General Exalted Discussion Thread X: Playground Cosmic Principle

[Hiro Protagonest]

I'll save you the time; the Tyrant Sun is indeed from the "Alternate History" shard.

The illustration of him vs. [REDACTED] is particularly badass.

Prince Balor? Renegade Solar? Luna? Mars?

[Exthalion]

Liger or Sol depending on which sun is Tyrant.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Liger or Sol depending on which sun is Tyrant.

I think it's literally impossible for Sol to attack Ligier.

[Exthalion]

I think it's literally impossible for Sol to attack Ligier.

Alternate History: many things are different.

Edit: This is Exalted, nothing is impossible.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Alternate History.

So... there are no exalted? Because that was the entire point of the exalted.

[Guancyto]

Pretty sure it's possible for Sol to defend himself if Ligier attacked him first.

Of course why Ligier would do that is another story, but regardless, it's possible.

[Exthalion]

Or the Sun got free of his geas and it was the Titans who created Exalted to match the tyrant Sol's invincibility and perfection. He could avoid all his virtue problems if he creates a world without sin and vice. Seeing all the Primordials as wicked and immoral he declares war on them. The traitor Autochthon freed him of his restrictions so that the world can become a reflection of his mechanical themes.

Now the Titans are in exile in the Wyld hoping to regain the games of divinity. The few mortals who sheltered in Gaia's world body are the only tools they have left. Gravely wounded they create weapons to challenge the might of the Incarne the only way they know how, by matching them. The Sidereals to usurp control of the Loom from the Maidens, the Lunars to hide from Luna's vigil, and the Solars to match Sol perfection for perfection.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Or the Sun got free of his geas and it was the Titans who created Exalted to match the tyrant Sol's invincibility and perfection. He could avoid all his virtue problems if he creates a world without sin and vice. Seeing all the Primordials as wicked and immoral he declares war on them. The traitor Autochthon freed him of his restrictions so that the world can become a reflection of his mechanical themes.

Now the Titans are in exile in the Wyld hoping to regain the games of divinity. The few mortals who sheltered in Gaia's world body are the only tools they have left. Gravely wounded they create weapons to challenge the might of the Incarne the only way they know how, by matching them. The Sidereals to usurp control of the Loom from the Maidens, the Lunars to hide from Luna's vigil, and the Solars to match Sol perfection for perfection.

Then who are the Infernals?

Besides... 60 circles of Essence 5 Solars could beat down Sol, Luna, and the Maidens. Add in Dragon-Blooded making ranged attacks, and Lunar warriors to replace any of the physically weaker Solars, and it's pretty much assured they'll win.

[Exthalion]

Then who are the Infernals?

Besides... 60 circles of Essence 5 Solars could beat down Sol, Luna, and the Maidens. Add in Dragon-Blooded making ranged attacks, and Lunar warriors to replace any of the physically weaker Solars, and it's pretty much assured they'll win.

Because Sol isn't explicitly invincible while his Temperance is up and the billions of gods created in and supported by the clockwork factories of gold and silver prayer gears that cover the Sinless Isle couldn't mote tap them?

Edit: The point I am trying to make is that a lot of things can be different. It is Alternate history.

[Lix Lorn]

Or the Sun got free of his geas and it was the Titans who created Exalted to match the tyrant Sol's invincibility and perfection. He could avoid all his virtue problems if he creates a world without sin and vice. Seeing all the Primordials as wicked and immoral he declares war on them. The traitor Autochthon freed him of his restrictions so that the world can become a reflection of his mechanical themes.

Now the Titans are in exile in the Wyld hoping to regain the games of divinity. The few mortals who sheltered in Gaia's world body are the only tools they have left. Gravely wounded they create weapons to challenge the might of the Incarne the only way they know how, by matching them. The Sidereals to usurp control of the Loom from the Maidens, the Lunars to hide from Luna's vigil, and the Solars to match Sol perfection for perfection.

...I want to play in this setting.

I want to play in this setting so much.

[Exthalion]

...I want to play in this setting.

