User talk:IsaacAlpharn
The Bannerets of Ameretat
“You must not fear death, my lads; defy him, and you drive him into the enemy's ranks.”
-Napoleon Bonaparte
Do What You Must
The earliest mention of the Eternal Warriors can be traced to a free company cabal in the Achaemenid Empire.
In order to compensate for their small numbers, they utilized shock and fear to rout their opponents. Those who were courageous enough to fight them often fell against the unyielding defenses of the warriors.
Over time they became renowned for defeating powerful foes both mundane and supernatural. After witnessing their skill surviving overwhelmingly impossible odds unscathed, emperor Cyrus the Great believed them to be servants of Ameretat, the personification of immortality. He elevated them to nobility and commissioned the creation of a force of elite soldiers.
So it was that they developed a training regiment to forge great warriors, which would become the empire's famous Immortals heavy infantry force. They further codified their martial doctrine of psychological tactics and relentless endurance into a Legacy, forging a path to immortality so the empire would always have champions ready to defend it against supernatural dangers.
The ages passed and the empire has long since crumbled to dust. Yet the Simurghs continued to move through the battlefields of history, continuously fighting for causes they believed in.
In time they would join other warriors whose oath of service and honor resonated with their ethos, becoming founding members of the Adamantine Arrow. Although their focus on immortality draws unease from mage society, its non-parasitic nature and their member's honorable behavior have so far allowed them to avoid being labeled as Left-Handed.
Origins
Parentage: Thyrsus, Adamantine Arrow
Background: Athánatoi, eternal warriors, dread marshals, undying, simurghs, dauntless
Appearances: The Dauntless tend to favor those who demonstrate tenacity towards their goals, although this often comes with a degree of stubbornness.
While knowledge of martial disciplines is desirable, much greater weight is placed on those that demonstrate a mix of pragmatism and honor. Mentors are loath to equip the bloodthirsty with the means to rampage through the ages.
Members can often be found studying new combat techniques, whether it's by questing to rediscover lost systems, apprenticing under masters or developing their own personalized style, a drive to seek perfection of the arts of battle permeates the Legacy.
In everyday life, there is as much variety in the manner in which the Simurgh dress as anyone else. When they expect battle, they tend to favor sturdy and utilitarian clothes, allowing them to embark in long quests unimpeded.
Doctrine
Prerequisites: Death 2, Intimidation 2, two dots in one of the following Skills; Athletics, Brawl, Firearms, Stealth, Weaponry.
Initiation: The prospective member prepares an iron sagaris axe with a wooden handle (symbolizing Ameretat as patroness of plants). This is traditionally customized to represent the mage and their line of mentorship.
The candidate then imprints it with their Nimbus. Before it fades, they must use it to defeat a worthy opponent while driving fear into their hearts.
Once this is accomplished, they must fully submerge themselves in the waters of a river of the Underworld while holding the axe (symbolizing Haurvatat, the personification of wholeness and an ever present ally of Ameretat). The ritual protects the candidate from any deleterious effects, finishing the shaping of their soul and perfecting the materials of the sagaris into the signature weapon of the Undying.
Organization: Because they have a penchant to outlive their mistakes, many Athánatoi tend to become excellent teachers, having honed the craft over several lifetimes.
It often falls to them to train new talons in the combat techniques of the Arrow. Great variety exist in their favored disciplines. Martial arts, HEMA, ballistics and more are covered based on the instructor's preferences, although veteran masters tend to draw from all fields.
Members are sometimes called to mentor problem students, ones whose stubbornness often matches the Simurgh's own. While their teaching style can be seen as unorthodox or even brutal, it still closely adheres to the philosophy of the Order.
Prospective initiates are trained in a variety of fields of martial combat. Common to all is an emphasis on fear tactics, on making opponents perceive them as a ghost, reapers, dullahans, a terrible thought. Destabilized foes can be more easily routed and survivors can spread the tale, possibly preventing further casualties. If all else fails, they are prepared to fallback on their resilience, to make sure they can outlast their foes.
