TheThirdAge/Heroes

Exalts In The Third Age

Solars

Solars continue to be created as their Exalt-shards dwell slumbering within the fallen fragments of the Unconquered Sun. Many of these have been recovered, and rest at the peak of Autocthonian cities; despite continual efforts, Sovan logicians are yet to coax the divine power out of their receptacles. From within these depths, however, the Shards look out over Reality and beyond; when an act of heroism catches their slow gaze, and when the soul behind it keeps it, Exaltation begins. This is, if anything, an even more spectacular event than in the Age of Sorrows, as the shard of Sol pierces through simple metal to shine as a dazzling beacon upon the fledgeling Exalt.

Sovan dogma was previously torn on the nature of celestial Exalted, although recently it has changed to state that they are a mar in Autocthon's design for Reality, and a remnant of a bleak past that must be captured and dissolved absolutely. Hence, whilst Solars have emerged in the ranks of Autocthonians, Lumpen and Reachrunners alike, all are hounded by forces seeking to subdue and capture them - Recalibrants are often used, to take advantage of past memories of fear and persecution at the hands of the Immaculates. Those that are captured are never seen again, although speculation is rife as to their eventual fate.

This is not necessarily the greatest problem faced by a Solar; more than any others, they inherit a maelstrom of memories, thoughts and sentiments that hark back to the Age of Sorrows and beyond. Untended by Lytek, these shards cry out in remorse and rage for their lost grandeur. Their only bastion is their own self-definition, and they punish their host's mind greatly for anything that would renege on this. Solars in the Third Age differ from those in second edition rules in the following ways:

• When they limit break, a Solar cannot choose the 'partial control' option. It must happen to full effect.
• When they limit break, a Solar increases the duration of that limit break by one time increment - a scene to a day, a day to a week, etc.
• Whenever a Solar spends a point of Willpower to intentionally suppress a Virtue, they add one point of Limit.
• Whenever a Solar spends a point of Willpower to intentionally suppress their primary Virtue, they roll a number of dice equal to that Virtue; for each success, add one point of Limit. At least one point of Limit will be added this way.

Those that Exalt in this manner seldom undergo radical changes in personality, tending to instead reinforce their own nature. The addition of the shard and the memories that it brings, however, adds a sense of lost grandeur and a determination to set things right - one that dances dangerously on the edge of hubris.

Sidereals

Sidereals, whilst shielded personally from many of the waves of disaster by their lofty separation from worldly and heavenly events, nevertheless found great ruin with the collapse of Heaven and Creation at the hands of Autocthonian forces. Many died at the end of the Second Age, caught helplessly in the fall of Yu-Shan, and those that remain were left torn, separated and with no charge to look after but themselves. With a fresh wave of ronin scattered across the myriad lands of Reality, the Sidereals have slowly regrown in their purview. Scattered ideologically and physically, they lack the grip on worldly events they once had, but nevertheless have a part to play in the grand designs to come. The Sidereals typically fall into one of three factions:

• The Steel faction seeks to maintain, enforce and expand the Autocthonian influence, seeing it as their only hope to avoid absolute dissolution. To them, the cause of Creation is a pleasant sentiment, but also an easy route to social havoc and possible final destruction at the hands of Waste factions. The Steel faction consists mostly of the surviving Bronze faction Sidereals, and have used their considerable experience to infiltrate deep into Sovan society, posing as mortals and using their Charms to best benefit.
• The Jade faction seek to overthrow Sovan rule and eventually restore Creation to its former glory. Many of the surviving Gold faction, alongside those of the Bronze faction that could not stomach working alongside the Autocthonians, banded together into this sect. The Jade faction operates primarily out of the Reaches, and acts as the unseen guiding hand of resistence movements spanning through undercities everywhere.
• The Diamond faction seek dissolution of Reality as it stands, leaving room for a world of their own imagining. Primarily ronin birthed into the Wastes, this small faction was gathered first as envoys and agents of the Fair Folk and Deathlords; realising their common interest, the disparate individuals banded together and are now a force to be reckoned with in their own right. Diverse, unpredictable and determined to destroy Autocthonian and Creationborn alike, the treacherous Diamond faction worm their way into the stable worlds and use their unique talents to assassinate, disrupt and dissolve.

