The Merciful Parasite

The artisan of creativity without inspiration; glorious prophet; lowly exile weakened by truth; the ancient with eyes that look into eternity; the pure hearted soul eater; the maker of terrible beauty; the flame that burns in the heart; the conjuror of a thousand small sacrifices; the unavoidable bargain; the lord of angels; the soul poisoner; gem of the ruined city; martyr's blessing of the morning; listener of the golden sorrow; disciple of the last survivor; legato of the fallen.

The Core

The tale must continue, no price is too high, no mountain cannot be climbed, but what is the tale without interest? Creation is as fun as it is dangerous. No matter the part, playing it is the true joy. Are the fellow players to be admired or pitied? Either way the part must be played out.

The Story

Many names have I been known, but they are merely parts in my play, in the begining I was created by my master for one purpose and one purpose alone. I was to be locked away without sense, creating without knowledge, art without inspiration, a source of fashion to govern the great court. Now the court is no more and none survive it but I. My great work is complete and now all I long for, are the tales of creation to give up their meaning to me.

All else is as nothing, but since I can see you are still thinking of our bargain, let me tell you what happened. A new comer arrived at the court, this one dispised my purpose from the start. From what the others told me as they died I am led to believe that this one was seriously underestimated and picked on. How long this new comer endured I do not know. After a time it saw an opportunity and struck my master low in the depths of the unshaped, taking my heart as its bounty. The courts are often fickle and this one in particular was as well. With the loss of the fashion maker the old lord fell into obscurity as my new master's popularity rose.

I was secretly exiled into creation and this was the greatest mistake it ever made.

My first brush with shape was terrifying as it was constrictive, my part was the pitiful beggar, the eater of those too low to be noticed, the sewer stalker. It wasn't long until I found myself in Nexus and it was there I found my new joy. Among hunters of the wyld; the enforcers of the bargains made with my people I found one willing to offer me sanctuary in return for my protection. For many years we told his tale, until he fell, a victim of his own success, my own court was angered at the loss of some of their number at our hands and demanded his death in compensation. My tool used up, I fled to the north in the guise of an urgin seeking to see the world. He only made it as far as the third village we crossed, a pitiful tool.

Still with the destruction of the village at the hands of the ex-leader's daughter my journey continued. Her tale was a sad one and seeking to lose herself in her madness and perhaps even lose me, she trekked deep into the wyld. From her dreams came the greatest of my creatures, The Angel Aflame in Loss and when ever I summon it I remember her tale and how we struck right at the heart of my once great court. She departed the day the court died, freely and with my blessing, her name was Alyia. I know not if she made it back to creation or if that was ever her intension.

Here we shall take a break from my tale, I am most anxious to know your story.

The Latest Incarnation

I am, I was a member of the glass acorn tribe in our home amid the forests of the east. The histories of my tribe used to tell of the great wonders of the Wyld and the things that could be stolen from if one was but wily enough. Indeed our name stems from our most ancient of heirlooms stolen at our tribe's inception. To become a man we would have to march out into it and return something useful to aid the tribe. Often the men would return with little more than something odd to sell, but sometimes something great would be found, just as sometimes a boy wouldn't return. If our tribe wasn't so prosperous and large we might not have been able to sustain those lost, I might never have taken those fatal steps into the Wyld.

The girl I loved was to become a women soon and be taken as the chief's women. I couldn't stand idly by, I had only one hope. I would return with something so great that the chief would have no choice by to grant me her as a boon. I did not travel long and yet a passed by many wonders, broken ants writhing in saphire, a sea of clicking rotating metal, a mountain of sand pouring up into the sky towards an upside down mountain of green. I cared for them not as I was taught, searching for something great enough. Then she found me, an angel almost beautiful enough to tempt me away from my quest. She called for me to halt, that she might grant me a wish. I should not have stopped, but her voice was the music of the sky and I was momentarily too stunned to move. That hesitation was enough to hear out the being, as the wyld slowed in its swaying around me.

"In return for your protection in the fields of creation, I shall see to the fullfillment of your wishes."

