Theo Anders and the Black Exaltation[Worm/Exalted][Hiatus]

[Skitzyfrenic]

Some info!

The timeframe for Theo's Exaltation is at the start of the holiday break before Taylor would trigger, so we're about three months before Lung takes a fuckton of wasps to the nuts.

Theo is about Taylor's age and goes to Arcadia(It is a very good school, and so it was acceptable when Theo asked to go there instead of Immaculata), Gwen (who is also 15) goes to Immaculata, under a false 'legal' name. Theo doesn't have friends so much as people is friendly with. Most of the people he's immediately surrounded with are sympathizers or children of the well off members of the Empire who aren't well off enough to afford Immaculata, but his acquaintances are a bit more far flung, its in part camouflage for Theo and part intel on his son's activities for Max.

Nessa and Jessica (the Valkyrie twins Menja and Fenja, and Theo's second cousins (once removed? I think)) are early college age and Kayden is in her late twenties. Max likes 'em young. Granted he's still in his mid thirties, so its not too too bad.

Aster has finally reached the stage where she is no longer ugly and is actually cute.

Members of the Herren Clan are Nessa, Jess, Ophelia/Othala, with a smattering of others. Theo is technically part of the Herren Clan, but falls under Anders rule.

Night makes the best fucking cookies ever. If we didn't know any better she'd be a Solar of the Cookie Baking Caste. (Caste mark looks like a chocolate chip cookie, after Night used PPE's chain on Gaia's secret TC Deva, the Cookie Baking Grandma). So what if Night and Fog act like Stepford Wife and Stepford Husband? They're pretty nice people if a little weird. Theo actually likes them, Max flat out refuses to hand Theo over to them to get him to trigger (because he was afraid that they would do what he just did) in part because Max Anders isn't the worst dad in Worm. *cough*Eidolon*cough*

The Empire primarily runs a protection racket, illegal fighting rings (dogs, people, chickens, whatever), some/a lot of white collar crime, and has drugs for sale. There are several consensual escort services that are basically Empire whores, but its voluntary or offered as a way to pay off a debt if the woman in question is attractive enough, otherwise its off to work at Empire events, or something like it; or getting the shit beaten out of her. Long story short, the Nazi's are the generally nicest gang in the city(if you're white), their areas are cleanest and have the lowest crime rates (of the gang's, not even Coil's territory is as nice). In before someone says 'They're Nazis!' ABB is also a racist gang and they actively participate in the flesh trade, and the Merchants forcibly drug people. How fucked up must your city be where the Nazis are the nicest gang. Nobody knows wtf Coil is up to.

Other than Coil the Empire is also the wealthiest gang in the city, because of various reasons.

The Empire has some feelers in the PRT ENE so they do have some intel on some things. If not, the E88 is a long established gang and has many contacts.

Medhall is -the- local company in Brockton Bay, the IT companies are too small and diseperate to compete and a few are under Medhall's thumb. The Anders are a wealthy family indeed. This means the Theo knows Dean Stansfield (Gallant). They are polite to one another but share a dislike of the other. One of the few things both boys inherited from their respective fathers. Stansfield Sr and Anders Sr don't like each other either. It doesn't help that Victoria Dallon suspects Theo of being a Nazi because GG suspects Max Anders of being a Nazi (because *large inhalation* Carol Dallon suspects Max Anders of being a Nazi) and she slips from being polite every now and again. She is still incredibly hot.

Eric Pelham and Theo have no problems with one another and are frequently lab partners. Crystal (is also incredibly hot, fuck everyone in New Wave is good looking alright!) has graduated high school and Theo was never on her radar other than at social events and even only just barely. Amy... standard Amy issues, including self image issues because her adoptive family are all App 3 and some change (the high end of App 3 but not quite App 4) but Amy is App 2. If she just had some fashion sense and used makeup she'd get that bump to 3 and feel better about herself.

=====
This is just to give a better picture of the world surrounding Theo, pre-Exaltation. And for discussion or lols after I close the votes in just shy of two hours, until the next bit.

 

[unsafejakal]

[X] An *ahem* irreverently dressed, beautiful beyond words woman that happen to hit all of your buttons. If there was enough blood in your body to support such a thing, you would be physically aroused. - The Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears

First post on any site

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

Vote closed!

[x] The Pope - The Bishop of Chalcedony Thurible
Vote count: evildice (1)
[x] An *ahem* irreverently dressed, beautiful beyond words woman that happen to hit all of your buttons. If there was enough blood in your body to support such a thing, you would be physically aroused. - The Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears
Vote count: Darkened, Drak4806, Biigoh, SwiftRosenthal, mishie, Anasurimbor, jean5, Robotninja, 1986ctcel, Slayer Anderson, Selias, Derek 58, Biofan09, Makahl (14)
[x] A huge man clad in spiked armor - The First and Forsaken Lion
Vote count: AZATHOTHoth, Happerry, Least Devotee, Jack of Olives, the DragonBard (5)
[x] An ethereally beautiful (black) woman clad in a feathered cloak with a bird's head as a hood. Is she the shadowed half of Lady Hel? -The Princess Magnificent with Lips of Coral and Robes of Black Feathers aka the Black Heron
Vote count: Harpy81 (1)

So it looks like The Lover Clad in The Raiment of Tears is your Liege-lady with a whopping 14 votes. *Ahem* Fifteen with unsafejakal's very first post ever! Right as I was typing this up. I feel honored unsafejakal to have received such a thing.

I'm going to spend my day tomorrow daydreaming about how I'm going to write this up. If all goes well, and tomorrow isn't a shitty day at work (or I get on my soapbox and rant about stupid people saying stupid things to myself. I get lonely alright! All day, just me and my truck) something should be posted tomorrow night.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Theo is about Taylor's age and goes to Arcadia, Gwen (who is also 15) goes to Clarendon, her previous time in Juvy prohibiting her from going to the school short of being a Ward. Which she declined. Yes, the PRT (she did trigger inside a gov't building) know the Gwen is Rune, but they also know about her links to the E88 so they won't go after her civ ID without her civ ID committing crimes(again), because there would be reprisal. Theo doesn't have friends so much as people is friendly with. Most of the people he's surrounded with are sympathizers or empire kiddies, but his acquaintances are a bit more far flung, its in part camouflage for Theo and part intel on his son's activities for Max.

