Lightning Without Thunder

Basic Information

Name: Lightning Without Thunder
Motivation: remove the blight of the undead from Creation
Urge: Destroy Gem
Exalt Type: Infernal
Caste: Scourge
Age: 29

Background

History

Lightning was once a smith in the beautiful, prosperous city of Thorns, whiling away her days in the pursuit of skillfully crafting weapons, but she always yearned for the chance to use them in battle. Her chance came when the Mask of Winters invaded the city – she stood at the entrance to her street, homemade weapons in hand, fighting off hordes upon hordes of zombies. Corpses fell about her feet, but eventually she was overwhelmed, and lay under a pile of rotting flesh as the inexorable army advanced, pounding down her friends’ doors and dragging them away, screaming… as she lay there, a whisper touched her ears, offering her power, riches, revenge.

Appearance and Personality

Lightning is a thin, tall, chalky-skinned woman, not that anyone would notice – she typically wears a white hooded fencing suit, the hood pulled up. Her face is… lacking – instead of eyes, she simply has two indentations; he nose is a small lump near the middle; and her mouth is simply absent unless she needs to talk, whereupon the flesh pulls apart like a melting chocolate bar – though her voice is rich and lovely. To hide her non-face, she wears a white porcelain face mask engraved with red lightning bolts up the sides. The best way to describe Lightning’s personality is ‘abrasive.’ Her speech is thoroughly peppered with profanity, and getting on her good side, if one exists, is nearly impossible. She has been known, though, to show rare moments of kindness to those who have done something to earn her trust.

Attributes

Physical

Strength ●●●●
Dexterity ●●●●●
Stamina ●●●●

Social

Charisma ●●●●
Manipulation ●●●●
Appearance

Mental

Perception ●●●●
Intelligence ●●●●
Wits ●●●●

Abilities

Slayer

Archery:
Martial Arts ●●●●●

Martial Arts: vs. Undead

Martial Arts: Katars +2

Melee:
Thrown:
War: ●●●

War: Ragtag Band of Misfits

Malefactor

Integrity: ●●●
Performance:
Presence: ●●●●

Presence: Obscenities

Resistance: ●●
Survival:

Defiler

Craft:
Investigation:
Lore: ●●
Medicine: ●●●
Occult: ●●●●

Scourge

Athletics: ●●●●●

Athletics: Running

Athletics: Free Running

Awareness: ●●
Dodge: ●●●●●

Dodge: On the Run

Larceny: ●●●
Stealth: ●●●

Stealth: City Streets

Fiend

Bureaucracy:
Linguistics: ●
Ride:
Sail:
Socialize: ●●

Languages

Native Language: Riverspeak
Language 1: Old Realm

Merits and Flaws

Merits

Ambidextrous (1, SoH p51)
Double-Jointed (3, SoH p51)
Acute Sense (Hearing; 2, SoH p54)
Fleet of Foot (3, SoH p52)
Internal Compass (Malfeas; 1, SoH p56)

Flaws

Disfigured (5, SoH p70)
Permanent Caste Mark (1, SoH p75)
Nightmares (2, SoH p73)
Enemy (2, SoH p70)

Backgrounds

Cult: 2: Lightning has a decently-sized cult of shady folk who, as their joining ritual, must slice out their own tongues.
Resources: 2
Past Life: 3
Contacts: 3
Artifacts:
The Blades of the Silent Storm: Tainted Moonsilver Mist Razor Slayer Katars: ***

Speed 5; Accuracy +2 (+4 with MM bonus); Damage +2L; Defense +3 (+5 with MM bonus); Rate 4; Min Str **; Tags: M

These katars are made primarily of verdigrised brass, blending obscenely into tomescu carapace at the edges – as much as edges can be discerned, because the nearer the blades come to their ends the more they sublimate into a greyish mist. They are also inlaid with tainted moonsilver, which shifts and changes into various macabre images that center around the hearthstone socket in each katar. Despite the power of these artifacts, they cost only three motes to attune.

