Exalted. .Manual.Of.Exalted.Power. .The.Dragon Blooded

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Gifted with power

by the Elemental Dragons,

the Terrestrial Exalted

once formed the backbone

of the Solar Deliberative’s

grand army.

Then, when the Solars

went mad with power,

the Dragon-Blooded Host

rose up as one to slay

the tyrants and

set the world aright.

Can the Dragon-Bloods

hold onto the reins of power,

or does the return

of the Solar Exalted

mean the hegemony

of the 10,000 Dragons

is at an end?

A character sourcebook

for ExaltedExalted featuring:

• Details of Dragon-Blooded culture across

Creation, from the Realm and Lookshy

to Cherak and the Forest Witches

• Everything players and Storytellers need

to generate Dragon-Blooded characters,

includingtheir Charms and signature

martial arts styles

PRINTED IN CHINA

™

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BY A LAN A LEXANDER,

KRAIG B LACKWELDER,

PETER S CHAEFER

AND S COTT T AYLOR

CREDITS

Authors: Alan Alexander, Kraig Blackwelder, Peter Schaefer

and Scott Taylor

Comic Scripter: Carl Bowen

Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Rein·Hagen

Developer: John Chambers

Editor: Carl Bowen

Art Direction and Layout: matt milberger

Artists: Andrew Hepworth, HOON at mess studios (messs.cc),

Imaginary Friends (with Pilvi Kuusela,Kenneth Loh, Andrew

Murray), Kevin Lau, Aaron Nakahara, Pasi Pitkanen, Melissa

Uran, UDON (with Scott Hepburn, Omar Dogan and Mike

Franchina),Victoria Ying

Cover Art: UDON (

with Andrew Hou, Scott Hepburn and

Espen Grundetjern)

Playtesters: Michael V. Caposino, Darci Chambers, John

Chambers, Josef Fischer, Eric “Grem” Holden, Conrad Hub-

bard, Lydia Laurenson, Hoyt Summers Pittman III, Dustin

Shampel, Joey T., Mike Todd, Rachel “Bunnie” Winter

duction without the written permission of the publisher is expressly

forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character

sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf and

Exalted are registered trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All

rights reserved. The Manual of Exalted Power the Dragon-Blooded, the

Books of Sorcery, Wonders of the Lost Age, the Scroll of the Monk, the

Age of Sorrows and the Second Age of Man are trademarks of White

and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright

concerned.

This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are ﬁ ction

and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.

Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com/

PRINTED IN CHINA

FOR USE WITH E XALTED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF C ONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 12

CHAPTER O NE: THE S CARLET D YNASTY 16

CHAPTER T WO: THE O UTCASTE 56

CHAPTER T HREE: CHARACTER C REATION 88

CHAPTER F OUR: TRAITS 106

CHAPTER F IVE: CHARMS 124

CHAPTER S IX: MARTIAL A RTS 186

CHAPTER S EVEN: STORYTELLING 214

™

INTRODUCTION

For centuries the undisputed masters of Creation, the Dragon-

Blooded have received a series of wake-up calls in recent years that

served to point out just how tenuous that mastery is. Between the

return of the Solar Anathema and the destruction of the Tepet

legions, the debut of the deathknights, the loss of Thorns and

the mysterious disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, the Dragon-

Bloods have been left reeling. All they believed to be eternal and

unchanging is crumbling before their eyes, and it could be that

the Realm will be next to fall in a war of succession.

It is into this milieu, this Time of Tumult, that the players’

characters are dropped. Will they strive to stop the world from

sliding further into chaos, or will they seek to proﬁ t from its de-

scent? What legends will you tell of their deeds?

As usurpation is the exercise of power, which another hath a right to, so tyranny is

the exercise of power beyond right, which no body can have a right to. And this is making

use of the power any one has in his hands, not for the good of those who are under it, but

for his own private separate advantage.

—John Locke, Two Treatises of Government

THIS IS N OT A C OMPLETE G AME!

Despite its size, The Manual of Exalted Power—The Dragon-Blooded is not a complete game. It is a supplement for White Wolf’s

Exalted, a game in which characters take the role of Solar Anathema, reborn demonic despots of the First Age in the view of the Realm’s

Immaculate Philosophy, but in truth, the Sun-blessed rightful rulers of Creation. This supplement does not include descriptions of the game’s

various core traits, rules on combat or a complete setting. It just has an in-depth treatment of the Dragon-Blooded, their societies and the

rules necessary to create and play Terrestrial Exalted characters. You’ll need to have access to the Exalted core rulebook in order to play.

HOW TO U SE T HIS B OOK

The Manual of Exalted Power—The Dragon-Blooded

contains everything one needs to run a game focused on the Ter-

restrial Exalted or to develop fully ﬂ eshed-out Dragon-Blooded

antagonists for another style of Exalted game. Its contents are

as follows.

Chapter One: The Scarlet Dynasty

This chapter focuses on the Terrestrial Exalted scions of the

Realm’s 11 Great Houses, descended from the Scarlet Empress

herself. It also features information on those Dragon-Bloods in the

Realm who Exalt outside of the Dynastic Houses, more commonly

referred to as lost eggs.

INTRODUCTION

Chapter Two: The Outcaste

This section covers those Dragon-Bloods outside the Realm’s

purview, offering insights into how the Terrestrial Exalted are

treated in Creation’s major states and giving a speciﬁ c example of

a Dragon-Blooded community located in each of the four cardinal

directions.

Chapter Three: Character Creation

This chapter offers all the rules necessary for one to create a

Dragon-Blooded character.

Chapter Four: Traits

This chapter describes the traits unique to Dragon-Blooded

characters, as well as how existing traits are altered when applied

to the Terrestrial Exalted.

Chapter Five: Charms

This section details the elementally powered Charms wielded

by the Dragon-Blooded.

Chapter Six: Martial Arts

This chapter presents the Celestial martial arts styles practiced

by the Immaculate Order, as well as ﬁ ve similarly aspected (if weaker)

Terrestrial styles. It also presents the “natural” Dragon-Blooded style,

called Terrestrial Hero Style, and the Five-Dragon Style common

among members of the Realm’s military.

Chapter Seven: Storytelling

The book’s ﬁ nal chapter covers the special needs of storytelling

a Dragon-Blooded game.

LEXICON

The majority of terms introduced in the core Exalted book

still apply to the Dragon-Blooded. The following specialized terms,

however, are used more exclusively by the Terrestrial Exalted,

especially those native to the Blessed Isle.

Academy of Sorcery, the: Lookshy’s answer to the Heptagram,

this institution produces the sorcerer-technicians and sorcerer-

engineers—and their mortal thaumaturge assistants—who are so

vital to the upkeep of Lookshy’s dwindling reserve of First Age

armaments.

All-Seeing Eye, the: This organization is the Realm’s elite

secret police force, guarding the Scarlet Throne against corrup-

tion, sedition and treason. Though it employs countless mortal and

Dragon-Blooded agents, its core is composed of spies and assassins

from both House Iselsi and the Sidereal Bronze Faction.

arbiter: See the Splendid and Just Arbiters of Purpose.

armiger: An armiger is a supernaturally puissant arms-bearer

assigned to protect a sorcerer-technician by the Seventh Legion.

Although most are merely skilled thaumaturges, more fantastic

beings, such as demons, elementals, God-Bloods and automata,

sometimes serve in this capacity.

aspect: This term is used to describe the ﬁ ve elemental orienta-

tions of the Dragon-Bloods. It is functionally identical to the caste

division among the Celestial Exalted, but it is more a distinction of

physiology rather than the direct intervention of the gods.

Cloister of Wisdom, the: The secondary school designed to

prepare its graduates for service in the Immaculate Order.

Forest Witches, the: A coven of rebellious Eastern outcastes

who’ve come under the inﬂ uence of a trio of unfathomable forces

dating back to the First Age, if not before.

found egg: A lost egg successfully recovered by agents of the

Scarlet Empire.

Heptagram, the: This is the Realm secondary school devoted

to the study of sorcery and First Age lore.

Host of the Dragon-Blooded, the: A more formal term for

the Scarlet Dynasty.

House of Ancient Stone, the: One of two Realm secondary

school’s for incorrigible Dragon-Blooded youths, the House of An-

cient Stone is located outside Lord’s Crossing. Using a combination

of back-breaking work and harsh punishments, the school is much

more effective at turning out productive members of Dynastic society

than its sister school (i.e., the Palace of the Tamed Storm).

House of Bells, the: This secondary school prepares young of-

ﬁ cers for service in the Imperial Army and Navy. The school has

a long-standing rivalry with Pasiap’s Stair.

itinerant: A wandering Immaculate monk with special author-

ity to look into matters of concern to the faith.

lost egg: According to the Realm, any Dragon-Blood who

Exalts outside of the 11 Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty.

magistrate: A plenipotentiary ofﬁ cial acting with the authority

of the Scarlet Empress herself. Magistrates investigate corruption

within the Imperial government at home and abroad, bring charges

against and sentence criminals and watch for signs of treason.

numina: A numina is a former Dragon-Blood who has been

irreversibly changed mentally, spiritually and physically by the Mist

of the Forest Witches.

Obsidian Mirror, the: The headquarters of the Splendid and Just

Arbiters of Purpose, located just outside Juche on the Blessed Isle.

Palace of the Tamed Storm, the: One of two Realm second-

ary schools for incorrigible Dragon-Blooded youths, the Palace of

the Tamed Storm is located in the Imperial City itself. Though

ostensibly devoted to reforming Dragon-Blooded troublemakers

and ne’er-do-wells, it is more concerned with them mastering the

art of keeping up appearances. Most graduates merely end up more

skilled sadists and criminals.

Pasiap’s Stair: Located atop Gray Mask Mountain, this military

academy forges found egg Dragon-Blooded into elite Realm legion-

naires—or it kills them. This school has a long-standing rivalry

with the House of Bells.

primary school: Each primary school is an academy with a

general focus curriculum attended by patrician and Dynastic chil-

dren between the ages of 9 and 14. After graduation, most Exalts

go on to attend one of the Realm’s four most prestigious second-

ary schools, while patricians and un-Exalted Dynasts either begin

training with their families for the roles they’ll ﬁ ll or attend a less

prestigious secondary school in order to continue their education.

Most Dragon-Bloods Exalt during primary school.

secondary school: Each such school is a more advanced

academy than a primary school. The majority of Dynastic Dragon-

Bloods attend one of the Realm’s four elite secondary schools, while

patricians and un-Exalted Dynasts typically attend less prestigious

institutions.

Seventh Legion, the: A rogue Shogunate-era legion that

rebuilt the ancient city Deheleshen into the powerhouse of the

Scavenger lands, Lookshy, following the Contagion and the subse-

quent wars with the Fair Folk. It is directly because of the legion’s

interference that the former River Province remains free of Realm

control to this day.

Spiral Academy, the: This is a secondary school devoted to pre-

paring students for a career in the Imperial Service. Its student body

is also a source for cheap bureaucratic labor for the Scarlet Empire.

Splendid and Just Arbiters of Purpose, the: This is the

ministry of the Scarlet Empire devoted to tracking down lost eggs

and bringing them under Realm control.

CHAPTER ONE

THE SCARLET DYNASTY

Every Dragon-Blood in the Realm is a descendent of a Ter-

restrial Exalted soldier in the most potent army Creation has ever

seen. Even at this point in the Second Age, millennia after their

most important battle was fought, the Dragon-Blooded exhibit an

undeniably militaristic bent. Almost since their formation, the

Realm’s legions have been the mightiest military force in Creation.

All of Creation pays tribute to the mighty Realm, and the Realm

provides Creation with civilization, art, culture and, most impor-

tantly, protection.

Yet when the Realm’s supreme and extraordinarily powerful

ﬁ gurehead, the Scarlet Empress, disappeared, the corruption, deca-

dence and petty resentments that had long been simmering beneath

the surface rapidly took their toll on the empire’s might. It was as

if the Scarlet Empire were a grand, ornate arch, and in the absence

of its keystone, the rest began to crumble.

For now, though, the Realm remains intact and feared. Although

the Threshold has its glorious cities and its shining wonders, the

center of knowledge, power and wealth remains on the Blessed Isle.

And the power structure upon which all else depends is the vast

Dragon-Blooded family called the Scarlet Dynasty.

THE L IFE OF A D YNAST

The members of the Scarlet Dynasty function best as an array of

cogs in a vast, powerful mechanism of war. Too much individuality

is hazardous to a military unit, and the Dynasty is nothing if not

a vast military unit.

The Dragon-Blooded work best in groups, and much of the

culture of the Realm revolves around forging Terrestrials into power-

ful teams called sworn brotherhoods. These units bind themselves

together via sorcerous means and use their combined might to defend

Creation against all those who would act against it.

BIRTH

The state-sponsored hardening of a Dynast into a Dragon-Blood-

ed soldier starts almost immediately. Dynastic children are handed

over to wet nurses within moments of their birth lest they form an

inappropriate bond with their mothers. Infancy is spent among young,

un-Exalted women of the household and nurses who attend to their

every need. Few parents ﬁ nd their children particularly interesting

until they Exalt, and most are happy to remain well away from their

progeny until they prove that they’re worth speaking to.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

CHILDHOOD

As defenders of Creation, Dynasts must be prepared for anything,

and childhood is when they learn many of the skills for which the

Realm’s Dragon-Blooded are famed. Starting at a very young age,

both Dynastic and patrician children attend expensive academies

where they learn all of their basics: reading, calligraphy, numbers,

Realm history, the fundamentals of the Immaculate Philosophy and

much more. Most young Dynasts see much of their nurses and tutors

and very little of their parents. It is unbecoming for little soldiers to

be overly fond of their parents—or anyone else, for that matter—as

vulnerability of the heart is a major strategic disadvantage. The

core value taught at this age is discipline. War demands discipline.

Conquest demands discipline. Ruling Creation demands discipline.

Any young Dynast who doesn’t learn to behave like an adult and

show an adult’s self-control will likely die before the age of 10.

When all the extraneous layers of a child Dynast’s life—the

strategy games, music lessons, archery practice, calligraphy lessons,

poetry recitals, catechisms of the Immaculate Texts, sparring matches

and frenzied learning and practice—are peeled away, there is one

thing left at its core: the desperate desire to Exalt. The entire child-

hood culture of the Dynasts is built around the expectation that

those children will grow up to be members of the Dragon-Blooded

Host. Childhood is ﬁ lled with rituals, prayers to the Dragons and a

range of odd superstitious behaviors thought to increase the chances

of Exalting. The earliest Exaltations take place even before puberty,

as early as 10 in children of exceptional breeding. From her 10th

birthday until her Exaltation (or her 20th birthday, whichever

comes ﬁ rst), every day could be the day it happens.

Children of Dynastic families who do not Exalt are ignored as

much as possible. They are given a top-notch education, of course,

so that they can at least marry well, but their real chance to serve

their Houses has passed them by. They are disappointments, and

there is no mistaking that fact. Their families ﬁ nd some relatively

non-challenging jobs for them to do in one of the family’s business

interests and pay them a modest family stipend for the handful of

decades that they live. Then they happily forget the failures once

they’ve died. The best an un-Exalted family member can hope for

is to marry an Exalt from another Great House.

FAMILY

Dynasts live in extended families. The largest households

comprise hundreds of members all living together in the sprawling

opulence of an enormous manse. On average, Terrestrials live around

300 years, so it’s possible for over 10 generations of a family to live

in a single manse. In practice, the older generations often grow to

loathe the noise and busyness of their younger family members,

so they arrange for other lodging. Some families are so very close

knit or ﬁ nancially strapped, that the generations are superimposed,

stacked upon one another like books on a table.

The average Dynastic household has upward of 100 closely related

family members, a dozen or so visiting distant cousins who have yet to

strike out on their own, a handful of family friends and 30 to 40 mortals

to take care of the cooking, cleaning, tutoring and secretarial matters.

One thing a Dynastic upbringing is not is lonely. Privacy is nearly

impossible, and where it is possible, it is usually considered suspicious.

Solitude is an unheard-of luxury for the Dragon-Blooded.

Much of what a young Dynast needs to know, particularly

etiquette and proper social behavior, is not taught by tutors, but by

family members. Older siblings or cousins generally teach riding,

sailing, hunting and sports or games. The only games young Dynasts

are allowed to play are those that develop hand-eye coordination

or strategic thinking.

At family gatherings, Dynastic children sit at the un-Exalted

tables where they are treated as high-ranking mortals, and their

manners must be ﬂ awless.

The family members a child sees least are his parents, but

parents have learned through the Ages that some positive exposure

is necessary if they hope to have a child’s loyalty later in life.

EARLY E DUCATION

The rudiments of a child’s education are provided at home by

tutors. Dynastic children are expected to know basic calligraphy,

arithmetic and how to read by the age of ﬁ ve. Five is also the age at

which young Dynasts start to learn tumbling, basic dance and, usually,

how to play either the ﬂ ute or the sanxian. By age nine, when they

leave for boarding school, young Dynasts are expected to speak two

languages ﬂ uently (High Realm and one other, usually Low Realm).

They are often taught a range of skills that could be useful later in

life, such as sailing, riding, wilderness survival, archery, rudimentary

self-defense and even swordplay. The life of a Dragon-Blood is long,

and any of a number of skills could save the Dynast’s life.

PRIMARY S CHOOLS

Once their families have provided them with the basics of a

Dynastic education, children are sent off to boarding school. Every

prefecture in the Realm has a number of ﬁ ne academies, and large

cities might have specialty academies for parents who want their

children to go into particular ﬁ elds. There are even decent primary

schools in the Threshold, but most Dynasts living in the Threshold

prefer to send their children to the more prestigious schools on the

Blessed Isle.

Much is expected of a teacher in the Realm, but teachers are

accorded a commensurately high degree of respect. The knowledge

of a good teacher is seen as a valuable gift, and good academies

across the Blessed Isle are exorbitantly expensive. Patricians and

Dynasts can send their children to such schools, but the investment

is much too expensive for most others.

Dynastic and patrician families all send their children to the

same schools. If there were some means of determining which chil-

dren would Exalt and which would not, though, this would certainly

not be the case. Given that the children of two patricians might

eventually Exalt and that even the children of two Dragon-Blooded

can remain un-Exalted their entire lives, however, it’s important

that all children are given the beneﬁ t of the doubt.

Primary schools won’t take a child younger than eight years

old and won’t teach children older than 15. Most children hope to

Exalt by the end of primary school. Those who do not are often of

weak blood and suffer stigma from being a “late bloomer.” Still, a

late Exaltation can be forgiven; not Exalting at all may not be.

The curricula of all these schools include archery, swordplay,

athletics, history, geography, political science, the Immaculate

Philosophy, natural philosophy and spirit lore. Some schools even

teach the basics of thaumaturgy.

Students cannot be failed out of primary school, although prob-

lem children might be returned to their families and told why. Once

the family has shown the child the terrible alternative to succeeding

in school, the child is then enrolled in the next best academy.

SECONDARY S CHOOL

There are four elite secondary schools in the Realm to which a

parent would want to send her child: the House of Bells, the Spiral

Academy, the Cloister of Wisdom and the Heptagram. There are

other schools, but they are for students who are deﬁ cient in one way

or another. The four main schools are highly exclusive and turn away

at least as many students as they admit. Only 20 percent of those who

graduate from primary school continue on to secondary school, and the

vast majority of these students are Dragon-Blooded. The Heptagram

admits only Dragon-Bloods, while the other three schools admit only

those mortals who meet exceedingly rigid admission criteria.

A description of the Realm’s secondary schools can be found

on pages 25-27.

ADULTHOOD

Once a Dynast has graduated from secondary school, she

is considered an adult. Most such Dynasts either return to their

household of origin at this point or go to live with distant relatives

while beginning a career. This is also the point at which many

Dragon-Blooded choose to travel. Traveling around the Threshold

is a perfectly respectable way to spend the ﬁ rst few years after gradu-

ation from secondary school. After all, it shows an interest in the

world that the Dragon-Blooded rule.

DROPOUTS

There are those for whom formal education is not a good ﬁ t.

They tend to drop out after a year or two of study and turn to travel

much earlier. This is troubling but forgivable. One of the strengths

of the Realm is in making the most of every Dragon-Blood, even

those who don’t start their lives in traditional ways. Many dropouts

go on extended ventures into their Houses’ satrapies. Some never

do ﬁ nd their niche and fall into the Immaculate Order, the legions

or some minor wing of the family business.

A Dragon-Blood who drops out for a long period of time can

still make a name for herself if she ﬁ nally realizes what it is she wants

to do and does it well enough to impress her family and others.

DISOWNMENT

Within the Dynasty, a child’s behavior always reﬂ ects on its

parents. Dynastic parents have exceedingly high expectations of

their children and spare no expense to bring them up properly.

Yet sometimes, this doesn’t work out. Some children just have no

drive—or too much drive in the wrong direction.

A child who does nothing at all of worth for one full century risks

being disowned. He might also suffer that fate for being disruptive, for

embarrassing the House in some blatant way or for being convicted

of crimes, especially crimes against the House or the Realm.

If a child does something so bad or so disappointing that his

parents can no longer tolerate him, he may be disowned. This may

happen in one of two ways.

Informal disownment is simply done within the House. The

parents of the child create and spread the ﬁ ction that the wayward

child is not actually theirs. The child is stricken from the House

registers, his family stipend is cut off, and the House’s doors are

closed to him. A child who has been disowned in this way cannot

inherit from his parents, and they are freed of any obligations to

him during the period of his disownment. Informal disownment can

be reversed, but traditionally not for at least 20 years, and usually

only after the child has proven himself capable of behaving like

a proper member of the Dragon-Blooded Host and contributing

responsibly to the well-being of the House.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

Formal disownment is less common as it is both more work

and irreversible. It requires the child’s parents to ﬁ le a formal

complaint against the child with a magistrate or with the Imperial

Court. This complaint must be agreed to by a senior member of

the House and granted by the Empress (now either the Regent or

the Deliberative). This process is irreversible and done only when

the child has perpetrated something truly, deliberately malicious

or perﬁ dious against his House or the Realm.

SOCIETY

War without civilization is barbarism, and the Realm is any-

thing but a nation of barbarians. On the contrary, the Blessed Isle

is the place of origin for most of what Creation sees as sophistica-

tion and culture.

Dragon-Blooded who do not shine in the arena of war can often

do so in the arena of social graces. House Cynis is not known for its

great legionnaires, but its parties are the focus of much of Dynastic

social life, which has served the House well for centuries.

The three events around which Dynastic social life orbits are

galas, salons and visits.

Galas are enormous, lengthy parties to which it is traditional

to invite every Dragon-Blood in a region. Getting or not getting an

invitation to a major gala is a clear indicator of one’s place on the

social register. If a particular House always waits until a particular

individual is out of town and unable to attend, it is usually assumed

that there is a story there to be uncovered. Such rumors are the

bread and butter of the Dynastic party set.

Salons are smaller gatherings comprising 10 to 20 Dragon-

Blooded of the same age and interested in particular topics or

activities. Salons can take the form of sanxian recitals, hunting

expeditions, Gateway tournaments, orgies, political debates or

epic indulgences in ﬁ ne food, wine and drugs. A salon can be a

brunch or dinner affair, or it might take several evenings to reach

its completion. Salons are usually much less formal, much less fes-

tive and much less work than galas.

A visit is just that: a visit by one family member to another.

As long as the visitor provides at least two weeks’ notice, the host

is expected to provide accommodations without hesitation. It’s the

civilized thing to do, after all. A guest who stays more than two

weeks is expected to present a “visitor’s gift” of some substance,

enough to cover the costs of hosting her for so long.

SWORN B ROTHERHOODS

Formed among groups of Dragon-Bloods linked by feelings of

great loyalty, respect or fellowship, sworn brotherhoods are akin to

the circles formed by the Solar Exalted, though they are not preor-

dained the way many Solar Circles are. Close friends from school

might choose to join a sworn brotherhood, as might an elite cadre

of legionnaires, a group of Heptagram graduates or even a handful

of close cousins who want to work together.

The brotherhood bond is both social and mystical, created

through oaths of mutual service and protection. Often, a sworn

brotherhood forms for a speciﬁ c purpose, and oaths are taken

regarding that purpose. The purpose of the sworn brotherhood

might be tied to the characters’ goals. A sworn brotherhood could

form around hunting Anathema, improving the Realm, taking

the Scarlet Throne, ﬁ nding First Age wonders or any similar goal.

The actual binding of a brotherhood, however, is the product of

Terrestrial Circle Sorcery (see pp. 122-123).

ADVENTURE AND R ESPONSIBILITY

As the defenders of Creation, Dragon-Bloods cannot avoid

adventure. Any threat the mortal world cannot defend against, the

Dragon-Blooded have to be able to surmount.

Travel and adventure are both expected of Dragon-Bloods.

Even those who have grown older and burdened by responsibilities

and family are expected to go away at least once a year to best a

troublesome small god or hunt down a behemoth. Any Dragon-Blood

who avoids such acts will likely suffer a reputation for cowardice

sufﬁ cient to impact his social and political goals.

LOVE, SEX AND M ARRIAGE

Love is not widely respected in the Realm. It is seen as a

disordering force that leads young Dynasts into inappropriate,

inconvenient and irrational behavior. That doesn’t mean that Ter-

restrial Exalted fall in love any less than mortals—on the contrary,

their passions tend to be a little grander than those of mortals.

Nonetheless, it is seen more as a mild form of madness, common

among the young and foolish, and is not considered a “legitimate”

excuse for doing anything, especially not imperiling long-planned

political alliances. If love develops between two Dynasts who have

been promised to one another, so much the better. If it does not,

then both parties are expected to do the responsible thing and

make the most of things.

To a majority of Dynasts, sex is a physically gratifying form

of play, an entertaining struggle for power and an ongoing hunt

for the next conquest. Sex is a common pastime for many of the

Realm’s Terrestrial Exalts, like Gateway or training for combat. It

is sometimes even a physical expression of love.

Homosexual liaisons are common among the Dragon-Bloods.

Many Dynasts see such arrangements as a kind of noble, intimate

camaraderie—with beneﬁ ts. Many Dynasts are known to prefer

homosexual affairs to heterosexual ones, as such trysts do not come

with the risk of producing bastards that could imperil a political

alliance, muddy a House’s line of succession or take a bite out of

the Dynast’s revenue stream.

As long as a Dynast eventually marries and produces at least

two children, his procreative duties to the Realm are considered

complete, and the rest of his sexual adventures are considered none

of the Realm’s concern. The Empress herself was known to have

a reﬁ ned appreciation of a woman’s touch, and though all of her

legally recognized consorts were men, the majority of her lovers

were women.

HOMOSEXUALITY V ERSUS E FFEMINACY

Same-sex encounters are both common and ac-

cepted in the Realm. Realm lore has a long history of

celebrated warriors who were also lovers extending back to

the Shogunate and beyond. Intimacy between battleﬁ eld

comrades is almost an institution all its own. What is

not accepted in Dynastic culture, though, regardless of

sexual orientation, is weakness in women or effeminate

behavior in men. Such softness is never tolerated, and is

often harshly ridiculed and even punished. Whatever else

they might be, the Terrestrial Exalted are warriors, and

there is no room for those who assume effete mannerisms

or deliberately portray themselves as “soft” in any way.

Dynasts have a reputation for being oversexed and some

Houses, most notably House Cynis, are notorious for their odd and

voracious sexual appetites.

Marriage is the cement that bonds Dynastic families to one

another. It is through marriage that alliances are made (and broken)

and aimless Dynasts are given direction. Most marriages among the

scions of the Dynastic Houses are arranged years, if not decades, in

advance of the union.

Marriage is the institution the Great Houses use to forge al-

liances. It is not seen as a religious union, but as a political one.

Any other purpose of marriage is eclipsed by the necessity of this

one. In this time of uncertainty in particular, the Great Houses

are intermarrying at an astonishing rate in hopes of making one

last round of alliances before the storm that’s brewing breaks and

changes the Realm forever.

Marrying for love is possible—provided the families involved

approve of the match. Couples who marry without permission are

tracked down and taken to a magistrate who annuls the marriage,

and may the Dragons protect them if a child was conceived from

their folly. Inadvertent alliances between Houses caused by such

rash marriages can only lead to problems down the road. The only

good marriage is a strategic marriage.

Originally, mortals were not considered proper marriage mate-

rial for Dragon-Bloods. Mortals were expected to marry mortals;

Terrestrials were expected to marry Terrestrials. Only thus would

the Elemental Dragons’ gift stay strong in the bloodline. Today,

however, political liaisons often require intermarriage between

patricians and a Dynastic House, and the ancient taboo has ceased

to hold any relevance. Only the most hidebound and prejudiced

Immaculates still espouse the stricture. Some young Dynasts are

unaware that such a taboo ever even existed.

DOWRIES

Dowries are uncommon in the Realm, because any marriage

of Dynast to Dynast is considered an arrangement of two equals,

and money is not needed to balance the transaction. A dowry is

necessary when a marriage is made between two unequal parties: a

Dynast and a mortal. This happens most often when two children

from Dynastic Houses are promised to each other at an early age

and one fails to Exalt. Marriages are only rarely arranged between

such young children for precisely this reason, and when they are,

it’s almost always the product of an important political alliance.

In circumstances where a dowry is necessary, the money is meant

to soothe the pride of the Dragon-Blood’s family and compensate for

the decreased likelihood of the marriage producing Exalted. Depending

on which Dynastic House and which patrician family are involved,

even a single such dowry can effectively bankrupt even an unusu-

ally wealthy patrician family. The amount of the dowry is based on

the House’s rate of breeding Exalted. The cost to marry a mortal to

a member of House Nellens would be high, but the cost to marry a

mortal into House Mnemon or Cathak would be astronomical.

The inequality of such a marriage would also be underscored

by the nature of the wedding gifts. Gifts presented to the family of

the Dragon-Blood by the family of the mortal would be extraor-

dinary and lavish (worth at least Resources 4). Gifts presented in

the other direction, if there were any, would be relatively common

items (worth no more than Resources 3, if that).

ADULTERY

Seen as the perfect answer to the fact that Dynasts cannot

marry the ones they love, adultery is a tacitly accepted fact of life

in the Realm. Provided one does nothing to damage the illusion of

a happy marriage with one’s spouse, there are few drawbacks worth

mentioning. As long as nothing is done to damage the political

alliance embodied by the marriage, all is well.

Extramarital affairs are quite common, almost to the point

of being expected. As long as the participants in the tryst show

proper discretion, most family scandals can be avoided. The ﬁ rst

law of discretion, then, is that bastards are not tolerated. A female

Dynast who gets pregnant by a man other than her husband has

three options. Ideally, she should take a strong draught of herbs to

induce a miscarriage as early as possible. Failing that, she needs

either to convince her husband that the child is his or, in dire

straits, take a long leave of absence to travel or “to inspect family

holdings in the Threshold.”

Male Dynasts have an easier time of it. As long as they quietly

support their bastards out of their family stipend, they can usually

keep enough distance from the child that no awkward questions ever

come to light. Male Dynasts who leave a string of bastards in their

wake, however, rapidly ﬁ nd their income stream sorely taxed and

might have trouble affording the consequences of their dalliances.

CHILDREN

Having children, like getting married, is a Dynastic duty. Chil-

dren are seen as symbols of properly consummated marriages. Any

marriage that doesn’t produce at least two children within the ﬁ rst

50 years is deemed null and void, as is any marriage that goes more

than 50 years without producing additional children. Children are

very important in Realm society. They are at once the embodiment

of a political alliance, a sign of hope for the future and a symbol of

the parents’ obligation to the Scarlet Dynasty.

Among the Terrestrial Exalted, producing children is almost

compulsory. The more children a couple produces, the more chance

there is that one of the offspring will grow up to be another member

of the Dragon-Blooded Host. Some Terrestrial women are known to

take particular delight in producing child after child, although physi-

cians have learned that Dragon-Blooded women need at least ﬁ ve

years between children. Otherwise, it starts to age them unnaturally

quickly. The average number of births is eight per century, or about

one every 12 years. A Dragon-Blooded pregnancy lasts a full 15-month

year. Given the sturdiness of Terrestrial physiology, a pregnancy only

begins to show after ﬁ ve months, and an expectant mother may re-

main as active as normal for the ﬁ rst 12 months of pregnancy, with

no signiﬁ cant danger to herself or the unborn child.

Drugs taken to induce long-term sterility are frowned upon,

although those that induce short-term sterility are approved of when

they prevent bastards or the impregnation of mortals. Abortion is

illegal for a Dragon-Blood whose husband has made her pregnant or

for a member of a lower caste who bears a Dragon-Blood’s child, even

if the child is a product of rape. Both the mother and the person who

performed the abortion can be imprisoned or even executed, depending

on their station, the situation and the magistrate involved.

DRAGON’S R EST

One thing Dynasts clearly are not is immortal. While they

live much longer than mortals do, even the long life spans of the

Dragon-Blooded come to their close eventually.

RETIREMENT

Although the average life span of a Dynast is around 300 years,

there are those who have lived to nearly 500 without even using

sorcery. Through sorcerous means, the Terrestrial life span can be

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

extended further still. There comes a time, however, when even

the mighty Dragon-Blooded have had their ﬁ ll of work.

Those who have served their Houses long and well are welcome

to take an earlier retirement without taking any cut in stipend.

Those who have produced little for their Houses get a large cut in

stipend upon retiring and again for every 10 years that they don’t

perform some signiﬁ cant act of service for their families.

There is an entire class of “semi-retired” Dragon-Blooded who

have given up their former métier while remaining active in House

politics, overseeing households or otherwise remaining busy in service

to the House without holding an actual job. Many of these Dragon-

Bloods are teachers of some sort, holding honored positions at the great

academies. Others choose not to teach, but to learn, spending their

ﬁ nal years studying subjects for which their early lives left no time.

The life of a Dynast is so perilous, however, that only about

half even make it to retirement age.

DEATH

Due to the constant combat, the endless assassination attempts

and the myriad dangers of the Second Age, only about a third of

Dragon-Blooded Dynasts die of natural causes.

A Dynast receives one of two types of funeral upon her death. If

she falls in battle far from the Realm, she is given “ﬁ eld rites.” Prayers

are said to the dragons, her body is burned, and her ashes are returned

to her aspect element. Any equipment that might be considered heir-

loom-quality—such hearthstones, jade armor or artifact weapons—is

sent back to her family. Theft is uncommon at times such as these, as

stealing from fallen comrades is considered very bad luck. It also carries

a high risk of earning the wrath of a comrade’s hungry ghost.

THE P ASSAGE R ITE

Members of sworn brotherhoods make to each other

a promise when they swear their loyalty: that nothing

except death will prevent them from retrieving each

other’s bodies and making sure that they receive at least

full ﬁ eld rites. In the past, entire brotherhoods would be

lost trying to retrieve their companions’ bodies, leaving

no one to return for their own. As a result, a more recent

tradition came about. If a brotherhood does everything in

its power to retrieve a fallen member’s body but it becomes

obvious that it cannot succeed without being destroyed,

it can perform a passage rite instead.

This rite requires that the remaining members of the

brotherhood perform the basic ﬁ eld rites without the body

as soon as they can. They must then seek out a parent,

child, spouse, lover or sibling of each of the deceased,

preferably someone about whom the deceased cared deeply

or at least with whom she spent a great deal of time. To

this survivor, they must then present ﬁ ve jade talents, any

personal items belonging to the deceased and one item

of importance from each member of the brotherhood. In

his presence, they swear to always ﬁ ght righteously in the

name of their fallen comrade and to say a prayer for her

at each temple or shrine they enter.

A Dynast who dies in the Realm is given a great, ostentatious

funeral gala that reiterates the high points of her life. Her family

might commission poetry, plays and music to be written speciﬁ cally

for the event that retell and hyperbolize the fallen Dynast’s accom-

plishments. House elders deliver heartfelt eulogies remembering the

departed, and swarms of hired mourners wail pitiably near the body.

Such remembrances, it is hoped, help send the soul on its way to

its next, and hopefully more enlightened, incarnation.

Most Dragon-Blooded agree that an unmourned and un-

celebrated soul cannot move on. This is one of the reasons the

popularity of lavish and elaborate funerals. The larger the display,

the easier it is for the soul to move on to its proper destination.

For this reason, some members of the Deliberative have suggested

that a funeral should be held for the Empress. While it is all well

and good to hope that she yet survives, if she’s dead, her great soul

will be unable to move on along its path.

SORCERY

Among the Realm’s Dragon-Blooded, knowledge of one or

two spells does not make one a sorcerer. Any Dragon-Blood might

learn a single spell, and many make the effort to learn Emerald

Countermagic, which most Dynastic schools teach to students

who show the aptitude. Some Houses teach one or two spells to

their members as a means of passing along the high culture of the

Dynasty. After all, in the First Age, it was only the unschooled who

didn’t know a spell or two.

Among Dynasts, the demarcation between knowing a spell or two

and being considered a full-ﬂ edged sorcerer is one’s servants. The gener-

ally held belief throughout the Realm is that sorcerers can be recognized

by their bizarre entourage of spirits, elementals or reactivated First Age

automata. By that deﬁ nition, true sorcerers are quite rare. Those with

such an entourage are respected, even as they are shunned.

As a rule of thumb, about one Dragon-Blood in 10 knows a

spell or two, while one in 25 knows a handful of spells and deﬁ nes

herself as a sorcerer, and one in 50 Dragon-Blooded is truly adept

in the arts of Terrestrial Circle Sorcery.

There’s a sense among Dynasts that sorcerers cannot be entirely

trusted. With powerful students of sorcery such as Mnemon occupying

the very highest levels of the Dynastic power structure, though, no

one is likely to voice such concerns aloud. Still, order is one of the

core values of the Scarlet Empire, and nothing embodies danger

and disorder more effectively than the demon servitors that many

sorcerers summon as the badge of their ofﬁ ce. The obvious threat

inherent in a sorcerer’s vast knowledge makes others uncomfortable.

Those with an inkling of just how much more sorcerers know tend

to be more alarmed than those remain completely ignorant of what

is taught at the Heptagram.

Realm culture sees sorcerers as those who parley with demons,

enjoy delving into controversial pre-Usurpation history and delight

in breaking the rules of Creation itself. For the rigid and rule-bound

Realm, such behavior is almost intolerable. Nonetheless, the powers

that be (especially the Empress, Mnemon and most Bronze Faction

Sidereals) are still perfectly aware that sorcerers are some of the last

connections Creation has to the glory of the First Age and the last

great hope of reclaiming some of what was lost. More pragmatically

though, all the Realm is aware that Lookshy has some of the most

powerful sorcerers in Creation, and the Scarlet Dynasty cannot allow

itself to fall behind in the sorcerous arms race. Were it not for those

key factors, it is questionable whether the Realm would allow the

study of sorcery at all. Be that as it may, those who’ve undertaken

the study of sorcery have chosen a difﬁ cult path for themselves.

No student attends the Heptagram without realizing that she’s

setting herself up to be an outcast from much of Dynastic society.

Mingled fear, resentment and disdain prevents many Dynasts

from relating to sorcerers normally. Socially astute parents often

try to dissuade their children from going off to study on the Isle of

Voices, knowing that it will undermine their social and marriage

options. Some sworn brotherhoods don’t accept sorcerers in their

ranks (ironic given that sorcery is required to formalize such a

brotherhood), though some sworn brotherhoods consist solely

of Heptagram graduates. Sorcerers form a discrete, dread nobility

and their lives run parallel to those of “normal” Dynasts. To be a

sorcerer in the Realm means to devote one’s life to arduous and

esoteric study. It means difﬁ cult hours spent studying the ancient

and complex patterns of Essence that shift and alter Creation’s

fundamental principles. Not only is the Heptagram’s training in

sorcery rigorous, but it also removes certain blinders from the eyes

of students (e.g., the presence of Sidereals in the Realm). Sorcery

is one of the most potentially dangerous callings available to the

Dragon-Blooded. At this point in the fallen Second Age, much

of the information available about sorcery and its related ﬁ elds is

incomplete, and some is quite hazardous.

Most Dynasts are unclear about just how much sorcerers know

or what they can do, and many sorcerers foster this mystique to

their advantage. Realm sorcerers often have a reputation that far

exceeds their actual abilities, and this reputation is responsible for

much of the isolation sorcerers experience.

Many Great Houses provide separate quarters for the sorcerers

in their family. This segregation is portrayed as a luxury for such a

sorcerer, but it is just as much to keep her away from the rest of the

family, particularly the children, as it is to reward her.

Marriage to a sorcerer is also an issue. Some Houses (notably

Cathak and Peleps) strongly discourage marriage to sorcerers, while

others, such as Mnemon and Ledaal, give extra consideration to

suitors who are Heptagram graduates.

Charms are powerful manifestations of Essence, but most

Terrestrials see them as natural abilities. They tend to view sorcery,

the result of arduous study linked inextricably with the notion of

demons and bad luck, as unnatural.

How sorcerers deal with their lot varies widely. Some make

a point to use sorcery only (and obviously) for the common good

to mitigate the stigma of their profession. Others never mention

their training and carefully avoid saying anything that would expose

them as sorcerers. The members of the ﬁ nal group bear the burden

as regally as possible, surround themselves with an entourage of

automata, elementals and demons in such a way that they almost

challenge anyone to say anything. This last group is both the most

numerous and the one that most Dynasts think of when they think

of sorcerers.

THE S ORCERER IN S OCIETY

So many Dynasts are uncomfortable around sorcerers that

Dynastic society has created a popular, comforting lie that it uses

to avoid them. Sorcerers like being alone, Dynasts believe, as it

gives them time to study and reﬂ ect on the mystic truths laid bare

by their sorcerous training.

This belief is patently false, of course. Sorcerers don’t like being

alone any more or any less than architects, soldiers or merchants

do. They recognize the lie for what it is: a socially acceptable excuse

to forget to invite them to parties, a reason to put them up in the

family manse’s most distant quarters and a blame-free way to send

them on long trips into the Threshold. The lie makes discomfort

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

and dislike look like consideration and concern for the sorcerer’s

well-being, while allowing the bulk of Dynastic society feel good

about its bigotry.

Sentiments toward sorcerers vary by Dynast, of course. Some

Houses make ample use of this lie to relegate all sorcerers to the

farthest margins of daily life, while other Houses recognize the lie

for what it is and refuse to use it. Some Great Houses are known

to have particularly strong feelings toward those who study sorcery.

Houses Mnemon, Ledaal and Tepet are sympathetic to sorcerers

and generally have so many sorcerers in their Houses that they

tend not to treat them any differently from any other Dragon-

Blood. Sorcerers in House Tepet, however, are expected to keep

the theatrical elements of sorcery (i.e., the demonic retinue) down

to a minimum.

House Nellens adores sorcerers and crows its appreciation far

and wide in hopes that those who feel snubbed by other Houses

will be more likely to marry into Nellens. Nellens also provides

its sorcerers with a particularly generous stipend. In return for this

ostensible open-mindedness, House Nellens expects a great deal

from its sorcerers and saddles them with incredibly hectic schedules

and nigh-impossible tasks.

House Cathak, however, is unrepentant in its dislike of sor-

cerers. It does not invite sorcerers to its events, not even the few

who belong to the House. Members are discouraged from marrying

sorcerers, and even long pre-arranged marriages can be called off if

the ﬁ ancé attends the Heptagram.

SORCEROUS S OCIETIES

To make up for the isolation many sorcerers feel, they have

taken to working together in sorcerous societies. Some such societies

are open; some are well-kept secrets. The only thing they have in

common is their devotion to sorcery and their quest for more lore

pertaining to sorcery or the First Age.

SECONDARY S CHOOLS

Patricians who do not Exalt go on to any number of secondary

schools to learn an assortment of petty trades ranging from business

to law to thaumaturgy. While the schools open to patricians are

good, rigorous institutions, they are not up to the task of training

members of the Dragon-Blooded Host.

Four main secondary schools, and two alternatives, serve to

prepare young Terrestrial Exalts for the defense and stewardship of

Creation itself. The training in these places is appropriate to the

skills and strengths of the Dragon-Blooded, and the un-Exalted—on

those rare instances that they have been admitted—have not shown

themselves to have the mettle to master the subject matter taught

in these academies.

THE C LOISTER OF W ISDOM

For those Dragon-Bloods who dedicate their lives to spiritual

pursuits, the Cloister of Wisdom is where they familiarize them-

selves with the sutras—and the devastating martial arts—of the

Immaculate Dragons.

CLOISTER OF W ISDOM R EQUIREMENTS:

In order to play a Cloister of Wisdom graduate, you must

purchase at least Martial Arts 3, Integrity 2 (to reﬂ ect the self-

mastery derived from meditation and self-abnegation), Medicine 2

(representing the monk’s healing techniques) and Resistance 2 (to

reﬂ ect the incredible hardiness developed by the arduous monastic

life) for your character.

With the Storyteller’s permission, Cloister of Wisdom graduates

may take an extra dot of Martial Arts at no cost.

THE H OUSE OF B ELLS

No institution in the Realm better represents the martial

prowess of the Dragon-Blooded Host than the House of Bells. As

the school of war for members of the Scarlet Dynasty, it boasts a

long history of cunning generals, relentless warriors and a lengthy

catalogue of much-storied war heroes. Students of the House (as

it is called colloquially) focus their studies on tactics, strategy,

military history and battleﬁ eld logistics. They spend countless

hours learning to build and maintain team cohesion. Everything

these Dynasts do is centered on team dynamics. Under the tu-

telage of House instructors (or much older students) small units

drill together practicing armed and unarmed combat, maneuvers,

battleﬁ eld sorcery and endurance training. These young Dynasts

live and sleep together in barracks; they ﬁ ght and train together;

they even bathe together as a unit. Personal space is unknown to

students of the House of Bells. Individuality is a luxury for battle-

tested generals. Everyone else must know how to be a cog in the

Realm’s great war machine.

HOUSE OF B ELLS R EQUIREMENTS:

A player who wants to play a House of Bells graduate must

purchase at least War 3 (to represent the House’s intense focus on

formation-based strategies and tactics) and Presence 3 (to reﬂ ect

the command and authority wielded by those trained to lead the

legions of the Realm) for his character.

THE H EPTAGRAM

The smallest of the Realm’s four great academies, the Hep-

tagram is located on the Isle of Voices, a small, craggy island off

the north coast of the Blessed Isle. Demons and elementals alike

see to it that the island is inadmissible to any who do not belong

there, and the surprisingly deep channel between the Blessed Isle

and the Heptagram is littered with the ﬁ sh-nibbled bones of those

who thought to go where they were not welcome. This academy

guards its secrets jealously indeed.

IMPERIAL O BLIGATION

Attending the Heptagram is a luxury, and a very

expensive one at that. Therefore, every graduate of the

school is considered to owe the Realm one “Obligation”

for footing the bill for a ﬁ rst-rate sorcerous education.

(An Obligation is some return the Realm expects from

a sorcerer on its investment, from a minor deed to an

arduous, challenging task.) Some sorcerers are assigned

their Obligation immediately upon graduation; others are

assigned theirs years later, after they have become powerful

veteran sorcerers. The Empress usually took the sorcerer’s

power and learning into consideration when assigning an

Obligation, but she would sometimes use Obligations as a

punishment, a reward, a training tool or for other reasons

not directly linked to the well-being of the Realm.

In the Empress’s absence, it is the Deliberative that

calls in Obligations, and this it does in as Machiavellian

a way as one might imagine. Some Houses are punished

by having their sorcerers sent on suicide missions, while

others are made to do the Realm’s dirty work.

Academy may get one free dot of the Resources Background to

represent business advantages, contacts and the strategic exploita-

tion of bureaucratic loopholes available to those who graduate from

this school. This free dot cannot take the character above ﬁ ve dots

in the Background.

OTHER S CHOOLS

While the four great academies are the most prestigious schools

open to the Realm’s Dragon-Blooded, they are not the only op-

tions. While the other schools lack prestige, they serve the Realm

in other important ways.

PASIAP’S S TAIR

The Realm is a hard place for those “found eggs” who Exalt

from the lower classes or beyond the shores of the Blessed Isle.

Such Dragon-Bloods represent a danger to the Scarlet Empire.

They are spiritually enlightened (as reﬂ ected in their Exaltation)

but unschooled, ignorant. Each one is a loose cannon in a Realm

where order is precious and becoming more so.

Those outcastes who opt for military life train for 10 years at

the fortress-academy known as Pasiap’s Stair.

For more on Pasiap’s Stair, see page 55.

SCHOOLS FOR THE I NCORRIGIBLE

Lastly, there are two other schools on the Blessed Isle for students

whose bad behavior is so beyond the pale, even for spoiled Dynasts, that

no other school will take them. Built more like prisons than schools,

both of these stern institutions show a great willingness to emphasize

the whip over more conventional learning tools. No parent, regardless

The Heptagram is known throughout Creation as the ﬁ nest

academy of magic, alchemy, demonology, divination and thau-

maturgy in the Realm. Among the Terrestrial Exalted, only the

sorcerer-engineers of Lookshy are as knowledgeable where sorcery

and First Age secrets are concerned.

HEPTAGRAM R EQUIREMENTS:

A character who graduated from the Heptagram must start play

with at least Occult 3, Lore 3 and Linguistics 1. Not every Dynast

who graduates from the Heptagram knows sorcery, but no one

graduates from the Heptagram without being ﬂ uent in Old Realm

and knowing the basics of history and occult theory.

THE S PIRAL A CADEMY

The Realm does not maintain its position in Creation through

the might of the Imperial Army alone. Arguments have been made

that it is the Blessed Isle’s complex web of magistrates, ministers,

sub-ministers, satraps, governors, tax collectors and other bureaucrats

that is truly responsible for the hegemony of the Realm.

Those intent on joining the Thousand Scales after gradua-

tion attend the Spiral Academy to learn advanced techniques of

accounting, ﬁ nance, oration, poetry, rhetoric, calligraphy, political

science, and all of the other skills necessary to keep the Imperial

Bureaucracy functioning smoothly.

SPIRAL A CADEMY R EQUIREMENTS

Characters who graduated from the Spiral Academy must start

play with Bureaucracy 3, Investigation 1 and Linguistics 3. At the

Storyteller’s discretion, a character who graduated from the Spiral

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

of her standing, can send a child here without receiving the occasional

glance of pity from her peers, because to do so is to admit to failure at

a Dynast’s most important job: the bringing up of young Dynasts.

It is common knowledge throughout the Realm that students

leave these schools in one of three states: reformed, broken or dead.

That said, the two schools vary a great deal in their approach to

their grim work—and in their results.

THE H OUSE OF A NCIENT S TONE

Located in the hilly farmland outside of Lord’s Crossing is a

sprawling, guarded, patrolled “school” called the House of Ancient

Stone. The enormous, trapezoidal manse at the center of the school

is clearly a First Age fortress of some sort. Composed of smooth slabs

of black stone, it looks as though it rose up fully formed from the

rich, black soil that surrounds it.

Run by Tepet Urono, a battle sorcerer who has served with

the Tepet legions for nearly two centuries, the House of Ancient

Stone is more akin to a work farm than a school, but all students

do get an education in agriculture, history and geomancy. Taking

advantage of the rich farmland around Lord’s Crossing, the House

of Ancient Stone routinely takes in as much for its crops and

produce as it does in the extraordinarily costly tuition it charges

its students’ families.

Tepet Urono is a powerful Exalt, and he runs the House of

Ancient Stone fairly, but with no tolerance for misbehavior or

disrespect. He uses sorcery, dozens of elementals and a range of

artifacts to monitor his charges at all times. One artifact in his

possession makes it impossible to tell a lie within 20 feet of him,

and older students traditionally let younger ones ﬁ nd this out the

hard way.

Students rise two hours before sunup every morning, work in

the ﬁ elds for 10 hours “to rid them of excessive exuberance” and

study intensively for the remainder of the day. Comprehensive tests

are given at the end of every week. Students who refuse to work

or master their studies are ﬂ ogged until they change their minds

or die. Unlike the Palace of the Tamed Storm, however, far more

students graduate each year than die.

Urono stresses team-building efforts in all aspects of the cur-

riculum. Bullies and braggarts, for example, are hung up by their

ankles for 48 hours—or until a classmate frees them (as an object

lesson in the importance of alliances). Cruelty and dishonesty are

severely punished, but Urono also sees to it that kindness, cooperation

and constructive leadership are rewarded in small but meaningful

ways such as extra portions of food, increased authority over other

students or, the rarest of privileges, trips to Lord’s Crossing. Urono’s

goal is not to punish, or even to discipline, but to shape students

into all that Dragon-Blooded should be.

If Urono has a soft spot, it is in his attraction to young men.

While not a common occurrence, Urono has been known to “take

it easy” on attractive male students who offer themselves to him

sexually. If his lovers take advantage of his kindness, however, his

resentment is both swift and brutal.

Graduates of the House of Ancient Stone routinely become

skilled farmers, vintners and apiculturists. Many also become mem-

bers of the legions in good standing, and several graduates every year

opt to continue their education at the Heptagram, where Urono

has many friends on staff.

HOUSE OF A NCIENT S TONE R EQUIREMENTS:

A character who graduated from the House of Ancient Stone

must start with Bureaucracy 2, Lore 2 and Occult 1.

THE P ALACE OF THE T AMED S TORM

Contrary to Dynastic propaganda, the Imperial City does have

a bad section, and at the epicenter of the worst of it is a vipers’ nest

referred to in polite company as the Palace of the Tamed Storm. Far

less expensive than the costly House of Ancient Stone, the Palace

of the Tamed Storm is a place where students learn to smile and

succeed in the classroom even as they learn to extort, scheme, steal,

maim and torture in the barracks. Criminality is the most effectively

taught course in the Palace of the Tamed Storm. The second most

effectively taught course is maintaining appearances.

Sesus Tokaiko is the harridan spider at the center of this web

of misery. She is a cruel woman, prone to threatening her students

with her ﬁ ery anima. The subtleties of reform and redemption are

lost on her. Fear of disﬁ gurement is her primary motivating tool.

One tired joke around the Imperial City is that Tokaiko is the

most hated woman in the city now that the Empress has disappeared.

Many are waiting and hoping eagerly for Tokaiko to follow in the

Empress’s footsteps.

Given their vicious sensibilities and tactics, Tokaiko’s staff

could easily be members of the Red Piss Legion, but somehow,

they fell short of even that low calling. Many of her “tutors” are

former students hardened enough to manage the crude and violent

student body.

Students at the Palace of the Tamed Storm do master a wide

variety of basic skills, however, because only by mastering the cur-

riculum of the Palace of the Tamed Storm can they leave. It’s up

to them whether they do that in two years or eight.

PALACE OF THE T AMED S TORM R EQUIREMENTS:

Characters who graduated from the Palace of the Tamed Storm

must start with a minimum of Larceny 3 and Socialize 2.

THE S CARLET D YNASTY

The Blessed Realm of the Scarlet Empire is easily the largest

society of Terrestrial Exalts in Creation and, arguably, the most

powerful. The Realm certainly claims to represent the high-water

mark of Dragon-Blooded civilization on Creation’s face since the

fall of the Shogunate.

The Realm is the product of one incredibly powerful woman

and her vast family. That woman is the Scarlet Empress, and her

family is better known as the Scarlet Dynasty. Martial but spiritual,

disciplined but decadent, powerful but imperiled, the Scarlet Dynasty

is a mess of conﬂ icting extremes.

The lives of the Realm’s Dynasts are marked by luxury, opportunity

and wealth—more so than even the Realm’s comfortable patrician

class and a far cry from the desperate lives of most mortals living in

the fallen Second Age. The Immaculate Order maintains that the

Terrestrial Exaltation is a sign of great spiritual advancement, and in so

doing, it cedes the last major institution to the Terrestrial Exalted.

The founder of the Scarlet Dynasty, and its ruler for nearly

800 years, is the powerful Dragon-Blooded sorceress known as the

Empress. Along with a handful of other Shogunate ofﬁ cers, she gained

admittance to the long-lost Palace of the Anathema (since renamed

the Imperial Manse), where she successfully activated the Realm

Defense Grid at the moment of Creation’s gravest peril. In so doing,

she saved the world from the swarming chaos of the Fair Folk. Of

those who entered the manse that day, only one emerged, and she

would soon be known by only one title—Empress of the Realm.

No one on the Blessed Isle—Exalted or otherwise—is allowed

the luxury of ignorance concerning the Empress’s founding of the

Dynasty. Young children in primary school recite nursery rhymes

about it, and children even younger recognize the ﬁ ve-pointed star

that is the Empress’s imperial seal.

Imperial lore has it that the scarlet star has long been the

sigil of the Empress, a symbol of her Dynasty, and by extension

the Realm, and by further extension, all members of the Dragon-

Blooded Host.

Though the symbols of the Dynasty are well known throughout

the Realm, its best-known facets are the Dragon-Blooded of the

Dynastic Great Houses.

HOUSEHOLDS

It is a great blessing to be born into one of the Great Houses,

and almost all Dragon-Blooded wear their family name so openly

as to be accused of ﬂ aunting it. Extended families develop a very

strong sense of family identity, and Dynastic households are often

enormous, with seven to 10 generations of the same family simul-

taneously residing in a single vast manse.

At times, married Dynasts who have made a name (or a

fortune) for themselves opt to escape the noise, congestion and

family politics of a busy manse and establish a household of their

own. In such cases, the brave Dynasts set off with the basics—their

children, a handful of nieces, nephews and cousins, a small retinue

of servants and slaves—and set up a household in whatever fam-

ily territory they can request (or take) from their House elders. A

household that can hold and administer a larger tract of territory is

typically given more land as it proves its competence to the elders

of the House. A household that shows itself incapable of managing

its lands ﬁ nds its holdings shrinking.

While members of these offshoot families still legally keep the

last name of the House’s founder as their claim to Dynastic birth,

they are also known by the name of the founder of the household.

Sometimes, for convenience or clarity of household afﬁ liation,

Dynasts go by a tripartite name: House name, household name,

given name. Cynis Denovah Avaku, for example, bears the names

of both his grandmother (Denovah) and the name of his great-great

grandfather, the founder of the House of Cynis.

THE L AND G AME

Farming remains the fundamental industry in the

Realm, and land ownership is the key to income for

patricians as well as Dynasts. When Dragon-Blooded

households grow, they usually establish themselves on

another tract of land owned by their Great House. If

this new household is on strained terms with the House

whence it sprang, though, it will acquire new lands for

itself. Patricians grow very concerned when Dragon-

Blooded acquire new tracts of land, because the Great

Houses already control nearly 80 percent of the Blessed

Isle. In theory, they control all of it, as the Realm itself

belongs to the Empress, but the fact of the matter is that

patrician families “manage” some real estate with enough

control that they can be said to own it. The Great Houses

could simply take any land they wanted, but such behavior

would result in a near instant rebellion of every patrician

household on the Blessed Isle.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

INCOME

Throughout the Blessed Isle, Terrestrial Exalted can be found

doing nearly anything for money except working hard. As spiritually

advanced beings, Dynasts are above menial labor, which is the lot of

mortals or summoned servitors. This is not to say that the Dragon-

Blooded do nothing, just that they have the luxury of choosing how

they want to serve their families and the Empress.

In theory, every Dynast gets a stipend just for being part of

the Dragon-Blooded Host. In practice, those Dynasts who have

shamed or offended their families are conveniently forgotten when

the time comes to hand out jade. That said, only the laziest scion of

the Dynasty is content with the minimum family stipend.

The amount of jade a Dynast actually receives from her family

is determined by a ludicrously complex formula that takes many

factors into consideration. Those factors include age, education,

marital status, whether one’s spouse is mortal or Dragon-Blooded,

service to the family, service to the legions, service to the Wyld

Hunt, service to the Empress, number of children produced, number

of children Exalted and the rarity and strategic importance of any

particular skills the Dragon-Blood possesses.

Young Dynasts, fresh out of secondary school, are often encour-

aged to travel and gain some experience in Creation, preferably

beyond the shores of the Blessed Isle. Travel has historically been

the unofﬁ cial ﬁ rst métier of most Dynasts as they determine what

they want to do with their lives. As the self-proclaimed defenders

of Creation, it behooves scions of the Dynasty to be familiar with

as much of it as possible.

More driven or competitive scions of the Dynasty enter their

chosen ﬁ elds immediately. Graduates of the House of Bells are given

a commission in the legions; graduates of the Spiral Academy enter

government and business. Young Dynasts who graduate from the Hep-

tagram may remain at the school to perform personal research in the

presence of experienced instructors. Young sorcerers are often engaged

by the Heptagram to obtain rare texts, items or substances from the

Threshold. Monks who study at the Cloister of Wisdom simply don’t

need much in the way of ﬁ nancial resources, so they traditionally get

less from their families than most other Dynasts would. Their every

need is taken care of, though, and they often travel as well. They do

so either to take up residence in a distant monastery, to wander as an

itinerant or to act as support staff for the Wyld Hunt.

THE G REAT H OUSES

The Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty are the celebrities,

heroes and nobles of the Blessed Isle. They are larger than life

because it is expected of them to be so. Of the 11 Great Houses

of the Scarlet Dynasty, most are martial, social and bureaucratic

powerhouses, great concentrations of political force that drive the

heavy wheels of empire on the Blessed Isle. Combined, the Great

Houses have nigh total control over the banks, the Imperial Army,

the Immaculate Order, the Thousand Scales and the Realm’s busi-

nesses. They are both church and state within the Scarlet Empire.

A Great House can move against another and not be destroyed,

but the un-Exalted are at the mercy of the Dynasts—a mercy that is

often notably lacking. Noblesse oblige is little more than a quaint,

heretical notion that occasionally, brieﬂ y comes into fashion among

the Chosen of the Dragons. When it does, it is quickly abandoned

when the Immaculate Order reminds the Great Houses that the

Exalted are supposed to lord their power over the un-Exalted as a

privilege of their great spiritual advancement.

HOUSE A SPECT

All but one of the 11 Great Houses of the Imperial Dynasty

clearly show the blessings of a speciﬁ c Elemental Dragon, and this

elemental afﬁ nity inevitably shapes a House’s social, ﬁ nancial and

martial interactions. For a number of reasons, however, including

arranged marriages to off-aspect Dynasts, romantic dalliances and

simple variation in the blood, all Great Houses produce scions of

all ﬁ ve elemental aspects. An Exalted child usually takes after the

aspect of whichever parent has the strongest blood. The afﬁ nity

of each Great House reﬂ ects the aspect of the House’s founder,

and many, if not all, of the House elders share this afﬁ nity. When

a young member of the House Exalts, it is assumed (and hoped)

that she will share her House’s elemental aspect. Many Dynasts

see purity of aspect as a sign of a Great House’s pedigree, and any

House that produces too many Exalts who deviate from the House’s

traditional elemental aspect is quietly (and superstitiously) pointed

out as losing the strength of its blood. Sidereal researchers have

data disproving this superstition, but it doesn’t serve their purposes

to share that with members of the Dynasty just yet.

(In game terms, a character’s aspect can differ from that of her

House and she can still have ﬁ ve or even six dots in the Breeding

Background, as long as both of her parents were Exalted.)

BLOOD AND P EDIGREE

Bloodline and breeding are of the utmost importance to the

Dragon-Blooded. At the beginning of the First Age, all offspring

of the Dragon-Blooded also Exalted. Toward the end of the First

Age, the Terrestrial Exalted bred much too frequently with mortals,

diluting the gift of the Dragons. By this sad point in the Second

Age, the blood of the Dragons has grown so thin that it is even

possible for two Exalted parents to have children who do not Exalt.

Should this dilution continue, there could come a time when the

Gift of the Dragons is lost to Creation entirely.

Among other things dictated by purity of blood is the age at

Exaltation. Stronger blood tends to cause earlier Exaltation (as early

as 10 in a few children of exceptional breeding), while the thinnest

blooded Terrestrial can Exalt as late as age 20.

The more hidebound Houses that guard the purity of their

blood, such as Mnemon, Cathak and V’neef, reduce the family

stipend of any Dragon-Blood who marries a mortal. Any children

they have will be watched closely. If such a child does not Exalt,

the couple’s stipend will be reduced further. Should poorly bred

children Exalt later in life (as weak-blooded children tend to), the

stipend is restored and even paid retroactively.

PURITY OF A SPECT

When two Dynasts produce a child and that child Exalts,

much is made of that child’s aspect. A child who “breeds true” is

commonly believed to beneﬁ t from stronger blessings of its House’s

favored Dragon. Marrying outside of one’s aspect always carries a

risk of losing the favor of the Dragon who blessed one’s House. An

Exalt whose elemental aspect is different from that of both parents is

considered very inauspicious, and the child is often sent away to be

reared by a distantly located household in her family or sometimes

to another House entirely.

THE E LEVEN H OUSES

OF THE S CARLET D YNASTY

The 11 Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty are detailed here.

Each description notes the Great House’s leadership, its business deal-

ings and alliances, and one or two of its best-known members.

HOUSE C ATHAK

Famed as one of the most militaristic of the Great Houses, House

Cathak has been blessed by the Dragons with a better Exaltation

rate than any House but Mnemon’s. Even more auspiciously, House

Cathak has produced more children than any other Great House

for 80 out of the last 100 years. For other Great Houses, this would

be a blessing. For House Cathak, it’s necessary to offset the House’s

equally high mortality rate. The majority of young Cathaks (Exalted

or not) enter the legions, where they strive to equal or surpass the

legends of the House’s great war heroes—and the House’s casualty

rate reﬂ ects that. More tragedies befall the young soldiers of this Great

House than any other. Publicly, this is attributed to the fearlessness

of House Cathak. Privately, it is often claimed that, while members

of the House are long on bravery, they’re short on judgment. Some

members even secretly claim that it’s an extravagant conspiracy

engineered by Mnemon to keep House Cathak from taking control of

the Dynasty simply by outbreeding the rest of the Great Houses.

MASTER OF THE H OUSE

Great grandson of Cathak himself, Cathak Cainan is the

current patriarch of House Cathak and a true icon of the Scarlet

Empire. Cainan is one of those rare, truly pious souls who obtained

his schooling at the Cloister of Wisdom and then chose to be a

soldier rather than a holy man.

Over a glorious career that has included leadership of the

Cathak legions, massive battles with invading Fair Folk and vigor-

ous participation in the Wyld Hunt, Cathak Cainan has earned the

respect of his family and the obedience of the legions. He is one

of a handful of Exalts in the Realm who can get an audience with

the Mouth of Peace within an hour of requesting one.

Like his House, Cainan has proven himself unusually fecund,

and a surprisingly high percentage of his children and grandchildren

have Exalted.

Though he does not consider himself his House’s ruler, per

se, Cainan does guide his extensive family with a ﬁ rm, but gentle

hand. He’s open to the input of other family members, but no one

questions that his word is ﬁ nal.

Were he a younger man, Cainan would likely wind up on the

Scarlet Throne thanks to the efforts of the Bronze Faction, which

sees him as just the kind of pious mouthpiece it needs. As it stands,

the Sidereals don’t expect Cainan to last more than a few more

decades, and they don’t relish the notion of another succession

conﬂ ict so soon.

Cainan is a tall man, heavily muscled, with long red hair and

all the markings of an old and powerful Fire Aspect of excellent

breeding.

MAJOR L INES

THE C ATHAK G AREL H OUSEHOLD

Cathak Garel is a respected military historian whose household

is based in a sprawling manse outside Tuchara, in Arjuf Dominion.

She and her family are renowned for writing the most accurate

and complete histories of the Scarlet Empire’s conquests and

battles anywhere in the Realm. Gathered both through battleﬁ eld

observation and exhaustive interviews, these histories read like

hyper-detailed and thoroughly annotated skirmish-by-skirmish

accounts. They are so accurate that they are considered sensitive

information and guarded accordingly. Any time the Realm enters

a conﬂ ict, chroniclers from the Cathak Garel household appear

on or near the ﬁ eld of battle as dependably as hungry crows. On

many occasions, the family has earned the ire of other Houses

and households by being too honest in its histories, but Garel has

always insisted that accurate records of battles are far more crucial

to the Realm than ﬂ attering ones. If any member of the Cathak

Garel household were ever to falsify a chronicle of a battle, both

Garel and Cainan himself would be forced to take drastic action

to defend the integrity of the household’s reputation.

Several Garel historians have recently isolated themselves in

the household’s manse in Tuchara to complete the ofﬁ cial account

of the destruction of the Tepet legions at the hands of the Bull of

the North, and many Dynasts are pressuring Cathak Garel herself

to hurry the process along.

While many in Cathak Garel’s line have followed her example

and become historians, many have also made more active use of

these historical lessons by becoming strategists and generals in

the legions.

All of the major Cathak households are aspected toward Fire.

ECONOMICS

House Cathak has many satrapies in the Threshold, and that’s

where the vast portion of the House’s funds come from. Cathak

Cainan has a reputation for squeezing the House’s satrapies harder

than most of the Dynastic Houses, but also for providing more

disciplined troops, less corrupt ofﬁ cers and a range of other services

(road and bridge building, mostly). He sees the high tribute asked

by his House to be fair, given the range of services the satrapies

receive. For their part, the tributary states are less certain of that

and have become suspiciously delinquent in paying tribute to the

House in recent months. Others have forgotten to send portions of

their tribute, claiming they have no more to send. They are clearly

counting on the upheaval in the Realm to keep House Cathak at

bay—and they may have ﬁ gured things right. Should their gamble

prove unfounded, however, House Cathak will certainly make its

resentment known with a strong legion presence.

While the satrapies have been pondering a tax revolt, some

Cathak households have started hiring out House troops to some

of the House’s other tributary states for money. Cainan dislikes this

practice, comparing it to martial prostitution (as he calls merce-

nary activity). Still, he knows that a Great House does not make

money simply by being morally upright. He is working to convince

the House’s other Dragon-Blooded to hire out these troops only

in ways that further the Realm’s interests, though his efforts have

met with only moderate success. While the other Cathak scions

hold Cainan in high regard, that respect won’t put their children

through expensive schools or keep them clothed in the luxurious

silks to which they have become accustomed.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

Cathak Cainan is an honest man with a true concern for his

House, and he leads House Cathak accordingly. He respects alliances

and partnerships and eschews the paranoia that plagues many of the

other Dynastic Houses. This isn’t to say that the Cathaks rush into every

deal they’re offered, though. They vet their opportunities very carefully

and make sure that the House beneﬁ ts from any alliance it enters.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

In recent years, Cathak has deployed its

legions to guard other Houses’ tribute caravans in

return for a small cut of the take. Not only does this make

money for House Cathak, but it helps make sure that the Realm’s

coffers stay full even during this Time of Tumult.

V’neef Aliset believes she has found a trove of First Age wonders

deep in the Threshold, not far from Larjyn, and she is currently offering

House Cathak a generous sum to help her transport her treasures

back to the Realm for study and possible repair. House Cathak is

very interested, but the political realities of the Realm make it

very dangerous to deploy too many legions to the Threshold at

the moment. Still, the possible payoff would likely make the risk

worthwhile. A decision is forthcoming soon.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

CATHAK C ACEK

As a young Exalt studying military strategy in the House of

Bells, Cathak Cacek was plagued by insomnia. At night, to turn

his inability to sleep to good use, Cacek designed a game that used

the strategies he was learning in class and invited his fellow students

to play, which they did in huge numbers. In RY 466, Cathak Cacek

introduced this game, called Gateway, to the Realm at large, and it

was instantly hailed as a masterpiece of strategic instruction.

Cathak Cacek served in the legions for many years and

regularly played Gateway with his Dragon-Blooded peers, but

he never realized how popular his game had become until he

returned to the Realm. Cacek now heads a household of his own,

and his descendents all prize themselves on being among the best

Gateway players in the Realm.

CATHAK M AE

It is rare that a profession as lowly as armorer would be seen as

an acceptable trade for one of the Dragon-Blooded, but in Cathak

Mae’s case, exceptions have clearly been made. A graduate of the

Heptagram, Mae specializes in creating powerful jade armor based on

First Age designs. Every piece of armor she creates is a unique work of

art, and she is easily one of the richest members of House Cathak.

Mae was engaged to be married to a young general in the

Tepet legions before his death in the Battle of Fallen Lapis, where

the Tepet legions were effectively crushed. Now, she shows

little interest in anything beyond her extraordinary

forge complex in Tuchara, despite a range of Exalted

suitors from the best Dynastic Houses trying

to get her attention. Some in her own House

are hoping her mourning lasts quite some time,

as the armor she has created in this period of grief

has easily been of Shogunate quality.

HOUSE C YNIS

There is no denying that House Cynis

has made its own reputation, but it is equally

true that the other Dynastic Houses have blown

that reputation far out of proportion. Yes, the Cynis throw

orgies, and yes those events are engineered to be spectacles.

For the most part, though, those affairs are nothing like the

unﬂ attering accounts say they are.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

House Cynis is very loosely ruled by the three daughters of

Cynis herself from their verdant Palace of Trees in Pangu Prefecture.

Cynis Wisel, Cynis Belar and Cynis Falen are devout hedonists who

all agree that providing relaxation, entertainment and pleasure to

the Realm is their House’s true calling. On other matters, however,

especially business, the three do not always agree.

Cynis Wisel tends to be nervous and conservative about changes

in the House’s course. She’s not against taking action, but she does

prefer to mull things over and look at all possible consequences before

committing the House’s resources. Her household, while great at

throwing spectacular parties, does not share the Cynis propensity

for depravity. That said, she has nothing against leveraging the

depravity of others into proﬁ ts for House Cynis.

Cynis Falen is the most optimistic of the three Cynis sisters.

She is known for meeting threats and dangers head on and making

the most of the resources the House now possesses. She is generally

recognized as having the best economic sense of the three sisters,

although maintaining that reputation has been known to drive her

to some very amoral business decisions. She is prone to decisive

action, which is good, but some of her actions are clearly not very

well thought out. She believes, for example, that her House could

steal the slave trade away from the Guild within only a few years

if it really wanted to. Falen’s branch of the family is known for its

romantics, its dreamers and its musicians. It is said that the best lovers

on the Blessed Isle descend from Cynis Falen, and Falen herself is

quite proud of that reputation because she has trained most of her

descendents in the arts of love at one point or another.

Cynis Belar is an accomplished Heptagram-trained sorceress.

She is a quiet, pragmatic woman, and she often keeps her opinions

to herself—only to make sure events unfold the way she wants them

to later. Belar has a reputation for being somewhat secretive, but

very shrewd in the ways of both business and people. When House

Cynis needs information, it is Belar who gets it, either with sorcery

or by hiring competent spies. Belar’s household is known for be-

ing taciturn and more than a little paranoid, but very effective at

anything to which its members turn their attention. Some of Belar’s

descendents have a reputation for sadism, and they don’t hesitate to

make that reputation work for them, especially when dealing with

haughty satraps and self-important bureaucrats. Many of Belar’s

offspring appear to share her facility with sorcery as well.

In centuries past, the three sisters’ “rulership” over the House rarely

consisted of more than suggesting that one household or another hold

another party. Recently, though, they have grown concerned about the

state of the Realm, not to mention the more egregious excesses of their

House, which they would like to curb in case the next ruler to sit on the

throne considers them excessive or a threat to the public good.

MAJOR L INES

Although only one is married at this point, all three sisters

have enormous households that account for most of the Cynis

Dragon-Blooded in the Realm.

All three Cynis households are aspected toward Wood.

ECONOMICS

House Cynis has traditionally made a great deal of money off the

slave trade. It purchases slaves from the Guild and sells them within

the Realm. The Guild smells weakness in the Realm, however, and

has raised the price of slaves, causing the proﬁ ts of House Cynis to

plummet. While the House could easily obtain its own slaves, that

would come at the risk of alienating the Guild entirely, something

Cynis Wisel fears would be unwise, considering how indebted House

Cynis is to the Guild at this point. Still, Cynis Belar has quietly

and ﬁ rmly made it known to some of the House’s stingier satraps

that any difference between tribute owed and tribute actually paid

will be made up in young men and women of good breeding, who

will be taken away and placed into slavery.

House Cynis hires out slaves to others who need cheap labor.

Technically, the hiring party pays jade to buy the time of an overseer,

who is then free to make use of his (or his family’s) slaves as necessary.

The overseer is generally a mortal or a young Exalt who needs to earn

a stipend somehow, and watching others work is a relatively common

pastime for Dynasts anyway. Ostensibly, it is the responsibility of the

overseer to direct the slaves at whatever task he has assigned for them.

More often, the overseer turns over direction of the slaves to the client

household to use as necessary while he graciously accepts the client’s

hospitality. The primary responsibility of the overseer is to see to it

that all slaves sent out to a client return alive and in good health. Any

damage to the slaves or death among their number is charged against

the stipend of the overseer. Consequently, a wise overseer is careful

not to grow too blind while partaking of his client’s hospitality.

Prostitution is a simple and obvious offshoot of the Cynis slave

trade and one from which the House makes a moderate amount

of money. Any decent-sized city has at least one pleasure house,

and larger cities have more such establishments, some of which

specialize based on the tastes and preferences in an area. On the

Blessed Isle, all such places are owned by House Cynis, and they are

all tied into a tight network that keeps careful records of important

ﬁ gures (including all Dragon-Bloods) who visit their establishment.

More often than not, the best proﬁ t to be made by such places is

in the knowledge of who was where, when, on what business and,

of course, doing what with whom. Add to that the fact that some

young clients have shown a convenient tendency to babble during

sex, and House Cynis controls one of the key information networks

on the Blessed Isle. In many instances, the best money to be had in

prostitution is not in the fee paid for sexual release, but in leveraging

information gleaned during the liaison for proﬁ t later.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

While renowned for the spectacles and exotic delights of its

lavish parties, the hard fact of the matter is that, while others like

to experience Cynis hospitality—and might even pay for many of

the services provided by House Cynis—none of the other Houses

especially wants to be associated with House Cynis enough to ally

with it. One House, Sesus, regularly marries into Cynis, but even

that has its political disadvantages at times. There’s an appearance

of dissolute weakness to the House, which runs contrary to the

self-discipline and battle-ready ideals of the Dynasty. Even though

those ideals aren’t upheld the way they once were, no other House

represents their antithesis the way House Cynis does. This makes the

House vulnerable, especially if the next ruler to sit on the Scarlet

Throne doesn’t appreciate its business or reputation.

Obviously, the House would like to claim the throne, but Cynis

has tapped into its own information network well enough to know

that it doesn’t have any viable candidates for the position. The

best the House can do at this point is to use its connections and

intelligence to glean advance notice of who the next Empress or

Emperor might be and maybe cash in some favors or information

to help roll with the coming changes.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

CYNIS B ELAR R OKUJAI

A brilliant but aimless youth, Rokujai ﬁ rst attended the Cloister

of Wisdom (much to his family’s amazement and chagrin), then

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

the Heptagram as soon as he ﬁ nished his studies there. When he

ﬁ nished, he turned his years of education to being a prostitute.

The disdain of the Realm and its power brokers was palpable. His

behavior was scandalous even for a Cynis, and even within House Cynis,

pressure mounted to disown young Rokujai. Belar herself interviewed

him to ﬁ nd out what was going on in his head, and the two of them

talked for over four hours before he left. His answers satisﬁ ed her,

because she refused to hear any criticism of him after that point.

After being a very well remunerated prostitute for several

years, Rokujai retired from that profession and instead opened

several popular brothels in major cities across the Realm, seven of

which were in the Scarlet Prefecture. These brothels were places

of pleasure, of course but they were primarily ready-made intel-

ligence-gathering venues.

With a profound understanding of martial arts, sorcery and

the hard realities of the street, Rokujai then combined his disparate

ﬁ elds of knowledge to become the closest House Cynis has to a

spymaster. Through means both mundane and sorcerous, Rokujai

would gather information on the patrons of his establishments and

ﬁ nd out who might need that information. Rokujai doesn’t care

for competition and has surreptitiously done away with key intel-

ligence ﬁ gures in other Houses, especially those who took too keen

an interest in House Cynis. While other spies are more established

than he, Rokujai’s understanding of multiple disciplines makes him

a subtle and terrifying opponent.

CYNIS M OND, WINDTAMER

Among the most proliﬁ c artiﬁ cers in all of the Dynasty, Cy-

nis Mond is a living legend among the Dragon-Blooded. No one

expected this. He spent his early life as a man obsessed with the

wind, both as a physical force and as a magical concept. He spent

months building oddly shaped sails and studying ﬂ ight patterns of

immense kites. His family thought him useless and mad.

Toward what should have been the end of his natural life span,

Mond unveiled a series of never-before-seen artifacts and Charms

all predicated on his life’s study of the ﬂ ow of wind and Essence.

In the span of a few short years, Mond, now called Windtamer,

went from being a marginalized crackpot to one of the Realm’s

most respected and best-known sorcerers, rivaled only by the likes

of the Empress herself and her daughter Mnemon. The First Age

windslave terminals and their more specialized variants, popularized

and reproduced by Mond, are in use by geomancers, architects and

the legions in every corner of the Threshold. Hundreds of Terrestrial

Exalts learn Charms created by Mond for use in endeavors from

sailing and combat to music and communication.

Though famous and highly respected, Mond is no less the

eccentric visionary than he ever was. He remains ﬂ ighty and

rarely stays in one place for long. He occasionally teaches at the

Heptagram as a celebrity senior savant. He maintains homes and

workshops throughout Creation. Anywhere the wind blows, Mond

can travel without difﬁ culty.

Mond’s command of Essence is said to have reached the pin-

nacle of Terrestrial potential, though those who have had any real

interaction with him hint that he is more wind than man now,

occasionally fading to transparency for minutes on end when he

forgets to maintain his corporeal form. His blue-gray hair and beard

have grown to a prodigious length, and they and his ﬂ imsy wrap

constantly blow around him in the ceaseless winds that attend him.

He no longer touches the ground for longer than a moment at a

time, instead hovering and ﬂ itting above it.

HOUSE I SELSI

At ﬁ rst glance, it is tempting to refer to House Iselsi as a former

Dynastic House, as it was shattered over four centuries ago following

a failed attempt at disposing of the Empress and has never been

allowed to regain its footing. It has no satrapies, no seat on the

Deliberative and few obvious allies among the other Houses.

All of this ignominy has been due to one indiscretion. In RY 303,

several House Iselsi spies conspired to assassinate the Empress. The

attempt obviously failed, and the would-be assassins were tortured to

death, but the rest of the House was placed under a dark shadow of

suspicion for its ignorance of the conspiracy and for not moving to

stop it. Every few decades or so, the Empress would execute another

Iselsi on charges of spying and give one of the House’s satrapies to

another Great House. The House accepted its lot stoically, but its

situation did not improve. On the contrary, after nearly three centu-

ries of this, the Empress formally struck the House from the Imperial

ledgers entirely, making sure that, among other things, the House lost

its lands and would no longer get seats in the Deliberative.

The transformation that has taken place in the House over the

intervening 450 years has left it unrecognizable. There was a time

when House Iselsi was a burgeoning naval power with a veritable

army of spies in the All-Seeing Eye. What little of the House remains

in the public eye is nothing but a shadow its past glory.

Many of the Iselsi line were Immaculate martial artists and

had long been supporters of the Immaculate Order, so it was not

a stretch for the House’s elders to seek sanctuary in the Palace

Sublime once the last of its familial lands had been stripped away.

Sanctuary was granted, and the House’s freefall seemed to slow, at

least a bit. With a core household in the enormous, ancient Palace

Sublime, the House at least had a safe place to live.

Safety, however, does not appear to be enough to save the Iselsi.

Most observers give the House another few decades before the remains

of the Iselsi no longer have enough substance to hold together.

ing toward Air and Wood, a phenomenon that would embarrass

the House if it could sink any further. This dilution actually helps

House Iselsi strategically, though, by allowing its members to pass

as members of other Houses.

ECONOMICS

On the face of it, House Iselsi is a dying institution. It controls

neither legions nor satrapies. It cannot openly run any business

ventures. It has survived to whatever degree it has by associating

itself with various para-religious organizations associated with the

Immaculate Order. This is barely enough to support the House at

the poverty level, but it works when combined with a few small-

time spying and discrete smuggling operations.

Most of the jade once controlled by House Iselsi was long ago

transferred to the House’s “cover families” in Cherak and Kirighast.

Both families receive a small “diplomatic stipend” from the Realm,

but they have a range of shipping and mercantile interests that bring

them most of their money. The House also has spies throughout

the Threshold. Those spies are perfectly happy to sell information

they collect, but they’re just as happy to use the information they

gather to further the House’s business interests.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

The members of House Iselsi would like nothing more than to

unify at this point. They have no power and too little standing to

marry even into patrician families. Since the expected pardon of the

House is unlikely ever to come now that the Empress has disappeared,

there is increasingly less hope of ever regaining the standing of a

full Dynastic House. The question now is how to safely get the last

remaining desirable members of the House from the Palace Sublime

to the Threshold without anyone catching on. With House Mnemon

accruing power within the Immaculate Order on a seemingly daily

basis, even the Mouth of Peace will soon have a hard time either

preventing the Palace Sublime from being moved to the Imperial City

or ensuring the safety of the remaining members of House Iselsi.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

The disgrace of House Iselsi is such that it cannot be considered

to have any members who might be called “illustrious.” More often

than not, those in the Iselsi lineage have changed their names to shed

the infamy that follows the Iselsi name. Those ﬁ gures who play key

roles in the Iselsi’s situation now are mortal as often as Exalted.

WHITEMANE V OCAL

Though not Exalted, Whitemane Vocal is a patrician and

the governor of the town of Spider’s Crossing. He was placed in

his position only shortly before the Empress disappeared. Vocal

is the son of one of the Iselsi elders living in the Palace Sublime,

and he is entirely devoted to House Iselsi. He ﬁ ts in at Spider’s

Crossing by assuming an accent, and he gathers what informa-

tion he can for his family, although he has to be careful, lest he

imperil his position.

DARAKO M OONRISE

Perhaps the most promising of the recently Exalted Iselsi,

Moonrise is a ship’s captain, the daughter of a union between her

mother, an Iselsi, and her father, a Peleps naval ofﬁ cer whom her

mother seduced one night while he was drunk. The Iselsi ruse re-

quires a great deal of running between Cherak, Kirighast and the

Realm, and Moonrise is one of the most knowledgeable captains

in the Inland Sea.

MASTER OF THE H OUSE

House Iselsi is so splintered that it cannot be said to have

any real guiding hand directing its operations. The nucleus of the

House’s elders resides in the Palace Sublime, but those who really

perform the House’s work are wanderers, ofﬁ cials and spies with any

name but Iselsi. Most of those have made their way to the Threshold

since the Empress’s disappearance. All households descended from

the Iselsi line manage their own affairs. From time to time, elder

Exalts in the Palace Sublime offer advice to their younger relatives

located elsewhere, but these words have little weight and cannot

be considered anything beyond suggestions.

MAJOR L INES

In the Realm, there is only House Iselsi: sad, failing, lost. There

were once three major households, but they’ve all grouped together

behind the Iselsi name for numbers and safety.

In the Threshold, there is the Enuma household in Cherak

and the Saraban operating out of Kirighast, but neither of those

names would be associated with Iselsi. Both of these have become

obsessive about preserving the purity of their blood and do not,

under any circumstances, breed with mortals. While their numbers

have shrunk, their Exaltation rate has gone up as their blood has

grown more potent with the power of the Dragons.

Throughout most of its history, all Iselsi households were

aspected toward Water. Since the shaming of the House, and the

catch-as-catch-can betrothals that followed, the House has lost its

purity of aspect. Now, many of the younger generation are Exalt-

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

THE R USE

Although the family’s situation is not great, particularly since the Empress’s disappearance, House Iselsi hasn’t been

dismantled nearly as severely as outsiders have been led to believe.

Before the assassination attempt, House Iselsi had been one of the Empress’s favorites, in part because it provided her

with the timeliest and most accurate information on what was going on in the Realm and in the Threshold alike. After the

poorly planned attempt on her life by a coalition of rash young Dragon-Bloods from the House, there was little the Empress

could do to save face but to make the House suffer long and slowly. Doing so made an object lesson of the House, for one

thing. It also gave the Empress the opportunity to make some improvements to her intelligence-gathering abilities. All of

those who were allegedly executed were high-ranking members of the All-Seeing Eye. Instead of being killed, as everyone

believed, they were given new identities and shipped to distant places (some as far away as the Threshold) where they

continued to serve as the Empress’s eyes and ears. Some members of House Iselsi, those the Empress was fond of, were given

new identities and then made magistrates or archons.

This became a game for the Empress. She would strip House Iselsi of its rights and privileges on one hand and give

members of the House enormous stipends or tracts of land in the Threshold on the other.

Many members of the House were just moved and made sleeper agents living in distant locales, just waiting for word

from the Empress to collect information or destroy the enemies of the Scarlet Throne.

Key members of the House in the Palace Sublime are aware of the real situation, if not sure what to do, but they’ve

carefully kept the truth from younger members of the House whose discretion they’re not certain of.

While the Empress was still ruling, the plan was to engineer some great act of redemption for the House and bring large

portions of the family back into the light. With the disappearance of the one woman needed to make that happen, hope for

the future of the House is much bleaker. Only the Empress, her Sidereal advisors and a few of her trusted magistrates knew

the truth, and the plan for House Iselsi’s triumphant return is lost with her.

The other Houses, unfortunately, might not be so kindly disposed to the remnants of House Iselsi. All that keeps them

from taking action against the House now is their concern that Iselsi spies—and assassins—could be hidden near them and

ready to strike the moment they take hostile action against the House.

Luckily, House Iselsi has a solid presence in the Threshold, particularly in the satrapies that once belonged to them.

While they might have given up obvious and powerful positions, they still possess many key roles. Now, they just hold them

under different identities. Many garrison commanders, ambassadors, monks and the like once wore the name Iselsi and still

feel a bond of fealty to their family.

The House’s challenge now is to decide whether to attempt some last redemptive effort on its own or to give up the

last trappings of being a Dynastic House and move to the Threshold, where those who blazed the trail have established a

new household under another name.

At this point, more of House Iselsi has gone underground than remains in plain sight. Those who remain as visible

symbols of the tragedy that has befallen House Iselsi are the less clever or trustworthy members of the House, and the tragic

end of House Iselsi might be theirs to act out once the rest of the family has relocated to the Threshold.

Unknown to all but a few, her ship has a pair of copper handles

attached to the bottom of the hull. When she gets a good wind in

her sails, Moonrise activates her anima, dives overboard and holds

onto the handles as the ship pulls her through the churning sea.

That’s one of the ways she has learned the topography of the bottom

of the Inland Sea. She has also used this trick a time or two to avoid

Imperial inspectors with whom she did not want to speak.

HOUSE L EDAAL

Ledaal, the Empress’s fourth child to survive to adulthood,

was clearly a prodigy. To make sure that she was never bored, the

Empress asked Chejop Kejak for a Sidereal tutor for her little girl.

Ledaal absorbed everything the Chosen of Mysteries told her: about

sorcery, about the First Age, even about the Usurpation. Though

she never repeated all that she knew (a lesson she learned early

on), Ledaal was powerfully shaped by what she learned from her

tutor. She later asked that tutor, and some other Sidereals as well,

to stay on with her and her family as trusted advisors.

That, along with the House’s elemental aspect, has resulted

in one of the most intellectually curious and investigative Houses

in the Realm. Curiosity has been the bane of many in this House,

but most Ledaals would ﬁ nd death preferable to boredom anyway,

so they don’t much mind the danger.

House Ledaal is one of the few Houses to realize the enormity

of the threat posed by Deathlords. While its scions are trying to

point out the danger to the other Houses, they have not been as

effective as they need to be.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

Throughout its history, House Ledaal has consistently been run

by a cabal of powerful, experienced Exalts. For the last several years,

that cabal has included four Dynasts who epitomize both the worldly

and intellectual seeking for which House Ledaal is known.

LEDAAL K EBOK O MEGER

A scholar and a sorcerer, Omeger was a savant and archeolo-

gist at the Heptagram for many years before retiring to take a more

active hand in the running of his House. Like many in his family,

he is an avid student of First Age history. He spent most of his life

in the wilds of the Threshold searching out lost historical texts and

studying the ruins of the First Age. He returned only 20 years ago to

help lead his House, sporting a deep scar new on his cheek. Though

everyone has asked to hear the story behind it, Omeger refuses to

discuss the matter with anyone but his Sidereal advisor.

LEDAAL C ATALA G AMAM

Like most of House Ledaal, Gamam has a very low boredom

threshold, which has made her something of an adventurer. She

has spent most of her Exalted life in the Threshold. She’s fascinated

by the lack of any mention in history of the Deathlords, so she’s

curious if they’re a new phenomenon. She has spent many years

mapping the location and edges of several shadowlands, and dur-

ing that time, she was also able to gather some intelligence on the

Abyssal Anathema and their masters. Six months ago, after the joint

Ledaal-Cathak victory at Scorpion Ridge, she was summoned home

to join in the running of her House. She would prefer to continue

her work in the Threshold, but she realizes that her family needs

her knowledge and experience. This also gives her an opportunity

to analyze the information she has gathered thus far in preparation

for her next foray and to spread the word of the dangers presented

by the deathknights.

LEDAAL C AROS

Caros is a strategist. He studied at the House of Bells, where he

has since taught as well, and he has advised several of the Realm’s

great generals. House Ledaal’s Sidereal advisors predicted his worth

as a strategist at his birth, so he has never been allowed to choose

his own path. He has suppressed his frustration and resentment

over this, since he understands what is at stake. As a result, he has

grown increasingly morose and peevish over the years.

LEDAAL C YCEL

With an eidetic memory and an uncanny ability to ﬁ gure

out who will do the most good where, Cycel runs most of the

day-to-day operations of her House. She often consults with the

Sidereals on which of the House’s children should be encouraged

to go into what ﬁ elds. She has no compunctions about pressuring

parents into dictating their children’s career choices, and many

parents and children alike have thanked her years after the fact

for her meddling.

MAJOR L INES

There are two major households and a number of smaller

offshoots of House Ledaal.

THE L EDAAL C ATALA H OUSEHOLD

When Catala opted to form a household, she was not content

to remain on the Blessed Isle when most of what the Realm urgently

needed to know was out in the distant parts of the Threshold. She

established a household in a powerful Air-aspected manse in the hills

where the north fork of the Great Forks River starts, and her many

children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have come to prefer

the role of pioneers to that of nobles with too much leisure time.

This branch of the family ﬁ nds it easier to study the Threshold and

gather wonders and information when it doesn’t have to travel back

and forth to the Realm. The primary subject of study for the Catala

household is the Anathema, the shadowlands and the Deathlords.

Its members collect old texts and new intelligence, ferret out foreign

business opportunities to keep the House vaults ﬁ lled and make friends

and allies in places where most Dynasts are afraid to venture.

So numerous are the sorcerers in this household that they’ve

formed their own sorcerous society.

THE R INGS OF L EDAAL C ATALA

Several of the Exalted in the Catala household

are Heptagram-educated sorcerers, and some younger

members of the household are learning sorcery from

their family without attending the Heptagram (which is

several thousand leagues to the west). They have formed

something of an extended sworn brotherhood in their

Threshold homestead based around the discovery, collec-

tion and study of sorcerous lore unknown in the Realm.

In some ways, this is their only option, as they often lack

the resources of Realm sorcerers, but it has already been

quite rewarding. These sorcerers are fascinated with the

ways in which the apex of First Age sorcery eclipses even

the most powerful spells they learned at the Heptagram,

and they’re hoping to ﬁ nd something to rival the spells

they’ve read about. They have already found a number

of First Age sorcerous manuscripts, a handful of complex

wonders and some undamaged (but non-functional) au-

tomata. Their true desire, however, is to ﬁ nd the fabled

Book of Three Circles.

Senior members of the Rings (as the group is called

colloquially) have access to copies of Oadenol’s Codex,

The Perfect Square and a partially translated treatise on

ancient theories of manse construction entitled The House

of the Noonday Sun, written by the legendary architect

Kal Bax. None of these texts has yet found its way to

the Heptagram.

The Rings’ quest is not for knowledge for its own

sake—or at least not entirely. The Rings of Ledaal Catala

intend to scour the Threshold for any sorcerous means

to combat or defeat the Deathlords, their deathknights

and the other Anathema. In this search, members eagerly

follow any rumor or hint of spells, manuscripts or wonders

from the First Age. They also engage in deep and danger-

ous periods of sorcerous experimentation. The society’s

location in the Threshold provides its members with

easy access to remote places in which to experiment and

opportunities to get their hands on items and substances

that are difﬁ cult to acquire in the Realm. The tradeoff, of

course, is that certain items that are readily available in

the Realm are nonexistent this far out in the Threshold

and must be obtained either in the Realm or in large

metropolitan centers, such as Nexus, both of which

require a great deal of travel.

THE L EDAAL K EBOK H OUSEHOLD

Another great Air-aspected sorcerer, Ledaal Kebok is a famed

scholar and sorcerer, and he still teaches at the Heptagram from

time to time. His household takes after his scholarly bent and col-

lects historical texts, records oral histories (preferably from older

Sidereals when possible), studies sorcery at the knee of the Sidereals

and runs a solid intelligence-gathering network that boasts eyes and

ears in most of the major cities around the Realm.

Though he will deny it to the end, there is a rumor that his

eldest daughter, Sulco, took a demon as a lover, and that a strain

of demon-blood taints all of her children. The rumor has some

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

efforts on destroying the Deathlords and their deathknights. To

further its connection with House Cathak, House Ledaal has many

marriages pending with that Great House.

Thanks to its support of the Wyld Hunt, particularly against

the deathknights, House Ledaal has the support of the Immaculate

Order, right up to the Mouth of Peace herself. In return, Ledaal’s

Threshold archeologists keep an eye out for sutras or First Age

documents that the Order might want—provided House Ledaal

doesn’t want them more.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

LEDAAL K EBOK C OREN

Recently graduated from the House of Bells, Ledaal Kebok

Coren is already an astonishing prodigy with blades and in terms

of her control of her own Essence. She scares many in her own

household. While many Air Aspects seem to have a deep con-

nection to the weather, Coren’s goes far beyond the norm. Some

Children of Mela have eyes that reﬂ ect the sky, but with Coren,

the sky seems to reﬂ ect her mood. When she is happy, the sky is

clear and blue as sapphire. When she despairs, it rains. And when

she’s angry, great bolts of lightning and raging thunder shake the

heavens. She is slowly learning to control her emotions, but she’s

naturally very prone to strong, passionate feelings, so the process

is slow and difﬁ cult. In their long talks together, her grandmother,

Sulco, has confessed to Coren that her abilities come through the

blood, and that her great grandfather is a powerful storm demon

named Yan. Sulco has shown particular interest in Coren, and it’s

possible that Yan has as well.

truth to it, but Kebok can’t accept the notion and refuses to hear

it spoken in his presence.

All the Ledaal households are aspected toward Air.

ECONOMICS

House Ledaal controls several major ports in the south of the

Blessed Isle, Arjuf in particular, and gains substantial funds from

tariffs and taxes. The House also has a respectable handful of satrapies

under its control, which it treats with commendable fairness. While

House Ledaal doesn’t drain its tributaries the way some Houses do,

it does not tolerate lateness. Ledaal tributaries learn early on that

it’s inadvisable to antagonize a House of sorcerers.

The savants of Ledaal occasionally perform sorcery on oth-

ers’ behalf, or restore a First Age wonder to full working order for

someone, but they charge dearly for such tasks. That price goes up

precipitously if there is any danger to the sorcerer.

The Catala household, based out of Creation’s Far Eastern

edge, brings in much of its money by ﬁ nding previously unknown

First Age wonders and texts and selling them to the Heptagram

for a spectacular sum, as well as arranging and overseeing trips into

the deep Threshold.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

While it has no interest in governing an empire, House Ledaal

has every interest in maintaining the integrity of the Realm. Most of

the deals and alliances it arranges are made to achieve that end.

Ledaal would dearly love for Cathak Cainan to take the Scarlet

Throne because its members respect his experience with the Wyld

Hunt and they believe he would be open to focusing the Hunt’s

HOUSE M NEMON

Within a week of their Exaltation, Mnemon herself gives to

every member of her House a beautifully engraved white jade tile.

It is small enough to ﬁ t comfortably in the palm, and in minute

Old Realm calligraphy, it reads, “Power through knowledge, mastery

through rigor, and conquest through diligence.” That philosophy

captures the essence of House Mnemon perfectly.

A large number of House Mnemon’s scions are known as ac-

complished martial artists, and more members of this House enter

the Immaculate Order than any other. At the same time, a strong

ﬂ ow of sorcerous talent has resulted in many in this House taking

up the study of sorcery and the lost secrets of the First Age.

Any discipline that requires arduous, rigorous, systematic study

is a welcome challenge for members of House Mnemon. They thrive

on complex systems, be it First Age wonders, complex poetic forms,

geomantic architecture, combat strategies or sorcery.

Education is one thing House Mnemon supports very strongly.

The House even sends its un-Exalted members to study at the top

schools in Tuchara, insisting that all members of House Mnemon

are to have only the best education available to them.

Mnemon is proud of the fact that no other House has as many

Exaltations as her own. She takes pride in the purity of her blood

and views each Exaltation in her family as a personal gift to her

from the Dragons.

MASTER OF THE H OUSE

MNEMON

House founder, extraordinary sorceress and frontrunner in

the race for the Scarlet Throne, Mnemon is the eldest child of

the Scarlet Empress who is still active in Realm politics. Of all the

contenders for the Scarlet Throne, she is probably the most capable

of taking her mother’s place.

Only the arrayed might of the other Houses prevents her from

simply taking the throne, although she believes she could easily

take on the combined might of at least two other Great Houses

with enough advance notice.

The only reason Mnemon has not yet taken this kind of ac-

tion is that, in the end, she believes the Realm will fall into such

chaotic disarray that political inﬁ ghting will be forgotten. Once

things get bad enough, she reasons, the other Houses will beg her

to take the Scarlet Throne.

”Master of the House” fails to capture Mnemon’s full role within

her family and the Dynasty. Driven by her desire for the Scarlet

Throne, she’s possibly the political power player in the Realm, and

she utterly dominates the Great House that bears her name. She

knows the names, talents, loves, crimes and secrets of all of her

descendants. She also knows by rote who has risen to what position

in which ministry. She uses this information to get the most out of

her family’s achievement and to drive them to greater achievement.

Those who do not obey her or who fail to reﬂ ect well on her have

been known to suffer tragic accidents.

Mnemon is most deﬁ nitely not a song of one note, however.

She alternates the means by which she gets things done, lest she

become too predictable. Sometimes, she’s subtle as a thin layer of

dust. Other times, she’s direct as an avalanche.

Mnemon is secretly pleased with the timing of her mother’s

disappearance, since she believes that the Empress had chosen

her much younger sister V’neef as successor to the throne, due to

the unequalled purity of V’neef’s blood. Mnemon has shared this

knowledge with no one, however. Although Mnemon respects

V’neef as a woman, she would kill her sister before letting her

assume the throne.

Mnemon has mastered many, though by no means all, of her

mother’s skills with sorcery, and it’s evident. Though she’s very nearly

400 years old, she doesn’t even look like she’s reached 30 yet. She

sustains her unnatural life span by drawing on the strength of the

earth itself—one of many tricks Mnemon plucked from the Empress’s

vaults of lore. Mnemon has an astonishing array of demons and

elementals serving her, though no one but Mnemon knows just how

many or which ones. Those who can see non-materialized beings

tell of a murky cloud of presences around Mnemon so thick that

the sorceress herself is almost impossible to see through it.

Perhaps surprisingly, there remain some sorcerous options

Mnemon has, thus far, refused to exercise in her pursuit of the Scarlet

Throne. Mnemon knows what happened to her mother, and she has

no wish to follow quite so far in the Empress’s footsteps.

MAJOR L INES

THE M NEMON C ARAS H OUSEHOLD

Far removed from his grandmother’s political games, Mnemon

Caras is a true believer in the Immaculate Order. Fully one third of

the children who Exalt into the Mnemon Caras household attend

the Cloister of Wisdom and become Immaculate monks. Mnemon

Caras pushes the edge of safety in the degree to which he rejects his

grandmother’s control. Given a chance, Caras would love to lead

his family in rebellion against his grandmother, whom he considers

unstable. In the meantime, however, he watches his words, and his

step, very carefully.

Most of the major households of House Mnemon are aspected

toward Earth. A small few are Air-aspected. The stigma that some-

times results from such a mixture of aspects is moot in this case,

as the House of Mnemon boasts the best Exaltation rate on the

Blessed Isle. Mnemon herself would take umbrage at anyone who

cast aspersions on the purity of her blood.

ECONOMICS

Mnemon controls some of the richest and most accessible

tributaries that claim allegiance to the Realm, including Paragon

and many of the northern coastal states. So far, House Mnemon has

been able to keep the tribute ﬂ owing relatively freely by deploying

its private legions (and, in some instances, demons) to quash signs

of rebellion before a full uprising could take place. Since Tepet’s

disaster, however, Mnemon has been more cautious about deploying

her legions beyond the shores of the Blessed Isle. As a result, her

tributaries have become bolder about paying late or not at all. The

satraps have little love for House Mnemon. Though it has decreased

the legion protection signiﬁ cantly, House Mnemon hasn’t reduced

the amount of its expected tribute at all. And Mnemon has a very

high opinion of just how much her protection is worth.

Though House Mnemon has its share of sorcerers, monks and

bureaucrats, it also has a substantial share of merchants, and standard

mercantilism has prevented the House from losing too much money

in the upheavals that have shaken the Realm.

Thanks to the House’s devotion to Pasiap, there is also a large

number of architects in House Mnemon. While few Houses have

the funds to build the way they once did, there’s always someone

who needs a manse repaired or a temple designed and built. Plus,

with the Time of Tumult raging across Creation, there’s no shortage

of fortiﬁ cations that need to be raised.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

Mnemon’s arrogance is notorious. Rumor claims she has even

demonstrated a tendency to look down on the Empress herself.

