Revision as of 12:30, 2 June 2021

The Blessing of Sombran

Chamadarst is rarely shy about those he marks. One can often seen Sombran on especially shrewd merchants or back alley swindlers. Anyone who has an eye for wealth and no overabundance of reliance on others can attract this Immortal’s favor. Some have even considered his marks be warnings. Truly, so it is said, to swindler a Sombran is to court disaster. Usually Chamadarst will mark only those entrepreneurial enough to earn his interest. It is said that the one who sells Chamadarst an item for below its actual cost will always earn his mark. Sombran manifests as two copper discs on the back of a Sombran’s hands (one on each hand). As the mark progresses, they gain a new disc on each hand in a different color. Silver for adored, Gold for Exalted, and Onyx for the Champion. These marks can be pulled from the skin by the Sombran, in which case they become coins. When they are removed, however, the Sombran cannot utilize the power of that mark level till they find a coin of equivalent value to replace it with.

OOC: Several abilities in this Blessing revolve around either hoarding or spending wealth. This does, in fact, refer to the PC's wealth points. If you spend wealth points to power an ability, you are expected to deduct them from your ledger.

Favored

Ability Name	Ability Description
Pocket Change	The first ability of Sombran is to guarantee his marked benefits from his prosperous domain. A Sombran will find that throughout the Cycle they work, they will find an extra 10 wealth points in value. For seasonal wages, a Sombran always has an additional 10 wealth points added in. This is often found through serendipity, whether through a tavern goer dropping their purse, to loose nels on the street, to unexpected windfalls in business transactions. Sombran always, even those without a job, manage to get along better with coin than almost any other.
Grifter's Eye	While somewhat specific, most who earn Sombran’s mark certainly would not dare complain. Grifter’s eye sees through ruse at any level...so long as the subject of deception is theft. If someone has the goal of stealing a Sombran’s property or profits, no amount of talking or special magical abilities will affect the marked. The Sombran can see to the heart of the deception instantly. In addition, when any property a Sombran owns is taken by a thief or with the intent to steal, the Sombran is instantly aware of it, no matter how far away they are from the object in question. While this ability considers any item that the Blessed obtained through honest means, whether buying, creating, or crafting, anything that the merchant has stolen from another person will not be protected by this ability until it has been in the Blessed's possession for an arc. While not strong enough to pierce powerful illusions or be used for any other situation but a Sombran’s personal wealth, Grifter’s eyes is an invaluable tool for merchants looking to protect their goods from thieves. However, this ability only applies to things of purely merchantile or monetary value to the Blessed. Things of personal value are not so protected, as such attachments are a violation of Chamadarst's Neutrality.
Merchant's Skills	The character is granted an extra three skill points which may be spent only on the following skills: Business Management, Discipline, Investigation, Detection, Mathematics, Socialization, or Glassblowing. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 250 (or 100 if fast track) point cap on skills. Within these skills, the points may be spent how the pc chooses.
Pass Unnoticed	Neutrality is a wonderful thing. It allows merchants to trade in war zones, generally to both sides. It lets the banker enforce peace and calm in his bank. It allows the glass maker to create beautiful works of art while the world rages around them. This ability takes that to an extreme, however, as it allows the Blessed to pass through any conflict without either side noticing them. However, this ability only works so long as the Blessed remains absolutely neutral. Favoring a side of a conflict will render this ability null. It also doesn't prevent the Blessed from any of the side effects of a conflict, such as thrown pots, boiling oil, or stray arrows.
Glass Touch	Glass is a beautiful thing, capable of being formed into almost any shape. However, it is also a brittle, frail substance, and relatively easily broken. This ability allows the Blessed to impart that frailness into any single substance they touch. This ability only works on non-organic substances, and the Blessed has to touch it with their bare hands. As such, the ability is almost purely defensive, and has generally been found not work well on weapons that are actively being swung at them, as those who have attempted it have usually found that it's hard to concentrate on using your Blessing powers when your hands have just been severely damaged. Furthermore, while this ability imparts the relative frailness of glass to any single object the Blessed touches, the blessed is still required to break the item itself, and which can still be difficult with items of sufficient thickness.
Isolated Calm	Those Blessed by Chamadarst will frequently find themselves alone, separated from those who would normally be their peers. However, rather than being a curse, those who wield Sombran find this to be rather useful. Isolated Calm boosts the focus and discipline of the Blessed whenever they are alone, allowing them achieve things they might otherwise find difficult to manage. This manifests in several ways, all of them beneficiary to the Blessed. They are all but immune to mundane distractions, the chattering of people on the street outside, dripping water, wind blowing through the room, and things of that nature. In addition, they able to more easily resist the mind clouding effects of things like drugs, magics or blessings. Finally, they'll find it a bit easier to parse business or crafting matters, amounting to a 15 EXP skill boost to any skill that falls under those umbrellas.
Wealth Spirit	Like many Blessed, those who wield Sombran can communicate with the spirits that fall under Chamadarsts Domains. In the case of Wealth Spirits, the Blessed can choose to have one accompany as a familiar. These spirits are drawn to those who have a lot of money, and the wealthier the Blessed, the stronger the Wealth Spirit will be. However, they are not drawn to the poor, and if the Sombran loses too much wealth, the spirit will depart for richer pastures. These spirits get stronger the more accumulated Wealth Points the Blessed has.
Commerce Spirit	The contrast to the Wealth Spirit, a Sombran can also choose to have a Commerce Spirit accompany them. Commerce Spirits, however, work in the opposite way, getting stronger the more wealth that the Blessed feeds them. Commerce Spirits are generally more willing to hang around the poor, since even the poor can still feed them, but will depart those who hoard their wealth too closely, as they will believe they are not being fed their due. These spirits gets stronger the more Wealth Points the Blessed sacrifices to the Commerce Spirit.
Partisan Sense	While those who wield Sombran tend to espouse their neutrality, the rest of the world generally does not. Those who wield Sombran will find that they can tell where someone's allegiances lie, so long as they themselves do nothing to violate their own neutrality. This is useful for many people, as knowing someone's allegiance can help the Blessed tell how to avoid angering them, what will make their goods seem more valuable to potential buyers, and what will encourage people to give them preferential treatment. This ability only works when engaged in matters of business and will not assist when the Blessed is attempting to act as a mediator.

