The Obsidian Shards of Infinity: A Mythic Martial Art (2006)

A fantasy martial art inspired by shattered mirrors

This is probably the single nerdiest post I will ever write on Substack, but here we go! I used to be a professional fantasy game writer — it was my first regular paid writing gig, in my early twenties. The post that follows contains one of my favorite things from that era.

Preface

When I was in college, my friends and I loved White Wolf Game Studio, an independent artistic game design company that had a legendary cultural impact. White Wolf made multiple games and they were all amazing. One of these amazing games, Exalted, was inspired by anime, and by wuxia films, and by various unearthly Western fantasy authors including my favorite author Tanith Lee. So my friends and I spent tons of time both playing the game and contributing to ExaltedWiki, a fan site.

After college I managed to snare an internship at White Wolf. I briefly moved to Atlanta, where the company was headquartered, and I brought Dustin Shampel, my boyfriend at the time. Dustin and I quickly became regular contributors to Exalted. We almost always worked as a team, with me writing the “flavor text” and Dustin creating the intertwined “mechanics” that represented how stuff worked within the logic of the game (sometimes each of us did the other thing). We had similar mythological influences and taste, which helped. Dustin and I had met in college and when we weren’t playing games together, which was rare because we spent at least a dozen hours per week doing that, we’d do other nerdy things, like attend Renaissance Faires or goth clubs.

One of my best contributions to Exalted was a system that I devised to help players create magical sites. I originally posted my “Manse Creation System” on ExaltedWiki and eventually was asked to develop a version to include in the actual game. (Fun fact: For years afterwards I was cited as an example on the pop culture website TVTropes, in their entry explaining the concept of “The Promoted Fangirl.”) The adapted version of my “Manse Creation System” was then published in a sourcebook called Oadenol’s Codex (2007).

“The Obsidian Shards of Infinity” was another favorite. This was one of many fantastical martial arts styles that Dustin and I drafted for Scroll Of The Monk (2006). The post that follows is the original draft Dustin and I developed, which is moderately different from what was published; our original version was frankly better than what got printed in the book. (Those games get refreshed every few years, so I don’t feel bad posting the behind-the-scenes version of something that was officially printed in a deprecated sourcebook twenty years ago.)

Note: Exalted, like many roleplaying games, had a learning curve; players had to learn its internal logic and lingo before playing it. I think the ideas below are probably still fun for people who like my other writing, even if they have never played Exalted or any similar games. If you’ve never played a roleplaying game before, just be aware that some of the language below includes terms of art that had their own meanings in the game’s interlocking system and setting, and feel free to skim.

—

The Obsidian Shards of Infinity: A Sidereal Martial Arts Style

The pattern spiders congregate near patches of Fate where this style has been used. They chitter to each other softly, appearing — as much as metal spiders with unblinking jade eyes can appear — to be disconcerted, slightly confused, even upset. None speak to outsiders of concerns they may have on this score. None have ever directly confronted a student of this style. Always, in the company of a practitioner, the spiders show the deference they show all Sidereal Exalted; but they also leave his presence hastily, with the barest obeisance.

A practitioner of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity Style always seems to understand something his opponents don't. A subtle, knowing look lies in his eyes. Every move seems strange, jerky, even nonsensical. The logic behind his motions is impenetrable; his attacks, flatly impossible. When he divulges his philosophy, he speaks in incomprehensible metaphors, and it is difficult for others to make head or tail of it — even other masters of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity.

Ei Zou

In the time of cascading years lived a man named Ei Zou. Unspeaking and dark, he spent his days pacing dim streets and silent corridors, seeking only to refine his self-knowledge.

The day he understood that his shadow was watching him, Ei Zou watched it back. He chose to walk through bright places so that he could clearly mark its boundaries, and lit torches throughout his home, observing its fluctuations in the changing light.

His shadow remained much the same, and Ei Zou became perturbed. He watched it echo his every gesture, and knew that it was mocking him. The question of why it chose to follow him, pretending that he and the light had created it, tormented him. But, though he hated it for its subterfuge, he did not take action; instead, Ei Zou settled back to contemplate his shadow with hostility. Knowing that it comprehended his recognition, he waited for it to act.

