The Parliament of Victors

**Requirements:** Wyrd 2+, Brawl or Firearms or Weaponry at 3+, Expression 3+

**Origin tales:**

1. Red was a Gristlegrinder, true, but in his heart he was a scrapper, of that there was no doubt. He liked to fight and he liked it when people realized who he was. It's how he got the name Red; after all, who else wandered around the land fighting everyone while wearing a red cap? At the start he wanted the fight but soon Red hungered for the Fame. The people looking at him in awe, the way people were awed by him, it was better than any drink Arcadia had to offer. One day he went to the Hedge and beat up a dragon. Rather than kill it Red looked it in the eye. “Killing you would serve no purpose but leaving you alive isn’t right. Bargain for your life.” The Dragon, wise to its enemies’s weakness, responded. “Killing me will grant you honor but leave me alive and I’ll make you a token to show the adoration you so long for.” When Red agreed, the dragon took Red’s cap and transformed it into a Laurel Crown.
2. In the Realm of the Arena, only the Titan was the undefeated King. He would take combatants for his games and have them fight in his battles. Yet watching two mortals fight with simple fists was boring. The Titan took his own personal fighting style, once built to use the slipperiness of Arcadia to his advantage, and formed it into a Laurel Crown. Then he took the winners of each bout and placed it on their heads for a bare moment. Soon all of his fighters were either skilled in his style, knocking their opponents heads 180 degrees or flashes of lightning would help the final blow. One stood above the others, for she was quick and deadly. After one match, he laid the crown upon her and she kicked his hand clean off and took all his knowledge. The crown was hers and so she proceeded to destroy the Titan using his own style. She and all the other victors of the arena went back to earth, passing on the Titan’s style to all those worthy of bearing it.
3. The first victor had something to prove. They had watched his mentor die before a Huntsmen and hadn’t been strong enough to fight back. They learned from others to grow stronger. They would be a Hero, able to defend the weak rather than needing defense. They learned to grow and be better than everyone so much that when they entered the Hedge it reflected that desire, drawing strong opponents for them to fight. Their legend spread from freehold to freehold and this brought even more attention. One day they went into the Hedge to challenge the champions of each freehold. When they returned, they had a Laurel Crown upon their brow, for they had been the Victor of each freehold but instead of killing they had instead formed a Parliament of like minded champions to drive back the Gentry.

**Legends:**

1. His main arm tied behind his back and a sword in his left hand; he stood before the dragon watching it breath noxious fumes down on the market. A smirk and a near perceptible glimmer of excitement in his eyes preceded his charge. He lept from cart to cart, stall to stall, building up momentum. As he took his final leap, sword drawn, he let loose a piercing battlecry as time seemed to stand still. The world seemed to, for a brief second, revolve around this noble Victor. With a brilliant flash, the Victor was standing opposite the dragon. The dragon emitted an earth shaking roar as his head cleanly slid from his neck onto the ground. The Victor was able to kill the dragon before the dragon was even aware he was dead..
2. Vald Cleareyes moved through the snow until he came upon the doors of the keep. The fires burned within and men drank and partied. Vald Cleareyes did not come for drink though he did see it as a party. He announced his presence by kicking open the door, axes drawn. Vald Kinslayer, the lord of the keep, shouted for his men to kill the intruder and the battle was on. Vald Cleareys smiled as he saw 30 warriors charge, for it meant the odds were close to even. When Vald Cleareyes walked away from the burning keep, he was smiling under his cap, for the Fetch that murdered his family was no more.

**What We Do in the Shadows:**

The hero. Not a reluctant hero, no. Not the guy who does the right thing but stays silent about it, who refuses to take the spoils of war and accept the laurels placed upon his brow. This hero knows what he is. He's the cock of the walk. The best of the best, a platinum band amongst a handful of dirty silver ingots. And it's not just about having a success here and there. Killing a Huntsman is a good start, but it has to be done with flair, with narrative panache: killing the Huntsman whilst protecting the Monarch that you just bedded with little else besides a copper candlestick, that's something for the books. And that's something for the Parliament of Victors.

Everybody knows the Champion. They know of his exploits because he tells them of his exploits. It's not about getting into the legends and earning some kind of twisted immortality the long way. It's about the hero getting what he deserves now. Not later. He succeeds because he wants. What he wants -- wine, gold, song, whatever -- are earned because he succeeds. The cycle recycles.