Adored

Ability Name	Ability Description
Bottomless Chest	No matter the circumstances, those who wield Sombran will often find themselves with a need to transport a significant amount of wealth, whether to spend, hoard, or trade. Since wealth is, rather frequently, a heavy thing, this ability makes it significantly easier for the Sombran to transport their wealth. Bottomless Chest grants the Blessed access to a pocket dimension where they can hold all their wealth, whether currency or goods. They can open and close the gate to this dimension at will, and unlike things like Domain Bags, Bottomless Chest cannot be damaged. In addition, this ability acts as a mobile bank and generates interest, an additional 2 WP every season.
Ostracism	While the Blessed finds being isolated to be a helpful thing, other beings generally find it undesirable. With this ability, the Blessed can inflict an intense sense of isolation upon others. This feeling lasts for a whole trial before fading, and the Blessed can only use it once per trial. For those used to being around others, this feeling of isolation can be crippling. For those who already consider themselves to be held apart from their fellows, it is notably less useful.
Merchants Skills II	The character is granted an extra six skill points which may be spent only on the following skills: Business Management, Discipline, Investigation, Detection, Mathematics, Socialization, or Glassblowing. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 250 (or 100 if fast track) point cap on skills. Within these skills, the points may be spent how the pc chooses.
Fracturetouch	An improved version of the Glasstouch ability, Fracturetouch works through fabrics such as gloves, hand wraps, or other form of cloth or textiles, allowing the Blessed some more protection against things that are hazardous to touch. In addition, the effect is more powerful, as it not only imparts the relative frailty of glass upon that which is affected, but it causes deep fractures to appear in the affected object, making them even easier to break, especially thicker objects that Glasstouch alone could not sufficiently weaken. This ability still only works on non-organic objects.
Coin Armor	No matter how hard someone tries to stay neutral, others won't always allow it. Because of this, even the most neutral of Sombran bearers will find themselves embroiled in a fight and in need of protection. Since they may not always wear armor, the ability to make armor is a very useful thing. By giving up some of their hoarded wealth, they can create armor. The more wealth they give up, the more the armor protects and the more durable this armor is. In addition, a Sombran can use this ability on someone else, though this ability still costs money when using this way. This armor fades crumbles to dust after the danger has passed, but for an Sombran who isn't normally a fighter, an emergency suit of armor is a useful thing indeed. Sacrificing 5 WP will generate a suit of armor at the Blessed's Wealth Tier, either on the Sombran or on someone else. Sacrificing 3 WP will generate a suit of armor one wealth tier below the Blessed's Wealth Tier, while sacrificing 8 WP will generate a suit of armor one tier above the Blessed's Wealth Tier
Perfect Value	When dealing in matters of trade, as many Sombran are wont to do, it helps immensely to know the exact value of the goods for which you are trading. Perfect Value allows the Sombran to know the exact value of any good they are buying, selling, or trading. Due to this, many unscrupulous merchants hate dealing with those who bear Sombran, as they are impossible to fool. Many wealthy houses and businesses, however, regularly employ those who bear Sombran in order to ensure the quality of the goods they purchase. Naturally, most Sombran bearers are not shy about exploiting this ability in order to charge a great deal for such services.
Glass Blades	When in a fight, no Blessed should ever find themselves without a weapon, and so Sombran grants those who wield the ability to form glass blades over the their hands and arms, turning themselves into living weapons. Those unfamiliar with glass may find this underwhelming, but glass has an incredibly sharp edge, and those these blades can be shattered, they can be reformed almost instantly and at very little cost to the Blessed. Each blade costs only 1 WP to generate, but cannot be used more than 10 times a break.
Greed Loves Company	Those Blessed with Sombran are not the only ones who hoard wealth, but no one benefits from hoarded wealth the way they do. This ability allows the Blessed to use the hoarded wealth of others to power Sombran abilities that are fueled by hoarded wealth. For this to work, the Blessed has to have a rough idea of how wealthy the person who's wealth they're attempting exploit, and the person has to have proprietary claim on that wealth. They cannot, for instance, use a nations royal treasury for this effect because they know a king. That wealth is the nations wealth, not the king. The blessed does not have this wealth added to their own in any way, nor does this ability decrease the wealth of the other person. If the Blessed has 50 Wealth Points, and the other person has 50 Wealth Points, then the Blessed's Wealth Points will be treated as 100 Wealth Points. However, the other person does not lose their Wealth Points, nor does the Blessed gain any actual Wealth Points for them to use for their own gain.
Neutral Ground	Those who bear Somban tend to hate having the neutrality of their homes and places of business defiled. This ability allows the Sombran to declare any piece of property that they own to be Neutral Ground. No one, no matter how angry or hate filled, may do violence upon another living being in any area designated such. Should they attempt it, they will find that the area itself will eject them from the premises and they will not be allowed to return without the express permission of the Sombran. Such permission, of course, usually comes at a price.

