- Location
- Brittany, France
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Just to be clear, when I'm posting in no caps it's
That was a joke, don't worry about it 😛
General Exalted Thread
Have another 1CD and associated XS statline
Arnykisallat, the Guides of Shadow
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of the Night Hare
Sometimes the demon Lelabet gathers ore from the black moon Noh, and from her mother's bounty she commissions the making of a mask. Such is the birth of an arykisallat, and Lelabet does not make them save as a gift for those she favours. Only when she is sure that the demon is properly wrought does she release them into the world, sending them to one who has petitioned her for favour. Scuttingling through the world, the mask hides in shadows and speaks of many things that the powerful would forbid to those weaker than them; forbidden lore, secret truths, and oft-censored facts.
These demons have the form of a mask of dark metal which shines with a dark lustre, always facing their student and never turning away. Some masks are in the shape of animals, others of men or women, others yet of other demon breeds, but though the arykisallat themselves debate what this means of Lelabet's plans for them, they do not know for sure. A profusion of legs from many night-dwelling beasts sprouts from the back of the mask, carrying the arykisallat where it needs to go. Dark hair, akin to that of the angyalka, is used as a man would his hands — and these demons have more than a little fondness for the art of calligraphy.
The arykisallat hate the work of censors in all their forms. For that reason, Hell ill-suits them and those who cannot find their way back to Lelabet's cloak retreat to the too-quiet outskirts where sand chokes the brass-and-basalt buildings and the roaming eyes of adder-tongued Orabilis seldom come. The demons themselves ascribe no particular value to the knowledge they teach; it is the joy of sharing that which others would seek to hide that drives them. Thus, they are just as active out in the world to hunt down more hidden things that they can so generously share with others.
Sorcerers and cultists alike call on these demons to learn from them, for not only do they bring secret knowledge but they can also teach things that might allow even a mortal to capture something of a demon's power. Some even choose to don the arykisallat, though those who do this are never quite the same again. Strong light and the wood of the elm burn these demons, and those sorcerers who do not wish them spying on their own hidden secrets make sure to line their doorframes with that wood if they call on these demons. Sometimes, an arykisallat escapes into the world when a learned mortal calls upon the gods in a frustrated search for knowledge during the early hours of the morning.
Arnykisallat, the Guides of Shadow
Demon of the First Circle
Progeny of the Night Hare
Sometimes the demon Lelabet gathers ore from the black moon Noh, and from her mother's bounty she commissions the making of a mask. Such is the birth of an arykisallat, and Lelabet does not make them save as a gift for those she favours. Only when she is sure that the demon is properly wrought does she release them into the world, sending them to one who has petitioned her for favour. Scuttingling through the world, the mask hides in shadows and speaks of many things that the powerful would forbid to those weaker than them; forbidden lore, secret truths, and oft-censored facts.
These demons have the form of a mask of dark metal which shines with a dark lustre, always facing their student and never turning away. Some masks are in the shape of animals, others of men or women, others yet of other demon breeds, but though the arykisallat themselves debate what this means of Lelabet's plans for them, they do not know for sure. A profusion of legs from many night-dwelling beasts sprouts from the back of the mask, carrying the arykisallat where it needs to go. Dark hair, akin to that of the angyalka, is used as a man would his hands — and these demons have more than a little fondness for the art of calligraphy.
The arykisallat hate the work of censors in all their forms. For that reason, Hell ill-suits them and those who cannot find their way back to Lelabet's cloak retreat to the too-quiet outskirts where sand chokes the brass-and-basalt buildings and the roaming eyes of adder-tongued Orabilis seldom come. The demons themselves ascribe no particular value to the knowledge they teach; it is the joy of sharing that which others would seek to hide that drives them. Thus, they are just as active out in the world to hunt down more hidden things that they can so generously share with others.
Sorcerers and cultists alike call on these demons to learn from them, for not only do they bring secret knowledge but they can also teach things that might allow even a mortal to capture something of a demon's power. Some even choose to don the arykisallat, though those who do this are never quite the same again. Strong light and the wood of the elm burn these demons, and those sorcerers who do not wish them spying on their own hidden secrets make sure to line their doorframes with that wood if they call on these demons. Sometimes, an arykisallat escapes into the world when a learned mortal calls upon the gods in a frustrated search for knowledge during the early hours of the morning.
Arnykisallat, the Guide of Shadow |
Teacher of Censored Lore, Skulking and Watching | 9 |
Fleeing, Calligraphy | 6 |
Tertiary | 3 |
| Resolve | 3 | Health | 4 | Hardness | 3 |
| Essence | 3 | Defence | 2 | Soak | 2 |
|
- Pronouns
- They/Them
You know, a lot of stuff in Exalted uses the term 'witches', both canon and homebrew, and I'm never quite sure what themes and archetypes it's trying connect with.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
Canon: Erembour is a imposing Third Circle of TED that lures demons across Malfeas to crawl to TEDs shadow and become one with it.
My absolutely massive brain: But what if she had some >:3
My absolutely massive brain: But what if she had some >:3
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HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A Scrungly GobboCanon: Erembour is a imposing Third Circle of TED that lures in demons across Malfeas to become creatures of darkness.
My absolutely massive brain:
- Location
- Cyberspace
Ages and ages back, I was somewhat involved in the "Gaian Project" - it was the idea of, much like Autochthon, Gaia managed to get ahold of some Exalted Shard... precursors, whatever you call them, and used them to make some agents to deal with some of her responsibilities back in Creation (with the place, as I recall, more or less being her world-body) while she went out a-wandering.
