TEXT: TM
  
  1
  BY ALAN ALEXANDER, GENEVIEVE COGMAN, DANIEL DOVER, DAWN ELLIOT, 
  MICHAEL KESSLER, DUSTIN SHAMPEL, JOHN SNEAD AND ANDREW WATT
  TM
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  CREDITS
  Authors: Alan Alexander, Genevieve Cogman, Daniel 
  Dover, Dawn Elliot, Michael Kessler, Dustin Shampel, John 
  Snead and Andrew Watt
  Comic Scripter: Carl Bowen
  Developers: John Chambers and Dean Shomshak
  Editor: Scribendi.com
  Creative Director: Rich Thomas
  Production Manager: matt milberger
  Art Direction and Layout: Brian Glass
  Cover Art: Andrew Hepworth
  Artists: Tazio Bettin, Imaginary Friends Studio (with Reza 
  Ilyasa, Rhoald Marcellius and Chester Ocampo), McLean 
  Kendree, Priscilla Kim, Shipeng Lee, Terry Maranda, Jesse 
  McGibney, Orgnix Studios (with Jessica Yong), Claudia Sut-
  ton and UDON (with Leo Lingas, Saejin Oh, Chad Smith, 
  Chris Stevens and Adam Vehige) 
  © 2008 CCP hf. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission of the 
  publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, 
  which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf and Exalted are registered trademarks of 
  CCP hf. All rights reserved. The Compass of Terrestrial Directions, the East, the Scavenger Lands, the 
  West, the South, the North, the Age of Sorrows and the Second Age of Man are trademarks of CCP 
  hf. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by CCP hf.
  The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to 
  the trademark or copyright concerned.
  This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and su-
  pernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains 
  mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
  Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com/
  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
  COMING NEXT:
  GRACEFUL WICKED MASQUES —
  THE FAIR FOLK
  Denizens of the Wyld that surrounds Creation, the 
  raksha continue to wage war on shaped reality. Taking on 
  physical form, becoming the very thing they despise, the 
  so-called Fair Folk prey on the fringes of Creation, biding 
  their time until the next great crusade rides forth from the 
  formless madness beyond the world’s poles to finally end 
  the blasphemy of shape. Will the Exalted again succeed in 
  stemming the Fair Folk’s tide of destruction, or will they 
  be swept away by the Wyld onslaught, unable to unite 
  against this common foe?
  COMING NEXT IN THIS SERIES:
  THE COMPASS OF TERRESTRIAL DIRECTIONS, 
  VOL. IV — THE SOUTH
  Creation’s South is a land of startling juxtaposi-
  tions. Fertile farmland abuts harsh desert. Bastions of 
  First Age civilized glory are inhabited by barbarian 
  nomads. Gems and precious metals are plentiful, while 
  water is nowhere to be found. These stark contrasts have 
  shaped the region and its inhabitants, from the proud 
  but subjugated Harborheadites to the bloodthirsty Dune 
  People and from the ﬂ amboyant Delzahn to the servile 
  folk of An-Teng. Dare you face the South’s many dan-
  gers to claim its endless riches?
  
  3
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION 
  4
  CHAPTER ONE: A HISTORY OF THE EAST 
  8
  CHAPTER TWO: THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS 
  16
  CHAPTER THREE: STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS 
  62
  CHAPTER FOUR: SAVAGE LANDS 
  99
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST 
  127
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  INTRODUCTION
   
  INTRODUCTION
  INTRODUCTION
  Of all the sectors of Creation, the East possesses the 
  greatest habitable area. This region curls around the 
  Scavenger Lands in an immense arc. In the First Age, 
  many strange and wonderful cities rose in the East. The 
  Great Contagion and the Fair Folk invasion laid most 
  of them low, and the forest reclaimed the ruins. New 
  societies grow in the East, now, largely untouched by 
  the Realm—and frequently isolated from each other as 
  well. Some have ancient roots. Others are entirely new. 
  Not all this growth, however, is sane or healthy. Many 
  dangers lurk in the East: some obvious, many hidden.
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  The Compass of Terrestrial Directions, Vol. 
  III—The East is a setting book, designed to assist 
  players and Storytellers who want to set their Exalted 
  series in Creation’s forested frontier. The East holds 
  many societies, from miniscule tribes to the sprawling 
  wilderness kingdoms of Halta and Linowan. Some  of 
  these cultures reach toward new heights of civilization, 
  while others wallow in degeneracy. In the Time of 
  Tumult, they all face new challenges.
  Chapter One: Roots of the East
  This chapter gives an overview of Eastern history, 
  from the time of the pre-human Dragon Kings to the 
  present.
  Chapter Two: The Empire Wilderness
  Halta and Linowan, the two largest nations of the 
  East, have fought each other almost since their founding. 
  Each nation claims the patronage of a powerful god and 
  fights in that god’s name. For centuries, the war between 
  the river-loving Linowan and the tree-dwelling Haltans 
  was a stalemate. Recently, however, the Realm and the 
  Bull of the North both intervened in the eternal war. 
  If you go out to the woods today,
  You’d better not go alone.
  It’s lovely out in the woods today,
  but safer to stay at home.
  —Jimmy Kennedy, “Teddy Bear’s Picnic”
  
  6
  Leaders in both Linowan and Halta now ponder the 
  possibility that their long war might finally end in the 
  complete destruction of one side—or both.
  Chapter Three: Strange Hybrid Flowers
  Many Eastern countries are quite small, but are no 
  less unique for their size. This chapter describes the 
  funereal city-state of Sijan, the hawkriders of Mount 
  Metagalapa and the enigmatic nation of Chaya. In each 
  of these three places, mortals live in strange partnership 
  with other intelligences.
  Chapter Four: Savage Lands
  A great many Easterners do not live in nations 
  at all. They belong to tribes. This chapter describes a 
  number of the tribes dwelling in the Eastern forests. 
  Some tribes, such as the Ten Tribes of the remote 
  East, might become nations in time. Others, such as 
  the Wyld-touched Arczeckh Horde, seem caught in 
  savagery. The grimmest societies of the East, however, 
  occupy ruins from the First Age. In Mahalanka and 
  Rathess, remnants of ancient civilization join with 
  Exalted power and madness to produce horrors that 
  may well explode across the East.
  Chapter Five: Gods and Monsters of the East
  A wide variety of spirits, peoples and wild creatures 
  live in the East and shape its destiny. This chapter 
  describes a number of influential gods and Exalts, beast-
  men and other people who seem at least partly human, 
  and various animals and monsters. Some might become 
  allies or resources for Eastern characters; others serve 
  as deadly foes.
  
  7
  INTRODUCTION
  
  8
  
  CHAPTER ONE • A HISTORY OF THE EAST
  9
  From the mile-high conifers of Halta to the lush 
  jungles that hide Rathess, the East is the most expan-
  sive, populous and diverse of the four Directions of the 
  Threshold. The Elemental Pole of Wood defines not 
  merely the nature of plants but that of all life. From 
  the dawn of the First Age until the advent of the 
  Great Contagion, the gardens, fields and vineyards of 
  the Eastern territories served as the breadbasket of the 
  Solar empire and the Shogunate alike. Even now, dur-
  ing the Time of Tumult, when the various kingdoms, 
  principalities and nations of the East suffer from so 
  many problems, famine is rarely one of them. Wars, 
  pestilence and death, on the other hand…
  ANCIENT HISTORY
  Most modern savants agree that the very first hu-
  mans fashioned by the Primordials originally dwelled 
  CHAPTER ONE
  CHAPTER ONE
  A HISTORY OF 
  A HISTORY OF 
  THE EAST
  THE EAST
  in the East. The earliest human settlements began 
  within the territories of the Dragon Kings, to whom 
  the Primordials gave the task of overseeing the new life 
  form. The names of these first settlements were long 
  forgotten even before the first Exaltations—but Old 
  Sijan certainly existed in the Age before the Primordial 
  War, and the Dragon King capitol of Rathess definitely 
  existed long before Sijan. Old Sijan, the largest and 
  most populous human city of the time, fell along with 
  the Primordial known as Jheel-Khan, Whose Laughter 
  Turns the Skies to Blood. The dead Primordial’s body 
  fell on the area that later became the Black Chase. 
  The resulting earthquake destroyed Old Sijan and its 
  two million inhabitants. The victorious Solars rebuilt 
  Sijan and made it a memorial to the war dead. It has 
  served as Creation’s most famous purveyor of funereal 
  services ever since.
  
  10
  In the immediate aftermath of the Primordial War, 
  most Exalted actually resided in the Southeast. Although 
  the gods ascended to Yu-Shan, their former metropolis, 
  Meru, lay in ruins. The war left Rathess as the oldest and 
  most prominent city in Creation built by mortal hands. 
  It served as the capitol not only of the Dragon Kings 
  but also of all Creation for the first century or so after 
  the war’s end. The province that held Rathess, Ochre 
  Fountain, became the center of early human culture; 
  while Queen Merela of Rathess, the most powerful 
  and puissant of the post-war Solars, became the de 
  facto ruler of all Solar Exalted. Merela herself asserted 
  more than de facto rule: the Unconquered Sun himself 
  bestowed both the Creation Ruling Mandate and the 
  Crown of Thunders upon Merela, and she interpreted 
  these divine gifts to represent her right to rule as the 
  Incarna’s regent in Creation. Unsurprisingly, Merela’s 
  Solar peers disagreed.
  The resulting conflicts were brutal but short. Merela 
  consolidated her authority and became the Empress 
  of Creation, but the practical realities of the situation 
  required her to acknowledge a power-sharing relation-
  ship with the other Exalted in the form of the Solar 
  Deliberative. As a way of redirecting her political rivals 
  away from challenging her authority, Merela eventually 
  relocated the seat of Exalted power away from Rathess 
  to Meru. From that point, she redirected the other So-
  lars to the edges of the world, pushing them to expand 
  the boundaries of Creation in every direction. Merela’s 
  policy was to wield an increasingly lax control over ter-
  ritories the further they were from the Blessed Isle, with 
  the intentional result that Solars who most resisted her 
  authority moved as far from the Isle as possible. In the 
  hinterlands of Creation, they could rule as they wished 
  over their subjects.
  Throughout the High First Age, the East received 
  the largest share of these ambitious Lawgivers. The 
  Elemental Pole of Wood made the East the most fer-
  tile quarter of Creation, and its Essence facilitated the 
  creation and manipulation of new life forms. In the 
  Sandy River District, Exalted savants experimented with 
  microscopic Essence-wielding life forms. In the Flowing 
  Grasp Province, the Dawn Caste Sorraza Dalon twisted 
  the very souls of her subjects in hopes of creating the 
  perfect warriors. Had she lived long enough, she might 
  have succeeded, instead of leaving behind a people 
  congenitally obsessed with revenge and blood feuds. 
  Farther east, the young Lunar prodigy Silver Python 
  
  CHAPTER ONE • A HISTORY OF THE EAST
  11
  discovered mating techniques that permitted her (or 
  him, depending on his mood) to sire intelligent animal 
  offspring, the forerunners of modern Haltan ata-beasts 
  and san-beasts. Solars who established kingdoms within 
  the lands forged from the Wyld near the ever-receding 
  Elemental Pole of Wood could fashion even stranger 
  societies, as those peoples borne of the Wyld through 
  Solar Charms could have any characteristics their 
  makers desired.
  The High First Age also saw the creation of mighty 
  cities in the East, though few Old Realm cities endure 
  into modern times. Followers of Brigid the First Sorcer-
  ess founded Sperimin as Creation’s greatest center of 
  learning. In time, the Solar Deliberative ordained it as 
  the central repository for sorcerous lore. Dozens of cities 
  sprang up among the mighty Northeastern redwoods, 
  most notably Amber Salmiaren, famous for its elaborate 
  climate control system, the floating city of Sal-Maneth 
  and Malessa of the Eleven Towers.
  THE USURPATION
  A few Eastern Solars and Lunars escaped the wave 
  of murders that began the Usurpation. Most notably, 
  the great manse-builder Kal Bax and 11 of his followers 
  astonished the usurpers by teleporting directly away 
  from the initial attack and apparently vanishing from 
  Creation. The Dragon-Blooded never did learn their 
  fate. Only years later did the Green Lady, a Chosen of 
  Secrets, give her fellow Sidereals convincing evidence 
  of their deaths.
  Other Exalted escaped less dramatically, though 
  sometimes more successfully. The Solars Albaio and 
  Pleasant Clouds fought their way to Rathess where they 
  were brought down like common dogs. The dashing 
  Lunar socialite Ma-Ha-Suchi staged a daring rescue 
  of the young sorcerous prodigy Raksi from a circle of 
  Sidereal assassins who tried to slay her at Sperimin. 
  The two fled into the Wyld to escape their pursuers. 
  The gender-shifting Silver Python also escaped into the 
  Wyld, stopping long enough to rescue Rain Deathflyer—
  who had only just received Exaltation—from death.
  Although the Usurpation was a success by its own 
  terms, the East became the region most plagued by Solar 
  Anathema in future centuries. The Sidereals’ Jade Prison 
  never held the Exaltations of Albaio, Pleasant Clouds, 
  Bax and his cohorts and a few others. Mortals continue 
  to receive their Exaltations—frequently, in the East. 
  From the time of the Usurpation until quite recently, 
  however, such Anathema never seriously threatened 
  either the Shogunate or the Scarlet Empire, because 
  the Sidereal-led Wyld Hunt slew newly Exalted Solars 
  before they could come into their full power.
  THE SHOGUNATE ERA
  Like the Celestial Exalted before them, the 
  Dragon-Blooded shoguns found the East essential to 
  their hegemony. The East remained Creation’s bread-
  basket, and its High First Age infrastructure made it 
  vital to Shogunate security. Of course, that also meant 
  the East saw the bulk of the Shogunate’s internecine 
  conflicts.
  The remarkable bio-diversity of Eastern mortals 
  troubled the Dragon-Blooded, however, as they could 
  never escape the fear that the ancient Solars tainted 
  the races they fashioned at the edges of Creation, 
  and controlled them from beyond the grave. Almost 
  immediately after the Usurpation, nearly the entire 
  population of the Sandy River region died—human and 
  animal—of some unknown disease. In the 200th year of 
  the Shogunate, hordes of snakes and birds of all types 
  attacked the city of Manessa of the Eleven Towers and 
  ravaged it using what survivors insisted were organized 
  battle tactics. Similar phenomena plagued Eastern cities 
  as they did the rest of Creation, but perhaps with greater 
  vigor and regularity.
  Moreover, the Shogunate simply was never up to 
  the task of maintaining the First Age infrastructure of 
  the Solar Exalted. About 350 years after the Usurpation, 
  Sal-Maneth’s anti-gravity mechanisms failed due to the 
  inability of the Dragon-Blooded to maintain them. The 
  floating city dropped nearly 200 feet before coming to a 
  rest, at a noticeable incline, on the branches of several 
  giant redwoods. Unable either to restore the city to 
  flight or even to guarantee its structural integrity in its 
  new resting place, the Shogunate evacuated the city of 
  all but its essential personnel.
  THE GREAT CONTAGION
  No living person ever identified the precise vec-
  tor by which the Great Contagion entered Creation, 
  but savants know it began someplace in the Far East, 
  then spread rapidly along the densely populated river-
  lands. The birthplace of that dread disease lay in the 
  Noss Fens, one of Creation’s oldest shadowlands. The 
  First Age Solars did not discover the Noss Fens until 
  several centuries after the Primordial War, and so, its 
  origin remains uncertain. The ancient Solars knew 
  that the center of the Noss Fens held a strange set of 
  ruins that they initially took for prehistoric relics of 
  the Dragon Kings, but some Solars suspected them to 
  be far, far older.
  
  12
  After the Usurpation, the Dragon-Blooded were too 
  busy to worry about a quiescent shadowland at the edge 
  of Creation; they cared more about the shadowlands 
  created during the Usurpation and its aftermath, such 
  as Marama’s Fell and the City of Dead Flowers. Their 
  apathy nearly destroyed the world.
  In time, the Noss Fens became home to one of the 
  most powerful and malignant of those beings that would 
  later become known as Deathlords: the Dowager of the 
  Irreverent Vulgate in Unrent Veils. Within the Fens, 
  the Dowager discovered an ancient power source called 
  the Well of Udr that she used to open a connection to 
  the very heart of the Labyrinth. Through her peerless 
  necromancy, the Dowager shaped the chthonic forces 
  rising from the Well into the Great Contagion and 
  unleashed it on an unsuspecting world.
  The death toll of the Contagion brought the Shogu-
  nate to its knees and destroyed almost every remnant of 
  Old Realm culture and society in the East. It incidentally 
  frayed Creation with many new shadowlands. Worse, 
  in the Contagion’s aftermath, the Fair Folk stormed 
  the gates of reality and sought to undo all of Creation. 
  Most of the East’s outer perimeter collapsed back into 
  the Wyld. Untold millions of square miles within the 
  provinces once known as Flowing Grasp, Serene Canopy 
  and the Labyrinth of Soothing Shadows boiled out of 
  existence within hours of the Fair Folk invasion. Even 
  those territories that survived the collapse of Creation’s 
  boundaries suffered disruptions of local reality, with 
  Wyld zones of varying sizes emerging throughout the 
  East. One of the most extreme distortions relocated 
  Mount Metagalapa to a new position hanging in midair. 
  Other parts of Creation saw their geography reordered 
  as Wyld storms swept in the Fair Folk’s wake.
  THE IMPERIAL AGE
  The Terrestrial Exalt who became the Scarlet 
  Empress drove the invaders back, but the East, like 
  the rest of the Threshold, lost at least 40 percent of its 
  pre-Contagion territory. The societies in the regions 
  left behind soon collapsed into anarchy and barbarism. 
  In the aftermath of the Fair Folk invasion, the Scarlet 
  Empress focused her immediate attention on con-
  solidating her authority and securing the obedience of 
  the Threshold territories. She succeeded more at the 
  former goal than at the latter—mainly because the 
  discipline and magitech resources of Lookshy enabled 
  the new city-state to repel several Realm invasions. 
  Any military adventure the Imperial Army attempts 
  in the East must deal with the presence of a hostile 
  Lookshy at its back.
  The Scarlet Empire did eventually annex several 
  Eastern territories, most prominently the Shogunate of 
  Calin and the city of Greyfalls. In time, the Dynasty 
  forged an alliance with the Queen of the Linowan. 
  The Empress also agreed to recognize the historical 
  neutrality of Sijan, although she had little motive to 
  do otherwise. Sijan had no assets of use to her empire, 
  except a potentially strategic location at an important 
  river juncture… if Lookshy were not in the way.
  THE LUNARS RETURN
  In the earliest days of the Scarlet Empire, the Em-
  press did not make a priority of pursuing Anathema 
  who lived beyond her sphere of influence, while the 
  Sidereals who secretly ran the Wyld Hunt cared more 
  about mopping up residual Fair Folk invaders. As a 
  result, the Lunar Exalted escaped constant Wyld Hunt 
  harassment for the first time in centuries. The Silver 
  Pact soon established footholds among the collapsed 
  societies at Creation’s rim. The elders who returned 
  to the East included Rain Deathflyer, Silver Python, 
  Ma-Ha-Suchi and Raksi. Regrettably, the latter two 
  Lunars fared poorly during their sojourn in the Wyld. 
  Ma-Ha-Suchi suffered such deformity while in the Deep 
  Wyld that his fellow Lunars nearly put him down as 
  a chimera, while Raksi’s experiences during the exile 
  afflicted her with a host of derangements.
  Rain Deathflyer and Silver Python relocated to 
  the Far Northeastern forests, where they joined tribes 
  of hawkmen, snakemen and various sentient animals 
  to the human population, and so laid the foundations 
  of the Republic of Halta. Ma-Ha-Suchi returned to his 
  First Age manse that he repurposed as a base of opera-
  tions. Then, he began a long-term beastman breeding 
  project, using captured local mortals as breeding stock. 
  Raksi seized the ancient and virtually abandoned city of 
  Sperimin, renamed it Mahalanka, and devoted herself 
  to studying the mighty Book of Three Circles.
  NEW SOCIETIES RISE
  One of the first new societies to emerge in the East 
  was the Republic of Chaya, which officially came into 
  existence in RY 80. The Chayans were originally mortal 
  refugees who, desperate for food and shelter, colonized 
  the long-abandoned and supposedly haunted Sandy 
  Rivers region. Instead of plague, they found strange 
  gods who guided them to build one of Creation’s most 
  orderly societies… except for one month of the year, 
  when everyone goes mad. In the Northeast, Rain 
  Deathflyer and Silver Python proceeded methodically 
  in the construction of Halta, while remaining unknown 
  to the Haltans themselves. Over the centuries, Halta 
  
  CHAPTER ONE • A HISTORY OF THE EAST
  13
  grew into one of the most expansive and powerful na-
  tions of the East.
  Meanwhile, the pitiful survivors of Mount Meta-
  galapa adjusted to the fact that their home now floated 
  in the air too high for any of them to reach the ground. 
  They developed a close-knit and insular society designed 
  to maximize their limited resources and protect them 
  from their beastman enemies. Only recently have the 
  Metagalapans mastered the art of taming giant hawks 
  to use as steeds capable of reaching the ground.
  To the south, Raksi repopulated Mahalanka with 
  an assortment of simian beastmen and loyal Wyld 
  barbarians. Since her conquest of the city, the children 
  of Raksi have defended Mahalanka from all intruders 
  on the Lunar’s sanctity, but the society she built is 
  unstable; her followers seek little beyond worshipping 
  their mistress.
  Not all mortals of the Second Age succeeded in 
  building a society; some just saw their cultures slowly 
  die out. In Rathess, the Contagion destroyed the last 
  remnants of culture and enlightenment among the 
  Dragon Kings. Today, a few thousand feral “stalkers” 
  are all that remains of their once-proud population. 
  Further east, the Ten Tribes of the Oak, after centuries 
  of faithful service to their god Elder Oak, found them-
  selves betrayed by their deity and abandoned for an 
  army of invading loggers. Today, the Ten Tribes teeter 
  on the brink of cultural extinction, while the logging 
  city of Farhold grows with Elder Oak’s enthusiastic 
  support. Throughout the East, moreover, innumerable 
  tribes of humans, near-humans and beastmen have 
  neither flourished nor declined, subsisting in the same 
  barbarian, hunter-gatherer collectives first established 
  by their post-Contagion ancestors more than seven 
  centuries ago.
  WAR IN THE EAST
  Like so many places during the post-Contagion era, 
  the East is no stranger to martial conflict. The region 
  has largely escaped the Realm incursions that plagued 
  the Scavenger Lands—mostly because the Realm had 
  to go through the Scavenger Lands first—but that only 
  left its peoples free to pursue conflicts with one another. 
  In RY 280, a protracted and bloody war between the 
  Linowan and the Haltans ended with the Battle of the 
  Fields of Woe, which created the shadowland of the 
  same name. The resulting truce did not last long: in 
  RY 318, the Linowan invaded Halta a second time in 
  the disastrous War of Summer Conflagration.
  The Arczeckhi, a primitive and savage breed of Wyld 
  barbarians, first made its presence felt in the East in 
  the middle of the third century post-Contagion. These 
  denizens of the Southeastern wastes regularly raided 
  Chaya and then throughout the Hundred Kingdoms, 
  until Lookshy mercenaries handed them a decisive 
  defeat in RY 435.
  For all their casualties and destruction, however, 
  none of these conflicts ever represented as seismic a 
  shift in the East as a new threat from outside: the rise 
  of the Bull of the North.
  THE ANATHEMA WARLORD
  The Bull of the North is certainly not the first 
  Anathema to become a warlord in the East. The Wyld 
  Hunt has existed since the Usurpation for the express 
  purpose of ending such threats, whether Lunar invad-
  ers from the Wyld or the reincarnations of those few 
  Solars who survived the Usurpation. It has done so with 
  ruthless efficiency ever since. Ten years ago, the Wyld 
  Hunt suffered one of its few failures, and the ramifica-
  tions now threaten the Realm’s future.
  At that time, the Anathema now called the Bull 
  of the North was simply an aging icewalker barbarian 
  named Yurgen Kaneko, who left his tribe to seek an 
  honorable death in the Northern winter. Exaltation 
  gave him a new life, and a lifetime of wilderness survival 
  training bolstered by Solar Charms enabled him to 
  lure his Wyld Hunt pursuers into a fatal trap. Kaneko 
  then kept a low profile for the next several years as he 
  quietly unified the icewalker tribes and forged them 
  into an army.
  In RY 761, Kaneko unleashed his horde in a two-
  pronged attack, sending part against the Rokan-Jin and 
  Talinin tribes south of Linowan, while personally leading 
  the rest of his forces against Linowan from the north. 
  Realizing that the Bull intended to conquer her entire 
  country, the Linowan queen petitioned the Realm for 
  aid. Meanwhile, the Republic of Halta, sensing a power-
  ful ally against the Linowan, allied with Kaneko.
  For all the Bull’s considerable power, his icewalkers 
  and Haltans initially were no match for battle-hardened 
  Imperial troops. The Tepet legions decisively defeated 
  the icewalkers under the command of the Bull’s Dragon-
  Blooded lieutenant, Mors Ialden, at the Battle of Krellen 
  Ford. The victory was pyrrhic, however: although Tepet 
  Arada’s armies inflicted heavy casualties on Ialden’s 
  troops, they could not prevent Ialden from rendezvous-
  ing with the Bull. The combined forces of Ialden and 
  Kaneko, bolstered with the sorcery of Kaneko’s Zenith 
  Caste ally Samea, devastated the Tepet pursuers.
  Tepet Arada might still have defeated the Anath-
  ema and his barbarian hordes had disaster not struck 
  
  14
  the Realm. The Scarlet Empress actually vanished 
  during the Calibration following RY 763, but her dis-
  appearance did not become widely known until later 
  in RY 764. Almost immediately thereafter, the Tepet 
  legions suffered reductions in supplies, armaments and 
  reinforcements, as their Dynastic rivals schemed for 
  the throne. Then, the Solars returned en masse, and 
  all hell broke loose.
  The simultaneous re-emergence of scores of Solar 
  Anathema across Creation caught the Sidereals off 
  guard. The Bronze Faction’s position was further weak-
  ened when the Great Houses started reallocating their 
  assets away from the Wyld Hunt and foreign wars, and 
  toward parochial concerns. Several returning Solars 
  flocked to the Bull’s banner, and one helped him im-
  measurably without even meaning to: In Ascending 
  Fire of RY 764, the Dawn Caste known as Lyta Exalted 
  on the grounds of the Palace Sublime itself, and before 
  fleeing the Blessed Isle, she killed more than 30 Im-
  maculate monks scheduled to travel to Linowan and 
  aid the Tepets.
  Worst of all, the Bull stepped up his assault, exercis-
  ing the full force of Celestial-level Charms and sorcery 
  against the Dragon-Blooded for the first time since the 
  Usurpation. The Bronze Faction escalated in response, 
  going so far as to magically exterminate the entire mortal 
  population of the city of Fallen Lapis, capital of the na-
  tion of Ardeleth, which had declared allegiance to the 
  Bull. In retaliation, the enraged Solar killed one of the 
  Sidereals in personal combat. (Heaven’s own govern-
  ment executed the other Sidereal for war crimes.) The 
  eldritch destruction of Fallen Lapis still mystifies and 
  terrifies people throughout the Northeast because they 
  don’t know who did it, how or who might be next.
  Divine politics, combined with shock over the 
  unforeseen death of two members, led the Bronze Fac-
  tion to withdraw from the East. Without it, the legions 
  found themselves helpless before the Bull’s superior 
  magical power. Late in Ascending Earth of RY 764, 
  the Bull annihilated the Imperial forces at the Battle 
  of Futile Blood. In the process, he crippled one of the 
  Great Houses and threw the supremacy of the Scarlet 
  Empire itself into doubt. Throughout the East, as in the 
  rest of the Threshold, people plan for a future without 
  the Realm. Some people fear this future; others see a 
  chance to fulfill their wildest ambitions. While the Bull’s 
  victory holds the greatest import for the Northeast, it 
  heralds a Time of Tumult for the entire region.
  
