The Scarlet Empress is a woman like no other. She is the Mother of Dragons, the Saviour of Creation, the Jade Boot on the Throat of the World. Her hand has shaped the course of history, her words have heralded the doom of nations, her loins have given life to an entire Dynasty of imperial demigods.
You knew who she was, of course. You heard all the stories, all the whispered tales and half-real parables, saw how she stamped her name on every mile of Creation and every soul within its borders, but the same could be said of every peasant from here to the edge of the world. Every child born in the last seven hundred years has grown up in the world your mother made, known the shape of her face and the strength of her arm as keenly as their own name, but you always supposed on some primal level that being her own blood should entitle you to... more, somehow.
Not that you're the Empress' only child, of course. You have brothers and sisters aplenty, born of a score or more of marriages, consortships and affairs across several centuries. Extend the family tree another generation or three and it blossoms into a multitude, an entire Dynasty fit to rule the world born from the mingling of your mother's blood with that of princes and warlords from scorching deserts to the arctic tundra. Most of the first generation is dead, those who still live are nightmares or legends in the flesh, and you'd drown in their collective shadow had you ever known the taste of free air that you were missing.
It feels churlish to complain, somehow. By any measure your upbringing has been privileged beyond measure, a childhood spent in the very lap of luxury surrounded by the wealth of nations. As the youngest child of the Scarlet Empress you are a prince in the making, expected by all to one day assume some position of grand importance in your mother's empire, and you have been prepared appropriately. The finest tutors, the most sumptuous meals, the attention of princes and the affection of divinities, all you could ever want and more. Everything, that is, save your mother's love. The Empress expects much of you, watches you at a distance with a keen and inquiring mind, but she doesn't love you. You're not even convinced she even sees you, save as another servant in her court, another prince to bend to her will.
Well, so be it. She doesn't see you yet, doesn't recognise your worth, but she will. You will turn potential into fact, surpass all expectations and exceed all that has gone before, burn your deeds into the fabric of the world and shout your name until it echoes throughout history. You will be your own person, free of your mother's shadow, however impossible that seems. And perhaps, one day, when she can no longer escape the grasp of death that has been waiting for seven hundred years or more… Perhaps then you will take her place upon the Five Dragon Throne, and it will be your banner that Creation trembles to behold.
They will tell such tales of your deeds.
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As a Dynast of the Scarlet Realm, the first thing that determines your path through life is your gender. The Realm is a cultural matriarchy, shaped by your mother's example and guiding hand through all the long centuries of existence - women are expected to model themselves in her image, as stern but dignified matriarchs born to lead and rule over their lessers with a hand both firm and fair. Female dynasts are accorded easier access to the halls of power and greater legal rights, particularly in matters of inheritance and management of their own affairs, but are expected to be composed and dependable. A woman will be more harshly punished for any violation of law or social custom when compared to a man, as most believe that she should 'know better'.
Male dynasts are granted a freer hand, permitted and even expected to be headstrong, reckless and emotional, but this is a blade that cuts both ways. Few expect a man to be capable of self-control or able to properly plan for events beyond the short term, and they are often sidelined for senior positions or expected to prove themselves over and over again before being permitted to assume leadership and financial responsibility.
Transgender Dynasts exist, and via the Precedence of Rawar are permitted the use of sorcery to change their bodies and bear children, but once that transition is performed are expected to conform in every way to their adopted binary gender. Nonbinary Dynasts exist, but are placed in a very uncomfortable position, demanded to conform to one or other gender roles and punished harshly for any deviation.
Article:
What is your gender?
[ ] [Gender] Male
[ ] [Gender] Female
[ ] [Gender] Prince of the Earth (other)
As a child of the Empress, your eventual Exaltation was never really in doubt. The blood of the dragons flows thick in your veins, and as the most powerful woman in the world your mother was hardly short of options when it came to ensuring that her children lived up to their potential. She chose your father for his breeding - the merely handsome being consorts and bedmates but never permitted to sire children - and made sure you were attended by monks and chirurgeons from an early age, to encourage the spiritual and physical development that would see the dragons bestow their blessings upon you. In this case, at least, she was successful.
All Dynasts of the Realm are held to be descended from both the Empress and the Five Elemental Dragons, in law and spirit if not necessarily in fact. Those Exalted by the Dragons are blessed with long lives, strong bodies and the innate ability to manipulate the elemental essence of the world. They are demigods and champions, each capable of deeds beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals, and expected to do just that in pursuit of their grand ambitions.
