They're interesting but they'll probably get treated like beastmen, which is a pain when negotiating with most factions.
The Rim and the Hammer (Exalted/Warhammer Quest)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
You could well be treated like some kind of suspected Chaos worshipers, but as far as anyone has been able to see in the whole history of the world you are about to fall into beastmen have never built anything more complex than a siege ladder. Golden Crown is a sophisticated trading town with among other things temples, schools, herbalists and theaters.
- Location
- Germany
I think one interesting advantage we will have regardless of our choice will be Thaumaturgy.
The Dragon King faction might have an advantage in knowledge and skill since they taught the first humans, but all humans in creation have some basic access to it.
Thaumaturgy is essentially magic for people who are not great Essence-users and cannot master the Circles of Sorcery.
The lesser applications of Thaumaturgy are things on the border between the mundane and the magical.
An Alchemist might make a potion that helps barely better in curing ailments than the herbs in it would do without being used in an alchemical ritual, an enchanter might forge a sword slightly lighter than it should be by the process of mettalurgy or a line of salt laid down by the thaumaturge might ward of ghosts slightly more than one drawn by an amateur.
But the higher levels get pretty good, though never as absolute or powerful as Sorcery.
The nice thing is mainly that everyone with the occult knowledge can do it and you can substitute the Essence-cost with Will, blood, natural leylines or similar things, so you are not dependant on the Few and Great to do all the work.
The Dragon King faction might have an advantage in knowledge and skill since they taught the first humans, but all humans in creation have some basic access to it.
Thaumaturgy is essentially magic for people who are not great Essence-users and cannot master the Circles of Sorcery.
The lesser applications of Thaumaturgy are things on the border between the mundane and the magical.
An Alchemist might make a potion that helps barely better in curing ailments than the herbs in it would do without being used in an alchemical ritual, an enchanter might forge a sword slightly lighter than it should be by the process of mettalurgy or a line of salt laid down by the thaumaturge might ward of ghosts slightly more than one drawn by an amateur.
But the higher levels get pretty good, though never as absolute or powerful as Sorcery.
The nice thing is mainly that everyone with the occult knowledge can do it and you can substitute the Essence-cost with Will, blood, natural leylines or similar things, so you are not dependant on the Few and Great to do all the work.
All the factions have some access to Thaumaturgy. But Thaumaturgy is likely to be different in the new world, so they probably starting pretty even their.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Golden Crown
No option for being a Jadeborn colony?
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Dragonbloods are the basic bitches of Exalted, but I somewhat doubt we'll be tapping Lytek's Cabinet and the Reality Engine should be useful not just defending the city but if we could make any kind of alliance with the Lizardmen, the Slann might be able to decipher the First Age mysteries behind its creation. Those guys love building and hate Chaos.
Dragon Kings are masters of Geomancy and Astrology, which are very valuable in setting up a beachhead in a new world. @DragonParadox, will we be able to contact the Incarna/receive their blessings? Because "guys who rip out hearts for their god" is one thing, but "guys who rip out hearts for their god in exchange for Daemon killing weapons" is another thing entirely. Even if we need to set up a Temple Manse and do a 5 dot sacrifice, that's canonically enough to get Sol's attention, much less given the circumstances.
Technically, anyone can awaken essence if they have a skilled thaumaturge to help them. Which the Dragon Kings are and can teach.
Honestly, even bound, trade with Raksha is basically never worth it unless you're incorporating Eternals lore at all. Do we at least have some samples of Redwood and Ironwood and stuff within the chunk of land that got yeeted into Mallus?
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Or a scouting party from Autochthonia if the Divine Ministers decided "hey, a place with access to the Wyld where the biggest threats are Unshaped. Much less scary than home with the exalted and incarna!"
Having Celestial Exalts of any significant number is basically cheating. Like I do not think there is any force in setting short of a major push from one of the strongest factions that could hope to destroy even the weakest city alchemical. Maybe several Black Arcs going at once could pull it off. Maybe.
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
The weakest city alchemical is a century in the future for any scouting force. As is the creation of any additional Alchemicals other than however many might be in the group to start. Also, I think you're underestimating frog daddy's capacity for destruction.
And by the time chaos has started sending forces, any decent social Celestial could unite all the other factions under them.
Yeah, and the Slaan are the strongest mortal faction in setting.
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
The Alchemicals specifically both aren't the best at social and actively refuse to conquer mortals.
And I'm saying it wouldn't be a major push. It'd barely be collateral.
Yeah and that is beyond stupid. A mortal outright cannot compare to an exalted. If they would just rule like an exalted they could easily fix their problems.
