Southern Skies - An Exalted Dragonblooded Dynasty Quest

[Azrael]

The South screams.

It roars as it's trampled beneath the beat of a thousand thousand Delzhan hooves united under their Kha-Khan, who turns their fury and lust for riches against their coastal foes. It groans beneath the staccato thump of the Five Tribes' spears, as the disparate folk of Harborhead are trapped in a bloody unitary war by Blood on the Horn, the spiritblooded daughter of the southern god of war. It trembles as the Varangi cower in their cities, beseeching the stars and ancient wisdom for any hope of succor.

And in Dharos, your home, the South weeps. One month ago, your grandmother Ahura II, Pharaoh of the South and Incarnate of Hesiesh was slain in glorious battle by a Lord of Chaos. The abomination had ridden from the wyld with a horde at its feet and wearing a terrible, world-rending storm as its crown. It might have swept all the south to the sea, if not for the sacrifice of the beloved pharaoh.

But the nation still mourns… and bleeds. Its matriarch, two centuries old, lies dead and unburied. Its armies are scattered, the countryside warped and warping under the taint of the Wyld. The noble Princes of the Earth trudge back to their seats, battered by war. The nation stands on a precipice as all the south watches…

And it lies upon your shoulders to pull it away from the edge.

For you are -


[] Name

[] Appearance

And you now stand as Pharaoh of Dharos, Autarch of the Sunspire, Tidebreaker, Stonewatch Sentinel, Daimyo of the South, and Incarnate of -

[] Daana'd, Immaculate of Water, Whose Song Spurs Samsara
[] Hesiesh, Immaculate of Fire, Whose Mercy Preserves Creation
[] Mela, Immaculate of Air, Whose Grace Tends the Scales
[] Pasiap, Immaculate of Earth, Whose Strength Weathers Aeons
[] Sextes Jylis, Immaculate of Wood, Whose Wisdom Seeds the Ages

You are the dragons made flesh upon this base earth, the foci of their will and their power. Your line has carried Dharos on its shoulder through the end of the world and the fires that followed, and it will not slip now.

-----


So, here's a Dynasty quest, co-written by @God and the Snake and myself, set in Exalted. This has actually been in the works for some time now, but between responsibilities and the COVID outbreak we've had to keep this on the shelf for some time! But we're finally ready to kick this off, so first a few notes:

This game will be run using the dice system developed by Imrix for Ulthuan Quest (our thanks to him for giving us permission to use it!), itself inspired by Exalted's ST system.

As you can probably guess from the opening, this game will be set in the southern directions of Creation. The timeframe is roughly three centuries after the end of the Balorian Crusade and the rise of the Realm, though what precisely has happened during that timeframe has been fairly heavily altered.

There's no one edition this game will be set in, instead using a slew of different bits from between books, editions, and a fair bit of homebrew we've put in to keep things interesting. Much of it by talented people on this forum. As this project has its roots in the time when 3e was just winding up, certain details from the Dragonblooded supplements there might not be relevant, though we'll definitely be taking a bunch of stuff we can slot in with minimum hassle.


So, with all that being said, we move on to the first vote! Traits will be up next, but first we'll be deciding on the PC's personal characteristics. We'll be grabbing the next few posts after this to slowly build up as we go, but after that it should be free game.

Feel free to ask for any clarification you need.

 

[Azrael]

Roll Mechanics

Southern Skies uses the system pioneered for Ulthuan Quest by Imrix, itself heavily inspired by the Cortex and Storyteller systems. Summarily, every character has a dice pool for each of the seven stats, which are:

Combat Prowess, which governs one's mastery of arms, whether it be against assassins in the night or in the midst of the battlefield.

Generalship, which governs one's ability to command armies in the field and the general leadership of a force on campaign.

Statecraft, which governs the myriad talents and skills needed to navigate the labyrinthine task of ruling a nation.

Learning, which governs the depth of one's knowledge and ability to garner new knowledge.

Diplomacy, which governs everything from interacting with foreign powers to making a fantastic impression over an afternoon luncheon.

Intrigue, which governs the realm of underhanded dealings and information gathering. Matters that cannot be resolved openly are the realm of Intrigue.

Piety, which governs all matters relating to both the Celestial and Terrestrial Bureaucracies, as well as their histories. In many ways, Piety is a fusion of Learning, Diplomacy, and Intrigue applied to interacting with divinity.

