Name:  Shimmering Lodestar<br/>Concept: Emissary to the Dragonblooded<br/>Motivation: Return the Dragonblooded to the Exalted host<br/>Caste: Eclipse<br/>Anima: A raging golden-red bonfire; when iconic, the flame seems to spread to others<br/>Intimacies: Adoration and Gratitude (Aeneia Orlan), Regret (Thorns), Maternal affection (The Cult of the Illuminated), Infatuation (Dragonblooded Exalted),Camaraderie (Cult Solars), Hatred (The Mask of Winters)<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Backstory:  The woman who would become Shimmering Lodestar began life in the city of Thorns as Ryella Bannys, a scion of the powerful Bannys banking family.  The Bannys were an exalted name, known as the financiers of Autocrats and Dynasts.  In close collaboration with the Guild, over the course of two centuries they had established branches as far away as Gem and in competitive markets like Nexus.  In the city's twilight years, the numerous failed military expeditions of the Autocrat placed Thorns itself heavily into their debt.<br/><br/>       Ryella grew up the apple of her parent's eyes.  Bright, inquisitive, and preternaturally beautiful, she was everything they could have wanted and so they showered her with love, affection, and cartloads of material goods.  Perhaps not surprisingly, this surplus of good fortune shaped Ryella into something of a fickle, unappreciative teenager.  Despite the wonders that surrounded her, she always imagined herself somewhere else.  Much of her free time was whiled away reading stories about the mighty Princes of the Earth, the Ten Thousand Dragons guarding Creation who spent their days battling dark Anathema and vicious Raksha.  She would fantasize that she was a lost daughter of the Empress, who would someday receive the Dragon's graces and go on exotic adventures.  Given her wealth and beauty there were no shortage of suitors, but she ignored all of them.  Instead she pined after the dashing Dynasts who made up the city's garrison.  One event she remembers with amusement today was the time when, at a high society ball, she fainted dead away after a Tepet Wood Aspect kissed her hand.<br/><br/>     Had things continued as they had, it is possible that marriage to an essence-rich but cash-poor Dynast would have been in her future.  Unfortunately for the entire world, one night not long after her 18th birthday, the Mask of Winters appeared.  Awoken by the horrific shower of blood which poured ceaselessly on the city, she watched with her family as the Dragonblooded garrison rode out to combat the horde of twisted corpses.  When the Dragonblooded, flaring with elemental power, dispatched the last of the creatures she was cheering out the window so hard she went hoarse and started crying.  Needless to say, when the Deathknights charged the exhausted Dynasts and massacred them in a few minutes of brutal slaughter, it came as something of a shock.  As the legions of cackling dead poured through the open gates of the city, the Bannys clan fled with their retainers and some cached wealth through a secret escape route in the city's sewer system.<br/><br/>      Her father's plan was to sneak the family away to the bank's Nexus branch and try to make a life from there, but the road from Thorns was cruel.  Outriders from the Mask of Winter's armies attacked one night, and what guardsmen didn't die in battle were consumed by a wasting, necrotic plague which seeped into their wounds.  After that, the ranks of her family and servants were depleted one by one.  Disease took some; predation by lone ghouls and ghosts took others.  Eventually, all that was left was Ryella, her father, and her two younger sisters, huddled around a flickering campfire in a muddy river valley.  Still, the end was in sight.  The next day they would reach a town with a decently sized port, and they would be able to use the last of their money to book passage to Nexus.  Her father tried to keep spirits up by telling wild tales of the mighty trade center, but was cut short by a barbed arrow embedding itself in his throat.<br/><br/>       As her father's life bled out in the mud, she watched as their attackers emerged from the trees around them.  