Kaji-Oni
Senior Member
On December 21st, 2012 magic returned to the world. Across the globe thousands of people started expressing what the media calls “psychic powers,” being able to read minds or set objects on fire with a thought. They call themselves the Exalted, champions of the gods claiming a mandate to save the planet from dark forces. Maybe they are right because mass ghost sightings have been reported and a few cities such as Juarez been overtaken by shadow, the force of death is palpable in the very air, no one is sure if the exalted appeared to fix the problem or if they created it in the first place. The return of magic has frightened and excited the world’s populace, governments are formulating response plans, and conspiracies millennia in the making are being put into action. The world as we know it is coming to an end.
But what if I told you the world as you knew it was a lie, simply a comforting blanket pulled over the eyes of the sleeping masses to blind them from the truth. The truth that you like every other human being was born into bondage in a prison that you cannot, taste nor touch nor feel a prison for your soul. Creation is stranger and older than most realize, and there dark forces at work that seek to perpetuate the Lie and enslave mankind. But no one can simply be told the truth they must experience it. You have two options; stay with me in wonderland and see how deep this rabbit hole goes or step out that door and you will return home to your old life, feeling as if you had a strange dream. Remember all I am offering is the truth. Good now follow me and let me teach you of the secret history of the world
The true history of the world is now a mystery to its populace only remembered in fragments and occasionally portrayed in Disney movies. Eons ago the world was created by a race of beings known as the Primordials who ruled the world for a time but were overthrown by their creations, the Gods. The God’s and their servants the Exalted ascended to the Heavens and ruled the world with a semblance of order. The Primordials in their defeat were broken and imprisoned but not impotent, for millennia they schemed and planned their revenge and in this they were successful. With honeyed words and offers of power they were able to corrupt the servants of the gods and steal their freedom. The Primordials retreated to the comforts of Heaven to play games for the rest of time and gave the mortal world to their servant, the Infernals, as the spoils of war. The infernals worked great magics in their victory reworking the cosmos and imprisoning the Gods and Exalts. Their magic was strong but not perfect and they knew that their seals would fail one day so they ruled the world from behind the scene catering to their dark whims and preparing mortals as a resource, cultivating their numbers and technology to use in a future conflict against the Exalts.
The Lie is a system, that system is our enemy. Look around and what do you see? Businessmen, lawyers, bakers and teachers, these are the people we are trying to save. But remember until we save them each one is a potential enemy because the Infernals hide amongst them, there are also people who are soo inured and dependent upon their system that they would fight to the last to protect it. Our first goal after getting situated is finding the rest of our brothers in arms, only then can we defeat the infernals and free humanity.
- Lytek, The Right Hand of Power
Shard Info
Character Generation Info
Table Rules
House Rules
If a character has a trainer when purchasing Attributes or Abilities, they receive a 1xp discount for each dot the teacher has higher than the student. This cannot reduce the price below 1xp. Charms learned from a trainer (including sorcery, knacks, etc.) have a flat 2xp reduction in price. All exalts are considered to have a trainer when learning Excellencies and Ox-Body equivalents. Barring charm usage, it requires half of a character's free time to teach or be taught. Only one student may receive the xp discount per training session.
But what if I told you the world as you knew it was a lie, simply a comforting blanket pulled over the eyes of the sleeping masses to blind them from the truth. The truth that you like every other human being was born into bondage in a prison that you cannot, taste nor touch nor feel a prison for your soul. Creation is stranger and older than most realize, and there dark forces at work that seek to perpetuate the Lie and enslave mankind. But no one can simply be told the truth they must experience it. You have two options; stay with me in wonderland and see how deep this rabbit hole goes or step out that door and you will return home to your old life, feeling as if you had a strange dream. Remember all I am offering is the truth. Good now follow me and let me teach you of the secret history of the world
The true history of the world is now a mystery to its populace only remembered in fragments and occasionally portrayed in Disney movies. Eons ago the world was created by a race of beings known as the Primordials who ruled the world for a time but were overthrown by their creations, the Gods. The God’s and their servants the Exalted ascended to the Heavens and ruled the world with a semblance of order. The Primordials in their defeat were broken and imprisoned but not impotent, for millennia they schemed and planned their revenge and in this they were successful. With honeyed words and offers of power they were able to corrupt the servants of the gods and steal their freedom. The Primordials retreated to the comforts of Heaven to play games for the rest of time and gave the mortal world to their servant, the Infernals, as the spoils of war. The infernals worked great magics in their victory reworking the cosmos and imprisoning the Gods and Exalts. Their magic was strong but not perfect and they knew that their seals would fail one day so they ruled the world from behind the scene catering to their dark whims and preparing mortals as a resource, cultivating their numbers and technology to use in a future conflict against the Exalts.
