Crimson Dagger's Heart

Name: Crimson Dagger's Heart
Caste: Dawn

Apparent Age:  Late 20's
Actual Age:  Early 40's
Concept: Privateer Admiral
Anima:  A ship flying sails of crimson



-=Attributes=-

-Physical-

• Strength: 4
  
• Dexterity: 5
  
• Stamina: 2
  

-Social-

• Charisma: 3
  
• Manipulation: 2
  
• Appearance: 2
  

-Mental-

• Perception: 2
  
• Intelligence: 2
  
• Wits: 5
  

-=Abilities=-

Supernal: Archery

• Archery: 5
  
• Athletics: 1
  
• Awareness: 3
  
• Brawl:
  
• Bureaucracy:
  
• Dodge: 1
  
• Integrity: 3
  
• Investigation: 3
  
• Larceny:
  
• Linguistics: 1
  
• Lore:
  
• Medicine:
  
• Melee:
  
• Occult: 4
  
• Presence:  
  
• Performance: 3
  
• Resistance: 1
  
• Ride:  
  
• Sail: 5
  
• Socialize:  
  
• Stealth: 1
  
• Survival: 1
  
• Thrown:
  
• War: 1
  

-Specialties-

• Sail (Her ship)
  
• Archery (Powerbows)
  
• Performance (Inspiring Sailors)
  
• Occult (Sorcery)
  

-=Merits=-

• Backing: 3 (Privateer Admiral, a few dozen ships and crews work for him.)
  
• Ally: 3 (Water Aspect Sorcerer, capable of repairing the Morning Star)
  
• Familiar: 3 (Terror of the Deep)
  
• Followers: 2 (Shipwrights, Two servants)
  
• Resources: 4
  
• Artifact: 4 (The Morning Star)
  
• Languages: 1 (Sea-tongue, Old Realm)
  

-=Flaws=-


Essence: 1
Personal: 13
Peripheral: 33
Committed:
Willpower: 5
Limit Trigger: When her allies suffer setback or defeat because of a mistake she made.
Limit Flaw: Crushing Doubt

-=Health Levels=-
1x -0
2x -1
2x -2
1x -4
Inc.

-=Intimacies=-

-Ties-

• The people of her village (Defining)
  
• Hatred of Undead (Major)
  
• Dislike of the cold (Minor)
  
• Love of the Sea (Defining)
  
• Fear of the Dark (Minor)
  
• The Morning Star (Major)
  

-Principles-

• Defend the helpless (Major)
  
• Darkmist Isle must be stopped (Defining)
  

-=Charms & Spells=-            

-Excellencies-
Archery, Athletics, Awareness, Dodge, Integrity, Investigation, Performance, Occult, Resistance, Sail, Stealth, Survival, War

-Charms-

Archery

• Wise Arrow (1m, Supplemental, Instant, Dual, reduces cover by one. Targets not in cover suffer -1 defense.)
  
• Sight Without Eyes (1m, Reflexive, One Tick, negates visual conditions to an attack.)
  
• Phantom Arrow Technique (1m, Supplemental, Instant, Creates an arrow out of essence.  Once per scene can use an intimacy to add that intimacy in non-charm dice to an attack.)
  
• Immaculate Golden Bow (5m+wp, Simple, Scene, creates a powerbow of golden essence.  Additionally for 4m they can cause it to provide heavy cover against range attacks for a turn. Evocation themes will be ammunition based.)
  
• There is No Wind (3m, Reflexive, Instant, Dual, ignore penalties from non-visual conditions and withering attack accuracy is treated as Short Range no matter the range.  With awareness charms the character may make attacks at extreme range.)
  
• Force Without Fire (3m, Supplemental, Instant, Withering, supplements an attack at close or short range.  If it inflicts more damage than the targets stamina, the inititive is lost rather than gained by the solar.  The target instead is knocked back a range band and any rush they are doing is ended.)
  
• Accuracy Without Distance (1m+1wp, Reflexive, Instant, instantly makes an aim action and converts the +3 dice into automatic non-charm successes.)
  

Awareness

• Sensory Acuity Prana (5m, Reflexive, Scene, Doubles 9's on awaress and if used with Unsurpassed (Sense) Discipline reroll 6's until they fail to disappear.)
  
• Unsurpassed Sight Discipline (3m or 6m+1wp, Simple, Scene or Indefinite, Dif 2 or 3 tasks without a roll, add +2 dice to sight rolls and increase sight range by 100 yards. See in dim light as well as full daylight.)
  

