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PROLOGUE
WE are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
This is an unofficial, fan-based work, created with love and intended to be compatible with
Exalted Third Edition, published by Onyx Path Publishing. Exalted, Sidereals, and all other
relevant concepts are copyright those fine folk. Please support the official release.
INTRODUCTION
Sidereals: Where Fate Has Led is a fan-based vision for the Sidereal Exalted within Exalted:
Third Edition.
CREDITS 2
INTRODUCTION 3
But in time, the Chosen of the Sun grew corrupt, decadent, mad. Their rule became intolerable.
The Sun turned from Creation in disgust. The Chosen of the Stars drew together, to cast a
great prophecy and divine how they should set their course. In one path, they led a revolution,
threw down and slew the Chosen of the Sun and drove out the Chosen of the Moon, setting the
Dragon-blooded upon the thrones of a diminished Creation. On the other, they gambled that
the Chosen of the Sun were not so far gone- that the grace that they once carried was not
extinguished, but merely slumbering and awaiting ignition. They often failed, and those failures
would be horrors undreamt- but, should they gamble and win, a new dawn and better world
could be won. In the third, they did nothing- and in their madness, the Chosen of the Sun rent
Creation asunder, leaving it a broken, bleeding, darkling world where the stars plunged, one by
one, into the ink-black ocean.
Those who supported the vision of a world diminished and those who supported the vision of a
world renewed called them the Visions of Bronze and Gold. In secret, they debated. In silence,
the supporters of the Vision of Bronze slew those who believed in the Vision of Gold, so that no
traitor could warn the Chosen of the Sun. Together, the Five-Score Fellowship shattered the
Heavens to conceal their conspiracies and crimes, erasing themselves from the very Creation
they sought to save. And during a fatal Calibration dinner, they ensured that the fates of the
Chosen of the Sun and Moon were sealed.
Now, Creation trembles; the Scarlet Dynasty is on the brink of civil war. Now, Death's
Lawgivers stalk Creation in defiance of destiny and prophecy. Now Rakan Thulio's war against
Heaven and cruel fate has been renewed. Now, the Lunars seek to avenge the ancient wrong,
first against the puppets and then the puppet-masters. Now, the Solars return.
Into this Age of Sorrows, you are Chosen by the Maidens of Destiny. The night sky is alive with
portents and the plans of the Gods; both princes and spirits seek your counsel. Ancient
teaching and forgotten wisdom surge in your hands, your mind, your heart; you hold the skein of
fate between your fingers. Forgotten by Creation, you cloak yourself in stories and starlight,
weaving tales so familiar that people remember them without a thought, and you discard those
false fates as another might change a shirt. You walk the halls of Heaven and deliberate on the
outcome of wars, loves, mysteries, travels and endings.
And when those deliberations are threatened, when the weave of fate becomes warped and
tangled by the unruly will of mortals or the machinations of spirits, it is you who set things right
and ensure that what was, what is, and what will be, will be as you have foreseen.
You are one of the Sidereal Exalted, Chosen of the Maidens of Destiny. Will you strive to save
a fractured Creation in this time of tumult, or will you follow so many of your fellows in a struggle
for influence of a corrupt Heaven and broken world?
The Maidens of Destiny are the five goddesses of fate. Mercury, who oversees beginnings and
ensure that all things journey as they should; Venus, who oversees those things which make life
worth living and ensures that peace and serenity are known; Mars, who oversees the struggle to
survive and ensures that all things engage in the appropriate battles; Jupiter, who oversees the
mysteries and truths of the world, charged with keeping Creation’s secrets until it is time that
they should be revealed; and Saturn, who oversees transitions, and eases the endings of those
things whose time has come.
At the dawn of the world, the Maidens coordinated the work of Heaven in ensuring that all things
proceeded smoothly; when journeys were thwarted, when serenity disrupted, when battles
unfairly won or lost, when secrets escaped or when things outlasted their appointed times, they
would alert their fellow gods, and rectify the matter at once.
In time, their duty grew tiresome. They could see no end to their labour, no chance to rest- and
so when the Unconquered Sun spoke to them of his desires and plans, he found a receptive
audience.
The Sidereal Exalted sometimes claim to be the oldest of the Exalted Host; not in personal age,
but in having been Chosen before the Solars, Lunars or Dragonblooded. Legends from before
the dawn of the First Age paint a world of unbound savagery, where men huddled in caves,
overlooked and underestimated by the great powers of the world, save as their suffering could
serve as a source of temporary amusement. From these ranks, the Maidens selected one
hundred mortals. Into the hands of each one, the Maidens entrusted a special destiny and
ultimate responsibility. Each Maiden selected twenty men and women to bear her touch and
grace; for this reason, the Sidereals are often known as the Five-score Fellowship.
Before this time, nothing could escape the eyes of the Maidens. Their knowledge was infallible,
their wisdom beyond question. But the Law of Diminishment is cruel; in raising up the Sidereal
Exalted, each of the Maidens gave some of their vision and wisdom away, never to be
reclaimed. Although still mighty goddesses, the Maidens of Destiny could no longer see the
beginnings and ends of all things; their surprise at this was their first surprise.
After the masters were thrown down and cast into Hell by the might of the Exalted and the
armies of the Gods, the Unconquered Sun granted dominion of Creation to humanity and the
Chosen. The Incarnae retired to the Jade Pleasure Dome, to take their ease with the Games of
Divinity. And the Sidereal Exalted began the task of overseeing the fate of the world.
During much of the First Age, the Sidereal Exalted were content to act as advisors to the Solars,
Lunars and Dragon-Bloods, who handled the day to day administration and politics. They kept
their own counsel, travelling between Heaven and Creation to appraise or investigate or teach
as they wished. It was a golden age of peace and prosperity, a fat time of learning, when
philosopher-queens oversaw an administration of justice and grace that has never been known
before or since. It was not to last.
The Sidereal Exalted, as ever, kept their own counsel. They studied the skies and drew
portents; they shared knowledge and wove prophecies- until at last they could see three paths
they could walk.
--End Sidebar--
Down the first, they forsook Heaven, descended to Creation and placed their faith in the Solars,
trusting that their glory could be retained and turned towards good purpose again. All agreed
that this path was fraught with uncertainty, for none could see a sure means by which the mad
Solars could be channeled- but it was the only path to reach an even more glorious future.
Down the second, they forsook Creation. They would foster discontent amongst the
Dragonblooded generals and whisper conspiracies into the ears of the Solars. By terrible
means, they would seal away the glory and excess of the Chosen of the Sun, leaving a world
diminished but stable- a world overseen by the Dragonblooded, and in which the Sidereal
Exalted would be less than a rumor.
Down the third, they did neither; locked in bitter argument amongst themselves, the Five-score
Fellowship watched the world grow dark and sick, and saw the stars plummet into an ink black
sea.
In the long years of the First Age, Sidereal had fought Sidereal. No matter how close the family,
some disagreements cannot be settled peacefully. But the Great Prophecy engendered
something else; fear of the third path made compromise impossible, but the idealists of the first
vision could not countenance the monstrosity of the second, and the pragmatists of the second
vision could not countenance the risk of the first. Debate became argument; argument gave
way to violence, and Sidereal shed Sidereal blood. In the end, five members of the Five-score
Fellowship were killed, and ten exiled from Heaven, sorcerously bound against warning any of
the impending treachery- for the adherents of the second vision had proved triumphant.
The arrangements of the second vision were years in the making. The now diminished
Fellowship probed the Dragonblooded Host, finding leaders that they could bless and raise up in
rebellion; they poured poison into the ears of the Solars, so that rumors of discontent would be
taken as evidence of the treachery of their fellows. They distracted the Lunars, keeping them
busy at the fringes of the world. They told themselves how easy it was, to bring an end to the
Age of Dreams- surely it was a sign of the rightness of their course. But right or wrong, the die
was cast and they could no more oppose what they set in motion than a pebble could oppose
the avalanche.
Ten years after the Great Prophecy was drawn up, during the first night of the Calibration Feast
in the capital city of Meru, the Dragonblooded rose up in rebellion. With arms and armor of
imperishable jade, they struck down their golden lords. Many of the Lunars fell in the fighting;
many were away, caring for tasks the Sidereals had assured them held great urgency. The
Sidereals were on hand, each telling the Solars of the treachery of their fellows, turning
insinuation into accusation, and so the Solar Host fell upon itself even as the Dragonblooded
crushed the life from them.
The Sidereals knew that those Solars who survived would not forgive them. They knew that
those Lunars who had been drawn away would hunt without rest or mercy. They knew that the
means by which the Solar Exalted were to be prevented from returning was criminal beyond
measure. And they knew that the second path meant they would be exiled from the world. On
the fifth night of Calibration, the Sidereal Exalted collectively raised their power against the sign
of secrets, breaking the Mask of the sky such that no one who could attempt to divine this secret
would ever learn it. Each felt that break echo in her soul; each could see the memory of the
Sidereal Exalted bleeding from the world.
The Sidereal Exalted had saved Creation, and no one would ever know.
The Shogunate and the Contagion
The aftermath of what became known as the Usurpation was chaos. With no clear leadership,
the armies of the Dragonblooded came to the verge of turning on one another in a bloody civil
war- only to be saved by the fury of the Lunar Exalted. The Lunars, enraged at the treachery of
the Dragonblooded, sought to tear apart the usurpers, forcing the various generals and
potentates to set aside personal grievances in the face of mutual survival.
--End Sidebar--
United by a common enemy, the Dragonblooded selected an interim grand general, a shogun to
coordinate the efforts of the Host against the threat of the Lunars and to hunt the remaining
Solars. Although the Usurpation was accomplished in five nights, five decades passed of nearly
constant war across the face of Creation before the Shogunate declared victory. The Lunars
had been driven into hiding; the Solars were banished into the darkness. The Dragonblooded
began to work of ruling the world.
For over a century after the victory of the Shogunate, Creation knew a kind of peace. It was not
the fat times at the height of the Age of Dreams, but was better than had been known in a
mortal span, and the Sidereal Exalted looked upon the world that averted its gaze from them
with a semblance of satisfaction. The cost had been very high, they said to one another, but
they had done the right thing. Creation would survive. In time, perhaps they could reach out to
the Lunars, make a kind of peace with the Chosen of Luna. In time, perhaps they could heal the
harm done to the Mask, and be recognized for the terrible choices they faced and made.
Then the first shogun in peace passed away in her sleep. A brutal and bloody civil war soon
emerged, between her eldest daughter and her chief general, a struggle over dynastic against
meritocratic power which came to define much of the Shogunate. For almost a millennium, the
Dragonblooded extended their reach across Creation even as they were engaged in internecine
conflict nearly as often as they were at peace. The treasures of the First Age were wasted in
these battles, the stockpiles of magical materials looted, the learning of the Age of Dreams
consumed by the fire of war.
The first battles were won decisively by the Shogun, catching the forces of Heaven by shock
and surprise. By virtue of ancient stores and able to easily sustain themselves from the
quintessence fountains they seized, the Shogun felt victory was certain. Her confidence was not
without merit; one year into the campaign, nearly a quarter of the Celestial City’s gates had
fallen to her. Her plan was encirclement- capture the outer gates, and then proceed inward,
choking the gods off one street at a time.
Then the sky, which had shown a golden sun in fixed position for the entire year the campaign
had raged, dimmed. A moonless night spread across the dome of Heaven as ink dropped into a
pail of milk, and a thousand thousand stars gleamed, and first amongst them a ruby red planet.
Mars, the Maiden of Battles, rode forth from the Jade Pleasure Dome. Flush with her victory in
the Games of Divinity, she exulted. With her Spear, she struck down the first legion. From her
Quiver, she drew arrows of pestilence and plague, losing them upon the generals. Teeth
clenched upon her Shield, she slew seventy-two heroes in Warstriders who strode to meet her.
Beneath her spreading Banner, the forces of Heaven rallied and surged. And in her Gauntleted
fist, she caught up Shogun Karal. “Your war ends. Now comes my sister's peace.” Saturn
followed in Mars' shadow. In her hands, she held the single edged Sword, and her eyes were
downcast. “Plead your mercy. Cry your cause, Dragonblooded! Spit your defiance at
Heaven now!” Mars gloated, as Shogun Karal struggled in her grasp. With an anguished cry,
the Shogun did the only thing she could, severing her own head with her great daiklave.
At the death of the Shogun, her forces scattered back to Creation. Saturn brought an end to the
war and closed the gates, before walking with her sister back to the Jade Pleasure Dome.
“Why are you frowning Sister? Do you not take joy in your victory?”
“I was denied my victory. I would have made her live five-hundred fifty five years of glory,
while knowing that it was only due to my mercy.”
As the two entered the Jade Pleasure Dome, dawn burst upon the sky.
Thus was the end of the reign of Shogun Karal, and the beginning of the Third Succession War.
The origin of the Contagion are obscure; a disease unlike any known to Creation before, it
swept across the land like a black cloud, and soon the dead outnumbered the living. Fish, fowl
and man, none were spared, and even the hardy Exalted would succumb, vomiting blood,
racked by seizures and burning fever.
It was during this moment of weaknesses that the Fair Folk rose like a flood of madness. Many
of the Sidereals suspected the Lunars of being responsible for both the plague and the ravagers
from beyond Creation, seeing silver hands engineering a terrible vengeance. Others blamed
the Sleepwalker, or a Dragonblooded having explored ancient secrets not meant for them, a
Solar who had escaped the Usurpation or the Deathlord potentates of the Underworld. Most,
however, concerned themselves less with the origin of these disasters and more with fighting to
save Creation for a second time.
--End Sidebar--
In the end, regardless of the cause, the disasters were stopped by an unknown Dragonblooded
officer of no particular rank or distinction. With her Circle, she braved the dangers of the long
sealed Imperial Manse, and turned the defense grid of the ancient Solars against the enemies
of Creation, and became the Scarlet Empress.
For centuries, peace or something like it, seemed to descend upon Creation. The face of the
world was changed by the flood of the Wyld- new peoples and new histories arising from
nothing, stitching themselves together from the mixture of dreams and madness and stability.
The newly forming Empire imposed order, ruthlessly crushing those who would oppose it. The
Lunars yet lurked at the edges of the world, prowling about the Caul and rearing belligerent
barbarians to avenge wrongs done to them in response to wrong they had done. The
Sleepwalker yet walked his Eyrie, intent on casting Heaven and Fate to the torch. But the
Sidereal Exalted could look back, and know that- by banishing the Solars, no matter the cost, no
matter the hardships, they had saved Creation.
And now the Solars return, just as the Scarlet Empress has vanished.
Destiny is the compact between Heaven and Creation; it is the means by which divine desires
are moderated and molded into something pleasing to all rather than only the most vicious.
When Destiny is followed, Heaven is satisfied even if all her gods are not, and the ability for the
malcontents to act in Creation is limited to observation, lest they risk terrible punishments.
In theory, Destiny is always followed save that some force from outside Creation acts- in which
case, it is just and proper for the Gods to fulfil their ancient duties as the preservers of the world,
gaining latitude to act as they see fit to make right what has gone wrong. Perhaps once, this
was even so- but if so, it was a long, long time gone.
In these later days, gods granted their liberty within Creation find themselves in no great rush to
correct matters. With their latitude, they can shape mortal societies as they desire, outside the
limits placed by the Bureau of Destiny. Technically, such abuses are still criminal- but the gods
have a great deal of latitude when it comes to determining how best to tend to their portfolios
within Creation. By forcing the course of society to change, they can even effectively hold
Destiny hostage- either the Bureau begins to weave in alignment with the desires of these
spirits, or they will gain even greater freedom to wreak perhaps greater damage.
Nor is destiny purely descriptive. Creation does not exist at the sufferance of the Loom, but it is
not independent of it either. If destiny were a river, then Creation would be a water wheel being
driven by that river. The wheel is not the river, and if the river were to dry up, the wheel would
still exist; it could still even be turned with great effort. And likewise, the Loom of Fate could
weave without weaving Creation’s destiny in particular- it could weave stories of people that do
not exist, or that existed long ago. The river can flow with or without the water wheel’s
presence.
Destiny does exert a pressure on Creation, as water does the wheel. People, families, whole
cities and nations, may find themselves swept in the tide of history- acting, sometimes without
reflection or intention -towards fulfilling Heaven’s design. Individuals can resist this pressure-
they can even change the course of the river. Doing so is not easy, even for the Exalted, but it
has been done before and will be done again.
Because of this pressure that the weave of destiny exerts on Creation, sometimes matters will
grow confused. When a thread is mislaid in a weave, you will feel a burr or knot; when the
wheel becomes jammed, the timbers will groan from the pressure of the river- until finally, the
jam gives way, or the wheel breaks. The technical term for such is sorun; the damage wrought
by destiny denied. Sorun rarely appears sensible to the outside observer- just as the pressure
from the stuck wheel may cause a shattering moment far from the jam itself, or the tear from the
knot in a weave may come far away, due to inequitable distribution of stress on the cloth. To
those who experience sorun, it seems to be bizarre runs of chance, both good and ill.
Sometimes, the deathly ill make miraculous recoveries, blood feuds end in marriage and peace,
the lame walk and the blind see. More often, sorun results in destruction of wealth and lives,
villages and whole towns burning, or men drowning on dry land and women falling into the sky.
When destiny runs straight and smooth, sorun is minimized, and the spirits of the world are kept
limited in their capacity for mischief. When destiny is thwarted, sorun runs rampant and the
gods may have their way with a people nearly helpless before them.
Thus do the Sidereals act as the agents of destiny. They are not gods, and so they are always
free to act as they best see fit. They are kept aware of Destiny, but also moderate how it comes
to pass. They have seen the effects of sorun and the damage unchecked divinity can wreck. A
world without destiny would be prey to spirits with no concern for humanity. A world with
unmoderated destiny would be wracked by strange fates, as disaster sought to balance
disaster. The Sidereal Exalted stand against these possibilities; they strive to ensure that fate
and destiny pass smoothly from day to day.
The crew of the Golden Barque is forever engaged in the business of noting when matters in
Creation have grown too still, of initiating change and beginning new things. They also are
tasked with monitoring journeys and changes in progress, coordinating with the Violet Bier to
ensure that such matters conclude in a timely fashion. Finally, and perhaps most importantly,
they are charged with monitoring the Gates of Heaven cataloging who has been allowed to pass
from Creation to Yu-Shan. This, combined with the Golden Barque’s own mobile nature, makes
it one of the premier smuggling dens inside Heaven.
Sidereals on assignment from the Golden Barque of Heaven are typically charged with shaking
up the status quo. They inspire deeply rooted individuals to suddenly leave hearth and home,
the sing the song of the horizon to explorers and whisper of untold riches to smugglers and
merchants alike.
The Cerulean Lute is a repository for every balm, medicine, and nepenthe known to Heaven, as
well as the means to indulge every vice and sate every passing desire. It stands between the
Neighborhoods of Refuge and Water, hospital and casino, music hall and medical grounds.
Over time, more and more of the Cerulean Lute has been taken over by merrymakers who
exaggerate or even outright fabricate an illness that gives them sharply discounted rents while
also allowing easy access to the pleasure houses of Water. Venus once opined that only by
allowing the ultimate indulgence of all things could one be open to true serenity; this theory is
often tested and found wanting in the Cerulean Lute.
Sidereals on assignment from the Cerulean Lute of Harmony are typically charged with ensuring
that things can settle down. They go to bring a wanderer home, or to witness a marriage that
ends a war. They are also frequently dispatched on joint operations with other Sidereals,
employing their knowledge of what people want and need to bring them to where fate wants and
needs them to be.
The Crimson Panoply forever rings, with the sound of hammer on bronze and steel, the hiss of
quenching metal, the cries of men and horses drilling and training. Incongruously, it is also
often interrupted by delegations of rose and cherry scented gods, representing various sides in
conflicts around Creation, offering considerable arguments, pleas, and gifts to expedite their
petitions of victory in this or that coming battle. Such petitions are never officially honored;
unofficially, however, the petitioners and their gifts keep coming, using the spoils of one victory
to finance the next. The Crimson Panoply has the most official contacts in the Bureau of
Humanity of any of the divisions of Destiny, rivaled only by the Cerulean Lute- Mars speculates
that war and peace is the primary duality around which Creation revolves.
Sidereals on assignment from the Crimson Panoply of Victory are almost always sent to a
scene of open violence and conflict. Sometimes, they are there to ensure that one side is
victorious, or another side defeated- but as often, they are there to ensure the survival of
someone participating in the battle. Their extensive contacts amongst the rest of the Bureau of
Humanity can also see them doing unofficial favors of almost any nature, wherever people are
found in Creation.
Sidereals on assignment from the Forbidding Manse of Ivy are almost always going to retrieve
some information which Heaven has not yet approved for Creation, spiriting it away and bringing
silence to any mortals that have learned too much. They may do this with violence, but most
prefer trickery- discrediting the discoverer as a madman is popular, as is falsely accusing them
of slanderous allegations that can distract from their invention. They are also Heaven’s eyes
and ears, and have cultivated a network of contacts and informants without peer in Creation,
Heaven and even the realms beyond. Any secret shared is one known by the Forbidding
Manse- and Nara-O is said to know even those secrets that have gone unspoken.
The bittersweet scent of myrrh and natron is omnipresent on the grounds of the Violet Bier, and
clings like a second shadow to those who enter its halls. Few do; most gods do not like being
reminded that they can perish, and that Saturn promises an end to all things. As with any place
that people avoid, rumors grow like mushrooms- an order of godly assassins train in the Violet
Bier, dispatched by Wayang to murder rivals who grow overbold, armed with toxins that can rob
a spirit of immortality. The Violet Bier has no basement; a central staircase descends forever
downwards, until it reaches the heart of the Labyrinth of the Underworld, where Saturn has
made secret pacts with the Deathlords. When questioned directly regarding the truth behind
these slanderous rumors, the taciturn gods who work within the Bier become as silent as those
of the Forbidding Manse- the dead hold their secrets well.
Sidereals on assignment from the Violet Bier of Sorrows are, unsurprisingly, generally
dispatched to bring an end to something or someone. An end does not always mean death- but
it always means change, often sudden, rarely welcomed. They are also amongst the most likely
to be sent to investigate and correct aberrations of fate and instances of sorun within Creation-
trusted to bring an end to that which has thrown out the balance of destiny.
The Loom of Fate
The Loom of Fate connects all five of the division offices. It can be reached from any of them.
However, you may only exit the Loom by the office which you entered it from. The Loom of Fate
cannot be spied from outside, because it is outside. Suspended in a realm where space twists
to accommodate the impossible needs of the Loom, the Web of Fate and Destiny hangs on
invisible hooks, while threads of life and essence are spun, patterned, and brought tight together
by the tireless efforts of the pattern spiders. With diligent effort, one can even find Asna
Firstborn, the original pattern spider, who now oversees the rest of the brood as they work to
create, maintain and repair the patterns. Asna is not much for conversation, of course, but is
inordinately fond of poetry, and rather fancies herself as a connoisseur of the classics.
Contrary to popular belief, few Sidereals spend much time admiring the Loom. The spiders
don’t appreciate having someone looking over their shoulders, and have limited tolerance for
unauthorized second-guessers and armchair weavers. They instead take their direction from a
small, highly trained and deeply eccentric group of gods who have specialized in learning to
speak to and understand the spiders- taking the designs and projections of the rest of the
Bureau and transforming them into instructions the spiders can understand. Despite their
enormous value, most of these gods are relatively unpopular- spending so much time with the
pattern spiders leaves them somewhat deranged and grossly informal compared to the rest of
Heaven. The bureau generally tries to keep them out of sight when deities from other parts of
Heaven wish to visit.
Sidereals almost never receive assignments from the Loom of Fate directly; if they do, it is
certainly a sign of some grave disaster- horrifying instances of sorun that threaten to rend the
entire pattern, wholesale dissolution of Creation, coordinated invasion by the Wyld- that sort of
thing. The most recent one was relatively mild; five hundred years ago, Rakan Thulio somehow
corrupted one of the spider-speaking gods, and used them to incite a virtual civil war amongst
the pattern spiders, as corrupted clones replicated like cancer while weaving mad designs.
In general, Sidereals broadly agree on the following- Destiny is a necessary balance between
Heaven and Creation. Those who don’t agree with this generally throw in their lot with the
Sleepwalker, or simply become ronin. Beyond that, one hundred stars have one hundred paths,
and no two are exactly alike- but broad similarities may be found.
Most Sidereals do not consider themselves as first and foremost a member of any faction- they
see themselves as free agents, willing and able to follow their conscience. At the same time,
most will also tend to find themselves drawn towards one of these informal factions, reinforced
by their relationships, where they live, and what missions they are assigned.
In recognition of their role as mentors to the Exalted Host, however, Sidereals are permitted
almost limitless sabbaticals, as long as they are spent teaching other Exalted. Nominally, such
teaching is intended to be used for imparting wisdom, bestowing the mysteries of Sidereal
Martial Arts, and in raising awareness of the role of destiny and the importance of upholding
Heaven’s plans. In practice, this was rarely the case even in the First Age- instead, many
Sidereals would take extended ‘educational sabbaticals’ with their Celestial and Terrestrial
friends and lovers. Although being caught obviously abusing the privilege would be criminal, so
would investigation into such sabbaticals without good cause- and so few Sidereals were ever
charged.
Since the Usurpation, these sabbaticals have taken on a darker meaning- as an excuse to
assist Wyld Hunts in locating and destroying especially troublesome Lunars and Solars, and to
help forge the Elemental Dragon Styles. While Golden Stars have strongly objected to this
practice, it has proven difficult to stop- a fact they now use to their favor in the training camps of
the Cult of the Illuminated.
--End Sidebar--
During the First Age, such Sidereals were known as Golden Stars. Even when they disagreed
amongst each other as to what the greatest good *was* or how to best pursue it, they were
united in agreement that settling was unacceptable. The moniker of gold was given to them
derisively at first; gold was pretty to look at, but not much good for actual use. Gold bends
under pressure, and cannot hold up under sustained wear. The Golden Stars accepted the
sobriquet with good grace, however; gold was precious, they would argue, just as the pursuit of
perfection is. Moreover, gold is noble; it has no truck with common metals, and the fire of gold
does not tarnish and rust over time.
When the Sidereals came together to perform the Great Prophecy, the majority of the Golden
Stars wished to forsake Heaven and attempt to save the Solars. The risk was great, but the
rewards immeasurable, whereas the consequences of giving up were simply unthinkable. But
as the debate wore on, more lost their nerve, siding with the Bronze as a means of averting the
third vision; the handful that were adamant to the end were killed or driven out of Heaven.
Since then, it is the Golden Stars that have reached out the most often to the Lunars, seeking to
form a peace with them. It is they who attempted to hide and teach the few returning Solars
after the Usurpation, seeking to prove that the madness of the Lawgivers had been expunged.
Golden Stars often come down hard on divine tyranny, but also have provided tacit support for
places where gods and men coexist without abuse and exploitation. They point to the constant
warfare of the Shogunate and the devastation of the Contagion as proof that the decision to
attempt to withdraw from Creation was not merely morally wrong, but ultimately ineffective.
Golden Stars are the Sidereals most likely to accrue Paradox by opposing the known will of
Heaven, and advocate for active intervention in Creation to repair fates gone awry.
During the First Age, Sidereals who adopted this attitude became known as Bronze Stars. A
mocking title given by the more idealistic Golden Stars, the Bronze Stars soon proclaimed the
rightness; bronze was a noble metal, a practical alloy of lesser substance into a greater whole, a
substance stronger than copper and less brittle than iron, and vastly more common and useful
than gold.
When the Sidereals came together to perform the Great Prophecy, the majority of the of the
Bronze Stars wished to forsake Creation, cast down the Solars and raise up the
Dragonblooded. The risks and costs of such an action were great, but could be managed, while
the consequences of doing nothing or trying and failing to reach the Solars were unimaginable.
Since then, the Bronze Stars have vigorously attempted to reunite Creation beneath the
Dragonblooded host. They do not think it likely that the Lunars will ever forgive them, and
believe a united Creation to be the best hope for a better tomorrow, even if it comes at a cost
today. They point to the ruin wrecked by the few Solars who have returned as evidence that the
Lawgivers were past redemption, and many believe that the Contagion’s roots can be traced
back to a Golden Star plot gone awry. They support the laws of Heaven being obeyed to
minimize sorun and the mistreatment of men by gods, but are practical about such things-
turning a blind eye to some lesser crime can secure a powerful ally against a future
contingency. Bronze Stars are the Sidereals most likely to accrue Paradox by enforcing the will
of Heaven even against their defining Principles, and advocate for more passive solutions;
raising up people near the problem to take care of it, without risking the limited resources of the
Bureau of Destiny or precious Sidereal lives.
Wandering Stars
Some Sidereals find themselves drawn towards neither idealistic gambling or pragmatic
compromise. The follow their own path, guided by a compass that points towards a pole only
they can see. Such individuals most typically forsake Heaven and the Bureau of Destiny
entirely, or were somehow lost and took their Second Breath without being recovered. They are
collectively called ronin, Sidereals who have no master save their conscience.
It is not easy to walk Creation under the burden of Arcane Fate; even the most idealistic Golden
Stars acknowledge that they can do more good from within the system than outside it. Without
the support of the Bureau of Destiny and Heaven, most ronin lead short, brutal lives, killed by
vengeful Lunars and angry spirits threatened by these wandering mystics with their star-filled
gazes. However, to some unquiet souls, the danger is not merely acceptable, but a small price
to pay for following their conscience.
Sidereals who were missed and forced to survive for several years on their own will often refuse
the offers of their brethren when found. They have created roots in Creation, people that
depend on them, even if those people are ignorant. While these ronin generally do not hold any
animosity towards Heaven, they place their personal ties above some abstract destiny that has
apparently been getting along fine without them. Such ronin most often do rejoin the ranks of
the Five-score Fellowship in their own time, as they come to realize how much larger the world
is and how much more they could accomplish.
Even less common are those Sidereals who walk away from Heaven after years of loyal service.
Sometimes they are seduced by Rakan Thulio’s cause, but others are simply tired and desire a
permanent sabbatical from the burdens of being an agent of Destiny. Essence fever and the
pull of kismet are powerful things, and often draw such ronin back into the thick of action,
whatever they may think they want.
However, there is a subtle but important difference. Golden Stars believe that working within
the system is the best way to realize the best world. There is a risk that the lure of an easy life
and valuing results over reasons could turn them from this noble course, but it is better to
accept this risk and steel against it than to reject Heaven out of fear of personal weakness.
Of course, this only applies to those ronin who intentionally forsake Heaven but do not throw in
with Rakan Thulio.
--End Sidebar--
Rakan Thulio believes that destiny is a corrupt joke, and one that Creation would be better
served without. He contends that by supporting it, Sidereals are culpable of every ounce of
suffering they inflict, whatever their goals and whatever the outcome. Ignorance is an excuse
only for so long as a ronin remains ignorant; once the veil is lifted from their eyes, how can they
not see that Heaven must burn?
Naturally, no Sidereal entertains such thoughts. Not when they ensure a disaster occurs on
schedule to dispossess an entire people and leave them wandering with no home to call their
own. Not when they arrange the treacherous affair that plunges a nation into civil war. Not
when they watch brutal soldiers rape and pillage and enslave towns after one failed crop too
many. Not when they withhold the secrets that could cure a plague because Heaven does not
yet deem it time. Not when they are sent to end the life of a friend or lover. Naturally not.
Even after all these years, the grandeur of Heaven dazzled Lo Chen. The Sighing Delight of Spring was
far from the most notable club in Yu-Shan. Perfumed vines of blood red trumpet blooms obscured the
inside of the club from the street. Brilliant blue songbirds sing the praises of each god that passed by.
As Lo Chen approached, the birds ceased their singing. At the bird’s silence, a boyish-looking god
glanced up from his books. Lo Chan handed the godly host a card with a blood red trumpet bloom. As
the host inspected the card, Lo Chan tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robes. He was careful to
dress the part of an ambitious godblooded mortal. Deep-sleeved sapphire robes, the hem embroidered
with golden apples; not a single piece of starmetal visible. The goddess he was visiting knew enough of
Sidereals to be suspicious, and Lo Chen did not wish to reveal himself. Not yet.
“This way, Master Ni.” The host lead Lo Chen though a grove of cherry trees and gossiping gods.
Iridescent petals drifted down among the scattered dining tables. The café ended in a cliff. The sky
gardens floated above. “The Air Elementals will guide you from here.” With a bow, the host returned to
his station.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lo Chen stepped off the cliff. A shimmering platform of solid air formed
under his feet. Lo Chen rose to the sky gardens, the entirety of Yu-Shan spread beneath his feet. The Air
Elemental landed on a brick walkway leading to the garden pavilion. Lo Chen entered the Goddess’
domain, eyes downcast. “My Lady.” Not the correct title for her, but a man of his resplendent destiny’s
position could be forgiven a lapse of etiquette.
Mi Tang, the Goddess of Golden Delight, reclined on a chaise lounge. Orichaculm bees buzz around the
delicate boned goddess. One settled on her long honey brown braid. Before her lay a feast that could
feed a village for weeks. The goddess licked her honey-smeared lips clean as Lo Chen approached. “Did
you succeed?”
“Yes,” Lo Chen handed over a small sweat stained sack of Ambrosia. No blood marred the outside of
the bag, although the previous owner had crushed a few pieces. It took quite the beating to convince
him to give up his profits.
With a wrinkled nose, Mi Tang checked the contents of the bag. She licked her lips clean of fresh honey
droplets. “Lamor?” she asked, referring to the god competing with her Celestial Cocaine trade.
Lo Chen hesitated. Lamor was one of his own cocaine distributors; while Lo Chen encouraged ambition
in his subordinates, the idiot god encroached on Mi Tang’s territory. Yet if one kills your minions for
every little mistake, you will soon run out of minions. “He will not bother you anymore.” The beating Lo
Chen gave Lamor should encourage the god to find another side business. Within his robes, Lo Chen
fingered the handle of his starmetal dagger. He did not wish to make an enemy of the goddess, but if Mi
Tang discovered who Lamor’s employer was, this meeting would not end pleasantly.
Mi Tang licked more honey off her lips. “Sit,” the goddess waved her hand at an empty couch. “Master
Ni, I have more work for your people.”
Sapphire starlight twinkling in his dark eyes, Lo Chen graciously smiled and took a seat. Lamor’s mishap
may have cost him Ambrosia, but Lo Chen understood friendship was the most precious currency of all.
The city is divided into eight neighborhoods and one, each as large as a prefecture of the
Realm. Fountains drip with quintessence, while spirits barter and trade in mortal prayers
brought by swift footed couriers from across Creation. Within Yu-Shan, the veil of the material
and immaterial is drawn up, and spirits walk clothed in flesh side by side with favored mortal
servants. Manses and palaces stand grander than any in Creation since the fall of the First
Age; a dozen dozen dozen schools of philosophy and art flourish beneath the spreading boughs
of the orchards where grow the peaches of immortality, their unique discussions each imparting
subtly different flavors to the fruit and drink produced by godly vinters.
Yu-Shan has no walls, for Heaven has no enemies. One hundred and eight gates join Heaven
to Creation, patrolled by celestial lions. Yachts and junks ply the sea of healthsome mercury,
while gondolas and barges carry passengers grand and mean across rivers of silver and gold.
Beneath the adamant dome of the sky, a thousand thousand wing'd spirits vie with kite-flying
gods and aerial chariots, and above them, the spreading colors of the Incarnae. Some say you
can divine who leads in the Games of Divinity by their positions upon the Dome, for the Sun and
Moon of Heaven do not rise and set as they do in Creation, nor do the Maidens hide in the night
that never comes- but some say a great many things about both the sky and the Games and the
gods, fancying themselves wise after having drunk deep on celestial wine.
Demons that have seen Yu-Shan claim that the Brass City of Hell is grander in scope, but
demons are ever liars, and they speak those words while weeping bitter tears. Fair Folk
diplomats, accustomed to the glory of the Wyld, have been struck blind at the sight of the City of
the Gods, and rendered mute in composing psalms to magnify the glory they glimpsed. The
dead that have been to Yu-Shan almost invariably pass to lethe and reincarnation, the beauty of
the city breaking the last chains that kept them anchored to their shadowed half-existence.
Welcome to Yu-Shan, City of the Gods, Heavenly Dominion of the Celestial Incarnae and home
of ten hundred million gods great and small of the Bureaucracy Divine!
Yu-Shan is divided into eight major districts; although they are referred to as neighborhoods,
they are each as large as a Realm prefecture.
Within, the Incarnae remain absorbed by the Games of Divinity, while the small gods struggle
for their chances to be allowed in, to witness the games being played or even participate by
taking a move. The honor of granting viewing rights is reserved to the greatest of the small
gods; only one of the Incarnae may permit someone the ultimate reward of joining them in play.
The Games of Divinity are not the games of man, nor the manipulation of Creation; such tawdry
concerns degrade the ineffable joy of the Games by their comparison. However, what they are
cannot be explained, only experienced. Dreams of seeing them played are worth a prince’s
ransom, and no price could be named or met for a memory of playing- and while trade in such
dreams and memories is strictly contraband, this does not stop them from being common
features of Heaven’s blackest markets.
