps Ansen, saw it coming, however. It was during a night of celebration, because he had finally graduated from primary school, and most V'neef thought with contentment that he would not exalt (which many believe to be a blessing in disgrace, considering the monster the boy was as a mortal and fearing what he could become if he Exalted).

The boy had to recite a poem in front of his family. It was not to be a hard thing, simply a formality to make his graduation meaningful, and then everyone else would continue on to celebrate and ignore the monstrous child. However, there was one idiot in the crowd who couldn't keep his bloody mouth shut. Ragara Kiani, a newly-wed to one of Abis' aunts, was in the audience. He was a loud-mouthed youth who had been married off mainly as a covenience. His wife, V'neef Lae, was a quiet woman who really had nothing to say about her new husband's behaviour.

As Abis began to recite the poem reluctantly, Kiani taunted him with harsh whispers from the front row, making faces and other sorts of annoying things that would distract anyone. In a display of control that surprised Ansen, Abis continued the poem, carefully reciting each passage with careful, impassioned words that filled the night's sky in the open courtyard. He wasn't much of a performer, really, but his presence filled the place with a warmth that reached even V'neef herself (who had come only as a courtesy).

Kiani didn't stop. He continued to taunt the boy, even towards the poem's end. Being a poem that Abis himself had written (not very good, but not detestable, either) it ended in a somewhat violent, but appropriate note, and when the last passage was spoken, the air around him filled with the stroke of a bonfire, alighting as he screamed the words in the direction of Kiani, a great flaming meteor shower emerging from his shoulders as his burning anima lashed towards the night sky. He lunged at Kiani, intercepted only by Ansen and his grandmother herself, who put the boy down with minor resistance due to their combined power.

Even though his parents had applied at several secondary schools for their child's education, and he had Exalted, the Devil-Child did not get admitted at any of the respectable secondary schools—even the House of Bells had reservations about giving him consideration, and they eventually turned him down, deciding that they prefered keeping their perfect record of their students graduating disciplined, and did not want to risk him being the exception. In the end, only one choice was available—something completely unorthodox and rare for a dynast: Pasiap's Stair.

This school, usually reserved only for outcaste dragon-blooded who took the Coin, considered the matter with extremem prudence before they finally acquiesced (after being given a large sum of money to nudge their acceptance). Abis wasn't especially thrilled to being sent to this school, though he objected much less than when confronted with the possibility of being enrolled in some of the more respectable dynastic schools. His attitude changed with the way in which he was treated by the other would-be students of the Stair.

While his fellow students developed a strong sense of camaraderie while they took the long trek to the fortress-manse that is the center of Pasiap's Stair, he was outcast and pushed aside. As a dynast, the Devil-Child did not receive the same treatment as others—instead, he was treated much like some of the other children were treated by dynasts during the beginning of their lives: with disdain, distrust and cruelty. This suited Abis just fine, however, for his temper was impassioned whenever they taunted him.

With time, however, the hard work that they were all pushed into made them grow closer together even through their differences. The others began to understand Abis' relationship with the world and his heritage as a dynast, and saw him not as a rival from the noble families of the Realm, but as a fellow student of Pasiap's Stair, and a good friend. The training was the hardest he had ever found himself under, but he took to the challenge readily enough, and found the thrill of climbing the Stair every day to be much to his liking. Even though the instructors and teachers of the Stair were trained to (and extremely good at) degrading a young Exalt's sense of being and recreating him into a hardened soldier, Abis proved to be a challenge even for them, and when he finally graduated and attended the Feast of Spears, it wasn't with a heart forged by the instructors of the Stair, but by his own force of will and incorrigible spirit.

He graduated top of his class, but even that wasn't enough to assuage the dragon-blooded's bad luck when it came to socio-political games and position in the Realm's society. From the Stair, he was inducted straight into the Red-Piss Legion (a maneuver made by Kiani, who still bore a grudge from their encounter at the younger boy's graduation). There, he was received much the same way that he was at Pasiap's Stair, only this time it was far more violent, and far more real. There's only so much even an Exalt's heart can take—and this was no where near V'neef Abis' limit! He met the challenge of the Vermillion Legion with his rugged face held high. Having grown into a sturdy and powerful young man with a visage that, while not incredibly beautiful, was what could be considered somewhat handsome, he made quick subordinates of some of his companions, and friends of others, with a rival or two who had the same position as he in the hierarchy of rank withing the Legion.