Such a simple offer, little did I know the price that would be exacted. Yet still in my naive way I distrusted. When faced with my distrust she told me a story, the type of story she tells to all potential victims of her bargains. It was not a beautiful tale or even one that painted her in a good light, but it seemed honest to me and had I listened closer I might have heeded the terrible fates of those who went before me, perhaps I was too entranced by her beauty or she was weaving some other spell on me. I do not know. I told my tale, it did not take nearly as long. After which she declared the deal to have been made and as she did so, a strange tattoo formed upon me from head to toe. I was shocked, but not too much for I had seen far worse among the menfolk of my tribe. A mere tattoo was nothing compared to an extra arm or a pair of vestigal wings.

Approaching the here and now

Most recently the parasite has taken the title One Thousand Epic Forger after a journey through the underworld to determine the whereabouts of the ghosts of the glass acorn tribe.

CHARACTER SHEET

Name: One Thousand Epic Forger
Caste: Artisan (Worker over Entertainer)
Nature: Thrillseeker
Court: None at the moment, the last one didn't fair so well
Concept: Player in the great epics of creation

Attributes

Strength 3, Dexterity 7, Stamina 3
Charisma 7, Manipulation 7, Appearance 5
Perception 5, Intelligence 6, Wits 5

Caste Abilities

Investigation 3
Performance 3
Stealth 3
Lore 4
Bureaucracy 3

= Favored Abilities

Craft (Glamour) 5
Martial Arts 7
Dodge 7

Non-Favored Abilities

Linguistics 1 (Old Realm, Riverspeak)
Socialize 1
Endurance 1
Archery 1
Survival 1

Backgrounds

Artifact 5: Created during One Thousand Epic Forger's many travels through creation and the Wyld.

The Angel Aflame in Loss [5-dot Behemoth]
The Book of the Eternal Dream [3-dot Wyld Artifact (Artifact Waypoint)]
Promise of the Merciful Parasite [2-dot Oath]
Graceful Actor [1-dot Behemoth]
Friendship Bracelet [1-dot Spell]
Creation Surviving Ring [1-dot Spell]
Feverish Valiant Thread [1-dot Behemoth]
[1-dot]

Retinue 5: Many workers have rallied behind his legend.

Birth 1: Born as a creative shaping and through the efforts of his old, long since destroyed, master.

One free Assumption charm (Assumption of the Person's Heart)
Ravishing the Created Form

Gossamer 5: His retinue tribute many of their creations to him.

Virtues, Graces and Whatnot

Compassion 3 [Cup 5]
--Lure: Protecting the weak.
Conviction 1 [Staff 1]
Temperance 5 [Ring 5]
Valor 2 [Sword 2]

[Heart] 3
[Willpower] 8
[Mutation Points] 7
[Essence] 5
[Essence Pool] 36
[Committed] 14

The Vast List of Possessions

The Angel Aflame in Loss [Behemoth ●●●●●][Sword Grace]
15-mote commitment, attuned to ?
Natural attack as Gossamer Short Powerbow
Uses ?'s Traits

[Mutations]
Grace of the Infinitely Revolving Spheres [4]
Bastion of the Self (Sword) [8]
Preemptive Declaration of Victory [12]
Beserker Affliction (+2 Str, +1 Dex, +2 Sta, double movement speed, ignore wound penalties, intelligence and wits equal 1; when active) [14]
Surpassing Excellence (Archery: While Berserk) [15]

Final Result:
First five dicesplits at full pool
Unharmable without charm/stunt, +2 diff to hit otherwise
5-die combat penalty to foes and they must make a valor roll or surrender
While beserk: Str +2, Dex +1, Sta +2, double movement speed, ignore wound penalties, intelligence and wits equal 1
+2 specialty bonus to attack with innate weapon while beserk

Born from the mad nightmares of a previous oath victim, while travelling through the deeps of the Wyld. The Angel Aflame vaguely resembles a beautiful golden haired woman with feathered wings of pure white and a tattoo that covers most of her body. The tattoo is similar to those created by the Promise of the Merciful Parasite. When she picks up arrows they are burned to a crisp and small flames rise from the ashes to circle her head. These flames act as her primary method of attack, darting out great distances to strike down her foes. When she attacks she usually takes on a far more nightmarish aspect as her body twists into a bizarre and terrible parody of the human form, even the tattoo shifting into a more horrible form.

