Gems in the Wastes (Exalted/Warhammer Fantasy/CK2)

Notable Characters (Incomplete)
The Advisors
Thousand-Hours Gwai is the Eldest Living Son of the previous monarch of Uluiru, Queen Ulu, the eldest living Sovereign Exalt, and most importantly your eldest brother. He has worked for five centuries advising the crown, first as the Minister of Finance and now as the Minister of War. He earned his title in battle against the Thousand Talon Clan of Raksha, a winged flock of fae who he forced into a ceasefire of 42 days by fighting entirely on his lonesome. This act bought him not just his title, but also enough time for the rest of Uluiru's army to arrive and prepare defenses against further invasions.

Despite his vast array of skills and experience, Gwai is well-known to be a poor people person, only five centuries of life and Charms giving him the ability to conduct himself decently in a conversation. He is without humor, and it is only relatively recently that the anger he felt towards his family following his mother's death has faded. If any irritation remains, it is channeled towards protecting the people from their newfound foes. Despite this, he does love those family members who remain, even if he never had any children nor a spouse of his own.

Gwai takes the form of a old man with sagging black skin and a head covered with short white hair. His matching beard is trimmed in order to avoid look unruly. His physique despite his age is still well-sculpted and shaped, showing how much he trains to maintain his performance. Generally he prefers wrapping clothes around his body akin to togas, his wardrobe filled with blue, black and purple garbs. Thanks to his high Essence rating, his gleaming white eyes quite literally gleam, shining like a diamond in the light. His skin does the same, giving him almost a constant glow wherever light is available. When he fights, he does so using a spear made from white fireglass.

His Anima Banner takes the form of a brilliant white aura with mixes of blues and purples (hence his color palette.) At the Glowing Level, his eyes remain glowing even without other sources of light, as does his skin thanks to the white outline. His Burning Level is largely the same, just extending past his body into the nearby surroundings. His Bonfire Anima takes the form of a multi-headed Eidolon whose movements are out-of-sync with reality, at times moving too slow and other too fast to be normal. Unlike most Exalted, he has access to a level beyond Bonfire: Transcendent Anima. When his Anima Banner reaches this level, it can be seen from up to 50 miles away as the light stretches up to touch the sky. His Totem at this stage becomes even more complex with extra heads and limbs, and a war song can be heard emanating from the totem to terrify his enemies.

So, Thousand-Hours Gwai unlike everyone else here is a canon 3e Sovereign character. Introduced in Across the Eight Directions, I've tried to mostly stick by his short description while still making changes where needed. For example, there is no indication of him being Ulu's child, and it's likely that he was instead adopted into the family after becoming a Sovereign. Uluiru has a history of referring to household servants as "distant cousins," with more success entailing a closer connection until they become actual "cousins" through marriage into the family. Given that Gwai uses the word "cousins" to describe the royal family, its likely he was an outsider brought into the mix.

Being the case that Sovereign Aspects influence personality, I gave him the Diamond Aspect because I felt it fit his dispassionate nature the best. While he's technically described in canon as being a politician before anything else, I made him best-suited for Stewardship instead of Diplomacy because having poor amicability would not work well for a diplomat we would need to rely on. Thus, I went with the next best thing. Finally, I gave him Fount-of-Glories Incarnation (the lone Universal Sovereign Charm) because I felt that as the most powerful example of what a Sovereign could be he deserved to have access to the Transcendent Anima the Sovereigns are known for. Finally, I gave him the upgraded form of Bejeweled Eidolon Retainer because I thought it was really cool.

Below for the sake of disclosure, I've included his canonical description. From page 302 of Across the Eight Directions:

"No contender for Ulu's throne is more qualified than Thousand-Hours Gwai, who's devoted himself to the smooth functioning of the ministries. His ruthless clarity and dispassion — for which he's sometimes called the city's shadow-king — often tempered Ulu's bold nature. As the eldest and most experienced politician among the Sovereigns, he would be a natural successor... if family and citizens alike didn't despise him as a humorless taskmaster. His support could make or break another's claim. But in his earnest grief over the queen's death, he lashes out; the city's long mourning period made him bitter and quick to anger when any of his cousins fail to meet his standards of orderly and dignified conduct."
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 5
  3. Aspect: Diamond
  4. Personality: Stoic (+1 to Piety)
  5. Stats: Martial 17 (+12), Diplomacy 12 (+7), Stewardship 21 (+16), Intrigue 12 (+7), Piety 13 + 1 = 14 (+9), Learning 12 (+7), Combat 14 (+9)
  6. Advantage 1: Charm (Fount-of-Glories Incarnation: Can, if the roll result is within 3 points of winning, still succeed at the cost of sacrificing all subtlety and drawing divine attention. Won't matter for most actions).
  7. Advantage 2: Charm: (Bejeweled Eidolon Army: Can, over the course of a day, create up to a Size 5 army of Eidolons for his personal use. They have Quality 1 and Might 1. Lasts for 1 battle which he participates in, and cannot be used on the following turn.)
  8. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  9. Relation: Eldest Brother
Fumnanya [TO BE CONTINUED]

Fumnanya takes the form of a young woman of a milk chocolate complexion, skin kept meticulously clean via magic as her normal oils are no longer available, and obsidian fingernails betraying her magical nature. Speaking of which, her hair: Before becoming a sorcerer, Fumnanya's hair was a dark brown which tended to curl to a degree she was unhappy with. Since then, she has devoted uncountable hours of study to perform a Working upon herself... to make her hair wavy and sky-blue in color to match her eyes. You didn't have the slightest inclination to dip your toe into that hornet's nest of wasted effort, and instead simply congratulated her on the new look. Beyond that, she tends to dress extravagantly in different shades of blue, or at least mold her Anima into such clothes given the current lack of materials. Her fireglass bow, which rarely see use, tends to take the same shade. Other colors come and go, but the blue is always there.