During those long days, he saw it everywhere. Soon Ei Zou realized that his shadow’s mind was also behind his every reflection, and he gazed intently at his face as it echoed in still water and in mirrors, searching its eyes for a clue to its identity. Watching every angle of it — spending hours learning the curve of a muscle or the shading of a strand of hair — Ei Zou built a perfect simulacrum in his mind’s eye. With grim exactitude, he looked for a difference between it and his own image; this, he was sure, would tell him its weakness.

At last, when those years had fallen through to their end, Ei Zou drew out his shadow till it stood before him. No longer did it merely react, but leered at him in infuriating triumph. Are you conceding? it asked him, and he responded with a strike that shattered its sneering mouth. I know you now, he told it, and broke it into five pieces, which faded away at his feet.

Now you are gone forever, he said, and stepped into its place.

—

Derangements

Sages speculate that it is not just Creation as a whole that is balanced among the five elements; everything within the world has its own balance as well. Everything doesn't have to balance at the same point — indeed, Dragon-Blooded and elementals actually benefit from their tilt towards their patron element — but even if its proportions aren't perfectly equal, everything has an ideal state. If a sentient being's elemental balance begins to tip too far in a wrong direction, the first signs of it come in the form of psychic damage: Derangements. Each of these thus has an elemental association, and is thought to reflect which element(s) the character has overbalanced towards.

Mechanically, Derangements have effects that kick in when the character fails a Willpower roll in certain circumstances. Every normal Derangement is rated in Severity from one to five, and this rating is the difficulty of the Willpower roll; a Severity of 4 or more is considered "major."

However, it's important not to reduce Derangements to their mechanics when playing the game. The statistical effects exist to remind the player of the worst of the problem — they are not the sum of the problem. Derangements are serious character flaws, a kind of madness that the character can't escape, and most of their narrative power and interest comes from roleplaying them. Players who don't want to roleplay Derangements probably shouldn't give them — or have them given — to their characters.

Each Derangement may be taken as a Flaw at character generation; the first one gives the character a number of Bonus Points equal to its Severity, whereas each successive one grants 1, no matter what its Severity.

Please note that we are not trying to mirror current psychological theory in the real world. What we've provided are intended to be dramatic, disturbing magical insanities for people on a fictional, flat world, not accurate portraits of the mentally ill in our time. If you'd prefer to play with more realistic mental issues, we suggest that you study a copy of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder and design your own effects from there.

The following do not represent the sum total of possible Derangements, merely a sample; Storytellers are encouraged to make up their own if they wish. Further Derangements may be provided in later books.

The Derangement of Fire: Delirium. This Derangement causes emotional instability, unpredictability and irrationality. In its worst bouts, the character is so at sea that he can't recognize anything, and acts only on basic instincts. In times of stress, the afflicted character must roll not to be reduced to fight-or-flight; if he fails, then he will either run away or lash out against anything restraining him, using crude but effective tactics.

The Derangement of Air: Hallucinations. The character is bedeviled, by means of any or all of his senses, by things that are simply not there. Whenever it is important for the character to be able to tell the difference between his hallucinations and reality, he makes the roll (maximum, once per scene); success indicates that he understands that his hallucinations aren't real.

The Derangement of Water: Misery. Sure that nothing he does matters, and unable to bring himself to care, the character goes through life in a haze of depression. When in a stressful situation, the character rolls, and if he fails, then he won't do anything on his own; he must be forced to react to outside problems, and is unable to spend Willpower.

The Derangement of Wood: Multiple Personalities. The character has more than one persona, each of which the player designs with the Storyteller. His alternate personalities may have different skills. (He must spend character generation points on every skill, even if some are not accessible to other personalities; the different personalities are capable of using any Charms that they think they have the requisite Abilities for, albeit — in the case of those that don't think they're Exalted — unconsciously.) When under stress, the Derangement roll is made to prevent the most appropriate, defensive personality for the situation from coming to the fore. Often, the character is — or at least the majority of his personalities are — unaware of the others.

The Derangement of Earth: Paranoia. Convinced that there are plots against his life and future happiness, the character suspects everyone he meets of dishonesty. He sets himself a routine, which he follows religiously, alert for any differences at all in his world. Every time his routine is broken, he must roll; if he fails, he's certain that some form of treachery is involved.