Click to shrink...

Bullshit. If they have her over a barrel like that - especially since escaping custody is itself a crime - she wouldn't get a choice.

Reprisal isn't the issue. Nobody in canon actually cares about reprisal if they think they can get away with it, and the legitimate government is the most powerful faction in the city - in every city. A realistic PRT would need warrants instead: first surveillance warrants to follow criminal parahumans to wherever they hide, then arrest warrants after they put aliases and masks to real names and faces. Since parahuman criminals commit crimes weekly, there should be no shortage of those.

Arcadia is canonically The Good School. It doesn't have a gang presence. Period. A common fanon is that the Empire functionally took over Immaculata, the unsaid-but-obvious-from-the-name Catholic school, so they could reject all non-white applicants for 'non-racial' reasons and populate it with their own people.

Nessa and Jessica (the Valkyrie twins Menja and Fenja, and Theo's second cousins (once removed? I think)) are early college age and Kayden is late-just post college age. Max likes 'em young. Granted he's still in his early thirties, so its not too too bad.

Click to shrink...

The age range you described for Kayen is roughly 23-25. She's actually around 30 years old from calculations - plus/minus a year or two - making her roughly the same age as Armsmaster and Lung. Max is in his upper 30s.

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

Bullshit. If they have her over a barrel like that - especially since escaping custody is itself a crime - she wouldn't get a choice.

Reprisal isn't the issue. Nobody in canon actually cares about reprisal if they think they can get away with it, and the legitimate government is the most powerful faction in the city - in every city. A realistic PRT would need warrants instead: first surveillance warrants to follow criminal parahumans to wherever they hide, then arrest warrants after they put aliases and masks to real names and faces. Since parahuman criminals commit crimes weekly, there should be no shortage of those.

Arcadia is canonically The Good School. It doesn't have a gang presence. Period. A common fanon is that the Empire functionally took over Immaculata, the unsaid-but-obvious-from-the-name Catholic school, so they could reject all non-white applicants for 'non-racial' reasons and populate it with their own people.

Click to shrink...

It doesn't have an overt gang presence. I went to high school in a rich vacation town in New Hampshire and we still had gangers, not very many but they were still there. We even had a couple of kids try to start a gang, which was incredibly laughable. They are in a city with heavy gang presence. There are members of the gangs at Arcadia, if for no other reason than to see if the gang they belong to can't make any further inroads to gaining power in that school.

And not all members of a criminal organization, especially one that would pride itself on superiority, are tattooed thugs (see the KKK for instance). By Empire kiddies, I meant some children of the white collar Empire members given that they were at Arcadia.

I will change some stuff up about Rune. It was a long day, had to drive all over Creation after work too.

I popped over onto the Worm wiki and it pegged Kaiser at 35, with no mention of Kayden's age when I looked. So I'll change that as well.

Thanks for the catches.

 

[cyberswordsmen]

Reprisal isn't the issue. Nobody in canon actually cares about reprisal if they think they can get away with it, and the legitimate government is the most powerful faction in the city - in every city. A realistic PRT would need warrants instead: first surveillance warrants to follow criminal parahumans to wherever they hide, then arrest warrants after they put aliases and masks to real names and faces. Since parahuman criminals commit crimes weekly, there should be no shortage of those.

Click to shrink...

Police don't need warrants to spy on you in public locations or sit outside your house watching who comes and goes. They only need a warrant to entry private property without permission to search for evidence or wire tapping.

Also being in an active chase of a suspect allows cops to bypass the need for a search warrant as long as they don't take any evidence not in plain sight and can believably justify that they are looking for a fleeing criminal.

Similarly the need for an arrest warrant has all kinds of exceptions which shouldn't be hard to get around.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Police don't need warrants to spy on you in public locations or sit outside your house watching who comes and goes. They only need a warrant to entry private property without permission to search for evidence or wire tapping.

Also being in an active chase of a suspect allows cops to bypass the need for a search warrant as long as they don't take any evidence not in plain sight and can believably justify that they are looking for a fleeing criminal.

Similarly the need for an arrest warrant has all kinds of exceptions which shouldn't be hard to get around.

Click to shrink...

That actually makes canon law enforcement more imcompetent, not less. I didn't think that was possible.

 

[cyberswordsmen]

That actually makes canon law enforcement more imcompetent, not less. I didn't think that was possible.

Click to shrink...

Yes basically.

If you want to know more about the weird specifics of American law it is explained in a simple and entertaining manner in this webcomic.

 

[mishie]

The simple solution for Rune would be to have it that the PRT know she triggered, but they don't know any of the details. So it's a good enough reason to keep her distant from Theo just to be safe, but it also explains why the PRT aren't actively doing anything with her.

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

On the subject of Rune. I changed my world building so that she has a second 'legal' alias that she uses to attend school. Only the PRT of Police would have access to her photo and the possible information that she was a parahuman (in the police's case). The public doesn't know her face. She could be feasibly tracked with surveillance. But this is a case of Rune is fairly low on the list of shit the PRT has to worry about, so if they catch Rune they catch Rune. And if Gwen messes up and the police figure out she's Gwen, who broke out of juvey, she's kinda screwed. She and her family went under reverse-witness protection when Kaiser brought them to Brockton Bay.

Also next bit incoming in a few.

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

I kinda ended up writing a lot more than I expected.
=====
The shadows gathered and twisted in unnatural ways. What it solidified into would have made your mouth go dry, if blood wasn't coming up your throat.

She was intoxicating. Perfectly sized curves in the perfect places, her outfit left little to the imagination, but her skin was so smooth and perfect you didn't want to imagine it. You wanted to know what lay beneath.

And then you looked into her face, and her beautiful body suddenly wasn't the most attractive thing.

Jeff from school liked to joke about 'DSLs' or 'Dick Sucking Lips.' Pretty much every girl had 'DSLs' according to Jeff, and it frequently left you wondering what exactly 'Dick Sucking Lips' looked like. Now you knew. You never assumed that DSLs would be so kissable either.

Her eyes, though, intense and promising pleasure beyond anything you could imagine are what held your attention.

Absently you ponder if the lack of blood in your body (most of it was on the floor) was the only reason you weren't painfully aroused.

" I ask again, Theodore, do you wish to live?"

You gurgle an affirmative. Blood in your lungs really sucked.