  CHAPTER ONE • A HISTORY OF THE EAST
  15
  TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN THE EAST
  Below is a timeline of major events in the history of the East. “RY” means Realm Year, referring 
  to the Scarlet Empire’s calendar. No dates from before the Fair Folk invasion are given: due to Wyld-
  influenced temporal anomalies, chronology from before the Great Contagion is so approximate and 
  contradictory as to be meaningless.
  Realm Year 
  Event
  0 
  The Scarlet Empress defeats the Fair Folk. Mount Metagalapa takes flight.
  1 
  End of the Great Contagion.
  8 
  Ma-Ha-Suchi returns to the Salon Provocative.
  19 
  Raksi and her beastmen conquer Sperimin.
  22 
  The Scarlet Empress endorses Bendaris as Queen of the Linowan.
  27 
  Elder Oak adopts refugees from Sperimin; start of the Ten Tribes of the Oak.
  75 
  Realm troops occupy Sijan.
  77 
  Realm troops leave Sijan, apparently without arriving anywhere else.
  80 
  Republic of Chaya formally established in Sandy River region.
  265 
  War between Laris and Velen draws in other countries and spills onto Chaya. 
  Use of Essence weapons apparently poisons the Sandy River for years to come.
  280 
  Battle of the Fields of Woe.
  281 
  Treaty between the Republic of Halta and local Fair Folk.
  318 
  War of Summer Conflagration between Linowan and Halta.
  364 
  Arczechk Horde unsuccessfully invades Chaya; Lookshy drives them out.
  367 
  Two Chayan towns attempt secession, are mysteriously destroyed.
  450 
  The Haltan Succession Crisis.
  547 
  Fair Folk briefly invade Chaya, leave unsatisfied.
  610 
  The warlord Erushon occupies Chaya; frenzying Chayans tear him and his army 
  limb from limb.
  657 
  Filial Wisdom comes to Rathess; two years later, he becomes the leader of Han-
  Tha’s cult.
  661 
  The hawkriders of Mount Metagalapa initiate contact with the surface world.
  667 
  Founding of Farhold.
  761 
  Bull of the North attacks Rokan-Jin and Talinin tribes in southern Linowan 
  territories.
  763 
  Tepet legions join with Linowan against the Bull of the North and his icewalkers.
  764 
  The Scarlet Empress disappears. Tepet legions score several initial victories against 
  the Bull of the North, but ultimately cannot compete with the Bull’s superior 
  magic. Tepet legions destroyed at Battle of Futile Blood.
  768 
  Present day.
  
  16
  
  17
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Just past Sijan, the Silver River joins the River of 
  Tears. As you travel upstream for thousands of miles, 
  the meadows grow smaller and the forests of mingled 
  hardwoods and conifers more extensive. The Silver 
  River flows from a mighty lake formed where several 
  other rivers join. This was called the Silver Tarn in 
  the First Age, but the Linowan who live in the area 
  now call it Lake Sanazala. Heading further north or 
  east along any of these tributaries, fir and pine become 
  more common. To the east, mighty redwoods eventually 
  dominate the forest. As the land grows chillier to the 
  north, hardy larch and spruce take over. The immense 
  Golden Leaf Canal, a wonder of the Old Realm, cuts 
  across the Silver River tributaries in an arc more than 
  1,600 miles long.
  Two mighty nations dominate this vast region: the 
  river-loving Linowan and the tree-dwelling Haltans. 
  CHAPTER TWO
  CHAPTER TWO
  THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Between them, they control an area almost as large as 
  the Blessed Isle. They are also locked in a perpetual war 
  that has lasted for centuries, with no end in sight.
  LINOWAN
  The Linowan people live along the length of the 
  Silver River and its tributaries. Their sailors ply the riv-
  ers all the way to the Inland Sea as fishers and pirates, 
  bringing back trout, whales and booty alike. While few 
  Linowan farm, they constantly attempt to expand their 
  meadows and hardwood copses at the expense of the 
  Northeastern redwood forest, cutting down trees and 
  killing Haltans whenever they can.
  The Linowan Queen, Arkasi, seeks Realm legions 
  and Dragon-Blooded aid against the Haltans, while 
  simultaneously juggling hostilities against the Bull of 
  the North. The Realm indulged her once and the result 
  
  18
  was the greatest military disaster the Scarlet Empire 
  had suffered in centuries. Queen Arkasi now lobbies for 
  greater help. In doing so, she may draw the region into 
  the struggles of the Time of Tumult: the Haltan lands 
  have powerful Lunar guardians, while the Realm itself 
  is in turmoil. The Linowan may become simply a pawn 
  in greater power struggles, possibly to their doom.
  HISTORY
  Very little of Linowan history was ever written 
  down; the people preserve their history through songs 
  and stories, with carved wooden masks and poles to 
  remind them of great events. Most of it would not 
  interest anyone but Linowan.
  Long ago, however, this land was part of the Flow-
  ing Grasp Province of the Old Realm, a land of great 
  prosperity and sinister ambitions. The land remains rich 
  and fertile, but marked by ominous scars. The Linowan 
  do not know the source of the lights that shine from 
  the vast Crypt of the Windrider, and they do not want 
  to find out. This massive castle-tomb is not the only 
  shadowland in the region, either. Most Linowan treat all 
  ruins of the past as uncanny places, best avoided. They 
  have no tales from before the Great Contagion, let alone 
  the Old Realm; the Linowan call this the Time Before 
  Us, and say it is not good for mortal folk to know.
  THE OTHER COUNTRIES
  In few other parts of Creation does the 
  map deceive so profoundly. Outsiders ignorant 
  of the Northeast—such as Realm folk, or even 
  most people in the Scavenger Lands—think 
  Halta and Linowan are the only nations in the 
  Northeast, and that everyone must therefore be 
  Haltan or Linowan.
  Not so! This region holds many other cul-
  tures, ranging from tiny villages and tribes to 
  nations hundreds of miles wide. Some of these 
  countries and cultures acknowledge Linowan or 
  Haltan dominance as tributaries or protectorates; 
  others stay fully sovereign. Quite a few would be 
  considered important countries in their own right, 
  except that Halta and Linowan are so much larger. 
  Conversely, Halta and Linowan are strikingly 
  loose empires that actually control very little of 
  the territory the map shows as theirs. They sur-
  round some countries and interpenetrate others, 
  such that half the people in a community might 
  be Linowan citizens while the other half claims 
  some other nationality and live by other laws.
  Most notably, Halta overlaps three separate 
  domains of the Fair Folk. In these areas, the raksha 
  rule the ground and the Haltans rule the trees; 
  separate nations, each recognizing the other’s sov-
  ereignty, separated by just six feet—vertically.
  SHADOWS OF THE FIRST AGE
  The Linowan know so little of the Old Realm 
  in part because the river bottoms where they live 
  are unusually deficient in literary remains, and 
  the ruins are especially ruinous. In the battles of 
  the Usurpation, a powerful Eclipse Caste named 
  Heihtil Menander called in hundreds of bargains 
  and oaths to spirits and elementals to send floods 
  against Dragon-Blooded armies, incidentally 
  washing away entire lowland cities and every 
  scrap of paper they contained. Heihtil Menander 
  himself fell in his cataclysm and his body was never 
  found; the Dragon-Blooded erected a cenotaph 
  (location now unknown) to appease his vengeful 
  spirit and contain his staff and ring.
  A subtler relic may lurk in the blood and bones 
  of the Linowan people. A Dawn Caste named Sor-
  raza Dalon used the country in a project to culture 
  ideal warriors. They were supposed to be capable 
  of fearless, ruthless aggression, then return to a 
  peaceful, civilian mindset with neither anguish at 
  their deeds nor continued rage at their enemies. 
  She half succeeded: Sorraza didn’t quite perfect 
  the off switch for her perfect warriors. Countless 
  people in the Flowing Grasp Province fought the 
  Dragon-Blooded at her behest, without a trace of 
  fear or mercy. Most of them died. The survivors 
  became ancestors of the Linowan.
  Linowan certainly are enthusiastic warriors, 
  ready to fight at a moment’s notice. They hold 
  grudges and vendettas to a remarkable degree. 
  Do they live as pawns of Sorraza Dalon?
  Maybe; maybe not. Many centuries have 
  passed. Other people moved into the region, during 
  the Shogunate and after the Great Contagion, so 
  Linowan blood carries only a trickle from Sorraza’s 
  warriors. Other cultures, in other parts of Creation, 
  are also prone to vendetta and perpetual war. No 
  mortal alive today even knows what Sorraza Dalon 
  did, and none but the Five Maidens could guess 
  the consequences if the Linowan learned about 
  their First Age heritage.
  
  19
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  THE LINOWAN NATION BEGINS
  At the end of the Low First Age, the Silver River 
  region once more supported flourishing towns and a 
  thriving population of farmers. It also had clans of 
  people who spent most of their lives on the river. When 
  the Great Contagion struck, the farmers, boat clans 
  and townsfolk all died; but the boat clans died a little 
  less, because they lived in smaller groups and had less 
  contact with other people. These boat people became 
  the ancestors of the Linowan. The Contagion taught 
  the proto-Linowan that water meant safety, towns were 
  dangerous and the only good raksha was a dead one.
  The proto-Linowan became a nation in the way 
  that so many countries began after the Great Con-
  tagion: through the efforts of an outcaste Terrestrial 
  Exalt. Bendaris, a spirit negotiator for the Shogunate, 
  did her best to organize the boat people into a country. 
  The Linowan honor her as their founder. Bendaris built 
  Rubylak as her capital, though the town grew slowly. 
  She also learned, through trial and error, that trying 
  to re-create the Shogunate civil service among people 
  with no fixed abode didn’t work very well. Instead, 
  she awarded noble titles to cronies and clan leaders, 
  beginning the Linowan aristocracy.
  Queen Bendaris allied with the Realm. She did not 
  become a vassal, exactly, but she accepted the Scarlet 
  Empress as de facto ruler of Creation. For her part, the 
  Empress treated Queen Bendaris as the de facto ruler 
  of the Silver River—for what that was worth. The 
  sense of a privileged relationship with the awesome, 
  distant and little-understood Scarlet Empire has lasted 
  ever since.
  Queen Bendaris made another fateful decision 
  when she gave up her attempts to instill the Immaculate 
  faith and sought the favor of Golden-Eyed Jorst, whom 
  many of her people worshipped anyway. Her attempts to 
  extend her empire to the Silver River’s headwaters ran 
  into the nascent kingdom of Halta, a nation pledged to 
  Jorst’s rival Caltia. A simple attempt to seize territory 
  quickly became a religious war without end.
  Once the war began, Queen Bendaris exploited 
  it to draw the Linowan together. A common enemy 
  tamped down the feuds between the boat clans; they 
  competed to kill Haltans instead of each other. The need 
  for fortresses justified the imposition of taxes. When 
  Bendaris died two centuries after the Great Contagion, 
  she left a growing nation. The pattern of Linowan life 
  was set, with clusters of extended families called boat 
  
  20
  clans, and war bands assembled to fight the Haltans or 
  go river raiding.
  In RY 279, the Linowan learned what their war 
  against Halta could cost. Hordes of Linowan warriors 
  invaded Halta. Equal numbers of Haltan soldiers met 
  them. They slaughtered each other so completely that 
  the battlefield became the shadowland now called the 
  Field of Woe.
  In RY 318, the Linowan tried again. Bendaris’ descen-
  dants included no more Exalted, enabling a charismatic 
  outcaste Terrestrial named Summer Conflagration to seize 
  the throne. Summer Conflagration led hundreds of war 
  canoes upstream in a massive assault on Halta. She did 
  not comprehend the extent of the aid the Haltans could 
  gain through their treaty with the Fair Folk, negotiated in 
  the aftermath of the previous Linowan invasion. In the 
  initial encounter, Summer Conflagration and her host 
  burned a band of Fair Folk into ash. On the next day, an 
  enormous horde of hobgoblins and cataphractoi attacked 
  her army. The Fair Folk slew Summer Conflagration and 
  devoured her troops. Only a few dozen members of this 
  great armada returned to report their defeat.
  In the following centuries, one Linowan queen after 
  another asked the Realm for help to crush Halta. The 
  Scarlet Empress consistently sent only minor aid: she 
  cared little about barbarian nations at the edge of the 
  world when she had important foes such as Lookshy to 
  guard against and rich satrapies to keep subjugated. On 
  the other hand, the courage and skill of Linowan aux-
  iliaries as wilderness scouts made them valued adjuncts 
  to Realm military operations in the North and East.
  RECENT EVENTS
  For centuries, the war between Halta and Linowan 
  was a stalemate. Neither side could conquer the other, 
  and no one from outside cared to intervene. That 
  changed in RY 761. The charismatic Solar warlord 
  called the Bull of the North brought his icewalker 
  horde to the region. He took the Linowan completely 
  by surprise; the icewalkers lived more than 1,000 miles 
  away, after all. What could they do?
  Quite a lot, it turned out. The Bull’s envoys con-
  vinced two kingdoms, Bloody River and Ardaleth, to 
  conquer tribes and kingdoms living south of Linowan 
  territory. Linowan offered what aid it could to its 
  beleaguered southern allies, Talinin and Rokan-Jin. 
  Suddenly, the Linowan faced an icewalker army to their 
  northwest and an allied, hostile army to their southeast. 
  Then the Haltan queen approached the Bull of the 
  North, proposing an alliance against their common foe, 
  and providing both military and logistical support.
  The war dragged on for many months, becoming 
  increasingly large and deadly. When the Bull committed 
  his Zenith Caste ally Samea to the struggle, together 
  with a Second Circle demon and a pair of ronin celestial 
  lions, the Linowan appealed to the Realm for help. The 
  Realm sent in the Tepet legions. Slightly more than 
  a year later, the combination of powerful Solar magic 
  and Charms with Haltan and icewalker troops wiped 
  out the last remains of the Tepet legions in the Battle 
  of Futile Blood. The loss of these legions stunned both 
  the Realm and its Linowan allies.
  The last of the minor kingdoms south of the 
  Linowan fell near the beginning of RY 765. The Bull 
  then stopped to consolidate his victories, but he may 
  turn his attention back to Linowan at any time. The 
  Haltan troops pulled back as well, allowing the Linowan 
  to retrench and consider their situation.
  While much of the fighting took place outside Linow-
  an territory itself, the country and people still suffered. 
  Their war bands still mourn their dead and recruit new 
  members. The Queen and royal clan are in a quandary: 
  while their alliance with the Realm undoubtedly saved 
  them from being overrun by the Bull of the North, the 
  fact remains that his forces slaughtered the Realm’s 
  legions. With the Empress herself now gone, how much 
  help can the Realm provide if the Bull attacks again? All 
  Linowan would revolt against the idea of subservience 
  to an ally of Halta—but how can they stop him?
  Would any other Celestial Exalted accept Linowan’s 
  current alliance with the Realm? Can the Linowan put 
  aside their war with Halta to deal with a new threat? This 
  would be more difficult than ever, since the Linowan 
  chiefs blame Halta for their losses more than perhaps 
  they should. At the moment, few Linowan would even 
  consider a solution that didn’t involve thorough and 
  bloody revenge against somebody. Yet the Linowan 
  may have to quell their anger for once, if they hope to 
  survive as a nation.
  GEOGRAPHY
  Linowan territory lies in a wide band of meadows 
  and deciduous forests, stretching along the Silver River 
  and its tributaries. This territory reaches at least 1,600 
  miles and, in places, extends 800 miles wide. Linowan 
  rarely live more than 20 miles from a navigable river, 
  though, so this immense swath contains tribes, villages 
  and whole nations of other peoples. Many of these local 
  cultures accept some degree of Linowan dominance, 
  though few are ruled outright. Indeed, the Linowan na-
  tion has only one border, that of Halta to the northeast. 
  In every other direction, Linowan settlements simply 
  
  21
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  peter out with no clear boundary between them and 
  other territories. Linowan villages may have border 
  disputes with other local communities, but these do 
  not concern the nation as a whole.
  On the other hand, the Linowan watch their Hal-
  tan border closely. The slightest incursion (if detected) 
  provokes an immediate response, and the Linowan 
  themselves raid across it constantly. Young warriors 
  prove their martial prowess in such attacks, while older 
  ones stage retributive strikes or simply fight to hold 
  back Haltan incursions.
  In the southwest, Linowan territory fades some-
  where opposite the Black Chase shadowland; the 
  Linowan avoid the Black Chase itself and make no 
  claim to that territory. Neither does anyone else.
  LINOWAN CLIMATE
  Linowan has long, humid summers; the mosquitoes 
  gather over standing pools of water, bringing disease with 
  them, but the fish are plentiful and wild foodstuffs grow 
  in abundance. Spring and fall are both brisker seasons, 
  with the winds from northwest and southwest bringing 
  short, sharp showers of rain. Occasional heavy storms 
  and downpours are believed to bring the best fish to the 
  surface of deep lakes and rivers, resulting in Linowan 
  fishing boats and canoes heading out by the dozens.
  In the winter, winds from the north beat across the 
  Linowan meadows. While southern Linowan merely 
  becomes chilly, northern Linowan suffers occasional bliz-
  zards. The rivers fill with broken ice, and the smaller lakes 
  freeze over. The Linowan themselves take to snowshoes 
  and ice skates when they must journey on foot.
  Winds from the deep East carry the spores and pol-
  len of strange plants from Halta and the eastern Wyld. 
  The Linowan regard them as unlucky, and often speak 
  of projects that have gone wrong as “touched by the 
  Eastern wind.”
  CITIES AND TOWNS
  Linowan towns are collections of wooden buildings 
  that range from simple log cabins to elaborate “stave” 
  structures built from narrow boards layered like the 
  quills of a porcupine. While ordinary dwellings are usu-
  ally low longhouses, public buildings such as shrines or 
  palaver houses rise in exuberant stacks of gables. The 
  population generally cycles in and out through the year, 
  with people leaving to go raiding, trading, fishing or 
  spend time on the Haltan frontier. The larger towns 
  need to bring in food, as they can’t gather sufficient 
  victuals in the vicinity. Each boat clan arranges its 
  own shipments of food, sending their gatherers, hunt-
  ers and fishers out separately. In times of famine and 
  hardship, the matriarchs of the local boat clans meet 
  in the palaver house to negotiate hunting territory and 
  to share supplies.
  Linowan’s capital, Rubylak, is its only real city. Ruby-
  lak sprawls across both banks of the Silver River. The 
  west bank holds the main part of the city, including the 
  dwellings for the royal clan, nobles and foreign dignitaries. 
  The east bank hosts the main cargo docks, warehouses and 
  war fleet installations. It’s a haven for ruffians, alcohol, 
  gambling and dubious trading. A war band from the royal 
  clan, led by Eluan Dagger-Tooth, patrols regularly to keep 
  the place under some semblance of control. Day and night, 
  boats ranging from one-man coracles to large dugouts and 
  rafts sail between the west and east bank.
  Rubylak’s population fluctuates but seldom exceeds 
  50,000. Other Linowan towns are even smaller, seldom 
  exceeding 10,000 souls. The Linowan simply prefer vil-
  lages and their boats. Whenever disease sweeps through 
  a community, the Linowan promptly evacuate to their 
  rivers. Even Rubylak has been left a virtual ghost town 
  for months at a time. Notable towns include Basten, 
  Galdtern and Shadowholt.
  Basten, located on the westernmost tributary of 
  the Silver River, has become increasingly militarized 
  of late. The town’s locally influential Whitewater boat 
  clan sponsors several new war bands. Setheda Sealcut-
  ter, leader of the largest war band, is paranoid about 
  Haltan and icewalker spies. Her war band inspects all 
  trade caravans and canoes going in and out of Basten. 
  While she herself is a woman of integrity, some of her 
  junior commanders take bribes. Basten used to see traders 
  from as far away as Crystal, but Setheda’s harassment 
  drives the merchants north to Haltan towns such as 
  River Blossom and Resplendent Peak.
  Galdtern, located where the Silver River emerges 
  from Lake Sanazala, sees a constant stream of young 
  war bands passing through, eager to make their first 
  raid on Halta. While some bands return victorious, 
  others return decimated or not at all. While the people 
  of Galdtern loathe the Haltans as much as any other 
  Linowan, they see the carnage a bit more than most: 
  a significant fraction of the town’s population consists 
  of maimed warriors who feel too ashamed to go home. 
  Arrisa, the matriarch of the dominant Mouth of Many 
  Waters boat clan, cares more about keeping the border 
  forts manned and the Linowan presence strong than in 
  giving newcomers easy assignments. The local shaman 
  Elleno Hawkswift, on the other hand, listens to the 
  spirits when guiding new war bands and directs some 
  young warriors to surprising victories.
  
  22
  Shadowholt lies opposite the Black Chase; most 
  Linowan consider it more or less their southern 
  border. Here the Linowan build in brick as much as 
  wood, and the local clay fires to a gray-black hue. 
  Trade with Sijan and other southern cities makes 
  the people prosperous. Shadowholt also forms the 
  jumping-off place for expeditions downriver to the 
  Scavenger Lands and the sea. A bend in the river 
  and a slough leading to a nearby lake supplies excel-
  lent harborage, attracting Guild and other ships to 
  the town. Despite Shadowholt’s utility, though, the 
  Linowan consider it an unlucky and unhappy city: 
  people go there to seek their fortune, but few stay 
  longer than a few years.
  THE LINOWAN PEOPLE
  The Linowan are formed by an agreeable envi-
  ronment, by the constant war with Halta and by the 
  stories of their ancestors. They are very much a warrior 
  culture: a typical Linowan finds equal attraction in a 
  day spent quietly fishing on the river or going out on 
  a bloodthirsty raid, and would feel surprised that an 
  outsider could find this peculiar.
  LIVELIHOOD
  The Linowan see the bounties of nature as gifts 
  from the spirits. These gifts should be appreciated, not 
  forced. To farm the land or keep animals in barns and 
  pens shows distrust and ingratitude to the gods; it sug-
  gests that their gifts are insufficient. A Linowan simply 
  gathers what he needs from the forests and rivers, and 
  puts aside a little extra for winter.
  Linowan pirates view merchants in much the same 
  way: they are harvested rather than slaughtered—unless 
  they fight back too much, and the warriors get carried 
  away. Either way, the raiders offer due thanks to the 
  gods for their generosity.
  The fertile meadowlands along the Silver River 
  provide a diverse and abundant harvest, even though 
  few till the soil or sow the fields. Apple, pear and cherry 
  orchards grow widely. Fields of wild grapes and berries 
  allow the Linowan to produce wines and brandies, 
  so many adults learn to brew and distill, an activity 
  chiefly practiced in winter. Gathering grapes and grains 
  to produce alcohol is one of the few occasions when 
  the Linowan organize themselves to gather crops on a 
  large scale.
  
  23
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Yams, squash and corn form the staples of Linowan 
  diet, along with turnips in the more northern settle-
  ments. Buckwheat, barley, amaranth and other grains 
  grow wild as relics of First Age agriculture. The Linowan 
  additionally gather acorns, chestnuts, filberts and other 
  nuts. The Linowan do not plow, but they do scatter 
  seeds and plant nuts from especially tasty trees, vines 
  and other plants, with offerings of fish-guts and other 
  fertilizers to thank the spirits for the superior fare.
  Flocks of wild sheep and goats in the north, and deer 
  in the south, provide meat, wool and skins. The Linowan 
  take pride in not domesticating the herd animals, 
  claiming that war and hunting are worthier occupations 
  than farming or herding. As river folk, however, fish 
  is the principal meat in Linowan cuisine. Expeditions 
  sometimes range south to the mighty Yanaze and all 
  the way to the sea to catch whales—not an important 
  part of Linowan diet, but highly prestigious.
  In winter, however, when the trees lose their leaves 
  and Golden-Eyed Jorst sleeps in the depths of the forest, 
  the Linowan depend on hunting and what they gathered 
  during the long summer. Northern clans use snowshoes 
  to hunt or travel. Winter fare often consists of dried 
  fish or mixtures of ground meat, fruit, nuts and grains 
  preserved in animal fat and stored in gourds. Especially 
  harsh winters can still result in local famines, though 
  the royal clan tries to organize shipments of food.
  About half the Linowan live as partial nomads. 
  Their clans each claim several territories scattered along 
  the Silver River and its tributaries, and cycle between 
  them as the seasons change. These Linowan consider 
  their boats far more important than their longhouses or 
  cabins. Indeed, during the summer they tend to dwell 
  in tents of skin or bark-cloth, which they can quickly 
  and easily dismantle and ship to a new location.
  The pines in the northern forests, and oak, beech, 
  willow and other deciduous trees, provide wood for 
  building houses and boats. The Linowan think that some 
  forests are particularly favored by river spirits, and wood 
  from them is believed to produce fortunate boats. There 
  have even been minor clan feuds over these trees.
  APPEARANCE AND CLOTHING
  The Linowan people have reddish-brown skin and 
  straight black hair with green highlights. They make 
  their clothing from animal skins, bark cloth and wool 
  from wild sheep and goats. While both men and women 
  wear the same simple tunics and trousers, or robes for 
  formal occasions, custom differentiates them by their 
  ornaments: men wear whalebone and mother-of-pearl, 
  with sharks’ teeth and scales embroidered onto their 
  clothing; women bedeck themselves with beads of 
  carved wood, horn and ivory.
  Linowan territory holds few deposits of metal or 
  jade (at least, they don’t know of any). As a result, 
  the Linowan must import jewelry made from metal or 
  gems, and only the nobles sport such finery. A Linowan 
  commoner who wears metal is viewed as infringing on 
  the privileges of nobility and may well be whipped for 
  the crime. Linowan tolerate foreigners who wear metal 
  ornaments, though they appreciate the courtesy of 
  foreigners who choose not to wear metal.
  The Linowan also must import glass beads (chiefly 
  from the Scavenger Lands), but their low price puts 
  them within the reach of most people. The Linowan 
  make ceramic beads themselves. Men and women alike 
  adorn themselves with such beadwork. The Linowan 
  also ornament their clothing by weaving in feathers or 
  dyed porcupine quills, with men and women wearing 
  different designs.
  When they go raiding, Linowan warriors adorn their 
  buff jackets with their ornaments and paint their faces 
  in bright colors. Linowan raiders on Haltan territory, 
  however, dress in mottled green and brown and paint 
  their faces to blend in with the Haltan forests. On cer-
  emonial occasions, nobles wear mantles embroidered 
  with the crest of their boat clan. The Queen herself 
  wears a simple crown of carved wood that goes back 
  to the earliest days of Linowan. Legend says the crown 
  came from Jorst’s feasting hall, and that Queen Bendaris 
  received it from the god’s own hand.
  BOAT CLANS AND WAR BANDS
  In the Low First Age, the Linowan ancestors 
  grouped together to produce boats for fishing and travel. 
  Whether or not the Shogunate deliberately created 
  a caste of boat-dwellers, the boat clans survived the 
  Great Contagion and now form the basic structure of 
  Linowan society. Lesser boat clans swear allegiance to 
  more powerful ones, in return for support during winter, 
  famine or clan feuds.
  Every Linowan belongs to a boat clan. A man who 
  doesn’t belong to a boat clan, due to expulsion or the 
  death of the rest of his boat clan, can no longer truly call 
  himself Linowan. In the latter case, another boat clan 
  may adopt him, but he cannot recreate the boat clan to 
  which he used to belong. When a Linowan introduces 
  himself to another Linowan, he gives the name of his 
  boat clan as well as his own name, and the names of 
  any boat clans to whom his boat clan owes allegiance. 
  (Thus: “Thiswi of the Third White River boat clan, 
  sworn to the Upper Rawaqsi boat clan.”)
  
