Visual reference..

See the dude walking across the sand at 1.00 :)

Crimson Jaguar Character

Crimson Jaguar

CRIMSON JAGUAR was born Suadi Ilmadre, the son of a shoemaker and a fortune-teller, one of the scattered Izhalvi peoples of Harborhead. He was the first and only child born to his parents before they were both slain by bandits on their way to Kirighast. The attackers thought to put him out of his misery, but the tattoos on his mothers hands marked her as a witch- it was bad enough luck to have murdered her without taking her child as well.

Only six years old, he might have died in those great plains, but he was found by a much more well equipped merchant caravan of the Shayanti. The wealthy leader of the caravan kept him as a slave and gopher, free to give him hazardous objectives without the guilt of endangering a child of his own people. The young Suadi, or Little Dog as he was then called, was not a gifted thief - but as he returned time after time from bungled and dangerous assignments, bruised, bleeding but still furiously alive, the merchant began to recognize his natural talent as a fighter. As he grew older, he learned the hunting skills of his people in the urban jungle of Kirighast; He made his first kill at the age of twelve. The merchant grew fond of his little assassin, whom no-one suspected capable of taking so many lives, who was so good at finding the secrets of his quarry that made them easy prey.

That fondness ended when Suadi presented evidence collected over many years of the merchant's corruption to the Capital Army, bringing down his benefactor with a thrown knife to the calf as he tried to escape. With no-where else to go, he signed up with the 47th Legion to continue his training. He knew that his father has been too weak to protect him, and resolved to dedicate his life to the aquisition of martial power, the only kind of freedom he knew.

Suadi quickly rose through the ranks, performing his duties with single-minded dedication. As a platoon commander, he led devastating sting operations against the bandit groups around Kirighast. He would often take point on these missions, not trusting his cohorts to match his discretion - only after he had silently disposed of the bandit leaders and spread panic among the rest would the men under his command rush to his aid, finding their leader showered with blood and surrounded by corpses. It was during this time that he was given the name of Crimson Jaguar.

His military career brought him respect, a living wage, and after a time a wife and a son of his own. It also brought a debilitating ennui and depression. It seemed to him that no matter how strong and skilled he became, he still lived and died at the behest of another. Worse, he was a servant of the Realm, whose exploitation and corruption became more apparent as he grew in years. Disinterested in gambling and the company of women, he turned to solitary alcoholism and drug abuse, experimenting with a wide variety of substances in search for a way out of his own psyche.

Such was his prowess that his chronic consumption didn't slow down his rise to power. His skilful investigation into an unusually insular cult of Alhat revealed the corrupting influence of the Yozis, and after a fierce duel with the cult's demon-blooded leader - whose claws carved the triple-scar across his face - he was recognized by one of the agents of the local Wyld hunt. It seemed that he had a new purpose - instead of hunting his fellow men, he would be part of an elite group dedicated to purging the enemies of humanity from the world. It seemed like a new day was dawning..

NOTES ON SUADI'S FUTURE

The Crimson Jaguar is not a leader. Foremost, he is a hunter and a killer. In an ideal world, he would work as part of a perfect Circle of Solars, allowing the Zenith to be the inspirational leader and figurehead. However, his growing dissatisfaction with his life of serving unworthy masters, coupled with the new sense of purpose gifted by his Solar exaltation, means that if he cannot find a leader he feels he can put his sword behind, he may feel called to assume the mantle of leadership. He is not well inclined towards leadership, as reflected by his relatively low social abilities and lack of favored social abilities. Investing his experience here will be inefficient, and he will assume such a role with reluctance; however, if this is the best way to serve his people, then so be it.

Suadi's drug habit has not been cleaned away by his Exaltation. It is prone to act on him in his most vulnerable moments, of which it is often the cause; a night terror will leave him sweating, shaking and reaching for the medicine bag. Worse, he will sometimes be assailed by hallucinations during his waking hours, causing him to make critical errors of judgment or confusing him at a crucial moment. He is privately ashamed of his drug use, and extremely defensive about it. In his heart of hearts though, he believes that freeing himself from this burden is essential for him to realize his destiny.