I had put together some ideas based around the farming seasons - planting, growing, harvesting, lying fallow, that kind of thing - with the whole gimmick being "animating spirits". That is, temporarily awakening elemental spirits of things to make them grow, move and so forth.
I wonder if it's worth picking up the notes (if I can find them anywhere) and trying to re-create the idea in 3rd Edition.
EDIT: Oh hey, found some notes I made after the fact.
I wonder if I have some more contemporaneous notes somewhere else (found the above on an old dropbox account)
I had put together some ideas based around the farming seasons - planting, growing, harvesting, lying fallow, that kind of thing - with the whole gimmick being "animating spirits". That is, temporarily awakening elemental spirits of things to make them grow, move and so forth.
I wonder if it's worth picking up the notes (if I can find them anywhere) and trying to re-create the idea in 3rd Edition.
EDIT: Oh hey, found some notes I made after the fact.
* Gaia can perhaps be considered the 'animating spirit' of Creation; in a couple passages Creation is referred to as her body, although there's ambiguity there. Cytherea is described in Glories of the Most High as "the trigger of divine evolution who provided Gaia's Essence with the substance it needed to produce Creation".
* She's the lover of Luna and there's some similar themes of wildness, but you need to be careful of theme overlap.
* Similarly, she's the mother of the Elemental Dragons, but you don't want Gaian Exalts to be simply Celestial-level Dragonbloods.
* She has a position as head of the Bureau of Seasons.
* "For Cytherea knew that Gaia wished to leave Creation behind to continue her never-ending quest beyond the shores of the world." (Glories)
* "Her green-robed human aspect, with its dusty feet and knowing smile, sets them at ease, because Gaia looks, in this guise, like another god.
But she is not. The green-robed jouten is the least of the Emerald Mother's forms... and the only one that remains in Creation." (Glories)
* "The majority of Gaia departed Creation's shores soon after the end of the Primordial War. She called down the great comet Gnosis, which had hung across the northern skies like a white scar throughout the Time of Glory, and left within it to resume plumbing the depths of the Wyld for what she called the "Shining Answer." (Glories)
===== Gaians =====
The first thing we need is a purpose for Gaians to be created. While all Exalts are created as weapons, they have other purposes that shape their thematics; Solars are the Lawmakers, Lunars are the Stewards, Sidereals are the Viziers (other types don't have a similar epithet, but they could). Gaia is looking for the "Shining Answer", and Gaians would thus be created to help her find it.
Seekers.
It's traditional for Exalts to have castes in one form or another, so we need a few. As the Gaians are Seekers, we can split them up by *how* or *where* (metaphorically) they look.
The Shining Answer might be something that has yet to be created. Thus there is the impulse to bring forth.
The Shining Answer might be something that exists in potential. Thus there is the impulse to shape or nurture.
The Shining Answer might be something that is found in sacrifice. Thus there is the impulse to harvest.
The Shining Answer might be something that is hidden. Thus there is the impulse to discover.
The Shining Answer might be something that exists within. Thus there is the impulse to contemplate.
And, conveniently enough, that makes the traditional five castes - let's call them Creator, Shaper, Reaper, Explorer and Dreamer respectively.
Gaia is also in charge of the seasons, so let's associate each with a fifth of the year. The seasons are named after the elements, and we don't want to turn into Dragonbloods+, so we've got to be somewhat careful, but five castes and five seasons is quite convenient. And 'Season' is a good equivalent to 'Caste'.
We've got Air (fall equivalent), Water (winter equivalent), Earth (between winter and spring), Wood (spring equivalent) and Fire (summer equivalent). A fairly reasonable correspondence might then be Air-Reaper, Dreamer-Water, Creator-Wood and Shaper-Fire, which leaves Explorer with Earth. It's normal to associate a caste with one of the four Virtues + Willpower; we can go with Air-Reaper-Conviction (sacrifice, destruction), Dreamer-Water-Temperance (hibernation, patience), Creator-Wood-Compassion, Shaper-Fire-Valor (impulsive, passionate) and Explorer-Earth-Willpower.
One twist might be a progression of Seasons - that according to some schedule or certain kind of stimuli, a Seeker shifts along to the next Season in the cycle. Consider it the Limit equivalent; something accumulated until there's an explosive release (and Willpower refresh), followed by something very like a Limit Break that fits the themes of the new Season (mechanically, +(Essence/2) dice to actions that fit, -(Essence) dice to actions that don't for the scene for example). while in a particular Season, charms of that Season
As another twist, the charms of the current season get a mote discount (minimum 1 mote), while charms of the preceeding season get a mote surcharge - similar to the Dragonblooded un-aspected surcharge. A supernaturally-charged Intimacy of choice that fits the current season might also be thrown in and, of course, the anima power changes.
The idea is to suggest mercurialness similar to that of the changing seasons, but without moving onto the themes of evolution and mutation that are for Lunars.
===== Gaian Animas =====
* Explorer: theme of independence. Protects in some manner against social attacks?
* Dreamer: theme of lethargy. Muffles motivation to act like a thematic molasses? (mechanically like Majestic Radiant Presence?)
* Reaper: theme of winnowing. Pulls motes/some other benefit from those around?
* Creator: ?
* Shaper: ?
===== Gaian Charms =====
Each Exalt type tends to have something special - manipulating fate, shapeshifting, warping, necromantic, etc. Not all the charms use those mechanics (while there are Lunar charms that work by changing the body, you've got silver-light-that-does-stuff as well), but a lot of them do. For a Gaian theme, I suggest the idea of "anima" (animating spirits). That is, the (temporary, without typical XP sacrifice) creation and manipulation of what are similar to least or lesser gods or elementals.