She took a few steps closer and knelt by your side, opposite your forgotten time-frozen father. Because now you had an amazing view of bra-less and barely covered breasts less than two feet from your face. She has to shift again to bring her face into your view. Luckily, you think, she must have expected such a reaction, because she has that self-satisfied smirk that all women seem to have when they've distracted you with their sensuality purposefully.

"You would give up your name? Your Destiny? In order to live?"

Be Theo Anders and dead or be someone else and alive? That's a no brainer, you think everyone would rather be alive than dead, even if it meant being someone different. Your Destiny also looked like it was to die here and now, and that's something you would give up.

You manage to nod.

"Would you serve me faithfully," she pauses to give you a look that gives you the impression that serving her might also be servicing her(in the bedroom, the kitchen, to the window, to the wall), "and totally, and through me, the Neverborn, until Oblivion takes us all?"

That sounds like 'life in servitude' will be a very long time. Which would guarantee making sure Aster grew old and died having lived a happy life. And then continuing on, which could suck, but that's still decades from now.

Again, you nod.

"Would you accept the Truth? That Oblivion is the Doom of All Things? Would you work to hasten its coming, so that we may know peace at last?"

That... What? Of course everything died! But work so that everything is dead sooner? That would be a phenomenal undertaking. How would you even help to bring around the heat death and subsequent collapse of the universe (If your science teacher is right it'll take billions or trillions of years for that to happen)?

Maybe... Maybe this gorgeous woman was crazy immortal parahuman from ancient times? Or a forever-living demi-god, born before written history, hiding in the shadows? And has suffered watching all that she loved wither and die? And only by bringing about Oblivion would she finally be able to actually die? That would make sense.

Your father always did stress the importance of aiding women in need.

Almost as if sensing your impending answer, she lays hands on you and leans in to place her ear next to your mouth. You can barely feel the ghost like touch of her hands and even her bosom pressing into is barely felt. The hair that slid off her shoulder on onto your neck should tickle, but you can't even feel its delicate touch. And that is a travesty.

She obviously wants to hear the answer pass from your lips. You try to swallow the blood in your mouth and end up coughing slightly, grey speckles of blood fly into the air and freeze. Still, you managed to clear your mouth and lungs enough to speak one word clearly if barely a whisper:

"Yes."

She pulls back and gives you a sultry smile.

"Then take your Last Breath as Theodore Anders and rise-"

Theo's Abyssal name:
[]Write-in

"And know that you serve the Lover Clad in the Raiment of Tears before all others."

She kisses your forehead and disappears. You give one last ragged gasp and then the world starts to regain color and speed back up, and you can feel your flesh knitting back together.

Neither you or your father would ever admit to the elder screaming like a little girl when you suddenly sat up with a manly bellow(You totally didn't scream, it was totally a bellow, a most masculine one). Mostly because you smacked foreheads and he went ass over tea-kettle before scrambling forward to envelop you in a hug.

The first hug in a very long time.

It would normally be very tear jerking, but you can't quite stop bellowing as you feel your body twist and ripple. Eventually the feeling and the bellowing stops and you sag. Shortly afterwards, your father stops his 'soothing' noises.

'I'm going to get you the best hookers and blow money can buy,' is more energizing than soothing. But you do remember him promising that he would if you lived, before you took your Last Breath. At this moment in time, you were unsure if you were going to hold him to such a promise.

"What happened?" comes from the hallway and you hear the pounding, rushing feet of your cousins/almost step-moms, "Is Theo alright? Did he tri-"

Nessa is the first into the room, and she stops dead, disbelief written on her face. A second later, Jessica slams into her sister and they both end up on the ground in a tangle of limbs. A moment of grunting and the both of them are twisted around and staring at you. Jessica mouths 'Glowing?'

"I think I'm alright," you say as you look down at your hands. You're glowing, sort of. The grey-black 'light' is very dim, and after a moment and it gutters out.

"You're still bleeding, Theo, here."

Max tugs a not-so-bloody-as-Max'-shirt-or-the-floor handkerchief out of his pocket, and wipes your forehead. The twins are behind your father, Nessa looks fascinated, while Jessica frowns.

"It kinda looks like someone took a chunk out in the shape of-"

Theo's caste:
[]A circle with a starburst around it, like someone drew a sun!" - Dusk (General/Soldier/Champion of the Dead)(Firearms, Martial Arts, Melee, Thrown, War)

[]A disk... I... I think it blinked at me!" - Midnight (Priest/PR/Entertainer of the Dead)(Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)

[]A smiley face of blood with no eyes, spooky." - Daybreak (Mad-Scientist/Necromancer/Doctor of the Dead)(Craft, Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Occult)

[]A ring, like Max should be putting on our fingers some day soon! Except, you know, not made of blood..." - Day (Assassin/SneakySpy/Thief of the Dead)(Athletics, Awareness, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth)

[]A dot inside a circle. Is the dot falling into a pit?" - Moonshadow (TalkySpy/Diplomat/Businessman of the Dead)(Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Drive, Sail, Socialize)

You pry your father's arms off of you and move to sit on the chair that you had been knocked off of when you were impaled. As if that was the cue, everyone else gets up. Your cousins, dutifully, begin to clean up a little. Not much can be done about the sheer amount of blood that's probably stained the hardwood floor other than blotting it up, but the glass dining table did get knocked over to the side and is cracked and broken. Though its broken, it, thankfully, didn't send glass everywhere, just a pile scattered about underneath it.

Max sits back down in his chair slowly, watching you. Your mouth opens and closes a few times.

What do you tell him?
[](You think you're a parahuman) I think I'm a parahuman.

[](That was close to an actual religious experience and you remember it vividly, Lie)I think I'm a parahuman.

[](Tell him about the vision, but coached in words he would recognize (eg Freja, not the Lover)) I... I saw this woman...

[](Tell him the whole truth as you know it) The world greyed out and I was offered a deal.

[]Write-in

The four of you jerk when heavy bangs at the door could be heard. Jessica streaks off to go answer it. Nessa's eyes widen and she turned to your father.

"That could be the paramedics. I called 9-1-1 while Jess called Ophelia."

"Scheisse!" Max swears.

