CHRISTINE BEARD, JACQUELINE BRYK, LUKA CARROLL, MEGHAN FITZGERALD, EMILY GRIGGS, LIZ GRUSHCOW,

SUSANN HESSEN, ALYSSA HILLEN, JAMES HUGGINS, SEAN JAFFE, ERIC MINTON, ROBYN OSTROKOL,
VIVIAN PAUL, JAMES PIANKA, NEALL RAEMONN PRICE, CHARLIE RASPIN, LAUREN ROY,
MONICA SPECA, ROBERT VANCE, VERA VARTANIAN, PETE WOODWORTH
Credits
Authors: Christine Beard, Jacqueline Bryk, Luka
Carroll, Meghan Fitzgerald, Emily Griggs, Liz
Grushcow, Susann Hessen, Alyssa Hillen, James
Huggins, Sean Jaffe, Eric Minton, Robyn Ostrokol,
Vivian Paul, James Pianka, Neall Raemonn Price,
Charlie Raspin, Lauren Roy, Monica Speca, Robert
Vance, Vera Vartanian, Pete Woodworth

Developers: Eric Minton, Robert Vance

Consulting Developer: James Taylor

Additional Development: Holden Shearer, John Mørke

Editor: Stephen Lea Sheppard

Artists: Melissa Uran, Priscilla Kim, Yihyoung

Li, Hive Studios, Gunship Revolution Studios

Art Direction and Design: Mike Chaney

Creative Director: Richard Thomas

Special Thanks
Meghan “Heir Apparent” Fitzgerald, our third develop-
er, for bearing the burden with skill, grace, and panache.

James Mendez Hodes, for help with Mantis style.

Playtesters
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The Illustrious Collectors of Wayward

Travelers and Vagabonds: Adam Accardo,
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The Helpful Staff of Odd Ends and Wonderments:

John Becker, Adam Carbone, Caroline Davis Carbone,
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Slygh, Matthew Weaver, Michael Yesenofski

Ronin: Richard “Kukla” Hughes

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 Table of Contents
Introduction 10 House Economics 47
This Book at a Glance 10 House Military 48
Lexicon 10 Enemies and Alliances 48
Suggested Resources 12 Major Holdings 49
Scions of Note 50
Chapter One: The Dragon-Blooded 16
House Nellens — Dragons of the Blood Resurgent 51
History of the Dragon-Blooded 16 Social Standing 51
Dragon-Blooded Exaltation 17 House Economics 52
Awaiting Exaltation 18 House Military 52
The Moment of Exaltation 18 Enemies & Alliances 52
Elemental Aspects 19 Major Holdings 54
Essence Fever 21 Scions of Note 54
Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as One 21 House Peleps
The Scarlet Dynasty 22 Water That Wreaths the Crown of Centuries 55
House Economics 55
The Seventh Legion of Lookshy 24
House Military 56
The Empire of Prasad 26 Enemies and Alliances 57
The Forest Witches 28 Major Holdings 58
Scions of Note 58
The Outcastes 30
House Ragara — Earth Slaked on the Blood of Dragons 59
Chapter Two: The Great Houses 34 Social Standing 59
Major Bloodlines 34 House Economics 59
The House Matriarch 34 House Military 60
House Property 35 Enemies and Alliances 61
House Cathak — Fire That Marches Against the Tide 35 Major Holdings 61
House Economics 36 Scions of Note 62
House Military 37 House Sesus — Fire That Makes The Shadow Strong 62
Enemies and Alliances 37 Social Standing 62
Major Holdings 37 House Economics 64
Scions of Note 38 House Military 64
House Cynis —
­ Wood Nourished On Tears of The Fallen 39 Allies and Enemies 64
Social Standing 39 Major Holdings 64
House Economics 40 Scions of Note 65
House Military 40 House Tepet — Air Stained By the Blood of Legions 66
Allies and Enemies 41 House Economics 66
Major Holdings 42 House Military 67
Scions of Note 42 Enemies and Alliances 68
House Ledaal — Air that Raised the Bones of Giants 43 Major Holdings 68
Social Standing 43 Scions of Note 69
Shadow Crusaders 44 House V’neef — Wood That Tenders the Garden’s Grace 69
House Economics 44 House Economics 70
House Military 44 House Military 70
Enemies and Alliances 45 Enemies and Alliances 70
Major Holdings 45 Major Holdings 71
Scions of Note 46 Scions of Note 72
House Mnemon — Earth Carved in the Image of One 47 House Iselsi — Water That Hides the Deepest Dark 73
Social Standing 47 Shrouded Dragons of the Scarlet Empress 73
 House Economics 74 Faithful Service 130
House Military 74 A Business Most Divine 130
Enemies and Allies 74 The Seven Storms Brotherhood 131
Major Holdings 76 History of the Seven Storms 131
Scions of Note 76 Methods and Resources 132
Cadet Houses 77 The Seven Storms 132
Chapter Three: Life in the Scarlet Dynasty 82 Chapter Five: Character Creation 136
Childhood 82 Step 1: Concept and Aspect 136
Education 83 Step 2: Attributes 136
Tutoring 83 Step 3: Abilities 136
Primary School 83 Step 4: Merits 137
Secondary School 85 Step 5: Charms 137
The Cloister of Wisdom 86 Step 6: Intimacies 137
The Heptagram 86 Step 7: Bonus Points 137
The House of Bells 88 Step 8: Finishing Touches 138
The Spiral Academy 89 Character Creation
Pasiap’s Stair 90 Summary 138
Coming of Age 91 Chapter Six: Traits 142
Marking Time 92
New Merits 142
Income and Spending 93
New Flaws 143
Society 94
Marriage & Children 95 Air Aspect 145
Matrilineality 96 Earth Aspect 147
Bloodline & Potency 97
Fire Aspect 149
Legitimacy & Consorts 99
Parenthood 99 Water Aspect 151
Outcastes: Exalting Outside the Dynasty 99 Wood Aspect 153
Exalted Patricians 100 Anima Banner 154
Lost Eggs Among the Common Folk 101 Anima Flux 154
Foreign Outcastes 104 Anima Effects 154
Sworn Kinships 104 Character Advancement 156
The Life of a Kinship 105 Dragon Experience 156
Retirement 106 Training Times 158
Funerary Rites 106 Raising Essence 158
Chapter Four: Beyond the Realm 110 The Great Curse 158

Lookshy 110 Chapter Seven: Charms 162

The Gentes of Lookshy 111 Adding Bonus Dice 162
The Gentes Major 112 The Elemental Aura 162
The Gentes Minor 115 Signature Charms 163
Life Among the Gentes 118 New Keywords 163
The Immaculate Faith 121 Archery 163
Politics of the Seventh Legion 123 Athletics 168
Outcastes 124 Awareness 172
The Wanasaan 127 Brawl 176
A Drowned and Frozen Heart 127 Bureaucracy 181
A Bloodline Touched by Frost 127 Craft 187
The Sisterhood of Pearls 128 Dodge 190
The Five Insightful Criticisms 129 Integrity 194
Trouble in Paradise 129 Investigation 197
The Temple of the Reverent Whisper 130 Larceny 202
Linguistics 208 Chapter Nine: Heirlooms of Power 316
Lore 214 Calumny 316
Medicine 220 Evocations of Calumny 316
Melee 225 Daring Venture 318
Occult 230 Evocations of Daring Venture 318
Sorcery 235 Faith’s Pillar 320
Performance 235 Evocations of Faith’s Pillar 320
Universal 235 Heavenly Typhoon 322
Oratory 239 Evocations of Heavenly Typhoon 323
Music and Singing 240 Pyre of Legions 324
Dance 241 Evocations of the Pyre of Legions 324
Presence 242 Sea’s Verdict 325
Resistance 246 Evocations of Sea’s Verdict 326
Ride 251 Smiling Razors 328
Sail 256 Evocations of the Smiling Razors 328
Socialize 261 Vengeant 330
Stealth 267 Evocations of Vengeant 330
Survival 270 Horizon Cleaver 332
Thrown 275 Evocations of Horizon Cleaver 332
War 279 Imprimatur 334
Chapter Eight: Martial Arts and Sorcery 286 Evocations of Imprimatur 334
Immaculate Martial Arts 286 Perdurant Vault 335
Air Dragon Style 286 Evocations of Perdurant Vault 336
Earth Dragon Style 290 Chapter Ten: Princes of the Earth 340
Fire Dragon Style 292
Amon Mora 340
Water Dragon Style 295
Wood Dragon Style 298 Berit 342
Other Styles 301 Cathak Cainan 345
Golden Janissary Style 301
Cynis Cogen 347
Mantis Style 303
White Veil Style 305 Ledaal Kes 348
Sorcery 309 Mnemon 351
Shaping Rituals 309
Ragara Benoru 353
Terrestrial Circle Spells 309
Sesus Nagezzer, The Slug 355
Tepet Ejava, the Roseblack 357
RY 718 Swift was a lost egg who’d taken the coin; she
couldn’t be more than a dozen years into her
The last wagon trundled away, bearing with it the service. River might have asked if Swift wished
daiklave of River’s former commander. The blade she’d taken the razor instead, but, well. That
would return to House Peleps accompanied by a wouldn’t necessarily have kept her away from this
letter describing Peleps Lazurin’s brave last deeds, disaster. River herself was proof of that.
and conveying River’s sincerest condolences at the
lack of a body. A short train of carts, wagons, and The Immaculate Order had arranged this Wyld
sledges wended away down the road, leaving their Hunt, mustered the might of the Realm and sent
Wyld Hunt’s once-bustling camp little more than them on the trail of two Anathema who were
an empty stretch of road just north of the River preying on the people north of the River Province.
Province. Birdsong was already replacing the ring The Order had provided the intelligence and placed
of weapons on the air, and the last cookfire had one of their most promising monks in charge of
dwindled down to embers. the expedition. He’d been a solid leader, brave and
competent, right up until the Wretched slew him.
The carts contained the weapons and armor of the
slain — at least what River, Eshuvar, and Kingfisher Now River was the last Immaculate still breathing,
Swift had been able to recover. A scant handful of and it fell to her to finish the Hunt.
monks’ and soldiers’ bodies were being shipped She straightened her robes, thankful that if she’d
home, but the Anathema had reduced most of them gotten ink on her sleeves it didn’t show against the
to splintered bones and stinking offal. Far too many black fabric, and joined the others. “We have to find
families were receiving only letters. them.”
River’s hands ached from writing them, but she’d Eshuvar and Swift turned toward her as one. “We
taken on the responsibility while the servants three?” asked Eshuvar. “You don’t think we should
and retainers she’d dismissed packed their dead wait for reinforcements?”
masters’ things. It was the least she could do.
“They won’t come in time,” said River.
There wasn’t time to be writing missives — every
hour’s delay let the two Anathema who’d laid “If we wait,” said Swift, “the Anathema have time
waste to their Wyld Hunt slip farther away. But the to recover from their wounds. We can’t waste the
survivors who hadn’t fled needed time to regroup, opportunity our companions died to give us.”
to tend to their wounds, to figure out what came For a moment River thought Eshuvar might argue
next. — it was in the way his jaw settled into a stubborn
All three survivors. line, how his chin lifted just a hair — but he closed
his eyes and breathed deep, and merely nodded.
Sesus Eshuvar stood in the middle of the road,
watching the wagons go. He’d been only a few •••••
months out of the Heptagram when they first set
out on the Hunt. River had noticed how young he’d Two figures approached, one on horseback, the other
seemed, then: tall and gangly, practiced but not keeping up on foot with the steed’s steady trot. The
yet polished, trying to find the proper line between mounted one wore steel armor and a horned kabuto
self-assured hauteur and polite deference. Now helmet, and had the air of Lookshy about him. A
there was a slump to his shoulders, as though splash of red at his shoulder broke up the armor’s
he’d aged twenty years overnight. We all have. grays. When they drew closer, River realized the red
was a robin, perched and alert on its master’s plate.
Next to Eshuvar, Kingfisher Swift leaned heavily
on her mace, her unit’s standard propped beside His companion, a heavyset woman, was dressed
her. Her legion’s talon had made up the bulk of the plainly, her clothing neat but threadbare from
Hunt’s forces, and now she was all that remained. travel. Two flamepieces were tucked into her belt, a
daiklave strapped to her back. She kept her hands somehow, like the markers ought to have at least
well away from the weapons, as if attempting to all fallen over when the Dragons they represented
reassure the Dynasts she meant no harm. died.
“We’re looking for Righteous River Overflows Its Mathar waited for her nod of permission before
Banks,” said the Lookshyan. “One of the cart- removing the markers from the map. One by one,
bearers said she was in charge.” He wore an easy he laid them down in their lacquered case. In the
smile, taking in all three of the survivors. Beside end, all that remained were the two representing
River, Eshuvar straightened up and smiled back the Anathema. “There are settlements here and
wanly. here,” he said, pointing at spots deeper in the
forest. “They might seek shelter there, but it would
“I’m River,” she said.
put the people at risk.”
“Ah, perfect,” he said, and slipped from his saddle
On the journey there, River had read report after
to come take her hand. “I am Yushoto Mathar, and
report from the Wyld Hunt’s informants, discussing
my friend is Left Hand Chalima. Word reached us
the number of mortals under the Anathema’s thrall,
of a Wyld Hunt and we came to offer our services.”
how many believed their promises to protect them
He paused and looked back the way they’d come,
from the ambitions of Lookshy and the Realm,
then back to River, the smile faltering. “Are they still
how the two had ambushed trade caravans and
needed?”
traveling dignitaries and laid claim to their goods
River glanced at Eshuvar, who already seemed and valuables. “Would they hurt the people they’ve
heartened by the newcomers’ presence. Swift gave been rallying to their cause all this time?”
her a short nod. “The Anathema are wounded,
“They’re not in danger from the Anathema,” said
but not dead. What you passed just now were our
Chalima. “It’s from you. From us.”
own casualties. If you’re still willing, in the face of
that—” River bristled, but it wasn’t a point she could
argue too fiercely. If a village were destroyed in
“We are.” Chalima stepped forward, grim but eager.
the pursuit and elimination of an Anathema, many
“They need to be dealt with.”
would consider it an acceptable loss.
“I’ve been tracking them,” said Mathar. “Until
“They won’t hide there.” Swift came over to study
recently they’d roamed far enough from the River
the map. “When we fought, they were leading
Province’s borders, and I had more immediate
us away from the village we’d tracked them to.
threats to worry about. But now….” He gestured
Could’ve run back to it, made the people stand
toward the dwindling train of the dead. “If they’re
between us and them. They didn’t. Where else?”
allowed to recover, they’ll be looking for retaliation.
Or liberation for our smaller territories, if what they Mathar pointed at a third spot, half a day’s ride
preach can be believed. I have some ideas where away: a low valley whose only good entrance was a
they might have fled. If you have maps, I can show narrow road between two steep rock ledges. “Here,
you.” then. If I were going to make a last stand, it’s where
I’d go.”
•••••
•••••
The command tent had been packed up and sent
home with the wagons, but River had kept the table “We should swear an oath,” said Swift. They were
covered with Peleps Lazurin’s maps and markers by the side of the road, finishing a meal scraped
to study. The place where they’d planned to draw together from what the retainers had left behind. For
out the Anathema and overwhelm them with a Chalima, who grew up in poverty in the Scavenger
show of Terrestrial might still held its formation Lands, it was a feast. Eshuvar made comments
on the largest of the maps. It seemed wrong, about missing this or that side dish, or wishing for a
glass of some expensive wine to wash it down, but as they passed, but otherwise they pressed straight
subsided at a glance from River. Mathar lifted the on. The fleeing Anathema had followed the route
young sorcerer’s spirits when he shared out a packet Mathar predicted. The ranger picked up the trail
of seasoning he’d brought from Lookshy. Swift had quickly. His robin flew ahead a little ways, returning
finished her plate quickly, a habit formed in the now and then to chirp at them and take off again.
Legion. It meant she missed out on Mathar’s spices, “We’ll catch up to them by daybreak,” he said. No
but she’d had time to think while the others ate. one wanted to stop and rest. No one even had to ask.
During the planning, River and Chalima shaped the •••••
strategy while Mathar and Eshuvar chimed in with
recommendations. Swift had remained quiet, trying Later, River would recall the battle in flashes.
to figure out what had gone so terribly wrong on the
She remembered the woman towering above them,
Hunt. Now she stood, meeting each of their gazes,
the blazing silver circle on her forehead terrible to
ready to defend her declaration. She wasn’t one for
pretty words and inspiring speeches, but River had behold. Her voice was a roar in River’s ears. River
listened this morning when Swift suggested they push might have given into instinct and fled, if it weren’t
on. She might listen now. “The bond will strengthen for Swift at her side and the knowledge of her
us. It’s what we should have done before.” companions behind. Then came the brittle flapping
of obsidian wings and the sharp acrid smell of a
To Swift’s surprise, it wasn’t River who rose first in flamepiece, and that awful need to run, go, get out
support, but Chalima. The hand she held out was stopped buzzing in her head.
already warm with Essence. “I swear,” she said, “by
Earth, by Wood, by Fire, by Air, by Water….” She remembered the thrum of Mathar’s bow. The
steady rhythm of his arrows kept the howling
The other three were standing before Chalima
Wretched from reaching Chalima. Gave River and
reached the last element, their animas flaring
to life as they recited their oaths. The words Swift the opportunity to get within striking distance.
differed — the Realm and Lookshyan versions She remembered losing the Anathema in a swirl
were more intricate, more poetic, than Chalima’s of darkness. He’d reappear, strike, then fade again.
short declaration — but the intent was the same. Swift’s mace passed through where he’d been only
Their banners flared as their voices rose, the five a moment before, and River thought we’re done.
elements twining together and climbing toward
the sky. As they stated their purpose to hunt down She remembered Swift’s gritted teeth; Eshuvar’s
the two Anathema, all five stood straighter, resolve clear, certain voice as he cast his spell; the dry,
swelling in their hearts. They recited one another’s reassuring k-chak! of Chalima reloading her
names, each one a promise to the others. flamepieces; and Mathar’s laughter ringing out over
it all. She remembered how her heart lightened as
Then it was done, and the oath settled deep, coming
to rest in their very bones. Swift felt it not like a they made their final push.
restraint, but an expansion. Her companions’ vitality She remembered how they stood together after,
sang with her own, and she felt, for the first time in one Anathema dead, the other their captive.
days, like they might survive what was to come. Chalima propped up a wounded Swift. Mathar slung
••••• an arm around Eshuvar’s shoulders. Though their
Kinship had fulfilled its purpose, no one spoke the
The Kinship passed through the place where the
words to disband it.
Hunt had failed with little comment. The survivors
grew solemn, and River uttered prayers for the dead River prayed no one ever would.
 Introduction
“The peach trees in the orchard behind the house are just in full flower. Tomorrow we will institute
a sacrifice there and solemnly declare our intention before Heaven and Earth, and we three will
swear brotherhood and unity of aims and sentiments: Thus will we enter upon our great task.”

– Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Though the sun and moon and stars have their cham- Chapter Two: The Great Houses details the Ten Great
pions, though little gods call upon the Exigence and Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty — and one fallen house
deathknights stride forth from the Underworld, the that lives on in its shadow.
people of the Realm and the Threshold know but one
sort of Exalted. These are the Dragon-Blooded, Chosen Chapter Three: Life in the Scarlet Dynasty elaborates
of the Five Elemental Dragons, and by divine mandate on the society and culture of the Realm’s ruling Dragon-
the Princes of the Earth. Blooded families.

Kindled from a single ancient bloodline spread through- Chapter Four: Beyond the Realm covers Dragon-
out Creation, the Dragon-Blooded trace their descent Blooded living outside the Scarlet Realm, from the
back to the Elemental Dragons. That lineage marks Shogunate successor state of Lookshy and various lesser
them with elemental power. Moreover, in a world groups to the thousands of individual Dragon-Blooded
where other Exalted have been driven to the ends of the heroes scattered across the Threshold.
world, it anoints them as Princes of the Earth, rightful
rulers of all Creation. Chapter Five: Character Creation lays out the rules
for creating a Dragon-Blooded player character.
In the wake of the Great Contagion, the Scarlet Empress
gathered the surviving disparate Dragon-Blooded and Chapter Six: Traits presents the five elemental Aspects,
forged from them a sprawling dynasty. As their immor- as well as anima powers, unique Merits, and other traits
tal god-matriarch, she ruled the world from the Blessed important to Dragon-Blooded characters.
Isle at Creation’s heart. Legions marched at her com-
mand; queens and despots bent the knee, sending rivers Chapter Seven: Charms catalogues the innate elemen-
of silver and jade to fill her treasury. Her descendants, tal and martial magics of the Dragon-Blooded Host.
thronging in their bejeweled thousands, served as her
Chapter Eight: Martial Arts and Sorcery introduces
generals and her ministers, her spymasters and her
several new Martial Arts styles, including the puissant
chaplains.
Immaculate Dragon styles, as well as elemental spells
Now the Empress is gone, and her descendants turn wielded by Dragon-Blooded sorcerers.
away from the Threshold to battle for the vacant throne.
Chapter Nine: Heirlooms of Power offers a selec-
But as the Scarlet Dynasty stokes the fires of civil war,
tion of artifact weapons available to champions of the
outcaste Dragon-Blooded burn brighter in the shadows
Scarlet Dynasty.
of the Threshold, taking advantage of the chaos to ham-
mer out their own destinies upon the anvil of the world. Chapter Ten: Princes of the Earth depicts an array
of noteworthy Dragon-Blooded NPCs for use in your
This Book at a Glance chronicle.

Chapter One: The Dragon-Blooded touches on the

history of the Dragon-Blooded, how they experience Lexicon
Exaltation, and the furious elemental nature of their All-Seeing Eye, the: The Scarlet Empress’ secret police
Essence. and intelligence agency.

10
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 introduction

Blessed Isle, the: The island-continent at the center of gentes (singular: gens): The aristocratic Dragon-
Creation, which the Scarlet Empress governed directly. Blooded families that rule Lookshy, after the fashion of
— and in many cases tracing their origins back to — the
cadet house: A self-perpetuating Threshold clan of ruling Shogunate clans of the same name. Includes five
Dragon-Blooded tied to the Scarlet Dynasty by marriage, leading Gentes Major, and many lesser Gentes Minor.
but not a part of or beholden to a Great House.
Great House: A Dragon-Blooded lineage, typically de-
dominie: Headmaster of a primary school or secondary scended from the Scarlet Empress, who’ve been elevated
school. to a paramount position within the Realm by Imperial
decree. There are currently ten Great Houses, although
dominion: One of three especially large prefectures, others have risen and fallen over the centuries — and
carved from the lands of the old Shoguns. one fallen house still haunts the Scarlet Dynasty.
Deliberative, the: The Realm’s legislative body, made Immaculate Order, the: The religious institution of the
up of the Dynast senators of the Greater Chamber and Realm, which enforces and spreads the teachings of the
mortal delegates of the Lesser Chamber. Immaculate Philosophy throughout its territory.
Dragon-Blooded, the: Exalted who’ve inherited the di- Immaculate Philosophy, the: The state religion of the
vine power of the Elemental Dragons and reign across Realm, which teaches that the Dragon-Blooded are the
Creation as Princes of the Earth. rightful rulers of Creation and its mortal peoples.
Dynast: A member of one of the Great Houses of the Imperial Service, the: A collective term for the Realm’s
Scarlet Dynasty. executive, administrative, and judicial arms, comprised

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

of the Imperial legions, Imperial Navy, Merchant Fleet, the Heptagram, the House of Bells, or the Spiral
magistrates, the Thousand Scales, and All-Seeing Eye. Academy, while outcastes attend either the Cloister of
Wisdom or Pasiap’s Stair. Patricians go to other, lesser
Lookshy: Fortress-city of the Seventh Legion, built schools.
upon the Shogunate city of Deheleshen. The gentes of
Lookshy form the Scavenger Lands’ bastion against the Seventh Legion, the: The Dragon-Blooded military of
Realm. Lookshy, which traces its lineage and authority back to
the Shogunate.
lost egg: An outcaste, particularly one from the Blessed
Isle’s lower classes, who has yet to be brought into the shikari: A Dragon-Blooded participant in a Wyld Hunt
service of the Realm. Lost eggs who enter the Realm’s officially sanctioned by the Realm.
service are sometimes called “found eggs.”
Shogunate, the: A world-spanning Dragon-Blooded em-
magistrate: One of the Scarlet Empress’ investigators pire predating the Great Contagion and the rise of the
plenipotentiary, empowered to battle corruption in the Scarlet Empress.
Realm on her behalf.
Sworn Kinship: A group of Dragon-Blooded bound to-
outcaste: Within the Realm, any Dragon-Blood who gether by a mystical oath of camaraderie. Also called a
isn’t part of the Scarlet Dynasty. Hearth.

patrician: A member of the class of gentry who oversee Thousand Scales, the: A colloquial term for the minis-
the peasantry of the Blessed Isle on behalf of the Scarlet tries of the Imperial Service.
Dynasty.
Wyld Hunt, the: A group of Dragon-Blooded gathered
prefecture: A province of the Blessed Isle, administered to destroy one of the Anathema. This ancient tradition,
by a prefect appointed by one of the Great Houses at the rooted in the Immaculate Philosophy, is followed by
behest of the Scarlet Empress. Dynasts and outcastes alike.

primary school: One of hundreds of boarding schools

on the Blessed Isle attended by young patricians and Suggested Resources
Dynasts from ages 9 to 14.
Classics
Realm, the: The greatest empire in all Creation, encom- Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by Luo Guanzhong:
passing both the Blessed Isle and the conquered satra- Three heroes swear the Oath of the Peach Garden — a
pies of the Threshold. key inspiration for Sworn Kinships — in their efforts to
stave off the collapse of a decaying empire.
Realm Year (RY): The Imperial dating system of the
Realm, starting from the coronation of the Scarlet Water Margin, by Shi Nai’an: An excellent primer for
Empress. iconoclast Dragon-Blooded, the preternatural rebel
heroes of Water Margin are caught in a web of des-
satrapy: A province in the Threshold that has pledged tiny as they take up arms against a corrupt imperial
fealty to the Scarlet Empress, sending her tribute. government.
Overseen by a satrap chosen from one of the Great
Houses. Mahabharata: This epic tale follows the Pandavas,
a Kinship of royal brothers blessed with supernatural
Scarlet Dynasty, the: The Dragon-Blooded of the Great might, and their struggle against their likewise super-
Houses, the ruling elite of the Realm. naturally potent cousins, the Kauravas, who seek to
destroy them and seize the crown.
Scarlet Empress, the: The most powerful Dragon-
Blood in Creation, who ruled the Realm from its birth Fiction
until her disappearance five years ago. Amber, by Roger Zelazny: Though the supernatural
protagonists use their power to tread worlds beneath
secondary school: One of the Realm’s rigorous acad- their feet, ultimately their contests and struggles are
emies of higher learning, attended from ages 15 to 21. driven by family strife as they battle to claim their fa-
Dynasts typically attend either the Cloister of Wisdom, ther’s throne.

12
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 introduction

Codex Alera, by Jim Butcher: An element-bending Television

Romanesque fantasy empire whose adepts don’t mere- Avatar: the Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante
ly control the elements literally, but also conceptually, DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko: Although the magic
such as enhancing strength with Earth or stoking pas- on display draws less on the metaphorical qualities of
sions with Fire. the elements than do Dragon-Blooded Charms, it’s still
an incredible source of inspiration. The Fire Nation
The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, by Futaro Yamada: Against shares the Scarlet Realm’s propensity for world dom-
the backdrop of an imperial succession crisis, the Iga ination, while its royal family is Dynastic politics writ
and the Kouga — two ninja clans who’ve mastered small.
deadly supernatural arts — pursue a generations-long
vendetta to its bitter end. Adapted to manga and anime Avatar: the Legend of Korra, created by Michael
under the title Basilisk. Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko: While it may
not be quite as strong as the original series, Korra still
A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin: The has some great examples of the elemental power the
continent of Westeros spirals into civil war after its Dragon-Blood wield. The third season in particular has
monarch’s demise. The various aristocratic protago- fight scenes that inspired numerous Dragon-Blooded
nists engage in power plays worthy of Dynastic scions, Charms.
while largely ignoring supernatural threats from be-
yond their borders.

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Realm Year 718
Swaddled in the silks and cloth-of-jade of her darkened bedchamber, she stares at the stone that has
defined much of her life, that orb of smoky quartz sparkling with golden light. The light dances across
the ceiling, warm in her hand, and even after seven centuries it enthralls her like a mere child. Is it
dimmer than yesterday, she wonders?
The sun rises, though she cannot see it. She will not rest where the sun’s light can touch her. She
stands, more perfect than any statue, leaving her soldier bedmate snoring softly in the resplendent nest
of a true Dragon. The woman is ageless, ancient, but in truth she has never grown beyond the flame
of her youth, and immortality has taught her to properly bank the embers of humanity. Her bedmate
is a Tepet, all hard curves and scars and queer innocence. The woman idly ponders making her a
magistrate. The Tepet has the temperament, and did her duty with loyalty and zeal.
Padding across the chamber, the woman passes through heavy doors of perfect construction, walks
unseeing past the wealth of nations, past murals of herself and her deeds wrought in jade and
orichalcum, with moonsilver designs twisting slowly through them. The light of the stone catches the
murals, making the orichalcum sun shine on her reign, making the jade of her skin and crown and
blade seem purer and stronger, making the moonsilver of her greatest enemies, Anathema all, dance in
malevolence.
Her servants await her in the next room, as does the Realm. Here, alone and naked before her deeds,
a single sob escapes her lips. She pauses before the stone doors that separate her from them. For
a moment, her bland perfection falters, her perfect vision clouded by salt and sorrow. She presses
the stone to her forehead, hoping it will cool, but it never has — it burns her hands, her forehead, her
Essence, and she can never let this burden go. Her Essence is stone and flame, and the fire is ever
upon her within her depths. Yet embers can grow cold, she fears, and even mountains can fall to the
inexorable sea.
It is a moment, though. The seas recede, salt and water vanishing into air.
The woman straightens and pushes past the next row of doors, into a room ever-lit, full of fragrant
incense and waiting attendants. They swarm about her, careful to never touch the stone nor even glance
upon it for long. Her robes wrap around her, perfectly tied, the scarlet mantle of rulership lowered over
her shoulders. She steps forward as the attendants prostrate themselves and avert their eyes, for she
is not to be seen grasping her heavy crown. She slides the stone into the central socket, a priceless
treasure nestled between two other stones that her kin would otherwise kill and maim for.
The throne isn’t far from her chambers. She sees her children and grandchildren awaiting her, knows
all of their names, knows their hearts and their dreams and their petty schemes in her shadow. They
stand behind the soldiers guarding them from the dread prize in the center of court, two of the heroes of
the hour standing sentinel beside it. This room, too, dances with golden light, and it plays uncomfortably
across the faces of the Dynast and the outcaste presenting their fallen foe to her
Five sculpted dragons of jade curl around her as she sits, resting comfortably in authority. She
examines the Anathema’s grand golden axe, but her eyes flit over to Sesus Eshuvar, making sure that
he notices her focusing more on him than the orichalcum. A small part of her derives great satisfaction
in seeing him redden almost imperceptibly. Behind him, the Anathema’s Essence strains against the
poison coursing in his veins. His head lolls to the side, a chalky line of toxic saliva hanging from his lips.
Needles of white jade pierce all his chakras, guttering and grounding his power in the elements of the
world.
She smiles a perfect smile, the merest sliding door into the desperate joy she feels. “Your Hearth has
done their duty to the Realm and to me,” she says. “You will be rewarded.”

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 Chapter One

The Dragon-Blooded
History of the with their own kin. But this was nothing compared
to the Usurpation, when — heeding the prophecies of
Dragon-Blooded the Sidereal Exalted — thousands of Dragon-Blooded
gathered to strike down their corrupted Solar masters,
Ten thousand dragons rule the world. But it was not even those who’d been as mothers and fathers to them.
always so. Many who remained loyal to the Solars fought to the
death, and much of the Dragons’ blood was spilled.
In the Time Before, when the Incarnae raised up
champions to wage war against their creators, the With the Sidereals withdrawn to Heaven, the Lunars
Five Elemental Dragons likewise shared their power fled to world’s edge, and the Solars buried, the Dragon-
with mortals, creating a great host of elemental heroes Blooded became Princes of the Earth, and Creation was
to serve as officers and champions in the armies that theirs to command — insofar as their strength and will
battled the enemies of the gods. These were called allowed. They raised cities and nations, tamed jungles
Dragon-Blooded because their power was borne in and watered deserts, and raised jade swords against
their blood and passed on to the next generation, and monsters and Fair Folk that would molest the world
those who survived the Divine Revolution begat lin- they ruled. This was the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate.
eages of power that grew and spread across Creation.
Their power might have sufficed to protect the world,
The Dragon-Blooded served many roles in the Exalted had not their struggles torn it apart. Gentes that had
courts of the First Age. Often they were courted by the fought at each others’ sides were soon enough at each
Celestial Exalted and other great powers to serve as others’ throats. Only one Prince of the Earth could be
generals, adjutants, bannerets, governors, and emis- Shogun — a role some sought out of principle, others
saries. But the world was wide and filled with places for ambition, and still others for fear of what harm
where the blood of the Dragons could take root un- might come to them and theirs should a rival take
challenged. Some joined together as oligarchs; others the throne. The glass towers of Chiaroscuro toppled;
began their rule alone, only to become matriarchs or the island cities of Karai sank into the sea; the flying
patriarchs to extended broods of Exalted offspring. fortress Godswatch fell from the sky.

Fragments of that era still linger in hidden corners of But for all their feuding, the daimyos and Shogunate gentes
the world. The art of the Zebremani people of the South came together to face true threats to the world. And when
traditionally depicts their heroes as crowned with fire decades of escalating Fair Folk assaults culminated in an
or mantled with storms. The vast undersea palace ruled overwhelming tide on the eve of the Great Contagion, the
by the storm mother Konobala was once home to the surviving Dragon-Blooded gathered en masse to oppose
Water Aspect princes of the Nine-Eyed Throne. The them. They died and they died, but while their defense may
Sliver-of-a-Dream Pagoda, perched high upon the sheer have seemed hopeless, it wasn’t fruitless, for they bought
southern face of Wujun Mountain, is still accessible only time. With that time, a Sworn Kinship of Dragon-Blooded
by the handholds that the hermit Love-is-Lightning infiltrated the sealed manse controlling the Sword of
carved into the living rock with his bare hands. Creation — which would come to be known as the Realm
Defense Grid — and that Kinship’s sole survivor wielded
As the Celestial Exalted warred against one another, its powers to shatter the Fair Folk invasion.
especially amid the Great Interregnum of the First
Age, so too did the Dragon-Blooded first do battle With that power in her hands, she never let go.

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 c hapter o ne : the dra g o n - b l o o ded

Styling herself the Scarlet Empress, she built a Lookshy’s ancient gentes protect the Scavenger Lands
Creation-spanning empire in the ruins of the old world. from the Realm’s territorial ambitions, and fan the em-
She had many children; through careful marriage, she bers of a dream of a Shogunate reborn.
brought the surviving gentes of the Blessed Isle into her
sprawling dynasty. Outcastes of less certain lineage she Here and there amidst the Threshold, beyond the
gathered into her legions and the Immaculate Order. Realm’s reach, smaller cabals of Dragon-Blooded hold
sway. In the East, the poisoner-assassins of the Grass
Today, her Scarlet Dynasty is divided into ten Great Houses: Spider clan spread terror beneath the aegis of the
extended families each comprised of hundreds of Dragon- Three Elite Fiends. In the South, the rogue Imperial
Blooded, all tangled in a web of alliances and feuds based legion of Saloy Hin gathers outcastes to its banner.
on marriages, friendships, contracts, grudges, vendettas, In the West, the heretical Sisterhood of Pearls offers
and ambitions both familial and personal. Mortal patrician community to those willing to accept its austerities. In
families carry enough of the blood of the Dragons that their the North, the blood of the Dragons mingles with that
children occasionally Exalt; cadet houses in the Threshold of the fae in the Cult of the Violet Fang.
marry into the Great Houses and swear allegiance to the
Scarlet Throne; and peasant outcastes swear fealty to the And everywhere there are outcastes born to mortal
throne and join the Imperial legions, or set worldly things families, sparks fallen far from the great Dragon-
aside to enter the Immaculate Order. From their seat on Blooded flame. Discovering their Essence and their
the Blessed Isle, ten thousand dragons rule the world. might in isolation, each is a lone hero, making her mark
on her own small corner of the world.
But the Dynasty is only half the story.

Thousands of Princes of the Earth hold sway in distant Dragon-Blooded Exaltation

Prasad, in name a Realm satrapy, in effect an independent
Unlike the Solar Exalted, who inherit the legacy
empire encroaching on the shores of the Dreaming Sea.
and memories of past heroes with their Exaltation,
Thousands more command the battlements of Lookshy,
the Chosen of the Five Elemental Dragons have no
settled after the Great Contagion by a Shogunate legion.

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

THE IMMACULATE TEXTS

A TERRESTRIAL CENSUS
Though it traces its intellectual roots back to the
No one knows the exact number of Dragon-Blood- works of First Age philosophers, metaphysicians,
ed in Creation today. Approximate numbers fol- and priests, Immaculate doctrine as Creation knows
low: it was constructed by the Sidereal Exalted as a tool
to support Dragon-Blooded hegemony under the
Dynasts: 10,000 Shogunate. A few texts in the Immaculate canon
were wholly fabricated. Most, however, originated
Dynastic outcastes: 4,000
from a variety of ancient creeds, being subsumed
Cadet house members: 750 into Immaculate doctrine after being subtly altered
where necessary by Bronze Faction savants. Still,
Patricians: 250 the Dynasty and Lookshy sincerely believe in the ve-
racity of the Immaculate Texts and regard them as
Prasadi: 2,000 a valuable resource in understanding their history.
Lookshyans: 3,000

Foreign outcastes: 5,000

mortality — albeit adorned with wealth and power to
beggar the imagination of most in Creation.

Outcastes are a different story. Some may have dreamed

previous incarnations nor memories of past lives. But about becoming Dragon-Blooded, but in the same way
the Dragon’s blood can pass to their offspring, a well- they might wish to find a lost treasure in the field, or
spring of elemental power that grows with each new catch a visiting merchant’s eye and marry rich. It’s
generation of Exalted. Within the blood of their first the stuff of childish fantasies. But for a rare few, those
Chosen, the Elemental Dragons created an inexhaust- fantasies come true.
ible lineage of Dragon-Blooded, a potentially infinite
host of Princes of the Earth. The Moment of Exaltation
Awaiting Exaltation As a Dragon-Blood Exalts, her Essence and nature
become unmistakable. Her anima flares to life as the
Not every mortal who carries the blood of the Dragons power within her bloodline becomes more than mere
will Exalt. There’s no reliable method to tell whether potential. Within her body, Exaltation awakens as she
or not a child will, but the strength of her parents’ takes her Second Breath. Peril cannot coax Terrestrial
pedigree will increase or decrease her chances, as will Exaltation out of blood without potential, nor can a life
their accumulated progenitive Essence (p. 97) and of leisure keep someone with the right blood from at-
myriad other factors, including simple luck. taining her birthright, but Exaltation does tend to find
the Dragon-Blooded while they’re facing adversity,
Terrestrial Exaltation typically occurs during child- challenge, or change. This is often quick, the catalyst of
hood or adolescence. A scion of an exceptional family disaster igniting Exaltation in an instant, but can occur
might Exalt as young as nine, though the early teen gradually, building over hours before culmination.
years are far more common. No one on record older
than twenty has ever Exalted as a Chosen of the Pushed to the ground one too many times by the city
Dragons, and past the age of seventeen the odds wors- guard, a street urchin finds unexpected strength within
en with every passing year. his blood. He stands up as tall as he can manage and feels
as though a great pillar has grown within him; the hard
Dynastic children spend their childhoods anticipating ground below is no longer uninviting. When the guard
the moment that will change their future, or dreading strikes again, the boy cannot be moved.
the day they become too old for their chance. Their
Exaltations are expected — maybe not with confi- Faced with expulsion for anything less than a perfect grade,
dence, but certainly with passion. They know well that a patrician’s lazy daughter is finally afraid enough of losing
they have two possible futures ahead: one marked by her family’s respect to study long into the night. The swirl-
Exaltation and success, another by the limitations of ing winds that keep her company grow stronger with every

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passing hour, and her mind seems to expand into something the fallout of Terrestrial Exaltation are uncommon —
new and infinite. The gathering storm breaks at dawn, and most people have the sense to leave the area as soon
with it comes a sudden flash of insight and power. as a child begins to glow with power — but property
damage and injuries are almost guaranteed.
The Elemental Dragons don’t speak to their Chosen
during Exaltation, but the Dragon-Blooded experience At first he takes the news of his sister’s death well, but she
a great connection to their elemental Aspect, pulling was always the strong one. He sinks deeper and deeper
them out of themselves and into something greater. into depression, until one night his parents find him,
half-drowned, in his third-floor bedroom. Water drips
Running away from home in a fit of defiance, a child of down through the floorboards, drenching the manor in
Lookshy soon realizes her folly. But something beckons his endless tears.
her forward, deep within the Eastern woods, calling her
name in a way she cannot explain. She’d always been a Tied for top marks in swordplay, she will stop at nothing
city girl, fond of tidiness and wary of dirt, but she comes to defeat her rival. The mock battle has already lasted
back with flowers in her hair and wildness in her veins. twenty minutes, but the other girl is just as relentless.
Their wooden practice swords catch fire at the same in-
He never believed his mother’s wild claims about his stant, burning hot with their wielders’ ferocity. Panicked
heritage. A secret affair with a Dynast? Surely that only teachers start clearing the building, hoping that both
happened in stories. But when the merchant caravan girls survive their Exaltations so their respective fami-
turns the corner and he sees the base of the Imperial lies might split the cost of repairs.
Mountain for the first time, his heart leaps and he un-
derstands. The pole is pulling him home, has always been Elemental Aspects
pulling him back to a family he never knew. The caravan
jerks to a stop under his sudden, certain weight. Just as Creation is anchored by the five Elemental
Poles, when a Dragon-Blood Exalts, her strength is an-
Raw and uncontrolled, a Dragon-Blood’s Essence at the
chored by a single element. Although all five elements
moment of Exaltation can be dangerous. Deaths from

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

ELEMENTAL TEMPERAMENT

A Dragon-Blood’s Aspect influences her personality, but doesn’t override or control her mind. Its effects could
be compared to making a new group of friends: A gang of eager peers might make certain courses of action
more tempting and easy, and others harder or less interesting, but they can’t turn her into a completely dif-
ferent person. A quiet and meek young man who Exalts as a Fire Aspect might become more passionate and
confident, but he wouldn’t become a hotheaded zealot if that wasn’t in his nature.

In Dragon-Blooded cultures, the heritable nature of Aspects reinforces their importance, as the influence of
someone’s Exaltation is coupled with the influence her relatives have on childhood. Stereotypes about the
Aspects, built upon the deeds of past Terrestrials, offer further encouragement to conform to the expected
niche. Outcasts, orphans, and those who Exalt out of Aspect with their households often stray further from
their Aspect’s leanings.

are part of every Dragon-Blood’s power, her Aspect’s and solutions that are as complex as they are grand.
element is the most important, its powers the most The Children of Mela often become great scholars,
natural. It lives within her, awakening new potential incredible spies, and masterminds who plan ahead for
and influencing every moment of the rest of her life. centuries — or head-in-the-clouds elitists who detach
themselves from the repercussions of their actions in
A Dragon-Blood’s Aspect isn’t a reflection of past the world below.
deeds, secret strengths, or personality, but rather a
product of her blood alone. Like Terrestrial Exaltation Earth is sturdy, patient, and unchanging. It grants cer-
itself, Aspects run along bloodlines. The child of two tainty, centeredness, and a fondness for strong founda-
Water Aspects is likely to be the same, and the child of tions in tradition. Very little can deter the Children of
an Air Aspect and an Earth Aspect will probably be one Pasiap from getting where they want to be; rather than
of the two. Through this tendency, the Great Houses giving way or changing course, they’ll simply endure
of the Realm have maintained their elemental lineages all obstacles and challenges. The strength of their con-
over the centuries. But the elements aren’t completely victions and the patience of their thought make them
disparate. Every Dragon-Blood contains the potential calm and stable generals, talented artificers, and pious
for all five Aspects, ready to be passed down to future monks. They can also become entombed by old ideas,
offspring. Especially in places where Dragon-Blooded unable to see the need for change and growth.
are common, society loves to gossip when one Exalts
out of Aspect — looking back at her childhood for Fire is passionate, bold, and temperamental. It makes
“proof” her Aspect was always the most fitting, or even its Chosen impossible to ignore, whether they’re the
suggesting that her parentage might not be as claimed life of the party or the decorated general who’s leading
— but the difference is a matter of chance. the charge. The Children of Hesiesh are driven by
larger-than-life passions, experiencing ecstatic joy and
Each Aspect is only part of a whole, with its own furious rage in equal measure. They make charming
strengths and failings. A Dragon-Blood’s Aspect influ- socialites, and excel at armed combat. They also make
ences not only what skills come most naturally to her, fearsome monsters, prone to fits of destruction and
but also how she approaches life. A young Terrestrial rage when things don’t go their way.
might develop new interests and new ways of think-
ing and speaking in the months after her Exaltation, Water is flowing, unpredictable, and unrelenting. It
impelled by her elemental Aspect. Her body changes grants its Chosen a terrible patience, like the crashing
even more profoundly, gradually coming into align- of tides that tear apart a shoreline piece by piece over
ment with the power inside her. centuries. The Children of Daana’d are nonetheless
adaptable, fitting their skills to a wide variety of roles.
The Five Elements As bureaucrats and social problem-solvers, they
Air is subtle, invisible, and impossible to pin down strike a careful balance between respectful diligence
or contain. It steers its Chosen towards seeing the and the flow of new ideas, carrying things forward
big picture from a bird’s-eye view, constructing plans on a gentle current of progress. Their natural grace
also makes them well-suited to martial arts, and they

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make exceptional sailors. At their worst, they can be emotions. She is a tempest, a bonfire, a tsunami, a
fickle and underhanded, hiding treachery beneath a force of nature given flesh and walking among mortals.
mirror-calm surface. Essence seethes and thrashes within her, driving her
to be as aloof, passionate, or nurturing as her Aspect
Wood is growing, nurturing, and vivaciously alive. It dictates.
makes its Chosen an integral part of Creation’s living
world, pushing them to spread and reach and grow into Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as One
their complete selves. Poison, disease, and predation
are as much a part of the natural world as healing and The Dragons’ Essence urges its possessors to band
rebirth, and the Children of Sextes Jylis learn to master together and form families and clans. In this regard,
both. They excel as doctors and animal handlers, and most Dragon-Blooded have an advantage over many
thrive in wild places. Some become hedonists, living other Exalted. A newly fledged Solar struggles alone
only for pleasure without regard for others, while to master her towering, heroic might. A neophyte
others form complex webs of social interconnections. Dragon-Blood of the Realm, however, has her family to
consult about the radical changes she undergoes — not
Essence Fever to mention the close friends she’ll make in primary
and secondary school. Though she may choose to seek
The blood of the Dragons doesn’t course idly through solitude, she’s never alone.
the veins as mundane blood does. It races, every drop
alive with the vitality of Creation itself. The rush of el- Beyond family, a Dragon-Blood seeks the mutual bond
emental power within a Dragon-Blood feels as though of elemental Essence among her peers. Comrades
she’s just woken from the sleep of the dead, brimming formed in battle may then undertake the rite of Sworn
with raw, untamed power. Like all Essence, it yearns to Kinship (p. 104). At a smaller, more intimate level, she
be used, and it drives the Dragon-Blooded to greatness. also forms close relationships with Dragon-Blooded
friends and lovers — partnerships kindled by the mu-
Essence drives the Chosen to powerful, reckless deeds. tual Essence of the Dragons within them.
A young Terrestrial Exalt not only has to contend with
the unfurling power within her, but also the mundane On a grander scale, the Dragon-Blooded band together
changes she’s undergoing. The Essence of the Dragons to establish societies. Almost any native of Creation
is volatile, capable of passionate love and tempestuous knows of the Scarlet Dynasty and many have heard
rage. A newly Exalted Dragon-Blooded is encouraged tales of Lookshy. These are the largest, most prominent
to spar and roughhouse to vent these passions. Her examples of Dragon-Blooded societies, but they’re not
Aspect shapes not just her body, but her mind and the only ones.

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 The Scarlet Dynasty
Ten Thousand Dragons Rule Creation a multigenerational legend of heroism and nobility.
Civilization springs up in their wake. Monarchs The Exalted Dynast carries all the weight and promise
kneel before them. The Anathema flee their of this inheritance.
might, or face judgment in reincarnation. All
glory to the Princes of the Earth. Since the Scarlet Empress’ disappearance, the Great
Houses have turned their attentions toward succes-
The children of the Scarlet Empress em- sion. Each house champions one or more would-be
body nobility in the Second Age. Born into heirs to better control the future of the Realm. They
affluence and raised to command, Dynasts hoard power, cannibalizing the empire to prepare for a
lead lives of grand adventure and intrigue. war over the throne.
Generations of Dynasts have built the great-
est military machine in all of Creation. Due All Wealth and Glory
Centuries of Dragon-Blooded plunder, trade, and trib-
The Heart of Civilization ute from across the Inland Sea have brought the Realm
All bounty flows from the Blessed Isle, and immeasurable wealth. Though young Dynasts grow
to it all wealth returns. This is the Realm of under impossible pressure, those who Exalt may claim
the Scarlet Empress: a beautiful, temperate all of Creation’s wonders as their own. The Princes of
continent blessed with abundance and the Earth live in opulent splendor, and claim servants,
kept by the Princes of the Earth. Here the jade, and priceless artifact heirlooms as a matter of
Dragon-Blooded have created a stable home course. This standard of living is the Dynast’s just
with unparalleled standards of living and reward for her holy responsibilities.
education, where even mortals may labor in
safety and comfort. A Perfected Philosophy
The Immaculate Order is the official religion of the
The Realm also commands the fealty of Realm and all its satrapies. Monks of the Order enforce
a vast empire of Threshold nations. a strict social and spiritual hierarchy, with the Dragon-
These satrapies seek to appease the Blooded at its apex. The Princes of the Earth command
Scarlet Dynasty with tributes of lesser beings as a holy duty, and worship as they wish.
wealth and piety, seeking protection Dragon-Blooded monks wipe out heresy and humble
in turn. The Dragon-Blooded tame recalcitrant gods through potent martial arts. When
Creation, kingdom by kingdom, Anathema threaten the security of the empire, Dynasts
crushing any who stand against work together in a deadly Wyld Hunt.
their progress.
Play a Dynast if you want
Houses of the Dragons
Dynasts draw their • to wield influence in Creation’s mightiest
identity from the empire.
tangled blood-
lines of the • to champion your house through heroism and
Great Houses. intrigue.
These sprawling
• to live in affluence, and wield heirlooms of ele-
noble families jockey
mental might.
against each other for
advantage, wielding nations as • to spread the Immaculate Philosophy through
cat’s-paws. Thick with the word and deed.
blood of the Five Elemental
Dragons, each house boasts • to hunt the Anathema to the edge of Creation.

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 The Seventh Legion
of Lookshy
The Shogunate Still Stands through service to the Seventh Legion. Pedigree may
One army defines martial excellence in the provide opportunities, but cannot purchase victory.
Second Age. One city binds together the dispa-
rate cultures of the Scavenger Lands. One enemy The Seventh Legion derives authority from dedication
thwarts the might of the Realm, again and again. to the fallen Shogunate, and views the Scarlet Empress
The Seventh Legion of Lookshy endures. as a usurper. Lookshy’s gentes believe a worthy Shogun
will one day appear and restore the Shogunate’s full
The Exalted soldiers of the Seventh Legion seek glory across Creation. The soldiers of the Seventh
mastery of warfare and of themselves. They Legion faithfully prepare for that day.
deny the Realm’s sovereignty and defend the
freedom of the Scavenger Lands. The long-lost Wonders of a Lost Age
Dragon-Blooded Shogunate lives on through the The Shogunate spanned all of Creation, using weapons
Seventh Legion, until the day it rises anew. and infrastructure preserved from the First Age. Many
such wonders are lost or broken, but a precious sliver of
Defenders of the Scavenger Lands First Age weaponry remains active in Lookshy’s stock-
The Seventh Legion honors and obeys its pile. The Seventh Legion uses these wonders sparingly,
final order, given centuries ago: to preserve for many are fragile or limited in use, and all are irre-
Shogunate governance in the River placeable. Highly prized sorcerer-engineers maintain
Province. Forever honing its warrior this stockpile and strive to restore lost wonders.
heritage, Lookshy has built a system of
defense contracts throughout Creation’s War Without End
melting pot. The soldiers of the Seventh As constant warfare tempered the Shogunate, so does
Legion are hard-nosed, scrupulous protec- it refine the righteous warrior. Lookshyans view mar-
tors to neighbors who pay their dues. tial readiness and service as lifelong spiritual duties.
Dragon-Blooded and mortals cultivate spiritual per-
To maintain order in the Scavenger fection together through military excellence, shared
Lands, the Seventh Legion maintains dedication, and personal responsibility. Lookshy’s
constant vigilance. Lifelong dis- Immaculate sohei forgo evangelism and forced conver-
cipline shapes Dragon-Blooded sion in favor of individual guidance. They often serve in
soldiers capable of waging war the military, to address spiritual challenges in the field
at any time, against any foe. and lead soldiers toward righteousness by example.
Lookshy fields forces across
the Scavenger Lands, Play a member of the Seventh Legion if you want
forging alliances against
aggressive invaders and • to serve in Creation’s most renowned warrior
Anathema insurgents. culture.

Blood of the Daimyos • to embrace the ancient legacy of the Dragon-

Lookshy’s most hon- Blooded Shogunate.
ored bloodlines trace
• to claim the Scavenger Lands as your home and
descent back to the ancient
your charge.
Shogunate. These gentes build
heroic legends through centuries • to discover and explore lost secrets of First Age
of military excellence. Dragon- artifice.
Blooded soldiers uphold the worth
and resourcefulness of their bloodlines • to explore spiritual self-refinement through duty.

24
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 The Empire of Prasad
All Things Bend To Divinity Prasadi clans determine lineage and inheritance, while
Living gods carry the blood of dragons. Forgotten a person’s tribe informs their talents and purpose in
empires tremble at their ambition. Their lives society. Social groups live in specific, traditional neigh-
trace an intricate dance of caste and clan, of borhoods and enclaves, leaving casteless untouchables
body and soul, across lifetimes. All hail the on the edges of society.
Dragon Caste of Prasad.
Twin Dragon-Blooded clans control Prasad: Burano,
The Dragon Caste were once Dynasts who traditional and wise; and Ophris, sensual and clever.
embraced new life in the distant Southeast. The ruler of the empire invariably descends from one
Now they live as gods, worshiped by mortals of the two clans, while her elected heir descends from
under the philosophy of the Pure Way. Prasad the other. Would-be heirs run lavish campaigns to win
expands aggressively, claiming ever more of the votes from upper-caste citizens.
bountiful Dreaming Sea.
Manifest Destiny
Jewel of the Frontier The Dreaming Sea offers immense wealth and ancient
So storied was the wealth of Prasad and its mysteries to any with the strength to claim them. With
capital Kamthahar, enriched by trade along abundance comparable to the Blessed Isle, and the
the Jade Road, that word of its treasures confidence of a young empire, Prasad grows by leaps
soon reached the Imperial City. Two Great and bounds. Beyond the edges of known civilization,
Houses once competed to pacify Prasad the Dragon Caste leads a holy war of expansion against
in the name of the Scarlet Empress, then primal monsters, Fair Folk, and the sorcerous prodigies
conspired to claim it themselves. They of older nations.
installed themselves as Prasad’s
highest caste, then expanded out- Spirit And Flesh Made One
ward with Kamthahar as their The Empire of Prasad follows a syncretic Immaculate
new capital. heresy, the Pure Way, which views Dragon-Blooded as
gods and encourages their direct worship. According
The Empire of Prasad to the Pure Way, gods and elementals fall within the
remains a satrapy in name cycle of reincarnation, and even Anathema may earn
and sends yearly tribute, a place in the cycle. Prasadi Dragon-Blooded seek out
but it doesn’t serve the reincarnated comrades, forming Sworn Kinships said
Realm. The Dragon Caste to persist across lifetimes.
treats with Dynasts as distant
cousins. Dynasts occasionally Play a member of the Dragon Caste if you want
visit Prasad for an “exotic, yet civ-
ilized” getaway, or to experience • to be worshiped as an elemental god.
the thrill of conquest in a younger
empire. Prasadi Dragon-Blooded • to politick with gods and their offspring.
sometimes travel to the Blessed Isle for
• to explore exotic locales, and conquer them.
education, trade, or diplomacy.
• to live in splendor beyond the reach of the Great
By Caste and Clan
Houses.
Prasadi citizens belong to discrete groups
with complex, overlapping relationships. •
to champion a philosophy of purifying
Castes define Prasad’s hierarchy, from reincarnation.
the meanest laborers to the holy Dragon-Blooded.

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 The Forest Witches
One Does Not Claim A Place By Conquest In Defense of Atsiluth Eternal
They carry beauty in their hearts and eyes. They know Oreithyia and the Sea of Mind satisfy worldly needs,
no fear of death. They are criminals, gurus, and revo- but these wonders have limits. The Forest Witches
lutionaries. The Forest Witches rule without name. forage beyond their home for beauty to appease the
woods and for occult power to feed the pool. Many
In an Eastern wood where outsiders dare not Forest Witches engage in banditry, or proselytize
tread, a commune of Dragon-Blooded have to draw wealthy pilgrims to the Sea of Mind. Others
built for themselves a paradise. Free of conven- infiltrate and influence far-flung communities.
tional mortality, the Forest Witches expand
their influence both subtly and brutally. Regardless of method, the Forest Witches practice cau-
They are beyond doubt, beyond fear, and tion. They know that neighboring nations would covet
beyond understanding by lesser minds. the wonders of the forest, and that the Immaculate
Order would punish their transgressions against mor-
Beyond Memories tality. They expand their power anonymously, ruling
of Hardship without name.
The woods contain many
wonders, all laid at Beyond Life and Death
the feet of the Forest The Forest Witches aren’t immortal, yet they do not
Witches. Oreithyia, fear death. Those who die while connected to the Sea
the soul of the living of Mind may retire to a rewarding afterlife in Atsiluth
forest, serves the Eternal, or continue to explore Creation through the
Witches’ needs, Sea of Mind. They may even inhabit specially made ar-
and all its creatures mors to affect true Creation. Some Forest Witches use
obey them. Homes unique magics to direct their own reincarnations, or
grow from flora as cut away their humanity to become mist-born spirits
needed; game seeks called numina.
out the hunter; babes
entrusted to the A World More Beautiful
woods return as hardy Forest Witches who’ve seen the Sea of Mind need never
adolescents. With their leave it, unless exiled by the dead. No matter where a
earthly needs cared for, Witch roams, she sees a world of glorious wonder and
the Forest Witches focus on thrilling shadows. Frustrating details fade from aware-
grander things. ness, providing a continually satisfying experience,
free of the inconsequential. To a Forest Witch, dangers
Deep in the forest, a pool seem more exciting, tragedies more heart-wrenching,
gives new eyes to those and opponents more sinister.
who peer within. This pool
contains the Sea of Mind, a Play a Forest Witch if you want
beautiful reflection of true
Creation. Here, the dead live • to wield the keys to paradise.
on in the paradisiacal city
of Atsiluth Eternal. Living • to stride like a giant in the Sea of Mind.
Forest Witches partake of
this utopia at the suffer- • to adventure beyond death as a living memory.
ance of the dead, and walk
• to infiltrate other societies across successive
through the Sea of Mind
reincarnations.
wherever they travel.
• to sacrifice form and join the numina.

28
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 The Outcastes
Embrace Your Birthright grand dowries to infuse the blood of the Dragons into
They are the face of heroism across Creation. their own. Even other Exalted may seek the support
They are kin to dragons, beholden to none. and protection of a Prince of the Earth. Opportunity
Compelled by blood, they rise from obscurity. abounds for an open-minded outcaste.
Each outcaste is unique, and each is connected.
The Realm hungers for outcastes most of all. Dragon-
The blood of the Dragons awakens unexpectedly Blooded born to wealthy patrician families may expect
in slaves and princes across Creation. Outcastes offers of adoption or fosterage from the Great Houses.
derive their power from this blood alone, rather To common- or foreign-born outcastes, the Realm
than from any nation’s authority. They wield ele- offers position and purpose in the Imperial legions and
mental might without fear of persecution, sought Immaculate Order.
by all and answering to none.
No Lords, No Masters
Heroes of the Threshold Not all lost eggs were born in obscurity. Inevitably,
Outcastes arise from every nation and some who are born to greatness scorn their place or
from the uncharted spaces between. Though disgrace it. Monks lose faith; scions of the Great Houses
few outcastes have the resources or training turn away from rulership; Lookshyan soldiers desert,
afforded to Dynasts, their potential is the and forsake their names in shame. Creation holds
same. Each is a warrior born, driven to seek vast spaces for those who’ve lost their homes. Ronin,
out their peers, to define themselves in retirees, and atoners seek freedom and anonymity in
love and war, in service and the Threshold, and often find new purpose, identity,
command. and allies.

For all the advantages that A Legacy in the Making

other Dragon-Blooded Outcastes don’t always know how the blood of the
may claim, outcastes enjoy Dragons entered their family line, but each may pass
unprecedented freedom among that blood on. Every outcaste carries the potential for
the Exalted. They need not fear the a new heroic legacy, unique in all Creation. Prominent
Wyld Hunt, and may expect good treatment bloodlines draw more Dragon-Blooded, eager to build
by civilized mortals. As well, outcastes may a brood that may one day rival the Great Houses.
forego these privileges and explore beyond
civilization’s reach. For every lost egg Play an outcaste if you want
that journeys to the Blessed Isle looking
for a place to belong, another adventures • to be your own elemental hero.
across the Threshold, guided by her own
philosophy. • to explore the length and breadth of Creation.

Soldiers of Fortune • to bring an outsider’s perspective to Dragon-

Blooded society.
The Princes of the Earth are legendary
warriors, lovers, and monarch-makers. • to stand apart from what you once stood for.
Rulers, merchants, and generals offer
exorbitant wealth for a Dragon-Blood’s • to build a legacy all your own.
loyal service. Wealthy families pay

30
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Realm Year 748

“Filthy merchants, profiting off the risks others take.”

Nellens Leferi turned to see who’d tossed the comment her way, her waiting horse forgotten. Sesus Daral fixed
her with a cruel smirk, all muscle and chiseled features and swooning entourage. Leferi’s bodyguards bristled,
but she waved them back with her free hand, her prized drinking horn in the other.

She didn’t have to look up to know the entire guest list of the gala she’d just left would be watching how this
little drama played out. House Peleps was playing host tonight, which meant short of preventing a death neither
side would be getting any favors.

“You’ve correctly identified my profession,” she said, casually sipping her drink. “Yet it seems your tutors were
remiss in properly explaining how it works.” She tilted her head to the side. “Probably several tutors. Speaking
slowly.”

“You thin-blooded Nellens cur!” The young talonlord punctuated his remark with a dazzling and textbook-perfect
spinning roundhouse. That’s the problem with textbooks, though — anyone can read them. Leferi had.

She caught his foot neatly with her free hand and jerked it skyward, then delivered a swift kick to his other knee
that sent him sprawling. Laughter came from the terrace above, though Daral silenced most of it with a glare.

“Merchants understand three things above all else,” Leferi continued, unperturbed. “The first is to read
the market.” She hopped back over a foot sweep and sidestepped a punch, still not spilling a drop of wine.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t always take very long.”

“You dishonor yourself and your house with this clowning,” Daral hissed, and Leferi felt the rush of Essence as
his skin shifted to match the stones beneath their feet, his anima flaring. “I won’t brook such an insult to the
name of Sesus’ father.”

“It seems the House of Bells regrettably neglected the theatrical arts,” Leferi mused, letting her eyes drift
skyward in mock contemplation. “Or am I mistaken in remembering that the clown is generally the one being
laughed at?”

“We’ll see who’s laughing in a moment,” Daral spat. This time he chose his strikes cautiously, fists and feet
chipping stones when they missed her, but Leferi was patient. She ducked and weaved, then slid around a
savage punch and boxed his ear. Daral staggered back, dizzy, while Leferi took yet another sip.

“The second thing a merchant learns is risk,” she continued, as if chatting over drinks and not brawling in the
street. Perhaps she was, even if he wasn’t. “You? Pretty, perhaps, but rash. Definitely low risk.”

“For the honor of my house!” Daral yelled, flaring anima and rushing at her like a boulder crashing down a
mountainside. The crowd gasped, but Leferi just sighed and leaned into the charge. He glanced off her hip, and
as he fell she came down on top of him, neatly locking his wrist into a painful hold. She took another sip of her
drink.

“You, on the other hand, calculated poorly.” She shifted her weight, getting a pained yelp, and tightened the hold
further to discourage his struggles. “To open trade routes, I’ve killed monsters that would send you screaming
back to your wet nurse. I’ve swallowed poison to seal bargains with barbarian chieftains. I’ve explored ruins
where past expeditions vanished without a trace, and held parties on their stones.”

Leferi twisted his hand even tighter, drawing a cry of pain. “Now, last lesson, so listen well. A good merchant
learns to find profit in anything.” She released him and rose smoothly to her feet, stepping away as he groaned
and clutched his injured hand. “For example, by showing mercy to an unworthy opponent, I’ve raised my status
among the esteemed worthies watching. Which in turn means more lucrative contracts for my house.”

She finished her drink and saluted the assembled guests on the terrace, to polite applause from the gathering
above. As she mounted up, Leferi at last permitted herself a small smile. “Thank you, Sesus Daral. It’s been a
pleasure doing business with you.”

32
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 Chapter Two

The Great Houses

Ten Great Houses form the Scarlet Dynasty, each bear-
ing the name of the legendary ancestor who founded its
lineage. In the earliest days of the Realm, the Empress
FADING BLOODLINES
adopted powerful and influential Dragon-Blooded
as her daughters, elevating their families to Great A household’s bloodline can grow so thin through
intermarriage with mortal lineages that it large-
Houses. As she consolidated her rule, she rewarded
ly stops producing Dragon-Blooded scions. Such
those of her own children who proved their worth and
households live in fear of being stricken from the
won her favor with the right to found a Great House.
house’s ledgers. They make wild efforts to find
The ten that stand today aren’t the only houses ever better marriage prospects for their children, often
raised — the Realm’s history is littered with the bones putting themselves deep in debt to House Ragara
of fallen houses, struck from the Imperial ledgers as or other lenders in order to offer sufficient sums
punishment for failure or treachery. at the marriage table.
The houses are more than mere families. Each has
spent centuries amassing not just glory and jade, but
also relationships, traditions, and vendettas. Likewise,
their numbers have grown; even the smallest house take the name of its original matriarch after their
counts hundreds of Dragon-Blooded in its ranks, and house’s name. For instance, Mnemon Rulinsei Ghova
most have well over a thousand. Each house’s scions takes his name from his great-grandmother Mnemon
fight side by side in house legions and garrisons, join Rulinsei. (An especially prestigious husband married to
forces in the intrigues of the Thousand Scales and a less noteworthy wife may bestow his name upon the
the Deliberative, and cooperate in business ventures bloodline instead, but this is highly unusual.)
throughout the Blessed Isle and across the Threshold.
Each Great House forms a nation unto itself, embedded A house bloodline might have its own particular propen-
into the Realm’s body politic. And while many deem sities distinct from the parent house — dedication to a
themselves patriots, others — perhaps most — are particular branch of the Imperial Service, perhaps, or a
members of a Great House first and Dynasts second. different elemental Aspect. By and large, however, they’re
as much a part of the parent house as any other scions.
While the Great Houses have ever vied against each
other for power, influence, and wealth, the stern hand The House Matriarch
of the Scarlet Empress bent their conflicts to serve
her will. With her disappearance, their ambition is A Great House matriarch commands enormous wealth,
unchecked, and all eyes turn to the empty throne. power, and respect. But she has little opportunity to
exercise it on her own behalf, for her responsibilities
Major Bloodlines to the house are numerous and onerous. She arranges
scions’ schooling and marriages; manages businesses,
When a Dynastic household produces multiple Dragon- properties, and other assets; oversees the house trea-
Blooded offspring and garners significant wealth and sury; and gives marching orders to the house’s loyal
prestige, its renown rubs off on its scions. A house senators, ministers, and the like. She’s also responsible
matriarch may recognize such a lineage once it’s grown for mediating conflicts within the house and with
sufficiently prominent by elevating it to one of the major other houses — while meeting with generals, admirals,
bloodlines of the house. Members of a major bloodline and strategists to orchestrate military operations.

34
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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

House Property
DYNASTIC NAMES
The Great Houses leased their lands from the Empress,
The Shogunate gentes named their children in the who owned all real estate on the Blessed Isle. While the
tongue of the Old Realm, a language of alternating house matriarch holds onto most of the house’s land-
consonants and vowels. Dynastic names typically lease deeds, she may transfer individual leases — such
follow that pattern — C-V-C-V-C or C-V-C-V-C-V as those for manses — to specific scions or households
— though most names are chosen for euphony for a time. Similarly, the matriarch commands the
rather than meaning. Patrician and cadet house house’s treasury, whose revenues she allocates as she
scions often follow the same pattern, whether sees fit.
from parallel Shogunate origins or in emulation
of the Great Houses, but this isn’t universal. The house’s hearthstones and artifacts are likewise
the matriarch’s to apportion. However, bonding with
artifacts takes time and a compatible disposition. Once
a loyal scion awakens an heirloom’s Evocations, the
To accomplish these goals, the matriarch has access matriarch typically allows him to retain it for as long
to the house’s treasury, legions, fleets, and its greatest as it’s of use to him.
asset — the scions themselves. These tools can twist in
her hand should the house’s loyalties shift. Struggles
for dominance rarely escalate to open conflict, lest the House Cathak
matriarch strike traitorous family members from the Fire That Marches Against the Tide
house rolls. But in this time of turmoil, that might not
suffice to protect a hated or incompetent matriarch. The Cathaks are possessed of a fire that drives them
forward. Generals, soldiers, leaders, and strategists
Some houses have multiple leaders, wherein the matriarch par excellence, the house boasts many of the Dynasty’s
shares power and responsibility with other family mem- greatest military icons. Only the falling Tepets rival
bers, whether out of need or tradition. The Imperial Service them for martial prowess. But there’s more to Cathak’s
looks only for the matriarch’s seal in official matters, but in children than warfare alone — the legions are the spine
other affairs, the balance of power varies by house. that holds them together, but few scions of this Great
House are content to be only one thing. Passion and
A Dynastic household’s matriarch has similar powers and discipline defines them, and military service provides
responsibilities. She is a Great House matriarch writ small. unique opportunities for adventure and learning.

HOUSE SYMBOLOGY

Each of the Great Houses is signified by a mon — a heraldic emblem within a circle. These are borne aloft
on war banners, blazoned on garments and household gates, and embossed on wax to seal a house matri-
arch’s official correspondence. Some trace back to less aniconic periods in Realm artistic history, but are too
entrenched for the Immaculate Order to uproot. There are also other mons, from the Empress’ Imperial mon
to the mons of prestigious patrician families.

Every Great House also has a set of emblematic colors. Sometimes in vogue, their use is currently out of fash-
ion. Today, wearing one’s house colors — especially on a regular basis — is a sign of a traditionalist, though
it’s also a useful way to curry favor with elder Dynasts who might be a bit set in their ways.

Cathak: Red and gold Mnemon: White and purple Ragara: White and gold

Cynis: Green and gold Nellens: Brown and silver Sesus: Red and black

Iselsi: Black and silver Peleps: Blue and black Tepet: Blue and white

Ledaal: Blue and gray V«neef: Green and purple

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Social Standing House Economics

The legions come first for this house, and rare is the Like the other houses, Cathak engages in diverse busi-
Cathak scion with no tours of duty behind her. But ness ventures, from salt pans to jade mines to grain
their military focus doesn’t mean they’re uncultured. shipping, but the bulk of the house’s income centers
Many Cathaks can debate art and relate anecdotes on its legions. Before the Empress vanished, the right
from the most exotic places Creation has to offer, and to keep house legions was restricted to the military
few lack for invitations to social gatherings. houses: Tepet, Sesus, and Cathak. Any other house
requiring soldiers beyond their allowance of guards
Cathak scions devote themselves to all manner of and paramilitary forces needed to either call in the
competition — team sports used to drill legionnaires; Imperial legions and face heavy censure for their fail-
dueling; and strategy games such as Gateway, which a ure to handle things themselves, or hire the services of
Cathak scion invented. Once pragmatic in matters of one of the military houses.
religion, House Cathak has grown more devout since
command of the house fell to Cathak Cainan. His per- The services of House Cathak’s legions have never
sonal piety has bled over onto the house’s policies and been restricted to the Dynasty, however — anyone with
attitudes, such that younger members feel it’s always resources to spare and a cause that doesn’t oppose the
been this way. Realm may hire Cathak soldiers for wars and ventures.
When it suited the Empress, she deployed the Imperial
The house takes a military approach to politics as well, legions alongside the Cathak forces in unstoppable
applying battlefield stratagems and tactics to intrigue. conquest. While the house couldn’t keep the lands it
This makes the house something of a blunt instrument, conquered, such conquest was still lucrative. Cathak
politically speaking — the Cathak manual of political usually got the dragon’s share of the new satrapy’s
maneuvers, the Silken Blade Codex, is taught to children resources — establishing businesses to exploit them,
of the house as a companion volume to The Thousand then selling those businesses to the incoming satrap’s
Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier. Still, predictabil- house at a premium.
ity doesn’t make the Cathak political machine any less
formidable. The legions also fatten House Cathak’s coffers by
providing escort services for goods and personnel
House Cathak strongly encourages daughters to join throughout the Threshold, exacting fees that, while far
the military. This creates a need for husbands skilled in smaller than what House V’neef earns from escorting
finance, administration, and the like. Cathak marriage tribute shipments, are nevertheless significant. The
negotiations are tense affairs, but because they value house usually has a few such assignments in progress
skill over status and pedigree, they offer lowborn sons at any time, and they provide an excellent excuse for
of Dynastic families fallen on hard times the hope of a young Cathak to see Creation. The Cathak legions
improving their station. Such marriages are thought to also survey all terrain they traverse, recording valuable
be warmer and more passionate than most, contribut- natural resources and military concerns.
ing to the starry-eyed way in which many young male
Dynasts dream of marrying into this house. Poetry The house has committed much of its formidable
and romances about the impoverished son of a falling military to securing its most valuable satrapies, letting
branch being swept off his feet by a Cathak officer of less profitable ones slide from its grasp while still
wide experience and taken off to a life of luxury and maintaining much of its satrapial income. While this
adventure are popular. strategy earns less than the desperately thrashing
Peleps behemoth, it’s more controlled and sustainable,
By contrast, military husbands find little welcome. for a certain value of “sustainable” — the house’s grip
Many Cathaks look down on other houses’ soldiers as on its satrapies is more like a grape press than a vise,
unrefined, undisciplined brutes. As such, a soldier who but it still squeezes the lifeblood from the unfortunate
marries into House Cathak, if he wishes to kindle re- tributaries. It simply isn’t as fast.
spect, must carefully tend its sparks, and he can expect
his new wife to put him through an unforgiving regimen House Cathak has recently tapped a new vein of reve-
of tests and training until he passes muster. If he’s from nue. When the Imperial legions devolved to the Great
a house that doesn’t enjoy a sturdy military reputation Houses’ control, Cathak Cainan arranged a gala to
in Cathak eyes, such as Cynis or Nellens, the tests are honor the new Cathak legions, and invited some of the
harder still. He must be twice the soldier as a Tepet to Dynasty’s most notorious gossips and rumormongers.
earn a place beside his wife in the Cathak legions. There, he hinted that he’d support the first claimant

36
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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

for the throne who seemed likely to win, to ensure and strategies are valued, but Cathak generals view
that the Empress’ absence wouldn’t tear the Realm the overwhelming deployment of their forces at the
apart. The next month, Cathak bureaucrats noted total perfectly chosen moment both as a means to win the
income twice that of the month before, stemming from immediate conflict and as a long-term plan to make
bribes, dowries, gifts, trade agreements, concessions, their legions seem invincible to other foes. Thus, to-
and promotions. day’s victory forestalls countless future conflicts.

Altogether, it’s enough to ensure Cathak’s economic Enemies and Alliances

stability and independence for the time being. It’s
deeply in debt to House Ragara, but the gifts and bribes House Cathak’s military power and financial stability
it’s received from its newfound position as queenmak- allow it to play queenmaker, a formidable neutral party
er currently suffices to handle the interest, and the that controls the path to the Scarlet Throne without
family’s other income, while diminished, suffices to having the wherewithal to seize it wholesale — which
maintain the Cathak legions and lifestyle with only is more than satisfactory to the house, and its leader.
modest cutbacks. Either House Cathak will stand unbowed until a cred-
ible claimant appears, or someone will finally attack
House Military them to remove the greatest obstacle to claiming the
throne, giving House Cathak their excuse to join the
The Cathak military juggernaut stands ready to erupt fray.
like a volcano and consume whatever stands in its way.
Once, its four mighty legions were surpassed only by As a military house, the Cathaks are natural rivals of
the Imperial legions and matched only by the Tepet House Sesus and House Tepet. Sesus sees Cainan’s
forces. Now, House Tepet is a ghost of its old glory, house as a major threat; the Cathaks see Sesus as an
and the Empress is gone, her legions picked apart inferior house, focused on dishonorable espionage
and scattered like so many dried bones in the desert and harebrained schemes instead of shoring up their
sun. House Cathak itself received four of the Imperial seemingly ramshackle legions. The grave danger of
legions. With eight full legions, trained and led by the Sesus spies and saboteurs is often overlooked.
martial paragons the house produces so reliably, it’s a
force to be reckoned with for the other Great Houses. The Cathaks view House Tepet as a tragic house, fallen
but still struggling in a poetic way. But practicality
House Cathak’s military doctrine emulates Hesiesh, outweighs sentiment, and Tepet’s political position
focusing on discipline and careful management of re- is dangerous, so Cathak waits and watches, ready to
sources, while Cathak legionnaires learn to revere the extend the hand of friendship if the smaller house can
Fire Dragon. Each dragon of troops has an Immaculate ever regain lost ground.
monk attached who, on each inspection, expounds
upon the virtues and vices a recent battle or exercise House Cathak doesn’t trust House Ragara, wary of the
has revealed. These passionate sermons teach the rumors of occult impropriety that cling to its reputa-
value of restraint, the joy of well-timed action, and the tion, but its debts to Ragara are nonetheless substan-
rewards of being part of a greater whole, but also that tial. Consequently, House Cathak makes intermittent
life is a parable, and the lesson is always to know right noises of support for House Ragara’s bid for the throne
from wrong. Hesiesh provides the mold, a mythical to placate its lenders, but commits few resources to aid
archetype, and the soldiers must aspire to mythical it.
status themselves — the warrior always falls before the
soldier, and individual heroism is no match for the co- Major Holdings
ordination of armies. The legion, the dragon, the scale:
Each of these must be a hero in their own right, and Myion Prefecture, on the Blessed Isle’s southwestern
worthy of legend. coast, is an ancient and sacred site. In the First Age, the city of
Myion was dedicated to the Unconquered Sun, and recon-
Military service of any kind is considered admirable. secrated to the Immaculate Dragons after the Usurpation.
Cathaks earn their family’s acclaim as soldiers or It’s a sweeping vista of flying buttresses and light, airy
generals, by training or arming troops, or by working structures, transcending the stone it’s carved from. Here
a bureaucratic position in a military organization. sits the Fortress of the Greatest General, an ancient manse
House orthodoxy favors direct confrontation under and one of the Blessed Isle’s mightiest redoubts, which has
carefully chosen circumstances, ending in glorious served as House Cathak’s prime bastion for centuries. The
combat against the Empress’ enemies. Clever tactics breathtaking beauty of its architecture inspires a reverent

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

silence in many visitors, and the house boasts that more Scions of Note
than one unbeliever has repented their sins and returned to
the Immaculate Philosophy on the spot. Cathak, a great swordswoman and general adopted by
the Empress, founded the house that bears her name.
The house maintains other fortresses throughout and Cathak was also a famed ascetic plagued by doubt and
beyond the Blessed Isle, and has extensive satrapial dark thoughts, spending months in seclusion writing
holdings in the South. These include Harborhead, the military treatises and contemplating spiritual matters,
seat of Ahlat — Southern god of war and cattle — and then emerging for days of wild debauchery. Many
source of fine auxiliaries and legionnaires. Cathak sa- annotations to The Thousand Correct Actions were
trapies are typically run with strict discipline for both Cathak’s, and many areas solidly under the Realm’s
satrap and populace, but Ahlat’s presence requires control today were counted its greatest enemies before
a delicate touch. As such, Harborhead is where the her time. She didn’t allow her private troubles to seep
house’s finest administrators are sent, to maintain the into her public demeanor. Commanding armies and
house’s strict and unmistakable grip on the nation and administering her house, she was strict and disci-
discourage rebellion, while also keeping Ahlat placated. plined — preferring planning to improvisation, always
maintaining a calm air of confidence. To her, this was
Once the gateway to the Realm’s trade with the West,
no more than a Fire Aspect’s duty, in Hesiesh’s image.
Fajad has fallen in importance since House Peleps
When she died, she was interred beneath the Fortress
navigated the Western sea routes, and become a trou-
of the Greatest General.
blesome territory for House Cathak to manage. To keep
the Fajadi people placated in the face of ever-increas- The house’s current matriarch is a man, Cathak
ing demands for tribute, House Cathak allows them to Cainan (p. 345), a veteran shikari and officer educated
practice their indigenous faith. This arrangement has in the Cloister of Wisdom. He secured a relatively un-
drawn no small consternation from the Immaculate prestigious match with Cathak Urima — a sterling but
Order, and even Fajad’s Cathak satrap considers giving unproven young Cathak officer — thereby remaining a
the monks free reign to suppress the heresy. And above Cathak after marrying. In the legion, he proved himself
them all, the ancient sorcerer Aqadar sits atop his tow- an inspirational leader, and caught the jaundiced eye of
er, where no Dynast has set foot and survived.

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his ancestor Cathak. As she was dying of Yozi venom,

she summoned him to her deathbed. There she listed
House Cynis
his many and varied flaws before naming him heir, as Wood Nourished on
the only scion she deemed to share her temperament. Tears of The Fallen
Ever since, he’s striven to live up to that legacy, hoping
to prove Cathak’s faith in him wasn’t misplaced. Now While House Cynis many not be known for martial
he sees the Realm fall to pieces around him, and has triumphs or scholarly achievements, being glamorous
committed his house to holding the old empire togeth- among the Scarlet Dynasty is no easy feat. Knowing
er, no matter the cost. His virtues are well respected in which color to wear can be a matter of dishonor or
the Dynasty, and many might hold him as a candidate death. Comfort and humor, even in the face of scandal,
for the throne but for his declining years; no one wants isn’t an exceptional trait — it’s essential. Style isn’t
a new ruler whose imminent death from old age would just about being primped by slaves, it’s about knowing
touch off another succession crisis. which slaves are fit for the job, where to find them, and
how to get them. Using blackmail, rumor, and poison
Cathak Garel is Cainan’s younger sister and com- to achieve ends others consider impossible is a basic
mander of the Cathak legions, a position to which her skill. The scions of House Cynis have mastered all
brother appointed her nearly a century ago. She’s an these and more.
accomplished strategist and tactician, but her true
passion and genius lies in logistics. She spends most Social Standing
days poring over legion records with the indefatigable
intensity of someone who loves her work, while her Of all the Great Houses, Cynis may be the most popular
husband, Peleps Kozurin, debates economic policy — and may have the most notorious reputation. Cynises
with her. She has a talent for estimating the long-term don’t just throw parties, they host decadent galas that
effects of specific losses on the legions, and applies her last for days. They don’t just sell slaves, they offer trained
soldiers with frugality and good judgment, to conserve majordomos, odalisques, musicians, acrobats, and chefs.
them and their resources as much as possible. When They don’t just grow food, they produce the finest crops
engaged in politics, she’s unswervingly honest, seem- and most exotic drugs from their mother prefecture of
ingly unable to tell a lie even out of politeness. In per- Pangu, their satrapies and prefectures across the Realm,
son, she’s honorable and disciplined, keeping herself and from trade with faraway nations such as Gem and
to the highest standards. She is Cainan’s expected heir, Halta. They don’t just bathe, they construct elaborate,
a situation she’s less than comfortable with. Though ornate bathhouses wherein they relax, gossip, and even
younger than her brother, she’s also entering old age, conduct business meetings. Their standards are high,
and privately wonders how long she has left until her at least so far as their own happiness and well-being is
aching spine forces her into retirement. concerned. For a Cynis to take many lovers, even after
marriage, is common. Marriage is for procreation. Love
Cathak Elanda is used to adversity. Cursed with
is for pleasure. So long as the Cynis is happy with her lot,
a malady that caused her body to grow out of con-
the rest of the house is pleased for her. Cynis respects
trol, her health started failing in her teenage years.
perfection in all shapes, be it aesthetic, sensual, military,
Combined with abuse from her peers, she became
physical, or otherwise.
quiet and soft-spoken, hiding a keen intellect behind
awkwardness. But the Dragons’ Essence is strong — Perfection doesn’t necessarily mean saintliness. House
her Exaltation saved her life and allowed her to adapt Cynis is the Realm’s foremost purveyor of slaves
to her illness, and while she’s slow and clumsy, she’s and intoxicants. Its scions tend to be lax or leisurely
strong beyond belief. She graduated from the House in their adherence to the Immaculate Philosophy.
of Bells and joined the legions, happy to escape social Though their Dragon-Blooded status makes them holy
events and erstwhile classmates. There, she proved ad- by definition, few expect a Cynis to act like it. They’ve
ept at war’s physical and intellectual aspects alike, and built their reputation on scandal, to the point where
over the course of several campaigns, rose through the hearing of their debauches, salacious affairs, or ill-con-
ranks to the station of general. She learned resilience ceived experiments is unsurprising. While Cynis’
from her ordeals, but she also learned one thing she scions are neither atheists nor overtly blasphemous,
keeps very quiet: Dynasts are cruel, and the Realm is a few make a point of righteousness, if they give the
broken society. She’s thoroughly disillusioned with the Immaculate Philosophy much thought at all. While it’s
Dynasty, but knows of no serious alternatives — those not unusual to see a Cynis paying tribute at a shrine,
she’s seen turned out worse than the Realm in the end. it’s often as much a lavish show of piety as a matter of

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genuine devotion. This irreverence is a major obstacle purchasing and selling addictive substances. Many
for House Cynis. The Immaculate Order has no small hard drugs can only be purchased legally with jade,
voice in the choice of the next ruler of the Realm, and which nominally limits access to the Dynasty. This
their disdain for the house prevents them from backing doesn’t stop the Cynises from engaging in illegal en-
any Cynis candidate while there are much more pious terprise. While they cannot control the entire Realm’s
houses in the running. black market — they’d like to, but there are far too many
pressing issues demanding their attention — they have
The other houses underestimate Cynis. They buy their enormous influence within the Blessed Isle’s criminal
wines and drugs and slaves, feast at their tables, and underworld.
relax at their bathhouses. Cynis smiles, plays along,
and holds out both hands for the wealth of jade and Cynis physicians and chirurgeons are among the fin-
information that falls into their grasp as a result. est on the Blessed Isle. These tend to the wealthiest,
commanding steep fees for their services. The house
House Economics sells medicinal tinctures and concoctions — many of
them proprietary, the results of Cynis experimentation
House Cynis is the Realm’s largest purveyor of luxury — but never the recipes, and always for an exorbitant
goods. Narcotics from An-Teng, sealskins from Fair cost, either monetary or political. Other houses are
Isle, beautiful and strange crafts from Nexus — all of both resentful and grateful for this service.
these are within Cynis’ grasp. All can be attained — for
those who can pay the price. House Military
The house is most famous for its monopoly on the Cynis’ military is unimpressive at best. Troops posted
slave trade within the Realm, awarded by the Empress at public affairs and assigned to guard duty are se-
at the house’s founding to put it on a solid financial lected for their pleasing appearance as much as their
footing. Cynis takes pride in finding and selling slaves skill, while their traditional paramilitary forces in the
specialized in difficult trades and practices. Merchant Threshold are brutes and slave-takers first, imperial
or artisan families give up young children who show garrisons second. Slaves taken by the house as children
promise in some skill in exchange for cancellation of may be conscripted as adults into procuring more
debts. Other slaves expert in that field train the child slaves. Mutiny is common, though usually put down
until he’s ready to sell. Unskilled labor, conversely, is quickly. Discipline isn’t a strong suit among the house’s
easy to find, and Cynis buys or takes as much of it as can troops.
be packed into a ship’s hold, whether prisoners seized
by military adventure, dissidents from Threshold sa- During the parceling-out of the Imperial legions, Cynis
trapies, or dream-eaten victims of the Fair Folk. laid claim to three. They’re also secretly negotiating
with certain Guild members to exchange appointments
House Cynis’ Imperial monopoly also extends to slave to the Deliberative’s Lesser Chamber and influence
rental. Extremely skilled or specialized slaves are often over Cynis ministers’ policy decisions for a massive
only needed for a specific task; the house draws up discount on Nexus mercenaries.
extensive contracts to protect their interests in such
agreements. More often, large groups of unskilled War By Other Means
slaves are rented for construction projects. The danger of House Cynis lies not in armies, but in
pervasiveness. Everyone who’s anyone attends Cynis
While Cynis buys a significant number of its slaves parties. Every Dragon-Blooded household worth men-
from the Guild, indebted families, or other traders on tion buys slaves. Everyone needs to eat. House Cynis
the Blessed Isle, the house isn’t above launching raids has inroads everywhere on the Blessed Isle and places
into “uncivilized” territories beyond the Realm’s bor- beyond, and the amount of knowledge it possesses on
ders. Since the Empress’ disappearance, Cynis grows the activities of Dragon-Blooded great and small would
more willing to extend this to other houses’ ill-defend- have caused the Empress herself to pale.
ed satrapies.
House Cynis is under no illusions that it can take the
House Cynis also does a brisk trade in drugs and in- throne through force. The Cathak legions alone could
toxicants, from simple opiates to more exotic halluci- wipe out its entire army, plus any mercenaries it hires.
nogens and narcotics. Cynis has a standing agreement Instead, the house has decided to fight for the throne
with the Guild regarding drug trade, and extraordinary on its own terms. It offers friendship in one hand while
quantities of jade pass through the house each year for holding a dagger in the other. Those who’ve accepted

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Cynis hospitality — and there are few who haven’t — Experimenting with Creation’s flora and fauna in
know that the Cynis reputation for discretion is well search of the next high or cure has given House
earned. No matter how great the improprieties com- Cynis an unparalleled knowledge of toxins, venoms,
mitted at a Cynis gala, a Dynast may rest easy knowing and other deadly substances. Many compounds in
that her reputation is safe. Of course, House Cynis the house vaults cannot be replicated without their
watches, reports, and records. There’s no piece of in- massive trade network, nor can their antidotes. House
formation too small to be used. Cynis discreetly offers these poisons to Dynasts and
criminals willing to pay, and uses its extensive infor-
Using this information, however, is an option of last mation-gathering network to ascertain the victim’s
resort. Release news of a scandal too publicly and no identity to determine their next step. If it’s someone
one will ever let loose at a Cynis celebration again. the house wants gone, nothing further needs doing,
There’s no way to tell how the information will spread and they’ve been paid for the privilege of having an
once released, so most play their cards close to their enemy assassinated. If they’d rather see him live, they
chest and work through insinuation. But if a particular arrange for him to meet a Cynis physician, who’ll cluck
political rival needs to be burned, a Cynis scion might her tongue and talk of summer fevers or winter chills
mention something to an Immaculate monk, who’ll while administering antidotes made from ingredients
discreetly censure the blackmailed party while leaving plucked from gardens and grottoes thousands of miles
House Cynis blameless of any breach of hospitality. away. The value of the patient’s gratitude is equaled
only by the steep cost charged for the service.
Some Cynises keep ciphered dossiers or sorcerously
sealed ledgers; others train themselves to memorize
decades’ worth of indiscretions with eidetic clarity.
Enemies and Alliances
The house maintains no central register of blackmail
House Cynis enjoys good-natured, if shallow, relation-
material, but trading juicy facts with one’s kin is a com-
ships with many other houses. House V’neef buys slaves
mon pastime, while providing an elder with especially
for its vineyards and marries Cynis sons to its daughters,
scandalous information can greatly enhance a scion’s
while Cynis buys V’neef wines for salons and galas.
prospects.
House Mnemon requires large amounts of slave labor
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

for construction projects. And households and individ- Immaculate stronghold in the prefecture. For many
uals from every house have financial arrangements with years, abbot Cloud Lotus has given sanctuary to the few
Cynis, or simply enjoy attending Cynis social events. escaped slaves who’ve found their way here, allowing
them to remain as lay worshipers and shielding them
House Cynis’ biggest obstacle to the throne is Mnemon from their Cynis owners. Should war come to Pangu,
herself. The eldest daughter of the Scarlet Empress be- the monastery’s neutrality and political immunity may
lieves it’s her divine right to take her mother’s throne, cease to protect it.
and the idea of anyone else challenging her is laugh-
able. The idea of House Cynis contesting her claim, The satrapy of Greyfalls is the Realm’s easternmost
however, is an insult. They may have a bloodline wor- bastion in the Scavenger Lands, named for the tre-
thy of marrying her daughters to, but as Mnemon sees mendous waterfall that cascades down the cliff side. A
it, no Cynis hedonist, whoremonger, or slavetaker is recent Cynis acquisition, it’s the site of one of the war
fit to sit upon the throne. House Cynis fears that she’d manses that channels Creation’s geomantic Essence
seize their lands, ships, slaves, and legions in the name into the Realm Defense Grid, and as such an invaluable
of piety and virtue. Should she come close to taking the strategic holding. It also serves as the Realm’s gateway
throne, the house might be compelled to move directly to Eastern trade with Ixcoatli, spider-ridden Kubal,
before they lose everything. the Jaguar Principalities, and other nations along the
Golden Road trade route. It’s a lucrative satrapy, but
House Ragara has become an issue for Cynis of late. the sheer distance between it and the Blessed Isle
Cynises have always spent lavishly on their lifestyles poses a substantial obstacle to collecting tribute and
and their galas, and all too many have gone deeply in maintaining control. As House Cynis prepares for the
debt to the so-called Imperial Bank. With civil war in prospect of civil war, some within it wonder whether
the offing, Ragara is calling its debts due, and threatens they’d be best served by simply cutting Greyfalls loose,
to suborn a whole swath of Cynis scions. The house is leaving its satrap to fend for herself.
faced with the need to employ blackmail more directly
than is their wont as a counter to Ragara extortion. Scions of Note
House Sesus is closely related to House Cynis through
A trailblazing explorer, master merchant, and invet-
marriage and dalliance. Sesus provides Cynis with
erate hedonist, the Empress’ daughter Cynis died
information gathered by its extensive intelligence
centuries ago of an overdose of heroin laced with
network. Cynis provides Sesus with the highest-qual-
dreamstone dust. The house takes great pains to keep
ity goods, both legal and otherwise, and information
her crypt beneath the House of Trees decorated with
gathered by its blackmailers. Many children of Sesus
fresh-cut flowers and beautiful works of art.
are addicted to some Cynis-procured substance or
other, their continued supply only ensured by their A triumvirate of Cynis’ daughters leads the house. The
loyalty. This loyalty is often fully secured through eldest, Cynis Belar, is the matriarch. She’s a renowned
intermarriages between the two houses. Which house socialite, with a reputation for worldly sophistication
has a stronger hold on the other is difficult to ascertain. and rapier wit. She’s also a celebrated painter and
sculptor, her pieces taking center stage at family galas
Major Holdings and celebrations. Behind the scenes, Belar is secre-
tive and ruthless. Dedicated to House Cynis’ welfare
While Cynis’ nominal stronghold is the House of and her descendants’ future, she deploys the house’s
Trees, a beautiful castle woven from living wood atop connections and espionage resources to ruin potential
their founder’s crypt, their heart is in Pangu city. This threats. Though she makes a great show of her sisters
city, the prefecture’s namesake, houses Cynis scions being her peers, they ultimately defer to her, to the
of all ranks, their courts, their lovers, and their slaves. point where other Cynises presume that she holds
There’s always some party or another going on in unshakeable blackmail material on them both.
Pangu’s grand houses, and tribute flows through the
city like a river. Pangu’s palaces have pleasantly open, The second sister, Cynis Falen, is the financial master-
airy layouts with rich carpets and sensuous baths, re- mind controlling the family’s purse strings and the slave
flecting this love of pleasure and luxury. trade. Though personable and easygoing, she’s also the
most unabashedly cold-blooded of the sisters, finding
At the other end of Pangu Prefecture is the Tourmaline great satisfaction in maximizing house profits with little
Monastery. So called for veins of semiprecious stones consideration for morality. She’s also the best-traveled,
running through its walls, it’s the single largest spending months at a time on business in the Threshold.

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Once as hedonistic as her siblings, she’s lost much of her house navy, escorting Cynis merchant ships across the
taste for wine and debauchery over the centuries. Inland Sea. A brilliant naval tactician and shrewd judge
of character, Parda prefers words to blades, and more
The youngest sister, Cynis Wisel, is a talented poet. than once has persuaded a pirate captain to yield without
Her frail, orchid-like appearance and wide brown eyes coming to blows. His persuasive talents come into their
hide a master poisoner who craves the stability and full flower in salon and gala, where his good looks and
safety that power affords. The drug trade is her baili- rakish air have made him many friends and many lovers
wick, and she has many contacts in the Blessed Isle’s — and made no few enemies of his lovers’ spouses.
criminal underworld. Her husband is a Sesus, more
often than not found in his cups at some wineshop or
another. House Ledaal
Air That Raised the Bones of Giants
Cynis Petalin, Wisel’s lover and second cousin, is well
over six feet tall and musclebound, with a laugh as loud With a murky history rooted in a terrible betrayal, and
and sharp as any Imperial firework. Petalin commands a steadfast vigil that spans centuries, House Ledaal is
the house legions, who love her for her sense of humor the icy fang of the Realm’s shadow-hunting wolf. Its
and dedication to both tactics and morale. Wisel in- scions scent the signs of impending disaster on the
tends to place Petalin on the throne and set herself up wind and know the time for action is nigh, but with the
as the trusted vizier, ascending to prominence within Empress’ children positioning daggers at each other’s
the triumvirate. backs, it must fight a war on two fronts.

Directly under Petalin is Cynis Laseral. She has a rep- Ledaal herself passed away centuries ago, leaving the
utation as a brilliantly successful soldier and teacher, Flashing Tempest Council — a clique of worthy elders
adored by her Dynastic kin but feared by her soldiers. — to guide the house’s path. Its members include figures
She’s lectured at the House of Bells and the Spiral such as the house matriarch, Ledaal Yasmet; Ledaal
Academy, and her seminars on how to best profit from Sivarin Vanek, scarred veteran of a dozen successful
a conflict are well attended. She treats her soldiers like Wyld Hunts; and Ledaal Zenitar, the daring sorcerer
Gateway pieces, winning against overwhelming odds who plumbed the depths of Hell. Historically a tight-
at the cost of significant casualties. The only thing that knit team, the elders now differ on urgent issues, each
could undermine her ruthless reputation for triumph taking steps toward the means they think best for the
at any cost is the deep romantic love that she and her Realm’s stability and what they see as the house’s right-
husband, Mnemon Oroth Takor, share, and she goes ful authority. As they work at cross-purposes, spreading
to great lengths to conceal it publicly. She’s a master resources too thin, even the youngest Ledaal can sense
of realpolitik and a favorite of many younger Cynis the disagreements within their house’s leadership. The
scions, who believe her worthy of the throne for her council juggles politics, inquisition, and planning for
ruthlessness and her tactical skill — if her own soldiers war. Whether it can keep its balls in the air long enough
don’t kill her first. to see the Realm — and itself — through the Time of
Tumult remains to be seen.
Cynis Umara and Cynis Cerise are twin daughters
of a famous Cynis procurer by one of his Haslanti bed Social Standing
slaves. Umara is one of the house’s best physicians,
rumored to be able to replace a missing soul — for the No one questions House Ledaal’s loyalty, brilliance,
right price. Umara never takes payment in jade, only in or peerless vigilance. Dynasts and patricians alike
replacement of her medicinal stock, which can some- do business with Ledaal, and trust its spears at their
times only be found in remote corners of Creation. backs against what lies beyond the Realm’s borders.
Cerise was much less lucky. Her growth stunted by At the same time, its relentless obsession with hunting
an accident in her youth, she stands only four feet in in dark places leaves a sour taste in others’ mouths.
height. Still, she makes the best of it. Dressed in a doz- Delving fearlessly into forbidden texts and mentored
en pounds of jewels and a pair of moonsilver-heeled by enigmatic mystics from far-off shores, Ledaal scions
shoes, she continues her father’s procuring business, often seem to care more for distant threats than home-
selling only the finest in imported jewelry, slaves, wine, grown politics. While others trust in Ledaal’s compe-
and more illicit substances. tence, marrying one sounds like someone else’s job.
Once an ambitious captain in the Merchant Fleet, Cynis Despite the stereotypes, Ledaal’s brood has as much
Falen Parda now commands his own squadron of the eye for strategic marriage as anyone — perhaps more.

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They’re raised to believe that falling in love is something in reclaiming Thorns and other Anathema-tainted
barbarians, fools, and Cynises do. If you dally, the house kingdoms have gone unheeded in the face of each
should get something out of it, whether a potential house’s immediate troubles. But the council can’t bury
Dragon-Blood, political relationship, or First Age tome. its nose too deeply in its Shadow Crusade, lest other
Ledaal sons are married off to wives with interests and houses rip it to shreds while it’s not looking. Thus, it
talents aligned with the house’s goals. Ledaal daughters dedicates resources to playing the game, while watch-
take husbands whose areas of expertise complement ing the shadow loom nearer.
their own. But since the Empress’ disappearance,
household mothers can’t afford to be choosy, obliged to House Economics
cement the house’s standing whenever possible.
Arjuf Dominion is the house’s ancestral home, and
However, the elders have no plans to put a Ledaal holds one of the most important ports on the Blessed
on the throne. They claim their authority as a Great Isle. The Ledaals are painfully aware that a Peleps or
House by their self-described role as Realm watchdogs V’neef blockade would spell disaster — they have a
and view themselves as invaluable through it. They modest private navy for shipping cargo and soldiers,
would only seek to orchestrate a Ledaal Empress if but nothing approaching an effective maritime force.
they thought it necessary to secure the empire against
a tide of darkness. In Arjuf city, the house’s un-Exalted members keep
fingers in every pie so the dragon’s share of incoming
Shadow Crusaders foreign revenue enters Ledaal coffers. The house ben-
efits from a healthy cut of every tariff and docking fee
The Realm protects Creation from the Wyld’s ravages, the that merchant ships bring in, and owns or sponsors
depredations of Anathema, and the hunger of the walking businesses along every pier.
dead. But who protects the Realm? The house has taken
that mantle for itself, quenching its blade of zeal in the icy Ledaal ships home significant wealth from its sa-
wind of knowledge. This is the Shadow Crusade to which trapies, taking an active hand in their rulership. The
Ledaal’s descendants devote their lives. house sees knowledge as key to strategy, in peace as
in war. Many households reside in the Threshold,
The founder Ledaal was the Empress’ granddaughter, soaking up local culture and bringing back wealth and
scion of House Jurul and daughter to Jurul herself. craftsmanship. It doesn’t endear them to the locals,
Ledaal exposed a conspiracy led by her own mother though — tributaries under Ledaal’s thumb know they
within the house, whose traitors forged pacts with a represent nothing more than a resource and a staging
Lunar Anathema and lords of Hell to fuel their ambi- ground for the Shadow Crusade. Constant vigilance
tions. She personally led the Wyld Hunt that destroyed against the rising dark makes Ledaal satrapies among
the Anathema and brought her evidence directly to the the safest places for citizens of the Threshold to live,
Empress. For her loyalty and vigilance, the Empress but in exchange they sacrifice privacy and autonomy.
rewarded Ledaal by adopting her as daughter and The yoke of Imperial oversight grows heavier as the
founder of a new Great House, while striking House house scours its holdings for Anathema sympathies,
Jurul from the Imperial ledgers. and demands increasing resources to shore up its grip
on Arjuf and fund Wyld Hunts.
Ill-content to simply distance themselves from the de-
bacle, Ledaal and her descendants took up the banner A smaller portion of the house’s assets take the form
of foe to Anathema and other fiends, that such betrayal of unearthed relics and volumes of First Age lore,
might never again threaten the Realm that safeguards which it acquires voraciously, seeking weapons against
the world. A long line of demon-hunters, scholars of Creation’s unnatural threats. Many of the Realm’s fore-
forbidden lore and ancient history, and crusaders most experts on ancient history, Anathema magics, and
has followed. Ledaal encourages its scions to train as stranger things are Ledaal; the house hires them out as
Anathema-hunting shikari, and contributes jade and translators and archaeologists for a hefty fee. Lately,
supplies to support Wyld Hunts. however, other houses keep finds secret in anticipation
of turning them against their rivals.
In recent years, devotion to duty has become a desper-
ate struggle. The turning seasons and threat of civil House Military
war have rendered Thorns’ fall a mere footnote in the
Dynasty’s power-play saga. So far, Ledaal’s horrified Before the Empress’ disappearance, Ledaal kept a sizable
warnings and numerous proposals to rally other houses force of paramilitary troops trained to root out Threshold

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cults, battle creatures of darkness, and supplement the war makes them too valuable to die. Some Ledaals seek
Wyld Hunt. Ledaal’s specialized military tradition was allies in their investigation from the All-Seeing Eye or
never meant to defend its homeland from invaders. magistrates with the gift of subtlety.

Now, though, Arjuf Dominion — with its substantial Mnemon is Ledaal’s top choice for a strong alliance and
trade ports, prominent land routes, and easy access to for the Scarlet Throne. Her bold move against Jiara
the Realm’s most prestigious academy of war — is ripe earned the house’s grudging respect, and the elders
for plucking by other Great Houses, and Ledaal feels think the devout sorcerer would have the power and
exposed. It claimed three legions, but every member of willingness to support the Shadow Crusade. They’ve
the Flashing Tempest Council has their own opinion of made gestures to gain her goodwill, but with her mili-
where to deploy them. The generals have sent soldiers tary forces on the other side of the Imperial Mountain,
to Faxai, hoping to help take back the Caul — a long- some question the potential return on investment for
time Ledaal obsession — and have trained more strike such an open admission of need.
teams for the Hunt. They bicker over whether to shore
up the satrapies’ defenses against the Anathema, since Major Holdings
heavier tribute demands have weakened satrapial mi-
litias. The elders worry that without their full strength Arjuf Dominion is Ledaal’s largest and most crucial
at home, Arjuf’s defenses are paper dolls compared to holding. Encompassing the west bank of the Caracal
Cathak’s legions and Peleps’ warships. River down to the Inland Sea, it’s a rich region with fertile
soil and a tradition of skilled artisanship, and its coastal
Thorns is a popular rallying cry for the house, follow- region holds multiple ports that trade with the wealthy
ing the total destruction of its garrison and the deaths city-states of the South. The greatest of those ports, the
of several scions when the Mask of Winters took the city of Arjuf, may be the richest and most cosmopolitan
satrapy. Ledaal generals lack a suitable staging ground, metropolis on the Blessed Isle after the Imperial City.
though, and can’t convince other houses to provide The dominion is the center of Ledaal wealth and power,
one. The Flashing Tempest Council made overtures and the house jealously guards its authority there.
to Peleps after Thorns fell, proposing a joint venture
to rout the Mask with a sea approach from Ledaal’s Howling Heart Prefecture in the northwest is a
holdings in Incas Prefecture, but the naval house re- sprawling mountainous region. Jade mining towns use
fused. Now, fearing Peleps will take any excuse to get Ledaal artifacts and innovations to mitigate danger to
its hooks into Arjuf, the elders hesitate to try a meatier workers. The prefecture is named for the sound the
proposal. high-altitude winds make passing through the region’s
many mine shafts and tunnels, but peasants and patri-
Enemies and Alliances cians quietly use the name to evoke dark experiments
the Dragon-Blooded run in remote Howling Heart city.
Though Ledaal has no particular enemies among the
Dynasty, its reputation for zealotry and close prox- The city’s elite shikari training ground is built on a
imity to the unnatural has earned it no long-standing puissant demesne. Ledaal expects its shikari to study
allies. With Nellens territory just across the river, some at Howling Heart, learning Anathema magic’s devious
think Ledaal would be best served crushing it under its ways and spectral armies’ fell tactics from house schol-
heel and absorbing its resources — and Ledaal would ars and retired hunters. But the city’s underside hosts
like nothing better than to show those weak-blooded cabals of occultists who’ve been running experiments
upstarts what a true Great House can do — but most for centuries, pushing the limits of Terrestrial power
agree it would leave the house vulnerable. however they can. They aim to produce shikari capable
of standing toe-to-toe with Solar demon-queens and
Ledaal scions with their ears to the ground at home Lunar warlords; ever since the Tepet legions’ disastrous
harbor a deep suspicion of House Ragara. In their failure, they’ve picked up the pace. Through sorcery
vigilance, they see patterns in Ragara’s commercial and reverse-engineering ancient artifacts of Anathema
dealings, archaeological expeditions, and military make, they’ve developed a still-theoretical protocol to
maneuvers that seem designed to cover something dramatically amplify a Dragon-Blood’s Essence for a
more sinister. They quietly gather evidence of the short period, at the cost of major decreases in lifespan
financial titan’s misuse of occult secrets and relics and blood potency. They haven’t deployed it yet, for
from Anathema history to build a case against them, it carries the risk of inciting Essence fever nigh unto
hoping to one day soon have enough proof to expose madness, but the resurgence of the Solar Anathema
treason and take down the debt collectors before civil may force their hand.

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Incas Prefecture, House Iselsi’s erstwhile seat, came Scions of Note
under Ledaal control when the Empress snatched
it from the dying house. Ledaal holds Iselsi in con- Ledaal herself is gone, but she wrote her legacy in
tempt for its treachery, and does its best to further bold strokes across her descendants’ lives. The house
marginalize its remnants. The council hoped to gain a extols her as a hero to emulate in courage and integrity.
freer hand to call and direct the Wyld Hunt by taking Elders remember her as a stalwart, inquisitive woman
over the home of the Palace Sublime and Cloister of who would stop at nothing to uncover the truth, and
Wisdom. Unfortunately, between the remaining Iselsi a decisive leader who brooked no compromise. Her
households and Mnemon’s maneuvering to relocate ravenous curiosity about all things mystical, paired
the Order’s heart away from the Iselsi, Ledaal has done with her steel backbone, led her to keep many secrets,
little more than gain more bills to pay. Still, some elders not all of which she passed down; many Ledaal scions
are glad to control a prefecture so close to Thorns. dream of being the one to discover hidden journals or
messages she left as tests for future house prodigies.
The city-state Perch, in the Southern land of Zephyr,
sprawls along the east bank of the Elidad River, whose rich Ledaal Yasmet, a powerful sorcerer and house ma-
soil yields fine harvests. But the west bank hosts only the triarch, spends enormous sums of house money on
Twilight Grove, Perch’s shadowland necropolis. There, ruins-delving expeditions far afield. She believes the
the dead keep their hearts close at hand to better recall Realm’s only hope for survival lies in occult might, and
the passions of life, and spectral princes called aeons ride wants Ledaal at the forefront of whatever ancient pow-
sphinxes that are their own hungry ghosts. The satrap, er she finds. She hires Liminal and Exigent mercenaries
Ledaal Yasmet Imara, treats as an equal with the seven and secretly reads tomes on the art of necromancy. The
archaeons that rule the dead city, bargaining for occult other members of the Flashing Tempest Council have
secrets and Underworld gossip. Other than burial rites, noticed a recent marked pessimistic streak in her and
she forbids intercourse between the two cities, but turns blame her second husband, the reclusive philosopher
a blind eye to the many little flowerings of Perch’s ances- Ragara Gaiban, for her odd behavior.
tor cult. Though she’d love to extirpate the cult root and
branch, Perch has seen too many uprisings in the past, and Ledaal Rae, a longtime diplomat who stayed within
Imara does not dare tempt another at this delicate time. House Ledaal by marrying a patrician, argues that the

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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

house must put aside its grievances with the Scavenger Social Standing
Lands and forge an alliance against the Mask of
Winters. His daughters both perished in the Thorns House Mnemon swings wildly in popularity with other
garrison’s destruction; those who oppose his call to Great Houses. Truly religious and deeply spiritual, its
action whisper that his thirst for vengeance and mas- elders drive a hard line when the Philosophy is flout-
culine intemperance interfere with his judgment. With ed — particularly Mnemon herself, who strides like a
the Empress gone, Rae insists, the Seventh Legion colossus over the perilous waters of Dynastic politics.
could be persuaded to sign a treaty. Meeting resistance, Junior Mnemons are charismatic, full of dreams and
he’s sent his own grandson to the Realm embassy in artistic vision. Young and old are renowned for erudi-
Lookshy for preliminary talks with the General Staff, tion — from knowledge of dead languages to mastery of
unbeknownst to the other elders. erotic arts — and devotion to family, whether spouses,
offspring, or Mnemon kin. Some Mnemons court noto-
Ledaal Kebok Coren is young and untested in the riety by practicing the uncouth art of sorcery.
field, but her swordsmanship is beyond reproach
and her uncanny command over the weather makes Above all, Mnemons are known for pride. Their progen-
would-be rivals nervous about questioning her prow- itor is among the greatest scions the Dynasty has ever
ess. Uncharacteristically passionate for a Ledaal, produced, and she continues to tutor her descendants
Coren has trouble reining in her strange powers, in secret techniques of architecture, construction, arti-
which wreak havoc with the skies according to her fice, and sorcery. Through her, they know themselves
mood. Her great-grandmother Sulco has confided to be the preeminent bearers of the Empress’ lineage,
that they originate from Coren’s great-grandfather, and they’ve kept their blood strong through numerous
the storm-demon Yan. Coren is wary of her inheri- favorable marriages. Driving a hard bargain at the mar-
tance and keeps the secret desperately, terrified that riage table, the Mnemons have a history of snubbing
her family’s Shadow Crusade might turn on her if other Great Houses to keep the bloodline pure.
she revealed it.
House Economics
House Mnemon
House Mnemon’s Imperial remit is construction, a skill
Earth Carved in the Image of One that Mnemon developed in her youth, taking refuge
Priests. Poets. Lovers. Builders. Of the Great Houses, in the hinterlands while evading her brother Ragara’s
the Mnemons are deemed most devout and closest assassins. Today, the house has right of first refusal on
to the Immaculate Order. Their eponymous founder all of the throne’s building contracts. Architecture is the
— alive and well, scarcely aging despite her 398 years foundation of the house’s fame and wealth, and the most
— established the house three and a half centuries ago, visible, enduring proof of their closeness to the Dragons.
relying heavily on devotion to the Order, and strong
Mnemon architects designed many of the Isle’s grand-
public emulation of Pasiap through construction of
est structures, particularly manses — the house has
some of the Realm’s greatest temples. Since then
spent centuries mastering geomancy. Mnemon over-
they’ve sheltered the Order, offering it protection and
seers direct work crews constructing and repairing
support amid dire straits, and used their pious reputa-
buildings, roads, tunnels, bridges, levees, wells, reser-
tion to rise almost as far above reproach as the Order
voirs, and aqueducts. A fraction of the funds invested
itself. House Mnemon hopes these advantages will
in these projects — by landholders, governors, prefects,
carry it through the Time of Tumult.
and the Throne itself — flows into the house’s coffers.
Mnemons pursue construction, religion, and sorcery
House Ragara is a necessary business partner; major
under the family business’ umbrella. A slim majority
construction projects demand sizable outlays of funds,
of scions receive Immaculate training at the Cloister
and unforeseen delays require loans to complete an
of Wisdom. But while some grow rigid in their piety,
undertaking. Mnemon has always resented her house’s
others study at far-flung Threshold temples and cities,
dependence on Ragara credit, and she doesn’t trust the
exposing them to many of Creation’s most outlandish
honor of a family whose founder tried to murder her
and enthralling aesthetics, cultures, and spiritual
in her youth. Today, this relationship is complicated
paths. As a result, they have a distinct flair of exoticism
by several Mnemon satrapies withholding tribute,
bordering on salacious, and a wisdom bordering on
without which the house is in danger of defaulting and
heretical. Yet they renew their dedication to Pasiap
coming further under Ragara’s power — a nightmare
through their works.
scenario for the house and its founder.

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House Military House Mnemon also favors alliance with Cathak, a

devout house commanding the Realm’s most formida-
Before the Empress’ disappearance, Mnemon had no ble army. Mnemon knows gaining the throne requires
house legions and employed only a small paramilitary treating with the Cathaks eventually. But she hopes
as a security force. During the military reformation for an angle allowing her to present herself as the only
of the Imperial legions, House Mnemon took control legitimate contender, or else delay a falling-out with
of five, providing ample proof that it had generals to Cathak long enough to deal with the other houses.
lead them and money to maintain them, and vowing
that the Realm’s interests would be defended abroad Unexpectedly, Ledaal has come forward as a potential
against incursions by the Anathema. ally. The Ledaals respect Mnemon as a powerful, adroit
leader, and admire her taking the fight to the Anathema
Predictably, several satrapies openly rebelled after the despite risk to herself and her house. As candidate for
Great Houses recalled most of the legions from the Empress, they deem her sympathetic to their intent
Threshold. One was Jiara, an Eastern satrapy under to eradicate Threshold threats to the Realm. But their
House Mnemon, which yielded food, textiles, and major holdings and militaries are on opposite sides of
sorcerous antiquities. Jiara was particularly troubling the Isle, limiting their ability to cooperate in the com-
as the stronghold of a circle of Solar Anathema who ing war.
raised the countryside in revolt against the Mnemon
garrison. This wasn’t the distant threat of the Bull of The house’s most abiding support comes from the
the North, but a full-fledged Anathema outbreak on Immaculate Order. Mnemon famously committed
the Realm’s doorstep. one-third of her own children to the Order, a tradition
her house follows — though not all to the same extent.
After much deliberation, Mnemon moved the bulk Donating public works to the Immaculate Order’s care,
of her forces away from defensive positions in Dejis and repairing temple structures for little to no cost,
Prefecture and other house strongholds to personally has further cultivated the Order’s affections. Though
reclaim Jiara from the Anathema. In doing so, she de- the Order maintains studious neutrality in conflict
livered a blistering condemnation of the other houses between Great Houses, its hierarchs privately consider
for their indolence in such matters elsewhere in the her one of the few candidates spiritually fit to take the
Threshold, a valedictory that drew many unaffiliated throne, and pay vast sums for ecclesiastical construc-
Dragon-Blooded to her cause. tion projects with the quiet understanding that the
money will, for the moment, be used elsewhere.
Mnemon left approximately one and a half legions to
protect her home interests. She invited the Immaculate The remaining houses are rivals to House Mnemon at
Order to use many of her family’s homes, temples, and best, enemies at worst.
manses for festivals in the coming months, in hopes the
Immaculate presence would cause predatory houses A nominal ally, House Sesus nonetheless stands between
to hesitate in launching an attack. Mnemon and the throne. Though intermarried with her
own house, she has no illusions about their loyalties, and
knows better than to try goading them into fighting her
Enemies and Alliances battles. House Mnemon is willing to retain the alliance
as long as possible, but Mnemon knows she must hum-
House elders favor a Peleps alliance. In addition to na-
ble the mighty Sesus family at some point. Conversely,
val might, Peleps’ reputation as exemplars of Dynastic
House Cynis has Sesus wrapped around its finger and
virtue dovetails with the Mnemons’ pious magnanim-
is using that house to fulfill its own ambitions, bringing
ity to guarantee popularity with the Realm’s mortal
Cynis and Mnemon into conflict.
populace, which Mnemon’s inner circle believes will
decide the war. But stable alliances demand intermar- Mnemon hates V’neef — the woman, not the house
riage, and while Mnemon herself respects their hous- — for embodying all of the Scarlet Empress’ beauty,
es’ shared values — sophistication, ambition, resolve — charm, and joie de vivre, undercutting Mnemon’s
she disdains the Peleps’ pedigree. She also undervalues public reputation as the very image of the Empress.
the peasantry’s love because they’ve never loved her. However, Mnemon has largely restricted this grudge
Mnemon would rather wield Peleps against V’neef in to the political arena, acting against V’neef interests in
the coming war, though not at the cost of promising the Deliberative and sabotaging the careers of promis-
them the Merchant Fleet. ing V’neef ministers.

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Mnemon’s main grudge is against House Ragara.
Though Ragara himself is ailing and retired, Mnemon
never forgot how many times he tried to kill her.
Mnemon also rankles against her house’s centuries of
accrued debt. Younger scions are in particularly dire
straits. While House Ragara eagerly extended them
credit with good terms while the Empress lived, now
creditors squeeze them financially and try to suborn
them. No matter the circumstances, Mnemon won’t
seek alliances in the coming war that align her with
the Ragaras. She intends on decimating their house,
and forcing them to pay war reparations and cancel
her family’s debts.

Major Holdings
The Mnemons have settled thickly in Dejis
Prefecture. Dejis encompasses the mountains
immediately northeast of the Imperial Mountain,
whose foothills form the prefecture’s southwestern
border. Once it was rife with weak demesnes, but
the Mnemons carefully transformed the region’s
geography to cultivate stronger demesnes, and thus
built greater manses throughout the hills and cliffs.
The mountains of Dejis are known for temples,
manses, and other scenic and majestic holy struc-
tures raised by House Mnemon.

Dejis Prefecture’s capital is Mnemon-Darjilis.

Mnemon restored the city of Darjilis from the ruins
of the First Age, and it began accepting residents and
generating taxes under its savior’s name. Other Dejis
cities include breathtaking Chainbright, its buildings
carved deep into cliff faces between cascading wa-
terfalls, and museum-riddled Ajakai of the Jewels,
where Mnemon raised tombs for siblings Ragara slew
centuries ago.

Vacationing Dynasts and patricians flock to the beau-

tiful beaches and villas of Halcyon Prefecture. In the
hills, shepherds driving flocks through picturesque
First Age ruins exchange gossip of nightly bacchanals
in such fashionable resort towns as Iru-by-the-Sea,
hosted by Mnemon husbands and widowers — that
passionate, less-disciplined gender — of Houses Cynis
and Sesus. Painters and poets look out across blue
waters, where fishing boats make way for Dynastic
yachts sailing to the nearby island Aura. House
Mnemon tamed the island’s spirits and dragon lines,
constructing a Wood manse — the House of Violet
Pergolas — that bathes the entire island in salubrious
energies. A magnificent spa and baths complex encir-
cles the manse, accessible only to Mnemons and their
personal guests.
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

MNEMON’S INNER CIRCLE

The house founder only trusts a handful of people sufficiently to value their counsel and to grant them re-
sponsibility over the house’s business and military interests. These are almost always at least a century old
— Mnemon gives little heed to the young and inexperienced — and are usually blood relatives, though a lover
or a descendant’s spouse occasionally earns her respect. Moreover, each is bound to her by ties of fear or
obligation; Mnemon knows better than to trust anyone who could entertain thoughts of betraying her without
suffering immediate and devastating reprisal.

Mnemon’s inner circle isn’t an official body. Its members don’t have formal meetings, but they’re aware of one
another’s identities, often gathering informally at family galas or corresponding to discuss matters of import.
Rarely do they overtly work at cross purposes; Mnemon has little patience for such feuds.

Notable members of the inner circle include the sour-faced senator Mnemon Oroth, who conceals beneath
her balding pate a litany of scandalous facts concerning almost every member of the Greater Chamber; Cynis
Solado, master physician and poisoner, who fathered one of Mnemon’s daughters; and the sagacious monk
Mnemon Caras Farim, who watches for signs of Iselsi subversion within the Order and keeps a close eye on
a particular assistant to the Mouth of Peace.

Groves of almonds and olives grow near the confluence to specially cultivated Earth manses, though deeper
of two rivers in the satrapy of Paragon. Merchants ply secrets of sorcery are doubtless involved. Dressing
their trade without fear of thieves or dishonest custom- richly but severely, she favors a spartan lifestyle, having
ers; magisters in robes of bright reds, deep blues, and grown accustomed to austerity in her years with the
exotic greens walk the city streets alongside citizens Immaculates. She disdains flattery, deeming actions
in dull and muted colors; visiting Dynasts sup on dates significant where words are empty air.
and coffee. Its buildings are of greenish-black basalt
and white marble, laid out in a grid centered on the Withered and wry, Mnemon Rulinsei looks older
mosaic-adorned palace of the aging Perfect of Paragon. than Mnemon, but is actually her younger sister.
Once a scavenger prince and wandering archaeologist, Having lost a hand and eye to Ragara’s assassins
he rose to power after unearthing a relic of the First centuries ago, Rulinsei joined Mnemon’s house-
Age that prolongs his lifespan and binds the satrapy’s hold under her protection as an adopted daughter.
citizenry to its ironclad laws. His rule over the city- After outliving two Cynis husbands, she’s retired
state’s people is absolute, but he’s shown no sign of to Mnemon-Darjilis as matriarch to her sprawling
disobedience to its Mnemon satrap, knowing that for household, and a member of the house founder’s in-
all his excavated power, he has no hope of standing ner circle. A master geomancer and middling sorcer-
against the Realm’s legions. er, she’s walked strange realms, debating heterodox
philosophies with ghosts of Shogunate savants and
Scions of Note studying sorcerous architecture with princesses of
Hell. Ultramarine glyphs shine upon her black jade
Mnemon (p. 351) is often regarded as the very image hand, Demon Strangler. A patch covers her starmetal
of the Empress. She is brilliant, determined, and ruth- eye, its power to see the unseen magnifying her own
less, and her sorcerous skills are unmatched within second sight. Rulinsei is placing her affairs in order;
the Dynasty. For centuries she’s labored to build the utterly loyal to the sister who shielded her, she’s
prestige and wealth of her Great House, and now she ready to sacrifice anything — including her own all-
stands ready to step into her mother’s place. If only the but-spent life — to place Mnemon on the throne and
rest of the Dynasty wanted another Scarlet Empress, ensure the supremacy of their mutual brood.
she’d sit upon the throne right now.
Though a skilled officer and effective swordsman,
Despite her age, Mnemon looks scarcely older than dragonlord Mnemon Pallan of the Sesus legions is best
thirty. She attributes her extraordinary vitality to the known as a poet. His verses — compiled and published
practice of Immaculate martial arts and attunement by his wife, Sesus Elissa, earning him fame among
Realm literati — laud the legions’ might and honor,

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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

the majesty of the Realm they guard, and the glory as controversial as Nellens. A politician instead of
of death in the cause of victory. Sung at military ban- a warrior, Nellens’ time as a mortal delegate to the
quets or chanted by troops on the march, they inspire Deliberative’s Lesser Chamber was marked by his
officers and soldiers alike to heroic effort. He likewise advocacy for un-Exalted Dynasts under the Empress’
cuts a swath off the battlefield, where his good looks, rule. He insisted that the blood of the Dragons in
eloquent manner, and generous nature have won him their veins marked them as more spiritually advanced
many lovers — even one night with the Empress her- than peasants and patricians. As such, they should
self, though he doesn’t speak of it. Pallan’s longest-run- be valued for more than their role in birthing future
ning affair, with Ragara Sarisan, has lasted well over a generations of Dragon-Blooded, and elevated above
decade. His blood-kin hide their disapproval lest they the patriciate in the Realm’s laws and administration
break the fiction of fidelity. Real trouble looms from commensurate with their Dragon-proven enlight-
another quarter; Sarisan’s firstborn may be Pallan’s — a enment. It was a wildly unpopular stance amongst
grave offense to his wife’s house, squandering potency Dragon-Blooded senators. Though Nellens crafted
belonging to Sesus. every speech on the subject carefully, he enraged and
offended many, and it was assumed that one of his
Mnemon Rulinsei Ghova is among the Realm’s most political rivals — or perhaps the Empress herself —
gifted armorers, but few desire his wares. He adorns would have him assassinated in due course.
his work with phantasmagorical imagery — storms
riddled with eyes, beasts with flames instead of heads, Instead, the Empress took him to her bed. Centuries
vines whose flowers are human hands. Some reject after his death, she founded a Great House in his name,
his work’s heretical iconism; others simply find it uniting several patrician houses and outcaste Dragon-
bizarre. He draws inspiration from opium dreams and Blooded families under the new aegis. Whether this
traumatic memories of the bordermarches, where he was intended as an honor for his siring Sesus, or a
and his Hearth quested for the irreal Noumenon and political move intended to throw the more powerful
battled the raksha prince Llirian-Llai, She Who Drinks Great Houses off balance, only the Empress knew.
the Wine of Light. Only the Wyld Hunt draws him
away from salon, temple, and forge. Ghova wears a veil, The house is overseen not by a single leader, but by
an affectation tied to a private heresy; he believes the an assembly collectively known as the Most August
Immaculate Dragons have withdrawn beyond time’s Conclave. Three of the Conclave are Dragon-Blooded,
veil as bodhisattvas, still living, ready to return in the including the house matriarch, the ever-calculating
Realm’s time of need. In doctrinal debates with aunts Nellens Gazal; four are mortal. Other members in-
and uncles, he supports his position with scripture and clude the famed orator and rare mortal senator of the
the apocryphal Hollow Codex; they disagree, but re- Deliberative’s Greater Chamber Nellens Odem; the
spect his views so long as he raises no awkward ques- Dragon-Blooded merchant Nellens Ikona, beloved
tions through proselytization. Recently, he’s seen the by patrician and peasant businesswomen across the
Immaculate Dragons in an opium stupor, instructing Blessed Isle; and Nellens Sabine, a young mortal sor-
him to seek their glory-crowned reincarnations amid cerer who oversees the house’s matchmaking efforts.
the Threshold. So far as the rest of the Realm is concerned, the three
Dragon-Blooded are the house’s leaders, but Nellens
is in fact ruled by all seven.
House Nellens
Dragons of the Blood Resurgent Social Standing
In a tavern in Juche, just outside Nellens’ sprawling Thin-blooded. Dilettante. Mongrel. Dynasts have a
ancestral home, the story of the house’s august an- thousand and one epithets for House Nellens’ scions,
cestor is told once a year on the date of his birth. Like and those scions have heard them all a thousand times.
most epic songs, it’s full of flowery verses, spinning the As early as primary school, the house’s children must
tale of a pious warrior and the queen who captured his learn to cope with disdain and condescension from ig-
heart, of love that transcended social distinction only norant Dynastic peers. Hailing from Nellens presents a
to end in tragedy. The best renditions include war, significant social handicap, but canny Dragon-Blooded
assassins, and selfless sacrifice. Like most epic songs, learn to take advantage of such dismissal and outma-
it’s almost entirely fictitious. neuver their detractors.
The Scarlet Empress had many lovers and consorts Nellens is unique among the Great Houses in that its
over the long centuries of her reign, and few were highest ranks are largely filled by mortals. Seeking to

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improve the rate of Exaltation within the house, the Most fish-processing plants, salt mines, textile operations,
August Conclave designed and implemented an aggressive fruit groves, shipping routes, and trading houses all fall
matchmaking campaign for its members. This program under the Nellens umbrella. Their foreign portfolios
is considered so vital to Nellens’ interests, the Conclave are no less varied. Nellens scions roam every direction
will occasionally reject marriage proposals from outcaste except the West, buying and trading in almost every
Dragon-Blooded — or even thin-blooded scions of other major metropolis and many minor settlements.
Great Houses — in favor of stronger blood matches from
un-Exalted Dynasts. The house has no strong elemental Nellens’ greatest strength, however, is their unpar-
expression, preferring matches that strengthen the puis- alleled ability to trade in favors from other Dynasts,
sance of the Dragon’s blood over attempts at cultivating a patrician families, foreign nobles, and mercantile con-
singular elemental Aspect. sortiums. Using their influence in the financial, com-
mercial, and political sectors, Nellens can make life
Nellens is heavily invested in the Blessed Isle’s bu- very easy for their allies. Less flaunted is the Nellens
reaucracy and commerce, with the bulk of their mortal ability to hinder and, sometimes, ruin their enemies.
members groomed from birth to fill positions in the
ministries, offices, and trading houses that keep the House Military
Realm running smoothly. A Nellens child is tested at the
age of five for her aptitudes, and a three-year program Nellens has never been a military-oriented house.
devised to strengthen those raw talents before she Despite prolific success in politics and business,
enters primary school. By the time she graduates from Nellens has always felt the lack of house legions to be
secondary school, the scion is well prepared to become a deficiency needing correction. The house appealed
a merchant, bureaucrat, historian, artisan, or other frequently to the Scarlet Empress for a grant to raise a
professional. house legion, going so far as to build an entire garrison
complex and outlying barracks near the city of Juche,
A child blessed with Exaltation is expected to per- but such appeals proved futile.
form above and beyond examples set by other houses.
Though some achieve high-ranking positions in the The Empress is gone, and her legions divvied up
Thousand Scales, most Dragon-Blooded scions are amongst the houses. Through judicious favor-trading,
expected to serve the Realm as heroes and exemplars. well-placed bribes, promises to forgive debt owed to
Many find honorable service in the legions or amongst the house, and generous private donations, Nellens has
the ranks of the Immaculates. Others serve within acquired two legions, housed in the Juche garrison.
their house, acting as surrogates for un-Exalted elders
or providing the public face of House Nellens in the Both legions are shoddily equipped, understrength, and
Realm’s galas and salons. without adequate command staff, no doubt a driving
reason Nellens could acquire them at all. But Nellens
House Economics plays the long game, seeing its purchase of the legions
as an investment for the future, and a foundation
Nellens is wealthy. It’s one of the only houses to upon which to build more forces. Nellens is currently
avoid heavy debt with House Ragara, and among the engaged in negotiations with several other houses,
few whose wealth continues to grow, despite the attempting to secure the release of their scions serving
tumultuous times currently afflicting the Threshold in other legions. Intolerant commanders within other
and the Blessed Isle. Its success is aided by the many house legions have seized the opportunity to arrange
Nellens positioned within the ranks of the Thousand transfers for outcaste subordinates into Nellens’ ranks,
Scales, making it infinitely easier to push permits, and Nellens is happy to accept. Nellens even approach-
applications, and financing agreements through on the es disgraced outcaste officers, discharged or dismissed
family’s behalf. from other legions, to fill their command staff, enticing
their loyalty and service with offers of money, support,
Every house diversifies its investments, but Nellens and marriage.
redefines the term “diversify.” No single venture serves
to make Nellens rich; most of Nellens’ investments Enemies & Alliances
are in the minor industries of the Blessed Isle. It’s the
sheer number of those investments that fill the vaults. There’s a philosophy every Nellens child is taught as soon
Their portfolio is spread across virtually every en- as they learn to talk: If a woman is your enemy, you haven’t
terprise and community on the Blessed Isle. Farming found the proper leverage. It’s this philosophy that drives
and mining communities, Northern whaling fleets, Nellens ambition, allowing them to bear social slights

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and veiled insults without flinching. Though Nellens chafe at the ease with which Nellens scions challenge
considers every Great House a rival, that’s never deemed their dominance in business and trade. Individual
an acceptable reason to shun a profitable alliance. Ragaras seek solutions to this vexation, whether
proposing partnerships and alliances in business op-
Only a few houses are worthy of Nellens’ official en- portunities; undermining Nellens trade ventures in
mity. House Sesus is notoriously antagonistic towards the Threshold; or seeking to suborn a disaffected or
the house. The children of Sesus consider the fact the disinherited scion, purchasing his loyalty with Ragara
house named for her father has so many mortal mem- coin.
bers an insult, and view its matchmaking program as
an attempt to usurp House Sesus’ lofty pedigree. Since When the Empress elevated House V’neef, she award-
the earliest days of the house’s existence, Sesus has ed it assets stripped from House Nellens, sowing the
waged political, economic, and social warfare against seeds of rivalry between the two youngest houses of
the Nellens, sending spies, infiltrators, and occasional- the Scarlet Dynasty. Over the decades, each house has
ly assassins into their territories to disrupt, upset, and sabotaged and undermined mercantile ventures of the
stymie the Nellens’ agenda. other, repaying slight for slight in a cycle of feuding
that has so far gone unbroken. While an alliance might
Though the Nellens have done nothing to outright earn prove advantageous, the Most August Conclave is
the enmity of House Ledaal, their neighbors across the fiercely split on their opinion of V’neef.
river nonetheless resent them for their closeness and
for Juche’s wealth, which they believe has grown at the Nellens has made recent overtures to House Tepet.
expense of Arjuf Dominion’s northern reaches. The Knowing the vexations of being a scorned family,
Most August Conclave has made overtures to Ledaal’s the Most August Conclave believe Tepet’s leadership
leadership, but negotiations are delicate and often might appreciate their gestures of empathy and alli-
temperamental. ance. The enticement of the Nellens legions is no small
temptation; Nellens might be able to finance and sup-
Nellens wealth is a constant thorn in House Ragara’s ply their military forces, but the family strength isn’t in
side. Ragara financiers resent their inability to indebt military command. Out-of-work and disgraced Tepet
Nellens’ scions, while more entrepreneurial Ragara commanders, on the other hand, might be amenable to

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lending their expertise to the Nellens, if only to regain un-Exalted children of the Dynasty earned him the
some of the respect lost with their failures in the North enmity of many, but he was also a key figure in ad-
— though they’d prefer more respectable patrons. vancing significant pieces of legislation through the
Deliberative, such as the yearly limit on emancipating
Nellens has befriended numerous patrician families and slaves — a compromise that stemmed the threat of a
wealthy mortal households, cultivating relationships short-lived abolitionist movement. Fiery, forthright,
much closer than those between other Great Houses and a cunning broker of compromises, it’s easy to see
and patricians by funding projects, doling out financial how he caught the Empress’ eye.
assistance to struggling merchants, and smoothing per-
mits and authorizations through the labyrinthine chan- At the age of 28, Nellens Sabine became the youngest
nels of the Thousand Scales. Nellens may not be able to sitting member of the Most August Conclave in Nellens
compete with the strength of blood and influential posi- history. Born with an intuitive grasp of complex occult
tioning of other Great Houses in the war for the throne, concepts and ingrained with ambition and perfection-
but with the weight of millions of un-Exalted citizens ism by her parents, Sabine’s sorcerous skills opened a
behind them, the Most August Conclave believes they door often closed to the Nellens. Now in her sixties,
might achieve a position of influence and importance Sabine has taken charge of Nellens’ matchmaking
with whoever succeeds the Empress. program, and works tirelessly to improve the rate of
Exaltation amongst her relatives. Privately, she also
Major Holdings seeks methods to awaken the dragonfire within her
own blood. Though her lineage is impeccable and her
Nellens calls Juche Prefecture home, and most family blood amongst the purest Nellens has produced, the
members maintain townhouses within Juche city’s Second Breath didn’t come for her, and she finds this a
walls. The Most August Conclave dwell within the deficiency within herself. Though her quest is quixotic
Villa of Seven Doorways, a palatial manse housing the and borderline heretical, she persists — if not for her
Nellens libraries, treasuries, and private offices, and own sake, then for her nineteen-year-old daughter’s.
much of the family’s Isle-based business is conducted
within the city. Nellens invests heavily in the infra- Nellens Leferi has carried out business transactions
structure and financial stability of both prefecture and with petty Threshold despots, barbarian warlords,
city. The centuries-long cold war with House Sesus has and the subterranean artificers of the Mountain Folk.
left the prefecture’s borders lined with fortresses and When she’s not adventuring throughout the Threshold
backroads known only to the units that patrol them. and beyond in search of profitable ventures and trad-
The city of Juche, sprawling at the head of the Caracal ing partners, she acts as a proxy for the Conclave’s
River, has become one of the Isle’s prominent centers commercial interests, putting both her business
for trade and religious pilgrimage. Many of Juche pre- acumen and her formidable martial arts prowess to
fecture’s teahouses, libraries, farmsteads, artisans, and use bargaining with those too proud to palaver with
merchant houses boast a Nellens partner, and Juche mortals. Recently, she’s set out for Great Forks, seeking
city’s many shrines are tended by Nellens monks. to recruit Exigent mercenaries to reinforce the Nellens
legions.
Despite its ambitions and wealth, Nellens controls few
holdings. While rival houses perceive this as a sign of Nellens Uliya holds a modest position within the
weakness, it’s how Nellens prefers it. Nellens agents ex- Righteous and Accountable Ministry of Weights and
cel in locating troubled satrapies, to which they quietly Measures, the bureau tasked with enforcing stan-
offer assistance in meeting their tithes. The house’s deep dardized measures of distance and weights. Though
coffers have helped pay many tributes over the years. un-Exalted, her ingenuity is matched only by her au-
As a result, they have eyes and ears in every direction dacity, and she wields her position as a weapon against
except the West, and are well informed on the workings the other Great Houses — rooting out Cynis drug
of the other Great Houses in the Threshold. peddlers who weight their scales, surveying satrapial
boundaries to bleed House Sesus of territory inch by
inch, and levying fines against Mnemon architects for
Scions of Note the slightest discrepancies in their blueprints. She’s a
marked woman, of course, and more than one assassi-
Centuries after his death, Nellens himself remains
nation attempt has come too close. She’s survived this
a controversial figure with the power to inspire
far with the help of her god-blooded bodyguard and
or inflame his descendants. His advocacy for the
lover, Seventh Winter.

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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

House Peleps members of other houses expect as their birthright is

parceled out to Peleps scions only when earned. Those
Water That Wreathes who succeed have opulence showered upon them, and
the Crown of Centuries find the house more than willing to throw its weight
behind their schemes.
The dashing captain astride a ship’s deck in a storm,
calmly shouting orders as the vessel heaves and rolls; the Success cannot be bought in House Peleps. Merit con-
incorruptible judge, refusing to pass judgment until her quers all; even the most inauspicious child can climb
investigation finds the truth; the daring adventurer who high with sufficient skill, connections, and conviction
always arrives just in time — these archetypes represent — and a bit of luck. “The trade winds” is a Peleps idiom
House Peleps in the Blessed Isle’s hearts and minds. for the vagaries of fate, and it’s commonly accepted
An ancient house, Peleps carries an air of romanticism, that the results of luck are well-earned — to be foiled
danger, and adventure in distant lands, returning home by the trade winds is a sign of unworthiness, while tak-
to honor and respect from the rest of the Dynasty. ing unexpected advantage of them is lauded. It makes
for a cold, lonely, and often hostile upbringing, but the
Theirs is a nautical family, sailors and admirals with rewards for those who thrive are the stuff of legend.
few peers, and the Peleps mon decorates more sails
than any other symbol in Creation. The Blessed Isle, The house’s main concerns are the Navy and the judi-
encircled by the Inland Sea, is a maritime power; the ciary; careers in these fields are the fastest way to win
ships that ply its harbors, its lifeblood. The Imperial accolades. House Peleps, with its focus on merit over
Navy is a military behemoth, an unmatched fighting nepotism, produces particularly competent judges.
force, and it belongs to House Peleps. Peleps scions Peleps judges command dread and respect, and less
travel Creation’s oceans and waterways, bringing back scrupulous ones take full advantage of it.
tales and artifacts that excite and intrigue.
House Economics
Worldliness and virtue define the house in the eyes
of polite society. Unshakable beacons of imperial Tribute comes across the Inland Sea escorted by the
glory and honor, they also carry the thrilling touch Realm’s Merchant Fleet, which is repaid with a frac-
of adventure. Reliable, steadfast, and honorable, most tion of the wealth it guards. This was always House
other houses cannot help but look up to them, even if Peleps’ main source of wealth, defraying the costs of
grudgingly. constructing, supplying, and maintaining the gargan-
tuan Imperial Navy. Peleps’ wealth was an accepted
The truth is more complicated. For every dashing, dar- fact, and few stopped to think that the giant might
ing hero, there’s a disgraced scion whose family stuck starve. That certainty is giving way.
her somewhere out of sight. Peleps is a romantic house,
but it’s also ruthless — even to its own children, even In RY 754, the Scarlet Empress stripped the Merchant
by Dynastic standards. Success is everything, and what Fleet and the lucrative duty of escorting tribute ships from

THE RIGHTLY GUIDED ADMIRALTY BOARD

Governing body of both the Imperial Navy and House Peleps, the Rightly Guided Admiralty Board comprises
fifteen high admirals elected for 25-year terms. Its current roster includes house matriarch Peleps Lai, the
self-proclaimed judge of pirates Peleps Orimu, and the firebrand senator Peleps Mulat Kai. Every Peleps
who’s either Dragon-Blooded or holds the rank of captain or higher in the Imperial Navy can vote. In theory,
any Peleps is eligible to sit on the Admiralty Board, but in practice, only Dragon-Blooded women are elected.
To guide House Peleps within the treacherous waters of Realm politics, only the shrewdest minds will do —
the vote isn’t so much to ensure the house’s scions have a say, as to prove that the winner has the scheming
prowess to outwit rival houses.

The Admiralty Board has been logjammed regarding the matter of the throne, but spurred on by the house’s
declining fortunes, it’s seeking potential Peleps candidates for the throne — whether the Scarlet Throne or a
new throne in the West.

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House Peleps and granted them to the nascent House rare Western spices, and Haltan acrobats — decline in
V’neef. The dragon’s share of Peleps’ income vanished, and number and opulence. Donations from Dynastic ad-
to make matters worse, went into the pockets of upstarts. mirers hoping to earn the house’s favor still flow in, but
that’s only a trickle compared to the river of Imperial
Now, the house must rely on other sources of wealth Navy expenditures. The house bleeds money, and the
to meet the mammoth cost of funding the world’s Admiralty Board is considering desperate measures,
largest navy. It retains a substantial stipend from the from raiding other houses’ satrapies to demanding
Imperial Treasury, despite constant maneuvers in the tribute from every merchant ship they come across.
Deliberative to reduce this. It’s also cracked down In the most desperate case, they may have to sell off
heavily on its satrapies, reasoning that it’s better to pieces of the Imperial Navy to stay solvent.
strip those bare than cut the military budget — after
all, once fighting starts, it can conquer V’neef satrapies The main measure House Peleps plans to employ is
to replace its own failing ones. Now House Peleps conquest. It’s aware that control of the Imperial Navy
rakes in more tribute than ever, but at a devastating draws scrutiny, and open aggression will rally the
cost to its holdings. It’s encouraged scions to increase Dynasty against it. So it moves slowly, establishing
their personal financial ventures, while reserving the a trading post here and a hidden naval base there,
right to tax them. This has met with some success, while looking for any legitimate pretext under which
and spurred many scions to greater focus on business. to expand its power in the West without drawing the
Lastly, the house has aggressively stepped up its fight Dynasty’s suspicion. With enough time, it could es-
against piracy, selling captured contraband and ships tablish a Western Empire, more true to the Empress’
to bolster its finances. With house coffers at an all-time legacy and the Immaculate Philosophy than the in-
low, the Admiralty Board’s definition of a pirate vessel creasingly corrupt one that presently exists.
grows more lenient.
House Military
Ultimately, it’s not enough. Tuition for Peleps children
is harder to find, and other houses are both disappoint- When the legions were divided among the houses,
ed and gleeful to see the famed Peleps galas — with Peleps claimed four by dint of its high standing in the
their intricate marvels of Southern craftsmanship,
 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

Dynasty and plethora of Deliberative seats. Since then, compromising its admirable reputation if exposed,
these legions have seen their officer ranks seeded with which has been a source of internal conflict and debate
Peleps scions, bolstering loyalty to the house, but at within the Admiralty Board.
great cost to morale and effectiveness. Many junior of-
ficers, or even would-be officers, now find themselves Enemies and Alliances
in prestigious command positions. Though the house’s
more traditional members are repulsed by this nepo- House Peleps has no end of admirers among the
tism, the Admiralty Board has — with some distaste — Dynasty, but few firm allies. House Mnemon is its
approved the process. Three legions drill at the Isle of closest ally, more out of convenience than true convic-
Wrack, while the fourth has been trickling to the West tion, but each shares a warm, if distant, regard for the
a few hundred soldiers at a time over the last year. other’s virtues. Like all houses, Peleps is indebted to
House Ragara. Houses Nellens and Cynis are held in
But House Peleps’ true military power is the Imperial quiet contempt, but where Peleps does brisk business
Navy, a behemoth without compare, consisting of with Cynis, preferring it over Ragara, it’s disgusted by
thousands of triremes, biremes, carracks, and support Nellens. House Tepet once had House Peleps’ deepest
vessels, divided into five fleets named for the ele- respect; now, the opinion among Peleps scions is that
ments. While sailors and marines are largely peasant Tepet has shown weakness and should have the de-
volunteers, the officer class consists of patricians and cency to die quickly. Then they can eulogize the fallen
Dynasts, who attend prestigious military academies house, remembering its greatness, instead of having it
and then apprentice to an officer for a few years. Most hang onto the Realm like a lamprey.
Dragon-Blooded Peleps officers graduate from the
House of Bells, with the occasional outcaste alumnus House Cathak is the other preeminent juggernaut of
of Pasiap’s Stair marrying into the family and earning Imperial military might. Both houses are keenly aware
a commission. Almost all admirals are Peleps women. that together, they could seize the throne — and there-
Dragon-Blooded rise higher and faster than anyone by unite the rest of the Dynasty against them. Though
else, and they enjoy more leeway than their mortal Cathak fears the consequences for the Realm, Peleps
colleagues, but when they do fall, they fall harder and savors the challenge. As Cathak Cainan has announced
faster. A disgraced Dragon-Blooded officer is often neutrality for the nonce, relations between the two
shunted none-too-gently into some other profession houses are marked by careful, cordial distance, each
where he can be useful without being seen. aware that if war comes, they may find themselves
standing on opposite ends of the battlefield. With each
House Peleps’ fighting force is massive, with naval stationing forces to watch the other, both are aware
manpower alone possibly equaling all the legions com- that a simple misunderstanding could start a war nei-
bined. The other houses are acutely aware of this, cast- ther side wants.
ing a wary eye at Peleps maneuvers near their coastal
or island holdings. Should the house employ its ships Two houses are already arrayed against House Peleps.
unwisely, or its reputation for upright dealings falter, House Sesus fears that Peleps will cut off its passage
the Imperial Navy is one of the few things in Creation to their wealthy Northern satrapies, while Peleps is
that can unify the Realm again — against House Peleps. tired of peeling Sesus spies and saboteurs out of the
The Admiralty Board knows this, and it discourages Imperial Navy’s ranks.
brash young scions from bluster and idle threats of na-
val intervention. The Navy must be wielded delicately, House Peleps’ main enemy is the upstart House V’neef,
because the house is already in uncertain waters. which fills many Peleps scions with humiliated fury.
V’neef herself is young, daring, ambitious, and com-
But there’s a third aspect of Peleps military power, petes directly within House Peleps’ spheres of advan-
often overlooked. It’s a prestigious house, admired and tage and expertise. While V’neef lacks the sea power to
respected — feared, even — by many in the Dynasty. contest the Imperial Navy in battle, an open war would
Many young Dynasts see the nautical house as the pin- risk destroying Peleps’ finances and reputation even in
nacle of the Realm’s glory. War against House Peleps victory. Instead, the two houses engage in brinkman-
must be carefully orchestrated, because an attack ship in the West, sailing circles around one another
could easily resemble a direct assault on Imperial vir- while scooping up valuable resources and strategic
tue and ideals. That could provoke idealistic Dragon- locations, and trying to find legal excuses for sinking
Blooded to flock to the Peleps banner, defending the other house’s vessels. Eventually, one side will slip
the venerable house against those who’d destroy it. or find itself sufficiently threatened to leave pretenses
However, the house’s dreams of a Western Empire risk behind. Then there will be war.

