Setting
The basic premise of the game is that the
player characters are chosen by a higher being and imbued with the powers of a
demigod (thus, "exalted," or "raised high"). The main game is based around the Solar Exalted, with the Core Rulebook covering the Solars and their abilities and skills.
According to the core sourcebooks and many of the supplementary materials, in the history of the Exalted setting, during "the time before anything," there were the Primordials who were titanic, unfathomable beings similar to the
Primordial Deities of
Greek mythology or the
Great Old Ones of
H.P. Lovecraft's works, even going so far as to use similar epithets. The Primordials took the unshaped chaos that was later to be called the Wyld, which they formed into Creation – a flat, elementally based world. The elements of the world of Creation are similar to the five
elements of
Chinese and
Japanese philosophy. The Primordials created all life, and then created the gods, who are similar both to the
Titans of Greek mythology and the gods of various mythological
pantheons. Chief among the gods were the Celestial Incarnae, who were charged with ruling Creation while the Primordials indulged in the mysterious Games of Divinity. These Celestial Incarnae form the bulk of deities that "exalt" beings.
Peace lasted for millennia, but in time, the gods grew jealous of the Primordials. They wanted the power that they had been denied for so long by their creators, but because of powerful oaths they had been forced to swear upon being created, they could do nothing to fight the Primordials directly. For this reason, they created the Exalted. After a centuries-long war, the Exalted finally became victorious over the Primordials, either slaying them or imprisoning them into a prison forged from the body of their own general, known as Malfeas. The slain Primordials became known as the Neverborn, and those imprisoned on oaths sworn on their own names are called the Yozis. With this victory, the Gods ascended to a heavenly city, known as Yu-Shan, to oversee Creation. As a reward for their fight against the Primordials, the Exalted were given rulership over Creation. The Solars gained supreme power, with Lunars being their lieutenants and mates, the Sidereals being their advisers, and the Dragon-Blooded being their shock troops and infantry.
Common to all of White Wolf's games, the primary character archetype, the Exalted, suffer from a character flaw. In this case, this flaw is represented by a "Great Curse", placed upon them by the fallen Primordials. This Great Curse manifests itself in a variety of ways and causes the "heroes" of the setting to be flawed and thus more realistic. In the game's history the Solars grew decadent and corrupt in their great power, driven slowly mad with power and rage. After centuries of plotting and waiting, the Solars were slaughtered to a man in a massive insurrection by the Dragon-Blooded and Sidereals known as the Usurpation.
The exalted "essence" or "shard" (different from the magical energy in the game, also known as
Essence) of each hero who passes from life inhabits itself in a new mortal, and thus, most Exalts are reborn. The exception to this rule lies in the Terrestrial Exalted, also known as the Dragon-Blooded, who are able to pass their Exaltation down to their children. In the game setting, the majority of the essences of the Solar Exalted were locked away in the Jade Prison. During this time, the Terrestrial Exalted became the rulers of the world, ruling in a system not unlike the
Shogunate of
classical and feudal Japan. After plague and war with the Fair Folk (who are somewhat similar in nature and type to the
faeries of mythology, but often more sinister) a strong leader, the Scarlet Empress, emerged and forged the Scarlet Empire to rule over Creation. Five years prior to the "present day" of the Exalted setting, the Scarlet Empress has disappeared and the Scarlet Empire is on the brink of tearing itself apart. The Solar essences have escaped their imprisonment and new Solar Exalted are emerging into Creation, their numbers growing. Now it is a race to see if the newly-risen Solar Exalted will survive their enemies long enough to make their mark upon the world, for good or for ill.
