Just before the Shogunate age, a great kingdom spanned the jungles of the south. The Zandalari were a tribal people who worshipped animal gods and elementals who protected their lands. Through an ancient pact, the shaman of the tribe channeled the prayers of millions to these fierce spirits, who in turn empowered and facilitated the artifacts that made Zandalar an arcane paradise. Savants from everywhere came to study from the works these spirits forged through working in tandem.
Zul’maka, a twilight and a brilliant smith from the Zandalari tribes, apprenticed herself to the ifrit Jin’rokh, the Burning Name, to learn the secrets of fire and sorcery. After years of study, Zul’maka set her accumulated knowledge to task and forged a great spear as a gift for the sorcerer chief of the Zandalari.
The orichalcum that made the shaft of the blade was created in magical suspension, the sorcerous essence that infused every fiber of it untainted by mortal hands before it was forged. Leveraging her teacher’s wisdom, Zul’maka whispered the incomprehensible language of the Ifrits and its words became engraved along its length. The red jade spearhead was taken as close as Zul’maka could get to the elemental pole of fire, a journey that took her a year, and buried in the molten earth. For 3 days, the twilight fought off primal fire elementals defending their land as the spearhead tempered. Finally, after returning to Zandalari, she bound the shaft to the spearhead with 3 strands of hair from her master Jin’rokh’s head, as he granted his blessing upon the weapon.
The Zandalari chief never received Searing Wisdom, as the war between the Solars and the Dragon-Blooded began that very morning and Zandalar was annihilated. Jin’rokh saved the longfang from the battle and has kept watch over it until a worthy apprentice could prove equal it its use.
Searing Wisdom is a fiery longfang that also acts as a sorcerous channel. It has two hearthstone sockets along the shaft. Those who are initiated into sorcery will make the best use of this artifact.
A Solar or Dragon-Blood who is initiated into sorcery and spends 1 additional mote to attune to Searing Wisdom gains insight into the occult world and the element of fire. Any spells aligned with fire cost 1 less sorcerous mote to cast and the exalt’s natural soak and hardness increase by 1 against all sources of fire damage.
Cost: 1wp (H+) Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisites: None
By touching the red jade head of the spear to any open flame and expending a point of Willpower, the exalt awakens Searing Wisdom, causing the spearhead to begin to glow as hot coals. This is a simple action that cannot be flurried. Once Blazing Augury is activated, Searing Wisdom will begin to gain Heat. Each round as Heat level rises, the tip of the longfang increases in brightness similarly to an anima banner, beginning the round of activation at Glowing and confers the same penalties to Stealth.
Heat levels interact with several evocations of Searing Wisdom and can be spent like Anima levels for an exalt. Evocations that interact with Heat denote the cost in (H) where Glowing is 1, Burning is 2, and Bonfire is 3. At any time, the exalt may reflexively spend Heat levels to enhance an attack by adding (expended H) dice to the raw damage. The exalt cannot expend levels as such to bring the Heat level below Glowing in this manner.
Blazing Augury can only be deactivated through the evocation Incantation Ignition, or by extinguishing the tip of Searing Wisdom. This can be accomplished either by driving it completely into the earth, completely submerging it in water, or other similar actions, and then leaving it there for a full minute, or 3 combat rounds. Doing so sets the Heat level back to Dim and blazing Augury must be reactivated to get to Glowing again.
Special Activation Rules: This evocation is unlocked for the exalt the first time Searing Wisdom is directly exposed to open flame.
Cost: 3m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual
Duration: End of next turn
Prerequisites: Blazing Augury
Blazing Augury must be active to use this evocation. The exalt uses the burning tip to carve ancient runes and sorcerous sigils into the bodies of their foes. When used with a Withering attack, it subtracts (H) soak from the target, as it sears the target’s skin and clothing, or superheats their armor. When used in a Decisive attack, it subtracts (H) points from the target’s hardness. When successfully used against a sorcerer who is actively shaping sorcery, it annihilates (H) sorcerous motes from their pool.
The mark lasts until the end of the exalt’s next turn, at which point, the subtracted soak or hardness is restored. Multiple uses of this evocation on the same target do not stack. Being marked by Scalding Rune can interact with other evocations of Searing Wisdom
Cost: 4m (+1H) Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Scalding Rune
The stolen power of the Pole of Fire rages within the jade spearhead, yearning for release. This evocation can only be activated if Searing Wisdom’s Heat level is at Burning or above. With a thrust of the mighty spear, the exalt sends a wall of flame in a straight line from her position, stretching out and upwards 1 range band. If the spear is thrown, this evocation can be activated from the point where it lands, creating the wall from its target.
Anyone in the path of the wall of fire may roll (Wits + Dodge) at difficulty (current Heat level) to avoid getting caught in it. Once the wall has formed, it has the stats of a bonfire. All walls of fire are extinguished if the Heat level is reduced to Dim.
If a sorcerer takes damage from a fire wall, (H) sorcerous motes are burned away from them. If the Heat level is at Bonfire, the wielder may expend 1 level of Heat to gain the sorcerous motes lost from any sorcerer from this evocation.
If a target is already marked by Scalding Rune when they take damage from Conflagration Prestidigitation, they roll against the bonfire damage twice and take the worst of the two rolls.
Cost: 5m, H+ Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Scalding Rune
Blazing Augury must be active to activate this evocation. With the spearhead blazing, the contained sorcerous energy of Searing Wisdom causes the orichalcum shaft to hum almost musically. With a mighty gesture of the spear, this power is unleashed in a spectacular display of the exalt’s sorcery.
Incantation Ignition enhances a Shape Sorcery action, adding (Essence x H) sorcerous motes to the exalt’s sorcery pool. This consumes all levels of Heat that Searing Wisdom contains. After the spell is set loose, the Heat level is set to Dim and Blazing Augury deactivates, the spearhead extinguishing itself and becoming instantly cool to the touch.
If the spell was directed against someone marked by Scalding Rune, the exalt adds 1 automatic success to the attack roll.
Cost: -- (6m) Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Conflagration Prestidigitation, Incantation Ignition
The master of Searing Wisdom knows that knowledge of the arcane does not preclude knowledge of the battlefield: they are one and the same. When enhancing the activation of Blazing Augury, this evocation makes Blazing Augury no longer deactivate after casting a spell and when it resets the Heat level to Dim it will continue to gain Heat each round. It also enhances the other evocations of Searing Wisdom:
When so enhanced, Blazing Augury can only be deactivated by extinguishing the tip of the spear in the mundane manner. Afterwards, the longfang goes dormant, it’s evocations silent. It requires a week to recover after using this evocation before awakening again.