Changing Exalted in NotD [Small supplement]

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Changing Exaltation in Nation of the Dead


Art by AdamWarren.

One of the greatest themes of the Nation of the Dead campaign setting is tragedy. At every turn, death awaits and more likely than not, a character is likely to have suffered at the hands of an opposing force. Tanzen has lost countless soldiers at the hands of death, and almost as many innocents. The undead of Arcnus Mortis have lost even more soldiers, and with no way to regenerate their populace outside of death, one destruction is almost assuredly permanent. Shello has suffered the most, for those who were not killed on the continent themselves have lost all of or most of their friends and family. That being said, the grim, gritty backdrop does not fit the fluff and storyline made up by Exalted. Normally, that wouldn't mean anything to me, but with the creation of the Exalted Epic Destinies there should be some justification for the use of these destinies in the setting that follow the darkness of Nation of the Dead.
Below are redone storyline for the various forms of exaltation, many with glaring similarities to Exalted and all of which have fundamental differences. They also cover differences between the artifact metals presented in Exalted and the 3.5 versions created by the same creator as the Exalted Epic Destinies.
The final entry of this small supplement will be more gods that might be suiting for the Exalted individuals, such as gods of the sun, moon, nature, death, the elements and fate.

Abyssal Exalted
Alchemical Exalted
Lunar Exalted
Infernal Exalted
Sidereal Exalted
Solar Exalted
Terrestrial Exalted
Five Magical Materials

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Solar Exalted in Nation of the Dead

In Nation of the Dead, there are several gods of the sun. Some gods are of healing, some of sight and some of valor and battle. Those of Solar Exaltation are not always chosen by the gods of the sun, but they are typically chosen by them. Those not chosen by such deities don't exude sunlight, but possibly holy energy associated with their god. For example, a solar exalt who worships Aeomon might exude calm, white energy that is chilling instead of warm. Additionally, each different caste may be held more by one deity than another, such as Signus Sol holding sway over the Dawn caste, or Pelor holding sway over the Zenith caste.
Alternatively, the fluff of it could be dropped completely and there are no castes, no choosing by deities, and a simple exploitation of one's own inner abilities. One might have reached their epic path and realized themself without outside effort or influence. Characters who feel the gods are not with them but wish to have the chosen abilities of the destinies might choose this path.

Orichalcum

This golden metal is widely believed to have originated by the gods of the sun mentioned above, forged onto the body of the Orichalcum Uron and hurled to the Material plane, where he bestowed the metal upon mortals from his very body. Once the Uron came to the plane, however, the artifact metal began emerging in impure ores in the hottest places of the earth or in mountains, closest to the sun.
In comparison to Exalted, the game from which these are taken, Orichalcum is not typically larger than normal swords with their equivalent weight(that is, in the hands of a Solar) but are considered to be many times more dense and the holy energy that surges through the Solars uplifts the metal, retaining the power of the weapon while keeping it as heavy as a normal weapon only for the exalt.
In the case of self-realized non-Solars who have the epic destiny without the same fluff may be granted use of the artifact metal not because of their holy energy, but by being granted the ability by the gods of the sun possibly by means of worthiness or guilt(such as those who feel guilt for providing no divine aid for those who died on Shello).

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Lunar Exalted in Nation of the Dead

In Nation of the Dead, those of Lunar castes are rarely associated with the moon and it's gods. This is of course with the exception of nature gods that also associate themselves with the moon, such as Kamjaa. The gods of nature, animals and chaos are most typically those who look upon individuals and wish to give them the mutable powers of the exaltation. The silvery auras generally associated with the Exalted versions of these characters might be replaced with small, entirely useless auras that generate plant growth around them or attract animals similar to their alternate form. Alternatively, instead of being chosen by actual gods, they are instead so attuned to nature itself and the power of it can no longer be contained within them anymore, and must spill forth.
The largest variant of this would be the casteless Lunars, where ironically they have the most justified fluff. In Nation of the Dead the casteless Lunars are usually beings randomly chosen by beings of madness, such as mischievous daelkyr to become beasts that spread madness across the material plane or even all across the multiverse. Casteless Lunars can be either chaotic evil or chaotic neutral.

