Tuesday, October 10, 2017

House Grimshaw Ancestor Veneration

House Grimshaw Ancestor Veneration

Tae Grimshaw

Era: The Eternal Empire

Destiny: Aristocratic Inquisitor

Tae Grimshaw first gained the notice of Tanaquil Alexus when she uncovered a conspiracy against the Elegant Empress and suffered at their hands. Tanaquil gave Tae the power she needed to root out the conspiracy and ruthlessly defeat them, which she successfully did. The Akashic Order holds Tae up as finest example of a Grimshaw, who keeps the rest of the Maradonian houses pure and true to their purpose on the Golden Path. They began to emphasize Tae over Janus Daijin after Shio Daijin betrayed the Maradonian Houses by attempting to seize power.

Those who have the Destiny (Aristocratic Inquistitor) are destined to find conspiracies and destroy them, to destroy tools of forbidden power, to drive back the ideological enemies of the Akashic Order, and to increase the purity of the Akashic Order.

Legacy

Tae Grimshaw worked with Tanaquil Alexus to uncover conspiracies against the Alexian Empire, and her Grimshaw descendants carry on this tradition. Modern descendants of Tae Grimshaw feel driven to uncover real or imagined conspiracies against the Alliance, or against the power of the Maradonian Houses.

Descendents who follow Tae Grimshaw must have Obsesssion (Uncover conspiracies against the Alliance) [-10].

Milestones

The Descendant uncovers evidence of a conspiracy against the moral authority. She attempts to reveal the evidence to the moral authority, the conspiracy attacks her, scars her and takes the evidence. However, the moral authority recognizes her efforts and appoints her to a position of power.

The Descendant faces and defeats a powerful member of the conspiracy and retrieves a corrupted legendary artifact. With the blessing of the moral authority, she purifies the legendary artifact and takes it for her own.

The Descendant uncovers evidence that a boon companion is a member of the conspiracy. The boon companion offers to allow her to join, and offers her either great power or his love. She refuses, reveals the boon companion’s treachery to the moral authority, and condemns the boon companion herself.

The Descendant faces and defeats the conspiracy’s master in battle and destroys the conspiracy. For her deeds, she receives honor and high position from the moral authority.

Fragments of the conspiracy remain even after its death. When the descendant is exultant in her victory, an assassin attempt so kill the descendant. The descendant successfully slays the assassin, finally ending the threat of the conspiracy for once and all, but then dies (literally or symbolically) of her wounds.

Associated Miracles

Truth Seeker

Minimum Reaction: Neutral

Learned Prerequisite: Blood Purity 1, either Communion 4 or Archetype.

Learned Prayer Cost: 3.

The Descendant excels at uncovering conspiracies. She gains Truth Seeker 3 for one hour or until it has assisted her at least once, which ever takes longer. This talent is cumulative with any existing talent, and may exceed +4.

Statistics: Truth Seeker 3 (Divine, Path -15%) [13], Rule Exception (This talent may exceed +4) [1]

Clarity

Minimum Reaction: Good

Learned Prerequisite: Blood Purity 2, Communion 7.

Learned Prayer Cost: 6 points.

Communion blesses you with momentarily perfect insight into the world around you, pulling back the fog of ignorance and fear. For the next 3d6 seconds, gain Unfazeable, Enhanced Time Sense and +1d6 IQ (including Will and Perception). This explicitly improves your psionic skills and extra effort rolls.

Statistics: New variant of Blessed derived from Blessed Be (Pyramid #3-78) [26]

Sense Sin

Minimum Reaction: Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Blood Purity 2, Communion 9

Learned Prayer Cost: 10 points

As See Evil from Divine Favor page 12, except it detects that which the Descendant's moral authority deems inappropriate, and not just what they've done, but what they're capable of doing (That is, you'll detect not just whether someone has committed murder, but also that they have bloodlust, and so that it's in their nature to commit murder).

Statistics: Sense Sin (Divine: Path -15%, Cosmic, no die roll required +100%, Vision based, reversed -20%) [50]

Shio Daijin

Era: War of the Four Houses

Destiny: Usurper


Shio Daijin kicked off the War of the Four Houses when he attempted to seize the Alexian throne for himself. As such, the Akashic Order holds Shio Daijin up as an example of what happens to those whose ambition drives them to derail the Golden Path and to usurp their position. The shaming of the name of Shio shamed the name of Daijin and lifted up the name of Grimshaw.