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Major Holdings ship, the Spear of Daana’d, which was scuttled in a

trench off the Isle of Wrack to be one with the seas.
Voice-of-the-Tides Prefecture is the house’s primary Peleps scions still pay homage at her tomb on the first
holding on the Blessed Isle, a craggy, storm-scarred day of Ascending Water. The tomb’s seals are tended
coastal province on the far western shore. Here lies the by Dragon-Blooded monks of a dedicated Immaculate
Isle of Wrack, where the ancient Peleps estate sprawls, shrine on a nearby islet. Some say they hear banging
perched precariously among broken cliffs, overlooking noises from the sunken ship during Calibration.
massive drydocks on the Blessed Isle’s shore on one
side, and open sea on the other. Here, the Admiralty The house matriarch and unofficial head of the
Board holds court, entertaining envoys from Dynastic Admiralty Board is the ancient, legendary Admiral
families seeking their favor, along with Peleps scions. Peleps Lai, daughter of Peleps herself, whose exploits
are recounted in plays and books across Creation. She’s
Sarkarn has been a Peleps satrapy for centuries. A now mostly retired, only speaking up from her sour
wealthy island of pearl divers and fishermen west of reverie when she feels the need to correct younger
Thorns, Sarkarn supplies exotic fish and fine pink colleagues. She still believes the Empress will return,
pearls. With the Thorns trade failing, though, and and won’t entertain the notion of another monarch
Peleps extorting ever-greater tribute, this sleepy, until convinced otherwise — and while she’s not as spry
respectable community is sliding into poverty and as she once was, her martial skills remain sufficient
despair. As livelihoods vanish and sickness sets in, to trounce the occasional upstart who’d defy her. She
Sarkarn’s queen, in desperation, entertains envoys supports the notion of a Western Empire, though, and
from Red Iron Rebuke, autocrat of Thorns, offering the dreams of personally presenting this new conquest to
Mask of Winters’ protection. the Empress.

The Wavecrest Archipelago in the West is the jewel Peleps Aramida, an admiral of the Realm’s Water
of House Peleps’ holdings. The islands’ rich black Fleet, is a deeply spiritual woman with a knack for
volcanic soil supports harvests of breadfruit, mangos, bringing lofty concepts down to earth for her sailors to
guavas, taro root, and bananas, exotic luxuries in appreciate. Her sermons for the dead are heartfelt, and
high demand at Dynastic dinner tables. Shipyards she loves her crew like a mother — stern, distant, never
house efforts to replace aging and damaged vessels stingy with the lashes, but caring — and they repay her
of the Imperial Navy’s Water Fleet and expand its in kind. A brilliant tactician, well-known for outwit-
deep-water contingent, but recent sabotage suggests ting enemies of superior power, her victories against
that V’neef agents may have compromised this secret. Fair Folk and sea-demons have made her the very
Increased tributes leave poorer residents malnour- image of the dashing Peleps officer — a darling of the
ished as the harvest is hauled back to the Blessed Isle. courts, admired for gall and cleverness. She supports
The archipelago’s royal families pressure their leader, alliance with House Tepet, deeming it more fallen on
the Feathered One, to abate this by raiding neighboring hard times than defeated, and potentially a strong right
islands, while some whisper of outright rebellion. And hand for a Peleps Empress — a role she’s not averse to
the fiery hero-priestess Kamach Aki, self-proclaimed claiming if she can obtain sufficient support.
Chosen of Hamoji, sermonizes against the Immaculate
Order, enjoining her people to return to their old wor- Peleps Sepeta Zurin is among the most celebrated of
ship of the volcano-god. the Immaculate Order’s missionaries. He crossed the
Glassblack Wastes to bring the Immaculate Texts to
the tribes of distant Porphyry; discovered the lost tem-
Scions of Note ple-city of Azal-Mog and toppled its blasphemous altar
to make way for an Immaculate shrine; and overthrew
Peleps was the Empress’ second daughter. Perhaps
the tyranny of the maize-god Hundredth Harvest. He
the most widely traveled of all her siblings, she visited
rarely stays on the Blessed Isle for long before setting
the farthest reaches of every Direction, and walked
off on his next expedition — much to the chagrin of
Lookshy’s streets and the Imperial Mountain’s slopes.
Peleps elders who believe he could help rally the Order
Everywhere she went she left behind admirers and
and peasantry to the house’s side in the event of civil
enemies, for her spirit was adventurous, righteous,
war. He’s recently set out for Thorns in hopes of con-
and rapacious, but her greatest rival and lover was the
verting its dark lord.
ocean. When she died, she was interred in her beloved

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House Ragara of acceptability or health, often delving into outright

forbidden subjects.
Earth Slaked on the Blood of Dragons
Entire households have been cast off and sacrificed for
The Imperial Mountain towers majestically on Corin heresy and diabolism, but these were scapegoats — the rot
Prefecture’s horizon, a revered symbol of the Realm’s goes deeper. The inner circle of occultists and politicians,
power, implacable and eternal. But its roots go deep in- though they see nothing wrong in their activities, never-
deed, and beneath it are hidden wonders and horrors of theless realize that the tragic fate of House Jurul is possible
surpassing power and mind-searing blasphemy, stretch- for their own house. To sacrifice oneself and one’s family
ing back to the eldest of times and before. Long has House is sad, but if it protects the house entire, it’s something
Ragara viewed the mountain as the symbol of everything most Ragara matriarchs would gladly accept. To reclaim
they try to be. Few recognize how apt that comparison is. the power of the Realm Before and its Solar devil-queens
would secure House Ragara’s future, and the Realm’s with
“The Imperial Bank” is the nickname that the other Great it. So some sacrifices are required. In this interest, they
Houses bestowed upon the Ragara family, as much in re- delve into the secrets of Hell and the Underworld, bind
sentment as in genuine recognition of the house’s financial raksha and stranger spirits to their souls to infuse their
might. House Ragara owns a piece of every other house, lineages with unhale power, and compete with the Wyld
has scions from each so indebted that they’re lifelong ser- Hunt for Anathema to experiment upon — or recruit.
vants of the Ragaras, and has a finger in every major line
of business in Creation. Nearly all Dynasts are rich beyond
a mortal’s wildest dreams of avarice, but House Ragara is
Social Standing
the very richest — an opulence bordering on vulgarity that
To most of Creation, House Ragara is a family of in-
would make a Guild factor turn to stone with envy. Within
vestment bankers and jade moguls. Few suspect other-
this wealth nest the house’s members, and at the center
wise — not even its younger scions. Those who do are
sits Ragara Banoba and his scheming inner circle. House
brushed off as harmless conspiracy theorists, obsessed
Ragara will see one of its own claim the Scarlet Throne, but
with this or that Ragara censured for blasphemies
their hunger goes beyond simply controlling the Realm.
against the Immaculate Philosophy.
House Ragara wants everything.
While the house itself has an artfully stodgy and con-
Craving more than simple wealth, the house hoards
servative reputation, individual Ragaras tend to be ur-
power in whatever form it may take, and its network
bane, well educated, and familiar with most vices and
of sorcerers and artifact-thieves ranges through the
virtues. They’re charismatic natural leaders, possessed
Threshold, taking whatever they can find. “Everything
of easy professionalism that many members of wilder
belongs to the Empress, and House Ragara is her
houses quietly envy.
vault,” they say, using this as pretext to seize anything
worthwhile, caring little for the Threshold’s stability
or prosperity. The Realm Before is a favored subject House Economics
of study, and many of the Dynasty’s most distin-
guished scholars of Anathema artifice bear the name Ragara grew his financial empire by locating and
Ragara. But this fascination goes beyond the bounds seizing undiscovered jade mines, using pre-Contagion

BANOBA’S INNER CIRCLE

Ragara Banoba keeps half a dozen other Ragaras as his advisors, and they have as much power over him as
he has over them. This group isn’t chosen by prominence or position, but by pure talent. Here, some ancient
and mighty Dragon-Blooded mingle with fresh-faced youths who possess the appropriate level of callous
genius. Members include Ragara Falik Udonai, who made her fortune combing the chaos of the Wyld for lost
relics and alien treasures; the young Ragara Vena, a Spiral Academy graduate whose talent for mesmerism
has suborned several Thousand Scales bureaucrats and low-ranking delegates of the Deliberative; and the
blind physician Ragara Madoq, whose laboratory holds strains of diseases that have not blighted Creation
since the First Age. These people are responsible for managing House Ragara’s darker, illicit projects — the
ones that nobody else can be trusted with, such as Anathema sorceries, blasphemous studies of Exaltation
itself, and the search for the Final Realm-Controlling Utterance.

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documents as clues. He also established the Learned The house would offer loans to nations in desperate
Bastion, a small school in Corin Prefecture that pro- need, then exact extravagant interest, selling the loan
vides adult Dragon-Blooded an education in geology to the Empress when it clearly wouldn’t be repaid.
and geomancy to rival even the Heptagram. Each The Empress then used non-payment as a pretext for
graduate consents to five years of service with House invasion.
Ragara’s Unclouded Stone Savants, locating further
deposits of valuable minerals, especially jade. The Every house owes Ragara money, ranging from sig-
Bastion has enjoyed five centuries of distinguished nificant but ultimately minor loans to extravagant,
— albeit highly specialized and low-profile — service, potentially crippling sums. Interest on these loans is
educating some of the Realm’s finest geologists. sufficiently lucrative that the Ragaras are hardly eager
to see the principal repaid. Few care to find out what
Using these methods, Ragara claimed many of would happen to a house that defaulted on its loans.
Creation’s deepest, oldest jade and silver deposits, es-
tablishing his house as an economic juggernaut. While House Military
the jade mines still provide one-fourth of the house’s
income, the bulk comes from loan and investment When the Imperial legions were parceled out, House
interest — including from other houses’ coffers, cour- Ragara focused on the most poorly trained, undereq-
tesy of Dynasts whose debt has grown insurmountable. uipped, and short-handed legions, and gained control
Under Banoba, the house spends this wealth to acquire over three without needing to write off much debt
artifacts and finance occult studies, ranging from pub- in return. Since then, large sums of jade have been
lic to blasphemous. poured into improving these legions, leaving them
fully staffed and stocked with all the equipment a
The Empress condoned House Ragara’s predatory soldier can dream of. But they’ve also been stripped of
lending practices. The house was closely tied to her, experienced officers, leaving troops demoralized and
and so long as they didn’t stray into military pursuits, disgruntled. Ragara Banoba is aware of their weakness,
little regulation was enacted. The Empress person- but hopes a few years’ deployment to the Threshold
ally entered into business with the house time and will forge them into strong fighting forces. Results are
again — most notoriously, in the interest of conquest.

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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

mixed thus far, and if war breaks out, the new Ragara Ragara speechmakers in the Deliberative. Banoba also
legions will be punching below their weight. takes care not to offend Houses Peleps, seeing it as a
potential ally.
Ragara scions of poor business acumen have tradition-
ally been pushed into military service to recoup the The current crisis is a time of opportunity that House
investment their house has made in them — a practice Ragara has wholeheartedly embraced. The house is
that’s led many to high rank and distinguished service more excited by the prospect of civil war than it lets
throughout the centuries, and now feeds the house on, eager to expand its power, and it’s currently in a
legions. political struggle to take as many of House Tepet’s old
holdings as possible under the pretext of reinforcing
Enemies and Alliances them and filling in for Tepet’s decimated adminis-
trative structure. This is completely illegal, but the
A house standing alone, Ragara has no true allies or other Great Houses have allowed it because Ragara is
friends among its ostensible peers. Other houses may theoretically taking on debts that House Tepet can no
preen and brag and look down on the “Imperial Bank” longer repay.
— but eventually, all roads lead up the dread stairs to
Ragara Banoba’s office, and all the other houses debase In this endeavor, House Sesus is a powerful rival, like-
themselves in the end and come to him for money. wise seizing satrapies under the pretext of fulfilling
Thus, House Ragara finds it difficult to view fellow Tepet responsibilities and debts. Banoba is doing his
Great Houses as equals. This grates on other houses, best to call in favors from House Peleps and other allies
especially prouder ones such as Peleps or Cathak. to swing the Deliberative in his favor, while being care-
ful not to undermine the house’s economic ties with
Two exceptions remain: Houses Nellens and V’neef Sesus. If he gets his way, House Ragara’s newfound
have labored to remain out of Ragara’s debt, and for troops will be spread thin, and they may have to ille-
that, they’re the closest thing the house of bankers has gally hire mercenaries to hold territory in their stead.
to equals — making them its enemies by default.
Major Holdings
House Cathak shows support for House Ragara’s as-
cent to the throne, but this is a polite fiction born out House Ragara is seated in Corin Prefecture, a coastal
of debt and convenience. The Cathaks won’t be Ragara province in the southern Blessed Isle noted for its
puppets, and House Ragara has no intention of cancel- barren, rocky landscape and rich jade, silver, and tin
ing House Cathak’s debts. deposits. Here, Ragara Banoba and the family council
reign in the Stepped Palace, a massive structure han-
House Ragara’s greatest enemies are Houses Mnemon dling jade and silver smelting as well as banking, stor-
and Ledaal. Mnemon has a personal death-grudge age, and administration. It lies just outside the city of
against Ragara himself, and wants nothing more than Riven Quay, where other Ragaras keep townhouses.
to provide his house’s eulogy. In turn, Banoba works to At the top of the Stepped Palace sits Banoba’s audience
prevent her ascent to the Throne. hall, where the council meets and hears requests for
perilous or extravagant loans. “To walk the long stairs”
Only House Ledaal nourishes serious suspicions to- is a saying among the Dynasty for taking out a loan
wards House Ragara. They’re aware of the Ragaras’ from House Ragara.
accumulation of ancient relics, and while they wish
to prevent damage to the old sorcerous defensive From here, Banoba presides over the house’s extensive
structure of the Realm Before, they’re also concerned holdings, which stretch throughout the Threshold.
with House Ragara’s motivations; they know well the Ragara administers these satrapies with a fairly light
temptation that power can bring. The fate of House hand, tribute exacted and minimum standards of loy-
Jurul reminds them that heresy and worse can spring alty enforced but little more. The house has a knack for
up even among Exalted. snapping up the leases of minor, undesirable satrapies
and then unearthing mineral wealth or First Age ruins.
But to stand completely alone is unworkable. Ragara
Banoba makes overtures towards House Sesus and Across the strait from Arjuf, northwest of the Lap, sits
House Cynis, plying them with rare and expensive Jau Dei, a land underneath the mountains producing
luxury items and favorable loan terms. Cynis debts are marble in many unusual colors; a little white jade; and
quietly slashed, and Ragara scions attend more Cynis the tartelian, a small crustacean whose powdered shell
parties than ever, while Sesus finds itself lauded by is prized by sorcerers as a component for alchemical

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suspensions. The main cavern is lit by an ingenious A talented battle sorcerer and a resourceful merchant,
network of sunlight refraction crystals — once, these Ragara Szaya is a consummate chance-taker with a
relayed daylight into the deeps, but they’ve cracked history of dangerous risks and wild behavior falling
and dimmed with age, providing now a full moon’s just short of completely acceptable. No one would ex-
light when the sun is at zenith. pect someone like her to be an agent of the All-Seeing
Eye, which is only part of what makes her such an
Jau Deians are accustomed to the deeps, moreso than effective one. Her hard-won commercial contacts span
House Ragara’s garrison. As such, Realm rule has the Threshold, feeding her information from across
always been tumultuous; rebellion spreads like cock- the Realm. She’s married to Ledaal Kes (p. 348), a fel-
roaches, hiding in natural caves or mining tunnels. low agent of the Eye, and though both are homosexual,
While this tendency has been kept to a simmer by dili- their decades-spanning friendship is unshakable.
gent Ragara measures in the past, the Empress’ disap-
pearance has led to a resurgence of firebombings, mass A mediocre sorcerer with a knack for ancient lore,
poisonings, and other insurgent tactics. It’s a thorn in Ragara Iuna is one of the house’s most talented ar-
the house’s side, a literal hole into which they can pour chaeologists, which has bought her a great deal of au-
as many resources as they want yet never kill the rot. tonomy. She’s an idealist and adventurer, traveling the
At present, Banoba only bothers to fight the rebellion Threshold alone, recovering everything from artifacts
instead of making a gift of a troublesome satrapy be- to scraps of art and writing for her house. She wants
cause it serves to hide the darkest conspiracies of the to preserve and study them so future generations may
Ragara inner circle. Even jaded Ragara scions shudder benefit. She returned from one such adventure accom-
at rumors of a laboratory experimenting on captive panied by her new sifu, Red-Gloved Master, who has
outcastes somewhere in Jau Dei’s depths. taught her sorcerous martial arts thought lost in the
Second Age.
Scions of Note
The Empress’ oldest living child, Ragara, was always
House Sesus
ambitious. Early on, he learned to hate his mother and Fire That Makes the Shadow Strong
siblings with passionate fury, hidden like magma be-
neath the earth, and began a campaign of assassination Armies can be starved or defeated. Strongholds can be
against his siblings while amassing his fortune. His sieged. Money can be stolen. Land can be conquered.
intent was to become the only possible heir to the em- Knowledge, though — knowledge cannot be defeated.
pire. The Empress saw through the stratagem. When Knowledge will always exist, as long as there as some-
she gave birth to Sesus, she charged Ragara with the one to know it. That’s what makes it House Sesus’
child’s protection, informing him that if the younger greatest weapon. A family of spymasters, assassins, and
sister died, his life would be forfeit. Ragara had no saboteurs, Sesus hides its strength in shadows until the
choice but to keep Sesus safe from harm. Ragara is an time comes to burn bright.
old man, sustained beyond his years by his daiklave
Blood Zenith as it feeds him the last stolen dregs of a Social Standing
Solar Anathema’s soul. Even so, his days are running
out. He’s retired to Pneuma, attended by his well-worn The founder Sesus, child of the Scarlet Empress and
Hearth and a few favorite descendants. He left his her mortal consort Nellens, took quickly to the dan-
house in the hands of his second-oldest surviving son, gerous life of the courtier. House Chanos owes its
Ragara Banoba. While publicly offering heartfelt praise destruction to Sesus’ own hand, and she claimed that
for his successor’s wisdom, Ragara’s true reasons for fallen house’s ancestral seat as her own. Her children
choosing Banoba had more to do with the stewardship are as skilled as their progenitor — perhaps more so.
of the house’s occult enterprises.
Sesus has the most elaborate spy network in the Realm
Ragara Banoba is a fit, handsome man in his middle next to the All-Seeing Eye, headed by the secret cabal of
years, immaculately groomed and charismatic. He house elders called the Masked Council. By the time a
keeps his hair short and his small moustache impecca- child learns to walk, she’s started training in the games of
bly trimmed. He’s rarely seen without his consort, his Dynastic intrigue. Before entering primary school, she’s
distant nephew Ragara Heral, who is Banoba’s greatest studied the fundamentals of subterfuge and tradecraft.
weakness. He truly loves the man and would do any- By the time she enters secondary school, once she’s been
thing to protect him, a fact that Banoba is painfully sorted from the house’s chaff — those too slow-witted,
aware leaves him vulnerable. guileless, weak-willed, soft-hearted, or principled for

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the espionage game — she’s begun reporting on the reputation. Rumors of blasphemy, deceit, and vice
activities of her fellow classmates to a Dragon-Blooded follow all but the most upright Sesus scions, whether
handler working for the Masked Council. justified or not, and they’re seen as honorless and
thuggish by the Realm’s other military houses. On the
The other Great Houses have little idea of the extent of other hand, such is the charm of a gifted Sesus socialite
Sesus’ intrigues, though it has never enjoyed a pristine or artist that her peers often disregard the rumors in

THE MASKED COUNCIL

The Masked Council coordinates and controls House Sesus’ espionage network through layers upon layers of
misdirection. Sesus scions at the lowest level don’t receive instructions directly from the council; some don’t
even know that it exists until they’ve been serving it for years. Instead, they report to handlers, seasoned
Sesus spies and intelligencers who provide assignments and ensure that success is well-coordinated. The
handlers, in turn, report to the house’s nine spymasters, each of whom is the trusted and handpicked agent
of a single member of the Masked Council.

The Masked Council itself is made up of nine Sesus elders — at least, presumably. The council meets in
namesake anonymity, allowing them to coordinate the house’s intelligence network while ensuring that no
one member knows the activities or identities of all of its spies. Gossip concerning the identities of the Masked
Councilors is a frequent pastime within the network; most agree that at least one member is the assassin re-
sponsible for a spree of poisonings among the Deliberative and the ministries of the Thousand Scales, while
signs point to the presence of at least one demonologist on the council.

The only way to join the council is to accept the mask of a member who wishes to retire. With it comes that
elder’s personal spymaster and the portion of the Sesus intelligence network under the elder’s control.

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her case, esteeming her all the higher for seeming to Enemies and Alliances
rise above her house’s disrepute.
The Blood of the Dragons is exceptionally strong in
House Economics House Sesus, rivaling even Mnemon and Cynis, with
whom the house’s bloodline becomes more and more
House Sesus’ military might and mastery of es- entwined through marriage. Other houses, though
pionage enables it to claim the dragon’s share of they don’t like or trust Sesus, will marry their daugh-
trade opportunities in newly conquered satrapies, ters into the line in hopes of securing more Dragon-
snatching opportunities out from under the claws Blooded children.
of other houses. Centuries of intermarriage with
House Cynis have brought many gifted merchants House Cynis is Sesus’ strongest tie, bound by debts as
and financiers into the house, offering commercial well as blood. Members of the two houses frequently
acumen that Sesus has made its own. This has made take each other as companions, lovers, and spouses,
Sesus a fiscal powerhouse competitive with its rival and the result is a blissful (if debauched) relationship.
House Nellens, but the prodigious sums expended Cynis provides the exotic delicacies, intoxicants, and
in funding covert operations — and in pursuit of its companions that Sesus scions so crave. In exchange,
scions’ vices — keep it from equaling the likes of Sesus military forces protect Cynis interests. However,
House Ragara. when it comes to their covert pursuits, the relationship
between Sesus spymasters and Cynis blackmailers is
House Sesus makes a useful knife in the back of in- complex, manipulative, and distrustful.
terests opposed to the Realm’s in the Threshold, and
profits nicely thereby. The Guild finds itself confronted Sesus is likewise entangled with House Mnemon
with an army of commercial spies and saboteurs, and by blood, marrying into that house as often as Cynis.
Sesus continually blocks their intrusion into Realm Politically, however, their relationship is strained
affairs. Its house legions serve as mercenaries for at best. While the more romantic or iconoclastic
Threshold warlords and petty despots, and occasion- Mnemons find the Sesuses alluring, the upright
ally compete with Guild mercenaries to offer their Immaculate streak in House Mnemon causes most to
services in brushfire wars. look down on the spymaster house. Moreover, Mnemon
herself has her gaze set on the Scarlet Throne, and the
House Military Sesus elders know she sees them as a potential obstacle
to her accession.
House Sesus controls one of the largest militaries in the
Sesus’ greatest enemy was House Tepet. House Sesus
Realm. They were among the three houses permitted
helped engineer the Tepet legions’ downfall and prof-
to maintain legions before the Empress vanished, and
ited from claiming satrapies Tepet could no longer
managed to bring four Imperial legions under their
control. Sesus hasn’t moved against Tepet since; what
control, bringing their total to seven.
more is left to do?
Even at their best, the Sesus house legions were never
The house now focuses its ire on House Cathak and
as well-honed as those of Tepet and Cathak, and their
House Nellens. House Cathak is a military rival. Sesus
new once-Imperial legions are no better. But Sesus
resents the Cathaks for their military might and would
officers are best known not for discipline nor for com-
like nothing more than to ruin them as thoroughly
pendious knowledge of The Thousand Correct Actions,
as Tepet. House Sesus despises House Nellens as
but for dirty tricks — assassination, false intelligence,
thin-blooded upstarts whose very name — taken from
subversion, and the like.
Sesus’ father — insults the Sesus lineage.
House Sesus can’t quite match House Cathak’s army
House Sesus is one of the few Great Houses aware that
in sheer numbers, and it doesn’t like its odds against
House Iselsi is still active. They keep close tabs on any
Cathak’s better-trained legions in a head-on fight.
Iselsi agents they can identify.
Instead, it seeks protection and alliance with Cynis,
and plays other houses against each other, hoping to
whittle down the other Great Houses’ militaries while Major Holdings
building up its own.
House Sesus’ seat is the Palace of Burning Wind
in Chanos Prefecture. The chill, rainswept city of
Chanos is among the northern Blessed Isle’s most

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important ports, and home to the oceangoing Air Fleet Scions of Note
of the Imperial Navy. Relations with House Peleps
are prickly; the Sesuses maintain a military presence Sesus, the founder, died a glorious death in battle a
against the threat of a decapitating strike against their long time ago. She was a master general, but also a ge-
house by the ever-present Imperial marines. nius at spycraft and mind games, and the creator of her
house’s intelligence network. She’s buried in a hidden
Ventus Prefecture, to the west of Chanos, is even crypt beneath the Palace of Burning Wind; discovering
more rugged and wild. Ventus winters are fierce, and the crypt’s location and paying her respect is a rite of
travelers without adequate protection risk dying of ex- passage for many Sesus scions.
posure. The prefecture’s saving graces include lumber,
furs, and herbs gathered from the wooded highlands The matriarch is Sesus’ daughter, retired general
of the Skyhewn Mountains, and ores extracted from Sesus Raenyah. She focuses on the house’s military
mines among the icy peaks. Among those peaks stands and mercantile interests, and it was her influence as
the mountaintop gaol Ice-Above-the-Water, used to much as the Masked Council’s espionage that tipped
house dangerous criminals, political prisoners, rebel- the scales in favor of Sesus obtaining four additional
lious mortal nobles, and other undesirables. legions. While aware of her house’s shadier activities,
she chooses not to engage in them, instead occasion-
At the far end of the Skyhewn Mountains from Ice- ally teaching at the House of Bells and Pasiap’s Stair,
Above-the-Water stands the lavish palace-manse Silken and sponsoring the Immaculate Order. Sesus has put
Diamond. Here, Sesus scions can let their hair down in her forward as a candidate for the throne, but as she
luxury, safety, and privacy. But the manse also doubles as refuses to rely on spycraft and subterfuge, much of
the house’s spy-training academy. In hidden chambers her support comes from outside the house proper.
deep within the mountain, vacationing Sesuses meet as Some believe she can be easily controlled; others are
master and student to practice every aspect of tradecraft partisans of her husband Oban, a charismatic son of
and to master devious schools of martial arts. the Empress.
Off the western coast of the Blessed Isle, amid the One of the major powers in the shadows is Sesus
Tongma Archipelago, rises the Isle of Smoke. Not Agelin, also known as Lady Smoke. If someone says
actually a single island, but a series of smaller ones they’ve spoken to Sesus Agelin, they’re probably lying.
divided by shallow channels of ocean water, the atoll Her own children don’t know for certain what she
is constantly shrouded in a thick white fog that smells actually looks like. Lady Smoke is perhaps the single
vaguely of charred cedar. It’s here that House Sesus most accomplished student of Silken Diamond, which
trains its best legionary officers and naval captains. is both boon and bane for her house. She both aids
Mock battlegrounds, obstacle courses, and target and terrifies those who actually lead House Sesus, and
ranges dominate the Isle of Smoke. A small village sits several have unsubtly made it known that they’d like
on the largest islet, with housing for trainees, visiting her dead. The trouble is that Agelin is a mistress of
Dynasts, and the crew of slaves and laborers that main- disguise and mimicry. Her kin presume that she sits on
tain this vital training facility. the Masked Council, but how would they ever know
for sure?
Saltbreak is a Tepet satrapy on paper, but it all but
belongs to House Sesus. The coastal Northern nation Sesus Rafara is a major problem for her house. When
thrives off the White Sea whaling trade, paying its trib- she was twelve, her mother slaughtered her beloved
ute to the Realm in meat, oil, scrimshaw, and amber- nursemaids and tutors in a fit of rage while Rafara
gris, along with mined diamonds, silver, and copper. watched — the trauma provoked her Exaltation. The
Since the downfall of the Tepet legions, the house has house then sent her to Silken Diamond and put her
been forced to withdraw most of its Saltbreak garrison through rigorous training to become one of Sesus’ dead-
back to the Blessed Isle, and Sesus has been more than ly weapons. Rafara still plays the role of the loyal Sesus
glad to “reinforce” the satrapy in exchange for an inor- spy, but she works only for herself, and trusts no one.
dinate share of its tributes. Saltbreak’s satrap has sent She’s since warned the Roseblack of an assassination at-
furious missives to the Deliberative over this illegal tempt and covertly thwarted military operations by her
practice, but the other Great Houses have been willing house in the Threshold. She’s still useful to Sesus — but
to turn a blind eye in exchange for Sesus shouldering she might be more useful to the Realm instead.
debts that House Tepet can no longer repay. However,
Sesus shows signs of reneging on these debts, which Sesus Raenyah Terel is a graduate of the House of
may ignite a firestorm of Dynastic power plays. Bells, and a clever swordsman and duelist. Extremely

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popular among his classmates, he has a great deal of victory. Instead they suffered a devastating defeat, losing
hangers-on and many lovers — to say nothing of those many of their greatest heroes and a full quarter of their
he keeps dangling on a thin string of hope — and he Dragon-Blooded scions.
reports back on all of them to his house. A bit of a lib-
ertine, he enjoys indulging in all that his house and his Any respect owed House Tepet died with its legions.
sycophants’ houses have to offer. He’s also a bully, how- Now, the idiot Tepet Fokuf sits as regent, a cruel reminder
ever, and while he excels with the sword, he’s never of the house’s chances at the throne. Defeat has left them
given himself the chance to test against someone who weak; that weakness hangs over the house like a curse.
might be his equal. He’s witty and charming, but his Many await the house’s fall, like Manosque or Akiyo
smile is bladed and his jokes are cruel. Terel is noted before it. Others sympathize with House Tepet, but
for taunting those who annoy him into fights where he sympathy begets no alliances. Taking a Tepet husband is
knows he has the upper hand. His friends and lovers akin to taking in a mangy stray; marrying into the house
all cheer when he inevitably wins, and he goes back to incites wild rumors of covered-up scandals or hidden
celebrating with them. depravities.

Raised from childhood expecting to attain positions

House Tepet of power and martial glory, House Tepet’s scions now
Air Stained by the Blood of Legions belong to a house that might not exist tomorrow. They
face this perpetual doomsday as their bloodline always
House Tepet is a house of heroes, born from the Scarlet has: as warriors.
Empress’ blood, but named for her consort Tepet. He
was her enemy before he was her lover, a warrior-poet House Economics
and heir to a fallen Shogunate kingdom that took up
arms against her early in her reign. He sought to prove The Tepet legions were the house’s greatest source
his claim as shogun through conquest of the Imperial of wealth. The Empress rewarded House Tepet for
City, and asked only that the Scarlet Empress spare his imposing peace on unruly satrapies and securing the
soldiers after he failed. Impressed by Tepet’s bravery, Realm’s Northern holdings with a sizable stipend, the
strategic insight, and unshakable honor, she took him dragon’s share of which was invested in the legions’
as her consort instead, and adopted his kin into the upkeep and expansion.
Realm. In time, she elevated his family line into a Great
House with him at its head. House Tepet never fielded its legions as mercenaries,
but their prowess was famed across Creation. Tepet
The house’s martial triumphs stand testament to the generals and strategists charged hinterland nations
Empress’ wisdom. Its Melaist traditions and spiritual heavily to train, arm, and advise their armies. The
practices were passed down from their founder, teaching ghost-faced warriors of Ithen marched with the
that the warrior’s path is the road to enlightenment. The Imperial legions against the Weeping Princes; the
house’s scions strive not only for strength, but excellence, traitorous Five Thrones Hearth was brought down
distinguishing themselves from Dynastic peers through by Tepet-trained resistance fighters within their own
military leadership. The Tepet legions were deemed capital; Mogg the Devourer and her crocodilefolk
mightiest in the Realm, rivaling even House Cathak’s brood were turned back by the Devil Quag marsh
and the Imperial legions themselves, and celebrated for tribes before they reached the Empress’ soil.
defeating many of the Empress’ greatest foes. When they
marched against the Anathema called the Bull of the Now, House Tepet’s economy is in ruin. Their stipend
North three years ago, they expected another shining has been slashed to a pittance. The Great Houses

ANCIENT WAYS

House Tepet follows a martial tradition older than the Realm, preserving spiritual disciplines of the Shogunate
lost in other histories. The two most prominent of these are the sublime armigers and the yamabushi. Its
sublime armigers draw power from the history and legacy of House Tepet’s heirlooms, taking up a revered
ancestor’s legendary artifact in emulation of her virtues. Yamabushi scout ahead of legions on the march,
striking pacts with local gods to secure strategic advantages. Most armigers and yamabushi served within
the Tepet legions, leaving few surviving practitioners.

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divided Tepet’s most valuable satrapies up amongst age, often by mortal veterans who served under their
themselves in exchange for debts forgiven or under the mother or an aunt. A Tepet learns to read from the
pretense of compensating for Tepet’s military absence. pages of The Thousand Correct Actions, and trains for
While House Tepet still administers these satrapies on command through conducting war games and riding
paper, their tributes are reaped by other houses, chief- alongside older relatives. A Tepet formally concludes
ly Sesus and Ragara. Of Tepet’s holdings, only Medo her childhood study of war when she chooses a code of
still pays their tribute of janissaries, largely because of honor exemplifying her warrior’s path — whether an
satrap Tepet Niruz’s bloody-minded persistence. The extant code or one of her own devising. Many aspire to
rest have fallen to other houses, who mistakenly be- the house’s valor and selflessness, but a warrior’s code
lieve the mighty warriors subdued by the Tepet legions is ultimately hers to choose.
have lost their will to resist.
Once a Tepet chooses her code, it’s not enough to sim-
House Tepet made few investments in non-military ply fight — she must lead. She’s expected to epitomize
ventures. When the cost of maintaining its legions her code through martial attainments, inspiring her
rose higher than its stipend could support, it resort- soldiers with her virtue just as Mela illustrates the na-
ed to taking sizable loans and conceding lucrative ture of the ideal warrior to the Dragon-Blooded. Tepet
enterprises to other houses. The few it still controls parents once put considerable effort into securing
include metal-works, silk farms, and almost-exhausted their child an officer’s rank in the house legions or the
mines of marble, gems, and jade. House Tepet clings Imperial legions when a position opened.
desperately to these, knowing that if they’re lost, so is
the house. The Battle of Futile Blood left House Tepet only half a
legion’s worth of rank and file soldiers, and fewer offi-
House Military cers. When the Great Houses partitioned the legions,
they salted the wound by burdening Tepet with the
Tepet scions strive to emulate the mythical war- Vermilion (or “Red-Piss”) Legion, an army of bandits,
rior-hero Mela in their earliest childhood sparring criminals, and drunkards. Only House Cathak object-
bouts. They’re trained in weaponry from an early ed, respecting the prowess of Tepet’s leaders enough
to recognize the threat posed by even a single legion.
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

MANY PATHS TO HONOR

Tepet children are raised as warriors, but aren’t forced into military service. A sizable minority seek other
vocations — bureaucrats, artisans, savants, sorcerers. There’s no shame in this, so long as they aspire to
preeminence, but their kin will always hold them to a warrior’s standards. A poet earns acclaim if her words
command the hearts of disciples, but even the most puissant sorcerer invites disdain if his triumphs come
without honor and leadership. Since the fall of the Tepet legions, many of the house’s most prominent scions
are those who turned their talents to vocations outside the military, whose efforts to secure the house’s future
have won them acclaim approaching that of its fallen war heroes.

Command of the Red-Piss Legion was given to Tepet all efforts to rebuild Tepet’s military forces. If a Tepet
Ejava, the Roseblack. Once an Imperial legion officer, were to make a bid for the throne backed by house le-
she resigned that commission to serve her house. gions, Cathak would be the first to move against them.
Under the Roseblack’s leadership and training, the
Red-Piss Legion has hunted pirates, subdued rebel- House Tepet has been an ally of House V’neef since the
lions in the few remaining Tepet satrapies, and fought latter’s inception, owing in part to V’neef’s own Tepet
the mindless puppets of Kejiza the Centipede Witch. husband. Before the Tepet legions’ downfall, House
Outmatched by the other houses’ sheer numbers, it Tepet might have relied on House V’neef to support
may yet be House Tepet’s salvation. a bid for the throne, but now, only a pretense of alle-
giance remains.
Enemies and Alliances House Tepet isn’t completely alone. House Nellens
has made tempting overtures of a military coalition,
Each Great House played a part in the downfall of
providing the troops and financing that House Tepet
House Tepet, plotting its demise or profiting from its
so desperately lacks. More gravely, senior military of-
ruin. House Tepet knows it cannot survive if it opposes
ficers, house matriarchs, and other influential Tepets
the entire Realm. Marriages have become scarce, save
have received entreaties from the fallen House Iselsi,
for the occasional outcaste and with House Nellens,
presenting a straightforward offer: Join forces against
whose matchmakers delight at procuring scions of re-
the other houses and claim bloody revenge. Such an
fined pedigree without competition from other houses.
alliance would be abhorrent to all notions of honor, but
House Sesus profited most from House Tepet’s decline, there are grudges to settle and deaths to avenge. Some
gaining lucrative access to Tepet’s Northern satrapies. Tepets may not let the chance for a final reckoning slip
This is no coincidence. Sesus spymasters undermined from their hands.
the legions marching against the Bull. They’ve con-
tinued sabotaging potential alliances between Tepet Major Holdings
and other houses to ensure Tepet remains powerless.
The other houses tacitly approved of this, with the House Tepet’s family stronghold sits in the ancient
expectation that House Sesus would shoulder debts Shogunate capital of Lord’s Crossing. House lead-
that House Tepet can no longer repay. Whatever back- ership is confused and unstable after the disastrous
room dealings secured thusly may soon fall through, as campaign against the Bull. Tepet Usala, then com-
House Sesus covertly plans to refuse to acknowledge mander of the Tepet legions and house matriarch, fell
the Tepet loans in the expectation that civil war will at the Anathema’s hands. The Tepet family heads have
erase the consequences. formed a ruling council that meets in Usala’s manse, the
owl-haunted Pagoda of Blood and Pearls. The council’s
House Cathak and House Tepet shared mutual respect power is shared, but only because no one has risked
based on military might, but this ended when the a decisive grab for power. They play subtle games of
Cathak legions failed to march to House Tepet’s aid influence through younger scions instead, maintaining
against the Bull once the true danger of the Anathema’s their honor even as they plot each other’s betrayal.
forces was revealed. House Sesus’ scheming was ex-
pected, but for Cathak to prove honorless was a much West of Lord’s Crossing, the Vale of Reverie’s un-
more profound betrayal. House Cathak has refused all spoiled wilderness, touched by primeval magic, is a
overtures of alliance from the Tepets and has blocked place where the world of spirits draws closer to that

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of mortals. Small gods drift through the wild as lumi- daiklave, his belief in the Realm shattered. However,
nous, ephemeral presences, while packs of elementals Arada’s withdrawal shouldn’t be mistaken for weak-
flourish. Dragon-Blooded are welcome in the Vale by ness. Should civil war break out, he’d tear the Realm
ancient edict of the Worm-Eaten Woman, an ancient apart to protect his family.
and enigmatic spirit who claims kinship with them.
Tepet children are brought here for their first lessons Satrap Tepet Niruz holds Medo with a cornered wolf’s
on spirits, and return throughout their lives to medi- ferocity. House Cathak’s offers to “reinforce” the sa-
tate, pray, and pursue spiritual cultivation. trapy and House Sesus’ subterfuge would long since
have wrested it away from House Tepet were it not for
Most of House Tepet’s satrapial holdings have been this tenacity. A deadly archer, Niruz openly forswears
lost to other houses. The fortified capital city Dezsofi gender, neither man nor woman, and has sworn to a
still juts from the heart of Medo, its gates held by mixed warrior code that emphasizes truth to one’s self above
regiments of Tepet soldiers and Medoans, but other conforming to the expectations of others. While scions
satrapies offer meager tribute at best and outright of other houses find this strange or scandalous, Niruz’s
rebellion at worst. oath legitimizes their identity in the eyes of Tepet kin.

Faraway Ithen remains independent from the Realm, Tepet Berel Gadurin is one of the Realm’s most
but agreed to treaties of non-aggression and commer- celebrated playwrights. He won his reputation with
cial exchange after Tepet military advisors coordinat- passionate romances and cleverly crafted comedies,
ed the overthrow of the Weeping Princes and restored but since the Battle of Futile Blood, he’s turned his
their hereditary tyrant to power. In the Empress’ attention to creating works of propaganda, seeking
absence, House Tepet hopes to secure Ithen’s loyalty to influence prominent figures in the Realm with a
and might for themselves. predilection for drama with heartbreaking tragedies
of warriors sacrificing themselves in the name of love
Scions of Note and honor.

Tepet lies buried at Lord’s Crossing in a tomb of un-

melting ice. His deeds are legend among his house — a
House V’neef
warrior so noble he won the Empress’ heart even in Wood That Tenders
defeat; the greatest general to test the Imperial City’s the Garden’s Grace
defenses; a pious devotee of Mela respected by god and
devil alike. Youngest of all the Great Houses, composed of adopted
daughters of a woman only six decades old, its greatest
Tepet Corino, a muscular, black-skinned Dynast, is the protector vanished for five long years, beset upon on
woman people go to in order to make things happen. every side by elder siblings resentful of its very exis-
Supreme quartermaster of the Tepet legions during tence. House V’neef nevertheless endures, not with the
their doomed campaign in the North, the devastation stoicism of the earth but with the grace of the willow
of the high command and the respect given her by the that bends with the storm. Despite its youth, House
rank and file left her the de facto house matriarch and V’neef is well-liked, its founder a charismatic and dig-
the best candidate to take control of the house legions’ nified woman with all of the Empress’ social savvy and
finances. They’re the dregs of a fortune, but neverthe- beauty who charted a course to power that stepped
less represent one of the house’s greatest assets. Corino on as few toes as possible. House V’neef maintains a
is hell-bent on rebuilding the house legions, but can’t diverse business portfolio, and has earned a reputation
force a majority in the council of house elders. She re- for boldness. Its members are young, dynamic, and
lies on traded favors, seeking out young Dynasts whose ever seeking new horizons to plant their flag upon,
ambitions for glory align with her agenda. literally as well as metaphorically, not least because it’s
the only way the house will survive the coming storm.
Tepet Arada, the Wind Dancer, has gone from living
legend to black sheep of the house. He rose through V’neef has only a few children of her own, and only the
the Tepet legions to the rank of general, an exemplar eldest are starting their own families. The vast majority
of both ideal soldier and ideal warrior. Arada survived of House V’neef consists of hundreds of lost eggs and
the Battle of Futile Blood and slew the Anathema Fear- Exalted patricians — from the newly Exalted to aging
Eater, but returned changed. Some thought he might retirees — elevated to Dynastic status by the Empress’
take up leadership of the house. Instead he’s grown legal and spiritual fiat. For her generosity, the house’s
cynical, taking up a gourd of rice wine in place of a rank and file practically worship the Empress — V’neef

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herself commands no small amount of reverence as Fleet continues to escort tribute fleets in the Inland
well, as the Empress’ favored daughter (to their mind, Sea; today, most of its ships now jockey for position
at least). with the Peleps-controlled Imperial Navy in the West.
While House Peleps overwhelmingly outnumbers
But popularity isn’t enough. V’neef jealously guards the V’neef on the high seas, this is in some ways a boon
military experience of her adopted daughters, keeping — the other Great Houses know that the Merchant
them close to home rather than risking them in battle, Fleet doesn’t have the ships to blockade the whole of
while pursuing advantageous marriages for her adopted the Realm. The Imperial Navy, however, does. While
sons and consolidating what power she can. With her Peleps must tread carefully to avoid alarming the other
closest advisors, she lays plans for the future. Her house houses with its fleet movements, House V’neef has
stands at a crossroads — one path leads to the throne, a freer hand, so long as they don’t run into a Peleps
the other to her entire line’s ignominious demise. armada.

House Economics Enemies and Alliances

Her initial fortune made in Eagle Prefecture’s wines, V’neef anticipated decades of support from the
V’neef has since diversified. Now, her house profits Empress as her nascent house gained strength. Now
from horse-breeding, breweries, tobacco and qat that the Empress is gone, the house is in troubled
plantations, and even safaris for those eager to hunt waters.
the Threshold’s strange and exotic game. But House
V’neef’s most important source of income is the House V’neef’s only solid support comes from the bro-
Merchant Fleet, awarded by the Empress upon the ken and dying House Tepet, from which her husband
house’s creation to undercut the rising power of House hails. Tepet respects the many graduates of Pasiap’s
Peleps. House V’neef is responsible for transporting Stair among V’neef’s ranks, and V’neef had subtly
tribute from the Threshold to the Blessed Isle, and expressed interested in backing Tepet for the throne
entitled to a percentage of all tribute delivered, as well before the loss of the Tepet legions. Now V’neef sees
as the right to claim as prizes any hostile ships taken Tepet as little more than an anchor tied to her throat.
by force of arms. As the satrapy system is the financial But she cannot afford to alienate such a constant ally,
lifeblood of the Realm, even a tiny cut of the take is to say nothing of the fact that it would break her hus-
staggering, and V’neef has invested well. band’s heart. The two houses are, on paper and to all
appearances, closely tied, but V’neef hasn’t finalized
For a time, this revenue stream was stable, even growing, a single betrothal with House Tepet since the rout of
but the Empress’ disappearance and the ensuing crisis their legions.
has thrown the system into disarray. As tribute dries up,
the Merchant Fleet’s maintenance expenses outweigh its Meanwhile, House Ragara constantly undercuts House
income. House V’neef has since pushed West, relying on V’neef in the name of securing debt, as the prospect
luxury imports and pirate-hunting outside its traditional of a Great House that cannot be leaned on financially
convoy routes to make up the loss of stability. House gives them cause for alarm. Virtually every financially
Peleps, still furious over losing the lucrative Merchant significant V’neef property on the Blessed Isle has
Fleet, makes life as difficult for House V’neef’s ships as been targeted by Ragara, either through leaning on the
it can short of outright war — every obol V’neef brings Honest and Humble Assessors of the Imperial Tax to
home, to House Peleps, is an obol stolen from their adjust value estimates, or through less subtle means
coffers. The West is a firedust magazine, and these two such as arson or the careful use of various pests.
houses put off plenty of sparks as they cross swords.
Of all her sisters and cousins, V’neef fears Mnemon
House Military most of all. Her elder-by-centuries sister is a powerful
sorceress, commands a strong house, and has spent
V’neef commands only two legions, one stationed full-time her entire life preparing to take the throne — one many
in Eagle Prefecture. Blessedly, her house’s many outcaste other houses would prefer to see V’neef on, if only to
veterans offer the V’neef legions uncommonly good lead- deny it to Mnemon. V’neef knows this makes her a
ership and morale, though a far cry from the well-polished target, and that Mnemon isn’t one to suffer a threat at
machine that the Imperial legions once were. her back for long — she fears her sister will crush her
house, seizing her satrapies and wealth to turn them
Though its land forces are small, V’neef has a naval ad- against the other houses and hunting down her chil-
vantage. Less and less of its well-established Merchant dren the way she still hunts the Iselsi. For this, if for no

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other reason, V’neef seeks the throne; it may be the only
way to keep her family safe.

House Peleps, of course, has an immediate reason to stamp

out House V’neef, but ironically this rivalry strengthens
V’neef’s position, giving Houses Ledaal, Cathak, and
Sesus (among others) reason to provide limited support
to counterbalance the naval titan. Eventually, these hous-
es must commit to a side, and a messy power struggle will
doubtless ensue. V’neef strives to ingratiate herself with
these houses to influence their final decision.

House Nellens has long been a mercantile rival of House

V’neef, though neither side has ever escalated their
commercial feuding to open conflict. Even if they could
end old grudges, V’neef is wary of her house’s reputation
should she side with such a widely disdained house. The
wealthy, debauched House Cynis maintains strong trade
relations, stocking its galas with V’neef wines — and has
numerous marriage ties from V’neef’s efforts to propagate
her own Aspect throughout her nascent house’s lineage —
but cannot be relied on for meaningful support.

More than ties of blood, V’neef seeks out ties of con-

venience and need — in particular, she’s made Eagle
Prefecture a safe haven for the Empress’ magistrates,
and hopes that protecting these visible symbols of the
Empress’ enduring power will pay off in the end.

Major Holdings
House V’neef’s holdings on the Blessed Isle are concen-
trated on the western coast, in Eagle Prefecture. The city
of Eagle’s Launch is growing rapidly, competing in the
popular imagination for the title of “gateway to the West”
with Bittern, held by House Peleps. So many travelers and
so much money flowing into and through the city attracts
more than its fair share of smugglers and spies, to say
nothing of Dynastic intrigues using this background noise
for cover. Multiple magistrates live in Eagle’s Launch,
using the city’s activity and excitement to mask their
connections to their spy networks. The magistrate Seven
Cardinals, an outcaste Water Aspect with a penchant for
knifeplay, has made “harassing the opposition” his forté
— House Sesus has lost three operatives to him in the
last year alone, and are quietly putting together a larger
operation designed to root him out.

The Sideshores, off the Isle’s northwestern coast, hold

many V’neef estates, all being quietly fortified as its peo-
ple cast nervous glances at Peleps-held islets easily visible
from their own shores. Those unable to afford convention-
al means of defense seek out alternatives. V’neef Ostoka
has quietly cut a thoroughly impious deal with the court
of water elementals dwelling by the Isle of Salt-Spray,

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and teardrop-shaped wind-chimes are appearing in Scions of Note

the fishing villages and towns that support his estate.
Should worst come to worst, he thinks, his island and At the heart of her house is V’neef herself, her hus-
its people will be safe, so long as none of them are fool- band Tepet Igan, and her handful of offspring; legally
ish enough to reveal his plot out of misplaced religious siblings, the outcastes of House V’neef know full well
zeal. After all, he’s a Prince of the Earth; treating with that a great gulf remains between them and their
spirits is his privilege, and if the Immaculate Order founder’s blood children. V’neef herself is still young
wouldn’t approve of his amendment to the local prayer by Exalted standards, only sixty — some of her ad-
calendar, well, what they don’t know won’t hurt him. opted children are far older. Igan, for his part, is only
a decade older than V’neef, but seems far more aged.
The treaty port of Nansha, which sprawls across The deaths of his cousins, sisters, and most especially
an entire atoll south of Wavecrest, is a key Western his own mother has left him broken; he remains in
staging ground for the house. Here, buildings compete mourning even after three years. He and V’neef dwell
for each inch of dry land, while ships do the same in almost full-time in the Imperial City, where she puts
Nansha’s warm lagoon. Tremendous wealth passes charm and wit inherited from her mother to great
through this port, and it shows — each night, the city use; even her foes respect her as a dynamic, driven
comes alive with music, dance, and entertainment from leader. She’s beloved by her house, and more than one
across the West. Satrap V’neef Savatera maintains the of her adopted family have commissioned ballads or
discipline drilled into her at Pasiap’s Stair, descending epic poems in her honor.
into the frantic and often hedonistic streets only when
she must. She acts as patron to the more refined arts, The blind swordswoman V’neef S’thera lost her fian-
particularly the theater company imported from the cé Tepet Kedus at the Valley of Shards. S’thera wants
Realm. Her chief difficulty, beyond overindulgent nothing more than to meet the Bull of the North in
subordinates, is the urban underclass that constantly battle and kill him, but V’neef refuses permission each
demands the Imperial garrison’s attention. Once, time she asks to raise a Wyld Hunt. To V’neef, S’thera’s
fishing villages occupied the surrounding cays, only blood is better spent on daughters than on the snow,
occasionally feuding. Now, their descendants labor in and she hopes to entice House Cathak into an alliance
the gargantuan port that’s devoured their home whole, through her daughter’s marriage, so far without suc-
and gangs regularly engage in vicious running fights cess. Robbed of vengeance, S’thera now drowns her
that the V’neef garrison is all but powerless to stop. sorrows with drink and attractive young women.
Still, while the Nanshanese fight amongst themselves,
they reserve their true loathing for the Dynasts, whose V’neef Dancing Boar is a former outcaste and dragon-
frenzied preparation against attack by the Imperial lord in the Imperial legions, adopted into House V’neef
Navy offers the locals an opening to finally fight back. on its formation. His skill with the lance is impeccable,
and he’s renowned for his wing’s triumph over the reb-
Many scions of House V’neef call Faxai-on-the-Caul els of the Six Amethysts Coalition. He, however, finds
home, though most are un-Exalted. The house is in nothing glorious about the slaughter he committed,
desperate need of new blood, and prizes the prospect hoping to never again raise arms in violence. Instead,
of pilgrimage to the Last City. Most of all, they hope he trains House V’neef’s new legions and its marines in
to prevent House Peleps from seizing the city, which the Merchant Fleet, drilling them in the fundamentals
would cut off access to the West through the Southwest, of combat to hold their own against pirates or Peleps
diminishing House V’neef’s revenues and access to scions.
its Western territories at the worst possible time. The
House of the Rootless Tree is its public-facing strong- V’neef Agayo is a minor sorcerer and a master ship-
hold in Faxai, a dockside structure that extends out wright, entrusted with overseeing the repairs and
over the water on heavy pilings. The interior, a maze of construction of ships for the Merchant Fleet. House
blind corridors and stairways to nowhere designed to Peleps makes much of the demon workforces she
disorient intruders, is well-stocked with weapons, sup- binds to man the house’s docks and her consultation of
plies, and armor. If necessary, the entire structure can demonic savants and architects, insisting she lacks the
be sorcerously decoupled from the pilings and dropped caution necessary to treat with the forces of Hell. She
into the harbor, frozen solid by spell-wards to deny it to takes such talk in stride as a sign that Peleps envies the
V’neef’s enemies. V’neef Lanusa, a formerly patrician ships she’s raised. However, her real unwise dealings
Water Aspect, is the house’s personal representative in are not with demons, but with scions of House Ragara,
Faxai, charged with overseeing its interests in the Caul. whose pursuit of First Age artifice has led them to

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discover lost secrets of building wondrous ships. Agayo That hand is gone now, and soon House Iselsi will pay
has been paying princely sums under the table for an- back the blood debt, the Vendetta, in full.
cient blueprints they’ve unearthed, and may soon find
herself crushed beneath personal debts. There is no House Iselsi. There is only its hungry ghost.

Shrouded Dragons of
House Iselsi the Scarlet Empress
Water That Hides the Deepest Dark
There is no House Iselsi. This remnant holds no seats The public work of dismantling House Iselsi was
in the Deliberative, claims no prefectures nor satrapies, primarily carried out by the other Great Houses; after
administers not a single legion, and is only spoken of by the first few blows, the Empress merely sat back and
its hale and healthy cousins to deride it. This is House watched her children kill their cousins. It was the
Iselsi — it is nothing. But once, it was something grand. Empress’ hand that stayed the last blows, the ones that
would have snuffed out the Iselsi forever, and it was
In RY 643, House Iselsi’s elders conspired to assassinate her hand that gathered those she found most useful
the Scarlet Empress, launching an attempt on her life and scattered them far and wide across Realm and
that failed spectacularly. The Empress made a public Threshold, gifting them new identities and esoteric
example of the house, taking almost a century to carve it training foreign to the Dynasty, turning them into her
up bit by bit before finally striking it from the Imperial hidden eyes, ears, and daggers.
ledgers in RY 740. The other Great Houses didn’t stand
idly by; they fell on House Iselsi like wild dogs — wheth- For those not so chosen, and who were fortunate
er to pursue profit, advancement, or personal grudges enough to survive the other houses’ depredations,
— tearing it apart. Only a few households remain, there were other tasks. One-fourth of the surviving
clinging desperately to what few scraps of wealth and Iselsi drifted into the Immaculate Order, publicly
privilege they can afford, little better than Threshold resolving to atone for the sins of their elders while in
clans, certainly beneath even the dull, weak blood of truth becoming yet another arm of the house’s gutted
House Nellens. but once-venerable espionage machine. The rest either
took on new identities of their own manufacture or
This was the Empress’ will. There is no House Iselsi. carried on the charade of the broken, bankrupt, dis-
All the better that their cousins should believe it, for graced husk that was House Iselsi.
the truth is that House Iselsi lives on, forged into a
weapon that only the Empress’ hand could hold back. The hidden children of House Iselsi go about their false
lives, laughing and fighting alongside their cousins in the

THE VENDETTA

A girl is ushered into an atrium in the House of Black Waters by her mother. She has never seen this room
or any of the others like it, and this occasion marks only the fifth time she has shared her mother’s presence.
The room is dimly lit, and as her eyes adjust she begins to make out faces on the wall — masks, eyes closed
and features serene, wrinkles tracing their contours.

Her mother speaks, telling the girl of her ancestors, of their deeds and accomplishments, their honors and ti-
tles. Closer, now, the girl can tell that the wrinkles on the mask are not wrinkles, but intricately carved words,
words that her mother is reciting from memory. She does not omit a single mask, and the litany takes hours,
but she does not permit her daughter’s attention to wander. The girl learns of her house’s history piecemeal,
of the greatness that once was, of the betrayal by her cousins, of the mercy of the Empress, and of the great
Vendetta that each Iselsi carries forever in her heart.

When her mother is finished, she stands beside an empty stretch of wall, and turns to her daughter. “This is
where your mask will rest,” she says. “What will be written upon it?” Without another word, she turns and
walks away, leaving her daughter in the shadowy room.

She is six years old, the traditional age at which Iselsi children learn of the Vendetta.

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other houses while desperately waiting for the order to

cut their throats. It can be hard to hide such murderous THE VOICE OF DARK WATER AND THE
intentions, but the Iselsi worry more that they’ll come DAUGHTER OF MIST
to genuinely care for their targets. The bonds of Hearth
and marriage are strong, and while no handler wants to
Missives from Iselsi elders often indicate march-
kill a fellow Iselsi, better a quick death than the shame
ing orders from these two leadership figures.
of losing sight of the Vendetta. Several Iselsis wear two However, the Voice and the Daughter don’t exist;
masks: one for their targets, and one for their kin. they’re merely fabrications to distract and con-
fuse rival agents, such as from House Sesus and
It was the Empress’ will that her other children, confi- the Eye, who might make inroads against Iselsi
dent in their grasp of the dark underbelly of the Realm, secrecy. By and large, the elders work alone, each
would watch their daughters fall without knowing from pursuing her own approach to the Vendetta with
where the dagger between their ribs came. The Empress her own resources on her own terms.
turned an entire lineage into a hidden, bloodstained hand
to match even the feared All-Seeing Eye. Then she van-
ished, leaving a house of living weapons to manage itself.

House Economics
House Iselsi is all but penniless. As patricians, the
Iselsis administer no satrapies, collect little in the way
of taxes, and are barred from the generous stipends
their cousins receive from the Imperial Treasury. What
few holdings remain under the Iselsi name are private-
ly leased — paid for by personal business ventures,
lucky strikes in the Threshold, and an Imperial grant
for upkeep of shrines and temples in Incas Prefecture,
the last place on the Blessed Isle that might be called
House Iselsi’s stronghold. Mnemon, for her part, has
taken a personal interest in erasing that grant, and her
allies in House Sesus are only too happy to assist her.
While still blessed with wealth unimaginable to the
peasantry, Iselsi’s scions deem themselves impover-
ished, an insult they mean to repay in blood.

House Military
House Iselsi has no legions, not even in name alone.
Yet House Iselsi is far from toothless. They need no
armies because their hidden children sup with gen-
erals under assumed names, share beds with senators
whose husbands are away on business, and perch like
vultures in the heart of the Thousand Scales, watching
for documents that betray the plans of others. Once,
this was House Iselsi’s specialty — their scions infested
the Imperial Service, and pen couldn’t be put to paper
without their notice, or so they believed. Their web
has been battered and torn, but it still clings, here and
there, to things others thought unseen.

Enemies and Alliances

Many houses, given the opportunity, would gladly stomp
on every last ember of House Iselsi. House Sesus in
 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

particular devoted itself to destroying its traditional ri- it will need protection should the Empress fail to return.
val-in-espionage with gusto, and still keeps an ear to the House Nellens thinks to turn House Iselsi into a sword of
ground for stragglers. Mnemon, for her part, would see the its own by dangling hope of having their name reinstated,
Immaculate Order purged of treacherous Iselsi, and has but no Iselsi scion would take such an offer at face value.
sponsored multiple bills in the Deliberative undercutting Covert overtures to House Tepet — brought nearly so low
what little remains of the fallen house’s influence. Every as Iselsi itself by the catastrophe in the Valley of Shards
house save V’neef, though, played an immediate role in — are seen by house elders as a mere vehicle to fulfilling
House Iselsi’s destruction, and even V’neef exists at Iselsi’s the Vendetta. When the others have fallen beneath Iselsi
expense, raised up to fill the vacancy among the Great blades, House Tepet will still be there, ripe for the picking.
Houses. Any of them would gladly take the chance to purge
one more of Iselsi’s progeny from the face of Creation. Where the Iselsi find allies, such as they are, it’s amongst
those who nurse a grudge of their own, or those whose
While the Iselsi rank and file shuns even the idea of affili- ambition overtakes their good sense. Such assets are
ating with their despised kin, the house’s elders know that often found in or near positions of power, and the
if it’s to survive long enough to see the Vendetta through, Iselsi rarely have difficulty ensuring that those assets’
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

competitors are removed from consideration, one way for power in the nascent Imperial Service. A woman
or another. Outcastes, shunned by Great Houses, often of quiet graces and subtle genius, she died on a Wyld
serve as allies of convenience for the Iselsi, who — even Hunt centuries before the fall of her house. Her name
if disgraced — can offer marriage into a potent lineage, is spoken in reverent whispers by Iselsi scions as they
and wealth and political power beyond what most out- swear themselves to a Vendetta she never imagined.
castes know. For Iselsi agents within the Immaculate
Order, suborning gods by bribing them with subtle Iselsi Dileko lives under an assumed name, as do many
alterations to the prayer calendar is standard operating of his family, and like them he belongs to a Sworn
procedure — a few deities, particularly gods of revenge Kinship. This band of V’neef, Sesus, and Mnemon
and feuds, serve as divine patrons for the fallen house. scions think Naret Kikela an outcaste swordsman, and
have welcomed him with open arms. He reports their
Major Holdings movements, plans, and ambitions to his house, but his
standing orders are to wait for the signal to slay the lot
Iselsi manses and holdings, many officially overseen by in their sleep — standard procedure for undercover
House Ledaal, still dot Incas Prefecture’s countryside — assets in such a position. Privately, he hopes the order
including the family’s ancestral seat, the House of Black never comes. Playing the sworn brother has cut deeper
Waters, where Iselsi herself was laid to rest. Here the into his hate than he thought it would.
house lives openly, all the better to convince their cousins
Moonless River is an Immaculate monk stationed in
that this is all they have left. Elsewhere, in the Realm
Pneuma, with a decades-long history of advising those
and the Threshold, they conceal themselves in boltholes
who hope to emulate Pasiap as she does. She’s gained
and hidden fortresses, awaiting the day when their long-
such renown that she receives regular invitations to
honed skills will be called upon by their house.
dine with Ragara himself, and the two have built an
The Imperial City is thick with Iselsi agents, but their amicable relationship. She truly loves the Immaculate
favored site for dead drops is paradoxically open — The lifestyle, and feels personally elevated on a spiritual
Last Little Sapling, a teahouse of some repute with a level by the practice. When she drives her stone-hard
riverfront view. Its proprietor Kiera, an affable mid- fingers through Ragara’s skull on her house’s orders, it
dle-aged woman (and loyal Iselsi cousin), exchanges won’t be in the name of hate, but of ridding the Realm
messages on notes left under teacups, or speaks in of the greed that hangs about its neck like a millstone.
code when she calls on the table with a fresh kettle. All
Iselsi Takora has just returned from the Threshold,
messages she hears, she passes along to their intended
having ventured there for a decade to seek magical
recipients. She knows much, perhaps too much, but
arts unknown in the Realm. Her face, name, and even
she’s earned the house elders’ trust. Many speculate as
gender are new, the legacy of sorcerous alchemy she
to how, but she simply smiles and refills their cup.
learned in the far Southeast. She’s an invaluable asset
In the mountains of Dejis Prefecture, heartland of to the Vendetta, supplying House Iselsi with toxins the
House Mnemon, the inhabitants of tiny Ditola Village Blessed Isle has never seen: poisons that slay passions,
scratch at the earth and send cartloads of ore down to venoms that erase thoughts, panaceas that stop death
the smelters, as peasants should. But this isn’t their true in its tracks for a day and a night. She’s risen high in the
purpose. Deep in mines where not even the most ardent house’s esteem, and none yet suspect that she serves a
tax inspectors delve, they meet with their Iselsi masters master other than the Iselsi.
and train, dust and darkness blinding them slowly but
Iselsi Shenesh, Minister of the Imperial Gardens, is
surely. It matters not — when the time comes, when
the last Iselsi to retain high standing in the Imperial
smoke chokes the city of Mnemon-Darjilis, they’ll have
Service since the house’s fall from grace. Old and
no more need of sight than the dead Mnemon scions
gray, leaning on a cane, he retains an air of dignity and
they’ll leave in the streets. This is their only purpose,
grandeur, though he also wields a charming smile and
a single decisive blow when the forgotten house calls.
ingratiating wit when the occasion demands. He’s a di-
Until then, they train. Until then, they wait.
visive figure in the family. Most assume that he’s one of
the house’s high-ranking assets in the All-Seeing Eye,
Scions of Note and thus crucial to the house’s future. But he was also a
member of the Council of the Empty Throne that sun-
The founder Iselsi was a brilliant mathematician dered the Imperial legions. Suspicions that Shenesh
and economist who won the Empress’ favor by ruth- betrayed the house’s attempted coup against the
lessly manipulating and outmaneuvering her rivals Empress all those years ago are largely kept unspoken.

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 c hapter two : the great ho u ses

Cadet Houses Empress.) Compliant cadet houses received various

benefits, whether additional seats in the Deliberative
On occasions when a Dragon-Blooded family native to or lenient terms on loans from House Ragara.
the Threshold rejected the opportunity to relocate to
the Blessed Isle and join one of the Great Houses — out Some cadet houses have fallen over the years, whether
of love for their homeland, perhaps, or preferring an through electing to migrate to the Isle at last and join a
arena they could dominate to one where they’d strug- Great House; destruction by misadventure; earning the
gle as minor newcomers — the Empress often found it Empress’ disapproval; or thinning bloodlines depriving
expedient to bind that family into the Dynasty by mar- them of sufficient Dragon-Blooded scions to retain their
riage. On other occasions, Dynasts marrying mortal status. Nonetheless, a few dozen cadet houses remain
Threshold royal families proved prolific in generating scattered throughout the Threshold. These include:
Dragon-Blooded offspring. And when the Empress
House Ferem governs the Northern coastal satrapy
eliminated the Shogunate gentes’ privileges five centu-
of Cherak, between Pneuma and Medo. Descendants
ries ago, she encouraged them to establish Threshold
of a relict Shogunate legion akin to Lookshy, their
colonies, especially in Northern provinces whose
burgeoning power was broken by the sorcerer Bagrash
bitter climate impaired recovery from the Contagion.
Köl centuries ago. They still cling to fragments of their
As members of Great Houses are forbidden from rul- old military culture — and to remnants of its armory.
ing Threshold states, these families were kept distinct In neighboring satrapies that the Realm carved from
from their parent houses, retaining their own sur- Grand Cherak centuries ago, other cadet houses share
names and maintaining political independence. Such Ferem’s ancestry and maintain familial ties.
families are called cadet houses — descended from the
House Desai commands great wealth and influence in
Empress and thus part of the Dynasty, but not part of
Gulmohar and Rook, city-states that are longstanding
any Great House. Granting or removing recognition of
rivals of neighboring Jiara. Merchants and landed gen-
cadet house status, as with Great House status, was the
try, House Desai has traditionally eschewed involve-
prerogative of the Empress alone.
ment in the travails of government in favor of leisure
Members of cadet houses receive all rights and privileg- and patronage of the arts. Now it find itself divided
es accorded to Dynasts, but lack the power and support between its own ambitions, the demands of princes
networks of the Great Houses. While some can afford and satraps, and the call to the Wyld Hunt.
to send Dragon-Blooded scions to the Blessed Isle’s
Clans Burano and Ophris of Prasad were once Great
secondary schools, they aren’t immersed in Dynastic
Houses of the Realm. Though stricken from the
culture to the same extent as those born and raised on
Imperial ledgers after their legions went rogue, the
the Isle. Dynasts of the Great Houses see cadet Dynasts
Empress eventually acknowledged their authority as
as bumpkin cousins — charmingly rustic, but lacking in
lords of Prasad. Although as local rulers tied by blood
sophistication, and without the influence to be useful
to the Dynasty, they’re technically cadet houses, their
allies. In practice, their refinement, wealth, and power
practical status is idiosyncratic.
vary widely. Their numbers especially so; the smallest
cadet houses count Dragon-Blooded scions in the House Yueh rules Nai Lei, one of several city-states
single digits, but the mightiest number over a hundred of the maritime Baihu people in the island satrapy of
apiece. Nandao north of Goldenseal. The Lamenting Stone
Assembly, a council of oligarchs that supplanted an
The Empress used cadet houses as one of many checks
overthrown Yueh monarchy, draws heavily from their
on Great House power in the Threshold. She culti-
ranks. Descended from the marriage of a Tepet scion
vated their independence from their parent houses’
and a Baihu prince, the Yuehs long considered them-
bloodlines and political ambitions — guiding them into
selves devoted clients of their parent house. They also
business and marriage relationships with rival houses
profited from the construction of a Merchant Fleet
and outcastes, and otherwise taking steps to prevent
depot in Nai Lei after House V’neef’s elevation. Now,
their being wholly suborned by any one house. (Some
fearful of being caught up in the strife between Peleps
cadet houses never had specific parent houses to be-
and V’neef, they stand divided between old loyalties
gin with, having married into multiple Great Houses
and a pragmatic search for new patrons.
from the beginning, or been adopted outright by the

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Realm Year 758
Rainwater ran in torrents down the elaborate stonework and made glittering trails along
the ivy-covered trellis. Thunder pealed; Eshuvar felt its resonance in his bones. If not for the
heaviness of his heart and the uncomfortable cling of his soaked clothing, he would have found
it invigorating. Above him, the lamps in his lover’s room flickered invitingly.
Eshuvar had been seeing him for several months now, each time after a disagreement with his
own wife. Her status increased since marrying him, as she’d carried children with the Dragons’
blood. Thanks to him, of course — she’d not been so blessed. He did as he pleased to spite her;
he was Exalted and she was not. A few more yards and he’d be in his lover’s arms. He’d make
sure she knew the next morning, too. What could she do about it? The deed would already be
done, and she’d have to shoulder the embarrassment that her husband was a disobedient,
philandering playboy. There was little her powerful mother could do about that, either. That
thought brought a bitter smile to his face.
He paused on the trellis, slicked his saturated hair from his face, and stared at the distance
stretching below him. It seemed an apt metaphor for his life: climbing upwards out of pettiness
and spite with darkness yawning beneath, all to avoid a fall. That’s all any Dynast did — climb,
fight, spite each other, and avoid a fall. He’d done all these things, as his mother had taught
him: Reach for every advantage, edge out those who could outdo you.
How had he reached this point, driven onwards by the corrosive bite of bitterness, envy, and
displeasure? Compared to those of lesser wealth and status, was his Dynastic life not perfect
— free of pain, illness, and hunger? He enjoyed wealth and privilege and all the power afforded
to him as a Prince of the Earth. He’d invested wisely and made valuable connections. His
bureaucratic peers spoke highly of him at all their meetings. He could have any woman or man
he desired and enough drugs to threaten even his Exalted health. Yet he remained unsatisfied.
Why?, he thought, and turned his face upwards to the storm. Was he not respected by his
Hearth’s leader, River, a fierce woman and an Immaculate besides? Was he not like a brother
to Kingfisher, a warrior of unquestionable skill? Was he not worthy of them, or their love?
Eshuvar slammed his fist against the trellis and spit into the rain. He hadn’t asked the Dragons
to be born a man and his mother’s only son!
The sound brought his lover’s silhouette to the window. Against the warm light, the youthful
mortal’s slender, half-naked form cast a pleasing shadow downwards. Eshuvar thought
he heard his lover’s voice above the wind, asking if Eshuvar was there. They’d planned this
encounter at the last fête Eshuvar had attended, slipping each other covert notes on scraps
of paper and sharing longing looks — while in sight of his wife, of course — over the dining
table. The youth was unmarried, on the cusp of maturing without Exaltation, and so beautiful.
Eshuvar knew the young man would consent to lie with a Prince of the Earth.
Climb. Fight. Spite each other. Avoid a fall.
“Eshuvar?” His lover’s warm basso voice breached the roar of the wind and the hiss of rain on
stones.
Eshuvar’s breath caught and his heart fluttered. All things aside, he cared for the man. The
Dragon-Blood pulled himself up another rung, then another, then another, ignoring the
coldness of the rainwater on his hands. He swallowed the weight of his dissatisfaction and
climbed upwards again, into his lover’s waiting arms.

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 Chapter Three

Life in the
Scarlet Dynasty
Childhood love their nannies dearly, and remember them fondly
even after Exalting. Others treat them cruelly, though
The Scarlet Dynasty’s matriarchs teach that the strong such behavior is considered uncouth in Dynastic soci-
mother raises her child to excel. The weak mother raises ety, and likely to incur punishment from parents who
her child to be happy; this makes the child weak, and is have no desire for a reputation as a household where
self-indulgent and cruel. Few would disparage a Dynast awful things happen to their staff.
for taking no personal hand in her child’s rearing so long
as the parents still diligently choose the child’s tutors. Tutors are the rod to the nanny’s soft embrace. For the
To love one’s child is neither expected nor frowned very young, tutelage often takes the form of regimented
upon, but is considered irrelevant to the responsibility play until they’re capable of more advanced study. As
of raising capable young prospects for Exaltation. the child matures, the areas of tutelage increase steadily
— coordination, combat, command, history, politics,
Most Dynastic childhoods are marked by absent or geography, the Immaculate Philosophy, and more.
cold parents. Instead, the child comes to self-aware-
ness in a world where she’s surrounded by inferiors. A Dynastic child typically has young slaves as play-
She witnesses her parents disciplining the servants in mates who participate in his lessons and play with
accordance with their inadequacies, from gentle verbal him. Favored childhood playmates sometimes follow
admonishments to breaking on the wheel of correction. a young Dynast as she grows up, becoming her most
Initially, the child must submit to household servants’ trusted servants. Siblings are rarely close enough to
commands, for those servants follow the parents’ in- the child in age to play with her. When they are —
structions and are thus vessels for Dynastic will. Over whether in the form of twins, leftover children (p.
time, she’s taught to command those selfsame servants. 98), or adoptees — the relationship often plays out
This power is initially tightly circumscribed — and is in hierarchies, with one sibling asserting status and
temporarily revoked if used foolishly or abused — but authority. Children from other Dynastic families, such
expands as she matures. as cousins, neighbors, or the offspring of a parent’s
Hearthmates, are usually introduced to the child’s play
A good nanny is obedient, quiet, and caters to the as she matures, to ensure she’s properly socialized in
child’s needs. The nanny is the child’s first teacher and how to treat fellow Dynasts. Her parents also make
provider, and if affection enters the average Dynastic sure she encounters plenty of Dragon-Blooded, for
childhood at all, it’s likely to come from here. Many inspiration and education.

DYNASTIC ORPHANS

A young Dynast whose mother dies — or who’s otherwise unable or unwilling to rear her — is typically taken
in by a relative of the mother’s house, even if her father survives. Same-sex couples or those otherwise in-
fertile frequently adopt their house’s orphans, providing the child with parents and the couple’s marriage with
greater legitimacy. An orphan’s childhood is often indistinguishable from that of her peers, as few Dynastic
children spend much time with their parents.

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HOME SCHOOLING

Infrequently, rather than sending a child to primary school, the mother and house matriarch elect to continue
the child’s education at home. The advantage to this is the continued and personalized attention of numerous
tutors and savants. In rare cases, this continues through secondary education, though it robs the student of
the opportunity to establish lasting friendships and connections, something that no amount of adult social-
ization can ever compensate for. If a young Dynast’s mother and house matriarch do so, it’s almost always
because they have a specific role planned for her, and either don’t trust educators to properly mold the child,
or because they don’t want her forming connections that will only trouble her when the time comes to do what
she was born to do.

Education The goal of this intensive early education is to instill

the child with discipline, obedience, respect for supe-
The Realm’s educational system is second to none, riors, and the ability to be quiet and to learn quickly.
endowed both by the Scarlet Empress and through They know from a very early age that they’re only the
generous donations that frequently accompany appli- latest in a long and honorable line, and that the dignity
cations for Dynastic children to study at specific insti- of the house is in their hands. Should the dominie of
tutions. The system aims to inculcate selected virtues the young Dynast’s primary school demand anything
in successive generations of Dynastic scions who’ll of her, the child must be ready to respond accord-
one day hold the levers of power themselves. The four ingly — and this capacity is tested at salons and galas
secondary schools that predominate today exemplify throughout her childhood.
these qualities best — moral leadership and piety;
occult insight and the wisdom to use it appropriately; Primary School
courage and military excellence; and understanding
of the mechanisms of rulership itself. The Cloister Patricians and Dynasts are sent off to primary school at
of Wisdom, Heptagram, House of Bells, and Spiral the age of nine, already having been through an intense,
Academy exist to train the scions of the Dynasty, those high-pressure learning environment. Once there, they
enlightened few who will go on to do great things in must cope with no longer being the sole focus of at-
the Realm’s name. tention for multiple servants and compete with their
fellows for their instructors’ attention. Class sizes are
Tutoring small, but it’s still a ratio of students to teacher rather
than tutors to student, and this transition is stressful.
Education begins early in life — typically between ages
two and three — when the house matriarch, in concert The small minority of Dynastic students are quick to es-
with the scion’s mother, chooses an appropriate series tablish hierarchies among their classmates. Staff — from
of tutors for early schooling. These are typically patri- administrators to teachers, from servants to guards —
cians, though young Dragon-Blooded fresh from sec- are accustomed to dealing not only with mortal scions
ondary school occasionally spend time on sabbatical of privilege but with fledgling Dragon-Blooded as well.
tutoring younger relatives. Here, the basics are taught They’re polite but firm, and don’t allow Exaltation to go
— proper speech, literacy, arithmetic, moral education, a student’s head (at least, no more than is appropriate).
and other topics that vary by house. House Tepet be-
As the years mount and pressure grows to prove one-
gins martial education early; many of their scions enter
self worthy by taking the Second Breath, the simple
primary school with significant advantages over their
friendships and grudges of childhood often give way to
peers in roughhousing. House Cynis prefers a more
ambition and cold cunning. Primary school is likened
sybaritic education, focused on inculcating apprecia-
to a sieve in the Realm, separating chaff from wheat —
tion for fine art and music, as well as a keen eye for
though in this case, both are children below the age of
gathering lackeys. House Mnemon favors tutelage in
fourteen, and the wheat is Exaltation separated from
mathematics, Immaculate doctrine, and the Realm’s
the chaff of mortality. It’s impossible for the young
history, beginning with the life of the house’s founder.
students to be unaware of the importance of the next
All houses teach basic medical treatment, as well as
few years, especially as classmates Exalt and come to
how to recognize the odors and flavors of common
dominate the student body.
poisons — a regrettably necessary precaution.

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Mortal fourth- and fifth-years in particular obsess over small temple, usually with a resident monk. Wealthier
Exaltation. Every primary school has strange, secret schools boast elaborate gardens, menageries, pools,
traditions and rituals intended to ignite the Dragon’s and the like. The more prestigious the school, the
blood, handed down from student to desperate student greater the proportion of the student body are Dynasts.
since time immemorial. Some are dangerous, and stu- Primary schools in isolated backwaters may have only
dents sometimes die trying to force Exaltation. In truth, patrician children enrolled — and may be inadequately
Exaltation cannot be forced in those lacking it — but the prepared when one of those children Exalts.
peril and stress faced in such foolhardy rituals triggers
the actual moment of Exaltation just often enough to The core curriculum at primary school — mandated by
keep the legends alive. Teachers and parents alike do all the Illustrious Compilers of the Perfected Curriculum
they can to dissuade it, but the stakes are simply too high — ranges from geography and culture to hand-to-hand
— immortality and greatness, or a short life of mediocrity. combat. Every student is required to complete at least
one advanced course in political or religious studies.
When students Exalt in primary school, their lives This syllabus has scarcely changed over the past few
change fundamentally — young Dragon-Blooded are centuries. Tradition is the bedrock of empire, and for
separated from the student body until they can learn all that the Dynasty and the patriciate crave novelty
to control their newfound abilities, and when they and respect innovation, they maintain a firm view on
return, they find themselves an ill fit with un-Exalted the importance of the classics. The eldest minister and
friends. Some become bullies, tormenting those who’d the most fresh-faced graduate share the same world-
picked on them before; others drift away, forming new view, founded on the same intellectual canon.
friendships with older students who understand what
it’s like to be Exalted. Others retain mortal friends as In addition to this core curriculum, primary schools
sycophants, sidekicks, or dependents. often specialize in fields ranging from architecture to
naval strategy to poetry to make themselves more at-
There are hundreds of primary schools located tractive to parents and houses of prospective students.
around the Blessed Isle, plus a few of lesser quality in A school might specialize in the finer points of the
satrapies with sizable Dynastic populations or cadet satrapy system, including the economic and spiritual
houses. These boarding schools are where children of reasons for the Realm’s foreign policies, and even or-
privilege and power are sent to experience their first ganize field trips to satrapies to give students a closer
taste of the world outside their family’s compound. look at their inner workings. On rare occasions, the
Depending upon the primary school and the family most prestigious schools may find a Dragon-Blood tak-
in question, this may be a significant step down in ing time from her sabbatical to teach a course or two.
standard of living, but is still suitable for the student’s
high social rank. Uniforms are laundered each night The school day begins with devotions, led by the
and ready each morning, filling and nutritious food is resident monk (if any) or the dominie. Following
served thrice a day, and school grounds are guarded by breakfast, the morning is consumed with intensive
professionals, typically mustered-out legion veterans. study in the core curriculum: history, religion, math-
ematics, strategy, and the like. The afternoon classes,
Even the least prestigious primary schools are walled smaller and more individually focused, are segregated
compounds with courtyards used for exercises; dormi- between Exalted and un-Exalted students (as is dining
tories where students live for most of the year, barring hall seating for all three meals). Afternoon classes
occasional holidays; a dining hall large enough to ac- cover practical knowledge, including music, public
commodate the entire student body; classrooms; and a speaking, riding, martial training, and so on, based on

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

Some students are simply uncontrollable, even with Dynastic discipline and the know-how of primary-school
educators. In such cases, when parents admit that their children are beyond the help of the usual system, two
options remain: the House of Ancient Stone and the Palace of the Tamed Storm. These institutions resemble
prisons more than schools, and the harsh punishments they employ will either mold the student into a stern
martinet who will excel in positions of rigid authority, break them such that they cannot serve in any but the
most restricted of tasks, or kill them. If a child is so unruly as to be fit to attend these institutions, it’s a risk
their mother and house must be willing to take.

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individual students’ talents and predilections. Exalted each nonetheless provides tutelage outside its primary
students typically begin their training in mastery of focus, for every Dynast must be well rounded. A great
their power here. After dinner, tutelage continues with general must be able to charm and mingle, both for
metaphysical and natural studies, including astrology diplomacy and marriageability; sorcerers and bureau-
and geography, until curfew is called. Studying past crats alike require training in self-defense; even abbots
curfew may be lauded as a sign of diligence, or derided need to know how to manage a budget.
as a mark of poor time-management skills, depending
on the student’s performance the next day. In addition to the skills and knowledge needed to
rule, secondary schools also provide fertile ground
Secondary School for the development of social networks. Young
Dragon-Blooded who meet in secondary school often
As those fortunate few who Exalt approach their fifth become fast friends. The connections they make here
year in primary school, the house matriarch meets and now will serve them throughout their careers,
each scion’s mother personally, this time to decide the wherever they may take them; decisions are far more
future course of the child’s life. At their disposal are often made among old school friends at salons and
reports from servants, teachers, and spies, detailing galas than amid bureaucratic offices and legislative
every moment of the young Dragon-Blood’s life — the chambers.
choices she’s made, her proclivities and talents, and
Alternatives
what deficiencies remain to be corrected. Together,
they arrange for the child to attend one of the Realm’s Not all Dragon-Blooded are destined for these august
four great secondary schools: the Cloister of Wisdom, institutions. Some lack the advantages of birth or
the House of Bells, the Heptagram, and the Spiral wealth; some are considered uneducable by decent
Academy. The choice they make is for the good of the institutions; some are simply guided to such ends by
house, the Dynasty, and the child, in that order. the whim of the house matriarch. For these scions, a
handful of lesser institutions exist to serve their edu-
Acceptance to a secondary school isn’t guaranteed, cational needs.
though matriarch and mother take great pains to en-
sure that the child stands out. Secondary schools don’t Most of these lesser secondary schools educate students
charge tuition, but rely on “generous donations” pro- destined for the legions, the navy, or the Thousand
vided by the prospective student’s house and family. Scales — several ministerial schools cluster around the
While this largesse may not influence admissions on Spiral Academy in a conglomeration called the “Outer
paper, in practice, the best way to ensure one’s child is Coil” — and most of their students are mortal Dynasts
accepted is to promise the largest donation. or patricians. One or two instructors at the most pres-
tigious of these schools will be Dragon-Blooded, but
Each of the four schools has a specialized curriculum, the vast majority are mortal. Dragon-Blooded Dynasts
focusing on a specific approach to power and rule. But who attend such schools — either by design, because

MORTAL STUDENTS

While most students who attend these four august institutions are Dragon-Blooded, each school does, with
some regularity, admit highly exceptional mortal students. To even be competitive, such a prospective student
must demonstrate excellence throughout her primary school career and have a motivated mother and house
matriarch able to work back channels to ensure their scion isn’t dismissed out of hand. As a result, almost
every mortal secondary school student is an un-Exalted Dynast — only the most influential Thousand Scales
patrician families have the resources and connections necessary to manage such a feat.

Even after being accepted, the mortal student must continue to excel. Unlike primary school, there’s no sep-
arate mortal standard to meet — she must hold her own against Exalted students or be dismissed, a great
shame that forever tars her with the stench of hubris. Dragon-Blooded students are rarely accepting of mor-
tals who dare to compete with them, and so the mortal will endure a double measure of hazing from fellow
first-years as well as senior students. If she runs this gauntlet and graduates successfully, she’s proven she
can keep up even with her spiritual deficit, and her house is certain to make good use of her.

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they washed out of somewhere more prestigious, the Cloister, they’re fresh from the dizzying heights of
or because they Exalted late and failed to transfer to Exaltation and often drunk on their own power. Here,
one of the four greater schools — may be preeminent they’re treated as the lowest novices, even by mortal
among their peers during their education, but after monks who — though eminently respectful — don’t
graduation, they often lack many of the high-society hesitate to inform their spiritual betters of how the
connections enjoyed by attendees of the major schools. students err. It’s not uncommon for unruly students
On the other hand, the connections they’ve formed to be set to hours upon hours of meditation to calm
with their less-distinguished classmates are assets that their furious Essence; if their disposition doesn’t im-
their Great House can lean on for decades. prove, this vigil stretches into days or even weeks. The
monks are practiced at taming prideful young Dragon-
Below these less-than-august institutions is a third Blooded. Woe betide the young Prince who responds
tier of schools scattered throughout the Threshold. to discipline by lashing out, for though she is mighty,
These are attended by members of cadet houses and her instructors are mightier still, capable of martial
the children of satrapial advisors, alongside scions of feats she can scarcely imagine.
the province’s wealthy and powerful mortal families.
Dynasts rarely attend such schools, and those who do Exposure to such prowess is one of the benefits of the
are loath to admit it. Cloister’s monastic education. All students receive
combat training alongside their mental and spiritual
Aside from all these alternatives stands Pasiap’s Stair, curriculum, instructed in martial arts — both the
the military academy for lost eggs (p. 101) who take Immaculate Dragon styles (p. 286) and secular alter-
the coin. Its highly focused curriculum is extremely natives — by the finest the Realm has to offer. Studying
challenging, and a rare few Dynasts enroll to test the the martial arts cultivates mental and physical dis-
limits of their stamina. cipline, serves as a means of self-defense, and helps
young Dragon-Blooded master the inner mysteries of
The Cloister of Wisdom their Essence.

Clarity, tranquility, and purpose. Master yourself, When they graduate, students of the Cloister of Wisdom
master your Essence — from this, all else flows. This carry with them — more than the knowledge and skill
is the first lesson students at the Cloister of Wisdom they gained in study — a serenity unseen outside the
receive, and it may take some time for it to settle in, but most remote Immaculate monasteries. Though the
the faculty here is nothing if not patient. First-year stu- world around her may rage and the storm may lash at
dents spend much of their time in meditation. Other her, a Cloister graduate’s innermost Essence is calm,
aspects of the curriculum aren’t neglected — as they centered, and aware. She’s ready for anything — even
advance, students will study the Immaculate Texts and the quiet work in the shadows that a few graduates
commentaries thereon, ethics, rhetoric, oratory, and of this hallowed institution are earmarked for. An
a host of other subjects both mundane and esoteric. Immaculate monk is visible at a glance, but one who
But first priority is given to ensuring that students carries out the Order’s work without taking monastic
cultivate a proper meditative state and master their vows can walk unseen even by the most impious and
Essence, which the Cloister holds as fundamental to wicked of eyes, passing on what she learns to her supe-
all education. riors. Less than half of all Cloister graduates take vows
and join the Immaculate Order, but those who gradu-
The Cloister of Wisdom is an unassuming-looking ate to a secular life frequently remain sympathetic to
monastic compound in Incas Prefecture, located near the Order’s aims. The Order prides itself on being well
the Palace Sublime. Here, the students — fewer than at informed, and those students they’ve taken on to mold
the Spiral Academy or House of Bells, many of them in their own image are many individual streams that
lost eggs who’ve taken the razor — live as monks do, feed a great river.
sleeping on bamboo mats and eating only rice and veg-
etables, rising with the sun for prayer before spending The Heptagram
day and evening in study and meditation. The faculty
are nearly all Immaculate monks. It’s the greatest hon- Wisdom, fortitude, and drive. All these are necessary
or for a lay expert to be invited to a teaching position to become a sorcerer, for the way of pure Essence isn’t
here. easily trod, nor is it for the faint of heart. For those
with the aptitude, and whose families allow them to
Monks enforce the same discipline that they them- study such arts, the Heptagram beckons. Those ac-
selves follow. When young Dragon-Blooded arrive at cepted journey to the Isle of Voices for seven years of

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personal tutelage from what the Dynasty deems the
finest sorcerers of not only the Realm, but all Creation,
and when they emerge, they’re never quite the same.
Sorcery occupies a curious place in the Realm’s esti-
mation, being both a questionable practice and a great
boon that none can truly ignore. Only at the Heptagram
is it wholeheartedly celebrated.

Cold, windswept, and isolated, the Heptagram occupies

much of the Isle of Voices, a craggy outcropping of
rock off the Blessed Isle’s northern coast. Approach is
impossible save by a preordained path and with the ap-
propriate mystical seals — bound demons, elementals,
and other occult wards drive away any who come to
the Isle under false pretenses. The school itself consists
of six towers encircling a seventh in perfect geomantic
harmony. Outer towers are filled with laboratories,
summoning circles, and rare equipment and materials
necessary for magical practice. The central tower con-
tains faculty and student lodgings and the Heptagram’s
only lecture hall, wherein each student holds an as-
signed seat. Food is prepared and the lands maintained
by bound elementals and demons, weighted down with
wards and geasa to ensure their obedience.

No more than a few dozen students are enrolled at the

Heptagram at any given time, while more than half
as many sorcerers and savants make up the faculty —
among them the occasional visiting Sidereal Exalt, her
identity concealed from all but a handful of other resi-
dents. Study is at once carefully guided and autodidac-
tic, with students pursuing their own chosen course of
study once the basics have been impressed upon them.
No sorcerer truly treads the same path as any other, de-
spite the unified design of the Heptagram’s curriculum;
the faculty allows students to find their own way, ad-
vising them individually as needed. Classes aren’t kept
to a fixed schedule — lectures on specific subjects are
announced well in advance, and frequently the entire
student body attends them. Practical courses follow
the same routine, convening when the master sorcerer
teaching it chooses to. Vast libraries of approved mate-
rial, organized into tiers based on utility and danger, are
at the disposal of students who’ve qualified to read them
— one entire tower is occupied by nothing but books,
scrolls, and ancient tablets, each floor a new series of
mysteries, each tome a lifetime’s study rendered in ink.

This autodidactic tendency doesn’t mean that study

at the Heptagram is easy or lackadaisical. Students
have seven years to master the art of sorcery — seven
years, no more, for what many spend a mortal lifetime
attempting. Despite the high teacher-to-student ratio,
professors find themselves swamped with requests for
notes on a thesis, assistance in a summoning ritual,
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

THE QUIET ART

Sorcery occupies a curious place in the popular imagination of the Realm. Dynasts find sorcerers off-putting,
wary of their strange powers and frequent congress with demons and other spirits. Sorcerers have powers
that others simply cannot understand or predict, especially as much of the Realm’s body of sorcerous knowl-
edge is carefully concealed. Sorcerers, therefore, aren’t trusted. Patricians follow the lead of their social
betters, while peasants harbor any number of suspicions regarding sorcerers and their unnatural servants.

But by the same token, sorcery is such a valuable asset that no house will willingly forsake it. Sorcerers can
expect to have all their needs provided for, but they’ll never be popular. Much of society is highly inconvenient
for a known sorcerer to navigate. The stereotype of the sorcerer locked in her high tower, conducting the-
Dragons-only-know-what rituals, isn’t always an artifact of a sorcerer’s natural studiousness, but often of her
peers ostracizing her. Visitors invariably come wanting something from the sorcerer, and leave as soon as
they’ve secured it. The life of a Dynastic sorcerer is almost always a lonely one.

or any number of other tasks. Independent study and warfare training, housing for the school’s staff, and
experimentation must be carefully balanced with lec- limited recreation opportunities for students. The
ture and practical course attendance, and there’s never school’s grounds are encircled by a low wall that serves
enough time in the day. only to mark the boundary — students aren’t permitted
to leave the grounds without special permission from
Graduation from the Heptagram isn’t assured. Not all the dominie, and requesting permission usually earns
have the ephemeral natural potential to initiate into sor- a student her fellows’ disdain.
cery’s mysteries, let alone the self-discipline or desire
to meet their teachers’ high expectations. While most Hundreds of students, spread out over seven years, attend
students drive themselves to successfully complete this institution, divided into fangs of five who sleep in the
their course of study, a handful return home in disgrace same barracks and are graded as a unit. This promotes
— or don’t return home at all. The graveyard beyond the communal responsibility, and ensures that candidates
school’s walls, carefully tended by spirits, serves only to not ideally suited for the House of Bells usually make
drive the others ever harder. it through alive. Accidents happen even in the safest of
places, though, and it’s a rare year without at least one
The House of Bells cadet suffering serious injury or even dying — those
who do so are given a reverent memorial ceremony and
Courage, strength, and discipline. These are the watch- summarily listed as graduating with honors. Failing out
words of the legions, and so too are they the watchwords is much more common, for the House of Bells doesn’t
of the House of Bells, the premier military academy in wish to have a reputation as an abattoir. Traditionally, the
the Realm, dedicated to training the next generation of Imperial legions rejected House of Bells dropouts from
Dynastic officers who’ll rise through the ranks to com- ever holding any officer’s post. The new house legions,
mand troops in the Empress’ name. The curriculum isn’t desperate for loyal officers, are less picky, but still much
easy, but the end product is a well-rounded commander prefer a proper graduate, sometimes to the extent of
who’ll earn the respect of soldiers beneath her even as promoting them above those whose mothers paid hand-
she obeys her superiors’ dictates. somely for their position. Graduation from the House of
Bells remains a mark of distinction and merit, and anyone
Sprawling over hundreds of acres in the countryside who can claim that honor will be welcome in any army.
near Arjuf city, the House of Bells has by far the largest
campus of the four schools, consisting of massive fields, Study at the House of Bells is grueling, taking its toll
forests, marshes, and other arenas of warfare, all care- on body, mind, and spirit all at once. Cadets rise before
fully managed to replicate potential battle conditions. the sun for physical training, including calisthenics,
At the heart of the grounds are the barracks, commu- stretches, and a three-mile run, the older and more
nal mess hall, classrooms, and faculty residence. To seasoned often driving the younger before them lest
the south, along the coastline, is an artificial bay used they fall behind and the faculty catch them flagging.
to train students in naval maneuvers and boarding in The remainder of the day is spent either in intense and
combat. Nearby villages offer environments for urban unforgiving study or on maneuvers.

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Cadets must prove themselves capable in such subjects The Realm is as complex as any living entity — flows
as small-unit tactics, strategy, military history, logistics, of commerce, information, and power stand in for
and command ethics. Older cadets specialize, training blood and Essence, and the myriad ministries of the
closely under faculty whose experience matches their Thousand Scales form its heart and mind. The Spiral
ambitions. A budding naval commander may train un- Academy, largest of the four great secondary schools by
der Peleps Nalani, whose belt is notched seven times, student enrollment, trains its students in the Imperial
once for the head of each Lintha captain she personally Service’s workings not because they’ll inevitably serve
took on a pirate-hunting campaign in the West; a would- as functionaries within its endless, winding corridors,
be cavalry commander might study with Iruga Nagor, but because if they wish to rule, they must understand
an outcaste who literally wrote the book on countering this beast whose reins they hold.
Marukani tactics and who, it’s whispered in the bar-
racks, hides a shrine to Hiparkes in his study. The ac- Seated in the heart of the Imperial City, the Spiral
ademic day ends well after sundown. Students collapse Academy is surrounded by tall walls — though the
into bed exhausted, only to be driven from their beds a campus isn’t closed, students are frequently so be-
few hours later to begin the cycle once more. sieged with work they find little time to take advan-
tage of this. Students are put through the scholastic
Two days out of seven, the classroom is left behind wringer, studying culture, forms of government, moral
and cadets take the field. They’re typically divided theory, and — most importantly of all — the mechanics
into two armies, with older cadets taking command of rulership. What time isn’t spent in study is spent
positions and squads of younger cadets filling out the processing paperwork for “apprenticeships,” usually
rank and file. (Other field trials include free-for-alls, that of the Thousand Scales or local mercantile con-
naval and shipboard combat, and hunting condemned cerns. The Spiral Academy takes a modest commission
criminals offered their freedom if they can escape the for the labor, making it by far the wealthiest of the four
school grounds.) While these armies have no official great secondary schools — it uses this wealth to secure
name, squads often have a preferred title for their er- the very best faculty available, who might otherwise
satz legion, and should the commanding officer come enrich themselves by following their own careers.
from that squad she’ll make damned certain her sub- Even a few years on the staff of the Spiral Academy can
ordinates know under what banner they fight. These make a teacher wealthy.
titles have a habit of following squads even after they
graduate, occasionally serving as a name for a Sworn Many students believe they’re being trained to push
Kinship. paper and nothing more, and a few in every graduating
year find themselves doing that, but most graduates from
The Spiral Academy this august institution find themselves moving not into
the ministries of the Thousand Scales, but into satrapial
Knowledge, subtlety, and precision. The Spiral governance, prefectural and gubernatorial posts, or
Academy teaches one lesson, and teaches it well: One administrative roles within their houses. For the finest,
cannot rule without understanding what one rules. it meant elevation into the Empress’ personal circle of

SECRET SOCIETIES

While every secondary institution has some form of secret society culture that’s passed on from elder stu-
dents to younger, the Spiral Academy has the most extensive such social network, with no fewer than seven
active, major secret societies. The Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders is pledged to uncovering corrupt judges
and officials, while members of the Jewel-Strung Web coordinate to ensure each other’s mutual benefit and
prosperity. Secret codes, handshakes, even entire languages are used, all of which contribute to a society’s
mystique and camaraderie.

After the social meat grinder that is primary school, most Spiral Academy attendees are ready to see others,
even fellow Dragon-Blooded, as stepping-stones to personal power and prestige, and these secret societies
are perfect vehicles for their ongoing ambitions. To their elders, who maintain ties through faculty and staff
at the Spiral Academy, these youngsters are extra bodies in their personal struggles, and students frequently
find themselves caught up in various officials’ schemes, skulking through the vast imperial archives or at-
tending exclusive tea houses in those elders’ names for reasons the students can only guess at.

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ministers, who had the duty of translating her edicts into The Stair announces its nature the moment it appears
law and passing it down to the rest of the government. on the horizon: You will find no comfort here. The
eponymous stairs of the academy wend their way up
The Spiral Academy serves one additional purpose — a the mountain’s face, just wide enough for two to walk
finishing school for spies. All students learn the basics abreast, and both storerooms and barracks are hewn
of cryptography, observation, and other essential deep into the cold, dark stone itself. For classes and
forms of tradecraft as part of basic diplomacy courses. field exercises, the cadets descend the stairs to the des-
Ostensibly these skills are meant to be used against ert’s edge. Life at the Stair is unpleasant at the best of
native governments in satrapies, but even the dullest times, intolerable at the worst, but such is the ten-year
student by now understands that every Great House crucible that refines rough and diverse outcastes into
spies upon every other as a matter of course. In addi- a disciplined, unified fighting force that has held the
tion, a secret curriculum of advanced classes in espio- world in thrall for seven centuries.
nage and subterfuge known as the Garden of Unheard
Whispers exists within the school, to which students A few hundred students reside in the Stair at a time,
are only admitted if they discover that it exists. with a like number of faculty and support staff — other
services for the institution are based in the nearby
Pasiap’s Stair town of On-Sha. Students are grouped into fangs of
five, and all punishments are collective. They drill
Outcastes destined for service in the Imperial legions morning and night, and spend the intervening hours
train at the specialized secondary school called Pasiap’s studying tactics, mathematics, the Immaculate phi-
Stair. Like the House of Bells, it’s known for its grueling, losophy, and other subjects intended to compensate
even torturous curriculum. Unlike the House of Bells, for their lack of Dynastic upbringing. Older students
however, the Stair cares not for the largesse of the Great pair with their juniors as advisors and trainers, passing
Houses. Pasiap’s Stair occupies an ancient fortress-manse along valuable skills and inculcating them with the
in the Mhaltin range northeast of the Dragonswrath Stair’s esprit-de-corps.
Desert, atop the jagged slopes of Gray Mask Mountain.

DROPPING OUT AND SABBATICALS

Failing to complete secondary education limits a Dynast’s options, restricting her from holding important
offices in the Thousand Scales and staining her reputation. If she pursues further education and a career, her
family won’t entirely ignore her, but she’ll still miss out on important social functions — no one wants to show
off the daughter who didn’t quite make it.

More often, a better path is to eschew the main track of Dynastic life entirely, traveling and socializing not
simply within the Realm but throughout the Threshold. A Dynastic dropout who does well for herself on her
own terms can win acceptance from her family and peers, and once she settles down will find a great many
more doors open to her.

Similarly, though most Dynasts have a position within the family and possibly within the Thousand Scales
lined up for them upon their coming of age, many choose instead to delay entry into these careers, enjoying
life after a childhood of grueling training and study. This is practically expected of all young Dragon-Blooded,
and no shame is attached to doing so — no one offers a post to a recent graduate without understanding that
it might be a few seasons before they turn up.

While most families lean on young Dynasts to end a sabbatical after a year or two, those who travel far and
wide as part of their sabbatical are given a much longer leash. Dynastic families believe that broad experienc-
es are healthy and important for the young, and may be willing to hold off for a decade or more, knowing that
when their scion returns, she’ll be far more capable than if she’d simply toed the line all the while.

Of course, with the threat of civil war looming, a great many messengers have been dispatched across the
Threshold and the Realm — healthy experiences mean nothing next to the approaching struggle for the
throne.

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Studies at Pasiap’s Stair revolve mainly around strategy, signify the new Dynast’s status. All eyes will be on her
tactics, and the logistical realities of warfare. Entire — secondary school was but an introductory course for
courses exist to drill students on the proper way to swing the pressure that starts to weigh on the young Dynast.
a sword or negotiate unfriendly terrain in combat. More
advanced students move on to drilling green cadets, the Part of the attention she receives is from Dynastic
better to prepare for training the enlisted once assigned parents sizing her up as a potential fiancée for their
to a legion, which they almost certainly will be. One either children. The coming-of-age gala marks the opening
graduates Pasiap’s Stair or dies in the process — occasion- of marriage negotiations between the Dynast’s family
ally, murdered by one’s comrades for holding them back and other houses, which typically go on for a decade.
and thrown from the edge of the fortress. Such deaths, Arranged marriages are complicated bargains between
generally put down as sleepwalking accidents, are known the parents’ houses, not to be embarked on lightly,
by the euphemism “walking off the mountain.” and certainly not without a clear sense of how each
affianced partner’s career will progress.
Outcastes at the Stair with a talent for sorcery receive
training in battle magic. The school has no sorcerers Following the gala, young Dynasts are often given leave
permanently on staff, instead borrowing faculty from to truly relax for the first time in their lives. During this
the Heptagram, or sorcerers on sabbatical or retired time, consultations take place regarding the future of
from the legions. the newly minted Dragon-Blood, with her mother and
the matriarch weighing every factor, every report from
The end of each term is marked by the Feast of Spears, every member of faculty from primary school on up.
a final exam where students are pitted against one Sometimes, the Dynast herself will even be allowed in-
another in an enormous battle, serving as officers in put — a sign of great trust, but also of great expectations.
armies staffed with slaves or soldiers on loan from
legions stationed nearby — tenth-year students serve A Dynast graduating from the House of Bells has tradi-
as generals, with younger students occupying suitably tionally been all but assured a commission in the legions
lower officer ranks. A grand feast follows the battle, or her house’s paramilitary forces. This post would usually
and graduating students are finally allowed to relax for be as a scalelord, but the mother and house matriarch
a moment —the next day, they leave for the Imperial would pull what strings they could, and the children of the
City to be sponsored into the legions. well-connected were occasionally promoted beyond their
level of experience — such are referred to by their more
But the legions aren’t what they were. Now owned by the experienced subordinates as “unhatched eggs.” A martially
Great Houses, the quality of leadership in the legions has inclined Dynast unable to secure a satisfactory position in
plummeted as unqualified scions of privilege are promot- the legions and uninterested in a less-prestigious post in
ed over time-tested officers, and the purge of outcastes the house’s private forces would often take a sabbatical and
from the ranks of house legions bodes poorly for grad- travel, either for pleasure or as part of a Wyld Hunt, until
uates. Where the commissioning of graduates was once either an appropriate post opened up or she impressed an
a formality, it’s now a bureaucratic and social nightmare officer with sufficient pull to bring her on as a staff officer.
as representatives from the house legions find excuses to
reject every outcaste who passes through the Stair. The situation has changed much in the last five years.
A Dynast with military training will almost always
have a post secured by her mother waiting for her in
Coming of Age one of their houses’ legions. Once given leave to im-
prove themselves, Dragon-Blooded with even a sliver
When they graduate at the age of twenty-one, Dynasts
of military experience are now being jealously hoarded
(both Exalted and un-Exalted) are considered adults
by the Great Houses, for while each knows that swords
and full members of their respective houses. This both
will inevitably be drawn, none can say when.
grants privileges and imposes responsibilities — far
more of the latter, most Dynastic youths would say. Those without military training, and particularly those
with business acumen, are often put to work overseeing
A young Dynast’s coming of age is always marked with
the house’s commercial interests. This may or may not
a gala, though galas for the un-Exalted are less lavish
correspond with the individual Dynast’s interests, and it’s
and well-attended than those for Dragon-Blooded.
unlikely that said Dynast’s mother consulted her about
The latter are grand displays, celebrating the addi-
the post ahead of time. Those who display a particularly
tion of a new Prince of the Earth to the house’s rolls.
astute sense of social and political matters are often guid-
Indeed, part of the ritual of this celebration is the
ed towards the Deliberative or the Thousand Scales.
public amendment of the family register to formally

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A Dynast who masters sorcery receives from her house time adventuring in the Threshold. Others move
everything she needs to practice her art. She’s unlikely immediately into careers in the Imperial Service, or
to be called upon save when the family has need of her find roles in the house’s business interests or other
services, or when she’s about to be married — rare is familial projects.
the Dynast who can shake the Realm’s distrust of sor-
cerers, even relatives beholden to the same house. When an unmarried Dynast stays in one place, she’s
rarely on her own. Instead, it’s normal for her to attach
Marking Time herself to an existing household run by an older rela-
tive. There she lives as a member of the household, at-
The Great Houses bide their time assessing marriage tending social events and making her particular talents
options for their scions, taking years to press for the available to the house matriarch as needed, whether
best possible match. In the interim, many young by tutoring younger relatives, training the household
graduates (or dropouts, for that matter) spend their guard, or spying on a rival household.

THE GRAND TOUR

It’s common practice for young Dynasts fresh from secondary school to tour the satrapies, the better to understand
the world they command — and to taste its pleasures. There are many traditional routes; the most oft-followed
leads Dragon-Blooded youths down the Caracal to the cosmopolitan port of Arjuf, and thence to the wealthy, sto-
ried city-states of the South and to the worshipful lands of the Southwest. Travelers wonder at the cryptic orreries
of Varangia, admire the glass towers of Chiaroscuro and the sand-worn stelae of Zephyr, delight in the aromatic
cuisine and obedient youths of An-Teng, and hunt the weird jungle beasts of the Silent Crescent. This is both a time
for recreation and a chance for Dragon-Blooded to test their Exalted prowess outside of an academic setting. They
return home more experienced and cosmopolitan, bearing mementos plundered from exotic lands and trophies of
daring adventures — often along with a supply of foreign luxuries they’ve grown accustomed to.

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DUELING

Formalized combat over matters of pride is an ancient, albeit somewhat informal, tradition of the Scarlet Dy-
nasty. However, the Empress forbade duels to the death between Dynasts, preferring that her children shed
their blood against her enemies rather than against one another; she personally tasked violators with diffi-
cult, prolonged, and humiliating responsibilities as punishment. However, since her disappearance, violators
with powerful family or friends have been able to secure pardons the Empress would’ve never permitted,
leading to a resurgence of lethal duels.

Income and Spending curries, candied hawthorn from Goldenseal, Saltbreak

caviar — as street food for shopping Dynasts.
Dynasts need not labor for their coin. The Great
Houses are astonishingly wealthy, a fortune dwarfed In addition, a Dynast rarely travels alone. She’s accompa-
only by the Empress’ own. nied by aides, bodyguards, valets, and other flunkies, and
often gathers an entourage of cronies and hangers-on,
Every Dynast, when she comes of age, receives a stipend stretching her stipend to cover their various needs and
from her house that would boggle the average patrician, entertainments in exchange for their service, talents,
let alone a peasant — though for her, it’s just enough for and company. These are typically patricians, although
her to live on in a manner that isn’t a total embarrassment a peasant or foreigner who catches a Dynast’s eye can
to her and her family. It might buy a small manor in the easily become a favorite. Even the most sycophantic of
country, or a modest townhouse in a city (or a yet more these generally has some combat training or practical
modest one, more akin to a sizable apartment, in the experience; one never knows when they’ll have to fend
Imperial City, where costs are far higher). This stipend off an assassin or join an impromptu Wyld Hunt.
increases for married daughters, who are expected to
support their husbands, and increases further for every Dynasts who travel or adventure can survive on their
child the daughter bears, Exalted or un-Exalted, until stipend quite easily, assuming they live relatively mod-
they come of age. The stipend may also be increased af- estly. Many supplement this income through service
ter the Dynast performs a particularly noteworthy task to others, though no self-respecting Dragon-Blooded
or service, or for spending a decade or more handling will take on menial labor — carving the pillars that will
house business, so elder Dragon-Blooded frequently hold up a temple’s roof is one thing, but tiling that roof
draw a significant income from their house alone. is quite another.

Dynasts who find work — either independently or in Of course, even with their house’s stipend, and even
the Imperial Service — can supplement their stipend with supplementary income, Dynasts often outspend
with an income, giving them breathing room and their means. No house wants a debtor on their hands
allowing them to spend far more lavishly than their — it’s an easy way for an unscrupulous third party to
peers. Dynasts almost never carry cash; when they take pressure Dynasts to pull strings, take direct action,
what they will from a shop or teahouse, their stewards and even work against house interests. House Ragara
and seneschals arrange financial compensation. This is in particular thrives on the debt of their cousins, but
rarely as much as shopkeepers normally charge — they they’re far from the only financial actors in the Realm
should be honored to receive the patronage of a Prince to do so; Imperial courts are known to place heavily
of the Earth. (And the prestige of a Dynast’s repeat indebted Dragon-Blooded at the disposal of the state,
custom can be worth its weight in jade.) assigning duties to them that they might work off
their debt. Houses therefore curtail the stipends of
And what wonders they can afford! Shops in the Imperial spendthrift scions, assigning them seneschals who
City and prefectural capitals carry handwoven silks control their finances to ensure that while they main-
dyed in Southern cochineal or Tyrian purple from the tain Dynastic standards, they’re unable to continue
West; exotic drugs such as peyote from the South, salvia spending themselves into a hole. For truly legendary
from the far East, and kava root from the Wavecrest cases of indebtedness, a debtor might be encouraged
Archipelago; and intricate clockwork timepieces and to spend a few years “traveling” in the Threshold while
trifles of Varangian make. Food stalls offer the cuisine of their house settles accounts and smooths over frayed
countless satrapies — fried yucca from the Lap, Prasadi relationships.

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(and never the same best twice!), unless it’s to flaunt

her provocative disregard for what her peers think, or
IMPERIAL AND HOUSE PATENTS the product of hopeless social ineptitude. The hosts
likewise spare no expense; these parties are the epitome
The Scarlet Empress rewarded businesses in the of conspicuous consumption. A gala is such a massive
Imperial City whose proprietors she wished to social occasion that politeness dictates inviting every
raise to prominence or whose goods earned her
Dynast in the region, whether one wants to or not — the
favor by issuing them Imperial patents. These
best means of avoiding an undesirable acquaintance is
businesses are permitted to display the Empress’
to arrange the affair for a date they’re unavailable, and
personal mon beside their door, proclaiming to
their customers that they’re doing business with lament the misfortune loudly when it’s “discovered.”
the same merchants as the Empress herself. Ma-
The smallest galas, for personal events such as birth-
triarchs of the Great Houses and the heads of ma-
jor bloodlines (p. 34) have followed her example, day celebrations, are somewhat more private. In such
issuing house patents to businesses both in the cases, the guest list can be restricted to family and
Imperial City and in prefectural capitals. Every- confidants, and invitations to such events are usually
one in the Realm knows that the number of house reserved for those the host is trying to build connec-
mons displayed by a business’ door is a sure indi- tions with.
cator of quality — and the owners of such stores
know they can afford high markups on prices. The Some Great Houses (particularly House Nellens) make
penalty for using the Imperial or a house mon for a habit of inviting the occasional patrician to galas,
business without a patent is death. while others (particularly House Mnemon) are loath
to do so. It’s unthinkable to refuse such an invitation
— for a patrician, the chance to rub shoulders with
Dynasts can change the course of her career.
Society
Galas aren’t typically a venue to openly transact business.
In any city on the Blessed Isle, there’s always a party However, they may celebrate transactions that have already
going on somewhere. High society is the glue that taken place, especially in the case of the wedding gala.
holds the Dynasty together. The Realm even has its These highly ritualized galas, wherein an Imperial judge
own taxonomy for different types of party, though registers two betrothed Dynasts as a married couple, are
these are descriptive rather than prescriptive. perhaps the height of Dynastic conspicuous consumption,
with both Great Houses (or households, if the marriage is
Salons are informal private gatherings — at least, in- within the house) competing to outdo the other. A monk
formal for Dynastic high society; attendees are often is traditionally a part of this ceremony, but her presence
dressed to the nines and doing everything they can to isn’t legally required. The presiding Imperial judge has
show off. Typically arranged by a single Dynast, a salon little opportunity to enjoy the wedding gala at leisure, as
may run for days on end, and can be for any purpose: attendees throng her in hopes of persuading (or bribing)
recounting war stories, Gateway tournaments, gos- her to favor them in upcoming cases.
siping about the current workings of the Deliberative,
poetry-writing competitions, and so on, almost always Celebrations are public festivals, open even to the
with ample time for attendees to relax and overindulge peasantry. For this reason, Dragon-Blooded rarely
in food, drink, narcotics, and each other. Business is spend much effort on them, and they’re often in-
sometimes transacted at salons, but it’s almost always stead planned by patricians or un-Exalted Dynasts.
informal backroom deals. Salons are, by and large, for Celebrations are less lavish than other parties, and
cutting loose, away from the prying eyes of the peas- Dynasts follow suit, wearing less ostentatious fashions.
antry and patricians, away from the demands of house Dynasts mind their behavior at a celebration — the
and family — at least, on the surface. Few can ever peasants are watching, and no Dynast’s parent wants to
truly forget what their house’s interests are, or what’s be called up in front of their matriarch to explain how
required of them, but they dearly love to pretend that they failed to instill a sufficient amount of decorum
they can. in their offspring. Assassinations are especially rare
at these events; when they do happen, they’re usually
Galas, by contrast, are very formal, typically arranged disguised as an accident or rely on slow-acting poison.
either by a house or by a group of Dynasts. They tend
to begin early and end very, very late — sometimes days Visits cover all the various circumstances where
later. No one ever brings less than her best to a gala Dynasts play host to others. This may concern intimate

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business between Dynasts, which may be financial, po-

litical, or personal in nature. At other times, visitors are GATEWAY
simply in the area on other business — such as a hunting
trip, negotiating with foreign merchants, or investi- The game of Gateway is the favorite pastime of the
gating corruption in a ministerial office — and visiting Scarlet Dynasty. It’s a complex, strategy-based
fellow Dynasts is the most suitable option for lodgings. board game played on a tiered board with a va-
riety of distinct pieces — animals carved from
Usually arranged in advance, a visit begins with gemstones or ivory in most Dynastic households,
leisure: hunting, enjoying a private performance or or abstractions of wood and metal for lesser sets.
a collection of art, and the like. If there’s any prosaic Gateway has between two and five players; de-
business at the heart of the visit, the day goes by with- pending on the number of players, their level of
out a word of it, and only after the last meal of the day skill, and the depth of their tactics, a single game
do negotiations begin. If the visit stretches for several can last hours, days, or even weeks. Students in
days, the formula repeats itself. A day of leisure ends secondary school, especially the House of Bells
with dinner before negotiations resume; only the most and Pasiap’s Stair, will play prolonged games a
gauche or desperate of Dynasts will discuss business few moves at a time, honing their strategic think-
before dinner. This doesn’t mean the day is wasted — ing, while it’s a mainstay of Dynastic social events.
coded language, oblique references, and the like are
often used to set the stage for open negotiation, and Legionnaires, children, and foreigners often use
Gateway sets to play other, less intricate games.
frequently both partners come to the table fully aware
These include quick, aggressive Hunting Cat; Guard-
of what’s about to be discussed.
ian Gate, geared for alliance-building and treachery;
and the allegorical solitaire game Spirit-Frog.
Sometimes, of course, Dynasts just visit each other
without any political or financial purpose — to spend
time with an old friend or distant cousin, for instance,
or to court a potential lover. If there’s no business to
be discussed, a visit is more akin to a small, exclusive webs of political connections and personal obligations
salon — the two Dynasts (and their families, if present) between fractious Dragon-Blooded families, reinforc-
will simply enjoy themselves, or at least pretend to do ing the stability of the Realm (and incidentally bene-
so. fiting the households and houses involved). As such,
marriage was traditionally a duty matched only in
Traditionally, a host must accept a guest without com- solemnity by the Wyld Hunt, and in these fallen days,
plaint, and provide for her every need. To fail in this the Great Houses value it far above hunting Anathema.
charge is a considerable mark of shame not only on the
host but upon her house. There’s no question of restitu- A young Dynast can expect years to pass between grad-
tion, but the visitor will commonly make some manner of uation from secondary school and marriage. During this
gift to the host. Only if he greatly overstays his welcome, time, the scion’s family negotiates and schemes to find
egregiously violates rules of hospitality, or refuses to pro- the best possible match for her, often of a similar age.
vide an appropriate visitor’s gift, may the host withdraw Each family attempts to get the better end of the deal,
her hospitality, and even then an appropriate excuse for looking for matches above their station for sons, and for
the house being unlivable must be found. Conversely, husbands who can bring in strong blood for daughters.
those who abuse the rules of hospitality surrounding
visits may well find their house finding reasons to keep Both families gain political connections they can draw
them at home full-time to avoid embarrassment. upon, but only the wife’s house will gain Dragon-
Blooded children. In exchange, the bride’s house pays
the husband’s stipend for the duration of the marriage.
Marriage & Children This is generally considered a poor trade, however, so
a bride’s family must typically find a groom of slightly
The blood of the Dragons is the most sacred trust
lower status to compensate. Extremely prominent
given to the Princes of the Earth, more precious than
sons of the Great Houses often have problems finding
artifacts or titles. Only the preservation of Creation
suitable matches, as nobody wants their daughter
itself weighs as heavily on the Dragon-Blooded host as
overshadowed by her husband. These sons often end
the duty to pass on this gift. It’s a religious and moral
up marrying women of significantly lesser status, for
obligation to Realm, house, and all living beings to
whom the alliance involved is a great boon, and from
ensure that the blessing of Exaltation doesn’t die with
whose family a sizable dowry is required.
the individual Dragon-Blood. Furthermore, it forms

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The vast majority of Dynasts accept these arranged if the couple has failed to produce offspring after
marriages, never considering alternative matches out- twenty-five years, or if one partner is found guilty
side of idle daydreams of what might have been. Even of a serious crime such as attempting to harm or kill
those few who seek to marry for love are rarely able to their spouse or children, murdering a Dragon-Blood,
convince their elders to accept the love match over their or committing treason. Beyond that, the only end to
carefully planned and negotiation selection. A handful marriage is the death of one partner.
succeed, either through clever negotiation with both
families or because they’re too insignificant or stubborn Matrilineality
to be worth pressing the issue. In these cases, the young
couple must usually make do with the explicit and exas- The Realm is primarily a matrilineal society. The child
perated withdrawal of their families’ protests. belongs to the mother, partaking of her social class and
family name. When a man marries a woman, he becomes
Especially reckless Dynasts sometimes elect to marry a part of her family, and is expected to show respect and
without their family’s permission. Dynastic marriages obedience to his mother-in-law, or “second mother.”
must always be overseen by an Imperial judge — or by
three judges if the other partner is a peasant or for- Husbands normally retain their family name when they
eigner. This is normally inconsequential, but without marry. However, since peasants and outcastes largely
familial permission, one faces the difficult task of find- lack family names, one who marries a patrician or Dynast
ing judges willing to risk retaliation from one or more takes on their spouse’s family name. When people of
Great Houses. Marriage between a Dynast and a slave different social classes marry, the lower-class spouse is
or one of the dispossessed is wholly illegal, short of an elevated to the higher-ranking spouse’s social class — at
edict from the Deliberative or the Empress. least officially. Some snubbing can be expected.
Dynastic Dragon-Blooded marriages usually last until A husband who outlives his wife returns to his birth
one partner dies, but they can be ended by agreement house after a suitable mourning period. Any children the
of both parties’ house matriarchs or an Imperial judge couple had remain with the wife’s house, typically to be

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SEXUALITY AND MARRIAGE

Same-sex couples face stigma over matters of reproduction, but little else. If a same-sex marriage does pro-
duce a child — whether through adopting a patrician outcaste (p. 100) or an undesirable or orphaned child of
a Dynastic relative, employing a surrogate parent, or turning to sorcery — then their duty to house and Realm
is fulfilled, and they become as socially acceptable as any other couple, the circumstance of their genders no
more than a trifling quirk.

The Dynasty accepts these marriages because it understands that the passions of the Terrestrial Exalted run
hot. History records many tales of Dragon-Blooded who, when pushed, chose their beloved over house and
tradition — quite a few of these tales are bloody affairs. Sometimes, it’s better to keep one Prince of the Earth
and hope for children against the odds than to demand more than she’ll bear and lose the one the house
already has. Even so, failure to follow the house’s expectations isn’t something the family forgives, any more
than disobeying the matriarch in another matter affecting the future of the house, and a Dynast seeking a
same-sex marriage must fight for the privilege every bit as hard as any other Dynast seeking a love match.
Many are unwilling or unable to risk this conflict, or simply uninterested.

In a same-sex marriage, the younger partner usually marries into the elder’s family, and carries the mascu-
line role in the religious and legal capacity, although a mortal marrying a Dragon-Blood assumes the mas-
culine role regardless of age.

adopted by her kin. A widower may remain in his wife’s Some husbands go to great lengths to prove their loyalty to
house with her matriarch’s consent — a common practice their wife’s house or to their mother’s house. Others prefer
for patrician and peasant husbands — but a Dynastic man not to make waves, avoiding situations where their loyalties
who does so incurs the opprobrium of his own family. are tested. And historically, many husbands in the Imperial
Service made a point of placing their devotion to the Empress
Sometimes, a talented Dragon-Blooded man is married above their loyalties to either house — an approach that’s
off to a mortal so that he returns to his house after a causing them difficulties since the Empress’ disappearance.
mortal lifetime, ready to assume important house re-
sponsibilities. Others are married to members of their Social expectation still demands that, say, a Cathak officer
own house — or to Dragon-Blooded from client cadet with a Sesus wife will serve in the Sesus legions. But now,
houses or patrician families — to avoid questions of such an officer might find himself cashiered from the Sesus
divided loyalties. legions lest he side against them in a crisis. Conversely,
if he serves in the Cathak legions, he could someday find
The Loyalty of Husbands himself facing his wife across the battlefield.
When a man marries, he’s expected to transfer his
personal loyalties to his wife, her household, and her Bloodline & Potency
Great House. But a man is raised in his mother’s house
and bears that house’s stamp on his psyche. Now, in this The Dragon’s blood is not a physical trait but a spiritual
time of tumult, a Dynast might find himself pressed to quality of its bearer’s Essence, a part of the miracle of
oppose his birth house directly, whether on the floor of Exaltation. One who lacks it cannot gain or pass it on by
the Deliberative or on the battlefield. any means, not even shapeshifting or Solar Circle sorcery.

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH

Pregnancy has little effect on an Exalt’s day-to-day life. Signs of pregnancy typically first appear within the
third or fourth month, but only become especially obvious after seven months. Pregnant Exalted usually re-
main physically active up until several weeks before giving birth in the ninth month.

Due to their superhuman vitality and healing, it’s all but unheard of for an Exalt to die in childbirth. Stillbirths
and miscarriages are rarer than among mortals, but they do happen.

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MARRIAGE AND PLAYER CHARACTERS

Marriage is a fundamental part of Dynastic society, but not always a comfortable one. While some players may be
interested in roleplaying the stresses and perils of an unwanted marriage, others won’t want to for any number of
valid reasons. The Storyteller should never force marriage or betrothal on a character whose player doesn’t want to
take part in it. Instead, give the player an out, and let the fallout of their refusal drive the narrative of the game forward.

The Dragons’ blood doesn’t pass on casually. In after conception accumulating almost none — and
Dragon-Blooded, its progenitive potential starts at accelerates as the Dragon-Blood’s potency approach-
nothing and builds up slowly after the Second Breath es its maximum. The gathering and expenditure of
and, once expended, takes years to attain its peak progenitive potency is a mystical process applying as
once more. Progenitive potential remains constant much to a magically created child as to one formed in
in mortals, neither waxing nor waning, though weak, the usual manner.
fickle, and unreliable compared to that of Exalted par-
ents, especially with another mortal partner. No child’s Because male Dragon-Blooded can sire children often
Exaltation is guaranteed, but the more potent the par- and easily compared to women, a promiscuous or
ents’ blood, the more likely their offspring will receive unfaithful man draws more censure from the Dynasty
the Dragons’ gift. than a woman who partakes in the same actions. Taking
lovers is all but expected from the Dragon-Blooded, so
If it’s only been a few years since the Exalt last lent her for a man to do so isn’t particularly remarkable — in-
vitality to conception, then the child is exceedingly deed, even the most faithful man will find that women
unlikely to become Exalted. Such a child will also face assume him incapable of fidelity. A woman can less
prejudice from classmates, who call these Dynasts “left- easily hide a pregnancy, so female Dynasts are gener-
over children” — that is, made from their older sibling’s ally considered above reproach in this matter — after
leftovers. Even if she Exalts, the stigma remains to a all, if she wasted her Essence, everyone would know.
lesser extent, with her bloodline baselesly considered
inferior to that of her more esteemed kin. The parents Because same-sex or sterile paramours usually can’t sire
also face social consequences for wasting their precious or conceive, they’re considered a natural, beneficial part of
Essence — this is a mark of irresponsibility, and a juicy Dynastic society. While having an opposite-sex paramour
subject for gossip. is shameful — albeit politely ignored if discreet or in
barbarian lands — same-sex activity only earns remark in
Progenitive potency passes on involuntarily at concep- exceptional indiscretion. Preferring the same sex mostly
tion, not birth or Exaltation. This exhausts the parents’ or exclusively is unworthy of comment unless the Dragon-
potency entirely; it must renew itself from nothing. Blood’s marriage fails to produce children, in which case
Potency accrues slowly at first — the first few years tongues begin to wag. A fresh couple can expect a grace

TRANSGENDER DYNASTS

Within the Scarlet Dynasty and other Dragon-Blooded cultures that adhere to the Immaculate Texts, it’s ax-
iomatic that a transgender individual’s self-identified gender is her true gender. The Immaculate Dragon
Danaa’d was a transgender woman, and to be such is proper and holy. Thus, transgender Dynasts marry
according to their gender identity. Although such marriages are often incapable of producing heirs through
procreation, the expectation that they’ll have children is by no means diminished.

Adoption and surrogate parents are commonly used by such couples, as well as others unable to have children con-
ventionally. Additionally, while the Realm regards the use of sorcery to beget children warily, the Empress carved out
a notable exception when she employed sorcery to bear children — including Mnemon and Ragara — with her first
husband, Rawar of Arjuf, a transgender man. Since then, transgender Dynasts have held Imperial sanction, called the
Precedent of Rawar, to make use of sorcery or stranger magics to have children — summoning neomah, conceiving
within enchanted dreams, growing heirs from plants watered with the couples’ blood, and the like.

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period of twenty years before their lack of children be- the ranks of his house, and, if the father is married, lets
comes remarkable. him evade the wrath of his wife and her family as long
as the deceit isn’t found out.
Leftover Children
Any child born within a decade of his nearest older It’s less common for a dallying husband to inform his wife
sibling is considered a leftover child and faces all the of his infidelity, but in such cases, she or another member of
prejudice and discrimination the title implies. If it’s her house wears the pillow. In these cases, the foolish hus-
been less than a decade since the last child’s birth, band bears the brunt of his wife’s displeasure. For the dura-
the parents are considered to be reckless with their tion of the fictitious pregnancy, he has every menial task of
Essence, and if more than twenty have passed, they’ll household management thrust upon him, while carefully
start getting hints that maybe it’s about time again. watched over by a family seneschal; this is punishment, not
The ideal Dragon-Blooded marriage produces five opportunity. His travel and social engagements are heavily
children before the parents reach one hundred years restricted, not just for the duration of the pregnancy but
of age, if they live that long. (Twelve to twenty years for years thereafter, and whenever he’s permitted to par-
is widely regarded as how long it takes for the procre- ticipate in wider society he’s watched like a hawk. Some
ative Essence to peak.) Beyond the fifth, more children wives — unwilling to be burned twice — assign a valet to
aren’t necessary, but are always welcome. accompany him indefinitely, carrying a quantity of maiden
tea, so that in the future he will have no excuses.
Twins, triplets, and so on occupy an unusual position. Only
one receives the parents’ progenitive potential, but there’s A young Dragon-Blood who becomes pregnant out of wed-
no way to discern which. If one child Exalts, any others lock will often work with her household matriarch to con-
born at the same time are treated as leftover children; but ceal the pregnancy, lest perceived intemperance damage
it’s not unheard of for more than one of them to Exalt, her marriage prospects. In such cases, another member of
especially if born to parents of outstanding pedigrees. the house wears the pillow and adopts the child as her own.

Legitimacy & Consorts Parenthood

When a woman bears a child, there’s no question as to its Dragon-Blooded parents are typically cold, distant, and
parentage. It doesn’t matter who the father is, even if that’s rarely there. Many children grow up knowing their tu-
clearly someone other than her husband — or if she’s un- tors and servants better than their own parents. This is
married, for that matter. Her child is always legitimate, and normal in the Realm, but it doesn’t mean that the Dragon-
belongs to her and no other. Likewise, a man has no claim Blooded don’t love their children. The greatest gifts a lov-
on any child he might sire outside of marriage. ing mother can pass on to her daughter are a strong house
and a respected lineage — the memory of a mother’s voice
On occasion, a female Dynast will publicly acknowledge a simply cannot outweigh pragmatic concerns.
lover she hasn’t married as her officially recognized part-
ner. Such a consort is legally acknowledged as the father To sacrifice relationships with children is considered a
of children he sires (if male) and may establish as much of solemn and melancholy duty in the Dynasty, and is most
a relationship with the child as Dynastic society permits. commendable. It’s a common topic of poems and songs,
Unmarried men may take patrician or peasant consorts, often ending with the satisfied parent realizing it was all
but outside House Cynis, it’s seen as a sordid and desper- worth it when she sees her child benefit from her hard
ate affair, a reminder of masculine intemperance. They’re work in adulthood. Most Dragon-Blooded parents make
expected to cut ties with these consorts before marriage this sacrifice, but not all. Those who don’t are considered
and avoid siring children by them. lazy or self-indulgent. That said, Exalted parents — having
passed along the Dragon’s blood — have no further respon-
Should a Dragon-Blooded man father a child on a patri- sibility to their children beyond necessities and tutelage.
cian or peasant woman, this complicates matters. Thus
originates the practice of an extended fictitious preg-
nancy — complete with padding intended to simulate Outcastes:
a belly swollen with child — or a visit to the Threshold
away from prying Dynastic eyes. Most often, the father
Exalting Outside the Dynasty
secretly informs the matriarch of his birth house, Not every Dragon-Blood can trace her ancestry back
who’ll choose a female scion of the house — often one to the Scarlet Empress. A significant population of
in a marriage incapable of procreation — to wear the Dragon-Blooded, even inside the Realm, cannot call
pillow. This adds another potential Dragon-Blood to themselves Dynasts (at least, not without marrying into

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If the Dragon-Blood graduates from her chosen second-

ary school, the house adopts her with no fuss. Whatever
GENERATIONS IN THE DYNASTY her personal circumstances may be, such a protégée never
quite shakes the stigma of her less-illustrious background,
While Dragon-Blooded can live for centuries, and can expect to spend the rest of her life suffering the
few Dynasts actually reach this advanced age. brunt of minor snubs and deliberate faux pas. She has to
Most of the Realm’s Exalted die on the battle-
work twice as hard as other family members, and is given
field or of misadventure before their hundredth
half as much leeway, though few would throw her past in
year. At any given time, the majority of Dynas-
her face directly — such a crude display would cause the
tic Dragon-Blooded are young members of the
current generation, outnumbering a smaller offending party to lose face. Her marriage prospects are
population of middle-aged Exalted and a hand- more difficult due to her non-Dynastic bloodline.
ful of elders.
A young Terrestrial who fails to attend or graduate
from such a school will find herself accepted into the
house as a client, rather than as a family member. (Only
a Great House). The Scarlet Empress called them “lost extraordinary incompetence or rebelliousness will
eggs” — prodigal daughters and sons, found by the grace cause a sponsor house to pass up the boon an addition-
of the Dragons that they might be brought “inside the al Dragon-Blood represents.) A client Dragon-Blood
nest” of the Realm and guided rightly by the wisest of all must earn adoption instead, though in most cases
living Dragon-Blooded, the Empress herself. barely adequate behavior is enough to achieve a place
in some Empress-forsaken minor branch-of-a-dying-
Outcastes are, by Imperial law, considered distant kin
branch of the house within a couple of decades. If she
of the Empress, and thus wards of the state, which
does impress the house, she’s welcomed into it as any
represents the Empress’ interests and authority over
other adoptee would be, with only minor additional
them. They occupy a curious niche in the Realm’s so-
stigma as “a practical sort with no head for books.”
ciety, above mortals but below their Dynastic fellows.
On the rare occasion that a client Dragon-Blood proves
The Realm recognizes three vastly different categories of
utterly undesirable, the sponsorship agreement is re-
outcastes: Exalted patricians; lost eggs born into the peas-
scinded and her family reclaims her, with the expectation
ant, slave, and dispossessed classes; and foreign Dragon-
that they’ll repay the adopting house for everything they
Blooded arising outside the Blessed Isle. Each category
offered in the sponsorship negotiations, and more. Even
receives different treatment by the Scarlet Dynasty.
if they can make good on these payments, such a failure
is a massive disgrace for both the patrician family and the
Exalted Patricians outcaste Dragon-Blood, and poses a major obstacle to
both any subsequent adoption sponsorships the family
Dragon-Blooded patricians occupy an unusual place seeks and the Dragon-Blood’s own marriage prospects.
among the Realm’s Dragon-Blooded. Educated in the
same primary school system as Great House scions, Fostering
they’re capable of making the jump from their own Fostering is the sister to the client system, occurring
class into the Scarlet Dynasty. Two profitable paths are when a patrician family is powerful enough to hold its
open to them: adoption and fosterage.

Adoption
Adoption, the more common option, is a slow and deliber- PATRICIANS AND THE ORDER
ate process. The newly Exalted youngster’s family negoti-
ates a sponsorship agreement with a Great House — often On rare occasions, a devout patrician family will
a long-term patron of the patrician family — wherein the donate an Exalted child to the Immaculate Order.
family receives some combination of wealth, immediate Such an extraordinary show of piety doesn’t go
favors, and assurance of future favor in exchange for a unrecognized. While the Order won’t show overt
nascent Prince of the Earth. The Exalt is sent to second- favoritism, should the family ever be in placed at
ary school, and there faces the challenge of outdoing her a disadvantage through no fault of its own, the
Dynastic peers, who are better prepared, receive better local abbots and archimandrites will take a keen
interest in the situation. A child thus donated to
treatment, and look down on patrician children. Only
the Order is treated exactly as any outcaste who
after graduating from a prestigious academy will her
takes the razor (p. 101).
sponsor house accept her into the fold.

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is considered, by decree, to be the adopted daughter or

FOSTERING AND CADET HOUSES son of the Empress herself, legitimizing them within the
Realm. This status doesn’t come without a price, howev-
er — a found egg must obey his foster mother, and in her
Fostering is also an option for cadet house mem-
bers, who are commonly able to foster with a par- wisdom she decreed that all such children of hers must
ent or sponsor Great House. The costs are much make a choice: take the razor, or take the coin.
the same, as are the benefits — the privilege and
distinction of a full Dynastic upbringing, which When a lowborn outcaste — peasant, slave, or dispos-
is superior to what the cadet house scion’s own sessed — makes herself known on the Blessed Isle, the
family could likely offer, and eases the stigma of Splendid and Just Arbiters of Purpose take charge of
belonging to an inferior family. her, willing or not. They hold authority over the new
recruit until she moves on to either the Cloister of
Wisdom or Pasiap’s Stair. They send a delegation to
bring her in; the ministry maintains offices across the
own in negotiations with a Great House. The cost the Isle for this purpose, and only in remote corners of the
young Dragon-Blood’s family incurs to arrange such an Blessed Isle does this take more than a week from her
agreement is great, matching the expected value of a Exaltation. They take her back to their headquarters,
lifetime of service. Depending on the patrician family’s the Obsidian Mirror, in Juche Prefecture.
finances and business interests, they might pay steep
fosterage fees, contract to supply the Great House with There she’s schooled in the fundamentals of Dynastic
goods or commodities, promise political favors, cede society and discusses her two options for the future with
land leases, or arrange marriages between desirable fellow Exalted: Take the razor and join the Immaculate
men of the patrician family and un-Exalted daughters of Order, or take the coin and serve in the legions. By forcing
the Great House. If a family can’t afford these, they can this choice, the Empress guided them to two of her most
always promise the fostered Dragon-Blood’s services powerful organs of control, both at home and abroad.
to their patron house for several decades. Nearly any
After their first full year, they must attend the grand-
agreement will include at least a few years of service to
est feast of their young life, the Feast of the Elect,
the house — incidentally providing additional education
which is held annually. It’s here that the Humble and
in the rights and responsibilities of the Exalted.
Munificent Master of Orphans offers each child in
In return, the young Dragon-Blood obtains sponsor- turn two silver platters. One holds an elaborately fil-
ship and funding to attend one of the Realm’s four igreed razor of jade, symbolizing the bald head of an
great secondary schools, while retaining her own Immaculate monk; the other, an ornamental jade obol,
family name. This offers her both an education equal stamped on one side with the image of the Empress to
to that of any Dynast, and the opportunity to share in symbolize personal loyalty to the throne — represent-
the web of personal and political contacts that Great ing payment for military service. In the morning, the
House scions develop in school and leverage to their young outcastes leave for their destinations, and the
advantage throughout their lives. future that awaits.

In addition, the patrician family gains the loyalty of A child unable to choose in the moment may be given
one of the Exalted, and — just as importantly — the a few days’ grace, but if she proves unable or unwilling
blood of the Dragons. Many patrician families dream to decide, the Master decides for her.
of strengthening their blood to such potency that their
Taking the Razor
whole lineage is adopted into the Dynasty. This is rare,
but not unheard-of, so many of the mightiest patrician Lost eggs who take the razor are sent to the Cloister of
clans aim towards this goal. However, with the Empress’ Wisdom (p. 86), where they’re treated like any other
disappearance and the consolidation of power under the initiate. They dine alongside daughters and sons of the
Great Houses, the fostering system is in sharp decline; Dynasty, and though their fare may be simple, this first
few patrician families have sufficient clout to arrange it. meal is often among the most elevating and energizing of
their lives, for they’ve been accepted as equals of Princes
of the Earth. Unlike these Dynasts, however, they cannot
Lost Eggs Among the Common Folk withdraw from the school, nor can they direct their ed-
ucation toward secular ends. Each is destined for a life
As Dragon-Blooded, lost eggs have a number of privileg-
of service in the Immaculate Order, exemplifying the
es not afforded to mortals in the Realm. In many ways,
enlightenment displayed by their Exaltation.
they’re treated as equal to Dynasts, at least on paper. Each

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Lost eggs typically receive specialized instruction beyond the finest fighting force in the world. Once, each sur-
that of other students, and in their final year are officially viving graduate was assigned to a legion — usually as a
admitted as acolytes (as are Dynastic scions who wish to scalelord, though a particularly promising greenhorn
join the Order directly after graduation). Unless they fail might be commissioned as talonlord as a favor — then
their tests and require more training, they become monks shipped out to whatever miserable satrapy her legion
of the First Coil immediately upon graduation. was assigned to, there to slog and toil and crush the
Empress’ enemies. But all too many promising officers
Outcaste monks ejected from the order were traditionally were summarily dismissed from their posts in the wake
remanded to the Empress for punishment or the assign- of the Great Houses’ partition of the legions, and now
ment of alternative duties to the throne. the legions have little room for outcaste officers whose
loyalties are to the throne rather than to the Dynasty.
Taking the Coin
For lost eggs who take the coin, a symbol of their Unlike mortals, lost eggs must give fifty years of service rath-
commission as a legionnaire, a less subtle, more bru- er than twenty, their long span of life (to say nothing of their
tal life awaits. Pasiap’s Stair (p. 90) looms over the power) obliging a greater commitment to the Empress’ ser-
Dragonswrath Desert, a hall of pain and misery that vice. But, though they suffer more than lost eggs who took
will forge the lost egg into a weapon in what was once the razor, those who take the coin have one great advantage.

ONLY THE RAZOR

In the rising chaos since the Empress’ disappearance, Immaculate monks who encounter newly Exalted youths
have been quietly sending them directly to the Cloister after preliminary training at a local temple or monastery,
rather than reporting them to the Arbiters. The Order’s leadership deems this justified; the work of the Arbiters
is the law of the land, but as law gives way to anarchy, the Order will need all its strength to stem the tide.

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OUTCASTE MARRIAGES

Without a matriarch, there’s no one to tell a lost egg who to marry. This is one of the few advantages of being
an outcaste in the Realm. She still needs to find an Imperial judge to approve the marriage — or three if she
marries a peasant — which may prove inconvenient, and marrying into a Great House is especially difficult
due to her lack of political leverage.

Patrician families have traditionally been more eager than the Great Houses to gather outcastes into their
ranks by marriage. Patricians have so few Dragon-Blooded in their ranks that each is precious, and they’re
typically less concerned with purity of bloodline than the Dynasty. An outcaste who marries a patrician is a
big fish in a small pond; she doesn’t gain the status she’d obtain from marrying into a Great House, but can
expect to be lauded by her new kin and to hold high rank in the family.

Once their fifty-year term of service is up, they may elect to upon the Deliberative alone — a squabbling collection of
retire from the legions rather than making a career of it. arrogant Dynasts and prickly patricians, largely serving
the interests of Great Houses that would adopt every
Traditionally, lost eggs cashiered from the legions were lost egg in the Realm as expendable soldiers for the
penalized or assigned other services by the Empress. In her oncoming civil war.
absence, their fate is unclear.
Today, adoption requests are subject to much intrigue
Entering the Dynasty and political maneuvering. New Dragon-Blooded be-
Outcastes who do well for themselves in the legions come bargaining chips in the struggle between houses,
may find marriage opportunities among the Great offered up to one house or another to sweeten the pot
Houses. Their weak bloodlines make for poor marriage on a compromise bill, or left unclaimed because senators
prospects, and when such a wedding does occur, it’s of- refuse to allow other houses to claim more Princes of the
ten because the Dynastic partner is either disgraced or Earth in the run-up to war. Even in the case of a deadlock,
in love. However, senior officers and rising stars alike dangling the prospect of adoption before a lost egg may
can leverage their abilities and status to earn a place at well influence her loyalties in the coming conflict.
the marriage table — though the latter will wring out
fewer concessions from Dynastic matchmakers. Once Outcaste Households
the ceremonies are concluded, the lost egg is a lost egg Outcastes who conclude their service in the legions
no longer, but a Dynast — though she must remain in without marrying into the Realm’s aristocracy are ele-
the legions until her term of service concludes, and vated into the patrician class. Such outcastes often take
suffers a stronger version of the stigma faced by adopt- patrician, peasant, or foreign spouses. Thus, over time,
ed patrician Dragon-Blooded owing to her low birth the number of households led by lost eggs steadily in-
and the lack of an upper-class education’s connections creases, until a major event clears the ranks somehow.
and social graces. The most recent of these was the formation of House
V’neef, which swept up a great swath of the Realm’s
Marriage, household responsibilities, and every other outcastes and blessed them with Dynastic status.
facet of Dynastic life come under the control of the
outcaste’s adoptive mother and the house matriarch, Since then, the population of outcaste households has
just as if the outcaste were born into the family. This been slowly rebounding, as outcaste legion officers
is complicated by the necessity of adapting to Dynastic muster out and take their pension, and now form a
rules and mores as quickly as possible without a life- potent wild card that every Great House seeks to con-
time’s preparation, lest she disappoint her new family. trol. Most were unbound by the patronage of the Great
Houses until very recently. When it became clear that
Alternatively, an outcaste can be formally adopted by the Empress wasn’t returning from her unannounced
a Great House. This has always been rare. Power over sabbatical, the Great Houses began frantically trying to
adoptions was vested in the Empress, who used the enlist every outcaste they could to their cause — even
Deliberative to rubber-stamp her decisions, whether those who were previously beneath their notice — who
gifting Great Houses with promising heirs to provide could be swayed to place loyalty to the house above all
an edge or saddling them with goldbricks and the dis- other allegiances.
solute. In the Empress’ absence, the power has devolved

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PAPER DAUGHTERS

Adoption is a lengthy and politics-laden process, and some Dynastic households seek swifter ways of recruiting
lost eggs. Formerly a nearly unheard-of curiosity — and even today a rare and desperate measure — the grossly
illicit trade and exploitation of Dynastic identities involves forgery, subterfuge, cunning, and an almost pathological
courage, for Dynastic birth and death records are the foundation of inheritance and legacy in the Realm, and falsify-
ing these important documents is grounds for entire households being stricken from the Imperial ledgers. With the
Empress gone, however, and with her the sole authority to enact such punishments, the trade has begun to flourish.

The first step in the process of unofficially “adopting” a lost egg is to have an identity for them to occupy — typically
a scion who died in youthful misadventure, left unmourned. Once the name is free, and a lost egg fitting the rough
description of its previous owner secured, all that remains is to train up the new Dragon-Blood until she can pass
herself off as a Dynast from birth — and as the specific Dynast whose name she’s taking up.

Foreign Outcastes into a perfect union, the whole elevated beyond its
individual members in the Perfected Hierarchy. No
A foreign outcaste is said to have “fallen outside the nest,” single Elemental Dragon sustains Creation, but rather
and her lot in the Realm is often worse than the Blessed the five of them acting in harmony, and the Essence of
Isle’s lost eggs. She may be fêted and celebrated in lavish their champions reflects this truth.
style, but when she presses what she thinks are mutual
connections, she’ll find that she’s little more than an A Sworn Kinship is family, above and beyond house
exotic prop to her peers. Joining the Immaculate Order and blood. The blood of the Dragons and the spiritual
in the same manner as any other postulant, joining the fulfillment of the oath transcend other familial con-
Imperial legions by serving as a scout or auxiliary for a nections, placing one’s Sworn Kin as close as one born
few years until found fit to serve as an officer, or marriage of the same mother, if not closer. Sworn Kin are invited
into a Great House or cadet house are the only paths by into the innermost sanctums, to share repast with their
which a foreign outcaste may find a place in the Realm. sworn siblings’ parents and children.

