Flight of the Broken-Winged Crane [Exalted 2.5 GSPs & More - Recruitment Thread]

Started by Cessali, September 01, 2013, 12:52:26 AM

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Cessali


Flight of the Broken-Winged Crane
      There is no such things as the Reclamation.
      Oh, there was such a thing, once, and any demon sage confident that Orabilis cannot hear their speculation has a theory as to why it ceased to be.  Some say their leashes were too long, and the Green Sun Princes rebelled for the same reasons all mortals have rebelled against their rightful masters.  Some say the idea was a dream too far, even beginning to imagine that the soul-pantheons of the Yozi could cooperate in such a coherent way for any length of time.  Others point to the absence (disappearance? death?) of the phylactery-construct Lilun.  And some say it was too little, too late-- not even with a hundred warlocks could Hell have averted what has befallen Creation.  For the Yozi, it matters not.  Ligier has declared the subject taboo, and Orabilis declared that such a project never transpired in the first place.
      The Green Sun Princes have officially been abandoned, and must forge a new path for themselves in a world that has never seen their like.
      The world may need them.

GAMEMASTER'S PHILOSOPHY

      Yes, I think this is important.  Your heart may say "HOORAY EXALTED LET US REJOICE IN THE NEW AGE OF GODS AND MONSTERS" but there are so many ways to play this game, or ANY game, that I want everyone to be more or less on the same page when we get this started.
      Yes, this is a lot of data.  I'm a firm-believer in front-loading information because I think it's the easiest way for everyone to get an idea of what's likely to happen over the course of things, and I appreciate your patience.  :D

On Metaplot
      When I GM, I come to the table with one primary intent: giving people a chance to be awesome.  I like to think my particular talents support that!  With that in mind, I'm only coming to the table with a handful of details about where this game may go with regards to the overarching story, and may well toss out everything I've planned thus far if I see a proposed idea that's even better.  My favorite campaigns are the ones where my players ignore a murder mystery to go chase a butterfly, and when provided with a butterfly hunt make a murder m   ystery out of it.
      This said, I prefer to have characters who are going to generate plot of their own volition or comport themselves in an entertaining fashion while attached to characters of the above sort.  You are free to create a character who does neither, but I am not sure you will have fun if you do so!  Caveat emptor.
      Where will this game go?  Very broadly speaking I see two ways this game may go: a great grand quest is adopted by the player characters, or a great decision is made to forge a new and better world in the ruins of the old.  If I wasn't willing to be surprised, though I wouldn't be running this of all game.

On the Posting Rate

      I will do my damndest to get out GM posts three days a week.  I will try to do more!  I cannot promise more than that, particularly should holidays or necessary overtime opportunities arise, but I know I can do three a week, so you will definitely get three a week and very likely more.
      I ask that players be able to post either to the IC or OOC thread at least once in a week, so that I know you're alive and still active.  If I don't hear from you in ten days, I'll try to throw you a PM asking what's going on and seeing if there's something I can do to help; if I don't get a response or get a PM within two weeks since your last post, I will be obliged have to shuffle you aside into a period of narrative non-significance (honoring Motivations, Virtues, and Intimacies in that order) so the rest of us can continue.
   This time frame will condense significantly if there's a fight, social or physical, in progress.  Slowness is a game-killer no matter the medium, and PBP is slower than other formats.

On Alternate Meeting Zones
      If players are inclined, they are free to RP outside of the context of the thread; I only ask that you PM or send me a copy or synopsis of whatever happened so I have an idea of what's going on.  If there is sufficient interest, I am liable whip up a Skype address specifically for this game for RP, general question-answering, or even the occasional "traditional" online session if time can be had.

On Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll (But Mostly Sex)
      I am probably not going to be doing more than fading to black when it comes to sexytimes with NPCs.  This is not because I am opposed to sex (or I wouldn't be advertising on E!); this is because I don't have the faith I'll be able to pay individual participants the attention they deserve if heat gets hot in that particular fashion.  Be advised.  :D

On Character Death and Character Defeat

      Losing a character is often one of the most agonizing things in roleplaying.  Unless it happens at the Right Moment -- and honestly, it does sometimes happen at the right moment -- it takes time to get back up to speed, for everybody involved.  With that in mind, I'm borrowing something from FATE: Concessions.
      If your character is involved in a scene and things turn against them, you may offer a concession in exchange for a fair escape.  Characters whose concessions are accepted immediately leave the scene and may not affect, or be affected by, anything outside the terms of the concession.  A character involved in a debate may offer a particularly atrocious gaffe, embarrassing themselves in front of viewers but avoid having to expose a darker secret in public.  A warrior fighting a duel on a rope bridge may offer to be knocked down off a cliff, their body unrecoverable by friend or foe until the next scene.  A thief may offer the concession of getting away without their fought-for prize. 
      Concessions are offered out-of-character, and if accepted, immediately take effect.  Behold the power of plot!
      NPCs will offer concessions as their motivations and inclinations direct them to do so, and will take concessions provided they are at all reasonable.  A merchant prince will likely accept a superior offer, a general will accept a victory for the day; a character you have repeatedly and crushingly humiliated who finally has you in their power is unlikely to accept things short of exact-to-the-penny retribution for wrongs done.

