Geese-Flying-South Administration
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Social
Duration: One task or three months (whichever is less)
Prerequisite Charms: Confluence of Savant Thought
While more martially inclined Dragon-Blooded look down on their kin in the bureaucracies and business centers, other Exalts understand that the business world can be as much a battlefield as any military setting. In such an environment, what matters is simply getting the job done. With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can articulate a single task: tax collection, troop recruitment, merchandising transactions or almost anything else that can be accomplished in a bureaucratic setting. The task must be one that is bureaucratic in nature, however, and within the normal purview of the bureaucracy to be affected. That is, the Exalt could declare as a task "acquire for me 2,000 straight swords" but not "construct for me 2,000 straight swords," as the latter instruction requires craftsmanship rather than bureaucratic acumen. Likewise, the Exalt could not order a tax-collection agency to engage in troop recruitment or to direct a mercenary company to completely reorganize a public library (at least, not without a fairly remarkable stunt).
For the duration of the task, the Dragon-Blood's agents and assistants work with exceptional skill and dedication. The Exalt's player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy), adding his character's Essence in automatic successes. The Dragon-Blood must then assign the task to one or more mortal individuals who are in some way subservient to him (employees, military subordinates, junior clerks, etc.). Each mortal who is present when the task is assigned and whose highest MDV is less than the successes achieved on the dice roll instantly gains a loyalty toward quickly and efficiently completing the named task. Also, any affected mortal may add the Dragon-Blood's Essence to her MDV when resisting either natural or unnatural attempts to divert her from working to fulfill the task. Furthermore, the loyalty is contagious in nature. Even a mortal who is not present when the Dragon-Blood activates this Charm will gain both a loyalty toward completing the task and the MDV Essence bonus if he is assigned to work on it by a superior and his MDV is less than the Dragon-Blood's successes. The Charm's effects last until the task is complete or until three months have past, whichever comes first.
The Charm can affect a given mortal only once for a single task, and if her MDV exceeds the Dragon-Blood's successes, she will be under no particular obligation to complete the task, nor will she gain any particular immunity against attempts to dissuade her. This does not mean that she cannot work freely on the task, which might be a normal part of her job, but she is not compelled to do so. On the other hand, if a mortal's MDV does not exceed the Dragon-Blood's successes, the mortal can resist only by spending a number of Willpower points equal to the Dragon-Blood's Essence. Mortals who are not affected by the Charm do not act as vectors for transmission of the contagious loyalty, but those who are can "infect" new employees throughout the duration of the Charm. Exalted and spirits are utterly immune to the effects of Geese-Flying-South Administration, as are mortals who are not part of the affected bureaucracy.
In addition to providing tangible protection for workers against sabotage by the Exalt's enemies, this Charm can also be used in the context of long social actions. By simply declaring the use of this Charm, the Dragon-Blood will find at the conclusion of the task that the results are even better than he could have hoped. Monetary profits from the venture increase by an additional one percent per success on an (Intelligence + Bureaucracy) roll. The exchange of commodities results in an additional two percent more goods acquired per success on the roll. Conscription and other recruitment measures are likewise improved by two percent per success on a (Charisma + Bureaucracy) roll. Alternatively, instead of improving the success of the task, the Dragon-Blooded can choose to reduce the time it takes to complete the task. In such a case, each success on the relevant Bureaucracy roll reduces by five percent the amount of time it will take to complete a long-term bureaucratic endeavor. The Storyteller must determine the base result of any such endeavor before the improvements granted by the Charm are added. This Charm does not confer any long-term benefits on the efficiency of the bureaucracy in general. It simply makes sure that the bureaucracy will perform this single task with aplomb.
Latest Errata: The cost to resist the unnatural Intimacy formed by the Charm (and associated effects) cannot exceed 5wp. With Essence 3+, the Charm affects Dragon-Blooded descendants as though they were mortals, but said descendants must still be recognized subordinates of the Exalt within the hierarchy of the enchanted organization.