Charms

Malfeas

By Pain Reforged
Cost: 1hl; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: None
Pain puts life in perspective, pushing aside all other distractions. This is the simplest truth Malfeas has learned from his imprisonment within himself. Use of this Charm allows an Infernal to ignore all negative effects associated with bashing damage she has suffered. Such injuries do not cause wound penalties or slow her down in any way. If reduced to Incapacitated by bashing wounds, she does not fall unconscious, but remains fully aware as further bashing trauma converts to lethal. Aggravated and lethal injuries penalize characters protected by this Charm normally. When this Charm ends, all suspended penalties resume immediately.

Purity of Madness Defense
Cost: — (1 Limit); Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: By Pain Reforged
The Demon City is his own architect and does not abide the designs of other artists marring the blueprints of his will. Whenever the Infernal would be altered by a Shaping effect that qualifies as an attack (see Exalted, p. 179), that effect becomes Obvious to his senses so he can make an informed decision before permitting or rejecting the change. Resistance perfectly negates the changes at the cost of gaining one point of Limit from the strain of asserting inviolability. Infernals with Essence 3+ may also use this Charm to stop Shaping effects from altering any owned inanimate object within three yards, though each change to each separate object requires another point of Limit to stop.

Cecelyne

Hellscry Chakra
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Indefinite Prerequisite Charms: None
The Infernal opens his caste mark as an imperceptible third eye upon his brow. This spiritual organ perceives the flow of demonic Essence as a garish synesthetic overlay of colors and tastes. While this Charm is active, the Exalt gains the following benefits:
• He perceives dematerialized demons with all senses, recognizing that they are incorporeal.
• He perceives all possessing demons as smoky anima banners enveloping their hosts.
• He adds (Essence) bonus successes on all rolls to notice natives of Malfeas, track them or pierce any disguise attempts. If the target isn’t using magic to contest the action, the Infernal may spend one Willpower to automatically succeed.
• Upon recognizing a perceived character as a demon or a Yozi, its nature becomes Obvious to him. The Storyteller provides a basic synopsis of the target’s capabilities and Motivations (if any). This power imparts the same information about Infernal relics the Infernal can perceive.
• He automatically recognizes non-demon natives of Malfeas as such upon perceiving them, although he learns nothing else.

Ephemeral Abrasion Curse
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Simple Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Sorcerous Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Hellscry Chakra
The Infernal gestures in the direction of a chosen incorporeal being. If he does not have a target in mind, the Charm randomly selects a dematerialized being from among those with the highest Essence rating within 10 yards of the Infernal. The Essence of Cecelyne grinds the being, manifesting it as an apparition of itself formed out of whirling sands. Although the manifested being remains dematerialized and therefore unable to hit back, the lacerating sands embedded in its ephemera allow corporeal beings to physically attack it as though it had materialized. However, each such attack drains one mote from Essence wielding attackers. Multiple activations of this Charm may concurrently affect as many spirits as the Infernal wishes to tag with committed Essence.

Transcendent Desert Creature
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: None
Cecelyne is always home within herself, finding sanctuary in her eternal wastes. An Infernal who learns this Charm gains the following powers as permanent enhancements to his competence:
• He suffers no negative effects from exposure to a place of desolation, including penalties, environmental damage and even visual impairment.
• All foraging rolls that would normally have a difficulty of 4+ have a difficulty of 1 instead (see Exalted, p. 139). This does not make impossible rolls possible in a place where the Storyteller determines absolutely nothing edible can be found.
• The total penalty for starvation or thirst cannot rise above -3 within a place of desolation. The Exalt’s perfected metabolism no longer produces waste of any kind, including sweat.
• All mundane attempts to track the character automatically fail with zero successes unless the character allows himself to be tracked. Magically assisted tracking efforts suffer an external penalty of the Infernal’s Essence rating instead.
• He adds his Essence rating to the difficulty of all efforts to notice him with an Awareness roll in a place of physical desolation (spiritually desolate places as defined by Withered Soul Wastes don’t count for characters who know that Charm). This benefit may be turned on and off at will.

