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Smoking Mirror is a crested bird made of obsidian, with a long trailing tail. Smoke boils from his eyes on occasion, revealing the changes of his moods with its fragrance and the patterns of its motion.
Essence 3
| Elemental Properties: |
| Smoking Mirror can innately control manifestations of his element, spending 1 mote to increase or diminish them by a factor of 2; he cannot spend more than 3 motes on a particular phenomenon. |
| In contact with smoke, flame, or lava, Smoking Mirror can replenish himself, using his utmost attention to regain 1 HL or 1 mote per turn. |
| Charms: | |||
| Name | |||
| Cost | Type | Non-Instant Duration | |
| Threefold Flight of Summer | |||
| 4m/false trail, 1w | Simple | Indefinite | |
| A brushfire pushed by the wind travels in every direction; so Smoking Mirror can cause a trail to do using this Charm. For every 3 motes spent on this Charm, the he creates a pale mirage-self of the target that travels oblique to her main path, creating a false trail. Shortly after the Charm is activated, the mirages fade, but the trails continue to spread; once they have been ignited, they are self-sustaining. He can create a maximum number of false trails equal to his Essence (3). These trails propagate at approximately the movement speed of the character they emulate, but are subject to the same environmental conditions as a fire; they are slowed by heavy rains and opposing winds, while unusually verdant terrain and tailwinds will cause the trails to propagate at up to twice the speed. While very realistic, these trails are imperfect; a Perception + Investigation check at a difficulty of the user's Presence will reveal the telltale markings of crafted Fire Essence. While this Charm's duration is Indefinite, Smoking Mirror must be conscious to maintain it; the trails will cease to propagate if he goes to sleep or uses Hearts of Smoke & Blood, and the Essence powering the Charm is automatically released. This Charm does not function on terrain which cannot burn. | |||
| Natural Prognostication: Plumes of Prophecy | |||
| 2m | Ref | ||
| Smoking Mirror is naturally in tune with the patterns of destiny and the astrological forces. Periodically, a simple success on a Perception + Compassion check causes his tailfeathers to coil into a singular Old Realm character which somehow reflects the shape of things to come. This character translates to a single word, such as "atrocity" or "hope". These are not the only options. Smoking Mirror doesn't always use this ability voluntarily, but he is aware of its properties. | |||
| Foretell the Future: Hearts of Smoke & Blood | |||
| 10m | Simple | Variable | |
| With a successful Perception + Compassion check, Smoking Mirror may deliberately attempt to foresee what may come. The number of successes determines how long it takes him to glean the information. He goes into a hunting trance, ranging over the nearby wilds. For each success, he must capture an animal native to the area and ritualistically devour it; once he has finished, he interprets the scattered pattern of offal that remains. More successes means more information and more time spent “under.” He sees what may be, not what must be. | |||
| Affinity Element Control: Volcanic Sympathy Spirit | |||
| 6m | Simple | Scene | |
| Smoking Mirror may use this Charm to affect volcanic rock, smoke, and fire. He rolls his Manipulation + Valor. The number of successes indicates how fine a level of control he has and how powerful an effect he can create. One success allows him to light a campfire or send a smoke signal, while three allow him to sculpt obsidian and basalt with ease or to build a torch into a bonfire without any extra fuel. Five successes might allow him to create a phantom lover out of smoke itself or to instantly consume a large wooden structure in flames. He may manipulate a one-yard cube of an element per point of Essence he possesses (three cubes). In the case of area effects such as rain, he can cause the effect in a five-yard radius per permanent Essence point (fifteen yards). | |||
| Dragon's Suspire: Obsidian Knife Wings | |||
| No cost | Simple | ||
| With a Dexterity + Archery roll, Smoking Mirror sheds a small cloud of obsidian shards, still glowing fiery-hot. This attack does +4L damage and can be blocked or dodged normally; it affects a 10' long, 5' wide strip. | |||
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