Moonsilver

This magical silver metal was forged by random chance at the same time as the Moonsilver Uron, where divine moonlight struck at a point where Arborea touched down randomly on the Far Realm. The metal was instantly refined and began to spring up all over the planes, as well as the Uron himself sloughing the metal from his body to share with mortals. Unlike with it's Orichalcum counterpart, Moonsilver in NotD is much like it is in Exalted, and the only variation is how the metal is originated(though it's quite similar, I will admit). Those capable of using the metal aren't typically capable of using it because of their divine energy, but are capable of attuning themselves to the metal to full effect with an associated sense of chaos, so the Lunar can shape the metal more or less to their will.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Sidereal Exalted in Nation of the Dead

Individuals that are masters of fate are ironically enough, not fated for such roles. They are flukes of chance, who happen to be in the right place at the right time, walking on the strings of fate that touch down on the gods of chance and destiny during a particularly powerful divine surge. The Sidereal exalts do not have any real organization together unless they make it so themselves, and are most often in charge of themselves and what they care for, using their powers for their gain. Though they do not get chosen by gods of fate, sometimes these gods will seek out these individuals and employ them as avatars and knights of fate, though this is hardly considered an organized society as they are rarely employed in groups.

Starmetal

This special metal was created when a particularly powerful god of fate bent the strings of fate to the point that the impossible could happen. She touched a clump of adamantine that floated high above the Material plane with her powers so that it may fall to the ground and forge itself instantly as the Starmetal Uron. The Uron was the only example of pure Starmetal in all of history, the powers of fate imbued into the adamantine with such saturation that the metal was reinvented. Starmetal was first created when the Uron took portions of his own body and forged it with metals such as steel and adamantine to create impure Starmetal that was still a powerful artifact metal, a tool for the others randomly chosen by fate.
Those who are not empowered to pull them are alien to the strings of fate, and the unconscious mind of fate will not abide being stepped on. That is why the metal retaliates against those not destined to wield them, bringing ill fate upon them.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Abyssal Exalted in Nation of the Dead

These chosen of death are the greatest champions of Arcnus Mortis there ever was. More often than not, Abyssal Exalts are chosen by evil gods of death and decay to destroy all life in the name of Arcnus Mortis and their unholy will. Sometimes however, these champions of death are simply catalysts where deathly energies gather burst through one being. In a rare few cases, most often those of the Midnight caste, they attain their unholy exaltation through a horrific ritual similar to that of the one that creates a lich, though the money for a phylactery is not needed.
Strangely enough, it is just as likely for an undead creature to attain this exaltation as a living one, as the gods of death see past living and dead when they know death will consume all, and those do not see the Abyssal exalted as living for their purposes of death.

Soulsteel

This unholy metal, unlike the rest of the artifact metals noted here was not created by the Uron which it is associated with or the gods that forged the Uron. Soulsteel is a little known metal that has been around nearly as long as the lower planes have. The impure ore is made when countless damned souls compound on one another over eons and create the black metal in jagged clumps and veins in places like Baator, Gehenna and many layers of the Abyss.
It is typical for powerful undead creatures to attain one item of Soulsteel, not to bear but to put upon the walls of their palace as a sign of political power and in the case of any to attain the Abyssal exaltation, their physical and magical power.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Terrestrial Exalted in Nation of the Dead

Unlike the pure bloodlines that the Terrestrial exalts must have in Exalted, the Terrestrial exalted in Nation of the Dead are those with souls attuned to the elemental planes that circle the Material plane, with the exception of the Wood aspects, who are simply attuned to where the four elements and the Positive energy plane mesh on the Material. These individuals are never chosen by gods, but by the random chance of the elements themselves, and usually when the individual is born. In some rare cases, the bloodline of the character is important, and that is if the character is descended from either elemental creatures or dragons associated with the element. In even rarer cases, a god of a particular element will bless a character with martial prowess, divine energy or inspiration and their elemental exaltation will simply be a side-effect of it.

