Campaign:Enfolding Ice/Marr Arjuna
Basics
Name: Marr Arjuna
Concept: Crusader
Caste: Dawn
Motivation: To redeem civilization, even if I must destroy it first!
Intimacies: The Realm; Tepet Adava; The Bull of the North (hatred)
Experience: 0/0
Arjuna's Story
Before Exaltation
Arjuna was born a slave to House Ferem, the ruling House of Cherak. Looking back, he remembers little of his parents; as a slave, he was separated from them, and while they worked the fields he, as a child, was a domestic slave. In time, as he grew into young manhood, he was moved to the fields beyond the city walls, where he harvested grain. His natural physical strength marked him out to his overseers as a good worker; his natural intelligence and personal magnetism drew other slaves to him, and it was not long before he organized an escape from the plantation fields.
It failed. He would have been put to death, were it not for net loss in profit such an act would incur; rather, the Ferem contrived to sell Arjuna and the other rebellious slaves, without telling the purchasers of the slaves' unbridled nature. At the time, Ferem was host to a young Tepet Adava and his retinue; Ferem sold Arjuna and several others to Adava as "strong workers, who could make good aides on the field of battle... carrying messages, and the like." For whatever reason, Adava agreed, and took the slaves with him back to the Blessed Isle.
Most of the slaves were made into domestic servants or workers; Arjuna, however, was kept attached to Adava as his personal aid, to run messages and the like. In the small skirmishes Adava and his retinue were dispatched to deal with, Arjuna quickly proved himself capable in combat. Tepet Adava saw that the youth would better serve the Realm, and himself, as a soldier, not a messenger boy. From that day on, Adava trained Arjuna in personal combat; knowledge of how to defend himself lead to a thirst for combat on a larger scale, and the context in which it happened - history, geography, language, art - and soon Adava was a tutor for the boy in all things.
As the years passed, Arjuna accompanied Adava wherever he traveled, calling the Terrestrial Exalted "General." Arjuna was with the general when the orders were handed down to quell the barbarian uprising in the North, the one led by the Anathema, the Bull of the North.
Exaltation
Arjuna helped lead one of Tepet Adava's legions into battle as a fang-lieutenant, though he could also be found regularly in the tactical tent, commenting on the battle plans of the Terrestrial Exalted there. He was tolerated only because Adava accepted him, and his advice.
In the final battle against the Bull, Tepet's legions were met with an overwhelming force - greater numbers, superior tactics, and something... something Arjuna could not put his finger on. At the head if his fang with a Terrestrial talon-captain at his side, it was a miracle he survived; when the Terrestrial was struck down by an arrow from above and did not rise, it was inevitably that his talon broke and ran.
Arjuna refused to allow defeat - not for himself, not for his talon and not for Adava - and he rallied the talon, taking the banner from a fallen standard-bearer and shouting for the men to press forward and attack. Were it not for the Ashigaru armor Adava had procured for him, he would likely have been slaughtered then; yet he did not die. Instead, he felt more alive than ever. His blood moved through his body with a strength and, it seemed, a purpose. The armor felt lighter, and as he drew his sword and fought, holding the banner of the Realm over his head, he felt as though nothing could stop him - no man, no army, no Anathema. The talon rallied behind him and fought it's way through the barbarian horde, Arjuna at it's head. Eventually, they were upon the panoply of the Bull himself.
It didn't last very long. The Bull stepped forward, and knocked an arrow. At first, the world was all light and silence; then, there was darkness.
Post-Exaltation
Why did the Bull allow Arjuna to live? In the days since his Exaltation, that question has come to him again and again, unanswered. He awoke, days later, amongst the dead on the battlefield. His men - his legion, all the legions - had either fallen there, or scattered to the winds. Arjuna searched the snows for anyone still alive, but found that those who had not died from their wounds had died in the night, in the cold.
