Resources for Exalted Second Edition
Please note: You must create separate user accounts for Lore 5 and the ECR forums.Fortune Cross Compact Style
By ThesaurusRex
Submitted on 06 Jul 2008 at 05:46:02 PM EDTLast updated on 09 Aug 2008 at 03:27:20 PM EDT
Category: Terrestrial Martial Arts
Default Trait: Martial Arts
In the Southwest of Creation, near the outskirts of Gem’s territory, lies the small city of Fortune Cross. The community of some seven-thousand people has traded hands many times throughout its history, at various times paying fealty to Gem, Chiaroscuro, and other powers. It was of little consequence for most of that time, enjoy a prosperous but distinctly local economy. Located near a wide range of natural resources, it supported a corresponding diversity of occupations, and and enjoys its status as the regional market town.
Some few decades ago, a shift in regional economic patterns began directing larger trade routes through the city. It immediately began experiencing a boom, drawing immigrants and visitors from across the South, and the fame of its smiths, potters, weavers and carpenters expanded voluminously- as did their wealth. At first, its people thanked the Heavens for smiling on them. Then the Guild came.
The rich market of Fortune Cross was too tempting a morsel to resist for the avaricious Factors. They saw an opportunity to buy out all the local concerns, and turn Fortune Cross into a high-profit “company town”. No one nation held a strong enough claim to the city to impede the syndicate, and the native merchants saw what was about to happen. Taking a solidarity pledge, they agreed not to accept the Guild’s buyout. Refusal was met with reprisal, as Guild thugs intimidated partisans and destroyed shops. The newly formed Free and United Mercantile League- more often known as the Fortune Cross Compact- attempted to keep the peace, but were consistently outmanned by the Guild forces.
So they did what any self-respecting businessmen would do- they brought in a consultant. In this case, this meant hiring a rural Immaculate Monk to teach them the secrets of his fighting style. The potters, masons, and wholesalers took to the study of martial technique as devotedly as they had to their traditional occupations, but the coming confrontation still seemed hopeless.
One man among them, a tinker named Bright Horizon, saw more than the others. While the monk prattled on with his Immaculate mantras, Horizon saw in the fundamentals of combat reflections of the many common trades of man. Over the next year of the Compact’s underground resistance, Horizon trained constantly, while still actively participating in the city’s burgeoning black market. Through unswerving dedication, he contacted the power of his own Essence, and soon after had laid the groundwork for a new style of Martial Arts. Bright Horizon referred to it as Six-Fold Harmony Style, but outside the League itself it is more commonly known as Fortune Cross Compact Style.
In the end, it wasn’t enough. Over a period of several years, the Guild cemented its monopoly of trade in Fortune Cross, and drove out the League. But Bright Horizon and many others still lived, and continue the fight elsewhere. A few dozen wandering tradesmen often appear to ambush Guild slave caravans, terrorize corrupt administrators, and sabotage Guild operations whenever possible.
Bright Horizon recognized Six fundamental principles of combat, which he related to six kinds of mortal industry.
The Principle of Air: In the world, Air represents the abstract, the intangible, and the nuanced. It corresponds to mortal crafts that demand exquisite detail- painting, wirework, etching, and the like. In combat, Air represents precision and sensitivity.
The Principle of Earth: In the world, Earth is tied to foundation, sustenance, and stability. It corresponds to mortal crafts based on the shaping of great masses- masonry, mining, sculpture and farming. In combat, Earth represents footing and stance.
The Principle of Fire: In the world, Fire is the symbol of passion, inspiration, and devastation. It corresponds to mortal crafts that demand intense heat to bring to fruition- smithing, pottery, and others. In combat Fire represents intensity and pressing advantage.
The Principle of Water: In the world, water represents adaptability, replenishment, and dissolution. It corresponds to mortal crafts that rely on the mixing of things- cooking, dyeing, and brewing. In combat, Water represents timing and combination.
The Principle of Wood: In the world, Wood represents vitality, renewal, and joy. It corresponds to mortal crafts that rely on the binding or shaping of flexible materials- carpentry, weaving, and leatherworking. In combat, Wood represents tension and flexibility.
The Principle of Fate: In the world, Fate represents the greater purpose, the will of the god, and righteousness. It corresponds to mortal practices of planning, accounting, and exchange. In combat, Fate represents strategy and anticipation.
Fortune Compact Style is a Terrestrial Martial Art. It is compatible with the use of light armor. Any weapon, improvised or otherwise, that is derived from peasant tools is considered a Form Weapon for this style. The user must have at least 1 dot in the Ability corresponding to the tool’s purpose to use it as a Form Weapon.
- Apprentice of (Principle) Strike (updated about 1 month ago)
- Assiduous Apprentice Prana (updated about 1 month ago)
- Fortune Cross Compact Form (updated about 1 month ago)
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