She has not gone to any trouble to try to hide the fact that she

does not see her sibling’s children as her equals in any way. That

arrogance is coming back to haunt her now, though, when she

needs their support. What allows her to behave this way, however,

is that Mnemon’s arrogance—unlike that of most Dynasts—is well

earned. Her House is among the most powerful on the Blessed Isle,

and no Dynastic House can afford to alienate her.

Not only does Mnemon’s House produce many children, it also

boasts more Exaltations every year than any other House. Every

single one of the other Houses wants the beneﬁ t of that kind of

purity of blood. Needless to say, the children of House Mnemon

have no trouble ﬁ nding suitors. Every Dynastic House has married

into House Mnemon somewhere along the way, producing hundreds

of inroads into the other Houses for Mnemon—and thousands of

potential informants, should any other House plot against her in

earnest.

Mnemon’s most solid ally is House Sesus, which takes particular

pride in its connections to House Mnemon. Its support of Mnemon’s

bid for the throne, however, has thus far been underwhelming,

leaving Mnemon questioning the value of all the connections she

has fostered to that House.

Mnemon needs all the allies she can get, however, because she

will not be satisﬁ ed with anything less than the Scarlet Throne. The

thought of bowing down to any of her lesser relatives is completely

galling and violates everything Mnemon cherishes about the Im-

maculate Philosophy. While she tries to maintain her composure

over the matter, Mnemon is privately furious that the matter of her

succession has not yet been settled.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

MNEMON H ARASA, PARAGON OF THE E ARTH D RAGON

Though she initially had no interest in the Immaculate Order,

Mnemon Harasa was steadily drawn to it through the constant

stream of reverent references by Mnemon herself. Harasa found the

Order’s chants soothing and its cycles and devotions the perfect

source of solace and framework for her life. She initially attended

the Heptagram, but found it not to her liking, as it didn’t provide

sufﬁ cient structure to keep her focused. Upon dropping out of the

Heptagram, Harasa immediately went into the Cloister of Wisdom,

where she proved to ﬁ t in perfectly. Harasa progressed through

the Coils of the Immaculate Order rapidly, even proving herself

a relentless and powerful leader of the Wyld Hunt. Between her

own competence and a nudge from Mnemon, Mnemon Harasa was

named the Paragon of Pasiap, a role she has held for years now in the

Palace Sublime. To escape pressure from Mnemon to use her sway

in the Order to support the founder’s bid for the Scarlet Throne,

Harasa left the Palace Sublime to tour the Immaculate Order’s

monasteries in the Threshold. In so doing, she has seen ﬁ rsthand

just how weak the Realm’s presence in the Threshold has grown.

Before she was able to make it back to the Realm to spread word

of what she had seen (and throw her wholehearted support behind

Mnemon), however, Mnemon Harasa was taken prisoner and most

of her retinue of powerful Immaculate monks killed. The Immaculate

Order has no idea who abducted Harasa, but they do know that no

mortal has the power to take the Paragon of Pasiap against her will.

The entire Immaculate Order, and Mnemon herself, wants Harasa

back. Some Dynasts are hoping that Harasa’s disappearance will

be a wakeup call to those who feel it’s okay to let the Wyld Hunt

grow weak even as the Anathema grow strong. Others are quietly

pleased to see another Mnemon ally taken out of play.

HOUSE N ELLENS

Being a Dragon-Blood in House Nellens is a mixed bless-

ing. On one hand, such individuals are beloved because they are

automatic celebrities in their House. On the other hand, House

Nellens has thrown its lot in with patricians and the un-Exalted, and

despite being Princes of the Earth, Exalted can wind up feeling like

second-class members of the House. The ambiguity of such status

can anger Nellens Dragon-Blooded, and some of them have even

left their House in disgust. Most, however, accept their awkward

status gracefully and take pride in the advantages enjoyed by the

Dragon-Blooded that others in their House will never know. Some

even become advocates for the rights of the un-Exalted, although

doing so borders on heresy in the eyes of the Immaculate Order.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

House Nellens is guided by a council comprising its four oldest

patricians and three oldest Dragon-Blooded. While the other Houses

assume that the Dragon-Blooded are the real decision-makers, they

would be surprised to learn that the Dragon-Blooded are largely

ﬁ gureheads whose real purpose is to get the other Houses to take

House Nellens seriously. The un-Exalted make the decisions and,

except for rare moments of intense conﬂ ict, the three Dragon-

Blooded go along with whatever the others agree upon.

MAJOR L INES

Nellens is at a disadvantage in almost every way conceivable

when dealing with the other Dynastic Houses, and members of the

House consider it very important to project a uniﬁ ed front. For that

reason, all members of House Nellens use the Nellens name, and

there’s strong pressure not to weaken the House by breaking into

separate households. Most of the family lives in an enormous manse

in the city of Juche, at the base of the Imperial Mountain.

The House founder was the only mortal with whom the

Empress ever condescended to share her superlative breeding. She

must have felt very strongly for him because even after his death,

the Empress did not take steps against his bloodline. Nellens is

largely a mortal House, seeing only a small fraction of the Exalta-

tions of any of the other Great Houses. The most Exaltations ever

recorded by scions of Nellens is precisely 10 in a single year. The

House leadership has taken great efforts to improve its Exaltation

rate, including strategic weddings and adoptions, and their efforts

appear to be gradually paying off. Still, more Exalted blood comes

into the House every year, and at some point in the distant future,

Nellens might be blessed with an Exaltation rate similar to the other

Houses. All the House has to do is survive that long.

The Exalted of House Nellens favor no elemental aspect over

any other. This is exactly the lack of elemental focus that other

Houses mock (and fear, and guard against), though such a burden

is expected of a House as misbegotten as Nellens. As a result of

this sorry state of affairs, characters born into House Nellens suf-

fer a +1 external penalty to social interactions with Dynasts from

other Houses.

ECONOMICS

With the Dragon-Blooded taking the lion’s share of the more

lucrative and glamorous business opportunities, House Nellens

has learned to manage very well on smaller industries overlooked

by the Houses with more Exalted. It has diversiﬁ ed into farming

communities, ﬁ sheries, whaling expeditions, silk production, small

textile operations, minor shipping and trade routes and so on.

While none of these modest endeavors makes Nellens immensely

wealthy, they all add up. They also see to it that Nellens is surpris-

ingly well connected among the un-Exalted, a level of society that

many Dragon-Blooded completely ignore. All of these factors help

to make Nellens one of the very few Houses whose income is still

growing, despite the economic hardship that has fallen on many

of the other Houses.

Nellens controls only a handful of satrapies, but it is not unhappy

with this state of affairs. Truthfully, House Nellens just isn’t organized

to deal with large shipments of tribute. Accordingly, instead of col-

lecting tribute directly from those satrapies it does manage, Nellens

often makes complex three- or four- party deals instead. These deals

result in the House’s satraps shipping goods to distant third parties

who happen to be allies of the House. These allies then do other

favors for House Nellens or provide the House with raw goods and

services of every description. It’s a complex maze of connections

and trade that leaves Nellens not only in possession of more goods

for less effort, but also helps keep its tributaries and satraps happy.

The smaller trades and shipments are not only cheaper, but easier

to protect. These arrangements even served to hide some of the

House’s income from the Empress, and Nellens elders are certain

they will have even more success concealing their transactions from

whomever ascends to the Scarlet Throne next.

Nellens also goes out of its way to ally itself with tributaries

that are feeling squeezed by other the Houses. It has secretly un-

derwritten a handful of tribute payments to other Houses in return

for goods and favors of various sorts, most notably information and

artifacts from the First Age.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

Because of its perceived fondness for the un-Exalted, House

Nellens has powerful strategic sway over mortals on the Blessed Isle,

including most patrician families and the businesses they control.

The un-Exalted see House Nellens as their one window onto the

Dynastic world. Even with its poor breeding rate, the House has

far greater access to the resources of the Blessed Isle than even a

mortal from another Dynastic House.

It’s a well-known fact among the mortals of the Blessed Isle

that the Dragon-Blooded take care of their own and screw over

the un-Exalted at every opportunity. Patricians and other mortals,

however, quietly do what they can to take care of House Nellens,

which, in terms of sheer numbers, is easily the most popular House

on the Blessed Isle, regardless of what Dynastic propaganda might

claim.

Although they have to be incredibly discreet about doing so,

members of House Nellens regularly make inroads into the other

Great Houses by wooing the many un-Exalted (and resentful)

members of those Houses. Those patricians who feel as though they

have been screwed over by the Dragon-Blooded at some point—and

most do—support House Nellens in whatever subtle, discreet ways

they are able. Consequently, House Nellens often gets better prices

for important goods and services from mortal families than other

Great Houses do, and it has contacts everywhere. Some other

Houses have been forced to assume that anyone who isn’t Exalted

is either a member or a supporter of House Nellens.

Nellens has learned to expect nothing from the other Houses,

and it certainly won’t count on them to defend its right to exist

now that the Empress is gone. Nearly every member of House

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

Nellens desperately wants their House to take the throne or to

have a solid grasp on the individual who does wind up sitting on

it. Any other outcome puts Nellens’ future viability as a Dynastic

House in serious jeopardy.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

NELLENS M ALAKAI

One of the few sorcerers in House Nellens, Nellens Malakai

serves his House so that it may, in turn, serve him. He has learned

the lessons of teamwork well. He is but an individual, and he has

been taught that an individual is helpless. An entire Dynastic

House, on the other hand, carries some weight. Shortly after his

Exaltation by the Dragon of Fire, Malakai realized that the more

valuable he became to his House, the more he could ask of it. Exalting

was but the ﬁ rst step. Becoming a full sorcerer by graduating from

the Heptagram was the second. Through his knowledge of sorcery

and First Age wonders, Malakai opens doors to his family that had

been closed before. In return, he is rewarded richly. His stipend, for

example, rivals that of some House elders. Still, Malakai’s House is

uncertain just how to deal with him. Its un-Exalted members resent

him for Exalting, and even the few other Exalted in the House

resent him for stealing the spotlight from them. Were it not for his

inarguable competence, his attitude of entitlement would make him

insufferable. Malakai made a name for himself by being the lone

Exalted survivor of an attack by a deathknight on a Realm ocean

vessel. While he did nothing but ﬁ nish off the severely wounded

deathknight, he has somehow acquired the reputation for being wise

in the ways of deathknights. Although that is a misconception, he

is now doing everything in his power to live up to that reputation,

including studying much of the material written by the savants of

House Ledaal.

NELLENS S IVIRI

The daughter of one of House Nellens’ few Dragon-Blooded

and a mid-level god from the Bureau of Seasons, Nellens Siviri is not

Exalted. She is a God-Blood, though, and a ﬁ rst-rate thaumaturge.

Siviri lives in the Nellens Manse in Juche where she practices her

art with the family’s blessing. She is renowned far and wide as the

best exorcist in the area (much to the annoyance of the Immaculate

Order), and she is also a learned alchemist and healer. Because she

performs exorcisms without asking for any compensation, and be-

cause of her beauty and gentle ways, Siviri is an incredibly popular

ﬁ gure around Juche, so much so that House Nellens often sends

her out as a goodwill ambassador. The Immaculate Order views her

with extreme distaste, and it is pondering how to arrange a tragic

exorcism disaster for her. Should this happen, House Nellens will

use all of its might as a Dynastic House to ﬁ nd and punish those

responsible.

HOUSE P ELEPS

Other Houses are not fond of House Peleps, as they generally

see it as a House of cheats, liars, matchstick men and manipulators.

While the Empress approved of this behavior, the other Houses do

not. Unfortunately, with the utter destruction of House Iselsi, no

other House is so prepared to manage the Imperial Navy.

In their defense, members of House Peleps are staunch support-

ers of the Realm, the Immaculate Order and the Empress. While

they might take advantage of other Dragon-Blooded, or even whole

other Houses, they would never knowingly do anything to weaken

the Realm or its institutions. On the contrary, the House is known

for the extraordinarily cunning naval tactics that it uses to defend

the Realm’s interests on a daily basis.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

House Peleps is led by a married couple. Cousins from distant

ends of the family, both Dragon-Bloods are as cunning and difﬁ cult

to oppose as the element they embody. Block them one way, and

they rush to ﬁ nd another angle of attack, like a rogue wave. Both

Peleps Febaris and her husband, Peleps Taxin, are clever politi-

cians; both have been long-term and effective members of the

Deliberative. They reared their many children in an environment

of aggressive competition. Those who succeeded, by whatever

means, gained their parents’ approval and were rewarded. Those

who failed, whether through simple inability or ethical hesitations,

were ignored or subtly punished. The pair encourages trickery and

back-stabbing, as long as the House itself (or at least its Dragon-

Blooded members) suffers no harm. This, they believe, is the best

way to train their family for a life in Realm politics. Many Peleps do,

indeed, become key ministers and even Senators in the Delibera-

tive. Many became magistrates as well, when the Empress was still

naming them. Their approach to leadership in the larger context of

House Peleps is much the same. Advancement within the House is

directly proportional to one’s cleverness and willingness to rewrite

(or blatantly ignore) the rules.

MAJOR L INES

Offshoots of House Peleps pop up all the time as young families

either try to show how well they’ve mastered the family’s tactics or

escape its constant high-pressure political machinations. Most Peleps

households last only a generation and then disappear, as either interior

conﬂ icts rip the young household apart or other Great Houses slap

them down for excessive conspiring. Still, some households have

made it long enough to be considered fairly well established.

THE P ELEPS N AJALIN H OUSEHOLD

The Najalin household is the oldest and probably most respected

household of the Peleps. Najalin is the daughter of Peleps and founded

her household on the principles of competition, respect and self-disci-

pline. Though some of the other Peleps sneer at Najalin’s household,

it easily holds its own. The vast majority of Dragon-Blooded in this

household attend the House of Bells and take command of a vessel

in the Imperial Navy within a few years after graduation.

THE P ELEPS K AIZOKU H OUSEHOLD

At any given moment, most of this household is out to sea.

Peleps Kaizoku, and most of his offspring, are privateers—pirates

tasked by the Realm with preying on enemy vessels, but without being

an ofﬁ cial tool of the Realm. Publicly, the Realm decries the actions

of the Kaizoku; privately, it makes sure no one ever actually catches

them. The Realm sends in the Kaizoku privateers in situations when

actions by the Imperial Navy would be too politically awkward. The

Kaizoku clan is effectively the unloved and illegitimate little brother

of the Imperial Navy. Using its fast, light Shogunate ships, the Kai-

zoku household preys on ships from the Skullstone Archipelago as

well as the pirates of the southwest and makes a very good living by

doing so. Peleps Kaizoku is married to Mnemon Kuvon, and while

the household is small, their line boasts the best Exaltation rate of

any pairing in House Peleps. The household operates out of two large

manses: one on a hill outside of the Eye of Creation and one First Age

manse on the sea ﬂ oor to the southwest of the Blessed Isle.

All Peleps households are aspected toward Water.

ECONOMICS

House Peleps has no problem keeping its coffers full. It receives

a respectable sum for maintaining the Imperial Navy (which the

House commands) and from its political endeavors and constant

maneuverings with and against the other Houses. The Peleps are

constantly offering political and legal aid to other Houses in return for

political support, joint investments and marriage arrangements.

Peleps has no tributaries that are not coastal countries, so it

can bring the might of the Navy against any tributary that with-

holds payment.

Smuggling and crime both seem to come all too easily to members

of this House as well. Yet, while many Peleps households seem to

have a hand in some manner of criminal activity—from smuggling to

extortion to arranged assassination—all Peleps are careful to conﬁ ne

their criminal activities to the Threshold, lest they cast a shadow on

the House’s naval operations or political machinations.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

House Peleps sees every advantage in establishing short-term

alliances but none in committing to one ally for any excessive period

of time. It is impossible to predict with whom the House will forge,

or break, ties next. Members of House Peleps are rigorous about

keeping their word, but they are exceedingly careful about how

they give their word in the ﬁ rst place and particularly cunning in

the wording of their agreements. If they haven’t very speciﬁ cally

promised to do something or given their word to do something,

then they don’t consider themselves bound. Still, those who do

give their word can be counted on to keep it, and that’s pretty

much the only reason the other Houses are still willing to enter

into agreements with House Peleps.

All of the other Houses have entered into signiﬁ cant business

dealings with House Peleps at some point. Some need naval support

for a military campaign, others need the powerful political support

of Peleps in the Deliberative, and still others need access to Peleps’

criminal contacts in the Threshold. All Houses know better than

to expect a long-term Peleps alliance, however.

Its agreements with House Cynis notwithstanding, there is no

way the Guild could do business in the Realm if House Peleps did

not allow it. House Peleps is the undisputed master of the Inland

Sea, after all. Although Peleps does not invest much effort in

maintaining ties to the Guild, bribes from the Guild account for a

respectable portion of the House’s revenue.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

PELEPS D ELED

As an Immaculate monk, martial artist and leader of the Wyld

Hunt, Peleps Deled is a true force of nature in the Realm—despite

what others point to as his egregious lack of true wisdom. He describes

himself as one of the few truly orthodox member of the Immaculate

Order. Others, however, call him a sadistic zealot who uses his faith

as an excuse to beat down others over miniscule differences in the

interpretation of the Immaculate Texts.

Deled is a ferocious but focused combatant and a relentless

hunter. He can hold his own alone, but he also makes excellent

use of the cooperative nature of Terrestrial Charms. He stops at

nothing to see that his prey is destroyed, regardless of the quarry’s

power or any other mitigating circumstances.

If Deled has compassion in his heart, it is for the children of

the Realm, whom he wishes to indoctrinate into the Immaculate

Philosophy as he was.

HOUSE R AGARA

Members of House Ragara are content to work behind the

scenes in the Realm and avoid the kinds of spectacle on which

other Houses seem to thrive. Their subtlety has paid off hand-

somely. Members of House Ragara take pains to get along with all

of the other Dynastic Houses. They are just as likely to be found

at a Cynis orgy as at a parade review of the Sesus legions or a tour

of the V’neef vineyards. They take a polite interest in what all the

Houses are doing and extend diplomats of all sorts to maintain a

friendly ongoing relationship with every House and household. If

other Houses are the bricks of the Scarlet Empire, House Ragara

fancies itself the mortar keeping the Dynasty together.

MASTER OF THE H OUSE

Although Ragara, the Empress’s ﬁ rstborn, is still alive, he is

happily retired, enjoying a life free of politics and manipulation.

He is clearly at the end of his days and soon to pass on to his next

incarnation. Until then, he lives with a handful of friends, scribes,

guards and caretakers in a lavish villa provided for him by the Soras

family. The Great House named after him is run by his favored son,

Ragara Banoba. Banoba is a tall, powerfully built man whose slow

speech and unhurried movement belie his quick and agile mind.

Banoba rejoices when others judge him to be stupid. It marks

them as targets for his schemes. Though he is an unusually honest

man for a Dynast, he does like to fancy himself a con man on occa-

sion. Banoba’s seemingly dull wit has led many powerful Dynasts to

underestimate him—even once they should have known better.

Banoba has served his House through several ﬁ nancially

rewarding marriages to wealthy patrician women who lived their

little life spans and then died in some distant wing of the manse.

His true love, and the Dynast he’s grooming to take control of

House Ragara, is a distant Dragon-Blooded nephew named Heral.

For over a century, the two have shared a bed and a life and are

nigh inseparable.

MAJOR L INES

The opulence of the Imperial Palace is home to most mem-

bers of House Ragara. There are two offshoots of the main family,

however, that dwell elsewhere.

THE R AGARA S ORAS H OUSEHOLD

Making its home on Chin Jai Ru, the smaller of the two

islands northwest of Eagle’s Launch (the larger one being Kyon),

the Ragara Soras household has a clear appreciation for privacy.

Primarily a merchant family, the Soras household manages most

of the trade in the northern cities of the Blessed Isle, particularly

in Eagle’s Launch, Bright Obelisk and Chanos. The Soras house-

hold also oversees most of the trade conducted by the Realm with

northern city-states, including Gethamane and Whitewall (via

the port town of Wallport). It also ships food, supplies and First

Age artifacts to the Heptagram. The household members who

oversee this small but lucrative portion of the family’s business are

all Heptagram graduates themselves, well trained in the care and

transport of First Age artifacts.

THE R AGARA C ALEL H OUSEHOLD

The most diplomatic wing of a diplomatic family, the Ragara

Calel family lives on a sprawling estate of ornate gardens in an

otherwise wild section of Juche Prefecture. The Calels breed hunt-

ing dogs, spend much of their time at parties and happily entertain

key politicians, merchants and Guild members for House Ragara.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

The household also soothes egos and calms ire after House Ragara

has been forced to take strong actions against debtors. The younger

members of this household travel extensively, throughout the Realm

and Threshold alike, actively keeping up contacts and alliances with

other Houses, reminding debtors of their debts to the House, and

otherwise providing Banoba with excellent oversight and control

of the House’s holdings.

All Ragara households are aspected toward Earth.

ECONOMICS

For the last 600 years, House Ragara has effectively played

banker to the other Dynastic Houses, making itself very wealthy in

the process. The House has been called “the Imperial Bank” in jest

for so long that the humor has evaporated, leaving nothing but an

uncomfortably naked truth—particularly since the disappearance

of the Empress. Though the Realm is suffering through the worst

economy in its history right now, House Ragara still has jade ac-

cruing in its oversized vaults.

House Ragara loans money to anyone, as long as it can get that

money back with interest. That interest need not be jade either, as

favors, goods and information can also count as interest.

When dealing with patricians and subject princes, House Ragara

does not hesitate to hire enforcers and mercenaries to get its money

back. If brutality is called for in such situations, then so be it. The

drastic actions House Ragara takes to punish debtors sometimes

result in unnecessary violence and ﬁ nancial losses, but the House

has found that a single dramatic act of enforcement makes the next

10 debtors much more forthcoming with their jade. While members

of House Ragara are fond of presenting an easygoing, friendly im-

age, like a neighbor trying to help a person ﬁ nd ways of meeting

ﬁ nancial obligations, the House does not forgive those who try to

evade payment. From a mortal perspective, the difference between

House Ragara and an organized crime family is negligible.

Some Ragaras take particular satisfaction in loaning money to

those who clearly won’t be able to repay it, simply so they can lure

the debtor into repaying what he owes in some other valuable tender.

Due to this practice, Ragara has an extensive list of favors it can

call on from people in all walks of life. These favors are not left to

memory, but carefully written down, catalogued, cross-referenced and

constantly updated. The House might go years without mentioning

such debts—leading a debtor to believe that the House has forgot-

ten—only to call in the favor after the debtor has been promoted to

a powerful new position. House Ragara is owed favors by thousands

of mortals, hundreds of Dynasts, a respectable number of God-Bloods

and Fair Folk, and at least three Anathema. House Ragara, of course,

considers this knowledge absolutely classiﬁ ed and protects it at least

as rigorously as it does the House’s vast vaults of silver and jade.

While House Ragara is aggressive in getting its money back

from un-Exalted debtors (at times to the point of brutality), it uses a

different set of rules entirely when dealing with its Dragon-Blooded

cousins. No one in the House wants to encourage other Houses to

use violence in matters of ﬁ nance, as House Ragara has the most

to lose from that kind of development. Accordingly, the House

eschews the use of thugs or enforcers when dealing with Dynasts

or other Exalted who owe it money. In fact, it won’t even refuse

to do business with the debtor. It will continue to run him lines

of credit until the House’s accountants and actuaries determine

that the debtor has been loaned an amount equal to his total real

property. At that point, the House leans heavily upon the debtor

for extensive information and favors. It does not offer to eliminate

or even reduce the Dragon-Blooded’s debt, and should he balk at

any of the House’s demands, the House begins a campaign of whis-

pers against him and closes down all lines of further credit. Ragara

won’t do further business with him, nor will those allied with, or

indebted to, House Ragara.

This kind of treatment can destroy even a powerful Dynast’s

ﬁ nances and his reputation (not to mention his family’s reputation) in

the space of a week or two. Once the problem gets this far out of hand,

the debtor’s family often intervenes, pays Ragara the principal, interest

and a small fee equal to ﬁ ve percent of the total debt to drop the matter.

At that point, the debtor and his family settle the matter privately,

which frequently leads to the debtor’s sudden disappearance—either

to the Threshold’s farthest yonder, or to his next incarnation. While

most Dragon-Bloods pay their debts well before the situation degrades

this far or simply let themselves fall into Ragara’s welcoming arms as

their ﬁ nancial viability collapses, some run for the Threshold. They

do so desperately hoping to establish themselves well away from the

network of Houses that they believe lured them into trouble. What

they ﬁ nd is that House Ragara’s Guild connections are much vaster

than most Dynasts realize. Those who run often wind up as sustenance

for wealthy Fair Folk nobles—or worse.

Ragara frequently sends un-Exalted family members as auditors

to visit its satrapies. These family members tour the countryside and

perform a precise accounting of a province’s resources. They carefully

calculate the precise amount they think the satrap can afford—while

still allowing some room for the province to grow and invest—then

they use the resulting ﬁ gure to determine their tribute. Many satraps

groan at the arrival of Ragara auditors, knowing that they’ll be squeezed

to their ﬁ nancial limits. Others are just grateful that the auditors at

least take their economic growth into account. Even in the current

Time of Tumult, the House is good about hiring high-end mercenaries

to protect its investments, both from foreign threats and from the

satraps’ own greed. Because of this, Ragara is the only House that

still receives full payments from all of its tributary states.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

House Ragara does not ally itself with the other Houses. Allies

might be inclined to expect special treatment from the House that

it is not prepared to extend. On the contrary, House Ragara would

rather have all the other Houses indebted to it. Unfortunately, this

dynamic is the key factor preventing Banoba from assuming the Scarlet

Throne. Ragara’s lending policies served the House well for centuries,

but now the other Dynastic Houses are too fearful of Ragara’s vast

economic might to let it anywhere near the Scarlet Throne.

House Ragara has long sought to get House Tepet in its debt,

and circumstances have ﬁ nally made that likely. Although Tepet

has yet to approach the House for money, such a move is expected

any day now. House Ledaal, on the other hand, makes the Ragaras

nervous. Its members’ intellectual, analytical approach to everything,

including ﬁ nancial matters, has kept them well out of Ragara’s

pockets, despite the House’s many attempts to lure them in.

Besides money, House Ragara also extends its reach with

strategic marriages. Ragara Felis, a high-ranking bureaucrat in the

Thousand Scales, recently married Peleps Magaret, an inspired

Dragon-Blooded sorcerer 140 years his junior. The two are very

much in love, and their families took advantage of the situation to

cement an alliance between some of the Peleps judicial inﬂ uence

and Ragara Guild interests. (The Guild is always delighted to trade

goods and favors for favorable judicial rulings.)

House Ragara’s most important alliance, bar none, is with

the Guild. The Guild has money aplenty and needs House Ragara

to get its wares into the Realm. The Ragaras own many ports and

many port workers, particularly along the Blessed Isle’s north shore,

making it very easy to arrange for mutually beneﬁ cial business ar-

rangements with the Guild.

Working with the Guild is not without its occasional dis-

advantages, though. House Ragara occasionally ﬁ nds the Guild’s

blatantly amoral activities hard to stomach, for instance. Nonethe-

less, both parties are such powerhouses that each is willing to rely

on diplomacy to see eye to eye rather than risk what could easily

become a lengthy trade and inﬂ uence war.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

RAGARA M YRRUN

Grandson of the House founder himself, Ragara Myrrun

surprised his family and declined an invitation to the Spiral Acad-

emy to enter the Cloister of Wisdom and the Immaculate Order

immediately upon graduation.

The best his family could say of the situation, besides com-

menting politely on his admirable piety, was that he was pursuing

his true aptitudes. This was inarguably true. Myrrun is an extraordi-

narily talented martial artist. He mastered the entire Earth Dragon

Style in less time than it took most students to learn Earth Dragon

Form. In the century that followed, Myrrun mastered the other four

elemental styles with similar ease, making him one of the only three

living Immaculate grandmasters.

Myrrun resides in the Palace Sublime, where he is considered

something of a Realm celebrity and one of the most sought-after sifus

on the Blessed Isle. When he is not teaching advanced students,

he spends his time in meditation. He also writes training manuals

used by martial artists throughout the Realm, giving Myrrun a great

deal of sway in how martial arts (especially supernatural martial

arts) are taught. The other monks see that he is not bothered by the

world beyond the Palace Sublime so that his wisdom is not dulled

by secular matters. As the Order sees it, Myrrun is nothing short

of a Realm treasure, and one that must be protected.

The Immaculate Order’s guiding Sidereals see him in a similar

light. An ancient Chosen of Battles, long impressed with Myrrun’s

aptitude for martial arts, has been grooming Ragara Myrrun for

initiation into Sidereal martial arts. No Terrestrial Exalt has ever

survived that harrowing initiation, but Anys Syn, Myrrun’s Sidereal

sponsor, ﬁ rmly believes that a careful regimen of meditation and

close attention to diet could grant Myrrun the fortitude to man-

age such a feat. Anys Syn has already noted that Myrrun’s Essence

blurs and warps to accept the Blossoming of the Perfected Lotus. If

he lives through the experience, it will assuredly change Myrrun’s

spiritual and physical nature in ways that elude even the Chosen of

the Maidens. Were he to master his Essence to such an extent, and

then pass those techniques along to other Terrestrial Exalted, the

Bronze Faction would have an amazing weapon to unleash against

the returning Anathema.

A powerful elder Aspect of Earth, Ragara Myrrun has skin of

ﬂ owing granite, cracked by age where a mortal would bear wrinkles.

He no longer grows hair, and his eyes look more like darkly glitter-

ing cabochons of obsidian than organs of sight.

RAGARA S ORAS H ERAL

For many years, Ragara Soras Heral was a quiet, bookish boy.

After he Exalted, his family assumed, correctly, that he would want

to study at the Spiral Academy, where he graduated at the top of

his class and proceeded on to advanced work in his family’s banks.

When he met his mother’s cousin Banoba, both were smitten. It

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

only helped matters that Heral knew exactly how to manage the

family’s ﬁ nances. Outside of Banoba, no one understands the current

workings of House Ragara as well as Heral does, and that makes

him one of the most powerful Dynasts in the Realm. Heral would

like House Ragara to take the Scarlet Throne, if only because he

knows he’s effectively next in line for leadership of House Ragara.

To that end, he has recently begun lining up his pieces to make a

serious play to get the throne for Banoba.

Though everyone in the family knows of the loving relation-

ship between Banoba and Heral, he is still obligated to marry and

produce children, even though the very notion repulses him. He

is currently set to marry a young Exalt from House V’neef, but he

already has a contingency plan. A “body double” from House Mne-

mon (a young debtor quite pleased with the nature of his payment)

has agreed to take his place in the marriage bed to relieve him of

his reproductive duties.

Heral occasionally serves his family as something of a celebrity

instructor at the Spiral Academy, where his good looks and dramatic

speaking style make him a favorite.

HOUSE S ESUS

Long the goal of House Sesus, military strength seems to have

become something of a trap for the Dynasts of this House. Over

centuries of neglecting most of its other interests, war has become

the one thing that House Sesus does supremely well. It no longer

even makes the attempt to seem like a well-rounded House. While

this makes it a force to be reckoned with, the House suffers from its

narrow range of competence. If things keep up in this vein for too

much longer, Sesus could wind up being nothing but a legion for hire

for its political allies—and nothing would please Mnemon more.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

House Sesus includes ﬁ ve distinct households, and the House as

a whole is guided by the oldest couple from each household. All of

these powerful Dynasts have a pronounced martial streak, but given

that most of them are aspected toward Fire, this is no great surprise.

MAJOR L INES

Each of the ﬁ ve Sesus households makes a point of being distinct

from the other. While they all revel in being part of House Sesus

when dealing with other Houses, they highlight their differences

when the households interact.

The oldest household to diverge from the main Sesus line was

formed by Sesus Kajak, a famous general and the eldest son of Sesus

himself. The household is now run by Sesus Kajak Raves and her

husband, Cynis Nesil. Once a proud military household, it now

holds more interest in mercantile affairs. While it still bankrolls

quite a number of troops, it mostly uses them as a source of income,

loaning them out to other Sesus households, or to Houses Cynis or

Mnemon, to browbeat satraps. This household still produces one

or two extraordinary generals every generation.

Second to spin off from the Sesus line was the Alon house-

hold. Its founder, a granddaughter of Sesus and a powerful Senator

in the Deliberative, maintains a clear focus on the spectrum of

militaristic and political issues. The household has many Senators

in the Deliberative, though Alon remains the most persuasive of

these by far, partially due to her reputation as a close researcher of

political issues and partially due to her rigorous ethics. Alon guides

her family with her husband, General Mnemon Barin.

Sesus Magel started the third Sesus household. She is a politi-

cian, though not a member of the Deliberative. Her husband, Cynis

through intermarriage with House Cynis. Nevertheless, many of

the elders in the House are beginning to think that Sesus is a little

too intertwined with the decadent Cynis and would like to cool

off their alliances with that House a bit. This is likely to cause

the House to invest even more aggressively in military interests,

which could take it to the Threshold more than might be wise in

the current atmosphere of unrest.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

Sesus takes pains to guard its Dynastic blood, and it has grown

increasingly averse to allowing its members to breed with anyone

who is not Exalted. The House’s scions are proud of their many

marriage ties to Houses Mnemon and Cynis, although many in

the House are casting a wary eye at the relentless decadence of

House Cynis.

The ties between Sesus and Mnemon would be much more useful

if Mnemon herself weren’t so intent on claiming the Scarlet Throne.

She’s trying to treat House Sesus as though it were the military wing of

House Mnemon, and Sesus isn’t having it. Sesus doesn’t want to hand

the throne to Mnemon, but she would never consent to allow anyone

else on the Scarlet Throne, so both Houses remain at an impasse.

House Iselsi, on the other hand, has offered Sesus the services

of the All-Seeing Eye in its quiet conﬂ ict with Mnemon, provided

House Sesus guarantees that the Immaculate Order will remain

quartered at the Palace Sublime. Sesus still holds out some hope of

working with Houses Mnemon and/or Cynis, so it hasn’t responded

to the Iselsi overture yet. If Mnemon does take the Throne, Sesus

certainly doesn’t want her to ﬁ nd out that it bargained with the

Iselsi. Sesus would rather see anyone else on the throne, though,

despite the many marital ties that connect the two Great Houses.

The leadership of House Sesus strongly suspects that intermarriage

wouldn’t count for much if Mnemon were ever to take control of the

Realm. The House is still hoping that the next ruler of the Realm

will either be a Sesus or a Cynis, and it might be forced to deal with

Iselsi if it is to have a chance at that arrangement.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

SESUS C HENOW

Though he has ofﬁ cially retired to an undisclosed location

in the Western Isles, Sesus Chenow has unofﬁ cially joined with

his old sworn brotherhood once more and gone back into the ﬁ eld

for another few rounds of bloodshed and brutality. He swore in his

youth that he would die ﬁ ghting, and he isn’t about to let old age

creep up on him and deny him that right. Chenow is 279, just past

his prime and barely starting to go gray. As soon as he developed

his ﬁ rst wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, he retired with barely

a farewell, secretly afraid that if he waited any longer he wouldn’t

be in any shape to return to his violent old ways. Chenow and his

brotherhood have made it their personal mission to keep Threshold

tributaries paying their tribute in full and on time, particularly those

that belong to House Sesus. They might succeed, but they’re making

many enemies along the way, some of whom are Anathema who

resent the Realm’s presence. The Threshold through which Chenow

is advancing now is not the same place it was ten, or even two years

ago, and being a Dynast isn’t the protection it once was.

SESUS R AFARA

The spymasters of House Sesus, established early in the House’s

history by Sesus himself, wanted to perform an experiment. What

vulnerabilities in the House and in the Realm might be found by

Parovar, was a patrician merchant with a keen and coldly calculat-

ing business acumen. The current head of the household is Sesus

Magel Talor, a widowed politician thoroughly and happily in the

pocket of the Guild. His wife, a dragonlord in the Sesus legions,

was recently killed, and he has secretly taken a peasant lover to

keep the loneliness at bay.

The fourth household to diverge from the main family line

was formed by Sesus Chenow. Chenow was a bully even before his

Exaltation, but Exalting and joining the legions brought out the worst

in him. His love of pillage, rape and murder were so extreme that

they became a scandal and a serious political liability to the House.

When Sesus himself threatened to disown Chenow, the young Dynast

appeared to pull himself together. Over the next few years, he started

his own rigorously military household and began leading excursions

into the Threshold, ostensibly to defend the Realm’s interests. It soon

became apparent that he’d done so in order to gain the means to carry

on his brutality in distant Threshold lands, far from the Realm’s wag-

ging tongues and soft patrician bourgeoisie. Since that didn’t cause

the House any political hardship, Sesus allowed it. To this day, the

household of Chenow deploys some of the most effective and brutal

troops in Creation, and they live for deployment to the Threshold,

where they can take sadistic liberties that would get them disowned

or severely punished on the Blessed Isle. Chenow himself has recently

retired from military service, and his youngest daughter, Sesus Chenow

Mareq runs the household with her husband Cathak Catis.

The most recently formed, and least popular, Sesus household

was started by Sesus Denerid, a rebellious youth with a great love

of Cynis parties. The Denerid household maintains the House’s

“legion” of slave concubines and has a long-term contract for

slaves with House Cynis. It has become traditional for the Denerid

household to intermarry extensively with Cynis, and some consider

the household to be almost as much part of House Cynis as it is a

part of House Sesus, particularly since many of its recently Exalted

generation are Wood-aspected. This household is currently under

the control of Sesus Denerid Gutar and his wife, the un-Exalted

Cynis Violas. If the household becomes any less popular within

House Sesus, it might well defect to House Cynis entirely.

Most major Sesus households are aspected toward Fire. The

Sesus Denerid household is a Wood-aspected exception and, con-

sequently, suffers the contempt of the other Sesus households.

ECONOMICS

Historically, House Sesus has gone surprisingly easy on its

tributaries. In return, the tributaries have made every effort to be

timely with their tribute (if only to avoid the atrocities of the Che-

now troops). If a particular region suffered a drought, for example,

the House would allow the tributary to defer its tribute for a year

and pay off the outstanding amount over three years. Such policies

resulted in grateful goodwill toward the House. In the state of panic

that currently holds sway in the Realm, however, Sesus is cracking

down, and that’s causing immense resentment and sporadic rebel-

lions among the House’s satrapies. Chenow’s troops have thus far

kept the tributaries in line, but they’ve reverted to their more brutal

tactics to make their point, resulting in even more unrest.

Tribute is down and slipping, and there’s a rumor that some

of the family’s tributary states in the Far East, emboldened by the

defeat of the Tepet legions, are preparing for a full-ﬂ edged revolt.

Even the militaristic House Sesus isn’t sure if it wants to deploy

the troops necessary to rectify the situation.

Sesus has focused its might so completely in military endeav-

ors that its only non-military interests are the ones it has gained

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

a spy who had not been raised in the Realm, burdened by all the

blind spots that such an upbringing inevitably bestows?

Their means of answering this question was Sesus Rafara, a young

Exalt taken from her family and raised as a complete stranger to her

own nation and culture. Sesus spymasters reared Rafara at a First

Age manse deep in the forests near Bright Obelisk. She was taught

spycraft and a range of skills to aid in assassination, but of the Realm,

she was kept ignorant, or else taught the very basics needed to get by.

She was told of the Immaculate Philosophy, but not indoctrinated

into its beliefs. She was repeatedly and intentionally betrayed as a

way of teaching her not to let herself be vulnerable. And when she

had become a perfect cipher, she was taken back to the Realm and

unleashed as a master spy for House Sesus. After years of experience

and dozens of missions, she is one of the top three spies in the House.

She knows many things she ought not to know, and she has done

things that others might call inhuman. And in doing all this, she

feels she has lost her humanity—for which she blames her House. To

them, she is a ﬁ nely honed tool and nothing more. She resents that,

and her means of acting out against the House is to use all the skills

the spymasters taught her to undermine the House’s efforts against the

other Houses. Most recently, she sent a secret warning to a woman

she had never met, Tepet Ejava, to warn her of conspiracies being

hatched against her in the Realm. She warned Ejava not to return,

even if summoned, unless she was ready to die.

Rafara has gained more satisfaction from her work since going

rogue than she ever did when she was just a tool. She assumes that

she will eventually be caught and that she will be executed when

that happens, but in the meantime, she is taking great delight in

seeing that the more self-serving and petty plans of her House

never come to fruition.

HOUSE T EPET

For centuries, the Realm had three martial Houses that con-

trolled the lion’s share of the legions: House Cathak, House Sesus

and House Tepet. And then, in the space of three months, the

Tepet legions were wiped out, with very few survivors. In a short

span of time, all that the Realm had taken for granted for so long

was rendered invalid. What had once seemed reliable and absolute

was now plagued with uncertainty.

With the destruction of the Tepet legions, a large portion of

several generations of Tepets—ofﬁ cers, soldiers, savants, chroniclers

and even a few bureaucrats attached to the legions—were anni-

hilated, and thousands of lives back in the Realm were suddenly,

horribly different. Power equations that had held true in the Realm

for centuries suddenly had to be recalculated. House Tepet went

from commanding ﬁ ve of the most powerful and well-equipped

legions in the Realm and a small mercenary force, to commanding

nothing but the highly irregular military unit humorously called

the Red-Piss Legion.

The Dragon-Blooded of House Tepet were reduced to just over

a third of their previous numbers, most of whom were retired elders

in teaching positions or students in the academies. The remnants of

the House are struggling to regain their footing. The other Houses,

which once treated Tepet with respect, now look at members of the

House with the same expression usually reserved for condemned

men and the terminally ill. The other Houses grieve for House Tepet

even as they look for ways to turn its misfortune into their gain.

Meanwhile, the remaining Exalts of the House try to convince the

Realm that the House is not dead, and they have commenced an

aggressive adoption campaign to avoid this fate.

MASTER(S) OF THE H OUSE

Tepet himself has been dead for centuries, and the House is led

by his ﬁ ve Dragon-Blooded children, Jita, Jyuko, Marek, Mokairo

and Vergus. In better days, all ﬁ ve had radically different notions

of what agendas they felt the House should pursue, but their goals

overlapped just enough to keep real animosity from erupting.

Since the destruction of the Tepet legions, conﬂ ict among the

elders has faded into silence. There is no more room for dissent,

but even now, the ﬁ ve seem to be in a state of shock. Where once

there was bickering and heated rhetoric, meetings of the ﬁ ve are

now somber to the point of being stultifying.

MAJOR L INES

House Tepet has seen ﬁ ve major offshoots from the main fam-

ily line. Two produced by House elders Marek and Vergus, three

produced by Tepet grandchildren, and a recent offshoot established

just over a century ago.

The three most powerful and respected households, Tepet

Marek, Tepet Vergus and Tepet Tilis, were essentially family units

of the Tepet legions and lost all but a handful of their members,

Exalted and mortal alike. Of the remaining three households, Tepet

Nerigus and Tepet Berel are oriented around mercantile interests,

while the small Tepet Deramol household is far more interested in

leisure pursuits such as hunting and parties.

The remaining households have little idea how to deal with

their tributaries now that House Tepet has lost its military wing.

Not only is the barbaric Vermilion Legion inappropriate for legiti-

mate military missions (in the eyes of the House elders, anyway), it

cannot be redeployed from its campaign in the Southwest. Tribute,

predictably, has stopped coming in from nearly three quarters of the

House’s tributaries. Morale in the House remains so low that no

one has addressed the issue yet, although it’s clear that something

has to be done.

All Tepet households have traditionally been aspected toward

Air, although the House’s recent mass adoption campaign will

likely change that.

ECONOMICS

The fortunes of House Tepet, which once seemed assured and

perpetual, are now the stuff of history. The House has no means

of enforcing the collection of its rightful tribute. Now that it lacks

legions, or even the money for a larger mercenary force, it is unlikely

that the House’s satrapies will continue to send it anything at all.

The House’s two merchant lines, Tepet Nerigus and Tepet

Berel, and the strength of Lord’s Crossing as a major trading center

are the only things sustaining the House at this point. While the

House can raid its coffers for now—Tepet was once a very rich

House—it can’t sustain itself for long at this rate.

The Regent, himself a Tepet, has arranged for a slight increase

in imperial support for the House in the form of a “bereavement

subsidy.” The subsidy has slowed the emptying of the Tepet vaults

a little, but the fact remains that Tepet needs to regain its footing

through either a new source of wealth or a new source of power—nei-

ther of which appears to be forthcoming anytime soon.

The surviving military members of the House are enacting

something of a draft on the remaining Tepet households in effort

to rebuild the House’s legions. The House is adopting dozens of lost

eggs from across the Realm to replenish its numbers. The elders have

placed their unanimous support behind these actions as a last-ditch

effort to save the House from dissolving entirely. A number of old and

renowned Tepet generals have come out of retirement to lead this

effort, and many young Tepets are being allowed to graduate early

from the House of Bells to ﬁ ll in the ranks. Some young Tepet Exalted

are even being taken out of the Spiral Academy and placed instead

in the House of Bells or the Cloister of Wisdom to prepare them for

the life of a legionnaire that has now been chosen for them.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

Tepet is having trouble maintaining its alliances. Other Dy-

nastic Houses once found it all well and good to marry into House

Tepet, but that was when it was a major military powerhouse. In

the wake of recent events, though, most Houses are breaking off

long-held engagements as sons and daughters are now being offered

to the scions of other Great Houses instead.

The proud elders of House Tepet don’t want to appear desper-

ate—though they certainly are. They are currently cashing in every

last favor owed them by the other Dynastic Houses (and that’s a lot

of favors). Marriages arranged to take place many years hence are

being moved up and performed now, before Tepet loses any further

standing. Young Tepets are being sent out to explore any and all

possibilities for new business opportunities (including some niches

currently managed by House Nellens, which is causing a diplomatic

rift between the two Houses).

In the wake of its recent losses, House Tepet is also proffering

marriage into a Dynastic House to a number of outcastes at Pasiap’s

Stair in exchange for service in what might become the new Tepet

legion. Although the House’s elders dread the effects such mar-

riages might have on the House’s purity of aspect, it’s preferable to

weakening the blood even worse by marrying patricians.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

TEPET A RADA

One of the great legion generals, much respected and much

decorated, Tepet Arada has become a shadow of his former self in

the wake of the destruction of the Tepet legions. It was he who

commanded one of those legions to its destruction and survived

only through a strange quirk of fate. While he feels he bears some

responsibility for the defeat, he ﬁ rmly believes House Tepet was

deliberately set up to fail in order to lessen the House’s claim to the

Scarlet Throne. To say that he’s bitter would understate the deep

disillusionment, grief and rage that haunts him. Since the defeat,

the one thing Arada has nursed more than his bitterness is his sake

bottle. The House elders, including his father, have offered Arada

many olive branches to come out of his monastic retirement and to

serve his House one last time by helping to reestablish a legion for

his family. While he resents the request on all levels, his dedication

to military ideals and his family make it unlikely that he’ll refuse.

TEPET E JAVA, THE R OSEBLACK

Possessing all the native cunning of her military family as well

as years of hard-won battle experience and a strategic genius that

is hers alone, Tepet Ejava is a general commanding the ragtag force

that House Tepet is trying to call a legion. While it does constitute

the single largest body of troops surviving from the once-proud Tepet

legions, her force is little more than a motley crew of mercenaries, the

Red-Piss Legion and the few lucky Tepet legionnaires that survived the

campaign against the Bull of the North. She is currently making war

on various pirate and smuggler bases in the southwest. Ejava herself,

having caught wind of a possible plot to have her killed before House

Tepet can establish another “legion,” is extending the mission as long

as possible in hopes of outlasting the conspiracy.

HOUSE V’NEEF

Older Dynasts have trouble taking “House” V’neef seriously,

although the Empress never had any such problem. On the contrary,

the Empress showed House V’neef a great deal of favor and saw to

it that her House was well provided for. Some of the other Houses

thought V’neef was a little too well cared for, but V’neef herself is

charismatic and disarms her siblings with wit and charm. That’s the

primary reason her House hasn’t been beset by her power-hungry

siblings since the Empress’s disappearance.

MASTER OF THE H OUSE

V’neef herself, the youngest (and some have suggested favored)

daughter of the Empress heads up this youngest and smallest of the

Great Houses. Subtle and non-confrontational, V’neef manages her

family more with carrots than sticks.

The Empress conceived V’neef speciﬁ cally as an experiment

in blood purity. V’neef’s father had the purest Dragon-Blooded

pedigree of any of the Empress’s husbands, and with the Empress’s

strong blood, that gives V’neef the purest blood in the Dynasty.

Thus far, all of her children who are old enough to Exalt have, and

with numbers like that, V’neef’s House could grow to be as popular

as Mnemon’s for breeding purposes.

As the Great House that bears her name grows, V’neef will

inevitably ﬁ nd it more difﬁ cult to keep a direct hand in all opera-

tions, but she is set on doing so for as long as possible.

MAJOR L INES

This Great House has not produced any other lines, major or

minor. V’neef herself is only 60, and the entirety of House V’neef is

smaller than a single household of some of the older Houses. V’neef

has seven children (all fathered by her husband, one of the wealthier

and less decadent Cynis), six of whom have Exalted thus far.

As the smallest of the Great Houses by far, House V’neef is

careful to protect the purity of its elemental aspect. Since V’neef

and her husband are both strongly Wood-aspected, her children

have all followed suit.

ECONOMICS

House V’neef has three major sources of income: its extensive

wineries, its satrapies in the South and its control of the Merchant

Navy.

For years, Dynastic families were content to get their wine

from the Threshold. When V’neef began making wine, the other

Houses thought it a quaint idea. And then, the money began ﬂ ow-

ing in. Across the Realm, people were used to paying great sums for

wine brought across the Inland Sea. V’neef could undercut that by

just a small amount and still make a fortune. House Cynis alone

keeps V’neef’s coffers brimming by buying wine by the cask for its

enormous parties. In recent years, V’neef wine has become popular

in the Threshold, and business is booming.

House V’neef’s satrapies are all in the South. Since V’neef

asks very reasonable tribute, all of the House’s tributary states are

content to pay what they owe. More strategically, V’neef has a

prime source of ﬁ redust, of which she is taking ample advantage.

While other Dynasts learn to shoot bows, V’neef has secretly taught

all of her children to use ﬁ rewands and a handful of appropriate

Charms as well.

V’neef’s control over the Merchant Navy is a recent matter. In

an effort to shake up the power structure (and punish House Peleps

for some small slight), the Empress granted V’neef control of that post

just a decade before her disappearance. The point of this gift was to

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

provide House V’neef with a source of revenue that would allow the

young Dynast to support her burgeoning family. Whoever controls

the Merchant Navy is entitled to a cut of the duties collected by its

customs cutters. The Merchant Navy had previously been under the

control of House Peleps, and its loss caused that House a great deal of

hardship as it suddenly had to bear the cost of running the Imperial

Navy without the beneﬁ ts of customs duties. House V’neef’s control

of the Merchant Navy is a critical ﬁ nancial and military asset. V’neef

carefully purged the chain of command of Peleps loyalists and replaced

it with agents whose loyalties she knew lay with her. Recently, V’neef ’s

eldest adopted son has taken the top position with the Merchant

Navy after working his way up through the ranks.

GOALS AND A LLIANCES

V’neef knows that she’s not in the running for the Scarlet

Throne, although she would at least like the next ruler to be sympa-

thetic to her cause. So, while she watches the other Houses pursue

the throne, she tends to her vineyards and encourages her children

to rack up as many favors as possible with the other Houses.

Before House Tepet’s disastrous defeat in the Threshold, V’neef

was planning on a series of intermarriages with that House. Since

the destruction of the Tepet legions, she has put all negotiations on

hold. Although she thinks highly of many of the young Tepets, she

does not want her children to be married to legionnaires—which

seems to be what all the young surviving Tepets are trying to

become these days.

V’neef has the luxury of waiting. Her appearance clearly marks

her as one of extraordinarily strong blood, and all of her single

Exalted children are already besieged with offers of marriage. She,

and her children, simply have to pick the best of the lot.

ILLUSTRIOUS D YNASTS OF THE H OUSE

V’NEEF A LISET

Though she graduated from the Cloister of Wisdom only a

year after the Empress disappeared, V’neef Aliset is already show-

ing herself to be a dynamic young woman. She has bright green

eyes, spiky auburn hair and the green skin of a Wood Aspect of

excellent breeding.

She has spent two years abroad in the deep forests of the Far

East, and she prefers it to most parts of the Realm. She’s an expert

strategist, particularly with regard to the Hunting Cat variant of

Gateway. Like her grandmother, she’s very charismatic and amiable.

She also happens to be the youngest and most eligible woman in

House V’neef, so she is a magnet for suitors. Matchmakers for Houses

Mnemon, Tepet, Cynis and Cathak have all engaged in lengthy

discussions of marriage with Aliset’s parents and grandmother. Aliset

is happy to remain single for the moment, and she’s spoken with

her grandmother about attending the Heptagram. Still, she knows

it will be good for her House if she marries soon and well.

LOST E GGS

Not all children born to Dragon-Blooded parents Exalt, and

not all children born to mortal parents remain mortal. Throughout

most of the First Age, this would have been considered a blasphe-

mous state of affairs. In this current fallen Age, though, the Realm

simply sees it as a problem to be worked around.

On the Blessed Isle, it is considered good and proper for all

children of Dynastic Houses and patrician families to have a thorough

education to prepare them should they prove themselves worthy of

the Exaltation. The Blood of the Dragons, however, is no longer

predictable, and it can skip many generations before turning up as

an Exaltation, and that, the Realm cannot prepare for.

Whatever might be said about the Blood of the Dragons, the

seed of the Dragon-Blooded has been sown far and wide across

the Blessed Isle. While the vast majority of Terrestrial Exaltations

is planned and hoped for, some still come as a shock to everyone

involved (such as when the daughter of the washer woman Exalts

while being taunted by the favorite son of a patrician family, for

instance). These are the so-called “lost eggs,” the Exaltations that

could not properly be prepared for, and they represent a small but

persistent and growing problem for the Dynasty.

To fathom the nature of this problem—and to understand why

it should never have become a problem to begin with—requires a

glance back to the dawn of the First Age and the creation of the

ﬁ rst Terrestrial Exalted.

THE O RIGIN OF THE D RAGON-BLOODED H OST

The most ancient histories kept by the Sidereal Exalted (and

corroborated by those of the Dragon Kings) state that, when the

Elemental Dragons granted the Exaltation to their Chosen, the ﬁ rst

generation of the Dragon-Blooded Host, it was a prelude to a war

the likes of which had never been waged. The vast and powerful

Elemental Dragons Exalted 100 strong and worthy mortal men, 20

of each elemental aspect, as well as 9,900 carefully chosen mortal

women. This disparity of the sexes was not accidental, but strategic

on their part. The Dragons knew that this host, this entire race of

Exalted, had to reproduce quickly to attain the numbers necessary

to fulﬁ ll their martial obligations to the Unconquered Sun. (Bronze

Faction Sidereals take pains to see that the Immaculate Order never

uncovers that part.) The extreme disparity between the sexes was to

make sure that this new army might grow as quickly as possible. A

single male Terrestrial could impregnate several female Terrestrials

in a short span of time, but every child represented a minimum two-

year investment for the Dragon-Blooded woman who bore it.

Accordingly, the very ﬁ rst generation of Terrestrial Exalts was

Chosen not so much for the Dragon-Bloods’ combat prowess (though

many were warriors of one sort or another), but for their overall mental

and physical ﬁ tness and their ability to breed. As part of that initial

Exaltation, all of the Chosen of the Dragons were granted libidos of

epic proportions. (There are those who say that this gift of the Drag-

ons has been passed down through the generations.) The Elemental

Dragons themselves expressly and forcefully forbade all Terrestrials

from mating with mortals, lest the gift of Exaltation be watered down

with weak mortal blood and thereby sullied. At that time, none could

even fathom such a perversion of the Dragons’ will.

For the entire ﬁ rst year of their existence, the lives of those who

composed the Dragon-Blooded Host were more akin to never-end-

ing orgies than anything resembling warfare. Solar generals found

themselves ﬁ tting combat training in between the Terrestrials’

extended bouts of rutting. Once all of the female Terrestrials were

impregnated and well along in their pregnancies, however, the situ-

ation changed drastically. Mortal women might have been forbidden

to the lusty Dragon-Blooded men but everyone (and everything) else

was fair game, and historians claim that the frequency of homosexual

relations among the Dragon-Blooded dates back to this period. For

centuries, the Dragon-Blooded Host reproduced only among their

own number, at the behest of the Dragons themselves, so that every

child born to them bore the spark of Exaltation.

At that time, all 10,000 Terrestrial Exalts possessed what

would be considered, in game terms, legendary Breeding. The

marks of the Elemental Dragons were strong upon them, and the

potent elemental blessings of the Dragons ran thick and strong in

their veins. It was a given that every child of such a union would

Exalt, and usually by the age of seven, because both parents were

pureblooded Exalts.

The ﬁ rst wave of births began to rectify the sex disparity

among the Dragon-Blooded, and two years later, the 9,900 Ter-

restrial mothers handed their little Exalts-to-be to a small army of

mortal and elemental nurses, and the breeding cycle began anew. To

further expedite the growth of the nascent Dragon-Blooded Host,

the second generation was pushed to breed as soon as its members

had both Exalted and gone through puberty.

The fertility of that ﬁ rst generation of Dragon-Blooded women

was and remains legendary. The average number of children born to

each of those Terrestrial women is just over 30, and the most fertile

of their number—a Wood Aspect called Masira, the Tree of Many

Branches—bore over 100 children in her lifetime. She remains a

ﬁ gure of legend even in the Second Age. In a short period of time

(as gods and Exalts measure it, anyway), the ﬁ rst generation of Ter-

restrial Exalted was well on its way to creating what would shortly

become a vast and powerful Dragon-Blooded Host.

THE D ILUTION

The strict command by the Elemental Dragons not to breed

with the un-Exalted held ﬁ rm through the war with the Primordials

and for centuries beyond. Few sexual activities were off limits to

the early Dragon-Blooded (a tradition House Cynis still revels in),

even dalliances with elementals and demons. Tainting the Exalta-

tion, however, or risking it with any potentially procreative sex

with mortals, was held to be the worst crime against the gods and

Creation that could be imagined. It was heresy, sin and perversion

all wrapped up in a single act.

At some point, however, that prohibition weakened. Terrestrial

Exalted were deployed throughout all of Creation as infantry for

their Celestial ofﬁ cers. Every corner of Creation (and some corners

of other places, for that matter) had its Dragon-Blooded overseer

monitoring the area for his Solar queen, Lunar general or Sidereal

spymaster. Sometimes, only one Dragon-Blood was stationed in an

area otherwise populated only by mortals. And sometimes, those

lone ofﬁ cers grew desperate for members of the opposite sex.

So grave was the sin of producing a child with a mortal that

the ﬁ rst instances of the act, considered too foul to discuss, were

kept very quiet. The expectation of the time was deceptively simple

and hard to fathom by the standards of the fallen Second Age.

Terrestrial children Exalted; mortal children did not. So when a

presumably mortal child, of presumably mortal parents did Exalt,

the young weak-blooded Exalt was usually killed, along with her

parents (and any witnesses), to prevent a religious scandal of vast

proportions. Eventually, that stopped happening, and something

resembling apathy started to creep into people’s attitude toward

mortal-Terrestrial interbreeding. For a while, it seemed that even

the children of Terrestrials and mortals would Exalt, but it was soon

noticed that such children did not possess the same power as their

Dragon-Blooded parent.

And then, it came to pass that a child of a mortal and a

Dragon-Blood did not Exalt at all, and the true horror of what this

could portend (i.e., the loss of the Dragons’ gift entirely) resounded

through the Dragon-Blooded Host.

Regrettably, however, by the time the taboo of breeding with

mortals became a common concern, the problem had become so

widespread that there could be no hiding it (or explaining it away)

any longer. The Deliberative took up the question, and after much

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

lively debate by all Celestial Exalted and an exceedingly close vote

by the Solars, Creation’s ruling body made a judgment. Rather

than undermine the legitimacy of the law any further, the Solar

Deliberative ruled that, though it was better for Terrestrial Exalts

to mate only with one another, sexual relations between Terrestri-

als and mortals was no longer an absolute taboo. Furthermore, the

offspring of mortals and Terrestrial Exalts were not to be consid-

ered abominations any more, nor were they to be killed. Sidereal

conspiracy theorists (mostly among the Bronze Faction) have long

claimed that the countermanding of the Elemental Dragons’ order

was simultaneously a grave inversion of the natural order, a calamity

for the entire Dragon-Blooded Host and a deliberate attempt to

weaken the Chosen of the Elemental Dragons. Some have gone so

far as to say that the day the ﬁ rst child of a mortal parent Exalted

was the beginning of the end of the First Age of Man.

MORE R ECENT H ISTORY

In the current Time of Tumult, interbreeding between Ter-

restrial and mortal is common and unremarkable. The last strong

societal pressures against such behavior disappeared with the

Usurpation and the introduction of the more bourgeois attitudes

of the Shogunate.

The purity of the blood was forgotten entirely for several years

after the Great Contagion, in the face of the urgent need to repopu-

late Creation. At this low point in the Second Age, even the most

potent Dynastic bloodlines, Mnemon, Cathak and V’neef, are thin

and watered down with mortal blood compared to their ancestors.

Likewise, mortal bloodlines that don’t have at least a hint of the

Dragons’ power are so rare in the Realm as to be nonexistent.

The biggest problem this situation presents is seeing to it

that all who Exalt have the necessary training to fulﬁ ll their role

as Princes of the Earth. Wisdom without power might be pathetic,

but power without wisdom is dangerous. Since the Realm does not

like loose Essence cannons, it continues to seek out those who have

Exalted outside of the usual safety net of Dynastic and patrician

institutions, bringing them into the fold and training them as proper

Dragon-Blooded ought to be trained.

Terrestrial lives are very long, and the length of time it usually

takes for a lost egg to do something dramatic (or stupid) enough to

get found after his Exaltation is usually very short. Most lost eggs

within the Realm either present themselves to an Immaculate monk

or are otherwise found within two years of their Exaltation. Those

who are not found in that time usually don’t want to be found. Any

lost egg who really doesn’t want to be part of the Realm will usually

realize very quickly how difﬁ cult it is to keep Exaltation a secret.

He’ll probably leave the Blessed Isle as soon as possible, at which

point he becomes more properly known as one of the outcaste.

Once a lost egg is discovered, it’s relatively simple to get this

Exalt the training he or she needs. While the children of Dynasts

receive training for years before the possibility of Exaltation ever

arises, Exalted adults learn more rapidly than mortal children, and

most skills learned by such children during their primary schooling

can be imparted to Exalted adults in the space of a year or two.

EXALTED N ATION

Although they would never say so directly, most people in

the Realm believe that all of Creation’s Dragon-Blooded should

unite under the Realm’s banner. Therefore, loyal citizens of the

Empire keep an eye out for lost eggs—on the Blessed Isle and else-

where—in an effort to make them “found eggs.” At the very least,

these “recovered” Exalts make decent breeding stock for patrician

families and deprive enemies of the Realm (Lookshy in particular)

of Exalted allies.

A handful of the more devout Immaculate monks long for the

Blessed Isle to be populated entirely (or at least mostly) by Dragon-

Blooded, preferably Dragon-Blooded of good breeding and virtuous

nature. They are welcome to dream, but that is not the direction

the Realm is headed.

Still, the system established by the Empress early in her reign

is very effective at “rehabilitating” lost eggs and making worthwhile

Dragon-Blooded out of those who might otherwise have wasted their

lives and talents in ways that didn’t serve the Realm at all.

LOST E GG C HARACTER C REATION

Since so-called found eggs are so rigorously trained by the

Realm’s very demanding learning institutions in a relatively

short span of time, the primary difference between a Dynast

and a found egg is one of social standing and career potential,

not ability. A lost egg character uses one of two character

creation templates. If she has been found by the Realm and

trained, most likely at Pasiap’s Stair, she uses the same character

creation system as Dynastic Dragon-Blooded (pp. 96-97). If

she was born in the Realm, but has not been found and trained,

she uses the character creation template used by Threshold

Outcastes (p. 99). Being on the Blessed Isle effectively makes

it impossible to take the Cult Background, though.

The terms “lost egg” and “outcaste” had not been coined at

the time the Empress established the Scarlet Throne. The term

would not have made sense prior to that. The Shogunate had

spanned all of Creation, so there was no real place to be either

lost or cast out to.

With the retrenching of most Terrestrial Exalted to the Blessed

Isle after the Great Contagion, that changed. All of Creation was

no longer the home of the Dragon-Blooded, the Realm was. And

since all of the Dragons’ Chosen are well aware that they work

better banded together than alone, there was a logical push to be

a part of the Realm. So complete was the impression made by the

Empress early in the Realm’s history that all Terrestrials belonged on

the Blessed Isle, that it could not even be conceived that Dragon-

Bloods would live anywhere else unless they were lost or deprived of

the opportunity to live in their proper homeland. What Terrestrial

would forgo the civilized center of Creation for a solitary life in the

perilous and chaotic Threshold states that had been devastated by

years of war against a cold and inhuman foe?

Residents of Lookshy, obviously, did not agree with this as-

sessment, but many other Terrestrials did. The ﬁ rst two centuries

of the Realm’s existence saw a constant inﬂ ux of Dragon-Blooded

to the Blessed Isle from all quarters of Creation. Anyone bearing

the mark of Terrestrial Exaltation—disowned bastard, pious monk

or combat-fatigued Shogunate ofﬁ cer—received the same offer to

join the newly formed Realm. In this way, the Scarlet Empire very

effectively absorbed the vast majority of the Terrestrial Exalted

who had been spread across the wide face of what had once been

the Shogunate. Once the Empress determined that those who

were going to move to the Blessed Isle had done so, she made it

known that those who had stayed in the Threshold were, at best,

sad, lost creatures, irresolute and content to live in hovels when

whole manses could have been theirs. At worst, they were potential

traitors to their own kind—the category into which she placed

the Seventh Legion, which had held ﬁ rm against the Empress in

Realm Year 89.

Once the Empress reached the second century of her rule,

the power of the Realm was well established. The ﬁ rst Dynastic

children had come of age and Exalted. The social structures of the

Realm were functioning so smoothly that the chaos and horror of

the Great Contagion and the Fair Folk invasion seemed but a ter-

rible, half-remembered nightmare. There was a clear assumption

throughout the Realm that all Dragon-Blooded should live on the

Blessed Isle, but a vague understanding that not all did, for what-

ever strange reasons. The term outcaste came into popular usage to

describe those who had somehow remained unaware of the Scarlet

Empire or eschewed it.

The Empress herself ﬁ rst used the term “lost eggs” in RY 212

in a speech, delivered by proxy, to the Deliberative. With great

sadness, she declared every outcaste a lost egg. “The kind, the lucky,

the enlightened, all these are delivered by the Dragons into the

nest. Those whose prior incarnations were less pious or somehow

misguided, these must confront the destiny they have made for

themselves by having the inauspicious fate to be lost eggs born

into the barbarism and madness of the Threshold.” She brought her

speech to a close by stating her devout wish that all outcastes one

day be integrated into the Realm and worked smoothly into the rich

fabric of the last truly civilized state on the face of Creation.

The Empress clariﬁ ed her excessively poetic wording within

days of her speech. As she saw it, Terrestrial Exalted were either

born within the Realm, that they may enjoy the beneﬁ ts of order

and civilization, or into the Threshold, where they were forced to

deal with hardship and chaos.

PATRICIAN “LOST E GGS”

In reality, patricians have no opportunity to become

lost eggs. These individuals have received the same train-

ing and have all the same advantages as the children of

Dynasts. Their parents’ money assures them access to

the same secondary schools as Dynasts as well. In the

blink of an eye, marriage and employment options both

improve dramatically. Whatever they lack in the way

of Dynastic beneﬁ ts they can easily marry into. In all

regards, as of the moment of their Exaltation, they may

as well be children of a Dynastic House.

There is one difference, however. Their Exaltation

makes them a target for the un-Exalted children of

Dynastic families who hate them with an unfathomable

rage, feeling as though the patrician unfairly got the

Exaltation that was meant for them. While it might be

possible for these children to have Exalted friends make

life hard on the patrician Exalt, it’s far more likely that

the un-Exalted child will be forgotten by his Exalted

friends until he Exalts too.

THE F ATE OF L OST E GGS

Within the Realm and throughout most of the lands it controls,

a Terrestrial who Exalts from the non-patrician, non-Dynastic classes

is instantly considered a lost egg and treated accordingly from the

moment she is discovered.

For one anticipating the hard, short life of a rice farmer or

washer woman, the moment of Exaltation is transcendent, not just

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

physically and spiritually, but socially. The lost egg had been a mere

mortal child, and yet, she now ﬁ nds herself physically, mentally and

socially superior to her family and friends. In an instant, her hopes

for the future expand by orders of magnitude. As might be expected

in such cases, many of these newly ﬂ edged Dragon-Blooded are not

ready to take their places as Princes of the Earth. It requires years of

devoted training and preparation to transform such an individual

from a peasant into a member of the Dragon-Blooded Host. The

beginning of this process, however, can sometimes seem as harrow-

ing as anything the young Exalt has experienced up to that point

in her life, as she’s taken from the care of her parents and sent to a

school that’s likely far harder than anything she’s used to.

Clearly, the education of a peasant is insufﬁ cient for a Prince

of the Earth, and steps must be taken to bring her education and

social skills up to par with the highly educated, extensively groomed

children of Dynasts.

Such youngsters are left with few options.

ADOPTION

Adoption is by far the better option for lost eggs under the

age of 16 or so. Regrettably, it is also less common, as the blood

of the Dragons is typically weak among lost eggs, causing them to

Exalt closer to their 20s. When adoption is an option, however, it

is the preferable one.

The transaction called adoption in this case is really more akin

to the selling of the child to a wealthy Dynastic family. There may be

some brief attempt at negotiations between the Dynast and the lost

egg’s family, but these are usually quite brief. Usually, the child’s parents

rave about the child’s good qualities while the Dynastic ofﬁ cials nod

sagely. Both sides know, however, that if the Dynastic family wanted to

simply take the child, it could do so without consequence. The Great

House involved pays the child’s parents an annual stipend for 20 years

to take the child and to make sure that the birth parents never try to

see the child again. Seeking to make contact, they are told, would

show a lack of integrity and violate the Perfected Hierarchy, but it

would also embarrass a child who had far surpassed them, spiritually

and intellectually as well as socially.

The amount of the stipend paid depends on the standing of

the lost egg’s family and on the apparent breeding of the young

Exalt. Although the purity of blood in a lost egg is usually very low,

pronounced elemental markings or a young Exaltation can suggest

strong blessings from the Dragons. A peasant family might be paid

an annual sum equal to Resources 2 (though a child of strong blood

might fetch twice that). A well-to-do family of merchants might be

able to demand an annual payment worth Resources 4 for giving

up their child (Resources 5 if the family is on good terms with the

Dynasty and the child is of reasonably strong blood).

In the past, adoptions were subject to the Empress’s approval.

Since her disappearance, the Regent is supposed to oversee this, though

when he is busy with the Immaculate Texts, the Deliberative willingly

takes up that role, turning what should be a simple agreement into

a political drama. In some cases, this interference works to the birth

family’s advantage, as when Great Houses get into a bidding war for

particularly well-bred or talented young Exalts. It can also delay an

adoption for years, though, increasing the likelihood that a young

Terrestrial will be too old for a proper adoption.

Once she is taken from her family, the lost egg is immersed

in study: reading (if necessary), archery, mathematics and so

forth—everything a Dynast’s child would need to know. Tutor after

tutor visits the child to educate her as a young Dynast ought to be

educated. The adjustment period is inevitably difﬁ cult, but once

the child adapts, she wonders how she ever suffered the boredom

of her birth parents’ tedious existence.

Once she’s brought up to her appropriate developmental

level, the formerly lost egg takes part in a formal ceremony during

which she accepts the name of the Great House. Having done so,

she beneﬁ ts from all of the same advantages as a Dynastic child.

Socially, the new adoptee is still on questionable ground with her

peers, and the other children in her household might take great

delight in making her suffer for her outsider status. She doesn’t know

the rules of Dynastic social games, and other Dragon-Bloods her age

are all too happy to take advantage of that fact. Adoptees are often

forced to deal with the worst behavior of their new siblings and

cousins, from subtle snubs to outright cruelty, until they distinguish

themselves in some way.

In the end, if she survives, it will all be worth it.

Ofﬁ cially, the adoption brings her into the family. Technically,

however, she will never be considered entirely legitimate until she

marries another Dynast. Since few Great Houses want to marry

an adoptee, the found egg will usually marry another Exalt within

THE F OUND E GGS OF H OUSE T EPET

In the wake of its recent massive losses, House Tepet has begun adopting as many young Exalts as it can. It has taken to

outbidding other Great Houses for lost eggs and pulling strings to take younger Exalts out of Pasiap’s Stair and the Immaculate

Order to educate them and raise them at Tepets. Much to everyone’s surprise, the Regent—himself a Tepet—has actually

used his power to side with his family and grant every request for adoption, bypassing the Deliberative and its political games

entirely. Needless to say, this adoption campaign is unprecedented in the history of the Realm. Some Dynasts are looking

askance at House Tepet for doing what appears to be dredging the Blessed Isle for breeding fodder, but the other Houses

seem to be allowing it for now (most likely out of pity for the fallen House). Not only does House Tepet avoid weakening

its blood by breeding with patricians, but it beneﬁ ts from a subtle gratitude dividend from its new members.

Many marriages arranged for young Tepets collapsed after the House’s defeat. Making the most of this, House Tepet has

taken to betrothing these jilted Dragon-Blooded to recent graduates of Pasiap’s Stair, promising these young Exalts a place in

a Dynastic House and a key role in the new Tepet legions. This arrangement marks an enormous step up for these Exalts, and

the promise of such a change in status has heightened the already competitive environment of Pasiap’s Stair considerably.

Most Tepet households have at least a couple of adopted Dragon-Bloods, and some have as many as ﬁ ve. This campaign

will change the culture of House Tepet, but just how it will do so remains unclear.

The opinions of the Tepet House elders vary widely on this new policy. Most dislike the practice, but all of them agree

on one thing: It beats watching their Great House dissolve before their eyes.

Orir was in love with Tepet Shonin Laikitsu, a young legion

commander, before her death in the Tepet slaughter. Since that

House’s fall, Orir has done everything in his power to aid House

Tepet. He has allowed outcastes to be adopted into House Tepet

directly out of the Obsidian Mirror, even if they would normally

be considered too old for adoption. Other efforts in this regard

have included guiding promising young Dragon-Bloods at Pasiap’s

Stair into the Tepet’s House military and, more recently, suggesting

suitable graduates of the school for marriage into House Tepet. His

partisan actions, though subtle, have been noted by some in the

other Houses, who are quite content with the notion of having

one less Great House to deal with. Some of the other Houses are

looking for a way to get Orir in their pocket or get him out of his

position entirely.

For now, Orir splits his time between his manse and the Obsid-

ian Mirror watching for promising young Dragon-Bloods to groom

and nudge in the direction of House Tepet.

THE O BSIDIAN M IRROR

After recovery, the Arbiters take a found egg to the Obsidian

Mirror, the Arbiters’ massive headquarters compound outside of

Juche, where she is given whatever remedial schooling she needs.

Those Exalted from the peasant class often lack even basic knowledge

of letters or numbers, and their use of Charms is purely instinctual.

Worse, their entire understanding of the world is based in mortal

ignorance, a far cry from the spiritual, social and political insights

appropriate to a member of the Dragon-Blooded Host.

At the Obsidian Mirror, Terrestrials have their old identities

stripped from them. For most of their brief training, they are known

only by a simple word that has been assigned to them—Tree, Stone,

Leaf et cetera.

On the last day of their training, there is an enormous feast,

the kind even Dynasts see only rarely, called the Feast of the Elect.

During the feast, young Exalts take a new name, one they feel ﬁ ts

their new identity as an Exalt, and it is that name by which they

are known thereafter.

After the feast, each Exalt is brought before the Master of

Orphans, who is always seated on a magniﬁ cent golden chair,

surrounded by ﬁ ve candles, each of which represents one of the

Immaculate Dragons. In front of him are silver platters atop wooden

stands. On the left platter is a jade razor, ﬁ ligreed with bronze and

platinum, representing the razor used to tonsure new Immaculate

postulants. On the right platter rests a jade-enameled coin bear-

ing the Empress’s proﬁ le on one side and a strix on the other. The

former side represents she whom the outcaste serves, while the latter

symbolizes the inevitable end awaiting all who take the coin.

Each outcaste at the Obsidian Mirror is brought, alone, before

the Master of Orphans and asked to choose between the tonsure

and the coin. If the young Dragon-Blood takes the razor, she leaves

the next morning for the Cloister of Wisdom to pursue life as an

Immaculate monk. If she chooses the coin, she goes to Pasiap’s

Stair for military training.

THE R AZOR

Those who take the razor arrive at the Palace Sublime after

the Feast of the Elect and have their heads shaved as appropriate

to a postulant. Their goal is not to learn the art of war, but to tread

the path of enlightenment—a much more challenging task (at least

in the eyes of the Immaculate monks).

Students spend their days poring over the Immaculate Texts

and meditating. Those who master simple meditation advance to

the same Great House, most likely another household with whom

the family wants to strengthen ties. Their children, however, will

be considered full and ofﬁ cial members of the House, with all the

traditional rights and privileges available thereto.

Adoptees are among the hardest-working members of the

Dynasty. They know what a peasant’s life (and workday) is like, and

they don’t want to return to that. Adoptees often get the impression

that they are being watched and scrutinized, and they often are. Once

adopted, everything—their education, marriage options, stipend and

employment opportunities—depends on how well they assume the

mantle of a Dynast. Most, as it turns out, outshine children who

were actually born into one of the Great Houses, which is one of

the key reasons that the institution of adoption continues.

THOSE B ORN L OW

For older (or adult) lost eggs of low birth or from the Threshold, the

options are not as promising as for those young enough to be adopted.

The Empress decreed long ago that Dragon-Bloods were too powerful

not to be brought into the Realm’s service, and those lost eggs too old

to be adopted have two choices: the razor or the coin. The terminol-

ogy refers to the small jade pieces held in an Arbiter’s hand when he

makes his offer of citizenship in the Realm. The lost egg chooses either

a small representation of a razor, like that used to shave the head of a

new Immaculate, or a small jade coin representing the more secular life

of a legionnaire. The razor or the coin, the life of a monk or the life of

a soldier—these are the choices allowed older lost eggs.

THE S PLENDID AND

JUST A RBITERS OF P URPOSE

The task of seeking out lost eggs and outcastes throughout all

of Creation and properly bringing them into the Dragon-Blooded

Host is the province of the Splendid and Just Arbiters of Purpose,

a small ministry within the Thousand Scales. These wandering

ministers seek out the lost and bring them into the fold so that

their strength becomes the Realm’s strength.

Reclaiming lost Dragon-Bloods has long been a priority of the

Realm. The Arbiters, accordingly, use every tool at their disposal

(including sorcery and the Realm heliograph system) to ﬁ nd and bring

back newly Exalted Terrestrials. When reports of Anathema turn

out to be newly Exalted Dragon-Bloods, as happens occasionally, the

Wyld Hunt turns over young Exalts to the Arbiters for training.

Newly recovered eggs are often frightened and sometimes

violent, and the Arbiters are trained to disarm dangerous situations.

All Arbiter teams have at least one Terrestrial among their number

in case the situation turns violent.

Overseeing the Arbiters of Purpose is the Humble and Muniﬁ -

cent Master of Orphans. The Master of Orphans originally reported

directly to the Empress. Since her disappearance, he ostensibly

reports to the Regent.

THE H UMBLE AND

MUNIFICENT M ASTER OF O RPHANS

The current Master of Orphans, Agama Orir, is quite indepen-

dent, and he runs the Arbiters of Purpose wholly as he sees ﬁ t. Like

his predecessor before him, Agama Orir was a lost egg who took

the coin and studied at Pasiap’s Stair. He is, consequently, familiar

with the culture of the Stair’s students. He is a popular minister,

and before the Empress’s disappearance, he was thought to be a

likely candidate for magistrate. He keeps a small manse at the foot

of Gray Mask Mountain, 1,000 feet below Pasiap’s Stair.

CHAPTER ONE • THE SCARLET DYNASTY

the moving meditation of the martial arts, and those who excel

there are initiated into Immaculate martial arts.

The postulant has no real choice but to succeed. Any

Dragon-Blood who proves repeatedly unable to master the Im-

maculate Texts or learn basic martial arts is an embarrassment to

the Perfected Hierarchy, unﬁ t to serve the Realm—and is quietly

killed in her sleep.

Aside from the high cost of failure, the life of one who takes

the razor is very like the life of a Dynast who enters the Cloister of

Wisdom. There are no class differences among monks, and progres-

sion through the coils is the sole indicator of an individual’s success

and value to the Order.

After completing their initial studies, these monks may go

on to be itinerants or members of the Wyld Hunt, and there is no

cap on their progression within the Immaculate Order. For more

on the life of an Immaculate monk, see The Compass of Celestial

Directions, Volume I—The Blessed Isle.

THE C OIN

If it is true that the best warriors choose to train under the

harshest conditions, then the students of Pasiap’s Stair are surely some

of the best warriors in the Realm. The training of those who choose

the razor is brutal. Except for six hours every night, the students at

Pasiap’s Stair train in all forms of combat. They train to be infantry,

and skilled students train to be the legions’ special forces.

Upon arriving at the Stair, students are given a copy of The

Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Solder, a suit of heavy armor,

a spear and a short sword, all of which must be kept in perfect condi-

tion. Every day begins with a run with all of the student’s possessions

on him. Breakfast follows, then instruction on strategy, tactics, team

building, mathematics and all forms of combat. The Stair’s curriculum

is a study in constructive brutality. With each passing year, less of the

day is taken up with study and physical training and more time is spent

in ﬁ eld exercises. By the ﬁ nal year, students wage one mock battle

after the other in preparation for their lives as legionnaires.

“Do or die” is a reality among these students. There are no

safety nets. To fail here is to die. Death can come at any time, though

those who consistently prove themselves incompetent are usually

beaten to death by their classmates. The bodies of such failures are

thrown from a precipice, and the death is almost always accepted

as a tragic sleepwalking accident.

Instructors are all graduates of the Stair and veterans of the

legions. Their job is to break down the lost, sniveling, rebellious

individuals sent to them and rebuild them as crack troops for the

legions over the course of 10 extraordinarily challenging years.

PASIAP’S S TAIR

In the First Age, the fortress known as Pasiap’s Stair was one of

the primary military citadels of the Solar Exalted, one of the many

War Manses on the Blessed Isle. Its deepest vaults were the setting

of a terrible battle between a Solar Exalt and many Terrestrial and

Sidereal Exalted. In the chaos that followed the battle, the tun-

nels were sealed, heavily warded against intrusion, and allowed to

become a mass tomb. Having yet to be opened, they still contain

much powerful First Age equipment. They also hide a small, secret

shadowland, the only one in the Realm, and the hungry ghosts of

those who died here. This is a carefully kept secret, known only to

the Master of Orphans and his most trusted senior staff.

If students have ever made their way into the depths of these

tombs, they’ve never come back to tell the tale. If one of the Solar

Exalted sought to reclaim her weapons from this tomb, she would be

sorely challenged to make it. One of the Abyssals, however, would

have access through the shadowland, making the effort much easier,

but still triggering the manse’s defenses.

AFTER G RADUATING

Those who graduate from the Stair can look forward to starting

at least as a scalelord, and probably higher. The Empress herself

insisted that the legions be a strict meritocracy, and the graduates

of Pasiap’s Stair, while fewer than graduates of the House of Bells,

often go further in their careers. Needless to say, there is a constant,

aggressive competition between ofﬁ cers from the two schools, and

both take great pains to outshine the other. While graduates of

the House of Bells obviously consider their highest calling to be

to their Great House, graduates of Pasiap’s Stair are loyal to the

Realm itself, and much is made of this difference.

CHAPTER TWO

THE OUTCASTE

To the average denizen of the Blessed Isle, the Dynasts are the

Dragon-Blooded, and the Dragon-Blooded are the Realm—the Ten

Thousand Princes of the Earth, elemental heroes of noble stature and

rareﬁ ed spiritual enlightenment, born to rule Creation. Everything

taught to citizens of the Realm—the Immaculate Philosophy, classes

in history and political science, even popular entertainment—all

reinforce the idea that the Dragon-Blooded are a fundamental

part of the Realm. Some uneducated and ill-informed peasants

even believe that the Terrestrials of the Dynastic Houses are the

only Dragon-Blooded in existence, or that all other children of

the Immaculate Dragons are by-blows of their epic love affairs and

romantic dalliances in the Threshold.

This is, of course, incorrect. Anywhere mortals gather, the blood

of the Dragons ﬂ ows, however thinly. Millennia of breeding have

spread the Terrestrial seed far and wide, and there are few places in

Creation where it is impossible for a Terrestrial to spontaneously

Exalt. These handful of societies are as artiﬁ cially induced as the

power of Realm Dynasts or the unusual fecundity of the scions of

Lookshy, the results of careful breeding.

DEMOGRAPHICS

It is nearly impossible to get an accurate view of population trends

of any sort beyond the strictly local level—even cities as small as Celeren

have problems keeping an accurate census of their populace. But on

average, Terrestrial Exaltation tends to occur at a ratio of about one in

ﬁ ve to ten thousand mortals. This ratio tends to skew toward population

density—larger communities usually have more Terrestrials per thousand

than a collection of smaller villages of equal population would. Partly

this density is due to gravitation, as Dragon-Blooded are often drawn

toward larger towns and communities. Larger groups of mortals also tend

to concentrate the blood of the Dragons that is the heart of Terrestrial

Exaltation, increasing its chances in those communities.

CHILDHOOD

The normally young age at which Terrestrials Exalt is a

particular problem in much of the Threshold, where the support

structures found in places where Dragon-Blooded frequent are rare

or nonexistent. In those areas where the Immaculate Order has

inﬂ uence, Dragon-Blooded take their Second Breath in a place

that is, if not exactly equipped to handle their special needs, at

least tolerant and understanding of the basics of Dragon-Blooded

life. In other parts of the Threshold, the young Terrestrials are

forced to fend for themselves, learning how to master their powers

through a combination of instinct and experimentation.

In small communities, nascent Dragon-Blooded have little

opportunity to develop their powers or get the education they need

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

to maximize its beneﬁ ts. These unfortunate souls often quickly fall

prey to the dangers of the Threshold, unless they are recruited

by a patron. Of course, such recruitment has its costs. The

life of a lost egg in the Realm is never an easy one, and

the Seventh Legion expects much of its Terrestrial

members, even those who lack the martial education

of a Lookshy upbringing.

In larger towns and cities, young Terrestrials

are often brought under the wing of the local rul-

ers and the wealthy. In Paragon, for example, all new

Dragon-Blooded are immediately brought before the

Perfect and bonded into his service. In Calin, the various

noble houses often sponsor the education of young Dragon-

Bloods, provided those youths are not co-opted by Lookshy

recruiters. Of course, such co-opting or sponsorship is rarely

charity or beneﬁ cence. It is the calculated grooming of powerful

weapons and servants, and smart Dragon-Blooded soon see it for

what it is. Still, under the tutelage and protection of such spon-

sors, the nascent Terrestrials can at least hope to survive to the

full ﬂ owering of their power and gain such education and martial

training as their patrons can provide.

ADULTHOOD

Outcaste Terrestrials who survive to adulthood—more than

might be expected, but still fewer than could be hoped—have a

limitless spectrum of opportunities spread before them. The most

obvious and common career open to Dragon-

Blooded is the life of a soldier. From the ﬁ eld

forces of Lookshy to the privateers of the

Western Ocean, the stirring song of war

calls to the Terrestrials, and many take

up its banner for some part of their long

life spans. As lone soldiers, bodyguards,

spies, assassins and scouts, Ter-

restrials can command a

hefty price. Acting in

concert, or as part

of a larger band of

mercenaries, they are

indispensable.

Outcastes who choose to avoid the life of a soldier or champion

still have many options open to them. Terrestrial sorcerers and

thaumaturges are always in demand, to produce artifacts, talismans

and all manner of alchemical wonders, to seal wards against the

dead, the Fair Folk or hostile spirits, to cast spells of truth-seeking

or to read the stars and discern the future. Terrestrial craftsmen of

all sorts are easily able to make a successful living at their trade,

their natural skills aided by Charms. The success of Dragon-Blooded

politicians is dependent on the culture in which they try to make

their career. Some cultures take great steps to obviate the power

of Terrestrial Charms through countermeasures or by simply ban-

ning their participation in the political arena, while others simply

acknowledge that Exalts will typically come to dominate any sphere

in which they show interest. Terrestrial performers, courtesans and

courtiers are all aided by the supernatural grace and presence af-

forded them by Charms, and Dragon-Bloods who chose to become

spymasters, scouts or assassins are gifted with supernal prowess in

stealth and investigation.

STATUS

Adult Terrestrials enjoy different levels of status depending on

the society in which they ﬁ nd themselves, as well as the emphasis

placed on their heritage. In places where the Immaculate Order

holds sway—or has had substantial inﬂ uence—they might not

exactly be treated as Princes of the Earth, but are often accorded

substantial rights and responsibilities beyond those of ordinary citi-

zens. In other communities, such as Nexus in the Scavenger Lands,

they are treated no differently than any other citizen of equivalent

wealth and power is. Still other communities see Dragon-Blooded

as little more than the weapons they were originally intended to

be. (Such communities are likely capable of taming the Dragon-

Bloods’ powerful elemental nature, or suborning their ﬁ erce will,

whether through thaumaturgy, bribes of great comfort and wealth

that belie their status or ingrained ideals of society and culture.)

Few communities outright denigrate or ban the Terrestrials, but it

is not completely unknown. Terrestrials are not welcome in the

Skullstone Archipelago, for example.

CHILDREN

Outcastes are usually interested in continuing and improving

their bloodlines, even without the blandishments offered to Dy-

nasts. Attempts at organized breeding programs are often stymied,

however, by the lack of the massive genealogical records found in

places with extensive Terrestrial populations (such as the Blessed

Isle, Lookshy, Cherak or even Thorns before its fall to the Mask

of Winter). An outcaste might understand academically that pro-

ducing a child with another Dragon-Blood yields a better chance

of that child also being Dragon-Blooded, but that understanding

won’t magically make a willing Dragon-Blooded partner appear

for him. And without genealogical records tracking the spread and

dilution of Exalted blood throughout the local mortal population,

the outcaste’s efforts to start a Dynasty in miniature on his own

are largely up to chance.

Despite the difﬁ culties, minor bloodlines thrive throughout

Creation, creating small Terrestrial legacies and families in many

places. These bloodlines can potentially survive for generations

even without bringing in fresh blood from other communities to

reinforce the blood of the Dragons, with each generation producing

enough Terrestrials to continue the bloodline into the next.

POSSIBLE P ATRONS

Young Dragon-Blooded often ﬁ nd themselves re-

cruited by older, more powerful, or simply more cunning,

patrons. Some even seek out these relationships, clever

enough to understand that such a deal can provide needed

protection until a Terrestrial is powerful enough to step out

on her own—or achieve her own status in the organization

of her patron. Some possible patrons include:

The Realm: The razor or the coin awaits lost eggs

from the Threshold, just as they do those non-Dynastic

Terrestrials from the Blessed Isle who fail to attract the

attention of one of the Great Houses. Life in the Realm is

harsh for a lost egg, but it has its rewards, and the opportuni-

ties, while not limitless, are great. Which option a ﬂ edgling

Dragon-Blooded chooses often depends as much on her

recruiter as her personal preference. While the soldiers of

the Imperial legions are more forthright in explaining the

options to newfound Terrestrials than Immaculate monks

are, it is only from wandering Dynasts that a young Ter-

restrial is likely to receive a balanced examination of the

beneﬁ ts and disadvantages of the razor or the coin.

The Seventh Legion: Standing orders for all ofﬁ cers

of the Seventh Legion include the duty of keeping an

eye out for any prospective recruits of particular talent

and potential. While this directive has certainly been

taken to include both exceptionally gifted mortals and

God-Blooded, special care is taken to try to recruit any

Dragon-Blooded they encounter—especially young

ones. Lookshy ofﬁ cers vary wildly in their approach

and honesty. Some beguile youngsters with their stories

of glory and a soldier’s life, while others speak plainly

of the costs of duty and service. What doesn’t vary is

the fees paid to the families of those recruited and the

recruitment bonuses paid to those responsible for their

induction into the Seventh Legion.

The Guild: Some Guild factors are eager to recruit

Terrestrials into their organizations, seeing each new

Dragon-Blood as a powerful addition to their repertoire

of assets. Others avoid them, seeing the young Terrestrials

as powerful potential rivals to their organization. Many

recruit them, intending to hand them off at some future

time to another factor in exchange for favors owed,

debts repaid, other trade goods or resources, or some

other valuable.

Local Dignitaries: Local nobles, merchant princes

or other worthies sometimes take newfound Terrestri-

als under their wing, seeking an asset in local politics

and trade. Others do so hoping for a means to catapult

themselves out of the local political scene and into a

more regional sphere of inﬂ uence.

Mercenary Bands: Larger mercenary units often

make a point of recruiting those with potential and dem-

onstrated talent, in much the same way that the Seventh

Legion does. While they can rarely offer as much, and

are often much less trustworthy, they are often all that

a young Dragon-Blood can count on.

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

tion is present at the time, or to Whitewall if the ﬁ rst two options

are out of the question. A small handful of these “sent-aways” later

return, but they often ﬁ nd themselves leaving again after a time.

Usually, the concept of going back to their birthplace as successful

Princes of the Earth is more satisfying than the reality.

One of the largest cities of the North, Whitewall, has a small

but thriving population of Terrestrials, bolstered by the occasional

sent-away from Gethamane (many of whom eventually make their

way to the Realm). Approaching nearly 100 Dragon-Blooded,

counting the members of the Realm and Lookshy diplomatic corps

stationed there, Whitewall has several bloodlines that have proven

to consistently, if irregularly, produce Terrestrial offspring. Although

little trusted in the city, native Dragon-Blooded only rarely suc-

cumb to the temptations of Realm recruiters. Most ﬁ nd jobs in the

Guard, as monster-hunters or as servants of the Syndics, who are

less sanguine in their distrust of beings of magical prowess, offering

great incentives both in cash and magical knowledge to those who

would remain in Whitewall and aid in its defense.

Outcastes entering the city-states of the Haslanti League from

outside face suspicion and doubt as to their motives, but they enjoy

more than a bit of awe, bordering on worship. While the Immacu-

late Order is not as overwhelmingly powerful in the League as it

is in Cherak or some of the other principalities of the Inland Sea’s

northern shores, it still holds considerable inﬂ uence in several of the

larger rural areas of the League. This inﬂ uence gives the Terrestrials

a level of respect not found in other parts of the North. At the same

time, the Dragon-Blooded have inﬂ icted more than their share of

woe upon the peoples of the League, and Haslanti memories are

long. Foreign outcastes are welcome in the League, and can easily

ﬁ nd employment, but they are rarely trusted. Only rarely do they

rise in power or inﬂ uence in Haslanti society.

League-born Dragon-Blooded are inculcated with a ﬁ erce

loyalty to their tribes, and then to the League, from the moment

they Exalt. For this reason, they are preferred for nearly all duties

of importance over their foreign cousins-in-blood. They serve in

the Ears of the North, they command air boats and iceships, they

preside over local councils, and they form a strong backbone of

magical power to the largely mortal League.

Terrestrial children of the icewalker tribes face a difﬁ cult

choice, and one not their own. Their fate is left in the hands of the

animal master that watches over their tribe. They may stay if the

animal master allows, and those who do stay tend to become great

hunters, champions or even leaders of their tribes. If the animal

master exiles them from the tribe, the young Dragon-Blooded must

ﬂ ee, often with little more than the clothing on their backs, or face

their own families and friends in combat.

The icewalkers allied under Yurgen Kaneko, the Solar Exalt

known as the Bull of the North, allow Terrestrials born of their

tribes to remain as part of the growing warband. Those born in

the small villages that dot his lands, however, are slain whenever

the Bull’s patrols discover them. As such, when Northern villag-

ers in the Bull’s path discover that one of their own has taken

the Second Breath, that one is quickly sent into exile. The child

is fostered with a relative in a far-away village not yet under the

Bull’s sway if possible, or sent south to Cherak or some other coastal

city. Many never make it to their ﬁ nal destination, as travel in the

North is dangerous even for armed bands, let alone an untrained

child traveling alone or with strangers. Those who do make it to

the southern colonies are welcomed with offers of training and

education, as few in those hard cities can afford to do without every

asset they can acquire.

BROTHERHOODS

The Elemental Dragons created their servants to be sol-

diers, which is reﬂ ected in a myriad of ways. One is that, even

without the structure of Realm society or the discipline of the

Seventh Legion, Terrestrials tend to gather and associate when

given the chance, forming up into small groups almost without

thinking about it. This can be a great asset for Dragon-Blooded

with a mind for martial pursuits. While it is not unheard of to

ﬁ nd lone Terrestrials working as mercenaries, it is more com-

mon to ﬁ nd small bands of three to ten operating in the same

unit, either formally (as a band of champions) or informally

(as the ofﬁ cers of a larger mercenary outﬁ t).

Terrestrials who choose more sedentary existences as

savants, performers or craftsmen still often ﬁ nd themselves

gathering with other Dragon-Blooded, forming the core of

artisans’ guilds, merchant houses, traveling circuses or small

universities. When there are no other Terrestrials in the area,

Dragon-Blooded tend to build strong bonds with their mortal

kindred or neighbors, forming ersatz brotherhoods to replace

those they cannot build with their fellow Exalted.

In the end, Terrestrials are social creatures, ill suited to

a solitary lifestyle. While Dragon-Blooded might sequester

themselves for a time to meditate on life’s mysteries, to avoid

the repercussions of their shameful excesses or for other rea-

sons, they inexorably ﬁ nd themselves drawn back to society,

even if it’s not the one from which they originally hailed.

THE N ORTH

Cold and hard are the lives of those who live in the North;

only slightly less hard are the lives of those blessed by Terrestrial

Exaltation. The North is an unforgiving domain, full of shadowlands

and Wyld places, where the dead and the Fair Folk roam with near

impunity. In many places, a ﬂ edgling Terrestrial is the only defense

a community has against the depredations the North has to offer.

And all too often, that defense is lacking in training and sent out

too soon to oppose threats that even experienced Dragon-Blooded

would hesitate to face down alone. In some remote tribes, newly

Exalted Dragon-Blooded are even seen as a threat. They might

be mistaken for God-Blooded (due to their elemental powers), or

the village elders might be well aware what a young Exalt is but

wish to avoid the kind of attention such a one can bring down on

a small village.

There is something in the underways of Gethamane that does

not like the Dragon-Blooded at all. What it is remains a mystery

few Terrestrials are willing to explore in any depth. Therefore,

the priests who oversee Gethamane’s temples strongly encourage

outcastes to remain in the city for no longer than a month. Only a

small number of Dragon-Bloods are willing to make their home in

Gethamane on a long-term basis, and few stay more than a handful

of years, complaining of dark nightmares and claustrophobia.

These few hardy souls still take great precautions, living in the

chambers closest to the surface and furthest from the underways,

traveling only during the day. Terrestrials who ﬁ nd themselves in

the underways very rarely ﬁ nd their way out again. When they do,

they are rarely intact in body or spirit.

Children who Exalt in Gethamane are immediately sent

away—to the Realm or Lookshy if a representative from either na-

in scope) as that of the Realm itself, a devoted and gifted band of

conspirators at its core. What’s more, nobody in the Realm has

any idea that House Ferem is ever up to anything, so few Dynastic

schemers ever take the Ferem into account.

HISTORY

When the Contagion ended, the remnants of the Shogunate

legions gathered to try to assess the damage, regroup, rearm and wait

for the next move. Those with air- or seaworthy transports mostly

made their way back to the Blessed Isle. In the North, however,

those who could not evacuate gathered at Cherak, a small port city

and mining center that had never been self-sufﬁ cient, even before

the surge of military and civilian refugees that ﬂ ooded its streets.

The remaining ofﬁ cers knew that without drastic measures,

there was no way Cherak would survive until harvest, let alone last

out the brutal winter. They needed to ﬁ nd some way to keep as many

people alive as possible, and they understood that harsh discipline,

long hours of work and strict rationing simply weren’t going to be

enough. The legionnaires threw aside any concept of retaining mili-

tary worthiness as a Shogunate force. Sorcerer-engineers ruthlessly

stripped down weapons and defenses, converting them into tools

for survival instead of weapons for warfare. Dozens of warstriders

were stripped to their frames to be used as construction and agri-

cultural tools. Flame weapons were converted into heating systems.

Alchemical reagents were diffused and recombined for less military

duties. Wherever they could ﬁ nd assets that could be repurposed,

they did so, hiding away only a small core armory of a handful of

half-functioning skyships, warstriders and military artifacts.

HOUSE F EREM—

WILDCARD OF THE R EALM

The politics of the Realm, though disrupted by the disappearance

of the Scarlet Empress, are nonetheless well settled and understood.

Dynasts rule, patricians lead, citizens follow, and the Thousand Scales

manage. Despite requiring constant management and supervision,

it is a well-tuned machine that has endured for centuries.

House Ferem, one of the Cadet Houses of the North, plans to

throw a wrench in the works. From their Northern strongholds, the

Ferem seek to upset the balance of power between the Great Houses.

They intend to topple the current holders of power, which see them

as little more than half-civilized barbarians, instead of descendents

of the same Shogunate legions from which the Scarlet Empress and

the heads of the Dynastic Houses derive their lineage.

The Ferem are mostly untutored in the ways of Dynastic in-

trigue. They are subtle when they should be direct and direct when

they should be subtle. Their schemes are always on the razor’s edge

of discovery. They have only a few advantages: a history of military

success and personal power nearly as great (if not as overwhelming

When the forces of the newly reformed Realm arrived, they

found men and women who had survived two decades dredging

crops from hardscrabble lands ill suited to farming, ﬁ ghting weather

that only grudgingly allowed for a single harvest a year. The harsh

winters and fearsome Northern threats—both mundane and mysti-

cal—had taken their toll on the population, especially the senior

ofﬁ cers who had formed the main defense against attack since the

legions had largely disbanded, leaving mostly unknown junior of-

ﬁ cers in charge of the city.

When they asked for assistance, the ofﬁ cers of Cherak were

given little comfort—even the Blessed Isle had been devastated

by the Contagion and was only barely on its feet. The Empress

was sending her forces not to aid those in need, but to secure

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

THE A RSENALS OF F EREM

Never overwhelming or extensive in makeup, the

arsenals of Ferem are all but depleted by centuries of use

and near-neglect. Much of the arsenal was turned over

to representatives of the Scarlet Empress generations ago

when ties with the Realm became a fait accompli. Much

of what remains has moldered into uselessness as materials

needed for maintenance were allocated elsewhere and

methods of repair were lost by succeeding generations.

Still, there are treasures to be found in the caverns where

the arsenal is stored, and much of the arsenal’s weapons

and devices could be reclaimed by sufﬁ ciently motivated

sorcerers or engineers.

RELATIONS WITH THE G UILD

The Guild is an integral part of agriculture and trade

in the Northern states, especially in Cherak. Cherak’s port

is vital to Guild operations in the North, and the famed

skill of Cherak’s navigators and sailmasters is the only thing

that keeps some ocean trade routes open in the harsh storms

of the Northern winters. Conversely, the only thing that

keeps Cherak agriculture bountiful and proﬁ table is cheap

labor—and lots of it. Many landowners are more than willing

to pay Guild factors princely sums for the drugs that keep

their labor forces distracted enough to be useful.

This reliance does not blind Cherak to the real evils

of the Guild, it simply forces Cherak to tolerate them.

Some embrace the Guild, for the riches its trade brings

to Cherak, for the treasures they can buy from faraway

lands and for the opportunities and respect that having

such close ties with the Guild brings them. But there are

others—particularly merchants and craftsmen who are

not tied to Cherak’s agricultural holdings—who do not

appreciate the Byzantine politics of the Guild, its structure

of fees and tariffs or the trade opportunities it closes off.

resources to get the Realm itself back on a secure path to recovery.

Some help could be had (mostly food, seed and livestock to help

the city’s agricultural assets), but the message was loud and clear.

While no tribute would be demanded immediately, in deference to

their hard-luck status and their history in the Shogunate, Cherak

was largely on its own.

With this in mind, the members of the Cherak Survival Coun-

cil—the loose afﬁ liation of ofﬁ cers, senior bureaucracy ofﬁ cials,

former merchant princes and others who had been directing Cherak’s

efforts—set about making a more formal arrangement of rulership

and administration for the city. The Survival Council was dissolved,

and after substantial deliberation (involving more than a little shout-

ing, several ﬁ stﬁ ghts and at least three blood duels), a daimyo was

appointed. The daimyo then approved a slate of councilors, family

heads and a deliberate re-creation of a typical Shogunate city-state’s

political structure—modiﬁ ed for the realities of Cherak’s tenuous

situation. The daimyo was not the most skilled military leader, but

rather the most skilled survivor, and most of his advisors were more

interested in farming and hunting than in warfare and intrigue.