On Meta-Expectations
      There are so many ways to play and GM that I'd like to make sure everybody's expectations are on the same page.  This is a tool I found courtesy Bankuei that lists a lot of the possibilities games can flow through; I intend to run a game where the bolded sentences are the dominant motifs.  Alternate possibilities are listed to acknowledge the fact that those modes exist and are being not emphasized in this particular campaign.
Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Same Page Tool – Checklist

Do you play to win?

a) Yes, you totally play to win! The win conditions are…
b) Good play isn’t a win/lose kind of thing

Player characters are:

a) expected to work together; conflicts between them are mostly for show
b) expected to work together; major conflicts might erupt but you’ll patch them up given some time
c) expected to work together; major conflicts might erupt and never see reconciliation
d) pursuing their own agendas – they might work together, they might work against each other
e) expected to work against each other, alliances are temporary at best

The GM’s role is:

a) The GM preps a set of events – linear or branching; players run their characters through these events. The GM gives hints to provide direction.
b) The GM preps a map with NPCs and/or monsters. The players have their characters travel anywhere they can reach on the map, according to their own goals.
c) The GM has no plan – the GM simply plays the NPCs and has them act or react based on their motivations
d) There’s no GM. Everyone works together to make the story through freeform.
e) There’s no GM. The rules and the system coordinate it all.

The players’ roles are…

a) …to follow the GM’s lead to fit the story
b) …to set goals for their characters, and pursue them proactively
c) …to fling their characters into tough situations and make hard, sometimes, unwise choices

Doing the smartest thing for your character’s survival…

a) …is what a good player does.
b) …sometimes isn’t as important as other choices
c) …isn’t even a concern or focus for this game.

The GM’s role to the rules is…

a) …follow them, come what may. (including following house rules)
b) …ignore them when they conflict with what would be good for the story
c) …ignore them when they conflict with what “should” happen, based either on realism, the setting, or the genre

After many sessions of play, during one session, a player decides to have her character side with an enemy. This is…

a) …something that shouldn’t even happen. This is someone being a jerk.
b) …where the character becomes an NPC, right away or fairly soon.
c) …something the player and the GM should have set up ahead of time.
d) …only going to last until the other player characters find out and do something about it.
e) …a meaningful moment, powerful and an example of excellent play.

A fistfight breaks out in a bar! The details of where everything is – tables, chairs, where everyone is standing -- is something that…

a) …is important and will be displayed on a map or grid, perhaps using miniature figures.
b) …is something the GM will describe and you should ask questions to get more information.
c) …you can decide on the spot using specific game rules (rolling dice, spending points, whatever)
d) …isn’t really that important other than it makes for an interesting scene- pretty much anyone can come up with details.

In order to really have fun with this game, the rulebook is something that…

a) …everyone playing needs to have read and understood before play, because the rules and setting are both very important.
b) …everyone should know the rules very well.
c) …everyone should know the setting very well.
d) …everyone at least should know the basics of the rules.
e) …everyone at least should know the genre the game pulls from
f) …Only one person needs to really know the rules and it can be explained in 10 minutes or less to everyone else.

This game runs best when the players take time to create characters that are…

a) …built to face challenges using the mechanics and stats.
b) …written with extensive backstories or histories
c) …given strong motivations and an immediate problem or crisis
d) …tied into the other characters as (allies) (enemies) (as either)
e) …written with some knowledge, research or reading up on the game setting, real history or an actual culture

On Expressing Interest!
      Interested thus far?  Put a note in the thread down with the following information:
  • Your character's name, caste, and epithet (the crownless king, the soft-hearted philosopher, the cultivator of human-demon potential, the repentant killer, so on - if you don't come up with a good one I'm liable to apply it for you)
  • A paragraph or so of what kind of character you'd like to play (more is okay, just put things beyond of character concept behind a spoiler tag)
  • A broad statement of what you might want to accomplish with your character in the course of a game
  • Whether you would prefer a campaign set as a regional affair or a more wandery quest
  • Up to three things you enjoy or love about Exalted, whether setting, metaplot, or otherwise
  • Something you don't like about Exalted, whether setting, metaplot, or otherwise
      You have two weeks from the date of this post to express interest.  Interests expressed after 11:59 September 10 will be accepted only if there are slots available.  Finalized starting character sheets must be submitted for peer review by 11:59 September 15, not counting bonus experience.  Please don't worry if I have questions or concerns about your character; I want my players to be happy with the results they get. Not familiar with GSPs but still want to play one?  Let me know (or the rest of us in the thread know!) and you'll almost certainly be able to find someone to help.