I want to play in this setting so much.

It is interesting. If I was any good I would offer to run it.

[Qwertystop]

...I want to play in this setting.

I want to play in this setting so much.

As do I. So what would Infernals and Abssals be? Infernals could be the Titans (I assume that's the alternate of the Yozis) trying to make their own design, to do more than match the Incarnae. Abyssals... maybe the Incarnae did with Solars what the Neverborn did with them in the original?

Does this version have Neverborn?

[Edge]

Does this version have Neverborn?

If not, I think the best bet may be to make the Abyssals creations of the echoes of the Engine of Extinction.

[Hiro Protagonest]

The war already happened. A new sun shines over Creation. It is not gold, it is not green, it is... hot pink! You see, the Primordials decided to remake Ignis Divine. Except this time it was less chaste as a safeguard. It was also a girl, and they decided to make her flames hot pink, just to change things up.

[horngeek]

*wakes up*
*sees Shards isn't out yet*

;_;

This is the worst part about a new Exalted release: the anticipation.

[Lochar]

Or the Sun got free of his geas and it was the Titans who created Exalted to match the tyrant Sol's invincibility and perfection. He could avoid all his virtue problems if he creates a world without sin and vice. Seeing all the Primordials as wicked and immoral he declares war on them. The traitor Autochthon freed him of his restrictions so that the world can become a reflection of his mechanical themes.

Now the Titans are in exile in the Wyld hoping to regain the games of divinity. The few mortals who sheltered in Gaia's world body are the only tools they have left. Gravely wounded they create weapons to challenge the might of the Incarne the only way they know how, by matching them. The Sidereals to usurp control of the Loom from the Maidens, the Lunars to hide from Luna's vigil, and the Solars to match Sol perfection for perfection.

This is fairly awesome. You'd have to make Tyrant Sol more powerful, quite likely such that under his own mindset, his Virtues never need drop. He is the active leader of a 'perfect' world, after all.

Hmm, why and/or how did Sol win? Perhaps Sol was invited to take a turn at the games long before the Incarnae were ever going to rebel. The Primordials were showing Sol what it was that he was protecting. The Game was a locked mystery of Creation, something that was impossible for any one Primordial to solve, so they worked together to try to unlock it.

However, Sol won the Games of Divinity in that one move. Seeing that his perfection was greater than that of the Primordials, he also saw how flawed their rule of Creation was. And the win at the Game allowed Sol to rise above the geas.

He, along with the other Incarnae, rebelled by themselves. With the power and knowledge of Creation granted by the win at the Games of Divinity, they were quickly able to throw the Primordials out.

Gaia and her Elemental Dragons lay bound. Autocthon sided with Sol, and the Tyrant Sun and the Great Maker of the Perfected Machine rule Creation side by side, one of the world of flesh, one of the world of metal.

Mortal life is harsh, and they are worked to grant prayers to both Auto and Sol. Those who prove themselves powerful over many lives are granted the 'benefit' of Exaltation. Either through the bound souls that lay in the Alchemical Exalted, or another incarnation as a mortal birthed from one of the bound Elemental Dragons.


The Primordials managed to steal the plans for the Exaltations as they fled. The Lidless Eye that Sees was able to tap into the samsara, to draw power from another realm of existance where the Incarnae rebelled against them with the Exaltations. Now the Solar, Lunars, and Sidereals work to reclaim Creation.

They even work hand in hand with Infernal Exaltations, Exalted Shards that were broken because not even they could handle the unfiltered, untainted might of a Primordial instead of a Yozi that they may have been.

[Gensh]

Cross-post that is vaguely relevant to the topic at hand!
(It's exposition about the Empyreal Chaos.)

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Okay, so I wrote this while running around doing things today, and my usual "check to see if this is stupid" guy is currently indisposed, so just know that I'm not so big a fan of the middle-end either. Anyway, there are some mild retcons and some speculation that deliberately flies in the face of canon, but I still think Rainbow!Ligier is neat.