The battle had been a killing field, a suicide mission. Why? Why would the Realm send its best warriors to die? More questions that Arjuna could not answer, at least, not yet. Now, he seeks the answers. To Arjuna, he really did die on that day; when he awoke, he was someone else, a blank slate, free. Arjuna spent the next few months traveling the North, battling the Fae and whatever monsters threatened the tundra-cities and those who walked the roads. He observed that life in the North, in an endless winter, under siege at all times, was riddled with opportunities for exploitation and dishonor, and that there were plenty of people who took advantage of those opportunities. Arjuna set himself to remedying that, and found himself toppling petty warlords and bandits. Still, wherever he walked, whatever wrongs he righted, nothing seemed to really change.
Arjuna realized that the corruption and weakness that had driven the Realm to sacrifice the Tepet legions had infected the North as well and, in all likelihood, all of Creation. He had a new life, one that, up to that point, had been devoid of any true reason. As he walked West, where the Realm joined with the North, Arjuna set himself his first true task of his new life: to carve the corruption and weakness out of the North, out of the Realm, and make it strong enough to stand against its enemies. At any cost.
Appearance
Arjuna is relatively young for an officer of the realm, in his mid-to-late 20s. His skin is dark, as are his eyes and his hair, which is generally kept in dreadlocks and bound back. His eyes are slightly larger than average, lending him a trustworthy, if innocent look. He is exceptionally fit; one might say he is near the peak of human perfection. His movements are quick and decisive - he never stutters, never stumbles, and never hesitates.
Attributes
Strength ●●● Charisma ●●● Perception ●●● Dexterity ●●●● Manipulation ●● Intelligence ●●● Stamina ●●●● Appearance ●● Wits ●●●
Abilities
DAWN ZENITH TWILIGHT NIGHT ECLIPSE [X]Archery [ ]Integrity ●● [ ]Craft ● [X]Athletics ●●● [ ]Bureaucracy ● [X]Martial Arts ● [ ]Performance [ ]Investigation ● [ ]Awareness ●● [ ]Linguistics ●● [X]Melee ●●●●● [X]Presence ●● [X]Lore ●● [ ]Dodge ● [ ]Ride ● [X]Thrown [X]Resistance ●● [ ]Medicine [ ]Larceny [ ]Sail [X]War ●●● [ ]Survival [ ]Occult [ ]Stealth ● [X]Socialize ●●
Specialties
Linguistics - Skytongue, Low Realm, High Realm
Backgrounds
Resources: ●●●●
- Elite Realm Equipment - Arjuna is equipped with two perfectly-crafted chopping swords, bequeathed to him by Tepet Adava shortly after he completed his training. He has used them in battle for several years, and is exceptionally skilled in wielding them.
Artifact: ●●
- Ashigaru Skirmish Armor - Arjuna is outfitted in a standard-issue suit of Skirmish Armor, an honor he earned among the Tepet legions when he saved the life of his talon-captain Tepet Otaraal (who later died in battle with the Bull; see Exaltation), one of Adava's grand-daughters. The Armor has been worn by several mortal warriors in the Tepet legions in the past, and it is adorned with the crest of Tepet Adava as well as some of the Immaculate sutras.
Mentor: ●●●
- Glass and Copper Queen, Sidereal Exalted under Wun Ja - After he rescued the village of Unmoved River from a lone Fae come to feed, the Sidereal Glass and Copper Queen, who works to keep and strengthen civilization in the North against the Wyld and the Underworld, approach Arjuna. Arjuna was, at first, distrustful; the Queen's training in Essence, advice, and aid in avoiding the Wyld Hunt and other dangers of the North have proved invaluable to Arjuna, however, and he has come to have great faith in her. The Queen, for her part, is concerned at Arjuna's fervor regarding the Realm and civilization - and where it might take him in the future. She has said as much, though Arjuna hears such words as mere nagging.
Charms
Melee
- First Melee Excellency: 1m/1d; Reflexive; Instant. Adds 1 die to a Melee roll for every mote I spend.
