Ku Nenaveya

Captain of the Blue Wolves, Wielder of the Frozen Heart
Background: A hardened Northern mercenary captain, Ku Nenaveya found lucrative work north of the White Sea in the Shining Path cult’s bloody factional wars. Though not a believer herself, her talents brought her to the attention of the cult’s spiritual leader, the Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible, who made her his confidant and elevated her to high station within the Shining Path.

But Nenaveya betrayed her master’s secrets when the cryptic Melkin Fool in Red, a deathknight in service to the Bishop’s rival, seduced her. Discovered, she anticipated the most dreadful punishments. Instead, the Bishop offered forgiveness. “This is your punishment and your blessing: to be made glorious by your hatred,” he told her, kindling her heart with a numinous black flame. Then he turned her over to his torturer-artisans; they drained her of all her tears, from which they forged for her a daiklave of ice.

Exiled from the Bishop’s lands for her crime, Nenaveya wanders the North in search of purpose at the head of her mercenary band, the Blue Wolves. As she embraces the Bishop’s blessing, the swath she leaves in her wake grows ever bloodier.

Image: Long years of mercenary work have marked Nenaveya’s skin with scars and her features with choler.  Though in her early forties, she remains lean and well-muscled,  with a wary, vigilant air. Her clothing and equipage are of vivid colors and visibly fine workmanship, proclaiming the Blue Wolves’ financial success.

Intimacies:   Defining: The  Bishop  of  the Chalcedony  Thurible (Worshipful  Hatred); Major:  “What’s  the point of having money and power if no one knows who you are?”; The Blue Wolves (Pride); Foes who’ve defeated her (Hateful Rivalry); Minor: Bandits and militia (Hateful Contempt); Peoples of the Black Shale Road (Loathing); The Exalted (Envy)

Secrets: Nenaveya keeps her power’s nature secret, lest someone use it against her. Though her knowledge of the Bishop’s plans is outdated, she nonetheless possesses useful information regarding his personal character and behavior, his intimates, the layout of his Hidden Tabernacle, and so forth. The Bishop, intrigued by the effects of his blessing upon her, observes her activities through ghostly agents.

Equipment: Frozen Heart (daiklave of ice), well-kept reinforced buff jacket

Roleplaying Hints: Characters can coax Nenaveya into alliance with offers of riches, respect, and power. But such alliances are tempestuous; she’s embraced the Bishop’s gift and forms new hate-based Intimacies whenever she views a character as a threat to her life, wealth, or position. She keeps her violent temper leashed unless skillfully goaded. She recognizes when she’s outmatched despite her hatred, and seeks allies and patrons who can protect her from Exalted might.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4;
Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2;
Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 4
Essence: 2
Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 7 dice
Personal Motes: 20
Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x6/−4x5/Incap.
Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Brawl 2, Bureaucracy (Military) 2, Dodge 3, Integrity 1, Larceny 1, Linguistics 1, Lore 1, Medicine (Injuries) 1, Melee (Frozen Heart) 4, Occult (The Undead) 1, Presence (Command) 3, Resistance 3, Ride 2, Socialize (Enemies) 1, Stealth 1, Survival 3, War 4

Merits: Acrimony’s Seal (below), Artifact (Frozen Heart) 3, Command 3, Contacts 1, Exalted Healing, Followers 1, Influence 2, Language (Riverspeak, Shining Path Cant, Skytongue), Resources 2

Attack (Frozen Heart/daiklave): 12 dice (Damage 15/5); Tags: Lethal, Melee; Attack (Unarmed): 11 dice (Damage 13); Tags: Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural; Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (5 dice to control)

Combat: Soak 9, Hardness 0 (Reinforced Buff Jacket: +5);
Evasion 3, Parry 5 (Melee); Rush 7 dice; Disengage 7 dice
Social: Resolve 3, Guile 2

Escort: The Blue Wolves form a Size 4 battle group of medium infantry (Exalted, p. 496) with average Drill. She always keeps a grizzled mercenary (Exalted, p. 497) bodyguard at her side.

New Supernatural Merit: Acrimony’s Seal. One of Nenaveya’s hate-based Defining Ties cannot be altered (other than to a different variety of hate) or eroded, and influence antithetical to that Tie is unacceptable. She may reassign this benefit to a different such Tie once
per story. This Merit is unique to Nenaveya.

Frozen Heart (Unmelting Ice Daiklave, Artifact •••) An orichalcum hilt grips a blade of unmelting ice. Nenaveya is resonant with it, as are the Abyssal Exalted.

Evocations of Frozen Heart
Passive: The wearer ignores all cold-related penalties, and negates one level of damage from cold-based environmental hazards.
Pain-Numbing Chill (2m, 2i; Reflexive; Until next turn; Perilous; Essence 2): Nenaveya ignores up to three points of penalties from wounds, poison, or disease on all actions. Prerequisites: None. Dissonant: The wielder only ignores one point of penalty.

Charms: Nenaveya’s rating in her highest-rated hate-based Tie toward the target of an action she creates or enhances with a Charm, or toward her attacker, is her Animus. If she’s impassioned with hatred (Exalted, p, 217), treat her as having a hate-based Major Tie toward all opponents. She can’t use Charms that refer to Animus against opponents for whom she lacks hate-based Ties.

OFFENSIVE CHARMS
Antagonistic Awareness (1m+; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): Choose an opponent and add one die per mote spent to a Join Battle roll, up to (Animus) dice. If Nenaveya’s Join Battle roll beats the chosen opponent’s, she steals one Initiative from him.
Enmity-Driven Onslaught (1m+; Supplemental; Instant; Dual; Essence 2): Add one die per mote spent, up to (Animus) dice, to an attack roll. If it’s withering, also add that many dice to its post-soak damage; if it’s decisive, add half that many dice (rounded down) to its raw damage, or to the Initiative roll if it’s a gambit.
Triumphant Contempt Attitude (1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): Upon incapacitating an opponent, gain (Animus) Initiative after resetting to base.
Vindictive Counterattack (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Decisive-only; Essence 2): When parrying an attack, make a decisive Melee counterattack that occurs after the opponent’s attack result (successful or not), but before damage is rolled, ignoring (Animus) Hardness. This doesn’t count as her combat action for the turn.

DEFENSIVE CHARMS
Focused Loathing Deflection (2m+; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): Increase Parry by one per two motes spent, up to a bonus of (Animus/2, rounded up), and ignore that many points of onslaught penalty. On a successful block, steal one Initiative from the attacker.

MOBILITY CHARMS
Belligerent Pursuit Style (1m+; Supplemental; Instant; Perilous; Essence 1): Add one die per mote spent, up to (Animus) dice, to a rush roll or a roll to contest a disengage action. If successful, perform a reflexive aim action against the target; Nenaveya may move and take this reflexive aim action in the same round.

SOCIAL CHARMS
Searing Antipathy Attitude (4m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 2): In response to being targeted by social influence but before the influence action is rolled, Nenaveya burns with hatred as though impassioned (Exalted, p. 217), and gains +2 Resolve. If she’s already impassioned with hatred, waive the Willpower cost.