Integrity

• Integrity-Protecting Prana ( – (5m +1wp), Permanent, Immediately senses any wyld warping dangers around her and can spend 5m and a wp to immunize herself and her equipment from its effects.)
  

Investigation

• Watchman's Infallible Eye (–, Permanent, Reflexively knows when a Case Scene or Profile Character action should be used.)
  

Occult

• Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
  

Performance

• Masterful Performance Exercise (2m, Supplemental, Mute, Instant, Adds one automatic success and reroll ones until they fail to appear.)
  

Sail

• Salty Dog Method (–, Permanent, provides the following benefits: Reroll 6's until they fail to appear, add half the users sail to resist fear effects, if failed a balance check the user falls and then returns to his feet, always know the distance and route to any location they have been before.)
  

-Spells-

• Cirrus Skiff (Control Spell)
  
• Summon Elemental
  

-=Equipment=-

-Weapons-
Artifact Ranged Accuracy:  Close -1, Short +5, Medium +3, Long +1, Extreme -1

• Immaculate Golden Bow (+12 damage, 4 Overwhelming, Tags: Lethal, Archery(Long))
  

Mundane Ranged Accuracy (Close -2, Short +4, Medium +2, Long +0, Extreme n/a (-2 if w/ charm))

• Flame Piece (+9 damage, 1 Overwhelming, Tags: Lethal, Archery (Short), Flame, Mounted, One Handed, Slow)
  
• Punch (Accuracy +4, Damage +7, Tags: Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural)
  

-Armor-

• Ironwood Lamellar (+5 soak, -1 Mobility, buoyant)
  

-General Equipment-

• Maps and charts of the western isles
  
• Navigation aids such as compass, sextant, spyglass, etc.
  
• Uniform and wardrobe of sailors garb
  
• Formal clothing
  
• Backpack and survival gear such as rope, shovel, hammer, knife, tent, spikes, etc.
  
• Writing tools such as scrolls, quills and ink
  
• Small library of occult books
  

History

Crimson Dagger's Heart was born Sheyella Moore, daughter of the mayor of a rather wealthy fishing village not too far away from the Isle of Darkmist. Life when she was young was relatively normal. She grew up learning to sail the little boats and fish for food. She never really enjoyed fishing though, as she found it too boring. She was always looking for things to do, moving around in the boat and causing it to rock.

As she grew up she loved to hunt, running through the woods of their island and hunting the little game that lived there. Soon she became well known as a hunter and provided almost all of the villages red meat, which was a treat after a diet that was mostly seafood. She became relatively wealthy from her hunting, buying herself three boats and beginning to pay their crew to fish for her, as her wealth steadily grew.

It was when she was in her late 20's that her world changed. A mist rose up from the Isle of Darkmist as some turmoil was going on. The citizens of the village looked out over the waters at it and trembled in fear. As the mist rolled over their village, ghosts and specters rushed over the village. It wasn't even an attack, it was simple the side effect of some greater magic performed on the isle, but to the people of the village it was the end.

The ghosts and other undead flowed over the isle killing the living people and destroying their homes. Ships where set ablaze in an effort to kill the undead and those with boats fled. It was during this that Shayella exalted, a crimson banner appearing behind her and a brilliant sunburst on her head. With her bow broken, a brilliant golden one appeared in her hands and streams of burning arrows flowed from her fingers to fight the undead. Even with this power though, she was no match. Soon she diverted her attentions to gathering the living and getting them to ships and fleeing.

Her leadership saved many of the adults and children of the village, and so from then on they looked to her. She took their rag tag little fleet and led them through the ocean towards other islands. They stopped regularly for supplies as they made their trek southwards. It was on one of these islands that they discovered The Morning Star.

The Ship had been pushed up on the rocks of a rather treacherous stretch of rocks on a rather out of the way island. They had spotted the ship through the spyglass and approached and got caught in the terrible rocks and shoals and crashed into the isle. The Morning Star's ironwood and black jade hull showed scratched and damage, but nothing too major. Upon looking inside they found the crew all slaughtered by the same weapon, with one corpse holding a similar weapon that appeared to starve to death. After some investigation it appeared that the captain slew the crew to live longer, but even with his crew dead he eventually ran out of rations.

