Remember, while Darkness<em>looks</em>overpowered, all her charms are easily resisted by most Exalted, and EVERYONE knows that her powers don't work on people carrying cold iron against their flesh.  The instant she's revealed to be one of the Fair Folk, 95% of her advantages vanish.<br/><br/><strong>True name:</strong>Darkness Born of Burning Night<br/><em>Current name:</em>Crystal Words like Falling Knives<br/><strong>Concept:</strong>Hidden power behind the throne<br/><strong>Caste: </strong>Ornamental Entertainer shadowed by Artisan Worker<br/><strong>Motivation:</strong>To watch the whole of Creation destroyed by the machinations of those who live in it.<br/><em>Philosophy:</em>The Hungry Wolves (Conviction)<br/>XP:<br/><strong>Lure</strong>:  To play the dedicated martyr. (Compassion)<br/><br/><strong>Attributes</strong><br/>Strength        3<br/>Dexterity        5<br/>Stamina         5<br/><br/>Charisma        6<br/>Manipulation   7<br/>Appearance    6<br/><br/>Perception     5<br/>Intelligence    5<br/>Wits             6<br/><br/><strong>Abilities</strong><br/><em>Diplomat</em><br/>Linguist              1<br/>**Occult            2<br/>Ride<br/>Socialize             3<br/>Thrown<br/><br/><em>Entertainer</em><br/>*Investigation    2<br/>Larceny             1<br/>*Medicine          3<br/>**Perform          5<br/>Stealth              2<br/><br/><em>Warrior</em><br/>Archery<br/>Martial Arts        1<br/>Melee<br/>Presence           2<br/>War<br/><br/><em>Worker</em><br/>Bureaucracy<br/>*Craft (Glamour)  4<br/>Integrity<br/>*Lore                 2<br/>*Resistance        2<br/><br/><em>Casteless</em><br/>Athletics<br/>**Awareness      3<br/>Dodge                2<br/>Sail<br/>Survival<br/><br/>** Favored<br/>*   Caste<br/><br/><strong>Backgrounds</strong>(16 Bonus Points Spent)<br/>Artifacts  2  (Pauper's Mask 1 [Grace], Shaping Armor Amulet 1, Hundred Color Shaping Lens 2)<br/>Birth        5  (Gains Bonus Charms)<br/>Freehold   3  (Co-ruler of Freehold with 2 dots, may petition for Cyst holding, carries 2 pennants, allowed in most freeholds)<br/>Gossamer 5  (Starts story with 20 Gossamer; may make any number of Resource 5 purchases)<br/>Style       5   (Stunt Pool = 7; 1/scene auto recover 2 dice for pool;  Regains all stunt dice when entering Bedlam; may use 2 Wyld Stunts per day while in creation – glamour resist = Integ+ess vrs. Ability used)<br/><br/><strong>Virtues</strong><br/>Compassion:       4<br/>Conviction:         3<br/>Temperance:      3<br/>Valor                 3<br/>Willpower:          6<br/>Channels = 2 x Virtue<br/><br/><strong>Graces</strong>– Capitals = Major and feeding Grace, Italics=Ascendant feeding grace<br/><em>CUP</em>:                4   Oneiromancy Spell, the Pauper's Mask [Art. 1] (Owned by Xxxxxxxx)<br/>Staff:               2   Banner of Velvet Agony (Elsewhere)<br/>RING:               3   Gorget of Blissful Peace (Elsewhere)<br/>Sword:             2   Stylus of Ash and Mud (Elsewhere)<br/>Heart:              3   Crystal of the Violet Eye (Elsewhere)<br/>Channel = 2 x Grace; Health =Virtue + Grace<br/><br/>Essence                  3<br/>Personal Essence     26<br/>Committed Motes      4<br/>Gossamer               20<br/><br/>Health levels<br/>1 -0<br/>2 -1<br/>2 -2<br/>2 -4<br/>1 I<br/><br/><strong>Intimacies</strong>(Max 4)<br/>Prophetess of Thrice Damned Gifts<br/>Xxxxxxxxxxx<br/><br/><strong>Charms</strong><br/>­­>Assumption of Dreams and Passion * Emotion: Allure<em>(+1 auto success to all Performance rolls)</em><br/>First Cup Excellency<br/>Assume a Person's Heart*+<em>(Taint Creationborn: 10m+1wp+1g:Share active power, Created keeps it  for 1 day. Addictive. Glamour resist= stam+ess vrs. charisma)</em><br/>Heart Cutting Style* +<em>(5m = appears as perfect beauty, ignore cap of MDV for social roles versus target due to higher appearance. Glamour resist = wits+ess vrs. appearance)</em><br/>Dissonance of Principles* +<em>(1-6m=internal pen. of same value on all social combat roll made by others for 1 day. Negate = 1wp, 1 scene. Glamour ressit= inv+ess vrs. manipulation)</em><br/>One Thousand Tiny Hooks Tech.* +<em>(3m=manip+perf vrs. Dodge MDV.  Suxx = all social attacks vrs. That target become undodgeable. Glamour resist= inv + ess vrs. perform)</em><br/>Soul Carving Art<br/>Gossamer Forging Art<br/>Bastion of the Unassailable Grace : Heart*<em>(Immune to all non-magical harm from any source. Charms/Innate Abillities = +3 resist/DV. Does not include iron.)