[2]
The
flat world of Creation is the primary setting of Exalted. Creation has two continents, the Blessed Isle and the unnamed super-continent which covers the northern, eastern and southern edges of Creation, populated by many nations and tribes. The Blessed Isle is located in the center of Creation. The Realm rules the Blessed Isle and its surrounding islands directly. The frigid North is divided by the White Sea. The heavily forested East is the most densely populated region of Creation other than the Blessed Isle. The Scavenger Lands, formally named the Confederation of Rivers, is an organization of allied nations within the East. The South is an arid region. The West consists largely of the Great Western Ocean. Creation has five Elemental Poles, the five powerful
elementally charged hubs of Creation's
dragon line network. The Elemental Pole of Earth, the least hazardous of the five, is located at the top of the Imperial Mountain in the center of the Blessed Isle, and the Elemental Poles of Air, Wood, Fire and Water are located at the far northern, eastern, southern and western edges of Creation respectively. Outside of Creation is the Wyld, divided into the relatively stable Bordermarches, the somewhat stable Middlemarches and the unstable Deep Wyld; beyond the Deep Wild lies Chaos, the pure, unstable Wyld. The cosmology of Exalted also includes the Underworld, the celestial city of Yu-Shan, the demon realm of Malfeas, the machine world of Autochthonia and Elsewhere.
Types of Exalts
As a large part of the setting, there are different types of Exaltation, which largely determine both background and point of view for the various protagonists and antagonists of the game. Each different type of Exalt will often have certain predispositions toward or against other Exalt types, and may be viewed differently by the various mortals of Creation, either as monsters or demigods. The Exalted of Creation can be divided into two categories: Terrestrial Exalted and Celestial Exalted. Celestial Exalted are significantly more powerful than Terrestrial Exalted, and can live for millennia, but their numbers are limited by a fixed number of Exaltations. Terrestrial Exalted, while less powerful, can pass on their Exaltations to their children, much like one would pass on other genetic features. The Abyssal and Alchemical Exalted technically fall outside of the two categories, as do the Green Sun Princes, though their power level is comparable to that of Celestial Exalted. A brief synopsis of each type is given here, organized by relative power levels within the game.
Solar Exalted (Lawgivers, Solars)
The default protagonists of
Exalted and the champions of the most powerful of the gods, a being known as the
Unconquered Sun.
[3] There are five castes (similar in nature to the Portuguese "
caste") of Solar Exalted:
Dawn (the warriors and generals),
Zenith (the priest-kings of the Unconquered Sun),
Twilight (the scholars and sorcerers),
Night (the spies and assassins) and
Eclipse (the ambassadors, diplomats and negotiators).
In the era that the game is set, known as the Second Age of Man, the Solar Exalted are returning to the world in numbers for the first time in thousands of years, and their actions and choices have the potential to shape the fate of nations due to the nature and strength of their magical powers. The Solar Exalted are the most powerful of the Exalted and during the First Age of Man, they were the rulers of the world. Their achievements were a beacon to humanity. The Terrestrial Exalted who served them, also known as the Dragon-Blooded, murdered the Solars at the fall of the First Age. However, it was not possible to destroy their essences, so most were captured and imprisoned with the assistance of the Sidereal Exalted. However, those that were not imprisoned continued to reincarnate again and again through the ages. Each time a Solar re-emerged into the world by reincarnating in a mortal, they were hunted down and killed by Terrestrial Exalted, who used their greater numbers to overcome the newly-Exalted person in a crusade known as the Wyld Hunt.
Considered to be
anathema to the rest of the world, the Solars are regarded as monstrous demons and are feared by anyone with the knowledge of who and what they are. This is due to long-standing and widespread propaganda against Solar Exalted by the Terrestrial and Sidereal Exalted. Various sourcebooks for
Exalted state that Solars lack the ability to specialize in the shapeshifting magic of the Lunars, the raw aggressive force of the Abyssals, the elemental manipulation of the Terrestrial Exalted, or the Fate-manipulation of the Sidereals, though their raw prowess in most skills easily exceeds any of the others.
Their two greatest advantages are their large
Essence pools that give them more raw power to work with, and their ability to use the highest of all forms of sorcery, the Solar Circle – likely named due to the Solars alone being able to access that circle of sorcery.
Abyssal Exalted (Deathknights, Abyssals)
Twisted souls that are loyal servants of the
Deathlords, powerful spirits of long-dead Exalts, who in turn serve the
Neverborn, the dead husks of what were once the ancient Primordials that were slain by the Exalted during the great war between the Primordials and the gods.