Dragon-Blooded from Lookshy or other foreign lin- Hospitality is both expected and demanded, and to throw
eages rarely defect to the Realm. Though viewed as Sworn Kin out of one’s house is akin to throwing them out
more cultured and capable than a foreign-born lost of their own. It’s for this reason a Sworn Kinship is also
egg, they’re also less trustworthy, and must pursue the called a Hearth. The Hearth is warm, a place where famil-
same opportunities as any other foreign outcaste. ial love and closeness are expected and not discouraged.
Hearthmates may fight and disagree, but it’s a rare Sworn
Foreign outcastes are barred from both adoption into Kinship where true acrimony exists without affection.
the Great Houses and cadet houses, and from adoption
or marriage into patrician families. A quick marriage to The Hearth is often named for the place it was sworn,
a less prestigious Dynast is the most common method such as the Hearth of Eastern Faxai, or the Shrine of
for inducting an Exalted foreigner, though the outcaste the Gardener’s Grace Hearth. But a variety of other
will likely have trouble acculturating to the complex- names mark the pages of Realm history, such as the
ities of Dynastic life, and will be stigmatized for her Three Winters’ Hearth, the Hearth That Slew Roaring
background. If an outcaste wishes to join the Realm Mantis, or the Blood-Stained Lotus Hearth.
but is unwilling or unable to find a Dynastic spouse,
Hearths form bonds of camaraderie that transcend
her only remaining options are entering the Imperial
the lines between houses, dividing a scion’s loyalties
legions or the Immaculate Order.
between the family of her blood and the family of her
oath. The Empress found this a useful source of conflict
Sworn Kinships for her to wield, and so helped enshrine the tradition
in the Realm’s culture. To betray one’s house in service
Central to adventuring and relationships among the of one’s Hearth is a tragedy, not a treasonous disgrace.
Dragon-Blooded stands the Sworn Kinship. It’s at
the heart of Dragon-Blooded heroism, a completed The oath of kinship is mystical, a bond born from
state that brings the strength of many heroes together Terrestrial blood and elemental Essence. It’s a sacred

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birthright of the Dragon-Blooded, and the greatest backs. They travel, fight, and seek glory together. They
boon the Dragons bestowed upon their children, that often roam the Realm or the Threshold promoting a spe-
they might fight as one. It’s a grave responsibility, un- cific cause, whether searching for Anathema, hunting oc-
dertaken only with the most serious of minds. cult secrets, protecting villages from ravening monsters,
or sampling dinner tables of various eminences.
An oath sworn properly, with the right concepts and
intent in the right order, is binding when the circle Later in life, Hearthmates often see very little of each
is sealed with anima and a statement of finality. In other, drawn apart as they are by careers and obliga-
the Realm, an oath of kinship is legally binding as tions, remaining connected only by correspondence
well, and oathbreakers face censure from their own and the occasional visit. They regard active Hearths
house as surely as from the throne. As Hearthmates with wistful eyes, looking back longingly to their days
are sworn to be kin, a house considers betraying a of carelessness and freedom.
Kinship to be a sign of a treacherous and untrust-
worthy personality, one that might turn against the Breaking a Sworn Kinship is uncommon, though it hap-
house if it hasn’t already. pens often in plays and literature, where it serves as an ap-
propriately tragic element of the tale’s climax. More com-
The Life of a Kinship monly, Hearthmates drift apart over time as they become
tied down, one by one, by duty and honor and the various
Most Sworn Kinships are formed early in life, often connections that accumulate with age, coming together
while adventuring after graduation. A Hearth arises every so often to fight in a client-state’s minor war, join
when friends become allies, forged in battle or hard- the Wyld Hunt, or reminisce about glory days. In everyday
ship. This is rarely a hasty decision, though history is life, this sort of Hearth provides a refuge — someone with
littered with notable exceptions, especially among the whom to relax and chat, play Gateway and discuss poetry
very young. Dynastic parents treat the matter in dif- and warfare, or spend a few months in An-Teng.
ferent ways, but central to it all is the knowledge that
But retirement can come to the Realm’s Exalted while
the Hearth is a sacred and solemn thing. To swear into
they’re still physically able, and it’s a fairly common and
one rashly is to accept a heavy obligation without truly
oft-celebrated occurrence when retired Hearthmates re-
knowing one’s new sisters and brothers. To renounce
unite to partake in travel and adventure. When the Sworn
the oath is a grave decision — to lose the connection to
Kinship so reforged is especially well remembered, it’s not
the others’ souls is to lose a part of oneself.
uncommon for a heartfelt oath of rededication (whose sig-
Sworn Kinships may spend years or decades together, nificance is personal rather than mystical) to be witnessed
facing peril with none but their Hearthmates at their by joyful crowds, even moving spectators to tears.

SWEARING THE OATH

The oath of kinship can take many forms, but always involves a recitation of the names of those forming it,
a statement of intent, and a vow of dedication, spoken as the participants’ animas flare. When the ritual is
complete, the newly sworn companions know it deep in their bones. Hearths typically cannot have more than
five members; the Storyteller may make an exception for games with more than five Dragon-Blooded PCs. A
Dragon-Blood may join an existing Hearth by swearing loyalty in the presence of all its members.

A Dragon-Blood can sense the presence of her Sworn Kin (p. 154), and some Dragon-Blooded Charms confer
additional benefits when used with one’s Hearthmates. The death of a Hearthmate is felt as a sharp shock to
the soul, sure and unmistakable.

A Dragon-Blood may rescind her oath by informing every other member of her Sworn Kinship, whether sin-
gly or in a group, that the oath is no longer valid. “The Hearth is shattered” is the most common way to phrase
it in the Realm. Her bonds to her former Hearth are severed, giving her an instinctive sense of finality, and
leaving nothing where her Sworn Kin could once sense her presence.

If a Dragon-Blooded deliberately betrays one of her Sworn Kin or her entire Hearth, her treachery shatters her
tie. She loses all temporary Willpower. Unlike formal renunciations, the members of a traitor’s Hearth don’t
automatically realize the bond has been broken, and can sense the traitor’s presence until the story’s end.

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Retirement INHERITANCE AND WILLS

A Dragon-Blood’s life is full of danger. For most, unex-
pected death — whether through battle, misadventure, or Imperial law governs inheritance among Dy-
murder — concludes a lifetime of service. Indeed, most nasts. Half the decedent’s wealth and assets are
Dragon-Blooded perish before their hundredth year, long passed to her spouse, if he survives her, or to
before they grow old. Still, for those Princes of the Earth her eldest Dragon-Blooded child otherwise. The
who live to see it, retirement can be quite rewarding. remaining half is portioned into shares that are
divided among the decedent’s children — Exalt-
Generally, before a Dynast starts thinking about retirement, ed children receive four, while mortals get only
she should have accomplished enough to distinguish her- one. Few Dynasts rely on inheritances in planning
self and bring some measure of fame or prosperity to her their finances — with long-lived Dragon-Blooded
house. Most will have established enough personal wealth parents, it may be centuries before they receive it.
to support themselves long after they’ve stopped earning a
A Dynast may instead draw up a will to allocate
salary, especially since the stipend they receive from their
her assets however she pleases after her death,
house is drastically reduced once they retire.
though the practice isn’t customary. Typically, if the
division of assets specified in a will denies any heir
Most Dynasts who live long enough to retire choose to
a substantial portion of the inheritance that would
do so while they’re fit enough to enjoy it. Travel is a
otherwise be hers, she’ll either conspire with other
popular pastime, and many retirees use the opportu-
heirs to forge the will and bribe any witnesses to it,
nity to see Creation and spend time with relatives and or contrive to have it conveniently lost, and have an
friends they’ve lost touch with over the years. Those Imperial judge pronounce it invalid.
who enjoyed a more active life may try to recapture
more exciting times and set out with old comrades in
search of new adventure. They might hunt the ma- time — few would presume to tell a Dragon-Blood how
ny-headed boars of the unearthly Forest That Marches, to live her life. However, if increased age or diminished
sightsee in the phantasmal ruins of Yrn, or dare the mental sharpness makes them more risk than boon to
subterranean cities of the Mountain Folk. their house, certain measures exist to encourage retire-
ment. Such Dynasts who cling to diplomatic positions
Still, many Dynasts prefer a quieter, more leisurely retire-
find their workload increasing exponentially, while
ment. They find ample opportunities to focus on hobbies
those still serving the military may be sent on increas-
or projects they haven’t been able to pursue for lack of
ingly dangerous assignments. An aging Dynast usually
time — or because of the watchful eyes of their houses
chooses to retire, or perishes — either way, she’s relieved
and rivals. Those who can afford it may relocate to remote
of her obligations. Occasionally, Great Houses offer fi-
areas where they can continue their work undisturbed.
nancial incentives to retire, and many Dynasts hold out
For others, projects take the form of protégées. These as long as possible in hopes of a big payout. This is risky,
retirees seek out promising young Exalted pupils to lest a callous house matriarch decide that assassination
offer their wisdom and to shape the next powerful is the more cost-effective solution.
member of their house — or occasionally another
house, tutoring a Hearthmate’s descendant or a young
stranger with exceptional talent. A pupil’s successes
Funerary Rites
are also his mentor’s, and it’s a matter of friendly com- The body ages. The body grows frail. The body dies.
petition among certain retirees to see whose protégée The soul moves on, either for rebirth or union with
goes the farthest. For young Dynasts, this can be an ex- the Immaculate Dragons. As with so many things, the
cellent opportunity to benefit from a successful elder’s theory is simple, but the practice is complex.
wisdom and resources, and the desire to snatch up the
most respected mentor has led to fierce competition Most peasant, slave, and dispossessed funeral rites
among up-and-comers looking to get ahead. are perfunctory affairs, short ceremonies ending in
cremating the deceased on a simple wooden pyre and
Some Dynasts delay retirement as long as possible, either erecting a small monument atop the bones and ashes
because they still believe themselves capable enough to to placate her lower soul. Hesiesh is said, for a brief
handle their jobs, or because they’ve been reckless with moment, to be incarnate in the flames, and to take the
their savings and can’t afford to maintain their lifestyle higher soul on to its next life.
without a salary and full stipend. This is accepted for a

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Dynastic funerals, by contrast, are truly grand, often

lasting for weeks before the body is disposed of to allow DEVOTED FAREWELLS
the soul to move on. The skills of Dragon-Blooded phy-
sicians or sorcerous measures prevent decomposition,
A few Dynasts prefer other means of shedding their
but, with one exception, embalming is eschewed as a
mortal form and passing on, especially if they’re de-
disruption of the natural cycle. Commemorative hero’s voted to one Immaculate Dragon in particular (other
plaques carved from jade are reverently displayed, lat- than Hesiesh, of course). Such practices are much
er to be enshrined after a solemn procession, and the less common than cremation, except among Im-
youngest Chosen in the house are often called forth maculate monks, but virtually every Dynast knows of
to recite the lineage of the deceased. Patricians and someone who departed for her next life in a ceremony
wealthy peasants emulate Dynastic funeral practices, honoring a specific Immaculate Dragon.
though their efforts are plainer and less well-attended.
Devotees of Pasiap elect for mummification, the only
Mourners come from across the Blessed Isle, and even Realm funereal practice that relies on embalming —
across Creation, to pay their respects, and the house com- the body is seen as the final great work, a physical
missions grand works of art and poetry to commemorate monument that their soul leaves behind in Creation.
their fallen sister’s deeds — and to embellish them. Aside The body is prepared by experts, usually Sijanese,
from purely political considerations, there’s a persistent in a process that can take weeks. Ultimately, it’s is
but not entirely orthodox belief among the Dynasty that entombed within a grand mausoleum, whether a
the Immaculate Dragons observe funerals of the fallen, personal one or, in the case of House Mnemon, a
and may be swayed by such accounts to bring the deceased sprawling complex in Mnemon-Darjilis.
into union with them rather than guide them to reincar- Danaa’dists prefer burial at sea, sewn into a can-
nation. Flattery also helps to mollify the lower soul, a wise vas (for mortals) or silk (for Dragon-Blooded)
precaution when it’s swollen with an Exalt’s power. shroud that’s weighted and lowered into the water
with great reverence. House Peleps in particular
Vigils are commonly held over the body, some lasting maintains a long-held tradition of naval burials,
days at a time. An especially bereaved family member even for those who die on land.
or Hearthmate may exert herself to the limit, staying by
her fallen kin’s side for days until she passes out from Great, vibrant gardens are cultivated for those who
fatigue — a dramatic show of lamentation. Fasting is emulate Sextes Jylis. The body is prepared and laid
another common show of grief and respect. to rest within a mound of fine composting mulch,
always harmoniously placed according to geoman-
Once the vigils have been completed and the quiet tic calculations. When the funeral is complete the
political deals found at many Dynastic gatherings mourners depart, leaving only an honor guard. After
made, the body is readied for its final disposition. some months the mound is gently and reverently
Most Dynastic funerals follow the common cremation dispersed, revealing only fresh soil — of the body,
rite, though much more lavish and elaborate, with a not even bones remain, the process of decomposi-
cenotaph naming the deceased — and frequently, her tion hastened by the suffusion of Essence. This soil is
greatest accomplishments in life — erected in her hon- scattered across the garden, joining it in celebration
or. The remains are often interred within a cinerary of the Essence of life itself.
urn, but some Dragon-Blooded prefer that their ashes
Rarest of all Realm funereal practices is the Me-
be scattered in a place that was important to them. laist sky burial. The deceased is left to the scaven-
gers of the air, which descend and pick her bones
Unlike most peasants and patricians, Dynasts don’t
clean. Special towers are preferred, but any space
commonly enjoy the privilege of dying from advanced open to the sky will serve. The skeleton is then
age. Rather, they fall in battle, or in some intrigue or collected, broken up, and ground into dust, which
adventure, before their allotted span. For those unfortu- is mixed with wheat meal before being scattered
nates whose bodies cannot be transported home for the for smaller birds.
ceremonies described above, it falls to their Hearth, le-
gion, shipmates, or other available comrades to care for
the body. A field burial is most commonly a cremation,
as it disposes of the body quickly, though a sky burial arrives of their demise, which follows many of the same
can be conducted nearly as swiftly, the bones collected forms even without the body, including the erection of a
for transport back to the Realm for a proper funeral. cenotaph bearing the deceased’s name.
In any event, a funeral is held in the Realm when word

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Yushoto Mathar’s kabuto helmet sat beside him on the bench. It felt good to take it off after a long day’s
ride, to let the sounds of teahouse gossip surround him and the warm mug ease fingers cramped from
holding his reins. In better times, he’d be inclined to retrieve his biwa and pluck out a bawdy tune to
amuse himself and his fellow patrons — “The Satrap’s Lockbox,” perhaps, or “Never In Nexus.” The
latter had once even drawn a chuckle out of somber Kingfisher Swift. But the wary looks on the other
guests’ faces made him decide against it. Too many haunted pairs of eyes in the crowd; too many
refugees from villages that had been sacked and burned.
There’d been more and more skirmishes out here on the borders of the River Province since the Realm
had recalled its legions to the Blessed Isle, and it worried him. Bandits grew braver by the month,
attacking caravans along their trade routes, while river pirates ventured farther along the waters than
ever before. Mathar received reports of assassinations and coups daily from all across the Scavenger
Lands. As satrapies fell apart, their soldiers came to the River Province and harried the people. Political
factions in Lookshy disagreed — vehemently if not yet violently — on how foreign policy should shift
in response to the Blessed Isle’s misfortune. Murmurs of sorcerers at Valkhawsen Academy poring
over tomes of battle magic had reached Mathar’s ears, and he suspected someone was confirming the
inventory of First Age weapons beneath the Lookshy Manse, just in case.
A woman joined him at the table. She was dark-haired and slight, reminding him of Sesus Eshuvar.
How much easier this all would be if he could send a letter to Eshuvar and ask for his help! But Eshuvar
was no fool: he’d know Mathar was asking for information the Realm wouldn’t want divulged, and
Mathar had long ago decided — to his cost — that using his Hearthmates to spy on the Realm was akin
to betraying them. Besides, from what his eyes and ears on the Blessed Isle suggested, Eshuvar, Swift,
and River had plenty of their own troubles to attend to.
“Well?” asked his companion, helping herself to a cup of tea. The silver raiton pinned to her shoulder
declared her part of the Bonepickers, a local mercenary company.
“I need a favor,” said Mathar.
“I don’t deal in favors.” She grinned at him over the lip of her cup. They’d spoken these words before,
whenever Mathar hired her for a job.
Mathar laughed and tapped a pattern on the table: his opening offer. “I’m looking for a contact of
mine. She went missing when Ragara withdrew its garrison.” He might not use his friends to gather
intelligence on the Realm, but Mathar had other agents in place. If his Realm-based Hearthmates knew
about his spies, they politely didn’t mention them. He needed to know if this one had simply gone to
ground, or had been caught trying to confirm rumors of Ragara Kiel’s correspondence with Berit.
“Even without their garrison, it’s still Realm territory you’re asking me to sniff around in.” The
mercenary’s mouth twisted. “Anyone you talk to nowadays, from slaves to satraps, seems they think
even their teacups are listening.”
“If you don’t think you can do it….”
“I said harder, not impossible.” She tapped out a new number, three times her usual rate.
The ripples from the Empress’ disappearance could be felt even here, Mathar thought, destabilizing
power structures, affecting trade… and driving up mercenaries’ prices. He signaled for a fresh teapot
as he settled in to negotiate.

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Beyond the Realm

Lookshy together as many survivors as it could find within the
husks of once-great cities across the River Province. From
Once, humanity stood upon the edge of annihilation. the far East, this patchwork army made its way towards the
ancient city of Deheleshen, counting the days and the steps
It began when the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate, between the burning corpses of entire villages and the
weakened by decades of internecine warfare, was crystalline blades of fae skirmishers. When they reached
dealt a killing stroke by the Great Contagion: a civili- the city, they found the daimyo long dead and Deheleshen
zation-ending disaster from which it had no hope of itself ruined almost beyond hope of repair. Nefvarin had
recovery. Upon its heels, untold numbers of the Fair his orders, however, which he intended to follow to the
Folk poured into Creation past the unmanned defenses letter: Until the day came when the Seventh Legion was
at its borders, to finish what the plague had begun. The utterly destroyed and its ranks broken, it would act as a
denizens of the Wyld wrought widespread havoc be- provisional governing body in the shogun’s stead.
fore an ancient Anathema god-weapon turned the tide
to send them back to the chaos that had spawned them. This, the gentes teach their descendants, is the tale of
Lookshy’s founding.
Although the Shogunate lay in ruins, it wasn’t destroyed
so utterly as the world had assumed. The Seventh Legion In the centuries since, Lookshy has risen from the ashes
under Taimyo Nefvarin Gilshalos, beleaguered and vastly of a bygone age to become one of the most influential
outnumbered, made its way westward while gathering and powerful city-states in the River Province. Although
change has come to Lookshy over the years due to outside

LOOKSHY, THE CITY

Built on a rocky headland jutting from the mouth of the Yanaze, Lookshy is as much fortress as city. Massive
walls, patrolled by garrison forces commanded by Dragon-Blooded officers, guard against intrusion from
both land and sea. Deep wells and granary-vaults can hold out against prolonged siege.

A secure harbor at the base of the promontory boasts the Lower City, home to Lookshy’s navy, and where
foreign merchants and sailors ply their trades. From here, one can ascend via lift tubes and guarded posterns
to the city’s numerous other districts. These are divided into four major quarters, each at a higher altitude —
and less amicable to outsiders — than the last:

The Fourth Ring, whose outer gates open inland on Lookshy’s farms and pastures, is a center for crafters,
mercenaries, and caravaneers.

The Third Ring hosts the city’s more refined artisans, its academies, and heavy industry.

The Second Ring supports residences, military barracks and warehouses, and administration buildings.

The First Ring — also called the Old City — at the headland’s peak contains most of Deheleshen’s remain-
ing First Age structures, including the ancient and seemingly unbreachable Lookshy Manse. Here the city’s
leadership and the relict Shogunate Bureaucracy (p. 120) maintain their offices and domiciles.

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influence (and the obsolescence of the city’s remaining standards. Some are relatively recent additions to the
First Age wonders), its Dragon-Blooded masters have city’s rolls, while others can be traced well before the
maintained its reputation as stewards of ancient tradition days of Lookshy’s founding.
and a fighting force to be reckoned with.
Members of Lookshy’s gentes are all citizens, and
The Gentes of Lookshy while their status only confers some small additional
privileges — for instance, should a citizen with no
Outside the Realm, Lookshy is the largest Dragon- immediate kin pass away without a will naming an
Blooded enclave in Creation, with an unusually high ratio executor of their estate, their property reverts to their
of Exalted among the general populace. Where it comes gens should they belong to one; otherwise the Seventh
to children, the General Staff’s incentives targeting the Legion claims it — their status alone is prestigious.
city’s families are as aggressive as its recruitment — above Officially, Lookshy is a meritocracy, and the Legion
all, Lookshyans are pragmatists, and large numbers of works to curtail the most blatant forms of nepotism,
Exalted are greatly preferred to a smaller number of but members of the gentes undeniably benefit from the
Dragon-Blooded scions with pristine bloodlines. Unlike influence their family’s standing confers upon them.
the lengthy marriage negotiations in the Realm, Lookshy
Whether a given family might be considered a gens is
encourages its Dragon-Blooded to marry and begin hav-
ultimately determined by the General Staff. A group of
ing children at as young as a decade after Exaltation.
Dragon-Blooded immigrants might be offered such status
The most influential of Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded are as a bargaining chip, or a household of minor citizens
descended from old, highly respected military families might be awarded this acknowledgement in recognition of
with a great deal of political clout. These families are some great service performed to the city, producing signif-
known collectively as gentes. In theory, all trace their icant numbers of Dragon-Blooded heirs, or accumulating
lineages back to the Shogunate’s aristocratic families, enough wealth and influence to attract the Legion’s notice.
although several don’t. Some are of modest means; It’s not legally required for Dragon-Blooded to formally
others are quite wealthy, especially by the region’s join a gens, but in practice almost all do.

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for its own advantage. Conversely, it finds itself as a

THE GENERAL STAFF disadvantage should it lose that seat. Most legal adop-
tions on the rolls are disproportionately funneled into
Lookshy’s governing body, the General Staff di- the Gentes Major.
rects military strategy, oversees and implements
policy, and enforces Shogunate law. The General Gens Amilar —
Staff proper consists of the chumyo — the gen- Air That Rushes Towards Tomorrow
eral of the Seventh Legion — and six of the most Amilar is a relatively recent addition to the ranks of
senior officers. It’s supplemented by the Admin- the Gentes Major. The bloodline’s founder, Vondy
istrative Staff, a fluctuating group comprised of Beulen, was a former general of the Scarlet Realm who
roughly two dozen respected officers, Directorate denounced his commission and defected to Lookshy
heads, and other noteworthy Lookshyan person- with the bulk of his forces during one of the Realm’s
ages. While this is an advisory body, a sensible long-ago attempts at invading the River Province.
chumyo weighs their advice carefully — and rec- His descendants to this day remain the preeminent
ognizes that the General Staff has the authority, scholars of the Seventh Legion, and Amilar has pro-
with a majority vote, to remove him from his post. duced numerous renowned strategists, engineers,
Immaculate theologians, and teachers.
The current chumyo is Maheka Dazan, a brilliant
strategist and inveterately traditionalist Merce- Gens Amilar’s intellectual curiosity and penchant
nary. Since the fall of Thorns, he’s faced increas-
for careful planning have been vital to upholding
ing opposition from Interventionists on the Gen-
Lookshy’s legacy and ensuring its continued growth,
eral Staff and Administrative Staff, and fears that
providing its scions valuable insight into peril and
they may oust him to advance their agenda.
opportunity alike. While Amilars are often brilliant,
analytical thinkers willing to approach old problems in
new ways, they have a reputation for eschewing tra-
dition simply because they find it restrictive, and for
The Gentes Major compromising their morals in pursuit of knowledge.
Amilar strategists sometimes propose tactical appli-
The gentes are further divided into the unofficial but
cation of poison and disease, both to achieve military
well-established categories of Gentes Major and Gentes
goals and to further the gens’ studies in toxicology
Minor. While there are currently five families that enjoy
and epidemiology, and tactical demon-summoning is a
Gens Major status, there have been in the city’s history
forte of Amilar sorcerer-engineers.
as many as eight and as few as three, and they haven’t
always been the same families throughout the years. The gens has also produced numerous savants and
Gentes are patrilineal, but this doesn’t impede women occultists willing to venture into the field. These sci-
in any meaningful way; Lookshy is generally egalitarian ons can be found exploring the ruins scattered across
in its treatment of the sexes, including the most senior the River Province, seeking First Age weapons and
military posts. The most prominent elder of each gens is ordnance to replenish the Seventh Legion’s stockpile.
known as its imperator, a position similar to the Realm’s Equally valuable in their estimation are rare tomes and
house matriarchs, though not limited by sex. other lesser wonders they collect for continued study
and, perhaps, to gain insight useful in the modern age.
Major gentes are deeply entrenched in Lookshy’s
hierarchies. Dragon-Blooded senior officers from the Amilar is the gens least politically invested in the
Gentes Major account for the overwhelming majority maintenance of the Seventh Legion’s status quo.
of the General Staff, and the gentes use the positions Many Amilars follow the Interventionist philosophy:
held by their members to advance their political agen- They have far-reaching plans for the future of the
das. Should the administrative head of the Intelligence River Province as a whole, and if seeing those plans to
Directorate, for example, hail from a gens with a strong- fruition means they must sacrifice their commitment
ly Interventionist outlook, she’s more likely to allot to archaic traditions in order to take a more direct
discretionary budgets that encourage covert operations role in Scavenger Lands affairs, so be it. Others are
with that outlook in mind, even if she doesn’t make her Isolationists, seeing the region’s wars as a wasteful
personal opinions a matter of public knowledge. distraction from important researches.
This state of affairs creates a perpetual power imbal- Amilar’s sohei have often been of an intellectual bent,
ance, in that once a gens obtains a seat on the General concerned more with the ideology of the Faith than
Staff, the family has a tendency to leverage that position

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THE FIVE FACTIONS OF LOOKSHYAN POLITICS

Mercenaries — the most conservative and currently the most politically powerful faction in the Legion — are
largely content with the current state of affairs and consider it the optimal path forward for the city as a whole.
While they desire the return of the Shogunate as much as anyone, they’re willing to wait until a proper heir
appears to take action. In the meantime, they rely upon the strength of the field forces and short-term con-
tracts with other nations, and feel that the best means of protecting the River Province is to stay the course.

Interventionists feel that Lookshy should take a more active role in regional politics, interpreting Nefvarin’s
Directive to mean that the Seventh Legion’s role isn’t merely to protect the River Province, but to use its pow-
er to establish a hegemonic role, strengthening the Seventh Legion’s position both politically and militarily.
They’re considered to be slightly radical, but less so than the Isolationists, Imperialists, or Purists — in many
cases their policy decisions overlap with those of the Mercenary faction, and seem at most times to be a nat-
ural extension of the army’s existing structure. It’s certainly true enough that Lookshy’s doctrine allows the
Legion to proactively intervene in foreign affairs if it believes that there will be consequences for the River
Province as a whole, and it has never been shy about the fact that it trains the armies of other peoples in the
region.

Isolationists believe the intent of the founders of Lookshy was misconstrued, deliberately expanded to in-
clude all of the River Province as part of the Shogunate, or misguided. They contend that Lookshy cannot
effectively police the entirety of the region, and in fact shouldn’t be expected to do so; the General Staff have
enough issues to contend with behind the city walls. Many of their number would take it even farther, shifting
the Seventh Legion away from a hypervigilant standing army on a wartime footing in favor of a peacetime
economy, as they feel Lookshy would be better off in the long run if it focused more on commerce and other
pursuits. Most support for this stance comes from merchant families within the various gentes, as they have
a vested interest in increased trade and normalized relations with traditional enemies such as the Realm.

Imperialists see opportunities for Lookshy in the extended absence of the Scarlet Empress and the turmoil
she’s left behind, and would use the chaos to their own ends in order to advance Lookshy and its ideals via
expansion and annexation. A few have even put forward the notion of alliance with amenable Dynastic houses
to seize Realm lands for the Legion. Simply put, they wish to transform the Seventh Legion into an empire,
founding a new Shogunate. However, they currently have little support for their ideas.

Purists are primarily religious zealots. They believe that Lookshy has stagnated due to the General Staff’s
pragmatic willingness to overlook moral corruption in the name of survival, and that the River Province can
only truly be protected if it’s saved from itself. To that end, they seek to cleanse what they see as rank deprav-
ity, such as spirits openly ruling humans in cities like Great Forks, and the hive of scum and villainy that is
Nexus. Currently a fringe group, they’re gaining ground with the sudden resurgence of the Solar Anathema.

with its effects on real people. The Purist philosophy Deheleshen camp’s first liaison officer, who instilled
has found this attitude to be fertile ground, and many his strong sense of duty in his descendants. There are
Amilar sohei have taken up the faction’s banner in certainly wealthier and more powerful families to be
recent years. They wish to increase Lookshy’s clout found in Lookshy, but none are more respected. Even
in the River Province not to benefit the city itself, but the gens’ enemies speak well of them, as their con-
to use the Legion as a sword to enforce Immaculate duct both on and off the battlefield is largely beyond
doctrine and uproot perceived heretics. reproach. The Karals are also known to possess quick
tempers, and they’re very protective of their prestige.
Gens Karal — Fire Burning Brightest
Perhaps the most well-known of the modern Gentes In a city known across Creation for its martial prowess,
Major, Gens Karal has become a symbol of Lookshy more of Karal’s scions are career soldiers and ranking
and the ideals it represents. If the city were a house, officers than in any other gens; pressure to excel is
the Karals would be the hearth fire around which its high for all, but particularly so for those who choose
inhabitants gather to seek warmth and safety. This a military career. Karals in general are straightforward
gens traces its beginnings all the way back to the about their intentions for Lookshy’s future. However,

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they possess a degree of political astuteness that serves opinions to be gauche. Instead, they let other families
them well in negotiating the politics of the Seventh argue the finer points of such matters while quietly
Legion and the River Province. Karal officers negotiate adhering to the Seventh Legion’s ideology and the
truces with the same skill that they enact stratagems, Immaculate Faith. Out of the five Gentes Major, they’re
and the Operations and Liaison Directorates are the perhaps the most respected for their unflagging loy-
most common vocations for scions who don’t remain alty and their insistence upon showing Lookshyan
in the military after finishing compulsory service. traditions proper respect. Many of the city’s sohei and
sorcerer-exorcists hail from Gens Maheka.
Karals are passionately dedicated to the needs of the
city’s inhabitants and the greater good of the River The gens are enthusiastic supporters of the traditional
Province. But they’re often the source of equally Mercenary ideology, considering it the best approach
passionate debate regarding what those needs truly to reinforcing the ideals of the Lookshy Directive: it’s
are and where the Seventh Legion might best address worked for centuries and generations of officers have
them — when and how Lookshy should intervene in dedicated their lives to this goal, so the family sees
Vanehan aggression against the Hundred Kingdoms, no need to fix something they feel was never broken.
for example, or which side of a trade war between rival Undoubtedly some Mahekas hold differing opinions as
city-states the Seventh Legion should support. how Lookshy is best governed, but they wisely keep their
own counsel lest they earn the disapproval of the gens’
A number of Interventionist Karals have voiced in- imperator.
terest in extending the Legion’s reach and authority
throughout the region, although they’re prone to dis- Gens Teresu —
agreement when the specifics become a topic of dis- Water Flowing with Jade and Silver
cussion. The majority of the family remains staunchly Gens Teresu’s dominance over matters nautical was
traditionalist, satisfied enough with the status quo and established early in the city’s history; the family is
the current stability of matters as they stand to remain descended from a Shogunate admiral who led the rem-
Mercenary — but while sparks might fly within the nants of his command in the frozen North to the open
relative privacy of family gatherings whenever various waters of the Inland Sea to the camp at Deheleshen.
political discussions reach an impasse, Gens Karal has The gens maintains its wealth through investments
always been skilled at presenting a unified front to the designed to expand both Lookshy’s maritime trade
rest of the city. and the Seventh Legion’s influence, resulting in a
family legacy vital to the city’s operation. Teresu is
Gens Maheka — Earth Unbroken by Armies the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan of the Gentes
Maheka is the rock upon which Lookshy can always Major. Its shipping empire is the lifeblood of Lookshy,
depend even in the most tumultuous times. A gens of providing sustenance and resources to the Legion from
builders and makers descended from a combat engi- the bounty of the Yanaze and the Inland Sea.
neer, its architects design the city’s fortifications, its
artisans earn renown throughout the River Province The Teresus are on friendly terms with the Guild and
and beyond as crafters of elaborate mechanisms and work extensively with its factors, as their elders are
artifacts, and scions of a more commercial bent over- confident in their ability to maintain the upper hand
see the family’s foundries and smithies that produce in bargains with the mercantile empire. They’re not
armor and weapons for the Legion. necessarily as bothered by scruples as some of the
other gentes, particularly where it comes to business
Mahekas approach all angles of a problem with ut- matters, and perhaps not as circumspect in their
most care, often taking a great deal of time to choose dealings as might be considered prudent — but this is
a course — but when they strike, they do so with the also reflected in the gens’ tendency to obsess over its
crushing certainty of a toppling mountain. On occa- standing in the eyes of others. Indeed, the prevailing
sion, Mahekas are slow to act at inopportune moments, opinion of those outside the family is that Teresus
and if pushed on an issue beyond the limits their moral can be obsessive about keeping up appearances to the
code imposes, their famous tenacity can cause them to point of flaunting their wealth in improper ways.
dig in their heels and refuse to act at all. Other gentes
find this tendency immensely frustrating, especially Politically, the house is split between the naval branch
when a given situation calls for an urgent response. and the commercial branch. Career naval officers
within the gens lean decidedly Mercenary in outlook,
Maheka is well known for its conservative outlook. Its as they find themselves satisfied with the current
members consider bluntly announcing their political state of things and see no need to change course. The

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merchant princes of Gens Teresu, however, are strong Karal, however, Gens Yushoto is more inclined to let its
advocates for a more Isolationist approach: they wish members do as they will, so long as their choices aren’t
to see Lookshy withdraw from its stance as the River detrimental to the Seventh Legion.
Province’s main peacekeeping force in favor of an in-
creased focus upon building the city’s economic power. The Gentes Minor
Gens Yushoto — Wood Whose Roots Grow Deep In addition to the well-known families of the Gentes
Gens Yushoto, which traces its roots back to a sorcer- Major, there are over a dozen minor gentes. The
er-engineer from the early days of the city’s founding, numbers of these families have ebbed and flowed over
sees itself as the roots of the city, nurturing not only its the centuries, some lost to history altogether, some
own growth but that of others wherever possible, and fading in and out of prominence. In many instances, a
contributing to the welfare of the whole in ways large- sponsor-client relationship exists between major and
ly unseen, and — occasionally — underappreciated. minor gentes, creating a patronage system leading to a
They’re known amongst their peers for generosity and cycle of continuing obligations and further debts owed,
humility, a family of even-tempered and socially adept influencing Lookshyan politics at multiple levels.
individuals often called in to mediate disputes, albeit
inclined to be softhearted at inconvenient moments. A handful of these families are discussed below.

Yushoto elders encourage scions to seek their own paths Gens Kiriga —
in life and contribute to Lookshy’s greater good in their Earth That Upholds the Shogun’s Bastion
own individual ways. The gens sees personal growth Tracing its lineage back to a distant cousin of the
and self-improvement as the best means to uphold the Daimyo of Deheleshen, Gens Kiriga has a far-reaching
stability and goals of the city and its rulers. This has the ambition of empire: a new Shogunate that rules the
added benefit of ensuring that Yushoto’s scions excel in entire River Province by steel and will, rather than
all manner of professions, and thus reflects well upon a city of glorified mercenaries. Once a Gens Major
the gens itself. With that in mind, Lookshy is a martial influential among rank-and-file officers, the family
culture, and most Yushotos find that they truly shine is still recovering from heavy losses suffered in wars
when serving the Seventh Legion. They can be found across the middle of the current age, which led to its
throughout the ranks as infantry, strategoi, justiciars, being supplanted by Gens Maheka. Kiriga scions re-
sorcerer-engineers, and other military vocations as main commonplace among the infantry, and are well
readily as any other path. They’re most predominant respected for their loyalty and fighting spirit. They’re
among the ranger corps — a role that benefits greatly outspoken Interventionists and Imperialists, which
from the Yushoto inclination toward a broad skillset. often pits them against their conservative rivals.
Given their open and relaxed approach to most things, Gens Nefvarin —
Yushoto as a whole has no strong political leanings. Air That Fills the Wings of Dragons
The majority support the Mercenary ideology, but Descended from Lookshy’s founder, this family was
others can be found in every political faction. Unlike heavily invested in Lookshy’s Sky Guard. In its golden

THE GUNZOTA INCIDENT

In RY 615, the General Staff and other high-ranking officers met at Gunzota Redoubt, a Seventh Legion outpost
near Greyfalls, only to perish at the seemingly accidental activation of a dread weapon of the First Age. The
result of a conspiracy opposed to increasing nepotism and cronyism in the Legion’s upper ranks, the Incident
decimated the corrupt elements of the administration, incidentally decapitating those gentes most involved.
Gunzota Redoubt remains abandoned, its walls and inhabitants — and anyone who’s entered to investigate
since — transformed to violet crystal by the still-active First Age device.

The truth of the incident remains a secret within Lookshy. The conspiracy remains active, however, and its
surviving members have largely curtailed a return to the previous centuries’ misconduct. But they remain
cautious; it’s possible that any unrelated investigation might touch upon the transfers that preceded the In-
cident, and even at this late date, revealing the truth would send shockwaves through Lookshyan society,
placing the current General Staff’s legitimacy into question, and potentially triggering a cascade of vendettas.

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years, Nefvarins were skyship officers and sorcerer-en- — albeit complicated — ties to the Guild, working with
gineers specializing in skyship maintenance. But as the its factors to supply foodstuffs, timber, and Nexus steel,
Legion’s fleet of skyships dwindled over the years, the while fencing with those same factors over contracts,
gens’ prominence dwindled with it. The final blow was tariffs, trade routes, exchange rates, and the like as each
the loss of its highest-ranking officers in the Gunzota side tries to gain the upper hand. Its members hold im-
Incident, from which it never recovered. So far has portant posts in the Stores Directorate; although they
Gens Nefvarin fallen that it’s gone from being Gens strive to avoid the impropriety of obvious favoritism
Yushoto’s patron to being its client. toward Nerigus-owned businesses, they nonetheless
profit from the arrangement. Generally they lean
The gens continues to produce skilled sorcerer-en- Interventionist, believing that Lookshy’s increased
gineers, and is responsible for maintaining the last involvement would mean greater economic leverage in
few decrepit, mothballed skyships against whatever the family’s commercial contracts.
emergency might send them aloft once more. Most
are Interventionists who wish for a more aggressive Gens Sirel — Water of Distant Shores
foreign policy, while a handful entertain notions of Sirel descends from a Blessed Isle gens that defected
meddling in the imminent Realm civil war to seize the to Lookshy five centuries ago during the rise of the
Imperial Palace for the Seventh Legion. The latter fac- Realm, angered by the Empress’ dismantling of the old
tion lacks support, but Nefvarin remains a respected Shogunate social structure. Distant relatives in Teresu
name; should they produce a legitimate strategy, they vouched for them, and they’ve remained staunchly
might find an audience. loyal ever since; in the modern day they’re a client
family to Gens Teresu, and back the Mercenary politics
Gens Nerigus — of the Teresu naval wing. Sirels are generally driven to
Wood Whose Roots Clutch Riches excellence, perhaps overcompensating in their efforts
An offshoot of Gens Teresu, this merchant family con- to come out of Gens Teresu’s shadow; some few of their
siders itself the Seventh Legion’s quartermasters. They number have even held the admiralty of the Lookshy
devote themselves to overland trade and have strong Navy. Others take a different direction, rebelling

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SOCIAL CLASS IN LOOKSHY

Citizenship in Lookshy is divided into a handful of castes.

Citizens have full rights: land ownership, the power to vote in district councils, and the ability to leave Look-
shy once their military service is complete. All members of the gentes are citizens. Noncitizens promoted
to an officer’s rank in the Seventh Legion or inducted into the Shogunate Bureaucracy also gain citizenship,
which they retain even after retirement.

Helots form a hereditary underclass. They draw salaries and can own property, but can’t own land; they can
attend district councils, but can’t speak or vote; and they can request work transfers, but ultimately must go
where assigned. Devoted or heroic service can earn citizenship. Most enlisted soldiers are helots.

Metics are foreign residents of the city. Their rights are circumscribed — they may only rent land, and are
subject to travel restrictions in the city — but they suffer no particular social onus, and may leave at any time.

Indentured servants are those who voluntarily accept up to five years’ indenture to a citizen to pay off debts or
wipe away criminal charges. All such contracts are handled by the Directorate of the Adjutant General (p. 120).

Slaves are owned by the Seventh Legion rather than by individuals. They’re usually prisoners of war unable
or unwilling to be repatriated at war’s end. They receive room and board and can own nonland property, but
otherwise have few rights, undergo close supervision, and are subject to harsh punishment for disobedience.
Their children are typically manumitted as metics upon adulthood.

against the family’s excessive pressure and ending interest in upending the status quo, the founder’s wife
up on the fringes of society as layabouts and heretics. was an exiled Vanehan noble, so it does maintain a dis-
In rare instances, this is cover for membership in the tant, theoretical claim to Vaneha’s throne — and with
Intelligence and Security Directorates. the Realm in chaos, the gens’ Interventionist wing
sees an opportunity to pursue that ambition through
The Sirels maintain ties with Realm patrician families conquest.
and cadet houses with which they share descent, pro-
viding a useful entrance into diplomatic or commercial Gens Toriki —
negotiations, as well as a source of vital intelligence on Five Dragons Guard the City’s Walls
the Realm’s internal affairs. However, many in Lookshy This family has no predominant elemental aspect, and
regard Sirel’s Realm ties warily, impugning the gens’ claims descent from various Deheleshen survivors un-
loyalty. der the old city’s last garrison commander. As such, it
doesn’t truly consider itself part of the Seventh Legion,
Gens Taroketu — concerning itself almost exclusively with the city’s de-
Heirs of the Wandering Blade fense and internal day-to-day governance. While the
This gens takes its name from the famous outcaste “One Torikis serve the Legion loyally, they consider the de-
Cut” Taroketu, whose unexpected arrival at a key bat- fense of the River Province to be a waste of blood and
tle helped turn the tide against the last Realm invasion. resources. They’re influential within the Shogunate
The gens produces few Dragon-Blooded offspring, Bureaucracy and the Justice and Security Directorates,
but has amassed considerable wealth by marrying and maintain the city’s temple to Tu Yu, the old god
into wealthy merchant families; between that and the of Deheleshen. The gens is also a focal point for the
legends surrounding its founder, Taroketu remains in- Isolationist faction — hardly a surprise, given its con-
fluential. Living in the shadow of the Dragon-Blooded servative outlook.
gentes, mortal Taroketus often feel driven to keep up.
For some this means grand, dramatic gestures; for oth- Gens Yan Tu —
ers, unorthodox and creative strategies; and for some, Fire That Sheds a Thousand Sparks
unethical or illicit schemes. Additionally, they have a Descended from Taimyo Nefvarin Yan Tu, this gens
good working relationship with the Guild and have considers its legacy to be the art of battle. Those with
quietly served as middlemen between Guild merchants sufficient talent study sorcery; otherwise, the family
and the Realm’s Great Houses. While the gens has little leans toward various military professions, especially

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combat engineering and cavalry roles. Yan Tu has a Immigration and Adoption
reputation for exuberance and for theatrics, both on The General Staff welcomes outcastes who wish to
the battlefield and in the salon. They like to portray enlist in the field forces, compensating them gener-
themselves as direct and ingenuous, but in truth, the ously. Lookshy allots a large portion of its budget to
family often uses frontal assaults and battle sorcery — recruitment efforts, and bonuses granted to successful
or insults and seduction, in less martial settings — as recruiters of fresh talent are attractive. This welcome
ruses to distract opponents from their true goals. Yan isn’t limited to armed combatants; Lookshy accepts
Tu tend to be Mercenaries and Interventionists, but any outcaste willing to labor in its defense, whether
politics are always secondary to a good fight, prefera- that be prodigious field cooks, powerful sorcerers, or
bly as over-the-top as possible. enterprising merchant princes.

Life Among the Gentes Outcastes are strongly encouraged to undertake spon-
sorship and eventual adoption by a gens. This helps
The Seventh Legion of Lookshy sees the Dragon- them acclimate to Lookshyan life and secures them
Blooded Shogunate, and especially the Shogunate proper training. In the past, groups that immigrated
legions, as its cultural foundation. As such, while it up- together sometimes leveraged their numbers to be rec-
holds the Dragon-Blooded as its leaders in matters both ognized as a Gens Minor (for example, Gens Taroketu)
mundane and spiritual, its focus is primarily military. rather than dispersing themselves among the city’s
Due to the circumstances surrounding its history and various gentes. If petitioning for permanent residency
governance, it’s even more martial than the Realm — for status on her own, an outcaste immigrant is encour-
all intents and purposes, the Seventh Legion is Lookshy, aged to join an existing gens through adoption or mar-
and it’s both a civic responsibility and a sacred duty for riage. No official penalties exist for Dragon-Blooded
all Dragon-Blooded under Shogunate rule to commit who choose not to pursue these paths, but they face
themselves utterly to the charge laid upon them cen- limited social mobility.
turies ago by the city’s founders. This charge is known
in official terms as the Lookshy Directive: Maintain The Directorate of the Adjutant-General presides over
Lookshy as a Shogunate city under Seventh Legion au- adoptions, but final approvals must go through the
thority, and hold their post until a new Shogun emerges. General Staff, and they’re heavily inclined to place out-
caste Dragon-Blooded among the Gentes Major. This
Lookshyan Dragon-Blooded are thus brought up from practice is intended as a screening process, filtering
an early age as soldiers and officers. They’re taught that out potentially problematic or dangerous outcastes,
their utmost duty and their destiny is to work and to because the gens into which they’re placed would be
fight for the greater good of Lookshy and the Seventh held responsible for their actions.
Legion. Rather than focus on individual puissance or
personal glory, emphasis is placed upon values such Military Service
as honor, moderation, and consideration of others, to Lookshy’s social hierarchy centers around citizenship
produce adults who can join the ranks of one of the status. Citizens hold all high offices within the Seventh
most highly disciplined fighting forces in the world. Legion, which is the backbone around which the en-
tire city-state operates. Military service is compulsory
Education amongst citizens and helots for a minimum term of
Training starts early in life, with children as young five years. Service doesn’t end with a compulsory
as five beginning formal education through private five-year tour of duty, even for those Dragon-Blooded
tutors. At age eleven, most are enrolled in academies. who don’t elect to pursue a dedicated military career.
There are over a hundred academies throughout the All Lookshyans not on active service are considered
city, with a range of specialties. Academies teach fight- part of the reserve force, and regular training, practice
ing techniques, weapons proficiency, and battle tactics, drills, and war games are held throughout the year to
as well as core subjects such as modern and ancient lit- ensure the entire city’s readiness.
erature, the River Province’s history, and mathematics.
The most desirable academies consider proper deco- A plethora of opportunities await Dragon-Blooded cit-
rum and social presentation as vital to one’s success in izens after their five-year terms end, most notably vol-
life as military training and scholarship. Many elective untary reenlistment with the Seventh Legion. Its rank
courses aim to refine students’ social graces. For exam- and advancement structure have deviated little from
ple, the art of hosting tea ceremonies might be offered its original Shogunate roots. Some changes have been
alongside lectures on statecraft and the complex work- made out of necessity over the years; the Sky Guard has
ings of the Shogunate Bureaucracy. been relegated to ceremonial status for centuries, its

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SEVENTH LEGION MILITARY RANKS

Nitei: Soldier.

Gochei: Corporal. Leads a fang.

Haichei: Military specialist or technician, including novice sorcerer-engineers.

Gunchei: Sergeant. Leads a fang, although typically only veteran nitei.

Sochei: Senior sergeant. Leads a scale.

Shonai: Specialist professional such as an artillerist, sorcerer-engineer, shipwright, or surgeon, who over-
sees haichei.

Chozei: Subaltern officer who oversees the training of sochei, gunchei, gochei, and nitei. Occasionally leads
scales under the supervision of a senior gunchei.

Chuzei: Lieutenant. Leads a scale or talon.

Taizei: Captain. Leads a talon or wing.

Shozei: Major. Leads a wing or dragon.

Kazei: Colonel. Leads a dragon. Almost all kazei are Dragon-Blooded, though a handful throughout Look-
shy’s history have been mortal.

Taimyo: General of an entire field force or administrator of a Directorate. All taimyo are Dragon-Blooded.

Chumyo: The leader of the Seventh Legion. In the Shogunate, each legion was led by a chumyo.

few remaining airships mothballed and restricted for criminals and bandits fleeing justice, most of whom
use only in dire emergency. Otherwise, it follows a unit have never seen Lookshy itself. Recruits receive a year
composition based upon multiples of five: Five soldiers of intensive training, a regimen which both raises them
make a fang, five fangs make a scale, five scales make to meet the Seventh Legion’s exacting standards and
a talon, and so on. While mortals rarely rise beyond weeds out those unfit to serve. The foreign legions are
mid-tier officer postings, an ambitious, intelligent, and typically neither as well-equipped nor as disciplined
particularly skilled Dragon-Blooded has every reason as Seventh Legion field forces. They operate on the
to expect that he could sit on the General Staff one day, outskirts of the River Province and throughout the
if he dedicates himself to upholding the Legion’s ideals East, occasionally posing as independent mercenary
and exemplifying its leadership. companies.

Most missions and assignments are outsourced Military-minded Dragon-Blooded often remain in the
through contracts between the General Staff and Legion for many decades, and there are a number of ca-
various River Province polities. The type of action a reer paths open to them. Some become strategoi — the
legionnaire might see depends upon her posting and Legion’s premier tacticians — dictating the approach
the field force to which she’s assigned. The First Field that must be taken to each mission. Others are invited
Force, for example, is geared toward reconnaissance to join the ranger corps, the Seventh Legion’s special
and quick-response units, and tends to be dispatched forces units who enter dangerous territory on highly
to the most hazardous environments. classified missions — usually matters which Lookshy
doesn’t care to publicly acknowledge, such as assas-
While citizens of Lookshy must serve their compulso- sinations, state sabotage, infiltration, and deep-cover
ry service in the field forces, metics who wish to fight assignments. Dragon-Blooded trained in sorcery, arti-
for Lookshy join its foreign field forces alongside for- fice, and First Age lore might serve as sorcerer-engi-
mer janissaries, ex-mercenaries, runaway slaves, and neers, responsible for maintaining Lookshy’s First Age

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weaponry and ordnance; they’re vital to the continued academies, assigning and reassigning soldiers to vari-
operation of the city’s armory. Seasoned infantry offi- ous units, helping retired soldiers find civilian careers,
cers often accept assignments outside Lookshy proper and looking after older soldiers.
to train armies in other city-states within the River
Province, or take command posts among the string of The Intelligence Directorate deploys its agents to
redoubts maintained across the Scavenger Lands. obtain information on the capabilities of potential en-
emies and to assess what threat they pose to Lookshy.
Like the Realm, Lookshy has a long and rich magical
tradition. The Valkhawsen Academy of Sorcery is The Justice Directorate enforces the Seventh
among its most famous schools, teaching a Shogunate- Legion’s statutes, both in Lookshy itself and accom-
era sorcerous discipline that employs ritualized panying its field forces. White-robed justiciars keep
meditation, poetry, and formal ceremonies to empty the peace, while judges investigate crimes and oversee
the mind and achieve unity with Creation. The city tribunals.
makes far more everyday use of sorcery than most
places in Creation; it’s second only to the Realm in The Liaison Directorate negotiates with foreign
numbers of Dragon-Blooded sorcerers. Sorcerers are governments on the Legion’s behalf, from the grand
fully integrated at all levels of command throughout political scale to the nitty-gritty of renting land for a
the field forces, and it’s common for special forces field force’s encampment.
units in particular to be assigned at least one sorcerer.
Summoning demons and elementals, however, is the The Operations Directorate deals with military
province of the elite cadre of sohei (p. 122) known as strategy and tactics, coordinating the Legion’s cam-
sorcerer-exorcists. While most sorcerers are treated paigns and analyzing the results of its engagements.
as battlemasters rather than pariahs, the Legion treads
The Security Directorate handles counterintelli-
carefully around sorcerer-exorcists.
gence and military security, from arranging guard
Nonmilitary Service assignments to tracking down agents of the All-Seeing
Eye.
Service to Lookshy need not fall under the auspice of
the blade alone. Seven directorates form the Seventh The Stores Directorate organizes the acquisition,
Legion’s support apparatus and ensure that the Legion storage, and disbursement of the Legion’s resources,
and Lookshy are properly supplied. The administra- from field kit to grain stores to rare First Age artifact
tors in charge of these bureaus share the title of taimyo weapons.
with the field force commanders, and although their
responsibilities see a degree of overlap, each is respon- A few find employment with the Shogunate
sible for different types of support missions. Together, Bureaucracy, whose functionaries make up the last
they form the underpinnings of much of the city’s civil remnants of the official Shogunate government. While
society. their position is largely ceremonial, they hold enormous
symbolic authority, as the Lookshy Directive invests
The Directorate of the Adjutant-General handles them with the cultural weight of the lost Shogunate.
personnel issues. This includes administrating the Should a bureau gainsay the General Staff within its

THE ARMORY

The Seventh Legion’s armory contains artifact arms and armor, arcane siege machines, and hearthstones
retrieved from the city’s four manses as well as from River Province demesnes and manses under Lookshy’s
control.

The armory also houses Creation’s largest supply of the nigh-legendary gunzosha armor of the First Age.
Elite mortal soldiers who’ve undergone ritual blessings and surgical modification can attune to these pow-
ered armors and wield their Evocations, at the cost of vastly shortened lifespans.

The contents of the Seventh Legion’s armory aren’t free to be requisitioned by just anyone; access must be
earned through service. Rare and powerful First Age weapons, including the city’s bare handful of functioning
warstriders, are only available at the discretion of the General Staff.

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administrative sphere of influence — by refusing to commerce as it does from military contracts, while the
sign off on a military budget, for example — the Legion gentes maintain a web of ongoing business enterprises
would lose face in the eyes of the Lookshyan public. On and support promising new ventures. But commercial
the other hand, the Legion can take direct action (such income isn’t as reliable as a soldier’s pay, and while
as military reassignment) against the bureaucrats basic living expenses and discretionary pay from the
should it be too hard pressed, so by and large the two military aren’t taxed, any monies made from trade and
organizations stay out of each other’s way. other sources are subject to a flat-rate tax set by the
Legion’s Liaison Directorate.
Economics
The gentes of Lookshy aren’t completely analogous to Retirement
the Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty. For example, Few Dragon-Blooded live long enough to reach old
members of the gentes don’t receive a monetary sti- age, but the handful who do typically retire either to
pend from their families, although all of their essential their gens’ compound within the city walls or to a pri-
needs are met, and scions may petition for additional vate estate near the city. Even then, they often remain
resources when circumstances warrant or in exchange active — involving themselves in their descendants’
for a favor owed to the imperator (to be paid back at lives, networking with other elders, and calling in their
the gens’ discretion). In Lookshy, one’s contribution remaining favors on behalf of their families before they
to the Legion is more important than Exaltation. Even pass.
the Dragon-Blooded are expected to make their own
way for their daily bread. The Immaculate Faith
The most readily available source of income in Worship of the Five Immaculate Dragons is com-
Lookshy is service to the Seventh Legion proper, the mon amongst the Dragon-Blooded, dating back to
directorates, or the Shogunate Bureaucracy. One may the Shogunate. However, the Realm’s Immaculate
find more profit in owning a business or plying a skilled Philosophy and the old Immaculate Faith as practiced
trade; Lookshy derives almost as much revenue from by Lookshy are very different. Some differences, such

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as the Philosophy’s aniconism versus the vividly il- Most modern sohei explain that everyone travels the
lustrated decks of cards common to Seventh Legion path of enlightenment at a different pace. Just as one
barracks, are more minor than others. Both denomina- cannot drag a recalcitrant mule to a stream to drink, so
tions emphasize the proper role of spirits as part of the one cannot force one’s beliefs upon others. Some sohei
Perfected Hierarchy, although the Faith is somewhat advocate a more direct approach, feeling that wider
less rigid in this matter. acceptance of the Faith outside Lookshyan circles
would bring increased stability to the River Province
The most profound difference is that the Immaculate and beyond, but by and large they take a pragmatic
Faith isn’t a state religion. It doesn’t exist to justify the view towards their neighbors’ propensity for worship-
Seventh Legion’s rule, but to provide a guiding path ing specific gods.
for mortals and their Exalted leaders towards spiritual
enlightenment. Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded consider However, for all that the Faith’s mainline practitioners
the Faith a vital part of their spiritual lives, but one describe such tolerance as a principled stance, it’s
that’s generally unrelated to matters of politics and rooted in political compromises necessary for Lookshy
governance. The Faith itself has no governing body to cooperate with the god-ridden principalities of the
beyond the Shogunate Bureaucracy’s administration Scavenger Lands. The Purists reject this approach
of temples and academies, and the Seventh Legion’s as corrupt, and would force the Faith upon the River
chaplains — or sohei — exert no temporal authority. Province at spear’s point if they could.

The Immaculate Faith also states that while Exaltation Within the Faith
can be a reward for excellence and leadership, it’s not in Sohei begin their training in academies owned and
itself deserving of respect from others. A Dragon-Blooded operated by various temples. These provide students
warrior must be judged by her own deeds rather than the with a classical Lookshyan education, centered on
blood in her veins or her soul’s elevated position. Immaculate theology, including the history and tenets

THE CODE OF THE RIGHTEOUS WARRIOR

The Code of the Righteous Warrior is an old Shogunate doctrine. The Righteous Warrior is the pinnacle of the
Faith’s teachings, an enlightened soul that lives his life by the five Immaculate Pillars of Honor, Loyalty, Prow-
ess, Conviction, and Compassion. He is the ultimate warrior: one who can win any battle, but understands that
drawing his blade isn’t always a solution. Some believe that not even the Immaculate Dragons themselves
were Righteous Warriors, but they came within arm’s reach of that peak. Dragon-Blooded believers strive
towards this ideal, believing that excellence will come with their efforts.

The Pillar of Honor: Impeccable actions and honest words are the hallmark of the Righteous Warrior. Hon-
or demands a strong sense of personal dignity: the word of the Righteous Warrior should always guarantee
the truth of an assertion, and, for the weight it carries, should never be given cheaply. Mela demonstrated with
her actions that only through honor is true victory attainable.

The Pillar of Loyalty: The Righteous Warrior’s loyalty must be unwavering. His first loyalty must be to the
ideals of the Shogunate, followed by loyalty to one’s commander, then by filial piety. Pasiap taught that loyalty
is the foundation of all things, be it a peasant family, a legion, or the Shogunate itself.

The Pillar of Prowess: The Righteous Warrior’s actions must be executed with both faultless skill and
faultless timing. He dispenses death upon his enemies only at the appointed hour, forgoing needless attacks.
Hesiesh epitomizes this conception of prowess, his almighty power tempered by wise restraint.

The Pillar of Conviction: When the Righteous Warrior raises his blade, he cannot doubt that his cause is
wholly just in the eyes of the Dragons. To choose one’s actions without conviction is to risk the stain of death
in the name of an unworthy cause. Danaa’d showed that conviction can triumph over even the greatest of foes
through her persistence in swimming to the sea’s depths to seal away the Anathema.

The Pillar of Compassion: Brotherly affection for one’s fellow man, sympathy, and noble charity — these
virtues ennoble the soul of a Righteous Warrior. Sextes Jylis taught that the compassionate warrior will al-
ways triumph over a heartless foe, for he has something greater to fight for.

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of the Immaculate Faith, its Shogunate roots, and its put a good word in the right ears; a seasoned bureau-
interaction with the spirit courts. They also pursue a crat whose niece seeks a transfer into the Intelligence
training regimen designed to cultivate and tame their Directorate could arrange for her name to come up
Essence, including meditation and Immaculate mar- in discussions over a key mission. Such acts arguably
tial arts. Only those who’ve gained basic mastery over fall short of outright nepotism, but the young Dragon-
themselves can advance their training far enough to Blooded appointed to his new post will remember the
master spirits. While this can include subduing them officer who put in a good word for her, and she’s likely
through combat, a sohei’s job when dealing with the to reciprocate when the opportunity arises.
supernatural is to act as intercessor, which need not
end in violence. While members of the various factions are prone
to lively debates, and some will escalate differences
Many sohei commit themselves to the Faith’s temples of opinion into personal grudges, outright political
— found mostly within Lookshy proper, with a handful violence or blood feuds are almost nonexistent.
scattered elsewhere amid the Scavenger Lands — or Beyond the Seventh Legion’s prohibition on dueling,
to tending their flocks within the Legion, but there Lookshyans’ pragmatic attitudes discourage actions —
are tales aplenty of wandering monks who take to the such as sabotage or assassination — that would cause
countless roads of the Scavenger Lands with their ofu- unacceptable losses to the Legion.
da and their texts, bringing the Faith to civilization’s
outskirts and smiting demons and rogue gods that Thus, those seeking to rid themselves of a hated rival
terrorize mortal villages. attempt to do so through bloodless means. Bureaucratic
spite — someone “losing” important documentation
Lookshy and the Wyld Hunt and causing that individual loss of face — or other
Despite the numerous religious and political differ- methods such as spreading rumors in order to goad
ences between Lookshy and the Realm, the Wyld Hunt one’s opponent into revealing their hand are common
is one of the few things on which they both agree. tactics. Masterful schemers can diminish or destroy
Lookshy views Anathema as an intolerable threat their targets without doing anything remotely illegal.
to the security of the River Province. The Seventh
Legion regularly intercepts the Wyld Hunt when the Lookshy and the Realm
Realm sends shikari into the region, but doesn’t turn The Seventh Legion and the Scarlet Dynasty have been
it back. Instead, the mortal forces of the Wyld Hunt at odds for centuries. They’ve clashed over politics, reli-
are replaced with troops from a field force on active gion, and everything in between, but only those who’ve
duty in the area. The shikari are then escorted to their witnessed firsthand some of the Realm’s most egregious
destination with all due respect and the full assistance cruelties truly hate its rulers. Lookshy’s policy towards
of the Legion’s military might. the Realm is to avoid direct confrontation, while re-
maining vigilant against Realm puppets and spies.
Before the Empress’ disappearance, Lookshy and the
Realm would undertake joint operations to dispatch Visitors from the Realm are allowed in the city, pro-
particularly dangerous or intractable Anathema, with vided they keep to designated areas and don’t try to
the All-Seeing Eye sending word ahead of the Hunt’s instigate trouble. Immaculate monks find themselves
arrival. Today, a Wyld Hunt is often formed in haste, restricted to the foreign quarter of the city along with
leaving no time to contact the General Staff before it merchants and tradesmen (where most Lookshyans
arrives, so collaborations on this scale have become feel they belong). The General Staff allows only one
rare. exception to this rule: Dynasts bearing diplomatic pro-
tection may travel — under strict escort — as far as the
Politics of the Seventh Legion Second Ring, where their embassy is headquartered.

Realm ambassadors to Lookshy have traditionally been

As a group, Lookshyan Dragon-Blooded present a uni-
retired outcaste officers loyal to the throne, appointed
fied front to the rest of Creation; it’s rare to see open
by the Empress as a reward for decades of legionary
political maneuvering, whether in the name of person-
service, and accompanied by four handpicked advi-
al beliefs or the advancements of one’s gens. Usually
sors, like a satrap’s. House Ledaal recently claimed
the game takes the form of favors and debts owed, and
the post through trading favors in the Deliberative,
plenty of avenues exist for Dragon-Blooded who wish
hoping to better coordinate Wyld Hunt activities with
to support their gens or influence a given policy. A se-
the Seventh Legion against the resurgent Anathema
nior officer, seeing a promising Exalted youngster fresh
threat — and to wreak revenge against the Mask of
from the academy with similar ideas and ideals, might

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THE BATTLE OF MISHAKA

Eighteen years ago, the armies of Thorns — backed by Realm military advisors — invaded the Scavenger
Lands. Fourteen years ago, the armies of the Confederation of Rivers, led by the Seventh Legion, broke the
back of Thorns’ forces at the Battle of Mishaka. Most Lookshyans lost a friend or relative in that conflict. Al-
though passions have had time to cool, the youngest generation has an instinctive mistrust of Realm schem-
ing, and they cast a suspicious eye on any Dynastic presence in and around the Scavenger Lands. Likewise,
while they recognize the threat of the Mask of Winters, they harbor little sympathy for fallen Thorns itself.

Winters for the Ledaal scions who perished in the fall trade — they’re heroes, one and all, and when the blood
of Thorns. of the Dragons stirs, none can ignore she who bears it.

Lookshy and the Guild A Spark on the Wind Ignites a Hundred Wildfires
Lookshy’s relationship with the Guild has always The Threshold is replete with tales of wandering sells-
been somewhat tense. Its seasoned military tacticians words, martial artists, champions, and culture heroes. More
recognize the mercantile syndicate’s activities for the often than not, the kernel of truth at the heart of these tales
economic warfare it is, and the Guild understands is that once, long ago, a wandering outcaste passed through.
that its mercenaries and bodyguards are outmatched
by Lookshy’s regulars, let alone its special forces. There are many reasons a young Dragon-Blood, fresh
However, the General Staff is well aware that the Guild from Exaltation, might forsake the comfortable life of
could cause significant economic distress to the city home and set out to seek adventure or fortune. For one
and its trade if it wished — its contracts with the gentes thing, the vast majority of Creation’s inhabitants are
be damned — which would impede Lookshy’s ability to peasants who live a life practically identical to that of
maintain operations elsewhere in the River Province. their parents and grandparents. Exaltation marks the
Thus, while neither side trusts the other, their mutual young outcaste as destined for greater things — most
unwillingness to confront each other and risk their can only bear so much of village life when they can
respective power bases — especially in the current bend the forces of nature to their whim, when all of
climate — has resulted in a grudging understanding. Creation seems within their grasp. Others know no such
comforts, born into a harsh life or shackled in slavery.
Captors or abusers stand little chance of preventing a
Outcastes new Dragon-Blood from claiming her freedom, and few
can withstand her should she pursue vengeance.
Many outcastes never set foot on the Blessed Isle.
Indeed, rare is the Dragon-Blood born far beyond the Even those who linger overlong in their birthplace
Realm’s satrapies in the Threshold who ever joins forc- find reason to leave, sooner or later — the most com-
es with more than her Hearth. Some few never find mon being nothing more than mortality. Their friends,
another to share their long lives with. But even a single family, and lovers are all mortal, aging as mortals do,
Exalt suffices to change the course of a war, to shift the departing for the next life only six or seven decades
fortunes of an entire kingdom, to dominate a region’s

GODS OF LOOKSHY

Tien Yu, Lookshy’s city mother, takes an active role in spirit court politics throughout the River Province, tire-
lessly advocating in Lookshy’s interest. She appears as a soldier with jet-black skin and silver hair, wearing
dragon armor of moonsilver and black jade.

Tien Yu’s predecessor — and, some say, her father, son, brother, or lover — is Tu Yu, Deheleshen’s city father.
Once a sage tactician and battlewise scholar, he lost much power and prestige when the Old City fell to the
Great Contagion and rampaging Fair Folk, and his former duties have largely been shouldered by Tien Yu. He
seems little more than a doddering fool at times. His pride, however, is undiminished, and he owes a debt of
gratitude to the Seventh Legion for reviving fallen Deheleshen.

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after entering it. Their filial obligations spent, their through their veins, more than one outcaste has taken
wedding vows ash in the wind, their grandchildren this tale as inspiration, and sought to replicate the
grown and with families of their own, there’s nothing great successes of that semidivine figure of legend.
left to hold a Dragon-Blood back. None have yet succeeded, but every corner of Creation
knows of a conqueror who, in her private moments,
A rare few are thrust from their old lives by force. compared herself against the Scarlet Empress and
Though the Exalted are known across Creation, kin to wept to find herself wanting.
the mighty Scarlet Empress, many powers resent their
presence. The god who dominates a village may cast a Power naturally draws followers, and Dragon-Blooded
young Exalt out, rather than watch her grow to rival are blessed with power, leaving their mark on the
him, while a warlord might send underlings to kill the world as they pass whether they mean to or not.
young Dragon-Blood for much the same reasons. Even Whatever draws them to war and conquest — be it
mortals can threaten the Exalted, and some would desire to overthrow a cruel tyrant or desire to be one
rather cut down an outcaste while she’s still fresh — the Exalted find willing accomplices in droves, seek-
from her Second Breath than risk being subjugated by ing to better their stations through proximity to true
her might as she matures. Rather than fight and risk power. One outcaste and her retinue of exiled nobles
destroying everything they’ve ever known, many an and wandering swordsmen might make a citadel of an
outcaste bows out and rides across the horizon — often ancient, shattered fortress in the hills. Another might
planning her return and vengeance, when she’s grown sweep across village after village at the head of an army
powerful enough. of bandits and raiders, putting the fields of any who
resist to the torch with his bare hands — champions
An Empress in Miniature and villains alike are blessed by the Dragons.
As the Scarlet Empress is known across Creation, so
too is the legend of her rise to power — quelling reb- A Family Chosen
els, crushing potential rivals, and bringing stability The outcaste’s lot is lonely at first, for she’s often the
and peace to Creation. Drunk on the power coursing only Dragon-Blood she or anyone she knows has ever

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seen. Elders, perhaps, remember a hero who rode a night of frantic passion — or both — but it won’t be
through the town once, decades ago — a rare town easily forgotten.
boasts of a Dragon-Blooded residing within a few days’
ride. When a young outcaste meets another like her- Even more than Dynasts, outcastes thrive in the com-
self, it’s often a jarring moment fraught with emotion. pany of their peers. Some outcastes seek out and be-
The encounter may well end with swords drawn or come a part of a Sworn Kinship with Dragon-Blooded

OTHER OUTCASTES

The following outcaste cultures, as well as the more detailed ones that follow, provide players with potential
cultural backgrounds for their characters, Storytellers with possible groups for her players’ characters to
conquer, and inspiration for other outcaste cultures to serve whatever purpose may be necessary.

The Cult of the Violet Fang: Out of the inhospitable icy wastes of the Northwest rises a resplendent cathe-
dral, its stained glass windows cut from gemstones and its gargoyles hewn from opal. This is the home of the
Cult of the Violet Fang, the children of a strange armistice between a decimated Shogunate-era bastion and
the invading Fair Folk. Dragon-Blooded members of this reclusive culture devote themselves to honing body
and Essence, preparing themselves for a ritual quest into the Wyld against the cult’s raksha ancestors every
seven years. Those who return victorious bear alien blessings and otherworldly treasures; those defeated
return with their mind and soul in tatters. It’s not always easy to tell which is which.

The Grass Spiders: Hidden at the edge of the River Province, this clan of assassins is composed of Drag-
on-Blooded and mortals alike. Some seek out such a life; others are kidnapped shortly after Exaltation and
indoctrinated. Of course, as with any secret sisterhood of killers, more than a few have fallen in love with one
another, and occasionally a child is born and raised within the clan’s very heart, the hidden fortress-manse
called the Unrepentant Sinner Palace. Here, the Three Elite Fiends — believed to be elder outcastes, though
no one knows for sure — train their subordinates in every manner of killing, but most especially in the use
of poisons. When they strike down their targets, they do so with subtlety, grace, and most importantly art.

Heaven«s Dragons: When the Exalted threw down the enemies of the gods from their thrones in Heaven, not
all returned to Creation. A small population of mortals and Dragon-Blooded, in the service of gods forgotten or
absent, live on the periphery of Yu-Shan to this day. Dwelling in tight-knit extended families within tenements
carved from subdivided palaces or divine slums teeming with unemployed gods, a few rise to prominence as
freelance agents of Heaven, gaining employment in the celestial bureaucracy or carrying out the agendas of a
divine patron. Some fall afoul of Heaven’s law, and are exiled to Creation, where they bitterly plot their return.

The Khamaseen Battalion: When the Contagion swept the world and the Shogunate tottered and fell, its
legions were spread across Creation. General Khamasi Tala, seeing a city dying around her, deserted her
post, fleeing with her garrison into the isolated steppes of the far Southeast. The descendants of that lost and
forgotten legion still walk the steppe and the Summer Mountains’ foothills, passing from village to village,
speaking a language long dead anywhere else in Creation. To enter service with the Shogunate’s successors
in the Realm or Lookshy is unthinkable to them — they know only one punishment for desertion — and in-
stead devote themselves to mercenary work in service to far Southeastern peoples.

The Rogue Legion of Saloy Hin: Seven Imperial legions disbanded rather than let themselves be divided up
among the Great Houses. Rumors in the South tell of one such legion wandering the deserts, seeking out un-
claimed manses and amassing stores of firedust under the leadership of Saloy Hin, an outcaste graduate of
Pasiap’s Stair. Once renowned for the daring tactics and rigid discipline of his legion, he recruits Dynastic ex-
iles, outcastes, Exigents, and God-Blooded into his legion while selling firedust to Southern cities, seeking to
destabilize the region and establish a foothold as a stepping stone to bringing the Realm under his bootheel.

Yatani«s Children: Their manner of dress and speech may be strange, but the stories they tell are stranger
yet, for the Children of Yatani claim to hail not from Creation, but from another world, from which they were
separated in a terrible, ancient cataclysm. A diaspora culture of savants, they comb through every scrap of
lore they can find, hoping to find any evidence of home — and maybe even a way back.

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MASTERLESS DRAGONS

The ranks of the outcastes also include Dragon-Blooded cast out from the Realm and Lookshy. Some are
military deserters; others are exiles, sentenced for high crimes or cast out by a political rival’s machinations.
Some are ideological dissidents who strike out on their own rather than live in a society they find contempt-
ible.

of the Scarlet Dynasty, becoming heir to the intrigues and the Wanasaan are loath to tolerate a competitor to
of their sworn kin’s houses but able to call upon their services.
Dynastic resources to aid their own struggles. When
outcastes come together to form a Hearth, however, A Drowned and Frozen Heart
often the only desires and needs they’re beholden to
are their own and those of their sworn kin. Along with The Wanasaan tread the line between the living and
camaraderie, they also earn the freedom to pursue dead, not only figuratively, but literally. Every Dragon-
goals previously beyond their reach. Blooded member of the family, upon reaching her
twenty-fifth year, is ceremonially drowned in a freezing
The Wanasaan cold spring on the Silent Isle that’s forever enshrouded
in the unmistakable Wanasaan fog. On occasion, an
The story is the same across Creation — the unquiet initiate proves too weak to survive the rite, but it’s the
dead rise to bedevil the living, dominate them with ar- only way to ensure the family’s preeminence. Mortals
cane powers, or prey upon their flesh, and communities born to the family may petition to do so as well (though
make provision against such things. Chiaroscuro has its they’re much less likely to survive), as may prospective
enormous salt lines; in Great Forks, the dead are paci- adoptees. A survivor, when resuscitated, brings a mea-
fied by worship alongside gods, one cult among many; sure of death back with her, a chill spike of ice in her
and in the Realm, the Immaculate Order crushes any heart from the water she inhaled. This is a source of
hint of ghostly insurgency with stunning force. Along sorcerous enlightenment (p. 309), and an ever-hungry
the Whispering Coast of the far Northwest, beyond pit that consumes the souls of the dead.
distant Fajad — where tiny fishing villages huddle in
the lee of rocky coves, wreathed in thickest fog amidst A Bloodline Touched by Frost
snow and stringy, weathered pine — communities lack
such resources, but have recourse nonetheless. When Over two centuries ago, or so family legend has it,
ancestors grow unquiet, when hungry ghosts stalk the Wanasaan Adiura happened upon the Silent Isle.
night, or when other, darker things well up from the Whether she fell into the Spring of Echoes or drowned
Underworld, they need only build a great bonfire and herself of her own volition, none can say, but the terri-
cast something precious into it, whispering the name fying enlightenment she brought with her has spoken
of the Wanasaan. for itself over many generations. Her descendants,
more mercenary than Adiura herself, still hold the Isle
The first sign their call has been answered is always the in a kind of possessive reverence as the cornerstone of
mist that rolls in off the sea, blanketing the area in a fog their monopoly on exorcism in these cold waters. The
thick enough to make the world all but vanish, thick Wanasaan have built it into a citadel over the centu-
enough to dampen the loudest of shouts to a whisper. ries, and while not all dwell here, enough do to make
Only when the fog snuffs out the bonfire does the exor- it the heart of their tiny, insular culture, a home filled
cist show herself, wrapped in thick cloaks and wearing with mist and sorcerous knowledge in equal measure
a wide straw hat to hide her eyes. Moisture drips from with secret ambitions and bloody plots. For the sake
every surface in her presence, and when she lifts her of fresh blood, they marry outside the family at least
arms the various totems and talismans hanging from a few times in every generation, courting in a manner
them jangle discordantly. She is fêted, given the best almost as perfunctory as their business dealings. Those
of everything as she’s told of the problem the commu- who sail away with the Wanasaan rarely return to their
nity faces. When the elders are finished, she’ll pause, families thereafter.
consider, and nod — this, too, is part of the ritual. Then
she’ll name a price. The price is always paid, for to The current head of the Wanasaan family is Kemra, an
refuse the Wanasaan once is to refuse them forever, aged but still vital Wood Aspect who took the Isle from

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her brother, Shiga, in a bloody coup that decimated the assembled a humble temple — within five, children
family some thirty years ago. Custom would have her were being taught to read within it. All the while, Flame
direct the family business from her heavily guarded and Willow conversed with one another to deepen their
retreat upon the Silent Isle, not venturing forth to understanding of the Immaculate Philosophy.
conduct exorcisms herself. But with scarcely a dozen
Dragon-Blooded Wanasaan remaining, the family is Year by year they argued, slowly refining the wedge
strained in its efforts to retain its old monopoly. Much that separated them from their old faith — the Five
of Kemra’s time is spent recruiting outcastes for Insightful Criticisms that redefined the way they saw
marriage into the family lest its diminished bloodline the world. With religious fervor driving them, they
dwindle to nothing, and she fears she might be fore- redoubled their efforts, and their new message of ab-
stalling the inevitable. Even her most loyal partisans solute equality won them followers without number
wonder whether the cost of victory over Shiga was too from the undercaste of the island’s native society.
great. Soon, the old order had been abolished; those of the
ruling caste either converted or fled the island in exile.

The Sisterhood of Pearls Sister Flame and Sister Willow rebuilt the island in the
image of their perfected community, driven by a new
A century ago, two Immaculate missionaries came faith that guided them ever further. To them, they’re
ashore on the Isle of Fevers. They hoped to spread the the cycle of rebirth itself responding to the excesses of
faith and cultivate a proper society on the island, where the Dynasty, as a pearl forms to protect a clam’s interi-
a few thin-blooded families of outcastes dominated a or from grit. This convenient example, used frequently
sprawling undercaste of farmers, fishermen, and arti- in sermons, became so popular with the community
sans. The passionate rhetoric of Rising Flame and the that they chose it as a name. The Sisterhood of Pearls
bounty provided by Willow’s Strength won over some has, ever since, sought to perfect themselves, as a pearl
of the population, little by little. Within the year, they’d is mere sand perfected and made beautiful.

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The Five Insightful Criticisms Order to escape. Seeing how the Order’s strictures
have utterly failed the Dynasty, they were determined
The First Insightful Criticism is: All souls are part of the not to let their new, perfected society fall prey to the
cycle of death and rebirth; all souls are therefore equal. same petty ambitions. Labor is done in common, and
duties are rotated; in this society, all hands are rough
Unlike the Immaculate Order, the Sisterhood holds from work. Dragon-Blooded in the Sisterhood are, if
that all beings with a soul are equally worthy of respect anything, expected to live in a far more ascetic fashion
and compassion, and to kill any being interrupts the than their mortal comrades, rather than to surrender
lesson that life is meant to teach the soul within. All to the torpor of luxury.
members of the community are therefore vegetarians,
and vastly prefer nonviolent solutions — though, if The Fifth Insightful Criticism is: The path to enlighten-
need be, they’ll defend themselves or others. ment is not a straight road but a turning wheel; the most
high may be reborn as the lowest.
The Second Insightful Criticism is: The Essence of the
Immaculate Dragons is the Essence of enlightenment, The Sisterhood doesn’t teach that Dragon-Blooded
but though the enlightened may be wise, and may help to Exaltation is a reward for enlightenment in past lives,
guide others, their souls are no greater in worth. but a transient state of grace. Upon death, the soul
might be reborn as mortal, Dragon-Blooded, or even
Rising Flame and Willow’s Strength may lead the wretched Anathema, all in accordance with the great-
community, but it’s not because of their blood; nor may er harmony of Creation. Mortals ought be treated with
the Isle’s other outcastes treat the mortal population respect, lest a cruel Dragon-Blood find herself suffer-
as inferior as they once did. If all souls are equal, none ing the same treatment in her next life. The Anathema
should be treated as greater than another. In practice, are wicked, and the Sisterhood forgives the sin of
the Dragon-Blooded are still very much respected, and killing one when the Wyld Hunt is called, but they too
their word given much weight, but any mortal may are deserving of compassion.
speak against or criticize them if that mortal finds them
wanting of enlightenment according to their station. Trouble in Paradise
The Third Insightful Criticism is: To divide the community For all that Flame and Willow have come to rely on one
according to place and purpose is to ignore the fundamental another over the last hundred years, and for all that
equality of all souls; abolish, therefore, all divisions. they each do their utmost to support the community
they serve as prophets and mystics, for all that they
The Sisterhood retains the Immaculate belief that the passionately love one another, the two are divided
purpose of life is to instruct the soul, but fundamentally over a question that has consumed their arguments
disagrees regarding the organization of society. In the for decades — the matter of the yet-unwritten Sixth
Sisterhood, all but a few personal possessions are held Insightful Criticism. Rising Flame submits the fol-
in common, and none are permitted to accumulate lowing: Even a pearl was once a grain of sand; so too
wealth or power over others — those who join the com- must the Sisterhood soothe the ache of the Dynasty’s
munity must give up their valuables as part of the pro- misrule. Willow’s Strength’s counterpoint: Even a pearl
cess of conversion, either throwing them into the sea or was once a grain of sand; so too must the Sisterhood be
donating them to the Sisterhood’s arsenal, a choice that complete in itself. Their disagreement ripples through-
depends largely on the object’s utility. The Sisterhood out the Sisterhood as a whole, as disputes previously
doesn’t consider men to be inferior to women, or vice smoothed over by Flame and Willow make themselves
versa. Decisions are made by the entire community after manifest, and nascent factions begin to coalesce.
extended religious debate, and anyone may argue what
they believe best aligns with the Five Criticisms. Rising Flame and her closest adherents seek to prose-
lytize, first across the West and then (in Flame’s vision)
The Fourth Insightful Criticism is: Dragon-Blooded the whole of Creation, and to replace the Order with
who squander their enlightenment on the material have the Sisterhood for the betterment of all souls. Flame
turned aside from the True Way; they imperil their souls finds Willow’s objection a betrayal of the First Insight,
in doing so. placing the enlightenment of the Sisterhood above the
needs of Creation. For Willow’s Strength’s part, she
Rising Flame and Willow’s Strength had always shared
sees in Flame the seeds of ambition, and though it be
a fundamental disgust with Dynastic society and its
for a noble purpose, she cannot bring herself to allow
excesses, which each had joined the Immaculate
her beloved to imperil her own soul. She and her inner

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circle strongly condemn any expansion beyond the Isle burning, the pain, his skin supernaturally tough but
of Fevers in communal debates. not proof against flame. When he rises, the hot coals,
artfully arranged, have seared a sutra into his body,
Flame and Willow know the argument is at a deadlock, writ in reddened skin. He will heal, in time, but until
and both know that an implacable divide between each then he wears not even a scrap of clothing, that others
other is certain. The only thing keeping them from tak- might read the book he’s made of himself.
ing the final step is their love for one another, and for
the family they’ve built for themselves on this remote Some acts are small, but still deeply meaningful and
island — each weeps to think that she may be the one incredibly dangerous. Gods of poison, for example, have
to destroy everything they’ve sought to build together, notoriously subtle and deadly tastes — Whirling Lady
but neither can turn aside from their faith. Yet in the Koro-Bana prefers to take tea in high ceremony with her
end, the decision may not be theirs to make, as the favorite priestess at the Temple of the Reverent Whisper
factions that follow them grow increasingly radical in once each week, for she’s the only person the goddess has
their convictions. ever found who can appreciate the taste of hemlock.

The Temple of A Business Most Divine

the Reverent Whisper While some gods seek tantric rituals comparable in
scope and kind to the pleasure mortals prefer, far more
At the confluence of two rivers sits the city of Great Forks, hunger only for worship, for reverence, for the jolt
a city that never truly sleeps, that celebrates into the wee of power and ego that comes of being the focus of a
hours each and every night. By day, these celebrations favor sentient being’s obeisance. Worship varies, and some
gods and goddesses without number, who descend upon forms are more puissant than others, in proportion
the City of Temples in their thousands hoping to build a with the strenuousness or austerity of the practice
cult of their very own. By night, the mortals of Great Folks in question. Mortals cannot endure the most exotic
take their own pleasure, seeking the blue lanterns that and demanding forms of worship without risking life
mark the city’s profusion of bordellos and pleasure houses. and limb, so the Temple of the Reverent Whisper only
accepts Dragon-Blooded (and occasional Exigents) as
But one temple turns this arrangement on its head, priests and priestesses, for only they’re resilient enough
displaying blue lanterns and streamers at its door by to serve its clientele. Popular and in-demand as they
day and night alike, sating divine rather than mortal are among the various deities of Great Forks, outcastes
hungers. This unassuming building of polished stone is who serve the Temple are recognized throughout the
the Temple of the Reverent Whisper, and it’s dedicated city, enjoying a status only slightly lesser than that of
to all gods and none, for here the inhabitants of Heaven the gods they serve.
may come to have whatever manner of reverence they
choose — provided they can pay for it. The Temple of the Reverent Whisper sees nigh-con-
stant traffic, not only from local gods, but divinities
Faithful Service from far and wide. Occasionally — once a year or so
— a god will even descend from Heaven itself for the
A woman, stripped of her clothing and ceremonially sole purpose of attending the Temple and calling upon
bathed in river water and oil, sits atop the mountain. its services. Such an exclusive clientele lends itself
She does not move, she does not speak, and if she exceptionally well to networking. Priests and priest-
breathes she gives no sign of it. The wind whips around esses engaged in service overhear all manner of gossip
her, driving her long hair across her face like a lash. between deities, taking note of who’s talking to whom
Her skin goes white in places, yet still, she does not and who’s most definitely on the outs. Information,
move. She composes a mantra in her mind, five times too, is valuable, but discretion is what makes that in-
five times five lines in length. She commits this mantra formation valuable, and the Temple doesn’t speak of
to memory, but does not recite it until the twenty-fifth its clients’ secrets with outsiders. Rather, they merely
day on the mountain. She recites it only once, and then “advise” what actions may be auspicious and which
never again. may not be — an entire wing of the Temple, and the
only one in which mortals are permitted, deals exclu-
A man shaves his head — this isn’t his act of reverence, sively with this arm of the Temple’s business.
but preparation for it, for he doesn’t wish his hair to
smolder and give off an offensive smell when he lies Such a thriving business model has inspired much
back in a bed of hot coals. He endures the heat, the jealousy — even in a city where gods regularly walk

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amongst mortals, such intimate and personal ties neither appease nor capture these bandit lords, so they
are rare and valuable. The Temple of the Reverent offer increasing bounties for the Brotherhood’s heads.
Whisper has historically tolerated no competition in
its particular idiom, and thus far it has successfully History of the Seven Storms
leveraged its enormous wealth and the favors owed
it — by mortals and spirits alike — to ensure that mis- Long before the Seven Storms Brotherhood’s arriv-
fortune befalls any who hope to seize a portion of this al, low-level banditry and piracy plagued the Lake
market for themselves. The current Headmistress of Makrata region. Guild trade ships and wealthy cara-
the temple, the outcaste Riela Tenan, has seen no less vans offer tempting targets to unemployed mercenary
than three such endeavors ground beneath her heel in groups, barbarian tribes, and desperate farmers. The
the hundred years she’s managed the Temple’s affairs. region’s mountains and natural cave systems provide
She is wise, still very beautiful despite her advanced ample hiding places, frustrating soldiers and trackers
age, and utterly ruthless when it comes to protecting tasked with capturing outlaws. Traders navigating
what she calls her own. Lake Makrata must often use narrow channels, valleys
and bridges, any of which can hide deadly ambushes.
The Seven Storms A decade ago, two outcaste Dragon-Blooded came to
Brotherhood Lake Makrata. They called themselves Sky-Choking
Sirocco and Spring Squall. Bitter exiles from a foreign
Innumerable traders ply Lake Makrata in the Southeast, shore, these brothers-in-arms saw opportunity there
in the shadow of mountains that conceal countless to live in wealth, free of commands from any higher
thieves and bandits. The most dangerous and tenacious power. They forged a reputation as daring robbers
of these are the Seven Storms Brotherhood, led by sev- whose audacity and success exceeded anything seen
eral outcastes. They’ve terrorized the region for over in generations, attracting followers from among the
a decade, and now their attacks grow in audacity and ruthless and the disenfranchised. As they gained
ambition. Local governments and Guild merchants can Exalted lieutenants, the outcaste bandit lords named

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themselves the Seven Storms Brotherhood, each population as they see fit. When incensed, the Dragon-
claiming a type of baleful weather as their title. Blooded may order other crimes, like kidnappings
and mass executions. Hostages are guarded by trained
Since then, the Brotherhood has gorged on the re- mountain hyenas — some refugees swear that these
gion’s wealth, poisoning its waters with the blood of hyenas are men and women forced into animal form,
rich and poor alike. Villages offer tribute and regional for they cry and shout like humans. Others believe that
governors send armies, but the Seven Storms won’t be the Seven Storms are Anathema who’ve avoided cap-
calmed. Cities struggle to accommodate refugees from ture by taking the shapes of beasts and hiding among
abandoned farmlands. Immaculate temples petition the packs roaming the mountains.
the Breath of Mela — the Immaculate Order’s admin-
istrative wing for military training and defense — for The Brotherhood has many hideouts and an exten-
Dragon-Blooded monks capable of defeating or con- sive knowledge of the cave networks riddling the
verting the unruly outcastes, while merchant princes mountains. Their primary base of operations is a
funnel resources into peacekeepers, caravan guards, Shogunate-era relay tower overlooking a collapsed
and food imports to avert the possibility of financial pass on the road to Varangia. Once, the bell at the
collapse. The region’s wealthiest Guild factors have of- tower’s apex would resonate with elementals bound
fered a legendary bounty for the Seven Storms, backed in the mountains’ depths, a complex chorus audible
by contributions from regional leaders. Desperate for hundreds of miles. After centuries of disuse,
merchants and nobles pool dwindling resources to the bell has been warped: its tolling enrages local
hire mercenaries, strategists, and explorers capable of elementals, often resulting in deadly rockslides and
flushing the Seven Storms Brotherhood out of hiding. avalanches.

Methods and Resources The Seven Storms

The Seven Storms Brotherhood is famous for descend- Like pack hunters, the Seven Storms prey relentless-
ing upon villages, ships, and caravans without warning, ly on the weak and vulnerable. Bounty hunters and
vanishing well before any organized response can be heroes seeking to return peace to the region find the
made. Its outcaste leaders enforce military precision Brotherhood a persistent and vicious enemy. Would-
and obedience, masterfully predicting the movements be allies must show enough power and ruthlessness
of those who’d cage the Seven Storms. When pressed, to earn the Seven Storms’ respect, or experience
they retreat into mountain hideouts, protected by bloody betrayal at the first opportunity. The Seven
treacherous terrain, cunning traps, and camouflage. Storms Brotherhood’s leadership is open only to
Dragon-Blooded who show the will to take what they
Once the Seven Storms have occupied a village or want, without apology or regret. This is their current
boarded a merchant ship, they brutalize and rob the roster:

CHANGING WEATHER

Who are the remaining leaders of the Seven Storms Brotherhood? The answer depends on your campaign’s
needs. They may be canny rivals, unforgivable foes, or resourceful allies. Players may play current or former
members of the Brotherhood, or seek entry to their ranks during play. Here are four potential Storms for use
as player characters or NPCs:

Depths That Betray is a spoiled, arrogant offspring of privilege who creates clever contraptions to entrap the
Brotherhood’s victims and evade its pursuers.

Rain of Ashes is a cruel, aggressive warrior concealed in heavy armor, so none may guess their shameful
past.

Cold Harvest is a thrill-seeking assassin and martial artist whose loyalty was won in a duel with Sky-Chok-
ing Sirocco, and who aims to surpass him.

Heady Monsoon is a rowdy youth who emulates the older Storms, to better conceal any doubt that they’re
suited to banditry.

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Sky-Choking Sirocco is the Seven Storms’ leader, an longspear, these vicious pack-hunters are his greatest
Earth Aspect with a dusky complexion and a quiet air weapon.
that demands silence in return. His tactical acumen
and merciless reputation fostered the discipline nec- Spring Squall’s appetites have influenced the
essary for the Seven Storms Brotherhood to become Brotherhood’s choice of targets since their founding.
Lake Makrata’s dominant bandit gang. He’s defeated He seeks pleasure in all its forms, treasuring novelty.
most of his lieutenants in single combat, through mas- Sometimes he travels the Lake Makrata region in
tery of Steel Devil style and his affinity with the Dark of disguise, to experience a change of pace or to scout an
the Earth, an ominous pair of jade daiklaves. He’s also area for a future raid. His genial attitude allows him
managed the gang’s size and appetites, to keep their to fit in nearly anywhere, but he has no patience for
lifestyle sustainable. This last task has become more those who frustrate or insult him. He fancies the idea
difficult following the recruitment of several impetu- of claiming nobility, and pushes Sky-Choking Sirocco
ous younger Dragon-Blooded. to consider taking some territory to rule together.

Every member of the Seven Storms Brotherhood for- Blinding Bolt is an Air Aspect and the unofficial
swears their past, following Sky-Choking Sirocco’s ex- second-in-command of the Brotherhood. Before her
ample. His followers observe that he’s an educated man induction to the band, she’d already earned infamy as a
who gains more excitement from bedeviling soldiers ruthless pirate and menace to Lake Makrata. Bald and
and Guild merchants than from exploiting defenseless pale, with numerous piercings and tattoos, Blinding
villages. Some speculate that when the gang’s power and Bolt’s presence strikes terror into the region’s popu-
influence are sufficient, Sky-Choking Sirocco will reveal lace, who believe her to be a wraith or death-omen.
ambitions beyond banditry. When he approaches, stones
shivering with his footsteps, all speculation ceases. The former pirate studied tactics and leadership un-
der Sky-Choking Sirocco, and improved upon those
The gang’s second founder, Spring Squall, is a tanned lessons with her natural charisma. Many of the bandits
Wood Aspect who carries with him the constant smell she commands are more loyal to Blinding Bolt than to
of poppy flowers and hyena musk. Spring Squall has the Brotherhood as a whole. Her own loyalty has never
trained the hyenas of the mountains, teaching them been questioned, but she disdains the idea of claiming
to mimic human voices. He uses them to stage am- or ruling territory. She believes such aspirations will
bushes and diversions, and to discourage escape from only weaken the Seven Storms Brotherhood, and may
occupied villages. Though he’s a skilled wielder of the challenge Sky-Choking Sirocco’s right to command if
he decides otherwise.

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I’ve a soft spot for fellow soldiers, and I suppose you did come all this way. Fine. I’ll tell about killing
Anathema. Not Jochim — I’ll wager that copy of The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier in
your pack is dog-eared on that section. Wipe that look off your face, Swift. I don’t need Mela’s wisdom to
know your type.

Fear-Eater was a Deceiver. He didn’t have the talent Jochim or the Bull had, of training men
to be fierce and fearless in weeks, so he took a more literal view of things. Fear-Eater was
a shaman before he was Anathema, well-versed in the language of spirits. They taught him
some of their tricks, including one he showed off to me during a parlay, where he reached into
a man’s head and heart and actually drew out the fears in bunches of spiked purple fruits on
twisted vines. Take a guess as to what he did then. When he smiled, his teeth were lacquered a
dark purple.
The Anathema’s real skill as a general lay in building coalitions. Fear-Eater cut deals with
forest gods, spirits of disease and murder, and the Mammoth Avatar. He was damn subtle
about it — we didn’t know about the Bull’s alliances until a hundred-foot mammoth god
charged our lines. We’d have days of hit-and-runs from hostile spirits before Dragon-Blooded
could respond and fight them equally. Our quartermasters spouted wounds in their sleep and
our supply trains fell to improbable sickness, rotting in the sun. I pulled the Tepet yamabushi
together, told them to show the Deceiver we could play that game better.
The year after Fear-Eater loosed his allies on us, we knew the campaign was lost. We’d
smashed the Bull’s van at Fallen Lapis, led him and that witch through that city (which we then
burned to the ground), took her arm and broke the back of their supply lines. It was a bloody
nose to save face, and we all knew it. After that the Bull relied on the spirit alliances to harass
us while we withdrew. Fear-Eater pinned down our rear guard at Futile Blood. The moment I
was on the scene, the Bull slammed our front and flanks with a fresh van.
I saw Fear-Eater, eclipse-mark flaring on his brow and body lit by a corona, fetishes orbiting
him in a whirl, throwing his facial scar-tattoos into sharp relief. He relied on sheer power to
fight, but he’d never faced the hurricane before. He saw me, ducked past the fire-wreathed
blade of my Hearthmate, and smiled that sly purple smile of his. “Doesn’t matter what happens
now,” he said. “Yurgen will snap your soldiers like dead branches.” He pinned Tepet Nezurin
with subtle magics, punched through jade armor like water and consumed her heart with a
fiery mandala of sunlight. “Maybe,” I answered through the sorrow of losing a Hearthmate,
“Jochim said that before I took his head, and he was twice the fucking soldier you are. How will
you fare?”
My other Hearthmate was on the scene then, whispering Essence and giving me back the
strength of the Dragons I’d lost twisting Fear-Eater’s words to his army. He tried to catch
the blade, but Jochim tried the same trick once, and it didn’t work then either — they both
had spent too much killing my Hearthmates, and I made them pay for it. Air finds a gap, and
my grandfather’s daiklave found the one between tendon and bone. I buried the blade in
his clavicle, wrenched it free easy as a summer’s breeze, then ruined the lovely view of his
surprised face with my fist. Then I took his head, stopped to savor the look of fear in his eyes
after his flaring anima guttered and winked out in death.
Then I heard the roar from the front, turned to see our lines shattering in the light of three suns,
and truly I wish I’d had his damned fruit trick then.

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 Chapter Five

Character Creation
By default, starting Dragon-Blooded characters are primary Attributes, six dots between your secondary
experienced characters who’ve been Exalted for sev- Attributes, and four dots between your tertiary Attributes.
eral years: Dynasts who’ve graduated from one of the Attributes can’t be raised higher than five.
Realm’s secondary schools, trained soldiers of Lookshy,
or outcastes with plenty of adventures behind them. Step 3: Abilities
These rules allow you to create such characters.
Each Aspect has five associated Abilities (Exalted, p.
Step 1: Concept and Aspect 150). Mark them as your Aspect Abilities.

Start character creation by talking with your Storyteller • Air: Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth, Thrown
about her plans for the game, and discussing character
concepts with your fellow players. • Earth: Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance,
War
Think about your character’s origin, personality, skills,
and the heroic archetypes that inspire them. A Dragon- • Fire: Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence,
Blood’s origin is of great importance in character cre- Socialize
ation — if your character is from the Realm, you should
decide whether she’s a Dynast or a lost egg, which of • Water: Brawl (and Martial Arts), Bureaucracy,
the Great Houses (p. 34) she belongs to, and which sec- Investigation, Larceny, Sail
ondary school (p. 85) she attended. Alternatively, you
• Wood: Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride,
might play a Dragon-Blood that belongs to one of the
Survival
gentes of Lookshy (p. 112), one of the clans of Prasad
(p. 26), another group of outcastes, or no group at all. Next, pick five Favored Abilities in addition to your
Once you have a rough idea of the details, sum up in Aspect Abilities.
your concept — a brief description of your character.
Divide 28 dots among your Abilities. Each Ability
Once you have your concept (or while you’re still starts with zero dots, and no Ability can be raised
figuring out the details), determine which of the five above three dots without spending Bonus Points.
elements is your character’s Aspect (p. 145). Unlike Abilities can’t be raised higher than five. Each Favored
Solar Castes, Aspects aren’t archetypal roles, instead Ability must have at least one dot assigned to it.
reflecting the influence of the chosen element on your
Dragon-Blood’s personality and skills. Your Aspect Finally, assign three specialties (Exalted, p. 123) among
also determines your anima powers (p. 154). your Abilities. You must have at least one dot in an
Ability to take a specialty in it. You also receive addition-
Step 2: Attributes al specialties based on your Dragon-Blood’s background.

Each Attribute (Exalted, p. 148) begins with one free dot. Dragon-Blooded of the Realm assign two specialties
Next, of the categories of Attributes — Physical (Strength, among three Abilities, based on the secondary school
Dexterity, Stamina), Social (Charisma, Manipulation, they trained at:
Appearance), and Mental (Perception, Intelligence,
Wits) — choose one as primary, another as secondary, and • The Cloister of Wisdom (p. 86): Integrity, Lore,
the third as tertiary. Distribute eight dots between your Martial Arts

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 cha p ter fi v e : character creation

• The Heptagram (p. 86): Craft, Lore, Occult You may choose Martial Arts Charms (Exalted, p. 426)
or Evocations (Exalted, p. 611) in the place of Dragon-
• The House of Bells (p. 88): Archery, Melee, War Blooded Charms. If you choose Terrestrial Circle
Sorcery as one of your starting Charms, you may also
• The Spiral Academy (p. 89): Bureaucracy, learn spells (Exalted, p. 471) in the place of Charms.
Presence, Socialize

• Pasiap’s Stair (p. 90): Athletics, Resistance, War Step 6: Intimacies

Lookshyan Dragon-Blooded (p. 112) assign two spe- Choose Intimacies (Exalted, p. 170) to represent your
cialties among Integrity, Lore, or War. character’s beliefs and relationships. Intimacies can
represent a Dragon-Blood’s motivations, relationship
Prasadi Dragon-Blooded (p. 26) assign two specialties with her Great House, religious beliefs, worldview,
among three Abilities based on clan: friends and enemies, moral code, personal idiosyncra-
sies, or other important parts of her life.
• Clan Burano: Bureaucracy, Integrity, Resistance
There’s no maximum on how many Intimacies you
• Clan Ophris: Athletics, Performance, Socialize may choose. Starting characters must have at least
four Intimacies. At least one must be Defining, and one
Forest Witches (p. 28) assign two specialties among must be Major. Likewise, at least one must be positive,
Integrity, Occult, or Survival. and one must be negative.
The Storyteller may create similar lists of three Abilities to
reflect the background and training of outcastes or mem- Step 7: Bonus Points
bers of other Dragon-Blooded cultures. Alternatively, if
none of the options above fits your character’s background, You have 18 Bonus Points that can be spent to raise any
you may assign one specialty in any Ability of your choice. of your character’s traits.

Note that specialties add to the maximum amount TRAIT COST

of bonus dice from Charms that a Dragon-Blood can
benefit from. Primary or 4 per dot
Secondary Attribute

Step 4: Merits Tertiary Attribute 3 per dot

Aspect or Favored Ability 1 per dot
Choose thirteen dots’ worth of Merits (Exalted, p. 157). Non-Aspect, 2 per dot
In addition, Dragon-Blooded who belong to the Scarlet non-Favored Ability
Dynasty, Prasad’s Dragon Caste, or Lookshy’s gentes
may distribute five additional dots among the Backing, Specialty 1
Command, Contacts, Followers, Influence, Language, Merit 1 per dot
Resources, and Retainers Merits, representing the
Aspect or Favored Charm 4
benefits of her privileged position in society.
Non-Aspect, 5
non-Favored Charm
Step 5: Charms Spell (Occult Aspect or Favored) 4
Choose fifteen Charms (p. 162) from any Abilities, plus Spell (Occult non-Aspect, non-Favored) 5
an additional five Charms with the Excellency keyword
from any of your Aspect or Favored Abilities, that
Evocation 4
express your Dragon-Blood’s supernatural might and Willpower 2 per dot
elemental power. Dragon-Blooded Charms each require It’s most cost-effective to use Bonus Points to raise
a minimum rating in their associated Ability — if you your Aspect and Favored Abilities, while using them to
don’t have enough dots to qualify for a Charm you want, buy Charms, Evocations, or spells is the most expen-
you’ll need to spend Bonus Points to raise that Ability’s sive option.
rating.

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UPGRADE!

Some Dragon-Blooded Charms have elemental variants that cost three experience points. These variants can
be taken at character creation for one bonus point apiece.

Step 8: Finishing Touches • Pick an Aspect, and note its anima powers.

Starting Dragon-Blooded begin with a permanent Step 2: Attributes

Essence of 2 (Exalted, p. 174). A Dragon-Blood’s pool • Mark down one dot in each Attribute.
of Personal Essence equals (11 + Essence), while her
Peripheral Essence equals (23 + [Essence x 4]), for a • Divide 8 dots among primary Attributes, 6 dots
total of 13 personal motes and 31 peripheral motes at among secondary Attributes, and 4 dots among
Essence 2. tertiary Attributes.

You begin with five Willpower (Exalted, p. 169), which Step 3: Abilities
can be raised by spending Bonus Points. • Mark your Aspect Abilities.

You begin with seven health levels (Exalted, p. 171): • Select five Favored Abilities, which cannot be
a −0 level, two −1 levels, two −2 levels, a −4 level, the same as Aspect Abilities.
and an Incapacitated level. You may purchase addi-
tional health levels by learning the Charm Ox-Body • Divide 28 dots among all Abilities. None may be
Technique (p. 246). raised higher than 3 without spending Bonus
Points, and each Favored Ability must have at
least one dot.
Character Creation
• Assign three specialties among any Abilities, and
Summary two specialties based on your Dragon-Blood’s
background.
Step 1: Concept and Aspect
• Consult with the Storyteller and other players, Step 4: Merits
and come up with a concept for your character. • Spend 13 dots on Merits.

• Determine your Dragon-Blood’s origin, in- • If appropriate for your background, spend 5
cluding Great House and secondary school for dots between Backing, Command, Contacts,
Dynasts, gens for Lookshyan Dragon-Blooded, Followers, Influence, Language, Resources, and
or clan for Prasadi Dragon-Blooded. Retainers.

JUST HATCHED

The rules above are for creating experienced Dragon-Blooded. If you want to play a game featuring newly
Exalted Dragon-Blooded, such as one set in a Realm secondary school, make the following changes to the
default character creation:

• Your permanent Essence is 1.

• You don’t receive bonus specialties from your background.

• Choose ten dots of Merits. You don’t receive bonus Merits from your background.

• Choose ten Charms and five additional Excellencies.

• Spend 15 Bonus Points.

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 cha p ter fi v e : character creation

Step 5: Charms • Water: Shrewd, mercurial, and adaptable, able

• Select 15 Charms and 5 additional Excellencies. to navigate complex problems or improvise ef-
fective solutions.
Step 6: Intimacies Aspect Abilities: Brawl/Martial Arts,
• Choose at least four Intimacies, including at least Bureaucracy, Investigation, Larceny, Sail
one Defining Intimacy, one Major Intimacy, one
positive Intimacy, and one negative Intimacy. • Wood: Ever-changing, nurturing, and sensual,
with strong ties to nature and the cycle of life
Step 7: Bonus Points and death.
• Spend 18 Bonus Points. Aspect Abilities: Archery, Medicine, Performance,
Ride, Survival
Step 8: Finishing Touches
• Record Essence rating (2), Personal Essence Bonus Point Costs
(11 + Essence), Peripheral Essence (23 + TRAIT COST
[Essence x 4]), Health Levels (−0/1x2/−2x2/−4/
Incapacitated) and Willpower (5). Primary or Secondary Attribute 4 per dot
Tertiary Attribute 3 per dot
Aspects
Aspect or Favored Ability 1 per dot
• Air: Thoughtful, creative, and visionary, skilled
in subtlety and scholarship. Non-Aspect, non-Favored Ability 2 per dot
Aspect Abilities: Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Specialty 1
Stealth, Thrown
Merit 1 per dot
• Earth: Strong-willed, traditionalist, and meticu- Aspect or Favored Charm 4
lous, possessed of great endurance and skilled in Non-Aspect, non-Favored Charm 5
shaping things that last.
Aspect Abilities: Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Spell (Occult Aspect or Favored) 4
Resistance, War Spell (Occult non-Aspect, non-Favored) 5
• Fire: Passionate, hot-blooded, and contentious,
Evocation 4
excelling in physical activity and social interac- Willpower 2 per dot
tion through boundless energy.
Aspect Abilities: Athletics, Dodge, Melee, Presence,
Socialize

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Realm Year 765
Tereya Kingfisher Swift had never felt at home in the Tereya family’s study, and she had always
appreciated that. It was an honest place, with its functional chaises, its austere writing desk, and, of
course, its mechanical clock. The clock was a Varangian import that had been in this study when Swift
married into the Tereya family, and it had faithfully ticked across the decades since. Other patrician
families now displayed clocks, but Swift judged them mere status symbols. She had always viewed the
Tereya family clock as a reminder that time was too valuable to be wasted. Doubly so for a family that
was mostly mortal.
Swift sat across from her niece by marriage, Tereya Seren, teacups steaming between them. When
Swift’s nuptials were new, and she had been a proud young officer in the Empress’ legions, Seren had
been a promising mortal newcomer to the Imperial Service. Now Seren was the gray-haired matriarch
and grandmother of a powerful patrician family, and the study was hers to command. And what had
happened to Kingfisher Swift?
“Insubordination.” Swift hadn’t repeated the word since it was spit in her face by a Cathak winglord half
her age. She washed the taste down with bitter tea. “Charged, tried, dismissed… in one afternoon. My
career’s over.”
Seren nodded without surprise. Of course she had already known, thought Swift, but what Seren said
was: “You did not deserve this, auntie.”
It wasn’t kindness or reassurance. It was an admission of what they both knew: that the Empress’
legions had been hobbled and picked apart by the Great Houses. That the Realm’s promise of an honest
living for every lost egg had been broken. Swift couldn’t imagine the ramifications of this for the empire,
didn’t really want to. So she just nodded.
“There is, of course, a place for you here,” continued Seren. “Tereya’s household guard would be
peerless with your experienced leadership. But...”
Swift frowned. She hadn’t expected a “but.”
Seren sipped her tea across several ticks of the clock. “I fear that it may not be the comfortable
retirement you’ve earned. There is uncertainty, here in the Imperial City, with the legions so close by.”
Seren looked from her tea to meet Swift’s eyes. “If the unthinkable were to occur, it may fall to families
like ours to maintain stability. To defend the capital, and the Scarlet Throne.”
The ticking of the clock seemed to slow as Swift considered the full implications of the offer lurking
behind Seren’s warning. Defending the capital was the legions’ job, and the legions answered to the
Great Houses now. To defend the Imperial City from its rightful protectors, the patricians would need to
conquer it themselves. And as the financial and administrative backbone of the capital, perhaps they
could. They would still need private armies, led by... people like Kingfisher Swift.
Swift felt a rush of ambition and pride at the idea of proving her worth against the legions she’d loved
for so long. But could she help upend eight centuries’ worth of social order for love of battle? Swift was
grateful to her family, but she did not fully trust them. She warred with herself for one tick, until the
battle was decided.
Swift had sworn to serve the Scarlet Empress. Not the Great Houses.
“Thank you, niece. Your offer is fair.”
Seren inclined her head, an acknowledgement or slight bow, as she poured Swift more tea. Swift
listened to the clock, and wondered for the first time what her life was ticking toward.

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 Chapter Six

Traits
The Dragon-Blooded largely use the same traits title carries great weight in her dealings with others.
detailed in Exalted — Attributes, Abilities, Essence, Upon taking this Merit, her player should specify both
Willpower, and the like. This chapter describes how her character’s sobriquet and the reputation that it
their traits differ from those of the Solar Exalted, carries. Once per story, when she’s awarded a stunt on
and introduces new Merits and Flaws, some unique social influence that benefits from this reputation, she
to the Dragon-Blooded. Finally, the end of this chap- may increase the stunt’s rating by one.
ter provides rules for Dragon-Blooded character
advancement. Well-Bred (••) — Innate
The character has an exceptionally refined pedigree.
The blood of the Dragons runs strongly within her and
New Merits her offspring. Her children are significantly more like-
ly to Exalt as Dragon-Blooded than those of characters
Sobriquet (••) — Purchased
who lack this Merit. This is a prized commodity within
Prerequisite: Influence 1+
the Realm and throughout Creation. Whenever she
makes a bargain roll in which her bloodline is a factor,
Many Exalted and other great figures are known
such as negotiating a Dynastic marriage contract or
across Creation by their titles and epithets, as much if
bartering with the noble families of Nechara, she adds
not more than by name. Tepet Ejava is the Roseblack;
an automatic success. Conversely, she gains +1 Resolve
Yurgen Kaneko is the Bull of the North; Sha’a Oka is the
against bargains in that context. Neither of these count
Black Lion. This Merit represents a character whose
as a bonus from Charms.

EXISTING MERITS

Backing: Common sources of Backing for Dynasts include the Thousand Scales, the Immaculate Order, their
house’s legions or business interests, the Imperial Navy, the Magistracy, the Deliberative, and the All-Seeing
Eye. Common sources for Lookshyan Dragon-Blooded include the field forces, the Lookshyan navy, the direc-
torates, the gentes’ business interests, and the Shogunate Bureaucracy.

Cult: Both the Realm and Lookshy forbid the direct worship of Dragon-Blooded, making this Merit unlawful
and heretical to possess. Prasadi Dragon-Blooded and outcastes face no such restrictions.

Influence: Dragon-Blooded most often hold Influence within their family, be it a Great House, a Lookshyan
gens (p. 112), or a Prasadi clan (p. 26). It’s also common to have Influence in the locale where they reside or
somewhere they’ve performed great deeds in the past, or via their Immaculate denomination.

Resources: The typical Dynastic stipend is represented by Resources 3, with more successful or prominent
Dynasts having Resources 4-5. If a Dynast has Resources 0-2, it might represent her being disfavored by her
house or coming from an impoverished household, or might be the result of her falling into debt, making
unwise investments, or living far beyond her means.

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 chapter six : traits

New Flaws BREEDING AND EXALTATION

Thin-Blooded
Prerequisite: Dragon-Blooded There’s no dice roll to determine whether a Drag-
on-Blood’s child draws her Second Breath. In
The Dragon-Blood’s pedigree is diluted by mortal general, a Dragon-Blooded couple of average
blood, making her children less likely to Exalt as pedigrees can expect around half their children to
Terrestrials than those of her better-bred peers. Exalt, while even the best-bred couples can ex-
Outcastes typically possess this Flaw. She suffers a −3 pect one in five of their children not to. However,
penalty on all bargain rolls where lineage is a factor, wild deviations from these norms are frequent
and suffers −1 Resolve against such rolls, such as the enough to make even the best genealogical es-
timates imprecise. While the Well-Bred Merit and
marriage proposal of a patrician family.
the Thin-Blooded Flaw contribute to or against
the chances of this happening, it’s ultimately up
to the Storyteller to determine if and when a child
Exalts.

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SESUS ESHUVAR
My plans will sweep away my
enemies like a tornado does a twig.
Beware you aren’t
caught in the gale.
 Air Aspect

Air is the breath of Creation, all-encompassing and dust off of forgotten ideas, and sweep away long-held
ever-present. It’s the subtlest of the elements, unseen beliefs that no longer hold use.
and untouchable. It can be felt but never grasped. Yet
those who overlook the air that surrounds them are Aspect Markings: Air Aspects tend toward a bluish
fools. Its wrath may strike swiftly, the tempest and the or whitish tinge to their skin, which is cool or cold to
thunderbolt, or it can kill slowly, the wind that scatters the touch. They can smell of fresh breezes, new-fallen
sands and the chill that leeches away heat. snow, or the ozone scent of lightning. Some have eyes
that crackle with lightning at moments of inspiration
Exalting as an Air Aspect often leads a Dragon-Blood or strong emotion, or are surrounded by a mild breeze
to take on a new perspective. Her thoughts turn from even amid perfect calm.
mundane details to lofty thoughts, seeing Creation with
a bird’s-eye view. She eschews conventional wisdom Anima Banner: The anima banners of the Azure
to pursue grand dreams and high-minded idealism, Dragons shimmer with pale blue or white light, whirl-
forsaking the obvious for the subtle and the inspired. ing like gusts of wind or rolling clouds. Some gleam
Short-term goals become trivial and unimportant in like light reflecting from ice, while others are jagged
her estimation, as she focuses on what her actions may and erratic like lightning. They may give off the sound
accomplish in the long run. of screaming wind, or roaring thunder may accompany
them. Their iconic animas might depict air dragons,
The lofty idealism and boundless creativity of the whirlwinds and cyclones, thunderclouds that flash
Children of Mela inspires their endeavors. On the with lightning, falling snow or hail, or winged animals.
field of battle, Air Aspect generals are tactical geniuses
and strategic masterminds. They’re as elegant as the Anima Effects: Air Aspects call on the wind to speed
breeze and as deadly as the thunderbolt in battle, but them and deflect harm, and draw power from their
such is their subtlety that few have the opportunity ideals (p. 154).
to appreciate it. Amid society, they’re visionaries and
schemers whose plans extend countless steps ahead of Aspect Abilities: Air Aspects excel at scholarly pur-
their rivals and untold years into the future. They have suits and the subtle arts. Their Aspect Abilities are
the greatest natural affinity for the spiritual world and Linguistics, Lore, Occult, Stealth, and Thrown.
sorcery of all Dragon-Blooded, cultivating wisdom and
power in pursuit of greater enlightenment. Associations: The color blue, the Maiden of Serenity,
the monthly cycle of Air, and the northern direction.
An Air Aspect doesn’t see her Sworn Kin as they are, but
as they could be. Hers is the voice that inspires them to Sobriquets: Children of Mela, Azure Dragons,
greatness, teaching them how they might improve on Tempestuous Knives.
their flaws and showing them what their deeds might
Concepts: Renowned savant, idealistic monk, visionary
accomplish in the long run. They play much the same
senator, criminal mastermind, military philosopher,
role within Dragon-Blooded societies, innovating solu-
seeker of forbidden wisdom, political puppetmaster,
tions to the problems they face and devising plans for
languid dreamer, earnest bureaucrat.
how they might become greater. Air Aspects blow the

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KINGFISHER SWIFT
I am the stone upon which my
Kinship stands, surefooted
and unyielding.
This Anathema shall
not move us.
 Earth Aspect

Earth is the foundation of Creation, the mighty pillar strength and stability of Dragon-Blooded societies, up-
that upholds all things. Earth is unassailable, enduring holding those traditions that have seen it prosper through
both physical force and the taint of chaos. Its stability the ages and mending those things that are flawed.
keeps the balance of the world, from the mountains that
have weathered centuries unchanged to the purity of Aspect Markings: An Earth Aspect’s skin can be pale
cold iron. When storms fade, rivers dry up, fires burn like marble, brown like soil, or gray like stone. They
out, and forests die, only the unforgiving earth remains. smell of moist clay or freshly turned loam, and their
eyes can take on a gemlike appearance, sparkling like
Those who Exalt as Earth Aspects inherit the stoic calm sapphires or emeralds. Some have hardened or textured
and enduring stability of their element. They turn their skin, ranging from chalky to exceptionally smooth to
minds from trifles and ill-conceived dreams as they come rough and pebbled. Dust may rise from their footfalls.
to appreciate the importance of ritual and tradition, the
tried and tested wisdom passed down across generations Anima Banner: Earth Aspect animas burn with a
of Dragon-Blooded. They value that which lasts, whether steady white or yellow light that might shift like roll-
it’s a long-standing relationship with a lover or friend, ing sands or glimmer like a perfect diamond. Some
constructing a manse that will weather the passing of rumble with the earthshaking might of a landslide or
ages, or inflicting a total defeat from which a foe can nev- earthquake, or pulse like the heartbeat of a volcano.
er hope to recover. They’re slow to make up their minds, Their iconic animas often take the form of earth
but unshakable in their conviction once they’ve done so. dragons, mountains or stone towers, or animals like
badgers or bulls.
The Children of Pasiap stand firm in body, mind, and
soul, enduring the waves of adversity without bending Anima Effects: Earth Aspects are resilient against
or breaking. They’re capable of withstanding both attacks, persist through ailment or injury, and channel
immense physical pain and temptations of the will, seismic force through their anima flux (p. 154).
refusing to yield in defense of their allies on the bat-
tlefield or the traditions they’ve devoted themselves to Aspect Abilities: Earth Aspects favor talents ground-
upholding. As generals and tacticians, the foundation ed in tradition, discipline, and endurance. They build
of their battle plans is ancient wisdom such as The things up to last, including themselves. Their Aspect
Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier. As ar- Abilities are Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Resistance,
chitects and artisans, they create long-lasting marvels, and War.
and sense those flaws that are in need of repair.
Associations: The color white, the Maiden of Battles,
An Earth Aspect is a pillar of strength to her Sworn Kin, the monthly cycle of Earth, and the central direction.
supporting them with her iron will and the firmness of
her convictions. She understands the value of the ancient Sobriquets: Children of Pasiap, Ivory Dragons, Stone Fists.
tradition of the Sworn Kinship, and strives to uphold
Concepts: Master architect, craftsman, hidebound
harmony and balance within it. She may be called on to
minister, itinerant monk, military strategist, historian,
play the part of arbiter, judge, or disciplinarian when her
spycatcher, city protector, dedicated magistrate.
Hearth is shaken by strife. So too do they maintain the

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 LEFT HAND
CHALIMA
You dare take advantage of those
who can’t defend themselves?
Pick up your sword.
I’ll show you what
fear tastes like.
 Fire Aspect

Fire is the energy of Creation, the dynamic power that is societies, they’re driving forces of social change, attack-
ever restless, never satisfied. It engulfs all that it touches, ing hallowed traditions that have ceased to be useful and
consuming to burn brighter and hotter, spreading beyond challenging prevailing beliefs that have led their peers
control until there’s nothing left to burn. It knows no into error. Once the old ways have faced their scrutiny
restraint, no half-measures, and even when reduced to and burnt to ash, greater freedoms can prevail.
nothing more than smoldering coals, it can still ignite a
Aspect Markings: Fire Aspects tend toward a constant
deadly wildfire. But it’s not wholly without subtlety, for
flushed tone to their skin. Many radiate more body
there would be no shadow without the light of the flame,
heat than most people, making them hot to the touch.
and no smoke without the ferocious heat of its blaze.
They can smell faintly of smoke, fragrant incense, or
Exalting as a Fire Aspect intensifies every feeling and ash. Some have eyes that glow like embers, or emit
emotion, kindling the flames of passion in even the puffs of smoke when they speak or exhale.
stoniest hearts. Those who were serene or stoic before
Anima Banner: Fire Aspect animas leap and surge in red,
Exaltation learn to embrace the spontaneity of their
orange, or yellow hues, shimmering and blazing like a bonfire
emotions, while those who were already passionate
or smoldering like the subtle heat of still-burning coals. Some
grow more so, perhaps even hot-headed. When they
give off the crackling roar of a forest fire, or the dull scream
love, they love with all their hearts. When they hate,
of a stoked blast furnace. Their iconic animas are spectacular
they hate with the burning intensity of an inferno. No
displays: fire dragons, erupting volcanos, perpetual explo-
action is meaningless to a Fire Aspect — everything
sions, or animals like tigers or falcons made of flame.
they do, they believe in whole-heartedly.
Anima Effects: Fire Aspects are unburnt by flame
The Children of Hesiesh exult in battle, cutting down
while immolating their foes with anima flux, and draw
foes with deft grace or brutal force and flickering across
power from their passions (p. 155).
battlefields untouched in ceaseless movement. Their
passions overflow in inspiring speeches and heartfelt Aspect Abilities: Fire Aspects take well to talents that
actions, drawing every eye at the gala or spreading their let them draw attention, go where they please, and get
views like wildfire in the chambers of the Deliberative. what they want. Their Aspect Abilities are Athletics,
Yet they’re also talented intriguers, concealing their true Dodge, Melee, Presence, and Socialize.
hearts amid shadows and gleaning the hidden truths of
other’s passions. As generals, they lead from the front, Associations: The color red, the Maiden of Journeys,
inspiring their soldiers with their intensity. As savants the monthly cycle of Fire, and the southern direction.
or sorcerers, they’re driven to put what they’ve learned
into action, not satisfied with abstract contemplation. Sobriquets: Children of Hesiesh, Crimson Dragons,
Burning Swords.
A Fire Aspect who joins a Sworn Kinship is passionately
loyal even as she might conflict with her Hearthmates, Concepts: Master duelist, irrepressible socialite, righ-
challenging their assumptions or playing devil’s advo- teous crusader, passionate musician, devoted legion-
cate in argument. If she invites strife, it’s only because
naire, social critic, warrior monk, dedicated scholar,
she knows she must renew the passions of her Sworn Kin
and remind them of their purpose. In Dragon-Blooded notorious libertine.

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 RIGHTEOUS
RIVER
Have faith, friends.
The odds are against us, we’re outmatched,
and there’s no help coming...
but I have an idea.
 Water Aspect

Water is the flow of Creation, descending from Heaven to move forward, and they guide their people through
and travelling to the corners of the world. It clings to times of trouble to see the other shore, or instigate such
neither shape nor form, shifting and changing to adapt to competitions when necessary to avoid stagnation.
its surroundings. It’s not stopped by dams, but merely di-
verted, finding another path to the goal it inexorably seeks. Aspect Markings: Water Aspects tend toward a slight blue-
It needs only the slightest crack to permeate any barrier, green tint to their skin, sometimes a deep green-black or
and with time, it will wear the mountains down to dust. ebony in those of refined pedigrees. They can smell of fresh
Its depths conceal many things, whether the glinting trea- running water, salty ocean spray, or of the earth after rainfall.
sures of sunken ships or the unseen menace of the riptide. Some are marked by watery eyes or perpetually damp hair.
Their clothing might billow as though soaked in water, and
Exaltation as a Water Aspect breaks down fixed and stag- their presence can leave surfaces covered in condensation.
nant ways, suffusing the Dragon-Blood with the mercurial
adaptability of water. She learns to see things from many Anima Banner: Water Aspect animas are dark blue,
perspectives, pursuing countless paths until she finds the tinged with green or black, rippling like pools of water
one that leads to victory. If conventional methods prove or rolling like ocean waves. Some give off the roar of
unsuccessful, she tries the unconventional. If honorable the pounding surf crashing to shore, while other are
means are unavailing, then underhanded ones must be accompanied by an eerie silence like the stillness of the
employed. Challenge and conflict is the wellspring of all ocean depths. Their iconic animas swell into impres-
growth, and the only sin is conceding failure. sive displays of water dragons, whirlpools, tsunamis,
schools of fish, or siaka and other great sea beasts.
The Children of Danaa’d navigate the treacherous waters
of uncharted seas, government bureaucracies, and crimi- Anima Effects: Water Aspects move with fluid grace,
nal underworlds with equal ease, unstymied by seeming- and are as at home beneath the water as they are on
ly insurmountable obstacles. Every battle is a chance to dry land (p. 155).
learn and grow, whether it’s adapting one’s fighting style
to counter that of a superior opponent or drilling green Aspect Abilities: Water Aspects favor talents that keep
troops in battle strategy through practical experience. their options open and allow them to navigate com-
Every social interaction is one step closer towards ac- plex systems, problems, or environs with ease. Their
complishing their goals or schemes, even if they may not Aspect Abilities are Brawl/Martial Arts, Bureaucracy,
understand how at first. Their dogged persistence sees Investigation, Larceny, and Sail.
them to the end of unraveling mysteries, solving academ-
ic challenges, or resolving social disputes. Associations: The color black, the Maiden of Secrets,
the monthly cycle of Water, and the western direction.
A Water Aspect shares her persistence with her Sworn
Kin, helping them to adapt and grow stronger in the Sobriquets: Children of Danaa’d, Sable Dragons,
face of adversity. When her Hearthmates would resign Drowning Hands.
themselves to failure or fall into despair, it’s she who en-
Concepts: Renowned ship captain, martial arts sifu,
courages them to find wisdom from their defeat. Within
political fixer, ruthless magistrate, master spy, diplo-
Dragon-Blooded societies, they’re problem solvers who
mat, wealthy crime lord, information broker, dilettante
offer practical solutions to all difficulties, great and small.
artist.
Conflict, be it military, political, or economic, is a chance

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YUSHOTO MATHAR
I’ll compose a song for
your defeat, Anathema.
Of our glorious battle,
and how your death nourishes
the lives of all who come after.
 Wood Aspect

Wood is the life of Creation, that which changes in the that they might together reach their fullest potential. Wood
bloom of birth or the rot of death. It lives, grows, and dies Aspects likewise devote themselves to the growth of their
to make way for new growth, the only element that under- Dragon-Blooded cultures, nurturing the people and places
goes the cycle of life and death. Wood is life-sustaining, with the potential to benefit the whole while weeding out
nourishing man and beast with fruits and grain. Wood is those things that have no place in their perfect society.
life-ending, its thorns dripping with deadly poison. The
five elements are intricately interwoven, and wood is that Aspect Markings: Wood Aspects tend toward a green-
which unites them. It lays its roots in the earth and draws ish tinge to their skin, hair, lips, or even blood, and
nourishment from water, air, and the light of the fiery often have green eyes. They may smell of flowers, pine,
sun, bringing them together as it reaches full bloom. fresh fruit, or other plants. Some have leaves or flowers
growing in their hair, or even grow a light layer of bark
To Exalt as a Wood Aspect is to blossom with sensu- on their skin, typically along the back and shoulders.
ality, developing a newfound appreciation for each
and every experience. This need not be hedonistic or Anima Banner: Wood Aspect anima banners burst with
lascivious (though it certainly can be). There’s as much bright green light, waving like meadow grasses, spreading like
satisfaction to be had in the profound epiphany of tree branches, or blossoming like flower petals. Some are wild
spiritual enlightenment or the exhilaration of feeling a and untamed, while some seem dappled like a forest in sun-
hated foe’s blood splatter against one’s face as there is light. They may be accompanied by sound like a strong wind
in banquets, wine, or sex. Every experience and sensa- moaning through dense forests, or the scents of living foliage.
tion is an opportunity for growth and self-discovery, if Their iconic animas frequently depict wood dragons, writhing
only one will take the time to properly notice it. tangles of thorns, massive trees, giant flowers, vines of ivy ris-
ing skyward, or forest animals such as wolves, bears, or foxes.
The Children of Sextes Jylis pursue this sensuality
through every part of life. Every battle teaches harsh Anima Effects: Wood Aspects need not fear poison,
truths about one’s strengths and weaknesses, whether even as their venomous anima flux weakens their foes.
it ends in defeat or triumph over arrow-strewn corpses. They can also embody the lithe grace of plants (p. 155).
Every love affair teaches new lessons about the heart.
Every performance offers a deeper understanding of Aspect Abilities: Wood Aspects are naturals at skills
the rhythms and melodies of a song. Wood Aspects have that support others, ensure survival, and involve the
a strong affinity for the cycle of life and death, as both cycle of life and death. Their Aspect Abilities are
master healers and master poisoners. They have an Archery, Medicine, Performance, Ride, and Survival.
almost instinctive understanding of animals and plants,
taming deadly beasts to ride into battle or navigating Associations: The color green, the Maiden of Endings,
bramble-choked wilderness with effortless vigor. the monthly cycle of Wood, and the eastern direction.

A Wood Aspect tends to her Sworn Kinship as though it were Sobriquets: Children of Sextes Jylis, Emerald Dragons,
a garden, nurturing her Hearthmates’ growth as warriors Ashen Bows.
and heroes while pruning back their weaknesses and flaws.
Concepts: Master healer, cunning courtier, traveling per-
Each of her Sworn Kin is an irreplaceable part of a greater
former, assassin, Immaculate inquisitor, explorer, worldly
whole, and the bonds between them must be nourished so
epicure, woodland outlaw, meticulous merchant prince.

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Anima Banner and trivial enemies instead suffer one die of decisive
lethal damage. Outside of combat, anima flux inflicts
The anima banners of the Dragon-Blooded manifest their one die of lethal damage each minute. Characters with
elemental puissance as they expend Essence. For every Hardness 1+ are unaffected by anima flux.
five motes of Peripheral Essence a Dragon-Blood spends
in an instant, her anima banner rises by one level. Anima flux may damage scenery if dramatically appropri-
ate, setting cloth tapestries ablaze or shattering wooden
walls with seismic force. For this reason, Dragon-Blooded
ANIMA LEVEL EFFECTS favor sturdy stone architecture in their homes or other
Dim The Dragon-Blood’s anima is places where their anima banners might flare.
invisible to all senses. This is the
default level at which it resides Anima Effects
when she’s not spending Essence.
Glowing The Dragon-Blood’s anima A Dragon-Blood’s anima powers are considered to
outlines her body in the be of her own elemental Aspect for purposes of her
glowing colors of her element, Elemental Aura (p. 162).
and her aspect markings
become more pronounced. By spending one mote, a Dragon-Blood may use one of
Any attempts at stealth or dis- the following effects:
guise suffer a −3 penalty.
• She may perform minor manipulations of her
Burning The Dragon-Blood’s anima burns Aspect’s element: cooling herself with a light
brightly in an aura around her. breeze, igniting a fire without flint or tinder, caus-
Stealth becomes impossible. ing a flower to blossom early at her touch. These
Bonfire/Iconic The Dragon-Blood’s anima erupts never carry mechanical effects, but provide minor
into a shining pillar of elemental utility and can be incorporated into stunts.
force that stretches high into the
sky, visible for miles around. Upon • Once she’s joined a Sworn Kinship (p. 104), she
reaching this level, and at suitably may sense the direction and approximate distance
dramatic moments, her anima to another member of it.
manifests an iconic display of el-
Air Anima Effects
emental power or other personal
symbolism chosen by her player, • For five motes, the Air Aspect can use her reflexive move
such as an erupting volcano or action to leap an entire range band vertically or horizon-
a snow leopard carved from ice. tally without needing to roll, and suffers no falling dam-
The area out to short range of age for the rest of the round. At bonfire, this power is free.
the Dragon-Blood is completely
• For three motes, the Air Aspect may deflect pro-
illuminated. Stealth is impossible.
jectiles with a gust of wind, imposing a −1 environ-
.
mental penalty on all ranged attacks against her
It takes fifteen minutes for the Dragon-Blood’s anima until her next turn.
banner to recede from the bonfire level to burning
or from burning to glowing, and half an hour for her • Once per day, when the Air Aspect takes a non-
glowing anima to recede to dim. extended social or mental action to uphold a
Principle, she adds (Intimacy) non-Charm bonus
Anima Flux dice on the roll.

When a Dragon-Blood’s anima banner rises to the bon- Earth Anima Effects
fire level, her untamed elemental power spills from it as • For five motes, the Earth Aspect adds (higher of
pure destructive force, called anima flux. At the bonfire Essence or 3) natural soak and +1 Hardness un-
level, she rolls one die of withering damage against all til her next turn, as well as gaining +1 Defense
non-Dragon-Blooded characters within close range of against smash attacks and grapple gambits as a
her (including allies) at the start of each turn. She doesn’t non-Charm bonus. At bonfire, this power is free.
gain Initiative from her anima flux. Crashed characters

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 chapter six : traits

• For three motes, the Earth Aspect ignores one point of were solid land, and ignores the −3 penalty for
penalty from wounds, poison, or crippling for a single tick. rushing or disengaging across difficult terrain. She
gains these benefits for free while at bonfire.
• The Dragon-Blood may spend two Initiative when she
rolls anima flux to either knock all damaged foes prone • For three motes, the Water Aspect adds a non-
or knock them one range band away from her. Charm success on a roll to disengage, withdraw, or
resist being grappled.
Fire Anima Effects
• For five motes, the Fire Aspect becomes completely • Water Aspects may breathe water as though it were
immune to mundane environmental hazards based air, and suffer no penalties for being submerged in
on fire or heat for a scene. She adds (Essence) natural water.
soak and gains Hardness 2 against fire-based attacks
like firewands. She gains these benefits for free while Wood Anima Effects
at bonfire. • For five motes, the Wood Aspect becomes immune
to mundane plant-based poisons, and doubles 9s
• Once per day, when the Fire Aspect takes a non- on rolls to resist other poisons and diseases for the
extended action to uphold an emotion-based scene. She gains these benefits for free while at
Intimacy, she adds (Intimacy) non-Charm bonus bonfire.
dice to the roll.
• For three motes, the Wood Aspect becomes flexi-
• A Fire Aspect’s anima flux deals (higher of Essence ble as a sapling in the wind, ignoring one point of
or 3) damage to characters without Hardness in- penalty to Evasion or (Essence) points of penalty
stead of one die. on a movement action for an instant.

Water Anima Effects • A Wood Aspect’s anima flux is laced with toxic
• For five motes, the Water Aspect may use her move power. A character that takes damage from it is ex-
action to cross the surface of water as though it posed to a poison with Damage 2i/round, Duration
(Essence + Stamina) rounds, and a −1 penalty.

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Character Advancement
Dragon-Blooded earn five experience points at the end
of each session, which can be spent immediately or
saved for later.

Trait Experience Cost

Attribute increase current rating x4
Non-Aspect, current rating x2
Non-Favored Ability increase
Aspect/Favored (current ratingx2) − 1
Ability increase
New Ability 3
Specialty 3
Purchased Merit new rating x3
Willpower 8
Dragon-Blooded Charm 10 (8 if in an
Aspect/Favored
Ability)
Martial Arts Charm 10 (8 if Martial
Arts is an Aspect/
Favored Ability)
Spell 12 (10 if Occult
is an Aspect/
Favored Ability)
Evocation 12

Dragon Experience
In addition to the normal experience awarded at the end
of a session, players of Dragon-Blooded have the oppor-
tunity to earn special points called Dragon Experience.
Dragon Experience can be spent to gain any trait (or on
any other experience point cost, such as that to perform
sorcerous workings), except Dragon-Blooded Charms.

Players have two opportunities to earn Dragon

Experience per session. They may earn one Expression
Bonus and one Role Bonus, each of which grants two
Dragon Experience, for a maximum of four Dragon
• Facing significant challenges, danger, or harm in
Experience per session.
the course of protecting or upholding a Major or
Expression Bonus Defining Intimacy.
Characters can gain 2 points of Dragon Experience by •
Being significantly impeded, endangered, or
fulfilling one of the following criteria per session: harmed by a Flaw.
• Expressing, supporting, or engaging a Major or
Aspect Bonus
Defining Intimacy such that it reveals something about
Characters can gain 2 points of Dragon Experience by
the character, develops her personality, or provides a
fulfilling one of the following criteria per session:
character moment that everyone at the table enjoys.

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 chapter six : traits

• Intentionally ceding the “spotlight” of the scene’s • Air Aspects: Accomplishing a long-term plan that
focus to another player’s character to set them up upholds a Major or Defining Intimacy; uncover-
for an exciting and dramatic moment, or directly ing knowledge through study or subterfuge that
supporting them in such a moment. furthers the character’s or an ally’s goals; solving
a significant problem through the application of
• Roleplaying the effects of the Great Curse (p. 159) knowledge; guiding an ally in using his talents
in a way that reveals something about the charac- or abilities to advance his or the Dragon-Blood’s
ter, develops her personality, or provides a charac- goals.
ter moment that everyone at the table enjoys.

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

• Earth Aspects: Defending, supporting, or expand-

Trait Training Time
ing an institution or tradition in support of a Major
or Defining Intimacy; enduring significant peril to Attribute (new rating) months
defend an ally; creating a lasting and meaningful Non-Aspect, (new rating) weeks
institution, tradition, or work of craftsmanship or Non-Favored Ability
mystical power; resolving a meaningful dispute
Aspect/Favored Ability (new rating) days
between one’s allies or a group one belongs to.
Specialty Two weeks
• Fire Aspects: Defeating a powerful enemy in a way Purchased Merit (new rating) weeks
that upholds an emotion-based Major or Defining
Intimacy; taking needless risks or plunging into Willpower One month
unnecessary danger to uphold a Major or Defining Dragon-Blooded or (Ability + Essence minimum)
Intimacy; inspiring others to uphold one of the char- Martial Arts Charm days, or (Ability minimum)
acter’s emotion-based Major or Defining Intimacies days if Aspect/Favored
in a significant way; directly furthering the charac-
Spell Two weeks
ter’s or her allies’ goals by causing another character
to question one of his Major or Defining Intimacies. Evocation (Essence minimum x 4) days

• Water Aspects: Solving a significant problem or

Raising Essence
defeating a powerful enemy using a new approach
after failing before; removing a major impediment
A Dragon-Blood’s Essence rating rises as she grows and
to the character’s or her allies’ goals using uncon-
matures as a hero, increasing automatically once she’s
ventional or underhanded means; exploiting the
earned and spent a certain amount of experience (Dragon
rules or customs of a government, bureaucracy, or
Experience doesn’t count towards this total). Once she’s
criminal association to support a Major or Defining
spent sufficient experience, the Dragon-Blood must
Intimacy; helping an ally recover or learn from a
generally meditate on her elemental Essence or seek en-
major defeat or setback in a way that grants a sig-
lightenment in seclusion before attaining the next dot of
nificant advantage.
Essence, although it’s possible for it to increase instantly
in a dramatic, character-defining moment.
• Wood Aspects: Learning something from firsthand
experience that helps advance or protect a Major or
Dragon-Blooded characters made using the default
Defining Tie; navigating geographical obstacles or
character creation rules (p. 136) must attain the follow-
curing dangerous ailments preventing the character
ing totals to raise their Essence:
or an ally from achieving a significant goal; uphold-
ing a Major or Defining Intimacy by pursuing a new
experience; helping an ally cultivate a strength or Essence Rating Experience Points
remedy a weakness in a way that grants a significant Essence 3 75
advantage.
Essence 4 250
Training Times Essence 5 325
Essence 6+ Only available at Storyteller’s
Raising traits with experience points isn’t an instant pro- discretion
cess. These training times are rough guidelines for how
long it takes, assuming that a character spends a significant Dragon-Blooded characters created with the alternate
portion of that time (but not all of it) training, or gleans sig- rules for beginning at Essence 1 must spend 50 experi-
nificant experience from practical application of her skills. ence points to reach Essence 2, after which they add 50
A character can train multiple traits at the same time if it to the values on the above chart.
makes sense — a rigorous course of academic study could
count toward the times required to raise Intelligence, gain
a Lore specialty, and learn a Lore Charm. The Great Curse
The listed training times can be reduced if a character When the slain enemies of the gods pronounced their
is trained by a talented mentor, or devotes her time death-curse against the Exalted, the brunt of it fell upon
fully to training. the Solars who led the Divine Revolution. The Dragon-
Blooded were still accursed, but to a much lesser degree.

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 chapter six : traits

Consequently, unlike the Solars and other Exalted, respond to any insult or challenge to an import-
Dragon-Blooded don’t possess a Limit track or experi- ant tradition with earthshaking anger or abject
ence Limit Break. While the Great Curse still influences despair.
their behavior, its manifestations are determined solely
by the player of a Dragon-Blooded character. • Fire Aspects: A Fire Aspect’s Great Curse intensi-
fies her emotions and desires to the point of dan-
Roleplaying the Great Curse well is rewarded with Dragon gerous excess. Depending on the circumstances,
Experience (p. 156). However, while a Dragon-Blood’s she might be overcome with overwhelming zeal
excesses or warped judgment might cause problems for for her cause, self-hatred over any imperfection
her fellow characters, it’s never an excuse to ruin other she displays, reckless fury against hated foes or in
players’ fun at the table. If a dramatic moment caused by defense of those she loves, or self-sacrificing de-
the Great Curse isn’t something that the entire group spair when those she loves suffer.
can appreciate, it doesn’t award Dragon Experience.
• Water Aspects: A Water Aspect’s Great Curse
The Great Curse manifests differently in each elemen- makes her perseverance a liability as she goes to
tal Aspect of Dragon-Blooded: unnecessary extremes to overcome obstacles or
protect allies, or faces down impossible obstacles
• Air Aspects: An Air Aspect’s Great Curse can lead refusing to believe she can be defeated. She might
her to react with excessive anger, frustration, or take any underhanded shortcut or employ any
despair when the world fails to live up to her ide- plans, no matter how convoluted, in the pursuit of
alistic visions of it. She may become so caught up her own triumph.
in her high-minded idealism that she ignores the
consequences it has for others or the suffering that • Wood Aspects: A Wood Aspect’s Great Curse
it causes, or hold such confidence in her intellect might intensify her sensuality into hedonistic ex-
and vision that she’ll brook no insult without retri- cess, dangerous thrill-seeking, or wild binges that
bution, or take truly foolish risks not believing that leave her overcome by guilt, regret, or the desire
she could be wrong. to atone. She may instead become overzealous in
her attempts to nurture the people and societies
• Earth Aspects: An Earth Aspect’s Great Curse around her, becoming overbearingly controlling
may render her ruthless or cruel in defense of of that which she protects or mercilessly pruning
her cherished institutions and traditions, or away undesirable elements.
leave her single-minded and immutable, refus-
ing all counsel and closing her heart. She may

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Realm Year 768
Mnemon’s carriage rolled down the central boulevard of Jiara’s grand, damaged acropolis. Her
passage drew hawking merchants, praises from nervous Jiaran nobles, and respectful bows from her
legionnaires. Mnemon noticed them all, and was untouched. After centuries, the actions of mortals had
lost meaning, uniqueness. Yet mortals followed patterns, and patterns held true.
Once, the palaces on Jiara’s plateau had competed to reach the sky in an unseemly display of mortal
ambition. In the Scarlet Empress’ absence, Anathema dissenters fanned ambition into rebellion. It fell to
the Empress’ eldest surviving daughter to correct the wayward satrapy. Jiara’s grand towers crumbled
before Mnemon’s legions. The Anathema fled the city with the Jiaran royal family in tow.
Jiara was all but tamed now, and House Mnemon’s reputation had grown for the conquest. It was nearly
time for Mnemon to bring the spoils of her victory home to the Blessed Isle, to claim the throne she
deserved. One task remained.
Mnemon signaled her driver to stop, and stepped onto the boulevard’s cobblestones. She directed her
personal guard to follow one hundred paces back, and then walked, as alone as she ever was, until
she reached the rocky edge of the plateau. The lower half of the city stretched out below, and Mnemon
listened for its patterns in the wind and stone.
The city’s song was familiar. River traders shouted and monks preached. Construction crews rebuilt the
war-torn city while legionnaires drilled in battle maneuvers. Mnemon allowed herself to feel pride in the
flow of civilization working as it should, of every creature filling its proper role. All except for the shadow
the Anathema left behind.
Mnemon felt a weight on the stones behind her and spun, grabbing the blade meant for her back. She
looked past the facade of a harmless merchant and took in the assassin’s true features — yellow eyes,
dark skin, red hair — before twisting her wrist. The sword tumbled down the cliffside.
“Do you think I can’t feel an assassin’s breath on my neck?” asked Mnemon as she trapped the
assassin’s arm in a joint lock. “I’ve outlived a hundred like you.”
The assassin gritted her teeth. “Tell them Novia Claro took the prize.” A golden ring flared on her
forehead, and she slipped bonelessly from Mnemon’s grasp. Novia spun, opened her hand, and
unleashed a spray of blades, dozens of daggers fanning outward.
With nowhere to flee, Mnemon went through. Blades pierced her flesh in a dozen places, but she found
the assassin’s chest with the heel of her palm, and unleashed a pulse of seismic force. Novia tumbled
backward across the ground as Mnemon fell to a knee. The two women were still for a moment.
“I have a few ribs still unbroken,” said Novia. She drew another dagger. “How do you fare on blood,
dragon?”
Mnemon was a bloody mess, but she’d felt worse. She laughed, light-headed. “The Dragons provide.”
And by her will, Mnemon’s wounds erupted. Blood streamed down to pool beneath her, until something
began to reach out from the gore. It had gangling limbs, a curved spine, and flesh writhing like ants. The
demon Glafira, the Zodiac of Blood, stood and turned its rune-face toward Novia Claro.
The assassin grimaced at the demon, then glanced back to see Mnemon’s guards rushing to her.
“…Let me just get my sword,” she said. She dashed around Mnemon and Glafira, and hopped over the
cliff’s edge. Glafira scuttled after her immediately, fearless and tireless.
Mnemon ignored her guards’ shouts and turned to look down upon the Anathema, the demon, and the
city below. Her anima flared as her hands wove sorcerous Essence. Jiara was not yet perfected.

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Charms
The might of the Dragon-Blooded is depicted through Auras. The Aura manifests visibly through the Dragon-
their Charms. Each Terrestrial Charm is an expression of Blood’s anima banner if it’s above the dim level. If she’s in
elemental power channeled through the Dragon-Blood’s the Aura that matches her Aspect, her anima intensifies
superhuman mastery of an Ability. Like Solar Charms dramatically — the flames of a Fire Aspect’s anima might
(Exalted, pp. 250-251), Dragon-Blooded Charms aren’t burn blue-white, while an Air Aspect’s cloudy anima
codified techniques or known entities within the setting might grow dark and begin to crackle with lightning. In
of the game. Dynasts of the Realm understand the shared other Auras, her anima becomes a hybrid of two elements
nature of their power, and may be familiar with the feats — an Earth Aspect in Fire Aura could manifest an anima
of legendary elemental prowess that a particular Dragon- banner of flowing lava, while the anima of a Water Aspect
Blood is known for, but there are no books compiling lists in Wood Aura might be filled with writhing kelp.
of all known Charms, and some Charms might come as a
surprise to even the most experienced Terrestrial. To enter an Elemental Aura, the Dragon-Blood must use
Charms and/or anima powers of only one element during
Adding Bonus Dice her combat turn (or a similar narrative interval outside of
combat, such as an action in a scene of social influence or a
Unlike the Solar Exalted, the Dragon-Blooded don’t round of naval combat). At the end of her turn, she enters the
have generic Excellencies. Instead, each Ability has appropriate Aura. The Elemental Aura lasts until the end of
its own Excellency Charm. At character creation, a the scene, but ends early if the Dragon-Blood uses a Charm
Dragon-Blood gains five Excellencies from any of her or anima power of another element at any time. When the
Aspect or Favored Abilities for free; the rest must be Dragon-Blood’s anima banner reaches bonfire level, she
purchased normally. becomes unable to enter the Aura of any element except her
Aspect. If she’s in another Elemental Aura when her anima
A Dragon-Blood cannot add more than (Ability + reaches bonfire, it shifts to match her Aspect’s element.
Specialty) dice to a roll. Automatic successes count as
two dice each towards this limit. Static values such as The Aura affects Charms in multiple ways:
Evasion or Resolve can be raised by half this amount,
• Some Charms become more powerful in the ap-
rounded down. The only exceptions are rarer “non-
propriate Elemental Aura.
Charm” dice or successes, which don’t count to-
wards the limit at all. • Charms with the Aura keyword can only be used in
an Aura that matches their aspect.
Example: A Dragon-Blood with Melee 4 and a specialty
of (Spears) could add up to five dice on an attack roll or • Some Aura Charms require the Dragon-Blood to
raise her Melee Parry by 3 while wielding a spear, but expend her Aura as part of their cost.
only add four dice to a roll or raise her Parry by 2 with
any other weapon. • Some Aura Charms have “Duration: Aura,” indicat-
ing that they last only as long as the Dragon-Blood
The Elemental Aura remains in that element’s Aura.

The apex of Dragon-Blooded elemental power is the Charms with the Balanced keyword harmonize with the
Elemental Aura, a state in which she centers the totality Dragon-Blood’s Aura regardless of their aspect — they nei-
of her Essence around a single element. Dragon-Blooded ther prevent her from entering Elemental Aura when used
of any Aspect are capable of entering all five Elemental alongside Charms of another element, nor do they ever

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BUT WHAT ABOUT…?