Today, the legacy of Shio Daijin has grown more complex. Some Daijin argue that with the death of the Alexian line, perhaps Shio could have done what was necessary to restore the Golden Path and rebuild the Empire. Alternately, they see what he was doing as attempting to restore order, rather than seizing power.

Characters with the Destiny (Usurper) can expect to gain numerous allies, to gain access to conspiracies, and to receive opportunities to attain a great position of power via unlawful means.

Legacy

According to tradition, Shio Daijin wanted to be Emperor, and this naturally drove him to commit the acts that he did. Naturally, all descendants of Shio Daijin feel the same and push to gain greater and greater power and have endless ambition. A more recent, apologist view sees Shio Daijin as merely attempting to restore order to a chaotic galaxy and nothing more.

Descendents who follow Shio must have either Obsesssion (Rule the Galaxy) [-10] or Obsession (Restore the Eternal Empire) [-10].

Milestones

Over the course of an adventure, the Descendant uncovers a threat to the moral authority. He returns and warns his peers of the threat. His peers, suspicious of his motives, disregard his warning and accuse him of attempting to manipulate him, all except for one, who become a boon companion.

As the Descendant prepares to meet the threat, jealous peers attack (literally or metaphorically) the allies of the Descendant, unintentionally assisting the threat. The Descendant must choose. He either allows the tragedy to unfold, in which case he will lose his boon companion and many innocents will die, but he will regain the respect of his peers, or he makes a pre-emptive strike, in which case he commits an atrocity and is vilified by his peers, but protects his allies and his boon companion.

The Descendant learns that without the help of his peers, he can never avert the threat. Because his peers will not voluntarily work with him, his only recourse is to seize power over them and force them to assist him. If he attempts to do so, he succeeds.

While at his most powerful, the Descendant meets a beautiful youth. The youth offers herself as a bride to the Descendant. If he accepts her, she will give him an heir that will outlast his regime, but she will also betray him, as she seeks marriage only for power.

As the threat reaches its climax, the peers of the Descendant move against him. The Descendant must choose: either he allows them to defeat and kill him, in which case his legacy will continue and the threat will be defeated, or he faces them and defeats them and retains power, in which case the threat fully manifests. It will not harm the Descendant or his allies, but it will destroy the peers of the Descendant and ruin their moral order.

Associated Miracles

Daijin Statesman

Minimum Reaction: Neutral

Learned Prerequisite: Blood Purity 1, Dark Communion 6

Learned Prayer Cost: 5.

The Descendant excels at statecraft. He gains Intuitive Statesman 3 for one hour or until it has assisted himi at least once, which ever takes longer. This talent is cumulative with any existing talent, and may exceed +4.

Statistics: Intuitive Statesman 3 (Divine, Path -25%) [23], Rule Exception (This talent may exceed +4) [1]

Restore Order

Minimum Reaction: Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Blood Purity 2, Dark Communion 7

Learned Prayer Cost: 6 points

Once per session, the Descendant may restore proper order merely by wishing it so. After completion of this prayer, a coincidence happens (that the player himself may choose) that sets the world back on its proper course, and reduces tension.

Statistics: Serendipity (Divine, Path -15%, Wishing +100%, Aspect: Return the world to its proper state -20%) [26]

Aura of Focus

Minimum Reaction: Good

Learned Prerequisite: Blood Purity 2, Communion 9.

Learned Prayer Cost: 11 points.

After making a successful meditation roll, Communion empowers the Descendant with +3 willpower, as well as all allies he wishes to empower who are nearby (generally up to 2 yards away, though the mystic may apply a -5 to his Meditation roll to expand it out to 4 yards away). On a failed meditation roll, the Descendant can spend a point of fatigue (or psionic energy reserves) and try again on the next turn. This lasts for the remainder of combat, or an hour, whichever is shorter.

Statistics: Aura of Focus 3 (see Pyramid #3-19 page 8)

Janus Daijin

Era: Rise of Alexus

Destiny: Strange Sage

The Akashic Order has a strange relationship with Janus Daijin. He predates the strong bond between the Akashic Order and the Alexian Dynasty, and his unusual behavior and unorthodox beliefs challenge the Akashic Order, but at the same time, he had an undeniable influence on the first Alexian Emperor, features strongly in their legends and has the respect of both the Daijin and the Grimshaw, from whom they descend. So the Akashic Order carefully portrays him in terms of an eccentric sage, and advisor to Alexus who tread previously untrodden roads. Fortunately, with the fall of the Daijin, the Akashic Order can afford to push Janus into the background and emphasize other members of the line, such as Tae Grimshaw.