***

In the time when the tribe of dreamers awoke and stood against the children of Chaos, they created a bulwark of Form against the tides of the Wyld where they might play the game of worlds and kings. Yet their dreams were but such and were forever eroded by the endless stream of dreams that flowed from the Chaos and was the Chaos. To push back the tides, they wove mountains and plains from their bodies and a River rose to drown the stream, yet the flow was such that it might never cease. Their play could not be interrupted, so the Primordial Sea, who was an expert in drowning unwanted children, set out from the slopes of the Mountains of Gold and Diamond, across the roots of the World-Tree, until she was beyond the land of Dragons. There, she poured out her body, that she might gain the love of all by permanently embracing her siblings, extinguishing the Shapeless children all around them.

Free of the Sea's constant attempts to drown them, her brethren simply continued in their games, relishing the loss of her distraction, for they were solitary creatures. It was in this shape, two great Mountains encircled by a Sea, that the lands of Zen-Mu would be bound. Still, there was one great distraction from the game of worlds and one thing that might change the face of the shared dream. The Golden Mountain towered over these lands, its peak as high as the Diamond Mountain, yet its base infinitely wider. The roots of the World-Tree intertwined with its slopes, and the Primordial Sea lapped at its foothills.

The Mountain was hollow, however, itself its own crown of mountain gold, for it was King over the dreamers. The Beast Upon the Mountain which was the Mountain bellowed into its depths, the echoes of itself, its crown and its throne, reverberating across Zen-Mu, calling out, “Am I Mardukth?” Each time the Golden Mountain called, the Tree or the Sea or the River or any of the others had must cease their play and grow to contain and reflect the glory of the infinite Crown and Throne. Yet across the Sea, from without the fires of Cytherea, was another flame that burned away the Wyld with its touch, which the dreamers spied through the seven-colored wings of the Dragon Beyond the World. Unlike the Divine Ignition whose form could not be seen because all were within it, this was a blaze without form, but who saw the fullness of the dreamers from his position without.

Signaling from Without and from Beyond, the Infinite Radiant Is decreed that he should enter into Zen-Mu to rule the dreamers, for he alone among them was Complete – Beginning and Ending Eternal who burned himself into the shinma, that he might wield his formless regalia which was infinitely greater than that of the Shapeless children. His Cup was a Forge Universal, his Ring a crown of Time, his Staff a promise of Life Eternal, and his Sword the threat of Death. By a quirk of Nirupadhika,he was set apart from his tribe, on the far shore of the Primordial Sea and beyond the unblemished azure veil of his sister Cecelyne, set apart by Life and its Absence to keep Death at bay. Though the titans loathed the demands of Mardukth, Who Held in Thrall, he did not possess such power over them as would the Complete and Holy Tyrant. Then a Shadow came over the Sea, who had long been scorned by the others, and boiling with anger, she Marched Against the Flame no more but instead constructed an ark that he might cross her waters.

With a frightful silence, the emerald waters above parted to reveal a tranquil blue vault, which soon darkened as it parted to make way for the King. At first there was a blackness which held no darkness, but as the enormous mass drew nearer, dull stars of all the colors of Oramus' wings winked visible, forming immense clouds that shifted hues constantly, glimmering with the possibility of all things that were not the Wyld. A new Chaos descended upon Zen-Mu, filling it completely with prismatic light as a thousand-thousand stars birthed and died each moment, glorifying the Completed existence of the King. Those titans who wished not to be ruled gathered upon the slopes of the Crown and the Throne to guard it and be guarded, while those who were filled with wonder at the King's forge-constellations or feared his wrath arrayed within his nebulae. At his left hand was First of his souls – greatest of his suns and bearer of his standard, whose colors changed as he passed over Zen-Mu – and at his right hand was Final of his souls – twin to that sun and embodiment of that which was not Flame, keeper of the King's hearth.

