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Cathak Jaom

"Jaom, darling! Are you certain you want to forego such a wonderful opportunity? I hear that you can easily have an entire scale under your command... perhaps even a talon if you prove yourself early!"

Cathak Jaom was a woman of dreams that spanned Creation. She was the sort of girl who spent what little free time she had during her 'stay' at the House of Bells reading whatever literature her dear parents sent her. Most were the sort of stories tied to the Immaculate faith and its culture; glorious, holy Dragon- Blooded warriors leading the charge against the enemies of the living. Some of the more heretical stuff that her father (as much of a dreamer as she was) slipped in got the most attention. Tales of fantastical lands above and beyond even the realm... epic adventures, tragic tales, the legends of the occasional heretical godling. She absorbed them all, and the spark it ignited in her mind kept her through years of harsh training.

It was going to be alot tougher, however, to convince Cathak Ilom, her grounded mother, that taking the path of adventure over a solid position in the Cathak Legion was the best for her. So Jaom decided to not bother convincing her at all.

"We'll see, mother. Let me think about it, okay?" Jaom offered a smile, and Ilom nodded, hoping that her daughter would see the error of her ways.

That hope died when, the next morning, all she found in Jaom's somewhat empty room was a simple note. 'I'll be back soon.' A quick search revealed that most of her favorite written works were gone.

"... that ingrate."

History

A child of the Realm through and through, Cathak Jaom was the fifth child of the fire-blooded Cathak Rigal and his strong-blooded unExalt wife, Ilom. A cheerful and active, if somewhat big-boned girl, she quickly became Ilom's favorite, and she made sure that Jaom had the best she could arrange for her, from a relatively prestigious primary school to a quick and painless acceptance into the House of Bells, with a very prestigious position awaiting her in the Legions upon graduation. As for Jaom...

Jaom, for all the love she showed her mother, spent more time with her father, mainly because he was in and out so much that every moment was precious. He was a proud warrior, fighting for some group he never spoke of, and always returned with some sort of trinket for his children depending on their tastes. For Jaom, he always brought along a few scrolls, inscribed with poems, tales and accounts of heroic deeds. At first he would read them to her, but as she grew in age and intellect he let her take them to read on her own time. This only served to give the girl a vivid imagination, and a desire to one day be such a grand hero, crossing the great sea to do battle against some distant, foul evil.

Of course, Realm life was far more simple and dreary, but she kept her dream alive in her mind while she lived the life of a well-to-do Dynast child, entering a fine primary school. She knew that her dream hinged on taking the step up from mortal to Exalt, and she yearned for that day, even as the occasional friend (or foe) Exalted. Longing became worry, and worry turned into distraction. Soon enough, she found herself in a bit of trouble after having put the point of a wooden sword in another cadet's eye, her attention having wavered just enough to earn her a flogging. Between the first and fourth strokes, she thought long and hard about just how possible her childish dream was, for she was growing up and the real world awaited her once she graduated. On the fifth, something within her broke, and a blood-boiling scream erupted from her mouth... and a fiery banner, not unlike the regal plumage of a peacock, leapt from her back.

Matters, needless to say, went much smoother afterwards, and Jaom was treated quite carefully for weeks after; time enough for her emotions to smooth out and for her to come to the realization that, perhaps, that dream of hers wasn't so childish or out of reach after all.

The remainder of her stay was quick and productive, and she returned to her family an adult, wise in the ways of the warrior and yet still having that spark of intellect in her eyes. What more, she was a true child of Hesiesh now, and that alone brought her mother and father great joy. When she announced her intent to adventure and forego her Legion opening, her father simply nodded; Ilom, on the other hand, burst into tears. It would not be the last, either, for she cried for days when Jaom sneaked out of her room at the family estate, taking her close personal things (and a sizeable amount of easy-to-carry funding) with her to... no one knew where. No one, save for Jaom herself. Then again, she didn't even know, for she was following the winds and her own heart.

Funny where the heart can lead a person.

Recent Activities

Upon arriving at Port Calin, Jaom's first act was to rubberneck like a goon and take in the sights and sounds of the Threshold. Being a different sort of animal than what she was used to, Jaom took a fair amount of time just living there without a Realm-related care in the world. Of course, the town became dull pretty fast, and she asked around regarding a larger place for her to set down roots. Some suggested Nexus, but she'd already heard tales of the place from her father, and simply wasn't interested. After a few more suggestions, she came to the decision of moving to Great Forks. On the way, she held her ears to the ground and kept a lookout for criminal types with which to test her skills on... making for a trip that was half sightseeing tour, half vigorous (and potentially lethal) workout.