=====

I'm going to wait until a caste is settled on before chargen happens, but now would be a good time to start talking about it. I found out that I did in fact have a copy of Shards of the Exalted Dream, so I will be directing you to use Modern's Resonance and Dooms. I'll be posting those in another post here in a few. As well as firearm and drive instead of archery and sail.

 

[burningclaw2]

What's a good name?

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

Spoiler: Resonance

Like other Chosen, Abyssals are cursed. Unlike their
brethren, this is not the lingering death-curse of the slain
Primordials, but an affliction arising from the deathly Essence
that suffuses their body, soul, and Exaltation. Abyssals
know this curse as the Black Resonance of the Grave, or
Resonance for short—a shadow cast over their lives, which
ensures that wherever they travel, death will follow close
at their heels. Resonance can be fought, mitigated, even
placated, but it can never be denied. So long as an Abyssal
bears the Black Exaltation, he must always take steps to
account for his nature, or risk being swallowed whole by
the power of death.
Each Abyssal Exalt has a 10-point Resonance track.
This works much like the Limit track of their Solar counterparts,
but with some key differences.

Spoiler: Gaining Resonance

There are several means by which Abyssals accumulate
Resonance:
• The Abyssal must define one Virtue he possesses
at a rating of 3 or above as his primary Virtue. When he
spends Willpower to defy this Virtue, he gains one point
of Resonance.
• The first time in a scene the Abyssal spends Willpower
to resist unnatural mental influence, he gains one
point of Resonance.
• Whenever the Abyssal experiences the trigger condition
of his Doom (see below), he must roll a number of
dice equal to the rating of the Virtue associated with the
Doom. He gains one Resonance per success.
• Siring or bearing a child with a living lover produces
three points of Resonance upon the child's birth.
• Walking in Creation, among the living, without
adopting the trappings of death (see The Manual of Exalted
Power—The Abyssals, p. 95) produces one point
of Resonance at the end of a full week of masquerading as
one of the living without respite. (Deathknight infiltrators
may avoid this penalty so long as they privately retreat to
surround themselves with the trappings of death for at least
eight uninterrupted hours per week.)
• The Abyssal gains four points of Resonance after a
month elapses in which he has not slain any sentient living
creature, or permanently destroyed any spirit.
• The Abyssal gains one point of Resonance the first
time during a scene he is adversely affected by a Holy effect.
• While the Abyssal may acknowledge or use his living
name without automatically gaining Resonance, doing so
exacerbates his potential to gain Resonance by other means.
If he gains Resonance (or rolls to gain Resonance) in a
scene where he has already acknowledged his living name,
he automatically gains an additional point of Resonance.
If he acknowledges his living name in a scene after he has
already gained Resonance, then he gains an additional
point upon doing so.

Spoiler: Losing Resonance

Abyssals may mitigate the build-up of Resonance by
embracing their deathly nature, or spreading the power of
death out of themselves and into the world around them.
• The Abyssal loses all Resonance once he recovers
from being swallowed by his Doom (see below).
• The Abyssal loses three points of Resonance after
spending a full month within the Underworld, or one
point after a full month within a shadowland. Moving
between the Underworld and shadowlands within a month
without stepping out into Creation counts as time spent in
a shadowland.
• Spending three days performing no significant exertions
while surrounded by the trappings of death (sleeping in
a crypt, wearing funereal garb, avoiding the sun, subsisting
on only blood, lighting incense and singing hymns to the
dead, etc) removes one point of Resonance.
• Permanently destroying a spirit or killing a sentient
living being in order to protect or promote the Abyssal's
Motivation or one of his Intimacies removes one point of
Resonance (to a maximum of one point removed in this
manner per day)

Spoiler: Resonance Bleed

As Resonance accumulates within the Abyssal's body
and soul, its deathly power bleeds out into the world,
producing eerie and unnerving phenomena. Such Resonance
Bleed effects are generally under the control of the
Storyteller, though players utilizing two or three-die stunts
may incorporate cosmetic Resonance Bleed effects into the
scene via dramatic editing. Resonance Bleed isn't constantly
active, but comes and goes unpredictably while the Abyssal
is within certain degrees of Resonance buildup. As a
general rule, the higher the Abyssal's Resonance, the more
frequently Resonance Bleed appears.
Resonance 1-2: Events conspire to cast the Abyssal
in a sinister light, and ill omens dog his heels, but these
events remain within the boundaries of possible coincidence.
When he arrives in town, he will like as not pass a
funeral procession on the road. When he opens the door
134
to a teahouse, the candles blow out. Gamblers experience
runs of bad luck in his presence. In settings containing high
technology, lights tend to dim when he appears.
Resonance 3-4: Minor unearthly effects manifest upon
the Abyssal. His eyes may gleam or glow in unnatural hues,
or his skin might grow ice-cold to the touch. His shadow
could include monstrous features such as barbs or spines,
or gesture menacingly and out of sync with the character's
own movements. His reflection could appear twisted and
monstrous, or he might cast no reflection at all. His voice
could chime like mourning bells, or echo as though cast
into a vast cavern.
Resonance 5-6: Level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects
become more common. Additionally, the character's presence
begins to blight the world. Delicate plants may die at
his touch. A cold wind could follow him about, stirring his
hair and clothes and chilling those around him. Animals
might begin to howl and panic in his presence, or raitons
to crowd onto trees and rooftops wherever he lingers. What
food he touches could become spoiled, curdling or exploding
with maggots when cut into, while water he lingers
near becomes brackish and stale, or freezes solid. Shadows
stretch toward the Abyssal as though pulled in by some
awful gravity, or bow down in his presence regardless of
the actions of their owners.
In settings containing high technology, monitors and
televisions may begin to display static, or sudden jump-cuts
of disturbing imagery. Eerie wails emit from speakers, lighting
flickers, and blood may drip from ventilation systems.
Resonance 7-9: At this level the character experiences
near-constant level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects, and
frequent level 5-6 effects. Additionally, during moments of
stress, emotion, or great concentration, truly frightening
deathly manifestations may appear around him. All divine
symbols within a mile might tarnish, crack, or shatter. If
the deathknight peers into a mirror while incensed, it is
likely to shatter or explode. The sky may grow dark and
overcast, flickering with black or red lightning and blocking
out the sun, building over the next hour to a terrible
storm. Seas might grow becalmed, or could be stirred into
violent froth. Corpses could whisper frantic prayers to the
Abyssal's glory, or weeping red eyes might open in the
shadows all around. Those sleeping where the Abyssal
passes may be tormented by horrid nightmares in which
the Exalt features prominently.
In settings containing high technology, video
display systems may cease to function, displaying only
images of ghosts, corpses, or other unnerving imagery.
The voices of the dead can be heard from radios, speakers,
and telephones. Electrical lighting fails entirely, or
bulbs burst with no warning, while plumbing backs up
and spits out blood, or other, less identifiable but still
unwholesome substances.

