Tales of the Jewel

Ebonite Applicant (Warrior)

Not all who join the Order of the Ebon Hand are destined to become Templar or Magicians. For every person that passes the Test there are two who will never be given the option, for they do not have what it takes to pass. Eventually, some of these Applicants will be given the chance to take the test, but the majority never advance past this state. They can still find purpose within the Order. Applicants often take up duties that the Templar cannot, thus serving the Order in their own way. An Applicant's training mostly consists of learning how to shut down their opponent, keeping them from gaining any advantage until help can arrive. During the reign of the Immortal Caliph, the Applicants found a great deal of use as the Order of the Ebon Hand had to rely on less direct methods to assist people, since those times the Applicants have found themselves used less and less on the front lines and are more often relegated to serve as support to their more public brethren.

Benefit: +1 Strength
Integrity: 4.5
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Tahaddi, Brawling, Lore (choose one), Swordsmanship, one Low Skill
Outfit: Longsword, knife, Bow and 20 arrows, Sturdy clothing, Light Armor, Traveling pack, 5 Copper.

Techniques
Rank 1: Strength in Courage
Applicants learn how to properly use their strength in all situations, giving them a slight edge over foes that do not usually get such training. In any contested Strength roll, you gain a +1k1 bonus to the roll. In addition, your wound penalties are reduced by your Earth ring.

Rank 2: Stand Against Evil
An Applicant must learn that they can give no thought to their own life, it is the life of those they are protecting that is the most important. You gain a Reduction rating equal to your Earth Rank.

Rank 3: Move against the Pain
At this level of training, the Applicant learns how to strike against their enemies with twice the speed. You may make unarmed attacks, or attacks with a knife or weapon that uses the Warrior keyword as a simple action.

Rank 4: Break the Attack
Against the worst that can be put against them, the Applicant must be able to protect themselves and others against this power. You may declare two raises on an attack roll against someone in the Full Attack posture. If your attack is successful, they lose all benefits of the Full Attack posture until your next turn.

Rank 5: Simple Maneuvers
An Applicant, by now, is able to read the movements of their opponents so well that they can avoid most blows. When an opponent in combat performs a maneuver which require raises against you, the number of raises needed to perform the maneuver are doubled. This includes damage raises.

Ebonite Magician (Sahir)

The Ebonite Magician is a tradition that has been within the Order of the Ebon Hand since they first arrived in Medinaat Al-Salaam They wielded strange magics and gave new insights into the burgeoning magical talent within the city. As the centuries passed, the Magicians became more of a hybrid between the old Ivory Kingdoms magic and the magic of Hakhim's Seal. The Magicians have also become more specialized, becoming experts at destroying the undead.

Benefit: +1 Willpower
Integrity: 6.5
Skills: Calligraphy, Spellcraft, Theology, Lore: Ghuls, Lore (Choose one), Swordsmanship, any one skill
Outfit: Ebonite Armor, Ebonite Longsword, Sturdy clothing, Traveling pack, 10 Copper

Technique: Stand Against the Darkness
The Magicians duty above all else is to protect the innocent and confront the wicked. You gain a Free Raise on Earth spells. You may choose one of the following bonuses each day. Gain a +2k1 bonus on spellcasting rolls that help or heal allies or known innocents or gain a +2k1 bonus on spellcasting rolls that injure or hinder known criminals, Jackals, or Cultists of Ruhmal. You may learn two new spells with each School Rank.

Ebonite Templars (Warrior)

The Templars are the basic soldiers of the Order of the Ebon Hand. The order is not particularly large, so its leaders make certain that every warrior among their ranks is well-trained and prepared to face almost any challenge that might present itself. The basic Templar has had several years of training and passed the Test of the Ebon Stone.