Gaian Excellencies should be in range as effective as the typical Celestial fare, but in scope more like pieces of a greater Yozi-like excellency (each one should revolve around one or two keywords).
Some examples of charms I came up with for a hypothetical "Genesis" charm-tree.
Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Cost: 4 motes
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: none
Animate a single object for a scene in a similar fashion to the spirit charm Animating Management except the Gaian himself does not possess the object but instead gives it a temporary "possessing spirit". The animated object's Attribute and Ability scores are limited to the Gaian's own or to the Gaian's Essence, whichever is lower. At Essence 3, the Gaian can invoke the more flexible effects of Animating Management for an additional mote and a point of Willpower.
Entourage of Spirits
Cost: n/a
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: none
Duration: n/a
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Objects animated by the prerequisite can be maintained beyond the scene with the commitment of 1 mote (2 for objects enhanced by other charms or sorcery and 3 for artifacts). Maximum of (Essence) anima can be maintained.
Can be purchased a second time at Essence 4 to raise the maximum to (Essence*2) objects and -1 mote to the maintenance cost (ie, 1/2/3 becomes 0/1/2).
Mendicant Spirit Germination
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Day
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Enhancement to Invoking the Spirit Mudra, fashioning the possessing spirit into a lesser god of (Essence - 2) Essence with (Occult/Craft/Essence) spirit charms in addition to the effects of the spirit charms Animating Management and Call (the Gaian and any other Mendicant Spirits associated with the Gaian), (Essence*2) dots to assign to each of Mental and Social Attributes, (Essence*4) dots to assign to Abilities (maximum of the Gaian's own rating - 1) and Virtues equal to the Gaian's own. Such a spirit lasts for a single day unless sustained with Maintaining the Least of Things or with (the spirit's Essence) experience point.
Glyph of the Warden Stance
Cost: 10 motes
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Animate a single homogenous substance within (Essence*10) yards. Cannot be used for anything made of the Five Magical Materials or part of an artifact. If another is already controlling the substance, roll opposing Essences to determine primacy, with the Gaian receiving an extra success to their roll. Can be purchased up to (Essence-2) times, with each purchase allowing the increase of the range of effect by a factor of 10 for 10 additional motes (ie, Essence*100 yards for 20 motes, Essence*1000 yards for 30 motes).
Master of Clouds Prana
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Mins: Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Glyph of the Warden Stance
Control the weather in an area for a scene; details still somewhat vague.
Other charm notes:
* temporary creation of lesser elementals from the relevant substance.
* making an animating spirit/elemental permanent for XP cost.
* temporary enhancement effects upon animating spirits.
* creating a sort of proto-spirit that can perform specific tasks (ie, sending a message, tracking, alarm clock, etc).
== Forging tree
Summoning the Earthen Tool (Essence 2/Valor 1, 1+ motes, simple, indefinite)
The Gaian brings forth a spirit representing the essence of a needed object, from a lockpick to a suit of armor. This spirit fashions its form from surrounding solid material, such as leaves, sand or human hair. The object is considered a normal representation of the imagined tool (of fine quality at Essence 2; at Excellent quality at Essence 3, and Perfect quality at Essence 5), and lasts as long as the base resource cost of such an object in motes is committed. No more than (Valor) such objects can be maintained at once.
Primordial Tool Endowment (Essence 3/Valor 2, +1 mote, n/a, permanent)
An object fashioned by Summoning the Earthen Tool can be fashioned instead of raw elemental matter for the cost of an additional mote. The object gains the appropriate ability for its element as if enhanced with the spell Ritual of Elemental Endowment, with no mote cost to activate.
Panoply Maintaining Attitude (Essence 3/Valor 3, n/a, n/a, permanent)
The Gaian can now maintain up to (Valor) copies of a single object for the mote cost of one; all copies only count as one object for the limits on the number of objects maintained.
<> (Essence 4, Valor 4, n/a, n/a, permanent)
An object fashioned through Summoning the Earthen Tool or Primordial Tool Endowment cannot be used directly against the Gaian who fashioned it; a weapon does no damage to him and a suit of armor offers no protection from his fury. Such objects also act as if made from one of the Five Magical Materials for the purposes of resisting damage. The Gaian can spend a Valor Channel to make such an object permanent; an object once made permanent is no longer as resilient as artifacts made from one of the Five Magical Materials.
== An Air tree
1) Spirit-Cutting Attack equivalent
2) season-based trigger on destruction with the usage of #1; Spring - Servitude, Summer - inflict a Geas, Autumn - harvest motes and destroy, Winter - bind in slumber/can calcify and destroy. Upgrades to allow broader targeting (Raksha, mortals, etc) for additional cost.
* She's the lover of Luna and there's some similar themes of wildness, but you need to be careful of theme overlap.
* Similarly, she's the mother of the Elemental Dragons, but you don't want Gaian Exalts to be simply Celestial-level Dragonbloods.
* She has a position as head of the Bureau of Seasons.
* "For Cytherea knew that Gaia wished to leave Creation behind to continue her never-ending quest beyond the shores of the world." (Glories)
* "Her green-robed human aspect, with its dusty feet and knowing smile, sets them at ease, because Gaia looks, in this guise, like another god.
