Solar warleader Glorious Wren long sought a means of combating the Deathlords as she and her army held the fifty-year vigil over the Great Contagion. Although she had little to offer in combating the plague directly, she was instrumental in managing the logistics of the quarantine. Still, she never forgot the true threat: the masters of the Underworld. And so she trained obsessively, researching sorcery, the patterns of fate, and even necromancy. World-Spanning Ribbon Style is the result of her research - the method of channeling not simply Creation's essence, but its very meaning and purpose, turning the martial artist into a bright river of power that flows past all boundaries and through all borders.

World-Spanning Ribbon Style is a Sidereal-level martial art, complete with Student and Elder Sutras. The style was developed to Wren's particular combat preferences, so all swords and artifact swords are form weapons, and can be practiced in armor.

The Student Sutra of Worlds: Once, there was a warrior …

Cost: 4m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Type: Reflexive (Step 9)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack
Prerequisite Charms: None

… who strode forth armed with righteousness…

An attack, whether it hits or not, creates a ripple in the battle, and in the martial artist it is aimed at. The martial artist perfectly emulates the attack, removed by only a fraction of a second - make a counterattack using the exact same dice pool as the original effect, including the effects of any charms used by the attacker (the martial artist may not further supplement the attack with other charms, even as part of a combo). If the attack hits, resolve damage normally with the martial artist's weapon.

Cost: 10m
Duration: Indefinite
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple (dramatic action)
Keywords: Touch, Shaping
Prerequisite Charms: None

… and her foe came to battle, wielding weapons of death.

The martial artist meditates on the Essence and nature of Creation, and shapes in her hands a powerful resonance with the five Elemental Poles of Creation. This must be performed outside of Creation (if used in the Wyld, it must be in the Middlemarches or deeper), takes twenty minutes, and may not be performed in combat. After she finishes, she may attune herself and (optionally) a single other person of Essence no greater than her own to the effect.

As long as the Essence remains committed and all targets of the Charm remain in the world in which it was performed, they are treated as being in Creation for all purposes (such as Sidereal astrology and regaining Essence). In addition, they may treat all natives of that world as valid targets for Fate effects, even if they are normally outside Fate, and for effects that normally require being in Creation.

Cost: 6m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive (Step 5)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: None

The field of war was cold and flat…

An attack is defined by a beginning, an end, and a path. To dodge is to avoid all of these; to parry is to intercept one of them. The martial artist chooses none of these; instead, she simply steps through all three, denying the attack any hold on her. This Charm is invoked at Step 5 in response to an attack, and reduces the attack to zero successes. This is a perfect effect, and suffers from the Conviction Flaw of Perfection.

Cost: 6m, 1wp
Duration: Instant
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Extra Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Prerequisite Charms: Reflecting Ripple Approach, Black Water Studies, Path Through Dissolution

… the sky was gray…

The martial artist moves one way, and her opponent follows. They keep following even as the Exalt's motion changes. This charm is a magical flurry of up to (Martial Arts) attacks at the attacker's full pool. Once any of these attacks successfully hit, even if it does no damage, all further attacks in the flurry are unexpected.

Cost: 1m or 2m
Duration: Instant
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Reflecting Ripple Approach, Black Water Studies, Path Through Dissolution

… and air was still.

Tracing a path through the Deep Wyld and back, the martial artist transports herself to any spot she can see. For an additional mote, she may arrive at the equivalent location in Malfeas or the Underworld. Additionally, this charm can be activated to allow the martial artist to see and attack a dematerialized spirit.

Cost: 10m, 1wp
Duration: One scene
Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Form-type, Obvious, Combo-Basic
Prerequisite Charms: Mind Follows the Flow, Shallows-Fording Stride

But they could not meet, for a river ran through it.

Exemplifying the river that runs through all countries and lands, the martial artist creates within herself the joining of incompatible natures. She flows between strikes and defenses with no more difficulty than a stream does between stones, and moves between worlds with the same ease. Her presence shines with a white light, and as she moves, the colors of the five elements follow after. She is indisputably a path between worlds, and all nearby can sense her primal connection to the flow between the realms.