</em><br/>>Ravishing the Created Form<br/>>Banquet of Crumbs<br/>>Essence Forging Art<br/>>Awakened Dream Manufacture<br/>>Forging the Heart Grace (Does not work for Creationborn)<br/>>Forging the Cup Grace<br/>>Forging the Staff Grace<br/>>Forging the Ring Grace<br/>>Forging the Sword Grace<br/>>Gaping Virtue Mouth #<br/>>Ecstatic Reproduction Style #<br/><br/>> = Bonus Charm<br/>* = Linked to current Assumption<br/>+ = Grants an Innate Ability usable currently.<br/># = Cannot be used, though the charm is known, due to lack of Essence, Grace, or XP.<br/><em>Combos</em><br/><br/><strong>Merits</strong><br/><br/><strong>Flaws</strong><br/><br/><strong>Bonus Point Expenditure</strong><br/><em>15 base</em><br/>Backgrounds +1 = 1<br/>Essence +1 = 5<br/>Virtues +3 (Comp, Conv, Valor ea +1) = 9<br/><em>Infernal Oath-born</em>:  15 bonus points<br/>Background +3  = 3<br/>Background over 3 +6 = 12<br/><br/>Equipment notes:<br/>The sheer volume of mundane equipment that Darkness has access to is staggering.  Her wealth in Creationborn terms is nearly limitless.  That said it has very specific limits on exceptional equipment – one item of superior equipment per dot of Gossamer (not including those provided by other backgrounds).  Unless specifically detailed, all equipment and gifts offered by Darkness are of mundane material and non-exceptional quality, though they can be exceedingly expensive or valuable.  Darkness can make any number of Resource 5 purchases, though too many may attract attention.  Pennants negate the effects of Calcification while she possesses them in Creation's Bounds.  Exceptional equipment is marked with an *.<br/><br/><strong>Shaping Weapons</strong>'Bought' using gossamer points as effective resource limitation (Goss-1, -2 if Exceptional, -3 if Perfect)<br/>*Perfect Figment  (Cup)<br/>*Perfect Courtesan's Caul (Staff/Shaping Armor - can serve as armor in Creation)<br/>Soak                      Mobility   Fatigue   Cost      Tags<br/>+3L/+3B   (+3sh)          0      0           4g      Attune 2<br/>*Exceptional Nirishkyra Mask (Sword)<br/>World Egg (Ring)<br/><br/><strong>Artifacts</strong><br/>Shaping Armor Amulet  1  (Works as armor in Creation; this is usually worn and takes the form of a glittering rainbow hued crystal)<br/>Soak               Mobility     Fatigue   Cost      Tags<br/>+6L/+4B   (+4sh)      0      0      1Art      Attune 2<br/>Oneiromantic Spell: Pauper's Mask 1 (Cup Grace)<br/><em>Int+Beura, each suxx -1 dot in resources.  Target with wits+ess higher than wielder's beaua cannot be affected (glamour)</em><br/>Hundred Color Shaping Lens 2<em>(In creation, it can be used to fire ess or goss bolts – 3 motes or 1 goss, aimed by Per+Awareness)</em><br/>Speed   Accuracy   Damage<br/>6           +2          10B (Piercing)<br/><br/><strong>Tools/Weapons</strong><br/>Pennant: Navel Gemstone<br/>Pennant: Ring of Cut Crystal<br/>*Perfect Buff Jacket<br/>Soak      Mobility   Fatigue   Cost      Tags<br/>+5L/+8B      -1          -1          4          -<br/>*Perfect Gossamer Tiger Claws (uses Martial arts instead of Melee, and may use Martial arts to block lethal attacks)<br/>Speed   Accuracy   Damage   Defense   Rate      Min   Cost   Tag<br/>5           +3           5L           +1           3           Str1       4      M<br/>Clinch<br/>Speed   Accuracy   Damage   Defense   Rate      Min   Cost   Tag<br/>6           +0              +0B            +0      1      Str1   -   CNP<br/>Kick<br/>Speed   Accuracy   Damage   Defense   Rate      Min           Cost   Tag<br/>5               +0            +3B            -2        2      Str1Dex2   -   N<br/>Punch<br/>Speed   Accuracy   Damage   Defense   Rate      Min   Cost   Tag<br/>5           +1             +0B              +2      3      Str1   -   N<br/><br/><em><strong>Darkness Born of Burning Night</strong></em><br/><br/>The Raksha called Darkness Born of Burning Night was once unshaped.  And it was not a weak unshaped.  It was not even a minor unshaped minion.  It was born a noble, and given its Heart and Sword Graces immediately upon its birth.  For one of its ilk, it is incredibly powerful in the Wyld, but that is not where it was permitted to stay.