[4]
The source materials, primarily the first-edition sourcebook
Exalted: The Abyssals, present the Deathlords as corrupted remnants of fallen First Age Solars who are easily among the most powerful beings in the Underworld of Exalted. The Deathlords have varied goals, but most strive not to conquer or corrupt Creation but rather to wipe it and everything else out of existence, although conquering and corrupting Creation are listed among their tactics.
In the present of Exalted, the Neverborn sow their revenge from beyond the grave through their Deathlord servants. The named agents of the Deathlords in the world of the living are the Abyssal Exalted, also known as Deathknights; these antagonists are dark reflections of the Solar Exalted and are presented as being their equal in power. Deathknights are described as finding themselves bound to their dark fate; holding onto the trappings of life inevitably spells disaster for those who rebel. Within the last five years of the game's fictional history, they and their Deathlord masters have begun to corrupt Creation with the power of the Underworld. They field vast undead armies, bolstered by ancient knowledge and powerful necromancy. Several sourcebooks present the Abyssals and the Deathlords as having a tentative foothold in Creation, likely representing its gravest threat.
Abyssals cannot draw Essence from Creation as other Exalts do and can only replenish their Essence in the Underworld or with powerful artifacts. The easiest way for an Abyssal to restore Essence away from the Underworld is by feeding on the living. Willing Solar Exalted can be converted to Abyssal Exalted with a powerful necromancy spell.
Lunar Exalted (Chosen of Luna, Stewards)
Presented as the most chaotic and savage of the Exalted. In the sourcebooks, they are often referred to as cunning shapeshifters, skilled fighters and capable generals.
[5] Their history and characteristics are described in the first-edition book
Exalted: The Lunars and the second-edition book
The Manual of Exalted Power: Lunars. In second-edition materials, they are presented less as barbaric warriors and much closer to their original First Age description.
Within the game's history, they were very commonly bonded in wedlock with the First Age Solars; those that were not killed along with their Solar mates fled to the edges of Creation. At the borders of the order of Creation and in the chaotic energies of the
Wyld, their natures were changed over a great many years. Lunars follow a tribal hierarchy and ritually tattoo each other to protect themselves from the warping effects of the Wyld. This further serves to mark them as different from the rest of humanity, as the tattoos are often visible over much of the Lunar's body. In addition to their self-inflicted distinguishing marks, each Lunar has a "Tell" that manifests as an animal-like characteristic that is visible to some degree or another in their human forms, further setting them apart from mortals.
Lunars often shun civilization; some of them lead and sometimes breed or guide anthropomorphic barbarian tribes. Other Lunar Exalted went into deep seclusion in their territories, and still others let their shapechanging animalistic instincts overtake them until their humanity was hardly recognizable. This last group of Lunars are known as "
chimera", having been changed by the chaotic energies of the Wyld, becoming monsters with no unifying form, or sometimes forms that constantly change.
With the return of the Solar Exalted, the uncertainty of the imperial rule of the Dragon-Blooded, the encroaching influence of the Wyld and its Fair Folk manifestations, and the new threat of the Deathlords, the Lunar Exalted are possibly returning to a Creation that has changed as much as they have – though this is entirely at the discretion of the Storyteller (
see Storytelling System).
One of their most notable feats is the Thousand Streams River Project, a complicated system of social engineering designed to create self-sufficient human societies that do not require Exalted leadership to function. Such social engineering is presented within the game to give players who wish to play Lunar Exalts optional goals to work toward, or as antagonists, a plot hook for Storytellers to include within their own games.
Sidereal Exalted (Chosen of the Five Maidens, Viziers)
These Celestial Exalted are the least numerous of all the Exalted types, yet are described as major players in the fate of Creation. Sidereals, in addition to their unparalleled mastery of martial arts, evidenced by their access to the highest forms of martial-arts magical abilities (known as Charms), excel at foreseeing and manipulating fate.