The same is true of her Anima Banner. At the Glowing level it takes the form of a lazuli outline surrounding her body, with her eyes deepening their color. Her skin reflects the blue glow that comes from her own Anima, creating a pretty reflection. At the Burning level, the outline expands to a full aura, with the top producing a blue aurora trail. Finally, at the Bonfire level her Anima takes the form of herself but more perfected, an image without flaw and formed out of a sapphire luminescent texture. So beautiful is this image that those who see fall into an almost hypnotic spell, allowing Fumnanya to better work her magic on them.
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 2
  3. Aspect: Sapphire
  4. Personality: Self-Interested (+1 Diplomacy)
  5. Stats: Martial 12 (+7), Diplomacy 15 + 1 = 16 (+11), Stewardship 13 (+8), Intrigue 14 (+9), Piety 13 (+8), Learning 10 (+5), Combat 11 (+6)
  6. Advantage 1: Charm (Nightmare Odyssey Aria: Can render a Size 2 Group immune to the Wyld and greatly speeds up travel with them.)
  7. Advantage 2: Sorcerer (1st Circle; Arcane Mark: Death of Obsidian Butterflies)
  8. Spells Known: Death of Obsidian Butterflies
  9. Arcane Marks: Obsidian Fingernails (Death of Obsidian Butterflies)
  10. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  11. Relation: Great-Grandniece
Milosen Atara V'neef
  1. Exalt Type: Dragon-Blooded
  2. Essence 3
  3. Aspect: Water
  4. Personality: Slick (+1 Intrigue)
  5. Stats: Martial 14 (+9), Diplomacy 15 (+10), Stewardship 17 (+12), Intrigue 17 + 1 = 18 (+13), Piety 14 (+9), Learning 10 (+5), Combat 11 (+6)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Distraction of the Babbling Brook: Whenever this unit is used to establish a deal of any kind, can insert 1 hidden clause which the other party ignores and goes along with. Once per turn.)
  7. Nation of Origin: The Realm
  8. Relation: None
Evil-Smile Ekundayo is the second wife of your deceased sister Mojisola, after she lost her first in an attempt at Exaltation. As a child, she was the terror of house and school alike, with her ADHD-riddled brain making anything approaching boring academics to be an absolute chore. She would play pranks on anybody available to suffer them, laughing and smiling at the humiliating results. How she managed to attract Mojisola of all people, who was as strait-laced as they came, was a real mystery to your family, but perhaps the attraction of opposites was at play here.

Their relationship helped to curb Ekundayo's edges, bringing the "goblin" back down to a human state. While their love was genuine, and the Queen saw no issues with their marriage, all members of the family knew that she was unlikely to ever be permitted to bathe in the Fount of Glories. While academic knowledge was not the focus of the 44 Distinctions, it certainly played a part, and she wasn't exceptional enough in any of the formal testing areas to outweigh that deficit. Thus, it came as a surprise to many, yourself included, that your mother permitted her the attempt at all. Was there some many of Distinction that she did so well in, her prodigy status made her a shoe-in? That was the thought process of all involved, and you couldn't help but admit to falling into the same mindset. After all, the 44 Distinctions as well as the Queen's approval were the two things that decided whether you could try to Exalt or not, right?

Yet, many of the newer generations of Sovereigns forgot that there was a time when the Distinctions were not held in such high regard. There was a time when they didn't even exist. In those days, Queen Ulu alone determined who would enter the Fount, and in an act calling back to those days, she permitted Ekundayo to bathe in Glory without demonstrated prowess. At least, that was the cover story told to those inquiring. The reality was that your mother took on your sister-in-law as a wetwork operative, an assassin and spy. Keeping the nation secure one dubious act at a time, which no doubt played a part in her prankster nature flaring up again, to deal with the stress involved. But she did her job well, and so earned her Exaltation that way.

Ekundayo takes the form of a very short woman with dark skin and a small beehive hairdo. Her face, when not on the job, is rarely seen without her full-toothed grin, which gives an aura of savagery to those who see it for the first time. Her eyes in the light shine back with a multi-chromatic gleam, creating a kaleidoscope that's easy to draw your gaze in. She often wears more dark and unisex clothing, particularly when working, and wields twin knives to protect herself.

