GoldenCat/Sarawasti

Sarawasti

Foreword

This is just a fun exercise in creating a wondrous place! Due to its importance in a game, me and the sweet Storyteller Neki have created Exalted types for it, and they are in no way meant to be any sort of statement in the creation of Exalted in any sort of canon, just fun use of rules in shiny, shiny ways. With that out of the way, onwards!

The City of Ten Thousand Fractured Dragons

The City of Flying Glass, The City of Eternal Bondage, The City of Ten Thousand Fractured Dragons.
All those are names of Sarawasti, hidden jewel of the southeastern jungles!

Sarawasti is the land of glass chains.

In the jungles of Southeast, to the southwest of Jades lies this place of golden and glass palaces made by something other than Man, filled with statues of things that cannot be seen anywhere else, some of them distinctly draconic, such as the greatest statues, those of the Great Glass Dragon. Palaces whose strange angles create spatial difficulty and even madness to the uninitiated, and children must stay on glass domes on the outskirts of the city, 'nurseries' built by men first, with few forays into the right temples in the city to get used to the strange angles of the architecture, until their bodies and minds adapt to that strange geomancy. Some never do, becoming exiles or lying about their ability to handle the city... becoming increasing insane in the proccess.

Sarawasti is beloved of the sky. It calls to her, the song of heaven they all hear at sunset, and thus, the land floats to the sky. Only glass chains keep the great stretches of land from rising too far, and they float, many flying islands together, linked by great glass bridges and stairs.

Many such floating gardens are broken and overrun with the jungle, pine trees and jungle stalkers filling their palaces and dones, now claimed by vegetation. And others still are where the ruling body sits... the forbidden palaces. Where the souls of the city's elders exist as translucent, faceless angels of glass. As they die, they pass into the forbiddn palaces, and there they remain, watching over their young and tracking the sky with their astrology through the great glass panels in their tall spires, mapping the Fates in the sky.

Aided by their great advisor Pandora, Who Crafts Destinies, The Glass Elders lead their worship of their Creator, Myriah the Glass Dragon, the Mother of Fate. They say that she was once the Seventh Soul of Gaia, and she shone the light of Fate on the world, filtering the lights of the Wyld, before the Creation of the Maidens and the Loom, when Creation was more colorful, if more ephemeral. They tell that she was shattered but she will return, and Fate shall finally align when she does. They prepare festivals in homage of Heaven, they praise the Unconquered Sun, Luna and the Maidens, especially the latter, whom they believe will rejoice in the aid they will be given when Myriah returns.

But joy is the last of what will happen then.

Myriah is an aspect of Gaia, the controlling, bounding aspect of motherhood and compassion. Myriah was that part of Gaia that was disgusted with her own decision to aid on the Usurpation, who believes that the Primordial's Creations have no ability to govern themselves. That they must be guided by a powerful, stern hand to their proper places in the world. OF those few savants who know this fact in Creation, some postulate that her glass aspect may have been taken in appreciation of one of Gaia's Sisters who follows similar themes, She Who Lives In Her Name. Powered by Gaia's Guilt, she fled after the Usurpation and created Sarawasti, enslaving a group of Dragon Kings. But the Deliberative was suspicious of her, and thus she hid herself by shattering her own form upon Sarawasti, holding pieces of on the hands of her Second Circle Souls until the time would come for her to be reborn and attempt to correct the world. Some also posit that all those who can adapt to Sarawasti bear pieces of her, and that is the requisite not to go insane in Sarawasti's architecture... whose Geomancy calls to those pieces of far who are born far away.

And Pandora, her creative aspect has remained on Sarawasti, crafting wonders, among them the fragments of Myriah, Pandora's Jewels. The keys to the rebirth of Myriah are known as the Triatna, the Three Treasures of Sarawasti. Eye of God. Heart of God. Soul of God. Held by the greater 3 of Sarawasti's 23 ruling families, they hold great powers in and of themselves, and make those who possess them literal behemoths within Fate, dragging the lives and destinies of those around them as they move. The Keys for a rebirth that, now, in this age without Celestials and with a vacant Empress, is finally at hand...