Cessali

CURRENT SIGNUPS
* Wheresmycow - Sanger the Dawn Charger, Dawn Caste
* Anon315 - Elias the Forked Tongue, Fiend Caste
* Zaer Darkwail - Chorgath the Forge of Clarity, Defiler Caste
* ShadowFox69 - Cail/ana the Ever-Shifting Enchanter, Changing Moon Caste
* Darkling - Valiant Reign of Hope, the Reborn Queen, Zenith Caste
* Rajah - Red-Drenched Maw of the Unbounded Monastery, Artist in Ichor and Antinomy, Defiler Caste
* Re Z L - Void Face Lover, Courtesan who Sings Silent Psalms, Scourge Caste
* Dracorian- Mnemon Jubal, Sanguine Ruby of the Desert, Fire Aspect

CHARACTER CREATION
Where Did You Come From Where Did You Go - Origins
      Character backgrounds should cover four salient points: who they were before they were touched by power, the circumstances of their Exaltation, what they then did with their power, and if there was a particular event or point in time where they became disaffected with their self-proclaimed masters.  I'm not looking for a novella as much as I am a clear snapshot of what this person is and what they desire out of life.
      Backgrounds should also broadly touch on background dots, strong or deficient Virtues, weaker Attributes, and any sorcerous initiations the character has attained.  Characters who have Followers 5 or Cult 5 usually operate differently from characters who have Followers AND Cult 5, to take an example.  If you have access to a Manse, let me know whether it's located in Creation, Malfeas, or somewhere stranger.
      The current year is RY 778, two years since the disappearance of Emerald Phylactery Lilun and the official dissolution of the Reclamation.  Characters may or may not have been raised as champions of the Reclamation, may have been tempted by the Yozi personally or been abandoned to their own interests, may even have Exalted within the precious human slave pits of the Demon City.

Who Are These Assholes Anyway? - Please Bear In Mind
      Be sure to make a character that is not only going to be willing to, but interested in, working with the other PCs.  The narrative that builds from here will depend at least in part in what players are interested in, whether it's the preservation of Creation against forces that are likely to destroy it, the creation of a preternatural paradise that will stand against the tides of darkness, or saying "fuck it, dude, let's go bowling with blood ape skulls."
      All PCs will have known one another on past encounters and at least be nominally familiar enough with one another to be willing to form a sort of extended circle/coven/siblinghood.  You can see some of my thoughts as to what has gone on in the setting thread, all of which is subject to change with a sufficiently-excellent character background.  The short version is that the Reclamation does not exist as a Hellish polity, the Lotus Massacre succeeded, the Realm's strength is being spent in isolationistic fervor, the Deathlords now rule openly and war openly with their errant minions, Solar Exalted suffer even more desperately from the Great Curse, the unity of the Silver Pact has been a sham ever since the Shogunate days, and the Champions of Autocthon know better than to trust any of these crazy Exalts at their word.


Dots On Paper Method - Building a Character
      Characters will be built with an alternate generation system based solely on XP.  All Attributes and Virtues begin at 1.  Willpower begins at 5.  Essence begins at 3.  All other dots on the sheet must be paid for.  All Backgrounds dots cost 3XP apiece.  You may purchase Mutations (see below) at 3xp per mutation point.
      Characters begin with 700XP to spend as they see fit.
      Green Sun Princes, Solars, Abyssals, Dragon-Blooded, and Lunar Exalted are available as character options.  Non-warlock concepts -must- be warlock-friendly.  Akuma and Alchemicals will not be accepted as PCs.  I may, if my funny bone is tickled, accepted a single ronin Sidereal.
      Characters gain the First (or Second) Excellenc(y/ies) for their Caste and Favored (Yozi/Abilities/Attributes) at no cost.  Green Sun Princes will never need to pay additional Charmslots for those two Excellencies.
      Non-Solaroids use Solaroid XP costs for Charms and spells.
      Purchase of a Sorcery or Necromancy initiation provides one free spell of the appropriate tier of power.
      Anyone interested in a Lunar character or having a Lunar mate should read up on the Terrifying Argent Witches project, as that's the setting and system information I'll be using for them.  Abyssal characters will be using the Dark Fate rules presented in Shards for Resonance.
      Urges are subject to approval, though I will be giving a fairly wide leeway at character generation.  Future Urges, or Urges rejected through the connection with your Coadjutor (see below), will be worked through by me.
      Players who submit a character background beyond the brief summary in the application that offers me a few hooks on which to hang possible future storylines, places, or NPCs will receive 10XP right off the bat.

What's Exalted Without House Rules? - House Rules
& Virtues, the Clarification - I share a viewpoint with Nietzsche when it comes to Virtues: they are all separate wellsprings of strength, delight and personal torment.  You are welcome to create a character with a great many Virtues at 3+, but unless your character has Virtue-altering magic, they all operate as per the Corebook, weighing upon you at once, and each may demand a separate course of action.  The original meaning of the word "passion" was "suffering," after all.  Completely reasonable people don't labor under these burdens, but completely reasonable people aren't the sort who draw the Second Breath.

Reconstructed Abilities
& Craft - All Crafting will be done under Revlid's Directed Crafting Revision.  Perfect quality items do exist within this framework.

& Linguistics - Characters may purchase additional languages as specialties.  Characters may have up to three specialty dots in a given language field.  A character's Linguistics rating (without Specialties) adds to the calculation of their Mental Parry Defense Values in the same way that a Mental Dodge Value uses Essence.  The greater your foundational control of language is, the more capacity you have to act within it.  Lingusitics Excellencies may not be used to increase Linguistics in this fashion.

Reconstructed Backgrounds
& Mentor - Your character has access to a teacher who can provide information on the stranger supernatural powers of Creation.  Each dot of a Mentor background provides one "tier" of access to supernatural martial arts, sorcery, or necromancy, and provides unfettered, on-demand access to all Charms and spells of that discipline.  This does not provide characters with the ability to learn disciplines they would not otherwise have access to.  Native Martial Arts Charms are exempt from the requirement of a teacher.  Player characters may teach one another known Martial Arts at their discretion without need for the Mentor background.