Homework for Extra Experience

Remember, it is your responsibility to find ways to bring this homework into actual play. I will help and will try to incorporate what I can, but the rest is up to you. Meta-discussion of how you would like to bring it into play (e.g., "I think it would be awesome if my Yozi-worshiping brother was our Guild contact") is highly welcome! Also, you only gain the experience points when the homework is posted to this blog; excepting the extra xp for coolness and other such value judgments, you can just log the new experience when you post.

EXPERIENCE WHICH CAN BE EARNED BEFORE FIRST SESSION

Character Background - Up to 4 xp

Create a convincing character background and post it here. For every 200 words of story that are written, your character gets one experience point, to a maximum of

2 xp. There are an additional 2 xp floating around for interesting ideas, amusing incidents and the number of useable adventure hooks.

Character Appearance – up to 1 xp

A written description of your character or a picture, hand-drawn, photoshopped or collaged, is worth up to 1 xp.

Create an NPC – up to 2 xp.

Create a description of somebody your character has very strong feelings about. Perhaps an enemy, a long lost love, a family member, etc. Your character gets 1xp for every 200 words written, to a maximum of 1. Providing a picture or written description of the NPC is worth an additional 1 xp.

Questionnaire - up to 3 xp

Complete a questionnaire on behalf of your character. Give as short or long an answer as you wish. The base experience point award will be 2 xp, but there will be a bonus of 1 xp for imaginative, amusing or particularly insightful answers.

1. Who is the most important person in your life?

2. Where do you want to be in 20 years time?

3. What are you most scared of?

4. What makes you happy?

5. What is your idea of a good evenings entertainment?

6. If you were not an adventurer, what would you be?

7. What item would you not live without?

8. When was the last time you cried?

9. When do you want to have children?

10. If you were an animal, what would you be?

11. What is your favorite bard song?

12. Do you prefer the town or the country? Why?

13. What was the last thing that made you laugh?

14. If made to decide, would you rather be deaf or blind? Why?

15. What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?

16. If you had to describe yourself in five adjectives, what would they be?

17. How do you want to die?

18. What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

19. Who do you admire?

20. How much is a pint of mead?

21. How old are you?

22. What was your family life like?

23. Where are you from?

24. How were you Exalted?

25. When did you meet your companions?

26. How has power changed you?

27. What do you think of mortals?

28. What motivates you to be a hero?

29. Who or what do you worship?

30. What would drive you to commit murder?

Recent History – up to 2 xp

Write about your characters thoughts of the two months leading up to the campaign. You should describe their feelings of the current situation and what positive and negative things have happened to them. Maybe they would like to comment on how your character feels about being sent to a new and strange area. You get 1 xp for every 200 words written, up to a maximum of 2 xp

Home Region - up to 3 xp.

Detail your characters homeland/village/suburb/tribe. Go crazy and do whatever you want. Up to 1 xp will be awarded for a map of the region, while up to 2 xp will be awarded for a description of the area, its local history and government, as well as a general idea of important NPC’s of the region. There is no real favoritisms displayed on the type of region you choose. Writing about a small town is worth just as much as a general country/ society overview.

Exaltation - up to 3 xp

Describe the character's Exaltation. 1 xp per 200 words, maximum 2 xp. An additional 1 xp available for coolness.

TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 18 xp

EXPERIENCE WHICH CAN BE GAINED BETWEEN OTHER SESSIONS

Party Relationship - up to 1 xp.

This task can only be completed after the first session. Write a paragraph or two on how your character feels about each of the other individuals in the group. You get awarded 1 xp for every 200 words written, to a maximum of 1 xp.

Journalling - up to 4 xp

Write something describing the events of the previous session or any other session previous, provided you haven't joournalled it already. Include character reactions and such. 1 xp per 200 words, maximum 4 xp.

