Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010

The Dimmed Lights Of Heaven

"Light is simple to perceive, tiring to create and somewhat harder to sculpt. But all are possible; for this reason, we claim light exists. Darkness cannot be perceived, created or sculpted by us save in the abscence of its opposite; for this reason, we claim it does not. This is folly; darkness may not follow our laws, but it must follow laws all the same. Step into shadow, and you become a part of those laws - and it is only a matter of time before you learn to twist them." - Autumn Falls Softly

It has often been posited that the dull stars of the Underworld mark the destinies of those who dwell there, that the workings of the Underworld are given order by the Calendar of Setesh, that the Green Lady is a former agent of Heaven who learnt to harness them. The rules below work on the assumption that all these are true; they will provide complete Charm listings for those Sidereals that seek wisdom or power in the Underworld's constellations. Perhaps this requires a conversion in the manner of Solar to Abyssal essence, perhaps not - I leave that for you to choose and implement accordingly. I'll come up with rules either way when I have time. Anyhow, without further ado:

The House Of Footsteps

The constellations of the House Of Footsteps embody aimless wandering, continuation for its own purpose and quests without conclusion. Where its Creation counterpart represents the will to move, this represents the refusal to stop.

The House Of Mourning

The constellations of the House Of Mourning embody reflection, obligation, and fond memory. Where its Creation counterpart concerns life as viewed by the living, this concerns it as viewed by the dead.

The House Of Scars

The constellations of the House Of Strife embody the aftermath of strife, loss of innocence, and destruction of precious things. Where its Creation counterpart represents strength through conflict, this represents the weakness it brings.

The House Of Silence

The constellations of the House Of Silence embody that which is unknown or unknowable, and those who would not speak or listen. Where its Creation counterpart concerns the propogation and power of knowledge, this concerns the wilful spread of ignorance, and the selfish nature of insight.

• DBSPenumbralExalted/TheLock (Larceny), constellation of shirked knowledge and embraced ignorance.

The House Of Desolation

The constellations of the House Of Desolation embody decay, dissolution, and death without hope of life. Where its Creation counterpart represents ends that offer beginnings anew, this represents nothing beyond the slow but inevitable decay toward Oblivion.

Feedback

So how do the Penumbral Exalted work their Astrological effects? I love this idea (and while I'm not too fond of "Penumbral," I do like to see something other than "Dark" or "Abyssal" Sidereals). But like, does the Calendar of Setesh work as a big, massive Pattern Spider, or does it have its own agents (maybe scorpions? that would be cool: Discord Scorpions... Pattern Spiders gone dead!)? It'd be nice to flesh out some of the fluff first, so we ahve something to work on the crunch with.

As an aside... I had this cool idea for a Sidereal-type Archery Charm, where the Penumbral re-writes the Fate of all arrows fired and makes them attack one specific target of her choice. Would that be Fate-y enough? I'm not used to writing Charms... ~ Seiraryu

The idea I had in mind was that the Calendar documents and demonstrates the flow of time in the Underworld; given access to it via dark pacts with the Dual Monarchy, the Penumbrals may introduce precisely formulated modifications or novel elements to direct the flow of Fate. More suggestions are welcome, obviously...DeathBySurfeit

There's the SynodicExalted also brewing on the wiki - perhaps some combination of ideas from these sources could be wrought? This project seems to be in stasis at present...
-- Darloth

Or I could pick over its bones and salvage whatever is of interest to me? Very in-theme, I thought...DeathBySurfeit