Her Anima Banner takes the form of a mostly blue, green and red collage of lights, calling to mind black opals. At the Glowing level, the color of her eyes darkens from a brighter rainbow to primarily those three colors, and her skin takes on a slight tint of the same. The Burning level is mostly the same, but brighter and with less mixing colors. At the Bonfire level, her Anima takes the form of a hobgoblin with a smile whose tips stretch unnaturally from its face, reaching a length as long as the creature is tall.
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 2
  3. Aspect: Opal
  4. Personality: Gremlin (+1 Intrigue)
  5. Stats: Martial 10 (+5), Diplomacy 15 (+10), Stewardship 10 (+5), Intrigue 17 + 1 = 18 (+13), Piety 14 (+9), Learning 7 (+2), Combat 13 (+8)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Secret Flame Brilliance: Immune to powers which would intrude on the mind: Mind-reading, dream-sensing, sense-sharing, etc. Does not work on mind control.)
  7. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  8. Relation: Sister-in-law
Chinasa, Blood of the Faith [TO BE CONTINUED]

Chinasa takes the form of a young woman with a shaved head, garbed in leather armor dyed with dark reds and browns on the outer edges. Her limbs are instead protected with brown and black plate, creating a gradient of black to red along her hands and into her core. Her red eyes hold an intimidating glare to them which demands respect. In battle, she wields her fireglass greatsword to devastating effect, cleaving through foes and drenching the already sunset-red material in further crimson.

That same sunset-red can be seen in her Anima Banner, which at the Glowing level creates a crimson layer that refracts off of her skin and eyes. At the Burning level, it expands to take up physical space and becomes bright enough to blind those unprepared to look at her. At the Bonfire level, a scarlet fortress is erected around the location to defend those Chinasa cares about. Unlike most Sovereigns, the light of this Totem is so bright that it sears the eyes, making attempts to fight her seem impossible.
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 2
  3. Aspect: Ruby
  4. Personality: Hothead (+1 Combat)
  5. Stats: Martial 13 (+8), Diplomacy 13 (+8), Stewardship 7 (+2), Intrigue 11 (+6), Piety 15 (+10), Learning 11 (+6), Combat 14 + 1 = 15 (+10)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Sacred Presence Illumination: Can see and render any immaterial character visible. Also works on possessing entities.)
  7. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  8. Relation: Sister-in-law
Co-Ministers:
Nkiru
  1. Mortal
  2. Advantage: Sorcerer (Control Spell: Blood Lash (DC 20 + Wound); Arcane Mark: Dark prominent veins which when bleeding allow for the blood to be controlled and manipulated.)
  3. Personality: Studious (+1 Learning)
  4. Stats: Martial 12 (+2), Diplomacy 16 (+6), Stewardship 9 (-1), Intrigue 9 (-1), Piety 7 (-3), Learning 18 + 1 = 19 (+9), Combat 14 (+4)
  5. Spells Known: Blood Lash, Fugue of Truth
  6. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  7. Relation: Student
Taiwo
  1. Mortal
  2. Advantage: Sorcerer (Control Spell: Flight of Separation (DC 30); Arcane Mark: Can speak with birds and is generally liked by them.)
  3. Personality: Cautious (+1 Stewardship)
  4. Stats: Martial 10 (0), Diplomacy 12 (+2), Stewardship 12 + 1 = 13 (+3), Intrigue 15 (+5), Piety 12 (+2), Learning 19 (+9), Combat 11 (+1)
  5. Spells Known: Flight of Separation, Fugue of Truth
  6. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  7. Relation: Student
Innocent Songbird
  • Exalt Type: Dragon-Blooded
  • Essence 2
  • Aspect: Wood
  • Personality: Repentant (+1 Piety)
  • Stats: Martial 10 (+5), Diplomacy 13 (+8), Stewardship 10 (+5), Intrigue 9 (+4), Piety 13 + 1 = 14 (+9), Learning 12 (+7), Combat 15 (+10)
  • Advantage: Wood Dragon Style (The User uses their Full Essence score to determine their maximum Wounds as opposed to Essence/2. They can abstain from attacking to heal 1 of their own Wounds per battle, which is reset whenever they inflict a Wound onto an enemy independent character. If the user fights a spirit(s), they gain Best of 2 for all of their combat rolls.)
  • Nation of Origin: The Realm
  • Relation: None

The Heroes
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 1
  3. Aspect: Diamond
  4. Personality: Unbiased (+1 Diplomacy)
  5. CURRENT Stat Schema: X - 10 (X - 5 from Turn 5 onwards)
  6. Final Stats: Martial 13 (+3/8), Diplomacy 8 + 1 = 9 (-1/+4), Stewardship 13 (+3/8), Intrigue 9 (-1/+4), Piety 9 (-1/+4), Learning 13 (+3/8), Combat 18 (+8/13)
  7. Advantage (Activates on Turn 5): Martial Art: White Reaper Style (When fighting against battalions, treats their Quality as 1 lower (this CAN go below 0 to -1). Whenever the user inflicts a Wound on a battalion, gains a +5 bonus to all rolls to resist supernatural influence (up to +25) which lasts for that battle.)
  8. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  9. Relation: Mother's Guard
Abioye [TO BE CONTINUED]

In terms of appearance, Abioye has the appearance of a woman in her 30s with her hair arranged into a carefully curated mess of curly tendrils. Her eyes shine a bright green, while her skin in the right lighting reflects a pale mint rather than deep mahogany. She often covers herself in long emerald dresses with gold accessories which reflect the wealth she (typically) holds at her disposal. In the current situation, she has graciously reduced her visible amounts of jewelry to avoid giving off too vain of an appearance. Despite her delicate appearance, she knows at least some basic knowledge in fisticuffs, allowing the second mouth held in her left hand to bite and suck on those it touches.