It's not unusual for mentors to take students along on assignments, to help them gain practical experience. Sparring via the Duel Arcane is also commonplace, teaching them to be ready for anything. By the time students are elevated to full membership, often a strong bond is forged through mutually earned respect. While the Legacy found chapters based on convenience and available numbers, their global headquarters are located in the Alborz mountain range. Deep within the caves lies the Keep of Mithra. Here they develop new training regimens, compile their history and test themselves in trials.
The Keep is also employed as a safe research ground to develop new species, field supplies and combat medicine. Extensive research is focused on cryptids and ghosts, which is then leveraged by the grandmasters to create new beasts of battle and living weapons to aid in their most perilous confrontations. This gives the area the appearance of an alien ecosystem.
Theory: When taking up arms, a warrior must become death itself. They must strike suddenly and decisively, having honed fear into a weapon. The enemy that believes the battle is lost walks the path to their defeat, and those too afraid to fight may be neutralized without unnecessary bloodshed.
Yet a warrior must also be relentless, able to endure as they pass through a thousand battlefields, championing their causes. In the end, the best techniques are passed on by the survivors.
Seize the power of death and forge it into the blade that safeguards life, earn the wisdom of the ages and use it to create a better future for the living.
Magic
Ruling Arcanum: Death
Yantras: Chilling atmosphere (+1), succeeding in an Intimidation roll related to the spell (+1), nervous or frightened target (+1, +2 if under a fear related Condition), ritually maintained personal weapons or armor (+1), confronting a target without them knowing the Undying's identity (+2), unaware target (+1), symbols of immortality or fear (+1), drawing blood from an opponent (+1), finishing a round of combat where the Dread Marshall hasn't taken damage from attacks (+1, +2 if this was done without focusing on dodging).
Oblations: Writing a journal or memoirs, ritually maintaining equipment, practicing combat maneuvers (martial arts katas, shooting training, war games, etc), endurance training, researching interrogation techniques, conducting an interrogation, learning or teaching combat techniques, sparring or dueling (including the Duel Arcane), investigating ancient or esoteric weapons / combat styles, researching the psychology of fear, developing new tactics based on fear.
Attainments
First: Banner of the Frozen Breath
Prerequisites: Initiation
The first step to defeating an enemy is to make sure their will crumbles and fear replaces reason. After a scene swearing to drive fear into their enemies' hearts (taking an oath, making a pre-battle speech, etc), the Dread Marshal is able to detect all feelings of fear or unease within an area, amplifying these impulses greatly. They can selectively impose [Death] Conditions related to fear on any nervous target within it, such as Cowed, Spooked, Frightened, Madness or Nightmares. Indeed, being able to sense these fears greatly aids in hunting them down. This is normally cast centered on themselves and their allies for maximum effect on the field, but using it to defend their Sanctum is also common.
This is a Potency primary Compelling of Death, which is Withstood by Composure. Reach is assigned to advanced duration and advanced scale, with the restriction of only affecting fear making up for the extra Reach.
Optional: Life 2
Survival and victory can only be grasped with discipline and training, only those that have steeled themselves shall prevail.
After a scene preparing for combat (or helping the target prepare if they are using it on someone else), the target becomes able to achieve exceptional successes on all intimidation and mundane combat rolls with 3 successes rather than 5.
This is a Duration primary Compelling of Life and Death with Reach assigned to advanced duration.
Second: Cloak of Mēnõg
Prerequisites: Death 2, Intimidation 3
The darkness is one of mankind's oldest fears, for it hides predators within its depths. In the hands of a skilled warrior, it can conceal them from their foes or transform them into nightmares.
After a scene of weaving the energies of Twilight into an invisible shroud, the Dread Marshall becomes able to turn invisible any part of the target that is partially obscured.
They have fine control over the parts affected and can reflexively suppress this ability if they wish. If their face is lit only by moonlight, for example, they can make only the head invisible. This ability is sometimes attributed as the origin of tales of the dullahan or headless knight. Some use a hood to make their faces invisible, others make their eyes' pupils vanish or their hands alone manifest in midair. This is as often a tool of stealth as it is of psychological warfare.