[6] Within the Exalted universe, they are often presented as celestial bureaucrats who often work in the
Bureau of Fate of the Celestial City of Yu-Shan, the home of the gods, directing events in the mortal world from behind the scenes.
They were the viziers, prophets and cunning advisers of the First Age. Toward the end of the First Age, a prophecy came to them that seemed to offer two options: either destroy the Solar Exalted or watch Creation be destroyed instead. The arrogant and prideful Sidereals, possibly under the effects of the Great Curse laid upon them by the Yozi, blindly followed their predictions without taking the time to verify them, orchestrating the end of the First Age, known as the Great Usurpation. It was with their behind-the-scenes guidance that the Dragon-Blooded were able to completely wipe out the Solar Exalted and effectively direct the Wyld Hunt to the predicted Exaltation of new Solars. The Bronze Faction of the Sidereal Exalted supported and orchestrated the purge of the Solar Exalted from Creation, while the Gold Faction worked to support the Solars and lost much in the way of power and influence at the end of the First Age.
Because of the effect of the Great Curse, Sidereals slip from the minds of those who meet them, mortal and Exalt alike, which can be beneficial to Sidereal characters or harmful, depending on their intended goals as player characters and non-player characters. Some events prior to the "present" setting of Exalted, such as a devastating plague known as the Great Contagion which eluded their predictions, have jarred their faith in their precognitive abilities, and the loss of the Scarlet Empress, their secret ally at the top of the Scarlet Dynasty, has marginalized their influence.
With the emergence of the Deathlords (who, as the authors describe them, are inscrutable to their power of prediction), the return of the Solars, and a growing rift between the Bronze Faction and the Gold Faction, who are now gathering their power and directing it into an organization known as the Cult of the Illuminated, the Sidereal Exalted are uncertain of their future.
Terrestrial Exalted (Chosen of the Elemental Dragons, Dragon-Blooded)
[7] In the history of Exalted, they were the elite infantry and servants to the rest of the Exalted in the First Age. They are less powerful than other types of Exalted, but most of their strength lies in their inheritance – rather than being chosen by a god, the Dragon-Blooded have the potential to pass their Exaltation on to their children, although some Dragon-Blooded, the "Lost Eggs", Exalt into families that have no Dragon-Blooded in their genealogy. The Dragon-Blooded are not limited by a set amount of "Exalted essences" like Celestial Exalted. Due to their overwhelming numbers in comparison with the Celestial Exalted (Terrestrial Exalted numbering in the tens of thousands as compared to the hundreds of Celestial Exalted), they were able to usurp the power of the Solar Exalted at the height of their power with the help and guidance of the Sidereal Exalted, thus ending the First Age. The majority of the Dragon-Blooded in Creation make up the ruling class of the Realm, currently the most powerful empire in Creation, although the Old Realm ruled over by the Solars was far more advanced and successful than the current Realm ruled over by the Dragon-Blooded. The state-sanctioned faith known as the Immaculate Order paints the Solar and Lunar Exalted as dangerous anathema who will bring ruin to the world if allowed to exist, thus encompassing the propaganda against Celestial Exalts. Because of this, the Realm organizes the Wyld Hunt, which actively seeks out newly Exalted Celestial Exalted (Solars and Lunars, although they also hunt Abyssals and God-Blooded) and overwhelms them before they can master their new powers. This practice, which had effectively kept the Solars from rising to power again since the end of the First Age, has faltered recently in the Exalted timeline because of the recent disappearance of the Scarlet Empress – the absolute monarch of the Realm – and the stability and leadership that she was able to bring to the Dragon-Blooded. The power struggle by the great Dragon-Blooded houses to fill the resulting power vacuum has destabilized the Scarlet Empire and allowed the Solar Exalted to escape the purges of the Wyld Hunt and rise in Creation once more. The greatest advantages of the Dragon-Blooded are the considerable resources granted to them by their noble status and their ability to work cooperatively with each other to create greater effects with their Essence. There are five elemental aspects to the Dragon-Blooded:
Air (the Azure Children of Mela),
Earth (the Ivory Children of Pasiap),
Fire (the Scarlet Offspring of Hesiesh),
Water (the Ebon Offspring of Daana'd) and
Wood (the Verdant Children of Sextes Jylis). The ruling Dragon-Blooded of the Realm are made up of the eleven
Great Houses. Most houses were founded by and named after one of the Scarlet Empress's Exalted offspring, though at least two are descended from the Empress' late husbands, and three unspecified houses are descended from adopted children of the Empress. Of the 13 former Great Houses, only two, Jerah and Manosque, have been named. The prominent Dragon-Blooded families are known as Gentes. There are five major or great Gentes: Amilar (Air), Karal (Fire), Maheka (Earth), Teresu (Water) and Yushoto (Wood), as well as approximately a dozen minor Gentes.