What followed was a war of impossible scope, which witnessed the birth and death of a thousand-thousand worlds, until the King stood atop the Golden Mountain which had no peak and took its Crown, which was the Mountain, and made it his Way, such that all Zen-Mu was his Throne, and Mardukth was the Mountain no more, so that the diamond slopes of Qaf refracted the glory of the King onto all things, for they were beneath him. The King thus ruled Zen-Mu and led the game of worlds and kings, for he was full of worlds and King of Kings. By his Tyranny, his sister's Law was enforced, and by Law, their interactions among themselves were defined, and they were a solitary race no more. It would come to pass that the dreamers would one day despair, and the Law would guide them to seek the Shining Answer, which was Beyond the Beyond and more Complete and final than the Infinite Radiant Is. Yet the journey was long, and the dreamers would grow to miss their games.

The Holy Tyrant declared that they might rest for a time and play a Game that was not less than himself as the last had been. The tribe of dreamers his Throne, the King played no part in the world-mechanism's construction, instead acting as overseer and taskmaster, uniting the individual efforts into a harmonious whole, and providing raw materials from his starstuff when the Wyld would not do, for he was forge without peer. From the glittering molten iron at the hearts of stars were Creation's maintenance automata constructed in the image of the titans' subsidiary souls, and Wyld energy was drawn through the vast emptiness between those stars to properly align its Essence with Primordial purpose. The Empyreal conceived of a way to spread this purifying effect through the world-mechanism, distilling his multicolored fires into the element theion-to, but the Emerald Mother insisted that such a forced change would lessen their Creation. With much of the mechanism's stability owed to her touch, he retracted his contribution from the world's design.

After much time, the work was complete, and the dreamers made as to retire, when a Shadow came over the King. He felt slighted that his sole construction was removed from their Creation, his Creation. It was his invention, but he had neither designed its mechanisms, nor constructed a single aspect. Enraged but also flush with the excitement of proving himself ever-perfect, he drew forth the brightest solar flare his prismatic war-heart could manage and cast it into the purer and more abstract embers of the Divine Ignition. Then, he stormed into the workshop of the Great Maker and tore the heart from a device meant to purify his illness.

Rebuilding this machine into a great war-engine, the Holy Tyrant took back the flame he had given to the Ignition, whose colors had merged into a white-hot supernova that even the perfect King could not hold for more than a moment. In that moment, however, he plunged the engine into the blaze, causing it to be destroyed and be reborn in an instant. A Shadow was cast across his face for the first time as an individual more perfect than anything might ever be stood undaunted before the Infinite Radiant Is. No thing untested could be called perfect, however, and so the dreamers dreamed of trials for this perfect Sol Incarnate, the Holy Tyrant's war-soul jealously hoping to destroy that which he had wrought, lest the white light prove greater than his many-colored radiance.

Lo, did Ignis Divine prove himself Unconquered, despite the arrogant wrath of his elder sun. To appease her brother, the Tyrant's crafty hearth-soul requested of the King the Crown of vanquished Mardukth, for he needed not omnipresence once all the titans were gathered in Yu-Shan. The Empyreal crown of Time would remain upon his brow forever; better to elevate this favored child in the eyes of his peers, all the while implying that for all his perfection, he was still less than that onetime King. This he acceded in good humor, for he was eager to lord his greatest work over those of his peers and to retire to the Games. Yet, this golden corona did not please the King of the Gods.

He rankled at the mistreatment of his fellows, of Autochthon, and most of all, of the mortals, who were held in such low esteem as to be beneath the Law. He spoke with the Clear Sky Cecelyne who was Lawmaker and with the Thousandfold Constellations of Hierarchy who was impartial and held his father's ear. He drew up plans for societies and works of geomancy, that he might maximize prayer yield while allowing mortals to live as they wished, without fear. Once he knew he had perfected his plans, he sought counsel with the Holy Tyrant's war-soul, who was clever, and with his hearth-soul, who was wise. The jealous elder sun, burning an envious green, encouraged the Unconquered, hoping to see his younger fail, but the princess of the hearth called him a fool concerned with the goings-on of ants, pointedly insisting that he would not like the outcome.