Repeated Assignments - Varies

Between sessions, you can repeat ONE and only ONE of the assignments in the first section of this document for the same number of xp. You can repeat any of the assignments at any time (i.e., if after the first session, you create a second NPC, you can still describe your home region after third session), and you can only gain the xp if the assignment is significantly different than any of the previous versions of the assignment (meaning that the questionnaire is unlikely to be often repeated).

TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 5+ xp per inter-session period

EXPERIENCE TO BE GAINED IN PLAY

NOTE: That is a lot of experience available, especially with the cookies added atop it. Thus, I am reducing the canon xp rewards. I will note where I am changing them.

Showing Up - 1 xp

Exactly what it sounds like. Reduced from the canon 4 xp.

Stunt Award - 1 xp

Once per session, a player can opt to receive this award when the Storyteller confirms a natural three-die stunt. Players who opt to do so do NOT regain Essence or Willpower.

Story Award - 3 xp

This award is given out when the players achieve a significant story goal, either set for themselves or determined by the Storyteller. It should come down the pipe once every 4 to 7 sessions. Reduced from the canon 5 xp.

Cookies - up to 3 xp

Every player is given ONE and only ONE cookie at the beginning of every session. They may not eat this cookie. It is to give to someone who did something they thought was cool. They may NOT give it to themselves.

Food - 1 xp

If a player brings food for the group (and I mean both enough and of the right nature to be consumed by the entire group), they gain 1 xp.

TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 9 xp

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc, God of Brakhani Butter Coffee

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc is an ancient god, long brought low in the hierarchy of Yu Shan. She serves now under the god of Brakhani cuisine in the Bureau of the Divine Witnesses of Human Works and Deeds, whom she serves (in part) as a tentative liaison with Ahlat, god of cattle and Southern war.

Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc is served by a mere couple hundred Brakhani priests throughout all of Harborhead, but occasional honors are thrown her way by most Brakhani at some point. Many Harborheadites of the other Peoples have also said a quick word of appreciation after a particularly good cup. Well, those who have acquired the taste for Brakhani butter coffee, that is.

Butter coffee is a drink particular to the Brakhani People, and especially to that subset that lives high in the Summer Mountains. The Brakhani begin, obviously, by boiling water. When the water boils, a great handful of ground coffee beans is crumbled into it and allowed to stew for between ten and fifteen minutes, until the whole infusion is so opaque that it looks almost black. At this stage a pinch of salt is added; the Brakhani always put salt, never sugar, in their coffee. They sometimes add a little soda, in order to give the beverage a pinkish tinge, but this is very rare. They very seldom, on the other hand, drink coffee without butter in it. If a Brakhani is at home, e empties the saucepan into a big wooden churn, straining the coffee through a colander made of reed or horsehair. Then e drops a large lump of butter into it, and, after being vigorously stirred, this brew is transferred to a huge copper teapot and put on a brazier to keep it hot. When Brakhani travel, they do not normally take a churn with them, so everyone fills eir wooden bowl with coffee, scoops a piece of butter out of a basket, puts it in the bowl, stirs the mixture gently with eir finger, and, finally, drinks the tea.

As mentioned before, Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc serves as an occasional liaison between the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brtakhani Cuisine and Ahlat, god of cattle and Southern war. This is due to the afore-mentioned custom of adding butter to one's coffee among the Brakhani. This association has, naturally, carried over to the Brakhani People themselves, who consider butter coffee a warriors' drink, prizing the energy, stamina, and focus provided by the drink. This is thje reason why there is as much of a cult for this minor goddess as there is, though elements of the cult's theology suggest a much more ancient and powerful aspect for her.

This element of Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc's theology is particularly played up by the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army, which has as much as a full quarter of priests dedicated to her service. This is because she is one of the three gods their Eclipse Caste leader Fesojynok has built a relationship with, who use lost Charms to lend him their power and share his body. When Fesojynok and Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc are joined in this way, he gains great powers of speed and agility.