The Triatna

'We are Ambrosia.'
'We are the blood of God.'
'We are the flesh of God.'
'God is Alpha and Omega, the Beggining and the End.'

The Eyes of God
The Heart of God
The Soul of God

The Three Holy Treasures of Sarawasti are held by their three greatest families. Their Fate tied to their Blood, they shift to the next on lineage when one of them dies, in a manner similar to the movement of Celestial Shards, although far less perfect and much more manipulable. It comes upon the next one in lineage in a manner similar to an Exaltation, an exhilirating moment! If it comes to one too early in their lives, it remains dormant until their coming of age.

When it does manifest, the shards of Myriah must be restrained or they will simply destroy their countainers. They retrained by powerful artifacts known as Unlimited Mirror Gates, restraints upon the flesh of the nobles which hold the Dragon spirit within them at bay. Despite their constant struggle and the restraints upon their flesh, the nobles are much envied, as the Gates give them great benefits over the common people.

Unlimited Mirror Gate
Bounding Jewels ****
Commitment 10 (Or 2 Willpower)
The Dragon is power. The Dragon is Fate. The Dragon is too powerful for a mortal soul to handle. It needs to be within the Asura family, to be nurtured, hidden and prepared for its ascension within their blood. When one dies, the eye swims through the hereditary ocean, attaching itself to the blood of the next in line, blossoming in their coming of age with power and light! And with a power that could rend their soul asunder. To prevent that and keep the eye nurtured and hidden within the noble, the Glass Maker, Pandora, created the Unlimited Mirrror Gate. A set of jewelry crafted in crystal and gold around the Asura, very much Dragon King in design, the Unlimited Mirror Gate comprises a torque, a bracer, and rings that hold the arms and legs of the noble. Those hold his flesh tight, bondage of the body which harkens to how their soul is so tightly bond. To maintain the harmony with the Unlimited Mirror Gate uses much of the noble's will; this leads many of the Asura to break down on other areas, while struggling so hard to maintain their holds upon their very souls.

The Unlimited Mirror Gate holds the soul of the noble in a perfectly ordered harmony, and nothing is capable of breaking this conjunction; any effect that would drain, alter or otherwise affect the noble's mind, soul and Essence is negated. His Essence, willpower and virtues cannot be drained or corrupted in any way, and he cannot be possessed or fall prey to spiritual diseases. Effects that simply confuse the mind externally, such as Beguilement or Undetectable Lies work as usual, however, as do those that would affect the body.

However, even though the body can be affected, that does not mean it is easy to do so; the nobles are the caretakers, the nurturers, the guardians of Myriah's Keys. To fulfill this function, the Unlimited Mirror Gate makes sure that they will not fall easily, and that their bodies are able and perfect, strong and supple as the dragon, for better survive all calamities and protect Sarawasti. Mechanically, the users of this artifact increase all of their physical attributes by 3 dots, and their Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated Soak and Hardness by 5. Unlimited Mirror Gate has three Hearthstone Slots, and allows a Mortal to attune to a Manse and make use of Hearthstones as if he was Exalted.

All of the Triatna have different powers(equivalent to an Artifact 4 or 5), but all of them are equal in the way they distort Fate...

In the Wake of a Dragon
Those who hold the Triatna are Dragons of Destiny in a world of order. Those who gaze upon their Essence pattern can see a mess of tangled diamond threads forming a pillar of light great as the bonfire of an Exalted Anima, pulling the destinies of all around them to himself, dragged in the wake of the Triatna. Although the nobles are not outside of Fate, they may as well be; the patterns of destiny around them criss-cross and tangle so thoroughly that any attempt to read or influence it is invariably unsuccessful, as the oracles come just a tangled mess. As long as they remain within one mile of another living thing which is part of fate, they count as being outside of fate, and any effects that target them and do not affect beings outside of Fate are just dispersed harmlessly in the landscape (however, Prayer Strip Charms or Solar Circle Sorcery may not do so harmlessly).