Because of this oath, the Incarnae know that they can trust members of the Order Capon in a
fashion that they can trust no one else. The Order is primarily charged with patrolling the
perimeter of the Jade Pleasure Dome, ensuring that no rogue spirit is allowed passage into the
most sacred heart of Heaven. Over time, the Capons have been entrusted with more as well-
most notably, Jijra more and more is granted the Seal of the Unconquered Sun and sits in
judgement while the Highest remains absorbed in the Games. Some whisper that the Order
Capon plan more- to take command of Heaven and seal the Incarnae at the greatest of the
gods in the Jade Pleasure Dome, making it both joy and prison at once. However, despite
these rumors, the influence of Jijra’s minions only grows.
Smaller Diversions
The Games of Divinity are always being played, and always being watched- but, as vast a hall
as the Jade Pleasure Dome is, it can house only the barest fraction of Heaven at once. In the
thoroughfares surrounding the Jade Pleasure Dome, all manner of amusements can be found
for tastes both subtle and gross. Burning Feather, God of Intoxication, oversees the movement
of intoxicants into and out of the Neighborhood of Heaven, taking a small fee from each ounce
of refined opium and dram of celestial cocaine- as well as far richer profits in businesses she
officially has no connection to, which deal in green malfean dust or powdered ore from the heart
of the Labyrinth. For gods whom lesser medications have lost their potency but who cannot
view the Games, such potent intoxicants can relieve their suffering for a time, or at least replace
one impossible longing with another.
Gambling houses are also tremendously popular, with the fates of kingdoms riding on the single
throw of the dice. All stakes can and will be met, all bets honored. Woe to the fools that
attempt to cheat the house in the Neighborhood of Heaven!
Any gods may release a fragment of essence to signal their approval or disapproval of a
particular spirit’s performance, which is then dutifully tabulated by the Judges of the Idol, a trio
of robed and masked gods, their identities kept secret (but the source of much speculation!)
who can then announce periodic eliminations from the competition. The rules can seem arcane
and unfair to mortals, but the word of the Judges is absolute.
In addition to these annual judgements, more and more refined competitions take place every
four, one hundred-eight, and twenty-seven thousand, six hundred forty-eight years. Known
respectively as the Grand Judgement, the Highest Judgement, and the Judgement
Incomparable, each is judged not by the hosts of Heaven but by their peers and previous
winners of the next highest contest- save for the Judgement Incomparable, which is presided
over solely by the Incarnae themselves.
The next Judgement Incomparable is coming within three years- the last one, during the height
of the First Age, saw both puissant celebration and dreadful backroom dealings that rocked
heaven and earth. But now the games take on a sinister tone, and support for one competitor in
the Judgement of the Idols can signal political allegiance as much as a preference in style.
Prior to the overthrow of the enemies of the Gods, the Sun was once called to justice by some
rivals. He had done no wrong, and so feared no trial- for all knew that he was blameless in his
work, and innocent of any accusation. His rivals did not mean to demonstrate his guilt,
however- rather, they delayed the trial over, and over, and over. For twice ten centuries, the
Unconquered Sun languished in the dungeons of Heaven, innocent but not yet proven so and
thus caged away. Only when a terrible threat rose against Creation, such that his masters
trembled in fear, was he let free- and then, only on the condition that he was absolved of the
accusation.
The Unconquered Sun, upon attaining the throne of Heaven, swore that no one would be held
as he had been; innocent and guilty alike were due the justice of the courts, and better a guilty
party should go free than an innocent party languish due to the perfidy of justice perverted. No
one held by Heaven may be held without their trial for more than century- a lifetime for a mortal,
but a changing of a season for one immortal.
The Censors and peacekeepers of Heaven gnash their teeth at this prohibition, for more and
more criminals escape judgement due to the already incredible backlog and the Incarnae’s
prolonged absence. Clever barristers have also found ways of counting time that beggar the
imagination, with arguments make an hour seem like a year and free their clients in a mere
handful of days.
Even when the Incarnae appoint representatives, it hardly helps; some, such as the Golden
Lord of An-Teng, are nearly as incorruptible as the Highest himself, but most curry the positions
as a means of soliciting bribes in the form of fines, or to issue harsh punishments against their
enemies or those whom they are directed to strike down.
Gods granted the right of Champion are gifted with a ruby gem, nearly the size of a man’s fist- a
drop of blood from the Unconquered Sun. No unclean thing may touch it, and the
consequences for a devil attempting to take the righteous fire of Exigence into itself can best be
described as explosive- but for the gods, it is warm and joyful, singing a song of fulfillment.
It is unfortunate that even the purest of sacraments is not held sacred in this fallen age- but it is
still true. Some gods, granted the gift of the Exigence, have that gift wrested from them by force
or even trade it away for a desperate vision of the Games of Divinity. Such treasures may be
passed between a dozen hands, each fouler than the last- by the time a god actually empowers
a champion with the tarnished thing, their gem has often turned brown, and is slimy to the touch.
Those Chosen by these ruined gifts become monstrous things, swollen and mad. A major duty
of the Bureau of Destiny has become the tracking of these ill-omened Exigencies; with luck, to
cast them back to the Flame Imperishable; without luck, to slay the unfortunate Chosen before
they can do unlawful harm to Creation.
The Bureau of Heaven has offices through the Celestial City, but their central office is twice
eighty-score lie Jupiterward from the Jade Pleasure Dome, in a palatial estate that once housed
a demon prince’s glass library. Here Taru-Han, Shogun of Abstract Matters, marshals her
forces against enemies both within and without- she fears the Lytek, the former chief of the
department and the Right Hand of Power, God of Exaltation, will attempt to reclaim the post he
lost with the Usurpation. Meanwhile her counterpart and second, Ryzala, the God of
Bureaucracy and Shogun of the Department of Celestial Concerns, keeps making quiet moves
to merge the two offices into a single estate- over which she would stand as the master. No one
of Ryzala’s ploys has proven efficacious yet, but the Lady of Paperwork is content to drown
Taru-Han in procedure and bleed her out with ten thousand papercuts.
Quintessence is healthsome, and a spoonful satisfies all mortal hunger and thirst for eight
hours- but of far greater worth is the wonders that can be spun by the greater crafting gods. In
the hands of a lord of the forge, a dram of quintessence may be shaped into an ingot of the
highest quality iron or steel, of pure warm copper or beads of silver and gold and platinum.
Drawn by a weaver, and quintessence becomes silk cooler than water, satin softer than clouds,
shimmering with all the colors of the aurora. By the hand of a master chef, and quintessence
may be formed into the finest cuts of beef and chicken and salmon that can be found in
Creation, or bundles of olives or masses of grapes; rich allspice and pepper of every color.
The gods do not need to eat or drink to live. They do not need clothes to remain warm. For
most, they need no arms of iron or bronze to make war, nor jewelry of silver and ruby to reflect
their beauty. However, by the miracle of quintessence, they can realize all these things they do
not need. The poorest god in Heaven lives a life of decadent ease greater than all but the
richest princes of Creation, and bemoan their lack and want.
Greater by far than the fountains of quintessence are the vaults of ambrosia. The veneration of
the gods given form, ambrosia appears to be a soft, cream-white substance, with the sheen and
texture of cold butter. Rubbed on the skin, it serves as an anointment of miraculous health
surpassing the most potent medicines of Creation; the smallest taste satisfies any mortal need
for substance for a week. Ambrosia smells faintly of vanilla and fresh baked goods; a subtle but
overpowering sweetness and living, yeasty texture. It tastes of cookies still warm from the oven.
By the decree of the Incarnae, seven-tenths of all ambrosia granted to the gods is surrendered
to the Bureau of Heaven, where it is disbursed for the betterment of Heaven. As only a small
fraction of Heaven's gods receive direct worship, the majority of the ambrosia seen is seen as
part of this disbursement, cut into regular discs and wrapped in golden or silver foil for different
denominations.
Ambrosia bears all the virtues of quintessence, fivefold over. Harder and more delicate to work,
ambrosia will curdle in the amateur hands of most of Heaven's artisans- but the best of them
can create weapons and armor composed entirely of precious stones, cloth woven of cloud and
shadow and starlight, food composed of virtue and glory with cups of honor to drink. The
greatest dream-workers of Heaven have banded together in the Guild of Ambrosial Delight.
There, they trade secrets and conspire, one amongst the other, that their art may not be
cheapened by overexposure.
Ambrosia and Quintessence removed from the spiritual realm of Heaven quickly boil away in the
mundane sphere of Creation. While wrapped in their silk or golden foil, they may be safely
transported through such lesser places, and retain their shape and potency for use in the private
sanctums of spirits across Creation- or even more rarely, when traded into the depths of Hell.
Such commerce is grossly illegal, and the Warden of Hell is especially charged with hunting
down such blackguards.
Each of the eighty-three gates within the city of Yu-Shan do not only connect to Creation, but
also to one another. The path is not bi-directional; passing from a Gate Twenty-Three in the
Neighborhood of Water may take to Gate Forty-Five in the Neighborhood of Fire, while passing
through Gate Forty-Five in the Neighborhood of Fire takes you to Gate Sixty-Seven in the
Neighborhood of Groves. The Gates are normally reserved for travel between Neighborhoods,
and only opened for trade and commerce with Creation on specific hours and days, which vary
from location to location.
The Great Gates are often used as major landmarks when navigating within Yu-Shan, with
directions given relative to the massive structures of gold-veined marble.
It is rumored that Rakan Thulio has begun to make quiet overtures to the frustrated Goddess of
the Shining Metropolis, whispering sweet words of a world without Heaven or Destiny interfering
in the fate of man, in which Wun Ja would be the first amongst equals. Such rumors are
blasphemies spread by her political enemies, of course, and Wun Ja does not deign to answer
such spurious charges. She keeps Themiscrila, God of Imperial Rhetoric and Law, close at
hand to respond to those who would insult her dignity in this fashion; her counter-suits and
intimations of worse to come deter all but the most foolhardy, even as her retainer slowly bleeds
Wun Ja dry.
At the height of the First Age, there was even a program established to attempt to show some
generosity towards the defeated, and those who sincerely wished to enjoin peacefully with
Creation. The Embassy of Hell, the Mission of Madness and the Legation of the Dead were
created beneath the Bureau of Heaven, allowing devils, fair folk nobles and spirits of the
Underworld a chance to peacefully reside within Yu-Shan; under careful consideration and
control, but with the aim of extending Heaven's suzerainty across all of existence, as well as to
assist the caretakers of the broken gods with specialized advice and assistance in treating the
most dire cases.
The Usurpation saw the resources of the Neighborhood of Refuge stretch to the limit; for the
first time since the conclusion of the divine revolution, there was a major influx of grievously
injured and maddened divinities, broken by the fighting within Creation as the mad Solars were
put down in the months and years following the terrible Calibration dinner. Sanctuaries which
had been dedicated to holding only a single god suddenly had to host small pantheons, and the
time and resources of ministering spirits had to be more carefully measured. At the same time,
enemies of the Division of Solitary Comfort denied them the additional funding they desperately
needed to meet the new demands- always claiming that things were not so dire and that claims
otherwise were purely a political ploy for the managers of the division to live more lavish lives at
the expense of both the Incarnae and the broken gods under their charge.
In time, it is likely that the Neighborhood of Refuge could have adapted to this new norm, and
found an acceptable equilibrium. In time, they could have gradually increased funding and
found treatments for those gods broken by the Solar Purge. But time was not a resource they
were granted; in only a handful of centuries after the Usurpation came the Great Contagion, and
the invasion of the Fair Folk. A trickle of sickened and terrified divinities soon became a swell,
then a flood, until finally at the order of Saturn, all one hundred and eight gates of Heaven and
Creation were sealed for three years. The Neighborhood of Refuge was overwhelmed- the
fleeing divinities had no resources and nowhere else to go, and so were ushered into
overcrowded hospital-temples and hastily thrown together shanty towns and divine camps.
Despite protests from the Plenipotentiary of Unfixed Form and the Envoy of the Departed, the
embassies of the Wyld and the Underworld were burned in riots that rocked the Neighborhood,
started by refugee gods that were appalled to see their enemies apparently granted quarter and
ease while their domains were ruined.
As the Usurpation passed and Heaven adjusted to the new reality of Creation under the Scarlet
Empress, the isolation of the Refuge began to take shape. Never an official policy, it was simply
a marked increase in vigilance of those attempting to leave the Neighborhood of Refuge, a
casual dismissal of reports of violence or lawbreaking within the Neighborhood. Gates which
lead to or from the Neighborhood of Refuge began to gain a sullen reputation; the supposedly
temporary shanty towns became more permanent with rough blocks of blotchy marble forged
from quintessence by rural gods began to rise. The Bureau of Heaven would send in a heavy
force of celestial lions and fu dogs to tear down these inauspicious constructs, but the residents
would simply flee without a fight and rebuild elsewhere within the Neighborhood- now, they
merely try and ignore them, hoping the problem might sort itself out.
The better sort of divinity began to shun the Neighborhood of Refuge. It was seen as a place of
vagrants and thieves, of dispossessed and shiftless gods living on the dole of quintessence and
from whatever prayers they could smuggle in. Other names began to be applied; the
Neighborhood of Refugees, the Neighborhood of Refuse. Prejudice preceded fact; as the
divinities in the Neighborhood of Refuge could not integrate with Yu-Shan at large, they built the
best lives they could. With the ancient laws ensuring the privacy and safety of the broken gods
within, criminals began to use the overcrowding as a means of avoiding official scrutiny. The
Brass Embassy has become a festering wound of livid corruption, while the Mission of Madness
and the Legation of the Dead are ports of call for smugglers and traffickers of unnatural goods.
And over it all, the howling of the sick and the mad still rise like broken psalms from gods kept in
peaceful incarceration since the dawn of the First Age, while hollow-eyed spirits of peace and
healing struggle to pull themselves from their couches from brief moments of respite before
going back to try and stem the flood again, wondering to themselves if this will be the day they
break and join the ranks of the ministered.
The truth is more complicated. The vast majority of the residents of the Neighborhood of
Refuge would like nothing better than to either integrate back into Heaven or Creation- but
simply have no means to do so. For many, their sanctums and domains in Creation were
destroyed, leaving them with no place inside of Fate's plan; for them to return would make them
dire criminals and subject to harsh penalties. They cannot compete against the professional
servants of Yu-Shan in the Neighborhoods of Water and Wood, nor the professional laborers of
Fire and Wind- and even if they could, their furtive stature and lack of perfume would give them
away as being outsiders that even the most desperate outside the Refuge would not hire. Left
with no purpose, many do drift into various addictions as a means to whittle away eternity, or fall
into criminal enterprises as one of the few ways to escape.
Virta still sees his purpose in Heaven as a noble one. The demon princes will never be free,
and he holds no illusions on that front- but a spark of kindness for his fellows trapped in Hell
drives him to seek comfort and release for them. Virta's name is a curse in Hell, for he is seen
as having betrayed the Brass City for his own ease- but even so, he has no lack of sycophants
and would-be aides that seek escape within the Brass Embassy. Over the centuries, and
especially as order in the Neighborhood of Refuge has broken down, he has increased the
number of demons fleeing hell beyond his legal limits, bribing the celestial lions to turn a blind
eye at the additional handfuls of neomah or blood apes slumping through the gate of twisted,
yellow jade. He gets along well with Verumipra. and the two have assisted one another in
delicate matters before- but this relationship has grown strained in the past several centuries, as
Virta has concealed more and more of his activities from the Warden of the Exiles, fearing that
the incorruptible Verumipra would place duty over friendship and compassion.
And in his heart, Virta knows that Verumipra would be right to do so. Alain, Messager Soul of
That Which Calls To Shadow, saunters a princess in the halls of the Brass Embassy. She has
facilitated several of Virta's crimes of compassion and extorts the diplomat outrageously,
demanding assistance with smuggling in hellish drugs or moving sacred ambrosia across the
silver desert- lest she reveal the extent of Virta's crimes to Verumipra. Alain is more than willing
to burn the Brass Embassy to the ground if she is caught- her pleasure is in the criminal dance,
not the paltry aid that Vitra offers to their lessers. Rumors constantly fly as to which god or
goddess she is currently abed with, and Alain is a common sight at both the most delicate of
Heaven's functions, as well as the most depraved. Although Vitra hates her, even he is forced
to admit that- although she does so purely for her own reasons -Alain has been essentially in
keeping the Embassy of Hell open and whole since the Usurpation.
Small surprise then, that the Transubstantic Order has found a home within the Neighborhood
of Refuge. Gluttonous gods of vile appetites, the Order is dedicated to experiencing the breadth
of what may be consumed across extence. Officially, they exist as an order of gourmands and
outre experimenters- their more grisly courses are kept in strictest confidence. However, if one
turns down the wrong alley in Yu-Shan, or opens the forbidden larder of Yacatacul, they may
find themselves confronted with a grisly larder stocked with carefully preserved corpses,
smoked and salted, ready for oven and knife.
As with so much else in the Neighborhood of Refuge, as an institution, the Palace of Broken
Souls has simply been overwhelmed. More dangerous and increasingly numerous belligerents
are assigned to the Palace from the justices of the Neighborhood of Heaven every day,
heedless of the overcrowding already in place. The staff, once committed to the healing and
regeneration of the criminal spirits, now simply strives to keep an ever more strained peace as
divine gangs both within and without the Palace struggle for real control. The Gaoler Gentle,
Xul, struggles to keep order- he knows that more and more of his guards are on the payroll of
various factions within his Palace, and shudders at the day a riot rocks the facility and causes it
to crack like a rotten egg, spilling it's putrid contents across the Neighborhood of Refuge. He is
desperately seeking a replacement or a scapegoat against this inevitability, while at the same
time striving to maintain the appearance that nothing is wrong and there is no cause for
concern.
In addition to the dispossessed gods are other refugees that have made their way to Heaven. A
gens of Dragonblooded established a lineage during the Contagion; calling themselves the
Heavenly Dragons, they found employment primarily as bodyguards- and very quietly, as
assassins. Exalted as they are, the Heavenly Dragons are heir to spirit-cutting martial
techniques and arms and armor of jade that once served in the armies that struck down the
enemies of the gods. They have heavily interbred with the dispossessed Gods- some of the
matriarchs of the family worry that the blessing of the Dragons is being as watered down by the
inhuman blood of the divine as surely as the mundane blood of humanity. It is certain that the
Bureau of Fate make periodic use of the Heavenly Dragons, dispatching them on especially
dangerous Wyld Hunts or asking them to act as their agents in unofficial business within
Creation. Officially, of course, the Bureau of Fate denies any such associations- the Sidereals
are the only Exalted agents officially empowered to pursue Heaven's business within Creation.
Flashing Peak, Master of Nature, God of the Imperial Mountain and Shogun of the Hierarchy of
Type, currently fears for her position. Ocean Crimson Lotus, the crowned monarch of the
Second Age and Daimyo of the Subdivision of History within the Bureau of Fate, has been
heard speaking openly that the old sleepy Peak deserves a retirement and a pension- no longer
able to keep up with the rigors of the day to day operation of Nature, and uses the fact that the
Bureau of Nature has fallen into Refuge as evidence of such, even as she manipulates events
to keep the Bureau trapped within. Her gambits have been astonishingly effective, to the point
where Flashing Peak wonders if it is merely paranoia that she sees the hand of the Sleepwalker
behind the Sorrowful Age's Queen.
The Bureau of Seasons, meanwhile, has labored under a long cloud of undue persecution.
Ghataru, Regent of the Seasons and Weather, is plagued by accusations and lawsuits that he
abuses his position to send favorable weather to one nation or drought and disaster to another.
In truth, he does the best to execute the thankless task of regulating Creation's weather and
seasons as well as he can, in accordance with the designs drawn by the Bureau of Fate- but the
Calendar Gods are perennial troublemakers, each more concerned with their non-stop, month-
long bacchanals in the Neighborhood of Water than the performance of their duties. Five Days
Darkness, the self-styled God of Calibration, haunts Ghataru's dreams as well; the Shadow of
the Sun's schemes to humiliate the Calendar Gods inevitably seem to draw trouble to the
Bureau as a whole.
Chapter 3 : Character Creation
The Sidereal Exalted are not like the Solars. They are not suddenly chosen for power, without
support or warning; instead, they have been destined to draw the Second Breath from the
moment they draw their first, and enter into a tight knit society that stretches back to the First
Age and beyond. While Sidereals still grow up in Creation, they are watched by servants of the
Bureau of Destiny, who ensure their safety and give them their first rudimentary lessons. Upon
Exaltation, they are escorted to Heaven to begin more formal training and indoctrination, a
process that can last upwards of a decade before the young Chosen begins to undertake their
true duties.
Before you begin, ask your Storyteller and fellow players about their plans - will this game focus
primarily on the Sidereal Exalted and the efforts of the agents of Heaven, or do they intend for
most of the chronicle to focus on the Solars, Dragonblooded, or another group within Creation?
Will they be embroiled in the politics of the divine Bureaus and the shadowy threat of Rakan
Thulio, or focus instead on the encroaching danger of the Shadowlands, or the incipient civil war
that threatens to tear the Realm apart?
One or two Sidereals can work well in a mixed Circle- providing resources, insights and
connections that few others can match, while a game focused exclusively on the Sidereals has
a chance to deeply explore into some of Creation’s most subtle and well kept mysteries,
travelling to fantastic locations and dealing with weird spirits, in the name of destiny and for the
fate of the world.
Once you have a concept that you are happy with, select the Caste that best fits them. Each
Sidereal is chosen by one of the Maidens of Destiny, and your caste can put a totally different
spin on two seemingly similar concepts. Chapter Four explains the five Sidereals Castes in full
detail.
Finally, consider your character’s political leanings. The Sidereals have two semi-formal
groups, the Bronze Faction and the Gold- the pragmatists that do not believe Creation can risk
the Solars, and the idealists who believe Creation must. While few Sidereals identify
themselves exclusively as a member of one of these factions, most have strong sympathies
towards one of them, and their choices will often be viewed through a lens of factional politics
even when they try and remain staunchly neutral. This is less important in a mixed circle, but
still worth considering as to how it informs you about your character.
Step 2: Attributes
As with the Solar Exalted, Sidereal Exalted divide their Attributes into Physical, Social and
Mental categories. Designate one of these categories as primary, one a secondary, and one as
tertiary. Each Attribute begins with a free dot; you then distribute eight additional dots amongst
your character’s primary Attributes, six additional dots amongst your character’s secondary
Attributes, and four additional dots amongst your character’s tertiary Attributes.
Step 3: Abilities
As with the Solar Exalted, the Sidereal Exalted tend to have some Abilities they excel in more
than others. Additionally, each Caste of the Sidereal Exalted is noted as tending to favor the
Abilities which are favored by their Maiden.
Find your character’s Caste on the list below, and pick five associated Abilities. These are her
Caste Abilities.
● Journeys: Archery, Athletics, Dodge, Larceny, Resistance, Ride, Sail, Survival, Thrown
● Serenity: Awareness, Craft, Dodge, Investigation, Linguistics, Performance, Presence,
Socialize, Survival
● Battles: Archery, Brawl, Linguistics, Lore, Medicine, Melee, Presence, Sail, War
● Secrets: Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Melee, Occult, Resistance,
Socialize, Stealth
● Endings: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Bureaucracy, Craft, Integrity, Medicine, Occult,
Thrown
Now, pick four additional Favored Abilities. These Abilities represent skills, talents and interests
that the character does not necessarily share with her fellows of the same Caste; a battlefield
courier Chosen of Journeys may have an exacting knowledge of War, while a scholarly Chosen
of Endings may have Lore to capture her deeply read background.
Unlike the Solar Exalted, the Sidereal Exalted do not have a Supernal Ability. The
returned Lawgivers are exceptional even amongst the Exalted in their ability to master the
depths and heights of their power so quickly upon returning.
Unlike the Solar Exalted, all Sidereal Exalted may purchase Martial Arts Abilities and
Charms as Favored. Additionally, when purchasing traditional Martial Arts Charms, you
may treat your character’s Essence rating as being one higher for the purpose of
meeting prerequisites to purchase and upgrade them. It is not for nothing that the Sidereal
Exalted are known as the peerless masters of the martial arts.
Once you’ve selected your Caste and Favored Abilities, consider what division of the Bureau of
Destiny your Sidereal trained within. While most Sidereals train within the division of their
Caste, a substantial minority instead train outside, ensuring that an appropriately trained and
talented agent is always available.
Division training imparts a certain number of free Ability and Merit dots. After adding them, you
will add an additional 11 Ability dots. As with Solars, no Ability may begin with a rating greater
than 3, and you must have at least one dot in each of your Favored Abilities.
● The Golden Barque of Heaven (associated with the Chosen of Journeys)
○ Abilities: Athletics ••, Awareness ••, Brawl ••, Bureaucracy ••, Lore •••, Occult ••,
Resistance ••, Socialize •, Stealth •, Survival •••, Ride or Sail •••, Archery, Melee
or Thrown •
○ Merits: Language (Old Realm), Language (any) x2, Direction Sense
● The Cerulean Lute of Harmony (associated with the Chosen of Serenity)
○ Abilities: Awareness ••, Brawl ••, Bureaucracy ••, Linguistics •••, Lore •••,
Medicine •, Occult ••, Presence ••, Socialize •••, Stealth •, Craft or Performance
••, Archery, Melee or Thrown •
○ Merits: Language (Old Realm), Selective Conception, Influence ••
● The Crimson Panoply of Victory (associated with the Chosen of Battles)
○ Abilities: Athletics ••, Awareness ••, Brawl ••, Bureaucracy ••, Lore •••, Occult ••,
Presence ••, Resistance ••, Socialize •, Stealth •, War ••, Archery or Melee •••
○ Merits: Language (Old Realm), Fast Reflexes
● The Forbidding Manse of Ivy (associated with the Chosen of Secrets)
○ Abilities: Awareness •••, Brawl ••, Bureaucracy ••, Investigation •••, Larceny •••,
Lore •••, Occult ••, Socialize ••, Stealth •••, Archery, Melee or Thrown •
○ Merits: Language (Old Realm), Eidetic Memory, Contacts •
● The Violet Bier of Sorrows (associated with the Chosen of Endings)
○ Abilities: Awareness ••, Brawl •••, Bureaucracy ••, Lore •••, Dodge •••, Integrity ••,
Medicine ••, Occult ••, Socialize •, Stealth •••, Archery, Melee or Thrown •
○ Merits: Language (Old Realm), Danger Sense
Finally, after dividing up these Ability dots, select four Specialties for your character- fields of
study or focus within an Ability that help to define them.
If your Sidereal has escaped Heaven’s notice and Exalted without the benefit of the Bureau of
Destiny’s training, they are known as a ronin. Such individual still select Caste and Favored
Abilities as above, still gain the benefits when learning Martial Arts, and still select four
Specialties. However, they do not benefit from the rigorous training that most Sidereals
undergo- leaving them with greater freedom but less ability. Ronin Sidereal distribute 28
Ability dots amongst their Abilities; no Ability may start higher than 3 without spending
bonus points, and each Favored Ability must have at least one dot.
Step 4: Merits
As with the Solars, Merits represent a Sidereal’s assets and quirks. Due to the vagaries of
Arcane Fate, however, there are some considerations to bear in mind when selecting Merits for
your Sidereal. Unless otherwise noted, Story Merits depending on connections with
mortals in Creation must be assigned to one of her Resplendent Destinies.
All Sidereals begin with the Martial Arts Merit for for free, even if they do not meet the
requirement. Additionally, Sidereals who have trained in one of the divisions of the Bureau of
Destiny begin with several dots of Merits, representing their training and early experience. You
should then assign seven additional dots to your Sidereal’s Merits. Ronin Sidereal do not
benefit from the divisional training, but have had the chance to cultivate their own resources;
they still gain the Martial Arts Merit for free, and may ten dots of Merits instead of seven.
Step 5: Charms
Unlike a Solar, a Sidereal’s Charms are not a simple expression of heroic power and legend.
They instead evoke the celestial mysteries written into the foundation of Creation and
represented by the constellations in the night sky. While there is often a correspondence with
the constellation and the Charms of the corresponding Ability, the connection can sometimes be
obscure even to the savants amongst the Fellowship.
Select 18 Charms; at least six must be from Caste or Favored Abilities. Don’t be afraid to
rearrange your Ability dots if your character doesn’t qualify for a Charm that fits her concept!
Due to their lack of training, Ronin Sidereal begin with only 15 Charms instead of 18.
If you took the Artifact Merit and have selected an artifact with Evocations, you can select those
as well, trading in one starting charm per Evocation desired. Keep in mind the artifact’s history,
legend and purpose- and additionally, remember that the Sidereal Exalted do not tend to
cultivate the same depth of power from Evocations as the Solar and Dragonblooded do. (For
more information, see Chapter 8).
The same principle applies to martial arts and sorcery. You can begin with Martial Arts Charms
and spells, assuming your character has the Terrestrial Circle Sorcery Charm, trading them for
starting Sidereal Charms at a one-for-one basis. Sidereals may acquire Wushu Martial Arts
Charms in this fashion, but may not acquire any Sidereal Martial Arts Charms with her
starting Charms.
Unlike the Solar Exalted, the Sidereal Exalted are not cursed to suffer madness, and so do not
accrue Limit or have a Limit Trigger. However, being so close to the weave of destiny makes
the Sidereal Exalted more prone to suffering from paradoxical Backlashes when they take fate
into their own hands. Additionally, each Sidereal is drawn towards a certain repeating motif or
destiny, known as her Kismet; seeking to thwart one’s Kismet is a sure way to suffer from
paradox and backlash. (For more information about Kismet, see Chapter 4)
Step 7: Bonus Points
You have 18 bonus points to spend on your Sidereal at any point during this process, increasing
anything that makes sense for your concept. Bonus points can purchase almost any trait, but
different traits have different costs. Again, due to their lack of training, Ronin Sidereal have only
15 bonus points instead of 18, and may not begin play with any Sidereal Martial Arts Charms.
Trait Cost
Speciality 1
Evocation 4
Sidereals begin play with a Resplendent Destiny of a college of her choosing, of sufficient
ambition to accommodate merits purchased during character creation. If you are beginning play
with more advanced Sidereals, then you may begin with up to (Essence) Resplendent
Destinies, dividing your story merits amongst them as you see fit. If this results in an unusually
potent Resplendent Destiny for a young Sidereal, then consider the implications; perhaps the
destiny was a gift from a mentor, or a reward for a job well done. Chase the question of why
you have this Destiny, rather than decrying the improbability of it; the improbable is little bar to
the Chosen of Destiny.
Things to Think About
Even the Sidereal Exalted, Chosen at the moment of their birth, grew up as human and will be
shaped by their experiences before they took their Second Breath. The Maidens do not Choose
perfect people, because they would have no Chosen in that case- however, those Sidereal
Exalted trained by the Bureau of Destiny have their duty to Heaven and Creation repeatedly
drilled into them. Each one feels the weight of destiny upon their shoulders, and the
responsibility for exercising judgement in how to see that what must be is. Where did your
Sidereal come from, before they Exalted? Do they miss their simple life as a mortal, or do they
prefer the responsibility and power of being Chosen?
The Sidereal Exalted tend to break into factions along lines of pragmatism and idealism-
factional lines which inform how they are viewed by their fellows, and how they will likely relate
to Creation and the returning Solars. What does your character think about the Gold and
Bronze factions; do they seem themselves favoring one or the other, or do they attempt to
remain aloof and detached from factional politics?
Whether or not they will admit it, many Sidereals are approached by Rakan Thulio or one of his
agents at some point during their training- planting seeds of doubt as to the righteousness and
rightness of the Sidereal’s mission as the agents of Heaven. Even for those who are not, the
corruption of Heaven and suffering in Creation are obvious. While destiny restrains and
channels the worst excesses of divinity to better purpose, it’s hard not to wonder at the cost.
What does your character think about the nature of Heaven’s planned destiny, and the nature of
fate versus free will?
Chapter 4 : Traits of the Sidereal Exalted
The Sidereal Exalted share a great deal with the Solars; they have common Attributes and
Abilities, the same Health and Willpower tracks, as well as many of the same Merits and Flaws.
Like the Solars, the Sidereals are divided into Castes, based upon which of the Maidens of
Destiny chose them and which inform her role within the scheme of destiny.
However, the Sidereal Exalted are not cursed in the fashion of the Lawgivers; your character
does not have a Limit track, but rather is afflicted by Paradox, a measure of how snarled Fate
has become due to her actions. Additionally, all Sidereals suffer from Arcane Fate, a lingering
consequence of the Sidereals hiding their participation in the Usurpation from the world,
resulting in the memory of Sidereals easily slipping away unless they don a Resplendent
Destiny. Finally, the end of the chapter governs experience points and character advancement
as a Sidereal.
Paradox
Sidereals walk in the spaces between what was, what is, and what shall be- and it is not an
easy walk. More than anyone else, the Chosen of the Maidens know how fragile the veil of
reality can be, and how quickly it can be torn asunder. When the weave of Fate becomes
tangled, strangeness begins to haunt the world and madness plagues her people. Where the
weave is thin, the enemies of Heaven marshal their forces, awaiting a fatal tear through which
they can march against Creation.
And there is always the temptation- to punish the arrogant with eternal voyages, or trap
someone in a home they would do anything to leave; to enjoy the attentions of a certain
paramour, or see a rival's love turn sour; to see your people victorious in battle, or a blood feud
settled on your terms; to learn forbidden secrets, or conceal darkest shames; to extend the life
of a loved one, or cut the thread of an enemy short. To take Fate into one's own hands.
Sidereals are invested with a great deal of discretion when it comes to such matters- as the
Chosen of the Maidens of Destiny, it is assumed that they act in the interests of Heaven. As
Rakan Thulio illustrated so long ago, such trust can be misplaced.
Paradox is a measure of how twisted fate has become due to the Sidereal’s actions. As a
Sidereal accrues Paradox, they draw closer to suffering from a backlash, the tension between
what was, is, and could be snaps, with often unpredictable results. When she reaches 10
Paradox, a backlash becomes inevitable, although one may occur before this point as well.
● Once per scene, when a Sidereal acts in a way to violate a Major Intimacy of a
Resplendent Destiny she is wearing (see below), her player rolls a single die, gaining
one point of Paradox for each success.
● Once per scene, when a Sidereal acts in a way to violate a Defining Intimacy of a
Resplendent Destiny she is wearing (see below), her player rolls two dice, gaining one
point of Paradox for each success. If she has already rolled one die for violating a Major
Intimacy of the Destiny, she rolls only one additional die instead.
● Once per scene, when a Sidereal fails to uphold the known will of Heaven, her player
rolls a single die, gaining one point of Paradox for each success (unless he has already
acted directly against the known will of Heaven; see below). A Sidereal always knows if
she will gain Paradox from failing to uphold the known will of Heaven; this should only
occur when she specifically chooses not to enact her mission as assigned from the
Bureau of Destiny.
● Once per scene, when a Sidereal acts directly against the known will of Heaven, her
player rolls two dice, gaining one point of Paradox for each success (or one die if she
has already failed to uphold the known will of Heaven).
● A small number of the Charms of the Sidereals potentially result in Paradox, especially
when used too frequently within a short time.
● Each Sidereal has a secret destiny, learned upon the moment of her Exaltation and
selected during character creation. This destiny is known as her Kismet. Once per
scene, when a Sidereal acts against her Kismet, her player rolls three dice, gaining one
point of Paradox for each success.
The known will of Heaven should always focus on some result or consequence, and potentially
some constraints upon that result, but should not direct how the Sidereal is to accomplish the
goal. The known will of Heaven should never direct a Sidereal’s actions, but rather provide
them with goals to accomplish. A Sidereal should never accidentally or unknowingly gain
Paradox from failing to uphold or acting against the known will of Heaven.
Ronin and rogue Sidereals will not generally be assigned missions, and therefore not know the
will of Heaven; thus, they cannot gain Paradox by acting against it. However, such disloyalty
also bars them from accessing Heaven’s resources and makes casting Astrological Projections
a far more daunting task. Some will study the omens and use their anima to determine
Heaven’s plans- but knowing what is intended binds them as agents to see it done, or risk
Paradox and backlash.
--End Sidebar--
Resolving Paradox
When a Sidereal ensures some especially legendary or unlikely design from the Bureau of
Destiny comes to pass, she may reduce her Paradox by 1 at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Additionally, once per story, if the Sidereal spends at least one week in Creation, surrounded
with her Acquaintances and without veiling her identity behind a Resplendent Destiny, she may
roll (Acquaintances), reducing her Paradox by 1 per success. Finally, a Sidereal who
permanently resolves her Kismet immediately reduces her Paradox to zero.
Examples of Kismet
A Sidereal’s Kismet should almost always relate to her Caste, and should generally be
something that the player of the Sidereal is interested in exploring. The following examples of
Kismet are intended to provide inspiration and examples, not to serve as an exhaustive list.
Additionally, if a Sidereal’s Kismet is resolved, or becomes impossible or meaningless, her
player should work with the Storyteller to devise her new Kismet.
At a narrative level, Heaven does not control a Sidereal’s Kismet. Indeed, many within the
Bureau of Destiny have been frustrated by a Sidereal’s decision to go off mission in the service
of her Kismet. Amongst the Sidereals, there is a general agreement that Kismet is the way
destiny ‘wants’ to flow- but what that means and implies is, itself a subject of much discussion.
