
ARCHERY---------
ATHLETICS------- 4
AWARENESS------
DODGE----------- 2
INTEGRITY-------
MARTIAL ARTS---
MELEE------------
RESISTANCE------1
THROWN---------
WAR--------------
CRAFT------------- 5
LARCENY----------
LINGUISTICS------
PERFORMANCE---
PRESENCE--------
RIDE--------------
SAIL---------------
SOCIALIZE--------
STEALTH----------
SURVIVAL---------
BUREAUCRACY
INVESTIGATION
LORE----------- 5
MEDICINE------ 4
OCCULT-------- 4
SPECIALTIES
Necrotech (Craft)
Soulforging (Craft)
Geomancy (Craft)
Spirit Courts (Lore/Occult)
Magitech (Craft)
Despicable and lacking morals would be a compliment to Artisan, as in truth he is actually much worse. Were it not for his ties to the Guild, he may have been hunted down and executed long ago. As a conniving sculptor of flesh, Artisan prefers to keep quiet, allowing his creations to speak for themselves. When pursuing things he wants or needs, he can be quite amiable, tending to bend words by lies of omission or half-truths. Though loathe to admit it, every so often he finds himself still dreaming about his love, Lea.
Though darkened by the Abyssal exaltation, Artisan still maintains most of his personality from when he was a simple scholar. Mornings are usually spent tending to various plants and flowers that remind him of his mother. The afternoons see him applying himself to whatever project most urgently needs his attention. Finally, nights are most often reserved for reading or praying.

- Create Ghosts
His Spirit Court
Indentured Servants
Helping Others to the Sweet Embrace of Death
Creating New War Machines
VIRTUES
COMPASSION: 5
TEMPERANCE: 3
CONVICTION: 1
VALOR: 1
RESONANCE
Unlike other Exalted, Abyssals do not have a Limit Trait. Instead, their corrupted destiny manifests in an aura of unease known as Resonance. As Resonance increases, an Abyssalâs spectral nature seeps to the surface and discomfits those around her. Living beings sense this aura as unnatural and unclean, while the dead and other Abyssals feel the palpable doom of the Neverbornâs displeasure. Even if the character does not actively interact with others, her aura makes those around her subtly uncomfortable. Direr still, the atavistic taint of Resonance opposes Virtues.
MERITS
Underworld Ties: You know where the bodies are buried. Literally. You know the major families and gangs who run the Underworld, and while they might not like you, they respect you enough to let you live. You can call in these markers to find, buy, even get items, identity papers, hideouts, even get smuggled out of a city, but the more you use these ties, the more tenuous they get, unless you can strengthen them somehow.
Guild Ties: You know how the corporations that dominate work. You know the ins and outs of the business, and you know movers and shakers. You can get wind of deals, you can hop private skyships, get hotel rooms, and other freebies by placing a few calls. You can hear all the gossip, even check records by dropping your name, but beware, the more you use this Merit, the more tenuous the relationship becomes, and you can squander your pull by using it too often unless you can offer something in return.
Spirit Magnet: Spirits find you irresistible. They congregate near you and often compete for your attention. If taken as a Merit, they will seek to protect you and will advise your character if they can manifest.
FLAWS
Whispers: As an emissary between the gods and man, you hear the prayers of the common people as a constant murmur. You are down one die on Perception-based rolls unless a Willpower is spent to suppress it for a scene.
Shades in the Sun: Your supernatural nature is apparent even if your Anima isnât flaring: Animals sometimes pay you obeisance, Horses often sweat in your presence, your shadow sometimes moves on its own, your reflection sometimes shows your anima, and your eyes may glow when angry.
Past Contract: In a past life the character made a bargain with a spirit or a group of spirits, a bargain that would reach beyond the grave. The oath was sanctified by a powerful member of the Eclipse Caste or someone of similar authority. Even though the character is merely a reincarnation the spirits will still fully recognize her as the oath partner and will act accordingly.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Artisan's birth name was Dresden Ragnarsson, born to a Nobleman scholar and a medicine-woman. He was brought up as a Gods-fearing child and taught the trades of both his parents so that he may choose either that suited him. As the only child, he was doted on and grew up being shielded from all the world's problems. Thanks to his parents being very successful in their careers, he was able to live a very affluent lifestyle.