The Immaculate Faith, state religion of the Realm, preaches that those blessed with the Dragon's Blood are divinely appointed to lead, rule and protect those without it, acting as champions and intercessory figures who stand between the ranks of mankind and the many threats that might assail it. Mortals are expected to serve and obey their Exalted betters, and the Dragon-Blooded in turn are expected to rule kindly and with wisdom, an obligation that is observed with varying degrees of faithfulness depending on the Exalt in question but never truly discarded.
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Each of the below options comes with a brief blurb and three powers: the Passive power is a permanent upgrade, the Active ability comes into play whenever you use essence in any significant quantity, and the Iconic power is reserved for when you are going all out.
Air Aspects are idealists, visionaries, scholars, and innovators. They see the potential inherent in everyone, and view the world as it could be. Their blue and white anima banners whirl and billow like storm clouds. At the iconic level, lightning flashes, and birds and dragons glide within.
Buoyed by the Wind (Passive) - May freely jump a range band vertically or horizontally with every movement, and cannot take falling damage.
Mela's Breath (Active) - Add (essence) automatic successes on rolls to pursue a long-term goal, such as Embassy rolls to secure funding or Craft rolls to oversee construction, or to persuade or inspire others to pursue such things in turn.
Eye of the Hurricane (Iconic) - Raise defence by (essence) against ranged attacks, add (essence) dice on all movement rolls.
Earth Aspects are implacable foes on the battlefield, standing firm to defend their allies. Stoic and resilient, they believe in strong foundations and sturdy structures, whether they're building a community, an architectural marvel, or an imperial legion. What an Earth Aspect builds endures. Their yellow and white animas smell of loam and rumble like the shifting earth. At the iconic level, mountains loom behind them and oxen and rocky dragons plod along in their glow.
Fury of the Earth (Passive) - Knockback and knockdown gambits are free against non-heroic foes, and are automatic without a roll outside of combat.
Pasiap Still Stands (Active) - Grapple, knockback and knockdown gambits suffer (essence) additional difficulty when targeting the Exalt.
Unyielding as Stone (Iconic) - Soak is increased by (essence), and the Exalt cannot be moved against her will by any amount of force.
Fire Aspects sear their marks across the world as warriors, politicians, and iconoclasts, their emotions dynamic and passionate. Their fiery red, orange, and gold animas smell of smoke or hot metal. At the iconic level, volcanoes erupt within, and dragons and phoenixes cavort in the flames.
Where there's Smoke (Passive) - May automatically detect the presence of strong emotions or grudges held by other characters in the scene, and gains a bonus dice to rolls made to uncover the details of or leverage such feelings.
Hesiesh's Passion (Active) - Gain (essence) automatic successes on rolls to inspire or persuade others to act on their emotions and/or ambitions.
Wildfire Dance (Iconic) - Reduce enemy soak by (essence), and any enemies struck by a decisive attack are automatically set aflame. The difficulty to resist such damage is increased by (essence).
Water Aspects adapt to obstacles and wear down stubborn foes, calm and relentless in all things. As diplomats, investigators, and naval commanders, they see many paths to a satisfying solution. Their dark blue and sea green animas smell like brine and babble like brooks. At the iconic level, whirlpools churn within, and fish, siakas, and water dragons swim in their depths.
Surface Skimmer (Passive): The Water Aspect moves along any liquid surface like it's solid ground — though this doesn't afford her protection from acid or demon-tar — and breathes water as easily as air. She suffers no penalty to move or attack while underwater.
Flow of Daana'd (Active): Add Essence automatic successes to gambits where the Water Aspect attempts to Disarm an opponent or Pilfer an item. When an opponent targets her with a grapple or attempts to Ensnare her, athe Exalt adds her Essence to Defense.
Flow Like Water (Iconic): Once per turn, the Water Aspect may roll an attack twice on Step 3 and choose to keep the better result.
Wood Aspects are healers and poisoners, thrill seekers, and beast-tamers, deeply attuned to the cycle of life and death. New experiences exhilarate them. Vibrant greens color their animas, which smell of fresh-mown grass and blooming flowers. At the iconic level riotous vines surround them, and forest animals and wood dragons stalk their branches.
Natural Immunity (Passive): The Wood Aspect is immune to plant-based poisons, and applies a two-success bonus on rolls to resist other poisons or disease.
Spring of Sextes Jylis (Active): Spend 1 anima on Step 2. Add the Exalt's Essence to Defense against one attack.
