Merits

Merit Summary:
Allies: People who take risks for your character.
Artifact: An item of great power.
Backing: Standing in an organization.
Command: Militant followers. Cannot be Tertiary.
Contact: People who serve as informants.
Familiar: A mystical pet. Cannot be Primary.
Followers: Any non-militant followers. Cannot be Primary.
Hearthstone: A powerful gem, tied to a geomantic domain.
Influence: Influence within a location.
Resources: Financial standing.

Everyone makes friends. This Merit represents a loyal friend or companion willing to put themselves in harm’s way if need be.

When choosing this Merit, discuss with the Storyteller what this ally can and cannot do. The daughter of a Goddess of Etiquette won’t join in physical combat, but she can help writing a petition to another god. Meanwhile a brash Dragon-Blooded is far more likely to join on a quest. Allies have a life of their own, so cannot be at your character’s side all the time. They might also ask your character for favors in return.

• (Tertiary) Your friend is a mortal or minor magical character, such as the daughter of a lesser god.
••• (Secondary) Your friend is as powerful as a young Exalt or lesser god (see p. XX).
••••• (Primary) Your friend is as powerful as n experienced Exalt or greater god (see p. XX).

Your character owns an Artifact with a rating equal to this Merit’s rating (see p. XX for a list of Artifacts to choose from). This Artifact might grant a Charm via Evocation — make sure to write those down on your Charms list. • or •• is Tertiary, ••• or •••• is Secondary and ••••• is Primary.

Your character has standing in an organization, whether it’s the Guild, the Celestial Bureaucracy, or a conspiracy to overthrow the Prefect of Gem.

You define which organization when you purchase this Merit. You add dice equal to this Merit’s rating to all rolls made through the organization — for example, when your character exerts influence by leveraging their position. Once per story, they can loan equipment with a total Resource rating equal to the rating of this Merit, provided it makes sense for the organization to have access. A rating of •• is Tertiary, while a rating of ••• or •••• is Secondary and ••••• is Primary.

(Cannot be tertiary)
Your character commands a militant group, whether they’re actual soldiers or zealous cultists.
••• (Secondary) Either a Size 3 group with Elite Drill — or — a Size 4-5 group with Average Drill.
•••• (Secondary or Primary) Either a Size 4-5 Group with Elite Drill — or — two Size 5 groups with Average Drill — or — a Size 3 battle group with Elite Drill and the traits of elite troops.
••••• (Primary only) Either a Size 5 group with Elite Drill and the traits of elite troops — or — five Size 5, groups with Average Drill — or — two Size 5 groups with Elite Drill.

Maybe your character has the kind of face that wins trust. Maybe they have the kind of coin that buys friends. Either way, people tell them things — including information they probably shouldn’t. Name a group when you purchase this Merit such as House V’Neef, or the Hastlanti League. When gathering information on a subject, if that group could feasibly know, add dice equal to this Merit’s rating to your roll. The Storyteller can, and should, also have contacts come forth with information unprompted. A rating of •• is Tertiary, while a rating of ••• or •••• is Secondary and ••••• is Primary.

(Cannot be primary)

Your character has a magically bonded animal companion. They understand their familiar, and share its senses. Touching the familiar restores motes equal to this Merit’s rating. The familiar’s essence replenishes at the start of each session. The familiar ages as your character does, and cannot die of natural causes until they do.
• (Tertiary) The Familiar is relatively harmless, such as a cat or hedgehog.
••• (Secondary) The Familiar can keep their own in combat, such as a horse or tiger.
••• (Secondary) The Familiar is an exceptional or magical animal, such as a war elephant or talking monkey.

(Cannot be primary)

Your character’s heroic exploits attracted a band of mortal followers. These may be people who travel with the Exalt, but they might also be people who venerate them from afar.

You specify who your followers are — merchants, spies, entertainers — when you purchase this Merit. A higher Merit rating denotes your choice of either better trained followers, or more followers. Your character can set their followers to any task, which they perform with this Merit’s rating plus three additional dice for tasks they’re suited to (spies spying), or the Merit’s rating plus one additional dice for other tasks (spies baking a cake). If your character oversees the work, instead add those dice to your roll. A rating of • or •• is Tertiary, and a rating of ••• is Secondary.