But she is not. The green-robed jouten is the least of the Emerald Mother's forms... and the only one that remains in Creation." (Glories)
* "The majority of Gaia departed Creation's shores soon after the end of the Primordial War. She called down the great comet Gnosis, which had hung across the northern skies like a white scar throughout the Time of Glory, and left within it to resume plumbing the depths of the Wyld for what she called the "Shining Answer." (Glories)
===== Gaians =====
The first thing we need is a purpose for Gaians to be created. While all Exalts are created as weapons, they have other purposes that shape their thematics; Solars are the Lawmakers, Lunars are the Stewards, Sidereals are the Viziers (other types don't have a similar epithet, but they could). Gaia is looking for the "Shining Answer", and Gaians would thus be created to help her find it.
Seekers.
It's traditional for Exalts to have castes in one form or another, so we need a few. As the Gaians are Seekers, we can split them up by *how* or *where* (metaphorically) they look.
The Shining Answer might be something that has yet to be created. Thus there is the impulse to bring forth.
The Shining Answer might be something that exists in potential. Thus there is the impulse to shape or nurture.
The Shining Answer might be something that is found in sacrifice. Thus there is the impulse to harvest.
The Shining Answer might be something that is hidden. Thus there is the impulse to discover.
The Shining Answer might be something that exists within. Thus there is the impulse to contemplate.
And, conveniently enough, that makes the traditional five castes - let's call them Creator, Shaper, Reaper, Explorer and Dreamer respectively.
Gaia is also in charge of the seasons, so let's associate each with a fifth of the year. The seasons are named after the elements, and we don't want to turn into Dragonbloods+, so we've got to be somewhat careful, but five castes and five seasons is quite convenient. And 'Season' is a good equivalent to 'Caste'.
We've got Air (fall equivalent), Water (winter equivalent), Earth (between winter and spring), Wood (spring equivalent) and Fire (summer equivalent). A fairly reasonable correspondence might then be Air-Reaper, Dreamer-Water, Creator-Wood and Shaper-Fire, which leaves Explorer with Earth. It's normal to associate a caste with one of the four Virtues + Willpower; we can go with Air-Reaper-Conviction (sacrifice, destruction), Dreamer-Water-Temperance (hibernation, patience), Creator-Wood-Compassion, Shaper-Fire-Valor (impulsive, passionate) and Explorer-Earth-Willpower.
One twist might be a progression of Seasons - that according to some schedule or certain kind of stimuli, a Seeker shifts along to the next Season in the cycle. Consider it the Limit equivalent; something accumulated until there's an explosive release (and Willpower refresh), followed by something very like a Limit Break that fits the themes of the new Season (mechanically, +(Essence/2) dice to actions that fit, -(Essence) dice to actions that don't for the scene for example). while in a particular Season, charms of that Season
As another twist, the charms of the current season get a mote discount (minimum 1 mote), while charms of the preceeding season get a mote surcharge - similar to the Dragonblooded un-aspected surcharge. A supernaturally-charged Intimacy of choice that fits the current season might also be thrown in and, of course, the anima power changes.
The idea is to suggest mercurialness similar to that of the changing seasons, but without moving onto the themes of evolution and mutation that are for Lunars.
===== Gaian Animas =====
* Explorer: theme of independence. Protects in some manner against social attacks?
* Dreamer: theme of lethargy. Muffles motivation to act like a thematic molasses? (mechanically like Majestic Radiant Presence?)
* Reaper: theme of winnowing. Pulls motes/some other benefit from those around?
* Creator: ?
* Shaper: ?
===== Gaian Charms =====
Each Exalt type tends to have something special - manipulating fate, shapeshifting, warping, necromantic, etc. Not all the charms use those mechanics (while there are Lunar charms that work by changing the body, you've got silver-light-that-does-stuff as well), but a lot of them do. For a Gaian theme, I suggest the idea of "anima" (animating spirits). That is, the (temporary, without typical XP sacrifice) creation and manipulation of what are similar to least or lesser gods or elementals.
Gaian Excellencies should be in range as effective as the typical Celestial fare, but in scope more like pieces of a greater Yozi-like excellency (each one should revolve around one or two keywords).
Some examples of charms I came up with for a hypothetical "Genesis" charm-tree.
Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Cost: 4 motes
Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple (Speed 3)
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: none
Animate a single object for a scene in a similar fashion to the spirit charm Animating Management except the Gaian himself does not possess the object but instead gives it a temporary "possessing spirit". The animated object's Attribute and Ability scores are limited to the Gaian's own or to the Gaian's Essence, whichever is lower. At Essence 3, the Gaian can invoke the more flexible effects of Animating Management for an additional mote and a point of Willpower.
Entourage of Spirits
Cost: n/a
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: none
Duration: n/a
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Objects animated by the prerequisite can be maintained beyond the scene with the commitment of 1 mote (2 for objects enhanced by other charms or sorcery and 3 for artifacts). Maximum of (Essence) anima can be maintained.
Can be purchased a second time at Essence 4 to raise the maximum to (Essence*2) objects and -1 mote to the maintenance cost (ie, 1/2/3 becomes 0/1/2).
Mendicant Spirit Germination
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Day
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Enhancement to Invoking the Spirit Mudra, fashioning the possessing spirit into a lesser god of (Essence - 2) Essence with (Occult/Craft/Essence) spirit charms in addition to the effects of the spirit charms Animating Management and Call (the Gaian and any other Mendicant Spirits associated with the Gaian), (Essence*2) dots to assign to each of Mental and Social Attributes, (Essence*4) dots to assign to Abilities (maximum of the Gaian's own rating - 1) and Virtues equal to the Gaian's own. Such a spirit lasts for a single day unless sustained with Maintaining the Least of Things or with (the spirit's Essence) experience point.
