Epithets

 

Amongst Men, Lu Bu 「人中吕布，马中赤兔」

[Lu Bu]

Lu Bu’s Unique Epithet

“君，驍勇無敵，善戰無前，然勇而少計，暴而少仁。恐眾叛旦夕之間。”

“Your Excellency’s Martial Prowess are without Equal, and no one in history can match you.  While your might is unstoppable - you lack insight, while dauntlessness - you lack mercy, I fear it would not be long before everything turns against you”

Lu Bu’s combat skills are phenomenal.  He is without doubt the finest warrior in History.  His combat awareness is profound and his stances perfect.  As such he never suffers onslaught penalties, including any penalties from charms and effects that are categorized as Onslaught.
          His defense is so well formed that he is able to protect himself from all assailants without leaving any opening.  Thus he is exempted from the rule of one enemy gaining unsuspected attack when maximum number of opponents in any combat space is reached.  This combined with his blazing speed and terrifying aggression allows him to ignore coordinated attacks against him as long as he attacks.
          His nearly impenetrable defense is so robust that his Wound Penalties do not modify his DVs - though it still lowers his dice pools normally.
          Perhaps most potent of them all, Lu Bu adds his Essence Score (this includes the Might Rating of his troops in Mass Combat) as automatic successes to all Combat Related Actions of Physical Prowess and Awareness (including Join Battle Rolls).  This adding of successes also modifies relevant Static Values by the same amount.  These bonus successes are not considered bonus from Charms and does not make his attacks “charm infused.”  Like Second Excellency, this ability does not allow him to pursuit impossible attacks – such as multiple action penalties in excess of his dice pool.
          Lu Bu is also Fearless and perfectly defends against all fear effects.  This overwhelming confidence is such that as long as he is active his complementary unit is considered to have perfect morale as they are strengthened by the knowledge their commander is undefeatable.
          Regardless of his Intimacies, Motivations, Charms, and Any effects he is subjected to (Perfect or Otherwise), Lu Bu cannot be prevented from choosing to betray those around him for a sufficiently attractive prize.  This is not a mechanical effect, but should be handled in story narratives.

 

Bull of the North

[Yurgen Kaneko]

Decimate the Tepet Legions

Just a title - granted to the person who turned the current world order upside down.

 

Catalyst

[Aata]

Attune the Artifact “Clockwork Heart”

Face Celestial Justice

 

Confessor

[Flawless Oak]

Cause an NPC to commit suicide because of Guilty Conscience

Free specialty “Presence: Interrogation +1”  This does not count towards the max of 3 specialties, but it does count towards the +3 cap for total bonus dice from specialties.

 

Deliberator

[None Currently]

Become one of the 5 Solar Deliberators

Gains 1 Willpower point every Sunrise.  Regain 4 extra motes of Essence per hour.  +5 to Personal Essence Pool and +10 to Peripheral Essence Pool.

 

Devourer, The

[None Currently]

Be declared “The devourer”

No [Game] Mechanical Bonus

 

Famous Archer General

[Yurgen Kaneko]

Achieve 5 consecutive victories against mass combat units that have a minimum of magnitude 6, higher troop quality and higher magnitude than the character’s own range unit.  These victories can be spread over multiple battle/wars, but the character must not suffer defeat in between.

When commanding Mass Combat Archery Unit, the complementary unit gains +1 to Morale (max 6)

 

Famous Calvary General

[Renath of Diamond Hearth]

Achieve 5 consecutive victories against mass combat units that have a minimum of magnitude 6, higher troop quality and higher magnitude than the character’s own Calvary unit.  These victories can be spread over multiple battle/wars, but the character must not suffer defeat in between.

When commanding Mass Combat Calvary Unit, the complementary unit gains +1 to Morale (max 6)

 

Famous Infantry General

[No One Currently]

Achieve 5 consecutive victories against mass combat units that have a minimum of magnitude 6, higher troop quality and higher magnitude than the character’s own Infantry unit.  These victories can be spread over multiple battle/wars, but the character must not suffer defeat in between.

When commanding Mass Combat Infantry Unit, the complementary unit gains +1 to Morale (max 6)

 

Heavenly Spear (天槍)

[Rhianna of Marukan Alliance]

Rhianna’s unique Epithet

Combat Abilities is effectively 2 dots higher when applied to the use of any Piercing Polearm (Spears, Lances, Javelins, etc.).  Essence Score is also effectively 1 dot higher under such conditions.  This enhanced Essence score cannot be used to meet the Essence requirement to learn charms.

Some Examples are War Ability when leading Lancers, Spearmen, Javelineers.  Martial Arts when using a style that uses Spears.  Thrown when tossing a Javelin.

 

Isolation Specialist

[Flawless Oak]

Fail the Elemental Court of Wood’s Test

No [game] mechanical bonuses nor penalties

 

General of Legend

[Tepet Arada]

Gain Famous Archery General, Famous Infantry General, and Famous Calvary General, without suffering any defeat in-between.

Loses the epithet Famous Infantry General, Famous Calvary General, Famous Archery General.

The general’s complementary unit gains +1 to Morale (no max) and +1 to Drill (no max)

Opposing Mass Combat Units lose 1 dot of Morale – unless protected by Charm vs. Natural/Unnatural Mental Influences

 

Ghost Buster

[Alabaster hand of the Heaven]

Be the first to use ghost eating technique to permanently kill a ghost

Converts one attack dice to automatic success when using Ghost Eating Technique against a Ghost.  Character loses one success on any attempt to establish positive relationships with Ghosts.

 

Golden Beacon of Hope, The

[Clytemnestra]

Be the Leader of the Gold Faction Solars

Gains the “Born to Rule” merit.  Gold Faction Solars are automatically considered to be his/her “lessers”.

 

Golden Custodian of North and East

[Yurgen Kaneko]

Gain the title of the Golden Custodian of North and East

+/-1 automatic success to all social rolls depending on whether the title is a positive benefit or negative

 

Golden Custodian of South and West

[Balan, Dagnir]

Gain the title The Golden Custodian of South and West

+/-1 automatic success to all social rolls depending on whether the title is a positive benefit or negative

 

Matchless Salesman

[Alabaster Hand of the Heaven]

Alabaster’s Unique Epithet

NPCs Natural Dodge MDV is halved against Alabaster’s attempts to gain their trust.  This halving is before modifiers are applied.

 

Militia Leader

[Flawless Oak]

Suffering no losses when leading a unit with Drill 1 to victory against a superior foes in all other statistics

The character can put his complementary unit into regular formation regardless of their Drill rating.

 

Miracle Worker

[Hastha-sth]

Become the High Priest of the Unconquered Sun

Can Invoke the Miracles of any God under the governance of the Unconquered Sun – which means pretty much every Celestial and Terrestial God.  Only Malfea and Underworld gods are not under the Unconquered Sun’s governance.

Successfully invoked Miracles function at double potency. Failures on “Invoke Miracle” actions are treated as successful invocation with 0 threshold.  Botches are considered simple failures.

 

Partaker of the Forbidden Fruit

[Flawless Oak]

Survive the experiences of the The Menagerie of Fathomless Freedom

Character is forever reshaped by the inevitable corruption of such an expedition.  His Temperance Virtue is effectively 2 dots less when confronted with Temptation of the Demonic Flesh.  He also gains a token of remembrance – The Dema Sutra.  His jaded tastes however gains him superior performance in just such a situation.  Effectively gaining 3 dice to his “performance” rolls.

 

Slayer

[Nalla Bloodaxe, The]

Personally kill over a thousand sentient beings in one battle.

Opponents/Units who are under fear effects of the character cannot use coordinated attack against her.  Fearful effects are things such as successful intimidation attempt that was not resisted or fear inducing charms and effect such as Dawn’s anima.

 

Sleepless

[Currently No One]

Enter into more than 5 Eclipse Oaths concurrently.

Add 1 dot to Conviction, Temperance or Valor (Pick one, to a max of  5 dots).  Willpower Gain Rolls are penalized by one success (to a minimum of 0 successes).

 

Trainer of Heroes

[Dace]

Train more than 10,000 people with Tiger Warrior Training Technique

Gain +1 dot bonus to the Magnitude that can be trained by Tiger Warrior Training Technique

 

Training Wheels

[Dusk Princess of the Obsidian Heart]

Be chosen by the Neverborne as a Death Lord replacement candidate

+1 dot to Whisper Background with no maximum ceiling.

 

Unsavory Attraction

[Alabaster Hand of the Heaven]

Alabaster’s Unique Epithet

Alabaster is cursed (Unnatural Mental Influence) to be unable to join any religion he believes to be “Good.”  The cause can be anywhere from not be interested to actively self-sabotage his own enrollment.

 

War? What is it Good For?

[Balan]

Mire one corner of Creation into constant War for the foreseeable future

Gain the intimacy “Warmongering.”  This intimacy cannot be eroded for as long as the character possesses the Epithet.

 

Zealous for Justice

[Aata]

Rather choose death for his crimes rather than accept mercy

Set the precedence in the Third Age that Solars are subjugated to Celestial Jurisdiction.

Andraste

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Zenith Anima Power Fix

My view that Zenith Anima lacks power is obvious.  So here is their New Anima Power

Anima Effects: The Zenith Caste is empowered by the light of the Unconquered Sun himself.  With but a touch, the Golden Bulls can burn the bodies of the fallen for one mote of Essence per body, sending the smoke (and soul) to Heaven and preventing the body from rising after death as a zombie or and the lower soul from rising as a hungry ghost. They are protected from and can strike down demons, the undead and other creatures of darkness. As his action, a Zenith Exalt can channel 10 motes of Essence through his anima. He then glows with the holy fire of the Unconquered Sun and illuminates the area around him as brightly as if it were noon. This illumination extends for (Permanent Essence x 10) yards.  For the remainder of the scene (or until he chooses to let the effect dissipate), he imposes an External Penalty equal to his Essence to non-reflexive actions of all Creatures of Darkness within this area of effect.  This effect comes into play automatically once the Solar spends 11-15 motes of Peripheral Essence.

Solars by Categories

Related Entry: Solar Seniority

Obviously Abyssals are not bound by these rules.  These classifications only apply to Solars.

• Tier 1 - ~30 :  These are the ones who exalted first due to the gravity of their destinies.  These foci of fate attracts the Sparks like Flames to a Moth and thus were the first to be joined.  The Entire Group of Tier 1s exalted within 5 years of each other (Not counting those Spark not trapped by the Jade Prison).  

It would be another year or so after the last of them that Tier 2 started Exalting – Such is the greatness of their ordained destinies.

 

• Tier 2 – ~ 50 : These are the beings whose Spark had to travel aimlessly down the infinite pathway in the loom of fate.  Guide as they are by the eddies in a ocean of light.  Tier 2 and Tier 3 exalts around the same time.  But generally Tier 2 as a group is slightly earlier than Tier 3.

 

• Tier 3 – ~ 70 : These are the weakest of all the Solar Exaltations.  They owe their unguided Exaltation as much to chance as they are to their own destinies.  Granted they have greatness ordained, but their destinies are barely noticeable in the loom – overshadowed as they are by the Suns that are the Tier 1s and the Stars that are the Tier 2s.  These Exaltations happen mostly due to sheer luck – as the individual just happens to need the power of their Exaltation right when the spark is spiritually near. 

There are few exception in this Tier of Solars.  Like all Gods, Lytek did not survive the eons without owing a little favor.  Being the God of Exaltation he had to make a few … adjustments as debt of honor.  A few of the Tier 3 Sparks are “coerced” onto their hosts by Lytek.  Namely Rune the Solar of White Wall (paid for by the Syndics) and Fatimah bint Muhammad (paid for by an unknown party)

 

Unbound Solars

These are Solars who were never trapped by the Jade Prison.

• Dawn 15 - Yurgen Kaneko, “Bull of the North”
• Dawn 56 – Filial Wisdom
• Zenith 47 – Samea
• Twilight 14 – Fear Eater
• Twilight 44 – The Twilight (Mnemon Nejimaru) 
• Eclipse 20 - Scarlet Whisper

 

Solar Essence with no vision of Rathess and War Captain

These are Solar Essence that either were not in Creation during the Unconquered Sun’s broadcast of the Vision of Rathess, or they are those who perished subsequently and is returned to Lytek for Cleaning – and thus lost the vision as well.

• Dawn 56  (Was Filial Wisdom)
• Dawn 59  (Was War Captain)
• Zenith 09 (Was Dimas, the Teenager that was killed by 30 Blood Apes, Flawless Oak and Alabaster Hand of the Heaven is too far to save him)
• Eclipse 59 (Was Aata)

 

Tier 1

These are Solar Essence who were bonded with extraordinary individuals whose souls and destinies were grand that they are able to fully incorporate their Exaltation in the instant of infinity during the 2nd Breath.

These Solars all have uncanny connection to their Essence has has far more instinctual knowledge of the Supernatural World and, often, knowledge of the First Age.

They can raise in Essence with normal speed and has full charm pool upon Character Creation.

These Solars due to their more intimate knowledge of the First Age are trapped by it.  Their motivations, actions, and world view are inevitably colored by the past.

These Solars are so powerful that their Exaltation sends ripple through the fabrics of fate and without error each of them find Sidereal Agents waiting for them – most in the form of the Wyld Hunt.  Unfortunately for the Wyld Hunts, these Solars are also the best equipped to deal with any Hostilities.

• Dawn 15 - Yurgen Kaneko, “Bull of the North”
• Dawn 24 – Nalla the Blood Axe
• Dawn 26 – Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall
• Dawn 33 – Jalith (Haltan)
• Dawn 39 – Lyta
• Dawn 44 – Dace
• Dawn 55 – Moray Darktide
• Dawn 59 – Balan
• Zenith 08 – Celestial Anger
• Zenith 20 – Panther
• Zenith 30 – Gladrien Vanja
• Zenith 43 – Karal Fire Orchid
• Zenith 47 – Samea
• Zenith 49 – Ocean Pearl
• Twilight 14 – Fear Eater of the Icewalker Tribes
• Twilight 27 – Horakinis
• Twilight 30 – Arianna
• Twilight 44 – Mnemon Nejimaru, “The Twilight”
• Twilight 48 – Exaltant Sunrise Spirit
• Night 06 – Harmonious Jade
• Night 23 - Death and Metal Maiden
• Night 32 – Dagnir
• Night 40 – Rhianna
• Night 45 - Raneth of Diamond Hearth
• Eclipse 03 – Child of the Violet Star
• Eclipse 17 – Clytemnestra
• Eclipse 20 – Scarlet Whisper
• Eclipse 45 – Swan
• Eclipse 54 – Crimson Antler
• Eclipse 59 - Aata

There are no more Tier 1 Solars (unless GM forgot to add an Official one who is Tier 1).  From this point in the game, all new Solars are at the maximum Tier 2s.

 

Tier 2

Tier 2 Solars are Solar Essence whose bond with their Mortal Host is incomplete.  In time they will achieve the harmony already possessed by Tier 1 Solars.

They have little to no knowledge of the past and by extension their capabilities.  They only start with instinctual knowledge of their own powers and knows next to nothing regarding the powers of other Solar Castes or Exalts.

They also only starts with half their charms upon Exaltation, and the other half are quickly gained as they familiarize themselves with their new found power.

Amongst these ranks are often the Tyrant and Despots.  Gifted with power rival that of most gods and having next to no knowledge of their place in the Order of things, these beings are those often found abusing their powers and setting up little petty kingdoms in Creation. 

The Solars of this Tier are both Free and Powerful.  Their achievements are only limited by their mortal mind and completely unhindered by the Original Sins of the First Age but also unassisted by the Perspective taken by granted by the Solars of the First Tier.

Solars of Tier 2 are significantly delayed in their Mastery over the very energy of Creation due to their dissonance between their Exaltation and their Mortal Coil.  They cannot achieve Essence 5 until this dissonance is reconciled (usually via achieving their motivation, some great achievement, or simply by time normally taking ~50 years or so at the latest).

• Dawn 36 – Prince Maximillian
• Zenith 09 – Dimas
• Twilight 18 – Ahmed Latif
• Night 08 - Faku Kun (The Panda People Exalted)
• Night 28 – Alabaster Hand of Heaven
• Eclipse 26 – Flawless Oak

 

Tier 3

These are the Solars who is completely unable to shake their mortal existence and ascend into rank of the Exalts.  Their mortal identity and belief is so strong that they are simply unable to ascend.  Their limited purview blocks their ability to achieve the truly supernatural. 

Not only are they unable to acknowledge their new divinity they also cannot comprehend the limit power inherent in their being.  Until their Souls can come to terms of their own being, they are blocked. 

These Solars typically starts with 1-2 Essence and cannot achieve Essence higher than 3 without coming to terms with their new destinies.  However, even the most difficult cases usually resolve itself – one can only deny reality for so long (Max ~70 Years).  Those who active tries to accept their new state in life take significantly shorter.

These Solars gains no Charms during Exaltation – for they are completely ignorant of their own powers and abilities.  It is through difficult trial and error do they discover their Starting Charms.  Lucky are the Tier 3s who finds a more established Solar as mentor.

Consequently these Solars are so weak they hardly show on the Loom of Fate and thus are only hunted by the Wyld Hunt on sheer [bad] luck.

• Currently there are no Tier 3 Solars, and I hope there won’t be any anytime soon.  Because next time you guys die, next characters you guys make will start as Tier 3.

 

Solar Circles

(Perfect) Circle of Friends

• Dace, Dawn Caste Duelist-General
• Panther, the Awe Inspiring Personae of the Zenith Caste
• Arianna, The Twilight Savant with an Unquenchable Thirst for Knowledge
• Harmonious Jade, the Merciless Night Caste Seeking her Mission
• Swan, The Easy Going Eclipse Caste Comedian Diplomat

(Perfect) Circle of Everlasting and Perfect Illuminated Harmony

• Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall (Dawn Caste)
• Celestial Anger (Zenith Caste)
• Exaltant Sunrise Spirit (Twilight Caste)
• Death and Metal Maiden (Night Caste)
• Child of the Violet Star (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of the Bull, The

• Yurgen Kaneko, The Bull of the North (Dawn Caste)
• Nalla “Blood Axe” (Dawn Caste)
• Samea of the Blackwater Mammoth Tribe (Zenith Caste)
• Fear Eater of the Ice Walker Tribes (Twilight Caste)
• Raneth of Diamond Hearth (Night Caste)
• Crimson Antler, Cherek Revolutionary (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of Rathess, The

• Lyta (Dawn Caste)
• Gladrien Vanja (Zenith Caste)
• Clytemnestra (Eclipse Caste)

Circle of the War Captain

• Balan the War Captain of Rathess (Dawn Caste)
• The Twilight (Twilight Caste)
• Dagnir (Night Caste)
• Aata the Thunder God (Eclipse Caste)

Horakinis

Senior Deacon of the Exaltant Twenty Garden

• She is the Sorceress shown in the Core Rule Book on the page describing “Death of the Obsidian Butterflies”
• Secretive Sorceress and well known in the Occult Circle, though not as a Solar
• Terrestrial Circle Sorcerer who is on the cusp of Achieving Celestial Circle Sorcery
• Senior Deacon in the Exultant Twenty Garden Secret Society, a Secret Society of Sorcerers spread across Creation
• Thaumaturgy: Master of Alchemy, Astrology and Adapt of Geomancy
• The Last Tier 1 Solar, Essence 4
  

“Only through knowledge can we be saved, and only through the wisdom of the Solars who died long ago can we hope to find an answer to our present problems.”
- Horakinis

Horakinis has an air of ostentatious asceticism, with lustrous crimson hair that falls in glowing ringlets to her waist making a striking contrast with her pale skin.  She favors dark colors and is usually wearing hooded robes of expensive silk.  Tall and lithesome she moves with briskly pace and focused purpose.   Naturally confident she has a majestic aura and her presence is often enough to draw attention from everyone in the room.  This combined with her hair and accent has, on several occasions, caused major stirs in the Threshold – as overly eager officials mistaking her as the Empress incognito.  She has long since taken on the habit of muffling herself in cloaks and veils thought that causes an entirely different set of problems – especially for a Anathema who is trying not to draw overt attention.  She always wears her Salt-Gem of the Spirit’s Eye in an orichalcum choker (Hearthstone amulet), though she conceals this jewelry with a scarf if she is uncertain of her company.

Horakinis is an impatient, tactless researcher and find it hard to believe that anybody is better fitted to research or hold the great wisdom of the ancient Solars than her.  Nobody ever worked faster enough to suit her, and she has no qualms about pushing human colleagues to their limits:  It is for a greater good.  She does not mind sharing new discoveries (aside from the very powerful ones) with allies or other Solars, but she do expect some gesture of thanks in return.

Born to a very rich family in Arjuf, on the Southern Coast of the Blessed Realm, and she was raised amongst wealth and privilege.  But none of this spared her or her family when disease struck the port: She barely survived, and her father and two of her brother died.  As the eldest remaining child, she was, technically, the family heir.  She signed over her interest in warehouses and trading fleets to her only living brother and took her inheritance in money and resources that would let her travel and search for the lore that she are still sure would have saved their lives.  While she was seeking an ancient library underground, her Exaltation came upon her.

The Unconquered Sun descended upon her in a burning wave of ecstasy and power, bringing memories of her life long before and showing her what she needed to do to bring back the age of gold.  Through the knowledge of the ancient Solars, She will save the world.

Since then, she have spent much of her time concealed in her newly discovered library – a minor Manse – researching the documents there and sharing her information with other sorcerers across the land.  From time to time, she leaves the place in order to investigate new libraries or to assist other Solars in return for knowledge.  Many of the books and scrolls are merely histories or accounts, and others are in languages that she does not know:  She has had to bring translators and clerks, some by blackmail or force, to get the information she needs.  However, she has also made many useful contacts, fellow researchers who appreciate her dedication and objectives.  Together, she hopes to find the ancient truths that will help rebuild the world.

Clytemnestra, Eclipse Caste #17

K-ly-te-m-ne-s-tra

First Age Bearer: Terrible Bloody Rose

Original Image #2

Total Attributes: 29

Strength 2
Dexterity 2
Stamina: 4

Charisma 3
Manipulation 3
Appearance 5

Perception 3
Intelligence 4
Wits 3

Things of Note

• Orichalcum Solar Battle Armor (From the Solar Armory on the Unconquered Sun’s many properties in Yu-Shan)
   
   
• Rightful Owner of the Thunderbolt Shield Balan been using
• Enchanted Feature (4): Statuesque
• Leader of the Gold Faction Solars

 

The Domain of Stately Order

In the middle of the Southern coastal plains, between the Penitent and Chairoscuro lies the most unusual and most hotly debated of the lands of the South. Created 260 years ago as a social experiment, the Domain of Stately Order is a small tributary governed by the Solar Exalt Terrible Bloody Rose and her Lunar consort Shining Ocelot. The principality is a circle exactly 800 miles across. It contains the central city, known as Dari of the Mists, which is beautiful, perfectly circular metropolis precisely 40 miles in diameter with seven million inhabitants.

Dari is located in a bowl-shaped valley and is an ancient city built in the early days of the rule of Primordials. Although smaller than many modern cities, it is exceptionally beautiful. All of the towers and other large buildings are made from an opalescent alloy that even the finest savants of the Deliberative cannot make in the vast quantities necessary to build a large city from them.

When exposed to sunlight, this alloy shines like white opal, and it glows softly with the same sparking color at night. It also attracts ambient mist that briefly swirls with similar color when it touches these towers. These mists have long been known to make mortals who inhale them both slightly happier and less inclined to excessive violence. Mortals living here are treated as if they have a minimum of two dots in both Compassion and Temperance, even if their actual scores are lower. This effect fades within 3 days of leaving Dari. The effects of these mists gave Terrible Bloody Rose and Shining Ocelot the idea for creating the Scepter and Orb of Peace and Order. Their efforts, however, have also made the city far less popular to both immigrants and tourists.

Before it became part of the Domain of Stately Order, Dari was widely acclaimed as the most pleasant city in the south, and mortals regularly flocked here to visit. Many Southern mortals attempted to save sufficient amounts of money to be able to go on their honeymoons in Dari. This custom persists, and newlyweds remain an important source of tourism, but all tourism has significantly declined since the city’s rulers completed the Scepter and the Orb.

The remainder of this principality houses an additional 93 million people, the vast majority of whom work in various RPCs that specialize in growing and spinning linen and in tending Essence spiders and transforming their silk into sails, armor and similar goods.

The Scepter of Peace and Order (Legendary Artifact)

This incomparable wonder consists of a five-foot shaft of orichalcum, ending in a ring adorned with various spurs, crescents and Essence-focusing crystals. Attuning to the Scepter requires a commitment of eight motes. The artifact confers several powers on the Perfect:

• The Scepter grants its owner one additional dot each of Stamina, Charisma, Manipulation, Perception, Intelligence and Wits as long as it is attuned, a maximum of 5. (This is no longer meaningful for the Perfect. In his long life, he has raised all these traits to 5.)
• The Scepter’s owner becomes immune to all Emerald and Sapphire Circle sorcery, all Charms that affect perception and all forms of unnatural mental influence.
• The owner soaks both lethal and aggravated damage with his full Stamina.
• An enlightened mortal attuned to the Scepter can access his entire Essence pool without the necessity of spending Willpower.
• All oaths a person makes while touching the Scepter become forever binding. A complex eye-shaped sigil appears on the palm of the oath-swearer, like a faintly scarlet tattoo. No power short of Adamant Circle Countermagic can remove the sigil. If the person hacks off the entire limb that bears the sigil, it reappears on her stump.
• The Scepter does not remove a person’s free will, but it rigidly enforces the oath the person swore. Severe pains radiate from the sigil to wrack the person who broke any of the oaths she swore upon the Scepter. The Scepter’s master can calibrate the pain’s severity for different oaths and offenses. For minor violations of the oath, the agony ends when the foresworn person confesses her crime to a designated, legitimate authority (in Paragon, a magistrate). For the most serious oaths, however, a foresworn person suffers death. At the moment of the crime, the eye-sigil closes to show her and everyone else that she is doomed. The agony begins in moments, and does not relent until the person dies a few hours later.
• To minimize social problems and disruptions of daily life, the Scepter’s punishments largely happen out of the public eye. All pain suffered by oath-breakers begins at sunset of the day of the offense. Also, oath-breakers who condemned themselves to death through their actions die only after dark while inside a building. A few oath-breakers try to stay outdoors every night to avoid their fate. Between the pain caused by the sigil and the stresses of life on the streets, these wretched individuals rarely last long. Paragon citizens who see them crouching in doorways and sleeping in gutters shun them.
• The short-lived pain for a minor violation of an oath acts as a -1 wound penalty that lasts a few hours. The pain for severe violations inflicts a -2 wound penalty. The pain for a terminal violation inflicts a -4 wound penalty, while it lasts. The victim lives for a number of hours equal to his Stamina. These are Crippling effects. Charms that protect against Crippling effects can protect the person, but for Charm vs. Charm purposes, treat the Scepter enforced oath as backed by Essence 8 and a dice pool of 16. Punishment is only delayed, however, not cured.
• While holding the Scepter, its master can borrow the senses of anyone marked with its sigil, located anywhere in Creation. This function has no Essence cost and requires no dice rolls. Sigil-bearers, even those who are Exalted, can neither sense nor resist this power. The Scepter’s bearer can experience all of a sigil-bearer’s senses without the sigil-bearer’s knowledge or consent.
• For three motes of Essence, the Scepter’s bearer can strengthen this connection and actually take over the body of any mortal sigil-bearer, including enlightened mortals (but not Exalted), for up to a scene. The Perfect can possess or tap the senses of only one person at a time, but he can use this borrowed body as easily as his own. The subject of this possession has no memory or awareness of these events.
• While holding the Scepter, its owner can also spend one mote to induce severe pain in any single person who bears the sigil, including Exalted. Jagged black lines radiate from the sigil. This Crippling effect acts as a wound penalty of -2. It lasts a scene, or until the Scepter’s owner relents and cancels the effect.
• As long as at least 200 people bear sigils, the person attuned to the Scepter becomes completely immune to all diseases and does not age. He heals one level of lethal damage every three hours and one level of aggravated damage every day.

All of these powers are granted to any Essence-user attuned to the Scepter. A Celestial Exalt who attunes to the Scepter gains even greater powers (see Dreams of the First Age: Book One—Lands of Creation, pp. 94-95).

Dream of the First Age: Book One – Lands of Creation, p. 94-95

This tributary was created to test and demonstrate the promise of a pair of exceptionally powerful artifacts called the Instruments of Peace and Order. The Scepter of Peace and Order is large orichalcum scepter with a five-foot-long shaft, topped with a complex crook decorated with a variety of crystals that focus and channel Essence. The complementary Orb of Peace and Order is a moonsilver sphere the size of a large grapefruit, incised with grooves to allow it to be held in one hand and decorated with crystals identical to those on the scepter.

When a Celestial Exalt holds the scepter, it allows the bearer to have a general sense of everyone within 400 miles. The bearer can sense general concentrations and movements of population, as well as being able to instantly identify any Exalts, gods, elementals or demons inside his domain. The bearer can also broadcast messages to everyone inside the radius and can produce a scarlet eye-like sigil on the flesh of every adult or adolescent inside the domain. The target must accept the sigil willingly, but the scepter allows a Celestial bearer to cause anyone who refuses the sigil to be overcome with the urge to leave he domain within the next week. This compulsion is impossible for anyone but another Exalted to resist.

The scepter also allows its bearer to automatically distinguish between individuals who have lived in the domain for more than a month and visitors or new arrivals. Terrible Bloody Rose leaves visitors alone, but every month, she forces her sigil on anyone who has been in the domain longer. All mortals who refuse must leave. Exalts who refuse need not leave the domain, but if they accept the sigil, they are as bound by its power as any mortal would be. Other than allowing the bearer to sense them, neither the Scepter or the Orb of Peace and Order has any effect on gods, elementals or demons.

Anyone who accepts the sigil is marked for life. Only Solar Circle sorcery performed by someone who’s Essence is at least as high as the scepter bearer’s can remove this sigil. The scepter-bearer can borrow the sense of any sigil-bearer at will and with no rolls or Essence cost, no matter where the person with the sigil is in Creation. By spending three motes of Essence, the scepter-bearer can also take over the body of a sigil-bearer for up to one scene. Finally, as the scepter-bearer places the sigil on a target, she also impresses the laws of her domain into the target’s mind. Sigil-bearer knows that accepting this sigil means they also swear a solemn oath to obey all these laws. This oath remains in place as long as t he scepter is attuned. If, however, it is ever unattuned or the wielder dies, all sigils vanish within 24 hours, unless someone else attunes to the scepter during this time.

The device does not remove a sigil-bearer’s free will, but it does force him to pay a price for any and all transgressions. Pain wracks the body of anyone who disobeys the laws he swore to obey. For major offenses, this agony ends when the criminal confesses his sin to a local magistrate. For minor offenses, the pain last for only a few hours if the offender resist the urge to confess. Breaking the most serious oaths, however, such as never attempting to harm one of the Celestial Exalted, is inevitably punished by death. Sigil-bearers who break one of these capital oaths die a painful, writhing death a few hours after the oath is broken. As soon as they commit this transgression, the eye on their sigil closes. Every punishment imposed by the sigil takes place indoors and during the night. If an offender attempts to remain outdoors at night, his presence becomes obvious to Terrible Bloody Rose, who commands him to go home, whereupon he will immediately pay for his crime.

The power of the Orb of Peace and Order are far more subtle and insidious. Any Celestial Exalted who carries the orb can both sense and alter the emotion of all sigil bearers, either en masse or individually. Also, as long as it remains attuned, any sigil-bearer who performs any action that either actively encourages others to obey the laws or goes beyond the expected minimal obedience to the law is automatically rewarded with vividly enjoyable dreams. Also, characters who regularly obtain these dreams also reduce the difficulty of all rolls to recover from infections or disease by 2 (to a minimum of 1) and live one third again as long as they otherwise would.

No individual can attune herself to both the Scepter and the Orb of Peace and Order. The attunement cost of each artifact is 5 motes. As long as at least 200 people bear sigils, anyone attuned to either object is completely immune to all diseases and infections. He also does not age, and he heals one level of lethal damage every 3 hours and one level of aggravated damage every day.

The instruments of Peace and Order offer Terrible Bloody Rose and Shining Ocelot an unprecedented amount of control of the populace of their principality. In the 260 years that this experiment has been running there has been only one riot and one worker’s strike that lasted only one day. In addition, citizens are exceptionally polite and courteous to visitors and each other. Even very minor offenses such as littering, which are typically punished only by a headache that last a few hours, are almost nonexistent.

In short, this tributary is clearly the most law-abiding and polite place in all Creation, although it has a higher than average suicide rate. Terrible Bloody Rose and Shining Ocelot regularly assert that similar measures should be adopted throughout Creation, but debate continues in the Deliberative. Many Celestial Exalted and most Dragon-Blooded strongly oppose this idea because they find the results to be deeply disturbing. Also, most Celestial Exalted forbid sigil-bearers from entering their domains, and they object to the idea of other Celestial rulers transforming their entire populace into what potentially amounts to an army of spies and possibly even assassins.

Terrible Bloody Rose and Shining Ocelot both claim that the Scepter of Peace and Order cannot be used to place a sigil on one of the Celestial Exalted and that all forms of Exaltation automatically burns away the sigil. The first statement has never been tested, because none of the Celestial Exalted are willing to test their immunity. A few dozen adolescent bearing the sigil have undergone Terrestrial Exaltation, however, and all of them have lost their sigil, so the second claim has been accepted as fact. The truth, though, is that any Exalt can be given the sigil, and Exaltation removes the sigil only if the bearer wishes it removed. If either of these facts were discovered, the small amount of sympathy for this tributary and its rulers would evaporate, and several dozen Celestial Exalted would call for the immediate destruction of the Instruments of Peace and Order.

Rhianna of Marukan Alliance

Here is the image I picked for Rhianna of the Marukan Alliance.

Rhianna has the Unique Merit “Heavenly Spear.”  It is a modification of the Prodigy Merit.  Her merit, instead of adding +1 to Melee, adds +2 to Spears.  Like Prodigy Merit, this Merit also raise her Charm Dicepool Cap.  It’s most potent ability is that this Unique Merit also allows her to consider her Essence to be 1 point higher when using a Spear.  Thus even before she Exalted she would use Enlightened Being’s dice pool when wielding a spear, since her Essence would be 2 while doing so.  Now she would be Essence 6 when it comes to Charms regarding Spear Use.  It however, does not allow her to learn Charms she does not meet the pre-req for, it only improves the functions of the Charms she already know.

She is Solar Night Caste Essence #40.  Originally in 1st Edition she is Eclipse Caste, but I think that makes her too powerful.  So I changed her to Night Caste.

The image is Balsa from Seirito Moribito, and yes Rhianna was the finest mortal Spear User in Creation before her Exaltation.

I was debating between Balsa or Rider, but Rider is just too sexy for someone as serious as Rhianna.  Plus Balsa has this picture.

As a side note Rhianna is the one that gave Dagnir his horse.  The Marukan Steed was a foal from Rhianna’s own steed – Balsa.

Solar Seniority

Here is a rundown of the Seniority of the Various Solars, based on number of years they lived as Exalted – as of Session 11.

Total Solars: 24

Dawn	Zenith	Twilight	Night	Eclipse
7	6	4	3	4

 

170 Years ago

• Filial Wisdom (Dawn Caste #56)

18 Years Ago

• Matsu Tsuko (Nejimaru’s Essence’s Last Exaltation) (Twilight Caste #44)  killed by the Wyld hunt spearheaded by the Triumvirate Mnemon Scions.

14 Years ago

• Samea (Zenith Caste #47)

10 Years Ago

• Yurgen Kaneko (Dawn Caste #15)

7 Years ago

• Scarlet Whisper (Eclipse Caste #20)

6 Years Ago

• Rosoku (later known as Fear Eater of the Icewalker Tribes) (Twilight Caste #14)
• Nejimaru (Twlight Caste #44)

5 Years ago [The Return of the Solar and Creation of Abyssal]

• Horakinis (Twilight #27)
• Moray Darktide (Later joined The Deathlord, “Silver Prince”) (Dawn Caste #55)
• Jalith (Haltan Solar) (Dawn Caste #33)
• Clytemnestra (Eclipse 17)

4 Years ago

• Dace (Dawn Caste #44)
• Harmonious Jade (Night Caste #06)
• Arianna (Twilight Caste #30)
• Crimson Antler (Eclipse Caste #54)

3 Years ago

• Ocean Pearl (Zenith Caste #49)
• Swan only 2 month after Arianna’s Exaltation, saved her from Wyld Hunt (Eclipse Caste #45)
• Panther (Zenith Caste #20)
• Rhianna (Marukan Alliance Solar) (Night Caste #40)

2 Years Ago

• Aata/Balan (Eclipse/Dawn #59)
• Nalla Bloodaxe of the Icewalker Tribe (Dawn Caste #24)
• Celestial Anger (Zenith #8)

1 Year ago

• Raneth of Diamond Hearth (Night Caste #45 – Ai’s Essence)
• Gladrien Vanja (Zenith #30)
• Karal Fire Orchid (Zenith #27)
• Exaltant Sunrise Spirit (Twilight 48)

Current Year

• Lyta (Dawn #39)
• Dagnir (Night #32)

1 Year after (While the War Captain was returning from Rescuing Lyta)

• Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall (Dawn 26)
• Child of the Violet Star (Eclipse 03)
• Death and Metal Maiden (Night #23)

1 Years After (War Captain was in South then to Underworld)

• Prince Maximillian (Dawn 36)
• Alabaster Hand of Heaven (Night 28)
• Flawless Oak (Eclipse 26)

2 Years After (After War Captain’s Death)

• Ahmed Latif (Twilight 18)
• Faku Kun (The Panda People Exalted) (Night 08)

Circle of Everlasting and Perfect Illuminated Harmony, The

The Circle of Everlasting and Perfect Illuminated Harmony as their name suggest is a Perfect Circle formed and trained by the Cult of the Illuminated – and by extension, their Sidereal masters, the Gold Faction Sidereals.

Unfortunately due to the obstinance of Lytek, even the Gold Faction did not learn of the Sun-King’s return to Creation until well after the fact. Feeling cautious the Sidereals decided not to approach the Solars who are already well established.

Cautiously the Gold Faction gathered those who are more pliable, the not yet established lone Solars who are confused and scared, and formed the School of the Illuminated. In these hidden monastery fortresses they secretly began to mold the returning God-Kings into tools that can guarantee the future.

Already more than a dozen Solars have been gathered and the Gold Faction even went out of their way to gather their Lunar Mates when convenient. The members of the Circle of Everlasting and Perfect Illuminated Harmony are just the most senior of the Solar trainees.

 

 

Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall, The Dawn

Motivation: To fight for equal rights of womankind, so that no longer will they be exploited and oppressed.

Origin: Ovalisque of a Sultan in the Hundred Kingdoms. She was exalted when she bravely, but futilely, tried to stop a Cynis Scion from violating her Mistress on the Great Caravan Road. She exalted when her mistress killed herself instead of risking the indignity.

Dawn Caste #26

Essence: 4

Ovalisque of the Invincible Starfall is the women in red on the left side of the picture.

 

 

Celestial Anger, The Zenith

Motivation: To repair the damages to Creation accumulated over the ages and make restitution on behalf of all Sun-Kings.

Origin: A young Immaculate Order monk risen by the Archimandrite of his Monastery as a baby.  When he was only 10 he was told that he is the reincarnated of a great hero of the past – returning finally on behaves of his holy father the Unconquered Sun to set world aright. He was exalted while leading mass in the Cult of the Illuminated.

Zenith Caste #8

Essence: 3

He is the Man in the Red armor with the Grand Daiklave in the picture.

 

 

Exaltant Sunrise Spirit, The Twilight

Motivation: To establish a fundamental respect for knowledge and the love of virtue in the heart of mankind

Origin: A Scholar in the Academies of the Blessed Isle. He was sent by his teacher into the Scavenger Lands to excavate a rare document shortly after the Empresses’ disappearance. He was exalted few years ago while in ecstasy recording the murals in the ancient tomb.

Twilight Caste #48

Essence: 3

Exaltant Sunrise Spirit is the man in the gray plate armor behind Celestial Anger.

 

 

Death and Metal Maiden, The Night

Motivation: To ease the abundance of suffering in the world.

Origin: A merchant’s wife whose husband died to one of the many plagues in the Southeast jungles. She used what little money she has left to tend to the other sick and contracted the plague also. She exalted on her deathbed and was almost burnt by her village as the cause of the disease. A passing by Monk (Sidreal in respendent destiny) “saved” her and enlightened her to her great responsibility.

Night Caste #23

Essence: 3

She is not in the picture.

 

 

Child of the Violet Star, The Eclipse

Motivation: To inflict soul numbing justice onto those who are above the law

Origin: A carnival freak who was borned a Wylt tainted monster and has knew nothing but abuse since then. Her only friend and caretaker was killed when her circus caravan was waylaid by a local king seeking to fatten his purse she managed to slay 4 of the King’s knights before her escape. She stalked the King’s men for weeks slowly inflicting terror and fear into their hearts. She exalted when the king committed suicide rather than risk having the horrible thing she been doing to his men inflicted upon him.

Eclipse Caste #3

Essence: 4

Child of the Violet Star is the Woman in the background with the bow on the right.

Jalith of Haltan

The Solar that accompanied the Haltan Army to join the Kaneko in his campaign against Linowan.

Young Girl about 16 years old.  Exalted about 3 years ago.

Solar, Dawn Caste Essence #33

Has 3 Sa-Animal Familiars.  The most famous being a Leopard.  She has the animal training equivalent of the Tiger Warrior Training Charm.

Ocean Pearl

Age: 26
Nationality: Small town near The Lap (South)
Race: Solar, Zenith Caste
Profession: Robinhood of the Seas
Motivation: Further the cause of Righteousness in the World

Ocean Pearl, despite being weathered and bronzed by her love of the Sun and Ocean and tempered by battle is still a woman who can turn any man’s head. Her name is true to her nature and she knew she was born to the sea from the time she could swim.

When she was just a child she ran away from the orphanage with little more than the clothes on her back. She went to a small seaport town and sought commission on board a ship as a cabin girl. She sailed with a kind old sea captain on the Western Ocean who taught her the secrets of the stars and imparted to some of his years of experience. Sadly they encountered the Yozi pirate Blackheart, the Man with No Shadow. The ship was captured and crew enslaved or slaughtered. She was to be given as prize to Blackheart’s Yozi masters. Blackheart may have had no heart and no shadow, but he was a man in every other way, and Ocean Pearl was able to seduce him. Thus she became the lover of a man with no heart and became a pirate as well.

She may have only been Blackheart’s mistress, but she gained a measure of power on board his ship and something resembling his trust as well. She won the admiration and respect of the crew, in part due to her ability to sometimes mollify Blackheart’s anger. Despite the proven invincibility of the captain, Ocean Pearl was driven to attempt the impossible. She knew which members of the crew to talk to. Once she gathered a cadre of trustworthy allies, she coaxed the secret of his power out of Blackheart. Now was the time for justice. As Ocean Pearl prepared to free the world of Blackheart, the Unconquered Sun freed her from her own bondage. Bathed in the golden light of the Sun, her sword became divine. She cut her way through Blackheart’s demon servants and finally dispatched the Captain himself. Since then, she has sailed the seas of Creation righting injustices and punishing the oppressors such as the Realm, the Guilds and the Linthas with fire and steel.

She is not just a simple pirate however. She is a rebel against oppression and injustice so rampant in the world. She works against the established order in the hopes of opening the eyes of the people to a different way – a future where all are guided by the divine will of the Unconquered Sun. She hopes to help forge a new world where pursue of happiness and expectation of fair justice is guaranteed to all mankind and not just those born to power. She resents most the exploitation of the weak by the strong and fights with unwavering determination against those who commit such sins. Ocean Pearl makes little distinction to one’s divinity because to her the worth of a person comes from the righteousness of their choices and not the power they possess. She prefers the company of her crew to most gods and exalts, including those of her Solar brothers and sisters. She is the sworn enemy of Moray Darktide and has learned the hard way that not all the Chosen of the Sun further the cause of Righteousness.

Dace did it behind the Bookshelves in the Library with the Candle Stick

In about 2 weeks one of the Adaptus Astartes Recruits would report to the War Captain with some newly uncovered information that is quite disturbing.

According to his investigations on the night of Honorable Magatulok’s murder the only Godly beings unaccounted for is Dace.

After further investigation a Rathessians passing through the area of the Water Manse reported seeing Dace at the bathing house the night of the murder washing blood off him.

Several other Rathessians confirm seeing Dace returning to the Pyramid of the Sun from the Direction of the Water Manse.

It is well known that Dace gotten into a verbal confrontation with Megatulok that almost came to blows just a week ago. It was only the timely arrival of Hastha-sath that averted physical blows.

Though these are all circumstantial evidences the recruit thought it was sufficient to launch a secret investigation centered on Dace.

He already seeked permission from Head Huntress Dharacya to search Dace’s room in secret for clues, but was refused.

He is informing the War Captain of these newly discovered facts in case the War Captain wishes to take a different course of action.

He is also worried about the influence Dace has over the Adaptus Astartes as their new trainer – should he be evil the Adaptus Astartes could be tainted by his magical training.

[Obviously this one belongs to the Sun Lords Faction]

What he did not tell the War Captain is that the War Captain is the 4^th person he brought this up with.

The first is Novus Captain Lumusi who refused on the grounds that these Sun Lords are the honorable guests of the Dragon Kings and has conducted themselves with propriety. Speculation along is not sufficient to take action against such eminent beings.

He then brought it up with Novus Captain Eddin Roradin, who also refused based on the grounds that it is beyond the authority and mandate. He referred the recruit to Dharacya.

Dharacya is then the third person and her refusal is the same reasoning as Lumusi. She also warned sternly the Recruit that pride is the first step to apostasy.

Balan is then the last power the recruit is appealing to. Since Balan is the highest authority in Rathess he didn’t want to take up the War Captain’s valuable time. But the obstinacy of lesser beings has left him no choice but to appeal to the War God of Rathess himself.

Finished Harmonious Jade’s Charms

Finished adding Harmonious Jade’s Charms and the Signature Circle’s Great Curses.

• Dace’s Great Curse is “Foolhardy Contempt”
• Panther’s Great Curse is “Red Rage of Compassion”
• Arianna’s Great Curse is“Deliberate Cruelty”
• Harmonious Jade’s Great Curse is“Heart of Flint”
• Swan’s Great Curse is “Heart of Flint”

Update is to the “[Exalted Past] Circle of Friends” document in the workspace. The link to the Document webspace is on the right bar.

What the Signature Circle’s been doing

Dace met Yurgen about 3 years ago.  He was hired to escort a Guild Convoy of valuable medicines through the Icewalker territories and Yurgen came to raid rare find.  The two Dawn Castes squared off against each other and it wasn’t long before they realized each other’s true nature.  Hostilities immediately ceased as the two brothers embraced each other. 

Yurgen granted Dace’s company his banner allowing them safe passage anywhere in his lands, and Dace made note to not take any contracts that would put him at odds against the Icewalker tribes of the North ever again.

When the vision of Balan confronting Han-Tha was broadcasted across Creation Arianna and Swan were currently up North at the Icewalker tribes on behalf of Dace to discuss the rumors of military build up by the tribes of the North.

Dace was in Nexus recovering from the humiliating defeat at the hands of Ma-Ha-Suchi.  He was only allowed to live because of a debt of honor owed by Ma-Ha-Suchi to his previous Solar Exaltation.  Training with renewed effort he asked Arianna and Swan to go ahead of him to inquire why Yurgen is planning an major military push, and that if he required assistance from Dace and his Circle.

Dace at the time was traveling through the Hundred Kingdoms spreading the word of the Unconquered Sun and confronting the propaganda of the Immaculate Faiths.

Harmonious Jade was on board her own ship returning from Yanes after her assassination of Azula’s body double.

It did not take long for Arianna and Swan to realize the magnitude of the event that just took place.  Especially when all 8 Solars had the same vision at the same time.  It is further confirmed by her communication with her own Circle – via the Tattoos she made on their bodies.

Immediately Yurgen sent word to gather his banners and moved his planned assault on Linowan ahead of schedule to counter the inevitable political fallout of a new Solar power rising out of the obscurity of the First Age.  He plans to strike fast and strike hard against the Scavenger Lands.  He would put his name on every lip from Haltan to Wavecrest.  He would loom so threateningly that no one would have time to concern themselves with Rathess.  He will buy the Solars of Rathess some reprieve from the inevitable crushing by the Legions of the Realm.  The Unconquered Sun’s chosen beacon of hope cannot be allowed to die stillborn – Rathess must rise and prosper.

Preparations however took longer than expected and Arianna took the time to investigate the newly formed Shadowland of the North and seeking the Library of Quin-Rin.  It is there she met the Lover Clad in Raiment of Tears – another Deathlord has creeped into Creation.  Arianna escaped by using her Tattoo and teleporting to Swan.  Even then the power unleashed by the Deathlord still took their tow on her body and it took weeks for of careful tending by Samea to heal her wounds.  That is nothing in comparison to the creepy certain Arianna now holds regarding the Deathlord’s intention towards her.  She is certain the haunting beautiful being has marked her for “collection”.

In the mean time Swan has been busy as envoy of Icewalkers to Haltan.  He has arranged for the Haltan’s support against Linowan and half a million troops have been promised by the forest nation as aid to Yurgen’s push south.

Dace has already picked up Dace and marched half way to Rathess when Arianna finally recovered enough to travel.  She and Swan met them half way.  Together Dace, Panther, Arianna and Swan traveled to Rathess on the Azure Chariot Spell and the troops with supplies are to march to the city on their own.

They arrived about 4 days after the Player’s Circle left for the Solar Deliberative and has since then been aiding in the defense of Rathess.

Dace has been using his Tiger Warrior Training Technique on the Adapteus Astartes making them already a force matching the Brides of Arhlat in Valor and Discipline.

Arianna has been aiding in the constructions of the various parts of the city, specifically the manse of Leeayta.  While the Mice of the Sun’s automatons are powerful they lack skill and refinement and she has already summoned several magnitude of construction demons to aid in the task.  The construction of Rathess is greatly enhanced by her efforts.

Panther has been pouring through the various holy text of the Dragon Kings and has become an disciple of Hastha-sth learning all he can of the old Dragon King’s wisdom.  This education is not one way however as his natural facility with Religion often surprise Hanstha-seth with insights and understanding and even opened her to some newer appreciation of their Patron God.

Swan has been busy smoothing over things with the Freeholds of Rakshas.  The death of three renegade Fair Folk Nobles were no small manner and it took Swan’s convincing and Panther’s threat of further divine punishment from the gathering Solar Host to force them into an non-aggression treaty.  It is Panther’s absolute certainty that swayed the Raksha to accept the deal.  As long as Rathess does not seek to push back the Wyld nor to invade it the Freehold will not venture into Creation under military banner.  The deal however is temporary with a time set for 10 mortal years.  It is without doubt the Fair Folk would be gathering their host as well for the inevitable push by the Solars when the time is up.

Harmonious Jade did not arrive till a month later, only days before the Player’s own return to Rathess.  She however, has not been doing much.  Mainly assisting Gothalla on scouting missions to locate the supposedly “anathema threat.”

Correction/Clarification regarding the Signature Circle

After reading more about the Signature Circle on the Wiki I decided to go with some of the elements presented there.

Their Circle has been formed for a little over 2 years and are terribly torn in regards to overall direction. Their individual personalities and drives are strong enough that Panther and Dace is pretty much dividing and confusing the Circle's goals.

Panther's Exaltation involved a vision that literally said to him

You who have no father, I am your father now. You who shed blood and know not why, I give you a reason. Know you are now among my chosen priests. Go, and make the world a righteous place as you know best. Bring light onto darkness, and know you act with my blessing.

Which means Panther is nigh impossible to sway from his beliefs.

He believes that the Scarlet Empire must be dealt with before anything meaningful can be done to better Creation. This is not to say the Scarlet Empire needs to be destroyed but the cancer that is destroying the institution from within must be rectified. He also believes that the evil of the First Age is the root cause of all modern suffering and to return to such ways is folly.

Dace has always been a leader of man and beholden to no one. His supreme confidence is earned over 20 years of constant battle and victories. An almost legendary mercenary commander even before his Exaltation, his new found status as the Champion of the Unconquered Sun (Dawn Caste) has only cemented this self-evident fact.

He believes that the Scarlet Empire is both beyond saving and beyond destroying. With the ever growing chaos of the world, the circle must start carving out their own base of power in the Scavenger Lands and just ignore the Empire exists all together. Let them rot on the Blessed Isle, it is safe there anyways. The Threshold is the place that needs the attention of the Chosens.

To that end he has already started to develop networks of contacts and allies with the eventual goal of carving a Solar power base free of the Immaculate Order's nonsense. To forge a place where First Age laws and customs will be reinstituted and the birth place of a new Golden Age.

Their strong and polarized opinions have caused the Circle to be aimless in the long-term. Plus while Panther and Dace are both charismatic and are lions, neither of them have a grand vision or are politically astute enough to actually plan out an world changing campaign. Thus they pursue both objectives at the same time and actually accomplishing little in the grand scale of things – spending their time on problem that might save a few thousands or hundreds of thousands of people, but ultimately makes little dent on the global scale.

This dispute is further complicated by the fact the reminder members are split as well. Swan agrees with Panther whole heartedly. His fragments of First Age memory reminds him constantly the absolute horror of the First Age.

Arianna, even though she is romantically involved with Swan, agrees with Dace. To her the First Age is a Blessed Time of Creativity and Energy. It was marred by its ending but not made irrelevant.

Both Swan and Arianna are moderates in their views however, and often act as mediator between the two extreme personalities.

Harmonious Jade doesn't give a fig for carving out an empire or saving one. Her driving motivation is to find why exactly the Unconquered Sun exalt her for. An orphan raised by Yozi Cult who has since murdered more people than she cares to remember. She is the most successful killer the Cult has ever produced and has adopted the training into her core. She is utterly ruthless in both personality and practice. Be the target men, women, children, the virtuous, or the diabolical, it makes no difference to her as long as it is a "job."

With all of Panther's preaching about the virtues and honors of the Unconquered Sun Harmonious Jade find it impossible to rectify "who she knows she is" with the "kinds of people the Unconquered Sun would chose to mark as his creatures". This has caused her to believe perhaps there is "goodness" in her that she herself is not aware of. That deep down she really is a merciful and virtuous heroine. This however only further frustrates her as doing "good" deeds leave a bile taste in her mouth. Why should she help those who are unwilling to help themselves?

While she does not mind helping the Circle who has since become her new "organization." Their chosen tasks and chaotic planning leaves her wanting. Plus the silent brooding and frequent squabbling between Dace and Panther grates on her nerves and she has chosen to strike out on her own for awhile instead of being caught up in a dispute between friends.

While this might make their Circle seem at odds with each other this is not the case. It is more like a friendly family squabble with one brother a Catholic and the other a Protestant. Their beliefs may differ but they both believe in the same god. Just as Panther and Dace both want to help make the world a better place. The difference is the path they believe will best accomplish that goal. With all the troubles in the Scavenger lands they are busy these days just helping who they can and philosophical differences are more for dinner talk than immediate concerns.

They are Circle Mates meaning they are close friends bond by shared experiences and baptized in hardship and danger. Their loyalties to each other are absolute so I don't want you guys to get the impression they are at each other's throats.