Alchemical Exalted
[8] Android creations made from clay and the
Five Magical Materials, built in the world of
Autochthonia. They were introduced in the supplement "Time of Tumult."
[9] They are the only type of playable characters besides the Dragon Kings that were designed after the core rulebook was released, and are occasionally referenced in subsequent materials. Alchemicals serve the Great Maker Autochthon, one of only two primordials that was not imprisoned or killed in the Primordial War, and are infused with the souls of dead Autochthonian heroes. Within the context of the game, they serve as protectors of the inhabitants of a parallel world made up of the body of Autochthon himself, and enforce the will of the
Tripartite, the theocratic government of this world. They divide themselves into castes according to which material was mainly used in their construction: there are five canon castes, one for each of the Five Magical Materials, as well as the optional Adamant caste. Autochthon designed them before the other four original types of Exalted, but they were not constructed until after the Primordials were overthrown and Autochthon retreated from Creation. Instead of wielding Essence directly and using their Charms in a "magical" fashion like other Exalted do, the Alchemicals have Charms "installed" like peripheral parts and fuel these machine implants with Essence from their own bodies. Unlike the Celestial Exalted, there is no hard cap on the number of Alchemicals, the main limiting factor on their numbers being the immense resource investment required for their construction. As Alchemical Exalted raise their Permanent Essence, they increase in size, eventually joining with Autochthon and growing into cities. The Alchemicals are not subject to the Great Curse, as they did not fight in the Primordial War. In gameplay, in place of a Limit track, they have a Clarity track which measures their distance from humanity. Those Alchemicals who suffer from Gremlinism have a Dissonance track in place of a Clarity track, with Dissonance measuring their madness and corruption. Willing non-Alchemical Exalted can become "Akuma" of Autochthon, gaining the ability to have Alchemical charms installed and gaining a Clarity track. A brief tour of the world of Autochthonia can be found on the game's website.
[10]
Infernal Exalted
They currently have less published material covering their nature, back-story and abilities than other Exalts. There are two types of Infernal Exalted, the
Akuma and the
Green Sun Princes. Akuma are Exalted of another type who have given themselves over to the cause of the Yozis (living Primordials) and have been remade according to their masters' desires. They retain access to their native charm set and gain the ability to learn and use Infernal charms. The Green Sun Princes are made with the fifty Essences of Solar Exalts which the Yozis took in payment from the Neverborn (slain Primordials) and corrupted in exchange for teaching the Neverborn to corrupt Solar Essences to create the Abyssals. The only confirmed modern Akuma in print is Lintha Ng Hut Dukantha.
[11][12] Dukantha was a Water-Aspected Dragon-Blood before his change into an Akuma. This detail, and the Investiture of Infernal Glory charm in the Exalted Player's Guide
[13] can be used to create Akuma from any Exalt type. An unnamed female Infernal with a Solar Dawn caste mark is depicted in two comics: one in the second edition
Storyteller's Companion and one in
Compass of Celestial Directions Volume 2: the Wyld, but she has not been mentioned outside of those comics. A sourcebook covering Infernals is in development as of May 2008.
[14]
Other magical beings
Alongside the various types of Exalts found in Creation, there are also other magical creatures that use the same Essence that Exalts use to power their magical effects.