The Great Families of Cherak evolved out of those ﬁ rst steps

and thrived, contrary to expectations. A series of mild winters and

fruitful summers, combined with increasing levels of aid from the

Realm, allowed Cherak to grow and stabilize until it became an

important trading partner and tributary of the Realm. Cherak’s

families took to the sea to improve their status, building the city

as a maritime power capable of conducting operations even in the

harsh weather of Ascending and Resplendent Air. Realm inﬂ uence

continued to swell over the centuries, even as the families of Cherak

sought to limit its inﬂ uence and cultural impact on Cherak’s society,

a ﬁ ght that continues to this day.

The Cherak economy is tied up in agriculture, ﬁ shing and trade,

particularly ocean-going trade. Cherak’s port has expanded many

times over the years, grown large on Guild trade and bountiful ﬁ shing

harvests, until it is one of the largest single ports outside the Realm

itself. Painstakingly constructed sea walls surround the port, keeping

the harsh winter storms and ﬂ oating ice ﬂ oes from the vessels that

winter here. In the depths of winter, only Cherak captains will put

to sea to brave the savagery that is the northern Inland Sea.

The lands around Cherak are not exactly known for their

fertility, yet quite a lot of it is well suited for farming. Such land is

ﬂ at and easily tilled, and Cherak farmers have long experience at

eking out palatable foods from even near-barren soil. The Cherak

ﬁ elds are known for their wheat and corn. While working the ﬁ elds

is a long, labor-intensive process, Cherak’s largely slave-labor force

not only raises enough to feed the city, but provides great surpluses

for trade with the Realm as well. The single harvest they can grow

each year is often planted just after last snow and harvested right

on the edge of ﬁ rst snow.

THE G REAT F AMILIES

Although they are “great” only in reference to Cherak itself,

over three dozen families in Cherak have sufﬁ cient resources and

inﬂ uence in Cherak society to earn that lofty descriptor. Collectively,

these families are known as House Ferem, and they use the same

naming structure that offshoot families of the Dynastic Houses use.

A member of the Taleki family named Solu, for example, would

be known as Ferem Taleki Solu. He could correctly be referred to

as Ferem Solu (especially in Realm documentation) or as Taleki

Solu (especially in Cherak). Names can also be used as political

referents. Insisting on using the Ferem house name (instead of the

family name) can often indicate support or loyalty to the Realm

and its ideals. Using only one’s family name can be a sign of loyalty

to Cherak and its society and culture. Insisting on the full name

can mean nothing, a balanced approach to the situation, or simply

that one is a pompous windbag.

The Great Families of Cherak are typically far more demo-

cratic—and chaotic—than the Dynastic Houses. Patricians have a

voice at council, and family elders can be replaced if three quarters

of the members of the council vote against their continued service.

Terrestrial Exalts are a great power in Cherak, but they are not the

only power. There are families where Terrestrials do not rule alone.

Some families even have few Dragon-Blooded members but still

wield considerable inﬂ uence.

Members of these families are far more educated than the

common Cherak citizens or serfs, but they lack the sophisticated

educational techniques of the Realm and have differing goals

and focus than those raised under the Dynastic educational

system. Cherak Terrestrials are far more interested in crafts and

survival than in warfare and are raised to handle sailing craft

nearly from birth.

Rumors regarding the Council are widespread and as varied as

the imaginations of the tellers. Its existence, composition, rules of be-

havior and current status are always up for discussion among Cherak

natives. Outsiders rarely even know of the Council’s existence, as

it is not something commonly discussed with non-natives.

The Council, which currently numbering 56 members—the

largest in nearly ﬁ ve centuries—started accumulating informally

with the ﬁ rst suggestions of the Empress’s disappearance. It formally

incorporated itself (to the extent it is a formal organization) only

nearly four years ago. Since then, its members have been preparing

and scheming, looking for ways to proﬁ t from this turn of events and

use the Empress’s absence to the advantage of their city. In some

cases, it does so even as their Great Family elders piously proclaim

their loyalty to the throne and the Regent.

The Council’s symbol is the same seal used to authenticate

messages from the original Survival Council—a golden coin. On

one side are a crossed ink brush and trowel; on the other are three

wheat stalks crossed with three arrows, representing the ﬁ ve aspects

of survival—education and knowledge, construction and labor, agri-

culture, military might and wealth. Either side of the coin, encircled

with a broad band, can be used as a stamp, typically representing

which aspect is being discussed. The foremost symbol is the most

important in the missive sealed by the stamp.

Receiving a document—or coin—from the Council is both

an honor and a great secret. Few in Cherak would impersonate the

Council, if only because of the huge risks taken in doing so. Few

speak of any actions taken “for the Coin” even long after their duty

is done and the risks of revelation recede.

CONSPIRACIES AND I NTRIGUES

Although the Cherak Survival Council has been gathering

informally for nearly four years now, it has still gained no real con-

sensus on what path to take moving forward. Every member agrees

that the disappearance of the Empress and the resulting chaos in

the Realm are great opportunities for Cherak. Yet, whether to strike

out for the city’s own freedom, to attempt to topple the current

Realm political structure, to wage a war of subjugation against the

remainder of the North or to take some other course of action is

still a subject of much debate. The members of the Council know

they have little time left in which to move, though. The situation

grows more precarious and unsettled by the month.

The current slate of possible actions the people of Cherak could

pursue has been whittled down to the following vague plans:

• Secession: Secession is largely seen as the plan of action most likely

to succeed in the short term, and with the least long-term risks, but

also some of the lowest gains. Cherak’s tribute payments are high

but not yet crippling, even after ﬁ ve years of successive raises by the

Dynastic Houses. On the other hand, Cherak even now enjoys sig-

niﬁ cant protection from the Realm, and maintaining a larger standing

military to make up for the loss of Imperial Army protection would

cut the savings enjoyed by stopping tributes to a token amount. Still,

proponents argue that the soldiers hired would be Cherak soldiers,

loyal to Cherak, rather than a thinly disguised occupation force.

• Overthrow: Overthrow is seen by all as the riskiest venture with

the greatest chance of failure, and a massive price to be paid for

that failure. Still, it is also the option with the greatest rewards.

To stand as the rulers of the Realm, or even just signiﬁ cant play-

ers in its new political structure, would be worth every risk. (Plus,

the opportunity to put paid to some old debts would not go amiss

either.) Those seeking overthrow as an option also are most likely

to suggest alliances, some of them risky ones.

REALM O PINIONS OF H OUSE F EREM

Dynastic opinions of House Ferem are complex and

multi-layered. Many Dynasts see great potential in the

bloodlines found there, though that potential is bound up

in an exceedingly backward and rough-hewn culture. This

opinion is bolstered by the polite but obstinate refusal of

many citizens of Cherak to accept most Dynastic cultural

norms and customs.

Reactions vary to this combination of inherent talent

and stubborn adherence to outmoded ways of thinking.

Some Dynasts have only derision and scorn for Cherak’s

Terrestrials, who should know better. Others ﬁ nd things

of value in the Cherak society and are quick to adopt

them—even when those things conﬂ ict with mainstream

Realm mores. Most react with a combination of admira-

tion and exasperation, denigrating Cherak society while

admiring its accomplishments.

Many of the Great Families of House Ferem have been unofﬁ cially

adopted by one or another Dynastic House. Such adoption is typically

an informal arrangement. The Realm Houses occasionally sponsor

talented members of the Cherak Great Families to attend a prepara-

tory school (normally at the expense of the Cherak family) or provide

inﬂ uence in the legion or the Thousand Scales to smooth the career

of a favored Cherak scion. In exchange, the Great Families agree to

political marriages within the adopting Houses or use their inﬂ uence

in Cherak politics to aid the appropriate Dynasts. Such relationships

are not exactly fair or equal. The Dynasts typically get far more out

of the deal, and it is not unheard of for Cherak families to break off

the relationship after some particularly egregious violation.

Despite these relationships, House Ferem speaks with one voice

in the Deliberative. The Empress typically appointed a single member

of House Ferem to the Greater Chamber, and a number of individuals

would serve in the Lesser Chamber at any one time. Unlike most

in the Deliberative, the Ferem members of the Greater and Lesser

Chambers typically supported one another. Those appointed to the

Lesser Chamber realized there was little chance of advancement in

the Deliberative but much prestige to earned back home by currying

favor for their city-state in the Realm. While the negotiating and

bartering to determine who represents Cherak in the Deliberative

was ﬁ erce, it was usually kept hidden from the rest of the Realm,

as are most aspects of Cherak politics. Since the disappearance of

the Empress, the representatives of Cherak have been largely silent

in the Deliberative, working mostly behind the scenes and little

participating in the spectacle of day-to-day politicking.

THE C HERAK S URVIVAL C OUNCIL

Throughout history, when major threats to Cherak arise, a

secret cabal of inﬂ uential citizens meets in private, using their

considerable resources to make sure Cherak weathers the problem

successfully—emerging stronger than before if possible. The Council

has no formal membership and no long-standing history. It is a tem-

porary gathering of powers to deal with a particular crisis, rather than

a standing alliance. Its membership has included representatives of

the various Great Families, military ofﬁ cers, merchants, craftsmen

and farmers, scholars and even members of the Immaculate Order

who loved the city more than the Order—or at least saw no conﬂ ict

between their duties to the Order and to the Council.

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

• Conquest: It would not take much, some argue, to inﬂ uence

the local legion commanders to throw in their lot with Cherak. In

so doing, they could raise up an army and begin their own war of

conquest against the North. They would start with the coastal cities

to shore up support and cut off supplies from the more powerful

inland nations such as Gethamane and Whitewall. This option is

somewhat popular, especially for not being aimed directly at the

Realm. Still, detractors point out that the gods of Whitewall can

be surprisingly prescient and proactive, and there are always the

massive armies of the Bull of the North with which to contend.

• Renegotiation: Some seek merely to renegotiate the terms of the

various agreements between the Realm and Cherak. They would sue

for recognition of House Ferem as a proper dynastic House instead

of a “Cadet” House, as well as reduced tribute payments and more

favorable status for trade and loans with the various Great Houses.

This option is generally seen by most on the Council as little better

than the status quo. It risks little, gains almost nothing and is a

gesture born more of fear than deﬁ ance.

Most within the Council understand that they are going to need

allies to pull off any sort of major offensive. Exactly with whom to

ally is a subject of nearly as much discussion as what to do. The Guild

seems a natural choice, but there are those in the Council who are all

too familiar with its avarice and misbehavior. They would prefer to

sup with long spoons when dealing with that particular devil. Some

favor Lookshy, which is remote and isolationist, but powerful. (The

Lookshyans are even distant cousins in a sense.) Few would prefer

the Deathlords. Those beings are powerful, but they’re untrustworthy

and likely to turn Cherak into their pawn. Some might consider

the Bull of the North, who is also quite powerful, but he’s already

busy and he might just as soon destroy Cherak as ally with it. The

Roseblack, Tepet Ejava, might even be an option, since she’s skilled

and well situated politically and militarily. She is distant, however,

and few in Cherak can even guess at her true loyalty.

The goals of the Council are likely to be opposed, of course—

most notably by the Realm and the Great Houses, but other threats

are spoken of as well. Whitewall is likely to look dimly on sudden

shifts of power in the North, particularly if Cherak gives the appear-

ance of growing aggression. The Bull of the North might decide to

take a personal stake in whatever outcome plays out, and he has the

force of arms to settle things in a manner to his liking. The Haslanti

could become involved as well, which could bring Lookshy into the

picture in a way the Great Families of Cherak might not like.

THE R EALITY OF THE S ITUATION

The members of the Survival Council are smart, well-educated

people who are capable of rationally following assumptions through

to logical conclusions. Unfortunately, they lack both information

beyond a large-scale overview level and intelligence-analysis skills

commensurate to the tasks they are planning to undertake.

They make drastic over-estimations in some areas and sig-

niﬁ cant underestimations in other areas. For instance, they have a

vastly inﬂ ated opinion of Lookshy’s ability to deploy strategic forces

in large enough amounts to make a difference on the Northern

battleﬁ eld. Conversely, they underestimate how useful Lookshy’s

intelligence and special-operations assets could be, even in un-

familiar terrain. They also overestimate the chaos the Empress’s

disappearance is causing. That they have neither tipped their hand

nor been inﬁ ltrated is due as much to luck as to the fact that the

All-Seeing Eye is distracted by other troubles in the Realm. What’s

more, the master of the Northern Wyld Hunt has grown suspicious

about what is going on in Cherak. Fortunately, his missives are

falling on deaf ears in the Realm, as it’s well known that he’s an

overzealous paranoid.

The Survival Council is aware of the former weakness, if not

the latter. As a result, the Council is currently trying to improve its

intelligence-gathering capabilities at the local level, although its

members are amateurs playing at espionage. This lack of knowledge

and skill, however, often leads to strategic paralysis that approaches

hysteria at times. The Council believes it has only one chance to

do whatever its members end up deciding on, so it wants to maxi-

mize its chances of success and minimize its members’ chances of

ending up with their heads separated from their bodies. So the

Council dithers and quibbles and argues, always failing to actually

accomplish much of anything.

CHERAK E DUCATION

Cherak Dragon-Blooded receive ﬁ ve fewer Ability dots

at character generation than Realm Dynasts do, and they

have a different set of required Ability minimums. (Archery

1, Craft 1, Lore 1, Melee 1, Sail 2, Survival 2.) They also

use the standard Artifact and Manse Backgrounds, rather

than the enhanced ones found on pp. 103-105. They also

pay double for the Breeding Background, although Cherak

natives may purchase up to the ﬁ fth dot in this Background.

Otherwise, they use the Dynastic character-creation rules

and traits found in Chapter Three.

NOTABLE M EMBERS

ADMIRAL F EREM H ELKAR

Helkar is a thick, barrel-chested Child of Hesiesh. He is in charge

of Cherak’s substantial ﬂ eet of longships, and his skill in battle is

prodigious even without the use of Charms. Strong enough to swing a

reaver daiklave without attunement and encased in super-heavy armor

intended for use at sea (armor of aquatic puissance), he is a one-Exalt

boarding party—a fact in which he sometimes puts too much faith.

Helkar is respected by men, idolized by children and loved by

(most of) the women he meets. His passions are great, his appetites are

enormous, and his humor is unending. People say he’s a clever enough

fellow, a decent tactician and strategist, but he’s not always that quick

on the uptake. When this comes up in conversation, he pauses, laughs

and eventually quips that though he might not be the sharpest sword

in the arsenal he’s certainly the biggest. Then he downs another mug

of ale and tips a lurid wink to the nearest pretty lady.

SIDEREAL I NTERFERENCE

The Sidereals are aware of the plans of House Ferem,

in concept if not in detail. Thus far they have done nothing

to tip off the Great Houses or the All-Seeing Eye. If House

Ferem manages to unite enough major players to provide a

true challenge against the Realm, these Sidereals reason,

the challenge could spur the Dynasts into ﬁ nally settling

their differences long enough to squash their Northern

cousins. And if Cherak should somehow manage to prevail…

well, it would likely be far more tractable and more easily

manipulated than the jaded Dynasts.

Thus is the illusory façade maintained. Helkar is far, far smarter

than most ever realize, though he has grown to enjoy the act over

the decades. Helkar’s ﬁ erce, outspoken loyalty to the Realm is nearly

as much an act as his apparent stupidity. Loyal to the idea of the

Realm, he has no particular love for those in charge of it or for their

current policies. If his beloved Cherak can ﬁ nd some way to upset the

balance of power in the Dynastic Houses and bring about change, so

much the better. Yet even as he throws his support wholeheartedly

behind the Council, he schemes and plans escape routes and plots

of vengeance should the Council’s plans come to ruin. You can’t

bring change about, he notes to himself, if you’re dead.

THE M ARMOREAN C IRCLE

Thirteen Terrestrial savants, pale of countenance and uncom-

promising in nature, make up the core of the Marmorean sisterhood.

Thirteen again are their paramours, descendents of the Hundred-

Eyed Shouter of Blasphemies, also known as Eshemati. Thirteen

twice times itself are their servants, skilled in craftsmanship, fearsome

in battle or wise in thaumaturgy, but silent in word and deed. The

Marmoreans reside in a dozen temple caves in the North, fortiﬁ ed

redoubts whence they sally forth to gather secrets from the world

of mortal men, bringing them back to their demon master, whose

aspect is knowledge and whose sphere of inﬂ uence is secrets.

Eshemati, it is said, was neither Primordial nor god, but a

servant of the being now known as She Who Lives in Her Name.

He once tasked a Maiden to stand watch over those secrets that

were his alone, for he tired of his unceasing duty and wished to

take comfort in the pleasures of Yu-Shan. But the Maiden betrayed

him, spreading his secrets throughout Creation so that all could

partake in mystery and deception and taking his mantle for her

own even as her servants cast him into Malfeas. But Bagrash Köl

freed Eshemati in exchange for some great secret (some say the

location of the Eye of Autochthon). Now, Eshemati’s Maidens seek

out and attempt to retrieve all the secrets stolen from him in order

to return them to him.

The Marmoreans speak little, communicating with their deaf

servants only through sign language and preferring the written word

to the spoken. The sisterhood knows many secrets. They know

spells to permanently alter a person’s visage or gender. They know

alchemical recipes whose results remove memories from those who

want them not. They know rituals penned by Dragon King heretics

that allow them to learn the secrets of a victim by ritually devour-

ing their brains. They know even more foul things that should not

be known in Creation, but the total extent of their knowledge is

one of the ﬁ rst secrets they were able to return to their master. Yet

they are willing to trade many of these secrets for information that

no Marmorean has ever heard. At least for a time—all secrets are

Eshemati’s and must be returned to him. For a mortal to hold onto

a secret thing is to commit a minor blasphemy. For even an Exalt

or god to speak a loaned secret aloud is heresy, sullying that secret

and disgracing the Marmorean sister who loaned it.

The 13 sisters are all sorcerers and predominantly Water or Air

aspected. When one dies, the rest have 169 days to ﬁ nd a replace-

ment and present her (or him) before their master or suffer horrible

punishments. Eshemati demands that only women serve him, but

he is not overly demanding about what gender his servants were

born to. They are not forbidden liaisons with men (or women) other

than their paramours, but they may carry a child to term only twice:

once when they choose to give birth to their lover’s replacement,

and once when they choose to try to bring a new sister into the

circle. Each generation, the most powerful Marmorean is granted the

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

honor or bringing a fresh inﬂ ux of her lineage into their bloodline.

Some even survive the childbirth, but most do not.

The eldest sister does not have a citadel-temple of her own.

Instead, she and her retinue travel from temple to temple, over-

seeing the actions and secrets gathered by the younger sisters. The

servants of the Marmoreans—169 for each—are the descendents

of a degenerate and cannibalistic tribe of Contagion survivors who

ﬂ ed to the caves they were found in. Though they still partake of

human ﬂ esh, they are now stoic servants, trained in the arts and

skills needed by the Marmoreans, and deafened at birth so that

they may never hear a secret and inadvertently speak it to another.

Marmorean warriors—about half of each retinue—are typically

equal to regular troops, although some are elite, and every retinue

boasts a handful of mortal heroes and thaumaturges. These special

servants are the closest and most faithful the sisters have.

THE E AST

While the East is a rough-and-tumble wilderness compared

to the relative order and structure of the Realm, it is still far more

civilized than much of the rest of Creation. Many large towns and

cities are scattered throughout the region, as are plenty of places

for young Dragon-Bloods to ﬁ nd opportunities for education, ad-

vancement and relative safety. Comparatively more Terrestrials

ﬁ nd their way to maturity in these environs, and their inﬂ uence

can be strongly felt on the politics, militaries and social structures

of much of the region.

Opportunity abounds wherever one looks in the East. The war

between the Linowan and the Haltans provides plenty of chances

for mercenary Terrestrials to make their fortune—or buy the farm.

The widespread breakdown of the Celestial Bureaucracy in the East

gives plenty of opportunity for savants skilled in the etiquette of the

spirit courts—and in the Arts of Warding and Exorcism.

There are few Dragon-Blooded in the usually sleepy lands

of Chaya, although the ﬁ re tree pollen that creates their unique

society has as little effect on Terrestrials as it does on any other

Exalt. While even young Dragon-Bloods are powerful enough to

overwhelm all but the most determined bands of mortals under

the inﬂ uence of the pollen in blossom season, they can rarely

do so without permanently injuring or killing friends, family or

loved ones. Most Chayan Dragon-Bloods are fostered to families

elsewhere in the East or to the Realm through the Immaculate

temples located there.

The deciduous forests of the Linowan people are home to few

Dragon-Blooded today. The Blood of the Dragons never ﬂ owed

thickly in the veins of the Linowan, and many who did Exalt here

made the choice to take “the coin” of a lost egg, rather than remain

with their people. Those who did stay all too frequently ended up

dying in some raid or another on the Haltans, often without having

a chance to sire children of their own. When the Bull of the North

invaded the region, the resultant conﬂ ict further strained Queen

Arkasi’s already limited force of Terrestrial warriors, as Yurgen’s

forces shattered sworn brotherhood after sworn brotherhood

upon their shields. The invasion left few Dragon-Blooded alive

in the employ of the queen, and many of those who survive do

so at terrible cost to body and spirit. Of the various units assigned

Dragon-Blooded champions, only the queen’s personal guard of 15

Terrestrials survives without casualty, and only because she never

committed it to the ﬁ ght.

The endless war with the Linowan has done little to bolster

Terrestrial numbers in the forest-cities of the Haltans, either. The

Haltans’ tradition of sacriﬁ cing Fire-aspected Dragon-Blooded to

the Fair Folk who rule the ground only exacerbated the dearth of

Terrestrials in their lands. Deliberate meddling on the part of the

Lunars who helped guide and shape Haltan society has further

reduced their numbers. Dragon-Blooded are largely regarded as

dangerous, erratic and prone to great elemental outbursts that can

savage and kill even large redwoods. Although Wood-aspected

Terrestrials are favored, marriages that bring forth any other type

of Dragon-Blood—especially Fire Aspects—are often ostracized

from Haltan society, especially in the less cosmopolitan cities and

towns. Those Terrestrials who remain in Halta under this kind

of scrutiny and prejudice almost invariably end up in the Haltan

Guard. Those who do are often assigned to raiding parties crossing

the Linowan border. The rest become merchants, carrying trade

goods to faraway lands.

Before the sudden attack of the Mask of Winters, Thorns

was a bastion of Realm inﬂ uence in the southern reaches of the

East. Several hundred years of Realm inﬂ uence had left its mark

on the city-state. While not as strong as the bloodlines of Ferem

in the North, several distinct strains of Terrestrial heritage could

be found among the noble families of Thorns. Lost eggs found in

Thorns were often able to return to their city after their service to

the Realm was completed, and Terrestrials of noble lineage were

occasionally allowed to “evade” ofﬁ cial Realm notice, as long as the

right indulgences were paid to the right Dynastic ofﬁ cials.

Additionally, many Dragon-Bloods who had been banished

from the Blessed Isle but had not completely lost the Empress’s

favor made their home in Thorns, preferring its weather to the

sweltering heat of An-Teng or the frozen wastes of Cherak. Several

dozen Terrestrials—Dynasts and outcastes alike—made their home

in Thorns prior to the invasion.

Most died attempting to defend their doomed city. Of those

who survived—and retained their freedom and sanity—some have

returned to the Blessed Isle, where they strive ceaselessly to warn

the Realm of the oncoming danger and mount a mission to retake

their city. Others have allied themselves with Lookshy, forming a

tenuous alliance of convenience with a power that appears to be

taking the Mask of Winters far more seriously than the Realm is.

Only a handful of Terrestrials native to Thorns have allied

themselves with the Mask of Winters, and they are reviled by their

cousins who escaped. Despised even by natives who have submitted

to the Mask of Winters are the mercenary Dragon-Bloods he has

hired to act as his agents in the Scavenger Lands and the East. Even

the Deathlord himself sees them as little more than useful pawns,

and he sacriﬁ ces them in one plot or another as needed. Completely

jaded and cynical individuals to a man, those who work for him

understand this and see it as part of the risk of doing business.

Some of the less degenerate and Wyld-tainted Eastern tribes

still have bloodlines strong enough to occasionally support Exalta-

tion. Some of these barbarian Terrestrials walk out of the forests

into Creation, seeking alliance with others of their kind, seeking

adventure or just seeking understanding of who and what they are.

Some are slain by fearful members of their own tribe, who confuse

Exaltation with possession, mutation or something worse, or who

simply don’t want to deal with the problems a Terrestrial can bring

upon a small tribe. Others become tribal champions, leaders, sha-

mans, gods or all of the above, leading their tribes from the front

or from the sidelines until they run into something big enough to

put them down. Rarely do any of these Dragon-Blooded live out

a full century.

order. The order’s mysterious masters hold the power of life and

death over each of their agents. They dictate diet and training

regimens. They instruct the teachers who hand down the secrets

of their martial-arts prowess. They even pass sentence on agents

who fail to uphold the order’s loose regulations or are incapable of

successfully completing a mission. They also personally negotiate

every contract for their clan’s services.

The Grass Spiders regard assassination as an art, a discipline

to be mastered and studied like any other. They take its study as

seriously as Immaculate monks take their study of the Texts or

martial arts. Although they specialize in horrible accidents that

can’t be traced back to anyone and example murders meant to

send a message, Grass Spider operatives also take on a number of

other types of jobs for suitable incentives. Those jobs include theft

of irreplaceable objects (artworks, artifacts, other unique objects),

espionage and reconnaissance, and military intelligence. The main

condition in taking a job is that it must be suited to the Grass

Spiders’ mindset and purpose, it must pay well, and it must not be

seen as “common.” They are assassins and high-class thieves, after

all, not common bandits.

The Hallowed Order of the Grass Spiders (their preferred

name) operates a variety of safe houses in cities throughout the

region. Many of those houses are operated by servants who have no

idea what their masters are, though some are run by agents who are

fully complicit in their dealings. Their main center of operations

is a series of fortiﬁ ed range houses centered around a small manse

located on the Chayan border, outside Matetha. Here, the Grass

Spiders train and study the arts of assassination. They also recover

from missions there, using the downtime to relax and trade stories

about their missions and pasts.

Although they are disciplined and studious, the Grass Spiders

are an affable, even jovial, bunch. New disciples are either recruited

(sometimes drafted) very young or are brought into the group only

after careful observation to make sure they are compatible with the

somewhat quirky outlook of the order’s senior members. To the

Spiders, assassination is no different than ﬁ ghting as a mercenary,

selling oneself as a prostitute or peddling slaves, drugs or weapons.

It might be a distasteful, occasionally regretful, occupation, but it’s

necessary. If it has to be done, then, better it’s done by a professional

who enjoys his work.

The rules of assassination for the Grass Spiders are simple. Be

unique, be interesting, be original, don’t get caught, and don’t hurt

bystanders. This last rule is actually the only ﬁ rm rule the order has;

the others are only guidelines. The ban on harming noncombatants

is steadfastly enforced because the order’s founders know that they

continue to exist only as long as the greater powers of the region

see them as mostly harmless to the greater social order. It is a purely

pragmatic stance—and taught that way—but it is also a ﬁ rmly held

one. As a result, the general opinion of most in the region is that

if you stay out of the Grass Spiders’ way when they’re on the job,

they’ll bend over backward to leave you alone.

Rumors swirl around the order like leaves in a storm. Savants

speak of strange forest gods who teach the clan’s Terrestrials their

weird martial arts style, based on the jumping attacks of the grass

spider. Legends talk of necrotic poisons, the result of trade with

faraway Sijan, toxins that rot away the ﬂ esh and devour the soul.

Gossip speaks of deals with the bestial chauns of the Southeastern

forests for green poisons that drive men mad, and alchemical

reagents used in all manner of thaumaturgical tricks. The Grass

Spiders just shrug, laugh and agree with every rumor, no matter

how addled or contradictory it seems. Indeed, the more insane or

THE G RASS S PIDERS

In the savannas of the Southeast, around the Sandy River and

the fertile plains of Chaya, four whispered words will garner more

fear than rumors of far-away Deathlords or even the beast-king

Ma-Ha Suchi. Those words are “Grass Spiders on you.” Telling a

man you have arranged a contract on him with the Grass Spiders

is akin to telling him he is already dead. All that remains is for

the assassination to occur and the body to be cremated. Some

ﬁ ght, some run, and others seek their solace in suicide, attempting

to avoid the undoubtedly unique and imaginative death that is

sure to follow swiftly on the word of the contract—assuming any

notice is given.

For over a century, the Grass Spiders have been the most

feared order of assassins in the region. Currently numbering two

dozen Terrestrials, and perhaps 10 times that number in trained

mortal assistants, thaumaturges and a handful of God-Blooded

agents, the Grass Spiders operate through a network of spies and

factors. These factors are often otherwise-honest businessmen who

merely “happen to know someone” who can do work for a price.

The connections they offer eventually lead through a labyrinthine

web of agents and tests to the Three Elite Fiends, the elders of the

REALM V ASSAL S TATES

The Realm has always walked a ﬁ ne line between

desiring to recover “lost eggs” and desiring to keep the

peace in its satrapies. On one hand, lost eggs bring new

bloodlines into the Realm, and on a purely practical level,

the more Dragon-Bloods the Realm controls, the better.

On the other hand, those who run the Realm understand

all too well the bonds between mother and daughter and

have little interest in seeing the Threshold erupt because

of overly draconian laws regarding the Terrestrial offspring

of satrapy subjects.

For this reason, the Realm has typically offered a

carrot rather than a stick when dealing with the subject.

Much is made of the potential opportunities of life in

the Realm, of the education the young Terrestrial will

receive. Lavish payments are doled out to the families of

lost eggs, used as both incentive and in lieu of the monies

the Dragon-Blooded could bring into the family. In ex-

treme cases, long-term pensions are set up for the families,

guaranteeing them a permanent salary, usually based on

that paid to the Dragon-Blood being turned over.

In all cases, the realities of life in the Realm as an

outcaste scion are downplayed, if not outright white-

washed. Little mention is made of the harsh and specialized

nature of the education provided at Pasiap’s Stair or of

the brutal and unforgiving discipline of the Cloister of

Wisdom. Families are often led to believe their children

will actually become Dynasts rather than second-class

citizens with limited advancement potential.

For all that, many of the lost eggs serving the

Realm—under the razor or the coin—still seek out and

recruit Terrestrials in the Threshold with the same passion

that Dynastic ofﬁ cials do. In their minds, life as a second-

class citizen of limited opportunity is still far better than

the life they left behind.

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

impossible, the more fervently they insist that no, this

must be the truth, and never mind what they agreed

to just last week.

Ofﬁ cially, the Grass Spiders are outlaws and

assassins, wanted throughout the Scavenger Lands.

Unofﬁ cially, many governments and organizations

operating in the area have made use of their talents,

through suitable layers of plausible deniability. Many

Guild factors know how to make contact with the order,

but the Grass Spiders are insistent that any potential

Guild contracts be paid in full up front. Lookshy has

a carefully unofﬁ cial “hands off” policy regarding the

Spiders. It takes no contracts to go after members of

the order, and its agents are instructed to avoid tan-

gling with the Grass Spiders whenever possible. Some

rangers operating in the area, however, occasionally

engage in basically harmless—even friendly—contests

of skill with Grass Spider operatives.

THE S CAVENGER L ANDS

Although the inﬂ uence of the Seventh Legion is

felt throughout the East, nowhere has Lookshy more

strongly laid its hand upon the Terrestrial population

than in the Scavenger Lands. By some accounts, half

of the Dragon-Blooded born in the Confederation of

Rivers end up serving in the Seventh Legion or its

janissary forces.

Plenty of unafﬁ liated Terrestrials still wander the

countryside of the Scavenger Lands, though. From the

mercenary champions of the Hundred Kingdoms to

the elite bodyguards of Nexus and the necromantic

craftsmen of Sijan, Terrestrials who seek adventure

but wish to avoid service with the Seventh Legion

still have plenty of opportunities to ﬁ nd their fame

and fortune.

The Scavenger Lands’ people are largely cos-

mopolitan and jaded. Beings of great power are not

uncommon here. Gods walk freely among men, Ter-

restrials gather in strength, Anathema are considered

nothing more than powerful entities, and indeﬁ nable

things can be found around nearly every corner in

Great Forks or Nexus. This is an advantage for young

Dragon-Bloods, as they have more opportunity to con-

centrate on making a living and a name for themselves,

rather than being swept up into political concerns.

Unfortunately, it also means that there are beings

about that can handily defeat even an experienced

Dragon-Blood. Caution, cunning and friendship are

the bywords of survival for Terrestrials in the River

Province, and it is rare to ﬁ nd a Dragon-Blood work-

ing completely alone.

Some of the most successful scavenger lords in

the Confederation of Rivers are Terrestrial Exalts.

Their broad skills and Charms make them excellent

archeologists, tomb-raiders, scavengers and looters, and

their ability to aid and defend their compatriots and

employees make them highly sought after as partners

or employers. Many a Terrestrial has managed to

unearth great wealth and magical stores before being

betrayed by the wrong patron or failing to notice a

deadly trap. The problem, of course, is the lure of adventure and

simple greed. Many fall prey to the endless temptation of taking

just one more job before retiring. Still, some of the most famous

businesses in the River Province were started by Terrestrials who

made one last huge score, then quit while they were ahead and

settled into a new line of work.

Terrestrials are in demand in all three Observances of the

Funereal Order of Righteous Morticians and Embalmers in Sijan.

As Funerists, their Charms allow them to converse with members of

any culture in Creation and quickly master even the most complex

of ceremonies and burial rituals. Craft and Medicine Charms give

Dragon-Blooded who choose the path of the Mortwright the ability

to quickly and precisely prepare not only the body for funeral, but the

mausoleum in which it will reside—and the traps that will defend

it. And while Terrestrials are incapable of unlocking the powers of

necromancy available to the Celestial Exalted (let alone the Void

Circle available only to the Deathlords and their Abyssal servants),

their mastery of Essence can make them superb practitioners of the

mortal Art of Necromancy. It also makes them excellent members

of the Deadspeakers’ Observance. The combination of their ability

to master multiple arts of the Morticians’ Order and the infrequency

with which the Dragon-Blooded volunteer for this duty, has led to

the creation of a special status for Terrestrial members of the Order.

They, and they alone, may simultaneously hold rank in more than

one Observance. Many hold rank in all three.

Sijan itself has little use for Terrestrials as guards or as military

commanders. Between a dragon of the Seventh Legion’s ﬁ nest, the

Black Watch and its status as city of the dead, Sijan has little to fear

from invasion or raids. The funereal parties that escort corpses to the

city often travel through dangerous terrain, however, and a handful

of Dragon-Bloods serve as commanders of these escort groups. An-

other small group commands the black galleys of Sijan, safeguarding

them on the rivers of the Scavenger Lands from those river brigands

desperate or foolish enough to attack those vessels. These outcastes

are typically mercenaries hired from other lands, as Sijan’s living

population is small enough that only infrequently do Terrestrials Exalt

there. Those Sijanese who do so almost invariably either leave that

ancient city or become members of the Morticians’ Order.

Work can also be found occasionally as messengers traveling

into the Underworld, using the edges of the Black Chase or one

of several small shadowlands inside Sijan itself to bear messages to

dead family members who cannot be contacted through normal

methods. These missions are fraught with peril, and while the

rewards are commensurately great, they are often insufﬁ cient given

the hazards faced.

The Marukani are spread thinly through the lands they claim,

residing mostly in small range towns—walled ranch compounds

surrounded by pasturage and gardens. Because their population

density is so low, the Blood of the Dragons rarely has a chance to

concentrate, and Dragon-Blooded are uncommon. The Mayhiros

clan, owners of Celeren Manse and the closest thing to a Great House

in Marukan, boasts the largest collection of Marukan Terrestrials,

though it numbers less than 30 Exalts among its members. Perhaps

twice that are scattered through the remainder of the Alliance, and

there are another 50 or so natives who have left the rolling ﬁ elds

of Marukan to seek adventure elsewhere. Marukan Terrestrials

commonly make their living as ranch owners, circuit riders and

infantry commanders. Their powerful anima banners hinder their

ability to ride, though, so artifacts that grant the a mount immunity

to the damage a Dragon-Blood’s anima inﬂ icts are highly sought

after—as are teachers of the Charms that do the same. Curiously,

Marukan Dragon-Bloods make no use of simhata, artifact steeds or

other alternative mounts. To do that would be a slap in Hiparkes

face, if not a venial sin against him.

It is impossible to fully detail the opportunities, pitfalls, cul-

tural relations and Terrestrial populations of the various polities of

the Hundred Kingdoms. Few nations in the Hundred Kingdoms

maintain a policy of intolerance toward Terrestrials for very long.

Although periodic mortal interregnums occur throughout the region,

most commonly after the bloody reign of a particularly demented

Terrestrial tyrant, nations ruled thus are typically enveloped by

neighbors less worried by Terrestrial interference. Many polities

MERCENARY C HAMPIONS

One of the most common Terrestrial Exalted military

occupations in the Hundred Kingdoms is that of champion.

Many international conﬂ icts in the Hundred Kingdoms

are settled by carefully arranged duels between appointed

champions—either singly or in small units of up to a talon

in size. These duels are used instead of all-out warfare simply

because, while a Terrestrial champion can be frighteningly

expensive, paying him is still far cheaper than raising, arm-

ing and provisioning an army. These champions are also

typically far less destructive to their surroundings than a

series of pitched battles might be.

Informal rules of conduct and engagement are propa-

gated throughout the Hundred Kingdoms and beyond as the

idea spreads to other parts of the Scavenger Lands. These

rules specify length of engagement for a given magnitude

of unit, size of the engagement area, treatment of wounded

and prisoners, scoring and regulations on unfair conduct

and the sanctions that can be imposed. The most sophis-

ticated versions even include a basic point-scoring system

that allows the two sides to “even up” their teams prior to

combat. Such rules supposedly make sure that neither side

has simply bought itself an unchallenged victory.

The actual duels are often magniﬁ cent affairs, ﬁ lled

with pomp and spectacle, brightly colored and emblazoned

pennons, and sporting events leading up to and following

the actual ﬁ ght. They are treated in many ways as a grand

festival would be. In most cases, these duels provide the

only opportunity people will have to observe Exalts in ac-

tion, at least with any decent sense of safety. Duelists are

encouraged to avoid actually killing their Exalted opponents

if at all possible, though the treatment of mortal soldiers is

often more problematic. Duelists are military combatants,

after all, not pit gladiators.

Because duelists are so rarely killed, many of them

eventually “retire” from the profession. These powerful

combatants often take up arms as bodyguards, as commanders

of mercenary units or security retinues, or as the leaders of

military detachments for the Guild, other merchant houses

or various kingdoms. Famous or skilled duelists carry their

reputations with them when they leave—which is a mixed

blessing. On one hand, a good reputation opens up doors

and can help prevent conﬂ icts. On the other hand, it can

result in increased conﬂ icts, as young, brash warriors attempt

to prove their worth by killing famous duelists.

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

Those of a martial bent can ﬁ nd their fortunes in the City

of Festivals as well. Since the near-destruction of the Great

Forks military at the Battle of Mishaka, Great Forks has relied on

hired mercenaries to provide the city with additional protection.

Dragon-Blooded mercenaries are preferred, because of their abil-

ity to keep up with the lesser gods and elementals that form much

of the military’s command. Additionally, strife between various

sects and faiths in the city can sometimes lead to bloodshed, and

Terrestrials are used both as disposable—and deniable—assets for

conducting assassinations and other dirty tricks, and as bodyguards

and investigators to prevent them.

Beyond the typical hazards to life and limb common to all who

follow the paths of blood and steel, the city is not without its dangers.

Some of the gods living in Great Forks have resented the Dragon-

Blooded since the Usurpation, and they are more than willing to take

their frustrations out on Terrestrials who fall into their clutches. Other

residents are so desperate that even the risks of assaulting a Prince of

the Earth can be worth the possible rewards in artifacts and goods. And

there are always rumors of misbehavior on the part of the tripartite rulers

of the city—suggestions that performers who fail to live up to their lofty

expectations disappear, to be discovered as brain-savaged thralls in the

service of some slave lord months or even decades later.

THE T ERRESTRIALS OF L OOKSHY

Five great Gentes and a dozen or so lesser ones form the spine

of Lookshy’s Terrestrial heritage. Mostly founded by the members

of the General Staff and prominent Shogunate commanders who

joined up with Lookshy after its founding (such as Taimyo Vondy

Beulen), these families have guided and overseen Lookshy’s devel-

opment for centuries. Each family consists of dozens of Terrestrials

of the Hundred Kingdoms treat Terrestrials as powerful weapons,

mighty champions or useful assets, seeking to acquire them in the

same way they might seek to acquire First Age weapons. Some are

ruled—at least for a time—by Dragon-Blooded, or are strongly

inﬂ uenced by outcastes, but many others have few or no Terrestrial

Exalts who make permanent residence there.

The ﬁ lthy, lawless streets of Nexus provide ample opportunities

for daring Terrestrials to prove their mettle and earn their fortunes.

The foundries always have need for skilled forge masters, and few can

match the prowess of a child of the Earth Dragon who has turned

her heart toward metalworking. The fortunes made in Nexus give

the Dragon-Bloods occasion to try their hand as security experts

and as thieves—sometimes at the same time. And the gladiatorial

pits are always welcoming to an outcaste who is looking to hone

his skills, make a name or simply ﬁ ght his way out of debt. Handfuls

of Terrestrials serve the Council of Entities, but these positions are

rarely open to unsolicited applicants. The Council knows which

agents it wants, and it seeks them out on its own terms. Others serve

the wealthy and powerful, with roles and status that range from

highly paid thug to most trusted servant. Whatever their position

or status, it can certainly be said that Terrestrials in Nexus do not

live boring lives. Short ones, yes; boring ones, no.

Great Forks is a city of opportunity and peril for the offspring of

the Elemental Dragons, particularly those of a socially or education-

ally oriented disposition. Dragon-Blooded who make their home in

Great Forks are often savants interested in the libraries and hospitals

found there, or socialites, interested in the parties and festivals that

ﬁ ll its streets. Terrestrial courtesans command high prices and great

respect in the hallways of Great Forks, and performers of every stripe

can ﬁ nd meaningful employment on its streets.

more respected. The victories of the Karal’s scions are well-known

and well-spoken of, even by their enemies.

Karal is a military family in a society of military families. It has

many shozei and kazei but comparatively few sorcerer-engineers or

merchant princes. The focus of the family has always been military

prowess and discipline. Even when dealing with matters of money,

politics or the heart, members of the family are likely to take a

tactical view on the subject.

ECONOMIC P OWER

Gens Karal’s fortunes are based on bounties paid for recovery

of weapons and other First Age and Shogunate supplies during the

ﬁ rst few decades following the Contagion. These bounties and sal-

vage fees were carefully invested in a wide variety of opportunities,

and today, one can ﬁ nd Karal factors involved in many different

industries, both in Lookshy and throughout the western sections of

the Scavenger Lands. Karal outright owns few warehouses, shipping

concerns or industries, but it has interests in a great number of dif-

ferent ones. In this way, the family has successfully hedged its funds

against economic downturns and grown its fortunes slowly over the

centuries. Today, it is the third wealthiest Gens in Lookshy.

POLITICS

Although openly dismissive of political posturing and brink-

manship, older members of Gens Karal are often surprisingly

effective in the political sphere. Although they come to it from

a military background, they apply the same rules Lookshy uses on

the ﬁ eld of battle to the ﬁ eld of public opinion. Karal politicians

can be deceptively deep, especially for a Fire-aspected house, and

few underestimate them twice.

The Gens as a whole tends toward Mercenary political beliefs,

with a strong strain of Interventionist leanings, though its mem-

bers are not as outspoken in their beliefs as Gens Maheka is. Most

senior members of the Karal family believe that while the time is

not now, a resurgence of the Shogunate under an appropriately

righteous Shogun would be in the best interests of not only the

Seventh Legion, but Creation. Their typical outlook is guarded

optimism. The Legion is beset on all sides by enemies, but it retains

much strength and has diversiﬁ ed its position successfully enough

to survive even if Lookshy is destroyed.

Most of the Gens’ political battles are centered around increas-

ing the distributed nature of the Legion—making sure that destroying

Lookshy cannot be a fatal blow to the Legion. Their scions are

supported in this by some members of Gens Maheka and several of

the minor Gentes, but opposed bitterly by Gens Teresu.

Gens Karal is a favorite of the horselords of the Marukani,

who appreciate the daring tactics and solid logistical sense of Karal

commanders. They are less favored by some members of Great

Forks, although Dayshield is known to have had a fondness for the

Gens’ founder that has occasionally shown through to his children’s

descendents. There is little love lost between the members of the

Gens and the merchants and mercenaries of Nexus, as Karal ofﬁ cers

bore the brunt of dealing with mishaps caused by Nexus mercenaries

during the war with the Fair Folk.

NOTABLE S CIONS

Karal Linwei is the youngest ﬁ eld force taimyo since Nefvarin

himself and the youngest (and newest) appointee to the General Staff.

Slight of build, Linwei is far tougher than she appears. Her ﬁ ery hair

and demeanor conceals a razor-sharp intellect honed by years of ﬁ eld

duty. Only a fool takes her ﬁ ery outbursts of rage as anything more

SOCIETAL I NFLUENCE

The inﬂ uence of the Gentes upon the Seventh

Legion and Lookshy cannot be underestimated. Although

the Gentes were not as directly responsible for shaping

the society and culture of Lookshy as the Immaculate

Order and the Great Houses were in creating the Realm,

they have had a signiﬁ cant impact on how Lookshy has

grown nonetheless. The ﬁ ercely militaristic civilization

that has resulted was probably inevitable given Lookshy’s

original establishment as a military encampment, but the

lengths to which the citizenry has embraced the ideals of

the Shogunate military is certainly a result of the founders

of the various Gentes. Even today, the General Staff and

the Gentes elders work together to sculpt and manipulate

the society of Lookshy. They oversee educational initia-

tives, emphasize or downplay cultural attributes they ﬁ nd

important or harmful, and even use Charms and sorcery to

manipulate society when they have no other recourse.

The General Staff sees nothing wrong in this. It

is simply the business of maintaining proper discipline,

morale and functioning order in a military unit. Look-

shy operates on very thin margins of survival and can

poorly tolerate societal illnesses such as corruption or

widespread misanthropy. If preventing this requires that

harsh measures be taken, so be it.

and hundreds or thousands of mortals, and by the standards of the

Scavenger Lands, each is fabulously wealthy and well equipped

with artifacts and weapons.

OVERALL S TRUCTURE

The makeup of each Gens varies, but there are several similari-

ties that run between most of the major and minor Gentes. Each is

normally led by an elder member, typically known as a matriarch

or patriarch. How this person is selected varies. Most of the Gentes

have a family council, which might be a formal assemblage of se-

lected leaders of the various sub-families, an informal arrangement

between powerful members of the various families and houses that

make up a Gens, or some other arrangement.

Most of the Gens are formed of several sub-families, branch

lines spun off from the main family tree and lesser houses or blood-

lines that have been absorbed into the Gens through adoption or

marriage. Typically, a major Gens consists of a half-dozen major

bloodlines and maybe as many as two dozen lesser houses or branch

lines. A minor Gens might have as much as three-quarters of this

number. Exactly how this representation is tracked is different in

each Gens. Gens Karal takes great effort to make sure that exactly

what part of the family tree a member hails from is known. The

attitude of Gens Maheka and Yushoto is that no part of the family

is more important than any other part—except when matters of

marriage or breeding are concerned.

GENS K ARAL (FIRE)

Karal Shan Zu was the ofﬁ cer chosen by Chumyo Nefvarin

to act as Camp Liaison Ofﬁ cer for Deheleshen in the weeks im-

mediately following the Seventh Legion’s encampment there.

Descended from a long line of military ofﬁ cers, Shan Zu passed

those traditions down to his children—and they to theirs. Today,

some families in Lookshy are larger or wealthier, but none that are

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

MAJOR AND M INOR G ENTES

The distinction between major and minor Gentes is not as strict as sometimes portrayed and is based on a wide variety

of variables. The number of major Gentes is not even ﬁ xed. Several Gentes of those currently thought of as “minor” houses

have been more important in the past, and two of the houses currently considered “major” ones have historically been of

smaller stature. Overall size, wealth, importance in various arenas, resources and semi-abstract concepts of “purity”—in

terms of their Dragon-Blooded lineage—all go into the consideration of a Gens’ relative status. If a family has the fortitude

to declare itself a major Gens and isn’t laughed at, then it probably is one.

In reality, while there are some small beneﬁ ts to major Gens status, most of the remunerations provided are in brag-

ging rights and social beneﬁ ts. It is more an acknowledgement of who sits on top of the social and economic ladder than a

position to be greatly striven for because of some great sheaf of rights provided. In fact, the opposite is often true. Members

of the major Gentes are usually held to higher standards of conduct than those of the minor houses, on the assumption

that the most powerful families can afford to teach their scions better.

POLITICS

Although Matriarch Mai Lin is herself an outspoken Isolationist,

the house is largely Mercenary in its outlook—privately, if not publicly.

There are those in her Gens who support her but others who feel she

is foolish at best. Some are not willing to keep their opinions to them-

selves. The increasing fractionalization between parts of the Gens is a

problem that is likely to become only more serious as time passes.

The appointment of Sirel Sogrun—not only not a member of

the Gens, but not even a member of any Gentes, minor or major—to

command of Lookshy’s ﬂ eets is seen as a serious blow to the family’s

honor. Some blame the Gens’ Matriarch’s writings, while others

believe it is simply a matter of choosing the best man for the job.

The Gens has ties uneasy to the Realm Houses Peleps and

V’neef. The Lintha and members of Gens Teresu have a long-stand-

ing hatred that has ﬂ ared up into near warfare on more than one

occasion. The Gens has not always been as circumspect in dividing

private assets and Seventh Legion forces when pursuing its actions

against the Lintha as would be hoped.

NOTABLE S CIONS

Teresu Mai Lin is the matriarch of Gens Teresu. Unlike

most family leaders, Mai Lin did not rise up through the ranks

of the Seventh Legion before moving over to Gens politics. She

served her mandatory duty in the navy, then retired to take over

duty as one of the family’s merchant princes, eventually inheriting

leadership of the family’s trade assets. She has been matriarch for

only a decade, and her Isolationist views were something she kept

to herself until her election as head of the family. Since then, she

has made her opinions known in a series of printed treatises that

outline her vision of Lookshy’s future. She wants to move Lookshy

to a peacetime footing, emphasizing Lookshy’s mercantile strengths

and eventually eliminating the mercenary arms of the economy.

Her goals are seen as problematic in execution, if not necessarily

desirability, even by members of her own Gens. She is enduring

and patient, but she has little respect for those who refuse to even

consider her views. Lately, she ﬁ nds this to be anyone who does

not wholeheartedly agree with them.

Teresu Zen Wu, Taimyo of the Fourth Field Force, is a rarity

in Lookshy—a non-native whose service to the Legion has been

so devoted and steadfast that he has become a trusted leader. An

outcaste from the Northern enclave of High Falls who married into

the family nearly a century and a half ago, Zen Wu has continued to

impress the leaders not just of Gens Teresu, but all of Lookshy with

his wholehearted adoption of his new home’s culture and societal

mores. His outsider’s eye toward tactics and strategy has also been a

than a carefully rehearsed act. Although she is not head of her family,

Linwei is often spoken of as “the Karal.” It is strongly suggested that

she will be the next Legion Chumyo in perhaps a half-century’s time,

provided she can weather the current crisis with her career intact.

Karal Fire Orchid is Linwei’s favorite daughter, despite their

growing estrangement. Her reputed status as an Anathema has

plunged Gens Karal into controversy, and rumors suggest that her

brothers, the twins, have been dispatched to ascertain the truth.

One thing is known—Linwei’s fearsome mien when confronted with

allegations or slander regarding her daughter is no act. At least one

case, it was only the actions of her subordinates that prevented her

from breaking the Seventh Legion’s ban on dueling.

GENS T ERESU (WATER)

Gens Teresu’s traditional stranglehold over Lookshy’s naval

forces dates back to the city-state’s founding, when Admiral Teresu

Mitaki was the only ﬂ eet admiral to ally himself with Chumyo

Nefvarin, bringing much of his small ﬂ eet—largely undamaged

from its patrols in the frozen Northern oceans—with him. Since

that day, the family has not only provided many of the Seventh

Legion’s most prominent naval commanders, but it has been cen-

trally involved in Lookshy’s merchant holdings and has turned

modest beginnings into a thriving sea trade that reaches as far as

the Western islands.

Despite their far-reaching trade connections, members of the

Gens are frequently insular and close-minded. They’re friendly

enough, but little interested in the opinions or cultures of others

except insofar as they might be useful in closing the deal or creating

new markets. In Lookshy, Teresu is seen as something of an oddity.

Its members are respected for their naval traditions and military

prowess at sea but often seen as little more than common merchants

and traders. They’re necessary, but perhaps not respected so much

as a “proper” military family might be.

ECONOMIC P OWER

Approximately three-quarters of Lookshy’s merchant trade

travels over the rivers of the Scavenger Lands or the blue wa-

ters of the Inland Sea, and Teresu is involved in nearly all of it.

Teresu-owned businesses unload and load cargo from ships, man-

age warehousing space for cargo masters and provide all manner

of support services—from provisioning to hull repair—for vessels

docking in Lookshy Harbor. Gens Teresu also owns a number of

shipping ﬁ rms, including some that are not primarily water-based.

Taken as a whole, Teresu’s shipping and trade interests account for

nearly half of the city’s import and export business.

would call mutiny. Maheka scions would prefer to think of it as

respecting the proper chain of command and honoring the oaths a

soldier owes his Shogun. Although exposing deformed children is

frowned upon in Gens Maheka, it is not actually punished as it is

in many of the other major Gentes.

ECONOMIC P OWER

Gens Maheka’s wealth is centered around several powerful

foundries and smaller weapons forges that have produced some of

the ﬁ nest weapons in Lookshy for over three centuries. The Gens is

involved in nearly every aspect of engineering and manufacture in

Lookshy and has interests in foundries in Nexus, mines in the Rock

River area and logging ﬁ rms in the Eastern highlands and Farhold.

The Gens has additional holdings—mostly agricultural—in Lookshy

and the Great Forks area. Many of the lands the Gens has purchased

since its founding are the locations of various demesnes or manses or

were once Wyld lands that have been painstakingly reclaimed through

a combination of sorcery, thaumaturgy and huge public works.

POLITICS

Gens Maheka is a politically simple and direct family. Its ma-

triarch would have it no other way, so she makes little allowance for

dissension or debate. Staunchly Mercenary in outlook, the Gens’

political stance is rooted in the essence of the Legion’s mandate and

its ﬁ erce belief in the Immaculate faith. As a result, its members are

the ﬁ rst to support the Shogunate Bureaucracy on those rare occa-

sions it evinces an opinion and the last to support any measure that

suggest the Legion is anything other than an

arm of the Shogunate.

Gens Maheka maintains close ties

with the Morticians’ Order of Sijan and

with several factors in Nexus. Hierarch

Gavin Bast of the Guild is a member of a

Gens sub-family, giving Maheka connec-

tions in the Guild as well. Unfortunately,

Bast’s enemies in the Guild—and

there are several—are also willing

to use his family ties against him. In

similar fashion, there are those in

Nexus who wish to see the fam-

ily humbled or destroyed, either

because of its economic power or

because of its choice of economic

partners. Relations between the

family and Great Forks are un-

derstandably strained, but not as

much as they might be. The sacriﬁ ce

of much of Great Fork’s light infantry

at the Battle of Mishaka gave elements

of the Third Field Force time to set up

a counterstrike against Thorns’ heavy

infantry, and this has not been forgotten

by the Maheka soldiers who were there.

NOTABLE S CIONS

Maheka Lespa is tall where

her protégé Karal Linwei is short,

quiet where Linwei is loud, and

is nearly as homely as Linwei is

beautiful. Despite these differences, the two

have been friends practically since Linwei was

welcome gain, and his position in charge of the Fourth Field Force

is a direct result of his contributions and unceasing efforts to get his

ofﬁ cers to think around problems and ﬁ nd new solutions.

GENS M AHEKA (EARTH)

Gens Maheka was begun by a well-placed combat engineer in

Realm Year 323. Its engineering background was solidiﬁ ed through

marriage and familial alliances, and it has institutionalized the

heritage in most of the sub-families of the line. A solid backing in

architecture, manufacture or some other craft is expected of every

member of the Gens, even those who end up having no formal

role in trade or craftsmanship. The rare exceptions are those who

choose to specialize in agriculture, thaumaturgy or sorcery, which

are uncommon but not unknown arts in the Gens.

Gens Maheka is the most religious and devoted of the Gentes.

Where belief in the Immaculate faith is expected on an abstract

level in most families, it is a solemn duty in Maheka. If there are

apostates or followers of the Hundred God Heresies in the Gens,

they do not speak of it openly or behind closed doors, and their

prayers are quiet ones. Matriarch Maheka will forgive or overlook

many things, but heresy is not one of them.

The Gens is conservative in many other aspects as well. The

family’s advocacy for and deference to the remaining Shogunate

Bureaucracy is legendary and has even approached what some

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

GENS A MILAR (AIR)

The most cosmopolitan and well-traveled of Lookshy’s

Dragon-Blooded are often those of the Gens Amilar. A young

house, barely four centuries old, Amilar is based on the bloodlines

of Vondy Beulen. The Gens is known for its artiﬁ cers, mechanics

and scholars, and it sends savants and thaumaturges far and wide

seeking out the mysteries of the First Age and remnants of Shogu-

nate production or ruins.

In these quests, the young Terrestrials have ample opportunity

to interact with learned beings from throughout Creation—even

the Realm, when their paths cross those of Immaculate monks or

Imperial Army ofﬁ cers. Unlike those of Gens Teresu, many members

of Gens Amilar are willing to discuss the beliefs and culture of those

they meet—not just their own. This gives them great ﬂ exibility and

skill in negotiations, but it can also leave them open to manipula-

tion and inﬂ uence by others.

ECONOMIC P OWER

Gens Amilar’s initial fortunes were based on the personal

holdings of Taimyo Vondy and on the bounties paid by the Seventh

Legion for recovery of First Age and Shogunate materials, although

primarchs of the Gens concentrated more on manuscripts and

documentation than on devices or vessels. Amilar derives most of

its current economic power from education and knowledge—in

addition to numbers of sorcerers, thaumaturges and artiﬁ cers of

various sorts the family has produced, the Gens controls nearly half

of the salons, dojos, salles and other private schools of Lookshy. It

also sponsors a variety of scavenger lords, taking a percentage of the

rewards for artifacts recovered. Amilar is economically the weakest

of the major Gentes, but it is rumored to have a substantial treasury

and war chest available should it fall upon hard times.

POLITICS

Gens Amilar is moderately Interventionist in outlook. Its scions

believe that careful intervention in particularly troublesome areas

can bring about a more stable, if not necessarily more peaceful, situ-

ation in the Scavenger Lands. Gens members are involved in many

of the salons that specialize in teaching metic children, and they are

not above inﬂ uencing the long-term development of local nations

through their teachings. This behavior is not quite encouraged by

the General Staff, but it is typically not condemned either.

As the Gens has grown older, it has grown increasingly inﬂ u-

enced by the Immaculate Order—although perhaps not in ways it

would like. Whether this is a conscious decision on the part of the

Mouth of Peace or simply a side effect of the increasing contact

between Immaculate Order monks and Amilar treasure-hunters is

unknown. Some of the youngest and most talented members of the

family are strident Purists. At their best, they seek to reconcile the

differences between Order and faith, unifying the two priesthoods

into a single Order stronger than either is separately. At worst,

they seek a more forceful solution to the problems they see in the

Scavenger Lands, such as the decadence and spirit-worship of Great

Forks, the ancestor cults of Sijan and the vile depravity of Nexus.

They look upon these evils with scorn and a fervent desire to cleanse

them—by word and deed if possible, by ﬁ re and sword if not.

Gens Amilar has connections throughout Creation but few

close allies or treasured alliances. There are those in the Immaculate

Order who will listen when Amilar speaks, but those channels are

slow and carefully treasured by those who hold them. There are also

some in House Mnemon who pay attention to what members of

Gens Amilar have to say, but they are mostly lower-ranking Dynasts.

ARMIGERS

Seventh Legion sorcerer-technicians are considered

precious resources, and their presence on the battleﬁ eld

is a necessary evil in the eyes of the General Staff. Every

sorcerer-technician lost in battle is one who could have been

in Lookshy producing or maintaining weapons or other ar-

tifacts. Worse, sorcerer-technicians often have information

that would be devastating if it fell into enemy hands.

For this reason, sorcerer-technicians, particularly

those venturing into particularly dangerous situations,

are often assigned armigers, or arms-bearers. These highly

trusted assistants are authorized to carry weapons in every

situation (even reporting to the General Staff) and serve

as bodyguards, aides-de-camp, companions—even, in some

cases, lovers, or so it is rumored.

At their most basic, armigers are thaumaturges highly

skilled in both mortal magics and combat, but many are much

odder. Free-willed elementals, uniquely bound demons,

automata and powerful God-Bloods all serve as armigers.

Some quietly suggest that some of the most powerful armigers

are actually gods, though that would be heresy.

The common understanding among citizens of

Lookshy is that armigers are more than just bodyguards.

Although they are carefully vetted and handsomely re-

warded for loyalty, sorcerer-technicians occasionally desert

or defect, and despite all attempts to protect them, some

are captured. It is rumored that armigers have a hidden

duty to prevent either such occurrence—by any means

necessary. The suggestion that an armiger might take the

life of its charge rather than let her desert or be captured

is one that is not discussed by the General Staff.

Lookshy characters with sorcerous training are not

required to take an armiger. Those who wish to do so can

easily use the Allies Background to represent them. A

typical armiger ranges from two to four dots in rating, but

the actual power of the ally is one dot lower. An armiger

is less physically powerful and inﬂ uential than a regular

ally with the same rating, but the fact that the armiger is

always standing by at the character’s right hand makes up

for the relative disparity.

born and are solid allies in the General Staff. Lespa has led the Third

Field Force for nearly a century and shows no intention to retire,

and her promotion to the title of matriarch of her Gens has done

nothing to change this. Her soldiers call her “the Battleaxe,” and

few ask whether this is because of her age, her looks or the way she

tends to leave bloody swaths of dismembered corpses in her wake

on the battleﬁ eld.

Maheka Yoti is the newest addition to the Home Guard, a

sorcerer-technician with a stout frame, a quick mind and seemingly

no compassion whatsoever. He has already garnered a reputation

as a harsh taskmaster, expecting perfection not only from him-

self but his troops as well. His armiger is a construct, a beautiful

working of moonsilver and black jade that duplicates the female

form in every way conceivable (or so the rumors say). Its power-

ful array of built-in weapons and its cunning wit are certainly no

rumor, though.

BLOOD OF THE D ISGRACED

Few family names have fallen into disrepute in the

history of the Seventh Legion. Some families have been

disgraced for a time, but although memories are long in

Lookshy, they do fade with time. Second chances must

be earned, but doing so is not impossible. Still, a handful

of families have earned such utter contempt that they

have been struck from the roles of the Seventh Legion,

including the following:

Gens Gherin: First among the fallen, it is unsure

if the Gherin bloodline is still strong enough to warrant

consideration. The Gherin relocated to a town not far

from what is now the Guild outpost of Centak and passed

from history. Eventually, even the Intelligence Director-

ate stopped paying attention to the family. If it is still an

ongoing concern, the Gherin family could be a thorn in

the side of the General Staff. Or it could be the General

Staff’s salvation. After all, if Fallaha Gherin’s claims of

descent from the last Shogun are correct, then the family

still carries the true Shogun’s bloodline.

Gens Marui: Pre-eminent weaponsmiths in

Lookshy’s second century, Gens Marui fell to corrup-

tion and infernalism and was eventually destroyed after

a prolonged campaign of terrorism and guerilla warfare

in the mountains outside Mishaka. It is believed that all

members of the family were destroyed, but it is certainly

possible that one or more might have been missed.

Gens Varil: The followers and descendants of the

Chumyo prior to the Gunzota Incident were scattered

during the quiet pogrom that followed the “accident.”

Although none of the few who yet live have any proof,

many of them believe the detonation of the weapon that

killed their Gens elder (and many others) was no accident.

Still, those who investigate too closely tend to come to a

poor end (and one that cannot be blamed on the rangers).

Therefore, while the Varil have suspicions, they have no

proof—and most have little incentive to investigate further,

lest they too end up victims of the Varil Curse.

to Exalt as Wood-aspected Dragon-Bloods than any of the other

types, which reﬂ ects strongly in the Gens makeup and history in

other ways. Gens Yushoto has been the most socially mobile of all

Gentes, gaining and losing the status of Great House more than 20

times since the formalization of the concept over ﬁ ve centuries ago.

As the Gens has risen and fallen in standing, so too has it shifted

in devotion to the Immaculate faith, alternating between steadfast

devotion and decadent apostasy. These cycles often, but not always,

coincide with the family’s economic and political power.

Yushoto’s scions have a reputation as lovers of most things decadent

or desirable—they are frequent guests in Centak, the Guild’s border

station and resort town across the river from Lookshy. While not all, or

even most, members of the Gens are sybaritic in outlook—and some of

the most devout followers of the Immaculate faith are still found in the

sub-families of Yushoto—the reputation is still well-deserved. Yushoto

parties are grand affairs of ﬁ ne food and ﬁ ne drink, and Yushoto staff

cooks are in great demand in the ﬁ eld forces for their ability to turn

all but the harshest of rations into palatable fare.

Another Gens trait is deception. (“Sly as a Yushoto ranger”

is a common appellation and epithet among Lookshy natives.)

Yushoto strategoi take the Lookshy tradition of using misdirection

and disinformation to a high art. Members of the Gens rarely lie,

but they are more than willing to omit, misdirect or allow their

enemies’ assumptions and impressions to trip them up and into the

Yushoto’s real plan. This habit has a tendency to ﬁ lter down into

their personal life, and those who know the Gens intimately are

careful to ask direct questions that require direct answers.

ECONOMIC P OWER

Yushoto is known for its sorcerers, producing (marginally) more

sorcerer-technicians than any other Gens. The Gens’ economic base

is not centered in any single industry or endeavor, as the elders of

the Gens have preferred to diversify their holdings in a wide variety

of interests. While this diversiﬁ cation has left them less able to seize

opportunities when they become available, it has also given them a

reasonably stable economic base from which to operate. If the Yushoto

have a specialty, it is in hospitality and vineyards. It is something of

a cliché that Yushoto soldiers open teahouses, restaurants, caravan-

saries or hostels on leaving Lookshy service, and Yushoto wines and

brandies are highly sought after even in the Realm.

POLITICS

Currently, Yushoto is a rising power among the Gentes,

although little given to devotion or piety. The Gens as a whole

has no notable overt political leanings or afﬁ liations, being more

inclined toward allowing each member her own say in things. A

notably large number of Yushotos have made their way through

the Academy of Sorcery in the last century. Their success and

rising inﬂ uence in the Academy, the armorers and the ﬁ eld forces

is starting to make itself known, giving the Gens notable pull in

these aspects of the Seventh Legion.

Gens Yushoto has few strong allies outside of Lookshy (or

within its walls, for that matter). Although many in House Cynis

see members of the Gens as somewhat staid and uptight, and many

in Yushoto see the Cynis as decadent perverts, there are sufﬁ cient

places where the two families overlap that they see some interaction.

The gods of Great Forks have a solid if distant relationship with Gens

Yushoto, on the whole, although some feel they are more interested

in matters of parties than piety or worship. The Gens also has few

enemies at present, outside of strictly commercial relationships,

and few of them are large enough or powerful enough to be worth

None of these connections reaches directly into Mnemon’s inner

circle—at least, not in any way that can be noticed.

NOTABLE S CIONS

Amilar Vondy is claimed by some to be the reincarnation of

the famous general that founded the line. The current patriarch of

the Gens, Vondy grows increasingly worried about the strident tone

that rises from the younger members of the family. He has always

encouraged contact with other cultures, including the Realm and

the Immaculate Order, but he is beginning to suspect that in making

his family more cosmopolitan and worldly, he might have opened

it up to ideas best left alone.

GENS Y USHOTO (WOOD)

Gens Yushoto is built in large part around the bloodlines of

Yushoto Baraka, the Seventh Legion’s chief sorcerer-engineer during

the Contagion. Yushoto himself was an Air Aspect, but most of

his children were Wood-aspected, and that inﬂ uence still strongly

manifests in his descendents. Members of the Gens are twice as likely

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

mentioning. The Gens is happy to sell its products to whomever

can meet its prices, and it only rarely enters into exclusive contracts

(and then for no more than a decade at a time).

NOTABLE S CIONS

Yushoto Terisa: Matriarch of Gens Yushoto, Terisa is nearly as

old as the Matriarch of Gens Maheka. Unlike that grizzled veteran,

she shows every year of it. Born into a decadent family, her early life

was a whirlwind of parties and excess, and she pays for it now with

a body wracked with inﬁ rmity. Her mind is still reasonably sharp,

however, and she is a valued member of the General Staff—if one

that needs to be shepherded a bit on occasion.

Yushoto Marana is the commanding ofﬁ cer of the Second

Field Force. A competent battleﬁ eld commander, she has a better

grasp of low-technology warfare than most of her counterparts do.

She makes excellent use of her “steel and wood” forces but lacks

somewhat in her deployment of more advanced units. As a result,

she has slowly found herself stripped of all but the bare essentials, in

terms of special units, something she ﬁ nds moderately annoying.

Yushoto Bright Morning: It seems unlikely that Bright Morn-

ing was birth-named for his favorite drug, despite his infrequent

assertions that this is so. Bright Morning affects the persona of a

languid wastrel, one well suited to his role as a sorcerer-technician

in the Fourth Field Force. His green hair is longer than regulation,

his manner droll and uninterested, and the less said about his mili-

tary demeanor the better. Little escapes his eyes, though, cunning

even through their drug-haze, and if his appearance is effete, his

skills with sorcery and his reaper daiklave Mourning’s Edge is little

questioned by those who witness their fury.

THE M INOR G ENTES

Although smaller, less wealthy, less inﬂ uential and less re-

spected than the major Gentes, the minor houses are still forces to

be reckoned with in Lookshy society and the Seventh Legion. Each

of the minor Gentes still has a dozen or more Terrestrial members,

hundreds of mortal members, several strong bloodlines and, in

some cases, wealth to rival that of some of the smaller Hundred

Kingdoms. There are over a dozen recognized minor Gentes and

another dozen that stand on the verge of being recognized as such.

Because of their smaller size, their political leanings are often more

starkly evident those of the major Gentes. With fewer members, the

loudest or most persuasive ones stand out all the more.

THE F OREST W ITCHES

On the outskirts of the Great Eastern Forest, where Haltan

redwoods give way to Linowan maples, there is a forest that is

neither. The strange trees have ivory or pale yellow bark and broad

ﬂ eshy leaves that are a dark green that is almost black for most of

the year. In autumn, these leaves turn the rusty red of dried blood

but do not fall. The branches of these odd trees, neither deciduous

nor coniferous, are festooned with strange lianas that have the

consistency of ﬂ esh and ooze a thick dark red sap when cut. The

woods are frequently ﬁ lled with a silvery fog that moves against

the wind and occasionally whispers to those who wander into it of

their innermost secret desires. Neither the Linowan nor the Haltans

willingly travel in this forest, nor do they visit the strange lake at its

center, whose obsidian waters sometimes hold ﬂ eeting glimpses of a

great city or heroic deeds being performed. These are the woods of

the Forest Witches, and outsiders are not welcome in them.

Although the modern history of the Forest Witches dates

back some four centuries, it has its foundations in far earlier days.

Three mysteries—which may in fact be three aspects of the same

mystery—comprise the lands the Forest Witches call home.

THE F OREST

Oreithyia was the favored servant of an Anathema in the

days before the Usurpation. She failed her mistress in a trivial

fashion and was punished for it by having her every bone and

sinew used as parts of a landscape composition, while she yet lived.

Something beheld that work of art and captured in itself Oreithyia’s

personality and memory. The Forest Witches know that this thing

cannot actually be Oreithyia, as it has powers far beyond those of

any ghost. Still, if it is not Oreithyia, it is close enough, and the

forest walker responds only to that name. After a nearly disastrous

beginning, the Forest Witches have entered into an arrangement

with Oreithyia. They provide her with beautiful “servants,” and

she gifts the Forest Witches with her bounty—and does not drive

them bleeding from her forest.

Oreithyia’s power over the forest is all but complete—only the

ﬁ ve small demesnes that reside in its borders resist her. In all other

places, there is little she cannot do. Her ﬂ eshy creepers and runners

can perform any task hands and arms can, and she is skilled in all

crafts. Her bowers and trees sculpt themselves to create the temples

and palaces in which the Forest Witches reside and build defenses

and obstacles when necessary. All of the beasts of the forest obey

her command, and if the spirits and elementals have an objection

to this, they keep silent about it. They know what happens to those

who displease Oreithyia.

THE M IST

Lady Domnica carved away all that she was, in an effort to be-

come “the mist”—i.e., the potential for others to become something

else. How this was arranged and what powered it is unknown and

perhaps unexplainable. What is known is that the mist has power

and can grant it unto those who willingly accept it. The mist offers

her bargain to each outcaste who enters the Forest, usually on his

ﬁ rst night. “Join with me,” Domnica offers. “Become part of the mist.

Change your nature and shape your own destiny.” Four outcastes

accepted this bargain, trading treasures and their humanity for

change and power. Two later failed and were replaced.

The numina of the mist (as those who accept the offer are called)

have great powers, being somewhere between Terrestrial and god.

They are worshiped after a fashion, for the Forest Witches are a prag-

matic sort, granting them power. They retain their Dragon-Blooded

heritage after a fashion, for while they retain their Charms, they no

longer have a particular aspect and pay out-of-aspect surcharges for

all of their Charms. They may change their form, although their

countenance is always related to their aspect, and they are granted

certain powers, equal to that of a strong Charm or a weak sorcery

of the Terrestrial Circle, related to their chosen form.

THE S EA OF M IND

Once no more than a pond, the Sea of Mind is now a small lake,

deep and dark, with oddly viscous and glistening water that resembles

liquid obsidian. It has expanded over the centuries, as more potent

artifacts have been fed into it. Those who bathe in the forest pool

ﬁ nd themselves attuned to the Sea of Mind. When they raise their

eyes from the pool’s waters, they ﬁ nd not a pool, but a hill, upon

which stands the glorious city Atsiluth Eternal. This attunement

is permanent, unless the council of the city removes it.

Attunement to the Sea of Mind brings new glory and beauty to

Creation, but it is an austere and stark beauty. Nothing petty exists in

its version of Creation. Things are ugly because it is more striking that

they be so, rather than simply because they are. Minor distractions

simply do not exist. There are bonﬁ res, but the sun does not beat down

so ﬁ ercely. Colors are vivid and ever-present, and every word and

gesture takes on new meaning and impact. Life in the Sea of Mind is a

perfect reﬂ ection of Creation, with its blemishes and frailties removed.

It is also eternal. When their physical forms die in Creation, those

attuned to the Sea continue to exist in it, although as what—echo,

spirit or dream of a sleeping god—even they are not sure.

The Sea of Mind’s powers within its reﬂ ective Creation are

near limitless, and it grants some aspect of those powers to anyone

who partakes in its illusions—but those powers end within its

“borders.” The actions of those in the Sea of Mind have impact

on Creation, but no more than they would otherwise have—and

this dichotomy can cause divergence between what is and what the

attuned perceive to be. Attuned members have emerged from the

Sea of Mind to ﬁ nd they have lost friends, body parts—even their

lives. In one extreme case, a Forest Witch was cast from the Sea

of Mind for some minor infraction to ﬁ nd that she had never been

born at all, her mother having died in childbirth.

The Sea’s powers come at a cost, and that cost is artifacts

and other sources potent in Essence. Maintaining the reﬂ ection

of Creation is taxing on it, and the larger the number of people

attuned to it is, the greater the cost becomes. The banditry of the

Forest Witches is therefore dedicated ﬁ rst and foremost to acquiring

artifacts and other magically potent materials or the monies with

which to purchase the same. These goods are then dumped into

the Sea of Mind to power it.

ATSILUTH E TERNAL

Atsiluth Eternal is the city on the hill, the perfect

city in the reﬂ ection of the Sea of Mind. Atsiluth Eternal

has landmarks, but no maps. Outside of a few commonly

known and observed locations, the city seems to contain

an ever-shifting grid of streets and places that accommo-

dates every need or desire of the Terrestrials who visit.

It is the domain of the dead of the Forest Witches, and

their power there is near absolute—in stark contrast to

their power in Creation.

Everything a visitor can possibly need is available in

Atsiluth Eternal. There are shops that sell wonders lost

to the Second Age, armies of servants—or soldiers—to

be recruited or hired, lovers, concubines, slaves and foes

aplenty. What reality these individuals have when they are

not in the presence of one of the dead or a visiting Forest

Witch is difﬁ cult to say. Many believe they have little if

any fundamental being and are little more than dream-

constructs created by the Sea of Mind only as necessary.

This does little to discomﬁ t most of the Forest Witches.

THE L IVING

About 60 years after the formation of the Realm, a group of

religious dissidents—or unwitting dupes of the Fair Folk, depending

on one’s point of view—left the Blessed Isle, led by Cevis Ghandarva,

a charismatic cult leader. This cult of self-perfectionists evolved

into the Forest Witches over the course of several centuries. Cur-

rently, the Forest Witches number 87. Although many of them are

all but apolitical, the Witches have ﬁ ve groups or organizations

within their ranks:

• The Company of Thrones: The members of the Company

of Thrones seek the overthrow of the Realm, basing their philoso-

phy on the Blood and Spear Sutras, proposals laid forth by Cevis

Ghandarva. Using the power of an artifact he owns, they inﬁ ltrate

and subvert societies in the local area, seeking to procure treasures

and inﬂ uence and to undermine the local governments. Currently,

its membership stands at an even dozen.

• The Company of Messengers: Followers of Vitali Proseria,

these Witches wish to strengthen and empower the Sea of Mind

until it is self-sustaining and capable of embracing an endless

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

number of minds in its depths, eventually bringing perfection to

all—or, at least, to all who matter. Roughly 20 members strong,

it too holds that empire is the eventual path of the Witches. Its

members also proselytize the power and glory of the Sea of Mind,

and securing further resources and preachers in its glory takes most

of their energy.

• The Table of Fiends: Four members in strength, the Table

of Fiends disagrees that the Sea of Mind should be open to all.

These elitists feel that only those who have proven themselves

worthy—who have walked the furthest paths in search of excellence

and decadence—should be allowed to partake in the perfection and

eternity the Sea of Mind promises. This philosophy is at odds with

that of many of the other Witches, and only the truly talented—or

truly depraved—are counted in its membership.

• The Mandala Guard: Nine members strong by decree, the

mandate of the Guard is to watch over the Forest’s ﬁ ve manses and

to protect the woods from outside interference.

• The Cult of the Mist: The numina of the mist have their

worshipers among the Dragon-Blooded as well as among the mortal

members of the Forest Witches. Each takes one of the numina as

her personal patron and studies its aspects, seeking to understand

their original intentions and how they might have failed—prepar-

ing themselves for when they too might seek out the mist and the

changes it brings. Eight Terrestrials currently number themselves

amongst the cult.

THE B LOOD S UTRA AND THE S PEAR S UTRA

These two teachings are the foundations of the Forest

Witch belief systems—as Cevis Ghandarva sees it, anyway.

The Blood Sutra states that to be worthy of rulership, a

Forest Witch must be willing to sacriﬁ ce what she is, to

make way for what she can become. This sutra is embraced

by the Cult of the Mist, naturally, but is important to the

Company of Thrones as well.

The Spear Sutra states that to rule by conquest is

not rulership—those ruled must lack either the will or

the ability to oppose the Witches. They must either fear

the Forest Witches so utterly as to be without fortitude,

or they must see the Witches as worthy of their status

as rulers. Only in this way can the Forest Witches rule

“without name”—without the trappings and hazards that

are concurrent with “false rulership.”

To an objective outsider, of course, these sutras have

aspects of both truth and madness about them. The Blood

Sutra rightly proclaims the Realm society as calciﬁ ed

and stagnant—though it is not so hidebound as Cevis

claims—but it fails to recognize that that stagnation was

deliberate and was maintained only with great effort.

The Spear Sutra states obvious facts of rulership—fear or

the acknowledgement of the ruled is necessary to ruler-

ship—but fails to acknowledge that, as long as fear persists,

there will be hate, and hate can overwhelm fear, bringing

revolution to even the most terriﬁ ed populace. Still, the

sutras are powerful guides to the Forest Witches, driven in

part by the powerful personality of Cevis Ghandarva.

WHAT THE H ELL IS A LL T HIS?

The Forest Witches are caught up in the remnants of dramas and magics that are far beyond their ability to comprehend

or inﬂ uence. They have gained a sort of rapprochement with the ghost of Oreithyia—or that which wears her bones—and are

tangential to whatever arcane purpose Domnica might have, as she is able to use only those who willingly submit themselves

to her gifts. As for the Sea of Mind, even the Solars at the height of their power had little concept of what precisely it was,

but they were wise enough to give it wide berth.

What exactly the Forest, the Sea and the mist want is unknown—possibly even to themselves. They are shadows of times

long past, echoes of the wonder and horror of the First Age. To the extent that they still have volition and reason, they have

desires and wants, but those wants can be base and primal or esoteric.

If their desires are ciphers, their nature is enigmatic and unknowable. The savants of the First Age studied the Forest and

came away confused and little enlightened as to its nature. In the Second Age, the outcastes who are now the Forest Witches

have explored the limits of the Forest’s powers but are little enlightened as to its history prior to the death of Oreithyia and

the remaking of Domnica. It is perhaps a thing of the Primordials, perhaps some relic of the making of Creation, a sleeping

unshaped Fair Folk that has lost itself in dreaming or something else entirely. In the end, its nature is perhaps not so important

as its power. Storytellers are encouraged to decide for themselves exactly what the Forest is and what its ultimate purpose

might be—if it has any at all.

THE D EAD

When Forest Witches die, their aspects and countenances

leave Creation—but they are not precisely dead. Some aspect

remains in the Sea of Mind, which retains volition and reason, if

not the ability to make an impact upon Creation without the aid

of artifacts known as walking stones. The dead are over 200 in

number now, spending most of their days in the perfection that

is Atsiluth Eternal. Most rarely wander outside its immediate

environs, understanding that, while their actions have no effect

in the real Creation, they can place strain on the Sea of Mind,

reducing its available power. Since the Sea is life to the dead,

they strive endlessly to increase its power. Their support for the

Messengers is absolute.

The dead’s only power against the living is the threat of exile

from the Sea of Mind, and it is one they wield ruthlessly in the

pursuit of their goals. They are aware that they have little cor-

poreal power left, so they use the threat of removal from the Sea

of Mind—something no Forest Witch relishes—to enforce their

dictates upon the living. The most important of these decrees is

a yearly tithe—equal in value to Resources 5, usually in the form

of some minor artifacts or other sources of Essence, to maintain

and expand the Sea of Mind.

CHARACTER G ENERATION

Outside the Sea of Mind, Forest Witches make use

of the normal rules for generating outcaste characters,

save that they have access to the same Artifact and Ar-

senal Backgrounds used by Realm and Seventh Legion

characters, as the Forest Witches have signiﬁ cant stores

of artifacts plundered over the years and keep the best for

themselves. They may also purchase the Cult Background,

but only to the two-dot level. The mortal population of

the Forest is not large enough to support higher rankings.

Unfortunately, their access to manses is limited. The

cost of each dot in Manse is doubled, the Background

cannot be purchased above the three-dot level without

Storyteller approval, and all Witches with a manse are

either members of the Mandala Guard or have acquired

a manse outside the boundaries of the Forest.

Inside the Sea of Mind, characters may be assumed to

have whatever mortal resources might be required of them,

and values for most Backgrounds are doubled. The Sea of

Mind is a place for grand armies, unforgettable relics of great

puissance, throngs of worshipers and legions of servants.

This can lead to dissonance between the Creation-that-is

and the Creation-that-is-created, as a character’s Grand

Daiklave of Conquest could in fact be a simple greatsword,

or his fearsome legion a mere talon. The Sea takes steps to

ameliorate this dissonance, but it can still be problematic.

Characters inside the Sea can also spend Virtue points to

achieve great deeds. A point of Compassion could be spent

to bring someone back from the dead, for example. These

actions have no effect in Creation, though.

IMPORTANT F OREST W ITCHES

Cevis Ghandarva: Ghandarva is the leader of the living Forest

Witches—insofar as they can be said to have a leader. He owns an

artifact that allows him to choose the time and place of his death and

rebirth known as Domnica’s Mantle and he has used it several times

over the centuries, as have several of his followers in the Company of

Thrones. He desires nothing less than the downfall of the Realm and

works ceaselessly toward that end, but he is very patient. Ghandarva’s

most recent mother was Great Forks’ Spinner of Glorious Tales.

Vitali Proseria: As Ghandarva is leader of the living, Proseria

is leader of the dead—those Forest Witches whose mortal bodies

have perished, leaving only their immortal existences in the Sea

of Mind. Her singular purpose is to expand the Sea of Mind into a

self-sustaining reality that continues to obey the dead. The dream

of Atsiluth Eternal is a paradise that the dead control and shape as

they wish, and she wishes it to truly be eternal. Proseria is ruthless

and single-minded in the pursuit of this goal but she realizes that

she must work with the living to do so. While the dead do possess

artifacts with which to interact with Creation outside the Sea of

Mind, those artifacts are limited in scope and number.

THE S OUTH

The inﬂ uence of the Immaculate Order on many of the cultures

of the South is a blessing for the Dragon-Blooded who take their

Second Breath there. Even among “barbarian” tribes such as the

Delzahn, Dragon-Blooded are afforded a level of respect and defer-

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

ence that is not often found in other parts of Creation. While they

aren’t worshiped or accorded the status due Princes of the Earth

in the Realm, Dragon-Blooded can count on safe harbor and fair

dealings in much of the South.

Terrestrials in the South often make their livings as mercenary

captains and champions, savants and sorcerers, merchants and pros-

pectors. Mercenaries are always in demand in the South, to protect the

massive caravans of ﬁ redust, yasal crystals and other, more mundane

cargoes that travel its roads. Champions are hired by the wealthy to

act as surrogates in duels, to put paid to those who offend them and

to protect their persons when they travel. Savants are popular in most

of the cities of the South, as rulers try to unlock the secrets hidden

in ancient libraries scattered throughout the scorching deserts, and

sorcerers are always needed to propitiate unruly gods, to summon

and banish demons and to forge artifact weapons. Merchants can

make quick and large fortunes trading in yasal crystals, ﬁ redust or

jade, and prospectors can make smaller fortunes selling these goods

to the merchants. Prospecting is a common enough occupation that

many Terrestrials who can survive the desert’s dangers and swing a

sword reliably well spend some time harvesting the mineral wealth

of the South if they have no other current employment.

The Tri-Khan of Chiaroscuro has decreed that all Terrestrials

who Exalt in the glass city are under his personal protection and

that an attack on any native Dragon-Blood is the same as an at-

tack on any member of his extended family. Terrestrial Exalts from

elsewhere in Creation are not afforded this level of protection but

are treated as honored guests in the eyes of the law. It is simple for

Dragon-Bloods to ﬁ nd work as mercenaries, craftsmen or bodyguards,

and treasure-hunters, ghost-killers and savants sifting through the

remnants of Chiaroscuro’s once-great libraries are all respected. The

Delzahn—those who occupy the city and its surroundings, or those

found in the deserts outside Chiaroscuro’s holdings—accord much

respect to Dragon-Blooded. The Tri-Khan and his nobles surround

themselves with gifted Terrestrials, particularly those skilled in armed

combat, but any outcaste whose mastery of a subject meets with his

approval may be invited to attend court functions. Given the open

nature of the Delzahn nobility, liaisons and marriages with foreign

outcastes are inevitable and little remarked upon. They have as yet

had little impact on the overall number of Dragon-Blooded born in

the city, though, or in the “True” Delzahn Horde (those Delzahn

who have not settled in Chiaroscuro).

Paragon has a population of nearly 100 Dragon-Blooded, most

of them outcastes who have come to the city of the Perfect seeking

protection from some past misdeed, shelter from the intrigues that

surround the powerful in other cities or some other danger or an-

noyance. As with every citizen, the Terrestrials have undergone the

ritual of subservience to the Perfect and are loyal only to him. The

Perfect is aware that Exaltation burns out the oaths that bind his

citizenry to him, so he has decreed that all who take their Second

Breath within the city must be brought before him to renew their

oaths lest they face banishment. Surprisingly few accept banish-

ment, as the status and wealth afforded to outcastes is great and the

opportunities available as agents of the Perfect substantial.

Dragon-Blooded are considered a necessity in Gem, but an an-

noying one rather than a welcome one. A single Terrestrial Exalt can

draw the same wages as 10 skilled craftsmen, and even if the Terrestrial

is worth it, this still grates on the leaders of the ruling houses. Still,

the outcastes are tolerated, if only because the city needs a constant

stream of Dragon-Blooded sorcerers to engage in the treachery that

surrounds politics in Gem. Mortal thaumaturgy cannot stand up to

even the casual magics of the Exalted or the gods, so Terrestrials are

needed to set wards and provide other protections against spies and

assassins. They are also needed to break those protections and make

off with important intelligence or to end the lives of particularly hated

foes. These jobs rarely last long, and they carry substantial dangers.

The rewards of such work are great, though, and the merchants of

Gem rarely lack for employees when they need them.

Extraordinarily skilled outcaste craftsmen are occasionally

brought in to work with the city’s most precious jewels, creating

new settings or other works of art, and outcaste mercenaries charge

premium rates for their services escorting those treasures to their

ﬁ nal destinations. A different sort of artisan is also in demand.

The dreams of the Dragon-Blooded are highly sought after, and

outcastes willing to allow others to experience the passion and

power of the Terrestrials—if only for a time—are highly rewarded

for their dreams and experiences. The trafﬁ c is heavily proscribed

by the Immaculate Order and highly illegal, but this does little in

practical terms to stem the trafﬁ c.

The Varangian astrologer-priests dictate that even Exaltation

does nothing to change one’s destiny, and that nothing, not even

the hand of the Elemental Dragons, can change a person’s caste

and rank. This stricture does not endear Terrestrials locked into

a low class and caste to the entire situation and has created rifts

between the Varangian orthodoxy and the Immaculate Order in

the city-states, as this obviously ﬂ ies in the face of much of the

Order’s teachings. Many in the lower classes who take their Second

Breath in Varang soon ﬁ nd themselves leaving the city, to serve in

Chiaroscuro, Paragon, the Realm or even further points in Creation.

Of those who do remain, the most notable and respected are those

who have the potential and birth-forecast to be craftsmen, work-

ing on the complex clockworks and orreries for which the Varang

City-States are famous.

Although Harborhead’s relatively large population would sug-

gest substantial numbers of Terrestrial exaltations, the nation has

few Dragon-Blooded natives. When the Scarlet Empress’s legions

conquered the lands that became Harborhead, one of her ﬁ rst actions

was to largely strip the families of the Five Peoples of their Terrestrial

lineage, spreading all those whose bloodlines could be conﬁ rmed

throughout the Great Houses and the patrician houses. Some minor

bloodlines have resurfaced in the centuries since, however—suf-

ﬁ cient that recruitment of Terrestrials into the brides of Ahlat was

a consistent heretical thorn in the Immaculate Order’s side.

THE L EGION OF S ALOY H IN

Two Realm legions—or signiﬁ cant elements of them—failed to

honor the recall notice issued when the Great Houses attempted to

consolidate their control over the Imperial Army. One of them was

the Seventeenth, under the command of Saloy Hin. Rumors in the

Realm suggest that he and his legion have taken up position in the

Southwest of Creation, seeking out lost manses and stockpiling weapons

and ﬁ redust while taking on military assignments as mercenaries.

Those rumors are more than just speculation. The All-Seeing

Eye and the intelligence apparatuses of the various Great Houses

know the truth. The Seventeenth Legion, under Saloy Hin, defected

from the Realm mere hours ahead of the recall order that would have

stripped him of his command. Since then, he has been amassing a

military force that will quickly be unrivaled in the South.

THE S EVENTEENTH L EGION

Few Realm units have as honored—or as brutal—a history as

the Seventeenth. Stationed in the south of the Blessed Isle, ele-

ments of the Seventeenth have been involved in quelling more

than one bloody uprising in the Realm and are well known in the

South for their fair negotiating, rigid discipline and utter ferocity

against the enemies of the Realm. Under the command of Saloy

Hin, they have added a reputation for daring tactics, as he wields

his medium infantry like skirmishers, and his heavy infantry like

scalpels. Unlike many Realm generals, he treats even his skirmish-

ers and archers with respect, paying for extra wages, weapons and

armor for them out of his own pocket. His legion followed the

normal order of battle for Realm legions on paper, but in reality,

his skirmishers were armed with slings, his slingers with shortbows

and his archers with composite bows.

Additionally, General Saloy was careful to stockpile weapons

and armor captured during his operations. He reported and turned

in not quite as much as he seized, allowing his political ofﬁ cers

and keepers to know about only a portion of what he didn’t turn

in. In this way, he was able to quietly swell his coffers—and his

arsenal—beyond that which was allotted or expected. When he

abandoned the Realm, he managed to transfer most of his armory’s

holdings and unit treasury to the transports he stole to move his

forces, leaving behind only the worst scraps.

As a result, his Terrestrial ofﬁ cers—and the outcastes he has

recruited since landing in the South—are well-armed with daiklaves,

powerbows and artifact armor, even for a Realm legion. He has

small stockpiles of other weapons as well, including a handful of

warstriders, but he keeps these weapons in reserve, breaking them

THE S TEEL T OWER

The Steel Tower is a level-2 Earth-aspected fortress-

manse located on what was once an important strategic

conﬂ uence of dragon lines—the demesne upon which

it sits is rated at ﬁ ve dots. Its hearthstone is a stone

of the earthweb. The excess Essence provided by the

demesne was used to power various defensive systems

that might still be operational, though no one has dared

to test them. All but ﬁ ve stories of the manse, which

once stood 50 stories tall, are buried beneath endless

tons of sand that has blown and drifted around it over

the centuries since it was abandoned. This naturally

renders any operational testing of the manse’s defenses

and weapons problematic.

The interior of the manse is sealed against the

drifted sands, but it has been only partially explored.

The lift tunnels that provided easy access between the

levels have long since been rendered non-functional,

and Saloy has been unable to recruit a sorcerer-architect

capable of repairing them. Nonetheless, Saloy’s men have

uncovered many treasures in their explorations already,

including several that will only be movable when the

tower has been unearthed.

General Saloy has only just begun recruiting

the engineers and workers that would be necessary to

complete this herculean task. He lacks the sorcerers to

properly manage a task group of demons, and he does

not wish to move the massive number of slaves and

overseers necessary to the task into close proximity of

his headquarters. So, for now, progress on digging the

manse out of the sands proceeds slowly.

SALOY H IN

Hin graduated from Pasiap’s Stair over a century and a half

ago and rose through the ranks further than anyone thought pos-

sible, taking over command of the Seventeenth two decades ago.

A Fire-aspected Dragon-Blood, he is known for his ﬁ erce devotion

to his troops and his insistence on ﬁ erce discipline from them. Off

the battleﬁ eld, outside barracks or duty periods, he doesn’t care

what they do, as long as they don’t bring disgrace to the unit.

When muster comes, though, his troops are held to the highest

standards of any in the Realm. They match those of any other

units in Creation, but this discipline is bought at a fearsome cost.

While fair in his judgments, he is ruthless in his punishments, and

few second chances are granted by his ofﬁ cers.

out of storage only in extreme circumstances or to keep their wield-

ers skilled in their use. He has sufﬁ cient thaumaturges and savants

on his staff to keep his troops equipped with a minimal level of

alchemical and talismanic aid, but most of them are detached on

special missions in the deserts currently.

The forces of the Seventeenth Legion have swelled drastically in

the ﬁ ve years since the legion left the Realm, buying out mercenary

contracts and recruiting soldiers—particularly outcastes—wherever

they have traveled. They have also made alliances with several

barbarian tribes in the Southwest, seeking out those with advanced

knowledge of the fringes of the central deserts. Although Saloy

Hin has made his base of operations the Steel Tower, much of the

legion is currently based in Valen. A small city-state located off the

main trade route between Gem and Chiaroscuro, on the edges of

the deserts frequented by the Dune People, Valen is about a week’s

journey on foot from the Steel Tower. Valen has suddenly become

one of the safest—if rowdiest—cities in Creation, as its population

has nearly tripled in size with the coming of the Seventeenth and

the mercenaries it has hired.

This population explosion would typically be a recipe for

disaster, not just in terms of crime and poor relations with the local

populace, but in terms of needed rations far outstripping the local

food supply. But Hin has prepared for that eventuality, using his

considerable wealth to bring in supplies, construction materials

and large numbers of prostitutes to keep his forces happy. His en-

gineers are also hard at work expanding the city’s water-retention

basins, improving its sewer systems and roads (sometimes at the

same time) and generally bringing all the advantages of Realm

construction and engineering to the former backwater. He uses

whatever troops are on hand as construction personnel—partly

to keep them too busy to get into serious trouble, and partly to

keep the construction costs down by avoiding the use of large

numbers of slaves.

As its work continues, the legion’s efforts are having not-un-

expected side-effects. Legion patrols drive off Dune People raiding

parties, and their presence provides improved infrastructure and

law and order. As a result, the city has once again become popular

with canny traders who seek a trade route that is much less laden

with transit fees, duties on goods, and graft and corruption than

they would ﬁ nd in towns and cities along the main trade route. The

increased trade further fuels Valen’s burgeoning economy.

The rulers of Valen, however, worry that this prosperity is

transitory. They worry that Valen will expand explosively, only to

face economic catastrophe when the Seventeenth leaves, which

it inevitably must. General Saloy has reassured them that he has

no plans to abandon the city, but they are not so sure. They have

heard similar assurances before.

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

OUTCASTES AND THE S EVENTEENTH

The Seventeenth Legion aggressively recruits

Dragon-Bloods of all stripes and kinds. Be they mer-

cenaries, merchants, savants or sorcerers, if they have

even an ounce of martial talent, they can ﬁ nd a home

in the Seventeenth.

Once enlisted, outcastes ﬁ nd themselves treated

largely as one of the guys, which has both beneﬁ ts and

disadvantages. The Dragon-Blooded ofﬁ cers of the

Seventeenth are largely graduates of Pasiap’s Stair or

were selected for their broad-minded opinions of the

Threshold. (Those who weren’t mostly disappeared on

the ocean journey to the South.) This gives them a more

tolerant and expansive opinion of outcastes in general,

and non-Dynast characters can expect to get fair treat-

ment by their compatriots as long as they prove they can

carry their own weight. On the down side, characters are

given little time to adapt to the legion’s strict discipline.

Although their fellow ofﬁ cers try to head off problems

before they happen, they can do little to protect their

compatriots from whatever consequences might befall

them. While General Saloy is an understanding fellow,

he is unlikely to treat new arrivals much differently than

he would experienced hands.

Still, life in the Seventeenth is good for the moment.

There are plenty of artifact weapons to be had (the Arsenal

Background is available to characters in the Seventeenth).

The pay is good and the opportunities for training are

excellent. Whatever else General Saloy has planned, his

current operations include plenty of missions into which a

Terrestrial looking for adventure can sink his teeth, such as

tomb-raiding, exploration, mercenary jobs, diplomacy (of

the aggressive and conventional varieties), trade missions

and research into ancient secrets. There’s something for

nearly any Dragon-Blood to get involved in.

In the last 10 years—since his discovery of a sheaf of ancient

notes rumored to be the writings of one of the Seven Tigers—he

has grown increasingly interested in destiny, astrology and the stars

in general. Some say that something he found in those writings has

twisted his mind, leading him further and further into obsessions best

left alone. Others suggest that he is merely distracted by the stress

of commanding a renegade legion on a dangerous quest. Regard-

less, he has spent a considerable fortune to hire several Varangian

astrologer-priests and to import various pieces of astrological equip-

ment—timepieces, orreries and other more obscure devices—to the

Seventeenth’s permanent campsite. He also spends considerable

amounts of his spare time with them.

THE W EST

If the waters of the West hold terrible dangers, they also carry

in their depths inﬁ nite opportunities for adventure and fame. The

demand for the unique powers of the Dragon-Blooded is as great

as the hazards faced by the communities that make their home in

the depths of the endless Western Ocean. The Wyld is never far

in the West, and if Terrestrials are less resistant to its allures and

less adept at taming its endless chaos than Celestial Exalts, they

The waters of the West hold no large colonies or organizations

of Dragon-Blooded like those that exist in the North or the East.

There are few large cities in which a Terrestrial can grow into his

power either. Most of the cultures of the West are glad to have any

Dragon-Blooded presence, however, and few would turn their backs

upon a newly Exalted member of their family. The only notable ex-

ception is the Skullstone Archipelago. The Bodhisattva Anointed by

Dark Water has no love whatsoever for the Chosen of the Dragons,

and he only barely tolerates their presence in the Archipelago. No

outcaste—or Dynast for that matter—may pass through the Bone

Gate into the city of Onyx, on pain of torments only the dead can

imagine. The pirates in service to the Silver Prince are known for

their ferocity, but they reserve special tortures for the Terrestrials

they capture. Freebooter captains working for the Bodhisattva may

take no Dragon-Blooded on as crew and are paid handsome bounties

for each Dragon-Blooded head they take—and even more handsome

rewards for those captured alive. Wise Terrestrials give the Skullstone

Archipelago a wide berth and make what negotiations and treaties

they must make with the Bodhisattva on neutral territory—and

surrounded by well-armed and warded guards.

Few ambitious outcastes take up the offer of impressive rewards

offered by the Sea Lord of the Coral Archipelago, as the same regula-

tions that prevent foreigners from achieving high rank also apply to

Terrestrials. Dragon-Blooded captains are nearly always offered letters

of marque, however. Native Dragon-Bloods are encouraged—quite

strongly in the case of the Air and Water Aspects—to take to the

seas, as pirates or as naval ofﬁ cers—or even as one of the rare mer-

chants operating out of the Coral Archipelago’s ports.

The Wavecrest Archipelago reveres its few Terrestri-

als—Air- and Water-aspected Dragon-Blooded particularly, but

any Terrestrial who takes to the seas or crafts artifacts that sailors

can use is a blessing in the eyes of Wavecrest. While the natives of

the Archipelago have little to offer save their devotion and their

thanks, those are given willingly to those outcastes who choose to

make their home on the isles of Wavecrest.

Half a dozen Terrestrials make their home on the ﬂ oating city

of the Denzik, including two trained in sorcery. These Dragon-

Bloods are something more than mercenaries but something less

than full members of the Denzik Merchant Association. As with

many outcastes, their status deﬁ es exact description. Their counsel

is heard by the city’s leadership, but they are permitted no vote.

They inspect valuable cargoes for hidden defect or forgery but are

not allowed to negotiate trade agreements or carry cargoes of their

own. Instead, they have to work through a factor designated as “the

Dragon’s Favored.” They plan and assist in the defense of the city

but directly command only a small handful of troops and some Tya

(who also serve as their aides, servants and concubines). Although

they are kept carefully isolated from the day-to-day operations of

the city-ships, they are well compensated for their efforts and are

considered valuable assets of the Association.

WHAT S ALOY H IN IS S EEKING

Saloy Hin claims to be looking for lost manses,

tombs and other resources he can secure to aid in a pos-

sible invasion of the Realm. This is not a lie, exactly,

just not the entire truth. What he truly seeks is as far

beyond some Anathema’s tomb and its treasures as the

treasuries of House Ragara are beyond a simple collec-

tion of jade bits.

Saloy Hin has in his possession records from one of

the Seven Tigers, manuscripts written on imperishable

parchment that survived the Empress’s attacks on the

Tigers’ encampments. In these manuscripts, the author

records that scouts from one of her farthest detachments

had located the lost city of Agat, in largely undamaged

condition but hundreds of miles from where it should

have been. The records were vague enough that Hin

believes that the author did not entirely trust her com-

patriots, but they were detailed enough that Hin has a

general idea where the city is located. His ﬁ eld teams

have been instructed to keep detailed notes of anything

they discover out of the ordinary and to report back to

him using Wind-Carried Words Technique or other

methods. He knows that the city is distinctive enough

(the records include descriptions and a detailed set of

sketches) that he will recognize it even from the most

fragmented of reports.

Although Saloy is incorrect in some of his as-

sumptions—most of the city dates to the early days

of the Shogunate, rather than the High First Age, for

instance—these errors are largely irrelevant in the

grand scheme of things. The lost city is out there, and

the information he needs to discover its location is in

the documents he’s found. When he discovers it, he will

eventually have many of the resources of a Shogunate-era

city at his disposal, including weapons far more terrifying

than any currently extant in the Second Age save for the

Realm Defense Grid itself.

And then, he will be ready to wage war against the

Realm—and anyone and anything else that might get

in his way.

can nonetheless be a far better defense than even the greatest

thaumaturges. Dragon-Blooded warriors skilled at the arts of naval

combat can seize amazing bounties as freebooters and privateers, or

less substantial—but steadier—earnings commanding naval escorts

for merchant ﬂ eets.

