MicahHakubi/Essay03
Dawns and Twlights are easily my two favorite Solar Castes. Why? In the setting of Creation, they're the ones that have thier own, unique niche... and they're the ones that break the most rules.
Dawns -are- the Masters of War. No other Caste has easy access to as many combat proficiencies as they do. Many people complain insessently about how they're broken, weak, completely unsuitable for the role of General of the Unconquered Suns armies - whatever. The problem is that they're not viewing the the Dawn Caste and the setting they work in correctly. Creation is not modern society, and neither is it's warfare. Sure, parts of Creation like to play at being advanced, busting out the power armour, essence weapons galore, and Warstrider's smashing behemoths aside, and that's fine. But at the core, Creation is very much a old-history type setting - Bronze Age, Meidieval times, Greek, Romans, Japan, China, ect, ect, ect.
Take the Trojan war for example - it's a very -good- example of this. You can even use the recent movie, which, I think, shows the part I'm trying to stress a good deal, with Achillies. Why was Achillies so valuable to the war effort? Was it because he was a cunning strategem? No. Was he a smooth talker, a man of the courts, who could hold an empire in his sway? Hell no. What he -was- was a warrior that was unparalelled at that time. Everyone knew it - there -was- no one better than Achillies. But... he's just one man.
Exactly.
What Achillies did was that he -inspired- people. However indirectly. In that setting, you can be a complete asshole - and Achillies -was- a complete asshole for most of the Trojan war - and the people will love you, the people will follow you, and you -will- inspire an almost religious zeal in people. Why? Because, to them, your inhuman skill is more important and more valuable than the person you really are... not to mention the amount of faith and proxy people will invest in your victories.
Let's take another great warrior in mythology - Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was -the- biggest asshole, and treated his city/state like his own playground. He forcibly bedded every woman that was to be married on thier wedding night. This guy was not exactly someone you want to sit down and have some tea with - and yet, his city -loved- him. Why? Because he was powerful, and in that type of world, you need -power- above all, if only to protect those below you.
That's what a Dawn is. They don't -need- tactics. They don't -need- 'Lore: Military +3' in order to lead armies. That's what your Dragonblooded Captains are for. But when it's crunch time, whenever the rampaging Wyld Hordes are at the gate... then you damn well be at the forefront of your forces, busting out the mythical solar righteous ass-kicking upon the enemies of creation, because you're not going to be inspiring people otherwise if you're at the back of your formation, calling out orders and telling others what to do. Yes, that -does- work in a modern soceity... but Exalted isn't a modern society. And yes, that -can- work in Exalted... but it's often not the best thing to do. And while you may be able to fomulate a cunning and bold plan that'll astoud your enemies and catch them flatfooted - Odysseus, anyone, and the Trojan Horse? - more than likely, the one executing that brilliant and cunning plan will be -you-, and you'd damn well be best equipped for it.
And no other Caste is better equipped at kicking seven different kinds of holy hell than Dawns.