Not really. Perfect defenses are a hell of a drug. They may be able to wear defenses down, but an Essence 8+ Alchemical has an absurd motepool. It would in fact take significant effort to kill one.
- Location
- Georgia
dude... which choice doesn't get treated like beastman and monsters? Dragon kings would be abominations for everyone and air folk look like jumped up harpies. It's not Star Treck u know.
At least the city folk are used to diplomacy, while lizards do regular human sacrifice and birdies hasn't seen a human in centuries. Not to mention both treat humans as second class at best.
er... for one thaumaturgy rules would change depending to the world. for another, WHFB has it's own 'thaumaturgy' that is treated like petty magic.
EDIT: as for the Raksha, I think in the new world they should be more amenable to cooperation. The difference being that local Wyld is not safe for them either. There are already established 4 major gods/courts and neither will admit them without corrupting/shaping them into their own image. Alien as Raksha are they do not like being slaves for eternity either.
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- Location
- Alberta
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Vesathar Valley
Jadeborn are a bit too similar to some of the locals and their themes do not quite work for what I have in mind
If you can somehow shout across the vast 'expanse' of the Wyld between you the Incarna should be able to hear you yes, you are not separated in a way the Gods of Creation cannot comprehend, you are just really far away.
Also yes you have some Redwood and Ironwood samples as Golden Crown, for the Redwoods you literally live in them.
- Location
- Germany
We are at least bringing some of our own plants as Dragon Kings and that is already the base for some good magical stuff.
We can grow almost everything from medical plants to minor artifact-weapons with that stuff and since we have many Raptok we very likely also have the magic to keep them alive and grow more.
[X] Sezakan
The Dragon's Blood is too important an advantage to go without.
The Dragon's Blood is too important an advantage to go without.
OK, it's been 24 hours. Birbs it is. I already did the population rolls and... well let's just say they were interesting.
I'm aware, but there are degrees to this sort of thing. A wild hodgepodge of different species and people with animal parts who's tech base is centered on woodwork and open negotiations with the inhabitants of the wyld is way further along it than the others are.
The Voice in the High Hall (Character Creation Part I)
The Voice in the High Hall
Date Unknown, Elsewhere
Perhaps alone of all the cities of Creation Sezakan amid its lonely peaks was ruled in a line unbroken since the days of the High First Age. Though its memory was tattered by the slow decay of ages as the Essence Lights failed and scribes were forced once more to work by lantern light and fire's glow they never did forget that they were the heirs of those who had kept the faith in the Deliberative even as traitors raged across the face of Creation. Upon the walls of the Council Chamber etched in finely painted marble, as vivid now as it had been millennia ago the noble countenance of the first Solar Council look upon their decedents, with cold demanding gaze. Will you live up to our legacy? They seem to say. Will you fly the storm winds or instead crash and break upon the mountains of adversity?
Thirteen you are as thirteen there were of old and though the city beyond the windows of the Council Chamber is still and dark, lonely in its vastness with only seven thousand souls within halls that once held a quarter of a million you all still rule by virtue of the the Trials of Dawn which had been instituted when the last Solar Prince of the city was lost. Swiftest fliers are you and most skilled and puissant in the wielding of your own Essence, strong runs the blood of the High Airs in Sezakan as it has not in many a long years. Eleven hands in all of Exalted does the city count among its people, from silver-haired elder to fledgling new come to their power and twenty eight more bear the sign of divine favor upon their blood and their kin.
Gain 55 Azure Dragonbloods and 28 God-Blooded
Thus the priests of the The First Shrine of Sunset claimed it to be a sign, a portent from the Most High, some whispered even of the return of the Lawgivers who will reward you for keeping the faith. But when the world changed it was not in a corona of golden radiance but in a whirling kaleidoscope of color and sound, nameless passions and madness undreamt. The mountains heaved and for one dreadful moment you felt the Essence of the world break, like a calving piece of a glacier falling down in avalanche. And then like ice upon the mountain's slopes it settled elsewhere. The mountains around you were different and the veil of stars strange. Even the face of Luna is not the same, but smaller and more distant and when the sun rose its light seemed fainter and many despaired at the sign. Already some whisper in the market places that you are cursed, that the Council is curse for the choice it took in turnings of the Wheel past. You think back to that day... but you cannot bring yourself to reject the wing raised in approval of mercy.
