Solars in the Threshold

[archaratar]

I thought I remembered reading that Solars are wary everywhere of blowing their animas because of the widespread belief that "demons who stole the power of the sun" were bad.


My ST is telling me that that only is a problem in the Realm. (kudos to me)


She says that in 768, the Immaculate Philosophy only goes in the Realm, but that seems sort of stupid, considering that the Wyld Hunt is in the Threshold.


"Don't kill the Sun Demons outside the Realm" seems to unchecked for a royal family.


She is also a player in my Sidereal game and is arguing the same facts that she can't pop her anima in the Threshold.


"Noone believes that out here.


I thought the reason that the Immaculate Philosophy was so dangerous was for the reason that it is THAT WIDESPREAD!


The Hundred Gods Heresy is why the Golden Chiuldren of the Gods are being taught to be "Not a Solar"? Maybe I am confused, Could you all plaese settle this for me please?

 

[uteck]

Depends on far in the Threshold they are.  The more contact with the Realm an area has, more people will believe.  Also, their is probibly a brisk trade in information about golden anima banners, so even if an area thinks that Solars are good and upstanding people, they will still talk and word will get back to the Hunt.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

The tradition of Anathema being horrible, ravening demonic monsters certainly predates the Realm; the Shogunate adopted that pseudo-fiction (honestly, considering the majority of First Age Solars, it wasn't too much of a reach) and spread it throughout the territory it controlled.


 Now, in the Age of Sorrows, that collective memory has likely faded in non-Realm areas (and non-Realm satrapies) to vague warnings against the Anathema. The average individual will likely be suspicious at first, but may well judge the Celestial by their actions.


 Arch, your ST probably just didn't want to have a campaign where the Wyld Hunt appeared every other adventure, unless the characters did without a significant portion of their Essence pool.

 

[Obsidian Soul]

Demigods are not popular by anyone.  Let me give you an example why.  Let us say that you are a mortal and are the best blacksmith within thirty miles.  An Outcaste DB sets up shop ten miles away and, using his Charms, can create works in hours that would take you weeks.  Now all of your profitable, high-end custom, like doing ornate gates and windows, goes to the Outcaste.  It is even worse when a Solar appears, because he can do in hours what would take you months to do.  The Outcaste is bad for business, but the Solar is even worse.  Who are you going to hate more.  Now do this for the officers in the local military, the physicians and midwives, etc.  Even without the tales of the Anethema, there is plenty of hate to go around.  I'm just surprised that any Solars survive.

 

[Persell]

The tradition of Anathema being horrible, ravening demonic monsters certainly predates the Realm; the Shogunate adopted that pseudo-fiction (honestly, considering the majority of First Age Solars, it wasn't too much of a reach) and spread it throughout the territory it controlled.
 Now, in the Age of Sorrows, that collective memory has likely faded in non-Realm areas (and non-Realm satrapies) to vague warnings against the Anathema. The average individual will likely be suspicious at first, but may well judge the Celestial by their actions.


 Arch, your ST probably just didn't want to have a campaign where the Wyld Hunt appeared every other adventure, unless the characters did without a significant portion of their Essence pool.

I second this and that is how I handle it in my games, too. And I always modify it depending on what kind of mood i want to set for the game or campaign. If it has to be gritty then people call the wyld hunt a lot and if the heroic flavour has to be stressed then people are more prone to judge on a case by case basis.

 

[Elcief]

Well, I think that in the Threshold an individual's actions are more important than the imposed religion of the Blessed Isle... and though surely many people see the Solar Exalted as terrible monsters, if a Solar shows up and helps/protects/whatever a town in the middle of nowhere, the people will end up accepting him.


In the Blessed Isle, regardless of a good-willed Solar's actions, the people will sell him to the Wyld Hunt out of fear or true loyalty to the Immaculates...