Glyph of the Warden Stance
Cost: 10 motes
Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking the Spirit Mudra
Animate a single homogenous substance within (Essence*10) yards. Cannot be used for anything made of the Five Magical Materials or part of an artifact. If another is already controlling the substance, roll opposing Essences to determine primacy, with the Gaian receiving an extra success to their roll. Can be purchased up to (Essence-2) times, with each purchase allowing the increase of the range of effect by a factor of 10 for 10 additional motes (ie, Essence*100 yards for 20 motes, Essence*1000 yards for 30 motes).
Master of Clouds Prana
Cost: 10 motes, 1 willpower
Mins: Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Genesis
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Glyph of the Warden Stance
Control the weather in an area for a scene; details still somewhat vague.
Other charm notes:
* temporary creation of lesser elementals from the relevant substance.
* making an animating spirit/elemental permanent for XP cost.
* temporary enhancement effects upon animating spirits.
* creating a sort of proto-spirit that can perform specific tasks (ie, sending a message, tracking, alarm clock, etc).
== Forging tree
Summoning the Earthen Tool (Essence 2/Valor 1, 1+ motes, simple, indefinite)
The Gaian brings forth a spirit representing the essence of a needed object, from a lockpick to a suit of armor. This spirit fashions its form from surrounding solid material, such as leaves, sand or human hair. The object is considered a normal representation of the imagined tool (of fine quality at Essence 2; at Excellent quality at Essence 3, and Perfect quality at Essence 5), and lasts as long as the base resource cost of such an object in motes is committed. No more than (Valor) such objects can be maintained at once.
Primordial Tool Endowment (Essence 3/Valor 2, +1 mote, n/a, permanent)
An object fashioned by Summoning the Earthen Tool can be fashioned instead of raw elemental matter for the cost of an additional mote. The object gains the appropriate ability for its element as if enhanced with the spell Ritual of Elemental Endowment, with no mote cost to activate.
Panoply Maintaining Attitude (Essence 3/Valor 3, n/a, n/a, permanent)
The Gaian can now maintain up to (Valor) copies of a single object for the mote cost of one; all copies only count as one object for the limits on the number of objects maintained.
<> (Essence 4, Valor 4, n/a, n/a, permanent)
An object fashioned through Summoning the Earthen Tool or Primordial Tool Endowment cannot be used directly against the Gaian who fashioned it; a weapon does no damage to him and a suit of armor offers no protection from his fury. Such objects also act as if made from one of the Five Magical Materials for the purposes of resisting damage. The Gaian can spend a Valor Channel to make such an object permanent; an object once made permanent is no longer as resilient as artifacts made from one of the Five Magical Materials.
== An Air tree
1) Spirit-Cutting Attack equivalent
2) season-based trigger on destruction with the usage of #1; Spring - Servitude, Summer - inflict a Geas, Autumn - harvest motes and destroy, Winter - bind in slumber/can calcify and destroy. Upgrades to allow broader targeting (Raksha, mortals, etc) for additional cost.
I wonder if I have some more contemporaneous notes somewhere else (found the above on an old dropbox account)
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Oh, yeah, that's very in line for a 5-dot artifact, though it should probably do something else and cost a bit more. Exalt Charms tend to focus on efficiency and effect, Evocations tend to focus on being big but expensive as well. This isn't universal, but it's a pretty good way to ensure your artifact won't break anything, since a big part of what makes a power broken is mote efficiency to power provided. Evocations should generally not be more efficient than Exalt Charms are (and Shadow-Piercing Needle is _extremely_ efficient).
Outsiders, transgressors, strange and monstrous figures from outside the safety of civilization. Baba Yaga offering secrets and death with the same hands, the three witches telling MacBeth the secret of his power, rather than the organized, predictable, overwhelming power that wizardry intends to imply.
EDIT: As well as the implications of trucking with dangerous powers and things people don't understand or shouldn't mess with, working with spirits and devils and monsters, wielding strange powers and miracles. It's trying to convey a very particular vibe.
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They remind me a bit of something I was thinking of. A god that an Exigence would be based on, but I have no idea how the Exigent/s would look/act.
Vitae Nova, the God Of New Life. The name is supposed to be bad Latin so I purposefully didn't check to see if it's correct.
In Old Realm "God Of New Life" and "God Of New Life" are spelled differently, but that didn't stop the god of new forms of life and the god of births from getting each others mail concerningly often.
In the Dawn Era Vitae Nova's duties included cataloguing the Primordial Races and Behemoths as they were spun into existence on a nearly daily basis, and to oversee them until a more appropriate deity could be appointed to the duty. Although the latter job could sometimes drag on for weeks or even months when it was only meant to last for hours.
The mass extermination of Behemoths and most of the Primordial Races after the Primordial War was....upsetting for Vitae Nova. They believed that, like those they catalogued, they would soon be removed from the Exalted Host's "New world". But Vitae Nova did not just record the When and What of new life, they also recorded the Why and How, and these were of interest to a surprising number of the Celestial Exalted that now ruled Creation.
Vitae Nova received many bribes, threats, and attempts at blackmail to either share or conceal their records.
During the time of the Solar Deliberative Vitae Nova's duties included cataloguing the birth of the Created Races, various new forms of Mutation and breeds of Beastmen, dozens if not hundreds of novel forms of plant and animal, and even some nostalgic Behemoths.
They vanished shortly after the Usurpation, whether of their own free will or not a new Exigence bearing their Essence appeared in Creation.
In Old Realm "God Of New Life" and "God Of New Life" are spelled differently, but that didn't stop the god of new forms of life and the god of births from getting each others mail concerningly often.