Notes on Brakhani Cuisine in General

Brakhani cuisine reflects local climes and customs. Few crops grow at the high altitudes that characterize the inner portion of Brakhani territory in the Summer Mountains, although some areas in the Summer Mountains are low enough to grow such crops as rice, oranges, bananas, and lemon. The most important crop is barley. Flour milled from roasted barley, called apmast, is the staple food of the Brakhani. Pelab is Brakhani bread eaten for breakfast and lunch. Apkuth is mainly consumed for dinner. It consists of noodles of various shapes, vegetables and meat in broth. Brakhani cuisine is traditionally served with wooden chopsticks, in contrast to other Summer Mountain cuisines, which are eaten by hand. Small soup bowls are also used, and rich Brakhani feed from bowls of gold and silver.

Meat dishes are likely to be beef, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked in a spicy stew with potatoes. Mustard seed is cultivated in the Summer Mountains, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yoghurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item.

Other Members of the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brakhani Cuisine

1. ???, god of apkuth, a Brakhani noodle dish
2. ???, god of pelabash, a bread stuffed with seasoned beef and fashioned into semi-circular or circular shapes and which according to regional variations is either deep fried or pan fried like pot stickers.
3. ???, god of pelabnukrok, a central Summer Mountain flatbread cooked on a skillet rather than in an oven.
4. ???, god of somom, a type of steamed dumpling, a heavier version of the Realm's jiaozi.
5. ???, god of kuthneth, a type of cold-weather soup made with noodles and various vegetables.
6. ???, god of bashart, stir-fried meat tossed with celery, carrots and fresh green chili.
7. ???, god of amryug, Brakhani blood sausages with cow or sheep's blood and roasted barley flour or rice as filler
8. ???, god of edkuth, a type of soup that includes beef or sheep stock along with rice, different types of Brakhani cheeses and amord which is a type of gourd-shaped Summer Mountain root.
9. ???, god of kuthmast, a type of soup that uses beef or sheep stock and roasted barley flour as well as a variety of Brakhani cheeses.
10. ???, god of iserd, Brakhani sweet dish using rice that is cooked in unsalted butter and mixed with raisins, amord, dates and other nuts. This dish is usually served only during Calibration.
11. ???, god of yepsakh, Brakhani cookies or biscuits that are deep fried and usually made during Calibration or celebrations such as weddings. Yepsakh are fashioned into many different intricate shapes and textures. Some are sprinkled with powdered sugar while other shapes such as the donkey ear-shaped yepsakh are used for decoration.

New Scroll of Errata

There is a new edition of the Scroll of Errata that makes some pretty significant changes to character creation. All of these changes are supported in the Anathema software ^_^ Get it for free here: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=84593

Character Notes for Patrick's Character

Changing Caste Lunar Exalt

Water Snake

• transmute poison -- inner alchemy -- anything that has effect on other things
• moves/travels through world in rhythm
• on mission of own knowledge that rest of world is not aware of
• ever transformative as with shedding of skin
• hypnotism through rhythmic undulation
• in touch with the magick of the world
• inclined to a solo mission willing to move with partnership if it is in service to the greater mission
• moving with rhythm of DNA the core fabric of creation deeper than is often seen in physical manifestation
• connected to the altered states reached through DMT and other medicinal psychotropic substance
• intrigued and not violently opposed to Fair Folk
• once Exalted voice becomes intuitive guide rather than torture

Before Exaltation

• nomadic island hermit
• mentally split
• hearing voices that were telling hi of a mission so departed from civilization
• DM gets to decide where voice is coming from

Exaltation

• island looking to be settled due to powerful resource on the island, I am imprisoned and tortured to get me to talk about the secret of the island, I do not give in to the torture and Exalt during it. I then trick the settlers/profiteers to leave the island and rig their ship to sink.

Silver Pact

• Before sinking ship eat the heart of water snake use this power to rig the ship to sink -- After this am swooped out of the water by a seahawk who was sent by the Silver Faction Sidereals who were watching the island due to the Artifact -- the hawk Lunar inducts me into the Silver Pact.

Start of Game

• following Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army because in favor of their missions, although not in favor of the fact that they are an established group looking to put in place another civilization -- my mission is to aid Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army in fight against the Realm although then am looking to overthrow Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army