 

[Jukashi]

I don't think the "he's better so we hate him" rationalisation works so well in a world that is so utterly magical as Exalted. It's not just exalted that are a problem, but gods, god-blooded, fair folk, and plain ol' heroic mortals. People who are better than you aren't all that rare, and even if they weren't, Solars specialise too. One Solar- and remember that there's only a few hundred solars and millions of mortals- may annoy the people who do the same thing he does, but in a typical community there's only going to be two or three of these people, and the good will of the customers makes up for that.


Of course, you also have the the way that the "new" Solars are usually glorious heroes, or at least very charismatic people- they're hard to dislike. And finally... what the heck is a Solar doing making gates and windows, let alone the horseshoes and belt knives for which there's a more steady demand?

 

[Persell]

I guess it's a fair choice to concentrate on other things than running from the Wyld Hunt. But to entirely leave out the possibility of the Wyld Hunt takes some of the edge out of the game, in my oppinion.


In my game, I have let the characters start in a threshold culture that has been isolated from the rest of the world for centuries. People there do not have any knowledge of exalts at all, but now that they are starting to have contact with other cultures they are in for a surprise.

 

[Silence In Daylight]

I guess it's a fair choice to concentrate on other things than running from the Wyld Hunt. But to entirely leave out the possibility of the Wyld Hunt takes some of the edge out of the game, in my oppinion.
In my game, I have let the characters start in a threshold culture that has been isolated from the rest of the world for centuries. People there do not have any knowledge of exalts at all, but now that they are starting to have contact with other cultures they are in for a surprise.

 You might not want to call it a 'Threshold culture,' then...

 

[Persell]

 You might not want to call it a 'Threshold culture,' then...

Well, it's the culture of a people living in the threshold, so doesn't that make it a threshold culture?

 

[Silence In Daylight]

 You might not want to call it a 'Threshold culture,' then...

Well, it's the culture of a people living in the threshold, so doesn't that make it a threshold culture?

 How would areas in the Threshold be sequestered from the rest of Creation? The Guild, at least, would have reached there by now, and with the Guild comes all the basic info particular to the Age of Sorrows...such as a general distrust of Anathema. Unless they have reason otherwise, of course.

 

[Flagg]

How would areas in the Threshold be sequestered from the rest of Creation?

I'd imagine the easiest explanation is some extreme geographical barrier between them and the rest of civilization.


-S

 

[Silence In Daylight]

Let me rephrase.


 The impression I got was that the Threshold represented areas of Creation bordering the Inner Sea, not on the Blessed Isle--or relatively close. For the North, this would mean Cherak, the coast to its west and south of Whitewall. Possibly Linowan, but not Haslanti or Halta. For the East, the River Province (and possibly not even the entirety of it), but not Larjyn or Rathess. For the South, the coastal cities, but not Gem.


 Granted, the description of the Threshold in p. 53 of BWB can be interpreted otherwise, but...

 

[Persell]

That clears it up. I think you are right, Silence. I do have a more loose definition of Threshold compared to canon. My Threshold culture is not adjacent to the Inner Sea, but north and west of the northern mountain range depicted on the map, and thus not really a "Threshold" culture per se. And there are, of course, other reasons for it's seclusion.

 

[archaratar]

More specifics


Maybe some background would help. I got the idea to play a zenith with a STARCRAFT ZERG concept. i wanted to play the Overmind. The swarm is right. Ichneumon hunter Familiar and spells of Ice Hornet, My Infallible Messenger looks like a Starship Trooper brain bug. Specialties on Lore for (+3 Insects). I really customized the look of my character, without changing the mechanics of the character. I admit, I ended up looking like the bug-guy off of Ninja scroll, but I didn't plan it and the rest of the players think it's cool. Whatever, anyway....


Our ST started the game by sending each of us letters. (Cool props to her for ingame props!)


      Mine said that my (ZENITH) had just escaped a Wyld Hunt. (Sounds like they would be hot on our tail). Not my greatest hope for hiding, but I bit the bullet and played along for story and fun's sake.