The Book of the Eternal Dream [Wyld Artifact (Artifact Waypoint) ●●●]
9-mote commitment, attuned to One Thousand Epic Forger

[Waypoints]
The Beach of Joyous Slumber
The Caves of Eternal Adventure
The Realm of Pure Black

The Book of the Eternal Dream appears as an ancient tome filled with the tales told within the waypoints it contains. When opened to the right page a being can travel to one of the three waypoints it enchants. The book is also always to be found within one of the three waypoints where it serves as an exit back to where the book is to be found in Creation or the Wyld. A frequent reader of the book will notice that the pages seem to move about in some unknown pattern, the tales changing from one reading to the next.

[The Beach of Joyous Slumber]
First time visiters to the book almost invariably end up on the beach. It is an idyllic version of some sandy island in the west. However the sea is merely an impasssable illusion and the centre of the island an unclimbable wall of rock, pocked with cave entrances that lead to the Caves of Eternal Adventure. The beach is mostly empty with all life to be found locked in timeless slumber.
The beach is enchanted with a shaping effect that leads all who abide there to feel at peace, lulled by the warm weather and calm atmosphere. They feel the need to sleep and let slip away their worries (Exceptional Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology effect).

[The Caves of Eternal Adventure]
The Caves are a complex web of tunnels leading deep underground filled with many adventurers and monsters eternally fighting to advance ever deeper in search of treasure. Deadends open out into vast caverns that contain mighty giants guarding chests of gold and silver trinkets. These caves often seem endless as they interconnect in ways that defy the normal laws of space. Deep within the caves the entrance to The Realm of Pure Black is to be found. The Book is generally to be found here. It is usually found resting on a lecturn surrounded by the corpses of dead adventurers, who all appear to have died in the attempt of opening it.
All who enter feel the rush of adventure and the lust for ever more gold and glory (Fine Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology effect).

[The Realm of Pure Black]
The realm is entirely black, every surface utterly dark and without any destingishable features. However somehow the blackness seems to move, though there should be no way to tell, slowly the viewer becomes aware that the blackness hides terrible creatures too horrible to be witnessed, moving, but indiscernible.
As they become aware of the terrors of the place, those that enter the realm become filled with nightmarish horror and the pressing need to escape, never to return (Exceptional Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology effect).

Promise of the Merciful Parasite [Sthiti Oath ●●]
2-mote commitment, attuned to One Thousand Epic Forger

[Mutations]
Assumption of the Person's Heart [2]

Final Result:
2 point mutation
One Thousand Epic Forger manifests in creation as a tattoo on a creation born creature

Graceful Actor [Behemoth ●]
3-mote commitment, attuned directly to One Thousand Epic Forger
Natural attack as Armament of Flesh
Uses One Thousand Epic Forger's Traits

[Mutations]
Armament of Flesh [2]
Knife-hand Dream [3]
Gladdening Visage [4]
Adored by All the World [6]
Compelling Presence [9]

Final Result:
Can parry lethal barehanded
Others identify it as human
Gains a number of followers where ever it goes
Addicts those it socialises with

This many shaped Behemoth is One Thousand Epic Forger's favoured method of communicating with the world. While hidden in a person's heart, he uses this as his mouthpiece. Typically it takes on the form of a beauty of the opposite gender to the victim of the Promise of the Merciful Parasite.

Friendship Bracelet [Glamour Spell ●]
3-mote commitment, attuned to ?
Uses ?'s Traits

[Mutations]
Assumption of Dreams and Passion (Friendship) [1]
Undetectable Lie ("You are a friend to my wearer") [10]

This spell appears as a many beaded band worn around the wrist. Anyone who distrusts the wearer is affected by the lie, "You are a friend of my wearer".

Creation Surviving Ring [Glamour Spell ●]
3-mote commitment, attuned to ?
Uses ?'s Traits

[Mutations]
Assumption of Elemental Shape (Fire) [1]
Beguilement ("You should let my owner ravish you") [10]

This spell appears as a enchanting ruby ring wreathed in fire that does not burn. When shown to someone and discussed with them they are beguiled to agree with the suggestion, "You should let my owner ravish you".

