Scrivener

Real Name: Lu Wei Jia
Villain Name: Scrivener
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Age: 2319
Gender: Female
Hair: Black
Eyes: Black
Height: 6'0

Lu Wei Jia appears as an apparition of mist and shadow; a three dimensional projection of a person rather than the person themselves.  Her manifestation appears as a tall, beautiful woman with long, flowing hair in immaculate robes of ancient design.  Her skin is deathly pale, with all the colors washed out of her image.


Despite what one might think of a being of mist and shadow, Jia is an intensely passionate individual.  Even in her mortal days, she was prone to intense fits of rage or sadness, as well as an almost obsessive interest in expressing these.  Despite her nature, she can seem at times almost alive; vivacious and carefree, almost playful.  Yet, a sinister air pervades everything she does, even a casual remark having dark implications.  Still, she is quite charismatic and intelligent, and prone to asking people about their lives and the motivations behind them.  Yet, at the same time, she is intensely petty and arrogant, declaring decade long vendettas over perceived slights.


Born to the Great Lu Feng and a mortal woman of surpassing beauty, Lu Wei Jia never what might be called a normal childhood.  Raised in obscurity within the bowels of the Luminous Library of the Dragon Sage, Jia was left by her mother when she was very young.  This had a profound effect on her psychology, rendering her distant and melancholy.  

Lu Feng decided to direct the course of his young child, encouraging her to take up art and scholarship in order to win back her mother's love.  Jia was secretly given a special elixir to hone her attention, in hopes that the work and discipline would allow her time to grieve.  This did not work out as hoped, however, for as the years passed Jia became psychologically dependent on the potion to maintain her sanity, even as she became ever more withdrawn and emotionless.

It was when Jia began to practice meditative techniques aimed at cultivating her mind and chi that clarity came to her again.  It had been some 500 years since her mother last spoke to her.  So long had she been drugged and so thorough her father's sheltering of her mind, that she had not realized the passage of time.  

It was only by immersing herself in her newly found cultivation discipline that Jia remained lucid.  Vowing to break the chains her father put on her mind and recover her mother, Jia began to use her position within her father's institution to discover dark and ancient practices.  No mortal practice or spell could bring her mother back; and so, Jia sought to become something other than mortal.

It took her many decades to accomplish this, and the library did not contain all she needed.  She left her home, left her father, and stole into the world to find what she required.  There she learned at the feet of dead scholars and hoary old witches.  She made pacts with demons and had dialogues with fox spirits.  

When she was ready, the Senior Scrivener of the Luminous Library used her transcendent skill with the brush to pen the 10 words of divinity upon her soul.  Yet, despite her inhuman skill, one of the characters were flawed.  This destroyed her third Hun soul, where resided her dragon self.  Heaven took notice of her heresy, and sent tribulation upon her.  Maimed as she was, Lu Wei Jia could not withstand her punishment.  Captured by the servants of Heaven, Jia was put to trial before the Yellow Emperor himself, and was cursed.  Yet, such was the Scrivener's will, and the potency of her art, that she was able to blunt much of what the King of Heaven attempted to lay upon her.  

Shamed her defiance and heresy, the Great Sage Lu Feng took his daughter and placed her in a roughly hewn slab of quartz.  In this Lucent Sepulcher, the Heretical Scrivener would reside for all time as a warning against the hubris of mortals.

That was, until she escaped...



And so, when the Courts of Heaven convened again, the Yellow Emperor sat in judgment of the Scrivener. In a voice that shook all the world, he spoke his Curse:

"Be Seen by No Eye..."
Cursed by Heaven, Jia cannot be perceived by mortal senses. Typically this can be circumvented by finding traces of her passing; 'cold spots', disturbed objects or unusual EMF readings. Spiritual senses or magical detection can find her, however. Her ability to manifest visually is her intensely powerful will forcing back the curse for a time.

Mechanics: Invisibility, essentially, though it is flipped from the typical.  This power is always 'on', unless Jia pushes it away.  Protects from Sight, Sound, Smell, Hearing, and Touch.

