Dark – Challenges of Onyx

The redolent element of Dark sits at the frontier of cultivation, its mysteries buried in the deep earth.

You do not Challenge directly against Dark; the pure ephemeral element eludes one’s grasp. Instead, the Challenges listed here are only possible as a result of Dark Harmonies.

Dark Harmonies are outlined in the player cultivation section. In brief: a Dark Harmony is the union of ephemeral Dark to a single concrete element. These vary in strength from 1 to 3.

The Challenges outlined below require a Dark Harmony of at least 1 in the matching element.

Invoke Honor

Required Harmony: DarkWater

The rules, spoken and unspoken, that bind the Kingdom together.

When you invoke Honor, you dare your foes to meet you upon the field of battle.

You may Invoke Honor when an opponent would leave the Scene. Challenge Water.

  • Disaster, Failure: Your words fall on deaf ears
  • Success: The foe remains for a short time to refute your position through word or deed; or the foe suffers humiliation
  • Flourish: The incensed foe targets you directly!

Consecrate

We honor those who have passed for we shall one day be among them.

The ability to consecrate is vital for both geomancy and travel in Shade Realms.

Ghost ward

Required Harmony: DarkEarth

A ghost ward is a form of Camp defense specific to Shades.

  • In addition to your Camp defense, you may erect a ghost ward by Challenging Earth
  • You may take a Bonus Ki to the Challenge if you follow the funerary rituals of your current geography’s culture

Like Camp, Shades must Challenge that defense to act against you.

Unfortunately, Ghost Wards are quite small.

  • You must encircle the entire area by a single rope or string. If the rope or string is broken by a non-Shade effect, the Ghost Ward falls
  • Maximum diameter is 20 * Circle meters
  • The area must be roughly flat, and you must be able to wind the rope or string around the entire circumference
    • You may drill small holes to get through wood, stone, walls, or other impediments

Heal a ley line

Required Harmony: DarkFire

To heal a fouled ley line, you must restore the balance that has been thrown asunder. This is a narrative requirement that will vary based on your situation.

Base difficulty:

  • 10 * ley line rank

Adjustments

  • +10 if the ley line was fouled by an ally
  • +10 if allies could have prevented the act but chose not to do so
  • +5 if the ley line includes your Bane
  • -10 if allies did everything reasonably possible to prevent the fouling
  • -5 if allies are morally upstanding
  • -5 if the ley line includes your Primary element

Honor the Departed

Required Harmony: DarkEarth

Many Shades are motivated by grief, despair, and feelings of neglect by their descendants.

You may Honor them to help them release their pain. Challenge Earth against their defense. Note that Shades will generally have a high Dark defense!

  • Disaster: You inflame the Shade, and it chooses a time and plan to retaliate
  • Failure: You are unable to break through
  • Success: You are able to break through the Shade’s memory and commune with their former self
    • For smaller Shades, this may be sufficient to sever their Memory and allow them to fade
  • Flourish: As success, but may effect greater shades

You may generate bonus dice through understanding of the shade.

  • Gain one Bonus Ki if you have a memento of the Shade in life
  • Gain one Bonus Ki if you can follow the funerary rites and ancestral honors of the Shade’s culture
  • Gain one Bonus Ki if you burn a Perfume matching the Shade’s elemental affinity in life

Similarly, your behavior can work against you.

  • Take a Penalty die if you have killed among folk since last Equilibrium for any reason
  • Take a Penalty die if you have desecrated, destroyed, or stolen from a shrine to the dead since last Equilibrium

You may only Honor any given Shade once per year, resetting on Equilibrium.