At a play level, Kismet should not be a singular, overwhelming force in a Sidereal’s life or
activities, but rather a source of tension between what she personally wants (her intimacies),
what her orders are (the known will of Heaven), and the natural flow of destiny in the world (her
Kismet).
What follows are some example Kismets, as well as a means to violate the Kismet and thus
incur Paradox.
Backlash
When a Sidereal gains one or more points of Paradox, the Storyteller should roll dice equal to
her new Paradox rating. For each success, the Sidereal’s Paradox is reduced by 1, and she
suffers from a point of Backlash. If a Sidereal’s Paradox would reach or exceed 10, then
instead she suffers from a 10 point Backlash and reduces her Paradox to zero. The Storyteller
should distribute these Backlash points across the following categories:
Causality Violation
1. Relatively minor violations of causality occur around you. Water flows backwards, flags
flap in the wrong direction, milk curdles, candles burn in the color of your Maiden,
flowers bloom or wilt out of season.
2. Severe but limited violations of causality occur around you. A contact you needed
drowns on dry land. An acquaintance knowingly betrays you into the hands of your
enemies.
3. Moderate violations of causality occur in a wide area around you. A drunken riot burns
down a neighborhood, as the wine barrels refuse to empty. A bothersome fate
aberration (p. XX) may occur.
4. Severe violations of causality occur in a very wide area around you. A prince's kingdom
falls into civil war after his assassination, even though he is still alive. A dangerous fate
aberration (p. XX) may occur.
5. Very severe violations of causality occur, potentially impacting the region forever. A
volcano erupts from a mossy hill; a cyclone flattens a city from clear skies; a spell for
clear weather suddenly creates unending drought. A powerful and antagonistic fate
aberration (p. XX) may occur- potentially even catalyzing a Getimian Exaltation.
Incursion
1. A ghost, hobgoblin or unbound first circle demon enters Creation. Although they will not
directly seek you out, their presence is likely to complicate your life.
2. As above, but the entity leaves behind a rift, allowing communication and possession,
but not transportation forms between Creation and some other realm.
3. A larger incursion of up to half a dozen such spirits. Alternatively, a single more
powerful entity may come through, such as a Fair Folk noble, a powerful nephwrack or a
second circle demon.
4. Breakthrough; a region of Creation is lost to the Bordermarches, breaks into a
Shadowland, or becomes a path to the Demon Realm. Malign influence is certain to
seep in from such a thing.
5. Invasion; a region of Creation is sundered and claimed by the enemy- it falls to the
middlemarches of the Wyld and a court of Fair Folk nobility, or becomes a Shadowland
centered on a powerful and malicious ghostly force, or a Second Circle Demon is waiting
to march upon Creation with dozens of lessers at their call.
Madness
1. For the next day, you are plagued by haunting apparitions out of the corners of your
eyes, the shadows of pasts that never were and futures that will not be. You cannot
spend Willpower during this time.
2. For the next day, you are haunted by the ghosts of your regrets. Spectral accusers
shout your failings at you; your hands may drip with blood, or your reflection twist and
mock you. You cannot spend or gain Willpower during this time. Alternatively, you may
suffer from the first level for a week.
3. For the next day, you become prone to fits of inappropriate emotion- breaking
suddenly into tears over dinner, laughing hysterically during a funeral, or falling asleep
in a fight. Alternatively, instead of inappropriate emotions, fate may simply conspire
against you, resulting in disastrous failure of what should be the easiest of tasks- most
often when trying to warn someone of the consequences of their actions. Once per
day, the Storyteller may opt to force one of your rolls to be a botch. They must declare
this before you roll. Alternatively, you may suffer the first level for a month, or the
second level for a week.
4. For the next day, you adopt one of your Resplendent Destiny personas. You are
unable to act against your persona's intimacies, and believe the persona to be your
true self. During this time, you are also unable to adopt a Resplendent Destiny; your
fate is too fragmented to weave another atop it. Alternatively, you may suffer the first
level for a season, the second for a month, or the third for a week.
5. You suffer one of the previous levels for (respectively) a week, a month, a season or a
year.
Doom
You gain a geas; a taboo of obligation or prohibition. Upon violation of this geas, your Doom
falls, inflicting the specified amount of damage upon you. Until that time, it lurks, waiting and
hungry. You and your Storyteller should work together to create an appropriate geas for you to
labor under. This damage can also be safely dealt with; whenever you could remove a point of
Paradox, you may instead remove a die of damage from your Doom. Once the damage is dealt,
or if you reduce the damage to nothing, the geas is ended.
Damage from Doom cannot be reduced by charms or armor. Fate will not be denied.
Arcane Fate
Arcane Fate is the description for the tendency of the world and those within it to forget about
the existence of the Sidereals, individually and collectively.
An individual who has no intimacies towards either a Sidereal in particular or towards the
Sidereal Exalted will begin to forget about any interactions they have with a Sidereal by the end
of the scene, and will retain only the haziest of memories by the next scene. They will
remember roughly what happened in the scene, but will attempt to attribute actions the Sidereal
took to others, or possibly as having occurred by happenstance or coincidence. At the end of
each story, the Storyteller makes a 10-die social influence roll against each intimacy the
individual holds towards either a Sidereal in specific, or against the Sidereals in general. This
influence roll is intended to weaken the intimacy, and is itself treated as being supported by a
Major intimacy. Unlike normal social influence, individuals cannot spend willpower to resist their
intimacies being weakened by Arcane Fate, nor do Exalted suffer the normal consequences
(such as Solars gaining Limit) from weakening intimacies. Characters cannot use intimacies
towards a Sidereal or the Sidereals collectively to bolster their Resolve against this influence,
but they may be able to defend themselves with other intimacies as normal. Finally, Defining
Intimacies cannot be washed away by Arcane Fate; the Tie or Principle is too strongly a part of
the individual to be casually eroded away.
An individual that has their last intimacies of Sidereals eroded away at the end of the story
forgets about the Sidereals- although they remain a few fragments of knowledge, it seems more
like rumor and conjecture than something they've lived.
Arcane Fate afflicts all mortal beings of Creation, save the Sidereal and Getimian Exalted.
--End Sidebar--
Collectively, Arcane Fate causes evidence and information about the Sidereals to become lost
and confused. Written accounts of their actions will be destroyed or misplaced; artistic
depictions will be stolen or simply vanish. While many savants in Creation speculate that some
manner of hidden category of Exalt or entity serves the will of Heaven and the Gods, there is
significant disagreement over the nature of such beings. Consequently, any attempt by anyone
subject to Arcane Fate to declare or contest any facts (Exalted p. 237) about the Sidereal
Exalted suffer a -5 penalty to their attempt to do so.
Because of Arcane Fate, Sidereal Exalted cannot personally gain or hold any Merits which
depend upon a significant number of personal relationships; this generally includes Allies,
Backing, Command, Contacts, Cult, Followers, Mentors, Retainers, or Resources. This list is
not meant to be exhaustive; if the Storyteller feels that a particular Merit would be worn away by
Arcane Fate, they may prohibit the Sidereal from taking it. Conversely, if a particular Merit
makes sense to take despite Arcane Fate- such as an Ally or Retainer with a Defining Tie
towards the Sidereal, or being Mentored by a powerful God, then the Sidereal should have no
special difficulty acquiring or keeping the merit.
Resplendent Destinies
Since the breaking of the Mask, the Sidereal Exalted have learned to cloak themselves in false
identities, which they call Resplendent Destinies. These false identities can seem very real-
they have names, histories, connections, beliefs -but they are conjured from stardust by the will
of the Sidereal Exalted, and exist in a kind of quiescence when not being worn- their absence
will go unremarked upon, and fate will furnish excuses if the matter is pressed. They are away
travelling; they are ill and not receiving visitors; they are cloistered in study; they are training and
do not wish to be disturbed. Each such Destiny draws heavily on the archetypes of one of the
constellations which inspires the magic of the Sidereals; each allows the Sidereal to present a
face to the world that will not be forgotten. However, the position of such Destinies once
created is not simple and static; the Sidereal may gain or lose story Merits based upon the
actions they take while in one of these false identities as would any other character, although
not to exceed the maximum dots allowed by the ambition of the Destiny.
Sidereals may have any number Resplendent Destinies created at once, although she may don
only one at a time. Creating a new Destiny is an Astrological Project (p. XX) with increasing
ambition based upon how integrated the new destiny will initially be in the world. Ignore the
experience cost of this Projection if the Sidereal has fewer than (Essence) Resplendent
Destinies at the moment.
Tellurian 1 1 2
Tellurian 2 2 2
Tellurian 3 4 2
Celestial 1 6 4
Celestial 2 10 4
Celestial 3 15 4
Sidereal 1 20 5
Sidereal 2 30 5
Sidereal 3 40 5
Merits dots a Destiny begins with may be distributed amongst Allies, Backing, Command,
Contacts, Followers, Mentors, Retainers, or Resources. Appropriate Merits, such as Allies,
Backing, or Retainers, may be taken multiple times.
Creating a Destiny draws upon the nature of the constellation it is being built from. This places
two constraints on the Resplendent Destiny- the Trapping and the Ties.
While wearing a destiny, the Sidereal must visibly display some particular trapping, emblematic
of the constellation. The trapping need not be literal, but the symbolism must be relatively
direct. Likewise, each Resplendent Destiny is created with at least one Defining Intimacy and
two Major Intimacies, drawn from the correlations of the constellation. These intimacies cannot
normally be strengthened or weakened. If the Sidereal acts against these intimacies, or allows
them to be weakened, then she gains Paradox as described above (p. XX).
Donning or exiting a Resplendent Destiny is a matter of focused concentration and silent prayer
commands to the appropriate college. Outside of combat, this is only a matter of a few minutes;
during combat, it requires 3 miscellaneous actions (Exalted p 196). The Sidereal must have the
trapping displayed on her person while donning the Destiny, but need not otherwise alter her
appearance or dress. Her appearance while in a Resplendent Destiny is not altered- she has
disguised her place in the world, not her face or form, and accomplishing the later requires
either a normal disguise roll (Exalted p. 224) or more specialized magic.
Alternatively, the Sidereal can always immediately exit a Resplendent Destiny to her own,
although this is treated as acting against the defining intimacy of the Destiny causing her to
accrue Paradox normally. If a Sidereal's anima rises to Burning or above (Exalted p. 175) while
she is in a Resplendent Destiny, she immediately and violently exits as if violating the defining
intimacy.
Several Charms exist which either can only be invoked while the Sidereal wears a particular
Resplendent Destiny, or which are enhanced when they do so.
Caste Descriptions
Chosen of Journeys
--Full Page Spread--
(Eagle-Eye Salith, http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/400943-sidereal-
of-the-day?p=402192#post402192)
Well, I always say, if you can’t do something good, it means you’re not where you need to be.
In the First Age, the Chosen of Journeys knit the Old Realm together. While the Solars brought
righteous law and led armies against the enemies of man and god, it was the Harbingers who
carried the messages so vital to coordinating the vast movements of people and materials, as
well as swiftly carrying the plans of Heaven to the Exalted, and the plans of the Exalted to
Heaven. During the Usurpation, they saw the paths the Solars would flee down, and carried
secret messages to the Dragonblooded, readying them in ambush.
Now they are pressed as never before. Creation is fragmented; gods run rampant as the will of
Heaven is so often ignored. People are forced into ill-fated journeys away from homes
destroyed by war or ravaged by plague, while others are kept in bondage, unable to depart in
search of their destiny by slavers. The Harbingers are still the swiftest messengers and the
Eyes of Heaven, but princes disregard their prophecies and spirits merely wait until some new
crisis calls them away again.
The Chosen of Journeys are always born with a destiny to travel, often among a travelling
people- whether nomadic herdsmen, travelling entertainers and merchants, or irresident
refugees. Even those born into more settled lives are filled with wanderlust, and often run away
from home at a young age, learning to live and travel independently- and being unwilling to be
tied down, no matter what hardships they face on the journey. Often, they are as eager to move
on from as towards, many leaving trouble in their wake and bearing disturbance to their
destinations.
Anima Banner: The eyes of the Chosen of Journeys are always yellow, ranging from the pale
of corn-silk to deep saffron; they are often but not always blonde, even where such a hair color
is unusual, and blonde children are stereotyped as being irresponsible and running away from
trouble in many parts of Creation. Their Caste Mark is the Sign of Mercury, a crescent
crowning a the mirror of Venus. As their anima rises, flecks of yellow starlight begin to burn in
their pupils, giving them an appearance of a star-filled night, while their anima itself is a uniform
yellow.
Anima Effects: Mercury is the swiftest of the Gods, and her alacrity is shared with her Chosen;
by invoking the Lesser Sign of Mercury, they can grant grace and speed to their allies and
themselves. See page XX for details.
Auspicious Abilities: The Golden Barque of Heaven is governed by Mercury, and she loves
those constellations that bear others in their paths. As such, the Harbingers often show a talent
for Archery, Athletics, Dodge, Larceny, Resistance, Ride, Sail, Survival, and Thrown.
Associations: The color yellow, the element of Air, the season of winter, the Western direction,
the crescent moon
Chosen of Serenity
--Full Page Spread--
(Lo Chen, http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/400943-sidereal-of-the-
day?p=412933#post412933)
In the First Age, the Joybringers saw to it that the people of Creation were kept happy- which
meant ensuring that food was plentiful, work was easy, and conflicts were minimized in their
destructiveness. They oversaw the entertainments, dictating what songs and stories would
grow in popularity and which ones would spread only discontent, and were allowed to wilt on the
vine. The Mouths of Heaven would speak lies as easily as truth, but you could always trust that
they wanted you to be happy with what they were saying. During the Usurpation, it was the
promise of the Joybringer's festivities that drew so many of the Solars to the Calibration Feast,
and their beguiling smiles that brought so many low.
Now Creation is wracked by misery. Hunger haunts the land, and want cries from every corner
of the world. A small few hoard vast wealth, growing fat on the pleasures of the flesh even as
those beneath them groan at the weight. Joybringers do what they can to bring hope and
happiness into such darkness, but few can offer more than the salve of a temporary drugged or
drunken oblivion, or giving oneself up in moments of ecstasy, no matter the consequences.
The Chosen of Serenity are always born with a destiny to enjoy life, no matter how dire the
circumstances that surround their birth. While many are born into rich and prosperous
households, even those who enter life as toiling farmers will find ways to fill idle days with
festivities and laughter. Many have a bad habit of prioritizing immediate pleasures over longer
term consequences; most, but by no means all, grow out of this- and blue-eyed people across
Creation are expected to be lazy dreamers but excellent (if sometimes faithless) lovers.
Anima Banner: The eyes of the Chosen of Serenity are always blue, ranging from the arctic
blue of the most northern sky to the deepest azure of the ocean. Most are dark-haired, often
with hair so black that it may look indigo in the right light. Their Caste Mark is the Sign of
Venus, a mirror's circle atop a square cross. As their anima rises, flecks of blue starlight begin
to burn in their pupils, giving them an appearance of a star-filled night, while their anima itself is
a uniform blue.
Anima Effects: Of all the gods, none sing or speak more sweetly than Venus, and her honeyed
words are shared with her Chosen. By invoking the Lesser Sign of Venus, they can grant
supernatural inspiration to their allies and themselves. See page XX for details.
Auspicious Abilities: The Cerulean Lute of Harmony belongs to Venus, and she cherishes
those constellations that bring joy to the lives of those they touch. As such, the Joybringers
often show a talent for Awareness, Craft, Dodge, Investigation, Linguistics, Performance,
Presence, Socialize, and Survival.
Associations: The color blue, the element of Water, the season of spring, the Central direction,
the waxing moon
Chosen of Battles
--Full Page Spread--
(Red, http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/400943-sidereal-of-the-
day#post400943)
Peace is a dream, a brief respite in the struggle to survive. But it is a dream worth fighting for.
In the First Age, the Shieldbearers oversaw all competitions in the Old Realm. They channeled
competitive spirit into athletic competitions and sports, encouraging friendly rivalries where each
rival would serve as the whetstone to the knife of the other, while at the same time bringing
communities together to support their favored heroes. They also oversaw the battles that
raged, advising the Solars on how to best minimize needless suffering- even when that meant
leaving towns and cities to burn for the greater good. During the Usurpation, it was the battle
plans of the Hands of Heaven that guided the armies of the Dragonblooded, and their
stratagems that occupied the Lunars on the edges of the world.
Now meaningless conflict rages across Creation. Petty tyrants send soldiers to fight and die in
battles that solve nothing save to magnify their own glory. Mortal enemies are forced to make
brief alliance in the face of greater threats, only for inevitable treachery to tear them apart. Each
battle no longer hammers out weakness, but steals away strength, like a soldier fighting on even
as they bleed out on the field.
The Chosen of Battles are always born with a destiny to fight, no matter how easy they could
have it. They will seek out challenges too great for them, dashing themselves against rocks and
ruins of their own making. They are often born amongst the camp-followers of soldiers armies,
and are raised amongst rough mercenary men; even those born to lives of peace will seek out
conflict, inciting fights if they have no other way to test themselves. This has given red-headed
people in Creation a stereotype of being hot-tempered and eager to prove their worth.
Anima Banner: The eyes of the Chosen of Battles are always red, ranging from any almost
pink blush to the dark scarlet of blood-stained wood. Most are red-haired, true red, flame red.
Their Caste Mark is the Sign of Mars, a shield's circle with a spear pointed up and to the right
behind. As their anima rises, flecks of crimson starlight begin to burn in their pupils, giving them
an appearance of a star-filled night, while their anima itself is a uniform red.
Anima Effects: Mars fights because you must fight to survive; by invoking the Lesser Sign of
Mars, her Chosen can impart that fierce need to survive to their allies and themselves. See
page XX for details.
Auspicious Abilities: The Maiden of Battles oversees the Crimson Panoply of Victory, and
admires those constellations that force confrontations and bring out strength. As such, the
Shieldbearers often show a talent for Archery, Brawl, Linguistics, Lore, Medicine, Melee,
Presence, Sail, and War.
Associations: The color red, the element of Fire, the season of summer, the Eastern direction,
the full moon
Concepts: Brilliant strategist, demon hunter, Heaven's enforcer, legion financer, trainer of
heroes, wandering martial arts teacher
Chosen of Secrets
--Full Page Spread--
(Barrister Zheng, http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/400943-sidereal-
of-the-day?p=403369#post403369)
Only fools think themselves wise, but I have played the fool for many years. I doubt my time to
stop has yet arrived.
Now secrets molder in ancient tombs that should be free. The great libraries have been burnt
and salted, while the people of Creation struggle to eat, let alone give thought to the great
mysteries of the world. The Oracles are privy to the plans and learning of Heaven, but must
nurture those sparks of learning as best they can in a world already so dark, as accords with the
will of Heaven.
The Chosen of Secrets are always born with an inquisitive nature and a destiny to seek out the
truth. When young, they are often quiet and not given to the raucous play of their peers. They
are not necessarily shy and retiring readers- many will experiment with the world, testing cultural
taboos and social norms as much as performing haphazard experiments, all the while
questioning the often wanting wisdom of their elders. Children born with green eyes are
expected to be quiet, studious, and far more trouble than they first appear.
Anima Banner: The eyes of the Chosen of Secrets are always green, ranging from any pale
jade to the the deep green of the darkling forest. Most are brown haired, although a significant
number are also green haired, even when that is deeply uncommon amongst their cultures- not
infrequently leading to accusations of infidelity and bastardy. Their Caste Mark is the Sign of
Jupiter, a left pointed sickle with a rectangular cross on the bar. As their anima rises, flecks of
emerald starlight begin to burn in their pupils, giving them an appearance of a star-filled night,
while their anima itself is a uniform green.
Anima Effects: Nothing can force Jupiter to share her wisdom before she judges the time is
right; by invoking the Lesser Sign of Jupiter, her Chosen can impart that secrecy to their allies
and themselves. See page XX for details.
Auspicious Abilities: The Maiden of Secrets oversees the Forbidding Manse of Ivy, and
shares a quiet kinship with those constellations that reveal wisdom. As such, the Oracles often
show a talent for Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Melee, Occult, Resistance,
Socialize, and Stealth.
Associations: The color green, the element of Earth, the time of Calibration, the Northern
direction, the new moon
Concepts: Creation's greatest criminal mastermind, unmatched spy master, Realm historian,
Dynastic tutor, student of life, terribly mysterious mentor, wandering philosopher
Chosen of Endings
--Full Page Spread--
(Hel, http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/400943-sidereal-of-the-day?
p=414249#post414249)
Do not weep for death; weep for a life poorly lived.
In the First Age, the Reckoners assisted in the process of transitions. They arranged funerals,
oversaw the harvests, and provided quiet assistance in bringing change to systems of
government grown stale and calcified. The presence of the Gardners was felt every day but
rarely seen; even as the their work was admired, most found the presence of the Breath of
Heaven to be somewhat disquieting. Prior to the Usurpation, it was the Reckoners who
determined when the end of the Solars would fall- and of course, it was from the ranks of the
Reckoners that arose the great hero and great villain of the Five-score Fellowship, Rakan
Thulio.
Now, ancient powers stir in the Underworld, seeking to overthrow the natural order of life and
death. Governments grip their power ever more tightly, choking the people who cry for an end
to the tyranny. False wisdom stamps hard on innovations that could be threats, rather than
graciously passing on, leaving cities and nations trapped in an ever deepening darkness.
The Chosen of Endings are born with old souls. They are often given to making tactless
remarks about how things should change and what people need to stop doing; many learn to
hold their tongues after sufficient punishment, realizing that few people like having even the
gentlest of endings forced upon them. Purple is widely seen as the color of funerals; as such,
children born with purple eyes are often regarded as being ill-omened.
Anima Banner: The eyes of the Chosen of Endings are always purple, ranging from pale
mauve to wine-dark amethyst. Most are black-haired with red tints, giving their hair a purple
sheen in the right light- but brilliant violets are not unknown. Their Caste Mark is the Sign of
Saturn, a cross leading the farmer's scythe. As their anima rises, flecks of violet starlight begin
to burn in their pupils, giving them an appearance of a star-filled night, while their anima itself is
a uniform purple.
Anima Effects: By the will of Saturn do all things end; invoking the Lesser Sign of Saturn, her
Chosen pass that judgement, empowering their allies and themselves to bring an ending to their
enemies. See page XX for details.
Auspicious Abilities: The Maiden of Endings oversees the Violet Bier of Sorrows, and holds
dear those constellations which carry endings. As such, the Reckoners often show a talent for
Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Bureaucracy, Craft, Integrity, Medicine, Occult, and Thrown.
Associations: The color purple, the element of Wood, the season of autumn, the Southern
direction, the half-moon
Merits
Changes for the Sidereal Exalted
Due to Arcane Fate, the Sidereal Exalted are sharply limited in their ability to retain Merits which
depend upon interaction with the mortal world of Creation. As such, any dots purchased of the
Allies, Backing, Command, Contacts, Cult, Followers, Mentors, Retainers, or Resources
Merits which are rooted in Creation should be assigned to one of your Resplendent Destinies.
This restriction does not apply to instances of those Merits which are rooted outside of Creation;
a Sidereal may personally have divine Allies, the Backing of the Bureau of Destiny, or a Mentor
who is a more advanced Sidereal acting as a sifu. When in doubt, work with your Storyteller to
find the solution that makes the most sense for your table.
New Merits
Acquaintances (o to ooooo) - Story
Acquaintances represent individuals or a small community which helps to keep the Sidereal
grounded. They are generally ignorant of the Sidereal’s nature, although they may be vaguely
aware that the Sidereal has some important tasks they attend to; over repeated exposure, many
have gained at least a partial immunity to the ravages of Arcane Fate.
Cultivating new Acquaintances is not easily done; the Sidereal must continuously maintain a
mutual positive tie with one or more additional mortals for at least one month, without her anima
rising above dim or wearing a Resplendent Destiny.
Acquaintances are typically not people who are naturally important to the overall fate of
Creation. Princes and tyrants rarely make good Acquaintances, nor do skilled heroes or
worshipful lackeys. In a busy existence of secrets and labor to maintain the facade of reality,
Acquaintances help the Sidereal to rediscover her calm center, smoothing out the ripples of
Paradox which would otherwise dog her heels. As described on p. XX, once per story, a
Sidereal may spend a week with her Acquaintances in order to reduce her Paradox, rolling her
Acquaintances rating and losing 1 Paradox per success.
The character has been blessed by a puissant spirit, or has woven a tale of luck and good
regard for herself. The blessing should specify some circumstance, approximately as broad as
a specialty but not linked to a specific Ability. When acting within that circumstance, the
character reduces the target number of her rolls by 1. No combination of blessings may reduce
a character’s target number by more than 1, nor can any combination of effects reduce a target
number to less than 4.
The wealth of heaven is not measured in talents of jade or silver, but in liquid quintessence and
coins of ambrosia. Although Salary is of limited use outside of Heaven, it can provide a rich
lifestyle within the Celestial City. For most gods and Sidereal Exalted, they receive a Salary
based upon the position they hold within the Heavenly Bureaucracy.
Even at zero dots, you are allowed to take your share from the fountains of Heaven, but no
more- which is rarely enough to pay the exorbitant rent on Heavenly apartments, or to spare for
the prayer-runners that could pick up your share of quintessence for you, leaving you homeless
and often squatting near the celestial fountains. Although poor by the standards of Heaven, you
can easily afford food and clothing that would require Resources ooo to acquire in Creation.
Most of the residents of the Neighborhood of Refuge have zero dots of salary, although
homeless and desperate gods can be found throughout Heaven.
At one dot, you are employed by one of the Divine Bureaus; virtually all Sidereals in good
standing should have a Salary of at least this level, as they are employed by the Bureau of
Destiny. At this level, you can easily afford to pay a prayer-runner, freeing you from having to
wait by the celestial fountains to claim your quintessence, and are also award a small stipend of
ambrosia- although this is almost always taken by the cost of renting an apartment in the
Neighborhood of Wood or Fire. This level constitutes the solidly lower-middle class of Heaven,
and supports a lifestyle that would require Resources oooo to manage in Creation.
At two dots, you either have a position of individual respect or manage a small team of
undergods. Your stipend of ambrosia is increased, either allowing you to save a fraction of the
precious stuff each month by living in a lower-class apartment, or affording a nicer townhome in
the Neighborhoods of Water or Air, or a small cottage in the Neighborhood of Groves. Most
Sidereals in good standing will attain this level of Salary after a few decades of service. At this
level of Salary, you can easily support a lifestyle equivalent to someone in Creation with
Resources ooooo; no mortal luxury is beyond your reach, and your food and raiment are the
envy of lesser divinities.
At three dots, you are paid at the level of the leadership within one of the Divine Bureaus. You
almost certainly have accounts in a celestial bank which manage the day to day details of your
quintessence and ambrosia, freeing you to enjoy life without worrying about minutiae. Your
lifestyle has no earthly compare; you can afford divine servants and sandal-bearers, and dine at
restaurants where godly chefs prepare feasts with depth, diversity and savor beyond the
dreams of mere mortals. You may own some property in Heaven outright, and supplement your
income with rent you collect- while at the same time living in one of the fantastic ranches or
smaller palaces in the Neighborhood of Water or Groves. This tends to be the official upper
level of Salary for most Sidereals, achieved after over a millenia of meritorious service- although
quite a number get here sooner through less formal means. At this level of Salary, you can
acquire the reagents needed to craft a two or three dot Artifact without difficulty.
At four dots, you have a wealth beyond mortal comprehension. Your word is bond, and your
bond is gold wrapped coins of ambrosial prayer. You doubtless own property in your own name
within the Celestial City, and have access to anything your heart could desire. In all likelihood,
you live in a minor palace in the Neighborhood of Heaven, or one of the grand estates in the the
Neighborhood of Water or Air. At this level, gods can even occasionally buy access to the
Games of Divinity, on at least a limited duration. Only the division heads are officially paid at
this level- certainly no Sidereal is. Officially, anyways. At this level of Salary, you can acquire
the reagents needed to craft a four or five dot Artifact without difficulty.
At five dots, you have wealth beyond any but the Incarnae and their most favored servants.
You are so rich that money has lost meaning to you; you have gods to manage your accounts
for you, and freely indulge in any pleasure or vice without regard for the cost. You can even
regularly afford to attend the Games of Divinity. You can certainly afford to own one of the
grand palaces in the Neighborhood of Heaven- or anywhere else you want to live. Even
unofficially, virtually no Sidereal ever gains this degree of Salary- the cost of bribes needed to
hold the audits and lawsuits at bay would outweigh the gains of the extralegal activities needed
to maintain this state. At this level of Salary, you can acquire all but the most unique reagents
needed to craft even legendary wonders.
While both are true, both overlook significant points. While there is a correlation between one’s
Cult and one’s Salary, they are not directly linked, as much of the ambrosia generated by
worship is forfeit to the Incarnae and disbursed for the benefit of the Divine Bureaucracy. When
in Heaven, Gods are treated as having a base Salary of (Cult / 2). Meanwhile, the Gods want to
*do* things with quintessence, transforming it from potential to actual; individuals who can bring
significantly more valuable actuals in can barter their way into the system. Someone with
Resources oooo or ooooo is treated as having Salary o while in Heaven.
Of course, this can also go in reverse- a God or Sidereal may transform a modest amount of
quintessence or ambrosia into economy-destabilizing amounts of precious metals or exotic
spices, even if the stuff of prayers itself does not survive in Creation. This is technically illegal;
nothing of Heaven may touch Creation -and makes for a perilous bridge to walk with little in the
way of reward, inviting censure from disrupting the plans of Heaven on a vast scale. This
doesn’t prevent a brisk trade near some of the Heavenly Gates, but it is carefully monitored to
make sure the introduced wealth can be safely absorbed.
--End Sidebar--
Which isn’t to say no desperate Sidereal, addicted to the transcendent joy that even those
contraband memories provides, has attempted to do so. To them, accruing the necessary
bribes in ambrosia would be the easiest step- far more difficult to trick their way past Jijira (p.
XX). Even if they manage to do so, they would then have to evade the detection of the
assembled hosts of the mightiest Gods of Heaven, most likely including the Incarnae
themselves.
Once every few hundred years, one of the Exalted is killed trying to either sneak or force access
into the Jade Pleasure Dome to witness the Games of Divinity. But even during the height of
the First Age, no known instances of an Exalt beholding the Games and living to exit the Dome
are known.
--End Sidebar--
Savant (oo) - Story
Prerequisite: Lore oo
This Merit may be purchased as many times as desired.
The character has an especially in depth knowledge about some specific topic. Choose a
subset of the character’s Lore background (Exalted p. 153); when introducing or challenging a
fact within that topic, the character enjoys a bonus die.
--End Sidebar--
Anima Effects
All Sidereals instinctively have the following abilities by feeding 1 mote into their anima:
● She uses either version of the thaumaturgical ritual Read the Tea Leaves' (Exalted p.
490); she need not literally read tea leaves, but rather gains a brief insight into the
intended future. If she consults the stars at night when using this power, she adds +3
non-charm dice to her (Perception + Occult) roll.
● The Sidereal learns the exact time of day in Creation. This functions even other realms,
such as the Underworld, the Wyld, or Hell.
● The Sidereal may cause her caste mark to display itself as long as she desires.
● Once per story, the Sidereal asks the Storyteller a question relating to her caste or
kismet. The answer must be a single word, and may not include personal names.
Character Advancement
Sidereals advance as Solars do, gaining five experience points per session, which players
spend to increase characters’ traits as well as to buy new Charms, save as noted below
Experience Points
Trait Experience Cost
Sidereal Experience
In addition to normal experience, characters can gain sidereal experience in each session.
Sidereal experience may be spent on anything except Sidereal Charms or Sidereal Martial Arts
charms. Players have two opportunities to earn sidereal experience per session. They may
earn up to one Destined Bonus and one Division Bonus, for a total of four sidereal experience
per session.
Destined Bonus
Characters can gain 2 points of sidereal experience by fulfilling any one of the following criteria
per session:
● Expressing, supporting, or engaging with her kismet in such a way that it reveals
something about the character, develops the character’s personality, or provides a
moment that everyone at the table enjoys.
● Being significantly challenged, endangered, or harmed in the course of pursuing her
kismet.
● Being significantly challenged, impeded or endangered by a Flaw.
Division Bonus
Characters can gain 2 points of sidereal experience by fulfilling any one of the following criteria
per session:
● Intentionally ceding the spotlight of the scene’s focus to another player’s character in
such a way that it makes that character shine.
● Chosen of Journeys: Guide someone you hold a Major or Defining Tie towards, or act
as a guide in the service of a Major or Defining Principle, through dangerous territory.
Encourage someone to undertake a significant or life-altering journey. Get into
significant trouble by being the bearer of bad news.
● Chosen of Serenity: Develop a new, mutual, positive Defining Tie between yourself and
another, or between any two people. Successfully conclude a significant conflict without
violence. Suffer great hardship in the service to a positive Major or Defining Tie (not
necessarily your own).
● Chosen of Battles: Overcome a challenge to a Major or Defining Intimacy by violence.
Encourage someone to strike back against an oppressor- this need not be violent, but
must be a significant or life-altering task. Survive great danger or hardship in the service
of a Major or Defining Principle.
● Chosen of Secrets: Reveal or conceal a secret of significant interest to another player’s
character. Learn a significant secret at great personal risk. Persuade someone to take
a significant or life-altering task or risk, while withholding some critical piece of
information.
● Chosen of Endings: Witness the end of someone or something you hold a Major or
Defining Intimacy towards. Weaken a Major or Defining Intimacy while performing your
duty. Foster the start of a new beginning after an ending.
Training Times
Sidereal Exalted train at the same speed at Solars, save as noted below:
Suddenly, she heard a crow’s call, warning her to expect pain. Heeding the call, she took one
step backward, as an arrow land where her foot had just been. She followed the angle of the
shaft to see a figure in a drab red cloak, holding a composite bow of ironwood and horn on the
roof of an adjacent building. Their feet were avian, clawed toes clinging to the rooftop.
The earth forgotten, Hel lept to the roof of the burning teahouse, then across the street to the
last position of her failed assassin. To leave an archer at her back her would be an unsound
tactic. She ran after the cloaked form, leaping from roof to roof, dodging and parrying the quickly
fired shots of her assailant as she sought to close the distance. When they reached the river,
no further buildings presented their roofs for continued flight. Oddly, the archer did not jump to
the street. She turned and trained her last arrow on Hel.
Hel pointed her direlance at the archer’s heart, and called out in Ringtaker’s professional
mercenary voice. "I have no sense that your death day is today. Promise me you will leave Jiara
immediately, and I can spare your life."
The assassin let the tension out of its bowstring, dropped its hood and cleared the scarf from its
mouth. It's eyes were much too large, though otherwise the face looked human. It screeched
something in a damned barbarian tongue. Hel might not speak it, but the meaning was clear.
"Fine, I'll just have to kill you, then. And after that, see to whatever set the teahouse aflame."
Advancing as swiftly and inexorably as Saturn herself, Hel appeared at the cloaked being's side,
thrusting The Fall Maiden with killing force. Fortunately, despite the assassin’s speed, the tip of
the spear tore through the cloak and into flesh beneath. The archer leapt into the air, letting the
cloak fall entirely while drawing back the bow without any arrow. Moonlight lept from the
assassin’s brow, forming three silver shafts, just as it loosed and, despite her absence, Hel
grunted as one of the arrow’s struck home in the shoulder.
She could feel some cold numbness briefly try and spread from the venom of the strike, but Hel
ensured it was someone else’s destiny to suffer. The bloodied cloak fell empty, as a cardinal as
red as the dawn flew away, a gash plainly visible on its breast.
Hel shouldered The Fall Maiden, and turned back into the city. No time to run down a Lunar
into whatever traps it had prepared. Heaven’s will needed to be done.
Chapter 5 : Charms of the Sidereal Exalted
The magics of the Sidereal Exalted are unlike those of the Lawgivers. Where the Solars may
punch with the force to shatter stones and leap over mountains, the Charms of the Sidereals
more often reveal hidden wisdom, provide greater flexibility, or change the context of a situation.
Where the Charms of the Solars emphasize their human excellence, the Charms of the
Sidereals illustrate the place where an all too inscrutable Heaven meets Earth. Like the Solars,
they channel their magic through human expressions of Ability- however, unlike the Solars, they
are doing so through the mystic understanding and perspective of the colleges and
constellations that drive fate and destiny.
The magic of the Sidereals tends to be cut from a more deliberate cloth than that of the Solars.
Although Charms still only represent abstractions and capacities of the Exalted, a Sidereal is
more likely to think of her Charms as distinct rituals, meditative exercises, or martial katas.
It is possible, albeit extremely difficult, for a Sidereal to discover a new Charm. Such a Charm
must be thematically consistent with the college to which the ability belongs, subject to
Storyteller approval. The Charms of the Sidereals allow them to nudge, push and pull Fate, to
craft omens, to learn hidden knowledge, and to guide chance and coincidence. No matter how
they try, Sidereals cannot use their power to express the casual excellence of the Solars, to
command the raw elements, or to grossly transform their bodies.
To create a new Sidereal Charm, the Sidereal must already know the Prayer Strip charm for the
ability. She then must complete an Astrological Projection (p. XX); the project will have be
Sidereal Ambition 1 for an Essence 1 Charm, Sidereal Ambition 2 for an Essence 2 or 3 Charm,
and Sidereal Ambition 3 for an Essence 4+ Charm.