**Mask & Mein:**

The changeling's mien grows. It becomes larger-than-life, almost mythic in proportions. If the Champion's mien has antlers, they grow larger, more impressive. If her skin is covered in scales or in ribbons of water, it shimmers, perhaps with a kind of iridescence. Lithe limbs grow longer and all the more beautiful. Big eyes deepen and shine with a captivating luster. In addition, the mien inspires a mix of intense emotion -- the ugliest brute seems suddenly beautiful while the most stunning warrior-queen stirs both fear and self-deprecation in those who gaze upon her. It represents an aura of celebrity, palpable and pervasive.

**Bequeathal:**

Want to join the Parliament of Victors? It's easy. Win, and keep winning. Boast and offer challenges left and right. Slay the Keeper. Have a threesome with the two princesses. Steal the still beating heart of the ancient Humbaba and eat it like it's a pomegranate.

Get the attention of the Victors by deed. They'll come. They'll wine the changeling, dine the changeling. Then they'll make their offer. Problem is, it's just as easy to fall from grace as it is to join. See, the Noble Champions of the Parliament of Victors don't get to rest on their hindquarters. They have to keep up momentum. They're heroes. They need to act like it. Loud. Boastful. Social. Harder still, they can't fail a challenge. Someone comes up to a Champion and threatens to knock his block off? Or if he says he's going to take care of that band of treacherous privateers lurking in the deep Hedge but doesn't? That's a problem. He won't get kicked out of the eldritch order, exactly, but he will lose access to all some privileges until he can prove his mettle anew.

**Token:  Golden Laurels [1-5]**

This token appears as a simple cap, nondescript in nature, most likely monochromatic. When activated the cap melts away and turns into a living golden laurel crown. Once per month per Token’s rating, the character can spend a Glamour to add the Token’s rating score to a single combat roll (based off of Brawl, Firearms or Weaponry). If successful, the attack is dramatic and showy (even if the damage done isn't). The player is encouraged to describe the flourish of the mighty blow--does lightning coruscate up the blade of her sword as it crashes down upon an enemy's collarbone? Does the bullet take a whining and unlikely ricochet to end up punching through the Loyalist's hand (just in time, causing him to drop his own weapon)? Does he punch a Keeper through a bay window? The player may choose to add any of the following Tilts: Arm Wrack, Leg Wrack, Blind (one eye at a time), Deafened.
**Action:** Reflexive
**Catch:** The fight this is used in is a duel of honor against a foe who claims his superiority.
**Drawback:** If this roll fails, it is downgraded into a dramatic failure.
(Conditional)
**Blessings**

* [1] This blessing lets the changeling regain 1 Glamour whenever she regains Willpower through her Needle in direct pursuit of her role. She may spend the Glamour immediately on anything she likes or store it in her heraldry token for later use. The token can store up to her Wyrd in Glamour. If she can neither spend nor store it, it’s lost. All stored Glamour empties at the end of the story.
* [1] Choose one of the following specialties: Expression (Boasting, Tall Tales), Brawl or Firearms or Weaponry (Superfluous Attack), Athletics (Lifting, Sprinting). The chosen speciality also gains exceptional on three successes instead of five.
* [1] Additional Thread.
* [1] The Hero’s Veneer: The character automatically gains the Striking Looks Merit at two dots. If she already possesses the Merit at two dots, she instead gains an additional +1 to all Presence rolls (this is added to the normal benefit gained by the Striking Looks Merit). If the player has Striking looks with only one dot, the merit point is refunded via the Sanctity of Merits. (Conditional)
* [1] Personal Bard: Gain the Retainer merit with a rating of Wyrd/2 (Round down). Its purpose is “Proclaiming the tales of your deeds and righteousness.” The key difference in this retainer is that it is a Hob and with is come all of the advantages and disadvantages of a hob.

**Touchstone:** An ex-athlete

**Clarity Curse:** Clarity attacks suffered while avoiding the chance to be a Hero add damage dice equal to ranks invested in this Merit.

**WP:** Once per scene, gain a Willpower when your actions restore hope to the hopeless.