Tengri: Qut

The power of Qut is central to the Tengri conception of leadership, ambition and power. It is a hard word to translate, encompassing the concepts of spiritual power, divine force and charisma. Those who wield strong Qut find The World opens before them. Their foes cannot stand against them, their words find open ears, their lands are blessed with prosperity. Fate itself bends to ensure they rise to power. Of course, this also means Fate places enemies in their path to face them, pushes them ever greater ambition and makes conquest seem all too tempting.

Scions of the Tengri can draw on their Qut to bring forth miracles. The spirits of the world obey their orders, out of respect or fear. By calling to the world in the manner of shamans and kings, the Tengri ensure their desires are made real. The exact manner in which that desire is realized may vary, but often it manifests in the actions of natural spirits, ghosts, mortal human followers or simple luck. Those with strong Qut are beloved by their subjects and allies, feared by their foes, and can rely on their gambles paying off.

Boons

SOUL’S RANSOM

You may seize the souls within blood you have spilled, trapping them and gaining power of your foes. The souls are placed inside an onggon talisman (which you are assumed to have on your person already). The target gains the Soulbound condition at an equal level to their current highest Injury Condition. You may choose to release the target’s soul at any time, ending the victim’s Soulbound condition without resolving it. However, regardless of how the Soulbound condition ends, you do not regain your imbued Legend until the end of the story in which it happens.

This Boon is not the only way that someone’s souls can be stolen. Shamans and sorcerers wielding the magic of the Tengri are able to perform similar feats, given access to someone’s blood or ghost – it just generally takes them longer and more effort, especially if they lack Legend. In these cases, the Soulbound condition inflicts Complication 2 by default. If someone dies while their souls remain trapped, their souls are not freed. They still need to be rescued. Similarly, a ghost can be trapped and bound into an onggon to force it into servitude. Tengri Heroes are often called on to rescue late family members held prisoner in this way. It should also be noted that because the Tengri say you have multiple souls in your blood, having part of your souls trapped this way does not make you soulless.

AVARGA

The Avarga is the champion of a wrestling tournament, and it is a title that many of the Tengri aspire to. Competition is at the heart of who they are – and no matter who they face, an Avarga puts up a fight. You may use this only in a formal competition, such as a formal duel, wrestling contest, race, speedrunning competition or similar. You have relevant Scale equal to that of your opponent in the contest. (If there are multiple opponents, you have Scale equal to the highest relevant Scale among them.) This can never increase your Scale to higher than your opponent’s.