In the Dawn Era Vitae Nova's duties included cataloguing the Primordial Races and Behemoths as they were spun into existence on a nearly daily basis, and to oversee them until a more appropriate deity could be appointed to the duty. Although the latter job could sometimes drag on for weeks or even months when it was only meant to last for hours.
The mass extermination of Behemoths and most of the Primordial Races after the Primordial War was....upsetting for Vitae Nova. They believed that, like those they catalogued, they would soon be removed from the Exalted Host's "New world". But Vitae Nova did not just record the When and What of new life, they also recorded the Why and How, and these were of interest to a surprising number of the Celestial Exalted that now ruled Creation.
Vitae Nova received many bribes, threats, and attempts at blackmail to either share or conceal their records.
During the time of the Solar Deliberative Vitae Nova's duties included cataloguing the birth of the Created Races, various new forms of Mutation and breeds of Beastmen, dozens if not hundreds of novel forms of plant and animal, and even some nostalgic Behemoths.
They vanished shortly after the Usurpation, whether of their own free will or not a new Exigence bearing their Essence appeared in Creation.
Obvious rough draft is obvious, not to mention a little Stream Of Concious-y. But I'm not gonna do anything with it, so use or alter it however you want. Or don't, if you aren't interested.
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HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Okay these ones I feel are a rougher concept than the previous ones, so feedback is definitely appreciated here even moreso than normal
docs.google.com
Exigent Seed: The Valorsworn, Chosen of The Indigo Company v1
Exigent Seed: The Valorsworn, Chosen of the Indigo Company v1
Exigent Seed: The Valorsworn, Chosen of the Indigo Company An army, small in number but led by iron-eyed heroes, marches beneath an indigo blue standard, emblazoned with an inverted two-headed hawk in white. A mercenary demigod, cutting a dashing figure even in patchwork armor, accepts payment f...
docs.google.com
My brain is too small to understand what this means
Erembour can be imp midna just as much as she can be adult midna
- Location
- The North
That's a great way to phrase it.
HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A SCRUNGLY GOBBO
Critian Caceorte
Currently Suffering from Space-Time Narcolepsy
- Location
- Washington State
Something I'm in the process of working on for 3e: Custom Excellencies. Essentially, a way to diversify what Excellencies do beyond "Add Dice/Successes" while still making them workhorse charms for the Exalted. All Exalted gain their Excellencies automatically at (6 - Essence Rating) Ability/Attribute dots, and they cap out at [Ability] or [Attribute] dice so as to avoid confusion. In turn, you can choose an Exalt-specific option, or a trait-specific option available to all Exalted, or both if the trait is Caste or Favored. You can also repurchase the Excellency to get the other benefit.
Every benefit has a passive bonus, and a "Spend WP" option for a bigger boost. This applies to both Exalt benefits and Trait benefits. I did cannibalize the DB Excellencies a lot for these small powers, so if some stuff seems familiar that's why. Others I had to make whole-sale to avoid retreading "Reroll non-1s per 10 rolled" and stuff like that.
Here's a link if you want to check it out. I've got the Abilities finished, working on the Exalt benefits, and Attributes haven't been touched yet. Let me know what you all think!
Every benefit has a passive bonus, and a "Spend WP" option for a bigger boost. This applies to both Exalt benefits and Trait benefits. I did cannibalize the DB Excellencies a lot for these small powers, so if some stuff seems familiar that's why. Others I had to make whole-sale to avoid retreading "Reroll non-1s per 10 rolled" and stuff like that.
Here's a link if you want to check it out. I've got the Abilities finished, working on the Exalt benefits, and Attributes haven't been touched yet. Let me know what you all think!
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
New Day New Exigent wooooooo!
This one comes with a neat little story about desert lesbians.
For millennia, Sibilant Reed fulfilled her charge, meeting kill quotas established eons ago and sending in reports to celestial ministers who had long forgotten she even existed. As she was careful never to overhunt, the peoples of the region knew Sibilant Reed as an acceptable risk, a dangerous predator devil who might take the unprepared, but could be avoided or propitiated with the right offerings. Ancient but unambitious, for the longest time Sibilant Reed was content to be a minor predator god, her celestial orders becoming more instinct than official duty. It wasn't an encounter with a god-taming hero or a hungry raksha prince that changed her, but a humble mortal woman, stooped with age and addled by dementia.
Daughter of one of the mudbrick and sandstone villages along the Gem-Dajaz trade route, Naabiah lost her spouse and children to plague and never remarried, supporting herself by selling trinkets and refreshments at oasis markets and caravanserais. For nearly fifty years she lived this way, satisfied with her self-sufficiency and freedom. Alas, what dedication and savvy gave her, the specter of age took away. As her body weakened, her vision blurred, and her mind began to wander, she found herself less able to undertake her daily routines. Cautionary tales about the perils of the desert, instilled in her since childhood, slipped from her mind, and she found herself wandering off the road, into Sibilant Reed's hunting grounds.
Maybe it was a passing fancy, maybe it was pity, or maybe it was the naive kindness that Naabiah looked at her with, but Sibilant Reed spared the old woman, guiding her back to a safer oasis in the middle of the night. And yet, Naabiah came back, convinced that the ethereal woman she had met was a potential customer rather than a hungry goddess. And once again the desert siren spared her and led her back to the road. Time after time, the events repeated, until the two began to develop a rapport, spending long hours in conversation in the shade of oases. Eventually, their relationship became one of love, though Naabiah's worsening dementia and Reed's inhuman perspective each provided their own difficulties. As Naabiah approached the end of her life, Reed found herself caring for her beloved as best she could. It could have gone on for years until Naabiah finally slipped away, but things were not so.