Not Deathknights.  Not ghosts.  Humans.  Scruffy bandits in patchwork armor, congratulating their leader on his fine shot, eying her and her sisters lustfully.  Laughing with glee at their spoils, the bandits approached the trembling woman, her sisters clinging to her in fear.  Ryella's gaze flickered between the approaching ruffians and her father's face, staring at her desperately with his last seconds of life.  Her mind was blank, and all she could hear was the rushing of blood through her ears.  As the leader's heavy hand clamped on her shoulder, she had a sudden, crystalline moment of realization.  This is not the way the world should be.<br/><br/>      The bandit leader never even saw his fate coming. The small woman beneath him rose, wreathed in golden fire, and tore his dagger from its sheath, driving it through his neck with a fierce roar.  Not wasting any time, she set upon the other bandits, hacking and screaming wildly.  Three more of them fell before they clearly saw the mark of the Deceivers on her brow and ran away in terror.<br/><br/>     The next few weeks were uncomfortable, to say the least.  One bandit had had the presence of mind to relieve her father of his purse before they retreated, and the last of the Thorns Bannys family was left utterly destitute.  Worse yet, word spread quickly of what had happened, and soon the entire area was on the lookout for a beautiful young Deceiver with two demonic servitors in the guise of young girls.  But the most painful thing of all was seeing her sisters look at her with fear and flinch when she reached out to touch them.  Still, she soldiered on, inflamed by a need to save her family.<br/><br/>     Salvation finally came in the form of a exotically beautiful woman with vividly blue eyes.  She introduced herself as Aeneia Orlan, and offered a way out.  She knew what Ryella was, the troubles she had faced.  She could take her to a place where her sisters could live lives of comfort and she could learn to control her power, use it to make a better world.  Battered, hungry, and emotionally exhausted, Ryella agreed.  Aeneia quickly made good on her promise, and the journey Northward was as comfortable as it was speedy.  A few weeks later Ryella and her sisters were ensconced in the Dehennen mountains, and Ryella herself enrolled in the Sequestered Tabernacle, training camp of the Cult of the Illuminated.<br/><br/>     This was not long after the Empress' disappearance, and Ryella was part of the first class that ever went through one of the three training camps.  To say everything went as planned with her would be a lie.  She accepted the asceticism and rigorous training of the first year of instruction well enough, but there was something missing.  She learned the lessons and performed the katas well enough to avoid reprimand, but there was no fire in her, none of the desperate passion that had driven her to save her family in the first place.  When Grandmaster Lupo came to inspect the progress of the students, she was the only one he did not personally humiliate in a duel.  As he put it: "It would have been like punching bread dough."  The insult was spoken just loud enough for hear, but the effort at manipulation was wasted.  She merely sighed and nodded.<br/><br/>     At the end of the first year, she was called to Verdant Silk's office for a discussion.  There the master of the Tabernacle informed her that once a week, she would be spending time under a sifu's personal instruction, rather than in classes with her peers.  The next day, Ryella waited patiently in one of the Tabernacle's training rooms for her sifu, staring listlessly at a wall.  Suddenly, the door burst open and in walked the shapely blue-eyed Sidereal who had rescued her before.  Ryella barely had time to register her suprise before Aeneia slammed the doors closed and tackled her to the ground, embracing her in a torrid kiss.<br/><br/>    The experience was a new one in more ways than one to Ryella, but Aeneia was very good at what she did.  Before long the Eclipse's cries of passion echoed through the marble halls, and hours later she watched her Sifu's swaying hips depart as she lay on the ground in a quivering heap.  