BehemothsBehemoths are unique, immortal monsters. There are two broad categories of behemoths: Primordial Behemoths, created by the Primordials, and Wyld Behemoths, created by the Fair Folk. Wyld Behemoths are classified according to power; in ascending order, the three types are fey beasts, daikaiju and Deep Wyld horrors. Dragon Kings
[13]Like the Fair Folk, the Dragon Kings are not Exalted; they are supernatural creatures offered as a player character type. The Dragon Kings are large dinosaur-like beings of great power. Dragon Kings are sworn in allegiance to the Unconquered Sun, their creator. According to the fictional history of Exalted, before the time of the Exalted, the Dragon Kings ruled Creation and the mortals who dwelt there, but as the methods of Exaltation were crafted and improved they become obsolete in the gods' eyes. The Unconquered Sun used them as powerful servants to his chosen whom they served faithfully, honoring their Exalted brethren. After the First Age ended in war and disease, few survived. Their numbers grow slowly but steadily in the Second Age, though the once great Dragon Kings remain hidden in the farthest corners of Creation. Their most powerful stronghold is Rathess, an ancient home filled with a variety of powerful artifacts made by the Dragon Kings in the glory days of the First Age. The developers describe four types of Dragon Kings, each living in a quadrant of Creation; the graceful flying
Pterok (North), the nimble and lithe
Raptok (East), the powerful and loyal
Anklok (South), and the clever amphibious
Mosok (West). Rules for playing Dragon Kings are presented in the
Exalted Player's Guide in 1st edition and Scroll of the
Fallen Races in 2nd edition. Fair Folk
[15]Like the Dragon Kings, they are an alternative player character race. Also referred to as
Raksha, they are creatures composed of raw Essence, and inhabit the Wyld – the place that exists between the ordered Creation and pure Chaos. Inhuman and beautiful beings born from chaos, they feed on the dreams and aspirations of the inhabitants of Creation in order to give them strength and form in their own intermediate realm. In essence, they are the "kissing cousins" of the Primordials, their territory having been pushed back when the Primordials formed Creation. They prey upon the dreams of mortals and do a brisk slave trade with The Guild, a powerful economic organization in Creation. The Raksha are divided into four castes: Diplomats, who favor the Staff Grace and the virtue of Conviction, Entertainers, who favor the Cup Grace and the virtue of Compassion, Warriors, who favor the Sword Grace and the virtue of Valor, and Workers, who favor the Ring Grace and the virtue of Temperance. Noble Raksha belong to two of the four castes, favoring the Graces and virtues of both. There is also a fifth Grace, the Heart Grace, which is associated with identity and the trait of Willpower. Graces are differing outlets for the use of Essence and are similar to the suits of
tarot. The most powerful of the Fair Folk are the Unshaped. Unlike the Raksha, the Unshaped are unable to survive within Creation for extended periods of time; each Unshaped is actually a symbiotic cluster of Fair Folk consisting of a single "guiding intelligence" and one or more "subsidiary intelligences" with no true form. Rules for playing Fair Folk are presented in
Exalted: The Fair Folk in 1st edition, 2nd edition rules are due to be included in
Graceful Wicked Masques: The Fair Folk, scheduled for release in 2009. God-Blooded
[13] Refers to, as a collective whole, offspring of a mortal or animal and a magical being, or the mortal offspring of two magical beings, in which case they take after the more powerful of the two. The resulting offspring bears traces of its mystical parentage. According to the authors, they stand somewhere between divinity and mortality, less than Exalted, but more than human. Those with awakened Essence can purchase the same types of Charms as their supernatural parent, though their power is limited by a low Permanent Essence trait and a small Essence pool. There are several subtypes of God-Blooded: God-Blooded are the children of gods,
Elemental-Blooded are the children of elementals,
Demon-Blooded are the offspring of demons,
Ghost-Blooded are the children of ghosts using powerful Charms to help them reproduce with mortals, and
Half-Caste are the children of powerful Exalts (although exceedingly rare). Solar, Abyssal, Lunar, Sidereal and Terrestrial Half-Castes are known as
Golden Children,
Shadewalkers,
Moon-Born,
Star-Blessed and
Dragon-Touched respectively. The
