[AmberVael]

Originally Posted by C'nor

Do you mind elaborating a bit on graces? I think I accidentally came up with the same thing with my Tieflings...

A grace is a concept from Exalted, through which the raksha define themselves.

I'm going to assume all of the above is gibberish to you, so let me take a step back and explain better. This is pretty long, so here is a spoiler to spare people who don't want to be suffocated by wall of text.

Anyone interested in raksha and graces (or at least learning a bit more about why that crazy Genesis character likes rings so much), look here!

Spoiler

In the Exalted setting, there is a very lovely world called "Creation." It looks like it follows most of the rules our world does, but it really doesn't all that much. It is in fact mostly made viable by mystical mumbo jumbo.

Creation is a location of order in the midst of primordial chaos know as the wyld. While Creation came from the wyld, the two are largely incompatible. A mortal who truly enters the wyld is torn apart, for example. Or worse. Or weirder.

Now, in the wyld are these things called raksha. Chaotic, nigh formless patterns of magic, they tend to find the stagnant rules of creation as abhorrent as a entities without emotions can find anything abhorrent. That is to say, not much, but it agitates them, and so draws a response from them more than anything else has or can. This has led to many of them entering Creation, or attempting to enter Creation. The first few raksha who dared foray into the world simply disintegrated into the fits of fancy and magic that they are.

Later raksha devised a method to grant themselves shape, constructs through which they could translate themselves into a real form that would exist and not undo itself within Creation. This method involves the creation of graces- five concepts and metaphysical icons that represent the wild patterns of the raksha and put them into terms Creation can understand and accept.

Here are the five graces:

The heart grace. The heart grace is both the simplest and most important of the graces, for it defines existence itself. It is the strength of presence and uniqueness that defines a raksha from the wild chaos around it.

The cup grace is grace of service and 'compassion,' at least such as the raksha know such a virtue. It involves recognizing one's own flaws, and your dependence on others to survive. It involves making oneself useful to others, so that you might be spared and gain aid and protection. It also involves making others dependent on you, the capability to enthrall others. A dualistic grace, it defines corrosion and stability, desire and altruism.

The ring grace is the symbol of identity and purpose. The ring is a perfect circle, a shape that has neither beginning nor end. Through the ring, one creates their own boundaries, simultaneously defining what is outside of them, what they will never do, and what is within them, their core and drive. The ring grace is the grace of creation, the expression of self brought without. With the ring, the raksha says "this is who I am, this is what separates me from all others. Through the strength of my identity I will stand eternal."

The staff grace is the grace of communication. It is both what drives raksha apart, and what pulls them together. Through the staff grace, one voices desire and principles, the philosophy through which one sees the world. In doing so, the raksha defines who stands with and apart from them. Those with a weak staff grace will be caught up in social and political tides, never sure where they stand, while the strong will define those tides, and draw others to themselves, while casting enemies away.

The sword grace is the grace of conflict and greatness. Through it one makes challenges of the world and surmounts them, defining where they stand among others. Through the sword, one claims mastery and power. With the sword, one conquers others and defends themselves.

With these five graces defined, forged both as principles that represent the strengths and character of the raksha, and as true physical objects, a raksha may gain physical form and enter creation.