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The Dream that is Dying (Exalted)

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EarthScorpion said:
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
-> [X] Female in body, but too rash and too inconstant in emotions to really fit in among the women of court, preferring the company of the men who can be open about their feelings and weep and drink
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Shouldn't this be Riverborn?

Also, Sidereal Quest!!! Woo!

Edit: misread what was happening in the option, thought it was actually physical sex shifting like in the writein @Tzarnal posted below.
 
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[X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.

[X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.

This option is just awesome in my opinion. I'm a sucker for characters that act brash and impulsive or otherwise to meet expectations while being cunning and scheming.

There's something really enjoyable about playing a character far more capable than he lets on, and it's a simple way and powerful way of establishing just how dangerous our character can potentially be. It also does a lot to still establish character conflict without necessarily making it such a fundamental issue of the character.

Let's present a brash and cocksure youth all while becoming the next Havelock Vetinari.
 
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[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
Weird gender shenanigans are an Exalted tradition, after all.

[X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.
 
See I can't articulate my vote that well.. but I generally like characters that try to out smart their enemies. I don't like brash and impulsive (or maybe I just read too much Shonen and got tired of it). I do like the idea of a character digging up secrets and then calmly laying out all the cards on the table after its too late for her enemy to do anything about it.

.
 
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.

[X] Cyra

[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
 
DB_Explorer said:
See I can't articulate my vote that well.. but I generally like characters that try to out smart their enemies. I don't like brash and impulsive (or maybe I just read too much Shonen and got tired of it). I do like the idea of a character digging up secrets and then calmly laying out all the cards on the table after its too late for her enemy to do anything about it.

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I feel you, but it's great to see a character acting that way to outplay his rival schemers. Playing a rich and decadent cad while waging a shadow war against the Guild and liberating the enslaved is a pretty powerful image to me at least.
 
Once, there was a maiden…
... who broke a face in the sea, broke the depths and broke
the sea, leaving only the white caps of the waves. "Why
did you do that?" asked the face.
"Rarely is travel peaceful," the maiden said.


[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
-> [X] Luna's whims sometimes reshape your body as you sleep.

[X] Ashni Tishtrya

[X] The Shah's Voice. Taira is a land built on conquest and trade, an empire of many peoples brought together by force and bound by chains of ambition and greed. Such a legacy demands an eye in the world outside, and this is where you serve. You have travelled much for your age, and your face is known across the East as the representative the Shah sends when the interests of Taira as a whole must be represented. Your eyes are yellow, a sign of favour from Mercury, Maiden of Journeys.

Though always recognizable from a slender and athletic build, pale skin and consistent facial features Ashni's body sometimes changes while asleep. Eventually Ashni realized that it is always one of the many guises of Luna. Not that this helps predicting such changes at all.

Being moontouched has shaped Ashni's whole life, as much as being sehzade has at any rate. Ashni's parents never particularly minded but Ashni's father did demand that in an official capacity Ashni should present consistently as one gender. Seeing no sense in trying to fight against public perception Ashni attends court as a woman, for they are wise and cunning. A convenient mask behind which to hide indifference or frustration.

Ashni is rarely content to be in one place for a long time, the longer Ashni remains in one place the more piercing the gazes of strangers and the less Ashni feels welcome. As a youth Ashni used to run around the palace, and then to rode around the city. Now Ashni travels across the nation. Yet as much as remaining in one place for long is something Ashni cannot do the longer Ashni is away from home the stronger the desire to return to familiar places and faces.

Ashni is frequently impulsive, somewhat insecure and despite or perhaps because of a political upbringing does not have the patience for the squabbles of court. Ashni hides insecurities and social failings behind a mask of calculation and mystery. As the Shah's voice Ashni commands enough respect and power that few try to embroil Ashni in schemes or feuds. When such things do seem to close in then Ashni simply leaves. There is always something else that demands the attention of the Shah's Voice, hopefully on the other side of Taira.
 
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[X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.

[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
 
umm... how long will this vote last? Since if my vote doesn't get more traction long term going to switch my vote to Aze.
 
[x] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.