Exalted

Ability Name	Ability Description
Molten Glass	Glass is an incredibly dangerous thing when heated to extreme levels. This ability allows the Blessed to generate a high velocity stream of molten glass. How this stream emits varies depends on the Blessed, but it is never something those who dare to antagonize Chamadarst's chosen are particularly happy to see. This stream has a range of up to 25 feet and lasts up to five bits. After being used, it can't be used again for half a break.
Sought After Isolation	There are times when the Sombran desires to be isolated. This ability allows them to fulfill that desire at will, making them isolated no matter how many people there are around them. While this ability is active, others will tend to go around the Blessed, feeling that their presence is not wanted by the bearer of Sombran. Those who a specific desire to speak to or see the Sombran will be able to ignore this ability, but even they will feel as if they should not be bothering the Blessed.
Merchants Skills III	The character is granted an extra nine skill points which may be spent only on the following skills: Business Management, Discipline, Investigation, Detection, Mathematics, Socialization, or Glassblowing. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 250 (or 100 if fast track) point cap on skills. Within these skills, the points may be spent how the pc chooses.
True Neutral	For many Sombran, their Neutrality is a highly prized thing and it is difficult to shake them from it. However, there are means, both supernatural and mundane, to force a Sombran to act against their will. For those Sombran who reach this level, however, such concerns are a thing of the past. No means, now matter how supernaturally or mundanely powerful, are sufficient to force the Blessed out of their neutrality against their own will. Of course, the Sombran may choose to take a side on their own, should someone anger them sufficiently, but no longer can they be forced into taking a side.
Wealth Parasite	Sombran bearers tend to not want to give up their own wealth, even to power the abilities of Sombran that require it. Using this ability, they can draw from the wealth of any enemy that they are currently facing to power abilities that require spending wealth. They can, of course, only use this ability until the Blessed runs out of wealth, and furthermore, this ability only works on an enemy that the Sombran is actively opposing when they use it. The Sombran does not get to keep any of the wealth they steal with this ability for their own gain, as it is immediately funneled into the ability they're using the stolen wealth to fuel.
Merchants Strength	There are times when those who bear Sombran cannot rely on their familiars or their hirelings to do the heaviest fighting or thinking for them. For such situation, this ability allows the Sombran to sacrifice their wealth to increase their own physical abilities. The more wealth they give up, the bigger the boost. This ability does not grant the Blessed any knowledge or skill they do not already possess, it simply gives them the capabilities to better use the knowledge and skills they already posses. Sacrificing 1 WP is equal to 1 EXP in Strength, Endurance, Resistance, and Intelligence. The boost lasts 30 Bits and then fades away.
Shattertouch	The final form of the Glasstouch ability, Shatter touch works through anything that may be covering the hands of the Blessed, and the effect it imparts is to instantly shatter anything that it affects like a pane of brittle glass. This does, of course, present an immediate hazard of bits of the shattered object tend to go flying, and they tend to have a sharp edge as a result of the shattering.
Neutrality Enforced	This ability is only granted to those Chamadarst names as his Champion and requires the use of the ancient language to use. Those who bear Sombran consider neutrality to be a virtue, and with this ability, they can force anyone in an area the size of a square mile to share in that virtue. This ability can only be used once a cycle, but when it is used, the neutrality it enforces is truly absolute, as only other Champions, or beings of equal or greater strength, can break that neutrality. While this ability is active, no one in the area of effect can make an aggressive move against someone they consider an enemy. They cannot cheat them, harm them, rob them, or go after them through the people they care about. Should they try, they will find that their body refuses to obey their commands. This ability lasts for a full trial.
Palace of Wealth	This ability is only granted to those Chamadarst names as his Champion and requires the use of the ancient language to use. Those who bear Sombran tend to be wealthier than most others, and this ability is the ultimate realization and application of that. This ability can only be used once a season, but when it is triggered, the Champion and those who they decide to bring with them are brought to Chamadarsts Domain, where the personal wealth of the Champion is tripled and all costs they may need to pay are halved. Many Sombran bearers find this ability as useful at the highest levels of trade as they do in combat, for obvious reasons, since this ability affects mundane commerce as well as the supernatural abilities granted by Sombran.