Trait: +1 Agility
Integrity: 6.5
Skills: Defense, Investigation, Lore: Law, Any one Lore skill, Swordsmanship (Ebonite Longsword), Lore: Theology, Any one skill
Outfit: Sturdy clothing, traveling pack, Ebonite armor, Ebonite longsword, knife, 10 copper

Techniques

Rank 1: Tapping the Inner Strength
When facing an opponent with lower Integrity you roll an additional +1k0 on all Attack, Damage and Social Skill Rolls.

Rank 2: By Thy Will
During the Reactions Stage at the end of the round you may spend a Void Point to increase your Initiative score as if it was the beginning of the round. This increase lasts until the end of the skirmish.

Rank 3: The Ebon Hand
You may make attacks as a Simple Action when using weapons with the Warrior or Ebonite Keywords.

Rank 4: By Word Or By Sword
You may spend a Void Point to gain additional rolled dice equal to your half your Integrity (round down) on a single Social Skill Roll.

Rank 5: Will of the Stone
You may spend a Void Point to ignore all wound penalties (including Down and Out) for the remainder of the skirmish.

Ebonite Principle

The Principles are the highest ranked members of the Order. They are its officers, leaders and high priests. Each has surrendered part of their own spirit, replacing it with the strength and the power of the Ebon Stone. In doing so, they become something slightly more than human, and steel their soul against manipulation from even the darkest forces.

Technique Rank: 6
Requirements: Integrity 6.0+, Great Destiny

Technique: Soul of the Ebon Stone - You are immune to the Shadowlands Taint and corruption of the Lying Darkness. You may not take actions that include a cost of gaining Taint or Lying Darkness corruption.

Ebonite Vanguard (Warrior)

Requirements: Swordsmanship 3, Defense 3
Replaces: Any Ebonite School Rank 3

Technique: The Shield Leads: The Ebonites must often fight against unfair odds, and are frequently outnumbered. To compensate for this, they have mastered the use of the shield, not only as a tool, but also as a seamless extension of their body, both offensively and defensively, allowing them to strike down multiple foes while maintaining their guard. When using a Shield and sword, you may ignore the shield penalty to attack rolls while in the Attack Stance, and may make attacks as a simple action while wielding any sword in the Attack Stance.

Heroic Effort (Warrior)

The Order of the Ebon Hand has long been regarded as a bastion of Heroic, if mysterious, strength. Seeing that their heroism will be needed more than ever in the times ahead, the Principles have begun to instruct a select group of truly courageous Ebonites. The aim of the training is to create a cadre of fighters who can face any force of darkness.

Technique Rank: 4
Replaces: Ebonite Templar 4
Requirements: Integrity 7.0+

Technique: Once per turn during a skirmish the Templar may add a bonus equal to their current Integrity Rank to one of their rolls. This bonus cannot be used in Duels or on Damage rolls. In addition, against Jackals, Cultists of Ruhmal, undead, or targets with the Shadowlands taint or Shadow Corruption, the character gains a bonus on all damage rolls equal to their School Rank.

Jubal's Technique (Warrior)

Jubal was perhaps one of the most premier applicants in centuries, and his fight against the foes of the Ebon Hand was an absolute success. Jubal has now used what he learned in years out in the field to teach the next generation.

Technique Rank: 2
Requirements: Brawling or Knives 2
Replaces: Applicant 2

Technique: When you are unarmed or using a knife, you gain a +2k0 bonus to all damage rolls.

Master of the Wolves

Wolves hold a special significance for the Order. Like the order, wolves work together to achieve goals. They are tenacious foes, hounding their enemies. As a result, in each generation Templars are trained as the Master of the Wolves, a prestigious position within the order responsible for training and caring for the wolves that the Order keeps.

Replaces: Ebonite Templar 2
Requirements: Animal Handling 5

Technique: Brothers of Fang and Blade - When fighting alongside your pack of wolves you may spend Void Points to augment their Attack Rolls. If one of your wolves dies you immediately suffer 5 Wounds that cannot be prevented or reduced in any way.