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The Deathlords: Con Artists Of The Underworld
The Deathlords are the ultimate weapon of the Neverborn, tools designed to wear away at the Underworld and draw all things into the darkness of the Void. With Creation distracted, they have snuck into the edges of society and stand poised to unleash horrors.
But what if they were not as potent as they claimed? What if, beyond their immortality, the power of the Deathlords was actually quite limited? Empowered ghosts they might be, but they are ghosts nonetheless. Perhaps they can be bested by the proper approach, and it is only their stealth that has protected them so far...
The following rules reduce the threat posed by the Deathlords. This can be done for a number of reasons. It could allow for an increase in the number of Deathlords, transforming them into regional overlords with a handful of Abyssals each. It could allow for the Underworld to be diminished as a threat, shifting the focus of the Dead onto the Abyssal Exalted, their ultimate champions. If other dangers have been introduced against Creation (such as a new Primordial, a hostile Autochthon, or confrontational gods) it gives characters a better chance of not seeing the world as just plain doomed. Mainly, it changes the Deathlords from unstoppable elder-Exalt monsters into cunning shadows, the darkness lurking at the edges of the Underworld instead of the all-consuming Void at its heart.
Basic Mechanics
The basic mechanics of reducing the power of the Deathlords are simple. First, although the Neverborn have pushed them past normal ghostly limits, they could only push so far. Deathlords all have Essence 6, and use the Deathlord Essence pool calculation listed in Manual Of Exalted Power: Abyssals. They may have Attributes and Abilities rated up to 8, due to their ancient lifespans and experience.
Secondly, the Neverborn have granted access to a small suite of Charms to the Deathlords, but their Abyssal servants can soon surpass them. Deathlords have knowledge of every canon Abyssal Charm up to Essence 4, as well as Void Circle Necromancy. They cannot learn their old Solar mirrors by any means; that part of them has been cut off forever. They are also able to learn Celestial Martial Arts up to Essence 4. Finally, they may learn Arcanoi up to Essence 5, and may freely combo their Arcanoi with their Charms using normal Charm limitations. Most Deathlords quickly learn any Charms that their Abyssal servants develop, provided they are within Essence 4.
Finally, the inherent power of the Deathlords to command and consume ghosts is limited to ghosts that have tasted the Whispers of Oblivion. Only ghosts with the Whispers background, including spectres and nephwracks, can be targeted by these powers. Deathlords can still slay mortals with a glance, but these mortals are not guaranteed to leave ghosts, and if they do create them under normal means. Deathlords typically use their Necromancy and Charms to control ghosts.
Lords of the Dead
The result of this drastic reduction in the power of the Deathlords is that, while they have control over vast regions of the Underworld, it is possible for ghosts and cities of ghosts to slip through their fingers, and they are cautious of direct confrontation with elder Sidereals or Lunars, who could destroy them in a direct fight. On the other hand, they can never be killed forever, which gives them a certain leeway in their plans.
The Underworld does not have weapons to fight the Deathlords, but this is due mainly to a lack of champions. No ghost can stand directly against the powerful necromancy that the Deathlords wield, and no Exalt has stood on the side of the Underworld. A Circle of dedicated Exalts could stymie the Deathlords' plans, and with the Mask of Winter's presumptuous attack against Thorns, they may well do so.
Although their power is lessened, what the Deathlords have openly accomplished can be done nonetheless. The reduced power of the Deathlords might still be sufficient to have unleashed the Great Contagion, or they could simply serve as vessels for the focused power of the Neverborn, which gathered for thousands of years before being unleashed against the power of Creation. Thorns was conquered through Void Circle Necromancy and the might of the Abyssal Exalted, and the Mask had little to do with it. The Bodhissatva cannot construct great First Age warships, but he can construct lesser warships, and is rapidly training Abyssals to build his war machines for him. And so on.
Lesser Deathlords are not a serious threat against an organized Creation. Furthermore, they are far more likely to lose control of their Abyssal Exalts, lacking the massive personal power needed to control them. The Neverborn are aware of this, and may well be planning for it; the purpose of the Deathlords is to lay the groundwork and train the powerful champions of Oblivion who will unmake all things.
