Sublime Danger of the Thousand Daiklave Wings
An essence 7 Lunar Elder, Sublime Danger is a force to be reckoned with.
During the late First Age, Sublime Danger was an infamous thief, mercenary, and bandit who regularly sold her services to the highest bidder. Even as a mortal, she widely boasted that she could successfully outfight or rob anyone other than the Exalted.
Her life changed when she attempted to steal a precious jewel from Tiramon Ironbane, a young Solar traveling in disguise.
Chosen in that moment by Luna, she not only survived, but triumphed. After the battle, she transformed into her shrike spirit shape and flew off, carrying the jewel as a trophy. In large part, Sublime Danger continued her life as it had been before her Exaltation, except on a far grander scale. As a Lunar, she was no more inclined to follow rules or support the status quo than as a mortal; indeed, her exploits made her persona non grata across several major cultures and polities. Instead, she spent much of her time at Creation’s fringes, hunting ancient beasts or battling bandits and pirates — sometimes recruiting the bravest and most daring foes as her followers. Regardless of whether she confronted mortal soldiers, spirits, behemoths, or Exalted foes, her greatest joy was challenging the limits of her ability. When not at world’s edge, she spent much of her time studying battle arts under peerless masters. She developed an especial passion for Thousand Blades Style martial arts, a style obscure even then, and now all but lost to history outside of her tutelage. Its techniques allow her to fly using wings made from daiklaves; she’s since claimed many such weapons as trophies, visibly demonstrating her victories over fellow Exalted throughout the centuries. While she cared little for Exalted politics, she found herself drawn once more to Tiramon, who proved to be her Solar mate. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship in which she constantly challenged him, attempting to demonstrate her superiority and gain the upper hand. Nonetheless, she supported his machinations in the Second Deliberative, on several occasions secretly sabotaging his rivals’ projects — whether stealing a daiklave, crippling a wondrous floating city, or publicly exposing schemes and indiscretions. Sublime Danger had only been Chosen for a century when the Usurpation utterly transformed her world. Though unconcerned by the Deliberative’s fall, she couldn’t forgive the usurpers for killing her beloved — whose death she’d felt through their bond — and their two children. She began a brutally efficient campaign of guerilla warfare against the newly formed Shogunate, hunting down the Dragon-Blooded she believed to have betrayed and slain Tiramon. The Contagion made little difference to her efforts, and she continued harrying the Shogunate’s successors in the Second Age. Sublime Danger currently lives in the East, where she focuses her efforts on Lookshy. Her hatred of the usurpers has dimmed with time, but the thrill of pitting herself against skilled and deadly foes hasn’t. While she enjoys hard-won victories on the battlefield, she also deploys the strategic sabotages she earned a reputation for in the First Age: undermining politicians’ plots, exposing a general’s shameful actions, sabotaging military infrastructure, and the like. She prefers to lure worthy targets away from the safety of their peers, testing herself one-on-one against well-trained monks, cunning sorcerers, and other expert shikari. One secret to her longevity is knowing when to flee and lay low — often for years at a time. Sublime Danger has established hideouts throughout the East that she and her students use as boltholes, safe houses, and supply caches. She charted and expanded a series of caves in the Garnet Hills, their twists and turns a maze whose true path only Sublime Danger and a trusted few know. The remains of lost enemies haunt many a dead end, their hungry ghosts yet another danger for trespassers to face. The beaverfolk along the Porian River welcome her to their lodges, repayment for a favor she did their ancestors in ages past. Other hideouts offer urban accommodations. Some conceal themselves in slums and tenements, whether winding spaces lodged between the walls, or hidden cellars and catacombs deep beneath the streets. She also enjoys the luxury of opulent apartments and estates, paid for through proxies, filled with secret entrances and hidden rooms.
Her life changed when she attempted to steal a precious jewel from Tiramon Ironbane, a young Solar traveling in disguise.