As she uses Essence, her green Anima Banner coats her body. At the Glowing level, this also magnifies the shine in both her eyes and skin to appear no matter the lighting. At the Burning level, the sheathe of green expands outward like a shield against the world's troubles. At the Bonfire level, she manifests a pile of emeralds as tall as the mountains, which inflames the greed in all who see it. That same greed then transfers over to Abioye herself, allowing her to better convince those interested in what she has to offer.
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 3
  3. Aspect: Emerald
  4. Personality: Greedy (+1 Stewardship)
  5. Stats: Martial 7 (+2), Diplomacy 15 (+10), Stewardship 12 + 1 = 13 (+8), Intrigue 13 (+8), Piety 17 (+12), Learning 11 (+6), Combat 8 (+3)
  6. Advantage: Sorcerer (1st Circle; Arcane Mark: Unslakable Thirst of the Devil-Maw)
  7. Spells Known: Unslakable Thirst of the Devil-Maw
  8. Arcane Mark: Second Mouth (Unslakable Thirst of the Devil-Maw)
  9. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  10. Relation: Grandniece
  1. Exalt Type: Dragon-Blooded
  2. Essence 3
  3. Aspect: Fire
  4. Personality: Death-Destined (+1 Combat)
  5. Stats: Martial 17 (+12), Diplomacy 8 (+3), Stewardship 13 (+8), Intrigue 15 (+10), Piety 9 (+4), Learning 11 (+6), Combat 16 + 1 = 17 (+12)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Deadly Wildfire Legion: Grants one battle group per battle/turn magical/fire attacks. This grants them +1 Might against foes vulnerable to fire.)
  7. Nation of Origin: Lookshy
  8. Relation: None
  1. Exalt Type: Dragon-Blooded
  2. Essence 2
  3. Aspect: Air
  4. Personality: Studious (+1 Learning)
  5. Stats: Martial 9 (+4), Diplomacy 10 (+5), Stewardship 11 (+6), Intrigue 12 (+7), Piety 10 (+5), Learning 11 + 1 = 12 (+7), Combat 10 (+5)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Whispering Dragon Soul: Can perfectly contain and conceal Anima Banner.)
  7. Nation of Origin: The Realm
  8. Relation: None
  1. Exalt Type: Sovereign
  2. Essence 1
  3. Aspect: Sapphire
  4. Personality: Secretive (+1 Intrigue)
  5. CURRENT Stat Schema: X - 10 (X - 5 from Turn 5 onwards)
  6. Final Stats: Martial 11 (+1/+6), Diplomacy (+2/+7), Stewardship (+0/+5), Intrigue 13 + 1 = 14 (+4/+9), Piety 15 (+5/+10), Learning 7 (-3/+2), Combat 16 (+6/+11)
  7. Advantage (Activates on Turn 5): Martial Art: Falcon Style (Can fight against airborne units without penalty. User gains +10 to rolls involving difficult terrain or walls, either benefiting from or fighting against such circumstances.)
  8. Nation of Origin: Unknown (Western Native)
  9. Relation: Mother's Assassin
  1. Exalt Type: Dragon-Blooded
  2. Essence 2
  3. Aspect: Earth
  4. Personality: Commanding (+1 Martial)
  5. Stats: Martial 14 + 1 = 15 (+10), Diplomacy 5 (+0), Stewardship 13 (+8), Intrigue 9 (+4), Piety 12 (+7), Learning 9 (+4), Combat 14 (+9)
  6. Advantage: Charm (Ramparts of Obedient Earth: Gains a random amount of points per encounter which can be spent to instantly create/destroy fortifications on the field. Out of combat, grants a +10 bonus to rolls to build and mold earthen structures.)
  7. Nation of Origin: The Realm? (Outcaste)
  8. Relation: None
  1. Exalt Type: Getimian
  2. Essence 1
  3. Caste: Autumn
  4. Personality: Shy (+1 Piety)
  5. Unique Stat Schema: Uses X - 5 for her stat bonus. However, every other turn, the task under her jurisdiction has its Difficulty reduced the by 10.
  6. Stats: Martial 14 (+9), Diplomacy 11 (+6), Stewardship 14 (+9), Intrigue 11 (+6), Piety 16 + 1 = 17 (+12), Learning 9 (+4), Combat 13 (+8)
  7. Advantage: Silver-Voiced Nightingale Style (Users can substitute their Diplomacy stat bonus for their Martial or Combat stat bonus. If their Martial or Combat stat bonus would be higher, add 1/2 of their Diplomacy stat bonus to the Martial or Combat stat bonus. Gains more bonuses with further mastery. Rising Dawn can instruct others in this style, up to the form.)
  8. Nation of Origin: @#%#%@$%
  9. Relation: ^(&**^*
Lumusi, Mawunyo & Mobolaji
  1. Mortals (Group)
  2. Stats (Uses Highest of the 3): Martial 12 (+2), Diplomacy 13 (+3), Stewardship 15 (+5), Intrigue 13 (+3), Piety 14 (+4), Learning 17 (+7), Combat 16 (+6)
  3. Nation of Origin: Uluiru
  4. Relation: Student, Student, Student/Son


Very much a work in progress, will add histories and character descriptions at a later date. Will also add the newest Sovereigns at a later date.

EDIT: Changed Rising Dawn's Stat effect, and added Gwai's character description, appearance, design philosophy and canon facts. Please check out if you want to learn more.