The Curse of Sombran

The Curse of Sombran is rare, due to it being exceptionally difficult to anger the Immortal of Neutrality to the point where he feels it merits punishment. However, when Chamadarst decides to smite someone with his curse, he is not inclined to be gentle about it. The Curse of Sombran manifests as the symbol of the Nels branded into the palm of the Cursed.

Hated

For those that Chamadarst hates, they will find that they have earned the ire of almost every person on Idalos for violating such divine neutrality. They will be shunned and ostracized by many, and will live in isolation no matter their choice.

Despised

Those who earn Chamadarsts ire to this degree will find their life made much more expensive. Their personal wealth will only ever be half as valuable, and any costs they have to pay will be twice as dear. Many who suffer this curse will soon find themselves driven to abject poverty, no matter how rich they were when they acquired this curse.

Condemned

Those who are Condemned by Chamadarst rarely live long after. They will find their body as brittle as glass, easy to break beyond repair. Even minor falls can now be deadly to those who suffer this curse, as any impact could cause them to shatter like a broken window. Many who are cursed to this degree attempt to live solely in heavily padded rooms, but find this difficult due to the poverty they suffer from the earlier stages of the curse.

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 | Sought After Isolation || There are times when the Sombran desires to be isolated. This ability allows them to fulfill that desire at will, making them isolated no matter how many people there are around them. While this ability is active, others will tend to go around the Blessed, feeling that their presence is not wanted by the bearer of Sombran. Those who a specific desire to speak to or see the Sombran will be able to ignore this ability, but even they will feel as if they should not be bothering the Blessed.
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-| Merchants Skills III ||  The character is granted an extra nine skill points which may be spent only on the following skills: Business Management, Discipline, Investigation, Detection, Mathematics, Persuasion, or Glassblowing. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 250 (or 100 if fast track) point cap on skills. Within these skills, the points may be spent how the pc chooses.
+| Merchants Skills III ||  The character is granted an extra nine skill points which may be spent only on the following skills: Business Management, Discipline, Investigation, Detection, Mathematics, Socialization, or Glassblowing. Any skill points granted by this Mark can break the 250 (or 100 if fast track) point cap on skills. Within these skills, the points may be spent how the pc chooses.
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 | True Neutral || For many Sombran, their Neutrality is a highly prized thing and it is difficult to shake them from it. However, there are means, both supernatural and mundane, to force a Sombran to act against their will. For those Sombran who reach this level, however, such concerns are a thing of the past. No means, now matter how supernaturally or mundanely powerful, are sufficient to force the Blessed out of their neutrality against their own will. Of course, the Sombran may choose to take a side on their own, should someone anger them sufficiently, but no longer can they be forced into taking a side.

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