The Elemental Aura flows from the intrinsic power of Dragon-Blooded Charms. Martial Arts, Evocations, and
sorcery never impact the Dragon-Blood’s Aura either positively or negatively, even if they’re elemental in na-
ture — they’re extrinsic power, a step removed from the core of Dragon-Blooded Essence. The one exception
are the Immaculate martial arts (p. 286), styles uniquely designed to harmonize with the Elemental Aura.

cause her Aura to end. Spending motes on Charms that Balanced: Balanced Charms don’t interfere with the
lack an elemental aspect never prevents the Dragon- Dragon-Blood’s Aura even if they don’t match its as-
Blood from entering Aura, nor does it end her Aura. pect — they won’t prevent her from entering an Aura
at the end of her turn if used with Charms of another
Example: On her turn, Tepet Jalena attacks using two Air- element, and never end her Aura. If she uses only
aspected Charms. At the end of her turn, she enters Air Balanced Charms on her turn, she may enter the Aura
Aura. Later in the round, she reflexively uses a Fire Charm of any of the elements whose Charms she used.
to defend against an attack, instantly ending her Aura.
Excellency: This keyword indicates Dragon-Blooded
Signature Charms Excellencies.

Each Ability has five puissant elemental Signatures. A Signature: This keyword marks an Ability’s five ele-
Dragon-Blood can only learn one Signature Charm mental Signatures.
per Ability. She doesn’t have to pick the Signature
Charm that matches her own elemental aspect. At
Essence 5, she unlocks the potential to learn one more
Archery
Signature Charm from each of her Aspect and Favored Unobstructed Hunter’s Aim
Abilities. She must use her second choice to learn the Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Archery 1, Essence 1
Signature Charm that matches her own Aspect if she Type: Supplemental
hasn’t already done so. Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Uniform, Wood
Duration: Instant
New Keywords Prerequisite Charms: None

Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Wood: Every Dragon-Blooded Sighting along the flow of living Essence, the Dragon-Blood
Charm has an elemental aspect, typically marked by these unleashes a flawless shot. She may add bonus dice to an
keywords. Dragon-Blooded Charms without these key- Archery roll for one mote each. As long as she attacks a living
words specify what aspects they can take on in their text. target — or an undead one, which stands out as a void in the
Essence of the world — each added die negates one point of
Aura: Aura Charms can only be used while the Dragon- penalty from visual obstruction such as poor lighting or smoke.
Blood is in the Elemental Aura that matches its aspect.
An Aura Charm can’t be used in the same instant with Sky-Calming Draw
Charms of other elements, unless those Charms have Cost: 3m; Mins: Archery 2, Essence 1
the Balanced keyword. Type: Supplemental

MULTIPLE ASPECTS

Some Dragon-Blooded Charms have multiple elemental aspects. Some have different effects for their mul-
tiple aspects and require the Dragon-Blood to choose one; these Charms will be keyworded as, e.g. Air or
Earth. Others belong to two or more elements simultaneously, and are keyworded as, e.g., Air/Earth. For
purposes of the Dragon-Blood’s Elemental Aura, the latter Charms count as whichever element is most ad-
vantageous to her — she could enter Water Aura using a Charm that is both Air and Water, and using a Charm
that is both Fire and Wood would not disrupt her Fire Aura.

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Keywords: Air, Uniform Thorns grow to wreathe the shaft of the Dragon-
Duration: Instant Blood’s arrow in flight. On a withering attack, she
Prerequisite Charms: None adds +1 Overwhelming, or (Essence) Overwhelming if
the attack benefits from aiming. Decisive attacks add
The Dragon-Blood’s focus quells the wind that would (Essence/2, rounded up) threshold successes on the
divert her arrow, ensuring her shot flies true. She extends attack roll as dice of damage, or (Essence) threshold
the range of a withering or decisive attack by one range successes if she aimed.
band, maximum long (including those made with Flame
weapons), and ignores penalties from wind or inclement Boughs of Burning Autumn
weather. If her weapon already has long range, she in- Cost: 2m, 1i; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 1
stead adds an automatic success on the attack roll. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Fire/Wood, Perilous
Death From Nowhere Duration: Instant
Cost: 4m; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: Harvest of the Hunter
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air/Water, Balanced, Withering-only Flame is born from wood. The Dragon-Blood may
Duration: Instant reflexively reload a firewand or similar flame weapon
Prerequisite Charms: Sky-Calming Draw with the Slow tag on her turn. This permits her to use
it in combination with Charms that make multiple at-
As the Dragon-Blood draws back her arrow against her tacks, such as Seven-Year Swarm Volley, as long as she
bowstring, she withdraws and disperses its weighti- pays this Charm’s cost before each additional attack
ness, sending it flying like an ephemeral phantom to past the first.
pierce her foe’s heart. Her withering attack ignores
(lower of Essence or Perception) points of soak from Life-Swelling Sap Strike
armor. If her attack benefits from aiming, she ignores Cost: 3m (+1wp); Mins: Archery 3, Essence 2
(higher of Essence or Perception) soak instead. Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
Harvest of the Hunter Duration: Instant
Cost: 1m; Mins: Archery 2, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: Harvest of the Hunter
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Wood The Dragon-Blood’s arrow bursts into a crush of ev-
Duration: Instant er-growing roots or vines in midflight, entangling her
Prerequisite Charms: None enemy in thick plants. She makes a distract gambit
(Exalted, p. 200). On a success, her projectile bursts
The Dragon-Blood may go to hunt with an empty quiver into growing vines, inflicting a −1 mobility penalty on
yet never lack for arrows. Anything that grows will yield the distracted character — which stacks with penalties
up arrows to the archer’s gathering hands. She can create from armor — for the rest of the scene. He or one of his
useable ammunition for a bow or crossbow from any kind allies can cut away the vines with a difficulty 3 gambit
of plant, whether it’s a marsh reed or a stalk of corn. In using an edged weapon, or the Storyteller might deem
combat, she doubles 8s on an ammunition check for an other actions or conditions sufficient. At the end of
Archery weapon (Exalted, p. 202). As long as she rolls a each round in which he remains entangled, he loses
single success, she’s guaranteed to scavenge a single arrow. a point of Initiative (which the Dragon-Blood doesn’t
Outside of combat, she may use this Charm to gather gain). Battle groups lose one Magnitude instead.
enough arrows to fill her quiver as long as there’s sufficient
plant life to draw her harvest from, although the Storyteller If the Dragon-Blood pays a one-Willpower surcharge,
may require a special ammunition check to create arrows an undead crashed by this attack is incapacitated,
in barren deserts or other areas devoid of plant life. crumbling into soil. This surcharge is waived against
trivial foes. This doesn’t apply to stronger undead,
Arrow Thorn Technique such as nephwracks, Deathlords, or undead Exalted.
Cost: 3m; Mins: Archery 3, Essence 1 The body of any living mortal slain while covered in
Type: Supplemental vines won’t harbor a hungry ghost. Outside of combat,
Keywords: Balanced, Dual, Wood the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm on dying mor-
Duration: Instant tals to ensure they leave no hungry ghosts, waiving the
Prerequisite Charms: Harvest of the Hunter Willpower cost for willing targets.

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In Wood Aura, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm Horizon-Spanning Arc
to make a standard decisive attack instead of a distract Cost: 4m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Archery 5,
gambit. Essence 3
Type: Simple
Arbor Sentinel Technique Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Air)
Cost: 4m; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 2 Duration: Instant
Type: Simple Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Wood
Duration: One scene The Dragon-Blood bends the winds to her bowstring,
Prerequisite Charms: Life-Swelling Sap Strike loosing a shot that could fly from heaven to earth. After
spending two consecutive rounds aiming, she makes a
As the Dragon-Blood lowers her bow to the ground, its decisive attack out to extreme range (Exalted, p. 197),
once-living wood remembers what it once was, sprouting converting the bonus dice from aiming to non-Charm
roots that dive into the soil. In a matter of seconds, the successes. She must be able to clearly see her enemy,
weapon grows into a small tree, less than a range band and cannot attack a foe from more than five range bands
high, its branches replete with arrows. It’s still perfectly away. If she hits and incapacitates her foe, she may re-
curved and weighted to allow the Dragon-Blood to attack flexively take aim at another enemy within long range.
with it, provides her with the benefits of heavy cover
(Exalted, p. 199), and cannot be disarmed. It provides a This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
never-ending supply of ammunition, ensuring she won’t reset by crashing an enemy whose Initiative was higher
run out of arrows even in a daylong battle. However, she than the Dragon-Blood’s.
cannot move the weapon in its tree form, and this Charm
ends if she moves further than close range from it. Earth’s Judgment Awakened
Cost: 6m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3
Drawing Lightning Style Type: Reflexive
Cost: 4m; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 2 Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only, Signature
Type: Supplemental (Earth)
Keywords: Air, Aura, Perilous, Uniform Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: Death From Nowhere
Standing calm and centered on the earth, the Dragon-Blood
As the Dragon-Blood takes aim, her arrow crackles rebukes an attacker with an arrow weighted with the unre-
with gathering lightning, shining as a glowing anima lenting force of her will. When she’s standing on an earthen
banner (p. 154). On her next turn, she may make a surface and successfully dodges an attack from an enemy
decisive attack, adding the bonus from aiming to her within her weapon’s range, she may unleash a decisive coun-
damage roll instead of the attack roll. terattack, rolling against the lower of her target’s Defense or
Resolve. It deals (Presence + attack roll threshold successes)
An Archery 4, Essence 3 repurchase lets the Dragon- dice of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness. It doesn’t include
Blood expend her Aura to apply the aim bonus on both her Initiative or reset her to base. This counterattack is in-
the attack and damage rolls. compatible with any effect that lets her move away from her
attacker, such as Hopping Firecracker Evasion.
Spring Follows Winter
Cost: 2m (+1i per die); Mins: Archery 4, Essence 2 This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
Type: Supplemental reset by successfully disengaging from a nontrivial foe
Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Uniform, Wood and beginning her next turn at short range or further
Duration: Instant from all enemies.
Prerequisite Charms: Death From Nowhere
Blazing Phoenix Pinion
Like green leaves reborn after the harshest winter, the Cost: 8m, 1a, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Archery 5,
Dragon-Blood’s arrow must inevitably strike its mark. Essence 3
After an attack roll, she can reroll up to (Essence) non-1 Type: Simple
failures for one Initiative each. This Charm must be de- Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Fire)
clared before the attack roll, but the Initiative isn’t paid Duration: Instant
until after the roll. Prerequisite Charms: None

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I’M ON FIRE!

Several Dragon-Blooded Charms, as well as other effects, set an enemy ablaze until he extinguishes himself.
A character might do this by dousing himself with a bucket of water, smothering the fire by covering it with
earth, or similar methods. This is typically a miscellaneous action (Exalted, p. 196), but not always — plung-
ing into a lake only requires a reflexive move action.

Threading incendiary anima through her arrow, the Sensing the interconnected web of life that surrounds her,
Dragon-Blood unleashes a shot that erupts in a glorious the Dragon-Blood opens her eyes to deal out death. She
blaze upon impact. After spending a turn aiming, she may reflexively aim against a living or undead enemy before
makes a decisive attack, adding (Essence) dice of damage. attacking it, and ignores any light or heavy cover it benefits
On a hit, as long as she rolls at least one 10 on her attack or from. If she already aimed the previous turn, she may attack
damage roll, the arrow explodes in an unblockable blast an enemy behind full cover, though it grants him +3 Defense.
that extends out to short range from her target. All char-
acters caught within it, including allies, must dodge her This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless re-
original attack roll or suffer dice of Hardness-ignoring set by aiming normally against an enemy before hitting
lethal damage equal to the total 10s on both her attack roll him with a decisive attack.
and the original damage roll. The original target of her
attack cannot dodge the blast. Any character that takes Dragonfly Finds Mate
damage from the explosion is knocked prone and catches Cost: 5m, 1i; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3
fire, suffering (Essence) further dice of lethal damage Type: Reflexive
each turn until he extinguishes himself. Keywords: Clash, Perilous, Withering-only, Wood
Duration: Instant
Fang-of-the-Depths Draw Prerequisite Charms: Spring Follows Winter
Cost: 2m; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental Sensing the path of an enemy projectile, the Dragon-Blood
Keywords: Signature (Water), Uniform strikes it aside with an arrow of her own. She may reflex-
Duration: Instant ively clash any ranged attack against her with a withering
Prerequisite Charms: None attack, without needing to aim. Winning the clash knocks
the enemy’s attack away harmlessly, but doesn’t roll dam-
Lurking beneath her victims, the Dragon-Blood un- age. She still gains Initiative from a successful attack, and
leashes death from the depths. She ignores penalties her attacker suffers both an onslaught penalty and the −2
for firing into water or similar liquids, or for firing Defense penalty for losing a clash.
while submerged — she may even discharge a firewand
while underwater. Salamander Swallows Flames
Cost: —; Mins: Archery 4, Essence 3
In Water Aura, if the Dragon-Blood uses this Charm Type: Permanent
to attack while underwater after aiming, she may Keywords: Clash, Fire
reflexively roll (Wits + Stealth) against her target’s Duration: Permanent
(Perception + Awareness) roll to establish conceal- Prerequisite Charms: Boughs of Burning Autumn,
ment against him before she attacks, rendering her Dragonfly Finds Mate
attack unexpected (Exalted, p. 203) on success. Once
she does so, she cannot use this effect for the rest of Catching her enemy’s flame with the barrel of her own
the scene unless reset by landing an attack using any firewand, the Dragon-Blood steals it for herself. When
combat Ability against a nontrivial foe at close range. she uses Dragonfly Finds Mate with a firewand, she
adds (Essence) dice to clash attacks made using another
Heartbeats Before Death firewand, a fire-based attack, or a magical attack made of
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 3 pure Essence or other energy such as Blazing Solar Bolt,
Type: Reflexive and may do so even if her weapon is unloaded. Winning
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Wood), Uniform the clash reloads her weapon, which visibly burns
Duration: Instant with stolen flame until she discharges it. Such uses of
Prerequisite Charms: None Dragonfly Finds Mate are both Fire- and Wood-aspected.

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Seven-Year Swarm Volley Keywords: Aura, Clash, Decisive-only, Wood

Cost: 6m, 1wp, expend Wood Aura; Mins: Archery 5, Duration: Permanent
Essence 3 Prerequisite Charms: Dragonfly Finds Mate
Type: Simple
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Wood The Dragon-Blood strikes down arrow and archer with a
Duration: Instant single shot. When she wins a clash with Dragonfly Finds
Prerequisite Charms: Dragonfly Finds Mate Mate while in Wood Aura, she may spend one Willpower
to send her arrow flying toward the enemy who attacked
The Terrestrial’s hands move to swiftly nock and draw her as a decisive attack that uses the same attack roll.
as Wood Essence strengthens her sinew and tough-
ens her ligaments. She makes ([lower of Dexterity or This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
Perception] / 2, rounded up) decisive attacks distribut- reset by using Dragonfly Finds Mate to successfully
ed against one or more enemies. Each attack has a base clash a decisive attack made by a nontrivial foe with
damage of (Essence − 2), and she divides her Initiative 15+ Initiative.
evenly among each of them, rounded up, to determine
their total damage. Once she’s completed these attacks, Swallows Defend the Nest
she resets to base Initiative, even if they all missed. Cost: 8m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Archery 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Sparrow Dives at Hawk Keywords: Aura, Clash, Decisive-only, Wood
Cost: —(1wp); Mins: Archery 5, Essence 4 Duration: Aura
Type: Permanent Prerequisite Charms: Sparrow Dives at Hawk

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The Dragon-Blood sights along every possible line of

attack, readying her arrows to strike anywhere and
Athletics
everywhere in defense of her allies. Whenever an en- Effortlessly Rising Flame
emy makes a ranged attack against the Dragon-Blood Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Athletics 1, Essence 1
or one of her allies within her weapon’s range, she Type: Supplemental
may reflexively clash it with a special decisive attack, Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Fire
without needing to aim. Unlike a normal clash, success Duration: Instant
doesn’t prevent the enemy attack from hitting, nor does Prerequisite Charms: None
it deal decisive damage or reset the Dragon-Blood’s
Initiative. Instead, every threshold success subtracts
Fire fills the Dragon-Blood’s body, suffusing her with
one success from the enemy’s attack roll against his
power. She may add automatic successes to an Athletics
original target. The attacker still suffers the onslaught
roll for two motes each, and rolls an additional non-
penalty of her attack, and if he misses his target, the −2
Charm die for every 10.
Defense penalty for losing a clash. The Dragon-Blood
gains three Initiative if the clash removes all success- Bellows-Pumping Stride
es from the attack, or one Initiative if she lowers the
Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1
attack successes from an amount the original target
Type: Supplemental
couldn’t have dodged or parried to one that he can.
Keywords: Fire
This doesn’t count as her combat action, and she may
Duration: Instant
clash any number of attacks each round.
Prerequisite Charms: None
This Charm ends if the Dragon-Blood attempts to
dodge or parry, or if she makes an attack on her own The Dragon-Blood darts forward with an explosive
turn (although she may use other Charms to clash, burst of speed to pursue her foes. She rolls an addition-
counterattack, or make reflexive attacks normally). al non-Charm die on a rush for every 1 that appears in
the rushed character’s opposing roll.
This Charm can only be used once per scene.
With Athletics 5, Essence 3, the Dragon-Blood may
Arrow Rain Tempest expend her Fire Aura when she reflexively moves
Cost: 6m, 5i, 1wp, expend Water Aura; Mins: Archery 5, to pursue an enemy after successfully rushing him
Essence 5 with this Charm to ignite a fiery trail behind her, an
Type: Simple environmental hazard with difficulty 3 and Damage
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Water (Essence/2, rounded up)L/round. It burns until the
Duration: Instant end of the round unless the Dragon-Blood crossed
Prerequisite Charms: Swallows Defend the Nest over a flammable surface such as a wooden floor or
grass, which ignites until extinguished or end of scene.
The Dragon-Blood fires a volley of arrows skyward,
Verdant Dragon’s Footsteps
each one doubling and redoubling to unleash a de-
scending storm of death. They hang fixed at the apex Cost: 4m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1
of their arc for a moment before falling in a storm Type: Supplemental
of flashing blue streaks of light. To use this Charm, Keywords: Wood
she must spend two consecutive turns aiming and Duration: Instant
maintain her Initiative at 12+ throughout. She targets Prerequisite Charms: Bellows-Pumping Stride
a point within her weapon’s range, and rolls a single
undodgeable decisive attack against all characters The pulse of life bolsters the Dragon-Blood’s endur-
within short range of it, even allies. Each enemy hit ance. She may move through plant-based difficult ter-
suffers the Dragon-Blood’s full Initiative in damage rain, such as dense forests or brambles, unimpeded, and
dice. Battle groups instead take levels of damage equal ignores fatigue penalties on a single movement-based
to her Initiative. Athletics roll.

This Charm can only be used once per scene. In Wood Aura, this Charm’s duration is extended for as
long as the Dragon-Blood remains in Aura.

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Soaring Leap Technique Duration: Instant

Cost: 1m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced The Dragon-Blood scales sheer rock faces and perilous
Duration: Instant mountains with effortless grace, her fingers carving
Prerequisite Charms: None handholds from unyielding stone. She may use her
reflexive move action to climb a single range band up
The Dragon-Blood takes to the air in a single bound, let- or down a stone or earthen surface without needing
ting the motion of wind around her guide her leap. Every to make an Athletics roll, and can even ascend sheer
10 on an Athletics roll to jump (including rushing or surfaces.
disengaging with a leap) rerolls a single non-1 failed die.
Any handholds carved with this Charm close as soon
Strength of Stone Technique as the Dragon-Blood has moved on from them, de-
Cost: 5m; Mins: Athletics 3, Essence 1 nying the advantage to her pursuers. With Athletics
Type: Simple 3, Essence 2, she may choose to leave them in place,
Keywords: Earth acting as exceptional equipment (Exalted, p. 580) for
Duration: One scene any others who wish to climb up that path.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Incense Smoke Ladder
The Dragon-Blood reinforces her body with unyielding Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 4, Essence 2
Earth Essence to accomplish mighty deeds. She gains Type: Reflexive
one bonus dot of Strength as long as she remains standing Keywords: Air/Fire, Balanced
on the ground or a natural stone surface. This increases Duration: Until next turn
her effective Strength to determine what feats of strength Prerequisite Charms: Bellows-Pumping Stride,
she can attempt, as well as adding one bonus die on Soaring Leap Technique
Strength-based rolls and to withering damage rolls.
Like a burning ember, the Dragon-Blood drifts up-
Grandmother Oak Exertion wards through the air. She can run up walls and other
Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 4, Essence 1 vertical surfaces, even upside-down along a ceiling, as
Type: Supplemental long as she maintains constant movement. However,
Keywords: Wood she cannot disengage or withdraw up walls. If she
Duration: Instant ends her movement somewhere she couldn’t normally
Prerequisite Charms: Strength of Stone Technique stand and then fails to renew this Charm on her next
turn, she falls and suffers damage normally.
The Dragon-Blood’s strength is inexorable, finding points
Mountain-Toppling Might
of leverage like an ancient tree digging roots into stone.
She adds a bonus success on a feat of strength, and may Cost: 3m; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 2
use her Stamina in place of her Strength rating to deter- Type: Supplemental
mine if she qualifies to attempt it. If she has Strength of Keywords: Earth
Stone Technique active, she counts the dot of Strength it Duration: Instant
grants as a dot of Stamina for the purposes of the feat. Prerequisite Charms: Strength of Stone Technique

In Wood Aura, the added success is a non-Charm The Dragon-Blood is capable of hefting huge boulders or
bonus. toppling wagons, drawing from the strength of the earth.
She adds (Essence/2, rounded up) to her Strength rating to
An Athletics 5, Essence 4 repurchase lets the Dragon- determine if she may attempt a feat of strength.
Blood spend one Willpower to add her Stamina to her
Strength to determine if she may attempt a feat, rather Soaring Zephyr Flight
than substituting it. Cost: 5m, 1wp (4i per round); Mins: Athletics 5,
Essence 3
Perfect Climbing Attitude Type: Simple
Cost: 4m; Mins: Athletics 2, Essence 1 Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Signature (Air)
Type: Supplemental Duration: Aura
Keywords: Balanced, Earth Prerequisite Charms: Incense Smoke Ladder

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Outracing even herself, the Dragon-Blood surpasses Strength rating to determine whether she qualifies to
the bounds of gravity. She moves two range bands up- attempt a feat of strength, and doubles 9s on the roll. If
wards with a mighty leap, hovering in place at the apex this would raise her Strength above the necessary min-
of her jump. She can subsequently fly through the air imum, each excess point adds a single non-Charm die.
with her normal movement actions, moving vertically
or horizontally, and hover in place while not moving. This Charm may only be used once per day.
In combat, each round after the first that she maintains
this Charm, she must pay four Initiative to remain in Inescapable Blazing Advance
the air. This Charm ends if she’s crashed or incapaci- Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Athletics 5,
tated, leaves Air Aura, or ends her mote commitment, Essence 3
causing her to drift harmlessly to the ground. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Fire)
Unshakable Mountain Spine Duration: Instant
Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Earth Aura; Mins: Athletics 5, Prerequisite Charms: Bellows-Pumping Stride
Essence 3
Type: Simple As the Dragon-Blood runs, flames streak behind her
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Earth) like scarlet ribbons as she builds to her utmost speed,
Duration: Instant incinerating those left in her wake. She adds (Essence)
Prerequisite Charms: Mountain-Toppling Might non-Charm dice on a rush. (Essence) 1s on the oppos-
ing character’s roll strip one point of Initiative each
The Dragon-Blood braces her muscles with the strength from him, which the Dragon-Blood gains.
and solidity of earth, becoming an unshakable pillar of
stone. To use this Charm, she must be in contact with When this Initiative loss crashes an enemy, the Dragon-
the earth — she could use it while standing on the lowest Blood’s speed is such that her fiery wake literally sets
floor of a building that’s directly atop earth, but not on him ablaze. He catches fire, suffering (the Initiative he
that building’s upper stories or roof. She doubles her lost) dice of Hardness-ignoring lethal damage on each

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of his turns. This lasts until he successfully extinguish- Duration: Instant

es himself. Prerequisite Charms: Incense Smoke Ladder

Dragon Surmounts the Waterfall The Dragon-Blood is as inevitable in her pursuit as

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 3 a raging wildfire, yet elegant as a dancing tongue of
Type: Reflexive flame. She rolls to rush an enemy from short range
Keywords: Signature (Water) with double 9s. On a success, she instantly moves into
Duration: One scene close range with her foe, instead of the usual effect of
Prerequisite Charms: None a rush.

The Dragon-Blood is a legendary swimmer, drawing The Dragon-Blood may pay one Willpower and expend
on both her body’s well-honed strength and unyielding her Fire Aura when she uses this Charm to rush a foe
endurance and on her affinity for the elemental flow of from medium range.
Water Essence. She doubles 8s on movement rolls while
swimming, and may ignore any penalties or difficult ter- Seething Dragon Footprint
rain from swimming against the current, through waves, Cost: 5i; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 4
across whirlpools, or through similar obstacles. She may Type: Reflexive
even ascend waterfalls and similar vertical flows of wa- Keywords: Fire, Perilous
ter, though she treats these as difficult terrain. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dancing Ember Stride

Any feats of strength the Dragon-Blood attempts while
underwater, such as dragging the survivors of a shipwreck The Dragon-Blood’s burning footprints burst into a
to safety or breaching the hull of an enemy warship, ben- roaring conflagration, drawing in the light and heat of
efit from double 9s. She adds (Essence/2, rounded up) to her anima as she speeds away. When she ignites a trail
her Strength to determine what feats she qualifies for. of fire with Bellows-Pumping Stride, she may use this
Charm to stoke it into a bonfire (difficulty 4, Damage
Graceful Dryad Dance 5L/round). Essence fuels the bonfire for the scene
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 3 even if there’s no flammable material underfoot.
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Signature (Wood) Falling Star Maneuver
Duration: One scene Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 5
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
The Dragon-Blood moves through forests with un- Duration: Instant
fettered grace, scaling the highest trees and dancing Prerequisite Charms: Dancing Ember Stride
effortlessly along the leaves of the canopy. She can walk
on branches, leaves, or similar living plant-based surfaces The Dragon-Blood’s speed builds into an all-sundering
with perfect balance, able to stand and cross over them force, burning red around her as she crosses the battle-
even if they couldn’t normally bear her weight and never field. She may use this Charm when she successfully
needing a roll to maintain her balance no matter how rushes an enemy with Dancing Ember Stride, or when
narrow they are. As long as she’s standing on such a plant- she descends from the air into close range with an en-
based surface, she gains +1 Evasion. In addition, she may emy, to make a reflexive decisive attack at close range
use her reflexive move action to move one or two range with Brawl, Martial Arts, or Melee. This counts as her
bands up or down a tree or similar plant-based surface, combat action for the turn. A successful attack creates
as long as there’s a horizontal surface on which she can a shockwave as a one-time environmental hazard
stand at the end of her movement (or if she uses Incense stretching out to short range from her foe. Its difficulty
Smoke Ladder to continue moving up it). is (Strength), and its Damage is equal to the total levels
of damage she rolled on her attack, to a maximum
Dancing Ember Stride of (Essence)L. The Dragon-Blood is immune to this
Cost: 4m, 2i; Mins: Athletics 5, Essence 3 hazard, but other characters, including her allies, are
Type: Simple subject to it. A character that takes damage falls prone
Keywords: Fire, Perilous and is knocked one range band away from the Exalt.

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Awareness Prerequisite Charms: Deep-Listening Palm

Precision Observation Method The Dragon-Blood can sense the vibrations that move
Cost: 1m per die or 2m per success; Mins: Awareness 1, through the earth when a soldier takes a step or a leaf
Essence 1 falls from a branch. When she comes within short range
Type: Supplemental of a hidden enemy or danger, she rolls (Perception +
Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Excellency Awareness) with double 9s to detect it. In order for her
Duration: Instant to perceive concealed characters, they must be standing
Prerequisite Charms: None on the same surface that she stands on, or no more than
one vertical range band up on structures or scenery that
The serenity of earth focuses and heightens all of the sens- rest on that surface (such as the roof beams of a low
es. The Exalt may add dice to an Awareness roll for one ceiling or the understory of a forest). She cannot sense
mote each, or automatic successes for two motes each. enemies who are airborne, in or on water, or taking
other measures to avoid moving across a solid surface.
Cloud-Piercing Focus If she fails her initial roll, she may reactivate this Charm
Cost: 1m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 1 once per subsequent round to detect the same threat.
Type: Reflexive
With Awareness 4, Essence 2, the Dragon-Blood may
Keywords: Balanced, Earth or Fire or Water
purchase elemental variants of this effect for three
Duration: One tick
experience points each.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Air: The Dragon-Blood can sense hidden threats
Neither ocean depths nor raging flame nor swirling through air motion out to close range while in an
sands can hinder a keen Terrestrial eye. As an Earth enclosed space such as a room. This extends to short
Charm, this negates visual penalties from dust storms, range at Awareness 5, Essence 5.
sandstorms, or similar obstructions. As a Fire Charm,
it negates such penalties from smoke, fire, or volcanic Fire: The Dragon-Blood can sense hidden threats out
fumes. As a Water Charm, it negates penalties from to long range while both are standing in a fire, a burn-
mist, rain, or being underwater. Regardless of the ver- ing building, or similar circumstances, sensing their
sion used, the Dragon-Blood’s sight is extended to its cooler temperature against the heat of the flames.
full normal range.
Water: While submerged in water, the Dragon-Blood can
Deep-Listening Palm sense hidden threats that are at least partially immersed
Cost: 5m; Mins: Awareness 2, Essence 1 out to medium range. In driving rain or similar weather,
Type: Simple she can sense hidden characters out to short range.
Keywords: Earth
Duration: One scene Wood: While in undergrowth, foliage, or similar veg-
Prerequisite Charms: None etative terrain, the Dragon-Blood may sense hidden
threats in the same terrain out to short range. This
Touching a surface, the Dragon-Blood displaces her extends to medium range at Awareness 5, Essence 5.
sense of hearing through the Essence of earth. She can
listen through that barrier as though it weren’t there. Dragon’s Crushing Gaze
Obstructions made of stone, wood, or weaker materi- Cost: 4m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2
als don’t require a roll to hear through, while metal or Type: Reflexive
similarly durable materials may require a (Perception Keywords: Balanced, Earth or Water
+ Awareness) roll at difficulty 3+. On a failed roll, she’s Duration: Instant
only able to hear fragments of conversation or certain Prerequisite Charms: Cloud-Piercing Focus
noises determined by the Storyteller with this Charm
for the rest of the scene. The Terrestrial’s attention falls on thieves and cowards
like a lead weight dropping into one’s stomach. She may
All-Encompassing Earth Sense use this as an Earth Charm when she rolls to oppose a
Cost: 3m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 1 character’s Stealth, or as a Water Charm against a dis-
Type: Reflexive guise. She subtracts one success either from the total
Keywords: Earth successes of the opposing character’s concealment as
Duration: Instant the crushing weight of earth pins him down, or from

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his disguise successes as the pounding force of the tide successes from her (Perception + Awareness) roll as
washes away his facade. non-Charm dice on her Join Battle roll.

In Earth or Water Aura, using the appropriate ele- Feeling the Dragon’s Bones
mental variant strips an additional success from the Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 2
opposing character for every two threshold successes Type: Simple
the Dragon-Blood rolls. Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant
Hesiesh’s Discerning Tongue Prerequisite Charms: All-Encompassing Earth Sense
Cost: 3m; Mins: Awareness 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive The Dragon-Blood extends her senses through the
Keywords: Fire earth, constructing an accurate image of her sur-
Duration: Instant roundings from vibrations. The Dragon-Blood rolls
Prerequisite Charms: None (Perception + Awareness) to sense characters and ob-
jects out to medium range, even things that are behind
When the Dragon-Blood places potentially harmful walls or underground. A single success is sufficient
food or drink in her mouth, she may roll (Perception both to hear and to visualize a black-and-white image
+ Awareness) to detect poison or other harmful in- of anything that is moving or creating vibrations, such
gredients. Most common poisons are difficulty 1-3 to as a person walking or an underground spring’s water.
detect, while an odorless or tasteless poison would be In underground locales or structures made entirely of
difficulty 4-5. Successfully identifying the danger im- stone, this extends to long range.
mediately ignites the offending item in the Terrestrial’s
mouth, letting her spit it out before it can harm her. In Earth Aura, the Dragon-Blood may commit this
Charm’s mote cost for as long as she remains in
With Awareness 5, Essence 3, if detecting a poison Aura state. Doing so waives the mote cost of All-
causes the Dragon-Blood to roll Join Battle against a Encompassing Earth Sense.
foe she believed poisoned her, she adds any threshold

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Horizon-Spanning Echoes rolls an additional non-Charm die for each 10 that ap-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3 pears, and ignores penalties from poor lighting, seeing
Type: Simple even in total darkness. If she succeeds on a roll oppos-
Keywords: Signature (Air) ing the Larceny or Stealth of an enemy within medium
Duration: Indefinite range, she may send twin lances of flame streaking
Prerequisite Charms: None from her eyes to strike him, rolling (Essence) dice of
lethal damage against him, ignoring Hardness.
Closing her eyes to the world, the Dragon-Blood casts
her senses out onto the winds. Upon using this Charm, If a hidden enemy takes damage while hiding in an area
she specifies either a specific individual whose voice of low lighting, his concealment is disrupted as flame
she wishes to listen for, or a specific sound to search illuminates him, forcing him to change hiding places,
for such as a particular phrase being spoken by any making a new Stealth roll subject to the −3 penalty for
individual, a wagon’s wheels moving across a road, moving. This doesn’t require a move action if he can
or a sword being drawn. She enters a trance in which find new concealment in the same range band; if not, he
she can hear the specified sound from (Essence) miles must reflexively move, consuming his movement action
away, or (Essence x5) miles if it’s extremely loud, such for the round (or his next turn, if he’s already moved this
as a tyrant lizard’s roar or an army on the march. If round). If his hiding place is flammable, such as a tree
the specified sound occurs, she rolls to detect it with or wooden crate, it’s set ablaze, likewise forcing him to
double 7s. Even on a failed roll, she’s able to hear the make a new roll. Mundane disguises burn away if any
sound; success pinpoints its exact location. The Charm damage is dealt, laying bare the impostor’s identity.
ends after she rolls.
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
One-With-Earth Embodiment reset by beating a hidden opponent’s Stealth roll and
subsequently, while he’s still in concealment, either
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
landing a decisive attack against him or crashing him
Type: Simple
with a withering attack.
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Earth)
Duration: One round Serpent-of-the-Depths Discernment
Prerequisite Charms: Feeling the Dragon’s Bones
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
At one with Creation, the Dragon-Blood may flow Keywords: Signature (Water)
through earth unimpeded. Touching an earthen Duration: One scene
surface, she may move into and through it as though Prerequisite Charms: None
moving in water. This counts as her movement action
in combat. If she doesn’t emerge from the earth upon
Attuning her senses to the subtle flow of water and
completing her movement, she must either use this
Essence, the Dragon-Blood spies from the depths. While
Charm again on her next turn, waiving its Willpower
submerged in a body of water such as a lake or river,
cost, or be ejected from the earth at the point where
she may displace her sense of hearing to another point
she entered, falling prone and suffering an unprevent-
within the same body of water no more than (Essence)
able level of bashing damage. However, while moving
range bands away from her. She’s able to hear everything
through stone, she gains the benefit of full cover
around the chosen point as though she were physically
(Exalted, p. 199) against all attacks unless an enemy
there. She doubles 9s on Awareness rolls she makes
uses a feat of strength, gambit, or appropriate stunt to
through the water, as well as on Socialize rolls to read the
create an opening through the stone.
intentions of characters she’s eavesdropping on.
Eye of Blazing Truth
This Charm doesn’t enable the Dragon-Blood to
Cost: 4m, 2i, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3 breathe underwater, requiring her to hold her breath
Type: Reflexive or use magic such as the Water Aspect anima power (p.
Keywords: Perilous, Signature (Fire) 155) or Unbreathing Earth Meditation (p. 248) to make
Duration: Instant extended use of it.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Dragon’s Flaring Nostrils
The Dragon-Blood’s eyes burn with intense flame, in- Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
cinerating shadows and whatever hides within them. Type: Reflexive
When she makes a vision-based Awareness roll, she Keywords: Signature (Wood)

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Duration: One scene 3-4 successes: The Dragon-Blood can determine pre-
Prerequisite Charms: None cisely how long ago the trace was left.

The Dragon-Blood’s keen nose can pick out the fra- 5+ successes: As above, and the Dragon-Blood can de-
grance of a lone rose in a field of lilies, or the poisonous termine whether the trace was left by a spirit or by an
scent of hemlock diluted a hundredfold. She doubles 9s Exalt, as well as whether its Essence rating is greater
on scent-based Awareness rolls, as well as Survival rolls or lower than her own. If she’s personally witnessed
to track by scent, Medicine rolls to diagnose diseases or an Exalt or spirit of the type that left the trace using
poisons, and Socialize rolls to read the intentions of a its overt supernatural power, she recognizes its nature,
character she can smell. The range of her sense of smell able to identify the anima of a Solar Anathema or to tell
extends to (Essence) range bands. She can distinguish the greater miracles of a god from those of a demon.
individuals by scent, and can gauge how recently a scent
was left. In combat, successfully scenting a concealed Sense-Riding Technique
enemy or danger grants her two Initiative. Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Dragon’s Twitching Whisker Keywords: Earth
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 3 Duration: (Essence + Manipulation) days
Type: Reflexive Prerequisite Charms: Feeling the Dragon’s Bones
Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant The Dragon-Blood etches an imprint of her Essence
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon’s Crushing Gaze, onto another living character’s consciousness, riding
Feeling the Dragon’s Bones his senses from afar to see what he sees and hear what
he hears. The Dragon-Blood touches a character and
The Dragon-Blood’s senses are keenly attuned to the rolls (Manipulation + Awareness) against his Resolve,
presence of those she disfavors, piercing their decep- unmodified by Intimacies. Success establishes a link,
tions to reveal them to all. When a character that the allowing the Dragon-Blood to ride the target’s senses
Dragon-Blood has a negative Major or Defining Tie to by meditating. While using his senses, she may make
comes within long range of her, she may automatically Perception-based rolls using her own dice pools and
activate this Charm to strip away a single success from Charms, but benefits from any of the target’s Merits that
any Stealth or disguise rolls that character has made and enhance his senses. Depending on her rolls, she may
then make a (Perception + Awareness) roll against him. notice details that the target overlooked, or vice versa.
This Charm ends if the sense-ridden character goes
An Awareness 5, Essence 4 repurchase of this Charm more than (Essence x5) miles from the Dragon-Blood.
extends this Charm’s effect to (Essence) range bands.
Sense-Destroying Method
Sense the Hidden Ember Cost: 5m, 2i; Mins: Awareness 5, Essence 3
Cost: 1m; Mins: Awareness 4, Essence 3 Type: Simple
Type: Reflexive Keywords: Earth
Keywords: Fire Duration: One day
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Sense-Riding Technique
Prerequisite Charms: Feeling the Dragon’s Bones
The Dragon-Blood may cast down her enemies into
The Dragon-Blood can feel the lingering traces of su- a void as dark as the earth’s depths, stripping them
pernatural power left by the might of gods and Exalted. of their senses. Like its prerequisite, this Charm re-
When she comes within close range of a location quires her to touch her target and roll (Manipulation
where an Exalt’s anima has reached the bonfire level + Awareness) against his Resolve, unmodified by
or where a spirit has used one of its greater miracles Intimacies. In combat, touching an unwilling charac-
(Exalted, p. 311) during the current story, she may use ter is a difficulty 1 Brawl or Martial Arts gambit. On a
this Charm to roll (Perception + Awareness), gaining success, she may seal away one of the following sets of
information based on the number of successes. senses as a crippling effect. Every two threshold suc-
cesses on her (Manipulation + Awareness) roll allow
1-2 successes: The Dragon-Blood gains a general sense her to seal an additional set of senses.
of how long ago the trace was left — minutes, hours,
days, months, or longer. Sight: An enemy stripped of sight suffers blindness
(Exalted, p. 168).

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Hearing and Touch: In addition to deafness (Exalted, Keywords: Balanced, Water, Withering-only
p. 168), the victim cannot make touch-based Perception Duration: Instant
rolls. He can still feel pain, although in a numbly debil- Prerequisite Charms: None
itating way.
Water strikes with inexorable power, like pounding
Smell and Taste: The character cannot make waves that erode stone. The Dragon-Blood adds
Perception-based rolls to discern any level of detail her opponent’s current onslaught penalty to the
with his senses of smell or taste. He also takes a −3 pen- Overwhelming value of a withering attack.
alty on Awareness rolls to detect tainted food or drink,
poisonous vapors, or similar harmful substances. In Water Aura, this bonus also adds to the attack’s raw
damage.
Essence Disruption Attack
Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Earth Aura; Mins: Awareness Water Dragon’s Coils
5, Essence 5 Cost: 3m; Mins: Brawl 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple Type: Simple
Keywords: Aura, Earth Keywords: Balanced, Decisive-only, Water
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sense-Destroying Method Prerequisite Charms: None

Having mastered disruption of the five mortal senses, The Dragon-Blood’s grasp is as sudden and inescap-
the Dragon-Blood now learns to strike at the spiritual able as the riptide. She makes a grapple gambit, rolling
faculty that allows gods and the Exalted to sense and (Strength + Brawl) to attack. Bonus dots of Strength
channel Essence. Like its prerequisite, this Charm granted by magic such as Strength of Stone Technique
requires her to touch her target and roll (Manipulation don’t add to her attack roll. Every two threshold suc-
+ Awareness) against his Resolve, unmodified by cesses on her attack roll add a bonus die to the gambit’s
Intimacies. Success seals the target’s Essence. Initiative roll.
Whenever he spends Essence to use Charms or other
magic in a single instant, the total cost is increased by Inescapable Whirlpool Hold
(the Dragon-Blood’s Perception + threshold successes). Cost: 5m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 1
The seal breaks once the target has paid this surcharge Type: Supplemental
(6 − his Integrity) times, or a day passes. Keywords: Balanced, Decisive-only, Water
Duration: Instant
Brawl Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon’s Coils

Become the Hammer The Dragon-Blood’s grasp is a prison that brooks no

Cost: 1m per die or 2m per +1 Parry; Mins: Brawl 1, escape. She rerolls 6s until they cease to appear on
Essence 1 both the Initiative roll and the control roll of a grapple.
Type: Supplemental or Reflexive
In Water Aura, succeeding on the control roll of a grap-
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Uniform, Water
ple refunds the gambit’s Initiative cost.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Oaken Thew Exertion
Cost: 4m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 1
Force flows through the Dragon-Blood with every
Type: Supplemental
strike. She may add bonus dice to a Brawl or Martial
Keywords: Dual, Wood
Arts attack or the control roll of a clinch for one mote
Duration: Instant
each, and deals lethal damage unarmed. She rerolls
Prerequisite Charms: Pounding Surf Style or Water
6s on the damage roll until they cease to appear.
Dragon’s Coils
Alternatively, she may raise her Brawl- or Martial Arts-
based Parry by two motes per point, and block lethal
The Dragon-Blood channels her boundless vitality
damage unarmed.
into her limbs as she strikes. She adds (Stamina) either
Pounding Surf Style to the raw damage of a withering attack, or as bonus
dice to the control roll of a clinch.
Cost: 2m; Mins: Brawl 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental

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In Wood Aura, if the Dragon-Blood reaches her dice The Dragon-Blood’s grip is sure and unshakable as
limit (p. 162) on a grapple control roll, she adds an stone. If she hits an enemy with a grapple attack roll and
additional non-Charm success. successfully establishes a clinch, she doesn’t lose rounds
of control over it from attacks against her that miss.
Blade-Deflecting Palm
Cost: 1m per die, 1i; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 In Earth Aura, attacks that hit her but fail to deal any
Type: Reflexive damage also don’t cause her to lose rounds of control.
Keywords: Perilous, Uniform, Water
Duration: Instant Currents Sweep to Sea
Prerequisite Charms: None Cost: 4m (+1a); Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
The Dragon-Blood channels Water Essence into her Keywords: Decisive-only, Water
defense to disperse even the deadliest blows. When Duration: Instant
she uses Brawl or Martial Arts to block, after the attack Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon’s Coils
is rolled she may pay one mote per 1 in the roll, max-
imum (Essence), to reroll that many of the attacker’s The Dragon-Blood reaches through water, shaping it into
successful dice, beginning with 7s and moving up. a flowing torrent that can constrict foes and drag them
across the battlefield. As long as there’s a source of water
Crushing Avalanche Grasp on the battlefield, such as a small pool, cistern, river, or
Cost: 5m, 1i; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 recent rainfall, she creates a grasping limb or tendril
Type: Supplemental of water, rolling a grapple gambit against an enemy at
Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth short range. If she wins control of the grapple, her foe is
Duration: Until the grapple ends dragged into close range with her. If there’s no source of
Prerequisite Charms: Inescapable Whirlpool Hold water to use, she may expend a level of her anima instead.

In Water Aura, this Charm’s range extends to medium.

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Entangling Roots Embrace The Dragon-Blood strikes with the force of a falling
Cost: 5m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 mountain, sending her foes flying. She adds (Strength)
Type: Supplemental threshold successes on the attack roll of a decisive
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood smash attack as dice of damage, and may both knock
Duration: Until the grapple ends her enemy prone and send him one range band back.
Prerequisite Charms: Oaken Thew Exertion
Flying Whirlwind Razor
Like a sapling whose roots draw sustenance from the Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3
soil as it grows skyward, the Terrestrial’s hold saps Type: Simple
the strength of her foe, breaking his fighting spirit. If Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Air)
a grapple enhanced by this Charm succeeds, she steals Duration: Instant
one point of Initiative from the clinched enemy at the Prerequisite Charms: None
end of each of her turns.
The Dragon-Blood becomes one with the unseen flow
Hammering Wave Technique of air that moves through Creation, unleashing a chop
Cost: 5m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 or kick that hones the wind into a swirling vortex.
Type: Supplemental She makes a decisive attack against an enemy within
Keywords: Dual, Water medium range. She may choose to unleash the wind
Duration: Instant in a blast, remaining where she is, or to throw herself
Prerequisite Charms: Pounding Surf Style into the whirlwind as it flies towards her foe, instantly
moving into close range with him. The latter counts as
The Dragon-Blood batters her foe like a wave ham- her movement for the turn. The damage of the attack
mering against the shore. She doubles her Strength equals (Dexterity + attack roll threshold successes)L,
to calculate the raw damage of a withering attack, or ignoring Hardness. It doesn’t include her Initiative,
doubles 10s on a decisive damage roll. nor does it reset her to base.

In Water Aura, if the Dragon-Blood deals 3+ withering This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
damage or 1+ decisive damage, the onslaught penalty reset by crashing an enemy whose Initiative was higher
inflicted by her attack doesn’t fade on her enemy’s next than the Dragon-Blood’s with a single withering attack.
turn, but the turn after.
Crater-Making Impact
Stone Fist Strike Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3
Cost: 3m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 Type: Simple
Type: Supplemental Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Earth)
Keywords: Dual, Earth Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: None
Sensing the seismic forces that move beneath Creation
Seizing on martial instinct, the Dragon-Blood hardens and aligning her martial prowess with them, the
her limbs with Essence. She grants an unarmed attack Dragon-Blood unleashes devastating force upon a
the Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586). An unarmed with- foe, sending him flying like a meteor crashing down
ering attack roll adds an automatic success on the at- to earth. She makes either a decisive smash attack
tack roll and (Essence/2, rounded up) Overwhelming. against a crashed enemy or a decisive throw against
a clinched foe. Success allows her to both fling her foe
In Earth Aura, the Overwhelming bonus increases to one range band back and knock him prone, shattering
(Essence). the ground where he lands to create difficult terrain
and/or smash through destructible scenery.
Rolling Boulder Blow
Cost: 5m; Mins: Brawl 3, Essence 2 If she deals 3+ levels of decisive damage, she may
Type: Supplemental hurl her victim to medium range, causing him to take
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Earth damage as though from a short-range fall (Exalted, p.
Duration: Instant 232). With 7+ levels of damage, she may fling him to
Prerequisite Charms: Stone Fist Strike long range, causing him to take damage as though from
a medium-range fall.

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Erupting Fury Barrage Overwhelming. The water tendrils also grant her natu-
Cost: 10m, 3i, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Brawl 5, ral attacks the Disarming and Flexible tags (Exalted, p.
Essence 3 586). The Dragon-Blood takes no penalties for flurrying
Type: Simple unarmed attacks with other physical actions using the
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Fire) tendrils, such as scaling a palace’s walls or using a feat of
Duration: Instant strength to lift a portcullis.
Prerequisite Charms: None
This Charm is compatible with Martial Arts styles that
The Dragon-Blood erupts into a swift barrage of vio- use unarmed attacks.
lence, her fists burning with raging Essence. To use this
Body of Deadly Thorns
Charm, she must have Initiative 15+. She unleashes a
rapid series of strikes, making a single decisive attack Cost: 10m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3
roll to launch (1 + the number of 10s on the attack roll) Type: Simple
attacks against a single enemy, using the successes on Keywords: Aura, Signature (Wood)
her roll to determine if each attack hits. She doesn’t Duration: Until the grapple ends
reset to base Initiative normally — instead, each suc- Prerequisite Charms: None
cessful attack reduces her Initiative by one for each die
that shows a success on the damage roll, to a minimum As the Dragon-Blood seizes her foe, she draws her
of (Essence). Once she’s completed making all attacks, anima banner into her body and lets it bloom from
she resets to base Initiative, even if they all missed. her limbs into a hedge of barbed thorns, skewering
and impaling her victim. She makes a grapple gambit,
Every hit the Dragon-Blood lands inflames its victim’s doubling 9s on both the attack roll and the control roll.
Essence with inward fire, creating an ignition point that The thorns burrow into her foe’s flesh as she wrestles
lasts until end of scene. Once the barrage of attacks has him, allowing her to combine a restrain action with a
been completed, the Dragon-Blood or any of her allies decisive savaging attack against him on each round of
can detonate a single ignition point by landing a deci- the clinch. Additionally, the thorns deflect attacks away
sive attack against this enemy. The first ignition point from her, negating the grappling-induced Defense pen-
detonated deals one die of lethal damage, ignoring alty to her Parry and granting her bonus soak equal to
Hardness, the second deals two dice, and so on. the successes she rolled on the (Strength + Brawl) roll to
establish control of the clinch. This counts as soak from
If the Dragon-Blooded subsequently uses this Charm armor, and doesn’t stack with any armor she’s wearing.
against an enemy still carrying undetonated ignition
points, she cannot inflict any new ignition points on This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
him. Once all his ignition points have been ignited, the reset by incapacitating a nontrivial foe by landing a
damage of ignition points from a subsequent activation decisive savaging attack, slam, or throw against him.
starts at one die, as usual.
Become the Wave
Embracing the Violent Flow Cost: 2m, 2i; Mins: Brawl 4, Essence 3
Cost: 10m, 1wp (+1a); Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3 Type: Reflexive
Type: Simple Keywords: Balanced, Perilous, Water
Keywords: Aura, Dual, Signature (Water) Duration: Instant
Duration: Aura Prerequisite Charms: Hammering Wave Technique
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood lunges for a foe in the same instant
The Dragon-Blood’s violent prowess is fluid and form- that her ally forces him off guard with a feint or har-
less, matched only by that of her weapon — the water it- rying strike, turning her ally’s stillness into her speed.
self. As long as she’s within short range of a large source Upon receiving the benefit of a successful distract gam-
of water such as a river or a cistern, she may draw it to bit from an ally who hasn’t used his movement action,
herself, engulfing her body in a fluid mantle. If no source the Dragon-Blood may reflexively leap one range band
of water is available, she may expend a level of anima towards the gambit’s victim. If she’s already in close
instead. With a thought, countless lashing tendrils of range with another enemy, she must reflexively roll
water extend to strike, allowing her to make unarmed to disengage in order to take this reflexive movement.
attacks out to short range, adding a non-Charm success This doesn’t count as her movement for the round, but
on both attack and damage rolls, and adding (Strength) it does count as the movement action of her ally.

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Swift-Striking Tide The Dragon-Blood wrestles foes into submission,

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3 breaking them with a powerful hold whose intensity
Type: Reflexive and pressure can drown men on dry land. Upon suc-
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Water cessfully grappling a crashed foe, or crashing an enemy
Duration: Instant she’s clinching with a withering savaging attack, she
Prerequisite Charms: Become the Wave may overflow his lungs with Water Essence, causing
him to begin asphyxiating (Exalted, p. 232) and sub-
The Dragon-Blood’s fluid offense constantly tests her tracting one success from all actions he takes for as
enemy’s guard, waiting for him to show weakness. At long as she maintains control over the grapple. Even
the opportune moment, she flows into a deadly swift if he recovers from crash, he continues to drown. She
strike. Once per round, if an ally uses a distract gambit may choose not to kill a foe who runs out of breath,
to benefit the Dragon-Blood, she may reflexively make leaving him unconscious instead.
a decisive attack against the gambit’s target. This
doesn’t count as her attack for the round. This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
reset by successfully grappling a nontrivial enemy with
Waves Swallow the Mountain 5+ threshold successes on the control roll.
Cost: 2m, 1i, one round of control; Mins: Brawl 4,
Hanging Tree Technique
Essence 3
Type: Reflexive Cost: 10m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 4
Keywords: Perilous, Water Type: Simple
Duration: One tick Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
Prerequisite Charms: Currents Sweep to Sea Duration: Until the grapple ends
Prerequisite Charms: Entangling Roots Embrace,
Fist-Spinning Maelstrom
The Dragon-Blood uses her hold over an enemy to
wear down his defenses, leaving him vulnerable to at-
tack. She expends one round of control over a grapple Arms and legs twist as the Dragon-Blood throws her
to set the clinched foe’s Hardness to 0 for a single tick. entire body into an attack, lunging with each of her
limbs to grapple and pin down foes. She makes a grap-
Fist-Spinning Maelstrom ple gambit against up to (Dexterity) enemies in close
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 3 range, clinching one or even two foes at a time with
Type: Simple each of her limbs. She makes only one attack roll and
Keywords: Aura, Water, Withering-only Initiative roll against all enemies, but rolls (Strength
Duration: Instant + Brawl) separately to establish control against each
Prerequisite Charms: Hammering Wave Technique enemy.

On each turn of the clinch, she may either restrain all

The Dragon-Blood moves with the fury of the waves to foes, expending two rounds of control over each of
strike away enemies on all sides. She rolls a single withering them; make a withering or decisive savaging attack
attack against up to (Essence) enemies in close range, mov- against all foes; or release all foes. Withering savag-
ing through a fluid sequence of blows to attack and pummel ing attacks use a single attack roll, but roll damage
them all. If her Initiative is higher than that of at least one separately against each grappled foe. Only the single
target, she can instead attack (Essence + 2) enemies. highest withering damage roll awards Initiative to
the Dragon-Blood, although she can receive Initiative
She rolls withering damage separately against each enemy,
Breaks for crashing multiple foes. Decisive savaging
but only gains Initiative from the single highest damage
attacks divide her Initiative evenly among all foes
roll. If she crashes at least one foe, a geyser of water erupts
(rounded up) to determine the damage rolled against
from beneath her feet and traces the arc of her blows,
them, ignoring Hardness.
knocking all crashed enemies hit by the attack prone.
Smashing Tidal Wave Technique
Drowning Embrace
Cost: —(8m, 1a, 1wp, expend Water Aura); Mins: Brawl
Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Brawl 5, Essence 4
5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Aura, Dual, Perilous, Water
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Water
Duration: Until the grapple ends
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Waves Swallow the Mountain
Prerequisite Charms: Drowning Embrace

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The Dragon-Blood pins her foes beneath the weight of the Duration: Instant
seas, crushing them under a torrential cascade of water. Prerequisite Charms: None
When she uses Currents Sweep to Sea, she may unleash a
flood of water from the depths of her anima banner, am- The Dragon-Blood attunes her senses to the tides
plifying the tendril of water she creates with both intense of desire that govern markets and negotiations. She
pressure and incredible size. She can grapple a foe within reads a character’s intentions with (Perception +
long range, and doubles 8s on the control roll. Bureaucracy) to determine what it would take to en-
tice him to perform a specific course of action with a
If succcessful, the Dragon-Blood may choose to drag bargain roll (Exalted, p. 216). Success reveals a general
the clinched enemy one or two range bands towards description of the quantity and quality of payment,
her, pinning him beneath a high-pressure downpour or monetary or non-monetary, that he’d consider for
entangling him in giant coils of water. She still takes the a bargain roll — for example, “he’d do this for free,”
normal penalties of grappling regardless of the distance “he’ll demand exorbitantly high payment for it,” or “he
between them, as she must maintain focus to control it. wants you to owe him a favor.” A successful roll also
Restraining him with this mighty downpour only costs reveals his strongest Intimacy relating to the price he’d
one round of control. If she savages, slams, or throws place on the deal, if any.
him, she adds (Strength/2, rounded up) automatic
successes on withering damage rolls, or (Strength/2, Testing the Waters
rounded up) dice on decisive damage rolls. Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Bureaucracy Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant
Geese-Flying-South Administration Prerequisite Charms: Finding the Water’s Depths
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Bureaucracy 1, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental A slick political dealer, the Dragon-Blood understands
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Water the motives of officials better than they do themselves.
Duration: Instant This Charm functions identically to its prerequisite,
Prerequisite Charms: None except that a successful read intentions reveals how
the target plans to vote on an upcoming issue before
The Essence of a bureaucracy is flow — the flow of a a governmental, bureaucratic, or mercantile organi-
leader’s orders to her subordinates, the flow of wealth zation. It also reveals the strongest Intimacy motiving
in and out, the flow of information, the flow of progress that character’s vote, if any.
and delay. The Dragon-Blood may add automatic suc-
A Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3 repurchase of this Charm
cesses to a Bureaucracy roll for two motes each, and
lets the Dragon-Blood pay an additional point of
rerolls 6s until they cease to appear.
Willpower once per scene to apply her read inten-
Confluence of Savant Thought tions roll against the Guile of all voting characters she
Cost: 2m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1 can perceive. She doesn’t learn Intimacies for each
Type: Simple individual voter whose Guile is beaten, but is able to
Keywords: Water discern the major factions within the group and which
Duration: Instant one each character whose Guile she beat belongs to, as
Prerequisite Charms: None well as an Intimacy driving each faction’s agenda.

Benevolent Master’s Blessing

The Dragon-Blood’s understanding of bureaucracies is
Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2
vast, encompassing the myriad ways in which mercan-
Type: Simple
tile and administrative tasks pool and eddy like water.
Keywords: Water
She rolls (Intelligence + Bureaucracy) to introduce a
Duration: Indefinite
fact (Exalted, p. 237) about a bureaucratic or mercan-
Prerequisite Charms: None
tile organization that she belongs to or is familiar with.

Finding The Water’s Depths The Dragon-Blood marks a subordinate with a sign of
Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 2, Essence 1 her authority, often handing out a badge or token, or
Type: Simple leaving a swirling black tattoo of Water Essence on his
Keywords: Water hand. If the subordinate presents the token or mark,

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all who see it know instinctively that he’s the Dragon- The Dragon-Blood’s reckoning of accounts is as per-
Blood’s servant (or, if they don’t know of her, the servant fect as the calm of a still lake. Within its depths, she
of a Prince of the Earth), and that he carries authority to conceals bureaucratic intrigue and financial maneu-
negotiate on her behalf. In addition, that character gains vering. She rerolls 5s and 6s until they cease to appear
a temporary Bureaucracy specialty that applies on rolls on a Larceny roll to conceal evidence (Exalted, p. 224)
to follow the Dragon-Blood’s orders or pursue her best of bureaucratic misdoing such as embezzlement or
interests. abuse of authority. A character attempting to discover
the hidden evidence must roll (Perception + [lower of
Dashing Brook Method Bureaucracy or Investigation]).
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Shells-for-Silver Ruse
Keywords: Water Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2
Duration: One task Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: Benevolent Master’s Blessing Keywords: Water
Duration: One scene
The Dragon-Blood clears the obstacles that impede the Prerequisite Charms: Water-Stained Ledger
flow of her bureaucracy, channeling its labor into effica-
cious speed. This Charm enhances a project (Exalted, p. The Dragon-Blood adopts a deceptive bearing that
226) or other bureaucratic task, multiplying the speed suggests illusory wealth or squalor, deceiving thieves
at which the organization makes progress by (highest of and merchants alike. She can use this Charm to con-
Charisma, Manipulation, or Intelligence). The Attribute ceal her economic status in one of two following ways.
she uses must match her leadership style. This Charm She can take advantage of this deception with social
cannot speed a bureaucratic task that would normally influence as though it were a Minor Intimacy.
take more than (Essence) years.
Poverty: Those who see the Dragon-Blooded perceive
her as utterly destitute, with Resources 0. If she’s
Unshakable Mountain Management
wearing finery, exquisite jewels, artifact weapons,
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2 or anything else incompatible with total poverty, her
Type: Reflexive Resources rating instead appears one dot lower than
Keywords: Earth it actually is.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Testing the Waters Wealth: Those who see the Dragon-Blooded assume
that her Resources rating is one dot higher than it ac-
By her very presence, the Dragon-Blood guards the tually is. If she has Resources 5, she appears wealthy
harmonious stability of bureaucracy against the dis- beyond all dreams of avarice.
harmony of corruption and disloyalty. She may invoke
this Charm whenever she perceives another charac- Thoughtful Gift Technique
ter’s social influence that would cause characters to Cost: 4m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 2
betray or sabotage an organization that they belong Type: Supplemental
to, or abuse a position of power they hold within an Keywords: Water
organization. All members of that organization with- Duration: Instant
in medium range targeted by the influence gain +1 Prerequisite Charms: Finding the Water’s Depths
Resolve against it.
The Dragon-Blood has an uncanny sense for the
In Earth Aura, this bonus rises to (the Dragon-Blood’s perfect gift, favor, or bribe to grease the wheels of
Essence/2, rounded up). a bureaucracy. To use this Charm, she must first use
Finding the Water’s Depths to confirm that an offer she
Water-Stained Ledger intends to make will be acceptable to her target. She
Cost: 3m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2 doubles 9s on the bargain roll, which can be made with
Type: Supplemental any social Ability.
Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant Humble Exemplar Attitude
Prerequisite Charms: Confluence of Savant Thought Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple

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Keywords: Signature (Air) Words written in stone aren’t easily disobeyed. The
Duration: One task Dragon-Blood imposes a binding edict, engraved onto
Prerequisite Charms: None a stone tablet or monument, upon an organization
that she either leads or holds rulemaking authority
The Dragon-Blood evinces the conviction of her beliefs within. The rule she imposes must be a singular task
through work, encouraging her subordinates to follow or requirement, and must be related to that group’s
her example and inspiring shame in those who fail to live bureaucratic function. The prohibition or require-
up to her standards. She undertakes a project (Exalted, p. ment carves out a place in the memories of the orga-
226) or bureaucratic task that upholds one of her Defining nization’s members. When a character is faced with
Principles, adding (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice on the prospect of breaking the rule, it becomes an over-
all Bureaucracy rolls that she makes as part of the task. whelming duty, forcing him to comply unless he en-
ters a Decision Point and calls on a Defining Intimacy
Once the project begins, the Dragon-Blood’s Principle to spend one Willpower resisting this influence. Once
becomes apparent to all members of the organization a character has resisted, he’s freed from the compul-
as though they’d read her intentions. Upon the comple- sion to obey that particular rule. Characters may also
tion of the project, she gains three points of Willpower disobey the rule if they resign or otherwise formally
and instills her Principle by example in all organization leave the group.
members as a Major Intimacy. Subordinates cannot
apply their Resolve or spend Willpower to resist this The promulgation of harmonious rules with this
influence — the only way to avoid it is to resign their Charm fortifies a bureaucracy against the influence of
membership in the group. the Wyld. Any member of an organization acting in his
official capacity is treated as wielding or touching iron
Graven Stone Edict so long as he abides by the Dragon-Blood’s edict.
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Seething Firebreak Technique
Keywords: Signature (Earth) Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Duration: Indefinite Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Signature (Fire)

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Duration: One story The target may pay three Willpower to resist, becom-
Prerequisite Charms: None ing aware of the hidden clause and able to call on any
applicable Intimacies in response. Resisting renders
The Dragon-Blood fans the flames of dissent and un- him immune to this Charm for the next (his Essence
rest within her own organization, forcing traitors and + Integrity) days. Otherwise, he’s bound to the term
conspiracies out into the open. She makes passionate — once he becomes aware of it, his mind rationalizes
speeches, spreads propaganda, or carries out strict dis- an explanation for how he could have accepted it vol-
ciplinary measures, rolling (Charisma + Bureaucracy) untarily and why he must honor it, despite having no
with double 9s. Any member of the organization memory of doing so. He must comply with the bargain,
whose Resolve is beaten is suffused with Fire Essence. no matter how harsh, unless another character over-
For loyal members, this manifests as a passionate turns the Dragon-Blood’s influence (Exalted, p. 221).
enjoyment of their work. Conversely, members who
plan to betray the organization or conspire against its This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset by
leadership experience intense passion surrounding achieving a legendary social goal (Exalted, p. 134) through
their dissent. They’re unable to take covert or stealthy negotiation, dealmaking, or other bureaucratic means.
action against the group, its membership, or its leaders
— instead, their passions drive them to be open, overt, One Forest, Many Trees
and honest. They can enter a Decision Point and call on Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
a Defining Intimacy that justifies discretion to pay one Type: Simple
Willpower to resist for the rest of the story. Keywords: Mute, Signature (Wood)
Duration: Instant
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless Prerequisite Charms: None
reset by completing a major character or story goal
(Exalted, p. 170) through bureaucratic means. The Dragon-Blood cultivates interpersonal relation-
ships and spreads her roots through society. This Charm
Distraction of the Babbling Brook depicts an Exalt whose mastery of networking ensures
that she always knows just the person for a job. Once
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3 per story, she may make an (Essence + Bureaucracy)
Type: Simple roll that cannot be enhanced by magic. She immediately
Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Water) gains a number of dots equal to the successes on the
Duration: Instant roll to divide among the following Merits. These Merits
Prerequisite Charms: Thoughtful Gift Technique depict new Storyteller characters who have some past
entanglement with the Dragon-Blood, perhaps im-
Suffusing her language with the fluid ambiguity of pressed by her bureaucratic prowess or indebted to her
water, the Dragon-Blood ensnares business partners for a past favor.
or customers in labyrinthine contracts. She makes a
bargain roll using any social Ability, concealing one Allies: The Dragon-Blood calls on the assistance of a
condition or requirement of the deal from the target. noteworthy character.
If the deal is verbal, the hidden words slip past the
target’s attention; if it’s written, his eye slips over the Contacts: The Dragon-Blood gets in touch with a
obfuscated terms. Because the target isn’t consciously character that can provide access to the intelligence
aware of this part of the bargain, he cannot call on gathered by a group of contacts.
Intimacies that oppose it to bolster his Resolve or
spend Willpower in Decision Points. Similarly, his Followers: The Dragon-Blood recruits a large volun-
Resolve isn’t penalized by Intimacies that support it. teer workforce.

The Dragon-Blood’s influence roll subtracts a number Mentor: The Dragon-Blood requests the guidance of a
of successes based on the severity of the clause. If it’s more experienced character.
comparable to an inconvenient task (Exalted, p. 216),
such as a hidden fee, it suffers −1 success. If it’s a seri- Retainers: The Dragon-Blood obtains the services of
ous task, such as committing a serious crime or making mortal experts.
payments that risk bankrupting the target, it suffers −3
successes. If it’s a life-changing task, such as convinc- At the end of the story, the Merits are lost as the re-
ing someone to sell himself into slavery or trading a cruited characters return to their lives, unless the
queen a horse for her palace, it suffers −5 successes. Storyteller deems that the Dragon-Blood’s treatment

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of them qualifies to retain them long-term as Story This bonus doesn’t stack with any bonus dice from her
Merits (Exalted, p. 158). Appearance (Exalted, p. 218).

Bestow the Saffron Mantle If the Dragon-Blood uses Shells-for-Silver Ruse to in-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3 crease her apparent Resources, this increases her rat-
Type: Simple ing, up to a maximum of Resources 6, for this Charm’s
Keywords: Water purposes.
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Benevolent Master’s Blessing Following the River’s Course
Cost: 5m; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3
The Dragon-Blood bestows her favor upon one of her Type: Reflexive
subordinates with a gift, kiss, promotion, or the like, Keywords: Mute, Water
promoting him to her proxy in all bureaucratic matters. Duration: Instant
This must be done in person. She insinuates her own Prerequisite Charms: Dashing Brook Method, Finding
Essence into his, allowing him to call upon her judg- the Water’s Depths
ment and expertise. To become a proxy, the subordinate
must have a positive Major or Defining Tie toward the It’s easier to understand the tides that bring every
Dragon-Blood. He gains the following benefits: piece of flotsam and jetsam than to understand the
forces that govern the flow of money, but the Dragon-
• He gains the benefits of Benevolent Master’s Blood does both. When she receives payment as part
Blessing at no additional cost. of an economic transaction, she gains a flash of insight
into the flow that brought it to her, rolling read inten-
• He intuitively understands how the Dragon-Blood tions with (Perception + Bureaucracy), doubling 9s. If
would act in any bureaucratic context or market she’s paid in hard currency or physical goods, success
venue. This doesn’t increase his Bureaucracy rat- lets her discern how the payer obtained them. If she
ing, but it does allow him to know what the Dragon- takes payment on credit, success lets her evaluate the
Blood would ask him to do in such a situation. actual quality of the payer’s credit and whether or not
he intends to fulfill his promises.
• He adds +1 to the Resolve bonus against contrary
social influence provided by his Tie towards the A Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4 repurchase allows the
Dragon-Blood. Social influence cannot complete- Dragon-Blood to use this Charm on any payment she
ly erode his Intimacy, although it can weaken its observes being made.
intensity.
Thrashing Carp Serenade
• Once per day, he may ignore one point of the Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3
Willpower cost to resist any influence opposed to Type: Simple
his Tie. Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant
•
If the Dragon-Blood knows Sense-Riding Prerequisite Charms: Dashing Brook Method, Wa-
Technique, she waives its Willpower cost when she ter-Stained Ledger
rides her proxy’s senses, and the maximum range
of the Charm is extended to (Essence x50) miles.
The Dragon-Blood impedes the flow of an enemy
organization with frightening efficacy, whether by
Blazing Hoard of Hesiesh sabotaging a rival’s commercial contracts, sowing
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 4, Essence 3 discord among ministers of a foreign government, or
Type: Reflexive bringing about a bureaucracy’s ruin from within. After
Keywords: Fire at least one scene spent sabotaging a project or bureau-
Duration: One scene cratic task, she rolls ([Manipulation or Intelligence]
Prerequisite Charms: Thoughtful Gift Technique + Bureaucracy) with double 9s. The difficulty is (the
project leader’s higher of Essence or Bureaucracy). A
Flaunting her wealth, the Dragon-Blood cows those successful roll doubles the time needed to complete
beneath her into submission. She gains (her Resources the project. Every threshold success increases this
− target’s Resources) non-Charm bonus dice on instill, multiplier by one, up to a maximum of (the Dragon-
persuade, and threaten rolls made with any Ability. Blood’s Essence). This can be negated by magic such as
Bureau-Reforming Kata (Exalted, p. 286).

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The Dragon-Blood cannot use Thrashing Carp Serenade stains dripping from his mouth that are visible only to
against the same organization more than once per story, the Dragon-Blood and other parties to the sanctified
even if its projects are led by different characters. contract, marking him as an oathbreaker for (Dragon-
Blood’s Essence + Charisma) years.
Sea-Changed Secrets
Flowing Authority Insinuation
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3 Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4
Type: Supplemental Type: Simple
Keywords: Water Keywords: Psyche, Water
Duration: Instant Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Water-Stained Ledger Prerequisite Charms: Thrashing Carp Serenade

Dredging up her foe’s deepest secrets, the Dragon- Creation itself confers its authority upon the Dragon-
Blood confronts him with a secret he’d thought for- Blood, turning even the most meager scrap of paper
gotten. The Dragon-Blood rerolls non-1 failures on a into proof of her bureaucratic mandate. She may
threaten roll made with any social Ability to intimidate invoke this Charm whenever someone challenges her
a character with blackmail, compromising informa- authority to be in a location, access an organization’s
tion, or evidence of his criminal misdeeds. Resisting resources, or take some form of bureaucratic action.
this influence requires entering a Decision Point and She rolls (Manipulation + Bureaucracy) as she bran-
calling on a Major or Defining Intimacy that supports dishes a blank sheet of paper or other putative token
refusing to be blackmailed. of authority, suffusing it with Water Essence. If the roll
suffers any penalties due to her looking out of place,
Sprouting Bamboo Cultivation
those penalties subtract successes instead of dice.
Cost: 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental A character whose Resolve is beaten by this roll perceives
Keywords: Wood this document as bureaucratic credentials or permission
Duration: Instant from an authority he respects. This authorization counts
Prerequisite Charms: Dashing Brook Method as a Major Intimacy when it’s exploited. In addition to
functioning as an Intimacy, it also prevents affected
The Dragon-Blood cultivates the growth of an organiza- characters from challenging the Dragon-Blood over the
tion as though it were her garden. This Charm supple- same reason for the remainder of the scene, including
ments any project or other bureaucratic task that has the through social influence. Resisting this effect requires
primary goal of amassing wealth or manpower: recruit- a character to enter a Decision Point, invoking at least a
ing a work force, collecting taxes, selling goods at market, Major Intimacy and paying three Willpower to resist.
and similar tasks. She doubles 8s on any Bureaucracy roll
necessary to complete the project, and gains five motes Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth
that can be spent on other Charms that enhance it. Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4
Type: Reflexive
Drowning in Negotiation Style Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Bureaucracy 5, Essence 4
Prerequisite Charms: Sprouting Bamboo Cultivation
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute, Water
Duration: Instant Battles may be won by force of arms, but wars are won
Prerequisite Charms: Distraction of the Babbling with logistics. To use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood
Brook must have first completed a challenging project relat-
ing to establishing supply lines, stocking supplies, or
other logistical matters. When she or one of her allies
Calling upon the endless Essence of the depths to stand
makes a Strategic Maneuver roll that somehow bene-
witness to a contract, the Dragon-Blood binds all parties
fits from that project, such as using supply lines to keep
to it to their words. This Charm may be invoked when
an army fed on a long march, she may use this Charm
the Dragon-Blood witnesses a verbal or written contract
before the roll to grant it double 8s.
being made. If any party to the contract willingly vio-
lates it, he drowns on dry land as water appears inside
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless re-
his mouth and lungs. This deals (Essence x2) dice of
set by completing a project or other bureaucratic task
lethal damage, ignoring Hardness, and leaves ink-black
that fulfills a legendary social goal (Exalted, p. 134).

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Craft
Masterful Dragon-Artisan Expertise
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Craft 1, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Excellency
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood labors with hands steady as stone.

She may add bonus dice to a Craft roll for one mote
each. If she’s awarded a stunt on the supplemented
roll, she gains one silver craft point, maximum one per
scene.

Stone-Carving Fingers
Cost: 6m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Balanced, Earth
Duration: One project
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood can split stone with her bare hands,

delivering a series of precise strikes that carve it from
within, shaping it to her will. She may undertake a
basic or major project to craft stone or earth (but not
metal) without needing tools or a workshop. If she
uses tools to assist the project, such as striking a boul-
der with a chisel, she multiplies the rate at which she
works by (Essence + 1), reducing the time to complete
the project to a minimum of one minute.

Flaw-Finding Examination
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood’s careful scrutiny discerns any flaw

that undermines the harmony of a project’s design.
She undertakes either a basic or major repair project
(Exalted, pp. 242-243) or a feat of demolition, making a
(Perception + applicable Craft) roll before doing so. She
multiplies the rate at which she works by her successes,
and gains a temporary Craft or Athletics specialty that
lasts until the task is completed, which she adds to her
total Strength to determine what feats she may attempt.
If she already has an applicable specialty, she converts
the die it adds to a non-Charm success. If she also uses
Stone-Carving Fingers to speed a repair project, her total
speed is multiplied by (her Essence + rolled successes).
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Shaping Hand Style Honing her skill with a gem-cutter’s precision, the
Cost: —; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2 Dragon-Blood perfects her handiwork. She rerolls
Type: Permanent (Essence) non-1 failures on a supplemented roll. For
Keywords: None each rerolled die that shows a success, the Dragon-
Duration: Permanent Blood gains one silver craft point in addition to any re-
Prerequisite Charms: Stone-Carving Fingers wards from the project itself. Rerolled dice that show
10s grant gold craft points instead.
The Dragon-Blood may use Stone-Carving Fingers to ma-
nipulate the raw materials of any Craft that she has 4+ dots Strike the Dragon-Anvil
in. Such uses take on an elemental aspect determined by Cost: 1m, 1wp, 1gxp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 2
the Storyteller based on the nature of the project: Forging Type: Supplemental
metal is fire-aspected, as furnace-heat radiates from the Keywords: Earth
Exalt’s bare hands; spinning silk is wood-aspected; carving Duration: Instant
an ice sculpture is air-aspected; mixing an alchemical re- Prerequisite Charms: Flawless Facet Realization
agent by hand is water-aspected; and so on. This doesn’t
apply to crafting artifacts or manses.
The Dragon-Blood’s forge imparts a portion of her
mighty Essence into the outcome of her craftsmanship,
Stones-from-Rubble Restoration suffusing it with perfection. She doubles 9s on a single
Cost: 5m; Mins: Craft 3, Essence 2 Craft roll.
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Earth An Essence 5 repurchase of this Charm allows the
Duration: One project Exalt to use it for ten motes, one Willpower, and one
Prerequisite Charms: Flaw-Finding Examination white craft point to double 8s on a Craft roll.

The Dragon-Blood knows where each fragment of Passion-Inflaming Artistry

a broken object belongs. After using Flaw-Finding Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 4, Essence 2
Examination on a damaged object, she may use this Type: Simple
Charm to supplement each roll of a repair project with Keywords: Fire
(Essence/2, round down) non-Charm successes. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Touch of Unmaking
Cost: 10m; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 2 The Dragon-Blood’s labors are suffused with the pas-
Type: Supplemental sionate Essence of fire. She undertakes a basic or major
Keywords: Earth project to craft a painting, sculpture, meal, or similar
Duration: Instant art object that’s primarily aesthetic or ornamental in
Prerequisite Charms: Stones-from-Rubble Restoration function. Major projects benefit from (Essence) non-
Charm dice. She chooses an emotion to be conveyed
Tracing her fingers over an object’s surface, the Dragon- through her craftsmanship, and treats the Craft roll
Blood discerns its weakest point. After using Flaw-Finding used to complete the project as an inspire roll (Exalted,
Examination on an object, she may use this Charm to sup- p. 217) to spread that emotion to any character who
plement a feat of demolition, adding (an applicable Craft/2, engages with the object if his Resolve is beaten by her
round up) to her effective Strength rating to determine if successes — a painting of a historic battle could inspire
she may attempt the feat (Exalted, p. 229). If this would courage in those who gaze upon it, while a bowl of
raise her above the feat’s Strength minimum, any excess noodles flavored with sorrow could bring tears to the
points are instead added as non-Charm dice on her roll. eyes of anyone who eats it. This effect lasts (Essence
+ Charisma) days from the project’s completion, after
Flawless Facet Realization which its supernatural potency fades.
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Talents-to-Obols Refinement
Keywords: Balanced, Earth Cost: 5m; Mins: Craft 4, Essence 2
Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: Shaping Hand Style Keywords: Earth

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Duration: Instant The Dragon-Blood feels the world turn on its axis as she
Prerequisite Charms: None labors over the forge, affirming her will and genius with
every fall of her hammer as she shapes a world-shaking
The Dragon-Blood may exchange her craft points for treasure. She begins a superior or legendary project,
those of a lower tier: she may convert one white craft adding one to the project’s terminus. If the Exalt com-
point to two gold craft points, or one gold craft point to pletes the project before its terminus has elapsed, she
two silver craft points. Each use can only convert one gains one point of Willpower for each unused interval,
type of craft points, although there’s no limit on how in addition to her normal craft point reward. This can
many can be exchanged. raise her above her permanent Willpower.

At Essence 4, the Exalt may pay one Willpower when This Charm can only be used once per story. The Exalt
she uses this Charm to convert silver craft points into may reset it by spending five white points.
gold craft points at a four-to-one ratio, although she
cannot create white craft points. Blazing Dragon-Smith Arete
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3
Ephemeral Form Composition Type: Simple
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3 Keywords: Signature (Fire)
Type: Supplemental Duration: One project
Keywords: Signature (Air) Prerequisite Charms: None
Duration: One project
Prerequisite Charms: None The Dragon-Blood’s genius is explosive, as powerful
and dangerous as an erupting volcano. She undertakes
The Dragon-Blood pores over her blueprints, drawing the a superior or legendary project, enhancing all of her
lines up from the page with wisps of Air Essence into a rolls with (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice and rolling
shimmering three-dimensional mirage of anima. She can a non-Charm die for each 10, but at the cost of low-
refine and perfect this ephemeral design with thought ering the project’s terminus by one. If she completes
alone, her creativity unbounded by the material world’s the project successfully, she gains one white point in
limitations. This Charm can be used before beginning a addition to the normal crafting reward.
major, superior, or legendary project. The Dragon-Blood
must spend ten hours preparing the design in her work- Fortune-from-Flotsam Ingenuity
shop, rolling (Intelligence + Craft). The craft point cost to Cost: 15m, 1wp, 5sxp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3
complete the project or roll an interval is reduced based Type: Reflexive
on its tier and her rolled successes, as follows: Keywords: Signature (Water)
Duration: Instant
Major: Rolling to complete the project costs (10 − suc- Prerequisite Charms: None
cesses) silver craft points, minimum one.
The Dragon-Blood’s fluid ingenuity adapts to her cir-
Superior: Rolling an interval costs (10 − [successes/2, cumstances, turning whatever materials she can find
round down]) gold craft points, minimum one. into exactly what she needs. This Charm is a (Wits +
Craft) roll to undertake a major project in a matter of
Legendary: Rolling an interval costs (10 − [success- seconds, jury-rigging it together. It can even be used
es/4, round down]) white craft points, minimum one. in combat on the Dragon-Blood’s turn. The Charm’s
cost replaces the normal craft point cost of the project.
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
The Dragon-Blood can accomplish projects that would
reset by upholding a Defining Principle by either com-
normally be impossible in the brief instant she uses this
pleting a crafting project or giving or selling an object
Charm, whether it’s fletching enough arrows to supply
the Exalt has crafted to another character.
an army in a whirling maelstrom of craftsmanship,
Eternal Omphalos Forge or lashing together a raft from palm trees in a single
flowing motion.
Cost: 15m, 1wp, 15gxp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple This Charm can only be used once per story, unless re-
Keywords: Signature (Earth) set when the Dragon-Blood or one of her Hearthmates
Duration: One project achieves a major character or story goal (Exalted, p.
Prerequisite Charms: None 170) with the assistance of an object that the Exalt
crafted this story.

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Imago-Hatching Realization to (Essence/2, round up), and double 10s on decisive

Cost: 10m, 1wp, 5gxp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3 damage rolls.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Wood) Stoking Inspiration’s Forge
Duration: Instant
Cost: —; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Balanced, Fire
Cultivating the Essence of her work as though it were a Duration: Instant
living thing, the Dragon-Blood guides its growth from Prerequisite Charms: Talents-to-Obols Refinement
raw materials into a fully realized whole, letting the
project flourish in accordance with its own strengths.
The Dragon-Blood husbands the flame of her genius,
She undertakes a Craft project, and may reroll all dice
sparking greater heights of creativity. Whenever she’d gain
that show non-1 failures on a single roll of that project. If
silver craft points as a reward for completing a crafting
this increases the successes on the roll, the project man-
project or at the end of a story in which she completed a
ifests a single unexpected but useful feature determined
project (Exalted, p. 240), she may instead roll that many
by the Storyteller. A longbow might have the perfect
dice, rolling an additional die for each 10. 10s grant two
composition to also function as an exceptional flute; a
silver and one gold craft point; 9s grant one silver and one
river-spanning bridge might attract local honeybees to
gold craft point; 8s and 7s grant one silver craft point each.
build hives underneath it. The Storyteller might choose
to hold off on determining this quality, instead revealing
it later at a dramatically appropriate future time. Dodge
On an artifact, this introduces a new but related theme Threshold Warding Stance
from which Evocations can be drawn — the Exalt Cost: 2m per +1 Evasion or success; Mins: Dodge 1,
might discover that a white jade daiklave she forged Essence 1
to slay raksha also has an unexpected proclivity for Type: Supplemental or Reflexive
controlling cold iron through magnetic force. Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Fire, Uniform
Duration: Instant
This Charm can only be used once per story. The Exalt Prerequisite Charms: None
may reset it by spending one white craft point, though
she can still only use it once per project. The Dragon-Blood’s body is as light as flames, skim-
ming over the ground as she moves to evade. She may
Forge-Hand Prana raise her Evasion for two motes per point, or add au-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Craft 5, Essence 3 tomatic successes on a Dodge roll for two motes each.
Type: Simple She ignores environmental penalties to her Evasion or
Keywords: Fire to the Dodge roll.
Duration: One project or One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Shaping Hand Style, Touch of Flickering Candle Meditation
Unmaking Cost: 1m, 1i; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
The Dragon-Blood takes the destructive power of fire into Keywords: Fire, Perilous, Uniform
her own hands, tempering it so that it will burn only what Duration: Instant
she wishes it to. She needs no tools to undertake any basic Prerequisite Charms: None
or major project for which a forge or similar source of
flame would normally be used, such as smithing a sword or The Dragon-Blood dances like a flame around the flaws in
fire-hardening a wooden spear, as well as superior projects her enemy’s attack. (Essence) 1s on her enemy’s attack roll al-
to create artifacts from jade (but not other magical mate- low her to ignore that many points of penalty to her Evasion.
rials). The rate at which the Exalt completes work on the
project is multiplied by (Essence/2, round up). Heat-of-Battle Advance
Cost: 2m; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 1
Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm Type: Supplemental
to channel the blaze through her hands offensively for Keywords: Fire, Perilous
one scene. Any barehanded attacks she makes using Duration: Instant
Brawl or Martial Arts set their Overwhelming value Prerequisite Charms: None

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When the Dragon-Blood recedes from her enemies, she as though with a defend other action (Exalted, p.
doesn’t retreat, but rather burns a new course. She waives 196). When used to protect one of the Dragon-Blood’s
the Initiative cost of disengaging as long as it moves her Sworn Kin, this Charm costs only two motes.
into close range with another, nontrivial opponent, and
rolls an additional non-Charm die for each 10 she rolls. In Wood Aura, the Dragon-Blood may protect an ally
within short range once per round, reflexively moving
Hopping Firecracker Evasion one range band to cover him. This doesn’t count as her
Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Dodge 3, Essence 2 movement action for the round.
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Fire, Perilous, Uniform Ember-Amid-Smoke Misdirection
Duration: Instant Cost: 3m; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 2
Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Candle Meditation Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Fire, Uniform
The Dragon-Blood’s feet strike sparks from the ground, Duration: Instant
finally igniting in an explosive leap When she dodges Prerequisite Charms: Flickering Candle Meditation
an attack that misses her Evasion by at least two suc-
cesses, she may move one range band in any direction. Striking at smoke only leads one closer to the flame.
The Dragon-Blood gains +1 Evasion. On a successful
Virtuous Negation Defense dodge, her attacker overextends, suffering (Essence)
Cost: 4m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 2 dice of unsoakable withering damage. She doesn’t gain
Type: Reflexive Initiative from this.
Keywords: Uniform, Wood
Duration: Instant With an Essence 4 repurchase, the Dragon-Blood may
Prerequisite Charms: Hopping Firecracker Evasion expend her Fire Aura after successfully dodging to
gain all Initiative lost by her attacker.
The Dragon-Blood twists to interpose herself between
Safety Among Enemies
an ally and an incoming attack to guide it off course.
When an ally within close range of her is attacked, she Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3
may interpose her Evasion against that single attack Type: Reflexive

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Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Perilous, Signature (Air) of her leap, rolling (Wits + Dodge). The counterattack
Duration: Instant deals ([Essence + base Evasion]/2, rounded up)L dam-
Prerequisite Charms: None age dice, ignoring Hardness. This doesn’t include her
Initiative or reset her to base Initiative. An enemy that
As the Dragon-Blood spins or swoops around an at- takes 3+ levels of damage from the counterattack is set
tack, she twists the wind around the blow to redirect ablaze, suffering (Essence) dice of lethal damage each
it. Successfully dodging a decisive attack allows her turn until he extinguishes himself.
to redirect it to another character within range of the
original attack. To do so, her Initiative must exceed (at- Flow With Strife
tacker’s Initiative + new target’s Initiative). The attack Cost: 3i per level of damage, expend Water Aura; Mins:
and all effects enhancing it are then rolled again, using Dodge 5, Essence 3
the same dice pool, against its new target. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Perilous, Signature
Unmoving Center Enlightenment (Water)
Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Earth Aura; Mins: Dodge 5, Duration: Instant
Essence 3 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Simple
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Earth) The Dragon-Blood’s movements are fluid and shape-
Duration: Instant less, adapting to whatever force is directed against her.
Prerequisite Charms: None Even when struck she may be unscathed, flowing with
her enemy’s attack rather than against it. After the
The Dragon-Blood settles into a rooted stance of eva- damage roll of a decisive attack that the Dragon-Blood
sion through non-evasion, unleashing a seismic wave attempted to dodge, she can use this Charm to negate
of spiritual force. It’s not she who recedes, but her foes. damage successes at a cost of three Initiative per level
She rolls her (Stamina + Dodge) against the Resolve of of non-aggravated damage. If she completely negates
all enemies within close range as she unleashes incred- the damage of an attack, it seems that she was struck,
ible spiritual pressure. Each enemy whose Resolve is but she flows away from the attack at the last second;
beaten must immediately make a disengage roll oppos- this counts as dodging the attack.
ing her at a −3 penalty. On a success, an enemy must
immediately use his reflexive movement to move away The Initiative cost of this Charm is discounted to two
from the Dragon-Blood. On a failure, the only action Initiative per level of damage while the Dragon-Blood
he can take on subsequent turns is to continue disen- is at least ankle-deep in water or fighting in driving rain.
gaging from the Dragon-Blood until he succeeds, even
if subsequently forced beyond close range. Characters Swaying Grass Elusion
may resist this for one Willpower and five Initiative. Cost: 2i per +1 Evasion; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Signature (Wood), Uniform
the Dragon-Blood resets it by beginning her turn at Duration: Instant
medium range or further from all enemies while in Prerequisite Charms: None
Earth Aura.
The Dragon-Blood bends and sways under an enemy’s
Unassailable Body of Fire attack, letting the force of his strike blow past her like
Cost: 7m; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3 the wind. She may raise her Evasion for two Initiative
Type: Reflexive per point, and adds two to the maximum amount she
Keywords: Aura, Counterattack, Decisive-only, Signa- may raise her Evasion with Charm bonuses (p. 162).
ture (Fire)
Duration: Instant Upon successfully dodging an attack made by a non-
Prerequisite Charms: Hopping Firecracker Evasion trivial enemy with lower Initiative, the Dragon-Blood
may expend her Wood Aura to regain half the Initiative
The Dragon-Blood’s body dissolves into an untouch- spent on this Charm, rounded up.
able blaze, incinerating those who dare strike her.
When she uses Hopping Firecracker Evasion to leap Ebbing Tide Recedes
away from an enemy at close range, she makes an Cost: 4m; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 3
unblockable decisive counterattack with the flames Type: Supplemental

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Keywords: Water Initiative when she successfully dodges an attack, and

Duration: Instant adds her Evasion to her soak against withering attacks
Prerequisite Charms: Heat-of-Battle Advance she attempts to dodge. If a withering attack hits her
but deals no damage, it counts as her having dodged it.
Like water trickling away through a drain, the Dragon- Additionally, when using Flickering Candle Meditation
Blood extricates herself from melee. When she disen- or Bonfire Shadow Evasion, she counts her attackers’ 2s
gages, (Essence) 1s on her enemies’ opposing rolls add as well as 1s, although the maximum remains unchanged.
that many non-Charm bonus dice to her roll.
Elusive Dragon-God Dispersion
In Water Aura, the Dragon-Blood also doubles 9s on Cost: —; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 5
her disengage roll. Type: Permanent
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only
Elusive Crosswind Defense Duration: Permanent
Cost: 4m, 1i; Mins: Dodge 4, Essence 3 Prerequisite Charm: Unassailable Body of Fire
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air, Aura, Perilous, Uniform The Dragon-Blood unleashes a seething furor of
Duration: Instant elemental Essence in her wake, forcing her enemies
Prerequisite Charms: Hopping Firecracker Evasion to plunge through flames, brambles, storms, and
all Creation’s fury in pursuit of her. She may use
The Dragon-Blood’s dodge unleashes a swirling vortex Unassailable Body of Fire while in any Elemental
of air, turning aside her enemies’ arrows. She gains +1 Aura, changing the aspects of that Charm and Hopping
Evasion against a ranged attack from medium range, or Firecracker Evasion to match her Aura and enhancing
+2 against an attack from long or extreme range. This her counterattack based on its element.
doesn’t count as a bonus from Charms.
Air: The Dragon-Blood dissolves into gusting wind. As
Bonfire Shadow Evasion long as she deals any damage, she may force the enemy
Cost: 6m, 1a; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 3 to move one range band horizontally in any direction.
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Fire, Perilous, Uniform Earth: The Dragon-Blood counterattacks with a blast
Duration: Until next turn of sand, sediment, or dust, adding one bonus success
Prerequisite Charms: Ember-Amid-Smoke Misdirection to the damage roll. On a successful attack, this either
knocks her enemy prone or blinds him (Exalted, p.
The Dragon-Blood’s evasive instincts urge her towards 168) until he spends his whole turn clearing his eyes.
impossible motion, dodging her own anima banner to
Fire: The Dragon-Blood doubles 10s on the decisive
disperse it in a blinding flare. She must be at bonfire
damage roll.
anima to use this Charm. When enemies with lower
Initiative attack her, (Essence) 1s on their attack roll Water: The Dragon-Blood becomes a torrent of wa-
subtract successes. If this removes all of an attacker’s ter in motion, knocking her enemy off balance. The
successes or he botches, he’s blinded (Exalted, p. 168) counterattack deals bashing damage, and if it hits, her
until the scene ends. attacker takes a −3 penalty on all physical rolls for his
next three turns.
Coiling Dragon Dance
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Dodge 5, Essence 4 Wood: The Dragon-Blood counterattacks with tan-
Type: Reflexive gling brambles that deal no damage, but instead grap-
Keywords: Aura, Dual, Fire ple her attacker on a hit without need for an Initiative
Duration: Aura roll. The brambles use the Dragon-Blood’s (Stamina
Prerequisite Charms: Bonfire Shadow Evasion + Dodge) to establish control of the grapple, and can
only take restrain actions. The Dragon-Blood can act
Subliming her presence into shadow and smoke, the normally while the brambles maintain the clinch.
Dragon-Blood dares her foes to strike her. She gains one

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Integrity The Dragon-Blood swears a vow of personal fealty to a

character she holds a Tie of loyalty towards, or swears
to complete a task at the request of such a character. She
Granite Curtain of Serenity gains +2 Resolve against any influence that would weak-
Cost: 2m per +1 Resolve or success; Mins: Integrity 1, en or alter that Tie (if she promised personal loyalty), or
Essence 1 that would dissuade her from completing the task.
Type: Supplemental or Reflexive
Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Excellency This Charm can only be used once per story. If the
Duration: Instant Dragon-Blood maintains it through multiple stories,
Prerequisite Charms: None she cannot use it again until she’s ended it and a new
story begins.
Taking on the stoicism of stone, the Dragon-Blood
stands unmoved by honeyed words or ferocious Heart-Hardening Meditation
threats. She may raise her Resolve or add automatic Cost: 6m; Mins: Integrity 2, Essence 2
successes to an Integrity roll for two motes each. In Type: Reflexive
addition, she ignores a single point of penalty from Keywords: Earth
wounds, deprivation, or poison. Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Frozen Heart Prana
Cost: 4m; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 1 The mountain sheds no tears for those who die upon
Type: Reflexive it. The Dragon-Blood gains +2 Resolve against inspire
Keywords: Air, Balanced rolls, as well as any influence that leverages either an
Duration: Instant inspired emotion or a Tie based on strong passions.
Prerequisite Charms: None
In Earth Aura, this doesn’t count as a bonus from
Icy reason prevails over specious arguments or seduc- Charms.
tive wiles. The Dragon-Blood may use Intelligence in
Inviolate Dragon Spirit
place of Wits to calculate her Resolve against a single
influence roll. In addition, the opposing character Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2
must compare his Appearance to the highest of her Type: Reflexive
Intelligence, Lore, or Resolve to determine how many Keywords: Balanced, Earth
bonus dice it adds to his influence roll (Exalted, p. 218). Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Heart-Hardening Meditation

Slippery Thoughts Technique

The Dragon-Blood’s mind and soul are an unassailable
Cost: 4m; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 1 tower of pure will. In a Decision Point (Exalted, p.
Type: Reflexive 219), she may call upon the same Intimacy she used to
Keywords: Balanced, Water bolster her Resolve to resist that influence.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Unquenchable Battle-Passion
A consummate liar, the Dragon-Blood deftly negoti- Cost: 5m; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 2
ates intrigues and galas. She may use Manipulation in Type: Reflexive
place of Wits to calculate her Resolve against a single Keywords: Fire
influence roll. Alternatively, she may substitute her Duration: Instant
Manipulation-based Resolve for her Guile against a Prerequisite Charms: Inviolate Dragon Spirit
single roll.
The Dragon-Blood’s fierce spirit is undaunted by
Oath of the Ten Thousand Dragons threats and unmoved by pleas for mercy. Against influ-
Cost: 1wp; Mins: Integrity 2, Essence 1 ence that would cause her to refrain from hostilities or
Type: Simple impair her ability to fight, she may use this Charm to
Keywords: Earth automatically inspire herself (Exalted, p. 217) with an
Duration: Indefinite emotion to bolster her Resolve against the influence for
Prerequisite Charms: None one scene. If the opposing influence beats her Resolve

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and she spends Willpower to resist, she gains (Essence) Unwavering in her dedication, the Dragon-Blood won’t
Initiative for each Willpower point she spends. yield even to mortal injury. As long as she’s striving
to pursue or uphold an Intimacy to which she’s sworn
Chaos-Warding Prana herself with Oath of the Ten Thousand Dragons,
Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as One, or Unflagging
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 3, Essence 2 Vengeance Meditation, she ignores up to (Intimacy/2,
Type: Reflexive round down) points of wound penalties.
Keywords: Earth
Duration: (Essence) hours In Earth Aura, she ignores (Intimacy) points of wound
Prerequisite Charms: None penalties instead.

Centering her mind and spirit, the Dragon-Blood em- Ascendant Ideal Inspiration
bodies the stability of the omphalos, walking unscathed Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3
through the chaos of the Wyld. She and any items she Type: Simple
carries are impervious to physical transformation or Keywords: Signature (Air)
addiction caused by Wyld exposure, as well as similar en- Duration: Indefinite
vironmental effects that warp mind or body. This doesn’t Prerequisite Charms: None
protect her from shaping magic used by other characters
or from non-transformative perils of the Wyld. Rising above the turmoil of the world, the Dragon-
Blood dedicates herself to a Defining Principle that
An Integrity 5, Essence 3 repurchase lets the Dragon- represents her ideals. Any character who attempts
Blood pay a five-mote surcharge to extend this Charm’s to either weaken the chosen Principle or cause the
effects to her Hearthmates out to medium range. Dragon-Blood to act against it must make two separate
influence rolls, using the lower result. Additionally, the
Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as One
Dragon-Blood doubles 9s on influence rolls with any
Cost: 5m; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 2 Ability to either instill the chosen Principle in others
Type: Reflexive or persuade them to act by appealing to it.
Keywords: Balanced, Earth
Duration: Instant If the Dragon-Blood acts against the chosen Principle
Prerequisite Charms: Oath of the Ten Thousand or voluntarily weakens it in any session where this
Dragons Charm was used to empower it, she loses all temporary
Willpower, and this Charm ends if still active. Likewise,
The bellicose temperament of the Dragon-Blooded has she cannot use it to empower a Principle she’s acted
set them against each other throughout the ages, but in against or weakened earlier in the same session. If
times of crisis, the bonds of shared blood are stronger influence weakens it below Defining, this Charm ends,
than any division of house against house or nation but the Dragon-Blood doesn’t lose Willpower.
against nation. When the Exalt witnesses another
Dragon-Blood in risk or danger — physical, social, or This Charm can only be used once per story, unless re-
otherwise — she may use this Charm to instantly form a set by upholding a Defining Principle the Exalt wishes
Minor Tie of loyalty towards him, or to strengthen such to devote herself to in a way that either fulfills a major
a Tie by one step. For the rest of the scene, that Tie ben- character or story goal (Exalted, p. 170) or makes sig-
efits as though she’d used this Charm’s prerequisite to nificant narrative progress towards such a goal. If the
swear an oath to assist him. If she Joins Battle or makes Dragon-Blood maintains it through multiple stories,
an influence roll in this pursuit, she adds (Intimacy) she cannot use it again until she’s ended it and either a
non-Charm bonus dice on the first such roll she makes. new story begins or she resets it.

This Charm can only be used once per scene. Flawless Diamond Heart
Cost: 7m; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3
Wound-Denying Dragon Faith Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Balanced, Signature (Earth)
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 2
Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Earth
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as One Unfaltering in her convictions, the Dragon-Blood
embodies the unbreakable strength of earth. When her

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Resolve is beaten by influence that opposes one of her influence roll each subtract a success. If the Dragon-
Major or Defining Intimacies, she lowers the cost to Blood uses this Charm multiple times in the same scene
resist by (Essence/2, round up) Willpower, minimum against a single character’s influence, each subsequent
zero. If she enters a Decision Point, she must still call use increases the maximum penalty by one, to a maxi-
upon a valid Intimacy to use this Charm. mum of (Essence), and counts the next-highest number
towards the penalty. On her second use, 1s and 2s would
This Charm may only be used once per story, unless subtract successes; on the third, 1s, 2s, and 3s would.
reset by upholding the Intimacy this Charm was used
to protect. This Charm can only be used against a single character
each scene, although there’s no limit on how many
Immolating Phoenix-Soul Fury times the Dragon-Blood may use it against him.
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive Roots-of-the-World Meditation
Keywords: Balanced, Signature (Fire) Cost: —; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3
Duration: One scene Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Signature (Wood)
Duration: Until meditation is completed
The soul-twisting lies of Anathema and the curses of Prerequisite Charms: None
sorcerers cannot hope to tame the boundless fire of
the Dragon-Blood’s heart. If a Psyche effect (Exalted, Communing with the endless flow of Essence through
p. 253) would cause her to act against one of her every living thing, the Dragon-Blood draws up this
Intimacies, she may instead use this Charm to enter a boundless vitality to sustain herself. She must spend (10
berserk state in which her will cannot be constrained. − Essence) hours in meditation, at the end of which she
The Psyche effect is completely suppressed for the rolls (Essence + current temporary Willpower). She may
duration, but she cannot take any actions except to en- spend her successes on one or more of the following:
gage in hostilities. She may fight as best she sees fit, in-
cluding using disengage actions to tactically reposition 1 Success Heal a level of bashing
herself, but cannot withdraw from combat or accept or lethal damage.
an enemy’s surrender. The only social influence she
may attempt is threatening foes. If she’s not in combat, 1 Success Convert a level of aggra-
then she must either devote herself entirely to seeking vated damage to lethal.
out a specific enemy, or provoke other characters into 2 Successes Halve the duration (round up)
hostilities. She cannot end this Charm voluntarily. of a poison she suffers from.
If the Dragon-Blood defeats the character responsible 3 Successes Cure herself entirely of a disease
for inflicting the Psyche effect on her while in this rage, or Derangement at Minor intensity.
the unnatural influence is permanently broken, and 5 Successes Reduce a disease or Derangement
she gains two Willpower. This can raise her above her from Major intensity to Minor.
permanent Willpower. 7 Successes Reduce a disease or Derangement
from Defining intensity to Major.
This Charm may only be used once per story, unless
reset by subsequently upholding through violence or
This Charm can only be used once per story.
intimidation the Intimacy it was used to protect.
Thicker Than Stone
Waves-Swallow-Mountains Persistence
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 4, Essence 3
Cost: 5m; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Earth
Keywords: Signature (Water)
Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Inviolate Dragon Spirit, Ten
Prerequisite Charms: None
Thousand Dragons Fight as One
Against the persistence of the tides, even the mightiest
One could sooner grind a mountain to dust than turn
arguments crumble into dust. When the Dragon-Blood
the Dragon-Blood against her allies. Against influ-
asserts her Resolve against an influence roll, up to
ence that opposes one of her positive Ties to another
(Essence/2, round up) 1s on the opposing character’s

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WHAT CAN I DO WHILE I’M MEDITATING?

When an Exalt meditates to use Charms like Fivefold Resonance Sense or Mind-Cleansing Prana (Exalted,
p. 306), the range of actions she can take without ending her meditation is limited.

The only Physical or Social actions (based on Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma, Manipulation, or Ap-
pearance) that can be taken while meditating are those that are completely passive on the Exalt’s part, like
rolling Resistance to resist poison or asserting Resolve against influence. Otherwise, even reflexive actions
will end meditation.

Mental actions (based on Perception, Intelligence, or Wits) are generally unrestricted. However, a meditating
character cannot roll to shape sorcery or take other sorcerous actions, or any other non-reflexive action the
Storyteller deems incompatible with meditation.

Dragon-Blood, a family member, or a subordinate un- This Charm can only be used once per story. If the
der her command, she add (Intimacy/2, round down) Dragon-Blood maintains it through multiple stories,
Resolve as a non-Charm bonus. Successfully resisting she cannot use it again until she’s ended it and a new
the influence grants her a point of Willpower. story begins.

This Charm can only be used to protect a given Tie

The Mountain Still Stands
once per story.
Cost: —; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 4
Unflagging Vengeance Meditation Type: Reflexive
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Integrity 5, Essence 3 Keywords: Earth
Type: Simple Duration: Instant
Keywords: Earth Prerequisite Charms: Thicker Than Stone
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Ten Thousand Dragons Fight as When the Dragon-Blood successfully asserts her
One Resolve against influence that opposes one of her
Defining Intimacies, or successfully instills a nontrivi-
The Dragon-Blood swears vengeance on a character that al character with one of her Defining Intimacies using
has harmed the subject of one of her Major or Defining any social Ability, she gains a single point of Willpower.
Intimacies, instantly forming a Major Tie of hatred
towards him, or strengthening such an existing Tie by This Charm can only be used once per day.
one step. She gains +2 Resolve against any influence
that would weaken this Tie, or that would deter her
from her chosen course of revenge. For the duration
Investigation
of her vendetta, she waives the cost of Uneating Earth
Indisputable Physical Analysis Technique
Meditation, Unsleeping Earth Meditation, and Untiring
Earth Meditation (pp. 247-248). In battle against the Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 1
object of her vendetta or his allies or minions, she adds Type: Supplemental
+(Intimacy) natural soak and gains (Intimacy) Hardness. Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Water
Duration: Instant
If the Dragon-Blood goes a day without pursuing Prerequisite Charms: None
her vendetta, she loses two Willpower. If she has no
Willpower remaining, she suffers a level of unpre- The Dragon-Blood refines her attention to the pris-
ventable aggravated damage. Upon successfully con- tine clarity of water, washing away false leads and
cluding her vendetta to her satisfaction, she sheds the red herrings. She may add automatic successes on an
Intimacy formed by this Charm and gains two points Investigation roll for two motes each. She rerolls 6s
of Willpower. This may bring her above her permanent until they cease to appear.
Willpower rating.

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Tampering-Detection Technique magistrate to him. The Dragon-Blood doubles 9s on an

Cost: 1m; Mins: Investigation 2, Essence 1 Awareness, Investigation, or Survival roll to detect the
Type: Supplemental presence of a character that has made a Larceny roll in
Keywords: Balanced, Water the last (Essence) hours. She can determine whether
Duration: Instant or not a given individual is the source of the guilt by
Prerequisite Charms: None successfully profiling him.

Even the slightest disturbance at the scene of a crime Heart-Maze Navigation

can have consequences that ripple throughout an Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2
entire investigation. Success on a case scene roll re- Type: Supplemental
veals whether any attempt has been made to conceal Keywords: Water
evidence (Exalted, p. 224), although not the identity of Duration: Instant
the character responsible. Prerequisite Charms: Scent-of-Crime Method
Alternatively, this Charm can be used when the
The Dragon-Blood can test the composure of even the
Dragon-Blood examines an item for signs of tamper-
most practiced liar, discovering the path that leads
ing. She can automatically tell if any character has
to the truth. When she makes a profile character
used Larceny to interfere with that object in the last
roll, her target’s Guile can be penalized by any of his
(Essence + Investigation) hours — picking a lock, forg-
Intimacies that would support revealing information
ing credentials, hiding contraband inside a barrel, and
to the Dragon-Blood, lowering it as though it were his
so on. This reveals the nature of the tampering, but not
Resolve.
the perpetrator’s identity or the time it occurred.
While the Dragon-Blood is in Water Aura, she can use
With Investigation 4, Essence 3, the Dragon-Blooded
this Charm to profile a character instantly.
can detect tampering that has occurred in the last
(Essence + Investigation) days.
Revelation-of-Associates Hunch
Permeating Insight Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Cost: 4m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 1
Keywords: Balanced, Fire
Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Water
Prerequisite Charms: Scent-of-Crime Method
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Criminals surround themselves with cronies, accom-
plices, and hirelings like a bonfire wreathes itself in
Deceit, lies, and obfuscation won’t avail fugitives from
cast-off embers, leaving behind a trail for an intrepid
the Dragon-Blood’s justice. Their sins are pellucid as
Dragon-Blood to follow. She rolls an additional
crystal in her eyes. She adds (Essence) non-Charm
non-Charm die for each 10 on an Investigation roll.
dice on a roll to profile a character (Exalted, p. 225).
If she successfully uncovers evidence of crime, she
If she succeeds, she gains a temporary Investigation
experiences a sensation of flashing heat. Based on the
specialty in the profiled character. She retains the
intensity of this heat, she can gauge roughly how many
specialty indefinitely, but may only have one specialty
individuals were involved — a lone offender’s crime
granted by this Charm at a time.
barely registers as heat at all, while a conspiracy of
hundreds roars like a bonfire.
Scent-of-Crime Method
Cost: 4m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2 With an Investigation 5, Essence 3 repurchase of this
Type: Supplemental Charm, the Dragon-Blood can detect that a character
Keywords: Water is connected to the crime with a successful profile
Duration: Instant character roll enhanced by Revelation-of-Associates
Prerequisite Charms: Permeating Insight Hunch, recognizing an all-too-familiar heat rising off
of the suspect. This doesn’t reveal the role he played
Even if a murderer washes the blood from his hands, in the crime.
the smell of iniquity that clings to his heart draws the

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Bloodhound’s Nose Technique or negotiated concession from the air into which it’s
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 2 spoken and sealing it with Essence. She can use this
Type: Simple Charm to sanctify any spoken offer made to her of hos-
Keywords: Water/Wood pitality or of invitation into a building. The invitation
Duration: (Essence) days must be made by a character with customary authority
Prerequisite Charms: Scent-of-Crime Method to do so, even if informal — a guest at a noble’s court
could extend hospitality to a stranger, and even a pal-
The Dragon-Blood smells the sin on a criminal’s back, ace servant might welcome her in discreetly, but a thief
pursuing him through city and wilderness alike by the or trespasser cannot give a valid invitation.
scent of his iniquity. She makes a case scene roll with
As long as the Dragon-Blood and her companions take
double 9s to investigate a piece of evidence. The base
no hostile actions, other characters cannot violate the
difficulty of this roll is 3, although the Storyteller may
guarantee of hospitality without incurring Heaven’s
increase the difficulty based on the length of time since
wrath. An attacker’s knife might be blown from his
the object was left, any exposure to the elements, or
hand by a sudden gust of wind, elemental spirits might
supernatural concealment. On a success, the Dragon-
appear to restrain an oath-breaker from violence, or
Blood is able to pick up the scent of the character who
a bolt of lightning might strike a would-be poisoner
left the evidence. If she’s already familiar with that
on his way to the kitchen. Whatever consequences
individual, she identifies him immediately.
the Storyteller introduces should be commensurate
The Dragon-Blood doubles 9s on rolls to track that to the violation and sufficiently dire to negate most
character by smell, and can recognize his scent with- oathbreakers’ attempts at harming those under this
out needing an Awareness roll upon coming within Charm’s protection. Characters with an Essence high-
medium range of him. In addition, the Storyteller may er than the Dragon-Blood’s can attempt to fight despite
inform her player, through the Exalt’s keen sense of these consequences, but still face significant obstacles
smell, whenever a case scene or profile character roll — large penalties, environmental hazards, or similar.
would turn up information relevant to that character.
This protection is limited to the premises on which she was
offered hospitality. It doesn’t extend beyond the bounds of
Tenacious Flowing Truths that location — offering no protection for those outside —
Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2 and ends if the Dragon-Blood leaves the premises.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Water Echoes Caught in Stone
Duration: One scene
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: Tampering-Detection Tech-
Type: Simple
nique
Keywords: Signature (Earth)
Duration: Instant
Attuning her senses to the ebb and flow of truth and Prerequisite Charms: Bloodhound’s Nose Technique
lies, the Dragon-Blood can solve even the most chal-
lenging cases. She ignores (Essence) points of penalties
Taking a piece of evidence in hand and meditating on
on rolls to case a scene, as well as on Awareness rolls
it, the Dragon-Blood rolls (Perception + Investigation)
opposing Larceny.
against a difficulty equal to the number of days since that
In Water Aura, the Exalt also adds an automatic suc- evidence was placed. On a successful roll, she hears a rele-
cess on all rolls that benefit from this Charm. vant conversation that occurred near that object sometime
in the last (Essence) months. A murder weapon might
reveal the last words between killer and victim, a carelessly
Warrant of Divine Safety abandoned sandal could uncover good-humored banter
Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3 between thieves, or a hidden switch in a manse might
Type: Reflexive repeat the words of the last person to operate it.
Keywords: Signature (Air)
Duration: (Essence) hours To use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must first have
Prerequisite Charms: None identified an object as evidence with a case scene roll. She
may listen through the conversation once, and may need
Dragon-Blooded magistrates may bind the wicked to make hearing-based Awareness rolls to discern very
to their words, capturing a carelessly offered oath faint or obscured sounds. She doesn’t control what period

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in time she listens to, but the Storyteller should select the on a character’s person, or that have been lost rather than
conversation most relevant to her current investigations. purposefully hidden. The Dragon-Blood’s case scene roll
is capable of contesting magical concealment such as Eye-
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset by Deceiving Camouflage (Exalted, p. 412).
upholding a Defining Intimacy in the pursuit of investigat-
ing a crime or bringing a criminal to justice. Clear Water Prana can only be used once per story,
unless reset by accomplishing a major character or
Shadow-Immolating Talon story goal (Exalted, p. 170) by successfully concluding
an investigation or using the information gained from
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3 one.
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Signature (Fire)
Duration: Instant Death-Unraveling Eye
Prerequisite Charms: Heart-Maze Navigation Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Her claws unsheathed, the Dragon-Blood brings fire Keywords: Signature (Wood)
down into the shadows and returns with truth. She can Duration: Instant
use this Charm to enhance a decisive attack made with Prerequisite Charms: None
any Ability, confronting her enemy with a question or
accusation as she attacks. She adds (Essence) bonus dice The ravages of decay and deterioration fall away from
on the attack roll and doubles 10s on the damage roll. the Dragon-Blood’s perspective as she looks on the
dead through eyes lit with Wood Essence. She can
If the Dragon-Blood’s successes on her attack roll ex- examine a corpse that has been dead for no more than
ceeds her target’s Resolve, he’s compelled to answer her (Essence + Perception) years with a case scene roll, ig-
question or accusation honestly, without deception or noring penalties from the decomposition of the corpse
half-truths. Even an enemy incapacitated by the attack or any dismemberment inflicted on it.
has time to answer in his final moments. If this would
oppose one of his Defining Intimacies, he may pay a In addition to any information turned up by the case
point of Willpower to give an answer that is cryptic, scene roll, the Dragon-Blood is capable of mentally
half-true, or incomplete. If a character doesn’t know rewinding the corpse’s decomposition, allowing her
enough to give the Dragon-Blood an answer, the attack to view it as it was at the time of death and poten-
gains no benefits and the cost of this Charm is refunded. tially identify him. She can analyze the state of the
corpse’s injuries or diagnose any conditions present
Shadow-Immolating Talon can only be used once per at the time of death with a (Perception + Medicine)
scene, unless reset by incapacitating a significant enemy roll, doubling 9s.
that the Dragon-Blood knows has committed a crime
that offends one of her Major or Defining Intimacies. It Additionally, by viewing the entire process of the corpse’s
doesn’t need to be reset if its target is unable to answer. decomposition in reverse, she automatically notices
any conflicts with information she’s already turned up.
Clear Water Prana For example, if a criminal hid a corpse in an ice chest to
slow its rate of decay, the Dragon-Blood would be able to
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3 notice the slowed progress of deterioration and infer that
Type: Simple the victim has been dead longer than he appears.
Keywords: Signature (Water)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Tenacious Flowing Truths A Face in the Fog
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 3
As flowing water erodes dirt and stone to reveal what hides Type: Reflexive
beneath, so too does the Dragon-Blood’s Essence wash Keywords: Mute, Water
away attempts at concealment. The Dragon-Blood focuses Duration: Instant
her attention on a small area, out to close range from a Prerequisite Charms: Revelation-of-Associates
single point. She rolls to case the scene with double 7s; this Hunch, Tenacious Flowing Truths
requires only one minute of concentration to complete. In
addition to any clues she finds, she also detects any items The Dragon-Blood draws information from the flow of
that have been hidden in the area as long as she rolls a Essence through a crime scene, calling up a vision of her
single success. This doesn’t reveal items that are concealed suspect from the murky depths of the past. When she

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succeeds on a case scene roll opposed by another charac- Scent of the Stranger’s Threshold
ter’s attempt at concealing evidence, she may activate this Cost: 1m; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 3
Charm. For a moment, her perception of the space around Type: Reflexive
her is filled with a thick, heavy mist. She catches a glimpse Keywords: Wood
of the perpetrator in the mist — not enough to recognize Duration: Instant
him, but sufficient to convey some combination of height Prerequisite Charms: Bloodhound’s Nose Technique
and build, gender, age, or other distinctive features.
The Dragon-Blood can tell outsiders from locals with
If the Dragon-Blood encounters the perpetrator, a suc-
a glance, picking up on the subtle cues woven into
cessful profile character roll allows her to confirm that
the living web of society. While she’s in a city, village,
he’s the one she saw. Upon doing so, she gains a point
or similar settlement, she can determine whether
of Willpower.
a character she perceives lives in that location, no
matter how humble the place he calls home. Outside
Falsehood-Unearthing Attitude of a settlement, she instead discerns if a character is a
Cost: 3m; Mins: Investigation 4, Essence 3 resident of the largest nearby settlement she’s aware
Type: Simple of. Fair Folk always appear as strangers, no matter how
Keywords: Earth integrated into society they may be, but this doesn’t
Duration: Instant reveal their true nature.
Prerequisite Charms: Heart-Maze Navigation
If the Dragon-Blood uses this Charm against a charac-
Even an honest man can lie, and the Dragon-Blood ter in disguise or employing a similar magical decep-
knows why. She makes a profile character roll with tion, and learning his residence would compromise
(Essence/2, rounded up) bonus successes, requiring his ruse, she must roll (Perception + Investigation)
only a few seconds. Success reveals one of that char- with double 9s against his Guile. On a failed roll, the
acter’s Intimacies that he’d be willing to lie to protect. Dragon-Blood receives a result that conforms with her
If the character has multiple such Intimacies, the target’s cover.
Storyteller should choose the one most directly rele-
If the Dragon-Blood has memorized a character’s scent
vant to ongoing events. For example, if she profiles a
with Bloodhound’s Nose Technique, she can use this
character while investigating embezzlement from the
Charm to see if he calls a place home without needing
Imperial Treasury, she might discover his Defining
him to be present.
Principle of unscrupulous greed. Using it against the
same character amidst a murder mystery might reveal
a Tie to someone else who could be a potential suspect Homeward Trail Discovery Method
in the case. Cost: —; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Foul Stench of Lies Discernment Keywords: Air
Duration: Instant
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: Scent of the Stranger’s Thresh-
Type: Reflexive
old
Keywords: Air, Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Falsehood-Unearthing Attitude Both dragons and thieves take great interest in tend-
ing to their lairs; neither can hide from the vigilant
magistrate. Once the Dragon-Blood has used this
To speak lies before a Dragon-Blood is to foul the air with
Charm’s prerequisite to determine that a character
one’s breath. The Dragon-Blood may reflexively roll to
lives in a location, this Charm activates when she
profile a character when she hears him make a statement,
comes in sight of a door or other entryway into
adding (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice. A successful
his home. In her perspective, the entryway briefly
roll reveals whether that character was attempting to be
flashes blue with the Essence of air, automatically
deceptive or misleading with his statement. It doesn’t
revealing it to her. If she rolls to pick a lock, force
reveal what parts of the statement are untrue.
a door, or otherwise secure her entry by physically
Once the Dragon-Blood has caught a character lying, manipulating an entrance, she doubles 9s on the first
she waives the Willpower cost of any subsequent acti- such roll.
vations against that character in the same scene.

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River-of-Memory Meditation • She may treat any social influence that requires
Cost: 5m; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 4 her to end the investigation as unacceptable
Type: Simple (Exalted, p. 220). Once she apprehends the sus-
Keywords: Mute, Water pect and decides on how best to do justice, any
Duration: Instant influence to deter her from that course is like-
Prerequisite Charms: A Face in the Fog, Bloodhound’s wise unacceptable.
Nose Technique
Inescapable Wave Insight can only be used once per
story, unless reset by witnessing a serious crime that
The Dragon-Blood knows the criminal underworld as
offends against one of her Defining Intimacies.
an angler knows the sea. After uncovering evidence
or a clue that a crime has been committed, she rolls
(Perception + Investigation) to correlate the details of Larceny
the crime with what she knows of any character that
she’s successfully profiled during this story, at a dif- Underground River’s Flow
ficulty of (higher of his Essence or Larceny). Success
reveals whether that character has a Major or Defining Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Larceny 1, Essence 1
Intimacy that would have supported committing Type: Supplemental
the crime. This doesn’t reveal what his Intimacy is Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Mute, Water
or whether he’s guilty, only that he has a compelling Duration: Instant
motive. Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm can also be used to recognize the signa- Adept at criminal ways, the Dragon-Blood moves ef-
ture method or calling card of a criminal, allowing fortlessly within criminal underworlds. She may add
the Dragon-Blood to instantly recognize a crime com- automatic successes to a Larceny roll for two motes
mitted in the style of a character she’s profiled, and to each.
distinguish his work from that of a copycat.
Flowing Body Disguise
Inescapable Wave Insight Cost: 2m; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Investigation 5, Essence 5 Type: Supplemental
Type: Simple Keywords: Balanced, Water
Keywords: Water Duration: Instant
Duration: One investigation Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: River-of-Memory Meditation
The Dragon-Blood’s subtle arts make her appearance
The Dragon-Blood builds her case day by day, every as fluid as water. She ignores (Essence) points of pen-
piece of evidence or witness questioned adding another alty on a disguise roll from impersonating a specific
drop to the rising tide of her investigation. As she com- character, or disguising herself as someone of another
pletes her case, these waters overflow their banks in an sex, body type, or similar physical traits.
overwhelming torrent of revelations. After uncovering a
number of clues equal to (higher of her target’s Essence If the Dragon-Blood impersonates one of her blood
or Larceny) through case scene rolls, profile character relatives, she adds a non-Charm bonus success on her
rolls, or roleplaying, the Dragon-Blood gains the follow- roll.
ing benefits until she’s conclusively closed the case:
Nimble Thief’s Fingers
• She adds (Essence) bonus dice on Investigation
Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1
rolls against her suspect, Awareness rolls op-
Type: Supplemental
posing his Stealth or Larceny, and on Join Battle
Keywords: Balanced, Water
rolls against him.
Duration: Instant
•
When she uses one or more Investigation Prerequisite Charms: None
Charms targeting him, the total Willpower cost
is reduced by one point and their mote cost is No one can follow the sinuous, fluid motions of the
muted. Dragon-Blood’s hands as she enacts her sleight. She

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rerolls 6s until they cease to appear on a roll to steal an
object, pick a lock, poison a meal, cheat at cards, or any
other use of Larceny that involves manual dexterity or
sleight of hand.

Resetting Tumblers Technique

Cost: 5m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Water
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood washes away all signs of her

trespass, doubling 9s on a roll to conceal evidence
(Exalted, p. 224).

Naked Thief Style

Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Stackable, Water
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Resetting Tumblers Technique

The Dragon-Blood is a master of concealing small items,

whether smuggling contraband through a port or conceal-
ing her lock picks in her coiffure. She rolls ([Dexterity or
Appearance] + Larceny) to conceal on her body a single
item small enough for her to hold in one hand, or an entire
set of thieves’ tools, such as a roll of lockpicking equip-
ment or a disguise kit. Characters cannot roll (Perception
+ Awareness) to contest this concealment unless they’re
within short range of the Exalt or use magic that extends
the range of their senses. She may stack up to (Dexterity)
uses of this Charm to conceal multiple items.

Observer Awareness Method

Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

Even the slightest ripple of attention is perceptible

to the savvy Dragon-Blood. When her suspicions are
roused, she may invoke this Charm to roll (Perception
+ Larceny). As long as she rolls a single success, she
can intuitively discern whether she’s being watched
and by how many people.

With Larceny 4, Essence 2, the Dragon-Blood may

identify the precise location of an observer if she beats
(the higher of his Stealth or Guile).
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Rose-Among-Thorns Distinction Dragon’s Hidden Treasure

Cost: 5m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 1 Cost: 1m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Observer-Awareness Method Prerequisite Charms: Naked Thief Style

The Dragon-Blood weaves herself seamlessly into the The Dragon-Blood strikes the earth or an earthen struc-
company of thieves and gangsters. After spending at least ture with precise deliberation, attuning herself to the
an hour interacting with a particular criminal society, such flow of Earth Essence. She may cause a held object to
as “the Nexus crime underworld” or “the Lintha family,” vanish into soil, stone, or similar materials, submerging
that she’s interacted with in the past, she may gain a tempo- into them without displacing or increasing the earth. She
rary Larceny specialty in interacting with it. The specialty cannot store an object in something that is smaller than
also applies on any influence rolls she makes to convince it — she could hide her daiklave in a brick wall, but not in
others she belongs to that criminal group or to exploit that a pebble, coin, or gemstone. A second use of this Charm
belief. She retains the specialty indefinitely, but may only allows her to retrieve the embedded object.
have one specialty granted by this Charm at a time.
This Charm can also be used to steal objects that
other Dragon-Blooded have hidden using it. Finding
Whispering Thief Technique
the location of a hidden cache usually requires both
Cost: 2m; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 1 Investigation and Awareness rolls. The hidden object
Type: Supplemental also reappears, intact, if whatever it’s embedded in is
Keywords: Air destroyed.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Observer Awareness Method
Face-Stealing Reflection
A subtle current of wind carries the Dragon-Blood’s Cost: 4m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2
words through the air. This Charm lets her throw her Type: Simple
voice, making it seem to come from a character or object Keywords: Water
within short range. This ventriloquism supplements Duration: Instant
a single influence roll or about ten seconds’ worth of Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Body Disguise, Observ-
ordinary dialogue. While in stealth, she can use this er Awareness Method
Charm to speak without breaking concealment.
Flowing from one identity to another, the Dragon-
Blood reflects the desires and expectations of those
Artful Flowing Theft
around her. She rolls read intentions with (Perception
Cost: 5m; Mins: Larceny 3, Essence 2 + Larceny). Success reveals the identity of an individu-
Type: Supplemental al her target has a Tie towards that the Dragon-Blood
Keywords: Water knows well enough to attempt to disguise herself as, as
Duration: Instant well as the nature of the Intimacy. If no such individual
Prerequisite Charms: Nimble Thief’s Fingers, Observ- exists, she learns that instead.
er Awareness Method
In Water Aura, the Exalt doubles 9s on the roll.
The Dragon-Blood’s wandering fingers strike suddenly
and without warning, wresting away treasures like a rip- Bramble Purse Technique
tide. She doubles 9s on a roll to pickpocket or steal from
a character, and increases the difficulty of noticing the Cost: 4m; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2
theft for all characters other than the victim by (Essence) Type: Simple
unless they use magic or superhuman senses to oppose Keywords: Wood
her roll. Even if she fails, her target doesn’t realize she Duration: One hour
was trying to steal from him unless he beats her roll with Prerequisite Charms: Observer Awareness Method
(Essence) threshold successes.
It’s easier to pluck a jewel from within a briar hedge
This Charm can only be used once per scene. than from a Dragon-Blood’s pocket. All rolls to pick-
pocket the Exalt or disarm her from close range lose

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(Essence) dice. On a failed roll, the would-be thief suf- The Dragon-Blood’s foresight envisions countless pos-
fers a single level of lethal damage as invisible thorns sible scenarios that might occur in a crime, planning out
of Essence pierce his hand, visibly marking his crimes. contingencies and countermeasures for any obstacle that
she can conceive. Invoking this Charm requires spending
Evidence-Erasing Tide an hour casing the site of a planned heist, planning out the
steps of a crime, consulting with various criminal allies, or
Cost: 4m, 1a; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2 other activities taken in preparation of a crime. She rolls
Type: Supplemental (Intelligence + Larceny), banking all rolled successes.
Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant To access the banked successes, the Dragon-Blood
Prerequisite Charms: Resetting Tumblers Technique must begin the planned crime. She may add some or
all of the banked successes as a Charm bonus on any
The Dragon-Blood’s anima banner overflows, rushing rolls that she or another character present in the scene
across a crime scene to wash away all signs of her pres- makes with Larceny, Investigation, Lore, or Stealth
ence. She completes a conceal evidence roll instantly, to advance the crime. Additionally, she may expend
and adds a non-Charm bonus success. banked successes to gain the following effects:

Instant Disguise Prana 1 Success Retroactively leave her calling card,

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2 mark, or sign in a dramatic location.
Type: Simple 2 Successes Waive the anima cost of Ev-
Keywords: Water idence-Erasing Tide.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Body Disguise 5 Successes Waive the Willpower cost of
Instant Disguise Prana.
The Dragon-Blood can roll to disguise herself in a single 7 Successes Invoke Investigation-Deflecting
minute, and does so without any need for makeup, props, Current (if she knows it) retro-
or other equipment. If she does have suitable equipment actively to conceal evidence of
for her disguise, her roll benefits from double 9s. an act she’s already committed
in the course of the crime.
Waters-of-Honesty Method Vault-Emptying Whirlwind Heist can only be used
Cost: 3m; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 2 once per story, unless reset by successfully upholding a
Type: Reflexive Major or Defining Intimacy as the result of a success-
Keywords: Balanced, Water ful crime. This can either be direct, such as stealing a
Duration: Instant jewel the Exalt has a Tie of avarice towards, or indirect,
Prerequisite Charms: Observer Awareness Prana such as fencing a jewel in order to feed a community of
urchins she has a Tie of compassion for.
No one outcheats a cheater. Whenever a character the
Dragon-Blood can perceive attempts to cheat in a game Dragon Snatches Jewel
or use the Larceny Ability, she may read intentions with
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3
(Perception + Larceny) against the perpetrator’s Guile.
Type: Simple
Success reveals the identity of the perpetrator and the na-
Keywords: Decisive-only, Signature (Earth)
ture of his misdeed. On a failed roll, she’s aware that some
Duration: Instant
wrongdoing has occurred, but not who did it or what it was.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Disguises don’t trigger this Charm, unless the Dragon-
Blood witnesses a character disguising himself. The Dragon-Blood’s grasp is as sure as stone, capa-
ble of wresting away the weapons of the Anathema.
She makes a disarm gambit from close range with
Vault-Emptying Whirlwind Heist
(Dexterity + Larceny), doubling 9s. On a successful
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3 gambit, the Exalt may reflexively ready the disarmed
Type: Simple weapon and is refunded the gambit’s Initiative cost.
Keywords: Signature (Air)
Duration: (Essence) days or Until crime is completed If she disarms an artifact weapon, she reflexively at-
Prerequisite Charms: None tunes to it at no cost for the rest of the scene. This breaks

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the original character’s attunement. Alternatively, she The Dragon-Blood’s watery form is more difficult to dam-
may steal a hearthstone out of the socket of an enemy’s age, granting her +1 Evasion. If she’s unarmored, she also
artifact, likewise stealing attunement to it for the rest gains (Essence + 1) hardness. She adds (Essence/2, round-
of the scene. ed up) bonus successes on all Stealth rolls. If she attempts
to hide underwater, these don’t count as a Charm bonus.
This Charm can only be used once per scene.
This Charm can only be used once per day.
Burning Sins Seduction
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3 Terrifying Forest-Devil Mask
Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Fire) Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3
Duration: Instant Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Signature (Wood)
Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood’s tongue stokes the flames of criminal pas-
sions, inciting poorly made decisions and reckless disregard
for law. She makes a special inspire roll with ([Charisma or The Dragon-Blood dons a mask and vanishes into a
Manipulation] + Larceny) against a single character, expound- world of legends and devils, taking up a disguise em-
ing on the folly of the law or the thrill of the criminal lifestyle. bodying an archetypal warrior-hero, monster, or mythic
character. Most Dynasts create ornate ritual masks from
On a successful roll, the target’s player chooses what wood by hand, shaping their persona as they carve it,
emotion this influence inspires in him, as well as one of but any mask suffices on short notice if it suitably evokes
his Intimacies related to that emotion that he’d be will- the persona’s image. She rolls to create a disguise with
ing to break the law for. If he has no such Intimacies, double 7s. Her persona must be either a fictitious iden-
he must form a Minor Intimacy that answers this tity or archetypal role — such as an Immaculate Dragon,
question. The action that he takes as a result of this in- a hero or villain out of folklore, a legendary figure of
fluence (Exalted, p. 217) must be a crime or equivalent the Shogunate, or a figure invented out of whole cloth.
transgression, and must uphold the inflamed Intimacy. Her disguise only serves to conceal her identity, not to
impersonate specific characters. She divides (Essence)
Resisting this influence requires the target to enter temporary specialties that fit her persona among any of
a Decision Point, calling on an Intimacy of equal or her Abilities for as long as she remains in disguise.
greater strength than the inflamed Intimacy.
Upon donning the mask, the Dragon-Blood accepts a
Defining Intimacy that suits her role, such as “Those
Flowing God-Dragon Stance who abuse their power must be humbled” or “Destroy
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3 all Anathema.” As long as she remains in disguise,
Type: Simple this Intimacy cannot be weakened or changed by any
Keywords: Aura, Mute, Signature (Water) means. Onlookers who fail to beat her disguise roll
Duration: Aura will react to her as though they had a Minor Tie, with
Prerequisite Charms: Artful Flowing Theft, Evi- a context appropriate to her persona and the circum-
dence-Erasing Tide stances. A folk hero might inspire gratitude among the
peasants she fights for while drawing the ire of princes
It’s the nature of water to flow past obstacles unchanged. and their minions; a horrible devil inspires sheer terror
The Dragon-Blood sloughs off the physicality of flesh, in all who look upon it.
her body becoming fluid and translucent for as long as
she remains in Water Aura. With her movement action, In combat, an enemy may attempt to strike away the
she may attempt to flow through locked doors, cracks Dragon-Blood’s mask as a difficulty 6 gambit. Success
in walls, or any other obstruction that isn’t waterproof ends this Charm.
— passing through the bars of a jail cell, flowing under
a door, or pouring herself through a crack in a wall. This Vaporous Visage Evasion
also lets her escape any grapple not enhanced by magic. If
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 4, Essence 3
this Charm ends while she’s in a space too narrow to con-
Type: Reflexive
tain her, she’s forcibly shunted back to where she entered
Keywords: Water
it, and suffers a level of unpreventable bashing damage.
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Instant Disguise Prana

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Even those who peer into the sea know nothing of clue which contradicts the Dragon-Blood’s deception, he
its hidden depths. The Dragon-Blood embodies this rolls (Intelligence + Investigation) opposing the conceal
secrecy, wearing masks behind masks. When another evidence roll to realize the discrepancy and identify the
character succeeds on a roll to pierce her disguise, she clue as false. Even if he fails, he gains a cumulative +1 non-
may conceal her features behind a swirling cloud of Charm bonus on his roll the next time he discovers a clue.
mist that spumes from her anima, perfectly obscuring
her identity. The opposing character and other onlook- Investigation-Deflecting Current can only be used
ers realize that she wasn’t who she was posing as, but once per story, unless the Exalt resets it by conclusive-
don’t learn anything about who she actually is. The ly defeating the attempts of a significant character to
Dragon-Blood reverts back to her true appearance at investigate her crimes.
the end of the scene, making a hasty retreat advisable.
Mischievous Wind Grasp
Incendiary Accusation Approach Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3 Type: Simple
Type: Reflexive Keywords: Air
Keywords: Fire Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Artful Flowing Theft
Prerequisite Charms: Waters-of-Honesty Method
The air itself is the Dragon-Blood’s accomplice when
Every criminal knows that they’re playing with fire, she has need of it, rising up in a small breeze directed
but those who dare to cheat the Dragon-Blood discov- by deft hand gestures. She directs a subtle current of
er just how true that is. When she uses this Charm’s wind to dislodge an object small enough to hold in one
prerequisite to detect a character cheating or using hand from a character within short range, whether it’s
Larceny, she may pay an additional one mote and one stationary or on someone’s person, though not one that
Willpower to cause a small fire to ignite on his person, a character’s currently using. She could pull a key ring
revealing his misdeeds to all and rolling a single die from a jailer’s belt, pluck a sealed letter out of a court-
of lethal damage against him, ignoring Hardness. A ier’s robes, or knock a wineglass off a banquet table.
cheating gambler’s illicit cards go up in flames, while a
pickpocket is caught literally red-handed. If the item is on someone’s person, the Exalt must
roll (Wits + Larceny) opposing his (Perception +
Awareness) roll. In combat, this is treated as a ranged
Investigation-Deflecting Current disarm gambit. A successful roll dislodges the item,
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 3 causing it to fall to its owner’s feet. Other characters
Type: Simple cannot notice this for up to one minute or (Essence)
Keywords: Water rounds, whichever comes first, unless circumstances
Duration: Instant call attention to it, such as trying to draw a displaced
Prerequisite Charms: Evidence-Erasing Tide blade. Even on a failed roll, onlookers don’t realize the
unnatural nature of the wind unless they use magic,
The Dragon-Blood diverts the watchful eyes of the law though repeated use may stir suspicions.
from her misdeeds, redirecting them in pursuit of end-
less false leads or of her own foes, like fish swimming In Air Aura, this Charm’s range is extended to medium.
against the tide. She makes a roll to conceal evidence,
arranging the scene so that a specific character she Exploding Evidence Technique
knows of is implicated as the perpetrator of whatever
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 4
actions she took that scene.
Type: Simple
An investigator who fails his roll to case the scene be- Keywords: Fire, Mute
lieves that he’s succeeded, but receives a false clue that Duration: Instant
points him towards the character the Exalt framed. Even Prerequisite Charms: Investigation-Deflecting
on a successful roll, he still finds the false clue, but also Current
discovers any genuine evidence left behind. He’s aware
of the discrepancy, but doesn’t know which clue is false. Such is the fire behind the Dragon-Blood’s crimes of
A character may realize he’s been duped if he turns up passion that any investigator that pursues her risks
enough contradictory evidence. Each time he discovers a being burned. She makes a conceal evidence roll, roll-
ing a non-Charm bonus die for every 10 that appears,

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and suffuses the hidden evidence with Fire Essence. using Face-Stealing Reflection, the Dragon-Blood may
If a character attempts to case the scene and fails, the use this Charm to instantly and reflexively roll to dis-
evidence catches fire, exposing him and anyone else guise herself as the revealed character. Every threshold
on the scene to a one-time environmental hazard with success on her read intentions roll grants her one mote
difficulty 5, Damage (Essence)L. This conflagration all to spend enhancing her disguise.
but obliterates any evidence remaining at the scene,
increasing the difficulty of any subsequent rolls to case Infallible Alibi Approach
the scene by (the Dragon-Blood’s Essence).
Cost: 13m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 5
Type: Reflexive
Window-In-The-Door Technique Keywords: Mute, Water
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 4 Duration: Instant
Type: Simple Prerequisite Charms: Exploding Evidence Technique
Keywords: Water
Duration: One round The Dragon-Blood is everywhere and nowhere in the
Prerequisite Charms: Mischievous Wind Grasp sea of crime. Such is her criminal ingenuity and mas-
terful deception that she leaves no trace of her passage.
Locks and walls aren’t enough to stymie the prying cu- Whenever an investigator rolls enough successes to
riosity of a Dragon-Blooded thief. She may peer through uncover a piece of evidence she’s concealed, she may
an obstruction as though it were pellucid water, spying use this Charm to oppose the investigator’s roll with
through solid walls or examining the contents of a chest a special (Manipulation + Larceny) conceal evidence
before risking its trapped lock. This is a (Perception roll, doubling 7s. If she beats his roll, his attempt fails,
+ Larceny) roll against a difficulty based on the mate- and whatever evidence she left behind dissolves away
rial and thickness of the obstacle she attempts to see into water, rendering future attempts futile.
through. For example, a wooden door or chest is diffi-
culty 1; a stone wall or metal vault would be difficulty 3; While the evidence is erased, the vanished secret drifts
a manse’s walls, an artifact container, or the heavy stone through the mysterious flows of Water Essence, finding
walls of a fortress are difficulty 5+. Barriers more than itself drawn to the Dragon-Blood. A successful use of
(Essence + Perception) feet thick can’t be seen through. this Charm marks her with a swirling tattoo of black
jade over her heart chakra. If the tattoo is revealed, wit-
A successful roll causes a small portion of the obstruc- nesses may attempt a difficulty 3 (Intelligence + Occult)
tion, up to (Essence) square feet, to appear totally trans- roll to realize the Dragon-Blood has used this Charm.
lucent to the Exalt (but not to anyone else). Each use of
this Charm lasts a single round, or around ten seconds Infallible Alibi Approach can only be used once per
out of combat. If the Dragon-Blood wishes to renew this story, unless reset by accomplishing a legendary social
Charm at the end of that duration, she doesn’t need to goal (Exalted, p. 134) through criminal or underhand-
pay its Willpower cost or make another roll. ed means. Once the Charm resets, the incriminating
tattoo vanishes.
While using this Charm, the Exalt may reflexively ac-
tivate Mischievous Wind Grasp, waiving its Willpower
cost, to send a current of wind through the barrier as Linguistics
though it weren’t there.
Lightning Quill Mastery
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Linguistics 1, Essence 1
Expectation-Mirroring Stance Type: Supplemental
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Larceny 5, Essence 5 Keywords: Air, Balanced, Excellency
Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant
Keywords: Water Prerequisite Charms: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Face-Stealing Reflection, The Dragon-Blood’s brush scatters calligraphy across
Instant Disguise Prana the page like leaves on the wind. She may add bonus
successes to a Linguistics roll for two motes each. Each
Those who gaze too long into their own reflection in the 10 on her roll rerolls a non-1 failed die.
water risk drowning in themselves. Upon successfully

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SHARED INTIMACIES

Some Charms and other magic require the user to share an Intimacy with other characters to take effect.
These don’t mean that the two Intimacies have to be worded in exactly the same way — as long as the Sto-
ryteller feels that the two Intimacies are identical in the substance of what they mean for the characters that
possess them, she should deem that such effects apply. This should be assessed generously to the player.

Cryptic Essence Cipher Keywords: Fire, Written-only

Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 2, Essence 1 Duration: Instant
Type: Simple Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Water, Written-only
Duration: Instant The Dragon-Blood writes words to spark flames in her
Prerequisite Charms: None readers’ hearts, incinerating all inhibitions in a swell
of passion. She doubles 9s on a written inspire roll that
The Dragon-Blood’s mastery of speech and language creates anger, fear, lust, or another powerful passion. If
is synonymous with her mastery of deception. She she chooses to tailor her influence for a single reader
rolls ([Manipulation or Intelligence] + Linguistics) only, he must enter a Decision Point and call upon a
to create a coded message, designating a single Major or Defining Intimacy to resist.
character who can understand it. Through her in-
sight into his mind, she devises a cipher that he can Tenacious Dragon Scholar
intuitively read — for him, the symbols on the page Cost: 3m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1
seem to rearrange themselves to spell out the hidden Type: Reflexive
message. For others, deciphering the message, even Keywords: Balanced, Earth
with code-breaking magic, requires a ([Perception or Duration: Instant
Intelligence] + Linguistics) roll opposing the Dragon- Prerequisite Charms: None
Blood’s initial roll.
The Dragon-Blood isn’t easily swayed by idle words.
Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood may draw from one of She gains +1 Resolve against written influence, and
her Principles to create a code that can be intuitively may use Linguistics in place of Integrity to calculate
understood by any character who shares that Intimacy. her Resolve against written influence.

Signature-Stealing Calligraphy Wind-Carried Words Technique

Cost: 4m; Mins: Linguistics 2, Essence 1 Cost: 3m; Mins: Linguistics 1, Essence 1
Type: Simple Type: Simple
Keywords: Water, Written-only Keywords: Air
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood’s calligraphy ripples like the surface The Dragon-Blood speaks into the wind, sending her
of a pond and settles into another writer’s hand. She rolls voice afar on subtle currents of air. She may send a
(Manipulation + Linguistics) to forge another character’s spoken message of no more than a few sentences to a
handwriting and mimic his writing style. If she includes chosen target within (Essence) miles. Messages sent
written social influence in the forgery, she uses the same with this Charm cannot be overheard or intercepted by
roll. Using this Charm requires access to either a full any mundane means. Magical attempts to do so must
manuscript or three smaller samples of the character’s overcome a difficulty of (the Dragon-Blood’s Essence
writing. A reader may roll (Perception + Linguistics) + Linguistics).
opposing the Dragon-Blood’s roll to detect the forgery,
granting +2 Resolve against any influence it contains. This Charm’s range extends to (Essence x5) miles at
Linguistics 3, and (Essence x10) miles at Linguistics 5.
Fervor-Inciting Brushstrokes With Linguistics 5, Essence 4, the Terrestrial may pay
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1 one Willpower to extend it to (Essence x100) miles.
Type: Supplemental

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Language-Learning Ritual may pay an additional five motes and one Willpower
Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 1 when she uses Language-Learning Ritual to waive
Type: Simple the need for prior study and extend its effect to all
Keywords: Air languages she’s ever encountered, rather than a single
Duration: One scene language, developing fluency without needing any
Prerequisite Charms: None prior study.

The Dragon-Blood contemplates a foreign tongue until its Voices on the Wind
meaning is, like air, transparent. She may use this Charm Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2
to gain understanding of a language that she’s spent at Type: Simple
least (6 − Intelligence) days studying, allowing her to un- Keywords: Air
derstand it in both spoken or written forms. This doesn’t Duration: One scene
confer the ability to communicate in that language. Prerequisite Charms: Wind-Carried Words Tech-
nique
With Linguistics 4, Essence 2, the Dragon-Blooded
may speak and write in the chosen language. She is The Dragon-Blood is privy to backroom dealings and
lacking in accent and unsophisticated in vocabulary, covert assignations, drawing hushed whispers to her ear
imposing a −3 success penalty on any social influence on currents of air. She adds (Linguistics/2, rounded up)
rolls. bonus dice on rolls to eavesdrop on conversations. If she
reads a character’s intentions while eavesdropping on
With Linguistics 5, Essence 3, the Dragon-Blooded no him from medium range or further, he takes the −2 Guile
longer suffers a penalty after a total of (6 − Intelligence) penalty for being unaware of her even if he can see her.
weeks spent studying or using it.
Speech Without Words
Enigma-Reading Eye Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2
Cost: 3m; Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2 Type: Reflexive
Type: Simple Keywords: Air
Keywords: Air Duration: One scene
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Voices on the Wind
Prerequisite Charms: Cryptic Essence Cipher
The Dragon-Blood creates a bond between herself and
The Dragon-Blood’s eye pierces ciphers and circum- her Sworn Kin, as well as up to (Essence) additional
locutions like lightning. She rolls ([Perception or characters, allowing them to communicate silently
Intelligence] + Linguistics) with double 9s to break a for the duration of this Charm. Hand gestures, body
code or deceptive message, including those that aren’t language, and other visual signals are as easily under-
ciphered but have hidden subtext. Success lets her stood as spoken language, although only short, simple
decipher the text as she reads it, completing hours or sentences can be conveyed.
days of work in minutes.
Most onlookers don’t perceive this signaling, but a
Enigma-Reading Eye is capable of contesting magical character specifically on watch for such tactics or
codes or ciphers, such as Letter-Within-A-Letter using superhuman or magically enhanced senses may
Technique (Exalted, p. 323). roll (Perception + Awareness) against any participant’s
Guile to notice, but not understand, his signalling.
Thousand Tongues Meditation
Cost: —(+5m, 1wp); Mins: Linguistics 3, Essence 2 Caustic Wit Invective
Type: Permanent Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Air Type: Simple
Duration: Permanent Keywords: Water, Written-only
Prerequisite Charms: Language-Learning Ritual Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fervor-Inciting Brushstrokes
The Dragon-Blood has mastered fundamental princi-
ples of language, allowing her to converse with anyone The Dragon-Blood lets her scorn overflow into her
from the conquered princes of the Realm’s dominion words, her sarcasm and ridicule slowly wearing down
to the most savage barbarians beyond its borders. She even the strongest-rooted beliefs. She writes a mocking

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message or satire that conveys an instill roll to erode a Wildfire Words Technique
specific Principle or positive Tie. Her mockery inflicts Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3
momentary doubts on even the most dedicated read- Type: Simple
ers, preventing them from drawing on the targeted Keywords: Signature (Fire), Written-only
Intimacy to bolster their Resolve. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Flashing Saga Flourish
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3 The Dragon-Blood’s words spread across Creation like
Type: Simple swift-burning flame, a thousand tongues of fire repeat-
Keywords: Signature (Air), Written-only ing her message in every direction. She makes a writ-
Duration: Instant ten (Charisma + Linguistics) instill roll with (Essence)
Prerequisite Charms: None non-Charm dice to create or strengthen an Intimacy
based on a strong passion — love, anger, valor, fear, lust,
The Dragon-Blood’s brush strikes the page like a levin- or the like. She rolls an additional non-Charm die for
bolt, the only thing swift enough to keep pace with her every 10 on the roll.
inspiration. She doubles 7s on a written Linguistics
roll, and dramatically reduces the time needed to On a success, the instilled Intimacy can’t be altered or
complete the work — a long-form work like a book or removed for the next (6 − his Integrity) days, although
collection of poetry requires only a day, and anything it can be weakened. The next time the target engages
shorter is finished in seconds. in a conversation during this time, he’s overcome with
a burning urge to spread that Intimacy, and must at-
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless tempt his own instill roll against all listeners, adding
reset by upholding a Defining Principle by authoring, (Exalt’s Essence) non-Charm dice. His words don’t
distributing, or defending a written text. convey this Charm’s effect, though he may direct lis-
teners to the Dragon-Blood’s text.
Unshattered Diamond Parables
Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3 This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
Type: Reflexive reset by upholding a Major or Defining Intimacy based
Keywords: Signature (Earth) on fiery passions with a Linguistics roll.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Rewriting the Truth Technique
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3
Every word the Dragon-Blood has ever written is en- Type: Simple
graved into her soul, giving her the strength to defy. In Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Water), Written-only
a Decision Point (Exalted, p. 221), she may call upon a Duration: Instant
novel, collection of poetry, or other long-form written Prerequisite Charms: None
work she’s completed over the course of the chronicle.
Her player summarizes the work’s theme or moral in The Dragon-Blood pens a seductive deception, her
a short phrase, which she treats as a Major Intimacy words seeping into the deep channels of the subcon-
in the Decision Point. The Dragon-Blood can’t invoke scious mind. She rolls (Manipulation + Linguistics) as
the same work twice — she must continue writing to a written instill action, rerolling 5s and 6s until they
maintain her resolve. cease to appear and ignoring any penalties for making
implausible claims (Exalted, p. 215). This influence
Works that have already played a significant narra- must target a specific character. If her influence roll
tive part in the Dragon-Blood’s story carry a stronger beats his Resolve, he forms a Major Principle of belief
weight, and count as Defining Intimacies. This in- in the lie unless he pays three Willpower to resist.
cludes any work whose completion fulfilled a major Attempting to voluntarily weaken the Principle in-
character or story goal (Exalted, p. 170) or legendary stilled by this Charm costs one Willpower.
social goal (Exalted, p. 134), or any other work the
Storyteller agrees is sufficiently meaningful. This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset
by successfully leveraging a character’s Intimacy of belief
In Earth Aura, the Dragon-Blood may expend her Aura in a falsehood to persuade him to undertake a serious or
state in place of the Willpower cost to resist influence life-changing task (Exalted, p. 216) that directly advances
in a Decision point. the Dragon-Blood’s goals or those of her Hearth.