Feverish Valiant Thread [Behemoth ●]
3-mote commitment, attuned to ?
Natural attack as Armament of Flesh
Uses ?'s Traits

[Mutations]
Armament of Flesh [2]
Knife-hand Dream [3]
Tiny [5]
Assumption of Elemental Shape (Fire) [6]
Manacles of Virtue (Valor) [9]

Final Result:
Can parry lethal barehanded
-2 str, +1 dex, -1 stam
reduced movement speed (dex+6 yards per turn run)
loses one -0 HL and one -2 HL
+3 difficulty to hit if not immobilized or +1 otherwise
+1 to stealth due to size
Permanently invoked
Immune to normal fires and heat
Grants a valor bonus to anything it wraps itself around

Feverish Valiant Thread takes the form of a fine thread of agate, several yards in length. It moves like a snake, capable of flexing its entire body. It is hot to the touch though not painfully so.

Non-Artifact Possessions

Charms And Mutations

[Assumption]
-Assumption of the Person's Heart
-Aspirations of the Heart
-Heart-Weaving Style
-Dreaming Heart Evocation (Mutation, 1 point)

Note: Essentially the Assumption of the Person's Heart tree, I'm still trying to dig up where ever I wrote it down.

[Bedlam]
-Spectacular Insanity
-Ambrosial Ascension
-Raging Vortex Form (Assumption of Elemental Shape (Air), Heart-Stealing Kiss (Everything he touches)

[Dodge]
-Ill-Approving Eyes
-Asertion of a Greater Vision

[Feeding]
-Ravishing the Created Form

[Ring Combat]
-Wyld Curdling Attack

[All-Consuming God-Monster Style]
-Wyld Communion

[Glamour]
-Essence-Forging Art
-Principle of Worlds
-Awakened Dream Manufacture
-Shape-Forged Servant
-Gossamer-Forging Art
-Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology

[Greater Arts of Glamour]
-Forging the Heart Grace
-Forging the Arcane Redoubt

[Mutation]
-Affliction (Regeneration)
-Affliction (Tough)
-Affliction (Thick Skin)
-Root of the Perfected Lotus (Mutation, 4 points)

[Martial Arts]
-Five-Dragon Fortitude
-Five-Dragon Blocking Technique

Expanded Backgrounds

Artifact ●●●●●

Created during One Thousand Epic Forger's many travels through Creation and the Wyld.

Retinue ●●●●●

Many have gathered under The Forger's banner, whether out of respect for his legend or to take shelter in exile from the courts. His retinue dwell within the The Book of the Eternal Dream, where they harvest the gossamer and essence of those mortals foolish enough to be lured inside.

Birth ●

At first he was merely shaping, a barrier for some mortal who had ventured to close to one of the great courts. A prison to prevent to escape, a prison of horror and self hatred. Even as the mortal fell into delusion and namelessness, so he was born. A protector for a tale that had already ended.

Gossamer ●●●●●

During his journeys through Creation he takes joy in his collection of storytellers and taleweavers. These mortals he lures into The Book of the Eternal Dream, to sleep and provide he and his followers with the precious Gossamer they need to survive.

Normal Combat

Base Initiative 12
Base Dodge: 19 (+5 Essence)
Hand Strike: Speed 12, Accuracy 15, Damage 3B, Parry 16, Rate 5
Kicking Action: Speed 9, Accuracy 15, Damage 6B, Parry 11, Rate 3
Gossamer Straight Sword: Speed 16, Accuracy 18, Damage 7L, Parry 16, Rate 5

[Soak]
0A/0L/3B [12L/12B (Gossamer Superheavy Armour)]

[Health Levels]
-0 ■
-1 ■ ■
-2 ■ ■
-4 ■
In ■

Shaping Combat

Initiative: 8

Cup ●●●●●

[Dice Pool] 1 + Ability
[Dodge Pool] 13 (+5 Essence)
[Damage] 2 + Weapon Damage
[Soak] 13
[Health Levels] 8

Staff ●

[Dice Pool] 7 + Ability
[Dodge Pool] 19 (+5 Essence)
[Damage] 7 + Weapon Damage
[Soak] 13
[Health Levels] 2

Ring ●●●●●

[Dice Pool] 6 + Ability
[Dodge Pool] 18 (+5 Essence)
[Damage] 5 + Weapon Damage
[Soak] 13
[Health Levels] 10