Mentor  * : Your character has access to Terrestrial Martial Arts, Emerald Circle sorcery, or Iron Circle necromancy.
Mentor ** : Your character has access to Celestial Martial Arts, Sapphire Circle sorcery, or Obsidian Circle necromancy.
Mentor *** : Your character has access to Sidereal Martial Arts, Adamant Circle sorcery, or Void Circle necromancy.

& Coadjutor - This background is being used as per Earthscorpion's THE FOURTH SOUL rewrite.  You can define the Coadjutor's broader stats at a later point if you so desire, but the words and numbers have to be there in order for you to take advantage of them.

& Ally - This table is intended to give a broad listing as to what power level affiliated NPCs will have.  Allies can serve as sources for sorcery and martial arts, but will only ever know so much within their sphere.
Ally * : Your character can count on the assistance of a newly-Exalted Celestial, an experienced outcaste or Dynast, an influential spirit of roughly Essence 4 to 5, or a mortal of significant political or economic influence.
Ally ** : Your character has made friends with another Exalt of similar power to their own, or a spirit roughly equivalent to a Second Circle Demon.
Ally *** : Your character has gained the aid of a long-lived Exalt (perhaps a veteran of the initial Reclamation efforts) or an established and entrenched god or elemental.
Ally **** : Your character has pleased one of their elders; a Third Circle Demon, a Bureau Head, or an Exalt of a century or older likes you (or feels indebted to you?) and will go out of their way to assist you when the opportunity arises.
Ally ***** : Your character has flattered one of the great powers of Heaven or Hell.  The soul-structure of an entire Yozi remembers you with some degree of (fondness/interest/clinical detachment/support) and may assist you if they have the time, or you have inspired the interest of one of the Incarna outside of the Unconquered Sun despite their better judgement.

& Backing - Your character has access to resources provided to them through an organization, and with that access, comes a responsibility to follow orders from that organization.  Backing can provide temporary dots in Resources, Followers, Contacts, Connections, or possibly even Artifacts or Manses depending on the organization.  Loaned Background dots cannot exceed the character's Backing rating.  Loaned Backgrounds must be returned; failure to return loaned Backgrounds at the organization's request will result in a permanent reduction in the Backing trait.  You may have Backing dots in an organization you administer and control; this represents your obligation to provide maintenance, administration, guidance, and more for your followers and subordinates.

& Familiar and Followers - Characters interested in Familiars (of either the normal or demonic variety) who lose their familiar for any and whatever reason can reacquire a Familiar of similar potency at no cost between stories.  Characters with missing Followers will automatically draw eager new warriors to their side within that same time frame.

Reconstructed Mutations
   We will be using Revlid's Mutation & Genesis Revision for any and all mutations.  You're welcome to propose custom mutations based on these general principles.

Custom Charms
   Found a custom charm you want to use?  Put it in a separate post.  I'll take a look at it and give you an answer.  Please bear in mind I reserve the right to ask you to retune things if actual play digs up terrible concerns.

Bonus Experience Composition - Pulp Stories
   When all characters are created, we will be borrowing a page from the Spirit of the Century system for more potential bonus XP!  Players will have the option of telling us a Pulp Story about a great victory or significant defeat their character experienced.  This story needs be no longer than the blurb on the back of a paperback book, preferrably styled (and titled!) in the form of a pulp novella-- something like Twice-Wounded Minha and the Locust Folk of Xexas or Jazral Battles the Bull God is along the lines what I'm looking for.  The only catch is that you must meaningfully integrate another PC (who will be determined randomly by me!) into the story blurb as someone who helped you out.  I recommend conversing with the player in question for maximum story benefit and integration.  After you complete one Pulp Story, I'll give you the information on who you'll be working with next for a second possible Pulp Story.  Pulp Stories can have as much or as little to do with one another as the player sees fit.
   Each completed Pulp Story will be rewarded with 10xp, up to a total bonus of 20xp.  This opportunity is available indefinitely.
   In the likely event we end up recruiting more for this game after game starts, I will randomly pair the new souls with still-active PCs so they have this opportunity as well.

Your Powers Have Grown, My Pupil - Future Experience Dollops
   I will be awarding XP during story conclusions, and I tentatively expect to be awarding blocks of anywhere between 20 to 30 at a time.  During IC blocks, I will ~generally~ be requiring training times as per the book, save that characters do not need Mentors save for non-native Martial Arts, sorcery, and necromancy.  Expect future experience opportunities in the vein of the above, and expect those to reward anywhere between 5 to 15 depending on the amount of work I'm asking.

What Do You Mean Respec - Character Rebuilds
   I customarily offer players a chance to rebuild their character at the conclusion of the first story if they don't like how the dots on the sheet reflect in actual play.  This will be no different, so don't feel trapped by a weird idea to start off.  My only restriction is that the character should remain more or less the same personality and background-wise to minimize any IC weirdness.