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Enthralling Lotus Calligraphy Poisoned Tongue Technique

Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3 Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Wood), Written-only Keywords: Air
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: Voices on the Wind

The Dragon-Blood fashions a trap from beautiful The Dragon-Blood insinuates her influence into another’s
words, weaving a puissant compulsion into every sen- conversation, subtly manipulating his voice’s tone and
tence and simile. She makes a written influence roll to cadence by controlling the air he speaks through. When a
instill, persuade, or bargain with a specific character. character within short range makes a spoken influence roll,
The written message exerts an unnatural influence the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm to roll (Manipulation
upon its intended recipient. Once he’s able to see the + Linguistics) against his Resolve. Each threshold success
document, even if he cannot see the writing, he’s sub- on her roll subtracts one die from his influence roll.
tly compelled to begin reading it unless he spends (her
Essence/2, rounded up) Willpower to break free. This In Air Aura, if the Dragon-Blood succeeds, (Essence)
impulse appears natural, and won’t force the victim to 1s on the penalized roll subtract successes from it.
endanger himself or abandon pressing tasks.
With War 3, the Dragon-Blood can use this Charm to
If the target doesn’t resist and begins reading, he must penalize an enemy’s command action, disrupting the
do so long enough to be subjected to whatever influ- communication between a commander and his troops.
ence the document contains. A character who resisted
this Charm’s influence with Willpower is immune to Reading the Unspoken Word
this Psyche effect, although he’s still subject to the Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 3
written influence roll. Type: Simple
Keywords: Air
Enthralling Lotus Calligraphy cannot be used against Duration: Instant
the same character more than once per story. Prerequisite Charms: Speech Without Words

Incendiary Argument Approach The Dragon-Blood’s keen intuition can discern the
Cost: 5m; Mins: Linguistics 4, Essence 3 words that someone expects to hear, uncovering the
Type: Simple expectations or assumptions couched in that language.
Keywords: Fire, Written-only A servant awaiting a foreign prince expects to be greet-
Duration: Instant ed with haughty disdain; a disguised intruder fears his
Prerequisite Charms: Caustic Wit Invective identity will be questioned; a guard at a secret meeting
awaits a specific password.
The Dragon-Blood sparks outrage with her diatribe.
She rolls (Charisma + Linguistics) as a written influ- The Dragon-Blood makes a read intentions roll with
ence roll targeting a specific character. If she beats his ([Intelligence or Perception] + Linguistics). Success
Resolve, her words provoke him to react with hostility lets her discern exactly what that character expects to
and argument regardless of what the message actually be told in his current circumstances. This may assist
says — either by seeking the author out in person, or her in impersonation, or give her an opening to exploit.
by sending a written response. This influence doesn’t If she leverages this knowledge as part of an influence
compel the target to endanger himself or escalate to roll, she adds (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice.
violence, although he may well do so of his own ac-
cord. Resisting requires entering a Decision Point and Dragon’s Voice Mastery
calling on a Major or Defining Intimacy. Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 4
Type: Supplemental
If the Dragon-Blood knows Signature-Stealing Keywords: Air
Calligraphy (p. 209), she may use it reflexively along- Duration: Instant
side this Charm to write a letter under another person’s Prerequisite Charms: Poisoned Tongue Technique
identity, rolling with (Manipulation + Linguistics) in-
stead. As long as the target is convinced by her forgery, When a dragon speaks, who dares dispute her? The Dragon-
he’ll pursue whoever the message is attributed to. If he Blood adds (Essence/2, rounded up) non-Charm successes
sees through the forgery, the influence is overturned.

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on a spoken social influence roll made with any Ability that When the target spends Willpower to resist this
aligns with one of her Major or Defining Principles. The Derangement, he may also ignore his withdrawal
Willpower cost of resisting her influence increases by one. symptom penalty for the same duration. Once he’s
spent three Willpower, the influence is broken, and
Dragon’s Voice Mastery can only be used once per day, the Derangement and withdrawal penalty subside. In
unless reset by upholding a Major or Defining Intimacy. addition, if the Dragon-Blood goes a full story without
writing and releasing a new work that could fulfill the
Tantalizing Dragon’s Tongue victim’s addiction, it likewise ends. She may make her
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 4 works difficult or expensive to acquire, but making it
Type: Simple impossible for the victim to obtain them negates this
Keywords: Fire/Wood, Written-only Charm.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Incendiary Argument Approach An Essence 5+ repurchase allows the Dragon-Blood
to strengthen the Derangement with repeated uses
The Dragon-Blood courts her reader’s passion with of this Charm targeting the same character. Once she
provocative language and sensuous choices of words, uses it against him, she must wait until the next story
infusing erotic undertones into whatever she writes. before she can do so again, raising the intensity of
This Charm functions identically to Incendiary the Derangement by one step if she succeeds. Each
Argument Approach, except that instead of provoking level of intensity above Minor adds +1 to the total
the target to argue, the influence overwhelms him Willpower the victim must spend to break free of this
with passionate admiration and fascination for the Charm’s influence.
author, bordering on lust. If he’s sexually attracted to
the Dragon-Blood, he’ll attempt to seduce her, either With One Mind
by seeking her out in person or with a written declara- Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 5
tion of lust. If he’s not sexually attracted (or his player Type: Simple
invokes the Red Rule, Exalted, p. 222), he instead feels Keywords: Air, Perilous
inspired to seek her out for friendly conversation. Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon’s Voice Mastery, Speech
As with its prerequisite, Tantalizing Dragon’s Tongue Without Words
can be used with Signature-Stealing Calligraphy to
forge love letters. The Dragon-Blood weaves her mind together with that
of her allies, creating a shared battle-consciousness
Intoxicating Lotus Manuscript that transcends language’s limitations. She forms a
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Linguistics 5, Essence 4 mental bond with either a single character she can see,
Type: Simple or all of her Sworn Kin she can see. Participants in the
Keywords: Psyche, Wood, Written-only bond gain the following benefits:
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Enthralling Lotus Calligraphy, • They can communicate telepathically with each
Tantalizing Dragon’s Tongue other. This isn’t limited by range or line of sight,
but they must share a common language.
The Dragon-Blood creates an enthralling world of
story and sensuality to snare a reader, leaving him des- • As long as one of them is aware of a hidden
perate for another chance to escape into the bliss of threat or concealed character, all of them are.
her writing. This Charm is a special (Manipulation + This may render them immune to unexpected
Linguistics) roll with double 9s to compose a piece of attacks (Exalted, p. 203) or allow them to attack
poetry, fiction, or other creative narrative tailored to a concealed enemy.
a specific character. If the Terrestrial’s influence roll
beats the target’s Resolve, he develops an obsession • Whenever one of them is attacked, another
with her writing as a Minor Derangement (Exalted, bonded character within close range may reflex-
p. 167). If he goes more than (6 − Integrity) weeks ively interpose his Parry, as though with a defend
without reading a new work, he suffers withdrawal other action. Only one character may make this
symptoms in the form of a −1 penalty on social and reflexive defense against a single attack, even if
mental rolls. several are in range.

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• If a participant attempts a distract gambit hours studying under a teacher or consulting a library,
(Exalted, p. 200) against an enemy to benefit an- archive, or similar repository of information. She gains a
other bonded character, the beneficiary doubles temporary Lore specialty in a single topic possessed by
7s on the attack roll. A successful gambit grants her mentor or covered by the materials she had access
the beneficiary one point of Initiative in addition to. She retains the specialty indefinitely, but may only
to those spent by the attacker. have one specialty granted by this Charm at a time.

Elemental Concentration Trance

Lore Cost: 3m; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Careful Insight-Gathering Study Keywords: Balanced
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Lore 1, Essence 1 Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Excellency
Duration: Instant To use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must spend a few
Prerequisite Charms: None minutes contemplating an expression of an elements:
observing the movement of clouds, meditating beneath
Breathing deep of the world’s Essence, the Dragon- a waterfall, staring unblinking into a flame, or so on;
Blood pronounces her wisdom with impeccable clar- this determines the Charm’s elemental aspect. At the
ity. She may add automatic successes to a Lore roll for end, she makes a ([Mental Attribute] + [Bureaucracy,
two motes each. In addition, if she adds 2+ successes Investigation, Lore, Medicine, Survival, or War]) roll
on a roll to introduce or challenge a fact (Exalted, pp. with a single bonus success. She may roll to introduce
237-238), she doubles 9s on the roll. a fact as though she has a Lore background in facts
that relate to the Charm’s elemental aspect. An Air-
aspected use could introduce facts about weather or
Opening the Mind’s Gates
music theory; an Earth-aspected use could relate to
Cost: 3m; Mins: Lore 2, Essence 1 geology, masonry, or architecture; and so on.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Air If the Dragon-Blood knows Dragon-Kin Empowerment,
Duration: Instant she may provide the benefits of this Charm to one of
Prerequisite Charms: None her Sworn Kin, guiding him through meditation.

Speaking a sagely aphorism, the Dragon-Blooded Dragon-Kin Empowerment

calls up the winds of knowledge to disperse whatever
miasma closes a student’s mind to learning. She makes Cost: 1m; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 1
a special instill roll with ([Charisma or Intelligence] Type: Simple
+ Lore) to induce a state of supernatural receptivity Keywords: Aura
in a single character, treating him as though he had Duration: Instant
a Major Principle of “I must seek out education” for Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Concentration
one scene. If the Dragon-Blood exploits this Intimacy Trance
with a persuade or bargain roll to convince the target
to study with her, the cost of resisting increases by one The Dragon-Blood’s understanding of the cycle
Willpower. of elements and the flow of Essence allows her to
empower her fellow Terrestrial Exalted. She trans-
Flawless Study Focus fers her Elemental Aura to a touched Dragon-Blood
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 1 who isn’t in Aura state, and up to (Essence x3)
Type: Simple of her own motes to her choice of his personal or
Keywords: Air peripheral pool. This Charm has the same aspect as
Duration: Instant the transferred Aura, and granted motes can only be
Prerequisite Charms: Opening the Mind’s Gates spent on Charms of that element, Balanced Charms,
or magic without an elemental aspect. If the target’s
The Dragon-Blood clears her mind, drawing upon the mote pool can’t accept all the motes transferred, he
clarity of the upper air to enter a receptive trance. To use has until his next action to spend them before they
this Charm, she must spend at least (10 − Intelligence) dissipate.

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Accuracy: +5 Close; +4 Short; +3 Medium; −0 Long;

−2 Extreme;

Damage: 10 + Essence (doesn’t add Strength); Over-

whelming: (Essence + 1)

A Lore 5, Essence 2 repurchase of this Charm allows the

Dragon-Blood to also transfer a single level of anima when
she uses this Charm.

Elemental Bolt Attack

Cost: 4m (+1a); Mins: Lore 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Concentration Trance

The Dragon-Blood channels elemental Essence into a

deadly blast. Air manifests as crackling lightning; Earth as
flying stones; Wood as poisoned thorns; and so on. This is
a withering or decisive attack with (Dexterity + [Archery
or Thrown]) against an enemy within short range, which
can be enhanced with Charms of the appropriate combat
Ability. The Exalt may spend a level of anima to extend
this to medium range.

This Charm’s elemental aspect is the same as the Exalt’s,

and it gains additional benefits based on its element.

Air: The elemental bolt deals lethal damage and ignores

(higher of Essence or 3) soak or (Essence) hardness from
metal armor, including the five magical materials.

Earth: The elemental bolt deals bashing damage and has

the Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586).

Fire: The elemental bolt deals lethal damage. Decisive

attacks double 10s on damage.

Water: The elemental bolt deals bashing damage and has

the Flexible and Disarming tags (Exalted, p. 586).

Wood: The elemental bolt deals lethal damage. Decisive

attacks carry a poison with Damage 1i/round (B in Crash),
Duration (Essence + 5), and penalty −1.

The Dragon-Blood may purchase additional elemental

variants of this Charm for three experience points each.
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Elemental Empowerment Meditation been fully repaid. A character cannot benefit from this
Cost: —(+1lhl or 1wp); Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2 Charm while he’s still in experience debt due to any
Type: Permanent effect. The training time is divided by (higher of the
Keywords: None Dragon-Blood’s Essence or Intelligence)
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Concentration Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood may confer a specialty to a
Trance single Storyteller character after a week of training time, or
a dot in an Ability or Attribute after a month. A Storyteller
The Dragon-Blood replenishes her spirit with elemental character can only receive one specialty and one Attribute
power drawn from her understanding of Creation. Once or Ability dot per story.
per day, when she uses Elemental Concentration Trance
A Lore 5, Essence 4 repurchase of this Charm allows the
to roll (Intelligence + Lore) at difficulty 3+, she may pay
Exalt to instead teach any Charm, spell, or thaumaturgical
one Willpower or one lethal health level before rolling to
ritual she knows, letting her student go into experience
gain motes equal to twice her threshold successes on the
debt to learn it as long as he’s normally capable of learning
roll. These motes can only be spent on Charms of the same
that type of power and meets all necessary prerequisites.
element as the one she meditated on, and last one day.
Storyteller characters can be trained in a Charm, spell, or
If the Exalt knows Dragon-Kin Empowerment, she ritual over the course of a month. A Storyteller character
may pay this Charm’s cost to provide its benefits to a can only receive this benefit once per story.
Hearthmate when she leads him through meditation.
Lightning Flash Inspiration
A character — either the Dragon-Blood or a Hearthmate Cost: 5m; Mins: Lore 4, Essence 2
— may only receive this benefit once per day. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air, Balanced
Sagacious Elder’s Instruction Duration: Instant
Cost: 3m; Mins: Lore 3, Essence 2 Prerequisite Charms: Flawless Study Focus
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air The Exalt’s mind races with lightning speed, revealing
Duration: (Intelligence) days to her any errors in her logic while she’s on the cusp
Prerequisite Charms: Opening the Mind’s Gates of completing her thought. After a Lore roll, she may
reroll (Essence) non-1 failures.
The Dragon-Blooded savant’s wise words part the fog
of mystery and confusion. When the Dragon-Blood Fulminating Thunderhead Brilliance
gives advice to another character and successfully Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3
rolls to introduce a fact that supports it, that character Type: Simple
gains a temporary specialty based on that advice that Keywords: Aura, Signature (Air)
can apply to rolls with any Ability for the duration of Duration: Instant
this Charm, as long as he follows her guidance. Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Flash Inspiration

The Dragon-Blood’s mind traces countless branching

Stern Tutor Discipline
paths of thought, her eyes crackling with brilliant light.
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 2 This is a special roll to introduce a fact (Exalted, p. 237).
Type: Simple Instead of proposing a fact she wishes to introduce, the
Keywords: Air player names a goal, such as defeating a rival Dynast or
Duration: Varies investigating corruption within a bureaucracy, and asks
Prerequisite Charms: Sagacious Elder’s Instruction the Storyteller to produce the insight she needs with an
(Intelligence + Lore) roll at difficulty 3. If other charac-
The Dragon-Blood’s tutelage pushes her students to ters are concealing or suppressing relevant information,
test their boundaries, allowing a single player charac- the highest Guile among them is added to her roll’s
ter studying under her to go into “experience debt” to difficulty. On a success, the Storyteller introduces a rele-
purchase a single dot in an Attribute, Ability, or spe- vant fact that will assist her in achieving her goal, which
cialty, without having to spend the normal experience she experiences as a flash of sudden insight. Threshold
cost. Instead, any experience points that player gains successes improve the relevance and specificity of her
go towards paying off the experience debt until it has revelation at the Storyteller’s discretion.

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This Charm can only be used once per story, unless Ten Thousand Minds Ablaze
reset by achieving a major character or story goal Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3
(Exalted, p. 170) through the use of a relevant fact that Type: Simple
the Dragon-Blood has introduced, either with this Keywords: Signature (Fire)
Charm or otherwise. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Truth-In-Stone Binding
Cost: 10m, 1wp, expend Earth Aura; Mins: Lore 5, Knowledge is the spark that lights the tinder of curios-
Essence 3 ity, crackling like flame from the Dragon-Blood’s lips
Type: Simple as she expounds her teachings. She rolls ([Charisma
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Earth) or Intelligence] + Lore), which is treated both as a roll
Duration: Instant to introduce a fact and as an influence roll to instill all
Prerequisite Charms: None characters who hear her with an Intimacy of interest
or fascination towards the proposed fact or a broader
Drawing on her knowledge of the world and understand- field it relates to. She ignores the penalty for targeting
ing of its Essence, the Dragon-Blooded may speak truths multiple characters with the influence roll. To re-
antithetical to the chaos of the Wyld, sealing away those sist, a character must spend Willpower equal to (his
horrors that have no place in Creation. She rolls a special Intelligence/2, rounded up). Likewise, the instilled
gambit with (Intelligence + Lore) against the Resolve of Intimacy cannot be voluntarily lowered until the target
a raksha or other native of the Wyld within short range. spends (his Intelligence/2, rounded up) Willpower,
The gambit’s difficulty is (higher of target’s Essence or while attempts to erode it with instill actions follow the
Willpower); battle groups add (Size) to the difficulty. rules for overturning social influence (Exalted, p. 221).

Success incapacitates the enemy, petrifying its Essence Ink-Black Ocean Depths
into an inanimate form engraved with words of bind- Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3
ing that describe the horror trapped within. A raksha Type: Simple
might be imprisoned within an egg of jade, while a Keywords: Signature (Water)
swarm of hobgoblins might be transformed into stone Duration: Until completed
gargoyles. The bound creatures aren’t truly slain, and Prerequisite Charms: None
are restored if the binding words are scratched out or
destroyed. The specifics of how this is achieved are left The Dragon-Blood reaches into the pages of a manu-
to the Storyteller, but the difficulty should be commen- script as though they were flowing water, plumbing its
surate with the power of the sealed character, possibly depths to commune directly with the wisdom it con-
requiring high-level feats of strength, specially crafted tains. She can absorb and comprehend the contents of
artifacts, or sorcery to accomplish. a book or other record of information, such as a mural
or coded tattoo, in only a handful of minutes as though
This Charm can also be used on environmental fea-
she’d read it completely. This doesn’t allow her to
tures of the Wyld, such as a river of flames that lures
understand information in a language she cannot read.
in travelers with whispers, or a memory-eating mist.
If she uses this Charm on an exotic repository of wis-
She rolls (Intelligence + Lore) against a difficulty equal
dom, such as a gemstone enchanted with a sorcerer’s
to the base difficulty of the hazard or whatever roll is
memories, the Storyteller may require a (Perception +
used to resist it, plus a modifier based on the intensity
Lore) roll to comprehend its contents. This Charm can
of the surrounding Wyld: +2 in the bordermarches that
be used in conjunction with Flawless Study Focus to
lap up against Creation, +4 in the middlemarches that
waive the normal time requirement for using it.
lie beyond, and +6 in the deep Wyld, the heart of chaos.
Success seals away the hazard, rendering it inert and Once the Dragon-Blood finishes reading a text or
harmless: The lake of fire cools into a glassy patch of similar document, she may roll (Manipulation + Lore)
obsidian; the mist condenses into crystalline droplets. to siphon away its wisdom, removing crucial facts and
key details to prevent subsequent readers from discov-
At the Storyteller’s discretion, overwhelmingly pow-
ering useful information by reading it. The target and
erful targets — such as uniquely powerful raksha or
intention of written social influence cannot be altered.
Wyld behemoths, or equally potent environmental
A reader may recognize that the text has been altered
manifestations of the Wyld — can only be sealed away
with a (Perception + [Linguistics or Lore]) roll oppos-
temporarily. Such bindings last a scene at Essence 3, a
ing the Dragon-Blood’s result, but this doesn’t reveal
day at Essence 4, and a year and a day at Essence 5.

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what was erased. This alteration can be undone by The ferocity of the Dragon-Blood’s rebuke overcomes
another character with a use of this Charm or similar those she bests with her mind, leaving them as speech-
magic, such as Flashing Quill Atemi (Exalted, p. 326), less as if struck by lightning. This Charm supplements
requiring an opposed (Intelligence + Lore) roll. a roll to challenge a fact (Exalted, p. 238) with a spoken
rebuke. If the Dragon-Blood’s successes exceed the de-
Root-and-Branch Wisdom ceiving character’s Resolve, then he’s left humbled be-
Cost: —; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3 fore her mastery, instantly forming a Minor Tie to her of
Type: Permanent respect, fear, or a similar emotion, or strengthening such
Keywords: Signature (Wood) an existing Tie by one step. He cannot speak or otherwise
Duration: Permanent communicate for the rest of the scene unless he resists
Prerequisite Charms: None by entering a Decision Point, calling on an Intimacy that
exceeds his Tie towards the Dragon-Blood.
The Dragon-Blood learns best by teaching, cultivat-
ing the garden of her own mind as she sows the seeds Elemental Burst Technique
of wisdom among her students. Once per story, when Cost: —; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 3
she acts as a mentor or trainer to another character Type: Permanent
(Exalted, p. 178), she may impart her student with a Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only
Major Tie towards herself while accepting a Minor Duration: Permanent
Tie towards him. Each Tie has a positive emotional Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Bolt Attack
context that is defined by the player of the character
that gains it. If the Dragon-Blooded maintains her When the Dragon-Blood uses Elemental Bolt Attack
Tie towards a student until the end of the story, she to make a decisive attack with the same aspect as her
permanently gains a free Lore specialty that relates current Aura state, she may apply the attack against
to what she taught her student and what she learned all characters, friend or foe, within close range of her
from him. Providing riding lessons to a Hearthmate initial target. She divides her Initiative evenly among
might grant a Lore specialty in equestrianism, while all hit characters, rounding down, to determine the
instructing a young scion of a Great House in academ- damage rolled against them, ignoring Hardness.
ic topics might grant a specialty in the affairs of that
house. Additionally, the attack gains a benefit based on its
aspect.
Elemental Succor Method
Cost: —; Mins: Lore 4, Essence 3 Air: Lightning arcs from foe to foe. Metal weapons, in-
Type: Permanent cluding those made of the five magical materials, can’t be
Keywords: None used to parry the attack. For each enemy hit by the attack,
Duration: Permanent the Dragon-Blood adds one bonus die to the base damage
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Empowerment Med- rolled against each of them, maximum +(Essence).
itation
Earth: The Dragon-Blood adds (Strength/2, rounded
up) to the base damage rolled against each hit charac-
Understanding the harmonious flow of elemental
ter, and waives the Initiative cost and Defense penalty
Essence through the human body, the Dragon-Blood
for making a smash attack.
may direct it to heal her wounds. This Charm upgrades
Elemental Empowerment Meditation. The Exalt may Fire: As long as the elemental blast deals 3+ total levels
exchange five motes granted by it to heal a single level of damage, the targeted area catches fire as long as it
of non-aggravated damage. If she knows Dragon-Kin contains flammable materials, becoming an environ-
Empowerment and guides another Dragon-Blood mental hazard with difficulty 4, Damage (Essence
through the meditation, he may likewise heal this way. − 1)L/round. The hazard burns for at least (Essence)
rounds unless extinguished.
Thunderstruck Charlatan Imprecation
Cost: 7m; Mins: Lore 4, Essence 3 Water: Enemies with an Initiative lower than the
Type: Supplemental Dragon-Blood’s when she makes the attack are dis-
Keywords: Air armed (Exalted, p. 200) if they take any damage.
Duration: Instant
Wood: The elemental bolt’s poison is upgraded to
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Flash Inspiration
Damage 1L, Duration (Essence + 5), penalty −3.

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Elemental Burst Technique can only be used once upgrades Elemental Empowerment Meditation. When
per scene, unless reset by dealing enough withering she or a character she’s guiding through the meditation
damage to a nontrivial opponent with Elemental Bolt rolls 5+ threshold successes, that character gains a point
Attack to reduce his Initiative from a rating higher of Willpower in addition to the usual rewards of the
than the Dragon-Blood’s to a lower rating. Charm, up to his maximum Willpower.

Eternal Mind Meditation Endless Coils Enlightenment

Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 4 Cost: —(+1wp); Mins: Lore 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple Type: Permanent
Keywords: Air Keywords: Air
Duration: Instant Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Flash Inspiration Prerequisite Charms: Eternal Mind Meditation

The Dragon-Blood empties her mind of all distrac- The thunderstorm is born from many clouds, each one
tion, dispersing the dark clouds of forgetfulness and casting its lightning from horizon to horizon. When the
ignorance so that she might answer a conundrum with Exalt uses Eternal Mind Meditation to introduce a fact,
the totality of her knowledge. After a scene spent in she may pay one additional Willpower to draw from
contemplation, she makes a roll to introduce a fact that the wisdom of up to (Intelligence − 1, minimum one)
doesn’t need to be based on any of her Lore backgrounds. willing Dragon-Blooded within medium range of her.
Instead, she draws this knowledge forth by collating an Each Dragon-Blood that contributes his wisdom adds a
entire lifetime of memories, piecing together fragments single non-Charm die on her roll, as well as contributing
of information and intuitions to reveal a greater whole. the whole of his memories and any Lore backgrounds
The Storyteller may still veto the introduction of a fact he possesses to the body of information on which the
(Exalted, pp. 237-238), refunding this Charm’s cost, if introduced fact is based. On a successful Lore roll, all
it would compromise the narrative of the game, or if a participating Dragon-Blooded form a Major Tie of loy-
player proposes a fact that not even this Dragon-Blood’s alty to the Dragon-Blooded as a whole.
entire lifetime of memories could reveal.
The Wind Turns
Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm to
free herself from a Psyche effect that alters her mem- Cost: 2wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 5
ories, such as the Solar Charm Memory-Reweaving Type: Simple
Discipline. She rolls as though introducing a fact Keywords: Air, Aura
with this Charm against a difficulty of (the Essence + Duration: Instant
Manipulation of the character that used the effect). Prerequisite Charms: Glorious Birthright Font
On a success, she gradually begins recovering her true,
unaltered memories; for each day that passes, a single A breath sent out into the world may return as a hur-
month’s worth of memories are restored. Multiply this ricane, and Essence is the breath of the world. The
rate by (her threshold successes + 1). Dragon-Blood rolls (Willpower + Initiative). She and
any of her Hearthmates within short range gain one
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless mote for every two successes. Using this Charm resets
reset by discovering an important secret or piece of her to base Initiative.
information in a way that either upholds one of the
Dragon-Blood’s Defining Principles or achieves a ma- This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
jor character or story goal (Exalted, p. 170). No reset is reset by upholding a Major or Defining Tie towards
needed if the Storyteller vetoes a proposed fact. another Dragon-Blood, or to the Dragon-Blooded host
as a whole.
Glorious Birthright Font
Cost: —; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 4 Dragon Vortex Attack
Type: Permanent
Cost: 20m, 2wp, expend Aura; Mins: Lore 5, Essence 5
Keywords: None
Type: Simple
Duration: Permanent
Keywords: Aura, Perilous
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Succor Method
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Burst Technique, The
One with five elements, the Dragon-Blood discovers her Wind Turns
true self reflected in the Essence of Creation. This Charm

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At the apex of the Dragon-Blood’s understanding, a character suffers from the hazard, rounded up, he’s
she draws forth the power of her draconic ancestors, knocked back one range band from the Dragon-Blood
shaking Creation to its foundations as she unleashes to fall prone, and suffers an additional three dice of
the primal wrath of the elements. To use this Charm, bashing damage, ignoring Hardness.
she must have Initiative 15+. A tremendous burst of
elemental Essence radiates outward from her, a one- Wood: Fast-growing briar patches and massive thorny
time environmental hazard that extends to close range, vines spread rapidly across the battlefield, while
plus an additional range band for every ten Initiative bright-colored flowers bloom with poisonous pollen.
she has. The aspect of this Charm and the hazard’s Characters who fail their roll must roll (Stamina +
nature depend on which Elemental Aura she expends. Resistance) against a poison with Damage 3i/round,
Allies and enemies alike are caught in the hazard, but Duration (Essence + Intelligence) rounds, and a −3
it won’t harm the Dragon-Blood’s Sworn Kin. If she penalty. Additionally, the area of the hazard becomes
knows Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings (p. 282), she difficult terrain until the plant growth has been cleared
may likewise spare allied characters. entirely. The Dragon-Blood and any allies spared from
the vortex are unimpeded by this terrain, the plants
The hazard has difficulty (the Dragon-Blood’s parting to clear their path.
Intelligence), but doesn’t have a standard damage.
Instead, the Dragon-Blood divides her Initiative even- If any of the Dragon-Blood’s Sworn Kin are within the
ly, rounding up, among all characters who failed their vortex’s initial range and in Elemental Aura, they may
rolls to determine how much lethal damage is rolled expend it to add that element’s effect to the hazard.
against each. Battle groups and trivial opponents The expended Aura must be of an element that hasn’t
instead suffer (her full Initiative) damage, without already been expended; each participating Dragon-
counting against the total she divides. As long as at Blood must contribute a unique element to the vortex.
least one enemy fails his roll, this resets the Dragon- Crashed Hearthmates can’t contribute their Aura. Each
Blood to base Initiative. Hearthmate who expends his Aura adds +1 to the hazard’s
Difficulty and adds his Initiative to the primary Dragon-
The hazard carries additional effects based on its Blood’s total to determine both the range and damage of
aspect: the hazard, resetting him to base Initiative.

Air: Roiling storm clouds darken the sky, unleashing This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset
countless bolts of lightning and raining down hail. Any by accomplishing a legendary social goal (Exalted, p. 134).
character wearing metal armor, including armor made
from the magical materials, applies its mobility penalty
on his roll to resist the hazard. The damage roll bene- Medicine
fits from double 9s.
Master Healer Meditation
Earth: The earth rumbles in a mighty earthquake, Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Medicine 1, Essence 1
scattering stone debris skyward to strike flying foes. Type: Supplemental
A character that takes 3+ levels of damage falls into Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Wood
a chasm and lands prone, suffering damage as per Duration: Instant
a short-range fall (Exalted, p. 232). Climbing out of Prerequisite Charms: None
the chasm counts as moving through difficult terrain
(Exalted, p. 199). Blessed with understanding of the flow of living
Essence through the body, the Dragon-Blooded physi-
Fire: A pyroclasm sweeps across the battlefield, ignit-
cian refines her skill to perfection. She may add bonus
ing anything flammable. As long as there’s fuel, even
dice to a Medicine roll for one mote each. If she adds
after the vortex fades, it leaves behind a hazard with
enough to reach her dice limit (p. 162), she also adds a
difficulty 5, Damage 4L/round within its range, which
non-Charm success on the roll.
burns for at least (Intelligence) hours. These flames
won’t burn the Dragon-Blood or any allies spared from Disease-Banishing Technique
the vortex.
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 2, Essence 1
Water: A standing wave towers above the Dragon- Type: Supplemental
Blood before collapsing outward in all directions Keywords: Balanced, Wood
with tsunami force. For every three levels of damage Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

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The Dragon-Blood strengthens her patient’s body against the specialty indefinitely, but may only have one spe-
the malaise that ravages it. She doubles 9s on a roll to treat cialty granted by this Charm at a time.
a disease. If her threshold successes exceed (higher of the
disease’s virulence or morbidity), then her ministrations Nature’s Healing Bounty
grant her patient a temporary Resistance specialty in that
disease until it has run its course. A character can only Cost: 1m; Mins: Medicine 3, Survival 3, Essence 1
benefit from one such specialty at a time. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Wood
Venom Expulsion Method Duration: Instant
Cost: 2m; Mins: Medicine 2, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Simple
Keywords: Balanced, Wood A master of herbalism and nature lore, the Dragon-
Duration: Instant Blood finds all she needs to heal her patients in gar-
Prerequisite Charms: None dens or the wilderness. As long as she has access to
medicinal herbs or similar flora, she may roll Medicine
Tapping her patient’s pressure points with swift, to treat injury, disease, poison, or other afflictions
precise strikes, the Dragon-Blood halts the flow of without any increased difficulty for lacking equipment
poison through his body. She may roll to cure poison or medication. If she uses medicinal herbs in addition
as a miscellaneous action without facing increased to tools, she treats them as exceptional equipment
difficulty for rushing treatment. If she takes a full hour (Exalted, p. 580), or converts the bonus die from al-
to administer aid, she instead doubles 9s. ready-exceptional equipment to a non-Charm success.

Wound-Closing Technique Indomitable Vitality Discipline

Cost: 5m; Mins: Medicine 2, Essence 1 Cost: —; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple Type: Permanent
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: Disease-Banishing Technique

The Dragon-Blood spends fifteen minutes tending Drawing strength from the Dragon-Blood’s ministra-
to a patient’s wounds, at the end of which she rolls tions, her patient can fight through the worst of his
(Intelligence + Medicine). Each success converts a sin- illness. When the Terrestrial successfully grants her
gle level of lethal damage to bashing, speeding the rate patient a specialty with Disease-Banishing Technique,
at which it heals (Exalted, p. 173). Alternatively, if she she may commit that Charm’s mote cost. When that
rolls successes equal to (her patient’s wound penalty + disease would inflict an automatic botch on one of his
1), she may heal a single level of bashing damage. Once rolls (Exalted, p. 234), it instead only inflicts a pen-
a character has been treated with Wound-Closing alty equal to (6 − [higher of her patient’s Stamina or
Technique, he must receive at least a day of bedrest Resistance]). The Exalt may mitigate up to (Essence)
or fully heal all damage before he can benefit from it botches this way.
again.
Poisoner’s Deft Hand
Ailment-Sensing Meditation Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 2
Cost: 4m; Mins: Medicine 3, Essence 1 Type: Supplemental
Type: Simple Keywords: Wood
Keywords: Balanced, Wood Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Venom Expulsion Method
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood’s understanding of toxins and ven-
The Dragon-Blood observes the natural rhythms of oms can harm as well as heal. When she poisons an-
her patient’s body, intuiting any ailments that afflict other character — with a decisive attack, poisoning his
him. She may complete a roll to diagnose a patient food or drink, using magic, etc. — she adds (Essence/2,
(Exalted, p. 237) in a handful of seconds. Successfully rounded up) to the poison’s duration. Each use of this
diagnosing a disease, poison, or similar ailment grants Charm only applies to a single dose of poison. If the
her a temporary Medicine specialty in it. She retains Dragon-Blood wishes to serve a poisoned feast to her

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enemies, she must use it separately for each of her While under the effects of this Charm, the patient adds (the
victims. Dragon-Blood’s Essence) bonus dice on Willpower rolls to
resist the treated Derangement, and reduces any Resolve
Death-Defying Endeavor penalties it imposes by one. Although this Charm can’t
reduce Derangements below Minor intensity, the Dragon-
Cost: 4m; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 2 Blood may use it to treat a patient’s Minor Derangement,
Type: Reflexive rolling ([Charisma or Intelligence] + Medicine) roll at
Keywords: Balanced, Wood difficulty 5 to grant her patient these benefits for one
Duration: Instant month. She doesn’t need to spend Willpower or commit
Prerequisite Charms: Ailment-Sensing Meditation this Charm’s mote cost when using it in this fashion.

Drawing from her patient’s own fierce will to survive, Marmoreal Body Fortification
the Dragon-Blood refuses to fail. After a Medicine roll, Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 3
she may reroll (Essence) non-1 failed dice. Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Earth)
Grievous Wound Alteration Energy Duration: One day
Cost: —(+1wp); Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 2 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Wood Alabaster anima limns the Dragon-Blood’s hands as
Duration: Permanent she massages her patient’s pressure points and meridi-
Prerequisite Charms: Wound-Closing Technique ans, causing his flesh to take on a pale, marble-like hue
as the strength of stone suffuses it. She rolls (Essence)
Even the most horrific injuries inflicted by the dice, granting her patient a single temporary −0 health
Anathema yield to the Dragon-Blooded physician’s level for each success. Damage is applied to these tem-
life-saving prowess. This Charm upgrades Wound- porary levels before the patient’s own health levels,
Closing Technique, allowing the Dragon-Blood to pay and any damage filling them is removed along with
a one-Willpower surcharge to treat aggravated damage them when this Charm ends. In addition, if the patient
with it. She rolls (Intelligence + Medicine), each suc- is unarmored, his stony skin adds (the Dragon-Blood’s
cess converting a level of aggravated damage to lethal. Essence) to his natural soak and grants 2 Hardness.
Any successes above her patient’s total aggravated
damage convert levels of lethal damage to bashing. Normally, only one character may benefit from this
Charm at a time. However, the Dragon-Blood may sus-
Purity-of-Mind Method tain multiple uses to empower herself and her Sworn
Cost: 10m (+1wp per interval); Mins: Medicine 5, Kin with it.
Essence 3
Type: Simple Unbinding the Inner Flame
Keywords: Signature (Air) Cost: 4m, 4i, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 3
Duration: Extended action Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Perilous, Signature (Fire)
Duration: One scene
The Dragon-Blood may treat afflictions of the mind Prerequisite Charms: None
with insightful counseling, guided meditation, soothing
hypnosis, or other beneficial methodologies, granting The Dragon-Blood stokes the flames of vitality with a
her patient the serenity of still air and the crystalline precisely-measured strike to the heart chakra, inflam-
clarity of ice. Once she’s diagnosed a Derangement, ing the Essence of herself or an ally until blood boils
she may treat it with an extended ([Charisma or and thews surge with unrestrained might. She grants a
Intelligence] + Medicine) roll with difficulty 5, goal touched character a bonus dot of Strength and doubles
number (5 + [intensity x5]), terminus (10 − intensity), 10s on his decisive damage rolls. On each of his turns, he
and an interval of one month (Exalted, p. 189). She gains one mote and — if he’s not crashed — one Initiative.
must pay one Willpower at each interval before rolling.
Successfully completing the extended action reduces The power unleashed by this Charm is greater than the
the Derangement’s intensity by one step, to a mini- body can endure unharmed. Once it ends, the target
mum of Minor, and grants one Willpower to both the suffers a level of aggravated damage, which cannot be
Dragon-Blood and her patient. prevented.

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Body-Cleansing Ablution Keywords: Perilous, Signature (Wood)

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 3 Duration: Instant
Type: Simple Prerequisite Charms: Grievous Wound Alteration Energy
Keywords: Signature (Water)
Duration: Instant Vines and ligneous tendrils spring from the Dragon-
Prerequisite Charms: None Blood’s anima as she lays hands upon a wounded
ally. Ivy stitches shut bleeding wounds; lianas twist
The Dragon-Blood calls upon water as a healing tool, to set broken bones; bark grows over damaged limbs
washing away pain and purifying the body. She must to reinforce their strength. The Dragon-Blood rolls
spend at least an hour overseeing her patient as he bathes (Intelligence + Medicine), instantly healing levels
or washing his wounds with pure water. This treatment of non-aggravated damage equal to her successes as
alleviates pain, allowing her patient to ignore (his Stamina plants replace damaged tissue.
− 1) points of wound penalties for one day. In addition, if
the Dragon-Blood has diagnosed any diseases or poisons If the target suffers from any crippling injuries or
he suffers from, he makes a single (Stamina + Resistance) effects that he could eventually heal or recover from
roll. This is treated as a roll against the morbidity of each naturally (including magically inflicted effects such as
diagnosed disease, except that failure doesn’t intensify Joint-Wounding Attack or Crippling Pressure-Point
his symptoms. In addition, each success reduces the du- Strike), the Dragon-Blood may split her successes be-
ration of any diagnosed poisons in by one interval. tween healing damage and alleviating these wounds,
spending two successes for each point of crippling
A character can only benefit from this Charm once per penalty she wishes to cancel.
story.
The player of the healed character may choose to be
Rebirth of Flesh and Ivy marked by this healing, accepting a scar that resembles
Cost: 10m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 3 wood more closely than flesh or strands of green inter-
Type: Simple woven with restored tissues.

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This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset Stamina or Resistance). Success imposes a −3 penalty
by saving a dying character (one whose Incapacitated on all actions taken with the struck appendage until
health level is damaged) through medical care. the victim receives a day’s bed rest. This can be healed
with magic such as Wound-Banishing Strike (Exalted,
Dread Infection Strike p. 343).
Cost: 5m; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple Jade Crucible Method
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
Duration: Instant Cost: 1ahl; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 4
Prerequisite Charms: Indomitable Vitality Discipline Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant
Drawing on her abundant medical expertise, the
Prerequisite Charms: Grievous Wound Alteration
Dragon-Blood turns disease into another weapon in
Energy
her arsenal. She strikes at a foe with malaise-bearing
Essence, afflicting him with any mundane disease that
she’s successfully made a Medicine roll to treat during Essence flows through all living things, the ultimate
the chronicle. This is a difficulty 3 gambit using any source of vitality. Drawing on her understanding of
combat Ability. Success exposes that enemy to the this principle, the Dragon-Blood may heal others at
disease, with every two threshold successes on the the cost of her own life. After spending fifteen minutes
Dragon-Blood’s Initiative roll imposing a −1 penalty meditating or performing medical treatment, she may
on his (Stamina + Resistance) roll against its virulence. roll (current temporary Willpower), gaining one mote
Trivial foes and crashed enemies acquire the disease at per success and one Willpower for each 10. This can
Major intensity on a failed roll. raise her above her Willpower rating. These motes and
Willpower can only be spent on Medicine Charms, and
With Medicine 5, Essence 5, the Dragon-Blood may are lost if unspent by the end of the day.
add supernatural diseases that she’s treated with a
successful Medicine roll to the repertoire of ailments This Charm may only be used once per day, unless reset
she can inflict by repurchasing this Charm for each by succeeding on a Medicine roll to treat a character
disease. She must pay a one-Willpower surcharge to do the Dragon-Blood has a Major or Defining positive Tie
so, and the difficulty of the gambit rises to 5. Incurable for.
or irresistible diseases such as the Great Contagion
cannot be transmitted through this Charm. Most Beneficent Seed of the Five Dragons
Cost: 5m, 1ahl; Mins: Medicine 5, Essence 5
Flesh-as-Stone Inurement Type: Supplemental
Cost: 5m; Mins: Medicine 4, Essence 3 Keywords: Wood
Type: Simple Duration: Instant
Keywords: Earth Prerequisite Charms: Jade Crucible Method
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Grievous Wound Alteration Energy The blood of the Dragons is precious beyond mea-
sure, manifesting the vitality of a lineage that reaches
The Dragon-Blood brushes her fingers across pressure back to the dawn of time. Slicing a palm to pour out a
points to numb her patient to pain. She rolls (Wits draught of her own blood, the Dragon-Blood confers
+ Medicine) against a difficulty of (an ally’s wound this undying vigor on her patient. She doubles 7s on a
penalty + 1). Success lets that character ignore (the roll to provide medical treatment.
Dragon-Blood’s Essence/2, rounded up) points of
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
wound penalties for the scene.
reset by achieving a major character or story goal
Alternatively, this Charm can be used to numb an (Exalted, p. 170) through medical skill or expertise,
enemy’s limb, a gambit rolled against an enemy at such as successfully treating a plague-ridden city or
close range with (Dexterity + [Brawl, Martial Arts, or saving the life of a sibling stricken with a supernatural
Medicine]). Its difficulty equals (higher of the target’s malady.

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Melee Duration: Instant

Prerequisite Charms: Flame-Borne Interception
Stoking Bonfire Style
Cost: 1m per die or 2m per +1 Parry; Mins: Melee 1, Sparks fly from the Dragon-Blood’s weapon as it wards
Essence 1 off an attack, blinding her foes. Successfully blocking
Type: Supplemental or Reflexive an attack or winning a clash from close range blinds
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Fire, Uniform her attacker (Exalted, p. 168) until the end of his next
Duration: Instant turn unless he succeeds on a (Stamina + Resistance)
Prerequisite Charms: None roll at a difficulty of (her Essence + the successes he
missed by).
The Dragon-Blood’s aggression stokes her Essence
Graceful Flowing Defense
hotter and higher as she strikes relentlessly at her
opponent, until he finally falls before her onslaught. Cost: 2m, 1i; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 1
She may add bonus dice on a Melee attack roll for Type: Reflexive
one mote each, or raise her Parry for two motes per Keywords: Perilous, Uniform, Water
+1. When she lands an attack against an enemy or Duration: Instant
blocks one with this Charm, the cost of using this Prerequisite Charms: Flame-Borne Interception
Charm against him is cumulatively lowered by one
mote on subsequent rounds. Missing an attack or The Dragon-Blood’s weapon moves like a flowing river
failing to parry resets the discount, as does attacking to deflect enemy attacks, suffused with the grace and
or blocking against another enemy, or going a round serenity of water. She ignores a single point of penalty
without using this Charm. to her Parry.

Burning Fury Wreath In Water Aura, she ignores (higher of Essence or 3)

Cost: 3m; Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1 points of penalty to her Parry.
Type: Supplemental
Crimson Fang Bite
Keywords: Balanced, Decisive-only, Fire
Duration: Instant Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual, Fire
Duration: Instant
The Dragon-Blood’s superheated edge cuts through
Prerequisite Charms: Burning Fury Wreath
armor as though it were ice. She ignores (Strength/2,
rounded up) points of Hardness, plus an additional
point for every 10 on her attack roll. The Dragon-Blood channels the fury of the flame to
strike a devastating blow. She adds (higher of Essence
In Fire Aura, double the Hardness ignored. or Strength) to the raw damage of a withering attack,
or doubles (Strength) 10s on a decisive damage roll.
Flame-Borne Interception
Cost: 4m; Mins: Melee 2, Essence 1 Demon-Crushing Wolf Bite
Type: Reflexive Cost: 4m, 1i; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Balanced, Fire, Uniform Type: Supplemental
Duration: Until next turn Keywords: Perilous, Withering-only, Wood
Prerequisite Charms: None Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Crimson Fang Bite
Flames wreathe the Exalt’s weapon, burning brighter
with each blow that it deflects. She gains +1 Parry until Emerald thorns burst from the Terrestrial’s weapon,
her next turn. This increases by one each time she blocks adding (Stamina) Overwhelming to a withering attack.
an attack. This bonus resets if the Dragon-Blood is hit by
an attack, or defends using an Ability other than Melee. In Wood Aura, the Dragon-Blood adds (Stamina) to the
raw damage of the attack as well.
Blinding Spark Distraction
Elemental Sheath
Cost: 1m, 1i; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive Cost: 3m (+1a); Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2
Keywords: Balanced, Fire, Uniform, Perilous Type: Reflexive

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Keywords: None Wood: Vines or roots twine around the weapon, grant-
Duration: Instant ing the Disarming tag. If it already has that tag, add one
Prerequisite Charms: None bonus die on the attack roll of disarm gambits.

The Dragon-Blood consigns an artifact Melee weapon Crossfire Flash

to the elements, banishing it Elsewhere through a dra- Cost: 5m; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 2
matic and significant manifestation of an element that Type: Supplemental
is at least as large as her weapon. Her daiklave might Keywords: Balanced, Fire, Uniform
become translucent and fluid as she touches it to the Duration: Instant
surface of a lake, dissolving into the body of water; a Prerequisite Charms: Blinding Spark Distraction
direlance plunged into a boulder or stone wall might
vanish into it; a goremaul fades away as a strong gust A wave of flame rolls down the Dragon-Blood’s weapon as
of wind carries it away. She may alternatively recall it she strikes, flying into her enemy’s eyes or scorching other
from a similar manifestation of the same element. extremities. She rerolls (Essence) non-1 failures on the
attack roll of a clash attack. Each rerolled die that shows
If the Exalt doesn’t have access to an appropriate ele- a 10 strips away a success from her foe’s own attack roll.
mental manifestation, she may expend a level of anima
to banish or recall her weapon. Once banished this Flame Warden Stance
way, it may be recalled through a manifestation of her Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 2
Aspect element. Type: Simple
Keywords: Fire, Perilous
Dragon-Graced Weapon Duration: One scene
Cost: —; Mins: Melee 3, Essence 2 Prerequisite Charms: Flame-Borne Interception
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: None The Dragon-Blood’s gleaming blade flickers into place
Duration: One scene between her allies and her enemies. She takes a defend
Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Sheath other action (Exalted, p. 196) that extends its benefits
to one scene, without needing to take the defend other
When the Dragon-Blood recalls a banished weapon action again on subsequent turns. Her ward must be
with Elemental Sheath, it’s wreathed with the element within close range to benefit, but this Charm doesn’t
she summons it forth from (or her Aspect element, if end if he moves out of range.
she expends anima to summon it). Alternatively, the
Dragon-Blood can use Elemental Sheath to reflexively In Fire Aura, each time the Dragon-Blood parries an
shape and ready a mundane Melee weapon from an el- attack against her ward, she adds one bonus die to his
emental manifestation, drawing the flames of a bonfire next attack roll.
into a lance or shaping a sword from the razor-sharp
edge of a biting gale. Either way, the weapon gains Blazing Interception
benefits based on the chosen element: Cost: 4m; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Air: Wind chills the weapon to a deadly cold. An ene- Keywords: Counterattack, Decisive-only, Fire
my damaged by a decisive attack takes a −1 penalty on Duration: Instant
physical rolls until the end of his next turn. Prerequisite Charms: Flame Warden Stance

Earth: Bulky stones reinforce the weapon, granting The Dragon-Blood’s battle spirit flares as she fends off
the Smashing tag. If it already has that tag, its smash peril to her ward, driving her forward in a fiery coun-
attacks deal an additional die of damage. terstrike. After successfully parrying an attack against
a character she’s protecting with a defend other action,
Fire: Flames wreathe the weapon, granting +1
she may respond with a decisive counterattack.
Overwhelming.
In Fire Aura, the Dragon-Blood’s ward may attempt a re-
Water: The weapon is fluid and graceful, granting the
flexive distract gambit (Exalted, p. 200) against his attack-
Flexible and Grappling tags. If it already has at least
er to benefit the Exalt before she makes her counterattack.
one of those tags, add one bonus die on the attack roll
This doesn’t count as her ward’s attack for the round.
of grapple gambits.

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Steel Tempest Strike Collapse Structure (Difficulty 3+): The Dragon-Blood

Cost: 4m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Melee 5, can collapse flimsy, weakened, or uneven structures, such
Essence 3 as a poorly maintained bridge, a makeshift barricade, or
Type: Reflexive an ancient statue. The difficulty is equal to the Strength
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Air) minimum of the feat that would be necessary to destroy
Duration: Instant that structure (Exalted, p. 231), although the Dragon-
Prerequisite Charms: None Blood need not actually possess that much Strength.

The Exalt leaps into the air and rides a current of wind Harnessed Firestorm Assault
to strike at her foe with deadly speed. On her turn, she Cost: 10m, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Melee 5,
may use her movement action to advance one range Essence 3
band towards an enemy at short range and make a de- Type: Simple
cisive attack against him. She ignores difficult terrain, Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Fire)
and may skim over chasms or pits as long as she ends Duration: Instant
on solid ground. This doesn’t count as her attack for Prerequisite Charms: None
the round.
Channeling pure Fire Essence to stoke her spirit’s fer-
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless vor and her body’s speed, the Dragon-Blood unleashes
reset by gaining 15+ Initiative in a single tick. a furious series of blows that blister the air and fell her
foes. She makes ([higher of Dexterity or Strength]/2,
Falling Mountain Fang rounded down) decisive attacks, divided among one or
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3 more enemies. If she has an applicable Melee specialty,
Type: Simple she adds it to the relevant Attribute to determine how
Keywords: Decisive-only, Signature (Earth) many attacks she makes. Each attack has a base dam-
Duration: Instant age equal to (Initiative/2, rounded up), and she doesn’t
Prerequisite Charms: None reset to base Initiative until she’s completed all attacks.
If she uses any non-Excellency Fire Charms to enhance
The Dragon-Blood strikes a blow laden with Earth these attacks, she need only pay their cost once.
Essence, magnifying the weight of whatever she
strikes. She makes one of the following gambits: Harnessed Firestorm Assault can only be used once per
scene, unless reset by successfully landing a decisive
Weigh Down Weapons (Difficulty 6): Earth Essence attack while in Fire Aura and building up to Initiative
weighs down a weapon, increasing its weight a thou- 12+ without leaving Fire Aura.
sandfold for the rest of the scene. The wielder must
reflexively roll a Strength 5 feat of strength against Roaring River Slash
(the Exalt’s Essence + her Initiative roll threshold Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Water Aura; Mins: Melee 5,
successes) or drop the weapon to the ground. Such Essence 3
a feat is also required to lift it or ready it. Even if the Type: Simple
wielder does retain his hold on the weapon or later Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Water)
manage to lift it, all attack rolls with it take a −3 pen- Duration: Instant
alty, and carrying it while moving counts as difficult Prerequisite Charms: None
terrain.
The outer edge of the Dragon-Blood’s attack is fol-
Weigh Down Armor (Difficulty 4): This gambit lowed by a ribbon of water moving at incredible speed.
increases the mobility penalty of armor by −3, and She makes a decisive attack and rolls its damage twice,
requires the wielder to spend one Initiative in order combining both results to determine the total damage.
to take any movement action. This penalty only lasts If used together with offensive magic that sets foes on
three rounds, but a subsequent use of this Charm al- fire, the water extinguishes the flames.
lows a difficulty 5 gambit against the weighted armor
that intensifies its weight until the wearer can no This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
longer stand, forcing him prone and preventing him reset by going a full round without either making
from taking any movement actions at all for the rest of attacks or being attacked. It cannot be reset while the
the scene. He can free himself by removing the armor Dragon-Blood is crashed.
(Exalted, p. 591).
Aura of Grasping Branches

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Cost: 5m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3 damages the Dragon-Blood with a withering attack.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Perilous, Signature (Wood) Burning Pinnacle Strike
Duration: One scene Cost: 3m; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Fire, Uniform
The Terrestrial takes on a defensive stance that em- Duration: Instant
ulates the snarled branches of a forest, or a beautiful Prerequisite Charms: Smoldering Essence Attack
flower’s blossom. Each round, she may ignore up to
(Essence) points of onslaught penalty to her Parry. She The Exalt’s body, skill, and Essence unite in the mo-
may divide this among multiple attacks in a round, as ment of her triumph, striking a rapid blow guided by
long as she ignores no more than (Essence) total points sheer instinct and the flame of her fighting spirit. After
of penalty in a single round. making a withering attack that leaves her with an
Initiative higher than that of all enemies present in the
In Wood Aura, the Dragon-Blood doesn’t take on- combat, she reflexively makes a withering or decisive
slaught penalties from attacks she successfully parries. attack. This doesn’t count as her attack for the round.

Dragon Soul Burst This Charm may only be used once per round.
Cost: 8m; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple Root-and-Hand Merging
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 4, Essence 3
Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: Crimson Fang Bite Keywords: Balanced, Wood
Duration: One scene
Through intense effort and concentration, the Dragon- Prerequisite Charms: Elemental Sheath
Blood can channel a burst of flames through her attack.
To use this Charm, she must first spend a turn aiming at The Dragon-Blood is one with her weapon. Roots
an enemy within close range. On her next turn, she may spring from the bones of her wrists and hands and from
use this Charm to make a decisive attack with a base dam- her weapon’s grip, interlocking to form an unbreakable
age of (her Essence + 2), ignoring Hardness. This doesn’t hold. She gains +1 Parry when blocking with the bound
include her Initiative or reset her to base Initiative. An weapon, and the difficulty to disarm it increases by +2.
enemy that takes 3+ levels of damage from the attack is
set ablaze, suffering (Essence) dice of lethal damage on In Wood Aura, this doesn’t count as a Charm bonus.
each of his turns until he extinguishes the flames.
Portentous Comet Deflection
In Fire Aura, the Dragon-Blood may add her Initiative Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
to the base damage of this attack. Doing so resets her Type: Reflexive
Initiative to base. Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Fire
Duration: Instant
Smoldering Essence Attack Prerequisite Charms: Crossfire Flash
Cost: 5m, 1a; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple The Exalt sees with eyes of fire, realizing the perfect path
Keywords: Aura, Fire, Withering-only of a strike the moment before she suffers an attack. She
Duration: Instant may reflexively clash an attack against her with a deci-
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Soul Burst sive attack. This counts as her attack for the round, and
can’t be used if she’s already made an attack this round.
The concentrated Essence of flame limns the edge of
the Exalt’s weapon and burns in her enemy’s blood In Fire Aura, the Dragon-Blood may expend her Aura
and soul, searing away his fighting spirit. She makes a to clash without it counting as her attack for the round.
withering attack, burning away an extra point of her
foe’s Initiative for every 10 on the damage roll, which Fire Incites Water to a Riot of Clouds
she doesn’t gain. The victim suffers this Initiative loss Cost: 4m, 3i; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 3
again on each of his next (Essence) turns, or until he Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Clash, Fire/Water, Withering-only
Duration: Instant

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Prerequisite Charms: Portentous Comet Deflection Prerequisite Charms: Burning Pinnacle Strike

Water vapor or rain boils into steam as the arc of the Flaws and openings in her foe’s defense draw the Exalt’s
Dragon-Blood’s attack agitates them with ferocious blade as the mountain draws the lightning. The Dragon-
Essence, whipping a great cloud from the air as she Blood makes a number of withering attacks against a single
intercepts her enemy’s blow. She may reflexively clash opponent equal to his onslaught penalty at the time she ac-
an attack against her with a withering attack, without tivates this Charm, maximum (Dexterity + Strength), static
it counting as her attack for the round. She doesn’t gain crackling around her as spent Essence builds a charge in
any Initiative from the damage roll, but a successful the air. Each withering damage roll only grants Initiative
clash creates a steam cloud that spreads out to close equal to half the damage inflicted, rounded down.
range from her enemy, plus an additional range band
for every five points of withering damage dealt to him. In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood may use the final attack
Any of the Dragon-Blood’s allies that are within the of this Charm to make a decisive attack instead of a
steam cloud gain one point of Initiative for every 10 on withering attack, channeling the electric charge that
her damage roll. The cloud remains for the rest of the has built around her into a final, devastating flash. This
scene, or until dispersed by strong winds or magic. attack resets her to base Initiative even if it misses.

This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless re- This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
set by landing a decisive attack while at 15+ Initiative reset by dealing enough decisive damage with a single
in either Fire or Water Aura. attack to incapacitate a nontrivial enemy with an unin-
jured health track.

Mela’s Flashing Tongue
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 4 Mirror-on-Water Focus
Type: Simple Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Melee 5, Essence 5
Keywords: Air, Withering-only Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Aura, Counterattack, Decisive-only, Mute,

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Perilous, Water This rite provides emotional catharsis to the deceased’s

Duration: Aura ghost, allowing it to abandon its undead existence and
Prerequisite Charms: Fire Incites Water to a Riot of enter the cycle of reincarnation if it chooses. Even if it
Clouds doesn’t, the ritual appeases it, causing it to form a positive
Minor Tie towards the Dragon-Blood that cannot be fully
When her spirit is becalmed, the Dragon-Blood becomes removed until the story’s end.
empty and still. She generates no killing intent, and re-
flects the killing intent of her enemies back upon them. Seed and Salt Warding
To use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood’s anima must be at
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
the dim level, and it ends if her anima rises above dim. If
Type: Simple
an enemy attacks her, she may end this Charm to make a
Keywords: Earth or Wood
decisive counterattack before the enemy rolls his attack,
Duration: One day
with a base damage equal to (her attacker’s Initiative/2,
Prerequisite Charms: None
rounded up). She isn’t reset to base Initiative by this
attack; instead, every success on the damage roll strips
one point of Initiative from her attacker, reducing the The Dragon-Blood lays down a line of salt or germinated
damage of his own attack, in addition to dealing damage. grain to keep ghosts at bay (Exalted, p. 506), spanning up
This counts as the Dragon-Blood’s attack for the round, to a single range band. The aspect of this Charm depends
and cannot be used if she’s already attacked this round. on which she uses — salt is Earth, while grain is Wood. She
rolls (Intelligence + Occult) to determine the power of the
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless warding. Powerful ghosts who could normally cross the
reset by using its prerequisite to successfully clash and line by spending Willpower can only do so if their Resolve
deal 20+ withering damage while in Water Aura. exceeds the Dragon-Blood’s successes on her Occult roll.
Otherwise, they cannot cross the line. The line also repels
other forms of undead, such as zombies or hungry ghosts.
Occult
Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique
Hidden Secrets Whisper Cost: 4m; Mins: Occult 1, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Occult 1, Essence 1
Keywords: Air, Balanced
Type: Supplemental
Duration: One scene
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Excellency
Prerequisite Charms: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Drawing back the veil between worlds, the Dragon-
Blood makes invisible spirits and phantasms visible
Attuned to the subtle winds of the spiritual, the
within the glass. To use this Charm, she must be
Dragon-Blood draws forth sublime truths. She may
touching a mirror or a similar reflective surface, such
add bonus dice to an Occult roll for one mote each.
as the blade of a well-polished daiklave. The Exalt can
Each 10 rerolls a non-1 failed die.
see the reflections of dematerialized characters in that
mirror, and can even hear what they say in the form of
Soul-Fire Cremation Technique whispers that rise up from the mirror’s surface. Only
Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1 the Exalt is capable of seeing the reflection — to others,
Type: Simple even the spirit itself, it doesn’t appear in the mirror.
Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant This doesn’t allow the Dragon-Blood to physically
Prerequisite Charms: None interact with spirits, but it can be used in conjunction
with magic that does. Using reflections to pinpoint a
Reciting holy texts or heartfelt words, the Exalt returns a foe is somewhat awkward — instead of fully negating
corpse to nature. She may burn a mortal’s corpse to ashes the −3 penalty for attacking a dematerialized spirit one
in a few seconds, ensuring the deceased’s lower soul won’t can’t see, it reduces the penalty to −1.
linger in the world as a hungry ghost. An existing hungry
ghost is unaffected, though the destruction of its corpse An Occult 5, Essence 3 repurchase of this Charm lets
requires it to find a new place it can spend the day without the Dragon-Blood pay one Willpower to make the spir-
being destroyed by sunlight (Exalted, pp. 503-504). it reflections visible and audible to her allies as well.
Their attacks against it still take a −1 penalty.

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Spirit-Grounding Shout the orderly Essence of Earth to strike down raksha and
Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 2, Essence 1 other creatures of the Wyld, or channeling vital Wood
Type: Supplemental Essence to destroy one of the undead. A withering at-
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Uniform tack adds (Essence) dice to its damage after subtracting
Duration: Instant the target’s soak. A decisive attack deals aggravated
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique damage and doubles 10s on the damage roll.

Rending the air with a fierce kiai, the Dragon-Blood Fivefold Resonance Sense
strikes that which cannot be struck. She can strike a Cost: 5m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2
dematerialized character with an attack made with Type: Simple
any Ability. If the Exalt is unable to see her target, her Keywords: Air/Earth/Fire/Water/Wood
attack roll suffers a −3 penalty. Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
If the Exalt uses this Charm on her next turn to attack
the same enemy, its mote cost is lowered by one. This
discount can be stacked, to a minimum cost of zero. Closing her eyes and stilling her mind, the Dragon-Blood
Attacking another character or going a round without reaches out to the Essence of the world. She may spend
attacking that spirit resets the discount to zero. up to a scene in meditation, during which she can sense
the presence of the five elements — weather patterns,
rock formations and geology, fires, bodies of water, liv-
Secret Wind Revelation ing plants, and similar elemental manifestations — out
Cost: 3m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1 to (the higher of Essence or 3) range bands. Their pres-
Type: Reflexive ence is revealed to her without a roll. In addition, she
Keywords: Air, Balanced adds a single non-Charm bonus die on any Awareness,
Duration: Instant Investigation, Occult, or Survival rolls to detect or track
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique jade, elementals, elemental demesnes and manses, or
other form of elemental magic for the duration.
Attuned to subtle currents of spiritual wind, the Dragon-
Blood can hear a demon’s whispers or a ghost’s tread. An Occult 5, Essence 3 repurchase waives the med-
When a dematerialized entity comes within long range itation requirement, allowing the Dragon-Blood to
or closer of the Exalt, the Storyteller informs her player benefit from this Charm while acting normally.
that she may activate this Charm. She rolls (Perception
+ Awareness) with (Occult) bonus dice opposing its Spirit-Chaining Strike
(Dexterity + Stealth) roll to pinpoint his location. Cost: 4m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
A failed roll still reveals the presence of a dematerial- Keywords: Air, Balanced
ized being nearby. However, that entity uses the result Duration: Instant
of his Stealth roll to establish concealment against Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Grounding Shout
the Dragon-Blood until the scene ends or he breaks
concealment, escaping her notice even if she later uses Dragging a spirit halfway into the material realm with
Spirit-Detecting Mirror Technique. She cannot use this her attack, the Dragon-Blood exposes it to her allies.
Charm against the same spirit for the rest of the scene. She rolls a gambit using any combat Ability against a
dematerialized foe, adding (Essence/2, rounded up)
Dragon’s Sacred Talon bonus successes on the attack roll. Spirit-Grounding
Shout enhances this attack for free. The difficulty of the
Cost: 4m; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 2 gambit is equal to (the target’s Essence). A successful
Type: Supplemental gambit weaves gossamer threads of wind through the
Keywords: Balanced, Dual, Earth or Wood spirit, binding it partly to the material world. While
Duration: Instant it doesn’t become fully materialized, it’s visible to all
Prerequisite Charms: Seed and Salt Warding Dragon-Blooded characters in the scene, and can at-
tack or be attacked by them as though it were material.
When darkness gnaws at the roots of the world and cha- This lasts for one round, plus an additional round for
os threatens the very balance of Creation, it’s the will of every two threshold successes the Exalt rolled on the
the Dragons that restores order. This Charm can sup- gambit’s Initiative roll.
plement an attack made with any Ability, drawing upon

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Hundred Devils Whirlwind Her will tempered by the blood of dragons, the Exalt im-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3 poses order onto chaos. She may spend up to (Stamina)
Type: Simple days in meditation. As long as her focus remains unbro-
Keywords: Signature (Air) ken, the Wyld abides by the natural laws of Creation out
Duration: One scene to short range from her, and cannot cause any mutation,
Prerequisite Charms: None addiction, or other warping to characters in that range.
She gains Hardness 20 against attacks made by crea-
The Dragon-Blood stirs the winds of the spirit world tures of the Wyld, and such beings within short range
into a mighty storm. She rolls (Wits + Occult) with of her lose two Initiative at the start of each turn as long
double 9s to create a mystical vortex extending out to as she continues meditating. Crashed creatures of the
medium range, and chooses whether it repels spirits Wyld suffers a single die of aggravated damage instead.
and other dematerialized characters or draws them in.
Both material and dematerialized spirits are affected. This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
reset by upholding a Major or Defining Intimacy by
Each target whose Resolve is beaten is blown one range defeating a creature of the Wyld.
band in the chosen direction. As long as they remain
within medium range of the Exalt, they cannot use Hurry Smoke Ascends to Heaven
Home to escape and treat any movement opposing the Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
whirlwind’s direction as difficult terrain (Exalted, p. 199). Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Fire)
Sage of Iron Meditation
Duration: Instant
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Earth)
Offering up an efficacious prayer, the Dragon-Blood
Duration: (Stamina) days
casts an offering into the fire, beseeching a spirit’s
Prerequisite Charms: None
favor in exchange for the pleasing scent of smoke.
She makes a persuade roll with any social Ability,

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doubling 7s, to influence a spirit in person, or to offer Eternal Death-Banishing Blossom

up a prayer through any fire. A prayer made from Cost: 10m, 1wp (+3a on next turn); Mins: Occult 5,
afar will always be heard if the sacrifice is made in Essence 3
the spirit’s temple or overseen by one of its priests; Type: Simple
otherwise, the Storyteller determines whether the Keywords: Perilous, Signature (Wood)
spirit hears the offer. Duration: Until next turn
Prerequisite Charms: None
The intensity of any of the spirit’s Intimacies that
support the influence is treated as one step higher The Dragon-Blood, utterly serene, channels the fierce
when determining the level of task it’s willing to persistence of life through her anima banner, which
accept (Exalted, p. 216). Even if it has no applicable branches out like a great tree budding with petals of iri-
Intimacies, she treats it as having a Minor Tie towards descent light. To use this Charm, she must be at bonfire
her that supports the influence. This Charm can only anima. She gains +2 Defense and (Essence + 3) bonus
be used once per story, unless reset by accomplishing soak. Against undead enemies or necromantic attacks,
a major character or story goal (Exalted, p. 170) by this increases to +3 Defense and (Essence + 5) soak.
interacting with spirits. If the Dragon-Blood’s prayer
isn’t heard, no reset is necessary. On the Dragon-Blood’s next turn, as long as she’s still at
bonfire anima and not crashed, her anima banner finally
Crashing Wave-Dragons Warding blooms as she expends it. Petals of shimmering Essence
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3 fall out to medium range from her. This petal-storm is
Type: Simple harmless to the living, but any undead or ghost caught in
Keywords: Signature (Water) it must succeed on a difficulty 5 (Stamina + Resistance)
Duration: (Essence) hours roll or take aggravated damage equal to (the Exalt’s cur-
Prerequisite Charms: None rent Initiative/2, rounded up), minimum (Essence). Even
dematerialized undead are affected by the petals. Trivial
Blessing a body of running water with her touch, undead foes are automatically destroyed. Against undead
the Dragon-Blood bids it to flow sanctified and pure. Exalted such as Abyssals and powerful beings such as
Performing the consecration takes one minute. If the Deathlords, the damage can’t exceed (her Essence).
body of water is no more than a single range band
wide, this effect extends (Essence x2) range bands This Charm can only be used once per day.
downstream in a direction of her choice. If it’s wider
than that, the effect extends (Essence) range bands. Blazing Purification Chant
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 4, Essence 3
Any demon, undead, or fae that enters the water suffers Type: Simple
its wrath in the form of dragon-shaped waves, an environ- Keywords: Fire
mental hazard with difficulty 5 and Damage (Essence)B/ Duration: Instant
round. They also suffer a −3 penalty on physical actions as Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Fire Cremation Technique,
long as they touch the water, on top of any penalties cross- Spirit-Chaining Strike
ing normally involves. Withering attacks directed at these
creatures deal an additional level of Initiative damage. Affixing a prayer strip to the forehead of a victim of posses-
sion, the Dragon-Blood speaks a potent incantation, setting
A character whose Essence exceeds the Exalt’s may the paper alight. This flame doesn’t burn the possessed
spend one Willpower as a miscellaneous action that character, but rather, the possessing entity. The Dragon-
can’t be flurried to best the wave-dragons in a dramatic Blood rolls ([Charisma or Intelligence] + Occult) against
display of its supernatural prowess, freeing it (but not the possessing being’s Resolve. Success deals (her Essence
other characters) from this Charm’s effects for the re- + threshold successes) dice of decisive aggravated damage
mainder of its duration. This counts as both its attack to the possessor, ignoring Hardness. If the total damage
and movement for that round. equals or exceeds that being’s Essence rating, it’s forced
out of its host, and cannot attempt to possess him again for
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset
the rest of the story. Otherwise, the host can’t benefit from
by successfully advancing a personal goal or one of the
any use of this Charm until a day has passed.
Hearth’s group goals by defeating or overcoming a sig-
nificant demon, fae, or undead in combat or in another Up to five Dragon-Blooded who know this Charm can
milieu, such as intrigue or a contest of riddles. use it cooperatively. Each character beyond the first
adds one additional die of damage.

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Spirit-Shredding Attack Prerequisite Charms: Dragon’s Sacred Talon, Seal of

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 4, Essence 3 Heavenly Binding
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Decisive-only The Dragon-Blood strikes away temptations and madness
Duration: Instant born of the Wyld with a mudra of revelation, restoring the
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Chaining Strike harmony of reality. She may free a character within short
range of any Psyche effect or Derangement imposed by a
Rending a spirit’s ephemeral form, the Dragon-Blood creature of the Wyld or exposure to the Wyld itself, includ-
disperses its Essence like dust on the wind. Her decisive ing Wyld addiction. The Exalt rolls ([Intelligence or Wits]
attack with any combat Ability against a crashed spirit + Occult) against the Resolve of the character she treats,
adds attack roll threshold successes as dice of damage. but (the Essence of the creature that used that magic) is
A spirit slain by this attack can potentially reform its added to his Resolve. A successful roll terminates unnatural
Essence (Exalted, pp. 508-509), but does so greatly influence or removes a Derangement. On a failed roll, the
diminished, losing a permanent dot of Essence. This re- Dragon-Blood cannot use this Charm to treat that character
duces its mote pool by ten motes, and may deny it access for the same affliction again for the rest of the story.
to certain Charms based on their Essence minimums.
This Charm can only be used once per day.
Seal of Heavenly Binding
Purifying Dragon Suspiration
Cost: 5m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 4
Keywords: Air Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Air/Water
Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Shredding Attack Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Purification Chant,
The Terrestrial raises her hand in a devil-sealing mudra, Chaos-Banishing Revelation Gesture
raising a binding circle around a spirit or creature of the
Wyld. This is a gambit rolled with (Intelligence + Occult) The winds banish smog and miasma; the running river
against the Resolve of a spirit out to short range. The washes away pollution. Embodying all the purifying
difficulty of the gambit is equal to (that being’s Essence). power of Creation, the Dragon-Blood cleanses curses
Outside of combat, this Charm only requires the and spiritual malaise. This Charm is an extended
(Intelligence + Occult) roll against Resolve to succeed. (Intelligence + Occult) action that can be used to free
one character of a sorcerous curse, such as the spell
On a success, the Dragon-Blood’s anima traces an effica- Corrupted Words, or a shaping effect that transforms
cious sigil that entraps that spirit for a single round, plus the victim’s body. It can also lower the intensity
an additional round for every two threshold successes of a magically inflicted Derangement by one step.
on the Initiative roll (one scene outside of combat). It However, sorcerous workings can’t be broken with this
immediately materializes, if it wasn’t already material, Charm. The extended action has a difficulty equal to
and cannot dematerialize or use the Hurry Home Charm. (the Essence of the character that imposed the effect),
It cannot move out of the circle or attack enemies outside a goal number of (that character’s Essence x10), ter-
it, although those who enter the circle to reach close minus 10, and an interval of one month. The Dragon-
range are fair game. The bound spirit may use its entire Blood must use this Charm at each interval, anointing
turn to attempt to break out of the circle, spending one the beneficiary with sacred cleansing water or using
Willpower to make a (Wits + Integrity) roll opposing ritual fans to drive away evil.
an (Intelligence + Occult) made by the Dragon-Blood.
Success breaches the circle and lets the being escape. Some curses are beyond the power of this Charm to
purify. This includes Solar Circle Sorcery; the magic of
This Charm can only be used once per scene. the Celestial Incarnae, Yozis, and Deathlords; or any
other effect the Storyteller deems completely beyond
the capability of the Terrestrial Exalted to break.
Chaos-Banishing Revelation Gesture
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Anathema-Sealing Tomb
Keywords: Earth Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 5
Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive

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Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth Dragon-Sorcerer Puissance

Duration: Instant Cost: —; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: Seal of Heavenly Binding Type: Permanent
Keywords: Balanced
When the Dragon-Blood incapacitates a spirit with Duration: Permanent
a decisive attack, she may use this Charm to seal its Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
Essence away into the nearest dramatic manifestation
of Earth Essence: the depths of a cavern, a cairn or The Dragon-Blood’s elemental Essence overflows into
standing stone, a statue, an Earth demesne or manse, a her sorcery. Whenever she shapes a spell based on a
mountain, or something similar. The imprisoned spirit single element, such as Flight of the Brilliant Raptor,
is unable to reform itself (Exalted, pp. 508-509) for at Invulnerable Skin of Bronze, or Wood Dragon’s Claw,
least (Essence) centuries, and spirits that cannot reform she gains a single additional sorcerous mote each
themselves (including most elementals and First Circle round she spends shaping it.
Demons) are sealed away permanently. The spirit can
be freed by destroying its earthen prison, a dramatic If the Dragon-Blooded is in the Aura state that match-
endeavor as difficult as the Storyteller deems appro- es the spell’s element, she gains three sorcerous motes
priate. It’s unknown what would happen if this Charm each round instead.
were used to seal one of the Deathlords or Yozis; the
result is explicitly left up to the Storyteller’s discretion.
Performance
Sorcery Universal
Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
Audience-Enthusing Display
Cost: —; Mins: Occult 3, Essence 1
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Wood
Duration: Permanent
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Any four Occult Charms
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood steps across the threshold of the

The Dragon-Blood drinks in her audience’s appre-
Emerald Circle, and is forever changed. She gains the
ciative eyes and repays them with her masterful
ability to cast spells of the Terrestrial Circle, and learns
performance. She may add automatic successes to a
one shaping ritual (Exalted, p. 466) and one Terrestrial
Performance roll for two motes each and ignores the
Circle spell, which becomes her control spell.
penalty for targeting multiple characters with a social
influence roll (Exalted p. 221).
Five Winds Raiment
Cost: 3m, 1a; Mins: Occult 5, Essence 2 Hidden Petal Aria
Type: Supplemental
Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
Keywords: Air
Type: Supplemental
Duration: Until spell is cast
Keywords: Wood
Prerequisite Charms: Terrestrial Circle Sorcery
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood’s anima banner twists into a
whirlwind as Essence gathers in her hand, shielding
The Dragon-Blood expresses multiple layers of mean-
her from all harm. This Charm supplements a Shape
ing via an artistic performance, conveying a secret
Sorcery action (Exalted, p. 465). The winds grant her
message through nuances of speech and movement.
+1 Defense and (Essence) Hardness until she casts the
She may embed a message one sentence long into a
spell or stops shaping.
performance, conveying it only to select members of
her audience. This can incorporate social influence.
In Air Aura, this doesn’t count as a Charm bonus, and
Magical attempts to detect the message must succeed
the Hardness granted rises to (higher of Essence or
on a roll at difficulty (higher of her Manipulation or
Stamina).
Performance).

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Invisible Street Performer Technique song after hearing only a few notes or turning a clumsy
Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1 misstep into the beginning of a provocative dance.
Type: Simple After making a Performance roll, she rerolls (Essence)
Keywords: Air, Balanced non-1 failed dice. If she uses a stunt to explain how she
Duration: One performance recovers from her misstep, this Charm’s cost is reduced
Prerequisite Charms: Hidden Petal Aria by the stunt’s level.

The Dragon-Blood vanishes into her performance, Soul-Stirring Performance

receding from her audience’s notice. She rolls Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2
(Manipulation + Performance). As long as she contin- Type: Simple
ues to perform, characters whose Resolve is beaten Keywords: Wood
by her roll cannot directly notice her. While they see Duration: Instant
or hear her artistic display, they pay no mind to the Prerequisite Charms: Talented Improvisation
person performing it. The Dragon-Blood can take
other actions while continuing the performance by The Dragon-Blood’s grace and beauty sow the seeds of
flurrying them with a miscellaneous action to continue passion in her audience’s hearts. She makes an inspire
performing, but this Charm ends if the Dragon-Blood roll with (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice. A char-
stops performing, rolls Join Battle, or takes an overt acter whose Resolve is beaten must enter a Decision
action that draws notice to herself, such as brandishing Point to resist, calling on an Intimacy of any intensity
a weapon. that opposes the emotion the performance conveys.

Dance of Flashing Swords Heart-Strengthening Defense

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2 Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: One performance
Prerequisite Charms: Invisible Street Performer Technique Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Stirring Performance

The Dragon-Blood can pass off a fight to the death as The Dragon-Blood’s performance charges her audience
a piece of street theater. She makes a special instill with the vital will to endure. All characters that can see or
roll with (Manipulation + Performance) against all hear her performance gain +1 Resolve against any other
bystanders to a combat or other violent altercation, influence, or +2 Resolve against Psyche effects or other
explaining how it is actually an artistic performance. A unnatural influence. The Dragon-Blood can take other
character whose Resolve is beaten by this roll accepts actions while continuing the performance by flurrying
the Dragon-Blood’s explanation of the scene’s events. them with a miscellaneous action to continue performing.
He cannot spend Willpower to resist this influence
unless the circumstances of the fight dramatically
change in a way that undermines the Exalt’s lie, or if Harmonious Life-Affirming Song
his ignorance would pose a threat to one of his Major Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2
or Defining Intimacies. Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood
Unlike other Simple Charms, Dance of Flashing Duration: One performance
Swords can be placed in a flurry. Prerequisite Charms: Heart-Strengthening Defense

Talented Improvisation The Dragon-Blood’s performance revives those who

Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2 hear it, like the coming of an early spring. All characters
Type: Reflexive who witness her performance add a bonus success on
Keywords: Balanced, Wood rolls against poison, disease, and other maladies, and
Duration: Instant multiply the rate at which they heal damage (Exalted,
Prerequisite Charms: None p. 173) by (Essence + [Charisma or Appearance]). The
Dragon-Blood can take other actions while continuing
the performance by flurrying them with a miscella-
The Dragon-Blood is moved by an innate genius for
neous action to continue performing.
performance, intuiting the entire composition of a

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Irresistible Whirlpool Diversion player must choose a response to the inspired emotion
Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2 that will affirm, support, or protect a social institution
Type: Simple or tradition that he has an Intimacy towards. If that
Keywords: Water character has no such Intimacies, he must immediately
Duration: One performance form one at Minor intensity. A stern polemic could rouse
Prerequisite Charms: Soul-Stirring Performance villagers to the defense of the Immaculate Order, while
a joyful tune played at a Dynastic salon might inspire
The Dragon-Blood’s performance draws in her audi- shows of gratitude and goodwill to the Great House
ence’s attention like a maelstrom sucking in flotsam, hosting it. Resisting this influence requires spending one
making it difficult for them to pay attention to anything Willpower in a Decision Point, calling upon an Intimacy
but her. She rolls ([Manipulation or Appearance] + at least as strong as the one affected by this Charm.
Performance) with double 9s. Any audience members
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
with a Resolve lower than her rolled successes suffers
reset by upholding a Major or Defining Intimacy for a
a penalty of (her Essence) to Awareness-based rolls
social institution or tradition.
to pay attention to anything or anyone other than
her. The Dragon-Blood can take other actions while
continuing the performance by flurrying them with a Immolating Passion Alleluia
miscellaneous action to continue performing. Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Thundering Dragon Proclamation Keywords: Signature (Fire)
Duration: Instant
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Air)
Duration: One scene The Dragon-Blood lets the fires of her performance
Prerequisite Charms: None consume her, radiating passionate intensity with every
word, note, or movement. She makes an inspire roll
using ([Charisma or Appearance] + Performance),
Breathing deep of the world, the Dragon-Blood raises her
rolling an additional non-Charm die for every 10. The
voice to a resounding shout, her words rumbling across
emotions she inflames are incredibly intense, compel-
the sky like thunder. Her voice is loud enough to be heard
ling an equally intense response from her audience.
clearly by characters at extreme range, up to four bands
While the player of an affected character still chooses
away from her. The influence she can take through her
how that character reacts to the influence, his reaction
amplified voice is limited to inspire and threaten actions,
must rise to the level of at least a serious task (Exalted,
but she ignores environmental or distance penalties. She
p. 216) chosen by his player. Resisting this influence
doubles 9s on all voice-based Performance rolls, as well
costs three Willpower.
as command actions (Exalted, p. 209). She may lower
her voice to normal volume, and must do so to engage in Immolating Passion Alleluia can only be used once per
non-Performance forms of social influence, but doesn’t story, unless reset by achieving a legendary social goal
benefit from doubles 9s when she does. (Exalted, p. 134) by influencing a character to act on
his passions.
This Charm can only be used once per day.

Mesmerizing Siren Call

Tears-From-Stone Eloquence
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Type: Simple
Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Water)
Keywords: Signature (Earth)
Duration: One performance
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: None
A scintillating facade of beauty and grace conceals hidden
The Dragon-Blood’s performance brings the world into
depths of danger. The Dragon-Blood rolls (Manipulation
harmony, suffusing the traditions and institutions of
+ Performance), rerolling all dice that initially show non-1
society with the enduring Essence of earth. She makes
failures. Each character whose Resolve is beaten by this
an inspire roll with (Charisma + Performance). If any
roll is hypnotized by the performance. The Exalt may
character’s Resolve is overcome by the inspire roll, his

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spend her threshold successes over a given character’s Mesmerizing Siren Call can only be used once per sto-
Resolve to impose one or more illusions from the follow- ry, unless reset by accomplishing a major character or
ing list on him for as long as she continues to perform. If story goal (Exalted, p. 170) through deception.
she affects multiple characters, she may inflict different
illusions on each, though groups of minor targets should Life-Spirit Symphony
be combined into audiences (Exalted, p. 223).
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
0 Successes The target perceives phantasmal Keywords: Signature (Wood)
imagery, sounds, or scents, but Duration: One performance
is aware that they’re unreal. Prerequisite Charms: None
1 Success The target perceives a single illu-
sory entity or object, up to roughly Nature dances, exultant, to the Dragon-Blood’s per-
the size of a person or horse, and formance. Flowers blossom from her footsteps, vines
believes it to be real. This cannot twist and coil with her rhythm, and thorns turn away
imitate a specific character. from harming her. As long as the Exalt continues to
2 Successes The target perceives an illusory perform, she and all allies within medium range can
duplicate of an existing, hu- ignore difficult terrain based on foliage or vegetation,
man-sized character that the Exalt its movements opening a path to let them through.
knows, and believes it to be real. Whenever a plant-based environmental hazard or
poison threatens those allies, she may roll (Charisma
2 Successes One individual within medium + Performance). They can use the result of her roll in
range, no larger than a human, place of their own rolls to resist the hazard or poison.
is concealed from the target’s
senses. He cannot perceive the The Dragon-Blood can take other actions while con-
concealed character, even if she tinuing the performance by flurrying them with a
takes overt actions that would nor- miscellaneous action to continue performing. If she
mally draw his attention, although wishes, she may use her miscellaneous action to direct
she’s revealed if she attacks him. vines and plants to attack an enemy within medium
3 Successes The target perceives a single large range, rolling a difficulty 4 gambit with (Charisma +
illusory entity, object, or structure, Performance). Success ensnares him in vines, prevent-
up to the size of a house or tyrant ing him from taking any movement actions until he or
lizard, and believes it to be real. This one of his allies clears them with a difficulty 3 gambit
can imitate a specific character. using an edged weapon. Even after they’re hacked
away, they linger on as difficult terrain beneath his feet.
The Dragon-Blood can take other actions while con-
tinuing the performance by flurrying them with a This Charm can only be used once per day.
miscellaneous action to continue performing. Illusions
created with this Charm act as the Exalt wills them Blossom Hides Thorns
to, but cannot physically interact with the world. If a
Cost: 6m, 1wp, expend Wood Aura; Mins: Performance
figment engages the target in social influence, it uses
5, Essence 3
the Exalt’s dice pools, but she cannot enhance its rolls
Type: Simple
with her magic.
Keywords: Aura, Mute, Wood
If a victim of this Charm discovers evidence that what Duration: Instant
he’s perceiving isn’t real, he can spend two Willpower Prerequisite Charms: Dance of Flashing Swords
to resist, breaking free of all illusions. Walking into
an unreal fire and discovering it doesn’t burn, being The Dragon-Blood turns the strumming of her fingers
attacked by an enemy concealed behind an illusory on an erhu’s strings or the graceful steps of a dance into
wall, or noticing a discrepancy in an illusory impos- a facade for a deadly ambush, concluding her show
tor’s behavior would all provide such an opportunity. with a truly breath-taking finale. To use this Charm,
In addition, he may resist if the illusions would cause she must be in the middle of a performance. She rolls
him to act against or fail to protect one of his Major or (Manipulation + Performance) with double 9s against
Defining Intimacies. the Resolve of a single target. On a successful roll,
the Dragon-Blood, her allies, and her target roll Join

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Battle. Either the Exalt or one of her allies, designated Keywords: Air, Aura
before the Join Battle roll, has the opportunity to make Duration: Instant
an unexpected attack against the target (Exalted, p. Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Declamation Style
203). If the attacker beats the target’s Join Battle, the
attack is an ambush that bypasses defense completely; An electric understanding arcs between the Dragon-Blood
if not, it’s only a surprise attack, inflicting −2 Defense. and one who shares her values. When she uses oratory to
make an inspire, instill, or persuade roll that is supported
Dance of Flashing Swords can be activated reflexively by a Principle that her target shares with her, she adds non-
together with this Charm to disguise the sneak attack as Charm bonus dice equal to (the Intimacy of whichever of
part of the performance. If so, its Willpower cost is waived. them has the Principle at the lowest rating). If she targets
multiple characters, all of them must share the same
Oratory Principle with her for her to benefit from this Charm.

Lightning Declamation Style Epoch Saga Memory

Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1 Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air, Balanced Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: Legend-Hewn Wisdom

The voice of a dragon evinces perfection. The Exalt rerolls The Dragon-Blood has eidetic recall of every story she’s
6s until they cease to appear on an oratorical Performance heard before. Finding one within the depths of her mem-
roll. If she’s upholding a Major or Defining Principle, she ories, she forces it to the surface. Her flawless recitation
rerolls 5s until they cease to appear as well. adds a non-Charm bonus success on a Performance roll
made to tell that story, or any mental or social roll with
another Ability that could benefit from her perfect recall
Legend-Hewn Wisdom
of every detail of the story. Alternatively, she may add +1
Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1 Resolve against an influence roll contrary to that story’s
Type: Simple moral, or +1 Guile against a roll by immersing herself in
Keywords: Earth recollection, as a non-Charm bonus.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Declamation Style Epoch Saga Memory can only be used once per day.

Dragon-Blooded storytellers pass down lessons of his-

Puissant Precursor’s Monologue
tory and tradition, ensuring that society’s foundation
remains strong. She rolls (Charisma + Performance) to Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 4
inspire an audience with emotion by telling a story. In Type: Simple
addition to creating the chosen emotion, this influence Keywords: Air
also instills targets with an Intimacy based on the mor- Duration: Instant
al or allegory of her story, either creating it at Minor in- Prerequisite Charms: Storm-Gathering Fervor, Thun-
tensity or strengthening an already-existing Intimacy. dering Dragon Proclamation

A Performance 5, Essence 3 repurchase allows the The Dragon-Blood speaks with the undeniable au-
Dragon-Blood to pay one Willpower to grant a tempo- thority of a revered grandmother, her every word as
rary point of Willpower to any character that allows powerful as a bolt of lightning. She makes a persuade
the influence to succeed without applying his Resolve. roll with ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Performance),
This Willpower may only be spent to resist influence doubling 7s, to convince her audience to take a course
that opposes the Intimacy instilled with this Charm. A of action that upholds one of her Defining Principles.
character may only benefit from this effect once per day. Characters who share that Intimacy with her must pay
an additional point of Willpower to resist her influence.
Storm-Gathering Fervor
This Charm can only be used once per story unless
Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2 reset by achieving a legendary social goal (Exalted, p.
Type: Supplemental 134) that upholds one of her Defining Principles.

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Music and Singing Keywords: Wood

Duration: Indefinite
Sanxian-Charming Fingers Prerequisite Charms: Sanxian-Charming Fingers
Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental Nature itself yearns for the sweet music of the Dragon-
Keywords: Wood Blood, offering itself up as the instrument of her har-
Duration: Instant mony. A tree branch will reshape itself into a sanxian
Prerequisite Charms: None should she have need of it, and reeds become flutes
of unsurpassed beauty in her hands. She may create a
The Dragon-Blood draws on practice-honed perfection musical instrument from any living plant. If she has a
and creative virtuosity, doubling 9s on a Performance Performance specialty in that instrument, it’s an excep-
roll to play a musical instrument. tional tool (Exalted, p. 580). Once this Charm’s duration
ends, the instrument reverts back to its natural form.
Voice-Uplifting Aspect
Vibrating Strings Defense
Cost: 3m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2
Keywords: Air, Balanced Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Wood
Prerequisite Charms: None Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sanxian-Charming Fingers
The Dragon-Blood sings with the voice of the winds,
adding an automatic success on a Performance roll The Dragon-Blooded makes no distinction between
to sing and rerolling a single die that showed a non-1 weapons and instruments, rebuking anyone gauche
failure for each 10 on the roll. enough to interrupt her song. To use this Charm, she
must be carrying or playing a musical instrument. She
reflexively clashes an attack against her with a decisive
Blossoming Instrument Evocation
attack, rolled with (Wits + Performance). This doesn’t
Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 4, Essence 2 count as her combat action.
Type: Simple

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If successful, the Dragon-Blood doesn’t roll damage or Allied battle groups also add this bonus on rolls to
reset Initiative, but her attacker loses (Essence + attack resist rout. In addition, her and her allies’ successful
roll threshold successes) Initiative, which she doesn’t withering attacks grant one bonus point of Initiative.
gain. The base Resolve of an enemy crashed by the If multiple characters use this Charm, these bonuses
gambit is set to 0 against the first Performance-based don’t stack.
influence roll the Dragon-Blood makes against him
before he recovers from crash. The Dragon-Blood can take other actions while con-
tinuing the performance by flurrying them with a
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless miscellaneous action to continue performing.
reset by lowering an enemy’s Initiative from a value
higher than the Exalt’s own to a value lower than hers.
Dance
Three-String Sword Prana Swaying Boughs Arabesque
Cost: 7m, 1a; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3 Cost: 4m; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Vibrating Strings Defense Prerequisite Charms: None

Drawing on her mastery of an instrument, the Dragon- Moving with sensuous rhythm and vivacious appeal,
Blood suffuses its music with anima, unleashing a the Dragon-Blood embodies beauty through dance.
deadly attack with her song. She can send spectral This Charm supplements a Performance roll to dance,
blades flying at a foe with a strum of her sanxian, play lowering the Resolve of all targets by 1. This both low-
a bone-shattering trill on a flute, create a phantasmal ers the difficulty of the roll and potentially increases
beast that moves in time with the beat of her drums, or the bonus dice added by the Exalt’s Appearance
similarly spectacular displays of martial prowess. This (Exalted, p. 371).
is a decisive attack rolled with (Wits + Performance)
against an enemy out to medium range. With the Petal-Strewn Pavane
Storyteller’s permission, the Exalt’s stunt can grant
this attack any weapon tags (Exalted, pp. 585-590) Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Performance 2, Essence 1
that fit the manifestation of the attack. She rolls her Type: Supplemental
Initiative for damage as usual, doubling 10s. Keywords: Balanced, Perilous, Wood
Duration: Instant
If the Dragon-Blood is using other Performance Prerequisite Charms: Swaying Boughs Arabesque
Charms that require her to continue playing to main-
tain their effect, using Three-String Sword Prana The Dragon-Blood makes no distinction between
counts as continuing her performance on the round dance hall and field of battle. She adds (Performance)
she uses it. bonus dice to any combat movement roll. Additionally,
she can flurry the supplemented movement with a
Performance-based action without flurry penalties.
Battle Anthem of Ten Thousand Dragons
This Charm can’t be used if the Exalt is wearing medi-
Cost: 4m, 4i; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 3 um or heavy armor.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Wood In Wood Aura, this Charm also adds a non-Charm bo-
Duration: One performance nus success on the roll, and allows the Dragon-Blood
Prerequisite Charms: Three-String Sword Prana to ignore the normal penalties for moving through
difficult terrain.
The war-song of the Terrestrial Host has been passed
down from mother to daughter for time immemorial, Falling Leaves Sway
a battle hymn as ancient as the Divine Revolution.
As long as the Dragon-Blood continues her musical Cost: 6m; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 2
performance with instruments or her voice, she and Type: Supplemental
all allies that hear it gain a single bonus die on all at- Keywords: Balanced, Wood
tack rolls, combat movement, and command actions. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Swaying Boughs Arabesque

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Every movement of the Exalt’s body is suffused with roll, the flurry penalty on both actions is reduced by one
emotional intensity. Her Appearance adds non-Charm point, and she doesn’t suffer a Defense penalty.
bonus dice to an inspire roll made through dance based
on her target’s Resolve (Exalted, p. 218). Any social in- In Fire Aura, this Charm removes the flurry penalty
fluence that she or her allies subsequently use against entirely.
that target in the same scene that’s supported by the
inspired emotion gains an automatic success. Unbearable Taunt Technique
Cost: 2m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Waltz of Honeyed Wine
Keywords: Fire
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Performance 5, Essence 4 Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Aura, Wood
Duration: Instant Even the meekest hearts are tinderboxes for the flames
Prerequisite Charms: Falling Leaves Sway of outrage the Dragon-Blood stirs. She rolls to inspire
a single character with anger. If successful, her target
The Dragon-Blood is vivacity and allure made manifest in must immediately respond to her with hostility. His
motion, dancing with irresistible sensuality. She converts the player chooses the form this takes — outrage, threats,
non-Charm dice added by her Appearance on any dance- or even Joining Battle.
based Performance roll to non-Charm successes. Characters
with a base Resolve at least two points lower than her In combat, this influence roll instead provokes an
Appearance must spend an additional point of Willpower to enemy into prioritizing attacking the Dragon-Blood
resist her influence, while those whose Resolve is five points instead of any of her allies on his next turn. Even if
lower cannot spend Willpower to resist at all. he does pay the Willpower cost to resist, he loses two
Initiative if he attacks any other character that turn.
Waltz of Honeyed Wine can only be used once per sto-
ry, unless reset by achieving a major character or story
goal (Exalted, p. 170) by playing on another character’s Burning Dragon Mien
emotions, or by seducing him. Cost: 4m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
Keywords: Fire
Presence Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Glowing Coal Radiance
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Presence 1, Essence 1
The fury of a dragon strikes fear into even the boldest
Type: Supplemental
hearts. The Dragon-Blood makes a threaten roll with dou-
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Fire
ble 9s against a single character. An enemy whose Resolve
Duration: Instant
is beaten in combat loses 1 Initiative, even if he resists.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Warm-Faced Seduction Style
The blazing power that radiates from the Dragon- Cost: 3m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 1
Blood’s every word and gesture is enough to humble Type: Simple
those who stand before her. She may add automatic Keywords: Fire
successes to a Presence roll for two motes each, and Duration: Instant
rolls an additional non-Charm die for every 10. Prerequisite Charms: None

Eternally Argumentative Flame The Dragon-Blood radiates desirability and enchant-

Cost: 3m; Mins: Presence 2, Essence 1 ing allure. She makes a persuade roll to seduce a single
Type: Reflexive target. Overcoming his Resolve also instills him with a
Keywords: Balanced, Fire Minor Tie of lust or desire toward her unless he spends
Duration: One turn Willpower to resist.
Prerequisite Charms: None
In Fire Aura, the Dragon-Blood may convert up
A Dragon-Blood’s tongue is but one of her many weapons. to (Essence) bonus dice added by her Appearance
When she flurries a Presence- or Socialize-based influence (Exalted, p. 218) to non-Charm bonus successes.

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Debate-Sparking Bonfire as a Major Intimacy even if the original wasn’t inspired

Cost: 6m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 2 using influence. A character must enter a Decision
Type: Simple Point and call on a Major or Defining Intimacy to resist
Keywords: Fire this influence with Willpower.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Unbearable Taunt Technique Fearsome Dragon Presence
Cost: 5m; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 2
A few choice words are all it takes to turn any soiree Type: Reflexive
or party into a firestorm of argument and recrimi- Keywords: Fire, Perilous
nations. The Dragon-Blood rolls to inspire one or Duration: One tick
more characters with anger, ignoring the penalty for Prerequisite Charms: Burning Dragon Mien
targeting multiple characters. Affected characters
must express their outrage towards the Dragon- The Dragon-Blood’s terrifying battle aspect cows her
Blood using social influence in a way chosen by their foes. For one tick, all attack rolls, social influence rolls,
player —engaging the Dragon-Blood in an argument, and rushes made against the Dragon-Blood take a −2
bad-mouthing her to his associates, or some similar penalty. An enemy may spend one Willpower to be-
social expression of outrage. If that character already come immune to this penalty for the rest of the scene.
intended to commit violence against her, he may do
so, but must express his rage through word and deed In Fire Aura, the penalty inflicted by this Charm rises
simultaneously. to (Essence).

Hot-Blooded Ardor Moth to the Candle

Cost: 4m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 2 Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Type: Simple
Keywords: Fire Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Warm-Faced Seduction Style Prerequisite Charms: Unbearable Taunt Technique

The Dragon-Blood is fire given flesh. She treats her Outraged foes rush headlong for the Dragon-Blood like
Appearance as one dot higher, even above 5, when de- moths plunging to their doom. The Dragon-Blood’s enemies
termining how many bonus dice it adds (Exalted, p. 218) are so enraged by the sight of her that they must prioritize
to an influence roll made with Presence or Socialize. attacking her over any other character. This doesn’t prevent
them from taking non-attack actions, but they cannot attack
With a Presence 5, Essence 3 repurchase, the her allies as long as she remains in the fight. An enemy can
Dragon-Blood may expend her Fire Aura to treat her resist this for one scene by spending a point of Willpower.
Appearance as (Essence/2, rounded up) dots higher
instead. This Charm also reduces the cost of Unbearable Taunt
Technique to one mote. If the Dragon-Blood success-
Passion-Transmuting Nuance fully taunts an enemy who hasn’t resisted Moth to the
Cost: 5m; Mins: Presence 3, Essence 2 Flame, that character must use his next turn to move
Type: Simple into range and attack her if possible.
Keywords: Water
Grinding Millstone Argument
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Burning Dragon Mien, Unbear- Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 2
able Taunt Technique, Warm-Faced Seduction Style Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Earth
Duration: Instant
Just as a rising tide transforms landscapes, the
Prerequisite Charms: Eternally Argumentative Flame
Terrestrial’s words can turn fear to hope or delight to
sorrow. She makes an inspire roll with (Manipulation
+ Presence) against a single character who’s in the grip The Dragon-Blood embodies the relentless nature of
of strong emotion, either as a result of an inspire action earth in her persistent argument, shaking the convic-
(Exalted, p. 217), or due to roleplaying reasons. Success tions of even her strongest-willed rivals. After failing
lets the Dragon-Blood change her target’s emotion to a persuade roll, she may reset her attempt (Exalted, p.
another, unrelated passion. The new emotion is treated 222), allowing her to try again. If her target uses the same

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Intimacy to bolster his Resolve that he did against the Terrifying Fire-Dragon Roar
original attempt, the bonus it provides is lowered by one. Cost: 10m, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Presence 5,
Essence 3
Grinding Millstone Argument can only be used once Type: Simple
per scene. Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Fire)
Duration: Instant
Haunting Words Infliction Prerequisite Charms: None
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Roaring with her draconic ancestors’ fury, the Dragon-
Keywords: Signature (Air) Blood exhales a deadly blast of fire. She rolls an un-
Duration: Instant blockable decisive attack with (Charisma + Presence)
Prerequisite Charms: None that extends in a line out to medium range, striking all
characters caught within it, including allies. The attack
Even if the Dragon-Blood cannot persuade another roll is also treated as a threaten roll against all enemies
with her arguments, she can give him the clarity of caught in the blast to terrify them into fleeing, even if
air to know the truth for himself when he sees it. they successfully dodge. The Dragon-Blood divides
She rolls (Charisma + Presence) with double 9s to (her Initiative + Essence) evenly among all hit char-
instill a single character with an Intimacy she pos- acters, rounded down, to determine the lethal damage
sesses. Even if she doesn’t beat her target’s Resolve rolled against them, ignoring Hardness. Battle groups
or he resists, her words linger with him for (6 − his caught in the blast suffer (Initiative + Essence) damage,
Integrity) weeks thereafter. Every gust of wind which doesn’t count against the total Initiative she has
seems to whisper her argument in endless repe- to divide, and must roll against rout (Exalted, p. 209) if
tition, while weather patterns take on symbolic or their Resolve is beaten. Any flammable scenery in the
allegorical meaning to him. area of the blast catches fire.
Each time the target learns new information that sup- This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
ports the Dragon-Blood’s argument and would allow her reset by gaining 15+ points of Initiative in a single tick.
to retry her instill action (Exalted, p. 222), he makes a
(Charisma + Presence) instill roll against himself, adding Fluid Recollection Insinuation
(the Dragon-Blood’s Essence) in non-Charm bonus dice. Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
He cannot choose to fail the roll, and the rules for lengthy Type: Simple
debates apply (Exalted, p. 219). Successfully asserting his Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Water)
Resolve against such a roll ends this Charm’s effect. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
This Charm may only be used against any given char-
acter once per story.
The Essence of the Dragon-Blood’s presence flows
Virtuous Mountain’s Shadow into her target’s mind like seeping water, finding a
place in his memories wherein she can exist. She rolls
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
(Manipulation + Presence) as a special instill roll, de-
Type: Reflexive
scribing a past encounter between the two of them that
Keywords: Signature (Earth)
never happened. If she beats the target’s Resolve, she
Duration: Instant
creates a false memory, up to five minutes long, of that
Prerequisite Charms: None
encounter. The memory is focused solely on the inter-
action between the two, whether that was a conversa-
Disharmonious words, offensive to propriety and right tion, a dance at a soiree, an introduction as children,
action, invite the Dragon-Blood’s censure. When she or a street brawl. Implausible claims (Exalted, p. 215)
witnesses a character using social influence she wishes in this false version of events do not inflict penalties;
to dispute, she may draw on one of her Major or Defining instead they subtract successes equal to the penalty
Intimacies to make her counterargument. All characters they’d normally inflict.
who hear her gain access to that Intimacy, which they
may use to bolster their Resolve against the influence If a target has never met the Dragon-Blood before,
or in a Decision Point. Characters who choose to accept he forms a Minor Tie towards her, with an emotional
this benefit gain the chosen Intimacy at Minor intensity. context chosen by his player based on the nature of
the false memory. He cannot voluntarily weaken this

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Tie. For him to resist this influence, other characters Socialize. If the target enters a Decision Point to resist the
must fully erode the Intimacy using social influence supplemented influence, the only Intimacies he can call
or magic, at which point he may pay one Willpower to upon to justify his resistance are those based on passion.
recognize the false memory for an illusion. Intimacies with no emotional power, such as a Principle
of belief in the rule of law, cannot be used, even if they
A character who already knows the Dragon-Blood can have a higher intensity. Characters who have no passion-
still have his memories altered. He still forms a new ate Intimacies to inflame are immune to this effect.
Minor Tie based on the false memory, but doesn’t need
to erode it before he may pay Willpower to recognize
Heartstring-Pulling Approach
a discrepancy between the false memory and what he
knows about the Dragon-Blood. Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
This Charm may only be used against any given char- Keywords: Fire
acter once per story. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Hot-Blooded Ardor
Spirit-Cultivating Leadership
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3 The Dragon-Blood speaks directly to her listener’s
Type: Simple emotions, stoking the flames that burn within his
Keywords: Signature (Wood) heart. She adds a non-Charm success on a Presence-
Duration: (Essence) days or Socialize-based influence roll with a single target. If
Prerequisite Charms: None the target’s Resolve is lowered by a Major or Defining
Intimacy based on passionate emotion, the cost to re-
The Dragon-Blood is a source of strength for her fol- sist the influence increases by one Willpower.
lowers and attendants, helping them realize their true
potential through her leadership. She may use this Aura of Invulnerability
Charm on a character with a Defining Tie of loyalty Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
to her. For the duration of this Charm, he gains the Type: Simple
following benefits: Keywords: Aura, Fire, Perilous
Duration: One scene
• +2 Resolve against any influence that would Prerequisite Charms: Fearsome Dragon Presence
weaken his Tie to the Dragon-Blood.
A fiery nimbus of anima engulfs the Dragon-Blood,
• Three temporary specialties of the Dragon- burning with the radiance of her own peerless
Blood’s choice, distributed among the Archery, self-confidence. After paying this Charm’s cost,
Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Dodge, Integrity, she rolls (current temporary Willpower), gaining a
Martial Arts, Melee, Presence, Resistance, Ride, temporary −0 health level for each success, and adds
Sail, Survival, Thrown, or War Abilities. (Charisma) to her natural soak. Once this Charm ends,
these temporary health levels fade, and all levels of
• One extra Willpower per day, which may only damage contained in them shift back into the Dragon-
be spent resisting social influence. This cannot Blood’s damage track. If this incapacitates her, she falls
raise him above his permanent Willpower and is unconscious, even if lethally damaged, instead of being
lost at the end of the day if not spent. left dead or dying.
The Dragon-Blood may use this Charm on up to a max-
imum of (Essence +3) characters at a time. Vivacious Dragon Beauty
Cost: 6m; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3
Blazing Heart Ascendancy Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Wood
Cost: 6m; Mins: Presence 4, Essence 3
Duration: One scene
Type: Supplemental
Prerequisite Charms: Hot-Blooded Ardor
Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Debate-Sparking Bonfire Suffusing her demeanor with the sensuality of Wood
Essence, the Dragon-Blood affects an efficaciously se-
ductive bearing. She gains a bonus dot of Appearance,
Fire is best fought with fire. This Charm supplements
which may raise her Appearance above 5.
a persuade or threaten roll made with Presence or

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Minds Like Fertile Fields Dragon Warlord’s Convocation

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3 Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple Type: Simple
Keywords: Earth, Psyche Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Grinding Millstone Argument Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Heart Ascendancy,
Heartstring-Pulling Approach
The Dragon-Blood speaks an aphorism weighted with
Earth Essence, suffusing her listener with receptive pas- The Dragon-Blood forges loyalty with fiery words, over-
sivity. She rolls ([Charisma or Manipulation] + Presence) awing and inspiring those who hear her. She makes an
against the Resolve of a single character. A successful roll instill roll against a single character with ([Charisma or
induces a pleasant trance state that lasts a few seconds. If Appearance] + Presence), doubling 9s, to create a Tie of
anyone immediately follows this up with an influence roll loyalty towards her. This creates an Intimacy at Major
targeting the entranced character, his receptive state leaves intensity, or strengthens a Minor or Major Intimacy to
him unable to call on Intimacies to bolster his Resolve, nor Defining intensity. If the target wishes to resist, he must
can his Intimacies be exploited to lower his Resolve. enter a Decision Point, calling on another Intimacy of
equal or greater intensity and paying two Willpower.
Entombed Mind Technique For the remainder of the story, the target cannot volun-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Presence 5, Essence 3 tarily weaken this Intimacy unless the Dragon-Blood
Type: Simple directly harms him or threatens one of his Major or
Keywords: Aura, Earth, Psyche Defining Intimacies. Even then, he can only weaken it
Duration: Instant by one level for each offense.
Prerequisite Charms: Minds Like Fertile Fields
Dragon Warlord’s Convocation can only be used once
With a low droning voice, the Dragon-Blood lulls her per story, unless reset by achieving a legendary social
listener into dreamless sleep. To use this Charm, she goal (Exalted, p. 134).
must first use its prerequisite to induce a receptive state
in her target. She rolls (Manipulation + Presence) against
his Resolve, causing him to fall asleep unless he pays two
Resistance
Willpower to resist. He cannot be woken from this sleep by Ox-Body Technique
others without magic for the rest of the scene and an hour
Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1
thereafter, and won’t awake of his own volition for at least
Type: Permanent
a day. While asleep, the Dragon-Blood may make a single
Keywords: None
influence roll against him with the benefits of Minds Like
Duration: Permanent
Fertile Fields, whispering the words in his ear as he sleeps.
Prerequisite Charms: None
With an Essence 4 repurchase, the Dragon-Blood may
pay an additional five motes to place a target whose The blood of the dragons confers incredible resilience.
permanent Willpower is lower than her Essence into Each purchase of this Charm grants extra health levels
perpetual slumber. He doesn’t suffer from hunger or based on the character’s Stamina rating.
thirst while he sleeps, nor does he age, but he cannot
At Stamina 1 and 2: Two −2 health levels.
be woken without magical intervention. The Exalted
are immune to this effect; other supernatural creatures
3 and 4: One −1 and one −2 level.
aren’t.
5: One −1 and two −2 levels.
A third Essence 5 repurchase lets her pay a total of ten
motes and two Willpower to petrify a target she could This Charm may be purchased (Resistance) times. If
have placed into eternal slumber, transforming him the Dragon-Blood’s Stamina increases, her health lev-
into an inanimate statue. She may spend five motes els change to reflect her new rating.
and one Willpower to reverse the petrification with
a touch. Otherwise, it can only be undone with magic Purifying Blood Ascendancy
such as Order-Affirming Blow (Exalted, p. 334). Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
This Charm may only be used against a character once per story.

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Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Excellency Exhausted, the Dragon-Blood may find sustenance in
Duration: Instant the ground beneath her feet. As long as she’s standing
Prerequisite Charms: None on the ground or touching stone, she ignores fatigue
penalties.
The blood of the Dragons suffuses the Terrestrial’s
body with legendary vigor. She may add automatic Impervious Skin of Stone
successes to a Resistance roll for two motes each, and Cost: 4m; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 1
rerolls 6s until they cease to appear. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Withering-only
Body-Cleansing Prana Duration: Instant
Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air or Fire or Water, Balanced Bracing herself against a blow, the Dragon-Blood de-
Duration: Instant flects attacks with the force of solid stone. She doubles
Prerequisite Charms: None her Stamina to determine her natural soak against a
single withering attack.
The Dragon-Blood overcomes poison through mastery
of her body’s own internal cycle of elements, channel- In Earth Aura, this Charm can be used after an attack
ing Essence inward to cleanse herself of poison or dis- hits the Dragon-Blood, but before damage is rolled.
ease. She may use this as an Air Charm against inhaled
poisons, as a Fire Charm to burn disease from her Eternal Tide Endurance
body, or as a Water Charm against poisons transmitted Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 1
through food, drink or weapons. Regardless of aspect, Type: Reflexive
she doubles 9s on the roll to resist. Keywords: Water, Withering-only
Duration: Instant
With a Resistance 5, Essence 3 repurchase, if the Dragon- Prerequisite Charms: Impervious Skin of Stone
Blood rolls enough successes to completely negate the
duration of a poison, she may pay one Willpower to The Dragon-Blood adapts to her foe’s attacks, turning
expel it at an enemy within short range as an unblock- his force to her advantage. Every 1 on a withering at-
able attack, either exhaling a great gout of venomous tack roll against her increases her soak by +1.
gas or smoke, or driving poisons from her pores in a
liquid burst. She rolls (Stamina + Resistance) against his In Water Aura, this Charm can be used against decisive
Evasion, exposing him to the poison if successful. attacks, granting two points of Hardness, plus an ad-
ditional point for every 1 on the attack roll, maximum
Uneating Earth Meditation (Stamina) Hardness. This doesn’t stack with other
Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 1, Essence 1 sources of Hardness.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Earth Supple Viridian Scales
Duration: One week Cost: 4m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 1
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Wood
Like the earth itself, the Terrestrial has no need for Duration: One tick
external nourishment. She ignores any deprivation pen- Prerequisite Charms: Impervious Skin of Stone
alties from starvation or dehydration (Exalted, p. 232).
Additionally, she adds (Resistance) to the amount of time The Dragon-Blood wears her armor like a second skin,
she can go before succumbing to starvation or dehydra- pliant and yielding as living wood, as she moves with
tion, as long as she uses this Charm for that entire time. the sinuous grace of a dancing dragon. She lowers her
armor’s mobility penalty by 1 for a single tick. If it’s
Untiring Earth Meditation light armor, she instead adds a non-Charm die on rolls
Cost: 2m; Mins: Resistance 2, Essence 1 to rush or disengage.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Earth In Wood Aura, this Charm’s duration lasts for as long
Duration: One day as the Dragon-Blood remains in Aura.
Prerequisite Charms: Uneating Earth Meditation

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(Element) Protection Technique The Terrestrial sustains herself without need for
Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2 sleep, renewing her wearied body by drawing on
Type: Reflexive Earth Essence. Once per day, she may spend an hour
Keywords: Dual in meditation to gain all the benefits of a good night’s
Duration: One scene sleep, including a point of Willpower. She may use this
Prerequisite Charms: Impervious Skin of Stone Charm to remain awake for up to (Essence + Stamina)
days without hindrance, but past that point, she ceases
The Dragon-Blood harmonizes her body with one of to regain Willpower from it until she’s received a full
the five elements, rendering her body almost impervi- eight hours of sleep normally each day over as many
ous to any harm from that element. She chooses one days as she used this Charm to stay awake.
of the five elements upon activating this Charm, gain-
ing +3 natural soak and (Stamina) Hardness against Unbreathing Earth Meditation
attacks made using that element, such as a firewand’s Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 2
blast, a wooden spear, a hurled stone, or the talons of Type: Reflexive
an air elemental. She subtracts (lower of Stamina or Keywords: Balanced, Earth
Resistance) from the damage of appropriate environ- Duration: One scene
mental hazards. Prerequisite Charms: Unsleeping Earth Meditation

This Charm can only negate harm that directly relates A single breath of air is enough to sustain the Dragon-
to the chosen element. An Earth-aspected use won’t Blood as she slows the rhythm of her lungs and the
defend against metal weapons, nor would a Fire- beating of her heart. She may hold her breath for up
aspected use defend against a Blazing Solar Bolt. to ([Stamina + Resistance] x5) minutes, or ([Stamina +
Resistance] x2) rounds in combat.
Elemental Aegis
Cost: 4m (+1a); Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2 Unfeeling Earth Meditation
Type: Simple Cost: 3m; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 2
Keywords: None Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant Keywords: Earth
Prerequisite Charms: Supple Viridian Scales Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Unbreathing Earth Meditation
The Dragon-Blood can banish artifact armor into one
of the five elements, dissolving her hauberk into water The Dragon-Blood suffuses her body with Earth
or letting the whirling wind divest her of armor piece Essence, inuring herself to the pain and frailty of her
by piece. She may send attuned jade armor Elsewhere flesh. She may ignore wound penalties on a single ac-
through a significant and dramatic manifestation of the tion with any Ability.
chosen element: it might vanish as she walks through fire,
dissolve as she meditates beneath a waterfall, or be drawn With an Essence 4 repurchase, using this Charm
beneath a tree’s bark or into the rocky surface of a boul- in Earth Aura extends its duration for as long as the
der or stone pillar. She may use this Charm to retrieve the Dragon-Blood remains in Aura.
armor from a similar elemental manifestation, donning it
as though donning it normally (Exalted, p. 591). Body-Like-Clouds Meditation
Cost: 8m; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3
If the Exalt doesn’t have access to an appropriate elemen- Type: Simple
tal manifestation, she may expend a level of anima to ban- Keywords: Aura, Signature (Air), Withering-only
ish or recall her armor. Once banished this way, it may be Duration: Aura
recalled through a manifestation of her Aspect element. Prerequisite Charms: None

Unsleeping Earth Meditation The Dragon-Blood channels Air Essence throughout

Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 3, Essence 2 her body with circular breathing, lightening and
Type: Simple dispersing her form to become all but untouchable.
Keywords: Earth Withering damage rolls against her take a penalty of
Duration: One scene (Essence), which can reduce them below their mini-
Prerequisite Charms: Uneating Earth Meditation mum damage, minimum one die. If a withering attack
hits her but deals no damage, she steals 2 Initiative

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from her attacker as he overextends, striking where Raging Fire-Dragon Spirit

she’s not. Cost: 6m, 1wp, 1ahl; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Perfected Scales of the Dragon Keywords: Aura, Signature (Fire)
Cost: 7m, 1wp, expend Earth Aura; Mins: Resistance 5, Duration: Aura
Essence 3 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Earth) The Dragon-Blood unleashes the deepest flames of her
Duration: Until next turn vitality, awakening the deadly force of her inner fire. Her
Prerequisite Charms: None body becomes faster and stronger at the cost of risking
exhaustion or death. She gains a bonus dot of Strength,
The Dragon-Blood settles into a deep-rooted stance, ignores a single point of wound penalty, and adds (lower
will and Essence hardening her body into an impervi- of Essence or Stamina) bonus dice on all rolls she makes
ous form with an almost crystalline sheen. She gains to attack, rush, or attempt a feat of strength. However,
Hardness equal to ([Essence + Stamina] x2) against all her Stamina doesn’t add to her soak and she loses one
decisive attacks until her next turn. This doesn’t stack point of Initiative at the end of each round.
with Hardness from armor, but is compatible with
Hardness granted by Resistance Charms. Whenever Fathomless Depths Replenishment
a decisive attack is negated by her Hardness, her at- Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3
tacker doesn’t reset to base Initiative; instead, he loses Type: Simple
Initiative as though he’d missed, which she gains. Keywords: Signature (Water)
Duration: One day
Such is the focus required by this Charm that the Prerequisite Charms: None
Dragon-Blood cannot attack or move on her next turn
after using it, although she may still take other miscel- The Dragon-Blood meditates on the deepest depths of
laneous actions. herself, discovering that she is eternal. After spending

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an hour in meditation, she rolls (Essence + Stamina), The Storyteller may deem that this creates difficult
unmodified by other effects. Each success grants her terrain or destroys mundane objects.
a temporary −1 health level. Undamaged health levels
fade away at the end of this Charm’s duration, but the If there’s a large, dramatically significant source of stone
Dragon-Blood keeps any levels that are filled with or other earth-based substance, such as a boulder or
damage, and they count against her total successes on stone pillar, within short range of the Exalt, she instead
a subsequent roll to use this Charm. These health levels subtracts (Stamina) as it bears the force of the attack for
are healed before any others of the same level when the her. The force of her enemy’s blow might smash a crater
Exalt recovers from rest or receives magical healing. If in the shape of her silhouette into a fortress’s walls or
the Dragon-Blood carries a wounded health level for blast a stone monument from its pedestal.
more than (Stamina) days, it falls from a −1 to a −2 health
level. After another (Stamina x2) days, they become −4 With Resistance 5, the Dragon-Blood may purchase
levels. Damaged levels vanish once they’re healed. the following elemental variants of this Charm for
three experience points each.
Well-Tended Garden of the Soul
Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Wood Aura; Mins: Resistance 5, Water: In Water Aura, this Charm can shift (Stamina/2,
Essence 3 rounded up) dice of decisive damage into any nearby wa-
Type: Simple ter. It reduces damage by (Stamina) if she shifts it into a
Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Signature (Wood) body of water or a large vessel, such as a cistern or a well.
Duration: Until next turn
Wood: In Wood Aura, this Charm can shift (Stamina/2,
Prerequisite Charms: None
rounded up) dice of decisive damage into wooden ob-
jects or living plants. It reduces damage by (Stamina) if
The Dragon-Blood beckons to the Wood Essence that she shifts it into a wooden structure or tree-sized plant.
moves through the wilderness, calling forth healing re-
newal from the forest’s boughs. In a barren wilderness, Immovable Mountain Technique
it’s sufficient that she touches a single shoot of green Cost: 5m; Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3
life to use this Charm. She weaves her hands through a Type: Reflexive
series of mudras that ends in a flash of anima that leaves Keywords: Earth, Perilous
every plant out to medium range radiant and flourish- Duration: One scene
ing, traced with hints of green anima. Any blighted or Prerequisite Charms: Earth Bears Witness
diseased plants are healed, while mundane plants that
have died of winter frost or drought might be revived.
Filling her body with the incredible weight of mountains
On her next turn, the blessing of life circles back unto and continents, the Dragon-Blood refuses to be moved.
her, unless this Charm is interrupted before then by her She cannot be knocked back by smash attacks, thrown in
being crashed, taking decisive damage, or being forced a grapple, or shifted by comparable mundane forces. Even
into a range band devoid of plant life. She rolls (Essence magic is impeded by this Charm, although not entirely
+ Stamina), unmodified by other effects, and heals a negated, with the Storyteller adjudicating the specific
single level of non-aggravated damage for each success. nature of the defense based on the nature of the Charm
being used: A Solar using Heaven Thunder Hammer
This Charm can only be used once per day. might be forced to halve her damage successes when de-
termining how far she can knock the Dragon-Blood. This
Earth Bears Witness Charm ends if she moves from the spot where she used it,
Cost: 5m, 3i; Mins: Resistance 4, Essence 3 or if she’s crashed or incapacitated.
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Earth, Perilous Ripples-on-Water Defense
Duration: Instant Cost: 4m; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: (Element) Protection Technique Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Dual, Water
The Dragon-Blood braces her body solidly against Duration: Instant
the ground, feeling the Earth’s Essence upholding Prerequisite Charms: Earth Bears Witness
her own. As she’s struck, the force of the blow passes
through her and into surrounding earth or stone. She The Exalt’s body becomes almost fluid as it disperses
subtracts (Stamina/2, rounded up) dice from the dam- the force of attacks. Against a withering attack, (lower
age of a decisive attack, shunting it into the ground. of Essence or Stamina) 1s on the damage roll subtract

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successes. Against a decisive attack, (lower of Essence or The hoofbeats of the Dragon-Blood’s mount strike the
Stamina) 1s force her attacker to reroll that many damage ground as swiftly and lightly as pearls falling from a
dice that show success, beginning with 7s and moving up. broken necklace, speeding her onwards to her goal.
She may add automatic successes to a Ride roll for
Dragon’s Unfailing Vigor two motes each, and she ignores one point of mobility
Cost: —; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 3 penalty from her mount’s barding.
Type: Permanent
Keywords: None Heaven-Racing Leap
Duration: Permanent Cost: 4m; Mins: Ride 2, Essence 1
Prerequisite Charms: Ox-Body Technique (x5) Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced
The Dragon-Blood has forged her body to a fivefold Duration: Instant
extreme of durability, reaching the apex of her super- Prerequisite Charms: None
natural vitality. She gains one −0 health level and one
−4 health level. The Dragon-Blood urges her steed skywards in a leap that
defies gravity. She may have her mount automatically jump
Flowing Dragon-Body Endurance one range band forward horizontally with her reflexive
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 4 movement for the turn. Alternatively, when she has her
Type: Simple mount jump as part of a movement roll, including rushing
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Water and disengaging, every 10 rerolls a non-1 failed die.
Duration: Aura
Prerequisite Charms: Ripples-on-Water Defense In Air Aura, her steed may leap one range band verti-
cally, as long as the steed can land on a surface capable
The Dragon-Blood becomes as a standing wave, un- of bearing its weight.
touched by the attacks of lesser enemies. She gains
Hardness equal to her current Initiative against all de- Tread Rooted in Life
cisive attacks. This Charm isn’t compatible with armor. Cost: 4m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Revolving-Hurricane-Force Defense Keywords: Balanced, Wood
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Resistance 5, Essence 5 Duration: One scene
Type: Reflexive Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Air, Aura, Withering-only
Duration: Aura At one with the wilderness that surrounds them, horse
Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Dragon-Body Endurance and rider move with matchless grace. They may gallop
through undergrowth, weave between trees in a dense
The Dragon-Blood’s incredible resilience is like a raging forest, or trample over brambles. The Dragon-Blood
gale barely contained within her body, striking aside her en- ignores plant-based environmental penalties to her
emies’ blows before they even touch her. She rolls (Stamina mounted movement actions.
+ Resistance) with (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice, and
gains a soak bonus equal to the successes against any attack Any environmental penalties on her Ride rolls due to
by a character with lower Initiative. The soak bonus falls by plants or vegetation-covered terrain are lowered by
one point each time an attack hits the Dragon-Blood. two points.

This Charm can only be used once per scene. With Essence 2, the Dragon-Blood may learn elemen-
tal variants of this Charm for three experience points
each. These variants are Stackable with each other.
Ride
Air: This variant negates penalties from wind and foul
Scattered Pearl Hoof Falls weather.
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Ride 1, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental Earth: This variant negates penalties for moving over
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Wood uneven earth or rocky terrain.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Water: This variant negates penalties for moving while par-
tially immersed in water, or over a wet or slippery surface.

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Great Heart Companion Reins-Like-Roots Unity

Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 2, Essence 1 Cost: 3m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Balanced, Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion

Even the best-trained warhorse trembles at the perils The bond between the Dragon-Blood and her mount
that the Dragon-Blood faces, but the bond between isn’t easily broken. This Charm can be used to defend
mount and rider is strong enough to withstand any against an unhorse gambit. 1s on the attack roll subtract
test. She may grant her mount +2 Resolve against a successes, and the difficulty of the gambit increases by
threaten roll or other fear-based influence, or herself 1.
+1 Defense against an unhorse gambit.
In Wood Aura, this Charm’s duration lasts as long as
In Wood Aura, this Charm lasts as long as the Dragon- the Exalt remains in Aura.
Blood remains in Aura, providing both benefits.
Creation-Turning Hoof
Cloud-Harnessing Technique Cost: 5m; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 2
Cost: 5m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 2 Type: Supplemental
Type: Reflexive Keywords: Earth
Keywords: Air Duration: Instant
Duration: Until next turn Prerequisite Charms: Tread Rooted in Life
Prerequisite Charms: Heaven-Gracing Leap
Enemies ridden down by the Dragon-Blood know that
The hooves of the Dragon-Blood’s horse barely seem escape is hopeless when they hear her steed’s pound-
to touch the earth as it gallops, seeming to fly over the ing hoofbeats build to a rumbling avalanche behind
ground. Until her next turn, her mount can run across them. The Dragon-Blood imposes a penalty equal to
and stand on surfaces that wouldn’t normally bear its her mount’s Speed bonus on an enemy’s roll to oppose
weight, and ignores difficult terrain. her mounted rush.

Dance of the Jade Bridle Ebony Spur Technique

Cost: 4m; Mins: Ride 3, Essence 2 Cost: 2m, 3i; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 2
Type: Simple Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion Prerequisite Charms: Creation-Turning Hoof

Even the mightiest beasts learn to bow before the drag- Dragon-Blooded cavalry learn to ride and fight togeth-
on. The Dragon-Blood rolls ([Attribute] + Ride) against er in martial harmony, creating openings in even the
an animal’s Resolve, impressing or subduing it with a strongest defenses. This Charm can be used when a
stunt over the course of a few minutes of interaction. mounted ally successfully lands an attack against an
She might win a tiger’s respect by staring it down using enemy within short range of the Dragon-Blood. She
Charisma, wrestle a river dragon using Strength to se- may reflexively move up to one range band towards
cure a place on its back, or leap out of a tree to land on that enemy and make a decisive attack using any
a strix using Dexterity. On a success, the animal allows combat Ability, adding her mount’s Speed bonus to the
the Dragon-Blood to saddle and mount it, forming a attack roll. This counts as her combat action for the
Minor Tie of loyalty to her. round, and she cannot use this Charm if she’s already
attacked earlier in the round, but it doesn’t count
A single use of this Charm is insufficient to completely against her movement action.
tame a wild animal, but it begins the process. Kindly
treatment, roleplaying interactions, and magic such as Ebony Spur Technique can only be used once per scene,
Beast-Taming Aspect (p. 271) over the course of one or unless reset by crashing an enemy with a mounted
more sessions can tame even the most feral beast, at withering attack.
the Storyteller’s discretion.

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Ass-to-Elephant Method she’ll automatically ride one vertical or horizontal range

Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 2 band towards her target on the rushed character’s next
Type: Supplemental two turns, in addition to her normal movement. If the
Keywords: Earth Dragon-Blood ceases movement, ends this Charm
Duration: Instant early, or is unhorsed, both she and her steed drift to the
Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion ground without taking falling damage.

A humble draft horse can haul massive boulders Mountain-Trampling Hoof

behind it when ridden by a Prince of the Earth. This Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3
Charm supplements a feat of strength by a mount Type: Simple
being ridden by the Dragon-Blood, adding its Speed Keywords: Signature (Earth)
bonus to its Strength. This both increases its dice pool Duration: Instant
and its effective Strength rating for determining what Prerequisite Charms: Ass-to-Elephant Method
feats it may attempt (Exalted, p. 231).
The Dragon-Blood endows her mount with the en-
Untethered Pegasus Spirit durance of the mountains and the strength of a falling
Cost: 5m; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3 avalanche as it charges forward like a battering ram to
Type: Simple smash down gates and fortifications. The Exalt’s mount
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Air) makes a feat of demolition to destroy or topple an object
Duration: One scene at least human-sized, adding (Essence/2, rounded up)
Prerequisite Charms: Cloud-Harnessing Method non-Charm bonus successes. If she uses this Charm
after spending multiple consecutive turns moving to-
With a deft hand on the reins, the Dragon-Blood urges wards the object, each range band of movement lowers
her steed skywards. She can ride horizontally over thin the Strength total required to attempt the feat by one, to
air for as long as her mount continues to move, allow- a maximum of (Essence). The mount is able to complete
ing her to horizontally cross over canyons and similar the feat in instants, even if it would normally take longer.
gulfs. In addition, she may pay an additional point of
Willpower when she uses Heaven-Gracing Leap to rush The immense force unleashed by the mount’s batter-
an aerial enemy at out to medium range. If successful, ing charge isn’t without risk. For every 1 on its feat

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of strength roll, roll a single die of bashing damage few minutes into a great bonfire of Essence in which
against it, ignoring Hardness. This Charm cannot be it’s transformed. A mount transformed by this Charm
used if the Dragon-Blood’s mount has no undamaged gains the following benefits:
health levels above Incapacitated.
• It gains one of the following: +1 die to all
Charge of One Hundred Generals Strength-based dice pools and raw withering
Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3 damage; +1 die to all Dexterity-based dice pools;
Type: Simple or +1 die to all Stamina-based dice pools and +1
Keywords: Signature (Fire) soak.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ebony Spur Technique • Its natural Hardness increases by one point.
Note that this renders it immune to anima flux
The Dragon-Blood and her allies charge across the (p. 154).
battlefield like a rapidly spreading flame. She makes a
• It gains two additional −4 health levels.
mounted rush roll against a significant enemy or bat-
tle group out to four range bands away, but no closer The Dragon-Blood can only use this Charm on a single
than medium range. If not already rolled into battle, mount at a time, but is refunded its experience point cost if
all characters Join Battle immediately. On a success, that creature dies. Rare horses descended from bloodlines
the Dragon-Blood and all other mounted characters intermingled with elementals of the appropriate aspect
within close range of her (short range for mounted are prized by the Dragon-Blooded, and using this Charm
battle groups) move one range band towards the target on them requires no experience cost. The Blessed Isle’s
on each of their next four turns in addition to their horse-breeders compete ruthlessly over such stock, which
normal movement, or until they reach close range. All are sufficiently rare that Resources expenditures alone
characters in the charge gain 1 Initiative for each range aren’t enough to secure them. A Dynast might need to
band they move while charging the rushed character. procure an opulent gift simply to open negotiations with
a seller, or perform a significant favor for a family elder in
Ride Beneath the Waves
exchange for making use of his connections.
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Water) Indomitable Warhorse Endurance
Duration: One day Cost: 3m, 1i per die removed; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 3
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Balanced, Perilous, Wood
The Dragon-Blood can lead her mount even to the Duration: Instant
ocean’s depths, dancing through rivers and seas as Prerequisite Charms: Reins-Like-Roots Unity
though born to them. Her mount can breathe water
and is capable of swimming or running over riverbeds The Dragon-Blood may activate this Charm when her
and sea floors at no penalty. Ride rolls to control it un- mount would take decisive damage, after any attack
derwater double 9s. Note that this Charm doesn’t ex- roll but before damage is rolled. She may spend up to
tend to the Dragon-Blood, who must use other magic (Essence) Initiative to subtract that many dice from
such as the Water Aspect anima or Unbreathing Earth the damage roll. Outside of combat, such as riding
Meditation (p. 248) to survive underwater. through an environmental hazard, she always sub-
tracts (Essence) dice.
Dragon-Among-Horses Exaltation
Cost: 5m, 1wp, 1ahl, 2xp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3 Seizing-the-Reins Approach
Type: Simple Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 3
Keywords: Signature (Wood) Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Fire
Prerequisite Charms: Great Heart Companion Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dance of the Jade Bridle
The Terrestrial anoints her beloved steed with her own
blood, marking it with the blood of the Dragons. As the The Dragon-Blood rides away with her enemies’ steeds,
droplets fall on its hide, the beast begins to flare with showing even the most ferocious mounts that they
the Exalt’s own anima banner, building over the next cannot equal her burning, reckless spirit. She attempts

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to leap onto the mount of an unhorsed foe (or another The inexorable Essence of fire blazes in the Dragon-
trained animal without a rider) within close range. This Blood’s steed as it gallops at full speed towards its goal,
is a difficulty 3 gambit rolled with (Dexterity + Ride). leaving a trail of burning hoofprints behind it. After a
Successfully executing this gambit lets the Dragon- successful mounted rush, if the rushed foe provokes the
Blood climb onto the animal and reflexively order it to Dragon-Blood’s reflexive movement, she ignites a fiery
make a withering attack (Exalted, p. 203). environmental hazard along her path, with difficulty
4 and Damage (Essence)L/round. It continues to burn
In Fire Aura, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm until her next turn, although the Storyteller may deem
reflexively when she successfully unhorses an enemy that terrain such as dry grass continues to burn for a full
(Exalted, p. 200) within close range using any combat scene.
Ability.
Vanishing Cloud-Rider Ways
Unbreakable Stallion Spirit Cost: 4m; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 3
Cost: 5m; Mins: Ride 4, Essence 3 Type: Supplemental
Type: Reflexive Keywords: Air, Balanced
Keywords: Wood Duration: Instant
Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Cloud-Harnessing Technique
Prerequisite Charms: Creation-Turning Hoof
Moving with the grace and speed of a zephyr, the Dragon-
Essence ripples through the thews of the Dragon- Blood’s steed effortlessly evades harm. This Charm supple-
Blood’s mount, bolstering its speed and surety. This ments a mounted disengage roll, rerolling 6s until they fail
Charm adds +1 to the Speed bonus of the Exalt’s mount, to appear and negating all penalties from flurrying the roll.
and doubles 9s on any Ride rolls she makes to maintain
her steed’s balance, avoid being thrown from the sad- In Air Aura, this Charm also refunds the Initiative cost
dle, or otherwise avoid mount-related obstacles. of a successful disengage.

Seven-League Gallop Blazing Charger Attack

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3 Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Wood Keywords: Aura, Fire, Uniform
Duration: One hour Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Unbreakable Stallion Spirit Prerequisite Charms: Trail-Blazing Dragon Steed

Imbued with legendary vitality, the Exalt’s mount The Dragon-Blood builds her killing pace as she charges
achieves the apex of speed. She converts one die of across the battlefield, urging her mount onwards faster
her mount’s Speed bonus into a non-Charm success and faster. She doubles 9s on a mounted rush. On a suc-
on rolled movement. Outside of combat, her mount’s cess, if her enemy provokes her reflexive movement,
movement speed is dramatically accelerated, letting she may move up to two range bands towards him
her move (Essence) times the normal distance she’d be instead of one. If she reaches close range, she may also
able to cover in an hour. If she maintains the use of this make a reflexive decisive attack using Brawl, Martial
Charm throughout a longer journey, the time it takes to Arts, or Melee. If she attacks with a fixed lance, she
complete is halved. may make an impaling attack (Exalted, p. 203) without
needing to meet the normal requirements.
Once the Dragon-Blood has spent two Willpower in
a day on this Charm’s cost, she waives the Willpower
Elusive Skirmisher Tactic
cost of all subsequent activations.
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 4
Type: Reflexive
Trail-Blazing Dragon Steed Keywords: Uniform, Wood
Cost: 5m, 1a; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 3 Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Cloud-Rider Ways
Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant Horse and rider move as one to take aim, lining up the
Prerequisite Charms: Seven-League Gallop perfect shot. Upon disengaging from an enemy, the

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Dragon-Blood may use this Charm to reflexively aim takes decisive damage on the initial roll is hurled one
at him. A ranged attack that receives the dice from range band away from the Dragon-Blood and falls
aiming also adds one bonus die of raw damage. prone. The numbing cold imposes a penalty equal to
the avalanche’s Size on all movement rolls a damaged
Horses-Like-Dragons Stampede character makes until he receives medical treatment as
Cost: 5m, 2wp; Mins: Ride 5, Essence 5 a difficulty 3 (Intelligence + Medicine) roll.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood Earth: Charging across mountainsides or stony terrain,
Duration: Until battle is joined the Dragon-Blood unleashes a rockslide that follows in
Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Charger Attack, Seize- her wake. Any enemy that takes decisive damage on
the-Reins Approach the initial roll is hurled one range band away from the
Dragon-Blood and falls prone, covered in rubble. A
Stampeding beasts follow the Dragon-Blood in an buried character or one of his allies must succeed on
overwhelming charge, routing enemy formations and a Strength 3 feat of strength at difficulty 3 to clear the
smashing through their fortifications. This Charm is rubble before he can attempt to rise from prone.
a dramatic action to prepare for an upcoming battle
by rounding up a herd of horses or other wild, ridable Fire: Riding over dry grass or other parched foliage,
animals — even blundering yeddim. This is a series the Dragon-Blood ignites a roaring grass fire that fol-
of (Charisma + Ride) rolls, which are treated as rally lows in her wake. A bonfire (4L/round, difficulty 5) ig-
for numbers actions (Exalted, p. 209), building up nites at the feet of each enemy that that takes decisive
the Magnitude of animals that the Dragon-Blood has damage from the initial roll. At the Storyteller’s discre-
gathered. Each roll takes five minutes of animal calls, tion, flammable scenery may also catch fire as long as
handling, or impressive stunts to complete. Once the no character is present in the same space. These fires
Dragon-Blood has built up enough Magnitude to form burn until the end of the scene unless put out.
a Size 1 battle group, she may continue making rally
Water: The Dragon-Blood may ride with a river,
rolls to increase the group’s Size, up to a maximum
coastline, or similar body of water at her back, running
of Size 3. Concealing the approach of this stampeding
along the riverbed until the river runs with her. As she
herd is impossible without large-scale magic.
Joins Battle, it changes its course to spill over onto
The herd isn’t treated as a battle group in combat. the battlefield, positioned by the Storyteller to benefit
Instead, when the Dragon-Blood rolls Join Battle, it the Dragon-Blooded. Its largest dimension is at least
stampedes across the battlefield, imposing a penalty (Size/2, rounded up) range bands long, from a starting
equal to (its Size) on all enemy Join Battle rolls, before point determined by the Storyteller. Once the scene
dispersing. Every enemy whose Join Battle roll is beat- ends, the river slowly reverts to its original course.
en by the Dragon-Blood’s takes decisive damage as the
stampede tramples over them. She divides (Initiative +
stampede’s Size) dice of bashing damage evenly among
Sail
the victims (round up), ignoring Hardness. Trivial oppo- Fine Passage-Negotiating Style
nents and battle groups instead take the full (Initiative + Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Sail 1, Essence 1
Size) damage roll, which doesn’t detract from the total Type: Supplemental
divided among other enemies. This attack resets the Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Water
Dragon-Blood to base Initiative once it’s completed. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood may learn elemental variants of this
Charm for three experience points each. While she’s
The Dragon-Blood threads her ship like a needle
in appropriate terrain, she may rouse that element’s
through dangerous patches of sargasso seas, rock-
natural perils instead of wild animals. She still rolls
strewn shallows, or warship-patrolled waters. She may
to build up its effective Size for determining the Join
add automatic success to a Sail roll for two motes each,
Battle penalty and total damage inflicted, but this rep-
and rerolls 6s until they cease to appear.
resents the force of nature that follows her, growing
stronger as she rides. Storm-Outrunning Technique
Cost: 2m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1
Air: Riding through snow-covered land, the Dragon-
Type: Supplemental
Blood trails an avalanche behind her. Any enemy that
Keywords: Pilot, Water

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Duration: Instant towards her, and she adds one bonus success on inspire
Prerequisite Charms: None rolls and command actions targeting them. Trivial
characters who are seafarers gain this Intimacy even if
The Dragon-Blood is the ocean’s own kin, plying its they aren’t part of the Exalt’s crew.
waters not as obstacles to be overcome but as welcome
friends to be greeted. When she makes a Sail roll that Menacing: The Dragon-Blood’s bearing suggests ruth-
her ship’s Speed applies to, she rerolls ([lower of Wits lessness and a history of violence. She adds one auto-
or Speed], minimum one) non-1 failed dice. matic success on threaten rolls and gains the Hideous
Merit (Exalted, p. 162).
Ocean-Darting Maneuver
Deck-Striding Prana
Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1
Keywords: Balanced, Pilot, Water Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant Keywords: Perilous, Water
Prerequisite Charms: Storm-Outrunning Technique Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Mariner Attitude
Steering her ship with the fluid grace of Water Essence, the
Dragon-Blood can accomplish nigh-impossible maneu- No landlubber she, the Dragon-Blood crosses over
vers. She doubles 9s on a roll to navigate through a naval storm-tossed decks or windswept rigging with fluid
hazard or enact a positioning stratagem in naval combat grace. She adds (Sail) bonus dice on a movement roll or
(Exalted, pp. 244-245). On a successful positioning strata- a roll to maintain her balance, or may use her reflexive
gem, she receives (Essence) additional Momentum. move action to ascend or descend one vertical range
band up a ship’s rigging, a ladder that spans decks, or
similar nautical scenery without needing to roll.
Dragon Mariner Attitude
Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 2, Essence 1 In Water Aura, this Charm’s Initiative cost is waived
Type: Reflexive and it loses the Perilous keyword.
Keywords: Water
Duration: One scene Hurricane-Predicting Glance
Prerequisite Charms: None Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple
The Dragon-Blood’s reputation precedes her ship to Keywords: Air
shore. She can manipulate the flow of her reputation Duration: Instant
as though it were a stream of water, choosing one of Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Mariner Attitude
the following effects.
The Dragon-Blooded mariner can smell trouble on the
Carousing: Adopting the poise of a sailor in port, the salty breeze or see a coming storm in red clouds, allowing
Dragon-Blood radiates a desire to take part in drink- her to steer safely through monsoons, thunderstorms, and
ing, gambling, and similar vices common to sailors, as roiling waves. She rolls ([Perception or Intelligence] + Sail)
well as any local indulgences. Characters seeking to against a difficulty based on her familiarity with the seas
supply such vices will seek her out to provide them or she’s sailing — home waters might be difficulty 1; a trade
information about where to get them. route leading to an island she’s never been to before might
be difficulty 3; and completely unmapped seas might be
Heroism: The Dragon-Blood’s naval prowess marks difficulty 5+. A successful roll lets her flawlessly predict
her as a hero of the seas. Characters facing problems any weather she’ll encounter at sea along the course of
that a seafaring hero could solve, such as pirate raids, a her ship’s travel for a single day, letting her foresee even
loved one lost on a missing ship, or an urgent shipment the most freakish natural weather phenomena. She cannot
of exotic goods that needs to be delivered, will seek her predict the effects of weather-controlling magic.
out as the solution to their problem, treating this as a
Minor Tie of trust to her. If the Exalt foresees dangerous weather, she gains a
temporary Sail specialty in avoiding or navigating it,
Leadership: The Dragon-Blood radiates the confi- which lasts until the weather has passed. She may only
dence of a commanding admiral. All sailors under her have one specialty granted by this Charm at a time.
command are treated as having a Minor Tie of respect

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Old Salt Spirit Storm-Singer’s Reprieve

Cost: 5m; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 2 Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive Type: Simple
Keywords: Balanced, Mute, Water Keywords: Signature (Air)
Duration: One scene Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Mariner Attitude Prerequisite Charms: Seven Seas Wind-Luring Chanty

Weathered by her time at sea, the Dragon-Blood is Singing ancient rimes and sea shanties passed down
undaunted by unknown terrors and deaf to the calls of across generations of sailors since the dawn of history,
sirens. She gains +1 Resolve against fear-based influ- the Dragon-Blood appeals to the gods of the sea for
ence, as well as any influence that would cause her to mercy, dispersing thunderstorms or opening a path
sail her ship into peril or prevent her from taking to the through hurricane winds. Faced with a weather-based
seas aboard her ship. If she incorporates the memory maritime hazard or other troubled waters (Exalted,
of a past seafaring adventure into a stunt, this bonus pp. 244-245), she may use this Charm to roll (Charisma
increases to (Sail/2, rounded up) for that action. + Sail) with double 9s against the hazard’s difficulty.
Success disperses the hazard entirely, without needing
Seven Seas Wind-Luring Chanty an extended Sail action. On a failed roll, she can still
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 2 attempt to navigate the hazard normally.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Air This Charm can only be used once per story, unless reset
Duration: One day by successfully dispersing or otherwise navigating through
Prerequisite Charms: Hurricane-Predicting Glance a hazard to continue sailing on to a location for the direct
purpose of achieving a major character or story goal
The Dragon-Blood leads her crew in a bawdy chorus, (Exalted, p. 170) or a legendary social goal (Exalted, p. 134).
appeasing the spirits of air. When she suffers penalties
for sailing against the wind or from other foul weather, Hull-Shattering Avalanche Impact
she may roll (Charisma + Sail). Every two successes she Cost: 6m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
rolls, rounded down, lowers any penalties she faces by Type: Simple
one point. If she uses this Charm in favorable weath- Keywords: Pilot, Signature (Earth)
er, success calls up a wind that keeps her sails filled, Duration: Instant
increasing any Speed bonus from the ship’s sails by +1. Prerequisite Charms: None

Sturdy Bulkhead Concentration The Dragon-Blood’s anima banner enfolds her ship
Cost: 4m, 1a; Mins: Sail 3, Essence 2 as it builds speed, growing into an insurmountable
Type: Reflexive onslaught of force to smash through enemy ships or
Keywords: Wood fortifications. She undertakes a ram stratagem in naval
Duration: Instant combat (Exalted, p. 245) with double 8s. A successful
Prerequisite Charms: Ocean-Darting Maneuver stratagem inflicts an additional point of Hull damage.