If successful, a new star is kindled in the appropriate constellation, allowing each member of the
Five Score Fellowship the chance to partake of this new pearl of magical wisdom.
--End Sidebar--
Keywords
In addition to the Charm keywords described in the corebook (Exalted p. 253), Sidereal Charms
introduce the following keywords:
● Design: A Charm with this keyword moves the world and can reveal the plans of the
Sidereal to those looking for them. If not otherwise specified, the effects of active
Charms with this keyword can be recognized by use of the thaumaturgical ritual Reading
the Tea Leaves (Exalted p. 490) to study the destiny of the Sidereal or her target.
● Prayer Strip: This Charm represents mastery of the Charms of a given Ability. Such
Charms always require preparation of a special prayer strip before use. Each Charm the
Sidereal learns with this Keyword allows her to learn an additional Sidereal Martial Arts
charm.
● Resplendent: This Charm modifies Resplendent Destinies worn within the governing
constellation, or has some additional effect while wearing an appropriate Destiny.
● Suitable: A Charm with this keyword may more easily enhance actions of other Abilities,
combining with charms that they would normally be incompatible with. They may be
combined with the Charms of any other Abilities unless otherwise specified to enhance
the specified action, as long as all charms involved are either Charms of the appropriate
ability, or also have the Suitable keyword.
● Touch: Using this charm requires touching the target with your bare hand. In combat,
this is a gambit with a difficulty specified by the Charm, made with Brawl or a bare
handed Martial Arts attack. Outside of combat, touching an individual can generally be
accomplished, but doing so without drawing attention requires a contested (Dexterity +
Larceny) opposed by the victim’s (Wits + Awareness), and with a penalty equal to the
difficulty of the gambit.
Considerations
Unless otherwise specified, all rerolls are completed before any effect that considers the result
of the roll are evaluated. If the order matters, the defender rerolls any dice first, followed by the
aggressor. If the defender and aggressor are not clear, the character with the greater Essence
rerolls first. Successes or consequences from the original roll are kept or discarded at the
decision of the individual provoking the reroll.
Some Sidereal effects can increase the target number needed for an opponent to achieve
success. No combination of effects can ever increase the target number to greater than 10.
In order for an effect to provide Double-9s (or Double-8s, Double-7s, etc), the roll must also be
successful. If a combination of effects would cause a given roll to have Double-7s but also have
a target number of 8, then any 7s rolled would add no successes to the result.
Charms with the Resplendent keyword often offer great power to a Sidereal wearing an
appropriate destiny- however, the power comes at the price of her actions and essence
expenditures being constrained by the Destiny and the risk of Paradox, and can rarely be
combined with Resplendent charms from other abilities at some hypothetical potential.
Unlike the Excellencies of the Solars, the Fateful Excellency does not enhance the Sidereal’s
natural skill or talent. As such, it does not add dice to rolled actions. Other magics of the
Chosen of the Maidens may do so, however. Sidereal Exalted cannot add more than
(Essence) dice contributed from Charms or other magical effects. The only exception is
for those effects which add ‘non-Charm’ dice to certain rolls. If a Charm adds successes,
treat each added success as adding two dice for the purpose of dice-adding limitations.
When using the Fateful Excellency to modify a static value, the Sidereal spends 2 motes per
point of increase, to a maximum bonus of of (Essence). Other magics of the Sidereal Exalted
may allow her to increase a static value beyond this limit. Sidereal Exalted cannot increase a
static value beyond (Ability). The only exception is for those effects which add ‘non-
Charm’ increases.
Gaining Excellencies: Sidereals automatically gain a Fateful Excellency for each Caste and
Favored Ability in which they possess at least one dot, as well as any Ability for which they have
learned at least one Charm. This costs no experience points during play and does not count
against her starting Charms at character creation.
By allowing Charms outside of the Excellency to add dice, targeted boosts can be applied within
the overall magic of the Sidereals where needed. This selectively is used to ensure that the
Sidereals can generate appropriate expected successes in different cases, and to reward
specific behaviors and practices.
--End Sidebar--
--End Sidebar--
Opportune Shot
Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Clash, Withering-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Falling Star Struck
The Quiver makes their own luck, intercepting shots fired at them and turning them back against
the fools that would defy fate. Opportune Shot allows the the Sidereal to make a reflexive
withering Archery attack when she is targeted by an Archery or Thrown attack from Short or
Medium range, regardless of her place in the Initiative order. This does not count as her
combat action.
If the attacker is crashed as a result of this clash attack, the Sidereal may reflexively take an
Aim action at him.
Amaryllis Stance
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Foe Facing Prophecy
Pride knows pride, and there are none more proud than the Quiver. As long as the Sidereal
maintains the Amaryllis Stance, she gains a Defining Principle of 'Confidence In Myself', which
cannot be reduced or modified. Additionally, if she successfully uses Read Intentions on
another, she automatically learns if they hold any intimacies based on self-confidence, pride or
arrogance.
So long as she maintains Amaryllis Stance, her reflection will linger moments too long in
mirrors, and any reading of her destiny will proclaim her natural greatness and unquestionable
superiority.
Forgotten Earth
Cost: 6m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Inexorable Advance
Assuming the destiny of a burnt offering, the Sidereal soars upward; she forgets to fall, and the
earth is too polite to remind her. Forgotten Earth enhances her reflexive movement, allowing
her to leap a range band forward or upwards for the remainder of the scene. Bearing no more
weight than smoke, she also gains perfect balance and can run along or across surfaces too
narrow or weak to normally support her without needing to roll (Dexterity + Athletics).
An Essence 2 repurchase of Forgotten Earth enhances her ability to escape; any stunt she
makes involving jumping or soaring to disengage turns the stunt dice into successes.
No Escape
Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Resplendent, Design
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Inexorable Advance
The Sidereal exhales stagnation, impeding the ability of others to leave their presence. When
an enemy attempts to disengage from you, everyone opposing the attempt gains bonus
successes equal to the number of 1s he rolls. If the Sidereal is in the Destiny of the Rising
Smoke, everyone instead gains bonus successes equal to the number of 1s and 2s rolled.
At Essence 3, you may pay 6 motes to increase the duration of No Escape to Indefinite. While
the Charm is active, omens warn of your inescapable hunger and the doom you carry with you.
Journey's End
Cost: 6m; Mins: Athletics 2, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Psyche, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Rising smoke greets the weary traveler on the road, the sign of shelter and the promise of rest.
The Sidereal bring this yearning to lay down burdens and cease a journey to their target;
Journey's End supplements a persuade action intended to convince the target to cease their
travelling and set down roots. For each 10 rolled on the roll, you may either treat an existing
intimacy that supports your action as being one step stronger, or treat the target as having a
principle of 'The desire to rest'. This principle is treated as a minor intimacy with only one 10, a
major intimacy with two 10s, or a defining intimacy with three 10s.
Hungry Touch
Cost: 2m, 1i; Mins: Athletics 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Inexorable Advance
Walls of stone do not stop the end, nor does iron armor or shields of bronze. Even the
panoplies of the Exalted offer no succor from Saturn's fatal touch. Hungry Touch supplements
an attack the Sidereal makes. If it enhances a withering attack, she reduces the target's soak by
(Athletics); if it enhances a decisive attack, she reduces the target's Hardness by (the higher of
Essence or 2).
Burn Life
Cost: 10m; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute, Design
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: No Escape, Forgotten Earth, Hungry Touch
Like a garda bird, the Sidereal may burn her life to renew it. Like a candle, there is a cost paid
for such restoration. Even when unconscious, she may use Burn Life to speed her healing;
increasing her natural healing by a factor of (Essence x Athletics). This boosted healing lasts
for only one day, and only for time she spends at rest. For each hour spent resting in this
fashion, the Sidereal reduces her span of days by one; hastening her end even as she delays it.
An Essence 4 repurchase of Burn Life grants a more remarkable capability. By entering a
meditative trance, she may heal even seemingly permanent injuries such as the loss of an eye
or limb. This use of Burn Life costs 1xp to heal a minor crippling injury, 2xp to heal a major
crippling injury, and 3xp to heal a defining crippling injury. It also requires a number of weeks of
uninterrupted meditation equal to the amount of experience spent; casting her remaining hours
in a bonfire to emerge whole and renewed, and wrapping herself in a cocoon of smoke. It is not
uncommon for a Sidereal emerging from this cocoon to do so with notable but cosmetic
changes to her appearance or personality.
While in the trance, prophecies of the Sidereal's imminent rebirth fill the heavens, and garda
birds will gossip about her.
Heartbreak
Cost: 6m, 3i or 6m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Scent of Spilled Blood
Some souls are too stubborn to pass at their appointed hour- but even for them, the heart has
only so many beats before it will cease. Using Heartbreak requires the Sidereal to draw the
Rising Smoke Descendant upon the victim with her bare hand; in combat, this is a this is a
difficulty 3 gambit. Out of combat, Heartbreak costs 6 motes and one willpower to use.
Those cursed by Heartbreak find their hearts suddenly seizing up- sometimes pounding, other
times simply stopping. Treat this as a poison, with the following traits:
Damage / interval: 3i/round (Lethal in Crash)
Duration: (Athletics + threshold successes on the gambit roll, or Athletics + 5 outside of
combat)
Penalty: -(Higher of 3 or Essence)
Those who die of Heartbreak show no sign of violent death; it simply seems as if their heart
gave out. Non-magical investigation cannot uncover this deception, although magically
enhanced investigation, such as the Solar Charm Ten Magistrate Eyes (Exalted p. 313) may
reveal the truth.
Invisible Motion
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Prayer Strip, Perilous
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Burn Life, At Least 3 other Athletics Charms
The ending comes, sought or unsought. Even when the days seem to stand still, they can
advance with startling speed. By burning a prayer strip marked with the Scripture of the Maiden
and the Dust in a flash of burgundy essence, the Sidereal transcends this paradox; moving
without crossing space, acting without taking time. While Invisible Motion is active, she seems
to be moving in a flickering light- always appearing still, but always in motion. She ignores all
penalties to her Evasion; whenever she takes a successful Rush or Disengage action, she
steals 1 initiative from each victim that opposed her, and may reflexively attempt to establish
surprise by hiding between the seconds of sight. Finally, when she begins her turn in close
range to an enemy, she steals one initiative from each of them.
While in initiative crash, the Sidereal is jostled back into time; the effects of Invisible Motion will
reassert themselves as soon as she is no longer crashed.
Prior Warning
Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None
When they stop to listen, a Sidereal can hear the flapping of heavy wings, and the croaking caw
of a black bird. She knows when the cry grows loud that an end is coming- but if she is ready, it
need not be hers, yet. As long as Prior Warning is active, before she rolls Join Battle, the
Sidereal rolls (Essence + Awareness). With each success, the Sidereal may take a simple
action in preparation of the coming violence. These actions cannot be overt; any charms
activated may not be obvious or cause her anima to increase in intensity, and any mundane
actions must have been plausible in the minute leading up to a fight. Readying a weapon and
using a Form-type Charm are explicitly always permitted, even if these would seem improbable.
Any actions not taken may instead be converted into motes, gaining the Sidereal one mote per
action not taken.
Prior Warning does not prevent the Sidereal from being ambushed or suffering from the effects
of a surprise attack; she gains the intuition to ready herself, but the precise moment may still
arrive as a shock.
While under the effects of Prior Warning, omens will warn those who would bring violence to the
Sidereal that she is prepared.
Expected Pain
Cost: 2m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute, Resplendent
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Prior Warning
The scream of an arrow and of a shrieking crow can be remarkably similar to the Sidereal that
has learned to listen, allowing her to make ready for the coming pain. When she suffers from an
unexpected attack, she gains one initiative for each 1 rolled on the attacker's (Dexterity +
Stealth) roll. If the Sidereal is in the Destiny of the Crow, she gains one initiative for each 1 or 2
rolled instead. She may only use Expected Pain once per scene.
In non-combat situations, she gains one turn of warning before something unpleasant or
dangerous happens- warning of incipient betrayal, poisoned wine, or an unexpected audit.
Crow's Croaking Laugh
Cost: 6m; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
No matter how wretchedly terrible the situation, the Sidereal can see the horrible joke that
makes it bearable. She may only use Crow’s Croaking Laughter when she or an ally in close
range enters initiative crash; when she does, the Sidereal and each ally within short range and
in crash gain one point of Willpower, which can exceed her permanent Willpower. Crow’s
Croaking Laughter cannot be used more than once a day, but is reset when an ally in close
range suffers a permanent crippling injury or is reduced to incapacitated.
Inevitable Pursuit
Cost: 3m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Touch, Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: The Crow Resplendent
The Sidereal loops a thread of violet starlight around her target; until she lets it go, it inevitably
leads her back to him. Using Inevitable Pursuit requires touching the target, a difficulty 2
gambit. Once applied, the Sidereal gains double-9s on tracking rolls, and may contest magical
track-covering effects, such as Traceless Passage.
Until the Sidereal releases the motes committed to Inevitable Pursuit, her quarry’s future is
haunted by omens of his restless pursuit.
Wise Choice
Cost: 3m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Prior Warning
The crow is a tricksy bird, difficult to snare or catch. The Sidereal whispers a question to the
Crow, and lets their wisdom guide them. When she uses Wise Choice, the Sidereal asks a
'what if' question, and receive a brief description of the probable consequences from the
Storyteller's perspective. It is possible to chain uses of Wise Choice together, but each question
asked in the same scene after the first risks tangling the weave of fate between what is and
what could be; for each additional use of Wise Choice by the Sidereal in the same scene, the
Sidereal rolls a die and gains Paradox equal to the successes. For this reason, Sidereals will
often come together to contemplate their options in large groups- if each only divines a single
path, the risk of Paradox for any of them is limited.
Ordained Conclusion
Cost: 6m; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Touch
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Expected Pain, Wise Choice
When an ordained ending has arrived, it is sometimes incumbent upon the Sidereal to assist
through the terminal conclusion. Using Ordained Conclusion requires the Sidereal to trace the
sign of the Crow Descendant upon her target, a difficulty 5 gambit in combat. For the next five
turns, he becomes incapable of gaining initiative from successful withering attacks. His
withering attacks will still drain initiative from opponents, but the initiative is lost. He still
benefits from the Distract gambit, will reset to base initiative after three turns in crash, and can
gain initiative by benefiting from initiative break or shift.
Fatal Wisdom
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Prayer Strip
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ordained Conclusion, At least 3 other Awareness Charms
All things end. The beating of dark wings haunts the dream of every man born; the shrieking cry
of the crow follows every woman's steps. Most strive to block this knowledge from their mind,
focusing on the present or losing themselves to smaller deaths of more transient nature. When
the Sidereal uses Fatal Wisdom, she denies them these retreats- showing a prayer strip
gleaming with indigo light, marked with the Scripture of the Maiden and the Scythe and
confronting them with absolute knowledge of the impending end. She rolls (Perception +
Awareness) against a difficulty of the target's Resolve; each threshold success drains one
willpower. If the victim is reduced to zero willpower, remaining successes drain 3 initiative per
success. If the victim has not yet Joined Battle in this scene, he will instead lose the initiative
after he rolls to Join Battle during the same scene as Fatal Wisdom was used. This may result
in the victim being Crashed as soon as combat begins! Fatal Wisdom may only be used once in
a scene; it is reset when the victim is reduced to incapacitated.
Neither you nor your target know what their ending will be. By compact of Jupiter and Saturn,
knowledge of the end may be revealed, but not knowledge of what that end is.
BRAWL : THE GAUNTLET
Tolerant Strife
Cost: 2m, 1i; Mins: Brawl 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Uniform, Clash, Suitable, Resplendent
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Those who are struck by the Gauntlet never forget the experience. The Sidereal uses Tolerant
Strife to enhance a Clash attack they make at close range; subtract successes from her
opponent's attack equal to the number of 1s he rolled. If she is in a Resplendent Destiny of the
Gauntlet, subtract successes equal to the number of 1s and 2s instead.
Thug Fist
Cost: 3m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Only the foolish can show weakness in battle; the Gauntlet is always quick to take advantage of
such chances. When the Sidereal Crashes an opponent, she may use Thug Fist to make a
reflexive decisive Brawl attack against him.
An Essence 2 repurchase allows her to target anyone who is crashed within close range, for a
surcharge of +2m.
Weighing Lives
Cost: 3m; Mins: Brawl 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Five days
Prerequisite Charms: None
It is the Gauntlet that makes the hard decisions of who dies that others might live. The Sidereal
may uses Weighing Lives while tending the wounded, designating one as the beneficiary and
the others as sacrifice. She may designate herself as the beneficiary. Upon using Weighing
Lives, up to (Essence) mortals who either have suffered a major or defining crippling injury,
have an infected wound, or have been reduced to half or less of their health levels are sacrificed
for the weal of the beneficiary. Those so sacrificed rapidly sicken and die over the course of the
next few days; treat this as contracting an intensely virulent form of infected wounds, with a
morbidity of 5 and an interval of one day. As each sacrificed individual dies, the beneficiary
heals one health level over the course of the next day, as the tattered remains of the cut threads
are added to his own.
At Essence 3, you may use Weighing Lives to tend the ill instead of injured; you may only mark
individuals who are suffering the Major or Defining Symptoms of an illness for death, and give
the beneficiary an automatic non-charm success on their next Stamina + Resistance roll to
resist disease per life lost.
Upon invoking Weighing Lives, death omens begin to haunt the steps of the beneficiary, but
always leaving small tokens, such as crows or ravens depositing small coins or shiny rocks;
representative of the stolen gifts of life.
Weak-Spine Sense
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Resplendent
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ice Blood Attitude
A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link; a unit of soldiers is only as ready as the first man
to break and run. By using Weak-Spine Sense, the Sidereal divines who the weak link is in a
battle group. If she makes a violent example of that individual in front of the unit for some slight,
real or imagined, then the first rout check the unit fails within the next month is re-rolled. If she
leads or fights with the group while in a Resplendent Destiny of the Gauntlet after using Weak-
Spine Sense, the unit also re-rolls all 1s on rout checks until no 1s appear in their next battle.
The example made need not be murderous, but must be both memorable and bloody.
At Essence 3+, the Sidereal may use Weak-Spine Sense and remove the weak link without
needing to make an example of them. They might arrange for them to be injured in an accident,
to contract an illness, or simply to be transferred out- in any event, the weakest link has been
removed from the chain. The battle group still re-rolls the first failed rout check they make in
this case, but gain no special benefit if led by the Sidereal in the Destiny of the Gauntlet.
Horrific Wreath
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Aggravated, Perilous
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Unobstructed Blow
The fury of Mars is reserved most for the enemies of Creation; demons and spawn of the Wyld
neither deserve nor are shown the least pity. When the Sidereal uses Horrific Wreath, she
wraps her anima in brambles around her fist. For the remainder of the scene, as long as her
anima remains above 'Dim', her decisive Brawl attacks against such targets are enhanced; she
deals aggravated damage, and may choose to retain initiative equal to the failures on the
damage roll rather than resetting to base initiative. Each such attack, hit or miss, reduces her
anima by one level; Horrific Wreath ends if her anima reaches 'Dim'.
A repurchase of Horrific Wreath allows her to apply the effects to ghosts and other undead as
well.
Knuckle-Cracking Stance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Psyche, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Sometimes, what's most needed is for a spot of violence to clear the air, and no one is better at
provoking such than the Sidereal with Knuckle-Cracking Stance. By using this power to
enhance a read intentions action, if the read intentions is successful, she learns what it would
require to provoke someone into physically attacking her. If she can provide that provocation
within the scene, the target must spend 3 Willpower to not immediately join battle against her.
My Greater Good
Cost: 3m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Uniform, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Paying the Sacrifice, Bloody Handed Work
Medals do not move a man; if you want them to fight and die, you must electrify his soul. The
Sidereal channels this lightning through a Principle they are fighting for; she adds dice equal to
the strength of the Principle to a single attack. My Greater Good may only be used once per
scene; it may be reset by personally defeating a significant opponent who threatens the
Principle drawn upon.
Know Witnesses
Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Resplendent Destiny of the Haywain
In a large organization, the most important thing is often not knowing who's in charge, but
knowing who's watching. By using Know Witnesses, the Sidereal immediately knows if she is
being observed, although she learns nothing of the nature or whereabouts of her observers.
This is true even if the witness is supernaturally hidden or spying from a great distance away.
Only individuals sufficiently sapient as to be aware of and identify the Sidereal qualify as
witnesses.
As a general rule, unconscious individuals, creatures of animal intelligence, or the smallest gods
which oversee Creation’s minuta will not be able to act as witnesses, and so do not trigger
Know Witnesses; however, if the Sidereal draws sufficient attention to herself, they may begin to
do so. A loyal dog would not normally be a witness, but may become one when the Sidereal
attacks the hound’s master before it’s very eyes.
--Sidebar: Eyes are everywhere, but they aren’t always watching--
The intention of Know Witnesses is to give the Sidereal’s player confidence when they are
weaving their conspiracies. Don’t undercut this confidence by having ‘surprise’ witnesses show
up after a player has used this charm!
--End Sidebar--
Fortunes of Reversal
Cost: 7m, 2i; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fouler for Appearing Fair
The Haywain governs sudden reversals- when all seems lost, it is the Ascendant Haywain that
brings unexpected victory. When the Sidereal achieves initiative shift against an opponent, she
may make a reflexive decisive attack, either with the same ability they just used, or with any
combat ability that can reach the opponent if the shift was not achieved by making a withering
attack. Regardless of the success or failure of the attack, she does not lose initiative from this
attack.
On Spirit Shape Companion The first time a Sidereal uses Spirit Shape Companion, ignore
the 1xp activation cost.
Blinded by Trifles
Cost: 5m; Mins: Craft 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sidereal reaches out, plucking a handful of coins that glint with moonlight and stardust,
casting them before her. She rolls (Manipulation + Crafts); anyone with a lower Resolve than
her successes and who sees the coins fall is filled with the need to possess one. Resisting this
influence costs 2 Willpower. At the end of the scene, the coins and the compulsion both fade to
nothing.
Elemental Vision
Cost: 1m; Mins: Craft 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: One turn
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sidereal opens her eyes to the flow of elemental essence that underlays Creation. Until the
next turn, she sees dematerialized elementals and spirits with strong elemental associations as
if they were materialized. Elemental Vision does not confer an ability to interact with those
spirits. Elementally aspected Manses and Demesnes glow in a brilliant and unmistakable
fashion, visible from miles away.
Upon reaching Essence 3, the Sidereal may extend the duration of Elemental Vision to
indefinite by increasing the cost to 6m. If she undertakes to raise an elementally aspected
manse while maintaining Elemental Vision for the full duration, reduce the gold craft xp cost for
each roll by (Essence), to a minimum of 3 gxp.
When a Sidereal undertakes building a manse with Elemental Vision active, omens proclaim her
successful completion years before the first stone is laid.
Destiny-Knitting Entanglement
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Until fulfilled
Prerequisite Charms: At least 3 Craft Charms
Events don't conspire; people do. Two future lovers meeting by happenstance will never know
the careful calculation that went into their chance encounter. By using Destiny-Knitting
Entanglement, the Sidereal arranges for two people to meet, and the circumstances under
which where and when they will meet, within the coming week. If it is possible, the meeting will
come to pass when and how you desire; if it becomes impossible, then fate will do it's best to
ensure her intent is fulfilled.
After using Destiny-Knitting Entanglement, the horoscopes and omens of the beneficiaries are
filled with signs of a portentous meeting in their near future.
Disarming Smile
Cost: 5m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: At least 3 Craft charms
The art of the Peacock is in disarming her enemies; the Sidereal learns how to do so with
nothing more than a wink and a smile. She may use Disarming Smile to disable a physical trap
she is aware of without physically touching it, from up to Medium range and in an instant. When
using Disarming Smile, she rolls (Manipulation + Craft) to disarm the trap, instead of what she
would use if she were manually disarming the trap.
At Essence 3, she may use Disarming Smile to attempt a Disarm gambit; she rolls (Manipulation
+ Craft) as her attack roll against her target's Resolve, but still must succeed at the decisive roll
against the disarm gambit's difficulty. If successful, the target drops his weapons.
Union of Serenity
Cost: 7m; Mins: Craft 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: At least 6 Craft charms
The birth of a child is a miracle; the first cry of a newborn can break down barriers for the sake
of the baby that would otherwise always remain up. The Sidereal can use this; she lays a
blessing upon a child at least one month before he is born, and rolls (Charisma + Craft). At the
moment of the child's birth, all blood relatives with a Resolve lower than her successes on the
activation roll gain a principle of your choice. Parents, siblings and grandparents gain this
principle as a major intimacy; aunts, uncles, cousins and half-siblings gain it as a minor
intimacy. Once created, the principle has no supernatural support, and can erode through the
normal process of social influence. The Sidereal decides the principle that will be imparted
when she uses the Charm, and must provide the same principle to all the relatives.
Until the child's birth, omens foretell of the change he will bring the world.
Absence
Cost: 2m, 1i; Mins: Dodge 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Never more is the Ewer missed than when it is absent. The Sidereal draws on this truth,
ignoring all penalties to her Evasion against an attack.
Love is Blinding
Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ever Increasing Affection or Trouble Reduction Strategy
A provocative wink can drive even the best to distraction, blinding them to other dangers. The
Sidereal may use Love Is Blinding when anyone she has enchanted with Ever Increasing
Affection takes an action against someone other than her. The attacker briefly loses his ability
to clearly see anything other than her; his actions which depend on visual acuity suffer a penalty
equal to the initiative he forfeits from Ever Increasing Blindness for taking the action.
Laughing at Danger
Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Trouble Reduction Strategy or Frenzied Lover's Flight
Those who drink deep of the Ewer gain the courage to laugh in the face of danger, and
sometimes laughter is all that is needed. The Sidereal gains 1 initiative from a successful
application of her Evasion against an attack made at close range.
At Essence 3, she may pay 6m and increase the duration of Laughing at Danger to One Scene.
An Essence 5 repurchase allows her to draw initiative from attacks made against her at any
range.
Avoidance Kata
Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Chasing Impossible Dreams or Love Is Blinding
Everyone has, at one point or another, gone to drink deep only to find that the Ewer was empty.
The Sidereal joins their misapprehension, avoiding a potentially unpleasant confrontation. She
rolls (Dexterity + Dodge) against a difficulty of (3 + the number of actions she has taken); if
successful, she vanishes, reappearing somewhere else she could plausibly have been instead.
Anyone who witnesses her vanish must spend (higher of Essence or 3) Willpower to remember
that she was present. She may only attempt to use Avoidance Kata once a scene.
Armored in Ideals
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Perilous, Resplendent
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Laughing at Danger or Snappy Banter Approach
The Ewer is a source of courage; many a woman has found a drink to give them the spine to act
against what they know is wrong. The Sidereal may use Armored in Ideals when unarmored
and acting to defend or further a Principle; doing so briefly increases her soak and hardness. A
minor intimacy adds 5 soak and 4 hardness; a major intimacy adds 8 soak and 7 hardness; a
defining intimacy adds 11 soak and 10 hardness. Withering attacks have their minimum
damage reduced by 0, 1, or 2 respectively when striking her, to a minimum of 1.
If the Sidereal is hit and dealt damage, either withering or decisive, Armored In Ideals ends and
the principle she drew upon goes numb and cannot be used again for any purpose until a week
has passed. The soak and hardness from Armored in Ideals is never compatible with other
sources of soak or hardness, apart from the soak provided by the Sidereal’s own Stamina.
An Essence 4 repurchase allows her to increase Armored in Ideals' duration to Indefinite. When
active, her horoscope proclaims her eternal championship of the driving principle. If any effect
reduces the driving principle in strength, it immediately ends the effect of Armored in Ideals.
A Sidereal may use the Intimacies provided by a Resplendent Destiny she is wearing to
empower Armored in Ideals, but will suffer the paradoxical consequences of violating that
intimacy when struck, and find herself ejected to her natural destiny.
Smiling At Your Troubles
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Avoidance Kata or Sweet Flirtation Smile
Woman is born to trouble and strife, and there can be no escape. All she can do, ultimately, is
learn to smile at her troubles and let them pass aside. Once per scene, the Sidereal dodges
any attack from any source without contest, even uncountable recurring damage. Smiling At
Your Troubles may be reset by evading a decisive attack from a significant opponent which
results in that opponent crashing.
Preservation of Resolve
Cost: 1m; Mins: Integrity 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Design
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sword has gone so far, she no longer feels; no matter how fatigued or worn down, she
keeps going. The Sidereal ignore all penalties from pain and fatigue to her Resolve and Guile
for one tick.
An Essence 3 repurchase allows her to spend 5 motes and 1 willpower to extend the duration to
indefinite. When this is done, omens will warn of the iron-hearted woman she has become.
In Life As In Death
Cost: - (5m, 1wp); Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Preservation of Resolve or Tears of the Blade
The living flow like water, the dead are as fixed as stone; the Sword is all that separates the two.
When the Sidereal is exposed to the twisting power of the Wyld or the ruinous corruption of Hell,
she asserts her eternal unchanging existence with In Life As In Death by spending 5 motes and
1 willpower. Upon doing so, her body, mind and equipment become proof against being altered
by such environmental twisting powers. This does not save her against directed efforts by the
residents of such environs, nor does it protect her from the consequence of the environment
itself. The Sidereal may be assured that her blade will not transform into a snake and that her
senses remain faithful, but these will be cold comfort when the ground becomes as lava or she
is blinded by a terrible emerald radiance.
Waste Life
Cost: 7m, 3a; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Smiling at the Damned or Passion's Dying Embers
The burning aura of the Sidereal is snuffed out in a moment; in the sudden wash of darkness,
she unleashes a cloud of illness. Enemies out to Medium range are exposed to leprosy, with a
Virulence of (Essence) and a Morbidity of (Integrity).
With a repurchase, the Sidereal may instead spread consumption instead of leprosy.
Terminate Illness
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Passion's Dying Embers
All things end, and this includes times of sickness. When all else seems lost, some doctors will
pray to Saturn to end the suffering of their patients, one way or another. With a deft cutting
motion, the Sidereal bring an end to sickness. Make an (Intelligence + Integrity) roll against a
difficulty of twice the target illness' morbidity; if you are successful, the victim immediately
recovers. You may only attempt to terminate a specific illness once per patient- if you fail,
Saturn retains her hold.
Disassembly of Gears
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One task
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Key to unlocking some mysteries relies on breaking them to their smallest parts in order to
reassemble them. Disassembly of Gears allows the Sidereal to do exactly that; with a few
moments of time and with no need for tools, she may reduce a complex mechanism to it's
component parts with no damage to those individual pieces.
Disassembly of Gears does not reduce an object to its raw materials; a door will be reduced to a
large slab of wood, a handle, and hinges, while a sword made from a single cast is already it's
only component.
Disassembling a relatively mundane object from the present age requires minutes;
disassembling an inactive First Age Artifact may take several hours, and for especially
monumental works, may require multiple invocations. The Sidereal gets an idea of the scale of
the task when they begin.
Talisman-Making Touch
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One project
Prerequisite Charms: None
City-dwellers will mock the country farmer, hiding smirks behind hands while attempting to cheat
a honest man with false wards. But the Sidereal knows that not all talismans are fake, and hold
the secret to creating efficacious works. She may create a Talisman (pg 580) that is effective at
most once a scene as a basic project; such Talismans most often take the shape of prayer
strips or small wooden figures of various divinities.
An Essence 2 repurchase allows her to make more durable Talismans as a Major Project. They
will be effective up to (Essence) times per scene, and typically consist of silver or iron holy
symbols, small stone wards inlaid with jade, or a seal of the Unconquered Sun in beaten gold.
Omen-Crafting Trade
Cost: 7m; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: At least two of Wisdom of the Dirt, Tricking Tricksters Technique, Closed
Eyes Open, or Talisman-Making Touch
The Sidereal knows that most so-called omens are nothing of the sort. The actions of cats and
birds, the shapes of clouds and tea leaves, the taste of the wind and the spilling of salt bear no
deeper meaning. However, it can be very useful to capitalize on those whom don't know better.
By using Omen-Crafting Trade, the Sidereal may take a five minute dramatic action to set up a
variety of superstition fulfilling omens around a person or place, indicating whatever she intends
to be conveyed. Any instill or inspire action she takes which takes advantage of these
superstitions converts stunt dice to successes and, once per story, allows a free use of her
Presence, Performance, Socialize or Larceny Excellency.
So long as she maintains her commitment to Omen-Crafting Trade, she also dictates at least
one thing that the target’s horoscope will portend.
Thief of Time
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: At least two of Avoiding the Truth Technique, Mark Evaluating Glance,
Pho Cart Methodology, or Omen-Crafting Trade
Time is the great thief, and one against whom the Guardian is helpless. She takes youth,
strength and beauty- in return, leaving only empty memories and brittle bones. The Sidereal
may make the sign of the Guardian Descendant against someone to steal some of their
remaining time. This is a (Dexterity + Larceny) action, with a difficulty of the target's
(Awareness) to complete without their attention being attracted; it is too delicate to be performed
in the chaos of combat. If successful, she steals one year of the victim's remaining span, plus
an additional year for each threshold success. Each stolen year manifests as a small pouch of
green and purple powder, which may be brewed into a dose of Age-Staving Cordial (pg 579).
An individual who has their last year stolen will pass away quietly the next time they fall asleep.
Thief of Time is ineffective against the Exalted, or ageless beings such as most spirits. While it
can be used on animals, the cordial produced is only efficacious for another animal of the same
species. This may be enough for some Sidereals; there are stories of Chejop having had a cat
older than the Realm, and senior members of the Bronze Faction caution new recruits not to
bring the matter up.
At any time, the Sidereal may claim the prayer strip back. This releases the captured motes
and allows her to finish the game against Chaos. For each month of accumulated time, to a
maximum of (Essence + 3), the Sidereal gains a phase of ability to bring the Wyld into Creation,
lasting approximately one minute. This is treated as the Solar charm Wyld-Shaping Technique
(pg 335), save as follows; the difficulty is fixed at 5 and does not increase across multiple
phases, the cost of each roll is fixed at 15m, 1wp and 2xp per roll, and use of Conning Chaos
Technique does not provoke an encounter roll per phase, as the Sidereal has directed the
Wyld's attention away from her and to the mark. This distraction is of limited duration, and only
holds for the next month. To begin the shaping, she must enter the Middlemarches, facing into
the Deep Wyld, and present the prayer strip, which begins to smolder with green flame, hanging
in the air. It is consumed and the effects end when the Sidereal realizes her design, if she
exhausts her final phase, if the Sidereal fails any shaping rolls, if she is rendered incapacitated
while in the Wyld, or if she is forced to depart before realizing their vision.
While her mark holds the prayer strip, their destiny will be in wild flux- predictions of madness
and ill omens dog their heels one day, and the next, prophecies of greatness and unearned
luck. His star is unmoored; he cannot be affected by Astrological Projections during this time.
The Sidereal cannot be their own mark, but the mark may have the consequences of holding
the prayer strip explained to him- the more the mark knows, the more he thinks he's in control.
Someone is your superior relative if they are both a direct relative and older; someone is your
inferior relative if you are there superior. Indirect relatives are not superior or inferior to one
another.
In the case of ageless or immortal blood relatives, including other Sidereals who have also
adopted a Destiny of the Pillar or individuals over one thousand years old, superiority is instead
determined by permanent Essence.
--End Sidebar--
In The Blood
Cost: 1m; Mins: Linguistics 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Here is a truth; ties of blood are the Pillar upon which Creation stands. By using In The Blood, a
Sidereal may taste someone's blood and get a vision of each of their immediate living blood
relatives, as well as any name that he knows them by.
At Essence 3, she also gains a vision of any living people whom he holds a positive tie of
friendship or loyalty towards.
Sisters In Truth
Cost: 1m/person; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Know the Soul's Place, In the Blood
Here is a truth; two whom hold each other in mutual regard, or whom have made space in their
hearts for a common soul, are closer than many sisters of blood. By clasping hands in a circle,
she may temporarily treat up to (Essence) additional individuals as blood relatives for the
remainder of the scene. Additionally, any language the Sidereal knows becomes known to each
of her temporary siblings.
Equitable Partnership
Cost: 2m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sisters in Truth, Thicker Than Water
The Pillar stands upon this; together we have more than any of us have do separately. By using
Equitable Partnership, the Sidereal can transfer up to (2 * Essence) motes of essence to a
blood relative within Medium range. If she is Essence 3, she may activate Equitable
Partnership to receive up to (Essence * 2) motes total from any number of blood relatives out to
Medium range. Motes in excess of what can be held will dissipate after the holder's next action.
The Pillar breaks upon this; those closest to us can take our greatest treasures. With a second
purchase of Equitable Partnership, the Sidereal may attempt to seize motes from a blood
relative. She activates Equitable Partnership, and then rolls (Manipulation + Linguistics) against
her target's Resolve, stealing motes equal to her threshold successes. Stolen motes come from
the target's peripheral Essence pool first. In combat, attempting to use Equitable Partnership to
steal motes is a difficulty 5 gambit. Equitable Partnership may only be used to steal motes from
a given relative once per scene.
