geistnet | Entitlements Exclusive to Zangyaku.

ALL: THE WARDENS OF THE WOLF

Many Zangyaku oni-tsukai believe that beyond their solemn mandate as Keepers of the Vigil and preservers of the Balance, their conspiracy exists for the Wolf of Zangyaku inasmuch as it exists because of him. All of their operatives are aware of the conditions of his curse, and stories abound regarding his struggle both with the Bloodsinger within him, and with Brother Death Himself. It is for this purpose that the Wardens exist. They are the ones who have devoted their lives to finding their leader after every death that he suffers, guarding him when he is at his most vulnerable, and standing with him until he takes control of the conspiracy again.

PREREQUISITES.

Status [Zangyaku] ••• or higher
Supernatural Advantage ••• or higher (for supernatural characters) or Conviction ••• or higher (for mortals)
Resolve ••• or higher
Must possess a Social Skill, a Mental Skill, and a Physical Skill at ••• or higher
Heaven’s Shadow ••• or higher
Morality or equivalent Morality Rating of 7 or higher

MEMBERSHIP & INITIATION.

Becoming a Warden of the Wolf is as simple as expressing their intentions to Hikaru Shinta, the Blade King. If he agrees, he will take their oath as a Warden, and undergo their initiation rites.

The initiation rites of the Warden involve a powerful ritual that intimately ties the Warden’s soul with Hikaru’s across time and fate. This ritual cannot be undone until the Warden himself dies.

OATH & PURPOSE.

The cycle of death and rebirth that Hikaru undergoes as part of his pact with Brother Death means that for long stretches of time, he is about as vulnerable as a child. Wardens of the Wolf are expected to serve as his surrogate parents, his teachers, and his protectors. They are supposed to use the soul bond that they possess with the Wolf in order to locate him, and are charged with the duty of bringing him back to the conspiracy.

A darker role that the Wardens are expected to pay is to lead the charge against Hikaru Shinta in the event that he goes renegade, or becomes an enemy of the Balance itself. This may entail that they will face their own comrades in battle, beyond engaging the Wolf himself.

BENEFITS.

A Warden gains the following benefits.
Permanent Mental Network. The people who are a part of this network include other Wardens and Hikaru Shinta himself, allowing for two-way, constant communication and the sharing of perception. It cannot be dispelled.
Preternatural Resilience. The character now treats his Armor rating as one rating higher than it normally is at all times, regardless of whether he is actually wearing armor or not.
Dead Mind. The Warden cannot be possessed by any supernatural entity, and gains an additional resistance bonus equal to his Resolve towards mental attacks, such as psychic compulsion.
An Extension of the Wolf’s Will. Once per session, at the cost of 3 Willpower points and by one point of resistant lethal damage, the Warden can use one of the Disciplines of a Bladian Path of choice. They use Hikaru’s dice pool to determine whether it succeeds, along with its effects.

Furthermore, a Warden gains the one-dot version of this Merit.

A WARDEN’S BURDEN (• TO •••••)

By becoming a Warden, your character has intimately tied his fate in with the fate of Hikaru Shinta, the Wolf and Blade King of Zangyaku. Possessing this Merit allows the player, with proper justification, to confer a dice bonus (maximum equal to the total number of dots that he possesses in this Merit) to rolls that take place during that game session.

Note that these dots serve as “floating” bonuses; the character can add +1 for one roll, and +3 for another. Alternatively, he could also opt to confer all of the bonuses into a single roll, and have nothing left for anything else. The player, however, must be able to justify how succeeding in this action is part of the fulfillment of his Oath.

CHANGELING: THE LEAVES OF AUTUMN

Founded through the grace of Lady Utsusemi, the Arcadian personification of Autumn. She was once a member of the Searing Wind, and lost her life during the battle against Nyx. Rather than descend into the Underworld, however, she “ascended” as one of the True Fae. She is also as devoted to the Vigil now, as she was when she was one of the Lost.

All Changeling of Zangyaku are welcome to become one of the Leaves of Autumn.

TITLE: Leafsinger (Male and Female)

OATH & PURPOSE.

Zangyaku oni-tsukai are the Smiling Demons of the Vigil, and in many ways, the Changeling among their number understand what it is like to be a monster among monsters the most. Leafsingers are Keepers of the Vigil with a special hatred for the Gentry. To Hunt, for them, means to protect the world from the ravages of the True Fae, and to recover as many of their Lost brothers and sisters as possible. The journey towards Clarity goes hand-in-hand with a journey into the Darkness.

MEIN.