"Set No Foot Upon the Ground..."
The intent of this verdict was to prevent Jia from ever finding solace upon the Earth; either through the company of mortals or the peace of the grave. Yet, this pronouncement was weakened by the Scrivener's interruption. Jia cannot touch the ground directly; she must float at all times a few inches above it. This is not limited to the ground, however. Any solid surface will suffice enough to be considered the 'ground'.  

Mechanics: Flight, but a permanent version of it.  The Scrivener typically hovers a few inches off the ground, and may use any surface for this effect.  One of the Scrivener's favorite 'tricks' is to latch onto the side of a plane in order to travel.

"Touch Not the Works of Your Betters..."
It had been the use of 'Betters' that had earned Jia's scorn.  While her laughter and distain had blunted some of the enraged Emperor's authority, it also caused him to repeat the last two lines of the curse Jia had disrupted.  This cemented them more firmly in reality.  Thus, Jia cannot overcome her inability to interact with the world, though this is not without some benefit.  

Mechanics: Intangibility, though a permanent version (see flaws).  The Scrivener cannot interact directly with physical reality, nor can it interact with her directly.

"Be a Thing of Mist and Shadow."
It takes a great deal of pride to challenge Heaven, and so it sought to humble her.  As an artist, her works were greatly prized as objects of beauty and refinement.  And so, all she had touched would become unknown and all of her work discarded or forgotten. Yet, Jia was able to circumvent some part of this.

Instead of being completely unknown, Jia is hard to remember. Weak minds find it difficult to recall her words, deeds, or even presence. Her nature is arcane to their understanding, and eventually will obfuscate the recollection of those without enough self-possession. Even electronics are not immune; recordings of Jia or her actions become fuzzy and corrupt, until they are entirely useless.  Yet, though her will, Jia can repress this ability for a time. People can remember Jia if she chooses to allow them to.  
Mechanics: The 'Bigfoot Effect'. Any mundane or baseline witnesses will soon forget Jia's presence, and all recordings of her will become corrupted.  This effect does not work on other players or their technological powers; only mundane perceptions and recordings.

... But even as the mighty Shangti spoke, the Heretic interrupted the King of Heaven with a scornful laugh.  She replied:

"But by my Will, I Moved Heaven."
 Lu Wei Jia has always possessed an intensely strong will. Despite her inability to interact physically with objects, she can still cause objects and people to move through a projection of her intent. Initially weak and raw, Jia has honed this ability through the millennia.  Now, she can project a frightful strength upon the living world, alongside a precision and delicacy to shame her once mortal hands.

Mechanics: It takes a strong will to defy the Yellow Emperor, but the Scrivener had honed herself through a lifetime of ambition and toil.  Her will is so strong that she has a form of Telekinesis, able to move objects in the world with her mind alone.  Scrivener uses this to both effect the mortal world, but also to allow her a place in it.  Though she is bound to rest in places of water or mist, the Scrivener will often pull moisture with her to allow her freedom of movement.  This leads to the 'cloud of mist' effect which she is known for.

"Once Dragon, I am now Divine."
In her hubris and ambition, Lu Wei Jia drew the character of divinity upon her joined souls.  Yet, for all her skill and mastery, the soul is a nebulous canvas.  The Tenth Character was flawed, and Divinity was marred.  And it was then the wrath of Heaven came upon her.  

Yet, despite her error, Jia's essence has become divine.  Though she is more ghost than goddess, Jia possesses the strength of any member of the Celestial Court.  Her powers cannot be easily circumvented or her curses broken.  Jia's power is an intrinsic part of the universe.  Her being and bidding is writ upon the very fabric of reality.  

Mechanics: 'Power Authority' or 'Resistance to Countermagic', Jia's abilities and effects cannot be easily circumvented by simply waving ones hand and speaking a word.  That which she brings into being is not so easily negated.  

"Beloved of Hell, its Dark Consort,"
Though her quest to obtain the ten words of divinity, Jia made certain pacts.  The Kings of Hell, ever grasping and ambitious, saw within the beauteous Jia a kindred spirit.  She courted them as allies and followers, and bound them with words of power.  

Despite her fallen station, Jia's allies remain.  Her presence serves as an anchor to the Thousand Hells; the spiritual realms of torment the Po souls of the unrighteous dead go to suffer punishment.  At her request, Hell will disgorge its Legions.  Wicked spirits and cruel demons come to her beckoning, entranced by the Dark Consort.  So long as Jia exist, the Hells have a foothold.