Spoiler: Doom

Each Abyssal carries a Doom, a deathly curse that
consumes him when he reaches Resonance 10. This curse
is chosen during character creation, and is tied to the
Abyssal's primary Virtue (which must be a Virtue rated at
3+). Each Doom contains a trigger condition which may
cause the Abyssal to gain Resonance (see above). Unlike
the Great Curse which afflicts the Solar Exalted, Abyssals
may not spend Willpower to mitigate the effects of their
Doom, and experience no catharsis at its conclusion. While
the Great Curse seems to its victims to be their own fault,
a momentary lapse of control in which their passions break
free and lead them to blind and terrible acts, there is nothing
subtle about an Abyssal being swallowed by his Doom.
He is in the grip of a curse, bent beneath the weight of his
own terrible, deathly nature, and knows it.

Spoiler: Compassion

Doom of the Killing Saint

The Abyssal's heart breaks, then drowns in a rising tide
of darkness. She cannot stand to witness an individual suffering,
and acts to alleviate such misery as best she is able.
If she cannot relieve an individual's sorrow by other means,
then she sends them to the peace of the grave.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character sees innocents suffering
and is unable to effectively intervene.

Doom of the Black Sun

Undone by her keen empathy, the Abyssal is no longer
able to withstand the constant awareness that she is an
affront to the living Essence of Creation and a perversion
of what her Exaltation was meant to be. She is driven to
retreat from the light of the sun, for only shadows and the
night can bring relief and hide her shame. The Abyssal must
make a Willpower roll each action (difficulty 3) to take any
action other than flee for the nearest available dark shelter
when exposed to the direct light of the sun. She must spend
a Willpower point to willingly leave such shelter and expose
herself to sunlight. Exposure to diffused sunlight, such as
on a heavily overcast day, or through heavy curtains, does
not trigger the compulsion to flee, but imposes a -1 internal
penalty on all actions.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The Abyssal experiences difficulty
achieving her goals because of fear or rejection by the living.

Spoiler: Conviction

Doom of the Scorched Heart

The Abyssal's heart becomes as a burnt stone in his
chest. He neither feels nor expresses emotion—in his actions
he seems not robotic, but simply dead inside. He effectively
has no Intimacies while this Doom is in effect, and considers
only efficiency when selecting a course of action. This lack
of tact also imposes a -2 internal penalty on all Social rolls.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character's emotions lead him
into a course of action he regrets.

Doom of the Cold Soul

The Abyssal falls into a state of "cold mind," emptying
her thoughts of all but her goals and passions and proceeding
with the single-mindedness of a restless spirit. She becomes
incapable of acting on any matter that has no bearing on her
Motivation or Intimacies, save to protect herself from direct
assault. An Abyssal under this Doom will pass by a burning
orphanage or the greatest of First Age treasures without
comment or a second glance, if they have no relevance to
her mission or those things she values.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character suffers a personal setback
because she allowed herself to be distracted from her goals.

Spoiler: Temperance

Doom of the Heart's Judge

The Abyssal's heart becomes a scale in which those
around her are weighed and found worthy or wanting.
Any individual who expresses disrespect for his ancestors
or the dead in general, or who disdains his own life in her
presence, she is compelled to slay.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character suffers a significant
setback due to the selfishness of others.

Doom of the Hungry Ghost

The Abyssal is filled with a great, aching, and uncontrollable
hunger for life, and seeks to fulfill this need at all
costs. She forgoes all other priorities to binge on the rudest
of living pleasures, gorging on food, sex, and blood, as opportunities
present themselves. A Temperance roll must be
made to avoid fighting anyone who attempts to deny the
Abyssal the pleasures she seeks.

Duration: One day.

Trigger Condition: The Abyssal must forego a worldly
pleasure to avoid endangering others.

Spoiler: Valor

Doom of the Grave Blade

The character becomes an embodiment of death, answering
those she feels pose a challenge to the grave through
their bravado. Whenever she encounters a character that
seems to have no fear of death, she must challenge them to
battle. She slays those whose bravado exceeds their skill,
but is compelled to devise some reward for those who are
able to stand in the face of death's avatar and triumph (assuming
she survives challenging them). This might mean
slaying a personal enemy on the fighter's behalf, or perhaps
bequeathing her daiklave to the mighty one.

Duration: One day, or until she has appropriately
rewarded an individual who defeated her.

Trigger Condition: Another individual expresses a
lack of fear of death in the character's presence, with apparent
sincerity.

Doom of the Eternal Knight

Having been to the cusp of death and returned, the
Abyssal is without fear. Convinced that she is death's master,
she recklessly places herself in the forefront of battle,
challenges enemies without regard to their strength, and
tackles missions regardless of the danger involved. She will
not retreat or back down under any circumstances.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character's valor is impugned.

 

[Drak4806]

[X]A ring, like Max should be putting on our fingers some day soon! Except, you know, not made of blood..." - Day (Assassin/SneakySpy/Thief of the Dead)(Athletics, Awareness, Dodge, Larceny, Stealth)
[X](You think you're a parahuman) I think I'm a parahuman.

So Max really is sleeping with the twins? Interesting.

I always suck at thinking of names so I'll either skip the option or edit this vote later if someone comes up with a good one.
s
So how are you going to solve the issue with Theo regenerating essence since I thought Abyssals couldn't regenerate essence normally out of the Underworld or Shadowlands?

 

[burningclaw2]

We still need an Abyssal name for Theo.

 

[Drak4806]

The Shadow of the Tide.

The Breath of the Eclipse

The Shadows Soaked in Blood

I'm just making up random names.

 

[Jack of Olives]

Well, I got nothing name-wise, but for the rest:

[]A disk... I... I think it blinked at me!" - Midnight (Priest/PR/Entertainer of the Dead)(Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)

Can't explain why, but Midnight/Zenith Theo sounds oddly apropos.