Those who have Destiny(Strange Sage) can count on having interesting lives, will encounter strange technology, lore and relics, and can expect to be called upon desperate rulers in need of their unconventional wisdom.

Legacy

The memory of Janus has faded over time, for he was already old, very old, when Alexus was on his rise, and the House Daijin may well be the oldest of Maradonian houses. Those who follow the Path of Janus find that they’re not particularly driven to do anything at all, except what they wish. Thus, no two such descendants are alike. However, the strange ways of Janus does creep into their lives, creating strange evens, drawing weirdness to them, and even twisting them to make them something other than human.

Instead of gaining an obsession, those who invoke the miracles of Janus instead suffer Corruption. Neutral miracles inflict 1d Corruption, Good reactions inflict 2d Corruption, Very Good reactions inflict 3d Corruption, and Excellent or better inflict 4d Corruption.

Milestones

A great evil threatens the Descendant’s home. None of his peer has the courage to face the threat, and so the Descendant volunteers. He departs his home on a quest that will successfully avert the danger, but he finds that he can never return. If he does return, he finds that his home rejects him.

Upon defeating a great evil, the Descendant uncovers a corrupt artifact or corrupt lore, which empowers the great evil and will allow it to rise again unless contained. The Descendant finds he cannot destroy it, so instead contains it. While so contained, the corrupt artifact both empowers and slowly corrupts the Descendant.

The Descendant meets a beautiful youth (virtuously pure and/or physically desirable) and falls in love. However, the Descendant discovers that to be with the beautiful youth, he must either corrupt the youth or use his corrupt power against the youth. The Descendant chooses to remain alone instead.

Because of his wisdom and power, the moral authority offers him a place of power and asks for his advice. The advice the descendant gives is considered abhorrent by the moral authority. If the moral authority ignores this advice, it will fall.

Death looms for the descendant, and the corrupt artifact offers him the power to escape death and gain a form of immortality. To forestall some future evil, the Descendant accepts and returns at a future date. However, he discovers the price of immortality is unredeemable corruption.

Associated Miracles

Unspeakable Knowledge

Reaction Required: Neutral

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Blood Purity 1, Broken Communion 6

Learned Prayer Cost: 5 points

Corruption: 3

Upon completion of this prayer, the Descendant opens his mind to the universe. The GM can thereafter give him whatever knowledge he seeks, but the knowledge that the character gains is in such a format that the Descendant cannot express this knowledge to any character who lacks the Broken Communion advantage.

Statistics: Oracle (Inspired +100%, Broken Communion Path -25%, Nuisance, unable to communicate truths found -10%) [25]

Daijin Nova

Minimum Reaction: Neutral

Learned Prerequisite: Blood Purity 1, Broken Communion 4 or Archetype

Learned Prayer Cost: 1

The unbridled power of Janus Daijin flows into the character. The character gains 25 energy points that must be immediately spent on a single use of psionic power. Even when the character buys this as a Learned Prayer, they must still spend 1 impulse buy point to activate it. Alternatively, characters with Communion my purchase it as Psychic Nova instead.

This power inflicts no Corruption!

Statistics: Optional Rule (Points for Energy)[1]

The Lore of Janus

Reaction Required: Very Good

Learned Prayer Prerequisite: Blood Purity 3, Broken Communion 10 or Archetype

Learned Prayer Cost: 4 points

Corruption: 1

Janus had collected a wide array of subtle, small tricks that allowed him to surprise his opponents or to gain access to insights others lacked. As a miracle, or a learned prayer with Broken Communion, this allows Janus to have a single use of any psionic power worth up to 15 points, rolling with a skill equal to his IQ. As a learned prayer (with the Archetype advantage), the Descendant can use this power once per day to gain any psionic power worth 5 points of less, rolling with a skill equal to IQ. What is a “single use” is up to the GM, but should generally constitute no more than an hour of an active power.

Statistics: Wild Talent (Aspect, Psionic only -20%, Divine, path -15%) [13], as alternative ability, and Unusual Background (May use Archetype as basis for Psychic Wildcard Power) [1], as a static trait.

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