—

Weapons and Armor To Be Used With This Martial Arts Style

The form weapons for this style can be either paired sai or multiple daggers. These can either be wielded or thrown with equal facility, using the Sidereal's Martial Arts as the relevant Ability, with one caveat: he must always be using more than one. Should the martial artist ever be reduced to a single weapon, then he will be unable to use it as a signature weapon for this style until he gets another.

Practitioners of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity Style tend to keep their weapons polished to a highly reflective shine, for reasons that will become obvious.

Characters cannot use this style while wearing armor.

—

Powers of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity Style

The Student's Sutra of Reflection: Once, there was a thoughtful maiden ...

Charm 1: Black Shards Fall Like Ice

Cost: 10 motes
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: none
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

... who broke her mirror, and dropped the pieces to the ground.

With a shout, a step and a ringing clap, the martial artist calls a rain of sharpened glass. For an area with a diameter of [her Essence x 10] yards, obsidian fragments slice down, causing base 15 lethal dice of piercing damage to everyone caught there. This area need not be centered on the Sidereal, but cannot be further away than his [Essence x 25] yards.

The falling pieces themselves do count as an attack, with a number of automatic successes equal to the Sidereal's [Essence + Martial Arts], and cannot be parried. They may, however, be dodged, and a Charm that can remove the evading character from that place as she dodges — Leaping Dodge Method, for example — lowers that character's necessary DV by 5. Undodged successes from the attack roll add to the attack's damage as normal.

Charm 2: Ripple in the Silvered Glass

Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: none
Keywords: Combo-OK

She thought to repair it, but was arrested by the sight of the scattered shards,

Slipping aside from a foe's attack, the Sidereal makes an airy and casual gesture; a soft fog clouds the air momentarily, then departs. This Charm posits an alternative to a successful attack, which then becomes true. The Sidereal may say that his attacker, instead, stumbled and fell at his feet, or broke her weapon with her clumsiness; he must limit himself to a substitute that is possible, but almost anything can happen — for scope, consider the enemy to have botched her attack roll.

The target of this Charm may reflexively spend a Willpower point to feel a faint sense of unease at the new reality falling into place around her. She then rolls [Wits + Occult] with an external penalty of the martial artist's [Manipulation + Martial Arts]. With one success, she didn't botch, but she still didn't hit; if she manages to garner five successes, then she tears through the fog and completes the attack she originally succeeded at.

If a person with a Derangement is affected by Ripple in the Silvered Glass and spends the Willpower point, then her [Wits + Awareness] roll has an external penalty only of the Sidereal's Martial Arts.

This Charm is a perfect defense that may be used against non-sentient things; in such cases, it works automatically. Furthermore, any action launched through a reflective surface at the martial artist — for example, someone scrying him in a forest pool — can be deflected with this Charm as well; the Sidereal will automatically sense the attempt taking place, and can choose whether or not to use Ripple in the Silvered Glass against it.

Charm 3: Reaching Through the Smoke

Cost: 8 motes per target
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: none
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

which showed so many visions of her face.

Gesturing at an opponent, the Sidereal calls her reflection to face him; any reflective surfaces around him, no matter how they are angled, begin to show that person. For the rest of the scene, the martial artist can attack the reflection of his foe with even more facility than the foe herself. Attacks against the reflections are undodgeable, and the target takes a -2 external penalty to parry them — moreover, she must be able to see the image the Sidereal is attacking to try. And, as the mirror breaks or the water ripples beneath the martial artist's hand, his enemy feels cracks lancing across her skin. The damage is lethal, and her soak is halved against that strike.

Charm 4: Shattering the Balance

Cost: 8 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 4
Prerequisite Charms: Black Shards Fall Like Ice, Ripple in the Silvered Glass, Reaching Through the Smoke
Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

She put the pieces back together at all the wrong angles,

Catching the target's eye, the martial artist smiles and dreamily strokes her face. With just that touch (or a successful attack), the target feels her heart skip a beat and her mind cloud over. She now has a Derangement (or equivalently strong mental problems) of the martial artist's choice, with a Severity equal to his Essence.

The Derangement may be healed — by rituals, Charms, or anything else — just like a normal Derangement. However, any reflective surface she looks in after the Derangement is taken away will present the target with a warped vision of herself that brings it back, unless she succeeds on a Willpower roll with a difficulty of the martial artist's Essence. This roll need only be made once per scene. If she manages to succeed on this roll a number of times equal to the Sidereal's Martial Arts, then her reflections return to normal.