They came one night as the moon was gibbous, demon-men from Dajaz, that city of sin and diabolism at the edge of the world. Their horses were fanged and their eyes were red from drug-smoke, their colorful flowing robes obscuring bodies twisted by the powers of hell. On a night ride of debauchery, they came upon the oasis where Sibilant Reed cared for Naabiah, and the old woman, confused and dismayed, tried to drive them off, but they laughed at her and pushed her to the ground, beating her and leaving her for dead.
Sibilant Reed discovered her beloved unconscious and dying, the hell-things having ridden off. Naabiah's wounds beyond her power to heal, Sibilant Reed cried out to the heavens that had long forgotten her existence, and was granted an ember of the Exigence. Desperate to save Naabiah, she Exalted her lover, undoing decades of age and dementia in a single moment of apotheosis.
Naabiah awoke with the body of a much younger woman, stronger and more beautiful than she had ever been in her prime. When she looked into the reflective waters of the oasis she saw not only herself, but Sibilant Reed, diminished and weakened, in the form of a great cobra spirit, now more animal than god. Her memories of the last few years were a blur, but every memory of her beloved was as clear as day. Intent on making good on Reed's sacrifice, Naabiah, now the Mirage-Singer set off on the road.
Naabiah now wanders beyond the familiar roads that she has known for decades, steadily acclimating to her newfound vitality and powers. She now takes jobs as a dancer, spy, and assassin for hire; indulging in the fruits of her labors and reveling in her second youth, but she is no directionless sybarite. While restored to her physical prime, Naabiah has the savvy and wisdom of a much older woman, now free from the torments of senility and filled with the drive of one of the Exalted. The Mirage-Singer remembers the riders from Dajaz who left her for dead, and hunts them in her new guises; she has yet to locate them but she now has reason to believe that they were much more than simple mutant hooligans. Naabiah also remembers Sibilant Reed, now a mute serpent god confined to an oasis pool, and searches for ways to restore her beloved.
docs.google.com
This one comes with a neat little story about desert lesbians.
Exigent Seed: The Mirage Singer, Chosen of the Oasis
The Tale of Sibilant Reed and Naabiah
Sibilant Reed was a Siren, a type of lesser spirit tasked by Heaven to cull the human population in regions where the designs of Yu-Shan deem it necessary. Most Sirens inhabit the Great Western Ocean or other significant bodies of water such as the Mighty Yanaze, but this is not a strict rule. Some Sirens dwell in icy mountain passes in the North or stalk vast stretches of untapped wilderness in the East. Epochs ago, Sibilant Reed was charged with hunting in the oases and sand dunes along what is now the route between Gem and Dajaz, an office that she held for centuries uncounted. Appearing as a beautiful woman with two cobra tails instead of legs, she lured travelers off the beaten path with mesmerizing songs and dragged unwary mortals beneath oasis pools to drown.For millennia, Sibilant Reed fulfilled her charge, meeting kill quotas established eons ago and sending in reports to celestial ministers who had long forgotten she even existed. As she was careful never to overhunt, the peoples of the region knew Sibilant Reed as an acceptable risk, a dangerous predator devil who might take the unprepared, but could be avoided or propitiated with the right offerings. Ancient but unambitious, for the longest time Sibilant Reed was content to be a minor predator god, her celestial orders becoming more instinct than official duty. It wasn't an encounter with a god-taming hero or a hungry raksha prince that changed her, but a humble mortal woman, stooped with age and addled by dementia.
Daughter of one of the mudbrick and sandstone villages along the Gem-Dajaz trade route, Naabiah lost her spouse and children to plague and never remarried, supporting herself by selling trinkets and refreshments at oasis markets and caravanserais. For nearly fifty years she lived this way, satisfied with her self-sufficiency and freedom. Alas, what dedication and savvy gave her, the specter of age took away. As her body weakened, her vision blurred, and her mind began to wander, she found herself less able to undertake her daily routines. Cautionary tales about the perils of the desert, instilled in her since childhood, slipped from her mind, and she found herself wandering off the road, into Sibilant Reed's hunting grounds.
Maybe it was a passing fancy, maybe it was pity, or maybe it was the naive kindness that Naabiah looked at her with, but Sibilant Reed spared the old woman, guiding her back to a safer oasis in the middle of the night. And yet, Naabiah came back, convinced that the ethereal woman she had met was a potential customer rather than a hungry goddess. And once again the desert siren spared her and led her back to the road. Time after time, the events repeated, until the two began to develop a rapport, spending long hours in conversation in the shade of oases. Eventually, their relationship became one of love, though Naabiah's worsening dementia and Reed's inhuman perspective each provided their own difficulties. As Naabiah approached the end of her life, Reed found herself caring for her beloved as best she could. It could have gone on for years until Naabiah finally slipped away, but things were not so.
They came one night as the moon was gibbous, demon-men from Dajaz, that city of sin and diabolism at the edge of the world. Their horses were fanged and their eyes were red from drug-smoke, their colorful flowing robes obscuring bodies twisted by the powers of hell. On a night ride of debauchery, they came upon the oasis where Sibilant Reed cared for Naabiah, and the old woman, confused and dismayed, tried to drive them off, but they laughed at her and pushed her to the ground, beating her and leaving her for dead.