Servants waited on Dresden's hand and foot, ensuring that he never wanted to anything. He spent his early life playing with the townsfolk and studying all that he could. Often his parents wouldn't allow him to leave unless he expressed knowledge on certain topics. It's no embellishment to say he was popular with the ladies, and growing up he had many off-and-on flings. His first real hardship was the death of his mother, who succumbed to an unidentified sickness.
Before long, Dresden was a fine young man, and though he made no real friends, he was soon betrothed to a scholar named Lea. Madly in love, the two moved away and built a life together. Dresden plied his trades, becoming the local medicine-man and the one people came to for advice on many matters. Together they had three children, a girl named Cleo, the eldest, and two boys named Lyle and Cyrille.
It was Cleo's eighth birthday, a celebration that most of the town came to attend, even if only due to the feast that was prepared. Lyle and Cyrille were playing outside, which is why their screams alerted Dresden to what was happening. Assassins had made their way into the city, they wanted to kidnap Dresden and ransom him back to his father.
As Dresden and Lea ran outside to help their worried children, they found their kids being held, hostage. Lea's gasp brought Cleo running, and Dresden gave himself up willingly. However, the Assassins were thoroughly sadistic, slaughtering his children and wife. Bereft with grief, they transported him to where the exchange was to take place.
His father had brought the money, but the Assassins demanded: "Money first, hostage second." Dresden tried to scream, to warn his father not to listen, but a swift punch to the gut knocked the wind from him. Powerless, watching death creep closer and closer to him, knowing they'd kill him once they had the ransom. When the father was close enough to strike, the assassins did him in also, laughing and lauding it over Dresden. "You're next," they taunted him, as Dresden watched the life drain from his father's eyes. Then a voice contacted him, The Bishop of the Chalcedony Thurible, offering to save him.
"I'll do anything!" The terrified man screamed, and in a moment the Bishop burst from the ground in a pillar of black flame, crushing the first assassin's head with a lethal blow. Though trained, they were no match for the manifested Deathlord and in moments they all lay dead. Dresden stared with confusion at the creature before him, and the contract he promised it, before being spirited away to the Neverborn.
From there, he underwent training in the Labyrinth, learning the philosophy of the Void. It was there that he gave up his old name and his destiny to the Void. That was when the whispers began, constant meaningless drivel in his ears, always. After judgment before the Neverborn and being deemed worthy, the Bishop hastily performed the Black Pact and left to wander Underworld, and learn its ways. A Neverborn Lord claimed the stars held great things for Artisan, and thanks to this fact, he was set free in Creation to proselytize death.
It was then that he was approached by a court of spirits that explained one of his predecessors had signed a contract with them. They were powerful beings, but they came with a monumental responsibility. Artisan was to destroy House V'neef, as it was favored by The Scarlet Empress, who was a sworn enemy of the spirits. They explained many things to the Abyssal, including the failings of the Realm's bureaucracy. That was when the whispers suddenly made sense. They were prayers of destruction upon House V'neef. Deciding that the Bishop would encourage the destruction of House V'neef, Artisan and his newfound spirit court hit the road.
He would need many things to fulfill his new contract, the least of which would be funding. With that in mind, he began a grand journey to secure funding. His mother has used a homemade painkiller in her practice. Conveniently enough it was also a popular drug in Creation, and he knew exactly how to make it. Thinking of poppy flowers brought a pang of longing for his family, which unfortunately caused Artisan's first encounter with the Abyssal Curse. Neverborn whispered in his ears, blasphemy unholy things as his Resonance grated against Creation. Feeling lost, he wondered at the kind of person he'd become. Perhaps he should have let the assassins give him a clean death, along with his parents. The thought caused another flare of Resonance, which in turn made him once more lament his sudden lack of humanity.
Though he has no idea how long that cycle continued, by the time that the unholy clicker training that is the Abyssal Curse was over, Artisan was surrounded by a field of poppies; and utterly convinced it would be better to ignore his original life altogether. This was the man that he was now, and he would play his role without qualms. The opium that came from the poppies was sold to the Guild, who in turn provided Artisan with an avenue for more drugs to sell and a steady supply of slaves. As compassionate as he was, Artisan could never fully support slavery. Instead, he made all slaves indentured servants and allowed them to work off the money he had used to buy them.
