FrivYeti/Nihilic Castes
Back to the Nihilic Exalted
Castes Of The Nihilic Exalted
The Lunar Exalted may once have had five Castes, but they were broken and merged down to three. When the Deathlords reforged them into Nihils, they saw no need to mess with a proven formula, and retained the system of three simple castes for their new servants. These Castes owe nothing to the night sky, for they hail from the depths of Oblivion itself, and it is in their purpose that they are named.
Corrosive Caste
Although the Abyssal Exalted are the lords of Destruction, the forces of Creation are mighty and manyfold, and if the Abyssals must pit their strength against that of Creation, they may yet falter. To aid their passage walk the Lightless, chosen by the heart of the Void to sap away the strength of the living that they may be easier prey for the dead.
Corrosive Nihils are the warriors, spies, and saboteurs of the Deathlords. Their purpose is rarely to meet strength with strength. Instead, they walk unseen through the darkness, striking with poison and disease at their enemies, assassinating important leaders and figures, and showing that nothing can withstand the Void. They work most commonly alongside Abyssals of the Dusk and Day, as supporters in direct conflict or sappers in the shadows. Even when they go unnoticed, however, the wake of destruction that they leave in their path speaks for itself. They bring Oblivion with them wherever they walk, and their enemies fall down like grains of wheat before the storm.
Favored Attributes
Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
Anima Banner
The caste mark of the Corrosive is a grey disc, stained with darker lines. As their anima grows, the area around them seems to become darker, until they are all but swallowed in grey shadows.
Anima Effect
The shadows of the Corrosive seem to twist distance and sap strength. For five motes, the Corrosive may add her Essence to her movement and jumping distances for the scene. This effect also weakens the world around her. The character adds her (Strength + Essence) to her usual Strength for the purpose of feats of strength or damage rolls made to breaking objects, and reduces the soak of her opponents by half her Essence. This power activates automatically when the character reaches the 11+ mote level on her anima.
Sobriquets
Servants of the Devouring Void, The Lightless
Consumptive Caste
The institutions and hopes of Creation are many, and they must fall before the truth of the Void. Although the Abyssal Exalted preach the words of Oblivion, there are always those who speak out against them, and these people must be made to see the truth before the way to eternal sleep can be opened.
The Consumptive Exalted are speechwriters and infiltrators, swallowing souls to learn the weaknesses and vices of their enemies and bringing them down by exposing them as the charlatans that they are. Their purpose is to turn enemies into allies, bringing the world into the arms of the Void, and to that end they commonly work with the Midnight and Moonshadow Castes to help open each person's eyes to the emptiness that awaits them. Whenever a hero rises up, the Hopeless are ready to bring him down.
Favored Attributes
Charisma, Manipulation, Appearance
Anima Banner
The caste mark of the Consumptive is a dim grey crescent, marked with light spirals that seem to drain its color downwards. The animas of the Hopeless leech all life from their surroundings. In their strange light, colors seem to turn grey and drab, and skin is bleached the shades of death.
Anima Effect
The Consumptive Caste can take on the shapes of those they have devoured. Whenever the character possesses a soul, she may commit 10 motes to take on its shape - this does not consume the soul. The character's Physical Attributes become those of her target, and she gains any mutations it had, for good or ill. Any attempt to disguise herself as the person succeeds automatically, and any attempt to pass as her applies an external penalty equal to her Essence to Investigation attempts to realize her true nature. This also increases the MDV to spot her Tell by her Essence for the remainder of the disguise. Because this effect pulls on the soul the Nihil controls to transform herself, it is not considered an Illusion effect.
A Consumptive who spends eleven or more motes of Essence in a scene can activate this power reflexively, although her anima will likely ruin the effect. It will still allow her to disguise her true self, however, so many Consumptive find it quite useful (as well as potentially off-putting to enemies who must face murdered loved ones in battle).
Sobriquets
Servants of the Ensnaring Void, the Hopeless
Blighted Caste
The road to Oblivion is a long one, and it needs planners. Although the Abyssals are wonders in the fields of destruction, of forging great monstrosities and dark spells, the Blighted Ones are always willing to guide them, to act as direct conduits to the Neverborn and to work through each step needed to bring the world to eternal Oblivion.
The Blighted are the seers and organizers of the Void, something that the Deathlords might very badly need. They often work alongside the Daybreak Caste, but are also found amongst those of Day and Moonshadow, where their talents often lie. They help to find the best and most efficient uses of power, to discover the targets that the other Nihils should destroy for maximum effect, and to stymie the attempts of the spirits of Creation to interfere with the Great Work. The Soulless are the leaders of the Nihilic Exalted, if such exist, simply because they are the ones who best understand what it is that is expected of them.
Anima Banner
The castemark of the Soulless is a simple grey disc, within which onlookers sometimes see glimpses of their own fears and beliefs twisted against them. Their anima banner is a searing grey light that overwhelms the landscape around them, turning everything into the dull evenness of the Void.
Anima Effects
The nature of the Soulless is to act with forethought and preparation, and their powers act in terrible speed. When using a simple Charm or spell, the character may spend 5 motes to reduce its Speed by 1 (this must be spent seperately for each Shape Sorcery or Necromancy action for spells). When activating a Charm or spell whose preparation time is measured in minutes or greater, the character reduces the required time by one-fifth.
When the Soulless have spent 11 or more motes, her anima activates fully, reducing the cost of the above power to 2 motes. In addition, the terrible light of the Void makes her difficult to strike directly - this applies a -1 external penalty to any attempt to attack her, unless her attacker is blind or otherwise not using sight to attack.
Sobriquets
Servants of the Eternal Void, the Soulless
Anima Rules
The anima powers of the Nihilic Exalted are much like those of their Abyssal brethern, but attuned to decay and rot rather than destruction. As such, they use the same chart as and retain the following powers of Abyssal animas:
In addition, the powerful animas of the Nihilic Exalted sap the belief of mortals in a higher power and ultimate meaning to existence. When a mortal character witness a Nihilic anima at the totemic level, she must roll her Conviction. If she fails, she is struck with despair, and cannot take any actions that require active effort. Heroic mortals may spend a Willpower to resist, while Exalts and magical beings have seen worse and are immune. Mortals who botch this roll have the usual effects for failing, but are totally struck by the inevitability of the End. They must spend one Willpower or else acquire an Intimacy towards Oblivion which cannot be removed without powers that remove derangements, and which costs one Willpower to act against for a scene.