Mechanics: Jia has always possessed a certain charisma, and her long experience befriending the creatures of darkness have only enhanced this.  If not directly controlled, unintelligent demons and undead will bend themselves to Jia's will.  Even the intelligent members of those orders often find Jia quite charming.  

"I am Eternal."
In becoming a divine being, Jia became a function of the world.  It is no more possible to permanently destroy Jia than it is to permanently destroy gravity. Though she may be banished or bound or trapped or dispersed, Jia can never truly die.  Functionally, she is immortal, even if the circumstances of her immortality vary.

Mechanics: Durability, Regeneration. Placed between life and death, Jia cannot die.  Being tied to the intrinsic nature of reality, Jia is hard to wound even if she can be reached. The divine flesh of her being will repair itself rapidly, and should she be slain, she will reform in a week in a place of strong Yin energies.

"I Have Stolen Your Power and Broken your Name."
[Permission Based]
In writing the Ten Words, the Scrivener changed something in the fabric of reality, if ever so slightly.  Condensed into Jia's being, this causes her to be a flaw in the fundamental nature of things.  That which should not be possible suddenly are, and the reverse holds also true.  

On a mortal scale, the Heretic can prevent the normal events from flowing correctly.  This is exacerbated in complex systems, such as electronics or machinery.  This effect is strong enough to cause powers and spells to behave erratically, as the path from intention to manifestation is no longer straight.

Mechanics:  Though it is entirely up to the discretion and consent of other players, Jia's unnatural nature causes variable effects; such as sudden power spikes, unexplainable malfunctions, or unpredictable effects. The more complex a thing is, the more difficulty it has operating around the Scrivener. Swords are typically fine, complex rituals or technology less so.  This can also effect the normal functioning of powers, though not negate them entirely.  

"Now Mine is the Word; Now Mine is the Law."
In claiming Divinity and a sliver of the Yellow Emperor's authority, Jia is able to directly effect reality.  The Scrivener is able to write an Edict, a new law or verdict causing the rules or nature of the cosmos to function differently, however temporarily.  This can range from a burst of force to a change in gravity to a judgement of misfortune upon a soul, Jia has learned to wield a number of pronouncements upon others.

EDICTS:
Sight Of the Void Unending (Rank 3)
[Permission Based]
Draw the character of 'Darkness', and all is blind.  So long as the symbol persists, so too does the effect.  This spell does not simply affect the mortal eye, however; machines, undead, and constructs are also so affected.  Any sight or sight-like ability is rendered inoperable.  The radius of effect is roughly that of a city block.  All beings that enter its range, save for those Jia designates, are so afflicted.

Foil:  The Clever - Those who are clever may find a way to circumvent the Edict and destroy the symbol.

Mechanics: Within a range of up to 5 square miles, the Scrivener can render all within it blind.  People, machines, animals, pets.  Anything with a 'vision' power.  

The Burden of Ages (Rank 3)
[Permission Based]
Draw the character of 'Obligation', and the world stills.  Every action seems an incredible undertaking, convincing the afflicted that even moving is akin to that of climbing a mountain.  Like Sight of Darkness Unending, mortals are not alone in their susceptibility to this power.   Engines will seize, zombies will collapse, and golems will lock up; motion is denied to the unworthy.  Yet, it is by the mortal will that this might be circumvented.  The living will can challenge the Burden of Ages, and pit themselves against it.  

Foil: The Willful - Those who possess a strong will may pit themselves against the effects of this Edict and overcome it.

Mechanics: Within a range of up to 5 square miles, Scrivener can cause a 'Hold Person' style paralysis to affect those things capable of self-guided motion.  This effect happens gradually over 30 seconds, causing vehicles to slowly come to a stop or individuals to enter into a resting pose.  

Verdict of Disaster (Rank 5)
[Permission Based]
Draw the character of 'Calamity', and doom shall befall.  The world's wrath is called to where this symbol lay.  Be it hurricane, flood, fire, or lightning strike, it has been ordained that this place be destroyed.  The will of Heaven is invoked and the condemned shall be consumed...

...eventually.