Cessali

SITUATION NORMAL: ALL FUCKED UP
All of the below is tentative, pending character generation and backgrounds.  PCs probably have had a hand in how things turned out in some places, so feel free to rewrite parts of this in your origin stories.

CREATION'S HAT - THE NORTH
The North will long remember how the Icewalker Empire cracked the sacred barrier of Whitewall only to be set upon by the magitechnological horrors of the Locust Armies a day later.  Nations long isolated by winter weather have been dragged into both sides of this war.  Some honor the Icewalkers as native Creation-born and Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, and willingly integrated into the Empire to avoid the predations of what is now known as Autocthonia; others struck bargains and alliances with the Locust Armies, choosing the more benign fascism of the Locust Folk over the more bluntly utilitarian soldiery of the Icewalkers.  The battle lines are redrawn on a weekly basis, and territories are exchanged with frequency as keen-minded generals on both sides try to outmatch their rivals.

SAND GETS EVERYWHERE - THE SOUTH
Once a bastion of the sovereign authority of the Scarlet Realm, great sweeps of the South have thrown off their chains and now war with one another to determine who will become the ascendant power.  Larger-scale fighting is motivated chiefly by ancient rivalries between the Lunar Exalted and the daughters of the Realm; the once-undefeatable armies of the Realm lack the unity (and Sidereal guidance) they once had, and legionnaires and satraps alike dance to tunes not of their own making.

THE FIRST RULE OF JUNGLE WARFARE - THE EAST
In some ways, the East has changed the least.  It was already a place divided against itself, with a dozen nations and a hundred kingdoms eyeing one another for the best chance to make war against their neighbors.  Not even the disintegration of the Realm's ability to control its satrapies was enough to keep the Confederacy of Rivers together, after a fundamentalist Immaculate cult became the prominent guiding philosophy within the five Gens, and after some unknown participant destroyed the dam mechanisms beneath Nexus and drowned the city beneath the rivers.  Anathema rule openly both in the Hundred Kingdoms and beyond, and the dead walk openly at night--
some under signs of peace, a few under evangelical flags, and others under more martial banners.

ENDLESS BLUE - THE WEST
The West is Lost, savants of the Immaculate Order say, and they aren't far from the reality.  Anyone trying to draw a map of the current West would have to efface several islands and redraw several more.  The Fair Folk reign supreme in this time and place, though they are not the sole keepers of the peace: Skullstone remains inviolate, ever-entrenched, a place of death and Labyrinthean iron.  A handful of mortal nations remain, but those that stay on their own feet are propped up by some power: a strong god, a cadre of thoughtful elementals, or a canny Exalt capable of playing their neighbors against one another.

THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD - THE BLESSED ISLE
The most vivid reports that come out from the Blessed Isle suggest that the worst has happened.  Weapons long kept under lock and key and secrecy have been unearthed and now rule the day.  Millions are said to be dead.  Shadowlands and geomantic blight unlike anything conceived in ages past.  Horrors pour from beneath the earth, glorying in freedom.

The most accurate reports that come from the Blessed Isle say only this: a great fog has rolled down from the heights of Mount Meru, and blanketed the whole of the Isle.  Ships that venture too deeply into the mist are swallowed by it, and the crew that returns is never more than half-strength, and never less than half-mad. 
   
AND ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD? - YU-SHAN
An outsider's glance suggests that Heaven is unchanged in the wake of these things.  An outsider would be in error.  The complete collapse of the Bureau of Destiny in the wake of the Lotus Massacre (the last truly effective combined action undertaken before the Reclamation's dissolution), where upwards of eighty percent of the Bureau's active Sidereal Exalts were slain, has started a new wave of power grabs and interpoliticking unlike anything save the Great Contagion.  Several of the Anathema now walk in Yu-Shan with a certain force of command and loyalty among the lesser spirits, who see either a chance to gain what they had never had before or cement their strength now and possibly forever.

The Incarna?  Nobody talks about the Incarna.  Not where they think they might be heard.  In these days, there are none permitted in the Games of Divinity but their owners.  Luna emerges once in a while, roaming free, speaking nothing of what she has seen but a yearning for absent Gaia, vivant in her every breath and yet somehow diminished.  The Maidens say nothing when they show their faces, and are lead by Jupiter when they emerge as a quintet.  And none outside perhaps the other Incarna have seen Sol Invictus for five years, in person or in vision -- not even when the Games' mechanisms' fall silent for the duration of Calibration.

THE PIPES PLAY ON - THE DEMON CITY
With the utter failure of the Reclamation to attain more than the slightest handful of its goals before things went Truly Bad and its subsequent very public dissolution, the Demon City has returned to its prior state.  Hell remains ruled by the Citizens and shaped by the Unquestionable, while slaves and serfs of all sorts try to find a little bit of relief from day-to-day madness.  The akuma have been called back by their masters to their own ends, but for all Malfeas has declared the Reclamation to never have happened, the Green Sun Princes remain.  They are a creation without a purpose, unlike anything else in the Demon City, and as such, when they have business in Hell, they find a variety of different reactions amidst their betters.

The Indifferent - Malfeas, Adorjan
It's not truly accurate to call these Yozi indifferent to the existence of their once-sponsored warlocks, but it is the closest word that their corporate consciousness broadly feels.  Reactions with the Unquestionable vary as wildly as the Unquestionable themselves; without the thread of the Reclamation binding their collective efforts, they now re-evaluate the Peers as their own individual nature dictates.  Should a warlock attract the attention of the whole of the Yozi, however, they have very likely earned a death sentence.

