StalkerofShadows/SelfPerfectedTruth

A moonshadow submitted for my PbP game StalkerofShadows

Appearance: Truth appears to be taller than most men at about 6 feet tall and in excellent physical condition despite his apparent age, which could be anywhere between 45 and 60 to a casual observer. His complexion is dark, with hair and skin that would suggest a southern heritage. Despite his age and size, he moves with a fluid grace, like a predatory animal. He possesses features that remain attractive even with a face that has obviously seen a few years. He keeps his spiky, straight shock of hair short and wears a goatee. A smile rarely graces his face, as he keeps to dour expressions most of the time. He typically wears loose, simple togas and sandals, and when in Creation wears an ivory mask in the shape of a skull to stave off its sickening influence. In combat he moves relatively slowly but with the utmost precision, like he is concentrating on a task that requires total focus. He bears a long, slim grand daiklave named Beautiful Lie which cuts through armored opponents as if they were paper.

Anima Banner: A giant black-feathered eagle wearing a crown, with upraised wings buttressing an eclipse. The entire scene is surrounded by a silver glow that illuminates the area in harsh white light. As the anima fades, the eagle rots away to nothing, shedding its feathers as its skin dissolves, leaving nothing but decayed bones which fade to nothingness as the eclipse winks out. His previous incarnations’ banners were of a crowned golden eagle surmounted by a glowing sun that would dissolve slowly into golden light as the anima faded.

Background: Cathak Kelod was born on the Blessed Isle, to Cathak Telorn, a noted Fire Caste infiltrator and spy. He saw his father even less than most children of his class did, as his father was frequently away on “holidays” in the Threshold. He saw slightly more of his mortal patrician mother, but she was a distant and slightly uncaring parent. She did see to his knowledge of the official version of the Dragon-Blooded reign’s history, and he proved an ample student. When it became increasingly apparent that he would not exalt, Kelod joined the Legions, rising quickly in the ranks due to both his skill at combat and his talents for leading and inspiring troops. After 20 years of service, he had reached about the highest he could rise due to his lack of dragon blood, so he mustered out, and called in some favors to receive a posting in the southern satrap of Sarageev, hoping for a quiet, peaceful retirement. Kelod’s army years had caused him to develop a slightly cynical view of the Princes of the Earth. He had seen entire units committed to losing battles to satisfy personal vendettas or due to the overweening pride of Dragon-Blooded officers. He swore that he would never lie to himself about his reasons for doing something, the way that the worst examples of the Dynasts’ hubris comported themselves. Once he was posted in Sarageev, a mismanaged desert province suffering from drought, poverty, and rampant banditry, seeing the complacency of the corrupt governor’s court made his blood boil. Still, he did nothing himself, but two years after his arrival, two years of seeing every proposal that he submitted for the good of the people and the province stonewalled by bureaucratic inefficiency and corruption, a mysterious plague struck down all of the senior members of the satrapy, leaving Kelod in charge. He figured that he would have little time to change the policies of the satrapy before his replacement arrived, but started a policy of irrigation and began to levy militias to deal with the bandit problem. Some delays in the assignation of his replacement, due to rampant politicking on the part of interested parties, gave time for his policies to show fruit, and the decision was made to keep him in charge. Over the course of his 19-year rule, he managed to bring in experts from all fields to revolutionize their desert province, transforming destitution into prosperity. By his rule’s 15th year, his province was prosperous enough that he was able to export the surplus water, food, and standing troops to nearby provinces. Life was good, and he did not give in to the corruption common to the local leaders. Indeed, he also promoted a code of moral responsibility to the people, emphasizing the network of respect and obligation that ruler and ruled had to each other. Also during this time was his sister, Cathak Kyrian born. Her birth came as a surprise to Kelod, as his father’s new wife, Queren, arrived on his doorstep on the second year of his rule, carrying his six-month old half-sister with her. He was informed by her of his mother’s accidental death and of his father’s retirement to an Immaculate monastery following the public revelation that he had been operating as an assassin and spy for the Empress, often against other Dynasts and Exalts. He was initially taken aback, but his stepmother was pleasant enough, a Fire Exalt sorceress from House Sesus some 21 years his junior, much more intelligent and engaging than his mother, and more than willing to help him in his plans to reshape the region for the better. They became close, and eventually lovers. His relationships before than had been of convenience, and due to the tumult of battlefield life had been somewhat impermanent. Here he had someone he loved, and together they raised Kelod’s red-haired half-sister. She learned quickly, and Exalted fairly young, at the age of ten. Kelod loved teaching her the history of the realm and swordplay, though she displayed little interest in learning the ways of governance and leadership. It was readily apparent that she would become a deadly swordswoman, however, and Kelod was at least satisfied that she had a compassionate heart even if she was headstrong and foolish on the worst of days. She later left for the Blessed Isle to continue her schooling at the House of Bells, never seeing her brother and mother again. In the final year of his rule, Kelod began hearing rumors of an anathema operating in the area, spreading lies and rumors about him. These rumors claimed his policies were immoral and leading the people into ruin, and seemed to be dedicated to bringing all of the hard work he had put into Sarageev crashing down. Over the course of the year, despite his requests for aid from the Immaculate Order and the greater Realm, little help materialized, mainly a small Immaculate strike force which disappeared mysteriously. The irrigation systems were neglected, the squash fields left fallow, and the people began turning against their leaders, consuming their own society like a disease of consumption. Queren agreed to lead a strike force with some of the still loyal soldiers to find this anathema and kill him or her, but the next morning, Kelod awoke on his sixty-first birthday to his lover’s head on a pike and a thousand peasants battering down his fortress’s front gate. He put on his father’s armor, grabbed his old sword and shield, and bid his servants leave through secret passages. He begged the peasants to desist, and dared the cowardly anathema to show his face and duel him personally, but the peasants advanced on him, and Kelod could not bring himself to kill his own people. They burned his palace to an ash-choked husk and crucified him over the moat upside down for three days before he finally ‘expired.’ After his Black Exaltation, Kelod found his physical form strengthened, with the legendary Cathak vigor flowing in his veins once again as if he were a young soldier. He finds it much harder to laugh and find joy, as the events leading up to his Exaltation have hardened his heart to even a love for his former subjects. Now all he knows is that he will cut out the kind of ignorance and foolishness that brought Sarageev ruin through whatever means necessary. And to do that, he must acquire power, power enough to shake creation to its core.

