Jades

Sorry, the weekend was... unpleasant... and yesterday I was playing caught up in the office.

Betty yawns and uses her arm to shade her eyes from the oppressive light from the sun.  She looks over to Hank, "You aren't Elton's brother are you?"   "Come on, Barnes, lets circle the building.  Make sure nothing ducks out the back or sneaks in." With a nod, the two of them depart the truck, prepare their rifles, and start to check the building's perimeter while Hank and Filip go inside.

Paula steps back and watches from behind the gate as it closes.  Once it is secured, she turns and moves towards the wagon.  "Nothing was at the gate.  What is all of this all about?"

No worries!

I'd be down.

Absolutely! 

Quick Character works great!  And I'll fill in some of the wonder and fear.     Personal goal is to find a Demense and build a temple/fortification thing to move the company to so I don't know how citizenship would factor in that.  In any case, total n00b with the lore.  lol

I got a little bored after work yesterday and tossed together Cathak Chimari as a build.  I don't know if they balanced the characters to meet the lore - how a starting Dragon-blooded stands against a Solar Exalt - so gave her fewer charms, so less supernatural ability.  Didn't give her any social merits either, 'cause I think its rot for a player to buy a retainer and then give the retainer Resources, Artifacts, Command, that sort of thing, as a means of getting "extra merits".   Instead, Thorn and her share Thorn's Command and Resources.  My plan is to use Chimari as a catalyst, and not as the active character in things.  She's basically in charge of the operations of the Command, serving as grounding for Thorn, and the inspiration to get involved in supernatural things.  "Oh, we need to get some Hearthstones.  Go do that, Thorn.  You need one and I need one."   Edit: @Chaos EmeraldAnything you'd like changed in narration or the above?

Not So Great an Entry into Great Forks The contingency of soldiers set a camp outside of Great Forks, flying peace banners.   "Thorn, enough of this blubbering." Cathak Chimari chastised the Solar Exalt, "You have work to do now."   "Yes, Mist-"   The stern look from the Dragon-blooded sent a chill down the meek woman's back.  While she'd known Chimari her entire life, her family having long been in service to the Cathak Dynasty, and the two having played together as children it was still awkward to call her by her name. "Yes, Chimari."   A chest containing the company's treasury was brought out for the two Exalted to look over.  After taking a count and discussing their needs, it was time for Thorn from the Poisonous Vine to go to work.  Weeks ago, her name was Vine but after becoming Anathema she had to change it.  Drying her eyes the girl made her way into the city of Great Forks.  She slipped mentally into her old mode and was nearly dancing in the streets.  A smile, some words exchanged, as well as a not-insignificant amount of money, and an estate was purchased.  Quarters would be tight, until the contracts started coming in, but The First Bloom had a place to stay in the city.   Within the following two weeks, the mercenary company was working to protect merchants and the number of troops remaining in the estate was much smaller and much more manageable.  Thorn would have been happy to resume her role as Chimari's servant but the Dragon-blooded would not permit it.  To hear Chimari tell it, the two were joint commanders of The First Bloom.  When they weren't working on gaining contracts, they would be in the garden training.  It stressed Thorn greatly, she wasn't born for combat, but that didn't deter Chimari.   While some would say that her Exaltation was the beginning of Thorn's story, or perhaps when her dragon-blooded companion turned her back on The Scarlet Empire, or the founding of The First Bloom, really all of that was just a prelude.  The real story begins now, just two weeks after their arrival in Great Forks.  

Oooooh, what kind of crafting?  I've gone into Geomancy and Armor so we can pool together and do great and terrible things.

@dunecat I went ahead and made Melee a favored ability, sacrificing Performance to cost more.  So while I won't be really all that good in combat, I can grow with greater ease.   Also did some numbermancy, changed Allies 3 for Retainer 4 so my retainer is weaker and added Riverspeak as a language. Brought Awareness down to 1, moved that initial dot to Performance Brought Bureaucracy down to 1, moved that dot to Performance.   Awareness 2 cost 2 Bonus Points Bureaucracy 2 cost 2 Bonus Point   Performance 1 & 2 had cost 6 Bonus Points, so I freed up two for Merits.