With an appropriate Derangement, the Sidereal may use this Charm to remove Unnatural Mental Influences on the target.

Example: Ei Zou sees that his wife has been beguiled by a Fair Folk Noble, and that she is in love. Feeling sad but compassionate, kissing her forehead, he activates Shattering the Balance and gives her Paranoia. Terrified of everyone she used to trust, Ei Zou’s wife turns away from the Fair, her love fallen to suspicion and fear.

The Sidereal may use this Charm on himself.

Charm 5: Walking in the Fog

Cost: —
Duration: Permanent
Type: Permanent
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Shattering the Balance
Keywords: Shaping

and was delighted by the image of herself.

Reality is mutable, and shaped by our perceptions; none know this better than those who study this style. Changing perceptions, therefore, can change reality.

This Charm is a Derangement with a Severity equal to the Sidereal's Essence. Learning it is inseparable from having the Derangement, and curing the Derangement entails the loss of Walking in the Fog. It may be learned more than once, for multiple Derangements. Storytellers need not limit themselves to the versions here; other versions of Walking in the Fog may exist for other Derangements.

Walking in the Fog of Delirium. The Sidereal's reality makes less sense than others would expect; even cause and effect seem to matter less than usual around him, or perhaps he understands something about it that others don’t. A number of times per story equal to the martial artist's Essence, everyone else will be convinced of something, but the Sidereal will be convinced of something in opposition to that fact. He will be unable to explain his logic or to produce evidence to back up his assertions; no one will be able to sway him; and he will be absolutely correct. Other characters with Delirium will be able to understand his train of thought if they hear about his conclusion, but they won't be able to explain it to others, either.

Walking in the Fog of Hallucinations. There is evidence that the Sidereal's hallucinations actually exist, though they still can't be sensed by others. Any hallucinations the martial artist honestly believes are real can affect the world, though not within sight of other sentient beings. For example, if the Sidereal is locked in a cell, then the illusory mentor who guides him can go get his possessions for him, as long as neither the belongings nor the cell are being directly observed by the guards; or, if the martial artist is speaking to a friend at the door of her home, then a hallucinatory mischievous sprite could rearrange her bedroom. Wards against what the Sidereal believes his hallucination to be will work on it — so, the aforementioned mischievous elemental would be kept out of the bedroom if it were warded against elementals. Other characters with Hallucinations will be able to sense the Sidereal's hallucinations.

Walking in the Fog of Misery. The world actually is a terrible, depressing place, and it really isn't worth trying to accomplish anything. A number of times per scene equal to the Sidereal's Essence, an action that he is observing that is important to someone outright fails, without a roll. These failures are first applied to actions whose success could harm the martial artist. Only actions that the acting character doesn't care about cannot be made to fail by this Charm. Because the character himself doesn't feel any real enthusiasm about doing anything, he — and any other characters with Misery — will not be affected by Walking in the Fog.

Walking in the Fog of Multiple Personalities. The martial artist doesn't just think he's multiple people — he is more than one person. Each personality has a completely different appearance and Fate from the others; if one takes Paradox, the rest don't; if one is wounded or killed, the rest are not. More than one personality can't be dominant at once, so more than one of the Sidereal's personalities can't be in Creation at the same time. Still, when the Sidereal switches between personalities, reality itself believes that there's more than one person involved; it may, for example, seem to outsiders that the previous personality departed the room, and the new personality just arrived. Because of this, it is impossible to discover that the personalities all belong to the same person, even by means of Charms — unless the investigator also has Multiple Personalities.

Walking in the Fog of Paranoia. The Sidereal has good reason for thinking that someone or something is working against him. A number of times per story equal to his Essence, he will discover a plot against him before it's too late. Other characters with Paranoia understand this; if they, and only they, take action against him, then he may not discover it in time — but only if their action is an extremely simple one, such as a sudden, unplanned attack from behind.

Charm 6: Obsidian Shards of Infinity Form

Cost: 10 motes
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Walking in the Fog
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious

Smiling, she admired it for some time.