Foil: The Quick - Though the verdict of disaster is immensely powerful, it is slow to build.  On a calm and peaceful day, it can take time for the Edict to build.  The quick can find the binding symbol and disperse the built up energy, causing the impending disaster to spend itself harmlessly.  

Mechanics: Where the mark is placed, there will be a disaster.  The speed at which the disaster builds depends on prevailing conditions.  Calm weather in a tectonically stable region may require an entire day to form, while a region about to be hit by a hurricane may just see a rapid escalation of a preordained fate.  

Call the Feast of Cannibals (Rank 5)
[Permission Based]
Draw the character of 'Hunger', and the world shall devour itself. The need to consume will force away all other desires, and remove all morality as to what that might be.  Lovers, pets, children; none are spared in the wake of this need.  

Foil: The Disciplined - Perhaps the most horrific of the Scrivener's Edicts, Discipline is enough to stave off the worst of its effects.  While one might eat a gallon of ice cream or seven chickens, enough composure can allow one to find the symbol and destroy it.  

Mechanics: Within a 5 mile radius, any being capable of feeling hunger will have the impulse to consume overwhelm them.  This has an onset of 30 minutes, the sensation growing from mild peckishness to cannibalistic urges within that time.

Dance of the Nether Dragon (Rank 5)
Draw the twisted symbols for 'Death', 'Life', and 'Return', and what is dead shall live.  The Po souls residing in the corpses animate decaying flesh, the Hun Souls of cast beyond the veil shall walk the world again, and the graves of the deceased will disgorge their fruit.  The dead walk, even as the Consort of Hell dances.  

Welcome to the Zombie Apocalypse on Steroids.  While the ravening dead are not by any means unkillable, it is the persistence of what Jia summons that makes this threat so terrifying.  If defeated, the disembodied Po souls will simply flee and reform.  In addition, instead of lumbering masses of meat that seem content to moan ominously and shamble until they find an immobile victim, the things Jia conjures did not skip leg day.  Strong, fast, and enduring, they obey the commands of their mistress without hesitation.  

Foil: The Mighty - Heroes come forth; a tide of death awaits you.  For all their physical prowess, the unhallowed dead are not invincible.  Their power is based on the mortal frame, and the Mighty may yet win against the dead and break the animating symbol.

Mechanics: Within a 5 mile radius, any dead thing is reanimated.  In addition, spirits of the restless dead materialize and form bodies out of the spiritual energies the Scrivener calls forth.  The dead tend to be densest either around the Scrivener herself or the symbol she drew.  The undead so conjured will be almost worshipful of the Scrivener.  -SEE MINIONS-

Open the Gates of Sin (Rank 5)
Draw one of the forbidden characters of the Hells, and bring forth their horrors.  Within a space roughly the size of a city block, the space of the world become saturated in the essence of the Netherworld.  The area becomes dark and mazelike, doors no longer opening where they should.  Demonic torturers appear, sent to scourge the wicked of their sin.  Which of the hells manifests depends on the number drawn after the first character.  

Foil: The Virtuous - The Hells that the Scrivener has connection to are not like the Christian variation.  Hell is not eternal. The Hells are meant to scourge the souls of the dead free of sin before their eventual reincarnation. The Virtuous give the torturers pause, allowing the righteous to pass.  

Mechanics: Within a 5 mile radius, all within are subject to the attentions of a demonic torturer.  Note that unlike the Christian version of hell, the torments outlined here are not bespoke.  The Ancient Chinese believed in a systematic, almost detached form of scourging, which was intent on purging sins so the soul might be reincarnated pure.  The conjured demons will move to purge any unrighteous individuals of their sins, but not outright kill them.  They will view Scrivener as a senior and well-respected authority figure.  

The Heretics' Veil (Rank 5)
Draw the words of 'Mist', 'Night', and 'Command', and the world shall darken.  A rolling cloud of mist will begin to manifest around the symbol, spreading outward to the limit the Scrivener ordains.  Beyond the normal cloud of water vapor Jia tends to 'grab' with her telekinesis, the Veil summons a roiling cloud of Yin-infused fog that saturates an area.  Lights become dim and flickering, and any mundane flame is snuffed out.  Living beings swiftly begin to lose their vitality, while those that are dead (or heavily Yin aspected) are empowered.  