Previous Incarnations: The first incarnation of Truth’s exalted shard survived the Primordial War, and set about controlling the south. His name does not survive, but he was one of the creators of the directional tongues, and created Firetongue, weaving in a subtle cadence such that speaking the language benefited him as well as prayer would. The other exalted attempted to change the language for his presumption, but he had done it such a way that to remove the venerative syntax would also remove its wyld-suppressing qualities. He was quietly killed by some rivals some years later, but before his death was a tireless warrior against the chaos of the wild. It was said that he was such a master linguist that he could defeat armies merely by speaking a single word. His second incarnation was a female named Holor Xival, born in the deep South, who quickly rose to become one of the most appreciated emissaries and troubleshooters among the Deliberative’s agents. She traveled the length and breadth of creation, helping the empire to run at its smoothest. It is believed that she was assassinated when she interceded on the behalf of a group of mortals to another, more powerful, solar. The incarnation that was killed during the Usurpation was a noted researcher into the field of biothaumaturgy. Named Korven, he secluded himself in a strange living citadel in the eastern forests, performing strange mutation and breeding experiments on the residents of the area. He would not have attended the Banquet were it not for a particular Sidereal who journeyed to his estate, seemed to take an interest in his work, and convinced him to force himself back into a more human form to share his work with his peers. He found himself impaled on the spears of a dozen Dragon-Bloods the night of the banquet, still not quite comprehending the gravity of what had just happened to the solars.

Developments: Following the fall of Sarageev province, the anathema which the people had previously followed never came out of hiding to claim leadership of the movement, and as they overcome his incredible influence over their thought began to feel a collective societal guilt for their actions. Following the plans he had codified, in the months following the destruction the people began to organize themselves and get the province back on its feet. The new governor, a distant House Cathak Exalt relation, had enough respect for Kelod to leave his designs mostly intact, and Sarajeev has continued to prosper. As for his father, Telorn, he spends his days teaching young Immaculates the ways of the Elemental Dragons. He is too tired of death, deceit, and political skullduggery to come down from his mountaintop, but who knows? Some day his blood may boil again…

Motivation: Destroy or Subvert the Enemies of Creation

Strength 3
Dex 5
Stamina 3

Charisma 3
Manipulation 3
Appearance 3

Perception 2
Wits 2
Int 3

Caste / Favored

• Martial arts: 4
• Melee: 2
• Integrity: 5
• Lore: 2
• Occult: 1
• Bueracracy: 0
• Linguistics: 4 (High Realm (native), Old Realm, Low Realm, Linowan, Icewalker, Firetongue)
• Ride: 2
• Sail: 0
• Socialize: 2

Non-favored

• Archer: 2
• Performance: 2
• Presence: 2
• Athletics: 2
• War: 2

Charms:

• Blade of the Battle Maiden
• Secrets of Future Strife
• Third Integrity Excellency
• Before Blood Surrender
• Temptation-Resisting Stance
• Elusive Dream Defense
• First Performance Excellency
• First Presence Excellency
• Second Lore Excellency
• Screaming in Silence
• Undying Stagnation Defense

compassion 2
temperance 5, 1 channel used
conviction 5, 1 channel used
valor 1

Willpower 10, temporary 7

Essence 2
16 personal/ 37 peripheral
8 peripheral committed

Backgrounds

• artifact: 3 Soulsteel Grand Daiklave
• manse: 1 (stone of quick thought)
• liege: 2 (FoFL)
• cult: 1
• contact: Ren the Wyld mutant - dealer of Wyld resources

Intimacies:
Justice
Family

Experience
0/14

• Undying Stagnation Defense
• Increase in Linguistics

Join Debate: 3
Join Battle: 3
DDV: 4
PDV: 5
MDDV: 8
MPDV: 3

Resonance: 1
currently down -0, -1 health levels