The mans weapon, a black jade daiklave, was claimed by the villages sorcerer while Crimson Dagger's Heart worked on salvaging the ship. A couple days of work and they managed to drag the ship out of the rocks and over the next couple weeks repair the damage. Without their sorcerer they wouldn't have been able to complete the job, but luckily with his knowledge of thaumaturgy and the trees on the isle they made it seaworthy.

As they explored the isle they found that there was a beautiful natural harbor sheltered away from the storms. What looked like the remains of an ancient village rested just above the harbor while what appeared to be a massive castle or mansion rested on the hill. They explored the place and discovered that it was a manse. The rocks surrounding the isle where tied to the manses geomancy and move so at so be unpredictable for approaching ships. Within the manse they found maps that would allow them to navigate through the shoals. Her partner claimed the stone, although both attuned to the manse.

Once they had found the manse, they began to repair the village and began to fish for food. Crimson Dagger's Heart though took this as a sign, and using designs for ships found in the manse she began construction on a shipyard. Skills originally used for constructing fishing boats went to work constructing the beginnings of the Admiral's fleet.

It was a couple of months into construction that they discovered another reason that the isle was abandoned. Stories from fishermen of something massive underwater began to make their way back to Crimson Dagger's Heart. Something huge they said, that scared away all the fish. A small fishing boat disappeared to be found two days later broken no the rocks with the boys who where manning it missing.

Crimson Dagger's Heart felt it was her responsibility to investigate and in doing so discovered that there was a massive cavern in the side of one of the cliff faces that seemed to be this creatures home. She went down inside, doing her best to be quiet and eventually she found the Terror of the Deep nestled in its lair. She brought her bow to her hand and the glow caused the creature to wake up. It awoke in a rage, claws and teeth swinging at what it could barely see due to the brightness. Upon seeing her anima though, it calmed. The bright light almost seemed to hypnotize it, and Crimson Dagger's Heart lowered her bow and walked towards it, putting her hand on its snout. Since then, the Terror has been one more defense for their little fleet.

Bp Spends

2 Archery
2 Sail
1 Occult
10 merits

-=Notes=-

Soak: Natural (Stamina 2) + Armor 5 = 7
Hardness:
Brawl Parry: (Dexterity 5 + Brawl 0 + Specialty 0)/2 = 3 + Defense 0 = 3
Evasion: (Dexterity 5 + Dodge 1)/2 = 3
Disengage: Dexterity 5 + Dodge 1 = 6
Resist Disengage: Dexterity 5 + Athletics 1 = 6
Cirrus Skiff Movement: Wits 5 + Occult 4 + Specialty 1 = 10
Withering Punch: Dexterity 5 + Brawl 0 + Specialty 0 + Accuracy 4 = 9
Decisive Punch: Dexterity 5 + Brawl 0 + Specialty 0 = 5
Withering Archery (Dexterity 5 + Archery 5 + Specialty 1) = 11 + Accuracy based on range
Decisive Archery (Dexterity 5 + Archery 5 + Specialty 1) = 11

The Morning Star (Artifact 4, black jade and ironwood)
Role: War Galleon
Speed: Current +1, Sails +2, Oars +2, No marines on board +1
Maneuverability: +1
Hull: -0/-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Crew: 100 sailors
Cargo: Can store about 2000 tons of cargo in the hold or carry 125 soldiers and their gear into battle.



The Morning Star is a massive 30 yard long, 7 yard wide galleon made of a combination of ironwood and blade jade. Its primary form of propulsion comes from four large masts with silk-steel sails.  When needed it can drop sixty ours into the water as well. Designed with three decks and a forecastle that dominates the read of the ship where the captains quarters are.  Its hull is made of ironwood with blade jade bands that holds it together and reinforce it. Written into the jade are prayers to the gods of the western ocean for safe passage for the ship and its occupants.

The Morning Star has half a dozen enchanted ballista on deck as well as a sail-cutter. The Morning Star inflicts 2 levels of damage on a broadside maneuver and lowers the targets speed from sails by 1 until repaired.  The front of the ship is reinforced to protect it when ramming. Lastly there are razor sharp crescent blades mounted to the edges of the masts, so that if an enemy enters into range of a boarding action they rip the enemies sales to shreds, reducing the speed from sails of the enemies ship by 1 until repaired.

The Morning Star is equipped with two elemental engines.  Each one draws huge amounts of water from in front of the ship and expels it out the rear. Each engine requires a water elemental to attune it for 5m, and can not be attuned by the same elemental. Once attuned the engine adds +1 to the ships speed and maneuverability, to a maximum of +2 with both engines attuned.