With his new servants, Artisan set up a workshop and began turning out ingenious and twisted Necrotech while growing all manner of plants to supplement his income. Very quickly, Artisan found himself the owner of a profitable business with strange and exotic plants dotting the surrounding fields. They were usually tended to by skilled servants who had refused to leave even after they were no longer indentured, but sometimes Artisan would take the time to enjoy caring for them himself.
Artisan didn't feel completely comfortable around his servants but he admitted it was nice to not have to do all the sewing himself, it gave him time to do things that he preferred after all. Slowly the workshop grew, as did his relationship to the Guild, which inevitably led to the Atami family and Nighthammer gang approaching him. They were major powers in Nexus, and they wanted to purchase some of his creations, to which he eagerly agreed. The resources he suddenly had at his disposal allowed him to create his most magnificent work yet, a loathsome suit of magitech armor. Only a few days after the armor was complete, Fakharu's letter arrived. Artisan left his creations to guard the workshop and set out to meet the boat.

Essence score: 3
Health: 9/9
Willpower pool: 8/8
Essence motes
Personal: 9
Peripheral: 23
CHARMS
1. Crypt Bolt: (Lore 2 1M per Tick Duration: Instant) The character reaches out his hand, and a bolt of crackling darkness leaps from his outstretched palm, rolling Dexterity+Athletics/Thrown) doing two lethal damage per mote spent. Damage inflicted by this Charm is lethal and manifests as sudden decay: Metal corrodes or rusts, while wood and flesh wither away as though blighted by disease and aging. The range of this charm is (Essence Score*30) feet and does aggravated damage to creatures of the Wyld. (Stamina+Lore) is the maximum number of motes able to be spent on this charm?
2. Essence Scattering Blast: (Lore 3 1+M/1WP Duration: Instant) The character extends his arm, and a bolt of coruscating energy flies from his fingertips. If this bolt strikes a being with an Essence pool, it envelops her in ribbons of black lightning and drains her energy. Although it inflicts no damage, Essence-Scattering Blast otherwise follows the same rules as Crypt Bolt with regards to its Range, Accuracy, and roll to hit. Victims struck by this attack lose 1 mote of Essence for every mote spent activating this Charm, plus a number of additional motes equal to the Exaltâs permanent Essence. If applicable, victims always lose Peripheral Essence before Personal Essence. This Charm dissipates harmlessly if it hits anything besides a magical being, including unExalted mortals. A character cannot spend more motes on this Charm than his Stamina + Lore.
3. Breath-Draining Prana: (Lore 5 1M Duration: Instant) With this Charm, an Abyssal may feed on a target's life force directly without even touching her. The player rolls Willpower. Each success inflicts one die of lethal damage that can only be soaked with Stamina. For every level of damage actually inflicted, the Abyssal regains 1 mote of Essence. This Charm can also target the Essence pool of a magical being, with successes draining motes directly on a one-for-one basis. So long as the Exalt drains fewer motes than a target's Stamina, she may not even notice the loss â attributing the sudden weakness to some other cause. However, Essence drained from another magical being's pool glimmers in the air as it flows out of the victim's mouth and into the Abyssal's own. This Charm can target any being in the deathknights line of sight.
4. First Craft Excellency: Essence Overwhelming (Craft 1 1M/die) Abyssals with this charm are known for their terrible brilliance, The Exalt invokes this Charm when making a roll with the relevant ability, this Charm then adds one dice per mote spent to that roll. The max motes you may spend on this excellency is (Ability+Attribute)
5. Enhanced Dexterity Discipline (Athletics 4 Essence 2 2M/tick Duration: One Scene) Suffusing his flesh and bones with Essence, the Abyssal briefly elevates his physical prowess to superhuman levels. For every 2 motes spent, the character increases his Dexterity by one dot. The character cannot increase an Attribute by more than his permanent Essence rating.
6. Shadowlands Circle Necromancy (Occult 3 Essence 3 1WP) Spells always cost 1WP to activate and have additional Mote cost.