As a scalelord (he was not lucky enough to even be placed as a talonlord for the Red-Piss Legion) under a Water-Aspected Dragonlord, the Child of Hesiesh was the target of "life lessons" taught to him by his higher-ups. Little did they realize that these life lessons had already been learned by the young man, and that nothing they could do would be even close enough to change him in any significant way. To him, they were simply flies on his chest, people to be pushed back and reaped aside by his forceful hand.

At one point, he entered a few skirmishes with the 7th legion which proved to be quite the stroke of luck for the dynast lieutenant. With quick wits and surprising martial prowess, he defeated potentially devistating enemies and won himself several artifacts that to this day he carries with pride and joy. A Shock Pike, almost exclusively owned by the 7th Legion, a strange, short daiklave which has proven to be more than his friend, and a pair of hearthstone bracers that would save his life more than a few dozen times afterwards.

However impressive these may be, his greatest accomplishment was gaining the respect of his colonel, who's life he saved in an outstanding display of courage and tactical prowess. In a battle against an army of Fair Folk, the legion was falling apart rather quickly. The Wyld-embodied creatures were advancing, and nothing seemed to be able to stop them. Ragara Lo'rak, Water-Aspected colonel, was fighting in the frotn lines, beating goblins and cataphracts back as much as he could with the aid of only a two talons. It seemed to be a complete loss as the Fair Folk became more and more determined to reap their bloody glamour over the dead bodies of the Vermillion Legion. Suddenly, in a stroke of luck for the colonel, Abis' scale ventured forth and, with precision and power, attacked the Fair Folk from the rear, cutting a path through them until the Fire-Aspected Devil-Child was face-to-face with his dragonlord, a bloody smirk painting his face. "Need some help?" he offered.

The fight did not last long after that. Decimated by the sudden attack inflicted upon them by Abis' scale, the Fair Folk fell in tatters, the goblins dissipating into the ether and their cataphracts falling before the great power of the dragon-blooded. That night, under the light of the moon and the stars, the dragonlord made a gift to the young dynast. He gave him his own buff jacket, forged by the colonel's Exalted brother to perfection. The jacket's properties were awe-inspiring, and even Abis had to be thankful for the gift. The following year was well met for the young Exalt, as he ascended to talonlord and drove his part of the legion into a victory against a barbarian horde that had attempted to raid a Realm settlement in the North.

He has carved quite a reputation for himself, the Devil-Child, and among the Legions he is spoken of (often in derogatory terms, but occasionally with some measure of respect). Recently, however, he has been put into a forceed sabbatical. Lo'rak is dead, and so no one is to stop Peleps Casia, the Earth-Aspect who was upstaged by Abis more than once, to throw him out into the jaws of the socio-political slaughterhouse of the Realm. This has brought a lot of nervous twitchings to the noses and eyes of House V'neef, who have been frantically attempting to find a suitable woman for Abis to marry so that they may shove him off somewhere else and not be responsible for him.

Even though V'neef herself finds Abis to be quite the hero and enjoys hearing of his exploits, she agrees that he may not be quite suited to be a part of the Realm proper...thus, she has begun making arrangements with House Ragara...it seems they, too, have an upstart in their hands.

Character Sheet

Aspect: Fire
Concept: Soldier
Nature: Rebel
Anima: Meteor Shower

Attributes
Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3
Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities
Air: Linguistics 1 (High Realm; Low Realm), *Lore 2, Stealth 1, Thrown 1
Earth: Awareness 2, *Endurance 3, Resistance 2
Fire: Athletics 2, Dodge 4 (On Battlefields +2), Melee 5 (Attuned Weapons +2), Presence 3 (On Battlefields +1), Socialize 2
Water: *Brawl 3 (Dirty Maneuvers +1), Larceny 1
Wood: Archery 2, Performance 1, Ride 2, Survival 2

Advantages
Backgrounds: Artifact 3, Breeding 5, Connections (Legions) 1, Manse (Realm) 1, Manse (Threshold) 3, Reputation 2, Resources 3
Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 3

Essence: 2
Personal: 13/13
Peripheral: 15/29
Committed: 14
Willpower: 6/6

Health: -0, -1, -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -4, Inc.
Armor and Soak: (Perfect) Buff Jacket (Fatigue 1)
Lethal: 6
Bashing: 9
Aggravated: 5

Equipment: Bracers, daiklave, shock pike, money pouch.
Merits: Daredevil (4), Tactical Instincts (3)
Flaws: Berserker (3), Rival (Ragara Kiani) (2), Enemy (Peleps Casia) (2)