The Morning Star requires a commitment of 5m from its owner, and its owner can master two evocations for it. Repairing the ship takes a sorcerer with craft wood 3+ in addition to normal requirements.

Hidden in the Mists Method
Cost: 4m, Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Pilot
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms:
From all around the Morning Star a mist begins to form and thicken. This mist clings to the ocean and decks of any ships entering it other than the Morning Star and seems to move with the ship. This charm counts as a concealment action while providing scenery in which the ship can hide. As long as the charm is active the pilot double's 9's on the roll.

Batten Down the Hatches!
Hidden in the Mists Method
Cost: 10m, Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Pilot
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Hidden in the Mists Method
The crew quickly shuts all the hatches and pulls all the rigging of the ship in. The sails roll up and stow themselves as the hatches seal with a feint hiss. The Morning Star dives, using its elemental engines to propel itself underwater, while blue and black jade filters provide oxygen from the water. This charm allows the Morning Star to travel underwater for as long as the pilot commits the motes, and provides the oxygen needed for the crew to survive. This charm does not provide any of the other necessities for survival such as food. While underwater it can not benefit from its sails or oars for speed, relying on its elemental engines and external factors such as current for speed.

Terror of the Deep

The Terror of the Deep is a massive scaled lizard that is about forty feet long from snout to tip of tail.  It has four short legs that it uses to walk on land with as well as guide itself as it swims.  In the water its main source of propulsion is the massive tail behind it that drives it forward.  Its scaled hide is tough enough to deflect arrows and swords easily and its jaws are large enough to men whole.  

The Terror of the Deep swims freely around Blackrock Isle, having long been trained that it was its home and to defend it and its people.  Seeing the massive beast swim around the city gives the citizens pride and a sense of being protected.  It has a special home in the caverns below the isle.



Essence: 1;  Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 10 dice
Health Levels: -0x5/-1x5/-2x7/-4x7/Incap.
Speed Bonus: +2
Actions:
Feats of Strength 12 (May attempt strength 7 feats, See Incredible Might); Hide Underwater: 8 Dice; Resist Poison/Illness: 10; Senses 5 (See Relentless Pursuit); Tracking 8 (See Relentless Pursuit); Intimidation: 10; Swim: 8;
Resolve 3, Guile 1
Attack (Bite): 12 dice (Damage 16, minimum 5).  The Terror of the Deep’s bite can easily puncture armor, allowing it to make piercing attacks (p. 586).
Attack (Slam): 11 dice (Damage 14, minimum 4). The Terror of the Deep uses its head or tail to bash an enemy, and can make a smashing attack (p. 586).
Attack (Talon rake): 13 dice (Damage 12, minimum 3)
Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 dice to control). The Terror of the Deep makes unopposed control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless its victims use magic that allows them to clinch larger enemies, such as Dragon Coil Technique.
Combat Movement: 8 dice (6 on land)
Evasion 4, Parry 6
Soak/Hardness: 15/5

Special Attacks:

Deadly Thrash: The Terror of the Deep may shake a clinched enemy back and forth, shredding it with razor-sharp teeth before flinging it to the ground. The Terror of the Deep may savage its clinched victim with a decisive bite attack before flinging it with a decisive throw or slam action. The Terror of the Deep’s Initiative does not reset until it has completed both attacks, and it gains an additional point of Initiative for each round of control forfeited after the reset.

Ferocious Bite: When the Terror of the Deep makes a decisive bite attack against an enemy with a lower Initiative rating, it adds +10 to the raw damage of the attack. This bonus does not apply to attacks made as part of a deadly thrash. Once per fight, unless reset by rebuilding from base Initiative to Initiative 15+.

Iron Jaws: The Terror of the Deep does not take Defense penalties from grappling smaller enemies, and can reflexively take a drag action to move them whenever it moves, carrying them in its mouth. Additionally, being attacked only causes it to lose rounds of control over a clinch if that attack successfully damages the Terror of the Deep.

Furious Rampage: Whenever the Terror of the Deep attacks or rushes an enemy who is in Initiative Crash, it adds three automatic successes on the roll.

Terrifying Dragon Roar (Latent): The Terror of the Deep unleashes a roar that can be heard for miles, rolling its intimidation pool against all enemies and adding a number of dice equal to its Initiative. Mortal bystanders and natural enemies automatically flee from the roar, as does any enemy whose Resolve is overcome unless they pay a point of Willpower to resist. Even if they do, they lose one point of Initiative for every success by which the tyrant lizard’s roll beat their Resolve. After using this attack, the tyrant lizard is reset to base Initiative.