[](Tell him the whole truth as you know it) The world greyed out and I was offered a deal.

Mostly because I want to see Max's reaction to this. There's a decent chance of him either becoming a death-cultist, or eventually making a heel-face turn (which I've yet to actually see in a story, so it'd be interesting).

Granted, there's also a greater chance of it just reinforcing his (or others') delusions, but that would be amusing, too.


Edit: Switching to:
[X] Plan Bii.

[X] The Dark Prince

[X] A dot inside a circle. Is the dot falling into a pit?" - Moonshadow (TalkySpy/Diplomat/Businessman of the Dead)(Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail, Socialize)

[X](Tell him about the vision, but coached in words he would recognize (eg Freja, not the Lover)) I... I saw this woman...
-[X] The world just greyed out... and I think I saw this woman... *pause in silence and memory of just how fucking HOT she was* And then everything started to move again... and erm... *look at where the wound USED to be* I got better?

 

[Drak4806]

'I'm going to get you the best hookers and blow money can buy,' is more energizing than soothing. But you do remember him promising that he would if you lived, before you took your Last Breath. At this moment in time, you were unsure if you were going to hold him to such a promise.

Click to shrink...

Oh my god this is hilarious.

 

[Skitzyfrenic]

So how are you going to solve the issue with Theo regenerating essence since I thought Abyssals couldn't regenerate essence normally out of the Underworld or Shadowlands?

Click to shrink...

Stunting still works. So does the flesh/blood thing.

There is a pinprick hole in the walls between the realities in the dining room(which is where Theo Exalted if I wasn't clear in the post above) that leads to the Fortress of Crimson Ice (The Lover's pad in her shadowland). Not that Theo currently has any idea that it's there or that it provides any benefit. He does like the room though, and doesn't understand why no one has dinner after dark in the dining room anymore.

But until Theo somehow makes/contributes to making a shadowland, he's pretty much running on 'being in Creation' rules for getting essence, and not getting much in the way of material support from the Lover.

I qualify essence and essence motes as conceptual bullshit tier level of quantum fuckery and energy. Essence technically exists in Bet's universe, its just in Bet its a super rigid, super strict set-up (so that Least Gods wouldn't be necessary) and essence is relegated to being expressed at the quantum level. Theo can pull on that and convert it to Creation motes. Note though, all the motes Theo sheds are necrotic and infect the area he's in at a very sloooooow rate. He also doesn't know this.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

[X] The Dark Prince

[X]A disk... I... I think it blinked at me!" - Midnight (Priest/PR/Entertainer of the Dead)(Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)

[X](That was close to an actual religious experience and you remember it vividly, Lie)I think I'm a parahuman.

Edit: used Bii's name.

 

[burningclaw2]

We need a Chuunibyou to think of a name for use...someone go grab Alexander for a moment.

 

[Anasurimbor]

[X]A disk... I... I think it blinked at me!" - Midnight (Priest/PR/Entertainer of the Dead)(Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)

[X](Tell him about the vision, but coached in words he would recognize (eg Freja, not the Lover)) I... I saw this woman...

 

[burningclaw2]

[jk] He who has no pants.

 

[Least Devotee]

Spoiler: Resonance

Like other Chosen, Abyssals are cursed. Unlike their brethren, this is not the lingering death-curse of the slain Primordials, but an affliction arising from the deathly Essence that suffuses their body, soul, and Exaltation. Abyssals know this curse as the Black Resonance of the Grave, or Resonance for short—a shadow cast over their lives, which ensures that wherever they travel, death will follow close at their heels. Resonance can be fought, mitigated, even placated, but it can never be denied. So long as an Abyssal bears the Black Exaltation, he must always take steps to account for his nature, or risk being swallowed whole by the power of death.

Each Abyssal Exalt has a 10-point Resonance track.

This works much like the Limit track of their Solar counterparts, but with some key differences.

Spoiler: Gaining Resonance

There are several means by which Abyssals accumulate
Resonance:
• The Abyssal must define one Virtue he possesses at a rating of 3 or above as his primary Virtue. When he spends Willpower to defy this Virtue, he gains one point of Resonance.

• The first time in a scene the Abyssal spends Willpower to resist unnatural mental influence, he gains one point of Resonance.

• Whenever the Abyssal experiences the trigger condition of his Doom (see below), he must roll a number of dice equal to the rating of the Virtue associated with the Doom. He gains one Resonance per success.

• Siring or bearing a child with a living lover produces three points of Resonance upon the child's birth
.
• Walking in Creation, among the living, without adopting the trappings of death (see The Manual of Exalted Power—The Abyssals, p. 95) produces one point of Resonance at the end of a full week of masquerading as one of the living without respite. (Deathknight infiltrators may avoid this penalty so long as they privately retreat to surround themselves with the trappings of death for at least eight uninterrupted hours per week.)

• The Abyssal gains four points of Resonance after a month elapses in which he has not slain any sentient living creature, or permanently destroyed any spirit.

• The Abyssal gains one point of Resonance the first time during a scene he is adversely affected by a Holy effect.

• While the Abyssal may acknowledge or use his living name without automatically gaining Resonance, doing so exacerbates his potential to gain Resonance by other means. If he gains Resonance (or rolls to gain Resonance) in a scene where he has already acknowledged his living name, he automatically gains an additional point of Resonance. If he acknowledges his living name in a scene after he has already gained Resonance, then he gains an additional point upon doing so.

Spoiler: Losing Resonance

Abyssals may mitigate the build-up of Resonance by embracing their deathly nature, or spreading the power of death out of themselves and into the world around them.

• The Abyssal loses all Resonance once he recovers from being swallowed by his Doom (see below).

• The Abyssal loses three points of Resonance after spending a full month within the Underworld, or one point after a full month within a shadowland. Moving between the Underworld and shadowlands within a month without stepping out into Creation counts as time spent in a shadowland.

• Spending three days performing no significant exertions while surrounded by the trappings of death (sleeping in a crypt, wearing funereal garb, avoiding the sun, subsisting on only blood, lighting incense and singing hymns to the dead, etc) removes one point of Resonance.