  24
  The other main unit in Linowan society is the war 
  band. This forms within a boat clan or across allied 
  boat clans and centers on a particular war leader. A 
  band may vary from half a dozen Linowan adults to 
  thousands of warriors. As with boat clans, lesser war 
  bands can swear fealty to greater bands. This can create 
  awkward situations, if war bands coming from feuding 
  boat clans both swear allegiance to the same warlord. 
  In such cases, custom dictates that the war bands work 
  together in battle and then try to kill each other quietly 
  once the current campaign ends.
  Boat clans are matriarchal. Each clan matriarch 
  chooses her successor from among the elder women of 
  the clan. (If a clan matriarch dies without naming a 
  successor, then the leadership passes automatically to 
  the oldest living woman in the clan.) Linowan join a 
  clan by birth or adoption: children born to a woman 
  of the clan automatically belong to that clan but are 
  also formally sworn into the clan when they become 
  legal adults.
  Adults may be adopted into a clan at any time, but 
  this requires the permission of the clan matriarch and 
  the clan council of elders. The new clan member must 
  swear loyalty to the clan. Moving between clans becomes 
  much easier with permission from the previous clan. 
  Notorious clan feuds have begun over the “poaching” 
  of particularly skilled or influential clan members, or 
  in cases where Linowan lovers flouted the will of one 
  (or both) of their clans.
  The Linowan have no formal marriage. In theory, 
  Linowan can pair off as they wish, though all children 
  belong to the mother’s clan. In practice, unions between 
  clans can become… awkward, if one participant does 
  not join the other’s clan. A woman may declare that a 
  particular man fathered her child (and is usually expected 
  to, if there is a clear physical resemblance), but this does 
  not give the man any rights of paternity. Children belong 
  first and foremost to the clan, not to individual parents. 
  Brothers and sisters who have the same birth mother 
  usually become close, and a mother’s siblings customarily 
  train her children in fighting and other skills.
  The clan council of elders consists of the boat clan’s 
  matriarch, the head shaman of the boat clan, any nobles 
  in the boat clan and anyone else the matriarch chooses 
  to name. Matriarchs of lesser boat clans may also be 
  included, though they usually stay busy in their own 
  boat clan’s territory. While a matriarch is expected to 
  listen to and balance the opinions of the clan council, 
  she is not obliged to obey them and ultimately has final 
  authority over the boat clan’s destiny.
  If members of a boat clan object to the matriarch’s 
  orders, they can challenge her authority, but cannot 
  replace her. The only formal way to do this (short of a 
  direct order from the Queen) is the traditional duel of 
  judgment. When this happens, the current matriarch 
  and the woman who would take her place both take 
  a dose of divine red mushroom (a hallucinogen with 
  the lethality and other effects of Arrow Frog Venom; 
  see Exalted, p. 131). If only one woman survives, the 
  gods clearly ruled in her favor and she becomes the 
  matriarch. If neither survives, then the clan council 
  chooses a new matriarch. If both survive, then the gods 
  want the Queen to decide the matter.
  Custom says that war leaders should obey the matri-
  arch of their boat clan. In practice, most matriarchs let 
  war leaders of their clan take their bands raiding where 
  they want. They exercise strict control only over raids 
  into Halta or on boat clans that have frequent contact 
  with their own.
  NOBLES AND SLAVES
  Linowan nobles achieve their ranks through feats 
  of valor or exceptional prowess. The Queen typically 
  awards noble status to warriors who return from the 
  Haltan forests with redwood logs or living captives, but 
  Linowan also win noble rank for being exceptional sha-
  mans, healers, storytellers, artisans or just being widely 
  admired. All nobles receive gold or silver pendants, lip 
  plugs or ear spools from the Queen to indicate their 
  status. In addition, nobles often receive special wooden 
  masks that shamans imbued with spiritual powers.
  The Queen has the right to choose not to ennoble 
  a candidate. She might do so as a political move against 
  the candidate’s boat clan or as a mark of personal dis-
  approval. This can result in political discontent and 
  inter-clan feuds. In one notorious occasion 150 years 
  ago, Queen Onkara refused to ennoble the famous 
  warrior Gunoshe after he returned with five redwood 
  logs and a dozen prisoners. Gunoshe came down with 
  Hal fever a month later and was killed while attempt-
  ing to escape to Halta. Accounts vary on whether the 
  Queen did right in refusing to ennoble him, seeing his 
  coming infection, or whether her refusal actively left 
  him open to the infection. Gunoshe’s boat clan, the 
  White Bend River clan, still holds a grudge against 
  the royal clan.
  In Linowan, only nobles can own slaves, and they 
  only keep those slaves they capture in battle. These 
  unfortunates have no legal rights and usually spend the 
  rest of their lives in menial labor. In a few cases, a slave 
  distinguishes himself through some act of courage and 
  
  25
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  is freed as a reward and adopted into a boat clan. More 
  often, though, a slave who seems surly, rebellious or 
  otherwise “uppity” may be lamed in one leg to prevent 
  him from running for freedom.
  THE ROYAL CLAN
  The ruler of Linowan is either the matriarch of 
  the royal clan or her chosen successor; an aging queen 
  may abdicate and pass rule on to the clan daughter of 
  her choice, remaining as the new queen’s advisor. It 
  is of course a high honor for a woman or man to be 
  adopted into the royal clan: this is one of the few cases 
  where a clan willingly allows a member to leave and 
  even celebrates it. All members of the royal clan are 
  automatically nobles.
  Children born into the royal clan experience heavy 
  pressure to prove themselves worthy of their place in the 
  clan. Many of them die on heroic raids into Halta, trying 
  to prove their courage. Some lead colonizing parties to 
  the north or south and establish new boat clans.
  The royal clan owns a large number of boats of high 
  quality: Queen Arkasi herself owns a magic canoe over 
  20 yards long, built of whalebone and kraken hide. Oc-
  casionally, one of the royal clan’s boats is ceremonially 
  presented to a lesser boat clan as a token of respect. For 
  the Queen to give an old or damaged boat is a profound 
  insult to the boat clan in question and carries the weight 
  of a royal reproof.
  CHILDREN AND ELDERS
  Linowan children are indulged, petted and cared for; 
  they are looked after by adults with time to spare, given 
  food at any hearth in the boat clan, trained by any adult 
  who feels like sharing his experience and praised when 
  they play at hunting and gathering. As they grow older, 
  though, adult protection becomes deliberately stifling: 
  children may not travel more than a day’s journey from 
  their boat clan, and most importantly, they cannot own 
  their own boats or weapons (belt-knives excepted). If 
  the grownups catch adolescents trying to make boats 
  or weapons, they beat the children and burn the items. 
  Most Linowan adolescents soon become desperate to 
  be treated as adults.
  Maturity, in Linowan society, comes somewhere in 
  the teens. The informal test for adulthood is for a young 
  Linowan to travel, alone or with fellow adolescents, to 
  another boat clan’s settlement and back again. They 
  can journey by land or water (though most go by water) 
  and can take as much equipment as they wish, but they 
  must make the journey without grownup assistance. 
  
  26
  When they return, their boat clan accepts them as 
  adults. The youngsters usually travel to a friendly boat 
  clan. However, some young would-be warriors travel to 
  an enemy boat clan and bring back some sort of trophy. 
  Grownups discourage younger children from attempting 
  such trips; perhaps a tenth of those who attempt the 
  journey die in the attempt or are crippled for life.
  When boat clans feud, they usually leave the 
  children unmolested (though children may be caught 
  in general disasters, such as being trapped in a burning 
  building or a sinking boat). If one boat clan completely 
  destroys a settlement, though, it forcibly adopts the chil-
  dren. On rare but memorable occasions, one boat clan 
  raids another specifically to kidnap children, whether 
  for forcible adoption (if disease or other mischance left 
  the clan short of offspring) or as slaves (as a supreme 
  gesture of dominance and malice). Child stealing drives 
  a feud to a higher level of enmity, though, which forbids 
  any possible peace between clan members, under any 
  circumstances whatsoever.
  Elders are respected by Linowan and cared for by 
  their boat clan. Considering the dangers and challenges 
  of Linowan life, they’ve earned it. Some live out their 
  days as advisors and artisans, while others choose to 
  make one last journey across Linowan, expecting to 
  meet their death while on their travels. Such elders 
  are said to have “gone to Jorst’s Hall.”
  GENDER IN LINOWAN SOCIETY
  While Linowan society is fundamentally matriar-
  chal, ruled by a queen and with matriarchs in command 
  of the boat clans, the genders are treated equally on 
  the day-to-day level. Both men and women become 
  warriors, sailors, gatherers, storytellers, artisans or 
  shamans. The only fundamental rule is that pregnant 
  women cannot go to war or raid. The matriarchal sys-
  tem began because pregnant or nursing women were 
  left behind to guard and run the settlements while the 
  men and the other women went out raiding or sailing; 
  and so, it became custom for women to rule the boat 
  clans. Even today, it is rare to have a matriarch who 
  has never born children.
  Linowan’s association with the Realm strength-
  ened this attitude. Even the smallest and most remote 
  Linowan settlement knows the Scarlet Empress as a 
  legendary figure. Some Linowan sacrifice to her as the 
  Queen Who Lives Forever.
  The farthest-traveling war leaders are mostly men, 
  since they are not restrained by the hindrances of preg-
  nancy or babies. Their war bands are largely male for 
  the same reason. Auxiliaries sent to the Realm may be 
  either male or female, as may regular warriors on the 
  Linowan borders.
  Linowan make no particular distinction between 
  male and female visitors, but do react strongly to 
  pregnant women who travel. The Linowan consider 
  this highly improper behavior, unless the woman has 
  truly vital reasons to make such a journey. Under these 
  circumstances, most Linowan offer lodging to the preg-
  nant woman until she gives birth; this goes beyond the 
  customary three days for hosting guests.
  SACRED HOSPITALITY
  The Linowan treat new visitors with trust, respect 
  and easy-going acceptance. Just as Golden-Eyed Jorst 
  opens his house to all guests, so a Linowan adult should 
  prepare to receive anyone who comes under her roof, 
  whether the guest is a personal friend, a personal enemy 
  or red-handed with the host’s own sister’s blood. The 
  guest must be honorably greeted, given food to eat and 
  water for washing, and allowed a place to sleep. For 
  three days and nights, the host must protect the guest 
  at the risk of her own life, must rebuke any insults from 
  others to her guest and must give the guest any neces-
  sary medical attention.
  Naturally, the Linowan have ways around this 
  tradition, long-celebrated in legend and history. Any 
  adult Linowan knows tales about ways that guests abused 
  hospitality, and ways that clever hosts countered the 
  abuse. While the guest must receive food and water, this 
  can be bread crusts and dish water. While the guest must 
  have a place to sleep, this can be a patch of floor in the 
  woodshed or the bottom of a canoe, in mosquito season. 
  And while the host must protect the guest for three 
  days, she can inform the guest’s enemies of the guest’s 
  presence and allow them to wait outside her home for 
  the guest to leave. It is acceptable for a host to shelter 
  LINOWAN RECORDS
  Linowan keep very few written records, 
  preferring to remember the lore-songs and teach-
  ing myths instead. Most Linowan have a good 
  memory, and shamans have near-perfect recall. 
  Elders of the boat clans write down such things 
  as financial records, tribute from other boat 
  clans, numbers of men sent off as auxiliaries to 
  the Realm and so on, but all the truly important 
  things are remembered and passed orally from 
  generation to generation. Children learn their 
  people’s traditions and lore through songs and 
  poems, stories and proverbs.
  
  27
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  a guest who broke Linowan law if the host can prove 
  that she does so purely because of guest-right.
  Also, if the guest formally rejects the host’s hospi-
  tality, then he cedes all further rights and protection, 
  freeing the host to act as she wishes. Any sort of 
  complaint by the guest can constitute a rejection of 
  hospitality—even something so small as saying that he 
  dislikes his meal or his host’s taste in music.
  One famous Linowan story tells how the war leader 
  Sinsar sought refuge at the house of his sworn enemy, 
  Avathris. Avathris accepted Sinsar as a guest but then 
  seated him among his own slaves for the meal and offered 
  him a dinner of Haltan food and wine. This so enraged 
  Sinsar that he insulted Avathris, thus forfeiting his 
  protection. The two dueled: Avathris won and burned 
  Sinsar alive on a pile of Haltan redwood logs.
  LAW AND ORDER
  The Linowan have no written statutes. Their laws 
  come from custom and tradition. Local law is upheld by 
  the boat clan in whose territory the crime or dispute takes 
  place, with the nearest noble acting as judge. If another 
  noble disagrees about how to handle the matter, then the 
  dispute goes to the matriarch of the local boat clan, or 
  to multiple matriarchs if the nobles come from different 
  boat clans. Ideally, by Linowan tradition, the noble takes 
  statements from all involved, and acts on the advice of 
  local elders when giving judgment. In practice, a noble 
  almost always rules in favor of his own boat clan, if that 
  is one of the issues; otherwise, traditions of appropriate 
  vengeance always receive a favorable hearing.
  Linowan often seek a sort of “posthumous justice,” 
  where two boat clans come to a noble to settle a feud 
  after multiple killings took place and everyone who 
  was originally involved is dead. The noble frequently 
  orders both boat clans to adopt members from the other 
  clan and to exchange boat-making materials or even 
  completed boats. Another option is to send all major 
  participants in the feud on near-suicidal missions into 
  Halta as a combined war party; survivors from such 
  missions are sometimes adopted into the royal clan or 
  ennobled themselves.
  Crimes of assault between boat clans committed 
  before the start of a clan feud receive harsh punishment, 
  especially if the boat clans are currently on good terms. 
  Punishments may include public beatings, the loss of a 
  hand or arm, or even execution. However, assaults or 
  murders committed after a clan feud begins are regarded 
  as merely part of the ongoing dispute. Although they 
  might worsen the clan feud, Linowan treat them as acts 
  of war rather than individual crimes.
  Despite the hospitality shown to well-mannered 
  and honest visitors, offenses committed by travelers 
  result in public whipping followed by exile. Linowan 
  brand such exiles on the face to prevent their return. 
  Occasionally, in cases where a noble felt the criminal 
  particularly offended the traditions of guest-right and 
  host-protection, the clan “exiles” a criminal from a boat 
  by dropping him directly into the river.
  Linowan assume that anyone from outside the 
  boat clan who commits serious crimes (such as rape 
  or murder) must be a Haltan spy. Those found guilty 
  of such crimes die as Haltan prisoners do: by fire after 
  the appropriate celebrations. Linowan reserve similar 
  treatment for anyone known to aid the Haltans, with 
  one addition: a Linowan found guilty of aiding Halta 
  is tortured during the celebration, with every celebrant 
  having the right to do as he wishes to the traitor. The 
  only limit is that the traitor must stay alive for his 
  execution pyre.
  TRADE AND COMMERCE
  Trade inside Linowan usually consists of barter, 
  except for truly rare items or in the larger towns. In the 
  smaller communities, the local hunters and gatherers 
  trade bundles of furs and rare herbs for metal spear points 
  and tools. The Linowan greet trading caravans from the 
  Guild with great enthusiasm, but they value the stories 
  that the merchants tell as much as their wares.
  Linowan sea raiding and loot brought back by Realm 
  auxiliaries result in unusual items entering the Linowan 
  economy: silks, jewelry, rare foods, unusual weapons, 
  books (unread) and so on. Such treasures—of no prac-
  tical use, but valued as curiosities and tokens of great 
  adventures—seldom become items of trade. Instead, 
  leading Linowan give them as gifts to show the wealth 
  and heroism of their boat clan or war band, or to show 
  respect to a host. These items are more common in the 
  major towns than in the outlying settlements. They are 
  rare enough in outlying boat clans that guest gifts of 
  such items (not strictly necessary, but a polite token of 
  esteem) are enough to gain respect and goodwill.
  WAR AND RAIDING
  Raiding is simply part of Linowan life. Quite of-
  ten, there is no personal malice involved (unless it’s 
  done against Haltans or as part of a clan feud): it’s just 
  one of those things that people naturally do to each 
  other. Linowan warriors often take valor-names that 
  memorialize some particularly notorious deed or habit. 
  It’s a snub not to use a warrior’s valor-name when 
  speaking to or about him. Casual dueling also happens 
  
  28
  frequently among Linowan, though rarely to the death 
  (on purpose). Every warrior engages in some sort of raid 
  at least once a year.
  Winter is a time of peace for the Linowan: storms 
  from the North force clans to remain inside their 
  longhouses. Being homebound does not make Linowan 
  less aggressive. They fight like cornered wolverines if 
  anyone attacks their homes during the winter. Some of 
  the greatest Linowan strategists launched unexpected 
  raids during the winter months, bringing back captives 
  and redwood trees from Halta.
  Linowan frequently raid other boat clans because of 
  old vendettas, recent insults or practical disputes such 
  as rights to a particular berry patch or fishing spot. Mild 
  insults or disputes result in semi-playful attempts to make 
  off with some of the boat clan’s goods, with minor inju-
  ries to defenders. Even when a boat clan stays on good 
  terms with all its neighbors, it indulges in occasional 
  mild raiding as a form of one-upsmanship. However, 
  vendettas can escalate all the way up to full attempts to 
  seize the other boat clan’s territory and resources, wipe 
  out their adults and adopt their children. Raiders may 
  invite foreign guests to join them on the more forceful 
  raids, but not the more light-hearted ones, due to the 
  risk of them causing serious injuries and the violence 
  of the raid escalating in response.
  To the northwest and southeast, war bands raid 
  for pride and trophies (including slaves). A war band 
  usually seeks the cooperation of a boat clan living near 
  the point where they leave accepted Linowan territory; 
  this involves promises to share any loot. The war band 
  travels by river as far as possible, and the raiders hardly 
  ever go more than a few days’ journey overland.
  Linowan boat clans typically have treaties with 
  their settled neighbors not to raid them, but now and 
  then, a war band from further away passes through to do 
  some looting. The other cultures in Linowan territory 
  learned not to treat these raids as general declarations 
  of war. (The people who didn’t learn this are now all 
  dead or forced away.) More often, raiders head out to 
  attack people whom they do not encounter regularly. 
  Rarely do Linowan try to conquer the folk they attack 
  or exterminate them outright. Towns or fortified com-
  munities often force war bands to retreat. The raiders 
  always come back, though, the next year or the year 
  after that, until some boat clan moves into the area 
  and either sets up a treaty or the fighting escalates into 
  a vendetta that attracts glory-seeking war bands from 
  throughout the territory. Few besides the Haltans ever 
  lasted long against intensive Linowan attack.
  Linowan also raid passing ships that look like easy 
  prey. Particularly adventuresome war bands sometimes 
  take their war canoes all the way to the Inland Sea and 
  raid along the coast. Only well-armed ships could dare 
  sail the length of the Silver River. Vessels that trade 
  regularly and deal fairly with the Linowan, however, 
  receive specially woven flags bearing symbols of allied 
  boat clans to fly when they sail in Linowan waters. 
  These ships are not attacked… unless they encounter 
  a boat clan that’s in a serious feud with a clan that sup-
  plied a flag. Entrepreneurs in neighboring countries sell 
  duplicate flags—but crews who cannot answer Linowan 
  THE GUILD
  The Guild views Linowan as a land of oppor-
  tunity—wasted opportunity. The Linowan don’t 
  cultivate their fertile land. They don’t sell the 
  slaves that they take in raids. They don’t channel 
  the truly exotic trade items from Halta that can 
  fetch fortunes elsewhere in Creation. They don’t 
  squander their wealth buying the Guild’s drugs. 
  Instead, the Linowan people sit around telling 
  stories and carving masks (magic masks that they 
  don’t sell!), hunting and gathering, and fighting 
  their eternal war with a country that offers some 
  of the most exciting trade goods in Creation. And 
  then the Linowan don’t even have the decency 
  to hire mercenaries.
  The Guild cannot allow this state of affairs 
  to continue. A number of Guild factors hope the 
  current unsettled conditions will finally give them 
  a chance to persuade the Linowan to do business. 
  This is a time to import new weapons, to offer 
  mercenaries for hire, to sell combat and leisure 
  drugs, to persuade Linowan raiding parties to take 
  more slaves and sell them to the Guild, and gener-
  ally to get a hold on the Linowan economy.
  Unfortunately for the Guild, the Realm 
  ensured that the Linowan royal clan knows all 
  about Guild tactics. So far, the Linowan resist 
  importing mercenaries (pay someone to take 
  your own clan’s chance for glory?), remain pur-
  ist on the subject of slaves (they are restricted 
  to nobility as a sign of each noble’s prowess in 
  enslaving them) and block any large imports 
  of drugs (leave the mind-altering substances to 
  the shaman professionals). The Guild steps up 
  its scheming, though, and looks for the proper 
  lever—or the proper person—who can give it 
  access to the Linowan economy.
  
  29
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  border from fort to fort also transport food, personal 
  messages and news. If the fort has no room for them 
  inside, they pitch tents outside it.
  Linowan warriors making raids into Halta usually 
  start out from a fort and shelter at one when they retreat 
  from Halta. Raids meant simply to inflict damage, take 
  prisoners or cut down redwood trees are comparatively 
  simple operations, completed in days. Any trees are 
  tied together and floated downriver (this necessarily 
  requires a fort located within reasonable distance of 
  a river). Professional raids by established war bands, 
  intended to sabotage important Haltan locations, assas-
  sinate individuals or plant spies, are often conducted in 
  tandem with an obvious raiding operation by novices, 
  to divert Haltan attention.
  By now, the Linowan know many of the common 
  Haltan tactics. They expect Fair Folk interference and 
  carry at least a few iron weapons. Any animal may be an 
  intelligent spy. The deep woods can’t be trusted. When 
  the Linowan try to advance the border by cutting down 
  the trees on the edge of the woods and building the forts 
  closer in, they cut down, kill and burn everything, until 
  nothing is left but scorched earth.
  The Linowan salvaged few First Age weapons from 
  their territory, and use them only in major pushes to 
  destroy Haltan forest. As superior carpenters, however, 
  they build a variety of catapults powered by muscle, 
  counterweights or skeins of twisted sinew ropes. Mature 
  Haltan redwoods resist fire, but when the forests dry 
  out in late summer, the Linowan assemble trebuchets 
  to bombard suspected Haltan forts with burning hay-
  bales soaked in pitch. Even if they have little chance 
  of burning a Haltan border fort, raiders can use a forest 
  fire as a diversion to slip into Haltan territory.
  BATTLE PLANS
  Linowan raiders usually follow two basic battle 
  plans. In the first, they charge toward their enemies, 
  shrieking and whooping like demons, and attack the 
  first enemy they encounter. In the second, the warriors 
  sneak toward the enemy, possibly under cover of dark-
  ness, until they are poised to strike from surprise. Then 
  they leap out, shrieking and whooping like demons. The 
  warriors retreat just as quickly after making a few kills 
  or capturing a prisoner. Each attack likely inflicts little 
  damage—but the war bands may attack over and over 
  again if they intend a real battle and not just a raid.
  The Linowan do not esteem the art of generalship. 
  Few of them have a taste or talent for grand strategy. 
  Only on the Haltan border do they fight to control 
  territory, build fortresses or employ any sort of artillery. 
  LINOWAN BOATS
  Linowan boats are canoes carved from 
  hollowed-out tree-trunks or coracles made from 
  wood, bark and leather. Large dugouts, up to 
  40 yards long, may carry sails and outriggers. 
  Such dugouts can carry a war band of 50 to 70 
  warriors. For inland travel on lakes and rivers, 
  the Linowan use smaller canoes that carry one 
  to six people. (See the Average Travel Times 
  table on p. 264 of Exalted.) The Linowan show 
  no particular interest in upgrading their boats. 
  Although they can learn to use higher sailing 
  technology, they don’t need it for their custom-
  ary river travel.
  questions about where they got their flag are captured 
  and sacrificed as allies of the Haltans.
  THE HALTAN BORDER
  In the Northeast, Linowan war bands raid into Halta 
  to take prisoners and cut down the redwood trees. The 
  Haltan border with Linowan stretches 1,600 miles, in 
  a broad arc that cuts across all the rivers that join at 
  Lake Sanazala. The Linowan build fortresses every 25 
  miles or so along their side of it, well out of the trees 
  and with good visibility in all directions, so that the 
  Haltans cannot approach from above. (They shoot 
  any birds that hover more than a few minutes over a 
  fortress.) These fortresses are single-story buildings of 
  adobe and wood, surrounded by a log palisade. They 
  are designed for quick construction and as a base from 
  which to strike rather than as serious defenses. In the 
  event of a Haltan attack on a fortress, the Linowan 
  warriors fall back and rouse the interior of their country, 
  while simultaneously lighting beacon-fires to signal the 
  forts on either side.
  Each fort can shelter up to 500 tightly-packed 
  people at a time. The royal clan sends regular food 
  convoys up the rivers, though these do not suffice to 
  sustain the garrisons: Linowan warriors staffing the 
  fort bring supplies of their own, hunt, fish and gather 
  in the vicinity. Some forts are staffed by the nearest 
  boat clan as a regular duty. Warriors hoping to stage 
  a raid or simply wanting to serve on the border man 
  others. War bands that hope to gain experience typi-
  cally man a fort for a few months, then journey along 
  to the next fort along the border, and continue doing 
  so until they find a battle or mount a raid that brings 
  them sufficient glory. War bands traveling along the 
  
  30
  Charismatic and successful war leaders can persuade 
  their allied bands to follow simple strategies, but Linow-
  an don’t like being left as reserves or being stationed 
  outside a battle to prevent an enemy’s movements. 
  Linowan warriors want to get in the fight now.
  In small-group tactics, however, the Linowan 
  excel. Flanking maneuvers, skirmishing and feints 
  are Linowan stock in trade. (Their Drill is often 
  quite high.) An experienced war band can seem like 
  a hive-mind as warriors dash in and out, pop up from 
  ambush and disappear again, driving their enemies 
  this way and that. A life of hunting and raiding also 
  means that Linowan often surpass their enemies in 
  raw combat prowess.
  The Realm values Linowan warriors as scouts and, 
  of course, raiders. They are some of the best scouts the 
  Realm has available without recruiting Essence users. 
  Linowan are especially good at skulking through wood-
  lands and paddling canoes along streams that would 
  seem too shallow to float a stick. Linowan scouts also 
  make excellent advisors when a legion must forage in 
  the wilderness. If a legion needs a small, highly mo-
  bile force to attack as a feint or for a commando raid, 
  Linowan auxiliaries perform admirably.
  Despite centuries of exposure to large-scale warfare 
  through service as Realm auxiliaries, Linowan tactics 
  will probably never change… unless some nationwide 
  military disaster, or several, forces them to do so. The 
  Bull of the North handed the Linowan one crushing 
  defeat already. A second could force the Queen and 
  the nobles to attempt new strategies… if the Bull gives 
  them time to develop them.
  THEOLOGY AND CUSTOM
  Despite centuries of contact with the Realm, the 
  Immaculate Order makes little headway in Linowan. 
  The people prefer to worship the gods who deal directly 
  with their lives and interests. Most worship happens 
  casually, with small gestures to honor a god or ask her 
  favor. In winter, when food becomes scarce, worship 
  grows more fervent, and a whole boat clan may gather 
  for special prayers.
  Golden-Eyed Jorst is the god of the deciduous 
  forests and meadows that fill Linowan territory. He 
  sleeps all winter but travels his forests in the summer, 
  disguised as a mortal traveler, or hosts an endless party 
  in his mansion in the deepest woods. Various wood 
  elementals, forest spirits and animal deities serve Jorst, 
  but he makes few demands of them.
  