     


    When we  found an obscure bug in the game, I had my buddy Lee roll cause he gots skill with anyone's dice, even the ST's. He rolled some very pretty successes somewhere around 8-9. That is a success in my book, though my (+3 insects) specialty was what pulled me through.


    She told me it was obscure and that all i knew was that they killed by freezing the person to death. I asked if i could extract the poison. She said it was doubtful as the creature was already dead, so the poison was inert.


    I went out to the forest,found the hive, cast CHARM: Friendship with Animals, and brought back a worker. Got it into a lab in Great Forks and again tried to extract the poison. She told me it wouldn't work because the poison freezes when it hits air. I told her I would wait until it thawed, she told me it never unfreezes. Then she had the nerve to get mad when I went back to get the queen.


   The rest of the players are getting mad, cause it seems I'm hogging the story, (Fair Enough). I go back to the rest of the group, who are waiting to leave the city.


      Our resident Lunar player, ST's idiot husband, goes Crinos-Cheetah in the middle of the dock area of Great Forks and begins beating up the local military. No Wyld Hunt? No repercussions?


       I talked to her about this lack of retribution and the Wyld hunt she attacked us with was 6 human extras and a DB, WTF?! (I thought the Hunt worked in mass numbers.


      The Lunar player always, without fail, buys DBT with the healing 1L/turn & Blossoming Gift of Luna. That has been his last 7 characters.


      I have already told the ST that the DBs win because they attack en masse with over 4 brigades per Wyld Hunt encounter. (I love big battles against overwhelming odds!)


      So he runs off and I begin preaching to the masses. Using my presence charms, my awardwinning smile, my anima(since the Wyld hunt is now injured or trying to one-man chase the Lunar),some manipulation, and Lee's dice-rolling skills are just taking me all the way, no rolls below 4(We are talking extended rolling here).


    The ST tells me that the crowd is not buying it. "The bugs are killing us." I tell the crowd that I will take the bugs with me if they admit to taking only females as their queens. ( I am a guy playing a feminist male. Ha ha)


      ST says they crowd doesn't care. Doesn't care? but 5 minutes ago, they were complaining about the deaths and now they don't care?


  Finaly the ST relents and says that I get like one or two followers, and can mark them on my sheet. I tell them to preach to the masses, while I go on to spread the good news of the Swarm". ST says they don't want to stay. I give a cruddy to decent speech about how they "know this city better than i do" and only they have "the connections to truly setup a church in this fair city", blahblah.


  Long story short here guys, I think the ST wants to tell her own story, She is starting to try to pull the same kinds of stuff with the other characters too (so I've been told).


I do understand that the game is not only about me.


I understand that this is a game of stories and fun and all that.


I understand that she is new.


I grasp all of this so I really have tried to stop, take some deep breaths, re-evaluate if I am just being a whiny prick, and just have fun,


However, I want to feel that i am getting to be a worthwhile part of the team. I am not asking for extra artifacts. i am not asking for higher stats, but if I am the "bug-guy/Cleric" and she approves my character, I don't want my concept completly swept into the everything works except for "Zeniths" and "Anything that affects bugs"


Yes, i realized that I specialized.


Maybe even TOO specialized.


But I do not feel that the TWO things I am implicitly good at should be the very same 2 things she is denying the group to affect.


If it is going to be a One shot and the ST needs the zombies to be the major threat, "No Zenith Characters Please".


If the major plot is discovering a new type of creature, "No Zoologist/Biologist Character Concepts Please".


I have said my piece.


I am not yet at peace.


I am breathing and checking my self.

 

[malhimweaver]

Even in places where  the Immaculate Philosophy holds no sway at all, such as Whitewall or The Haslanti League, you generally don't want to come knocking on the door with "Hi, I'm a Solar" business cards. The idea of Anathema is still a powerful one, and even if they don't want to automatically kill you, theres still going to be plenty of people looking for a naiive young Solar to use in their schemes.