Strangest of all portents and most divisive of Elder Blackfeather's decisions as Voice of the Council a pair of the Wyld Kissed now count Sezakan as their home, begotten when their mother, a skilled and savvy Relic Finder had delved too deep in the caves under the Mountains of Frost and come upon the Freehold of the Rashka who claimed those lands. Unlike most who happened upon such dwellings Cunning Sage of Serendipity was not drained of her life, nor was she even enslaved for she entranced the Prince with tales of what she had seen in her journeys and she defeated him often in games of whit and chance. In time she claims those contests lead her to his bed. Two children did she bear him as alike and as different from each other as two snowflakes and in one final trick of which she will not speak she won herself and her children free of her faerie lover returning to Sezakan on the night of the New Moon past when the Wyld is weakest.
A few called to expose the children, to leave them upon the mountain to perish or else be found by their accursed sire, but they were for all their strangeness as your people are of face and form and wing and so they were allowed to remain in the city in the care of their mother, though as all who are touched by the Wyld they are commanded by ancient law to bear and sire no children. The alternative would have been the loss of Cunning Sage of Serendipity not only a skilled Relic Finder but one of the Azure Dragons besides.
Gifts of the Wyld -> Gain 2 Fae-Blooded
"Were this 'prince' of Cunning Sage's able to move mountains she would not have escaped him!" you shout over the din of the council chambers. "Some greater power has moved us across Creation and now it is the place of the Council to lead, not cast blame one upon the other like children pointing fingers at each other over a broken Essence Light."
And so they are still, for now at least. Among those Thirteen you are the Voice of the City, first among equals and in this hour of tumult it falls to you as it did to Righteous Raging Storm to lead Sezakan... for now at least. How long you can keep your seat depends on your decisions in the days ahead.
You look into the darkened glass of the windows and see...
[] A man: Write in name
[] A woman : Write in name
As Sezakan has been inhabited continuously since the days of the Old Realm Sezakanian names are descriptors as was the custom in those days. Long descriptors are often shortened in casual conversation.
Whence springs the Essence that flows through you?
You have Five (5) Bonus points
[] Through long trials and thaumaturgic skill, you are a an Enlightened Mortal (Gain 2 Bonus points; Roll 3d6 for stats; Essence capped at 3)
[] From the gifts and the trysts of the small gods, you are God-Blooded (Roll 3d6 for stats re-roll lowest)
[] From the blood of the dragons who kept their vows, you are one of the Azure Dragons (Costs 2 Bonus points Roll 4d6 for stats)
What face looks back at you from the glass?
[] Write in character appearance (Optional; if none is chosen l I'll look for one)
OOC: Next update we will vote for traits, and the good ones will cost bonus points.
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- Location
- Germany
[X] Maximum Traits
-[X] A woman: Enduring Carrier of Indandescend Truths from the Silver Mountain (Short: Carrie)
-[X] Through long trials and thaumaturgic skill, you are a an Enlightened Mortal (Gain 2 Bonus points; Roll 3d6 for stats; Essence capped at 3)
-[X] Appearance: In your youth you were said to be beautiful, tall and elegant, with hair and feathers of the deepest blue, as the sky on the opposite pole to the setting sun. Now long work, meditation and travel upon the unforgiving mountains and simple time have turned your skin leathery, your muscles wired and your hair halfway to grey, though your wings still retain the luster of the evening sky
Okay, I know Exalted are objectivly better at most things, but I kinda like the idea of our leader being someone who has really worked her way up to wisdom and some slight measure of power, who has talked to the gods and the mountain as a supplicant and eventually returned as someone whom even the Dragonblooded respect to some degree.
Also I like having a lot of points to spend on traits, particularly if rare skills are among htose possible traits later.
Carrie would not be our last, or longest-lasting leader, but she seems like a decent start.
Edit: Also since we have wings anyway, a bit of anime-hair isn't really out there, right?
-[X] A woman: Enduring Carrier of Indandescend Truths from the Silver Mountain (Short: Carrie)
-[X] Through long trials and thaumaturgic skill, you are a an Enlightened Mortal (Gain 2 Bonus points; Roll 3d6 for stats; Essence capped at 3)
-[X] Appearance: In your youth you were said to be beautiful, tall and elegant, with hair and feathers of the deepest blue, as the sky on the opposite pole to the setting sun. Now long work, meditation and travel upon the unforgiving mountains and simple time have turned your skin leathery, your muscles wired and your hair halfway to grey, though your wings still retain the luster of the evening sky
Okay, I know Exalted are objectivly better at most things, but I kinda like the idea of our leader being someone who has really worked her way up to wisdom and some slight measure of power, who has talked to the gods and the mountain as a supplicant and eventually returned as someone whom even the Dragonblooded respect to some degree.
Also I like having a lot of points to spend on traits, particularly if rare skills are among htose possible traits later.
Carrie would not be our last, or longest-lasting leader, but she seems like a decent start.
Edit: Also since we have wings anyway, a bit of anime-hair isn't really out there, right?
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