Tales of the Jewel

Qolat Master (Diplomat)

The Qolat Masters are among the most devious, manipulative, and ruthless individuals in the entire Sands. Only five exist at any one time, and they generally achieve their position by rising through the ranks of the conspiracy, demonstrating great loyalty, adaptability, and efficiency… or great ability to forge alliances with other Qolat. Regardless, no one becomes a Qolat Master without years of dedicated service to the conspiracy.

Technique Rank: 6 (can also be taken at Insight Ranks above 6)
Replaces: Any Technique (or none) at Insight Rank 6 or higher
Required Rings/Traits: Two mental Traits at 5 or higher
Required Skills: Courtier (Manipulation) 5, Intimidation (Control) 4
Other Requirements: Must be a member of the Qolat conspiracy and chosen to lead one of the five Sects. Cannot be Tainted or corrupted by the Nothing.

Technique: Will of the Master - The Qolat Masters exert total control over the conspiracy. All members of their Sect are answerable to them and other Qolat will show them the greatest of respect and deference. You are considered to be Faction Influence 10 to any character who is a member of the Qolat conspiracy and who belongs to your Sect, and Faction Influence 9 to any character who is a Qolat or Kolat but not of your Sect. You gain +2k0 on all Courtier and Intimidation Skill rolls.

Qolat Assassin [Ninja]

The killers of the Tiger Sect are among the deadliest murderers in the Sands, swift and merciless. Much of their training is dedicated to infiltration and deceit, allowing them to disguise themselves and replace others, but they are also taught all possible methods of murder. Few of those marked for death by the Qolat are able to escape their reach.

Requirements:

Rings/Traits: Agility 4, Reflexes 4
Skills: Acting 5, Knives 5, Stealth 5
Other Requirements: Must be a member of the Qolat and recruited into the Tiger Sect. Cannot be Tainted or corrupted by the Nothing.

Techniques

Rank One: Kiss of the Lotus
The Qolat assassins are taught to slip through society all but unnoticed. You are a master of deception and infiltration. When you spend a Void Point on a Stealth or Acting Skill roll, you gain a +2k2 bonus instead of the normal +1k1.

Rank Two: Tiger's Claw
When striking on the first Round of a skirmish against an unaware opponent, or an opponent who does not realize you are a threat, you gain a +1k0 bonus to your attack rolls and may make melee attacks as Simple Action.

Rank Three: Steal the Light
During a skirmish, once per opponent, you may call 2 Raises to make a melee attack that keeps only 1 die of damage (regardless of the weapon used) but leaves the opponent either blind, deaf, or mute (your choice) for a number of minutes equal to your Water. Blinded characters suffer the Blind Conditional Effect from the L5R 4th Edition core rulebook. The GM has discretion to decide the exact penalties of being deafened or muted, but some effects should be obvious - for example, a muted character cannot cast spells.

Hidden Guard [Warrior]

The Hidden Guard is tasked with protecting the Qolat’s strongholds throughout Medinaat al-Salaam. Although their primary duty is to protect these sites they may also serve as bodyguards to important or high-ranking members of the conspiracy. The Hidden Guard are taught defensive tactics to allow them to defeat more specialized warriors. They have no compunction at eliminating their foes with ambushes, surprise attacks, and similar methods.

Technique Rank: 4
Requirement: Must be recruited by the Qolat for their Hidden Guard. Cannot be Tainted or corrupted by the Nothing.

Technique: Tigers Do Not Fall - The lesson of the Hidden Guardians is that defenders must make themselves immovable, stopping all who might threaten their strongholds. Any time an opponent in a skirmish declares a Maneuver against you (including the Increased Damage Maneuver), you may choose to immediately take a Free Action to spend a Void Point and negate the beneficial effects of the Maneuver. (The opponent must still make his Raises in order to hit you, but no longer gains any benefit from them.) In addition, at all times you may ignore the penalty to your Armor TN for being Grappled.

Weavers (Warrior)

These men and women rarely associate with one another in person, communicating instead through carefully encoded messages, discrete tattoos, and secret hand signals. They gather together only when there are important matters at hand, typically involving violence or infiltration of the most invasive sort. The Weavers are among the elite agents of the Qolat conspiracy and are only known to its highest-ranking members, or at least so they believe. Although the five Qolat Masters have access to the entire roster of Weavers, most of their direct subordinates know of perhaps a half-dozen or so they can call upon in dire need. The abilities of the Weavers vary wildly from individual to individual, each having been recruited for a particular skill or set of skills that were needed at the time. In general, however, most have a propensity for violence and an absolute mastery of deceit. One might say lying is a requirement for the job.

Technique Rank: 4
Requirements: Dark Secret (Qolat)

Technique: Twist the Weave – The Weavers excel at deceit and manipulation, and use such methods as weapons against their foes. If you have ever won a Contested Skill Roll against someone using your Sincerity (Deceit), Intimidation, or Temptation, if you subsequently face that person in a skirmish you gain a Free Raise that can be used on an attack roll during the first Round of the skirmish.