Many of the gods of the West—both the powerful and the

merely inﬂ uential—seek Terrestrials out as servants, couriers,

troubleshooters, envoys and even lovers. Fakharu, Censor of the

West, is known to have over a dozen Terrestrial servants of varying

positions and responsibilities, and several of the storm mothers of

the Western Ocean are known to employ at least a handful. The

gods can be harsh taskmasters and employers, but they are often

generous ones. Their imprimatur can grant a Terrestrial who seeks

inﬂ uence in the elemental or spirit courts a level of respect and

attention that would never be granted to any but the most powerful

scions of the Realm or Lookshy.

THE E MISSARIES OF P ERFECT W ATER

A coalition of 40 powerful thaumaturges, Terrestrial Exalts and

God-Bloods, the Emissaries have a simple set of tasks: to protect

the islands of the West from the Wyld and the Fair Folk, to prevent

the Guild and the Realm from subjugating the island kingdoms of

the West, and to mollify and ally the gods and entities of the West

to protect their island homes.

Simple—no problem.

Actually, they have had more success than any could have

hoped to expect, but they face the reality that they are too few,

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

DRAGON-BLOODED W OMEN

Many women who experience Terrestrial Exaltation in the West take on the role of the Tya eventually, as it is the only

way for them to make full use of their power in such strongly patriarchal societies. This necessity is seen as a tragedy by Realm

Dynasts, since Tya women are expected to sterilize themselves, rendering the Dragon’s Blood in their veins useless for any future

breeding. In the past, the Realm encouraged the adoption of lost eggs found in the West, especially young females, going so

far as to heavily subsidize the education and upkeep of Western foundlings. Since the disappearance of the Empress, though,

only House Peleps (and the disgraced scions of House Iselsi, working through cutouts and factors) continue the practice.

Dragon-Blooded membership in the Tya is also discouraged by the wiser and less tradition-bound members of many

Western societies. Many of the Tya themselves understand that the call of blood to blood is more important than societal

conventions. While most go only so far as to discourage Dragon-Blooded women from joining the Tya, others go further, en-

couraging their deﬁ ance of old ways and old beliefs. Some become Tya, but “forget” to take the shellﬁ sh toxin that is supposed

to render them sterile, or they use Charms to burn it out of their blood before it can take hold. These women must choose

their friends and lovers carefully. They must hide their pregnancies even more carefully, a task made easier by the realities of

Dragon-Blooded gestation. Their children are usually given up for adoption, often with the families they left behind.

Others choose to stand on their own, without the protection membership in the Tya affords them, but also without the

restrictions placed on them by the society. In this choice, they are aided by the power of even young Terrestrials. Few would

provoke a Fire Aspect to rage on the decks of a wooden ship. As a result, a handful of strongly deﬁ ant Dragon-Blooded women

make their own way through the cultural difﬁ culties of the West, carving a path with Essence and steel when words and wit

do not sufﬁ ce. Their life is not easy, and is often short, but it is their own in a way that even the lives of the Tya are not.

There are women who walk another path, however. On the surface, they compromise and obey the rules of the society

in which they grew up, obeying the dictates of the only life they have known. Yet they make use of their elemental heritage

in myriad minor ways. They seldom step outside the bonds of their culture, but they bend them when possible, avoid them

when feasible and break them only when necessary. Thus do they aid their society, defending it with wit and with Charms

when necessary. There are those who see such women as failing their Terrestrial blood, but most who follow this path see

themselves as instead honoring their history and their culture and doing what they can to improve their lives—within the

conﬁ nes of what they believe and hold true.

spread too thin and without enough power to single-handedly save

the West. Nonetheless, they continue to strive, seeking alliances

where possible, banding their forces together when necessary,

overseeing each others’ interests, and forming a petitioning block

in the spirit courts of the various storm mothers and sea gods of the

West that is always listened to, if not always heeded.

The leading Emissaries include a dozen outcastes, six of whom

are sorcerers (two of whom are powerful enough to be recognized

as noteworthy even by the tutors of the Heptagram). The remain-

der of the 40 who form the organization’s core include powerful

mortal thaumaturges, God-Bloods and a handful of minor gods and

elementals who have decided to take a more direct hand in working

against the Wyld in the West.

Although the rewards of membership in this coalition are

sometimes meager, they are not always inﬁ nitesimal. The coali-

tion itself forms a powerful network of allies and connections, and

Emissaries can count on aid and friendship whenever they travel

in another member’s holdings. The coalition has no lack of magical

prowess, and its members have access to a number of enchanted

ships and longboats, including a pair of unique sailing yachts that

apparently date to the First Age in their design and manufacture.

These enchanted vessels swiftly travel through even powerful

storms and dangerous seas and are often blessed—if secretly, in

some cases—by members of the Celestial Bureaucracy, some of

whom are sympathetic to the Emissaries.

Although membership in the Emissaries is considered presti-

gious and useful, few seek it out. As a result, the Emissaries have

hard problems recruiting replacements for recent losses. Membership

in the Emissaries is also seen as highly dangerous and eventually

futile, as it deals so often with powerful Fair Folk and the hazards

of the Wyld. The coalition plans to meet soon in the spirit court

of Fakharu to discuss how to proceed, but recent developments in

the West suggest this meeting may have to be postponed.

EOS AND O SSISSA

Some of the pirates of the Western Ocean are driven by greed,

others by desperation. Some privateers are patriots, preying on the

trading vessels of their enemies out of loyalty to their kingdoms.

Some are driven by vengeance or the spirit of adventure and ex-

ploration. Eos Atitha, outcaste by birth, and Sesus Ossissa, outcaste

by choice, reﬂ ect these latter drives.

Eos Atitha is an Air Aspect powerful far beyond her years.

Her village attacked by Guild slavers, she can never return to what

she once was. Now she takes her righteous anger out on all Guild

captains and merchants she comes across, seeking to bring low their

ﬁ nancial mastery of the West. Sesus Ossissa was once part of the

same sworn brotherhood that claimed Sesus Chenow. Coming across

Atitha and the destruction she wreaked upon a Guild convoy, he

was struck by the purity of her vision and obsessed with her fury and

vengeance. A seeker of dreams in the Wyld, he has become caught

up in her dreams—and she in his. They are not lovers, exactly, but

more than mere allies could ever be.

Since then, they have ravaged Guild ships and interests throughout

the West, developing contacts and informants in every major port, as well

as a web of dealers and brokers willing to take on their wares. They free

slaves, avoid bloodshed whenever possible—except for Guild blood, of

course—and occasionally perform great services or bestow great wealth

upon one or another island village in need of assistance. As they have

continued to succeed, the number of ships in their ﬂ eet has grown, and

now, they number six swift warships, well armed and crewed, with a

number of God-Bloods, Terrestrial Exalts and mortal heroes who stand

behind them as ships captains, lieutenants and aides.

honor, and the Lintha hunt them for reasons they will not say. Even

among the Fair Folk who feed on their dreams and encourage their

desires, Eos and Ossissa’s ﬂ eet has fostered animosities, although

they know it not.

The ﬂ eet is known to make harbor on an island known as the

Obsidian Hands, but its precise location is unknown, and perhaps

unknowable except to the captains of their ﬂ eet, as it lies in the

Deep Wyld. The island is a placid and fertile place, with a harbor

well defended against storms, and it is sufﬁ ciently magical that no

need is unmet, no desire untended. Those who reside on the island

can soon become idle dreamers of dreams, their days spent in an

idyllic haze. The Fair Folk who reside in the area have no reason to

seek them out, ensnaring the permanent residents of the Obsidian

Hands in glamours or tricks, for they are already ensnared, lulled into

complacency and indulgence by the nature of the island itself.

THE P OWER OF THE W YLD

The Wyld does not always twist its victims physi-

cally, shattering their forms and mutating their shapes.

Its power can be as great over the mind, the spirit—even

the soul—of those who linger too long in its grasp as

it is over their bodies, and Eos and Ossissa are perfect

examples of this. The longer they dwell in the Wyld,

the more iconic they become—each losing the depth

and breadth of character he or she once had. Those

who serve under them, even those who hunt them, are

caught up in this effect. They become loyal servants,

untrustworthy aides or dedicated hunters as the needs

of the Wyld and their own natures demand. The Wyld

burns away all complexity and “unnecessary” depth until

all that is left is the epitome of their role in the story of

Eos and Ossissa.

DEMON C APTAIN K ASUA

There is a ship around which even the Lintha tread carefully.

There is a captain whom even the privateers of the Coral Archi-

pelago defy only with reluctance. The ship’s name is Swift Madness,

and its captain’s name is Kasua.

Who the woman now known as Demon Captain Kasua was

before she started her Yozi-maddened trek through the West is lost

to history. What is known is that she has terrorized shipping in the

Western Ocean for the last two centuries, and the Realm has taken

Their success has also brought them great wealth. Eos and

Ossissa are perhaps the wealthiest pirates in the West, rivaling even

the Lintha grandfathers in their fortunes. They have also earned

great enemies. The Guild hunts them for the damage inﬂ icted on

its purses, the Realm hunts them for the damage inﬂ icted upon its

CHAPTER TWO • THE OUTCASTE

FREEBOOTERS, PIRATES AND P RIVATEERS

Many Terrestrials take to the seas in search of adven-

ture—and often, they take the role of predator. Some, such

as Eos and Ossissa or the Rising Scarlet Wind Brotherhood,

are nearly noble in their pursuit of fame and fortune, seek-

ing to minimize bloodshed and conﬂ ict when possible, and

using their winnings as much for decent purposes as for

decadence and boisterous partying when in port. Others,

such as the Dread Squadron of Peras or Demon Captain

Kasua, are likened to Yozi-spawn even by the Lintha. They

leave naught but destruction and tears in their wake.

One thing is certain. Nearly all of them eventually cross

the Realm, the Coral Archipelago, the Lintha or the Guild,

and when they do, they earn an enmity that can be hard to

shake. Still, enough are successful, for long enough periods

of time, that piracy remains a favored pursuit in the West.

The Swift Madness is nearly a First Age ship in name only. While

her hull is all but impervious and her sails impossible to puncture, she

lacks the propulsion system, the weapons and the other protections

that are the hallmark of those irreplaceable ships. Its crew, largely

consisting of demons and the Demon- and God-Blooded spawn of

Kasua, gives the ship its combat power. Erymanthoi act as the ship’s

heavy strikers, for example. Surprisingly, although Kasua certainly

has no problems seeking union with demons, she has apparently

never availed herself of the neomah’s ability to enhance the chances

of Dragon-Blooded Exaltation in her foul get.

Even more curiously, although she makes use of demons in

nearly all aspects of her life and piratical career, she has shown no

particular sign of infernal nature. Her weapons are black jade, not

Malfean bronze or iron, and while her armor is forged of the ﬂ ayed

skins of her victims, it is merely horrible, not Malfean in nature.

She has shown no power beyond that of a very old, very powerful

Terrestrial sorceress with a substantial arsenal of spells and artifacts.

Whether this is due to lack of opportunity or lack of desire is another

question—one few have lived long enough to ask.

Kasua is known to make her home on a dark, cloud-shrouded

island somewhere to the east and north of the Neck. It is here that

she raises the spawn of her crew—both those she has carried herself

and those born of the unfortunate victims of her crew’s hellish

appetites—and here that she stores the wealth she has captured

over the centuries of her rampage. She is always seeking outcaste

crewmembers, though few are so degenerate as to sign onto her

maddened voyage of the damned.

DRAGONS OF THE L INTHA

The history of the Yozi-spawned Lintha is scattered with periods of contact with the “lesser” mortals of Creation, and the

offspring of these miscegenetic unions carried the Blood of the Dragons into the Lintha Family. Although Terrestrial Exalta-

tion is rare among the Lintha, it is not completely unknown. At any given time, as many as three dozen Dragon-Blooded can

be counted among their numbers, although the number is usually far lower.

These rare individuals are highly prized by the Lintha. The blood of the Yozis and the Immaculate Dragons perversely

intermingles in their veins, and they are powerful even by the standards of pureblooded Lintha. From the time of their Exal-

tation, they are singled out for special training and education. The stark tasks assigned all Lintha children are doubled and

redoubled again when given to those who have shown the sign of the Dragon. Most learn sorcery from an early age, and those

few who do not are expected to make up for their lack of sorcerous knowledge with mastery of combat skills, ship handling

and thaumaturgy. Those who survive their childhood are potent weapons of the Yozis in their wars against the South and

West. While their upbringing is rough, no Lintha would needlessly waste the life of such precious resources, so these children

are carefully guarded.

The Lintha only very rarely adopt adult—or adolescent—Terrestrials into their ranks as cousins. This is due partly to the

Lintha’s extremely insular nature and partly to the famed Exalted ability to recover from even the most heinous injuries—in-

cluding castration. It is also a security measure. Both the Realm and Lookshy have used Dragon-Blooded agents to inﬁ ltrate

the Lintha, at times managing even to penetrate Bluehaven itself. Although the agents were neutralized before they could call

for an invasion ﬂ eet, the success of these missions shook the leaders of the Lintha. As a result, it is only with great hesitancy

that the Lintha select even young Dragon-Blooded into their ranks. Even then, these Dragon-cousins as they are known are

never allowed to see Bluehaven.

no substantive steps to stop her. Some suggest she is a scion of the

Scarlet Dynasty, but whether she was exiled for crimes, is ﬂ eeing

justice or has been deliberately sent out as an agent provocateur

differs depending on who tells the tale. Others suspect she is simply

another lost egg who stumbled upon a cache of ancient tomes and

taught herself sorcery enough to operate the First Age transport she

has turned into a warship.

CHAPTER THREE

CHARACTER CREATION

Although they aren’t its rightful rulers, the Terrestrial Exalted

rule most of Creation as the Second Age winds down. The gods

originally intended for the Dragon-Blooded to act as the aides and

infantry for the Celestial Exalted, so they made the Terrestrials

weaker than the Celestial Exalted. They were also supposed to work

together—a fact made evident in the design of their Charms—and

cooperation is in their very nature. One on one, an average Ter-

restrial Exalt will lose to an average Celestial Exalt. Yet by working

together, they killed hundreds of Solar Exalted and drove the rest

of the Celestials underground.

Such are the characters you’ll make here.

When you create your Dragon-Blooded character, give some

consideration to where your character comes from, what his life

before his Exaltation was like and what he’s done since receiving

the Terrestrial Exaltation. The more personal history you come up

with, and the more details you know about your character’s life, the

easier it will be to get into his head during a story.

Don’t just think about where you want your Ability dots to go

and how you want your character to crush his enemies. Give some

consideration to where weaknesses might have dramatic potential over

the course of the game, and place your dots accordingly. By making his

weaknesses as interesting as his strengths, you’ll ﬁ nd your character

far more fun to play than you would if he’s only good at kicking ass.

In fact, if you’re playing a Terrestrial Exalt, you’re almost certainly

not the most lethal character in the game, so you may as well make

the most of the dramatic potential in your character’s weaknesses.

WHO A RE THE T ERRESTRIALS?

The Terrestrial Exalted can be found throughout Creation. The

greatest concentration of their numbers resides on the Blessed Isle. A

large number of die-hard holdouts of the Shogunate live in Lookshy

across the Inland Sea. Lastly, the libido of the Dragon-Blooded is a

boundless thing, and bastard children (and grandchildren and great

grandchildren and so on) are born of their dalliances across the ﬂ at

face of Creation almost every day. Most of these lucky children are

given up to the Realm or Lookshy as soon as they Exalt, but some

remain lost and make their own way through the world. Those

who do are the outcaste.

Other subsets of Terrestrial Exalted with slightly different

abilities and advantages can be found in Creation, but these three

varieties account for the vast majority of the Dragon-Blooded

throughout Creation.

CHAPTER THREE • CHARACTER CREATION

STEP O NE:

CHARACTER C ONCEPT

Any gamer who’s seriously interested in roleplaying realizes

something after about his third character: Simply arranging a bunch

of dots on a page and then stretching a thin veneer of personality

over them is one of the more tedious ways of creating a character.

More often than not, you wind up with a two-dimensional character

who turns out to be pretty boring after about three gaming sessions.

A much more challenging, and ultimately more enjoyable, way of

creating a character is to home in on a concept that resonates with

you, ﬂ esh out the concept with likes, dislikes, history and goals,

then decide what the character’s strengths and weaknesses look

like in dots later on.

Coming up with an interesting and playable character concept

is the ﬁ rst and most important step in creating an Exalted character.

The more vividly you can imagine your character at this point, the

more you’ll be able to assume his persona when the game starts.

Slipping into a character is like putting on a ﬁ ne set of threads. If

they’re too loose, too tight or tailored to someone else’s speciﬁ ca-

tions, they’re not going to work for you.

Players of Dragon-Blooded characters have an advantage

where roleplaying is concerned. If you’re playing a Terrestrial Exalt

rather than, say, a Solar or Abyssal character, odds are that power

gaming isn’t your cup of tea anyway, so you’re entirely free to come

up with a character who really interests you—a character with

depth, complexity and shortcomings. It’s okay to start a character

off with a broadly deﬁ ned or stereotypical concept. There will be

time to add depth soon enough. You can start with an idea you’ve

picked up from mythology, anime, wuxia ﬂ icks or any other source

THE S TORYTELLER AND Y OUR C HARACTER

A roleplaying game is a cooperative effort at telling an

imaginative tale. Give your Storyteller some notion of what

kind of character you want to create before you go through the

effort of generating a character. An ass-kicking Immaculate

monk might be ﬁ ne and dandy in the right game, but if your

Storyteller intends to spin a tale of political maneuvering and

court intrigues, you’ll be bored, and he’ll have a harder time

modifying his game to make sure you’re included.

A brief consultation with the Storyteller can make sure

that your character is well suited to the unfolding series.

that inspires you, and then you add the ﬁ ner shading and intricate

detail that you want on a second or third pass.

ORIGINS

Creation is big, and Terrestrial Exalts come from all over it.

Where your character comes from determines what he’s seen, hints

at what he knows and colors how he thinks.

Dynasts come from one of the Great Houses of the Scarlet

Dynasty, based on the Blessed Isle. Such characters likely come

from the Realm, but they could just as easily be from a Realm

garrison in one of the many satrapies in the Threshold. Scions

of the Dynasty are known for their decadence and their excesses,

but they are also rigorously trained from early childhood to be the

defenders of Creation.

Lookshy’s Terrestrials are the well-preserved holdouts and

descendents of the Shogunate’s famed Seventh Legion. The city-state

of Lookshy is located in the Threshold, due east of the Imperial

City and due west of Nexus. Their overall familiarity with, and

use of, First Age technology is much higher than the Realm’s, and

they’re not afraid to use powerful artifact weapons to oppose the

Scarlet Empire. Lookshy survives through rigorous discipline and

order, and its martially inclined populace has long proved willing

to do whatever is necessary to defend the city.

Outcastes are those Dragon-Blooded who Exalt without the

beneﬁ t of any cultural framework to help them come to terms with

being Exalted. They have the power but not the training provided

by the Realm and Lookshy in how to focus those abilities. Dynasts

might see these “lost eggs” as poor, ignorant backward cousins, but

outcastes often see themselves as free of the indoctrination of the

Realm and Lookshy, and pride themselves on their independence. The

Blood of the Dragons can sleep in mortal veins for centuries without

manifesting as an Exaltation, and many bloodlines in Creation hold

a trace of the Dragons’ Blood. Consequently, outcaste Terrestrials can

and do show up anywhere in Creation, from the shores of the Inland

Sea to communities located near the elemental poles themselves.

HOUSE

Knowing a Dynast’s House (or the Gens of a Lookshy Terrestrial)

doesn’t necessarily tell you anything about that particular Exalt, but

it’s a better indicator than many other factors. Over the decades,

the Great Houses have shown propensities toward certain behaviors

often enough that they’ve developed a reputation. House Cynis is

known for its decadence, for example, while House Cathak is known

for its discipline and martial prowess. While a character need not ﬁ t

the stereotype of her House, it’s good to at least know the stereotype

and then determine whether to play to, or against, type.

ELEMENTAL A SPECT

Every Dragon-Blood belongs to one of ﬁ ve elemental aspects

that correspond to the Elemental Dragons of Air, Earth, Fire,

Water and Wood. Aspect gives the character a spiritual and physi-

cal bond with that particular element, which reveals itself in her

appearance, her talents and the powers she wields as a member of

the Dragon-Blooded Host.

Nothing impacts the life of a Terrestrial Exalt so much as the

Elemental Dragon whose power she channels. Aspect plays a power-

ful role in determining the Exalt’s temperament, aptitudes and the

way she interacts with the world. Elder Terrestrials are much more

prone to showing their elemental aspect through small unconscious

habits than are recently Exalted Dragon-Bloods, who have not yet

had the years of experience with their respective element to color

their interactions with the world around them. So extreme are

the differences between the elemental aspects that philosophers

among the Dragon-Blooded have long asserted—rhetorically, of

course—that the Terrestrial Exalted are not one race but ﬁ ve, bound

together by tradition, necessity and shared blood.

Still, aspect reﬂ ects only a behavioral tendency, not natural

law. Aspect is only one facet, along with history, family and natural

temperament, that ﬁ gures into a Terrestrial’s behavior. Any Exalt

may choose to follow or deny the urges of her elemental nature, and

no Dragon-Blood is likely to go far in life if she is unable to deviate

from her elemental inclinations. (For one thing, such rigidity would

make her predictable and easy to manipulate.)

CHOOSING A H OUSE

Ten of the Dynastic Houses (and many of the Gentes of

Lookshy) have strong afﬁ nities for particular elements, but Dragon-

Blooded of all aspects come from all Houses, so you are not bound

by a House’s elemental afﬁ nity. If you like the youthful energy of

House V’neef, but don’t want to play an Aspect of Wood, you’re free

to choose any aspect that works with your character concept.

MOTIVATION

Dragon-Blooded, like all Exalted, are larger than life and have

goals and dreams bigger than mortals could hope to achieve. Every

character has a range of goals, but your character’s Motivation should

be the primary desire that drives him. Exemplary Dragon-Blooded

Motivations include assuming the Scarlet Throne, taming the

Threshold, eradicating piracy from Creation’s seas, mastering every

sorcery spell in the Terrestrial Circle, expunging the Anathema

from Creation or other aspirations of similar grandeur.

Keep in mind that your character’s Motivation will come into

play many times in a series, so choose wisely. For more on choosing,

playing and changing your character’s Motivation, see page 88 in

the Exalted rulebook.

STEP T WO: ATTRIBUTES

The Terrestrial Exaltation, the ultimate sign of spiritual

mastery, grants the Dragon-Blooded much greater potential than

their mortal counterparts have. And Creation is lucky that it does,

because even the powerful Exalts of the Dragon-Blooded Host are,

individually, no match for most Anathema.

As with all characters, all Dragon-Blooded characters start

with one dot in each Attribute before they assign any other dots.

Barring catastrophic in-game developments, a character will always

have at least one dot in every Attribute.

In keeping with your character concept, decide how you want

to assign your Attribute dots between Physical, Social and Mental

Attributes. Pick one Attribute set to be primary, one to be second-

ary and one to be tertiary.

Physical: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina

Social: Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance

Mental: Perception, Intelligence, Wits

(For a full explanation of Attributes, see Exalted, p. 101)

A Terrestrial Exalt has seven dots to assign among her primary

Attributes, six to assign to secondary Attributes and four dots to

invest in tertiary Attributes. A player may not assign more than

ﬁ ve dots to any Attribute, but aside from that, she is free to assign

points as she sees ﬁ t.

STEP T HREE: ABILITIES

Dragon-Blooded have an afﬁ nity for the ﬁ ve Abilities their

elemental aspect favors. These afﬁ nities are called Aspect Abilities.

This elemental afﬁ nity is reﬂ ected in the ease with which a character

learns those particular Abilities (i.e., dots in those Abilities are less

expensive to buy with both bonus and experience points).

• Air Abilities are those related to subtlety in both thought

and motion: Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth and Thrown.

• Earth Abilities are those concerning stability, deliberation and

construction: Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance and War.

• Fire Abilities are deﬁ ned by passion and swift action: Ath-

letics, Dodge, Melee, Presence and Socialize.

• Water Abilities rely on ﬂ uidity of mind and motion and

intellectual depth: Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Martial

Arts and Sail.

• Wood Abilities are devoted to life, nature and the outdoors:

Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride and Survival.

There’s more to a Terrestrial’s life than just elemental aspect,

CHAPTER THREE • CHARACTER CREATION

however. Dragon-Blooded characters also have an afﬁ nity with three

additional Abilities (called Favored Abilities). These are Abilities

that your character just naturally favors and for which she has a tal-

ent. Favored Abilities provide the same reduction in point cost as

Aspect Abilities. Since Favored Abilities represent something your

character knows well enough to have some talent in, you must assign

at least one dot to each Favored Ability. You cannot get a double

cost reduction by choosing an Aspect Ability as a Favored Ability.

Favored Abilities must be different from Aspect Abilities.

Your character doesn’t have to start with any dots in Aspect

Abilities (except to meet certain minimum requirements determined

by the character’s birthplace and training).

You may not assign more than three dots to any Ability unless

you buy the extra dots with bonus points. Bonus points may also

be used to purchase specialties in the same manner as detailed in

the Exalted core book.

WHERE Y OU’RE F ROM

DETERMINES W HAT Y OU K NOW

All Terrestrial Exalted start with the same number of dots

in Attributes (with some variation coming from bonus point

purchases), but the same cannot be said of Abilities. The number

of points a Terrestrial starts with reﬂ ects the training she received

while growing up. Consequently, not all Terrestrial Exalts begin

with the same number of Ability dots, nor do they have to fulﬁ ll

the same Ability minimums.

Abilities reﬂ ect learned skills, talents and knowledge acquired

through study and training. A character with no dots in an Ability

has no training in that Ability.

Depending on the circumstances of a Terrestrial Exalt’s birth and

background, he may need to meet certain minimum ratings in some

Abilities to represent the intense training regimen of his birthplace.

DYNASTS

Despite their decadence and inﬁ ghting, the noble Dragon-

Blooded of the Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty take their

obligations to Creation very seriously, and they train from an early

age to be the defenders of Creation. Children of Dynastic families

spend hours learning at least the rudiments of sailing, archery,

martial arts, language and many other skills besides. Consequently,

Dynasts begin with an impressive array of Abilities.

These Dragon-Bloods beneﬁ t greatly from the Realm’s

educational infrastructure. Although the long list of expectations,

demands, rules and myriad political intrigues that come with being

a member of a Dynastic house can seem smothering at times, there

can be no doubt that the Terrestrial Exalted brought up in the Realm

are among the best-trained individuals in Creation.

Dynast characters begin with 35 dots to place into Abilities, and

13 of these dots must go into the character’s Aspect or Favored Abilities.

All Dynasts must have an absolute minimum of Archery 1, Lore 2, Martial

Arts 1, Melee 1, Performance 1, Presence 1, Ride 1, Socialize 2 and

War 1, to represent the basic training in the arts of war and the social

graces that form the underpinnings of Realm culture. Most Dynasts will

have all of these Abilities rated at two dots or more. Those who do not

are generally regarded by their peers as deﬁ cient in critical life skills.

They’re also terrible embarrassments to their poor families.

Dots left over after these minimums have been met may be

spent in whatever way best captures the essence of the character’s

concept. However, no Ability may exceed three dots without

spending bonus points to do so.

LOOKSHY

The Dragon-Blooded of Lookshy, being the remnants of the

Shogunate’s rigorously disciplined Seventh Legion, train with a zeal

similar to that of the Blessed Isle’s scions. If anything, the Terrestrial

Exalted of Lookshy are more disciplined than the decadent Dynasts of the

Realm (but much less wealthy). Among the Dragon-Bloods of Lookshy,

constant training and preparedness are the signs of good citizenship.

Characters originating in Lookshy begin with 35 points in

Abilities, 13 of which must be distributed among Aspect and Favored

Abilities. Again, no Ability may exceed three dots without spend-

ing bonus points to do so. Characters born in Lookshy must have a

minimum of Archery 2, Linguistics 3, Lore 2, Martial Arts 2, Melee

2, Performance 1, Presence 1, Ride 1, Stealth 1 and War 2.

LOST E GGS AND T HRESHOLD O UTCASTES

These are Terrestrials who Exalted but never received the

education provided to their Dragon-Blooded cousins in the Realm

and Lookshy. As a consequence, they are relatively untrained and

ignorant. While they are capable of learning anything any other

Dragon-Blooded can learn, and they are far superior to un-Exalted

mortals, they start their lives with a knowledge deﬁ cit compared to

their formally trained cousins.

These unschooled Terrestrials begin with 25 dots to distribute

among their Abilities. At least 13 of these must go into Aspect or

Favored Abilities. The rest may be spent as the player chooses,

although no more than three dots may be placed in any Ability

without spending bonus points to do so.

SPECIALTIES

While an Ability represents a general area of knowledge, a

specialty is a narrowly focused area of expertise that can help your

character more closely resemble the concept you have for him. A

character might be generally good in Linguistics, but if you imagine

him to be a great savant, he might have a specialty in Calligraphy.

Likewise, if a character’s history states that she emerged from the

dense forests of the East, she might have a general knowledge of Sur-

vival, but a more speciﬁ c specialty in Tracking or Camouﬂ age.

Specialties can be bought at any time with either bonus points (at

character creation) or experience points (once play beings). You don’t

have to take any specialties for your character at all, though. A character

may not have more than three specialties for a single Ability.

For more on specialties, see Exalted p. 74.

STEP F OUR: ADVANTAGES

Dynasts start life with every advantage that wealth and power

can provide. The Terrestrials of Lookshy have great resources at

their command, and even so-called lost eggs have advantages to

which most mortals will never be able to aspire.

BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds are advantages that the character possesses at the

beginning of play. They are bought with bonus points at character

creation and can’t be bought thereafter, although they can be

acquired in the course of play.

The Backgrounds of the Dragon-Blooded differ from those

available to the foul Anathema. A full explanation of those differ-

ences can be found on page 102-111 of the Traits chapter.

Backgrounds vary signiﬁ cantly even among the Terrestrial Ex-

alted. A lost egg in the Threshold does not have the options available

to a spoiled Dynast. Those variations are described as follows:

DYNASTS

The Great Houses of the Blessed Isle are among the wealthiest

and most powerful institutions in Creation. Dynastic Dragon-Bloods

begin with 12 dots of Backgrounds and may choose from Allies, Arse-

nal, Artifact, Backing, Breeding, Command, Connections, Familiar,

Family, Henchmen, Manse, Reputation, Resources and Retainer.

LOOKSHY

The Dragon-Blooded of the Dynastic Houses might be the

wealthiest of their kind, but the Terrestrial Exalted of Lookshy are

easily the most disciplined population in all of Creation. Dragon-

Blooded characters originating in Lookshy start with 13 points

of Backgrounds and may choose from Allies, Arsenal, Artifact,

Backing, Command, Connections, Familiar, Family, Manse, Men-

tor, Reputation, Resources and Retainer. No Background may be

higher than three without spending bonus points.

Exalted blood does not run as pure in Lookshy as it does in the

Realm. The Breeding Background is less common here as a consequence,

making it more expensive for characters from Lookshy. The third dot

costs four bonus points, the fourth dot costs seven bonus points and a

player who wants ﬁ ve dots of Breeding must pay 10 bonus points.

LOST E GGS AND T HRESHOLD O UTCASTES

Hard is the life of an outcaste. Lost eggs do not beneﬁ t from the

educational advantages of their cousins. Compared to the Dragon-

Blooded in the Realm, in Lookshy and in other civilized corners of

Creation, these outcastes are ignorant savages.

Outcastes begin with seven dots of Backgrounds, and none

can exceed three dots without expending bonus points.

Lost eggs do not have access to the many of the special

Backgrounds available to Dynasts and the Terrestrials of Lookshy.

Consequently, they pick from the same Backgrounds as the Solar

Exalted (starting on p. 110 of Exalted), with two exceptions.

Breeding: Most outcastes are from relatively weak blood and

have no close Exalted relatives, as represented by the extreme cost

of the Breeding Background shown on the accompanying table.

Cult: While outcastes may take the Cult Background, it’s more

expensive for them than it is for Solars. Terrestrials do not have the

sheer, impressive power to show of as the Celestial Exalted, so the

higher levels of the Cult Background are more expensive (as the

table shows). Any outcaste who creates a cult around herself will

likely have to use showmanship and charisma as much as dramatic

displays of elemental might.

RARE B ACKGROUNDS

Being from neither the Realm nor Lookshy puts outcastes

in an odd situation. On one hand, they have access to the Cult

Background (which other Dragon-Blooded cannot normally

take), but on the other hand, the Breeding Background is

quite rare, since their Exalted blood runs so thin.

The costs listed here may be paid in any combination

of Background dots and bonus points.

Cult Cost Breeding Cost

• 1 • 2

•• 2 •• 4

••• 4 ••• 6

•••• 7 •••• 10

••••• 10 ••••• 14

CHARMS

DYNASTS

Most Dynasts start with seven Dragon-Blooded Charms (see

the Charms chapter starting on p. 126), four of which must be from

the character’s Aspect or Favored Abilities.

Members of the Order of the Immaculate Dragons, however,

have learned at the Cloister of Wisdom to focus their Essence

much more dynamically through their meditations, and they have

undergone an initiation allowing them to learn Celestial martial

arts. They get only ﬁ ve Charms from the Immaculate Martial

Arts Charms (starting on page 196), but such Charms tend to

be slightly more powerful. Note: A character cannot typically

learn Martial Arts Charms from a new style until he has learned

all the Charms in a single Martial Arts tree. (See p. 196 for more

information.)

LOOKSHY

All characters starting in Lookshy know the Charms Wind-

Carried Word Technique and Elemental Bolt Attack, as those

Charms are considered indispensable to military activities. They

also get six additional Charms of their choice, four of which must

be from Aspect or Favored Abilities.

Where sorcery is concerned, the spells known (and allowed)

in the hyper-controlled environment of Lookshy are relatively few.

Any spell that summons a demon or elemental, or that creates an

automaton of any sort, is taught solely on a need-to-know basis,

and only to the wai tan-junai (sorcerer-engineers), select chaplains

and the senior shugan-junai (sorcerer technicians who work under

the wai tan-junai).

The Dragon-Blooded of Lookshy do not have access to Sidereal

masters the way monks of the Blessed Isle do, so they cannot begin

play with Immaculate Martial Arts Charms. If a player wants his

Lookshy character to learn such Charms, the character must ﬁ nd

a sifu willing to initiate him in the ways of Celestial martial arts

once the game has begun.

LOST E GGS AND T HRESHOLD O UTCASTES

Outcaste Terrestrials begin play with seven Charms, four of

which must come from Aspect or Favored Abilities. They may not,

under most circumstances, learn Immaculate martial arts unless they

can ﬁ nd a rogue master to teach them (see sidebar).

VIRTUES

All Terrestrial Exalted, regardless of their origins, start with

one free dot in all four Virtues and get ﬁ ve additional dots to as-

sign. No Virtue may be higher than three dots unless the player

spends bonus points.

STEP F IVE: FINISHING

TOUCHES

Wrap up the statistical aspects of creating your character by

calculating her Willpower, Essence and health levels, then use bonus

points to augment your character’s traits and otherwise bring her

more in line with your character concept.

WILLPOWER

A Terrestrial Exalt’s Willpower is equal to the sum of her two

highest Virtues. If you use bonus points to increase your Virtues later

on, remember to recalculate your Willpower accordingly.

CHAPTER THREE • CHARACTER CREATION

ROGUE M ASTERS

Out in the Threshold of Creation, nearly anything

can happen, including an outcaste learning what Dy-

nasts call Immaculate martial arts. Out here, however,

there’s nothing immaculate about them. In the wilds of

the Threshold, they’re more accurately called Celestial

martial arts, and they’re taught by rogue monks and

Anathema far more often than they are by members

of the Order of Immaculate Dragons. If (and only if) a

character has ﬁ ve dots in the Mentor Background (to

represent a rogue monk or one of the Celestial Exalted

who is willing to train him), the character may begin

the game with Immaculate Martial Arts Charms. Such

characters begin with ﬁ ve Immaculate Martial Arts

Charms (instead of seven from Aspect or Favored Abili-

ties), all of which must be from the same style. Like their

Dynastic counterparts, outcastes are typically unable to

learn Charms from another martial arts style until they

have learned all the Charms from one style ﬁ rst.

Characters who learn Celestial martial arts through

such unorthodox means often demonstrate small, nigh-im-

perceptible stylistic differences in the way they practice their

martial arts, which some Immaculate Monks ﬁ nd curious

and others ﬁ nd borderline heretical. Orthodox Immaculates

will be very interested to learn where an outcaste learned

his technique, and many become confrontational if they

don’t consider the character’s training “legitimate.”

INTIMACIES

Exactly as for Solar characters, as described on page 76 of

Exalted.

ESSENCE

All Terrestrial Exalts start with an Essence rating of 2. As

with all Exalted, the character’s Essence rating is used to calculate

her Personal and Peripheral Essence. A Dragon-Blood can use

her Personal Essence pool discretely, without giving herself away.

Drawing from her Peripheral Essence pool, however, causes her

elemental anima banner to ﬂ are up, revealing her spiritual bond

with the Elemental Dragons for all to see.

A Terrestrial’s Personal Essence pool is equal to the sum of

the character’s permanent Essence and her Willpower, plus any

additional points granted by the Breeding Background (see pp.

105-106). That is, (Essence + Willpower + points gained from

Breeding).

A character’s Peripheral Essence pool is equal to four times

her permanent Essence plus her Willpower and the sum of her two

highest Virtues, plus any additional points gained from Breeding.

That is, ([Essence x 4] + Willpower + [sum of two highest Virtues]

+ points gained from Breeding).

HEALTH L EVELS

Terrestrial Exalted possess seven health level, like any mortal:

one -0 health level, two -1, two -2, a -4 and one Incapacitated health

level. Additionally, Dragon-Blooded gain one -1 and one -2 health

level for every purchase of Ox-Body Technique (a Resistance Charm

found on p. 146). A character may purchase Ox-Body Technique

as many times as she has dots of Resistance.

BONUS P OINTS

Assigning bonus points lets you ﬁ ll in gaps between your

character concept and the traits you’ve put together thus far. If you

want to raise Abilities, Backgrounds or Virtues above 3 or raise Es-

sence above 2 (at character creation) you have to use bonus points.

If you intend for your character to be the most famed archer in

the Realm, three dots in the Archery Ability isn’t going to cut it.

Spending a few bonus points, however, can bring your character’s

Archery Ability up to 5, and a few carefully chosen specialties can

help you get to where you want to be.

You have 15 bonus points to spend, and you may use them to

increase your character’s Attributes, Abilities, Willpower, Virtues,

Essence, Charms or sorcery spells.

Remember, this is just your beginning character. You’re not

expected to be the biggest, baddest Exalt on the block at this point.

You will be able to increase your character’s traits (but not Back-

grounds) with experience points accrued through game play.

THE S PARK OF L IFE

All of the number-crunching and dot-assigning is done once

you’ve spent bonus points, but what you have at this stage is not a

character, but a ﬂ at, lifeless golem of numbers and dots.

This is the point where you smooth out the blemishes in the

clay and invest your character with life.

Bring the dots and numbers off of the paper and into your head.

Figure out what they mean in the context of this speciﬁ c character.

Get to know her as you would a friend or a favorite character in a

novel or ﬁ lm. You need to study her because you’re going to be her.

What does she look like? How does she move? What facial expres-

sions would others ﬁ nd characteristic of her? An enigmatic smile?

A haughty sneer? A pensive frown? In what way is your character

different from you, and in what ways are you similar?

From the character herself, extend outward. What are her con-

nections to the world around her? What was her life like before her

Exaltation? Does she make friends easily? Does her family respect her,

or is she a disappointment? What school did she attend? Does she com-

mand troops? Do her troops love, respect, despise or fear her? Why?

This is also the point at which you need to incorporate

your character’s Backgrounds fully into her concept. If she has a

familiar, what is it and how did it come to follow her? If she has

good breeding, what was her family life like? Is she related to the

Empress? How closely?

Once you’ve answered all these questions (and dozens more

besides), then you’ll have a character into whose skin you can step,

a vessel that will take you into hours of adventures and fun.

Then you’ll have a character.

CHARACTER C REATION S UMMARY

DYNASTS OF THE B LESSED I SLE

• STEP O NE: CHARACTER C ONCEPT

Choose concept, elemental aspect and Motivation.

Note aspect’s anima powers.

• STEP T WO: CHOOSING A TTRIBUTES

Note that all nine Attributes start with one dot automatically before you assign any.

Prioritize your Attribute categories: Physical (Strength, Dexterity, Stamina); Social (Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance); and Mental (Perception,

Intelligence, Wits). You have 7 dots to assign to your primary Attribute category, 6 to assign to your secondary, and 4 to place in the tertiary category.

• STEP T HREE: CHOOSING A BILITIES

Note Aspect Abilities.

Select Favored Abilities (3; may not be the same as Aspect Abilities.)

Choose Abilities (35—at least 13 must be from Aspect or Favored Abilities; at least one dot must be in each Favored Ability; none may be higher

than 3 without spending bonus points. Dynastic characters must have at least Archery •, Lore ••, Martial Arts •, Melee •, Performance •, Presence

•, Ride •, Socialize •• and War •.

• STEP F OUR: ADVANTAGES

Choose Backgrounds (12—none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points), Charms (7 Dragon-Blooded Charms, at least four of which

must be from Aspect or Favored Abilities; Immaculate martial artists get 5 Immaculate Martial Arts Charms instead, all of which must be from the

same elemental tree) and Virtues (5—none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points).

• STEP F IVE: FINISHING T OUCHES

Record Essence (2), Willpower (the sum of the character’s two highest Virtues), Personal Essence pool (Essence + Willpower + any gained from

Breeding), Peripheral Essence pool ([Essence x 4] + Willpower + [the sum of the two highest Virtues] + any gained from Breeding) and health levels

(7 + any gained from Charms).

• BONUS P OINTS

Spend bonus points (15) at any point during character creation. Bonus point costs may be found on page 99.

ASPECTS

• Air: Nearly as aloof as they are insightful, the Children of Mela are almost uniformly brilliant, and prone to losing themselves in thought. Creatures

of thought and subtlety, they embody the boundless creativity and idealism that can only exist in pure thought.

Aspect Abilities: Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth and Thrown

Anima Powers: May triple leaping distance, take no damage from falls of any height, add Essence rating to Dodge DV against Archery and Thrown

attacks.

• Earth: Islands of stability in the shifting seas around them, the Children of Pasiap are the very embodiment of constancy and fortitude, bringing

order to the world around them with artiﬁ ce and strategy. They form the bedrock supporting the individuals, causes and institutions to which they

devote themselves.

Aspect Abilities: Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance and War

Anima Powers: May soak lethal damage with full Stamina and add Essence trait to rolls to resist grappling attacks or to avoid knockback. May add

Essence to Stamina for all rolls when standing on earth or stone.

• Fire: The passion and drive of the Children of Hesiesh are so great they can barely be contained, and the persuasive skills of a Fire Aspect can

inspire armies. In the presence of these fonts of seemingly boundless energy, all is light and warmth, and once they’ve gone, all of Creation seems a

colder, darker place.

Aspect Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence and Socialize

Anima Powers: Becomes immune to ﬁ re and bursts into ﬂ ame for scene. Touch inﬂ icts (Essence) dice of lethal ﬁ re damage.

• Water: Common wisdom regarding the Children of Daana’d states that their minds are ﬂ owing and their hearts are overﬂ owing. Quick to adapt

to new ideas and suspicious of dogma, they are fond of mysteries of all sorts, and love solving puzzles.

Aspect Abilities: Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Martial Arts and Sail

Anima Powers: May breathe and move freely underwater. Suffers no penalties to any action for being underwater and may move full movement rate

in all directions. May walk or run across the surface of water as easily as if it were dry land.

• Wood: Fascinated with life and its cycles and the nature and journey of the soul, Aspects of Wood often earn themselves a reputation for mysti-

cism. Living as much in “might be” as “is,” the Children of Sextes Jylis seem to live in a slightly different version of Creation from the rest of the

Dragon-Blooded.

Aspect Abilities: Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride and Survival

Anima Powers: Immune to plant-derived poisons. Skin produces a natural toxin. Adds Essence rating to Dodge DV against weapons with wooden

shafts or hafts.

DYNASTIC H OUSES

The 11 Great Houses of the Blessed Realm are extraordinarily powerful. They compose that vast portion of the power structure of the most powerful

nation in Creation.

Cathak (Fire)—A pious and disciplined House of generals, strategists and martial philosophers.

Cynis (Wood)—Decadent hedonists and traders in slaves, drugs and other contraband.

Iselsi (Water)—A disgraced and shattered House ﬁ ghting for its very survival.

Ledaal (Air)—Historians, scholars and visionaries learning from the past and preparing for the Realm’s turbulent future.

Mnemon (Earth)—An ambitious and cunning House of strategists and plotters headed by the Empress’s most powerful daughter, the sorceress

Mnemon.

Nellens (None)—Primarily a patrician House with very few Dragon-Blooded, resented by most other Dynastic Houses as untalented, undeserving

bastards.

Peleps (Water)—Master politicians and overseers of the Imperial Navy.

Ragara (Earth)—Bankers and schemers, the wealthiest of the Great Houses.

Sesus (Fire)—A powerful military House, seething with political ambition.

Tepet (Air)—Formerly a great martial House, now a fallen power scrambling to recover its dignity and standing.

V’neef (Wood)—Merchants and traders. The youngest and smallest of the Dynastic Houses, but rapidly growing in wealth and inﬂ uence.

MOTIVATION

Choose a driving and epic goal for your character.

VIRTUES

Compassion—Empathy and forgiveness.

Conviction—Determination and emotional fortitude.

Temperance—Mental clarity and self-control.

Valor—Courage and bravery.

BACKGROUNDS

• Allies—Friends and sympathetic associates who help you.

• Arsenal—Weapons or equipment issued from Realm armories for your use.

• Artifact—Wonders of the First Age or other tools or weapons forged by savants from the magical materials.

• Backing—The responsibility and power invested in you by a powerful or inﬂ uential organization.

• Breeding—How richly the blood of the Elemental Dragons runs in your veins; the inherited strength of your Exaltation.

• Command—Authorization to lead soldiers.

• Connections—Well-placed sources of inﬂ uence and information within a particular area of inﬂ uence.

• Familiar—An animal companion.

• Family—The impact of one’s family members upon one’s life.

• Henchmen—Un-Exalted minions in your service.

• Manse—A place of power whose hearthstone you hold.

• Mentor—A powerful (or at least established) instructor or patron.

• Reputation—Your social standing.

• Resources—Wealth and material goods.

• Retainers—Loyal servants.

LOOKSHY’S T ERRESTRIALS

• STEP O NE: CHARACTER C ONCEPT

Choose concept, elemental aspect and Motivation.

Note Aspect’s anima powers.

• STEP T WO: CHOOSING A TTRIBUTES

Note that all nine Attributes start with one dot automatically before you assign any.

Prioritize your Attribute categories: Physical (Strength, Dexterity, Stamina); Social (Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance); and Mental (Percep-

tion, Intelligence, Wits). You have 7 dots to assign to your primary Attribute category, 6 to assign to your secondary one, and 4 to place in the tertiary

category.

• STEP T HREE: CHOOSING A BILITIES

Note Aspect Abilities.

Select Favored Abilities (3; may not be the same as Aspect Abilities).

Choose Abilities (35—at least 13 must be from Aspect or Favored Abilities; at least one must be in each Favored Ability; none may start higher

than 3 without spending bonus points)

Characters born in Lookshy must have a minimum of Archery ••, Linguistics •••, Lore ••, Martial Arts ••, Melee ••, Performance •, Presence

•, Ride •, Stealth • and War ••. Exiles or defectors from the Realm use Dynast character-creation rules except for Backgrounds, which they purchase

as if they were from Lookshy.

• STEP F OUR: SELECT A DVANTAGES

Chose Backgrounds (13—none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points), Charms (Lookshy characters all start play with Wind-Carried

Word Technique and Elemental Bolt Attack, to which they add 6 Dragon-Blooded Charms, 4 of which must come from Aspect or Favored Abilities;

Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded may not start play with Immaculate Martial Arts Charms, but may learn them later on, provided they can ﬁ nd someone to

teach them), and Virtues (5—none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points).

• STEP F IVE: FINISHING T OUCHES

Record Essence (2), Willpower (the sum of the character’s two highest Virtues), Personal Essence pool (Essence + Willpower + any gained from

Breeding), Peripheral Essence pool ([Essence x 4] + Willpower + [the sum of the two highest Virtues] + any gained from Breeding) and health levels

(7 + any gained from Charms).

• BONUS P OINTS

You may spend bonus points at any point in character creation. Bonus point costs may be found on page 99.

ASPECTS

Same as for Dynasts (see pp. 96-97)

GENTES OF THE S EVENTH L EGION

The Gentes of the Seventh Legion are smaller, less powerful and more numerous than the Realm’s Great Houses. Five Major Houses and dozens of lesser

Houses guide the vast portion of Lookshy’s activity. The ﬁ ve major Houses are listed here, but players are welcome to design Houses of their own.

Amilar (Air)—A scholarly family producing many savants, engineers and artiﬁ cers.

Karal (Fire)—A highly respected family of warriors and generals.

Maheka (Earth)—A powerful family of soldiers and industrialists.

Teresu (Water)—Directors of Lookshy’s powerful navy.

Yushoto (Wood)—A Major Gens with a wide range of business interests, also produces many sorcerers.

MOTIVATION

Choose a driving and epic goal for your character.

VIRTUES

Same as for Dynasts (see p. 97)

BACKGROUNDS

• Allies—Friends and sympathetic associates who help you.

• Arsenal—Weapons or equipment issued from the armories of Lookshy for your use.

• Artifact—Wonders of the First Age or other tools or weapons forged by savants from the magical materials owned by you (or your family).

• Backing—The responsibility and power invested in you by a powerful or inﬂ uential organization.

• Breeding—How richly the blood of the Elemental Dragons runs in your veins; the inherited strength of your Exaltation.

• Command—Authorization to lead soldiers.

• Connections—Well-placed sources of inﬂ uence and information within a particular area of inﬂ uence.

• Familiar—An animal companion.

• Family—The impact of one’s family members upon one’s life.

• Manse—A place of power whose hearthstone you hold.

• Mentor—A powerful (or at least established) instructor or patron.

• Reputation—Your social standing.

• Resources—Wealth and material goods.

• Retainers—Loyal servants.

OUTCASTES

• STEP O NE: CHARACTER C ONCEPT

Determine why your character has not joined the Realm or Lookshy.

Choose aspect and Motivation.

Note the anima powers provided by character’s aspect.

• STEP T WO: CHOOSING A TTRIBUTES

Note that all nine Attributes start with one dot automatically before you assign any.

Prioritize your Attribute categories: Physical (Strength, Dexterity, Stamina); Social (Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance); and Mental (Perception, In-

telligence, Wits). You have 7 dots to assign to your primary Attribute category, 6 to assign to your secondary one, and 4 to place in the tertiary category.

• STEP T HREE: CHOOSING A BILITIES

Note Aspect Abilities: Outcastes start with 25 Ability points, at least 13 of which must be from Aspect or Favored Abilities; at least one dot must

be in each Favored Ability; none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points.

• STEP F OUR: ADVANTAGES

Choose Backgrounds (7—except for Breeding, use Backgrounds from the main Exalted book; no Background may be higher than 3 without spending

bonus points), Charms (7 Dragon-Blooded Charms, at least 4 of which must be from Aspect or Favored Abilities; an outcaste with a Mentor 5 sifu who

opts to learn Celestial martial arts [see sidebar on p. 95] get 5 Celestial Martial Arts Charms instead, all of which must be from the same elemental

tree) and Virtues (5—none may be higher than 3 without spending bonus points).

• STEP F IVE: FINISHING T OUCHES

Record Essence (2), Willpower (the sum of the character’s two highest Virtues), Personal Essence pool (Essence + Willpower + any gained from

Breeding), Peripheral Essence pool ([Essence x 4] + Willpower + [the sum of the two highest Virtues] + any gained from Breeding) and health levels

(7 + any gained from Charms).

• BONUS P OINTS

Bonus points (15) may be spent at any time during character creation.

ASPECTS

Same as for Dynasts (see pp. 96-97)

MOTIVATION

Choose a driving and epic goal for your character.

VIRTUES

Same as for Dynasts (see p. 97)

BACKGROUNDS

Lacking the support of the Realm or Lookshy, outcastes have fewer options for Backgrounds. Accordingly, they use the same Background options as Solar Ex-

alted (see p. 110 of Exalted). Since they are Terrestrial Exalts, however, they also have access to the Breeding Background (though it’s expensive, see p. 94).

• Allies—Loyal friends

• Artifact—Wondrous devices of the First Age or weapons and savant-forged tools made of the magical materials

• Backing—Status and authority in a powerful organization.

• Breeding—Pure blood, a strong inherited link to the Elemental Dragons. Rare in outcastes.

• Contacts—Information sources and friends in useful places.

• Cult—Mortals who literally worship you. Unusual for Terrestrials.

• Familiar—An animal companion.

• Followers—Mortals who look to you for leadership.

• Inﬂ uence—Your command of the world around you.

• Manse—A place of power and Essence to which you have the hearthstone.

• Mentor—A wise or helpful teacher and instructor.

• Resources—Wealth and material goods.

BONUS P OINTS

Trait Cost

Attribute 4

Ability 2 (1 if Favored or Aspect Ability)

Background 1 (2 if Background is being raised above 3. Certain Backgrounds may cost more, depending on

the character’s history and circumstances.)

Specialty 1 (2 for 1 if Favored or Aspect Ability)

Virtue 3

Willpower 2

Intimacies 3 to increase starting Intimacies to (Willpower + Compassion)

Essence 10

Charm 7 (5 if Favored or Aspect Ability)

Immaculate/Celestial Martial Arts Charm 10 (7 if Favored or Aspect Ability)

102

CHAPTER FOURCHAPTER FOUR

TRAITS

Most of the traits used in this book are identical to the ones used

in Exalted. Virtues, Abilities, Attributes, Willpower, Essence and the

like are all handled identically or nearly so. For the rules governing

these traits, see the Traits chapter, beginning on page 88 of Exalted.

EXPANDED B ACKGROUNDS

Many Terrestrial Exalts have access to resources far above

and beyond those available to most of the rest of Creation. The

least wealthy and inﬂ uential Dynasts of the Realm live in luxury

beyond the imaginings of many shoguns of the Threshold, and

the soldier-champions of Lookshy carry arms and armor of which

most in Creation have only heard stories. Because of this, several

Backgrounds work differently for most Dragon-Blooded characters

than they do for Anathema or for mortal characters. Additionally,

Terrestrials have several new Backgrounds that are either unsuited

for other characters or not normally available to them.

OUTCASTES, SOLARS AND O THERS

Although several Backgrounds are detailed here that give

Terrestrial characters access to resources signiﬁ cantly better

than those normally available to Solars (or other Exalted), this

does not mean they are necessarily exclusive to Dragon-Blooded

characters—or even that all Dragon-Blooded have access to them.

A Solar who has sworn allegiance to the Cult of the Illuminated,

for example, might be entrusted with weapons forged in Heaven

(represented by the Arsenal Background). Alternatively, Dragon-

Blooded characters with no special connection to the Realm,

Lookshy or another sufﬁ ciently wealthy and inﬂ uential society

might have access to none of the Backgrounds listed here and

be forced to rely on those found in the main rulebook.

As always, this is dependent on the Storyteller. It should

be kept in mind that these Backgrounds help even the playing

ﬁ eld between Terrestrial characters and other types of Exalted,

especially in a mixed-Exalt series. Denying access to these Back-

grounds without some other compensation can leave a character

signiﬁ cantly weaker than the rest of the characters.

ALTERED B ACKGROUNDS

As stated, the complexities of Realm society require the redeﬁ -

nition of certain Background traits. While some require only notes

103

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

on how they apply speciﬁ cally to the culture of the Realm, others

work very differently. Unless mentioned here, existing Backgrounds

work just as they do in Exalted.

ARTIFACT

The scions of the Realm and Lookshy have access to mas-

sive remnants of First Age and Shogunate wonders. The ruins of

Deheleshen included extensive armories of military hardware and

a substantially intact Shogunate military complex, and the Realm

is built upon the Blessed Isle, which though stripped of much of its

mobile military assets at the end of the Contagion, still retained

signiﬁ cant infrastructure and Shogunate-era resources. As a result,

both states—and their satellites, such as Cherak—have access to

substantial resources of jade artifacts and wonders.

This Background represents not only those artifacts the character

has been given for one reason or another, but also those that they have

had an opportunity to purchase, trade for or otherwise acquire before

play begins. They are the character’s property and may be traded or

sold without overt problem (assuming the right paperwork is ﬁ lled

out, and the right bribes are placed)—though House or Gentes elders

might still be annoyed that they were sold without permission.

EVERY D AIKLAVE H AS A S TORY

It is all too easy for Dragon-Blooded characters—even those who do not hail from the Realm, Lookshy or a cadet

house—to accumulate quite an impressive panoply of artifacts. Jade weapons, armor, bracers and other minor wonders are

found in sufﬁ cient quantities, even in the waning days of the Second Age, that it is not difﬁ cult for players to take such

things for granted. Yet players shouldn’t take their wonders for granted.

Every artifact—even those produced in large numbers during the Shogunate—has a unique story behind it. Shogu-

nate-era artifacts—let alone those rare wonders of the First Age—were produced more centuries ago than Stradivarius

violins, Gutenberg bibles or Muramasa katana were to us, and they have as much history behind them. Most artifacts can

be identiﬁ ed as to the sorcerer-smith who forged/created them, and who has carried them (and in which battles they were

used), using the same sort of resources antiquarians use to identify antiques in our world. New weapons and armor are

specially commissioned, and the forge where they were constructed, which sorcerer-engineer oversaw the construction and

the style and ﬁ ttings chosen all tell the knowledgeable foe quite a bit about the character who paid the vast sums necessary

to have new artifacts forged.

A character’s choice of weapons and armor—not just in type, but in name and history—should be a personal one

and should reﬂ ect the character’s personality, his relationship with his family or unit and the lengths to which he’s willing

to go. He might have had to travel out into the Threshold to recover his fallen mother’s panoply, for example, or have

been issued a weapon once carried by a distant ancestor. The destruction or loss of such a weapon is not a trivial thing to

be shrugged off, for most characters. It is a personal and familial disaster, a disgrace to the character’s name and unit, and

many Terrestrials will go to nearly any length to recover a weapon they lost, for reasons of face if not honor.

PURCHASING A RTIFACTS

It is certainly possible to buy, sell and trade artifacts—elder Dynasts, heads of the Gentes and Imperial Army ofﬁ cials

do it all the time—but the market is closer to that of champion racehorses, rare antiquities or priceless artworks than trade

in used weapons or furniture. Dealers in artifacts and wonders sell what they have on hand or can acquire. The market

simply is too small, too expensive and too volatile for dealers to keep any sort of stock on hand for very long. Among other

things, this means that high-Resources characters may not use their massive wealth to sidestep the Artifact or Arsenal

Backgrounds just as play begins.

Typically, non-military and minor artifacts have a value in Resources dots equal to their Artifact rating +1. This can

include minor weapons and armor (daggers, bracers, light armor and the like), but typically, military artifacts and those with

serious agricultural, industrial or construction applications are valued at the wonder’s Artifact rating +2. Truly impressive

and singular artifacts—warstriders, First Age ﬁ eld artillery and other major artifacts—can be rated as high as Artifact +3

(effectively placing most of them beyond the means of any single individual), but they are only very rarely on the market

in the ﬁ rst place. Most such devices have a buyer before they are even recovered.

All trade in artifacts carries with it signiﬁ cant oversight, taxes and duties in most nations, and most governments try

to restrict or ban trade in powerful military hardware—with varying degrees of success.

The Artifact Background grants Terrestrials twice the number

of dots worth of artifacts as normal, although any single artifact

cannot exceed the Dragon-Blood’s rating in Artifact. (A character

with Artifact 3 cannot buy a four-dot artifact, but he can buy two

three-dot artifacts.) Even Dragon-Blood with no rating in this

Background will have a single one-dot artifact of the Storyteller’s

choice, so prevalent are jade wonders in these places.

CONTACTS AND I NFLUENCE

Dragon-Blooded characters do not use these Backgrounds.

Instead, they use Connections.

CULT

It is exceedingly unlikely that any Realm-based Terrestrial Ex-

alt—whether Dynast, lost egg or outcaste—will develop even a single

dot in the Cult Background. Even the scions of the Realm—direct

descendents of the Scarlet Empress—are not venerated by the Cult of

the Scarlet Empress, and the dictates of the Immaculate Philosophy

are designed to encourage obeisance and respect toward the Dragon-

Blooded as a whole, rather than worship of any particular Terrestrial.

Storytellers should allow Realm characters to choose this Background

104

Dynasts have great difﬁ culty in claiming a manse as their own

property. Most households and estates are built around manses, and

being able to purchase the rights to one or more is an essential step

in starting a new household or line.

Rather than representing a single manse to which the character

has laid claim, the Manse rating of a Realm Dragon-Blooded character

indicates generally the number of manses to which she has been at-

tuned. Characters who carry the hearthstone from a manse probably

don’t actually own it, but are instead holding it on extended loan. In

case of family emergency, the stone might be recalled, particularly

if the hearthstone is powerful or unusual in nature. Level-1 and -2

manses are common throughout the Realm and typically used as

vacation dachas, hunting lodges, manor houses for small estates and

the like. Their hearthstones are unlikely to be recalled unless the

Realm is at war or their particular powers are needed.

Non-Dynastic Terrestrials, including those of Lookshy (which

devotes many of its hearthstones to defensive systems and weap-

ons—use the Arsenal Background to reﬂ ect hearthstones issued by

the armorers), use the normal Manse Background found on page

113 of the core Exalted rulebook. Realm Dynasts may be allowed

to purchase the standard version (rather than this alternate) under

certain circumstances. Those who have spent substantial time in

the Threshold might have resources they have developed out there

and not bothered to inform their Houses about, for example.

X The character is not welcome in any of the Realm’s

manses. Why?

• The character has been attuned to several lesser manses

(level 1 and 2) and holds a single hearthstone of level 1

or 2.

only with a very good reason and might wish to charge as much as

double the normal number of Background points to reﬂ ect how difﬁ cult

this Background is to obtain and maintain. (The same is largely true

of Seventh Legion and House Ferem Terrestrials, although they have

more opportunities to develop cults in the Threshold.)

Outcastes in the Threshold, especially those far from strong-

holds of Immaculate teachings, have more opportunity and incentive

to develop religious followings than Dynasts do. Because of their

relative lack of power, such cults tend to be smaller ones. Three

dots or less is the norm, and it would be nearly impossible for any

Terrestrial, except a very old and very powerful one, to develop this

Background to the ﬁ ve-dot level.

FOLLOWERS

Dragon-Blooded cannot take the Followers Background. Dragon-

Blooded who have troops or other large numbers of moderately talented

but largely similar servants at their command should take the Command

Background. Characters who have small numbers of highly skilled

servants should take the Henchmen or Retainers Background.

MANSE

The Blessed Isle has been civilized for Ages upon Ages, and

it’s geomantic resources have long been carefully mapped, tuned

and optimized to enhance the countryside and its citizenry in any

number of ways. Its demesnes have long-since been tamed and had

manses erected over them—many of them dating to the early First

Age in initial construction. The vast majority of these manses are

held by the Great Houses, the Immaculate Order or the Scarlet

Empress herself (now held in trust by Regent Fokuf). Therefore,

105

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

•• The character has attuned to numerous lesser manses and

has stewardship over three levels worth of hearthstones

(none exceeding level 2)

••• The character has been attuned to a small number of

moderately powerful manses or dozens of lesser manses.

She has been granted rights over six levels of hearthstones,

possibly including a single level-3 stone.

•••• The character has been attuned to some of the best

manses of her House or legion and a number of lesser

manses. She has eight levels of hearthstones granted to

her, including a single level-4 hearthstone.

••••• The character is highly trusted and has been allowed to at-

tune herself to some of the Realm’s most powerful manses,

possibly including those that power the massive war manses.

She holds a single level-5 hearthstone, and additional lesser

stones totaling 10 levels (including the large stone).

NEW B ACKGROUNDS

In addition to the standard Backgrounds presented in Exalted,

the Dragon-Blooded have several additional Backgrounds from

which to choose.

ARSENAL

Where Artifact represents those wonders the character has

managed to acquire or those that have been given to her, Arsenal

represents weapons and equipment loaned to her by a larger organiza-

tion—most commonly a Great House, Gens, ﬁ eld force or legion—to

be used in pursuit of that organization’s goals. Although their use is

granted to the character, they remain the property of that organi-

zation and must be returned—in functioning order—on demand.

While such assets might be reasonably static in nature (particularly

for equipment issued to military commands), a character’s superiors

can withdraw and re-issue equipment as needed. Some characters

even ﬁ nd themselves issued new equipment for particular missions as

needed. Storytellers should keep in mind that this is a Background,

bought and paid for, and that players should be allowed to get

their value out of the Background. A character who steals, sells or

otherwise fails to turn in equipment provided by this Background

will face punishment. She might even be hunted down, especially

if she has left the organization that originally issued the gear.

Dots provided by Arsenal may be used to purchase artifacts or

hearthstones, with a maximum level per artifact equal to the rating

in Arsenal. (Arsenal 3, for instance, allows the user to purchase

artifacts or hearthstones of three-dot potency or less.)

Levels in this Background can also be used to equip a character’s

subordinates (Storyteller characters purchased through Command

or Henchmen). When used in this fashion, each level provides a

number of dots of Resources that can be used to purchase exceptional

equipment, thaumaturgical supplies or other hardware (mounts,

vehicles, etc.) as needed. Unlike normal Resources dots, these dots

are spent when used, and the maximum level of expenditure is still

limited by the level of the Background. So, three dots provided by

Arsenal could be used to purchase 10 exceptional straight swords

(Resources 3 each) or 10 exceptional reinforced buff jackets or

some combination of the two.

Characters may choose to pool their Arsenal ratings, represent-

ing the combined treasury of a House military unit, legion payroll

and arsenal, the assets of a trading company or other organizational

unit. Those who do so gain additional beneﬁ ts, in the form of an

additional dot of assets per level per character pooling their resources

past the ﬁ rst. So, for example, four characters’ pooling three levels

of Arsenal creates an asset pool totaling 56 dots of assets, with a

maximum rating of 3. If this option is taken, each asset dot converts

to eight dots of Resources.

These dots of assets can be spent on equipment, artifacts,

hearthstones or other resources as the Storyteller deems appropriate

and are entrusted to the characters as a group—and they will all

share the burden of any losses or unexplained missing gear. Char-

acters may develop separate pools of Arsenal assets (representing

equipment entrusted to the character from another source, or merely

additional trusts handed directly to the character), but the total

number of dots purchased in this background may not exceed ﬁ ve

under any circumstance.

X The character has not been entrusted with any special

assets.

• The character has been issued some minor resources:

two dots to spend on equipment. Alternatively, he may

purchase 15 Resource dots worth of minor equipment

•• Three dots/ 25 Resource dots

••• Five dots/ 40 Resource dots

•••• Seven dots/ 60 Resource dots

••••• Nine dots/ 85 Resource dots

MANAGING A RSENAL

Arsenal can be a very powerful Background if not

managed by the Storyteller, and Storytellers are more than

welcome to disallow it in their games if they feel the need—or

to disallow combining the Background between characters

for the synergistic effects.

Combined Arsenal Backgrounds are intended for char-

acters who are managing or leading military units, trading

companies or other organizations where they have numbers

of followers who need equipping with non-standard gear. It

is not intended as a way for players to load their characters

down with more Artifacts and hearthstones than they can

swagger under. Artifact-laden characters get plenty of beneﬁ t

from the Artifact Background already.

The fundamental rule is that equipment provided by

the Arsenal Background is not the property of the charac-

ters in any way and should never be treated as such by the

players (although their characters may come to regard it as

such) or the Storyteller. Storytellers can and should enforce

reasonable in-game regulations regarding its deployment,

use and penalties for its destruction, particularly regarding

irreplaceable artifacts.

BREEDING

Alone among the Exalted, the Dragon-Bloods are capable

of directly passing their power down to their children. While the

scions of powerful Celestial Exalts bear the mark of their heritage,

it is no more than an echo of power and has as little to do with

the Celestial’s purpose or design as do the mutations bestowed on

those who live too close to an untapped demesne.

Even in the First Age, arranged marriages and careful breeding

programs were used to strengthen the Blood of the Dragons in the

children of Terrestrial Exalts, increasing their chances of Exalting

and the power of those who did. In the Realm, the Great Houses

reﬁ ned this process to a ﬁ ne art. Careful use of marriage incentives,

genealogical research and extended research into the inheritance

of the Blood of the Dragons has resulted in Terrestrials with greater

106

numbers of Exalted in their ancestry and a higher concentration of

the holy Blood of the Elemental Dragons.

In Lookshy, the Terrestrials of the Seventh Legion have taken

a different route. Despite being the largest concentration of Dragon-

Blooded outside of the Realm, they have always lacked numbers

sufﬁ cient for their goals, and their breeding incentives have stressed

proliﬁ cacy rather than power. Better a half-dozen Terrestrials of

moderate power, than a single Dragon-Blood of great puissance.

As a result, although they are as likely to have this Background as

Dynasts are, they only rarely have it at great levels (meaning that

the cost for a character to have four dots or ﬁ ve dots is doubled).

Other outcastes only rarely show signs of Breeding. It takes

several generations of careful eugenics to reveal even low levels of

improvement, and even in the Realm and Lookshy, this Background

is not exactly common. This does not mean, however, that it is

impossible. Just as the Blood sometimes springs forth in bloodlines

that have not had an Exalt in them for generations, so too do feeble

bloodlines combine in surprising ways.

On a metaphysical level, the more pure a character’s bloodline

is, the more powerful his connection to the elemental force of his

aspect is. This elemental resonance manifests in both the character’s

appearance and his spiritual strength. The higher his Breeding is, the

more obvious his elemental markings and anima banner become,

as well as the higher his Essence pools are.

X Your family tree is unremarkable.

• Good blood. +1 to your Personal Essence pool; +2 to your

Peripheral Essence pool. Although your parent might not

be Exalted, your family line has spawned Dragon-Blooded

recently.

•• Very good blood. One of your parents is certainly an Exalt.

+2 to your Personal Essence pool; +3 to your Peripheral

Essence pool.

••• You are the child of an excellent line, probably with

numerous Dragon-Blooded in your immediate family,

with almost all of them sharing your elemental aspect.

+3 to your Personal Essence pool; +5 to your Peripheral

Essence pool.

•••• Impeccable pedigree. The connection both you and your

family have to your chosen element is undeniable. +4

to your Personal Essence pool; +7 to your Peripheral Es-

sence pool; -1 mote from the cost to activate your anima

banner; +1 on the roll to see if your child Exalts.

••••• Your bloodline is impeccable and includes numerous Exalted

of great fame. You might be related directly to the Empress.

Your aspect markings are unmistakable, making it clear to

all who see that you are far more than a mere mortal. Add

+5 to your Personal Essence pool; +9 to your Peripheral

Essence pool; -2 motes to the cost of activating your anima

banner; +2 on the roll to see if a child of yours Exalts.

COMMAND

Because of the character’s wealth, family backing or actual

military rank, he has command of one or more military units. These

units could be part of a legion or ﬁ eld force, members of a House or

Gens private army, a character’s mercenary command or some other

assemblage of troops. If they are personal forces, the character should

have Resources equal to his rating in the Command Background,

to make sure he has sufﬁ cient funds to handle provisioning and

outﬁ tting a military operation (and see the “Building a Legion”

sidebar). If the forces are part of a larger organization (House guard,

Realm legion, etc.), they will be provisioned (at least in part) by

that organization, but are also beholden to that group. In the end,

legion forces belong to the legion, not the character.

Military units do not normally accompany the character ev-

erywhere. They have a barracks location and normally reside there

when they are not on campaign. They answer to the character,

though, they will come when called for, and they normally obey all

but the most outlandish orders. Keep in mind that characters who

occupy government buildings or use their troops to depose the local

prefect will generally be considered to be participating in an armed

insurrection and will likely be executed, disowned or both.

Troops that come from this Background use the “Elite Soldiers”

template found on page 280 of Exalted. They are considered to

be extras.

X None. Either you haven’t earned the right to lead troops,

or you have no interest in doing so.

• You command a single scale (25 soldiers).

•• A talon (125 soldiers).

••• A wing (250 soldiers).

•••• An entire dragon (500 soldiers) ﬁ ghts under your banner.

••••• You are a general or taimyo, and an entire legion or ﬁ eld

force (5,000 to 10,000 soldiers and auxiliaries, depending

on exact makeup) ﬁ ghts for you.

BUILDING A L EGION

An Imperial legion or Seventh Legion ﬁ eld force is

more than just soldiers. There are auxiliary troops, weapons

and harness for the soldiers, artifacts—both weapons and for

support roles—and the ofﬁ cers and adjutants who handle the

day-to-day operations of a ﬁ ghting force. While much of this

auxiliary structure is subsumed in the Command Background

(units have competent mortal ofﬁ cers leading them, have basic

ﬁ ghting equipment suitable for their role, etc.), commanders of

larger units—especially independent ones—will frequently have

some combination of the following Backgrounds as well.

Allies—For God-Blooded or Terrestrial ofﬁ cers at the

higher levels (winglords, shozei, dragonlords, etc.) of his

organization.

Artifact and Arsenal—To provide the unit with siege weap-

ons, warstriders and other major artifacts, as well as to provide

crack units with exceptional hardware, alchemical potions and

substances, walkaways and other minor thaumaturgical aids.

Connections—If the force is part of a larger one, a

general who has no allies within other elements of that force

will quickly ﬁ nd himself cut off from any support whatsoever.

If the force is part of an independent operation, connections

can help win contracts, avoid enemies, gather intelligence on

foes and provide methods of quick escape or places to hole up

when times are hard.

Henchmen and Retainers—For specialist mortal ofﬁ cers

(thaumaturges, spymasters, geniuses at supply “acquisition” and

the like) and the character’s personal bodyguard and adjutants.

Resources—Because soldiers want to get paid, want to get

fed, need replacement armor and weapons, and generally are a

very expensive proposition to maintain in the ﬁ eld.

Storytellers should not necessarily punish characters who

lack these Backgrounds (or should at least make it clear that

they are expected beforehand). Nonetheless, having them gives

ﬂ exibility and depth to a character’s military unit, allowing it

to be a more fully realized part of a series, rather than simply a

screen of warm bodies to soak up Solar attacks.

107

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

CONNECTIONS

Both the Realm and Lookshy are complex societies, with well-

developed webs of institutions, cliques, foundations and social clubs.

The ability to use those webs for one’s personal beneﬁ t is a powerful

one. Characters with connections can guide society in the direction

they wish it to move and grow, protecting their assets or gaining

special favors. Such ability also requires a serious investment of time

and resources, though. Therefore, Dragon-Blooded must focus their

attentions on certain areas of inﬂ uence in order to fully manipulate

any of the Realm’s labyrinthine social structures.

Each area of inﬂ uence (detailed below) is essentially a separate

Background. A character can develop Connections (Military) 4,

Connections (Gens Maheka) 2, Connections (Scavenger Lands

Outlaws) 2 and Connections (Intelligence) 2, or Connections

(House of Bells) 5, Connections (Military) 3 and Connections

(Intelligence) 2, for example.

Connections are direction (North, South, East, West, Blessed

Isle) speciﬁ c, as few have webs of inﬂ uence far-reaching enough to

cover all of Creation. Like many social Backgrounds, connections

are a two-way street. Characters with ties to the House of Bells, for

example, might be asked to provide detailed accounts of unique

battles or to sit a term as guest lecturers on some topic in which

they are well versed. Failing to reciprocate when asked for favors

or information can result in this Background degrading or being

lost altogether.

Note that this Background serves the same function as both

the Contacts and Inﬂ uence Backgrounds in the main Exalted

rulebook.

X None. You lack any ties to the group in question.

• You possess at least one major contact (and a handful of

minor ones) in the group and are moderately inﬂ uential

on the local level.

•• Two major contacts and several minor ones within your area

of inﬂ uence, giving you a great deal of pull in your city.

••• Three major contacts and a large number of minor ones,

making you a person of importance within your region.

•••• Five major contacts and a horde of lesser ones. You are

one of the most inﬂ uential people in the region.

••••• You know all of the major power players in your area of

inﬂ uence, and more importantly, they not only know

who you are, but listen to you as well.

AREAS OF I NFLUENCE

Areas of inﬂ uence are divided into three groups: General,

which are appropriate for any Dragon-Blooded with this Back-

ground; Realm, which are normally appropriate only for Dynasts

and found eggs; and Lookshy, which are normally appropriate only

for members of the Seventh Legion. At the Storyteller’s discretion,

Seventh Legion characters may develop Connections in the Realm,

or Dynasts may develop Connections in Lookshy. While such

characters are nominally hostile toward each other, there are still

occasional exchanges of information, social or economic ties, and

even the rare joint military operation (usually on an impromptu

ad-hoc basis, rather than formalized missions of any sort). Such

ties usually cost double, and should not be developed beyond three

dots—and even that level should be rare.

108

GENERAL

• Academics: From the Heptagram to the dojos and salles of

Lookshy to the academies of Chiaroscuro, you have inﬂ uence in

some institute or center of learning. This institute may be a single

major school (like the Academy of Sorcery) or a number of lesser

institutes, possibly spread over some distance (but usually within

the same region). These connections can be used to inﬂ uence

curriculums, to draw upon the expertise of instructors and scholars

or to create special programs or projects in that school’s special-

ties. Large institutes (such as the House of Bells) will need to be

developed separately, while a number of smaller institutes (dojos

and salles in Lookshy, for example) could be lumped under a single

listing of this Background.

• Family: Blood is not always thicker than water where the

Dragon-Blooded are concerned, but there can be no doubt that

family is an important part of their lives. The families of the Ter-

restrials can be powerhouses in their own right, rivaling or even

superseding local governments in their inﬂ uence or power. From the

Great Houses of the Realm and Cherak to the Gentes of Lookshy,

inﬂ uence in the actions of these major Dragon-Blooded families can

provide great power to a character. Even less well-situated houses

can be substantially useful to an outcaste. Each major House or

Gens must be developed separately, and connections in each bring

with them their own strengths and weaknesses.

• Finance: Bankers, actuaries, brokers and loan sharks might

not be the most exciting individuals in Creation, but they can cer-

tainly be useful connections to have. Even in minor cities far from

the economic powerhouses of Nexus or the Imperial City, they can

provide your character with the ability to manipulate markets and

save or destroy businesses, all in the name of lining her pockets. A

character’s actual available money is a function of Resources, but

he can use ﬁ nancial connections to start or smother businesses,

gain lines of credit for plausible endeavors, crush or support bank-

ing institutions and alter credit records. Clearly, such power over

money is not to be triﬂ ed with—fortunes are made and destroyed

with this sort of pull.

• Government: The character has ties to local government.

Depending on the locale, such ties could include the ear of a major-

domo who is respected by the ruling daimyo, a seat at a Senator’s

table or the love of a minor—but well-placed—functionary. In any

event, the character has the ability to inﬂ uence diverse actions

of the government, such as taxation, law enforcement, record-

keeping, awards and mandates, or nearly any other aspect of law

and governance, depending on the aspect of their connections.

(Having direct connections to the local ruler normally requires at

least three dots in Connections in all but the smallest of polities

in Creation.) The character’s exact level of inﬂ uence depends

on many factors, including synergy with other Backgrounds and

Connections. (Sesus Nagezzer, for instance, has a great deal more

inﬂ uence in the Realm bureaucracies than any but the highest of

Gens elders has in Lookshy.)

• The Guild: Rivaling even the Realm in its inﬂ uence and

power, the Guild is a powerful—and dangerous—tool. Characters

can use their connections to inﬂ uence trade at the local and in-

ternational level, to gain access to illegal goods and services and

to score lucrative contracts of appropriate kinds.

• High Society: In any city of size, social strata divide the social

elite from everyone else. The Dragon-Blooded do not always travel

in these circles of wealth and elegance—even in the Realm—but

they are certainly well suited to them should they ﬁ nd a life of

pleasure alluring. Access to social movers and shakers, celebrities

and the idle rich grants a certain sway over fashion trends, who gets

invited to the top parties and the reputation of friends and rivals.

Combined with Reputation, a moderate number of high-society

connections turns a Dragon-Blood into a debonair darling of the

most exclusive social circles.

• Industry: Industrial power fuels the economic engines of

Creation. Farmers, ranchers, miners, lumberjacks, blacksmiths,

stonemasons, tailors and other workers endlessly churn out the

staples of everyday living. Industrial connections can guide the

character to proﬁ table insider deals, sway the location of work

projects, engineer material shortages and work stoppages and see

to it that the character’s society, company or organization has the

raw materials for growth.

• Intelligence: Information is power. Connections in an

intelligence agency—the All-Seeing Eye of the Realm, the Intel-

ligence Directorate in Lookshy or the agencies of Cherak, the

Tri-Kahn or any other organized intelligence-gathering group in

Creation—represents collaborators and insiders in the halls of

the spymasters, assassins and troubleshooters. By calling on these

connections, you can have rivals investigated, access the secret

intelligence archives, gain insight into military foes and become

privy to the most dangerous secrets.

• Merchants: Although the Guild is certainly the largest

merchant organization in Creation, it is not the only one. Local

merchants might do business only in their own home town, but

more ambitious merchant houses can have far-reaching inﬂ uence,

trading in goods from one or more directions away, and able to

carry missives, contraband or precious cargoes far and wide—for

the right price or the right reason.

• Military: The character has pull in a military unit. This

military could be the Imperial Army of the Realm, the Seventh

Legion of Lookshy, a champion-army of the Hundred Kingdoms,

mercenary units or some other organized military unit. A few care-

ful inquiries and you can uncover military operations. Some pulled

strings and traded favors let characters requisition special equipment

and alter procurement procedures.

Connections in the military, even at the highest levels, are not

a blank check for revolt and insurrection in most nations. Rulers

and House elders keep careful watch on the military, and politically

suspect ofﬁ cers are often kept close to hand—or far from where they

could create mischief. On the other hand, if a character simply

wishes to line his pockets selling substandard hardtack or employ-

ing soldiers for cheap manual labor, it’s unlikely to cause problems

in many places. Seventh Legion ofﬁ cers are kept to heel through a

combination of strict enforcement of (very harsh) military regula-

tions, upbringing and a society that not only encourages younger

ofﬁ cers to question their superior’s actions when they seem out of

line, but is very heavily armed.

• Outlaws: From the Lintha pirates in the Southwest to the

bandit kings of the Rivers Province, from the crime lords of Nexus

to the Prince of Thieves of Chiaroscuro, outlaws are everywhere

in Creation. Although such groups rarely have Creation-wide

scale or inﬂ uence (the Lintha being a notable exception), they

are often quite inﬂ uential—if negatively—in their local region,

sometimes rivaling or exceeding the power of the local military or

law-enforcement agencies. Although they are never completely

trustworthy, having connections in an outlaw group can provide

ties to other criminal organizations, markets for ill-gotten gains,

quick muscle when needed and numerous other useful—if often

less than savory—beneﬁ ts.

109

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

REALM

• The Deliberative: The Realm is ruled by the Dragon-

Blooded, as evinced by the Dynasty’s control over the Deliberative.

A character with connections within the Deliberative can see to

it that legislation favoring her interests is proposed and received

favorably, she can gather favors from patricians and other Houses

in exchange for her political support, and she might even be able

to get herself appointed to the Greater Chamber.

• The Immaculate Order: The Immaculate Order is one of

the most powerful institutions in the Realm, and its policies exert

considerable inﬂ uence over the direction of Imperial politics and

society. Knowing the appropriate Immaculate allows insight into

the doings of the Order, and the use of Immaculate connections can

alter religious policy, affect the assignment of Immaculate lectors,

lead to the denouncement of rivals as heretics and allow access to

secret societies within the Order.

• The Magistracy: In the Realm, the Dragon-Blooded are the

law. The magistrates enforce the rule of the Dragon-Blooded and of

the Empress, acting as judge and executioner. Having friends among

the Magistracy can shield characters from investigation or see to it

that rivals ﬁ nd themselves under suspicion. Connections with the

magistrates can be used to clamp down on (or aggravate) public

disorder, commandeer necessary resources or even have enemies

executed. The magistrates aren’t what they used to be, but their

personal power is still enough to make them feared.

• The Thousand Scales: The Realm is tied together by a

massive Imperial Bureaucracy, and a character with the right con-

nections within it can direct that bureaucracy to her own ends. By

dealing with public servants, such a character can cut through red

tape, bypass rules and regulations or twist bureaucratic regimenta-

tion to her advantage (or use such maneuvering to attack rivals).

Connections within the Thousand Scales are useful for operating or

shutting down businesses, forging or acquiring permits and imperial

seals and manipulating or gaining access to imperial facilities.

Note that the All-Seeing Eye, the Imperial Army and the Mag-

istracy are covered under different areas of inﬂ uence (Intelligence,

Military and the Magistracy, respectively) despite their ostensibly

being part of the greater Imperial Bureaucracy. Storytellers running

series focusing on the Thousand Scales will probably wish to make the

other bureaus or ministries within a separate area of Connections.

LOOKSHY

• The Base Liaison Staff: If an ofﬁ cer wants to hassle a

citizen, prevent his people from being hassled by citizens or simply

arrange for some sort of council meeting, he is going to want to

work through the Base Liaison Staff.

• The Directorates: Contacts in the various Directorates

can be immensely useful. Having a friend in Intelligence can give

a character access to reports that she normally wouldn’t see. Con-

tacts in the Adjutant General can get preferential treatment when

new personnel are assigned to her unit. Contacts in Stores is vital

for any character involved in supplying a unit, while contacts in

Justice could be useful in any number of situations. Contacts must

be developed separately in each Directorate.

• The General Staff: A character with connections in the

General Staff might be a personal friend of a member of the Staff

but, more likely, has contact support personnel who help the General

Staff function on a day-to-day basis. Connections here can help a

character get a feel for why her unit is being sent out on patrol, can

help smooth her way with other branches of the Seventh Legion

and even get orders changed or “lost” for a time.

• The Shogunate: Ties cultivated with the remnants of the

Shogunate Bureaucracy, possibly with the Shogun’s Governor

himself, are largely useful in symbolic functions. Yet they can also

get a character into dinners to which she would never be invited

otherwise, and they can act as a buffer between her and serious

problems. The Governor might be little more than a ﬁ gurehead,

but his word is respected, and he is not entirely powerless.

• Special Operations Units: The warstriders, dragon armor,

rangers, cadres of sorcerer-technicians and other, more obscure (and

secret) divisions of the Seventh Legion form an elite assemblage of

military units, and their respect can be hard to earn. While they

might not actually consider the character one of them, depending

on circumstances, she is familiar enough with the procedures and

rituals of the Special Operations groups that they haven’t written

her off as totally useless. They might just be willing to help her.

FAMILY

It is said in Dragon-Blooded societies that the sins and

boons of the mother are visited upon the daughter—and there

may be some truth to this saying. It is certainly believed that

the blood of particular lines is tainted not only by power but by

certain predispositions—toward generosity or cruelty, toward

valor or cowardice. Whether this is true or not is unknown. It is

certainly true, though, that there are those who rise above their

heritage, redeeming their bloodlines. Dragon-Bloods who live in

communities where such things are valued—such as the Realm’s

Dynasts, Lookshy’s Gentes and many small communities where a

strong Terrestrial bloodline has existed for many generations—are

often held to standards of behavior based as much on who they

are related to as on how they themselves act. Each dot in this

Background represents an immediate Dragon-Blooded relative

or ancestor of some fame (or infamy). Even infamy can provide

a beneﬁ t in some circumstances. Being known as the daughter of

a brutal killer carries with it the threat that the same fate could

fall upon those who cross you.

X There is no one notable in your family, either living or

dead.

• There is one notable member of your family, either living

or dead.

•• There are two notable members of your family, either

living or dead.

••• There are three notable members of your family, either

living or dead.

•••• There are four notable members of your family, either

living or dead.

••••• There are ﬁ ve notable members of your family, either

living or dead.

The player should work with their Storyteller to determine the

nature, sex and status of the relation. It should be a blood relation

no more than a generation or two removed, although exceedingly

historic acts can resonate down four or more generations (and

multiple centuries). The player should also determine what the

character’s notable relative was famous for (and in what context).

The character receives a one-die bonus to all social dice pools

where the relative’s reputation could be relevant. For example, a

character with an aunt known for cruelty to her servants would

receive a one-die modiﬁ er when trying to intimidate the servants

of the same household.

These dice modiﬁ ers can stack if appropriate. A member of

Gens Karal with the right ancestors could end up with a sizable

modiﬁ er for family bravery and strategic skill, for example, as could

110

a member of House Mnemon for sorcery and scholarship. The

modiﬁ ers can also be stacked on a single individual, if appropriate.

A character could have a mother known for her generosity and her

scholarship, for example. This modiﬁ er is granted at the discretion

of the Storyteller and should be fairly ﬂ exible and wide-reaching

within its narrow focus—and occasionally surprise the character

with its scope.

Example: Tepet Maravi Teris is the daughter of Tepet Maravi Sila,

who was commander of the Cold Guard of the 16th Legion when it stood

watch outside Cherak and defeated a large contingent of the dead who

were attacking a mining community there (+1 Tactical skill). While

studying tactics of the Wyld Hunt at an Immaculate cloister prior to

setting out on a vendetta against the Anathema who killed her brother,

she is recognized by one of the Immaculate monks. This monk is the son

of a soldier whose life was saved by Tepet Sila, when the monk was just

an infant. Teris beneﬁ ts from her +1 modiﬁ er, even though normally its

focus would not be relevant.

HENCHMEN

A number of un-Exalted characters of note have sworn oaths

of fealty to the character. Who these characters are depends on the

concept of the character with this Background, although almost any

character concept can be justiﬁ ed. A legion winglord might count his

ofﬁ cers as henchmen, but might also have an un-Exalted savant who

just happens to have been his classmate in ﬁ nishing school as another

henchman as well. An Immaculate monk of some standing might attract

several acolytes, but these seekers of wisdom might once have been

bandits, socialites, soldiers or farmers. Henchmen can be employees or

assassins, friends or investigators, deniable cutouts or trusted secretaries.

In game terms, they are all (or can be) henchmen.

REPUTATION

Dragon-Blooded society is tightly knit, even incestuous—es-

pecially among the Dynasty—with news and gossip traveling at

lightning speed. As a result, a character’s notable exploits that

she doesn’t take pains to conceal will soon become well known

by both her peers and the Dynasty, if not the Realm as a whole.

This reputation can be positive or negative (or even both at once),

and it affects the way others view your character. In situations the

Storyteller deems it appropriate, a character may add her Reputa-

tion rating to her dice pool when making social rolls. In situations

where the reputation is a liability, the character subtracts an equal

number of dice.

It is important for the player and the Storyteller to work together

to create as much detail as possible for the character’s Reputation,

as these details inﬂ uence how and when the Background comes

into play. If a character has a reputation for bedding every Dragon-

Blood in the city, that reputation might help get him invited to

Henchmen are heroic mortals, so use the rules for generating

them found on page 81 of Exalted. It is highly recommended that

henchmen be allowed a single Favored Ability based on their roles.

Immaculate acolytes would have Martial Arts, while a spy would

have Stealth or Larceny, for example. Henchmen are typically

extremely loyal, but see the “Questions of Honor” sidebar.

X None. You have no companions.

• One companion.

•• Three companions.

••• Six companions.

•••• Ten companions.

••••• Fifteen companions.

111

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

QUESTIONS OF H ONOR

Allies, Command, Henchmen and Retainers are very similar Backgrounds, differing mostly in the types of Storyteller char-

acters provided and their number. One signiﬁ cant difference in them is the depth and reasons for their loyalty.

By default, all Storyteller characters provided by Backgrounds are reasonably loyal, but the level of loyalty—and the reasons

why it is given—differs in each case.

Allies are often the character’s friends. They share common origins, bonds of friendship due to shared experiences or inexpli-

cable ties that cement them together despite seemingly utter incompatibility. Their loyalty is the deepest, but it can be the most

fragile, depending on any existing undercurrents of resentment, previous bad behavior or other issues. Other allies are merely friends

of convenience, but even then, their reasons for allying with the character will be strong enough—and long lasting enough—to

make betrayal or abandonment unlikely. They need the character as much as the character needs them.

Soldiers provided by Command are just that: soldiers. Although they answer to their commanding ofﬁ cer and might be ﬁ ercely

loyal to him (in the abstract, if not speciﬁ cally), they often have a higher loyalty to their legion or ﬁ eld force. Characters who command

mercenary companies often ﬁ nd their soldiers more loyal to the silver dinar than to the unit’s good name.

Henchmen are loyal to the character for the things she provides to them. They are her posse, her crew, and while bonds of

friendship are probably involved, their relationship is often a mercenary one, even if it is rarely acknowledged as such. Although such

relationships are often predicated around opportunities, gifts or simply hanging on a character’s wealth, what she provides need not

be monetary, or even physical. Abstracts such as reputation, the cachet of being associated with a hero (or villain) or the teachings

of wisdom provided by a senior Immaculate can all be reasons for henchmen to stay with a character. When they feel they are being

slighted, however—or that the character has no more to offer them—henchmen can be among the quickest to abandon a character.

Retainers are servants, but they are often incredibly loyal ones. The manservant taking over duties preparing the son when the

father no longer requires his services, the maid who has helped raise the family’s favored daughter since birth, the loyal bodyguards who

have stood watch over their young mistress since she was a child and ﬁ rst sent to academy—these are all examples of retainers.

None of these factors are absolute. Every character’s retinue is unique, and Storytellers should work with players to determine the

limits and nature of the relationships involved in each case. These bonds of loyalty can change as the series progresses. Even the most

loyal servant will eventually revolt if he is continually mistreated, and soldiers and henchmen who are supported and rewarded for good

behavior—and justly and fairly punished when they step out of line—will respond to this treatment with continued (and increasingly

personal) loyalty. The good commander or lord knows this and can gather around herself a cadre of unhesitatingly loyal underlings who

will follow her straight into the heart of Malfeas. Conversely, fools end up being abandoned by all those who once called them friend,

making them easy prey for those who have the support of their loved ones.

important social gatherings, but it’s not going to help him during

negotiations to buy a sailing ship. A general with a reputation for

offering fair treatment to foes who surrender without a ﬁ ght will

ﬁ nd it easier to negotiate the surrender of opposing forces, especially

if she also has a reputation for merciless brutality against any who

dare stand against her. A reputation need not necessarily be true.

A coward might luck into becoming known as a war hero, while

a shady swindler could have the reputation as the most honest

merchant in the city.

X You have yet to make a name for yourself.

• You’re well known in your set.

•• Your name is bandied about in your part of the Dy-

nasty.

••• Everyone in the Dynasty knows well your legend.

•••• Tales of your exploits have spread across the Realm.

••••• Your legend has preceded you even to the far corners of

the Threshold.

RETAINERS

One constant in the lives of Dynasts is servants. From the

moment he wakes in the morning, until he lays head to pillow at

night, a Dynast is surrounded by a cloud of servants. Secretaries,

bodyguards, cooks, stewards, armsmen, maids, concubines, aides-

de-camp, farriers, drivers and a host of others wait on their every

whim and insulate the Terrestrials from those with whom they do

not wish to interact.

Ofﬁ cers of the Seventh Legion, while rarely as thoroughly

surrounded, are still expected to maintain a personal staff beﬁ tting

their rank. Even a taizei can be expected to have a steward, a cook

and a pair of personal bodyguards unafﬁ liated with his command.

He might also perhaps have a concubine or two, though some would

see it as vaguely decadent.

Retainers are mortal characters—though not normally rising

to the status of heroic mortals—so use the rules for mortal character

generation found on page 81 of the main Exalted rulebook. They

should not typically be treated as extras. Retainers can be used to

represent highly trained, but mortal and non-heroic combatants,

such as low-ranking ofﬁ cers in a legion, elite troops or rangers.

Retainers are generally quite loyal to their master, but see the

“Questions of Honor” sidebar.

X None. You have no retainers, being either of low rank,

unsavory reputation or stoic disposition.

• Two retainers, usually a steward and an aide-de-camp.

•• Five retainers, normally including a cook and possibly a

bodyguard

••• Nine retainers, likely incorporating a pair of bodyguards,

a steward, a cook and a secretary.

•••• Thirteen retainers or a lesser number of more skilled

aides.

••••• Twenty retainers, almost certainly incorporating armsmen,

bodyguards, and concubines; the retinue of a general, or

the spoiled child of a greater Gens.

112

Aspects

of Air

Air permeates. Its presence is often forgotten, rarely per-

ceived—until it leaves, or explodes into thunderheads of rage

and fury. Air can be felt, but not seen, moved, but not held. The

Children of Mela are quick of mind and subtle in action—except

when thought calls for fury, when they explode with the anger

of the storm.

Air-aspected Terrestrials are creatures of research and

creativity, harnessing their creativity in service of their ideals.

They think in grand—some say grandiose—fashion, seeking to

elevate even lowly concepts into tremendous implementations.

Their battle plans are intricate strategies that are studied for years

to come, their sorceries are subtle displays of understanding, and

their relationships are epic tales passed down through the

centuries. Their schemes range from subtle arrangements

as invisible as the eddies that make candle ﬂ ames ﬂ icker

to masterful and ornate plans with the fury and splendor

of a hurricane.

The Children of Mela scorn mundane pursuits, their

idealism and elitism leading them to goals more grand than

base. An Aspect of Air pursues wealth not for its own sake,

but for the things it allows him to do with it. He masters the

art of warfare not to crush his enemies, but to earn the glories

of victory. He studies sorcery not for base power, but for the

spiritual understanding its mastery brings. Purely material

goals are left to others.

Air-aspected Terrestrials are dreamers and schemers

in societies, planners and strategoi. The ideas and plans

they create become the work for their Terrestrial cousins or

mortals to carry out. Children of Mela learn from the past, solve the

problems of the present and create plans for growth and improvement in the

future. Their visions are inspirations, exhorting their followers and peers to

seek beyond the present, to revise the ideas of the past and to create a more

perfect tomorrow. The winds they send to assure the future’s greatness are

sometimes tumultuous, scattering outmoded ideas and practices no matter

how cherished, but this is meaningless to the Children of Mela—tomorrow

is what matters.

113

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

An Aspect of Air who belongs to a sworn brotherhood does

not see her brotherhood as it is, but rather how it could be. She

inspires her brothers and sisters to greatness, imploring them to

seek out their perfection.

Failings: Air-aspected Dragon-Blooded are great dreamers,

but magniﬁ cent thought does not always translate into glorious ac-

tion. More than one Aspect of Air has seen his grand ideas become

nothing more than empty air because he was unable or unwilling

to get his hands dirty to make his dreams a reality.

The Immaculate Dragons: The Air-aspected followers of

Sextes Jylis are social engineers, directing their schemes toward the

improvement of the society surrounding them. They are more willing

to consider the costs of their plans on others than most Chosen are.

Emulators of Pasiap seek enlightenment and spiritual awakening for

themselves and those around them. Air Aspects following the path

of Hesiesh are elitist even by the standards of the Children of Mela,

conserving their mental energies for the most difﬁ cult and important

problems or ideals. Those who follow Daana’d challenge their intellect

beyond the breaking point, seeking mastery of esoteric, dangerous and

even forbidden mysteries. Those Air Aspects who follow the path of their

progenitor, Mela, are perfectionists beyond measure, endlessly reﬁ ning

and developing their plans and ideas until they are without ﬂ aw.

Aspect Markings: Aspects of Air are typically lithe and thin.

Their skin has a natural bluish or whitish tint, strengthening in those

of high Breeding. As their Essence increases, Air-aspected Dragon-

Blooded begin to be surrounded by moving winds, a continuous breeze

that increases in intensity as they become angry or agitated and can

be stilled only with effort. Elder Air Aspects often have ice-cold skin

and carry the scent of the breeze or lightning storms. The oldest,

most powerful Terrestrials of Air carry with them a small storm of

lightning, surrounding all they touch with a static charge.

Aspect Anima: An Air-aspected Dragon-Blood’s anima

radiates out in an aura of white and pale blue, taking the aspect of

roiling clouds and wind gusts. Massive expenditures of Essence bring

with them explosions of lightning, howling winds, phantasmal air

dragons or gusts of snow and ice.

An Aspect of Air can spend ﬁ ve motes to attune his anima to

the winds. For the duration of a scene, the Exalt is surrounded by a

swirling vortex of air, which functions as a weakened version of the

Stormwind Rider spell. The Dragon-Blood may triple his leaping

distance, and he takes no damage from falls, as gusts buoy him and

slow his descent. Finally, the Dragon-Blooded may add his Essence

to his Defense Value against Thrown and Archery attacks, as the

winds buffet ranged weapons in order to protect their master.

Aspect Abilities: The Exalts of Air are masters of scholarship

and reason, and creatures of subtle action. Accordingly, their Aspect

Abilities include Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth and Thrown.

The Great Curse: Air Aspects whose curse lies in Compassion

hold idealistic views of how the world should work, reacting poorly

when confronted with the realities of life’s cruelties. Those suffering

the curse of Conviction can become so ﬁ xated on their dreams of

the future that they cannot hear the screams of the present, driving

them to acts of great brutality in pursuing their goals. The curse of

Temperance inﬂ icts great moral standards upon those who suffer it,

and they can vent their frustrations at not living up to their lofty

goals of purity with the fury of the hailstorm. Those who suffer

curses of Valor take excessive pride in their mental abilities, and

react with great storms of argument and violence, or place undue

trust in their plans and abilities, placing their lives—and those of

their followers—at great risk.

Associations: The color blue, the Maiden of Serenity, the

season of Air and the northern direction

Sobriquets: Azure Dragons, Children of Mela, Tempestuous

Knives

Concepts: Seeker after forbidden mysteries, sorcerer-engineer,

criminal mastermind, idealistic bureaucrat, strategos

Our thoughts move as lightning,

and our words are carried on the storms.

Challenge us not.

114

Aspects

of Earth

Earth abides. Mountains withstand the press of time, changing little

even since the First Age. Stone and earth are the ever-enduring funda-

ment upon which all Creation depends. The Earth Aspects reﬂ ect this

unchanging nature. The Children of Pasiap understand the importance

of tradition and ritual; they provide a framework upon which society and

culture is supported and depends. Actions become habit, which become

rituals, which become traditions, because they are important, and because,

in the end, they work. Things that do not work pass into oblivion.

The Earth-aspected Terrestrial Exalts are living embodiments of sta-

bility and tradition, adhering to practices and methods that have become

honored and time-tested over the centuries. They follow the intricate

dance of courtship rituals because the process produces stable relation-

ships. They study the teachings of the Immaculate Dragons because those

teachings are proven methods of gaining spiritual understanding. They

train themselves in martial arts because the study is proven to prepare the

student physically and mentally for both life and war.

How exactly an Aspect of Earth approaches tradition and ritual is

personal, of course. For some, ritual is like the dirt beneath one’s feet,

adapting and giving where necessary to smooth one’s path. For others,

it is akin to clay, malleable and shifting when necessary, but not

without effort. And for many, tradition is like granite, solid and

unyielding, ﬁ xed in form and function for the Ages.

The Children of Pasiap value those things that endure.

Lasting friendships are more important than brief alliances.

Centuries-old magic, tactics and weapons are encouraged

over experimental sorceries, unproven strategies and un-

tested arms. Obliteration of ones enemy is preferred to a

temporary victory, and long-term economic stability is preferred

to short-term windfall proﬁ ts. Frivolities and fancies have their

place, but they pale when compared to matters of lasting import.

The eternal value of spiritual enlightenment is judged more

important than any material matter.

Earth-aspected Terrestrials are the backbone and granite

souls of their societies. Their staunch upholding of their beliefs

forms a solid foundation to their culture upon which others can

build. Traditional and steadfast, the Children of Pasiap believe that

115

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

the old ways are often the best ways, and they stubbornly defend the

ways and beliefs to which they hold. If a new thing can stand on its

own, they reason, it could be worthy of protection at some future

date. If it cannot, then it was never worthy of consideration.

Earth-aspected members of sworn brotherhoods are the stony

pillars from which their brothers and sisters draw strength—if not

exactly comfort. Their iron conviction and steadfast devotion

propels the group toward the completion of any action to which

it commits. Earth-aspected Terrestrials rarely enter into the bonds

of the sworn brotherhood lightly, out of respect for the traditions

of the bonded circle, but once they commit to such a group, their

dedication is unwavering and absolute.

Failings: Earth-aspected Dragon-Bloods are well respected for

their devotion and dedication to that in which they believe. Unfor-

tunately, this iron will can make them exceedingly difﬁ cult to work

with. The Children of Pasiap are notorious for being stubborn and

bullheaded. Once an Aspect of Earth has made up his or her mind about

something, changing it can be like trying to move a mountain.

The Immaculate Dragons: Earth Aspects who follow the

path of Hesiesh are hidebound traditionalists, placing little trust

in the contemporary and untested, preferring that which is time-

honored and proven. Those who walk with Daana’d press beyond

their breaking point, seeking enlightenment through grueling ritual,

asceticism and challenging sorceries. Emulators of Mela are seekers

after personal perfection, seeing mastery of themselves in mastery

of tradition. The followers of Sextes Jylis are inquisitors and mis-

sionaries, stressing the power of tradition while they strike down

the unrighteous. And the followers of their progenitor, Pasiap, are

builders and architects of great buildings, trade associations, armies

and political coalitions.