  31
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  The Linowan claim Jorst as their special patron, 
  their Lord of War and Stories. In Jorst’s honor, storytell-
  ers throw a pinch of dust into the fire before beginning 
  their tales: Linowan tradition holds that Jorst inspires 
  them and that he was the First Teller of Tales at his 
  great summer feasts. Raiders cut down redwood trees 
  in Jorst’s name. Shamans throw Haltan prisoners into 
  bonfires while they proclaim that some day, Jorst’s trees 
  and lands will cover the entire East.
  Linowan worship other gods for their aid in fishing, 
  piracy, hunting and craftsmanship. Sudale of the Flowing 
  Grasp, goddess of the Silver River, naturally receives a 
  great deal of worship. Linowan legend calls her Jorst’s 
  lover (though there is actually no special relationship 
  between them). Linowan pour a splash of wine into 
  the river before starting a journey, offering Sudale a 
  drink in hopes of a safe passage. In return, Sudale warns 
  nearby boat clans if any Haltan boat manages to pass 
  Lake Sanazala. Many Linowan call the Silver River by 
  the goddess’ name instead.
  Grala of the Endless Hunt receives sacrifices, even 
  though she is sister to Caltia, the patron goddess of Halta. 
  All hunters offer Grala a portion of their kill. The Linowan 
  also honor the Five Maidens and the Unconquered Sun. 
  Linowan raiders and sailors pray for Mercury to bless 
  their travels, Golden-Eyed Jorst to bless their weapons, 
  the local spirits of the waters to safeguard their boats and 
  the Unconquered Sun to give them victory.
  No specific deity guides the Linowan when they go to 
  sea as pirates or whalers. Certain sea deities (in particular 
  Kireeki, Huntress of the Waves) would like to procure 
  Linowan worship, but for the moment, the Linowan 
  remain faithful to the gods of their homeland.
  Any Linowan can pray to the Unconquered Sun 
  or the Maidens, appeal to Jorst and attend his feasts, 
  or make casual offerings to small gods and local spir-
  its. Shamans, however, handle all serious interaction 
  between Linowan and the spiritual world. Linowan 
  don’t consider it immoral for people to make their own 
  appeals to gods and spirits. They just view it as sensible 
  that, when asking major favors from gods, it’s best to 
  leave it to the professionals.
  VATA
  Vata is the one spirit in the accepted Linowan 
  pantheon that is universally shunned and hated. She 
  is the cannibal spirit, the Hungerer who feeds only on 
  human flesh. Linowan legend says that she began as 
  one of the hounds of Grala, but that she betrayed her 
  mistress and bit Grala’s hand before fleeing. That taste 
  of blood gave her divine powers and enabled her to take 
  on a human form, but also gave her an uncontrollable 
  hunger for human flesh. Vata tears apart any prey that 
  she encounters, but only human flesh truly satisfies her. 
  She brings madness to those who loiter in Wyld areas 
  or around the Fair Folk. Vata currently seeks to learn 
  more about the Abyssals: she hears they have a gospel 
  of death and bloodshed, and she wants to know more.
  LINOWAN SHAMANS
  Shamans receive great respect in Linowan society. 
  They are arbiters of custom, interpreters for the gods 
  and spirits, and exorcists of Vatal madness and Hal 
  fever. Shamans visit the spirits in their homes and 
  make bargains to gain favors for the Linowan. They 
  dedicate Haltan captives as burned offerings to Jorst. 
  Everyone admires the shamans. Still, very few Linowan 
  want their own children to be shamans.
  Shamans select their own apprentices. They watch 
  the children of their boat clan, seeking those who seem 
  drawn to the spirits and the supernatural, or those who 
  show an aptitude for the lore-songs and teaching myths. 
  Young shamans often travel between boat clans to study 
  with shamans who have greater experience with par-
  ticular skills. Whether or not the older shaman chooses 
  to teach them can depend on the relationship between 
  their boat clans or the will of the spirits.
  Linowan tradition gives a shaman no formal initia-
  tion or test. However, shamans exist in a culture of respect, 
  both from their own boat clan and from each other. 
  Shamans honor colleagues whom the spirits themselves 
  respect (whether they are liked or feared). All shamans 
  have an honor-name that follows their given name; this 
  usually relates to their early work as a shaman or to some 
  especially notable feat of spirit negotiation.
  Linowan shamans typically work with elementals, 
  with animal, bird and fish spirits, or with the small gods 
  of the forests and meadows. They do not try to contact 
  their clan ancestors, as Linowan believe their dead go 
  on to a better life and would not want to be called back 
  from it. In the event of serious troubles with ghosts 
  or creatures from the Underworld, Linowan shamans 
  contact Sijan for assistance.
  A Linowan shaman character typically has the traits 
  of a thaumaturge (see Exalted, pp. 280-281), with dots 
  in Medicine, Lore, Occult, Survival, Performance and 
  Presence. Many have a friendly spirit as a mentor or ally, 
  but Linowan shamans do not have familiars: associations 
  with sentient or semi-sentient animals comes too close to 
  Haltan behavior. Common shamanic skills include train-
  ing in the Arts of Alchemy (chiefly medical), Elemental 
  Summoning, Enchantment (used to create the famous 
  
  32
  Linowan masks), Husbandry, Spirit Beckoning, Warding 
  and Exorcism, and Weather Working (all described in 
  The Books of Sorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s Codex, 
  pp. 129-144.) They do not study the Art of the Dead. 
  The Art of Demon Summoning is virtually unknown 
  in Linowan (though most Linowan shamans believe 
  the Haltans do it all the time) and punished by death.
  HALTAN ANIMALS
  The Linowan recognize and resent the way in which 
  the intelligent animals and the half-men of Halta (as 
  they refer to beastmen) fight against them. Over cen-
  turies, the Linowan response has hardened from simple 
  dislike of Halta’s sapient ata-beasts to outright loathing 
  of the creatures. Linowan consider them abominations 
  against the natural order. Many Linowan believe Hal-
  tan ata-beasts truly don’t want the burdens of human 
  intelligence and social duties, and would rather live in 
  their natural roles as simple animals. Such profane and 
  unnatural creatures as snakemen or hawkmen should 
  never have been born. Their very existence insults the 
  gods, and the fact that they act as Haltan priests merely 
  proves the utter debasement of Haltan society.
  Linowan have no objection to normal animals. 
  They keep pets, train hunting animals and worship the 
  guardian spirits and avatars of those creatures. However, 
  they watch constantly for signs of unusual intelligence 
  or other abominations. Linowan elders memorize long 
  lists of signs that an animal is not natural. They regularly 
  check local domestic creatures, along with prey captured 
  by the hunters. If an animal shows signs of unnatural 
  understanding or quickness of thought, shamans sacrifice 
  it to the guardian spirits of the community. This behavior 
  becomes particularly common after local cases of Hal 
  fever. Some hunters with exceptionally well-trained 
  hunting dogs or hawks keep them away from Linowan 
  communities because of the risk that their beasts will 
  be detained or destroyed.
  Visitors who have intelligent animal pets or com-
  panions can expect great suspicion. Any odd behavior 
  on the part of the animals risks the arrest of both person 
  and beast as possible Haltan spies. Under such circum-
  stances, the human master may be let off with a fine, 
  but the Linowan may execute the animal as a precau-
  tion. Anyone who tries to bring the half-intelligent 
  san-beasts from Halta should avoid Linowan, as their 
  stock would be executed on the spot—and the trader 
  killed as a spy.
  The animal gods and spirits themselves have no 
  quarrel with the Linowan, as the Linowan pay them 
  proper honor and give them frequent worship.
  LINOWAN MADNESS
  Two odd forms of madness occasionally afflict 
  Linowan. They regard both insanities as spiritual 
  contagions.
  Linowan who spend too much time in Wyld areas 
  (or in other places frequented by Fair Folk or dangerous 
  spirits) sometimes become Vatal—possessed by Vata, 
  the cannibal spirit. Vatals flee normal society and live 
  solitary lives in rude huts in the forest. Their teeth 
  and nails grow into deadly fangs and claws, and they 
  crave the taste of human flesh. A Vatal relentlessly 
  pursues anyone who comes near its dwelling. (Yes, it: 
  the Linowan regard Vatals as no longer human enough 
  to merit a gender.) Only large numbers or the close 
  LINOWAN MASKS
  The magical masks made by Linowan 
  shamans are specially crafted to assist in the 
  performance of a specific task. The wearer gains 
  one bonus die in a specific Ability so long as she 
  wears the mask. This bonus can raise an Ability 
  above 5, but it does not count toward the limits 
  for increasing dice pools by Charms.
  A Linowan mask must be crafted for a given 
  individual, who must participate in the mask’s 
  creation. It is useless for anyone other than the 
  intended wearer. (However, a sorcerer could use 
  a mask as an arcane link for other spells.) No 
  character can attune to more than one mask 
  at a time, though some exceptional individu-
  als change careers and own several masks over 
  their lifetimes.
  Linowan masks are one-dot artifacts. A player 
  whose character possesses such a mask as part of 
  her background should discuss with the Storyteller 
  what specific deed of valor or feat of skill earned 
  the character the right to own this mask.
  Creating a Linowan mask requires a month 
  of work from both characters involved (shaman 
  and owner), and the shaman must have a Craft 
  (Wood) rating of •••• or higher, and Lore and 
  Occult scores of at least •• each. An individual 
  cannot make a mask for herself: creating one is 
  a two-person task. The making of these masks is 
  a closely guarded secret of the Linowan people, 
  taught only to elder shamans. Owning such a 
  mask gives the character an automatic dot of 
  Influence toward Linowan but also causes distrust 
  from Haltans.
  
  33
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  proximity of a village or town can dissuade the Vatal 
  from attacking. Vatals usually act as solitary predators. 
  When the local raksha wish to play at hunting humans 
  through the forest, however, they often gather a few 
  dozen Vatals to chase and corner their prey.
  Some highly skilled Linowan warriors specialize 
  in hunting Vatals. These heroes wear grisly necklaces 
  of Vatal claws. Any warriors who survive their first 
  hunt and return with a trophy become nobles. Lesser 
  warriors and general war bands are discouraged from 
  hunting Vatals, though, since it means entering Vatal 
  lairs: the Linowan believe that only the most highly 
  spirited of warriors can resist the Vatal contagion, and 
  anyone else risks becoming infected and turning Vatal 
  himself. Once in a while, a Vatal takes captives rather 
  than killing them on the spot, cages them and feeds 
  them on human flesh to encourage them to join the 
  Vatal. Even if the captive does not become Vatal, he 
  often swiftly goes insane.
  On rare occasions, Hal fever afflicts Linowan who 
  live too near the redwood forest or who visit it frequently. 
  Victims becomes drawn to the great trees. They lose 
  touch with the people around them and yearn to venture 
  deeper into the East. Over time, their hair turns a deep 
  green. Linowan shamans can sometimes banish this af-
  fliction, but in many cases, an infected individual either 
  flees to the Haltans or is killed by her relatives.
  Linowan afflicted by Hal fever sometimes channel 
  this fascination with the forest into an obsession with 
  conquering it, to the point that they violently resist all 
  efforts to keep them from raiding into Halta over and 
  over again. Though their fellows praise them for their 
  bravery, all know that warriors in the grip of Hal fever 
  soon fall prey to the Haltan warriors or the Fair Folk 
  who haunt the woodlands.
  Hal fever is feared even more than becoming Vatal, 
  since it not only alters and perverts the body and soul, 
  but it drives the Linowan afflicted with it into the arms 
  of the Haltans. To a Linowan, it is worse to become a 
  Haltan than it is to become an insane cannibal slave 
  of the Fair Folk.
  VATAL, A SUPERNATURAL DISEASE
  Virulence: 1 (3) 
  Diagnosis: 2
  Incubation: (Willpower) days 
  Difficulty to Treat 
  (Mundane/Magical): 4/2
  Untreated Morbidity: 4 Treated Morbidity: 2
  Symptoms: Vatal’s early symptoms are entirely mental, 
  which can make it difficult to diagnose. The shamans 
  try to convince warriors that there’s no shame in regular 
  checkups and that it’s better to be safe than sorry, but 
  some fear seeming weak or hypochondriac… and so, 
  they don’t see a shaman in time.
  Duration: Vatal’s long incubation period makes it 
  difficult to identify locations where people caught the 
  disease. The incubation time equals the time it takes 
  from the first cannibalistic urge to physical trans-
  formation and overwhelming compulsion (and the 
  Morbidity check). Once a person succumbs to Vatal, 
  the disease is generally incurable.
  Vector: People become Vatal by spending time in areas 
  tainted by the Wyld, the Fair Folk, spirits tainted by 
  those forces or people who are already Vatal. It occurs 
  from Linowan and northward, and is greatly feared by 
  barbarian tribes of the Northeast. Halta, though, seems 
  immune. Consuming human flesh, however reluctantly 
  or unwittingly, increases the disease’s virulence.
  Treatment: Mundane treatment involves prayer, 
  purgatives and a primitive form of aversion therapy (in-
  ducing vomiting any time the patient has cannibalistic 
  thoughts). Magical treatment involves alchemical drugs 
  or exorcistic rites—both are thaumaturgical Procedures 
  and are well known to Linowan shamans.
  HAL FEVER, A SUPERNATURAL DISEASE
  Virulence: 1 
  Diagnosis: 2
  Incubation: (Stamina + Integrity) weeks Difficulty to 
  Treat (Mundane/Magical): none/3
  Untreated Morbidity: 4 (special) 
  Treated Morbidity: 3
  Symptoms: Hal fever is another of Caltia’s tools to 
  defeat her rival Jorst. It only affects the Linowan. 
  After a mild fever, the victim’s hair turns as green as 
  a Haltan’s. He rapidly comes either to love or become 
  
  34
  completely obsessed with the Haltan redwood forests. 
  In RY 417, one of Caltia’s God-Blooded daughters 
  went to Yu-Shan and successfully petitioned both a 
  goddess of madness and a god of disease to create this 
  new illness and inflict it on the Linowan.
  Duration: Hal fever lasts between three and seven 
  days. Afterward, the victim recovers. The disease itself 
  is never fatal. Instead of death, “morbidity” indicates a 
  transformation of the person’s mind that is permanent 
  and irrevocable without the use of Celestial or Solar 
  Circle Sorcery or Charms that cure mental illness. The 
  victim flees into the Haltan forest and forever more 
  regards it as his beloved home.
  After making certain they are not imposters with dyed 
  hair, the Haltan government allows victims of Hal fever 
  to become citizens. However, all are sent at least 400 
  miles from the Linowan border. Hal fever claims less than 
  100 victims a year (and fewer survive to reach Halta), 
  but its presence demoralizes the Linowan. Also, the 
  majority of Linowan who catch it are raiders and border 
  guards, and so, this disease provides the Haltan military 
  with much useful intelligence about Linowan forces. 
  Anyone without Linowan ancestry is immune. 
  Vector: The disease spirits who carry Hal fever only 
  live in redwood forests and only attack Linowan (or 
  people they think are Linowan). Only Linowan who 
  spend a great deal of time raiding into Halta stand much 
  chance of contracting the disease.
  Treatment: The mundane treatment for Hal fever de-
  pends entirely on the victim. With a successful Willpower 
  roll (difficulty 4), the victim can divert his growing love 
  for the forest into an obsessive hatred. Magical treatment 
  is an exorcism known to Linowan shamans.
  LOCAL POWERS
  The greatest power in Linowan is currently its 
  monarch, Queen Arkasi. This has not always been the 
  case; often the queen is a figurehead of the royal clan, 
  selected by the previous matriarch as a compromise 
  candidate with the knowledge that she must act on 
  advice from clan elders. Queen Arkasi, however, is a 
  dynamic individual who seeks the best way to use the 
  current situation for Linowan’s advantage.
  QUEEN ARKASI
  Linowan’s current monarch was selected early by 
  her aunt Renenth, the previous queen, and trained from 
  childhood together with a couple of other candidates. At 
  the time, Renenth herself was a figurehead queen, but a 
  good teacher: Arkasi became queen 10 years ago. The 
  two other women both hold high-ranking positions as 
  well, with Sinnethi becoming the Linowan Ambassador 
  to the Realm (and currently residing on the Blessed Isle), 
  while Suwith became Minister for Trade. Renenth still 
  lives as a respected advisor to Arkasi, as well as tutor in 
  matters of state to many of the royal clan’s children.
  Arkasi is a middle-aged woman with luxuriant 
  hair and with facial scars that she is too proud to have 
  healed—legacies of previous raids that she led against 
  the Haltans in her youth. As a person, Arkasi is an 
  intelligent and cosmopolitan woman (far more than 
  foreign ambassadors expect from the leader of a tribal 
  culture). She has half a dozen regular lovers among 
  the royal clan. While Arkasi holds daily audiences as 
  a matter of state, she also hosts private meetings in one 
  of the clan’s smaller boathouses, where she can consult 
  with clan elders or secret emissaries.
  The recent war involving the Bull of the North 
  blunted Arkasi’s aggression against the Haltans. She 
  does not know how much she can depend on the Realm 
  for support, and she fears that factions among the Great 
  Houses may blame Linowan for the destruction of the 
  Tepet legions. For once, she concludes, the Linowan 
  must think of defense instead of counterattack.
  GRADESSI WHITEFOOT
  The most potent shaman in all Linowan gets his name 
  from his right foot, which is bleached white from toe to 
  ankle. Haltan tree spiders attacked him while he was in 
  a trance to negotiate with spirits, and they drank all the 
  blood from his foot before he could escape. Gradessi is in 
  his 70s, but still healthy enough to take his place at the 
  oar in a Linowan canoe. He frequently insists on doing 
  so, even though it makes everyone else in the boat un-
  comfortable to see a shaman doing such ordinary work. 
  With every second sentence, Gradessi emphasizes his 
  humility before the spirits, saying how much he is a mere 
  intermediary for their great powers. Simultaneously, he 
  expects instant obedience from any mortals in the area and 
  treats Linowan nobles as though they were mere children. 
  He treats the Queen herself as a self-indulgent teenager. 
  Gradessi prefers to ignore foreign dignitaries.
  Gradessi is skilled and powerful enough that the 
  Linowan not only tolerate his arrogant humility, but also 
  prize him as a treasure of the nation. His mask-making 
  is unmatched in three centuries, his lore is vast, and 
  the spirits flock around him in respect and awe. During 
  the recent war, Gradessi recruited many spirits to help 
  defend the eastern borders, freeing soldiers to fight in the 
  south. He supports coming to terms with the Bull of the 
  North, who is clearly blessed by the Unconquered Sun, 
  but can offer no helpful advice as to how to do so or how 
  to reconcile Linowan with the Bull’s ties to Halta.
  
  35
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  BASHATHRI HEART-OF-VIRTUE
  Mere mortals prefer to deal with Gradessi’s assis-
  tant, Bashathri Heart-of-Virtue. She is quite a powerful 
  shaman in her own right but constantly must put aside 
  her own meditations and studies to assist Gradessi in 
  spirit dealings, handle mundane business for him and 
  generally run his errands. This is slowly driving her 
  mad with frustration. Bashathri is known for refusing 
  all bribes. This actually means that nobody has yet 
  found a bribe that would actually work. She would do 
  almost anything, except betray Linowan, in exchange 
  for training in demon summoning. It’s not that she likes 
  demons, or even thinks they’d be useful. It’s just that she 
  thinks being the first Linowan shaman to do something 
  would move her out of Gradessi’s shadow. The Realm 
  Ambassador knows this ambition and tempts Bashathri 
  with promises of tuition from Heptagram graduates in 
  exchange for influence with Gradessi.
  VIRITHAN SPLITS-THE-DOOR
  The war leader of the royal clan (and by extension 
  the war leader of all Linowan) is handsome, strong and 
  incredibly skilled at every aspect of Linowan warfare. 
  He only stepped into his current position in RY 765, 
  with the death of the previous royal war leader, Asketet 
  Light-in-Darkness. (The public story of Asketet’s death 
  is that he fell heroically on a raid into Haltan territory. 
  Actually, he contracted Hal fever and led a suicidal raid 
  that the Haltans wiped out to the last man.) Virithan 
  still doesn’t command the same authority or respect as 
  Asketet. He knows it, the other war leaders know it, 
  and the rest of the royal clan knows it.
  Virithan needs an occasion to prove he is worthy 
  of his post. However, with Linowan currently on the 
  defensive on the Queen’s orders, he has no chance to 
  do so. Virithan currently seeks a war or raiding expedi-
  tion that is large enough and glorious enough for him 
  to prove himself, but small enough that it won’t plunge 
  Linowan into wholesale battle again. Junior war leaders 
  under his command collect information from Linowan 
  raiders and visiting merchants, hoping to identify a 
  suitable target.
  PELEPS KAIZOKU ATAROVE
  The Realm Ambassador is a daughter from one 
  of the Realm’s most famous naval households. After 
  Atarove’s decades of loyal service in the Peleps fleets, 
  performing secret operations against enemy navies, 
  the Empress made her Ambassador to Linowan. This 
  was partly to avoid a clash between the Mnemon and 
  Cathak candidates (since this ambassadorship is an 
  influential position), and partly because the Empress 
  
  36
  felt that Atarove’s own experience at unconventional 
  warfare would give her greater empathy with the 
  Linowan natives, and consequently greater influence 
  with the royal clan and the Queen.
  Atarove has held the position for 20 years now. 
  She still shows a slight piratical swagger in her walk 
  and an abruptness when it comes to court situations. 
  Her duties include negotiating Linowan auxiliaries for 
  the Realm and surreptitiously working against Guild 
  interests. The recent fall of the Tepet legions horrifies 
  Atarove, and she looks for some way to shore up the 
  Realm’s influence in Linowan.
  FOREIGN RELATIONS
  While Linowan’s main relationships are friendship 
  to the Realm and hatred toward Halta, other countries in 
  the region cannot be discounted. Unfortunately for the 
  Linowan, war left two of their largest allies in ruins. The 
  Linowan could not protect their neighbors in Talinin 
  and Rokan-Jin from the Bull of the North or from Halta. 
  Other cultures in or near Linowan territory sense the shift 
  in power. Linowan leaders may need to cultivate their 
  region’s minorities—who collectively outnumber them—
  or find much of their homeland turned against them.
  ROKAN-JIN
  Rokan-Jin was one of the larger kingdoms to the 
  south of Linowan. While they suffered constant mild 
  raiding from Linowan warriors, the Rokan-jin people 
  had a loose alliance with Linowan itself. Their hilly 
  lands held many gemstone mines. The Rokan-Jin faced 
  their city walls with marble, while rich people adorned 
  their palaces with carnelian, malachite and jasper. The 
  capital city, Carnelian Peak, rose atop the mountain 
  called Sunset’s Sword. The Guild used Carnelian Peak 
  as its regional trade hub. Slaves bought from the Guild 
  worked the mines while the Rokan-jin themselves 
  farmed their fields. The trade in semiprecious stones 
  supported a strong standing army.
  The Bull’s armies took the opportunity to loot as 
  well as to burn and conquer. They also freed the mine 
  slaves and conscripted them into the Bull’s forces. Loss 
  of their mining slaves destroyed the nation’s economy. 
  The Rokan-jin fought well, defending their walled cities 
  and using the rugged terrain to their advantage. Strate-
  gic considerations (and rich gifts and offers of greater 
  fealty) swayed the Linowan crown to provide assistance, 
  but Linowan combat is not well adapted to protecting 
  specific locations. The icewalker armies captured and 
  looted town after town, and the Bull’s sorcerous allies 
  utterly destroyed Carnelian Peak.
  Rokan-Jin’s Queen Sahula survived the death of 
  her husband (fallen in battle) and took command, but 
  her nation is in ruins. Sahula’s priorities are to obtain 
  slaves to re-establish the gem mines, to expel all Haltan 
  influence and prevent Haltan incursions, and to rebuild 
  Carnelian Peak. The latter proves difficult, because a 
  large number of ghosts haunt the place. Sahula cares 
  more about reopening the gem mines than reclaiming 
  the farmlands, as she needs an economic or strategic 
  lever to keep her kingdom from being completely swal-
  lowed by Linowan.
  TALININ
  The Talinin clans live further to the east than the 
  Rokan-jin. These people, once hunter-gatherers like 
  the Linowan, long ago settled down to farm and build 
  walled villages. They share a border with Halta, but 
  did not previously share the full Linowan prejudice 
  against them, acting as a haven for outcasts from both 
  regions. While Talinin had no commodities of great 
  value, the Guild used it as a middleman for trade with 
  Halta itself. Despite sharing a border with both Halta 
  and Linowan, the Talinin High Lord and council of 
  clan chiefs showed great skill at avoiding entanglement 
  in the war beyond sending tributes of food to nearby 
  Linowan border forts.
  The arrival of the Bull of the North’s warriors came 
  as a horrific surprise. Invaders burned the walled villages. 
  Adults were slain, while children were forcibly adopted 
  into barbarian tribes. In the capital city of Dramasine, 
  the High Lord of the Talinin was slain on his own 
  throne. The remaining clan chiefs turned desperately 
  to the Linowan, who conscripted entire towns and used 
  them as raw soldiery to hold off the Bull’s troops. By 
  the end of the war in RY 764, the Talinin towns were 
  abandoned, and the previous clans were scattered. In 
  many cases, the new bonds formed by fighting under 
  Linowan, Realm or mercenary commanders are more 
  meaningful to survivors, turning the Talinin into an 
  imploded nation of warlords and refugees.
  The Guild abandoned Talinin. The farmlands 
  are battlefields and graveyards (and, in a few cases, 
  shadowlands). The Talinin lost much of their culture 
  through the burning of their towns and the deaths of 
  their elders. The nominal Talinin leader, Clan Chief 
  Allim Bloodyhand, holds power with Linowan backing. 
  He would like an ally in the Scavenger Lands to balance 
  Linowan influence but has little to offer in return.
  FURTHER AFIELD
  Sijan: The Linowan burn their dead and scatter 
  the ashes. They believe their ancestors dwell in a land 
  
  37
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  where the rivers are full of endless fish, and where the 
  storytelling goes on all evening and through the next 
  day. Some clans send their dead nobles and clan elders 
  to Sijan for cremation with model boats, while others 
  burn their own dead (preferably on Haltan redwood). 
  The royal clan sends regular gifts of food—mostly fish—
  to Sijan as a goodwill gesture. Linowan call on Sijanese 
  exorcists to deal with shadowlands or hostile ghosts. 
  Other cultures in Linowan territory hire the Morticians’ 
  Order to oversee local funerals, and Sijan’s black galleys 
  have unlimited right of passage along the Silver River. 
  The Morticians’ Order never abuses the privilege.
  Lookshy: Far-traveling Linowan pirates sometimes 
  raid Lookshy’s commerce. Linowan’s alliance to the 
  Realm does not improve relations. Lookshy warred with 
  the Linowan three times in the past 200 years; each war 
  involved multiple punitive missions to burn Linowan 
  towns but made little long-term impact, save to solidify 
  Linowan resentment against Lookshy. Linowan pirates 
  now view Lookshy’s traders as doubly valuable prey, both 
  for the goods that they carry and as a means to strike back 
  against Lookshy. The Queen herself sent messages to 
  the Scarlet Empress (before her disappearance) hinting 
  that Linowan auxiliaries would be glad to serve in the 
  field against Lookshy should the Empress plan a new 
  campaign against the city-state. Most Linowan regard 
  Lookshyans as rebels against their rightful Empress and 
  as a military bureaucracy of slave-owning dictators eager 
  to expand their reach. Only the lack of any evidence 
  prevents belief (though not suspicion) that the Look-
  shyans are secretly allied to the Haltans.
  The North: The Linowan don’t travel long dis-
  tances overland, and only a few of them ever took the 
  long journey down the Silver River and then up the 
  River of Tears. A very few Haslanti air boats ventured 
  south and east as far as Linowan but found nothing to 
  justify continued visits across hundreds of miles. Thus, 
  the Linowan knew only the easternmost fringes of the 
  North. The Bull of the North’s attack came as a terrible 
  shock. Many warriors want to raid in retaliation. Ex-
  ploratory war bands now seek routes with short portages 
  from river to river that could provide a shortcut to the 
  River of Tears and the icewalker territories beyond it. 
  Commerce between Linowan and Northern peoples, 
  never large, has shrunk even further; the price (barter 
  or cash) of Northern goods has risen in consequence 
  and looks set to continue to do so.
  SAMPLE COMBAT UNITS
  For more information about Linowan military 
  capabilities and sample combat units, see Scroll of 
  Kings, pages 92-93.
  ISTEL STAR-OF-DAWN’S WAR BAND
  Description: This is the war band of an ambitious 
  young noble of the royal clan. He made a name for 
  himself on the Haltan border and in the Realm auxil-
  iaries. Several lesser war bands also follow Istel, giving 
  him a total of 800 experienced warriors. Istel and his 
  THE MANSE OF SORRAZA DALON
  Before she died, Sorraza Dalon closed the 
  doors to her manse and to all the secrets she 
  hid inside it. The manse still exists, however, as 
  do her notes on her techniques for developing 
  aggression among the Linowan ancestors.
  Sorraza’s manse is a Solar Manse ••••. Its 
  abilities include the Greater Veil of Shadows (see 
  The Books of Sorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s 
  Codex, p. 76): It cannot be seen and one must 
  literally bump into it to notice it, though sensi-
  tive characters or geomancers could detect its 
  Essence flows. Since the manse floats 100 yards 
  above the center of Lake Sanazala, nobody knows 
  the manse is there. Ancient tales about Sorraza 
  (in far lands, not among the Linowan herself) 
  say “her palace flew away once she died,” and 
  her secretive habits meant that only her Lunar 
  mate Ethalir knew the truth about her manse. 
  The place is also guarded by golden automata 
  in the shapes of serpents and wolves, and holds 
  several dangerous traps that only Sorraza and 
  Ethalir knew how to disarm.
  Among the relics in the manse are Sorraza’s 
  experimental notes. She managed to build verbal 
  cues into her subject population (delivered in Old 
  Realm, of course) that could whip them into a 
  fervor of battle. These training cues no longer 
  function as designed: a Linowan who hears the 
  words might feel a bit short-tempered, but that’s 
  all. An expert thaumaturge or sorcerer, however, 
  would find Sorraza’s trigger-words useful as part 
  of a spell or Procedure to induce battle frenzy. 
  Sorraza’s experiments might also have some 
  connection to the Linowan’ peculiar insanities: 
  her logs mention her subjects’ tendency toward 
  bizarre monomanias. Sorraza’s notes might help 
  find a reliable cure for Vatal and Hal fever… or 
  someone who tried to re-create her work might 
  make them much worse.
  