For the next week, Ryella could barely focus on her studies.  What did it mean?  Was it a test?  Would it happen again?  Finally the time came around, and again Ryella was waiting in the training room for her Sifu.  This time, though, she stared at the door so hard it seemed like she might burn a hole in it, ears straining for the sound of soft feet padding across the marble.  She waited for hours in the uncomfortable seiza position, legs cycling between agonizing pain and then complete numbness.<br/><br/>     Finally, as the sun went below the horizon, the doors opened and Aeneia came in.  The Sidereal said nothing, but simply stood in front of her, looking down and examining her with a predatory gaze for a long few minutes.  At last the beautiful women knelt down and leaned in close enough that her lips were brushing Ryella's ear:  "Bad girls who don't focus on their lessons don't get a reward." she said, then turned and departed without a second glance.  Ryella's devotion to her studies in the week after that was nothing short of fanatic, and a pattern was established.  By the end of the second year of training, Ryella had surpassed even the dragonblooded and spirit martial arts trainers in skill and power.<br/><br/>      When she was finally allowed to leave the Sequestered Tabernacle to spread the good news amongst the people, Ryella was no longer the shellshocked girl who had entered it.  She was now known as Shimmering Lodestar, a Solar Exalt who fully embodied the power and glory of her heritage.  She traveled the land, finding unjust rulers or petty gods abusing the people.  When possible, she would instruct these iniquitous autocrats of the error of their ways.  More than a few petty threshold divinities and kings found themselves looking at their job as rulers in a new light after accepting the mysterious, beautiful woman to their bedchambers.  Those who resisted found that her hands could kill as easily as they drew you to the height of passion.<br/><br/>    If the Cult of the Illuminated's training has failed in one respect, it is in how she regards the dragonblooded.  Flame of Desire has never been able to shed her girlhood love of them.  Most cult solars despise them, but she sees in them the hope of saving Creation, and restoring the proper order of the world.  Except in the case of the most depraved Dynasts and ruthless dictators, she always tries to convert them, rather than kill.</div></div><br/>http://i.imgur.com/XI253.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/XI253.jpg)<br/>Description:  Beautiful is not a word that adequately describes Shimmering Lodestar.  Long, lustrous brown hair pours down her neck like a silken waterfall, put up in  elaborate styles or allowed to hang down her back.  Either way it frames a perfect face, endowed with rich emerald green eyes, aristocratic cheekbones and inviting lips.  Her body, usually sheathed in elegant robes or barely-concealing dancer's silks, is endowed with both a lush figure and lithe muscles, though most are too distracted by the former to notice the latter.  Though she is relatively short at 5'5" in height, she never goes unnoticed.<br/><br/>Name: Shimmering Lodestar<br/>Concept: Emissary to the Dragonblooded<br/>Motivation: Return the Dragonblooded to the Exalted host<br/>Caste: Eclipse<br/>Anima: A raging golden-red bonfire; when iconic, the flame seems to spread to others<br/>Intimacies: Adoration and Gratitude (Aeneia Orlan), Regret (Thorns), Maternal affection (The Cult of the Illuminated), Infatuation (Dragonblooded Exalted),Camaraderie (Cult Solars), Hatred (The Mask of Winters)<br/><br/>Known Languages: Riverspeak (Native), High Realm, Old Realm, Firetongue<br/><br/>Willpower: 10<br/><br/>Attributes:<br/>Strength 2, Dexterity 5, Stamina 2<br/>Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 5<br/>Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 3<br/><br/>Virtues:<br/>Compassion 4, Conviction 3, Valor 2, Temperance 2<br/><br/>Backgrounds: Backing (Cult of the Illuminated) 3, Cult 1, Resources 3, Artifact 1x2 (2  Orichalum Seven-Jewelled Peacock Fans), Artifact 1 (Solar Seal: If a message sealed with this