The Dragon-Blood’s anima spreads to enfold the Outside of combat, this Charm can be used to demolish
timbers of her ship, hardening its hull to rebuff the a seafaring structure or obstacle by ramming it. This is
harshest perils of the sea or the weapons of oceangoing a feat of strength (Exalted, p. 229) rolled using (Wits +
pirates. Whenever her ship suffers Hull damage from Sail), adding (the ship’s Speed) non-Charm bonus dice.
a failed roll to navigate an aquatic hazard or from a This Charm can be used to attempt feats that normally
damage-dealing stratagem such as a broadside in naval require up to Strength 10, as long as the Storyteller
combat (Exalted, p. 245), she may roll (Essence + 2) deems it feasible based on the size of the ship.
non-Charm dice. If these successes raise the Dragon-
This Charm can only be used once per day.
Blood’s total roll high enough to have beaten the
hazard’s difficulty or the opposing captain’s roll, the Dragon Sets the Seas Ablaze
total damage her ship suffers is reduced by one point,
Cost: 10m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
although this doesn’t change her failure on the roll.
Type: Simple
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless Keywords: Pilot, Signature (Fire)
reset by succeeding on a Sail roll with difficulty 4+. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

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The dragon admiral’s burning fury reduces enemy stratagem in naval combat, she creates a swirling
fleets to charred cinders. The Exalt makes a broadside maelstrom or similar peril that the opposing captain
stratagem (Exalted, p. 245) with double 9s, discharg- must contend with. Navigating this hazard is a (Wits
ing her anima through her ship’s weaponry to set the + Sail) roll at a difficulty of (the Exalt’s Essence + 2). A
enemy ship aflame. On a successful roll, the enemy ship whose captain fails this roll suffers one point of
ship catches fire and continues to burn for the rest Hull damage. In addition, he’s either thrown off course
of the scene. At the end of each round, including the or otherwise delayed, leaving him unable to make any
round this Charm is used, roll one die of Hull damage meaningful progress towards pursuing the Dragon-
against that ship. A captain can direct her crew to put Blood’s ship for (Essence) days. If multiple ships are in
out the fires as a special naval stratagem rolled with pursuit of the Dragon-Blood or engaged in naval com-
(Wits + Sail) that costs two Momentum. If that ship’s bat in the same waters, they must all navigate through
captain loses the opposed roll for that stratagem, the the hazard if they wish to follow her.
ship remains aflame, although it doesn’t take damage
from the fire that round. This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
reset by achieving a major character or story goal
This Charm can only be used once per scene. (Exalted, p. 170) through seafaring prowess, or after
using a ship to reach a vital locale.
Shipwreck-Strewn Tempest Wake
Cost: 5m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3 Benediction of the Living Ship
Type: Reflexive Cost: 10m, 1a, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
Keywords: Aura, Pilot, Signature (Water) Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Aura, Signature (Wood)
Prerequisite Charms: None Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Sturdy Bulkhead Concentration
The Dragon-Blood’s ship churns the seas into a roil-
ing frenzy in its wake, forcing her pursuers to choose Verdant Essence races across the Dragon-Blood’s ship,
between risking destruction or watching her sail free reawakening the sylvan vitality of its timbers. Roots
into the horizon. When she succeeds on an extended and branches knit together damaged portions of hull;
roll to escape from naval pursuit or to enact an escape flowers or fruit sprout to nourish the ship’s crew. She

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rolls (Essence), plus any applicable Sail specialty, and (Manipulation + Sail) to determine the quality of this
heals her ship of that many points of Hull damage. ruse, adding (Essence) non-Charm bonus dice. Any
nontrivial character within long range or closer of
The Exalt and all allied characters aboard the ship heal the ship can attempt to see through this ruse with a
a single level of non-aggravated damage as they bask in (Perception + [Awareness or Investigation]) roll with
the fragrant aroma of blossoming flowers or eat of the a difficulty equal to the Dragon-Blood’s result on the
ship’s bounty. If the ship’s food stores are running low, roll. Characters who attempt this roll without the ben-
this Charm provides enough food to sustain the crew efit of applicable magic or superhuman senses suffer
for the rest of the story. All members of the crew gain a a −3 penalty on the roll. Once a character has boarded
non-Charm bonus success on any roll to resist poison the ship, he can see through this ruse automatically.
or disease that they make while aboard the ship.
Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm
This Charm can only be used on a ship once per story, on herself whenever she attempts to fit in to a society
unless all Hull damage to it is fully repaired. of sailors or other seafarers: a ring of smugglers oper-
ating out of Champoor, a Tya guildhouse, the Lintha
Vanishing Fog-Bank Escape crime family, etc. She adds (Sail) bonus dice on any
disguise roll she makes to pose as a member of that
Cost: 5m, 1a; Mins: Sail 4, Essence 3
group, and gains +2 Guile against any roll that would
Type: Simple
reveal information exposing her outsider status.
Keywords: Mute, Pilot, Water
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Seven Seas Wind-Luring Bellowing Thunder Admiral
Chanty Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
The Dragon-Blood sloughs off her anima banner as Keywords: Air, Balanced
a cloud of mist that engulfs her ship, buying her a Duration: One scene
chance to flee unseen. In naval combat, she may use Prerequisite Charms: Old Salt Spirit
this Charm to attempt an escape stratagem (Exalted, p.
245) at a reduced cost of six Momentum. In addition, Barking orders over the din of hurricanes, the Dragon-
for each point of Momentum she has over the opposing Blood incites her sailors to courage and swift victory
captain after both pay the costs of their stratagems that in battle. She adds (Essence/2, rounded up) successes
interval, she adds one bonus die on the escape roll. on command actions targeting battle groups made up
of sailors under her command. Such groups add (her
This Charm can also enhance the interval roll for a Essence/2, rounded up) successes on Willpower rolls
pursuit at sea (Exalted, p. 244) in which she’s fleeing, against rout and gain the Resolve bonus of Old Salt
imposing a penalty of (Essence) on the opposing cap- Spirit as long as they’re within medium range of her.
tain’s roll. This Charm can be used outside of naval
combat or naval pursuit, creating a large fogbank that Special activation rules: If the Dragon-Blood wins
covers the entire ship for one scene unless dispersed Join Battle after taking a boarding action in naval
by magical or extremely strong winds. combat (Exalted, p. 246), she may use this Charm
reflexively.
Pirate-Masquerading Method
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 3
Ship-Seizing Dragon Talon
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Water Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 4
Duration: One scene Type: Supplemental
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Fogbank Escape Keywords: Water
Duration: Instant
Skilled in the ways of seafaring deception, the Dragon- Prerequisite Charms: Bellowing Thunder Admiral
Blood conceals the true colors of her ship under a mi-
rage of Essence, causing other vessels to perceive it as Enacting a fluid battle strategy, the Dragon-Blood and
a ship of their own allegiance or purpose. A merchant her crew descend on enemy ships with unstoppable
vessel from a foreign kingdom would see her warship force. This Charm enhances any boarding action in
as flying under its own kingdom’s flag, while a pirate naval combat (Exalted, p. 245) with double 9s. If the
raiding-ship would see her as a fellow corsair. She rolls Dragon-Blood successfully boards and initiates combat,

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every threshold success on her naval stratagem roll The line between social pleasantries and drawn blades can
adds one bonus die to the Join Battle rolls of her and be all too thin, but the Dragon-Blood isn’t caught unawares.
all her allies, and she may waive the Willpower cost of When combat breaks out amid social interaction, she may
Bellowing Thunder Admiral if she wins Join Battle. use this Charm to Join Battle with ([Perception or Wits] +
Socialize). If she’s successfully influenced or read the inten-
Fog Shroud Ambush tions of one of her enemies earlier in the scene, she rolls an
additional non-Charm die for each 10 on her Join Battle roll.
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Sail 5, Essence 5
Type: Supplemental Friend-to-All-Nations Attitude
Keywords: Mute, Pilot, Water Cost: —; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 1
Duration: Instant Type: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Pirate-Masquerading Method, Keywords: Wood
Ship-Seizing Dragon Talon Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: None
Mist swirls around the Dragon-Blood’s ship as she
maneuvers it out of sight, catching enemy ships off The Dragon-Blood ingratiates herself into insular cliques,
guard as she emerges from the fog. She waives the foreign courts, and barbarian tribes with skillful under-
Momentum cost of a concealment stratagem in naval standing of their customs and mores. After spending at
combat (Exalted, p. 245). If she succeeds and uses least an hour being exposed to any culture or social group,
her next round to enact a broadside, escape, or ram she may gain a temporary Socialize specialty in it. She may
stratagem against the enemy ship, she succeeds auto- have up to (Essence) specialties granted by this Charm at a
matically, regardless of the opposing captain’s roll. If time. If she wishes to gain a new temporary specialty while
the opposing captain benefits from superhuman senses at the maximum, she must abandon an old one.
capable of seeing through fog or magic such as Eye
of the Unconquered Sun, or is guided by an ally with
such senses, the Dragon-Blood doesn’t automatically Loyalty-Reading Meditation
succeed, but imposes a penalty of (Manipulation) on Cost: 4m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 1
opposing rolls. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Fire
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless Duration: Instant
reset by successfully incapacitating an enemy ship Prerequisite Charms: None
with a naval stratagem.
Who can conceal the heat of his passion from the
Socialize Dragon-Blood’s keen eye? When she reads inten-
tions to discern an Intimacy based on emotion, that
Loquacious Courtier Technique Intimacy penalizes the target’s Guile as though it were
Cost: 2m per success or +1 Guile; Mins: Socialize 1, his Resolve (Exalted, p. 215).
Essence 1
Type: Supplemental or Reflexive Smoke-Wreathed Mien
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Fire, Mute Cost: 3m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 1
Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant
The Dragon-Blood endears herself to all company with Prerequisite Charms: None
pleasing and faultless manners, She may add automat-
ic successes to Socialize rolls or raise her Guile for two Feigned languor conceals the Dragon-Blood’s true
motes each. feelings. When a character she’s aware of rolls to read
her intentions, (Essence) 1s on his roll each force him to
Wary Yellow Dog Attitude reroll a successful die, starting with 7s and moving up.
Cost: 3m; Mins: Socialize 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental Auspicious First Meeting Attitude
Keywords: Fire Cost: 5m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2
Duration: Instant Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None

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Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Friend-to-All Nations Attitude,
Loyalty-Reading Meditation

Swift to win new friends and impress new acquain-

tances, the Dragon-Blood reads them and tailors
her bearing to their expectations to leave a perfect
first impression. Upon meeting a character for the
first time, the Dragon-Blood may combine a read
intentions action with an instill action to create a pos-
itive Tie towards herself, making a single ([Charisma,
Appearance, or Perception] + Socialize) roll against his
(lower of Guile or Resolve).

Brother-Against-Brother Insinuation
Cost: 5m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Wary Yellow Dog Attitude

Sometimes a lone spark is all it takes to destroy a

relationship. The Dragon-Blood makes an instill roll
with double 9s to either weaken a positive Tie towards
a character that belongs to the same culture or social
group as her target, or to instill a negative tie towards
such a character. In addition, targets cannot draw on
Intimacies towards the culture or group they share to
bolster Resolve against this influence.

Seizing-the-Tongue Technique
Cost: 6m; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Friend-to-All-Nations Attitude

Quick wits allow the Dragon-Blood to nimbly avoid

social pitfalls and correct faux pas without giving
Whether it’s freely flowing libations at a Dynastic salon
offense. She rerolls (Essence) non-1 failed dice on an
or a ration of rum at a military encampment, alcohol im-
influence roll made with Presence or Socialize.
proves moods and eases social friction. When the Dragon-
Blood supplies drinks, she may use this Charm to heighten
In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood may use this Charm
their potency and quality. Each character who partakes is
reflexively after making a roll.
treated as having a positive Minor Tie for his fellow party-
Sweeten-the-Tap Method goers — whose context, such as affection or camaraderie, is
chosen by his player — and suffers −1 Guile.
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 3, Essence 2
Type: Simple
However, sweetening the tap also increases the risk of
Keywords: Fire/Wood
fraying tempers or violent overreactions. If a character
Duration: One scene
botches a social action, the positive Tie towards him
Prerequisite Charms: Friend-to-All-Nations Attitude
created by this Charm inverts into a negative Tie for all
inebriated partygoers who witnessed the offense.

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Shadow-Dispersing Radiance Eye-for-Passions Scrutiny

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 2 Cost: 2m; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Balanced, Fire Keywords: Fire
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Loyalty-Reading Meditation Prerequisite Charms: Shadow-Dispersing Radiance

Whether enticed by her striking looks or menaced When the Dragon-Blood successfully reads a charac-
by her intimidating features, few can keep their se- ter’s intentions, the Storyteller reveals an additional
crets when they look upon the Dragon-Blood. If her Intimacy based on emotion that relates to the motives
Appearance is higher than a character’s Guile, she or other Intimacy she discerned. For example, uncov-
adds non-Charm dice equal to the difference on a roll ering a courtier’s Intimacy for a beautiful performer
to read his intentions. might reveal his Tie of hatred for a romantic rival, while
uncovering that a vagabond intends to pickpocket her

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might reveal a Tie of love for the family he needs to either attempt to determine each of their intentions in the
feed. current scene — for instance, scanning an office of function-
aries to determine which ones are working dutifully, which
Watching the Salon’s Shadows are lazing, and which are in the process of embezzling;
or she can attempt to identify their Intimacies on a single
Cost: 3m; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 2 topic — discerning how the members of a prince’s court feel
Type: Reflexive about him, or the reasons why a mob of peasant is protesting
Keywords: Balanced, Fire a satrap’s rule. Even if her roll fails to overcome a character’s
Duration: Instant Guile, she doesn’t need to reset her read intentions action
Prerequisite Charms: Loyalty-Reading Meditation, before attempting it against him again in the same scene.
Smoke-Wreathed Mien
This Charm can only be used once per day.
Even as she flaunts her finery and shares laughter with
intimate friends, the Dragon-Blood is at her most vigilant. Unfaltering Pillar of Unity
She gains +1 Guile against the read intentions roll of a char- Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
acter she’s unaware of. If she defeats his roll, she may roll Type: Simple
(Perception + Awareness) with double 9s to detect him. Keywords: Mute, Signature (Earth)
Duration: Instant
Smoke Without Flame Prerequisite Charms: None
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive Expounding on the importance of tradition and social
Keywords: Fire order while inveighing against disloyalty, the Dragon-
Duration: Instant Blood strengthens the foundations of society. She rolls
Prerequisite Charms: Smoke-Wreathed Mien (Charisma + Socialize) to instill one or more members
of a single culture or social group with a Tie of loyalty
towards that society, doubling 8s and ignoring the pen-
Those who expect intemperance or unthinking passion
alty for influencing multiple characters. A character
from the Dragon-Blood are the most easily deceived. She
whose Resolve is beaten must enter a Decision Point
gains +1 Guile. If the opposing character fails to read her
and call on a Major or Defining Intimacy to resist the
intentions, he believes that he’s succeeded, but what’s
Tie being created. As usual, strengthening an existing
revealed to him is an exaggeration of the Dragon-Blood’s
Intimacy can’t be resisted with Willpower.
emotional state or one of her emotion-based Intimacies,
chosen by the player. Irritation might be misread as a
An affected character cannot voluntarily weaken the in-
hate-filled vendetta; infatuation as passionate longing;
stilled Tie until (6 − his Integrity) weeks have passed, nor
or boredom as soul-crushing ennui.
can he take actions that would oppose the Intimacy during
that time, unless failing to do so would oppose a Defining
In Fire Aura, the Guile bonus doesn’t count as a bonus
Intimacy. Other characters can attempt to erode the Tie nor-
from Charms.
mally using social influence, but are subject to the rules for
With a Socialize 5, Essence 4 repurchase, even if the overturning social influence (Exalted, p. 221). Fully eroding
Dragon-Blood’s Guile is beaten, she may expend her the Intimacy frees the character from this Charm’s effects.
Fire Aura to exaggerate any emotions or emotion-based
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
Intimacies that are revealed.
reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal
Clear-Eyed Courtier’s Scrutiny (Exalted, p. 170) that benefits a culture or social group
that the Exalt belongs to.
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple
Wildfire Scandal Revelation
Keywords: Mute, Signature (Air)
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
Duration: Instant
Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None
Keywords: Mute, Signature (Fire)
Duration: Instant
As she gazes down from a superior social vantage, the
Prerequisite Charms: None
complexities of courtly intrigues lay themselves bare before
the Dragon-Blood. She makes a single read intentions roll
No tinder burns hotter than a stolen secret, igniting a
against all characters she can perceive, doubling 9s. She may
blaze that spreads with the swiftness of rumor. To use

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this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must first uncover an so that even if the effect succeeds, the information
embarrassing or damaging secret of another character, gleaned will be falsified.
one that, if revealed, would have dramatic negative
consequences for that character. She may then use This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
this Charm when she reveals his secret to others, reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal
rolling (Charisma + Socialize), doubling 8s, to instill (Exalted, p. 170) that the Exalt has altered her memo-
a negative Tie toward him or weaken positive Ties ries to achieve.
towards him. This also instills a negative Tie or weak-
ens positive Ties towards a culture or social group Poisonous Sneer Reproach
that he belongs to, chosen by the Exalt. Resisting this Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
influence costs (Dragon-Blood’s Essence/2, round up) Type: Reflexive
points of Willpower. For the rest of the story, affected Keywords: Signature (Wood)
characters gain the benefit of a temporary specialty on Duration: Instant
any influence roll they make to spread the secret using Prerequisite Charms: None
any social Ability.
Tongue dripping with venom, the Dragon-Blood exco-
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless riates the speech of an ill-mannered rival. When she
reset by accomplishing a major character or story goal witnesses another character attempt social influence,
(Exalted, p. 170) by orchestrating the social downfall she may speak against it, deriding the speaker or ex-
of a rival — causing him to lose an official position or posing the flaws in his argument with a ([Charisma or
social standing, creating a scandal that destroys his Manipulation] + Socialize) roll. Each of her successes
reputation, or similar. She can only use this Charm imposes a −1 penalty on the speaker’s influence roll.
again on the same character by revealing a different If this penalty reduces his dice pool to zero, or if he
secret, even if it resets. rolls and botches, his influence has the opposite of its
intended effect on each character whose Resolve was
Ego-Dissolving Deception beaten by the Dragon-Blood’s roll. Attempting to flat-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3 ter an official would create a negative Tie instead of a
Type: Simple positive one, while intimidating a group of guards into
Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Water) standing down would cause them to attack instead.
Duration: One story
Prerequisite Charms: None This Charm can only be used once per day.

Diving below the shallows of her conscious mind into Ember-Fanning Provocation
the depths of her deepest self, the Dragon-Blood sub-
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 3
merges herself in a life of falsehoods. After spending
Type: Simple
at least an hour in meditation, she may rewrite her
Keywords: Fire
own memories of a single event or relationship. She
Duration: Instant
could convince herself that a beloved spouse died in
Prerequisite Charms: Brother-Against-Brother Insin-
battle, erase an incriminating meeting with a co-con-
uation, Seizing-the-Tongue Technique
spirator from her memory, or make herself believe
that she’s defected from her Great House to loyally
serve a group that she’s actually infiltrating. She gains A dragon’s breath stokes the embers of enmity into a full-
a Major Principle reflecting this belief, and may treat blown bonfire. The Dragon-Blood makes a persuade roll
any influence that would weaken it as unacceptable supported by a negative Tie for foreigners, outsiders, or
for this Charm’s duration. She may release her mote members of an undesirable subculture, or a negative Tie
commitment to this Charm reflexively to end its dura- instilled with Brother-Against-Brother Insinuation, dou-
tion and restore her true memories, even if she doesn’t bling 9s. If the leveraged Intimacy is Major or Defining,
remember using it, but the Intimacy remains in place the cost of resisting increases to two Willpower.
until she erodes it normally, until which time she may
Smoothing-Over-the-Past Technique
confuse her two sets of memories.
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
At Essence 5, the Dragon-Blood may expend her Water Type: Simple
Aura to use this Charm reflexively in response to Keywords: Psyche, Water
any effect opposing her Guile, altering her memories Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Ember-Fanning Provocation

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The Dragon-Blood’s lulling speech and hypnotic bear- Rumor-Dredging Gaze

ing muddles the memory of an enemy, rival, or ill-treat- Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 3
ed acquaintance, banishing a past event that would Type: Reflexive
reflect poorly on a current conversation to the depths Keywords: Mute, Water
of his unconscious. She makes a special (Manipulation Duration: Instant
+ Socialize) instill roll against a single character to Prerequisite Charms: Auspicious First Meeting Atti-
suppress his memory of a single incident of her past tude, Shadow-Dispersing Radiance
misbehavior. She takes a penalty determined by the
Storyteller based on the misconduct’s severity — an in- A master blackmailer, the Dragon-Blood draws forth se-
sult without lasting consequences might suffer no pen- crets from the murkiest depths. She rolls to read inten-
alty; petty theft or humiliation in front of a small group tions with double 9s. Instead of specifying an Intimacy
might suffer a −1 penalty; inflicting a disfiguring wound she wishes to discern, the Dragon-Blood instead
or public humiliation before a large group might suffer a uncovers whichever Intimacy her target most desires
−3 penalty; a murder attempt might suffer a −5 penalty. to keep hidden from her. If she uses this information to
blackmail her target with a bargain or threaten action
Success suppresses the chosen memory, allowing the in the same scene, she doubles 9s on the influence roll,
Dragon-Blood to interact with her victim for a single scene which can be made with any social Ability. A successful
as though it never happened. The victim cannot bring it influence roll grants her one Willpower.
up or even remember it, rationalizing away any inconsis-
tencies this causes. If he has a negative Tie towards the Implacable Dragon Mien
Dragon-Blood based on the erased memory, it’s likewise Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 3
suppressed. If the Intimacy is based on more than one Type: Simple
transgression, the Dragon-Blood must erase them all with Keywords: Earth, Mute
multiple uses of this Charm to suppress the Intimacy. Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: Smoke Without Flame
If the victim’s loss of memory would cause him to act
inconsistently with a Major or Defining Intimacy, oth-
er than a negative Tie for the Dragon-Blood, he may The Dragon-Blood’s stoic countenance gives away no
pay one Willpower to resist. However, he’s unaware more than a mountain’s face. She gains +2 Guile, ex-
she caused his memory lapse. cept against rolls that would reveal a Major or Defining
Intimacy based on emotion, or an intention arising out
A Socialize 5, Essence 5 repurchase allows the Dragon- of such an Intimacy.
Blood to expend her Water Aura to permanently erase
the targeted memory with this Charm. The penalty for In Earth Aura, this rises to +3 Guile. Even against rolls
erasing egregious misdeeds subtracts successes instead that would reveal an emotion-based Intimacy or an in-
of dice. The victim may still resist, as above, but doing tention that upholds such an Intimacy, she adds +1 Guile.
so only restores the memory for a single scene. Once
he’s spent three total Willpower resisting, the memory Rippling Mirror Face
is restored permanently. Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Socialize 5, Essence 4
Type: Reflexive
Enticing Flame Feint Keywords: Mute, Water
Cost: 6m; Mins: Socialize 4, Essence 3 Duration: Instant
Type: Reflexive Prerequisite Charms: Rumor-Dredging Gaze, Smoke
Keywords: Fire, Mute Without Flame
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Watching the Salon’s Shadows The sparkling waters of the sunlit ocean conceal dark
depths, hidden beneath blinding reflections. The
The Dragon-Blood draws attention away from less-sub- Dragon-Blood may use this Charm when she asserts
tle allies with inflammatory words or a provocative her Guile against a read intentions roll. If that roll fails,
display. When she witnesses a character attempting the opposing character believes he succeeded. Instead
to read an ally’s intentions, she may impose a penalty of revealing the truth, the Dragon-Blood may choose
of (lower of her Essence or Manipulation) on the roll. an Intimacy possessed by any character present in the
Each use of this Charm inflicts a −1 penalty on her own scene that she’s previously discerned with her own
Guile for the rest of the scene. read intentions action, passing it off as her own.

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In Water Aura, this Charm may be declared after a In Water Aura, when the Exalt gains Initiative with this
character has failed a read intentions roll, rather than Charm, she may choose one of the enemies she beat
before he rolls. with her Stealth roll, causing him to lose one Initiative.

Soundless Action Prana

Stealth Cost: 4m; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Distracting Breeze Meditation
Keywords: Air, Mute
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Stealth 1, Essence 1
Duration: Until next turn
Type: Supplemental
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Wind-Body Technique
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Excellency, Mute
Duration: Instant
The Dragon-Blood silences herself with an inner
Prerequisite Charms: None
whirlwind, drawing in the sound of every unintended
gasp or misplaced footstep before it reaches the ears of
As the Dragon-Blood moves through the shadows,
her foes. Every 10 on a Stealth roll rerolls a non-1 failed
the wind itself conspires to conceal her, blowing out
die, and she can’t be detected by hearing unless the op-
torches, flapping curtains, or knocking over objects to
posing character’s hearing is superhuman or magically
create distractions. She may add automatic successes
enhanced. Such characters still take a −2 penalty on
to a Stealth roll for two motes each.
rolls to hear her.
Vanishing Wind-Body Technique
Shimmering Heat-Mirage Tactic
Cost: 4m; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 1
Cost: 4m, 2i; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Type: Simple
Keywords: Air
Keywords: Fire, Perilous
Duration: One scene
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Shadow Stance

The Dragon-Blood is one with the air around her, re-

The Dragon-Blood’s outline wavers and distorts like
leasing the solidity and substance that weigh down
heat haze, her movements seeming to double and tre-
her body. She ignores one point of the penalty for
ble as she trails afterimages. She gains +2 Evasion. This
using Stealth in combat, and effects that detect air
Charm ends if a nontrivial enemy attacks her and rolls
motion, like Living Pulse Perception (Exalted, p.
no 1s, even if she successfully defends.
271) or the air-aspected variant of All-Encompassing
Earth Sense (p. 172), don’t work against her. She In Fire Aura, withering attacks don’t end this Charm
can still be detected normally by hearing and other even if they have no 1s, as long as they have no 10s.
senses.
Whispering Dragon Soul
In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood may ignore (her
Cost: —(2m per Charm); Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3
Essence/2, rounded up) in penalties for using Stealth
Type: Permanent
in combat.
Keywords: Mute, Signature (Air)
Duration: Permanent
Flowing Shadow Stance
Prerequisite Charms: None
Cost: 2m; Mins: Stealth 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Having meditated on the nature of silence, the Dragon-
Keywords: Water
Blood directs her enlightenment inward, suffusing her
Duration: Instant
anima banner with the subtlety of air. She may pay
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Wind-Body Technique
two motes to apply the Mute keyword to any Air or
Balanced Charm she uses.
The Dragon-Blood moves with the grace of a secret
current, flowing past the notice of her enemies. She The Dragon-Blood can master this Charm for other
rerolls 6s on a Stealth roll until they cease to appear, elements for three experience points each. She cannot
and gains a point of Initiative if she beats the opposed mute multiple Charms of different elements in a single
rolls of all enemies. instant (excluding Balanced Charms).

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Sleeping Dragon’s Lair The Terrestrial shrouds the flame of her presence in
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3 smoke and shadows, diverting the attention of those
Type: Simple who are most in awe of her. The Dragon-Blood rolls
Keywords: Mute, Signature (Earth) ([Manipulation or Appearance] + Stealth) against the
Duration: Indefinite Resolve of any character that has an Intimacy which sup-
Prerequisite Charms: None ports deference or submission towards her — whether
love, fear, or belief in Immaculate orthodoxy. The target-
The Dragon-Blood descends into the earth beneath ed Intimacies penalize Resolve as normal. Affected char-
her, either to coil and slumber or simply to wait. As long acters are incapable of perceiving the Dragon-Blood until
as she’s touching reasonably pliant ground, she may she takes hostile action or chooses to reveal herself. An
sink into it, entombing herself just below the surface. Immaculate monk could walk unnoticed into the midst
She cannot be seen or heard without using applicable of a meeting plotting sedition against the Realm, stepping
magic, such as hearing her heartbeat with Knowing forward from the shadows to pronounce judgment.
Beyond Silence or sensing her presence with Feeling
the Dragon’s Bones (p. 173). She can still be tracked by A character that wishes to resist this unnatural in-
scent, but her trail ends abruptly at the point where fluence must enter a Decision Point, calling upon an
she vanished into the earth. Intimacy of equal or greater strength than the one
exploited and paying a point of Willpower.
While entombed, the Dragon-Blood cannot use her
senses or move without the use of appropriate Charms. Depth-Stalking Discipline
She could eavesdrop through a layer of topsoil with Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3
Deep-Listening Palm (p. 172), detect the presence of Type: Simple
anyone within range with All-Encompassing Earth Keywords: Aura, Mute, Signature (Water)
Sense (p. 172), or move underground with One-With- Duration: Aura
Earth Embodiment (p. 174). She buries herself along Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Shadow Stance
with enough air to breathe for five minutes, after which
she must hold her breath or make use of Charms such The Dragon-Blood submerges herself in Water Essence
as Unbreathing Earth Meditation (p. 248). to wash away anything that might betray her presence.
She doubles 9s on Stealth rolls. While surrounded by
When this Charm ends, the Dragon-Blood emerges water, such as being submerged or in driving rain, she
from the earth in a great plume of dust that she can hide doubles 8s and is completely imperceptible by scent —
within. She may expend her Earth Aura through the able to evade the hunting hounds of a god by fleeing
dust plume to blind all enemies in short range for one into a storm, or to swim through the sea while bleeding
scene unless they succeed on a (Stamina + Awareness) heavily without drawing the notice of siaka.
roll at difficulty 3. Blinded characters must spend three
Initiative and a turn washing out their eyes to regain This Charm can only be used once per scene.
sight.
Shadow-Stalking Predator Spirit
An Essence 5 repurchase of this Charm lets the Dragon- Cost: 5m (+1wp, expend Wood Aura); Mins: Stealth 5,
Blood descend into solid rock as long as it’s natural, Essence 3
unworked stone. She could embed herself in the wall of Type: Reflexive
a cavern or a mountain overhang, but not the stone floor Keywords: Aura, Dual, Mute, Signature (Wood)
of a dungeon. She may expend her Earth Aura when Duration: Aura
she emerges from solid rock to unleash a spray of stone Prerequisite Charms: None
shrapnel that both blinds enemies as above and acts as a
one-time environmental hazard out to short range from The Dragon-Blood moves through the wilderness as
the Dragon-Blood with Damage 3L and a difficulty equal its hidden master, stalking her prey unseen. Boughs
to (the lowest of her Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina). twist to conceal her movement; fragrant flowers and
pollen obscure her scent trail. To use this Charm, she
Flame-Becomes-Shadow Technique must be moving through or hiding behind light foliage,
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3 small trees, or comparable vegetation. When an ene-
Type: Simple my within medium range — or long range, in areas of
Keywords: Psyche, Signature (Fire) heavy growth such as thick bamboo groves or forests
Duration: One scene dense with underbrush — rolls to oppose her Stealth,
Prerequisite Charms: None his 1s subtract successes.

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When the Dragon-Blood makes an unexpected attack The Dragon-Blood weighs down the air around her, trap-
against an enemy within range of this Charm, she may pay ping sounds in frozen stillness. She can silence the ringing of
one Willpower and expend her Wood Aura — ending this blades, the desperate cry of a wounded bandit, or the shat-
Charm — to double her attack roll’s threshold successes tering of a thousand-year-old vase. This Charm functions as
when calculating the damage of a withering attack, or to Soundless Action Prana, but silences the Exalt completely,
add her threshold successes as dice to the damage of a de- defeating even supernatural hearing. In addition, she can
cisive attack. If she conveys poison through an unexpected radiate silence out to close range, making it impossible to
decisive attack this way, she adds (Essence/2, rounded hear anyone or anything within that radius and obstructing
down) to its duration. the passage of sound through the zone of silence as though
it were a solid steel dome over her. Characters may pay one
This Charm can only be used once per scene. Willpower to speak forcefully enough to pierce the silence
long enough to make one social roll if remaining silent
Burning Shadow Double would threaten one of their Major or Defining Intimacies.
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 3
Type: Simple In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood may expand the zone
Keywords: Fire of silence by one range band at the end of each round,
Duration: One scene maximum long range.
Prerequisite Charms: Shimmering Heat-Mirage
Tactic Deadly Riptide Executioner
Cost: 5m; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 3
The Dragon-Blood radiates her presence through the Type: Reflexive
shadows as a heat mirage, distorting the air to create a Keywords: Aura, Dual, Mute, Water
near-perfect double of herself, tinged with glowing hints of Duration: Aura
her anima. To use this Charm, she must be in concealment. Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Shadow Stance
She may place a decoy at any point within medium range.
The decoy is realistically lifelike and can appear to take The Dragon-Blood stalks her victim calmly but inexora-
most actions the Exalt could, as determined by her, but bly, slowly gathering force until she finally draws blood.
cannot speak, make sounds, or touch anything, and has no This Charm can only be used in concealment. The
scent. It can’t move beyond medium range from her, and Dragon-Blood chooses a character, and gains one point
vanishes if she moves further than medium range from it. of Initiative each turn that she moves towards him with-
out breaking concealment. If she leaves concealment or
The decoy has Evasion (Manipulation) against attacks, and fails to pursue the chosen target, this Charm ends.
dissipates into nothingness once struck. Against attacks
made from short or close range, its Evasion falls to 0. As If the Dragon-Blood ends this Charm by making an
long as it isn’t hit, it continues to convincingly imitate the unexpected attack, she may expend her Water Aura to
Dragon-Blood, though it cannot take combat actions. dissolve into dark water as she lunges forward, ignor-
ing (Essence + 2) points of soak on a withering attack,
Once a character comes within short or close range of or ignoring (Essence) points of Hardness and doubling
the decoy, he may roll (Perception + Awareness) op- 10s on the damage roll of a decisive attack.
posing (the Dragon-Blood’s Manipulation + Stealth) to
realize the decoy is a sham, and can warn his allies not to Dragon Shroud Technique
attack it. Magic such as Keen Sight Technique (Exalted, Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 4
p. 267) allows characters to make this roll at any range. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air, Mute
In Fire Aura, the Exalt may create up to (Essence + Duration: One scene
Manipulation) separate decoys with each use of this Prerequisite Charms: Zone of Silence Stance
Charm, paying two motes for each additional mirage.
The Dragon-Blood spins air into an enfolding shroud
Zone of Silence Stance
against all senses. Her form is blurred and indistinct,
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 4, Essence 3 her noises muffled, and every other trace of her pres-
Type: Simple ence masked from detection — scent, body heat, and
Keywords: Air, Mute more. All rolls to oppose her Stealth take a penalty of
Duration: One scene (her Essence/2, rounded up), and she waives the cost
Prerequisite Charms: Soundless Action Prana of muting Air Charms with Whispering Dragon Soul.
The Charm ends if the Dragon-Blood attacks.

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Mela’s Hungry Jaws
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Stealth 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Keywords: Air, Aura
Duration: Aura
Prerequisite Charms: Dragon Shroud Technique

The Dragon-Blood steals the very air from her victim’s

lungs, suffocating him without ever laying a hand on him
or being seen. This Charm can only be used while in con-
cealment, against an enemy within medium range who’s
unaware of the Dragon-Blood. She steals his breath, caus-
ing him to begin to asphyxiate (Exalted, p. 232). Trivial
opponents never receive a chance to hold their breath,
even outside of combat.

The Terrestrial cannot move while using this Charm to siphon

her foe’s breath, but neither can her victim move without roll-
ing a disengage against her, regardless of the distance between
them. A victim can only break free of Mela’s Hungry Jaws by
successfully finding the Dragon-Blood with a (Perception +
Awareness) roll or withdrawing to extreme range. His allies can
attempt to free him by attacking the Dragon-Blood once they’ve
found her. Even if the attack roll misses, as long as it rolled no 1s,
this Charm ends, while a hit automatically ends it.

Survival
Ration-Enhancing Method
Cost: 2m; Mins: Survival 1, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Balanced, Excellency, Wood
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The wilderness welcomes the Dragon-Blood’s presence,

recognizing her as a Prince of the Earth. She may add auto-
matic successes to a Survival roll for two motes each. If she
enhances a roll to forage for food, it yields enough edible
plants or game to feed a single additional character besides
her for one day per threshold success.

Quarry Revelation Technique

Cost: 2m; Mins: Survival 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Balanced, Wood
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Dragon-Blood can track wild beasts back to their dens or

the Anathema to their lairs. She rerolls 6s on a tracking roll
(Exalted, p. 230) until they cease to appear, and is capable of
rolling to contest even magical concealment that is otherwise
perfect, such as a Solar’s Traceless Passage.
 cha p ter se v en : C harms

Trail-Concealing Measure Keywords: Balanced, Wood

Cost: 5m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 1 Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental Prerequisite Charms: Beast-Taming Aspect
Keywords: Balanced, Mute, Wood
Duration: Instant The Dragon-Blood needs no words to communicate
Prerequisite Charms: Quarry Revelation Technique with animals, mimicking their bestial body language or
vocalizations to engage them. She adds (Essence) non-
Skillfully concealing all signs of her passage, the Charm bonus dice on an influence roll made against an
Dragon-Blood may tread over twigs without snapping animal using any Ability. In addition, her target doesn’t
them and walk through grass without bending a blade. gain the Resolve bonus for lacking a common language
She doubles 9s on a Survival roll to conceal her tracks (Exalted, p. 221).
or on a Stealth roll to establish concealment in a forest,
grassland, or similar wilderness. Wild-Wandering Forester’s Charm
Cost: 3m; Mins: Survival 2, Essence 1
The Dragon-Blood may learn elemental variants of Type: Simple
this Charm that function in different terrain for three Keywords: Wood
experience points each. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Air: This variant can be used in snowfall, or amid
snow-covered or icy terrain. The Dragon-Blood knows the wilderness as well as
she knows her own domain, aware of the secrets and
Earth: This variant can be used underground, or in wonders hidden within it. She rolls ([Intelligence or
mountainous or other rocky terrain. Wits] + Survival) to introduce a fact (Exalted, p. 237)
about a wilderness region that she’s familiar with. She
Fire: This variant can be used in widespread fire or
might recount her knowledge of an animal species na-
smoke, or amid deserts or active volcanic terrain.
tive to the region, the location of a rare medicinal herb,
Water: This variant can be used in rainfall, near bodies or effective preparations against a hazard she might
of water, or amid marshy or swampy terrain. encounter.

Beast-Taming Aspect Mother-of-Beasts Mastery

Cost: 3m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 1 Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Type: Simple
Keywords: Balanced, Wood Keywords: Wood
Duration: Instant Duration: One week
Prerequisite Charms: None Prerequisite Charms: Beast-Taming Aspect

The Dragon-Blood’s mien gives pause to even the most The Dragon-Blood’s natural affinity for animals makes
ferocious predators, proving to them that she deserves her a peerless trainer, able to rear and nurture even the
their respect. She doubles 9s on a roll to train an animal most savage beasts. She may complete one interval of
(Exalted, p. 554) or to influence it using Performance the extended roll to train an animal (Exalted, p. 554)
or Presence. Even if she uses this Charm to scare off a in a week of training, rather than a month, and ignores
dangerous predator, her noble bearing causes the beast the usual specialty requirements.
to regard her with respect. Over the course of weeks,
A Survival 5, Essence 3 repurchase of this Charm lets
she can claim such an animal as her familiar. This
the Dragon-Blood train her familiar to awaken magical
takes a number of weeks equal to (its Resolve), and the
abilities (Exalted, p. 555) at a cost of two experience
Dragon-Blood must successfully interact with it using
points each. This cost is refunded if her familiar dies.
this Charm at least once each week. Once this is done,
that animal becomes her familiar at no experience cost. Invoking Nature’s Forgiveness
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 2
Animal Empathy Technique Type: Simple
Cost: 4m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 1 Keywords: Wood
Type: Supplemental Duration: One day
Prerequisite Charms: None

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The Dragon-Blood’s skill in weathering difficult climes The Dragon-Blood’s familiar has wisdom beyond the ken
lets her protect her allies from even the most hostile of ordinary beasts, its mind honed by Air Essence. The
environments, leading them through searing desert or Exalt may use this Charm on her familiar’s turn, rolling
frozen tundra. She may protect herself, her Sworn Kin, (Charisma + Survival). She adds half the total successes
and (Essence) additional characters. The Exalt must rolled, rounded up, to one action her familiar takes that
spend five minutes in one-on-one training and prepa- turn. In addition, if her familiar takes a defend other action
rations with each beneficiary. Each protected character to protect her, it may do so reflexively. If it attempts a dis-
gains a temporary Resistance specialty in withstanding tract gambit to benefit her, it doubles 7s on the attack roll.
his current environment, and ignores (her Essence) in
environmental penalties from harsh climes. Earth-Moving Kata
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3
Up to five Dragon-Blooded who know this Charm can Type: Simple
use it cooperatively. Each additional Exalt adds +1 to Keywords: Signature (Earth)
the effective Essence of the user to determine how Duration: Instant
many additional characters can be protected and the Prerequisite Charms: None
amount of penalty reduction.
Moving with practiced discipline through whirling
Stalking Wolf Pursuit steps and dragon-claw mudras, the Dragon-Blood un-
Cost: 4m; Mins: Survival 3, Essence 2 leashes a seismic pulse of Earth Essence to strike aside
Type: Supplemental an obstacle. Any natural earthen scenery that bars her
Keywords: Wood path can be removed, such as fallen rocks that block
Duration: Instant a road, a boulder rolled in front of a cave mouth, or a
Prerequisite Charms: Quarry Revelation Technique pool of quicksand. The Storyteller describes the exact
effects of this pulse on the scenery — it might cause
piled-up stones to fall away, harden quicksand into sol-
Honing her senses with Essence, the Dragon-Blood
id terrain, shatter boulders, or cause stone to meld back
can hunt her foes no matter how they try to hide. She
into the earth. However, she cannot use this Charm to
ignores any penalties on a tracking roll from visual
affect masonry walls or other man-made obstructions.
obstructions, the age of the tracks, and similar environ-
mental factors. A successful roll also lets her determine Alternatively, the Dragon-Blood can create a bridge
how much time has elapsed since the target left based or stairway out of earth or stone to span a canyon,
on the remaining strength of his scent. chasm, or similar gap. This cannot extend more than
(Essence/2, round up) range bands from her.
Vanishing Tracks Technique
Cost: 5m; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 2 Wildfire-Taming Technique
Type: Supplemental Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3
Keywords: Air Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Signature (Fire)
Prerequisite Charms: Trail-Concealing Measure Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood is a master of moving without trace,
and can obscure the passage of others with her mas- The Dragon-Blood may admonish even a wildfire, bran-
tery. She rerolls 6s on a roll to cover her tracks. She dishing elemental Essence to impose her will on the
may conceal the spoor of her Sworn Kin and (Essence) flame. This Charm can be used to divert a prairie wild-
additional characters, allowing them to use half of her fire, forest fire, or similar free-burning flame from the
rolled successes (rounded up) in place of their own path of the Dragon-Blood and her travel companions.
result if it’s higher. She must come within at least short range of the wild-
fire’s edge and roll (Charisma + Survival). The difficulty
Cunning Beast-Mind Inspiration of the roll depends on the fire’s size — a small grass fire
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3 or a just-kindled forest fire might be difficulty 1, a larger
Type: Reflexive forest fire difficulty 3, and an out-of-control blaze that
Keywords: Aura, Signature (Air) spans miles difficulty 5+. The Storyteller may apply pen-
Duration: One turn alties or bonuses based on environmental factors such
Prerequisite Charms: Mother-of-Beasts Mastery as recent rainfall or high winds that help the fire spread.

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A successful roll diverts the wildfire from the Dragon- Stalking Apex Predator Technique
Blood’s path. Though it continues to burn, it avoids the Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3
Exalt and her companions, and won’t pose any direct Type: Simple
obstruction to them for the remainder of the story. If Keywords: Signature (Wood)
she has any threshold successes on the roll, she may re- Duration: One hour
direct the wildfire to track down a character, using her Prerequisite Charms: None
total threshold successes in place of the (Perception +
Survival) roll for tracking. Though it lacks sapience, The Dragon-Blood moves through the wilderness
the tamed wildfire is able to sense its quarry magical- as its master, running with packs of wild beasts and
ly, and is thus even capable of tracking down a Solar deftly weaving through jungles. She ignores penalties
using Traceless Passage. The Storyteller decides the for crossing difficult terrain made up of dense forests,
fire’s speed based on environs and weather, up to a thick foliage, briar patches, or other plant-based ob-
maximum of 150 miles per hour in ideal conditions. structions. While in such terrain, she also ignores the
However, if there’s no path of forested land, grass, penalty for entering concealment in combat (Exalted,
peat, or other fuel that the fire can follow to pursue its p. 203) and can attempt rushes while in concealment.
target, its efforts end, making it possible to escape by Additionally, she adds (Essence) non-Charm bonus
fleeing from the wilderness. dice rolls to conceal her tracks.
Roaring Dragon Font Once per scene, the Dragon-Blood may expend her
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3 Wood Aura when she makes an unexpected decisive
Type: Simple attack from plant-based concealment to add (Essence)
Keywords: Signature (Water) bonus dice on the attack roll and double 10s on the
Duration: Instant damage roll.
Prerequisite Charms: None
Tireless Caravan Prana
Meditating in communion with the Essence of un-
derground waters, the Dragon-Blood can find hidden Cost: —(+7m); Mins: Survival 4, Essence 3
springs in the most desolate climes, beckoning them Type: Permanent
forth with a mighty stomp that sends a font of water Keywords: Wood
gushing up from underground. She rolls (Wits + Duration: Permanent
Survival) against a difficulty based on her environs — Prerequisite Charms: Invoking Nature’s Forgiveness
finding a spring in a region that receives regular rain-
fall or has abundant natural aquifers might be difficulty The Dragon-Blood guides her companions through
1-2, while doing so in an arid desert is difficulty 5+. A the deepest forests and harshest climes. She may com-
successful roll creates a spring. Normally, this spring mit an additional seven motes when she uses Invoking
becomes a permanent feature of the environs, but in Nature’s Forgiveness to increase the rate at which she
regions so harsh that a spring couldn’t conceivably and the other affected characters can travel through
exist, it flows for only a limited time, providing enough wilderness. If they’re traveling through normal wil-
water to sustain the Dragon-Blood, plus one additional derness, they can cover (Essence + 10) miles with a
character for each threshold success, for a day. She can single day’s march. Extremely harsh terrain or weather
only draw water up from the ground; she couldn’t use halves the distance they can cover, such as when hiking
this Charm to pierce a marble floor or the hull of a boat. through a blizzard or climbing a mountain’s face.

In the scene that this Charm is used, the waters that If multiple Dragon-Blooded stack the benefits of
flow from the spring are suffused with purifying Invoking Nature’s Forgiveness, the Essence bonus also
Essence. Any character who drinks of the water and applies to this Charm to determine the distance that
either has a positive Tie towards the Dragon-Blood can be covered. Only one of them needs to know and
or accepts one out of gratitude may add a non-Charm use Tireless Caravan Prana to yield this benefit.
bonus success on all Athletics, Resistance, and Survival
rolls he makes for the rest of the day. Dragon’s Nest Shelter
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 3
Roaring Dragon Font can only be used once per story, Type: Simple
unless reset by succeeding on a difficulty 4+ Survival Keywords: None
roll. Duration: (Essence) days
Prerequisite Charms: Tireless Caravan Prana

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Calling upon nature’s mercy, the Dragon-Blood for- A flame blazes in the eyes of the Dragon-Blood’s fa-
tifies a shelter with the power of the elements. Vines miliar as it leaps into battle. When her familiar makes
twine around tent poles to secure them in place; the a decisive attack, it adds the Exalt’s Initiative to the
ground beneath a hut compresses itself to form a attack’s total damage. A successful attack resets both
sturdy foundation; falling snow forms a crystalline Exalt and familiar to base Initiative; they both lose
shell atop an igloo. This Charm wards an enclosed Initiative on a missed attack. If the familiar’s attack
shelter, such as a cave or hut, that’s large enough to incapacitates a nontrivial opponent or deals enough
comfortably house herself, her Hearth, and up to damage to a battle group to reduce its Size, both it and
(Essence) other characters. This takes around an hour the Exalt add +2 to base Initiative on resetting.
to complete. This Charm has the aspect of whichever
element the Exalt called upon to fortify her shelter. Eternal Elemental Harmony
Up to five Dragon-Blooded who know this Charm can
cooperate to erect this shelter. Each additional Exalt Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 3
adds 1 to the effective Essence of the user to determine Type: Reflexive
the shelter’s maximum size, and allows the shelter to Keywords: Perilous
protect against an additional element. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Invoking Nature’s Forgiveness
Characters within the shelter are protected from
environmental hazards and other wilderness perils The Dragon-Blood is one with the five elements, capa-
related to the chosen element. For example, if the Exalt ble of dancing with lightning and walking through wild-
fortifies a cave with Air Essence, even hurricane winds fires. This Charm can be used upon failing a roll against
can’t pass through the cavern mouth, while a shelter an environmental hazard. The Exalt rolls (Stamina +
fortified with Earth Essence withstands rockslides and Survival). Every success reduces the hazard’s damage
protects those within. This protection doesn’t extend by one die. If the hazard inflicts no damage on the Exalt,
to elemental magic or attacks used by characters. she gains a point of temporary Willpower. This Charm’s
elemental aspect is that which most closely matches the
At Essence 5, if the Dragon-Blooded enhances a shelter nature of the hazard it’s used to protect against.
while in the bordermarches or middlemarches of the
Wyld, it protects its inhabits from any physical or men- If the Dragon-Blood is in the Elemental Aura that
tal effects of the Wyld. It offers no protection once she matches this Charm’s aspect, the duration of its pro-
reaches the deep Wyld. tection lasts for as long as she remains in Aura, sub-
tracting dice of damage based on her initial roll. She
can only gain Willpower once, even if she withstands
Uncanny Fugitive’s Intuition
multiple hazards without taking damage.
Cost: 1m; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Air Labyrinth of Mist Technique
Duration: Instant Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Survival 5, Essence 4
Prerequisite Charms: Vanishing Tracks Technique Type: Simple
Keywords: Air/Water, Mute
A master hunter knows when she becomes hunted. When Duration: Instant
a character fails an opposed roll to track the Dragon-Blood, Prerequisite Charms: Uncanny Fugitive’s Intuition,
she intuits that someone is pursuing her, and discerns Tireless Caravan Prana
a general sense of distance and direction to his current
location. Those who chase after the Dragon-Blood may as well
hunt phantoms. She rolls to conceal her tracks with
double 8s. Additionally, a character that fails the roll be-
Burning Fang Strike
comes lost in the wilderness he’s tracking her through,
Cost: 3m, 3i, expend Fire Aura; Mins: Survival 5, chasing the Exalt’s false trails until he loses all sense of
Essence 3 location and bearing. Escaping the wilderness requires
Type: Reflexive a difficulty 5 (Wits + Survival) roll to locate a path lead-
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Fire ing out. On a failed roll, that character must wait until
Duration: Instant the next day before he can retry it. This doesn’t prevent
Prerequisite Charms: Mother-of-Beasts Mastery him from using magic to ascertain his location or to find
a way out without needing to make a Survival roll.

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Thrown The Dragon-Blood grinds a nail against her weapon

or palm, sending a cascade of sparks into the eyes of
Seeking Throw Technique an unfortunate foe. This is a difficulty 3 gambit against
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Thrown 1, Essence 1 an enemy out to medium range. Success blinds him for
Type: Supplemental three rounds. He may pay two Initiative to roll (Stamina +
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Excellency, Uniform Resistance) against difficulty 3 as a miscellaneous action
Duration: Instant that can’t be flurried, regaining his eyesight on success.
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Dragon-Blood may expend her Fire Aura when
she crashes an enemy using any combat Ability to use
The Dragon-Blood’s hostile intent stirs up a current of this Charm against him reflexively.
wind that guides her weapon to its victim. A thrown
knife might change trajectory in midair to strike an Venomous Thorn Attack
enemy hidden behind a tree, wall, or similar cover. Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 1
She may add bonus dice on a Thrown roll for one mote Type: Reflexive
each, and ignores the Defense bonus of enemies in Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
light cover. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
In Air Aura, if the Dragon-Blood aims before attacking,
she may ignore one point of Defense bonus from heavy
cover. Venom drips from the Dragon-Blood’s blades. She re-
flexively poisons her weapon as she makes a decisive
Armor-Rupturing Fang
 attack, even if it lacks the Poisonable tag. This Charm’s
Cost: 3m; Mins: Thrown 2, Essence 1 Initiative cost is waived for weapons that have that tag.
Type: Supplemental
Arcing Levinbolt Precision
Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth
Duration: Instant Cost: 2m; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2
Prerequisite Charms: None Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Uniform
Duration: Instant
The Dragon-Blood strikes at stress points in a foe’s
Prerequisite Charms: Armor-Rupturing Fang
armor. On a successful decisive attack, her weapon
becomes embedded in her enemy’s armor, lowering
its soak by one point and raising its mobility penalty A flash of lightning precedes the Dragon-Blood’s
by one. Unarmored enemies are unaffected unless the weapon, tracing the path to her foe. An enemy wearing
Storyteller deems the enemy’s body super-durable, metal armor, including armor made from the five mag-
like an automaton’s metal body or a tyrant lizard’s ical materials, applies its mobility penalty to his soak
thick scales. and Hardness against an attack.

Removing the embedded weapon is a Strength 3 feat Earth-Shattering Strike

of strength at difficulty (higher of Essence or Strength) Cost: 4m; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2
that can be attempted by the target or any of his allies Type: Simple
within close range, negating the penalty on success. Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Earth
Duration: Instant
In Earth Aura, the Exalt can embed multiple weapons Prerequisite Charms: Armor-Rupturing Fang
into an enemy’s armor with successive uses of this
Charm. Each weapon’s penalty stacks, maximum The Dragon-Blood’s weapon descends on her foe with
(Essence + 1), and requires a separate action to remove. the force of a hurled boulder. She makes a decisive at-
tack that shatters the ground beneath her target’s feet
Blinding Spark Throw on a hit, creating difficult terrain beneath him.
Cost: 4m; Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 1
Type: Simple Invisibly Hidden Chakram Method
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire Cost: 2m (1m); Mins: Thrown 3, Essence 2
Duration: Instant Type: Simple
Prerequisite Charms: None Keywords: Air, Balanced, Stackable
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: None

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The Dragon-Blood’s weapons vanish in a whirl of wind. providing sufficient concealment to roll Stealth. If the
She banishes a Thrown weapon Elsewhere until she re- Dragon-Blood or any of her allies makes an unexpected
calls it to her hand by ending this Charm. She may stack attack against the same enemy from within the smoke,
this Charm to banish up to (Essence + 1) weapons at a they add a bonus die on both the attack and damage roll.
time, paying only one mote for weapons beyond the first. The smoke dissipates once this Charm ends.

In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood may banish any number With a Thrown 5, Essence 5 repurchase, the Dragon-
of weapons with a single use of this Charm, commit- Blood may pay one Willpower upon landing an attack
ting two motes for the first and one mote for each while in Fire Aura to reflexively roll (Dexterity +
additional weapon. Stealth) to establish concealment within the smoke.

Mela’s Twin Fangs Persistent Hornet Attack

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 2 Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Thrown 5,
Type: Simple Essence 3
Keywords: Air, Aura, Withering-only Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Aura, Signature (Air), Withering-only
Prerequisite Charms: Invisibly Hidden Chakram Duration: One scene
Method Prerequisite Charms: Mela’s Twin Fangs

The Dragon-Blood palms a weapon from Elsewhere as The Dragon-Blood’s weapon takes to the air with a life
she attacks with another weapon, throwing one in the of its own, pursuing her foes like a murderous metal
shadow of the other. To use this Charm, she must have wasp. She makes a withering attack, but doesn’t gain
at least one weapon banished with its prerequisite and any Initiative from it (including Initiative Breaks).
another readied. She makes two withering attacks Instead, if she hits, that Initiative is transferred to her
against a single enemy — one with the readied weapon, weapon, which enters battle as a living weapon carried
and another with the banished weapon, which she on the wind, orbiting the target at close range.
recalls to her hand. She only gains Initiative from the
attack that deals the highest damage. The weapon cannot act until the round after this Charm
is used. The only actions it can take are to reflexively
Elusive Zephyr Strike move, aim, or attack an enemy at close range. The weap-
Cost: 5m; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 2 on uses the Dragon-Blood’s dice pools, but she cannot
Type: Supplemental use Charms or other magic to enhance its actions. The
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Decisive-only weapon has its own separate Initiative, which benefits
Duration: Instant from its withering attacks and determines the damage
Prerequisite Charms: None of its decisive attacks. Upon successfully landing a deci-
sive attack, this Charm ends. If it goes a round without
The Dragon-Blood’s weapon is guided by unseen aiming or landing an attack, it loses three Initiative.
winds, changing course in mid-flight to misdirect a foe.
She doubles 9s on the attack roll of a distract gambit. The weapon has Defense and soak (higher of Essence
or Wits). It can be targeted with withering attacks or
In Air Aura, the Dragon-Blood adds her attack roll knocked out of the air with a successful disarm gambit,
threshold successes as dice to her Initiative roll. ending this Charm.

Smoke Burst Eruption Devastating Avalanche Barrage

Cost: 5m; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 2 Cost: 5m, 4i, 1wp, expend Earth Aura (+1a); Mins:
Type: Supplemental Thrown 5, Essence 3
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire, Mute Type: Simple
Duration: Until end of next turn Keywords: Aura, Perilous, Signature (Earth), Wither-
Prerequisite Charms: Blinding Spark Throw ing-only
Duration: Instant
A shockwave of Essence bursts from the Dragon- Prerequisite Charms: Earth-Shattering Strike
Blood’s weapon, casting up smoke and strewing the
battlefield with debris. A successful decisive attack Stones, debris, and clods of hard-packed earth rise up
creates a smoke cloud out to short range from the target, into the air around the Dragon-Blood and orbit her
weapon as she focuses her Essence, building to an

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unstoppable landslide of force. She makes a withering detonates, adding three dice of decisive damage. She
attack against a single enemy, but also uses her attack may detonate any subsequent attacks that hit for five
roll as an unblockable withering attack against that foe motes each, with the same effect.
and all characters within short range of him (including
allies) as rock fragments and debris trail her weapon. If Fatal Riptide Strike
there’s no usable stone present, the Dragon-Blood may Cost: 5m; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 3
expend a level of anima to manifest it instead. After Type: Supplemental
rolling damage normally for the first attack, she rolls Keywords: Mute, Signature (Water), Uniform
(Strength) dice of unsoakable damage against each Duration: Instant
enemy hit by the second attack roll, although it cannot Prerequisite Charms: None
deal more damage than the first. She gains no Initiative
from the second attack, but characters damaged by it The Dragon-Blood’s anima limns her hands and weap-
are knocked prone. A character crashed by it is buried onry with aqueous Essence, allowing them to move
beneath rubble, and cannot rise from prone until he or through water as though it were air. She ignores pen-
another character has cleared it away with a Strength 3 alties for throwing a weapon from or through water
feat of strength at difficulty (higher of Dragon-Blood’s or similar liquids. Surprise attacks she makes while
Essence or Strength). underwater deal (Essence) additional dice of damage.

This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless Once per scene, when the Dragon-Blood makes an un-
reset by successfully landing a decisive attack from expected attack against an enemy with lower Initiative
Initiative 15+ while in Earth Aura. while underwater, she may pay one Willpower and
expend her Water Aura to convert it to an ambush
Exploding Weapon Technique (Exalted, p. 203).
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 3
Type: Simple Hundred Thorns Blossom
Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Fire) Cost: 5m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 3
Duration: Instant Type: Reflexive
Prerequisite Charms: Smoke Burst Eruption Keywords: Aura, Decisive-only, Signature (Wood)
Duration: Instant
The Terrestrial’s anima pours into her palms as Prerequisite Charms: Elusive Zephyr Strike
burning flames, wreathing her weapon in an aura of
explosive Essence. To use this Charm, the Dragon- The Dragon-Blood draws a foe off guard with lithe,
Blood must have Initiative 12+. She makes a decisive suggestive motions, taking advantage of his wavering
attack that detonates on impact, adding (Essence) dice attention to unleash a deadly barrage of needles or other
of damage and rolling an additional die of damage for concealed weapons from her hair, fingertips, or the back
every 9 and 10 on the damage roll. Artifact weapons of her throat. On her turn, she may force an enemy with
suffer no damage from being used with this Charm, but lower Initiative within short range to roll (Perception +
most mundane weapons are destroyed. Awareness) against her Guile. If he fails, she reflexively
makes an unexpected decisive attack against him with
An Essence 5+ repurchase unlocks two additional (Manipulation + successes by which the enemy failed)
effects that can be used in conjunction with other dice of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness. This doesn’t
Charms. include her Initiative or reset her to base.
Exploding Armor Strike: When the Dragon-Blooded This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
lands a decisive attack enhanced by this Charm against reset by successfully establishing concealment against
an enemy whose armor has been weakened by Armor- all enemies with a Stealth roll.
Piercing Fang (p. 275), she can detonate the embedded
weapons for five motes each, adding three bonus dice Stone Needle Strike
of damage for each additional explosion. Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Rain of Falling Stars: When the Dragon-Blooded Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth
uses Thousand Razor Wind, she may reflexively Duration: Instant
activate Exploding Weapon Technique as a Balanced Prerequisite Charms: Earth-Shattering Strike
Charm without needing to be in Fire Aura. Instead
of this Charm’s usual effect, the first attack that hits

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The Dragon-Blood’s wrath leaves her foes pinned to The Dragon-Blood unleashes her gathered fury in a
the earth. An enemy damaged by her decisive attack storm of deadly steel. She instantly recalls every weap-
loses his movement action on his next turn, and is on she’s banished with Invisibly Hidden Chakram
impaled by her weapon, requiring him or an ally to Method and sends them flying towards a single foe. She
succeed on a Strength 3 feat of strength at difficulty makes a decisive attack with her readied weapon (if
(higher of the Dragon-Blood’s Essence or Strength) any) and with each recalled weapon, making a separate
before he can take any movement actions. attack roll for each weapon. She divides her Initiative
evenly among all attacks, rounded down, to determine
Winter Fang Attack their damage, ignoring Hardness. She doesn’t reset to
Cost: 4m; Mins: Thrown 4, Essence 3 base Initiative until she’s completed all attacks.
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Balanced, Decisive-only Whirlwind Shield Technique
Duration: Instant Cost: 7m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Thrown 5,
Prerequisite Charms: Elusive Zephyr Strike Essence 4
Type: Simple
The Terrestrial’s weapon is chilled by her deadly intent, Keywords: Air, Aura
numbing flesh as it strikes. This Charm can supplement a Duration: One scene
decisive attack or a gambit. If the attack deals damage or Prerequisite Charms: Thousand Razor Wind
the gambit succeeds, the enemy loses Initiative equal to
the 10s on the damage roll or the Initiative roll, maximum Whirling currents of wind swirl around the Exalt, catching
(Essence). The Dragon-Blood doesn’t gain this Initiative. her weapons as she tosses them into the air to create a vor-
tex of deadly steel and whatever rocks, branches, or other
Thousand Razor Wind detritus are caught up in the wind. She rolls the whirlwind
Cost: 1m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Thrown 5, into battle with (Wits + Thrown). It has a Parry rating equal
Essence 3 to half the total successes, rounded up, on its Join Battle
Type: Simple roll (maximum 5), and its only action is to protect the Exalt
Keywords: Air, Aura, Decisive-only with defend other (Exalted, p. 196), moving to accompany
Duration: Instant her wherever she goes. It gains one Initiative whenever it
Prerequisite Charms: Mela’s Twin Fangs successfully defends against an attack.

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The whirlwind shield has soak (Essence + Dexterity War roll for one mote each, and rerolls 6s until they
+ Stamina). Withering attacks against the whirlwind cease to appear.
shield reduce its Initiative normally, while decisive
attacks strip two points of Initiative for each level of Excellence of the Dutiful General
damage, although this isn’t awarded to the attacker. If Cost: 5m; Mins: War 2, Essence 1
the whirlwind is crashed, this Charm ends. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Earth
This Charm can only be used once per scene. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Vengeful Gust Counterstrike
Cost: 3m, 1wp, expend Air Aura; Mins: Thrown 5, The Dragon-Blood strengthens her judgment and stra-
Essence 4 tegic insight with the steadiness and calm of the earth,
Type: Reflexive finding the path that leads to victory. She converts up to
Keywords: Air, Aura, Clash, Decisive-only (Essence) situational bonus dice on a Strategic Maneuver
Duration: Instant roll (Exalted, p. 212) to non-Charm successes.
Prerequisite Charms: Whirlwind Shield Technique
Tireless Footfalls Cadence
The swirling winds surrounding the Dragon-Blood spin Cost: 3m; Mins: War 3, Essence 1
with deadly force, deflecting blades and arrows while Type: Supplemental
gouging deep cuts along her foes. While Whirlwind Keywords: Balanced, Earth
Shield Technique is active, the Dragon-Blood may re- Duration: Instant
flexively clash an attack from out to short range with a Prerequisite Charms: Excellence of the Dutiful
decisive attack, with damage equal to the whirlwind’s General
Initiative. This doesn’t count as her combat action or
reset her to base Initiative. Success resets the whirl- Earth Essence sustains the Dragon-Blood’s soldiers
wind to three Initiative; on a failure, the clashed attack as they march in steady, rhythmic unison. She ignores
strikes the whirlwind instead of the Exalt. penalties from troop fatigue or movement through
strenuous environments on a Strategic Maneuver roll.
Wind Armor Technique
 If she defeats the opposing general on the roll and
Cost: —; Mins: Thrown 5, Essence 4 implements her stratagem, allied battle groups ignore
Type: Permanent fatigue-based penalties for the duration of the fight.
Keywords: Air
Duration: Permanent Roaring Dragon Officer
Prerequisite Charms: Vengeful Gust Counterstrike Cost: 3m; Mins: War 2, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
The Exalt has refined her control of the Whirlwind Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Perilous
Shield Technique to create invisible armor out of swirl- Duration: One turn
ing air. While that Charm is active, she gains Hardness Prerequisite Charms: None
equal to the whirlwind’s Initiative. If the whirlwind’s
Parry blocks an attack from close range, the attacker The Dragon-Blood’s voice echoes across the battlefield
suffers one die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness. as though it were a canyon. She may place a command
This Charm is incompatible with armor. action in a flurry, although not with an attack.

War In Earth Aura, the penalty on both flurried actions is

reduced by one point, and the Dragon-Blood’s Defense
Tactics Mean Everything isn’t penalized.
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: War 1, Essence 1
Blazing Courageous Swordsman Inspiration
Type: Supplemental
Cost: 2m; Mins: War 3, Essence 1
Keywords: Balanced, Earth, Excellency
Type: Supplemental
Duration: Instant
Keywords: Balanced, Fire
Prerequisite Charms: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Roaring Dragon Officer
Wise strategy is the foundation upon which victories
are built. The Dragon-Blood may add bonus dice to a

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The Dragon-Blood leads from the front, a blazing icon A War 5, Essence 5 repurchase allows the Dragon-
that ignites her soldiers’ hearts. She rolls an additional Blood to spend one Willpower after rolling her maneu-
non-Charm die for each 10 that appears on a Charisma- ver, but before rerolling failures, to change her chosen
or Appearance-based command action to give orders. stratagem.

In Fire Aura, bonus dice granted by the Dragon-Blood’s Storm-Calling Strategos

command also add to the battle group’s Willpower Cost: 10m, 1wp (5i); Mins: War 5, Essence 3
rolls to resist being routed this round (Exalted, p. 209). Type: Simple
Keywords: Signature (Air)
Army-To-Mob Assault Duration: Until stratagem is completed
Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: War 3, Essence 2 Prerequisite Charms: None
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous, Water, Withering-only The Dragon-Blood commands the skies themselves,
Duration: Instant calling down bolts of lightning to smite her enemies and
Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Courageous Swordsman darkening the horizon with storm clouds that precede
Inspiration her armies. This Charm creates a unique magical strat-
agem with threshold 3 to manipulate weather, forcing
The Dragon-Blood overwhelms enemy forces with the enemy to contend with storms or similarly perilous
tactics designed to spread confusion and chaos. atmospheric conditions. Once the Dragon-Blood Joins
When an allied battle group attacks an enemy battle Battle against the opposing army, the harsh weather
group under the Dragon-Blood’s orders, she converts culminates in a thunderstorm, gale-force wind, heavy
(Manipulation) bonus dice granted to the battle group’s snowfall, or other extreme weather. This imposes a
attack by her command to automatic successes. If this −3 environmental penalty on all physical actions that
empties the enemy battle group’s Magnitude, add +1 to enemy battle groups take in combat. Non–battle group
the difficulty of its roll to resist rout. enemies may suffer a −1 environmental penalty on
appropriate actions. The weather doesn’t impede the
Choking Weeds Tactic Dragon-Blood or her allies.
Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: War 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental At the beginning of each round, if the Dragon-Blood
Keywords: Wood has 12+ Initiative, she may pay five Initiative to reflex-
Duration: Instant ively create an instantaneous environmental hazard
Prerequisite Charms: Army-To-Mob Assault targeting a single battle group — a bolt of lightning, an
avalanche, or similar dangers. This hazard has diffi-
The Dragon-Blood strangles an enemy army with culty (higher of Essence or Intelligence) and Damage
guerrilla raids on supply lines and base camps, forcing (Willpower)L. If this deals enough Magnitude damage
them to fight on empty stomachs while her soldiers to reduce the battle group to Size 0, the Dragon-Blood
enjoy the windfall of stolen supplies. When she rolls gains one point of temporary Willpower.
a Strategic Maneuver, the threshold of the opposing
general’s stratagem is increased by 1. This Charm can only be used once per story, unless
reset by achieving a cumulative total bonus of +4 on
If the Dragon-Blood successfully enacts her stratagem, a Strategic Maneuver roll from any combination of
enemy battle groups suffer a −3 penalty on their Join non-magical sources.
Battle rolls in the affected fight.
Ramparts of Obedient Earth
Changing Winds Cunning Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 3
Cost: 3m; Mins: War 4, Essence 2 Type: Supplemental
Type: Supplemental Keywords: Signature (Earth)
Keywords: Air, Balanced Duration: One scene
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None
Prerequisite Charms: Tireless Footfalls Cadence
The battlefield is clay to be sculpted in accordance
When the wind of battle reverses direction, the Terrestrial with the tactical genius of the Terrestrial general. To
adapts her strategy at a moment’s notice. She rerolls use this Charm, the Dragon-Blood must be leading her
(Essence) non-1 failed dice on a Strategic Maneuver roll. soldiers. She may roll to Join Battle with (Intelligence
+ War), and receives a number of points equal to her

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Join Battle successes that she may spend to reshape Reshape Battlefield (10 points): If the Dragon-Blood has
the battlefield: successfully enacted a Strategic Placement stratagem
(Exalted, p. 212), she may resculpt the battlefield to her
Sinkhole (1-5 points): The Dragon-Blood tears open a specifications, preparing it before the battle and ensuring
sinkhole between the ranks of an enemy army or sculpts her enemy will fight her there. She might prepare rows of
stone into a constricting obstruction. The ground out trenches and fortified towers of earth for her own forces,
to close range from an enemy battle group becomes while forcing her enemy to traverse pits filled with stone
difficult terrain, and the battle group acts last on the spikes, narrow stone tunnels, and similar obstacles. The
first turn regardless of its place in Initiative order. The Storyteller adjudicates the specific effects of these cre-
point cost is the Size of the battle group targeted. ations. She cannot directly harm foes with the moving
stone, although she can create all types of traps and dangers.
Barricade (4 point): The Dragon-Blood wrenches
up great masses of earth and compresses them into Deadly Wildfire Legion
barriers or walls, instantly enacting a Fortifications Cost: 5m, 1wp, expend Fire Aura; Mins: War 5,
stratagem (Exalted, p. 212). Essence 3
Type: Supplemental
Sapping (7 points): If an enemy general has success- Keywords: Aura, Signature (Fire)
fully employed a Fortifications stratagem, the Dragon- Duration: Instant
Blood may negate its benefits by tunneling through Prerequisite Charms: None
earth and stone, or otherwise creating ways to bypass
the fortifications. The Dragon-Blood’s forces don’t
A raging nimbus of flames surrounds the Dragon-
treat the terrain as difficult, and may reflexively ad-
Blood’s forces, manifesting her martial prowess as she
vance one range band towards the enemy forces. The
urges them onward. Deadly flames dance along the
Storyteller may also adjudicate additional advantages
edges of their swords and the points of their spears as
depending on the context of the battlefield.
they charge. She adds (Essence) non-Charm dice on a

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command action to give orders. In addition to adding Hidden Thorn Treachery

to the battle group’s attack roll, this also adds one die Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 3
to its damage roll for every two successes. The battle Type: Simple
group may immediately take its turn for the round to Keywords: Signature (Wood)
complete the orders on her tick if it hasn’t already act- Duration: Until stratagem is completed
ed this round, regardless of its place in Initiative order. Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless The Dragon-Blood scatters her spies like dandelion seeds
reset when an allied battle group attacks under the on the wind, letting them grow deep roots of trust amid the
Dragon-Blood’s orders and deals enough damage to ranks of her enemy before she comes to reap the harvest.
incapacitate a significant foe, or successfully routs an This Charm creates a unique magical stratagem with
enemy battle group by depleting its Magnitude. threshold 3 to infiltrate an enemy’s ranks with a traitor in
combat. To use it, the Dragon-Blood must already have at
Fog-of-War Misdirection
least a +1 bonus to her Strategic Maneuver roll from spies
Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 3 or traitors in the enemy’s ranks. Success lets her reflexively
Type: Simple reveal the presence of her loyal double agent within a battle
Keywords: Mute, Signature (Water) group at any point during the combat the stratagem applies
Duration: Until stratagem is completed to. The Storyteller may rule some betrayals impossible, or
Prerequisite Charms: None require a stunt in which the Dragon-Blood describes how
the infiltration occurred. Battle groups with Might 2+ or
The Dragon-Blooded general lures her enemies into bat- perfect morale are immune to infiltration via this stratagem.
tle within the depths of an eerie fogbank, trapping them
within a prison of water. This Charm creates a unique Once she’s declared the betrayal, the battle group suffers au-
magical stratagem with threshold 3 that shrouds the bat- tomatic rout, as its most notable or highest-ranking member
tlefield with a heavy mist, forcing enemies to fight against is revealed to be loyal to the Dragon-Blood. If this character
the confusion and disarray amid their own ranks before is narratively significant on his own and his defection would
they can even contend with her forces. defy suspension of disbelief, the Storyteller may declare
that another member is the traitor instead. If an opposing
When the Dragon-Blood rolls Join Battle after success- commander is able to successfully rally the battle group, he
fully enacting this stratagem, she designates a point on preserves a single dot of that battle group’s Size for every two
the battlefield to be the center of the fog. The cloud ex- successes on the roll. The rest are subtracted from the group
tends out to long range from this point. The fog imposes and rolled into battle as a splinter faction loyal to the traitor.
a −2 penalty on all affected vision-based rolls and on any If the battle group isn’t rallied, then the entire force goes over
attacks made from medium range or beyond. with the traitor, reforming on its next turn.
Enemy battle groups caught in the fog take a −1 penalty Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings
on rolls to resist rout. A character that wishes to target Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: War 4, Essence 3
them with a command action must pay one Initiative Type: Reflexive
to do so, and takes a −2 penalty on the roll. Keywords: Earth, Perilous, Uniform
Duration: Instant
If a battle group suffers dissolution after being routed
Prerequisite Charms: Tireless Footfalls Cadence
in the mist, the Dragon-Blood gains Initiative equal to
(its Size/2, rounded up). The Dragon-Blood cannot gain
more than (Essence) Initiative in a single round this way. The Dragon-Blood’s soldiers brace themselves to hold
the line, fortified with the strength of mountains by her
Normal winds and weather conditions won’t disperse command. When an allied battle group within short
the mist, but magically created wind or weather-ma- range of the Dragon-Blood is attacked, she may reflex-
nipulating magic, including the intervention of ele- ively roll a special command action with ([Charisma,
mentals, can do so. Appearance, or Intelligence] + War). Every two suc-
cesses on her roll add +1 to the battle group’s Defense
This Charm can only be used once per story, unless and soak against the attack.
the Dragon-Blooded resets it by roleplaying a scene in
which she gains a concrete advantage over an enemy This Charm can only be used once per scene unless
that adds dice to a Strategic Maneuver roll (Exalted, p. reset by successfully rallying or rallying for numbers.
212) through deception, subterfuge, or treachery.

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At Essence 5+, the Dragon-Blooded can extend this Duration: Instant

Charm’s range to medium for an additional two motes. Prerequisite Charms: Phantom Fire-Warrior Horde

Phantom Fire-Warrior Horde The Dragon-Blood ignites incredible courage in the

Cost: 5m, 1a; Mins: War 5, Essence 3 hearts of her soldiers with the burning Essence of her ex-
Type: Supplemental hortations, showing her army what it is to have a dragon’s
Keywords: Fire valor. She doubles 9s on a roll to rally or rally for numbers.
Duration: Instant If the battle group has elite Drill, she can pay a one-Will-
Prerequisite Charms: Blazing Courageous Swordsman power surcharge to grant it perfect morale (Exalted, p.
Inspiration 210) for one round on a successful roll.

The Dragon-Blood draws on the subtler strengths of At Essence 5, the Dragon-Blooded may pay 4 Initiative
flame, overwhelming enemy forces with the appear- to extend the duration of the perfect morale to one
ance of superior force. Her anima banner disperses scene.
among the ranks of her soldiers, creating illusionary
warriors of smoke to fill in any holes in their ranks. Blessed Dragon Champion
When she successfully rallies for numbers, she adds Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: War 5, Essence 4
(Essence/2, rounded up) to the Magnitude restored. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Aura, Earth
The Dragon-Blood also treats the results of her roll as Duration: One scene
a threaten action against all battle groups that see the Prerequisite Charms: Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings
fire-warriors come into existence. Battle groups whose
Resolve is beaten will retreat from her army, moving When the Dragon-Blood steps forward to lead her
away from it each turn until an enemy commander forces into battle, she never stands alone. To use this
makes a successful command roll to give them other Charm, she must be leading her soldiers under a suc-
orders. cessfully enacted stratagem. She doubles 9s on all War
rolls, and gains +2 Defense against battle groups. She
Indomitable Flame of Valor adds non-Charm dice equal to (the Size of the largest
Cost: 1m (+1wp); Mins: War 5, Essence 3 battle group under her command) on all attacks she
Type: Supplemental makes against enemy battle groups.
Keywords: Aura, Fire

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Realm Year 768
Cynis Cogen hiked up a scarred Northern mountainside, following a stream in the morning sunlight.
Stumps of clearcut forest gave way to a copse untouched by axes, ringed by curtains of red-blooming
vines that twitched coyly away from the old man’s fingers. Cogen followed the stream further uphill,
and found it running beneath a pavilion of latticed tree branches, surrounded by moldering barley and
charred elkmeat. He’d found the heretics’ shrine.
Cogen stepped over the offerings and entered, pulling his hat low against the wind whistling through
the shrine. He knelt under rustling vines and waited. Gods moved in their own time, and Cogen wasn’t
hurried yet. The ever-changing song of running water kept him focused. When the sun was overhead,
Cogen drew an apple from his satchel. He savored it to its core as the sun fled west.
In late afternoon, the god sought his attention. A dust devil arose, drawing in petals and vines to become
a country skirt and ruffled sleeves. The god Almgava took on flesh as firm and healthy as a sapling, and
hair of golden wheat. They gave a bow of welcome, and said in a voice like laughter, “You please me,
old man. I sense you’ve sown much in your years, in many fruitful fields. Seek you a blessing to renew
youth’s vigor?”
Cogen laughed and removed his roughly made grass hat, to show the god his shaven pate. “To the
dismay of many, as of late I no longer sow. And I hear your blessings are costly.” He smiled gently. “I
come as one person of the world to another, asking only that you do the duty the Dragons gave you.”
Almgava raised their chin and arched their brow. “Lecture me not, venerable meddler. I sought no truck
with mortals; I was sufficient before their gifts, their prayers. If they beg me to bless this crop or that
belly, shall I leave them barren? If I can soothe them, shall I leave them desolate?” The god held their
palms out toward Cogen. “I am health, bounty, beauty. Why shouldn’t mortals crave my touch? Why
wouldn’t you?”
Cogen meant to argue, or to rise to his feet, but did neither. Almgava moved toward him and laid a hand
like a summer breeze on Cogen’s cheek. A joyous, lustful flame flared to life in Cogen’s heart and belly,
and his head forgot reason. But his hand sought the stream flowing beside, and from its icy touch Cogen
drew clarity. He remembered his oaths, his purpose, and his training.
Cogen surged upward, striking the god’s chest thrice to soften the flesh Almgava wore, then once
more to reverse the flow of sustaining Essence beneath. Almgava reeled back, choking, eyes wide
with horror. They hadn’t truly known breath in all their ageless years until now, when they knew
breathlessness.
“Bounteous harvests should arise from honest work, not Almgava’s whims,” said Cogen, diverting his
upward momentum into assuming a fluid, adaptive stance. “Nearby villages feud over your favor, and
forget their fields. What they — what we crave isn’t what we need.”
The god clawed the air, and vines snaked downward to bind Cogen. He breathed in and out like the tide,
and his body was as the sea: flowing around every obstacle, impossible to grasp, and ever returning
to the shore. With each dodge, Cogen landed another body-blow, and added another principle to his
lecture.
“Shun interference; mortals have their own duties and troubles! Shun idleness; care for Creation is the
gods’ way! Shun greed; the Immaculate Order provides your worship!”
“I yield!” croaked Almgava. Vines hung limply throughout the shrine. The god cowered and heaved,
struggling to calm the churning Essence within.
“Good, good,” said Cogen, standing over Almgava, calm and kind as the ocean’s surface. “But will you
obey?”

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 Chapter Eight

Martial Arts
and Sorcery
Immaculate Martial Arts as she’s in any Martial Arts Form, she may expend the
Aura of the mastered style’s element to ignore the re-
After the last bloody days of the Usurpation, the vic- strictions of the Terrestrial keyword (Exalted, p. 427)
torious Dragon-Blooded set out to claim dominion on all her Martial Arts Charms for one tick.
over Creation, bearing the sanction of the nascent
Immaculate teachings. But they lacked the Lawgivers’
all-conquering might, and the small gods of the world
Air Dragon Style
defied them, whether out of loyalty to the fallen Solars To practice Air Dragon style is to be the wind: elusive,
or their own selfish opportunism. To tame the unruly intangible, omnipresent, and devastating in its fury.
world, the greatest Terrestrial martial artists and their Its students train in acrobatics to cultivate an intuitive
Sidereal sifus created the Five Immaculate Dragon awareness of their body’s own movements, and master
styles, martial arts that perfectly exemplify the ele- breath control to lighten the body and walk silently.
mental Essence of the Dragon-Blooded. Immaculate Unlike the other Immaculate styles, Air Dragon stylists
monks who master one of these styles transcend the strike from afar, throwing chakrams to claim their foes’
limitations of Dragon-Blooded martial arts prowess, heads.
and are feared by demons, ghosts, and wayward gods
alike. Air Dragon Weapons: Air Dragon unarmed attacks are
chops and spinning kicks. They also use the chakram, which
The Immaculate styles differ from other martial arts in can either be thrown as a ranged weapon or wielded at close
the following ways: range as a light weapon. Unarmed attacks enhanced by Air
Dragon Charms can be stunted to deal lethal damage.
• Like Dragon-Blooded Charms, the Charms of
each Immaculate style have an elemental aspect, Armor: This style is compatible with light armor.
and can benefit from Elemental Aura (p. 162).
These don’t allow non-Dragon-Blooded to enter Complementary Abilities: Occult is used for battling
Elemental Auras. spirits, while Dodge and Stealth are used to evade and
outmaneuver foes.
• The Immaculate styles are intensely demanding.
While anyone can learn the fundamentals of the Air Dragon’s Sight
styles, their Charms can only be learned by the Cost: 1m, 1i; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Dragon-Blooded and by other martial artists that Type: Reflexive
aren’t restricted by the Terrestrial keyword, such Keywords: Air, Perilous
as Solars and Sidereals. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
• Because of their perfect harmony with Dragon-
Blooded Essence, the Immaculate styles lack Reading her foe’s movements through the slight distur-
both the Terrestrial and Mastery keywords. bances they create in the air, the Immaculate could dodge
his attacks blindfolded. She ignores (Perception/2,
• Once a Dragon-Blood has learned the Form Charm of
rounded up) total points of onslaught penalties or
an Immaculate Dragon style, she may harmonize that
environmental penalties to her Evasion. Additionally,
style’s elemental Essence with her martial arts. As long

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WHERE DO I LEARN THEM?

The vast majority of Dragon-Blooded Immaculates train in the Cloister of Wisdom (p. 86), but it’s not the only
source of tutelage. Immaculate monks occasionally mentor lay Dragon-Blooded who hold the Order’s favor.
Beyond the Realm, Lookshy’s Immaculate Faith and Prasad’s Pure Way provide instruction in the styles, as
do the Sidereal Exalted. Renegade ex-Immaculates teach in heretical dojos, while lost scrolls and training
manuals of the Shogunate offer instruction to whoever finds them.

surprise attacks (Exalted, p. 203) inflict no penalty to In Air Aura, the Immaculate may flurry a disengage
her Evasion, though she can’t dodge ambushes. with an aim action. This allows her to move and aim
on the same turn, but only benefits Air Dragon attacks.
In Air Aura, the Immaculate ignores (Perception)
points of penalties instead. Breath-Seizing Technique
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Cloud-Treading Method Type: Simple
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 Keywords: Air, Decisive-only
Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant
Keywords: Air, Mute Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon’s Sight
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None The Immaculate forces the air from her enemy’s lungs,
denying him Mela’s precious gift. To use this Charm,
Following in Mela’s footsteps, the Immaculate walks the Immaculate must have Initiative 12+. She makes a
paths closed to her earthbound brethren. She ignores decisive attack against an enemy. Before rolling decisive
(higher of Essence or 3) total points of penalties from damage, she rolls (her weapon’s Overwhelming) dice of
moving through difficult terrain, moving in conceal- unsoakable withering damage. She doesn’t gain Initiative
ment, or any other environmental penalties on a move- from this damage roll; if she crashes her enemy, the
ment action. She can traverse surfaces that couldn’t Initiative Break is added before she rolls decisive damage
normally bear her weight, such as tree branches or rice and resets to base. Beings that don’t need to breathe, such
paper, although she must end her movement on stable as zombies and automatons, are unaffected. If an enemy
footing. that takes withering damage from this attack is holding
his breath (Exalted, p. 232), the total number of rounds
In Air Aura, the Immaculate may walk over liquid or he may do so for is reduced by one.
any vapor other than thin air, such as the smoke from
a campfire. She must still end her movement on solid Essence is the breath of spirits, rendering them espe-
ground. cially vulnerable to this technique. They lose motes
equal to the withering damage they suffer.
Wind Dragon Speed
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2 Air Dragon Form
Type: Reflexive Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Keywords: Air Type: Simple
Duration: Instant Keywords: Air, Form, Mute
Prerequisite Charms: Cloud-Treading Method Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Breath-Seizing Technique,
The Immaculate moves with wind-rivaling grace, Wind Dragon Speed
striking and instantly regaining her balance and com-
posure. She may flurry a disengage with an attack, The Immaculate’s hands cut through the air as she ex-
ignoring the usual flurry penalties. If she successfully ecutes a rapid kata and draws a deep cleansing breath,
disengages and ends her movement at short range or respiring the Essence of the Air Dragon. Her wither-
further from all enemies, not counting crashed foes ing chakram attacks are treated as made from close
or trivial characters, she doesn’t lose Initiative for range to determine their Accuracy bonus, regardless of
disengaging. the actual distance. She gains +1 Evasion, and adds an
automatic success on disengage rolls and Stealth rolls.

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Special activation rules: When the Immaculate deals Avenging Wind Strike
enough withering damage to lower a foe’s Initiative Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
from a rating higher than her own to a lower rating, Type: Supplemental
she may reflexively enter this Form. Keywords: Air, Decisive-only
Duration: Instant
Shroud of Unseen Winds Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon Form
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental The Immaculate’s strike is Mela’s exhalation, driving
Keywords: Air, Mute, Perilous her foes back with the force of fivefold winds. She dou-
Duration: Instant bles 10s on a decisive damage roll. If she deals damage,
Prerequisite Charms: Air Dragon Form she may knock her enemy prone and hurl him one
range band away from her. With 3+ levels of damage,
Silent and light on her feet, the Immaculate moves she may hurl him two range bands instead. He cannot
unseen. She adds (Essence) dice on a Stealth roll, or be flung further than long range from the Immaculate.
(Essence) successes at Initiative 12+. With an appro-
priate stunt, such as throwing a flash bomb or handful In Air Aura, any damage is enough to knock an enemy
of blinding powder, she may roll Stealth even if there’s back two range bands. With 5+ levels, the Immaculate
no place to hide. may knock an enemy back three range bands.

In Air Aura, the Immaculate adds successes instead of Lightning Strike Style
dice as long as she isn’t crashed, and needs no stunt to Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
enter concealment, vanishing into thin air. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Air, Decisive-only

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Duration: Instant The player rolls (Initiative/3, rounded up) dice of damage
Prerequisite Charms: Avenging Winds Strike against each hit enemy, plus (Perception) dice against each
enemy against whom the attack was unexpected. Trivial
Blue-white flickers of electricity arc across the Immaculate’s opponents suffer the Immaculate’s (full Initiative) damage.
weapon or limbs, lancing out in a brilliant stroke of lightning
as she strikes. She extends the range of her decisive attack In Air Aura, if the attack hits every enemy in the range band,
by one range band (maximum long) and adds (Essence + the Immaculate adds the number of nontrivial enemies hit
Strength) attack roll extra successes as dice of damage. Her to her base Initiative upon resetting, maximum +(Essence).
attack ignores Hardness from metal armor, including those
made from the five magical materials. Wrathful Winds Kiai
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
In Air Aura, the Immaculate’s attack also ignores cover Type: Simple
(Exalted, p. 199) from metallic objects or structures, Keywords: Air, Withering-only
passing through them in a flash of lightning. Even ene- Duration: Instant
mies in full cover from such structures can be attacked Prerequisite Charms: Thunderclap Kata
if the Immaculate can see them, but receive +3 Defense.
Echoing the awful roar with which Mela rules Creation’s
Thunderclap Kata storms, the Immaculate gives a ferocious shout that
Cost: 7m, 5i; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 strikes like a gale-force blast. She rolls (Stamina + Martial
Type: Simple Arts) as a special unblockable withering attack against all
Keywords: Air, Perilous characters in a ninety-degree arc out to medium range,
Duration: Instant including allies. The attack doesn’t use a weapon; it has
Prerequisite Charms: Avenging Winds Strike no Accuracy bonus, and has raw damage (Strength +
Initiative + threshold successes) against each hit enemy,
Slamming her hands together, the Immaculate creates a minimum (Strength). Damaged enemies are knocked
deafening thunderclap. All other characters in medium back one range band and fall prone; enemies crashed by
range, including allies, must roll (Stamina + Resistance) the attack can’t take a move action on their next turn.
against it as an environmental hazard with difficulty
(Essence + 1), Damage (Strength/2, rounded up)B. The The Immaculate doesn’t gain any Initiative from this
shockwave strikes dematerialized characters as well as withering damage. Each 10 on a damage roll against an
materialized ones, and has (Strength)B Damage against enemy rolls a die of decisive bashing damage against
spirits. This technique can be heard for miles around, him, ignoring Hardness. Spirits instead suffer dice of
but doesn’t affect characters beyond medium range. decisive damage equal to the total withering damage
dealt to them, and can be struck even if dematerialized.
Special activation rules: If the Immaculate enters Air
Dragon Form with Initiative 20+, she may reflexively This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
use Thunderclap Kata. reset by incapacitating a nontrivial foe.

Tornado Offense Technique Hurricane Combat Method

Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 Cost: —(+6m, 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple Type: Permanent
Keywords: Air, Decisive-only Keywords: Air
Duration: Instant Duration: Permanent
Prerequisite Charms: Lightning Strike Style Prerequisite Charms: Shroud of Unseen Winds,
Tornado Offense Technique, Wrathful Winds Kiai
The Immaculate is a deadly whirlwind, scything down
foes with a spinning strike. The Immaculate chooses a Honing her speed and reflexes beyond their utmost,
range band within her weapon’s range and rolls a single the Immaculate unleashes the hurricane. Upon enter-
decisive attack against all enemies at that range from ing Air Dragon Form, she may pay six motes and one
her — she might deliver a spinning kick to all enemies Willpower to enhance it. Its Evasion bonus increases
in close range, or send a chakram flying to strike all to +2, and she doubles 9s on Stealth and movement
enemies at medium range. If she wishes to attack at rolls. Once per round, she may pay five Initiative to
medium range or further, she must first spend a round reflexively make a withering or decisive attack that
aiming, as usual. doesn’t count as her attack for the round, and can be
used to clash attacks against her.

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Earth Dragon Style In Earth Aura, she adds (higher of Essence or Strength)
raw withering damage.
Earth Dragon style tempers overwhelming force with
meticulous deliberation, moving slowly and surely Stillness-of-Stone Atemi
with every technique. Students undergo training Cost: 2m (+1i per point of penalty); Mins: Martial Arts
regimens that strengthen the body, hardening fists 3, Essence 2
through hours spent striking barrels of gravel and Type: Supplemental
learning to ignore their pain by sleeping on beds of Keywords: Earth, Withering-only
nails. This training tempers them into nigh-invincible Duration: Instant
warriors who can stand toe to toe with unruly gods and Prerequisite Charms: Force of the Mountain
Anathema, withstanding deadly blows and answering
in kind with their mighty tetsubos. The staggering force of the Immaculate’s blow teaches
her enemies what it is to bear the world’s weight. Her
Earth Dragon Weapons: Earth Dragon unarmed withering attack gains +1 Overwhelming. For each
attacks are solid, powerful strikes delivered with the 10 on the damage roll, the Immaculate may pay one
elbows, knees, or two-handed hammer blows. This Initiative to raise her foe’s mobility penalty (Exalted,
style also uses tetsubos. Unarmed attacks enhanced p. 591) by one until the end of his next turn, maximum
by Earth Dragon Charms can be stunted to deal lethal (Essence). An enemy crashed by the attack suffers this
damage. penalty until he recovers from crash, if that’s longer.

Armor: This style is compatible with all armor. In Earth Aura, the Immaculate may also pay Initiative
for 9s on her damage roll to inflict penalties.
Complementary Abilities: Occult is used to battle
spirits, while Athletics is employed in feats of strength. Unmoving Mountain Stance
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Stone Dragon’s Skin Type: Reflexive
Cost: 5m, 1i; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1 Keywords: Dual, Earth, Perilous
Type: Reflexive Duration: Instant
Keywords: Dual, Earth, Perilous Prerequisite Charms: Stone Dragon’s Skin
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None Motionless as a statue, the Immaculate stubbornly re-
fuses to yield ground to her enemies. After being hit by
Unbowed by pain, the Immaculate withstands blow an attack, but before damage is rolled, she may use this
after blow. She ignores (Stamina/2, rounded up) points Charm. The Initiative her attacker would gain from with-
of wound penalties to her Parry. Against withering ering damage is reduced by (her Stamina/2, rounded up),
attacks, she adds (higher of Essence or 3) natural soak; although this doesn’t negate the Initiative he gains for
against decisive attacks, she adds +1 to her Hardness hitting her or the Initiative Break for crashing her.
from armor or other magic.
Smash attacks (Exalted, p. 586) or other attacks that
This Charm costs one mote less in medium armor, and forcibly move the Immaculate fail to do so unless they
two motes less in light armor. While unarmored, it deal at least (Stamina + Resistance) withering damage
costs two motes less and the Initiative cost is waived. or (Stamina) decisive damage.

Force of the Mountain In Earth Aura, the Immaculate denies her attacker
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 (Stamina) Initiative, and adds (Essence) to the mini-
Type: Supplemental mum damage that must be dealt to knock her back.
Keywords: Dual, Earth
Duration: Instant Earth Dragon Form
Prerequisite Charms: None Cost: 9m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
The Immaculate draws strength from her firm stance. Keywords: Earth, Form
She adds (lower of Essence or Strength) dice of raw Duration: One scene
withering damage, or doubles 10s on a decisive dam- Prerequisite Charms: Stillness-of-Stone Atemi,
age roll. Additionally, an unarmed attack gains the Unmoving Mountain Stance
Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586).

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The Immaculate moves through slow and deliberate her to base Initiative as long as at least one enemy is hit.
katas as though the air were stone carved by her move-
ments, crafting a perfect stance. She adds (Strength/2, This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
rounded up) bonus dice on attack rolls of smash attacks reset by crashing a nontrivial foe while he’s prone.
or attacks against prone enemies. She adds (Strength)
natural soak. Shattering Fist Strike
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Special activation rules: When an enemy whose Type: Supplemental
Initiative is lower than the Immaculate’s hits her with Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth
an attack, she may reflexively enter this Form, gaining Duration: Instant
its soak bonus against withering attacks. Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form

Ghost-Grounding Blow The Immaculate’s raw power is all the mightier for her
Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 precision, striking a weapon’s weakest point to shatter
Type: Reflexive it. Her disarm gambit destroys a mundane weapon on
Keywords: Earth, Perilous, Withering-only a success. Alternatively, she may supplement a feat of
Duration: Instant demolition (Exalted, p. 229), doubling 9s and complet-
Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form ing in a miscellaneous action what would normally
take longer, such as punching through a brick wall.
Corrupt gods and truculent spirits must bow their
faces into the earth until they have learned humility. The Immaculate may expend her Earth Aura to tar-
After crashing a spirit with a withering attack, the get an artifact weapon with a supplemented disarm
Immaculate may use this Charm. The spirit instantly gambit, adding its rating to the gambit’s difficulty.
materializes at no cost if dematerialized, and cannot Success fractures the weapon, breaking its wielder’s
dematerialize or use the Hurry Home Charm until attunement and rendering the artifact unusable until
(Immaculate’s Strength) rounds have passed after it repaired (Exalted, p. 242). Such repair projects only
recovers from crash. require a single successful roll, rather than an extend-
ed action.
Earthshaker Attack
Cost: 10m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 Weapon-Breaking Defense Technique
Type: Simple Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth Type: Reflexive
Duration: Instant Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Earth
Prerequisite Charms: Earth Dragon Form Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Shattering Fist Strike
The ground trembles beneath the Immaculate’s blow as
she drives her tetsubo or stomping foot into the ground. The fool who proclaims he’ll slay the mountain can
To use this Charm, the Immaculate must have Initiative only blame himself when he returns home with a
15+. She makes a single decisive attack roll against all other broken sword. The Immaculate reflexively clashes
characters in short range, including allies. This attack is un- an attack from close range with a disarm gambit that
blockable, undodgeable, and can’t be clashed. Instead, each benefits from Shattering Fist Strike. This doesn’t count
character in range must make a (Dexterity + Athletics) op- as her combat action for the round. Winning the clash
posed roll against the Immaculate’s attack to maintain his adds her attack roll threshold successes to the gambit’s
balance. A character who fails is knocked prone and suffers Initiative roll. This Charm can’t clash unarmed attacks
(Strength) dice of bashing damage, ignoring Hardness. This or other attacks that have the Natural tag.
doesn’t include the Immaculate’s Initiative or reset her to
base. Battle groups with Might 0 fail the roll automatically. In Earth Aura, the Immaculate may clash to fracture
Enemies that take 3+ levels of damage are knocked back artifact weapons without expending her Aura.
one range band with immense force, suffering damage as
per a short-range fall (Exalted, p. 232). This Charm may only be used once per scene, unless
reset by dealing 7+ levels of damage to a nontrivial
In Earth Aura, after paying this Charm’s cost, the enemy with a decisive attack.
Immaculate may divide her total Initiative evenly
among each hit enemy, rounded up, adding it on top of Avalanche Method
this Charm’s base damage of (Strength). Doing so resets Cost: 20m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4

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Type: Simple If an enemy is incapacitated while buried, he dies, his

Keywords: Decisive-only, Earth body entombed in the depths of the earth.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Weapon-Breaking Defense A buried enemy may attempt to break free from the
Technique earth as an extended (Strength + Athletics) action, with
difficulty (Immaculate’s Strength) and a goal number
Striking blow after hammering blow, the Immaculate of (Immaculate’s Essence + Strength). That character’s
forces even the haughtiest heretics to kneel. To use this allies may also attempt to pry him free with their own
Charm, the Immaculate must have Initiative 12+ and (Strength + Athletics) rolls, adding their threshold
her target must have a mobility penalty of at least −1. successes towards his total. This roll is a miscellaneous
She makes decisive attacks against a single enemy until action that can’t be flurried.
she’s made a total equal to his mobility penalty, or until
she misses. A successful attack doesn’t reset her to base In Earth Aura, the Immaculate may bury an enemy
Initiative — instead, she loses Initiative equal to the without crashing him if her attack reduces his Initiative
successes on her damage roll, to a minimum of her base from being higher than hers to lower.
Initiative. Once she’s completed all attacks, she resets as
usual. This Charm may only be used once per scene, unless
reset by incapacitating a nontrivial foe with a decisive
If the Immaculate successfully lands a smash attack attack from 20+ Initiative.
against an enemy, he isn’t knocked back until she’s
completed all attacks made with this Charm. Landing Perfection of Earth Body
multiple smash attacks lets her fling him back multiple Cost: —(+6m, 6i, 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
range bands, to a maximum of long range. He crashes Type: Permanent
to earth with incredible force, suffering damage as per Keywords: Earth, Perilous
a short-range fall if he’s knocked to medium range, Duration: Permanent
or per a medium-range fall if knocked to long range Prerequisite Charms: Avalanche Method, Hungry
(Exalted, p. 232). An enemy trapped with Hungry Earth Strike
Earth Strike isn’t dislodged from his earthen prison,
but still suffers falling damage as he’s ground against The Immaculate concludes the katas of Earth Dragon
his prison’s stone walls with bone-breaking force. Form by dropping to her hands and knees, humbling her-
self before Pasiap. As she rises, her body twists and shifts
In Earth Aura, missing doesn’t prevent the Immaculate as Earth Essence suffuses it, her skin becoming rough
from launching further attacks. and craggy as her body hardens into living stone. Upon
entering Earth Dragon Form, she may pay six motes, six
Hungry Earth Strike Initiative, and one Willpower to enhance it. When she
Cost: 10m, 6i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 attacks a prone enemy or makes a smash attack, she adds
Type: Supplemental (Stamina) raw withering damage or decisive damage.
Keywords: Earth, Perilous, Withering-only She’s immune to all wound penalties, as well as crippling
Duration: Instant penalties inflicted by effects such as Joint-Wounding
Prerequisite Charms: Earthshaker Attack, Ghost- Attack or Crippling Pressure-Point Strike.
Grounding Blow
If the Immaculate is unarmored, the soak bonus from
The jaws of Pasiap yawn wide in jagged fissures to Earth Dragon Form rises to (Willpower + Strength),
consume those the Immaculate condemns. She makes and she gains Hardness (Strength + Stamina).
a withering attack that must either be a smash attack
or directed against a prone enemy, doubling 8s on the
damage roll. If she crashes an enemy who’s standing on
Fire Dragon Style
soil, stone, or a similar earthen substance (or is knocked Fire Dragon style demands both the capacity for un-
onto such terrain by a smash attack), the ground beneath predictable violence and immense self-discipline. Its
his feet swallows him to the waist. While swallowed in students train in the rhythm of combat, sparring and
earth, that enemy cannot take movement actions and performing weapon drills in time to music. Walkers on
suffers the penalties for being prone (Exalted, p. 202). the path of Hesiesh fight with incredible speed and a
On each of his turns, he suffers one die of bashing dam- dancer’s grace, knowing when to withhold their force
age from grinding stone, ignoring Hardness. Spirits suf- and when to unleash it without restraint.
fer the effects of Ghost-Grounding Blow while trapped.

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Fire Dragon Weapons: Fire Dragon unarmed attacks Perfect Blazing Blow
are rapid barrages of punches and chops, as well as pow- Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
erful kicks. The style also uses short swords, tradition- Type: Supplemental
ally wielded paired. Unarmed attacks enhanced by Fire Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
Dragon Charms can be stunted to deal lethal damage. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Searing Edge Attack
Armor: This style is compatible with light and medi-
um armor. Striking with overwhelming intensity, the Immaculate
burns through her foe’s defense. She doubles (Essence)
Complementary Abilities: Occult is vital to subduing 9s on a decisive attack roll against an enemy with lower
unruly gods. Initiative. She doubles 8s against crashed foes, though
still up to a total of (Essence) doubled successes.
Flash-Fire Technique
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 In Fire Aura, each success doubled by this Charm also
Type: Supplemental adds one die of damage.
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
Duration: Instant Fire Dragon Form
Prerequisite Charms: None Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Her sense for violence honed by training and tempered Keywords: Fire, Form
by self-discipline, the Immaculate draws her blades Duration: One scene
without needing to think. She rolls Join Battle twice, Prerequisite Charms: Flame-Flicker Stance, Perfect
taking the higher of the two results. Any Charms she Blazing Blow
uses must be paid separately for each roll. If she wins
Join Battle and makes a decisive attack on her first turn, Flames seem to glow in the Immaculate’s eyes as she
she adds (Dexterity) attack roll extra successes as dice dances through a rapid kata, assuming a graceful,
of damage. deadly battle stance. Against enemies with a lower
Initiative, her attacks inflict onslaught penalties be-
Searing Edge Attack fore the roll is made, penalizing the enemy’s Defense
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 against them. When she parries a decisive attack, the
Type: Supplemental Initiative her attacker loses (Exalted, p. 191) is doubled.
Keywords: Fire, Withering-only
Duration: Instant Special activation rules: When the Immaculate wins
Prerequisite Charms: None Join Battle, she may reflexively enter this Form.

The Immaculate’s killing intent radiates from her God-Immolating Strike

strike as overwhelmingly painful heat. As long as her Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
withering damage roll receives at least one success, Type: Supplemental
her target loses (Essence) additional Initiative, which Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
she doesn’t gain. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Fire Dragon Form
Flame-Flicker Stance
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2 Wayward divinities and unrighteous spirits are tinder
Type: Reflexive for the flames of righteousness. The Immaculate’s
Keywords: Fire, Perilous decisive attacks deal aggravated damage to spirits, and
Duration: Instant she treats her Initiative as (Essence) higher for the
Prerequisite Charms: Flash-Fire Technique purposes of this style’s Charms or similar effects that
gain benefits against lower-Initiative foes.
Moving like the shifting flame of a candle, the Immaculate
fends off blows in a dance of whirling blades. 1s on an If she deals damage, she ignites the spirit’s Essence,
attack roll against her grant +1 Parry each. If she suc- rolling (Essence) dice of aggravated damage on its
cessfully blocks an attack made by an enemy with lower next turn, ignoring Hardness. Dematerialized spirits
Initiative, it doesn’t inflict an onslaught penalty. are more easily consumed, suffering (Essence + 2) dice
instead.
In Fire Aura, this Charm can be used after the attack roll.

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Essence-Igniting Nerve Strike Duration: Until next turn

Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3 Prerequisite Charms: Fire Dragon Form
Type: Simple
Keywords: Fire, Withering-only The power and majesty of a raging conflagration cows
Duration: Instant even the bravest hearts. Flames wreathe the martial art-
Prerequisite Charms: God-Immolating Strike ist, imposing a penalty of (lower of Essence or Charisma)
on attacks against her. Enemies that hit her from close
Her blades rippling with invisible flame, the Immaculate range suffer one die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness.
agitates her foe’s Essence with a precision strike, burning A foe may pay one Willpower to become immune to this
him from within. She makes a withering attack against Charm’s penalty for the scene, but not its damage.
an enemy with a lower Initiative. The Initiative she gains
from the damage roll is halved, but the enemy loses one In Fire Aura, this Charm’s Initiative cost is waived and
mote for every 9 on the damage roll, and two for every 10. it loses the Perilous keyword.
The Immaculate chooses whether personal or peripheral
motes are lost first. If this crashes that enemy, his lost Fiery Blade Attack
motes ignite as an inward flame, rolling one die of lethal Cost: 5m, 4i; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
damage for every two motes lost (rounded up), maximum Type: Simple
(Essence), ignoring Hardness. Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
Duration: Instant
The Immaculate may expend her Fire Aura to gain the Prerequisite Charms: Fire Dragon Form
full amount of Initiative from the damage roll.
The Immaculate delivers a rapid flurry of finishing
Overwhelming Fire Majesty Stance blows, setting the air ablaze with her speed. She makes
Cost: 6m, 3i; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3 a decisive attack. As long as it deals any damage, it ig-
Type: Reflexive nites a bonfire (Damage 4L/round, Difficulty 5) engulf-
Keywords: Fire, Perilous ing her victim, which burns without fuel for as long as

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he remains within it. Escaping the blaze requires him Consuming Might of the Fire Dragon
to disengage even if no combatants are in close range Cost: —(+5m, 1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
of him, in which case he rolls at difficulty 2. Type: Permanent
Keywords: Dual, Fire
Breath of the Fire Dragon Duration: Permanent
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 Prerequisite Charms: Breath of the Fire Dragon,
Type: Simple Smoldering Wound Attack
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
Duration: Instant A swirling flame erupts from the Immaculate’s crown chakra,
Prerequisite Charms: Overwhelming Fire Majesty engulfing her in a deadly blaze. Upon entering Fire Dragon
Stance Form, she may pay five motes and one Willpower to enhance
it. She treats her Initiative as (Wits) points higher to determine
The Immaculate ignites the air within her lungs, expelling it when she acts each round, and for the purposes of Charms
as a mighty gout of flame. She rolls an unblockable decisive of this style or similar effects that offer benefits against low-
attack with (Stamina + Martial Arts) against all characters, er-Initiative foes. Withering attacks gain (Strength/2, round-
including allies, in a ninety-degree arc out to close range, ed up) Overwhelming, while decisive attacks add one die of
plus an additional range band for every 10 Initiative she damage. An enemy that hits her from close range suffers one
has, to a maximum of medium range with 20+ Initiative. die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness.
This attack strikes both dematerialized and materialized
characters with (Initiative/3, rounded up) lethal damage, The Immaculate’s blazing aura grows stronger as she defeats
ignoring Hardness. Trivial opponents and battle groups her foes. Each nontrivial enemy she incapacitates or battle
suffer (Initiative) damage instead. If at least one enemy is group she successfully routs adds one to the Initiative bonus,
hit by the attack, the Immaculate resets to base Initiative. Overwhelming bonus, decisive damage bonus, and damage
dealt to enemies that hit her.
Enemies that take 3+ levels of damage catch fire, suffer-
ing (Essence) dice of lethal damage each turn, ignoring
Hardness, until extinguished. Dematerialized spirits Water Dragon Style
suffer aggravated damage and are made visible to all by
Water Dragon teaches that all things are flow — the
the flame as long as it burns, and cannot extinguish it
rhythm of a fight, the blood of a living body, the
unless they first materialize. Flammable scenery caught
Essence of Creation. Practitioners of this style train
in the blast catches fire, burning as a bonfire (Damage
in techniques that block, redirect, or impede these
4L/round, Difficulty 5) for the rest of the scene.
flows, subtly manipulating the conditions of battle to
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless seize victory. Its defense emphasizes fluid motions and
reset by gaining 15+ Initiative on a single tick. outmaneuvering enemies with footwork, while its of-
fense relies on repeated strikes, exploiting the lightest
Smoldering Wound Attack wound to unleash a cascading torrent of death.
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Water Dragon Weapons: Water Dragon unarmed attacks
Type: Reflexive
emphasize swift sequences of punches, kicks, and claw
Keywords: Decisive-only, Fire
strikes. It also uses tiger claws. Unarmed attacks enhanced by
Duration: Instant
Water Dragon Charms can be stunted to deal lethal damage.
Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Igniting Nerve Strike,
Fiery Blade Attack
Armor: This style is compatible with light and medi-
um armor.
This Charm may only be used after landing a decisive
attack, but before rolling damage. For every 10 on the Complementary Abilities: Occult is needed to battle
damage roll, the Immaculate rolls one die of unsoakable spirits.
withering damage, which adds to her base Initiative upon
resetting. She can’t gain more than (Essence) Initiative this Flowing Water Defense
way. Against a crashed enemy, she rolls decisive damage Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
instead, but still gains Initiative equal to the damage dealt. Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous, Water
In Fire Aura, this Charm may be used after damage has
Duration: Instant
been rolled.
Prerequisite Charms: None

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The Immaculate flows between offense and defense, The Immaculate’s fluid posture and footwork defies all re-
lunging forward to strike before returning to a de- straint. She doubles 9s on a (Strength + Martial Arts) roll to
fensive posture. She can flurry a full defense with an resist a grapple, a disengage roll, a roll opposing an enemy’s
attack, ignoring the Defense penalty for flurrying. rush, or any roll to escape from restraints such as manacles.

In Water Aura, if the Immaculate’s attack succeeds, the In Water Aura, success on the roll grants one Initiative.
Initiative cost of her full defense is refunded.
Water Dragon Form
Rippling Water Strike Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 Type: Simple
Type: Supplemental Keywords: Form, Water
Keywords: Water, Withering-only Duration: One scene
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Drowning-in-Blood Technique,
Prerequisite Charms: None Shrugging Water Dragon Escape

The Immaculate’s strike breaks her foe’s guard like The Immaculate drops into a fighting stance in which
a pebble dropped into still water, spreading outward offense and defense are a single fluid motion. She adds
to throw enemies off-balance. Her withering attack bonus dice on attack rolls equal to her target’s wound
gains +2 Overwhelming, and she may use Dexterity in penalty, wearing down foes in an endless tide. Her
place of Strength to determine its raw damage. If she Stamina is doubled when calculating her natural soak.
crashes a nontrivial foe with the attack, all other ene-
mies within close range suffer a −1 onslaught penalty. Special activation rules: When the Immaculate deals
enough decisive damage to a nontrivial enemy to raise
In Water Aura, the Immaculate adds her Dexterity to his wound penalty, she may reflexively enter this Form.
raw damage in addition to her Strength.
Theft-of-Essence Method
Drowning-in-Blood Technique Cost: 4i; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2 Type: Reflexive
Type: Supplemental Keywords: Perilous, Water
Keywords: Decisive-only, Water Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon Form
Prerequisite Charms: None
Landing a telling blow, the martial artist redirects
Striking her foe’s chest with a rapid barrage, the the flow of a foe’s Essence. Upon crashing an enemy,
Immaculate redirects the flow of his blood so that it pours the stylist steals (Essence + his wound penalty) of his
into his lungs. Her decisive attack doubles 10s on its dam- motes, adding them to her own pool. She may choose
age roll. If she deals 3+ levels of damage, her foe begins whether to drain personal or peripheral motes, adding
choking on his own blood, raising his wound penalty by them to the same pool she steals from.
one until the scene ends or he crashes the Immaculate.
Bottomless Depths Defense
Essence is the life’s blood of spirits, and this attack turns Cost: 5m, 1ahl (+1wp, expend Water Aura); Mins:
its flow against them. Multiple uses stack the wound Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
penalty increase against spirits, maximum (Essence). Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Decisive-only, Perilous, Water
In Water Aura, the Immaculate adds (her foe’s wound Duration: Instant
penalty/2, rounded up) bonus dice of damage. Prerequisite Charms: Water Dragon Form
Shrugging Water-Dragon Escape The martial artist’s body ripples and deforms around a
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 blow, dispersing its force into the bottomless abyss of
Type: Supplemental her vitality. She rolls (Essence + Stamina), unmodified
Keywords: Water by other effects, with each success cancelling a level
Duration: Instant of decisive damage. Even if she rolls no successes, she
Prerequisite Charms: Flowing Water Defense still cancels one level of damage. This Charm must be
declared before the attack is rolled.

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The Immaculate may pay one Willpower and expend Duration: Instant
her Water Aura to negate all damage from the attack. Prerequisite Charms: Flow Reversal Strike

This Charm can only be used once per day, unless reset The Immaculate strikes blow after furious blow, like
by being hit by three decisive attacks from nontrivial waves pounding the shore. She makes withering at-
foes without taking a single level of damage. tacks against a single enemy until she misses, crashes
him, or has made a total of (1 + his wound penalty)
Essence-Dousing Wave Attack attacks. Against battle groups, she attacks until she
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 misses or depletes the group’s Magnitude.
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Water In Water Aura, crashing an enemy deals dice of lethal
Duration: Instant damage to him equal to his current onslaught penalty
Prerequisite Charms: Theft-of-Essence Method (including the point inflicted by this attack), ignoring
Hardness.
Striking with the dark, smothering Essence of a crashing
wave, the martial artist quenches the flame of her foe’s bat- This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
tle prowess. If her decisive attack against a crashed enemy reset by landing a decisive attack against a crashed
deals at least (his Essence) damage, she chooses one of enemy and then building up to Initiative 12+.
his ongoing Charms to deactivate, which must belong to
a combat Ability or be a combat-based physical Attribute Ghost-Restraining Whirlpool
Charm. The Storyteller should inform her player what ap- Cost: 6m, 2i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
plicable Charms her victim has active before she chooses. Type: Simple
Keywords: Perilous, Water
The martial artist may expend her Water Aura to use Duration: One scene
this Charm against an enemy who isn’t crashed. Prerequisite Charms: Essence-Dousing Wave Attack

Flow Reversal Strike
 Moving through a winding kata, the Immaculate stirs
Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 the seas of Essence that surround her, creating a mael-
Type: Simple strom that inexorably draws in spirits. Spirits within
Keywords: Decisive-only, Water medium range can’t move away from her without
Duration: Instant disengaging, nor can they use the Hurry Home Charm.
Prerequisite Charms: Theft-of-Essence Method The Immaculate gains all Initiative lost by spirits
disengaging away from her. Additionally, at the end
The Immaculate channels a surge of Essence through of each affected spirit’s turn, if he didn’t either move
her strike, causing every moving fluid in her foe’s body towards the Immaculate or end in close range to her,
to reverse its course. She makes a decisive attack. On a she steals two Initiative from him.
hit, her victim rolls (Stamina + Resistance) against a dif-
ficulty equal to her attack roll threshold successes. If he Dematerialized spirits are even more susceptible to the
fails, each success he failed by adds one die of decisive whirlpool, treating its entire range as difficult terrain
damage, and after taking the decisive damage he suffers (Exalted, p. 199). If she steals Initiative from them, they
withering damage equal to his current wound penalty, also suffer one die of bashing damage, ignoring Hardness.
which is added to the Immaculate’s base Initiative.
In Water Aura, this Charm’s range extends to long.
This attack twists and disrupts the Essence of spirits,
causing their wound penalty to subtract successes Special activation rules: The Immaculate may use
rather than dice from their (Stamina + Resistance) roll. this Charm reflexively when she enters Water Dragon
Form.
This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless re-
set by crashing an enemy whose Initiative was higher Tsunami-Force Shout
than the Immaculate’s. Cost: 10m, 10i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5
Type: Simple
Crashing Wave Style Keywords: Decisive-only, Water
Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 Duration: Instant
Type: Simple Prerequisite Charms: Bottomless Depths Defense,
Keywords: Perilous, Water, Withering-only Crashing Wave Style, Ghost-Restraining Whirlpool

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Breathing deep, the Immaculate fills her lungs with Complementary Abilities: Occult is necessary to bat-
liquid Essence. With a mighty, bellowing kiai, she tle spirits, while Performance is used to distract and
expels a rumbling torrent of spiritual pressure. To use misdirect.
this Charm, she must have Initiative 20+. She rolls an
unblockable decisive attack with (Stamina + Martial Wood Dragon Vitality
Arts) against all enemies in a ninety-degree arc out Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
to medium range. If she’s using Ghost-Restraining Type: Reflexive
Whirlpool, its currents bear the force of her attack Keywords: Dual, Wood
to strike all spirits within its range, materialized or Duration: Instant
dematerialized. This attack deals bashing damage to Prerequisite Charms: None
each struck enemy equal to ([Attack roll threshold suc-
cesses x his wound penalty] + 1), ignoring Hardness. At one with the font of all life in Creation, the Immaculate
Battle groups are treated as having a −4 wound pen- suffuses her body with unyielding vitality. She adds
alty to determine damage. This doesn’t include the (Martial Arts) natural soak against a withering attack, or
Immaculate’s Initiative or reset her to base. subtracts one die from the damage of a decisive attack.

Each enemy damaged by the attack is flung one range In Wood Aura, the Immaculate adds (Essence + Martial
band away from the Immaculate and falls prone. Arts) soak, or subtracts (Essence/2, rounded up) dice
Spirits cannot be forced outside the range of a Ghost- of decisive damage.
Restraining Whirlpool, and instead suffer damage as per
a short-range fall (Exalted, p. 232) if driven to the whirl- Eyes of the Wood Dragon
pool’s edge. An enemy that takes 3+ levels of damage Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
is knocked back two range bands and suffers damage Type: Supplemental
as per a short-range fall (or medium range, for spirits Keywords: Withering-only, Wood
forced against a Ghost-Restraining Whirlpool’s edge). Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Tsunami-Force Shout can only be used once per scene,
unless reset by landing a decisive attack that resets the Perceiving the path of living Essence through chakras
Immaculate’s Initiative and building back to Initiative 20+. and meridians, the Immaculate lands a precise strike to
disrupt her foe’s vital energies. She adds (Perception)
Wood Dragon Style raw withering damage and can make piercing attacks
(Exalted, p. 586) with Wood Dragon attacks.
The most esoteric of the Immaculate Dragon styles, Wood
In Wood Aura, the Immaculate doesn’t suffer a Defense
Dragon oversees the cycles of life and death. Its students
penalty for making a piercing attack.
undergo grueling regimens that bring them to the edge
of death, fasting to their bodies’ limits while consuming
Mind-Over-Body Meditation
copious quantities of hallucinogenic and entheogenic
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2
drugs. When they return to the world of the living, they
Type: Simple
bring mysterious insight with them. In battle, these mys-
Keywords: Perilous, Wood
tics draw on an extensive knowledge of pressure points
Duration: Instant
and Essence flows to both subdue foes and heal allies.
Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Vitality
Masters of the style are rumored to possess a technique
that can bring instant death, destroying the soul itself.
The Immaculate is keenly aware of the rhythm and
Wood Dragon Weapons: Wood Dragon unarmed attacks circulation of her body’s vital forces, sensing bruises
are precise finger jabs targeting pressure points and nerve and cuts as disturbances in its course. Closing her eyes
clusters. The style also uses the staff. Wood Dragon stylists in a moment of intense focus, she rights the flow of her
train in wielding the long bow as a close-range weapon, using living Essence and seals her wounds. She rolls (higher
the traits of a staff. Wood Dragon style can’t be used through of Essence or 3) dice, unmodified by other effects, and
ranged attacks made with a bow, but the Immaculate doesn’t heals a level of non-aggravated damage for each suc-
need a ready weapon action to change between using a bow cess, minimum one.
as a ranged weapon and wielding it as a staff.
This Charm can only be used once per scene, and only
Armor: This style is compatible with light armor. while in combat.

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Soul-Marking Style A spirit crashed by her attack suffers agonizing pain,

Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 doubling its wound penalties and the crippling penalty
Type: Supplemental from Soul-Marking Style until it recovers from crash.
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
Duration: Instant Death-Pattern-Sensing Attitude
Prerequisite Charms: Eyes of the Wood Dragon Cost: 5m, 2i (+1wp); Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Striking through her enemy’s flesh to reach at his spirit, Keywords: Perilous, Wood
the Immaculate drives a thorn of deadly Essence into Duration: Until next turn
his soul. As long as her decisive attack deals damage, Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form
further Wood Dragon attacks are guided by her aware-
ness of the soul mark, granting the benefits of aiming Her senses fully attuned to the web of living Essence
(Exalted, p. 196) against that foe for the scene. Spirits that surrounds her, the Immaculate foretells the ap-
suffer a −1 crippling penalty on all actions for the scene. proach of impending death. She gains the benefits of
a full defense (Exalted, p. 196) to block attacks from
Wood Dragon Form enemies marked with her Soul-Marking Style, and ig-
Cost: 10m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 nores the Defense penalty from their surprise attacks.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form, Wood If the Immaculate is ambushed by a marked foe, she
Duration: One scene may pay one Willpower to block the attack. Her Parry
Prerequisite Charms: Mind-Over-Body Meditation, is limited to (her Essence/2, rounded up), and cannot
Soul-Marking Style be raised higher or benefit from other Charms.

The Immaculate strikes her own pressure points and Spirit-Rending Technique
chakras with a series of quick, precise blows, bringing Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 3
her Essence into perfect alignment. She gains (lower of Type: Supplemental
Essence or Stamina) temporary −1 health levels the first Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood
time she enters this form in the scene. She keeps these Duration: Instant
health levels even if she leaves this form. At the end of the Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Wracking Method
scene, these temporary health levels fade, and all damage
contained in them returns to her normal health track. Having placed her mark on a truculent god, the
Immaculate rends its Essence apart from within.
Additionally, when the Immaculate lands a decisive She adds (Willpower) dice to a decisive damage roll
attack from 12+ Initiative that incapacitates a nontrivi- against a spirit marked by her Soul-Marking Style, and
al enemy, she resets Mind-Over-Body Meditation. deals aggravated damage. If this incapacitates a spirit,
the Immaculate gains (its Essence) motes.
Special activation rules: When the Immaculate heals
enough damage from Mind-Over-Body Meditation or Unbreakable Fascination Kata
similar effects to reduce her wound penalty, she may Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
reflexively enter this Form. Type: Simple
Keywords: Wood
Spirit-Wracking Method Duration: Instant
Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Withering-only, Wood Moving in a sinuous, vine-like kata, the Immaculate
Duration: Instant entrances her foes. She makes an inspire roll with
Prerequisite Charms: Wood Dragon Form (Appearance + Performance) against one or more ene-
mies that can see her to fill them with fascination. Each
The Immaculate chastises unruly spirits with strikes enemy whose Resolve is beaten cannot attack on his
that carry the seeds of her vital Essence, to blossom next turn, and cannot move away from the Immaculate
within the spirit’s anima. Her withering attack against without disengaging that turn.
a spirit doubles 8s on the damage roll, but doesn’t grant
her any Initiative. She rolls a die of lethal decisive Once an enemy has resisted this influence with
damage for every 10 on the withering damage roll, Willpower, he’s immune to losing his attack for the
ignoring Hardness. rest of the scene, but must still disengage to move

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away from the stylist. An enemy who carries the Fascination Kata until he recovers from crash, even if
Immaculate’s soul mark must pay Willpower to resist he’s already paid Willpower to resist.
twice before gaining this immunity.
In Wood Aura, in addition to gaining Initiative from
Enthralling Blow Attack the highest damage roll, the Immaculate gains up to
Cost: 10m, 5i; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4 (Essence/2, rounded up) Initiative from each addition-
Type: Reflexive al damage roll.
Keywords: Perilous, Withering-only, Wood
Duration: Instant Wood Dragon Succor
Prerequisite Charms: Unbreakable Fascination Kata Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4
Type: Simple
The Immaculate transitions through the undulating mo- Keywords: Wood
tions of her Unbreakable Fascination Kata into a sweeping Duration: Instant
blow that sends foes reeling. Upon using this Charm’s Prerequisite Charms: Death-Pattern-Sensing
prerequisite, the Immaculate reflexively rolls a single Meditation, Spirit-Rending Technique
withering attack against each enemy in close range whose
Resolve she beat, even if they resisted with Willpower. She The Wood Dragon lives so that all may live. To use
rolls damage separately against each hit enemy, but only this Charm, the Immaculate must have Initiative 12+.
gains Initiative from the highest damage roll. Damaged She lays hands on another character, activating pres-
enemies cannot take any move actions on their next turn. sure points with gentle touches as verdant Essence
flows from her hands to suffuse his body and heal his
An enemy crashed by Enthralling Blow Attack suf- wounds. She rolls (Initiative), healing her ally one
fers the full effects of the Immaculate’s Unbreakable level of non-aggravated damage for each success, to

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a maximum of (his Stamina + Resistance) levels. She Complementary Abilities: Occult is useful to practi-
suffers an unpreventable level of bashing damage for tioners of this style, while Athletics is key to its mobility.
every two health levels she heals this way, rounded
down. Where-Is-Doom Inquisition
Cost: 6m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1
Using this Charm resets the Immaculate to base Type: Supplemental
Initiative. If she expends her Wood Aura, she only los- Keywords: Dual, Mastery
es Initiative equal to the total levels of damage healed, Duration: Instant
to a minimum of her base Initiative. A character can Prerequisite Charms: None
only benefit from this Charm once per day.
Those who hide in the darkness reveal their own wick-
Soul Mastery edness. The martial artist adds (Occult) bonus dice
Cost: 5m, 1wp, 1ahl; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 5 on an Awareness roll to Join Battle or detect a hidden
Type: Simple threat in combat. If any creatures of darkness oppose
Keywords: Decisive-only, Wood her roll, (her Essence) total 1s on their rolls add non-
Duration: Instant Charm dice to her roll. She cannot pinpoint which of
Prerequisite Charms: Enthralling Blow Attack, Wood her enemies are creatures of darkness with this Charm,
Dragon Succor but can sense she’s in the presence of unhale forces.

Standing at the center of life and death, the Immaculate Mastery: If the martial artist wins Join Battle against
unleashes the legendary secret technique of Wood Dragon a creature of darkness and uses her first turn to attack
style. A swirling black-green aura wreathes her weapon as one, she may reflexively move one range band towards
she strikes at her opponent’s very soul. This Charm can only it before attacking in addition to her normal movement
be used against an enemy suffering from the Immaculate’s action, and adds (Occult) dice of post-soak withering
Soul-Marking Style. She rolls a gambit against him, with a damage or one success on a decisive damage roll.
difficulty of (his Essence + Willpower − wound penalty),
minimum 6. Success destroys him utterly. Spirits are per- Rotten Leaf Arrested
manently destroyed, the undead crumble into dust, and the Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
living die as their souls are struck into Lethe, ensuring that Type: Supplemental
they’ll reincarnate rather than lingering as ghosts. Constructs Keywords: Withering-only
and similar beings neither living or dead are unaffected. Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Soul Mastery can only be used once per scene.
Let no unclean thing set foot over Creation’s threshold. The
Other Styles stylist’s withering attack gains +1 Overwhelming and knocks
her enemy prone if it deals damage. An enemy crashed by
this attack cannot take a movement action on his next turn.
Golden Janissary Style
Against creatures of darkness, the Overwhelming bonus
This ancient art has been passed down by generations rises to (Occult/2, rounded up), minimum +1, and she adds
of devil-fighting sages who pledged their lives to defend one automatic success to her withering damage roll. A
Creation from darkness. Its training regimens combine creature of darkness crashed by the attack cannot move or
weapon katas, dance-like footwork, and meditation on light attack on its next turn.
and shadow. It’s studied by holy ascetics, warriors who guard
the borders of shadowlands, and barbarian tribes dwelling Cleansing Flame Strike
in demon-haunted wilderness, as well as Dragon-Blooded Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
shikari. Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only
Golden Janissary Weapons: Stylists use sweeping un- Duration: Instant
armed attacks, as well as the spear and staff. Unarmed Prerequisite Charms: Rotten Leaf Arrested, Where-
attacks enhanced by Golden Janissary Charms can be Is-Doom Inquisition
stunted to deal lethal damage.
Answer the abomination with flame. Aureate fire
Armor: This style is compatible with light armor.
streaks along the stylist’s decisive attack, adding one

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CREATURES OF DARKNESS

Creatures of darkness are foes of Creation who stalk through the night or dwell in the dark places of the
world. This includes demons and undead by default, but the Storyteller is free to include or exclude beings
from this category at her discretion. A benign ancestor ghost might not be a creature of darkness, while a
subterranean monstrosity empowered by forbidden gods could be.

die of damage and ignoring two points of Hardness. Paralyzing Combustion Imbuement
Against creatures of darkness, she deals aggravated Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
damage and doubles 10s on the damage roll. Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial
Golden Janissary Form Duration: Instant
Cost: 8m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1 Prerequisite Charms: Devil-Slaying Spear Dance
Type: Simple
Keywords: Form The deepest darkness yields before the smallest flame.
Duration: One scene The stylist makes a decisive attack. Damaging her
Prerequisite Charms: Cleansing Flame Strike foe causes bursts of fiery, golden light to erupt from
within his body with the sound of ringing bells. This
Stand proud in defense of Creation, and you will never penalizes his Stealth as a glowing anima banner (p.
fall. The martial artist adds (Strength/2, rounded up) 154) and increases his wound penalty by −1. If this
to her natural soak and as bonus dice on rushes, and raises his wound penalty above his Stamina, he cannot
gains one Initiative on a successful rush. She gains +1 disengage from close range with the martial artist for
Parry and +(Occult) natural soak against creatures of as long as he remains illumined. Creatures of darkness
darkness, and +1 base Initiative when she resets after are burned by this light, suffering (Essence) dice of
landing a decisive attack against one. aggravated damage each turn, ignoring Hardness. This
light shines until the scene ends, or until the victim
Special activation rules: Whenever the stylist lands a crashes or incapacitates the stylist.
decisive attack against a creature of darkness, she may
reflexively enter this Form, granting her its Initiative Mastery: An enemy whose wound penalty is raised
bonus. above his Stamina must disengage to move away from the
martial artist regardless of the distance between them.
Devil-Slaying Spear Dance
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2 Terrestrial: An illumined enemy may free himself
Type: Reflexive of the effect by landing a decisive attack against the
Keywords: Decisive-only stylist.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Golden Janissary Form Light-on-Dark Shield
Cost: 5m, 3i; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
Be as a spreading blaze, always advancing towards the Type: Reflexive
fuel of your enemies. Upon incapacitating a nontrivial Keywords: Clash, Perilous, Terrestrial, Withering-
foe, the stylist may reflexively rush another enemy, only
doubling 9s. This doesn’t count as her movement Duration: Instant
action for the round. When rushing a creature of dark- Prerequisite Charms: Golden Janissary Form
ness, every 1 on his opposed roll grants the stylist one
Initiative. No shadow intrudes upon the light. Spinning her
weapon to build momentum, the stylist clashes an at-
Mastery: On a successful rush, the stylist may instant- tack with her own withering attack. Her attack cannot
ly move into close range with her target in place of the deal more damage than (her Overwhelming), which
normal effects of a rush and reflexively make a decisive she doesn’t gain. Against creatures of darkness, a suc-
attack against him, which doesn’t count as her attack cessful clash also rolls one die of aggravated damage,
for the round. If she incapacitates that foe, she may ignoring Hardness.
trigger this Charm again to make another rush.

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Terrestrial: This counts as the stylist’s attack for the round, Those damaged begin to shine, suffering the effect of
and can’t be used if she’s already attacked this round. Paralyzing Combustion Imbuement.

Lone Spark Lights the Conflagration Mastery: After incapacitating a nontrivial creature of
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 darkness and resetting to base Initiative, the stylist may
Type: Simple use Devil-Slaying Spear Dance to roll a rush against all
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial enemies caught in this Charm’s bonfires. She moves in a
Duration: Instant blur of blinding motion, coming into close range of each
Prerequisite Charms: Light-on-Dark Shield, rushed enemy and making a decisive attack against him
Paralyzing Combustion Imbuement before moving on to the next. Her Initiative doesn’t
reset to base until she’s completed all attacks.
Purify the world with flame; let each slain devil be a
spark. The stylist makes a decisive attack against an Terrestrial: This Charm can only be used once per
enemy suffering from her Paralyzing Combustion scene, unless reset by crashing an enemy suffering
Imbuement. Her weapon shines with brilliant light, from the stylist’s Paralyzing Combustion Imbuement.
leaving a white-hot afterimage seared on the eyes of
those who witness it. She adds (Essence) attack roll ex- Mantis Style
tra successes as dice of damage, or (Essence + Occult)
successes against a creature of darkness. Mantis style emphasizes a combination of grappling
and rapid strikes. It draws no distinction between of-
If she damages a nontrivial creature of darkness with fense and defense, employing painful joint holds that
this attack, the light emanating from within it flares out leave enemies unable to fight back or deflecting the
to strike each other creature of darkness within medium force of a blow so that the attacker’s guard is left wide
range, wreathing them in ghostly bonfires. Each one suf- open. It’s commonly studied by Immaculate monks
fers one die of aggravated damage, plus an additional die for its ability to subdue foes without killing, but is also
for every 10 on the first damage roll, ignoring Hardness. widespread throughout Eastern and Southern dojos.

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Mantis Weapons: Practitioners deliver unarmed establish control over it. If she lands a decisive attack,
attacks with mantis hook strikes — using one to three (Essence) 10s on her attack roll add dice of damage.
fingers to strike weak points, grab foes, and block
attacks — as well as knee and elbow strikes. Mantis Mantis Form
style also uses batons, kamas, nunchaku, seven-section Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1
staffs, and war fans. Unarmed attacks enhanced by Type: Simple
Mantis Charms can be stunted to deal lethal damage. Keywords: Form
Duration: One scene
Armor: Mantis style is incompatible with armor. Prerequisite Charms: Crushing Claw Technique,
Iron-Arm Block
Iron-Arm Block
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1 The stylist adopts the signature stance of the mantis, shift-
Type: Reflexive ing her weight onto her rear leg as she extends her front
Keywords: Mastery, Uniform leg forward, her hands outstretched to block and strike. She
Duration: Instant gains +1 Parry. If she attempts to block an attack but is hit by
Prerequisite Charms: None it, she adds (Parry) natural soak against withering damage
or gains Hardness (Parry/2, rounded up) against decisive
Using her defense to divert her attacker’s weapon damage. Against enemies with lower Initiative or that she’s
or limbs, the Mantis stylist creates an opening in his grappling, she doubles 10s on decisive damage rolls.
guard. She gains +1 Parry, and inflicts a −1 onslaught
penalty on her attacker if she successfully blocks. If Special activation rules: When the stylist wins con-
she’s grappling, successfully blocking an attack also trol of a clinch against a nontrivial enemy, she may
prevents it from reducing her rounds of control. reflexively enter Mantis Form.

Mastery: The stylist doesn’t suffer an onslaught penal- Leaping Mantis Technique
ty from an attack she successfully blocks. Cost: 6m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Simple
Crushing Claw Technique Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery
Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1 Duration: Instant
Type: Supplemental Prerequisite Charms: Mantis Form
Keywords: Decisive-only
Duration: Instant The martial artist’s rapid footwork brings her within
Prerequisite Charms: None striking range before her foe can react. She rushes an
enemy with (Strength) bonus dice. If the rushed foe
The mantis catches its prey with deadly speed. The provokes her reflexive movement, she may move two
martial artist adds one automatic success on the attack range bands toward him instead of one. If this brings
roll of a grapple gambit or a decisive attack. If she lands her into close range, she may reflexively make a deci-
a grapple, she rolls ([Strength or Dexterity] + Martial sive attack or grapple gambit against him, adding half
Arts) with (higher of Essence or 3) bonus dice to the threshold successes, rounded up, on her rush roll
as bonus dice on the attack roll.

NEW WEAPON: KAMA/SICKLE If the rushed enemy does not provoke her reflexive
motion, then on her next turn, she may make an unblock-
Light (Accuracy +4, Damage +7, Defense +0, able decisive attack or grappling gambit against him
Overwhelming 1) (assuming he’s within her attack’s range), adding all extra
successes from the rush as bonus dice on the attack roll.
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Disarming, Piercing
Mastery: If the martial artist succeeds on the rush
and lands an attack against her enemy, she gains one
NEW WEAPON: NUNCHAKU Willpower.
Light (Accuracy +4, Damage +7, Defense +0, Joint-Locking Technique
Overwhelming 1) Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Tags: Bashing, Martial Arts, Disarming, Flexible Type: Simple
Keywords: Mastery

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Duration: Instant difficulty 6 gambit that requires no attack roll. Success

Prerequisite Charms: Mantis Form inflicts a single level of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness,
and breaks one of the character’s limbs as a crippling in-
Catching her foe’s limb, the stylist forces it into a painful jury — the martial artist bends the bone of an arm or leg
lock. While grappling an opponent, she restrains him until it snaps. A broken arm is useless and imposes a −3
(Exalted, p. 201) and rolls (Strength) dice of unsoakable penalty on all actions that require two hands to perform,
withering damage. If she’s grappling a crashed foe, re- while a broken leg causes a character to treat all ground
straining him doesn’t cost any rounds of control. as difficult terrain. Additionally, the pain of this injury
raises that foe’s wound penalty by −2 for the rest of the
Mastery: The martial artist may exchange the Initiative scene. If not treated with applicable healing magic, the
she receives from Joint-Locking Technique to gain broken bone heals in (7 – victim’s Stamina) months,
more rounds of control over the grapple, gaining one assuming he receives adequate medical treatment.
round for every two Initiative she forgoes.
If the martial artist crashes a grappled enemy with
Grasping Claw Method Joint-Locking Technique, she may reflexively activate
Cost: 3m, 1i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2 this Charm to attack with the crippling gambit.
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery Terrestrial: This Charm can only be used once per
Duration: Instant scene, unless reset by expending three rounds of con-
Prerequisite Charms: Mantis Form trol over a grapple for this purpose.

With a deft twist of her foe’s wrist, the stylist strips Unfolding Retribution Strike
him of his weapon and establishes a hold in a single Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
motion. Upon winning control of a grapple, she may Type: Simple
disarm her enemy, flinging his weapon to short range. Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Terrestrial
Duration: Instant
Mastery: The martial artist adds her attack roll thresh- Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Mantis Defense,
old successes as bonus dice to her control roll. Joint-Breaking Attack, Leaping Mantis Technique

Grasping Mantis Defense The signature finishing move of Mantis style is a deadly
Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 barrage of hundreds of blows in a matter of seconds. To
Type: Reflexive use this Charm, the stylist must have Initiative 15+ while
Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Terrestrial controlling a grapple. She releases the clinch, then rolls
Duration: Instant a single unblockable, undodgeable decisive attack to
Prerequisite Charms: Grasping Claw Method represent the flurry of blows. Each round of control she
gave up by releasing the grapple adds + 3 dice of deci-
Deflecting an attack with one hand, the martial artist uses sive damage and increases its onslaught penalty by −1.
the turning force of her attacker’s blow to grab him with
the other. She clashes an attack from close range with a This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
grapple gambit. Winning the clash adds (higher of Strength reset by crashing a grappled foe whose Initiative was
or 3) non-Charm dice on the clinch’s control roll. higher than the stylist’s.

Terrestrial: This counts as the stylist’s attack for the Mastery: If the stylist incapacitates her victim, she
round, and can’t be used if she’s already attacked in adds (rounds of control expended / 2, rounded up) to
this round. her base Initiative upon resetting.

Joint-Breaking Attack Terrestrial: The martial artist cannot benefit from

Cost: 8m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 more than (Essence) rounds of released control.
Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Terrestrial White Veil Style
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Joint-Locking Technique There is no White Veil Society. It’s not a loose-knit as-
sociation of martial artists, spies, and assassins spread
Once the mantis catches its prey, there is no escape. throughout the Realm and beyond. Its members don’t
While grappling a foe, the stylist savages him with a practice a deadly martial art, nor has this style ever

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spread to students willing to pay vast sums for secret Noticing the attack requires a (Perception + Awareness
instruction or to rival martial artists who haven’t un- roll) from all onlookers, including the victim, against
covered records of its secret techniques. It never sees a difficulty of (her Essence + Manipulation). If she
use at dinners, salons, and galas. People don’t die from attacked from concealment, it doesn’t break stealth,
it, occasionally silently and occasionally screaming, and she substitutes her total Stealth successes for the
days or weeks after not encountering it. difficulty of the Awareness roll if they’re higher.

White Veil Weapons: If it existed, White Veil would Mastery: An enemy struck by the attack takes a pen-
use swift, precise unarmed attacks to strike pressure alty of (the stylist’s Manipulation) on rolls to resist
points, as well as garrotes and hand-needles. poison or other harmful effects conveyed through it.

Armor: This style would be incompatible with armor Owl Clutches at the Night
if it were real. Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Complementary Abilities: Socialize and Stealth are Keywords: Mastery, Uniform
essential to the modus operandi that isn’t employed by Duration: Instant
masters of this nonexistent style. Prerequisite Charms: Birdsong Over Blades
Birdsong Over Blades When the silent-winged owl dives into the field and
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 1 rises with empty talons, it vanishes back into the night.
Type: Reflexive After missing with an attack, the stylist conceals her
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute attempt, requiring her victim and other onlookers to
Duration: Instant roll (Perception + Awareness) against (her Essence
Prerequisite Charms: None + Manipulation) to realize she attacked. If the failed
attack was made from concealment, her stealth isn’t
Concealing her hostile intentions behind common, broken as long as no enemies or bystanders succeed on
everyday movements, the stylist can strike without their Awareness roll.
striking. After successfully landing a decisive attack,
she forgoes making a damage roll and resetting to base Mastery: As long as no character succeeds on the
Initiative. Even though the attack doesn’t deal any Awareness roll, the stylist gains one Willpower.
damage, it still conveys poisons applied to her weapon
(Exalted, p. 232) and the deleterious effects of Charms, Alehouse Memory Stance
as long as they don’t directly enhance the damage roll. Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Perilous
Duration: Instant
NEW WEAPON: GARROTE Prerequisite Charms: None
Light (Accuracy +4, Damage +7, Defense +0,
Overwhelming 1)

Tags: Bashing (rope garrotes)/Lethal (razor POISON OUTSIDE OF COMBAT

wire), Brawl, Concealable, Flexible, Grappling,
Two-Handed, Special
If a character is exposed to poison that deals Ini-
Special: Garrotes have the Improvised tag, except tiative damage outside of combat, the Storyteller
when used to grapple. should call for him to make a Join Battle roll. This
doesn’t represent him suddenly becoming aware
of hidden poisoners, but supplies him with a buf-
NEW WEAPON: HAND NEEDLE/KAKUTE fer of Initiative for the poison’s damage to wear
down before he’s crashed and begins suffering
Light (Accuracy +4, Damage +7, Defense +0, decisive damage from it. If combat begins, per-
Overwhelming 1) haps as a result of the victim or his allies finding
the hidden assassin, he carries over the result
Tags: Lethal, Martial Arts, Concealable, Grappling, of his initial roll rather than making another Join
Worn Battle roll.

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Appearing relaxed and comfortable, the stylist’s de- Blinded by Laughter

meanor gives every indication that she wants nothing Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2
more than to sit back and gossip. She adds her base Type: Simple
Guile in bonus dice to a Stealth roll. As long as no char- Keywords: Mastery, Mute
acter present has witnessed her make an attack this Duration: Instant
scene, she ignores the penalty for attempting Stealth Prerequisite Charms: Blithe Unruffled Plumage
in combat.
A toast to old friends, a tempting appetizer, a well-
White Veil Form timed joke — these provide all the opportunity the
Cost: 7m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 1 stylist needs. She may attempt an ambush (Exalted, p.
Type: Simple 203) even in plain view of her target, seeming as though
Keywords: Form, Mute she’s simply carousing or engaging in conversation up
Duration: One scene until she plunges a needle into his throat. Instead of
Prerequisite Charms: Alehouse Memory Stance, Owl rolling Stealth, she rolls (Manipulation + Socialize),
Clutches at the Night doubling 9s, against her target’s Resolve. If she suc-
ceeds, she uses the result of her roll in place of her Join
The White Veil stylist puts herself completely at ease, Battle roll. As usual, if this is a higher Initiative than
her palpable nonchalance drawing onlookers’ atten- her victim rolls, her attack is an ambush; otherwise, it’s
tion from whatever she’s doing with her hands to focus merely an unexpected attack.
on her pleasant smile and witty repartee. She gains +1
Evasion and +1 Guile, and takes no penalty for flurrying This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
if she includes at least one Socialize-based action. She reset by successfully landing a decisive attack against
may substitute Manipulation for Dexterity when cal- the same target without being noticed by him or any
culating her Evasion or when rolling to enter conceal- other onlooker. It cannot be used to make an ambush
ment, disengage, or withdraw. Any enemy that rolls attack against the same character more than once per
Join Battle in response to her actions rolls must roll scene, even if reset.
with (Perception + [lower of Awareness or Socialize]).
Mastery: If the stylist successfully launches an
Special activation rules: When the stylist successfully ambush, she doubles the threshold successes of a
lands a surprise attack against a nontrivial enemy, she withering attack roll or adds up to (Guile) threshold
may reflexively enter this Form. successes on a decisive attack roll as dice of damage.
This includes bonuses to her Guile from White Veil
Blithe Unruffled Plumage Form or other effects.
Cost: 4m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Type: Supplemental Tickling the Dragon’s Throat
Keywords: Dual, Mastery, Mute, Perilous Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2
Duration: Instant Type: Supplemental
Prerequisite Charms: White Veil Form Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery
Duration: Instant
The martial artist responds to attacks with speech and Prerequisite Charms: White Veil Form
posture more suited to a friendly altercation or test
bouts than a life-or-death struggle. She adds (Guile + 1) Jabbing a needle into a pressure point or twisting
to her natural soak against a withering attack and re- her garrote to cut off a foe’s breath, the martial artist
duces its Overwhelming value by one, or gains (Guile) sends even the hardiest of carousers in search of fresh
Hardness against a decisive attack. This includes air. Every two threshold successes on her decisive
bonuses to her Guile from White Veil Form or other attack roll impose a −1 penalty on her victim’s actions
effects. If an attack fails to damage her (including if it and Defense, maximum (Essence), until the onslaught
misses), she may conceal it from onlookers’ notice as penalty inflicted by the attack has worn off.
per Owl Clutches at the Night.
Mastery: If the attack inflicts the maximum penalty,
Mastery: When the stylist successfully conceals an remaining extra successes prevent the onslaught pen-
attack against her from all onlookers, she may steal alty inflicted by it from wearing off for an additional
(Manipulation) Initiative from her attacker. turn per two successes.

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The Dragon Dies in Bed Rolls to diagnose this poison are made at +3 difficulty.
Cost: 5m, 4i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2 The stylist may choose to delay the poison’s onset by
Type: Simple anywhere from an hour to (Essence) weeks; the difficul-
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute ty to diagnose it while delayed is increased by +5 instead.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Blinded by Laughter, Tickling This Charm can only be used once per scene, unless
the Dragon’s Throat reset by successfully incapacitating a nontrivial enemy
without any other character realizing the martial artist
For some, a quiet, unassuming death is a kindness. For is responsible.
others, it’s a shame. Either way, the White Veil stylist
allows them to experience it. She makes a decisive at- Mastery: No matter how many successes the target
tack that exposes her victim to a supernatural disease rolls to resist, the poison’s duration cannot be reduced
if it hits. The cost of Birdsong Over Blades is waived below one round.
when used with this attack.
The Dragon Succumbs
This disease, called the Subtle Mercy by White Veil Cost: 10m, 7i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3
masters, has virulence (Manipulation + 1), morbidity 5, Type: Simple
and an interval of one day. This disease can kill char- Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Mute, Terrestrial
acters with Exalted healing. In addition to the usual Duration: Instant
effects of disease (Exalted, p. 234), it has the following Prerequisite Charms: The Dragon Dies Screaming
magical effects based on its intensity:
It’s rude to keep death waiting, and the White Veil
Minor: The victim feels weary and lethargic, suffer- master’s manners are beyond reproach. She makes
ing a −1 fatigue penalty on all rolls unless he receives a decisive attack against an enemy that suffers from
twelve hours of sleep each day. Rolls to diagnose the poison or disease (or both). The cost of Birdsong Over
disease are made at +4 difficulty. Blades is waived when used with this attack.

Major: The victim’s fatigue penalty stacks by one each If the attack hits, the victim makes a single (Stamina
day he goes without twelve hours of sleep, maximum + Resistance) roll against the morbidity of each
−5. In addition, he can no longer heal damage naturally disease he suffers from. If he fails to beat a disease’s
(Exalted, p. 173) if he remains fully active during con- morbidity, it rises by one step. If a disease is already
valescence. Rolls to diagnose the disease are made at at the Defining level, it doesn’t immediately progress
+3 difficulty. to death, but instead inflicts a level of unpreventable
aggravated damage.
Defining: The victim now requires twenty hours of
sleep to avoid suffering a fatigue penalty, as well to re- Additionally, on a hit, the victim immediately suffers the
cover Willpower from a night’s sleep. Rolls to diagnose damage of a single interval of one poison in his system,
the disease are made at +2 difficulty. plus an additional interval for each attack roll threshold
success, maximum (Essence + 1). If he suffers from multi-
The Dragon Dies Screaming ple venoms, the martial artist chooses which one applies
Cost: 6m, 6i, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3 its damage. This damage doesn’t reduce the duration of
Type: Simple the poisons themselves, but the stylist cannot apply a poi-
Keywords: Decisive-only, Mastery, Mute son’s damage more times than it has intervals remaining.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: The Dragon Dies in Bed Mastery: If the martial artist’s victim fails his roll
against the morbidity of a disease at the Defining level,
The martial artist’s subtle touch is laced with deadly he’ll die of it — even if he has Exalted healing — af-
venom, Essence suffusing her strike with toxic po- ter (his Stamina) turns, unless a character who has
tency. She makes a decisive attack that exposes her diagnosed the disease succeeds on an (Intelligence +
victim to this poison if it hits. The poison has Damage Medicine) roll against (its morbidity + 5) as a miscella-
4i/round (Aggravated in crash), duration (Essence + neous action that can’t be flurried.
Manipulation) rounds, and a −(Manipulation) penalty.
The cost of Birdsong Over Blades is waived when used Terrestrial: The martial artist must be able to make an
with this attack. ambush against her target to use this Charm.

