TheSunNeverSets
Exalted: The Sun Never Sets
by Whollyrandom
The year is 1850 and all is not well with Creation. Victoria, immortal Empress of England, the Blessed Isle, has now been missing for nearly three years and the various powers and principalities of the Empire are preparing themselves to arrange her succession by whatever means prove necessary.
Since the Empress’ disappearance, client-states are growing ever more restive and some have even moved to outright rebellion. Not even the threat of the mighty Imperial Navy or the Redcoat Legions is sufficient to exercise control over Creation now that the all-powerful head of state is missing. Tax revenues are falling, the economy is stagnating, the Legions are being recalled from outlying and minor client-states, rumours of Napoleon’s return have become common currency and some of the citizens of the Blessed Isle are even beginning to doubt their manifest destiny to bring civilisation to the world.
The Empress and the Angel-Blooded
It is hard to understand the Empire without understanding the Angel-Blooded and their ruler, the Eternal Empress Victoria. The Angel-Blooded, while appearing much as other men do, are the spiritual children and favourites of the Five Elemental Angels of the Unconquered Sun. They are gifted beyond the dreams of mortals. They live for hundreds of years, are peerless warriors, leaders and craftsmen and can command the very elements themselves by drawing upon their divine nature.
The Blood of the Angels flows down family lines; once an Angel-Blood has bred with another Angel-Blood or, in dire circumstances, a mere mortal, their progeny will forever carry the mark of the Angels. It must be understood that the children of Angel-Bloods start their lives as mortals, the better to learn the humility required for so mighty a being to live among mere men. Later in life, around puberty, the child is touched by the Breath of one of the Five Angels and experiences a moment known as Exaltation, when divine revelation causes him to slough off his human nature and assume the mantle of his full power. However, not all descendants of such a union will experience the divine revelation of the Angels – the vast majority do not; Exaltation is reserved for those with a particular destiny and shoulders broad enough to bear the weight of the world.
While most Angel-Blooded exalt within the Blessed Isle, the most beloved country of the Unconquered Sun, some do come into their power elsewhere within Creation. The nations of Europe produce a certain number, as do the civilised countries of the North, South, East and West. This is considered by the Empire to be a test set by the Five Angels; it is inevitable that even the most jealously-guarded bloodline will spread geographically over time; the Angel-Blooded can be creatures of great passion, and their descendants dwell in many parts of the world. What is not clear is why descendants not born into the Empire should ever exalt, since they lack – for the most part – the spiritual development required to do so. The Imperial Church officially considers this a sign that the influence of the Five Angels is gradually spreading as the influence of the Empire brings the world into a state of Grace and that such non-Imperial Angel-Bloods should be brought into the fold of orthodoxy as soon as possible. In practice, most such Exalts are perfectly happy where they are, carving out large niches for themselves locally in their chosen fields of excellence, and they strongly resist any attempts at re-education.
The Empress is, in theory, an Angel-Blood herself. However, it should be noted that she is over eight hundred years old, a lifespan four centuries longer than the oldest Angel-Blood ever recorded. Additionally, her skill in combat and magic exceed those of normal Angel-Bloods (if the word ‘normal’ can indeed be applied to the Princes of the Earth) to the same degree that those of Angel-Bloods exceed those of mere mortals. She ascended to power in 1066 following the death of her father, Harald, and has held the reins of government in her enlightened yet vice-like grip ever since. Under her rule, the Blessed Isle has extended its influence to such an extent that nearly three-quarters of Creation owes fealty or tribute to it in one manner or another. Three years ago, however, she simply vanished, and all the efforts of Lord Wellington, the Prime Minister to find her have been in vain.
Sexism
As might be expected in a realm dominated by a seemingly immortal god-Empress, sexual discrimination is uncommon within the Empire, though it is more prevalent in other parts of the world not blessed by the Five Angels.
History
Ancient History
In the far past, the world suffered the depredations of a multitude of gods, demons and fair folk. Humanity, even reality itself were subject to the infamous whims of the powerful, semi-divine entities that thronged across the face of Creation. This situation was only remedied when the Unconquered Sun, the true Lord of Heaven and the only god with true love in his heart for humanity, took on human form and allowed himself to die. He did this in order that his spirit might pass first into the Underworld and later into the realms of the other Powers and do battle with them; he emerged triumphant, slaying many gods, demons and fair folk and cowing those that remained.
He then made a compact with humanity, that for as long as men remembered and worshipped him he would shield them against those spiritual entities that meant them harm by sending to Creation the children of his Five Angels, the Angel-Blooded. These selfless paragons would forever protect mankind against the spirits, godlings and mighty Powers that still dwelled in the corners of the world, and would benevolently rule common mortals on behalf of their Lord and Master.