  38
  warriors could be encoun-
  tered on the Haltan border, 
  cycling between the fortresses 
  while looking for weak spots or 
  attacking some minor city-state or 
  rival tribe on the fringes of Linowan 
  territory. While Istel frequently loses 
  men (all war bands frequently lose 
  warriors, if the leader has any 
  gumption at all), he is famous 
  enough that he recruits more 
  almost as quickly.
  Commanding Officer: Istel 
  Star-of-Dawn
  Armor Color: Brown striped with red.
  Motto: “The only good Haltan is a 
  burned Haltan!”
  General Makeup: Eight hundred light 
  infantry in buff jackets with longbows 
  and axes, spears or maces (equal 
  numbers of each)
  Overall Quality: Good
  Magnitude: 6
  Drill: 3 (Istel Star-of-Dawn has 
  learned the value of unit cohesion 
  and organization)
  Close Combat Attack: 4 
  Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Combat Attack: 4 
  Ranged Combat Damage: 3
  Endurance: 6 
  Might: 1 
  Armor: 1 (-1 mobility)
  Morale: 3
  Formation: Skirmish at the beginning of battles, 
  and then unordered at the end once they can 
  charge on the enemy. The band focuses on 
  scouting, and then harassing the enemy 
  with quick attacks and retreats, followed 
  by a final charge once the enemy’s cohesion 
  has been broken. Istel has six relays and six 
  heroes, each of whom can split off to command a 
  troop of 50 warriors. His unit’s Might comes from 
  blessings granted by powerful shamans and their 
  spiritual allies.
  THE REPUBLIC OF 
  HALTA
  The nation of Halta lays claim 
  to a wide swath of the Northeastern 
  redwood forest. While other trees 
  grow in the forest as well, the red-
  woods dominate—through altitude, 
  as well as numbers. The Haltans live 
  only in the redwoods. Over the last seven 
  centuries, the Haltans built a strange and 
  wondrous arboreal civilization. By now, Hal-
  tans rarely need to set foot on the ground. Strangest 
  of all to outsiders, their nation encompasses beastmen 
  and many sorts of sentient animals as well as humans. 
  In the local parlance, ata-beasts are fully sentient and 
  -
  ,
  es 
  s or
  ate or 
  nowan
  ntly loses 
  tly lose
  any 
  mous 
  more 
  el 
  ed with red.
  Haltan is a 
  ndred light 
  ongbows 
  (equal 
  wn has
  hesion 
  Endurance: 6 
  M
  Armor: 1 (-1 mob
  Morale: 3
  Formation: Sk
  and then u
  charge
  scouti
  with q
  by a fina
  has been b
  heroes, each o
  troop of 50 war
  blessings gran
  spiritua
  T
  t
  re
  g
  w
  a
  only in 
  centurie
  wondrous
  tans rarely need to
  of all to outsiders, 
  and many sorts of 
  In the local parlan
  Linowan, a Magnitude 6 Dominion
  Military: 5 
  Government: 2  
  Culture: 4
  Abilities: Awareness 3, Bureaucracy 1, Craft 3, Integrity 4 (Tight-Knit Heritage +1), Investigation 2, 
  Occult 3 (Binding Agreement +2), Performance 3, Presence 3, Stealth 4 (Calculated Assassination +1), 
  War 5 (Forcing an Engagement +1, Slash & Burn Tactics +2)
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 5
  Limit Break: Valor 
  Current Limit: 4
  Willpower: 9
  Bonus Points: 30 
  External Bonus Points: 18
  Notes: Queen Arkasi, Gradessi Whitefoot and Peleps Kaizoku Atarove are all sorcerers with legitimacy, 
  while several shamans and clan-matriarchs are savants.
  Linowan’s bonus points go to two dots of Willpower, an additional dot of Military and one dot each of 
  Performance, Presence, Stealth and War. Its external bonus points (obtained through its alliance with 
  the Realm, its trading connections and Golden-Eyed Jorst) are spent on a second dot of Temperance, a 
  second dot of Government and all the specialties.
  In the event of a Limit Break, Linowan immediately blames Halta for its troubles—no matter what the 
  real cause—and attacks its arch-enemy, moving warriors and defenses from other borders to strike at 
  Halta instead.
  
  39
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Haltan citizens, fully equal to humans. San-beasts are 
  only partly sentient.
  Halta grew beyond the reach of the Realm and 
  the other civilized centers of the North and East. The 
  Haltans knew little about the rest of Creation, and the 
  rest of Creation knew little about Halta. The centuries-
  long war against Linowan gave Haltans little reason to 
  seek contact with distant lands. Only in the last century 
  have Guild caravans, Haslanti air boats and other for-
  eign visitors come to this empire wilderness, and only 
  in the last 10 years did Halta fight its first major war 
  against anyone but Linowan. The Haltans joined the 
  Bull of the North to fight Linowan, and that led to war 
  against the Scarlet Empire’s legions. Halta emerged on 
  the winning side—though many Haltans wonder what, 
  exactly, they won. Few Haltans appreciate what their 
  involvement means to folk in distant lands. Powers and 
  power brokers the Haltans could not imagine now watch 
  the forest land, and few of those eyes are friendly.
  HISTORY
  The Great Contagion killed most of humanity in a 
  few years. Many who were not yet infected fled into the 
  deep forests of the East, hoping to escape the plague. 
  The refugees then faced the invading Fair Folk. In the 
  aftermath, masterless hobgoblins and Wyld-twisted 
  beasts and savages became a chronic threat. The sur-
  viving people took refuge in the trees.
  THE FOUNDING OF HALTA
  As the refugees moved east, they encountered bar-
  barian bands that already lived in the trees, including 
  some tribes of the mysterious tree folk (see The Compass 
  of Celestial Directions, Vol. II—The Wyld, pp. 45 and 
  122). Some tribes accepted the refugees as new members. 
  The refugees, in turn, became a common link between 
  these tribal cultures and started them on the path to 
  civilization. Within a century, a tribal confederation 
  formed; and after another century, the confederation 
  crystallized into the new nation of Halta.
  THE ENDLESS WAR
  The Haltans’ hatred of their Linowan neighbors is 
  matched only by the hatred the Linowan hold for them. 
  While this conflict sprang from the rivalry between 
  Caltia the Eternal, goddess of the evergreen forests and 
  Golden-Eyed Jorst, god of the deciduous forests (see pp. 
  131-136), this war grew into far more than a lengthy 
  argument between two gods.
  Among mortals, the war began with far-traveling 
  Linowan raiders heading upriver to loot Haltan villages 
  and take Haltans for slaves. Or, it began with Haltans 
  journeying downriver to plant redwood saplings in 
  Jorst’s territory. Within very few years, it no longer 
  mattered who started the conflict. By RY 279, the war 
  carried enough momentum for both sides to mobilize 
  tens of thousands of warriors for a massive battle on 
  their border. That battle left the shadowland called 
  the Field of Woe.
  Shortly thereafter, Fair folk raiders swept through 
  the war-weakened nation. The monarch of that time, 
  Queen Chaltra Amritsa, and her council decided they 
  could not fight the Fair Folk while keeping guard against 
  the Linowan. Reluctantly, they sued for peace. Halta’s 
  gods supported their worshippers, though: when Queen 
  Chaltra faced the raksha leaders, Caltia herself stood be-
  side her, with other representative gods. Faced with the 
  possibility of war against an entire forest-realm of gods, 
  the Fair Folk agreed to an enduring treaty that ceded 
  them the forest floor, but left the treetops inviolate. 
  And none too soon: when the Linowan invaded again 
  in RY 318, they didn’t enter Haltan territory as they 
  thought, they entered raksha territory, with the Haltans 
  waiting up above to assist their unlikely allies.
  Over the centuries, Halta spread far beyond its 
  original territory. The nation suffered growing pains: 
  civil wars and schisms, attempts by monarchs to seize 
  greater power, attempts by the Council of Nobles to 
  reduce the monarchs’ powers, scandals, upheavals 
  as new customs spread—the usual for any dynamic 
  society. The Haltans did not accept beastmen and 
  sentient animals as fellow citizens overnight. These 
  conflicts, though painful for the Haltans at the time 
  (and interesting to Haltan historians), did not affect 
  anyone outside Halta. At least once a century, Linowan 
  and Halta each mounted major assaults against each 
  other, which invariably failed.
  As Halta matured, so did societies elsewhere in 
  Creation. A bit more than a century ago, the Guild 
  came to Halta, with other merchants in its wake. 
  Small numbers of Haltans ventured out along the 
  trade routes, introducing the rest of Creation to their 
  exotic culture—particularly the soon-to-be-famous 
  beast shows. When the Haslanti invented their air 
  boats, they set up a trading post at the far northwestern 
  end of Halta, forging a tenuous link between these two 
  self-made cultures at the edge of the world. However, 
  the Haltans still thought of themselves as a people set 
  apart from the rest of Creation.
  RECENT EVENTS
  When the Bull of the North attacked Linowan’s 
  southern allies, Queen Chaltra Evamal saw only a 
  
  40
  chance to outflank her nation’s ancient foe. She and her 
  Council of Nobles thought they could repeat the great 
  success of the Fair Folk treaty and acquire a powerful 
  new ally. More than 10,000 Haltan troops assisted the 
  Bull and his icewalkers against the Linowan and the 
  Realm legions.
  This decision did not turn out as well as the Hal-
  tans hoped. Thousands of Haltans died. Halta itself 
  gained no territory, no loot—nothing, really, except 
  knowledge that the Linowan fared even worse. For 
  some Haltans, this is enough. At every level of Haltan 
  society, however, people wonder what’s next. Choices 
  and dangers face the Republic of Halta that its people 
  never imagined.
  GEOGRAPHY
  The Republic of Halta occupies a broad arc of for-
  est, chiefly along the streams that flow south and west 
  to form the Silver River. These rivers, and the Golden 
  Leaf Canal that cuts across them, help bind together 
  the far-flung nation. In the north, Halta ends where 
  the high forest gives way to the shorter trees of the 
  taiga. To the south, it ends in a cluster of breakaway 
  societies, some of them sizeable countries in their own 
  right. A tongue of Haltan territory licks south to the 
  headwaters of the Rock River and the central East. To 
  the west, Halta curves around the border with Linowan. 
  To the east, Halta has no border at all. It fades into the 
  endless forests and scattered tribes at Creation’s rim, 
  with trade routes extending into the Wyld.
  The Haltan forest is mostly evergreen, a mix of 
  redwoods with pine, fir, juniper, spruce and larch, 
  with a smattering of willows and other deciduous trees. 
  The southern reaches include ironwood trees. Mature 
  redwoods normally grow between 15 and 45 feet in 
  diameter and between 200 and 400 feet tall. Far to 
  the East, the trees grow miles tall, but only barbarian 
  tribes live in these remote regions. Redwoods often live 
  for thousands of years and resist both fire and disease. 
  Most of this forest existed well before the Contagion. 
  Some of the larger trees naturally become hollow inside, 
  creating large spaces that can be home to hatra packs 
  or colonies of giant bats or comfortable dwellings for 
  Haltans who wish to live completely surrounded by 
  their beloved trees.
  Although the Republic of Halta covers a truly 
  enormous area, its total population is only about 25 
  million. The vast majority of Halta consists of wild 
  forest with few if any inhabitants. The Fair Folk control 
  
  41
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  the forest floor, while feral elementals, deadly beasts 
  and far-roaming Wyld mutants hold sway over much 
  of the canopy. Haltan cities and towns are like islands 
  in a vast ocean of trees, with many miles of untamed 
  forest between settlements. Haltan soldiers and guards 
  loosely patrol the paths between the larger cities and 
  towns. Even on these aerial roads, though, journeys 
  become far safer as part of a large caravan.
  The Haltans like it this way. They accept the 
  dangers of the wilderness as healthy challenges that 
  keep them, and their nation, strong. Moreover, they 
  know that many dangers conceal opportunities. If they 
  gave up the forest for farmland, Halta would lose its 
  greatest assets.
  CHANTA
  The capital of Halta boasts a population of almost 
  two million, making it the republic’s largest city as well 
  as the center of Haltan culture and religion. Here, the 
  Haltan queen, Chaltra Evamal, meets with her Council 
  of Nobles in an exquisite parliamentary hall of living 
  wood. Chanta also houses Halta’s largest temples to 
  their forest gods as well as a large university and spe-
  cialized academies that teach thaumaturgy, sorcery and 
  Terrestrial martial arts.
  Chanta lies on one of the larger tributaries of the 
  Silver River, and many of Halta’s arboreal trade routes 
  converge on the city. As a result, the inhabitants have 
  relatively easy access to goods from across Creation. The 
  wealthy of Chanta can wear silks from the Blessed Isle, 
  ivory from the Southern savanna and pearls from the 
  West, shaped by Halta’s finest artisans.
  Chanta consists of several thousand huge red-
  woods spread across four square miles. Most trees are 
  at least 300 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter, with a 
  scattering of smaller, younger trees. The wealthiest 
  residents live within naturally hollow portions of some 
  of these trees. However, most Haltans live and work 
  on large platforms that they anchor to the trunk of 
  one tree and support by two or more branches, or that 
  stretch between several of the forest’s closely spaced 
  trees. The largest of these platforms are hundreds of 
  feet across. Chanta consists of many thousands of 
  these platforms connected by walkways and ladders 
  in a three-dimensional maze. Visitors have no hope 
  whatsoever of finding their way around without a 
  native guide.
  OTHER HALTAN CITIES
  Halta contains about a dozen other large cities 
  whose population exceeds 100,000, and dozens more 
  of medium size. All lie within 800 miles of the nation’s 
  western border—but most are also at least 200 miles 
  from this border, to remain safe from Linowan raiders. 
  After Chanta, the four largest are Glorious Crown, 
  Caltia’s Triumph, Kajeth and River Blossom.
  Glorious Crown sits within a few miles of the Fair 
  Folk stronghold of Yagan and is Halta’s primary center 
  of trade with the Fair Folk. (See the discussion of Yagan, 
  on p. 46, for what makes Glorious Crown interesting.)
  SECRET GUIDING HANDS
  The Haltan people do not know it, but their 
  entire society is an experiment conducted by two 
  old and powerful Chosen of Luna called Silver 
  Python and Rain Deathflyer. Old Haltan legends 
  speak of powerful figures that could take animal 
  form and helped their ancestors survive. It doesn’t 
  take a genius to guess that these were Lunar Exalted. 
  The extent of the Lunars’ activities—and that it 
  continues—is known only to a few gods, Fair Folk 
  nobles and other members of the Silver Pact, all of 
  whom keep the secret for reasons of their own.
  These two No Moons saw in the refugees a 
  chance to create an ideal society from scratch—a 
  nation that would combine the strength, self-
  reliance and connection to nature found among 
  barbarians with the learning, organization and 
  material culture found in civilized lands. The 
  Haltan people became more civilized and orga-
  nized than the Lunars expected, but they are not 
  displeased with their experiment.
  Over the centuries, this pair of Lunar Exalted 
  secretly helped the Haltans and their gods to forge 
  their treaties with the Fair Folk. They also helped 
  create some (not all) of the intelligent and semi-
  intelligent animals, known locally as ata-beasts 
  and san-beasts, that are so common in Halta. The 
  hawk and serpent beastmen who live in Halta are 
  the Lunars’ own descendants.
  One feature of Haltan culture that the Lunars 
  are most proud of introducing is the Test of Sur-
  vival. Every Haltan youth must undergo this test 
  in order to become an adult. The Lunars believe 
  the Test of Survival encourages self-reliance and 
  keeps the Haltan people from becoming soft and 
  losing their connection to nature.
  For details about how Rain Deathflyer and 
  Silver Python shaped Halta, see The Manual of 
  Exalted Power—The Lunars, Chapter Two.
  
  42
  Caltia’s Triumph is located amid Halta’s largest 
  groves of ironwood trees. It is Halta’s center for iron-
  wood harvesting and for the manufacturing of ironwood 
  tools and weapons.
  Kajeth is a trading city located on Halta’s southern 
  border. Most commerce between Halta and the Scav-
  enger Lands goes through Kajeth. Half of Kajeth is 
  built on the ground, for the convenience of foreigners. 
  The boundary of the Fair Folk treaty ends more than 
  50 miles north of Kajeth, so mortals may safely walk 
  upon the ground. About a fifth of Kajeth’s 300,000 
  inhabitants are foreigners.
  Kajeth is the center for breeding the rare and valu-
  able Haltan san-horses. The foreigner’s quarter includes 
  large stables. Although most beast-sellers only sell these 
  horses to Haltan travelers, many foreigners come to 
  Kajeth in hopes of obtaining one. Horse breeders take 
  special care when deciding which foreigners they allow 
  to purchase one. Ownership of a Haltan horse is a rare 
  badge of honor.
  River Blossom is located on Halta’s northwestern 
  border, where the North Silver River intersects the 
  Golden Leaf Canal. On the east bank, River Blossom is 
  a purely Haltan city. The city on the west bank, called 
  River Keep, is built on the ground. River Keep is guild 
  territory; the Guild has its own treaty with the Fair Folk, 
  protecting the town in return for a regular tribute of 
  slaves to devour. What little commerce Halta engages 
  in with the small countries and tribes of the Eastern 
  North passes through River Blossom and River Keep.
  River Blossom has a population of around 250,000 
  and River Keep usually has a population of 10,000, with 
  almost 5,000 of the residents being Guild personnel, 
  and the rest being a mixture of Haltan travelers and 
  foreigners who have found it an exotic and profitable 
  place to live.
  River Blossom is also known for the fact that it sits 
  on the northeastern edge of a circle of forest a dozen 
  miles in diameter, where most of the pine trees produce 
  glowing sap. In addition, several dozen trees within 
  the city produce large amounts of fresh and delicious 
  water instead of sap and a dozen produce a fine sweet 
  wine that the residents bottle and sell to both the rest 
  of Halta and the Guild.
  Resplendent Peak, built near a great glacier at the 
  headwaters of the North Silver River, is the northernmost 
  Haltan settlement—so far north that redwoods will not 
  grow, and the Haltans must settle for other evergreen 
  trees. Many Haltans consider it an outpost rather than 
  a true Haltan city. Resplendent Peak is a relatively small 
  city, with a population of only 60,000. It’s all up in the 
  trees, though, except for the stables—built just 10 feet 
  outside the boundary set by Halta’s Fair Folk treaties.
  Halta’s trade with the Haslanti, the icewalker 
  barbarian tribes and the elk beastmen that wander the 
  northern wastes all goes through Resplendent Peak. The 
  city offers a tall mooring mast for Haslanti air boats; 
  Haslanti now make up over a quarter of the foreigners 
  who visit this city. Haslanti traders regularly exchange 
  feathersteel and mammoth ivory for high-quality woods 
  and exotic medicines.
  HALTAN ARCHITECTURE
  Chanta and the other Haltan cities and towns all 
  consist of a network of dwelling platforms connected 
  by aerial bridges. Some of these dwelling platforms are 
  open plazas surrounded by a low railing, but most carry 
  a variety of buildings. Almost all of the city’s dwelling 
  platforms, as well as most of the bridges between them, 
  consist of interwoven long, narrow branches. The houses 
  and shops on these platforms have walls and roofs made 
  from a mixture of living wood and carefully carved wood 
  taken from dead trees and branches. As part of their 
  many treaties with the forest spirits, the Haltans never 
  cut living redwood trees, but dead wood abounds in this 
  vast forest, and other trees are freely harvested. Tree 
  sculptors known as arborists shape the growing wood, 
  while shaman-priests ask dryads and wood elementals 
  to aid these efforts.
  Haltan tree cities are exceedingly three-dimension-
  al. The redwoods tower hundreds of feet tall and most 
  have rings of relatively horizontal branches at various 
  levels. Inhabited trees may carry three to 10 dwelling 
  platforms built on these rings of branches. Moving 
  from one level to another involves climbing ladders as 
  much as 100 feet high. Goods and people who do not 
  wish to make this climb can ride between the levels 
  in counterweighted elevators pulled by well-trained 
  forest baboons. In Chanta, several dozen automatic, 
  Essence-powered elevators come from the ruins of the 
  First Age city of Sal-Maneth (see pp. 45-46). Unless 
  they are very young, infirm or elderly, Haltans never 
  ride elevators except to accompany large shipments 
  of goods. Healthy adults who choose to ride elevators 
  are considered either lazy or clumsy, both of which are 
  common beliefs about most foreigners.
  Moving to dwelling platforms around a nearby tree 
  requires traveling along the aptly named branch-paths 
  made from the redwood’s wide branches. Branch-paths 
  are usually just two yards wide; only the largest reach 
  four yards wide. Arborists use ironwood tools and 
  
  43
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  thaumaturgy to sculpt the surface of these branches 
  into smooth paths with foot-high rails on either side 
  of the path. Most branch paths also have living vines 
  on at least one side to provide a secure purchase for the 
  elderly and the infirm. Bridges of wooden slats, wicker 
  and living vines fill gaps between branches.
  VILLAGES AND TOWNS
  People who live in the Haltan forest face greater 
  dangers than in the countryside of most nations. All 
  manner of predatory beings inhabit the forests, some 
  of which eagerly prey upon settlements too small to 
  defend themselves. The greatest danger, however, lies 
  in the regions within 200 miles of the Linowan border. 
  Although this region contains dozens of towns, all of 
  these settlements need a population of at least 5,000 
  simply to support well-supplied defensive garrisons 
  against Linowan raids. Further from the border, smaller 
  settlements become possible. Halta includes many 
  towns with populations between 5,000 and 50,000, 
  and countless villages with populations as low as 500 
  Haltans. Towns become smaller and less civilized the 
  further one moves away from Halta’s western border.
  Some towns and villages fall on trade routes between 
  large cities. While most internal trade occurs along the 
  rivers, on long journeys riverboat passengers often relish 
  the chance to stretch their legs. Towns located along the 
  rivers or the Golden Leaf Canal provide accommodations 
  for travelers as well as a chance to trade for local goods. 
  Other trade routes go through the trees, along well-
  traveled branch paths. Given the difficulty of this sort 
  of travel, towns built along well-traveled branch paths 
  are especially popular with travelers. These settlements 
  openly welcome travelers. They often become centers 
  for specialty manufacturing, providing the town with a 
  ready source of goods to trade with visitors.
  Unlike people from more isolated communities 
  who must make do with the products of their local 
  forest, the inhabitants of these trade route towns have 
  access to both foreign metalwork and ironwood tools 
  made in the southern portion of the Haltan lands. 
  The inhabitants of most such towns enjoy a standard 
  of living similar to that found in Haltan cities. Their 
  dwelling platforms are often quite large and contain 
  dozens of well-made houses and shops.
  Truly isolated villages and towns can occur any-
  where more than 100 miles from the Linowan border, but 
  become more common further east. These communities 
  tend to be self-sufficient by necessity, and usually quite 
  small. The people own few ironwood or metal tools and 
  enjoy fewer civilized amenities than the city or trade-
  route folk. The inhabitants know even less than most 
  Haltans about life outside the Haltan forest.
  Many of these communities deliberately isolate 
  themselves from others, to the extent that they might 
  not consider themselves Haltan citizens. Some have 
  eccentric practices, such as the Panests whose multi-
  partner families consist of a mixture of both human and 
  intelligent animals. Other communities consist of private 
  and reclusive tribes of beastmen. While some beastmen 
  enjoy living with humans, most prefer living among their 
  own kind. Sentient animals also sometimes create their 
  own communities. The inhabitants of such settlements 
  are typically polite with human visitors but never let 
  outsiders stay with them from more than a few days.
  THE DESIGN OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES
  Most Haltan towns and villages are built on a similar 
  plan. They consist of a collection of between a dozen 
  and several hundred dwelling platforms, each of which 
  is home to between two dozen and a hundred people. 
  In trade-route towns, each platform usually carries at 
  least a few shops and other services, as well as dwellings. 
  To protect the inhabitants against wild animals (and 
  wilder Linowan), residents of villages and towns build 
  their dwelling platforms closer together than those in 
  most Haltan cities. In the smallest settlements, all of the 
  platforms may occupy the same cluster of three or four 
  trees, each platform lying only five or six yards above 
  the one below it. In areas with dangerous animals or 
  where fear of Linowan raiders is especially great, villagers 
  build a wooden stockade around each dwelling platform. 
  Although these walls do nothing to prevent attack from 
  above, they prevent attack from all other directions.
  SPIRIT CULT VILLAGES
  Small spirit cults inhabit some of the strangest vil-
  lages. The most exotic of these settlements consist of a 
  mixture of mortals, God-Blooded, and either elemen-
  tals or minor forest gods. This close to the elemental 
  Pole of Wood, the Haltan forest can be supernaturally 
  lush, with large numbers of wood elementals. Green 
  beards, artisans, stick persons, dryads (see The Books 
  of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The Roll of Glorious Divinity 
  I, pp. 36-38 and 137-138) and other spirits rule small 
  areas of the Haltan forest, either alone or in small 
  groups. Some of these spirits kill or drive off mortals 
  who trespass in their domains. Others demand tribute 
  or worship in return for allowing mortal travelers to 
  pass safely through the lands they claim.
  Now and then, feral gods and elementals decide they 
  want mortal followers, or a group of mortals decide to set-
  tle in a portion of the forest controlled by these entities. 
  
  44
  The mortals worship and provide various other services 
  for the elementals or gods. In return, the spirits grant 
  various boons to the mortals. After a few generations, 
  some—or occasionally, all—of the mortals living in 
  these small communities carry the blood of one of their 
  gods in their veins.
  Most other Haltans avoid these cultic settlements. 
  Brave or foolish traders occasionally visit such commu-
  nities and return with odd artifacts, strange plants and 
  even stranger stories. Otherwise, they remain isolated 
  unless some unsuspecting traveler strays too close. The 
  treatment of visitors depends on the attitude of the rul-
  ing elementals or gods. In most cases, outsiders who do 
  not agree to join this community can remain for a day 
  or two if they offer some form of obeisance. A generous 
  god or elemental might merely ask for prayers. Others 
  demand sacrifices, mutilation, or services ranging from 
  a night of exotic and dangerous passion with one of the 
  gods to raiding the domain of a rival elemental. Visitors 
  who somehow impress these local gods occasionally win 
  exotic rewards such as a minor artifact, a natural wonder 
  or a piece of unique and valuable knowledge.
  BANDIT CAMPS
  The most dangerous Haltan settlements are those 
  inhabited by bandits. Because of the difficulty of 
  travel off established trade routes, well-hidden bandit 
  settlements can remain hidden for decades or even 
  centuries. Just as Western pirates venture forth from 
  isolated islands to prey upon rich trade routes, Haltan 
  bandits build villages near rivers or the larger arboreal 
  paths. Official patrols cannot control or even map more 
  than a tiny fraction of this vast forest and often have 
  great difficulty locating these hidden settlements. Most 
  bandit leaders are Haltans who served their term in the 
  military and decided that using their skills against poorly 
  armed traders was both safer and more profitable than 
  attacking bloodthirsty Linowan warriors.
  Some bandits plant confederates in a nearby city to 
  tip them off about upcoming caravans. Others simply lie 
  in wait for travelers. Either way, the bandits drop down 
  upon travelers and attack with spears, nets and packs of 
  well-trained san-beasts, such as giant wolf spiders. While 
  some release the people of the caravan once they strip 
  them of wealth, many bandits kill their victims to keep 
  them from revealing the bandits’ location. The worst sell 
  their captives to the Fair Folk for armor, weapons and 
  illusions to help disguise them and their camps. Bandits 
  living near one of Halta’s borders also sometimes sell 
  their prisoners to slavers from the Guild—or even the 
  Linowan, as victims for their sacrificial pyres.
  In Halta, selling Haltans to slavers, the Fair Folk or 
  the Linowan are all capital crimes punished by turning 
  offenders over to the Fair Folk. Bandits who engage in 
  such ruthless practices know they can expect no mercy. 
  Most bandit camps are only found because a caravan 
  they attack captures one or more bandits, or a bandit 
  who travels to a nearby city to buy supplies and infor-
  mation is either captured or followed by the monitors, 
  Halta’s secret police (see pp. 52-53). 
  THE FAR EAST
  In Halta, the dividing line between barbarians and 
  civilized citizens is far from clear. The easternmost por-
  tions of Halta contain many settlements inhabited by 
  people almost indistinguishable from the tree-dwelling 
  barbarians found at the borders of the Wyld. Some of 
  these settlements are home to the green-skinned tree 
  folk created by the Old Realm. Others house more 
  ordinary barbarians or feral beastmen. Actual Wyld 
  barbarians inhabit a few.
  Regardless of their exact nature, most barbarians 
  live in tribes of between 100 and 1,000 members. Like 
  other Haltans, they live in the trees. Each dwelling 
  platform usually holds a single longhouse where the 
  inhabitants live and work, though some barbarians 
  weave globular shelters that resemble oversized 
  bird’s nests. Having few metal or ironwood tools, 
  they must make their dwellings from a mixture of 
  woven branches and rudely dressed logs. Covered 
  with both leafy living branches and thatch made 
  from dried branches, these structures are sturdy but 
  far less comfortable or elegant than civilized Haltan 
  homes. In the smallest barbarian settlements, the 
  inhabitants often live inside hollow trees. Such 
  villages are exceptionally safe from attack by large 
  beasts and enemy warriors, but residents must take 
  care to keep out poisonous snakes, spiders and other 
  unpleasant creatures.
  Despite the barbarians’ relative isolation and lack 
  of civilized trappings, Haltan leaders think of these 
  tribes as part of their nation, and many barbarians 
  agree. Tribes at even greater distance regard the Hal-
  tans as valuable allies. They welcome Haltan traders, 
  respecting their skill in forest-craft and always desiring 
  the metal and ironwood tools, glassware and bright 
  fabrics they sell. These traders return to Halta’s cities 
  bearing unique carvings, valuable plants and other 
  strange commodities from the furthest reaches of the 
  East. Many barbarians have no concept of Halta as a 
  nation, but treat traders and other visitors from Halta 
  as their cousins from a distant tribe.
  