Foil: The Vigorous - The body is temple and fortress both; those who maintain its walls will see the siege upon their energies broken.  

Mechanics: Within up to a 5 mile radius, a black mist will descend on an area.  This will not completely obscure vision, though it may make it more difficult to see.  Within that area, light is faint and suppressed (unless it comes from a power-based or supernatural origin).  Any living being will begin to suffer enervation and illness, eventually falling into a coma.  Note that this power in itself is not immediately lethal, though it can strip years off a person's lifespan.  

Also, within this area, the dead feel a surge of power.  Minions summoned with the use of other spells will be more robust and less vulnerable to fire or yang-infused weapons, while finding their abilities enhanced.  This also provides the Scrivener some limited protection from a few of her banes.  

Convene the Crusade of Locusts (Rank 5)
[Permission Based]
Draw the word of 'Greed', and the world shall know poverty.  Outside forces will begin to covet what those within have.  Loans will come suddenly due, crime will become rampant, and all relationships will become transactional.  Love has no purchase in a world where avarice holds sway.

Foil: The Compassionate - Selflessness and understanding are at the core of humanity.  Though often they prize themselves on their ingenuity or reason, some argue that it is the ability for humanity to be compassionate toward others that allows it to truly ascend.  Greed is want grown beyond need, while Compassion is the recognition of need beyond our wants.  

Mechanics: This is more story based than anything, but invoking this Edict will cause every target up to a 5 mile radius to suffer financial and social difficulties.  Instead of a world of mutual exchange and acceptance, the afflicted will live in a world of naked avarice and hardship.  The wealthy are not immune to this, suddenly finding every deal or pillar to which they rely becoming a vampiric drain on their resources.  


...and for every word she could speak, the Scrivener clawed back the power of the curse to be laid upon her. Yet, the Will of Heaven was not so slight a thing, and the curse of Heaven fell heavily indeed.

To Look but Never Touch
Lu Wei Jia is forever separated from the world of mortals; she is forever cursed never to feel the wind on her face or smell the fragrancy of a peony in bloom.  Her state is Permanent, and cannot be undone by magic or will or power.  

Mechanics: Her Intangibility cannot be turned off, nor can she benefit from any effect that would cause it to become inert.  Also, any power that lets one 'Ghost Punch' is incredibly effective.  Jia was an artist and a scholar in her mortal life, and rarely held a weapon.

Distained by the Eye of Heaven
Though not having been personally distained by the exalted Xihe, Goddess of the Sun, strong sources of Yang energy are disruptive to the Scrivener.  Sunlight is intensely painful and disruptive to her magics and powers. One of the easiest ways to defeat Jia is to simply place her or her works in direct sunlight.  

Mechanics: Sunlight, or energy similar to it, negate the majority of the Scrivener's powers.  In addition, attacks or abilities based of or manifest sunlight are similarly disruptive.  The pain also disrupts the Scrivener's ability to maintain her 'mist cloud' and is often enough to outright banish her.

In the Presence of Death
When the Heretical Scrivener mocked the Emperor of Heaven, she was pushed beyond the veil of life, but her nature prevented her from reincarnating. Her presence, suffused in Yin energies, causes objects nearby to begin to change.  Water becomes chill or freezes, frost forms on windows, the temperature of a room noticeably drops.  Though she is unseen, her presence can be felt.

Mechanics: A ghostly 'chill aura'.  Though the Scrivener is typically invisible, she does not move unnoticed.  

A Line of Salt to Ward Against Evil
It is ironic that a being born from the loins of an Earth dragon would be susceptible to so simple a thing, but the Scrivener is effected strongly by things that 'ground' her energies.  Salt formed in a line or circle has the effect of diminishing or nullifying her powers.  

Mechanics: The Scrivener cannot cross lines or circles of salt, nor can her direct powers effect anyone beyond them.  This also has the side effect of negating the effects of her Edicts, her spells are intrinsically linked to her own nature.  

Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley of the Shadow
Despite her great power, Jia is bound by many of the same rules that affect beings of her rank.  And, more importantly, their followers.  Prayer, and the physical representations of that prayer, have the ability to ward or protect against the Scrivener's power.  A sufficiently pious person invoking his God, or a symbol held aloft by a terrified child, all have power over the Scrivener.  A prayer effects Jia physically, able to force her from a place or compel her toward an action.  More than once has the Heretic been foiled by a religious leader abjuring her from a place.