Unusual Gambit When using Equitable Partnership in combat to steal motes, the decisive
attack is made with (Manipulation + Linguistics), and resisted by the target's Resolve. If the
attack hits, use the initiative roll in place of the (Manipulation + Linguistics) roll to determine the
number of motes stolen.
Lover's Oath
Cost: 25m, 2wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design, Prayer Strip
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: At least 7 Linguistics Charms
At the conclusion of a one hour ceremony, the Sidereal takes a prayer strip marked with the
Scripture of the Bride, twisting it to form two rings intertwined. The prayer strip bursts into a
flash of pure blue flame, leaving behind a pair of starmetal rings, set with sapphires. Upon
placing the rings on the bride and groom, the Sidereal enjoins them in a most profound union.
These two people can freely share motes, willpower and health levels between one another-
moreover, they cannot stop the other from taking the motes, willpower or health levels. They
may also communicate without speaking as long as they can see one another.
Removing the ring invites the wrath of Venus; she does not enjoy seeing her sacred bond
treated frivolously, and places her curse on the offending party. Treat this as violating an
Eclipse caste oath, as well as permanently destroying the bond of the rings. This only occurs if
the ring is removed voluntarily- if it removed by fell magic or having the offending finger
unwillingly cut off, Venus' wrath is stayed. Nor do infidelity, treachery or even outright violence
bring Venus' curse; it is only the voluntary removal of the blessed ring that does so.
An individual may give more than one Lover's Oath; each oath is represented by it's own ring,
and binds them to only one pair at a time. A trio would require three Lover's Oaths to be
invoked to fully commit all three to one another other, two at a time.
Anyone who examines the signs of either of the holders of the rings will see that their fate has
been tightly intertwined with that of the other ring bearer; if Venus' curse has fallen upon them
for removing the ring, the terrible fury of the Maiden of Serenity will also be plain.
A Sidereal may only create up to (Essence) pairs of rings at a time. They instinctively know if a
pair has been destroyed, but not which pair or under what circumstances.
LORE : THE TREASURE TROVE
Lie-Blighting Light
Cost: 5m; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: The Names of All Things, Sharing the Treasure
To the Trove, gold is as dross and truth is to be valued beyond emeralds. When she activates
Lie-Blighting Light, all who stand in the light of the Sidereal's anima become incapable of
speaking a word that is not true. They may deceive by omission or implication, but cannot
provide a direct and knowing falsehood. Attempts at using social influence dependent on
Manipulation within this effect suffer a penalty of -(3 or Essence, whichever is higher).
For Lie-Blighting Light, the Sidereal's anima is considered to reach to Close range when
Glowing, Short range when Burning, and Medium range when at Bonfire. If her anima falls to
Dim before the end of the scene, the effects of Lie-Blighting Light immediately end.
Telltale Symphony
Cost: 3m; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Systematic Understanding of Everything, Open the Third Eye
The energy of Creation roars as the ocean and crashes like waves on a beach. By activating
Telltale Symphony, the Sidereal hears Essence being spent. She cannot hear motes spent to
power charms with the Mute keyword, nor does the sound of the essence being spent inform
her of the nature of the charm or power invoked, but her hearing can detect the subtle changes
in the symphony supernal at great distances.
In general, the Sidereal can hear when any motes are spent out to Medium range from her. If
ten or more motes are spent in a single action, she can hear them out to Extreme range. At the
storyteller's discretion, she may also hear vast quantities of expended essence, such as during
a life-or-death conflict between multiple Exalted, from hundreds of miles away, sounding like
distant thunder or the pounding of far off drums.
Icy Hand
Cost: 2m; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Lament of the Dead
The touch of the Corpse is the cool of a wet rag upon a fevered brow, and the body when the
heart has stilled. The Sidereal fills her hands with the chill of the grave before touching her
victim. In combat, this touch requires a brawl or martial arts attack as a gambit with a difficulty
of 2.
A living victim touched by Icy Hand is filled with the chill of the grave and the sure knowledge of
death's inevitability; a ghost or other sentient being of the underworld is instead reminded of the
warmth of the soil and the heat of cooling blood. In either event, the victim must pay one
temporary willpower or forfeit their next action recovering from the shock or sudden and
delirious wonder or terror.
No Release
Cost: 3m, 1wp, 1lhl; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Storm Following Silence
The Corpse is an offer of release from pain that many long for; the Sidereal may deny such
release even from those who have earned it. By marking an individual with her blood, she
prevents them from falling unconscious or dying for as long as she keeps the motes committed.
The individual is still capable of starving, suffocation, aging, bleeding, burning and suffering- but
their soul will remain bound to whatever shreds of flesh remain, leaving them in wailing agony
until the Sidereal releases them. Such damned individuals will even recover in time, and of
sorts; if drowned they will remain bloated and blue, if reduced to little more than ash, they will
'heal' as a horror of scarred and ruined flesh. Characters cursed by No Release and who fall to
Incapacitated health or lower automatically fail any athletics based actions, are incapable of
meaningfully attacking or defending themselves, and suffer a -6 internal penalty to all social
actions they take or are targeted by.
Individuals cursed into the half-life of No Release cannot sleep, but may find their will renewed
with the dawning of the sun. At dawn, he rolls a number of dice equal to the amount of
temporary willpower he is missing; for example, a character with 6 permanent willpower and
who has 2 temporary willpower remaining will roll 4 dice. If he rolls any successes, he gains
one point of temporary willpower.
The Sidereal may not use No Release upon herself. Not that many would.
Shield of Mars
Cost: 1m; Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Spear knows that caution is sometimes the better part of valor, and the Shield of Mars
shelters those who fight with care. When she uses this charm, the Sidereal may include a Full
Defense action (Exalted pg. 196) in a flurry without the initiative or defense penalty.
If she has a weapon with the 'Shield' tag, then she may also include an attack action in this
flurry.
Orchestration of Conflict
Cost: 1m, 1i (5m, 1wp); Mins: Melee 4, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous, Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Impeding the Flow
Battles rage like wildfires, and roar like rivers- but to the disciplined mind, all have their patterns,
and may be directed by appropriate forces. By using Orchestration of Conflict, the Sidereal may
make herself the target of an attack directed at someone within Close range.
With a repurchase at Essence 3, she may redirect any attack redirected with Orchestration of
Conflict and which she successfully defends herself against towards another character within
Close range. Doing so costs 5 motes and 1 Willpower. The attack and all effects enhancing it
are then rolled again, using the same dice pool, against the new target.
Demon Blocking Battle Pattern
Cost: 8m; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute, Design
Duration: Until the battle's end
Prerequisite Charms: Battle Carrying Presence
The Maiden of Battles knows the Four Devil Stratagems, and the precise counter for each-
methods of deploying troops to negate the advantages of fell magic wielded by the enemies of
the gods. By activating this charm, the Sidereal may select a special stratagem for her Strategic
Maneuver roll, 'Demon Blocking Battle Pattern' (Threshold 2), in addition to up to one mundane
stratagem; she must overcome the combined threshold or gain the benefit of neither stratagem.
While the Demon Blocking Battle Pattern is in effect, reduce the Might of opposing units
composed primarily of demons, undead or creatures of the wyld by 1, to a minimum of 0.
Anyone checking the omens before the battle may notice the alignment of Mars and Saturn that
signify this battle pattern is in place.
Harmony of Blows
Cost: 7m; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Dual, Perilous, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: No Retreat or Fighting in the Shade
The Spear is never outnumbered, but she can find herself in unusually target rich environments.
When the Sidereal uses Harmony of Blows, she must first make a withering attack against one
target, and then a decisive attack against another. The attacks may be made with different
abilities, as long as both targets are legal and the Sidereal could take a Ready Weapon action
to equip an appropriate armament. If the attacks are made with the same ability, any charms
which enhance one attack enhance may enhance the other, so long as the charm may be used
for both withering and decisive attacks.
Meditation on War
Cost: 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Shield of Mars or The Queen of Battle or Slow Blade Penetrates
The chaos and confusion of battle hide a secret order; by perceiving this order, the Spear may
always act in perfect control. Once per scene, when the Sidereal does not like the outcome of a
non-extended action she has just taken, she may spend 1 temporary willpower point to undo
that action- it was a vision of a possibility she has discarded. She and anyone else who
contested the action regain any spent resources, and the Sidereal must take some other
meaningfully distinct course of action- she can still attack, but must attack another target in
range; she can still rush, but must rush in another direction.
Meditation of War may only be used on actions the Sidereal initiated; she may not use it when
purely reacting to another, such as when dodging a trap or noticing an ambush. It may be used
outside of combat; if the Sidereal foresees that attempting to Persuade someone to a course of
action will not be successful, she may instead attempt to Persuade him in another fashion, or to
try to Instill an intimacy instead.
Mark of Exaltation
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
Within the light of the Sidereal's anima, dematerialized spirits are revealed, appearing as
translucent but present individuals who can be seen and heard, although still not touched.
At Glowing, this reveals spirits out to Short range; at Burning, it reveals them to Medium range;
at Bonfire, it reveals them to Long range.
When her anima reaches Bonfire, spirits possessing a host are also revealed as shadowy
figures above and around their victim.
Crafting Arts
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
By the craft of the Sorcerer, great works are produced. The Sidereal reduces the difficulty of all
Crafting and Sorcerous Projects by 1.
At Occult 5, she may repurchase Crafting Arts. When she does, she reduces the cost of making
rolls on Superior projects by 1 gold experience point, to a minimum of 3.
At Occult 5 and Essence 3, she may repurchase Crafting Arts for a third and final time. When
she does, she reduces the cost of making rolls on Superior projects by a total of 2 gold
experience points, and the cost of making rolls on Legendary projects by 1 white experience
point, to a minimum of 3.
Scent of Bugloss and Catchfly
Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
The demon realm bears a distinctive scent, and leaves it's mark upon those whom give it their
devotion. Out to Medium range, the Sidereal can smell if anyone has a positive intimacy
towards a demon in particular, or demons in general. This does not reveal who has the
intimacy, but does provide up to (Occult) bonus dice on any Read Intentions roll to discover if
someone has such an intimacy.
When she activates Scent of Bugloss and Catchfly, the Sidereal may activate Scent of Cypress
and Black Locust or Scent of Holly and Hemp reflexively.
Scent of Bugloss and Catchfly cannot be used in the demon realm.
Sublime Artifice
Cost: 2sxp / 2gxp / 2wxp; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Salient
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Crafting Arts
By the toil of the Sorcerer, even her failures herald success. By using Sublime Artifice, the
Sidereal gains an additional number of successes on a craft roll equal to the greatest number of
dice sharing the same number, where that number does not add any successes to the roll.
(E.g. if she rolled 1,1,2,3,3,3,3,7,10 she would get two successes from the 10, one success from
the 7, and four successes from having rolled four 3s for a total of seven successes)
Invoking Sublime Artifice costs 2 silver experience points for a Major project, 2 gold experience
points for a Superior project, or 2 white experience points for a Legendary project.
At Occult 5, Essence 4, the Sidereal purchase Sublime Artifice a second time, to gain additional
successes equal to the greatest number of dice sharing the same number which do add
successes as well.
Blessings of Heaven
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Crafting Arts
The Heavens shower glory upon the Sorcerer. When the Sidereal purchases Blessings of
Heaven, she gains (Essence) silver craft experience points. She gains these again at the start
of each story.
At Occult 4, Essence 2, she may purchase Blessings of Heaven a second time to gain
(Essence) gold craft experience points. She gains these again at the start of each story.
At Occult 5, Essence 4, she may purchase Blessings of Heaven a third and final time to gain
(Essence) white craft experience points. She gains these again at the start of each story.
Innocuous Maneuver
Cost: 1wp; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
The Sidereal makes a circle of her index finger and thumb, imbuing her anima with the weight of
Creation. While she activates Innocuous Maneuver, dematerialized spirits which are revealed
by her anima are treated as being material.
Time Enough
Cost: - (3sxp / 3gxp / 3wxp); Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Salient
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Sublime Artifice
By the life of the Sorcerer, all things become possible in time. Upon purchasing Time Enough,
the Sidereal increases the Terminus for crafting projects by 1. Additionally, she may spend 3
silver experience points to add her (Occult) as non-charm dice to Basic or Major Crafting
projects.
At Occult 4, Essence 3, she may purchase Time Enough a second time, increasing the
Terminus for crafting projects by a total of 2. Additionally, she may spend 3 gold experience
points to add her (Occult) as non-charm dice to a Superior Project, or (Occult) non-charm
successes to a Basic or Major Project.
At Occult 5, Essence 5, she may purchase Time Enough for a third and final time, increasing
the Terminus for crafting projects by a total of 3. Additionally, she may spend 3 white
experience points to add her (Occult) as non-charm dice to a Legendary Project, or (Occult)
non-charm successes to a Superior project.
Unweaving Method
Cost: 5m, 1a; Mins: Occult 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute, Aggravated, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
The Sidereal plucks the light from her brow and twines it around her fingers, before jabbing into
the essence of her victim; striking their core to undo them from the center. Unweaving Method
allows the Sidereal to make a hand-to-hand attack as a gambit with a difficulty of 2.
If the gambit succeeds, she deals (Essence) dice of aggravated damage which ignores
hardness and gains double 10s on the damage roll. Against spirits, it instead deals (Essence +
Occult) dice of damage. Against demons and spirits of the underworld, reduce her target
number for the damage roll to 6.
Once the Unweaving Method has inflicted damage, it cannot be used again in the same scene
until the unweaving is completed by the destruction of the damaged individual.
Terminal Sanction
Cost: 1m; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Mark of Exaltation
It is the remit of the Sorcerer to pass judgement upon corrupt divinities, for the Exalted have
been given possession of Creation. Withering attacks enhanced by Terminal Sanction may
strike dematerialized spirits.
Decisive attacks enhanced by Terminal Sanction may strike dematerialized spirits; spirits struck
by such an attack are forced to materialize at no cost, and may neither dematerialize nor flee
the scene by means of their powers (although they can attempt to run by more conventional
means).
A spirit reduced to incapacitated by a decisive attack enhanced by Terminal Sanction may, at
the Sidereal's option, be permanently destroyed, spared and allowed to re-incorporate freely
(with the knowledge they were spared), or spared and bound to perform a specific task for the
next year as specified by the Sidereal upon reincorporation; this last is enforced by an
unbreakable Defining Principle to complete the task in question.
Forewarned is Disarmed
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Time Enough
By the vision of the Sorcerer, nothing happens save as she wills. Once per crafting project, she
may undo one Crafting roll. She regains half of all craft experience spent in total, including upon
Charm activations. The roll does not count towards the project's Terminus, does not contribute
threshold successes towards the goal number, and saves the project from having been botched.
Forewarned is Disarmed may not be used twice upon the same project.
My Will Be Done
Cost: -; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Blood and Breath Invested
In the end, it is not the Sorcerer's time or toil or life that realizes her visions; it is her will and
essence forged and beaten into solid form. Into this forging are her glories and her faults,
magnified by the greatness of what she seeks to accomplish.
When the Sidereal overcomes the difficulty on a craft roll for a Major project, she gains 1 silver
craft experience point per failure rolled. When she overcomes the difficulty on a craft roll for a
Superior project, she gains 1 gold craft experience point per failure rolled. When the Sidereal
overcomes the difficulty on a craft roll for a Legendary project, she gains 1 white craft
experience point per failure rolled.
Robed in Rags
Cost: 1m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Don the Painted Face
The Musician is always on the edge of fashion, when they have not pushed beyond; no matter
how outré or immodest their garb, they always look both remarkable and acceptable. While
Robed in Rags is active, the Sidereal could attend a gala ball naked or dressed in blood-
spattered armor with little more than a flirtatious comment from the host, and does not suffer
social penalties from being dressed or groomed inappropriately.
Strange Days
Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: The Food of Love
In the secret chambers of the heart, there lurk quiet questions and secret desires which may go
unrecognized even by their owner- but to which the Musician can sweetly lure into the open. A
persuade action supplemented with Strange Days allows the Sidereal to attempt to seduce
someone, even if she is not her target's preferred gender.
Red Rule Reminder The safety and comfort of the players is always paramount. No character
may be seduced into acts which make their player feel uncomfortable. Communicate, respect
boundaries, and remember this is just a game!
Faultless Ceremony
Cost: 7m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Robed in Rags
Rituals great and small ground life in Creation; they raise joy up or bring balm to a grieving
heart. By using Faultless Ceremony, the Sidereal always know how a ritual or ceremony flows,
any lines or actions expected of them, and what an unfamiliar, even alien, ceremony is meant to
represent, celebrate, or cause. She suffers no penalties while participating in such rituals, and
can never be tricked into completing a ceremonial oath or participating in a ritual action she
disagrees with- although her failing to uphold the ritual may still result in social repudiation.
She may also use Faultless Ceremony to know the lyrics and dance steps to any piece of music
that has been played in public at least once, for the duration of the scene.
No Evil Seen
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Strange Days
It is a sad truth of the world that many spouses are insufficiently open minded as to appreciate
what the Musician offers, and that so many parents are so overprotective. When the Sidereal is
caught in a socially compromising, but non-violent, situation, she may use No Evil Seen to
change up to one minute of history, in order to make the situation seem more acceptable. Or, if
she does not feel that time would be enough, to at least get a head start on any angered
witnesses.
Harmonic Completion
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Prayer Strip
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: At least two of Impossible-to-Remember Party Approach, Blue Eyed
Fiend, or Perfection in Life
Every life is a symphony yet unfinished; the Sidereal with Harmonic Completion can provide the
missing pieces of the song. She takes a prayer strip marked with the Scripture of the Dancer
and places it on her tongue. The strip dissolves, leaving her tongue and lips bright sapphire
blue.
For the remainder of the scene, every social action the Sidereal takes is considered to be
supported by a Defining Intimacy of her continued presence and happiness. She does not
inspire possessiveness, but rather an intense desire to please.
Force Decision
Cost: 1m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Shield speaks without thinking; the Sidereal can remove the burden of consideration from
another. If someone is weighing between two or more courses of action, the Sidereal may use
Force Decision to force her target to decide as she wishes. She rolls (Appearance + Presence)
against a difficulty of his Resolve; if successful, he immediately decides as she wishes, unless
he spends 1 temporary willpower point.
A decision reached in this fashion does not add the +3 to the target's Resolve if the issue is
raised again, as it normally would when trying to overturn influence (Exalted p. 221)
Forbiddance
Cost: 4m; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Perilous, Resplendent
Duration: Until next action
Prerequisite Charms: Water and Fire Treaty or Wounded Lion Strength
The promise of the Shield is this; none shall pass. A simple oath, and yet armies have broken
themselves against lone men who hold the proper ground. If anyone attempts to disengage
from you in order to go past, increase the target number of their disengage roll by 1. If you
successfully prevent them from getting past you, you may make a free reflexive hand-to-hand
withering attack against them; if this attack is sufficient to crash them, you may make a reflexive
hand-to-hand decisive attack against them. If someone uses a power that automatically moves
them past you but they would pass within close range over the course of that effect, you may
take the reflexive withering and decisive attacks against them as described above. Finally, once
per turn, you may reflexively force an attack made against you from close range into a clash
attack.
If you are in the Destiny of the Shield when using Forbiddance, reduce the target number of
your damage rolls by 1 as well.
Upon using Forbiddance, you cannot use your reflexive movement action during this turn. Each
successive turn of invoking Forbiddance reduces the cost by 1 mote, to a minimum of 1 mote.
Red Haze
Cost: 1m / individual or 3m / Size; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Sidereal tosses a handful of red stardust into the air; as it drifts downward, a terrible fury is
inspired against the enemies of Creation both living and dead. She enchants up to (Presence)
individuals, which may include herself; each individual so enchanted gains 1 bonus non-charm
die when rolling Join Battle, rushing, attacking, or otherwise actively opposing demons or the
dead, and such creatures suffer a -1 penalty to attack those enchanted.
At Essence 3, the Sidereal may instead enchant a battle group, with a size no greater than
(Essence). A battle group under such an enchantment increases its Might and Defense by 1
against against demons and the dead.
Fortune’s Favorite
Cost: 3m+, 1i+; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Shield laughs as blows rain down, and screams in victory as her own attacks strike
impossibly true. The Sidereal may use Fortune's Favorite to force a re-roll of any damage roll
that would strike her, or any damage roll she makes against another. Fortune's Favorite costs
an additional mote and point of initiative for each time it is used in the same scene after the first
use. Fortune's Favorite may not be used multiple times on the same damage roll; the second
roll must be accepted. Any charms or other effects which were applied to the first roll are also
applied to the second.
At Essence 4, she may repurchase Fortune's Favorite, allowing her to invoke it for any damage
roll she is aware of.
Once bound, omens will whisper of the place's protector to those who know to look.
Oath of Vengeance
Cost: 1m / initiative; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Forbiddance or Wounded Lion Strength or Aspect of the Bear
Those who strike the Shield had best pray they deal a fatal blow, lest her counterstroke be all
the worse. When the Sidereal is the target of a decisive attack, she may spend up to (Essence)
motes on Oath of Vengeance. After the attack is resolved, she steals 1 initiative from the
attacker per mote spent; if she is dealt damage, she additionally steals initiative equal to the
levels of damage she suffers. This initiative is stolen after the attacker has reset, and can result
in Initiative Crash or Shift.
Hero’s Iron Skin
Cost: 3m (1wp); Mins: Presence 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Someone Else's Destiny or Optimistic Security Practice
The Shield does not bleed. When an enemy attacks the unarmored Sidereal with a withering
attack, she may use Hero's Iron Skin. If the attack deals damage, increase the target number
for the damage roll by 1. She may use Hero's Iron Skin against a decisive attack, but it costs an
additional point of temporary willpower.
With a second purchase, the attacker also subtracts a success from the damage roll for each 1
rolled.
At Essence 3, the Sidereal may purchase Hero's Iron Skin a third and final time; the Sidereal
reduces the successes on withering attacks by (Essence).
Shared Pain
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dream of the Untamed Face or Fortune's Favorite or Someone Else's
Destiny
No one hurts the Shield and remains unharmed. When the Sidereal is struck by a decisive
blow, but before damage is rolled, she may activate Shared Pain to return some of the hurt.
She rolls (Essence) dice; for each success, she reduces the levels of damage she takes by 1,
and gains a floating point of damage which is added to the next successful decisive blow she
lands which inflicts at least one point of damage. Successes in excess of the damage dealt are
lost.
Ox-Body Technique
Cost: -; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Stackable
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
A laborer is nothing without their tools; by the virtue of the Mast, the Sidereal is never so
deprived. She may always call to hand any mundane tool she needs for a task she is presently
working on. The item is inexplicably misplaced once it is no longer being used for the job it was
called for, and may never be either sold, traded or used in a fight.
At Essence 3, she may instead commit 15m to gain a Superior Project slot. Such a slot may
only be used for large-scale mundane works, such as building a ship or a palace, and enable
the Sidereal to work on the project alone- tirelessly accomplishing what should require teams of
people. The Sidereal may not purchase more than one such Superior Project slot at a time.
Using this Charm makes the projects a matter of destiny; those interested may note the omens
prophesying the successful completion.
Hard work is its own reward, and the dreamless sleep that accompanies a day's labor is sweeter
than wine. You gain 1 silver point per 10 rolled on any Basic Project, 1 gold point per 10 rolled
on any Major Project, and 3 gold points per 10 rolled on any Superior Project.
All architects belong to the Mast, and the blood and sweat of builders sanctify every structure to
the stars. By giving an offering of blood, the Sidereal gains an intuitive understanding of the
layout of a building- including any secret doors, hidden rooms, or mechanical traps.
She does not learn anything magical about the building- if an illusion conceals a door, she will
know the door is there, but still not be able to see it. Nor do you learn anything of the building's
occupants.
At Essence 3, she may also spend 1 willpower when activating Scry the Hearthstone; if she
does, the Sidereal learns where all of the building's occupants are at that moment the charm
was used.
Scry the Hearthstone may not be used on buildings raised by sorcery or the glamours of the
Fair Folk.
Under the blessing of the Mast, the Sidereal can perform improbable feats of brute strength.
For a single attack or feat of strength, she may temporarily increase her Strength score by 1 per
mote of Essence. You may not add more than (the lesser of Strength or Essence) with this
charm.
A Place to Stand
Cost: 3m / die; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Strength of the Mast
Beyond improbable, you can now do the impossible- engaging in feats of strength that defy
reason or explanation. For every three motes spent, set aside one die on a Feat of Strength
roll; that die is automatically a 10, and increases the Sidereal’s effective Strength + Athletics by
1 for determining what she is capable of accomplishing. She may set aside no more than your
Resistance in dice this way.
Ignorance is Bliss
Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Mast knows nothing- neither of the wider world, nor her own limits. For a moment, neither
does the Sidereal, all pain and fatigue fading into a fog of ignorance. She ignores all penalties
caused by pain, fatigue, poison, or any other purely internal affliction for one action.
Additionally, she may forget herself for a moment, concealing her true emotions beneath a mask
of guileless ignorance. Add half the Sidereal’s Resistance to her Guile, or to any social action to
convince someone of your simple-mindedness as non-charm dice.
Laborers are everywhere, and yet they easily go unseen; one dullard drudge looking much like
the next. The Sidereal shares in this unique invisibility; as long as she is performing hard
manual labor with a group, she is invisible.
Taking any overt actions or participating in activities other than manual labor ends this charm.
Certain Charms may aid in detecting the Exalt. Roll the Sidereal’s ([Stamina or Strength] +
Stealth) against her opponent’s relevant (Attribute + Ability) or Resolve, if the attacking Charm is
based on the opponent’s Integrity.
With a second purchase, the Sidereal may instead engage in any lower class service and gain
the benefit of this invisibility; who notices the waiter, the maid, the coach-driver in anything but
the most cursory of fashions?
Each week past the first, destiny strains a little more at the deception. Omens begin to declare
the presence of the Sidereal amongst the workers, and the difficulty to understand these omens
drops by 1 per week. Weeks in which the Sidereal wear the Destiny of the Mast do not count;
Creation expects laborers to go unnoticed.
Like the Mast, the Sidereal bear punishment with stoic silence, drawing strength from the pain
and victory seemingly from the jaws of defeat. Subtract her current temporary Willpower from
the raw damage of a decisive attack roll against him, to a minimum of the (greater of the
attacker’s Essence or 1).
The Sidereal refines the lessons of ignorance, and learn to swallow her heart- becoming
immune to all distresses and distractions of the body. While under the effects of Heartless
Maiden Trance, she ignores all penalties caused by pain, fatigue, poison, or any other purely
internal affliction. She will not fall unconscious when your Incapacitated health level is taken;
dying only when she accrues (Stamina) additional levels of damage.
Furthermore, poison, starvation and dehydration hang in abeyance until the charm ends,
whereupon they all take effect at once.
Finally, while under the Heartless Maiden Trance, the Sidereal draw no nourishment from the
world, and respires no essence outside of combat. Even in combat, the numbing chill of
heartlessness leaves her respiring only 3 motes per turn.
The Sidereal weaves her arrival into the destiny of a location- as long as she does nothing but
run towards that destination, she can continue without needing to eat, drink or rest, and ignores
damage or impairment from any natural environmental hazard.
In order to activate Unswerving Juggernaut Principle, she must be able to physically reach her
destination by running. Unswerving Juggernaut Principle ends immediately if she stops to
involve herself in festivals or fighting; doing so ends the effects of the charm.
While active, omens and portents will herald the arrival of the Sidereal.
The Sidereal inscribe a prayer strip on one side with the scripture of the Eternal Maiden, and on
the reverse, a pledge of her name to accomplish some goal. The goal must be something
concrete and measurable, although it may be something which is the work of many years or
decades. The strip bursts into golden flame, and her accomplishment is written into the
Heavens for the wise to recognize.
While under the effect of One Direction Invocation, the Sidereal gains a Defining Principle to
accomplish her stated goal; this Principle may also be called on an unlimited number of times in
social influence, by both herself and others. Any non-aggravated damage she suffers heals at a
rate of one level of lethal or bashing per turn, while aggravated damage heals at a rate of 1 level
per day. She also suffer a -3 situational penalty to all actions which do not directly facilitate
achieving her goal.
At any time, you may end this Charm; it will also end automatically if her goal becomes
impossible. If the charm ends with your goal not having been accomplished, your name and
identity are forfeit; you must requisition a new name from Heaven.
RIDE : THE MESSENGER
Gone To Market
Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
In many of the far corners of Creation, it is the wandering tinker or merchant who acts as the
Messenger, the news they carry nearly as valued as the goods they sell. When she uses Gone
to Market, the Sidereal learns where the nearest market that a given good can be legally bought
or sold, and what price it trades for there. At Essence 2, she may specify a particular market
instead of the closest, knowing what the trade price for a good presently is. Gone to Market
does not tell the Sidereal what the good will be sold for by the time she can reach the market.
Old News
Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Messenger carries the news, not the olds, and the Sidereal knows better than to waste the
time of their audience. The Sidereal may tell at a glance if her audience already knows what
she has to say; she rolls (Perception + Investigation) against the audience's Guile. If she
succeeds, she knows if her audience will be surprised at some piece of information or gossip.
Iron Heart
Cost: 1m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: Until next turn
Prerequisite Charms: At least three of Ordained Bridle of Mercury, Yellow Path, Gone to
Market, Old News, or A Message For All
Fear cannot stay the Messenger from her duty. The Sidereal may use Iron Heart to ignore
penalties or effects resulting from fear until the next turn.
If she is mounted, then her mount benefits from Iron Heart at no additional cost.
Heavy as a Mountain
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: At least three of Ordained Bridle of Mercury, Yellow Path, Gone to
Market, Old News, or A Message For All
There is no purpose greater than the cause, and the Messenger has no desires but to fulfill their
sworn duty. The Sidereal may draw upon this zeal when speaking to another, encouraging him
to honestly fulfill their duty to an individual or organization. Her target must acknowledge at
least a nominal duty- she cannot convince rebels to act in accordance with the prince against
whom they rebel, but she could persuade a guard to refuse any bribes he is offered for the
night. Heavy as a Mountain allows the Sidereal to treat an intimacy of duty or obligation the
target has as being one rank greater than it is for purposes of instill or persuade actions; any
actions undertaken due to the strengthened intimacy may be resisted may entering into an
appropriate decision point against the original strength of the intimacy. If her target has no
relevant intimacy, then she may act as if he had a Minor intimacy.
Glory Path
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Design
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: At least three of Iron Heart, Heavy as a Mountain, Hope Rides Alone,
The Road Goes On, or Scent of Hollyhock and Lythrum
The Sidereal dedicates themselves to a journey, and writes the certainty of their arrival into the
stars. She can run across water, straight up cliffs, or even across thin air, so long as she is
advancing along the shortest route she knows towards her destination. If she is mounted, the
effects of Glory Path are extended to her mount at no cost. If attacked while running the Glory
Path, the Sidereal gains double 8s on any Athletics actions which carry her in the direction of
her destination- be that rushing towards an interposing enemy or Disengaging past them.
So long as Glory Path is active, omens will herald and foretell the arrival of the Sidereal.
Voice of Iron
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Captain's commands are iron, and men jump to obey them without thought. Once per
scene, when the Sidereal issues an order with Voice of Iron; she makes a (Charisma + Sail) roll
against a difficulty of their target's Resolve as a persuade action for a minor or moderate task,
which requires no appropriate intimacy. If successful, he will immediately seek to obey the
order to the best of their ability. Resisting the order requires entering a decision point backed by
at least a minor intimacy. During combat, Voice of Iron may only be used to issue persuade
actions for minor tasks, and may be resisted by spending 1 temporary point of willpower without
entering a decision point; resisting unacceptable orders does not require spending willpower.
Any creature which suffers aggravated damage from iron must spend 2 temporary points of
willpower to resist commands issued with Voice of Iron, rather than 1.
Shouting at Clouds
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One hour
Prerequisite Charms: None
Irritants such as storms or blizzards do not bother the Sidereal- and should they threaten, a brief
shout at the sky reminds the weather of it's place. For the next hour after Shouting at Clouds,
the weather around her clears out to Long range, centered on the Sidereal. Although storms
may range within sight, for her there is smooth sailing and easy walking. The terrain is also
treated as though the weather has been fair for weeks- dirt paths turned to mud dry in the
Sidereal's presence. This does not restore changes to the landscape due to the weather; a
bridge washed out or fallen landslide will remain even under this aegis.
The Sidereal may renew Shouting at Clouds at the end of each hour; if she does, omit the
willpower cost.
Command of Chains
Cost: 1m or 3m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Loyalty Snapping Shout or Bound in Paper Chains
The Captain is the master of bindings, and all ropes and chains owe their allegiance to her. The
Sidereal may use Command of Chains to momentarily bring a rope or chain to life, striking at an
enemy or slinking like a snake as ordered, out to Short range from her. Silk and hemp ropes
used to attack are treated as light melee weapons with the Bashing, Disarming, Flexible,
Grappling, and Reach tags, while common chains are treated as medium melee weapons with
the Bashing, Disarming, Flexible, Grappling, Reach, and Smashing tags. Especially heavy
chains, such as a ship's anchor chain, may be treated as heavy melee weapons with the
Bashing, Smashing and Improvised tags. Attacks made with Command of Chains are made
with the Sidereal's (Manipulation + Sail) to attack, and use her (Charisma) in place of her
Strength for calculating withering damage.
The Sidereal may also use Command of Chains to order non-magical fastenings which bind her
to fall away, to order whips to refuse to strike her, or to politely ask that the chandelier cord carry
her up to the balcony; this converts any the dice from any stunt using the animate rope or chain
for a non-combat action into successes.
At Essence 3, she may use Command of Chains to animate a rope or chain for the remainder of
the scene at a cost of 3 motes and 1 point of temporary willpower.
--End Sidebar--
Unmasking Glance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Everyone wears masks to hide their true ugliness; the Sidereal knows how to see beneath the
mask and stare in horrified awe at what she finds. Unmasking Glance is a Read Intentions
action which, if successful, reveals what her target is most ashamed of at the moment.
Paramour’s Request
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Psyche, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: You and Yours Stance
Once the Lover is known, their whims become laws that cannot be denied. In the same scene
as the Sidereal has had sex with her target, she may use Paramour's Request to enhance an
instill or persuade attempt. Her attempt is made as if an intimacy of the target was one rank
greater than it actually is; if the intimacy is already defining, then her victim cannot enter a
decision point if the influence is successful. If her target has no valid intimacies for the
influence, she may treat him as though he has a valid minor intimacy.
At Essence 2, the Sidereal may purchase Paramour's Request a second time. If she does, her
target will not remember successful uses of Paramour's Request.
Beryl Mark
Cost: 7m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute, Design, Suitable
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None
Criminals are often branded so they cannot hide from their disgrace; by placing the Beryl Mark
upon someone, the Sidereal ensures that everyone knows of his secret shame. Placing the
Beryl Mark on a victim requires touching them; outside of combat, this is usually trivially done,
while during combat, it requires a gambit with a difficulty of 2. Once placed, and until the
Sidereal releases it, anyone who successfully Reads Intentions or Profiles Character against the
victim learns of a secret shame he attempts to hide, of the Sidereal's design and selection. The
victim gives this impression regardless of evidence, past reputation, or intent.
While Beryl Mark is active, omens will decry the victim's guilt.
Whore-and-Virgin Stance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute, Resplendent
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Beryl Mark, Unmasking Glance
The Sidereal wraps herself in Shame, and all decent people will glance aside, refusing to
acknowledge her presence. She adds her Appearance bonus for instill and persuade attempts
as bonus dice on any roll to go unnoticed for the remainder of the scene. Whore-and-Virgin
Stance only influences individuals capable of feeling shame; it has proven remarkably
ineffective in attempting to infiltrate the more depraved reaches of Hell or the courts of some
members of House Cynis.
If the Sidereal is in the Destiny of the Lover when using Whore-and-Virgin Stance, the dice are
added as non-charm bonus dice.
Wanting and Fearing Prayer
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mute, Prayer Strip
Duration: Five days
Prerequisite Charms: Strings on Broken Puppets, Whore and Virgin Stance, Cash and Murder
Games, and at least one of Flame and Honey Sorrow, Paramour's Request or Celestial Bliss
Trick
The Sidereal inscribes a prayer strip with the Scripture of the Whore, and dissolves it into an
alcoholic drink. When her victim drinks from the enchanted glass, she rolls (Manipulation +
Socialize) against her victim's Resolve. If she is successful, for the next five days and five
nights, her victim becomes driven by his basest needs, desires and fears. He many not draw on
any Principles or higher order ethics or morality during this time, and is considered to have a
Defining Principle of 'Satisfy my Base Desires'.
Methodology of Secrets
Cost: 3m; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Suitable
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: False Words Rings True
Methodology of Secrets enhances a Read Intentions roll, allowing the Sidereal to discover what
secrets her target is concealing. The more successes she achieves over her target's Guile, the
more deadly a secret she is capable of learning; at just matching his Guile, she learns only of
little white lies or minor broken promises; at three successes, she learns of moderate crimes or
serious failings- secrets that could lead to social approbation but would be unlikely to result in
corporal or permanent punishments. At five or more successes, she learns of even the most
deadly of the target's secrets.
The Sidereal may only use Methodology of Secrets upon a given target once per scene.