This is a Duration primary Veiling of Death with Reach assigned to advanced duration.
Optional: Life 2
The first step to become immortal is to fortify the body, allowing it to operate in peak performance, maintain focus and stand firm against the most taxing trials.
After a scene commissioning the target for immortality, the Eternal Warrior is able to suspend all negative passive entropic effects upon them. Subjects do not bleed out, illnesses do not worsen, poisonous effects are suspended, they do not require food or sleep (although they may partake if they so wish) and they do not age (or decay in case of objects). Apart from granting their longevity, this ability to bestow a limited form of eternal youth and extra time is usually leveraged as a bargaining chip.
This is a Duration primary Shielding of Life and Death with Reach assigned to advanced duration.
Third: Aegis of the Simurgh
Prerequisites: Death 3, two dots in a second Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
After tempering the body, next comes fortifying the soul. Some opponents are like snakes, fear is not enough to dissuade them and they will slither away to continue causing harm. When the need is dire, more permanent sanctions might be in order. Like the legendary bird they are named after, the Simurghs of this level have resolved themselves to eliminate these threats and push on towards victory.
Killing no longer counts as an Act of Hubris.
(Probably needs something else in addition.)
Optional: Life 3
Legend has it that the Simurgh is immortal, being reborn in flame upon death. While the existence of this being is debated, it has nonetheless inspired one of the Athanatoi's most famous means of immortality.
After a scene of ritually marking a target with sigils, they can make them into an anchor. If the Athánatoi's health pool is full of lethal or aggravated damage, they automatically spend a mana to Discorporate and reform in any anchor of their choosing, or the closest one if this happens while they are unconscious. This can be consciously activated by paying a mana. They can have up to [Life] anchors at a time.
Veteran members usually anchor one of their anchors to the Keep, cherishing the opportunity to test their mettle against new creatures or pass on their knowledge to others.
This is a Duration primary Weaving of Life and Death (giving the ability to Discorporate like a ghost) with Reach assigned to advanced duration.
((The third attainment also suggests that with Death 3 and Life 3 you can cause your body to disintegrate and reform at an anchor in another location, soul and all, without the use of Space. I don't see how Death 3 can disintegrate a dead body, nevermind a living one. And I don't see how life 3 would regrow a body on the other side. Creating a new person is Life 5, typically. Disintegrating matter entirely is Matter/Death 4, typically. So that power would need to be revisited.))
Iteration Two
Legend has it that the Simurgh is immortal, being reborn in flame upon death. While the existence of this being is debated, it has nonetheless inspired one of the Athánatoi's most famous means of immortality.
After a scene of ritually marking a target with sigils, they can make them into an anchor. The Athánatoi can then reflexively dismiss any number of active anchors they have, healing 2 boxes of bashing damage or 1 box of lethal damage per dot of Life possessed by the Athánatoi, for every anchor dismissed. This can be done even while the Athánatoi is unconscious. They can have up to [Life] anchors at a time, and each anchor is sympathetically Connected to their creator.
Veteran members that are also Disciples of Space usually leave one of their anchors in the Keep, cherishing the opportunity to pass on their knowledge to others.
This resembles the 'Knit' spell, with reach being assigned to heal lethal damage.
Fourth: Paths of the Fravashis
Prerequisites: Death 4, Intimidation 4
By Awakened Zoroastrian understanding, the Fravashis guide the Urvan of the dead to the afterlife, with echoes of them occasionally created as ghosts, to resolve unfinished businesses. A sagacious Dauntless can leverage their secret roads to great effect.
Some utilize them to bypass enemy fortifications, springing forth ambushes out of thin air. A few members suggest this gave birth to the myth of dullahans effortlessly passing through gates.
Others utilize them to escape explosions or dangerous environments. There are even a few that use them as part of their psychological warfare tactics. One famous case involved terrifying a target by utilizing it alongside the Cloak of Mēnõg to create an effect of "nothing under the mask", similar to the ending of the Mask of the Red Death.
