[Recruiting] Exalted for newbies [Exalted 3e, voice]

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Recruiting] Exalted for newbies [Exalted 3e, voice]

Magnusth: Sep 25, 2014; _{Hello, Creature! Do You Despise Goat Hating Fascists? So Do We! Join Us at Paradise Lost!}

Calibration approaches! In a day or two, the moon will disappear from the sky and the sun will remain below the horizon while the star swirl and move and disapear, leaving only empty blackness and perpetual twilight.
In the streets of Wu-Jian, the bridges and windows wll all be adorned candles and holy lanterns, and its allys and windings paths will be full of masqued revelers; for five days they will dance and sing and fornicate, while ghosts and ghouls and goblins walk among them and demons are called from the dark depths of Malefeas by secret cults. Meanwhile, the dragonblooded cover in their palaces, feasting and partying, but never venturing into the city itself. Where they fail, the bosses, cults, and sorceres of the streets set aside their differences and gather up a gaggle of the mad and desperate who hunt the demons and ghosts and anything else that would make the street run red; by tradition, any debt may be forgiven by this, but very few return alive.
But deep beneath Wu-Jian's dancing masses something ancient stirs; something powerfull and dreadfull; hungry to make war. It has but five days to act, but with the eye of heaven closed and fate itself suspended, who is there to stop it? Who may avert its war on heaven? Perhaps it is good that in this calibration, five returned heroes of creation will be in Wu-jian. Perhaps their ancient glory may yet win the day - or rather, the eternal twilight?

Okay people! it's time for Exalted! specificly, Exalted for people who are mostly new to exalted! that's not to say you have to be a total newbie, of course, you can have tried a game or two of Ex3 before, that's not a problem, but the idea is to help new people get into the game and to try to get people to enjoy it. I'll accept one or two veterans, but you guys aren't the main audience.
The game will be over Voice, in discord, possibly utilizing roll20 or a similar, depending on group preference. The game will be Fridays and start somewhere around 4-6 EST depending on group prefernces. The game will be fairly short, covering a single adventure. i'm aiming for 5-10 sessions alltogether.

Character creation houserules:
You don't need a merit to take martial arts, because that's stupid as gently caress, and your supernal ability can be either a caste OR a favored.

Discord link: https://discord.gg/ag47SRP

# ? Jul 19, 2017 02:32

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# ? Apr 25, 2024 00:51

thatbastardken: Apr 23, 2010; A contract signed by a minor is not binding!

interested, not a total newbie. going to apply a dawn based on auntie maya from K6BD

Zahren Gul, Mendicant Knight

In an out of the way part of an insignificant satrapy a militant quasi-religious order of warriors grew from a need to protect scattered townships from bandits and beasts. Dedicated to no particular god they nonetheless took vows of poverty, humility, chastity and restraint. The worst student of these vows was Zahren Gul, First Apprentice to the aging Master of the order. She held her position by seniority and the power of her sword-arm although some would whisper (only once) that she had attained it in the Master�s bed. Despite her undignified bearing and dubious reputation, it was she who was the first of the order to answer the call when a true challenge arose: an unbound demon released by some fool sorcerer had besieged a temple and the monks called for aid. It was the undoing of the order � mercenaries hired by local lords jealous of their monopoly on violence slew the other apprentices and the Master while she was away, and at the temple she found not a demon but corrupt Dragon-blooded of the Realm, making sure that a group of troublemakers could not stand against their plans to wring money from the province. In the moment when Zahren Gul stood alone against many, as a mortal against Exalted, she was chosen by the Unconquered Sun. Those few who survived the slaughter recall with horror the perfection of her strikes and parries, blows which tore mortal soldiers asunder like rice paper and took the lives of two warrior-Dynasts before their comrades could rally against the newborn Anathema. The temple burned and the fighters were separated, but Zahren Gul escaped the flames and even now pursues her vengeance against those who orchestrated the destruction of the Mendicant Knights.

quote:

The path leading to the temple was serene and decorative, with perfectly maintained gardens as befitted land dedicated to Cucumber Sandwich, the Lady of Outdoor Entertaining, She Who Has Just Made Tea. Later and with the benefit of hindsight Zahren Gul (First Apprentice to the Master of the Order of Mendicant Knights) would reflect that this should have been the first clue that her mission was a trap. Her order had been called upon by the priests to aid them with a demon that was besieging the temple, driving off worshippers and pilgrims, and yet there had still been time to ensure the lawns were perfect? At the time Zahren thought nothing of it (she was preoccupied with the thought of her potential reward, if she is honest with herself) and ascended the five-tiered steps to the temple door with a speed and grace belying her bulk. Her journey from the Lodge of her Order had not been long, although she had stopped overnight at an inn that caught her fancy for a meal, a bath, and to clean her armour and weapons � it would not do to fight a demon before a god in rusty chainmail, after all. Having set off early she now approached the east-facing doors in the pre-dawn gloom.