Legion-Devouring Maw (Latent): Swallowing up soldiers in between its jaws, the Terror of the Deep decimates the ranks. When the Terror of the Deep makes a decisive bite attack against a battle group, it automatically forces a rout check at a base difficulty of 3. If the attack depleted the group’s Magnitude, instead add +3 to the difficulty of the resulting rout check.

Magical Abilities (Need to be trained)

Devouring Leviathan Maw (10m): Massive apex predators with a deadly bite can receive this power, The Terror of the Deep's master may pay 10 motes to render a decisive bite attack unblockable and double 10s on damage. If the attack’s raw damage exceeds the victim’s (Stamina + Resistance + number of health levels), the victim must accept a crippling injury on top of the rolled damage, or else be swallowed whole, killing them instantly barring magic or stunts that would let them survive.

Invincible God-Beast Hide (12m): Common to beasts with great endurance or powerfully armored bodies, this power lets the Terror of the Deep's master pay 12 motes to reduce a decisive attack’s raw damage by it soak rating. An attack that fails to deal any damage grants the beast three points of Initiative.

Merits:

Apex Predator: The tyrant lizard regains a point of Willpower every time it crashes or incapacitates a non-trivial opponent. This cannot raise its current Willpower above the amount it had at the beginning of the fight. It is also immune to any non-magical influence roll meant to intimidate, provoke fear, or play upon fear.

Incredible Might: The tyrant lizard applies double 8s on any feat of strength to lift, carry, or crush something between its jaws.

Water Adaption: Normally swimming is considered moving through difficulty terrain.  The  Terror of the Deep treats water as normal terrain.

Bottomless Lungs: A Terror of the Deep can hold its breath underwater for fifteen minutes before it needs to surface. In a scene of combat or intense physical exertion, it may hold its breath for the entire scene, but must then surface at the end of the scene.

Relentless Pursuit: The Terror of the Deep applies the double 8s rule on any scent-based Awareness roll or on any roll to track by scent. It adds five automatic successes on any roll made to oppose an enemy’s (Dexterity + Stealth) roll using scent.

Thick Scales: The sheer size of the Terror of the Deep makes it difficult to strike at its vitals, no matter how wounded the beast is. The Terror of the Deep does not subtract wound penalties from its Defense. In addition, attacks made from short range or further reduce their minimum damage against the Terror of the Deep by one unless they benefit from an Aim action.

Legendary Size: The Terror of the Deep’s immense size makes it extraordinarily difficult for human-scale enemies to engage it in combat. It does not take onslaught penalties from any attack made by a smaller opponent, although magically-inflicted onslaught penalties still apply against it. Withering attacks made by smaller enemies cannot drop the Terror of the Deep below 1 Initiative unless they have a post-soak damage of 10 dice (although attackers can still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt). Decisive attacks made by smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to the Terror of the Deep with a single attack, not counting any levels of damage added by Charms or other magic.


Terror of the deep = Tyrant lizard – Brutal Stomp + Water Adaption + Bottomless Lungs

Immaculate Golden Bow Evocations  (WIP)

Everful Quiver
Cost: -, Mins: Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Immaculate Golden Bow

When the solar summons her Immaculate Golden Bow, a quiver made of crimson leather with golden edging and highlights appears on the users back. Whenever the solar users Phantom Arrow Technique in combination with her Immaculate Golden Bow she must first draw the arrow from this quiver. 

This charm reduces the cost of Phantom Arrow Technique to 0m when used with Immaculate Golden Bow, however use of its special powers still require the cost of 1m.  Additionally it allows the charms special ability that adds dice when the user uses an intimacy as ammunition so that it can be used once per scene, per intimacy.

Ammunition change (– (3m), Permanent, this charm upgrades its prerequisite so that it gains a tag of the users choosing at time of activation. Switching tags can be done once per round reflexively and costs 3m. The arrows take on a visual representation of the tag. A piercing arrow may be smooth and long, while a smashing arrow may have a broad head that slams into the enemy.

Available tags: Bashing, Lethal, Piercing, Cutting, or Smashing.

Congratulations to our ninth character ever approved!

CDH will begin summoning elementals to supplement her crew. As none of the existing ones are are really appropriate I will create a few custom ones.