Elemental Jade

The elemental metal was created first when the powers of the elemental planes focused on one another for a single moment and created the Jade Uron. The Uron was capable of changing every fiber of his being from one form of the elemental metal to the next, and would use this power to forge perfect weapons, armor and tools for mortals from his very body. This metal is the precursor to the mundane emerald jade which evolved from the Jade aspected with plantlife and wood. Countless eons after the Elemental Jade was created on the Material plane, it is nearly impossible to find pure Elemental Jade, so most of the metal that is created now by fusing the devolved green jade with raw element to create metals that are essentially the same Elemental Jade.
Elemental Jade in the hands of those not of the Terrestrial exaltation are typically out to demolish the flesh of those who would attempt to wear or wield the metal without the ability to command the Jade. The elemental exalts are capable of wielding the metals of their caste most easily, as they can almost literally command the metal to do their bidding, which of course includes not injuring their flesh.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Alchemical Exalted in Nation of the Dead

The constructs of the world that were destined to carry souls of metal are those who are destined to become the chosen of the Urons. Ironically, they are only chosen because the Urons now all lay dead, with their very souls as the souls of many constructs that now exist. When the first four Urons died, their souls split up and reformed as ingots of their unique metals at the heart of each and every warforged in existence and many other constructs that possessed minds, but not souls. The Soulsteel Uron did not die for nearly two hundred years after the deaths of his ilk, but his death meant an unknown corruption on Shello, and he is believed by some to be the core root of the rageforged.
When the warforged and constructs meet their epic destinies, it is always when the ingot of their soul explodes out from them and reforges their entire body with the same metal, becoming even closer to the deity that literally died so they may live.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

The Infernal Exalted in Nation of the Dead

These corrupt creatures are villains, perhaps only matched by the wickedness of the Abyssal exalted. Infernal exalts, more often than not are souls corrupted and chosen by individual archfiends, be they powerful yugoloths, demon princes or the lords of the nine. Fiends of lesser power are not capable of bestowing such power upon mortals. Easily corrupted minds of the right alignment are often sought out by agents of these archfiends, and once they are found and either studied or picked on the spot the archfiend will send their avatar to the individual and offer them the power, though if they reject it they are usually killed.
Certain demonic gods will sometimes follow this same method, gods such as Erythnul, Lolth or Levakross, but not frequently as the archfiends. Archfiends and fiendish gods will typically have an exaltation caste associated with them, such as Graz'zt having sway over Fiend Castes, Dagon over Malefactors and so on.
The Green Flames associated with Infernal Exalts aren't usually the same as they are in Nation of the Dead. Most often they are energies similar to a warlock's raw power, the power of Hellfire held by Mephistopheles or other horrid powers held by archfiends and vile gods.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

New Deities

Kamjaa of the Changing Moon (God of the City)
This god is considered the most powerful god of lycanthropes and many druids, though since the fall of Shello this god has fallen ill, and now walks along the edge between life and death. Kamjaa's power dwindled when most of her worshippers were slain on Shello fifteen years ago, but she had enough power to keep herself alive and hopefully regenerate her people, even if it means by her own womb. Kamjaa is never depicted as one static form, but commonly takes on the form of some kind of lycanthrope wearing silver armor, chains or robes and no matter her location she is bathed in moonlight. Kamjaa is chaotic neutral.
Worshippers of Kamjaa are usually lycanthropes, shifter or druids that feel most in touch with their inner beast. The typical garb of Kamjaa's worshipers are either that of silver cloth, metal and weapons, or of little more than their bare flesh. Kamjaa embodies the principles of natural change, evolution and nature and most among all her principles she favors natural selection, though she is merciful in it.
Clerics of Kamjaa have access to the Animal, Bestial, Chaos and Moon domains. Kamjaa's favored weapons are natural weapons(or the falchion). Kamjaa's holy symbol is the face of an animal or the amalgam of two or more animals in one depicted in silver.
Kamjaa no longer has heralds, and simply wishes to spread her most powerful followers to regenerate her kind and bring back Shello from the grave. This includes many of her Lunar exalted.