[x] Vashtem

[x] Priest of Mysteries. Zamash is older than Taira, older than mankind itself. In its stones can be found the secret legacies of the Dragon Kings, and it is not the only place in Taira to bear such ancient heritage. You have taken an interest in such things from an early age, and now can be counted as one of the foremost experts on pre-human history in all the East. Your eyes are the green of the summer forest, and none doubt the favour shown to you by Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets.

Let's be steeped in secrets and mysteries and strange wisdom and unnerve everyone around us.
 
DB_Explorer said:
See I can't articulate my vote that well.. but I generally like characters that try to out smart their enemies. I don't like brash and impulsive (or maybe I just read too much Shonen and got tired of it). I do like the idea of a character digging up secrets and then calmly laying out all the cards on the table after its too late for her enemy to do anything about it.

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Yeah, but a) I don't trust questers to actually play that kind of archetype, because it requires the capacity to delay gratification, social nuance, and sustaining plans over multiple votes and not getting distracted, and b) those kinds of characters require everything to go well for them for the moment you're talking about, which means the GM has to walk a very thin line between softballing everything and players getting annoyed because their probably-not-great-plans (see "gratification, capacity to delay" are failing.

I do trust questers to play a brash extroverted cataphract who sees a random suffering orphan and decides to adopt them because the character was memorable and they're like "you can be my handmaid!" and for them to take immediate and irrational dislike to other characters and get in fights - and when they forget their arc goals when a new threat shows up, they're acting perfectly in character.

Plus, I really like Sidereal Melee and its capstone is "I'm a blind swordsman who can see the code in the Matrix".
 
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
-> [X] Female in body, but too rash and too inconstant in emotions to really fit in among the women of court, preferring the company of the men who can be open about their feelings and weep and drink.
-> [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris

[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
 
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
-> [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris

[X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.

Good name with weird Exalted stuff.
I like what Saturn is about. We will be dealing with weird stuff regardless because Sideral, but I am a fan of denying Death or killing what cannot be killed.
I would like to vote for Jupiter, but I don't think we could pull it off.
Also purple is an awesome color.
 
For everyone situational awareness

... .where's the tally option?

Edit: found it

Edit 2: Lot of little votes
Adhoc vote count started by DB_Explorer on Aug 19, 2018 at 5:43 PM, finished with 45 posts and 29 votes.
  • [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    -> [X] Female in body, but too rash and too inconstant in emotions to really fit in among the women of court, preferring the company of the men who can be open about their feelings and weep and drink.
    -> [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris
    [X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [X] Cyra
    [X] Priest of Mysteries. Zamash is older than Taira, older than mankind itself. In its stones can be found the secret legacies of the Dragon Kings, and it is not the only place in Taira to bear such ancient heritage. You have taken an interest in such things from an early age, and now can be counted as one of the foremost experts on pre-human history in all the East. Your eyes are the green of the summer forest, and none doubt the favour shown to you by Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets.
    [X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.
    [X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [X] Godspeaker. Taira is a land of many peoples and twice as many faiths, and there is no surer way to bring an empire crashing down than to disregard the faith of those who serve it. You have been trained from birth to serve as an intermediary between the empire and the Gods, and in this role have served admirably. Your eyes are a vivid blue, a hue much favored by Venus, the Maiden of Serenity.
    [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [X] Cyra
    [X] Godspeaker. Taira is a land of many peoples and twice as many faiths, and there is no surer way to bring an empire crashing down than to disregard the faith of those who serve it. You have been trained from birth to serve as an intermediary between the empire and the Gods, and in this role have served admirably. Your eyes are a vivid blue, a hue much favored by Venus, the Maiden of Serenity.
    [X] Godspeaker​
    [X] Riverborn. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, born with sex and gender misaligned. Your people look to you as sovereign, and expect you to conform to the stereotypes of your soul.
    -[X] Male
    [X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
    [X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.
    [X] Priest of Mysteries. Zamash is older than Taira, older than mankind itself. In its stones can be found the secret legacies of the Dragon Kings, and it is not the only place in Taira to bear such ancient heritage. You have taken an interest in such things from an early age, and now can be counted as one of the foremost experts on pre-human history in all the East. Your eyes are the green of the summer forest, and none doubt the favour shown to you by Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets.
    [X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.
    [X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [X] Cyra
    [X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    -> [X] Luna's whims sometimes reshape your body as you sleep.
    [X] Ashni Tishtrya
    [X] The Shah's Voice. Taira is a land built on conquest and trade, an empire of many peoples brought together by force and bound by chains of ambition and greed. Such a legacy demands an eye in the world outside, and this is where you serve. You have travelled much for your age, and your face is known across the East as the representative the Shah sends when the interests of Taira as a whole must be represented. Your eyes are yellow, a sign of favour from Mercury, Maiden of Journeys.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    [x] Vashtem
    [X] Priest of Mysteries. Zamash is older than Taira, older than mankind itself. In its stones can be found the secret legacies of the Dragon Kings, and it is not the only place in Taira to bear such ancient heritage. You have taken an interest in such things from an early age, and now can be counted as one of the foremost experts on pre-human history in all the East. Your eyes are the green of the summer forest, and none doubt the favour shown to you by Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets.
    [X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
    -> [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris
    [X] Breaker of Chains. Taira lies upriver from the mighty hub of Nexus, and as with all nations must contend with the grasping claws of the city's Guild. You have made for yourself an expertise in denying them a hold upon your homeland's shores, and taken great pleasure in liberating others from their cold ambitions. Your violet eyes speak to the favour shown to you by Saturn, Maiden of Endings.
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rogthnor said:
[X] Male. You are a prince, heir to the throne, expected to be of fiery temperament and inconsistent will. Your people will follow you as you blaze the charge, but expect you to rely on the quiet advice of your wiser relatives.

