[Exalted] The Time of Glory - Creation's pre-history for pulp fantasy goodness

[Kiero]

I know I'm not the only person who generally muses that Exalted's setting, Creation, is kind of interesting, but the whole thing is spoiled by the Exalted themselves. I was reading some stuff about the Dragon Kings and realised there's a nice little Exalted-free slot in Creation's pre-history. For something a little different, a bit of genuinely sword and sorcery play.

Right before the Primordial War, but some time after the creation of humanity and calming of Creation's environment, there's a space. Humanity is ruled over by the Dragon Kings, humanoid dinosaurs with superpowers (and perfect reincarnation) who were given their stewardship by the gods. They worshipped the sun with great temples and Aztec-style sacrifices of humans.

I'm imagining this gradual slide towards the Primordial War, where the gods and elementals are chafing at their bonds and making moves towards the war. That includes sending their half-divine children as agents of chaos, sowing dischord and encouraging the human population to rebel, along with acting as emissaries recruiting others to the cause.

It's both familiar and yet different. A lot of the cosmology remains the same, yet some elements are absent (no Underworld or Malfeas, no ghosts or demons). The geography is often similar, yet the Blessed Isle/Pole of Earth is the place of the gods, not some mortal empire.

Critically, there are no Exalts; they haven't been invented yet. The various actors here are Dragon Kings, God-Blooded, Enlightened and Heroic Mortals, Jadeborn (pre-Great Geas) perhaps some rogue gods and elementals and the ever-present Fae. Basically it's an excuse to play and focus on all the stuff that is usually all but ignored.

It lacks all the accretion of magitech and bizarre transhumanism that developed over the line, since none of that stuff exists yet. There's a bit more focus of themes, rather than seven different types of super-people each thinking the world is run for their benefit.

[Kiero]

A kernel of another premise goes like this. You have a Raptok philosopher, sociologist, anthropologist and thaumaturge, think a Dragon King version of Diane Fossey, who looks at humans the way Fossey did great apes. Viewed as a "lesser" species but worthy of study and being given more thought than is usual. Spends time travelling amongst the barbarians outside of civilisation to aid her study.

She suffers some sort of upset that causes her to be denounced, and rather than defend herself in the traditional duels and possibly die and interrupt her research, she flees to the margins with her trusted servants. She brings with her an advanced understanding of thaumaturgy, a grounding in Terrestrial Martial Arts and experience of teaching both to humans. Finding a tribe who were previously friendly to her, she begins her own bit of social engineering teaching what she knows and being venerated as a wise elder by the people.

There you have the PCs, a mixture of her original servants and barbarians who've been enhanced with thaumaturgy and (for those who are Enlightened) TMA as well. Where you go from that point depends on the players.

[omegalith]

I'm imagining this gradual slide towards the Primordial War, where the gods and elementals are chafing at their bonds and making moves towards the war. That includes sending their half-divine children as agents of chaos, sowing dischord and encouraging the human population to rebel, along with acting as emissaries recruiting others to the cause.

Interestingly, this is the one point where you could potentially fix everything: If you can negotiate an Emancipation whereby the Gods and Humans move from slavery to citizens with rights, then none of the later slide into Creation being a factional mess sliding into oblivion happens.

...And yet without Exaltations, you lack the ability to initiate those negotiations.


Critically, there are no Exalts; they haven't been invented yet. The various actors here are Dragon Kings, God-Blooded, Enlightened and Heroic Mortals, Jadeborn (pre-Great Geas) perhaps some rogue gods and elementals and the ever-present Fae. Basically it's an excuse to play and focus on all the stuff that is usually all but ignored.

I suppose you could model the Jadeborn as all Artisans with unrestricted access to the subsections of their charmset, excluding Chaos Pattern.

As for Fae: They'll have a lot more trouble sneaking in. This is back when Creation was a heck of a lot more stable, and had both the Unconquered Sun and Adrian warding the borders.


It lacks all the accretion of magitech and bizarre transhumanism that developed over the line, since none of that stuff exists yet. There's a bit more focus of themes, rather than seven different types of super-people each thinking the world is run for their benefit.

Well, there's certainly still some magitech: Jadeborn are still the chosen people of Autocthon after all.

[Kiero]

Interestingly, this is the one point where you could potentially fix everything: If you can negotiate an Emancipation whereby the Gods and Humans move from slavery to citizens with rights, then none of the later slide into Creation being a factional mess sliding into oblivion happens.

...And yet without Exaltations, you lack the ability to initiate those negotiations.

You say that like it's a problem. This is not a setting designed with setting-change in mind, you're supposed to be playing people living in Creation and focusing on those sorts of stories, not trying to rewrite the whole thing for a prospective "better future".


I suppose you could model the Jadeborn as all Artisans with unrestricted access to the subsections of their charmset, excluding Chaos Pattern.

That's pretty much what I had in mind, the implication is pretty strongly that all Jadeborn were like the Artisans once.


As for Fae: They'll have a lot more trouble sneaking in. This is back when Creation was a heck of a lot more stable, and had both the Unconquered Sun and Adrian warding the borders.

More trouble, yes, but it will still happen.


Well, there's certainly still some magitech: Jadeborn are still the chosen people of Autocthon after all.

Much, much easier to completely ignore, though. Especially if most of that magitech is being deployed against the Darkbroods, rather than being sold above ground.

[omegalith]

You say that like it's a problem. This is not a setting designed with setting-change in mind, you're supposed to be playing people living in Creation and focusing on those sorts of stories, not trying to rewrite the whole thing for a prospective "better future".

I didn't say it like it was a problem: I stated that you have an interesting opportunity open to you, but that it's a hell of a lot further out of your reach than it usually is. The very futility is part of what makes it a point of interest, in fact.

[Kiero]

I didn't say it like it was a problem: I stated that you have an interesting opportunity open to you, but that it's a hell of a lot further out of your reach than it usually is. The very futility is part of what makes it a point of interest, in fact.

Ah, gotcha. Sorry, I tend to assume those sorts of comments are criticisms of the premise, given past history on this forum.

[lightningcat]

Well, there's certainly still some magitech: Jadeborn are still the chosen people of Autocthon after all.

You also have the biotech of the dragonkings. Which is just as odd as any other magitech

[Kiero]

You also have the biotech of the dragonkings. Which is just as odd as any other magitech

My issue isn't oddness, but frequency. The Dragon Kings rule the cities (where they rule directly at all), and make their biotech mostly for themselves. They aren't mass-producing it and trading with all and sundry.