Chosen in that moment by Luna, she not only survived, but triumphed. After the battle, she transformed into her shrike spirit shape and flew off, carrying the jewel as a trophy. In large part, Sublime Danger continued her life as it had been before her Exaltation, except on a far grander scale. As a Lunar, she was no more inclined to follow rules or support the status quo than as a mortal; indeed, her exploits made her persona non grata across several major cultures and polities. Instead, she spent much of her time at Creation’s fringes, hunting ancient beasts or battling bandits and pirates — sometimes recruiting the bravest and most daring foes as her followers. Regardless of whether she confronted mortal soldiers, spirits, behemoths, or Exalted foes, her greatest joy was challenging the limits of her ability. When not at world’s edge, she spent much of her time studying battle arts under peerless masters. She developed an especial passion for Thousand Blades Style martial arts, a style obscure even then, and now all but lost to history outside of her tutelage. Its techniques allow her to fly using wings made from daiklaves; she’s since claimed many such weapons as trophies, visibly demonstrating her victories over fellow Exalted throughout the centuries. While she cared little for Exalted politics, she found herself drawn once more to Tiramon, who proved to be her Solar mate. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship in which she constantly challenged him, attempting to demonstrate her superiority and gain the upper hand. Nonetheless, she supported his machinations in the Second Deliberative, on several occasions secretly sabotaging his rivals’ projects — whether stealing a daiklave, crippling a wondrous floating city, or publicly exposing schemes and indiscretions. Sublime Danger had only been Chosen for a century when the Usurpation utterly transformed her world. Though unconcerned by the Deliberative’s fall, she couldn’t forgive the usurpers for killing her beloved — whose death she’d felt through their bond — and their two children. She began a brutally efficient campaign of guerilla warfare against the newly formed Shogunate, hunting down the Dragon-Blooded she believed to have betrayed and slain Tiramon. The Contagion made little difference to her efforts, and she continued harrying the Shogunate’s successors in the Second Age. Sublime Danger currently lives in the East, where she focuses her efforts on Lookshy. Her hatred of the usurpers has dimmed with time, but the thrill of pitting herself against skilled and deadly foes hasn’t. While she enjoys hard-won victories on the battlefield, she also deploys the strategic sabotages she earned a reputation for in the First Age: undermining politicians’ plots, exposing a general’s shameful actions, sabotaging military infrastructure, and the like. She prefers to lure worthy targets away from the safety of their peers, testing herself one-on-one against well-trained monks, cunning sorcerers, and other expert shikari. One secret to her longevity is knowing when to flee and lay low — often for years at a time. Sublime Danger has established hideouts throughout the East that she and her students use as boltholes, safe houses, and supply caches. She charted and expanded a series of caves in the Garnet Hills, their twists and turns a maze whose true path only Sublime Danger and a trusted few know. The remains of lost enemies haunt many a dead end, their hungry ghosts yet another danger for trespassers to face. The beaverfolk along the Porian River welcome her to their lodges, repayment for a favor she did their ancestors in ages past. Other hideouts offer urban accommodations. Some conceal themselves in slums and tenements, whether winding spaces lodged between the walls, or hidden cellars and catacombs deep beneath the streets. She also enjoys the luxury of opulent apartments and estates, paid for through proxies, filled with secret entrances and hidden rooms.
Pact Relations
While Sublime Danger’s efforts support the agenda of the Silver Pact — of which she’s technically a member — she cares little for others’ plans or orders. However, she understands that with the Scarlet Empress’ disappearance and the return of the Solar Exalted, change has come to Creation. She wishes to find, test herself against, and defeat her mate’s reincarnation. She pays dearly for rumors that might lead to them, meanwhile collecting stories of Solars and other Exalted in the Scavenger Lands who might present an intriguing challenge. These include Kirana Liset, who slew the behemoth Bloodreaver; the warrior-poet Red Emerald, whose words are said to cut like knives; the infamous shape stealer Zera the Many; and the Night Caste assassin Novia Claro, who stalks the rooftops of Nexus. With the Realm’s instability Sublime Danger sees opportunity, preparing to strike greater and more terrible blows against the Shogunate’s successors than she could before. She cares neither for ruling nor for re-establishing the lost Deliberative. Instead, she dreams of eradicating the Immaculate religion, Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded gentes, and the Scarlet Dynasty, leaving someone who cares about such matters to pick up the pieces and build something new. Sublime Danger is daring, but not foolhardy; she understands that she can’t topple Lookshy and the Realm alone. While unwilling to commit to long-term alliances or to submit to another’s authority, she may adjust and change specific plans to cooperate with fellow Pact members. These are her best allies, although her relations with them have always been eccentric, largely due to her active disinterest in politics and power structures. She’s worked with other shahan-yas on multiple occasions, but only when their goals align with hers.Mentorship