Sword ●●

[Dice Pool] 7 + Ability
[Dodge Pool] 19 (+5 Essence)
[Damage] 3 + Weapon Damage
[Soak] 11
[Health Levels] 4

Upgrade Layout

Initial Charms

Assumption of the Person's Heart (1 free assumption charm)
Aspirations of the Heart
Heart-Weaving Style
Dreaming Heart Invocation

Ill-Approving Eyes
Asertion of a Greater Vision

Wyld Curdling Attack

Essence Forging Art
Principle of Worlds

BP Layout (+15 BP)

Artifact 5 (4 [4])
Retinue 5 (4 [8])
Gossamer 5 (4 [12])
+1 Temperance (1 [15])

Starter experience layout for Sex, Lies and Gossamer (+250 XP)

Note: Essence bought before mutations occur.
Essence 5 (16+24+32=72 [72])
Cup 5 (9+12=21 [93])
Sword 2 (6 [99])
Dodge 7 (10+12=22 [121])
Martial Arts 7 (10+12=22 [143])

Root of the Perfected Lotus (6 [149])
Five-Dragon Fortitude (10 [159])
Five-Dragon Blocking Technique (10 [169]

Spectacular Insanity (6 [175])
Ambrosial Ascension (6 [181])
Raging Vortex Form (6 [187])

Affliction (Regeneration) (6 [193])
Affliction (Tough) (6 [199])
Affliction (Thick Skin) (6 [205])

Awakened Dream Manufacture (6 [211])
Shape-Forged Servant (6 [217])
Gossamer-Forging Art (6 [223])
Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology (6 [229])

Wyld Communion (6 [235])

Forging the Heart Grace (6 [241])
Forging the Arcane Redoubt (6 [247])

XP Expenditures and Such

XP Gained: 0 (0 roleplay, 0 bonus)
XP Spent: 0

By way of explaination...an explaination?

This is the bit where I try to justify my choices for this character.

Before hand though I'll point out some useful links.
DarkheartOne/RakshaCombat -The basic primer on creation combat.
Morrigu/RakshaChargen -More fine detail, but not enough on behemoths and glamour sorcery at the moment.

Now it is time to bring up the useless essense only charms. This character is designed to at least survive in the Wyld. Although his main tactic is fear (my mortal will crush you and take your things). As such dodge charms are important to protect his weak health level graces. Still he might need to attack and if he has to pick what type of attack to use then he might as well burden things with Ring while making his way up to Undectable Lie. Although Cup combat is also possible after a little xp gain.

In terms of creation survival tactics, the tactics involved could be described as making friends and eating them. Graceful Actor supplies a handy food source all on its own using Adored by All the World for instance. For combat see below (invocation for victory and backing dancers).

The artifact waypoint is also a creation surviving advantage. Initially it acts as a place to hold the retinue and anything that has been invoked but is no longer needed. The real advantage appears however should the character find an uncapped demense to play with. By first making an arcane redoubt and then enchanting it with the waypoint, this artifact allows the raksha to carry around an essence source through creation.

General rules thoughts I might eventually move

Invocation for Victory and Backing Dancers

I find the Invocation Charm(s) confusing. It is a supplemental charm which provides the raksha with the ability to make a(n easy) shaping role to invoke a possession into creation. This is an accurate description of the effect, but unfortunately I find the actual text too confusing when trying to work out how it works as a mutation.

Potential Combinations
Option 1: 1 mutation point, summons anything invoked.
Option 2: 3 mutation points, summons anything invoked.
Option 3: 3 mutation points, summons one thing chosen when mutation is bought.

[Option 1]
It is charm which grants the Raksha an ability (to invoke things into Creation as effectively as into the Wyld). By that definition it costs 1 mutation point and can invoke anything.

[Option 2]
A handy charm to compare it with is Undetectable Lie. Both have a target which varies (the possession in the invocation's case). With a trigger like when I attempt to invoke something, the invocation works in the same way as option 1, but as it is targeting something it need to cost 3 mutation points.

[Option 3]
The most fixed definition, everything most be decided before hand therefore so must the target. As it is targeting something, it costs 3 mutation points.