Aspect Markings: Children of Pasiap tend toward two body

types—the compact and stocky, and the massive and powerful.

Their skin is often of a stony tint—the brown of freshly turned

loam, the blue-gray of slate or the gray-white of granite. This

tone becomes even more pronounced as they grow older. Their

skin hardens as they age and grow in power, taking on a stony

texture ranging from that of polished marble to the rough texture

of sandstone or hewn granite. Aspect elders often smell of turned

soil, moist clay or sand.

Aspect Anima: The anima of an Earth-aspected Terrestrial

erupts in a mantle of yellow and white light, glittering like a gemstone

or shifting like sands in the wind. Massive expenditures produce

phantoms of badgers or bulls, great stone constructs, earth dragons

or the Imperial Mountain. Such displays are often accompanied by

the sounds of avalanches, earthquakes or volcanoes.

An Aspect of Earth can spend ﬁ ve motes to attune his or her

anima to the nearby stone, taking on the durability of the earth

itself. For the duration of the scene, the Exalt may soak all lethal

damage with her full Stamina. She may also add her Essence to

dice rolls to resist grappling attacks or to avoid knockback. Finally,

she may add her Essence to her Stamina for all purposes, but only

while her feet rest on either earth or stone.

Aspect Abilities: Earth Aspects are builders and makers. They

carry the strength of the Earth in their blood and their beliefs, making

them enduring beyond measure. Their insight and perception gives

them a keen strategic sense. Aspects of Earth have an afﬁ nity for the

Abilities of Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance and War.

The Great Curse: Compassion drives the Earth-aspected to

rage or despair when the institutions she cherishes are jeopardized.

Conviction pushes the Children of Pasiap to cruel extremes to

protect their traditions and ideals, and punish those who threaten

them. Temperance leads them to focus their totality on the things

they consider important and to destroy those that cannot or will

not match these levels of devotion. Valor forces them to react with

rage when beloved traditions are challenged or drives them to insane

dangers in the belief that time-honored beliefs and practices will

see them through.

Associations: The color white, the Maiden of Battles, the

season of Earth and the central direction

Sobriquets: Children of Pasiap, Ivory Dragons, Stone Fists

Concepts: Craftsperson, general, Immaculate monk, histo-

rian, judge

When the earth moves,

nothing but ruins remain.

Do you dare to challenge the Princes of the Earth?

116

Aspects

of Fire

Fire burns. This is its essence—its very being. When something no longer

burns, the ﬁ re is not resting, but dead. Fire engulfs all it comes across, leaving

only ash as it lights its way. So it is with the Aspects of Fire. Their passions burn

with a purity and light that few others will ever match. Passion is everything

to the Children of Hesiesh. Motion is life, and those who no longer move or

feel no longer live.

A Fire-aspected Dragon-Blood lives her entire life in exclamation points.

When she loves, she loves completely. What she believes, she takes to heart

with a zealotry none can match. What she hates, she hates with the fury of

the Unconquered Sun himself. Sometimes, a Fire Aspect’s passion burns like

the damped embers of a sleeping hearth, its heat barely noticeable until one

gets close. Other times, it burns with the fury of the volcano or the forest ﬁ re,

scarring any who approach.

No deed is meaningless to the Children of Hesiesh. They undertake ritual

and tradition because they believe in their faith. They commit to battle—in

the boardroom, in the ballroom or on the ﬁ eld of honor—because they have

faith in the cause or the people. Their passions in the bedroom are as total

and singular as they are anywhere else, if more ﬂ eeting. Trite, meaning-

less activities are for colder, timid souls. The Fire-aspected do things

because it is what their passions drive them to do.

The Fire Aspects are the driving forces in their societies,

their passions sparking ﬂ ames in the hearts of others. They

challenge hallowed traditions, attack complacency and play

devil’s advocate to make sure that beliefs and traditions are

re-examined, discarded when they become outmoded, and

puriﬁ ed and strengthened if they are useful but incomplete.

Those things that burn to ash in the scrutiny of the Children

of Hesiesh were meaningless and of little value. Otherwise, they

would have withstood passion’s ﬂ ames.

In sworn brotherhoods, Aspects of Fire challenge assumptions

and renew passions, reminding their comrades of their purpose. A Fire Aspect’s

loyalty to her circle is rarely questioned—her passions would not have driven

her to the oath if her loyalty was less than total.

Failings: Passion is what drives the Fire-aspected Dragon-Blooded to great-

ness, yet it also drives them to destruction. Fire Aspects follow their passion, be

it love or hate, even if it leads them to death and tragedy. Many are the plays

in the Realm feature a Fire-aspected protagonist whose passion consumes the

very thing she loves.

117

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

The Immaculate Dragons: Fire-aspected Terrestrials who

follow the path of Daana’d focus and purify their passion—and

seek to inﬂ ame the passions of those around them—through chal-

lenge and strife. Those who emulate Mela seek perfection in all

aspects of their life, but are especially drawn to conﬂ ict, and are

often zealous warriors. Followers of Sextes Jylis use their passions

to strengthen their society and those who dwell in it. Those who

revere Pasiap channel their passions toward enlightenment, shar-

ing their blazing inspiration as instructors or priests. Finally, scions

of the progenitor, Hesiesh, marshal their passions in the pursuit

of those things they ﬁ nd most meaningful, allowing other, lesser

things to pass them by.

Aspect Markings: The skin of the Children of Hesiesh typically

has a reddish tint, and their hair is often a similar color. Breeding

and age deepens this tone, growing a deep crimson in the most

powerful. Some older Fire Aspects are known to exhale smoke as

they speak, and in rare cases, their hair can take on the aspect of

ﬂ ame or their skin grow hot to the touch, as if the Terrestrial were

taken with a deathly fever.

Aspect Anima: A Fire-aspected Terrestrial’s anima banner is

a blazing aura of ﬁ re—red and yellow, orange and white, ﬂ ickering

and dancing like a bonﬁ re. Great expenditures of Essence result

in massive eruptions of ﬂ ame, ﬂ ickering phantasms of phoenixes,

tigers and ﬁ re dragons, and the scream of the blast furnace or the

roar of a raging ﬁ re.

At the expenditure of ﬁ ve motes of Essence, the Children

of Hesiesh can draw on their inner passions, forcing their anima

banner to erupt. For the duration of the scene, the Exalt is sur-

rounded by a corona of ﬂ ames, which inﬂ icts no damage on his

body or possessions but affects anything else he touches as normal

ﬂ ames would. Any bare-handed or grappling attacks against the

Exalt cause the attacker to suffer a number of lethal damage dice

equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence, and any similar attacks made

by the Dragon-Blood inﬂ ict an additional number of damage dice

equal to his Essence as well. The Exalt can also ignite ﬂ ammable

materials with a touch.

Aspect Abilities: Constantly in motion, physically and

mentally, Fire Aspects are the embodiment of passion and energy.

They are paragons of physical activity and social interaction, giv-

ing them a natural afﬁ nity with Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence

and Socialize.

The Great Curse: Compassion drives the Children of Hesiesh

to rage or despair when those she cares about are threatened—or

possibly merely when she witnesses great injustice or unrighteous-

ness. Conviction pushes Fire Aspects to inﬂ ict widespread suffering

in the pursuit of their passions, without regard for the damage they

cause in pursuit of their goals. Temperate Fire Aspects are no rarity,

their passions directed toward self-perfection and enlightenment.

The Great Curse drives them toward scorching hatred of all those

who cannot live up to their impossible standards—including them-

selves. Valor is perhaps the most common ﬂ aw in the Children of

Hesiesh, and a valorous Fire Aspect in the throes of Limit Break

becomes an immolating engine of devastation, as his hatred for his

foes overwhelms all reason and thought of negotiation.

Associations: The color red, the Maiden of Journeys, the

season of Fire and the southern direction

Sobriquets: Burning Swords, Children of Hesiesh, Crimson

Dragons

Concepts: Fiery crusader, legion ofﬁ cer, passionate scholar,

cunning socialite, contrary politician

You were fools to challenge me!

Fire consume your soul as Fire takes your life!

118

Aspects

of Water

Water ﬂ ows. It encompasses and covers all that it

comes across. Its shape is ﬂ eeting and impermanent, taking

the form of whatever holds it, but keeping that shape only as

long as it is held. The Aspects of Water are as mercurial as the sea.

They adapt and shift viewpoints rapidly, changing to react to every

new development and piece of information. The Children of Daana’d

ﬁ ll every possible role, exploit every possible opening and wear away even

the most resolute of resistance, until ﬁ nally only Water stands triumphant.

Change is life to the Children of Daana’d, and that which cannot or will

not adjust and change as warranted is doomed to destruction.

Water-aspected Dragon-Bloods embody change. Challenge forces them

to react and adjust, becoming stronger in the process. Social events teach them

to excel in grace and poise. Combat instructs them in the art of warfare. Research

and education extends their knowledge and their wisdom. Some Water Aspects are

patient like the slow trickle of water down a mountain, eventually wearing grooves

into even the greatest stones. Others are kin to the hurricane, rising up and smashing

everything that stands in their path.

Failure is not an option to the Child of Daana’d. If one plan of attack fails to obtain

the objective, she adapts and tries a different strategy. If a political opponent is obstinate,

she allies with another of his enemies. If a subject of research proves itself intractable, she at-

tacks it from another direction or seeks a different solution to the problem. Failure is for those

who lack the ﬂ exibility and ﬂ uid nature to take the steps necessary to ensure success.

The Water-aspected Dragon-Bloods are problem solvers, bringing practical—if sometimes

unconventional—solutions to the issues that face their society. Conﬂ ict—military, economic,

social or political—is opportunity for growth, and the Children of Daana’d help their society

navigate its way through these troubles. Without conﬂ ict, they reason, there is no challenge, and

stagnant waters are dead waters.

119

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

Water Aspects take on a similar role within a sworn brother-

hood, using their ﬂ exibility and adaptive nature to complement the

strengths and shore up the weaknesses of their brothers and sisters,

helping them to adapt and grow stronger in the face of adversity.

Failings: Although they are able nurturers, encouraging growth

through triumph over adversity, Aspects of Water can become

smothering. It is all too easy for them to become overbearing, ﬁ xated

on solving others’ problems for them, forcing needless conﬂ icts and

drowning any chance of individual growth.

The Immaculate Dragons: Aspects of Water who follow

the path of Mela emphasize their ﬂ exibility and adaptive nature,

especially in the arts of war. They are masters of unconventional

and asymmetric warfare, striking from the shadows and disappear-

ing as quickly as the receding tide. Those who emulate Sextes

Jylis are nurturers and hunters, bringing aid and comfort to those

in need—and death to heretics. Those on the path of Pasiap bring

their ever-changing focus to the goal of enlightenment, becoming

skilled—if unconventional—theologians and religious leaders.

Followers of Hesiesh are traditionalists, reserving their quicksilver

talents to protect their loved ones and culture. Finally, followers

of the progenitor, Daana’d, are devoted believers in the concepts

of self-sufﬁ ciency and growth through adversity. Their challenge

is to excel in all spheres of conﬂ ict.

Aspect Markings: Aspects of Water tend to a sinewy, nearly

hypnotic grace of motion, and a stillness in repose that is nearly im-

mobility. Their skin and hair often have a blue-green tint, deepening

with age, and the eldest and most powerful are often nearly ebony

in color, reﬂ ecting the deep waters. Water-aspected Dragon-Bloods

often smell of open waters—from the clean scent of a mountain

brook or the crisp tang of the sea.

Aspect Anima Banner: The anima banner of a Water Aspect is

a rippling halo of blues and greens, rolling like the ocean waves. As

the banner increases in power, blacks and wave-cap whites mix into

the colors, and phantom whirlpools, waterspouts and water dragons

ﬂ ash in the banner. The noise that accompanies the banner can be

the roar of a ﬂ ooding river, the cascading crash of the pounding surf

or, sometimes, the stiﬂ ing silence of the darkest waters.

At the cost of ﬁ ve motes of Essence, the child of Daana’d

suffuses her being with the power of Water. For the duration of a

single day, the Exalt has complete water freedom. She can breathe

water as easily as air and is incapable of drowning. She also suffers

no environmental penalty for any actions she takes underwater,

including such improbable actions as ﬁ ring a bow or throwing a

chakram. As a ﬁ nal bonus, the Exalt can walk across the surface of

a body of water as easily as dry land.

Aspect Abilities: Water Exalts have a shrewd understanding

of complex systems, and their ﬂ exible minds give them the ability

to navigate even the most difﬁ cult situations. Aspects of Water have

a natural afﬁ nity with the Abilities of Bureaucracy, Investigation,

Larceny, Martial Arts and Sail.

The Great Curse: Compassion drives the Children of Daana’d

to focus on those things they seek to nurture to the exclusion of all

else. They go to extreme lengths to protect these things, forgoing

other tasks—and sometimes drowning them. Conviction can turn

them into a great tidal wave, smashing aside and washing away

anything that stands between them and their goals, regardless

of the cost. Temperate Children of Daana’d are akin to the still

reﬂ ecting pool, but turbulent riptides course beneath the calm

surface, savaging any who disturb their tranquility. And the Water

Aspect whose curse is based in her Valor becomes akin to the wa-

terspout, seeking to batter and destroy any problem—or potential

problem—she comes across.

Associations: The color black, the Maiden of Secrets, the

season of Water and the western direction

Sobriquets: Children of Daana’d, Drowning Hands, Sable

Dragons

Concepts: Uncanny martial artist, relentless magistrate, ship

commander, deal broker, assassin

The surf leaves little in its wake but debris.

Do not challenge the tide,

lest you be dragged under.

120

Aspects

of Wood

Wood lives. The Aspect of Wood is life itself—the

cycle of birth, growth, maturity, death and rebirth that

is fundamental to the natural way of things. The Exalted

of Wood have an inherent understanding of this process

that few others share. They are intimately familiar with

the sacriﬁ ces that must sometimes be made to ensure a

thriving ecology. That which does not grow—in power,

knowledge, enlightenment or any other way—is dying.

The Children of Sextes Jylis crave experience and

sensation, and every action they take is in pursuit

of living life to the fullest. Life to the Wood

Aspect is a banquet to be sampled from at every

opportunity. Whether it is a ﬁ ne wine, an ex-

cellent courtesan, a masterfully produced meal

o r the sensation of accomplishment

brought on by enlightenment, all

are equal in value to the Exalted

of Wood. Some Aspects of Wood

seek out experience and pleasure

like an annual ﬂ ower, knowing that

life is ﬂ eeting even for the Terrestrial

Exalted. Others emulate the mighty trees

of the East, stretching their experiences out over

decades or even centuries.

Every moment is an opportunity to experience and

grow to the Child of Sextes Jylis, and nothing is taken for

granted. Every conﬂ ict is a lesson in ability and limitations. Every

meal is an opportunity to reﬁ ne and enhance understanding of ﬁ ne

cuisine, and every affair a course in relationships, loss and love.

Even death brings greater understanding of life’s cycles. Those

who blunder through life without truly understanding its myriad

opportunities for new lessons are fools.

As a gardener prunes and cultivates his gardens to maximize

its health, beauty and harvests, so too do the Exalted of Wood seek

to improve their society, supporting those who help society grow

in a pattern they ﬁ nd pleasing and weeding out those who might

corrupt their design.

121

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

The Children of Sextes Jylis serve a similar role in a sworn

brotherhood. They seek to shape the group into a thing of wonder,

nurturing the traits in their sisters and brothers they ﬁ nd pleasing

and pruning those that might threaten the health and beauty of

their bonded circle.

Failings: While their love of sensation serves them well as

a source of wisdom, it is all too easy to become trapped in waste-

ful debauchery. Many of Creation’s most notorious hedonists are

Wood-aspected Dragon-Bloods.

The Immaculate Dragons: Wood-aspected followers of Pasiap

work to guide their society toward a deeper spiritual understanding

and are often ruthless in their pursuit of heretics. Those who choose

the path of Hesiesh are prudent in their choice of sensation, often

seeking to extend each experience for as long as possible. Follow-

ers of Daana’d are devotees of the extreme, testing themselves

through powerful experiences. The path of Mela is the path of the

venomous garden—beautiful to behold, but deadly to the touch.

Finally, those who walk the path of the progenitor, Sextes Jylis,

are famous as healers and protectors, seeking to enrich society by

nurturing its members.

Aspect Markings: Aspects of Wood often have a greenish

tint to their skin, and their hair can vary from the woody brown

of bark to the bright green of pine needles to all the crimsons and

oranges of the Eastern forest in fall. As they age and grow in power,

their skin deepens to a brilliant emerald. In extreme cases, it can

take on the texture and aspect of bark, especially along the back

and shoulders. Some sprout ﬂ owers in their hair, especially along

the temples. Many have a natural scent reminiscent of pine, fresh

fruit or ﬂ owers, or other plants.

Aspect Anima: The anima banner of a Wood Aspect blooms

as a bright green glow, ﬂ exing and waving like leaves in the wind

or the stalks of grass in a ﬁ eld. Great expenditures of Essence bring

phantasms of thorn tangles, giant ﬂ owers, massive trees or wood

dragons. The banner is often accompanied by the sound of a strong

wind moaning through a great forest.

At a cost of ﬁ ve motes, the Wood Aspect can align his Essence

with the power of all growing things. For the duration of a scene,

the Exalt can render himself completely immune to the effects of

any plant-based poison. This power is reﬂ exive, and the Exalt need

not know that he has been poisoned prior to activating this power.

Indeed, while this effect is active, the Dragon-Blood becomes a

walking plant toxin. If the Exalt makes skin-to-skin contact with

someone while this power is active, the target’s player must make

a successful (Stamina + Resistance) roll against a difﬁ culty equal

to the Exalt’s Essence or suffer the effects of poisoning. Finally, the

Dragon-Blood can add his Essence to his Defense Value against

Archery attacks and any attacks using wooden or wood-hafted

weapons, as the wooden shafts themselves struggle to avoid hit-

ting the Exalt.

Aspect Abilities: Wood-aspected Exalts have a natural con-

nection with living things and are intimately tied to the cycle of

life. Their connection to anything that lives—or once lived—gives

them a natural afﬁ nity for the Abilities of Archery, Medicine,

Performance, Ride and Survival.

The Great Curse: A Wood Exalt whose Virtue Flaw derives

from her Compassion will often be one who focuses on the nurturing

aspect of life, with her Limit Break resulting from witnessing the

things she guides and protects being threatened or destroyed. One

whose Flaw derives from Conviction focuses on weeding out and

pruning those things that weaken her garden, and she becomes cold

and cruel in the pursuit of her perfect garden. Temperance brings

with it wild binges of excess or ascetic remorse and self-loathing

at perceived weakness and lack of control. Valor-driven Children

of Sextes Jylis seek out hazardous and extreme circumstances,

heedless of the risk and dangers in which they place themselves

and their loved ones.

Associations: The color green, the Maiden of Endings, the

season of Wood and the eastern direction

Sobriquets: Ashen Bows, Children of Sextes Jylis, Emerald

Dragons

Concepts: Inquisitor, healer, merchant prince, sybarite,

bodyguard, courtier

Life’s endless cycle cannot be denied,

and even in the harshest of climes, life thrives.

As long as there is life, there is hope—and life is everywhere.

122

OTHER R ULES

A number of other, minor rules govern the use of Dragon-

Blooded characters. Where these rules do not speciﬁ cally say

otherwise, Dragon-Blooded are treated exactly as any other sort of

Exalted. This includes but is not limited to the rate at which they

heal, their resistance to poison and disease, their ability to suppress

bleeding, the speed at which they regain Essence, the visibility and

size of their anima banner and the rate at which it dissipates.

ANIMA F LUX

The anima banner of the Dragon-Blooded is a raw, powerful

effect. While those of the other Exalted can be intense, and even

have lasting impact on their environment, that of the Terrestrials

can be so powerful as to inﬂ ict considerable damage on their sur-

roundings. The effects of the damage is different for each type of

Terrestrial, but the source is always the raw power of the character’s

Essence.

If the Dragon-Blood’s anima banner is at the 8–10-motes level

of display, it inﬂ icts one die of lethal damage for every minute of

contact to everything within a number of feet equal to the character’s

permanent Essence. This damage is sufﬁ cient to destroy cloth and

soft wood in a minute or two. It can eventually reduce even treated

hardwoods to junk (within ﬁ ve minutes). At the 11–15-mote level,

the banner inﬂ icts one die of damage for every nine ticks of combat.

At these two levels, characters who are able to soak lethal damage

with Stamina (such as other Exalts) ignore the damage inﬂ icted

by Terrestrial anima banners. At the 16+ level, however, the ban-

ner generates a lethal die of damage every tick, and all beings and

objects (except the Exalt’s personal equipment, which is immune

to the effect at all levels) suffers this damage.

This anima ﬂ ux effect has had obvious impacts on their Ter-

restrials’ ﬁ ghting style and architecture (among other things). Most

Dragon-Bloods do not ride animals into combat, for instance. Some

Ride Charms (see pp. 180-182) can halt or delay the death of mounts,

but they are not commonly used. Some Dragon-Bloods make use of

artifact mounts or creatures (such as the simhata) that are specially

bred to resist their anima banners, and specially designed chariots

are used in some environments. Similarly, the homes of the Ter-

restrials are usually made largely of stone and are more often ﬁ lled

with sculpture, mosaics and other sturdier artworks than paintings

or tapestries, particularly in places such as workshops or dojos where

the Exalted are likely to use Essence in quantity.

SWORN B ROTHERS’ OATH

Cost: 10m + 1m from each Exalt bound by the spell

Target: Exalts to be bound

This Terrestrial Circle spell binds the Essences of a group of

Exalts together and is used in the creation of sworn brotherhoods.

The ritual takes one hour for a pair of Exalts, plus one hour for

each additional Exalt. The sorcerer does not have to be one of the

Exalted bound by the spell. Once the spell is cast, the sorcerer’s

player makes an (Intelligence + Occult) roll. The number of

successes scored creates a new trait for the members of the sworn

brotherhood, Oathbond, which reﬂ ects the strength of the spiritual

bond between the members of the brotherhood. This trait has a

number of effects on those who share the bond.

• Familiarity: Members of a sworn brotherhood are aware of each

others’ location. As long as a member of the brotherhood is within

(Oathbond x 10) yards of another member, she knows exactly where

he is. Beyond this range, a member’s player can make an Essence roll

123

CHAPTER FOUR • TRAITS

as a diceless action for the Exalt to get an idea of the direction and

range to any other member. One success gives the sister a general

idea of distance and direction, three is sufﬁ cient to get an accurate

read on range and bearing, and ﬁ ve successes tell the sister exactly

where her brother is.

• Devotion: Each member of the sworn brotherhood gains a De-

votion dice pool, equal to their Oathbond rating, which refreshes

once per story. These dice can be used—in any amount—on actions

undertaken with the deliberate purpose of aiding another member

of the brotherhood.

• Loyalty: A character must score successes equal to his Oathbond

on an extended Conviction roll to take any action that he knows

will harm—mentally, emotionally or physically—another member

of his brotherhood. Each time this action is taken, it reduces his

Oathbond rating by one. If this reduces the Oathbond to 0, the

character is no longer part of the brotherhood—in any magical

way, at least.

A sorcerer is limited to binding no more Dragon Bloods into

a single sworn brotherhood than an amount equal to twice his

Essence, and an Exalt cannot be a member of more than one broth-

erhood. If the spell is cast upon someone who is already a member

of a sworn brotherhood, the target’s Oathbond rating is used as a

difﬁ culty modiﬁ er for the ritual. Only those successes in excess of

(the sworn character’s Oathbond + 1) are counted in the new Oath.

If no successes are rolled, the spell fails completely.

The effects of this spell are permanent, but if one or more

members reduce their Oathbond to 0, the spell has no further effect

on them. The Oathbond can be re-implemented, strengthening and

deepening the bonds between members, but the cost is high. Each

member must sacriﬁ ce a dot of permanent Willpower, and the caster

of the spell sacriﬁ ces a dot of Permanent Essence in order to re-cast

an existing Sworn Brothers’ Oath. (These dots can be re-purchased

later with experience.) Under no circumstances can a character’s

Oathbond rating exceed ﬁ ve times the Permanent Essence of the

lowest Essence character in the brotherhood. Successes in excess

of this rating are simply lost.

Brotherhoods with Oathbond ratings higher than 10 are ex-

tremely uncommon and considered unnerving by others, as the bonds

between the members begin to permeate all aspects of their lives.

Extremely strong brotherhoods begin to act in disturbingly similar

fashion. They do not lose their individual personalities, but uncon-

scious habits, mannerisms, preferences and other traits blend and

merge, giving the members an eerie sameness to their behavior.

THE G REAT C URSE

Though Solar Exalted received the brunt of Primordial wrath,

the Dragon-Blooded did not escape their notice. The more devious

aspects of the Curse, which helped bring about the Usurpation, are

story elements rather than game mechanics. Like their Celestial

counterparts, however, the Terrestrial Exalted suffer ongoing effects

from the Great Curse which may be quantiﬁ ed in game terms.

Dragon-Blooded receive points of Limit for violating or ig-

noring their primary Virtue, and for resisting supernatural mental

inﬂ uence, according to the same rules found in the Exalted core

book, p.103.

Dragon-Blooded do not suffer the same Flaws as Solars, however.

They do not choose a Virtue Flaw and do not have Limit Break

Conditions. When a Dragon-Blooded character’s Limit breaks, the

impulses of his element and primary Virtue rule his actions. See the

individual aspects in Chapter Four for the behaviors each Virtue

induces when the Great Curse takes hold. Note that the lack of a

Limit Break Condition means that Dragon-Blooded accrue points of

Limit more slowly than Solars and therefore suffer Limit Break less

often. When Dragon-Blooded Limit breaks, the duration is one full

scene. Because Dragon-Blooded Limit Breaks are less restrictive than

Solar ones, it requires Storyteller discretion to determine whether

the character is trying to gain Partial Control or is overcome (and

thereby gains bonus temporary Willpower points).

126

CHAPTER FIVECHAPTER FIVE

CHARMSCHARMS

In general, Terrestrial Charms work functionally the same as

Solar Charms and obey all of the principles of Charm design outlined

on pp. 178–185 of the Exalted core book. The major differences

between Terrestrial and Solar are that Terrestrial Charms lack the

raw power of Solar Charms, especially in the areas of perfect effects.

The Dragon-Blooded have no true perfect attacks or defenses, nor

do they have mind-controlling Charms that can create Servitude

effects. While the magic available to the Children of the Dragons

is less ostentatious than that of the Celestial Exalted, it is not to be

underestimated. What Terrestrial Exalted lack in raw power, they

make up for in versatility and in their capacity to join together into

units that are more than the sum of their parts.

CHARMS IN G ENERAL

Unlike the Celestial Exalted, who are divided up into castes

according to their predestined societal roles, each Terrestrial Exalt is

elementally aligned with one of the Elemental Dragons. The original

reason Dragon-Blooded of particular aspects are spiritually designed

to favor certain Abilities over others is lost to antiquity, although

the fact that each aspect has at least one Ability with combat util-

ity suggests the Terrestrials’ ancient role as support staff and shock

troops for the Solar Exalted. Since the Great Uprising, Immaculate

theology has attributed the arrangement of Aspect Abilities to the

personalities and backgrounds of the Immaculate Dragons, the ﬁ ve

ancient beings who led the Great Uprising and established the

foundations of Dragon-Blooded society. The few Celestial Exalted

whose memories reach back to the Primordial War reject such

religious dogma and claim that each aspect was fashioned by one

of the Elemental Dragons at Gaia’s behest to fulﬁ ll an important

support role in the armies of the Unconquered Sun.

The spiritual impact of having an elemental aspect rather than

a caste cannot be overstated. Indeed, the ﬁ ve aspects are almost

different forms of Exaltation instead of simply divisions within the

same Exalt type. Aspect shapes not only one’s preferred Abilities

and Charms, but inﬂ uences the development of one’s character. For

example, the degree of impetuousness tolerated of even an elder

Fire Aspect as simply a part of her nature would be considered

shameful in even the youngest Earth Aspect, as impetuosity is

not a character trait expected or accepted from the more digniﬁ ed

Children of Pasiap.

The chief mechanical impact of having an aspect is that,

in order to use a Charm associated with any Ability other than

127

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

one’s own Aspect Abilities, the Dragon-Blood must temporarily

harmonize his anima with that of an element different from his

own. Mechanically, this means that any Charms associated with

Abilities other than Aspect Abilities cost one additional mote of

Essence. If the Dragon-Blood uses a Charm multiple times on a

single tick, only one additional mote need be paid. If more than

one such Charms is used in a Combo, however, the character

must pay an additional mote per out-of-Aspect Charm immediately

upon activation of the Combo.

For the Dragon-Blooded, all extra action, permanent, simple

and supplemental Charms work fundamentally as they do for Solar

Exalted, but Dragon-Blooded have the beneﬁ t of being able to use

reﬂ exive Charms more freely than any other Exalt type can. A

Dragon-Blood can freely use reﬂ exive Charms at the same time

as any other Charm without the use of a Combo, even when

the reﬂ exive Charms are associated with different Abilities. The

only limitation on this rule is that some reﬂ exive Charms can be

used only on the tick on which the Exalt acts and not reﬂ exively

on the ticks coming between actions. Each reﬂ exive Charm notes

the circumstances under which it can and cannot be used. Because

of this advantage, the keyword Combo-Basic has no relevance to

Dragon-Blooded and the keyword Combo-OK effectively applies

to all reﬂ exive Charms used by Dragon-Blooded. (Where those

keywords appear, they are included only to describe how the Charm

functions when used by an Eclipse Caste Solar or a Moonshadow

Caste Abyssal.)

Generally, the Charms of the Dragon-Blooded are not as

potent as comparable Solar Charms, although they are more ef-

ﬁ cient. For example, most Dragon-Blooded Charms that add to

dice pools do so at a rate of two dice per mote spent. However,

a Dragon-Blood cannot use such a Charm to increase any dice

pool by more than (her Ability + any applicable specialty). As

with comparable Solar Charms, any fractional motes of Essence are

lost. If the Dragon-Blood uses a Charm that gives her two or more

dice per mote spent but cannot utilize one of the dice due to pool-

doubling restrictions, then that die is lost. This rule also applies to

Terrestrial (Ability) Reinforcement, which allows a Dragon-Blood

to give and receive additional dice to and from others. Additional

dice a Dragon-Blood gains through such a Charm count toward

the maximum number of dice that can be added to the Ability. In

other words, no combination of group-aid Charms and dice-adding

Charms can raise a Dragon-Blood’s Ability to more than twice

her (Ability + applicable specialty).

NEW K EYWORDS

The following new keywords are applicable to some Dragon-

Blooded Charms.

Cooperative: If a Charm has this keyword, then multiple

Dragon-Blooded who all know the Charm can use it simultaneously

while in close contact. By doing so, the animas of all participants

interact, improving the potency of the Charm. Often, Elemental

Charms (per the next new keyword) are also Cooperative Charms,

and Dragon-Blooded using them in tandem can generate more

sophisticated elemental effects over much larger areas than a single

Dragon-Blood could while working alone. Only Dragon-Blooded

can use such Charms cooperatively. Eclipse or Moonshadow Caste

Exalted can learn these Charms, but the anima of a Celestial Exalt is

not designed to interact with that of other Exalted so as to produce

the same effect. Generally, Charms with this keyword can be used

in Combos unless otherwise noted. A Cooperative Charm can

never be used in a Combo if it is also being used in a cooperative

128

manner, though, i.e. with two or more Dragon-Blooded using it

simultaneously to gain the cooperative beneﬁ ts.

Elemental: A Charm with this keyword has an elemental effect.

In some cases, this effect is purely cosmetic, and the underlying

Charm functions the same way regardless of the aspect of the

Dragon-Blood who uses it. More often, however, the Charm func-

tions somewhat differently depending on the Exalt’s aspect. For

example, Elemental Bolt Attack (see pp. 133-134) produces the

same base damage effect regardless of who uses it, but if a Fire Aspect

uses it, it inﬂ icts additional burning damage, whereas the version

ﬁ red by a Wood Aspect poisons the target with a plant toxin. The

Charm descriptions explain how such Charms change by aspect.

An Eclipse or Moonshadow Caste Exalt who learns an Elemental

Charm understands only the version used by the Dragon-Blood

from whom she learned the Charm.

GENERAL C HARMS

EXCELLENCIES AND R ELATED C HARMS

Like the Solar Exalted, Dragon-Blooded have Charms known as

Excellencies that can be purchased once for each Ability. However,

in addition to the three Excellencies common to all Exalted, the

Dragon-Blooded have access to a special Charm, Terrestrial (Ability)

Reinforcement, which allows a Dragon-Blood to temporarily boost

the Ability traits of other characters with whom he is allied.

FIRST (ABILITY) EXCELLENCY—

ESSENCE O VERWHELMING

Cost: 1m per 2 dice; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blooded can invoke this Charm when mak-

ing a roll based on the relevant Ability. The Charm adds two

dice to the roll for each mote spent. The maximum number of

dice that can be added to any one roll, however, is equal to the

Dragon-Blood’s Ability rating plus any applicable specialty. The

Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the

relevant Ability. The player rolls one die for every mote spent, up

to a maximum number of dice equal to the relevant Ability plus

any applicable specialties. Each success on the roll increases the

applicable DV by one.

Characters cannot use this or other Excellencies or dice-adding

Charms to “create” actions. For example, if a character attacks on

tick 3 and will attack again on tick 8, she cannot buy dice for an

attack on tick 4 that only exists because she used the Excellency to

conjure dice for it. Yet a character who uses this or other reﬂ exive

Charms to add to an attack can also use it to enhance her defense

until the next tick when she acts, but she must spend Essence for

each separate roll she wishes to modify.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. The Dragon-Blood, however, is limited

in using the Charm as follows: The Charm can be used to add

dice to any Ability on the tick in which the Dragon-Blood acts.

On the ticks between actions, this Charm can only be used to

enhance unrolled uses of the Ability to increase an applicable

DV or to add dice to an Ability used in a Counterattack Charm.

This Charm can not, for example, be used to purchase Melee

dice between actions to be used for extra attacks.

SECOND (ABILITY) EXCELLENCY—

ESSENCE T RIUMPHANT

Cost: 2m per success; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood can invoke this Charm when making a roll

based on the relevant Ability. The Exalt can spend up to (Ability

+ applicable specialties) in motes. The Charm adds one automatic

success to the roll for every two motes spent. If the Dragon-Blood

uses Essence Triumphant in combination with Charms that add

dice, each success purchased with Essence Triumphant reduces by

two the maximum number of dice that she can add.

The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of

the relevant Ability. For every two motes spent, the Dragon-Blood

can increase the applicable DV by one, up to a maximum improve-

ment equal to her Ability trait plus any applicable specialties.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. The Dragon-Blood, however, is limited in

using the Charm as follows: The Charm can be used to purchases

automatic success on any action made on the tick in which the

Dragon-Blood takes a normal action. On the ticks between ac-

tions, this Charm can be used only to enhance an unrolled use

of the relevant Ability to improve a DV or to add dice to an

Ability used in a Counterattack Charm. This Charm can not,

for example, be used to purchase automatic successes between

actions to be used for extra attacks.

THIRD (ABILITY) EXCELLENCY—

ESSENCE R ESURGENT

Cost: 3m; Mins: (Ability) 1, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 4

for attacker, Step 6 for defender)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Dragon-Blooded with this Charm recovery smoothly from error.

The Exalt can invoke this Charm after making a roll based on the

relevant Ability. This Charm allows the player to make a second

roll, using the new result if the Exalted prefers it to the ﬁ rst. The

Exalted can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the

relevant Ability. By spending three motes, the Dragon-Blooded

can increase an applicable DV by half the relevant Ability.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo, but the Charm can be used only on the

tick in which the Dragon-Blooded uses the Ability for which a

reroll is being purchased.

TERRESTRIAL (ABILITY) REINFORCEMENT

Cost: 1m per 2 dice + 1m per subject; Mins: (Ability) 3, Essence

2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Excellency for the relevant Ability

The two greatest strengths of the Dragon-Blooded have

always been their superior numbers and their boundless capacity

for teamwork. In the First Age, the Terrestrial Exalted were the

unit commanders who led troops into battle under the direction of

Celestial generals. In the modern era, Dragon-Blooded retain the

129

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

LINGUISTICS

LANGUAGE-LEARNING R ITUAL

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One week

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Children of Mela often serve as the diplomatic corps of the

Dragon-Blooded Host, and while ﬂ uency in foreign tongues often

requires years of study, this Charm can reduce the necessary time to

just an afternoon. The Dragon-Blood must spend at least one hour

meditating and listening to a foreign language being spoken. He

can then “absorb” that language into himself, becoming completely

ﬂ uent in both conversation and literacy. The Charm lasts for one

week, at which time the knowledge gained fades completely.

CIPHER M ISSIVE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Linguistics 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Language-Learning Ritual

Diplomacy is not the only purpose to which words can be

directed, and the Children of Mela often make excellent cryp-

tographers as well. With this Charm, an Exalt can hide sensitive

material from prying eyes within a supernaturally complex code.

The Dragon-Blood must fashion the document herself, and it

can be no longer than a number of pages equal to her Essence.

The player rolls (Intelligence + Linguistics), with the successes

determining the number of successes needed for someone else to

decipher the document. Additionally, each deciphering roll requires

an (Intelligence + Linguistics) roll with a base difﬁ culty equal to

the permanent Essence of the character who fashioned the Cipher

Missive (Each deciphering roll also represents a number of days

equal to the Charm-user’s permanent Essence.) The character

who uses this Charm may identify a number of individuals equal

to twice his Essence who can read the document without difﬁ culty.

Alternatively, he can identify a single class of individuals, which

must be limited and speciﬁ c, who can freely read the document.

For example, such classes might include “only magistrates” or “only

members of House Iselsi.”

capacity to elevate the mortals around them to greatness, if only

temporarily. A Dragon-Blood with this Charm can improve the

ratings of his allies in the relevant Ability for brief periods of time,

effectively transferring the beneﬁ ts of the First Excellency to another

person for the duration of an entire scene. All allies to be affected

must hold hands at the time of the Charm’s activation.

The Dragon-Blood must spend one mote for every ally to be

augmented and one mote for every two dice that are added to each

person’s rating in the relevant Ability. The maximum number of

allies who can have their Ability ratings boosted at one time is

equal to the Dragon-Blood’s permanent Essence. The Charm has

two limitations. First, no ally’s Ability rating can be raised above

the Ability rating of the Exalt who invokes this Charm. Second, no

ally’s Ability rating can be increased to more than twice its normal

rating. Therefore, the ally must have at least one dot in the Ability

for this Charm to affect him at all. The extra Ability dots apply for

an entire scene for all purposes. If the augmented Ability affects one

of the ally’s DV ratings, the relevant DV should be recalculated for

the duration of the scene. As is normal for dice-adding Charms,

fractional motes left over by pool-size restrictions are lost.

AIR A SPECT

The Immaculate Texts describe Mela as the eldest of the

Immaculate Dragons, Exalting remarkably late in her mortal life.

Prior to Exaltation, she was described as a teacher, scholar and tutor

to the children of the Solar Exalted. Indeed, it was through her

observations of the Anathema’s mistreatment of their own children

that Mela realized the Solars were completely corrupted. When she

Exalted, she used her Dragon-blessed abilities to spy on the parents

of her charges prior to the Great Uprising and later to steal away or

sabotage many powerful artifacts from the Solars before they could

be used against her fellow Dragon-Blooded.

Celestial Exalted who recall the Air Aspects of the Primor-

dial War claim that they were bred by the Elemental Dragons to

ﬁ ll two primary roles: sorcerer’s apprentice or personal assassin.

Those Air Aspects who specialized in Linguistics, Lore and Occult

were usually assigned as support staff for Twilight and No Moon

Caste sorcerers, while those who excelled at Stealth and Thrown

were prized by the Night Caste for their ability to slay targets with

perfect discretion.

130

THOUSAND T ONGUES M EDITATION

Cost: 4m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Language-Learning Ritual

While the Language-Learning Ritual grants total ﬂ uency in

a tongue for an extended period, this Charm allows the Dragon-

Blooded to quickly grasp the essentials of an unknown language for

a brief period. For the duration of the Charm, the Dragon-Blood

can speak and understand any foreign language. Furthermore, in the

presence of multiple people speaking different languages, the Exalted

can understand and be understood by all of them. The maximum

number of speakers with whom the Dragon-Blood can interact

using a single application of this Charm is equal to the character’s

permanent Essence. Communication is limited, however, and the

Dragon-Blood suffers a -4 penalty on all social and communicative

actions, reduced by one for each point of permanent Essence by

which she exceeds the minimum. Also, this Charm affects only

verbal speech. Neither written speech nor sign language can be

conveyed with this Charm.

POISONED T ONGUE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m, 1wp, Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Social

CRAFT I CON

Cost: 2m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Cipher Missive

To the savants of the Dragon-Blooded, the efﬁ ciency with

which information can be conveyed is almost as valuable as the

information itself. With this Charm, an Air Aspect can convey

complex information or directives to another with what appear to be

only simple pictograms. In fact, the drawings are actually a complex

arrangement of sigils that can contain surprisingly large amounts of

information in a very dense package, from complex instructions for

assembling a sophisticated piece of First Age technology to exacting

directions revealing a hidden location.

For the character to employ this Charm, the player must roll

(Manipulation + Linguistics) at a difﬁ culty of 2. Successes above this

difﬁ culty determine the level of complexity encoded into the picto-

gram, with each success over the threshold providing the equivalent

of one minute of careful instruction that can be obtained through

later study of the pictogram. The icon can be drawn or carved into

any media the creator wishes, but doing so requires the expenditure of

Essence. As a result, no one else can reduce the icon without another

application of this Charm or a similar one. Icons created with this

Charm are about two square inches in size per success.

131

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Duration: Concentration

Prerequisite Charms: Any Linguistics Excellency

To the Children of Mela, words can be weapons just as deadly

as a blade or an arrow. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can ma-

nipulate a conversation she overhears, causing other listeners to

hear what she desires instead of what was actually said. The Exalt

must be able to hear the conversation in order to manipulate it with

this Charm, and while eavesdropping through Charms or other

magical means is acceptable, the Dragon-Blood must be within (the

Exalt’s permanent Essence x 100) feet from all participants. The

Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Manipulation + Linguistics), with

the successes determining the level of control. One success allows

the Dragon-Blood to alter minor details, enough to confuse, offend

or even arouse one of the parties. Three or more successes allows

the Exalt to alter signiﬁ cant details, perhaps enough to completely

color one participant’s impressions of another. With ﬁ ve or more

successes, the Exalt can control any aspect of the conversation.

Participants in the conversation may notice the effect with a

reﬂ exive (Wits + Perception) roll against a difﬁ culty equal to the

Dragon-Blood’s Essence. On a successful roll, the participant knows

that the conversation is being manipulated and can attempt to com-

municate this through nonverbal means. On a failure, none of the

participants recognize that their own words are being changed or

that the other parties do not hear what the speaker intends to say.

In the Realm, abuse of this Charm is a serious breach of etiquette.

In some situations, it is even considered a crime.

VOICE OF M ASTERY

Cost: 5+m; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Poisoned Tongue Technique

The elocution and charisma of Air-aspected debaters is aston-

ishing to behold, and never more so than when Essence powers their

words. For the duration of this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can add

a number of dice equal to his Essence to any speech-related roll, be

it seduction, persuasion or intimidation. The Charm can normally

only affect one listener at a time, but each extra mote spent doubles

the number of listeners who can be affected. If the Charm is used

defensively in social combat, add half the Exalt’s Essence, rounded

up, to his Parry MDV. The Dragon-Blood must be able to speak

the listener’s language, either naturally or with Charms, in order

for this Charm to have any utility.

WIND-CARRIED W ORDS T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 1m per message, plus distance; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence

2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The wind carries many things, and for the Children of Mela,

sound is one of them. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can whis-

per his words aloud and know that the winds will convey them to

his intended listener, wherever that listener is. For a base cost of

one mote, the character can transmit one message to the ear of

any single person within range. The words actually do not need

to be spoken, but the Dragon-Blood must at least mouth them.

The base range of the Charm is equal to (the speaker’s Essence x

100) feet. Also, each additional mote spent increases the range

by a factor of 10. Therefore, a character with an Essence of 4 can

transmit a message 400 feet for one mote, 4,000 feet for two motes

or 40,000 feet for three motes. This total quantity of motes must

be expended for each individual message, which can be no more

than 25 words in length.

The sending character need not know the exact location of the

intended recipient, but she must know her approximate location,

which is deﬁ ned as “within (sender’s Essence x 5) miles.” The targeted

location can, however, be some place that the sender has never even

been, such as “the command HQ of the Fourth Legion stationed in

Arjuf.” This Charm is considered essential to military operations

for both the Realm and the Seventh Legion. Most Dragon-Blooded

with any military background know this Charm, and all but the

least proﬁ cient graduates of the House of Bells do.

VOICES ON THE W IND

Cost: 3+ motes; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One minute

Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Carried Words Technique

A favorite of spies and intelligence operatives across the

Realm, this Charm permits a Dragon-Blood to hear the faintest

trace of words echoing through the air, allowing him to eavesdrop

on conversations at seemingly impossible distances. The Essence

cost of the Charm is determined by how far away the Exalt is from

the conversation he wishes to hear. For the basic cost, the Exalt

can clearly hear any normal speech originating anywhere within

(listener’s Essence x 100) feet, as well as pinpoint the approximate

location of the speaker if he doesn’t already know. Each additional

mote of Essence increases the range by a factor of 10.

The Dragon-Blood must specify which speaker he desires to spy

upon. He cannot indicate a general target such as “anyone plotting

against me.” Rather, he must name an individual and then listen

to see if she is currently within range and speaking aloud. If he

can hear a named speaker, however, the Dragon-Blooded can also

automatically hear the replies of anyone in the speaker’s immedi-

ate vicinity with whom she is conversing. This Charm cannot be

used to listen to conversations taking place within airtight rooms,

and it may also be defeated by certain supernatural warding effects.

(Enchanted wind chimes are commonly used for this purpose.)

Finally, spying with this Charm demands total concentration, and

the listener cannot perform any other action while this Charm is

being employed.

SPEECH W ITHOUT W ORDS

Cost: 2m + 1m per ally; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 3; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Cipher Missive, Voices on the Wind

With this Charm, a Terrestrial Exalt and a number of her

allies can communicate complex information silently through the

use of hand gestures and signals. The Exalt can enable silent com-

munication between only herself and a maximum number of allies

equal to her (Wits + Linguistics). Although the communication

is silent, all participants must be able to see each other, and it is

obvious to any onlookers that the participants are communicat-

ing with each other. Therefore, this Charm is of limited utility in

a social setting, as opposed to a combat or stealth situation. Also,

at the Storyteller’s discretion, extremely complex or abstract ideas

might require a (Wits + Linguistics) roll on the part of both the

person sending the message and all who wish to comprehend it.

“You take the guy on the left, and I’ll take the two on the right”

132

should not require a roll, but the recitation of lyric poetry through

hand gestures probably would.

WITH O NE M IND

Cost: 2 motes per dot of increase; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 2;

Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Voice of Mastery, Voices on the Wind

This Charm allows a uniﬁ ed group of Dragon-Blooded to

“speak without words,” moving as a single unit of such purpose that

verbal orders are superﬂ uous and a waste of the commander’s time.

Effectively, the individuals linked with this Charm share their surface

thoughts, which conveys several effects. First, all observations made

by any participant are shared by all—what one sees, all see. Second,

in a combat situation, all commands, warnings or observations are

nonverbal. Members of the group can trade opponents, execute

ﬂ anking maneuvers or warn each other of impending sneak attacks

instantly and silently. If one ﬁ ghter is close enough, he can even

parry or abort to parry any blow aimed at another, substituting his

own PDV for that of his ally, provided he is close enough to the

ally to plausibly do so.

Third, for every two motes spent, each ally affected gains one

dot each in Wits, Perception and Melee, although no one can

gain more dots in a single category than the Exalt’s Linguistics

rating, nor can any participant raise an Attribute or Ability above

ﬁ ve dots. Also, the Dragon-Blood must spend two motes per dot

of increase for every participant. Therefore, if the Exalt wishes

to affect three allies, raising each of the affected ratings by three

dots, she must spend a total of 18 motes (six motes per point of

increase, multiplied by three for the number of participants). The

Exalt cannot raise different allies’ Abilities by varying degrees

at the same time, and he can’t increase his own ratings through

the use of this Charm.

LORE

ELEMENTAL C ONCENTRATION T RANCE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: None

The simplest of Lore techniques exercised by the

savants of Air, this Charm allows a character to medi-

tate on her aligned element to temporarily augment her

capacity to absorb knowledge. Provided that the Exalt has

all the necessary research material handy, she can absorb a

week’s worth of study in a single day. She can continue to use

this Charm on subsequent days, but if she uses it more days

in a row than a number equal to her Lore trait, she suffers

one level of unsoakable lethal damage for each extra day.

The Exalt cannot heal this damage while under the effects

of this Charm.

ETERNAL M IND M EDITATION

Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 3; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Concentra-

tion Trance

133

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Given the vast ages to which most of the Dragon-Blooded will

survive, it’s not surprising that their minds can become somewhat

cluttered. This Charm allows the Exalt to attain perfect recall of

any event he has experienced or anything he has ever read or heard.

After spending the required Essence and Willpower, the Exalt must

spend a moment in quiet contemplation. The Dragon-Blood’s player

then rolls (Intelligence + Lore), with the difﬁ culty determined by

how far back into the character’s memories he wishes to delve.

One success is sufﬁ cient to recall a hurried conversation from a

few years back, while ﬁ ve permits the Exalt to recall events even

from early childhood with perfect clarity. Some Dragon-Blooded

savants even claim to recall memories of time spent in the womb

through the use of this Charm. Eternal Mind Meditation does not

impair the character in any way. He experiences the events of his

past as memories, rather than as an immersive experience that might

adversely affect his DV or his awareness of his surroundings.

ELEMENTAL E MPOWERMENT M EDITATION

Cost: 1+wp; Mins: Lore 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Concentration Trance

The blessings of Terrestrial Exaltation allow the Princes of

the Earth to draw energy directly from elemental sources, restoring

their depleted Essence reserves in times of crisis. The Dragon-Blood

can draw Essence directly from his aspected element, regaining a

number of motes equal to his Lore Ability for every Willpower

point spent. If the Dragon-Blood spends more Willpower points

in a day than his Essence, each additional use of Willpower for this

Charm will also inﬂ ict one level of unsoakable bashing damage.

The character must be able to physically touch the element with

which he is aligned in order to draw Essence from it.

ELEMENTAL S UCCOR M ETHOD

Cost: 5m and 1wp per lhl; 2 motes per hl; Mins: Lore 5, Essence

3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Elemental

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Empowerment Meditation

While Elemental Empowerment Meditation allows the Dragon-

Blood to replenish her lost Essence, this Charm allows her to restore

her own body, using the power of the elements to heal her injuries.

The character must immerse herself in her favored element as much

as possible (standing in a burning ﬁ re, submerging herself in water,

etc.) and must spend ﬁ ve motes and one Willpower for every lethal

health level healed or two motes per bashing level healed. This

Charm cannot be used to heal aggravated damage, nor can it be

used to restore lost limbs or heal other such mutilations.

An Eclipse or Moonshadow Caste Exalt who learns this

Charm can use the Charm with only the element associated with

the teacher of the Charm. That is, if an Eclipse learns Elemental

Succor Method from a Fire Aspect, he cannot heal himself by im-

mersion in any other element.

ELEMENTAL B OLT A TTACK

Cost: 1m per 2L; Mins: Lore 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Sometimes referred to as “the Dragon’s Claw,” this Charm

permits a Dragon-Blood to ﬁ re a bolt of elemental energy appropri-

ate to his aspect from his hand toward a target. The bolt is targeted

with (Dexterity + Athletics) or (Dexterity + Archery), whichever

is preferred, with an Accuracy bonus equal to the Dragon-Blood’s

Essence and a range of (Essence x 20) yards. The bolt inﬂ icts 2L

per mote spent up to a maximum number of motes equal to the

Dragon-Blood’s Stamina. The bolt also has an elemental aspect

and triggers the following elemental effects: Air buffets the target,

subtracting two dice from her next action. Earth triggers a tremor

beneath the target’s feet, forcing her player to roll (Dexterity +

Athletics), difﬁ culty 4, to keep the character from falling. Fire

sets the target ablaze for a single action (+4L to the attacker’s

damage pool). Water ﬁ lls the target’s lungs with seawater, adding

three ticks before her next action due to violent coughing. Wood

exposes the target to a plant toxin, requiring a reﬂ exive (Stamina

+ Resistance) roll, with a difﬁ culty equal to (the Dragon-Blood’s

Essence), to avoid suffering a -1 penalty on all actions for the

remainder of the scene.

Multiple Dragon-Bloods who know this Charm can combine their

powers to generate a bolt of exceptional power. One Exalt (usually

the one with the best attack pool or the one with the highest Stamina

rating) must serve as the focus, with his (Dexterity + [Athletics or

Archery]) used to determine the base attack pool. Additionally, the

Stamina of the focus determines the maximum number of motes that

each participant can spend, with the total number of motes spent

determining the base damage pool. In other words, if the focus has a

134

Stamina of 4, then no participant can expend more than four motes

to fuel the bolt. The Accuracy bonus of the attack is based on the

Essence of the focus but gains a +1 bonus per additional participant.

The range of the attack is equal to (the combined Essence of all

participants x 20) yards. Finally, the elemental side effects of each

separate aspect who aids in this Charm are inﬂ icted upon the target.

If multiple Dragon-Blooded of the same aspect aid in this Charm,

however, their special elemental effect is applied only once. Therefore,

if an Earth Aspect, two Fire Aspects and a Water Aspect combine to

ﬁ re a single bolt, the player of the target—if successfully hit—must roll

to avoid falling and will be delayed an additional three ticks before

his next action due to the seawater, but only four dice are added to

the damage pool due to ﬁ re damage, rather than eight.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, this Charm

is always considered to be an Air-aspected Charm for purposes of

determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies, and Dragon-Blooded can only learn the version

associated with their aspects.

ELEMENTAL B URST T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 1m per 1L; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Bolt Attack

This Charm is identical to Elemental Bolt Attack in all respects

except the following. First, each mote spent on the burst inﬂ icts

only one level of lethal damage. Second, the burst inﬂ icts damage

across a circular area with a radius equal to the Dragon-Blood’s

permanent Essence in yards. The burst attack has a range incre-

ment of (permanent Essence x 20) yards and an Accuracy bonus

equal to the Dragon-Blood’s permanent Essence. The burst also

applies elemental effects identical to the Elemental Bolt Attack

to each person caught within the burst radius. If multiple Exalted

who know this Charm join together, the power of the elemental

burst is calculated in the same manner as the elemental bolt, and

the radius of the burst is equal to the combined permanent Essences

of all participants in yards.

OCCULT

TERRESTRIAL C IRCLE S ORCERY

Cost: 1wp; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 3; Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood takes Terrestrial Circle Sorcery actions.

See Exalted, p. 252.

SPIRIT-DETECTING M IRROR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

After the Great Uprising, it fell to the savants of the Air to

attempt to repair the Terrestrial Exalted’s badly fractured relation-

ships with the spirit courts. In both diplomacy and spycraft, they

used this Charm, which allows a Dragon-Blood to see the reﬂ ection

of unmanifested spirits in any reﬂ ective surface, such as a mirror,

a polished sword or even a still pool of liquid. Furthermore, the

Dragon-Blood can hear the voices of any spirits he can see, allowing

for both conversations and, perhaps, discrete eavesdropping.

HARMONIOUS W IND-LURING S ONG

Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One hour

Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique

Of all the spirit courts, the Air Aspects, have the greatest

afﬁ nity for the courts of the sky. This Charm calls upon that el-

emental afﬁ nity to allow the Dragon-Blooded to invoke the power

of the air spirits to summon a helpful wind. The wind summoned is

not particularly strong, but it is powerful enough to interfere with

Archery, adding half the Exalt’s Essence to his DV against archery

attacks. It is also powerful enough to affect the speed of a sailing

ship, either adding or subtracting half the Dragon-Blood’s Essence

from the ship’s Speed for the duration. The Air Aspect must spend

about ﬁ ve minutes summoning the air spirits, usually through such

activities as whistling, imitating the sounds of storms, whirling a

bullroarer or simply playing a ﬂ ute. The friendly spirits summoned

will obey the Dragon-Blood’s will (subject to their limited capa-

bilities) for one hour. During that hour, the Exalt must spend one

Miscellaneous Action (5 ticks) whistling or singing in order to

change the wind’s direction.

Water-aspected Dragon-Bloods have access to a functionally

identical Sail Charm called Seven Seas Wind-Luring Chanty. The

only differences between the two Charms are that the Water aspect

version requires Sail 2 instead of Occult 2, has Hurricane-Predicting

Glance as a prerequisite Charm in place of Spirit-Detecting Mirror

Technique and requires the Exalt to be at sea.

SPIRIT-GROUNDING S HOUT

Cost: 5 motes; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique

Since the Usurpation, the Dragon-Blooded have accepted the

role of defender of humanity against exploitation by spirits and ghosts

run amok. This Charm has greatly aided the Dragon-Blooded in

that role. When the character utters the Spirit-Grounding Shout,

a reﬂ exive opposed Essence roll is made for both her and the target

spirit. If the Exalt wins, the spirit is forced to materialize and remain

corporeal for a minimum of the character’s permanent Essence in

minutes. The Essence cost of the spirit’s materialization is ﬁ rst paid

for from the spirits’ reserves. If the spirit does not have the Essence

to materialize, then the balance is paid from the character’s Essence

pool. If the Dragon-Blooded and the target spirit do not have suf-

ﬁ cient Essence between them to pay for the materialization cost, the

Charm automatically fails, and the ﬁ ve motes spent by the character

is lost. (Any motes that would have been spent by the spirit or the

Dragon-Blood to pay for materialization remain unspent, though.)

The Charm likewise fails if the Dragon-Blood’s player fails to get

more successes on the opposed Essence roll than the target spirit

does, and the Charm never affects spirit whose permanent Essence

is higher than the Dragon-Blood’s.

SPIRIT-CHAINING S TRIKE

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Five minutes

Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Grounding Shout

With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can temporarily immobilize a

spirit, often as a prelude to more permanent measures. The character

must successfully strike the spirit with an attack, then the player

135

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

can make a reﬂ exive (Intelligence + Occult) roll with a difﬁ culty

equal to the spirit’s Essence. Each extra success imposes a one-die

penalty to all actions the spirit takes for the next ﬁ ve minutes. If

the extra successes exceed the spirit’s permanent Essence, the spirit

is completely immobilized and unable to act for the remainder of

the scene. Subsequent uses of this Charm have a cumulative effect

as long as the original application of the Charm has not lapsed,

as do applications of the Charm by other Dragon-Blooded. The

Charm also affects unmanifested spirits, but the Exalted must be

able to see and touch the spirit to bind it. The Charm does not

automatically render an attack capable of affecting unmanifested

spirits. Spirit-Chaining Strike is explicitly permitted to be made a

part of a Combo with Charms of other Abilities.

SPIRIT-SHREDDING A TTACK

Cost: 4m; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Grounding Shout

This weapon in the Dragon-Blooded arsenal is especially hated

and feared by the spirit hierarchies and is a signiﬁ cant explanation

of how the Immaculate Order was ﬁ nally able to bring the spirits of

the Blessed Isle to heel. The Dragon-Blood must ﬁ rst make a suc-

cessful attack against a spirit, either while the spirit is materialized

or with some weapon or attack capable of affecting dematerialized

spirits. The attack inﬂ icts its normal damage. In addition, the

attacker’s player reﬂ exively rolls (the character’s Willpower + Es-

sence) against a difﬁ culty equal to the spirit’s Essence. Each success

reduces the spirit’s temporary Essence by an amount equal to the

Dragon-Blooded character’s permanent Essence. The character

does not steal the Essence, it dissipates into the air. If the spirit is

destroyed by this Charm, that spirit is irrevocably gone.

FIVEFOLD R ESONANCE S ENSE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm is most often used by independent surveyors

and the professional jade sniffers of the Thousand Scales. For the

duration of the Charm, the Dragon-Blood can detect the presence

of jade within a radius of (Essence x 200) yards. If the jade to be

detected is elementally aspected with the Dragon-Blood, no roll is

required. If the jade is of a different aspect, the Exalt’s player must

roll (Perception + Occult) at a difﬁ culty of 3. If the Dragon-Blood

has an Occult rating of 3 and an Essence of 2, he can also detect

other magical materials at a difﬁ culty of 3, but only at a range of

(Essence x 50) yards.

This Charm cannot be used to perceive magical materials that

are already attuned to someone else, nor can it be used to detect

any quantity of such materials that are being concealed through

the use of Celestial or Solar level magic, including Charms or

spells. If Terrestrial magic is being used to conceal the material, the

Dragon-Blood’s player must garner more successes on the (Percep-

tion + Occult) roll than successes on the roll made to conceal the

material or the Essence of the character using the concealing magic

(whichever is higher).

SEEING THE M AKER’S H AND

Cost: 4m; Mins: Occult 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Fivefold Resonance Sense

This Charm is especially favored by the savants and engineers

of Lookshy, who must often contend with relics of the First Age

136

discovered in the barrens of the Scavenger Lands. When confronted

by an unidentiﬁ ed artifact, the character must handle the item in

question as if he were attempting to attune it before spending the

required Essence. The Exalt’s player then rolls (Perception + Oc-

cult) for the character, with a difﬁ culty rating equal to the item’s

Artifact rating. (Some artifacts are specially designed to conceal

their functions, and analyzing such items carry a higher difﬁ culty.)

Success on this roll immediately gives the character a rough idea

of the item’s power level, as indicated by its Artifact rating, with

additional successes giving greater insights into the item’s capa-

bilities. Large, powerful or exceptionally complex artifacts might

require multiple uses of this Charm in order to fully understand their

workings. This Charm is ineffective on artifacts that are already

attuned to other people.

STEALTH

FEELING-THE-AIR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Stealth 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

To the Children of Mela, every subtle breeze carries insight

into the territory it crosses. The Dragon-Blood can perceive his

immediate environment by reading minute eddies and currents in

the air. In this manner, he may retain total spatial awareness even

in complete darkness. He cannot read or observe color, but he can

move freely, and he reduces blind-ﬁ ghting penalties by half.

SOUNDLESS A CTION P RANA

Cost: 1m per minute; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Feeling-the-Air Technique

With this Charm, the Air Aspect moves in perfect harmony

with the air around her, suppressing the sound of her movements.

For one minute per mote spent, the Dragon-Blood can eliminate

any noise she directly produces, but not sounds she causes that are

not connected to her person. That is, she could smash in a window

with a rock in complete silence, but if she threw that rock through

that window, the sound would be clearly heard. The Charm does

not provide any direct beneﬁ t to Stealth rolls, but it will eliminate

the chance of attracting attention in many circumstances, such as

areas protected by alarms. The individual under the inﬂ uence of this

Charm is unable to speak while Soundless Action Prana is in effect

and must communicate through nonverbal means, perhaps through

Charms such as Speech Without Words or With One Mind.

ZONE OF S ILENCE S TANCE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One minute per point of permanent Essence

Prerequisite Charms: Soundless Action Prana

This Charm improves on the effects of Soundless Action

Prana by totally suppressing all sound within (permanent Essence

x 2) yards of the Exalt. Each extra mote spent increases the range

by one yard, up to the maximum of the Dragon-Blood’s permanent

Essence. This zone of silence is centered on the character who

invokes it, and it moves with him.

137

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

DISTRACTING B REEZE M EDITATION

Cost: 1m per 2 successes; Mins: Stealth 2, Essence 1; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm allows the Air Aspect to cause the wind itself to

aid in his attempts at inﬁ ltration by disturbing and distracting those

who might notice his passage. The wind might tickle the ear of a

listener, cause a torch to gutter or go out, or blow papers off a desk.

Regardless, the result is a minor environmental effect, incapable

of damaging anyone or anything, which nevertheless is potentially

distracting to those nearby. The Dragon-Blood can continue to

trigger distracting effects for the duration of a scene. For one mote

of Essence, the Charm adds two automatic successes to any Stealth

roll made against a single target. Each additional mote spent allows

the Dragon-Blood to distract one additional target at the same time,

up to a maximum number of targets equal to the Exalt’s permanent

Essence. Therefore, if the Dragon-Blood spends three motes of Es-

sence, he can add two automatic successes to any rolls made against

up to three people, but if he encounters ﬁ ve people in a search party,

he would not get the automatic successes against two of the ﬁ ve.

The Charm cannot add more than two automatic successes to a

single roll, no matter how much Essence is spent.

TRACKLESS P ASSAGE S TYLE

Cost: 2m per person per mile; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 2; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Distracting Breeze Meditation

The Dragon-Blood’s preternatural stealth can now be ex-

tended to others. Moving with the lightness of a summer breeze,

the Exalt and any allies to whom this Charm is extended leave

no footprints, scents or other signs of their passage. By spending 2

motes, the Dragon-Blood can obliterate all signs of her passage for

a distance of up to one mile. The Dragon-Blood can extend this

concealment to her allies at a cost of an additional two motes per

person, up to a total number of beings equal to the Dragon-Blood’s

permanent Essence. When this Charm is activated, all non-super-

natural attempts to track the protected characters fail automatically.

Supernatural attempts to track the characters negate this Charm,

and tracking is handled normally, as if neither party had used any

supernatural effects.

WIND-WALKING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Until broken

Prerequisite Charms: Trackless Passage Style

Like the wind whistling through the trees or across the ocean,

it is not in the nature of the Dragon-Blooded to fall or to sink. Once

this Charm is activated, the Dragon-Blood gains perfect balance

and can move across any horizontal surface (including water and

quicksand) without difﬁ culty. The manner of movement is irrelevant

and can include running, crawling or swinging on tree vines. If the

Dragon-Blood ever stops moving for even a single action, however,

the Charm ends. The Dragon-Blood can carry his normal gear but

no more than that.

DRAGON S HROUD T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3+m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Soundless Action Prana, Wind-Walking

Technique

138

The wind is not seen, but can only be detected through its effects

on others. With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can bend light around

himself to conceal his presence. The Exalt is not totally invisible, but

can be detected as only a hazy blur. The Charm also mufﬂ es sound, masks

scent, conceals body heat and generally protects against most forms

of detection. Mechanically, the Dragon-Blood’s identity is completely

concealed by the blur, and every three motes spent adds one automatic

success to Stealth-related rolls. However, the Charm does not actively

conceal the character’s passage, and he can be tracked normally unless

Trackless Passage Style or other Charms are brought to bear.

THROWN

LOYAL W EAPON

Cost: 1m; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Thrown Excellency

The Children of Mela are renowned for their skill with thrown

weapons, a puissance that makes such weapons seem to come alive

in their hands. When the Dragon-Blood throws a weapon (includ-

ing a thrown melee weapon) and activates this Charm, an invisible

ribbon of air is attached to it, allowing the Exalt to summon it back

to her hand when its path is spent. Whether the weapon strikes

its target or not, it will immediately return to the Exalt and be

available for reuse on her next regular action. Thrown weapons

still attack with their normal Speed, however, and the weapon

will not be available for any reﬂ exive uses between the ticks upon

which the Dragon-Blooded normally acts. Anyone in the path of

the returning weapon can attempt to pluck it out of the air, but

doing so requires a successful (Dexterity + Athletics) roll, followed

by an immediate reﬂ exive opposed (Strength + Athletics) roll

against the player of the weapon’s owner. If the person attempting

to snatch the weapon fails on either of these two rolls, the weapon

is unimpeded on its return journey.

PERSISTENT H ORNET A TTACK

Cost: 3m; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: (Essence) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Loyal Weapon

The unearthly control of the Air Aspects over their throwing

weapons continues to improve with this Charm. After the Dragon-

Blood throws a weapon at a target, the weapon takes on a life of

its own and continues to make extra attacks. The number of extra

attacks is equal to the Exalt’s permanent Essence, and each attack

has the normal Speed for that particular weapon for determining the

ticks upon which subsequent attacks occur. The attack roll made for

the weapon is equal to the Dragon-Blood’s (Perception + Thrown)

pool. The Dragon-Blood can perform any other actions he desires

as the weapon’s independent attacks proceed, including using this

Charm again on the same target with additional throwing weapons.

The player must declare that he is invoking this Charm before roll-

ing the ﬁ rst attack, and the target of the weapon cannot be changed

during the Charm’s duration. The target (or anyone else) can attempt

to strike the weapon out of the air. Doing so requires an attack roll

against a difﬁ culty equal to the Dragon-Blood’s permanent Essence.

If this attack roll is successful, the weapon is knocked to the ground,

where it will rest inert. If a character uses this Charm as part of a

Combo, he must pay the Essence cost for the other Charms each

time the weapon uses them, and the additional Charms must be used

on each attack made. The Exalt needs to pay the Willpower cost

of the Combo only once, though. The Loyal Weapon Charm is an

exception to this rule, and if Loyal Weapon is put in a Combo with

Persistent Hornet Attack, the weapon will make all of its requisite

attacks and only then return to the Exalt. The Essence for the Loyal

Weapon Charm needs to be paid only once.

INVISIBLY H IDDEN C HAKRAM M ETHOD

Cost: 10m per weapon, 1wp; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 3; Type:

Simple

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Persistent Hornet Attack

The Dragon-Blood can conceal any number of thrown weapons

Elsewhere and store them there for later use. Each weapon thus con-

cealed costs 10 Essence and one Willpower. When the Dragon-Blood

is ready to attack, he can reﬂ exively summon any or all of them at

no additional cost and attack on the same action. Such an attack

suffers no penalties to the normal (Dexterity + Thrown) pool, and

in fact, the Dragon-Blood remains free to use Charms to aid in the

attack. The Dragon-Blood can hide a number of weapons equal to

twice his Essence. These weapons cannot be detected except by

beings or powers capable of perceiving items stored Elsewhere.

WHIRLWIND S HIELD F ORM

Cost: 3m + 1m per ally protected; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2;

Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Thrown Excellency

The ﬂ awless skill of the Dragon-Blooded can even allow them

to knock arrows and daggers from the air with a well-placed throw.

The Exalt using this Charm can deﬂ ect ranged attacks aimed at

himself or at allies at a cost of three motes plus one mote per each

ally protected. While the Charm is in effect, the Dragon-Blood’s

Essence is automatically subtracted from any ranged attack dice

pools rolled against him or his allies, in addition to the normal ef-

fects of DV. The Essence spent is committed for the duration of the

Charm. This Charm does not require any actual weapons. Instead,

the Whirlwind Shield is formed from the air itself, and any allies

who are to be protected must be within (the Exalt’s Essence) yards

in order for the Dragon-Blood to shield them.

VENGEFUL G UST C OUNTERATTACK

Cost: 2m or 4m; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Whirlwind Shield Form

A reﬁ nement of Whirlwind Shield Form, this Charm allows

the Exalt to not only deﬂ ect incoming attacks, but to reﬂ ect them

back on the attacker. If the Dragon-Blood is the target of a ranged

attack, her player can opt to roll (Dexterity + Thrown) in place of

relying on her normal DV. Each success on this roll subtracts from

the attacker’s successes, and if her successes exceed the attacker’s,

the projectile reverses course, attacking her opponent with a number

of attack dice equal to her net successes. At a cost of four motes,

the Dragon-Blood can also use this Charm in defense of an ally

within a number of yards equal to her Essence.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick on which the

Dragon-Blood or an ally is the target of an attack.

DEADLY B LADES OF THE F IVE D RAGONS

Cost: 3m per weapon; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 3; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Persistent Hornet Attack, Vengeful Gust

Counterattack

The Dragon-Blood can summon throwing weapons out of

thin air, fashioning them from the element to which she is aligned.

Most commonly, the Charm summons throwing daggers, but some

Dragon-Blooded summon more personalized weapons, such as

shuriken, chakrams or throwing axes. Regardless of its external

appearance, each weapon has a base Damage and Accuracy equal

to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence and a range of (Essence x 10) yards.

The Dragon-Blood can create up to (his Essence) weapons at a time.

Once created, each weapon is thrown reﬂ exively with the Dragon-

Blood’s full (Dexterity + Thrown) dice pool. If multiple weapons

are created, they can all be thrown as part of a ﬂ urry. Elemental

blades dissipate after the attack, but they can be put to uses other

than striking a target during their brief duration, such as knocking

an item out of someone’s hand, slicing through ropes or even al-

lowing the Dragon-Blood to parry lethal attacks.

Additionally, the weapons summoned have special properties

based on the elemental alignment of their creator: Air blades buffet

the target, subtracting two dice from her next action. Earth blades

knock the target back, forcing her player to roll (Dexterity + Ath-

letics), difﬁ culty 4, to keep the character from falling. Fire sets the

target ablaze for an action for an additional 4L. Water ﬁ lls the target’s

lungs with seawater, adding three ticks before her next action due to

violent coughing. Wood poisons the target, requiring her player to

successfully roll (Stamina + Resistance) at a difﬁ culty of (the Dragon-

Blood’s Essence) to avoid suffering a -1 penalty to all actions for the

rest of the scene. (Subsequent successful uses of this poison effect are

cumulative.) In order to inﬂ ict any of these penalties, the Dragon-

Blood must successfully hit his target. He cannot inﬂ ict a particular

elemental effect more than once per action, however, regardless of

how many blades he throws at his target as part of a ﬂ urry.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, each

Charm is always considered to be an Air-aspected Charm for purposes

of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies. A Dragon-Blood can learn only the version as-

sociated with his aspect.

ELEMENTAL A RMOR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 1m or 2m per 1B/1L of soak, 1 wp; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence

3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Vengeful Gust Counterattack

The Dragon-Blood surrounds himself with a spinning vortex

of material composed of his afﬁ nity element. Each mote of Essence

spent adds 1L and 1B to the Dragon-Blood’s soak, and the character

can spend up to a number of motes equal to his dots in Thrown. The

mystical armor is fully compatible with normal armor. The armor also

has special additional effects based on the Dragon-Blood’s aspect:

Air armor consists of a swirling mass of ice crystals that buffet away

ranged attacks, adding half the Dragon-Blood’s Essence to his soak

against ranged attacks. Earth armor consists of a cloud of swirling

dust and particulate matter that obscures an attacker’s view, adding

half the Dragon-Blood’s Essence to his DV against ranged attacks.

Fire armor consists of a cloud of red-hot embers that impair the

vision of attackers at close range, adding half the Dragon-Blood’s

Essence to his DV against melee attacks. Water armor surrounds

the Dragon-Blood with a liquid cushion, adding half his Essence to

his soak against melee attacks. Wood armor surrounds the Dragon-

Blood with a cloud of choking pollen, allowing him to extend the

effects of his anima-based plant toxins to anyone within a number

of yards equal to his Essence.

The Dragon-Blooded can extend the beneﬁ ts of this Charm

to others, the Essence cost increases to two motes per point of soak,

140

and one Willpower must be spent for each individual protected by

the Charm. The Exalt cannot use this Charm to provide armor to

another Dragon-Blood of a different aspect, however, and no person

can be the subject of more than one application of the Charm at

the same time. Instead, the last application of the Charm takes

precedence over any earlier applications.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, each

Charm is always considered to be an Air-aspected Charm for

purposes of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-

of-aspect Charms applies. A Dragon-Blooded can learn only the

version associated with his aspect.

EARTH A SPECT

The Immaculate Order accords a special place to Pasiap as

the de facto founder of Dragon-Blooded society, as he was the

only one of the Immaculate Dragons who did not ascend to the

Celestial Sphere at the end of the Great Uprising, opting instead

to stay behind and lay the foundations of the Shogunate. The Texts

describe Pasiap as a simple village blacksmith prior to his Exalta-

tion, a man of great physical and moral strength but with nothing

to suggest that he might become a warlord capable of matching the

Anathema’s greatest generals. Upon Exaltation, however, Pasiap

instinctively understood the role that each soldier played in a

military campaign, just as he previously understood how each piece

of a sword needed to come together in his smithy. After founding

the Shogunate, Pasiap withdrew from society in favor of monastic

pursuits, and many Integrity and Resistance Charms are referred

to collectively as Earth Meditation Charms due to the role they

played in Pasiap’s contemplations.

Returned Solars with memories reaching back to the Pri-

mordial War vehemently deny that any Dragon-Blood was ever

as good a tactician as the Dawn Castes of old. Instead, the Earth

Aspects of that era were simply unit commanders and adjutants for

Dawn Castes, although a few of the more skilled craftsmen served

Twilights as gloriﬁ ed blacksmiths, possibly the origin of the legends

that surround Pasiap.

AWARENESS

ALL-ENCOMPASSING E ARTH S ENSE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Awareness Excellency

The Earth whispers to its children and warns them of the foot-

steps of those who approach with hostile intent. While the Charm is

in effect, the Dragon-Blood cannot be surprised by any means. The

Charm draws upon the intimate connection between the Earth Aspect

and the ground beneath his feet, making them as one. Consequently,

in order to use this Charm, the Exalt’s feet must rest on the ground.

“The ground” includes earth, grass or the lowest ﬂ oor of a building,

but if the Dragon-Blood is at sea, up in a tree, on an upper level of

a building or simply resting with his feet propped up on a table, the

Charm confers no beneﬁ ts. The Dragon-Blood may extend this beneﬁ t

to companions at a cost of two extra motes per person, affecting a

maximum number of people equal to his Essence.

FEELING THE D RAGON’S B ONES

Cost: 2m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

141

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Prerequisite Charms: All-Encompassing Earth Sense

With this Charm, the whispers of the Earth grow louder and

more informative. As long as she is touching the ground (or in a

building doing so), the Dragon-Blood can sense anything else rest-

ing on the ground in a radius of (Awareness x 25) feet. The Exalt’s

player must roll (Intelligence + Awareness), with the character

gaining more information with more successes.

ENTOMBED M IND T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 5 motes; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling

Duration: Five minutes

Prerequisite Charms: Feeling the Dragon’s Bones

To be aligned with Earth is to truly understand the concept of

stasis, but such an understanding can overpower the minds of those

not prepared for it. This Charm allows the Earth Aspect to infuse a

person with the somnolent character of stone itself, thereby putting

that person to sleep. The Exalt must somehow invoke the essential

character of Earth prior to using this Charm, whether by capturing

the subject’s attention with a glittering jewel or simply speaking to

him in a low droning voice. Regardless, the Exalt must somehow

capture the subject’s attention for at least ﬁ ve minutes, keeping

him sitting still for this duration. The Dragon-Blood’s player can

then roll (Manipulation + Presence), with a difﬁ culty equal to the

target’s Essence. Each success renders the target unconscious for

one hour in a sleep so deep that nothing can rouse him. Once the

magical duration has passed, the subject passes into normal slumber

and can be awoken normally. While in the grip of this Charm, the

sleeper will have strange dreams of underground caves and the

mysteries within them. Often, the target of this Charm will awaken

with insight on the location of a buried treasure or of where to dig

a well that will never go dry.

SENSE-RIDING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 5m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Until disrupted

Prerequisite Charms: Any Awareness Excellency

Using this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can ride the senses of

another being. The subject must be within the Exalt’s line-of-sight

when the Charm is activated. Thereafter, the Exalt can see, hear,

touch, smell and even taste whatever the subject experiences, pro-

vided that the subject remains within a number of miles equal to

the Exalt’s Essence. When the Charm is activated, the Terrestrial’s

player and that of the subject make opposed (Awareness + Essence)

rolls. The Exalt’s player must get at least one net success to enact

the link. If the two tie, there is no effect. If the Exalt loses and the

intended subject is also an Exalt, the subject’s player gets a reﬂ exive

Awareness roll at difﬁ culty 3 for the subject to know that someone

was attempting to ride his senses. Mortal characters have no chance

of knowing what the Exalt attempted.

The Terrestrial must maintain concentration for the duration

of the Charm, and even riding on a slow-moving horse or sitting in

a sedan chair can cause her to miss important details. Any actions

more complicated than that are completely impossible. Furthermore,

the Exalt is at a -3 penalty to remain aware of events happening

around her own person. The Dragon-Blood cannot use any Charms

or spells “through” the person she is riding, nor can she understand

any languages she doesn’t know even if the subject does know

them. The Exalt can, however, gain the beneﬁ ts of any supernatural

improvements the subject makes to his own Awareness.

SENSE-DESTROYING M ETHOD

Cost: 4 motes, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 3; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling

142

ible Essence ﬂ ows around the hand to solidify in the shape of the

desired tool according to the Dragon-Blood’s will, dissipating into

nothingness whenever she wants to use her hand for any normal

purpose. The Charm must be used twice to affect both hands, and if

the Exalt wishes to change tools, she must use the Charm again.

The Charm can be used to transform the Dragon-Blood’s

hand into a deadly weapon such as a hammer or a pickaxe, adding

a maximum of +2 bashing or +1 lethal to her unarmed attacks,

depending on whether the tool is bladed or not.

STONE-CARVING F INGERS F ORM

Cost: 1m per cubic foot; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Shaping Hand Style

Artisans often say that the essence of sculpture is to observe

the rock that one wishes to carve and the simply slice away those

portions that are not part of the desired end. This Charm brings

truth to that aphorism, allowing the Dragon-Blood to engage in

astonishing feats of stonecraft. The character must spend at least

one minute carefully striking at a quantity of stone. Characters

most typically use a tool of some sort, but a sword pommel or a

rock will do, as will bare hands if the character has Martial Arts 2

or better. At the end of one minute, the character strikes the ﬁ nal

blow, and the rock shatters, leaving behind whatever form the

Dragon-Blooded wished to fashion.

The Exalt’s player must roll (Wits + Craft). With one success,

the character can blast an opening in a stone wall or quarry stone

blocks ready for use in construction. With three successes, she can

fashion a simple work of art or functional pottery (such as a jug

already hollowed out for use) from living rock. With ﬁ ve successes,

she can create artwork of astonishing beauty and complexity, includ-

ing still-life sculpture so realistic that, on close examination, one

can see pores and individual hairs. The Essence cost of this Charm

is determined by the size of the volume manipulated: 1 mote per

cubic foot of stone.

PERFECT C LIMBING A TTITUDE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Stone-Carving Fingers Form

The bond between the Earth Dragon and its children is so

great that it will not permit them to fall from great heights. With

this Charm, a Dragon-Blood becomes a ﬂ awless mountaineer and

rock-climber. The Dragon-Blood’s ﬁ ngers pass easily into any rock

face, leaving behind indentations that he and others can use as

handholds. The Dragon-Blood himself can hang from any stone or

earthen surface without a roll unless it is worse than sheer (such as

an overhang or a cavern roof). Even then, he or anyone following

him gains two automatic successes on an Athletics roll to crawl

along such surfaces. The Dragon-Blood can move across such surfaces

at a rate of 10 feet per action or twice that if the surface is already

suitably rough enough for mountain climbing (or if someone has

already used this Charm to make it so).

FLAW-FINDING E XAMINATION

Cost: 1m for touch or 3m for sight, plus 1wp to repair; Mins: Craft

3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One minute

Duration: One action per point of permanent Essence

Prerequisite Charms: Sense-Riding Technique

Having mastered the capability of riding another’s senses, the

Earth Aspect can now close off those senses, denying his subject

their use. The target must be within direct line of sight. The Dragon-

Blood’s player rolls (Awareness + Essence), with a difﬁ culty equal

to the target’s Perception. Each net success subtracts one die from

the target’s Awareness rolls pertaining to a single sense, and if the

net successes exceed the target’s Perception, the sense affected is

totally shut down for the duration of this Charm. The Charm must

be applied separately for each of the ﬁ ve senses. The Charm lasts for

one action for every dot of permanent Essence the Dragon-Blood

has. While this Charm is most commonly used to disable an enemy

by taking away their sight, neutralizing a target’s sense of touch also

allows him to ignore wound penalties (one level of wound penalties

per success or all wound penalties if the successes exceed the target’s

Perception). Thus, Dragon-Blooded ofﬁ cers sometimes neutralize

their subordinates’ capacity to feel pain before sending them into

battle. An Exalt cannot use this Charm on himself.

ESSENCE D ISRUPTION A TTACK

Cost: 3+m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 4; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: None

Duration: Five ticks per dot of permanent Essence

Prerequisite Charms: Sense-Destroying Method

The ultimate form of Awareness is the ability to perceive

Essence, and the ultimate form of Awareness manipulation is

perhaps this Charm, which allows the Dragon-Blood to suppress

her target’s ability to perceive and manipulate the Essence around

him. The Dragon-Blood must pay a minimum of three motes and

one Willpower, and she can spend an additional number of motes

up to her permanent Essence. The Dragon-Blood’s player must then

roll (Awareness + Essence) with a difﬁ culty of 3 for the character to

analyze the patterns of Essence that surround the intended target.

The target must be in sight and no farther away from her than a

number of feet equal to her (permanent Essence x 10). If the ini-

tial roll succeeds, the player can then roll (Willpower + Essence)

against a difﬁ culty equal to the target’s Essence. Each net success

on this roll increases the cost of all Charms and spells used by the

target by one mote plus one additional mote for each extra mote

of Essence the user spent activating the Charm. This surcharge is

applied to every application of a Charm made by the target for a

number of ticks equal to the Dragon-Blood’s (Essence x 5). If the

target uses a reﬂ exive defensive Charm multiple times in a single

action, he must pay the surcharge for each use. If he uses a Combo,

he must pay the surcharge on each individual Charm that makes

up the Combo.

CRAFT

SHAPING H AND S TYLE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Craft 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One hour

Prerequisite Charms: Any Craft Excellency

The skill of a Prince of the Earth is so great that she doesn’t

even need tools to do her work. The Dragon-Blood can enchant one

of her hands so that it will perform the functions of a tool—a pick

axe, a hatchet, a hammer, etc.—while still functioning normally

as a hand. The hand does not alter its appearance. Instead, invis-

143

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood may attempt to ﬁ nd the weak spot in

some object. If the Dragon-Blood wishes to eliminate the ﬂ aws

in an object, his player must roll (Intelligence + Craft) and spend

one Willpower point. With a single success, damaged items are

repaired instantly, although some things might be so damaged

that this Charm must be used multiple times. If the Dragon-Blood

wishes to strike at the item’s weak point, any damage inﬂ icted on

his next successful physical attack against the object is doubled. If

used against armor or a weapon, treat this as a disarming attempt,

with a success destroying the item.

Using this Charm requires the Dragon-Blood to spend at least

one minute examining the item to be affected. It costs one mote

if he can physically touch or handle the item or three motes if he

must study it from a distance. This Charm is explicitly allowed to

be made a part of a Combo with other Abilities.

CHARM OF L ESSER U NMAKING

Cost: 5m; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Flaw-Finding Examination

The Charm of Lesser Unmaking permits the Dragon-Blood to

reduce any crafted item to its component parts, all arranged neatly

in a pile as if ready for initial construction. Used on a heavy wooden

door bound in steel bands, the result would be a stack of precut

timbers, some hammered steel bands and a small pile of rivets and

nails. Ropes bound in the tightest of knots are rearranged into neat

coils, and a sword blade is separated from its hilt, guard and pommel.

However, items that consist of a single component, such as a cup, are

unaffected. Enchanted items are neutralized while their component

parts are separated, but the enchantments themselves remain intact,

and if the item is reassembled, the magic is restored.

The player of the character using this Charm must roll (Craft

+ Essence). The difﬁ culty is 1 for simple items (crude stone hatch-

ets, huts lashed together with vines), 3 for sturdily or competently

made items (a well-made sword, chain links, a banded door) or 5

for intricate or masterfully created items (ﬁ nely crafted jewelry,

clockwork mechanisms, artifacts). If the object is enchanted or

has an Artifact rating of 1, the difﬁ culty increases by one, meaning

that most enchanted items are difﬁ culty 6 to disassemble. Artifacts

with a rating of 2 increase the difﬁ culty by two, and this Charm

cannot be used to unmake an artifact with a rating of 3 or higher,

nor can it be used against any artifacts made entirely of the magical

materials, such as most weapons or armor. The maximum volume

that can be affected with this Charm is equal to the Exalt’s Essence

in cubic yards. Using this Charm requires the Exalt to handle or

remain in contact with the item for a number of actions equal to

the difﬁ culty of the roll. This Charm cannot be used as part of a

combat maneuver.

CHARM OF G REATER U NMAKING

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Charm of Lesser Unmaking

This Charm functions in a manner similar to the Charm of

Lesser Unmaking, but its effects are more dramatic. Instead of simply

disassembling an item into its component parts, items affected are

reduced into their original raw materials. A heavy wooden door

bound in steel bands will be reduced to a pile of uncut logs and hunks

of raw iron. Fine jewelry is reduced to uncut gems and unprocessed

gold ore. Fine pottery melts into clay.

The Exalt’s player must roll (Craft + Essence). The difﬁ culty

is 1 for most items, 3 for exceptionally crafted or constructed things

and 5 for artifacts, including anything forged from the magical

144

materials. The Exalt cannot, however, disassemble an artifact

with a rating above that of her Essence. The Exalt must remain

in contact with the item for a number of actions equal to the dif-

ﬁ culty, and the maximum size of material that can be affected is

a number of cubic yards equal to the Exalt’s Essence.

INTEGRITY

UNSLEEPING E ARTH M EDITATION

Cost: 1m; Mins: Integrity 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: None

By bolstering her body and spirit with the inviolable spirit of the

Earth Dragon, the Dragon-Blood using this Charm can go without

sleep for 24 hours without any ill effect. The character suffers no

penalties for lack of sleep or fatigue and is fully alert at all times.

The Exalt must still rest due to exertion, however. The Dragon-

Blood can use this Charm for a maximum number of sequential

days equal to her (Integrity + Essence) without ill effect. Thereafter,

every additional day the Charm is used causes the Exalt to lose one

temporary Willpower per day, and Willpower lost cannot be regained

until after the Exalt has slept for 24 uninterrupted hours.

UNTIRING E ARTH M EDITATION

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Unsleeping Earth Meditation

With this Charm, the Earth Aspect can imitate the constancy

of the Imperial Mountain itself. As long as the Dragon-Blood’s feet

touch the ground at least once every six ticks, he incurs no fatigue

penalties from any source, whether from armor, encumbrance,

physical exertion or magical effect. The Charm does not negate any

fatigue penalties that were already in existence when the Charm

was enacted, but it prevents the Exalt from becoming even more

exhausted. The Dragon-Blood can also ignore wound penalties up

to his permanent Essence rating. The effect of this Charm ends

instantly once the Exalt’s feet remain off the ground for more than

six ticks. Wearing shoes does not impair the link with the earth, nor

do cobblestones or building ﬂ oors sever the link, provided that they

rest on the ground. Therefore, a Dragon-Blood under the effects

of this Charm remains alert while standing on the stone surface of

the bottom ﬂ oor of an inn, but once he ascends the stairs to the

second ﬂ oor, the Charm is disrupted.

OATH OF THE T EN-THOUSAND D RAGONS

Cost: —; Mins: Integrity 2, Essence 2; Type: Permanent

Keywords: None

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: Any Integrity Excellency

The devotion of the Princes of the Earth to their charges is

unshakable. The Dragon-Blood holds a heightened sense of loyalty

to a particular group of people (just as Righteous Lion Defense

grants a Solar a heightened sense of loyalty to an ideal). The group

may be the Dragon-Blood’s House, his unit or ministry, his sworn

brotherhood or even the Dragon-Blooded as a whole, although there

is obvious danger in becoming preternaturally loyal to very large

populations. Likewise, this Charm can be purchased multiple times

representing occasions when the Dragon-Blooded swears a new oath

of loyalty. The group to which the Exalt swears loyalty cannot be

changed after it is chosen. When the Dragon-Blood is confronted

by social attacks that go against his loyalty to his chosen group,

he automatically adds his Integrity to his Mental Defense Value.

The Integrity bonus can be added only once, even if the group he

is being asked to betray falls under multiple groupings. That is, if a

Dragon-Blood who has sworn loyalty to House Tepet and loyalty

to the Third Legion is being manipulated into betraying a fellow

soldier who is also a Tepet, the Dragon-Blooded still applies his

Integrity bonus only once.

TEN-THOUSAND D RAGONS F IGHT AS O NE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Oath of the Ten-Thousand Dragons

For the duration of a scene, a Dragon-Blood can instantly

dedicate herself to a new Intimacy—loyalty to another Dragon-

Blood in her immediate vicinity. By doing so, the Dragon-Blood

treats the loyalty as an additional Intimacy, with all the beneﬁ ts and

drawbacks thereof, even if this temporarily exceeds the maximum

number of Intimacies the character can normally have. There

need be no particular form of connection between the Dragon-

Blood and her new Intimacy—indeed, she might not even know

his name—but the fact that he is a fellow Terrestrial is a source of

comfort and strength to her. A Dragon-Blood may forge a number

of new Intimacies equal to her Conviction during a given scene.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any regular tick or

on any long tick during social combat.

UNFLAGGING V ENGEANCE M EDITATION

Cost: 5m, 1wp (additional allies must each pay 1wp); Mins: Integrity

4, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Social

Duration: Until satisﬁ ed

Prerequisite Charms: Untiring Earth Meditation, Ten-Thousand

Dragons Fight as One

Just as the hottest of ﬂ ames can lose its intensity unless it is

contained by the walls of a furnace, so too does the steady strength

of the Earth Dragon help contain and focus the inner ﬂ ame of ven-

geance. To activate this Charm, the Exalt must spend three motes

and one Willpower while speaking aloud the terms of a vendetta

to which the character commits himself with all his soul. The goal

must be a simply stated purpose such as “Avenge my father’s death

at the hands of Tepet Arada” or “Humble Sesus Chenow Lahor

for his insult on my honor.” Swearing such an oath provides the

Dragon-Blood with several beneﬁ ts.

First, for as long as the vendetta lasts, it counts as an Intimacy

for the Dragon-Blood with all the beneﬁ ts and drawbacks of any

Intimacy. Second, whenever confronted by any effect, magical or

otherwise, that might deter the Dragon-Blood from pursuing his

vengeance, he adds his Essence to his Dodge MDV. Furthermore,

he can ignore any unnatural inﬂ uence that would compel him to

abandon the vendetta, treating such commands as unacceptable

orders. Third, until the Exalt fulﬁ lls the vendetta or abandons it, he

does not need to eat, sleep or rest as long as he remains in pursuit

of his vengeance. The character incurs no penalties from any sort

of fatigue, whether natural, magical or even from encumbrance or

armor. Fourth, the Exalt can soak both lethal and bashing damage

with his full Stamina, and he adds his Integrity to both his lethal

and bashing soaks.

145

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Unﬂ agging Vengeance Meditation can be sustained without

ill effect for a number of days equal to the Exalt’s Essence. After

that, the character suffers one health level of unsoakable bashing

damage every time a number of days equal to his Essence passes.

This damage cannot be healed while the Charm remains in force,

and even after the Charm lapses, healing this damage takes twice

as long as normal. When a Dragon-Blood swears a vendetta with

this Charm, a number of additional characters equal to his Essence

can join him. Each additional participant must pay one temporary

Willpower point but need not expend any Essence. Once invoked,

the Charm ends either when the vendetta is satisﬁ ed or when the

Dragon-Blood who initiated it voluntarily abandons it. If anyone

who is party to the Charm, including the Dragon-Blood who

initiated it, terminates his involvement prematurely, he suffers a

number of levels of lethal damage equal to the sum of the permanent

Essences of all characters involved. This damage is unsoakable in

any fashion.

GRANITE C URTAIN OF S ERENITY

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Ten-Thousand Dragons Fight as One

A Dragon-Blood who has mastered this Charm can transform

his mind and soul into unassailable towers capable of resisting all

but the most potent of mind-altering powers. For the duration of

a scene, the difﬁ culty to use any supernatural effect against the

Dragon-Blood that seeks to sway his emotions, control his mind or

induce madness increases by the Dragon-Blood’s permanent Essence.

This Charm has no effect upon the Great Curse.

While this version of the Charm is Earth Aspected, Dragon-

Blooded of the Wood Aspect have access to similar Charm called

Verdant Curtain of Serenity. The Wood-aspected version is identical

to Granite Curtain of Serenity in all respects except that its mini-

mum Ability is Medicine 5 and it requires Purity of Mind Method

(see p. 176) as a prerequisite Charm instead of Ten-Thousand

Dragons Fight as One.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

INVIOLATE D RAGON S PIRIT

Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1 hl; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Ten-Thousand Dragons Fight as One

The Dragon-Blood using this Charm can instantly overcome

the effects of any natural or unnatural compulsion. Most commonly

used to instantly break the hold of narcotic or similar addictions

without going through a lengthy withdrawal, the Charm can also

act as a perfect parry against any social attack, including those that

incorporate unnatural mental inﬂ uence. This Charm, however, has

no effect against unnatural mental inﬂ uence Charms used by beings

whose Essence is higher than the Dragon-Blood’s. The Willpower

point spent on this Charm does not count toward the two-point

maximum on Willpower points that must be spent within a scene

in resisting natural mental inﬂ uence.

CHAOS-WARDING P RANA

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

146

or Charm-assisted attacks. She can also add her Essence to her

Mental Dodge and Parry DV if confronted with an Anathema

using mind-altering effects.

Neither Eclipse nor Moonshadow Exalted are capable of

learning this Charm, whose nature is fundamentally inimical to

their Exalted natures.

RESISTANCE

OX-BODY T ECHNIQUE

Cost: –; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1; Type: Permanent

Keywords: Stackable

Duration: Permanent

Prerequisite Charms: None

While the Terrestrial Exalted do not have the infernal resil-

ience of the Anathema with whom they struggle, their capacity

to endure punishment is still far greater than that of mortal men.

This Charm grants Dragon-Blooded additional health levels. Each

time this Charm is taken (up to the maximum of her Resistance

Ability), the Dragon-Blood gains one -1 health level and one -2

health level.

STRENGTH OF S TONE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m per person; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 1; Type:

Simple

Prerequisite Charms: Inviolate Dragon Spirit

Since the Usurpation, the Fair Folk and the other creatures of

the Wyld have been the most persistent adversaries of the Dragon-

Blooded. As the avatars of stability, it has fallen to the Earth Aspects

to develop the means to counter the corrosive effects of Wyld ener-

gies. For the remainder of the scene after invoking this Charm, the

Dragon-Blood can ignore Shaping effects, such as the mutational

effects of the Wyld or the glamour sorcery of the Fair Folk. Both

the Dragon-Blood’s person and gear are protected and cannot be

changed by such Wyld effects. The Charm does not protect against

any Shaping effects brought to bear by Celestial Exalted, however,

including Sidereal astrology. This effect can be extended to any

number of other people by touching them and paying the full cost

of the Charm for each of them.

DEFENSE-FROM-ANATHEMA M ETHOD

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Chaos-Warding Prana

Perhaps the most recent Charm developed for the Dragon-

Blooded arsenal, this Charm was created for the express purpose

of facilitating the Great Uprising. While it is in effect, a Dragon-

Blood may add her Essence to her Dodge and Parry DV against

any attacks made against her by an Anathema, including sorcery

147

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Resistance Excellency

Like the element they emulate, the Children of Pasiap are

pillars of strength and endurance. The Dragon-Blood must meditate

for a moment while holding and contemplating some piece of earth

as small as a pebble. Thereafter, he can add one dot each to his

Strength and Stamina for the remainder of the scene. He can also

grant one dot in Strength and Stamina to a number of additional

people equal to his Essence, at a cost of two additional motes per

person. To do so, all persons affected must hold hands with a pebble

clasped in each pair of hands. An individual can beneﬁ t from this

Charm only once per scene.

MOUNTAIN T OPPLING M ETHOD

Cost: 4m; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One action

Prerequisite Charms: Strength of Stone Technique

With this Charm, the Exalt can call upon the quiet strength

of mighty mountains to augment his physical power. For one ac-

tion, the Dragon-Blood’s Strength increases by ﬁ ve, but only for

the purpose of lifting or handling stone or earthen objects, such as

toppling pillars, hurling boulders or stomping on the top of a hill

to start a landslide. Also, for the purposes of this Charm, jade-al-

loyed weapons such as daiklaves are considered to be stone, and the

Strength bonus does apply to attacks made with such weapons. This

Charm is explicitly allowed to be put into Combos with Charms

of other Abilities.

IMPERVIOUS S KIN OF S TONE M EDITATION

Cost: 1m per 2L/2B soak; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 2; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Strength of Stone Technique

This Charm permits a Dragon-Blood to give her skin the

toughness of unyielding stone itself while losing none of her normal

ﬂ exibility. Each mote spent increases the Dragon-Blood’s bashing

and lethal soak by two. The bonus to soak cannot exceed the

Exalt’s Essence. Also, this Charm is weak against Essence, and the

soak bonus granted does not apply to damage inﬂ icted by sorcery

or by attacks enhanced with Charms. This Charm is compatible

with armor.

(ELEMENT) PROTECTION F ORM

Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious, Stackable

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Impervious Skin of Stone Meditation

This is actually a cluster of ﬁ ve separate Charms. When this

Charm is in effect, the Dragon-Blood’s skin changes color to match

that of whatever form of jade is associated with the element invoked.

The character gets a bonus to his lethal and bashing soak equal

to his Essence against elemental damage and attacks and an equal

bonus to his (Stamina + Resistance) pool when resisting damaging

environmental effects, provided that the character has purchased

and activated the appropriate Charm for that element.

Air improves the Exalt’s soak versus both Archery and

Thrown attacks, attacks by any blue jade weapons and Air-based

elemental attacks. Also, the Dragon-Blood’s Essence is added to

his (Stamina + Resistance) pool when resisting extremes of cold.

Earth grants a soak bonus against Melee and Martial Arts attacks

using metal weapons or any attacks with white jade weapons, as

well as Earth-based elemental attacks. This soak bonus also ap-

plies to indirect damage from stone and dirt such as rockslides or

simply falling to the ground from a great height, and the Exalt

adds his Essence to his (Stamina + Resistance) pool to resist

asphyxiation if he is buried alive. Fire improves the Exalt’s soak

versus ﬁ rewands and other ﬁ re-based attacks, as well as red jade

148

weapons. The Dragon-Blood adds his Essence to his (Stamina +

Resistance) pool when resisting extremes of heat. Water improves

the Exalt’s soak versus Water-based elemental attacks and any

black jade weapons, as well as all attacks directed against him

when he is fully immersed in water. If the Dragon-Blood cannot

breathe underwater, this Charm will allow him to add his Essence

to any (Stamina + Resistance) roll to hold his breath. Finally,

Wood grants a soak bonus against Melee and Martial Arts attacks

that use wooden weapons, any attacks using green jade weapons,

“natural” attacks such as ﬁ sts, kicks and teeth, and Wood-based

elemental attacks. The Dragon-Blood can also add his Essence to

his (Stamina + Resistance) when exposed to any poison or disease

that might affect him.

The soak bonus granted by this Charm does not apply to

attacks enhanced by Charms or sorcery of Celestial level or

higher, but it is applicable to elementally aspected Charms such

as Elemental Bolt Attack. Also, the soak beneﬁ ts do not apply

against artifact weapons made from magical materials other than

whatever form of jade is associated with the element used in the

Charm deployed. Normally, the Essence cost is three motes, but

when an Exalt is using the version associated with the element

of his own Aspect, the cost is only two motes. Stacking multiple

versions of this Charm will not increase the soak bonus or the

(Stamina + Resistance) bonus, but it will make certain the bonus

applies to multiple hazards. This Charm does stack with Impervious

Skin of Stone Meditation and is compatible with armor.

Unlike many elemental Charms, a Dragon-Blood can purchase

more than one version of this Charm, and he is not required to

purchase the version for the element to which he is aligned ﬁ rst.

Indeed, most Dragon-Blooded do not, since they already gain some

of these beneﬁ ts through their elemental animas. Regardless of the

speciﬁ c elemental version learned, each Charm is always considered

to be an Earth-aspected Charm for purposes of determining whether

the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect Charms applies.

UNEATING E ARTH M EDITATION

Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Any Resistance Excellency

The Earth needs no nourishment. Nor do the Children of Pa-

siap. While this Charm is active, the Dragon-Blood does not require

food or water and suffers no ill effects from hunger or thirst. After a

number of days equal to her (Essence + Resistance), however, each

additional day inﬂ icts one level of bashing damage on the Dragon-

Blood, which cannot be healed while the Charm is in use.

UNBREATHING E ARTH M EDITATION

Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Uneating Earth Meditation

As the Dragon-Blood grows more like the mountains he emu-

lates, he realizes that even breathing is a luxury he can do without.

For the rest of the scene after the invocation of this Charm, the

Dragon-Blood does not breathe. He can survive underwater, in

clouds of poisonous gas or volcanic ash or even in supernaturally

created voids. Yet, while the Charm is in effect, he not only does

not need to breathe, he cannot breathe. Consequently, speech is

impossible for the duration of the Charm. The Exalt can extend

the effects of this Charm to other people by touching them and

spending two additional motes of Essence per person. A target must

be willing, however, or the Charm does not affect him.

UNFEELING E ARTH M EDITATION

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 4; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Unbreathing Earth Meditation

The ultimate expression of the Earth Aspect’s relationship

with his aligned element, this Charm permits the Dragon-Blood

to shrug off the mightiest blows as if the attacker had simply swung

his sword at a mountain. For the duration of a scene, the Dragon-

Blood who invokes this Charm can ignore all wound penalties.

The Charm does nothing to mitigate the damage actually suffered.

