Drowning in Negotiation Style

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Distraction of the Babbling Brook

This Charm is not remotely as powerful as the oath-swearing powers of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes. Nevertheless, it is a potent aid in enforcing even the most odious of contract terms, even when the other party is determined to breach the contract outright rather than comply. The Dragon-Blood must draft a written contract and then charge it with Essence. When the contract is signed, all parties are bound to comply with its terms on their face. Deliberate breach of any of the contract's terms inflicts one point of unsoakable lethal damage on the breaching party for each point of Essence possessed by the Dragon-Blood using this Charm. An accidental breach will not inflict any damage unless the breaching party refuses to cure the breach within a reasonable period of time. The damage is inflicted on any breaching party only one time, even if the contract creates a continuing duty to perform. Also, all parties are subject to this penalty, including the Dragon-Blood who drafted the contract. A contract can be subject to both this Charm and Distraction of the Babbling Brook, either employed by the same Dragon-Blood or two different ones. Each Charm can be incorporated into a particular contract only once, however. Not even the Dragon-Blooded can negate a contract unilaterally once it is signed, but any contract can be voided if all parties verbally agree to it.

Latest Errata: A contract is not binding unless the signatories do so of their own free will (i.e. not compelled by unnatural influence). Less invasive coercion such as threats don't void a signature. It is not required for all signatories to benefit from the contract. The penalty for deliberate breach of contract is (Exalt's Essence rating at the time of activation)L unsoakable damage. A signatory has a number of days equal to her Essence rating to fix an accidental breach to avoid this damage, but the countdown only starts upon becoming aware of the error. Essence 4+ makes this Charm holy, inflicting aggravated damage to creatures of darkness.