Sublime Danger rarely accepts students, only selecting those who share her willingness to repeatedly test themselves to their limits and who understand the potentially deadly thrill of doing so. Some shahan-yas maintain that the only students Sublime Danger takes on are thrillseekers who enjoy risking their lives in the same fashion as gamblers who enjoy risking their fortunes. Newly chosen Lunars who meet these criteria find that they have a passionately devoted mentor who carefully and patiently trains them to meet any challenge. However, these students must also face threats that Sublime Danger regularly springs on them as part of her instruction. Her adherents occasionally awaken to find themselves facing an angry elemental, a well-armed mob, or whatever other foes their tutor has placed in their way. Early in her student’s training, Sublime Danger stands ready to intervene if she’s overestimated his capabilities. But once she’s learned his limits and he’s mastered the basics of his own gifts and strengths, she informs him that survival is now his responsibility, not hers. She never selects challenges that are too obviously dangerous, and acknowledges that sometimes the best choice is flight, but occasionally loses careless or overconfident pupils. However, Sublime Danger is exceedingly generous with students who thrive under her tutelage. She regularly gifts apprentices who survive her instruction with artifacts from her collection, carefully chosen to fit their fighting style, although the nature of their Evocations often divulges her opinion of them. She’s taught a rare few apprentices Thousand Blades style, but expects them to obtain for themselves the weapons necessary for its best use. While some of Sublime Danger’s former students prefer to avoid her attentions, many who excel become devoted to her, remaining close even after completing their tutelage. She rarely requests an adherent’s aid. When she does, most respond swiftly and eagerly, understanding that any endeavor where Sublime Danger seeks assistance will test any of Luna’s children to their limits, and perhaps beyond.Adherents of Note
Born in Greyfalls, Arel River-Terror found himself hunted by the Realm garrison and his own people when he Exalted. His older sister Shosa died while aiding his escape; her death filled him with burning hatred for the Realm and Greyfalls, prompting a reckless, devastating campaign of destruction across the rivers east of the Hundred Kingdoms. In his crocodile spirit shape, he smashed riverboats, devoured merchants and soldiers, and barely escaped death several times. Rage consumed him; he thought of nothing beyond his next attack. Sublime Danger found him preparing to ambush a Wyld Hunt assembled to kill him. Admiring his daring and his willingness to embrace danger, and seeing his need for training and counsel, she rescued him and became his mentor. His tutelage complete, he wanders the eastern Scavenger Lands but remains devoted to his teacher, ready to assist her should she call. His closest ally, the Lookshy-born Lunar Amilar Yo-Tsu, passes himself off as an Anathema hunter, the better to gather information on Wyld Hunts. After years of playful encounters and fighting alongside one another, Arel has learned much from his friend about trickery and deception — and fallen passionately in love. But YoTsu’s outspoken hatred of Sublime Danger, who slew his parents years ago, stands between them. The Haltan warrior Zertha drew her Second Breath when bandits killed the rest of her hunting party. In her spirit shape of a green-spotted Northeastern leopard, she hunted the bandits, then set off to better understand what she’d become. For a time she studied in the Lunar Metick the Twice-Blessed’s hidden forest village. But he was a contemplative mystic, while she was a deadly predator eager for physical challenge and glory. After teaching Zertha the basics of sorcery, Metick directed her to Sublime Danger for further study.Recognizing in Zertha a fearless, precise hunter craving the thrill of victory, Sublime Danger knew she’d met a like-minded companion. Despite the vast gulf between them in age and skill, they spent time together more as equals than as teacher and student. Decades have passed since Zertha completed her tutelage, mastering Thousand Blades style and setting out to acquire the tools to best employ it. In a century or two, the adherent might even become her shahan-ya’s equal. In the meantime, Sublime Danger trusts Zertha to speak for her at Silver Pact conclaves and act as an ambassador to other forces in the region. Arel River-Terror took an immediate dislike to Zertha; her green hair and haughty demeanor reminded him of the Nuri overlords who’d oppressed his people in Greyfalls. They’ve fought alongside one another several times since; while unlikely to ever be friends, they’ve developed a mutual respect. However, Zertha has defeated Arel every time Sublime Danger has arranged for them to spar. Arel has trained for a rematch ever since his apprenticeship ended and dreams of impressing his mentor by finally defeating Zertha and claiming one of her daiklaves as his own. After a neighboring tribe slaughtered her people, Eska of the Seven Blades (Adversaries of the Righteous, pp. 129-131) sought revenge, hunting down those who murdered her loved ones. Her wanderings afterward carried her into Sublime Danger’s territory; rumors of her bravery and desire to challenge heroes and champions caught Sublime Danger’s attention. The elder Lunar became Eska’s mentor, encouraging her desire to gain strength through testing herself against anyone she deems her rival. These include both Sublime Danger’s other adherents, and heroes operating between the Scavenger Lands and Dreaming Sea.Relationships
Sublime Danger of the Thousand Daiklave Wings
FriendTowards Feather Drenched in the Blood of the Fallen
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Feather Drenched in the Blood of the Fallen
FriendTowards Sublime Danger of the Thousand Daiklave Wings
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