7. Corpse Body Resilience (Resistance 1 Duration: Permanent) The bodies of the Exalted are much more durable than those of mere mortals. To help simulate this, an Exalt may buy extra health levels with this Charm. The purchasing choices are based on the characterâs Stamina rating: At Stamina 1 and 2: One -1 and one -2 health level.3 and 4: One -1 and two -2 health levels.5: One -0, one -1, and one -2 health level. The Abyssal may purchase Corpse-Body Resilience (Resistance) times. If she increases her Stamina after purchasing Ox-Body Technique, her health levels automatically change to reflect the new rating.
COMBOS
SORCERY/NECROMANCY
Walking War Machine (Varies): Few weapons sow as much terror among living armies as the undead siege engines employed by the Deathlords. With this spell, a necromancer can use Essence to animate such devices. The Exalt must first build or oversee the building of the monstrosity with his player making an extended Intelligence + Craft (Necrosurgery) roll to represent this. Bodies must be cut and stitched together and any grafts of metal inserted where appropriate. The Storyteller decides the difficulty based on the size and complexity of the weapon. For example, a spine chain needs one success for every two segments. Once the creature is complete, the necromancer simply touches it and invests 2 motes for every success needed to assemble it. Monsters created with this Charm serve their master to the best of their limited Intelligence. Statistics for spine chains can be found on page 300 of Exalted. Other devices are left to playersâ imagination and Storyteller approval but should be of a similar power level.
PREFERRED FIGHTING STYLE
Ranged
Necrotech
Necromancy
High Realm
The loathsome osseous shell is the Mask of Wintersâ answer to the gunzosha soldier of Lookshyâs Seventh Legion. It is the weakest and most common of the bleak frames used by the Mask of Winters to empower his followers. In addition to the normal processes involved in building magitech, creating a loathsome osseous shell requires the use of the spell Walking War Machine. The shell is a terrifying, seven-foot-tall exoskeleton of bone and metal that opens at the approach of the living, inviting them in. A built-in Artifact âą attunement spike (which drains 1/M on activation and every hour thereafter) stabs into a wearerâs neck, animating the shell and giving control. The osseous shell grants the following benefits:
âą Integration Ports*: Various spikes and slots permit the attachment of other Necrotech to augment the wearerâs senses, weapons, and the like - currently attached Necrotech: Bone Skewer Autonomous Ranged Attack: Speed 7, Dmg +2L, 3 Accuracy, Rate 1, Range 10 (Dexterity+Thrown:4+4=8)
âą Armor: The shell grants +9L/9B soak and 5L/5B Hardness, with a -2 mobility penalty and no fatigue.
âą Unholy Might*: Doubles wearerâs ground speed; +2 bonus to Strength for feats of strength and inflicting damage with attacks.
âą Unholy Prowess*: +2 bonus to all attacks; +1 Parry DV.
âą Unholy Resilience*: +2 bonus to Resistance. +1 Stamina
âą Terrifying: As the default for Necrotech.(Necrotech creations are inherently terrifying. Untrained animals flee their presence or otherwise react as in distress. Against living people, these creatures receive a +2 bonus to all rolls made to frighten them) This feature does not affect the wearer.
The loathsome osseous shell needs maintenance every 120 hours of use. After 20 hours of use without maintenance, the suit negates the ability to feel pain and gains a fatigue value of 1. This value increases by 1 every 20 hours until the suit seizes up after 100 missed hours.
Clothes took from a corpse, Three funeral veils, A dead man's saber, Armor exhumed from a crypt, Intricate pendant depicting spiders feasting on a man's flesh,
Three Statuettes of skeletons, Hat stole from a dying man, Eight Black Candles took from a funeral, Seven flasks of embalming fluids, Six sprigs of the nightshade, Four yards of Black Ivy
A locket with Lea's portrait
Three empty glass bottles with cork stoppers, Six large bottles of ground bone,
Small journal, Ink, and Inkwell
A bow and Quiver, Ninety Arrows
A human slave
Three pairs of Shackles and Manacles
A steel flask full of whiskey
Surgical Knives, Hammer, Drill, Surgical Saw, Siphon,
Opium and Poppy Seeds
Marijuana, Cocaine, Qat
300 ft of Rope