Sap of Life (Iconic): Spend 3 Anima to heal one Health level, either that the Wood Aspect's taken, or an ally within short range has suffered, starting with the most severe.
Article:
Which of the Elemental Dragons chose you?
[ ] [Aspect] Air
[ ] [Aspect] Earth
[ ] [Aspect] Fire
[ ] [Aspect] Water
[ ] [Aspect] Wood
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Dynasts are not free to enjoy ordinary childhoods, nor are they permitted close emotional relationships with their parents, and the child of the Empress must be exemplary in this regard as in all others. For as long as you can remember your life has been one of preparation and anticipation, every waking moment dedicated to shaping you into the finest of the next generation of political leaders and military champions. Even the pleasures you were permitted, the indulgences you grew to crave, were structured to motivate your studies and provide context for the life you sought to claim.
As soon as you could talk you were being taught mathematics, geography and philosophy, alongside more practical lessons in swordplay and how to identify the taste of poison in your food. At the age of nine you were sent off to primary school, there to learn social skills and cultural appreciation for the nation of your birth, as well as the core skills and mindset that binds you as part of the Dynasty in thought and deed. Your Exaltation came early, marking you out among your peers and helping you to pick up your first friends and sycophants, and when at last you graduated you were allowed to meet with your mother at last - a single heartfelt meeting spent largely discussing your future and the role you might yet play in her grand design, after which you were packed off to one of the Realm's great secondary schools for "finishing".
There are dozens of such institutions across the Blessed Isle and beyond, but to the truly discerning only four are worth considering, and as the Empress child your admission was all but assured. So assured, in fact, that your first years were spent largely struggling to prove yourself according to the most demanding of standards, to confirm for even the most cynical that your presence among their ranks owed as much to talent and motivation as your parentage.
Article:
Which school did you attend?
[ ] [School] The Cloister of Wisdom.
Clarity, tranquility, and purpose. Master yourself, master your Essence — from this, all else flows. Under the guidance of monks and holy men you learned theology, rhetoric and an appreciation for the world around you, along with the paired discipline of meditation and the martial arts. Though you did not take vows as a monk, you remain on good terms with many among the Immaculate Order, and have a sense of serenity and insight that will serve you well in years to come.
[ ] [School] The Heptagram.
Wisdom, fortitude, and drive. All these are necessary to become a sorcerer, for the way of pure Essence isn't easily trod, nor is it for the faint of heart. For seven years you studied arcane geometry, engineering and occultic architecture, the summoning of spirits and the formation of spellcraft. Your path was your own, each student pursuing mastery in their own unique way, and while the art of sorcery is unmatched in utility and puissance it also sets you apart from wider society in ways that your high birth can only partially overcome.
[ ] [School] The House of Bells.
Courage, strength, and discipline. These are the watchwords of the legions, and so too are they the watchwords of the House of Bells, the premier military academy in the Realm. The curriculum isn't easy, touching on everything from infantry tactics to naval warfare, and students are graded collectively in teams of five. The end product is a well-rounded commander who'll earn the respect of soldiers beneath her even as she obeys her superiors' dictates, typically graduating with a ready-made kinship of loyal seconds and friends.
[ ] [School] The Spiral Academy.
Knowledge, subtlety, and precision. The Realm is as complex as any living entity — flows of commerce, information, and power stand in for blood and Essence, and the myriad ministries of the Thousand Scales form its heart and mind. You were trained to understand the Realm on a fundamental level, for one can only rule what one understands, a lesson that will see most of your classmates go on to position as satraps, governors or other prominent administrative roles… or, if they were particularly observant, as spies, magistrates and inspectors.
Welcome, one and all, to my latest quest, where you play the child of the Scarlet Empress and seek to make a name for yourself in the world that your mother built. Also maybe work out some of those issues you picked up along the way.
The basic mechanical framework of this quest is the recently kickstarted supplement for Exalted 3rd edition - Exalted: Essence. I helped playtest this game, and I had a lot of fun with it, so I thought writing a quest that could serve as both a fun narrative and a way to highlight/demonstrate the rules for it would be an interesting project to undertake.
Mechanical knowledge is not required - for the most part, it is enough to know that dice rolls consist of a pool of d10s made up of an attribute and an ability (so, force 3 and close combat 4 gives you a pool of seven dice to brutally stab fools in the face). 7s or above are successes, 10s are two successes, and you need a certain number of successes to overcome a set 'difficulty' and succeed on a task.