The Steadfast - Cecylene, She Who Lives In Her Name, Kimbery
Three of the Reclamation Yozi see no reason for the end of the project to end the service of their Chosen to their proper masters.  Cecylene sees all creatures that wield Yozi power as belonging within their place, subordinate to their betters.  The Pyrian Flame sees all minds as lesser than her own, but reserves a certain clarity of affection for those who would enact her plans.  Kimbery is zealously possessive, and does not let go that which is hers unless her affections have turned from it.  These Yozi retain some semblance of the Reclamation organization, and as such may be the sponsors of Backing.

The Dedicated - The Ebon Dragon
In a twist both dreadfully ironic and completely predictable, the Ebon Dragon alone remains dedicated to the notion of the Reclamation.  He is quite certain that the Green Sun Princes' time has not yet come; the loss of Lilun and the abandonment of the cause by the other Yozi is an inconvenient turn of events, but not insurmountable.  The Shadow of All Things continues to actively engineer the slow corrosion of Creation, and he is extraordinarily generous with his resources to those who please him.  Affiliation with the Ebon Dragon's Emergence project will be handled as the Infamy background out of Broken-Winged Crane.

And Everybody Else
With regards to the warlocks, the rest of Hell's occupants remain as they were: biased in favor of their wants, fears, and obligations.  Citizens look at them as potential allies or enemies, the Unquestionable look on or ignore them as their personal desires or overselves demand.  Isidoros's souls have a variety of relationships (most of which are tempestuous in some fashion) with powerful, influential, or simply bold warlocks.  A few have disappeared into the portals of Qaf, making a refuge out of relentless self-perfection and the mountain's cruel
teachers.  The reflective souls of Szoreny catches the brightest reflections in his branches.  The list goes on and on...

Zaer Darkwail

I am interested, but do not have time write a full entrance yet for my char so I tag this and write it later. But as question; is devil-tiger ascension possible? Or is it house ruled that green sun princes cannot become devil-tigers?

meikle

Kiss your lover with that filthy mouth, you fuckin' monster.

O and O and Discord
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Cessali

Devil-Tiger evolution is definitely an option within the course of things.  I've considered bumping down the Essence requirements on the entry-level Charms, but haven't yet come up with a firm decision on it.

Fixed the Coadjutor link.  Thanks for the heads up!

ShadowFox89

 Hmmm..... Somewhat interested. I would like to make a Malefactor with the Theion charmset.......
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Wheresmycow

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Cessali

My copy-pasta technique is sorely slacking, it seems.  Fixed, thanks!

ShadowFox89

 Jarick, would the Theion charmset be usable? Not replacing the Malfeas charmset, because there are some Malfeas Charms that aren't in the Theion set....
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Cessali

Presently, I'm going to say no.  However, it would be a viable prebuilt route for someone to path into Devil Tiger from.

ShadowFox89

 Alright, fair enough. Probably going to go solely Cecelyne charms then....
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Rajah

Quote from: ShadowFox89 on September 03, 2013, 12:38:13 PM
Alright, fair enough. Probably going to go solely Cecelyne charms then....

Cecelyne covers cults and authority, Malfeas covers kingship; you could use the two of them to invent Heretical Charms similar to Theion Charms.
"They say even the proudest spirits can be broken...with love."

-The Beldame (CORALINE by Neil Gaiman)

ShadowFox89

 Malfeas has all of three charms that cover "kingship". Not very useful, to be honest.
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Rajah

Impervious Primacy Mantle and Crowned With Fury are both pretty good. The Infernal Charmset has its bad - not even close to a full 2.5e revision (although you can get there pretty quickly with a bit of elbow grease and love), very little of the new tech the Dawn Solution introduced, and some of their speedbumps are like Dragonblooded level - but those two are actually quite good, and the preqreqs are fairly solid as well now that Inexhaustible doesn't exist in the same hilariously broken state it did pre-Revlid.

Anyway, even without caring about Malfeas you could pick up Insignificant Embers Intuition and start an attractive chain from there.
"They say even the proudest spirits can be broken...with love."

-The Beldame (CORALINE by Neil Gaiman)

Wheresmycow

So, here's the idea I had for a character:
Name: Sanger the Dawn Charger, Solar Dawn.
General Concept: Sanger is essentially a knight errant, bold and brash being a very good way to describe him.  Like the archetypal knight in shining armor, he's brave and selfless, willing to help people because it's right and because someone needs him.  He dislikes people who are too lazy to help themselves though.  It'd be wrong to categorize him as naive though: he acknowledges that not everyone shares his belief system and it'd be foolish to expect so.  But he does give people a chance, and he won't resort to ignoble behaviour even if it personally hurts him.  Sanger has a dislike of Fairfolk, because of his time as a Marukani circuit rider, and his exaltation is tied to an encounter with a noble.  He counts Hiparkes, the Marukani God of Horses as a good friend.
Things I would like to do: Generally, fight evil people, make Creation a better place.  Big damn heroes really.
Campaign preference: Regional or wandering is good. I like both.
Things I love about Exalted: Being able to play a big damn hero that feels like a big damn hero, how inclusive the setting is of people of diverse sexual natures, the rich themes and story potential of the setting.
Thing I dislike: The shitdark potential of the setting, in part because of how limit and the Great Curse works but also because some people interpret the setting as "There are never any happy endings, it will inevitably descend into darkness, everything you do will either backfire or not matter in the long run!"  I do enjoy moral dilemmas, but sometimes people take it to the extreme.