The double doors were polished mahogany, with tasteful gilding on the hinges and knocker. They were not locked, and even distracted by her greed Zahren thought this odd. Pushing them open the warrior strode inside to find the priest who had sent for aid. Her booted footsteps rang out and echoed harshly around the well-appointed but sparsely furnished congregation hall, the sound of her hauberk and her swords shifting against each other an eerie accompaniment to the beat. Was that a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye, behind the drapes and tapestries adorning the walls? Her meaty hand grasped the hilt of her sabre, ready to draw in case the demon (described as a great red ape) should be in here with her. The door to the outer sanctum opened noiselessly and soft green light spilled out as five figures entered the room with her. Shielding her eyes against the unexpected glare with her free hand Zahren called out to them:

�Good morning, sirs. I am Zahren Gul, of the Order of Mendicant-� One of them (a youth, she thought, male, probably handsome although the light was bad) interrupted her with a rude snort. �We know who you are, you fat fool. Not that we care.� Another (also young, a woman, masked) chided him gently �Do not be rude, Agni. We are only to kill her, not offer insults.� A third only grunted, lifting a taper to a lantern to shed light on the room. Zahren�s blood ran cool as she saw who confronted her � the five were clearly Dragon-blooded, bright hair and skin marked by the favour of their elemental dragons, extravagant silk clothing and jade armour, all bearing the insignia of the Dynastic Houses of the Realm. Behind her the drapes were thrown aside and a scale of soldiers rushed to block her retreat, spears and shields forming a formidable barrier. The swordswoman cleared her throat nervously.

�Ah� My lords, if I have offered some offence to you, your houses, or the Realm I most humbly- �. The one in red (Agni?) interrupted her again. �Don�t flatter yourself. You and your pathetic order are vermin, and this is nothing more than pest control.� Zahren exhaled, looking down at the floor. Her reflection stared back, fat and scarred and stubborn. On a good day, she thought, she might be able to take one of these cocky bastards. She was perhaps the most dangerous mortal with a blade in all An-Teng, and unless this lot were much older than they looked (possible with the Chosen, she knew, but unusual) none of them would have her experience. Still, five and their soldiers was too much to ask. She drew a ragged breath in and straightened up, drawing her blade in a movement too swift to follow and declaring her defiance: �Demon or Dynast, I don�t give a drat. I came here to kill monsters, and I�ll make do with you!� Behind her, the Sun was rising. She felt that the day was already hot � no, that heat came from within. A burning, surging crashing call to act as sudden blinding light flooded the temple. The Dragon-bloods suddenly seemed far less confident, and Zahren laughed as she rushed towards them.

thatbastardken fucked around with this message at 11:55 on Jul 20, 2017

# ? Jul 19, 2017 10:50

fool of sound: Oct 10, 2012

Crescent, a gang leader

quote:

Long ago, at the dawn of the Shogunate, mysterious envoys negotiated with a major cartel of funerary gods on behalf of the emerging Terrestrial hegemony. A bargain was struck that would have the god-blooded children of their deities form into a secretive clan, the Zhenxing, that would defend the tombs of the fallen Anathema from looters, cultists, reincarnations, and other interlopers. For centuries, they executed their duty with skill and fervor, and were in turn provided for by the Immaculate Faith. With the formation of the Order under the Realm, however, the temples became suspicious of the strange, ancient clans that lived entirely too close to those forbidden tombs, that the Order would prefer simply went forgotten. The support ceased, and the Zhenxing dissolved, going their own ways, their god-blood diluting, and many of their ancient skills lost. Many became simple peasants, or joined the Immaculate Order. Some few, however, continued to ply their trade as exorcists and morticians.

Sunset's Last Glimmer was born to one such travelling family, and for the early years of her life was trained in their ways. When she was ten years old, a mysterious, pale young traveler joined their number. This was not terribly unusual; the family periodically took in outcasts and strange folk, trained them in their ways, and eventually married them into the family. The pale traveler, however, was a master; a once in a generation talent for the arts of exorcism. Ghosts and demons cowered at his very presence, and obeyed his every word. Soon he was teaching the family, rather than the reverse, and took young Glimmer under his wing as a personal favorite. This continued for six years, and Crescent became talented indeed, and soon the two were engaged, with the expectation that the pair would someday lead the family. It was shortly before the night of her wedding that she discovered what he was: an abomination, a moonlit Anathema returned to life and possessing a man. Worse, he had been grooming her for some sinister purpose. On the night of the wedding, the sacred relic sickles of her family were brought forward to bless the matrimony. Glimmer took them in hand, and drove them into her new husband's throat. He did not die, and it was too late; her family were already his thralls.

Glimmer fled, sacred weapons in hand. She stowed away on a nearby ship, but was found mid-journey. A short, slight girl, and plain, she would not make a valuable slave in Wu Jian, and the captain instead decided to simply sell her to a workhouse. As she was being goaded into the caged wagon that would carry her into a life of servitude, she drew her secreted sickles and cut a blood swathe across the sailors and slave buyers. No doubt she would have died there, cut down by the furious guard, had a gang leader not seen in the girl a fearsome enforcer and assassin. So it was that Glimmer, given the name Crescent after her blades, came to join Wei Min the Salthair and the Black Petrels. At the time, the Petrels were a modest gang, one of several warring groups in the Yanglin Market District. Over the next five years, Salthair's talented leadership and Crescent's deadly skill saw the gang grow, crushing its competitors and conquering the entire district as their exclusive turf.

In time, however, Crescent's past would find her again. Obsessed with her, and tracking her whereabouts, her erstwhile husband arrived in Wu Jian, intent on bringing his plan for her to fruition. Manipulating the city magistrates, he launched raids against the Black Petrels, killing many of her new family. Eventually, he found her, and no doubt would have recaptured her if not for the courage of Salthair, who launched himself at the deathly spirit. He died badly. Fury overtook Crescent, and with it a glorious light. She tore her husband's dominated thief-takers apart, and savaged him with her sacred blades, scarring his throat and severing his hand. He retreated, but is plan was a success: his mate was reborn at last.

Glowing with power and resolve, and known to be the favorite of the previous leader, Crescent easily took charge of the Petrels and rebuilt their empire. While her hatred of her husband still smolders in her, her duty to her gang, her family, takes precedence, and she will do everything she can for them.

fool of sound fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jul 21, 2017

# ? Jul 20, 2017 02:24

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