[Potential uses for Invocation]
If you can invoke anything into Creation, you can do some potentially, very powerful things. Using only Awakened Dream Manufacture you can create a large pool of creatures for use in a combat situation, although you can only do this in scenes you don't want to shape (or invoke) in. This being the case this character's combat tactics could be reduced to: summon 7 tyrant lizard equivalents and a behemoth and then sit back and watch the blood-shed. In fact anything that involves craft or performance is also fair game for this guy. The only limit is the number of ways the dice pool can be split and still reliably get a success (as far as invocation is conserned).
Then there is survival method number two, ultimate distance creating technique. Using principle of worlds, create an area of terrain 30 miles across and set it between you and the enemy. If they somehow cross that distance in under a scene you can repeat as many times as you can split your shaping pool. Of course while this is a good emergency measure, creating lots of land in obvious ways is bad, see summoning a mountain inside a city. You might escape the current danger, but the sidereal alarm bells might start ringing.
Moving on to the second use of principle of worlds, I have to point out that it also allows the creation of vehicles. So why not create your own floating island (or other less blatant flying device) with which to wander creation?
I might as well mention the final use for principle of worlds while I'm at it, dramatic special effects. Want your own dramatic lightning storm? Easy. Want to pretend to be a solar? Why not have an aura? For that matter you could use Translucent Dream Sheathing Technology and give yourself weak aura powers to boot (idea stolen from SlipNine/RainOfUnspokenWords).

In any case I keep going backwards and forwards on this charm. Another charm that is worth considering in comparison is Glamour. If invocation is cheap and versitile, then Glamour becomes expensive and useless, unless you need to create something new on the fly.

[Alternate Invocation Spell]
Finally as I might need to modify the character if the mutation points increase I present, an alternate means of invocation.

Wyld-Melting Chain [Glamour Spell ●]
3-mote commitment, attuned to ?
Uses ?'s Traits

[Mutations]
Mad God Mien
Assumption of Elemental Shape (Fire) [3]
Elemental Evocation (Possessions pushed through the centre of the chain) [6]
Transient Work of Flesh and Bone (500 smoke troops) [7]
The Naming of Secrets [9]
Ordinary Object Conjuration (Pyromantic Grenade) [10]

A chain composed of alternating gold and gossamer links. The gossamer is almost invisible, leaving the gold links to seem to float seperately in the air. The chain is joined up and floats of its own accord. When a possession's essence pattern is pushed through the centre of the ring, the gold links burst into fire and smoke begins to rise. Any possession invoked with the aid of this spell fills the gaps in its essence pattern with smoke. Objects and creatures are smokey and seem a little insubstantial. Places seem to be covered in smoke or seem unnaturally hot.
By setting the chain above a fire, the gossamer links burst into red flame. The red smoke which rises from these flames, falls back to the ground in the form of soldiers.
By wraping a part of the chain around something flamable with a question written upon it, the chain may be consulted. Once the flamable item has been lit, all the links of the chain will burst into fire and the smoke created will form images that attempt to answer the question.
Finally, by placing the chain upon the ground and burning a paper egg within the circle, a pyromantic grenade can be created.

Wish List

Stuff I wish this character had.

The century decieveing lie: By combining an Undetectable Lie with lots of Glorious Hero Form (Manipulation) charms it is possible to tell a lie that even an essence 5, wits 5 exalt will believe. To avoid excessive mutation, this is best done with a 5-dot behemoth.
Grace of the Infinite Revolving Spheres: Probably the charm this character most needs at the moment. Due to the expense of activating it though it might have to wait indefinitely. In the mean time this character's best option is probably martial arts as a route to combat survival.
Bastion of the Self: Very useful for keeping a mortal alive in Creation.

Comments

Will it ever end? A few more artifacts, the retinue and the expanded backgrounds section to go I think. Oh and some more backstory of course.

Note: Sheet layout gratuitously stolen from DarkheartOne/WyldDays

Hey there! ^^; Just wanted to pop in and say nice job making such a detailed character! And I'm glad you found the Morrigu/RakshaChargen page helpful, I'd wondered if it helped people. I'll make a note to add stuff about behemoths and glamour sorcery, once I get to it, and learn more about them and their uses inside Creation. -- Morrigu

Thanks for the praise. I was wondering whether I should mention my thoughts on your page rather than just here, but as you've seen them now, it doesn't matter. - Talion

Talion/TheMercifulParasite

Contents