While this Charm is active, the DV penalties for all actions the martial artist takes are reduced to 0. Additionally, her martial arts attacks cannot be parried, only dodged. Finally, the martial artist may reflexively spend five motes and a Willpower point to transport herself and all combatants within (Essence x 10) yards between worlds. She may move from Creation to the corresponding point in Malfeas, from Malfeas to the Deep Wyld, from the Deep Wyld to any familiar location in the Underworld, and from the Underworld to the corresponding point in Creation. This movement may only be avoided if a target is capable of reflexively moving out of the area of effect when the martial artist triggers it.

Other possible destinations (such as Yu Shan, Elsewhere, or Authochthon) are left to the Storyteller's discretion as to whether they're reachable at all, and if so, where they fall in the flow.

Cost: 2+m, 1wp
Duration: Indefinite
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple (dramatic action)
Keywords: Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: World-Spanning Ribbon Form

The Elder Sutra of Worlds: The river ran through the world of the living…

The martial artist meditates on the nature of Creation, strengthening her form with the flow of its purpose. This is a dramatic action that takes one hour and cannot be done in combat, and it causes the Exalt to shine with a soft white light, bright enough to read by. This glow intensifies as she spends Essence, replacing her normal anima banner (though the effects of her banner do not change). For every two motes spent on this Charm, the exalt gains +2 bashing and lethal soak, and 1+ natural hardness. The soak stacks with armor, but the hardness does not (use the highest applicable hardness value). In addition, if an attack is reduced to zero dice by soak, it is converted to bashing damage.

This charm lasts as long as the Essence remains committed, but is incompatible with Vision of the Black River and Iridescent River Vision.

Cost: 4+m, 1wp
Duration: Indefinite
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple (dramatic action)
Keywords: Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: World-Spanning Ribbon Form

… and it ran through the world of the dead.

The martial artist meditates on the nature of Oblivion, infusing her attacks with its dark menace. This is a dramatic action that takes one hour and cannot be done in combat, and it surrounds the Exalt with a deep shadow. This shadow intensifies as she spends Essence, replacing her normal anima banner (though the effects of her banner do not change). For every four motes spent on this Charm, all of the Exalt's attacks gain +1 damage. In addition, any attack that deal enough dice of damage to break an opponents soak may, in place of doing damage, instantly inflict one of the following effects:

• Oblivion's Servant - the target gains an unnatural Servitude effect towards the Exalt
• Oblivion's Hunger - the target's peripheral Essence pool is drained of all motes
• Oblivion's Grip - the target is instantly paralyzed for a number of minutes equal to the attacker's Essence
• Oblivion's Breath - the target is instantly slain, and their soul obliterated by Oblivion; a target with Essence equal to or greater than the martial artist's suffers four levels of unsoakable aggravated damage instead

This charm lasts as long as the Essence remains committed, but is incompatible with Vision of the White River and Iridescent River Vision.

Cost:10m, 2wp
Duration: Indefinite
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Simple (dramatic action)
Keywords: Obvious, Shaping, Stackable
Prerequisite Charms: Vision of the White River, Vision of the Black River

It ran through the places where things were created and destroyed…

The martial artist meditates on the nature of the Deep Wyld, becoming one with its chaos. This is a dramatic action that takes one hour and cannot be done in combat, and it causes the Exalt's form to shift in subtle ways. This shifting becomes more obvious and extreme as she spends Essence, replacing her normal anima banner (though the effects of her banner do not change). The martial artist gains ten mutation points to freely spend on Wyld mutations; she may reallocate and re-choose them as a reflexive action. In addition, her attacks do not deal damage; instead, they inflict a number of mutation points equal to their post-soak damage. The martial artist may choose the mutations inflicted, and alter them as a free action once a target is infected. These mutation points count against the target's permanent Essence cap, and can temporarily suppress their permanent Essence, reducing their temporary Essence pools and their access to Charms. If a target's Essence is reduced to zero, they become a Hobgoblin, serving the martial artist (this is an unnatural Servitude effect, as well as a Shaping effect). These Wyld mutations persist even after the charm has ended, though the martial artist cannot exert control over them unless the charm is active (or is later activated again).