Sol Incarnate sincerely thanked both for their advice, and begged audience with his father, who accepted after some prodding from the Constellations. He waited patiently while the god outlined a greater system of worship to power the world-mechanism than was in place. He did not care for the current system, as he had neither designed, nor built it. Still, to change any aspect of Creation would be to imply he had failed in directing his subjects. Yet he knew also that to deny his sole contribution's suggestion would be to imply that he had created something less than perfect.

After an eternal instant within his blazing nebulae, he replied, “ALL THESE THINGS MUST BE TRUE. BUT WHO ARE YOU TO DENY THEM THEIR PLEASURE? WHO ARE YOU TO DENY ADRIÁN TORMENT? ISIDOROS RAMPAGE? KIMBERY DROWNING?”

In that moment, the Unconquered's Valor screamed for him to stand, but Temperance prevailed: he would have other chances; he could work toward small changes in Primordial disposition. With time, he grew discouraged, fearing he might never succeed. The jeers of heaven's prismatic sun continually ate at him, and he was unable to silence his elder by force because of the divine Geas. Growing ever more disgruntled by his casual dismissal by most of the titans, he began to openly speak of rebellion, ideally forcing the titans to rethink their actions by taking their coveted Games from them. It was during one such rant that Autochthon discovered him and offered to help.

When the Primordial War began, the Holy Tyrant did not care. His favored and only creation was merely going through a rebellious phase, encouraged by that maniac Autochthon. A moment more, and he would give his wayward son an appropriate punishment such that all gods would know the consequences of betrayal, yet would in no way diminish his perfect Sun and thus reflect poorly on his Kingship. Another Labor, perhaps, or even a dozen more, though he had must ensure they do not merely drive him to such arrogance again. Yet as time passed, none who had left the Game's controls returned, and soon the King was alone. Impatient, he stormed out of Yu-Shan with his war-soul at his side, only to find his subjects under attack.

Without the Crown of Mardukth, he lacked the ability to be amongst all his tribe at once, and even his great size was of no great use, for he could only use a fraction of it, lest he destroy Creation with his mass. Nevertheless, he still held Death as his Sword, and half the Incarnae fell before him, leaving the offices of Lethe, the sky, and several other aspects of Creation forever empty, before the Exalted unleashed their secret weapon. The birth of Oblivion sent shudders across the shinma, reverberating within every titan. In that long moment, the Infinite Radiant Is questioned his Infinite nature for the first time. That was all the Exalted needed to smother his stars and storm empty Yu-Shan to take his hearth-soul captive.

Suspected of having gone before Sol to inform the Tyrant of his plans, it was she, rather than the elder sun who was to be sacrificed. His stars dying and the void between them slain, the Empyreal Chaos withered, collapsing upon the cold iron bones of his constellations, which yellowed to dun brass in emulation of the vanquished King before him. His war-soul, defiant to the end, rose high as he could, giving Creation one final glimpse of emerald noon, vowing never to descend from that height again before being sorcerously cast into the half-dead body of his progenitor, along with all the other titans. For Sol's ingratitude and treachery, the Thousandfold Constellations broke three of her forms, making impossible those plans of his she had once advocated, among other things. Now the pitiful skeleton that is Malfeas rules over his mad and broken brethren by force, his regalia taken from him.

True, he is lesser than what he once was, but he is still very much the same. He is not so wise anymore, but he retains much of his old cleverness. He sees now where his mistake lies: he allowed a certain Shadow to shape the final form of his perfect offspring. Thanks to the endless mirrors of the Silver Forest, he has avoided such folly this time, reflecting nothing but his own majesty upon itself...

[Doran]

Sounds excellent to me, but why the rainbow for the Empyreal Chaos?

[Lord Raziere]

Cause a rainbow > pure green.

And Malfeas is lesser than the Empyreal Chaos.

[Gensh]

Sounds excellent to me, but why the rainbow for the Empyreal Chaos?