Sand-Slip Trick
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: Obvious, Shaping Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Transcendent Desert Creature
Trapped between forever and Malfeas, the Endless Desert has nowhere to move but upon and through herself. A character who knows this Charm doubles her movement speed after all other modifiers when moving across a place of physical desolation. She also doubles the speed at which she can travel over long distances as a subtly non-Obvious effect, provided she employs some form of natural locomotion or rides a steed that is some sort of desert creature. This Charm cannot quicken the five-day journey between Malfeas and Creation. Essence 3+ Infernals with this Charm also can’t suffer knockback or knockdown in a place of physical desolation unless the effect has a magical source. This defense manifests by reflexively Shaping their legs (and sometimes lower torso) into pillars of living sand that merge and flow into the ground, only to change back after the force passes.

Sandstrike Blast
Cost: 1m or 3m (or 3m, 1wp); Mins: Cult 1, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 4, DV -0) Keywords: Combo-OK, Messianic, Obvious, Shaping, Sorcerous Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Transcendent Desert Creature
When angered, the Endless Desert erupts skyward in a burst of lacerating sand, cutting everything in her path to ribbons. Activating this Charm requires an aggressive or vulgar gesture in the direction of a targeted adversary within (Essence x 50) yards. Roll the Infernal’s (Charisma + Occult) as a ranged attack; the explosion of sand can’t be blocked without a stunt or Charm and bypasses all forms of cover. If it hits, the attack inflicts (the Infernal’s Essence + Cult + attack successes) lethal piercing damage, and the target loses one Willpower from psychic shock. While the Willpower loss is a Shaping effect, the attack itself is not. This Charm costs three motes normally but only one mote against a target in a place of desolation. This attack can strike materialized beings while the Infernal is dematerialized, but the cost is three motes and one Willpower regardless of the area’s desolation, and the attack is no more unexpected than if the Infernal were solid.

Adorjan

First Adorjan Excellency: Essence Overwhelming
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker; Step 2 for defender)
This Charm can enhance any action that causes unexpected or sudden harm, such as surprise attacks or attacks that are part of flurries. Actions that create ongoing discomfort or take away sources of comfort also fall under the purview of the Silent Wind. Socially, her attacks tear away Intimacies rather than building them, teaching people to let go of attachments and worries rather than continue meaningless cycles of love or vengeance. The behaviors she compels are mad and invariably disturbing, but she does not care how the minds of others break. Adorjan’s power may be applied to any actions that help tear down structured society or spread anarchy, regardless of the reasons or methods for doing so. The Charm can’t assist actions that are planned in great detail in advance, though it is permissible to do something whose consequences will not manifest until a later time. Actions motivated by insanity may only benefit from Adorjan’s touch when there is some greater and immediate purpose behind them (even if the meaning isn’t communicated to other characters). The Silent Wind embodies the madness of the freed mind, not an idiot’s babbling.

Second Adorjan Excellency: Essence Triumphant
Cost: — (2m per success); Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Appropriate First (Yozi) Excellency
Purchase of this Charm expands an Infernal’s capacity to wield the First Excellency, allowing her to add successes in lieu of or in addition to adding dice. Every bonus success added this way counts as two bonus dice toward the maximum bonus the Charm may add, like a Combo of the First and Second Solar Excellencies. The addition of successes in all other ways uses the same rules as the Second Excellency of the Lawgivers (see Exalted, p. 184).

Wind-Born Stride x 4
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Permanent Keywords: Stackable Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: None
Where Adorjan blows, few can run fast or far enough to escape her touch. This Charm permanently enhances an Infernal’s Dash actions (see Exalted, p. 143). First, dashing carries a DV penalty of -0. Second, the character automatically succeeds in crossing treacherous terrain without needing a roll. Finally, the Exalt adds his Essence rating to his Dexterity for the purposes of calculating his base dashing speed and does not subtract wound penalties from this calculation. These benefits apply equally to running and other means of locomotion encompassed by a dash action, such as climbing or swimming. Other effects that increase the Exalt’s speed use the Wind-Born Stride-enhanced value as the Infernal’s natural base speed before applying their modifiers. This Charm may be purchased a maximum number of times equal to the Exalt’s Essence rating, with each purchase stacking to cumulatively increase dashing speed. The other benefits of the Charm do not improve with repurchase.

