Ride, The
Messenger
Once, there was a maiden…
…whom many men wanted for their own.
She stepped as softly as starlight.
She shone with glory.
And one by one, they came to claim her.
She fled by the quickest route she
found.
“Why do you run?” the stormclouds said.
She said, “I cannot help who drives me.”
Ordained Bridle Of Mercury
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
experience point
Duration: Until the character
applies Mercury’s bridle
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character petitions Mercury
to weave a mount into her destiny. Each time she invokes this Charm, she gains
a dot of the Familiar Background, normally with a creature she can ride. She
can use this Charm to instantly increase her bond with an existing familiar.
Alternately, she can invoke Mercury’s guidance in finding a new, “suitable”
familiar. Her player specifies the species. The character must travel to find
the familiar but always knows the way. The destined familiar always allows the
character to approach and set a bridle of stardust upon its head. The bridle
fades, but the Background dot remains. If the character cannot afford to
establish a complete bond, Mercury can lead her to that animal again with
another invocation of the Charm.
It costs an extra experience
point to summon forth the bridle of Mercury and apply it to an animal of the
character’s choosing rather than the Maiden’s. Similarly, the first dot of the
Familiar Background costs an extra experience point for animals unsuitable for
riding ― such as a hawk. Note that controlling a familiar mount requires
a Ride roll in only the most extreme circumstances.
Sidereal Exalted can purchase a
total number of familiars and acquaintances no greater than their permanent
Essence, unmodified by Charms such as the Soul Fire Shaper Form.
Spirit-Shape Companion
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
experience point
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 3
Minimum Essence: 3
Prerequisite Charms: Ordained
Bridle of Mercury
Drawing on her
understanding of the spirit world, the character forces a metamorphosis upon
one of her familiars. The creature
adopts some of the characteristics of a spirit, as follows:
The numbers above assume that a
typical beast familiar has Essence 2, Willpower 5, Compassion 2, Conviction 3,
Temperance 1 and Valor 2 after the use of this Charm. Most non-familiar beasts
have lower Essence, Willpower and Compassion.
Godly Companion
Cost: 20 motes, 1 Willpower, 5
experience points
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 4
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms:
Spirit-Shape Companion
The character arranges a
promotion for his familiar. Its Essence and Intelligence increase to a minimum
of 3. It develops additional Virtues, if necessary, to bring the sum of its
Virtues to 12 or more. It learns two additional spirit Charms of the
Storyteller’s choice and one additional shape. It also acquires certain
specific responsibilities:
Breaking The Wild Mortal
Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
experience point
Duration: Until the character
applies Mercury’s bit
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 2
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Ordained
Bridle of Mercury
The character petitions Mercury
to weave a mortal companion into her destiny. Each time she invokes this Charm,
she gains a dot of the Acquaintances Background, bonding first with a single
mortal and then with those around him. She can use this Charm to instantly
increase her connection with a specific acquaintance and his social context.
Alternately, she can invoke Mercury’s guidance in finding a new, “suitable”
acquaintance. Her player specifies the general occupation and personality. The
character must ravel to find the acquaintance buy always allows the character
to approach and set a bit made of stardust in his mouth. Once it sinks in, the
mortal loses the memory of that embarrassing moment, but the Background dot
remains.
It costs an extra experience
point to summon forth the bit of stardust and apply it to a person of the
character’s choosing rather than the Maiden’s. Similarly, the first dot of the
Acquaintances Background costs an extra experience point for people unsuitable
for riding ― such as humans. (Some Wyld barbarians might make acceptable
mounts.)
Sidereal Exalted can purchase a
total number of familiars and acquaintances no greater than their permanent
Essence, unmodified by Charms such as the Soul Fire Shaper Form.
Yellow Path
Cost: 2 motes
Duration: One journey
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: None
The character sees the
glimmering yellow light of Mercury illumine the shortest path to his
destination. This path is not necessarily safe, but the character can expect to
overcome any obstacles thereupon. This Charm takes delays from such things as
off-road travel, the need for food and rest and injuries from dangerous
encounters into account. Roll the character’s Essence. One success indicates a
substantial improvement in his speed over ordinary travel. If the character has
a deadline and any chance exists of making it on time, three successes indicate
his timely arrival. Five or more successes allow him to make any appointment
not already missed.
Glory Path
Cost: 8 motes
Duration: Five minutes
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 3
Minimum Essence: 2
Prerequisite Charms: Yellow Path
A nimbus of Mercury’s light
wraps around the character’s mount, and it develops the ability to overcome any
obstacle to complete its journey. The player makes a Charisma + Ride roll. Each
success adds five yards to the mount’s base speed. In addition, the mount is
undaunted by natural obstacles of any sort: for as many turns as necessary, it
can gallop in the air across chasms, straight up a cliff face, across water or
a swamp and wave through crowds of panicked yeddim. Only barriers built by
people ― such as walls of stone or sorcery ― pose any obstacle. Sidereal
Exalted may always use their Temperance with this Charm.
Riding The Dragon
Cost: 20 motes, 1 Willpower, 1
health level
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Ride: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Godly
Companion, Breaking the Wild Mortal, Glory Path
This Charm uses a prayer strip
inscribed with the scripture of the Desirable Maiden. The character affixes it
to the forehead of a familiar or an acquaintance, either long-established or
acquired through Charms. An indescribable sense of shock, horror and elation
immediately fills the victim, who struggles for the next five turns to rip the
strip free. Unless the victim is restrained, this requires no roll.
At the end of those five turns,
the familiar or acquaintance undergoes a transformation, burning with a
terrible golden celestial light. Its form twists and reshapes into a lesser
elemental dragon. This Charm exerts a great toll on the victim’s body and soul,
and when the Charm runs its course, nothing but a burned-out husk remains
― a person or animal able to accept food and mumble incoherently, but
nothing more. That Familiar or Acquaintances Background is permanently lost,
but at that moment, the character can choose either an air or water dragon as
her mount for a scene.
The transformed dragon, its back
writhing with the symbol of the scripture, has no will of its own. The Sidereal
must ride it and direct its actions with her own. The dragon flies at 500 mph,
with effectively unlimited tactical movement. It has a Dodge pool of 10 and a
soak of 20 against all attacks. It attacks with 15 Speed, Accuracy and Defense
for 19 lethal damage. For each successful Charisma + Ride roll the Sidereal’s
player makes in a given turn, the mount takes one action at its full dice pool.
Note that the Sidereal must split her pool to make multiple Ride rolls. The
dragon has 10 health levels, all at -0. It can use any spirit Charm or
elemental power, with the exception of extra action Charms or those that grant
permanent bonuses or penalties. The Sidereal pays for these Charms or powers
with her own motes, Willpower and health levels.
Sidereal Exalted may always use
their Conviction with this Charm.