• Permanently destroying a spirit or killing a sentient living being in order to protect or promote the Abyssal's Motivation or one of his Intimacies removes one point of Resonance (to a maximum of one point removed in this manner per day)

Spoiler: Resonance Bleed

As Resonance accumulates within the Abyssal's body and soul, its deathly power bleeds out into the world, producing eerie and unnerving phenomena. Such Resonance Bleed effects are generally under the control of the Storyteller, though players utilizing two or three-die stunts may incorporate cosmetic Resonance Bleed effects into the scene via dramatic editing. Resonance Bleed isn't constantly active, but comes and goes unpredictably while the Abyssal is within certain degrees of Resonance buildup. As a general rule, the higher the Abyssal's Resonance, the more frequently Resonance Bleed appears.

Resonance 1-2: Events conspire to cast the Abyssal in a sinister light, and ill omens dog his heels, but these events remain within the boundaries of possible coincidence. When he arrives in town, he will like as not pass a funeral procession on the road. When he opens the door to a teahouse, the candles blow out. Gamblers experience runs of bad luck in his presence. In settings containing high technology, lights tend to dim when he appears.

Resonance 3-4: Minor unearthly effects manifest upon the Abyssal. His eyes may gleam or glow in unnatural hues, or his skin might grow ice-cold to the touch. His shadow could include monstrous features such as barbs or spines, or gesture menacingly and out of sync with the character's own movements. His reflection could appear twisted and monstrous, or he might cast no reflection at all. His voice could chime like mourning bells, or echo as though cast into a vast cavern.

Resonance 5-6: Level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects become more common. Additionally, the character's presence begins to blight the world. Delicate plants may die at his touch. A cold wind could follow him about, stirring his hair and clothes and chilling those around him. Animals might begin to howl and panic in his presence, or raitons to crowd onto trees and rooftops wherever he lingers. What food he touches could become spoiled, curdling or exploding with maggots when cut into, while water he lingers near becomes brackish and stale, or freezes solid. Shadows stretch toward the Abyssal as though pulled in by some awful gravity, or bow down in his presence regardless of the actions of their owners. In settings containing high technology, monitors and televisions may begin to display static, or sudden jump-cuts of disturbing imagery. Eerie wails emit from speakers, lighting flickers, and blood may drip from ventilation systems.

Resonance 7-9: At this level the character experiences near-constant level 3-4 Resonance Bleed effects, and frequent level 5-6 effects. Additionally, during moments of stress, emotion, or great concentration, truly frightening deathly manifestations may appear around him. All divine symbols within a mile might tarnish, crack, or shatter. If the deathknight peers into a mirror while incensed, it is likely to shatter or explode. The sky may grow dark and overcast, flickering with black or red lightning and blocking out the sun, building over the next hour to a terrible storm. Seas might grow becalmed, or could be stirred into violent froth. Corpses could whisper frantic prayers to the Abyssal's glory, or weeping red eyes might open in the shadows all around. Those sleeping where the Abyssal passes may be tormented by horrid nightmares in which the Exalt features prominently. In settings containing high technology, video display systems may cease to function, displaying only images of ghosts, corpses, or other unnerving imagery. The voices of the dead can be heard from radios, speakers, and telephones. Electrical lighting fails entirely, or bulbs burst with no warning, while plumbing backs up and spits out blood, or other, less identifiable but still unwholesome substances.

Spoiler: Doom

Each Abyssal carries a Doom, a deathly curse that consumes him when he reaches Resonance 10. This curse is chosen during character creation, and is tied to the Abyssal's primary Virtue (which must be a Virtue rated at 3+). Each Doom contains a trigger condition which may cause the Abyssal to gain Resonance (see above). Unlike the Great Curse which afflicts the Solar Exalted, Abyssals may not spend Willpower to mitigate the effects of their Doom, and experience no catharsis at its conclusion. While the Great Curse seems to its victims to be their own fault, a momentary lapse of control in which their passions break free and lead them to blind and terrible acts, there is nothing subtle about an Abyssal being swallowed by his Doom. He is in the grip of a curse, bent beneath the weight of his own terrible, deathly nature, and knows it.

Spoiler: Compassion

Doom of the Killing Saint

The Abyssal's heart breaks, then drowns in a rising tide of darkness. She cannot stand to witness an individual suffering, and acts to alleviate such misery as best she is able. If she cannot relieve an individual's sorrow by other means, then she sends them to the peace of the grave.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character sees innocents suffering and is unable to effectively intervene.

Doom of the Black Sun

Undone by her keen empathy, the Abyssal is no longer able to withstand the constant awareness that she is an affront to the living Essence of Creation and a perversion of what her Exaltation was meant to be. She is driven to retreat from the light of the sun, for only shadows and the night can bring relief and hide her shame. The Abyssal must make a Willpower roll each action (difficulty 3) to take any action other than flee for the nearest available dark shelter when exposed to the direct light of the sun. She must spend a Willpower point to willingly leave such shelter and expose herself to sunlight. Exposure to diffused sunlight, such as on a heavily overcast day, or through heavy curtains, does not trigger the compulsion to flee, but imposes a -1 internal penalty on all actions.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The Abyssal experiences difficulty achieving her goals because of fear or rejection by the living.

Spoiler: Conviction

Doom of the Scorched Heart

The Abyssal's heart becomes as a burnt stone in his chest. He neither feels nor expresses emotion—in his actions he seems not robotic, but simply dead inside. He effectively has no Intimacies while this Doom is in effect, and considers only efficiency when selecting a course of action. This lack of tact also imposes a -2 internal penalty on all Social rolls.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character's emotions lead him into a course of action he regrets.

Doom of the Cold Soul

The Abyssal falls into a state of "cold mind," emptying her thoughts of all but her goals and passions and proceeding with the single-mindedness of a restless spirit. She becomes incapable of acting on any matter that has no bearing on her Motivation or Intimacies, save to protect herself from direct assault. An Abyssal under this Doom will pass by a burning orphanage or the greatest of First Age treasures without comment or a second glance, if they have no relevance to her mission or those things she values.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character suffers a personal setback because she allowed herself to be distracted from her goals.

Spoiler: Temperance

Doom of the Heart's Judge

The Abyssal's heart becomes a scale in which those around her are weighed and found worthy or wanting. Any individual who expresses disrespect for his ancestors or the dead in general, or who disdains his own life in her presence, she is compelled to slay.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character suffers a significant setback due to the selfishness of others.