(Cannot be tertiary)

Creation teems with elemental, celestial, and abyssal power. Fiery volcanoes, moonlit glades, and dark graveyards are all places where this power may come to the surface. Hearthstones can be Elemental or Celestial, depending on the theme of the connected manse or demense.

A demesne is a natural wellspring of power. Meanwhile a manse is a building, like a palace or fortress, harnessing the natural properties of a demesne. A fiery volcano would be a fire demesne, while a beautifully moonlight glade is a Lunar demesne. A hidden palace inside the caldera, or a home wrought from the glade’s trees would be a manse. A hearthstone is a gem grown from this power, corresponding to the essence of the domain — the volcano produces a hearthstone of fire, the moonlight glade a Lunar hearthstone.

You design your domain, decide whether it’s a demesne or a manse, and choose a corresponding hearthstone when you pick this Merit. You can find a list of standard and greater hearthstones on p. XX. This Hearthstone likely grants a Charm via Evocation — make sure to write that down on your Charms list. Some greater Manses also provide benefits to certain actions taken within them. Note that down, too.

All Manses come equipped with Hearthstone jewelry of your choice, which allows the Manse’s owner to benefit from the Hearthstone, unless it specifically says it must be socketed in a weapon.

You can decide your character owns the hearthstone but doesn't know where the domain is. Alternately, perhaps they control the domain, but its hearthstone is lost. Reclaiming such is a narrative journey, and free with your initial Merit purchase.

••• (Secondary) Your character owns a demesne or manse, and a standard hearthstone. Your character regains one mote per hour when resting in their domain. They also regain Essence outside their domain if they wear the hearthstone in an attuned artifact. Your character may make an automatic Awareness check at difficulty 3 to detect essence expenditure within their domain.

••••• (Primary) Your character owns a demesne or manse, and a greater hearthstone. Your character regains three motes per hour when resting in their domain. They also regain Essence outside their domain if they wear the hearthstone in an attuned artifact. Your character automatically detects essence expenditure within their domain.

Your character is a person of renown. They might be nobility, a celebrated war hero, or a venerated philosopher. When they speak, people listen.

You make an applicable social roll to sway people as normal, but your character’s words carry much farther. The Storyteller remains the final arbiter of how affected people react. For example, your character makes a speech denouncing the evils of inherited nobility. That may not sway the queen to relinquish power, but it does sow the seeds of rebellion among her people.

• (Tertiary)Your character carries sway in a local village or town.
•• (Tertiary) Your character carries sway in a minor city-state or satrapy
••• (Secondary) Your character carries sway in a powerful city-state or kingdom
•••• (Secondary) Your character carries sway in an entire region such as the Hundred Kingdoms, or Scavenger Lands.
••••• (Primary) Your character carries sway in an entire Direction

Exalts don’t need money to provide for themselves. They have the skill to earn or create basic necessities. This Merit, however, describes wealth beyond the basics. This need not represent hard cash, but can also mean a stake in a V’Neef shipping company, or standing to call in financial favors. Whenever you’re making a check that involves money, such as bribing someone or haggling for equipment, add your Resources dots as bonus dice to the roll.

• (Tertiary) A modest flow of cash, more a side hustle than a business, such as being a silent partner in a successful inn or bath house. The Exalt enjoys a modestly comfortably lifestyle – good food, clean rooms, but nothing spectacular.

•• (Tertiary) This represents either a broad range of investments, or a budding monopoly in a city of choice. They have lofty apartment with two servants. Then can gain audiences with anyone in their line of business by leveraging their economic power.

••• (Secondary) The Exalt holds a monopoly or impressive portfolio of businesses. The Exalt owns several apartments, or one large estate, and their choice of fine mounts. Then can gain audiences with any leader in their city by leveraging their economic power.

•••• (Secondary) The Exalt has a monopoly or substantial stake in a thrive, wide-spread business. The Exalt owns several estates and a stable full of prize race horses. They can gain an audience with kings, minor satraps and young Dynastic scions by leveraging their economic power.

••••• (Primary) The Exalt is a major business power in one of the Directions. They can outfit a trading ship in the West, or equip an army in the Hundred Kingdoms. They can gain an audience with important satraps and the leaders of Dynastic Houses by leveraging their economic power.