Death-Dealing Journey
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, Velocity Duration: Indefinite Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride
To merely outpace opposition is insufficient victory. The Infernal may dash reflexively each tick as though taking Move actions, enabling him to dash and take other actions without requiring a flurry. This Charm deactivates at speeds less than dashing at maximum rate.

Who Strikes the Wind?
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride
The Silent Wind blows around and through all opposition and adversity, untouched though the sky blackens with arrows meant for her. This Charm is a perfect dodge against any physical attack that is not unexpected, even if that attack can’t be dodged. The Charm remains vulnerable to the Imperfection of the Silent Wind.

Kalmanka’s Grace
Cost: — (0m to 2m); Mins: Essence 3; Type: Permanent Keywords: Obvious Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Who Strikes The Wind?
The Infernal waltzes and pirouettes through skydarkening tempests of arrows, untouched and seemingly oblivious to their passage. This Charm reduces the cost to use Who Strikes the Wind? against a ranged attack by one mote, provided the Exalt is moving toward the attacker. The Charm applies a second discount of one mote against the attacks of extras. With Essence 4+, a third one-mote discount applies against attacks by mortals or natural animals. These discounts stack, but even a free perfect defense still requires a Charm activation.

As a final effect of this Charm, the Infernal understands that speed is relative. His speed is considered no less than that of an attacker who is moving toward him for the purposes of applying the Imperfection of the Silent Wind to any Charms.

Laughing Gust Denial
Cost: — (6m); Mins: Essence 4; Type: Permanent Keywords: Obvious Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Kalmanka’s Grace
In the moment that Adorjan chooses not to be struck, she is not. Whenever an Infernal with this Charm activates Who Strikes The Wind?, she may pay six motes rather than the usual cost, allowing her to perfectly dodge all attacks against her for one tick rather than separately activating the Charm against each individual attack. The Imperfection of the Silent Wind still applies, so the Infernal must still move at sufficient speed.

Infernals with Essence 5+ who have activated the Charm Opened Eye of the Hurricane (see pp. 141-142) may extend the duration of perfect dodging from one tick to one action by spending six motes and one Willpower instead of six motes. Only when the character’s DV refreshes does the aegis of perfect movement abate.

Joy in Violence Approach
Cost: 1m per success; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride
Nothing fills Adorjan’s heart with childlike glee like the prospect of a massacre. This Charm enhances a Join Battle roll, adding one bonus success per mote spent, up to (lower of Dexterity or Wits rating) successes, as well as additional successes equal to the number of times the Infernal has purchased Wind-Born Stride. As a final benefit, the Infernal regains one Willpower from elation the first time she uses this Charm in a given scene, or two Willpower if she joined battle while participating in social combat. The Charm provides no Willpower if another character initiates hostilities against the Exalt or she interjects herself into an ongoing battle. She must start the fight.

Self as Cyclone Stance
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Extra Action Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Joy in Violence Approach
There is stillness. And then storm. This Charm is a magical flurry composed of any Attribute- and/or Ability-based actions besides ranged attacks. The flurry is not limited to a fixed number of actions, nor does it suffer usual multiple action penalties. Instead, each action after the first suffers a cumulative -1 penalty (-1 on the second, -2 on the third, etc.). If this penalty matches or exceeds the base dice pool it penalizes before applying any modifiers, that action can’t be attempted. Normal rate limits apply to attacks within this flurry, with normally infinite rate weapons reduced to base Rate 5 before adding in any rate bonuses. The DV penalty for the entire flurry is the greatest penalty among component actions (or -0 if the Infernal has Essence 4+). Although a flurry granted by this Charm involves a finite number of attacks, each attack can represent dozens or even hundreds of lightning fast strikes whose cumulative effect is equivalent to fewer, better-defined blows.