Power Is Knowledge
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Methodology of Secrets
Secrets are a kind of currency amongst the powerful, and the right secret in the wrong ear can
bring a mighty dynasty to it's knees. Wise conspirators take pains to ensure that their secrets
cannot be uncovered- but the fear that their crimes may come to light is something they can
never fully escape. Power is Knowledge supplements a Threaten or Bargain action, causing the
Sidereal's victim to believe that she is in possession of some definitive evidence of the most
dangerous secret the target holds. The Sidereal does not know what this secret is, or how the
target will respond to this intimation; depending on the target and the secret, the response may
be anywhere from a resigned shrug to immediate acquiescence, followed by a plot to
assassinate the Sidereal.
--End Sidebar--
Never Give Up
Cost: 1m; Mins: Survival 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None
Duration: One tick
Prerequisite Charms: None
The first lesson of the Steersman is thus; no matter how powerful the blows raining down, failure
is not an option. When the Sidereal faces an opponent with a permanent Essence rating
greater than her own, or a battle group with combined Size and Might equal to or greater than
her permanent Essence, she may use Never Give Up to ignore all penalties from injury, fatigue,
exposure or despair for one tick.
At Essence 2, she may use Never Give Up on allies out to Medium range. When using Never
Give Up on others, the Sidereal considers her ally's permanent Essence rather than her own.
A New Apocalypse
Cost: 7m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Never Give Up
Today's heretic is tomorrow's prophet, and today's savior may be tomorrow's antithesis. By
using A New Apocalypse, the Sidereal may alter the professed beliefs or practices of a cult or
other organized religious organization. This charm enhances an instill or persuade action
intended to alter a religious organization's beliefs, allowing the Sidereal to ignore the penalty for
targeting crowds, reducing the rank of any opposed intimacies by one and increasing the rank of
any aligned intimacies by one.
At Essence 3, the Sidereal may purchase A New Apocalypse a second time; if she does, she
may spend 1 point of temporary willpower to embedded the magic into a written work (Exalted
p. 221)
No part of the claimed territory can be ought but wilderness; man-made buildings or paths mark
boundaries where her magic touches not. Other than that, she may claim a total of 20 square
miles of territory.
Bold Filcher
Cost: 6m or 6m, 1wp; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Life Gets Worse
The Gull has a rather complex and eclectic understanding of other people's property, which can
best be summarized as not giving a damn. Unless contested by magic, the Sidereal cannot fail
an attempt to pick someone's pocket.
At Essence 3, she may even use Bold Filcher without coming near her mark, picking pockets
and lifting objects from up to (Essence) yards away.
Thought-Swiping Distraction
Cost: 3m; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute, Resplendent
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Bold Filcher
The Sidereal deftly plucks an errant thought from her victim's head. Although she can hold it for
only a moment, this is often enough to ruin any eloquent speech he may have prepared.
Thought-Swiping Distraction may be used in response to anyone's social influence actions
within Short range, and must be used before they roll. This raises the victim's target number for
the social influence by 1 as he briefly loses his train of thought and must rebuild it. Additionally,
if the Sidereal is in the Destiny of the Gull, she may take a reflexive Read Intentions or Profile
Character against the speaker, reducing the target's Guile by the number of 1s he rolls.
Rumors of War
Cost: 3m or 3m, 1wp; Mins: War 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Auspicious Recruitment Drive
The clash of arms and thunder of drums echoes far and wide, and rumors of war fly swiftly
ahead of the fighting itself. When the Sidereal uses Rumors of War, she learns where the
nearest large armed conflict is occurring. A large conflict, in this context, means a conflict
consisting of at least two battle groups. each of size 3 or greater.
At Essence 2, the Sidereal may purchase Rumors of War a second time. If she has, she may
spend an additional 1 willpower when activating Rumors of War to learn where the largest
conflict within a region of Creation she specifies is scheduled to occur by the Crimson Panoply
of Victory, and when that conflict is scheduled to occur.
Battle-Fellow Attitude
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: War 4, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Crowned in Crimson Laurel
The broken find new strength at the Banner's rallying cry. Battle-Fellow Attitude allows the
Sidereal to take a Rally for Numbers an additional time during a scene. Battle-Fellow Attitude
may not be used more than once a scene.
The Sidereal Exalted are often considered the peerless masters of martial arts; the motions and
emulations of the styles come as naturally to them as their ability to weave fate and destiny. As
mentioned in Character Creation (pg. XX), all Sidereals gain the Martial Arts merit for free, and
may purchase dots in any Martial Arts ability and any Martial Arts Charms as Favored.
However, Sidereals do not exhibit the casual mastery that Solars or the recently appeared
Abyssals do. While they have a deep relationship with Martial Arts, they lack the raw power
needed to automatically make full use of Martial Arts charms.
Mastery
As described in the corebook (Exalted p. 427), Sidereals can access the Mastery effects of
Martial Arts charms through their own esoteric methods. These methods include;
● When a Sidereal meets the special activation condition for a Style’s Form Charm, they
may use that Style’s charms with the Mastery effect for the remainder of the scene.
● A Sidereal that has mastered a martial art, by learning all of the charms in that style,
may craft a Master’s Sutra, describing the essence of the Style. By revealing a prayer
strip with that sutra and paying 5m, they may use the mastery effects of that style for the
remainder of the scene. These sutras are each unique to the Sidereal, as the nature of
enlightenment cannot be copied; revealing them reveals the master’s identity.
● When a Sidereal enters a Martial Arts form, they may use that Style’s charms with the
Mastery effect as long as they remain in the Form.
The only certain truth is death; of all the secrets that Jupiter holds, Saturn knows this one best.
When the martial artist makes her first attack in the scene, if her target has a lower initiative
than she does and it is a martial arts attack, reduce his Defense by (higher of Essence or 2).
Flight of Mercury
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife
The only journey that all must walk is that from birth to the grave; of all the journeys that
Mercury watches, Saturn knows the destination. Flight of Mercury allows the martial artist to
suddenly explode forward in order to strike at a foe; she advances one range band towards an
enemy, and must take either attack or rush action. Flight of Mercury can only be used once per
scene.
Mastery: If the martial artist crashes the enemy she attacked or rushed when using this charm,
she may use it again against another target.
It is only when the struggle ceases that there is peace; of all the battles that Mars fights, Saturn
knows that is one her sister cannot win. Blade of the Battle Maiden enchants the martial artist’s
attacks with this truth. When making a withering attack, she increases her post-soak damage
by (higher of Essence or 3). When making a decisive attack, she reduces the target’s Hardness
by (higher of Essence or 3).
Terrestrial: For a Dragon-Blooded to use this Charm, they must make a sacrifice of pain;
increase the cost by 1lhl.
Mastery: When the martial artist assumes the Violet Bier of Sorrows Form, she may also
reflexively activate Blade of the Battle Maiden by spending an additional 1wp.
Joy in Adversity Stance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Withering-only, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Secrets of Future Strife
It is the temporary and ephemeral nature of love that makes it worth having; of all the joys that
Venus knows, Saturn knows they are most keenly felt when lost. Joy in Adversity Stance
enhances this understanding; when the martial artist is crashed by an opponent at close range,
she may make a reflexive withering attack against him, even if she has already attacked this
turn.
Terrestrial: Joy in Adversity Stance costs an additional 1wp to activate.
Meditating on the mysteries of the Gull, the Peacock, the Gauntlet and the Sorcerer, the martial
artist embodies the ending of all things and in all things. She gains double 10s on decisive
damage rolls. Additionally, her base initiative after resetting from a decisive Martial Arts attack
is (Martial Arts) instead of 3.
Special Activation rules: Whenever the martial artist makes two consecutive decisive attacks,
or makes a decisive attack which kills or incapacitates a non-trivial opponent, she may
reflexively activate Violet Bier of Sorrows Form.
Death-Parrying Stroke
Cost: 2m / success; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Withering-only, Perilous, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form
At the last moment, the martial artist sees the path of an attack and knocks it aside with a deft
twist of essence. She may reduce the damage successes rolled on a withering attack made
against her by one success per two motes, to a maximum of Martial Arts successes. Death-
Parrying Stroke may be used after damage is rolled.
Terrestrial: When a Dragon-blooded uses this Charm, they instead reduce the damage dice
rolled on a withering attack made against her by one die per two motes, to a maximum of
Martial Arts dice, and must be used before damage is rolled.
Metal Storm
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Violet Bier of Sorrows Form
Come they alone or at the head of a vast host, all eventually yield to Saturn’s blade. The martial
artist may make a decisive attack against two separate enemies in close range; she makes one
attack roll, and then divides her initiative evenly between them, adding her Essence to the
damage of each attack.
Terrestrial: Dragon-blooded do not add their Essence to the damage of the attacks.
It is only by both accepting and pursuing the end that one may delay the inevitable conclusion.
This knowledge heartens the martial artist, as she stokes her fighting spirit with determination to
never give up. When a decisive attack enhanced with Conclusion Pursuing Approach deals
damage, she gains 1 willpower.
Mastery: Enemies dealt damage by Conclusion Pursuing Approach also lose 1 willpower.
Life-Severing Blow
Cost: 2m / die; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Death-Parrying Stroke, Metal Storm, Conclusion Pursuing Approach
In the hands of the martial artist is the power of Saturn, to bring an ending to her opponents.
Activate Life-Severing Blow when making a decisive attack; if the attack is successful, she
converts up to to Essence damage dice into successes; for each die converted in this way, the
target also loses one initiative. You must pay for Life-Severing Blow before making your attack.
Mastery: You may convert up to Martial Arts damage dice into successes instead of Essence.
Throne Shadow Weapons: This style counts as unarmed attacks the cestus, fighting gauntlet,
khatars, pankrator’s cestus, tiger claws, and other such ‘brawling aides’, as well as improvised
weapons.
Crystal Chameleon Weapons: The Blinding Prism favors flexibility and reach; in addition to
unarmed attacks, she may use the spear, rope dart, weighted rope or their artifact equivalents.
Light-Treading Technique
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts : Crystal Chameleon Style 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Mastery
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Extending her anima in an ablative envelope around her, the martial artist eases her passage
through the world. On any turn in which she takes her reflexive movement action to move a
range band, she gains a bonus of (higher of Essence or 2) dice to any Rush or Disengage roll,
and increases her dodge against attacks made from beyond Close range by 1. She may also
take her reflexive move while concealed without revealing her position or needing to make
repeated stealth rolls, although she still may not rush or disengage without breaking
concealment.
Mastery The martial artist may activate Light-Treading Technique reflexively when they enter
Crystal Chameleon Form.
Flashing Passage
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts : Crystal Chameleon Style 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Just Another Branch Deceit, Light-Treading Technique
Collapsing her Essence into pure forward momentum, the martial artist briefly blurs and
disappears from sight. While she has Light-Treading Technique active, once per scene, she
may enhance a rush or disengage action; if the action is successful, she immediately moves
one range band towards or away from her target. This enhanced rush or disengage may be
taken while concealed without breaking concealment.
Flashing Passage may be reset by successfully entering stealth while in close range to an
opponent.
Terrestrial Flashing Passage may not be reset.
In general, martial arts styles are complete; even the Sidereals may not simply amend the
revealed wisdom of the known styles. However, the Sidereals are uniquely aware of subtle
interplays that exist between styles. Sometimes, two styles come together in only a single
technique or charm; others merge and form fusion styles, melding the expression of two martial
truths into a single whole. Such synthesis are known as Wushu Arts; knowledge of them is
almost completely lost from Creation, although a very few survive as the most jealously guarded
secret techniques of a few martial lineages and mystic societies.
And despite five score centuries, not every Wushu Art is known or can be known. It is possible
that abstruse wisdom yet unrevealed awaits- and when the student is ready, the curtain will be
lifted.
No Wushu Art has been discovered within the rarified wisdoms expressed by Sidereal Martial
Arts, either between one another or with a lesser art. This does not stop speculation that such
marvels exist- but if they do, Jupiter alone may know the secret to unlocking them.
Wushu Charms and Styles do not have an ability rating of their own. When they call for a
martial arts action, the martial artist may use whichever rating of the styles that compose the
esoteric art she prefers.
Wushu Charms and Styles will almost always abide by the most restrictive weapons and armor
restriction of the two composited styles.
COBRA STYLE
Wushu Union of Snake and Black Claw
The origins of Cobra Style are obscure; some claim it was invented by a Sidereal driven mad in
the wake of the Usurpation. After betraying and murdering his own student, seeing the
excesses of the Shogunate was more than he could bear. Others claim it is a hell-sent style, for
only the devils could hold such contempt and poison in their hearts. But here is the truth;
neither the black claw nor cold blooded serpent feel pity, or remorse, or love. They are as
beautiful and as cold as the stars in the sky, and can beguile their prey as easily.
Weapons and Armor: Cobra Style charms may only be practiced unarmed, although they may
always be stunted to deal lethal damage. They are incompatible with armor.
Cobra Form
Cost: 7m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Snake Form, Black Claw Form, Showing the Cobra's Fangs, Cobra Eye
Splendor
The martial artist lowers her head as she raises and spreads her arms, sinking close to the
ground but ready to strike and destroy any who come within reach. While she is Cobra Form,
her martial arts attacks are all considered to be coated with snake venom (Exalted p. 234;
2i/round (L in Crash), 3 rounds, -3 penalty); any initiative lost due to this poison is gained by the
martial artist. Additionally, she suffers no penalties when acting while prone.
Special activation rules When the martial artist crashes an opponent with an attack enhanced
with Showing the Cobra's Fangs or Cobra Eye Splendor, she may reflexively enter Cobra Form.
Touch of Finality
Cost: 5m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Essence Venom Strike, Heart Ripping Claw, Cobra Form
With a single strike, the cobra's venom brings sudden death to it's victims; with a single touch,
the martial artist's attacks do the same. Touch of Finality enhances a decisive attack made by
the martial artist; if she inflicts at least one level of lethal damage, she may cause the target to
suffer all remaining intervals of damage from all poisons in his system at once. If this results in
the victim being crashed, the martial artist may make an additional reflexive decisive attack
against him.
MANTIS STYLE
Wushu Union of Tiger and Crane
One of the oldest known of the Wushu styles, the Mantis combines the savage power of the
Tiger with the elegance and grace of the Crane, revealing the truth that violence is
fundamentally a question of control; by controlling oneself, one controls the enemy; by
controlling the enemy, one controls the world.
Weapons and Armor: Mantis Style charms may only be practiced unarmed, focusing on
powerful arm bars, lashing strikes and lightning fast kicks. They are incompatible with armor.
Mantis Form
Cost: 7m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Tiger Form, Crane Form, Leaping Mantis Technique, Grasping Mantis
Defense
To the mantis, the world seems a terribly slow thing, and the martial artist learns to see the
world as the mantis does. She reduces Onslaught penalties to her defense by 2, and wins ties
on defense. Additionally, the mantis does not release its captured prey; the martial artist
ignores the penalty to her defense while grappling and does not forfeit a round of control when
attacked (although she does lose control as normal when she takes damage).
Special activation rules When the martial artist defends against an attack with successes
equal to her defense, she may reflexively enter Mantis Form, and gain the benefits of the form
before determining if the attack hits.
Enmity-Ending Technique
Cost: 10m; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Angry Predator Frenzy, Wisdom of the Celestial Crane, Mantis Form
With a number of deceptively small joint locks and twists, the martial artist ruins her opponent,
leaving them broken upon the ground. In this fashion does she end the enmity of the enemy,
and bring peace at the end of the battle. Enmity-Ending Technique supplements a decisive
savaging attack in a grapple. The martial artist adds all remaining rounds of control she has to
her initiative before rolling damage. For each level of damage inflicted, her victim suffers a -1
penalty from the pain of their broken and ruined body for the remainder of the scene. Victims
may always opt to take an appropriate crippling injury to reduce this damage, even if they have
already taken a crippling injury in this story.
Weapons and Armor: White Veil Style would not have any obvious weapons beyond her own
hands, as such things could declaim the martial artist's intentions. It would also be incompatible
with armor, although explicitly compatible with the armor granted by Pearlescent Filigree
Defense.
Blinded By Laughter
Cost: 7m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Shadow Lost in Court, Owl Clutches at the Night
It seems comical that someone as charming as the martial artist could engage in as duplicitous
and cruel a thing as an unexpected attack, and so no one sees such a thing coming. The first
attack the martial artist makes in a scene is treated as an ambush, even if the victim was aware
of her presence or had a higher initiative.
Recently, Rakan Thulio has boasted that the Getimian Exalted outstrip the Chosen of the
Maidens in both mastery and enlightenment. That these mysterious Chosen have exhibited
secret techniques and enlightened arts comparable to the Sidereals themselves testifies to the
impossible truth of this boast. Whether the Getimian Exalted are truly capable of independent
mastery of Sidereal Martial Arts, or if they, like the Solars, are simply capable of being taught
and have a willing sifu in Rakan Thulio is not known- but it is certain that these mysterious
Chosen are capable of matching the Sidereal Exalteds’ peerless mastery in one form or
another.
Each Sidereal and Getimian Exalted is capable of learning one Sidereal Martial Arts charm per
dot of Essence she possesses. Solars and Abyssals are capable of learning one Sidereal
Martial Arts charm per dot of Essence they possess above two; that is, they can learn one
charm at Essence 3, a second charm at Essence 4, and a third at Essence 5. Additionally, all
Exalted capable of learning Sidereal Martial Arts charms can learn one charm per traditional
style which they have mastered. Wushu Arts, already blending two truths into one, neither
hinder or assist the martial artist’s ability to learn the more fundamental ideas within the Hidden
Arts of Heaven. Solars and Abyssals taught Sidereal Martial Arts Charms pay the same
experience cost as Sidereals do to learn them, regardless of favoring Martial Arts.
Sidereal Martial Arts do not have a distinct ability rating. When a Sidereal Martial Arts charm
calls for a martial arts roll, the martial artist may select which martial art ability they are using to
execute the action.
Weapons and Armor: Prismatic Arrangement of Creation Forms may not be assumed if the
martial artist bears any non-Natural weapons and is incompatible with armor.
Weapons and Armor: The Charcoal March of Spiders style may be practiced with knives,
seven section staves, or while unarmed. This style is incompatible with armor.
Weapons and armor: Sapphire Veil of Passion permits the use of the Urumi, or ribbon sword,
as well as the artifact equivalent, the floating ribbon. It is incompatible with armor, but does
traditionally allow a buckler to be worn as well.
Urumi: Light melee weapon; Lethal, Martial Arts, Disarming, Flexible, Reaching
Floating Ribbon: Light artifact melee weapon; Lethal, Martial Arts, Disarming, Flexible, Reaching
Buckler: Light melee weapon; Melee, Shield
Weapons and armor: Obsidian Shards of Infinity may be practiced unarmed, or while wielding
any paired weapons. If armed, the martial artist must always be armed with paired weapons-
loss of one disrupts the symmetry she must maintain for the style. It is incompatible with armor.
Echoes of Infinity
Cost: 12m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Draw Forth The Shard
Reflect a mirror upon itself; do you see the infinite hallway? Within the depths of that labyrinth,
an army of echoes awaits to come forth. After activating Echoes of Infinity, the martial artist
may use Draw Forth The Shard at no cost and reflexively on her action once a turn for the
remainder of the scene, and the reflective surfaces used need be no larger than the palm of her
hand.
Chapter 7 : Sorcerous Ways and Sidereal Conjunctions
Shaping Rituals
Sorcerers of the Five Stations understand the value of preparation; by dint of careful study, they
can ready their mind and body to call forth a specific spell at a moment's notice. They may
spend five hours studying a specific spell to prepare it. If they do, for the next week, they gain
three sorcerous motes which may only be used to cast the prepared spell. Once spent, these
motes are lost until another study session re-prepares the spell, unless the prepared spell is one
of the sorcerer's control spells, in which case the motes return at the end of the scene.
The ultimate lesson of the Five Stations is this question- what will you sacrifice for your sorcery?
Once per scene, you may offer up some significant sacrifice; this may be literal, such as
destroying some valued object, or more figurative, such as swearing to take or avoid some
action or vice. If the Storyteller approves of the sacrifice, the sorcerer immediately gains
(Essence) sorcerous motes. Should they fail to uphold their self-imposed geas, then Creation
will bend against them; treat this as having broken an Eclipse caste oath. Stories are replete of
sorcerers tricked into violating their oaths and being struck down therefrom.
Some sorcerers are known for their curious habit of hop-skip walking, taking care to move in
diagonals or curves, or to advance with an almost dancer-like gait on the balls of their feet. They
are practicing Pacing the Stars; by moving in well understood patterns, they learn to coax
Creation to their whim more easily. When using a Shape Sorcery action in combat, if you Pace
the Stars, reduce your Defense by 1 for the turn, and add +1 die to their pool. If they are
shaping their prepared spell, instead add one automatic success.
Other Benefits
Ritual Tools (Merit ** or ****): Sorcerers of the Five Stations frequently make use of ritual tools
and implements- most frequently staves, khakkharas, or prayer strips. A sorcerer who makes
use of their ritual tools while taking Shape Sorcery actions adds +1 die to their pool. The four-
dot version of this Merit provides sorcerous tools which are also artifacts, giving the sorcerer +2
dice to their pool instead of +1 and allowing them to learn potent Evocations.
Making and Unmaking (Merit ****): One of the most common calls for sorcerers is not the
action of sorcery, but their knowledge of how to safely contain or remove ancient sorcery that
has escaped control. A sorcerer with this Merit is especially versed in such, and may attempt to
undo spells as an Ambition 2 working instead of an Ambition 3 working.
Secret Societies: Because the Five Station Path is a more deliberate form of sorcerous
initiation, many sorcerers will form or join a secret society during training. Such membership is
best represented with the Allies, Backing, and Contacts Merits; all sorcerers of the Five Station
Path gain 1 dot in one of these merits for free.
The Book of Three Circles itself is not a single tome, but rather the complete corpus of
sorcerous knowledge and activity recognized by the Royal Academy; a highly potent distillation
of the greatest accomplishments in sorcery from the five thousand golden years of the First Age;
etched on scrolls of unchanging gold, the collection is the size of a small library in itself. Almost
no complete copies of the full work remain in Creation; Raksi has one such, having looted it
from Sperimin before renaming the city to Mahalanka. Another exists with the Forbidding
Manse of Ivy. Rumors fly of other complete copies- in the heart of the Imperial Manse, at the
center of a demon prince’s glass library, in the personal study of one of the Deathlords.
A Student of the Book has found a substantial fragment of the Book of Three Circles, or
comparable ancient and metaphysical work, and drawn upon the arcane insights contained
therein to initiate into sorcery.
Shaping rituals
The sorcerer knows arts lost since the First Age for the harnessing of arcane power, but her
knowledge of such matters is limited and risky. On the first roll to gather sorcerous motes per
spell, she sets aside (Occult) dice when gathering sorcerous motes; for each die set aside in
this fashion, she gains an automatic success if she rolls any successes. When gathering motes
for her control spell, she gains an additional 3 motes on the initial roll if she gains any.
Students of the Book have a deeper understanding of Creation’s Essence than most other
sorcerers, and amongst the foremost experts in geomancy and properly harnessing feng shui.
In a location she has spent at least one week preparing, she gains an additional mote on any
successful roll to gather sorcerous motes. In a standard manse or demesne she is attuned to,
she instead gains two motes. In a greater manse or demesne she is attuned to, she instead
gains three motes.
Students of the Book are experts at directing and redirecting Creation’s energies; when
engaging in countermagic to a spell, she gains 1 sorcerous mote per two sorcerous motes
drained. If her countermagic is sufficient to break the spell, she instead gains 1 sorcerous mote
per sorcerous mote drained.
Other Benefits
Draw Upon the Heart (Merit ***): A Student of the Book who knows how to draw upon
Creation’s feng shui and who possess a hearthstone may draw upon the feng shui of the distant
place of power by their connection through the hearthstone; this provides her the benefit of the
shaping ritual for being in a prepared manse or demesne as long as she holds the hearthstone
that is linked to the specially prepared place.
Studies Vast and Deep (Merit ** or ****): Access to even a significant fraction of the Book of
Three Circles is a tremendous aid when undertaking sorcerous working, and increases the
terminus of the sorcerer’s workings by 1. The four dot version means that the sorcerer has
access to a complete or nearly complete copy of the entire corpus, and instead increases her
terminus by 2.
Arcane and Mysterious Learning (Merit *): Students of the Book have had the opportunity to
internalize truths few in Creation now know. They may always introduce and challenge facts
related to sorcery.
Touched by Fate
Most who are gifted or cursed with sorcery sought it out- they strike bargains with fell spirits,
engage in laborious alchemical pursuits, or study deep into forgotten tomes. For others,
however, sorcery is simply bestowed upon them, a destiny they neither sought nor can they
escape. Mortals who are Touched by Fate were almost always thaumaturges with knowledge
of at least one ritual for divining the future. Exalted who are Touched by Fate are unusual; ronin
Sidereals will commonly come by sorcery in this fashion, as well some outcaste Dragon-
Blooded and Solars from the more obscure corners of Creation.
The source of this gift is unknown. Many believe it is the touch of Jupiter, imparting hidden
wisdom, while others subscribe to the theory that Solars in the height of the First Age wove the
truth of Sorcery into Creation’s bedrock, such that it could not be lost. Whatever the truth, it is
certain that some rare few one day wake, knowing the secret words to call upon Creation’s
power.
Shaping Rituals
Sorcerers Touched by Fate did not seek out their power, and so often learn to recognize it only
in retrospect. She begins each scene with a sorcerous mote, which must be used to power her
first spell. If this mote powers her control spell, it counts as two.
Most sorcerers Touched by Fate seem to have a special gift or affinity for some circumstance.
The player should work with the Storyteller to describe this affinity, which should have
approximately the breadth of a specialty- something the sorcerer can engineer but not always
have available. When this affinity applies, she gains 2 bonus dice on any shape sorcery action;
when it is absent, she instead loses 2 dice.
Whatever the source of the sorcerer’s gift, it is not done with them- instead softly urging them
towards or away from certain goals. By leaving herself more receptive to such urging, the
sorcerer may gain additional power. Once per story, the sorcerer gains or strengthens an
intimacy as chosen by the Storyteller which will guide the sorcerer towards some occulted goal;
upon accepting this intimacy, she also immediately gains (Essence + 3) sorcerous motes.
Other Benefits
Power Uncontrolled (Merit ** or ***): Energy will sometimes simply leak from the sorcerer,
lashing out as abrasive winds or crackling lightning. She may use this power to make attacks,
rolling (Intelligence + Occult) as if armed with a light mundane weapon with the lethal and
thrown (short) tags, using her Charisma in place of her Strength for determining withering
damage. The three dot version increases the strength of these manifestations, allowing the
sorcerer to spend 1 willpower to add the flexible, piercing or smashing tags for the remainder of
the scene.
Child of Dreams (Merit **): Visions and dreams haunt those Touched by Fate, offering
tantalizing glimpses into futures that may come to be. The sorcerer may forgo gaining
Willpower for one night, instead opting to be visited by these prophetic dreams in order to gain
some useful insight into her current situation. During the next day, the sorcerer may reflexively
perform one case scene, profile character or read intentions action upon someone or
something, describing the knowledge as having come to her in the visions.
In Heaven, the gods wear solid bodies, and in hell demons walk clothed in flesh. The sorcerer
rends the veil that separates the material and immaterial worlds in Creation. Out to Long range
from the sorcerer when she completes casting the spell, all material and dematerialized
creatures are able to freely see and interact with one another.
A sorcerer who knows Incantation of Spiritual Indiscretion as her control spell lives half between
the worlds of flesh and spirit; their left eye becomes milk white as if blinded by cataracts, and
they may see dematerialized spirits at close range for the rest of the scene by spending 1
willpower.
The gods have their mansions and secret palaces; by means of this spell, the sorcerer can force
entry into them. A sorcerer must be standing at a door to the spirit’s sanctum, and forcing the
door open requires 15 sorcerous motes; upon finishing the spell, the door to the sanctum will
open and remain open for the next five turns. Unbar the Sanctum Door gives no indication of if
a sanctum door is present or to whom it belongs, and so the sorcerer must divine these answers
by some other means.
The otherworldly realms that spirits create can be pleasant, harsh, or alien, but they are rarely
hostile and never outright fatal. There is no veil between flesh and spirit in such places, and so
spirits cannot dematerialize; at the same time, many spirits have access to unique powers and
gifts within their sanctums.
A sorcerer who know Unbar the Sanctum Door as her control spell can also chase a cornered
spirit into it’s den. If a spirit uses the charm Hurry Home while within Short range of the
sorcerer, she has until the end of her next action to cast Unbar the Sanctum Door for 5
sorcerous motes, bringing herself and up to (Essence +1) willing allies within Short range of her
to the spirit’s sanctum by following in the spirit’s wake. Such sorcerers will tend to develop a
key-shaped birthmark on either their right hand or right foot.
Distortion (Goal Number: 5): Distorting this spell dramatically reduces the time that the door will
remain open, resulting in the gate closing at the end of the next turn. More importantly, it alerts
the spirit and any guardians and defenses within the sanctum of the intrusion.
Worlds and realms beyond the common stuff of earth lay just past a veil that no eye can pierce,
and just beyond a curtain that no hand can draw back. By means of this spell, the sorcerer can
walk the broken road that separates worlds, allowing them to step beyond Creation.
To use Walk the Broken Road, the sorcerer must be at a boundary point, a region that is
already close to another realm of existence. Shadowlands allow for passage to and from the
Underworld, regardless of the time of day; one of the 108 Gates of Heaven allow access to Yu-
Shan from Creation; 38 Inauspicious Passages which joins Creation and Hell. The sorcerer
may also use Walk the Broken Road to quickly race deeper into the Wyld, moving from a
Middlemarch to the Deep Wyld, thence to Pure Chaos in a matter of minutes. Upon completing
the spell, the sorcerer is engulfed in a blaze of bright, white Essence and vanishes from sight,
reappearing on the other side of the veil. An Ambition 3 Terrestrial Working can also form a rift
to another realm of existence which a sorcerer who know Walk the Broken Road can exploit.
Such rifts and connections almost always work in both directions, and the sorcerer will be able
to use Walk the Broken Road to return to Creation at the same location.
A sorcerer who knows Walk the Broken Road as her control spell can bring up to (Occult) willing
allies on the trip. Such individuals are marked by the first trip between Creation and another
realm they take; those who enter the Underworld return with hair shocked white; those who walk
willingly to Hell have their fingernails turned to brass; those who venture to the depths of the
Wyld almost invariable gain some form of mutation, even if they are normally proof against
such. Only those who visit Heaven remain unchanged, save that the bones of her feet are
turned to imperishable gold and jade.
Gift of Memory
Cost: Ritual, 2wp
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
The Sidereal Exalted preserve this spell as secret, and with it, preserve many of their traditions
and knowledge from the First Age. Gift of Memory requires a five hour ritual, during which the
sorcerer and her subject must remain in close proximity while inhaling certain rare burning
incenses. At the culmination of the ritual, the sorcerer shares any number of memories and any
amount of knowledge with her subject. Memories shared in this fashion are always true, at least
as best understood by the sorcerer; it is impossible to intentionally deceive someone with the
shared memories.
Gift of Memory is most often used to speed the training of newly recruited Sidereals. The
sorcerer may entirely eliminate the training time needed for her subject to purchase any ability,
specialty, Charm or spell which the sorcerer knows, up to the level the sorcerer knows. She
may not speed the training of attributes in this fashion; knowledge of the exercises needed is
not the same as having done the exercise; nor can she impart Sidereal Martial Arts charms- the
internalization of such esoteric wisdoms are too personal and transformative to be conveyed by
mere memory.
Heaven touches Creation in 108 places; of those, 107 are fixed, while one wanders merrily
hither and yon. This is the Heavenly Portal, known also as the Calibration Gate, and the
sorcerer with this spell may call it to her at will.
To cast Summon the Heavenly Portal, the Sidereal must be in Creation, and in the presence of
an arch, overhang, or some other construct, natural or manmade, which could serve as a
boundary between two places- doorways are the most common, but a short bridge over a ravine
or a bent cluster of trees forming a natural arch can serve equally well. Upon completion of the
spell, the gateway is limned in silver and golden light, before opening into the Neighborhood of
Heaven within the Celestial City of Yu-Shan for the next five turns. Passage through the
Calibration Gate is as easy as walking as long as it remains open.
Summon the Heavenly Portal can also be used on the Yu-Shan side of the Calibration Gate,
opening to the most recent, intact mundane arch it was last summoned at.
Sorcerers who learn Summon the Heavenly Portal as their control spell can summon the
Calibration Gate without needing an archway; instead, a door frame of starmetal and blue jade
materializes from thin air for her, vanishing when the duration expires. When opening from the
Heaven side, she may always re-enter Creation from where she left.
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting this spell dramatically reduces the time that the door
will remain open, from five turns to one. Additionally, the mundane side of the gateway is ruined
in the process, bursting into flame or melting into slag as is appropriate. This destruction is
always improbably contained, never spreading to cause damage to the surrounding structure.
Common Workings
The sorcerer works a small coin of black ceramic and iron with various arcane sigils; upon
completion, she may project her senses the location of the coin at will. Her body falls comatose
and defenseless, while the sorcerer can see, hear and smell everything in the presence of the
coin. If the coin is in a container, such as a chest or pocket, the sorcerer instead is projected to
the environment outside of the container.
If the coin is broken, the sorcerer regains the experience invested in the crafting.
The sorcerer cuts off her shadow, allowing it to move freely independent from her. Unless
otherwise directed, her shadow will remain attached and is indistinguishable from a mundane
shadow; however, at orders, it can move independently. The shadow is able to freely climb
walls or any other surface upon which a shadow could be projected, and can seep through any
barrier that is not airtight. While so independent, the shadow unfailingly seeks to serve the
sorcerer’s will, most often by acting as a spy or messenger; although unable to physically
interact with the world, the shadow can make itself be heard in order to deliver a message from
the sorcerer, or to relay what it has heard back to it’s master.
The shadow has an effective stealth, investigation and awareness ratings of 10. It can travel at
the speed of a galloping horse without tiring when dispatched on a mission. It cannot travel
through areas of constant uninterrupted brilliant light. It is immaterial, although attacks with the
flame tag, which generate bright light, or which are capable of striking spirits can harm it; any
decisive damage will destroy the shadow, causing the sorcerer to regain their detached shadow
at once and refunding them the experience invested in the working.
Astrological Projections
The fate of Creation is decided in committee.
Within Heaven's Bureau of Destiny, a vast array of divinities discuss, debate, politic, and
conspire to plot the destiny of the world.
Nominally, they seek to weave a beautiful pattern upon the Loom of Fate, that the Maidens of
Destiny may look upon the shimmering cloth of That Which Is and be pleased.
In truth, the five divisions within the Bureau compete with one another for resources and
decision making power, for particular courses and outcomes.
The Sidereal Exalted are, by and large, only as involved in such matters as they wish to be.
They are the agents of Destiny, not mere scribal-pit gods, and walk Creation to realize their
views of fate more concretely. That said, there are times when members of the Five-Score
Fellowship finds it helpful to submit their own plans and projections to the Bureau, and weave
the world as they will.
Astrological Projections are the subtle art of destiny-weaving. It is the birthright to each of the
Sidereal Exalted, save those who have openly thrown in their lot with the traitor Rakan Thulio.
They are kin to sorcerous workings, but differ in intent and means. Astrological Projections are
less capable of wildly altering the normal workings of the world, or creating monsters in defiance
of reason. However, they are better suited for encouraging or ensuring that certain events do or
don't come to pass, and can cause even the wildest of improbabilities to occur.
Like Sorcerous Projects, Astrological Projections begin with the Sidereal’s intent, and are
defined by the Sidereal’s Ambition, Finesse and Means. Undertaking Projections costs
experience, based on the Ambition of the projection; if the Projection fails or is rendered moot,
the experience invested in it will be refunded at the end of the story.
Beings outside of Fate, such as the Demon Princes, Rakan Thulio, the Getimian Exalted, and
certain powerful beings of the Underworld or the Wyld, may not be included as targets of an
Astrological Projection.
Ambition
Telluric Projections are the simplest sort; they can encourage or discourage a small group of
people towards certain actions, or dictate the fate of a particular individual. They may also be
used to directly intervene in the workings of Heaven upon Creation in modest ways, assigning
or removing Terrestrial gods from their positions. Undertaking a Telluric Projection costs
2xp.
Ambition 1 (Goal Number 5): Grant wealth and ease to a mortal, or extend (but within the
constraints of natural) their lifespan. Learn the whereabouts and condition of a particular mortal,
assuming they are alive.
Ambition 2 (Goal Number 10): Curse a family to misery and poverty. Cut the thread of a
mortal's life short. Learn when and how a mortal died.
Ambition 3 (Goal Number 20): Grant prosperity to a village, ensuring good harvests and
avoiding mundane hardships. Assign or remove a God of Essence 3 or less to a duty within
Creation.
Supernal Projections are of more complex variety; they typically either affect a much wider
area, or bend and twist fate in unnatural ways. They may also be used to directly intervene in
the workings of Heaven in significant ways, assigning or removing Celestial gods from their
positions. They are comparable to Celestial Circle Workings. Undertaking a Supernal
Projection costs 4xp.