Once she arrived, it wasn't long before she had a small, albeit well-maintained apartment not too far from the various Cynis orgy-villas, and took proper time to familiarize herself with the area and its dangers. Ever looking for trouble, she quickly caught word of a group of professional warriors, known as The Skullkickers Union, who occasionally swept south along the river to mop up whatever straggler undead managed to make their way from the nearby shadowland. It didn't take much to convince the group of mortals to allow a child of the Dragons to come along, and she found some small pleasure in her work. Things at first were relatively simple affairs; nothing more than the occasional group of zombies. Jaom has wished for a real challenge, and much to her disgust, found one.

Advance word of some serious danger to an incoming supply caravan led Jaom and her group to the scene of the struggle; the caravan has been assaulted by a most unusual sight; a nemissary warrior standing atop a spine chain as it tore apart the numerous cargo wagons it surrounded. After a moment's hesitation, the group charged headlong into the fight, Jaom daring to try and strike the rider from his mount. Leaving the mortals to corral the thing, her battle became a fight to stay atop the trashing monstrosity while also avoiding catching the nemissary's pickaxe point in her throat. A deep strike (perhaps luckier than she's admit) brought the nemissary's body down, and it wasn't long before the spike chain itself was shattered as well.

Jaom returned to town as the hero of the day, and was quick to celebrate. Nonetheless, the danger of the nearby shadowland had become all the more obvious to her, and she sought to try and organize a larger group cleansing of the area short of the blighted land itself. As luck would have it, yet another nemissary, perhaps allied with the one she felled before, was moving north with the intention of falling upon and crushing any small hamlets it came across. It was even successful for a short while before it ran headlong into the Skullkicker's enlarged, and much more prepared group. What ensued was a heated, violent struggle between the walking dead and the well-armed living, the only illumination at the field of battle being the moon and Jaom's flaring Essence, the woman a whirlwind of heat and fury as she took on the second nemissary. This battle was far less disadvantageous for her, and in time she bisected the thing, leaving the two flaming halves to burn on the ground as the battle worse down.

Morning came, and it was obvious that the living had won. Still, casualties were heavy, and the group that remained was quick to tend to the wounded and properly bury the dead. Falling back, Jaom quietly deferred what praise she was given to the group in general, even though the feeling warmed her heart. She was well on her way to that lofty, perhaps impossible childhood dream of hers after all.

Prior to very recent events, Jaom has taken a bit of a break, only occasionally helping the Skullkickers out. She plans for some bigger, grander conquest, and is keeping her ears open when she goes out and about the town and occasionally interacts with the local Cynis debauchers.

Personality

Jaom is, even for a born-and-bred Dynast, decidedly jovial and easy to befriend. She wears an easy smile and carries herself like she's enjoying every moment of life. This, coupled with the fact that she's learning as she goes through her little 'adventure', gives her a constant sense of anticipation and wonder that comes off as her being too naive at times. Her love for tall tales has matured into an overall love of reading, and she's more than willing to pay top jade for anything unique and interesting. Deep down, she knows that she should be home doing what mommy dearest wants... and she will! She'll come back home!

... eventually.

Appearance

Jaom is quite tall for a woman, standing at roughly six feet four inches tall. Her frame is mannish and trades off some curves for muscle, but it's not so extreme that she's mistaken for a man... outside of armor, anyway. Her hair is a short, swept-back dirty blonde, and her eyes are hazel, flecked with little streaks of red. Her face betrays her heavy-boned nature, a tad on the rounded side; the only part of her body she really couldn't trim down. She's not ugly in any way, but she's no ballroom belle, either, and she gets by with a broad smile and relaxed, almost slouching posture.


Name: Cathak Jaom⚠ <br> Concept: Impulsive adventurer⚠ <br> Nature: Thrillseeker⚠ <br> Aspect: Fire⚠ <br> Player: Darkheart01⚠ <br> Chronicle: Red Ice⚠ <br> Experience (Unspent/Spent/Total): 3/128/131⚠ <br>

Attributes

Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4⚠ <br> Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3(+2)⚠ <br> Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3⚠ <br>

Aspect and Favored Abilities

Athletics 3⚠ <br> Dodge 3⚠ <br> Melee 5 [Daiklaves 2]⚠ <br> Presence 2⚠ <br> Socialize 3⚠ <br> Stealth 3⚠ <br> Investigation 4⚠ <br> Awareness 3⚠ <br>

Other Abilities

Linguistics 2 (High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak)⚠ <br> Lore 2⚠ <br> Endurance 2⚠ <br> Martial Arts 3⚠ <br> Resistance 1⚠ <br> Archery 2⚠ <br> Performance 2⚠ <br> Ride 2⚠ <br>

[Willpower] 8⚠ <br> [Essence] 4⚠ <br> [Personal/Peripheral] 14/14 - 19/34⚠ <br> [Committed] 15 Peripheral⚠ <br>