Although if this idea is way too shiny, I have back-up ideas.  I just like playing good-aligned heroic types.
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ShadowFox89

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Cessali

Odds are good for opportunities for Big Damn Heroes.  Just be sure to tune his demands of his fellow sapient beings so that he can work with the rest of the gang and you should be fine.

Anon315

I am interested! The following is my desire for a character:
Name: Elias, the Forked Tongue
Caste: Fiend
Motivation: To Bed and Wed the Maidens
Basic Bio + Loves and Hates
Trained in the art of diplomacy by interactions with such entities as the fey and ruthless trade barons, Elias never speaks the truth. He never speaks falsely either, but those who try to converse with him generally find it more trying to have a conversation with him than they'd like and relent. My hope for the character is that he finds himself challenged intellectually over the course of the campaign, and can use his words to warp others to his will.

I personally prefer regional quests with consistent NPCs to go to, but that doesn't mean you can't go wandering as long as we have some recurring characters. I love the different flavors of exalt and their differing motivations in the general sense. It's fun to see where people take their concepts from the basics of caste/patron to the individual character. I love the subtle twists that can mean everything, like "oh hey Lunar, your solar bond is now an abyssal/green sun prince. Deal with it." The only thing I don't like about exalted is sometimes one person can get all the glory. Like you focus too heavily on combat and your Dawns and your Twilights (if battle sorcery focused) get all the attention. Similarly, if you focus too much on social then the eclipse or the changing moon lunar steal the spotlight. Balance is needed and is precious difficult to find by and large in exalted.

Character Stats

ATTRIBUTES
[] Strength•••••[] Charisma••••[] Perception•••••
[] Dexterity•••••[] Manipulation••••[] Intelligence•••••
[] Stamina•••••[] Appearance•••••[] Wits•••••
                                                                                                                                                                                    















ABILITIES/SPECIALTIES
DawnZenithTwilight
[•] Archery•••••[•] Integrity•••••[•] Craft••••
[] Martial Arts•••••[] Performance•••••[] Investigation•••••
[] Melee•••••[•] Presence••••[] Lore•••••
[] Thrown•••••[] Resistance•••••[] Medicine••••
[] War••••[] Survival••••[] Occult•••••
                                                                                                                                                                                    
NightEclipseSpecialties
[] Athletics•••••[•] Bureaucracy•••••Presence (Seduction)••
[] Awareness•••••[•] Linguistics•••••Specialty•••
[•] Dodge•••••[•] Ride•••••Specialty•••
[] Larceny••••[•] Sail•••••Specialty•••
[] Stealth•••••[•] Socialize••••Specialty•••
                                                                                                                                                                                    

Languages:
Riverspeak
Old Realm
High Realm
Forest-Tongue


BACKGROUNDS
Artifact: Soulsteel Power Bow - Essence Drinker•••
Manse: Stone of Inhuman Beauty ••••
Infamy: Ebon Dragon Resurgence
Resources••
Cult


VIRTUES
Compassion•••••
Conviction•••••
Temperance•••••
Valor•••••
Limit[••••• •••••]
Flaw:Torment of the Ebon Dragon

Essence: ••••• •••••
Personal Pool: 27/27
Peripheral Pool: 49/61 (Commited: 12m)
Overdrive: 0/10

Willpower: ••••• ••••
Temp Willpower: 9/9
Intimacies
Positive
The Ebon Dragon (Love, Servitude, Admiration)
The Maidens (Lust, Desire)
The Cadre (Acceptance)

Negative
His First Love (Love-Turned-Disdain)
The Unconquered Sun (For TED's Imprisonment)
"True Love" (Hate - Seeks to Corrupt)
Lower Classes (Contempt)

HEALTH LEVELS

-0
-1••
-2••••••••
-4•••
INCAP
DYING

ATTACKS
Physical


WeaponSpeedAccuracyDamageDefenseRateTagsNotes
Long Powerbow6+2+3L032, b

DEFENSES
Physical
Soak:  1L/2B
Hardness: 
Dodge DV: 7
Parry DV: 7

Social
Dodge MDV: 9

Charms

The Ebon Dragon
First Ebon Dragon Excellency
Shadow Spite Curse
Loom-Snarling Deception
Eldritch Secrets Mastery
Witness to Darkness
Seeing is Blindness
Life-Blighting Emptiness Attack
Hollowing Echo Venom
Life-Denying Hate x2
Spite-Fed Wounding Nimbus
Nemesis Self-Imagined Anew
Soul Crack Exploitation
Puissance Mimicry Intuition x3
Black Mirror Shintai
Cracked Cell Circumvention
Fate-Rending Desperation
Bloodless Murk Evasion
Brooding Resentment Defense
Ascendency Mantle of The Ebon Dragon