Fae-Blooded are the children of a union between the Raksha and mortals. The Mountain Folk can also produce God-Blooded offspring, but there is no specific term for them. Mountain Folk
[16] Also known as the
Jadeborn, a long-lived subterranean race distantly related to the Fair Folk. The Mountain Folk are divided along two lines, Caste and Enlightenment. The vast majority of the Mountain Folk are Unenlightened – limited in intelligence, creativity and supernatural power. A small minority, including the entire Artisan Caste, are Enlightened, with much greater creativity as well as mundane and supernatural potential. The three Jadeborn Castes are the Artisans, Warriors and Workers. Mountain Folk society is ruled by the Artisan Caste, who make up the nobility, with Unenlightened Warriors and Workers making up the commoners and Enlightened Warriors and Workers occupying an intermediate position. Rules for playing the Mountain Folk are presented in 1st editon's
Exalted: The Fair Folk and 2nd edition's
Scroll of the Fallen Races. Spirits
[17][18] Spirits are divided into four broad categories: demons, elementals, ghosts, and gods. With the exception of elementals, spirits are naturally immaterial, generally require Charms to materialize in Creation, and will reform when killed unless some supernatural effect prevents them from doing so. Rules for playing ghosts in 1st edition are presented in
Exalted: The Abyssals, and rules for 2nd edition are presented in
The Books of Sorcery, Vol. V: The Roll of Glorious Divinity II: Ghosts & Demons. Rules for playing elementals and gods are presented in
The Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV: The Roll of Glorious Divinity I: Gods & Elementals. DemonsThe greatest of the demons are the Yozis, exiled, imprisoned and twisted Primordials. For each Yozi, there are at least a dozen Third Circle demons, each of which rivals the most powerful gods and elementals in power and embodies an aspect of the Yozi, and each Third Circle demon has seven Second Circle demons which reflect facets of its nature. First Circle demons are the descendants of greater demons rather than aspects of them, generally divided into various demonic species, with individuality and uniqueness quite rare among them. All demons other than the Yozis can be summoned through sorcery. Autochthon and Gaia, the two remaining free Primordials, have counterparts to Third Circle demons in the form of Gaia's Five Elemental Dragons and Autochthon's eight Divine Ministers and Core. Autochthon also has a counterpart to Second Circle demons in the form of the Revered Subroutines. Unlike true demons, these beings cannot be summoned through sorcery. ElementalsElementals maintain Creation, and with a few exceptions, embody one of the five elements: air, earth, fire, water or wood. Elementals are naturally material, requiring charms to dematerialize, and with a few exceptions, cannot reform when slain. Unlike other spirits, their growth is largely unrestricted. The most powerful elementals are the Lesser and Greater Elemental Dragons. Elementals are generally outranked by gods of similar power. Elementals can be summoned through Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, however, unlike demons, powerful elementals often have designated proxies who can be sent to respond to the summoning in their stead. The elementals of Autochthonia embody one of the machine world's elements: crystal, metal, oil, lightning or steam, and cannot be summoned through sorcery. GhostsThe most common type of ghosts are the
hun or higher souls of mortals who have refused to pass into Lethe and reincarnation due to their attachment to their mortal lives. Ghosts are much weaker than Exalted, and they can only respire Essence in the Underworld and Shadowlands. Hungry ghosts generally come into existence due to betrayal, vengeance or a traumatic death. Initially, a hungry ghost includes both the higher soul and the
po, or lower soul, but the