  45
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Merchants who trade with these remote barbarians 
  are the most reliable source for the potent medicinal 
  plants from the Far East. These medicines find use in the 
  rest of Halta and are traded for high prices throughout 
  Creation. (The Guild would love to cut into the Haltans’ 
  action. They haven’t got a chance.) Also, the Fair Folk 
  do not patrol in the far eastern portion of the forest be-
  cause it is so sparsely inhabited. As a result, many of the 
  barbarian tribes can safely descend from their mile-high 
  trees onto the forest floor to collect shade-dwelling herbs 
  and fungi unknown to the rest of Creation. Halta also 
  relies on its barbarian allies to find long-lost ruins of the 
  First Age and deposits of metal ores and other minerals 
  that Halta might someday find it practical to mine.
  FIRST AGE RUINS
  Haltan territory contains three major, ruined 
  First Age cities and one First Age enigma. Two of 
  the ruined cities lie on the ground; the Fair Folk 
  claim them. One floats in the air, and so falls within 
  Haltan purview.
  THE FLOATING CITY OF SAL-MANETH
  The most intact of the First Age ruins is the floating 
  city of Sal-Maneth. This city hovers over the Black-
  water River in a relatively sparse region of the forest. 
  Sal-Maneth was one of the wonders of the First Age, 
  and the Fair Folk never looted it. The city was built 
  from a lace-like tracery of metal and glass, and covers 
  almost two square miles. Thirty-foot-wide, walkways of 
  multi-colored metal filigree arch between hundreds of 
  small plazas and tall towers. Although the entire city 
  appears exceptionally flimsy, the walkways and walls 
  all have a Soak of 24B/20L, and require 25 health 
  levels to sever.
  Sal-Maneth floats 150 feet above the ground and 
  has never moved. Hundreds of ancient trees grow up 
  amidst the structure of the city. Unknown magics 
  prevent trees from growing to touch any portion of the 
  city. Unfortunately, Sal-Maneth suffered severe damage 
  during the Great Contagion. Almost a quarter of the 
  city’s towers and plazas now lie broken on the ground 
  and an equal portion of towers and walkways are now 
  twisted and bent.
  Today, eight long rope bridges connect the ruins 
  to the rest of the forest. Several hundred scholars and 
  several dozen hermits live in Sal-Maneth. The more 
  ruinous portions also serve as nests to dangerous animals 
  such as hatra packs and huge wild spiders. While the 
  
  46
  scholars have learned little about the magics supporting 
  this floating city, they regularly turn up small useful 
  items such as crystals that provide both light and heat 
  upon command. Nearly a third of the city’s intact tow-
  ers remain sealed. Many scholars suspect they contain 
  even greater wonders.
  YAGAN AND GLORIOUS CROWN
  The vast ruin of Yagan is a city of soaring towers, 
  nearly half of which remain largely intact. The towers 
  have bases made of limestone, but above the sixth 
  story they consist of the same nigh-indestructible 
  glass found in Chiaroscuro, except here the towers 
  are built in every color of the rainbow. Here dwells 
  the largest and most powerful of the Fair Folk tribes 
  in the Haltan forest, who follow Slulura, Lord of the 
  Lower Branches. Slulura was the first and the most 
  powerful of the Fair Folk kings to sign the treaty 
  with the Haltans, and the closest thing the Haltans 
  have to an ally among the Fair Folk. In honor of the 
  ancient city’s ruined beauty, the local Fair Folk’s 
  finest glass workers and gossamer smiths now live 
  in Yagan. The Fair Folk of Yagan allow merchants 
  and diplomats to visit their city, but do not permit 
  scholars to study it.
  The Haltan city of Glorious Crown is located two 
  miles from the outskirts of Yagan. Many of the gossamer 
  goods, glass weapons and minor fae enchantments found 
  in Halta came from Slulura’s people by way of Glorious 
  Crown. Haltans and Fair Folk often visit each other’s 
  cities in the course of their commerce, and both sides 
  tread carefully in the other’s territory.
  THE GOLDWOOD RUINS
  The Goldwood Ruins are the last of Halta’s known 
  First Age cities. Only a few broken pillars and tumbled 
  walls show that the city ever existed. The Fair Folk 
  looted all valuables from the Goldwood Ruins long ago. 
  The leaves and needles of all of the trees that grow up 
  through the ruined streets, however, are tinged with gold 
  and glow softly at night. The Haltans don’t care about 
  the ruins—but they found that powerful drugs could 
  be made from the fungi growing on these trees. Haltan 
  alchemists use these fungi as the primary ingredient 
  in the local versions of sweet cordial and age-staving 
  cordial (see Exalted, p. 378).
  Unknown to anyone now living, the potency of 
  these fungi derives from the fact that these trees some-
  how produce tiny quantities of orichalcum; any Solar 
  Exalt who discovers this fact could harvest sufficient 
  orichalcum every fall to produce six daiklaves or three 
  suits of orichalcum plate every year.
  THE RIVER BLOSSOM ENIGMA
  The most mysterious First Age ruin in Halta consists 
  of a circle of pine trees a dozen miles in diameter that 
  surrounds the city of River Blossom. Most of the trees 
  produce glowing sap; a few produce copious amounts 
  of water or sweet resinous wine.
  These trees lie above the collapsed ruins of the 
  once-famous First Age city of Samiaren. Many centuries 
  worth of accumulated soil and leaf litter cover these 
  ruins. No one living in Creation knows of their exis-
  tence. Haltan scholars suspect that the ruins of a First 
  Age city lie below River Blossom, but the Fair Folk on 
  the forest floor prevent any excavations. An excavator 
  might discover the machines that transform pine sap 
  into water, wine or food, as well as mechanisms to cause 
  trees to increase sap production and transform this sap 
  into becoming solid moving elevators and moving stairs, 
  all made of golden amber.
  THE HALTAN PEOPLE
  Living so close to the Pole of Wood gives the Haltan 
  people a distinctive physical appearance. Their hair is 
  straight and green, ranging from shades so dark that 
  it is nearly black to the light yellow-green of newly 
  sprouted grass. Haltans usually have reddish-brown skin 
  and green or brown eyes. They normally go barefoot or 
  wear flexible, soft-soled shoes that are more like gloves 
  designed for their feet. Haltan toes are considerably 
  more prehensile than usual.
  HALTAN BEASTMEN
  Beastmen live openly within Haltan society. Most 
  beastmen live in their own villages and towns, or their 
  own neighborhoods in cities (more than 1,000 in Chanta 
  alone). This is due to reverence, not hatred or fear: many 
  Haltan humans regard beastmen as blessed by the gods. 
  Excessive familiarity would show a lack of piety.
  Snakemen and hawkmen are the most numerous 
  breeds, though owlmen, chiropterans and a few spider-
  men also live in the Haltan forest. The Haltans also 
  regularly trade with tribes of elkmen who live to the 
  north of their forest.
  Like other Haltans, beastmen serve four-year terms 
  in the military (see pp. 55-57), and those who do well 
  can go on to become commandos. Almost five percent of 
  Haltan commandos are beastmen and many are famous 
  and decorated for their service against the Linowan. 
  Beastmen who live among humans also sometimes 
  become distinguished shaman-priests, with hawk and 
  serpent beastmen usually becoming shaman-priests of 
  the hawk god Yesryk or the serpent god Seris.
  
  47
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Many Haltans see these shaman-priests almost 
  as living incarnations of these deities and view them 
  with even more awe than other beastmen. Other 
  beastmen who live along humans usually work as 
  doctors (particularly the snakemen), thaumaturges, 
  scholars and occasionally even entertainers (such as 
  the eerily formal, three-dimensional Ballet of Webs 
  in Chanta). They are exotic and sometimes a little 
  scary, but also receive great respect. In some towns 
  deep in the Haltan interior, beastmen and humans 
  associate more closely and occasionally even marry 
  but many Haltans view such relationships as disre-
  spectful and taboo.
  ATA-BEASTS
  The Haltan citizens who most astonish foreign-
  ers are, of course, the intelligent animals known as 
  ata-beasts. Haltans refer to the different varieties as 
  ata-strix, ata-bats, ata-pards and so on. Exalted sorcerers 
  created some of these breeds in the Old Realm; gods 
  and Lunars raised other animals to intelligence; and a 
  few may have emerged from the Haltans’ own ventures 
  in selective breeding.
  These creatures are as intelligent as any person 
  and all can speak and understand speech. Elsewhere in 
  Creation, intelligent animals mostly live in their own 
  societies far from the humans who often fear them. On 
  occasion, they may form close friendships with Exalts 
  or mortal heroes, but most of their interactions with 
  humanity consist of their being captured to serve as 
  slaves to entertain the wealthy and powerful. In Halta, 
  however, ata-beasts are respected and fully accepted 
  members of society.
  The most common varieties of intelligent animals 
  are tree-pards, giant wolf spiders, strix, forest baboons 
  and giant bats. Most work as hunters or commandos, 
  but some of them become skilled performers while a few 
  work as shaman-priests or teachers. Ata-beasts that lack 
  hands either hire human servants or have human allies 
  who are willing to perform various tasks for them.
  Having an ata-beast as a close companion is a mark 
  of respect in Halta. Sometimes, a human and an ata-beast 
  who become especially close friends live together, often 
  with each other’s families. A number of Haltan plays 
  are comedies or dramas celebrating the close friendships 
  between humans and ata-beasts and the complexities 
  that can ensue from the differences between species.
  HALTAN PETS AND SAN-BEASTS
  Through a combination of mortal thaumaturgy, care-
  ful breeding and boons granted by various gods, Haltan 
  animal breeders have created many breeds of animals 
  that are exceptionally bright, but not fully intelligent. 
  Known as san-beasts, these creatures are as smart and 
  as able of understanding speech as a four-year-old child 
  or an exceptionally bright ape. Because they cannot 
  speak and are clearly not as intelligent as a person, the 
  Haltans consider them to be animals and property rather 
  than citizens. However, mistreatment of a san-beast is a 
  serious crime. Haltans are as likely to defend a san-beast 
  against harm as they would a Haltan child.
  Haltans usually own at least one san-beast pet. 
  The labor of san-beasts forms a vital part of the Haltan 
  economy and no small part of the Haltan military. 
  San-strix and san-herons can carry messages or parcels 
  faster than any human courier. Similarly, san-emerald 
  monkeys, forest baboons and giant wolf spiders gather 
  foodstuffs in the forests around the cities. Halta has 
  dozens of breeds of san-beasts. Almost any creature that 
  lives in the forest and could have any possible use to 
  humans has a san-beast variety. Only food animals have 
  no san-breeds. Haltans find the idea of eating a san-beast 
  only slightly less distasteful than cannibalism.
  ANIMALS AND THE LAW
  In Halta, animals have many legal protections. 
  Ata-beasts have the same rights as humans. There is no 
  legal difference between stealing from or harming an ata-
  strix and committing the same crime against a human. 
  Seriously mistreating a normal animal or a san-beast is 
  a less serious crime than harming a person (human, ata-
  beast or beastman), but is still punished by heavy fines 
  or in severe cases, forced indenture. Anyone who treats 
  their animals at all badly is shunned; multiple offenders 
  are exiled to the forest. However, Haltans make a vast 
  ATA-BEASTS AND SAN-BEASTS
  In general, san-beasts have the same At-
  tributes as normal animals, except they always 
  have two dots of Intelligence. Ata-beasts have 
  the same physical Attributes as other animals, 
  but they have the same Mental Attributes as any 
  human. Some ata-beasts even count as heroic 
  mortals, and a few are God-Blooded or otherwise 
  develop an enlightened Essence.
  Characters can acquire san-beasts using the 
  Followers Background. Characters may have as 
  many dots in san-beast Followers as they wish, 
  as long as they have at least one dot in Survival. 
  Ata-beasts are purchased as Allies, since they are 
  characters in their own right.
  
  48
  distinction between domestic and wild animals: hunting 
  for meat or trapping for furs are both perfectly reputable 
  occupations as long as they are performed with respect 
  and in ways that minimize suffering. Haltans do not like 
  to see any animal suffer; they despise blood sports such 
  as cockfights or bear-baiting, and regard cultures that 
  enjoy them as mired in depravity.
  THE TEST OF SURVIVAL
  Sometime between their 12th and 16th birthdays (or 
  the analogous life-stage for ata-beasts), Haltan adolescents 
  are expected to go out into the forest alone, for two weeks. 
  They may take along only one suit of clothes, a knife, 
  flint and steel, a blanket and a single full water skin. To 
  complete the test, they must remain alone in the forest 
  for the entire time and return with either an animal they 
  killed or a rare or valuable plant they harvested. Any 
  who cannot return with one of these two prizes within 
  two weeks is expected to remain in the woods until they 
  can acquire it. Youths fail if they return early or without 
  an animal or rare plant. Those who fail can take the test 
  again, but can only do so once a season. No one is forced 
  to take or pass the test, but not passing it means the person 
  cannot marry, inherit property, speak in the local coun-
  cil, become a noble, a commando or a shaman-priest or 
  enlighten their Essence. In short, the person cannot be 
  a legal adult. Almost everyone who does not suffer some 
  significant physical or mental deficiency manages to pass 
  the test or, occasionally, dies trying to do so.
  MAKING A LIVING
  The Haltan people have adapted well to their for-
  est and found ways to obtain a high standard of living 
  despite living high in the trees. Haltan cities are well 
  lit, clean and supplied with abundant running water. 
  Disease is relatively rare and famine is almost unknown. 
  Most Haltans are at least semi-literate.
  ARBOREAL AGRICULTURE
  The Haltan forest produces abundant food, but 
  outsiders would not recognize much of it. The two 
  staples in Halta are kes, an edible moss that grows on 
  the trunks of redwood trees; and pir, a pine nut that 
  grows on evergreen vines that live on the redwoods. 
  Both crops grow in abundance and are highly nutritious. 
  Most farmers use troupes of trained emerald monkeys 
  (see pp. 155 and 159) to harvest these crops. Kes is 
  usually powdered and used to make porridge or thicken 
  stews. Haltans press pir for oil and use the residue as 
  flour. Haltan farmers also tend and gather a vast array 
  of fruits and berries that grow on trees or vines, as well 
  as many tree-growing mushrooms.
  EXOTIC INTOXICANTS
  In Halta, the primary intoxicants are berry wine and 
  a fermented tree sap called sek, which outsiders describe 
  as a pungent, pine-flavored beer. Coca and marijuana 
  can grow in much of Halta. The richness of their forest 
  and trade with the Far East gives Haltan easy access to 
  many other recreational drugs as well. However, few 
  Haltans over-indulge: severe intoxication makes even 
  Haltans sufficiently clumsy that they become likely to 
  fall to their deaths. Haltans accept this as the natural 
  and deserved consequence of being a fool.
  MEAT AND HUNTING
  While Haltans regularly hunt and trap animals for 
  food and skins, the idea of keeping animals to eat disgusts 
  them. They do keep several varieties of birds for their 
  eggs. The large, slow-moving and exceedingly dumb 
  tree-sloths are favored sources of meat and leather.
  Haltan fishers lower nets into the rivers or send 
  down trained animals to catch fish and other aquatic 
  life. The country’s rivers are rich with trout and fresh-
  water mussels; fish and shellfish make up a significant 
  portion of the Haltan diet. The urban poor, however, 
  subsist mostly on nut bread, mixed greens and moss 
  and berry porridges.
  WOODEN WONDERS
  Naturally, Haltans make everything they can from 
  wood. Ironwood trees grow in the southern portions of 
  Halta, and Haltan crafters know the secret of treating 
  ironwood so that it becomes as strong as steel (see The 
  Books of Sorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s Codex, p. 
  157). As a result, Haltans use alchemically hardened 
  ironwood for many purposes. (Of course, this enormous 
  country has deposits of metal ores… in the ground: Fair 
  Folk territory. Haltans do not find mining practical.)
  The Haltans know how to turn the fibers from 
  redwood bark and other trees into cloth, which they 
  weave as finely as linen. They also pound and chemi-
  cally treat bark until it becomes as tough as well-made 
  leather. These same fibers can also become an excel-
  lent paper. Combined with their abundance of natural 
  and alchemically created dyes, Haltans make some of 
  the finest books outside of the Blessed Isle. They print 
  their books using carved wooden blocks, making books 
  relatively abundant in Halta.
  MAGICAL PLANTS
  Over the centuries, Haltan explorers domesticated 
  a number of wondrous plants from the Wyld, from 
  Essence-rich demesnes or left from the First Age. The 
  most common of these wonder-plants is a type of lumi-
  
  49
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  they can—but because countless miles of unpatrollable 
  forest surrounds each branch-path, travel between cities 
  and towns remains somewhat risky.
  It is also slow. Without magic or artifacts, people 
  move as fast as they can walk or run. Riding animals 
  are impossible, and flying mounts are exceptionally 
  rare. The branch-paths are considerably quicker than 
  moving through uncleared forest, however—even for 
  Haltans who think nothing of trotting along branches 
  narrower than their feet, and swinging through the 
  trees like a monkey.
  Every city is responsible for building small way sta-
  tions along branch-paths to other settlements. A typical 
  branch-path has one way station every 15 miles. These 
  rest stops usually consist of little more than a small 
  dwelling platform covered by a roof. They are usually 
  stocked with a large water vine and a sealed barrel full 
  of jerky and dried cakes of fruit and nuts. Way stations 
  are marked with small groves of unusually bright glow-
  pods. On moonless nights, travelers can see this glow 
  more than a mile away.
  Hermits sometimes live in these way stations. They 
  help to maintain and expand the stations and care for 
  lost and injured travelers. Most do not dislike other 
  people; they simply feel compelled to live even closer 
  to the forest than other Haltans.
  Just about every Haltan enters the wildwood but 
  few of them ever need to go more than 20 miles from 
  their town or city. The further you go from the settled 
  areas, the greater the chance of encountering bandits, 
  nescent globular fungi known as glow-pods. They grow 
  on trees and require no tending. Each glow-pod provides 
  light as bright as a large oil lamp. The Haltans also train 
  thigh-thick vines to encircle all of the redwood trees 
  in Haltan towns and villages. Their leaves catch rain 
  and their trunks draw water up from the ground. The 
  Haltans draw faintly green, fresh-smelling water from 
  these vines simply by pounding in metal or ironwood 
  taps. Most of the Haltans’ water comes from these 
  vines. So far, all attempts to grow these vines outside 
  Halta have failed—but perhaps a sufficiently skilled 
  agronomist hasn’t tried.
  HALTANS AND ANIMALS
  The Haltans are widely known as a people who 
  are capable of taming all manner of beasts, including 
  monstrous creatures like strix and giant wolf spiders. In 
  their treetop cities and towns, the inhabitants keep a 
  vast menagerie of pets and other domesticated animals. 
  Haltans typically choose pets that can accompany them 
  in most situations: foresters and guards often choose 
  forest baboons, tree pards or giant wolf spiders, while 
  merchants, scholars and other urbanites prefer mospids, 
  emerald monkeys or other small beasts for their compan-
  ions. Some Haltan animals occur only in that country, 
  or at least are seldom seen in inhabited regions.
  TRAVEL THROUGH THE FOREST
  Branch-paths run between the cities and major 
  towns of Halta. The Haltan Guard patrols the branch-
  paths, keeps them in repair and hunts bandits as best 
  TRAVEL THROUGH THE TREES
  Travel Type 
  Hourly 
  Daily 
  Weekly 
  Monthly
  Along Branch Paths 
  3 
  15 
  75 
  250
  Runner Relays 
  4 
  20 
  120 
  400
  Through The Forest 
  2 
  7 
  35 
  110
  Messenger Bird 
  35 
  400 
  1,600 
  5,500 
  River Travel (always assisted)
  Upstream 
  4 
  40 
  200 
  600 
  Downstream 
  5 
  60 
  240 
  720
  Supernatural Travel
  Along Branch Paths 
  10 
  240 
  1,600 
  5,500 
  Through The Forest 
  5 
  120 
  800 
  2,700
  
  50
  hostile elementals or predators that haven’t learned 
  to avoid humans. Compasses and maps are almost 
  useless in the deep wilderness. If you’re lost away from 
  a branch-path, finding a settlement could take weeks. 
  Every community and military patrol includes skilled 
  trackers who can rescue a lost traveler—but only if 
  somebody knows you’re missing, and they have some 
  idea where you left a known path. Fortunately, all 
  Haltans know how to gather food and water from the 
  forest and can easily live off the land. Foreigners lost 
  in the wild forest usually die within a few days unless 
  they have Haltan guides.
  All these difficulties make over-land travel less 
  common in the Republic of Halta than it is in most 
  societies. This helps isolate the interior of Halta from 
  the war-torn border regions. Except along the rivers, 
  most trade and travel occurs between settlements no 
  more than 150 miles apart.
  COMMUNICATIONS
  To deal with the limitations their forests impose 
  upon them, the Haltans developed various ways to 
  speed messages and goods.
  Along major branch paths, specially trained runners 
  are stationed in every town along the route. They work 
  in relays to carry messages and small packages (up to 
  around 20 pounds) substantially faster than ordinary 
  caravans of porters can travel. Some of these runners 
  are God-Bloods, beastmen or similar powerful beings 
  and can carry messages even faster.
  The Haltans also make much use of messenger 
  birds. Both intelligent and semi-intelligent strix 
  and diving herons (which use the same statistics as 
  raiton) are their primary messengers. Strix can carry 
  as much as 50 pounds of small, well-balanced cargo 
  from one end of this forest kingdom to the other in 
  less than two weeks. They can cover 400 miles a 
  day, and fly for up to two days before they need to 
  land at a settlement, have a raptorist feed them and 
  rest for a day before they resume their journey. Owls 
  and Diving herons are more numerous, but they are 
  much smaller and can only carry messages and pack-
  ages that weigh less than five pounds. The Haltan 
  government uses the fastest birds for its own messages 
  and packages. However, anyone can send a package 
  by one of the owls or herons owned by one of the 
  various messenger companies. Letters and packages 
  under five pounds cost Resources • and larger pack-
  ages cost Resources ••.
  
  51
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Most avian couriers are san-beasts who know 
  the way to all nearby cities and towns. They simply 
  require their trainer to tell them where to go. In ad-
  dition to messages, these birds regularly carry small, 
  valuable cargo such as drugs, medicine, gemstones, 
  fine metalwork, enchanted artifacts and trade goods 
  from the Fair Folk. Every day, several dozen of the 
  flying couriers enter or depart from each large city. 
  Every week, at least one strix or courier-bird visits 
  almost every settlement in Halta. The Haltan 
  combination of slow travel and fast communica-
  tion promotes both local self-reliance and a sense 
  of national unity.
  RIVER TRAVEL
  Although the Republic of Halta is a kingdom 
  built entirely in the trees, the land contains dozens 
  of navigable rivers. The Haltan treaty with the Fair 
  Folk allows safe passage for ships equipped with special 
  gossamer banners, which are effectively impossible for 
  mortals to counterfeit. Haltan traders purchase these 
  banners from the Fair Folk. After some centuries, they 
  have quite a few of them.
  Docking and unloading a riverboat becomes 
  somewhat difficult when stepping out of the boat onto 
  solid ground means inviting the Fair Folk to eat you. 
  Nevertheless, Halta sees considerable riverboat travel 
  between cities and towns located on waterways. Most 
  large Haltan cities, including Chanta, are located above 
  a river. Because river travel is considerably faster than 
  travel through the trees, most caravans and individual 
  travelers do as much of their travel as possible by 
  water, often going well out of their way to do so. The 
  standard way of moving people or large cargoes long 
  distances is to journey to the nearest settlement along 
  a river, then take a riverboat up or downstream and 
  through the Gold Leaf canal to the settlement closest 
  to one’s destination.
  Haltan cities near rivers maintain special arbo-
  real docks. From platforms in trees growing on the 
  riverbank, ladders and simple pulley elevators can be 
  lowered to a boat, providing easy access to and from 
  the settlement without ever setting foot on land. Even 
  near the borders, Linowan raiders rarely attempt to 
  attack Haltan ships: the Fair Folk watch the rivers for 
  ships bearing fake banners, people swimming to shore 
  from damaged ships, or for any mortal foolish enough 
  to attempt to prey upon a ship that bears the token of 
  fae safe-conduct.
  Most Haltan rivers ultimately flow into Lake 
  Sanazala, which is Linowan territory. As a result, most 
  Haltan river traffic is internal trade between different 
  Haltan settlements. The Guild pays seasonal bribes to 
  the Linowan to let their boats up the Silver River to 
  Halta. These ships usually venture up the North Sil-
  ver River to the Haltan city of River Blossom, where 
  goods are transshipped to riverboats and barges that 
  carry them along the Golden Leaf Canal and into the 
  heart of Halta.
  The Golden Leaf Canal is a relic of the Old Realm. 
  It follows a long arc about 200 miles from the Linowan 
  border. This huge channel is 60 yards wide, 30 yards deep 
  and lined with unbreakable glass. Enchanted locks and 
  dams still operate by voice command (in Old Realm) 
  after more than 15 centuries.
  Although shipping distances can be long, the canal 
  and the river channels are both very well maintained. 
  Riverboats generally travel 60 miles a day with the 
  current and 40 against it. However, traveling between 
  rivers is a lengthy process, and so, journeys between 
  settlements located off the rivers remain slow.
  GOVERNMENT
  Halta is both an elected and a hereditary monarchy, 
  where the 500 members of the Council of Nobles elect 
  the monarch from the close relatives of the previous 
  queen. The current ruler is Queen Chaltra Evamal. She 
  is 39 years old and has ruled Halta for the past 17 years. 
  By ancient custom that became law, however, the queen 
  must abdicate when she reaches 40. The politicking to 
  select her successor has already begun.
  Haltan nobles are not hereditary. Prospective nobles 
  must demonstrate their competence at everything from 
  Haltan history and law, to public speaking and animal 
  handling. The Noble Council questions candidates who 
  pass these examinations, and then it votes on which 
  candidates become nobles.
  Every three years, Chanta sees competitions for 
  open seats on the Noble Council. The competition is 
  free and open to all native-born Haltans. Nobles come 
  from all walks of life. However, more than half of all 
  nobles served as commandoes who fought against the 
  Linowan. By tradition, the Council reserves a few dozen 
  of its 500 seats specifically for ata-beasts. Nobles serve 
  until they die, retire, or are forced to step down.
  Senior nobles live in the capital city of Chanta 
  and work with the Queen to decide large-scale policy. 
  However, new nobles are assigned districts to administer. 
  To prevent favoritism, the council never assigns new 
  nobles to districts where they have lived. These regional 
  nobles must make frequent reports to Chanta. Also, 
  every three years, a few months before the competition 
  
  52
  to become a noble, the residents of the noble’s district 
  rate her performance in a secret ballot administered by 
  the local judges. These ratings are made public and the 
  Queen provides both boons and reprimands for excep-
  tionally good or bad ratings. One or more sufficiently 
  bad ratings mean that the noble will be replaced, and 
  sometimes even stripped of rank.
  The Queen and the Council of Nobles make laws. 
  Three departments—the Department of Halta, the 
  Department of Religious and Natural Affairs, and the 
  Department of War—implement those laws. Each bears 
  responsibility for wide areas of Haltan life.
  THE DEPARTMENT OF HALTA
  The Department of Halta handles most of the ev-
  eryday business of government, such as administering 
  justice, directing public works and collecting taxes to 
  pay for everything the rest of the government does.
  JUSTICE
  Judges receive their office by passing a wide-ranging 
  series of tests resembling those used to qualify as a noble. 
  (Once upon a time, nobles were also judges.) If the ap-
  plicant satisfies a panel of judges that she has the wit 
  and knowledge of Haltan law and custom to resolve 
  disputes, the judges license her as a mediator who helps 
  to resolve minor disputes. Local nobles appoint judges 
  from mediators who practiced for at least six years.
  Judges try all cases that involve serious crimes. 
  The judge appoints mediators to assist every relevant 
  person in the case to present his view most clearly and 
  effectively. Only the judge directly questions witnesses 
  or accused persons, and tries to sift the truth from 
  the testimony. Once the judge feels that she has an 
  accurate picture of events, she decides how to apply 
  Haltan law to the situation. Judgments are final unless 
  the defendant can persuade the local noble to review 
  the case and perhaps send it for a single retrial by a 
  different judge.
  PUNISHMENTS
  Minor crimes such as petty theft, vandalism or 
  striking a noble or shaman-priest are punished by fining. 
  Half the fine goes to the victim and half to the Haltan 
  government. A period of indentured servitude to the 
  government is a common punishment for greater crimes. 
  Indentured criminals spend up to 10 years leased out 
  as porters or other strenuous or potentially dangerous 
  labor. Haltan law forbids lifelong slavery.
  One step beyond indenture, criminals may receive 
  exile. A special tattoo on the exile’s cheek lets everyone 
  know the criminal may not return to Halta on pain of 
  death. Judges reserve the death penalty for the most 
  heinous crimes: returning from exile, paid assassins, 
  demon worship, swearing allegiance to the Deathlords 
  or their agents, mass murder, or betraying their fellows 
  to the Linowan. The means of execution is to give the 
  condemned to the Fair Folk.
  As an alternative to indenture or exile, criminals can 
  volunteer for military service on the Linowan border. 
  They join dangerous commando raids into Linowan 
  territory; a curse levied by a shaman-priest ensures 
  their death if they desert. A criminal who would have 
  received indenture must undergo six missions; an exile 
  receives 12. Not many convicts survive that long.
  INTERNAL SECURITY: MONITORS
  Haltans seldom worry about Linowan infiltrators: 
  few Linowan can move through the forest as easily or 
  confidently as a Haltan native. However, Haltans who 
  live within several hundred miles of the border worry 
  about sneak attacks. Linowan warrior bands regularly 
  slip along the rivers and through the forest to attack 
  sleeping towns. Less often, the Linowan manage to sneak 
  in spies and assassins disguised as foreign merchants or 
  other visitors.
  As a result, many Haltans distrust foreigners and 
  only wish to deal with merchants from families that 
  traded with Halta for many years. Haltans also accept 
  Guild merchants with full credentials: the Linowan 
  know better than to impersonate Guild officials. Hal-
  tans also trust really obvious foreigners from far beyond 
  the Northeast, such as black-skinned traders from the 
  Southeast or blue-haired Westerners, who cannot pos-
  sibly be disguised Linowan.
  The Department of Halta employs special agents 
  known as monitors to keep track of suspicious foreign-
  ers. Monitors conduct all espionage outside Halta. They 
  also seek bandits and any of the few Haltans who betray 
  their nation to outsiders.
  Monitors are unique among Haltan soldiers because 
  they do not wear uniforms. Instead, they carry special 
  electrum pendants that they can display openly or hide 
  as they choose. Often, monitors dress as ordinary Haltans 
  and simply spend time around visiting foreigners. In 
  most cases, a monitor needs only a short conversation 
  to decide that all is as it seems. Monitors who become 
  suspicious share their fears with their fellows. The 
  monitor team then discreetly spies upon the suspected 
  bandit, spy or traitor. New visitors to Halta often receive 
  a junior monitor as their guide. Of course, no one tells 
  the visitor their guide also spies on them.
  