As they increase in power, the mien of a Leafsinger takes upon more and more qualities of Autumn, and the feel of the season. Some of them may be covered in leaves on the brink of rot in ruin. Some may find that their skin is growing increasingly pale, and appear to take on the qualities of chilled, decaying bark. Their aura also grows colder and darker; the strongest Leafsingers, in fact, seem to suck the light out of a room, and lengthen its shadows.

Traditionally, Leafsingers are expected to dress in the rainment of their culture at all times. This makes them appear to be creatures that are out of step with the rest of time and humanity.

PREREQUISITES.

Status [Zangyaku] ••• or higher
Wyrd ••• or higher
Heaven’s Shadow •• or higher
Must possess •• or higher in one of the character’s Affinity Contracts

INITIATION.

The changeling must go on a pilgrimage to Lady Utsusemi’s Court, and present herself to Utsusemi on the express purpose of undergoing her Initiation. The Initiation depends on the changeling’s nature and strong points: it may involve a display of strength or combat prowess, or engaging Utsusemi in a game of wit and words. If the initiate proves herself to the party in question, she is made to take the Oaths of the Leafsingers, and automatically gains the title.

PRIVILEGES.

TOKENS

AUTUMNSTONE (••)

DESCRIPTION: at first glance, the Autumn Stone appears to be any other rock – a particularly smooth rock, but a rock nonetheless. A second look, however, may give an ordinary observer the impression that the colors of autumn swirl over its surface in a pattern of falling leaves, rotting tree trunks, or creeping moss. Those who stare long enough will realize that this is, indeed, what the Stone does. It also whispers in a voice like rustling leaves, or chittering insects.

FUNCTION:

The Autumnstone is a natural repository for Glamour; it generates 3 Glamour points every day, at sunrise. The Autumnstone can store a maximum amount of Glamour according to the character’s Wyrd rating. Drawing Glamour from it is counted as an instant action.
Any Skill performed while the Leafsinger is standing on natural ground (i.e. a forest floor, the cliff of a mountain, on the sand of a beach) gains a +1 dice bonus.

BLESSINGS

Herald of the Autumn Vigil. All Leafsingers are, according to Faerie politics, considered the “property” of Lady Utsusemi. This expressly forbids other Gentry from harming even a hair on their head, in all manners of the word. If any of the Gentry attempt to attack or harm a Leafsinger in any way, they risk inciting the wrath of Lady Utsusemi (not to mention the wrath of Zangyaku).

Lost No More. Leafsingers can now make motley pledges and avail of motley-related Merits with mixed motleys – that is, people they have recognized as their motley, even if the other members of her motley are not changelings like herself.

Friends in the Hunt. Leafsingers automatically gain a +1 bonus to all Social rolls when dealing with other Bishops, and with Changeling that possess Vigil-related entitlements.

Diplomatic Immunity. Leafsingers can take any Court contracts of their choosing without having to swear allegiance to the Court in question. In essence, this allows them to completely veto Court Mantle and Court Goodwill requirements. The availability of the Contracts, however, is incredibly dependent on in-game events, and the character’s standing with Lady Utsusemi.

WEREWOLF: THE LODGE OF THE VIGIL

It is said that centuries ago, a Rivers Hunter took it upon herself to restore the honor of her family and slay a wolf spirit who had plagued her line for generations. She spent years on his trail, hardly resting, ever vigilant… it was her fierce beauty and perfect devotion to her hunt that made the spirit eventually fall in love with her. It is said that the pair chased each other across the globe, fighting tooth and nail whenever they cornered the other, always relenting before one could land the killing blow. No one is certain who yielded first. However, what is certain is that at the end of the conflict, the pair walked together, caring not for the fact that their love could never be consummated, but swearing that, until the final death tore them both apart, they would Hunt together.

The Lodge of the Vigil is the surrogate tribe of all of the Werewolves who find themselves joining Zangyaku. They believe that the best way of serving the People and the higher cause of Father Wolf as the guardians of the borderline between the physical world and the spiritual world is by protecting the Balance. They worship the totem of Broken Fang, a lesser child of Father Wolf, and the wolf spirit whom the Rivers Hunter Samsa devoted her life to catching until love became her undoing.

Fangs are expected to put their loyalty to the Vigil and what Zangyaku stands for on par with their loyalty to their pack, their home tribe, and to the People as a whole. As a result, their numbers are few, but their members are all fanatically devoted and incredibly close to each other.

PREREQUISITES.

Status [Zangyaku] ••• or higher
Primal Urge ••• or higher (for Werewolves) or Feral Heart ••• or higher
Rank ••• or higher in the candidate’s primary Renown (for Werewolves) or Rank ••• or higher in the candidate’s primary Respect

MEMBERSHIP & INITIATION.