Each character has a separate dice pool for each other of these stats, governed by their experiences, traits, and training they receive over the course of their lives. The dice pool can also be affected by circumstantial bonuses: A retinue of elite mortal bodyguards might be represented as several additional dice in Combat Prowess, while a disfiguring wound might decrease one's Diplomacy pool depending on the target of an action.

Each action is governed by two numbers in addition to the dice pool: The Target Number and the Total Difficulty.

The Target Number is the number each die must match or exceed to count as a 'success', and generally does not change between unopposed actions.

The Total Difficulty is the total number of successes one needs to complete a target objective. This number will vary depending on circumstances and relative competence.

When making opposed rolls, each party's TN is the total number of dice in their opponents pool in the relevant clashing stat.

 

[Azrael]

[X] Ramses Dushar
[X]

Spoiler: Appearance

[X] Daana'd, Immaculate of Water, Whose Song Spurs Samsara


It is a relief to have a moment to yourself.

The past week has been a seemingly endless procession of formal audiences and more private meetings with the heads of the noble houses, priests of the many shrines and temples that serve the needs of the divinities who oversee your land and its people, and representatives from the savage tribesmen who dwell on the outskirts of your territory. Before that were weeks of campaigning, leading your niece and your soldiers to quash the worst of the surviving fae bands that scattered with their master's demise. Funerary offerings have been flowing into the palace in an unbroken stream as word of Ahura II's death spreads amongst her vassals.

Soon it will be over. Tomorrow you will be formally crowned, power passing from the hands of your honored forebearer, may her wisdom guide and preserve you, in the eyes of the Dragons and the people both.

And so it is, as you walk into the blissful cool of your chambers, shaded even from the last rays of the setting sun, that you take the opportunity now to look back at your life. Your accomplishments. The feats that have brought you here, the newest ruler of your beloved nation.

Tomorrow, when the crown is placed on your brow, what woman will be standing there? What do your future subjects know of the newest Pharaoh of Dharos?


This vote will be done by Plan.

You are young, as far as Dragon-blessed heroes go, but you still have the experience of the greater part of a human lifetime behind you. What was your upbringing like? How did you spend your days in your youth?

[X] The Imperial Chancellor: When your primacy as heir became apparent, your grandmother put you into the role of her right hand: Ruling the kingdom in deed if not name when she marched to war and carrying out her will in times of peace. (+Statecraft, +Intrigue, -Generalship)
[X] The Silent Commander: From a young age, you became embroiled in battles in the shadows of the world: Fighting against spies, cultists, and the other hidden threats of the world. (+Intrigue, +Generalship, -Piety)
[X] The Heavenly Emissary: From childhood, you were instructed in the philosophies and procedures of appealing to the divine bureaucracies and their myriad officials. (+Piety, +Diplomacy, -Learning)
[X] The Wandering Archeologist: The South is home to the relics of a thousand years of bygone history. You immersed yourself in their study for most of your life, to the exclusion of courtly politics. (+Learning, +Statecraft, -Intrigue)
[X] The Immaculate Blade: Before your ascension to the throne, you commanded the royal guard of the Imperial household, enacting your divine grandmother's will. (+Generalship, +Piety, -Diplomacy)
[X] The Worldly Traveler: In the springtime of your youth, you toured much of Creation. You've walked the streets of Nexus and broken bread in on the Blessed Isles. (+Diplomacy, +Learning, -Statecraft)

A Trait marked as 'Inheritable' has a chance to develop naturally in any of your children. A Trait marked as 'Succession' can be gained by your Heir following your death.

Select one Unique Trait
[X] A Dragon of Another Color: You are not a normal example of your kind. Your connection to the elements of live-giving Gaia is tainted by the touch of death, and so your Aspect is shown through the corpse elements of the Underworld- Pyre Flame, Blood, Bone, Ash, Grave Dirt. Other than making you quite discomforting to be around, this trait also allows you to learn Necromancy, should you find some manner of tutor. (Suffer a one step reduction in one Diplomacy die when dealing with people who distrust the Dead, Suffer a one step reduction in three Diplomacy dice when in the direct presence of those who would be discomforted by your nature, +1d6 Diplomacy when dealing with the Dead, +1d8 Learning, the secrets of dread Necromancy may one day be opened to you. Inheritable.)