This replicates Ghost Gate with Reach assigned to instant use and sending a target to Death attuned Twilight without a portal.
Optional: Life 4
The Dread Marshalls have learned how to amplify their power by channeling it through their anchors, allowing them to assume a form that embodies fear and martial prowess.
When at least one anchor exists, they can use an action to become a being halfway between flesh and ghost, Materialized by default. They are not bound to a ghostly anchor, do not possess a Ban, Bane, bleed Essence or have an Essence pool. Any Life or Death spells that seek to directly affect them require equal aptitude in both Arcana, although the Legacy’s Attainments affect them normally.
Their Rank is half their Gnosis, rounded down. They receive the max number of Numina, Influences and Manifestations for their Rank, which are fueled by Mana instead of Essence and are activated by rolling Gnosis + Death. Their attributes are derived by dream form rules, but their other advantages and traits are calculated as normal.
In addition, they can use an action to envelop themselves in dread armor, which grants them [Death]/[Life] points of General/Ballistic armor that functions as mundane armor.
They have greater control over their weapons and can cause them to inflict bashing or lethal damage (even fists and guns).
If their last anchor is destroyed or dismissed, this Attainment is forcefully ended.
This is a custom Patterning of Life and Death with Reach assigned to instant use and advanced duration, with the restriction compensating for the extra Reach.
Fifth: Decoction of the Gaokarena
Prerequisites: Death 5, two dots in a third Skill among the optional prerequisite Skills
The Gaokarena is a tree whose essence is fabled to bring back the dead, grant immortality and cure any disease. The greatest masters of the Undying have survived enough to gain a deep understanding of the borders between life and death, becoming able to channel a similar power to heal, restore youth or afford some time for the dead to put their affairs in order.
This replicates Deny the Reaper with Reach assigned to instant use, advanced duration and bringing back the recently dead.
The resurrected do not suffer the effects of soullessness (although they still lack a soul). However, the revival requires a target to be assigned as an anchor sustaining the subject's life. Should the target be destroyed, the Attainment ends and the subject dies again.
Optional: Life 5
Even the greatest combat virtuosos cannot win every battle alone or be prepared to champion every cause. To this end, the grandmasters of the Eternal Warriors have learned to create comrades in arms, bringing forth mighty champions to overturn even the most dire situations.
After using a point of mana and spending a scene sculpting their design into existence, they are able to create a being halfway between ghosts and living beings. They possess sentience and the stats of ghosts, but the body of living beings, having no Essence or anchors. They have Numina and Influences, but fuel them with Willpower. Affecting them with Life or Death spells requires equal dots in both Arcana. Their Rank is equal to half the Athánatoi's Gnosis, rounded down. Rather than Manifestations, they are granted [Life] extra features as per Transform Life.
However, once created, they are independent beings and the mage is therefore unable to simply end the Attainment. While they are initially loyal and obey the mage, this may change depending on how they are treated. Sometimes the Eternal Warriors must take on the responsibility of putting down a creature twisted by the callous actions of one of their own.
This is a Making of Life and Death, with Reach assigned to Lasting duration and the restrictions making up for the extra Reach.
((Creations of this sort are not Lasting. They're at best indefinite duration. The base spell factors for a mastery level attainment are based on arcana level -1. Meaning 4 steps of factors. Indefinite duration would be a fifth step, and would also require a reach and another mana point. Granting the transform life effects is also a reach, too. Plus 1 for the instant cast, 1 for using advanced duration... So it's way over in terms of reach. Such creations would end up being acts of hubris when they expire, too. And without mind 5, any life/death hybrid is going to be a mindless beast with basic drives and instincts, rather than sapient and rational. If you do only death for them, then they'd be fully ghost, and would have ghost traits and ghost minds. Crossing into flesh brings that particular limitation, systems wise. I would say make them hybrid war beasts with the life/death hybridization, but have it somehow be the same beast every time such that it never actually dies, only its body does. And it skirts the 'having beasts roaming around freely' problem, too.))