Sibilant Reed discovered her beloved unconscious and dying, the hell-things having ridden off. Naabiah's wounds beyond her power to heal, Sibilant Reed cried out to the heavens that had long forgotten her existence, and was granted an ember of the Exigence. Desperate to save Naabiah, she Exalted her lover, undoing decades of age and dementia in a single moment of apotheosis.
Naabiah awoke with the body of a much younger woman, stronger and more beautiful than she had ever been in her prime. When she looked into the reflective waters of the oasis she saw not only herself, but Sibilant Reed, diminished and weakened, in the form of a great cobra spirit, now more animal than god. Her memories of the last few years were a blur, but every memory of her beloved was as clear as day. Intent on making good on Reed's sacrifice, Naabiah, now the Mirage-Singer set off on the road.
Naabiah now wanders beyond the familiar roads that she has known for decades, steadily acclimating to her newfound vitality and powers. She now takes jobs as a dancer, spy, and assassin for hire; indulging in the fruits of her labors and reveling in her second youth, but she is no directionless sybarite. While restored to her physical prime, Naabiah has the savvy and wisdom of a much older woman, now free from the torments of senility and filled with the drive of one of the Exalted. The Mirage-Singer remembers the riders from Dajaz who left her for dead, and hunts them in her new guises; she has yet to locate them but she now has reason to believe that they were much more than simple mutant hooligans. Naabiah also remembers Sibilant Reed, now a mute serpent god confined to an oasis pool, and searches for ways to restore her beloved.
Exigent Seed: The Mirage-Singer, Chosen of the Oasis v1
Exigent Seed: The Mirage-Singer, Chosen of the Oasis The Mirage-Singer is the Exigent of a desert-dwelling siren, a manipulative spirit tasked with regulating the human population through predation. The Tale of Sibilant Reed and Naabiah Sibilant Reed was a Siren, a type of lesser spirit tasked by...
docs.google.com
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Aren't those the Aurorals? The pre-corruption version of the Hearteaters.
HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Trust me, these guys aren't Aurorals. Too many geysers to be Aurorals.
HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Their patron is a Primordial
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
I shudder to think what kind of battered housewife mental gymnastics are necessary to make the Dogs of the Unbroken Earth seem like protectors of anything but their own bottom line.
Admittedly, I could see Dogs of the Unbroken Earth inspiring - or even conspiring to instill - something akin to the 'koryos' rite speculated upon by some scholars.
To summarize somewhat, young boys would be given a dog to raise and care for, and upon reaching manhood they would be taken to a secluded site to go through a series of ceremonial initiations and tests of ability. One of the most significant ceremonies was the ritualized killing of the dogs they had raised, followed by eating their remains.*
At the conclusion of this 'opening' rite, the boys would be given weapons, dressed in wolf or dog hides, and then ritually banished from their community for a period of time, during which they were to live as beasts, hunting and foraging (or raiding other nearby communities) to survive and allowing their hair and beards to grow out.
The koryos would conclude after the period of exile elapsed, with the boys - now men - returning to their families, casting off their beast-hide garments, and cutting/tending their hair in a fashion befitting an adult.
In Exalted, the boys currently undergoing the koryos would presumably dwell in territory claimed by the Dogs, living as beasts in order to maintain their gods' claim on the land and ritualizing the work of hunting and foraging into a sort of catechism to honor the Dogs. In places where the Dogs were facing opposition or encroachment, it wouldn't be unusual to see young men on the koryos to attack perceived enemies of their gods, whether by raiding settlements or preying on targets of opportunity.
* Societies which conducted the koryos tended to treat dogs with great respect, with taboos against the killing or eating of dogs outside of this specific ceremony. Early proponents of the koryos hypothesis imagined that this act was meant to traumatize and 'harden' the participants, deepening the sense of separation from their former lives. However, it's just as possible that the premodern cultural context that the koryos took place within imagined the act as something more than simple butchery, rationalizing that the dogs were either willing sacrifices or that this rite didn't "actually" kill them.
For an example of what I mean, the Ainu people of the Japanese, Sakhalin, and Kurile islands placed great spiritual significance on bears, and one of their most important religious ceremonies, the iomante, involved a given village raising a bear cub as a member of the community... before killing it when it reached two years of age. To the ancient Ainu, doing this was simply a means of honoring the spirit which had incarnated in the material world as a bear, thanking it for visiting, and then sending it home. Within their cultural and religious framework, the act of stabbing a young bear to death with spears was something done for the benefit of the bear, and which caused no real harm to the animal.
Given that, it's not unimaginable that the boys believed that by killing and eating their canine companions, they were taking the animal's spirit into themselves - or that the dogs had 'chosen' them knowing that this would eventually happen, and would simply reincarnate or otherwise transcend the destruction of their physical bodies.
HamSandLich
MEAT WIZARD
- Location
- Somewhere in NOVA, possibly, maybe, presumably
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I mean sure fine but that makes for a fairly uninteresting setting to play round in IMO. So I ignored it in my writing.
MiracleGrow
Miracles for only $19.99 [They/Them]
- Location
- DOOR STUCK DOOR STUCK PLEASE I BEG U
This basically, HamSandLich overal writing just speaks to me more as a ST than the canon. So I don't really give much of a shit what canon has to say here.
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"their own bottom line" is a really weird way to describe the spirits who are responsible for keeping the forests from getting turned into charcoal for whatever empire feels like obliterating it this time.
If we had a bunch of powerful spirits IRL who could rip an armored vehicle open and prevent mass deforestation, we might be in a much better position overall, though it'd certainly suck for humanity's bottom line.
Maybe also don't use shitting on abuse victims to sneer at someone over elfgame stuff, too.