All werewolves – Pure or Uratha – are eligible to join, for so long as they are licensed Hunters of Zangyaku, and have fulfilled the prerequisites and expressed genuine interest in the Lodge. The initiation rite is simple: they are made to participate in a shamanistic ritual that transports them into the spirit world, where they meet Broken Fang and the ghost of Rivers Hunter Samsa. The pair then evaluates the candidate’s worthiness, and decide if he is strong enough to join their number.

It is important to note that since 2012, the Lodges of the Vigil of Netsach and Zangyaku accepts Changing Breed into their numbers. A Changing Breed Hunter, however, must have a personal recommendation from an Alpha of the Lodge, and must submit themselves, once again to Broken Fang and Rivers Hunter Samsa for evaluation.

RULES FOR WEREWOLVES OF THE LODGE.

Live by the Oath of the Moon. Werewolves tend to swear by only a few tenants of the Oath of the Moon, if they even swear at all. Members of the Lodge of the Vigil, however, are expected to follow the Oath to the letter, regardless of whether they are Uratha or Pure.

Swear by the Code. The Code takes precedence for members of the Lodge of Vigil, even if it may come into direct conflict with their natural instincts as a predator.

Remember the Plight of the People. In this new age, Werewolves are the beleaguered few, constantly at war with the Bale Hounds, with the denizens of the spirit world, with the ravages caused by mankind, and with themselves. The Lodge of the Vigil directs all of its efforts towards fulfilling the mandate of Father Wolf: guardians of the border between the spirit world and the mortal realm.

RULES FOR CHANGING BREED OF THE LODGE.

Swear by the Code. The Code takes precedence for members of the Lodge of Vigil, even if it may come into direct conflict with their natural instincts as a predator.

The People are Kin. Regardless of what a werewolf may think of them, Changing Breed who have become members of the Lodge must think of Werewolves as comrades and family. It is not their job to change them; it is their job to show the Werewolves that they are equals.

Remember Your Kind. Changing Breeds are as diverse as the breeds of the animal kingdom are, and you are now meant to be one of their shepherds. Changing Breed of the Lodge must be prepared to devote themselves to a life of protecting the Changing Breed from human beings, and from each other.

BENEFITS FOR WEREWOLVES OF THE LODGE.

A Fang is eligible to purchase this Merit.

STATUS [LODGE OF THE VIGIL] (• TO •••••)

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• You are now a Fang of the Lodge of the Vigil. Gain a +1 bonus to all Social rolls when dealing with Werewolf Hunters, regardless of their compact or conspiracy.

•• The Alpha of your Lodge now trusts you enough to send you on Lodge-related assignments beyond your own region or conspiracy. You have also been entrusted with the care of a blade of younger pups. Gain the one-dot version of the Merit Allies [Lodge of the Vigil].

••• The spirits of Broken Fang and Rivers Hunter Samsa have blessed you for your strength and prowess. You may now purchase all Gifts as though they were Affinity Gifts for your original Tribe or Auspice.

•••• Spirits have learned to regard you with equal amounts of fear and respect. Gain a +1 bonus to all Social rolls when dealing with spirits.

••••• If you aren’t already the Beta or Alpha of a Lodge, you’re in line to be one. You are now eligible to receive a Milestone Gift provided that you have the prerequisites for it.

BENEFITS FOR CHANGING BREED OF THE LODGE.

A Fang is eligible to purchase this Merit.

STATUS [LODGE OF THE VIGIL] (• TO •••••)

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• You are now a Fang of the Lodge of the Vigil. Gain a +1 bonus to all Social rolls when dealing with Changing Breed, regardless of their compact or conspiracy.

•• The Alpha of your Lodge now trusts you enough to send you on Lodge-related assignments beyond your own region or conspiracy. You have also been entrusted with the care of a blade of young ones. Gain the one-dot version of the Merit Allies [Lodge of the Vigil].

••• The spirits of Broken Fang and Rivers Hunter Samsa have blessed you for your strength and prowess. You may now purchase all Favors as though they were Breed Favors.

•••• The work you have done for the Lodge has silenced most of the talk you get from the Werewolves within the Lodge, and many of them have come to view you as one of their own. You can also mitigate up to -2 worth of penalties to Social rolls when dealing with Werewolves of the Lodge of the Vigil.

••••• You have received yet another blessing from the spirits of Broken Fang and Rivers Hunter Samsa. You may now purchase Werewolf Gifts, at new dots x 8.