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Sorcery Wanasaan Exorcist

The Wanasaan exorcists (p. 127) awaken their sor-
cerous potential through ceremonial drowning in the
Shaping Rituals Silent Isle’s frozen spring, seeing the truth of the world
on the threshold of life and death.
Student of the Heptagram
Graduates of the Heptagram initiate into sorcery Shaping Rituals
through many different paths. The following is only
• Living Ancestor Reverence: The sorcerer draws
the most common initiation.
empowerment from offerings of paper effigies
and other grave goods made to her ghost while
Shaping Rituals
she yet lives. The sorcerer may draw (the offer-
• Sorcerous Archives: Once per story, the sorcerer
ing’s Resources rating) sorcerous motes from
may research arcane texts and roll (Intelligence
such a sacrifice once per day. These motes van-
+ Lore), gaining sorcerous motes equal to the suc-
ish at sunrise.
cesses that last until the story ends. Access to a
sorcerous library or mentor adds one bonus die, • Drowning in Mystery: Suspending herself in a basin
or two for an especially comprehensive library or or body of salt water, the sorcerer draws power
skilled mentor. from the moment she stood on the verge of death.
After an hour of submerged meditation, she rolls
• Sevenfold Art Invocation: The sorcerer channels
(Wits + Occult), gaining sorcerous motes equal to
Essence through esoteric formulae and rigorous-
the successes. These last until she performs this
ly-practiced mudras. Once per scene, when she
ritual again, or until the end of the story. She can-
stunts the first shape sorcery roll of a spell with
not perform this ritual more than once per day.
invocations or mudras, she gains (stunt rating +
2) sorcerous motes towards completing the spell. • Drink Deep of Lethe: By compelling a ghost to
Enhancing her control spell doesn’t count against abandon its unnatural existence and return to the
this once-per-scene limit. cycle of reincarnation, the sorcerer may breathe
in the remnants of its Essence. After incapac-
• Geomantic Mandala: The sorcerer channels
itating a ghost or similar shade or using social
Essence through elemental geomancy, gaining
influence to convince it to pass on (a life-defining
one additional sorcerous mote each turn she
task, Exalted p. 216), she rolls (Stamina + Occult)
spends shaping a spell in an elementally as-
with (the ghost’s Essence) bonus dice, gaining
pected demesne or manse. Once per story, she
sorcerous motes equal to the successes. These
may tap an elementally aspected hearthstone to
motes last until the story’s end, although she can-
which she’s attuned to gain five sorcerous motes
not stock more than ([Essence + Willpower] x4)
(ten from a greater hearthstone) until the end
sorcerous motes with this ritual at a time.
of the scene. Doing so renders that hearthstone
defunct until the story ends. Other Benefits
Eyes in Both Worlds (Merit •••): The sorcerer lin-
Other Benefits
gered a little longer than most at the edge of death’s
Geomantic Prodigy (Merit •••): Well-versed in sacred
marches during her initiation. She can perceive dema-
geometry and esoteric principles of architecture, the
terialized ghosts as though they were material.
sorcerer may add (Occult) dice on a Craft (Architecture
or Geomancy) roll once per week. These count as Breath Without Air (Merit •••): Having drowned
Charm dice. once, the sorcerer is proof against it a second time. She
may breathe normally in water. Water Aspects ignore a
Spirit Speaker (Merit •): The sorcerer has been schooled
single point of wound penalty while submersed, shed-
in consorting with spirits and other magical beings.
ding the weakness of the living.
When she rolls a social action against such beings or
asserts Resolve or Guile against them, she benefits from
any Occult specialties in that type of being as though she Terrestrial Circle Spells
had them in the relevant social Ability.
Beckoning That Which Stirs the Sky
Words of Binding (Merit ••): The sorcerer doubles 9s Cost: Ritual, 2wp
on rolls to bind summoned demons or elementals. Keywords: None
Duration: (1 + threshold successes) hours

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As the sorcerer recites ancient prayers to deities long Maneuverability: +3; Hull: −1/−2/−4/Incapacitated
forgotten beneath the open sky, huge chitinous limbs
emerge from above, weaving the wind and clouds to her Cargo: One ton. The ship can comfortably carry a
will. Shaping the weather is an (Intelligence + Occult) half-dozen passengers.
roll that takes a few minutes to complete, with a diffi-
culty based both on how drastic the change the sorcerer Upon casting this spell, the sorcerer names the destination
wishes to make is and how typical the desired weather is she intends to sail to. If she has even approximate knowl-
for her current climate and season. Creating a light rain edge of its location, the Flory Ferry will sail itself as close as
in a temperate climate might only be difficulty 1, while possible to that destination, using the sorcerer’s (Essence
strengthening a heavy rain to a thunderstorm or halting + Occult) for sailing rolls. However, it lacks the sapience
it completely might be difficulty 2-3. Summoning a to engage in pursuit or naval combat. Other characters
thunderstorm from blue skies or diminishing a hurricane can attempt to sail it, although the Speed bonus from its
to a severe storm would be difficulty 5+. Likewise, any magically impelled travel becomes a −1 penalty if they at-
attempt to create rain might incur increased difficulty if tempt to travel anywhere but the named destination. Once
attempted in a desert, as would calling a blizzard outside it’s reached its destination and its crew has disembarked,
of the winter season. This spell can never create extreme the ferry shrinks back into the foliage from which it was
natural disasters such as hurricanes, though it can dimin- summoned.
ish them to lesser weather.
Sorcerers with an Essence pool may use the following
If the sorcerer succeeds, That Which Stirs the Sky weaves powers while this spell is active:
the desired weather in an area out to (Essence + threshold
successes) miles from the point cast the spell. It lasts for Barque of Durant Heartwood (10m, 1wp; Simple; One
(1 + threshold successes) hours before reverting to nor- day): The ship’s hull hardens to thick bark, gaining
mal. Subsequent castings by any sorcerer cannot alter the (Essence/2, rounded up) −0 Hull levels. Once they fade
weather within the spell’s range until its duration elapses. away, damage marked in them rolls over into regular
Characters within the weather can identify its unnatural Hull levels.
origin with a (Perception + [Occult or Survival]) roll of
Hay-Fever Seabloom (5m; Supplemental; Instant;
difficulty 1-5, with subtler alterations being more difficult to
Pilot): Thick, sticky pollen trails in the Floral Ferry’s
detect.
wake. Success on an interval of a naval pursuit
A sorcerer with this as her control spell may create while fleeing a ship imposes a penalty of (sorcerer’s
sorcerous weather that follows her as she moves; this Intelligence) on the pursuing captains’ next interval.
costs half her threshold successes, rounded up.
Whirling Maple-Seed Swiftness (10m, 1wp; Simple;
Distortion (Goal Number: 10): Distorting this spell re- One day; Pilot): As long as the sorcerer helms the Floral
verses the alteration to the weather. It doesn’t merely Ferry, its total Speed is doubled.
revert back to its previous conditions, but is changed
A sorcerer with this as her control spell may awaken
in the other direction — if the original sorcerer had
Evocations from the Floral Ferry.
calmed a thunderstorm, distortion would result in an
even greater storm; if she’d summoned rain, distortion Distortion (Goal Number: 5): Distorting the Floral
could result in intensely arid heat. Ferry allows the opposing sorcerer to name a new
destination that it will sail itself towards.
Floral Ferry
Cost: 20sm, 1wp Impervious Sphere of Water
Keywords: None Cost: 15sm, 1wp
Duration: Until journey is completed Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Tossing a leaf, petal, or fruit into a body of water, the
sorcerer beckons it with mudras of the turning seasons Water streams from the sorcerer’s outstretched palms,
to grow into a small, seaworthy craft. This is a ship twisting and coiling like flowing serpents into a dome that
with the following traits (Exalted, p. 244): encompasses her and her allies. The dome extends out to
short range from the sorcerer, although those within find
Speed: Magically impelled +2; current +1; oars +1;
that they can breathe the water as easily as air. While the
empty cargo hold +1
dome is translucent, its surface provides full cover (Exalted,
p. 199) to those within it against attacks from without,

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and vice versa. Moving into or out of the dome requires or other vapors as though they were water, and can as-
a (Strength + Athletics) roll at a difficulty of (sorcerer’s cend vertically through such vapors until it’s skimming
Intelligence). If the sorcerer takes a move action or non-re- over their surface. In sufficiently misty environs, it’s
flexive action, this spell immediately ends. Once the spell even possible for the ship to rise high enough to sail on
ends, the sphere collapses, and can be collected to drink. the clouds themselves. However, while vapor-borne,
the ship cannot benefit from Speed bonuses from oars
A sorcerer with this as her control spell can take move or currents. If this spell ends, or there’s no vapor left for
actions without ending this spell. The sphere moves the ship to sail on, it descends, landing safe and undam-
with her, although it doesn’t drag those within its area aged, albeit potentially landlocked.
along with it, flowing around them without friction.
A sorcerer with this as her control spell is constantly
Distortion (Goal Number: 12): Distorting this spell strips wreathed by pale mists, though she may disperse them
the water of its breathability, causing those within the with a thought unless distracted by involved activity,
dome to begin drowning (Exalted, p. 232). It ceases deep contemplation, or tumultuous emotion. She may
to provide cover to those within (but not without) the walk on mist or fog as though it were solid ground,
dome, and characters may enter (but not exit) the dome albeit as difficult terrain (Exalted, p. 199).
without a roll. The dome remains intact even if the sor-
cerer takes an action that would end the spell. Distortion (Goal Number: 8): Distorting this spell causes
mist to envelop the ship in a thick cloud, making it all but
Keel Cleaves the Clouds impossible for its crew to see outward. Sail rolls to pilot
Cost: 25sm, 2wp it suffer a −3 penalty, and those aboard have no warning
Keywords: None if it’s about to run out of mist that can support it.
Duration: One day
Sculpted Seafoam Eidolon
As fog or clouds touch the seas, the sorcerer speaks hon- Cost: 10sm, 2wp
eyed lies to a ship, convincing it that it may sail forward Keywords: None
upon them. The enchanted ship may sail over mist, fog, Duration: One day

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The sorcerer shapes foam and aqueous reflections A sorcerer with this as her control spell may simulta-
into a simulacrum of reality. From nothing, she may neously project herself into up to (Perception) separate
create a lifelike, convincing water-replica of a person, wooden faces, seeing and speaking through all of them
an animal up to the size of a horse, or an object up to simultaneously.
the size of a wagon. She rolls (Manipulation + Occult)
to determine the quality of the illusion. The illusion Distortion (Goal Number: 5): To distort this spell, a
performs lifelike motions, is capable of simple speech, sorcerer must be within short range of the tree, not
and has scent, body heat, and other sensory qualia, the sorcerer. Distortion renders the wooden face blind,
though it’s not capable of taking actions that require deaf, and mute (Exalted, pp. 168-169), plunging the
rolls. While the sorcerer is present, she may direct the casting sorcerer into sensory isolation that causes her
illusion’s behavior; if she goes further than long range to lose one Willpower.
from it, it reverts to a default pattern of behavior that is
realistic but uncomplicated. Stalwart Earth Guardian
Cost: Ritual, 1wp
A character within short range can roll (Perception Keywords: None
+ Awareness) opposing the sorcerer’s initial roll to Duration: Twelve hours
realize its illusory nature. Touching the eidolon’s wa-
ter-sculpted surface grants three bonus dice on this Drawing a geometric figure in the soil or tracing it out
roll. A character who speaks with the eidolon may on stone with chalk over the course of a few minutes,
realize it’s illusory by reading its intentions, opposing the sorcerer wards herself and her allies from harm.
the sorcerer’s initial roll. This figure spreads out to close range from its center.
Characters within the ward gain +1 Defense and +1
A sorcerer with this as her control spell may create Resolve against any attacks or other effects used on
up to (Manipulation) separate illusions each time she them from without. Characters outside the ward but
casts it. within medium range of its center come under attack
as the earth turns against them, an environmental haz-
Distortion (Goal number: 10): Distorting this spell ard with difficulty (higher of Essence or Intelligence)
allows the opposing sorcerer to wrest control of the and Damage 1B/round. Characters who fail a roll
illusion away from the sorcerer who cast it. against the hazard treat moving through it as difficult
terrain (Exalted, p. 199) for that round. In addition,
Spoke the Wooden Face the churning earth makes stealthy approaches all but
Cost: 5sm, 1wp impossible, increasing the mobility penalty of charac-
Keywords: None ters caught within it by −2 and making enough noise to
Duration: One scene awaken anyone sleeping inside the ward.

Closing her eyes and entering a trance, the sorcerer A sorcerer with this as her control spell has a certain
projects her awareness into a tree that bears her visage. earthiness to her, smelling of plowed soil and loamy
To use this spell, the sorcerer must have first carved a clay. She can use her fingernails to etch lines in stone,
life-sized likeness of her face into the bark of a living an exceptional tool (Exalted, p. 580) for Craft rolls to
tree, a basic Craft (Woodworking) project with diffi- work stone or Linguistics rolls to inscribe writing on it.
culty 1. Casting this spell lets her perceive and speak
through the face, regardless of distance. She may make Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting this spell
Perception-based rolls from its vantage or make influ- inverts the ward, nullifying its effects outside while
ence rolls as she speaks through it, but cannot enhance causing those within to suffer the environmental haz-
her actions with Charms. While using this spell, she ard and mobility penalty.
can’t sense anything through her own body nor take
actions with it, unless she chooses to end it prematurely. Thunder Wolf Howl
Taking damage automatically ends this spell. Cost: 15sm, 1wp
Keywords: Decisive-only
While the sorcerer isn’t speaking, her projected pres- Duration: Instant
ence can’t be detected without the use of magic. A char-
acter who knows or suspects that a tree has been marked White winds swirl around the sorcerer as she draws
for use with this spell may destroy the carved visage to forth the ancient echo of a slain behemoth’s death-
render it unusable. This usually doesn’t require a roll, howl. The sorcerer designates a point within medium
unless the tree has been reinforced with other magic. range as the center of a deafening thunderclap that

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 cha p ter eight: M artial arts and sorcery

extends out to short range from that point. Characters A sorcerer with this as her control spell has a devil-maw
caught within it, including allies, roll (Stamina + permanently opened on one of her palms. Unarmed
Resistance) at a difficulty of (the sorcerer’s higher of attacks with that hand deal aggravated damage and
Essence or Intelligence). Battle groups suffer a pen- gain the Piercing tag (Exalted, p. 586) against enemies
alty of (their Size). Characters who fail suffer base that have any body moisture, draining it through their
decisive damage of (Essence)B, ignoring Hardness, armor. Against water elementals and similar enemies,
and the sorcerer divides her Initiative evenly among her unarmed attacks deal an additional die of wither-
them, rounding up, to determine the total damage ing or decisive damage.
rolled against them. As long as one character fails his
roll, the sorcerer resets to base Initiative. A character Virtuous Guardian of Flame
that takes damage is deafened (Exalted, p. 198) until Cost: 15sm, 2wp
he receives medical treatment, and suffers a crippling Keywords: None
penalty on all actions equal to the number of 10s on the Duration: One day
damage roll. This penalty falls by one at the end of each
of that character’s turns. Objects and structures made The sorcerer draws a flaming sword from her own
of wood, glass, and similarly flimsy or fragile material heart, shaping a fiery sentinel to keep vigil over her. As
suffer damage at the Storyteller’s discretion. she completes the spell, the burning blade collapses
into a will-o’-the-wisp no larger than a torchlight —
A sorcerer with this as her control spell increases the the sorcerer may conceal the Virtuous Guardian of
difficulty and base damage of this spell by one each. Flame by commanding it to rest within an existing lit
When overcome with strong emotion, her voice booms lantern or torch she carries. Should she be attacked,
and echoes like the peal of distant thunder. the wisp flares back into sword shape to fend off her
enemy, protecting her as per the defend other action
Unslakable Thirst of the Devil-Maw (Exalted, p. 196) with a Parry of ([higher of Essence
Cost: 15sm, 1wp or Intelligence] + 1). The virtuous guardian can even
Keywords: None notice threats of which the sorcerer is unaware, roll-
Duration: Instant ing (Essence + Perception + Occult) to detect hidden
enemies. Wooden projectiles or weapons successfully
The flesh of one of the sorcerer’s hands splits to reveal a blocked by the guardian are burnt to ashes. If it parries
monstrous gaping mouth with fangs of tourmaline and an unarmed attack or other natural attack, the attacker
a squirming viridian tongue. The maw leeches away at suffers one die of lethal damage, ignoring Hardness.
water, condensing vapor from thin air and desiccating Even when its parries fail, its flames blunt the force of
plants or living flesh. She rolls (Intelligence + Occult) attacks against the sorcerer, adding (Essence) natural
as an unblockable decisive attack against all char- soak against all but unblockable attacks.
acters, including allies, in a ninety-degree arc out to
medium range. Against battle groups, it’s unblockable The guardian has soak (Essence + 5), Hardness
and undodgeable. Each character hit suffers ([sorcer- (Essence), and (Essence + Intelligence) −0 health lev-
er’s Intelligence + extra successes] − [lower of target’s els. When the sorcerer Joins Battle, it gains Initiative
Stamina or Resistance])A dice of decisive damage, equal to hers. It cannot take any actions of its own;
minimum one die. This doesn’t include the sorcerer’s instead, this Initiative is used solely as a buffer against
Initiative or reset her to base Initiative. Enemies with withering attacks. If the guardian is crashed, it dissi-
no body moisture whatsoever, such as fire elementals pates for a scene, unable to protect the sorcerer, but
or bonesiders, are immune. Conversely, enemies pri- reforms after that. If its health track is filled with
marily made of liquid, such as water elementals, don’t damage, it’s utterly destroyed, and the sorcerer cannot
subtract anything from the damage. Trivial plant life resummon it until its full duration has elapsed.
within range is completely desiccated, dying instantly.
A sorcerer with this as her control spell may awaken
Moisture siphoned by this spell is gathered into a Evocations from it, enhancing the guardian’s defensive
sphere of solid water that floats above the sorcerer’s power or wielding it offensively.
hand for up to a few minutes after casting this spell.
The sorcerer may direct it into a container for storage, Distortion (Goal Number: 15): Distorting the virtuous
or it can be drawn on with Charms such as Elemental guardian lets the distorting sorcerer temporarily usurp
Sheath (p. 225). Even if there are no victims of her it from its caster, stealing its protection away from her
spell, she may gather water with it in all but the most for one scene.
arid environments.

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Realm Year 768
Left Hand Chalima was the bad kind of tired. Her daiklave and devil caster sat on her dining table, red
jade polished and gleaming. Her boots were mudless and her firedust pouch was full. Only the ink-
stains on her fingers proved she’d done any kind of work at all. Her fingers drummed without rhythm,
and she stared at the latest militia report without reading it. Her cloak of office rested on the back of her
chair, where its oppressive warmth couldn’t stifle her. Nobody’d warned Chalima that the queen’s cloak
would chafe. She wouldn’t have grabbed it off the old king if she’d known.
Chalima’s husband Xocha had offered to take over the administrative tasks for the evening, and Chalima
had said no. After an hour, Chalima privately admitted she should’ve said yes. She got up, stretched her
back, and headed for the basement. She took her weapons with her and left the reports behind.
The royal shrine beneath the manor was tasteful, in Chalima’s opinion: several crematory urns
surrounding an incense bowl carved from interlocking ivory pieces. The old royal shrine had been a
wasteful, imposing thing, and Chalima had gotten rid of it — respectfully — when she moved in. The old
ghosts protested, but their descendants weren’t in charge now. Their choices were Chalima or nothing,
and most chose Chalima. At least she honored them, unlike the Immaculate Order.
But Chalima wasn’t here for an old ghost. She lit a candle with a finger-snap and a spark of Essence,
and with the candle lit several sticks of incense. She breathed in the scent, eyes closed, then breathed
out a name.
“Itzli, it’s your wife.” She smiled wryly at his imagined, teasing greeting. “Still breathing, thanks for
asking.”
Chalima never knew when her prayers might get a response. But she knew she could talk, and Itzli
would feel it. Most nights, that was enough.
“I’ve been running in circles all day, Itzli, putting out fires. Which is a lot harder than starting them, it
turns out.” Chalima rested her weapons against the shrine. “That rat-bastard riotmonger I told you
about is still out there. Still spreading his heresy. Still breaking down my city — our city — piece by
piece.”
You’ll stop him, said nobody.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if he’d give me a fight, but he’s like a weevil in grain. His zealots are everywhere,
and he’s nowhere.” Chalima clenched her hand. “He’s Anathema. I can feel it in my gut. But my gut can’t
summon a Wyld Hunt.”
You know why, said nobody.
“It didn’t used to be like this. Do you remember? We used to go years between Anathema sightings, and
now they’re all through the Hundred Kingdoms. And good luck putting together a hunt like in the old
days. We used to be fast as a rumor and twice as mean. I used to be….”
The incense smoke was thick and hot, and Chalima’s hands itched for her weapons. Her jaw was
clenched. She had to do something. Anything. And she would have, if she hadn’t felt the cooling touch
of a hand on her own. She gasped slightly, but didn’t open her eyes. Itzli didn’t look like he used to, after
all. Instead she rested her head against his, soaking in his calm.
“I wish my Kinship was here,” said Chalima, surprising herself. “Mathar’s letters don’t compare to his
voice. I’d even take River preaching ‘proper canon’ at me. How would they deal with this?”
Chalima felt Itzli’s touch, familiar and unfamiliar, on her cheek.
“It’s not too late to find out,” said Itzli.

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 Chapter Nine

Heirlooms
of Power
Calumny feeds upon secrets. A secret’s intensity cor-
responds to the level of task that would be required
Calumny to persuade the person it concerns to reveal it to
the world: inconvenient, serious, or life-changing
(Green Jade Wrackstaff, Artifact •••) (Exalted, p. 216). A secret can lose or gain intensity as
circumstances change, such as being widely revealed.
Two centuries ago, a lone thief drove the Great Houses
to wrath. Concealed behind her signature mask, the Rustling Grapevine Whispers
Artful Tanuki uncovered the Realm’s rarest treasures Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 1
and most forbidden secrets. She sold both to eager Type: Reflexive
buyers, sowing chaos among the Scarlet Dynasty. Keywords: Resonant, Uniform
Duration: Instant
Peasants and Dynasts alike speculated about the Artful
Prerequisites: None
Tanuki’s prowess and motivations. Magistrates and as-
sassins sought the thief’s head and the mysteries kept
Hidden truths speak through silence. The wielder may
therein. After years of infamy, the Artful Tanuki vanished.
activate this Evocation whenever she hits or touches
Then her true work began. Without her mask, no one
another character with Calumny. The target’s unspo-
recognized the daughter of House Cynis as the infamous
ken secrets vibrate up Calumny’s length, whispering
thief, and her stolen secrets fed a budding political career.
a one- or two-word clue to the target’s most potent
Though many spoke of her insolent mask, few recalled or most immediately relevant secret, decided by the
the Artful Tanuki’s unassuming staff. Calumny is a length Storyteller. This adds an automatic success on a read
of bamboo cut from the slopes of the Imperial Mountain intentions or profile character roll to uncover that se-
and banded with green-and-brown speckled jade. It has cret. Only the wielder hears Calumny’s whispers.
been passed down through generations of Cynis black-
Special activation rules: This Evocation cannot be pur-
mailers, offering its secrets to those who feed its hunger.
chased with experience points. Instead, it awakens at no
Attunement: 5m; Type: Medium (+3 ACC, +12 cost when the wielder whispers a serious or life-chang-
DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) ing secret of her own to Calumny. A Dragon-Blooded
Cynis scion may awaken it with an inconvenient secret.
Tags: Bashing, Melee, Reaching
Resonant: Rustling Grapevine Whispers may be used from
Hearthstone Slot(s): 1 short range, using shared contact with significant plant life (e.g.,
vines, tall grass, a tree) as a medium instead of direct contact.
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress
Unassuming Ornament Camouflage
Evocations of Calumny Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Permanent
Calumny may be collapsed to a jade-tipped rod six
Keywords: None
inches in length, giving it the Concealable tag (Exalted,
Duration: Permanent
p. 588), or extended back to full length, as a reflexive
Prerequisites: Naked Thief Style
action.

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RESONANCE AND DISSONANCE

Different Exalted harmonize differently with each of the magical materials. An Exalt can be resonant with a
material, neutral, or dissonant. The Resonant and Dissonant keywords mark Evocations that function differ-
ently depending on the user’s connection to an artifact. Solars are resonant with all magical materials, while
Dragon-Blooded are resonant with jade; neutral with orichalcum, moonsilver, and starmetal; and dissonant
with soulsteel. See Arms of the Chosen, pp. 16-17, for more.

To find secrets, one must keep secrets. The Dragon- serious secret, or two successes for a life-changing secret.
Blood may use Naked Thief Style (p. 203) while
Calumny is collapsed to conceal it as a small mundane Resonant: The wielder may reflexively make an influ-
object, such as an ornamental fan, necklace, or pipe. No ence roll in place of a counterattack, leveraging one of
roll is necessary to conceal it; its true nature is com- the attacker’s secrets against him. She steals a point of
pletely undetectable by anything short of Eye of the Initiative from him for each threshold success, maxi-
Unconquered Sun or comparable effects. mum (Manipulation).

Salon-Spider Entrapment Ripened Bitter Fruit

Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 2 Cost: 5m, 5i, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Supplemental Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Resonant, Stackable, Withering-only Keywords: Decisive-only, Dissonant, Resonant
Duration: Instant Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Rustling Grapevine Whispers Prerequisites: Salon-Spider Entrapment, Swallow-
tail’s Grace
A tangled web traps its maker. A successful withering
attack spins the opponent’s secrets into sticky, bind- Secrets poison the heart in which they take root. The
ing threads of Essence until the end of his next turn. wielder whispers one of her opponent’s secrets to
A bound foe must pay one Initiative in order to take a Calumny, and ferments that secret into a deadly poison
movement or attack action. through a decisive attack. If the wielder’s attack deals
damage, the poison takes hold with a duration of (5 +
If the wielder knows a bound foe’s secrets, she may damage dealt) rounds. This secret-poison’s damage/
strike him again with this Evocation, renewing the interval and penalty both correspond to the secret’s
binding web for another of her enemy’s turns and potency: 1L/round and −1 for inconvenient; 2L/round
raising the Initiative cost it imposes by one. She may and −2 for serious; 3L/round and −3 for life-changing.
stack it up to a maximum based on the most potent
secret known: 2 for inconvenient; 3 for serious; 4 for Characters poisoned by Ripened Bitter Fruit cannot
life-changing. speak above a whisper until free of the poison. Hearts
stopped by this secret-poison grow hard and black, like
Resonant: A crashed enemy cannot take movement the stone of a fruit.
actions while bound.
The secret used to create the venom no longer holds
Swallowtail’s Grace power for Calumny’s Evocations. This Evocation may
Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2 be used once per day, unless reset by discovering a
Type: Reflexive life-changing secret. The Dawn Caste anima cannot
Keywords: Counterattack, Dual, Perilous, Resonant reset this Evocation.
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Rustling Grapevine Whispers Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
awaken this Evocation.
He who denies, attacks; she who knows, invites. After
Resonant: Crashed characters suffer the poison’s en-
parrying an attack made by an enemy whose secrets
tire remaining duration and lethal damage at once, at
she knows, the wielder makes a withering or decisive
the end of the round.
counterattack. The attack roll gains a bonus success for a

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

Daring Venture Song of Sunlit Dreams

Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 1
(Green Jade Powerbow, Artifact •••) Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
When V’neef was a girl, still considering what manner
Duration: Instant
of life she’d lead, the hills and forests of the Dragon’s
Prerequisites: None
Blanket offered novelty that her studies couldn’t. To
her tutors’ consternation, V’neef would disappear for
days on end, returning from her wanderings soiled, Daring Venture’s golden bowstring vibrates with its
smiling, and animated with some discovery. Her father progenitor’s beauty, giving a serene note that soothes
recognized this curiosity as the seed of wisdom, and wild beasts and calms the wounded. Add (higher of
commissioned Daring Venture for V’neef’s 14th birth- Essence or Occult) bonus dice on a Performance- or
day to accompany her in her travels. Presence-based roll to influence a wild beast, or on a
Medicine roll.
In her 17th year, while journeying with Daring Venture,
V’neef discovered a great wolf, grown giant through Special activation rules: A Dragon-Blooded V’neef
some lost First Age magic, wounded by a hunter’s lance. scion awakens this Evocation at no cost upon attuning
Though it snarled and snapped at her, she calmed it to Daring Venture.
with notes plucked from Daring Venture’s bowstring
Resonant: A wielder who resonates with jade may use
and tended to its wounds, winning the beast’s affections.
this Evocation reflexively to enhance any action taken by
She named the wolf Hundred Rivers, and his legend has
an animal familiar, or to add ([higher of Essence or Occult]
been intertwined with Daring Venture’s ever since.
/ 2, rounded up) to her familiar’s Defense, Resolve, or
Daring Venture is a tall, slender powerbow of opaque Guile for one instant. This doesn’t stack with other effects
emerald jade. Etchings depict scenes of wild splendor — that add dice or successes to the familiar’s roll.
waterfalls, pine forests, sunrises — whose details change
Seeker’s Heart Intuition
to reflect its wielder’s recent journeys. Daring Venture
yearns to traverse the wilderness, callings its wielder Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 1
to explore new vistas at the edges of Creation’s maps. Type: Simple
Its Evocations embolden the wielder with wood’s dyna- Keywords: Resonant
mism, rewarding discovery with flowerings of inspira- Duration: Instant
tion, and summon Hundred Rivers to its master’s aid. Prerequisites: Song of Sunlit Dreams

As matriarch of her house, V’neef has little time for Imbued with the spirit of exploration, Daring Venture
the adventures of her youth, though she still enjoys probes the wilderness for unfamiliar places of interest
the occasional escapade. She grants Daring Venture to and guides its wielder in their direction. If the wielder
scions with kindred spirits, charging them to go forth seeks an unknown location she can name, such as a town
and discover House V’neef’s shining future. or natural feature, Daring Venture provides the wielder
with its direction relative to her position. Alternatively,
Attunement: 5m; Type: Medium (+12 DMG, OVW 4) if the wielder seeks novelty from the unknown, Daring
Venture points her toward undiscovered or forgotten
Accuracy: Close −1; Short +5; Medium +3; Long places of significance or power, such as demesnes or his-
+1; Extreme −1 torical ruins. Daring Venture never points the wielder
Tags: Lethal, Archery (Long) toward locations she’s previously visited.

Hearthstone slot(s): 1 Resonant: Once per week, a wielder who resonates

with jade gains one Willpower when she activates this
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress Evocation, which she can only spend on any applicable
Ride, Sail, or Survival charm to move in the direction
indicated.
Evocations of Daring Venture
Beckon the Wandering Wolf
Daring Venture’s wielder adds an automatic success on
Survival rolls to navigate unfamiliar terrain. Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Resonant

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HUNDRED RIVERS, THE WANDERING WOLF

Hundred Rivers has a Minor Tie of kinship towards his master upon first being summoned. At the end of each
session, this Intimacy is strengthened one step if the Storyteller deems he had a positive experience with his
master at any point during it. If he had a negative experience he deems his master’s fault, the Tie instead
weakens by one step, and he flees her side to wander the wilderness. She cannot summon him again with
Beckon the Wandering Wolf until a week has passed.

Hundred Rivers, like Daring Venture itself, yearns to explore Creation. He won’t enter buildings, and exhibits
great discomfort on paved surfaces. He especially loves sweet citrus fruits.

Essence: 3; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 8 dice

Health Levels: −0/−1x6/−2x6/−4/Incap.

Speed Bonus: +4. Hundred Rivers consents to carry riders toward whom he has a Major Tie.

Actions: Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Resist Poison/Illness: 8 dice; Senses: 10
dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Threaten: 8 dice; Tracking: 10 dice

Appearance 3, Resolve 5, Guile 2

COMBAT

Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 17)

Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (12 dice to control)

Combat Movement: 5 dice

Evasion 4, Parry 3

Soak/Hardness: 10/2

Hundred Rivers may be trained in any of the latent or magic special attacks or merits of a wolf (Exalted, p.
562).

SPECIAL ATTACKS

Harry: If Hundred Rivers moves into close range of an enemy and deals 5+ withering damage on the same
turn, that enemy cannot disengage on her next turn.

Pack Hunting: Hundred Rivers considers his master and any of her Sworn Kin his pack. When Hundred Riv-
ers attacks, he adds one automatic success for each packmate in close range of his target, maximum three
successes.

MERITS

Keen Nose: Hundred Rivers doubles 9s on scent-based Perception rolls.

Marvel of Coat and Claw: Those who see Hundred Rivers’ master and her companions in the beast’s pres-
ence are treated as having a Minor Tie towards her, either positive or negative depending on how they view the
legendary wolf. Dynastic youths might marvel at the sight of him, while Thousand Scales bureaucrats might
find his presence distasteful.

Wild Guardian: Hundred Rivers grants his master three automatic successes to Survival rolls to track quar-
ry or find food, water, or shelter.

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Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Seeker’s Heart Intuition
Faith’s Pillar
(White Jade Grand Goremaul,
Upon awakening this Evocation, the wielder of Daring Artifact •••)
Venture gains the legendary wolf Hundred Rivers as
her familiar. She may activate it to call the wolf to her Mnemon Beral, son of Mnemon herself, set the house
current location. No matter how great the distance be- standard for proselytizing across Creation. His jour-
tween them, he’ll travel towards her as fast as possible. neys led him to every corner of Creation, then to the
secretive cities of the inhuman Mountain Folk below
Resonant: A Dragon-Blooded wielder always counts its surface. The Jadeborn do not speak of their faith in
Hundred Rivers as one of her Sworn Kin. their few exchanges with the Dynasty, but they speak
of Beral with the utmost respect.
Wolf-and-Dragon Bond
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 3 Mnemon Beral never returned home. Faith’s Pillar did.
Type: Supplemental The Mountain Folk carved it out of respect for Beral’s
Keywords: None wisdom and courage against the unholy monsters of
Duration: Permanent the depths, and he carried it into battle against those
Prerequisites: Beckon the Wandering Wolf, Mother- horrors. After he fell in defense of a Mountain Folk
of-Beasts Mastery (x2) city, the Jadeborn entrusted the weapon to his family.

This Evocation upgrades Mother-of-Beasts Mastery (p. Faith’s Pillar is a glittering white jade obelisk repre-
271). When the Dragon-Blood uses it to train Hundred senting the Imperial Mountain, with symbols for the
Rivers, the time required is halved, and she waives the four outer Directions on each of its faces. At the end
experience point cost of awakening his magical abil- of its long haft, the pommel bears a sign of the Center,
ities. Any experience she’s already spent doing so is just as the mountain’s roots reach far below the light of
refunded upon awakening this Evocation. day. Faith’s Pillar traditionally serves monks of House
Mnemon, consecrated in a Mountain Folk dedication
Special activation rules: This Evocation cannot be ceremony kept by house savants.
purchased with experience points. It awakens at no
cost when the wielder risks her life or undergoes great Attunement: 5m; Type: Heavy (+1 ACC, +14
DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 5)
hardship to defend, heal, or otherwise help Hundred
Rivers. Tags: Bashing, Melee, Reaching, Smashing,
Two-Handed
Packmate Devotion
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 4 Hearthstone slot(s): 1
Type: Permanent
Keywords: Resonant Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Wolf-and-Dragon Bond
Evocations of Faith’s Pillar
After bonding over the course of many adventures, Upon attuning to Faith’s Pillar, the wielder chooses
Hundred Rivers accepts the wielder as a lifelong pack- one of her Principles of religious belief or social order
mate. He rejects any influence that would cause him to to dedicate the goremaul to, gaining an additional +1
betray his master or weaken or alter his Tie to her as Resolve against influence opposing it. She may change
unacceptable (Exalted, p. 220). He’ll only weaken his the chosen Principle once per story with a ritual
Tie to his master at the end of the session if she betrays rededication.
him outright. Hundred Rivers gains two Initiative
when he witnesses his master suffer decisive damage. Faith Maintains
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 1
Special activation rules: This Evocation cannot be Type: Simple
purchased with experience points. When Hundred Keywords: None
Rivers’ Tie toward the wielder reaches the Defining Duration: One scene
level, the wielder awakens this Evocation at no cost. Prerequisites: None

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A life of virtue begins with a foundation of faith. Foundations of Sand

Touching Faith’s Pillar to the ground, the wielder con- Cost: 3m, 1i; Mins: Essence 2
secrates the ground on which she stands. As long as Type: Reflexive
she doesn’t move from this point, she adds (Essence + Keywords: Perilous, Uniform
the dedicated Principle) to her natural soak and gains Duration: Instant
(Essence) Hardness. Prerequisites: Faith Maintains, Dragons Provide

Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at The earth shall not suffer the heretic’s tread. When
no cost when a Dragon-Blooded Mnemon scion at- the wielder is attacked from close range by an enemy
tunes to Faith’s Pillar with the proper dedication ritual. standing on earth or stone, she may use this Evocation.
A successful parry causes her attacker to be sucked
Dragons Provide
into the ground up to the waist, suffering the effects
Cost: 4m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 1 of being prone (Exalted, p. 202). He must succeed at a
Type: Reflexive difficulty 2 ([Strength or Dexterity] + Athletics) roll to
Keywords: Resonant, Withering-only free himself, which counts as his move action.
Duration: One scene
Prerequisites: Faith Maintains The wielder may end Dragons Provide, detonating the boul-
der-head of Faith’s Pillar, upon successfully parrying with
When the faithful call, the very stones answer. On her Foundations of Sand to instead shatter the surface (earthen
turn, the wielder draws Faith’s Pillar through earth, loose or otherwise) on which the attacker stands, creating a hole
stones, or even solid rock, compacting them into a boul- one range band deep. The attacker falls if he doesn’t catch
der to serve as her hammer’s head. This boulder adds its edge with a reflexive (Dexterity + Athletics) roll with a
(lower of Strength or the dedicated Principle) dice of difficulty of (1 + the number of successes he missed by).
raw damage and +1 Overwhelming on withering attacks
with Faith’s Pillar. Enemies may attempt to destroy the If the attacker has defied Faith’s Pillar’s dedicated
boulder with a difficulty 4 gambit, ending this Evocation. Principle and stands on ground consecrated by Faith
Maintains, the difficulty to extricate himself or arrest
Resonant: While standing on ground consecrated by his fall increases by (Principle − 1).
Faith Maintains, the wielder’s withering smash at-
tacks don’t cost Initiative. Iniquity’s Reward
Cost: 5m, 1i; Mins: Essence 2
Orison of Thunder Type: Reflexive
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2 Keywords: Perilous, Resonant
Type: Supplemental Duration: Instant
Keywords: Decisive-only Prerequisites: Faith Maintains
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Dragons Provide Discord and lawlessness encumber the soul. The
wielder imposes a penalty of (her Intelligence) on an
The Earth Dragon’s judgment is abrupt and devastating, enemy’s roll to disengage.
brooking no response. The wielder’s decisive attack
channels Earth Essence into an echoing rebuke. On a hit, Resonant: If the wielder stands on ground consecrat-
the attack’s target is selectively deafened (Exalted, p. 168) ed by Faith Maintains, the penalized character loses an
for (wielder’s Charisma) rounds. He hears only the wield- additional (Principle − 1) Initiative for disengaging.
er’s voice, and takes a −2 Resolve penalty against her.
Pasiap’s Gentle Embrace
The wielder may end Dragons Provide upon landing Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
a decisive attack with Orison of Thunder to explo- Type: Reflexive
sively detonate the boulder-head of Faith’s Pillar. This Keywords: Decisive-only, Dissonant, Resonant
adds up to (lower of Strength or Principle) attack roll Duration: Instant
threshold successes as dice of damage. Prerequisites: Foundations of Sand, Iniquity’s Reward

Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at Those who shun the perfected path deserve only the
no cost upon joining battle against a nontrivial foe who mercy of a proper burial. Immediately after crashing
has violated the Principle that Faith’s Pillar is pledged an opponent, the wielder prays for nearby earth and
to.

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stone to rise and entomb the fallen, reflexively rolling

an unblockable gambit with difficulty 4.
Heavenly Typhoon
(Blue Jade Infinite Chakram,
Success seals the opponent in a rocky tomb without Artifact •••)
light, air, or room to move. Shattering the tomb is a
Strength 3 feat of strength, with a difficulty of (the Many among the Scarlet Dynasty have heard of Heavenly
wielder’s Essence), or (the wielder’s Essence + the Typhoon, but few know its true story. The common tale
dedicated Principle) if that enemy has violated the in House Ledaal is that the magnificent chakram was
Principle. Outside of combat, each roll takes 20 sec- forged in a bygone era by an ancient Dragon-Blood
onds to complete, and time is of the essence as the who used it to cut down Anathema through the ages.
sealed character asphyxiates (Exalted, p. 232). Ghosts, Inspired by a summer gale, the artisan made a weapon
demons, and other creatures of darkness suffocate to strike down the unjust like a thunderbolt and cut
and die within the tomb as if made of flesh and blood, down the wicked as a storm tears down trees and build-
sending ghosts to Lethe and destroying other beings ings. Heavenly Typhoon’s real origin is more complex.
permanently, with the exception of Yozis, Deathlords,
and similarly powerful beings. More wholesome spir- In truth, Heavenly Typhoon dates back to the First
its reform, if able, sealed within the tomb until freed. Age, when the Lawgiver Sees-in-Shadow forged it for
her spymaster (and sometimes lover), the Dragon-
This Evocation may be used once per day, unless reset Blood Rising Storm. Together they uncovered plots,
by instilling a nontrivial opponent with the Principle hunted the corrupt, and slew infernalists and blas-
Faith’s Pillar is pledged to at Major Intensity. The phemers. Rising Storm passed her drive for retribution
Dawn Caste anima power cannot reset this Evocation. unto her lineage. In the Usurpation, Rising Storm’s
granddaughter took up Heavenly Typhoon and struck
Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot down Sees-in-Shadow, grown wicked in the centuries
awaken this Evocation. since Rising Storm’s death, at the cost of her life. Over
a thousand years later, it would be discovered by a dis-
Resonant: If the wielder slays a spirit with a decisive
tant descendant and scion of House Ledaal, drawn to
attack, she may use this Evocation to entomb it with-
the Anathema-slaying weapon by their shared lineage.
out rolling a gambit.

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Heavenly Typhoon is a blue jade infinite chakram. darkness can cross. This Evocation upgrades Seed and
Orichalcum inlay on its cloudy, marbled surface re- Salt Warding (p. 230). The Dragon-Blood may use it as an
sembles a jagged bolt of lightning. Viewed from anoth- Air-aspected Charm to create a line of rippling air pressure
er angle, the pattern looks like bared dragon fangs. that affects condemned characters as well as the undead.

Attunement: 5m; Type: Light (+10 DMG, 3 OVW) Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at
no cost when a Dragon-Blooded Ledaal scion attunes
Tags: Lethal, Thrown (Medium), Cutting, Special Heavenly Typhoon.
Hearthstone slot(s): 1
Demon-Slaying Zealot’s Mantra
Era: The Midnight Century Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Counterattack, Withering-only
Evocations of Heavenly Typhoon Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Righteous Enemy-Slaying Strike
An Exalt who attunes to Heavenly Typhoon awakens
Righteous Enemy-Slaying Strike at no cost.
When a condemned target attacks the wielder, a ring
Righteous Enemy-Slaying Strike of ancient script appears in gold around her, driving
Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 1 her attacker to fear and despair. The wielder makes
Type: Supplemental a withering counterattack. If it deals more than (her
Keywords: Decisive-only attacker’s current temporary Willpower) damage, his
Duration: Instant Hardness is set to zero against decisive attacks with
Prerequisites: None Heavenly Typhoon for the rest of the scene.

This Evocation may only be used once per scene, un-

The golden etchings upon Heavenly Typhoon glow with less reset by incapacitating a nontrivial condemned
righteous fury and snap with lightning. An enemy dam- enemy.
aged by a decisive attack is condemned by the weapon’s
wrath. Condemnation is permanent unless revoked by Searing Wind-Razor Bolt
Heavenly Typhoon’s wielder, although new wielders don’t Cost: 3m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 2
gain the benefit of past wielders’ condemnations. Heavenly Type: Simple
Typhoon adds (Essence/2, rounded up) withering dam- Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant
age and +1 Overwhelming against condemned foes. Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Demon-Slaying Zealot’s Mantra
Resonant: A character resonant with jade waives this
Evocation’s cost against creatures of darkness.
Golden lightning trails behind Heavenly Typhoon as
Storm-Shield Bulwark the wielder summons a storm to cut down an unjust
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1 foe. The wielder makes a decisive attack against a
Type: Permanent condemned enemy with a lower Initiative, adding the
Keywords: None difference between their Initiative ratings in bonus
Duration: Permanent dice to the attack and damage rolls, up to a maximum
Prerequisites: Seed and Salt Warding of (higher of Essence or 3).

Resonant: A wielder resonant with jade also knocks

The Exalt draws a line with the keen edge of Heavenly her target back one range band if any damage is dealt.
Typhoon and creates a stormy boundary no creature of

OTHER MAGICAL MATERIALS

While the Realm’s artificers sometimes incorporate the other magical materials into jade artifacts, an arti-
fact that is made primarily or entirely from another material is considered second-rate, more suited to an
outcaste than a Dynast. Their use is accepted but may occasionally draw disparaging remarks from other
Dynasts who’ve yet to witness their power.

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Standing in the Storm’s Eye time isolated from the women and men of her legion.
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 3 Her fellow Dynasts often wondered why she hadn’t
Type: Permanent been married off quietly and never spoken of again,
Keywords: None and rarely cared whether or not she was in earshot of
Duration: Permanent their questions.
Prerequisites: Searing Wind-Razor Bolt, Storm-Shield
Bulwark It was at the Rainbow Scales that Cathak Falu, for once
in her life, won the admiration of all in her house. The
This Evocation permanently upgrades Hundred Dynasty lost a soldier, but the invaders lost a vanguard.
Devils Whirlwind (p. 231), affecting condemned foes House Cathak recovered her blade from the boiling river
as though they were dematerialized spirits. that had been the Rainbow Scales. Now celebrating the
former reject as the pinnacle of soldierly virtue, Cathak
Ten Thousand Typhoon Burst elders show the blade called Pyre of Legions to their
Cost: 5m, 3i, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3 young heirs in its resting place before Cathak Falu’s tomb,
Type: Simple her burning handprint still visible upon its hilt.
Keywords: Dissonant, Perilous, Resonant, Wither-
Attunement: 5m; Type: Heavy (+1 ACC, +14
ing-only
DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 6)
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Searing Wind-Razor Bolt Tags: Lethal, Melee, Reaching, Two-Handed

Heavenly Typhoon roars through the air like a tornado Hearthstone slot(s): 2
unleashed, splitting into a dozen spiraling afterimages
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress
that shower enemies with furious cutting Essence. The
wielder rolls a withering attack against a condemned
target, and also applies her attack roll against every Evocations of the Pyre of Legions
condemned enemy within short range of him. She only
rolls damage against the original target; other foes Falu’s last desperate thoughts were burned into Pyre of
struck lose Initiative equal to the 10s on the damage Legions when she fell in battle, carved into searing hot
roll. The wielder cannot gain more than (Essence) to- jade, and any who wield the blade feel them coursing
tal Initiative from the secondary targets. through their own heart as surely as though they were
her own. Its wielder gains a Defining Principle of “I
This Evocation may only be used once per scene, un- will give anything to protect my comrades” that cannot
less reset by incapacitating a nontrivial condemned be weakened or altered so long as she’s attuned to the
enemy. daiklave.

Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot Loyalty-Kindling Warmth

awaken this Evocation. Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Resonant: A character resonant with jade gains one Keywords: Dual
Willpower if this Evocation crashes at least one enemy. Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None
Pyre of Legions Pyre of Legions’ loyal soul empowers those that stand
(Red Jade Grand Daiklave, Artifact •••) with their comrades, such that they may face a thousand
foes as one. Withering attacks against battle groups ig-
Cathak Falu was never well-loved by her comrades
nore (Strength) points of soak; decisive attacks against
or her commanders in the house legions. She was an
them add (Strength) bonus dice on the attack roll.
adequate but unexceptional officer, never equaling the
martial glory of her fellow Dragon-Blooded no matter Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at
how doggedly she practiced weapon drills with her no cost when attuned by a Dragon-Blooded Cathak
daiklave or memorized strategies from The Thousand scion.
Correct Actions. Perhaps this could have been forgiv-
en, if not for her lack of social graces, her standoffish Resonant: A character resonant with jade may pay an
demeanor, and her taciturn brooding. She was most additional two motes to use this Evocation against an
comfortable on the battlefield, and spent the rest of her individual enemy with lower Initiative.

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All-Consuming Guardian Stance Keywords: Dissonant, Uniform

Cost: 4m, 1i; Mins: Essence 2 Duration: One scene
Type: Supplemental Prerequisites: Army-Routing Aegis
Keywords: Perilous, Resonant
Duration: Instant The wielder’s anima banner burns away in the crucible of
Prerequisites: Loyalty-Kindling Warmth the Pyre, leaving in its place a towering inferno that can
be seen for leagues. Battle groups don’t add their Size to
Flames leap from Pyre of Legions to guard a comrade, burn- attack rolls or damage against the wielder, and treat her
ing away volleys of arrows and pushing back errant blades. as a battle group of Size (higher of Essence or Strength) to
She takes a defend other action to protect an ally within me- determine whether they can move past her without disen-
dium range. Used together with Flame Warden Stance (p. gaging (Exalted, p. 209).
226), it extends that Charm’s range to medium as well.
She waives the health level cost of Army-Routing Aegis
Resonant: When defending her ward against the at- while this Evocation is active.
tacks of battle groups, the wielder gains +1 Parry.
Special activation rules: As long as the wielder isn’t
Army-Routing Aegis dissonant with jade, this evocation awakens at no cost
Cost: 3m, 3i, 1ahl; Mins: Essence 3 when she upholds a Major or Defining Tie of loyalty
Type: Reflexive when confronting a significant threat alone.
Keywords: Perilous, Resonant
Duration: Until next turn Ashes Feed the Seeds
Prerequisites: All-Consuming Guardian Stance Cost: —; Mins: Essence 4
Type: Reflexive
The passion within Pyre of Legions cannot be contained Keywords: Resonant
in the form of a single hero — she’s consumed alive, be- Duration: One scene
coming a walking pyre that scorches the earth around Prerequisites: Somber Pyre Conflagration
her. On her turn, she wreathes herself in a bonfire (dif-
ficulty 5, damage 4L/round) that extends out to short No matter how an inferno scars the countryside, it leaves
range, moving with her. The flames deal her no damage fertile soil ripe for the future. The Exalt ignores wound
(other than the health level cost). If she activated this penalties, and may spend Willpower in place of health
Evocation on her previous turn, she waives its mote cost. levels for the cost of Pyre of Legions’ Evocations. She’s
treated as having a −4 wound penalty for Unstoppable
Resonant: The bonfire gains +1 difficulty and +2L Heart-Stoking’s Incandescence’s discount.
Damage.
This Evocation can only be activated once per story.
Unstoppable Heart-Stoking Incandescence This may be reset by accomplishing a legendary social
Cost: 2i; Mins: Essence 3 goal (Exalted, p. 134). The Dawn Caste anima can’t
Type: Reflexive reset this Evocation.
Keywords: Perilous
Duration: One scene Special activation rules: This evocation cannot be
Prerequisites: Army-Routing Aegis awakened with experience points. It awakens at no
cost if the wielder is reduced to her −4 health level
while upholding Pyre of Legions’ Intimacy.
The air around Pyre of Legions shimmers and burns
with heroism, encouraging ferocious loyalty in soldiers
following that awesome apparition. While the wielder Sea’s Verdict
is rolled into combat, the mote cost of her War Charms
is reduced by (her wound penalty + 1), to a minimum of
(Black Jade Longfang, Artifact •••)
one mote. Exalted with non-Ability Charms apply this When the wheel-priests of Zumachi made sacrifices
discount to any Charms that deal with leading battle to the Vortex of Scales, begging him to wreck an in-
groups or defeating enemy strategies. bound Peleps tribute ship, they assumed they’d won a
few months respite. An hour later, the folly of assump-
Somber Pyre Conflagration
tions was laid bare when Peleps Lirel stalked from the
Cost: 2ahl, 3a; Mins: Essence 4 waves, dragging their elemental patron’s serpentine
Type: Simple carcass up the beach.

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Sea-soaked and glaring, she recited a list of charges as Prerequisites: Elemental Sheath
the three lead priests threw themselves on her mercy,
promising the young judge whatever she desired. In Drifting in pelagic shadow, Sea’s Verdict remembers its
reply, she dragged the triumvirate to the secret jade true nature. If the wielder calls the trident forth from a
monolith on which they offered their youths, bound large body of open water, its anima immediately flares
them with their silver chains of devotion, and waited up to glowing.
for the tide to come in.
In Water Aura, she can use Sea’s Verdict’s anima to pay
The final judgment she returned to House Peleps in- the cost of her own Charms.
cluded “Attempted bribery.”
Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at
Hewn from the dismantled sacrificial stone, Sea’s no cost when a Dragon-Blooded Peleps scion attunes
Verdict is a jet-black trident engraved with argent ser- to Sea’s Verdict.
pents and capped by moonsilver prongs. In the hands
of poets and pirate-hunters it’s smashed through the Kraken’s Gavel
living masts of the Lintha, drowned shining bandit Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Essence 1
queens in their desert castles, and cast evildoers to Type: Simple
distant shores. Keywords: Uniform
Duration: Instant
To those versed in its use, Sea’s Verdict is a remind- Prerequisites: None
er that seafaring romance is a pleasant illusion. The
trident’s spirit remains unstained by those it’s con- The crushing weight of the sea whirls between Sea’s
demned, unmoved in its search for justice. Guilty or Verdict’s forks, sweeping foes to the depths. This Evocation
innocent, its victims are mere crimson drops in the can only be used while Sea’s Verdict’s anima is at burning or
deep black sea within. The sea has only one verdict, higher. The wielder makes a withering or decisive smash
which it returns without thought or qualm. attack with no Defense penalty. If it hits a target at close
range, all other opponents at close range must roll (Strength
Attunement: 5m; Type: Medium (+3 ACC, +12
+ Athletics) at a difficulty of (wielder’s Essence + 2) or be
DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4)
knocked back one range band away from the wielder.
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Thrown (Short), Disarming,
Piercing Hull-Breaking Tsunami Swipe
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1
Hearthstone slot(s): 2 Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Resonant, Uniform
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Kraken’s Gavel
Evocations of Sea’s Verdict
All castles are built on sand. When attacking, the
Sea’s Verdict has its own anima banner, which grows wielder unleashes a crashing wave of force, reflexive-
one level when its wielder spends 5+ peripheral motes ly rolling a feat of demolition (Exalted, pp. 229) with
on Charms or Evocations enhancing a single attack or (Sea’s Verdict’s anima x2) bonus dice to destroy an
parry with it. As the weapon’s anima intensifies, its sil- object in her opponent’s range band that’s not being
ver engravings writhe and dissolve like broken chains, carried. This can reduce cover (including full cover)
and the black jade itself begins to expand, crack, rum- before the attack is resolved.
ble, and leak or spray dark water; a dam ready to burst.
Resonant: The wielder adds (Sea’s Verdict’s anima) to
With its anima at burning, Sea’s Verdict gains the her Strength rating to determine what feats of demoli-
Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586). At bonfire, the tion she may attempt.
Initiative cost of smash attacks is waived.
Lost Blade Riptide
From the Depths Cost: 5m, 2i, 1a from Sea’s Verdict; Mins: Essence 2
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1 Type: Supplemental
Type: Permanent Keywords: Decisive-only, Dissonant
Keywords: None Duration: Instant
Duration: Permanent Prerequisites: Hull-Breaking Tsunami Swipe

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Sea’s Verdict’s prongs spin and twist, unleashing a Gaol Without Fathom
whirl of black water that rips weapons away. If an en- Cost: 8m, 1wp, 2a from Sea’s Verdict (2i per enemy);
emy tries to parry a decisive attack, the wielder first Mins: Essence 3
reflexively rolls a disarm gambit (Exalted, p. 200), Type: Simple
waiving the Initiative cost. A disarmed enemy can only Keywords: Decisive-only
use his Evasion to defend against her attack. Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Awaken the Tide
Dissonant: This Evocation can only be used once per
scene. The air flickers with hadal darkness and insurmount-
able pressure as the wielder slams Sea’s Verdict to the
Awaken the Tide
ground, fraying the chains on its power. Gaol Without
Cost: —; Mins: Essence 3 Fathom can only be used while Sea’s Verdict’s anima is
Type: Permanent burning or higher. The wielder rolls a decisive attack
Keywords: None against every opponent at close range, but doesn’t roll
Duration: Permanent damage normally. She may pay two Initiative for each
Prerequisites: From the Depths, Lost Blade Riptide enemy hit to knock them prone and grapple them
without needing a gambit, pinning them beneath
A dark ocean stirs into wakefulness, its waters spill- spiritual pressure like that of the ocean depths. This
ing forth to swirl around the wielder’s feet and drag cost is waived against prone enemies.
at enemies with unnerving strength. While Sea’s
Verdict’s anima is glowing, enemies within close Each victim rolls for control separately, compar-
range of the wielder are slowed as though moving ing their results to the wielder’s original attack roll.
through difficult terrain (Exalted, p. 199) if their The wielder can only restrain her victims, who are
Initiative is lower than hers. At burning or higher, the slammed prone and rendered mute, deaf, and blind
whirlpool clutches possessively at fallen foes, apply- (Exalted, pp. 168) while grappled, as a lightless silence
ing the difficult terrain penalty on rolls to rise from presses against them. While Sea’s Verdict is at bonfire,
prone. At bonfire, the penalty rises to −4. the restrain action costs only one turn of control. The

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wielder doesn’t lose rounds of control for being at- There was only one word for what the Grinning Wicked
tacked or damaged, but a grappled enemy may attempt Flame had become — Anathema. A Wyld Hunt was dis-
to struggle free as his action for a round, which can’t patched to hunt down the flame-devil, led by her cousin
be placed in a flurry, removing two rounds of control. Sesus Bajo tracking her by the wake of blasphemy and
fire she left across the Blessed Isle. Kalama fought fierce-
Thunder of the Abyss ly, and maimed many of the shikari sent to kill her, but in
Cost: —(+1-3a from Sea’s Verdict); Mins: Essence 4 the end, she fell. Her death became an object lesson to
Type: Permanent young Dragon-Blooded on the dangers of heresy, and the
Keywords: Decisive-only specter of the flame-devil lingered as a threat whispered
Duration: Permanent to rebellious adults and disobedient children alike.
Prerequisites: Gaol Without Fathom
Bajo retrieved the Smiling Razors from his cousin’s
The Sea’s Verdict strains under the pressure of its corpse to return them to his house. Though the cruel
own infamous Gaol, black water spraying from every blades were ill-suited to his temperament, he made a
crack. The released waters unnaturally swirl above the show of wielding them publicly to cleanse the stain
wielder as a great maelstrom that she can collapse into of Kalama’s blasphemy. Once the house deemed its
a pelagic hammer blow, dissolving the trident’s silver reputation suitably repaired, the Smiling Razors were
prongs like corks popping from a bottled ocean. turned over to its vaults. House Sesus’ Masked Council
has chosen subsequent wielders of the Smiling Razors,
The wielder can end Gaol Without Fathom by inflicting a reforging Grinning Wicked Flame’s legacy into a weap-
decisive slam attack on every grappled character, divid- on suited to their clandestine purposes.
ing her Initiative evenly, rounded up, between every vic-
tim. The damage ignores Hardness. She doesn’t add bo- Attunement: 5m; Type: Light (+5 ACC; +10 DMG;
nus damage for remaining turns of control. Instead, she +0 DEF, 4 OVW)
may expend one level of Sea’s Verdict’s anima for each Tags: Lethal, Melee
round she’s maintained the clinch, dealing that many
levels of bashing damage to each victim. The bodies of Hearthstone slot(s): 2
those killed by the Thunder of the Abyss vanish, only ever
found as water-bloated flotsam on some distant shore. Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress

The Sea’s Verdict reforms unscathed after using this

Evocation, but its silvery chains wrap with watertight Evocations of the Smiling Razors
urgency, resetting its anima to dim and preventing it Surprise attacks made with the Smiling Razors add
from growing for the rest of the scene. one die to the attack roll.

Smiling Razors Still-Burning Ember Ambush

Cost: 3m, 2i; Mins: Essence 1
(Red Jade Short Daiklaves, Artifact •••) Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Mute, Perilous, Resonant
Sesus Kalama, the Grinning Wicked Flame, received
Duration: Instant
the Smiling Razors from the Empress for exceptional
Prerequisites: None
service in the Immaculate Order. She wielded them in
many a Wyld Hunt, stalking Anathema as a flickering
shadow and gouging painful burning wounds across Like an ember that burns an unsuspecting hand, the
their skin before dispatching them. Exalt strikes suddenly from ambush and vanishes as
quickly as she came. When she rolls to establish con-
Kalama loved the violence of the Wyld Hunt, but grew cealment in combat, she doubles 9s.
discontent with the life of a monk. She publicly decried
the Order, igniting her anima to incinerate her robes Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at
and profaning an offering-laden Immaculate altar. no cost when a Dragon-Blooded Sesus scion attunes to
She declared herself a force against those who clung the Smiling Razors.
too tightly to tradition and order, publicly challenging
Resonant: If the wielder is resonant with jade, a sur-
monks to duels so that she might demonstrate the fal-
prise attack made with the Smiling Razors on the turn
libility of the Immaculate Texts, and seducing Dynasts
after entering concealment with this Evocation adds
into apostasy.
one automatic success on the damage roll.

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Coiling-Smoke-Plume Deception Soul-Burning Mark

Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1 Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Permanent Type: Simple
Keywords: None Keywords: Stackable, Withering-only
Duration: One scene Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Still-Burning Ember Ambush, Vanish- Prerequisites: Searing Pain Infliction Tactic
ing Wind-Body Technique
The Smiling Razors burn their mark into the flesh
This Evocation permanently upgrades Vanishing of victims with sadistic glee. Their wielder makes a
Wind-Body Technique (p. 267). The Dragon-Blood withering attack. If it deals more than (5 + number of
may use it as a Fire Charm to render herself immune to marks the victim already has) damage, it brands him
detection via her body heat rather than air movement. with a mark that lasts until the scene’s end, maximum
Such uses grant their enhanced benefits in Fire Aura (Essence + 1) marks. Decisive attacks with the Smiling
instead of Air Aura. Razors gain one die for each mark the victim has.

Inviting Fireside Distraction Resonant: If the wielder lands an unexpected attack,

Cost: —; Mins: Essence 1 it automatically marks her victim regardless of how
Type: Permanent much damage she deals.
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene Drifting Smoke-Cloud Passage
Prerequisites: Rose-Among-Thorns Distinction, Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Still-Burning Ember Ambush Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Dissonant, Mute
This Evocation permanently upgrades Rose-Among- Duration: Instant
Thorns Distinction (p. 204). The Dragon-Blood may Prerequisites: Inviting Fireside Distraction,
use it as a Fire Charm to gain a specialty in non-crim- Soul-Burning Mark
inal organizations that she’s targeting for infiltration,
theft, assassination, or similar uses of Larceny or The wielder of the Smiling Razors transmutes her body
Stealth. into drifting smoke, passing through places where she
normally couldn’t. She can fit through spaces so tight
Searing Pain Infliction Tactic that only smoke could pass through with a single move
Cost: 4m, 1i; Mins: Essence 2 action on her turn, and ignores difficult terrain or en-
Type: Simple vironmental penalties on the roll. Any tight space she
Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant wishes to flow through must be short enough that she
Duration: Instant could successfully traverse it in a single move action. If
Prerequisites: Still-Burning Ember Ambush she’s in concealment, she doesn’t need to make anoth-
er Stealth roll as long as she ends her movement in a
The Exalt descends upon her victim with the intent location that provides concealment, and she may even
to inflict terrible pain as smoke and coiling flames roll rush while in concealment.
from the Smiling Razors’ blades. To use this Evocation,
she must be in concealment. She makes a decisive at- This Charm may only be used once per day, unless
tack against an opponent who cannot perceive her. If reset by incapacitating a nontrivial enemy with an un-
her attack deals enough damage to increase his wound expected attack.
penalty, he doubles his wound penalty for the rest of
Special activation rules: This Evocation may not be
the scene, to a maximum of (4 + wielder’s Essence).
awoken with experience points. Instead, it awakens at
Resonant: If the wielder resonates with jade, the vic- no cost when the wielder kills a nontrivial enemy from
tim’s wound penalties remain doubled until he’s healed ambush.
at least one level of lethal damage.
Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
awaken this Evocation.

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Vengeant The Great Houses think the Iselsi dead, a mighty riv-
er tamed to barely a trickle, but those waters belie the
(Black Jade Razor Claws, Artifact •••) violent currents that hide below the surface. To use
this Evocation, the wielder must be in concealment
Part of it came from Petal Glider, the vain daiklave that de- and choose a target that’s unaware of her. At the start
feated the Grass Dancer at the Battle of Three Crossings of each of her turns, the wielder makes an opposed
for the sake of its master’s camaraderie with foreign roll of (Manipulation + Stealth) against her target’s
traders. Another came from Crow’s Friend, which anni- (Perception + Awareness) roll, gaining (Essence/2,
hilated the Gutter Water Gang, opening Nexus to Iselsi rounded up) Initiative if she wins the opposed roll.
ambitions. A third piece belonged to Amara, which slit Each subsequent round, she incurs a cumulative −1
Sesus’ cheek in revenge for a night of adulterous beauties penalty on the Stealth roll. If she fails the roll, her
now long forgotten. Now all that remains is Vengeant. target detects her, sensing Vengeant’s killing intent.
This Evocation ends when the wielder is detected by
Many of House Iselsi’s ancestral blades were destroyed her target or leaves concealment. If she makes a de-
by the Scarlet Empress for their foolish attempt to cisive attack against an enemy other than her target,
strike at her. She had fragments of each forged into a the Initiative she gained is lost.
new weapon to remind the Iselsi of her mercy and of
the state she’d forced upon them. The Iselsi took the This Evocation can be used once per scene, unless re-
lesson well. With their old blades they’d fought to cre- set by incapacitating a despised opponent or a nontriv-
ate dynasties — with Vengeant, they would end them. ial foe who wishes to protect him.

Attunement: 5m; Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, Resonant: As long as the wielder has a Major or
+0 DEF, OVW 3) Defining Intimacy that would be furthered by killing
the target, she may waive this Evocation’s Willpower
Tags: Lethal, Brawl, Concealable, Worn cost.
Hearthstone slot(s): 2
Ember-Smothering Convolution
Era: The Fall of House Iselsi Cost: 3m; Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Resonant
Evocations of Vengeant Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Still Waters Hide Fury
Vengeant remembers those who wronged its former
wielders, and delights in the chance to humble their
descendants. The wielder may focus Vengeant’s spite Spurred on to finish the grudge before Vengeant’s vic-
against a specific individual or group, marking him as tim can escape, the wielder adds two bonus dice on a
despised, after one of the following events: rush against a character she has a negative Tie towards.
She gains one Initiative if she wins the rush.
• The wielder reveals her true identity and her
enmity to the object of a negative Tie. Resonant: The wielder may pay an additional mote
to extend this Charm’s duration to one scene against
• A Dragon-Blooded Iselsi scion discovers how a despised opponent, enhancing all rushes she makes
the target or his ancestors have wronged House against him. She may stack multiple uses against mul-
Iselsi. tiple despised foes.

Vengeant gains +1 Overwhelming against despised Earth-Eroding Tactic

opponents. This effect is indefinite, lasting until the Cost: 4m, 2i; Mins: Essence 2
wielder manages to destroy the target or rededicates Type: Supplemental
Vengeant against a new despised individual or group. Keywords: Decisive-only, Mute, Resonant
Duration: Instant
Still Waters Hide Fury Prerequisites: Still Waters Hide Fury
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Simple Vengeant’s patient hatred wears down even the most
Keywords: Mute, Resonant resilient. To use this Evocation, the wielder must
Duration: One scene have surveilled him with Still Waters Hide Fury in the
Prerequisites: None same scene. If her decisive attack hits him, his total

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onslaught penalty doesn’t refresh at the start of his Hundred-Generation Forest Desecration
turns until he’s taken a number of turns equal to the Cost: —(+5m, 1wp); Mins: Essence 4
number of turns she spent undetected while using Still Type: Permanent
Waters Hide Fury, maximum three. Keywords: Dissonant
Duration: Permanent
Resonant: Vengeant’s decisive attacks against a de- Prerequisites: Drink the Lesser Seas, Breath-Denying
spised opponent suffering from this Evocation ignore Vengeance Current
Hardness until his onslaught penalty refreshes.
Ten thousand gentle crests can leave even the grandest
Breath-Denying Vengeance Current
groves of trees stunted and malformed, poisoned from
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 3 the roots with the sea’s saltwater grief. When the wielder
Type: Simple uses Still Waters Hide Fury against a despised character
Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant with whom she’s interacted socially in a previous scene,
Duration: Instant she may pay five motes and one Willpower to treat each
Prerequisites: Earth-Eroding Tactic such scene as a turn studying him from concealment,
up to a maximum of (Essence) scenes. She makes a sin-
The wielder inundates her victim with Vengeant’s slug- gle (Manipulation + Stealth) roll against his (Perception
gish, hateful essence, filling his lungs with black bile. + Awareness) for these past interactions, gaining
This is a gambit whose difficulty is (higher of target’s (Essence/2, rounded up) Initiative for each scene on a
Essence or Stamina). Success causes the victim to begin successful roll. Failure doesn’t reveal her presence.
asphyxiating (Exalted, p. 232). He may attempt to clear
the obstruction with a (Stamina + Resistance) roll as a This Evocation can only be used once per story, un-
miscellaneous action that can’t be flurried. A single suc- less reset by achieving a major character or story goal
cess is sufficient for that round not to count against the (Exalted, p. 170) by killing a despised character.
total he can hold his breath, while overcoming a difficul-
ty of (wielder’s Essence) purges the obstruction entirely. Dissonant: Characters dissonant with jade cannot
With a stunt, a character may roll a different dice pool, awaken this Evocation.
such as (Wits + Medicine), to clear the obstruction.
Dragon-Shattering Restitution
Resonant: Against a despised opponent, each thresh- Cost: 1m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 4
old success on the gambit’s Initiative roll adds one Type: Reflexive
bonus die on her rolls to oppose his disengage actions Keywords: Decisive-only, Dissonant, Psyche
until he’s cleared the obstruction. Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Hundred-Generation Forest Desecration
Drink the Lesser Seas
Cost: 2m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3 In death, the foes of House Iselsi serve as a grue-
Type: Simple some warning to their kin that none are safe from the
Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant Vendetta. This Evocation can be used when the wielder
Duration: Instant kills a despised enemy, leaving his remains as reminder
Prerequisites: Ember-Smothering Convolution to the rest of House Iselsi’s enemies that they’re next
on the list.
Vengeant’s attack tears away flesh while drinking
deeply of the water in its victim’s body, leaving nothing Relatives of the victim, including her Sworn Kin, who
but desiccated skin and bone. To use this Evocation, discover the body must roll (Wits + Integrity) against
the wielder must be in concealment. She makes a de- a difficulty of (victim’s Essence + 3). On a failure, they
cisive attack against an enemy who’s unaware of her, form a Minor Tie of horror towards House Iselsi that
adding (Essence) dice of damage and doubling 10s on cannot be weakened or altered by any means until the
the damage roll. story’s end. If a target already has a related Intimacy,
it’s instead strengthened by one step and is likewise
This Evocation can only be used once per scene, unless protected for the story.
reset by incapacitating a nontrivial despised opponent.
Special activation rules: This Evocation cannot be
Resonant: Against a despised opponent, the wielder purchased with experience points. It awakens at no
doubles 9 on damage rolls. cost and can be used for free when the wielder slays
a despised opponent she has a Major or Defining

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negative Tie for. Her victim must have been aware of Evocations of Horizon Cleaver
both her presence and her Intimacy for him.
Horizon Cleaver crackles with lightning, adding one
Dissonant: Characters dissonant with jade cannot die of withering or decisive damage on chopping at-
awaken this Evocation. tacks. Unattuned characters who draw it from its ebo-
ny case become thunderstruck for the remainder of the
scene, as per Brilliant Reproach.
Horizon Cleaver
(Blue Jade Grand Grimcleaver, Brilliant Reproach
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 1
Artifact ••••) Type: Simple
Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant
When the Dragon-Blooded and Sidereal Exalted threw Duration: Instant
down their Solar masters in the Usurpation, the fury of Prerequisites: None
Creation’s Chosen stirred the heavens into world-span-
ning storms, a thunderous reflection of the struggle Horizon Cleaver’s wielder can unleash its lightning —
below. Inspired by strife and storm, the Sidereal at great collateral risk. She makes a decisive attack. If
mastermind Echo Gyre forged Horizon Cleaver, a ti- it deals damage, its victim loses (Essence) Initiative,
tanic battle axe that honors the resplendence of those which the wielder doesn’t gain, and becomes thunder-
storms, for Ashen Tiger, her most trusted lieutenant. struck for the scene, suffering a −2 penalty on physical
actions.
A six-foot rod of blue jade forms the grimcleaver’s
haft, wrapped in braided steel and black rubber. Twin If the wielder’s 1s and 2s on her attack roll exceed (low-
blades resemble reflections of a jagged moon, with er of her Integrity or Resistance), she loses control of
inlays of red jade extolling the Usurpation in lyric po- Horizon Cleaver, and the attack is redirected to a ran-
etry. Horizon Cleaver hums while resting, and in battle dom target within range — including the wielder or her
wreathes itself with blue, rapacious lightning. A wield- allies.
er with sufficient discipline can direct the axe’s fury,
but one who falters spills the storm and decimates Special activation rules: A Dragon-Blooded Tepet
without aim. scion who attunes to Horizon Cleaver awakens this
Evocation at no cost.
Ashen Tiger carried Horizon Cleaver as she led le-
gions against surviving Lunar mates of dead Solars. Resonant: If a character resonant with jade has a
Her daughter, Song of Ivory, used it to raze an insub- Principle that reflects her code of honor, she adds its
ordinate city, beginning its long ancestral lineage. It rating to the total number of 1s and 2s she can roll
was wielded by one of Tepet’s sisters in their ill-fated without losing control of the lightning.
siege of the Imperial City, and she and the grimcleaver
joined House Tepet. Its most recent wielder, the drag- Arcing Death Strike
onlord Tepet Yasenar, fell during the house’s ruinous Cost: —(+2m); Mins: Essence 2
campaign in the North. Accounts conflict as to the Type: Permanent
grimcleaver’s fate. Some say it sank into the White Sea; Keywords: Resonant
others that it answers now to the Bull of the North; Duration: Permanent
and others still that Yasenar’s daughter, Tepet Mareja, Prerequisites: Brilliant Reproach
recovered the axe and gathers strength to reclaim her
house’s glory. The wielder may pay two motes to attack an enemy
at short range when she uses Brilliant Reproach. This
Attunement: 5m; Type: Heavy (+1 ACC, +14
also increases the range at which it can strike random
DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 5)
targets if she fails to control the attack.
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Chopping, Reaching,
Two-Handed Resonant: At Essence 3, a wielder who resonates with
jade may extend its range to medium for a four-mote
Hearthstone slots: 2 surcharge. At Essence 4, she may pay a four-mote,
one-Willpower surcharge to extend its range to long.
Era: Dawn of the Shogunate

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On Wings of Deadly Lightning Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot

Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3 awaken this Evocation.
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Perilous Maelstrom-Taming Warrior’s Code
Duration: Instant Cost: —; Mins: Essence 4
Prerequisites: Arcing Death Strike Type: Permanent
Keywords: Decisive-only, Dissonant
Horizon Cleaver’s master becomes one with the lightning. Duration: Permanent
On her turn, she may reflexively rush a thunderstruck Prerequisites: Intemperate Tempest Fusillade, On
character within long range. On a success, she instantly Wings of Deadly Lightning
moves to close range with him without having to cross
the intervening space. If she attacks him using Brilliant Horizon Cleaver’s lightning submits to the wielder’s
Reproach, she adds an automatic success on the attack roll. will. She’s mastered its mercurial zeal, gaining the fol-
lowing benefits:
Intemperate Tempest Fusillade
Cost: —(+2m, 1wp); Mins: Essence 3 • Horizon Cleaver doubles 10s on decisive dam-
Type: Permanent age rolls against thunderstruck characters.
Keywords: Dissonant
Duration: Permanent • When she incapacitates a nontrivial enemy
Prerequisites: Arcing Death Strike who’s thunderstruck, she adds (Essence) to her
base Initiative upon resetting.
Lightning rips from Horizon Cleaver, striking in all • Only 1s on her attack roll count towards losing
directions. The wielder may pay two motes and one control of Brilliant Reproach.
Willpower when she uses Brilliant Reproach to apply
her decisive attack roll against up to (Essence) total Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
enemies within range. She divides her Initiative evenly awaken this Evocation.
among all hit characters, rounding up, to determine
the decisive damage rolled against them, ignoring
Hardness. If she loses control of the lightning, then it
instead strikes (Essence) randomly chosen targets.

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Imprimatur The wielder draws power from Imprimatur’s authori-

ty, growing in strength and arrogance with each strike.
(White Jade Daiklave, Artifact ••••) She adds (Renown/2, rounded up) to a withering at-
tack’s raw damage. She may forgo gaining up to (higher
Under the bough of a heavy fruit tree in the final spring of Essence or 3) Initiative from the damage roll to gain
of Nellens’ life, the Empress bequeathed her consort — that much Renown instead.
a mortal man — the blade that would protect his legacy.
Before the jealous proxies of the Empress’ daughters Sibling-Humbling Placation
and their gossiping servants, she gave him Imprimatur, Cost: 3m, 2 Renown; Mins: Essence 1; Type: Supple-
sheathed in a scabbard of stone from which it couldn’t mental
be drawn, bound by a crimson tassel. Inscribed on Keywords: Decisive-only, Resonant
the blade she left a message she promised that only Duration: Instant
Nellens’ heirs would ever read. Prerequisites: As Two Strangers Upon the Road

Nellens passed soon after, but despite the Empress’ With a flourish, the wielder bats her foe’s weapon
proclamation, no heir of any Great House sired by him from his hand with Imprimatur. If her disarm gambit
ever received the blade. It remained in the Empress’ succeeds, she also treats its Initiative roll as either a
armory until the day she elevated House Nellens. Since persuade roll to convince the foe to cease or deescalate
then, the blade has become a familiar sight whenever hostilities, or as an inspire roll to fill him with shame,
a Nellens Dragon-Blood appears at a heated debate or embarrassment, or frustration.
tense negotiation. For almost a generation, the infamous
duelist Nellens Zijiren used it to humiliate his rivals Resonant: The wielder’s influence roll targets all who
of high social standing, until his recent demise. The witness the disarm gambit, ignoring the penalty for
sight of Imprimatur has always meant the same thing multiple targets.
for those that oppose House Nellens — an upstart who
thinks herself their equal, and a weapon that proves it. The Matchmaker’s Cockerel Stride
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 2
Attunement: 5m; Type: Medium (+3 ACC, +12 Type: Supplemental
DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 5) Keywords: Resonant
Duration: Instant
Tags: Bashing, Melee
Prerequisites: Sibling-Humbling Placation
Hearthstone slot(s): 2
The wielder may flurry a supplemented full defense
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress with a disengage roll, and it grants her an additional
+1 Parry, which counts as a bonus from Charms. Until
her next turn, she gains one Renown whenever she
Evocations of Imprimatur successfully parries an attack.
Imprimatur’s emblazoned sheath is a seal of the
Empress’s approval. This is measured by Renown, Resonant: If the wielder flurries a full defense and a
which begins at zero and is increased by Imprimatur’s disengage and succeeds on the disengage roll, neither
Evocations, up to a maximum of (the wielder’s Essence action costs Initiative.
+ Charisma). Dragon-Blooded Nellens scions add 1 to
Imprimatur’s maximum Renown. Renown resets at the Youngest Son’s Inheritance
end of every scene. Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Attuning to Imprimatur awakens As Two Strangers Keywords: Clash, Decisive-only, Dissonant
Upon the Road at no cost. Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Sibling-Humbling Placation
As Two Strangers Upon the Road
Cost: 2m; Mins: Essence 1 Imprimatur’s keen edge and social license work as one,
Type: Supplemental empowering the wielder to swat aside errant blades
Keywords: Withering-only and poisonous words with equal ease. The wielder
Duration: Instant reflexively clashes a decisive attack from close range
Prerequisites: None with a disarm gambit, adding (Renown) bonus dice

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on the attack roll. Attack roll threshold successes are weapon of his choice until the scene ends. She
added to her Initiative roll. This doesn’t count as her pays any Renown costs, and any Renown he’d
attack for the round. gain is instead granted to her.

Alternatively, the wielder may oppose another charac- • A Dragon is Born (Renown 7): The wielder
ter’s influence roll with her own (Charisma + Presence) may make a special disarm gambit that resets
roll, adding (Renown) bonus dice. If successful, the an Exalt’s anima banner to dim or cancels a
wielder’s repartee leaves the target stunned silent. Dragon-Blood’s Elemental Aura. The wielder
He’s unable to attempt another influence roll until he’s may choose to add the stolen levels of anima to
able to compose himself with a miscellaneous action. her own banner or enter the stolen Aura.
She gains one Willpower from her triumph.
Upon awakening this Evocation, the Storyteller and
This Evocation can only be used once per scene, unless the wielder’s player may work together to create a new
reset by going a round without either being hit by an unique message discovered by the wielder with bene-
attack or having one’s Resolve beaten. fits comparable to the above options.

Dissonant: Characters dissonant with jade cannot The Final Words of Queens can only be used once per
awaken this Evocation. story, unless reset by upholding a Major or Defining Tie
to one’s family, be they by blood or by adoption, by ac-
The Final Words of Queens complishing a major character or story goal (Exalted,
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 4 p. 170). The Dawn Caste anima power cannot reset this
Type: Simple Evocation.
Keywords: Dissonant
Duration: One scene Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
Prerequisites: The Matchmaker’s Cockerel Stride, awaken this Evocation.
Youngest Son’s Inheritance

Striding the battlefield and the courts of the Blessed

Perdurant Vault
Isle alike with noble bearing, Imprimatur’s master (White Jade Thunderbolt Shield,
awakens the sealed blade. This Evocation can only be Artifact ••••)
activated at Initiative 15+. For the rest of the scene, the
Exalt may reflexively spend any amount of Renown to Perdurant Vault — a reflective disc of milk-white
add that many dice to the initiative roll of a decisive jade — emerged from the workshop of the occultist
attack. Ragara Lasime during his family’s solidification as “the
Imperial Bank.” Among the innumerable deals House
Additionally, each time the wielder uses this Evocation, Ragara struck during that climb, Lasime sojourned to
she is given a vision of a unique message etched across the Underworld to treat with the ghost-queen Hymn
the blade in Old Realm, an excerpt of the Empress’s of Shackles, whose consortium once monopolized
words to the proud inheritor. She may choose one of earthly goods passing through Stygia. No one knows
the following messages to gain the benefit of for this what Lasime offered, but the fruits of his workshop
Evocation’s duration as long as Imprimatur has the display what he gained.
requisite amount of Renown.
Four feet in diameter and strung with an obsidian
• Ambition is a Promise (Renown 3): After win- chain, this ornate aegis complements high-society
ning a clash with a decisive attack, the wielder fashion, offering Evocations that shield the wielder
may expend all Renown and roll that many dice from Dynastic intrigue. Its polished surface occasion-
of damage, ignoring Hardness, instead of using ally reflects glimpses of an ethereal city, a secret world
her Initiative. This doesn’t include her Initiative hidden within its depths. Perdurant Vault has been
or reset her to base. wielded by bureaucrats, sorcerers, and politicians of
House Ragara, and seen use in occult experiments con-
• Marriage is a Blade (Renown 5): The wield- ducted by the house’s inner circle. It’s often entrusted
er may reflexively spend a point of Renown to to scions carrying out important matters for the house
share Imprimatur’s power with an ally, letting that require the utmost discretion and incorruptible
him use all its Evocations whose Essence min- will.
imums he meets, other than this one, with one

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Keywords: Mute, Resonant

Attunement: 5m; Type: Medium (+3 ACC, +10 Duration: Instant
DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) Prerequisites: Clairvoyant Mirror Technique
Tags: Bashing, Melee, Shield
Perdurant Vault shelters the wielder’s psyche behind an
Hearthstone slot(s): 1 ephemeral spiritual wall. The wielder gains +2 Resolve
against an influence roll, or negates the Guile penalty for
Era: Reign of the Scarlet Empress being unaware of an observer on a single roll.

Resonant: Each time a character resonant with jade

Evocations of Perdurant Vault uses this Evocation, the cost of subsequent activations
in the same scene is cumulatively discounted by one
Perdurant Vault’s wielder adds one bonus die on
mote, to a minimum of zero.
Appearance-based rolls.
Protect the Empress
Clairvoyant Mirror Technique
Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3
Cost: 5m; Mins: Essence 1
Type: Reflexive
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Resonant
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Subliminal Sanctuary
Prerequisites: None
In moments of vulnerability, Perdurant Vault conceals
Perdurant Vault’s gleaming surface reflects the hearts
its wielder’s deepest beliefs from all prying minds —
of those who engage with its wielder, providing her
including her own. When a character penetrates the
with secret insight. When the wielder resists an in-
wielder’s Guile with a read intentions action, she may use
still action, she makes a reflexive read intentions roll
this Evocation before any information is revealed to seal
against the influencing character, doubling 9s. Success
away one of her Major or Defining Intimacies inside the
reveals that character’s Intimacy most relevant to his
City of Opal Unstained, a dream-realm within Perdurant
attempted influence. For instance, if a House Cynis
Vault. That Intimacy is sealed away for (Willpower) days,
blackmailer failed to persuade the wielder to aid in a
during which it has no effect on the wielder.
conspiracy, Perdurant Vault might reveal the Cynis’
Major Tie of hatred for House Cathak that motivates Hidden Intimacies manifest in the City of Opal Unstained
the conspiracy. as spirits of appropriate nature whose strength is based
on their intensity: Minor Intimacies yield spirits only
Special activation rules: This Evocation awakens at
as strong as weak gods or First Circle Demons, while a
no cost when attuned by a Dragon-Blooded Ragara
Defining Intimacy’s spirit is comparable to a notable ter-
scion.
restrial god or Second Circle Demon. A Principle of faith in
Unblemished Petal Prana the Immaculate Philosophy might manifest as a pious, cer-
emonially robed monk, whereas the Principle of “Creation
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 1
must burn” might appear as a raging fire elemental. If the
Type: Reflexive
wielder enters the dream-realm via Traverse the Secret
Keywords: Resonant
City, she can interact with her Intimacies, potentially
Duration: Instant
learning some insight or nuance about her belief or de-
Prerequisites: None
stroying a spirit to remove the Intimacy entirely.
Perdurant Vault’s elegance bolsters its wielder against This Evocation can only be used once per story, unless
defilement by pestilence and poison. Its wielder adds reset by successfully preventing the discovery of a
a non-Charm success on a roll against the virulence or Defining Intimacy whose revelation would have sig-
morbidity of a disease, or to resist a poison. Using this nificant consequences for the wielder.
Evocation against poisons also reduces their penalty
by one. Resonant: A wielder who resonates with jade can ac-
tivate this Evocation as if it were Simple, manifesting
Subliminal Sanctuary an Intimacy in the dream-realm at will rather than in
Cost: 4m; Mins: Essence 2 response to social influence. Such uses don’t require
Type: Reflexive this Evocation to be reset.

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Banish the Afflictions landscape of white marble, alabaster, and jet — a jew-
Cost: 15m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 3 el-box of domed villas, near-vertical amphitheaters,
Type: Simple filigreed cupolas, and hidden courtyard fountains. It
Keywords: Dissonant serves as private retreat and storage space, offering
Duration: One day many halls and daises for meditation, as well as alcoves
Prerequisites: Protect the Empress, Unblemished and pedestals for the wielder’s panoply. She also might
Petal Prana encounter here any Intimacies, diseases, or poisons
she manifested as spirits via Protect the Empress or
Perdurant Vault’s wielder may retreat to a place of Banish the Afflictions.
serenity and meditate over the shield, banishing a dis-
ease or poison from her body into the artifact’s dream- When the wielder activates this Evocation, her body
realm. After a full day of meditation, the wielder rolls leaves Creation and manifests within the City. Any be-
(Stamina + Resistance), rerolling (Essence) failures. longings she wears or carries accompany her, including
Against disease, she rolls against its morbidity, reduc- Perdurant Vault itself. At the Storyteller’s discretion,
ing its intensity by one step on a success or purging it the City of Opal Unstained may contain artifacts or
entirely if it’s Minor. Against poison, each success re- legacies of narrative significance hidden somewhere
duces its remaining duration by one interval. throughout its spires and corridors that once belonged
to the shield’s former wielders, whose locations might
When the wielder completely purges a disease or poi- be bargained from its resident spirits.
son using this Evocation, that affliction manifests as
a spirit in the City of Opal Unstained, as per Protect Any changes visitors make to the City disappear as
the Empress. Such spirits linger for a number of weeks soon as all visitors leave. (Spirits count as visitors and
equal to (their Essence), attacking visitors to the prevent this reset, until the City dissolves them.) The
dream-realm or attempting to corrupt them when en- City is secure against mundane intrusion, but can be
countered. Destroying them allows the wielder to add entered for this Evocation’s duration as though it were
(Essence) bonus dice to her (Stamina + Resistance) a spirit sanctum by dematerialized characters or char-
rolls to resist that disease or poison for as long as she acters using sanctum-opening magic to pursue the
remains attuned to Perdurant Vault. wielder and her companions at the spot where they
entered. When the wielder wishes to depart, she and
This Evocation may only be used once per week. her companions reappear instantly at the same spot
where they entered.
Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
awaken this Evocation. Special activation rules: This Evocation cannot be
purchased with experience points. It awakens at no
Traverse the Secret City cost when the wielder achieves a major character or
Cost: 10m, 1wp; Mins: Essence 4 story goal (Exalted, p. 170) despite the efforts of her
Type: Simple enemies to influence her, impede her with poison or
Keywords: Dissonant, Resonant disease, or set similar narrative obstacles in her path.
Duration: (Essence + Integrity) days
Prerequisites: Banish the Afflictions Dissonant: A character dissonant with jade cannot
awaken this Evocation.
A wielder who masters Perdurant Vault gains access to Resonant: A character resonant with jade can bring
its secret depths: the City of Opal Unstained, a dream- other willing characters within close range into the
realm of timeless purity. The city contains an urban dream-realm with her.

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“…numbering at least four, my lady.” The young minister was bold — perhaps too bold for a mortal.
“Four.” River winced internally. Four Anathema on the loose, on the Blessed Isle itself. “And that is a
minimum, is it? What is the highest possible?”
“Well, my lady, we can be fairly confident the number is no higher than eleven, after checking the
records.” The rice-paper sheets in the youngster’s hands rustled gently as he leafed through them,
speaking absent-mindedly as he did. “The documents found on the site of the breach detailed
approximately seven times that number throughout the history of the Realm, but the majority of ledger
entries show the Anathemas’ death in various manners.”
“I see. Thank you. That, though, still leaves the question — why bring this to me?”
“A courtesy, my lady, from my superior.” Presumably that would be River’s cousin Ledaal Idisa. The boy
had the Ledaal eyes. But Idisa had never favored River much — this was uncharacteristic of her. River
thoughtfully thumbed the end of her braid. The boy paused to read something on the papers, and then
said, “She thought my lady ought to know, and besides… ah, yes, here it is. It would be pleasing if my
lady would take a look at this.” He handed over a page.
River took it, concerned, and started reading. The boy spoke again, “Ah, very good… my lady might
wish to focus her attention upon the second line below the crease, if it pleases her.”
•••••
“Are you sure?” Jihe’s voice was calm, as usual. Her sheer, unflappable stoicism had been one of the
first things that drew River’s eyes; she’d never regretted leaving the Immaculate Order or going against
her family’s wishes to be with her wife. They had talked about what happened fifty years ago, of course.
The death of three fellow shikari wasn’t the sort of thing for which River could truly forgive herself.
“I sent someone to verify. All the facts are consistent with the magistrate’s report. He’s free.” It had been
half a day at least, and the cold, dark lump in River’s belly had not loosened in the least. “I cannot sit idly
by, Jihe. We should never have taken this creature alive. We should have killed him. I should have killed
him. They deserved that much.”
“So you feel responsible for his — Adan!” The conversation was interrupted by a small child dashing
into the room. “Young man, I have told you not to interrupt when Dragon-Blooded are talking, especially
not your parents!” The boy froze, scared.
A flustered young man came jogging in after the youngster. “I am so sorry, mistress Ledaal, I swear it
will not happen again!” He took the young child’s arm, and hustled on out.
Jihe muttered darkly, “I swear, that boy will never turn out well. We must have the tutor flogged.” River
nodded, and her wife continued. “You performed your duties impeccably, River. I will not dishonor you by
failing mine. And right now, it is my duty to tell you that your guilt is misplaced.”
River nodded, only paying half a mind to words. The sight of the child only strengthened the pit in her
belly, now made of ice-cold iron. Her old Anathema nemesis had taken three sword-sisters from her. If
he were to….
“You’re in danger, Jihe. Take Adan and go into hiding.”
“And you, my love?” Jihe’s concern seeped through her normally impeccable poise.
River drew a deep breath. “I’m going to see Eshuvar. I think it’s time the Hearth reunited.”

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 Chapter Ten

Princes of
the Earth
Thousands of Dragon-Blooded champions can be found Might of the Dragon-Blooded
across Creation, ranging from princes and ministers to The powers listed in each of these Quick Character stat
monks and rogues. The following quick characters can blocks are meant only as a sampling of their most icon-
be used both to represent specific characters and as ic powers, not a complete list. Storytellers should feel
guidelines for others. Some are movers and shakers in free to customize them by adding Charms, Evocations,
the Realm; others are travelers who might enter a story or spells as they see fit.
for many purposes.

Amon Mora
Amon Mora is among the most important patricians in
the Realm. As Keeper of the First Imperial Seal, he was
trusted by the Empress to oversee the Imperial Palace’s
day-to-day functioning. Under his management,
Palace staff are seen as among the most efficient, least
corruptible servants and bureaucrats in the Realm,
even as the Great Houses descend into chaos. Entering
or leaving the city-sized Palace — or removing the
treasures, documents, and artifacts stored therein — is
nigh-impossible without approval from Mora or his
deputies.

Mora’s appointment was preceded by a long, up-

standing history in the Stewards of Imperial Assets.
He began his career tainted by his family name; his
parents were the last generation of a once-powerful
Shogunate gens whose privileges and holdings were
being swallowed up by the Empress and her new Great
Houses. Their only Exalted child, Mora refused to
join the Great Houses through marriage or adoption,
and though never explicitly seditious, maintained
vocal pride in his family’s heritage. Persistent, rigid
adherence to bureaucratic rules eventually earned his
colleagues’ trust, and he eschewed backroom deals for
advancement in favor of honest work. The Empress
took note, and saw use for him.

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Mora never produced Exalted children, and his only satisfied regarding money, and thoroughly asexual.
marriage was centuries ago. Belonging neither to a He’s also reaching the end of his lifespan, and fears
Great House nor to the influential patrician families that his efforts in rooting out corruption within the
dominating the Imperial Service, he’s cultivated a Imperial Service will die with him.
reputation for impartiality. In a nation mired in famil-
ial politics, Amon Mora is a rare Prince of the Earth Aspect: Air
without close relatives to sway his opinions. He guards Essence: 4; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 6 dice (+2
this reputation fiercely, and is careful about showing for 2m)
favoritism towards friends and protégés, or even his Personal: 15; Peripheral: 39
few remaining Amon cousins. He only steps in to find a
Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap.
mentor or teacher for a suitable young relative, some-
one who’ll drill them hard but reward capability. Actions: Administration: 11 dice (+3 successes for
6m); Code-breaking: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m);
Old friends hope Mora will back a candidate for the Read Intentions: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Senses:
throne who’ll grant the patrician families power at the 7 dice (+2 for 2m); Social Influence: 10 dice (+2 suc-
Great Houses’ expense, playing to his old frustration cesses for 4m); Stealth: 9 dice (+4 for 4m);
with the Great Houses who lessened his family name Appearance 3, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 5 (+2 for
and his continued disgust for Dynastic corruption and 4m)
excess. He listens and is tempted, but has yet to be COMBAT
convinced. Attack (Elemental bolt): 11 dice at short range (4m per
attack, +4 for 4m; Damage 14L/5, ignores 4 points of
Despite the Realm’s many failings, Mora held the soak from metal or artifact armor)
Empress herself in the highest esteem. From the ashes
of the Shogunate, she built an empire that held half the
Attack (Unarmed): 10 dice (+2 for 2m, Damage 8B)
world together. Mora is hidebound, but no fool: He’s Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (+2 for 2m; 4 dice to control,
seen how the world has changed and knows the Realm +2 for 2m)
cannot simply pick up where it left off, but despises the Combat Movement: 8 dice (+4 for 4m)
thought of alterations to his precious system. Every Evasion: 4 (+2 for 4m); Parry 2 (+1 for 2m)
candidate for the throne is either too reckless or too Soak/Hardness: 2/0
mired by tradition, and he despises both in equal mea-
sure. He cedes as little control over the Palace as he INTIMACIES
can, and does nothing to legitimize the pretensions of Defining Principle: Law and order must be maintained.
any would-be Empress. Defining Tie: The Scarlet Empress (Admiring Loyalty)
Major Principle: The Imperial Service is the backbone
Mora could never be mistaken for young, though even of the Realm.
with his cane and bent back he towers over many
Major Principle: Bureaucratic corruption is a mark of
younger Terrestrials. He dresses plainly for his station,
poor moral character.
as if to contrast with his colleagues’ gaudy displays,
and keeps his white hair long, tied back in a style passé Major Principle: The Realm needs change to survive.
a century ago. More than one young Dynast on her first Major Tie: Old friends in the ministries (Trusting Loyalty)
trip to the Palace has mistaken him for a well-appoint- Minor Tie: Dynasts (Distaste)
ed servant. Minor Tie: Protégés and former protégés (Benevo-
lence)
Day-to-day execution of his orders falls to numerous
deputies and protégés. Mora doesn’t like drawing ESCORT
attention to himself; he prefers to act unseen and Mora is usually accompanied by Imperial Palace
unnoticed, when acting in person at all. Only a few guards. Use Legion of Silence Quick Characters
situations demand his personal attention, such as the from The Realm, or elite troops (Exalted, p. 497).
legal requirement for him to lead the Imperial Force He may also be accompanied by Dragon-Blooded
— the elite law-enforcement unit empowered to bring protégés or underlings.
Dragon-Blooded before the Imperial courts — if it THE FIRST IMPERIAL SEAL (ARTIFACT ••••)
must perform its duties in the Palace. In addition to officially sealing important documents in
the Empress’ name, the Seal is the key to the Imperi-
To the frustration of those who’d buy his favor through al Palace. Mora or an appointed underling (her palm
vice, Mora is disinterested in career advancement, blazoned with luminous scarlet by the Seal for one

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committed mote) must officially welcome all visitors to influence with double 7s to persuade targets to take
the Palace, or they’re marked and targeted as intruders action that upholds one of Mora’s Defining Intimacies.
by its many sorcerous defenses; several junior minis- Resisting costs an additional Willpower for targets that
ters are thus blazoned to handle Palace traffic. He may share the Intimacy. Once per story.
also revoke this welcome at any time. A few rooms of Thundering Dragon Proclamation (10m, 1wp;
the Palace can only be opened by wielding the Seal as Simple; One scene; Air): Mora can be heard out to
a more literal key, though the inconvenience of drag- extreme range, doubling 9s and ignoring environmen-
ging the aging Keeper away from his business else- tal or distance-based penalties on inspire and threaten
where means most are rarely accessed. rolls, but unable to use other influence unless he lowers
The Empress never needed the Seal to control every his voice. Once per day.
facet of the Palace, and those who share her blood are MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS
welcomed by it automatically and irrevocably. She ex-
tended this immunity to other agents during her time on Bestow the Saffron Mantle (5m, 1wp; Simple;
the throne, and it hasn’t been rescinded in her absence. Indefinite; Water): Subordinate with a positive Major/
Defining Tie toward Mora gains a Bureaucracy spe-
SOCIAL CHARMS cialty in following his orders. She gains +1 Resolve
Ascendant Ideal Inspiration (6m, 1wp; Simple; In- against influence opposing that Tie, and it can’t be fully
definite; Air): Mora dedicates himself to a Defining Prin- eroded. Once per day, she may ignore Willpower cost
ciple. Influence to weaken it must be rolled twice, using of resisting influence opposing that Tie.
the lower result. Double 9s on influence rolls to instill the EVOCATIONS
Principle in others or persuade them to act on it.
Keeper of the Eternal Dynasty (10m, 1wp; Re-
Clear-Eyed Courtier’s Scrutiny (10m, 1wp; flexive; One scene): Within the Imperial Palace, Mora
Simple; Instant; Air, Mute): Roll Read Intentions with gains +1 Defense, +15 soak, and Hardness 10 against
double 9s against all characters in a scene. Once per attacks by enemies marked as intruders. He also gains
day. +1 Resolve and Guile against them, and is immune to
Puissant Precursor’s Monologue (6m, 1wp, any Psyche effects they use.
expend Air Aura; Simple; Instant, Aura, Air): Roll social

Berit
There is no House Berit. For nearly a decade, the Lunar Anathema Evisa
Drinks-the-Sky harried satrapies at the edges of her
It’s not a matter of “…yet,” nor is it the tale of a house territory. Efforts to draw her and her cohort out failed;
that fell into obscurity. Berit is a daughter of the Scarlet thousands of soldiers sent into the forests to hunt them
Empress, alive and well. She’s a decorated general of never came back.
the Imperial legions. Once, she rivaled even the great
Cathak for acclaim on the battlefield. Then Berit led a legion into Evisa’s dominion. Villages
who’d sheltered the Anathema were persuaded to give
Berit has become, for many Dynasts, a cautionary tale up information or face the sword. When the Lunar
of achieving too much. and her forces attacked, Berit and Evisa clashed. The
Water Aspect slew the Lunar single-handedly.
Berit’s reputation was sterling. She had her troops’
respect and her colleagues’ admiration. The Realm’s The Empress acknowledged the victory, celebrating
enemies were rightfully afraid when they saw her mon Berit and her troops as befit their accomplishments.
on the approaching army’s banners. And, for many Parades were thrown in their honor. Officers and their
years, the Empress herself expressed her confidence families received generous gifts and writs of recog-
in Berit’s command. nition. Yet the Empress still neglected to name Berit
matriarch of her own Great House.
As word of Berit’s tactical brilliance spread, and as more
and more troops aspired to one day serve under her lead- Berit voiced her unhappiness. The two quarreled bit-
ership, Berit let it be known she desired — and deserved terly, first in letters, then in person. Any witnesses to
— her own Great House. The Empress left this petition their last argument are long dead, but in its wake, Berit
ungranted, to Berit’s ever-increasing frustration. removed herself to the island of Iora, capital of rustic

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Houses, and more than a handful of majestic ships

flying no flags, but clearly carrying people of great im-
port. All aim to win Berit’s favor, gather her wisdom,
and possibly bring her to side with their cause and
serve as a general to their favorite for the throne.

Berit hasn’t forgotten her own ambitions. If a faction

with a sizable army were to back her, she’d be a willing
contender for the throne herself.

Berit looks just past middle age, with twists of gray

winding through her blue-black hair. She speaks and
carries herself as though still in charge of a legion, the
military bearing something she never lost despite over
a century in exile.

Dynasts who come seeking her help find Berit formi-

dable. She makes no promises, but listens coolly and
intently to her visitors and asks pertinent questions.

Aspect: Water
Essence: 5; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 9 dice (+4
for 4m)
Personal: 16, Peripheral: 32
Health Levels: −0/−1x7/−2x7/−4/Incap
Actions: Command Soldiers: 9 dice (+4 for 4m); Dy-
nastic Education: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Feats
of Strength: 6 dice (+1 success for 2m, may attempt
Wading Crane Rookery Prefecture, where she’s dwelt Strength 3 feats); Read Intentions: 8 dice (+2 success-
ever since. Her exile is widely regarded as self-im- es for 4m); Resist Poison/Disease: 6 dice (+1 success
posed. Though the Empress never reconciled with her for 2m); Senses: 10 dice (+4 for 4m); Social Influence:
8 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Sorcery: 8 dice (+4 for
daughter, neither did she send assassins against her.
4m); Strategy: 10 dice (+5 for 5m)
Berit occupies the House of the Rusted Sword, a cliff- Appearance 3, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 4 (+1 for
side manse overlooking Iora city. She very rarely leaves 2m)
its confines — many Iorans go their entire lives without COMBAT
ever seeing her. She has a few friends in the city whom Attack (Black Vein’s Compass, jade daiklave): 13 dice
she’ll visit once in a great while; the occasional schol- (+6 for 6m, Damage 16L/5)
arly pursuit will also lure her out of the manse for short
Combat Movement: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m)
periods. Otherwise, the only way to see Berit is to make
the treacherous climb to the House. Evasion 2 (+2 for 4m), Parry 6 (+3 for 6m)
Soak/Hardness: 14/10 (Maelstrom, jade articulated
Those who disappear on the island are considered plate)
“taken by Berit” by the locals, though what purpose INTIMACIES:
she’d be taking people for is unknown. Perhaps she
Defining Principle: The Realm is my home. I am still loyal
takes them as slaves or lovers, or uses their blood in
to it, even if it isn’t always loyal to me.
sorcery. Perhaps she leads them into the manse’s
depths to feed some devil trapped within, or calls on Defining Tie: Herself (Pride)
the wind and waves to sweep travelers off the cliffs Major Principle: Hard work is not its own reward; my
before they’ve made the ascent. efforts deserved better recognition.
Major Principle: Mastering the enemy general is no
Now that the Empress is missing, Berit’s star is rising challenge compared to mastering oneself.
again. There’s been a significant uptick in the number Major Tie: The Scarlet Empress (Feelings of Betrayal)
of ships sailing into port bearing the mons of Great
Minor Principle: The battlefield is where I belong.

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Minor Principle: I have done much for the Dynasts. WAR CHARMS
Now what can they do for me? Fog-of-War Misdirection (6m, 1wp; Simple; Until
Minor Tie: V’neef (Jealous Resentment) stratagem is completed; Mute, Water): Roll strategy
ESCORT against opposing general. Winning with 3+ thresh-
old successes shrouds battlefield in mist, imposing −2
The House of the Rusted Sword contains dozens of penalty on vision-based rolls and attacks from medium
household guards trained to the level of elite troops range or beyond. Enemy battle groups take −1 rolls to
(Exalted, p. 497), which form a Size 2 battle group resist rout, and commanders must pay one Initiative to
with elite Drill. It’s also home to Berit’s former lieutenant, target them with command actions. If an enemy group
the outcaste Riven Dusk (use the traits for an experi- is routed, Berit gains its (Size/2, rounded up) Initiative,
enced Dragon-Blood, Exalted p. 544). Berit may maximum 5 per round. Once per story.
also be accompanied by any number of bound ele-
mentals. Hidden Thorn Treachery (5m, 1wp; Simple; Until
stratagem is completed; Wood): Roll strategy against
OFFENSIVE CHARMS opposing general. Winning with 3+ successes lets Berit
Crimson Fang Bite (3m, 1wp; Supplemental; reveal a traitor in his ranks once fight begins, automat-
Instant; Dual, Fire): Add +5 withering damage or ically routing a battle group. If opposing general can
double four 10s on decisive damage. successfully rally, he preserves one dot of Size per two
Harnessed Firestorm Assault (10m, 1wp, expend successes, with the rest switching sides to fight for Berit.
Fire Aura; Simple; Instant; Aura, Decisive-only, Fire): If not rallied, entire battle group switches sides on next
Make three decisive attacks, each with (Initiative/2, turn.
rounded up) damage. Crimson Fang Bite’s cost need Roaring Dragon Officer (3m; Reflexive; One turn;
only be paid once to apply to all. Once per scene. Balanced, Earth): Flurry a command with a non-attack
Roaring River Slash (5m, 1wp, expend Water action. In Earth Aura, lower penalty on rolls to −2, and
Aura; Simple; Instant; Aura, Decisive-only, Water): negate Defense penalty.
Make a decisive attack, roll damage twice and add SORCERY
together. Once per scene, unless reset by going one Shaping Ritual: When shaping a spell in a manse,
round without attacking or being attacked. gains one additional sorcerous mote per round. Once
DEFENSIVE CHARMS per story, can drain her Fighting-the-Tide Gemstone
Fighting-the-Tide Gemstone (Hearthstone): The for ten sorcerous motes that last until the story’s end, but
first time Berit parries an attack in a round, she takes no losing its benefit until the story ends.
onslaught penalty from it. Beckoning That Which Stirs the Sky (Ritual,
Graceful Flowing Defense (2m, 1i; Reflexive; 2wp; [1 + threshold successes] hours): Roll sorcery to
Instant; Perilous, Uniform; Water): Ignore one point of alter the weather, with difficulty based on degree of
penalty to Parry (five points in Water Aura). change and climate. Altered weather extends out to (5
Mirror-on-Water Focus (7m, 1w; Simple; Au- + threshold successes) miles.
ra-length; Aura, Counterattack, Decisive-only, Mute, Sculpted Seafoam Eidolon (10sm, 2wp): Roll
Perilous): Must be at dim anima to use; Charm ends sorcery to create a convincing illusion of a person, an
when anima reaches glowing or higher. When enemy animal no larger than a horse, or an object no larger
attacks, may end Charm to make a decisive coun- than a wagon. Characters within short range can roll
terattack before his attack roll, using (his Initiative/2, (Perception + Awareness) against her roll to see through
rounded up) for damage. Each level of damage strips the illusion (+3 dice if they touch it), or roll (Perception +
one Initiative from his attack, in addition to dealing Socialize) against her roll if speaking with the illusion.
damage. Doesn’t include her Initiative or reset her to Silent Words of Dreams and Nightmares
base. Counts as her attack for the round. Once per (Ritual, 1wp; One dream; Control spell): Roll social
scene. influence to instill, persuade, or inspire a character
Portentous Comet Deflection (3m, 1wp; Reflex- through a sorcerous dream the next time he sleeps.
ive; Instant; Clash, Decisive-only, Fire): Clash with a His Intimacies don’t modify his Resolve, and he can’t
decisive attack. Counts as her combat action for the spend Willpower to resist unless the influence opposes
round unless she expends her Fire Aura. an Intimacy.
Ripples-on-Water Defense (4m; Reflexive; Summon Elemental (Ritual, 2wp; Instant): Summon
Instant; Aura, Dual, Water): Up to three 1s on a with- an Essence 1-3 elemental in a four-hour ritual, rolling
ering damage roll subtract successes; up to three 1s sorcery against its Resolve to bind it.
on a decisive damage roll reroll successful dice.

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Cathak Cainan
Handpicked by the house founder as head of House Anathema, securing Cathak’s position against its rivals
Cathak, Cainan is well over three centuries old. Today, should civil war come — so long as any alliances or
he barely recalls his youth. Training to join the legions, deals don’t besmirch Cathak’s honorable name. In ev-
he Exalted feuding with his bullying eldest brother, erything he does, he strives to uphold House Cathak’s
scarring him forever. Fearful and guilty over losing values and honor, steadfastly determined to maintain
control, Cainan turned to the strictures of the Cloister his founder’s legacy.
of Wisdom. Having spent years learning to control his
body in combat, in the Cloister he learned to control Given his advanced age, Cainan doesn’t aspire to
his mind and emotions, to better and more safely serve Imperial power — to die on the throne before securing
with his peers. Returning to the legions, he continued the Realm’s stability would only prolong the Realm’s
to grow in skill and power, until his devotion and tem- suffering. But he understands that if the Realm is to
perament led to his being named Cathak’s successor. persist, it needs a leader in the Scarlet Empress’ ab-
sence. He’s willing to back any viable contender to the
Cainan takes his role as head of House Cathak with the throne — someone with the tenacity to survive, the will
utmost gravity, knowing his house’s power to influence to employ the power of the throne against the Realm’s
the rest of the Realm. While preserving Cathak’s lega- enemies, and the honor to place the Dynasty’s needs
cy, he also seeks to maintain and stabilize the Realm, over that of house or personal desires — but so far such
despite it slowly crumbling around its occupants. a contender appears difficult to find.
He’s willing to work with other houses to achieve his
goals — suppressing satrapial rebellions against the An imposing figure, Cainan stands tall and heavily
Realm, strengthening the Wyld Hunt to destroy the muscled. He bears his scars with pride, testaments to
every struggle he overcame in the legions. Each move
he makes is purposeful and practiced, with the subtle
grace that comes from being entirely aware of his body
as all times. Only the streaks of gray in his scarlet braid
and the wrinkles around his eyes belie his advanced
age, its effects held at bay by exercise, age-staving cor-
dials, and a family heritage of longevity. Others have
yet to notice, but he can feel himself slowing.

When Cainan speaks, his cadence is even and mea-

sured, each word carefully considered. He prefers to
fully formulate his answers before speaking, sitting in
silence until he’s decided his response. Yet even when
still and silent, he radiates intensity. His gaze, heavy
and steady, is often enough to silence a room on its
own. His eyes glow like embers on the battlefield, but
otherwise hold surprising warmth.

Cainan seeks to treat all matters with fairness and

give each the time it deserves. Of course, not all things
deserve his time — he spares no mind for the laments
of Cathak’s satrapies as the house raises their taxes and
imposes its order (and favors making violent examples
of rebellious populations). Seen by his kin as an hon-
orable man, devoted more than ever to Immaculate
precepts, he doesn’t tolerate under-the-table, back-al-
ley dealings from his family, and will swiftly replace
anyone he discovers taking part in such practices.

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Aspect: Fire Smoldering Essence Attack (5m, 1a; Simple;

Essence: 5; Willpower: 9; Join Battle: 9 dice (+5 Instant; Fire, Withering-only): Make a withering
for 5m) attack that drains additional Initiative equal to 10s
on damage roll (which he doesn’t gain). A damaged
Personal: 16, Peripheral: 33
enemy loses this much Initiative again on each of her
Health Levels: −0/−1x4/−2x8/−4/Incap. next five turns, or until she hits Cainan with a wither-
Actions: Command Soldiers: 10 dice (+5 for 4m); ing attack.
Feats of Strength: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m, may DEFENSIVE CHARMS
attempt Strength 3 feats); Read Intentions: 5 dice (+1
successes for 2m); Resist Poison/Disease: 8 dice (+2 Overwhelming Fire Majesty Stance (6m, 3i; Re-
successes for 4m); Senses 8 dice (+5 for 5m); Social flexive; Until next turn; Fire, Perilous): Attacks against
Influence: 11 dice (+3 successes for 6m); Strategy: 10 Cainan take a −5 penalty; enemies who hit take one
dice (+6 for 6m) die of Hardness-ignoring lethal damage. Foes can pay
one Willpower to resist penalty (but not damage) for
Appearance 3, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 2 (+1 for one scene. No Initiative cost in Fire Aura.
2m)
Portentous Comet Deflection (3m, 1wp; Reflex-
COMBAT ive; Instant; Clash, Decisive-only, Fire): Clash with a
Attack (Tempering Wisdom and Inferno Razor, jade decisive attack. Counts as his combat action for the
short daiklaves): 14 dice (+6 for 6m, Damage 14L/4) round unless he expends his Fire Aura.
Combat Movement: 10 Dice (+3 successes for 6m) MOBILITY CHARMS
Evasion 2 (+1 for 2m), Parry 6 (+3 for 6m) Dancing Ember Stride (4m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Fire,
Soak/Hardness: 13/7 (Unbowed-by-Armies, jade Perilous): Rush with double 9s, instantly move to close on
lamellar) success. Expend Fire Aura to rush from medium range.
INTIMACIES Inescapable Blazing Advance (5m, 1wp, expend
Fire Aura; Supplemental; Instant; Aura, Fire): Rush
Defining Principle: Self-discipline is everything.
with five non-Charm dice. Up to five 1s on enemy’s
Defining Principle: Creation should be ruled by the firm opposed roll subtract Initiative from him and grant it to
grip of the Dragon-Blooded. Cainan; crashed enemies burn for that many dice of
Defining Tie: House Cathak (Pride) lethal damage each turn until extinguished.
Major Principle: No mercy for enemies of Creation, SOCIAL CHARMS
enemies of the Realm, or heretics. Dragon Warlord’s Convocation (10m, 1wp;
Major Principle: The truth of the Immaculate Philosophy Simple; Instant; Fire): Make an instill roll with double
is unquestionable. 9s to create a Major Tie of loyalty towards himself, or
Major Tie: The Immaculate Order (Pious Obligation) strengthen such a Tie to Defining. Resisting costs two
Minor Tie: His wife, Cathak Urima (Respect) Willpower in a Decision Point. Intimacy can’t be vol-
untarily weakened unless Cainan wrongs the target.
ESCORT Once per story.
In addition to his many elite bodyguards (Exalted, Implacable Dragon Mien (5m, 1wp; Simple; One
p. 497), a Size 2 battle group with elite Drill, Cainan day; Earth, Mute): +2 Guile to conceal Major or De-
is rarely found without at least one Dragon-Blooded fining Intimacies of emotion (+3 in Earth Aura, or +1
Cathak scion nearby. Guile to conceal non-emotional Intimacies).
OFFENSIVE CHARMS WAR CHARMS
Burning Pinnacle Strike (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Deadly Wildfire Legion (5m, 1wp, expend Fire
Aura, Fire, Uniform): After a withering attack leaves Aura; Supplemental; Instant; Aura, Fire): Add five non-
his Initiative higher than all enemies’, make a reflexive Charm dice on a roll to order a battle group to attack and
withering or decisive attack. let it take its turn immediately, regardless of Initiative. Every
Crimson Fang Bite (3m, 1wp; Supplemental; two successes also add +1 damage to its attack. Once
Instant; Dual, Fire): Add +5 withering damage or per scene unless battle group incapacitates a significant
double four 10s on decisive damage. foe or routs an enemy battle group on Cainan’s orders.
Harnessed Firestorm Assault (10m, 1wp, expend Indomitable Flame of Valor (1m [+1wp]; Supple-
Fire Aura; Simple; Instant; Aura, Decisive-only, Fire): mental; Instant; Aura, Fire): Rally with double 9s. Pay
Make three decisive attacks, each with (Initiative/2, a one-Willpower surcharge to give elite Drill troops
rounded up) damage. Crimson Fang Bite’s cost need perfect morale for one round, or for one scene for an
only be paid once to apply to all. Once per scene. additional four Initiative.

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Roaring Dragon Officer (3m; Reflexive; One turn; action. In Earth Aura, lower penalty on rolls to −2, and
Balanced, Earth): Flurry a command with a non-attack negate Defense penalty.

Cynis Cogen
To most Cynises, the two things that matter are profit Dynast, and ignored it otherwise. When one of his
and pleasure. Other things can be important, of course, lovers fell to an Anathema, he rode in the Wyld Hunt
but at the end of the day, what are you living for if not to chase it down, then went right back to his every-
to make a world that’s more fun to live in? Love, hope, day life.
joy, jade, armies, magic — they’re all different means
to the same end. Few Cynises choose to go against this But after his two hundredth year, his old pastimes be-
path, but some have eschewed it entirely. gan to bore him. Slowly, he pulled back from his social-
ite life — the galas and orgies, liquor and drugs, spying
One such Dynast is Cynis Cogen. and scheming. And when his wife, who gave him three
Exalted daughters, died of old age, he turned to the
Cynis Cogen is a grandson of Cynis by one of her older Immaculate Order to find some meaning in his life.
daughters. He was raised among vineyards and drank
wine like water. In his youth, he took upwards of a thou- He found his purpose outside of the cloister. As an
sand lovers — some say a hundred in the first week after itinerant monk, Cynis Cogen travels across the Blessed
he Exalted. He was a dilettante and a duelist, a useful Isle and throughout the Threshold, teaching the
spy for his house, and a lover of pleasure for its own sake. Immaculate Philosophy and rooting out heresies. He
collects knowledge as he travels, and he brings it back
He wasn’t a devout follower of the Immaculate to share with the Order to better perfect their tactics.
Philosophy; he paid it the homage expected of a
Anyone who sees Cynis Cogen might mistake him for
someone’s grandfather at first glance. He wears a tattered
blue traveling cloak, enjoys telling stories, and always has a
snack in his satchel alongside some secondhand romance
novel. But his robes conceal a powerfully muscled body,
and he’s ferocious in the face of threats to the helpless or to
himself. Cogen knows he doesn’t have much time left. He
fights as though he has nothing left to lose — and he enjoys
it, which makes him extremely dangerous as a result.

But while Cogen has moved on from his old life, he can-
not entirely turn away. As before, his daughters turn to
him for advice and support in their troubles; as before,
old friends come to him for aid in their schemes. He
cannot quite shed his old affections and old loyalties,
even knowing that they sway him from wholehearted
devotion to his new path, and all too often he finds him-
self swept away from his duties into Dynastic intrigue.

Aspect: Water
Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 8 dice (+5
for 5m)
Personal: 14, Peripheral: 35
Health Levels: −0x2/−1x7/−2x7/−4x2/Incap.
Actions: Disguise: 7 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Feats
of Strength: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m, may attempt
Strength 5 feats); Investigation: 5 dice (+1 success for
2m); Read Intentions: 8 dice (+3 successes for 6m);

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Resist Poison/Disease: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m); she takes one die of decisive damage for each success
Senses 7 dice (+5 for 5m); Social Influence: 9 dice (+2 she failed by, ignoring Hardness, then takes wither-
successes for 4m); Stealth: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m) ing damage equal to her wound penalty. Once per
Appearance 4, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 5 (+3 for 6m) scene, unless reset by crashing higher-Initiative enemy.
COMBAT Mantis Form (7m; Simple; One scene; Form): +1
Parry; add (Parry) to natural soak and gain (Parry/2,
Attack (Unarmed): 13 dice (+6 for 6m, Damage 10B) rounded up) Hardness against blocked attacks. Double
Attack (Clinch): 9 dice (+6 for 6m; 9 dice to control, 10s on decisive damage rolls against lower-Initiative
+6 for 6m) enemies or enemies he’s grappling. Enter reflexively by
Combat Movement: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m) grappling a nontrivial foe.
Evasion 3 (+1 for 2m), Parry 5 (+3 for 6m) Water Dragon Form (10m; Simple; One scene;
Soak/Hardness: 4/0 Form, Water): Attacks gain bonus dice equal to target’s
wound penalty, +4 soak. Enter reflexively by raising a
INTIMACIES nontrivial foe’s wound penalty with a decisive attack.
Defining Principle: Selfless devotion to the Immaculate DEFENSIVE CHARMS
Philosophy is my true path.
Bottomless Depths Defense (5m, 1ahl [+1wp,
Major Principle: Deceit can be used for more than expend Water Aura]; Reflexive; Instant; Decisive-only,
selfish means. Perilous, Water): Roll 7 dice, negate that many levels of
Major Principle: Empty pleasure gnaws at the soul. decisive damage, minimum one. Pay one Willpower
Major Tie: Old friends and colleagues (Nostalgia) and expend Water Aura to negate all damage. Once
Major Tie: His daughters (Affection) per day unless reset by being hit by three decisive
attacks without taking any damage.
Major Tie: Immaculate Order (Obedience)
Iron-Arm Block (4m; Reflexive; Instant; Uniform):
Minor Principle: Truth to tell, at times I miss the scheming +1 Parry. Successful block inflicts −1 onslaught penalty
and debauchery. on attacker.
Minor Tie: House Cynis (Troubled Loyalty) SOCIAL CHARMS
OFFENSIVE CHARMS Rumor-Dredging Gaze (6m, 1wp; Simple; Instant;
Drowning-in-Blood Technique (3m; Supple- Mute, Water): Roll read intentions with double 9s to
mental; Instant; Decisive-only, Water): Double 10s uncover the Intimacy target most wishes to keep hidden
on decisive damage (add half foe’s wound penalty, from Cogen. Using it to blackmail target in the same
rounded up, to damage in Water Aura). Dealing 3+ scene doubles 9s on a bargain or threaten roll; success
damage raises foe’s wound penalty by one until the grants one Willpower.
scene ends or she crashes Cogen. Smoothing-Over-the-Past Technique (5m,
Essence-Dousing Wave Attack (5m, 1wp; Sup- 1wp; Simple; Instant; Water): Make an instill roll
plemental; Instant; Decisive-only, Water): If a de- against one character to make her forget a past in-
cisive attack against a crashed enemy deals (her cident of misconduct by Cogen for one scene. If this
Essence) or more damage, cancel a single one of her would make her act against a Major or Defining Inti-
ongoing combat Charm. Expend Water Aura to use macy, she may resist for one Willpower.
against an enemy not in crash. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS
Flow Reversal Strike (7m, 1wp; Simple; Instant;
Instant Disguise Prana (1m, 1wp; Simple; Instant;
Decisive-only, Water): Make a decisive attack that
Water): Roll disguise in one minute, ignore penalties for
forces an enemy to roll her (Stamina + Resistance) at a
lacking equipment. With equipment, double 9s.
difficulty of attack roll threshold successes. On failure,

Ledaal Kes
Ledaal Kes was already known as a skilled Gateway who’d challenged her earlier that evening. Though
player when his family sat him across the board Ledaal Kes ultimately lost the game, the story of that
from the Scarlet Empress at a gala. For her part, the match swept across the Realm.
Empress played against eight-year-old Kes the same
way she’d played against the grizzled old Dynasts His Exaltation shortly after his ninth birthday made
him one of the youngest on record to Exalt. Wagging

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Shortly after graduation, he married friend and

Gateway rival Ragara Szaya (p. 62). Their union is one
of equals, two intensely intelligent and inventive minds
working together. Kes and Szaya are known amongst
their peers for strange and wondrous inventions, many
of which are accomplished in a few feverish days, their
senses heightened and minds racing from whatever
magical or alchemical substances they’ve ingested.
Both Ledaal Kes and Ragara Szaya are homosexual.
They pursue relationships outside of marriage with
each other’s blessing, and have produced multiple
Dragon-Blooded children as the Realm requires.

In his position as a high-ranking official in the Imperial

Treasury — and a member of Treasury head Bal Keraz’s
inner circle — Kes is charged with managing coin and
goods flowing into and out of the Realm, keeping tabs
on the coffers, and knowing whether the obol has risen
or fallen in value and why. He’s aware of how money
moves between the houses: who has it flowing in, and
who’s bleeding jade at an alarming rate. Following the
money trail is as exciting to him as plotting out moves
on a Gateway board. All of which lends itself quite
nicely to his other, secret position as an agent of the
All-Seeing Eye.

He still resents the way other Dynasts dismiss him;

the sexist things said about him that reach his ears still
grate. No matter his accomplishments, his youthful ap-
tongues speculated on what further feats he might pearance means that others sometimes fail to read him
accomplish, and from that day on, Ledaal Kes was as a threat. These things sting bitterly, yet he uses them
determined to excel at everything he attempted. His to gather information from the unsuspecting. There’s
skill at mathematics and finances landed him a job as an advantage in being underestimated, and Ledaal Kes
an Imperial Treasurer right out of school. wields it like a knife.
Kes’ childhood fame made him a sought-after guest at It all comes back to puzzles, in the end: Gateway, the
society events, where he developed an eye for obser- Treasury, the All-Seeing Eye. He derives great pleasure
vation. He learned to spot deals being made, conflicts from putting seemingly disparate pieces together, and
arising, alliances being formed. While it was frustrat- few are better at doing so.
ing to be dismissed for his youth, Kes practiced using
that to his advantage — a skill he employs to this day, Though in the latter half of his sixties, Kes looks young
still appearing much younger than his years, even for a for his age. Even this is a subject of gossip: they say it’s
Dragon-Blood. due to the drugs he takes, or his myriad lovers keeping
him young at heart, or exorbitant amounts spent on
As he grew older, Ledaal Kes availed himself of all cosmetics. There are, of course, whispers of sorcery
the Realm’s hedonistic pleasures — exotic drugs, fine and deals with demons.
foods, luxurious accommodations. Growing up among
the Imperial City’s movers and shakers taught him His clothing always reflects the height of current
how to be charming, intriguing, and occasionally scan- trends; his closets could swallow up some patricians’
dalous. His romantic pursuits are a perpetual topic of houses. Kes tends toward understated looks and dark
conversation; he falls for a new man seemingly at the tones, but every outfit has a flash of color or an intri-
turn of each season. Decades removed from youthful cate design to draw the eye.
fame, he’s still an honored guest at any celebration.

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Aspect: Air OFFENSIVE CHARMS

Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 8 dice (+2 Winter Fang Attack (4m; Supplemental; Instant;
for 2m) Air, Balanced, Decisive-only): If decisive Thrown
Personal: 14; Peripheral: 35 attack or gambit succeeds, enemy loses Initiative equal
Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap to 10s on Initiative roll, maximum 3 (which Kes doesn’t
gain).
Actions: Administration: 11 dice (+2 successes for
4m); Crafting: 7 dice (+2 for 2m); Disguise: 9 dice (+2 DEFENSIVE CHARMS
successes for 4m); Dynastic Education: 10 dice (+3 Safety Among Enemies (5m, 1wp; Reflexive;
successes for 6m); Investigation: 7 dice (+2 success- Instant; Air, Aura, Decisive-only, Perilous): Redirect
es for 4m); Playing Gateway: 11 dice (+3 successes a decisive dodged attack to another character in
for 6m); Read Intentions: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m); range, making a new attack roll with the same pool, as
Senses: 7 dice (+4 for 4m); Social Influence: 9 dice long as his Initiative exceeds the combined sum of his
(+3 successes for 6m); Stealth: 7 dice (+2 successes attacker and the new target.
for 4m) SOCIAL CHARMS
Appearance 4, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 4 (+2 for Clear-Eyed Courtier’s Scrutiny (10m, 1wp;
4m) Simple; Instant; Air, Mute): Roll Read Intentions with
COMBAT double 9s against all characters in a scene. Once per
Attack (Throwing Knives): 8 dice at close range (+2 for day.
2m; Damage 9L) Foul Stench of Lies Discernment (3m, 1wp; Re-
Attack (Unarmed): 7 dice (+2 for 2m; Damage 9B) flexive; Instant; Air, Mute): Roll Investigation with three
non-Charm dice against a character’s Guile when he
Combat Movement: 7 dice (+4 for 4m) speaks to determine if he’s lying. Waive Willpower cost
Evasion 4 (+2 for 4m), Parry 2 for subsequent uses once a lie’s been found.
Soak/Hardness: 2/0 Smoke Without Flame (4m, 1wp; Reflexive;
INTIMACIES Instant; Fire): +1 Guile (non-Charm in Fire Aura). If op-
Defining Principle: The world is a puzzle I will solve. posing character fails, he instead sees a misleading-
ly exaggerated version of Kes’ emotional state or an
Major Principle: It’s my duty to serve the Realm. emotion-based Intimacy.
Major Tie: Ragara Szaya (Respect and admiration) Voices on the Wind (3m, 1wp; Simple; One
Major Tie: Bal Keraz (Loyalty) scene; Air): Add +2 dice on Senses rolls to eavesdrop.
Major Tie: The All-Seeing Eye (Loyalty) Reading intentions while eavesdropping from medium
Minor Principle: Underestimate me at your own peril. range or farther imposes −2 Guile.
Wind-Carried Words Technique (3m; Simple;
ESCORT
Instant; Air): Send a message of up to a few sentences
Kes rarely has personal guards, but is accompanied to a character within 15 miles.
by battle-ready household troops (Exalted, p. 496)
MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS
while on the road, a Size 1 battle group with average
Drill. It’s not uncommon for him to be accompanied by Zone of Silence Stance (10m, 1wp; Simple; One
one or more young Dynasts (Exalted, p. 541) be- scene; Air, Mute): 10s on Stealth rolls reroll non-1 fail-
guiled by his wit and charm; these often have their own ures, and Kes can’t be heard. Can extend silence to
bodyguards as well. everything within close range (expands an additional
range band per round in Air Aura, maximum long);
characters may pay one Willpower to make a single
spoken social roll if silence threatens a Major or Defin-
ing Intimacy.

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Mnemon
This was the most dangerous time in her life. Ragara,
uninterested in being overshadowed as heir apparent,
set assassination plans in motion, beginning with a suit
of poisoned armor on her sixteenth birthday. When that
failed, his tactics became more overt. Mnemon fled the
Versino — precursor to the Heptagram — under cover of
darkness, and found shelter with the Immaculate Order.

Under the Order’s protection, Mnemon furthered the

training in warfare and sorcery that makes her what
she is today, and honed her wary distrust of those
around her into a nigh-constant vigil. Even when she
bears no obvious weapon, she’s never defenseless, sur-
rounding herself with loyal guards, invisible demons,
and devious sorceries. Her knowledge of magic and
miracles is second to none — but still she wants more.
Mnemon is a collector of knowledge and artifacts, such
as the mighty demon-binding Emerald Thurible.

Mnemon is a devoted adherent of the Immaculate Order

that took her in and protected her. She’s personally
funded the construction of many monasteries and was
influential in the selection of the current Mouth of Peace.
Several Wyld Hunts have ridden with Mnemon at their
head, and she’s funded many more. She also makes a point
of following the Philosophy’s precepts, though possibly
more in letter than in spirit. Members of House Mnemon
who take the vows may expect a private audience with
their house founder, with congratulations and careful
instructions on how to best serve both house and Order.
In the Realm today, there’s perhaps no name spoken
with such reverence, and such resentment, as that of the Mnemon remains unmarried, though she has many
Empress’ eldest living daughter. Nearly four centuries consorts and would-be lovers. She selects her partners
old, Mnemon remains active in politics and warfare. Her carefully, based on pedigree and power, and lavishes
bloodline’s strength is impeccable. Manses raised by her affection on them until she can find them a marriage
own hand are among the finest on the Blessed Isle. Her that better suits her aims.
house’s prestige is unquestioned. She doesn’t hide her
As house matriarch, Mnemon keeps herself intimately
plays for the Scarlet Throne, and some talk of her as the
involved with her descendants’ personal lives. Every
de facto new Empress, though rarely happily. Ruthless
member of the house receives her wisdom, scolding,
and uncompromising, Mnemon is more like her mother
comfort, or scorn. Mnemon is the beating heart of her
than any other contender for the throne, and other Great
family, and to go against her guarantees retribution.
Houses have no desire to see the rise of a new Scarlet
Her scions are a clannish lot by design, and they’re
Empress — especially one bearing grudges against them.
the pillar on which her power rests. There are nights
When her brother Ragara was born, he was greeted with a me- where she won’t sleep in order to fuss over a great-
teor shower. Mnemon’s birth was heralded by an earthquake great-grandchild’s marriage, or counsel a child who’s
that shook the Imperial Mountain. She received the best ed- nervous about studying at the Heptagram or entering
ucation the Blessed Isle could offer. She Exalted at age fifteen, the Immaculate Order. While it’s rare for anyone out-
during a sparring bout with an Immaculate monk — secretly a side of the house to interact with her as anything oth-
Sidereal, placed in her retinue by Chejop Kejak himself. er than a general or sorcerer, those in House Mnemon

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know her to be exacting but generous toward her kin, OFFENSIVE CHARMS
with an acerbic sense of humor and a bone-deep de- Burning Fury Wreath (3m; Supplemental; Instant;
votion to Dynastic duty. Balanced, Fire, Decisive-only): Ignore (2 + 10s on
attack roll) points of Hardness with a Melee attack. In
Small wonder she’s considered a major contender for Fire Aura, double the Hardness ignored.
the Scarlet Throne. It irritates Mnemon that she’s con-
Essence Disruption Attack (5m, 1wp, expend Earth
sidered a contender and not the heir apparent. After Aura; Simple; Instant; Aura, Earth): Touch a character
all, isn’t it her birthright? (difficulty 1 gambit) and roll social influence against his
Resolve. Success raises the total cost of any magic he uses
Aspect: Earth in a single instant by (4 + threshold successes) motes, until
Essence: 5; Willpower: 9; Join Battle: 9 dice (+5 he’s paid this surcharge (6 − his Integrity) times or after a
for 5m) day.
Personal: 16, Peripheral: 32 DEFENSIVE CHARMS
Health Levels: −0x2/−1x7/−2x7/−4x2/Incap. Flame-Borne Interception (4m; Reflexive; Until
Actions: Administration: 10 dice (+2 successes for next turn; Balanced, Fire, Uniform): +1 Melee Parry.
4m); Crafting: 11 dice (+6 for 5m); Dynastic Education: Each attack blocked with Melee Parry grants an ad-
10 dice; Read Intentions: 7 dice (+1 success for 2m); ditional +1. Bonus resets if she’s hit with an attack or
Resist Poison/Disease: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m); defends with Evasion or unarmed Parry.
Senses 9 dice (+5 for 5m); Social Influence: 10 dice Perfected Scales of the Dragon (7m, 1wp,
(+2 successes for 4m); Sorcery: 11 dice (+6 for 6m) expend Earth Aura; Reflexive; Until next turn; Aura,
Appearance 4, Resolve 5 (+3 for 6m), Guile 4 (+1 for Decisive-only; Earth): Gain Hardness 16. Attackers
2m) that fail to overcome Hardness lose two Initiative,
COMBAT which Mnemon gains. Can’t attack or move on next
turn (but can shape sorcery).
Attack (Sword of Sorrows, jade daiklave): 12 dice (+5
for 5m, Damage 14L/5) Unfeeling Earth Meditation (3m; Supplemental;
Instant; Earth): Ignore all wound penalties for one action.
Attack (Unarmed): 12 dice (+4 for 4m; Damage 9B) In Earth Aura, ignore all wound penalties while in Aura.
Combat Movement: 6 dice (+1 success for 2m) Unmoving Mountain Stance (6m; Reflexive;
Evasion 1 (+1 for 2m), Parry 5 (unarmed 4) (+2 for Instant; Dual, Earth, Perilous): After being hit by an
4m) attack, but before damage is rolled, reduce Initia-
Soak/Hardness: 14/10 (Omphalos’ Embrace, tive enemy gains from withering damage by two
jade-reinforced breastplate) points (3 in Earth Aura). Smash attacks and similar
effects won’t move her unless they deal 8+ withering
INTIMACIES
damage (13+ in Earth Aura) or 3+ decisive damage
Defining Principle: I alone deserve to be Empress; I (8+ in Earth Aura).
alone can restore the Realm’s glory.
SOCIAL CHARMS
Defining Principle: My devotion to the Immaculate Phi-
losophy is unwavering. Ascendant Ideal Inspiration (6m, 1wp; Simple;
Indefinite; Air): Mnemon dedicates herself to a Defining
Defining Tie: House Mnemon (Authoritarian Pride) Principle. Influence to weaken it must be rolled twice,
Major Principle: I crave the secrets of the First Age. using the lower result. Double 9s on influence rolls to
Major Tie: The Scarlet Empress (Admiration) instill the Principle in others or persuade them to act on it.
Major Tie: The Immaculate Order (Gratitude) Unfaltering Pillar of Unity (10m, 1wp; Simple;
Major Tie: Ragara and his house (Hatred) Instant; Earth, Mute): Roll to instill group members with
a Tie of loyalty to their group, doubling 8s. Resisting
Minor Tie: The Anathema (Pragmatic Wariness) requires calling on a Major or Defining Intimacy in a
Minor Tie: The Sidereal Exalted (Mistrust) Decision Point. The instilled Intimacy can’t be volun-
Minor Tie: V’neef (Resentment) tarily weakened for (6 − target’s Integrity) weeks, and
requires overturning influence to erode with instill rolls.
ESCORT
Once per story.
Mnemon never goes unprotected. In addition to elite
MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS
bodyguards (Exalted, p. 497), bound demons, and
sorcerous defenses, she’s rarely found without at least All-Encompassing Earth Sense (3m; Reflexive; Instant;
one Dragon-Blooded Mnemon scion nearby. Earth): Roll Senses with double 9s to detect hidden threats
standing on the same surface as her out to short range.

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Sense-Riding Technique (5m, 1wp; Simple; 10 Death of Obsidian Butterflies (15sm, 1wp; De-
days; Earth): Touch a character and roll social influ- cisive-only; Instant): Roll sorcery as an undodgeable
ence against his Resolve to ride his senses, perceiving decisive attack against all characters in a line out to
the world through them while meditating. Ends if target medium range (battle groups take −2 Defense). Roll
goes more than twenty-five miles from Mnemon. (5 + threshold successes)L damage, or (10 + thresh-
EVOCATIONS old successes)L against battle groups. This doesn’t reset
Mnemon’s Initiative.
Breath of the Demon City (5m, 5i, 1wp; Simple;
One scene; Perilous): Fill a single range band with Demon of the First Circle (Ritual, 2wp, Instant):
thick, sickly-sweet smoke. Demons in the smoke halve Summon a First Circle Demon in a night-long ritual,
the mote cost to materialize (round down). rolling sorcery against its Resolve to bind it.
Sweet Scent of Hell (5m; Supplemental; Instant): The Infallible Messenger (5sm, 2wp): Conjure a
Emerald Thurible doubles 9s on a roll to bind a demon, cherub to deliver a message up to five minutes long
or an instill, persuade, or bargain roll against a demon. to a single individual anywhere in Creation, reaching
him within a day. Can convey social influence, but not
SORCERY social Charms.
Shaping Ritual: Once per story, Mnemon may study Stormwind Rider (15sm, 1wp; One hour + an ad-
her vast collection of sorcerous texts to roll sorcery with ditional hour per 5m): Ride a flying whirlwind that can
+3 non-Charm dice, gaining that many sorcerous carry up to ten other characters. Roll sorcery for move-
motes until the story ends. ment actions, can double 8s for 1m, 1wp. In combat,
Dragon-Sorcerer Puissance: Gain one sorcerous the whirlwind is light cover; passengers that are hit by
mote per round while shaping an element-based spell; decisive attacks or crashed fall from it.
three per round in the appropriate Elemental Aura. Demon of the Second Circle (Ritual, 3wp; Instant):
Corrupted Words (15sm, 1wp; Psyche; Indefinite; With the power of the Emerald Thurible, Mnemon may
Control spell): Roll sorcery against the Resolve of a target summon a Second Circle Demon on the night of the
at short range to forbid him from speaking of a single new moon, rolling sorcery against its Resolve to bind it.
subject. Casting this can’t be detected without magic.

Ragara Benoru
Ragara Benoru was, from childhood, blessed with an Empress herself in return for surrendering to her total
overdeveloped sense of morality that no amount of and divine mercy. In her wisdom, the Empress set
schooling seemed to drive from her — she’d criticize Benoru to a task eminently suited to her uncompro-
instructors’ lapses with as much ferocity as her peers’, mising nature — serving the Realm as a magistrate.
without the slightest sense of decorum. Even her
parents found it difficult to tolerate her moral excess, And served she has. For fifty years Benoru lived in aus-
but no admonishment or punishment deterred her terity, holding neither wealth nor title, witnessing the
commitment to make the world around her more just. humble lives of the poorest peasants and the decadent
displays of Dynastic families hoping to sway her judg-
It was scarcely a surprise to her family when Benoru ment. Long years have honed Benoru’s instincts and
rode into the hills to join the Bloodied Scythe Uprising, ground away her bravado. She’s sought out the per-
siding with the peasants against a cruel Dynastic pre- petrators of everything from fixing exchange rates for
fect. Among the rebels of Cypress Mountain, the girl agricultural goods to betrayals of Great House matri-
who couldn’t stomach the hypocrisy of fellow Dynasts archs. To this day, peasant children fall asleep to stories
became a woman who captured the imagination of of the Corvée-Swallowing Mountain Devil, Sixteenth
peasants she’d sworn to defend. One of the Seventy- of Seventy-Two Heroes, Ragara Benoru — stories that
Two Heroes of Cypress Mountain, she commanded are officially disallowed but thrive nonetheless.
the righteous militias of the Bloodied Scythe Uprising,
leading lightning raids under the noses of the corrupt Now the Empress is gone and the magistrates’ world has
prefect and crafting stratagems that confounded changed drastically. Rather than wandering each farming
legions sent to crush the rebels. Then Imperial mes- village in turn, Benoru spends most of her days leaning on
sengers approached, offering clemency for herself and Dynastic families’ hospitality, balancing their contempt
the peasants who served with her from the Scarlet for the magistrate with their fear of a magistrate’s death

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whatever impractical style is in fashion this season.

Her signature weapon is a white jade firewand, but she
does not own it herself; it belongs to her wife Ledaal
Quya, who vigorously advocates on Benoru’s behalf
within House Ledaal. Benoru carries herself with the
attitude of a peasant, but takes on the aggression and
thunderous voice of a drill sergeant when acting in
her role as magistrate, a change in character that takes
most people off guard.

Aspect: Earth
Essence: 3; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 8 dice (+4
for 4m)
Personal: 14; Peripheral: 30
Health Levels: −0/−1x4/−2x4/−4/Incap.
Actions: Command Soldiers: 9 Dice (+4 for 4m);
Feats of Strength: 7 dice (+2 successes for 4m; may
attempt Strength 3 feats); Investigation: 11 dice (+3
successes for 6m); Read Intentions: 8 dice (+2 success-
es for 4m); Senses 7 Dice (+4 for 4m); Social Influence
7 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Strategy: 10 Dice (+4 for
4m); Tracking: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m)
Appearance 3, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 2 (+1 for
2m)
COMBAT
Attack (Swan’s Cry, jade dragon sigh wand): 12 dice
at close range (+5 for 5m, Damage 18L/5)
within their compounds — even if the Empress herself is Attack (Unarmed): 12 dice (+3 for 3m, Damage 10B)
no longer there to protect them, few magistrates are quite Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (+3 for 3m; 8 dice to control,
so loved by the people as Ragara Benoru. +4 for 4m)
Combat Movement: 6 dice (+2 successes for 4m)
With or without the Empress on the throne, it’s her
Evasion 4 (+2 for 4m); Parry 4 (+2 for 4m)
duty to see that the Realm is a just place, and nothing
will dissuade her from the task. Her family safely shel- Soak 7/0 (Chain shirt)
tered in Ragara holdings in the Threshold, Benoru sees INTIMACIES
no reason not to use her power to keep the land orderly Defining Principle: The powerful must protect the meek.
and punish the spoiled children that seek to better Major Tie: The Seventy-Two Rebels of Cypress Moun-
themselves in their Empress’ absence. After fifty years, tain (Wistful Camaraderie)
the experiences of a rebel leader are coming in handy
Major Principle: I shall not be deterred from the path
again. She once led starving peasants against soldiers
of justice.
of the world’s mightiest empire. Should the rich and
powerful unleash their hounds against her, they’d do Major Tie: Ledaal Quya and their children (Love)
well to remember that this hare was once a dragon. Major Tie: Those who abuse their power (Righteous
Fury)
Ragara Benoru is a weathered woman, with dark Minor Principle: I don’t believe in peasant superstition,
brown skin from years living in the wild and wander- but why risk bad luck?
ing amongst the poorest villages in the Blessed Isle. ESCORT
Approaching a century old, she’s starting to show her
age from a life on the road — more so than peers who’ve Benoru often travels alone, aside from her scribe, the
taken easy jobs in Dynastic high society. She dresses acerbic monk Horizon Turtle (Exalted, p. 499), but
simply even in the company of Dynastic hosts, prefer-
has a handful of archons that she can call upon. Use
archon Quick Characters from The Realm, or spy-
ring clothing that’s easily mended and replaced over
masters (Exalted, p. 499).

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MERITS DEFENSIVE CHARMS

Sobriquet: Once per story, when Benoru makes an Earth Bears Witness (5m, 3i; Reflexive; Instant;
influence roll that aligns with her image as a folk hero Aura, Decisive-only; Earth/Wood, Perilous): Subtract
and former revolutionary, the level of the stunt she’s two dice of damage from a decisive attack. In Earth
awarded is increased by one. Aura, subtract three dice within short range of large
OFFENSIVE CHARMS stone objects.
Blossom of Inevitable Demise (3m; Supplemen- Impervious Skin of Stone (4m; Reflexive; Instant;
tal; Instant; Dual): Attack at medium range with her Balanced, Withering-only): +3 soak. In Earth Aura,
dragon sigh wand; double 10s on decisive damage. can use after being hit.
Boughs of Burning Autumn (2m, 1i; Reflexive; Unfeeling Earth Meditation (3m; Supplemental;
Instant; Fire/Wood, Perilous): Reloads her dragon sigh Instant; Earth): Negate wound penalties on a single action.
wand reflexively. SOCIAL CHARMS
Phoenix Flies on Golden Wings (3m; Supple- Falsehood-Unearthing Attitude (3m; Simple;
mental; Instant; Dual): Dragon sigh wand decisive Earth; Instant): Roll Investigation with two bonus suc-
attack deals +4 damage dice at close range; +3 at cesses against a character’s Guile; success reveals an
short; +2 at medium; +1 at long. Withering attacks Intimacy he’d lie to protect.
add that many successes instead. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS
Righteous Devil Form (5m; Simple; One scene; Bloodhound’s Nose Technique (4m, 1wp;
Form): Roll social influence with three bonus dice Simple; 4 days; Water/Wood): Roll investigation with
against all enemies to threaten or inspire guilt. Affect- double 9s to determine who left behind a piece of evi-
ed enemies must pay one Willpower to resist or take dence. Double 9s on rolls to track him.
−3 penalty on disengage, withdraw, and Stealth rolls.
Benoru may reflexively aim at an affected enemy once Echoes Caught in Stone (3m, 1wp; Simple; Instant;
per turn (even if he paid Willpower). Earth): After finding evidence, roll investigation against
a difficulty of the number of days since it was placed.
Success reveals a relevant conversation that occurred
near it within the last three months. Once per story.

Sesus Nagezzer, The Slug

The old keep on the hill seems more nocturnal than and in the morning he’ll often awaken refreshed with
not. By day, merchants and courtiers move to and fro multiple partners in his bed.
though the gates, but at night, the place seems to come
alive, thronging with exotic crowds. Newcomers and When he holds court or attends other Dynastic social
children whisper that under the keep is the lair of events, he speaks little, listening quietly as others be-
some terrible monster, and to some degree, they’re seech his favor, gossip, or ramble drunkenly. When he
right. Once called the Throne of Roses, it’s now better does speak, it’s most often to punctuate the awkward si-
known as the Fungal Manse. It’s home to a massive lence after someone commits a faux pas or realizes she’s
transient population of lowlives, hangers-on, crimi- revealed too much, and even then, he speaks but briefly.
nals, shady dealers, and con artists. And in the center
of it all, ruling from a throne of affected civility amidst Nagezzer knows what it means to be a hero, for he was
chaos, is the prodigious bulk of Sesus Nagezzer. once one himself. A graduate of the House of Bells and
an officer in the Imperial legions, he styled himself a
Sesus Nagezzer is a huge man. When he stands, he’s over paragon of House Sesus’ martial prowess. His promis-
six feet tall, and he more than amply fills out his heavy ing destiny died abruptly the day that his pursuit of the
frame. His fashion sense is impeccable, and he’s ostenta- dangerous spirit Wind Across the Savanna ended in his
tiously meticulous in dress and grooming. Nagezzer can maiming and near-fatal wounding at the god’s hands.
be surprisingly fast despite his bulk and maimed leg, and He sees his younger self reflected in fledgling heroes,
his strength is formidable. He makes no apologies for and knows the value of holding leverage over them
his proclivities, which run towards food and carnality. — be it an unpaid debt, an imprisoned loved one, or
Nagezzer’s appetites in both areas are legendary: In a a sense of obligation to a kindly, if unpleasant, mentor
typical dinner, he’ll consume an entire table of food alone, who saw value in a young protégé that no one else saw.