EDIT 2: Added Amadi and Manaia's sheets, and added Ekundayo's full backstory and description.

EDIT 3: Added the physical and Anima descriptions for Abioye, Chinasa and Fumnanya.
 
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Should probably switch the second bit here to 'every other turn' or something like that, since it's every other turn as a Hero.
Fixed, and added Gwai's full description and design philosophy to fill things out more, as well as show what each character entry should typically look like. Now that that's done, I'm going to get started on writing up the intrigue action results.
 
Intrigue stuff is taking longer than I thought it might, so I might have to put it on the back burner for a bit while I work on something else.

In other news, like I did with the stone-generating options, I'm thinking of moving the housing actions to Piety instead of Stewardship. That way, Stewardship won't be as crowded and the Ministry of Public Works can actually do some stuff for the public.
 
Intrigue stuff is taking longer than I thought it might, so I might have to put it on the back burner for a bit while I work on something else.

In other news, like I did with the stone-generating options, I'm thinking of moving the housing actions to Piety instead of Stewardship. That way, Stewardship won't be as crowded and the Ministry of Public Works can actually do some stuff for the public.

That seems reasonable. Stewardship is pretty heavily loaded at the moment.

Speaking of making Stone, is an action making more than one of that at a time available as a Celestial Working? We kinda need a lot of it and if Sango could do it in one action...
 
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I think that seems reasonable, I'll just need to figure out a good enough conversion rate.

A lot of stuff is 1 to 10 when you scale it up like that, but that definitely seems excessive. Maybe five? That'd get us enough stone to make houses for our whole populace in one action (though we'd still need to spend the actions making them). Three is probably as low as it should go, and five seems better to me.
 
They're an Apocryphal/Optional type of Exalted available in the Exigents book in 3e. Unlike the other two optional Exalts (Dream-Souled and Umbral), they're not optional because they might or might not exist as the ST chooses, but rather whether they are even in play or not. No matter what, they DO exist because of how important they are to the Sovereign's origin story.
Or, they don't exist in the main setting, because they make no sense.
The entire point of the Exaltations being designed the way they were was to prevent something like the Heart Eaters from becoming a thing. So them having happened anyway makes Autochthon, Gaia, and the Incarnae look like incompetent ass-clowns.

The Heart Eaters can exist, or they can just as easily not exist.
But nothing about the setting or it's history forces you to have them in it.
edit:
To give an example of what I'm prattling on about, let's say that instead of Aurora the Unconquered Sun was captured and murdered;
The Solars lose access to the Holy Keyword and a few specific Charms.....that's it, because the Exaltations were designed to operate interdependently of their patrons in order to prevent exactly that kind of subversion.
 
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The entire point of the Exaltations being designed the way they were was to prevent something like the Heart Eaters from becoming a thing. So them having happened anyway makes Autochthon, Gaia, and the Incarnae look like incompetent ass-clowns.
Ignoring how other Exaltations in canon were corrupted by much more restricted Yozi and Neverborn (as compared to the fully alive and potent Primordials) for the moment, the point of the Exalted was that they couldn't be commanded by their Incarnae creators, not that they couldn't be corrupted. This ritual did not involve the Primordials commanding Aurora to turn or corrupt his Chosen, it involved his dead body to generate something akin to the Great Curse, except this time using the dying energies of an unwilling Incarna instead of a willing Neverborn to ensure it affected all of the Aurorals. Saying that the makers of the Exaltations were incompetent for something like this when the Great Curse itself happened in canon is selectively picking and choosing which parts of the canon to have a problem with.
The Heart Eaters can exist, or they can just as easily not exist.
But nothing about the setting or it's history forces you to have them in it.
Then why the hell is Aurora dead? Why aren't there any Auroral Exalted roaming around the place? Aurora can't be alive because the Sovereigns WOULD NOT EXIST without his death, he can't be nonexistent either for that same reason. And he can't have been a non-participant in the Divine Revolution because
A) As a God of amazing strength, being a bystander was not an option, that's part of what got Nebiru, the actual optionally canon Incarna, torn to pieces by his siblings. He needed to have participated in the Divine Revolution in some way, and the way he would have done that is by making his own chosen.
B) It's stated in the text for the Sovereigns that Aurora was a participant, you don't even need to draw on the section for the Heart-Eaters in Exigents for that detail.
C) He wouldn't have a funeral-manse in Yu-Shan mourning his death during the Divine Revolution as revealed in Sidereals: Charting Fate's Course if that didn't happen.

And as for the Aurorals, they can't exist as uncorrupted beings as part of the setting because otherwise, why would they not be welcome and accepted by all? The Aurorals were the bards and peacemakers of the Exalted Host, they were the people who made friends and unified the group so that internal dissention didn't stop the Divine Revolution in its tracks! You really think the Sidereals would kill off their best shot at maintaining stability in Creation after they got rid of the Solars and Lunars? They may make dumb decisions on occassion, but even the Great Curse only goes so far in influencing them towards stupidity.

And then there's the simple, if meta, fact that the players voted that they would be a persistent element in the Quest. How am I supposed to not have Heart-Eaters if that's the option they took?

I genuinely don't understand what your problem is here. It's like not like I've invented an Exalt Type from nothing but dreams and air. They are an official creation of the Exalted 3e developers, published in an official Exalted 3e book with charms and everything.
 