It is nearly impossible to find the person behind the Obsidian Shards of Infinity practitioner and his endless reflections. Any time a foe successfully strikes him, the martial artist may choose to spend one mote and break into five shards, which disappear as he instantly and reflexively reforms within his Essence in yards. He has taken no damage, and may roll to surprise his enemy automatically. Moreover, if one of his daggers or sai is lost — taken away by an enemy, for example, or thrown without retrieval — then, as long as it is the same weapon he had when he turned on this Charm, he may spend one mote: the distant weapon is revealed to have been a duplicate made of black glass, which shatters, with the original in the Sidereal's hand.

Charm 7: The Mirror Does Not Lie

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 5
Prerequisite Charms: Obsidian Shards of Infinity Form
Keywords: Combo-Basic

The Elder Sutra of Reflection: The maiden wanted to show everyone how wonderful she looked,

Reflections don't just portray the world; they give back a new vision. After turning on this Charm, the martial artist may deflect any attacks against him — including social attacks and mass combat attacks — as if he were bouncing a beam of light from a mirror. He may choose the offender's new target; to everyone who witnessed the event, it will appear that that person was the target all along. Only the attacker will understand his original intent — unless there are other observers who share all the Sidereal's Derangements; they, too, will see and comprehend the deflection.

Foes can slip through cracks in the Sidereal's mirror by means of attacks that no observers see coming. Thus, such an attack may not be deflected by means of this Charm — but it must truly be invisible to all observers, not just the martial artist himself.

Charm 8: Vanished Within the Mist

Cost: 15 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Indefinite
Type: Supplemental
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: The Mirror Does Not Lie
Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

but it seemed as though none could see it.

Who has not been tempted to see a world within the mirror? The Sidereal shows it to his enemy, and, while she marvels, he throws her in. With a touch or a successful attack, the target of this Charm vanishes. It seems to her that she walks through the world, tries to speak to others or pick things up, but nothing she does has any consequence. The only way to see her is to see her reflection: she appears in polished silver just as she would if she were actually in Creation, and any who see her there can hear her as well, but not directly affect her in any way. The martial artist himself can sense her normally, but he can't affect her either.

The Essence spent on this Charm is committed as long as the target is trapped; if the Sidereal voluntarily releases that Essence or dies, she is freed. Vanished Within the Mist cannot be used on anyone who has the same Derangement(s) as the martial artist, and should a trapped character gain those Derangement(s), she is instantly liberated.

Charm 9: Draw Forth One Shard

Cost: 15 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 6
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Vanished Within the Mist
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Touch

So she painted a self-portrait,

The martial artist pulls gently at the mirror he holds before his enemy, and the reflection of his foe stands unexpectedly beside her. To the discerning, though, there is something different about the doppelganger — an edge to her smile, the slightest change in her movements. It's not the same person, they think — or, as the duplicates turn towards each other, is it?

The Sidereal must touch either the target, or any surface reflecting her, in order to use this Charm. The thing he brings forth is entirely the same as its parent, save that it does not itself have a reflection; and there is one other, small change, which the martial artist cannot predict, and has no control over. This difference is rarely more significant than a change in a single Trait's score. Attempts to create more perfect or accurate reflections have always resulted only in duplicates that are warped more subtly (and, perhaps, more dangerously).

Although the double has its own consciousness and will, it is completely under the Sidereal's control. At will, the martial artist may see through its eyes or control its movements; if he should take any actions against it, he will automatically succeed.

Some things are shared between doppelganger and original. For one, the reflection may use any of its parent's Charms, drawing from its parent's Essence pool to do so. (Duplicates of artifacts cannot draw on the power of their parents.) Moreover, the double will constantly share certain qualities with its forerunner, depending on which shard the Sidereal chooses to draw forth:

* One shard of the original will share all physical pain between the two. In this case, wounding one wounds the other, torturing one tortures the other, and so on. Killing one, however, does not kill the other.

* One shard causes them to share emotions; if one weeps, the other weeps; if one falls in love, the other falls in love.

* One shard will learn everything its parent learns, and vice versa. Should Experience Points become relevant, both draw from the same pool, and the duplicate is not awarded its own. Training times remain the same, even if both are training at once.

* One shard causes all movements to be shared. If one runs, the other runs; if one is picked up and carried, the other is dragged along, even if they are a thousand miles apart.

* One shard of the original will be killed or destroyed if its parent is — and its forerunner will do the same if it suffers that fate.