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didn’t need an army to conquer his enemies, only time

and leverage. But despite his underhanded ways and
his accumulation of profit, he’s no common crime lord.
He serves the Empress’ Realm, and would sacrifice
everything he has for its continuance.

Aspect: Wood
Essence: 4; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 6 Dice
(+3 for 3m)
Personal: 15, Peripheral: 30
Health Levels: −0/−1x6/−2x6/−4/Incap.
Actions: Administration: 6 dice (+2 successes for 4m);
Command Soldiers: 7 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Dis-
guise: 7 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Dynastic Educa-
tion: 7 dice (+2 success for 4m); Investigate: 6 dice (+1
success for 2m); Medicine: 5 dice (+2 for 2m); Read
Intentions: 9 dice (+3 successes for 6m); Resist Poison/
Disease: 7 dice (+1 success for 2m); Senses 6 dice (+2
for 2m); Social Influence: 11 dice (+3 successes for
6m); Strategy: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Tracking:
5 dice (+1 success for 2m)
Appearance 3, Resolve 3 (+1 for 2m), Guile 6 (+2 for 4m)
COMBAT
Attack (The Sower’s Rod, jade wrackstaff): 8 dice (+4
for 4m, 14B/4)
Attack (Unarmed): 9 dice (+4 for 4m, Damage 9B)
Combat Movement: 3 dice
After his maiming, Nagezzer was discharged from the Evasion 1, Parry 4 (+2 for 4m)
Imperial legions, and sent to the Cloister of Wisdom to Soak/Hardness: 9/4 (Thousandfold Tantra Mantle,
heal. In his time among the monks, Nagezzer realized jade chain shirt)
he’d never achieve the power and peace he sought
INTIMACIES
through conventional means. He might never again
lead a legion in the Empress’ service. Instead he’d cre- Defining Principle: I serve the Realm, and nothing else.
ate a silent army, unseen and underestimated. Defining Principle: I delight unashamedly in pleasures
of the flesh.
Inheriting the Throne of Roses upon his hated moth- Major Principle: Understanding others’ desires is the
er’s death, Nagezzer transformed it from an elegant key to my triumphs.
sanctuary into a den of vice. Now it serves as the capital Major Tie: Himself (Self-Pity)
of his hidden empire. There he holds court among lay-
abouts and sycophants whom he’s carefully cultivated Major Tie: House Sesus (Distrust)
to act as set dressing for those who seek his counsel. Minor Principle: I devote myself to the Immaculate Phi-
From behind that veil, he rules a shadow network of losophy.
spies, informants, messengers, and assassins that runs Minor Tie: Sesus Warru (Trust)
from tiny insignificant satrapies all the way up to the Minor Tie: Anathema (Enmity)
highest halls of power in the Imperial City. In the hin-
ESCORT
terlands of the Threshold, his mercenaries — directed
by his cousin Sesus Warru, a drunkard veteran of the Nagezzer almost never leaves his palace, which is
Red-Piss Legion — fight for causes of his choosing protected by dozens of battle-ready household guards
under the anonymous banner of a white rose. (Exalted, p. 496), a Size 2 battle group with elite Drill
led by grizzled mercenary lieutenants. He’s also protect-
At this point, Sesus Nagezzer is vital to many of the ed by his twin Western concubines, Spinda and Echo
simple day-to-day workings of several prefectures. He (use assassin traits, Exalted, p. 499), and by his teacher
and bodyguard, the Wood Aspect monk Autumn Spiral.

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MERITS SOCIAL CHARMS

Sobriquet: Once per story, when Nagezzer makes Poisonous Sneer Reproach (2m, 1wp; Reflexive;
an influence roll that aligns with his image as a de- Instant; Wood): When another character makes an in-
bauched hedonist, the level of the stunt he’s awarded is fluence roll, roll social influence; impose penalty equal
increased by one. to successes. If this reduces target’s pool to 0 or she
OFFENSIVE CHARMS botches, her influence has opposite of intended effect.
Eyes of the Wood Dragon (4m; Supplemental; Instant; Rose of Millions (Hearthstone): Can automatical-
Withering-only, Wood): Add +3 raw withering damage. ly tell if a character shares his Principle of “I serve the
Pay +1i and take a −1 Defense penalty to ignore 4 points of Realm, and nothing else.”
armored soak (no Defense penalty in Wood Aura). Rumor-Dredging Gaze (6m, 1wp; Simple; Instant;
DEFENSIVE CHARMS Mute, Water): Roll read intentions with double 9s to
uncover the Intimacy target most wishes to keep hidden
Mind-Over-Body Meditation (5m, 1wp; Simple; from him. Using it to blackmail target in the same scene
Instant; Perilous, Wood): Roll 4 dice; successes heal doubles 9s on a bargain or threaten roll; success grants
non-aggravated damage levels. Once per scene. one Willpower.
Wood Dragon Vitality (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Dual, Sweeten-the-Tap Method (5m, 1wp; Simple;
Wood): Gain +4 soak (+8 in Wood Aura) or reduce de- One scene; Fire/Wood): Partygoers gain positive
cisive attack’s damage by −1 (−2 in Wood Aura). Minor Tie for fellow carousers and −1 Guile.

Tepet Ejava,
the Roseblack
Disgraced and dishonored after losing its legions,
House Tepet desperately searches for a means to regain
its lost favor. Its greatest hope may lie with a woman
who has disdained house politics and dedicated her
life to the defense of the Realm.

Tepet Ejava was born while her mother was in the

field. War was the first thing she knew, and for good or
ill, it set the tone for the rest of her life. As a child, she
excelled at strategy and war-games, and her Exaltation
attuned her to the violent struggles underlying the
natural world. As she matured, Ejava found herself ill
at ease in the well-manicured garden of Dynastic soci-
ety — something that became less metaphorical when
she inadvertently devastated the dominie’s beloved rose
garden. Her classmates nicknamed her “Roseblack” af-
ter the incident, but rather than seethe, Ejava embraced
the nickname as a symbol of humility. It stayed with her
through her training at the House of Bells, and through
her engagements as a newly commissioned officer of the
Imperial Legions, from putting down bandits and peas-
ant revolts to vicious battles against Anathema and the
Fair Folk. By the time Ejava made winglord, the name
“Roseblack” was spoken with pride.

Then came the Battle of Futile Blood. Ejava wasn’t with

the Tepet legions when it happened, and still regrets

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that she wasn’t there to fight alongside them. When Combat Movement: 9 dice (+3 successes for 6m)
word of the Tepet legions’ fate arrived, Ejava found Evasion 1, Parry 6 (+3 successes for 6m)
her world upended. Not only had she lost friends, Soak/Hardness: 14/10 (Triumph’s Blossom, jade ar-
comrades, and loyal soldiers, but the Realm she loved ticulated plate)
had been dealt a devastating defeat.
INTIMACIES
Even those Tepets jealous of Ejava’s rising star now ac- Defining Principle: A Dynast’s only honor is defense of
knowledged her value as one of the house’s most capable the Realm.
surviving officers. Promoting her to general, they placed Defining Tie: House Tepet (Impatient Frustration)
her in charge of the one legion that had been foisted on Major Principle: I have no time for romance.
the house in the partition of the Imperial legions — the
Major Tie: Those who sold out the legions for political
infamous Vermilion, or “Red-Piss,” Legion. While many
gain (Contempt)
officers might quail at the thought of managing such a
disgraceful mob, the Roseblack saw it as an opportunity. Major Tie: The Red-Piss Legion (Camaraderie)
Over the past three years, she’s rebuilt the Vermilion Minor Tie: Her grandfather, Tepet Arada (Irritated
into a competent and disciplined fighting force, equal to Respect)
any legion fielded by the other Great Houses. Minor Tie: Ragara Nova (Friendship)
Minor Tie: Her uncle, Tepet Fokuf (Loathing)
Ejava is the consummate Dragon-Blooded officer —
disciplined, resolute, and professional. While other ESCORT
members of her house might chide her for putting When not with the Vermilion Legion, Ejava is usually
off marriage, Ejava feels that she’s exactly where the accompanied by a young Dragon-Blooded officer
Realm needs her, and that her own career is fulfillment (Exalted, p. 541) and several elite house guards
enough. Her closest confidant is the Chanos prefect, (Exalted, p. 497), a Size 1 battle group with elite
Ragara Nova, a socialite who once tried to win her Drill.
hand. Other than Nova, there are few who’ve really MERITS
gotten to know her. Her true home is the battlefield, Sobriquet: Once per story, when Ejava makes an
and her soldiers are her true family. She has little time influence roll that aligns with her image as a heroic
for anything else. commander, the level of the stunt she’s awarded is in-
creased by one.
Ejava is a tall, imposing woman with the same long
OFFENSIVE CHARMS
red hair as the Empress. When in the field, she’s rarely
seen without her armor and sidearm — a full suit of Burning Fury Wreath (3m; Supplemental; Instant;
green jade articulated plate, and Thorn, her daiklave. Balanced, Decisive-only, Fire): Ignore (2 + 10s on
attack roll) points of Hardness with a Melee attack. In
Aspect: Wood Fire Aura, double the Hardness ignored.
Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 9 dice (+6 Crimson Fang Bite (3m, 1wp; Supplemental;
for 6m) Instant; Dual, Fire): On a Melee attack, add +3 with-
ering damage or double three 10s on decisive
Personal: 14, Peripheral: 24 damage.
Health Levels: −0x1/−1x6/−2x6/−4/Incap. Demon-Crushing Wolf Bite (4m, 1i; Supplemen-
Actions: Command Soldiers: 10 dice (+6 for 6m); tal; Instant; Perilous, Withering-only; Wood): Add +3
Feats of Strength: 8 dice (+2 successes for 4m; may Overwhelming to a Melee attack. In Wood Aura, add
attempt Strength 3 feats); Read Intentions: 5 dice (+1 +3 withering damage.
success for 2m); Resist Poison/Disease: 7 dice (+2
DEFENSIVE CHARMS
successes for 4m); Senses 7 dice (+5 for 5m); Social
Influence: 9 dice (+2 successes for 4m); Strategy: 10 Aura of Grasping Branches (5m, 3i, 1wp; Simple;
dice (+6 for 6m) One scene; Perilous, Wood): Ignore up to three points
Appearance 3, Resolve 4 (+2 for 4m), Guile 3 (+1 for of onslaught penalty to Parry each round. In Wood
2m) Aura, parried attacks don’t inflict onslaught penalties.
Aura of Invulnerability (5m, 1wp; Simple; Aura
COMBAT
state; Aura, Fire, Perilous): Roll (current temporary Will-
Attack (Thorn, jade daiklave): 14 dice (+6 for 6m, power) dice and gain that many temporary −0 health
Damage 15L/5) levels and add +4 natural soak.
Attack (Long Bow): 11 dice at short range (+2 for 2m, Earth Bears Witness (5m, 3i; Reflexive; Instant;
Damage 12L) Aura, Decisive-only; Earth/Wood, Perilous): Subtract

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two dice of damage from a decisive attack. Subtract Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wings (3m, 1i; Re-
three dice within short range of large stone objects (in flexive; Instant; Earth, Perilous, Uniform): Make a
Earth Aura) or trees (in Wood Aura). command roll when a battle group in short range is
Impervious Skin of Stone (4m, Reflexive; Instant; attacked; every two successes grant +1 Defense and
Balanced, Earth, Withering-only): +3 natural soak. In soak. Once per scene, unless reset with a successful
Earth Aura, can use after being hit. rally.
Portentous Comet Deflection (3m, 1wp; Reflex- Roaring Dragon Officer (3m; Reflexive; One turn;
ive; Instant; Clash, Decisive-only, Fire): Clash with a Balanced, Earth): Flurry a command with a non-attack
decisive Melee attack. Counts as her combat action action. In Earth Aura, lower penalty on rolls to −2, and
for the round unless she expends her Fire Aura. negate Defense penalty.
WAR CHARMS EVOCATIONS
Deadly Wildfire Legion (5m, 1wp, expend Fire Thousand-Thorn Strike (1m, 1a, 1wp; Simple;
Aura; Supplemental; Instant; Aura, Fire): Add three Instant; Decisive-only): Make a decisive Melee
non-Charm dice on a roll to order a battle group to attack, thorns of anima bursting from within the foe’s
attack and let it take its turn immediately, regardless of body as the daiklave strikes. Add three attack roll
Initiative. Every two successes also add +1 damage to threshold successes to decisive damage and double
its attack. Once per scene unless battle group incapac- 10s unless the enemy accepts a crippling injury
itates a significant foe or routs an enemy battle group (Exalted, p. 201).
on her orders.

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River massaged her writing hand absently as her chatelaine departed with the packet of letters. It was an old
habit, the memory of long-ago correspondence bringing on a phantom ache. She supposed the news of the
Anathema her Hearth had captured breaking out of the Imperial Manse had exacerbated it. For a moment that
morning, even though she sat in her own study, separated from that place by fifty years and more than a thousand
miles, she’d gone right back there: sitting by the roadside in the River Province in her monk’s robes, scratching
out I regret to inform you… over and over again.

But she wasn’t sitting idly, waiting for someone else to fix this. Eshuvar had agreed as soon as she’d laid out her
plan, and she knew the others would answer the call as well. The Solar was their responsibility. They’d dragged
him here to the Imperial City — alive — and received the Empress’ accolades. How proud they’d been that day: the
Hearth who had slain one Anathema and captured another. If River had given any other thought to the Wretched in
the years since, it was little more than the hope he was being tormented deep within the Imperial Manse, facing
punishment for all the lives he’d taken.

They should have killed him. The Empress would have honored them just as much for it.

But the past was already written, and she’d dwelled on it long enough. Her wife Jihe said as much, and she was
right. All they could do now was track him down and finish the job. Before he came for them first. Before he came
for their families.

•••••

Eshuvar leaned against the ship’s rail, his back to the sea, and grinned at River. She couldn’t help but think the wind
whipping his hair artfully about his face was his own doing. The direction of the sea breeze should have been blowing
it into his eyes. The same could be said of his clothing: no salt spray marred the silks, and the tassels at the end of
his ornate belt hung smooth and untangled. It might have been an infuriating use of his anima to another Dynast, but
to River it was just Eshuvar. A little vain, a little bit of a show-off. “It will be good to see him again. Mathar.”

“I know who you meant.”

“Swift and Chalima, too, of course.”

“Of course.” She didn’t tease him about it, though over the years they’d become like brother and sister. When
River and Jihe wanted to have a child, it was Eshuvar who summoned the neomah that gave them Adan. When a
dalliance of Eshuvar’s caused a bit more scandal than he’d intended to bite off, it was River who smoothed things
over between him and his wife.

She remembered how young he’d seemed when they set sail on that first Hunt, fifty years ago. He’d aged well, still
tall and slim and handsome, his face’s youthful softness giving way to harder angles. Still, she couldn’t help but
notice how a weight seemed to lift from his shoulders the farther out to sea they drew.

She wondered if he saw the same weight lifting from hers.

•••••

Tereya Kingfisher Swift still wasn’t used to Seren’s study. She’d been head of the Tereya household guard for three
years now, stood in this room more times than she cared to count, and still felt like she wasn’t quite at home.
Most things were the same: the room, the clock, the tea set, Swift herself. Only Seren’s appearance spoke to the
passage of time. She was grayer than when she’d first offered Swift the position, more frail. Her mind was still
sharp and her hands still steady, but her mortality was an undeniable fact.

Now, she was frowning in turn at Swift and the letter the Earth Aspect had brought her. “I suppose you have little
choice in this matter?”

“They’re my Sworn Kin, niece. And the thing that’s broken free….” Swift gestured to the windows that overlooked
the garden, where a pair of her young cousins were playing. “It might come for our families. It’s best we do this
now, before it runs too far and starts building up support again. Before it comes back here looking for us.”
Seren’s mouth twisted in displeasure. “And what if someone else comes? What if one of the Great Houses finally
makes their move while you’re out in the Threshold?”

She thought of the letters she and River had exchanged. There were always schemes afoot, and River knew how
to read the political currents better than anyone Swift had ever met. Between what River’s letters said and the
whispers Swift herself had heard, she thought the status quo might last a little longer. “It’s been three years,
niece. It might be another three before anyone dares try to claim the throne. It won’t be another three before this
Anathema harms people again.”

Seren hmmphed, but it was a sound that said she knew Swift was right. “Very well,” she said, folding the letter and
handing it back to Swift. “But I expect that if you hear word of an uprising, you’ll hurry back here right away. We’ll
need you.”

Less than an hour later, by the chiming of the Varangian clock, Swift rode out from the gates of the Tereya estate.
She’d only paused long enough to write back to River and don her white jade armor. Anything else she needed,
she could purchase on the road.

•••••

Much had changed for Mathar since last he’d seen his Brotherhood. Oh, Chalima called on him now and again,
when her kingdom’s responsibilities let her sneak in a diplomatic visit. Eshuvar wrote from time to time, his
letters full of his exploits. But to see them all together again? He almost wished he’d learned some basic sorcery,
to find some spell to get everyone gathered faster. His warhorse stamped as he checked the saddle one last time.
The horse’s green jade barding jingled, and Mathar knew he wasn’t alone in the stable anymore.

“What do you want?” he said, not bothering to turn.

“I heard you were leaving Lookshy. Going out ranging. Where to?” The voice was smooth and smug, and it took all
of Mathar’s strength not to lift the biwa from the horse’s back and smash it in his companion’s face.

He didn’t. Mainly because it would be a waste of a damned fine instrument. “What business is it of yours?”

She slipped into view, keeping a safe distance both from Mathar and the horse. A well-trained warhorse might bite
on command, and Vaya wasn’t going to find out how well Mathar’s horse obeyed. “I thought I’d offer you another
chance to change your mind about your friends. To prove your loyalty to Lookshy rather than a trio of Dynasts.”

Mathar also didn’t reach for his longfang. That took more effort. “I told you, no. I’ve told you that for forty years and
it’s not going to change.”

Once, Mathar and Vaya had been peers. They were both vying to climb the ladder in Lookshyan intelligence, and
Mathar was, by all accounts, the favorite for a newly opened position.

Until Vaya remembered his renown for killing the Anathema, and started asking around about his companions on
that Hunt. Two Dynasts and a “found egg” married into a wealthy patrician family: one in the Imperial Navy, one
respected among the Immaculate Order, and one in the Imperial Legions. His outcaste friend, ascended as queen
of a Hundred Kingdoms province. Surely Mathar could lean on his friends for information, couldn’t he?

Wouldn’t he?

But to do that, to pass the contents of Swift’s letters along to his higher-ups, or to ask River not-at-all innocuous
questions about her observations in the Imperial City, or see what Eshuvar could tell him about Sesus’ current
interests, or report on Chalima’s territory… no. He refused. His loyalties lay with his Hearthmates, even above his
beloved Lookshy.

Vaya had reported that up the chain, and there had gone years of Mathar’s hard work and ambition.

But he’d do it all over again, exactly the same.

“Your loss,” said Vaya.

“I recommend you not be in the stables when I leave,” said Mathar. His normally bright smile instead resembled a
shark’s hungry grin. “People get trampled all the time.”

•••••

Left Hand Chalima draped her cloak of office over the chair and let Xocha help her with her steel breastplate’s
buckles. On the table beside her daiklave and devil caster sat River’s letter. It had come the day after Chalima
sent River a letter of her own, asking what the Realm’s view on the surge of Anathema might be. She hadn’t been
accusatory in it — she respected River too much for that — but neither had she been subtle about her desire
to ride in a Wyld Hunt, if she could. She supposed River could answer her questions in person when they were
reunited.

Xocha checked the straps and buckles one more time, then declared Chalima ready. “Promise me you’ll take care
out there. I want you to come back to us.”

Chalima smiled as Xocha caressed her cheek. “I will.” She said it again, this time for Itzli, and felt her dead
husband’s cool, ghostly fingers trace her jaw.

“Good,” said Xocha. “I’ll only do so much of your paperwork before I decide to set the whole desk on fire.”

“I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to. In fact….” She looked over at the piles of parchment needing her attention
and reached for a pinch of firedust with a grin.

Xocha laughed and smacked her hand — gently, so as not to ignite the firedust. “When you get home, we’ll see
how far behind I am.”

“It’s a deal.” Chalima kissed him once more, then hefted her weapons, and went to meet Mathar on the road.

•••••

They came together by the northern borders of the River Province, arriving within hours of one another. First
Mathar and Chalima, then Swift, then Eshuvar and River. Where once there’d been an empty road, a town had
sprung up. It was small, still, but had enough traffic and trade passing through to support a caravanserai. River
suspected that its common room sat on the place where her commander’s tent once stood, fifty years gone. She
wondered if any of the things they’d left behind had paid for this place. If she peeked in the study, would she find
the lap desk she’d used so long ago to write her dreadful condolences?

She shuddered. She hoped not. She hoped that had sunk into the ground and rotted away fifty years ago.

But here she was, among her friends. Among her Hearth. Eshuvar and Mathar sat close, their foreheads touching
as they shared some intense story. Eshuvar said something that made Mathar throw back his head and laugh. It
was the same laugh River remembered, hearty and full, unconstrained. Swift and Chalima had acquired a newly
drawn map from somewhere — perhaps from off the inn’s wall? They were already pointing out places to begin
their search. River’s contacts in the All-Seeing Eye had sent her a few leads, while Mathar had accessed reports
from Lookshy’s Intelligence Directorate. Small markers were scattered across the River Province where there’d
been sightings of the Wretched.

Swift looked up and caught River watching them all. “We should swear again,” Swift said. Mathar and Eshuvar
went quiet. Chalima set down her glass.

“We should,” said River, and got up to lead them all outside. She was fairly certain she knew exactly where they’d
been standing the first time they swore their oath. It didn’t take long to find it. By the time they all stood in a loose
circle, a small crowd had gathered to watch.

“I swear,” Chalima said, her voice as sure now as it had been back then, “by Earth; by Wood; by Fire; by Air; by
Water….”

As their voices joined together and rang out into the evening, River thought how good it was to be home.
 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

A Martial Arts, 139, 151. See also

Martial Arts, Golden Janissary
Adoption, 30, 34, 38, 44, 50, 66,
69-70, 72, 77, 82, 97-101, 103-
Abilities, 136-139, 142, 145, 147, 149, 151, Style Charms, Immaculate Martial 104, 112, 118, 127, 335, 340
153, 156, 158, 162-163, 286, 290, 293, Arts, Mantis Style Charms, and Advancement, 142, 156
295, 298, 301, 306. See also Aspect, White Veil Style Charms.
Aspect Bonus, 156-157
Character Creation, and Charms. Medicine, 136, 139, 153, 175,
200, 214, 220-224, 256, 308, 318, 331, Dragon Experience, 156, 159
Archery, 136-137, 139, 153, 215,
245, 318. See also Archery Charms. 356. See also Medicine Charms. Experience Points, 138, 156,
Melee, 136-137, 139, 149, 162, 158, 172, 215-216, 250-251, 254, 256,
Advancement, 156
171, 225-229, 245, 255, 304, 316, 320, 267, 271, 316, 320, 325, 329, 331, 337
Aspect Ability, 136, 138-139, 145, 324, 326, 328, 332, 334, 336, 352, Expression Bonus, 156
147, 149, 151, 153. See also Aspect. 358-359. See also Melee Charms.
Raising Essence, 158
Athletics, 136-137, 139, 149, 168-171, Occult, 136-137, 139, 145, 156,
187, 245, 273, 290-292, 301, 311, 321, Role Bonus, 156
208, 230-235, 286, 290, 293, 295, 298,
326. See also Athletics Charms. 301-303, 309-310, 312-313, 318. See Storyteller Characters, 184, 216
Awareness, 136, 139, 147, 166, also Occult Charms and Sorcery. Training Times, 158, 216
172-176, 198-199, 202-205, 207, 210, Performance, 136-137, Ages
231, 237, 245, 260, 264, 268-270, 139, 153, 235-242, 299, 318. See
277, 301, 306-307, 312, 330-331, 344. also Performance Charms. First Age, 16, 18, 24, 37, 44, 49, 59,
See also Awareness Charms. 61, 72, 108, 110-112, 115, 119-120, 318, 352
Presence, 136-137, 149,165,
Brawl, 136, 139, 151, 171, 175, 242-246, 262, 271, 318, 335. See Second Age, 22, 24, 62
176-180, 190, 224, 245, 255, 306, also Presence Charms. Time Before, The, 16
330. See also Brawl Charms.
Resistance, 136-137, 139, 147, Ahlat, God of War and Cattle, 38
Bureaucracy, 136-137, 197, 220-221, 223-225, 233, 245,
139, 151, 181-186, 214, 342. See Air Dragon Style Charms, 286-289.
246-251, 272-273, 275, 289-290,
also Bureaucracy Charms. See also Immaculate Martial Arts.
297, 301, 308, 313, 331-332, 337, 348.
Craft, 136-137, 139, 147, See also Resistance Charms. Air Dragon Form, 287-289
187-190, 309, 312, 350, 352. Ride, 136, 139, 153, 245, 251- Air Dragon’s Sight, 286-287
See also Craft Charms. 256, 318. See also Ride Charms. Avenging Wind Strike, 288
Dodge, 136, 139, 149, 165-166, 168, Sail, 136, 139, 151, 245, 256-261, Breath-Seizing Technique, 287
190-193, 244-245, 286-287, 291, 305, 311, 318. See also Sail Charms.
313, 350, 353. See also Dodge Charms. Cloud-Treading Method, 287
Socialize, 136-137, 139, 149, 174-
Favored Ability, 136- 175, 242-243, 245, 261-266, 306-307, Hurricane Combat Method, 289
139, 156, 158, 162 344. See also Socialize Charms. Lightning Strike Style, 288-289
Integrity, 136-137, 139, 147, Specialties, 136-138, Shroud of Unseen Winds, 288-289
176, 184, 194-197, 209, 211, 213, 206, 245, 261, 309
234, 244-245, 264, 331-332, 337, Thunderclap Kata, 289
352. See also Integrity Charms. Stealth, 136, 139, 145, 154, 166,
Tornado Offense Technique, 289
172, 174, 175, 184, 202-206, 231,
Investigation, 136, 139, 151, 267-271, 276-277, 286-289, 302, Wind Dragon Speed, 287
182, 197-202, 204-205, 207, 214, 306-307, 312, 319, 329-331, 341, 348, Wrathful Winds Kiai, 289
231, 260, 347, 350, 354-355. See 350, 355. See also Stealth Charms.
also Investigation Charms. All-Seeing Eye, The. See
Survival, 136-137, 139, 153, 175, Imperial Service.
Larceny, 136, 139, 151, 174, 198, 214, 221, 231, 245, 270-274, 310,
182, 198-199, 202-208, 329. 318-319. See also Survival Charms. Almgava, 284
See also Larceny Charms. Amilar. See Gentes Major, Amilar.
Thrown, 136, 139, 145, 215,
Linguistics, 136, 139, 145, 208- 245, 275-279, 323, 326, 350. Anathema. See Exalted, Anathema.
213, 217, 312. See also Languages See also Thrown Charms.
and Linguistic Charms. Ancestor Cult, 46
War, 136-137, 139, 147, 212, 214, 245,
Lore, 136-137, 139, 145, Anima, 8, 10, 18, 32, 105, 134, 136, 138,
279-283, 325. See also War Charms.
158, 194, 205, 214-219, 309. 145, 147, 149, 151, 153, 154-155, 160,
See also Lore Charms. 162, 166, 171, 174-175, 177, 189, 193,
205, 207, 215, 222-223, 226, 230, 233,

364
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 INDEX

241, 245, 248, 250, 258-259, 269, 277, Demon Strangler, 50. See Falling Star Maneuver, 171
299, 326, 328, 335, 344, 359-360. See also Mnemon Rulinsei. Graceful Dryad Dance, 171
also Caste, Essence, and Exalted. Emerald Thurible, 351, 353 Grandmother Oak Exertion, 169
Banner, 145, 147, 149, 151, 153, 154, Evocations. See Evocations.
162, 179, 181, 193, 205, 233, 235, 254, Incense Smoke Ladder, 169, 171
258, 260, 267, 283, 302, 325-326, 335 Faith’s Pillar (White Jade Grand Inescapable Blazing
Goremaul). See Faith’s Pillar.
Effects, 145, 147, 149, Advance, 170-171, 346
151, 153, 154-155 First Imperial Seal, The, 341-342 Mountain-Toppling
Flux, 147, 149, 153, 154-155, Heavenly Typhoon (Blue Might, 169-170
254. See also Dragon-Blooded. Jade Infinite Chakram). See Perfect Climbing Attitude, 169
Heavenly Typhoon.
Aqadar, 38 Seething Dragon Footprint, 171
Horizon Cleaver (Blue Jade Grand
Archery Charms, 163-168. See also Soaring Leap Technique, 169
Grimcleaver). See Horizon Cleaver.
Abilities, Archery and Charms.
Imprimatur (White Jade Soaring Zephyr Flight, 169-170
Arbor Sentinel Technique, 165 Daiklave). See Imprimatur. Strength of Stone
Arrow Rain Tempest, 168 Technique, 169, 176
Noumenon, 51
Arrow Thorn Technique, 164 Unshakable Mountain Spine, 170
Perdurant Vault (White
Blazing Phoenix Pinion, 165-166 Jade Thunderbolt Shield). Verdant Dragon’s Footsteps, 168
See Perdurant Vault.
Boughs of Burning Awareness Charms, 172-176. See also
Autumn, 164, 166, 355 Pyre of Legions (Red Jade Grand Abilities, Awareness and Charms.
Daiklave). See Pyre of Legions.
Death From Nowhere, 164-165 All-Encompassing Earth
Sea’s Verdict (Black Jade Sense, 172-173, 352
Dragonfly Finds Mate, 166-167
Longfang). See Sea’s Verdict.
Drawing Lightning Style, 165 Cloud-Piercing Focus, 172
Smiling Razors (Red Jade Short
Earth’s Judgment Awakened, 165 Deep-Listening Palm, 172, 268
Daiklaves). See Smiling Razors.
Fang-of-the-Depths Draw, 166 Dragon’s Crushing
Vengeant (Black Jade
Gaze, 172-173, 175
Harvest of the Hunter, 164 Razor Claws). See Vengeant.
Dragon’s Flaring Nostrils, 174-175
Heartbeats Before Death, 166 Weapons, 10, 120, 182,
205, 226, 277, 291 Dragon’s Twitching Whisker, 175
Horizon-Spanning Arc, 165
Aspect, 10, 19-20, 34, 52, 117, 136, 139, Essence Disruption
Life-Swelling Sap Strike, 164-165
154, 159, 163, 188, 193, 214-215, 274, 286 Attack, 176, 352
Salamander Swallows Flames, 166
Air, 20, 133, 139, 145, Eye of Blazing Truth, 174
Seven-Year Swarm Volley, 164, 167 154, 157, 159, 162-163 Feeling the Dragon’s
Sky-Calming Draw, 163-164 Earth, 20, 133, 139, 147, Bones, 173-175
Sparrow Dives at Hawk, 167 154-155, 158-159, 162, 360 Hesiesh’s Discerning Tongue, 173
Spring Follows Winter, 165-166 Fire, 20, 38, 139, 149, Horizon-Spanning Echoes, 174
155, 158-159, 162, 248
Swallows Defend the Nest, 167-168 Keen Sight Technique, 269
Water, 16, 20, 71-72, 139, 151,
Unobstructed Hunter’s Aim, 163 155, 158-159, 162, 174, 254, 309, 342 Living Pulse Perception, 267
Artful Tanuki, The, 316 Wood, 127, 133, 139, One-With-Earth
153, 155, 158-159, 356 Embodiment, 174, 268
Artifacts, 22, 35, 45, 55, 59-60,
62, 66, 114, 188, 190, 206, 208, 217, Athletics Charms, 168-171. See also Precision Observation
317, 323, 337, 340, 351. See also Abilities, Athletics and Charms. Method, 172
Equipment and Evocations.
Bellows-Pumping Stride, 168-171 Sense-Destroying Method, 175-176
Armor, 120, 248, 341
Dancing Ember Stride, 171, 346 Sense-Riding Technique, 175, 353
Calumny (Green Jade
Dragon Surmounts Sense the Hidden Ember, 175
Wrackstaff ). See Calumny.
the Waterfall, 171 Serpent-of-the-Depths
Daring Venture (Green Jade
Effortlessly Rising Flame, 168 Discernment, 174
Powerbow). See Daring Venture.

365
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B Smashing Tidal Wave

Technique, 180-181
Technique, 182, 184-185
Thrashing Carp Serenade, 185-186
Bagrash Köl, 77 Stone Fist Strike, 178 Unshakable Mountain
Baihu, 77 Swift-Striking Tide, 180 Management, 182
Bal Keraz, 349-350 Water Dragon’s Coils, 176-177 Water-Stained
Battle of Futile Blood, 67, 69, 357 Ledger, 182, 185-186
Waves Swallow the Mountain, 180
Battle of Mishaka, 124 Bronze Faction, 18. See also
Exalted, Sidereal.
C
Berit, 108, 342-344
Bull of the North (Yurgen Kaneko), Cadet Houses, 11, 17-18, 35,
Blessed Isle. 11-12, 17, 22, 26, 30,
The, 48, 66, 68, 72, 134, 142, 332 77, 86, 101, 104, 117
34-35, 37-38, 40, 42-43, 45, 51-52,
55, 58, 61, 64-65, 70-71, 74, 76-77, Bureaucracy Charms, 181-186. See also House Desai, 77
84, 87, 94, 100-101, 107-108, 116, 124, Abilities, Bureaucracy and Charms. House Ferem, 77
160, 254, 328, 338, 351, 354. See also
Benevolent Master’s House Yueh, 77
The Realm and Scarlet Dynasty.
Blessing, 181-182, 185
Blinding Bolt, 133. See also Seven Calibration, 58.
Bestow the Saffron
Storms Brotherhood, The. Calumny, 316-317. See also Artifacts,
Mantle, 185, 342
Bloodied Scythe Uprising, 353 Equipment and Evocations.
Blazing Hoard of Hesiesh, 185
Bloodlines, Major. See Great Ripened Bitter Fruit, 317
Bureau-Reforming Kata, 185
Houses, Major Bloodlines. Rustling Grapevine
Confluence of Savant Whispers, 316-317
Brawl Charms, 176-180. See also
Thought, 181-182
Abilities, Brawl and Charms. Salon-Spider Entrapment, 317
Dashing Brook
Become the Hammer, 176 Swallowtail’s Grace, 317
Method, 182, 185-186
Become the Wave, 179-180 Unassuming Ornament
Distraction of the
Blade-Deflecting Palm, 177 Babbling Brook, 184 Camouflage, 316-317

Body of Deadly Thorns, 179 Drowning in Cathak, Founder of House

Negotiation Style, 186 Cathak, 38-39, 345-346.
Crater-Making Impact, 178
Finding the Water’s Cathak Cainan, 36-39, 57, 345-346.
Crushing Avalanche Grasp, 177
Depths, 181-182
Currents Sweep to Cathak Elanda, 39
Sea, 177, 180-181 Flowing Authority
Cathak Falu, 324
Insinuation, 186
Drowning Embrace, 180 Cathak Garel, 39
Following the River’s Course, 185
Embracing the Violent Flow, 179 Cathak Urima, 38, 346
Geese-Flying-South
Entangling Roots Administration, 181 Celestial Bureaucracy, 126. See
Embrace, 178, 180 also Gods and Yu-Shan.
Graven Stone Edict, 183
Erupting Fury Barrage, 179 Character Creation, 136-141
Humble Exemplar
Fist-Spinning Maelstrom, 180 Attitude, 182-183 Charms, 162-283. See also Character
Flying Whirlwind Razor, 178 Creation and Abilities.
One Forest, Many Trees, 184-185
Hammering Wave Adding Bonus Dice, 162
Sea-Changed Secrets, 186
Technique, 178-180 Archery Charms. See
Seething Firebreak
Hanging Tree Technique, 180 Archery Charms.
Technique, 183-184
Heaven Thunder Hammer, 250 Athletics Charms. See
Shells-for-Silver Ruse, 182, 185
Athletics Charms.
Inescapable Whirlpool Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth, 186
Hold, 176-177 Awareness Charms. See
Sprouting Bamboo Awareness Charms.
Oaken Thew Exertion, 176-178 Cultivation, 186
Brawl Charms. See Brawl Charms.
Pounding Surf Style, 176, 178 Testing the Waters, 181-182
Bureaucracy Charms.
Rolling Boulder Blow, 178 Thoughtful Gift See Bureaucracy Charms.

366
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 INDEX

Craft Charms. See Craft Charms. Ajakai of the Jewels, 49 Craft Charms, 187-190. See also
Abilities, Craft and Charms.
Dodge Charms. See Arjuf, 44-45, 88, 92
Dodge Charms. Blazing Dragon-Smith Arete, 189
Atsiluth Eternal, 28
Elemental Aura, 154, 162-163, Ephemeral Form
Azal-Mog, 58
214, 220, 274, 286, 335, 353 Composition, 189
Bittern, 71
Excellencies, 137-139, 162-163 Eternal Omphalos Forge, 189
Chainbright, 49
Favored, 137, 139, 158 Flaw-Finding
Champoor, 260 Examination, 187-188
Integrity Charms. See
Integrity Charms. Chanos, 64 Flawless Facet Realization, 188
Investigation Charms. Chiaroscuro, 16, 92, 127 Forge-Hand Prana, 190
See Investigation Charms. Deheleshen, 12, 110, 124 Fortune-from-Flotsam
Keywords, 137, 162-163 Dezsofi, 69 Ingenuity, 189
Larceny Charms. See Eagle’s Launch, 71 Imago-Hatching Realization, 190
Larceny Charms.
Fair Isle, 40 Masterful Dragon-
Linguistics Charms. See Artisan Expertise, 187
Fajad, 38, 127
Linguistics Charms. Passion-Inflaming Artistry, 188
Fallen Lapis, 134
Lore Charms. See Lore Charms. Shaping Hand Style, 188, 190
Faxai, 45, 72, 104
Martial Arts Charms. Stoking Inspiration’s Forge, 190
See Martial Arts Charms. Faxai-on-the-Caul, 72
Stone-Carving Fingers, 187-188
Medicine Charms. See Gem, 39
Medicine Charms. Stones-from-Rubble
Great Forks, 54, 113, 127, 130
Restoration, 188
Melee Charms. See Melee Charms. Howling Heart, 45
Strike the Dragon-Anvil, 188
Occult Charms. See Juche, 51-54
Occult Charms. Talents-to-Obols
Kamthahar, 26 Refinement, 188-190
Performance Charms.
See Performance Charms. Lap, The, 61, 93 Touch of Unmaking, 188

Presence Charms. See Lord’s Crossing, 68-69 Cynis, Founder of House Cynis, 42, 347
Presence Charms. Lookshy. See Lookshy. Cynis Belar, 42
Resistance Charms. See Mnemon-Darjilis, 49-50, 76, 107 Cynis Cerise, 43
Resistance Charms.
Myion, 37 Cynis Cogen, 284, 347-348
Ride Charms. See Ride Charms.
Nai Lei, 77 Cynis Falen, 42-43
Sail Charms. See Sail Charms.
Nansha, 72 Cynis Falen Parda, 43
Signature Charms, 163
Nechara, 142 Cynis Laseral, 43
Socialize Charms. See
Nexus, 40, 108, 113, 116, 204, 330 Cynis Petalin, 43
Socialize Charms.
Pangu, 42 Cynis Solado, 50
Sorcery Charms. See
Sorcery Charms. Perch, 46 Cynis Umara, 43
Stealth Charms. See Riven Quay, 61 Cynis Wisel, 43
Stealth Charms. Sijan, 107
Survival Charms. See Cloister of Wisdom, The, 12,
D
Survival Charms. 38, 85-86, 136, 287, 356. See also Daring Venture, 318-319. See also
Thrown Charms. See Education and Immaculate Order. Artifacts, Equipment, Evocations,
Thrown Charms. Cloud Lotus, 42 and Hundred Rivers.
War Charms. See War Charms. Cold Harvest, 132. See also Seven Beckon the Wandering
Cities. See also Prefectures, Regions, Storms Brotherhood, The. Wolf, 318-320
Satrapies, and Locations. Confederation of Rivers, 124 Packmate Devotion, 320

367
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Seeker’s Heart Intuition, 318, 320 Heat-of-Battle Shattering Fist Strike, 291
Advance, 190-191, 193
Song of Sunlit Dreams, 318 Stillness-of-Stone Atemi, 290
Hopping Firecracker
Wolf-and-Dragon Bond, 320 Stone Dragon’s Skin, 290
Evasion, 165, 191-193
Dead, The, 7-8, 21, 28, 46, 127. Unmoving Mountain
Safety Among
See also Ghosts and Spirits. Stance, 290, 352
Enemies, 191-192, 350
Bonesider, 313 Weapon-Breaking
Swaying Grass Elusion, 192 Defense Technique, 291
Deathlord, 164, 233-235, 322
Threshold Warding Stance, 190 Economics, 36-37, 39-41, 44,
Hungry Ghost, 46, 73, 127, 164, 230
Unassailable Body of Fire, 192-193 47, 52-53, 55, 59-61, 64, 66, 70,
Nephwrack, 164 74, 76, 84, 113, 115-116, 121, 124,
Unmoving Center
Zombie, 230, 287 151,182, 185. See also Money.
Enlightenment, 192
Deathknight. See Exalted, Abyssal. Education, 22, 26, 60, 82, 83-90,
Virtuous Negation Defense, 191
101, 118, 122, 214, 351. See also The
Deliberative, The, 11, 34, 40, 48, 51, Dominie, 11, 83-84, 88, 357. Cloister of Wisdom, The Heptagram,
54, 56-57, 59, 61, 63, 65, 73, 75, 77, See also Education. The House of Bells, Pasiap’s Stair,
91, 94, 96-97, 103, 123, 142, 149
Dominion, 11, 44-45, 53, 342. and The Spiral Academy.
Greater Chamber of the See also Prefectures. Primary School, 11-12, 51-
Deliberative, 11, 50-51
Dragon-Blooded, The, 7, 10-12, 16-25, 52, 62, 83-85, 89, 91, 100
Lesser Chamber of the 30, 45, 67, 72, 80, 91, 95, 97-100, 104- Secondary School, 12, 21, 52, 62,
Deliberative, 11, 40, 51 105, 110, 117-118, 121, 129, 132, 142-143, 77, 83, 85, 89-92, 95, 100-101, 136, 138
Demesnes, 45, 49, 120, 231, 235, 154, 158, 162, 167, 172-173, 178-179, 182,
Elemental Aura. See Charms,
309, 318. See also Geomancy. 195, 198, 209-210, 213-214, 216-220,
Elemental Aura.
221-222, 225, 228, 234-235, 240-241,
Demons, 72, 87-88, 123, 160, 175,
243, 247-248, 253-254, 256-257, 268, Elementals, 26, 69, 71, 87, 120,
231, 233, 235, 286, 301-302, 309,
270, 274, 277-278, 280, 282-283, 286, 132, 231, 235, 254, 282, 309,
322, 336, 349, 351-353. See also
332, 336, 340-359. See also Exalted. 313, 344. See also Spirits.
Hell, Sorcery, and Spirits.
Dragon Caste, 26, 127. See Equipment, 60, 87, 169,
Glafira, the Zodiac of Blood, 160
also Prasad, Empire of. 203, 205, 221, 348.
Neomah, The Maker
Clan Burano, 26, 77, 137 Archery Weapons, 164
of Flesh, 98, 360
Clan Ophris, 26, 77, 137 Armor, 51, 72, 77, 114, 120, 164,
Storm demon, 47. See also Yan.
179, 215, 220, 225, 227, 241, 247-249,
Dynast, 7, 11-14, 18-19, 22, 26, 30, 34-36,
Summoning, 87, 98, 251, 275, 277, 279, 286, 289-290, 293,
38-39, 41, 43, 47-52, 55-60, 62, 65-66,
112, 120, 309, 353, 360. 295, 298, 301, 304, 306, 313, 341, 357
69, 71-72, 77, 80, 82-107, 113, 123-124,
Depths That Betray, 132. See also 126-127, 129, 136, 138, 142, 162, 206, 216, Artifacts. See Artifacts.
Seven Storms Brotherhood, The. 237, 254, 262, 316, 319, 323-324, 328, Everyday Wonders. See
Dispossessed, 96, 100-101, 106 335, 341-344, 347-350, 352-355, 357- Everyday Wonders.
358, 360-361. See also Dragon-Blooded.
Dodge Charms, 190-193. See also Evocations. See Evocations.
Abilities, Dodge and Charms.
E Firedust, 70, 126, 314, 362
Bonfire Shadow Evasion, 193
Jade. See Jade.
Earth Dragon Style Charms, 290-292.
Coiling Dragon Dance, 193
See also Immaculate Martial Arts. Melee Weapons, 226
Ebbing Tide Recedes, 192-193
Avalanche Method, 291-292 Resources, 23, 121, 127, 132, 142,
Elusive Crosswind Defense, 193 186. See also Merits, Resources.
Earth Dragon Form, 290-292
Elusive Dragon-God Tags, 179, 215, 226, 241,
Earthshaker Attack, 291-292
Dispersion, 193 304, 306, 316, 318, 320, 323-324,
Force of the Mountain, 290 326, 328, 330, 332, 334, 336
Ember-Amid-Smoke
Misdirection, 191, 193 Ghost-Grounding Blow, 291-292 Thrown Weapons, 276
Flickering Candle Hungry Earth Strike, 292 Essence, 10, 17-19, 21, 97-99,
Meditation, 190-191, 193 Perfection of Earth Body, 292 138-139, 142, 154-155, 158
Flow With Strife, 192 Essence Fever, 21, 45

368
EX3
 INDEX

Raising Essence. See Faith Maintains, 320-321 Hunting Cat, 95

Advancement, Raising Essence. Foundations of Sand, 321 Spirit-Frog, 95
Everyday Wonders Iniquity’s Reward, 321 General Khamasi Tala, 126
Age-Staving Cordial, 345 Orison of Thunder, 321 Gens, 11, 111-118, 121, 123, 138,
Talismans, 127 142, 340. See also Gentes Major,
Pasiap’s Gentle Embrace, 321-322
Gentes Minor, and Lookshy.
Evisa Drinks-the-Sky, 342 Fall of Thorns, 44-45, 112, 124.
Gentes Major, 11, 112, 114, 118.
Evocations, 35, 120, 137, 139, 156, 158, See also Satrapies, Thorns.
See also Gens and Lookshy.
163, 190, 310, 313, 316-318, 320-337, 340. Fear-Eater, 69, 134
See also Artifacts and Equipment. Amilar, 112-113.
Feathered One, The, 58
Exalted, 10, 16, 21-22, 24, 30, 61, 69, Karal, 113-115.
80, 84-86, 91-93, 97-102, 104-106, 111, Fire Dragon Style Charms, 292-295.
Maheka, 112, 114-115.
122-123, 125-126, 131, 136, 142, 158-159, See also Immaculate Martial Arts.
175-176, 246, 308, 317, 325, 340-341, 347 Teresu, 114-116.
Breath of the Fire Dragon, 295
Abyssal, 10, 233 Yushoto, 7, 108, 115-116, 152.
Consuming Might of
Anathema, 6-8, 12, 14, 22, 24, the Fire Dragon, 295 Gentes Minor, 11, 115. See
26, 44-45, 48, 59, 62, 66, 68-69, 95, also Gens and Lookshy.
Essence-Igniting
105, 110, 113, 122-123, 129, 132, 134, Nerve Strike, 294-295 Kiriga, 115
146, 152, 160, 175, 196, 205-206, 222,
Fiery Blade Attack, 294-295 Nefvarin, 110, 113, 115-117
270, 290, 314, 322, 328, 338, 342,
345, 347, 352, 356-357, 360-362 Fire Dragon Form, 293-294 Nerigus, 116
Celestial, 16 Flame-Flicker Stance, 293 Sirel, 116-117
Dragon-Blooded. See Flash-Fire Technique, 293 Taroketu, 117-118
Dragon-Blooded, The. God-Immolating Strike, 293-294 Toriki, 117
Exaltation, 10, 17-20, 39, 52, Overwhelming Fire Yan Tu, 117-118
54, 59, 65, 82-84, 86, 95, 97-98, Majesty Stance, 294, 346
101, 111, 121-122, 124, 126, 129, 143, Geomancy, 47, 50, 60, 309.
149, 151, 345, 348, 351, 357 Perfect Blazing Blow, 293 See also Abilities, Craft;
Demesnes, and Manses.
Exigent, 10, 46, 54, 126, 130 Searing Edge Attack, 293
Ghosts, 37, 46, 50, 66, 73, 127, 164,
Liminal, 46 Smoldering Wound Attack, 295
230-231, 233, 286, 291-292, 297-298,
Longevity, 16, 18, 45, 72, 120 Firedust. See Equipment, Firedust. 301-303, 309, 314, 322, 335, 362.
Five Elemental Dragons, 10, 16-17 See also The Dead and Spirits.
Lunar, 16, 44-45, 332, 342
Five Immaculate Dragons. Gods, 10, 16, 22, 26, 66, 69, 76, 122-
Sidereal, 16, 18, 87,
See Immaculate Dragons. 124, 126-127, 130, 134, 158, 175-176,
286-287, 332, 351-352
258, 284, 286, 290-291, 293, 302,
Solar, 16-17, 21, 45, 48, 59, 62, Five Magical Materials. See Magical
336. See also Spirits and Yu-Shan.
97, 113, 136, 142, 158-159, 162, 175, Materials, Jade, Moonsilver,
Orichalcum, Starmetal, and Soulsteel. Golden Janissary Style
250, 273, 286, 317, 322, 332, 360
Charms, 301-303
Terrestrial. See Flaws, 142-143. See also
Character Creation. Cleansing Flame Strike, 301-302
Dragon-Blooded, The.
Thin-Blooded, 143 Devil-Slaying Spear
Experience. See Advancement,
Dance, 302-303
Experience Points. Forest Witches, 28, 137.
See also Outcaste. Golden Janissary Form, 302
F Light-on-Dark Shield, 302-303

Fair Folk, 16, 26, 40, 51, 58-59,

G Lone Spark Lights the
124, 126, 190, 201, 217, 231, 357 Conflagration, 303
Games
Faith’s Pillar, 320-322. See also Paralyzing Combustion
Gateway, 36, 43, 94-
Artifacts, Equipment and Evocations. Imbuement, 302-303
95, 105, 348-350
Dragons Provide, 321 Rotten Leaf Arrested, 301
Guardian Gate, 95
Where-Is-Doom Inquisition, 301

369
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Great Contagion, 10, 12, Righteous Enemy- Most August Conclave, 53-54
16-17, 110, 124, 224 Slaying Strike, 323 House Peleps, 6, 32, 35-36, 38, 44-45,
Great Curse, 157-159 Searing Wind-Razor Bolt, 323-324 48, 55-58, 61, 65, 70-72, 77, 107, 325-326
Great Houses, 10-12, 17, 20, 22, 34-35, Standing in the Storm’s Eye, 324 Rightly Guided
37, 39, 44-45, 47-48, 50-54, 61, 63-70, Admiralty Board, 55
Storm-Shield Bulwark, 323
73, 76-77, 86, 90-92, 94-97, 100-104, House Ragara, 34-35, 37, 42, 45, 47,
106, 117, 121, 126, 136-138, 140, 142, Ten Thousand Typhoon Burst, 324
49, 52-53, 57, 59-62, 64, 67, 70, 72-
218, 237, 265, 316, 330, 334, 340-341, Hell, 43-44, 50, 59, 72. 73, 77, 93, 108, 335-336, 352, 354
353, 358, 361. See also Dragon- See also Demons.
Blooded and Scarlet Dynasty. “Imperial Bank,” 42, 59, 61, 335
Heptagram, The, 6, 12, 60, 83, 85, 86-
Cathak. See House Cathak. Learned Bastion, 60
88, 91, 137, 309, 351. See also Education.
Cynis. See House Cynis. Unclouded Stone Savants, 60
Hollow Codex, 51
House Matriarch, 34-35, 38, House Sesus, 32, 35-37, 42-43,
Horizon Cleaver, 332-333. See also
42-43, 46, 50-51, 55, 58-59, 65, 68-69, 48-51, 53-54, 57, 61, 62-66, 67-69,
Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations.
82-83, 85, 91-92, 94, 96-97, 99, 103, 71, 74-76, 97, 328, 355-356, 361
Arcing Death Strike, 332-333
106, 112, 140, 318, 342, 351, 353 Masked Council,
Brilliant Reproach, 332-333 The, 62-63, 65, 328
House Property, 34-35, 70
Intemperate Tempest House Tepet, 14, 35-37, 45, 53-
House Symbols, 35, 55, 59
Fusillade, 333 54, 57-58, 61, 64-65, 66-69, 70,
Iselsi. See House Iselsi.
Maelstrom-Taming 75, 77, 83, 134, 332, 357-358
Ledaal. See House Ledaal. Warrior’s Code, 333 Sublime Armigers, 66
Major Bloodlines, 10, 18, 20, On Wings of Deadly Vermilion Legion (“Red-
22, 34, 42, 47, 64, 66, 77, 94, 97- Lightning, 333 Piss” Legion), 67-68, 356, 358
98, 100, 103, 111, 128, 142, 351
House Akiyo, 66 Yamabushi, 66, 134
Mnemon. See House Mnemon.
House of Bells, The, 12, 32, 43, 57, House V’Neef, 35-36, 41, 44, 48, 53,
Nellens. See House Nellens. 65, 83, 85-86, 88-89, 90-91, 95, 137, 56-58, 61, 68, 69-73, 75-77, 103, 318
Peleps. See House Peleps. 355, 357. See also Education.
Hundred Rivers, 318-320. See also
Ragara. See House Ragara. House Cathak, 35-38, 40, 45, Daring Venture and V’Neef.
48, 57, 61, 64, 66-69, 71-72, 97,
Sesus. See House Sesus.
Tepet. See House Tepet.
324, 336, 342, 345-346
I
House Chanos, 62, 358
V’Neef. See House V’Neef. Immaculate Dragons, 37, 51,
House Cynis, 35-36, 39-43,
98, 106-107, 121-122, 206
Great Interregnum, 16 44, 48-50, 54, 57, 61, 64, 71,
83, 99, 316, 336, 347-348 Daana’d, 98, 107
Guild, The, 40, 59, 64, 114,
116-117, 124, 131-133, 260 House Iselsi, 35, 46, 50, 64, Hesiesh, 37-38, 106-107, 122, 292
68, 70, 73-76, 330-331 Mela, 66-67, 69, 107,
Gunzota Incident, 115-116
House Jurul, 44, 59, 61 122, 134, 287-289
H House Ledaal, 35, 43-47, 48, 53, 61, Pasiap, 47, 76, 107, 122, 292
71, 76, 123-124, 322-323, 338, 354 Sextes Jylis, 107, 122
Heady Monsoon, 132. See also
Seven Storms Brotherhood, The. Flashing Tempest Immaculate Faith, 114, 121-123, 287. See
Council, 43, 45-46 also Immaculate Sohei and Lookshy.
Hearth, 12, 14, 16, 26, 51, 62, 74, 80,
104-105, 107, 124, 126-127, 147, 149, House Manosque, 66 Code of the Righteous
153-154, 211, 233, 274, 338, 360, 362 House Matriarch. See Great Warrior, 122
Heaven. See Yu-Shan. Houses, House Matriarch. Immaculate Martial Arts, 10, 50,
House Mnemon, 35, 41-42, 86, 123, 163, 286, 298. See also
Heavenly Typhoon, 322-324. See also
47-51, 54, 57, 61, 64, 76, 83, 94, Combat and Martial Arts.
Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations.
107, 160, 320-321, 351-352 Air Dragon Style, 286-287, 289.
Demon-Slaying
House Nellens, 35-36, 45, 51-54, See also Air Dragon Style Charms.
Zealot’s Mantra, 323
57, 61, 64, 68, 71, 73, 75, 94, 334

370
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 INDEX

Earth Dragon Style, 290, 292, 321. Righteous and Accountable Waves-Swallow-
See also Earth Dragon Style Charms. Ministry of Weights and Measures, Mountains Persistence, 196
54. See also Thousand Scales.
Fire Dragon Style, 292-293, 295. Wound-Denying Dragon Faith, 195
See also Fire Dragon Style Charms. Splendid and Just Investigation Charms, 197-202. See also
Arbiters of Purpose, 101-102.
Water Dragon Style, 295-296, 348. Abilities, Investigation and Charms.
See also Thousand Scales.
See also Water Dragon Style Charms. Bloodhound’s Nose
Thousand Scales, 12, 34, 52,
Wood Dragon Style, 298-301, 357. Technique, 199, 201, 355
54, 59, 63, 74, 85, 89-91, 142, 319
See also Wood Dragon Style Charms. Clear Water Prana, 200
Imprimatur, 334-335. See also
Immaculate Monks, 6, 20, 22, 30,
Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations. Death-Unraveling Eye, 200
37-38, 41, 50, 54, 58, 76, 84, 86, 94,
101-102, 107, 123, 132, 145, 147, 149, As Two Strangers Echoes Caught in
160, 268, 286-287, 303, 320, 328, Upon the Road, 334 Stone, 199-200, 355
336, 340, 347, 351, 354, 356, 360 Face in the Fog, A, 200-202
Final Words of Queens, The, 335
Immaculate Order, 6, 11, 17, 22, 30, Falsehood-Unearthing
Matchmaker’s Cockerel
35, 40, 47-48, 58, 65, 72-73, 75, 86, Attitude, 201, 355
Stride, The, 334-335
100-101, 104, 127, 129, 132, 142, 237,
Sibling-Humbling Placation, 334 Foul Stench of Lies
284, 314, 328, 338, 346-348, 351-352,
Discernment, 201, 350
361. See also Immaculate Dragons, Youngest Son’s
Immaculate Monks, Immaculate Inheritance, 334-335 Heart-Maze Navigation,
Philosophy, and Immaculate Texts. 198, 200-201
Incarnae, 16, 234. See also
Immaculate Philosophy, 11-12, The Unconquered Sun. Homeward Trail
22, 38-39, 56, 59, 82, 90, 128, Discovery Method, 201
Integrity Charms, 194-197. See also
336, 346-347, 352, 356 Indisputable Physical
Abilities, Integrity and Charms.
Immaculate Sohei, 24, 112-114, Analysis Technique, 197
Ascendant Ideal
120, 122-123. See also Immaculate Inescapable Wave Insight, 202
Inspiration, 195, 342, 352
Faith and Lookshy.
Chaos-Warding Prana, 195 Permeating Insight, 198
Immaculate Texts, 18, 58, 86, 98, 328
Flawless Diamond Heart, 195-196 Revelation-of-
Imperial Service, 11-12, 34- Associates Hunch, 198
35, 74, 76, 92-93, 140, 341. See Frozen Heart Prana, 194
also Scarlet Dynasty. River-of-Memory Meditation, 202
Granite Curtain of Serenity, 194
All-Seeing Eye, 10, 12, 45, 62, Scent-of-Crime Method, 198-199
Heart-Hardening Meditation, 194
74, 76, 120, 123, 142, 349-350, 362 Scent of the Stranger’s
Immolating Phoenix-
Honest and Humble Threshold, 201
Soul Fury, 196
Assessors of the Imperial Tax, Shadow-Immolating Talon, 200
70. See also Thousand Scales. Inviolate Dragon Spirit, 194, 196
Tampering-Detection
Illustrious Compilers of Mind-Cleansing Prana, 197 Technique, 198-199
the Perfected Curriculum, 84. Mountain Still Stands, The, 197 Tenacious Flowing
See also Thousand Scales.
Oath of the Ten Thousand Truths, 199-200
Imperial Legions, 11, 17, 30, Dragons, 194-195 Warrant of Divine Safety, 199
36-37, 40, 48, 60, 64, 66-68, 70, 72, 76,
Roots-of-the-World
88, 90, 104, 126, 342, 355-358, 361 Iruga Nagor, 89
Meditation, 196
Imperial Navy, 12, 55- Iselsi, Founder of House Iselsi, 76
Slippery Thoughts Technique, 194
58, 65, 70, 142, 361 Iselsi Dileko (Naret Kikela), 76
Ten Thousand Dragons
Imperial Treasury, 56, 74, Iselsi Shenesh, Minister of
Fight as One, 195
201. See also Thousand Scales. the Imperial Gardens, 76
Thicker Than Stone, 196-197
Magistrates, 12, 14, 45, 71, 142, 147, Iselsi Takora, 76
151, 198-199, 201, 316, 338, 353-354 Unflagging Vengeance
Meditation, 197 Itzli, 314, 362
Merchant Fleet, 12,
43, 48, 55, 70, 72, 77 Unquenchable Battle-
Passion, 194-195

371
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J Expectation-Mirroring
Stance, 208
Ledaal Yasmet, 43, 46
Ledaal Yasmet Imara, 46
Jade, 10, 14, 16, 22, 34, 36, 40, 43-45, Exploding Evidence Ledaal Zenitar, 43
59-62, 67, 93, 101, 107, 133-134, 190, 208, Technique, 207-208
217, 231, 248, 316-318, 320, 322-326, Left Hand Chalima, 7-8,
Face-Stealing Reflection, 204, 208
328-329, 330--337, 343, 346-347, 349, 148, 314, 360-362
352, 354, 356, 358. See also Dragon- Flowing Body Disguise, Lexicon, 10-12
Blooded and Magical Materials. 202, 204-205
Liminal Exalted. See Exalted, Liminal.
Black, 50, 124, 325-326, 330 Flowing God-Dragon Stance, 206
Linguistics Charms, 208-213. See also
Blue, 322-323, 332 Incendiary Accusation Abilities, Linguistics and Charms.
Approach, 207
Green, 316, 318, 358, 361 Caustic Wit Invective, 210-212
Infallible Alibi Approach, 208
Red, 324, 328, 332 Cryptic Essence Cipher, 209-210
Instant Disguise Prana,
White, 14, 61, 190, 320, Dragon’s Voice Mastery, 212-213
205-206, 208, 348
334, 335, 354, 361
Investigation-Deflecting Enigma-Reading Eye, 210
Jade Mines, 36, 59-60
Current, 207 Enthralling Lotus
Jadeborn, See Mountain Folk Calligraphy, 212-213
Mischievous Wind Grasp, 207-208
Jihe, 338, 360 Fervor-Inciting
Naked Thief Style,
Jochim, 134 203-204, 316-317 Brushstrokes, 209-210

Jurul, Founder of House Jurul, 44 Nimble Thief’s Fingers, 202-204 Flashing Quill Atemi, 218

Observer Awareness Flashing Saga Flourish, 211

K Method, 203-204 Incendiary Argument
Resetting Tumblers Approach, 212-213
Kamach Aki (Chosen of Hamoji), 58
Technique, 203, 205 Intoxicating Lotus
Karal. See Gentes Major, Karal.
Rose-Among-Thorns Manuscript, 213
Kejak, Chejop, 351 Distinction, 204, 329 Language-Learning Ritual, 210
Kejiza the Centipede Witch, 68 Terrifying Forest-Devil Mask, 206 Lightning Quill Mastery, 208
Kiera, Proprietor of The Last Little Underground River’s Flow, 202 Poisoned Tongue Technique, 212
Sapling, 76. See also House Iselsi.
Vaporous Visage Evasion, 206-207 Reading the Unspoken Word, 212
Kingfisher Swift. See Tereya
Kingfisher Swift. Vault-Emptying Rewriting the Truth
Whirlwind Heist, 205 Technique, 211
Kiriga. See Gentes Minor, Kiriga.
Waters-of-Honesty Signature-Stealing
L Method, 205, 207 Calligraphy, 209, 213
Whispering Thief Technique, 204 Speech Without Words, 210, 212
Languages, 35, 47, 89, 95, 126, 134,
Window-in-the-Door Tantalizing Dragon’s Tongue, 213
137-138, 184, 209-210, 212-213, 217, 271
Technique, 208
Old Realm, 35. Tenacious Dragon Scholar, 209
Lawgiver. See Solar Exalted.
Larceny Charms, 202-208. See also Thousand Tongues
Ledaal, Founder of House Meditation, 210
Abilities, Larceny and Charms.
Ledaal, 43-44, 46
Artful Flowing Unshattered Diamond
Ledaal Idisa, 338 Parables, 211
Theft, 204, 206-207
Ledaal Kebok Coren, 47 Voices on the Wind, 210, 212, 350
Bramble Purse
Technique, 204-205 Ledaal Kes, 62, 348-349 Wildfire Words Technique, 211
Burning Sins Seduction, 206 Ledaal Quya, 354 Wind-Carried Words
Dragon’s Hidden Treasure, 204 Ledaal Rae, 46-47 Technique, 209-210, 350

Dragon Snatches Jewel, 205-206 Ledaal Sivarin Vanek, 43 With One Mind, 213-214

Evidence-Erasing Tide, 205-207 Ledaal Sulco, 47 Lintha, 89, 204, 260, 326

372
EX3
 INDEX

Llirian-Llai (She Who Drinks the Valley of Shards, 72, 75 Ink-Black Ocean Depths, 217-218
Wine of Light), 51. See also Fair Folk. Yrn, 106 Lightning Flash
Locations. See also Cities, Manses, Inspiration, 216, 218-219
Lookshy, 6-8, 10-12, 17-19, 21, 24, 30, 47,
Mountains, Provinces, Regions, 58, 77, 104, 108, 110-124, 126-127, 136- Opening the Mind’s Gates, 214, 216
Rivers, Satrapies, and Seas. 138, 142, 287, 361-362. See also Adoption Order-Affirming Blow, 246
Aura, 49 and Education and Gens and Outcaste.
Root-and-Branch Wisdom, 218
Ditola Village, 76 Administrative Staff, 112
Sagacious Elder’s Instruction, 216
Forest That Marches, 106 Directorate of the
Adjutant General, 117, 120 Stern Tutor Discipline, 216
Glassblack Wastes, 58
General Staff, 47, 111- Ten Thousand Minds Ablaze, 217
Golden Road, 42
113, 115, 118-120, 123-124 Thunderstruck Charlatan
Gunzota Redoubt, 115-116
Immaculate Faith, The. Imprecation, 218
House of Ancient Stone, 84 See Immaculate Faith. Truth-in-Stone Binding, 217
House of Black Waters, 76 Intelligence Directorate, Wind Turns, The, 219
House of the Rootless Tree, 72 112, 120, 362
Lunar Exalted. See Exalted, Lunar.
House of Trees, 42 Justice Directorate, 117, 120

Ice-Above-the-Water, 65 Liaison Directorate, 114, 120-121 M

Iora, 342-343 Operations Directorate, 114, 120
Magical Materials, 190, 215, 218, 220,
Iru-by-the-Sea, 49 Security Directorate, 117, 120 275, 289, 317, 323. See also Artifacts,
Seventh Legion, 12, Evocations, Jade, Moonsilver,
Isle of Fevers, 128
24, 47, 110, 112-124 Orichalcum, Starmetal, and Soulsteel.
Isle of Salt-Spray, 71-72
Shogunate Bureaucracy, Maheka. See Gentes Major, Maheka.
Isle of Smoke, 65
110, 117-118, 120-122, 142 Maheka Dazan, 112
Isle of Voices, 86-87
Sky Guard, 115, 118 Mammoth Avatar, 134
Isle of Wrack, 58
Stores Directorate, 116, 120 Manses, 16, 35, 42, 47-48, 50, 76, 90,
Jade Road, 26 120, 126, 147, 188, 199, 208, 231, 235,
Lore Charms, 214-220. See also
Last Little Sapling, The, 76 Abilities, Lore and Charms. 309, 344, 351. See also Geomancy.

Obsidian Mirror, 101 Careful Insight- Fortress of the

Gathering Study, 214 Greatest General, 37
On-Sha, 90
Dragon-Kin House of the Rusted
Palace of Burning Wind, 64-65 Sword, 343-344
Empowerment, 214-216
Palace of the Tamed Storm, 84 House of Violet Pergolas, The, 49
Dragon Vortex Attack, 219-220
Palace Sublime, 46, 86 Imperial Manse, 360
Elemental Bolt Attack, 215, 218
Porphyry, 58 Lookshy Manse, 108, 110
Elemental Burst
Sea of Mind, 28 Technique, 218-219 Pagoda of Blood and Pearls, 68
Shadowlands, 301. Elemental Concentration Silken Diamond, 65
See also Underworld. Trance, 214-216
Throne of Roses (Fungal
Silent Isle, 127-128, 309 Elemental Empowerment Manse), 355-356
Spear of Danaa’d, 58. See also Meditation, 216, 218-219
Unrepentant Sinner Palace, 126
Peleps, Founder of House Peleps. Elemental Succor Method, 218-219
Villa of Seven Doorways, 54
Spring of Echoes, 127 Endless Coils Enlightenment, 219
Mantis Style Charms, 303-305
Stepped Palace, 61 Eternal Mind Meditation, 219
Crushing Claw Technique, 304
Thorns, 44-47, 58, 112, 124. Flawless Study Focus, 214, 216-217
See also Fall of Thorns. Grasping Claw Method, 305
Fulminating Thunderhead
Tourmaline Monastery, 42 Grasping Mantis Defense, 305
Brilliance, 216-217
Twilight Grove, 46 Iron-Arm Block, 304, 348
Glorious Birthright Font, 219

373
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Joint-Breaking Attack, 305 Blazing Interception, 226 Contacts, 137-138, 184

Joint-Locking Technique, 304-305 Blazing Solar Bolt, 166, 248 Cult, 142
Leaping Mantis Technique, 304-305 Blinding Spark Eyes in Both Worlds,
Distraction, 225-226 309. See also Sorcery.
Mantis Form, 304-305, 348
Burning Fury Wreath, Followers, 137-138, 184
Unfolding Retribution Strike, 305
225, 352, 358 Geomantic Prodigy,
Martial Arts, 10, 20, 22, 54, 62,
Burning Pinnacle 309. See also Sorcery.
65, 86, 124, 151, 286, 305. See also
Strike, 228-229, 346
Abilities, Martial Arts; Golden Influence, 137-138, 142
Janissary Style Charms,Immaculate Crimson Fang Bite, Language, 137-138.
Martial Arts, Mantis Style Charms, 225, 228, 344, 346, 358 See also Languages.
and White Veil Style Charms. Crossfire Flash, 226, 228 Mentor, 184
Mask of Winters, 45, 58, Demon-Crushing
124. See also Deathlord. Resources, 137-138, 142. See
Wolf Bite, 225, 358 also Equipment and Money.
Medicine Charms, 220-224. See also Dragon-Graced Weapon, 226
Abilities, Medicine and Charms. Retainers, 137-138, 184
Dragon Soul Burst, 228
Ailment-Sensing Sobriquet, 142, 355, 357-358
Meditation, 221-222 Elemental Sheath, Spirit Speaker, 309.
225-226, 228, 326
Body-Cleansing Ablution, 223 See also Sorcery.
Falling Mountain Fang, 227
Death-Defying Endeavor, 222 Story, 185
Fire Incites Water to a
Disease-Banishing Well-Bred, 142
Riot of Clouds, 228-229
Technique, 220-221 Words of Binding,
Flame-Borne Interception,
Dread Infection Strike, 224 309. See also Sorcery.
225-226, 352
Flesh-as-Stone Inurement, 224 Mnemon, Founder of House
Flame Warden Stance, 226, 325 Mnemon, 42, 45-50, 61, 64, 70,
Grievous Wound Graceful Flowing 74-75, 98, 160, 320, 351-353
Alteration Energy, 222-224 Defense, 225, 344 Mnemon Beral, 320
Indomitable Vitality Harnessed Firestorm
Discipline, 221, 224 Mnemon Caras Farim, 50
Assault, 227, 344, 346
Jade Crucible Method, 224 Mnemon Oroth, 50
Mela’s Flashing Tongue, 229
Marmoreal Body Fortification, 222 Mnemon Oroth Takor, 43
Mirror-on-Water
Master Healer Meditation, 220 Focus, 229-230, 344 Mnemon Pallan, 50-51

Most Beneficent Seed Portentous Comet Deflection, Mnemon Rulinsei, 34, 50

of the Five Dragons, 224 228-229, 344, 346, 359 Mnemon Rulinsei Ghova, 34, 51
Nature’s Healing Bounty, 221 Roaring River Slash, 227, 344 Money, 46, 48, 52, 56, 60-62, 71,
Poisoner’s Deft Hand, 221-222 Root-and-Hand Merging, 228 185, 341, 349. See also Economics.

Purity-of-Mind Method, 222 Smoldering Essence Moonless River, 76

Attack, 228, 346 Moonsilver, 14, 43, 124, 317, 326.
Rebirth of Flesh and Ivy, 223
Steel Tempest Strike, 227 See also Magical Materials.
Unbinding the Inner Flame, 222
Stoking Bonfire Style, 225 Mora, Amon, 340-341
Venom Expulsion Method, 221
Merits, 10, 137-138, 142, 175, 355, Mountain Folk, 54, 106, 320
Wound-Banishing Strike, 224
357-358. See also Character Creation. Mountains. See also Locations.
Wound-Closing
Allies, 184 Cypress, 353-354
Technique, 221-222
Backing, 137-138, 142 Gray Mask, 90
Melee Charms, 225-229. See also
Abilities, Melee and Charms. Breath Without Air, Imperial, 45, 49, 58-
309. See also Sorcery. 59, 316, 320, 351
Aura of Grasping
Branches, 227-228, 358 Command, 137-138 Mhaltin Range, 90

374
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 INDEX

Northern, 284 Smoke Ascends to Peleps, Founder of House Peleps, 58

Heaven, 232-233
Skyhewn Mountains, 65 Peleps Aramida, 58
Soul-Fire Cremation
Summer, 126 Peleps Kozurin, 39
Technique, 230, 233
Mouth of Peace, The, 50, 351. Peleps Lai, 55, 58
Spirit-Chaining
See also Immaculate Order and
Strike, 231, 233-234 Peleps Lazurin, 6-7
Immaculate Philosophy.
Spirit-Detecting Mirror Peleps Lirel, 325
N Technique, 230-231 Peleps Mulat Kai, 55
Spirit-Grounding Shout, 231 Peleps Nalani, 89
Necromancy, 46, 233
Spirit-Shredding Attack, 234 Peleps Orimu, 55
Nefvarin. See Gentes Minor, Nefvarin.
Old Realm, The, 35, 335. Peleps Sepeta Zurin, 58
Nellens, Founder of House See also First Age.
Nellens, 51, 54, 62, 334 Perdurant Vault, 335-337. See also
Oreithyia, 28. See also Forest Witches. Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations.
Nellens Gazal, 51
Orichalcum, 14, 317, 323. See Banish the Afflictions, 337
Nellens Ikona, 51 also Magical Materials.
Clairvoyant Mirror
Nellens Leferi, 32, 54 Outcaste, 10, 12, 14, 17-18, 30, 51-52, Technique, 336
Nellens Odem, 51 57, 62, 68, 70-72, 76-77, 89-91, 96-97,
Protect the Empress, 336-337
99-104, 117-118, 123-132, 136-137,
Nellens Sabine, 51, 54
142-143, 323, 344, 361. See also The Subliminal Sanctuary, 336
Nellens Uliya, 54 Seven Storms Brotherhood, The Traverse the Secret City, 337
Nellens Zijiren, 334 Sisterhood of Pearls, The Temple of
the Reverent Whisper, and Wansaan. Unblemished Petal Prana, 336
Nerigus. See Gentes Minor, Nerigus.
Cult of the Violet Perfected Hierarchy, 104, 122. See
also Immaculate Philosophy.
O Fang, The, 17, 126
Perfect of Paragon, 50
Exalted Patricians, 69, 100
Oban, 65 Performance Charms, Dance,
Foreign Dragon-Blooded, 100
Occult Charms, 230-235. See also 241-242. See also Abilities,
Grass Spiders, The, 126 Performance and Charms.
Abilities, Occult and Charms.
Heaven’s Dragons, 126 Falling Leaves Sway, 241-242
Anathema-Sealing Tomb, 234-235
Khamaseen Battalion, The, 126 Petal-Strewn Pavane, 241
Blazing Purification Chant, 233-234
Lost Egg, 6, 12, 30, 69, Swaying Boughs Arabesque, 241
Chaos-Banishing
86, 100-104, 136, 140
Revelation Gesture, 234 Waltz of Honeyed Wine, 242
Rogue Legion of
Crashing Wave- Performance Charms, Music and
Saloy Hin, The, 126
Dragons Warding, 233 Singing, 240-241. See also Abilities,
Yatani’s Children, 126 Performance and Charms.
Dragon’s Sacred Talon, 231, 234
Outer Coil, 85-86. See also Education Battle Anthem of Ten
Eternal Death-
and The Spiral Academy. Thousand Dragons, 241
Banishing Blossom, 233
Fivefold Resonance Sense, 197, 231 P Blossoming Instrument
Evocation, 240
Hidden Secrets Whisper, 230
Pasiap’s Stair, 12, 57, 65, 70, 72, 86, Sanxian-Charming Fingers, 240
Hundred Devils Whirlwind, 232 90-91, 95, 101-102, 126, 137. See also
Three-String Sword Prana, 241
Purifying Dragon Suspiration, 234 Education and Outcaste, Lost Egg.
Vibrating Strings
Sage of Iron Meditation, 232 Patrician, 12, 17-18, 30, 35, 43, 45-46,
Defense, 240-241
49, 51-52, 54, 57, 69, 72, 74, 83-85,
Seal of Heavenly Binding, 234-235
88, 93-94, 96-97, 99-101, 103-104, Voice-Uplifting Aspect, 240
Secret Wind Revelation, 231 107, 117, 140, 143, 340-341, 349, 361 Performance Charms, Oratory,
Seed and Salt Warding, Peasantry, 12, 17, 45, 48, 51, 57-58, 74, 239-242. See also Abilities,
230-231, 323 76, 88, 93-94, 96-97, 100-101, 103, 106- Performance and Charms.
107, 122, 124, 206, 264, 316, 353-354, 357

375
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Epoch Saga Memory, 239 Voice-of-the-Tides Prefecture, 58 Army-Routing Aegis, 325

Legend-Hewn Wisdom, 239 Wading Crane Rookery Ashes Feed the Seeds, 325
Prefecture, 343
Lightning Declamation Style, 239 Loyalty-Kindling
Presence Charms, 242-246. See also Warmth, 324-325
Puissant Precursor’s
Abilities, Presence and Charms.
Monologue, 239, 342 Somber Pyre Conflagration, 325
Aura of Invulnerability, 245, 358
Storm-Gathering Fervor, 239 Unstoppable Heart-
Blazing Heart Stoking Incandescence, 325
Performance Charms, Universal,
Ascendancy, 245-246
235-239. See also Abilities,
Performance and Charms. Burning Dragon Mien, 242-243 Q
Audience-Enthusing Display, 235 Debate-Sparking Bonfire, 243, 245 Quick Characters, 340-359
Blossom Hides Thorns, 238-239 Dragon Warlord’s
Dance of Flashing Convocation, 246, 346 R
Swords, 236, 238-239 Entombed Mind Technique, 246
Ragara, Founder of House Ragara,
Harmonious Life- Eternally Argumentative 47, 49-50, 59-62, 76, 98, 351-352
Affirming Song, 236 Flame, 242-243
Ragara Banoba, 59-62
Heart-Strengthening Defense, 236 Fearsome Dragon
Ragara Benoru, 353-355
Presence, 243, 245
Hidden Petal Aria, 235-236
Ragara Falik Udonai, 59
Fluid Recollection
Immolating Passion Alleluia, 237
Insinuation, 244-245 Ragara Gaiban, 46
Invisible Street Performer
Glowing Coal Radiance, 242 Ragara Heral, 62
Technique, 236
Grinding Millstone Ragara Iuna, 62
Irresistible Whirlpool
Argument, 243-244, 246 Ragara Kiel, 108
Diversion, 237
Haunting Words Infliction, 244 Ragara Lasime, 335
Life-Spirit Symphony, 238
Heartstring-Pulling Ragara Madoq, 59
Mesmerizing Siren Call, 237-238
Approach, 245-246
Soul-Stirring Performance, 236-237 Ragara Nova, 358
Hot-Blooded Ardor, 243, 245
Talented Improvisation, 236 Ragara Sarisan, 51
Minds Like Fertile Fields, 246
Tears-From-Stone Eloquence, 237 Ragara Szaya, 62, 349-350
Moth to the Candle, 243
Thundering Dragon Ragara Vena, 59
Passion-Transmuting Nuance, 243
Proclamation, 237, 239, 342 Raksha. See Fair Folk.
Spirit-Cultivating Leadership, 245
Prasad, Empire of, 17-18, 26, 77, 93, Rain of Ashes, 132. See also Seven
136-138, 142, 287. See also Dragon Caste Terrifying Fire-Dragon Roar, 244 Storms Brotherhood, The.
Prefectures, 11-12, 39, 73, 356 Unbearable Taunt Realm, The. 6-8, 10-12, 14, 17, 21-22, 24,
Technique, 242-243 30, 34, 37-40, 42-45, 47-48, 50-52, 57,
Arjuf Dominion, 44-45, 53, 61
Virtuous Mountain’s Shadow, 244 59-66, 69-70, 74, 76-77, 83-90, 92-96,
Chanos Prefecture, 64-65
98-101, 103-105, 107-108, 110-136,
Vivacious Dragon Beauty, 245
Corin Prefecture, 59-61 140, 142, 162, 210, 268, 287, 305, 316,
Warm-Faced Seduction 323, 338, 340-343, 345-346, 348-354,
Dejis Prefecture, 48-49, 76
Style, 242-243 356-358, 362. See also Scarlet Dynasty.
Eagle Prefecture, 70-71
Princes of the Earth. See Realm Defense Grid (Sword
Halcyon Prefecture, 49 Dragon-Blooded. of Creation), 16, 42
Howling Heart Prefecture, 45 Pure Way, 26, 287. See also Red-Gloved Master, 62
Incas Prefecture, 45-46, 74, 76, 86 Prasad, Empire of.
Red Iron Rebuke, 58
Juche Prefecture, 54, 101 Pyre of Legions, 324-325. See also
Regions. See also Locations.
Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations.
Myion Prefecture, 37-38 An-Teng, 40, 92, 105
All-Consuming
Pangu Prefecture, 39, 42 Caul, The, 45, 72
Guardian Stance, 325
Ventus Prefecture, 65

376
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 INDEX

Dragonswrath Desert, 90, 102 Uneating Earth Riven Dusk, 343

Meditation, 247-248
Harborhead, 38 River. See Righteous River
Unfeeling Earth Overflows Its Banks.
Haslanti League, 43
Meditation, 248, 352, 355 Rivers. See also Locations.
Hundred Kingdoms, 114, 314, 361
Unsleeping Earth Meditation, 248 Caracal, 45, 54
Ithen, 66, 69
Untiring Earth Elidad, 46
Ixcoatli, 42 Meditation, 197, 247
Yanaze, 110, 114
Lake Makrata, 131, 133 Well-Tended Garden
of the Soul, 250 Rising Flame (Sister Flame), 128-130.
Silent Crescent, 92
See also The Sisterhood of Pearls.
Sideshores, The, 71 Ride Charms, 251-256. See also
Abilities, Ride and Charms. Roseblack, The. See Tepet Ejava.
Tongma Archipelago, 65
Vale of Reverie, 68-69


Ass-to-Elephant Method, 253
Blazing Charger Attack, 255-256
S
Wavecrest Archipelago, 58
Charge of One Hundred Sail Charms, 256-261. See also
Resistance Charms, 246-251. See also Abilities, Sail and Charms.
Generals, 254
Abilities, Resistance and Charms.
Cloud-Harnessing Bellowing Thunder
Body-Cleansing Prana, 247 Admiral, 260-261
Technique, 252, 255
Body-Like-Clouds Benediction of the
Creation-Turning Hoof, 252, 255
Meditation, 248-249 Living Ship, 259-260
Dance of the Jade Bridle, 252, 254
Dragon’s Unfailing Vigor, 251 Deck-Striding Prana, 257
Dragon-Among-Horses
Earth Bears Witness, 250, 355, 358 Dragon Mariner Attitude, 257-258
Exaltation, 254
(Element) Protection Dragon Sets the Seas
Ebony Spur Technique, 252, 254
Technique, 248, 250 Ablaze, 258-259
Elusive Skirmisher Tactic, 255-256
Elemental Aegis, 248 Fine Passage-
Great Heart Companion, 252-254 Negotiating Style, 256
Eternal Tide Endurance, 247
Heaven-Racing Leap, 251 Fog Shroud Ambush, 261
Fathomless Depths
Replenishment, 249-250 Horses-Like-Dragons Hull-Shattering
Stampede, 266 Avalanche Impact, 258
Flowing Dragon-
Body Endurance, 251 Indomitable Warhorse Hurricane-Predicting
Endurance, 254 Glance, 257-258
Immovable Mountain
Technique, 250 Mountain-Trampling Ocean-Darting Maneuver, 257-258
Hoof, 253-254
Impervious Skin of Old Salt Spirit, 258, 260
Stone, 247-248, 355, 359 Reins-Like-Roots Unity, 252, 254
Pirate-Masquerading
Ox-Body Technique, 246, 251 Ride Beneath the Waves, 254 Method, 260-261
Perfected Scales of Scattered Pearl Hoof Falls, 251 Seven Seas Wind-
the Dragon, 249, 352 Seizing-the-Reins Luring Chanty, 258
Purifying Blood Approach, 254-255 Ship-Seizing Dragon
Ascendancy, 246-247 Seven-League Gallop, 255 Talon, 260-261
Raging Fire-Dragon Spirit, 249 Trail-Blazing Dragon Steed, 255 Shipwreck-Strewn
Revolving-Hurricane- Tempest Wake, 259
Tread Rooted in Life, 251-252
Force Defense, 251 Storm-Outrunning
Unbreakable Stallion Spirit, 255
Ripples-on-Water Technique, 256-257
Untethered Pegasus Spirit, 253
Defense, 250-251, 344 Storm-Singer’s Reprieve, 258
Vanishing Cloud-Rider Ways, 255
Supple Viridian Scales, 247-248 Sturdy Bulkhead
Riela Tenan, 131 Concentration, 258-259
Unbreathing Earth
Meditation, 174, 248, 268 Righteous River Overflows Its Banks, Vanishing Fog-Bank Escape, 260
6-8, 80, 108, 150, 314, 338, 360-362

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Satrapies, 12, 17, 22, 36, 38-40, 100, 113, 125, 140, 160, 316, 318, Drink Deep of Lethe, 309
44-45, 47-48, 54, 56-57, 61, 64, 320, 324, 326, 328, 330, 334, Drowning in Mystery, 309
66-70, 73-74, 77, 84, 90, 92-93, 336, 341, 343, 345, 348, 352
102, 108, 124, 342, 345, 356 Geomantic Mandala, 309
Scavenger Lands, 12, 17, 24,
Cherak, 77 42, 112, 120, 122-124 Living Ancestor Reverence, 309

Empire of Prasad. See Sea’s Verdict, 325-328. See also Sevenfold Art Invocation, 309
Prasad, Empire of. Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations. Sorcerous Archives, 309
Goldenseal, 77, 93 Awaken the Tide, 327 Shikari, 12, 38, 44-45, 123, 301,
Greyfalls, 42, 115 From the Depths, 326-327 328, 338. See also Immaculate
Monks and Wyld Hunt.
Jau Dei, 61-62 Gaol Without Fathom, 327-328
Sky-Choking Sirocco, 131-133. See also
Jiara, 45, 48, 77, 160 Hull-Breaking Seven Storms Brotherhood, The.
Tsunami Swipe, 326
Medo, 67, 69, 77 Shogunate, 10, 12, 16-18, 24, 35,
Kraken’s Gavel, 326
Nandao, 77 50, 66, 68, 77, 110-116, 118-123, 126,
Lost Blade Riptide, 326-327 132, 206, 287, 332, 340-341.
Paragon, 50
Thunder of the Abyss, 328 Silken Blade Codex, The, 36
Pneuma, 62, 76-77
Seas. See also Locations. Sirel. See Gentes Minor, Sirel.
Saltbreak, 65, 93
Dreaming Sea, 17, 26 Sisterhood of Pearls, The, 17,
Sarkarn, 58
128. See also Outcaste.
Inland Sea, 22, 43, 45, 55, 114.
Varangia, 92-93, 132, 140, 361
Six Amethysts Coalition, 72
White Sea, 65, 332
Scarlet Dynasty, 10-12, 17, 21-22, 34,
Smiling Razors, 328-329. See also
39, 53, 82, 93, 95, 98, 100, 121, 123, 127, Sesus, Founder of House
Artifacts, Equipment, and Evocations.
316, 322. See also The Realm. Sesus, 51, 62, 65, 330
Coiling-Smoke-Plume
Childhood, 18, 20, 66- Sesus Agelin (Lady Smoke), 65
Deception, 329
67, 82-83, 90, 349, 353 Sesus Bajo, 328
Drifting Smoke-
Coming of Age, 90-91, 93 Sesus Daral, 32 Cloud Passage, 329
Feast of the Elect, 101 Sesus Elissa, 50-51 Inviting Fireside Distraction, 329
Funerary Rites, 106-107 Sesus Eshuvar, 6-8, 14, 80, Searing Pain Infliction Tactic, 329
Gender Identity, 69, 98 108, 144, 338, 360-362
Soul-Burning Mark, 329
Great Houses. See Great Houses. Sesus Kalama (The Grinning
Still-Burning Ember
Wicked Flame), 328
Humble and Munificent Master Ambush, 328-329
of Orphans, 101. See also Lost Egg. Sesus Nagezzer (The Slug), 355-357
Slavery, 30, 39-43, 54, 65, 82, 91, 96,
Marriage, 11, 17, 34, 36, 39, 42-43, Sesus Raenyah, 65 100-101, 106, 108, 117, 199, 124, 184, 343
47-48, 52, 64, 68, 70-72, 74, 76-77, Sesus Raenyah Terel, 65-66 Socialize Charms, 261-267. See also
82, 85, 91-92, 94-101, 103-104, 111,
Sesus Rafara, 65 Abilities, Socialize and Charms.
118, 128, 142-143, 340, 349, 351, 358
Sesus Warru, 356 Auspicious First Meeting
Precedent of Rawar, 98
Attitude, 261-262, 266
Pregnancy, 97-99 Seven Cardinals, 71
Brother-Against-Brother
Regent, 66 Seven Storms Brotherhood, The,
Insinuation, 262, 265
131-133. See also Outcaste.
Retirement, 30, 39, 45, Clear-Eyed Courtier’s
49-50, 58, 62-63, 65, 69, 91, 103, Seventh Winter, 54
Scrutiny, 264, 342, 350
105-106, 117, 120-121, 123 Sextes Jylis, 21, 107, 122, 153
Ego-Dissolving Deception, 265
Sexual Orientation, 62, Sha’a Oka (Black Lion), 142
Ember-Fanning Provocation, 265
82, 97-98, 213, 341, 349
Shadow Crusade, 44-45, 47.
Enticing Flame Feint, 266
Society. See Society. See also House Ledaal.
Eye-for-Passions
Scarlet Empress, 10-12, 17, 22, 24, 26, Shaping Rituals, 235, 309,
Scrutiny, 263-264
34, 42, 48, 50-52, 55, 62, 66, 73, 83, 94, 344, 353. See also Sorcery.
99-

378
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 INDEX

Friend-to-All-Nations Occult; Charms, and Sorcery. Dragon Shroud Technique, 269-270

Attitude, 261-262 Dragon-Sorcerer Flame-Becomes-
Implacable Dragon Mien, 266, 346 Puissance, 235, 353 Shadow Technique, 268
Loquacious Courtier Five Winds Raiment, 235 Flowing Shadow Stance, 267-269
Technique, 261 Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, 235 Mela’s Hungry Jaws, 270
Loyalty-Reading Soulsteel, 317. See also Shadow-Stalking
Meditation, 261-264 Magical Materials. Predator Spirit, 268-269
Poisonous Sneer Spells, 10, 137, 235, 309, 340. See Shimmering Heat-
Reproach, 265, 357 also Abilities, Occult; Shaping Mirage Tactic, 267
Rippling Mirror Face, 266-267 Rituals, and Sorcery. Sleeping Dragon’s Lair, 268
Rumor-Dredging Beckoning That Which Soundless Action Prana, 267, 269
Gaze, 266, 348, 357 Stirs the Sky, 309-310, 344
Vanishing Wind-Body
Seizing-the-Tongue Floral Ferry, 310 Technique, 267, 329
Technique, 262, 265 Impervious Sphere Whispering Dragon Soul, 267, 269
Shadow-Dispersing of Water, 310-311
Radiance, 263, 266 Zone of Silence Stance, 269, 350
Keel Cleaves the Clouds, 311
Smoke Without Suggested Resources, 12-13
Sculpted Seafoam
Flame, 264, 266, 350 Survival Charms, 270-274. See also
Eidolon, 311-312, 344
Smoke-Wreathed Mien, 261, 264 Abilities, Survival and Charms.
Spoke the Wooden Face, 312
Smoothing-Over-the-Past Animal Empathy Technique, 271
Stalwart Earth Guardian, 312
Technique, 265-266, 348 Beast-Taming Aspect, 252, 271
Thunder Wolf Howl, 312-313
Sweeten-the-Tap Burning Fang Strike, 274
Method, 262, 357 Unslakable Thirst of
the Devil-Maw, 313 Cunning Beast-Mind
Unfaltering Pillar Inspiration, 272
of Unity, 264, 352 Virtuous Guardian of Flame, 313
Dragon’s Nest Shelter, 273-274
Wary Yellow Dog Spiral Academy, The, 59, 85-86,
89-90, 137. See also Education. Earth-Moving Kata, 272
Attitude, 261-262
Garden of Unheard Whispers, 90 Eternal Elemental Harmony, 274
Watching the Salon’s
Shadows, 264, 266 Jewel-Strung Web, 89 Eye-Deceiving Camouflage, 200
Wildfire Scandal Sorority of Dutiful Beheaders, 89 Invoking Nature’s
Revelation, 264-265 Forgiveness, 271-274
Spirits, 28, 49, 59, 68-69, 72, 88, 113, 122,
Society, 10, 20, 30, 39, 55, 82, 86, 88, 123, 131, 134, 199, 230, 232-233, 235, 258, Labyrinth of Mist Technique, 274
94-101, 117, 120, 127, 137, 145, 153, 184, 286-287, 289-293, 295-299, 301, 309, Mother-of-Beasts
201, 237, 239, 264, 349, 354, 357 322, 324, 336-337. See also Elementals, Mastery, 271-272, 274, 320
Celebrations, 41-42, Demons, Ghosts, and Gods.
Quarry Revelation
91, 94, 107, 130, 349 Spring Squall, 131, 133. See also Technique, 270-272
Galas, 32, 36, 39, 41-43, 50, 52, 56, Seven Storms Brotherhood, The.
Ration-Enhancing Method, 270
71, 83, 85, 91, 94, 149, 194, 306, 347-348 Starmetal, 50, 317. See also
Roaring Dragon Font, 273
Salons, 41, 43, 51-52, 83, Magical Materials.
85, 94-95, 118, 237, 262, 306 Stalking Apex Predator
Stealth Charms, 267-271. See also
Technique, 273
Visits, 94-95, 105, 343, 361 Abilities, Stealth and Charms.
Stalking Wolf Pursuit, 272
Sorcery, 10, 45, 47, 50, 87-88, 91-92, Burning Shadow Double, 269
97-98, 117-120, 145, 163, 197, 217, Tireless Caravan Prana, 273-274
Deadly Riptide Executioner, 269
235, 309, 343-344, 349, 351-353, Traceless Passage, 270, 273
Depth-Stalking Discipline, 268
361. See also Abilities, Occult;
Trail-Concealing
Sorcery Charms, and Spells. Distracting Breeze
Measure, 271-272
Meditation, 267
Sorcery Charms, 235. See also Abilities,
Uncanny Fugitive’s Intuition, 274

379
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Vanishing Tracks
Technique, 272, 274
East, The, 17, 19
U
North, The, 17, 54, 69, 332
Wildfire-Taming Unconquered Sun, 37, 261,
South, The, 16-17, 38, 45, 92-93, 126
Technique, 272-273 317. See also Yu-Shan.
Southeast, The, 131
Wild-Wandering Underworld, 10, 46, 59, 127,
Forester’s Charm, 271 Southwest, The, 72, 92 335. See also The Dead
Sworn Kinship. See Hearth. West, The, 17, 38, 52, Usurpation, 16, 37, 286, 322, 332.
54-58, 70-72, 89, 129 See also Exalted, Lunar; Exalted,
T Thrown Charms, 275-279. See also Sidereal, and Exalted, Solar.
Abilities, Thrown and Charms.
Nefvarin Gilshalos, Taimyo, 110
Arcing Levinbolt Precision, 275 V
Nefvarin Yan Tu, Taimyo, 117
Armor-Rupturing Fang, 275 Valkhawsen Academy of Sorcery,
Taroketu. See Gentes Minor, Taroketu. 108, 120. See also Lookshy.
Blinding Spark Throw, 275-276
Temple of the Reverent Whisper, Vaya, 361
Devastating Avalanche
The, 130-131. See also Outcaste.
Barrage, 276-277 Vengeant, 330-331. See also Artifacts,
Tepet, Founder of House Tepet, 66, 69 Equipment, and Evocations.
Earth-Shattering Strike, 275-277
Tepet Arada (Wind Dancer), 69, 358 Breath-Denying
Elusive Zephyr Strike, 276-278
Tepet Berel Gadurin, 69 Vengeance Current, 331
Exploding Armor Strike, 277
Tepet Corino, 69 Dragon-Shattering
Exploding Weapon Restitution, 331-332
Tepet Ejava (The Roseblack), Technique, 277
65, 68, 142, 357-358 Drink the Lesser Seas, 331
Fatal Riptide Strike, 277
Tepet Fokuf, 66, 358 Earth-Eroding Tactic, 330-331
Hundred Thorns Blossom, 277
Tepet Jalena, 163 Ember-Smothering
Invisibly Hidden Chakram Convolution, 330-331
Tepet Kedus, 72 Method, 275-276
Hundred-Generation
Tepet Igan, 72 Joint-Wounding Attack, 223 Forest Desecration, 331
Tepet Mareja, 332 Mela’s Twin Fangs, 276, 278 Still Waters Hide Fury, 330-331
Tepet Nezurin, 134 Persistent Hornet Attack, 276 Vermilion Legion (“Red-Piss”
Tepet Niruz, 67, 69 Rain of Falling Stars, 277 Legion). See House Tepet.
Tepet Usala, 68 Seeking Throw Technique, 275 V’Neef, Founder of House V’Neef,
Tepet Yasenar, 332 48, 57, 68-72, 318, 344, 352
Smoke Burst Eruption, 276-277
Teresu. See Gentes Major, Teresu. V’Neef Agayo, 72-73
Stone Needle Strike, 277-278
Tereya Kingfisher Swift, V’Neef Dancing Boar, 72
Thousand Razor Wind, 277-278
6, 108, 140, 146, 360 V’Neef Lanusa, 72
Vengeful Gust Counterstrike, 279
Tereya Seren, 140 V’Neef Ostoka, 71
Venomous Thorn Attack, 275
Terrestrial. See Dragon-Blooded. V’Neef Savatera, 72
Whirlwind Shield
Thaumaturgy, 216 Technique, 278-279 V’Neef S’Thera, 72
Thousand Correct Actions of the Wind Armor Technique, 279 Vondy Beulen, 112
Upright Soldier, 38, 64, 67, 134, 147
Winter Fang Attack, 278, 350
Three Elite Fiends, 17, 126.
Tien Yu, 124. See also
W
See also Grass Spiders.
Gods and Lookshy. Wanasaan, 127-128, 309.
Threshold, 10-12, 17, 22, 30, 34, See also Outcaste.
Time of Tumult, 47
36, 40, 42, 44, 47-48, 51-54, 59-62,
64-65, 70, 73-74, 76-77, 86, 90, 92-93, Toriki. See Gentes Minor, Toriki. Wanasaan Adiura, 127
99, 105, 124, 347, 354, 356, 361 Tu Yu, 124. See also Gods and Lookshy. Wanasaan Kemra, 127-128
Wanasaan Shiga, 128

380
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 INDEX

War Charms, 279-283. See also Rippling Water Strike, 296 Mind-Over-Body
Abilities, War and Charms. Meditation, 298-299, 357
Shrugging Water-
Army-To-Mob Assault, 280 Dragon Escape, 296 Soul-Marking Style, 299, 301
Blazing Courageous Theft-of-Essence Soul Mastery, 301
Swordsman Inspiration, 279-280 Method, 296-297 Spirit-Rending
Blessed Dragon Champion, 283 Tsunami-Force Shout, 297-298 Technique, 299-300
Changing Winds Cunning, 280 Water Dragon Form, 296, 348 Spirit-Wracking Method, 299
Choking Weeds Tactic, 280 Weapons. See also Equipment. Unbreakable Fascination
Kata, 299-300
Deadly Wildfire Legion, Garrote, 306
281-282, 346, 359 Wood Dragon Form, 299
Hand Needle/Kakute, 306
Enfolded in the Dragon’s Wood Dragon Succor, 300-301
Kama/Sickle, 304
Wings, 220, 282-283, 359 Wood Dragon Vitality, 298, 357
Nunchaku, 304
Excellence of the Worm-Eaten Woman, 69
Dutiful General, 279 Weeping Princes, 66, 69
Wyld, The, 44, 59, 110, 126, 183, 195, 217,
Fog-of-War Misdirection, 282, 344 Whirling Lady Koro-Bana, 130
231-232, 234, 274. See also Fair Folk.
Hidden Thorn Treachery, 282, 344 White Veil Style Charms, 305-308
Wyld Hunt, 6-7, 12, 22, 30, 43-46,
Indomitable Flame Alehouse Memory 51, 59, 72, 76-77, 91, 93, 95, 105, 123,
of Valor, 283, 346 Stance, 306-307 129, 314, 328, 345, 347, 351, 362.
Birdsong Over Blades, 306, 308 See also Immaculate Order.
Phantom Fire-Warrior Horde, 283
Blinded by Laughter, 307-308
Ramparts of Obedient
Earth, 280-281 Blithe Unruffled Plumage, 307
X
Roaring Dragon Officer, Dragon Dies in Bed, The, 308 Xocha, 314, 362
279, 344, 347, 359
Storm-Calling Strategos, 280
Dragon Dies Screaming, The, 308
Y
Dragon Succumbs, The, 308
Tactics Mean Everything, 279 Yan (storm demon), 47
Owl Clutches at the
Tireless Footfalls Night, 306-307 Yan Tu. See Gentes Minor, Yan Tu.
Cadence, 279-280, 282
Tickling the Dragon’s Throat, 307 Yozis, 234-235, 322. See
Water Dragon Style Charms, 295-298. also Demons and Hell.
White Veil Form, 307
See also Immaculate Martial Arts.
Yozi Venom, 39
Willow’s Strength (Sister Willow), 128-
Bottomless Depths
130. See also Sisterhood of Pearls, The. Yu-Shan, 16, 126, 130, 151,
Defense, 296-297, 348
199. See also Gods.
Wind Across the Savanna, 355
Crashing Wave Style, 297
Yushoto. See Gentes Major, Yushoto.
Wood Dragon Style Charms, 298-301.
Drowning-in-Blood
See also Immaculate Martial Arts. Yushoto Mathar, 7, 108, 152
Technique, 296, 348
Death-Pattern-
Essence-Dousing
Wave Attack, 297, 348
Sensing Attitude, 299 Z
Enthralling Blow Attack, 300-301 Zebremani, 16
Flowing Water Defense, 295-296
Eyes of the Wood
Ghost-Restraining
Dragon, 298-299, 357
Whirlpool, 297-298

381
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REALM PATRICIAN
“Mole” Conor A. Javier Koslow Mystery Monkey N
A. Curtis Cpt. Akidu Odonata JJ JEREMIAH WHITE N. Schultz
Adam J. Woods Dale Allen Joe Bruner Nathan Mooney
Adrian Burns Daniel Betancourt John Snead Paul Anorak Record
Arne B. Andersen Devin A. John Wu Peleps Guion
Arthur C Gagnon Dreaming Gecko K. McCoy Play 1st Edition Exalted
Auric Swiftchannel Dustin Housley Kevin G Rick Wilson
Avelene Perry dwbapst Kim Horne Samiksha-Ji
Billy K Eldagusto Kristopher C. santino
Bradley Osburn Eric Silagi Kristopher Deters Sean K.I.W. Steele/Arcane
Brian Hon Goblin Society L Spry Shachar
C. Daval Guy Edward Larke L. Vollum ShwiggityShwah
Calvin Hill Hailey McAuliffe Lúin Of Celtchar Tanya
Carl Ollivier Ian A. A. Watson Maia S. Tepet Netha
Cathak Moeru, Prophet J.Bell Marie-Rose B. TheLowtide
of the Dragons. Jacob Gann Matt M McElroy Thore Schmi
Champions of the Stars Jaedo Wavesoul Matthew Giglia Tim Corwin
Charles Gray James Bell Maurice J. Oakes Tobi Addams
Charles R Jani Aartti Melvin Deion Moore Vera Vartanian
Chris Perez Jason Freston Michael Pineda Viktoria Julie Salzmann
Christoph Meyer (Paragon Gal)
Jatkuvan Nousemuksen Mick Lanning
Clever Lin Malliesimerkki William “Midnight
Mike Gill
Fox” Coleman

SCION OF THE SCARLET DYNASTY

“Fu” Bednarek Alessandro Masi Amine Hsu
“Plucky Hero” Adam and Looie Krump Alex Bauer Amy F.
“Thomas Wolf” Adam Conner Alex Glemzu Andrea Bertocci
A McNab Adam Epstein Alexander G. Andrea Migone
A Tim Jones Adam F Alexander Gareev Andrew Chatfield
A. Fewings Adam Zacharias Alexander Y. Hawson Andrew F
A.Henle Aero Vox Alexandre Gouveia Andrew Green
Aaron Haaf Aidan H. Alice Bard Andrew Mackenzie
Aaron Mouritsen Al Gonzalez Alistair Bouch Andrew MacLellan
Aaron Q. Alastair Irving Allan Dahl Andrew Mi
Aaron Scott Albert Sandstedt Allen Holmes Andrew Morris
Adam Aleksay Almarion Saintclair Andrew Pogue
Adam “Magus” Loyd Alessandro Bruschi Amber L. Andrew Rowe
Adam “WhirlwindMonk” Alessandro Ezio Lot Amber Vietzke Andrew Sheeler

382
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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Andrew Srebro Black Rhum Chosen of Luna W & A D. C Wolf

Andrew Stocking Blaine W. Flowers Chris A Challacombe D. Lim
Andrew Sutton Blake McCormack Chris ‘AkatsukiLeader13’ D. Strokovsky
Gawne
Andrew T. Grim Bo Bratsberg D. White
Chris Brashier
Andrew Wilson Bob Huss D.Falese
Chris Coleman
Andy Jackson Bob Manning D.Hariman
Chris Cowger
Andy Kwong Bowie Sessions Damien Wellman
Chris Curry
Andy S. Braden Kanipes Dan Cowden
Chris L.
Angelo Brandon Baer Dane “Noctis” Madsen
Chris Lauth
Anonymous Brandon H Dani Jang
Chris Mawford
Anson Bird Brandon Paul Daniel “Arista”
Chris Michael Jahn
Anthony Wilson Brendan O’Donnell Daniel Armishaw
Chris Shaffer
Antonio Albano Brennan Dawson Daniel De Bernardo
Christian Graham
Aranni Brent Lundberg Daniel Fiaccone
Christopher Avery
Arc Brett Alexander Daniel Forinton
Christopher Borst
Arjan van der Meer Brian and Allison Dellinger Daniel Gatten
Christopher Daniel
Arlan C. Stutler Brian Conley Daniel JT Atherton-Moore
Christopher Emerson
Asa DuBose Brian Jennings Daniel Markwig
Christopher Gasink
Atmu Brian King Daniel Meagher
Christopher Gilbert
Austin Andrews Brian Leddy Danny Labrecque
Christopher Howard
Austin Moore Brian Morton Darius Corrieri
Chromatism
Austin Zeigler Bruce Stone Darkshifter
Chronos
autXautY Bryan Buschmann DarkShoal
Ciarán “Sarky” O’Brien
B. Huth Bryan Fowler Darren Buckley
Clockworkfiction
B. Jackson Bryan G David
Cody Black
B. Mariana Bryan Stone David Chart
Cody Murray
B.Herbig C. D. Raspin Dávid Csobay
Cody Thoroman
B.R. c_m_m_ David Drake
Connor Whyte
Bear Carson Camille Blackbird David Insley
Conor Pillasch
Beittin Captain Davidius David Paul
Corey Bruner
Bella Dona Carlo Tietz David Queen
Corey Rhodes
Ben Cook Carmela Contarini David R Saeva
Cory Gilman
Ben Leong Carol Lai David Stephenson
Craig
Ben Mason Caroline Mendlewicz Davin
Craig S. Cheairs
Ben Pimlott Casey Deamented
Crumplepunch
Ben Russell Casey Johnson Debana Van de Haven
Curt Johann S.
Ben Russell Casey L. Debbie Seacrest
Cynis Falen Aranet
Benjamin Gold Cedric « Sagara » Roland Deltalisk
D
Benjamin Klug Charles Strange Dengarm
D. Ault
Bernat Anton Charles Watford Dermot Bresnehan
D. Avant
Bill R Chase R. Dexter “Swift” Ray

383
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Dillen Cooper Ester Piña Heidi Shelton James Freeman

Dom Hero Ellis Eugene Allen Herman Page James Glanville
Domina Symplis Evan Dickson HK-87 James N.
Donald R. Clarke Evan Lusky Hugh D. James Pitt
Donald Squires Evil Midnight Lurker Ian Franke James Wesley
Donnie Hanby Fake Name Ian Hamilton James Whelan
Donovan Ranney Forrest Martin Ian Holzman JamieXIII
Don’t include my name Foul Shaxbot Ian Otto Jan Mäkinen
Dorsey Francesco L. Ian Ruark Jane Narbon
Doug Rosenberger Frank Stibane Ibon Presno Gonzalez Jani Heino
Douglas Fotheringham Fred P. Iorwerth Owain Thomas Jantzen Bell
Dr. Devastation Fredrik ”Mephil” Brinck irodrigu13 Jason “Empyrean” Jones
Drew Clowery Freya Sessrúmnir Isaac Obeng Jason Ramboz
Duan Bailey Froth Isabelle Godin Jason Ross
Dwayne MacKinnon G Force. Iselsi Nadia JD Maynard
Ed Morland G. Shellabear Islesi Marros JDJ Plocher
Edward Feeney Gareth Powell Ivan V. A. N. Slipper Jeffrey Chow
Eetu Pykäläinen Gary S J Sköld Jeffrey Gilbert
Elethayn Gedeon McBain J Troyer Jeffrey Kreider
Eli B Genevieve Cogman J. Barnett Jeffrey Merola
Eli Wasick George F. Robbins J. Dabe Jeffrey Meyer
Eliel George G Hoeflinger J. Krutt Jeffrey S. Mintz
Ella Argueta George Parrott J. Random Hacker Jeffrey Simpson
Emerald Winds Georgia Moody J. Vig Jeffrey W. Borden
Emile St. Secaire Giles Knox J. Will Jeph Lewis
Eoin Maloney Glen Llorca J.Byrge Jere Manninen
Eric “Jheral” Lindroth Glenn Fayard J.Moran Jeremey
Eric Garcia Graham Kemp Jackson Brantley Jeremy D. Parker
Eric Guffey Grant Anderson Jacob Jeremy Seeley
Eric Lin Greg Peterson Jacob Bodmer Jesse Anderson
Eric Lofgren Greg Voss Jacob Mandel Jesse Bigger
Eric McCommon Gregory Rolfe Jacob VanGunda Jesse Riggs
Eric Peterson Gregory Smith Jacqui Macgregor-Pahl Jessica Petersen
Eric Ruhnow Gunar Liepins Jake Mandel Jesus Luzon
Eric Schuller Gunner Gawith Jalinth Jim Schofield
Erich D Guy Reece James Joachim Treimmer
Erik Bjorn H. Mainzer James Joakim Abrahamsson
Erik Tyrrell Halwin Malison James B João Pedro Rodrigues
Erika Hoagland Hanne R. James Barton Joe Rainwater-Cummings
Erin Firth Happy Yeti James Bun Joel Silverman
Erin Short Heath De Witt James Ford Joeyjojo

384
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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

John K Leonardo Cruz Martin Hansen

John “Woeden” Berks K Hood Leslie Martin Jenner
John Baston K.G. Haught Lewis McCoy Mary E. L.
John D Kennedy K.Kofoed Lexi Hernandez Mason O’Neil
John Daly K.L.Svarrogh Li Jiyang Mathias Jack
John Hyl. Kajetan Abt Liam Miller Mathieu Lapierre
John Kulp Kalzky Liz Duong Matt Bainbridge
John LE BLANC Karasawa Aokahime Loki. Wyrm Matt Cadwallader
John Lorinskas Kari Tuurihalme Luca S. Matt H
John Palmer Karl Hailperin Lukas Albrecht Matt Houle
John TK Veltman Katherine “April” P. Luke Moran Matt Lemmons
Johnathan Rummage Kathryn Schiller Wright Luke Wethington Matt Strawn
Jón Gísli Björgvinsson Katrina Agdestein Lupin Chevalier Matt V
Jon Michael Razp Katrina Ostrander M Beck Matt Weatherson
Jon Nay Keith A Harper M Jowett Mattan Abergel-Mamane
Jonathan A Keith Pare M Randy Matthew Aper
Jonathan Bauleke Kelly Pedersen M. Albuquerque Matthew Foley
Jonathan Lang Kergonan M. Box Matthew Harrison
Jonathan Marshall Kevin Chauncey M. Kremer Matthew J. Gillen
Jonathan Stoetzer Kevin Mueller M. Mathew Matthew Jones
Jonathan van Ekelenburg Kim houtmeyers M. Moore Matthew Lawrenson
Jordan Woodhouse Kirsi Solovyeva M. Trent Matthew Lussi
Jörg G. Kolbey Araujo M. W. Oldhaver Matthew McKitrick
Joris Konrad Tucher M. Williamson Matthew P.
Joseph Dempsey Kris W Mad_Rat Matthew Russo
Joseph Horan Krissy Thomas Madeline McCaul Matthew Siegel
Joseph P. Kristian Magnus Pettersen Maggie Matthias Wasser
Joseph Senior Kristopher Volter Magnus Lundgren Maximilian Schug
Joseph Shipley Krystopher Haynes Mäkelä Atte Max Romanco
Josh Raymond Kuyan Judith Marc Pantel Maxum Immaculaten
monk of Hesiesh
Joshua Cremer Kyle Delint MarcDuhal
meianmaru
Joshua Spiegel-Brown Kyle Novich Marcus Dageryd
Menmeth Stormwind
Jow Kyle Stoneman Marjolaine V.
Merrygoblin
JP Bridier Lauren Hays Mark “Toroid” Rae
Michael “Waju” Canfield
Jubbinaut Lauren Priest Mark A. Baagø
Michael Agapeyev
Julian P. Laurence M. Pereira Mark Parker
Michael Amirault
Jürgen Czerny Ledaal Zyden, the Markus Raab
Spear of Heaven Michael B Warren
Jürgen Hubert Marshall Brengle
Lee Saxon Michael Beck
Justin Delaney Marshall Chaney
Leeruri Michael J. O’Connor
Justin Melton Martin Alonso
Leonard Tai Michael Jacobson
Justin Whitman Martin Gattis

385
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Michael McAvoy Nicola Went Philipp Hinderer Robert G. Male

Michael Parker Nicolai Philippe Prigent Robert L. Lewis
Michael Sanguinetti Nigel Steven McShane phragmosis Robert Mooney
Michaella Amora Ragowsky Niko Pierre Chaloux Robert Rutherford
Michelot Bertrand Nitsan Bracha Pierre Dupuy Robin Bell
MightyHunter Old Lunar Preston Bruce Robin Hellgren
Mikael Assarsson Olivier Bérubé-Fortin prototype00 Robin Longhurst
Mike Bowie Ondřej Böhm Pumchu Robinson Fulcher
Mike Gilligan Oomizuao Queshire Rodger L. Gamblin
Mike Koster Ostarion quinn Ron Searcy
Mike Ong Oughan Quinton Huntington-Silver Ronald Bev
Mike W. Leavitt Owen Cartwright R. Colin Nelson Rory J.
Miroslav Žůrek Owen Griffiths R. Haberzettl Rotekian Xynth
mitchberthelson P. Burks R.Weston Ruby Monsoon
MItchell Diamond P. Keller Raf Bressel Ryan Dukacz
Mithridantes Goldenleaf P.McKnight Rafe Richards Ryan Elliott
Mnemon Antares Paolo Biggio Ragara Ehar Ryan Gersovitz
Mnemon Terod ParaPara ParaPara Randy Berry Ryan Gracey
Moreno Bianconcini Pare Randy Massey Ryan Kent
Morgan Cassidy Pat McMullin Ray Hodson Ryan Looney
Morty Patrick Chapman Ray Newman Ryan McWilliams
Mr. Rage Patrick Fagan Raymond Welt Ryan Poindexter
MuscaDomestica Patrick H Rebecca Harbison Ryan Wellman
N Green Patrick Murphy Red Panda Lunar Waifu Ryo Ogawa
N. Canfori patty efird Reetta Raitanen S. Lim
N. Torda Paul Harris Remo Pendowski S. Miller
N.Harrow Paul Hayes Remy Lester SAM
Nate Martin Paul Kingston Reth Shannar Sam “Scattershot” Miller
Nathan Carroll Paul Ryan Richard brooks Sam Clarke-Willson
Nathan Dillabough Paul Thompson Richard Handy Samuel Brana-Soto
Nathan Giles Paul Waldron Richard Mehlinger Santeri Leppänen
Nathaniel Rivers Paulo Contopoulos Richard Pardy Satchel
Newton Grant Peleps Venya Richard Pennertz Satoshi Nakamoto
Nicholas Kirkpatrick Perverseness Rick Jones Scambonious Funk
Nicholas Peterson Peter Dean Rob Donoghue Scott Dockery
Nick Ashton Peter Filipe Rob Sansone Scott Hebert
Nick Cadigan Peter Lee Rob Wall Scott Kelley Ernest
Nick Irish Peter Steponaitis Robert Armstrong Scott Kendrick
Nick Kline Phil Ames Robert Christmas Scott Ryder
Nick Stella Phil Hattie Robert Fitzgerald Sean Greaney
nico Philip Beal Robert Frost Sean Patterson

386
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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Sean too thanks Steven Thesken Thomas Hargrove Violet Storm on the
Sea of Shadow
seb stilgar the triumphant judge Thomas Panebianco
Viveka Nylund
Sebastian Sigmon Stoker Tiernán Ó hAlmhain
Vojtech Pribyl
Sebastiano Sitran Stuart Taft Tim S
Vultor Daer
Seraaron Sven M. Timolution
W.Bentley
Serrah’s Aoi Sven Podewils Timothy C
Walker Glassmire
Seth Klein Sydney C. Toloran
Walter S
Seven Deadly Whispers T. Haakinen Tom Garrett
Warr Byrd
Shafi Ziauddin Taft Punk Tom Ladegard
Warren Myers
Shane G. Tanay Dutta Tomisser Manuel
Wasitora
Shane Scriven Tara Urbanek Tørkede Arlfson
Weltwandler
Shardstar Ted Johansson Totenrand
Will Farley
Shay Stringer Ted Ludemann Travis Clemens
Will Hudson
Shen. Hung-Yang Tepet Jinyan Travis Penrod
Will North
She-Who-Knows- TerraNova Travis Tomon
10,000-Things Will Robinson
Terth Trevor Hannon
Shining Fire of the Mind Will S.
Tetsuzuru Akeha Troy Brown
Sieben Flammen William Cappelletti
Tharek Troy Ellis
Silvio Herrera Gea Winterstar
Thaumaterge Tuomas Lempiäinen
Simon J. T. Kunz World War Kaan
The Circle with No Name Tweedbarista
Simon Jennings Wren
The Errant TwoQuestions
Sion I Fidelis Xaq Morris
The Luminate Ty Logan Rollins
Sofia Harkin Xavier Spinat
The reserve Harpists Tybar
SrNavarre Yannick Chartrand
The Unconquered Sun Venatius
Stefan K. Zachary Nimkoff
The_Reptile_ Viatos
Stephen Denison Zahras
TheWzrd Victor Nicollet
Stephen Egolf Zane Roskoph
Thiago Harry Victor T.
Stephen Ford Zuirgarisha
Thomas A Rider Vilkas Fowler
Steven Locke Thomas H. Elsom Violet Green

MINISTER OF THE THOUSAND SCALES

A. C. Aela Brighteyes Alexander Munkelwitz Andrew Stevens
A. Quentin Murlin Agrael Fidavis. Alexandre “Wingless” Tiv Andrzej Kubera
Aaron Alan R McKane Alison Gill Angela Prendergast
Aaron Braegen Aleksandra Janusz- Amiel Kievit Antoine ASTIER
Kamińska and
Aaron J. Schrader András Adrovicz Aravon Harlingar
Mikołaj Kamiński
Aaron M Keating Andrew Clark Artur ‘Evin’ Plociennik
Alex Stuart
AC Andrew Gedrich Ashes of the Phoenix
Alex Whisennand
Adam Kosakowski Andrew Leggett Aurius Vorayn
Alexander Armstrong
Adam Pecar Andrew McAteer Austin Coccia
Alexander Boucher
Adrian Praetorius Andrew Stephens Avalon Zayakev The Azure

387
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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

Shadow of the Seas Christoph Schulz Dennis Lowrey Harrison “Merlinhawk”

Furmidge
Ben Walker Christopher Dhillon Singh
“Diablerist” Lenaris Harrison Sharp
Benjamin P BB Diana C. Jakobs
Christopher Gallo Harvest of an Age Past
Benjamin s Dirk Walbrühl
Christopher Humphrey Hauke van Almelo
Bernd Kruse Douglass Kern
Christopher J. Dowling HEEELGA!
Bill Stull DrowDrew
Christopher Kaufman Heinrich Krebs
Bishop Clarke Eben
Chubby Kobold Gaming Himno de Humillación
Blair Cliff Edward Monical-Vuylsteke
Clark Clawson Hubnutzen
Blake Elegiac Catalyst
Claudio “Cianfe” Cianferoni Hyun-Shik
Błażej “Rals” Kosiński Elliott Freeman
Clyde Arrowny Ian Price
Borgia Leandra and Kisaragi Elliott I Davis
Miyuki, taking on the Cody K. Ian S.
Emily Brumfield &
threshold hand in hand. Corbin McMahel Susann Hessen Ikalios
Bradley Yesko Corpse-Body Dragon Eoin Burke ipsi
BRANDON MASTERS Cristo Kyriazis Eric Faulwell Iron Phoenix
Brazen Infernal Lion Curtis Helsley Eric Minton Isaac Carr
Brent Page Cynis Falen Nissica Eric Smailys Isaiah Bahr
Bri Cynis Kurgal Erik M J. Bär
Brian Campbell D. Handley Erik Radman J. H. Frank
Brian Nisbet D. Kruse Eryi the Graceful Inferno J. Rodrigues
Brook C Hubbard D.J. Sweet Esben Mølgaard Jack E.
Bruce Turner D.S. Jenkins Evan Larkin Jack Milton
Bruno Giuliano Nicolau Damien C. Evan W.J. Parson Jacob “light-hero”
Bryce s Mcewen Bruhn Paasch
Damien Starlurker Fabio V.
Buddy Richards Jacob Bjørnø Klünder
Dan Lewis Fletcher
C Canadian Jacob L. Osborne
Daniel “Muecke” Gebel Flint “Raemus” Olsen
Cathak Cythan James Jones
Daniel and Elizabeth flowerysong
Cathi Gertz McLeroy James Rodrigues
Francis Arachea
Charles L’Espérance Daniel P Owens James Shaw
François Drouin-Morin
Charles S. Morrill Daniel Poulin Frankie Mundens Jared Fattmann
Charlie “PookaKnight” Daniel Singer Jared Koon
Frazier Manfull
Cantrell Darkshmoo Jason Barton
Fredrik “Dremacon”
Chase Horn Dashekita N. Brooks Oskarsson Jason C Marshall
Chasym Dave Jones Gabe T. Jason Dickerson
Chris Gunning Dave Rosenzweig Gerald Claycomb Jason Ross Inczauskis
Chris Hall David “JustDave” Talboy Adam ‘Diesel’ Fairris Jasper Stafleu
Chris Raney David A Bradley Gina Ricker Jeffrey Hayes
Chris Snyder David Figueroa Glen Nelson Jenny Langley
Christen D David Harrison Glen R. Taylor Jesal Sena
Christer Malmberg David Liming Graham Starfelt Jim Searcy
Christian A. Nord Dayton Johnson Greg C-M Joachim Mander
Christian Dante Del Webb Gregg “Pyrosorc” Parrott Joe Black

388
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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Joe Edge Lina Weingård Michael Wood R. Sean Callahan

John A W Phillips Lindsay Paul Micheal Howell Raevyn Fletcher
John Baggett Lord Fox-Huntington Michele Marie Arko Rajiv García Meguel Bartol
John Beadle lordofgibberish Michelle Ralf G.
John Pennington Luciole au Masque de Jade Mike Ostrokol Rasmus Lyngkjær
John Stansbury Lucy Moulton Minister Kiara Dawn’s Hope Reynard Kisigari
Jonathan Head Lyam Trainor MintPhoenix Rich Pelvin
Jonathon Burgess Lyle Hansen Mischa Wolfinger Richard August
Jose Diaz mads madsen Mnemon Gentlewave Rkaiyu and Lisette
Joseph Zavcer Majdi Badri Morgan Weeks robdog
Josh Morse Maly Moxiane Robert Coutu
Joshua Manosque So Ren Nathaniel Colón Robert Davidson
Joshua Gammon ManusDomine Nelens Raphael Robert Riley
Jub Jub, Fear Be His Name Marc B. Nicholas Kosky Robert Whitehouse
Justin Lawless Marco Klomfas Nicholas Stylianou Ronan Comaskey
Justin Sandhu Mark Cornelius Nick Esposito Rose Henke
K W Mocabee Mark E. Kwaitkowski Nick Herhilan Ross Owen Qualls
Kalasmourn Mark Rucker Nick Long Russ Trippett
Kareem Gabriel Fortes Markus Viklund Nick W Russell Desman
Kate Adams Martin Deppe Nicki Saurage Ryan Coltrain
Kazumi Chin Massimo Cassiani Niklas Nordberg Ryan Edlinger
Keldi Matt Blocksom Nikolaus Salvador Keuter Ryan Holden
Kelly and Alex Beigh Matt Lyons O. Clegg S. Ralph
Ken Brandt Matt Proctor Odanuki Sairasu
Kenneth Gilbert Matt Rock Pär Lindén Saleem Halabi
Kevin Paramore Matthew Cooper Paradim Scott Mullock
Khalayn Sepret Matthew Einhorn Pater Père Brind’amour Sean and Katherine
Handcock
Kolton E. Mohn Matthew Kuhn Patrice St-Louis
Seán Leaney
Konig-Wolf Matthew Sanderson Patrick Flannigan
sean novak
Korey Enright Matthew Scott Patrick Healey
Sean O’Neill
Kylan Day Matthew Skillings Paxson Bachus
Sebastian Strid
Kyle Oppy Matthew Tait peelingchrome
Sesus Tikor
Kyle Rimmer Matthew York Peleps Lago
Sethteich Ardestahdt
Kyle Wheeler Max Meyers Peleps Sepeta Arlun
Shawn Hagen
Laurence Cooper McLeprechaun Penguin King Games Inc.
Shelby Mehl
Lawrence Reynolds Micaiah Petter Wäss
Solomon Nehrig
Lawrence Thrall Michael “Locke” Macary Phil Spalding
Spencer Wilson
Ledaal Kebok Nuzel Michael Hording Pierre “Tyrendia” Martin
Steph
Lee Elliott Michael Mooney, The Pól Stafford
Tyranny of Books Stephen Abounader
Lee Hefner Prayers In The Dark
Michael Prather Stephen Lea Sheppard
Liam Murray Prince E. Maxi

389
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Steve Huntsberry Tepet Chenow Todd Goldberg Vincent Gonsalves

Steve Martin Tepet Kevian Tom Coleman Vincent Turchetta
Steve Zelenty The Maiden Roxo TomAtlus Violetta_Cantrell
Steven Brunner The Sovereign Tommie Boatwright V’neef Syne
Hammer Khou
Stewart Polshaw Torrey Walter F. Croft
The Viper of Seven Waves Stouder-Studenmund
Studious Gao Waroth Kel’dire
Theodore Alteneder Travis Totcky
T. Ebert William Darpinian
Thomas A Fagan Trevor C Hughes
Taliesin Morgan Z the Lightbringer
Thomas Hunkeler Tricia Guillot
Tao Fan Z. Starr
Thomas Schadeberg Tyler Carpenter
Taxman Zack Jeffreys
Titus of the Uri Almazán Alvarado
Tellyn Languedoc zmt00
Vermillion Legion Victor
Tepet Berel Sanya Zobot257

IMPERIAL MAGISTRATE
“Cursed for Alan Orr Aneurin J Harrow Backris
Vengeance Sated” Alex B Angelborn Baofengyu
“J. Langley & L. Karry” Alex F. Annah Comyn Basileus
A. Gunnerson Alex Gagnon Anne W Beachfox
A. Leslie Alex Karge Anonymous Ben Kruger
A. Strange Alex Tigwell Anthony Dami Ben Stewart
A. von Köhler Alexander M Anthony E Harbo Ben Wood
A. Wang Alexander Ma Anthony McLoughlin Benjamin “BlackLotos”
Aaron “Sunder” Schweitzer Welke
Alexander Rodriguez Anthony Tarola
Aaron Fleishman Benjamin “eSca” Reed
Amara Ahmed Arajin the white Lion
Aaron James Benjamin Grand
Amaranth Aredin Lentier
Aaron ‘Shrike’ Nightingale Benjamin Loy
Amit Ben Zeev Arkon Nielsen
Ada Lerner Benjamin White
Amy Veeres Arwen Ross
adam Benoit “LeTipex” Perraud
Anders Mejstrick Ash Hubbard
Adam Carbone Benoit Devost
Andrei Antonio Ash Walter
Adam Debus Gonzalez Reyes Bentley W. Chism
Ashiya
Adam “Invisible Iron Andrés Muñoz Alarc Benton Little
AtticusSteele
Crane Harrier“ Fry Andrés Santiago Bertrand Kuentzler
Audrey Paiement
Adam Mock Pérez-Bergquist Bess Everett
Austin “Geomantic
Adam Rajski Andrew Positioning System” Loomis Bilious “Exploding
Adam Thomas-Brashier Andrew D. Watson Frogs” Slick
Austin Lamb
Adam Whitcomb Andrew Kole Bill James
Azouth
Adrian “Maarken Andrew M. Bill Shaffer
B. Deniker and J.
Brashari” Cumming Andrew McGraw Poppenbeck Bill Weepie
Adrian Tymes Andrew Mcmenemy B. J. Chojnacki
Ain Soph Aur Andrew Waterfall B. Stellfox BJ McManus
Alan Lateer Andy Zeiner B.J. Black Blair A Monroe

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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Blazing Emerald Voice Charles Lines Colin Urbina David Gearhart

Booty GOODz Charles Nichols ColinJ David Likar
Brad Chazz Kellner of Connor Ryan David McKie
The Story Told
Brad Bears Copper Crow David Miller
Cherry Blossom
Bradley D. Corey Elliott David Mitchell
on the Wind
Brandan Yares Corwyn Alambar David Rego
Chris ‘Errant’ Harper
Brandon and Cory Pinto David Sander
Chris Bras
Kimberly Utter Coyotekin David Scott (Gaius)
Chris Chambers
BrandonQ Craig Bishell David Sonderling
Chris Eggers
Brannen Craig Bonnes David Weidendorf
Chris Larrabee
Brenden Miller Craig Mercer David Winterbottom
Chris Mangum
Brennan Greene Crescens Dawn Michaels
Chris Marsili
Brennan Willingham Curtis Stark Dawngreeter
Brennen Willer Chris McPeake
cveachmartin Deadly Reed
Chris Venus
Brent Nellis Cynis ‘No Man’s Dean Harmon
Chris Wagner
Brett Lindow Child’ Kagami Denis Matray
Christian
Brian C. Bowman Cynis Orin Dennis Cowan
Christian Carugo
Brian Creswick Cynis Ragus Denshi no Yousei
“Christian Higuti
Brian Quinn D. Cruise Devin H
Czar Santos
brian walgren D. Lacheny Devin La Salle
Cesar da Mota”
Brigette Swan D.Ladopoulou Dmitri Kolytchev
Christian Selgrad
Brightfires D.S. Donnie “Lord
Christie Jennings-Wyckoff
Broken Boughs Dacar Arunsone Aludian” Roos, Jr.
Christoph Laurer
Bruce Ferguson Dan Tunseth DPS
Christopher Bolster
Bryce Undy Dana Drew (Andrew) South
Christopher Campione
Caleb Haddix Dana Jacobson Drew and Tia McLeroy
Christopher Coward
Caleb Shelley Daniel Engström Drew Stevens
Christopher Dubuque
Cameron Starkel Daniel Ericsson DUMAS
Christopher Frances
Cameron Wise Daniel Hoover Dylan Humphries
Carl Lyon Christopher Lavery Daniel L. Gochnauer Ed Gibson
Christopher Lee Moore
Carles Samarra Daniel Norton Elais Player
Christopher Martin
Carlos “ChecaWolf” Danny “Dman” May Elias Helfer
Checa Barambio Christopher Noske Danny Fisher Elizabeth Barnfield
Carter Michael Dohoney Christopher ‘Orannius’ DarkBlaze Ellie Whitten
Kay-Chalk
Cassandra W Dashiel Nemeth Elspeth Thorne
Christopher Trapp
Cathak Bavos Dave Poppel Elzo Tovani Benzaquen
Clayton Bell
“Cathak Ibara david andrew dutton EmanantVolition
Clete D. Collum
Ju-Li” David Boniface Emiliano Marchetti
Cody M Kern
Cecil Maye David D. Empty Sky
Cody Marbach
Charan DuFrançois David Devier Epitome
Colin Earle
Charis Siozios David Dorward Erebus & Ariadne Cote
Colin Fredericks
Charles Crowe

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 D R A G O N - B L O O D E D : W H AT F I R E H A S W R O U G H T

Eric Gonzo Ramírez J. W. Bennett Jeremy Puckett

Eric Alexander Arroyo gotyaoi Jack Riggins Jeremy R. Smith
Eric Allen Gray Huntzinger Jackie Anderson Jeremy Salyer
Eric Schalk Graziano Zanichelli Jacob Bieber Jesse Belanger
Erik Daguerre Great Designs of Perfect Jade Fox ( KJS) and the Jesse Breazeale
Wisdom, Immaculate Obsidian Leapard
Erik Gurule Jesse Goble
Instructor and Sidereal Jae Michels
Erik Welehodsky Exalted (Club Mecatol Jesse Sauer
Rex, Madrid) Jair Vianna
Eryck Brisson Jessy J. T.-Bigras
Greg Colfer James “Cyborg Stan” Diller
Ethan Wilke Jim Heide
Greg Larkin James Innes
Evan Lewis Jim Stock
Greg Link James Moar
Everett Oakley Jimi Jon
Greg Nitchals James Okkema
Fabian Nordenskjöld Joe Arnaud
Greg Roy James Small
Feder John ‘FearMeForIAmPink’
Greg Valleau and Red Cone Jami Morrison Franglen
Felix Shafir
Greg Weir Janiv A Mann. John Jerdet
FellowsBrokenknee
Gregory H. Connell Jared Buckley John Lambert
Filip Van Huffel
Griffin Mitchell Jared Levi John M Atkinson
Fire’s Bloom
Guillermo Heras Prieto Jared Shields a.k.a. John R. Trapasso
Fireside
Darkstone
Halvor S. Grønaas John Rafter
Florian Weiss
Jared Slupsky
Hank Driskill John Ruddy
Francis Delaney
Jaron Kennedy
HAO Jon Morin
Francis Helie
Jason Duncan
He who follows the Jonathan Backer
François “Eznoka” Perriot
trail of tears shed by the Jason Italiano Jonathan David Rust
François Boivin
widows of his slain foes Jason Place Jonathan Finke
Frank Hayden
Henrik J. Jason Polson Jonathan Weber
Frank McCormick
Henry F. Bruckman Vargas Jason W. Hall Jonathon R. Gershon
Frédéri “Volk Kommissar
His Magnificence Jay Smith
Friedrich” POCHARD Jonci Aguillard
Lord Fuzzy
Jeff Churchill
Fredrik Lyngfalk Jorgamond
Hugo Richard
Jeff Taylor
G.Ess Joseph Burbank
Iain King
G.F. Duthie Jeff Tressler Joseph Earthborne,
Ignatius Montenegro
Jeff Zitomer Bonus Administrator of
Garrel V’neef
Imran Inayat Imperial Narrative
Jeffrey and Christopher
Gaspard Fleury
Ingrid Emilsson Josh
Jeffrey Brodovsky
Gavin Mutter
Iomhar Josh Rayden
Jeffrey Palmer
Gearov
Iselsi Hiroyuki, The Josh Robison
jeg
GenericMaleNPC01 Eye who Turned
Joshua Brown
Jennifer Neff
Geoff S. Itzhak Even
JP Estey
Jens Ole Knudsen
Geoffrey (Jetstream) Walter Ivo “Xireon” Goudzwaard
Jukka Karvonen
Jens Thorup Jensen
Geoffrey Neil Meikle J. Angell
Julian Kuleck
Jeremy and Tasha Cue
Glen Blosser J. Jönsson
Julien “Crop Weaver”
Jeremy Brown
Glenn McClure J. P. “Exrandu” Bauer Teychené-Blanc
Jeremy Gwinner
Golodhrim J. Schlutter Julien LECLEIRE
Jeremy Mowery

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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Junshi Laurie & Genevieve Mark Williams Michael Kostruba

Justin Buckley Lawrence G. Markus K. Michael Porter
Justin Mabry LCollins Marques Haley Michael Segarra
Justin S Ledaal Kebok Catala Martin Cumming Michael Sims
JV “Arkon Ender” Picard Ledaal Ranil Mary M. Micheal Glenn
K. T. Smith Ledaal Ratan, the Black Matt (Strength of the Mike “Laz” MacMartin
Butterfly Magistrate Mountain) and Miranda
Kaeli Chambers Mike Montgomery
(Nexa) Gnepper
Lee Leggett
Kaelidin Mike Richards
Matt Breece
Libor Dener
Kate Crittenden Mouseychan
Matt Herrboldt
“Louis-Philippe Desroches
Katrina Phillip Murakami Arashi
Matt Hufstetler
Pierre-Olivier Desroches
Kay Seidel N.James
Matt Meader
Ian Brayer
Kaylee “Lokisdottir” Nasser al’Ahmad
Matt Petruzzelli
Ashaman Jonathan Bibeau Natalya Kelley
Keegan Clefisch Jean-Martin Larochelle” Matthew Blanski
Nathanael Grinnell
Matthew Doherty
Keegan Sullivan Luca Beltrami Nathaniel Davis
Matthew Dunne
Keichi Okami Lucas Brown Nicholas and Kelley
Matthew Earlywine
KEK7go Lucy “wyrdness” Fletcher Radcliffe
Matthew G Payton
Ken Finlayson Luke Phillips Nicholas Chivas
Matthew J. Martens
Kennedy Jones Lydia H. Nicholas D. Dragisic
Matthew Nixon
Kepa Eizaguirre-Borreson M. Barselow Nick Keyuravong
Matthew Palsson
Kevin Case Maciej “Delf” Baran Nick Payida
Matthew Roberts
Kevin Hanley Maciej Napiórkowski Niels van Tol and
Matthew Tridento Brend Wanders
Kim Dahlin Mads Jessen
Matthew Bambridge Nightwinder
Kim Janfalk Carlsson Magistrate Aaron McKay
Matthias Pettersson Nikhil Majumdar
Kirke Rafael Magus
Matthias Pilz Niki Chrétien
Kitagawa Chihiro Mak Andrlon
Max B. Werner NinjaHELL!’s Roll The Page
Klaek “Makoto Mizuhara
Podcast (Neena, Logan, CW,
Max Lerin “Khamyr
Konstantinos Rosmpoglou Ifurita” Adam, Kendall, Patrick)
Lannan”
Krister M. Michl Malte Schultz Ntslatko
Maxim May
Kurtis Dube Mana Taylor NWZ
Maximilian Mnemon
Kylar Nerazzo Marc Lummis Obedient Ivy
Meles Badger
Kyle Liming Marcus “Vorpalesque” Octavio Arango
Meredith Theaker
McClure
Kyle Burton Oren Geshuri
Michael “Monghani”
Margaret Meyers
L. Dyson Watkins Orukan
Marissa Sidhe-Laux
L.Kamptner Michael “Storyteller” Oscar Ubeda Segmar
de Souza Lima
Lance Arnold Holland Otso Pajunen
Mark “Fukata” Hill
Lara Collins Michael Bruner Overflowing Crystal Glass
Mark A. Moore
Larae Dragos Michael Connolly Owen Milton
Mark Couture
Lars Holgaard Michael DAwson P.Link
Mark Magagna
Lars Lauridsen Michael Feldhusen Pants McPants
Mark Solino
Lauren Voswinkel Michael Finch Panu ”Possessed”
Mark Wankier
Michael Gilson Laukkanen

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Pascal Koos Richard Visentheiner Scott Mitchell Spider” Adam

Pat Prince Rick Luebbers Sean Massaro Surih
Patrick “Jobin” Curoe Riklurt Sean McAlister Suzushiro Aoi
Patrick Bryant Rob Lally Sean Moore Sydney Savoy
Patrick Eli Dunn Robert Biskin Seana McGuinness T. Jetzfellner
Paul Chaisson Robert D. Mayotte Sebastian Menke T.J. Wilson
Paul Lukianchuk Robert DeCaroli Sebastian P. Rochefort Taiga Brenerman
Paul Singleton Robert H. Mitchell Jr. sebi77 Taizei Karal Ryu Daichi
Paul Weimer Robert Jordan Seras Seral Takero
Pebbles Darwin Roberto Hoyle Sesus Ceravik Taren
Peleps Shinobu Rogerio TM Sesus Weijin Jahar TastyMusic
Peleps Teokar Roland Ayliffe Shai’haud The Ted Williams
Golden Prophet
Peter Baldwin Romain de l’Adret Tepet Kaven
du Piciorus Shan Wolf
Peter Engebos Tepet Yena Xiru
ron beck Shanna Broussard
Peter Petrovich Teresa O.
Ronald Neises Shannon Hames,
Petrea Boning Terrance A. Bryant
Anthony Youssef, and
Ronald Steeves
Petri Wessman Gordon Chapman Terrence Deming
Rory Whittle
Petteri Turtiainen Shawn C Campbell Terry L Gilbert Jr
Ross Ramsay
Philip D Carter Shawn Connor Tessa McLaughlin
Ross Shaw
Philipp Neurohr Shawn P Tetsuo
Ross Story
Phoebia&Aviru shlagevuk The Brothers
Ruby Hidden in the Sands. Nellens Benata
pinvendor, Legendary Shu The Pirate
Merchant of Pins Russell Stross The Illustrious
Simon Andrews Mage of Cows
PitDigger Ryan
Simon Lavigueur The Stacy Family
Pratap Gajjala Ryan “Galby” Galbraith
Skafte The Unsung Hero
Preston L. Bobo Ryan Ferguson
Slaunyeh TheBearIsDriving
PsyberOwl Ryan Moore
Sobriquet Thiago Gueiros
R Hendriks Ryan Poss
Somajima “Quercia Tavares da Silva
R. Simons S Doorley Tempestosa” Thomas Connolly
Rae C. Salia Markudewan Song of the Butterfly Thomas Huddleston
Rafael and Luciana Devera Sam Garamy and the Depths
Thomas Hunt
Rain & Aidenn Sam Gruber SophieGSirois
Thomas Martin
Randel Evans Sameer Yalamanchi Stanley Swierzewski
Thomas Maund
Ravraxas Samuel H. Star ‘n Six
Thomas Reval
Refhi Samuel Karlin Björk Steel Lotus
Thomas Slaughter
Rev. Phillip Malerich Saturnus Stefano Monachesi
Thorn Amidst Roses
Richard C. Clarke Saul Schimek Stephan Szabo
Thurman F. Carey IV
Richard Clayton SAVARIAULT Stephen Gawrit
Tiemi Hashizume
Jean-Christophe Stephen T
Richard Jenkin
Tim Davis
Sayantan Bandyopadhyay Steve Wohlwend
Richard Sexton
Timothy Mushel
Schelos Steven Ehrbar
Richard Stratton
Tobias B. L. Jørgensen,
Scott Kuban Stuart “Pattern

394
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 k i c k s ta r t e r b a c k e r s

Frej Guldberg Hansen Tyson Collins Wei-Yau Huang Willis Schiftner

Tom G Huber Valles Welverin Willy
Tom Moss Vincent “Victorien Wendy Crescent Wiseman
Loyola” Mora
Tommy T. K. Phannareth Whayne Sebrey Wolfgang „Tepet
Vitamancer Talin” Neckel
Tony Adkins Will Figueiredo
V’neef Marulai Wombat
Tony Bilzi William “The Nightmare
Volcanic Sacrifice Lord” Smith Wrenna Robson
Tony Ferrannini
Waelcyrge William Delmar III Xee Ziem
Trollune
Wajanai Snidvongs William Franks Xiwo Xerase
Troy Lenze
Walker FitzRoy William J Bethel & Yeshin Hariparsad
Trygve Lie
Rachael Elisheva
Warren P Nelson Yuan He
Two Steps Over the Horizon
William J. Schebler Jr
Wayne Zack Simon
Tyler Shield
william Larabell
Wayne Coburn Zak Strassberg
Tyler Wirth
William Lewis Overstreet

FOUNDER OF THE REALM

“Eleanor Saxton” Benjamin Mire Cory Tabibian Fredrik Karlsson.
“John L. Gaisano Benoît “Pacmantima” Stella Danern Frognskins D. Rainskins
III, Tepet Eran” Bert Corluy Daniel Gulka G. Alex Williamson
A. Neal Bill Frerking David “Weimann” Geoff Kincaid
Aaron Davey Karlson-Weimann
Brian Glenn Clifford
Aaron LaBrie David Bufkin
Bryant Devillier Gordon G Gordon
Aaron Woodside David Futterrer
C. Lowe Götz Weinreich
Adam Daniel-Wayman David Horton
C.Wardwell grafe
AG David Kotsonis
Calm Skeleton Gregory Stayner
Alan-Michael Havens Davide Ferlan
Carl Soderberg Ice Raven
Aldo “Kwako” Déan Pijpker
Carlo Tommasini Incandescent Dragon
Montoya Reynaga deluge Creations
Cathak Creos
Alex Carstense Dominik Jaworski Iskandar
Catherine Roberts
Alex Sauriol DRAGONfluffy Jaakko Heinonen
Charles “Lukkychukky”
Alun ‘Wolfie’ Powell Ulveling Ejtaka Jacob Cromer
Alwin Penterman Charles F. Lovett Emissary of Zork jacob kleffel
Andi Eames Chase Burton Eric Kroier James Bell
Andrew Hows Chris Dron Erica Anne James James Edward Gray II
Andrew Kemp Chris Schwalbe Erik Dahlman James Kite
Andrew Snow Christian Walters Estevan F. Queiroz James Taylor
Andrey Stroilov Christopher Reinhardt Fiikragg Jason Stierle
Annei Lyranae Cole Lane Fofo Jeff Robinson
Anton A. Adam Colin Jones Francis Rapadas Jen Parr
Antonio Borrani Corey Davidson Francisco Costa Jeremy Dillon
Ashley Thompson Corey Reynolds Frédérik Laporte-Morais Jim Groves
B. Ezell

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Joe Limond Lord B Jenkins Nickolas Clark Kik Shawn Polka

Joel Mattson Lorenzo De Crais Nicolas Vandemaele Couchy Sophie Larivière-Mantha
John Clayton Oeffinger II Lori Krell Nik May Steen Chr. Rosenørn
Jon T Moran Mackenzie Belmont Noelle Nilsson Stephen Naum
Jonathan Cotton Marc Alewine Nullpunkt Stevie Lantalia Metke
Jordan Goldfarb Marc-André Sarrazin Olav Magne Voll Stretch Andrews
(a.k.a Hubris Knight)
Joseph “Highest Owen Stewart Synapse
Reward” Hales Mark Cockerham Pascale McDuff Tenno Mao V
Joseph Moore Martin V Ottesen Patrick J. The Freelancing Roleplayer
Joseph Nikolaus Matthew and Paul Messenger The Lazy One
Stephanie Roark
Joseph Pomes Pierre coppet Theo Moon
Matthew McGuire
Josh “For the Quasi Thomas J Fleming
Vendetta” Raveling Matthew Parker
Quinn Radich Tiffany Albers
Joshua Zganjar Matthew Scott
R.Wilkinson Tim Aumonier
Jürgen Pünter Matthias Zuchowski
Rand Brittain Timothy Peterson
Justin Ashley Powell Melody Haren Anderson
Raoni Rego Godinho Travis Wiedenhoeft
Justin Miller Michael Brewer
Rian Socia Tucker “Sleeves” Perry
Justin Walduck Michael Denholtz
Richard Javier “Blaque” Twilight hymn
Keith Block Michael Maitan Stephenson Tyler Perry
Kelvin Mok Michael Pietrelli Robert “Jefepato” Dall U.Kaya “Silent
Ken Marquetecken Michael Tree Robert M Soderquist Shadow” Yavuz
Kim Caya Michael V. Roberts Robert Vance Valery Belayev
Kintani Mayatovar Mike Tidman Robert Wyatt Veronica Ellis
KWMcComber Mitchell Spencer Ross & Katie B. Vic Smith
Kyle Henick Mnenon Aliden Russell Turnbull vincent furstenberger
Kyle Vansant Morgan Foxgrove Ryan Williams Vortigern
Kyranthos MysticTemplar S. Snyder Wern212
Larry Hymes Nagi Sungila Sam Cameron-McKee Will Hochella
Lars-Henrik Evjan Nat Kisa “Kizna” A
Sam Gulliver-Goodall William Teebay
Ledaal Joumae Nathan Henderson Scott Morris Wouter Janssens
Lee Moneta-Koehler Nathan R. Sean ‘Ariamaki’ Riedinger Zach Moring
Little Wolf and Angry Jackal Nellens Sekali Sesus Denerid Versino Zeuk Taren
Liz Rogers Nicholas Scott Seth Landry Zhivko Yakimov

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