Creatures that spend long periods of time near the noble tend to find their destinies bizarrely tangled with theirs'. This has no mechanical effect, but may be used as a justification for purchasing certain backgrounds, such as Familiar and Allies, with Experience Points.

The eyes, held by the Asura family, are Sarawasti Surya and Sarawasti Chandra, the Father-Dragon Eye and the Mother-Dragon Eye. They allows one to see the vagaries of Fate in all those they gaze upon, see dematerialized spirits, and appear as impressive crystalline eyes, left and right.

Forces of Sarawasti

Sarawasti is a fortress. Its geomancy, and the insanity it brings, is enough to keep many conquerors away from it, although many come to visit, knowing the little time they must spend there before risking derangements. But its grand sights and the contents of its glass libraries bring some grand savants to it, especially those with Charms or Talismans to stave off the geomantic effect. Moreover, the Twenty-Three Great Manses, each tended by one Noble Family, unite to form a strong, if easily disrupted, geomantic defense of Sarawasti as a whole. This is part of what gives the nobles their power and importance, the fact they tend to, and have access to the powers of, each Manse. The holders of The Triatna are also strong protectors of Sarawasti.

Jungle Stalkers prey the ruined sections of the once-great metropolis, and at times, some of them are trained by Eris, Sarawasti's warrior-Goddess, into fully-intelligent and cognizant Dragon Kings. There seems to be no reason for why she does it so rarely, but as everything else in The City of Eternal Bondage, it must be ruled by Fate. Sarawasti keeps its few Dragon Kings somewhat hidden from the eyes of the world, but they are a strong asset in all areas of the city. As are The Mirrored, Terrestrial Exalted with the power of Dragon Kings, created by Pandora long ago by twisting Dragon King souls. 111 of them stand at the beck and call of the City of Flying Glass.

Eris herself is a strong spirit, and a mistress of the Celestial Martial Art Treading-on-Diamonds Style, the official art of Sarawasti. Although few can learn it, such as the best, most diligent Mirrored, it is still something that is deeply recognized in Ten-Thousand Ritual Eris and in the city itself. Many have come from other places in Creation to learn this art from her. She usually teaches it together with the Tiger-and-Bear Initiation.

Sarawasti makes great use of Dragon King Crystal Technology.

The Mirrored

Pandora, Myriah's Creative Soul, Empowered by the Glass Dragon's sheer Creative Power after her shattering, toiled hard to create soldiers worth of Myriah's return. One of her first attempt saw her capture and mold the souls of 111 Dragon Kings, shifting their shape, purpose and destinies into something... else. Something akin to Terrestrial Exalted, empowered with the souls of the once-kings of this world, casting the light of Myriah through the mirrored lens of the Elements the Dragon Kings are so attuned to. They are called The Mirrored, for they are humans who mirror the glory of the Kings long past.

The Shards of the Mirrored are souls of Ancient Dragon Kings, who seek and bound with the souls of those whose destiny is to come to Sarawasti, to be its protectors. It strikes them like Exaltation, for that is very much what it is! Their bodies explode in a savage, roaring light, their eyes becoming serpentine, scales of many colors appearing upon their bodies, in their faces like freckles, over their arms and torso. Their animas flare without substance, their light segmented into scales, their iconic banner images appearing as if painted on fragmented, scaled glass.

The Mirrored are Exalted in healing and resilience, and live about as long as Dragon-Blooded do. They are able to learn all Paths of Prehuman Mastery as if they were Dragon Kings, and learn Combos, Sorcery and Martial Arts like the Dragon-Blooded. They are able to learn Martial Arts both for the use of Human and Dragon King physiology both, and may freely Combo different Paths and Martial Arts together. Their Magical Material is Crystal and Vegetative items of the Dragon Kings, which they can harmonize with at normal cost.