<br/><br/>Darkness is an Oath Child, a raksha born of two raksha who swore an oath.  While the oath that was sworn does not hold the two exceedingly powerful nobles under its thrall, that oath does force Darkness to serve the purposes of the Yozi until they are free.  What it does not do is detail how that service is performed.  So Darkness serves the Yozi how it determines they need to be served....and to do that, it became Shaped.<br/><br/><strong>Crystal Words Like Falling Knives</strong><br/><em>You wish a story of what I came to be as I am now?  What a strange story to desire.  <br/><br/>Once I was not as I am now.  When this was, is not for mortals to understand.  What is time?  Time is the thimble of water upon the dying man's tongue; the crust of bread in the hands of the starving woman; the trickle of milk in the mouth of the dying babe.  But is it not a greater blasphemy for the immortal to speak of time than it is for a mortal to worship a petty god with little prayers?  I looked at Creation and saw what it is that creation is.  Creation is a story.  A story must be chronicled, to be understood.  So, I watch the story through eyes which can see it, speak the words that you understand so you may learn as I have; I hear the words that so often deny, and touch the flesh of those who deny and show them what they know, in their hearts.<br/><br/>The taste of their understanding is the nectar of pain which is turned to resolve.  <br/><br/>I serve the Vizier of Blessed Bounty because she allows me to.  She is a woman of great understanding, and she sees, as I have seen, and wishes to allow others to understand.  She is not cruel; she readily gives to those who need, what they need.  It only requires that one listen, and allow themselves to be taught what they understand, but do not believe.  And it is belief that is all she asks.  How can one not believe?  The truth is easily seen.  The immortals see it.  They have experienced it, not once, but three times.  Perhaps, in another life, I saw it.  And what is it that I saw?<br/><br/>You are seeing it now, the dissolution of the world into folly and madness, the powerful corrupt and seeking to overthrow their betters, for their betters have failed them again.  Did not the gods do this to their masters?  Did not the servants of the gods do this to the gods?  Did not the servants of the not-gods do this to their masters?  And now they see those who are not the servants of the not-gods taking up arms, preparing to cast them down.<br/><br/>It is as inevitable as it always has been.  Ah, but you are crying now....let me comfort you, with my soft touch and warm body.  It is the least I may do.</em><br/><br/><strong>What is Seen</strong><br/><br/>A pale, nubile girl of just an age to be married and made full.  Her breasts are not large, but they are firm and of good shape.  Like the heart, her face is perfect in its shape.  Her hair is the dark shine of obsidian and is but gently waved and there is no finer silk, it is long enough to cover her face, yet not so long that it would be a discomfort to her lover.  Her lithe form is not strong, but the ivory of her flesh is impenetrable and no matter what harm is done by her lovers, she suffers no death.  Her eyes are rubies so dark they touch violet, garnets set ablaze, with pupils like tiny slices of the deepest shadow.  Pearls shine from between her coral lips when she smiles upon one.<br/><br/>She dresses in black silk as soft and as delicate as the webs of spiders, yet as impenetrable as her knowing smile.  Gems and jewelery adorn her form when she wears no clothing; the jewels shine like nothing of creation, and the living metals are so fine they cannot be named.  She wears nothing upon her feet save rings and bells, nor upon her hands save rings and bracelets.  About her neck is hung a hexagonal crystal with no center, that shimmers with the colors of the rainbow that circles the sun when the high clouds touch it; she carries a stylus of obsidian and gold, which which she scribes the tale of the Vizier for all to read one day.  It is said that she sleeps beneath a mirror hung above a bed hidden behind the throne of the Vizier, where she may watch all that occurs as she watches those whom the Vizier teaches.