Charms

|| Charm Name || Ability || Cost || Duration || Type || Effect || |[ Effortlessly Rising Flame |[ Athletics |[ 1 mote |[ Instant |[ Reflexive |[ Allows the character to get up instantly, and adds Essence in dice for jumping. || |[ Blade-Deflecting Palm |[ Brawl |[ 2 motes |[ Instant |[ Reflexive |[ Allows the character to block an attack that does Lethal damage without a Stunt. || |[ Flickering Candle Meditation |[ Dodge |[ 1 mote per 2 dice |[ Instant |[ Reflexive |[ Dice adder for Dodge. || |[ Ox-Body Technique |[ Endurance |[ None |[ Permanent |[ Special |[ Adds one -1 and one -2 Health Levels. || |[ Elemental Bolt Attack |[ Lore |[ 1+ 1 mote per 2L Damage |[ Instant |[ Simple |[ Allows the character to shoot a bolt of elemental power at 2L per mote spent, with an Accuracy equal to Essence. || |[ Dragon-Graced Weapon |[ Melee |[ 1 mote |[ Instant |[ Supplemental |[ Upon a successful attack, the target bursts into flames and must soak an additional 4L damage from fire. Soak is seperate from attack, this lasts one turn. || |[ Stoking Bonfire Style |[ Melee |[ 1 mote per 2 dice |[ Instant |[ Supplemental |[ Dice adder for Melee. ||

Expanded Traits

Backgrounds

Artifacts: A pair of Red Jade Hearthstone Bracers that he acquired as a gift from his mentor at Pasiap's Stair. They're typical Hearthstone Bracers, which add 3 bonus dice to all Dodge attempts, add 2 to Initiative and provide a setting for a Hearthstone.

A peculiar weapon that he attained during a battle against another Dragon-Blooded, the daiklaive known as Lava's Fang is small for a Reaper Daiklave, but it's quick, vicious and provides an exceptional advantage in combat. Though it has no special effects, whenever it is used in battle, it drips lava from the blade, which burns the ground, sending puffs of smoke.

The most important part of his arsenal, however, is the Exalted Shock Pike which he acquired while in battle with the forces of Lookshy. It took him a while to attain the proper knowledge to use it (they aren't particularly common in the Realm), but when he finally managed it, it became a weapon as cherished by him as Lava's Fang.

Breeding: Being a V'neef, his family is much smaller than any of the other Great Houses. For this reason, his closest relatives are Dragon-Blooded. His parents themselves, his father a Cathak and his mother a V'neef, are both of extremely high Breeding, and thus he, too, has thick blood running through his veins.

Connections: He's not very connected into anything, but he does have a few contacts and very minor influence in the Legions--specifically the Vermilion Legion, where he served his years in the military. While the man who truly trusted him is dead, there are still people of some status that will help him out if he asks.

Manse (Realm): His father, in an act of parenthood unlike the man's usual style, has granted him the attunement of one of his manses. It serves as his father's base of operations for military campaigns. Thanks to this, he bears a Kill-Hand Gem, which allows him to do Lethal damage with his unarmed attacks.

Manse (Threshold): The Mansion of the Hallow Sigh coming soon!

Reputation: His reputation throughout the Realm is one of mostly disdain and intimidating nature. People who have heard of him usually tend to steer clear of him, the thought of having a body part bitten off because he's in a bad mood making them wary. However, those that respect his rebellious nature might be impressed by what he's accomplished.

Resources: Though he doesn't have a real job, V'neef herself likes him, and admires his courage and strong personality. She rewards him by slipping him a stipend under the table...a hefty one. He's not about to deny anything from his grandmother, of course. That would be rude...and stupid.

Combat Statistics

Attacks
Fist: Speed 9, Accuracy 8 (9)*, Damage 3L (with Hearthstone), Defense 9, Rate 5
Kick: Speed 6, Accuracy 8 (9)*, Damage 6L (with Hearthstone), Defense 4, Rate 3
Lava's Fang: Speed 21, Accuracy 15, Damage 7L, Defense 12, Rate 4
Shock Pike (Hand-to-Hand): Speed 15, Accuracy 13, Damage 10L, Defense 12, Rate 3
Shock Pike (Ranged): Speed 9, Accuracy 14, Damage 12, Range 70, Rate 2
*Number in parenthesis indicate specialties that do not always apply.

Dodge: 13
Specialties: On Battlefields 15
Base Initiative: 9

Experience

Total: 15
Spent: 8
8 for Charisma to 3
Remaining: 7