The Grim Legion?

[Flagg]

The Wyld Hunt has kept much of Creation safe for centuries, keeping demons,  raksha, rogue gods, and roving Lunar war bands at bay. However, given the Realm's current situation, the Hunt has more or less been hamstrung. Where they used to protect comprehensively, they now only do so intermittently, and at diminshed strength.


So, what are the denizens of the Threshold going to do about it? Roll over and  die? Let the Anathema and the Fair Folk rolll right over them?


To rip off another idea from Earthdawn, I think Creation has room for something like the Grim Legion: A "grassroots" organization, comprised of loosely organized, autonomous, roving bands of warriors and inquisitors.


In ED, the Legion are devoted to hunting Horrors. Their tactics are fairly heavy-handed and brutal, sometimes killing an entire village based on a rumor of Horror taint.


While they weren't necessarily particularly efficient or effective, and were often just bands of thugs who found a righteous justification for killing and bullying, I think they'd definitely get the support of many frightened and disempowered country folk who can no longer count on the Realm for protection.


In Exalted terms, I could certainly see something starting as a band of Outcastes, God-Blooded, and Heroic Mortals acting as a home-grown "Wyld Hunt." Perhaps they would eventually branch out and found new chapters, or perhaps one their reputation spread, other groups would adopt their name and modus operandii.


Thoughts?


-S

 

[Persell]

I could actually see this starting from refugees of Thorns who aren't going to take crap from nobody anymore.

 

[humpert_humpert]

quite cool idea. Consider it stolen ^^. but i think its quite low level, ritgh? I mean, if it just heroic mortals, god bloods and the such, they're number would have to be quite great, to mach even one dawn caste. It always be a bloodbath, and the rewards should be great too. Just fame don't pay an army  cost.

 

[Ker'ion]

A group of God-Bloods is 'granted' a set of Essence Flare Pillars and a Manse to attune it with by the local God, setting their sights on ledgends of a great monster in the area.  The monster is actually a Lunar that owns a Manse the God wants because of artifacts hidden in it.

 

[Flagg]

but i think its quite low level' date=' ritgh? I mean, if it just heroic mortals, god bloods and the such, they're number would have to be quite great, to mach even one dawn caste.[/quote']
Right. I doubt they'd be able to take on actual Celestials. The idea is to have a group of Thresholders who are able to do some good, probably a good bit of bad, but are mostly there to make the people feel like they're actually doing something, instead of just being victims.


Think of them like the various American milita groups, or the Minute Men.... but cooler and with magic powers


-S

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

Actaully, I played in a game with this very same idea. It was a great concept, but those bastards could take on low level Celestials...and God it hurt x.x We PCs were outgunned, two Celestials vs a lot of well armed and motivated Heoric Mortals and God-Bloods...grittiest. Game. Ever.

 

[Persell]

I think that's a crazy good idea.  As war starts to spread, there are more and more refugees and more violence ensues.  All it takes are a few charismatic demagogues to turn unrest into a mob and all it takes are a few skilled mercenaries to turn a mob into vigilantee justice.  Toss some religious zeal on top of that, almost as a flip of the finger to the IO, and you've got yourself an organization that is potent and almost impossible to stamp out.

 

[Quorlox]

Right. I doubt they'd be able to take on actual Celestials.

On a related note, I've toyed with the idea of a group of mortals that wish to overthrow DBs (and any other Exalts that get in the way), kind of a mortal Usurpation.  They would take enormous casualties, but as the DBs showed during their Usurpation, numbers are sometimes enough.  If you have God-Blooded, heroic mortals and mortal thaumaturges, they might be able to make progress.  They could start by targetting DB children before they Exalted.  And maybe unbeknownst to them, they might be getting indirect support from a Yozi or Malfean because a lack of Exalts would make it easier to destroy Creation.

 

[Oz Tan]

Pretty damn good idea. I'm yoinking it. You'd get all sorts of crazy monetary support from the Guild. They'd be all over that shit, as well as Lookshy.

 

[Flagg]

I'm going to be using the Grim Legion in the early stages of my new story. I've come up with 5 NPCs who will be the "core" of the Legion, accompanied by a small army of mortals.


Right now, they're going to be a rather small organization, with few real victories under their belt, often turning to regular mercenary work just to keep themselves fed.


Here's the rough sketch of the 5. I'd like feedback:

• The leader, Bash, is an Outcaste Fire Aspect. He's been a soldier-for-hire for several decades, and was recently inspired to found this movement because of the continual erosion of Realm power in the Threshold. He is a generally good man, and hopes to do good works, but his Exalted status, along with over 50 years of killing for money have made him a bit callous and cavalier towards the death of mortals.
  
• Riga is the God-Blooded granddaughter of the God of Iron. While she's fairly diminished in power due to being twice removed from godhood, Bash sought her out and recruited her for her particular talents in fighting the Fae.
  