Malfeas
Hardened Devil Body x2

She Who Lives In Her Name Favored
First SWLIHN Excellency
Second SWLIHN Excellency
Factual Determination Analysis
Essence-Dissecting Stare
Mind-Hand Manipulation
Tool-Transending Constructs x2

Background
Elias was a child of Lookshy, thankfully of a soldier rather than a slave, and from a young age appeared to have a bright mind. He was trained in the repair of equipment, and in the course of maintaining the equipment rose to the rank of Shonai. It was a fair life for a man of Lookshy, he had everything he truly needed in life, except the love of a good woman. He sought a match in the ranks of the citizenry, but found himself attracted to a helot. The young woman was beautiful, and her work as a clerk in one of the shops which did work for the military was exemplary. She had a pleasant and winning personality, combined with her other features it made her sought after by a great many men. Elias wrote poems for her, crafted jewelry as part of the courtship, and lavished her in clothing and other other gifts. This was all entirely fruitless however. She was playing him, as well as a number of other men. She was in a relationship with one of the sons of the Gens Karal, who in fact advised her to keep stringing the men along for these gifts. This infuriated Elias. He wouldn't strike her, he couldn't do such, nor could he strike a superior officer, but he could arrange a duel. So he did. Despite a lacking skill, the duel was fire wands which at least didn't put Elias at as deep a disadvantage. It wasn't enough. Elias shot first and his shot barely grazed the dragon-blood. The shot fired back at him burned his arm nearly to the bone. It was in the hospital recovering ward that the demon came to him. It offered him strength to defeat the dragon-blood and to steal back the woman, and there was no way that Elias wouldn't take the bargain. He didn't know the cost.

When he emerged from the cocoon, he hunted down his rival. There was almost no resemblance between the man who entered the cocoon and the man who emerged, so it was easily done. The lessons the demon taught let him get close, and then he just sapped the life right out of the exalt in secret. The woman wanted nothing to do with him, however. He was tainted, not that she could tell, but she did know that he had done something horrible. Her love was dead. Elias had ceased reporting to his duty with the military. Elias knew he could break her to his will, but found that he also knew she was no longer worth his time. He could kill with a touch. He could pit his own will against anything in creation and might even be able to win. Moreover, she was human, and what was worse a lowly helot.

He made his way to Malfeas, therein learning a great deal (not to mention enjoying the company of a number of Neomah), along the way acquiring knowledge. His aim, manipulated by the demon, was still to find a woman equal to himself. Of course given the fact he was now one of the chosen of the Ebon Dragon, who supported his desire for companionship, he had to raise his bar a little. At that insistence, he went over the line and decided to set his sights almost as high as possible. He'd heard tell of the Maidens, the ladies who reside in Yu-Shan and govern Fate. One among them was especially famed as a beauty, the lady Venus. Of course the other maidens are also potential, as it would be unwise to simply place all your hopes on one woman. Aside from just that, what if he could even manage to gain the favor of all of them?

Pulp Stories
Elias and Another Man's Property Co-Starring Chorgath
The pair met in Gem, shining city of the South, with goals intertwined. A first age artifact, a first class beauty, both would have what they could not steal alone. Will they succeed in taking from House Arbani its newest member and oldest treasure? Only the tale will tell.

Elias and the Star-Crossed Lovers Co-Starring Void Face Lover
A pair of lovers, parted by circumstance, enlist the aid of Elias and Void Face Lover. Unbeknownst to either, as they try their best to thwart the young lovers' plans, they wind up acting to counteract each potentially fatal blow to their love. In a comedy of errors, it all winds up pushing the pair closer together, until someone just goes too far...

Wheresmycow

Quote from: Jarick on September 03, 2013, 11:41:49 PM
Odds are good for opportunities for Big Damn Heroes.  Just be sure to tune his demands of his fellow sapient beings so that he can work with the rest of the gang and you should be fine.
Yea, that won't be a problem.  I'm keeping an eye towards other concepts that are popping up and will tune accordingly.
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ShadowFox89

 Sanger and my character should get along fairly well, she's going to be trying to puzzle out her past and looking for a land to defend.
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ShadowFox89

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Anon315

I think it's just XP, if you mean freebie points. Though you get free excellencies as noted.

Wheresmycow

Jarick, I have a question regarding combat: how in-depth are we going to go?  I'm cool with combat being infrequent, because Exalted combat is lengthier than most and it's hard to do in PbP format, but should I be bringing my A-game in terms of system mastery and building a character, or should I not worry too terribly much about it?

Also, do you count the Ink Monkey stuff as custom or official material?
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Cessali

@Shadow - As Anon315 says.  There are no freebie points, but there are are free Excellencies as appropriate to the character type.

@Anon315 - Sounds like a start.  If you're inclined, you can start juggling numbers.

@Wheresmycow - Mechanically speaking, I'm probably only going to go as in-depth as it's specifically interesting to go.  I'm not as interested in constructing mechanical challenges as I am in giving people a chance to be awesome; you can bring your A-game if you think it'll enhance your enjoyment, but I don't intend on requiring it be that way.  The character rebuild and the concessions options should give us a happy medium.

In general, consider Ink Monkeys stuff official material unless it has been banned by errata (eg. Cobra Style).