  53
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Monitors usually serve in settlements near the 
  border or in ones that outsiders regularly visit. The 
  Department of Halta also sends monitors to regions 
  where they suspect banditry. Many commandos who 
  wish to continue to help protect Halta become moni-
  tors when they retire.
  DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS AND 
  NATURAL AFFAIRS
  The shaman-priests of this department handle 
  Halta’s relations with its gods and the Fair Folk. The 
  department’s arborists, meanwhile, must approve any 
  alteration made to a living tree, such as creating a new 
  branch-path or weaving branches and vines to build a 
  platform. Both sides of the department must work to-
  gether, since Halta’s people deal chiefly with the spirits 
  of the forest, and anything done to a tree implicitly 
  treads on the prerogatives of some god or elemental. 
  Just about every town has at least one shaman-priest 
  who can deal with the local elementals and Fair Folk, 
  and one arborist to shape wood and boost the fertility 
  of edible plants.
  THE SHAMAN-PRIESTS
  As the sanctioned spiritual leaders of the Haltan 
  people, shaman-priests officiate at the cycle of Haltan 
  religious ceremonies and rituals—everything from sea-
  sonal rituals to encourage the fertility of the forest to the 
  personal ceremonies of marriage, birth, and death. The 
  shaman-priests honor the gods and ask them for boons; 
  they summon and negotiate with elementals; and make 
  treaties and trading agreements with the Fair Folk.
  All shaman-priests know at least some thaumaturgy, 
  usually including Exorcism, Warding or Summoning. 
  Their department also licenses private thaumaturges and 
  sorcerers. All of the military and other official thauma-
  turges and sorcerers are shaman-priests on loan from the 
  Department of Religious and Natural Affairs.
  Shaman-priests wear loose jackets and baggy pants 
  decorated with trim made from bright green fur and 
  embroidered with passages from religious texts. They 
  must also have a san-beast companion to symbolize 
  their connection to the forest. If their san-beast com-
  panion deserts them or shows signs of mistreatment, the 
  shaman-priest is carefully investigated by her superiors 
  and may be stripped of her office.
  GODS OF HALTA
  The Haltan state permits most worship. The gov-
  ernment openly tolerates ancestor cults, as well as cults 
  dedicated to the Exalted, and even the worship of the 
  five Immaculate Dragons. Only worship of demons and 
  the Yozis, the Deathlords and the Neverborn, or the Fair 
  Folk is explicitly forbidden. Anyone who conducts civil 
  crimes as part of worship can expect civil punishment; 
  for instance, committing human or ata-beast sacrifice 
  is tried and punished as murder.
  All Haltans, however, must additionally honor the 
  forest and its gods to some degree. Prayers to the forest 
  in general go to the spirit called Glorious Jade Branch, 
  who holds dominion over all of Halta (see below). 
  Many people also worship Caltia the Eternal (see pp. 
  131-133), Yesryk the hawk god, the serpent-god Seris, 
  and various animal avatars (See The Books of Sorcery, 
  Vol. IV—The Roll of Glorious Divinity, pp. 56-57). 
  They also frequently revere the lesser forest walkers and 
  the dryads (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The 
  Roll of Glorious Divinity I, pp. 36-38) of the trees that 
  form an integral part of the worshippers’ homes.
  Of all these deities, the Haltans direct the bulk of 
  their worship to Caltia the Eternal and her forest walker 
  lieutenants. Caltia is the Haltan people’s patron deity. 
  Glorious Jade Branch is her active deputy in Halta. 
  While Caltia rarely appears to the Haltans, she spends a 
  few days every decade in Chanta. Glorious Jade Branch 
  appears at the main temple in Chanta once a year, during 
  their midsummer festival, and sometimes delivers boons 
  to Haltans who have served the forest especially well. 
  Much of this service to the forest involves attempting 
  to expand it and to fight off the Linowan invaders who 
  wish to destroy it.
  The Haltan people enjoy such good relations with 
  the forest gods because the Republic of Halta provides 
  a great deal of aid to those gods. Among their other 
  THE UNWORSHIPPED
  Although Rain Deathflyer and Silver Python 
  helped found Halta, Caltia and Glorious Jade 
  Branch played an equal role in shaping its culture 
  and destiny. Not a single Haltan worships the 
  two Lunars; they do not even know these secret 
  patrons exist. The two Lunars and the forest 
  gods rarely disagree strongly about anything, but 
  they do not always agree completely. Tensions 
  between them have both helped to shape Haltan 
  culture and given the Haltan people greater 
  freedom to forge their own destinies—which 
  is actually what the two Lunars wanted. For all 
  the reverence the Haltans offer to Caltia, she 
  does not own their society.
  
  54
  duties, arborists and shaman-priests work with wood 
  elementals to tend to the health of the forest, treat-
  ing sick trees and making certain that Haltan cities 
  and agriculture do not harm it. Others work with the 
  military to help expand the Haltan forests.
  The Haltan people form an important part of Cal-
  tia’s strategy to defeat her rival, Golden-Eyed Jorst, by 
  displacing both his deciduous forests and his Linowan 
  worshippers. In return for this service, Caltia protects the 
  Haltan people. Glorious Jade Branch has commanded a 
  host of minor wood elementals and small forest gods to 
  defend Haltan settlements from outside attack by either 
  the Fair Folk or the Linowan. Other forest elements 
  teach the shaman-priests and arborists.
  THE HALTAN FOREST WALKERS
  Six gods called forest walkers oversee the vast 
  Haltan forest. Their leader is Glorious Jade Branch. In 
  addition to being Caltia’s favorite and one of her lov-
  ers, he is also the focus of Haltan worship. This makes 
  Glorious Jade Branch significantly more powerful than 
  most forest walkers. (Use the character sheet for a forest 
  walker found in The Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The 
  Roll of Glorious Divinity I, pp. 38-39, except raise 
  Glorious Jade Branch’s Essence to 5, his Willpower to 
  7 and his Essence Pool to 95.)
  Five ordinary forest walkers assist Glorious Jade 
  Branch in his duties. Resilan, Whispering Needles and 
  Shining Trunk oversee the portions of this forest that 
  are dominated by the great redwoods: Resilan in the 
  north, Whispering Needles in the center and Shining 
  Trunk in the south. In addition, Tylokan Root Binder 
  oversees the mixed forests that lie on the borders of 
  Halta, while Steel-Skinned Ubil is the god of southern 
  Halta’s ironwood groves.
  THE FAIR FOLK
  Halta’s relationship with the Fair Folk forms an 
  important part of its culture. The wake of the raksha 
  invasion left many Fair Folk hunting mortal souls 
  throughout the Northeast. To prevent the Haltans from 
  being wiped out, Caltia the eternal and her Forest Lords 
  forced the Fair Folk to negotiate with the Haltans. As 
  the War of Summer Conflagration proved, that treaty 
  makes the Fair Folk one of Halta’s most important 
  lines of defense.
  The Haltans signed their first treaty with the Fair 
  Folk in RY 280. According to this treaty, the Fair Folk 
  cannot attack or otherwise interfere with anyone up 
  in the trees and must strictly avoid Haltan settlements 
  unless invited to enter. As a result, the Haltan stay 
  upon their aerial bridges and platforms, rarely ventur-
  ing down upon the ground. In return, any mortal who 
  walks upon the ground is fair prey for the Fair Folk and 
  their hobgoblin hordes—and no one up in the trees 
  may interfere directly. If a person can climb a tree to a 
  height of at least two yards, she is instantly safe. People 
  in the trees can lower ropes or come down to the forest 
  floor to defend someone the Fair Folk pursue. However, 
  the treaty specifically prohibits anyone up in the trees 
  from attacking the Fair Folk on the ground, just as Fair 
  Folk cannot attack anyone up in the trees.
  Fair Folk who wish to climb up into the Haltan 
  world must ask the permission of the local leaders. 
  While they are in the trees, the raksha are fully subject 
  to Haltan laws and customs. A few tribes of Fair Folk 
  located in the Far East never signed these treaties. 
  They occasionally attack Haltan settlements, but the 
  Haltans know Fair Folk tactics and can call upon the 
  aid of other Fair Folk to help them defend against such 
  attacks. (The raksha on both sides think such little 
  wars are grand fun.)
  As part of their treaty, the Haltans also promise 
  the Fair Folk a regular supply of captives. Any Linowan 
  war-captives whom their people do not ransom within 
  two weeks are taken deep into the forest and set free 
  upon the ground. Less than a dozen of these many 
  thousands of captives ever made their way free of the 
  forest. In retaliation for attacks on both forest and 
  their border towns, the Haltans also occasionally lead 
  raids into Linowan villages near the Haltan border, 
  where they take captives whom they turn over to 
  the Fair Folk.
  As described above, the Haltans use this same 
  punishment for their very worst criminals. The list of 
  capital crimes includes breaking the Fair Folk treaty 
  by killing one of the Fair Folk who is on the ground 
  while remaining up in the trees. Simply harming one 
  of the Fair Folk under similar circumstances is grounds 
  for immediate and irrevocable exile.
  Haltans have mixed feelings about the Fair Folk. The 
  fae help protect them from their sworn enemies, and yet 
  they are also murderous slavers who eat human souls. 
  Fear and disgust mingle with admiration and gratitude. 
  Most Haltans cheer and celebrate upon hearing that the 
  Fair Folk captured a large Linowan raiding party. Soldiers 
  frequently praise military prowess of Fair Folk they see 
  attacking Linowan raiders. What’s more, the Fair Folk 
  provide the Haltans with gossamer armor, weapons and 
  various minor wonders in return for receiving criminals 
  and unransomed war-captives, further increasing ties 
  between the Haltans and the fae.
  
  55
  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  In Halta, cooperative Fair Folk who forsake the Wyld 
  may live openly among humanity. Such individuals are 
  forbidden to prey upon unwilling victims. However, they 
  can legally exchange a wide variety of services for the 
  right to feed upon dreams or emotions. Although many 
  Haltan feel wary of fae dwelling among them, others see 
  them as useful intermediaries and valuable protectors. 
  The way Haltans live with Fair Folk gives the Linowan 
  one more reason to hate their ancient foes.
  A very few Fair Folk work as merchants or exotic 
  entertainers. More commonly, the fae living among the 
  Haltans are cataphractoi who work closely with the Haltan 
  military. A few help the Haltans guard their cities, while 
  others accompany Haltan raiding parties in their attacks 
  against the Linowan. Every Haltan city has at least two or 
  three Fair Folk protectors and most Haltan raiding parties 
  include at least one member of the Fair Folk.
  In return for their aid, these raksha demand first 
  pick of all condemned criminals and war captives. The 
  Department of Religion and Natural Affairs provides 
  these fae protectors with special dwellings on the edge 
  of the cities or towns. The protectors rarely interact 
  with anyone except shaman-priests and members of 
  specially trained elite military units who are experi-
  enced at dealing with Fair Folk.
  Even though most Haltans only see members of 
  the Fair Folk from a distance and quickly move away 
  if one approaches, Haltans are far more familiar with 
  the raksha than most other mortals. They vividly 
  understand how useful and necessary their presence is. 
  Elite military units usually carry at least one razor-sharp 
  gossamer-glass weapon, while a few commandos wear 
  feather-light gossamer plate. Wealthy Haltans may 
  own various minor artifacts, exquisitely made gossamer 
  robes, or pieces of scintillating glass jewelry.
  Because they know the fae so well, however, few 
  Haltans actually trust the Fair Folk. Worship of the 
  Fair Folk remains a serious crime, as does giving anyone 
  except unransomed Linowan captives and condemned 
  criminals to them. In addition, the Haltans understand 
  the value of cold iron weapons. Every military unit 
  keeps some nearby in case their otherworldly allies 
  suddenly become their enemies.
  THE PLACE OF ESSENCE USERS 
  Haltans’ cordial relations with their gods, el-
  ementals and raksha result in many God-Blooded and 
  Fae-Blooded mortals. (By some estimates, one in every 
  1,000 Haltans shows at least a trace of supernatural 
  blood, though only a fraction of those can channel 
  Essence). In addition, Halta’s 25 million inhabitants 
  include dozens of outcaste Dragon-Blooded (though 
  with no distinct bloodlines; they appear completely 
  at random). The government encourages the God-
  Blooded, Fae-Blooded and Dragon-Blooded to join the 
  military or to become shaman-priests—their Charms 
  obviously make them superior combatants and enable 
  them to deal with spirits on a more equal footing.
  However, none of these people are forced into such 
  roles. Most who choose other professions excel in them. 
  Halta has a moderate number of well-respected, half-
  supernatural scholars, nobles, thaumaturges, arborists 
  and merchants.
  In addition, Haltans may enlighten their Essence 
  using thaumaturgy, or receive enlightened Essence as 
  a gift from their gods. Caltia supports this abundance 
  of Essence users, because it makes Haltans into better 
  combatants. Enlightened mortals are still a tiny fraction of 
  the population, but more than occur in most societies.
  To accommodate these various Essence users, 
  the Department of Religion and Natural Affairs runs 
  an academy that teaches Terrestrial Martial Arts to 
  enlightened commandos. (Naturally, they favor Wood-
  aspected styles such as the Ill Lily Style; see Scroll of 
  the Monk, pp. 51-53). The department also has its own 
  schools of thaumaturgy in Chanta and several other 
  cities. The steep requirements for enlightened mortals, 
  however, keep actual Sorcery quite rare. Necromancy 
  is nigh-unknown, but considered a criminal act due to 
  the unsavory nature of its chief practitioners.
  Haltans regard their native Dragon-Blooded very 
  highly. They regard Lunar Exalted as awesome but 
  reclusive beings: the only Lunars they ever meet enter 
  Halta with the permission of the two elders, and stay 
  on their best behavior. Haltans never even heard of the 
  Solar Exalted before the Bull of the North. With the 
  Bull and his circle as the only examples in their national 
  experience, Haltans tend to assume that any Solar must 
  be an awesomely powerful warlord who leaves wrecked 
  nations in his path—which is fine as long as the nation 
  is Linowan, but the Bull was not so selective.
  DEPARTMENT OF WAR
  The Haltans regularly battle Linowan war parties 
  that enter their forest. The Department of War also sends 
  raiders into Linowan settlements. Part of the war involves 
  planting redwood saplings on their forest’s edges, in an 
  effort to expand their territory—just as Linowan warriors 
  try to cut down or set fire to the Haltan forests, making 
  room for meadows, underbrush and deciduous forest.
  For the last several centuries, Haltans and Linowan 
  have killed each other in thousands of small battles, raids 
  
  56
  and assassinations. In the Haltan cities and towns located 
  near the forest edge, the people hate the Linowan with a 
  deep and very personal passion. Most Haltans know at least 
  one soldier who fell in a raid upon the Linowan or died 
  defending Halta from a Linowan raid. Very few Haltans 
  advocate any end to the war other than the total surrender 
  or complete destruction of the Linowan people.
  The Haltan military is organized along the model of 
  the Realm’s scales, talons, wings, dragons and legions. 
  The Haltans, however, call these units leaves, twigs, 
  branches, trunks and trees. Because of the limited use 
  of bows in a thick forest, Haltan soldiers primarily use 
  war boomerangs, javelins and atlatls (spear throwers) 
  as their ranged weapons. For close combat, they prefer 
  short, stabbing or crushing weapons—high in the 
  trees, there just isn’t room to swing a great sword or a 
  battle-axe, and a sane person always keeps one hand 
  free for balance and to grab at branches in case of a 
  fall. Soldiers wear buff coats made from redwood fiber, 
  possibly reinforced with judiciously placed disks or slats 
  of ironwood or layered horn.
  Soldiers garrisoned in Haltan cities and towns spend 
  most of their time performing non-combat duties: they 
  form Halta’s primary fire-fighting force; deliver aid after 
  natural disasters; repair the aerial bridges; and both patrol 
  and repair the branch-paths between settlements. 
  THE HALTAN GUARD
  All Haltan citizens begin four years in the military 
  when they turn 18. Haltans regard this service as a 
  sacred duty to both their nation and their gods. After 
  six months in rigorous training, most soldiers spend 
  the remaining three and a half years performing public 
  works, or occasionally disaster relief. All soldiers serve 
  in the city or large town nearest to their home unless 
  they volunteer to serve at a border fort or to guard the 
  towns nearest the border. Fortunately, many young Hal-
  tans volunteer for this duty in hopes of adventure and 
  glory. The Haltan Guard contains about one and a half 
  million soldiers, including some 80,000 ata-beasts and 
  more than 10,000 beastmen. Most of these troops serve 
  in garrisons of between 50 and 20,000 troops stationed 
  in every city and large town. Only around one in 10 of 
  these soldiers serve on the border forts.
  When their term is up, some Haltans volunteer for 
  additional terms. Others train to become part of the 
  small, highly trained force of 60,000 elite troops known 
  as the Haltan commandos. Becoming a commando 
  requires a year-long training program that more than 
  two-thirds of candidates do not complete. Part of this 
  training includes learning to fight on the ground in 
  
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  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  conventional battles. Every commando has two Melee 
  and Thrown specialties in arboreal fighting, rendering 
  them incredibly dangerous in their favored environ-
  ment. Haltan commandos are the only soldiers who 
  venture out beyond their forest. Would-be commandos 
  swear to serve a 10-year tour of duty, after which they 
  receive a generous pension (Resources •••).
  THE BORDER FORTS
  The Haltan’s primary line of defense against the 
  Linowan consists of a series of 25 forts that protect 
  Halta’s 2,500-mile western border. Each fort is the size 
  of a town and contains more than 12,000 soldiers and 
  support staff. Each one is a self-sufficient community.
  These fortresses both protect the interior of Halta from 
  attack and serve as Halta’s primary defenses against forest 
  fires set by Linowan raiders. To make them more difficult 
  to over-run, all of the border forts are located between 20 
  and 40 miles from the actual border. Many forts also contain 
  one piece of First Age weaponry, such as an implosion 
  bow or lightning ballista; they are additionally armed with 
  mundane light artillery such as light ballistae or sailcutters. 
  (See The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the 
  Lost Age, pp. 130 and 132, for the Essence artillery and 
  Scroll of Kings, pp. 137-138, for the mundane artillery.) 
  Such border forts become the staging areas for frequent 
  commando raids against the Linowan.
  WARFARE OUTSIDE OF THE FOREST
  Only commandos train to perform raids against the 
  Linowan. The swift, silent commandos typically execute 
  a single sneak attack on a Linowan target no more than 
  three days from their forest’s border. After the attack, 
  the survivors flee back to the forest. Haltan commandos 
  try to avoid lengthy battles on the ground.
  UNDERCOVER MISSIONS
  The commandos also train spies to infiltrate the 
  Linowan. Spies live as warriors or workers in Linowan 
  border forts and towns for as long as a decade. These 
  spies make their reports using a wide variety of tactics. 
  Some use coded messages hidden in lockets or the 
  handles of knives to wandering traders who are actually 
  disguised Haltan couriers. Others regularly sneak out to 
  a set location to rendezvous with a Haltan message bird. 
  The information they provide has proved invaluable 
  in keeping ahead of Linowan threats.
  LOCAL POWERS
  The most powerful individuals in Halta are Silver 
  Python, Rain Deathflyer and gods. The two Lunars, 
  however, stay in hiding while gods have concerns apart 
  from Haltan society. Many Haltans would say the most 
  immediately influential people are the Queen and the 
  heads of the three government departments.
  QUEEN CHALTRA EVAMAL
  During the 17 years of Evamal’s rule, she has guided 
  Halta ably and gained many allies through her charisma 
  and good judgment. She retires soon. A delegation of 
  leading nobles asked her to stay in Chanta as advisor 
  to the next queen, but Evamal says she doesn’t want 
  to make her successor a mere figurehead. Instead, she 
  speaks about diplomatic missions to Halta’s neighbors 
  and its “interior abroad” of independent cultures.
  Unlike most of her close allies, Evamal wearies of war. 
  She thinks the alliance with the Bull of the North was a 
  debacle. As her retirement project, she wants to strengthen 
  Halta’s ties with other lands. In this manner, she hopes 
  to gain allies who aren’t Fair Folk or divinely-empowered 
  warlords with unknown agendas. She has already started 
  by sending Haltan aid to rebuild Ardeleth.
  Evamal’s unstated goal is to see the world beyond 
  Halta’s cities before she’s too old to enjoy the adven-
  ture. She recently married her lover Syllon Owlkin, a 
  God-Blooded and recently retired Haltan commando 
  who encourages her in her plans. She does not know 
  that Syllon is actually a relatively young Lunar Exalted 
  and the personal protégé of Rain Deathflyer.
  JURAK TREYNA
  The head of Halta’s Department of Religious and 
  Natural Affairs holds his office by virtue of being chosen 
  by its consistory of senior shaman-priests as the wisest 
  and most powerful of their number. He is also the God-
  Blooded grandchild of Whispering Needles, one of the 
  Haltan forest walkers. Jurak is one of the few shaman-
  priests to become an actual Terrestrial Circle Sorcerer, 
  as well as a thaumaturge of exceptional skill.
  Jurak is an excellent shaman-priest and passionately 
  dedicated to both Halta and its forest. However, he is also 
  more comfortable with trees and spirits than with mortals. 
  He rarely appears to the public, the Council of Nobles or, 
  for that matter, his department. Jurak lives in a two-dot 
  Wood manse located several miles from Chanta. Officials 
  and shaman-priests typically either send him message-birds 
  or visit him in small groups to obtain his advice.
  FLERA SKYWEAVER
  The head of the Haltan Department of Warfare is 
  an Air Aspected outcaste and the most visibly power-
  ful high official in the Haltan government. She is also 
  207 years old. Until recently, she was the massively 
  decorated and highly respected senior general of the 
  Haltan Guard. When she hit 200, though, she decided 
  
  58
  she was feeling her age and retired from active duty. At 
  this point, the Council of Nobles unanimously voted 
  to request her as the new head of the Department of 
  Warfare. Flera is a skilled and masterful strategist, but 
  far more cautious as a rear-echelon leader than she ever 
  was as a field commander: she dislikes ordering young 
  soldiers into danger when she is not there fighting 
  alongside them. Flera also speaks out against continu-
  ing the alliance with the Bull of the North. The Solar 
  warlord’s power, charisma and ambition terrify her, 
  and for the first time in Flera’s life she lends credence 
  to foreign stories about “Anathema.”
  RHALL GESRAN
  The head of the Department of Halta is the young-
  est of the Haltan heads of government, being only 31 
  years old. Gesran rose so quickly in politics because he 
  is exceptionally ambitious. He also hates the Linowan 
  even more than most Haltans. Rhall grew up near the 
  forest’s edge; Linowan raiders killed his father and sister 
  when he was away on his Test of Survival. While not 
  directly in control of military affairs, his zeal to destroy 
  the Linowan counter-balances Flera Skyweaver’s cau-
  tion. Rhall agrees with Queen Evamal on the need to 
  gather allies for Halta, because he hopes to assemble 
  a league that can conquer Linowan once and for all. 
  To this end, he supports continued alliance with the 
  Bull of the North.
  FOREIGN RELATIONS
  Halta’s position at the edge of the Threshold gives 
  it relatively few neighbors with which to have foreign 
  relations. With Linowan, it has endless war. With the 
  cluster of smaller states to the south, it has peace, more or 
  less. With the Fair Folk domains, it has uneasy partner-
  ship. Everyone else is too far away to present a promise 
  or threat to Halta… or so the Haltans thought until 
  their dubious alliance with the Bull of the North.
  THE ALLIED NATIONS
  Five of the largest states to the south of Halta are 
  allies of the great forest country. Their people have the 
  same reddish-brown skin and green hair as Haltans. They 
  follow the same cultural pattern and arboreal lifestyle, but 
  are not so prosperous or perfectly adapted to life in the 
  trees. They lack Halta’s extensive support from gods and 
  elementals, and its pacts with the Fair Folk. On the other 
  hand, humans can walk on the ground without becom-
  ing legitimate prey for the raksha. Of the five countries, 
  Bloody River, Ardaleth and Jarrith lie west of the tongue 
  of Haltan territory that ends in Kajeth, while Shandir 
  Woods and Gossamer Stockade lie to the East.
  Ardeleth, at the edge of the great forest, shared a 
  border with the Linowan client state of Talinin (see 
  p. 36); the two countries engaged in occasional proxy 
  wars for their larger allies. The Bull of the North used 
  Ardeleth against Talinin and Rokan-Jin, and he used 
  it up. Ardeleth’s towns are burned; the entire capital 
  city of Fallen Lapis died in horror the inhabitants never 
  understood. Halta’s onetime ally is now as wild as it 
  was after the Great Contagion.
  Bloody River is a hilly forest land ruled by a trium-
  virate of gods called Gradig, Rejak and Dreaming Lotus. 
  The trio insists on a strict schedule of prayers several 
  times a day, even from children, and forbid worship of 
  any other gods. Gradig is a god of metalwork; mining, 
  smelting and forging are the country’s chief industries. 
  Bloody River takes its name from the reddish residue 
  and slag that fouls its principle waterway. Halta gets 
  much of its metalwork from Bloody River. The people 
  live in stockades on the ground or on low platforms.
  Gossamer Stockade is ruled by two Fair Folk who 
  suffered exile from the Wyld after a power-play went 
  disastrously wrong. The pair, called Obsidian Wave and 
  Plestara, takes the role of stern but fair rulers. Several 
  hundred obedient raksha commoners and hobgoblins do 
  much of the scutwork and heavy labor for the kingdom. 
  The human population pays a tax of dreams.
  Jarrith is very much a smaller version of Halta, with 
  a notable ironwood industry. Unlike Halta, however, 
  the monarch does not abdicate at 40, and Jarrith has 
  kings more often than queens.
  Shandir Woods broke away from Halta because of 
  political and religious differences, but made peace with 
  its immense neighbor more than a century ago. The 
  Shandirites honor the Yesryk above Caltia or other 
  gods, largely because the hawk-god makes his aerie in 
  the north of their country. The national priesthood 
  consists entirely of hawk beastmen, and the royal family 
  descends from a God-Blooded son of Yesryk.
  THE FAIR FOLK
  Three mighty nobles of the Fair Folk claim extensive 
  territories on Halta’s forest floor. The three hold quite 
  different views about humans in general and the forest 
  republic in particular.
  Marika, Ruler of Rivers and Swamps, dominates 
  the Fair Folk of western Halta. Her domain also 
  extends deep into Linowan territory, all the way to 
  Lake Sanazala. As such, Linowan raiders most often 
  encounter Marika’s subjects. While Marika’s fae 
  hunt mortals whenever they get the chance, they 
  only assist Haltan forces on Haltan soil. The Water 
  