I mean, my personal head canon is that the heart eaters were cursed a lot worse than like, idk, Lunars would be, because their patron is all about connections, rather than like. Being too insane to drive insane and whatnot.

Don't mean to contradict the QM, just adding my own take.
 
Or, they don't exist in the main setting, because they make no sense.
The entire point of the Exaltations being designed the way they were was to prevent something like the Heart Eaters from becoming a thing. So them having happened anyway makes Autochthon, Gaia, and the Incarnae look like incompetent ass-clowns.

The Heart Eaters can exist, or they can just as easily not exist.
But nothing about the setting or it's history forces you to have them in it.
edit:
To give an example of what I'm prattling on about, let's say that instead of Aurora the Unconquered Sun was captured and murdered;
The Solars lose access to the Holy Keyword and a few specific Charms.....that's it, because the Exaltations were designed to operate interdependently of their patrons in order to prevent exactly that kind of subversion.

The point of the Exaltations was to prevent Primordial control. Lo and behold, the Primordials did not control the Heart Eaten, that is it, everything works as intended. Nowhere does it say that death of a patron cannot have deleterious effects, much less if they die while captive rather than on a battlefield somewhere. The fact of that matter is we do not know what the Primordials whole and powerful in their wrath could have done with a dying Sun. We do know what the Yozis and the Neverborn, shades of their former selves could do to Solar Exaltations and... it ain't good.
 
I think trying to draw parallels between 2e and 3e lore might not be wise porpoise.

And return of the Scarlet empress has always been... contentious. Even if I was more a less okay with it.
 
I think trying to draw parallels between 2e and 3e lore might not be wise porpoise.

And return of the Scarlet empress has always been... contentious. Even if I was more a less okay with it.

Thing is there are some things that are 2E only (because the 3E lore for them has not come out) and others which are 3E only (because they are new) so when comparing them one pretty much has to go cross editions.
 
Turn 3.5 (Part 2; Infiltration)
-[X][Sneak] Free the Bound Hydra (Medium Action DC, Medium Escape DC)
--[X] Ekundayo (Intrigue +13, Martial + Combat = +13)

Infiltration DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 45 + 13 = 58, Bare Failure!

Hidden Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 13 (Ekundayo's Intrigue) = +13
Roll: 4 + 13 = 17, Failure!

Loud Escape DC 60
Roll Bonus: 5 (Martial + 8 (Combat) = +13
Roll: 66 + 13 = 79, success!


It was a rare time that Ekundayo regretted not signing up for an assassination mission with little information. Generally speaking, any mission which did not have an extensive outline of facts for who was who, who liked who, and other such details was a risky one. And risky missions were to be avoided if they weren't necessary. There was many a time that she declined to take on a task because almost nothing was known about the people involved, and many a time that she had to accept such jobs because there was no one else skilled enough to do it. Being one of the very few "subtle" Sovereigns in Uluiru had a tendency of forcing you into wetwork, unfortunately.

In this case, Ekundayo was regretting her decision to turn down the assassination job. After all, if her potential target was going to make it so EASY for her to take out, why would she not at least make an attempt?

Oh sure, the commander, a pointed-ear in finely detailed black and purple armor, a sword at his hip, SEEMED like he had everything under his control… if you were a moron. She was sure that any of her fellow advisors, any of her fellow Exalts, maybe even the average citizen of Uluiru could see that this man's rule was tenuous at best. And if the average outsider could see that his grip was slacking, what about those within his culture?

Observe, for a moment, the individual in question. Despite his straight back and attention to the massive multi-headed serpent ahead of him, his skin is noticeably paler than that of his nearby cohorts, and that was unlikely to be because it was naturally that way. The setting sun's light reflected off of the sweat dotting his face, betraying his lack of composure and elevated heart rate. His hands were fidgeting in front of his groin, closer to his sword sheath, twisting their mutual grip of each other instead of remaining still. A more confident officer likely would have his hands solidly situated behind his back, showing that he had nothing to fear from the situation in front of him by mildly restraining his appendages. Then again, that was her own culture's mindset informing her here, but that's besides the point.

Observe here, the commander's own guard. These soldiers, and they are very much soldiers, having trained their skills and bloodlust until it could be restrained to the smallest percentile. These guards are arrayed in some of the finest black-and-gold armor and spears she has ever seen in her life, at least for common warriors. They did not seem to display the supernatural potency of the common magical materials, but if they did not have SOMETHING magical done to them, she would have eaten her mud-splattered shoes. Likely a divine blessing, or perhaps sorcery, if she had to guess. Regardless, these were top-of-the-line fighters, which meant that their service to this fool of a general was strange.

How could a veteran squadron of soldiers ever willingly lend their service to a man who was visibly too inexperienced and unconfident to acquire their services normally? Her best guess was an inheritance of some sort, maybe his parents or the like gifted these warriors to his service in order to ensure he had the best protection possible. Yet… that didn't seem right… She analyzed their behavior with her full attention, watching how they genuflected to their nominal leader. How they stood a great deal further from their protectee than actual guards should, particularly those situated behind him who were not even allowed to look in his direction. Or, more importantly, the direction of his noticeably unprotected back. Even the guards at his side who DID face him gave only the barest respect expected from their job, giving him looks of disdain when he wasn't, no, even when he WAS looking. Guards of this caliber would not dare to express such public dislike to the child of their lord, they would express their hatred in private. Which meant that…

'These aren't his parent's guards, they're someone else's. Maybe his liege lord's? But if that was the case, why would he maintain such a great distance from those who are supposed to protect his body like, you know, bodyguards? Does he expect them to backstab him at any moment? Why would… And then it clicked.