This charm lasts as long as the Essence remains committed, but is incompatible with Vision of the White River and Vision of the Black River.

Cost: -
Duration: Permanent
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 6
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Prerequisite Charms: Iridescent River Vision

… and through no place at all.

No matter how they channel it, the martial artist benefits from the nature of all rivers. As long as she has Vision of the Black River, Vision of the White River, or Iridescent River Vision active, she may spend a point of Willpower to reflexively switch which River charm she has active. All motes committed toward the original Charm are applied toward the new one - excess motes are uncommitted (but not refunded). If she is changing from Iridescent River Vision, she may also spend additional motes toward the new charm.

Cost: 15m, 1wp
Duration: One scene
Mins: Martial Arts 6, Essence 7
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Obvious, War
Prerequisite Charms: All Waters Flowing

The warrior's foe said, “We will never meet, for the river will always divide us.” But the warrior was not dismayed.

The martial artist fights as the mountain: slowly, but with matchless power. If the combat she is currently in is not mass combat, it immediately changes to mass combat; if she is part of a unit, she automatically detaches from it. While this charm is active, the martial artist's abilities are not capped by her War as normal. Treat the Exalt as a unit of starting Magnitude equal to her Essence, with a Close Combat Rating equal to her Martial Arts and a Close Combat Damage rating equal to her War, with her usual number of health levels per magnitude. In addition, the Exalt may reflexively dodge any ranged attack, even if it is undodgeable; this is a perfect effect that suffers from the Valor Flaw of Perfection.

Damage taken is applied against health levels per Magnitude as for a unit - if she is reduced to Magnitude 0, the Charm ends, but she takes no damage to her personal health levels while it is active.

Cost: 2wp, 1ahl
Duration: Instant
Mins: Martial Arts 7, Essence 7
Type: Simple
Keywords: Obvious
Prerequisite Charms: Mountain to Ocean Meditation

“It is not the only river,” she said.

The master of World-Spanning Ribbon Style realizes that in the end, it is not enough to use the power of the river. Sometimes, power must be repudiated. Sometimes, power must be destroyed. The Exalt wielding World-Breaker's Hand is rightly feared, for they possess the power to shatter the meaning of a world.

With a hand held forth in a grasping motion, the Exalt channels their will and life into a terrible nightmarish aura. Her hand shines darkly with Essence and meaning, unleashed with a single thought into an explosion of unbeing. Everything, living or not, within (Essence x 100) yards including the martial artist immediately suffers two levels of unsoakable aggravated damage. Anything killed by this effect is rendered to ash, and their spirit released to the cycle of reincarnation immediately. Undead, Fair Folk, or demons with Essence less then the martial artist's Conviction are immediately and utterly destroyed. Water turns to salt, ice melts, the ground turns to cracked dust, and the air becomes stale and dry.

So terrible is the breaking of the world that even its Essence is snuffed dry. Anyone within the area, or who enters it later, loses all temporary Essence. All anima banners vanish instantly, all active Charms or spells immediately end, all artifacts become de-attuned, all benefits of hearthstones or pennants are snuffed (frequently immediately lethal to Fair Folk caught in Creation), and any artifact that relies on continuous Essence for power stops functioning while it is affected.

If used at a manse or demense, the devastation is even more terrible - the very geomancy of the area is ripped apart, expanding the area and lethality of the effect greatly. The amount of aggravated damage is increased by the level of the demense; the radius of the area affected is multiplied by it.

If this Charm is used in a Freehold, it has a different and far simpler effect: the Freehold, and everyone and everything in it, are obliterated completely - even the souls of the Creation-born are destroyed, denying them the cycle of reincarnation and consigning them to Oblivion. Only a Celestial Exaltation is immune to this affect, as it returns to be recycled.

There is no known way to restore an area damaged by World-Breaker's Hand, though it is possible that a spell of the Adamant or Void Circle could be devised after extensive study. The scholars of Yu Shan do not know of this charm, but would be greatly dismayed if they did; if it were used in Creation, it would undoubtedly earn the enmity of Heaven.