Recent History
The Empire is, without a doubt, the most powerful political, economic and military entity on the face of Creation. However, the Unconquered Sun does not provide reward without trial, recompense without endless struggle, and thus the path of the Empire has, for all the centuries since its foundation, been beset with conflict and even, on occasion, defeat. In more recent years, too much of the conflict has led to defeat, and the growing belief that the Empress’ grip was slipping may be connected to her sudden disappearance. It is worth highlighting a few of the events that have troubled the course of empire in the last hundred years.
In 1775, the archipelago of America declared its independence from the benevolent rule of the Blessed Isle. Rather than negotiate for a reduced tax burden or increase the legislative powers of its fledgling local parliament, as certain other client states had done, it was pushed into armed revolt by a cabal of ambitious local bankers and politicians. The Empress brought a swift end to the revolution, destroying the American capital of Philadelphia with a bolt of cleansing fire from the heavens. However, this did not kill the archipelago’s desire for independence and over the next two decades, a political compromise was reached whereby the island became nominally self-governing, providing trading concessions to the Blessed Isle in lieu of taxes. In return, the Empire armed the archipelago and set it up as a buffer state against the more aggressive and militaristic western nation of Japan.
A little over forty years ago, the kingdom of France underwent a bloody revolution and came under the control of a renegade Angel-Blood, Napoleon of the house of Tepet. Within a few short years, he had conquered all of the Many Kingdoms and crowned himself Master of Europe. Only a protracted campaign by Arthur Mnemon, Iron Lord of Wellington, brought an end to the upstart’s imperial ambitions. Napoleon was believed slain at the Battle of Waterloo, but since the disappearance of the Empress, there have been sightings of the Master in the forge-city of Dresden, the pleasure-gardens of Paris and even on the Blessed Isle itself.
In the last twenty years, social unrest has been growing on the Blessed Isle itself; the increasing economic might of the larger cities has disrupted the dominance once held by London, the Imperial Capital. The poorest labourers, both in the towns and cities, have rioted on several occasions, fighting the introduction of machinery that does the work of several men, the increasingly revised and complex taxation system and other signs of progress. The intervention of the army has quelled the unrest on each occasion, but now that the Empress is gone the lower classes may see an opportunity to claim a say in the running of the Isle and Creation. Parliament has passed a number of repressive measures to discourage rioting and unlawful assemblies of five persons or more, but still the undercurrent of discontent continues.
Geography
England, of course, lies at the centre of Creation. At its centre stands Windsor, the Imperial mountain, the Elemental Pole of Earth.
The North
Immediately to the north of the Blessed isle the island of Scotland is found, famed for its rugged terrain and ferocious warriors. Scotland is considered by most to be part of the Blessed Isle and provides many of the Empire’s greatest warriors.
Further to the north lies the great landmass of Scandinavia, the Ice-Land; the parts closest to the Blessed Isle – including the nations of Holland and Denmark, both formerly great merchant powers – are civilised enough, though excessively libertarian to Imperial eyes. Further north lie the ice fields, inhabited only by Vikings, terrible barbarians who scour the frozen waste in their dreadful long-sleds in a perpetual search for prey, both human and animal.
To the far north lies the elemental pole of Air, where the ice finally fades and all that remains is an endless, freezing sky.
The East
Close to the Blessed Isle lie the Many Kingdoms, also known as the European Kingdoms. Some of the largest of the Many Kingdoms, such as France, Spain and Germany, are significant political powers in their own right, but the rest are a morass of states with confusing, ever-shifting boundaries and alliances. For all their apparent political instability, however, the Many Kingdoms are for the most part technologically advanced and highly civilised. The majority of them owe nominal fealty to the Blessed Isle, but direct rule – or enforcement of any more than the most nominal fealty – has long been considered undesirable by Imperial strategists.
Further east lie Creation’s largest countries, Russia and China. Temperate and heavily wooded, these countries are rich in natural resources, but primitive and too large to be controlled by their unsophisticated governments. Both are subject to indirect Imperial rule and their kings are advised – in their own best interest, and with a view to modernising their infrastructure – by Imperial governors.
India lies to the south-east; a vast land of temperate forests and tropical jungles, it has long been seen as the richest and most loyal territory of the Empire. It is largely administered by the Moghuls, local grandees who agree to submit to Imperial taxation and law but otherwise govern their own affairs. At the uttermost east, the elemental pole of Wood is found; the air becomes still, the light is cut off by the leafy canopy far overhead. The trees grow to an unimaginable height and become utterly impassable to even the most determined traveller.