The realization occurred, and Evil-Smile Ekundayo lived up to her title with the nastiest grin she could muster.

This? This commander? That was no man. That was a lamb to the slaughter. An example waiting to be made for incompetence. The moment he slipped up (and with that giant unruly snake of his tugging at its chains, that wouldn't be hard), his supposed "protectors" would likely put both the behemoth AND their supposed ward to the sword for what she had to guess was "the good of the realm." More than likely, what that really meant was politics. Either this fool's lord was worried about his rising star, or simply thought he was useless and wanted him eliminated to prevent further mistakes. That was her best guess at the moment.

Unfortunately, those same guards did seem alert enough that they could possibly sense her if she approached. That meant that sneaking towards the beast's chains, or the sorceress visibly pacifying the monster via a brown streak of magic, was unlikely to work. With those options eliminated, it was unlikely that she would be able to free the behemoth anytime soon. Letting out a sigh, Ekundayo turned away to make her way out of the camp-

-And had to dodge out of the way of a spear aimed towards her back. It was one of those veteran guards! Two, actually, his partner was right next to him ready to spitroast her with his halberd. Already the first soldier was retracting his polearm to make another thrust, and she knew that while she was good in a fight, she wasn't good enough to take down two elites with no armor on her person. She could manifest her fireglass set from her Anima, but that would blow her cover even more, and she had no intentions of informing the enemy on what her kind could do.

So, she ran. Ran towards the guards in the clearing, which both got her out of the range of the first two soldiers, and surprised those in the field. She then took a 90-degree turn to the left, heading away from both groups with a speed that was sadly atypical of her kind. Already she could feel the light of her Anima Banner beginning to form, it was always annoying how little it took for a Sovereign such as herself to let loose her light, PARTICULARLY when it was most inconvenient. The few motes stored in her body which didn't resound with light and music had already consumed themselves in her analysis, and now she was forced to draw on the less pure, though much more numerous drops of power to ensure her escape.

It wasn't much, the Sovereign Exalted were not meant for speed nor stealth, but when you tossed enough divine power at a problem (and the more her Anima Banner shined, the more power she had available), you eventually could work out a solution. Eventually, her Banner took on its totemic form, an opal goblinoid creature with a smile that stretched from as long as the creature was tall. So it was that she tossed mote after mote at the issue, fueling her legs even as they burned with the exertion, and led a bright and speedy escape outside of the enemy camp. Eventually, she was able to throw off her pursuers in the woods and hide away in the mountains while her Anima burned down.

It took much of her allowed time to get back to Uluiru without anyone following behind her, but she at least made it back in time to report her findings. What her king would do with that information was his prerogative.

While the Hydra could not be freed, Ekundayo was able to provide some much needed information regarding the army's leadership.

Full Enemy Army List revealed! Rolls for unit quality are listed after their name.


  • Commander (18): Paranoid, Overextended/DOOMED Dreadlord; Poor Leader, uses Sword and Shield
  • Sub-Commander (24): Lore of Beasts Sorceress; Does not have a good relationship with Commander
  • Sword Infantry (84): Executioners of Har Ganeth; Size 3, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Infantry)
  • Lance Infantry (64): Black Guard of Naggarond; Size 2 -> 1, Quality 2, Might 1 (2 Against Cavalry and Large Targets)
  • Ranged Infantry (8): None
  • Cavalry (25): Dark Riders; Size 1, Quality 1, Might 1
  • Monsters (89): War Hydra; Size 4, Quality 0, Might 3

-[X][Sneak] Poison the Food/Water Supply (Low Action DC, Low Escape DC)
--[X] Scouts (Intrigue +0, Increases DC by 10 but grants Best of 2 for rolls.)

Infiltration DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 90, 52 = Success!

Hidden Escape DC 40 + 10 (Untrained) = 50
Roll Bonus: None
Roll: 40, 62 = Success!

Meanwhile, Ekundayo's bright exit proved to be a boon for the less experienced scouts, who were able to exploit the distraction for all that it was worth. Using clothes fashioned in the same manner as the slaves captured back in New Uluiru, they were easily able to walk inside the kitchen tents which supplied the army's food. From there, a whole variety of toxic concoctions were liberally spread amongst the remaining food and water supplies. Breads dusted with powder that resembled flour but which inflicted bloody flux. Nightshade leaves mixed in with the tea leaves, arsenic mixed into the water barrels, the whole affair was quite extensive. In the end, every "expendable" stock of poison which the Ministry of Vigilance had on hand was used up, requiring that future stores of the stuff would need manpower to be created.

And though the scouts exited before they could see the effects of their sabotage, the effects would be readily apparent in the next few days. When the pointed-ear army arrived outside of the homestead's walls, the humans would not see a well-organized and disciplined force. They would see an army clutching its stomachs, panting with unnatural exhaustion, and hateful glares directed towards the army commander, the sole individual spared this awful array of symptoms.