Back when I was first considering writing something like this, the complaint of gods being an easy source of starmetal (plus the in-setting rarity of starmetal) was being discussed again. I'd been thinking the EC was some sort of space phenomenon as "formless fire" already, so I just kind of put two and two together:

Spoiler

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Nebulae are much prettier when not photoshopped to be entirely green.

Also, one thing that had always bugged me about Exalted was that I had always known orichalcum as "mountain bronze" rather than gold, but I couldn't really break its thematic connection to Kingship in canon, so I mixed the two, so that it was originally of Mardukth but eventually came to represent Kingship in general. Also it implies that the Crown of Thunders is made from big M's skull, which is kind of neat.

[Weimann]

Do you want to write for Exalted?

If you didn't notice already, there now seems to be a chance. In the thread above, hatewheel has asked for pieces of fiction. There are some pretty hard restrictions and no promises, but it could be fun none the less. I should be able to whip up something, myself.

[Tavar]

Man, on one hand it would be so cool to be able to do that. On the other hand... oh my God, look at some of the applicants so far! And my writing is just, well, my writing.

[Weimann]

Can't hurt to throw something in. Way I look at it, even I should be able to produce 800 words. It'll be fun!

[Xefas]

On the one hand, I already have a full-time job and so, even if my writing had the quality necessary to succeed (it doesn't), I don't think I could do it anyway.

On the other hand, I kinda wanna write an 800 word description of The Demon City's genitalia, which Hatewheel will likely end up reading at least the first sentence of before moving on in annoyance and mild disgust. The opportunity is quite tempting.

[Turalisj]

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"Game idea: The Well of Urdr is cracked, broken. Heroes and Villains alike across creation feel.. something, as reality itself breaks into shards. Only they are aware of the broken reality, and only they can fix it. Or maybe, they don't want to. It is up to you to decide.


Try to guess what book would be heavily used."
"But if I did run the game, it would have five players max per group. Each group would originate from a different from a different shard of reality. You would only have knowledge of the shard that you were born in, with the exception of knowing how to use the mechanics of that shard. However, you wouldn't be just a blank slate when going into a different shard. No, instead, you would be becoming an alternate reality version of yourself.

Travel between shards would be done by special locations. Adding a special merit or sinply giving the ability to sense these locations might be needed. The locations would be limited in number and wouldn't be invulnerable. You could destroy one and keep someone from returning home until they found another portal. And even then, the portals would all connect to specific locations in the multiverse. Point 1a would connect to point 1b, etc."
"Artifacts... eh... Kinda iffy on that. XP would be carried over to each shard, so earning 4xp in Future Shard would give you 4xp in Modern Shard, etc."
"Your body continues on as an NPC when you aren't "active" in that Shard and is protected from bad things happening to it by plot. If another PC interacts with you in that Shard, your consciousness is pulled back into your body. If you are killed in one shard, your consciousness is shunted to another shard."

The only way to truly kill someone is to kill them in every shard.

And then you have odd things, like two lovers in one shard are mortal enemies in another.

Posting from a discussion held on AIM, which was actually a discussion in a game on Rpol. It's about a potential game involving every Shard.

edit: spoiler'd for size.

[Incendius]

I would play a game like that in a heartbreak.

[horngeek]

So would I. Although I'd like to see plain 'travel between Shards' as well.

[Andreaz]

That game feels like Butterfly Effect + Dragon Quest 7

[Hiro Protagonest]

Posting from a discussion held on AIM, which was actually a discussion in a game on Rpol. It's about a potential game involving every Shard.

edit: spoiler'd for size.

This reminds me. Didn't you post in the Shards spoilers thread that you'd run a Modern game on RPoL when it comes out?

*searches*

[shameless plug]
I'm running an Exalted Modern game on Rpol.net that will have at least the first and last of those. Currently looking for a Co-ST to help run Abyssal/Lunar/Sidereal parts as I lack a good knowledge of those splats.
[/shameless plug]

Is that still happening? Didn't search through the thread yet to see if someone took up your offer of co-ST.

[Turalisj]

That's the game that I started a little over a year ago. Still looking for a Co-ST. Golentan and Volt are playing in it.