Heru/InnerCircle
Heru's Inner Circle
Long, long ago during the Primordial War a Circle of Solar Exalted were in the right place at the right time. These Solars were in Yu-Shan during a Primordial counter-attack, a counter-attack that saw the Unconquered Sun targeted. Due to the geas that prohibited the gods from attacking in either defense or offense the Primordials, it was up to these Solars to save him. The battle was as intense, as awe-inspiring as damaging as any of the others in the years long war, but in the end the Primordial was defeated and vanquished.
In thanks, the Unconquered Sun gave these Solars a number of gifts. The first gift was that these Solars would be the highest Circle within the Solar Exalted, the leaders to the Solars as the Solars are leaders to Creation. The second gift was that the Shards of all five of them would be bound tightly together. No matter the incarnation, they would find each other and regain their rightful place as the lords over the Exalted. The third gift was the Primus Solar Manse, six massive structures (one for each Solar Caste and a central building) within Yu-Shan that would be the home of the Inner Circle.
During the entire history of the First Age these Solar Exalted ruled. Due to their bond with each other they never fell pray to internal fighting. They remained unitied till the end. In fact, by the time of the Usurpation they only treated each other with respect, trust and honesty, all others were Outsiders. The Shard-connection to the Primus Solar Manse made it so that they never turned their backs on the Unconquered Sun. While they became as dark and foreboding as the other Solar Exalted, they never betrayed the Unconquered Sun or each other.
During the Usurpation they were the first to be taken out. Dawn, Zenith, Night and Eclipse were at the party that caused the death of a lot of Solar Exalted. Hundreds of Terrestrials and a few Sidereals were killed trying t take out the Solars. At the same exact point of time the Eclipse was tending to matters within the deep Command Center underneath the Ballroom. He felt, through the bond, the deaths of the other members of the Inner Circle. As a final act, because the Terrestrials were trying to force their way into the room, he activated the massive Essence defensive shield built around the Old and Central part of Meru. Thus the very center structures of the Solar Deliberative was inaccessible, surrounded as they were by gigantic golden sphere.
All five shards of the Inner Circle were captured by the Sidereals and incarcerated within the Jade Prison. Their higher souls, on the otherhand, were summoned to the Primus Solar Manse. This was doen through their connection to that Manse and part of the ancient order, the higher souls of all Inner Circle Exalted were onhand to provide training and education to their sucessors. The Sidereals who later did research on the higher souls of the Inner Circle were very glad of this fact, because if the Inner Circle souls remained free to join the Neverborn as deathlords, well that was a concept to dark to think about.
Thus matters remained the same for some two thousand years. Eventually, the Jade Prison was broken open and the Shards of the Solar Exalted set free. When Lytek received the Solar Shards of the Inner Circle he was relieved, for he new that the cycle was not broken and could be reparied. He cleaned them up and launched the Shards back into Creation. Thus the shards were at the right place and the right time to Exalt five mortals who happened to be passing at a crossroad.
This is where the players came in.
Commentary
I Imagine tha the Hierophant of The deliberatve was a meber of this Circle? -Azurelight
- Yeah, he would be Zenith. The leader amongst the leaders.