It merely allows the Exalt to ignore the symptoms of injury.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm which can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

WAR

ENFOLDED IN THE D RAGON’S W INGS

Cost: 1m per ally affected; Mins: War 1, Essence 2; Type:

Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Touch

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial War Reinforcement

It is difﬁ cult to achieve success as a military commander if

one cannot avoid immolating one’s own troops. For each mote

committed, the Dragon-Blood may temporarily render one soldier

partially immune to the damaging effects of her elemental anima.

Any damage inﬂ icted on a protected soldier by the Dragon-Blood’s

anima or by other elemental effects attributable to her aspect is

reduced by the Dragon-Blood’s Essence. The nature of this Charm

is such that a Dragon-Blood can only protect a mortal soldier who

is considered at least nominally “under her command.” Therefore,

neither bystanders nor fellow Exalts can be protected by it. When

the Charm is activated, all participants must be holding hands.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

TIRELESS F OOTFALLS C ADENCE

Cost: 2m per fang; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings

From lowly fanglords to the greatest generals, all Dragon-

Blooded ofﬁ cers are gifted at motivating the soldiers under their

command into extraordinary feats of endurance. With this coop-

erative Charm, one or more Dragon-Blooded begin a rhythmic

cadence of some kind, such as a ﬁ ghting song or a call-and-response

chant. The affected soldiers ﬁ nd that their packs lighten, their

resolve stiffens and their morale improves.

As long as the Exalt maintains the Charm, her unit gains a

number of automatic successes on fatigue checks equal to her Es-

sence – 2 (minimum 1). Also, the unit’s movement rate is doubled.

The Charm can be used to affect only infantry units, and a single

Dragon-Blood can affect only a number of fangs equal to (her

Essence + 2). If multiple Dragon-Blooded activate this Charm

together, each participant can affect a number of fangs equal to

(his Essence + 2), and the total number of automatic successes

gained on fatigue checks is equal to (the combined Essence of

149

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

all participants – 2). The maximum number of participants who

can join in a single cooperative use of this Charm is equal to the

highest permanent Essence of any participant. The Essence spent

is committed for the duration of the Charm, which can last for

a number of hours equal to the lowest permanent (Essence +

Stamina) total of any participant.

ARMOR-HARDENING C ONCENTRATION

Cost: 2m per person; Mins: War 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings

The Exalt focuses, invoking the durability of the Earth as an

enchantment on his armor. The degree of beneﬁ t is determined by

the composition of the armor as described in the following chart,

as armor that is more durable to begin with can more easily resist

having its nature altered by Essence. The Exalt can also extend this

beneﬁ t to any ally within a number of yards equal to his (Essence

x 3) by paying the same cost for each ally protected. A character

can beneﬁ t from the application of this Charm only once during

a scene, and the Charm ends prematurely if the armor is removed

for any reason before the end of the scene.

Armor Type Soak Bonus

Non-Magical Armor 1L/2B

Magical Armor 2L/2B

Jade Armor 2L/3B

White Jade Armor 3L/3B

PHANTOM-WARRIOR H ORDE

Cost: 2m; Mins: War 2, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 3)

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Elemental, Obvious, War

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings

The wise commander knows that sometimes the appearance

of superior numbers is as valuable as actually having enough troops

to outnumber the enemy. This Charm allows a Dragon-Blood to

fashion illusory troops from her aligned element. The area around the

Dragon-Blood appears to be ﬁ lled with warriors fashioned out of the

element to which he is aspected. Although the Charm is Elemental

in nature, there is no difference in its effects beyond cosmetics. For

example, ﬁ re warriors appear to be formed of smoke and embers,

while earth warriors appear to be made of dust, and wood warriors of

leaves and grass assembled into a roughly humanoid shape. While the

phantoms are illusory, they are also quite intimidating, and the player

of any enemy of the Dragon-Blood in the area must successfully roll

his character’s Valor or suffer a -1 penalty on all dice pools through

his next action. Mortals must score as many successes on the Valor

roll as the Dragon-Blood’s Presence, while beings with an Essence

higher than 1 need only a single success. The phantom warriors are

spread out over an area with a radius equal to the Dragon-Blood’s

(permanent Essence x 10), and they affect everyone in that area who

is not allied with the Dragon-Blood who created them.

If the Charm is deployed in mass combat, the opposing force

must make an immediate rout check at a -1 penalty. If the roll is

successful, the opposing force suffers no other penalty.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. However, the Dragon-Blood is limited in

using the Charm as follows: The Charm can only be activated on

a tick when the Dragon-Blood performs an action. It cannot be

activated on the ticks between actions. In Mass Combat, it can be

activated on any long tick in which the Dragon-Blood acts.

BLAZING C OURAGEOUS S WORDSMEN I NSPIRATION

Cost: Varies; Mins: War 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

150

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Phantom-Warrior Horde

The Dragon-Blooded were fashioned by the ﬁ ve Elemental

Dragons to serve as the ultimate troop leaders, and this Charm

symbolizes their ancient responsibility of looking after their troops.

The Dragon-Blood spends one mote per warrior that she com-

mands, and each soldier gains one additional Bruised health level

for the duration of the scene. The maximum number of troops

who can be affected by this Charm is equal to the Dragon-Blood’s

(Essence + War). The participants must all hold hands while the

Charm is activated.

RAMPARTS OF O BEDIENT E ARTH

Cost: 2m per cubic yard; Mins: War 4, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ ex-

ive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Phantom-Warrior Horde

To the Children of Pasiap, the battleﬁ eld is clay to be shaped

according to the demands of military tactics. With this Charm, the

Dragon-Blood can stamp his foot or smite the ground with his ﬁ sts,

and the earth responds to its master. Up to a cubic yard of dirt or

similar earthy material can be shaped to the Dragon-Blood’s will.

The earth can be wrenched up and compressed to form a crude

barrier capable of providing cover against arrows or disrupting

a cavalry charge or an infantry formation. It can be compressed

beneath the feet of an advancing force, requiring all those caught

within the resulting sinkhole to succeed on a (Dexterity + Ath-

letics) to avoid knockdown. Finally, the Charm can be used for

excavation, as the Exalt tunnels into the ground, compressing the

earth away from him and leaving rock-hard tunnel walls in his

wake. The compressed earth has a soak of 5L/8B and a Hardness

of 4. Each area roughly a yard thick requires 20 health levels to

damage and 30 to destroy. The Charm can be used to manipulate

dirt, sand, pebbles and even mud, but it has no effect on actual

rock of any density.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. The Dragon-Blood is, however, limited

in using the Charm as follows: The Charm can be activated

only on a tick when the Dragon-Blood performs an action. It

cannot be activated on the ticks between actions.

DRAGON-SEARED B ATTLEFIELD

Cost: 8m; Mins: War 4, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Cooperative, Elemental, Obvious, War

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Courageous Swordsmen Inspiration,

Ramparts of Obedient Earth

The Dragon-Blood can impose his elemental anima on a large

area equal to his (Essence x 50) yards in radius and centered on

any outdoor location within his line of sight. Anyone who comes

within this area suffers an environmental penalty on all actions

equal to the Dragon-Blood’s War Ability rating, as earth tremors,

rainstorms, snow ﬂ urries, clouds of acrid smoke or simply fast-

growing briar patches spring into existence to harry those caught

within. The exact effect depends on the Dragon-Blood’s aspect,

but the environmental penalty is the same, regardless of aspect.

Dragon-Blooded of the same aspect as the one who invoked the

Charm are immune to the environmental penalty, as are any

151

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

individuals attuned to him through the Charm Enfolded in the

Dragon’s Wings. Dragon-Blooded of other aspects are immune if

their anima banners are at the 8+ motes level.

This is a cooperative Charm, and multiple Terrestrials who

know the Charm can activate it cooperatively to increase its ef-

fects. When they do, the area affected is equal to the combined

(Essence of all participants x 100) yards, and the environmental

penalty imposed is equal to highest War Ability rating of any par-

ticipant, plus one for each additional participant. The maximum

number of participants is equal to the permanent Essence of the

Dragon-Blood who has the highest War Ability rating. Other

Dragon-Blooded are immune to the environmental effects if they

share the same aspect as any participant to the activation of this

Charm, as are mortal soldiers protected by the use of Enfolded in

the Dragon’s Wings by any participant.

DRAGON V ORTEX A TTACK

Cost: 15m + 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple

Keywords: Cooperative, Elemental, Obvious, War

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Seared Battleﬁ eld

This Charm is identical to Dragon-Seared Battleﬁ eld except

as follows: In addition to the environmental penalty imposed on all

persons caught on the battleﬁ eld when the Charm is invoked, the

Dragon-Blood can direct the raging miasma of elemental energy

to injure his enemies. On the tick that this Charm is activated,

everyone within the area of effect suffers a number of levels of

lethal damage equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence. The same

amount of damage is inﬂ icted again ﬁ ve ticks later and every ﬁ ve

ticks thereafter while the Charm is in effect. This damage takes

the forms of ﬂ ying shards of stone or razor-sharp ice, swirling gouts

of ﬂ ame or steam, or even explosions of needles from enormous

thorn bushes that spring from the ground. The damage cannot be

dodged or parried except with perfect effects. The Dragon-Blood

who initiates the Dragon Vortex Attack is immune to its effects,

as are any Dragon-Blooded of the same aspect and any Dragon-

Blooded regardless of aspect whose anima banners are at the 8+

motes level. If the Dragon-Blood who invokes this Charm has

protected mortal soldiers with Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings,

they too are protected from the vortex.

If several Dragon-Bloods who know this Charm use it coop-

eratively, their combined Essence is used to calculate the radius

of the damage, and the damage inﬂ icted is equal to the highest

Essence of any participant plus one for each additional participant,

in addition to the combined environmental penalty described

under Dragon-Seared Battleﬁ eld. Also, if the participants have

different elemental afﬁ nities, every Dragon-Blood within range

who shares afﬁ nity with any participant is immune to the Charm’s

effects, as is every mortal soldier who is protected by an applica-

tion of Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings used by any participant.

Therefore, if an Air Aspect, a Water Aspect and a Wood Aspect

combine their powers to invoke the Dragon Vortex Attack, the

radius would be equal to their (combined Essence x 100) yards.

Every Dragon-Blood within range who was an Air, Water or Wood

Aspect would be immune, every Fire or Earth Aspect would be

affected normally, and every mortal soldier who was protected by

Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings by any of the three Dragon-Blooded

would be immune. The maximum number of participants in the

application of this Charm is ﬁ ve, so, common military practice is

to have one participant of each aspect, thereby ensuring that every

Dragon-Blood within the Vortex radius would be immune.

FIRE A SPECT

According to the Immaculate Texts, Hesiesh was a man of

great temperance and self-control, particularly when compared to

the typical Fire Aspect. A prodigy at swordplay even prior to his

Exaltation, he refused to use Charms, even after the Second Breath,

preferring to rely on his incredible skill with the blade, his ﬂ awless

grace and his enormous personal charisma. Indeed, according to

the Texts, Hesiesh used Essence only once in his life—when he

immolated the bodies of the fallen Anathema to prevent them

from returning as hungry ghosts.

Celestial Exalted and even a great many heretical or agnostic

Dragon-Bloods scoff at the suggestion that an Exalt could “save

his Essence” over an entire lifetime and then unleash it all in one

massive burst. Likewise, some of the heretical Anathema cults that

emerged after the Great Uprising claimed that the Fire Aspects

were born to serve one of two purposes. Those Dragon-Blooded

who were born with skill at Athletics, Dodge and Melee served on

the front lines of martial combat against the Primordials. Those

whose specialties lay in Presence and Socialize served a different

role, which gives lie to the tales of Hesiesh with his dignity and

restraint. Such Fire Aspects served as courtesans, gigolos and con-

cubines for the Celestial Exalted.

ATHLETICS

EFFORTLESSLY R ISING F LAME

Cost: 1m; Mins: Athletics 2, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

As anyone can see, it is in the nature of ﬂ ames to rise. With

this Charm, a Dragon-Blood propels himself away from the ground

with a burst of ﬁ ery energy. The Dragon-Blood instantly rises from

a prone position or adds two dots to his Athletics rating for the

purposes of calculating jumping distance.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

FALLING S TAR M ANEUVER

Cost: 1 per 2 dice of damage; Mins: Athletics 2, Essence 1; Type:

Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Effortlessly Rising Flame

A Dragon-Blood with this Charm can move with the grace

of a ﬂ ickering ﬂ ame, using his speed and agility to ﬂ ank his op-

ponent and gain the advantage in combat. Each mote spent (up

to the maximum of the Exalt’s permanent Essence) adds two dice

of damage to a successful hand-to-hand attack. This damage is

added before soak is applied. Normally, this Charm can be used

only in hand-to-hand combat, but with a stunt, it may be applied

to a Thrown or Archery attack. One can do so only if the target

has no cover and has left himself open to a ﬂ anking maneuver,

though. This Charm is explicitly allowed in Combos with Charms

of other Abilities.

BELLOWS-PUMPING S TRIDE

Cost: 1m or 2m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: One scene

152

Prerequisite Charms: Falling Star Maneuver

For a scene, the Dragon-Blood can double his movement rate

on all Move and Dash actions. While the Charm is in use, the

Dragon-Blood leaves a trail of ﬁ ery footprints behind him, which

have the potential to start ﬁ res if he runs through dry brush. This

Charm does not affect the Speed of any of the Exalt’s actions, just

his movement rate. If the Exalt has an Athletics rating of 4, an

Essence of 3 and the Terrestrial Athletics Reinforcement Charm,

he can extend the effects of this Charm to others at a cost of two

motes per person.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated only on a tick when

the Dragon-Blooded initiates an action, though. It cannot be use

on the ticks between actions.

INCENSE S MOKE L ADDER

Cost: 2m; Mins: Athletics 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Bellows-Pumping Stride

Fire is not restrained by gravity and can burn up walls as easily

as across ﬂ oors. Likewise, when she activates this Charm, a Child

of Hesiesh can easily run up a tree or a wall as long as she can

maintain a running pace and has at least two steps on the ground

to establish her momentum. The Exalt cannot run upside down,

and she dare not stop, lest she fall. The Exalt can run across water

as easily as land, however, and she can even run across dangerous

liquids such as lava or acid without sinking, although the soles of

her feet will undoubtedly suffer injury.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated only on a tick when

the Dragon-Blooded initiates an action. It cannot be use on the

ticks between actions.

DANCING E MBER S TRIDE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Incense Smoke Ladder

The Fire Aspect’s afﬁ nity for movement continues to improve.

With this Charm, the Exalt is capable of defying gravity. He can

rise up and, buoyed by a hot updraft, ﬂ y at a rate equal to twice

his normal movement rate. During the duration of the ﬂ ight, the

Dragon-Blood must remain within ([Essence + Athletics] x 3)

yards of a solid surface. He can ﬂ y along the surface of walls and

cliffs to gain a higher altitude, but the magic of the Charm will

not function if he strays farther from a solid surface than the stated

distance. Bodies of water are not a solid surface, and the Charm

ends if the Exalt strays over large body of water, instantly dunking

him. Also, the Dragon-Blood must remain in motion at all times.

He cannot hover, and if he ever stops moving, the Charm ends. As

the Exalt is dependent on warm air currents to remain in ﬂ ight, his

aerial maneuverability is relatively poor. He can engage in aerial

combat or attack ground targets, but all actions suffer a -2 penalty

while he is airborne.

DODGE

THRESHOLD W ARDING S TANCE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Dodge 2, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

It stands to reason that, if one wishes to dodge, one must have

room to do so. The Dragon-Blooded defy this obvious logic. For

the duration of a single tick, a Dragon-Blood using this Charm

can ignore all environmental penalties to his Dodge DV, even in

places where dodging would seemingly be impossible, such as on

tree limbs or up to his knees in quicksand.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

HOPPING F IRECRACKER E VASION

Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Threshold Warding Stance

When this Charm is activated, the Dragon-Blood’s ability to

avoid danger becomes truly astonishing. When the Dragon-Blood

is attacked and successfully evades injury through his Dodge DV,

he can reﬂ exively spend two motes to let his dodge carry him on

and away from his attacker. The Dragon-Blood can instantly and

reﬂ exively execute a Dash action without suffering any DV penalty

for doing so. Doing so usually takes him out of hand-to-hand combat

range and allows him to evade most multiple attack Charms after

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

the ﬁ rst attack. This Charm must be activated as part of a dodge,

however, so if the Dragon-Blood relies on his Parry DV instead of

his Dodge DV, the Charm cannot be used.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

VIRTUOUS N EGATION D EFENSE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Hopping Firecracker Evasion

If an ally within normal leaping distance (about ﬁ ve yards)

is subject to an attack, the Dragon-Blood using this Charm can

attempt to move her out of the way. The Exalt’s player must ﬁ rst

roll (Dexterity + Dodge + Essence). If the player gets no successes,

the attack proceeds normally. If the player gets any successes, the

character can make himself the target of the attack instead of the

ally. If his successes exceed the successes on the attack roll, both the

Dragon-Blooded and the ally automatically dodge without a roll.

Otherwise, the attacker’s remaining successes are applied as damage

against the Dragon-Blood (with soak applied normally).

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

SAFETY A MONG E NEMIES

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Dodge Excellency

In close-quarters combat, a reckless opponent is sometimes as

likely to hit an ally as the intended target. With this Charm, the

Exalt can make this likelihood into a certainty. If a Dragon-Blood

who is the target of an attack has a Dodge DV of at least half the

attacker’s dice pool (whether naturally or with the application of

Charms), he can reﬂ exively spend three motes to make the attack

automatically miss him and instead strike another person. The new

target is then affected by the attack as if he had been the original

target all along (i.e., the new target’s DV is subtracted from the

attacker’s dice pool). The new target must be within three yards

of the Dragon-Blood, and the attacker cannot be made to attack

himself. This Charm cannot be used if the Dragon-Blood has no

viable alternative target.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

ELEMENTAL D EFENSE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 5m; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Safety Among Enemies

This Charm creates a glowing aura of elemental energy that

radiates for a few feet around the Exalt who activates it and helps

protect her from harm. The elemental energy created is determined

by the aspect of the Dragon-Blood. Regardless of its nature, however,

Elemental Defense Technique provides the following beneﬁ ts. First,

any Archery attacks are totally negated, as any incoming arrows

are torn apart by the surging elemental force. Second, anyone at-

tempting to make an unarmed attack against the Exalt suffers four

levels of bashing damage, soaked normally. Third, the Exalt gains

+2 to her lethal and bashing soaks against attacks with any weapon

not made of the magical materials.

Finally, each elemental aura grants an additional beneﬁ t. Air

buffets any close-range attackers, giving the Exalt a +2 to her Dodge

DV against hand-to-hand attacks. Earth surrounds the Dragon-Blood

154

with a thick cloud of dust, which gives her +2 to her Dodge DV

against ranged attacks. Fire inﬂ icts two levels of lethal damage on

any hand-to-hand attackers instead of the normal bashing damage.

Water totally neutralizes any ﬁ re-based attacks directed against

the Dragon-Blood and also cushions her against attacks, adding

an additional +1 to lethal and bashing soak. Wood surrounds the

Dragon-Blood with a thick cloud of pollen and other irritants,

and hand-to-hand attackers who fail a (Stamina + Resistance)

roll suffer a -1 penalty for the rest of the scene. A Dragon-Blood of

the same aspect as the one who invokes this Charm is immune to

these aspect-related effects, as is any Dragon-Blooded whose anima

banner is at the 8+ motes level.

Unlike many elemental Charms, a Dragon-Blood can learn

more than one version of Elemental Defense Technique, but she

must learn the version associated with her aspect ﬁ rst. Only one

version can be maintained at a time, and the activation of a dif-

ferent version cancels out the prior one. Regardless of the speciﬁ c

elemental version learned, each Charm is always considered to

be a Fire-aspected Charm for purposes of determining whether

the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect Charms applies.

SMOLDERING K ARMA S TRIKE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 9)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Virtuous Negation Defense, Safety

Among Enemies

The Fire Aspect’s remarkable skill at dodging attacks

approaches its pinnacle, allowing him to dodge an attack and

instantly initiate a free counterattack. Whenever the Dragon-

Blood relies on his Dodge DV and the attacker fails to hit him,

the Dragon-Blood can spend the Essence and make a reﬂ exive

Martial Arts or Melee counterattack with his full dice pool. This

Charm cannot be used to respond to a counterattack launched

with any Charm nor can it be combined with any other Charm

that allows the Dragon-Blood a free counterattack.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely

without the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any

tick on which the Exalt is subject to an attack.

UNASSAILABLE B ODY OF (ELEMENT) DEFENSE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 4; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Smoldering Karma Strike

The most potent of the Dodge Charms in the Dragon-

Blooded arsenal, this Charm is actually a cluster of ﬁ ve

elemental Charms. This Charm represents the closest a

Dragon-Blood can come to the perfect dodges practiced

by the Celestial Exalted. When the Charm is activated, the

Dragon-Blood’s entire body and everything on it transforms for

an instant into the element to which she is aligned, shaped by

magic into a human form. Whether the Exalt’s body is composed

of mist, dust, ﬁ re, water or swirling leaves, the attack passes

harmlessly through her.

The Charm functions as a perfect dodge subject to two limita-

tions. First, the attack must be dodgeable, as this defense will

not apply to attacks that cannot be dodged. Second, each of

the ﬁ ve Unassailable Body of (Element) Defenses is vulnerable

to a particular type of weapon or attack or else suffers from a situ-

155

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

ation in which it will not apply. Air is vulnerable to Earth-aspected

elemental attacks and to extremely large melee weapons that carry

the Overwhelming tag, as the strong breeze caused by the passage

of such weapons disrupts the Body of Air. Earth is vulnerable

to attacks with wooden weapons such as arrows or clubs and to

Wood-aspected elemental attacks, as even the toughest earth must

yield to the burrowing roots of trees. Fire is vulnerable to Water-

aspected elemental attacks, and also will not function while the

Dragon-Blood is in the water or is otherwise wet. Water is vulner-

able to Air-aspected elemental attacks and also will not function

in conditions of extreme cold, as water inevitably loses its ﬂ uidity

in such situations. Wood is vulnerable to Fire-aspected elemental

attacks or simply to ﬁ re attacks such as ﬂ aming arrows.

Unlike many elemental Charms, a Dragon-Blood can learn

more than one version of Unassailable Body of (Element) Defense,

but the Dragon-Blood must learn the version associated with her

aspect ﬁ rst. Only one version can be used at a time, however.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, each Charm

is always considered to be a Fire-aspected Charm for purposes of

determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

MELEE

DRAGON-GRACED W EAPON

Cost: 1m; Mins: Melee 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood has achieved a unity with his weapon that

allows him to impart some of his elemental nature to it. On a suc-

cessful melee attack, the Dragon-Blood may also inﬂ ict an elemental

effect appropriate to his aspect on the target. Air buffets the target,

subtracting two dice from her next action. Earth triggers a tremor

beneath the target’s feet, forcing her player to roll (Dexterity +

Athletics), difﬁ culty 4, to keep the character from falling. Fire

sets the target ablaze for a single action, giving a +4L bonus to the

Dragon-Blood’s damage dice pool. Water ﬁ lls the target’s lungs with

seawater, adding three ticks before her next action due to violent

coughing. Wood poisons the target’s blood, causing her to suffer a

-1 penalty on all actions for the scene if her player fails a reﬂ exive

(Stamina + Resistance) roll.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, this Charm

is always considered to be a Fire-aspected Charm for purposes of

determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies, and Dragon-Blooded can learn only the version

associated with their aspects.

BLINDING S PARK D ISTRACTION

Cost: 2m; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Graced Weapon

When swords clash, they inevitably give off sparks. Ordinarily,

these sparks are an annoyance at most, but few Dragon-Bloods are

ordinary. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can manipulate such

sparks, augmenting them into ﬁ ery luminescence with his Essence

and then sending them cascading into his opponents eyes. The Exalt

can activate this Charm reﬂ exively whenever he successfully avoids

an attack from a metal weapon with his Parry DV or simply when

he strikes any metal or stone object with his sword, including suc-

cessful parries. The Essence spent multiplies what would normally

be a few ﬂ ying sparks into a crackling blue and gold spray that ﬂ ies

into his opponent’s eyes. The opponent is blinded for the following

action, causing her to lose two successes from all attack rolls made

156

for her. If the player of the opponent succeeds on a reﬂ exive (Wits

+ Dodge) roll to have the character look away, however, he suffers

only a two-die penalty instead of losing two successes.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated only on a tick upon

which the Dragon-Blood acts, on any intervening tick upon

which the Dragon-Blood uses a Counterattack Charm or on any

intervening tick upon which the Dragon-Blood evades an attack

with his Parry DV.

GHOST-FIRE B LADE

Cost: 2m or 4m; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Holy, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Graced Weapon

Since the Great Uprising, the Dragon-Blooded have ac-

cepted the burden of defending the masses of humanity against

the depredations of angry ghosts and truculent spirits. Chief among

their arsenal in this ongoing battle is this Charm, which permits a

Dragon-Blood to charge his melee weapon with Essence so that it

can damage ghosts and spirits even while they are dematerialized.

Additionally, if the Exalt spends four motes instead of just two, the

weapon is considered Holy for the Charm’s duration and inﬂ icts

aggravated damage against creatures of darkness. The charge lasts

for only a single action, although its effects do apply to each attack

in a ﬂ urry. Essence for the Charm must be spent before the attack is

initiated. The Charm provides no additional bonus against creatures

not born of darkness.

REFINING THE I NNER B LADE

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Holy, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Graced Weapon

A Dragon-Blood who knows this Charm is never truly unarmed.

The character must spend three ticks in concentration before spend-

ing three motes and one Willpower. Then, she can fashion a sword

or other melee weapon out of thin air from the element to which

she is aspected. The weapon has the traits of a normal weapon of

its type, as well as the beneﬁ ts conferred by the Dragon-Graced

Weapon Charm (see p. 155) appropriate to the Dragon-Blood’s

aspect and is also considered Holy against creatures of darkness.

The conjured weapon lasts for the entire battle or for one scene,

whichever ends ﬁ rst. At the conclusion of the Charm’s duration,

the weapon dissipates harmlessly into a puff of Essence.

PORTENTOUS C OMET D EFLECTING M ODE

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Melee Excellency

Although this Charm is costly, it is still prized by Dragon-

Blooded soldiers, as it is as close as mere Terrestrial Exalted can

come to a perfect melee defense. After an opponent’s hand-to-hand

attack, the Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Dexterity + Melee).

Regardless of the attacker’s successes, if the Dragon-Blood achieves

even one success, the attack is totally blocked. This Charm will not

block either sorcerous attacks or attacks enhanced by Charms, but

it is otherwise treated as a perfect parry.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated only on a tick on which

the Dragon-Blooded is the target of an attack, though.

THRESHING F LOOR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m + 1 per targeted ally; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 2; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One action

Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement

The Dragon-Blood can permit his allies to become preter-

naturally well-coordinated in their attacks on a single target, even

to the point of overcoming the normal limit of how many people

can attack a single target simultaneously. The Exalt must pay two

motes plus one per targeted ally, and each ally will be able to make

an attack on the target, regardless of how defensible the target’s

position is, provided that the ally is within normal move distance

of the target.

RINGING A NVIL O NSLAUGHT

Cost: 8m; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3; Type: Extra Action

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Threshing Floor Technique

The Dragon-Blood can focus his attention on a single target,

and his player rolls the character’s unmodiﬁ ed Melee Ability (no

Attribute is added). Each success allows the Dragon-Blood to make

one extra Melee attack against that target as part of a ﬂ urry, up to

the maximum of his Melee Ability. Each attack in the ﬂ urry is made

with the character’s full dice pool. No ﬂ urry penalties apply.

PRESENCE

GLOWING C OAL R ADIANCE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Compulsion, Obvious

Duration: One action

Prerequisite Charms: None

The blazing elemental fury of the Dragon-Blooded is such that

lesser men are humbled by their mere presence. When this Charm

is activated, the Dragon-Blood is surrounded by a nimbus of Essence

with the color associated with her aspect. Anyone attempting to

look at the Dragon-Blood or to make a melee attack against her

must score at least one success on a reﬂ exive Willpower check. Even

if that roll is successful, any attack made on the Dragon-Blooded

before his next action suffers a dice penalty equal to the Dragon-

Blood’s Presence. This effect lasts until the Dragon-Blood’s next

action. The Charm affects only those individuals within yards a

number of yards equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence, and it doesn’t

impair ranged attacks.

UNBEARABLE T AUNT T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Compulsion

Duration: Essence in actions (during regular combat) or long ticks

(during social combat)

Prerequisite Charms: Glowing Coal Radiance

Most Dragon-Blooded consider their personal honor to be

sacrosanct, and to such social and self-important creatures, a Charm

such as this one is a terrible weapon. The Dragon-Blood need only

gain her target’s attention and insult or embarrass him in some

way to cause the target to become irrationally ﬁ xated on her. The

157

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

example), but she is willing to cross dangerous hazards such as ﬁ res

or raging rivers to reach the object of her ire.

AURA OF I NVULNERABILITY

Cost: 3m; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Glowing Coal Radiance

With this Charm, the peerless self-conﬁ dence of the Princes

of the Earth can be backed up with pure physicality, as the Dragon-

Blood’s natural charisma physically bolsters his body. For the

duration of the Charm, the Dragon-Blood gains +1 bashing and

lethal soak and three temporary -0 health levels. The extra health

levels are the ﬁ rst to be lost when the character suffers damage,

and once lost, they cannot be healed back, even with Charms

that permit instantaneous healing. At the end of the scene, the

extra health levels fade automatically, even if they have not been

used up. A character cannot beneﬁ t from this Charm more than

once per scene.

TERRIFYING (ELEMENT) DRAGON R OAR

Cost: 4m; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Aura of Invulnerability

When little children in the Realm ask their parents what

thunder is, the parents often say that it’s the sound of the Elemental

Dragons roaring down from Heaven to frighten away evil spirits.

This Charm invokes the awesome power of the Dragons by letting

a Terrestrial Exalt yell with the force of an angry god. The roar

focuses the Exalt’s elemental power on a man-sized target, which

must be within a number of feet equal to the Exalt’s (permanent

Essence x 20).

Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Manipulation + Presence), add-

ing her Essence in automatic successes. The results are compared

to the target’s MDV. In combat, only the target’s Dodge MDV is

applicable, and an affected target suffers a -1 penalty to both DDV

and PDV when ﬁ ghting anyone other than the Exalt who used

this Charm against him. Outside of combat, the Charm can also

be used simply to undermine a rival’s social position. The Exalt’s

player must roll (Manipulation + Presence) against the target as a

social attack roll, and only the target’s Parry MDV is applicable. If

the Exalt is successful, the target suffers grave embarrassment from

whatever cutting remark she made, and he suffers a -2 penalty to all

social rolls for the remainder of the Charm’s duration. The Charm

lasts for a number of actions equal to the Exalt’s Essence during

combat or for a number of long ticks equal to the Exalt’s Essence

in social combat.

MOTH TO THE C ANDLE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Compulsion

Duration: Until the Dragon-Blood’s next action

Prerequisite Charms: Unbearable Taunt Technique

Cunning Dragon-Blooded often use this Charm to draw their

enemies into traps or simply to lure them away from overmatched

allies. The target of this Charm becomes ﬁ xated on engaging the

Dragon-Blood in hand-to-hand combat. The Exalt’s player must

roll (Manipulation + Presence), comparing successes to the target’s

Dodge MDV. Parry MDV is not applicable to this Charm. The

Dragon-Blood must be within 10 yards of the target, who must

have a lower Essence than the Exalt. Once the Charm is activated,

the target can take no action other than to approach the Exalt at

her normal Speed and attack him if she is able to do so. The target

cannot be compelled to approach through obviously suicidal means

(attempting to run through ﬂ owing lava to get at the Exalt, for

158

The Dragon-Blood’s innate majesty is now sufﬁ cient to win

almost anyone’s loyalty, at least temporarily. The Exalt can spend

eight motes and one Willpower to attempt to win the loyalty of a

Storyteller character. The Exalt’s player must roll (Manipulation +

Presence), applying the target’s MDV. The target of this Charm de-

velops a loyalty toward the Dragon-Blood for a period of one week per

net success, during which time the target is at -1 to her MDV to resist

social attacks made by the Exalt. Furthermore, if the Dragon-Blood

makes a point of asking only trivial or minor tasks from the target and

makes a show of valuing the target’s loyalty, the effect lasts for one

month per success. Finally, if the Dragon-Blood’s player achieves ﬁ ve

or more successes, the affected character becomes a new henchman

for the Exalted character (per the Background).

This Charm can be used against only mortals and other Ter-

restrial Exalted. It automatically fails against Celestial Exalted

and spirits.

AUSPICIOUS F IRST M EETING A TTITUDE

Cost: 2m ; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm can be used on a target only once, when the Dragon-

Blood and the target ﬁ rst meet in a non-combat, social situation.

During this initial encounter, the Dragon-Blood can read the subject

perfectly, intuitively adjusting his behavior so as to make the best pos-

sible ﬁ rst impression. The target will be generally be open to the Exalt

and will leave the encounter with a favorable impression of him. Even

if the two never meet again, the target of the Charm will generally

The precise effect differs depending on the aspect of the

Dragon-Blood. Air shatters glass and deafens living creatures

for the remainder of the scene. Earth can blast a man-sized hole

in a stone wall or explode the ground beneath the target’s feet,

inﬂ icting four levels of bashing damage (which can be soaked).

Fire can ignite ﬂ ammable objects, and while the yell cannot dam-

age ﬂ esh directly, if the target’s clothing catches ﬁ re, she suffers

two levels of lethal damage every action until she puts the ﬂ ames

out. Water will drench the target with enough water to douse a

campﬁ re, and the player of a living target hit by the yell must

successfully roll (Strength + Athletics) at difﬁ culty 4 to keep her

character from being knocked prone by the force of the blow.

Finally, Wood can shatter a wooden door completely or, if used

against a living target, splinter any wooden bows, arrows or other

weapons the target carries.

This Charm is actually a cluster of Charms, one for each of

the ﬁ ve elements. A Dragon-Blood can learn multiple versions of

this Charm, but he must learn the one associated with his aspect

element ﬁ rst. Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned,

this Charm is always considered to be a Fire-aspected Charm for

purposes of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-

of-aspect Charms applies.

WARLORD’S C ONVOCATION

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Compulsion

Duration: One scene or instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Presence Excellency, Aura of Invul-

nerability

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

speak well of the Dragon-Blood to others regarding his obvious good

breeding and superior virtue. Mechanically, the Dragon-Blood’s player

gains two extra dice to roll on every Bureaucracy, Presence or Social-

ize roll during this ﬁ rst encounter and one extra die on the second

encounter, if any. The Dragon-Blood may also gain indirect insights

about the target’s loyalties, Virtues and Motivations, as the Storyteller

will warn the player ahead of time that an intended action or statement

may affect the target’s MDV (whether positively or negatively).

This Charm can be used only in non-combat and non-threaten-

ing social settings where a pleasant ﬁ rst impression can realistically

be made. Consequently, it is unlikely that this Charm can ever be

used effectively on a battleﬁ eld, though it might be useful in peace

talks with a hateful enemy or when entering a rough tavern in a

bad part of town. If the Dragon-Blood deliberately antagonizes the

subject in any way, the effect ends.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It cannot be used in physical combat, but

can be invoked during any long tick of social combat.

PASSION T RANSMUTING N UANCE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Emotion, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood can transmute one strong passion (lust,

rage or terror) into one of the other two. She must ﬁ rst engage her

target in conversation for a number of long ticks equal to 10 – her

Essence, then her player rolls (Manipulation + Presence) against

a difﬁ culty equal to the target’s Essence, minus one for every point

by which the Dragon-Blood’s Essence exceeds the target’s. If suc-

cessful, the Dragon-Blood’s player gains two dice on all subsequent

social attack rolls against the target designed to play off the target’s

new emotional state. Also, a target who has been affected by this

Charm acts as if his Temperance Virtue had been reduced to 1 for

the duration of the scene.

SOCIALIZE

SWEETEN-THE-TAP M ETHOD

Cost: 2m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Emotion

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Socialize Excellency

Overbold critics of Dragon-Blooded culture often complain that

too many Dynasts are nothing but orgiastic dilettantes. Even when

this is an accurate description of particular Dragon-Blood, however,

one cannot deny that such individuals are supremely gifted hosts.

With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood spends the requisite Essence

and instantly improves the quality, strength and taste of any nearby

quantity of alcohol. Aside from the Epicurean advantages of this

Charm, if the affected wine is drunk, the difﬁ culty of any Socialize

rolls made against the drinkers decreases by one for the scene.

Unfortunately, there is a downside. If any of the drinkers

present botches a Socialize roll, the result will almost certainly be

some degree of personal embarrassment, from a drunken brawl to

an ill-advised seduction attempt.

JADE D EFENSE

Cost: 5m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Sweeten-the-Tap Method

Regardless of the Dragon-Blood’s precise background, he

will typically have seen more debauchery and spectacle than most

mortals could imagine, often even before his actual Exaltation.

As a result, most Dragon-Blooded can be quite blasé about social

interactions. With this Charm, the Exalted can hone this sense of

ennui and boredom into a potent defense against mental and social

manipulation. When this Charm is activated, the Dragon-Blood

can add half his Socialize rating (rounded up) to the difﬁ culty of

any Charisma, Manipulation and Socialize rolls made by others

160

attempting to manipulate him with either natural or unnatural

mental inﬂ uence. This includes attempts to use other Socialize

Charms to compel the Dragon-Blood’s response. The Dragon-

Blood’s Essence is also considered to be one higher than it really

is for the purpose of comparing his Essence to other beings using

Charms that do not affect individuals with a higher Essence than

the one using the Charm.

WARY Y ELLOW D OG A TTITUDE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Sweeten-the-Tap Method

The wise Exalt remains constantly aware of the ebb and ﬂ ow

of the social dynamics that surround her. Therefore, she is prepared

when a genteel social encounter suddenly turns into a violent

confrontation. During an unexpected combat situation (i.e., an

unexpectedly violent situation that explodes out of an initially

nonviolent interaction), the character who activates this Charm

can add three dice to her Join Battle roll and gains a +1 DV bonus

for the ﬁ rst three actions of combat.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm which can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

BROTHER-AGAINST-BROTHER I NSINUATION

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Compulsion, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any two Socialize Excellencies

A great many Dragon-Bloods, particularly among the Dynasts,

are skilled at casually destroying deep and abiding relationships

connecting other people. Often, such manipulations are done for

fun as well as for proﬁ t. In order to activate this Charm, the Dragon-

Blood must be in the same immediate area as his chosen target and

whichever person he wishes to turn the target against. Once the

Charm is activated, the Exalt need only make some comment to

one individual about the other—perhaps snidely, perhaps with the

most persuasive sincerity—calculated to make the listener doubt

the intentions or loyalty of the other person. Augmented by Es-

sence and Willpower, this single comment is sufﬁ cient to weaken

the bonds of friendship between the listener and the other person.

Exactly how this plays out is largely a matter of Storyteller discre-

tion, but it should be fairly easy for the Dragon-Blood to provoke

harsh words between the two or perhaps even a ﬁ ght.

The Exalt’s player must roll (Manipulation + Socialize),

adding the Dragon-Blood’s Essence in automatic successes. Only

Dodge MDV is applicable to this social attack. Even one success

is enough to stir up feelings of resentment in the target against his

erstwhile friend. Three or more will almost certainly move the

target to violence.

The effects of this Charm last for a scene, after which cooler

heads prevail and the two characters’ normal feelings reassert

themselves, assuming of course that nothing has happened in the

meantime to permanently sever those feelings. Neither party im-

mediately remembers the role the Dragon-Blood initially played in

starting the disagreement, but the character who was the original

target might recall the Exalt’s well-timed turn of phrase if his player

makes a successful (Intelligence + Socialize) roll with a difﬁ culty

equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Manipulation. This Charm is well

known in both the Realm and in Lookshy, where its abuse can lead

to social censure and possibly even the ﬁ ling of criminal charges.

This Charm automatically fails when used against a being

with a higher Essence than the Dragon-Blood. It also automatically

fails when used to attempt to turn a Dragon-Blood against another

member of her sworn brotherhood.

WARM-FACED S EDUCTION S TYLE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Emotion, Social (seduction only)

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Socialize Excellency

The ﬁ re that burns at the heart of every Child of Hesiesh can

inﬂ ame the passions of members of the opposite sex (and, often, members

of the same sex). When this Charm is activated, Essence pulses through

the Dragon-Blood’s veins in sympathy with the heartbeat of someone

he seeks to seduce. This Charm can be used only during a seduction

attempt, but in such situations, the Dragon-Blood can increase her

Socialize Ability by ﬁ ve or double its normal rating, whichever is less.

Targets whose sexual orientation would not normally permit them to

feel attraction to the Dragon-Blood gain a +2 bonus to MDV.

FRIEND-TO-ALL-NATIONS A TTITUDE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Warm-Faced Seduction Style

A Dragon-Blood who knows this Charm can ﬁ nd himself at

home wherever she roams, from the heart of the Blessed Isle to

the most remote of barbarian territories. If the Dragon-Blood can

speak the local language, she can ignore any social penalties caused

by being a foreigner. Even if she cannot speak the local language,

any social penalties caused by being a foreigner are reduced by her

Essence, as she can intuitively adopt the basic cultural etiquette of

the society through which she moves.

SMOOTHING-OVER-THE-PAST T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Social

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Warm-Faced Seduction Style

It is a rare individual who can make an enemy of someone and

then blithely sit down with him as a friend. Those Fire Aspects who

know this Charm can be counted among that rare breed. The Exalt

using this Charm can cause a target to temporarily “forget” a single

past event involving him that would reﬂ ect poorly on the current

discussion. In other words, the Exalt can cause the target to forget a

single past encounter for the duration of the current scene, whether

to make the target forget how the Dragon-Blood cheated him out

of a fortune or slept with his wife. Indeed, the Dragon-Blood can

even compel his target to forget multiple encounters, although each

separate encounter requires the expenditure of three motes and one

Willpower. As this Charm is activated, the Exalt’s player must roll

(Manipulation + Socialize), adding the Dragon-Blood’s Essence in

automatic successes. Only the target’s Dodge MDV is applicable to

this role. If this roll is successful, the target forgets the event.

Once the scene is over and the target’s memories return, he will

certainly be aware of what happened and will undoubtedly regret any

unwise bargains he made while he was confused. Therefore, future

uses of the Charm require the Exalt to erase the prior usage of the

Charm as well as the original event(s) that needed to be erased. This

Charm automatically fails when used against any target with a higher

Essence trait than the Dragon-Blooded using the Charm.

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without the

need for a Combo. It cannot be used during physical combat, but

it can be activated on any long tick during social combat.

WATER A SPECT

According to Immaculate dogma, Daana’d, Arbiter of the

Immaculate Complaint, was both the youngest of the Immaculate

Dragons at the time of her Exaltation and the last to Exalt. Before

the Second Breath, she was the daughter of a Western trader

and sea captain forced into piracy by the Eclipse Caste’s corrupt

domination of Creation’s entire trade network. Daana’d was born at

sea and could swim before she could walk. As she grew, her father

taught her everything he knew about how to make an honest living

through trade and a dishonest one through crime. She Exalted as a

Dragon-Blooded while watching her father’s execution for piracy

and, according to tradition, she invented Water Dragon Style on

the spot. At the end of the Great Uprising, Daana’d is credited

with swimming to the bottom of the sea to seal the gates to the

Underworld, thereby preventing the Anathema from ever returning,

a legend that hints at the truth behind the Jade Prison.

Those who recall the Primordial War and its aftermath say

that almost all of the Water Aspects were assigned to aid the Eclipse

Caste Exalted, whether as naval ofﬁ cers aboard First Age vessels, as

police or as bureaucrats who worked to establish supply lines and

form the basis of trade routes in the post-Primordial era. Those

with bureaucratic proﬁ ciency who did not serve Eclipse Castes

were assigned instead to work as adjutants to Dawn Caste generals

or Zenith Caste politicians. A few Water Aspects fought in other

arenas besides the West, due to their natural skill with Martial

Arts. Rarely, a Water Aspect would serve a Night Caste Exalt as a

spy or saboteur, although the Night Castes typically preferred Air

Aspects for such purposes.

BUREAUCRACY

BENEVOLENT M ASTER’S B LESSING

Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Bureaucracy Reinforcement

To the bureaucratic masters of the Water Aspects, even a

collection of complete dullards (or worse, a group of soul-drained

victims of the Fair Folk) can be fashioned into an efﬁ cient workforce

for the short-term operation of any business. By spending a single

mote of Essence, the Dragon-Blood can divide his own Bureaucracy

Ability dots among a group of underlings who have no Bureaucracy

Ability dots with which to begin. The Dragon-Blood cannot give

out more dice than he has, nor can he give any underling more

than a single dot. The Dragon-Blood must supervise the work of the

affected underlings, and while his Bureaucracy dots are farmed out,

he is considered to have no actual Bureaucracy dots of his own.

CONFLUENCE OF S AVANT T HOUGHT

Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

To the Children of Daana’d, all bureaucracies are the same,

differing only in surface details that result from the personalities

of differing managers and staff. Once the Dragon-Blood grasps the

essential character of the bureaucratic milieu, she can insinuate

herself into almost any speciﬁ c bureaucratic setting with ease. By

activating this Charm, the Exalt may instantly understand the inner

workings of the bureaucracy with which she is confronted, knowing

such details as who is in charge of speciﬁ c tasks and where equip-

ment (including secret information) is kept. She may also substitute

her Bureaucracy for her Socialize Ability for bureaucracy-related

purposes. The Charm does not go so far as to grant unfettered ac-

cess to locked or guarded areas, but it may aid the Exalt in ﬁ nding

someone else capable of securing such access.

GEESE-FLYING-SOUTH A DMINISTRATION

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

(Dramatic Action)

Keywords: Compulsion, Social

Duration: One task or three months (whichever is less)

Prerequisite Charms: Conﬂ uence of Savant Thought

While more martially inclined Dragon-Blooded look down on

their kin in the bureaucracies and business centers, other Exalts

understand that the business world can be as much a battleﬁ eld as

any military setting. In such an environment, what matters is simply

getting the job done. With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can articu-

late a single task: tax collection, troop recruitment, merchandising

transactions or almost anything else that can be accomplished in a

bureaucratic setting. The task must be one that is bureaucratic in

nature, however, and within the normal purview of the bureaucracy

to be affected. That is, the Exalt could declare as a task “acquire for

me 2,000 straight swords” but not “construct for me 2,000 straight

swords,” as the latter instruction requires craftsmanship rather

than bureaucratic acumen. Likewise, the Exalt could not order a

tax-collection agency to engage in troop recruitment or to direct

a mercenary company to completely reorganize a public library (at

least, not without a fairly remarkable stunt).

For the duration of the task, the Dragon-Blood’s agents and

assistants work with exceptional skill and dedication. The Exalt’s

player rolls (Charisma + Bureaucracy), adding his character’s Essence

in automatic successes. The Dragon-Blood must then assign the task

to one or more mortal individuals who are in some way subservient

to him (employees, military subordinates, junior clerks, etc.). Each

mortal who is present when the task is assigned and whose highest

MDV is less than the successes achieved on the dice roll instantly

gains a loyalty toward quickly and efﬁ ciently completing the named

task. Also, any affected mortal may add the Dragon-Blood’s Essence

to her MDV when resisting either natural or unnatural attempts to

divert her from working to fulﬁ ll the task. Furthermore, the loyalty

is contagious in nature. Even a mortal who is not present when the

Dragon-Blood activates this Charm will gain both a loyalty toward

completing the task and the MDV Essence bonus if he is assigned

to work on it by a superior and his MDV is less than the Dragon-

Blood’s successes. The Charm’s effects last until the task is complete

or until three months have past, whichever comes ﬁ rst.

The Charm can affect a given mortal only once for a single

task, and if her MDV exceeds the Dragon-Blood’s successes, she

will be under no particular obligation to complete the task, nor

will she gain any particular immunity against attempts to dissuade

her. This does not mean that she cannot work freely on the task,

which might be a normal part of her job, but she is not compelled

to do so. On the other hand, if a mortal’s MDV does not exceed the

Dragon-Blood’s successes, the mortal can resist only by spending a

number of Willpower points equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence.

Mortals who are not affected by the Charm do not act as vectors

162

for transmission of the contagious loyalty, but those who are can

“infect” new employees throughout the duration of the Charm.

Exalted and spirits are utterly immune to the effects of Geese-Fly-

ing-South Administration, as are mortals who are not part of the

affected bureaucracy.

In addition to providing tangible protection for workers against

sabotage by the Exalt’s enemies, this Charm can also be used in

the context of long social actions. By simply declaring the use of

this Charm, the Dragon-Blood will ﬁ nd at the conclusion of the

task that the results are even better than he could have hoped.

Monetary proﬁ ts from the venture increase by an additional one

percent per success on an (Intelligence + Bureaucracy) roll. The

exchange of commodities results in an additional two percent more

goods acquired per success on the roll. Conscription and other

recruitment measures are likewise improved by two percent per

success on a (Charisma + Bureaucracy) roll. Alternatively, instead of

improving the success of the task, the Dragon-Blooded can choose

to reduce the time it takes to complete the task. In such a case, each

success on the relevant Bureaucracy roll reduces by ﬁ ve percent the

amount of time it will take to complete a long-term bureaucratic

endeavor. The Storyteller must determine the base result of any

such endeavor before the improvements granted by the Charm are

added. This Charm does not confer any long-term beneﬁ ts on the

efﬁ ciency of the bureaucracy in general. It simply makes sure that

the bureaucracy will perform this single task with aplomb.

BESTOW THE S AFFRON M ANTLE

Cost: 1m + 1m per dot lent; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3;

Type: Simple

Keywords: Touch

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Geese-Flying-South Administration, Be-

nevolent Master’s Blessing

The Terrestrial Reinforcement Charm for Bureaucracy permits

a Dragon-Blood to supernaturally augment the Bureaucracy skills

of trusted retainers. Ultimately, however, the Dragon-Blood must

trust to the personal judgment of such retainers in doing their jobs

unless she micro-manages their work, a task beneath the dignity of

busy Exalt. With this Charm, the Exalt can designate a single trusted

mortal to serve as her proxy in business matters. For the duration

of the Charm, the proxy will have the Dragon-Blood’s Bureaucracy

Ability rating, and the cost of the Charm is one mote plus one for

every dot that the proxy’s rating is improved. This Essence is com-

mitted for the duration of the Charm, which is equal to one week

per success achieved by the Dragon-Blood’s player on a (Perception

+ Bureaucracy) roll. The Exalt can terminate the Charm at any

time, but the Essence spent is committed until the Charm ends.

This Charm is completely ineffective on supernatural beings.

In addition to an improved Bureaucracy rating, the proxy auto-

matically develops a Motivation to faithfully serve the Dragon-Blood

for the duration of the Charm. This new Motivation completely

supplants any prior Motivation possessed by the proxy as long as

the Charm lasts. Most importantly, the proxy need not guess how

best to serve the Dragon-Blood’s interests, as he knows intuitively

exactly what the Dragon-Blood would do if she were in his place.

The Charm confers one ﬁ nal beneﬁ t that is seldom discussed

among the Dragon-Blooded, as its application is considered an

affront to the Immaculate Philosophy. If the Dragon-Blood dies

while this Charm is still in effect, the Dragon-Blood may transfer

the remains of her consciousness to the proxy, seizing total control

of his mind and body. (Doing so requires a successful reﬂ exive

Willpower roll.) She retains all of her memories and her normal

Bureaucracy rating but none of her prior supernatural abilities.

She can remain “alive” in the proxy’s body until the Charm would

normally end, at which time her soul moves on to enter the cycle

of reincarnation and the proxy is left a mindless, soulless husk,

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

as if he had been a victim of the Fair Folk. Although this aspect

of the Charm can allow a Dragon-Blood to fulﬁ ll some ﬁ nal task

(often including avenging her own death), the Immaculate Order

considers it a blasphemous and arrogant attempt to delay one’s

reincarnation. Therefore, surviving proxies are often preemptively

executed by the Dragon-Blood’s family as a precautionary measure

before any scandal might attach.

THRASHING C ARP S ERENADE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Bureaucracy Excellency

As the Immaculate Texts say: “That which can be facilitated

can also be impeded.” This is as true for bureaucracies as anything

else to which a Dragon-Blood applies himself. With this Charm, a

Dragon-Blood may bring any bureaucratic or administrative tasks

going on within the sound of his voice to a standstill. The player

of anyone attempting to succeed on a Bureaucracy action must

overcome the Dragon-Blood’s player in an opposed (Stamina +

Bureaucracy) roll. While this Charm might be freely used in busi-

ness-related settings or even against lesser agents of the ministries,

it is a serious crime to attempt to delay the business of the Delibera-

tive with this Charm.

TESTING THE W ATERS

Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Thrashing Carp Serenade

In any political setting, from the storied halls of the Deliberative

to humble town-council meetings, no insight is more valuable than

knowing in advance how everyone plans to vote. To the Terrestrial

Exalt, such knowledge is as plain as the nose on each voter’s face.

With but a single glance around the room, a Dragon-Blood who

exercises this Charm can instantly know what the outcome would

be if the issue currently under discussion were brought to a vote.

The Exalt cannot perceive who exactly will vote for or against

the proposition, but he can instantly tell how many yeas, nays

and abstentions would be recorded if the question were called.

This Charm works only on groups of seven or more. Also, since a

person using this Charm is most likely still considering his vote,

both the Dragon-Blood and anyone else using this Charm register

as an “abstention” on the vote tally.

FINDING THE W ATER’S D EPTHS

Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

164

to buy a horse without noticing that it only has three legs is not

permissible. Also, contract clauses that the Dragon-Blood knows

to be impossible to fulﬁ ll automatically fail. The Dragon-Blood

must deﬁ ne the clause when drafting the contract, and a contract

can contain only one clause obfuscated by this Charm. When the

other party reviews the contract, his player must successfully roll

(Wits + Bureaucracy) roll against a difﬁ culty equal to the Dragon-

Blood’s (Bureaucracy + Essence) in order to notice the clause or

to grasp its import. This Charm automatically fails to conceal the

ﬁ ne print when the contract is reviewed by a party with a higher

Essence than the Dragon-Blood or a party using Celestial-level

Bureaucracy Charms. Such beings might still agree to the terms

anyway, however, particularly if the other party desperately needs

whatever the Dragon-Blood has to offer.

DROWNING IN N EGOTIATION S TYLE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Distraction of the Babbling Brook

This Charm is not remotely as powerful as the oath-swearing

powers of the Eclipse and Moonshadow Castes. Nevertheless, it is

a potent aid in enforcing even the most odious of contract terms,

even when the other party is determined to breach the contract

outright rather than comply. The Dragon-Blood must draft a writ-

ten contract and then charge it with Essence. When the contract

is signed, all parties are bound to comply with its terms on their

face. Deliberate breach of any of the contract’s terms inﬂ icts one

point of unsoakable lethal damage on the breaching party for

each point of Essence possessed by the Dragon-Blood using this

Charm. An accidental breach will not inﬂ ict any damage unless

the breaching party refuses to cure the breach within a reasonable

period of time. The damage is inﬂ icted on any breaching party

only one time, even if the contract creates a continuing duty to

perform. Also, all parties are subject to this penalty, including the

Dragon-Blood who drafted the contract. A contract can be subject

to both this Charm and Distraction of the Babbling Brook, either

employed by the same Dragon-Blood or two different ones. Each

Charm can be incorporated into a particular contract only once,

however. Not even the Dragon-Blooded can negate a contract

unilaterally once it is signed, but any contract can be voided if all

parties verbally agree to it.

INVESTIGATION

SCENT-OF-CRIME M ETHOD

Cost: 2m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

The best criminals can conceal their crimes by suppressing any

feelings of guilt beneath a cool exterior. The Children of Daana’d,

however, can look past the most placid surface to see what lies

within the depths of the criminal’s soul. After spending the req-

uisite Essence, the Dragon-Blood’s player can roll (Manipulation

+ Investigation). Even one success indicates to the Dragon-Blood

which of the people currently before him is suffering from the

greatest guilt. This analysis is purely subjective, and sometimes, a

suspect in a crime who feels guilt over some unrelated misconduct

might lead the investigator astray. Also, this Charm is useless against

true sociopaths who feel no guilt whatsoever for their misdeeds. At

Prerequisite Charms: None

Sometimes, even the Princes of the Earth are forced to haggle

over the sale or purchase of goods or over the ﬁ ne details of a

contract. On such occasions, this Charm is invaluable, as it lets

the Exalt peer deep into the heart of the person with whom she is

bargaining to determine how much the person is willing to pay or

what he is willing to concede to allow the deal to be made. The

Exalt’s player must roll (Wits + Bureaucracy). With one success,

the character knows whether the current offer on the table is half

or more of the target’s minimum or maximum offer. With two

successes, the Exalt can identify the other party’s limit within 10

percent. Three or more successes allow the Exalt to know exactly

how much the other party is willing to pay or what is the lowest

sum he will accept.

THOUGHTFUL G IFT T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Finding the Water’s Depths

As a highly honor-bound and legalistic society, the Dragon-

Blooded have developed elaborate customs and rituals concerning

the exchanges of gifts. An appropriate present for a host can smooth

one’s way out of a difﬁ cult social blunder, while an auspicious gift to

someone in dire straits might well obligate him to aid the gift-giver

later, whether he wishes to or not. With a successful (Perception +

Bureaucracy) roll made by her player, the Dragon-Blood can intuit

what the perfect gift would be… or the perfect bribe. The Charm

does not provide the gift, or even easy access to it, but knowledge

of what sort of gift would secure a favorable response. If the Dragon-

Blood knows the recipient reasonably well, the difﬁ culty is only

1. If the Dragon-Blood knows the recipient only by reputation,

the difﬁ culty is 2. Identifying the perfect bribe for an anonymous

ofﬁ cial or a beautiful stranger across a banquet hall is difﬁ culty 3.

While monetary gifts might be sufﬁ cient for almost all mortals,

the Dragon-Blooded have rariﬁ ed tastes, to say nothing of beings

such as spirits, demons or Celestial Exalts. Such beings will often

require unusual items such as the ﬁ rst-born son of a hated rival or a

ball gown designed by a renowned dress designer who resides some

2,000 miles distant.

DISTRACTION OF THE B ABBLING B ROOK

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Thoughtful Gift Technique

Anyone who is not proﬁ cient at the arts of the deal is wise

to be suspicious of any contract he does not fully understand. But

even the craftiest of traders should be suspicious of contracts with

the Dragon-Blooded, some of whom can draft ﬁ ne print capable

of ensnaring the most sophisticated Guild operative as if he were a

country bumpkin. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can conceal

penalty clauses, conditions, extra fees and almost any other sort

of ﬁ ne print into a contract without the other party noticing their

presence until after he signs it. The added contract clauses must be

reasonably subtle, which may call for Storyteller discretion. A clause

stating that interest on a loan balloons to 50 percent compounded

weekly if the other party is late on a single payment or that the

other party’s business is forfeit if he fails to complete a task within

a certain deadline is permissible. A clause stating that the other

party will sell himself into slavery for a nominal fee or that he agrees

165

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

the Storyteller’s discretion, it might also fail to register the guilt of

persons who feel completely justiﬁ ed in committing their crimes,

such as a vigilante who has killed a particularly vile criminal.

FALSEHOOD U NEARTHING A TTITUDE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Scent-of-Crime Method

With this Charm, no attempt by a miscreant to muddy the

waters of an inquiry can obscure the Dragon-Blood’s natural clarity.

The Exalt can target a single individual and, after activating the

Charm, instantly know for the rest of the scene if the individual is

knowingly lying about some subject. The Charm cannot detect half-

truths, skillful evasions or wrong answers founded on ignorance—the

target must know that her statement is unambiguously false. Also,

if the target knows that she is under supernatural scrutiny, she can

conceal a lie by spending one point of Willpower per falsehood.

Finally, the Charm cannot detect lies uttered by a target whose

permanent Essence is equal to or higher than that of the character

who activated this Charm. To the character, any lies detected register

as a slight tingling sensation on the back of his neck.

TAMPERING D ETECTION T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Investigation Excellency

A character using this Charm can instantly tell if any object

has been tampered with and how the tampering was done. This

includes both successful and unsuccessful attempts to pick a lock,

open a safe, search a desk, forge a signature or alter a document.

Only a single object can be studied at once per use of the Charm,

but every change made within the past year is revealed. The Charm

does not reveal who made the changes or why, and it gives only

general information about when the tampering occurred.

BLOODHOUND’S N OSE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Scent-of-Crime Method, Tampering Detec-

tion Technique

The Dragon-Blood must ﬁ rst spend 10 minutes investigating

the scene of a crime (or any other event he wishes to investigate).

The Dragon-Blood’s player makes a normal Investigation roll for

the Exalt to ﬁ nd ordinary pieces of evidence, although this roll

can be augmented with other Charms. After spending the Essence

and Willpower to activate this Charm, the player can then roll

(Intelligence + Investigation), with even one success leading the

Dragon-Blood in the general direction of the person who left the

incriminating evidence. With three or more successes, the Dragon-

Blood also receives a brief glimpse of the culprit at the scene of

the crime. If the culprit uses some type of supernatural effect to

protect her identity, this Charm fails automatically unless the

Dragon-Blood has a higher Essence than the culprit. The Charm

will always fail when confronted with a culprit using Trackless Walk

Style (see p. 167).

CLEAR W ATER P RANA

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Tampering Detection Technique

As ﬂ owing water erodes dirt to reveal what lies buried beneath,

so does the Essence of the Princes of the Earth wash away attempts

at concealment to reveal what lies hidden. When this Charm is

activated, the Dragon-Blood’s Essence washes out over an area with

166

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Revelation of Associates Hunch

By simply meeting someone and coming with a few yards of

him, the Dragon-Blood can instantly know where the person’s

home is. Most commonly, “home” is the character’s primary

residence. In the case of Exalted, or other characters with sig-

niﬁ cant holdings, the Charm identiﬁ es the place that the subject

emotionally considers to be home. Alternatively, if the subject

has one or more manses, the highest-rated manse is considered

the target’s primary residence. It is possible to ward a particular

residence from discovery by this Charm through sorcery, but doing

so simply points to the target’s next most emotionally attached

home. The Charm can identify only a building, not a particular

apartment or room therein, and some individuals, such as itinerant

monks, wandering traders or the impoverished might not register

as having any home at all.

LARCENY

OBSERVER A WARENESS M ETHOD

Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Ofﬁ cially, this Charm’s sole utility is to uncover spies and aid

in preventing eavesdropping. Even the mere suggestion that this

Charm is often used by Dragon-Blooded thieves, spies and assassins

is a blasphemy to some Immaculate monks. With just one success

on a (Perception + Larceny) check, the Dragon-Blood instantly

knows if he is being watched. Additional successes will pinpoint

the speciﬁ c location of observers.

a radius no bigger than her Essence in yards. The released Essence

glows brieﬂ y whenever it encounters anything that has been delib-

erately hidden. The Charm cannot locate items that have simply

been lost. Instead, someone must have deliberately hidden each

item. Also, there is no guarantee that any items discovered will be

relevant to the current investigation. Therefore, if the Charm is used

at the scene of a murder, it might reveal the victim’s stash of opium

hidden under a ﬂ oorboard or her jewels locked up in a concealed

wall safe. The Charm will not detect items concealed on someone’s

person, nor will it reveal items hidden by Celestial-level Charms

or sorcery. Items concealed through lesser magic can be detected

if the Dragon-Blood’s player succeeds in a resisted (Perception +

permanent Essence) roll against the Essence of the individual who

used the concealing magic.

REVELATION OF A SSOCIATES H UNCH

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Investigation Excellency

Just as each individual drop of water in the ocean is connected

to every other drop of water, so is each person connected spiritually

to those close to her, from friends to family to accomplices. Upon

meeting someone, the Dragon-Blood can gain an intuitive knowl-

edge of the person’s closest associates. Each success by the player

on a (Perception + Investigation) roll gives the Dragon-Blood the

name and a one-sentence description of two of the target’s allies,

contacts or employers, beginning with those most important to

the target.

HOMEWARD T RAIL D ISCOVERY M ETHOD

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

167

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick.

TRACKLESS W ALK S TYLE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Observer Awareness Method

Notwithstanding the claims of Immaculate theology, Dragon-

Bloods do make excellent spies and assassins, and all of the Great

Houses have scions skilled at evading detection. While this Charm

is in effect, the Dragon-Blood will leave absolutely no physical

evidence of her identity at a location, such as a crime scene or the

like. The Dragon-Blood will leave neither footprints nor ﬁ ngerprints,

even if he walks through mud or handles a sticky substance. Not

so much as a single strand of hair will be left behind. The only

exception is a clue that the Dragon-Blood may choose to leave at

a crime scene, such as a calling card. Such deliberate clues can be

left without otherwise weakening the Charm’s effect. The Charm

does not prevent supernatural tracking attempts, although it com-

pletely negates the effect of Bloodhound’s Nose Technique (see p.

165). The Charm is best used for short periods of time, however,

as it is inefﬁ cient for such actions as ﬂ eeing across a large forest

without leaving tracks.

EARS OF THE S NOWY O WL

Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One minute

Prerequisite Charms: Observer Awareness Method

The ability to eavesdrop is the essence of effective spying,

and none are better at it than the Children of Daana’d. While this

Charm is in effect, the Dragon-Blood can hear conversations and

other sounds going on in adjacent rooms as if there were no walls

in place, ignoring any penalties associated with obstacles between

her and the objects of her attention. The Charm does not eliminate

penalties due to distance, just physical obstructions. Consequently,

most Dragon-Blooded who rely on this Charm also learn at least

one reﬂ exive Awareness Excellency that can be used concurrently

with Ears of the Snowy Owl.

NAKED T HIEF S TYLE

Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemen-

tal

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One task

Prerequisite Charms: Any Larceny Excellency

This Charm allows the Dragon-Blood to exercise his larcenous

intent when stripped of his tools or even the clothes on his back.

168

The Exalt can fashion out of solidiﬁ ed Essence simple tools for

picking locks, cutting through bars or jimmying doors. The Charm

gives no particular beneﬁ t to the Exalt’s attempt. It simply gives

him access to tools of the trade he otherwise would not possess. The

Charm requires a separate use for each individual Larceny task. If

the Exalt summoned a hacksaw to cut through bars, it would last

for the duration of the attempt. If, after bypassing the bars, the

Dragon-Blood was confronted with a lock to be picked or even a

separate set of bars to cut through, he would have to activate the

Charm again.

WINDOW-IN-THE-DOOR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Three ticks

Prerequisite Charms: Ears of the Snowy Owl, Naked Thief Style

A wise thief always seeks to know what she is getting into before

barging into a room or even opening a locked chest. Such questions

are answered for Dragon-Blooded who possess this Charm. After

the character spends the Essence, a one-foot radius area before his

eyes becomes transparent, whether it is part of a door, a wall or a

hidden safe. The maximum thickness that can be penetrated with

this Charm is equal to three inches for stone, about six inches for

wood or weaker materials, and only one inch for iron. The magi-

cal materials cannot be penetrated with the Charm, which lasts

only three ticks and allows the character alone to see through the

transparent circle. Walls, doors and containers can be enchanted

with sorcery to prevent penetration by this Charm.

IMPOSTER’S V OICE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm elevates common mimicry to supernatural levels.

For the duration of a scene, the Dragon-Blood using this Charm

can perfectly duplicate another person’s voice or the sound of any

animal, spirit or other creature, as well any other sound he hears.

The character must have heard the voice or sound at least once,

and his player must succeed on a (Perception + Larceny) roll for

the character to properly remember all of the sound’s nuances. The

difﬁ culty of the roll is determined by the nature of the sound to

be duplicated. Duplicating the voice of a person is generally only

difﬁ culty 1, while mimicking an unusual animal might require two

or three successes. Imitating the sound of a three-mouthed god who

speaks only in music might have a difﬁ culty of 5. This Charm will

not duplicate any supernatural effects associated with the sound

duplicated, such as an animal roar that invokes supernatural fear,

and each different sound to be imitated requires a new use of the

Charm. The Charm will automatically fool any animals trained

to respond only to the voice of the person imitated, and it will

automatically fool any person, including the closest associates of

the person imitated, unless a listener is using a Charm or spell that

improves hearing.

Wood Aspects have access to a Performance Charm called

New Voice Technique, which is functionally identical to this one

except that it requires Performance 3 instead of Larceny 3.

PRECISE I NK T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One task

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm is employed by spies and forgers across the Realm.

A character using this Charm can duplicate both the handwriting

and writing style of another person. The character must either

currently have a specimen of the writing to be duplicated or else

the player must succeed on a (Perception + Larceny) roll to recall

a sample of writing the character has observed in the past. The

Charm can be used to forge anything from a simple signature to a

document with a maximum number of pages equal to the Dragon-

Blood’s Essence. Therefore, while the Charm can easily be used

to falsify a legal document, writing an entire novel in the target’s

handwriting and style would require many repeated uses of the

Charm. It is impossible to tell the forgery from the target’s normal

handwriting by any mundane means. If Charms or similar magic

are brought to bear on the forgery, the difﬁ culty for any roll for a

person analyzing the document to discover the truth is increased

by an amount equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence.

WATERS OF H ONESTY M ETHOD

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This simple Charm allows a Dragon-Blood observing some kind

of game or competition to instantly know if someone is cheating

and how the cheating is being accomplished. The Dragon-Blood

can observe only one game or competition at a time, but the Charm

can be used on any such event, from footraces to duels to any type

of dice or card game.

PERFECT G AMBLING P RANA

Cost: 4m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Waters of Honesty Method

This Charm, the use of which is highly illegal in both the Realm

and Lookshy, permits a devious character to control a single event

during the course of any game of chance, from a single throw of

the dice to the draw of a single card. The Dragon-Blood using this

Charm must be the one throwing the dice or drawing the card in

order to get any beneﬁ t. Each new roll or draw demands a different

use of this Charm, and frequent uses can exhaust the character’s

Essence pool rapidly.

FLOOD OF V ICTORY P RANA

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Perfect Gambling Prana

The pinnacle of the art of illegal gambling, this Charm permits

the Dragon-Blood to automatically win whatever game she is playing.

The game in question must be a game of chance, be it dice, cards,

roulette or anything else in which luck is a determining factor. If

two characters both use this Charm in the same game, the one

with the highest permanent Essence wins. If both have the same

Essence, the outcome of the game is determined by opposed (Wits

+ Larceny) rolls. A Dynast caught using this Charm faces serious

social censure. A Dragon-Blood in Lookshy is more likely to face

criminal charges, while one foolish enough to use this Charm in a

casino operated by a god or Exalt risks a very unpleasant death.

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

MARTIAL A RTS

The Dragon-Blooded collectively have access to more martial

arts styles than any other Exalted group due to the existence of

Immaculate training and the regimented lifestyle of the Seventh

Legion. Some of the martial arts styles most commonly practiced

by the Dragon-Blooded are described in Chapter Six (see p. 188).

The following Charms are special Dragon-Blooded Charms that

are available to any Terrestrial Exalt regardless of what style she

practices. Other Exalted martial artists cannot learn these Charms,

regardless of the style they pursue, unless they are Eclipse Caste

Solars or Moonshadow Caste Abyssals. These Charms are always

considered Water Aspect Charms regardless of whatever martial

arts style the Dragon-Blood using them studies.

BLADE-DEFLECTING P ALM

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Martial Arts Excellency or any Charm

from any supernatural martial arts style

Lesser hand-to-hand combatants are forced to fall back when

confronted by bladed weapons, but not the Princes of the Earth.

When the Dragon-Blood activates this Charm, he can freely apply

his PDV to parry any incoming martial arts or melee attack with

his bare hands, even those that inﬂ ict lethal damage.

This is a reﬂ exive Charm that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

BECOME THE H AMMER

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Blade-Deﬂ ecting Palm

This Charm focuses the Exalt’s Essence into her hands and

feet, transforming them into deadly weapons. A punch or kick

delivered in conjunction with this Charm inﬂ icts lethal damage

instead of bashing damage and is considered an attack with a

lethal weapon for the purposes of determining whether the target

can parry. One mote must be spent per attack even if the attacks

are part of a ﬂ urry.

DISARMING S TRIKE P RANA

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Become the Hammer

Even given the existence of Charms such as Blade-Deﬂ ecting

Palm, an unarmed martial artist facing an armed opponent is usually

in great danger. This Charm lets him equal the odds by disarming

his opponent more easily by negating the normal -2 penalty for

disarming an opponent (see Exalted, p. 158). The Charm does not

allow the character to break or take the weapon, but he can choose

in which direction the weapon will land, which will be (5 + 1 per

additional success) yards away from its wielder.

DRAGON-CLAW E LEMENTAL S TRIKE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Become the Hammer

The Dragon-Blood’s intimate connection with the Elemental

Dragons permits her to inﬂ ict an elemental effect in conjunction

with her hand-to-hand attacks. On a successful barehanded attack,

the Dragon-Blood may also inﬂ ict an elemental effect appropriate

to her aspect on the target. Air directs a mighty burst of wind at the

target, forcing his player to roll (Dexterity + Athletics), difﬁ culty

4, to keep the character from falling. Earth roots the target to the

spot, preventing him from moving and inﬂ icting a -2 penalty on his

DDV and any actions he takes until the Dragon-Blood’s next action.

Fire sets the target ablaze for a single action, inﬂ icting four levels

of lethal damage in addition to the Dragon-Blood’s normal damage

dice pool. Water ﬁ lls the target’s lungs with seawater, adding three

ticks before his next action due to violent coughing. Wood poisons

the target’s blood, causing him to suffer a -1 penalty on all actions

for the scene if he fails a reﬂ exive (Stamina + Resistance) roll.

This Charm is actually a cluster of Charms, one for each of

the ﬁ ve elements. A Dragon-Blood can learn multiple versions of

this Charm (and even combine two or more into a Combo), but

he must learn the one associated with his aspect element ﬁ rst. Re-

gardless of which version is used, the Charm is always considered

a Water Aspect Charm for purposes of determining whether the

one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect Charms applies. Therefore,

a Fire Aspect who puts the Fire, Water and Wood versions of the

170

Charm into a single Combo must pay a total Essence cost of six

motes (one mote per individual Charm plus one surcharge mote

per Charm), while a Water Aspect with the same Combo need

pay only three motes.

SAIL

HURRICANE-PREDICTING G LANCE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

With a glance toward the western sky and a quick whiff of

the sea salt in the air, the Dragon-Blood can ﬂ awlessly predict the

course of the weather for the day by intuitively sensing the currents

of the ocean and the air. The Charm will not help the Dragon-

Blood predict supernatural changes to the weather made after her

prediction. It can, however, sometimes predict phenomena related

in some way to the weather or to the seas, such as deducing when

an enemy ﬂ eet is most likely to leave port by knowing the tidal

patterns or predicting an earthquake by foreseeing the tsunami it

will cause. In order to use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood mustºbe

on water. It automatically fails when she is standing on land.

SEVEN S EAS W IND-LURING C HANTY

Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One hour

Prerequisite Charms: Hurricane-Predicting Glance

As per Harmonious Wind-Luring Song on page 134. The

Dragon-Blood must be at sea to use this Charm.

STORM-OUTRUNNING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Hurricane-Predicting Glance

The Children of Daana’d are one with the oceans, and the

winds and waves respond to their call. For the duration of a scene,

the Dragon-Blood can double his ship’s rate of movement. While

not a long-term aid to travel, this Charm can make sure that one

ship beats another into port or that the ship can outrun bad weather

or pirates. If the ship is forced to take a path through dangerous

waters at its accelerated speed, Sail rolls may be required to main-

tain control of the ship and keep it from running aground. This

Charm has absolutely no effect if the ship is totally becalmed. It

can double the current speed of a ship, but it cannot cause a ship

to move without any wind or current at all.

FINE P ASSAGE N EGOTIATING S TYLE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Sail 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Hurricane-Predicting Glance

Being one with the ocean also attunes the Dragon-Blood to

what lies beneath it. For the duration of a scene, the Dragon-Blood

intuitively knows of any submerged hazards within ﬁ ve miles of

her current location (assuming she is at sea, of course), effectively

adding three dice to any Sail rolls that involve navigating through

such hazards. The Charm does not automatically protect the ship

from harm. A bad roll by the player might still cause the ship to

be ripped asunder. Also, the Charm only gives an awareness of

submerged static hazards. It gives no insight into the actions of the

band of pirates preparing an ambush, the oncoming Resplendent

Dolphin Undersea Courier full of Anathema or the hungry aquatic

behemoth approaching from the depths.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely with-

out the need for a Combo. If used during combat, it can only be

activated on a tick upon which the Dragon-Blood acts but not

on any of the intervening ticks that come between them. In mass

combat, it can be used on any long tick.

STURDY B ULKHEAD C ONCENTRATION

Cost: 3m; Mins: Sail 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Fine Passage Negotiating Style

While Fine Passage Negotiating Style can warn an attentive

Dragon-Blood of approaching hazards capable of tearing the ship

asunder, such hazards are not always avoidable. At such times,

Dragon-Blooded at sea are grateful for this Charm, which can aug-

ment the integrity of a ship’s hull without reducing the ship’s speed.

When a character uses this Charm on a ship, its hull gains three

additional health levels and two additional soak. The Charm lasts

for a scene or until the Dragon-Blood leaves the vessel.

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

DECK-STRIDING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m (or 6m); Mins: Sail 3 (or 5), Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ ex-

ive

Keywords: Combo-OK, (Obvious), Touch

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

A ship can be hazardous terrain even in the calmest of seas,

as sailors constantly risk falling from the rigging, slipping on a wet

deck or getting knocked overboard during rough seas. This Charm

can negate such risks for both the Exalt and his crewmates. While

this Charm is in effect, the Dragon-Blood can make any normal

movements across the deck of a ship or up and down its rigging

without any possibility of falling, even in the roughest seas or while

the ship is under attack. The Charm also totally negates any move-

ment penalties associated with environmental effects such as ice,

snow, water or motion.

This Charm does not normally permit the sailor to perform

impossible feats such as walking along the side of a ship’s hull or

up the canvas of its billowing sails. However, if the Dragon-Blood

has Sail 5 and spends six motes instead of three, even these limits

are overcome, allowing him to perform impossible feats such as

standing horizontally on the ship’s mast or upside down from the

bottom of its crow’s nest. The sole limitation is that this Charm

can be used only aboard a ship of some sort, although exotic vessels

such as Haslanti air boats count as ships. In addition to granting the

aforementioned beneﬁ ts of either version to himself, the Dragon-

Blood can also grant them to anyone else provided he pays the same

amount of Essence and touches the person to be affected.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. The Dragon-Blood can use it on himself on

any tick. If he wishes to use it on someone else, he can do so only

by touching the other person on a tick upon which he acts.

WOOD A SPECT

Sextes Jylis is credited by the Immaculate Order with a number

of astonishing and miraculous feats, many well beyond what even

the most powerful Terrestrial Exalted extant in the Age of Sorrows

could accomplish. A “wild man who came from the woods” prior to

his Exaltation, Sextes Jylis was thought to be a barbarian of some

description who came from the Far East. A skilled tracker, archer and

horseman prior to his Exaltation, the blessing of the Wood Dragon

raised these skills to superlative levels, while also elevating his ru-

dimentary knowledge of herbalism into an intuitive understanding

of medicine surpassing that of the Twilights and No Moons.

According to other sources, Wood Aspects of the First Age

were chieﬂ y used as archers, rangers, cavalry or battleﬁ eld medics.

Few Wood Aspects specialized in Performance during the time

of the Primordial War, as such activities were deemed somewhat

frivolous in the face of a battle against chthonic elder beings, but

most Wood Aspects had some performance skills, which were relied

upon to help maintain troop morale.

172

ARCHERY

DRAGON-GRACED A RROW

Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Elemental, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can channel the power

of his aligned element into a shaft and unleash it on a target. On

a successful Archery attack, the Dragon-Blood may also inﬂ ict an

elemental effect appropriate to his aspect on the target. Air buffets

the target, subtracting two dice from his next action. Earth triggers

a tremor beneath the target’s feet, forcing his player to successfully

roll (Dexterity + Athletics), difﬁ culty 4, to keep him from falling.

Fire sets the target ablaze for an action, inﬂ icting four levels of

lethal damage. Water ﬁ lls the target’s lungs with seawater, adding

three ticks before his next action due to violent coughing. Wood

increases the damage of the Dragon-Blood’s arrow by +2L due

the thorns covering it. The Essence for this Charm must be spent

separately for each arrow ﬁ red. Although this Charm can be put

into a Combo with an extra action Charm such as Swallows Defend

the Nest, a particular target cannot be subjected to more than one

particular elemental effect at a time. A Fire Aspect, for instance,

could ﬁ re three separate arrows at three separate targets inﬂ icting

four additional levels of ﬁ re damage on each one. An Air Aspect

and Earth Aspect could each shoot the same target and each inﬂ ict

their respective penalties on that target, but a Fire Aspect could

not hit the same target twice and inﬂ ict +8L ﬁ re damage.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, this

Charm is always considered a Wood-aspected Charm for purposes

of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies, and Dragon-Blooded can learn only the version

associated with their aspects.

SWALLOWS D EFEND THE N EST

Cost: 1m per arrow; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2; Type: Extra

Action

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Graced Arrow

With this Charm, the Wood Aspect becomes one with her

bow and arrows, and she can transcend the normal limits of what

is possible with both wood and sinew. The Dragon-Blood can ﬁ re

multiple arrows on a single tick as part of a magical ﬂ urry. Each

arrow ﬁ red after the ﬁ rst costs one mote of Essence but is ﬁ red with

the Dragon-Blood’s full dice pool. The maximum number of arrows

a Dragon-Blood can ﬁ re as part of a single action is equal to his

permanent Essence.

DRAGONFLY F INDS M ATE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Dragon-Graced Arrow

The peerless archery of this Wood Aspect is such that she

can shoot projectiles out of the air, including arrows ﬁ red at her. If

the Dragon-Blood wishes to deﬂ ect an incoming missile with an

arrow of her own, the player must roll (Dexterity + Archery) and

compare the results to the attacker’s roll. The attack is parried only

if the player’s roll equals or exceeds the attacker. A partial parry

achieves nothing.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack, provided, of course, that the

Dragon-Blood has her bow and arrows handy.

SEVEN-YEAR S WARM V OLLEY

Cost: 3m, 1wp + 1m per person defended; Mins: Archery 4, Es-

sence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One action

Prerequisite Charms: Dragonﬂ y Finds Mate

Having mastered the art of protecting himself from ranged

attacks by shooting projectiles out of the sky, the Dragon-Blood

can now extend this protection to his allies. The Dragon-Blood

must spend a base cost of three motes and one Willpower plus one

mote per person to be protected, including himself. He must also

have two arrows per person handy. His player then rolls (Dexter-

ity + Archery). For every success rolled, the DV of every protected

ally increases by one against ranged attacks. Once this Charm is

in effect, the Dragon-Blood cannot take any other actions (such as

combining his defense with another action as part of a ﬂ urry), nor

can he undertake any non-reﬂ exive actions until his next regular

action, or else, the Charm’s effect ends immediately.

173

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

SPARROW D IVES AT H AWK

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Steps 5 and 9)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Counterattack

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Seven-Year Swarm Volley

The Charm Dragonﬂ y Finds Mate permits the Dragon-Blood to

knock the projectiles of his enemies from the sky with well-placed

arrows. This Charm goes one better, as the Dragon-Blood’s arrow goes

on to strike the foolish one who dared to strike at a Prince of the Earth.

As with Dragonﬂ y Finds Mate, the Exalt’s player must roll (Dexterity

+ Archery). If the successes rolled by the player equal or exceed those

of the attacker, the ranged attack is deﬂ ected. Furthermore, any suc-

cesses in excess of those rolled for the attacker represent a reﬂ exive

archery attack made against that enemy. Also, the enemy’s DV is not

subtracted from this reﬂ exive attack, unless the enemy has access to

reﬂ exive Charms that can be used to raise DV from zero or the enemy

is already subject to a Charm with a persistent defense.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick. It is, however,

an exception to the normal rules for Dragon-Blooded reﬂ exive

Charms. Speciﬁ cally, on any tick upon which the Dragon-Blood

uses Sparrow Dives at Hawk, he cannot use any other Charms,

including reﬂ exive Charms, except for additional uses of Sparrow

Dives at Hawk. Naturally, this limitation does not apply if the

Charm is part of a Combo.

HARVEST OF THE H UNTER

Cost: 2m; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Archery Excellency

The Children of Sextes Jylis rarely want for anything in the

forests they love, least of all ammunition. When the Dragon-Blood

requires arrows, he can approach any plant, from a common oak

tree to exotic plants such as desert cacti or marsh reeds. Then, once

he spends the requisite Essence, the plant will instantly “sprout”

into a number of arrows equal to the Dragon-Blood’s permanent

Essence. The Dragon-Blood can summon any conventional type

of arrow into existence, and the arrows are perfectly normal, if

somewhat strange-looking. The arrows can be shared with any of

the Dragon-Blood’s fellow archers.

UNOBSTRUCTED H UNTER’S A IM

Cost: 4m + 1wp (optional); Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3; Type:

Reﬂ exive (Step 3)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Harvest of the Hunter

With this Charm, the archer and arrow truly become one, as

the shaft can twist itself in ﬂ ight to take a curved path toward its

target, bypassing the enemy’s cover. An attack accompanied by this

Charm totally ignores all ranged cover modiﬁ ers granted by trees

and wooden objects. Once charged with Essence, the arrow passes

effortlessly through plants, trees, even wooden shields and timber

fortiﬁ cations, regardless of their thickness. It cannot penetrate ob-

jects containing or reinforced with the magical materials, though.

Furthermore, if the arrow cannot go through cover, it can try to go

around it. If the Dragon-Blood spends one Willpower in addition to

the normal four motes of Essence, the arrow can alter its trajectory

in mid-ﬂ ight to curve around cover or ﬁ nd the tiniest eye slit in a

reinforced bunker. The target’s DV bonus acquired through being

behind cover decreases by -1 per dot of the Dragon-Blood’s perma-

nent Essence. Only the DV bonus acquired from cover is affected

this way, and regardless of the nature of the target’s cover, it must

be possible for an arrow to reach him by some trajectory. Arrows

augmented by this Charm cannot be used to penetrate armor by

“targeting its weak points.”

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated only on a tick upon

which the Dragon-Blood acts normally, however. It cannot be

used on any tick falling between actions.

LIFE-SWELLING S AP S TRIKE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Unobstructed Hunter’s Aim

Of all the Immaculate Dragons, none was as implacable a foe

to the undead as Sextes Jylis, for it was his way as an embodiment

of life itself to oppose the forces of death. When a Wood Aspect

ﬁ res an arrow toward one of the undead and activates this Charm,

the arrow sprouts leaves in mid-ﬂ ight without affecting its trajec-

tory. Upon striking an undead creature, it erupts into full bloom,

ensnaring the foul thing in crushing vines. As a result of this magic,

174

the arrow inﬂ icts aggravated damage on its undead target instead of

lethal. This Charm is equally as useful against materialized ghosts,

nemissaries and hungry ghosts. It has no special effect against Abys-

sals, Deathlords or the living, however, though a successful hit still

inﬂ icts normal damage.

RAVENOUS T HORN T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Life-Swelling Sap Strike

With this Charm, the Wood Aspect can breathe new life into

a wooden shaft, causing it to sprout writhing vines and hungry

roots the instant it strikes its target. The arrow inﬂ icts its normal

damage, and if the archer’s initial attack causes any damage to the

target at all, the arrow sprouts roots and creepers that bore into the

target’s body. These tendrils inﬂ ict additional damage equal to the

base damage type of the arrow (a minimum of 1L) on the tick upon

which the arrow strikes. This additional damage ignores armor and

may be soaked only with Stamina and other natural soak. The arrow

inﬂ icts this damage again ﬁ ve ticks later and again every ﬁ ve ticks

thereafter until it is removed or until it inﬂ icts the extra damage a

total number of times equal to the archer’s permanent Essence. The

extra damage inﬂ icted cannot be healed until the arrow is removed,

which requires a (Dexterity + Medicine) roll with a difﬁ culty equal

to the permanent Essence of the archer.

MEDICINE

INFECTION-BANISHING P RANA

Cost: 1m; Mins: Medicine 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Even a person who survives brutal injuries can still suffer

and die from the deadly infections that accompany such injuries

unless he is protected by the blessings of the Elemental Dragons.

The Dragon-Blood can instantly cure any existing infection with a

touch and the expenditure of a single mote of Essence. Furthermore,

wounded persons treated with this Charm will not become infected

in the future as a result of any wounds they had when the Charm

was used. This Charm does not heal the wounds that initially led

to the infection, nor does it protect the patient from infections

springing from future wounds.

DREAD I NFECTION S TRIKE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Infection-Banishing Prana

Medicinal knowledge can kill as well as heal, infect as well

as purify. The Dragon-Blood using this Charm can enchant her

weapon so that any wounds it causes are much more likely to become

175

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

infected. When this Charm is invoked, the difﬁ culty to resist infec-

tion from a lethal wound inﬂ icted by the Dragon-Blood increases

by two, even for Exalted. The Essence must be spent before the

attack roll, and the attack must inﬂ ict at least one level of lethal

damage or the Essence is wasted. Using this Charm against a fellow

Dragon-Blood is a sure way for the character to win enemies for

himself, as there is no weapon more hated or feared in the Age of

Sorrows than disease. This Charm is explicitly allowed to be used

in Combos with Charms of other Abilities.

DISEASE-BANISHING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 2; Type: Supplemen-

tal

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Infection-Banishing Prana

This Charm elevates the Wood Aspects to the status of healers

of legend, although its failure during the time of the Great Contagion

was a mighty blow to the Wood Aspects’ collective pride. With this

Charm, a Dragon-Blood can cure any non-magical disease with a

touch. She must ﬁ rst make an ordinary diagnosis with her Medicine

Ability prior to attempting to heal the disease, as she must understand

what kind of plague confronts her. If the diagnosis is successful, the

Dragon-Blood need only spend the Essence and Willpower and

touch her patient to purge the illness from the patient’s body. This

purge is quite violent, and the patient is likely to convulse and

expel the sickness, in the form of a repulsive ichor from his mouth,

nose and elsewhere as soon as the Charm takes effect. If this occurs

during combat, the patient is automatically rendered inactive for

a number of actions equal to the disease’s Treated Morbidity (see

Exalted, p. 350). The Dragon-Blood can cure a magical disease only

if his permanent Essence equals or exceeds the Magical Treatment

Difﬁ culty for the illness, and no Dragon-Blood is capable of curing

the Great Contagion with this Charm.

WOUND-CLOSING T OUCH

Cost: 2m per lhl converted, plus 1wp; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence

3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Disease-Banishing Technique

With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can instantly staunch the

bleeding of herself or someone else and also facilitate the healing

of wounds. For every two motes spent, the Dragon-Blooded can

convert one lethal wound level into a bashing level. Healing even

one level of damage also automatically closes any bleeding wounds.

This Charm can be used on another just as easily as the Exalt uses

it on herself. The Dragon-Blood need only spend one Willpower

point per application of this Charm.

GRIEVOUS W OUND A LTERATION E NERGY

Cost: 3m and 1wp per ahl converted; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence

3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Wound-Closing Touch

With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can cause himself or

someone else to more quickly heal even the most serious of injuries.

For every three motes spent, the Dragon-Blood can convert one

level of aggravated damage into lethal damage. Healing even one

level of damage also automatically closes any bleeding wounds. This

176

Charm can be used on someone else just as easily as the Exalt uses

it on himself. The Dragon-Blood must spend one Willpower per ag-

gravated health level converted. Damage converted from aggravated

to lethal can be further transformed into simple bashing damage

through a subsequent application of Wound-Closing Touch.

MADNESS-ANALYZING S TARE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Infection-Banishing Prana

There is more to the healing arts than rejuvenation of the

body. A good physician must also tend to his patient’s mind. This

Charm permits a Dragon-Blood to analyze another character and

diagnose any external inﬂ uences that cloud her mind. Such inﬂ u-

ences can include mind-effecting sorcery or Charms, as well as

derangements. The Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Perception

+ Medicine) at a difﬁ culty of 2. If the roll is successful, the Exalt

can detect the existence of any external inﬂ uences on the target

as well as the nature of any derangements. With four or more suc-

cesses, the Dragon-Blood can trace external magical inﬂ uences

back to their source or instantly understand the root cause of any

natural derangement (adding two dice to any subsequent attempt

to cure the patient of her mental illness). The Dragon-Blood can-

not use this power on himself. The Charm can diagnose a patient

suffering from a low-Willpower compulsion and even identify the

approximate nature of any Exalt’s Virtue Flaw while he is in Limit

Break, but it can neither diagnose nor aid in curing any aspect of

the Great Curse.

PURITY OF M IND M ETHOD

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Wound-Closing Touch, Madness-Analyz-

ing Stare

With a simple kiss to the patient’s forehead, the Dragon-Blood

can exert mastery over the illness that plagues the patient’s mind.

This Charm can instantly remove any normally acquired derange-

ment from the patient. The Dragon-Blood must ﬁ rst have used

Madness-Analyzing Stare to isolate the root cause of the patient’s

mental problems, and the Charm must be used multiple times if the

patient has multiple maladies. In addition to normal derangements,

the Charm will instantly end the effects of any Charms exerting

unnatural mental inﬂ uence over the patient except for Servitude

effects. The Dragon-Blood must spend 10 motes instead of ﬁ ve in

order to defeat a mental inﬂ uence Charm used by a Celestial Exalt.

This Charm can counteract mental inﬂ uences caused by sorcery,

but only if the spell’s effect was instant. Ongoing effects can only be

countered by Emerald Countermagic or similar spells. This Charm

has no power in the face of the Great Curse.

VERDANT C URTAIN OF S ERENITY

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Purity of Mind Method

As per Granite Curtain of Serenity on page 145.

JADE C RUCIBLE M ETHOD

Cost: Special, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Grievous Wound Alteration Energy, Purity

of Mind Method

With this Charm, the Exalt approaches the Immaculate

Dragons themselves in his understanding of the interrelationship

between the physical body and the Essence that animates it. This

Charm allows the Dragon-Blood to tap into the hidden wellspring

of Essence within himself by sacriﬁ cing some of his own health

and vitality to release new Essence for more immediate use. The

player of the character invoking this Charm must decide how many

health levels are to be sacriﬁ ced in its activation. He then rolls (the

character’s permanent Essence + Medicine). Each success on the roll

grants one mote of Peripheral Essence per health level expended.

The resulting damage to the Dragon-Blooded is considered lethal,

and any resulting damage penalties do not apply until after the roll

is made for this Charm. Essence gained in this way can increase the

character’s Peripheral Essence pool in excess of its normal limit, but

any such excess Essence is lost at the end of the scene.

MOST B ENEFICENT S EED OF THE F IVE D RAGONS

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 5; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Jade Crucible Method

The Dragon-Blooded are each attuned to one of the ﬁ ve

elements, but like all living beings, each also contains a piece of

all ﬁ ve elements. Having mastered the secrets of life itself, the

Dragon-Blood who knows this Charm can cause the seed of any

of the ﬁ ve elements to blossom within herself. For the duration of

this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can assume the elemental aspect of

any element other than the one to which she is normally aligned.

The Dragon-Blood’s anima power changes to that of the new ele-

ment, and she will ﬁ nd that she need no longer pay the one-mote

surcharge for out-of-aspect Charms for the new aspect, but must

pay it for her old aspect. If the Dragon-Blood has mastered an

out-of-aspect Glorious Dragon Style, she can still use Charms of

that aspect without paying a surcharge, and she cannot change her

“extra” aspect with this Charm. Only her natural aspect is affected.

The character can end the effects of this Charm on any tick during

the scene as a reﬂ exive action, but doing so will instantly terminate

any beneﬁ ts gained from the use of the new anima power.

Because the Charm lasts for only a scene, it cannot affect which

Abilities are considered favored by the character for experience cost

or training time purposes. Many elemental Charms have different

effects depending on the aspect of the Dragon-Blood who uses them.

Some only allow a Dragon-Blood to use the version associated with

her normal aspect, while others represent a cluster of ﬁ ve elemental

Charms that can all be learned independently. If a Dragon-Blood

who deploys Most Beneﬁ cent Seed of the Five Dragons has any

elemental Charms of the former group, the aspect of those Charms

switches to the Exalt’s new aspect for the duration of the scene. If

the Dragon-Blood has any Charms of the latter group (i.e., Charms

that can be learned for any aspect), those Charms are not altered.

This Charm is explicitly allowed to be included in Combos along

with Charms of other Abilities.

PERFORMANCE

TALENTED I MPROVISATION

Cost: 1m; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

177

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency

There are a vast number of musical instruments in Creation,

more than any single Exalt could ever completely master. With this

Charm, however, the Dragon-Blood can instantly become proﬁ cient

(if not more so) at any single musical instrument. For the duration

of the scene, the Dragon-Blood can apply his Performance Ability

without penalty to any instrument for which he does not possess a

specialty. He can also intuitively understand forms of musical nota-

tion that are alien to him, such as First Age compositions.

DANCE OF F LASHING S WORDS

Cost: 2m, 1wp + 1m per extra foe; Mins: Performance 4, Essence

2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Talented Improvisation

From time to time, an Exalted warrior ﬁ nds herself in the dif-

ﬁ cult position of being forced to ﬁ ght when it is undesirable to be seen

ﬁ ghting. Sometimes, the Dragon-Blood is forced to ﬁ ght an ally under

some kind of mind control and she does not wish to let enemies know

of her circle’s internal strife. Other times, the Dragon-Blood might

be undercover in an enemy city and need to subdue her opponents

in a public place without bystanders calling out the city guards.

With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can place anyone observing her

combat under the illusion that the combat itself is not a serious ﬁ ght.

Depending on the circumstances and how the Dragon-Blood chooses

to manipulate the Charm, observers might believe that the ﬁ ght is

simply some kind of street theater or that an implacable enemy assassin

is simply a “drunken friend who has had too much ale.” Regardless of

the context, affected observers believe that the ﬁ ght is entertaining

and nonthreatening, and they will generally refrain from attempting

to intervene or from calling for the guards.

The Dragon-Blood can disguise a conﬂ ict between herself

and a single person plus one additional extra per extra mote spent.

She cannot disguise a conﬂ ict if her enemies include more than

one character who is not an extra. The other combatants in the

ﬁ ght are not affected by this illusion, and nothing prevents one

of them breaking off the ﬁ ght to summon help while the others

continue to ﬁ ght. Anyone who knows for certain that the ﬁ ght

is real before the Charm is activated (such as allies of the other

combatants who were not close enough to Join Battle at the time)

is unaffected. Likewise, anyone who arrives on the scene later dur-

ing the ﬁ ght with reason to believe the ﬁ ght is real (such as allies

who were summoned by a combatant who ran off to get help) is

unaffected. If someone does arrive after the Charm’s activation,

however, the Dragon-Blooded can add him to the “mock ﬁ ght”

with the reﬂ exive expenditure of a single mote of Essence, so

that the arrival of new combatants will not break the Charm’s

hold on bystanders. This Charm does not fool characters with an

Essence rating higher than the character using the Charm, nor

does it affect any character whose Dodge MDV is higher than the

Dragon-Blood’s (Performance + Essence).

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick.

BLOSSOM H IDES T HORNS

Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 3)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Dance of Flashing Swords

The Dragon-Blooded are social creatures, enamored of culture

and art, but they are also creatures of violence, passion and cun-

ning artiﬁ ce. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood who is currently

engaged in a performance of some kind can initiate a surprise

attack on a target while disguising it as simply another part of

178

the performance. The player of the target can attempt a reﬂ exive

(Wits + Awareness) roll to anticipate the sneak attack, but the

difﬁ culty is equal to the Exalt’s Essence. If that roll is unsuccessful,

the target’s DV is reduced to zero for the Dragon-Blood’s surprise

attack. Any target will realize that he has been attacked after he

has taken any damage, but if an attack misses, the target might not

even notice that it took place unless at least one success is rolled for

him on a (Wits + Awareness) roll. Also, if the damage to a target

is sufﬁ cient to kill the target with a single blow, bystanders might

not even notice that an attack took place until the victim’s body

is discovered. This discovery might take some time if, for example,

the target was slain in his box seat by a singer performing on stage

at an opera. This Charm cannot be used after combat has begun.

It can be used only while the Dragon-Blood is in the midst of some

kind of performance activity.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used only on a tick upon which

the Dragon-Blood acts.

NEW V OICE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

As per Imposter’s Voice Technique on page 168.

HIDDEN P ETAL A RIA M ETHOD

Cost: 2m per subject; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2; Type:

Reﬂ exive (Step 3)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency

A truly gifted performance contains multiple layers of commu-

nication, as a single turn of an actor’s head or a single note artistic

ﬂ ourish in a musical performance can contain nuances that only a

true aﬁ cionado can appreciate. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood

can weave hidden subtexts and messages into his performance, ideas

that only audience members of his choice can perceive. The Exalt

must spend two motes per person with whom he wishes to commu-

nicate secretly, and the Charm can only be used in the course of a

performance. Once the Charm is activated, he can deliver messages

of almost any length, which the subject perceives subliminally, as

if the Exalt were speaking in a slow monotone voice. The Charm

does not permit the subject to communicate anything back to the

Dragon-Blood, but if multiple Dragon-Blooded with this Charm

are performing together on the same stage, they can have lengthy

conversations or even arguments without the audience being any

the wiser. Highly specialized or technical knowledge generally

cannot be communicated with this Charm.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used only on a tick upon which

the Dragon-Blood acts.

SOUL-STIRRING P ERFORMANCE M ETHOD

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Emotion

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Performance Excellency

A Dragon-Blooded performer can invoke a powerful response

in her audience, one capable of creating a degree of emotional

control or even of inﬂ icting a compulsion on the audience. There is

virtually no limitation on the degree of emotional control that the

Dragon-Blooded can exert over an audience with this Charm other

than the fact that individuals cannot be overwhelmed with suicidal

despair. A compulsion inﬂ icted on the audience can be anything from

“only buy goods from House V’neef” to “burn down this building.”

The Charm cannot induce any single audience member to violate a

Motivation or breach an Intimacy, however, nor can it motivate the

audience to do anything particularly dangerous other than to simply

riot. Triggering a riot is not something one does lightly, though, as

the Dragon-Blood using this Charm has no control over the audi-

ence once the riot breaks out. Beyond these limitations, normal

mortals are virtually powerless to resist the effect, but any heroic

mortal in the audience might be able to resist if his MDV exceeds

the Dragon-Blood’s successes on a (Manipulation + Performance)

roll. Exalted and spirits are immune to this Charm.

The Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Charisma + Performance),

and the difﬁ culty is determined by the number of people in the audi-

ence—a single success is sufﬁ cient to affect a small crowd of only a

few dozen, while three successes give inﬂ uence over hundreds and

ﬁ ve successes can reach thousands. The character can deliberately

set out to affect only part of the audience (such as turning the poor

people in the cheap seats against the patricians in the boxes), but this

selectivity must be declared before the roll is made. The medium of

the performance can be almost anything and does not even require

the Dragon-Blood to verbally communicate with the audience. Plays,

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

sanxian recitals, ballets or poetry readings are all equally as capable

of inﬂ uencing the audience’s collective mood. If the roll is successful,

the Dragon-Blood can either inspire a deep-seated emotion in the

audience or invoke a minor compulsion.

PROTECTIVE P ERFORMANCE

Cost: 8m; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion

Duration: Until the performance ends, plus the Exalt’s Essence

in hours

Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Stirring Performance Method

This Charm was apparently created to allow Dragon-Blooded

performers to interfere with their fellows who were attempting

to improperly manipulate audience members with Soul-Stirring

Performance Method. The effect of the Charm combined with

the artistry of the Dragon-Blood’s performance enacts a potent

defensive magic on the entire audience. For the duration of the

performance, the difﬁ culty to affect any member of the audience

with mind-controlling Charms increases by an amount equal to

the Exalt’s Essence. Additionally, after the performance ends, the

difﬁ culty to use unnatural mental inﬂ uence to turn any audience

member against the Dragon-Blood who used the Charm increases

by two. This secondary effect lasts for a number of hours equal to

the Exalt’s permanent Essence.

INVISIBLE S TREET P ERFORMER T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Illusion

Duration: Until performance ends

Prerequisite Charms: None

It is difﬁ cult for beings as naturally ostentatious as the Dragon-

Blooded to escape notice. Fortunately, some musicians are skilled

enough to lull the senses of an observer as easily as a lullaby stills a

child into sleep. This Charm can be activated only while the Dragon-

Blood is playing a musical instrument. As long as she continues to

play, those around will not notice her presence. The knowledge that

someone is nearby softly playing a musical instrument tickles at the

edge of the observer’s consciousness, but he simply doesn’t give it

much thought. The player of any character who might observe the

Dragon-Blood must roll (Wits + Awareness) with a difﬁ culty of (the

Dragon-Blood’s Performance + instrument specialty). Even if the roll

is successful, the observer might still have no reason to notice the

Dragon-Blood’s presence unless the presence of a musician playing

an instrument is somehow out-of-place (such as a lone musician

strumming his sanxian on an empty street late at night).

In addition to a minimum of Performance 3, the Dragon-Blood

must also have a specialty in some kind of musical instrument or

else activate the Talented Improvisation Charm prior to beginning

her performance. Also, this Charm cannot be used in connection

with a particularly loud or piercing instrument. While a ﬂ ute or

sanxian might fade into the background, clashing cymbals or koto

drums will not.