Doom of the Hungry Ghost

The Abyssal is filled with a great, aching, and uncontrollable hunger for life, and seeks to fulfill this need at all costs. She forgoes all other priorities to binge on the rudest of living pleasures, gorging on food, sex, and blood, as opportunities present themselves. A Temperance roll must be made to avoid fighting anyone who attempts to deny the Abyssal the pleasures she seeks.

Duration: One day.

Trigger Condition: The Abyssal must forego a worldly pleasure to avoid endangering others.

Spoiler: Valor

Doom of the Grave Blade

The character becomes an embodiment of death, answering those she feels pose a challenge to the grave through their bravado. Whenever she encounters a character that seems to have no fear of death, she must challenge them to battle. She slays those whose bravado exceeds their skill, but is compelled to devise some reward for those who are able to stand in the face of death's avatar and triumph (assuming she survives challenging them). This might mean slaying a personal enemy on the fighter's behalf, or perhaps bequeathing her daiklave to the mighty one.

Duration: One day, or until she has appropriately rewarded an individual who defeated her.

Trigger Condition: Another individual expresses a lack of fear of death in the character's presence, with apparent sincerity.

Doom of the Eternal Knight

Having been to the cusp of death and returned, the Abyssal is without fear. Convinced that she is death's master, she recklessly places herself in the forefront of battle, challenges enemies without regard to their strength, and tackles missions regardless of the danger involved. She will not retreat or back down under any circumstances.

Duration: (Essence) days.

Trigger Condition: The character's valor is impugned.

Click to shrink...

So my eyes don't bleed every time I look at this.

 

[unsafejakal]

[X] The Dark Prince

[X]A disk... I... I think it blinked at me!" - Midnight (Priest/PR/Entertainer of the Dead)(Integrity, Performance, Presence, Resistance, Survival)

Worm needs some social-fu so bad it is sad, and to help us survive against our deathlord. Also not to end up in the same place that almost killed us.

[X](That was close to an actual religious experience and you remember it vividly, Lie)I think I'm a parahuman.

He did just about killed us over some talk we had. So he is even lower on the not favorite dad pole.

 

[Biigoh]

[X] Plan Bii

Theo's Abyssal name:
[X] The Dark Prince

Fanon Notation : Please note that the LONGER the Abyssal name, the wussier said Abyssal is. Your bad-assness is inverse proportionate to the length of the name. Someone with ONLY 3 words in the name? Fucking scary shit.

And then you get the guys with the 1 word name... like "King".
http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0087.html
http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0113.html

[X] A dot inside a circle. Is the dot falling into a pit?" - Moonshadow (TalkySpy/Diplomat/Businessman of the Dead)(Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail, Socialize)

Please note that Moonshadow is actually THE BEST CLASS EVER as part of the powerset for Moonshadow is basically "sealing the deal" with people, and BAD JUJU happens to them if they break their side of the terms.

The OTHER powerset? You can LEARN ANY OTHER ESSENCE USER CHARMS.... Think it thru, spirit? demon? elemental? fairfolk? dragon-kings? mountain-folk? Lintha (if any can even use their own charmset)? dragonblooded? alchemical? akuma? lunars? sidereals? solars? infernals? Doesn't fucking matter... you can learn it. This MAY extend to Parahuman powers depending on our GM.

[X](Tell him about the vision, but coached in words he would recognize (eg Freja, not the Lover)) I... I saw this woman...
-[X] The world just greyed out... and I think I saw this woman... *pause in silence and memory of just how fucking HOT she was* And then everything started to move again... and erm... *look at where the wound USED to be* I got better?

 

[Happerry]

[X] Plan Bii

[X] The Dark Prince
[X] A dot inside a circle. Is the dot falling into a pit?" - Moonshadow (TalkySpy/Diplomat/Businessman of the Dead)(Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail, Socialize)
[X](Tell him about the vision, but coached in words he would recognize (eg Freja, not the Lover)) I... I saw this woman...
-[X] The world just greyed out... and I think I saw this woman... *pause in silence and memory of just how fucking HOT she was* And then everything started to move again... and erm... *look at where the wound USED to be* I got better?

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

The OTHER powerset? You can LEARN ANY OTHER ESSENCE USER CHARMS.... Think it thru, spirit? demon? elemental? fairfolk? dragon-kings? mountain-folk? Lintha (if any can even use their own charmset)? dragonblooded? alchemical? akuma? lunars? sidereals? solars? infernals? Doesn't fucking matter... you can learn it. This MAY extend to Parahuman powers depending on our GM.

Click to shrink...

Counterpoint: Since when do any sane GMs actually allow that Eclipse/Moonshadow/Fiend anima power?

From a player perspective... if I want to play an Alchemical, I'll go over to Grom's quest; if I want a Solar, I'll go over to Sojiko's quest or pursue Redemption in this one; if I want an Infernal, I'll bug Shadowmind until he revives the Madison quest, or in this quest pursue Redemption followed by PPE/PPI.


The Dark Prince is good though, if only for the many Black Sabbath jokes it enables. (Dark Prince -> Prince of Darkness -> Ozzy)

 

[Biigoh]

Counterpoint: Since when do any sane GMs actually allow that Eclipse/Moonshadow/Fiend anima power?

From a player perspective... if I want to play an Alchemical, I'll go over to Grom's quest; if I want a Solar, I'll go over to Sojiko's quest or pursue Redemption in this one; if I want an Infernal, I'll bug Shadowmind until he revives the Madison quest, or in this quest pursue Redemption followed by PPE/PPI.

The Dark Prince is good though, if only for the many possible Black Sabbath jokes.

Click to shrink...

Please... redemption is a fool's game. :3

Also, the trick for any GOOD GM is that the Eclipse/Moonshadow/Fiend must find a willing teacher (or not so willing) and get taught the charms. The outside charms ARE nice and allow for off the wall tricks, but note that Solaroid charms are more powerful. So power verses utility. It's a good balance.

And yes, Dark Prince is good... I thought about MegaDeath or perhaps Dark Schneider... but this Theo is not near that grade.

 

[Jack of Olives]

Besides, for the Eclipse/Moonshadow/Fiend copy trick, you need to be tutored by someone who knows the charm you want to learn. We'll likely have a hard time finding one of those.

Edit: Imped/Night-casted