Mechanics: Sincere faith can protect people from the Scrivener, preventing her power or spells from effecting them. In addition, so long as they focus, the faithful can compel Jia to take actions in accordance with their prayers, though she need not blindly follow their directives. Indeed, Jia has been forced from more than one place by a holy man, only to find in 'banishing' her that she knocked over every oil pot and candle on the way out, consuming the building which they stood...

All In Accordance with Ritual
Other than Faith, the Scrivener is bound strongly by ritual.  While Jia is capable of complicating overly complex ones, those conducted by a proper master can seal away or entrap her.  It was by this method that the great Sage trapped his wicked daughter in the Lucent Sepulcher in the first place.

Mechanics: The Scrivener can be bound, summoned, or trapped by the appropriate rituals.  Though it is often difficult to so in her immediate presence, more than once some occultist has thought to bind the Heretic in service to enact some form of revenge or humble a rival.

The Dark Thirst Unending
Though Scrivener is effectively immortal, the original intent of her curses was to torture her for eternity.  One of these was to live, but never die, eternally starving in her ghostly state.  Jia prevented this from completely taking hold, but must replenish herself lest she fall into starvation and powerlessness.  

The Scrivener is able to 'eat' death; more specifically, she harvests the released Yin energies in order to stave off the effects of her unnatural state.  This technique is what causes her rather debilitating reaction to strong Yang energies.

Mechanics: The Scrivener must frequently reside in the presence of death; fresh or old.  Aligning herself strongly with Yin energies has allowed her to overcome the starvation the Yellow Emperor sought to afflict her with.  Outside of a tomb or graveyard, the Scrivener requires sources of death.  Failing to do so will cause the slow gnawing of her eternal hunger to begin, which will eventually cripple her with pain and insensibility.  

A Blade of Peachwood
Peachwood was originally thought to be the remedy against hungry ghosts, and it is true with the Scrivener as well.  Wielding a blade of naturally or unnaturally Yang infused wood, such as Peachwood or Yew, will disrupt the energies that the Scrivener has taken into herself, causing intense pain and discomfort.

Mechanics: Blows struck from such weapon act as if they were tangible for the purposes of touching the Scrivener, opening wounds or disrupting her magics.

The Wheel Ever Turns
Though Jia exists both between life and death, the Great Wheel of Reincarnation ever pulls on her essence.  Though it cannot send her onto her next incarnation, it can drag her down.  When Jia is discorporated, bits of herself are lost.  Memories fade, the will weakens, her skill diminishes.  Through effort and meditation, the Scrivener can regain herself, but it is a constant struggle against becoming a senseless, powerless spirit doomed to wander the Earth for eternity.

Mechanics: For all of her great power, the Scrivener must be wary of her defeats.  Suffering enough damage to be 'killed', whether through exposure to sunlight or the appropriate ritual, will cause Jia to lose parts of herself.  The Scrivener must rest and undergo meditation in places she feels a strong connection.  Only by doing that will she recover what was lost.

Of Brush and Canvas (Magic)
It is acknowledged in Heaven and all the Realms beneath its sway that there exists no finer hand than that of the beautiful daughter of Lu Feng.  Had she come to the Yellow Emperor in humility and peace, and shown her great skill, surely the Emperor of Heaven would have granted her divinity based on her art alone!  Only so great a talent would have been able to draw the Ten Symbols of Divinity  

Time and the distance from mortal frailties has only enhanced Jia skill.  The Scrivener is a calligrapher without peer or equal, and the power of her pen and her stolen divinity is undeniable.  In casting her beyond mortal touch, the Yellow Emperor sought to divide her from her medium, for the Scrivener must draw or paint a symbol upon the world in order to affect it.  

Mechanics: The Scrivener must paint or draw a symbol in order to enact an Edict, which makes them vulnerable to being disrupted.  While Jia is superhumanly fast and precise, it stills takes at least a few seconds to enact an effect.  In addition, her magic is tied to where the symbol is drawn.