The Lie is a system, that system is our enemy. Look around and what do you see? Businessmen, lawyers, bakers and teachers, these are the people we are trying to save. But remember until we save them each one is a potential enemy because the Infernals hide amongst them, there are also people who are soo inured and dependent upon their system that they would fight to the last to protect it. Our first goal after getting situated is finding the rest of our brothers in arms, only then can we defeat the infernals and free humanity.
- Lytek, The Right Hand of Power
Shard Info
- Exalted Modern; Simple Astrology, Drive, and Firearms are being used
- Solars and Lunars have not appeared yet
- You have been exalted for only a day
- This Shard is based on our earth, your characters have no knowledge of what previous ages were like
- Each dot of linguistics represents a language in the world such as English, Mandarin or Spanish. If you need to speak more then 6 languages in game please pick up the charm Blue Vervain Binding
- No great curse exists in this shard, all Exalts are capped at E5
- No arcane fate, the Charm Gift of the Broken Mask still functions as normal though
- Following backgrounds are unavailable: Salary, Manse, Sifu (use Mentor instead)
- Your artifacts were delivered by Mercury so there is no need to incorporate them into your backstory
- Custom Paradox Rules are in effect
- Sorcery does not summon or bind demons
- Sorcery and Thaumaturgy are restricted to Infernal controlled societies, consequently they can only be learned with explicit storyteller permission
- You have each received a visitation from Mercury, the Maiden of Journeys. She has granted you your exaltation on behalf of all the maidens and escorted you to New York City, where you will be working closely with Lytek the god of Exaltation. Gaia has emerged and begun exalting new waves of dragon blooded to protect the planet.
Character Generation Info
- All characters must begin play with half of their intimacies filled.
- You must submit a brief description of 2 NPCs from your mortal life
- Standard Sidereal Character Generation modified as modified by the scroll of errata. All characters must be submitted to the ST for approval before game begins.
- Everyone gets Auspicious Prospects for (Caste) for free. The other Caste's can be gained for 2xp each.
- A significant portion of this game revolves around an ethical and relationship component so please create characters that are attached to the world and its people. If your character does not care about anyone but himself then it is not appropriate for this game and will not be approved.
Table Rules
- All characters must be submitted to the ST for approval, this must occur atleast 48 hours before the first game they are to appear in so that I have time to incorporate your NPCs into the plot.
- All players must be courteous to each other in out of character chat, if you don’t have table manners you will be booted from my game.
- Please read the rule books, I have no patience for people who refuse to read books and think of the ST as their personal Wikipedia
House Rules
- Scroll of Heroes is banned
- Free Ox-Body for every dot of essence you have
- Free spell once you initiate into a level of sorcery
- You can go 10xp into xp debt
- All Craft abilities are now a single Craft. This means that Craft grants equal aptitude with blacksmithing, agriculture, architecture etc.
When rolling Craft for Esoteric crafts, they are limited by a single other ability, listed below:
Magitech: Lore
Genesis: Medicine
Fate: Occult
Glamour: Occult
Crafting small items roll Perception, crafting large items roll Intelligence
- All XP costs are replaced by the below chart (thanks to Sojiko for developing it). These costs are static, except for Essence, meaning they do NOT rely on the current rating.
XP Costs (Unfavored/Favored)
* Attribute : 8/6 XP
* Ability : 4/3 XP
* Specialty : 2/1 XP
* Native-level Magics : 10/8 XP (includes Charms and spells)
* Superior Magics : 12/10 XP (includes mortals learning TMA and TCS, or Db learning CMAs)
* Other Magic : 9 XP (includes heretical Charms, Infernal spells, and Knacks)
* Essence : Rating × 8 XP
* Virtue : 3 XP
* Willpower : 3 XP
* Colleges: 2/1 XP
* Thaumaturgy Degree 6/4 XP (or 3/2 BP at chargen)
If a character has a trainer when purchasing Attributes or Abilities, they receive a 1xp discount for each dot the teacher has higher than the student. This cannot reduce the price below 1xp. Charms learned from a trainer (including sorcery, knacks, etc.) have a flat 2xp reduction in price. All exalts are considered to have a trainer when learning Excellencies and Ox-Body equivalents. Barring charm usage, it requires half of a character's free time to teach or be taught. Only one student may receive the xp discount per training session.