- One Weapon, Two Blows: 1m; Reflexive; One Action. +1 to Rate and Accuracy of weapon until next action.
- Peony Blossom Attack: 2m per attack; Extra Action; Instant. 2m per attack this turn, up to (Essence + 1) attacks.
- Dipping Swallow Defense: 2m; Reflexive; Instant. Ignore all penalties that apply to Parry DV when defending against an attack.
- Bulwark Stance: 5m; Reflexive; Until Next Action. Ignore penalties that apply to Parry DV until next action.
- Heavenly Guardian Defense: 4m; Reflexive; Instant. A perfect parry. Valor Flaw: Arjuna must move toward the opponent he considers most dangerous, on every tick where this is possible without magic, until his DV refreshes twice.
Integrity
- Integrity-Protecting Prana: 5m, 1 wp; Reflexive; One day. This Charm protects Arjuna from any Shaping effect that directly alters his mind, body, spirit or traits. This includes instantaneous Shaping effects and any new alterations caused by long-term Shaping effects. This Charm also protects Arjuna from any undodgeable, unblockable Shaping attacks.
Resistance
- Ox-Body Technique: One additional -1 Health Level, two additional -2 Health Levels.
Socialize
- Second Socialize Excellency: 2m; Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender); Instant. Invoke this Charm when rolling Attribute+Socialize, and spend Attribute+Socialize in motes. Add one success to the roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder.
C-C-C-Combo's
N/A
Essence
Essence: ●●●
Regeneration: 4/hour; 8/hr while resting.
Personal Essence Pool: 11/15
Peripheral Essence Pool: 37/37
Committed Essence: 4
Willpower
Willpower: □□□□●●●●●●
Temporary: □□□□XXXXXX
Virtues
Virtues:
- Compassion ●●
- Conviction ●●●
- Temperance ●●
- Valor ●●●
Flawed Virtue: Conviction: Heart of Flint - Arjuna's heart hardens to all emotion. He feels and expresses no emotions: not robotic, but lacking all empathy and feeling. The character considers only efficiency in choosing his course of action, and his reduced tact imposes a two-die penalty on all Social rolls involving face-to-face interactions.
- Partial Control: The character's emotions are significantly muted but still present. He suffers a two-die penalty to Social rolls involving face-to-face interaction, and his primary motivation is still efficiency, but he will avoid doing anything to which he has a strong emotional aversion.
- Duration: One full day.
- Limit Break Condition: The character is frustrated by the corrupt and uncaring nature of the world around him.
Limit Break: □□□□□□□□□□
Inventory
Ashigaru Skirmish Armor (Artifact ●●)
Soak: 7L/6B Hardness: 4L/4B Mobility: -2 Fatigue: 1 Attune: 4m or 1 wp
Sensory Augmentation Visor: +2 to Awareness; negates all penalties from darkness less than pitch black.
Filtration Baffles: +2 to Resistance against poison and all forms of disease; one-hour supply of fresh air.
Adaptive Camouflage Subsystem: +2 to Stealth while moving; +3 while standing still.
Twin Perfect Chopping Swords (Resources ●●●● each)
Speed: 4 Accuracy: +2 Damage: +7L/4 Defense: +0 Rate: 2
Manses and Heartstones
N/A
Combat
Dodge DV:
Dodge MDV:
Soak: B:0 L:0 A:0
Hardness: B:0 L:0 A:0
Attacks
(example:)
Example Attack (Speed X, Accuracy X, Damage XL, Parry DV X, Rate X, Tags X, Y, Z)
Health
□ -0
□ -1
□ -1
□ -1
□ -2
□ -2
□ -2
□ -2
□ -4
□ Incapacitated
Advancement
BP: 2 pts on Melee 1 pt on Socialize 1 pt on War 7 pts on Essence 3 pts on Compassion
1 pt + 1 bpt on Resources 1 bpt on Mentor