Poison Results are as follows:
Commander DC 90
Roll: 63, failure. Commander is not poisoned.

Sorceress DC 80
Roll: 76, bare failure! Sorceress suffers -5 penalty to rolls.

Black Guard DC 70
Roll: 98, very successful! Size reduced from 2 to 1. -15 penalty to rolls.

Executioners DC 60
Roll: 67, success! -10 penalty to rolls.

Cavalry DC 40
Roll: 42, success! -10 penalty to rolls

Hydra: Auto-Immune

As an unexpected consequence of literally everyone except for the commander being poisoned, resentment has been created amongst the army! An additional -10 penalty to the morale rolls of all units has been applied.
A Critical Fail on enemy morale rolls will result in the unit turning against their commander to kill him!


Author's Note: This is your reminder that Ekundayo's insights are based on limited information, which may or may not be correct. What she IS correct about however is that the Commander's army do not feel any real loyalty to him, which would have been discovered if Fuvor's roll during Turn 3 had a better result. Honestly, the rolls for this group are hilariously lopsided, if the Commander had rolled any lower I might not have had a general for the army in the first place! Instead, they get an ineffectual and incredibly paranoid elf in charge of everyone.

As for why this is the case story-wise, that will be explained later, as I intend to have at least one segment done from the Dark Elves' perspective. Suffice to say, there will be a reason for why a guy like this has troops like that.

If you're wondering how she was able to intuit even this much, Sovereigns have a number of Socialize Charms dedicated to sensing relationships between leaders and their subordinates, which really helped here story-wise even if they aren't used mechanically.

I'll try and get started on the battle plan vote, but that might take some time so don't panic if nothing comes of it for a few days.

EDIT: if you're wondering about the mote thing that Ekundayo was talking about, Sovereigns in the tabletop have absurdly low Personal Motes (Essence + 4) and fairly high Peripheral Motes (30 + (Essence x 4)). In her case, at Essence 2 she would have 6 Personal Motes and 38 Peripheral, while Gwai would have 9 and 50 respectively.
 
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As an unexpected consequence of literally everyone except for the commander being poisoned, resentment has been created amongst the army! An additional -10 penalty to the morale rolls of all units has been applied. A Critical Fail on enemy morale rolls will result in the unit turning against their commander to kill him!
If I was from a race renowned for backstabbing and cruelty and everyone was poisoned but me, I would run for the nearest manchineel tree or other poisonous plant immediately.
 
…that went incredibly well. Wow.

I'm betting on our victory. They're poisoned, demoralized, and attacking an intrenched position with defensive enchantments.
 
Ignoring how other Exaltations in canon were corrupted by much more restricted Yozi and Neverborn (as compared to the fully alive and potent Primordials) for the moment, the point of the Exalted was that they couldn't be commanded by their Incarnae creators, not that they couldn't be corrupted.
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I genuinely don't understand what your problem is here. It's like not like I've invented an Exalt Type from nothing but dreams and air. They are an official creation of the Exalted 3e developers, published in an official Exalted 3e book with charms and everything.
Individual exaltations can be corrupted, if they aren't currently connected to an Exalt, I just don't believe that an entire type of Exalt can be turned on it's head in an instant due to something unrelated to them.
As an example. If they were chased out into the Wyld like the Lunars, and fared worse due to not having the types of resistances and adaptability the Lunars have, and that's why the Aurorals became Heart Eaters? I think
I could accept that.

And I don't have a problem with them being in the quest, just the insistence that the Exalted Setting would fall apart without them.
Sadly this is the Chaos Wastes, you really should not be putting things out there in your mouth or poison wold be the least of your worries.
This is "only" Naggaroth, not the Northern Wastes.
 
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Could we capture the general? I imagine they might know some things about our enemy. Maybe even secrets.

Personally I think the Sorceress might be interesting. Normally I would rate trying to get useful info out of a Dark Elf Sorceress as well below snow ball's chance in hell, but we are playing a Solar, perfect effects including in social combat are things we can do. Be the Dark Elves ever so treacherous I don't think they can match that.
 
Could we capture the general? I imagine they might know some things about our enemy. Maybe even secrets.
That's a strategy you can attempt, yeah. Will make it a bit more difficult to defeat him, but he's not a great fighter anyways.

And yeah, the Sorceress is also viable, but more able to break free from whatever prison you put her in.
 
That's a strategy you can attempt, yeah. Will make it a bit more difficult to defeat him, but he's not a great fighter anyways.

And yeah, the Sorceress is also viable, but more able to break free from whatever prison you put her in.

I... don't want to put her in prison. I want to have a chat with her. The thing is we cannot have any relationship with any dark elves that's not at the point of a spear until we get their leadership to take us seriously. We need someone important enough to get some kind of hearing to carry a message (which may or may not include the head of the commander). So we can pick up the sorceress and inform her with all the sincerity our social charms can muster 'we are going to let you go after six months as a messenger if you will only share some basic insights about your people, the kind a random trader in one of your ports would have'.

At that point she would have the choice of believing us, which costs her nothing and assure her comfortable living conditions or go against the insane sorcerer who seems to have swallowed some kind of divine solar energy. She might still choose to take her chances, but on the balance I think it is more likely than not that a sorceress will consider our offer seriously... especially if we can guarantee her a 'reasonable standard of living' as our 'involuntary guest'.
 
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