[Virtues]⚠ <br> Compassion 2⚠ <br> Conviction 3⚠ <br> Temperance 2⚠ <br> Valor 3⚠ <br>

[Charms]⚠ <br> Elemental Concentration Trance⚠ <br> Distracting Breeze Meditation⚠ <br> Ox Body Technique x2⚠ <br> Flickering Candle Meditation⚠ <br> Stoking Bonfire Style⚠ <br> Victorious Thermal Uprushing⚠ <br> Foe-Charring Battle Meditation⚠ <br> Deadly Wildfire Legion⚠ <br> Rising Signal Fire Jab⚠ <br>

Five-Dragon Fortitude⚠ <br> Five-Dragon Blocking Technique⚠ <br>

[Combos]⚠ <br> n/a

[Backgrounds]⚠ <br> Artifact 3⚠ <br> Breeding 3⚠ <br> Connections (House Cathak) 1⚠ <br> Manse 2⚠ <br> Resources 3⚠ <br>

Artifacts

⚠ <b>Maker of Ashes Resplendent⚠ </b> [X-dot red jade daiklave]⚠ <br> Spd +13, Acc +2, Dam +12L, Parry -1, Rate 3, Comm 8⚠ <br>

-Does 1 extra damage for ever 4 points of soak the victim has from armor, rounded down.⚠ <br> -Can flash like fire, creating visual doubles of itself that attack up to seven targets for 6 motes. Roll once, apply the attack to each target. Charms are included in these extra attacks.⚠ <br> -Gains the bonuses for Orichalcum when wielded by a Fire-attuned being.⚠ <br> -Does piercing damage against unclean beings.⚠ <br>

⚠ <b>Jade-and-orichalcum armor ("Eternal Flame of Beauty")⚠ </b> [4-dot]⚠ <br> -10L/10B soak, Hardness 8, Commit 6⚠ <br> -+2 app (+3 in gown form)⚠ <br> -Impossible to botch or fail social rolls; a botch or failure is a single success (+3 dice to Soc and Perf rolls in gown form). -Provides a new hairstyle every day⚠ <br> -Doubles its wearer's Essence for the purposes of determining if she can be the target of non-beneficial effects.

⚠ <b>Red-jade Daiklaive ("The Sharp-Tongued Red Lady")⚠ </b> [2-dot]⚠ <br> Spd +10, Acc +3, Dam +6L, Parry +2, Rate 5, Comm 5⚠ <br> (Unknown special effects)

--BELOW IS UNVERIFIED--

-Gives an effective Savant Rating of 4, thanks to Essie’s spirit within it.⚠ <br> -Will never grow dirty or need cleaning nor repairs⚠ <br> -Confers the rights of a Celestial when in Yu-Shan, in accordance with Essie’s age-old pacts with certain high-ranking gods.⚠ <br> ⚠ <br>

⚠ <b>Red-jade Reinforced Breastplate ("Undying Dream")⚠ </b> [3-dot]⚠ <br> -10L/9B soak, Mobility -1, Fatigue 0, Comm 4⚠ <br>

-Dream of the Roaring Furnace: When spending the required 5 motes to activate the Fire-Aspect anima effect, said anima inflicts an additional two dice of damage.⚠ <br>

-Dream of the Soothing Campfire: The Undying Dream suit can, with the expenditure of one mote per scene, emit warmth similar to that of a large campfire. The wearer benefits from the warmth as well. This provides no bonuses of any sort against naturally extreme or essence-fueled cold.⚠ <br>

Red-jade Hearthstone Amulet ("Memento") [1-dot]⚠ <br> -Set with a Stone of First Impressions [Air 2, Bo 3 C? p.113], Comm 1⚠ <br> (1 mote added to essence regen rate; Stone reforms in half the normal time.)⚠ <br>

[Combat]⚠ <br> Base Initiative 7 ⚠ <br> Base Dodge: 7 (+4 Essence)⚠ <br> Fist: Speed 7, Accuracy 8, Damage 4B, Parry 9, Rate 5⚠ <br> Kick: Speed 4, Accuracy 8, Damage 7B, Parry 4, Rate 3⚠ <br> Ashes Resplendant: Spd 20, Acc 14, Dam 16L, Parry 11, Rate 4⚠ <br>

[Soak]⚠ <br> 10A/12L/14B H8(Eternal Flame, 10L/10B)⚠ <br>

[Health]⚠ <br> -0 []⚠ <br> -1 [][][][]⚠ <br> -2 [][][][]⚠ <br> -4 []⚠ <br> Incapacitated []⚠ <br> < Iron Horse | Red Ice | Arkadi >