Running To Forever
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride
Lesser beings may run for a time and falter. They do not internalize the motion until it uplifts and rejuvenates them. Infernals with this Charm experience no fatigue while dashing. Any existing fatigue penalties from prior exertions abate for the duration, returning without improvement when the character stops dashing. At Essence 3+, the act of continuously dashing counts as rest for the purposes of alleviating fatigue. At Essence 4+, prolonged dashing also counts as meditation for the purpose of Essence recovery.

Reaching Essence 5+ initiates a more extreme metamorphosis, as continuous dashing counts as sleep for all recuperative purposes, including the opportunity for a Willpower recovery roll every eight hours. The Infernal even dreams while dashing, though this reflexively occurs on a separate level of consciousness and does not impair conscious actions. The character loses all recuperative benefits from actual sleep.

A second purchase of this Charm expands its scope to include any form of continuous and normally fatiguing exertion in addition to dashing. The exertion must involve significant non-stationary movement. Gentle lovemaking would not suffice, though a wild romp spilling from room to room would.

Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride
Does the wind stumble? While the Infernal dashes, she automatically maintains balance and exerts no weight on solid objects, allowing her to skip from one blade of grass to another or waltz across the snow without leaving footprints. This weightless grace adds the lower of the Infernal’s (Dexterity and Athletics) to the difficulty of all efforts to track her and ensures quiet passage, providing a temporary +3 Stealth specialty in “Moving Silently” that does not stack with other specialties.

Foam-Dancing Haste
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion
Adorjan darts over rivers of blood without sinking into them. She is above wallowing in gore, so this Charm further enhances the functional weightlessness afforded by its prerequisite to cover liquid surfaces. If the Infernal begins a dash while swimming on the surface, she may continue to swim or nimbly climb atop the liquid and run on it. If she continues to swim, she dashes at the same speed as if running.
Additionally, the Exalt suffers no environmental harm associated with any dangerous conditions she traverses. This immunity does not defend against environmental hazards that aren’t associated with the surface she dashes on or through. With Essence 4+, she is immune to all environmental hazards and penalties while dashing, even those unrelated to the medium of her journey.

Gravity-Rebuking Grace
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 2; Type: Permanent Keywords: None Duration: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion
Does the wind fall? This Charm expands the scope of its prerequisite. While dashing, the Infernal may move across vertical and even inverted surfaces as though they were the ground. If the Exalt slows below a dash while impossibly aligned on a surface, he falls normally.

Faster Than Sight
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 3; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Velocity Duration: Indefinite Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Born Stride (x3), Unimpeded Perfection of Exertion
The wind is felt, not seen. So long as he maintains maximum dashing speed, the Infernal is invisible and as inaudible as desired. This state imposes a -2 external penalty on all attempts to notice or attack him and provides two bonus successes on contested Stealth rolls, but these benefits do not stack with each other. Ranged attacks against the Exalt automatically miss without aid of a Charm or stunt. Efforts to track the Infernal automatically fail. If a perfect tracking effect contests this effect, add the Infernal’s Essence rating in automatic successes to the opposed roll.

Equipment

Buff Jacket
Soak +3L/4B; Mobility -1; Fatigue 2

Vital Information

Willpower: 7

Virtues

Compassion ●●●
Conviction ●●●
Temperance ●●
Valor ●

Limit: 0
Urge: Destroy Gem.

Combat Statistics

Defense Values

Dodge DV: 6

Parry DV: 9

Mental Dodge DV: 7

Mental Parry DV: 4, 5 when spewing obscenities

Soak

Bashing Soak: 8

Lethal Soak: 5

Aggravated Soak: 3

Health

0
-1
-1
-2
-2
-4
Incap
Dying
Dying
Dying
Dying

Essence

Essence: 4
Personal 19
Peripheral 40/43
Committed 3

Other Information

BP

-10 (Merits)
+10 (Flaws)
-4 (Kalmanka’s Grace)
-4 (Laughing Gust Denial)
-4 (Socialize, 2 dots)
-2 (War, 1 dot)
-2 (Presence, 1 dot)
-4 (Occult, 2 dots)
-2 (Medicine, 1 dot)
-4 (Stamina, 1 dot)
-4 (Intelligence, 1 dot)
=
30