Artifacts greater than level 5, beings with an Essence score higher than the Sidereal's, and anything bigger than a palace cannot be duplicated by means of this Charm. If the creating Sidereal dies, the shard remains, freed of his influence. If the parent object of a reflection is destroyed or killed, then the double gains sole access to all the power of the original — but the differences between itself and the original remain, and the Sidereal loses all control over the newly empowered creation.

The martial artist may use Draw Forth One Shard on himself.

Charm 10: Draw Forth Every Shard

Cost: 2 motes per copy, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 5
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Obsidian Shards of Infinity Form
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Stackable

and portrait after portrait of that,

Gesturing to one side, then the other, the Sidereal's form multiplies as if echoed in rank upon rank of mirrors. The doubles do not move in unison, but similarly; they all dedicate themselves to whatever the original is doing, be it crafting a daiklave, climbing a cliff, or fighting an army.

Every reflection is considered to be under the effects of the Obsidian Shards of Infinity Form. The martial artist may use his other Charms of this style through any of them, but must pay a one-mote surcharge if he wishes to extend the effects to another duplicate — so, for example, he may use Black Shards Rain Like Ice through one shard for 10 motes, then pay one mote for each additional doppelganger who uses it at the same time. This Charm cannot be used by the duplicates — only the Sidereal himself.

If more than one shard attacks the same person, then they are considered to be performing a coordinated attack, with the target suffering the maximum possible penalty for the number of attackers.

Only the first use of this Charm in a scene costs Willpower. The martial artist may create a maximum number of doppelgangers at a time equal to his [Martial Arts x Essence], and they can only venture as far as they can be perceived, either by their creator or by each other. None but the Sidereal himself have a reflection.

Charm 11: Echoes of Infinity

Cost: 10 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive
Minimum Martial Arts: 6
Minimum Essence: 6
Prerequisite Charms: Draw Forth Every Shard
Keywords: Combo-OK

until she had made everyone look at her

Mirrors opposed to mirrors seem endless. The Sidereal can activate this Charm in any place with at least a square yard's worth of total reflective surfaces, or with distinct, easily-heard echoes. As long as he has these reflections to work from, none of his Martial Arts Charms cost any Essence at all.

Charm 12: Breathing on the Black Mirror

Cost: 20 motes, 1 Willpower
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Minimum Martial Arts: 7
Minimum Essence: 7
Prerequisite Charms: Draw Forth One Shard, Echoes of Infinity
Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Shaping

and they all believed her.

With a breath that lays a dark mist over the place before him, the Sidereal steps back — then brings his palm forward in a strike that seems to craze the very air. This Charm may only be used during a climactic scene, when Fate hangs heavy and the balance is easily tipped.

Time stops. The martial artist is presented with five shards of the scene before him, each representing a possible conclusion, each a major event that has to do with something extremely important to him. He must choose one:

* In one shard, he has won an immediate conflict, with difficulty.

Ei Zou fought Ligier, the Green Sun, until the sun set behind his brass palace — and in the end, the other bowed his shining head in defeat.

* In one shard, he is offered great joy, but no other gain.

Searching the brass palace of the Green Sun, Ei Zou found his wife — lost a thousand years before — confined in the vault. Unable to believe his fortune, he took her tenderly in his arms — and Ligier, in those long moments, escaped.

* In one shard, he has suffered a minor loss but gained a greater, long-term victory.

Ei Zou did not fight Ligier and could not wrest a surrender from him. But the bargain he struck with the Green Sun gave him part of what he needed to bend Ligier's Prince, Malfeas, to his will.

* In one shard, he learns something that completely changes his opinion on an important matter.

A chance comment by the Green Sun led Ei Zou to realize just how deep Kejak's treachery went. He knew he could no longer support the Bronze Faction's campaign to eliminate the Solar Exalted. So, without even pausing to fight the demon Ligier, Ei Zou strode from the brass palace and went straight to the Gold Faction.

* In one shard, he loses something dear to him, but one of his greatest enemies is killed or neutralized.

Ei Zou wept before the open gates of the Demon Prince Malfeas. He had utterly broken his former nemesis, and crippled every one of its lower souls — but his best friend had died in the battle.

Though he will remember using Breathing on the Black Mirror, the Sidereal will not be able to recall the contents of any of the other shards once he has stepped into one.

—

Updates, 3/3-3/5: I made a few slight changes to post and sentence structure, for the purposes of clarity and eloquence. I also added a bit more context about me and Dustin and what our lives were like during this time.