We just played a girl.

[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.

Horse riding is so rarely touched upon in fantasy. When have you ever had a protagonist who is cavalry first and foremost.
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Kiralo of 'The Serpent Throne' by Laurent: HEY! I'M A RASSALT WIND-DANCER! ONE OF THE FASTEST-
says a man who's not ridden in like decades.
Though that makes me wonder about the possibilities of a dude&Horse combo where he jumps off the horse so the duo can fight seperately.
Tossing this out so someone who knows how to run a quest can do it instead of me having to take to the keyboard and trying it myself!
EDIT: throwing my vote in to boot.
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
-> [X] Female in body, but too rash and too inconstant in emotions to really fit in among the women of court, preferring the company of the men who can be open about their feelings and weep and drink.
-> [X] The sehzade, Farah Esther Amestris
[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
 
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[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.
[X] Cyra
[X] Master of Horse. The pride of Taira are its cataphracts, the heavy cavalry against which no foe can hope to stand, and you are their leader. You have broken the back of many foes and led your soldiers to victory on many a day, and with you as heir few doubt for Taira's future security. Your eyes are the red of fresh spilled blood, and the soldiers say this marks you as one of Mars' own chosen killers.
 
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PlatypusofFail said:
[X] DB_Explorer

I like the concept. Not much more to say as this mostly comes down to preference.
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I kinda changed my vote to Aze's vote since before you I only had 1 other vote. Mind you ES leads with like... 12 so having three votes won't do much for my vote.

So my current vote is:

Aze said:
[X] Moontouched. You are a sehzade, heir to the throne, and your gender changes with the moon or perhaps is absent altogether. Your people regard you with wariness, perhaps fearing you touched by fearsome Luna, and expect you to be wise in ways that they are not.

[X] Cyra

[X] Priest of Mysteries. Zamash is older than Taira, older than mankind itself. In its stones can be found the secret legacies of the Dragon Kings, and it is not the only place in Taira to bear such ancient heritage. You have taken an interest in such things from an early age, and now can be counted as one of the foremost experts on pre-human history in all the East. Your eyes are the green of the summer forest, and none doubt the favour shown to you by Jupiter, Maiden of Secrets.
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I mean if you want to try to rally some votes and make a comeback I'll help. Bit of an uphill battle though.
 
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