As you fled
the eldritch horror and heady beauty of arcadia you followed a bitter yet
soothing siren song: YOU were the first in your family to ever go to
university, YOU managed to qualify for the national championships, YOU were
president of the school debating society, YOU were the guy all the girls fell
for at school, You were the woman everyone sought advice from, YOU weren’t
nobody: YOU WERE SOMEBODY…
Arrogant, assertive, daring, dramatic, Jacobin, judgemental, visionary,
violent… There are many ways to describe the walkers on the Path of Flame and
all of them are dynamic like the court itself. The Members of the Fire Court
burn with the Promethean flame: the divine spark of ingenuity and the
determination to force the world around them to work on their terms. When a
Lost soul who would become a member of the Fire court hears the call of their
memories they do not consider escaping: they know they must…it’s just a matter
of how. As such the culture shock of returning can be quite sharp, their hopes
and dreams lie in tatters and the world has all but forgotten about them…just
another woulda, coulda, shoulda… It
is therefore understandable why the Lost of the Fire court are quick to ire and
resistance to compromise. Despite their losses they will not forget that they
are better than this and will push themselves and others to even greater
heights. But fire is not just a source of warmth and power; it is inherently
destructive in its nature. For the loftier a Fire Courtiers ambition and the
closer it falls within their grasp, the further and harder the weight of
reality can crash down upon them.
Promethean
flames:
To the uninitiated, the philosophy of the Path of Flame can
be considered dangerous to the stability and liberty of Lost society, after all
pride is generally considered to be a negative and reductive trait in human
society. A Fire courtier however, would simply retort that it is better to be
open and upfront about your failings because acknowledging a problem is the
first step towards rectifying it. To the Fire courtier, pride is not an aloof
sense of complacency but an active expression of the individual’s agency.
A slave accepts their situation and bends to circumstance
whereas the Fire courtier bends the world towards their agenda: it is always
better to die on your feet than live on your knees.
Court Merit
Firebrand (••)
Prerequisite: Fire Mantle •••
Effect: Your
character bears the spirit of Fire within him, and channels that heat into
others. Once per scene, when your character incites someone into a fight, he
regains a single Willpower point.
Mantle:
Your character gains a Glamour point whenever they publically
demonstrate their superiority over another.
O- An
Initiate on the Path of flames eyes flicker like flames and their gaze takes on
a burning intensity and radiates confidence. The Changeling gains a free dot in
the Professional Training merit.
OO- Choose
one Asset skill, the Changeling gains a bonus equal to their mantle rating for
all mundane, non-combat, rolls with this skill.
OOO- The Fire courtier’s
body radiates heat and Their body begins to glow faintly while concentrating. Once
per scene, The Changeling may spend a Willpower point to gain points in armour
equal to their Resolve for the turn. This may stack with other Mundane and
supernatural armour.
OOOO- Regain
one additional willpower whenever you would regain one through your characters
Needle.
OOOOO- Those who
have mastered the Path of Flame literally brighten any situation they are in,
they radiate an aura of light and heat and their passing is marked with a trail
of ash. The Fire Courtier always wins
ties in contested actions.
The Bearer
of the Inner Mounting Flame: For the Changeling whose ambitions
have risen them all the way to Monarchy over their court and Freehold, their
tenacity is unassailable as is that of those who follow them. The Crown of Fire
passes regularly between members of the Fire court as pride can only be
fulfilled through adversity and contest as its members vie for the ultimate
indicator of their abilities. This competition is encouraged by the Fire courts
philosophy of self-improvement and though bitter rivalries can ensue in the
struggle for power all challenges are made in good faith. The Monarch of the
Fire Court may inflict the Emboldened
condition to a number of people equal to their mantle per story.
Bargain: Always lead
by example, never back down from a challenge.
Give and
Take
Prometheus gave the fire of the Gods to man, this was not a
gift or charity but symbolic of the power man has to overcome anything it sets
its mind to. The Bargain with Fire is to hold true to these ideals and to never
waiver, regardless of how destructive the course might be. When the Fae come
for a Fire courtier they do not do so by stealth and guile, but rather swagger
straight into a Freehold gathering and announce their intentions there and
then. Despite the hot-headedness of the Fire court, this confrontation finds
the members of the Path of Flame at their most calm and cordial as both sides
negotiate the terms of their war in minute detail. Once negotiations have begun
however the Fire courtier’s Pride will not allow them to back down or parlay
for aid, for to do so would show weakness. Their only consolation is that the
Fae who comes for them is equally cut adrift.
A canny Fire courtier however can find loopholes in their
Keepers challenge, for what is a greater expression of pride than to show up your
opponent and out fox them. A Fire Courtier cannot accept unsolicited council or
debase herself asking for assistance but he can plan for her allies to
serendipitously knock out the local power grid as she breaks into the museum
and steal a priceless artefact before her keeper could do likewise. Such
coincidences though can be as much a hinderance as a boon, with a cocky Fire
courtier all too often learning that winning (and thus saving their own hide)
may necessitate the sacrifice of her allies to her Keepers trap.
Courtly
Approaches:
“Pride
commeth…”- When the servants of the Gentry attack the Fire court, they
are drawn to shake its members resolve and cripple their ego’s. A Huntsman
gains a point of yearning if they manage to disrupt or derail the fulfilment of
a Fire Courtiers aspiration.
“Once
bitten…”- The Fire Courts true strength is not merely their resolve,
but that of the others they inspire to join their crusade. A Huntsman gains a
point of yearning if they can engineer doubt in one of the Fire courtier’s allies.
A Huntsman gains a further point of yearning if the ally fails to help the Fire
courtier due to the doubts.
“You can’t
make an omelette without…”- Though the walkers on the Path of
Flame can sometimes be impossible to sway once they have chosen a course of
action, a cunning Huntsman can use this to their advantage. A Huntsman gains a
point of yearning if it can manipulate the Fire Courtiers actions to cause
harm, however slight or short term, to their own cause.
Perceptions:
The Earth Court: “Didn’t anyone tell you? All that glitters
is not gold…”
The Water Court “You d-don’t scare me…”
The Air Court: “Delusional, Decadent, Degenerate: Pathetic
really…”
The Courtless: “Loyalists! Obviously…”
The ‘Lestats’: “Speak softly and carry a large torch.”
The ‘Wuf Wufs’: “Heel boy…HEEL!”
The ‘Merlin’s’: “Friendly advice from one standing on the
spire of their ambition to another…perhaps you should tone it down a bit?”
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