Dance of Flashing Swords

Cost: 2m, 1wp + 1m per extra foe; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Talented Improvisation

From time to time, an Exalted warrior finds herself in the difficult position of being forced to fight when it is undesirable to be seen fighting. Sometimes, the Dragon-Blood is forced to fight an ally under some kind of mind control and she does not wish to let enemies know of her circle's internal strife. Other times, the Dragon-Blood might be undercover in an enemy city and need to subdue her opponents in a public place without bystanders calling out the city guards. With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can place anyone observing her combat under the illusion that the combat itself is not a serious fight. Depending on the circumstances and how the Dragon-Blood chooses to manipulate the Charm, observers might believe that the fight is simply some kind of street theater or that an implacable enemy assassin is simply a "drunken friend who has had too much ale." Regardless of the context, affected observers believe that the fight is entertaining and nonthreatening, and they will generally refrain from attempting to intervene or from calling for the guards.

The Dragon-Blood can disguise a conflict between herself and a single person plus one additional extra per extra mote spent. She cannot disguise a conflict if her enemies include more than one character who is not an extra. The other combatants in the fight are not affected by this illusion, and nothing prevents one of them breaking off the fight to summon help while the others continue to fight. Anyone who knows for certain that the fight is real before the Charm is activated (such as allies of the other combatants who were not close enough to Join Battle at the time) is unaffected. Likewise, anyone who arrives on the scene later during the fight with reason to believe the fight is real (such as allies who were summoned by a combatant who ran off to get help) is unaffected. If someone does arrive after the Charm's activation, however, the Dragon-Blooded can add him to the "mock fight" with the reflexive expenditure of a single mote of Essence, so that the arrival of new combatants will not break the Charm's hold on bystanders. This Charm does not fool characters with an Essence rating higher than the character using the Charm, nor does it affect any character whose Dodge [[MDV is higher than the Dragon-Blood's (Performance + Essence).

This Charm is a reflexive one that can be used freely without the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick.