It's more that the society of Wraiths has forsaken Transcendence...
Actually its more like Stygia has forsaken Transcendence. Other groups within the Western Lands of the Dead haven't necessarily. For the Ferrymen, a very powerful group in the Underworld, helping others achieve Transcendence is primary purpose. The various Renegade and Heretic groups are numerous and diverse enough that while some may reject, others embrace it.
And that does not prevent individual wraiths from pursing it even if they are apart of the Hierarchy of Stygia.
that the good things in life are made out of the suffering of others (like an ashtray made of Sam Haight)
Yeah and like I said, there's a surface of grimdark and bleakness to WtO. Soulforging and Moliate is part of it. Though it is worth noting that much of the soulsteel is made of Drones, wraiths that lack sentience and mindless echo their deaths until they are completely destroyed or dragged into Oblivion and turned into specters.
And of course it doesn't account for Relic items which aren't made of soulsteel.
If I recall correctly, the reforged ghosts still suffer, just like those in Soulsteel in Exalted, right? (I may be mistaken on that part.)
It's never been made clear. Option is divided as to whether or not soulsteel is aware or if the weeping is merely an echo of what it was or just a trait of soulsteel.
And I know WtO has its bright sides. But they seem more like consolation prizes, judging by the information I was given.
On the surface, you're right but you have actually have to start exploring the material to see it.
For example, the Silent Legion, the Legion of those that took their own lives, is easily the most Angst-ridden and hopeless of the Legions as they're the ones that sought death to escape the agony, whether real or perceived, of their lives only to find that life after death wasn't any better. Yet it is also the largest suicide prevention network in the entire WoD. Sure, they try to rationalize it as depriving potential tools to Oblivion but in reality for many its because they've gone through it and realized that suicide wasn't the answer to their problems and don't want others to repeat their mistakes.
One of my favorite characters in all of the WoD is Erik, an ordinary office worker that died in an accident outside his workplace and his wraith stayed there, too afraid to leave, watching the Shadowlands and Skinlands from the windows. Until the day he sees a woman he had been crushing on get snatched by some Legion wraiths, compelling him to finally leave the building and find her. His adventures are explored through the fiction of various WtO books and he is the final thing we see in WtO. The last pages of
Ends of Empire, the WtO finale is Erik finally finding the woman and introducing himself to her. Literally the final words of WtO are: 'Hi. My name's Erik. What's yours?' The darkest line of the WoD ends on a note of hope. Even the line-ending adventure ends on a hopeful note. Despite the City of Stygia being destroyed, Charon Transcending and the Deathlords likewise gone, the hordes of Oblivion were stopped and the PCs have become the new Deathlords, leaving them in the position of forging a new Stygia.
But WtO seems to be more about just walking away from the bad stuff, while bad stuff remains; you can achieve Transcendence, but the Wraith society will remain rotten to the core.
The Hierarchy... well it depends on the perspective. Some paint it as corrupt tyranny bent on maintaining its power and will, others as well-meaning but flawed and bloated bureaucracy that is bent on trying to keep its citizens safe even if it means restoring to less savory methods.
Though I will admit, the Smiling Lord, the Deathlord of the Grim Legion is a treacherous asshole.
And Wraith Society is not the same as the Hierarchy. Hell even in the Necropoli controlled by the Hierarchy, the local government can vary wildly from Necropolis to Necropolis. Some are oppressive, some are tolerant. Some are corrupt, some aren't.
This is also why I see Ascension as a much brighter win condition.
Expect that outside of the game-ending
Ascension, it isn't achievable.
Oh, I realize that MtA involves fighting against some powerful enemies. But the prospective of giving Ascension to humanity seems like the exact opposite from stepping away from it.
Expect that isn't really something most mages are striving for. Sure, the Technocracy's grand goal is that or at least their interpretation of it but for the Traditions? Not really. Certainly some advocate for that but many don't. Many Traditionalists tend to care more about their Magic, their own struggles against their enemies, etc. Hell they don't even have a solid idea about what Ascension is, much less how to achieve it.