Signus Sol (Greater God of the City)
The brother of Pelor and one of the fathers of the Orichalcum Uron, Signus Sol is a god of greatness, valor, power and glory. It is said he was born from the flames of the sun, just as Pelor was born from it's light, and that the deity chooses not to live in the Realm of Lords, but on the very surface of the sun that sits high above it. He is usually depicted as a tall man made of white and yellow fire wearing shining golden armor and wielding a one-handed sword of gold. The god of Sunfire has roughly as many worshipers as his brother, and those that do are typically paladins, crusaders and martially capable clerics. Signus Sol is lawful good.
One of the many duties of Signus Sol and his worshipers is to defend life and glory for Tanzen, against the blackness of Arcnus Mortis. He also holds respect, strength and martial prowess in high regard, and looks down at cowardess and weakness. Clerics of Signus Sol will typically wield longswords and wear armor plated with gold, and robes of yellow or gold.
Clerics of Signus Sol have access to the Good, Glory, Sun and War domains. Signus Sol's holy symbol is a sword pointed up on top of a sun symbol, both in gold. His favored weapon is the longsword.
Signus Sol keeps many of his own exalted of the sun at his side as his avatars, heralds and champions.

More to come.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

This space reserved for any excess.

Feel free to respond.

[Agrippa]

I'm generally a fan of your work and this is no exception. That said I do have one question. You said that the Lords of the Nine would be among those who you think would patronize the Infernals if converted (partially) into D&D. Which castes do you think each individual Lord of the Nine would back, both official WOTC suplements and Dicefreaks Gates of Hell? I'd also welcome explanations for each. Thank you Krimm.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

I'm generally a fan of your work and this is no exception. That said I do have one question. You said that the Lords of the Nine would be among those who you think would patronize the Infernals if converted (partially) into D&D. Which castes do you think each individual Lord of the Nine would back, both official WOTC suplements and Dicefreaks Gates of Hell? I'd also welcome explanations for each. Thank you Krimm.

Hmmm. Probably something along the lines of...

Bel - Slayer
Dispater - Defiler
Mammon - Scourge or Fiend
Beliel and Fierna - Fiend or Defiler
Levistus - Scourge or Fiend
Glasya - Fiend
Baalzebul - Fiend or Malefactor
Mephistopheles - Slayer, Malefactor or Defiler
Asmodeus - Fiend

Edit: Explanations are obvious to me, but I'll write them all out when I have more time.

[Agrippa]

Hmmm. Probably something along the lines of...

Bel - Slayer
Dispater - Defiler
Mammon - Scourge or Fiend
Beliel and Fierna - Fiend or Defiler
Levistus - Scourge or Fiend
Glasya - Fiend
Baalzebul - Fiend or Malefactor
Mephistopheles - Slayer, Malefactor or Defiler
Asmodeus - Fiend

Those would certainly fit the official WOTC Lords of the Nine. The Dicefreaks ones might be a bit different on the other hand. Not intirely, just a little bit.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Those would certainly fit the official WOTC Lords of the Nine. The Dicefreaks ones might be a bit different on the other hand. Not intirely, just a little bit.

Yeah, I'm just not as familiar with those particular archfiends.

[Agrippa]

Yeah, I'm just not as familiar with those particular archfiends.

Any Exalteds of Gates of Hell Belial would probably by Solars interestingly enough. Though they'd be psychopatic Desus like Solars turned Lawful.

[The Tygre]

Krimm, you fool! The human body can only tolerate so much epic! You unleash so much, it's a wonder the whole forum isn't dead! How long have you been hiding this?! HOW LONG, KRIMM?! I can only handle so much!

This is my son; he needs his father!



Think of my son! YOU'RE KILLING MEEEE!

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Muahahahaha! Did you not see my plan all along? Were you so blind!? Soon you'll all perish! Soon you'll all fall into oblivion!

Oh... and havn't you suspected something strange about your boy there? Don't his eyes look a bit..... like mine? Don't worry, though. He will survive the onslaught...

[Eldan]

Ooh, isn't that a cute little baby... and those tentacles...
If you ever need to teach him how to rip people and houses to shreds with them, Ashator can gladly help.


Anyway, this is damn cool, Krimm. Now I really need to read the rest of the Exalted books. Not that I dind't want to do that anyway.