Ambition 1 (Goal Number 25): Grant a mortal dizzying political power, making them a prince
or chief of their people, or slow their aging to an unnatural degree. Alter a mortal's major
intimacies and abilities in any fashion. Learn the whereabouts and condition of a particular
Exalt, assuming they are alive.
Ambition 2 (Goal Number 30): Curse a tribe to hatred unto the third generation; they and their
children and their grand-children inspire enmity in all outsiders they meet. Heavily tilt the scales
of a confrontation between up to several hundred people in a significant way (on the scale of +3
success once a turn for a scene). Learn when and how an Exalt died.
Ambition 3 (Goal Number 35): Grant prosperity to a city-state, such as revealing an unknown
cache of magical materials or precious gemstones. Bless every seventh son in a region with a
thaumaturgical gift. Assign or remove a God of Essence 5 or less to a duty within Heaven or
Creation.
Sidereal Projections are the most complex and most subtle of all; they are typically concerned
with the fate of all Creation, or with a radical change in the functions of the world. They may
also be used to directly intervene in the workings of Heaven to an almost unlimited degree.
They are comparable to Solar Circle Workings. Undertaking a Sidereal Projection costs 6xp.
Ambition 1 (Goal Number 40): Grant some limited immortality and beneficial mutations; they
cease aging, but can still be injured or grow ill. Alter a mortal's defining intimacies, attributes
and abilities in any fashion- at this Ambition, you can completely re-write who they are.
Ambition 2 (Goal Number 50): Curse a people to destruction; while not every member of the
people will necessarily be killed, their culture and identity will be wiped from Creation. Ensure
the victory or defeat of a side in a conflict (on the scale of +5 successes on every action and
static defense)
Ambition 3 (Goal Number 75): Any single, possible event to occur, regardless of the
improbability. Assign or remove any God short of the Incarnae to any duty or portfolio save
entry into the Games of Divinity, or have them banished from Heaven and Creation entirely.
Finesse
Finesse determines how precisely your vision is translated into the tapestry’s weave.
Difficulty 1: Your projection is fulfilled, but the Storyteller decides the details.
Difficulty 3: You decide the rough outline of how your projection is fulfilled, but the Storyteller
adds complications or costs.
Difficulty 5: You decide even the fine details of how your projection is fulfilled.
Means
Means are the tools and aids that Sidereals may draw on when crafting Projections.
A Projection with no other Means has a terminus of 4; relaying a precise vision of how the
Heavens and Earth should be moved purely via prayer is imprecise at best.
There are three primary means by which Astrological Projections make themselves known; the
Influence of Fate, the Merits of Destiny, and the Dooms of Defiance.
Under the Influence of Fate, characters may be subjected to social influence from the world at
large. Such influence is unsourced; it rolls a fixed number of dice, attempting to instill an
intimacy or persuade a character to take an action appropriate for the woven destiny.
Telluric Projections roll 6 dice. Although they may prey upon any intimacy the character has,
they have no special ability to persuade someone to undertake difficult or dangerous tasks right
away.
Celestial Projections roll 8 dice. If the victim has no more appropriate intimacies to target, they
are also always supported by a minor intimacy.
Sidereal Projections roll 10 dice. If the victim has no more appropriate intimacies to target, they
are also always supported by a major intimacy.
The psuedo-intimacies supporting Celestial and Sidereal Projections may be used to attempt to
persuade a victim that has already refused them, unlike normal intimacies (Exalted p. 221).
The Merits of Destiny are the riches of the world, which can be given or taken away by the
whim of chance. A Tellurian Projection can give or remove up to 3 dots in story merits per year;
this cannot raise any single merit above 3 dots; a Celestial Projection can give or remove up to
7 dots in story merits per year, no more than 3 per month, to a max of 4 dots in a single merit; a
Sidereal Projection can give or remove up to 12 dots of story merits per year, no more than 3
per week and with a max of 5 dots in a single merit. The merits of destiny will generally
manifest as sudden windfalls of extreme fortune- a common servant being adopted by a
dynastic family, for instance, or a prince being stripped of his station and honor until
accomplishing some impossible task.
Important note: Artifacts and hearthstones, bound as they are to the essence of the world, are
more intractable to such manipulations. Each dot of such wonders granted by the merits of
destiny costs double what the destiny can provide; stripping them costs double plus 1 per
Evocation unlocked, as the legend of the character resists being tampered with.
The Merits of Destiny are best used to represent generalized blessings. If no merit is
appropriate, they may also manifest as a reduced target number on an important action, as
determined by the Storyteller.
Finally, there are the Dooms of Defiance. These dooms only befall a character who is aware
of the destiny that has been placed upon them; when they try to defy their destiny, chance will
go to terrible extremes to spite them. This is best treated as an illness, where Tellurian
Projections convey minor symptoms, Celestial Projections convey major symptoms, and
Sidereal Projections convey defining symptoms. Botches inflicted by the dooms of defiance
may, at the Storyteller’s discretion, instead manifest as deeply improbable, but never
impossible, twists of fate.
The dooms of defiance can act in the place of a general curse of misfortune- but there is always
a means by which the victim can evade the dooms for a time.
Projections, once wrought, are durable things. They can be modified by another Projection of
lesser rank, or removed by one of equal rank. Alternatively, they can be damped by a
sorcerous working of equal rank, or removed by one of greater rank. Otherwise, they will
remain until the Sidereal’s intention has been fulfilled.
When going one step beyond your vision (Telluric when you have not purchased the charm,
Supernal when you have only purchased it once, or Sidereal when you have only purchased it
twice)
● Increases the difficulty by 2.
● Limits your Ambition to only the first two degrees within the scope.
● Limits your Finesse to Difficulty 3.
● Increases the interval to one day.
● Increase the experience cost by 2xp
When going two steps beyond your vision (Supernal when you have not purchased the charm,
Sidereal when you have only purchased it once)
● Increases the difficulty by 5.
● Limits your Ambition to only the first degree within the scope.
● Limits your Finesse to Difficulty 1.
● Increases the interval to one week.
● Increase the experience cost by 4xp.
You cannot attempt Astrological Projections of Sidereal Ambition if you have not purchased
World-Shaping Artistic Vision.
Example Projections
The Storyteller decides that the Musician, the college of contentment in the act of living, is the
most appropriate constellation for such a blessing. Consulting the Ambitions, she decides that
this is a Tellurian Projection of the second rank, and thus has a goal number of 10. Hel has no
specific desires beyond ‘peace and prosperity’, and so leaves the details to the world, accepting
a Finesse (and difficulty) of 1. Hel has Essence 1, Intelligence 3, Performance 2, the
Performance Excellency, and one purchase of World-Shaping Artistic Vision. She has no
special divine favors to call in, no special infrastructure to draw upon, and no purchases of
Elegant Patterns of Destiny, and performance is not an ability in the House of Endings or one
favored by Saturn. Her circle offers their support, which is enough to increase her Means by 1,
to a total of 5.
Her first roll is made with the full Performance excellency , reducing the TN to 4; she gets (8, 7,
5, 4, 9), for a total of 5 successes against a difficulty of 1. 4 successes towards her goal
number of 10.
Her second roll is (10, 3, 5, 2, 5), for a total of 4 successes against a difficulty of 1. She’s
accumulated 7 successes towards her goal of 10.
Her third roll is (4, 1, 6, 4, 10), 5 successes against difficulty 1, for a total of 11 successes and
thus passing her goal of 10.
As Hel left the details to the Storyteller, he decides that fate will ensure that Hel’s mortal family
will never know privation or want- the merits of destiny will ensure they always come into at
least some money or friends... as long as they remain in the village of Hel’s youth. Those who
leave also leave the blessing of the house.
Interference
Lo Chen has been around long enough to know when he’s being investigated for something,
and the way the lesser elemental dragon and perpetual pain in his ass Joyous Dance has been
acting lately, he’s sure that she’s building a case against him. He decides to take matters into
his own hands, and weaves a fate of innocence around himself.
The Storyteller initially thinks this sounds like a destiny of the Mask- after all, Lo Chen is
concealing the truth. However, he structures the destiny slightly differently- he projects that
anyone who investigates him will simply find nothing and give up in despair, as befits the Crow.
The Storyteller agrees that’s a reasonable interpretation- and one that benefits Lo Chen, with a
higher Awareness than Stealth.
Because this destiny is focused upon Lo Chen but will influence others, the Ambition is more
based upon how strongly he wants to deter people. While Lo Chen would love to invoke the
strongest degrees of Sidereal curses upon those that interfere with his enterprises, he doesn’t
think he has time for such at the moment, and settles on a Supernal Projection. He argues that
it should be of the first rank, since he’s only blessing himself- but the storyteller points out that,
since he’s instead cursing anyone who looks into his affairs to give up in despair, that it’s
actually casting a far wider net, and decides it’s of the Celestial Projection second rank- and
thus has a goal number of 30. Lo Chen always wants to keep a high degree of control over the
outcome- in the past, he’s been caught off guard by people exploiting gaps in low Finesse
Projections to escape his works- thus, Finesse 5. It won’t be easy, but Lo Chen is hardly
unprepared- With Essence 4, Intelligence 4, Awareness 5, the Awareness Excellency, he will
already be rolling 13 dice against a target number of 4. Additionally, he has two purchases of
Elegant Designs of Fate, the Master of Confounding Arguments owes him a favor, and
Awareness is favored by his patron Maiden of Venus- adding 4 to his Means, for a total
terminus of 8.
He rolls as follows:
(4, 5, 8, 5, 5, 6, 5, 7, 4, 4, 6, 5, 5) - 12 (7)
(9, 1, 1, 6, 4, 9, 1, 4, 4, 7, 5, 3, 8) - 9 (11)
(7, 4, 4, 1, 6, 7, 2, 9, 4, 8, 5, 5, 10) - 12 (18)
(8, 1, 3, 10, 7, 4, 5, 8, 9, 1, 9, 5, 1) - 10 (23)
(8, 5, 7, 10, 9, 3, 2, 8, 10, 2, 4, 4, 8) - 12 (30)
After five weeks of careful petitioning, his projection is accepted. Anyone who investigates his
crimes will be subjected to a voice urging them to give up, an 8 dice social influence that will
deter casual investigators and hamper even dedicated agents such as Joyous Dance. As with
all Projections, it must also be possible to end- with his Finesse of 5, the determination of such
is almost entirely in Lo Chen’s hands. He decides that anyone who he has given express
permission to investigate his affairs may do so without being plagued by misfortune and despair.
He then drops by to let Joyous Dance know that stars have foretold that her current
investigation will be plagued by disaster, and that she should abandon it at once, whatever it is-
and inviting the dooms of defiance if the censor continues to try and force the issue.
As such, the Sidereal Exalted have far less proficiency with drawing forth the Evocations of artifacts than
the Solar or Dragon-Blooded Exalted. With items made of or significantly enhanced by starmetal, they
may find the resonance and rapport needed- but for most others, the divine spirit within magical weapons
and armor remains cool and unresponsive.
Because of this, and because few of the most advanced martial arts permit as much in the way of
weapons and armor, the Sidereal Exalted have accumulated fewer artifacts than many expect. Those
that they do hold, however, they have mastered to an unparalleled degree.
--End Sidebar--
Nor does each fallen star represent a single life, or a single thread in the weave of Fate. Threads are
constantly being added and cut per Heaven's designs; if every thread that was cut resulted in a falling star,
then starmetal would be more abundant than jade.
However, the night sky clearly does reflect the future of Creation. Astrologers study the movements and
positions of stars to gauge Heaven's intentions, and the magics of the Sidereal Exalted are reflected in celestial
omens.
The patterns of the stars in the night sky of Creation can best be thought of as a kind of shadow cast by the
weave of Fate. It is not the thing itself, but a simplified representation of the Loom. Stars are the source of the
Loom’s thread; starlight is the stuff of raw potential, from which destiny may be woven. When a star has
exhausted its’ store of destiny, it crashes to Creation in one final, brilliant conflagration. The Sidereals watch
the skies for such falling stars. Not only for the starmetal itself, but because strange things often accompany
falling stars- in a place where fate is suddenly exhausted, almost anything can happen.
Artifacts of the Gods
Upon donning a Mask, the artifact sinks slightly into the wearer’s face. While worn, the wearer
suffers no penalty to her Guile even if she does not know she is being observed. The magic of
the Mask also lets her change her appearance with little more than a thought and a burst of
Essence; by spending 5 motes, she enhances a disguise attempt to change her facial
appearance (Exalted p. 224), reducing the time taken from minutes to seconds. She may even
make moderate alterations to her clothing or other such effects without having an alternate
costume on hand, although such work takes the normal amount of time for a disguise attempt;
although the Mask only covers her face, it conceals her identity.
Once per day, the bearer of the Ever Full Horn may wish upon the Horn for some material item.
Immediately, the Horn draws upon the bounties of Heaven’s quintessence and forges goods to
meet the request. This gives the bearer Salary 1, which they may draw upon even in Creation.
The Horn may only produce goods which can be forged from quintessence- the finest mortal
materials, but nothing to turn the eyes of the gods.
Carved of blue jade and chased with sky diamonds and lighting-forged orihalcum banding, the
Chariot could serve as merely a Dynast’s personal conveyance of immeasurable wealth. It is
when the wielder expends ten motes that the true nature of the Aerial Chariot is made clear, as
twin rams made of clouds and sparking electricity appear, harnessed and ready to run.
For the next hour, the rider of the Aerial Chariot can drive the rams into the air, racing at 50
miles an hour. The Chariot can bear up to one additional passenger. After each hour, the
driver may spend another ten motes to recharge the rams; otherwise ,they will descend to the
ground at the swiftest speed they safely can before vanishing in a crash of thunder.
Driving the Chariot requires the driver’s attention. Although the platform is kept smooth in even
tremendously stormy weather, the rams will not pull without regular guidance. In combat, the
driver and their rider have the advantages of being mounted, and act with a +4 speed bonus- in
addition to being able to fly, which can often allow her to simply engage or depart as she
wishes. Due to the high walls of the Aerial Chariot, the driver and her passenger are always
considered to have Light Cover, and gain Heavy Cover if they take a Full Defense action while
in the Chariot. Finally, any attempt at Unhorsing (Exalted p. 200) the driver or passenger suffer
a -4 penalty on the attack roll.
After that time, Rabil vanished, taking Sightblinder with him. He reliably worked as an assassin
for hire through much of the early Shogunate, eliminating rivals for sums of jade that beggar the
imagination- until he fell, and Sightblinder was lost to the Dragon-Blooded and borne away by
the Lunar that had bested him. Since that time, Sightblinder has rarely allowed itself to remain
with one master for more than a few dozen years, only to vanish for decades at a time. Most
recently, it has been reported to be the hands of The Cold Light of Day, an Abyssal killer of
growing repute. According to some forecasts, Sightblinder has found it's true master- the
reincarnation of the man whom it was used to slay.
Sightblinder itself is nearly three feet long, with a blade no thicker than the striking width of a
man’s palm, and it flexes like a serpent's tongue when flickering between a victim's guard and
ribs. The blade appears to be the color of damp ashes, satin soft and unshining, save down the
fuller in the center, where a core of starmetal can be seen shedding rainbow light. For all that it
should be an arresting sight, it is difficult to keep one's eyes on Sightblinder; the gaze of it's
victims tends to slide off, like water from a well oiled knife, no matter how dangerous such
inattention is. A single hearthstone slot is available at the guard.
Evocations of Sightblinder
When attuned and unsheathed, Sightblinder imposes a -1 penalty on all attempts to notice the
bearer in stealth. If the bearer has not yet joined battle, this penalty becomes -1 success
instead.
Keen Eyed Deceiver
Cost: -; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
The deceiver cannot be deceived. The bearer gains +2 non-charm dice to contest any attempt
made by an opponent to enter stealth after battle has been joined, as long as Sightblinder is
unsheathed and in hand.
No Blade
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: One Scene
Prerequisite Charms: Keen Eyed Deceiver
Sightblinder becomes invisible, making it far more difficult to defend against or get past. Against
opponents who depend on their sense of sight, Sightblinder's Defense increases by 1, and a
victim the bearer attacks suffers a -1 penalty to his Defense.
No Blade ends once the bearer has dealt decisive damage to a target, and cannot be invoked
again within the same scene.
Demure Bell was last seen bearing this princely gift, which she named the Wreath of Peace, to
the domain of the Lunar known as Ascending Eloquent Rapture, five hundred years prior to the
Contagion. Her reincarnation harbors fewer hopes for reconciliation between the Sidereals and
Lunars, but does wish to reclaim the work of her predecessor.
Wreath of Peace appear to be a vest of woven flowers, primarily lilies, hazel and olive branches.
The stems are strands of starmetal, while the blossoms and leaves are moonsilver. It will flex,
stretch and shrink to accommodate the wearer comfortably, always moving and breathing
easily. One hearthstone slot is available by brushing aside the leaves that shroud the bearer’s
heart.
A Better Way
Cost: 3m, 3i; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Turn Aside Violence
The bearer can make overtures for a better way forward hard to resist. She may supplement
any attempt to inspire, instill or persuade someone towards peace or reconciliation during a fight
with; resisting such attempts requires spending 2 Willpower instead of 1.
Hope For the Future
Cost: 6m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Counterattack
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: A Better Way
Forged in the hope of making peace, the bearer uses violence against them as proof of her
sincerity. When attacked, she may use Hope For the Future to take a reflexive social influence
action as a counterattack. This influence must be an instill, inspire or persuade, with the
intention of bringing an end to the conflict. Hope For the Future cannot be used in response to
a counterattack.
If the original attack strikes and deals one or more levels of damage, the bearer adds a number
of non-charm dice to her influence roll equal to the damage she took from the attack.
Since that time, Apollyon has been withdrawn from its vault only a handful of times; always it is
given to a master of the Wood Dragon Style, and only then for riding in the most dangerous of
Wyld Hunts, against threats to the dominion of the Dragon-Blooded as a whole.
The bow itself is an elegant powerbow; the whole length of the bow is carved from green jade,
while the length and grip both have a wrap of blue and white jade. The grip itself is then
wrapped in cloth-of-gold as soft and sheer as silk. The caps of the bow are orihalcum, with a
rainbow shimmer of the starmetal string only barely visible. Despite looking like stone, the bow
will flex to an almost limitless degree, always perfectly suiting the wielder’s strength. Two
hearthstone slots are available, one above and one below the grip.
Evocations of Apollyon
When a Dragon-Blood, Solar, Sidereal or Getimian attunes to Apollyon, she increases her
Accuracy and Damage by +1. These rise to +3 when firing at enemies operating under the
Doom of Defiance for violating one or more Astrological Projections.
Blessings Strewn
Cost: 3m, 3i; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The bearer pulls and looses with no arrow drawn, instead firing her good will and blessings
upon friends and allies. She selects a target between Short and Long Range away; that
individual and all friends and allies that are within Close range of them gain a +2 non-charm
bonus to their Defense, which decreases by 1 at the end of each turn. Multiple uses of
Blessings Strewn can maintain the bonus at +2, but not increase it beyond.
Anyone who is presently benefiting from the Merits of Destiny instead gains a +3 non-charm
bonus to their Defense.
Plague of Misfortune
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The bearer of Apollyon imbues an arrow with sickening essence, filling it with a temporary but
virulent power. Any enemy that suffers at least one level of damage suffers the effects of curare
poisoning (Exalted p. 234).
Poisoned enemies must also resist the wound becoming infected, even if they are not normally
susceptible to such afflictions (Exalted p. 235), against a morbidity of 3.
Arrows Like Locusts can only be used once per scene. At Essence 3, it is reset three turns after
the swarm is dispersed.
Rebirth in Destruction
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blessings Strewn, Plague of Misfortune, Arrows Like Locusts
The ultimate power of Apollyon brings final destruction. Reroll all failed damage dice on any
successful attack enhanced by Rebirth in Destruction. An enemy incapacitated by this attack is
permanently destroyed, even if they are a spirit or other being which can normally return from
death. At the location of their death, a tree sprouts, bearing strange and unique fruits unlike
those seen anywhere else in Creation. These fruits often have unique magical or medicinal
properties, as determined by the Storyteller based upon the nature of the victim, and can rarely
be cultivated from the original tree.
At Essence 4, the bearer may spend 3 motes and 1 willpower after the first damage reroll to
reroll failures a second time.
During Anyung’s life, she became known as the Gracefully Descending Doom. Shieldbreaker
was an utterly irresistible force, crushing through fortress walls and hard steel shields both as if
they were no more than paper. She was especially noted for hurling the giant weapon up,
allowing its massive bulk to carry her skyward and then guiding it with the force of a falling star
onto her hapless foes.
Shieldbreaker is a sphere with a diameter of nearly a full yard, one half of pure orihalcum and
the opposite of pure starmetal. The two halves are not linearly bisected, but rather twined
together like a rising flame and descending fang. The haft is white jade, twice as thick as a
man’s arm with hand-holds spaced regularly along its ten foot length. Two hearthstone slots are
available on opposite sides of the sphere, both embedded in one pure metal.
Evocations of Shieldbreaker
When a Solar, Sidereal or Getimian attunes to Shieldbreaker, she may make a Smashing attack
without paying the initiative cost, and increases the bonus for clash attacks to +4 instead of +2.
At Essence 2, you may attempt to use Weapon Shattering Strike against an artifact weapon, but
increase the difficulty of the gambit by the rating of the artifact.
Unstoppable Force
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Weapon Shattering Strike
Sunlight and starlight stream from Shieldbreaker as it's bearer swings with a force that is
impossible to deny. An attack enhanced with Unstoppable Force cannot be parried, and
ignores defensive bonuses from light or heavy cover. Unstoppable Force can only be used in a
turn after the bearer has advanced at least one or more range bands.
Graceful Doom
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Unstoppable Force
The force of Shieldbreaker moves the wielder as much as her victims. Upon using Graceful
Doom to enhance a Rush, the bearer hurls the heavy weight of the weapon forward, reflexively
moving her one range band in the direction of her target. If she flurries her rush with an attack,
she may enhance the attack with Unstoppable Force for 2 motes and 1 willpower.
Falling Star
Cost: 7m; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Graceful Doom
The bearer swings Shieldbreaker into the air, allowing it to carry her upwards, only to come
crashing down upon her enemies with a power of a falling star. This Charm enhances a
decisive attack; if the attack hits, her victim is treated as having fallen a Medium distance
(Exalted p. 232) and is knocked prone, as well as any damage they suffer from the strike itself.
Falling Star may only be used once per scene, but is reset by reaching initiative 15+.
In truth, he is Penitent Eidolon Forsaken, a Solar of the Dawn Caste who Exalted while fighting
alongside the Tepet legions against the Bull of the North. Horrified at having become the very
monster what he sought to destroy, he fled the field, shortly thereafter turning himself into an
Immaculate temple- where he was intercepted by a Bronze Star of an unusually pragmatic bent,
even for her faction.
She smuggled the man, who now named himself as Penitent Eidolon Forsaken, into Yu-Shan.
There, she saw to it that he would be confined in heavy chains of gold that could bind down his
terrible divinity. Atop this, she affixed the hundred prayer strips, telling the Eidolon that they
would channel his cursed power into something pure, giving his soul a chance at a more
auspicious reincarnation. She then showed her work to Chejop Kejak; here was a Solar that
would serve the Realm, a Lawgiver that would submit to proper authority. Kejak has been
skeptical thus far- the plan reeks of risk -but even he cannot deny the effectiveness of the
Penitent Eidolon Forsaken in handling tasks that would have risked Sidereal lives.
The Cage of Penitent Eidolon Forsaken has three hearthstone slots, pressing into the gorget
that encircles the wearer’s neck.
Unclean to Touch
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The penitent is too unclean to be touched, neither by a gentle caress nor a ruinous strike. When
an attack from close range successfully strikes her, she may use Unclean to Touch to scorch
her opponent; she rolls 3 dice, inflicting that much withering damage. Withinering damage dealt
in this fashion is not gained as initiative by the bearer, but she does gain the initiative crash
bonus if this results in the attacker crashing. When used against an opponent in initiative crash,
Unclean to Touch instead inflicts lethal damage. Anyone with at least hardness 1 ignores this
damage.
Deceived No Longer
Cost: 6m or 4m / Willpower; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: No Rest For the Forsaken, Redeemed by Blasphemous Deeds, Unclean
to Touch, Too Wretched For Death
The penitent realizes the truth of her Exalted station, and casts away the illusions that would
chain and deceive her. She may spend 6 motes to reflexively pay the Willpower cost for
resisting any social influence or other mind altering effects; the cost is reduced to 4 motes when
resisting effects with the Psyche keyword.
Additionally, upon learning Deceived No Longer, the bearer no longer needs to commit an
additional 6 motes to attune to the Cage, and the glyph for ‘Wicked’ which obscures her caste
mark is replaced with the glyph for ‘Righteous’.
The Mirror was stolen from the Crimson Panoply of Victory a mere two years ago, where it had
rested in the Armory Incomparable save for a few momentous battles during the First Age. The
consensus amongst the few that know is the theft was orchestrated by the Sleepwalker- an
opening gambit to an unknown purpose. What is certain is the Crimson Mirror must be
recovered as soon as possible, and with as little fanfare as possible.
Unlawful Cultist
Gods in violation of Heaven's laws most often seek to garner worship beyond their station or
merit. In the case of Bureka, it means that every third son of the local fishing village is
dedicated to his service full time; in exchange, Bureka doesn't visit down unholy destruction.
Kusto Ulwy is such a third son, press ganged into a life of praise for a cruel god. Of course, life
in the Cult of Bureka has it's perks; he is largely above the law in the village, as Bureka
jealously protects his 'chosen sons'.
In general, Unlawful Cultists are used as nothing more than sources of worship. More subtle
gods will instead use them as cat's-paws, using such cults to secretly advance their interests or
sabotages their enemies despite the will of Heaven and the weave of destiny.
Combat
Attack (Trident): 6 dice (Damage: 11, Reach)
Attack (Grapple): 4 dice (5 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 4 dice
Evasion 2, Parry 2
Soak / Hardness: 6 / 0 (Buff jacket)
Merits
Blessed by Bureka: As long as Kusto loudly chants Bureka's name in praise, he receives +1
bonus die to all actions he takes, and increases his Evasion and Parry by 1 each.
Divine Legbreaker
When one god to another fails to repay a friendly loan, or allows debts to grow too great, or
threatens to speak to the celestial lions about just what they saw- well, sometimes, they need to
be convinced of the impropriety of their actions. Quite a few of the dispossessed and
unemployed gods in the Neighborhood of Refuge would jump at the chance to join an
established organization- criminal enterprise is one of the few ways of potentially escaping their
sorry lot.
Divine Legbreakers are the lowest rung of celestial criminal organizations. If gross violence
needs to be performed, they swing the stick. Such godly muscle also often works as
bodyguards and collection agents for criminal organizations. They are most often drawn from
the ranks of tribal gods without tribes- all their people killed, either during the Usurpation or the
Great Contagion.
Bureka (formerly of the Loigh Clan, killed to the last by black plague) is one such legbreaker-
but he's not always going to stay like this. He's got friends, he's making connections. With his
unreported income from his technically illegal cult, he's saving up. He's not ready to make his
move yet- but only because the right opportunity for him to take down his boss hasn't appeared.
He keeps a small flat in the Neighborhood of Refuge, split with his still gainfully employed friend
Gerel, the goddess of the fishing village he founded his cult in. She thinks his ambrosia comes
from the pension assigned by the Commision on Plague-Broken Gods; she does not know of his
current, less savory activities. Bureka actually likes Gerel, and would prefer to keep his criminal
and comfortable lives distinct.
Combat
Attack (Divine Wrath): 12 dice (Damage 16, Minimum 2, Smashing)
Combat Movement: 6 dice
Evasion 3, Parry 4
Soak / Hardness: 7 / 0 (traditional war-dress of the Loigh)
Merits
Cult 1: The (technically illegal) Cult of Bureka provides the god with a trickle of praise.
Backing 2: Legbreaker for the Guild of Pleasant Dreams, operating out of the Neighborhood of
Refuge.
Artifact 3: Bureka has retained his staff of office, an orihalcum goremaul he calls Divine Wrath.
Offensive Charms
Howl of the Loigh (10m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): Letting out the war cry of the
Loigh, Bureka startles all opponents into a moment of hesitation. Attempt to inspire fear in all
opponents out to Short range without the normal penalty for using social influence against
groups; each opponent who is affected also suffers a -1 penalty to all actions taken against
Bureka.
Force of Cruel Fate (8m; Supplemental; Dual; Instant; Essence 1): Bureka swings Divine
Wrath with a terrible force. A withering attack enhanced by Force of Cruel Fate is soaked by the
target's Hardness instead of Soak, while a decisive attack inflicts a penalty from the pain of the
blow equal to the damage dealt.
As Yet Unbroken (12m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): Once per scene, Bureka may use
his Soak as his Hardness against an incoming decisive attack. Reset after suffering decisive
damage.
Miscellaneous Charms
Whispers of the Loigh (5m; Simple; One dream; Essence 2): Bureka can send dreams,
communicating his wishes to members of his cult.
Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Vanish and reappear in Gerel's home
Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Steps out from behind something
obscuring the vision of his target.
Measure the Wind (5; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Bureka can take the measure of any
member of the Loigh people. Who, unfortunately, no longer exist.
Forbidden God
In past age, Dakini was convicted and sentenced. She refused to stand idly by while the mad
Solars burnt down Creation with impunity; when her formal protests to the Bureau of Destiny
went unheeded, she took matters into her own hands. With a few friends that she trusted, she
would tear down the Lawgivers, punishing them one by one for their sins, whatever the will of
Heaven.
One of her friends was an informant for the Bureau of Destiny. Before her conspiracy could
even begin to take root, it was revealed, it's members arrested, tried, and sentenced. Most got
off relatively light- they'd done nothing more than talk, as yet. As the ringleader, the
Unconquered Sun decided to make an example of her. She was imprisoned beneath a tree the
size of a mountain in the far East, and would remain so for twenty-seven thousand, six-hundred
forty-eight years. Years flowed into decades; the Sun turned his face from Creation and the
Usurpation enacted the very crime she had been convicted of contemplating, but no one came
to release her. Instead, mere chance undid her prison; the Contagion slew the tree that served
as her prison, and the Wyld storms scoured the last vestiges of her locks away. In the
confusion that followed, no one discovered her escape until she was quite gone.
At first glance, many assume Dakini to be a forest lord; her time imprisoned in the tree and
drowning in Eastern essence transformed her flesh to wood and turned her hair to moss and
leaves. Her eyes are the brown-gold of amber, her teeth a horror of pinecone seeds. But she is
bound to no forest; she is bound to nothing save her thirst for revenge. Each morning, she
renewed her oath of vengeance against the Solars; each evening, she swore that she would
watch the Sun sink into red death forever. Dakini is a forbidden god, a god banished from
Heaven for her crimes. If captured, she faces final destruction for daring to escape, and is thus
capable of almost anything. Her domain, once a great center of arts and learning, was
destroyed during the Usurpation, and even the name is now lost. Her fear of capture is great,
but not so great as her lust of vengeance.
Sample Intimacies
● Defining Principle: "I will never be captured again!"
● Major Principle: "I will have my vengeance against the Sun and his Chosen."
● Minor Principle: "The East is now my home."
● Minor Tie: Cultists of Dakini (Wary affection)
Combat
Attack (Thorny grasp): 12 dice (Damage 18, minimum 3, Reaching)
Attack (Spitting Thorns): 10 dice at short range (Damage 15, minimum 2, Thrown (Medium))
Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (12 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 8 dice
Evasion 4, Parry 5
Soak / Hardness: 14 / 5 (Divine Flesh)
Merits
Cult 2: Dakini has quietly established numerous small cults amongst the tribes that revere the
forests of the East. She encourages them to remain secret, not wishing to draw too much
attention.
Offensive Charms
Forest Arise (20m; Simple; One Scene; Eclipse; Essence 4): Dakini imbues all the plantlife out
to medium range with life and her own violent spirit. Trees uproot themselves and swarm her
enemies. Treat this as a battle group of Battle-Ready Troops (Exalted p.496) with Might 1, Poor
Drill and Perfect Morale. The Size of the battlegroup should be informed by the number of trees
called forth. In places rich with especially ancient trees, they may have the traits of Elite troops
at the Storyteller's discretion.
Rip Apart Mountains (7m; Supplemental; Instant; Withering-only; Essence 2): Dakini's
withering savage in a soak may be enhanced with Rip Apart Mountains to ignore soak from
armor.
Divine Rage (1m+, 1i+; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): Dakini can trade momentary
advantage for tremendous power, adding up to 8 dice at a cost of 1 mote and 1 initiative per die
added, to any action supporting a Major or Defining Intimacy.
Reach the Sky (15m, 2wp; Simple; Indefinite; Perilous; Essence 3): Dakini takes root, swelling
to a huge size. She gains the Legendary Size merit (Exalted p. 573), can reach to strike
opponents out to Short range and and spit thorns out to Long range. Her soak and hardness
both increase by 10. However, she cannot take any movement actions without ending the
effect.
Gift of Poppies (15m, 2wp; Simple; One Scene; Essence 2): Once per scene, Dakini releases
a sporofic pollen which fills the area with a drowsy haze. Treat this as Mists of Eventide
(Exalted p. 474). If Dakini is materialized, Gift of Poppies will cause immaterial creatures to
become visible and tangible while the pollen remains.
Miscellaneous Charms
A Tree In the Forest (10m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 1): Dakini appears to just be another
tree. The illusion is broken if she take any overt action.
Materialize (45m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Dakini grows from a sprout to a monstrous
animated tree-woman in a matter of seconds.
Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Dakini can take the measure of anyone
who sleeps beneath her boughs during the night.
Mastermind Daemon
Mi Tang, the Goddess of Golden Delight, is officially charged with overseeing the activities of all
honey producing insects in Creation. Nominally, she works within the Bureau of Nature, but she
also has a fat sideline creating and taming bees at the behest of various field and farming gods,
where both the bees themselves and the honey they produce enrich both the communities they
are gifted upon and her pocket for the exorbitant rates she charges. If this were the end, it
would mark her as no one of great distinction; another god bending the rules to personal
enrichment, but hardly the worst criminal in the Celestial City.
What is less commonly known is her role as the Mistress of the Guild of Pleasant Dreams. With
the extra quasi-official income from her bee-blessings, Mi Tang has quietly been building a
criminal empire. Initially she sold illicit copies of her solitary memory of viewing the Games of
Divinity- with a minor twist; she imbued the memory into honey produced by specially bred
orihalcum bees. In this fashion, she was able to distribute that single memory across far more
divinities than those dealing in dreamstones, allowing her to undercut her fellow criminals- while
at the same time, requiring her clients to consume the honey in order to experience the
memory, neatly eliminating the evidence and ensuring that her stable of addicts would always
need another hit. With the influx of ambrosia from her criminal gains, she can afford semi-
regular visits to the Games of Divinity, as well as hiring sufficiently down on their luck gods to
act as go-betweens, bodyguards, fall guys and other patsies.
From that seed has blossomed a strangling ivy. The Guild of Pleasant Dreams is responsible
for multiple instances of illegal blessings and curses, improper manifestation, assault against a
divinity, running probabilities, deicide, and contravening the known will of Heaven, on top of the
more mundane trades in celestial drugs and sex slaves. She has a trio of neomah, sponsored
from the Embassy of Brass, who are especially adept at compromising and silencing individuals
who investigate her too closely- those that they cannot seduce, they instead assassinate, as all
three are practitioners of the Black Claw Style. Prior to the Usurpation, her operations held a
certain degree of restraint- but since the fall of the Solars, Mi Tang has blazed new criminal
trails in her efforts at discovering new means to profit off the misery of her fellow gods.
Mi Tang's current plans involve securing a chance to not only view the Games of Divinity, but to
be invited to play a turn. Quite apart from the impossible pleasure such a moment would bring,
the price of honey imbued with such memories would dwarf anything she has previously
managed, catapulting her to a new level of the game. Unfortunately, securing such a thing is no
mean feat, as she must tempt fate and draw the attention of one of the Incarnae. How,
precisely, she intends to manage this is unknown- but it seems likely to involve the Exigence
that was once granted to Vanileth, Shogun of Artificial Flight. The gem, over five centuries old,
is mud brown in color and pulses like a throbbing wound. She has nearly bankrupted herself in
securing the jewel- but now that she has it, the next step of her plan can begin.
Mi Tang appears as a tall woman with golden skin stretched tight over delicate bones of her
face, with voluptuously thick hips and thighs. She smells of sunflowers and honey, and is
constantly surrounded by a swarm of orihalcum bees. Her lips are always wet with honey; even
when she wipes them clean, new drips will begin to form. She lives in a golden palace of tiered
floors, each with water being cleverly driven up to feed flower houses of every variety. The
Palace of Golden Delight is haunted by members of the Guild of Pleasant Dreams; guards,
button men, lieutenants, and petitioners.
Sample Intimacies
● Defining Principle: "To savor sweetness is the greatest good."
● Major Principle: "Only suckers bind themselves to little laws."
● Minor Tie: The Sidereal Exalted (Caution)
● Minor Principle: "No one threatens the Queen."