signet ring is opened by anyone other than its intended recipient, the text disappears instantly.), Sifu 2, Followers 1<br/><br/>FAVOURED ABILITIES<br/>Martial Arts 5<br/>Integrity 5<br/>Performance 3<br/>Presence 5<br/>Bureaucracy<br/>Linguistics 5<br/>Socialize 5<br/>Ride<br/>Sail<br/>Investigation 1<br/><br/>NON-FAVOURED ABILITIES<br/>Athletics<br/>Resistance 1<br/>Awareness<br/>Lore 1<br/>Occult 2<br/>Dodge 5<br/><br/>Specialties:<br/>+2 Presence (Conversion)<br/>+2 Performance (Inspiration)<br/><br/>Charms:<br/>MARTIAL ARTS<br/>1st Excellency<br/>PRESENCE<br/>2nd Excellency<br/>Hypnotic Tongue Technique<br/>PERFORMANCE<br/>2nd Excellency<br/>RESISTANCE<br/>Body-Mending Meditation<br/>OCCULT<br/>Spirit Detecting Glance<br/>DODGE<br/>Shadow Over Water<br/>LINGUISTICS<br/>Sagacious Reading of Intent<br/>Letter-Within-A-Letter Technique<br/>Twisted Words Technique<br/>SOCIALIZE<br/>Wise-Eyed Courtier Method<br/><br/>Non-Solar Charms:<br/>Dematerialize<br/><br/>Martial Arts:<br/>CRANE STYLE<br/>Fluttering Cry of Warning<br/><br/>Combos:<br/><br/>Combat:<br/>Join Battle 4<br/><br/>Attacks:<br/>Orichalum Peacock Fans: 5 SPD, 14 Acc, 7B/3L, +4 Def, Rate 4<br/>Clinch: 6 Speed, 10 Acc, 2B, 0 Def, Rate 1, Tags: C,N,P<br/>Kick: 5 Speed, 10 Acc, 5B, -2 Def, Rate 2, Tags: N<br/>Punch: 5 speed, 11 Acc, 2B, +2 Def, Rate 3, Tags: N<br/><br/>Soak: 1L/2B<br/>Health Levels: 0/0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap<br/>Dodge DV: 7<br/>Parry DV: 6<br/>Dodge MDV: 9<br/>Parry MDV: 5 (8 with regards to seduction)<br/><br/>Essence 3<br/>Personal essence: 19/19<br/>Peripheral essence: 38/42<br/>Committed Essence: 4<br/>Bonus Mote Regen:<br/><br/>Equipment:<br/>Speed Accuracy Damage Defense Rate      Minimums       Attune Tags<br/>5      +3      +5B/+1L +3      3   Str •, Dex 3, Mrt 3    4   D, M<br/><br/>BP Expenditures:<br/>2 BP on Virtues<br/>5 BP on Willpower 10<br/>10 BP on Abilities<br/><br/>XP Expenditures:<br/>16 on Essence 3<br/>16 on Dematerialization<br/>8 on Twisted Words Technique<br/>8 on Wise-Eyed Courtier Method<br/><br/>2 XP left<br/><br/>THE RIVAL:  Ek-Tauru, lesser deity of Southern longhorned cattle, a subordinate of Ahlat.  This god resembles an enormous man with pair of gigantic horns thrusting out the sides of his head, brutish features, rippling muscle, and enormous black hooves.  His thick black body hair is khaki-colored, as is his long tail. He encountered Shimmering Lodestar when Aeneia brought her there during Calibration festivities, and suffered great humiliation when she rebuffed his crude advances.  He has nursed the grudge for a long time, and does his best with what influence he has to impede her actions and the actions of the Gold Faction.<br/><br/>THE ALLY:  Aeneia Orlan, Chosen of Serenity, is Shimmering Lodestar's sidereal Sifu and mentor in the Cult of the Illuminated.  It was her who originally found her after the fall of Thorns, rekindled Lodestar's passion for life in the Sequestered Tabernacle, and has guided her development for years.  When Lodestar stops to consider what she knows of Aeneia, she is forced to realize it is actually very little, but all the same she bears a girlish love and adoration for her.  She was Flame's first lover, and she believes no other has ever surpassed her.<br/><br/>THE FRIEND:  Flatbeak Tom, a Changing Moon Lunar of the Seneschals faction, and one of Flame's dear friends from her training in the Sequestered Tabernacle, where he sometimes helps train the young solars.  His totemic animal is the rare and unusual platypus, and he's known as a loud, jolly man with a warm heart.  His blunt, friendly demeanor also conceals his true abilities: he is a master infiltrator, and can brew all manner of poisons within himself.<br/><br/>CHARACTER GOAL:  Establish a host of dragonblooded under the Circle's command.  Lodestar herself is no commander, but she can make overtures to Southern Outcaste and the like to pass them off to the more martially inclined members.  Once they have a real organization of them, she believes, their numbers and abilities wedded to Celestial power and vision will make the circle unstoppable.<br/><br/>AWESOME NAME:  Stewards of the Crystal City.