My characters

[hider=Xia Alaranth, Head of the Thousandfold Golden Paths]
[center][color=ed145b][h2]Xia Alaranth[/h2][/color]
[img]https://ddx5i92cqts4o.cloudfront.net/images/1bokl31e3_Amata_Elegant.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]-Story-[/b]
Something other characters versed in lore would know about you: [i]I lead the Thousandfold Golden Paths, and am the world's foremost expert in Arete, having mastered all its disciplines and techniques, something neither of my fellow Heads of House can claim of their styles, as well as the absurdly broken ability of being able to teach the skill of being good at teaching. Maybe you've heard of me?[/i]

One specific way in which the character wishes to change the world: Xia doesn't have any big world changing ambitions, completely happy to watch the war between the factions with self-assured amusement. That's why she's an NPC. Everyone who's ever slighted her has already been humbled.

How do you wish your character to grow: She's already a house leader, and she's smug AF about it. She's absolutely assured that whenever someone finally unlocks the secrets of enlightenment, her secret powers will take her along for the ride. In order to make her into a dynamic character, someone would have to shake up her assumptions and knock her off her cushy pedestal.

[b]-Equipment-[/b]
If the Thousandfold Golden Paths have it, she has access to it. That said, she prefers short, slim blades, and hidden weapons, such as iron fans.

[b]-Stats-[/b]
Strength:4
Speed: 6
Endurance: 4
Ki: 1
Mana: 2

[b]-Techniques-[/b]
[b]Heavenly Audience Applause:[/b] Arete Style - Meta Discipline - Beginner. Your general power increases if your post receives kudos from others. More advanced mastery of this can allow you to focus that power in a specific area.
[b]Perfect in Primality Defense:[/b] Arete Style - Meta Discipline - Beginner. You have a secret prime number, that if a post is a multiple of in character count, you can perfectly defend yourself against any attack launched within it. While it is basic to master a large number, advanced users can chose small numbers or be able to shift between several numbers.
[b]Selective Revision of Action:[/b] Arete Style - Meta Discipline - Master. May change up to five words in her previous post, which can change her current situation, but not others. This can be used once per fight.
[b]Sheathed in Wandering Stars:[/b] Arete Style - Prediction Discipline - Intermediate. A flash step, that phases through objects, and allows you to specify a direction. If you choose to dodge in that direction on your next post, you receives a bonus to her dodge, but a penalty if you chooses to dodge in the opposite direction.
[b]Coward Reaping Edge:[/b] Arete Style - Comparison Discipline - Intermediate. You imbue your weapon with power inversely proportional to the relative speed of her weapon. The slower it is moving in comparison to its target, the stronger it is. Or in other words, an enemy moving towards your blade is safe, but someone still or moving away is in trouble.

[b]-Secret Style-[/b]
Xia's unique ability is that of "Connection of Learning". She is able to tap into the psychic strings of the world, along which travel teaching, and from which the mind learns. Gained through her supreme mastery of the Arete of teaching, this is learning through teaching others, and other strange abilities related to the very mastery of Arete.
[b]Master becomes Student:[/b] Xia is capable of borrowing any Arete technique any of her students have ever taught to anyone else. Given her status as a the leader of a house and her superlative teaching abilities, it can generally be assumed that any non-secret Arete technique is an option for Xia to copy. However, once Xia switches away from a technique, she cannot access it again for 24 hours.
Currently Holds:
[b]Yojimbo’s Slash:[/b] Arete Style - Gambling Discipline - Basic. You gamble an amount of damage with your weapon. If you do not score a strike upon the opponent, with a few moments of using this ability, you suffer that damage. If you manage to strike your opponent, even slightly, they suffer a multiple of that damage. The multiple seems to depend on how difficult it is to get a glancing blow with your weapon. For example, blowing powdered glass does trigger this, but triggers it so weakly it is hardly noticeable unless you gamble amounts that would kill you if you missed. Using a straightforward sword usually gets a multiple of around x2.This technique, so long as the initial strike managed to land through whatever shields or armor the target possesses, will bypass such non-bodily defenses. Masters of this technique can extend the period they have available to strike the opponent before the gambled amount rebounds on them.

[b]Exponential Teaching Method:[/b] Xia is capable of teaching others the skill of being good at teaching. Where others might train a king's soldiers to be exceptional warriors, Xia can teach that king's most trusted warriors to be exceptional teachers, who will ensure that not only the king's soldiers today are wondrous soldiers, but the also the ones in the future. And, seeing this doesn't require Xia to be good at whatever it is she's supposed to be teaching others to be good at teaching at, it almost always applies. The financial applications of this power are a key reason why she retains the Head of House position.

[b]Meta-adaptation:[/b] You gain a technique specifically designed to counter an opponent’s technique that you have seen, while holding your fingers splayed above and below the left eye. You retain this power until you again use this technique. Cannot be used twice on the same person within 24 hours, so choose the technique you want to counter carefully.
Currently Holds:
[b]Blood of Lightning[/b] Mana Style - Lightning Element - Intermediate. You create internal pathways for electricity to travel without damaging your body, rendering you nearly immune to the lightning element.


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