The South
To the south of the Blessed Isle is found Africa, land of fire . The countries along the northern sea coast of the continent, such as Turkey, Egypt and Algeria, are civilised, if somewhat behind Europe and the Blessed Isle in matters of technology. However, beyond the narrow coastal strip lie vast deserts, long presumed impassable to any but the most determined explorer. The only inhabitants of the deserts are dark-skinned nomads, perpetual travellers trapped in an endless journey from one fragile oasis to the next.
The Empire enjoys reasonably cordial relationships with most of the northern African states, providing them with technology and occasional military support in return for the right to exploit their otherwise wasted natural resources. However, the Ottoman empire of Turkey has slumped into a worrying decline and the Empire is concerned that once it falls the stability of the entire region may be compromised. The Imperial Survey Office sends occasional expeditions to the southern deserts in an attempt to bring the values and virtues of civilisation to the nomads, and, coincidentally, to look for new sources of coal to feed the ever-hungry machineries of the Empire. Sadly, these ventures are rarely successful, falling prey all too often to the harsh climate and the appetites of certain of the nomadic tribes.
The elemental pole of Fire is presumed to lie to the south of the deserts, but none have ever successfully travelled to it; the heat of the far south is such that even Fire-aspected Angel-Bloods cannot long remain there.
The West
A little to the west is found the wooded and secret isle of Mona, noted for its sorcerors and occasional resurgences of blood sacrifice. Beyond Mona lies the great ocean, Pacifica, speckled with a thousand tiny islands, many of which bear strange and unique micro-cultures. The only notable political powers of the West are America, a proud and independent archipelago discussed more fully in the section on history above, and its warlike neighbour, Japan. If all of the thirty islands of America could be united, they would make up a landmass greater in size than the Blessed Isle itself, but they are so disparate in geography, culture and their various distortions of the English language that the Empire does not consider any permanent unification to be a serious likelihood.
The twin islands of Japan form a single country. It has a strong feudal tradition, but is technologically backwards. Its culture revolves around bravery and personal honour and, for example, the use of gunpowder weaponry is seen by purists as a cowardly act. The country is, however, keen to modernise and has recently been salvaging technology from captured Imperial and American troops and warships. As a result, Japan is currently undergoing traumatic change as the central authority of the emperor seeks to impose modern developments in technology, military thinking and civil planning against a background of both passive and occasionally active resistance from the feudal daimyos.
In the farthest west lies the elemental pole of Water, a place where the sky vanishes and the sea stretches without limit in all directions.
Matters Spiritual
Religion
On a simple level, the Empire is a monotheistic culture, devoted to the worship of the Unconquered Sun. However, as with many simple assertions, this one is too unsubtle to be considered true to any significant degree. In practice, the Unconquered Sun receives little direct worship from the Imperial Church. Instead, worship is aimed primarily at the Five Angels or Elemental Angels, who intercede with the Unconquered Sun on behalf of humanity. The Five Angels are:
- George, Angel of Fire
- Gabriel, Angel of Water
- Uriel, Angel of Air
- Raphael, Angel of Earth
- Maktiel, Angel of Wood
In traditional Imperial theology, the Angels are the first and greatest creations of the Unconquered Sun. Understanding His thought, yet distinct from Him, they represent the transitional state between the intangible and eternal divinity of the Sun and his divinity as incorporated within the world of matter and time; they are provided as a means for mortals to approach the incomprehensible perfection of the one true God. The Angel-Blooded in turn are considered to be the spiritual children of the Five Angels and their direct representatives within Creation.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the Imperial Church is rife with factionalism and variant beliefs that in many cases might be considered heresy. Additionally, the Imperial Church permits the presence of a number of other Churches within the Empire and enjoys relatively friendly relations with the Mithraic Church of the Many Kingdoms. Certain of the kingdoms of the world, notably in Africa, the far North and the far East, worship other gods. Their beliefs are tolerated, for fear of irritating their patron deities, but Imperial Missions continue to promote the Imperial faith in these heathen countries.
Gods, Demons, Fair Folk and worse
The Blessed Isle itself is largely free of the influence of the various gods, demons and fairies that continue to plague less civilised lands. This is chiefly thanks to the untiring efforts of the Angel-Bloods and in particular of the Order of the Holy Temple, a sect of warrior-monks devoted to seeking out and destroying all enemies of the Unconquered Sun and the Elemental Angels.
