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Chosen of Hours

By Chaka

Submitted on 26 May 2008 at 10:24:05 AM EDT
Last updated on 12 Jul 2008 at 02:05:15 AM EDT

Category: Character Types

Life is time. Everything else, great and small, every journey taken, pleasure felt, battle fought, secret learned and ending endured all take place within the flow of time. A person is bound by time, and defines time. Time flies or crawls depending on the mood, events years past can seem like only yesterday, whilst yesterday can seem a thousand years ago. In the beginning Pluto, the Maiden of Hours, kept watch on the flow of time, and served as the great mediator between her sisters’ functions, binding the Maidens into a cohesive whole. Past, present, and future were her domain, and she worked to preserve them. And then the Usurpation came, and Pluto was fatally wounded during She Who Lives In Her Name’s final strike on Creation, struck down at the moment of the Gods’ greatest victory through their Chosen, along with many others. This tragic strike was to erase many concepts from Creation, as well as the Incarnae that defined them. Entire groups of Exalted felt the death knell of their progenitors in their souls, and it drove them utterly mad. They fell upon one another until only a few were left, and the rest fell on their swords. These Exaltations were damaged fundamentally, driving any host cursed with them insane. In the end, Lytek gathered them up and locked them away in the Reliquary of Lost Stars, which sits in a secret antechamber and memorial shrine in his office. Among these unfortunates were the sixth caste of Sidereals, the Chosen of Hours. The Timekeepers were the mediators of the Sidereals, like their Maiden among her sisters. They arbitrated disputes, ensured the continuation of fate, and filled in the gaps between the functions of their fellows, ensuring the journey reached its correct end, the correct secret caused the correct battle, and so on. They were maintainers of harmony and concord, and their loss more than doubled the workload of the other castes. In this time, only the most ancient or historically minded Sidereals are aware of the existence of a sixth Maiden and a sixth Caste, and even they believe them to be lost forever. However, this is not necessarily true. The other Exaltations cracked permanently because their progenitors were utterly destroyed, but Pluto was not. Dying and broken, her body was taken by her sisters and placed in a chamber in her domain, the White Clocktower, where she was laid in the heart of her sanctum and placed in a powerful stasis. The Maidens had cast a great fortelling, and knew that as long as their sister did not die, her Exaltations would heal in time, and if they were healed, then Pluto could perhaps be saved… One day, the Healers will walk amongst their brothers again, and a sense of balance may be restored to the Viziers.

Associations:The colour white, the element of water, the season of winter, the Central direction and the time of eclipse.

Sobriquets: The Timekeepers, The Lost Brethren, The Healers.

Quote: ‘Yes, I know it hurts. But this pain will fade, in time.’

Caste Markings:The eyes of the Chosen of Hours had unnaturally white irises that seemed to glow softly, surrounding pupils which contained the glimmer of snow-white stars. With great expenditures of essence the Mark of Hours shone on their forehead like burning snow.

Anima Effect: The Timekeepers nickname was well given, for time was theirs to manipulate. By spending 10 motes reflexively, the Chosen of Hours could make the Lesser Sign of Hours. Her anima billowed out in a cloud of pure white light, which suffused herself and all allies within (Essence x 10) yards. Anyone so blessed found time passed faster for them than for others. This caused the Speed of all actions undertaken by them to be reduced by 1, to a minimum of Speed 2. This includes attacks made in combat, and lasts for one scene. At the 11-15 mote anima flare level, this power cost 5 motes, and cost 1 mote at the 16+ level.

Auspicious Abilities: The constellation of the White Clocktower is made up of a single constellation from each of the other Houses, representing the connecting force between them. The five constellations in this House are The Messenger, The Lovers, The Quiver, The Guardians and The Corpse. Thus, Chosen of Hours’ Auspicious Abilities are Ride, Socialise, Archery, Larceny and Medicine.

The Greater Sign of Hours

By the Sign of Hours is time brought to heel. The Sidereal manifests a blinding white aura, which speeds outwards. For her (essence) hours, subtract the Sidereal’s essence rating (before removing the permanent dot) from the Speed of her actions and the actions of all allies within (essence) miles, whilst adding her essence rating to the Speed all who oppose her. This cannot reduce Speed below 1 or increase it above 10. Anyone entering the area of effect has this effect placed on them, while the effect lingers on anyone leaving the area of effect for the allotted time.

Arcane Fate for Timekeepers

Due to their Exaltations’ convalescence in the Reliquary of Lost Stars, there were no Chosen of Hours at the time of the Great Prophecy or the breaking of the Mask. Because of this, they do not suffer from Arcane Fate as other Sidereals do, though they still cannot craft ascending or descending destinies of The Mask.

The Fractured Shard

Though they do not suffer from Arcane Fate, the Chosen of Hours do have another weakness their siblings do not: their wounded Exaltations. Though mended to the point where a Healer can function normally, the Fractured Shards will not be fully healed until Pluto is restored fully, and thus they can be unstable. At character Creation, the player must choose a minor derangement, which normally lies dormant. In addition to a primary Virtue, a Chosen of Hours has a fractured Virtue (these can be the same, though that is not necessary.) If a Chosen of Hours channels this virtue whilst using willpower and fails the roll, or if she is forced to roll this virtue to perform an action and fails to supress the virtue, then she feels an echo of the wounding of Pluto which cracked her shard. This sudden physical, mental and emotional agony triggers the dormant derangement, which the Exalt suffers the full effects of for a number of hours equal to their rating in that virtue. Naturally, the Chosen are not aware of this, and Lytek won’t be until the first one fractures… Should Pluto be restored to full health, the Fractured Shard will heal and the derangement be permanently removed.

Limit Break

Chosen of Hours suffer Limit Break as normal. Their Flawed Fate drives the Timekeepers to forge links and connections between unrelated events, or cause them to see links where there are none. A Healer in the grip of his Flawed Fate will go to any lengths to prove or manufacture such links.

Charms

The loss of Pluto and her Chosen meant several charms from the colleges of the White Clocktower she invented were lost. If the Lost Brethren return, they will bring these charms with them. These charms carry the ‘Hours’ keyword, which imposes a 1-mote surcharge on other sidereals to use, regardless of whether they share the auspicious ability with the Hours Caste or not. Also, only Hours caste Sidereals can learn these charms without a teacher. If Pluto is restored to health, this 1 mote surcharge will no longer exist, and other Sidereals will be able to learn them as normal.

Character Creation

When using Functionary of Heaven template:

Attributes: As normal.

Abilities: 35 dots as normal,note that in addition to the basic minimums Chosen of Hours would also have to meet (According to ancient training manuals): Larceny 3, Medicine 3, Archery 2, Socialise 2, Ride 1 and either Integrity or Resistance at 2.

Advantages: As standard, note that the Hours caste may learn charms bearing the Hours keyword naturally, no other caste may take these charms at character creation and must learn them from a teacher (this restriction is lifted in the event of Pluto’s restoration to health). Also, choose Fractured Virtue in addition to Primary Virtue (these virtues may be the same, though this is unnecessary.

Choose a minor derangement the Timekeeper suffers from when the Fractured Shard is triggered. Remember, Chosen of Hours do not suffer Arcane Fate.

Note anima powers.

Every other aspect of character creation is identical to the other castes.

Ratings

Submission Rating: Description: +1 | Rules: +1 | Originality: +1

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Description: +1 | Rules: +1 | Originality: +1 - Forn Clakes (4 months)

Like I said on the ECR forum when you first posted, I think this is something special. ~FC.