hun soon moves on, leaving the hungry ghost largely mindless. Unlike other ghosts, hungry ghosts are naturally material in Creation at night. Nephwracks are ghosts who have been corrupted by the Neverborn. Unlike uncorrupted ghosts, they are capable of using necromancy. The Deathlords are thirteen ghosts of powerful Solar Exalted who have been empowered by the Neverborn, and although they are not technically Exalted, they have access to Abyssal Charms. Spectres, also known as plasmics, are bizarre creatures spawned by the nightmares of the Neverborn. Hekatonkhire are the ghosts of demons and Primordial behemoths, as well as the manifested nightmares of the Neverborn. The Neverborn are the ghosts of slain Primordials. Immensely powerful, they are difficult to rouse from their slumber, and their power seems largely constrained to the Labyrinth. Only mundane ghosts and Hekatonkhire can be summoned through necromancy, and only mundane ghosts can be summoned through sorcery. GodsGods represent objects, locations and concepts, but they are separate from them. In order of least powerful and influential to most, there are least gods, minor gods, gods, major gods and Celestial Incarnae. Examples of least gods include gods of a single pebble, whereas major gods include gods of concepts such as wealth or war. Most gods are members of the Celestial Order, which is stratified into two divisions: the Celestial Court, comprised of gods of concepts, and the Terrestrial Bureaucracy, made up of the gods of physical objects and locations. The Celestial Court is ruled by the seven Celestial Incarnae, and is divided into the Bureaus of Destiny, Heaven, Humanity, Nature and Seasons, with the other four bureaus reporting to the Bureau of Heaven. The Terrestrial Bureaucracy is nominally ruled by the Five Elemental Dragons, and is divided into various spirit courts. Technically, all members of the Celestial Court outrank all members of the Terrestrial Bureaucracy. In practice, Terrestrial courts are largely independent. Outside of the Celestial Order, there are also the machine spirits of Autochthonia, unemployed gods whose domains have been usurped or destroyed, rogue gods who have abandoned their duties, and forbidden gods who have been exiled due to madness, an abhorrent nature or because they sided with the Primordials. Gods can generally only significantly increase their power by getting promoted or expanding their purview.
Essence
Essence is the mystical force which the Exalted and gods manipulate to gain their supernatural powers. It is similar to the philosophical terms "
Essence" or "
Quintessence". Within the game, the mystical force "Essence" is always capitalized to distinguish from other uses of the word.
Five Magical Materials
The Five Magical Materials are used to forge artifacts and weapons. Each material is associated with a type of Exalted, as well as one of the castes of Alchemical Exalted, who are partially constructed from that material. These materials are all easily enchanted, and each one resonates with a particular type of Exalted.
[19][20] This resonance makes any item that is both constructed from one of the magical materials and attuned to an Exalt's anima preternaturally deft and sure in that Exalt's hands. It also gives the Exalt access to the powers of any hearthstone mounted on the item.
Jade is the most common material, and is associated with the most common, least powerful of the Exalted, the Terrestrial Exalted. There are five different colors of jade, each of which corresponds to one of the Elemental Dragons. Blue jade resonates with Air, white with Earth, black with Water, green with Wood, and red with Fire. Jade weapons are unnaturally fast, and jade armor doesn't tire the wearer.
Starmetal is the rarest of the magical materials, forged from meteors, the husks of godlings cast out of Yu-Shan, the Heavenly City. Like its wielders, the Sidereal Exalted, Starmetal re-weaves fate, causing weapons to strike especially lethal blows and armor to turn aside all but the mightiest attacks.
Moonsilver is considered by the Lunar Exalted to be a gift from their patron, Luna. It must be harvested by moonlight, using no crafted tools, forged at night and cooled only with water that has never seen the sun. Swords made of Moonsilver are more accurate, bows shoot farther and armor does not impede the wearer's mobility. Like the protean Lunars, Moonsilver can shift into new forms easily.
Soulsteel is made from human souls and the substance of the Labyrinth of the Underworld. It is jet black, and agonized faces of the souls it contains can be seen moving and screaming in the metal. Unsurprisingly, this material is used almost exclusively by the Abyssal Exalted. Soulsteel weapons inflict heavy damage on living beings and frequently drain small quantities of Essence as well.
Orichalcum is used primarily by the Solar Exalted. Orichalcum is rarely found in pure deposits; usually, it is created out of gold that has been heated by lava and sunlight reflected from mirrors of occult design. Orichalcum weapons excel at no one thing; instead of adding a large bonus to speed, damage or defense, they add a small bonus to all.
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