This said, many operate individually, or in cells smaller than a full Circle; without access to divination equipment and insider information on when the next of their number is to arrive, most new Sidereals never see another of their number. Sidereals in the Third Age differ from second edition rules as follows:

• New Sidereals are always created as ronin, as the infrastructure no longer exists for new candidates to be abducted and trained so rigorously.
• Sidereals cannot use astrology, due to the collapse of heavenly infrastructure. Sidereal martial arts are still as effective as ever.
• Sidereals may use Charms that require their Maiden's permission freely; the hidden routes in the Tapestry that power them were integrated into Reality without notice, and no celestial censure is possible.
• Upon Exaltation, the Sidereal's soul clings to an old astrological College as the only means of escaping complete destruction by loss of identity. They must act as though under the auspices of a resplendant destiny of this college at all times, suffering Paradox for transgressions as normal. It is rumoured that some Sidereals know a technique to change between resplendant destinies, but this is not confirmed.

Bonding to a college often shifts a Sidereals personality ever closer to the loose collective of concepts it represents; this affinity has an unusual side-effect for these Exalts. Whilst the Loom of Fate was torn asunder to wind into Reality, the power of the College remains somewhat in their actions. Sidereals have an uncanny tendency to be in the right place at the right time, and can easily see how to influence matters in their favour; with a day to plan ahead, they may make a Craft (Fate) roll in order to be able to influence the affairs of mortals and mundane machinery in any logical way, but with minimal input on their part. The successes on this roll are considered successes on the most appropriate Ability check to hand for the task. Their hand in matters is extremely innocuous, involving only the most minor of pushes here and there; only perfect Investigation effects have the possibility of implicating them in this process.

Lunars

Lunars are more disparate than ever, the Silver Pact falling to pieces as the storylines became twisted and subsumed into the Wastes. Shielded against its worst effects, the greatest of their kind carve out their territories in this most perilous of lands, the threats on all sides an effective barrier to much communication between them. They suffer from the visions and glimmers of emotion and instinct common to their Solar kin, but to them the need is more real; they wont for a home long since destroyed, and lust for commodities and experiences that can no longer be had.

The occasional Reachrunner or Autocthonian soldier has the privelige of Exalting close to Lunar territory, and will be taken under the wing of whomever will accept them; these are the fortunate ones. The harsh conditions of Sovan undercities and perilous depths of the uncharted Reaches mean that many Exalt far from those who could tattoo their Caste. Faced with a confusion of identity, nature and form, many experiment freely with their abilities, trying desperately to seek stability - or at least a way to undo the curse that has been laid upon them. These poor souls quickly descend into the amorphous madness of chimerism.

• New Lunars are always created as casteless; those that are quickly adopted by their elders are little more than their thralls in these times of need.
• When Lunars struggle against their personal nature, their slip of identity makes their physical form quiver also. Whenever an untattooed Lunar would gain Limit, add a point to the strength of their taint, but do not roll it.
• Whenever a Lunar spends a point of Willpower to intentionally suppress a Virtue, they add one point of Limit.
• When they limit break, a Lunar cannot choose the 'partial control' option (if this exists). It must happen to full effect.
• Lunars may purchase the Heart's Blood background (using the LunarHouseRules/ExpandedHeartsBlood variation), representing knowledge of shapes inherited from former incarnations. Many of these forms cannot be found elsewhere in Reality.

Few people are unchanged by Lunar Exaltation; the flood of memories and urges incompatible with life in the Third Age and slow degradation of form is a strain few minds have the strength to endure. Although initially unaffected, many become insane, or only loosely human; the remainder are commonly touched with innate, raw instinct and bestial need that makes their every action purposeful and desperate.

Feedback

Hey, just made a small tag alteration for the sidereals. ~ haku wants to know what happened to the lunars. ^_^

Enjoy the speculation! ...DeathBySurfeit

Interesting, so there basically are chimerae and cult... erm... tattooed lunars... ^_- ~ Haku

Yep, that's what I'd imagined. If you've any other ideas, let me know! I'm more than happy to introduce external input to the project...DeathBySurfeit, who has also added rules on heart's blood.