Everyone's a Critic (Magic)
Perfection is at the heart of the Scrivener's magic.  Creating the subline lines of script necessary to declare an Edict requires supernatural skill, but not so the ability to disrupt them.  Whether painted in blood on the side of a building or carved into the floating mist, intentionally disrupting the pattern causes the spell to fail.  

Mechanics: Breaking or marring a symbol will cause the effect to fade, so long as the action is done intentionally.  Wedding intention with action is at the core of the Scrivener's practice, and so her magic is vulnerable to it.  

A Natural Foil (Magic)
Heroism is not something to be found in spandex or bold words.  It is a state of being; a quality intrinsic to the self.  Once upon a time, Jia herself was a pillar of Determination and Justice.  Heaven was not fair or just, so she pit herself against destiny to bring back those she loved.  When she failed, her Ambition and Anger consumed her.  

Despite her fallen state, Jia's magic reflects her strange moral outlook. The worthy not only can overcome the challenges set against them, but should.  Many have fallen to Jia's terrors, but others have found within themselves a kernel of what it means to be a hero.

Mechanics: Each of Jia's spells must have a FOIL attached to it.  These spells can be overcome with a person manifesting the quality to which it is attached.  Whether superpowered or mundane, the virtuous will find a way to overcome her powers.

Within my Grasp
The Four Curses of the Yellow Emperor constantly press against Lu Wei Jia's being, and though she can circumvent or temporarily nullify some of them, they will not recede.  The Scrivener is always limited by how much the Curses affect her.  Though Jia can fly, she is tied forever to the Earth.  Though Jia can press her will against the world, her range is blunted.  

Mechanics: The Scrivener cannot project her Telekinetic or Flight powers beyond six (6) feet of herself in normal circumstances.  Whatever she wishes to effect must be within her grasp.

The Ill-Regard of Heaven
Though she is admired by many, the Celestial Court officially disfavors the Consort of Hell.  As the Heavens involve themselves in all the workings of the world and beyond, this disfavor manifests itself as an intense misfortune.  Plans go awry, the heroes find what they need, complications happen.  Jia, for all her great power, is oft stymied by simple bad luck.

Mechanics: Negative joss, ill luck, bad juju; all of these and more affect the Scrivener.  While by no means a Job, Jia often experiences profound streaks of ill fortune.  

Within my Black Heart, a Sliver of Gold
For all her great heresies and dark cruelties, Lu Wei Jia is not entirely evil. Though she can be petty and spiteful, she has not undertaken atrocity for its own sake. She has certain ambitions and passions, but for all her assertions to be the darkest of villains, cannot bring herself to sink to the worst depths.  

Mechanics: Truly heroic acts will cause Jia to stop.  Sacrifice, valor, compassion; all of these may cause the Scrivener to lift her hand and go elsewhere.  She remembers what it was like, once, to have these things and feel them.  To witness them again can cause her to experience intense fits of melancholy.  


Due to the nature of her Curse, Lu Wei Jia is incapable of owning items.


The Hungry Dead
When Jia begins the Dance of the Nether Dragon, it matters little what corpse is occupied or created by the ghosts and demons summoned by this mark, they all share the same general characteristics and vulnerabilities.  Strong, tough and tireless, they also possess many flaws related to their natures.  

The Functionaries of a Thousand Hells
When Jia Opens the Gates of Sin, out step those that censure the sinful.  Tall and immaculate, these beings take the form of mortal functionaries, save for some inhuman aspect.  Six fingers or three eyes or fangs instead of teeth, things begins delight in the screams of the guilty.  All for their own sake, of course...


As has been mentioned, Lu Wei Jia is a calligrapher without peer.  In addition to this, though, she is also an accomplished occultist and alchemist, though she is unable to practice much of what she knows.  She also pursued a number of other arts in her mortal life, being an accomplished musician, singer, and dancer.  

The Scrivener loves various works of modern art; cinema, concert, ballet.  Passion draws her more than anything; she will often regard a work more favorably if she feels the performer held genuine emotion.  

The Scrivener is completely baffled certain aspects of pop culture, but by Pokémon especially - 'So, they are... tiny monsters that are forced to fight each other?  Why do they not rise up and throw off the yoke of their oppressors?"