However, the further a country is from the Blessed Isle, the more likely it is to be subject to the nefarious influence of one or more of the spirits who have begun to creep back into the world since it was first cleansed by the Unconquered Sun. These beings attempt to sway mortals from the proper worship of the Unconquered Sun and his Five Angels in order to feed upon their adoration. Their powers are often significant, posing a threat even to the Angel-Blooded; however, they typically stand and fight alone, whereas the Angel-Blooded are trained from birth both to fight in groups of their own kind and to command mortals, inspiring them to efforts ordinarily beyond their strength. In this manner, the Angel-Bloods are almost always able to combat the spiritual entities that would otherwise threaten the humans in their care.
Fair Folk are worthy of special mention. These capricious and cruel tricksters claim to come from beyond creation, clothing themselves in mortal flesh merely in order to indulge their passions and create havoc. It is said that in the distant past, they, like the other spirits, ruled parts of Creation, feeding on the dreams of their slaves and draining them of all vitality. They are amongst humanity’s deadliest enemies and are fought by the Angel-Blooded wherever they are found.
There are, however, other beings in the world, entities which are neither spirits, nor Fair Folk, nor Angel-Bloods. It is whispered that there are other forms of Exalts, other once-mortals granted great power by mighty supernatural entities, inferior to the Unconquered Sun yet still to be feared. Though much fewer in number than the Angel-Bloods, these Exalts are often of terrifying strength and able to manifest dreadful abilities.
The two most often whispered of are:
- the Lunar Exalts, mortals infected by the maddening power of Luna, the moon, once the consort of the Unconquered Sun but since spurned by him. They are skin-changers, able to take on the forms of men and beasts that they have devoured. They are also mighty warriors and, as such, should be met at all times with overwhelming force.
- the Nephilim, or Dark Exalts. It is said that, far in the past, the Unconquered Sun had an evil twin, his diametric opposite. This malicious entity, the Dark Sun, granted great power to a cult of mortals that worshipped him. Their power drove them mad and they attempted first to control and then to destroy the world. It is even said that it was this that prompted the Unconquered Sun to descend to earth and cleanse Creation. The Dark Exalts tortured and murdered the incarnate god, but were undone by their own villainy; during his travels through the spirit world, he slew their creator and robbed them of their power. They were thought destroyed, but since the dawn of the new century there have been rumours of men and women with terrible, dark powers carving a bloody swathe through the further reaches of the world. Some even believe that they may be linked to the disappearance of the Empress. If the Dark Exalts have truly returned, they pose a threat to the very existence of Creation and the Empire will need to take decisive action against them.
Comments
Interesting, but I'm confused - are the Angelic Exalts actually elementally-aspected Dragon-Blooded-type exalts? Or are they Solars, fighting off Lunars, Fae, and Abyssals? It's not quite clear in the writing, so you might want to help us out a bit. -- GreenLantern, who likes it a lot, but wants more clarity
~ Yes, the Angel-Bloods are the Dragon-Bloods. I see them as very much the default characters in the setting. My intro adventure for the setting - mapped out but never run - has a small group of Angel-Bloods in India chasing after the child of a Maharajah who's apparently gone missing in the jungle and is being chased by an exceedingly ancient Tiger-form Lunar ... no prizes for guessing where I stole this from.
I've changed a few words and added a sentence or two about the elemental nature of the Angels - I hope this clears things up. -- Whollyrandom
VERY nice. Hail Brittania. Also, I would suggest re-naming the Anathema 'Nephilhim', if you're going in the direction I think (and hope) that you are. -- Ialdabaoth
~ I like this, so have adopted it. Ta -- Whollyrandom
If the American Revolution failed, there would be no Washington for the Empress to destroy; Philadelphia would fit better, IMO. I would suggest that the Imperial Mountain be Mount Badon, where King Arthur is traditionally said to have crushed the Saxon menace during his lifetime. Don't forget Napoleon had a kid and a huge family who could make good plot elements for this. So is Karl Marx a Lunar? :) -- JohnBiles
~ American capital; quite right, and I've been told this before. Change made. Mount Badon; not so sure - while you are of course right, I've been trying to go for names that have an immediate and obvious resonance to as many people as possible. Windsor isn't right either, though, so I'll have to think on this. Napoleon; yes, there was the Aiglon - little eagle - for a start. If that's not an Exalted name, I don't know what is ... and Marie Walewska, Marie-Louise of Austria and Josephine de Beauharnais all provide additional plot possibilities. As for Karl Marx, I was asked the very same question when I originally posted this on RPGNet, so I think the answer has to be yes :)