Mirrored Character Creation
Step One: Character Concept. Note Concept, Caste and Nature.
Step Two: Attributes. Divide 7/5/4 between Attributes.
Step Three: Abilities. Note Caste abilities. Select 3 additional favored abilities. Divide 25 dots between Abilities. (10 of which must be Caste or Favored.)
Step Four: Paths. Note Caste Paths. Choose Favored Paths. Divide 6 between Paths. (at least 3 in Caste or Favored Paths.)
Step Five: Advantages. 7 Backgrounds, 5 Virtues.
Step Six: Finishing Touches. Record Essence (2), Willpower (2 highest virtues, may not start higher than 8 unless two or more virtues are rated 4 or higher), Personal Essence Pool (Essence + Willpower), Peripheral Essence Pool ([Essence x3] + Willpower + [Conviction+Valor]). And Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -2, -2, -4, Incap. Between all the other steps, one may divide 15 Bonus Points. Those use Terrestrial costs for everything.

Mirrored Castes
Mirrored Exalted have two Caste Paths, and choose the set of another Caste as favored. That choice has powerful implications, as that Caste becomes their Shadowed Caste, its anima style and element having implications in the Mirrored's Anima and in his personality. They are not only a single style of an Element, but always flavored by another.

Ambrosia
Anima Ability: Ambrosia Caste may spend 5 motes to cover themselves with the multihued substance of heaven itself! While thus clad they receive their Permanent Essence in automatic successes in Prayer rolls and any and all Social rolls with spiritual creatures, and those need to fail a Compassion roll every turn to act against the Ambrosial.
Caste Paths: Celestial Air, Clear Air
Caste Abilities: Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth, Thrown

Light
Anima Ability: Light Caste may spend 5 motes to move like light for the remainder of the scene! No enviromental hazard may bar their path and no power may penalize their movement rating. As long as they can see where they wish to get to clearly, and they are on solid ground at the end of their movement they will be there, be it through chasms or thorns or glass walls. They are still material, racing like spectres of light, and must be able to start the movement, and thus cannot escape from clinches or other manner of restraints in this way.
Caste Paths: Blazing Fire, Flickering Fire
Caste Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence, Socialize

Crystal
Anima Ability: Crystal Caste are great builders, creating great works of Crystal technology and even subtler ones of social or artistic bent! Commiting 5 motes, Crystal Caste may use their ordered crystalline mind to divide the time required to accomplish any physical, social or mental task by their Essence.
Caste Paths: Solid Earth, Yielding Earth
Caste Abilities: Awareness, Craft, Endurance, Martial Arts, Resistance

Glass
Anima Ability: Glass Caste may spend 5 motes to mirror their anima, making their presence even more concealed behind even a blade of grass! For the remainder of the scene they double the difficulty penalty of any obstruction to clearly perceiving the Glass Caste - from the cover of shields to that of trees, and even to the cover of invisibility or a pale moonlight.
Caste Paths: Flowing Water, Shimmering Water
Caste Abilities: Bureaucracy, Brawl, Investigation, Larceny, Sail

Amber
Anima Ability: Amber Caste may take the essence of life crystalized within them and coat others with it! It covers all allied characters and objects within the Exalt's Essence x10 yards, preserving their forms for the remainder of the scene! They will not be weathered or affected by enviromental hazards as long as they remain thus coated. They will leave this state in the same way they entered it, except for demonstrations of pure brute force, against which their lethal and bashing soak increases by an ammount equal to the Mirrored's Essence.
Caste Paths: Growing Wood, Shaping Wood
Caste Abilities: Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride, Survival

Mirrored use Dragon King Experience Costs.

The best of the Mirrored, 33 of them are together as the Crystal Guard, the royal guard of the Glass Elders. Those learn the Tiger-and-Bear Initiation and the Treading-on-Diamonds style of Martial Arts, among their use of Paths and crystalline chains. Their many taboos keep them a diverse and legendary lot, their rituals and behavior as unique as each star in the sky.

There are other places that have created beings akin to the Mirrored. The Dowager of Irreverent and Unrent Veils has created a group of similar beings, akin to the Mirrored but with more natural use of dark paths akin to Han-Tha's, and the Syndics have created a personal honor guard of similar beings in Whitewall.