● Minor Tie: Beekeepers (Possessive Affection)
Actions: Criminal Matters: 12 dice; Read Intentions: 10 dice; Resist Poison / Disease: 8 dice;
Social Influence: 12 dice; Senses: 10 dice
Appearance 3, Resolve 4, Guile 6
Merits
Backing 5: Mi Tang is the undisputed mistress of the Guild of Pleasant Dreams, a growing
criminal organization based out of the Neighborhood of Water.
Backing 3: Mi Tang is officially recognized as the Shepherd of Alveolus Delight within the
Bureau of Nature, and is nominally a loyal goddess in good standing.
Influence 4: Mi Tang’s influence in Heaven is extensive, especially within the Bureaus of Nature
and Humanity. It is also almost entirely unofficial, built from bribes, blackmail and on the backs
of addicts.
Contacts 3: Very little happens in the Neighborhood of Water that Mi Tang is not quickly
appraised of.
Allies 3: Mi Tang keeps contracts with a trio of neomah (Exalted p. 525), using them as her
personal bodyguards and executors of her most sensitive missions. In addition to the normal
stats of a neomah, each has a Martial Arts attack of 8 dice (Damage 12), a Parry of 4, and
knows the following Charms of Black Claw Style (Exalted p. 453): Open Palm Caress, Torn
Lotus Defense, Flexing the Emerald Claw, Black Claw Form.
Salary 4: Officially, Mi Tang should only have a Salary of 2 in her position within the Bureau of
Nature; even her gifted bees would only have modestly raised her. The majority of her fortune
comes from her criminal activities.
Cult 3: Despite Mi Tang's great fortune, she is only a modestly worshipped goddess in
Creation, largely unknown outside of her priest-beekeepers and meaderies.
Combat
Attack (Piercing Nails): 10 dice (Damage 16, minimum 3, Piercing)
Attack (Golden Throwing Daggers): 12 dice at short range (Damage 12, minimum 2, Medium)
Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (8 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 12 dice
Evasion 6, Parry 4
Soak / Hardness: 7 / 3 (Cloak of Honey)
Offensive Charms
Ten Thousand Daggers (7m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 4): Mi Tang
calls a swarm of black and very aggressive bees to her location, hampering the sight of and
stinging her enemies. Treat this as an environmental hazard, dealing 1i / round (1L in crash)
with a difficulty to resist of 1, to all opponents within Close range. After invoking Ten Thousand
Daggers, Mi Tang can spend 3 motes reflexively on her action to intensify the swarm; for each
turn that she does so, increase the damage and difficulty 1 (to a maximum of 6). When the
damage reaches 2, the swarm is so thick it also imposes a -1 penalty to all actions her
opponents take within the swarm, as well as actions taken against Mi Tang and her allies from
opponents outside the swarm. When the damage reaches 3, the effect of the swarm extends
out to Short range from Mi Tang. When the damage reaches 4, the swarm penalty rises to -2.
When the damage reaches 6, the effect of the swarm extends to Medium range from Mi Tang.
Attacking the swarm is a special gambit, which requires a weapon with the Flame tag, made
against Mi Tang and with a difficulty of (8 - swarm damage); success reduces the swarm's
damage by 1. Each turn that Mi Tang does not reinvoke the swarm, the damage diminishes by
1; if the swarm's damage is reduced to 0, she cannot invoke the swarm again during this scene.
The Fatal Sting (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): Mi Tang can infect her
attack with the concentrated venom of a bee sting. If an attack enhanced by The Fatal Sting
deals 1 or more levels of damage, the victim also suffers from the effects of curare poisoning
(Exalted p. 234). Mi Tang may reflexively activate The Fatal Sting to attempt to inflict the poison
on anyone resisting damage caused by Ten Thousand Daggers while in crash.
Defensive Charms
The Queen in the Swarm (3m, 3i; Reflexive; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 3): Mi Tang
briefly transforms from a solid form to a thick cloud of bees. This increases her soak and
hardness by 10 each and she ignores all penalties to her Evasion against the attack. Withering
attacks made against her cannot reduce her below 1 Initiative unless they are made by
weapons with the Flame tag or are able to strike dematerialized creatures. Decisive attacks
cannot inflict more than 3 levels of damage, unless they are made by a weapon with the Flame
tag or are able to strike dematerialized creatures.
All Insults Repaid (15m, 1wp; Simple; Until next turn; Counterattack, Perilous; Essence 5): Mi
Tang becomes a whirring swarm of rage; she may make a counterattack using her Golden
Throwing Daggers against any attack made against her until her next turn. All Insults Repaid
may be invoked on multiple concurrent rounds without paying the Willpower cost, and reduces
the mote cost by the current damage of Ten Thousand Daggers. The counterattack can be
made against opponents up to Medium range without the need to aim.
Miscellaneous Charms
Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Mi Tang dissolves into a cloud of bees
over her next turn, reappearing in the heart of her golden palace in Heaven.
Materialize (55m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Mi Tang consolidates her appearance out
of a sudden swarm of bees.
Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Mi Tang can take the measure of anyone
she is touching, or who is touching a honey-producing insect.
Enchanting Nectar Scent (3m; Reflexive; Until next turn; Essence 3): Mi Tang intensifies the
scent of honey and flowers in her presence to an intense degree. Until her next turn, her
Appearance is raised by 2.
Honey Wine Kiss (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 3): Mi Tang enhances a kiss, imbuing
the honey on her lips with an intoxicating quality. She may use the kiss as a minor tie upon her
victim for the next day, and her victim treats her base Appearance as 5 instead of 3.
Star Eyes Bodhisattva was Chosen, graced with divine flame by the will of the Unconquered
Sun. But the gift she was given had been poisoned, corrupted, ruined from being passed
between a dozen gods beforehand like a fixed price prostitute at the end of the night. Her soul
attempts to reconcile the screaming influences; any one, a beautiful song, but together they are
a sanity-shredding cacophony. The divine fire in her burns too brightly, too hot. She cannot
control it, can only barely contain it, and soon no poor prison of flesh will be able to do so. But
until that time comes- how great the glory of the Star Eyes Bodhisattva! Every divine patron
with a hand in her birth sends whispers and dreams, urging her to accomplish for them what
they cannot safely accomplish themselves.
She wanders the wastes of the North now; in her wake she leaves prodigies and miracles and
storms of ruin. She has no destiny for she has a dozen, one woven by each of the divinities
who poured poison into the pure chalice. Her involvement in certain portents being thwarted is
rapidly escalating her up the list of problems that must be dealt with, sooner rather than later-
but there are simply so many emergencies that a black market exigent in the frozen North keeps
being deferred.
Star Eyes Bodhisattva appears to be a young woman in her late teens, dressed in silks far too
thin to provide warmth in the frozen Northern wastes. Her skin has a slightly opalescent sheen,
causing many to assume that she is a Fair Folk temptress, but she recognizes no aversion to
iron charms and burns the creatures of the Wyld away with a terrifying fury. Her eyes change
color, depending on which inner flame dominates at the moment, as does her clothing, form,
and anima. She walks without concern across broken trails of stone and snow and salt.
Sample Intimacies
● Defining Principle: "I will discover my purpose"
● Major Tie: The Silk and Silver Woman, who granted her Exaltation ("Abject gratitude")
● Major Tie: The Silk and Silver Woman, who granted her Exaltation ("Horrific anger")
● Major Tie: The Voices of Heaven ("Obedience")
● Major Principle: "Nothing has essential meaning."
● Minor Principle: "All things must burn."
● Minor Tie: The Diamond Eyes Tribe, who saved her from starvation ("Humble gratitude")
Actions: Dancing: 10 dice; Feats of Strength: 7 dice (can attempt Strength 5 feats); Social
Influence: 7 dice; Senses : 6 dice; Resist Poison / Disease: 7 dice
Appearance 4, Resolve 4, Guile 4
Merits
Familiar 2: Star Eyes Bodhisattva is accompanied by a snow-saber, a massive hunting cat of
the North. Treat this as a Great Cat (Exalted p. 565)
Artifact 3: Star Eyes Bodhisattva is armed with a sliver of steel and moonsilver, a Longfang she
calls Night Sky Needle.
Combat
Attack (Night Sky Needle): 14 dice (Damage 16, 3 minimum, Reaching, Piercing)
Attack (Grapple): 7 dice (8 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 7 dice
Evasion 3, Parry 5
Soak / Hardness: 3 / 0 (Unarmored)
Powers
Excellencies: The discordant song that empowers Star Eyes Bodhisattva also grants her
excellence. She can add up to (Permanent Limit) in dice to any action she takes, at a cost of
1m / die added, and may increase static ratings by up to (Permanent Essence /2, round down)
at a cost of 2m / point raised. Her power increases as she approaches her final apotheosis.
Unstable Exaltation: Star Eyes Bodhisattva gains limit as a Solar, without a Limit Trigger.
After each Limit Break subsides, her Permanent Limit increases by 1. If her Permanent Limit
would become 10, instead the divine fire explodes from her in a violent eruption; for the next
hour, this howling maelstrom of unleashed divine power should be treated as an environmental
hazard, inflicting 3A/round with a difficulty to resist of 3. The damage and difficulty to resist is
reduced by 1 for each range band away from her location at the time she perished.
The Many Faces of God (2m / merit dot; Simple; One Scene; Essence 1): Star Eyes
Bodhisattva can manifest any of the following Supernatural Merits for one scene, by stoking the
divine fire in her soul: Claws/Fangs/Hooves/Horns; Enhanced Sense; Extra Limbs; Poisoned
Body; Quills; Unusual Hide; Wings. The Many Faces of God is reduced to 1m per merit dot
when her anima is at bonfire/iconic.
Unconcerned By Lesser Things (1m / point; Reflexive; One day; Essence 1): Star Eyes
Bodhisattva can reduce the difficulty for resisting environmental hazards by a maximum of 2. If
this reduces the difficulty to 0 or less, she does not need to roll.
Healing of Silver (3m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Star Eyes Bodhisattva
transforms a finger into silver before plunging it into an individual afflicted by an illness; he may
make an immediate test to resist the disease, with a bonus equal to her Permanent Limit.
Beyond You (1m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): Star Eyes Bodhisattva ignores all penalties to
her defense against one attack. The cost of Beyond You increases by 1 mote each time it is
used in the same turn.
All Things Nothing (10m, 5i; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): Star Eyes Bodhisattva explodes in a
blur of motion, travelling in every direction at once. She makes a withering attack against each
opponent out to Short range, and moves up to one range band away. Once per scene, reset by
striking an opponent with a decisive attack and rebuilding to 15+ initiative.
Aberrations of Fate
When the plans of Heaven become deeply fouled for extended periods of time, matters in
Creation can become confused. As the force of destiny continues to push down a blocked path,
the overflowing rivulets manifest in bizarre fashion.
Most often, such moments are of relatively little concern. Someone will briefly be in two places
at once, or vanish and reappear with no memory of the intervening time. Deja vu experiences
become common, as well as strange slips of memory or unintentionally honest bursts of speech.
These minor occurrences are sufficiently common that few in Creation pay them much mind,
apart from perhaps offering a quiet prayer to Heaven after they pass. Untreated, these small
errors will accumulate, finally crystallizing around a singular, counterbalancing person, place or
thing- which the Sidereal Exalted refer to as an Aberration.
Aberrations are, by their very nature, outside of fate. They are called into existence due to a
persistent and uncorrected error in the plans of Heaven. As such, they often seem to exist in
violation of one or more of the core principles of natural law. Aberrations are not necessarily
hostile, but their natures are often contagious and inimical to the proper order in Creation.
The Impossible Girl is presently named Bright Leader, a charismatic teacher at a Dynastic
secondary school in the Realm. She joined barely two months ago, and has already proven
popular amongst both the students and other faculty, owing to her bright demeanor, easy
rapport with the children and casual command of respect and discipline. Her dress is more
matronly than her age suggests; she favors sturdy dresses and short jackets in muted tones,
contrasting with her fair skin and bright smile. Quite unrelated to her appearance, the son of the
headmaster of the school- previously, a quiet boy who executed his studies diligently and was
always a model of excellence -has become distracted, pestering his father with pointless
questions and a seemingly unquenchable energy. His father puts this change down to delayed
grief over the death of the boy's mother from an illness last year.
Sample Intimacies
● Defining Principle: Nurture and cherish my children.
● Major Principle: I have neither beginning nor ending.
● Minor Tie: Ardashir Alemon, son of the Headmaster (fond indulgence)
Actions: Teach: 5 dice; Social Influence: 7 dice; Read Motives: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice
Appearance: 4, Resolve: 3, Guile: 3
Combat
Attack (unarmed): 4 dice (3 dice to control)
Combat Movement: 5 dice
Evasion: 2, Parry: 1
Soak/Hardness: 2 / 0
Merits
Implacable Drive: Bright Leader's Defining Principle of 'Nurture and cherish my children' cannot
be changed or eliminated by non-magical means.
Recurrence: Unless forced to knowingly act against her Defining Principle of 'Nurture and
cherish my children', the Impossible Girl will return.
Bad Penny: In the presence of the Impossible Girl, opponents increase the TN of all actions
they take by 1; additionally, if they roll more 1s than successes, treat the result as a botch.
Bright Leader has no conscious control or awareness of this merit.
Disaster Looms: Bright Leader's presence acts like a building Astrological Projection of ruin
upon a particular individual; typically of Celestial Ambition 1, influencing them to destroy their
own lives. Each month she is present, she rolls 7 dice against a difficulty of 1. She has no
terminus for this Projection. Bright Leader has no conscious control or awareness of this merit.
Death-in-Life
Striking down a heaven-sent blessing. Cannibalism of your children. Treachery to kin.
Murdering your guests, or your hosts. Some crimes resonate; they are so terrible that Heaven
quakes when they occur without sanction. Sometimes, they call forth the aberration known as
Death-in-Life.
In many respects, Death-in-Life appears to be just another kind of spirit. When visible, it
appears most often as a pale, skeletally thin figure of indeterminate gender, wrapped in rags
and with a bulging belly. All around her, even when she is unseen, is a smell of fruit rotting on
the vine, pungent and sweet and wretched. It is not a thing of Creation, nor of Hell, nor the
Underworld, nor the Wyld. It does not come as punishment; punishment is reserved to Lequan,
God of Righteous Punishment, and his order of scourge bearing spirits. But it comes when
terrible crimes go unanswered just the same.
Death-in-Life will attempt to possess someone in the community where the crime occurred.
Victims so possessed become dull and listless. Their appetite dulls. They sleep more at first,
and then less, and then not at all. Their hearts beat slower, and then stop. But they do not
stop. The victims continue to live, bodies cold and clammy, their eyes glassy and vague. And
then it spreads, taking another, and thence two more, until at last an entire community is
trapped in a twilight, unliving but not dying. If it can be driven away, the brief, bittersweet touch
of Death-in-Life can bring a kind of melancholic wisdom- but for most, it brings only the desire
for death denied.
Death-in-Life will come with a task it needs accomplished, possessing people and driving them
to the task without pity or mercy. Sometimes, the task is impossible; to tell all of Creation a
particular story, or to dig a hole to the other side of the world. Other times it is merely unlikely.
The task often seems insane and arbitrary, but often has at least a symbolic link to the crime or
the criminal which initially called out to Death-in-Life. It prefers to avoid combat, but will not
hesitate to defend itself in pursuit of its task.
Combat
Attack (Rending claws): 12 dice (Damage 8)
Combat Movement: 7 dice
Evasion: 4, Parry: 4
Soak/Hardness: 5 / 5
Merits
Cult 0+: Death-in-Life does not benefit from cults in the traditional sense, but is similarly
empowered by those she infects with its melancholic wasting.
Implacable: Death-in-Life comes into being with a single Defining Principle, a task that drives
it's being. This intimacy cannot be changed or eliminated by non-magical means.
Unbalanced Scales: If any victims of Death-in-Life's melancholic illness are pursuing it's driving
intimacy when the sun sets, Death-in-Life is restored to full health. This does not overcome
spirit-destroying magic; if Death-in-Life is destroyed by Ghost-Eating Technique or comparable
magic, it will remain destroyed.
Repelled by Revelry: Death-in-Life is repelled by happy people gathering together; it cannot
voluntarily approach a group of three or more happy people closer than to Medium range.
Offensive Charms
Release Denied (10m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 1): Empowers a special gambit,
with difficulty 3, exposing the target to the melancholic disease if successful. Victims resist with
a -3 penalty.
Hungry And Unfilled (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Uniform; Essence 1): Death-in-Life chews
apart the willpower of it's victims. If an attack supplemented by Hungry And Unfilled deals at
least three damage, Death-in-Life steals 1 willpower from the victim as well.
Life-in-Death (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Uniform; Essence 2): Death-in-Life transfers the damage
of a blow that would strike it to a victim in the terminal stage of the melancholy. Withering
damage manifests as sudden bruising and bashing damage, while lethal or aggravated damage
appear to have been dealt to the transferred victim. Damage transferred in this fashion is
doubled. This must be used before the attack is rolled.
Miscellaneous Charms
Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Death-in-Life returns to the point at which
it entered Creation.
Materialize (40m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Death-in-Life incarnates, drawing it's form
from wisps of fog.
Melancholic Song (10m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): Death-in-Life imbues a social
influence action- typically either threaten, persuade, or instill -with the sorrow of it's purpose.
Victims within Short range who fail to resist the influence are exposed to the melancholic
disease, or must immediately resist the disease worsening.
● Minor Symptom: At this stage, the victim begins to feel far more lethargic than normal.
Unless they get at least 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep suffer a -1 fatigue penalty over
the next day. This penalty accumulates for each day of missed sleep, to a maximum of -
3. They also develop a minor principle towards fulfilling Death-in-Life's driving purpose,
which cannot be changed or eliminated by non-magical means.
● Major Symptom: Sleep, once a source of comfort, is now denied the victim. They must
succeed at a (Wits + Integrity) check against a difficulty 1 each night in order to fall
asleep; if they do not, they suffer from the fatigue of the minor symptom, and also fail to
renew their willpower. The intimacy they have towards fulfilling Death-in-Life's driving
purpose becomes a Major principle.
● Defining Symptom: The escape that slumber provides is denied more often; the difficulty
for the victim to sleep rises to 3, and the maximum fatigue penalty rises to -6. The
intimacy they have towards fulfilling Death-in-Life's driving purpose becomes a Defining
principle.
● Death: The victim becomes a walking corpse. They do not eat, sleep or breathe, but
they also do not rot, and will mechanically go through the motions of life. They treat all
social influence not directly related to fulfilling the purpose of Death-in-Life to be
unacceptable. The fatigue penalty vanishes. Victims are still sapient, and will describe
in detail what they are doing and how they are suffering if asked. Victims that have
reached this stage are already dead; nothing can be done to restore them to what they
once were.
--End Sidebar--
The first reported sighting of the Traveller in Black date to the Contagion, when the tide of chaos
swept across the face of Creation and the Fair Folk's crusade against shape seemed most likely
to come to fruition. Since that time, appearances have been scattered and unusual, generally
accompanying a significant derailment of fate due to the actions of beings from beyond
Heaven's ken or in flagrant violation of the plans of Destiny. When confronted, the Traveller
asserts that he is a servant of All, come to bring order from disorder. Whatever the truth of his
intentions, his actions give the lie; things may be ordered in his wake, but they are ordered to an
alien sensibility with no relation to the nature of Creation.
Unlike some aberrations, the Traveller in Black is almost always a bane to the Sidereals.
Although he often remedies the immediate cause of some cause of a failure of fate, the cure is
often worse than the disease. In the wake of the Traveller, fire burns cold, rooms reorder
themselves via higher dimensional math, and the senses are intermixed, giving rise to loud
colors, red sounds and numeric smells. Sometimes, the Traveller can be pointed at some more
pressing problem where his presence can be turned to good- but convincing the alien aberration
to change course is never an easy task.
Combat
Attack (Staff Strike): 15 dice (Damage: 12)
Attack (Unarmed): 8 dice (Damage: 8)
Combat Movement: 10 dice
Evasion: 5, Parry: 5
Soak/Hardness: 8 / 0
Merits
One Name and Many: The Traveller in Black arrives with a single Defining Principle. This
intimacy cannot be changed or eliminated by non-magical means.
Many Natures And One: The Traveller in Black has two distinct initiative tracks. He acts on
both sets of initiative. When he takes initiative damage, damage is taken from the track with the
highest value. The Traveller in Black is only treated as being in Crash if both initiative tracks are
crashed. Crashing one of these tracks while the other still has initiative does not grant a break
bonus.
Chill of Cold Iron: The Traveller in Black's person and equipment is treated as cold iron for the
purposes of harming and breaking creatures of the Wyld.
Offensive Charms
Twist of Fate (1m / TN; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): The Traveller in Black can reduce the
target number of actions he takes by 1 per 1m spent, to a minimum of 5.
Doubt Denied (8m; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): The Traveller in Black treats it's
Soak as Hardness against an incoming decisive attack.
Reality Spin (5m; Simple; Instant; Dual; Essence 3): The Traveller in Black attempts to rewrite
the reality of someone's existence. If used to make a withering attack- Short range, 12 dice,
damage 8 which ignores soak from non-magical sources. If Reality Spin is used to make a
decisive attack, 10 dice, and the Traveller does not lose initiative from failed attacks made with
Reality Spin. Victims killed by Reality Spin may be transformed in unpredictable and often
unsettling ways.
Miscellaneous Charms
As You Wish (Special): The Traveller in Black may rearrange reality to an almost limitless
degree, but only in response to a wish made which aligns with his core Principle. Wishes are
rarely granted in a fashion satisfactory to the wisher. Treat this Charm as being the equivalent
to Wyld-Shaping Technique (Exalted p. 335), save that the Traveller may use it within Creation.
Encounters drawn by use of As You Wish within Creation will tend to consist of elementals and
gods investigating the disturbance; Sidereals being dispatched to deal with the Traveller are
often stand in for powerful creatures of the Wyld or behemoths. The Traveller in Black rolls 12
dice when using As You Wish.
So Be It (10m / interval; Simple; Until complete; Essence 5): If a wish is too complex to be
granted by a single application of As You Wish, the Traveller in Black may instead opt for the
slower but more potent So Be It. This allows the Traveller to perform the equivalent of
sorcerous workings of any Ambition, rolling 12 dice per interval. The Traveller does not have a
fixed number of intervals before the working fails, but it must commit an additional ten motes per
interval it rolls. Each interval requires at least one week of effort. If the Traveller in Black
cannot pay the cost for an interval of So Be It before the working is complete, he is destroyed in
a scream of silver flame.
For two dozen centuries or more, he fulfilled his duty as an agent of Heaven without question or
qualm. He eased the passage of those things which reached their allotted span, served
missions in the Underworld, and no fault could be found in his words or deeds. But love is the
death of honor, even for as great a hero as the Sleepwalker.
Some say it was a jealous spirit, or one whom Rakan Thulio had punished for some
transgression. Others record that it was a love unsanctioned in the rolls of the Cerulean Lute.
Yet others say Rakan Thulio never knew love at all, he drew no inspiration from such- that he
desired to make himself the master of destiny rather than a servant, and the tales of love lost
are a fiction he invented, a fig leaf for his ambitions. Even before the Mask was broken, it was
hard to know the truth, and now, it is unlikely that any save Jupiter could say- and the Lady of
Silence keeps her council regarding Thulio close, as she does most matters.
What is certain is this; at the pinnacle of the First Age, Rakan Thulio drew upon martial
techniques forbidden from before the founding of Creation, and made pacts with powers that
caused the Demon Princes to shudder in Hell. The thread of his long life was exhausted, and
Saturn made her mark to bring an end- but with a blasphemous sign, Thulio refused. He has
neither aged nor bleed since that day. For this treason, he was cast out of Heaven.
The torment opened his eyes- what he endured was not unique. He had willingly served as the
agent of those same vile gods as they mete out woe to the innocent and weal to the wicked- in
his arrogance, he had allowed himself to be willfully blind to the suffering he was complicit in.
But now that the Sleepwalker had awoken, he could not fall back into slumber. No matter the
cost, he would free Creation from the hands of a broken Heaven and tyrannical Fate. If the
wicked should prosper and the innocent suffer, then let no man or god arrange these matters-
better the fickle reward and punishment of blind chance than by the perverted mind of a spirit
playing with the lives of men as pieces on a board. Better that all should serve causeless and
uncaused necessity and freedom than to suffer the yoke of a fallible fate in vain effort to fend off
rapacious gods.
Since that time, Rakan Thulio has plagued the Sidereal Exalted. He has no thread in the Loom
of Fate, and seems invisible to the minds and powers of the Maidens of Destiny. Immortal and
inscrutable, he recruits rogue gods and plies Sidereals with promises and threats- always with
the ultimate goal of seeing Yu-Shan torn down, the orchids of the Peaches of Immortality salted,
the vintners of Celestial Wine set to torch, and the Loom of Fate and the Jade Pleasure Dome
alike flooded by a quicksilver sea turned toxic and choking. He has been blamed, rightly or
wrongly, for every calamity to befall Heaven and Earth since his betrayal- the madness of the
Solars, the infighting of the Shogunate, the Contagion and incursion of the Fair Folk, and most
recently the departure of the Empress and the return of the Solars. The wise amongst the
Sidereals scoff at the idea that one man, however great and terrible, could accomplish all these
things. But even the wisest cannot dismiss the possibility out of hand.
The Sleepwalker has been confronted only a handful of times since his expulsion from Heaven.
Despite his seeming immortality, he does not test the direct might of the Incarnae or the Hosts
of Heaven. The Sidereals do not know if this is from fear or out of a deeper plan.
When he has been confronted, he has wielded the powers of the Maidens with a grace and
strength unknown in any other. His mastery of his Essence has exceeded all bound, and his
enlightenment in the ways of the martial arts is without peer. Sidereals corrupted to his cause
weave poison destinies into the Loom of his design, and demons from Hell claim to have the
deepest secrets of sorcery from him.
But none of these prepared the Sidereals for Thulio’s master stroke - the rise of the Getimian
Exalted.
Rakan Thulio somehow awoke or contacted Ananke and roused her awareness. With his
Heaven-given knowledge and unmatched wisdom, he gave the secrets of Exaltation to her, and
persuaded her to aid him in his cause.
Each of the Getimian Exalted weaves their own destiny, having been rejected from the destiny
of Creation. Each an aberration whom the Loom of Fate says should not exist; each bears a
Loom within their soul, powered by colonies of pattern spiders nesting in their spines, and
spinning dense webs of destiny to act as their bones. They replace Creation’s fate with one of
their own design, or simply rend the weave apart when it displeases them.
Many share in Thulio’s vision of a world without a destiny imposed by Heaven. They have been
told of the Sidereals by Thulio, and how the Agents of Destiny serve a corrupt Heaven seeking
only it’s own profit. Almost all of them have been injured in some fashion by a failure of the
Loom, and believe that without the Loom of Fate, the injuries they suffered would not have
occurred.
Essence
The Getimian Exalted have a personal and peripheral mote pools equal to (Essence x4) + 17.
Like the other Exalted, expending motes from their peripheral pool will cause their anima to
ignite, revealing his caste mark and shedding forth the radiance of his inner divinity. Unlike the
other Exalted, however, the powers of the Getimian Exalted may be influenced by the well they
draw their power from. Some of their Charms may only be powered by Personal motes, others
only by Peripheral. Some Charms work regardless of the source, and others can have varied
effects.
Excellencies
Like the Sidereal Exalted, Getimians may add up to (Essence) dice to a roll with their
Excellencies. However, they do not share in the Sidereal’s ability to alter the target number of
an action; instead, they may steal and use the dice and rolls of others.
Before dice are rolled, Getimian Exalted may add or remove dice at a cost of one mote per die.
Getimian may steal up to (Essence) dice from a single action, and hold up to (Essence x2)
stolen dice at once; dice stolen in this way are kept by the Getimian until the end of the scene,
and may be added to their own actions in excess of their normal Excellency cap. They may
even steal dice from themselves, trading worse luck now for better luck later. Additionally,
certain of their powers allow Getimians to steal dice after they have been rolled, to force bad
rolls upon their opposition, or to make use of these stolen dice in more esoteric fashion.
When modifying static values, the Getimian Exalted can raise their values by up to (Essence), at
a cost of 2 motes or 1 mote and 1 die per point gained.
Five Points Fallen was once a proud merchant prince of the Guild, a rising star in the ranks and
one of the richest men in all of Creation. Until the day he wasn’t- his fortune stripped from him
over night, not by machination of his enemies but like a rug having been pulled from beneath
him. His loyal assistants had no memory of his former stature. Scrapping and begging, he
eventually bought the record of his membership in the Guild- only to learn that Five Points
Fallen had been refused membership. He knew one truth, and Creation knew another. It was
then that Ananke found him, and raised him up as a member of the Getimian Exalted, Chosen
to preserve that was was from being callously changed. Men and women must remain
responsible for what they have and haven’t done.
The caste mark of the Anterior Caste is a diamond with the two lower legs branching outward,
left and right. Their anima tends to be various shades of sandy yellow, like the various deserts
of the South. The Anterior Caste are most often chosen from those who have experienced a
divergence in history; individuals who have experienced one past when Creation says they have
lived another. They draw power from the immutable and well-known, favoring stamina,
appearance, and intelligence.
Combat
Attack (Unarmed): 12 dice; damage 10)
Attack (Grapple): 8 dice
Combat Movement: 6 dice
Evasion 3, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness 4 / 0
Offensive Charms
Four Magical Materials Form (15m; Simple; One scene): Subtract 1 from his Unarmed attack
pool, add +3 to his damage, add +1 to his Parry and he gains Overwhelming 4 with unarmed
attacks. His unarmed attacks deal lethal damage. Additionally, he adds +8 to his Soak and
gains a hardness of 7.
Grinding Sands (1m and 1d per die; Supplemental; Instant; Withering-only): Steal force from
an opponent’s attack and enhance your own. He may spend dice stolen with his Excellency to
increase his damage on withering attacks, adding up to (Essence) dice of damage.
Weight of History (3m, 1i; Supplemental; Instant; Uniform, Peripheral-only): The ringing blows
of the Getimian linger long after the attack was made. Onslaught penalties from attacks
enhanced by Weight of history last for 3 turns.
Charge the Scroll (4m; Supplemental; Instant; Dual-Essence): What has been done remains
done, but sometimes the actors may become confused. When the Getimian uses Charge the
Scroll with personal motes, he adds his wound penalty to his target, when he uses peripheral
motes, he adds his onslaught penalty.
Defensive Charms
Stolen Potential (1m / die; Reflexive; Instant; Withering-only, Personal-only): When struck by a
withering attack, the Getimian may steal from the post-soak damage, taking up to 3 dice.
No Escape (1m, 1d; Reflexive; Instant): When someone attempts to disengage from the
Getimian, she may spend one mote and a stolen die to transform one of their rolled dice into a
1.
Unmoved, Unbroken (4m; Simple; One scene; Personal-only) The Getimian becomes as
immutable as history itself. She increases her hardness by 3, subtracts 3 from the post-soak
damage of all withering attacks, and subtracts 3 from the raw damage of all decisive attacks.
Each time she is struck, she must commit an additional personal mote to this effect.
Social Charms
Already Decided (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Personal-only): You can no more change the
Getimian’s mind than you can change the past itself. She may use Already Decided to perfectly
resist any attempt at the same influence being retried.
Worse to Come (1wp and 2m / point; Supplemental; Instant; Peripheral-only, Mute): The
Getimian knows how bad things are, and how much worse they can get. Worse to Come may
be used to enhance any Threaten action or any attempt to instill fear, doubt or uncertainty about
the future; the Getimian steals for her target’s Resolve, taking up to (Essence) points and
gaining 1 die per point stolen. If her opponent is reduced to zero Resolve by Worse To Come,
the willpower cost to resist the influence increases by 2.
In the Suzerainty of Ah Kin by the Dreaming Sea, there was a Queen with eight daughters who
had given birth but seven times. This contradiction went unnoticed by all, until, upon turning
seventeen and coming into her inheritance, the youngest daughter- Princess Number Eight -
asked her mother why her birthday was never celebrated with feasts and fetes as her sisters,
and why she was given no stallion or sword of bright steel with which to forge her legend. The
Queen hesitated, and the world seemed to freeze. What was could not have led to what is, and
the tension between the two snapped, casting the Princess adrift- until Ananke offered her the
chance to ensure the stability of that which is.
The caste mark of the Immanent Caste is a straight slash down the center of their forehead.
Their anima tends to be dark blues, reds and purples- the colors divers see in the depths of the
ocean, or children see when they press their eyes tightly shut. The Immanent Caste is drawn
from those who are uncaused causes; they have no proper beginning within the Loom of Fate,
despite their present existence. They draw power from the eternal now, and favor dexterity,
charisma, and perception.
Combat
Attack (steel dagger): 13 dice; damage 10
Attack (Starmetal Throwing Needle, always returns after being thrown): 13 dice at short range,
damage +12, overwhelming 3
Combat Movement: 8 dice
Evasion 4, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness 5 / 0 (mundane buff jacket)
Offensive Charms
There You Are (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Uniform): No matter where you go, the Getimian’s
attacks can find you. An attack supplemented with There You Are ignores the defensive bonus
from light and heavy cover.
In My Sights (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Dual-Essence): By spending 3 personal motes, the
Getimian may transform the dice added by an Aim action into successes; by spending 3
peripheral motes, she may instead gain the benefits of having Aimed at a target within Short
range the turn previous.
Already Present (6m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Peripheral-only): Launch a flickering
barrage of attacks; make a single ranged attack at a target, re-rolling failures on the damage roll
up to 3 times. If Already Present is used from stealth, it does not cost a willpower to use.
Defensive Charms
Paradox of Motion (2m or 2m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Dual-Essence): Objects cannot move in
discrete moments in time, and cannot travel in atomic moments in time. Exploiting this paradox,
the Getimian may spend two personal motes to ignore all penalties to her Evasion against an
attack. Alternatively, once per scene, she may spend 2 peripheral motes and a willpower to
perfectly dodge an attack, even an attack that is otherwise undodgeable or consisting of
uncountable damage.
Untouchable (2m / die; Reflexive; Instant; Personal-only): The Getimian steals the potential of
a blow, saving it for later. She steals one up to 2 dice at a cost of 2 motes per die after an
attack has been made. These dice are kept with the number rolled; at the Getimian’s option,
when they are spent on a roll, they may instead be placed as the number rolled.
Miscellaneous Charms
Here And Gone (7m; Simple; One scene; Personal-only): While active, the Getimian may flurry
her attempts to re-establish stealth, and may move at full speed, including taking Rush actions,
while in stealth.
Still the Storm (2m / mote; Reflexive; Instant; Mute, Peripheral-only): The Getimian still the
storm of active essence within herself, transforming it into something as still and calm as ice.
Once per turn, she may transform up to 4 peripheral motes into 2 personal motes, at a cost of 2
peripheral motes spent per personal mote gained. Once per scene, she may also consume her
anima; this costs 1 willpower, and gains her 1 personal mote per level of anima consumed,
snuffing her anima out entirely.
The caste mark of the Ulterior Caste is a C, with the top and bottom limbs broken and reaching
inwards. Their anima tends to be amber and orange hues, resembling a storm-covered
horizon at the break of day. They tend to be drawn from those who have become unstuck in
time- most often drawn from a possible future to a certain present, although they are sometimes
those who have a perception of time flowing backwards, remembering events that have not yet
happened. Almost always, they are those whose existence threatens to raise the curtain that
separates tomorrow from today. They draw power from the inexorable yet uncertain tomorrow,
and favor strength, manipulation, and wits.
Combat
Attack (starmetal grand daiklave): 8 dice; damage 18, overwhelming 6
Combat Movement: 5 dice
Evasion 2, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness 11 / 7 (starmetal lamellar armor)
Offensive Charms
Wait For It (1m; Reflexive; Instant; Personal-only): The Getimian waits for the perfect moment
to act; she ignores the initiative cost for holding her action.
Already Known (3m / point; Supplemental; Instant; Uniform, Peripheral-only): The future was
set when the swing began. The Getimian enhances an attack made at close range; she steals
up to 1 point of her victim’s Evasion or Parry, gaining the lost point as a stolen die.
Rust and Ruin (3m; Supplemental; Instant; Withering-only, Peripheral-only): At some point in
the future, the target will lay dead and all his protections fallen to rust and ruin. Once per scene,
the Getimian unites then with now, granting her victim the protection of his ruined armor. An
attack enhanced with Rust and Ruin ignores soak provided by mundane armor, and halves soak
provided by artifact armor. Rust and Ruin may be reset by achieving an initiative shift.
Defensive Charms
Slow but Fine (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Dual-Essence, Stackable): The wheel of
time grinds slow but fine, and no one may escape. When the Getimian defends herself from an
attack with her Parry, she may use Slow but Fine; if she activates the charm with personal
motes, she ignores penalties to her Parry for this attack, and if she uses peripheral motes, she
creates a counterattack which occurs after the enemy’s attack result, but before damage has
been rolled. This attack functions as a regular withering attack. The Getimian may activate
Slow but Fine twice to gain both effects, if she spends 3 personal motes and 3 peripheral motes.
Movement Charms
Here Before You Know It (3m; Simple; Instant; Peripheral-only): The future is always rushing
on, and arrives before anyone is ready. Once per scene, she may move one range band
towards an opponent, and immediately take either a hand-to-hand attack or rush action.