TIRELESS S TRING-PLUCKING M EDITATION

Cost: 5m (+1m per attack); Mins: Performance 4, Essence 3;

Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Invisible Street Performer Technique

Most Dragon-Blooded favor stringed instruments, and virtually

all Dynasts are taught to play the sanxian as children. Essentially

a three-stringed banjo, the sanxian normally requires either false

ﬁ ngernails or some sort of pick to play, and even the best musicians

can develop pain in their ﬁ ngers through extensive playing. With

this Charm, the Dragon-Blood can play as long as she wishes with-

out pain, exhaustion or even hunger as long as she can continue

to pay the daily Essence requirement. Furthermore, she no longer

requires any equipment to pluck the strings of her instrument, as

her ﬁ ngernails lengthen and harden into suitable picks. Finally,

as an added bonus, the Dragon-Blooded can further improve the

strength and sharpness of her ﬁ ngernails to aid in hand-to-hand

attacks. By reﬂ exively spending one mote while the Charm is ac-

tive, the Dragon-Blooded can cause a single attack made with her

bare hands to inﬂ ict lethal damage.

VIBRATING S TRINGS D EFENSE

Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Invisible Street Performer Technique

Dragon-Blooded musicians rarely tolerate their performances

being interrupted by anything so gauche as an attack by armed men.

This potent Charm allows a Dragon-Blood to parry any attack with

the music he creates through his instrument. Those foolish enough

to attack the musician ﬁ nd their mightiest melee and ranged attacks

turned aside by a particularly loud thrum of a sanxian’s strings or a

single mighty strike of a drum or gong.

For the duration of the scene, the Dragon-Blood can replace

his normal parry Ability with his Performance for purposes of cal-

culating Parry DV. Any dots the Dragon-Blood has in an applicable

Performance specialty also applies to calculating Parry DV. Finally,

any Performance Excellencies the Dragon-Blood has can be used

to further improve Parry DV for the duration of the scene, exactly

as if they were Melee or Martial Arts Excellencies.

In addition to a minimum of Performance 4, the Dragon-Blood

must also have a specialty in some kind of musical instrument or

else activate the Talented Improvisation Charm prior to beginning

her performance.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick on which

the Exalt is subject to an attack.

THREE-STRING S WORD P RANA

Cost: 1m per 2lhl; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 4; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Vibrating Strings Defense

A gifted musician understands his instrument in the same way

that an archer understands his bow or a warrior his sword. For a

Dragon-Blood who knows this Charm, this sentiment is more than

a metaphor, as the Exalted musician can now launch deadly attacks

armed only with a sanxian, ﬂ ute or any other musical instrument.

The attack is targeted with the Exalt’s (Wits + Performance) and

has an Accuracy bonus equal to the Dragon-Blood’s permanent

Essence. The attack also has a range of a number of yards equal

to the character’s (permanent Essence x 20), and it inﬂ icts a base

damage of two levels of lethal damage per mote of Essence spent.

The musician cannot spend more motes of Essence than he has

dots in the Performance Ability. Although the attack is actually

made of sound powered by Essence, it typically manifests in some

180

more martial form according to the musician’s will and person-

ality, as well as by the potency of its damage potential.

Such manifestations often appear as slashing swords,

mailed ﬁ sts, ﬁ ery arrows or even charging

beasts, which come ﬂ ying out of the Dragon-

Blood’s instrument hurtling toward their target.

Because these manifestations have a physical

component, such attacks can be parried or

dodged like any normal attack, and an attack

made with Three-String Sword Prana can be

used in conjunction with a ﬂ urry as if it were

any other form of attack. Because of the

obvious nature of this Charm, it cannot

be combined in any way with the Charm

Blossom Hides Thorns.

Three-String Sword Prana is also a coop-

erative Charm, and multiple Dragon-Blooded who

know the Charm can combine their powers to form

greater effects. The characters’ combined Essence is

used to determine the maximum range, and the Ac-

curacy bonus of the attack is equal to the highest Essence

of any participant plus two per additional participant.

Also, each participant can spend Essence up to the limit

of his individual Performance Ability to purchase damage

dice, with all the dice purchased added together to form

the base damage pool. Generally, Dragon-Blooded may

use this Charm cooperatively only if the instrument used

is one large enough for all participants to play simultane-

ously. For example, the guzheng, an oversized lap harp,

is about four feet long and has18 to 25 strings. While

it is typically played by a single musician with the

instrument on his lap, it is big enough for two players

to play simultaneously. At the Storyteller’s discretion, it

might possible for a group of musicians to use this Charm

cooperatively with separate instruments if they have extensive

experience playing together in an ensemble (such as a gamelan

orchestra or a quartet of street musicians). The maximum number

of Exalted who can participate in the application of this Charm is

equal to the highest Essence of any participant.

RIDE

HEAVEN-GRACED R IDING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 2, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

With this Charm, the Exalted rider forges a

bond with his mount, fortifying and strengthening

it with Essence. Until the Dragon-Blood’s next

action, he can add his Ride rating in yards to his

mount’s movement rate and also add that amount

to the distance the mount can safely jump. Also,

during that time, the rider gains a +2 bonus on all

Ride-related dice pools, and his Ride is considered

to be one dot higher for purposes of limiting

his dice pools on other actions taken while

on horseback.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can

be used freely without the need for a Combo.

It can be used on any tick.

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CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

EBONY S PUR T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 1m per 2 damage dice; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 2; Type:

Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Heaven-Graced Riding Technique

Those Exalted trained in mounted combat enjoy a great ad-

vantage on the battleﬁ eld due to their mounts’ superior height and

mobility. With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood becomes more efﬁ cient

at employing the advantages of mounted combat. After his player

successfully makes a reﬂ exive (Dexterity + Ride) roll, the Dragon-

Blood can add his Ride Ability to his damage dice in hand-to-hand

attacks made while mounted. This Charm can explicitly be included

in Combos with Charms of other Abilities.

CHARGE OF O NE H UNDRED G ENERALS

Cost: 1m per mount/rider pair or 5m per point of Magnitude, plus

1wp; Mins: Ride 3, War 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, War

Duration: One charge

Prerequisite Charms: Ebony Spur Technique

This Charm represents perhaps the most common Dragon-

Blooded magical cavalry tactic still in widespread use. Although its

value cannot be denied, it is only a pale shadow of the many Charms

deﬁ ned by The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier. The

Dragon-Blood must pay one Willpower plus one mote per horse and

rider affected, including the Dragon-Blood herself. For the duration

of a single charge, the Join Battle roll made for the Dragon-Blood

who initiates the Charm applies to every rider in the formation, and

the attacks of any of the riders are automatically resolved before any

delayed attack actions on the part of the defenders. Furthermore, the

player of any defender who suffers any damage must make an immediate

Ride or Athletics roll to keep his character from being unhorsed or

knocked down. The Dragon-Blood must ride with the charging allies,

who cannot number more than (his permanent Essence x 5).

If used in Mass Combat, the cost is ﬁ ve motes per point of

Magnitude in the Dragon-Blood’s force, and the Charm cannot be

used to enhance any unit with a Magnitude higher than 2. Instead

of the effects described above, the Charm increases the unit’s Drill

and Might by one each for the duration of the charge, as well as the

cavalry unit’s Morale. If the defending force is required to make a

rout check, the difﬁ culty of that check also increases by one (see

“Mass Combat” in Exalted, starting on p. 158).

IRRESISTIBLE P ENETRATING C HARGE

Cost: 3m per point of Magnitude, 1wp; Mins: Ride 4, War 4, Es-

sence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, War

Duration: One charge or the Dragon-Blood’s Essence in long ticks,

whichever is less

Prerequisite Charms: Charge of One Hundred Generals

This variation of Charge of One Hundred Generals can be

used only for mass combat maneuvers. The Charm lets the Dragon-

Blood temporarily boost the effectiveness of large groups of mounted

cavalry. The Dragon-Blood must spend one Willpower plus three

motes for each point of Magnitude the cavalry unit possesses.

Beginning with the ﬁ rst action of actual combat and lasting for

a number of long ticks equal to the Dragon-Blood’s Essence, the

Dragon-Blood’s (Ride + Essence) is added to the unit’s Join Battle

roll, and his ([Ride + Essence] ÷ 3) is added to the unit’s Close

Combat Attack rating. This Charm can be used only during an

actual charge and cannot be initiated once combat actually begins.

The Dragon-Blood must be a part of the cavalry unit (although he

does not have to be the leader), and a unit can beneﬁ t from only

one use of this Charm at a time.

GREAT H EART C OMPANION

Cost: 4m; Mins: Ride 2, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Any Ride Excellency

182

Typically, when a Dragon-Blood rides out to battle, she has

quite enough to worry about without fearing that her steed will get

spooked by whatever horror demands the Exalt’s attention and throw

the rider at an inopportune moment. This Charm can prevent such

an ignoble possibility by bolstering the creature’s natural bravery

with Essence so that the mount truly becomes one with its rider. For

the duration of the scene, the mount will not bolt or ﬂ ee no matter

what danger manifests, unless it is told to do so by its rider. Also,

the mount will always act as if it is perfectly trained, regardless of

the situation, and the Dragon-Blood will never suffer any penalty

for trying to perform some action while maintaining control of the

mount. Finally, while the Charm remains in effect, nothing can force

the rider from her saddle short of the steed itself being killed out

from under her. While a failed or botched Ride check might result

in the rider losing an action or some other penalty, she will never

be thrown, knocked or pulled from her saddle. The effect lasts for

one scene or until the rider voluntarily dismounts.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be used on any tick.

ELEMENTAL H ALO’S M ERCY

Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion

The baleful effects of the Dragon-Blooded anima banners usu-

ally preclude the use of horses in combat situations. This Charm

can ameliorate those effects, ensuring that the Dragon-Blood does

not face the specter of accidentally slaying his own mount in the

midst of pitched battle. The Dragon-Blood spends three motes

while mounted, and for the duration of the scene, the mount takes

no damage from his anima ﬂ ux.

FIVE-DRAGON H ORSEMAN P RANA

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Halo’s Mercy

With this Charm, the unity between rider and mount is

perfected. Now, instead of simply protecting her mount from the

damaging effects of her anima power, the Dragon-Blood can extend

the power of that anima to the mount itself. For the duration of

the scene, the Dragon-Blood’s horse gains an elemental anima

appropriate to the Dragon-Blood’s aspect, giving it special abili-

ties. The mounts of Air Aspects are immune to cold and multiply

their jumping distances by an amount equal to the rider’s Essence.

The mounts of Earth Aspects gain a bonus to bashing and lethal

soak equal to the rider’s Essence, and a mount can also soak lethal

damage with its full Stamina. The mounts of Fire Aspects multiply

their movement rate by the rider’s Essence and leave ﬂ aming hoof

prints behind them that are capable of starting small brushﬁ res.

The mounts of Water Aspects gain complete freedom of move-

ment in or on water, exactly like the Water Aspect anima power.

Finally, the mounts of Wood can move through wooded areas

without suffering any penalty or decrease in movement rate, and a

mount’s tracks will be untraceable absent the use of Charms. The

normal cost of this Charm is 10 motes and one Willpower. If the

mount to be protected is a familiar to the Dragon-Blood, the cost

decreases to six motes and one Willpower, and the Dragon-Blood

can choose to commit the Essence to make the Charm’s effect last

until he ends the commitment.

Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned, this Charm

is always considered to be a Wood-aspected Charm for purposes

of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies, and a Dragon-Blood can learn only the version

associated with his own aspect.

DANCE OF THE J ADE B RIDLE

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion

Despite the Wood Aspect’s natural skill at horsemanship, it is

very difﬁ cult for even the most able Dragon-Blooded rider to master an

animal much bigger than a normal horse. Indeed, while a Dragon-Blood

can attempt to master larger animals for brief periods of time, the only

way to truly break such a beast and casually ride it as one would a horse

is through this Charm. The Dragon-Blood’s player must roll (Charisma

+ Ride), opposed by the beast’s (Stamina + Willpower). The Dragon-

Blood must also roleplay “breaking” the mount, which in the case of

very dangerous animals or ﬂ ying creatures can be quite dangerous if

the attempt fails. If the attempt succeeds, the Dragon-Blood (and only

the Dragon-Blood) can command the creature and use it as a mount,

suffering no penalties on attempts to ride the creature. Generally, a

tyrant lizard is probably the largest animal that can be mastered with

this Charm, although the Storyteller may permit even larger beasts

to be tamed at his discretion and with suitable penalties applied to

the taming roll. A creature tamed by this Charm can be subjected to

Elemental Halo’s Mercy and Five-Dragon Horseman Prana, but the

cost for activating those Charms increases by ﬁ ve motes.

SURVIVAL

QUARRY R EVELATION T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Any Survival Excellency

The Children of Sextes Jylis are master woodsmen and trackers.

With this Charm, a Dragon-Blood can track any quarry whose trail

is less than a week old, regardless of terrain or weather conditions.

Animal tracks and spoor literally glow to the Exalt’s eyes, while broken

twigs and other signs of a human’s passage are equally as obvious. The

tracker’s player needs only a single success on a (Perception + Survival)

roll for the tracker to successfully track any quarry not protected by

supernatural stealth or evasion. Supernatural effects that hide a quarry’s

tracks are canceled by this Charm, allowing the Dragon-Blood to

ﬁ nd his prey with a follow-up normal Survival roll.

TRAIL-CONCEALING M EASUREMENT

Cost: 3m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Quarry Revelation Technique

Any Dragon-Blood who knows this Charm can blend ef-

fortlessly into the woods, instinctively hiding all evidence of her

passage. While this Charm is active, persons attempting to track the

Dragon-Blood without supernatural aid are completely unable to do

so. If the tracker is using supernatural aid such as Quarry Revela-

tion Technique, the two effects cancel each other out, and normal

tracking rules apply. It is rumored that Lunar Exalted are not fooled

by this Charm at all when they wear their animal forms.

183

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

RATION-ENHANCING M ETHOD

Cost: 1m + 1m per additional hunter; Mins: Survival 3, Essence

2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One hunt

Prerequisite Charms: Quarry Revelation Technique

The forests know their masters and do not hesitate to give

up their bounties when asked. This Charm can greatly improve

the success rate of any hunting or foraging expeditions in which

the Dragon-Blood participates. This Charm lasts for the duration

of a single hunt, in which the Dragon-Blood must be an active

participant. The Charm can be used to aid just the Dragon-Blood,

or it can be extended to include others in the hunting party at a

cost of one mote of Essence per hunter. Only one application of

this Charm can aid any single hunting party, however, and the

Dragon-Blood can only aid one party at a time. While the Charm

is in effect, the hunting party ﬁ nds twice as much food as the results

on any Survival rolls would otherwise dictate.

HOSTILE E NVIRONMENT P REPARATION M ETHOD

Cost: 3m + 1m per companion; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 2;

Type: Simple

Keywords: None

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Any Survival Excellency

With this Charm, the Dragon-Blood’s intuitive knowledge

of how to survive in difﬁ cult climes allows him to protect his fel-

lows in all but the harshest conditions. In a hot environment, the

Dragon-Blood can make certain that he and his allies can avoid

heat prostration and other hazards. In a cold environment, he can

enable his friends to better preserve body heat and avoid frostbite.

For one day, the Dragon-Blood and his companions get three au-

tomatic successes on Survival rolls to resist adverse environmental

conditions. In other words, any environmental penalty of three

or less is reduced to zero, and persons protected by this Charm

never suffer an environmental penalty greater than two. The cost

is three motes plus one additional mote per companion protected.

The Exalt can protect a maximum number of allies equal to his

permanent Essence.

TIRELESS C ARAVAN P RANA

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Cooperative

Duration: One journey

Prerequisite Charms: Hostile Environment Preparation Method

As master survivalists, Wood Aspect Dragon-Blooded are

often called upon to lead their fellows through rough terrain,

whether while on a trade caravan or while treasure hunting at the

184

useful in a particular environmental setting. Air is only useful in

extremely cold, snowy climes and causes ice crystals to form out of

the air itself into a simple igloo that retains heat remarkably well.

Earth is most useful in open ﬁ elds or on mountaintops and causes

rocky slabs to slowly rise up out of the earth to form a lean-to. Fire

is primarily used in the desert and causes sand to temporarily form

into jagged silicate slabs that form a sheltered outcropping. The

sandstone does not transfer heat to those taking shelter beneath it,

and the outcropping is ideally situated to let wind ﬂ ow through while

keeping out sand. Water is primarily used on the ocean, although

it can be used on other large bodies of water. The Charm causes

seaweed, sunken debris and other material found within and beneath

the waters to rise up to the surface and cling together, forming a

remarkably buoyant life raft that can stay aﬂ oat in all but the most

treacherous of weather. Wood can be used in any forest area, causing

saplings to sprout from the forest ﬂ oor to form a crude hut. The hut

is camouﬂ aged against observers, who must get more successes on

a (Perception + Survival) roll than the Dragon-Blood’s Essence in

order to detect it. All versions of this Charm are warded against

intrusion by mundane animals. Such animals will not attempt to

enter the shelter absent some type of magical compulsion.

Once the Charm is activated, it takes about 30 minutes for

the protective structure to form. The structure lasts for about a day,

although the Dragon-Blood can extend the effect by committing

the Essence indeﬁ nitely. The shelter is capable of protecting the

Exalt herself and up to six other human-sized beings. If the Exalt

wishes the shelter to hold more, she must spend an additional mote

of Essence per extra person, although she cannot spend more extra

motes than her Essence. Therefore, the maximum number of people

who can ﬁ t in the same shelter consists of the Dragon-Blood herself,

plus (Essence + 6) other people.

edge of Creation. The Exalt using this Charm can improve the

travel speed, endurance and morale of a group of personnel who

travel with her.

As long as the Exalt maintains the Charm, she and all who

travel with her gain a number of automatic successes on fatigue

checks equal to (her Essence – 2 [minimum 1]). Also, all travel

times decrease by ﬁ ve percent per point of the Exalt’s permanent

Essence. The Charm can be used to affect anyone who travels with

the Dragon-Blood, but a single Dragon-Blood can affect only a

number of people (and their mounts) equal to her (Essence x 10).

If multiple Dragon-Blooded activate this Charm together, each

participant can affect a number of travelers equal to her (Essence x

10), and the total number of automatic successes gained on fatigue

checks is equal to the combined Essence of all participants minus

two. Travel times decrease according to the highest Essence of

any participant (ﬁ ve percent per point) and are further reduced

by an additional two percent per extra participant. The maximum

number of participants who can join in a single cooperative use

of this Charm is equal to the highest permanent Essence of any

participant. The Essence spent is committed for the duration of

the Charm, which lasts until the destination is reached or until

the Dragon-Blood withdraws the commitment.

(ELEMENT) SHELTER C REATION T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 5m; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Elemental, Obvious

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: Hostile Environment Preparation Method

This Charm allows a Dragon-Blood to reach out with her

elemental anima to fashion a crude structure out of whatever

elemental material is handy. Each different Charm is primarily

185

CHAPTER FIVE • CHARMS

This Charm is actually a cluster of Charms, one for each of

the ﬁ ve elements. A Dragon-Blood can learn multiple versions of

this Charm, but he must learn the one associated with his afﬁ n-

ity element ﬁ rst. Regardless of which version is used, the Charm

is always considered a Wood-aspected Charm for purposes of

determining whether the one-mote surcharge for out-of-aspect

Charms applies.

EXTENSION OF THE (ELEMENT)

DRAGON’S B LESSING

Cost: 10m + 2m per ally; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 4; Type:

Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Elemental

Duration: One day

Prerequisite Charms: (Element) Shelter Creation Technique

The pinnacle of the survivalist’s skill, this Charm is actually

a cluster of ﬁ ve elemental Charms. The Charm confers near total

immunity to adverse environmental conditions for the Dragon-

Blood. For the duration of one day, the Charm negates all external

environmental penalties to Survival rolls provided that the right

version for that environment is applied. With the proper Charm,

a Dragon-Blood could stand naked on the coldest glacier or cross

the hottest desert while wearing furs with little chance of frostbite,

sunstroke or any other similar penalty. The Charm allows those

affected to easily ﬁ nd food and water, and it protects them against

natural environmental conditions, though not direct environmental

damage. Therefore, Extension of the Fire Dragon’s Blessing allows

protected individuals to cross a searing desert as if it were a verdant

plain on a crisp autumn morning, but it will convey no protection

at all to actual ﬁ re. Each version of the Charm is attuned to one

of the ﬁ ve elemental poles and will protect the user from direct

exposure to the conditions at that pole.

Air protects against extremes of cold and allows the Dragon-

Blood to ﬁ nd food even on a frozen tundra. Earth permits the

Dragon-Blood to walk through choking dust clouds without penalty

and ensures that she will not accidentally trigger a rockslide no

matter how loose the rocks are. If she is caught in an avalanche

or otherwise buried alive, the Dragon-Blooded survives on an

extremely limited air supply while the Charm lasts. Fire protects

against extremes of heat and permits the Exalt to cross the hottest

desert without sunburn and to easily ﬁ nd water there, as well as to

ignore choking smoke and the tremendous heat produced by lava

(although not direct contact with lava itself). Water protects against

sunstroke and other maladies while the character is adrift at sea. It

also allows the Exalt to ignore the effects of even the heaviest rains

and practically guarantees that ﬁ sh will jump into her nets. While

the Charm is in effect, the Dragon-Blood can drink seawater as if

it were fresh with no adverse effects. Wood lets her move easily

through the most overgrown forest without so much as a bug bite

and to ignore any natural (but not supernatural) poisons whose

Toxicity does not exceed the Dragon-Blood’s Essence. (While the

Wood version grants improved resistance to all natural toxins, each

of the other four versions grant the same immunity to poisonous

plants and creatures indigenous to the region of Creation associated

with those Charms.)

The Dragon-Blood can extend the beneﬁ ts of these Charms to

others at a cost of two motes per ally protected. All Essence spent

is committed for the Charm’s duration. Unlike many elemental

Charms, a Dragon-Blood can learn more than one version of Ex-

tension of the (Element) Dragon’s Blessing, but the Dragon-Blood

must learn the version associated with her aspect ﬁ rst. More than

one version can be used at a time, and they can even be activated

simultaneously. Regardless of the speciﬁ c elemental version learned,

each Charm is always considered to be a Wood-aspected Charm

for purposes of determining whether the one-mote surcharge for

out-of-aspect Charms applies.

This Charm is a reﬂ exive one that can be used freely without

the need for a Combo. It can be activated on any tick.

NATURE’S H EALING B OUNTY

Cost: 1m per 2 dice; Mins: Survival 3, Medicine 1, Essence 2;

Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Any Survival Excellency plus any Medicine

Charm

Wood-aspected Dragon-Bloods are known for both their innate

skill as physicians and for their natural communion with nature.

This Charm represents the intersection of these two skill sets, as

the Dragon-Blood’s knowledge of plant life and herbal remedies

can now be combined with his skill as a healer. The Dragon-Blood

can improve his Medicine dice pools by two dice per mote spent,

although he cannot spend more dice than his Survival Ability

rating (plus any applicable specialty). This Charm can stack with

the First Medicine Excellency and is an exception to the normal

limits on adding dice. Therefore, if both Charms are activated, the

Dragon-Blood’s Medicine dice pool can be increased by a total of

([his Medicine + specialty] + [his Survival + specialty]). In order

to use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must have access to plants

and herbs capable of fulﬁ lling his medicinal needs.

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CHAPTER SIXCHAPTER SIX

MARTIAL ARTSMARTIAL ARTS

Studying the martial arts means many things to many people.

For some, it is a ﬂ owering of understanding, an expansion of

one’s perceptions to include the more esoteric and practically

philosophical aspects of Creation. For others, it is a religious

practice, a method for passing beyond one’s body and communing

with the various gods or ideals. Yet others consider the power of

martial arts a testament to the strength of humanity, evidence

that every one of them has an inner strength. And some simply

enjoy kicking ass.

Whatever their intents, many Dragon-Blooded choose to

pursue the supernatural martial arts. Schools for various styles

exist in all of the ﬁ ve directions, attracting mortals who wish to

practice the style and Dragon-Blooded with the desire to learn the

style at an enlightened level (i.e., with Charms). The schools of

each direction tend to focus on a style elementally aspected with

the direction, but there are always exceptions. Southern schools

teach a preponderance of Water- and Wood-emulating martial

arts, because of the value ascribed to each of those elements in the

hot South. Northern schools often practice Fire or Wood styles,

as if to call those boons to themselves. Independent schools are

rarest on the Blessed Isle. With the fame of the Glorious Dragon

Styles concentrated there, few want to settle for studying lesser

techniques. Those schools that do exist usually teach Five-Dragon

Style, and Dynasts learn their other styles in person or through

the military.

Ancient texts classify supernatural martial arts according to a

number of manners. The “low styles,” “direct techniques,” “founda-

tions” and “revelatory practices” were all terms once used to refer

to Terrestrial styles, the weaker supernatural martial arts. Today,

only the latter two remain in use (and use of the former two was

weeded out by the Realm long ago). Some references to the “root

of the perfected lotus” still remain in the literature.

Other texts once mentioned the “high styles,” “primordial

masteries” and “spiritually excellent practices.” They referred to the

Celestial styles, more powerful and varied in effect than the Ter-

restrial styles. All these manuals and treatises have been destroyed

by the Scarlet Empire over the last millennium or, at the very least,

concealed in the most secret libraries and suppressed. The only

references to the styles that continue to exist mention the “bulb of

the perfected lotus.” Biased experts interpret these as the perfected

styles bestowed upon the Immaculate Order by the Exemplars of

the Elemental Dragons—the Fivefold Dragon Paths.

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CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

TERRESTRIAL S TYLES

Created for use of the weaker Terrestrial Exalted by their

more powerful Celestial companions, the Terrestrial supernatural

martial arts should not be discounted. While their techniques are

more basic that those of the Celestial styles, a master can still use

them to great effect.

Water Aspects have an afﬁ nity with the Martial Arts Ability, and

it is they who are best able to manipulate their Essence in a manner

that properly utilizes a style’s techniques. As a general rule, Terrestrial

Martial Arts Charms are Water-aspected, and any Dragon-Blooded of

another aspect who wishes to use them must pay a one-mote elemental

surcharge for any action in which they invoke such Charms.

It is common, however, for Terrestrial martial arts styles to

emulate one of the ﬁ ve elements. In this case, the Charms of that

style incur no elemental surcharge on Dragon-Blooded of that aspect

or aspected to Water. If this is the case, the style will note it.

Dragon-Blooded who wish to do so may learn how to prop-

erly focus their Essence into the various elemental

patterns, if only for the purpose of supernatural

martial arts.

(ELEMENTAL)

STYLE

FORMULATION

Cost: —; Mins: Martial

Arts 3, Essence 2; Type:

Permanent

Keywords: Obvious

Prerequisite Charms:

Mastery of one Terres-

trial style

Once a Dragon-Blood

has completely mastered a

Terrestrial style, she may shape

her Essence skillfully enough to

mimic the elemental nature of that style’s

elemental aspect. When using Terrestrial

martial arts Charms with that afﬁ nity, she

pays no elemental surcharge.

Water-aspected Drag-

on-Blooded retain the

unique ability to pay

no surcharge on any

Terrestrial styles.

Using this Charm

to emulate water

Essence does not

eliminate the need to

pay surcharge on any

styles, though—only on

Terrestrial styles that are

speciﬁ cally Water-aspected (such

as Terrestrial Hero Style).

Note that this technique for overcom-

ing elemental boundaries is inferior to

that of studying the Glorious Dragon

Styles, which can provide one with

a far more complete mastery of one

such element.

FIVE-DRAGON S TYLE

There is only one Terrestrial-level martial art ofﬁ cially en-

dorsed and taught by the Immaculate Order: Five-Dragon Style.

Created by the same Immaculate masters who developed the

Five Glorious Dragon Styles, Five-Dragon Style represents all the

elemental aspects. It carries with it some of the power of each of

the Elemental Dragons, though it dilutes the strength and religious

import of each.

One of the most favored styles among non-Immaculate Dynasts

and on the Blessed Isle in general, monks and other Dragon-Blooded

who walk the Fivefold Dragon Paths consider Five-Dragon Style

something of a lesser cousin.

Practitioners of Five-Dragon Style consider the straight sword

and the spear, and their artifact equivalents (the daiklave and the

dire lance), to be form weapons for their style. They can use these

weapons to supplement their Martial Arts attacks in lieu of more

traditional martial arts weapons. Five-Dragon Style Charms treat

attacks and defenses with these weapons as unarmed, and the style

is compatible with armor.

190

FIVE-DRAGON B LOCKING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

(Speed 5, -0 DV)

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon Fortitude

Letting the Dragons guide him, the Exalt aids his defense

with Essence. For the rest of the scene, he adds half his permanent

Essence to his PDV. If unarmed, he can also parry lethal attacks

without a stunt or other magic.

FIVE-DRAGON F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 5)

Keywords: Form-type

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon-Force Blow, Five-Dragon

Blocking Technique

Performing a quick series of motions that offer thanks and

claim guidance from the earth, sky and sea, with the martial artist

herself representing ﬁ re and life, the Dragon-Blood takes aspects

of all ﬁ ve elements into her technique.

Her unarmed Martial Arts attacks inﬂ ict lethal damage instead

of bashing, and she soaks lethal damage with her full bashing soak.

If she’s wielding one of the form’s weapons, she treats it as though

it has +1 Accuracy. Also, she adds her Essence to her Dexterity

or Strength for determining running speed, jumping distance and

feats of strength.

FIVE-DRAGON F IST

Cost: 6m, 1wp, 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon Form

FIVE-DRAGON C LAW

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Giving her ﬁ ngers the aspect of the Five Elemental Dragons’

claws, whose perfected natures slice through the thickest of god-

hides, the Dragon-Blood’s attacks cuts ﬂ esh to ribbons without

concern for the armor before it. Attacks made with this Charm

inﬂ ict lethal damage and ignore a target’s Hardness.

FIVE-DRAGON-FORCE B LOW

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon Claw

With a brief invocation to the might of the Five Dragons, the

Dragon-Blooded martial artist lays out his foe with a single attack.

This attack doubles the normal base damage from an attack

(which does not include extra successes) before subtracting soak.

Also, if the attack generates more raw damage than the target’s

(Stamina + Resistance), the roll to avoid knockdown is made at a

difﬁ culty equal to the attacker’s Strength.

FIVE-DRAGON F ORTITUDE

Cost: 1m per 2B or 1L; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type:

Reﬂ exive (Step 7)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

The impervious hides of the Elemental Dragons lend the practi-

tioner of Five-Dragon Style a small portion of their strength. Invoking

this Charm in response to a speciﬁ c attack, the Dragon-Blood increases

her soak by two bashing or one lethal for each mote spent.

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CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

Calling upon the Elemental Dragons of Earth and Fire, the

Five-Dragon Stylist endows a single attack with streaking bands

of white and red Essence that tear through his opponent’s very

soul. The martial artist makes a single punch or kick that inﬂ icts

aggravated damage. This Charm cannot be channeled through a

weapon, even form weapons.

FIVE-DRAGON I NVULNERABILITY

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 7)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon Form

Dragons are above the petty blows and mosquito-stings of their

mortal enemies. Activating this Charm allows the Dragon-Blood

to ignore all damage from a single non-magical attack. Against

magical attacks (including weapons made of the ﬁ ve magical

materials), the Dragon-Blood receives a soak and Hardness bonus

equal to (Essence).

FIVE-DRAGON W RATH

Cost: 1m per attack + 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type:

Extra Action

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Five-Dragon Fist, Five-Dragon Invulner-

ability

Calling upon the endless energies of the Elemental Dragons,

the Exalt explodes into a furious assault. This rain of blows is the

apex of the Five-Dragon Style and is immediately recognizable to

any who have seen it in action before.

For every mote spent, the Exalt makes one attack at his full

attack dice pool. All attacks must be against the same target. He

may not spend more motes on this Charm than his Essence, and

the defender does not suffer any onslaught penalty. Using this

Charm inﬂ icts one level of unsoakable bashing damage on the

Dragon-Blood.

TERRESTRIAL H ERO S TYLE

The techniques of the Terrestrial Hero Style are some of the

easiest for Dragon-Blooded to learn. Sharing an aspect with the

element of Water, there is no style that meshes more perfectly with

the Water Aspects’ blend of natural and relentless violence.

For Dragon-Blooded, Terrestrial Hero Style is a natural

style—they treat its Charms like normal Charms for the Martial

Arts Ability, and they can learn or create additional Charms in

its cascade. Blade-Deﬂ ecting Palm and Become the Hammer are

examples of Martial Arts Charms that Dragon-Blooded can add to

this style. Charms outside the structure of the normal Terrestrial

Hero Style can be learned only by Dragon-Blooded, Eclipse Caste

Solars and Moonshadow Caste Abyssals.

This style is one of the most common among Dragon-Blooded

throughout Creation, simply for the sheer utility of being able to

create custom Charms for unarmed combat. It sees particular use

among the Dragon-Blooded of the West, of course, but it is also

taught in some schools on the Blessed Isle, in Lookshy and, surpris-

ingly, in the hot South. Dragon-Blooded there sometimes prefer to

emulate the element they ﬁ nd most rare and valuable.

Terrestrial Hero Style is an unarmed style, but it may be

practiced while in armor.

CURRENTS S WEEP TO S EA

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Knockdown

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Even the most tranquil shores have hidden currents, ﬂ ows

beneath the surface that are just waiting to snatch an unsuspect-

ing victim and send her down to the Water Dragon. Students of

Terrestrial Hero Style learn early on how to emulate this highly

effective technique with low, sweeping attacks.

On a successful attack, the target takes no damage but automati-

cally makes a check against knockdown, and she suffers an internal

penalty equal to the attacker’s Martial Arts rating. If the target is

knocked down and the Exalt follows up with a clinch attack on his

next action, the Exalt’s player adds that many dice to his roll.

POUNDING S URF S TYLE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Not even the Blessed Isle is immune to being slowly shaped

by the lapping waves of the Inland Sea. It is the inexorable nature

of water that no defense or armor can keep it out forever—and

water is patient.

An attack or clinch that is supplemented by this Charm and

hits ignores one point of soak from a target’s armor. If the attack

misses, the Exalt gains no beneﬁ t. Using this Charm against a single

target multiple times within the same scene stacks the effect—the

ﬁ rst attack ignores one point of armor, the second ignores two,

and so on. The attacks do not physically harm the armor, just ﬁ nd

wiggle-room through joints and between straps. Only the Exalt us-

ing the Charm gains this beneﬁ t. This Charm occurs before taking

into account the effect of piercing attacks.

At Essence 3 or higher, the martial artist may spend one

Willpower as a part of this Charm to also ignore an equal amount

of Hardness for a single attack.

Example: Ragara Minh is working hard to keep the local tributaries

in line, but they hired an outcaste mercenary to defend their interests. Her

foe is wearing a jade reinforced breastplate, with a Hardness of 8. Minh

has already landed four successful attacks using Pounding Surf Style, but

she is having trouble getting through the armor’s Hardness. In her next

opening, Minh uses the Charm again and spends a temporary Willpower.

She ignores ﬁ ve points of the armor’s soak and treats her target as Hardness

3. The next time she uses this Charm (without spending Willpower), she

ignores six points of armor but is again facing Hardness 8.

FLOW FROM THE R OCKS

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable

Duration: Until next action

Prerequisite Charms: Pounding Surf Style

At low tide, the waters of the Inland Sea pull away from the

beach to reveal hundreds of shellﬁ sh living on shore. In this moment

of vulnerability, the seagulls smash them against the rocks. It is in

the same vein that the Exalt using this technique rolls a target’s

defenses away so that her friends can strike.

This Charm supplements a clinch attack or an opposed grapple

check. On a successful attack, the martial artist gets her victim into

a hold (she may not break the grapple or crush for damage). Extra

successes on the roll reduce the victim’s soak from armor by one

192

bashing and one lethal for each, effective until the martial artist’s

next action. If she uses this Charm as her next action in the same

grapple, it continues to reduce the armor’s effectiveness, and the

effects stack. Losing control of the clinch or not using the Charm

for one action ends the effect.

TERRESTRIAL H ERO F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed

Keywords: Form-type

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Currents Sweep to Sea, Flow from the

Rocks

Calm seas are safer to sail, but hitting the ocean does not

hurt it. Raging oceans kill many sailors, but a sound ship and good

crew can break them. Terrestrial Hero Form lets the martial artist

mimic aspects of both.

When he assumes this form, the Exalt divvies up his Martial

Arts score between aiding his grapples and adding to his soak. Each

point spent on soak adds two bashing and one lethal to his soaks

for the scene. A point spent on grapples gives him one extra die

to all such rolls for the scene. His choice determines the form’s

appearance: more points to grappling gives him a rolling, violent

aspect, while more points to soak lend a calm, roll-with-it attitude

to his movements.

He can take a miscellaneous action (-1 DV) to refocus and

reassign his dots, also changing the appearance of his style. Some

who observe students of this martial art become convinced that the

martial artist is practicing two different styles rather than one.

RIPTIDE M ETHOD

Cost: 1m per attack; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Extra

Action

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Hero Form

An ocean is a hungry beast, and it feeds itself with riptides, the

strong currents that drag unsuspecting swimmers and sailors under

the sea. Exalted practicing this style learn to treat their enemies the

same way, dragging as many as possible under their waves.

The martial artist becomes capable of wrestling several foes to

the ground at once. For each mote she spends, she makes a grapple

attack against a single target within range. She may hold, crush or

throw anyone she successfully clinches, as normal.

On subsequent actions, the Exalt may continue to grapple all

her victims (making multiple opposed grapple checks), but doing

so requires her to use Riptide Method again and spend one mote

per person. If she is grappling fewer than her limit, she may use

the Charm and spend up to her maximum to grapple people who

are currently free. Otherwise, she must release all of her victims

but one.

Martial artists using this Charm may not spend more motes

than they have functional limbs. For most, this is four.

DROWNING E MBRACE

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Hero Form

The salty embrace of the sea is loving but deadly. Every minute

spent in mother ocean’s arms makes it increasingly hard to ever

leave. Practitioners of this style learn how to make their clinches

increasingly deadly as they seep inside their foes’ defenses.

Initiating a clinch attack, the martial artist pulls his victim into

an awkward position and puts pressure on her throat and diaphragm,

forcing the air from her lungs and keeping it out. The victim begins

to suffocate almost immediately, and her only recourse is to escape

the clinch as quickly as possible. Clinch damage from this attack

193

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

is normal as the Charm’s target uses the last of her air, but each

successive action in which the Terrestrial Hero Style practitioner

continues to control the grapple, the victim takes one additional

level of unsoakable bashing damage from suffocation.

Drowning Embrace ends when the martial artist loses control

of the clinch or chooses to end it. It has no effect on creatures that

do not need to breathe, such as constructs or zombies.

TRIREME S TRIKES THE R OCKS

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Riptide Method, Drowning Embrace

Lifting a grappled victim high into the air, the martial artist

brings her victim down hard on her knee, head or another hard,

unyielding object. With a sickening crunch, the target’s bones break

much as a ship’s hull shatters against the rocks during a storm.

If the clinch attack or opposed grapple check goes in the Exalt’s

favor, she inﬂ icts lethal damage instead of bashing. For each previous

action in which the martial artist controlled the clinch, add one die

to the damage roll, to a maximum equal to the Exalt’s Martial Arts.

If it causes the loss of even a single health level, her attack causes

great damage, often irreparable, to the victim’s spine, completely

paralyzing him from the waist down. Victims of this Charm suffer

the effects of having both legs amputated (see Exalted, p. 152)

and usually cannot use their Dodge DV without stunts or special

training, and then likely at severe internal penalties.

As usual, Exalted who suffer this Charm regain use of their

legs as soon as the damage inﬂ icted at the same time as the injury

heals. Mortals never heal this injury without signiﬁ cant (and dan-

gerous) surgery.

CELESTIAL M ARTIAL A RTS

Dragon-Blooded, known in ancient records as the Terrestrial

Exalted, are easily able to master the Terrestrial martial arts styles,

such as those recorded thus far. In general, that is the end of it.

Much like a Dragon-Blood cannot learn Celestial Circle sorcery,

she cannot learn Celestial supernatural martial arts. The required

mastery of Essence is beyond the methods that come naturally to

the elemental Dragon-Blooded.

But some can exceed that limitation. It requires years of arduous

self-discipline as a Dragon-Blood changes the way he reﬂ exively

uses Essence, coming to know the patterns that accompany a higher

level of understanding. Immaculate Philosophy dictates that this

development represents a greater depth of sympathy with the El-

emental Dragons and that the power of these techniques is a result

of directly tapping the inﬁ nite depths of their might.

Since Dragon-Blooded are not physically restricted to learning

only the Fivefold Dragon Paths, however, and there are methods

for attaining this inner strength that do not include the processes

dictated by Immaculate texts, the accuracy of that conclusion is

suspect.

TRAINING

The Five Glorious Dragon Styles are Celestial martial arts. To

begin studying such powerful Charms, a Dragon-Blooded student

must ﬁ rst be properly initiated. Methods vary, but such an initia-

tion always includes a deep puriﬁ cation of the body and mind. The

Terrestrial Exalt eats little other than rice, steamed vegetables

and dough, water and various teas while meditating daily on such

194

distant concepts as “dust,” “ash,” “rainstorms,” “death” and “the

word,” among others. Celibacy is often an additional measure to

reinforce the purity of the body.

This is only a part of the process that advances a Dragon-

Blood’s level of enlightenment toward one that can comprehend

the internal and external impacts of Celestial martial arts. The

other signiﬁ cant portion of that study is to learn a pair of Charms

that open her mind and soul to new, advanced methods for ma-

nipulating Essence. Once she recognizes the heights and depths to

which Essence permeates and affects Creation, she can begin to

transcend the natural limitation of her Terrestrial blood. Sifus share

this wisdom with their Dragon-Blooded students by teaching them

a pair of Charms designed to open their senses and experiences to

a broader world.

In monasteries of the Immaculate Order, the oldest monks

teach two Charms: Pasiap’s Humility and the Moment of Daana’d.

After learning these Charms and meditating on their usefulness and

meaning for at least a year, a Dragon-Blooded monk is prepared

to begin her study of one of the Fivefold Dragon Paths. These

Charms, as with most Celestial martial arts, are unaligned with

any element. Dragon-Blooded of all Aspects may activate them

at the listed cost.

NEW K EYWORD: ENLIGHTENING

Once known, Charms with this keyword allow a Drag-

on-Blooded martial artist to begin learning Celestial-level

supernatural martial arts.

PASIAP’S H UMILITY

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

Pasiap’s humble nature caused him to remain with his disciples

after the other Immaculate Dragons left Creation and the cycle of

reincarnation behind. In learning his humility, an Immaculate monk

achieves the necessary recognition that the world is wider—and

deeper—than she may have previously known.

Activating this Charm lets the Dragon-Blood see immaterial

spirits as though they were material and manifest. Unfortunately, use

of this Charm renders the physical world more difﬁ cult to perceive.

Immaculates practicing Pasiap’s Humility suffer a -2 internal penalty to

all actions intended to affect any corporeal target, even a materialized

spirit. If necessary, monks can refocus their attentions on the real world

as an unrolled miscellaneous action, ending the Charm early.

MOMENT OF D AANA’D

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Enlightening

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Pasiap’s Humility

It was the hands of Daana’d that shut the gates of the Under-

world, forcing the Anathema’s souls to remain forever in the dark

as punishment for their evil. That great feat is part of what guides

the Immaculate Order on its contemporary mission: to correct those

souls and spirits who stray, seeing that such wayward creatures suffer

the proper punishment.

As it is difﬁ cult to punish an opponent that cannot be touched,

Moment of Daana’d allows an Immaculate to walk in the mortal

and spirit worlds simultaneously. When this Charm is active, a

monk can interact physically with dematerialized spirits as if they

were solid. Palm strikes and knife-hand blows that would normally

pass through the god or demon connect as if the target were ﬂ esh

and blood.

Monks must still utilize Pasiap’s Humility if they wish to see their

targets, however. Additionally, practicing the Moment of Daana’d

helps prevent a monk from being overwhelmed by Pasiap’s Humility,

eliminating the -2 penalty while both Charms are active.

SHOGUNATE M ETHODS

Before the Immaculate Philosophy took hold, but after the

Usurpation, there was still a call for such training. Dragon-Blooded

of the Shogunate wished to expand their understanding of Creation

(and some simply sought greater power). But because the Terrestrial

Exalted still required exceptional training in order to harness these

techniques, they studied another pair of Charms that opened their

senses to the world’s spiritual aspects.

These Charms were most common before the Great Contagion.

Developed by the greatest Terrestrial martial artists of the Age,

they replaced the like Charms of the First Age and were eventu-

ally replaced by the previously listed Immaculate versions. Today,

Dragon-Blooded might learn these Charms from manuals penned

during that period or from secret societies within or outside the

Realm that have handed them down for generations.

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CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

WALKER-AMONG-IRISES P ERCEPTION

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm is functionally identical to Pasiap’s Humility,

except that immaterial creatures and spirits appear not in their true

forms, but as god-shaped silhouettes, ﬁ lled with an endless ﬁ eld of

blossoming irises. With this Charm, irises constantly grow at the edge

of the martial artist’s vision, providing the -2 internal penalty.

IRIS-BULB D ISCOURSE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 1 or 2)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Enlightening

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Walker-Among-Irises Perception

Though this Charm is nearly identical to Moment of Daana’d,

its use carries with it some additional effects and connotations. First,

this technique is obvious when in use because large, foot-wide irises

blossom from wherever the martial artist steps, shattering into a

cloud of purple-black Essence and sweet scent after a few moments

or if someone touches them.

More importantly, this Charm was developed in a period after

the Dragon-Blooded had betrayed and killed the Solar Exalted, their

Heaven-mandated kings and lords. It was also before the Immaculate

Order had the inﬂ uence to restructure the relevant portions of the

Celestial and Terrestrial Bureaucracies. During this period, the

relationship between the Shogunate and the gods was in constant

ﬂ ux, so martial artists created for themselves an advantage.

In addition to making a martial artist able to strike and harm

immaterial spirits, the practitioner of the Iris-Bulb Discourse

increases her MDVs by the difference between her Essence and

any present god or elemental with less Essence. Most members

of the Bureaucracies take umbrage at such presumption, so when

the martial artist is confronted by a god or elemental with greater

Essence, that entity gains a similar beneﬁ t.

FIRST A GE M ETHODS

In the time long before the Usurpation, at least 1,000 years

or more prior, the Solar Exalted still reigned. The Lawgivers de-

cided—and their advisors agreed—that the Terrestrial foot soldiers

could be made more effective and given more responsibility for

governing the Realm.

Although these Charms were the result of that decree, they

fell out of practice after the Usurpation. By that point, the Dragon-

Blooded had started monastic legacies and martial-arts schools

among their own ranks and were able to pass on the traditions

and Charms without aid from the Celestial Exalted. When they

deposed the Solars, the Dragon-Blooded tried to move away from

what their former masters and lords had taught them.

Today, a Dragon-Blood might learn this induction to the

mysteries of Celestial martial arts from First Age entities: teach-

ing automatons, the most ancient Lunars, mighty gods of war and

possibly some Second Circle demons.

TIGER-AND-BEAR A WARENESS

Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 2)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

The martial artist practicing this Charm is aware of all that

surrounds him. He respires wisdom, and nothing escapes his notice.

To an observer, the martial artist appears to walk more lightly on

his feet, and the winds seems to whisper in his ears.

For the duration of the Charm, the martial artist is automatically

aware of all beings within a number of yards equal to his Essence,

unless an entity is expending Essence in an effort to conceal itself.

Additionally, learning this Charm brings with it a sort of danger

sense. A martial artist who knows Tiger-and-Bear Awareness can

activate it reﬂ exively when subject to a sneak attack in order to

automatically notice the assault.

This Charm does not grant the ability to see immaterial spirits

or dematerialized elementals in the vicinity.

TIGER-AND-BEAR U NITY

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Enlightening

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Tiger-and-Bear Awareness

As she lets the Essence of Creation ﬂ ow through her, the

martial artist ﬂ ows through it. As they are already one, she cannot

fail to strike her target true and with great precision.

Attacks supplemented by this Charm gain a number of auto-

matic successes equal to no more than the attacker’s Martial Arts

score. She chooses the exact number of successes to apply, minimum

zero, after Step Six of combat resolution, allowing her to make her

blow as devastating or subtle as she likes.

WHO T EACHES T HEM?

Not just anyone can impart these Charms and this sagacity

upon Terrestrial Exalted. A sifu who desires to teach a Dragon-

Blooded martial artist the lessons necessary must ﬁ rst meet a few

requirements himself. He must ﬁ rst know the proper methods of

puriﬁ cation and know the pair of Charms he wishes to use for

enlightening his student. Finally, he must have mastered the full

Celestial style that he is going to teach to the Dragon-Blood. Oth-

erwise, he does not have an understanding of the style’s Essence

patterns expansive enough to impart those techniques on a being

not normally equipped to comprehend them.

To initiate a Dragon-Blood, the tutor must have at least Martial

Arts 5 and Essence 4. To develop new Charms for initiation (to

replace Pasiap’s Humility and Moment of Daana’d, for example),

the sifu must have Martial Arts 5 and Essence 6, making such shifts

in paradigm rare indeed.

Dragon-Bloods who learn the two favored Immaculate training

Charms as part of their initiation are in the vast majority. Even out-

castes learn Celestial martial arts by choosing the razor and joining the

monasteries. In very rare cases, one of the returning Solar Exalted might

recall the Tiger-and-Bear initiation Charms from a previous life, and

some Lunar Exalted who survived the Usurpation likely still remember

the methods. If either type of Celestial hero trains Terrestrial Exalted

in these Celestial methods, a mighty force is in the making.

No matter how she expands her awareness of Creation, once a

Dragon-Blood has been initiated into the bulb of the perfected lotus, she

can learn any Celestial martial arts style with a proper tutor. Although

only the Immaculate styles show up in this text, Snake Style and Solar

Hero Style (see Exalted pp. 240–244) are equally fair game, if difﬁ cult

to rationalize. Few Dragon-Blooded initiated into the Fivefold Dragon

Paths would profane themselves to learn a style natural to the hated

Anathema, and those who would must still ﬁ nd a tutor who has fully

196

mastered the style. Outcastes are far more likely to pursue such a path

than are the loyal (and heavily indoctrinated) Immaculates.

MIXING S TYLES

After beginning study of a Celestial style, a Dragon-Blood

may not learn any other Celestial Martial Arts Charms until she

has completed her study in the higher art. Mastering a single such

style requires a focus far too strong and pure to divide it among

multiple forms. Once she masters the Celestial style (i.e., once she

has learned all the Charms in the tree), she is free to begin studying

another, but the same restrictions again apply.

Similarly, she should be strongly discouraged from learning

any other Terrestrial Martial Arts Charms until her mastery of the

Celestial style is complete. Every sifu in the Immaculate monasteries

is very clear on that score, insisting that the monk remain focused

in her quest to exemplify the Elemental Dragon. To do otherwise

contaminates her learning, fouling the escalated techniques with

baser methods. It diverts her focus from the needle-thin path the

Dragon-Blood must walk in order to master that which is at the

barest peak of a Terrestrial Exalt’s potential.

She may learn such Charms if she chooses. Doing so, however,

makes her study of the Celestial art that she pursues that much more

difﬁ cult. Allowing even a single Terrestrial Martial Arts Charm

to interrupt her study of the Celestial style adds one point to the

experience cost of all Charms in the Celestial style that she has not

yet learned. Each additional Martial Arts Charm outside of that

style that she learns adds one experience point to the cost of the next

Celestial Charm she tries to acquire. The farther one strays from the

path of enlightenment, the more arduous the trek back is.

FORM C HARMS

Finally, it is a martial art’s Form-type Charm that represents

the focus for its techniques. Until one masters it, one can only be

called a student. As such, Celestial styles’ Form-type Charms require

the height of precision for a Dragon-Blood to use. When a Dragon-

Blooded martial artist activates a Celestial style’s form Charm, she

must perfectly channel her Essence through the carefully memorized

katas that she learned when mastering the style.

In short, the player of any Dragon-Blood who wishes to use a

Celestial Form-type Charm must succeed at a (Dexterity + Martial

Arts) roll. Failure indicates that the Exalt faltered in the form’s execu-

tion; she does not spend the Essence, but she does waste her action.

If successful, she spends the Essence and activates the Charm.

Though most Form-type Charms cannot be included in a Combo

with any other Charms, the Dragon-Blooded ability to use reﬂ exive

Charms means that they are able to use their Excellencies to improve

their odds or even ensure success. Many consider it a point of pride not to

do so, and others refuse to waste the motes, but the option is there.

IMMACULATE S TYLES

Dragon-Blooded monks of the Immaculate Order are Creation’s

most renowned martial artists. They wield the power of the elements

within their katas and forms, loosing the howling winds and making

the earth tremble at their command. Even in the far reaches of the

Threshold, where the people never get a chance to see one of these

famed monks, all have heard of them. A Southern prince offers 100

talents of silver to see one practice her forms, and a barbarian war

chief in the East claims loudly that he will kill one in battle so he

197

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

can claim its bald scalp, proof that the tales of Immaculate prowess

reach the ears of men anywhere within the elemental poles.

Why are they so well known? First, to put it simply, their reputa-

tion is deserved. The Five Glorious Dragon Styles are powerful martial

arts, and the Exalted monks have both the skill and the devotion to

master them. They study for years, if not decades or centuries, to achieve

the most powerful moves in their chosen style. Those who have the

dedication to go forth and study yet another one of the Immaculate

martial arts earn even greater respect from their peers.

Second, Immaculate monks who study the Fivefold Dragon

Paths are the martial arm of the vast Immaculate Order. In the

Realm, the Order is ubiquitous, and its monks are common sights.

In the Realm’s satrapies, Immaculate monks are less common but

still seen with regularity. They conduct the religion’s necessary

rites, and the people of a satrapy see displays of the Dragon-Blooded

monks’ power as they put uppity gods into their rightful places.

The strength of an Immaculate monk is a direct demonstration of

her spiritual and religious correctness, and it has attracted several

outcaste Dragon-Blooded to the Order and the Realm.

Elsewhere, Immaculate monks are scarce. The Immaculate

Philosophy often precedes the Scarlet Empire into the Threshold,

however, and where there are potential converts, there are monks.

Immaculate Dragon-Blooded tend to feel the righteousness of their

calling even more than their mortal counterparts, so some take it

upon themselves to bring the opportunity for enlightenment to

those souls unfortunate enough to live outside the aegis of imperial

control. There, too, do the Dragon-Blooded monks demonstrate

their martial and magical puissance, ﬁ ghting little gods and over-

brave bandits, and the stories spread further.

WHO W ANTS TO BE A M ONK?

From the treatment of the subject here, it might appear

that only Dragon-Blooded who choose to devote themselves

to a lifetime of emulating one or more of the Elemental

Dragons pursue and master the Glorious Dragon Styles.

Not so.

Many more Dragon-Blooded attend the Cloister of

Wisdom than actually go on to dedicate themselves as

Immaculate monks. Some take a position in the Thousand

Scales, others go to the military, and some become layabouts

or wandering heroes. The only thing all graduates of the

Cloister have in common is a superior understanding of

their bodies, their Essences and (at least) the two foundation

Charms necessary to learn one of the Dragon Styles.

Any Cloister graduate can seek out a mentor from

whom she can learn additional Charms of her chosen Dragon

Style, with all the beneﬁ ts and difﬁ culties that entails.

Most outcastes do not have the leisure (or the money,

or the inﬂ uence) to attend the Cloister of Wisdom as

preparation for any unrelated future. Instead, they must

dedicate themselves to the Order if they want the advanced

training that would allow them to master the Fivefold

Dragon Paths. Nearly the only way to avoid that is to study

under a master keeping to the old ways of the Shogunate

or by one who remembers the methods used before the

Usurpation. Then, in fact, other Celestial styles are open

(and potentially more likely) to the Dragon-Blood.

In short, your Dragon-Blooded Immaculate or Ce-

lestial martial artist doesn’t have to be a monk. But she’ll

be in rareﬁ ed company if she isn’t.

SIGNATURE W EAPONS

Most martial-arts styles have form weapons, which can be

used with the Martial Arts Ability and are compatible with the

style’s Charms, even when the Charm text itself describes the

effect as done with bare hands or performed unarmed. Because of

the elemental afﬁ nity their practitioners have for them, the Five

Glorious Dragon Styles take this to a level reﬂ ected nowhere else

in the world of supernatural martial arts.

Each style has a signature weapon. Between the elements and

the intense training given to young Immaculates, students of the

Glorious Styles have unique skills with their signature weapons. Note

that, though nearly any hand-to-hand Martial Arts Charms can be

performed through a Dragon Style practitioner’s signature weapon,

Charms with the Touch keyword require that the attack actually

be performed with bare hands. Unless the Charm states otherwise,

such barehanded touches still inﬂ ict damage when used.

BEGGING THE D RAGONS

With few exceptions, Immaculates become students of the

Glorious Dragon Style that naturally beﬁ ts their natures: Fire

Aspects learn Fire Dragon Style, while Water-aspected Dragon-

Bloods follow the path of the Water Dragon. Like calls to like,

and it is the easiest path to follow to a destination that is already

nearly impossible to reach.

Yet, there are those who feel the need to seek another way.

An Earth Aspect feels the murmuring call of the Air Dragon in the

depths of his soul, or a Child of Hesiesh can choose only to emulate

the life-giving nature of the Wood Dragon. They sometimes choose

harder paths. The great difﬁ culties inherent in pursuing such a path

cause some Immaculates to call it “begging the Dragons.”

Because each Dragon Path has an elemental aspect, Dragon-

Blooded of the appropriate Aspect pay no surcharge when using

Charms from that style. Likewise, a Dragon-Blood of the wrong

element who chooses to study it pays the one-mote elemental sur-

charge for all Charms from that path. Worse, because learning one

of the Five Glorious Dragon Styles involves shaping one’s soul, the

elemental nature of the Dragon-Blood who chooses a style different

from his aspect becomes upset—so he must pay that surcharge on

all Charms, his element notwithstanding. Despite their afﬁ nity for

the martial arts, Water-aspected Dragon-Blooded may not ignore

either of these penalties.

This upset condition lasts until the Dragon-Blood achieves

mastery over his chosen Dragon Path. At that time, he balances the

differences between his natural element and his chosen element.

He ceases to pay any surcharge on Charms from his style as well

as normal Charms from both elements. Celestial Exalts who study

these styles neither pay surcharges nor gain a respite from paying

that surcharge on normal Dragon-Blooded Charms (in the case of

the Eclipse Caste Solars who can learn them).

AIR D RAGON S TYLE

The training to become a Dragon of Air emphasizes ﬂ exibility,

acrobatics and awareness of one’s surroundings. The wind never stops

when it hits an obstacle, instead turning aside and continuing on

its path, and the Immaculates dedicated to the Air Dragon attempt

to ﬂ ow in the same way. They train hard in acrobatics, ﬂ ips, leaps

and balancing, all in an effort to mimic their exemplar’s speed and

twisting motion.

Many Immaculates of the Air Dragon choose to ﬁ ght without

melee weapons, preferring to rely on their blindingly quick blows

198

and the thrown weapons they can buoy and direct through their

mastery over the wind. When they do use weapons in personal

combat, they often prefer the ﬁ ghting chain, using its length and

ﬂ exibility to entangle and trip their opponents.

The Air Dragon Style’s signature weapon is the chakram.

Chakrams come in a variety of shapes and visual styles. When each

Immaculate Dragon of Air achieves his Form-type Charm for the

style, he chooses his own pattern as his signature look.

In combat, the Immaculate may hurl two chakrams as a single

attack. He must have both chakrams on his person to do so, or be

using an inﬁ nite jade chakram (see Exalted, p. 389). Both projectiles

have a single attack roll and are treated by the target as a single

attack, but if the attack hits, the target suffers damage for both.

The Immaculate is able to make such an attack in concert with

appropriate simple or supplemental Charms, but he must spend an

additional mote to make the attack apply to both chakrams.

Air Dragon Style may be practiced in armor.

AIR D RAGON’S S IGHT

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: None

Even the smallest eddy of air carries volumes of information.

An Immaculate of the Air Dragon can attune himself to the smallest

variances in temperature and speed of the air around him, using

the wind as his sight.

When this Charm is active, the Immaculate can operate

perfectly, blindfolded or in pitch darkness, as long as he is sur-

rounded by air. He never suffers from unexpected attacks unless

he is so beset with foes that he cannot avoid all the blows (when

surrounded by multiple opponents). When used outside of combat,

the Dragon-Blood may add a number of dice equal to his Essence

to any Awareness roll as long as the focus of his attention is within

a number of yards equal to his (Essence x 10).

WIND D RAGON S PEED

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon’s Sight

Moving with a grace available only to the wind itself, the Air

Immaculate is able to act and regain her composure and balance

more quickly than most of her opponents. She reduces the Speed of

any single Martial Arts attack by one, to a minimum of three.

BREATH-SEIZING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Simple

Keywords: Crippling, Combo-OK

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon’s Sight

Such is the martial artist’s command of the wind that he can

drive it from his opponent’s lungs. With a series of properly placed

blows, the Immaculate strikes meridians that contract and immo-

bilize the lungs, denying his opponent breath.

If the attack is successful, it inﬂ icts no damage. Instead, roll

the Immaculate’s (Strength + Martial Arts + Essence) against a dif-

ﬁ culty of the target’s Stamina. Each net success inﬂ icts a cumulative

-1 internal penalty on the target, and if penalties ever double the

target’s Stamina, the target is rendered unconscious.

Creatures who do not need to breathe, such as automatons,

the undead and spirits or targets using magic to obviate that need,

are unaffected by this Charm.

SHROUDING THE B ODY AND M IND

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon’s Sight

Air is invisible. In this, too, the Children of Mela emulate their

element. By swathing herself with transparent air, the Immaculate

can become nothing more than a ripple in her foes’ view.

Upon using this Charm, the Immaculate becomes virtually

invisible for a number of actions equal to her Martial Arts rating.

Those who try to attack her suffer a +2 external penalty on their

attacks, and she adds two successes to any attempts to reestablish

surprise. Because of the blur she leaves in the air as she passes,

those nearby still know where she is unless she attempts to conceal

herself using Stealth.

The Storyteller may apply bonuses to those trying to ﬁ nd the

Air Immaculate depending on when they last saw her. As a general

guideline, someone who saw her disappear or who knows where she

was on her last action adds three dice. Those who have no idea

she’s nearby add nothing. Each action in which an individual fails

to locate or keep track of the Immaculate, he loses one bonus die

(to a minimum of zero).

AIR D RAGON F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed

Keywords: Form-type

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Breath-Seizing Technique, Shrouding the

Body and Mind, Wind Dragon Speed

With a series of high, graceful motions combined with pains-

taking balance, the Immaculate dons the light, ﬂ owing motions of

Air Dragon Form.

After successfully activating the form, the Immaculate adds

a number of dice equal to his Martial Arts to any ranged attack,

though this bonus cannot exceed the normal dice cap on such ac-

tions. The form also increases his Dodge DV by an amount equal

to half his Martial Arts rating for the scene.

TORNADO O FFENSE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 3m per attack; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Extra

Action

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon Form

The Immaculate becomes a whirlwind of death and destruc-

tion, spinning around an opponent faster than the eye can follow

and unleashing a series of devastating attacks.

This Charm is a magical ﬂ urry. For every three motes, the

Immaculate makes an additional ranged or Martial Arts attack

with his full dice pool, to a maximum number of attacks equal to

his Martial Arts rating. The DV penalty for this ﬂ urry is equal to

one-half the DV penalty for all attacks.

AVENGING W IND S TRIKE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

199

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

Keywords: Combo-OK, Knockback, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Tornado Offense Technique

With superb command over her element, the Immaculate

channels impossibly strong gusts of air behind her attacks. Air Im-

maculates favor wearing down their foes with chakrams while using

this Charm to prevent their foes from closing with them.

For every point of raw damage the attack inﬂ icts above the

target’s Stamina, the target suffers three yards of knockback. Targets

may also have to check against knockdown, if the attack inﬂ icts

more damage than the target’s (Stamina + Resistance) as normal.

Some Immaculates use the wind to carry their attacks farther.

Using this Charm with a thrown weapon increases the attack’s

range increment by an amount equal to the martial artist’s Essence

in addition to the Charm’s normal effects.

WRATHFUL W INDS M ANEUVER

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Avenging Wind Strike

The Immaculate opens his mouth wide, loosing a fearsome

shout that can shatter stone and eardrums alike. A gale-force blast

leaves his mouth in a 90-degree arc, out to a distance of (Essence

x 10) feet. His player makes a (Strength + Martial Arts) roll as an

attack, which can only be dodged, not parried.

Players of anyone affected by the Charm roll their characters’

([Dexterity or Stamina] + [Athletics or Resistance]) against a difﬁ culty

of the total successes on the martial artist’s roll (before subtracting

DV). If both her Strength and Athletics are less than the monk’s net

successes, a victim suffers knockdown and her player must roll her (Wits

200

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Cloud Treading Method

The Elemental Dragon of Air rules over the storms of Creation.

Immaculate monks who emulate that Dragon learn to imitate some

measure of that command. Spreading his arms wide for a moment

to focus his elemental Essence and his breathing, the monk brings

his hands together in a thunderous clap, which can deafen and

stun those who hear it.

The thunderclap affects anyone within (Essence x 10) yards

of the Immaculate (no attack roll required). The players of all

such characters must make a reﬂ exive (Stamina + Resistance)

roll. If one gets successes equal to or greater than the Immaculate’s

Essence, the target immediately becomes inactive until his next

action as the sound waves vibrate through her. Yet she suffers

no further penalty. Otherwise, the violent sound also inﬂ icts

(Strength + Martial Arts) bashing damage that ignores armor.

Targets also become deaf for a number of actions equal to the

Immaculate’s Essence, losing two dice from all dice pools due to

disorientation.

Spirits are even more susceptible to the effects of this Charm.

Double the Immaculate’s Essence for all purposes when applying

this Charm’s effects to a god, demon or elemental. Air Immaculates

do not need to be able to see or otherwise affect spirits in order for

this Charm to harm them.

The Immaculate is immune to her own thunderclap, and he

can render select persons immune to the Charm’s effects at a cost

of one mote per person. She cannot single out spirits for immunity

to this Charm. If a spirit is in range, it is susceptible.

+ Resistance) at difﬁ culty 1 to avoid immediately becoming inactive

for a single action. Victims of this Charm who suffer both effects are

also deafened for a number of actions equal to the Immaculate’s Martial

Arts. Deafened targets lose two dice from all actions.

By spending a point of Willpower, the Immaculate can focus

the shout on a single target. The target cannot avoid the attack

without a perfect defense, and the shout inﬂ icts a number of health

levels of lethal damage equal to the Immaculate’s (Strength +

Essence), which bypasses armor. In addition, add any levels of

damage inﬂ icted to the difﬁ culty to avoid knockdown.

CLOUD T READING M ETHOD

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon Form

Air Immaculates are light on their feet, and the very wind itself

carries them when they ask. Activating this Charm, the martial

artist detects the smallest updrafts (or creates them) and uses them

to buoy her steps.

This Charm doubles the Immaculate’s movement rate and leaping

distance for the duration, and the most ﬂ imsy surfaces can support her.

She can run along a lake’s surface, skip from leaf to leaf without falling

and dash up smoke trails—as long as she keeps moving. If she does not

move in each tick, she falls. She may continue to run along impossible

surfaces as long as she re-invokes the Charm as soon as it ends.

THUNDERCLAP K ATA

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

201

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

the worst hardships their masters can conceive, from standing on

the slopes of the Imperial Mountain during a blizzard to sleeping

on beds of nails and suffering brutal beatings willingly.

The style is slower by far than its fellows. Its motions are

measured and deliberate, and students take no step or strike with-

out knowing its result beforehand. Despite the pace with which

they prepare for their actions, their follow-through is as fast and

thunderously unstoppable as a falling mountain.

Earth Dragons use the tetsubo as their signature weapon, a

huge war club studded with iron. They often make their own upon

mastering the style’s Form-type Charm, and no two Earth Immacu-

lates’ weapons look alike. The artifact version of the weapon is a

great jade-laced steel club (a grand goremaul) that is usually too

heavy for a mortal to even budge. Masters of the style encourage

their students to study Craft and Occult so that they can more

easily make their own.

When wielding a tetsubo or a grand goremaul, Immaculates of

Earth add one point to the Overwhelming quality of such a weapon.

Earth Dragon Style may be practiced in armor.

FORCE OF THE M OUNTAIN

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Pure inward focus and slow, deliberate movement precedes

this attack. Many onlookers are surprised by the great damage such

a sluggish blow manages to inﬂ ict.

The Immaculate adds an amount of damage equal to his

Essence on a single Melee or Martial Arts attack. He cannot use

this Charm with weapons other than the Earth Dragon’s signature

weapons—the sledge, the tetsubo or the grand goremaul.

UNMOVING M OUNTAIN S TANCE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

10)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: (Martial Arts) minutes

Prerequisite Charms: None

Like the Imperial Mountain and the Realm’s impervious War

Manses, those who emulate Earth are eternal. Steadfast, they study

the art of stillness.

Invoking this Charm allows the Immaculate to stand stock

still for the duration. Beyond its meditative use, an Immaculate

using this Charm adds a number of automatic successes equal to her

Essence to any attempt to resist being moved or knocked down, as

from knockdown or knockback. Her ability to lock her joints and

make her muscles as steel also adds these successes to any opposed

check to maintain a grapple, as long as she is not attempting to

break the hold.

Remaining perfectly still can also aid attempts at concealment.

As long as the Immaculate has an appropriate hiding place, she adds

a like number of automatic successes to her Stealth attempt as long

as she does not move. Being able to remain perfectly still might

come in handy at other times, as well—such as resisting disarms or

holding on for dear life—at the Storyteller’s discretion.

STONE D RAGON’S S KIN

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step

Keywords: Combo-OK

LIGHTNING S TRIKE S TYLE

Cost: 4m, 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

(Speed 4)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Thunderclap Kata

The Air Immaculate’s ﬁ ngertips spark with electricity, his eyes

ﬂ icker with the light of a faraway electrical storm, and his motions

take on the sudden, unexpected aspects of lightning. When he at-

tacks, he looses brilliant bolts of lightning at his foes, even striking

targets that are far out of reach.

For the Charm’s duration, the Immaculate’s Martial Arts at-

tacks reach to a distance of (Essence x 10) feet. Such attacks inﬂ ict

(Strength + Essence) in lethal electrical damage. If a target is in

range for a normal unarmed attack, using a punch or kick adds to

the attack’s Accuracy and Damage as normal.

For an additional mote, the Dragon-Blood may use a chakram

with this Charm to add its Accuracy and Damage to the attack.

Wielding such a weapon with this Charm carries the lightning strike

farther. Add the Immaculate’s Essence to the weapon’s Range. Do-

ing so might increase or decrease the Charm’s maximum effective

range, depending on the Immaculate’s Essence.

HURRICANE C OMBAT M ETHOD

Cost: 10m, 1wp + 1hl per action; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence

4; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Wrathful Winds Maneuver, Lightning

Strike Style

Air Immaculates unleash the hurricane on their foes through

this Charm. The wind picks up around a monk until it reaches

dizzying speeds, making her strides ﬂ eet, her leaps long and her

blows so fast that they blur. The ferocious gusts are often strong

enough to pick up small objects within a number of yards equal to

the Immaculate’s (Essence x 3) and ﬂ ing them away, though not

at the Immaculate’s conscious direction.

For a number of actions equal to the Immaculate’s Martial

Arts, the Immaculate moves faster and leaps farther, tripling

her movement and doubling her jumping distances. (The latter

stacks with the Air Aspect anima ability to provide four times the

distance.) Her blinding speed adds half her Martial Arts rating to

her Dodge DV and halves the Speed of any Martial Arts attacks

she makes. Each action, the Immaculate may make a number of

extra attacks (martial arts or ranged) equal to her Essence. Each

extra attack uses her full dice pool and does not prevent her from

taking non-attack actions or performing an unrelated ﬂ urry. If she

has Charms or Combos that can logically affect the extra attacks,

she may use them, though she must still abide by the limitations

on Charms per action.

Although the Immaculate pays the Willpower and motes up

front as normal, she does not suffer damage from the Charm until

the Charm ends. At that time, she takes one level of unsoakable

bashing damage for each action the Charm lasted.

EARTH D RAGON S TYLE

Earth Dragon is the most nakedly brutal of all the Fivefold

Dragon Paths. It centers around strengthening the body, using its

natural muscles to their absolutely greatest effect and inuring the

skin and mind against pain of all types. Acolytes train by enduring

202

Duration: Until next action

Prerequisite Charms: None

Dragons of Earth spend months training their bodies to ignore

pain and resist harm. After thousands of punches made into tuns of

gravel and many hours spent lying between two massive sheets of

rock, they learn to channel their Essence into their skin, hardening

it against misfortune.

The Immaculate adds his Martial Arts rating to his natural

lethal and bashing soak until his next action. Furthermore, hard-

ening his skin in this way allows him to also parry weapons with

his bare hands.

EARTH D RAGON F ORM

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

(-0 DV)

Keywords: Form-type, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Force of the Mountain, Unmoving

Mountain Stance, Stone Dragon’s Skin

Taking a wide, low and very stable stance, the Earth Im-

maculate ﬁ nds her center and uses her Essence to ground herself

in the earth.

Successful activation of the Earth Dragon Form adds the

Immaculate’s Martial Arts to his bashing, lethal and aggravated

soaks. This soak cannot be circumvented by any Charm. The monk

also gains an equal amount of Hardness.

SHATTERING F IST S TRIKE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: (Martial Arts) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form

203

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

Immaculates of Earth have an afﬁ nity for the inanimate. In

many ways, they use objects as one facet of their ideal emulation:

a propensity toward stillness, enduring construction and a long-

term outlook.

This unique perspective gives Immaculates an advantage

when taking the inanimate apart. For the duration of the Charm,

double the raw damage the Immaculate inﬂ icts on objects (but not

living things). This effect stacks with others that increase damage

done to objects.

WEAPON-BREAKING D EFENSE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: Special, +1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type:

Reﬂ exive (Step 2)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Shattering Fist Strike

Hidden stones shatter plows, and striking a mountain breaks

the blade. Immaculates learn similar tactics. After the Immaculate

has activated this Charm, attacking him with a weapon becomes

a risky proposal.

When the martial artist parries a weapon with this Charm,

either barehanded or wielding his form weapon, his player makes

a reﬂ exive (Strength + Martial Arts) roll to destroy the attacking

weapon. He needs one success to destroy normal weapons, three

for ﬁ ne, exceptional or perfect weapons and ﬁ ve for weapons forged

of the magical materials. Whether or not the Immaculate fails to

destroy the weapon, its bearer’s player must make a reﬂ exive (Wits +

relevant Ability) roll opposing the Immaculate’s roll or be disarmed

(as per the disarming rules).

The Essence cost of this Charm is equal to the difﬁ culty to

destroy the weapon and must be paid before the attempt. If the

Exalt does not have enough Essence to use this Charm on a weapon

(i.e., he thought an artifact weapon was an unremarkable sword),

he spends no Essence and the Charm does not activate.

EARTHSHAKER A TTACK

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form

Standing on a surface of earth or stone, the Immaculate stomps

her foot onto the ground. A shockwave ripples outward from her,

and the players of everyone within a number of feet equal to the

martial artist’s (Essence x 10) must make a (Dexterity + Resistance)

roll at a difﬁ culty of the Immaculate’s Essence to avoid knockdown.

Anyone who falls takes bashing damage equal to the Immaculate’s

Martial Arts, soaked as normal.

HUNGRY E ARTH S TRIKE

Cost: 5+m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Earthshaker Attack

The Immaculate’s hand seems to swell and grow before he

strikes the earth with an open palm. The ground shivers, and im-

mediately after, the ground beneath his target opens up beneath

her feet and to engulf and immobilize her. The Immaculate’s player

rolls (Strength + Martial Arts) against the target’s Dodge DV—this

attack cannot be parried. Each net success for the Immaculate adds

one to the difﬁ culty of all the target’s physical actions.

A target affected by the Charm cannot take Move or Dash

actions until her player succeeds in a (Strength + Athletics) roll at

a difﬁ culty equal to the Immaculate’s net successes, which requires

a miscellaneous action at -2 DV. If the Immaculate’s net successes

exceed the target’s Strength, the attack draws her all the way into

the ground. She can take no actions but to attempt to escape, and

the difﬁ culty of the (Strength + Athletics) roll doubles. At the

Immaculate’s discretion, the target might not have any air in her

earthen prison. If not, she must hold her breath.

Allies may help to free a victim of this Charm, by trying to

pull her from the grasping earth or prying at the stone over her

head. Treat this as limited teamwork (adding one die to the escape

attempt for each person helping).

For one additional mote each, the Immaculate can target mul-

tiple enemies with a single use of this Charm. He cannot target more

victims than double his Essence. Obviously, both the Immaculate

and any targets must be on the same earthen or stone surface.

STILLNESS OF S TONE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling, Stackable, Touch

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form

By interrupting a target’s normal Essence ﬂ ows with immobile

earth Essence, the Immaculate can freeze her foes in place. If the

Immaculate successfully harms a target with a barehanded attack,

she paralyzes and renders him inactive, completely unable to move.

The victim endures a number of inactive actions (including the ﬁ rst)

equal to the levels of damage inﬂ icted. If this attack kills a target, it

turns his body to stone. His body petriﬁ es completely, a permanent

and frightening tribute to the Immaculate’s martial prowess.

AVALANCHE M ETHOD

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Stillness of Stone

Channeling the heaviness of earth into his opponent, the Im-

maculate tries to bury her beneath his massive attacks. At the very

least, he forces her to assume an inferior ﬁ ghting posture.

On a successful attack, the Immaculate’s player makes a re-

ﬂ exive, opposed (Strength + Martial Arts) roll against the target’s

(Stamina + Athletics). If the Immaculate wins or ties, he successfully

pours earth Essence down on her. In addition to the normal damage

inﬂ icted by the attack, each net success on the opposed roll inﬂ icts

a -1 internal penalty to all physical actions on the victim as long

as she remains in the Immaculate’s line of sight. Once she escapes

the Immaculate’s line of sight, the weight lifts.

If the net successes exceed the target’s Stamina, the Charm

immobilizes her completely. She must take only inactive actions,

but only as long the Immaculate maintains physical contact with

her—her form overﬂ ows with earth Essence, and he must prevent

it from pouring out.

As long as the Immaculate maintains the proper eye or physical

contact, the Charm can last indeﬁ nitely. When he releases someone

made completely immobile, she still suffers the Charm’s internal

penalties until the Immaculate uncommits the motes spent on

the Charm or she leaves his line of sight. Finally, trying to take

other actions while maintaining contact with a single, immobilized

individual is awkward, leveling a -1 external penalty on all physi-

cal actions. Holding multiple such victims increases the penalty

commensurately.

204

Multiple invocations of this Charm on a single target are not

cumulative. Only the most effective application counts. Earth-

aspected Dragon-Blooded, already replete with earth Essence,

cannot be affected by this Charm, though the attack behind it

can still inﬂ ict damage.

GHOST-GROUNDING B LOW

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Touch

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: Avalanche Method, Weapon-Breaking

Defense Technique, Hungry Earth Strike

Earth is the element of stability and physicality. Touch-

ing an immaterial target, the Immaculate uses his connection

to the Elemental Dragon of Earth to draw this victim into the

corporeal world.

Ghost-Grounding Blow does not provide the means to strike an

immaterial target, so the monk must ﬁ rst activate Moment of Daana’d

or another Charm that allows her to strike immaterial targets. On

a successful, unarmed Martial Arts attack, the Immaculate’s player

makes an opposed roll of (her Wits + Martial Arts + extra successes

on the attack) against the target’s permanent Willpower.

If the Immaculate wins, her blow inﬂ icts no damage but

she instead forces the target into material form. When the

target need spend no Essence to become corporeal (such as an

elemental or Eclipse Caste Solar using Dematerialize), it happens

immediately. If the target must spend Essence to don a physical

form (such as ghosts, gods or demons using Materialize), the

Charm forces it to spend that Essence immediately. When the

target does not have enough Essence to use that power, the

Immaculate must supply the rest. If the two parties combined

do not have enough, both lose all their Essence, but the

target remains immaterial.

Once material, the target must remain material for a

number of hours equal to the Immaculate’s Martial Arts Ability.

She is in no way prohibited from using any Charms or powers,

assuming she has the Essence to do so, apart from those that

would dematerialize her.

On a tied roll, the entity becomes material as normal but

may dematerialize again (if she has that ability) on or after her

next action. If the target’s player wins the opposed roll, the at-

tack has no effect at all.

Neither gods nor demons are fond of this Charm, as it forces

them into a weaker position and often precedes the Immaculate’s

attempts to destroy them. Creatures with permanent Essences

higher than the martial artist’s are immune to this

Charm.

PERFECTION OF E ARTH B ODY

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5;

Type: Simple (-2 DV)

Keywords: Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Ghost-Grounding Blow

The pinnacle of Earth Dragon Style, this Charm lets the

Immaculate truly become one with the exemplar she emulates.

Falling to her hands and knees, the martial artist touches her head

to the ground to be fully in contact with the body of the Elemental

Dragon of Earth. Her skin ripples and petriﬁ es, making her into an

Immaculate warrior of living stone.

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CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

This Charm doubles the Immaculate’s Strength and Stamina

and causes his hand-to-hand attacks to inﬂ ict lethal damage. She

adds her Essence to the Accuracy, Damage and Defense values

of her unarmed attacks. She soaks lethal damage with her entire

Stamina and adds her Essence to her bashing and lethal soak and her

Hardness. Finally, being made from stone deadens the Immaculate’s

senses and strengthens her joints. She ignores all wound penalties

and Crippling effects for the Charm’s duration.

This Charm is incompatible with armor.

FIRE D RAGON S TYLE

Devotees to the Fire Dragon suffer the cruelest of the ﬁ ve

training regimens. They learn early on that one must control ﬁ re,

lest it consume everything in its path. The best-known lesson

the Fire Immaculates suffer consists of setting the student on ﬁ re.

She is forbidden to use anything other than her own willpower to

resist the pain as the element she wishes to emulate bubbles her

ﬂ esh and melts the fat from her bones. She hears the crackling ﬁ re

and smells her charred ﬂ esh, and when she can endure no more,

she need only speak before she is doused and healed. In general,

Immaculates believe that the longer a student remains silent, the

greater a warrior she will be.

Fire Dragons ﬁ ght in a manner as wild and unpredictable as

a forest ﬁ re, but the Immaculates themselves endeavor to always

be in complete control. Their lessons teach them that they are

the ﬁ re and to lose control would be devastating to their friends

and their aims.

The signature weapons of Fire Dragon Style are paired

short swords, each curved to a claw-like point at the end. Paired

short daiklaves serve as the artifact version of these weapons. An

Immaculate’s combat with these weapons is ferocious, and the

shimmering of light off the blades often reminds observers of the

ﬂ ickering ﬁ res of the element behind the style.

Immaculate Dragons of Fire become incredibly adept at using

their blades for rapid slashing assaults. When one performs a ﬂ urry

that consists only of attacks with their signature weapons, each

attack suffers a multiple action penalty equal only to its number

in the progression; i.e., the ﬁ rst attack suffers a -1, the second a -2

and so on. Fire Dragon Style may be practiced in armor.

FLASH-FIRE T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

In the dry season, ﬁ res can start in the blink of an eye with

the merest spark. Nothing is so wet that an Immaculate of Hesiesh

cannot set it alight. Moving as quickly as the sudden ﬂ ame, the

Immaculate adds a number of dice equal to his Martial Arts score

to his Join Battle action.

FLAME-FLICKER S TANCE

Cost: Varies; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 2)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Until next action

Prerequisite Charms: Flash-Fire Technique

Obscuring her form behind the image of a ﬂ ickering ﬂ ame and

rising smoke, the Immaculate shifts and dances like a candle’s eager

ﬂ ame. Until her next action, each mote she spends (to a maximum

of her Essence) increases both her DVs by one.

SEARING F IST A TTACK

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling, Stackable

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: None

Strikes supplemented by this Charm hit very painful pressure

points and further increase that red-hot agony with a lick of ﬁ re

Essence. Such great pain draws the target’s focus inward, away from

the temporal world around her. After successfully inﬂ icting damage

with a blow supplemented by this Charm, the Immaculate causes

such pain that his victim suffers a -1 internal penalty to all actions for

the rest of the scene. This penalty comes on top of wound penalties,

and additional uses of this Charm have a cumulative effect.

PERFECT B LAZING B LOW

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Searing Fist Attack

A tongue of ﬂ ame travels from the Immaculate’s heart to her

ﬁ st or weapon, making one attack burn through an opponent’s

defense. An attack supplemented by this Charm automatically hits

targets with an effective DV of less than the Immaculate’s Essence,

as if the attack’s roll had just enough successes to connect. If the

attack roll has enough successes on its own, ignore the results of

this Charm.

FIRE D RAGON F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 4)

Keywords: Form-type, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Flame-Flicker Stance, Perfect Blazing

Blow

The Immaculate performs a brief kata and brings her arms

together. When she releases the position, a light burst of warm,

orange ﬂ ame erupts from her. While the form is active, her move-

ments are more like those of the ﬁ re she emulates, and attacks

against her seem to only fan the ﬂ ames.

After successfully activating Fire Dragon Form, the Immaculate

increases her Dodge DV by half her Martial Arts Ability. Also,

due to the great heat that surrounds her, the Immaculate’s bashing

attacks inﬂ ict lethal damage.

FIERY H AND A TTACK

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Fire Dragon Form

His hand or sword sheathed in ﬂ ame, the Immaculate tries to

cover a foe in that burning Essence. On a successful Martial Arts

strike, the Immaculate adds his Martial Arts rating to the damage,

and all damage inﬂ icted is lethal. Additionally, the target’s player

reﬂ exively rolls (Stamina + Resistance) at a difﬁ culty of the monk’s

Essence. Beings with an elemental afﬁ nity for Water (such as Water-

aspected Dragon-Blooded) add two dice to their Resistance rolls. If

the roll fails, the target bursts into ﬂ ame. Treat this effect as if the

victim were standing in the middle of a bonﬁ re. She suffers four

levels of lethal damage per action for a number of subsequent actions

equal to the attacker’s Martial Arts score. A successful (Stamina

+ Resistance) roll at difﬁ culty 3 reduces the damage from lethal to

bashing on each action, which ignores armor.

206

The ﬂ ames are magical, despite the entirely normal looks, smells,

feelings and screams. Only the end of the Charm or magic (water

Essence or magic that speciﬁ cally douses ﬂ ames) can put out the ﬁ re

early. Otherwise, the poor victim will burn even underwater.

BREATH OF THE F IRE D RAGON

Cost: Varies; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Fiery Hand Attack

Taking a deep breath and calling to rouse the Fire Dragon within

her, the Immaculate spits a gout of ﬂ ame that extends for a number

of yards equal to her Essence. Her attack roll is her (Perception +

Martial Arts), and she adds a number of automatic successes equal to

her Essence. The attack inﬂ icts a number of levels of lethal damage

equal to her Essence for every mote the Fire Dragon Immaculate

spends on the Charm. She cannot spend more motes than she has

dots of Martial Arts. The rolling ﬂ ame cannot be parried.

By expending a point of Willpower, the Immaculate gives

the Breath of the Fire Dragon the ability to affect spirits as well as

material objects.

ESSENCE-IGNITING N ERVE S TRIKE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

(Speed 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Breath of the Fire Dragon

This esoteric attack touches and activates a half-dozen potent

chakras, causing the Essence contained within the target to ﬂ are

and burn the body from within. On a successful strike, the attack

does not inﬂ ict normal damage. Instead, the target suffers one level

of lethal damage for every mote of Essence in her Personal Essence

pool, up to a maximum of twice the Immaculate’s permanent Es-

sence. The damage ignores armor but is otherwise soaked normally.

This Charm does not consume the motes involved, but simply uses

them as a catalyst for damage.

Creatures without Personal Essence pools (such as gods and

mortals) are immune to this Charm.

OVERWHELMING F IRE M AJESTY S TANCE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Fire Dragon Form

Fires cause great damage, and they are recognized and respected

for their illimitable hunger across Creation. Taking this aspect of

the Fire Dragon onto herself as ﬂ ames swirl about her body, the

Immaculate makes her foes afraid to strike her.

While the Immaculate maintains the stance, anyone trying

207

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

to attack her subtracts a number of dice equal to the Immaculate’s

Martial Arts from his dice pool when doing so. Anyone who tries to

attack one of the Immaculate’s clear allies within a number of yards

of the Immaculate equal to the Immaculate’s Essence subtracts half

that number (i.e., the Immaculate’s Martial Arts score). While this

Charm is active, the Immaculate can defend herself and take other

actions. Making an attack or taking a Dash action ends Overwhelm-

ing Fire Majesty Stance, as does invoking any non-reﬂ exive Charms

or moving more than half her normal movement. Taking any health

levels of damage from an attack also disrupts the stance. Once the

Charm ends, the effects linger for another three ticks.

SMOLDERING W OUND A TTACK

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Overwhelming Fire Majesty Stance

The Immaculate endows a single wound with slow-burn-

ing Essence. If he successfully damages his opponent, the wound

smolders like a dying ﬁ re. On the Immaculate’s following action,

the Charm’s victim suffers any post-soak damage again. Soak does

not apply to the second instance of damage.

CONSUMING M IGHT OF THE F IRE D RAGON

Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Igniting Nerve Strike, Smoldering

Wound Attack

This Charm pulls pure elemental ﬂ ame from the heart of the

Elemental Dragon. An Aspect of Fire using this Charm triples the

effects of his anima power. For non-Fire Aspects, the Charm allows

the Immaculate to use the Fire Aspect anima power at its normal

level. Also, anyone viewing the Immaculate, regardless of his aspect,

is affected as if by the Overwhelming Fire Majesty Stance, except

that the effects last for an entire scene and the Immaculate is free

to attack and/or use Charms.

WATER D RAGON S TYLE

Immaculate Dragons of Water meld the crashing strength of

the tsunami, the unutterable calm of a perfectly smooth lake and

the cold, grinding force of a frozen glacier into a deadly martial

arts style. Students of the style spend long hours contemplating

water in all its forms: the cutting edges of ice, the ﬂ owing and

indestructible nature of water, the gentle but deadly snowfall and

the freeform essence of scalding steam. Swimming and sailing have

their parts in the training, as a monk must come to fully understand

his element.

When they enter combat, Water Immaculates seem to melt

away from their opponents’ blows, run through their grasping ﬁ ngers

and then strike with the force of a great wave. Though a single wave

cannot topple a castle, Water Stylists wear their foes to the ground

with an unending series of eroding strikes and kicks.

These Immaculates wield “dragon’s claws” in combat, which

are effectively stylized tiger claws (or razor claws). Water Dragons

are so skilled in using these weapons that their ﬂ owing movements

create glittering walls of slashing steel and jade, hypnotically beauti-

ful but of deadly consequence.

Water Dragons wielding paired dragon’s claws reduce the Speed

by one and add two to the weapons’ Defense. Water Dragon Style

is compatible with armor.

FLOWING W ATER D EFENSE

Cost: 1m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1; Type: Reﬂ exive

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: (Essence) actions

Prerequisite Charms: None

Striking water is easy to do, but it is hard to do more than

make a harmless splash. Similarly, soft water does not do more than

ﬂ ow past stone, but it always takes something with it. While the

Charm is in effect, the Immaculate subtracts one die from all his

attack pools, but anyone who tries to attack him subtracts three

dice from all attack pools.

RIPPLING W ATER S TRIKE

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Water Defense

Just as a pebble thrown through the surface of a pond sends

ripples washing to shore, so can the Immaculate’s blow ripple through

Creation. When she connects with a strike aided by this Charm, the

very air appears to ripple outward from the point of contact.

If an attack supplemented by this Charm successfully inﬂ icts

levels of damage on its target, everyone but the Immaculate within

10 feet of the target suffers dice of bashing damage equal to the

number of health levels inﬂ icted on the primary target. This dam-

age ignores armor.

This Charm is not discerning—friends are as susceptible as

foes. When the Immaculate raises her Essence to 4, she may spend

Essence to make the Charm ignore her companions and friends.

For each mote spent, the ripples ignore one creature. She may not

exempt more targets than she has dots of Essence.

DROWNING-IN-BLOOD T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed

Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Rippling Water Strike

The body contains a great deal of water, in the form of sweat,

tears… but mostly blood. Immaculates of Water learn the secret

tides of blood, and they can strike a target in such a way that it

disrupts and diverts a victim’s blood. By channeling it into the

target’s airways and lungs, an Immaculate can actually drown his

foe in her own blood.

After a successful Martial Arts attack, which does not dam-

age the target, the Immaculate’s player (Strength + Martial Arts)

opposed by the target’s (Stamina + Resistance). If the Immaculate

wins, his target suffers internal bleeding and loses one dot of Stamina

for a number of actions equal to the Immaculate’s extra successes.

Subsequent uses of the Charm are cumulative, and a target reduced

to 0 Stamina is dead.

SHRUGGING W ATER D RAGON E SCAPE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Rippling Water Strike

Water cannot be bound. Rivers ﬂ ow through a man’s ﬁ ngers,

ice melts away, and steam escapes into the air. The Immaculate tries

to mimic this perfect freedom, using this Charm to prevent herself

from ever being restrained. When she uses it, mundane chains

208

shatter, ropes snap, and handcuffs drop away. It also nulliﬁ es the

effects of supernatural restraints for a number of ticks equal to the

Immaculate’s (Martial Arts x 3).

WATER D RAGON F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5)

Keywords: Form-type

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Drowning-in-Blood Technique, Shrugging

Water Dragon Escape

With a few graceful body movements, the Immaculate becomes

more like the liquid element he seeks to emulate. As that element,

he can absorb and dissipate vast amounts of damage while suffering

very little harm.

While this Charm is active, the Exalt adds his Martial Arts to

his bashing and lethal soak and soaks lethal damage with his full

Stamina. Also, when successfully attacked, he may further augment

his soak by reﬂ exively spending one mote per two points of soak.

This soak applies to only a single attack, and he must spend the

Essence in Step Seven of attack resolution.

Finally, the Immaculate’s ﬂ owing motions make his attacks

hard to evade and his defenses even harder to predict. He adds his

an amount equal to his Essence to his Martial Arts Ability for the

scene. This Charm is incompatible with any armor that has a mobility

penalty of -2 or greater, because such armor constrains the martial

artist and prohibits the natural ﬂ ow necessary for this Charm.

FLOW R EVERSAL S TRIKE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Crippling, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon Form

209

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

By inﬂ uencing the water Essence inside her target’s body, the

Immaculate can completely—if only for a moment—reverse the

blood in a person’s veins. All she need do to enact this Charm is

give the target the slightest touch. Some Water Immaculates ﬁ nd

ways to begin combat by using this Charm amidst a handshake or

other friendly gesture.

If an unarmed Martial Arts attack is successful (whether or

not it inﬂ icts any damage), the target’s player rolls (Stamina +

Resistance) at a difﬁ culty equal to the Immaculate’s successes on

the initial attack roll, before reducing successes from the target’s

DVs. If the roll fails, he takes one level of unsoakable lethal dam-

age. Whether or not the target succeeds, he loses two dice from

all dice pools for a number of actions equal to the Immaculate’s

Martial Arts.

Mortals are less hardy than the Exalted, and those who fail the

(Stamina + Resistance) roll die instantly, as do animals of less than

twice the Immaculate’s size. Most gods, automatons and undead

have no blood and are immune to this Charm, but some (such as

water elementals or creatures with great amounts of liquid in their

forms) are still susceptible and take two levels of lethal damage if

they fail the roll.

CRASHING W AVE S TYLE

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Extra Action

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Flow Reversal Strike

Wave after wave crashes up against the rocky shore, and after

each rush of water, more sand and stone washes away. By the time

the storm is ﬁ nished, nothing is left.

On a successful Martial Arts attack, the Immaculate makes a

second attack at -1 die to his pool. If the second attack succeeds, he

can make a third attack at -2 and a fourth at -4. Each subsequent

attack doubles the die penalty, and the Charm ends when the one

of the Immaculate’s attacks misses, his dice pool hits zero or below

or the number of attacks equals his Martial Arts.

THEFT-OF-ESSENCE M ETHOD

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon Form

Certain texts of Daana’d suggest seeing beings that wield

Essence as self-contained eddies in Creation, small vortices of

power. Immaculates teach a method for interrupting those small

whorls in Creation’s ﬂ ow, diverting that Essence to the monk’s

righteous use.

After a successful attack, the Immaculate’s player rolls (Es-

sence + Martial Arts), stealing three motes of Essence for each

success from his target and adding them to his own reserves. This

Essence counts as Personal for all purposes, but it may inﬂ ate his

pool beyond its normal boundaries. He may use this Essence, but

only on Charms from Water Dragon Style. Unused Essence gained

from this Charm fades at a rate of one mote per minute.

GHOST-RESTRAINING W HIRLPOOL S TANCE

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Stackable

Duration: Until abandoned

Prerequisite Charms: Theft-of-Essence Method

Just as a sinking ship can create a vortex that sucks down ﬂ ee-

ing survivors, Immaculate martial artists can create a similar effect

in the medium of Creation’s Essence. By crafting a small ball of her

water Essence and hurling it into the sea of Creation, she creates a

temporary whirlpool of Essence that hinders spirits. As long as she

maintains the proper stance, the effects remain.

The Immaculate’s player rolls (Charisma + Martial Arts),

and the players of all spirits within (Essence x 10) yards roll the

creatures’ Essences. Spirits who achieve more successes than the

Immaculate may ignore the effects of this Charm. Any spirit who

fails the roll suffers a -1 external penalty for each success by which

the Dragon-Blood’s roll beats his. Additionally, each success reduces

the speed of the spirit’s Move and Dash actions by one yard per

success, unless the spirit is moving toward the Immaculate.

If the external penalty exceeds the spirit’s Essence, the spirit

becomes inactive for the duration of the Charm unless its permanent

Essence is greater than the Immaculate’s, in which case it suffers

the normal penalties but can continue to act.

In order to sustain this Charm, the martial artist must take a

-2 external penalty to all actions. When he drops it, the Charm’s

effects remain for three ticks before fading.

Use of this Charm is obvious to spirits.

BOTTOMLESS D EPTHS D EFENSE

Cost: 5m, 1ahl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Reﬂ exive

(Step 7)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Crashing Wave Style, Ghost-Restraining

Whirlpool Stance

Activating this Charm allows the Immaculate to ignore all

damage from any source for one tick, as he siphons the wounds

into the limitless abyss of the Water Dragon. The effort is greatly

draining, however, and he immediately suffers a single level of

aggravated damage.

Practitioners of Water Dragon Style save this Charm for ex-

treme circumstances. To perform such powerful techniques carries

away a piece of the soul, and Immaculates are rightly wary of such

consequences.

ESSENCE-DOUSING W AVE A TTACK

Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Bottomless Depths Defense

Smothering an opponent with the dousing power of pure water

Essence, the Immaculate attempts to metaphorically drown and put

out his opponent’s magic.

The Immaculate makes a normal Martial Arts attack. If he

inﬂ icts damage, the Immaculate’s player makes an immediate (Es-

sence + Martial Arts) roll at a difﬁ culty of half the target’s Essence.

For three ticks per success, any Charms or spells affecting the target

cease to operate. If the number of successes exceeds the Essence

of whatever individual invoked the Charm or cast the spell, the

magic is completely dispelled. The durations of inactive Charms

continue to count down.

Targets affected by this Charm can reactivate the Charms

and spells that were cancelled. Unless the Charms are stackable,

people who suddenly have the same Charm active twice (as Es-

sence-Dousing Wave Attack ends) gain no special beneﬁ t. This

210

death, participating in both food and water deprivation and glut-

tony, and most also consume absurd quantities of hallucinogenic

drugs while seeking the purity of Sextes Jylis.

To observers, Wood Dragon Style is not a particularly deadly

or effective style. Immaculates who practice it rarely fell their op-

ponents in a single strike or send their opponents ﬂ eeing a storm

of blows. Yet, they win their combats nonetheless. With the power

they hold over the ﬂ ows and ebbs of life through Creation, the

wise fear them.

An Immaculate of Wood ﬁ res her signature weapon, the bow,

with deadly accuracy. Their training teaches them to ﬁ re backward,

with the bow vertical or horizontal, from the saddle or while lying

down, among others. When an Immaculate masters Wood Dragon

Form, she usually constructs her own bow as a part of a ritual. Those

who can construct powerbows often do so for their comrades.

When using her signature weapon, an Immaculate of the Wood

Dragon adds two to its Damage bonus and 25 yards to its Range.

This style may be practiced while in armor.

EYES OF THE W OOD D RAGON

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: Special

Prerequisite Charms: None

The Wood Immaculate is master of the patterns that govern

life and survival. By using this Charm to examine a single foe, the

Dragon-Blood ﬁ nds that foe’s weakest points. After invoking this

Charm, the Immaculate must successfully attack his target within his

ﬁ ve next actions or the Charm ends with no effect. On a successful

attack, the Immaculate adds her Essence as separate damage dice.

Charm can be used on friends to subdue unwanted effects, but the

Immaculate must inﬂ ict at least a single level of bashing damage

to trigger the effect.

TSUNAMI F ORCE S HOUT

Cost: 10m, 1wp, 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type:

Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Dousing Wave Attack

Filling her lungs with the life of the Water Dragon itself, the

Immaculate summons all her strength and expels a low, rumbling,

water-Essence-laden shout that shakes all who stand before her.

Tsunami Force Shout radiates out from the Immaculate in

a 45-degree arc extending out a number of yards equal to her Es-

sence, inﬂ icting ([Essence + Martial Arts] x 2) levels of aggravated

damage. The player of anyone within the area of effect makes a

reﬂ exive Essence roll. On a botch, any damage dice not soaked in

Step Seven of attack resolution are automatic successes. If the Es-

sence roll fails, the damage is soaked and rolled normally. If the roll

succeeds, the damage becomes lethal instead of aggravated and is

rolled normally. With a threshold of three or more on the Essence

roll, the damage is bashing.

WOOD D RAGON S TYLE

Followers of the Wood Dragon are mysteries among the mys-

terious. All Immaculates are curiosities for their dedication and

their great power, but Wood Dragon Style practitioners exemplify

the strangeness that follows Dragon-Blooded monks, often even

to their fellows. Their training is no small part of this perception:

Immaculates of Wood go far to understand the extremes of life and

211

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

This extra damage bypasses armor but may be soaked by Stamina

and other sources of Hardness normally.

This attack affects immaterial spirits as if they had materialized.

Also, this Charm is only effective against living beings—automata

and the dead do not bear the life paths that this Charm uses.

MIND-OVER-BODY M EDITATION

Cost: 2m per hl; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple

(Speed 5)

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Eyes of the Wood Dragon

Followers of the Wood Dragon master the ﬂ ow of life within

their own bodies early in their training, healing minor wounds

and bruises with ease by focusing wood Essence on that location to

improve healing. For every two motes spent, the Immaculate heal

one level of bashing damage that she has suffered.

WOOD D RAGON V ITALITY

Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reﬂ exive (Step 7)

Keywords: Combo-OK

Duration: One action

Prerequisite Charms: Mind-over-Body Meditation

Immaculates see the Wood Dragon as more than the font of

life in Creation—they also see its exemplar as a warrior without

peer who can use the power of the trees to shield himself. After

activating this Charm, the Immaculate adds his Martial Arts rating

to his bashing soak and soaks lethal damage with his full Stamina

until his next action.

SOUL-MARKING S TRIKE

Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Stackable, Touch

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Vitality

To enact this Charm, the Immaculate need only touch her op-

ponent, nothing heavier than a caress, and spend the Essence. The

target feels a sharp pain in his head, but nothing more. In combat,

touching a target thus requires a successful attack.

For the remainder of the scene, the Immaculate gains an au-

tomatic success on any attack she makes against a target who has

been branded. Multiple soul mark effects are cumulative.

Soul marking is especially painful to spirits—as painful as a

real brand is to mortals. In addition to the other effects, this Charm

endows spirits with a (cumulative) -1 internal penalty due to the

searing pain that refuses to go away.

For 24 hours after branding a target, the Immaculate can sense

the direction to any being she has branded. The Immaculate adds

a number of dice equal to her Essence to attempts to track such a

subject, or she gains the ability to take part in a supernatural tracking

contest. When such a being is within a number of yards equal to

the martial artist’s Essence, the martial artist can tell approximately

where, and which being, it is.

WOOD D RAGON F ORM

Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple (Speed 5)

Keywords: Form-type, Obvious

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Marking Strike

Striking his own body in a series of precise, quick blows, the

Immaculate removes all blocks on the ﬂ ow of wood Essence through

his frame. Even the tiniest misplacement of one such strike causes

the Charm to fail. Thereafter, the Dragon-Blood almost glows with

life, and green Essence sometimes ﬂ ashes in his eyes or trails behind

his body as he moves.

While Wood Dragon Form is active, the Immaculate regener-

ates one health level of bashing damage on every action and one

health level of lethal damage every other action. If the monk is

slain, the Charm ends, and he stops regenerating.

UNBREAKABLE F ASCINATION K ATA

Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious

Duration: Varies

Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form

The motions associated with this Charm resemble both the way

vines grow up trees in the Southeastern jungles and the movements

of Southern snakes. So mesmerizing are the Immaculate’s katas that

she transﬁ xes her opponents, rooting them to the spot.