• Unnamed is the Half Caste child of a Full Moon heron-totemed Lunar. (Question: I'm not 100% sure from the PG: Are ALL Lunar Half Caste also beastmen?). He has limited shape-changing abilties.
  
• Unnamed was the former little god of a medium sized village in the River Province. Since his domain was wiped out by an army of the undead, he has found himself both unemployed, and with a strong desire for vengeance. While he knows few useful Charms aside from minor blessings and weather control, his ability to dematerialize, and therefor move invisibly is invaluable for the Legion's intelligence and reconaissance operations. He also acts as the groups liason with the spirit courts when necessary.
  
• Unnamed is a heroic mortal thaumaturge and Scavenger Lord. He is the Legion's resident savant, healer, and occultist.

 

[Fruan]

(Question: I'm not 100% sure from the PG: Are ALL Lunar Half Caste also beastmen?).

No; Beastmen are only produced when a Human and an animal procreate in the wyld, and one of them is an Exalt. Note that this isn't restricted to Lunar Exalts. When two humans procreate the result is a human, even if the exalt in question is a Lunar, as long as they are in human form.


The advantage Lunas have with reguard to making beastmen is that they can be the animal in the equation. Getting it on with a human in human form will never produce beastmen.

 

[Jukashi]

Except that Lunar Half-Caste can learn Findng the Spirit's Shape and, after that, Deadly Beastman Transformation, which means that all Half-Caste are potentially capable of taking a beastman form. But they're not all born as beastmen by any means.

 

[Flagg]

No; Beastmen are only produced when a Human and
an animal procreate in the wyld, and one of them is an Exalt.

Nope.

[QUOTE="1E Exalted Players Guide]Once Lunar Exalted have sufficient Essence to create "normal" Half Caste children as described above, they may create beastmen even in the absence of Wyld energies.

[/QUOTE]
But on the general point, I understand. I think my confusion comes from the fact that the PG, to my knowledge, never refers to Lunar Half Caste outside the context of Beastmen, with the possible exception of the "normal" referrence above.

 

[wordman]

Neat idea. There may be another facet to consider, however. The type of people who would respond to a recruiting pitch for the Grim Legion may also be the type of people who would respond to the recruiting pitch for the Cult of the Illuminated (especially since the Cult could add in the idea that the "shining ones" would have the recruits back should any of the evil Anathema show up).


Note, I take it as given that the Cult would need to treat the "Shining Ones" and the Anathema as completely separate and opposite entities, even though they really both refer to solars. Given the centuries that "anathema" has been ingrained in pretty much everyone as the boogyman, they wouldn't be able to recruit if they didn't.

 

[Fruan]

[QUOTE="1E Exalted Players Guide]Once Lunar Exalted have sufficient Essence to create "normal" Half Caste children as described above, they may create beastmen even in the absence of Wyld energies.

[/QUOTE]
So this is saying that a high essence Luna who engages in some animal - human action (as either the animal or the human) can make beastmen anywhere? Which effects not a jot the outcome of human - human action of the part of the same Luna?

 

[Jukashi]

At high essence, a Lunar who mates with a human OR an animal produces half-Caste regardless. If the Lunar is human, than with a human they'll produce a human and with an animal they'll produce a beast-person. If they're an animal at the time, then with a human they'll make a beastperson and with an animal they'll make some sort of funky Half-Caste animal, which could be the source of a really great Familiar or mount or even a really strange player character, just as wih other god-blooded animals.


I don't know WHAT the heck happens if they mate with either in DBT form. Beastbeastmen? Beastmenmen? I dunno.

 

[Flagg]

Given that a beast-on-beast session would spawn a fully animal Half-Caste, what are people's thoughts about the offspring using Fiding the Spirit's Shape to be able to take human form?


Also, does a Lunar's totem always breed through into a beastman's aspect, or is it whatever animal form the Lunar happens to be in at the time?

 

[Jukashi]

Well, Ma-Ha-Suchi apparantly has both goatmen and wolfmen in his service, so that's suggestive.


As for an animal Half-Caste using Finding the Spirit's Shape to take on human form, I'd say yes. There's plenty of examples in mythology of characters who appear human but who started off as animals.

 

[Flagg]

I've decided that, just for shits, the Lunar Half Caste started out as a heron instead of a man, and lived that way for a few decades before learning to take the shape of a mortal.


He's going to be one strange motherfucker.

 

[DeepFlowingRiver]

Especially since most of his instincts will be based on that of the heron...Unlike the normal lunar who still has a human base to reason with..that lunar won't...very dangerous

 

[Bizar]

The advantage Lunas have with reguard to making beastmen is that they can be the animal in the equation. Getting it on with a human in human form will never produce beastmen.

Wasn't it the case that a Lunar needed a lower essence then other Exalted to make a Beastman.


And I thought that the conception had to take place in a wyldzone isn't that in the Lunar book.

 

[Jukashi]

It can take place in a Wyld zone, and that will reduce the Essence requirement to make Beastmen. But once the Lunar gains enough Essence, they can make beastmen, and Half-Castes, anywhere.