The most important thing to note here is how character advancement happens, and that is via what is known as Milestones. These are gained through particular narrative or OoC events and can be redeemed for specific increases to our protagonist's capabilities and resources, as follows:
Personal Milestones are gained through fanworks focused on character development or fleshing out your favourite background character, or for particularly in-depth or interesting lore/planning/general discussion posts in the thread. A Personal milestone can be redeemed by the voter who holds it to either add a new intimacy to the character sheet (mechanical representation of character development), or to repurchase a charm that they already have. Charms which can be repurchased or upgraded in this fashion will be noted on the character sheet.
Every five personal milestones accumulated across all readers and voters will generate a single 'bonus' milestone, which can be redeemed via an open vote attached to the next update on the reward for either a personal or exalt milestone.
Minor Milestones are gained whenever the protagonist completes a story chapter or narrative beat. This will typically happen as a result of regular updates, but a particularly involved fanwork (such as a full-colour piece of art or a connected series of vignettes/side stories) may also receive one. Minor milestones can be redeemed for a new charm, or to increase an ability by +1.
Major Milestones are gained at the end of individual stories or significant adventures - the 'arcs' of a quest that are largely self contained but may connect into the structure of a larger campaign. They are plot-dependent, and cannot be obtained through fanworks. A major milestone can be redeemed for +1 attribute dot, a new Merit (either freshly created or an existing one upgraded) or to change the protagonist's Virtues.
Exalt Milestones are gained for acting in line with your particular caste or aspect - an Air Aspect would gain one for making significant progress on some grand dream or ambition, while an Earth Aspect would attain one on making lasting and significant change to an object or societal group. These are typically plot-gated, but thematically appropriate fanworks could attain one as a reward. An Exalt Milestone can be redeemed for a new charm.
[This post is reserved for reference material, links to particularly relevant posts, or anything else I think of that would benefit from a spot on the front page]
[X] [Gender] Female
[X] [Aspect] Water
[X] [School] The House of Bells.
I half expect this to end up being pissing in the wind, but I hope for a Martial Artist rather than yet another sorceror. A Water Aspect will be a nice contrast to Erika, too.
[X] [Gender] Female
[X] [Aspect] Wood
[X] [School] The Cloister of Wisdom.
Okay, here me out. The Immaculate Order is extremely powerful in the Realm, and connections within it would be very valuable, to say nothing of the chance to receive almost unparalleled martial arts training. The Cloister is both not a real fun time while you're going to it, and very useful for us in hindsight.
Because being a daughter of the Scarlet Empress opens up an entirely different can of worms than being her son. Berit, Mnemon, V'Neef, every one of them has it hovering over them, that "It could be me. I could be the one to take the Five Dragon Throne." And that hint of ambition, that desire to do great and terrible things, to be the one who takes the Throne, the write up indicates this will be what drives the character and that intrigues me.
[X] [Aspect] Wood
No real deep thoughts on this one, just that "Thrill seeker, poisoner, healer and beast tamer" sounds like a neat combination of character traits and abilities to me. This is the option that gets us a Tyrant Lizard mount/companion, this is the option I vote for.
[X] [School] The Cloister of Wisdom.
Clarity, tranquility, and purpose. Master yourself, master your Essence — from this, all else flows. Under the guidance of monks and holy men you learned theology, rhetoric and an appreciation for the world around you, along with the paired discipline of meditation and the martial arts. Though you did not take vows as a monk, you remain on good terms with many among the Immaculate Order, and have a sense of serenity and insight that will serve you well in years to come.
Hype Kung Fu fights are What You Do In Exalted, Cloister teaches Hype Kung Fu. The logic is flawless.
More seriously, a character who is a believer in the Immaculate Order and interacts with Creation and the Realm as a whole from an Immaculate perspective (or at least a heavily Immaculate inspired one) intrigues me.
[X] [Gender] Female
[X] [Aspect] Fire
[X] [School] The Cloister of Wisdom
The Realm. Is. Corrupt.
The Hundred Gods Heresy spreads throughout the lands. The Dynasts abuse their privilege and turn a blind eye to justice. Profit has blinded the Princes of the Earth to what is righteous and what is necessary. It must be washed from bottom to top, made right again as it was envisioned in the eyes of our mother and empress.
The gender dynamics you describe make me really like the idea of a PC who is chafing under expectations of solidity and reserve when their childhood pre-afforded them more social leeway...
[x] [Aspect] Water
Stealing stuff is awesome. Also fits the above nicely.
[X] [School] The Spiral Academy.
I like that exalted takes bureaucracy seriously and recognizes how vital it is to maintaining a large state.
