Understanding the Court

Template:Cost 20m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Culture Hero Approach, Knowing the Soul's Price

With this Charm the Solar gains a near-total understanding of a court. The Solar must spend (10 - Essence) days in the court observing its members before activating the Charm. Doing so synthesizes everything she has witnessed, discarding unimportant memories and magnifying the intensity of details which she may not have initially noticed. The Exalt gains a mind-map of the relations between the court's subjects. She discerns the strongest Tie each holds for the next, and the chief Principle relevant to each's purpose for attending court. These Intimacies come to her through understanding the social dynamics of her subjects. She not only perceives an Intimacy of respect or fondness between two members, but she sees how their banter creates its own positive Intimacy in other members. Her mind can draw out the interplay of connected Intimacies in this fashion as far as the Storyteller deems relevant. In addition, she perfectly recalls any customary roles or procedures performed by members of the court, even if that seems irrelevant. She might notice that one member takes leave at the same hour every day to walk in the sun, while remembering how another member drinks her tea— both how she holds the cup and what taste she favors. Overall, she is able to predict the movement, placement, mores and usual attitudes of her subjects perfectly, and has a strong understanding of their values and goals. This Charm also reveals the influences, Principles, and Ties of absent major players—observed members of the court hold Intimacies for members who are not present, whose role and impact the Exalt can guess by recalling conversations and comparing the Ties each member holds for the absentee.