[X] A Loyal Familiar: Ten years ago, you rode out into the desert sands, seeking a certain beast who had been harrowing your people for decades. In a contest that lasted three days and nights, you bridled the beast, a massive serpent of molten stone skin and white-fire blood, and made it acknowledge you as its master. (+1d12 Personal Combat, +1d4 Intrigue against assassination attempts, a massive lava snake. Succession)

[X] A Nature Beloved By the Gods: Yours was truly a blessed birth. Whether ancient debts, a gift of fate, or simply the way you approach the world, divinities simply adore you. Relatively speaking. So long as you approach the members of the Celestial Bureaucracy with humility, they are inclined to listen to your words. (Diplomacy rolls when treating with Gods increase one die by one step, and critical rolls grant 3 successes, +1d6 Piety, the divinities of your domain are remarkably orderly and less prone to corruption.)

[X] A Symbolic Union: Eopeii, Overseer of The City of Reeds, City Father of the capital of your nation, has a long-standing pact with members of your line. Upon coronation, you are symbolically wed to the god of your city, to prove your people's devotion and commitment to the maintenance of the proper order of Creation. In return, your divine 'spouse' provides a certain amount of... surreptitious aid. (+2d6 Intrigue, +1d8 Statecraft, a divine ally of some potency. Succession)


Select three Traits.
[X] Pilgrim: During your youth, you spent a year visiting the shrines of each of Dharos's greater divinities and honored each of their services to the realm. (Adds a 1d6 to your permanent Piety pool, as well as an additional 1d6 when dealing peacefully with your national divinity)

[X] Ox Body: When you were a babe, you accidentally snapped the wrist of the servant responsible for dressing you. By the time you saw your twelfth summer, you were already taller than a few members of your familial guard. You are phenomenally strong. (+1d6 to Combat Prowess, Inheritable)

[X] Striking: As a child you were considered adorable. As an adult, you have been called stunning by men and women both. Every eye is on you at every formal ceremony you attend, and not just because of your divine blood. (+1d6 to Diplomacy, Inheritable)

[X] Terrestrial Arcanist: Your family, perhaps more than any other in the south, recalls the secrets and wonders of the Shogunate... and how they came to be. They had a hand in crafting them, after all. You are a sorcerer, an Exalt with mystic power beyond any mortal thaumaturge. (Unlocks Sorcery for personal use. May grant additional turn options. Costs 2 trait points. Teachable)

[X] Celestial Martial Artist: As is becoming a being of your nature, your movements in war are beyond even the comprehension of mortal men. Armed with a wicked khopesh, you practice a form of Celestial Martial Arts that turns you into a terror on the battlefield. (+1d10 to Combat Prowess, +1d4 to Piety. Costs 2 trait points. Teachable)

[X] Ancient Architect: After the destruction caused in the course of bringing the fell Anathema low, the Shogunate reasserted control of the South via massive works of civil engineering. You are heir to a litany of architectural knowledge. (+1d6 Learning, improves understanding of Shogunate engineering)

[X] Plunderer of a Lost Age: You have braved the ruins of the Shogunate, delving into the shattered necropoli of the South and bringing back more than your fair share of scars and stories... as well as relics of that bygone age. (Gain an Artifact, modifies any Personal Actions taken to explore First Age ruins)

[X] Raksha Insights: When the dread Raksha came from beyond the world's age to swallow Creation, your family led the defense. Ever since, you have continued to deal with the Fair Folk in matters both martial and not. In that time, you came to understand in some ways how they act and view the world. (Add 1d8 to any Diplomacy or Learning action involving the Raksha)

[X] Godhead: There has always been a cult in Sungrasp that has worshiped your bloodline directly as the incarnation of the Elemental Dragons. As you expanded your power and influence, it was only natural that your newfound subjects would adopt the same practices. (Increased National Stability, the prayers of the faithful buoys your power slightly, Inheritable)

[X] Ancestral Splendor: You are Pharaoh. The most recent in a long, unbroken line of kings blessed by the Gods, heir to untold treasures as is your birthright. Once your treasuries could match any in Chiaroscuro, and though they are much reduced now, they still shine with vast sums of jade. (+1d6 to Statecraft, gain a large sum of wealth at game start)