The character’s player rolls her (Charisma + Martial Arts +

Essence) against the Dodge MDVs of all who can see her clearly. As

long as the Immaculate continues to exercise the kata, those whose

MDVs were not hardy enough become inactive as they do nothing

other than stare at her with rapt fascination. While executing the

kata, the Immaculate may speak, move at half pace or dodge with a

-2 DV penalty. Any other action ends the Charm. Wood Immaculates

often use this Charm to close with an opponent before attacking.

ENTHRALLING B LOW A TTACK

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Unbreakable Fascination Kata

Certain pressure points cause a subject to relax uncontrollably,

momentarily losing all motivation to move or act. If the Immaculate

makes a successful Martial Arts attack on his target, his player does

not roll damage. Instead, add the Exalt’s Essence to the number of

successes on the attack (before reduction from DV). Should this value

top the target’s MDV, the target is enthralled and becomes inactive

for a number of actions equal to the Charm’s extra successes.

In subsequent actions, the target’s player can attempt to have

the target shake off the effects by rolling (Willpower + Integrity) at

a difﬁ culty of (1 + the successes rolled by the Immaculate’s player on

the opposed roll). This Charm works only on living creatures.

SPIRIT-WRACKING M ETHOD

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supple-

mental

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form

When combating a spirit, the Wood Immaculate’s understand-

ing of spirit Essence allows her to channel her own Essence through

an attack into the spirit. Once there, that Essence blossoms and

grows, temporarily disrupting the spirit’s form.

On a successful Martial Arts attack that inﬂ icts at least one

level of damage, the Immaculate’s player makes a reﬂ exive (Es-

sence + Martial Arts) roll against a difﬁ culty equal to the spirit’s

permanent Essence. The spirit loses a number of dice from all

actions equal to the roll’s threshold. This penalty fades at the rate

of one die per action the spirit takes. This Charm is able to strike

immaterial spirits.

212

SPIRIT-RENDING T ECHNIQUE

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

(Speed 5)

Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Wracking Method

As a thin vine grows along a wall and inevitably destroys it,

the Immaculate is able to tighten his Essence around a spirit-foe

and tear its core to shreds. On a successful attack against a spirit,

the Wood Immaculate does not inﬂ ict damage normally. Instead,

her player rolls her (Essence + Willpower) at a difﬁ culty of the

spirit’s Essence. Success indicates that the spirit suffers one level of

aggravated damage. For every additional number of successes equal

to target’s Essence that the roll garners, the spirit suffers another

aggravated health level. Spirits reduced to Incapacitated by such

an attack are permanently destroyed.

DEATH-PATTERN S ENSING A TTITUDE

Cost: Varies; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

Keywords: Combo-Basic

Duration: One scene

Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form

Attuning herself to the pattern of souls around her, her mas-

tery over wood Essence allows her to also detect the patterns of

death—death that has occurred, or death that impends.

For the rest of the scene, the Immaculate may reﬂ exively spend

a single mote to ignore all penalties to her Dodge DV against a

single attack. She may do so no more than a number of times equal

to her Essence between actions. She can dodge attacks only by be-

ings that possess a spirit, however (including most undead). She

cannot dodge traps, falling rocks or attacks by automata. Finally,

she cannot dodge ranged attacks made from beyond a radius equal

to her Essence in yards.

213

CHAPTER SIX • MARTIAL ARTS

WOOD D RAGON S UCCOR

Cost: 3m per hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Simple

(Speed 5, -2 DV)

Keywords: Obvious, Touch

Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Death-Pattern Sensing Attitude

The Immaculate uses this meditation technique to absorb

others’ wounds into his own body, where he can then heal them.

All the Dragon-Blood must do is touch the injured subject and

temporarily merge their Essences. The target then heals one health

level for every three motes the Immaculate spends, and the wounds

immediately appear on the martial artist’s body. Such a gracious act

is not without its “reward,” and the Immaculate immediately suffers

the appropriate wound penalties. Wood Immaculates can, of course,

heal those injuries with Wood Dragon Form or Mind-over-Body

Meditation, unless the wounds are aggravated.

SOUL M ASTERY

Cost: 10m, 1hl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Simple

(-2 DV)

Keywords: Combo-Basic, Obvious, Touch

Duration: (Essence) actions

Prerequisite Charms: Enthralling Blow Attack, Spirit-Rending

Technique, Wood Dragon Succor

The highest mastery of Wood Dragon Style, this Charm is little

more than a legend to most, even other Dragon-Blooded Immaculate

monks. Few who see the Charm active live to tell others, because

the perfect alignment of a Wood Immaculate with the forces of life

gives her the power to completely and utterly end it.

After activating this Charm, a swirling, sizzling green-black

aura lingers on the Immaculate’s hands for a number of actions

equal to his Essence. During that time, the Immaculate must

successfully touch her target, either casually (if her victim is

not expecting an attack) or as part of a hand-to-hand attack

that inﬂ icts normal damage. Once she does so, the Immaculate’s

player makes a reﬂ exive (Essence + Martial Arts) roll against the

opponent’s (Stamina + Resistance). If the target loses, his soul

becomes completely dissociated from his body, instantly killing

him. Even if he wins, the attack still inﬂ icts dice of aggravated

damage equal to the Immaculate’s Essence.

In addition to its effects on living creatures, spirits with

a permanent Essence lower than or equal to that of the Im-

maculate are even more susceptible to Soul Mastery. Should the

Immaculate strike such a spirit, her wrath rips its Essence asunder,

permanently destroying it. Gods and elementals can sense the

presence of Exalted who have mastered this Charm, and they

fear them intensely.

Soul Mastery is harsh on the Immaculate. Beyond the con-

siderable toll it demands, an Exalt must unleash the power on a

target lest it destroy her own soul. Failure to discharge the effect

on another target within the time allotted by the Charm forces the

Immaculate to resist its effects herself.

216

CHAPTER SEVENCHAPTER SEVEN

STORYTELLINGSTORYTELLING

So, you’ve picked up this Manual of Exalted Power, and now

you want to run a game of Dragon-Blooded heroes and heroines? This

chapter contains a few tips and tricks for Storytellers preparing to

undertake such a task. Storytelling can be a daunting task, especially

if you’re new to it or—as is likely—new to this type of Exalt.

The ﬁ rst important step is to go ahead and read the Storytell-

ing chapter of Exalted. It’s a well-written introduction to running

Exalted in a much more general fashion with many good ideas for

type, genre, inspiration and simple logistics. Use that as a foundation,

then come back here for assistance applying that foundation to the

specialized ﬂ avor of the Dragon-Blooded. For those of you already

familiar with the Exalted Storytelling chapter, read on.

PLAYERS, TOO

Just like the core book’s Storytelling chapter, there is nothing

secret contained herein. Players are welcome to read through this

chapter, hopefully to some beneﬁ t for the group and game.

GETTING S TARTED

Once your players have assembled and you’re all excited to

play a Dragon-Blooded game, sit down someplace comfortable and

have a chat about what everyone wants to get out of the game. Do

they want kung fu swashbuckling or parlor dealings for the Scarlet

Throne? Should there be powerful allies behind them, or are all

the characters on the run from the authorities and their families.

Or are they all outcastes? You and your players can take any sort of

game you want and make it a blast… so here are some suggestions

to kick start your creativity.

GAME S TYLES

The play styles sampled in the core book (on p. 262) are

excellent suggestions for a Solar game, but they can require a little

alteration for use in a Dragon-Blooded game. This section contains

guidelines on how to use them with the Terrestrial Exalted and some

expanded styles particularly applicable to the Dragon-Blooded.

STYLES R EMIX

“‘Vanilla’ Exalted” is the only one that really doesn’t work

for Dragon-Blooded—unless they want to revamp the Realm, but

there are other, easier ways for a Child of the Dragons to get that

done, too. Is it easier to ﬁ ght the 10,000 Dragons or to try to change

their minds? Hmm…

217

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

“A Land Once Divided Must Unite” becomes almost the

default for Dragon-Blooded, but with the explicit focus on the

Realm itself. The Scarlet Empire is eating itself alive. Like a body

in the cold, it draws its resources from its extremities to protect its

important core—but sacriﬁ cing the satrapies might just be suicide

for the Realm.

“And I’ll Form the Head!” has a special power for Dragon-

Blooded. Not only do the Terrestrial Exalted complement each

other much more strongly (and necessarily) than do Solars, the

Artifact Background for Dynasts is unequivocally better than that of

Solars. When a group of Dragon-Blooded takes similar artifacts for

this sort of game, the characters also get a bevy of interesting little

(and sometimes big) toys they can add to the story. It can strongly

emphasize the “artifact and upgrade” mindset of such a game.

“Outlander” remains largely the same. The Dragon-Blooded

have the heroic instinct as much as any other Exalted, and a sworn

brotherhood will eventually choose to delve into the mysteries of

the Deep Wyld or explore the brass-and-acid depths of Malfeas.

Masters of the other worlds don’t afford Dragon-Blooded quite

the same respect they do the Solar Exalted unless they march in

numbers, so you can use this as an opportunity to emphasize that

the Dragon-Blooded are weak individually but mighty together.

THE S PY IN THE H IGH C ASTLE

As the highest beings in all Creation, the Dragon-Blooded

rulers of the Realm have more power at their ﬁ ngertips than nearly

anyone else in Creation does. Some have such great inﬂ uence that

they can virtually command other Dragon-Blooded with that much

power, making them the true movers and shakers of the Realm. But

in order to use power correctly, one must have accurate information.

Moreover, anyone who has accrued such political strength has surely

learned that it is easier to demolish a tower by removing a buttress

than by crushing it with a huge rock. In short, subtle leverage is not

only more effective, it’s also easier on the political pocketbooks.

“The Spy in the High Castle,” therefore, is a game about the

Machiavellian politics common to the Dragon-Blooded of the

Realm. Minor misdirections shift armies and ruthless motions in

the Deliberative discredit enemies and rob them of their power.

Characters take on the roles of spies, assassins and in-the-dark

politicians, working with their allies and/or for their Houses to

achieve speciﬁ c ends. They attend parties in the Imperial City so

they can start rumors and watch their contemporaries, and they keep

a close eye on the troop movements that are part of the language

of today’s Realm politics.

But whom do you trust? Cousins raised in the same Great House

might be dependable enough to work with, but Dragon-Blooded

family members have spent enough time trying to show each other

up and leverage favor against each other that they’d rarely trust a

family member completely. Instead, trust them as far as you can, and

tell them only what you don’t mind anyone else knowing. Dynasts

are practiced at this level of mistrust and manipulation, but an

outcaste character could easily be in over her head, forcing her to

either ﬁ nd strength in her innocence or learn how to think in the

convoluted way of the Dynastic Houses.

Over time, the characters earn power, respect and allies for

themselves. They no longer have to rely on the support of their

Great Houses, and they build up signiﬁ cant contacts who probably

owe them favors (or have secrets they don’t want to get out). After

a good length of time in the operational side of things, the players’

characters become the sort of people who were, just a short time ago,

giving them the orders, hints and clues. Because no player wants

218

his character to sit back in a chair while other Dragon-Blooded

do all the fun work, the characters can still get in on the action.

They just let others do the little things, while they need only rouse

themselves when it’s really important, which ups the stakes when

things do get physical.

PHILOSOPHICAL D IFFERENCES

Sometimes, disagreements can’t be settled with “You say to-

mato, I say…” Sometimes, maters of belief have to be hashed out,

thrown back and forth and stomped into the ground before two

people come to an agreement—or just agree never to speak again.

This game lets characters and players throw philosophical arguments

at one another until there’s some solution. Here, one’s philosophy

is of paramount importance to the game, and it’s only as powerful

as one’s kung fu. Hong Kong action sequences take place around

and punctuated by explorations of the Immaculate Texts, inherent

demonstrable truths of Creation and other ephemeral ideals.

This sounds hokey and hard to build an entire series around,

but it can ﬁ t around any plot with a slight shift of focus. When an

ancient Lunar attacks Whitewall, it becomes less about the defense of

the city than about the Lunar’s reasons for the act. The Lunar might

be certain that the North should be the ultimate testing ground for

humanity’s resilience and that Whitewall is the keystone holding

together a social structure that makes Northern survival too easy.

That’s a lot more interesting than a Lunar who assaults Whitewall

because “he doesn’t like civilization.” The characters can then go

ahead and defeat his attack, but if they also defeat his philosophy

(by convincing him that Whitewall stands as proof of humanity’s

ability to survive the “testing ground” and even thrive) they prevent

him from returning. They might even earn an ally.

What characters believe becomes as important as what they

do. Immaculate monks can make perfect characters for this sort

of game, as they loudly debate minutiae of the Texts and throw

knife-hands and palm strikes at one another. But that may be a

short game (unless the characters are attempting to restructure

the face of the Immaculate Order). With a mixed group and a

somewhat looser focus, the players’ characters can go out into the

world and preach of Dragon-Blooded superiority or stay at home

and create a more egalitarian environment—with their strong

philosophical kung fu.

BOARDING S CHOOL D RAMA

Dating, schoolwork, getting onto the sports team and showing

up that hated rival are the most important things in the world to a

character in this style game. All the characters are attending the same

secondary school, where they strive to put their best face forward,

learn valuable skills, make contacts for the future and not get caught

stealing the dominie’s seal from his desk. Fast friends, the characters

skip classes and play tricks instead of battling Anathema.

Played for a lot of humor, this mimics certain popular manga

series—Boys Over Flowers, Cromartie High School, Tokyo Boys &

Girls and other shojo manga are good examples—and high-school

television shows such as Saved by the Bell or Boy Meets World. Literary

sources include Roald Dahl’s Boy: Tales of Childhood, for its depic-

tion of boarding schools, and the Bruno & Boots (or MacDonald

Hall) books by Gordan Korman. The latter series is low on the

drama but high on the shenanigans. Minor misunderstandings make

friends upset with each other at least once every other episode,

but everyone’s friends again by the end. Things change slowly, but

they do change. Mnemon Vissar was dating Ledaal Nesin, but their

breakup was amicable (even if Vissar admitted to Peleps Heshid

that she missed Nesin), and now, Nesin is sleeping with Cynis

Reln and both Vissar and Heshid have been propositioned by one

of their teachers…

Sure, it can be kind of shallow (if complicated, especially

when the eyepatch-wearing twin brother joins the cast), but it

can also be a lot of fun.

Variation: Stories upon stories upon stories star school-age he-

roes, youths who are supposed to be out of their league but somehow,

despite the odds and the prevailing opinions on their worth, manage

to prevail. By secondary school, most Dragon-Blooded have already

become at least somewhat capable, but they’re still not considered

ready for the outside world. This’ll show them.

Although it starts out light-hearted, this game gets things seri-

ous reasonably quickly. Maybe there’s an Anathema subverting the

school from within, or one of the kids has ﬁ gured out exactly where

the Empress is. And now the characters need to decide what’s more

important: their good standing in school (and the corresponding

approval from their families) or doing what’s got to be done. If

they’re good, they can balance the two of them, stopping the danger

of the day while still getting decent marks—decent enough not to

be sent home, anyway.

Placing this series in the Heptagram and mixing in the “Sorcery

& Sorcery” style (mentioned in Exalted, p. 263) can be a great way

of saying, “Exalted, meet Harry Potter.”

ALL IN THE F AMILY

One signiﬁ cant advantage Dragon-Blooded have over the Ce-

lestial Exalted is their ability to do a little dance, make a little love

and pop out a new Dragon-Blood every few years. This style of game,

unlike the others, can really only be played with Dragon-Blooded,

because in such series, each player follows not a single Terrestrial

Exalt, but an entire bloodline or family branch of them.

In this type of game, the players all create Dragon-Blooded

characters and play through a story line with them, taking anywhere

from one to ﬁ ve sessions (or more, depending on taste). Once a

small story arc comes to a satisfactory end, the players all construct

new characters—related to the ﬁ rst—who then explore something

related to but separate from the previous tale. It is a different ad-

venture that tells a new part of the old story.

You should speciﬁ cally leave story arcs open-ended, keeping

them from closing with any surety—or even closing at all. Meet

minor goals instead of major ones, because a single major story can

serve as the background and the binding tie between the players’

multiple characters. Closing something off completely makes it

hard to reference with other groups. Better to leave the possibility

open until the very end of the game.

Because the game moves from one group of characters to

another in reasonably short order, this style can borrow easily (in-

deed, it nearly must) from the other styles and themes. After one

story about a war, ﬁ lled with reasonably direct combat and tactics,

the players can pick up characters dealing with fallout from the

war on the Blessed Isle, deeply involving themselves with politics.

Another obvious advantage is that, as long as all the players know

what sort of play the next arc includes, they can prepare characters

who are capable in that arena. It can be more fun than having a

spread of characters, at least one of whom might be useless in any

given situation.

It also offers a superb opportunity: the chance to monkey

around with characters and parties of unequal experience. Exalted’s

mechanics are quite intricate, and many tactical combinations are

best discovered only through time and experimentation.

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CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

Here, it becomes easy. You can give the core group (if your

players have or want a “core group” of characters) whatever start-

ing experience level you like. One group could include only old,

high-experience Dragon-Blooded with a lot of political sway, and

another could consist of youths, light on Abilities and Charms but

well-equipped to inﬂ uence their parents or slip beneath the radar

to do just what needs to be done.

It can be fun just to explore different facets of the Dragon-

Blooded and their families, playing in dozens of different locales

and styles. This type of game really shines for its ability to explore

the “big picture,” though, without having to drag your players’

characters everywhere across the world or drag all your big plot

points to the characters. The different groups of Dragon-Blooded

can all explore different facets of the same cross-Creation mystery,

or they can ﬁ ght the same war on different fronts.

This style of game also provides an excellent opportunity for a

little round-robin storytelling, where the members of the playing group

take turns running the game so that everyone has a chance to play (or

be Storyteller, if that’s what’s in demand). While a round robin can be

done as a part of any game, this style is particularly suited to it because

of the frequent character changes. It can then avoid the potential

awkwardness of either having to excuse one character per session or

having a Storyteller character with the group every session.

Although the many Dragon-Blooded don’t actually need to be

related by blood—they can easily just be various groups of characters

with similar aims or compatible goals who’ve never even heard

of each other—making them family lends that extra little tie. It

also gives players the opportunity to complain about their other

characters as siblings do, which can be good for a laugh.

This style isn’t really complete without choosing one of the

variations that follows.

Variation One: Across Creation

In this variation, all the Dragon-Blooded heroes are cousins,

uncles, nieces and siblings. After the ﬁ rst story, each player cre-

ates one of the character’s relatives, involved somehow in events

connected to what occurred in the ﬁ rst story. After the ﬁ rst

characters ﬁ nd an ancient tomb and recover a mysterious artifact,

the Storyteller cuts to a distant satrapy where, suddenly, strange

events require Dragon-Blooded assistance. After settling things

(for a time) in that area, the scene might shift to a minor demonic

incursion in the North. After four or ﬁ ve different groups spend

time in the spotlight, the game can return to the original group of

Dragon-Bloods, where the players connect the original artifact to

the other strange events.

George R. R. Martin’s series, A Song of Ice and Fire, serves as

an excellent example of this sort of narrative, as it follows dozens

of characters struggling to shape and survive a devastating series of

political uprisings and revolutions. Sound familiar?

Events that each group of characters encounters or causes ripple

across Creation and affect another group, either through word or deed.

It’s a good idea to keep track of what noteworthy events happen to

one group and note them down. A little cheap math provides the

approximate travel times for couriers and rumors unless you decide

that it was important enough for someone to utilize heliographs or

magical communication. (Unless the information is alarming and

important, give regular couriers horses and unremarkable ships. With

rumors, note the fastest possible time that a person could get from one

place to the other, and distort the information appropriately.)

These calculations can help you ﬁ gure out when to begin the

next group of characters’ arc. Starting just before the couriers arrive

gives the players a chance to determine how their characters react

to the news, and starting a short period after lets you set the stage a

bit more completely. Beginning concurrent with the original event

forces the players to deal with information and assumptions that they

know to be somehow faulty or incomplete, but their characters do

not. It can be fun, but it can also be frustrating, so be wary.

You probably want to make sure that the multiple-character

groups are a fair distance away from each other. Otherwise, you run

the risk of placing two characters belonging to the same player run-

ning into one another. The biggest problem is that the player might

want to play both characters, or he might just object to the way you

run whichever character is currently not under his control.

That said, bringing all the groups together for a ﬁ nal big-boss

ﬁ ght could be a lot of fun. Though with that many Dragon-Bloods

in one place, it had better be big. See also the last “level” of some

Final Fantasy games, particularly Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan) for

an example of multi-group ﬁ nal ﬁ ghts.

Variation Two: Generational Games

This game features not cousins across Creation, but ancestors

and descendants across time. Each group of characters is involved

in some sort of adventure in its contemporary age—as Dragon-

Blooded are wont to be—and the players get to develop those

adventures into full-ﬂ edged mysteries as they play. Or they simply

turn their small family into a massive and important branch of the

Scarlet Dynasty.

There is another choice to be made before beginning a

generational game: Should the players have character groups as

they would in an “Across Creation” game, moving back and forth

between groups in order to explore some vast mystery or legendary

tale? Or should they play a more straightforward hereditary game,

wherein the next group of characters always comprises the children

or grandchildren of the last?

Part of the fun in the former option isn’t new: The players

learn consistently more about that mystery as they play with each

set of characters, whom they leave and to whom they eventually

return. The simplest setup is to have three groups: one in the agreed-

upon “present” and one in each of that present’s past and future.

Characters in the future live in a world of foreshadowing. Sure,

they’ve lived for a while and read the histories that mention earlier

character’s exploits, but that knowledge doesn’t have to be explicit

in play. Instead, they can serve to whet the players’ interests. Why

are their children’s children living in an arid wasteland at the foot

of the Imperial Mountain (and why is there an enormous chunk

missing out of the mountainside)?

Similarly, characters in the past provide exposition and history.

The heroes of “today” are defeated in one episode by the Bishop

of the Chalcedony Thurible; a subsequent episode might feature

their descendants exploring the Underworld and encountering the

Bishop in a different incarnation or mood. What the characters of

the past learn should be available to the characters of today through

written histories or personal diaries. Between the foreshadowing

cast by the future and the knowledge of the past, today’s heroes

manage to overcome their foes.

Beware the future, though. Giving away too much—or even

using a cast of future characters at all—can be dangerous to the story.

It isn’t a Back to the Future-type “keep your parents together” game.

If everything ends up as a post-post-apocalypse world, the players

have to be willing to play in a game that they know will end with

that disaster. What’s worse, knowledge that the world becomes a

paradise might make them certain they cannot do wrong.

And you, as the Storyteller, must not fall into the trap of forc-

ing the players to follow only a single path to victory. If the heroes

220

must hurl the N/A-rated artifact into the Ebon Dragon’s mouth in

order to send it back to Malfeas and bestow upon the world 1,000

years of light, but they can’t ﬁ gure that out, their inability to follow

the path contradicts the “known” future. Leave a few extra doors

and windows open so you don’t fall into this trap.

One potential solution to these issues is to keep the episodes in

the future vague. Creation could be a fecund paradise, but what is not

said could be that the Solar Anathema use Dragon-Blooded as “the

most dangerous game.” If the world appears to be a wasteland, the

players might not be aware that it’s safe for the Dragon-Blooded…

and that the alternative was worse.

Keep this ﬂ exibility in mind when creating futures and dealing with

players who think they’re doomed or believe they can’t fail. Even when

you know how it plays out, the future can still ride on the past.

The idea that decisions made by characters in the “past” can

affect their descendants is an intriguing Storytelling challenge.

Declarations such as, “I hereby found my own Great House!”

and “Son? I have no son!” can appear to contradict the way

the world clearly works in the game-world’s “future.” Creative

inclusion of impossible statements can be a blast. If Character

B just disowned Character A, what did Character A do to get

back into it Character B’s good graces—since everyone in the

game knows that Character A has been a favored son since the

series began? Retconning a statement to make it ﬁ t should be a

last resort; some of the most involving complications come from

these little missteps.

Another sort of hopping-across-time game focuses on the story

of what’s going on now, never mind the foreshadowing of how it

turns out. Such a games escapes the parity necessary in a past and

future game, opening up the possibility of having more character

groups, stretching back from whatever “now” you choose to as far

back as you want to explore. Like before, the characters in any non-

primary time periods are used for exposition, answers, discovering

weaknesses and sometimes just for a break from the core group and

the threats hounding them today.

A hereditary game also has great potential. Players take on the

roles of Dragon-Blooded, either all in the same family or members

of different Houses but friends and companions. After they have

their adventures, they are assumed to have children who eventually

Exalt, and the players pick up the game with those characters later

on. The game invariably takes scores of years between story arcs

as the children of the last group mature into new young heroes.

Earlier characters, now some 20 or so years older than before, be-

come Storyteller characters, usually fond of their progeny but still

outside a player’s direct control.

Beginning such a game in the present (the assumed “now”

in the Exalted core book) gives the players and Storyteller the

opportunity to follow a certain family of the Realm as they ﬁ ght

the good ﬁ ght for their nation—or spawn a legacy of terror and

corruption in the wake of the Solars’ return. The players can try,

over several generations, to turn their small branch of the family

tree into a new empire, to sacriﬁ ce the Blessed Isle and found a

new Dynasty in the Threshold or simply to hide for ages from the

murderous agents of the throne (can you say Iselsi?).

Of course, the game might not begin at the assumed present.

You and your players could easily decide to start the game at the

time of the Shogunate, playing out the process of leveraging one’s

military strength into a position of nobility in the ﬂ edgling Scarlet

Empire. It’s easy and fun to create an alternative timeline from

that point, building a nation of Dragon-Blooded that rivals any

the Scarlet Empress ever ruled or perhaps supplanting her before

the Time of Tumult begins.

221

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

Either type is excellent for a gaming group that likes the

urgency and danger of the standard setting for Exalted but still

wants to explore the Shogunate, the Usurpation or even the height

of the First Age.

Chrono Trigger, where a group of heroes travel throughout time

and change the course of history, and Eternal Darkness, which carries

the player through non-sequential time periods in order to explain

the history of a powerful evil artifact both stand out as video game

sources for this style. The Cryptonomicon, a novel by Neal Stephen-

son, is also good source material, conveying as it does a narrative

through three characters and three different time periods.

Experience: One last point worth mentioning. When the play-

ers have control of multiple characters at varying levels of power,

what do you do with experience? Here are a few ideas.

Standard experience method: Give experience to characters, not

players, after each episode, and let the players spend it on those

characters only during appropriate periods of downtime. Once the

story arc is over and you’re moving on to a new set of characters,

give the old characters a story award and assume that they’ll have

a chance to spend it before the game returns to them. If there’s

been a notable period of time (in-game) between when you left a

character group and when you return, award long-term experience

depending on their status and the length of time. See Exalted, p.

275, for details on long-term experience awards.

Player experience method: The players get experience, not

the characters. So a player may keep the stunt award earned for a

contribution through Character A and later applies it to Character

C. Training times still apply, but you might not want to include

long-term experience awards. Since they only logically apply to a

single character (“Sesus Nagezzer did nothing for a year, so young

Tepet Ejava improved her Thrown?”), don’t use them unless you

want to keep track of player experience and character experience

separately.

The weakness of this method is that players might focus on

one character to the neglect of others, eventually resulting in unbal-

anced circles. In one group, the player’s character has fallen behind

all the rest; in another, he far outstrips them. If, however, you and

your players like the feel of having one “main character” for each

group, then allowing each player to focus all her experience on a

single character could work.

No experience method: Don’t hand out experience according to

the Exalted Storytelling chapter. Either don’t improve characters at

all—which can work, but tends to reduce the players’ excitement

a little bit—or improve them by ﬁ at, handing out a new Charm

after a particularly involved session or letting players increase an

Ability normally.

Alternatively, you can hand out experience in a lump sum

each time the players return to a character. Before they pick up

the characters for a second time (or a third or so on), hand them

20-50 experience points and say, “This is what your character

learned since last time. Go ahead.” Getting such large amounts of

experience at once can be a rush and cloud players’ judgments. If

you want to keep them from going just a little bit crazy and ﬂ ying

all the way up a single Charm tree, use the long-term experience

spending ration or return to the ﬁ at method. Each character gets

a couple of new Charms, a few new Abilities and an increased At-

tribute or a Combo, that sort of thing.

Drama point method: This method usually goes hand-in-hand

with the previous one, and it substitutes for improving the char-

acters by giving their players more sway over the game. Instead

of handing out any experience at all, give each player one drama

point (or two, for more powerful plot control). Feel free to hand

out extras as bonuses for awesome stunts, good ideas and other

player actions that aid the game. Players expend drama points to

do the following:

• Create a minor plot twist. Minor plot twists include anything

just over the level that the Storyteller would allow anyway. If your

players have to keep track of arrows ﬁ red, then a reasonable minor

plot twist includes ﬁ nding a spare bundle or quiver. Falling off the

cliff after failing two (Dexterity + Athletics) checks, the player spends

a drama point for there to be a withered old tree branch that gives

the character one last chance. Roughly, one drama point can give

the player an opportunity to roll when he otherwise could not—be

it by ﬁ nding more ammunition or a last tree branch.

• Create a major plot twist. For two drama points, a player can

alter the story in a meaningful way. Her character encounters an

old friend who happens to have a merchant pass into Gem, giving

the group a way to sneak past the ubiquitous guards. As the thief

who just snatched their mysterious idol is about to escape their

wrath, the door opens in his face, forcing him to drop the artifact

and dive through a window. Major plot twists change the course

of the story without breaking the game. That is, the thief doesn’t

stop, turn around and confess everything before swearing loyalty to

the heroes—but he also doesn’t get away with the idol.

• Make a single non-opposed roll an automatic success. When

the player thinks it’s absolutely necessary that his character ﬁ lch

the god-idol’s ruby eye in silence, or when climbing to the top of

the beanstalk would be much more exciting for Jack and the story

line than falling partway through.

• Add three successes to any opposed roll, including combat

and social conﬂ icts. This is for when the hero really needs to strike

the godling down or destroy the Malfean artifact in one blow.

Players can spend a drama point for this purpose after making a

roll, but only if the three successes will make the difference they

want. When the player wants to kill his character’s nemesis (who

is at full health), three successes on an attack roll probably won’t

do it. But when all he wants is one good, dramatic wound before

he’s defeated and three successes will make the difference on the

attack, go for it.

• Turn a die of damage into a level of damage, or make a

social attack effectively unnatural. This takes place in Step 8 of

attack resolution. It makes sure that the target either takes a point

of damage from the blow or must spend a point of Willpower if she

wants to resist successful mental inﬂ uence—even if she’s already

spent two points of Willpower to resist natural mental inﬂ uence

in the current scene.

You might wish to restrict players from using drama points more

than once for a single purpose. For example, the player who uses

two drama points to “ﬁ nd” his friend outside the city gates could not

then use drama points to hide perfectly from the customs ofﬁ cials.

This restriction exists to prevent players from removing all the risk

from their game. On the other hand, using a drama point to “create”

a branch as you fall and then another to successfully catch it on the

way down might not be so bad. Who wants to spend a drama point

on a second (or third) chance and then have her character fall to

her doom anyway? You and your players must ﬁ gure out where to

draw the line while using drama points.

GAME T HEMES

The theme of a game differs from the game’s style, though

the two often overlap. Style is how the game is played and the

outlook players bring to the table. Someone who wants to play

222

with monsters-of-the-week and an “I’ll form the head” mentality

probably isn’t sitting at the same table as the fellow who expects

mysterious occurrences around Nexus that lead to a cause that’ll

never be fully clear.

Theme, on the other hand, is the recurring message that the

shared story reveals, whether it’s subtle or grossly obvious. Themes

include “Rebuilding the Threshold,” “Death is inevitable—are the

Deathlords?” and “Protect the mortals you care for.” Games don’t

need consistent themes—a game can run from “Your family isn’t

safe” to “Gods are capricious” from week to week quite easily—but

settling on or frequently returning to one can lend a series an

impressive amount of focus.

Don’t mistake theme for a moral. While a theme can be

moralistic, pointing out that even the powerful have weaknesses

or that love is the greatest strength of all, it can be a mistake to

make the theme too much of a lesson. “Mystery without solution”

or “Traversing and defeating the Byzantine Realm bureaucracy” are

two examples of effective themes that clearly don’t hold morals—at

least not at their core.

What follows is a series of themes meant to grab your interest

or spark your imagination. You will also undoubtedly touch upon

many themes not mentioned here in the course of your experience

with Exalted and the Dragon-Blooded.

FOR THE R EALM!

It’s a secluded and deluded Dynast who hasn’t yet realized that

something’s rotten in the state of Denmark. Almost every Dragon-

Blood in the Realm (and elsewhere, but most don’t think much

about that) has some stake in seeing the corrupt empire not crumble

into ruin. In this sort of game, the characters all work together to

prevent the Realm from dissolving. The theme is preservation and

reconstruction in the name of the Realm.

Decide before beginning whether or not all the characters

should have the same interests at heart. Because some players prefer

uncomplicated intra-party relationships and others revel in games

where you have to wheel and deal with the people at your own

table, it’s a good idea to discuss this decision openly.

For games where the characters aren’t all perfectly aligned,

it can be interesting to mix outcastes—who have a (potentially)

more objective view of the Realm—with Dynasts. Not that Dynasts

have anything resembling uniform plans for the Scarlet Empire, of

course. It might also be interesting to see how a group of like-minded

outcastes (from the same Threshold community, perhaps) or Im-

maculates shape the future Realm. Does it become more egalitarian,

or perhaps a religious police state?

This sort of game leans toward the “Spy in the High Castle”

style, but it has some ﬂ exibility. Outcastes might actually conquer

the Realm from the inside out, or a group of Dynasts could go

searching for the one ancient artifact it needs to impose its will on

the rest of the Blessed Isle.

Variation: An easy variation to make on this theme is to make

it “for the House,” or “for House and Realm,” instead of for the Realm

itself. The theme becomes advancement of the House at the expense

of others—but hopefully without dooming the Realm. Characters walk

a ﬁ ne line as they try to gain any beneﬁ t for their family.

Unless the players are all eager to be very competitive and

have a lot of intra-party conﬂ ict in a game like this, it’s probably

a good idea for all the characters to be clearly allied in some way.

The simplest solution is to make them all members of the same

House, but they can also be members of two or three allied Houses.

The game becomes about how the character’s can achieve their

goals—often politically, but perhaps by acquiring strange allies (the

Anathema and the Fair Folk certainly qualify as strange) or simply

changing the face of the Realm’s inner conﬂ ict—while fending off

temptations and other Houses’ schemes.

This variation, less altruistic as it is, makes it harder to integrate

outcastes and Immaculates into the game. As they belong to no

House, outcastes can be adopted into a Dynastic family and given

due cause to strive for it. Or an outcaste might just be an inﬂ uential

outsider, an ally of one of the Dynastic characters or simply willing

to assist them in exchange for future favors. Whether the outcaste

is as loyal as the rest is up to the players and the Storyteller, and it

can make for a good story line.

Immaculates aren’t quite as difﬁ cult to work in, as many of them

once belonged to Great Houses and might still maintain those ties

of blood. Some Immaculates see no problem with allying themselves

with a certain House. House Mnemon, for example, is well known

for its piety, and might be an obvious choice.

ANATHEMA-HUNTER R OBIN

Anathema plague the Realm, its satrapies and the Threshold

in record numbers—numbers that should shock even the most

staid and religiously skeptical Dragon-Blood. The renewed efforts

of the demons clearly indicate an imminent cataclysm or the turn-

ing of the Age, and it is up to Creation’s heroes to make certain

that it doesn’t turn in the Anathema’s favor. Dragon-Bloods travel

Creation, seeking out and preventing the foul depredations of the

Solar, Lunar and Abyssal Anathema. The theme of this game is

hunting evil and laying it to rest.

In its most direct form, this game is about ﬁ nding and killing

the Solar Exalted. It tends to be a more direct game—characters

ride into town, ask about any strange events and use these to track

down, catch and defeat the Anathema. It can easily be a mission-

style series, where an inscrutable and distant commander relays

directions based on astrological ﬁ ndings or secure intelligence.

Whether or not they capture or kill the demons could be

an interesting source of interpersonal politics, depending on how

fervently some follow the Immaculate Philosophy and if others

believe that the tamed power of an Anathema could beneﬁ t their

Houses. Most Immaculates would rather kill the demons outright,

while scheming Dynasts might seek some form of advantage—even

if it’s only a promise of political support in exchange for a vote to

kill the demon. In places where the Anathema have assumed direct

or indirect control of a society or government, the game takes on

a signiﬁ cantly more political quality, which can be an excellent

one- or two-session diversion for a more physical game.

The game can easily add “questioning accepted truths” to its

theme. This brings up the question of whether the Anathema are

truly demons, thieves of power from the sun and moon. Storytell-

ers should ﬁ rst check to make sure the players aren’t expecting a

ﬂ at-out, rough-and-tumble brawl without moral quandaries, but

it’s a simple question to ask. Then she can introduce Anathema

whom the mortals truly seem to appreciate or honor without any

apparent magical inﬂ uence, and others who seem to mean well.

Let the conﬂ icting emotions roll.

Variation: To make a game with this theme really like its title,

one of the players can create a Solar, rather than a Dragon-Blooded

character. Such a character can have various backgrounds—a Dynastic

disappointment who joined the Wyld Hunt out of an urge to prove

himself or just a young and talented ofﬁ cer who has rocketed through

the ranks and become a close lieutenant to the “main character”

Dragon-Blooded. The Solar helps as she can, perhaps wanting to

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CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

believe in her missions while knowing that either it can’t all be true,

or she must somehow be evil. The theme advances along the line of

questioning accepted truths, but brings it much closer to home.

In such a game, all the players are ideally aware of the added

complication. Keeping the Dragon-Blooded players in the dark

is unlikely to turn out well, as they question why one player is a

mortal, how he’s surviving and why he’s passing all those notes to

the Storyteller. Much better (and inﬁ nitely easier on the Storyteller)

is for everyone to be interested in developing such a story. It might

take a little twisting for the Dragon-Blooded characters to remain

plausibly unaware of their companion’s identity, but a Solar built

with a few Social Charms should function well in the role.

Keep in mind that a game like this—with one character who is

fundamentally different from the others—runs the risk of making one

player the star and all the others supporting cast. Unless all the players

are okay with that, the Storyteller should take steps to balance out the

focus of the game. All the characters should have important moments,

even if the game does consistently return to the central theme.

Games that mix Dragon-Blooded and Solar characters, espe-

cially those with only a single Solar and several Dragon-Blooded,

are particularly susceptible to the “main character syndrome.” See

the “Mixed Games” section on p. 233-234 for speciﬁ c suggestions

on how to deal with that.

TOTAL C ONVERSION B OMB

If only the entire world were devoted to the Immaculate Phi-

losophy. If people were devout in believing the Five Noble Insights

and exact in performing the Five Diligent Practices, there would

be no handhold for Anathema to grasp at human hearts. Creation,

now a chaotic, dangerous mess, would be safe and progress toward

perfect enlightenment. Perhaps.

Whatever the truth, there are Immaculate monks out there

who believe that the Philosophy and the Texts are the answer to

all of the Realm’s problems, starting with the resurgence of the

Solar Anathema and ending with the disappearance of the Scarlet

Empress. (Some say she deﬁ ed the natural patterns of life and death

by ruling for as long as she did, others suggest she might not have

attended recitals of the Texts frequently enough, but most keep

quiet. Even gone, her legacy is intimidating.) No matter what the

ailment, the Order has the cure, and it’s up to the characters in this

game to bring the enlightened word to the people.

Conversion of the heathens and elimination of heresy is the

theme of this game, and the players and Storyteller can come at it

from many angles. The ﬂ exibility of this theme is both a blessing

and a curse: The group can play a game about conversion and the

ﬁ ght against heresy (and, presumably, for truth) in so many ways

that it can be difﬁ cult to settle on one. Jumping back and forth can

be satisfying but can dilute the game’s feel, so you might want to

decide on a speciﬁ c style that best ﬁ ts your game.

A game devoted to direct confrontation, where the characters

defeat the heathens on the battleﬁ eld and in personal combat in

order to bring the Immaculate Philosophy to the masses, is simple.

Unless the Storyteller or the players invite complication, it can

be a fun ﬁ ghting game. On the other hand, a game in which the

characters “correct” the laymen of the Realm and satrapies, mak-

ing sure they correctly follow the Immaculate Texts can be grimly

entertaining. Burning down an inn because it displayed an iconic

sign is the perfect example here.

224

It can be a blast to lampoon the deadly seriousness with which

some people approach religion by creating overly pious, no-humor

Immaculates for the culling of a heretical nation. Conversely, there

are interesting and valid points of view that a group can explore using

the core tenets of the faith and a “Philosophical Differences” play

style. Research into some of the real-world religions that inspired

the Immaculate Philosophy—Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism

and other Eastern religions—can add depth to the game.

Discussing and defending different interpretations of the Im-

maculate Texts can also take place in the dojo, if the debaters choose

to decide their arguments with their superior martial skill.

Having all Immaculate characters is the obvious solution for

a game with this theme, but it’s hardly necessary. Nearly every

Dragon-Blood in the world is going to have an opinion on the

Immaculate Philosophy, so a Dynast might travel with the group

in order to prove his (potentially false) piety, while another (or a

respected outcaste) might hang around to temper the Immaculates’

overbearing devotion.

THE M AD T EA P ARTY

Foes of all that is have been trying to enter or end Creation

for thousands of years, and they all certainly understand that one

of the greatest potential threats to their success is the Realm. (Ten

thousand trained, dedicated mage-warriors is something that should

give anybody pause.) Unfortunately, the Empress has disappeared,

and who really knows where she’s gone? The Yozi-spawn, mind-

eating fey, mysterious Deathlords and other chthonic threats might

not care—they’re just happy that the Realm’s 10,000 Dragons are

no longer united under one domineering woman’s thumb. With the

Empress gone, the myriad threats to Creation are probably working

up their courage and strength to wipe the slate clean.

Not that they need to. Creation has its own perils. Between the

Lunar threat on the world’s horizon, the devilish Solar Anathema

rallying the Threshold against the Realm and the Dragon-Blooded

of the Realm itself, there’s quite enough danger out there to slay

the 10,000 Dragons twice over and shatter the Realm once and

for all. None of them would dare rise against the Realm were it

whole and strong, but the only person who can unite the Realm

is the Empress…

So, your players’ characters decide they have to ﬁ nd her.

This game is a variation on “For the Realm!”, but it’s speciﬁ c

enough that it deserves its own mention. The core theme is that of

the most important mystery, frantic search and eventual rescue—or

disappointment. Where in Creation is the Scarlet Empress… or is

she even in Creation?

You can experience a wide range of styles. Unless the Story-

teller decides to give the players a speciﬁ c direction (“A magical

cry for help drifted out of the Eastern Wyld” or “The Empress must

be inside the Imperial Manse”), the game can easily begin with a

“Spy in the High Castle” feel, as the Empress’s would-be rescuers

must navigate the twisty corridors of Realm politics to ﬁ nd out who

isn’t sharing all they know about the Empress’ location. Equally

opportune is a “Walk the Earth” style beginning, in which the

Dragon-Blooded heroes explore the Threshold with little direc-

tion, under the assumption (which, in this game, should probably

be correct) that important events are going to be related to the

Empress’s disappearance.

After some time in which the characters dredge up the

buried truth or pick up clues from across Creation, the game can

become a game of action. The characters have learned where the

Empress lies, or at least where an important clue waits, and they

have to ﬁ ght their way through the Guild’s mercenaries or across

the Underworld’s bleak, ghost-ﬁ lled landscape in order to ﬁ nd her.

“Outlander” can become the name of the game if the heroes have

to spend an extended period exploring other worlds and dealing

with their inhabitants. On the other hand, what the characters

learn might send them back home to the Realm—she’s been there

the whole time, captive of a powerful consortium of Dynasts, or

perhaps the seemingly tame Mountain Folk stole her as part of some

terrible, long-quiescent plan.

This sort of game ends when the heroes ﬁ nd the Empress and

free her, returning her to the Realm and successfully reuniting the

Realm under her banner.

Any Dragon-Blooded are appropriate for this game, but Dynasts

are the clearest choice. Immaculate monks might choose to join the

hunt for a multitude of reasons, not least because the Empress was

always good to the Order. Outcastes are harder to involve. Some

might see the beneﬁ t of re-stabilizing the Realm, while others might

wish to ﬁ nd the Empress in order to ask for a speciﬁ c boon.

YOU D ON’T O WN M E!

With the degree of control that elder Dragon-Blooded try to

(and wish they could) apply to the fruits of their loins, it’s almost a

surprise that more Dynastic Children of the Dragons don’t just leave

home, never to return. But then, it would be hard to denounce and

leave behind a place where everyone really believes you and your

extended family are better than everyone else in the world.

This game is about those Dragon-Blooded who try it. For

whatever reason, the characters choose to leave behind the rich

(if demanding) life of a Dynast and ﬂ ee beyond the immediate

reach of their families. They run until they can no longer hear

the disapproving utterances and stern commands of their “elders

and betters,” and they revel in the silence. The core theme for

this game is a mix between “defying authority” and “escaping the

overbearing family.”

Much of this game (which typically takes place in the Thresh-

old) is basic adventuring in the Threshold. The heroes wander the

world, helping out when they want to and righting wrongs every

once in a while. What separates this from a basic “Walk the Earth”

style game are the occasional interruptions from the Great Houses.

The Storyteller makes a point of aggravating the characters (not the

players) by gently tugging at their family ties. By reminding them

what they’re giving up but also why they left, the game explores the

heroes’ true feelings with respect to their families and duty.

A message might arrive from one character’s father, importun-

ing him to help out in a nearby effort that would bring the House

and anyone involved great honor. The hero might choose to do so,

but he knows that if he does, his father will consider it a sign that

the child can be controlled. Another character might encounter

some beleaguered troops from her Great House, and she must

choose whether to help them (and inadvertently help her House)

or leave some soldiers who never tried to command or control her

to their fate. Perhaps the group chooses to take up the opposite

side of a conﬂ ict just to anger the relatives still on the Blessed Isle.

They might even have to deal with assassins in the night when an

ancestor grows too fed up with one’s antics.

Though it’s easiest to make this is a “Walk the Earth” sort

of game, with the heroes far separated from the sources of their

distress far across the Great Inland Sea, it’s not the only option.

“A Land Once Divided” offers the chance to have Dragon-Blooded

heroes reshaping the Realm into their ideal form, rather than their

families’, and “Spy in the High Castle” features characters deeply

225

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

involved with the ebb and ﬂ ow of espionage in the Realm while

being (effectively) rogue agents from their Great Houses. The idea

has possibilities.

“Outlander,” on the other hand, is a bit harder to match with

this theme. It isn’t easy to communicate with your wayward children

when they’re fearlessly exploring Malfeas or the Underworld city

of Stygia, which makes it a bit difﬁ cult to emphasize the rebellious

aspect of this story. Trying to run this as an “All in the Family” game

might sound strange, but it presents some interesting opportunities

for the players to portray both sides of the story. Why do the House

elders care so much about what the youths are up to, and how do

they really feel about the young Dragon-Bloods’ attitudes?

Clearly, this theme requires that at least one of the characters be

born to the Dynasty and have strong (if unwilling) ties to inﬂ uential

members of a Great House. Focusing on this theme with only one

such character might not be a good idea, as doing so runs the risk

of giving that character “main” status, which rarely works for the

entire group. With two or three out of four or ﬁ ve defying their

parents, though, the other two can play the amused outcastes. Or

those characters without Realm afﬁ liations can argue the parents’

position for them. They might see nothing wrong with doing the

odd favor for a family member in exchange for a stipend and the

backing of Creation’s largest empire.

GROUP C OMPOSITION

Once you and your players ﬁ gure out what sort of game you’re

interested in playing, it’s time to construct the group of protagonists.

All the normal questions for a Solar game are worth asking here.

Where do the characters come from, how did they meet, why do

they still hang out together? These and other usual suspects (about

family, goals, et cetera) should be worked out early on, probably

before or during character creation. The following few additional

points deserve special attention.

ELEMENTAL S PREAD

Just like watching Solar castes in a Solar game, the Storyteller

and players will want to keep an eye on which elemental aspects the

players choose. In a Dragon-Blooded game, it can be more important

to get a good spread, as a Dragon-Blooded character is more strongly

deﬁ ned by her aspect than a Solar is by his caste. Aspect determines

a character’s strongest Abilities, and the Terrestrials’ natural Abilities

separate by elemental nature rather than purpose. Each has a combat

Ability, but beyond that, Earth is enduring and hard to break, Air is

silent and invisible, and so on. Moreover, a Dragon-Blood gets only

three Favored Abilities to break out of her elemental archetype, less

than the Solars’ ﬁ ve. Even with the ﬂ exibility afforded by choosing

Favored Abilities, a Dragon-Blood’s aspect still determines which

Charms she can use without spending an additional mote in elemental

surcharge—a mote that most Dragon-Blooded, with their smaller

Essence pools, can ill afford.

The elemental surcharge is the single reason that it’s hardest for

a Dragon-Blood to escape her aspect archetypes. In some areas, it’s

not such a pain. Any Dragon-Blood who wants to put some effort

into Craft, for example, or Socialize, might be able to spend the

extra mote without much trouble. Such actions take place on scales

large and slowly enough that the increased price isn’t an enormous

deterrent. But when a Water Aspect tries to specialize in Melee,

or any Dragon-Blood focuses on a combat Ability foreign to his

element, things get more difﬁ cult. Spending an additional mote

each time he uses a combat Charm adds up quickly.

226

of great things and glory, they are much more down to earth than most

of their Dynastic kin. They have stronger connections with the people

they rise above, and they have much greater senses of the human conse-

quences of their actions (as opposed to the political, social or economic

consequences, which might be the focus of a Dynast’s decision).

This is not to say that they can’t get big heads. There are

enough mini-societies in the Threshold that herald Dragon-Blooded

and treat them as demigods, sometimes even to a point that would

make a scion of House Cynis feel jealous or awkward. It’s just less

common and less ingrained in the society.

Outcastes are less devoted to the Realm and more often have

some connection to a smaller, more personally important society,

such as the village that reared them or the “backward” nation of their

birth. With greater ties to the people and (usually) less experience

as a god among men, outcastes are often more humble. Dynasts ﬁ nd

this humility appropriate, since outcastes usually don’t know how

to function too well in “polite” Realm society.

Because the Immaculate Philosophy is so widespread, an outcaste

might or might not subscribe to it. Many do, ﬁ rst because of their

upbringing and later because of the advantages it affords them. But as

Exalted untied to the Realm, there’s also the opportunity for Dragon-

Blooded in the far Threshold to construct their own religions whole or

to have been raised in a cult that follows some other belief system.

Typically, outcastes ﬁ nd Dynasts overbearing and pompous

and Immaculate monks inconsiderate of the people, but there can

always be exceptions. It’s as easy for an outcaste to get along with

Dynasts or Immaculates as it is for an outcaste to be actually more

arrogant or inhuman.

IMMACULATE M ONKS

Some Dragon-Blooded are so pious and reverent of the Im-

maculate Texts and the Elemental Dragons that they accept no

alternative but to devote their lives to the Immaculate Order. They

become monks and spend their lives practicing their devotions and

fostering belief in the Philosophy across Creation. The Empress was

said to shed a tear for every Dragon-Blood who made that choice,

mourning the end of their family lines as they took the oaths of

celibacy. But it is also an incredible honor to the family to display

such dedication, and the Realm and the Order need the strength

of Exalted monks to champion their creed.

Immaculate Dragon-Blooded tend to uphold the reciprocation

inherent in the Philosophy more than their Dynastic counterparts

do. The Dragon-Blooded are the shepherds to the mortal sheep,

and it is their duty to feed and protect the ﬂ ock as well as shear it

and, occasionally, eat of it. At the same time, though, Immaculate

Dragon-Blooded are often more sure of themselves than even their

Dynastic brethren are. Having spent years in careful study of the

Immaculate Texts, a monk of the Order might believe that she

knows exactly where she stands with respect to everyone else, as

well as what she should do for them and what they should do for

her. For that reason, monks often look with disapproval upon other

Dragon-Blooded. A Dragon-Blood might be enlightened and unable

to guide a mortal wrongly, but many could be guiding mortals more

correctly. And the Dragon-Blooded who do not subscribe to the

Philosophy are troubling indeed.

An Immaculate might not get along with a Dynast for any

number of reasons: He’s too irreverent, his House isn’t pious enough,

or he just treated that mortal like chattel (or with too much respect

for its station). Outcastes are like heathens to any aggressive religion,

if important heathens. Convert them or ignore them or, if they’re

actively turning people from enlightenment, stop them.

For this reason, it can be a good idea for everyone to agree to

play differently aspected characters. Doubling up on an element

can create uncomfortable overlap where one luckier or somewhat

more skilled character repeatedly shows up another in the same

areas. What’s more, characters who try to escape their elemental

proclivities (a Fire Aspect practicing Archery Charms, for example)

will be less effective than their comrades who stick to their guns.

There’s nothing wrong with playing a character who tries to expand

her horizons or defy her birth, as long as the player understands

and accepts that her character will not reach the same heights as

a Dragon-Blood who stays focused.

AND W HO M IGHT Y OU B E?

Although each character’s history is up to his player, it’s a good

idea to discuss personal histories during character creation in order

to make sure they all mesh—at least well enough for players and the

Storyteller. If you want the group to have some inherent social and

ideological clashes, that’s ﬁ ne (if everyone agrees). While there are

inﬁ nite possibilities for characters that ﬁ t well together or mix like oil

and water, there are a few categories into which they can ﬁ t easily.

DYNASTIC D RAGON-BLOODED

The single best-known Dragon-Blood in Creation is the Scarlet

Empress, and her vast armies of progeny share some of that renown.

The 761 Realm census placed the number of Dynastic Dragon-Blooded

in the Realm (included lost eggs adopted to Great Houses) near

10,000. This might be as many as half the entire world’s population

of Terrestrial Exalted, and the world knows that it’s there.

Dynasts vary widely in personality and habit, but they usually

share some general traits. For instance:

• They are loyal to some version of the Realm, if not neces-

sarily the Realm in which the Dragon-Blood grew up. It might be

an ideal government that earns the Dynast’s devotion.

• They are usually loyal to their Great House. Most Dynastic

Dragon-Blooded give some measure of obeisance to the House

that spawned them. To be less respectful invites punishment from

the House elders, usually in the form of diminished stipends and

increasingly undesirable requests.

• They are entirely accustomed to being treated as demigods.

When people show deference at the slightest twitch and are simul-

taneously frightened by and in awe of you when you walk close,

it’s hard not to let that affect you. Some Dragon-Blooded ﬁ ght for

the rights and empowerment of mortals, but even they still expect

respect for their Exaltations.

• Dynastic Dragon-Blooded may be pious or irreligious (though

they tend toward one or the other), hedonistic or ascetic (though

they tend toward mild to awesome hedonism). They conﬂ ict with

outcastes (and even lost eggs) who are not nearly as comfortable

being served and waited upon. To a Dynast, Immaculate monks are

often too devoted to religious, rather than political, ideals.

OUTCASTES

Although the Dynastic Dragon-Blooded are famous from

Wood to Water, they are distant entities to those who don’t live on

the Blessed Isle and aren’t in the rare and privileged positions that

offer frequent contact with those Dynasts in the satrapies. More

familiar to the rank-and-ﬁ le inhabitants of the Threshold are the

outcastes, those Dragon-Blooded who are born and raised outside

the Blessed Isle and the Scarlet Empire’s inﬂ uence.

Outcastes have entirely different outlooks than those of the

Dragon-Blooded lords of the Realm. Raised without the expectation

227

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

These really are just the extreme points of view. Not all Im-

maculate monks, even the truly devoted ones, are hard-asses. But

it’s a fun stereotype.

AND W HY A RE W E H ERE?

What makes the characters work with each other? As noted

in Exalted, bringing characters together can often feel a little bit

forced. For that reason, here are a few suggestions appropriate for

Dragon-Blooded characters of various stripes.

COME H ERE, MY S ON…

Much to their dismay, young Dragon-Bloods don’t have a great

deal of inﬂ uence over their destinies. Usually, they receive rather

insistent direction from their parents and the elders of their Houses.

Sure, a Dragon-Blood can run off and explore the world, ignoring

any plans her family had for her, but she’ll eventually suffer from

the fact that the House gives her a miserly stipend and doesn’t back

her up when she needs it.

For that reason, more Dragon-Blooded are open to “suggestions”

from the powerful members of their Houses. When Ragara Banoba

recommends that one family member travel to Juche as a minor House

representative or thinks it would be appropriate that another joined

the ebbing Wyld Hunt to earn a bit of thanks from the Immaculate

Order, her family members would be fools not to comply.

Given this background, it’s entirely plausible that the Dragon-

Blooded of one or several Houses might be directed by their elders

to work together toward some end. What the heads of House really

think about any given venture can determine not only how much

support the players’ characters receive, but also how the more

inﬂ uential House members really value them. Being sent as ambas-

sadors to deal with the leader of another House or a powerful rival

is prestigious; going to the North to serve as temporary garrison

commander for Cherak is decidedly not. (It is, however, an excellent

chance to prove that your character is worth more than the House

elder thought—or to get out from under that pushy uncle’s thumb

so you can do your own thing.)

SCHOOL C HUMS

Nearly all Dynastic Dragon-Blooded attend one of four second-

ary schools, and it is there that they ﬁ rst make the contacts and

allies that they will call on later in life. Life in secondary school can

be a raucous period for young Dragon-Blooded, and it is then that

many of them forge friendships that will last until they die.

Elder Dragon-Blooded encourage their sons and daughters to

take some time to explore Creation before they settle down into

the Thousand Scales or otherwise begin their professional life. Most

young Terrestrials who do so bring with them their best friends among

their fellow graduates and close relatives from other schools.

New groups of players’ characters can easily be graduates of the

same academy, not quite ready to enter the world of a “grown” Dragon-

Blood and instead ready to explore the world. Or they can all be eager

go-getters, forsaking a few years of lusty adventure in order to get a

jumpstart on the dragon-eat-dragon world of Dynastic politics.

SWORN B ROTHERHOOD

Through their magic and at the Empress’s urging, the Dragon-

Blooded of the Realm have formed a tradition: that of the sworn

brotherhood. Despite the name, it is a sexually egalitarian group

of companions, friends and heroes who are swear to work toward

similar ends and aid each other in their times of need. Sworn

brotherhoods come together to see a certain goal accomplished or

just because they are all good friends, and they seal their devotion

with a Terrestrial Circle spell.

Most sworn brotherhoods begin as secondary school chums, but

there are a multitude of other reasons for a group of Dragon-Blooded to

swear themselves to loyalty. A group of co-conspirators would reasonably

take such an action, as would a group of legion commanders who have

grown close over the course of many bloody battles. Enemies with a long

history of (non-lethal) antagonism might form a sworn brotherhood

before they all band together to prevent one thing that none of them

want—if only to make the expected betrayal harder to pull off.

Sometimes, a sworn brotherhood remains magically bound even

after the Dragon-Blooded disband their group and go their separate

THINGS TO R EMEMBER: THEY ARE P RINCES OF THE E ARTH

It can be easy to forget that the Dragon-Blooded are the Dragon-Blooded. The blood of the creators of the world ﬂ ows through

their veins, and most of them don’t let anyone forget it. If your plan for the next game depends on the group retrieving and then

returning some stolen artifact that’s protected a village on the Blessed Isle for generations, be careful. Upon taking the artifact

from the thief’s cold, dead hand, one character might simply reason that such an artifact is too dangerous for peasants and should

be in the hands of someone who can command it. Namely herself, that is, and the village be damned.

In short, the Dragon-Blooded are in charge. The word of an Exalted Dynast might not be law on the Blessed Isle, but it’s

almost as strong. Any citizen of the Realm knows that to disobey or displease a Dragon-Blood is to invite her wrath. Peasants,

slaves and the disenfranchised even more so, though slaves at least might have orders from their masters that countermand the

whimsy of an Exalt. Even patricians must tread carefully, though abuse of a well-connected mortal would probably invite retribu-

tion from other Exalts.

Any Dragon-Blood has the inﬂ uence to command his lessers—that is, everyone not an Exalt—and look upon their words and

deeds with some disdain. Dynasts are raised to act that way. Likewise, the people of the Realm know to treat the Dragon-Blooded

in a proper manner. One would be hard-pressed to ﬁ nd a merchant who would haggle with a Prince of the Earth, but they would

be similarly surprised if a Dragon-Blood actually made the purchase himself.

The Realm’s tributaries are not much different. Most of them have been under the Scarlet Empire’s thumb for long enough

that they know how to treat Dragon-Blooded as royalty, and the new ones are learning quickly. Even outside the Realm’s direct and

indirect inﬂ uence, the lands of the Threshold respect and fear the power of a Dragon-Blood, and Realm-bred Dragon-Blooded will

expect mortals to be obsequious.

Your players might choose to be humble and unassuming Dragon-Blooded who help people and never abuse their Exalted

nature, but don’t count on it. You can be unassuming when you’re a Solar in the Imperial City—playing a Dragon-Blood is the

perfect time to let it be known that you’re better than those un-Exalted mortals.

228

ways. When something arises that interests all of them or otherwise

demands their attention, the members of the sworn brotherhood

join up again as easily as if they’d never parted.

IT’S THE O RDER OF T HINGS

As the ofﬁ cial state religion of the Realm, the Immaculate

Order has indeed grown powerful since its inception. Between the

vast amounts of coin it accepts from donators, the valuable lands

granted it by will of the Scarlet Empress, its canny management of

these resources and the immense inﬂ uence that comes from being

the arbiter of the one true way, the Order has a lot of sway.

The Order itself has many interests, quite varied. It constantly

funds expeditions archaeological and adventurous to recover what

might become the next addition to the ofﬁ cial Immaculate Texts.

Members of the Order have a vested interest in maintaining the

Wyld Hunt to combat the Anathema threats, so they supply com-

bat-trained Dragon-Blooded monks and pay the Great Houses

to provide soldiers for these ordeals. The Order is also a staunch

supporter of the Realm and all for which it stands, so its members

are likely to act to keep the Realm from falling.

Those who lead the Order, however, have their own motiva-

tions. Once one reaches the highest monastic ranks, there is as

much politicking as prayer, if not more. The Mouth of Peace can

surely imagine a hundred favors she’d like to have done, and an-

other hundred she’d prefer not to pay. Luckily, she likely also has a

thousand people who owe her some debt or fealty, either because

she gave a favor to them or because of simple piety.

When the Order speaks, in other words, people listen, and it

can be an easy explanation for why a group is together. It’s perhaps

a bit more powerful if the characters are either Immaculate monks

or otherwise pious Dragon-Blooded, but it can work for anyone in

league with (or afraid of) the Realm and its watchdog religion.

SO Y OU W ANT TO R UN A

DRAGON-BLOODED G AME…

Well, before you get started, there are a few things you’ll want

to keep in mind when running a game for the Terrestrial Exalted.

SMALLER H EROES

Terrestrial Exalted were the foot soldiers in the Primordial War.

They were not the generals, famed assassins or inscrutable advi-

sors—though Dragon-Blooded hold all these posts in the Second

Age. They were the rank-and-ﬁ le warriors in the ﬁ ght against huge,

impossible beings that treated Creation as a plaything. As a result,

Dragon-Blooded are the least of the Exalted. With less of everything

(except numbers), the Terrestrials’ deeds and stories are smaller,

though still great. Mighty compared to mortals, they are still less

than the Anathema heroes of yesteryear. Therefore, they have:

SMALLER D ICE P OOLS

Their training often gives them an edge in Abilities, but

the Dragon-Blooded still cannot achieve the massive dice pools

of a specializing Solar Exalt. While a maxed-out Solar character

can get as high as a 23-die attack using a First Excellency and a

weapon with +0 accuracy, Dragon-Blooded are limited by their

Ability and relevant specialties. At its most effective, this lands

the Dragon-Blood only two dice below a similarly focused Solar,

but it also requires the attack to fall under the Dragon-Blood’s

Specialty. If that’s not the case, the Dragon-Blood loses six dice

(the Solar loses only three). In general, even a focused Dragon-

Blood will be able to add only four to six dice to an action (or half

that many successes).

This also affects the character’s Defense Values. The inability to

add too many dice to a defense action reduces the heights to which

a Dragon-Blood can raise his Dodge or Parry DVs, or his MDVs.

SMALLER E SSENCE P OOLS

Dragon-Blooded get less bang for their buck when it comes to

Essence. Upping that trait does give them access to more powerful

Charms, but each point of permanent Essence gives them only an

additional ﬁ ve motes (one in the Personal pool and four in the

Peripheral pool). Even at the start, they have fewer motes to throw

around, and if the character decides to load up on artifacts, she’ll

end up with most of her Essence committed and out of reach.

This weakness really bites the Dragon-Blooded in the butt when

it comes to Charms. The out-of-aspect mote surcharge required for

a Dragon-Blood to use a Charm from any aspect other than her own

increases the draw on an already-tight Essence budget. Especially

when it comes to using reﬂ exive Charms, which are often too use-

ful not to invoke.

LOWER E SSENCE R ATINGS

Tied more strongly to the base elements than to the rareﬁ ed and

pure Essence of Creation, Dragon-Blooded must spend greater effort to

increase their permanent Essence ratings than Solars. Increasing Essence

at character creation costs so much it prevents a Dragon-Blooded char-

acter from doing it more than once, and a Dragon-Blood doesn’t have

enough bonus points afterward to purchase anything more expensive

than an in-aspect Charm. Post character creation development doesn’t

make it any easier. A Dragon-Blood must spend four experience points

more than a Solar to get from Essence 2 to 3. That’s an entire (average)

session’s worth of experience, and the gap only widens.

WEAKER C HARMS

Dragon-Blooded Charms have greater focus than Solar Charms

do, and less ﬂ exibility as a result. For instance, where the Solar Craft

Charm Craftsman Needs No Tools says that a Solar may work without

tools and drastically reduces the time necessary for the task, the similar

Dragon-Blooded Charm Shaping Hand Style serves only to let a hand

act as a tool for the duration of a scene. Solars have Charms, such as

Fivefold Bulwark Stance and Flow Like Blood, that ward their Defense

Values against onslaught and other penalties for an entire scene, while

Dragon-Blooded have few scene-long Charms that are so effective. They

must instead rely on reﬂ exive Charms for magically aided defenses, a

practice that takes its toll on their small Essence pools.

Additionally, Dragon-Blooded defenses are simply weaker, even

when they seem comparable. Many of their soak- or defense-enhanc-

ing Charms are susceptible to Essence, failing against magic-based

or -supplemented attacks. The Dragon-Blood version of Ox-Body

Technique is not as strong as the Solar equivalent. Providing only

one -1 health level and one -2, it isn’t quite comparable to two -1s

or one -1 and two -2s, making Dragon-Blooded yet more fragile

than the Solar Anathema.

BUT S TILL…

Just because Dragon-Blooded got the short end of the power

stick doesn’t mean the Storyteller has to restrict the challenges she

arrays against them, nor does it mean they can’t prevail against the

same threats and foes as a Solar. After all, the Terrestrial Exalted did

defeat the Solar Anathema back in the day. It just means that they

have to work harder to do it. And one of their advantages is…

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CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

GREATER F REEDOM

Dragon-Blooded have more ﬂ exibility than the Solar Anathema

ever will, at least without powerful (and potentially game-breaking)

custom Charms on the latter’s parts.

BACKING

Solar Exalted can come from any walk of life—all they need

to be is a hero for the Unconquered Sun’s eye to fall upon them

and elevate them above humanity. All Dragon-Blooded need is

the right ancestry—even very, very distant ancestors will do—and

some undeﬁ ned spark that brings that elemental heritage to the

fore. That spark very probably has something to do with heroism,

dedication or strength to bear the weight, making Terrestrial Exal-

tation quite similar to Solar Exaltation, just with the little matter

of parentage added in.

Once a Dragon-Blood realizes his power, he has the backing

of two of the most powerful organizations in the world: the Scarlet

Empire and the Immaculate Order. Even the most rustic outcaste

is welcome (and desired) in the Realm, as long as he understands

that he’ll probably never be a Dynast. Even better, the incredibly

widespread Immaculate Philosophy declares that the Dragon-Blood

is a walking, talking bodhisattva, enlightened and incapable of

steering mere mortals off the true path.

It can be an amazingly heady feeling.

While not everyone’s going to obey a Dragon-Blood right off

the bat, especially in the Threshold, most will give a second thought

to making one angry. Even those outcastes who never associate

themselves with the Realm can take advantage of that empire’s

reputation even without any real Dynastic contacts. Dragon-Blooded

are, after all, the most famous Exalted in Creation.

HEROES, NOT D EMONS

The popular Immaculate Texts don’t declare the Dragon-Blood-

ed to be demons, thankfully. Because of this, the Dragon-Blooded

can be freer with their Peripheral Essence. Spending enough Essence

to make oneself glow isn’t such a big deal when mortals have all

heard the stories of heroes with ﬂ aming auras or invincible warriors

who can leap as if they were the wind itself. While Solars have

to restrict themselves to Personal Essence, get ready for mobs or

make real good friends real fast, the Dragon-Blooded can invoke

any Charm they like until they run completely dry.

Furthermore, they can use Obvious Charms without worrying

about observers. Since activating an Obvious Charm makes it clear

that one is using magic, being a Terrestrial Exalt when doing so is

the difference between hope (or fright, in one’s foes) and fear (or

terror, in one’s foes).

FREE R EFLEXIVES

Unlike the Celestial Exalted, Dragon-Blooded have the power

to use reﬂ exive Charms freely. A Dragon-Blood doesn’t treat such

Charms as his Charm usage for an action, and he need not wait for

his DVs to refresh before using any other Charm. This is a mighty

advantage for those who know how to use it. In combat, he can

use a non-reﬂ exive Charm to aid his attack without sacriﬁ cing the

ability to improve his defenses with Charms.

Additionally, having free reﬂ exives greatly slims a Dragon-

Blood’s Combos. While a Celestial Exalt must include any reﬂ exive

Charms she wants to use with her attack (or as a part of corresponding

defense) in a Combo, Dragon-Blooded need only include supplemen-

tal, simple and extra action Charms, using the reﬂ exives as they wish.

This saves bonus points at character generation and, in the long run,

saves experience points that the Terrestrials are then free to spend on

purchasing other Charms, Combos or trait improvements.

NUMBERS, AND S TRENGTH T HEREIN

Also unlike the Celestial Exalted, the might of the Terres-

trial Exalt passes through his bloodline to his children, and to his

children’s children, and on to the seventh generation—and further!

This is, no doubt, what those who originally endowed them with

their elemental power imagined when the Dragon-Blooded were

created—weak alone, but capable of epic feats when they work to-

gether. And what better way to make sure that the Dragon-Blooded

would always have teammates to aid and depend on than designing

them to breed their own?

Yes, not only do the Dragon-Blooded have an entire society

built around supporting and worshiping them, they almost have

an entire society composed of them! Beyond the astounding social

structure that provides, it also provides myriad reinforcements—most

of them related. In short: Beware harming the dragon, for it has a

thousand brothers and sisters eager to bite.

PRELUDES

If your players are into it, feel free to run preludes for their

characters. As mentioned in Exalted, the prelude is a short session

that gives the players a chance to get a feel for their characters

without much in the way of dice rolls or threat. Here are a few

ideas for preludes.

IN-CHARACTER A CTION S EQUENCE

Talk your player through one of her character’s typical adven-

tures from before the time she joined up with her circle of heroes.

Her background should have ample fodder to make something like

this up. Someone who was a court magician is obviously in court, a

character who gathered exotic ﬂ ora and fauna for research is trying

to capture a dangerous karmeus.

Dragon-Blooded have signiﬁ cantly more range than Solars—

who are generally assumed to have Exalted within the past year to six

months—because they almost always Exalt in their teens, and then

attend secondary school. Unless the game takes place in secondary

school, the character has probably had several adventures through

political and literal jungles since then. So make them up, or have

the player make them up, and pick one for the prelude. A mostly

social character might have a scene at an exclusive sanxian recital

in the Imperial City, while an Immaculate might participate in a

theologically motivated and suddenly lethal sparring match.

Storytellers might wish to tie these preludes into the main story

line once it gets moving. If they leave any loose ends, these ends can

make excellent plot hooks for the characters. They already have some

life to them, and the player has a connection and memory of them.

Even if there isn’t any room for a deeper plot point (or you just don’t

want to let it muddy up the current story), you can still call back to the

preludes. Even if the preludes occurred a while ago, players appreciate

it on a subtle level when you refer to something they remember.

That lowly bureaucrat that a character just completely cowed?

Well, he was so nervous because he’s the same one who dared laud

the virtues of Rippled Steel’s Shogunate-period poetry at that sanxian

recital, and you verbally disemboweled him then. The Immaculate

monk who’s been an unﬂ appable political and martial opponent?

She was watching when you crippled both your sparring partner and

his theological support in the monastery, and you recognize her as

one who interpreted the Texts in the same way. You don’t have to

change your plans or plots for them, just tie them in.

230

SCHOOL AND H OME L IFE

A prelude can focus on an aspect of the Dragon-Blood’s earlier

life, such as an interaction with her family or one of her important

experiences at school. You should be careful with using this as the

sole prelude, because it gives a player less opportunity to settle into

her character. It also ﬁ lls out more of the character’s history than a

simple action scene, something that it’s often advantageous to leave

undetermined until later in the series. It’s easy to invent something

in a character’s past, it’s a bit harder to erase something.

But don’t let that stop you from running a character’s prelude

at school or at home. The right scene at home can be the perfect

setup for a character’s history, future story or theme (see “You Don’t

Own Me!” p. 224). At school, the character can have a small ad-

venture trying to steal the answers to the next exam or excelling at

his practicum (in kicking ass or exploration, no doubt).

DRAWING THE S ECOND B REATH

An excellent choice for prelude can be the event that brought

Exaltation upon the character. Whether the elemental aspect takes

him during a temper-tantrum at primary school, when he ﬁ ghts his

way free of a small gang that wants to ransom him, or in the midst

of some barbaric survival trial in the Far Northeast, Exaltation is

a moving and deﬁ ning moment for the character. The event sur-

rounding her character’s Exaltation is something that every player

should know anyway, so why not make a short prelude of it?

GROUP P RELUDES

The real difference between an individual prelude and one

played out with a group is that the Storyteller and single player

have all the control over an individual prelude. There aren’t (or

shouldn’t be) any conﬂ icting goals between two people who are both

focused on a single character. When you get more than one person,

though, focus must dilute. All the characters are equally important

in a group prelude, which is what makes this difﬁ cult.

One possibility for a group prelude is the ability for everyone

to observe the time when the group comes together. In some games,

this is the ﬁ rst session, but when the players write the reason for

their allegiance to each other into their characters’ histories, they

can use this sort of prelude to take a look at it. This scene could be

a better ﬂ ashback than a prelude, as playing out the initial meeting

will probably go much more smoothly after the players have all had

a chance to settle, along with their characters, into the group. Once

patterns and tactics begin to emerge, they’re more than ready for

this sort of prelude.

Instead of playing out the meeting, you could take a little

extra time (expect half an hour to an hour) to show the group in

some relevant environment. If they’re explorers, make it the ruins

of an ancient Dragon King temple. Socialites might be observing

(and potentially reveling in) the unrecoverable meltdown of a

rival Dynast’s new moon party. This sort of prelude takes a little

bit of effort, but it gets the players to focus on the group instead of

their individual players. Discuss with them the group’s goals in the

matter, and talk plainly about how they’re working together. Don’t

start throwing down the dice, but let them point out what Charms

they might use or how they back each other up.

MONTAGE P RELUDES

You don’t need to choose only one sort of prelude. If you want

a potpourri, mix each of the preceding ideas up into a montage of

sorts. Start young and move forward in time, seeing the character’s

time as a child, in primary school, Exalting, in secondary school

and in adventures and encounters afterward. This prelude can take

longer than others, because it usually takes a minimum amount of

time to get a decent amount of story into each different scene in

the prelude montage.

COUSINS TO THE P RELUDE

Preludes are really nothing more than a Storytelling device

showing what the character is like, as well as a bit of her illustrated

history. There are other, similar tools at the Storyteller’s disposal

that deserve a bit of a mention.

FLASHBACKS

A ﬂ ashback is a lot like a prelude—it’s a scene from the life of

one character as it already happened, done without dice rolls in order

to share some bit of background. You can use a ﬂ ashback to show

anything you can show in a prelude, but it’s usually signiﬁ cantly more

relevant to the current story (since it comes after the story begins). A

ﬂ ashback might take place to emphasize the rivalry between a character

and her pious Immaculate cousin, or it might show how (and maybe

why) the hero is uncharacteristically afraid of snakes.

Flashbacks are excellent times to bring a character’s Exaltation

into the story, if it hasn’t already been played out in a prelude. Even

when the player has detailed it in full, there’s almost always room

for you to invent an important surprise. Perhaps the desert queen

who witnessed the Dragon-Blood’s Exaltation from her harem of

young men has been tracking him ever since his escape, and now she

wishes to bed him. A quick ﬂ ashback to that Exaltation can remind

the character (and the player, who probably needs the reminder

more) that he’s facing the woman who once enslaved him.

Though it’s not an unbreakable rule, a common difference

between a ﬂ ashback and a prelude is that the ﬂ ashback is usually

told rather than played. Typically, the Storyteller has something he

wants to get across by bringing the past into the present, and letting

a player control her own character in that scene can make it difﬁ cult

to be sure that you’re going to get across what you need to. Should

the player forget that her history included a rival martial artist who

watched her dashing hero dishonor his master, she might just choose

when you try to portray that event to lose or tie in a way that lets

both parties retain their honor. The lesson here is probably that you

should be straightforward with what you want a dramatic device to

accomplish, at least if you want the player to run her character.

The only danger in choosing to take full control of the ﬂ ash-

back is that you might accidentally have a character act in a way

that her player ﬁ nds completely inappropriate to the character’s

temperament or motivation. This is another reason you should be

open about what a ﬂ ashback is trying to get across. The player will

be less likely to complain if she knows that it’s supposed to be one

of the shaping events behind the character’s current personality, or

if the character’s under order from her controlling parents.

CUT S CENES

Not a far cry from either the prelude or the ﬂ ashback, the cut

scene has two primary qualities: It shows a scene taking place now,

as opposed to long, long ago, and it features Storyteller characters

rather than the players’ characters.

As a dramatic device, the cut scene should be used to show

the players what else is going on in the world, ideally something

related to their current quest or long-term goal. When the Dragon-

Blooded are racing to collect a set of keys to enter the Inverted

Sterling Sepulcher and retrieve a world-shaking artifact, the cut

scene might reveal their rivals gathering one of the other keys. An-

231

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

other cut scene could feature a shadowed mastermind commanding

his best-trained warrior to go and “hunt them down,” leaving the

players to worry who “them” really means.

There’s always the danger when using cut scenes that the play-

ers won’t be able to separate in-character from out-of-character

knowledge, and will have their characters react to cut scenes that

the characters never saw. Seeing members of a secret society meet

under cloaks and hoods might cause one player’s character to

question suspicious Storyteller characters overly harshly or go

through all of their wardrobes with little reason. If your players

have this habit, you might want to forgo cut scenes.

Keep in mind, also, that cut scenes simply aren’t right

in all games. Cut scenes change the aspect of the players

in the game. Because they see things that their characters

don’t, it creates a division between the two. Cut scenes

separate players from their characters by creating more

in-game but out-of-character knowledge that the player

must keep separate, and it makes the experience more

like watching a television show than playing a role.

Your players have a valid complaint against cut scenes

if they don’t like this difference. Wanting to immerse

themselves in a single character and group is a reason-

able desire when roleplaying, and cut scenes have the

potential to ruin that immersion.

Don’t let this warning prevent you from giving

them a shot, though. Many players enjoy the cinematic

aspects of Exalted, and foreshadowing cut scenes are

staples of cinema and anime.

THE M ANDATE OF H EAVEN

The Exalted Storyteller’s Companion debuted

a mechanical system for Exalted that allows you

and your players to represent nations and their

conﬂ icts on a less personal level. This is what

it’s like when a hero rules a country and doesn’t

have time to leave every other week. Though most

Dragon-Blooded don’t control enough land or

have enough direct inﬂ uence to use these

rules, some do. Realm satraps, House repre-

sentatives in tributaries and Dragon-Blooded

who control mighty bureaucratic entities

all have the sort of power that could be

well-represented with the Mandate of

Heaven system.

There are several games in

which using the Mandate of Heav-

en is appropriate and can add

to the game. A game in which

the characters deal with wars

and politics between two do-

minions—perhaps between

two satrapies, between one sa-

trapy and the Realm, or between

prefectures within the Realm

itself—is an excellent candi-

date for use of the Mandate

of Heaven between episodes.

Whenever an appropriate length

of downtime arrives, activate the

Mandate of Heaven for a little game

development while you sleep.

232

PLAYING IN THE P AST

You don’t need to place your game in Realm Year 768, as the

setting assumes you will. The history of the Realm and Creation

has thousands of interesting facets, and if you want your game to be

simpler—perhaps without the Empress missing and the Solars running

amok and the Deathlords moving on Creation—doing so could make

the game’s setting a little bit less busy. You might also want to run

a game in the past as a setup for the later game in the future—the

creation of a central artifact, the founding (or destruction) of a pivotal

nation or the presence of a speciﬁ c recurring villain.

For whatever reason you want it, here are some suggestions on

running Dragon-Blooded games in Exalted’s history.

THE S HOGUNATE

After the Usurpation, the ﬁ rst effective government that

formed was the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate. Utilizing the Old

Realm’s command centers, methods of communication and tools

of war, the Shogunate tried to reclaim the world under its ﬂ ag. It

was a time of heroes at war and tireless re-expansion, as well as

refreshed hope. After all, Solars afﬂ icted with the Great Curse had

been ruling for all of living memory, and now that they were gone,

the Dragon-Blooded wanted to return Creation to some semblance

of working order.

Possibilities for a game in this setting go on and on. Exploration

is a dominant theme, but there’s no limit to what can be explored.

There may be old nations that lost contact with the Realm before

the Usurpation, and there are certainly caliphates and dynasties ruled

by Solars who ignored the word of the Deliberative, so all of them

must eventually be brought back to the fold. Monsters and indeﬁ n-

able forces that the Solars and their mighty constructs once held at

bay must be fought back to the edges of the world, or under it. And

there is much to explore within Creation. Mortals, used to honoring,

revering and sometimes fearing the Celestial Exalted that ruled them,

must be convinced to join a cult that portrays the Dragon-Blooded

as superior and their old kings as foul demons. Heroes might have to

breach a dead Solar’s manse, now closed to the world, or the automaton

that another one built so large that an entire city’s populace could

live inside. The Imperial Manse, of course, is a high-proﬁ le target,

promising much honor to any who can open it for the Shogun. There

is much to do as a Dragon-Blood in the young Shogunate.

During the reign of the Shogunate, society grew weaker. Proud

Dragon-Blooded families decided to carve out their own kingdoms

and had to be rebuked. Demons that were bound during the First

Age completed their tasks or found loopholes, and made trouble for

the Terrestrial Exalted. Certainly, there are thousands of adventures

to be had in this time period.

And then the Contagion hit. Mortals and Exalted alike died

by the bushel, and at the worst possible moment, the Fair Folk,

swathed in steely gossamer and leading their Wyld-spun armies,

rushed into Creation and laid all shaped things they could ﬁ nd to

waste. Records are universally unclear on how long this catastrophe

continued, providing plenty of time for stories of any length.

Such stories should reﬂ ect the dangerous and frantic nature of

the period. Dragon-Blooded are falling to disease—something nearly

unheard of—and they are being forced to ﬁ ght for their lives without

any warning. Death seems to wait for everyone around the next non-

Euclidean, fey-concealing corner. Entire nations that once sat on the

edge of Creation and held back the Wyld disappear from the map in

a single, furious surge of chaotic energy, and no one can activate the

Realm Defense Grid. Everything is falling to shit. What do you do?

Of speciﬁ c interest to Dragon-Blooded games and players of

Dragon-Blooded characters are the Realm’s many bureaucratic

entities and political entities—which control little to no land and

whose constituents do not actually live in one place together. The

Mandate of Heaven is abstract enough to effectively represent these

entities as well. All but the largest will have a Magnitude rating of

no more than 1 or 2, and an average bureaucracy might have a 1

Military and Culture, and Government 2.

Here are a few examples: The All-Seeing Eye is a widespread

intelligence service, well known on the Blessed Isle. It has Magnitude

3, making it quite large. Part of its fame comes from assassinations,

and part from its organization of the Wyld Hunt, so it has a Military 3.

The mere existence of the All-Seeing Eye (and the fact that it’s been

doing its job well for so long) gives it Culture 2, but its funding has

faltered since the Empress’s disappearance. Combining that with the

new laws passed by the Deliberative and the Great Houses’ attempts

to purge themselves of spies, it’s disorderly: Government 1.

House Tepet is severely weakened in all areas thanks to its

defeat in the North. While still large, it no longer has its legions.

Its effective Magnitude might be down to 1, and it might have

Military 1, Culture 1 and Government 2. It’s not nearly as strong

a player as it used to be, but the House heads are keeping cool and

working to minimize the damage.

The Order of the Immaculate Dragons is absolutely huge,

including many thousands of monks, Immaculate administrators and

devout followers across the Realm. Give it an enormous Magnitude

4 (which is about the largest a non-nation should go). It has Military

1—the monks might compose a ﬁ ghting order, but they really have

to focus and borrow money if they want to form up an effective

Wyld Hunt. Culture 4 indicates how widespread the Immaculate

Philosophy is, and how much it can really get done. Finally, Govern-

ment 2 indicates that the Order has a relatively simple structure at

local levels (readings at the temple, itinerant or permanent monks)

but it gets a little convoluted in the upper strata.

MANDATED C HARMS

The following Charms from those available to the Dragon-

Blooded should be considered to have the Mandate keyword and

can be used in dominion conﬂ ict.

Brother-Against-Brother Insinuation: The character rolls

his (Manipulation + Socialize) as a dominion action against

the target dominion’s (Government + Temperance). If he

wins, the target dominion immediately performs a Savant’s

Pernicious Treachery action against another dominion of

the character’s choice.

Conﬂ uence of Savant Thought: A character can use this

Charm to supplement a Serpent Stalks the Reeds Insinuation

dominion action. It adds one automatic success to the roll.

Distraction of the Babbling Brook: This Charm supplements

Tiger Welcomes Mouse Enticement, reduces the external bo-

nus points earned by the other dominion by one and increases

that earned by the character’s dominion by one.

Drowning in Negotiation Style: Using this Charm when cre-

ating a treaty forces both parties to spend one additional point

of Limit and Willpower when taking any action that would

eliminate that treaty.

Friend-to-All-Nations Attitude: This Charm eliminates penalties

on a roll based on social bias or prejudice between dominions.

Geese-Flying-South Administration: Using this Charm in

conjunction with a constructive dominion action adds one to

the dots gained or recovered, or the points of Limit discarded.

233

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

THE U SURPATION

While the Usurpation was really an event, not a time period,

it was the end of an era. It probably seemed like a lifetime to those

who were actually there. Dragon-Blooded conspired against their

maddened, unjust god-kings and philosopher-emperors, slaying

them during one fateful Calibration that also saw frighteningly

disproportionate numbers of the Terrestrial Exalted fall.

Even as an event, the Usurpation still took a non-instant length

of time. Dragon-Blooded needed time to conspire and put their ducks

in a row, and after the initial assault, it took far, far longer than they’d

hoped to put the last of the Solar Exalted into the ground.

One game you might run in that time period is the conspiracy.

How do Dragon-Blooded keep their hatred a secret in the face of people

who can see through every lie and force the truth out of unwilling

mouths? Can your character swallow his pride when called to a Solar’s

bed, and how does he stand by when he sees a friend beaten? Do the

characters involved really hate their masters, or do they love them

(perhaps through magical effects) and truly regret the necessary step of

ending their lives and rule? Your players drive their characters through

the setup, possibly losing friends to Solar inquisitions along the way.

Another potential story lies in the execution. The time for

conspiracy is over, and now is the time for action. Fight against the

nearly unbeatable Solar Exalted, gaining the edge through surprise

and treachery. Once the initial assault is over, the characters do

their best to track down and defeat the few Solars to escape. What

happens when the Solar attacks with Dragon-Blooded troops, troops

a character is sure would turn on their master if they only knew

the rebels’ true goals?

Or maybe you and your friends want to tell the story of what

led to the Usurpation. When the bright reign of the Solar Delibera-

tive begins to darken and the Lawgivers stop guiding wisely and

start abusing their power for hedonistic pleasures, can your play-

ers’ Dragon-Blooded characters survive Solar depredations long

enough to realize that they should rebel, birthing the conspiracy

that eventually brings the Solars down.

In a more ill-fated game, the players’ characters could be Dragon-

Blooded loyal to the corrupt Solar Deliberative, either because they

enjoy the beneﬁ ts of that corruption or because they’ve been deceived.

They try to root out the traitors that their most honorable masters

insist are undermining the Realm and ruining the Deliberative’s good

name. When the Usurpation comes and the black-blood-spilling,

god-killing battles begin, they ﬁ ght for the Solars.

You’ll have to create some truly powerful effects for 1,000-

year-old, Essence 8 Solars for these games, or just wing them, but be

sure to give the players commensurately powerful Dragon-Blooded.

Essence 6 or 7 should be the rule of the day, and they should have

custom Charms that allow them to aid their co-conspirators both

in battle and in concealment of their true motives.

If any of these scenarios engages your imagination, delve

deeper! There’s always something more to create.

THE F IRST A GE

Before the Realm, before the Contagion, before the Usurpa-

tion and before everything went to hell, what was there to do?

Short answer: a lot.

• Politics and intrigue. Before the Solar Deliberative began

to falsely attribute its decrees to the Unconquered Sun and ignore

the voices of the concerned, it was an august body that lent its ear

to any who needed to speak. As Dragon-Blooded governors of the

old Realm’s principalities, the players work together (or compete)

to navigate the mazy politics of the Deliberative, trading favors and

secrets to earn the beneﬁ ts their regions require.

• Exercises in War. Just because the Solar Deliberative ruled

nearly all of Creation without any real competition, it doesn’t mean

that everything was nice and daisies. Dragon-Blooded governors

and generals had command over many skilled troops, and for many

political disagreements, it was easier (or simply preferable) for

the Dragon-Blooded to solve them on their own. Some of these

competitions were merely exercises, competitions with blunted or

enchanted weapons and few casualties, intended to decide which

Dragon-Blood would get his way.

• Police of the Realm. The Iron Wolves may have been the

masters of spies and rulers of the night, but the Dragon-Blooded

were some of their most loyal and favored spies and killers. And just

because the Realm was stable, it doesn’t mean that there were no

rebellions, kings-of-thieves or traitorous Exalted who needed to be

put down. Dragon-Blooded in this game work toward maintaining

the security that the Solar Deliberative promised to all peoples.

• Hunting for Danger. While many of the external threats to the

First Realm had been fought to a standstill or otherwise contained, there

was always still another danger to face. As such, the Dragon-Blooded

who sought heroic opportunities could always ﬁ nd them. They fought

rampaging behemoths not yet brought to heel, terrible demons loosed

upon the world by incautious sorcerers or inauspicious cracks in the

Yozis’ prison and unknowable things that spawned and fed beneath

the rock-hard crust of the world. With a little bit of luck and a lot of

courage and skill, the Dragon-Blooded could fell these threats, have

honor heaped upon their heads and make Creation a safer place.

There are many, many other games that one could play in the

First Age, but you can surely think of those on your own.

As a side note, if you like to emphasize the fall from glory to

ruins that Creation suffered moving from the First Age to the Age

of Sorrows, you should consider using some of the artifacts from

Wonders of the Lost Age in your games set before Exalted’s present

time. Showing the life-easing artifacts and tools available in the First

Age, the incredibly destructive weapons used in the Usurpation or

the fading level of magical expertise evident during the era of the

Shogunate is a good way to make the point that the Age of Sorrows

is a shadow of what it once was—and could be again.

MIXED G AMES

Not everybody wants to play a Dragon-Blood, even in a

Dragon-Blooded game. If you try to run Dragon-Blooded games,

eventually, sometime, somebody will say, “I wanna play a Solar!” Or

maybe you want to give it a try, undercover Lawgiver style. Now, a

mixed game isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so here are some

suggestions to make the whole thing less of a hassle.

Think before you go ahead. While Exalted deﬁ nitely tends toward

saying “Yes!” to just about anything and everything, that attitude should

be more cautiously applied outside of game. Let the player know that

it can severely change the game to let a Solar Exalt into the pen with

a bunch of Dragon-Blooded. Answer the following questions:

• Do you really want to deal with the power disparities? A

Solar has, as a general rule, ﬁ ve motes more per dot of permanent

Essence than a Dragon-Blood at the same level of enlightenment,

and then a few more on top of that. Then, their Charms not only

cost less experience but are also typically more effective.

• Do you really want the in-game political fallout, or were you

looking forward to a game where the players could use their powers

without limitation? Anywhere in Creation, a Dragon-Blood is a

demigod. Solars, on the other hand, might be heroes and might

be demons, and if the game takes place in any of the common set-

234

tings for Dragon-Blooded—the Blessed Isle, Lookshy or any of the

Realm’s many satrapies—it’ll almost deﬁ nitely be the latter. If you

don’t want to deal with that crazy Wyld Hunt (except maybe from

the other end), then you should cut out the Solars.

• Do you really want a Solar? The Solar Exalted have a few

solid themes: returning god-kings, lawgivers come back to cleanse

and repair Creation, that sort of thing. If that’s really why you want

a Solar in a Dragon-Blooded game, or why the player wants to play

one, rethink it. You can do the same thing with a lost Great House

or other legacies that you create. Even the idea of having an outcast

hiding in the group’s midst can be done without resorting to using

a Solar Exalt. House Iselsi has half-hidden in Dynastic society for

generations, and each member is hiding her true nature.

• Do the other players mind? Is it really acceptable to all the

other players if this one player (or two, or whatever) has a Solar hero

while the rest play Dragon-Blooded characters? Are they going to be

worriedly asking the same questions you’ve just looked at, and coming

up with less hopeful answers? There’s only one way to ﬁ nd out—ask.

If the other players are all willing to potentially play second ﬁ ddle to a

Solar Exalt, then go ahead and make it so. When your players still have

reservations, though, it’s probably best to drop the entire matter.

Okay, maybe you’ve looked at those questions and not been

convinced. You still want a Solar in your game, or your player is

so vocal that you’ve decided to let him do it. Well, maybe. Unless

everyone in your game is utterly certain that no minor matters of

relative power are going to decrease their appreciation of the story

you’ll create, consider some of the following steps.

• Increase the Solars’ experience point costs. If the player is

spending (10 x current rating) or 10 experience points for a Favored

Charm, the Solar character will advance no more quickly than the

Dragon-Blooded characters. It doesn’t address the relative strength of

their Charms, so Solars will still be doubling their dice pools on the most

important rolls and the Dragon-Blooded won’t. This should probably be

the ﬁ rst step in any attempt to even out the two types of Exalted.

• Give the Solar’s player(s) less experience. It might sound

unfair, but it certainly isn’t arbitrary. One point of experience less

per session is about right to balance out the combination of lower

experience costs for more effective Charms and Essence rating with

the less impressive numbers and powers the Dragon-Blooded have.

If the balance doesn’t feel right to you, adjust the amount of experi-

ence withheld. You might keep back one point every two sessions or

three every two (though that’s getting a bit heavy). You should still

give the player stunt and bonus awards for good ideas. If you want

them to keep happening, you should keep rewarding them.

• Reduce the Solars’ dice pool limits and Essence pools to match

that of the Dragon-Blooded. Keep in mind that if you do this, the

Dragon-Blooded will have an advantage in mote cost (they spend only

one mote for two dice when using Essence Overwhelming). You can

always limit either the Solars’ dice pools or their Essence limits, if you

so choose. Beyond this point, there’s very little you can do to adjust

their Charms without rewriting them completely for power level.

• Remember, you don’t need to do all this work. You can

always bring the Solar in as a villain, or an occasional ally, and

let the Dragon-Blooded play while the Solar’s away. And if the

player who wanted to play a Solar starts listening to your proposed

changes and getting less and less excited… maybe he just wanted

to be more powerful than the other characters.

Finally, maybe all of this wasn’t necessary. Maybe all of your

players are excited to play an “Anathema-Hunter Robin” type game

(see p. 222), or they want to reenact the Dragon-Blooded following

a Solar during the First Age (or reassembling such a relationship

in the Second Age) and consider varied power levels par for the

course. Well, why are you still here? Get gaming.

UNABASHEDLY M IXING E XALTS

Don’t take this section too seriously. It’s essentially a big,

glowing and buzzing neon sign warning you away from starting a

mixed Dragon-Blooded/Solar game frivolously. But that’s the key-

word—frivolously. If you know what you’re doing, or if you and your

players just don’t care about the balance issues, then, by golly, do it!

Run a mess of Solars and Dragon-Blooded hurtling across Creation,

daring to do the impossible, and dash all the consequences!

Because, really, dashing the consequences is what Exalted’s

all about.

EXPERIENCE

There are a lot of Dragon-Blooded out there. And there are

many, many adventures for people to have. But even so, you can’t

imagine that every Dragon-Blood in Creation is busy running

around, slaying Fair Folk, building huge towers and otherwise being

heroic all the time, right?

This doesn’t apply to the heroes of your series, who really are

running around being heroic all the time, but other Dragon-Blooded

should probably use the long-term experience award chart, compared

to their age, to determine how “large” to build them. For particularly

active Dragon-Blooded, you might add one extra experience point

per year. But be careful! One experience point per year adds up very

quickly, since Dragon-Blooded can be around for several hundred

years, and many Storyteller characters will have.

You might even want to reduce the amount of experience that

your Storyteller characters receive according to the long-term award

guidelines. If every Dragon-Blood not run by a character follows that

pattern, your players’ characters would be overshadowed in moments.

Since nobody wants that, use the long-term award chart as what it

is—a guide. Don’t let it determine how powerful your Storyteller

characters are, since only you know what’s really appropriate.

For ease of use, assume that a Dragon-Blood Exalts at age 15.

This gives him 850 experience points at the age of 100—honestly,

that’s plenty for all but the most mighty opponents, and you don’t

want to spend the time allocating all these points for anyone else.

DRAGON-BLOODED E XPERIENCE C HARTS

Lesser Exalted than the mighty Solars, the Dragon-Blooded suf-

fer from a more imperfect control of their Essence. However focused,

contemplative, meditative and otherwise in tune with herself and

her surroundings a Dragon-Blood is, it is still harder for her to deepen

her natural bond to Creation’s elemental Essence. Likewise, shaping

this Essence comes less naturally to her. In order to learn a new way

to channel it into the magical effects known as Charms or spells, the

Dragon-Blood must spend more effort than her Celestial brethren do.

Except where noted on the following table, Dragon-Blooded experience

costs are the same as those on page 274 of the main Exalted book.

DRAGON-BLOODED E XPERIENCE C OSTS

Change Cost

Favored/Aspect Charm 10

Out-of-Aspect Charm 12

Celestial Martial Arts Charm 12

(Martial Arts Unfavored) 15

Essence current rating x 10

235

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

236

237

CHAPTER SEVEN • STORYTELLING

238

anima ﬂ ux 122

aspect 112-121

Air 112-113

Earth 114-115

Fire 116-117

Water 118-119

Wood 120-121

Backgrounds 102-111

Arsenal 105

Artifact 103

Breeding 105-106

Command 106

Connections 107

areas of inﬂ uence 107-109

Cult 103-104

Family 109-110

Henchmen 110

Manse 104-105

Reputation 110-111

Retainers 111

character creation 90-99

bonus points table 99

character creation table 96-99

Charms 126-213

Archery 172-174

Athletics 151-152

Awareness 140-142

Bureaucracy 161-164

Craft 142-144

Dodge 152-155

Excellencies and

Related Charms 128-129

Integrity 144-146

Investigation 164-166

Larceny 166-168

Linguistics 129-132

Lore 132-134

Martial Arts 169-170

Air Dragon Style 197-201

Celestial initiation 193-195

INDEX

Earth Dragon Style 201-205

Fire Dragon Style 205-207

Five-Dragon Style 189-191

Terrestrial Hero Style 191-193

Water Dragon Style 207-210

Wood Dragon Style 210-213

Medicine 174-176

Melee 155-156

Occult 134-136

Performance 176-180

Presence 156-159

Resistance 146-148

Ride 180-182

Sail 170-171

Socialize 159-161

Stealth 136-138

Survival 182-185

Thrown 138-140

War 148-151

Demon Captain Kasua 86-87

Dragon-Blooded life 16-87

Dynastic 16-55

outcaste 56-87

The Emissaries of

Perfect Water 84-85

Eos and Ossissa 85-86

experience cost table 234

The Forest Witches 77-80

Gentes of Lookshy 71-77

Gens Amilar 75-76

Gens Karal 72-73

Gens Maheka 74-75

Gens Teresu 73-74

Gens Yushoto 76-77

Minor Gentes 77

The Grass Spiders 68-69

Great Curse 113, 115,

117, 119,

121, 123

Great Houses 29-49

House Cathak 30-31

House Cynis 31-33

House Iselsi 34-35

House Ledaal 35-37

House Mnemon 38-40

House Nellens 40-41

House Peleps 41-42

House Ragara 42-45

House Sesus 45-47

House Tepet 47-48

House V’neef 48-49

House Ferem 61-66

lexicon 15

Lintha Dragon-Bloods 87

lost eggs 19-55

The Marmorean Circle 66-67

Passage Rite 23

primary school 20

secondary school 20, 25-27, 55

The Cloister of Wisdom 25

The Heptagram 25-26

The House of Ancient Stone 27

The House of Bells 25

The Palace of

the Tamed Storm 27

Pasiap’s Stair 26, 55

The Spiral Academy 26

The Seventeenth Legion 81-83

sorcery 24-25

Imperial obligation 25

sorcerous societies 25, 36

The Rings of

Ledaal Catala 36

Storytelling 216-234

sworn brotherhoods 21, 122-123

Sworn Brother’s Oath 122-123

NAME: ____________________

PLAYER: ___________________

ASPECT: ___________________

CONCEPT: __________________

MOTIVATION: _______________

ANIMA: ____________________

BACKGROUNDS

________________________OOOOO

Name Cost

_______________________ _______

Name Cost

_______________________ _______

CHARMS

OOOOOOOOOO

B________ L________ A________

_______________________________

PERSONAL ____ | ____

PERIPHERAL ____ | ____

COMMITTED __________

_______________________________

LIMIT BREAK

VIRTUE FLAW

_______________________________

WEAPONS WILLPOWER

ESSENCE

EXPERIENCE

-0

-1

-2

-4

INCAPACITATED

SOAK

ANIMA

HEALTH

COMPASSION

OOOOO

CONVICTION

OOOOO

TEMPERANCE

OOOOO

VALOR

OOOOO

OOOOOO

RAGON BLOODE

VIRTUES

ATTRIBUTES

ADVANTAGES

ABILITIES

STRENGTH ___________OOOOO

DEXTERITY __________OOOOO

STAMINA ____________OOOOO

CHARISMA ___________OOOOO

MANIPULATION________OOOOO

APPEARANCE _________OOOOO

PERCEPTION__________OOOOO

INTELLIGENCE _________OOOOO

WITS ______________OOOOO

AIR

LINGUISTICS _____________OOOOO

LORE __________________OOOOO

OCCULT ________________OOOOO

STEALTH _______________OOOOO

THROWN _______________OOOOO

WATER

BUREAUCRACY ____________OOOOO

INVESTIGATION ___________OOOOO

LARCENY________________OOOOO

MARTIAL ARTS ___________OOOOO

SAIL ___________________OOOOO

EARTH

AWARENESS _____________OOOOO

CRAFT _________________OOOOO

INTEGRITY_______________OOOOO

RESISTANCE _____________OOOOO

WAR __________________OOOOO

WOOD

ARCHERY _______________OOOOO

MEDICINE _______________OOOOO

PERFORMANCE____________OOOOO

RIDE___________________OOOOO

SURVIVAL _______________OOOOO

FIRE

ATHLETICS ______________OOOOO

DODGE _________________OOOOO

MELEE _________________OOOOO

PRESENCE _______________OOOOO

SOCIALIZE _______________OOOOO

SPECIALTIES

______________________OOOOO

ISBN 1-58846-688-4 WW80100 $29.99U.S.

www.white-wolf.com/exalted

WW80100

••

Gifted with power

by the Elemental Dragons,

the Terrestrial Exalted

once formed the backbone

of the Solar Deliberative’s

grand army.

Then, when the Solars

went mad with power,

the Dragon-Blooded Host

rose up as one to slay

the tyrants and

set the world aright.

Can the Dragon-Bloods

hold onto the reins of power,

or does the return

of the Solar Exalted

mean the hegemony

of the 10,000 Dragons

is at an end?

A character sourcebook

for ExaltedExalted featuring:

• Details of Dragon-Blooded culture across

Creation, from the Realm and Lookshy

to Cherak and the Forest Witches

• Everything players and Storytellers need

to generate Dragon-Blooded characters,

includingtheir Charms and signature

martial arts styles

PRINTED IN CHINA

™

Exalted. .Manual.Of.Exalted.Power. .The.Dragon Blooded

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