Dropped her Willpower down by one to get her up to Ranged (Heavy) 2 and Lore (Education) 2.  General education teacher for the kids.

I figure its probably best to just start a new thread so everyone knows to look at it.   I don't really have any plans for Thorn's advancement and growth.  I don't know Exalted that well, so I made a character who is intentionally in a delicate position.  She doesn't know what she's supposed to do.  Really, it is only Cathak Chimari that has kept her from crawling off somewhere to die.  I'll lean in any direction to make things work.  I built her to be an assistant, and then switched the roles.  She's now the stronger of the two.  I was really considering buying Chimari as a Retainer for that purpose.   Honestly, I'd be fine building Thorn as a human character and then letting CE pick Exalt type.  It'd actually be pretty fun, though I don't have most of the books. I think, as far as background ties, I can't really imagine there being positive connections between Thorn and other Celestial Exalts.  She was the servant of an Anathema hunter, after all.

Oooooh!  Great call! @Chaos Emerald, will our characters start the campaign knowing one another?

Paula looked to the injury and moves towards the gates.  She casts a glance behind her before picking up her speed.  She runs <i>towards</i> the danger, stopping just after passing through the gate.  With her sword drawn, she braces herself for the two possibilities.  "Close the gate!" she shouts to the nearest people.  If she could move back into the city before both the creature arrives and the gates close, she will.  But if she has to slow the creature down, she is ready for it. 

I'm giving that thought, part of me wants it to be in connection to the Immaculate Philosophy and her service to the Elemental Dragons.

Found that!

https://www.lotcastingatemi.com/characters/19600 Does that get you to the sheet?  If not, I might need the chronicle code before you can view it.   Thorn from a Poisonous Vine is a Twilight Caste character, though if the other Twilight Caste is gonna get in, I can have her exalt into a different one.  The story is more important to me than the build.

Yeah I'm just getting used to the system.  Not yet ready!

https://www.lotcastingatemi.com/characters/19600/  -WIP   Just the Beats Lady-in-Waiting for a Dragon-Blooded commander. Traveled with her Mistress in many campaigns, not making decisions with her but aiding with many of the mundane tasks. Watched her Mistress kill many wounded Anathema with pride. Assassin Anathema failed in an attempt to kill her Mistress, she Exalted in the conflict. Her Mistress saw that even though she was Anathema, saw that she hadn't changed in who she is. Blah blah blah, mental torment becoming that which she hated Her Mistress' campaign ends, as now the Dragon-Blooded has a new goal.  To protect and save her former servant. Most of the troops leave, telling word of the remainders' treason. Great Fork seems the place to be.

I know I wanna make a character, just holding a place for now!  Will have an idea soon.

Quest for Glory is a computer game series from thirty years ago.  0.o   You pick in character creation if you want to be a Magic User, Fighter, or Thief.  But, you can take skills from any "class".  After beating the first game, you can export your character and import it into the second game "Trial by Fire".  Magic Users can go through the Wizard's Institute of Technorcery and become Wizards half way through the game (and your character sheet changes to reflect that).  Any character, though, Fighter, Wizard, or Thief can act with Honor, and if they hit a threshhold before the end of the game, Rakeesh will give them his flaming sword "Soulforge" and offer to train them as a Paladin. In the third game, Wages of War, once again having imported your character from the second, you can play as a Paladin.  IF, and only if, you became a Paladin in TbF can you play a Paladin in this game and its follow-up "Shadows of Darkness".  The Fifth Game "Dragon Fire" allows you to create one without importing, because so long had passed between four and five.

I'm pulling inspiration from the Paladin "class" in Quest for Glory.

Paula yawned as she opened her eyes and woke from her siesta, and wiping the blurriness from her eyes with the back of her hands.  Seeing others stand, she followed suit.  As others walked towards the moving commotion she decided it was best that she do the same.  Her left hand brushed against her sword, passively checking to see if she'd brought it with her today.  She always had it, but it was always a good idea to check.

I'm amused that we're all spellcasters of various form.