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  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Witch thinks of humanity as livestock: keep them 
  fat and happy so they are tasty and easy to slaughter 
  when the time comes. She expects someday to feast 
  on the Haltans.
  Sluluru, Lord of the Lower Branches, rules a 
  broad territory in eastern Halta from the ruins of Ya-
  gan. He came to admire the Haltans for their courage 
  and devotion to their gods, to the point of assisting 
  Haltan villages against invasion beyond his treaty 
  obligations. Sluluru decreed that the Fair Folk under 
  his command would not hunt Haltans who set foot 
  on the ground, and even fought his rival monarch 
  Yseult when she ravaged villages in his territory. In 
  return, Haltans trust Sluluru far more than the other 
  fae; some Haltans even worship him. Playing the part 
  of Halta’s valiant ally works very well for the Lord of 
  the Lower Branches.
  Yseult, Queen of the Stone Forest, broods at 
  Halta’s northern extreme. She came to Creation in 
  the great invasion, and felt the scourge of the Realm 
  Defense Grid. She abides by the terms of Halta’s treaties 
  because Sluluru and Caltia swear to destroy her if she 
  doesn’t… but she never actually gave her word. Yseult 
  hates humanity and seeks ways to annihilate Halta, 
  but without revealing her own involvement until it’s 
  too late for retribution. She also loathes Sluluru and 
  Marika for personal reasons.
  None of the three monarchs have much respect 
  for the fae of Gossamer Stockade: Yseult feels disgusted 
  that raksha would dare to call themselves benevolent 
  rulers; Sluluru disapproves of ruling humans directly; 
  and Marika is simply amused by Fair Folk who take 
  such pleasure in playing with their food.
  COMMERCE
  In addition to trading with the Guild and nearby 
  nations, the Haltans send their own merchants to 
  distant lands. Few Haltans want to leave the secu-
  rity of their forest, but these adventurous traders 
  often achieve significant wealth and power selling 
  rare Haltan woods, expensive spices and powerful 
  medicinal herbs in Greyfalls, Nexus or places even 
  further abroad. These traders also make excellent 
  profits selling foreign luxuries and exotic animals to 
  the ever-curious Haltans.
  A few of Halta’s beast trainers also leave their for-
  ests. They most often travel to the Scavenger Lands, 
  with some going to the North. These beast trainers 
  treat audiences to fabulous shows where their trained 
  animals perform amusing or mysterious tricks. These 
  animal trainers, along with their trained san-beasts, 
  travel in large boxy wagons drawn by the slender gray, 
  green-maned horses that the Haltans breed in Kajeth 
  and Resplendent Peak.
  The best of these beast shows command great 
  sums from nobles and magnates who marvel at the 
  skill and grace of the animals. However, while these 
  trainers freely display their animals’ skills, they never 
  willingly sell their prized beasts, and go to almost any 
  length to retrieve beasts that are stolen. After all, 
  the humans are not necessarily the ones who run the 
  show: Sometimes the real master of the troupe is an 
  ata-beast.
  THE BULL OF THE NORTH
  Halta’s government allied with the Bull of the 
  North for the express purpose of fighting Linowan and 
  its client states. In the wake of that war, the Queen and 
  her Council debate whether they should continue that 
  alliance and seek regular diplomatic and commercial 
  ties with the nascent empire of the icewalker warlord. 
  Ominously, the Bull has not yet asked for such ties, 
  which makes many nobles wonder whether the Solar 
  warlord views Halta as an allied state or merely a terri-
  tory he is not yet ready to conquer. They cannot wait 
  long to make their choice, though, for the Bull will not 
  wait long, either.
  SAMPLE COMBAT UNITS
  For other Haltan combat units and more informa-
  tion about Halta’s military capabilities, see Scroll of 
  Kings, pages 89-92.
  HALTAN GUARD TREE, “THE HATRA HELLIONS”
  Description: This unit is a typical example of the 
  divisions of citizen soldiers stationed at each of Halta’s 
  25 border forts. The soldiers wear buff jackets and wield 
  short spears, chopping swords or short swords (equal 
  numbers of each), plus javelins or war boomerangs. The 
  unit’s Might comes from its ata-beast members and san-
  beast pets, who give the unit unusual capabilities for 
  scouting, passing messages and forms of attack. They 
  are largely a defensive force, and act as a complete 
  unit only in the event of a full-scale invasion, such as 
  a massive push from Linowan.
  Commanding Officer: Treelord Olazas Sharhoon
  Armor Color: Gray and dark green camouflage pattern
  Motto: “Many Fangs Kill Mighty Prey.”
  General Makeup: 2,000 arboreal light infantry with 
  buff jackets and mixed weapons.
  Overall Quality: Fair
  Magnitude: 7
  Drill: 2
  
  60
  Close Combat Attack: 2   Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Combat Attack: 2  Ranged Combat Damage: 2
  Endurance: 5  
  Might: 1 
  Armor: 1 (-1 mobility) 
  Morale: 2
  Formation: These soldiers are all extras. They cannot 
  possibly fight in any formation closer than relaxed—a 
  function of occupying tree branches and rope bridges, 
  rather than standing on the ground. Most often, they 
  fight in skirmishing formation. Their commander, an 
  ata-baboon, has enlightened Essence and knows a Ter-
  restrial martial art. He commands seven relays and four 
  heroes clad in gossamer plate who can take command of 
  500-man trunks of troops. The tree has three sorcerers: 
  an ata-strix who makes power dives at enemy leaders; a 
  human with an artifact atlatl made by the Fair Folk (it 
  makes its own darts); and a Fae-Blooded human with 
  Charms useful for ranged combat. In the event of an 
  attack on the border fort, alternate sorcerers operate 
  the fort’s light implosion bow and a pair of sailcutters. 
  (See Scroll of Kings, pp. 135 and 138, for description 
  and traits of atlatls and sailcutters.)
  Note: Haltan Guards have minimal experience at 
  fighting on the ground. If they must do so, their Close 
  Combat Attack and Drill ratings drop by one.
  HALTAN COMMANDO BRANCH, 
  “TYLOKAN’S VENGEANCE”
  Description: Commandos exist primarily to raid 
  the Linowan or other external enemies. Regular 
  commandos wear reinforced buff jackets. They wield 
  short spears, chopping swords or short swords for 
  close combat, and javelins, atlatls or war boomerangs 
  for ranged combat. In addition, every commando 
  carries a net or bola to capture Linowan prisoners 
  for the Fair Folk. Every officer carries exceptional 
  weapons and armor; any officer above twiglord has 
  gossamer weapons and armor, and may well have 
  enlightened Essence.
  Every border fort has two branches of commandos 
  such as this. A full branch of commandos would act 
  as a unit for an attack intended to destroy an entire 
  Linowan village, or in response to a major attack.
  Commanding Officer: Delion Woodson
  Armor Color: Gray and dark green camouflage pattern
  Motto: Varies
  General Makeup: 200 elite light infantry with rein-
  forced buff jackets and mixed weapons.
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude: 4
  
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  CHAPTER TWO • THE EMPIRE WILDERNESS
  Drill: 3
  Close Combat Attack: 3/4* 
  Close Combat Damage: 3
  Ranged Combat Attack: 3/4* 
  Ranged Combat Damage: 3
  Endurance: 7 
  Might: 1 
  Armor: 2 (-2 mobility) 
  Morale: 4
  Formation: *Asterisked values represent the com-
  mandos’ skill in Haltan forests: each commando has 
  two specialties in arboreal warfare for both Melee and 
  Thrown. The branchlord is the God-Blooded son of 
  Tylokan, one of the forest walkers (see p. 54). He 
  knows the Ill Lily style of Terrestrial Martial Arts 
  up to its Form-type Charm. For special characters, 
  the unit has four relays, two heroes who can take 
  command if Delion Woodson dies, and two sorcerers 
  (snipers, really) with gossamer weapons.
  The Republic of Halta, a Magnitude 6 Domain
  Military: 4 
  Culture: 4 
  Government: 4
  Abilities: Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 2, Craft 4, Integrity 4 (+2 Tight-Knit Heritage), Investigation 3, 
  Occult 4 (+2 Binding Agreement, +1 Supernatural Etiquette), Performance 4, Presence 2, Stealth 3, 
  War 3 (Defense in Depth +3)
  Virtues: Compassion: 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 3
  Limit Break: Conviction 
  Current Limit: 4
  Willpower: 9
  Bonus Points: 30 External Bonus Points: 18
  Notes: Halta has a much lower population than, say, the Scavenger Lands as a whole, but it has very 
  powerful supernatural allies. Halta is somewhat isolationist in its general philosophy and the vast major-
  ity of its military is only useful for defense. However, with a large army of citizen soldiers, it is one of the 
  best-defended nations in the Threshold.
  Queen Chaltra Evamal and Jurak Treyna are sorcerers with legitimacy, while Flera Skyweaver and 
  Rhall Gesran are savants. Halta’s bonus points derive mainly from its divine and secret Lunar support-
  ers, while its external bonus points chiefly come from its treaties with the Fair Folk. The dominion’s 
  bonus points go to one dot each of Culture and Government, one dot each of Craft, Integrity, Inves-
  tigation and Performance, its Binding Agreement and Tight-Knit Heritage specialties, and two dots 
  of Defense in Depth. (Note that although Halta is potentially a Rival dominion, the bonus points in 
  these specialties cannot be dissolved and reallocated to other traits: they represent intrinsic features of 
  the dominion.) External bonus points provide Supernatural Etiquette and the third dot of Defense in 
  Depth, plus a dot of Military and two dots of Willpower from certainty that the Fair Folk will destroy 
  any ground assault.
  In the event of a Limit Break, Halta immediately blames Linowan for its troubles—no matter what the 
  real cause—and attacks its arch-enemy. To buy offensive aid from the Fair Folk, Halta may well make 
  promises or offer bribes that the Haltans regret later.
  
  62
  
  63
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  At the other extreme from sprawling Halta and 
  Linowan, the East holds many city-states and small 
  countries. Every country has its own quirks of politics, 
  religion and culture. Some of the strangest cultures arise 
  when humans live in partnership with other creatures, 
  intelligent and otherwise. In the funereal city of Sijan, 
  for instance, the living devote themselves to care for the 
  dead. On the flying mountain of Metagalapa, humans 
  rule a population of hawkmen and depend on giant 
  riding-hawks for contact with the rest of Creation. The 
  little country of Chaya lives in symbiosis with its gods, 
  their sacred fire trees and a secret from the First Age.
  SIJAN, CITY OF TOMBS
  The city of Sijan is a quiet place. No festivals mar 
  the silence save those celebrated for the dead. Around 
  the city, the Plains of the Dead stretch for miles in every 
  direction, filled with tombs and mausoleums. The city 
  CHAPTER THREE
  CHAPTER THREE
  STRANGE HYBRID
  STRANGE HYBRID
  FLOWERS
  FLOWERS
  itself is built in shades of black, gray and white, age 
  trapped in time, death frozen and unchanging. Grace-
  ful towers rise above low-built tombs and wide empty 
  roads, while taverns and feast-halls for the living lie 
  deep beneath the city. Life pulses through the tunnels 
  under Sijan, but death walks its streets and goes about 
  its daily business.
  THE HISTORY OF SIJAN
  Sijan is so ancient that no one knows when it was 
  first built. Some scavenger lords and scholars of First 
  Age history claim it already stood before the Solars 
  ruled. When the first Solars perished, Sijan arranged 
  their funerals. Other savants deny this and suggest that 
  the city’s inhabitants promote the myth of an “eternal 
  Sijan” merely to increase the city’s mystique. A few 
  crumbling tombs outside the city walls may predate the 
  First Age, however, including mausoleums so ancient 
  
  64
  that not even the morticians’ archives record their age 
  or who lies in them.
  Sijan escaped most of the warfare that wracked the 
  River Province through the centuries. The mortuary 
  city remained consistently and prominently neutral, 
  offering its services to all who could pay for them, and 
  aid to none. Only once has a foreign army occupied 
  Sijan, in RY 75, when the Imperial Legions posted a 
  talon of soldiers. The Morticians’ Order granted the 
  Realm’s “request,” so long as the garrison did nothing 
  to interfere with the day-to-day business of the city. 
  The garrison vanished in RY 77. Nobody is quite sure 
  what might happen if Sijan were roused to anger and to 
  military action, and nobody is in a hurry to find out.
  Sijan was quick to join the new Confederation of 
  Rivers and had no objection to formalizing its trade 
  and social ties with other nations. Unlike most city-
  states in the Confederation, however, Sijan disclaims 
  all military parts of the alliance. The Morticians’ Order 
  hires a few scales of Seventh Legion troops to patrol 
  the city-state’s boundaries and discourage banditry, but 
  that’s a private contract. Even should the Scavenger 
  Lands face another invasion, Sijan apparently intends 
  to remain neutral. The Morticians’ Order does not care 
  about the squabbles of the living, and who would be 
  mad enough to invade the City of the Dead?
  Although Sijan played no role in such recent 
  events as the fall of Thorns, save to bury the dead 
  who were dispatched for their care, the arrival of the 
  Mask of Winters and the growth of his shadowland 
  prompt some unwelcome comparisons. People look 
  from the Deathlord and his undead troops to Sijan and 
  its haunted tombs and wonder whether there could be 
  a connection between the two. Suspicion grows that 
  Sijan might have given the Deathlord information to 
  assist his invasion, or that Sijan supplied the army of 
  risen corpses that march at the Mask of Winters’ com-
  mand. These are slanders. Sijan exists to care for the 
  dead, not to use them. Rumors and suspicions, however, 
  have never depended on the truth.
  In keeping with its strict neutrality, the Morti-
  cians’ Order remains on polite terms with the Mask of 
  Winters and the other Deathlords, going so far as to 
  prepare and embalm concubines and other particular 
  corpses that are sent to them. They also keep up good 
  relations with the rest of the Confederation and even 
  deal with the Realm. Only the heretics of the Realm 
  need Sijan’s services, though. The Immaculate faith 
  mandates comparatively simple funerals, with no mau-
  soleum, no grave goods, no death money and no loyal 
  servants sacrificed. Rumors that certain highly placed 
  Dynasts secretly commissioned the Morticians’ Order 
  
  65
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  to design a funeral fit for the Scarlet Empress are no 
  more than rumors—for the moment, at least.
  GEOGRAPHY
  Sijan lies between the River of Tears to the west, 
  the Avarice River to the south and the shadowed forest 
  called the Black Chase to the north. Two bridges across 
  the Avarice lead to the Plains of the Dead, as the vast 
  cemeteries of Sijan are called. Only the living may cross 
  the Rising Bridge to the east, also called the Bridge of 
  Mortals. Only the dead cross the Setting Bridge to the 
  west, also called the Bridge of the Fallen. Countless 
  hearses cross the Bridge of Mortals, as do parties of 
  young morticians sent to cut back weeds and brush in 
  the Plains of the Dead. The Bridge of the Fallen also 
  sees heavy traffic, though chiefly at night.
  THE PLAINS OF THE DEAD
  Across the Avarice, the Plains of the Dead stretch 
  for miles, almost to the horizon. Enormous tombs, some 
  the size of small towns, rise up from the earth. Some 
  of these massive structures are built for a single hero 
  or ruler, to honor them… or to appease them. Other 
  mausoleums hold the populations of towns or whole 
  cities, or all the warriors who fell in great battles. From 
  such huge structures, the tombs grade down to villa-
  sized crypts for noble houses and modest family plots. 
  Sijan offers burial for every income.
  Nature steadily reclaims the mausoleums, tombs 
  and burial yards of Sijan—especially near the rivers, 
  where the soft ground and rampant undergrowth quickly 
  consume any monuments that are not scrupulously 
  maintained. The valley of Sijan was once much deeper 
  and steeper, but millennia of building and overgrowth 
  have stacked tombs, crypts and bones on top of one 
  another in such profusion that the valley floor has risen 
  more than 100 feet. Expert morticians periodically de-
  scend into the labyrinthine spaces beneath the crypts 
  to maintain these underground tombs and propitiate 
  the buried ghosts.
  THE BLACK CHASE
  The Black Chase is a shadowland, an eerie and 
  still forest of dark-hued pine and black ash that begins 
  a mile or so north of Sijan. Sounds are oddly hushed 
  in the Black Chase, and it is easy to get turned around 
  or lost in these woods. The paths change and seldom 
  cover the same ground twice. Any attempt to blaze a 
  new trail fails, as marked trees shift to new locations.
  Two roads pass through the Black Chase. One 
  follows the eastern shore of the River of Tears and is 
  relatively safe, at least in the daytime. The other road, 
  which few mortals willingly travel, leads deep into the 
  heart of the forest. If anyone alive knows what lies at 
  the end of the second road, they do not speak of it. 
  Stories tell of those who strayed from the river road and 
  wandered so deep into the Black Chase that they could 
  no longer see Sijan or the River of Tears. The details 
  change with each telling, but all such stories agree that 
  those who enter the forest seldom return.
  Ghosts sometimes manage to make their way from 
  the Underworld and through the shadowland to reach 
  the lands of the living. Some immediately journey on 
  to Sijan, while others have business elsewhere.
  Black ash wood also comes from the forest. The 
  Sijanese frequently use it for paneling and furniture; 
  the wood resists damp and rot. Certain woodcutters liv-
  ing on the fringes of the forest make a family tradition 
  of removing deadfalls and occasionally cutting down 
  living trees, though they also take care never to go too 
  deeply into the Black Chase. Loggers know they are not 
  welcome in this forest, and even taking lumber from 
  the outskirts of the woods risks disaster.
  Most people see black ash as unlucky, so the market 
  is not widespread. That deathknights favor the wood 
  for the way it resists their occasional eruptions of 
  necrotic Essence only increases its baleful reputation. 
  Still, a few collectors become obsessed with black ash 
  DEATH IN THE EAST
  The East holds hundreds of tribes and 
  nations, with at least 1,000 different ways of 
  celebrating, venerating or mourning a loved 
  one’s passing, and almost as many for the death 
  of an enemy. The professional funerists of Sijan 
  serve them all. Sijan’s jet-black funeral galleys 
  ply the rivers of the Scavenger Lands unmolested 
  by brigand, pirate or robber baron. The silver 
  bracers of the Morticians’ Order are a common 
  sight in most cities.
  The people of the Scavenger Lands believe 
  that this degree of influence is entirely appropri-
  ate. The dead are not an abstract concept, and 
  ghosts are not myths. They are a powerful and 
  often dangerous reality. Only proper adherence 
  to the rituals of death can lay them to rest and 
  keep them at peace. An experienced warrior 
  would no more consider abandoning a personal 
  foe’s body without proper burial than leaving a 
  living opponent with a clear shot at her back.
  
  66
  and pay high prices for the small quantities that come 
  on the market (from the Black Chase or other Eastern 
  shadowlands). Sometimes they pay more than cash. A 
  grim tale in current circulation tells of a Guild factor 
  who resolved to panel his entire manor with black ash, 
  eventually sacrificing his five daughters to the Yozis in 
  order to complete the task.
  morticians and visitors may traverse the streets of 
  Sijan, the buildings above ground are all tombs and 
  mausoleums. The city’s workshops, housing, taverns, 
  council rooms and other facilities for the living stay 
  out of sight, underground.
  Upper Sijan, as people often call it, is hardly 
  empty. Even though living people do not dwell 
  there, people always pass through by night and day. 
  Morticians must go out to tend the crypts, to arrange 
  funerals and to perform various other rites. Visitors 
  wander the streets freely, marveling at the architec-
  ture or seeking tombs of importance to them. The 
  city stays just as busy at night, if not more so, with 
  the bobbing lanterns of morticians moving through 
  the dark streets and among the towers and graves in 
  glimmers of light. The streets themselves are tangled 
  and confused, with no clear order to the placing of 
  tombs and monuments. While most streets stay wide 
  enough for a funeral cortege to pass, narrow alleys 
  twist between high buildings or cut through small 
  groves of willows and pines. It’s easy to navigate 
  toward the high towers at the center of the city or to 
  head outward toward the Black Chase or the rivers, 
  but difficult for strangers to find a precise location 
  elsewhere among the buildings.
  Stairwells throughout the city spiral down from 
  the surface to the underground levels. There are no 
  visible guards at the top, but usually, at least one sen-
  try sits by the gate underground, chanting liturgies to 
  appease wandering spirits that might pass by. Some of 
  THE BEAST OF THE CHASE
  The ghost of an ancient behemoth, a dread 
  hekatonkhire, inhabits the deep woods of the 
  Black Chase. The creature spends most of its 
  time in a dull stupor, only stirring when it feels 
  trespassers in its territory. Then, the hekatonkh-
  ire’s breath rattles the still branches of the black 
  forest, and the creaking of its bones echoes like 
  the breaking of branches in the wind. Ghosts who 
  risk travel in the Chase are often caught, their 
  souls snatched up and devoured, before they even 
  know the monster is upon them. Survivors cannot 
  describe the creature, having seen nothing more 
  than the huge limbs rising taller than the ancient 
  trees of the forest in which it dwells.
  THE CITY
  The city of Sijan itself is divided in two: the part 
  for the dead, which is above ground, and the part for 
  the living, which is below ground. Although living 
  THE MUSEUMS OF THE DEAD
  Sijan’s libraries are famous, but difficult and expensive to access. The city’s museums are less well known, 
  but much easier to visit. Over the centuries, grateful clients and families donated irreplaceable artworks 
  and relics of history to the Morticians’ Order, or gave them as payment for elaborate funeral services.
  Having little use for these trophies, the morticians built museums to house them for the public—the 
  dead as well as the living. While many ghosts jealously guard their treasures in their tombs, others take 
  pride in displaying their possessions and enjoy watching other folk admire their grave goods. (When ghosts 
  donate their grave goods in this manner, placards request that viewers offer a brief prayer as repayment for 
  the ghost’s generosity.) Some museums are general, while others concentrate on a given period of history 
  or on cultures now vanished from Creation. In this way, Sijan remembers not only individuals who died, 
  but also nations and societies that passed away. Some members of the Morticians’ Order even seek out 
  treasures or bits of history to place in the museums. A few Deadspeakers commission their ghostly clients 
  to recreate long-lost artworks, so that the living may see at least some traces of forgotten history.
  The Morticians’ Order typically places museums in elaborate tombs on the surface of Sijan that were 
  paid for but never inhabited, or that were commissioned but never paid for in full. Although heavily 
  guarded (usually by the Black Watch), the public can enter most museums for a small fee. The morticians 
  often recommend them as a diversion to the families and retinues of clients who must undergo lengthy 
  preparations prior to interment.
  
  67
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  the stairwells are wide and broad, permitting funeral 
  processions to pass easily. Others are narrow and small, 
  barely wide enough for a single person in full armor to 
  descend. In most cases, anyone who wishes to enter may 
  do so. Sijan welcomes all who require its services… or 
  might, someday. If a guard sees or hears an obviously 
  dangerous and violent person approaching, she rings 
  a crystal bell that hangs by her stool and then retreats 
  behind her iron gate and locks it.
  BELOW THE SURFACE
  Lower Sijan is even older than Upper Sijan. 
  While some visiting scholars and loremasters claim to 
  recognize tell-tale signs of First Age craftsmanship in 
  the dark stone passages and black ash-paneled rooms 
  where the living reside, others say the place is far older 
  even than that. The air stays fresh but chill, as cold 
  as stone. The walls are slick and smooth, made of 
  marble, onyx or obsidian, and the tread of countless 
  slippered feet keep the floors well polished. Glowing 
  crystals light the more frequently used corridors and 
  rooms, while torches or lanterns serve elsewhere. The 
  living quarters and general areas of the city hum with 
  everyday urban noises such as commercial transactions 
  or teachers instructing pupils. Behind these everyday 
  wounds, however, chanting voices and funeral hymns 
  echo in the spaces under Sijan. This regular murmur-
  ing background whisper penetrates all but the deepest 
  or most remote of catacombs.
  The living city forms a rough set of concentric 
  rings. The innermost ring holds those rooms dedicated 
  to receiving guests (both living and dead) and organiz-
  ing the business of the city. This area includes Sijan’s 
  famous libraries, the great halls used for ceremonies 
  that require hundreds of morticians and the workshops 
  for embalming and necrosurgery. It also includes some 
  taverns, brothels and other accommodations for living 
  visitors. While the local trade among the Sijanese for 
  such things is low, it does exist.
  In the next ring outward, for perhaps a mile in each 
  direction, lie the living spaces of the native Sijanese. 
  Each family has a shrine to its ancestors—as well as 
  the tombs on the surface of the city, of course. The 
  lecture halls, temples and classrooms where junior 
  morticians learn their trade are also found in this 
  general area, together with the storerooms that hold 
  the spices, chemicals, masks, robes, surgical implements 
  and other necessities of the rites of death.
  Further out still lie stranger rooms and hidden 
  secrets. Some of them are tunneled down from the 
  surface, descending from locked tombs through long 
  passageways and stairwells to chambers far beneath. 
  Other passages spiral out from the city for labyrinthine 
  miles. Here are doors sealed with the magical mate-
  rials and barred with ancient curses. Some temples 
  are opened only once in a century, when blood and 
  wine are poured out on the floor to satisfy ghosts 
  and gods who could shake the earth if they were to 
  fully awaken. There are old passages where even the 
  most expert and knowledgeable of morticians fear 
  to walk, that shall keep their secrets until the Solar 
  Deliberative is raised again. While patrolling guards 
  turn wandering visitors away from the entrances to 
  these places, few regular wardens are set. These places 
  need none. The inhabitants take care of themselves, 
  and any fool who should intrude upon them will not 
  return to complain.
  THE SLEEPERS OF SIJAN
  Some offerings and obsequies help the dead 
  resist forgetfulness and strengthen their connec-
  tion to the living. Others encourage the dead to 
  let go and accept Lethe, secure in the knowledge 
  that they did not live and die in vain. Sijan 
  performs both sorts of ceremony—whatever a 
  client requests.
  Powerful ghosts can raise an unholy ruckus 
  if they don’t get the reverence they crave. The 
  Mortician’s Order accommodates such extortion. 
  Only a few ghosts, however, are so terrible that 
  they must be kept not just mollified, but asleep.
  Who are these terrors of the Underworld, 
  too strong-willed to accept Lethe and too ma-
  levolent to remain free? Some may be ghosts 
  of long-dead Celestial Exalted who died in 
  utter madness. Some may be nephwracks 
  who gained dreadful power through millen-
  nia of service to the slain Primordials. The 
  most frightful possibility, though, is that they 
  may be component souls of the Neverborn 
  themselves—hekatonkhires, bound in slumber 
  back in the First Age and kept asleep ever since 
  by the Morticians’ Order. Indeed, it is at least 
  conceivable (though there is no real evidence 
  for the theory) that Sijan and the Order exist 
  specifically as a prison for these god-ghosts, 
  and the whole funeral business grew out of this 
  necessity. As always, Storytellers must decide 
  the truth for themselves
  
  68
  OUTSIDERS IN SIJAN
  Given how many visitors, clients and corpses pass 
  through Sijan, the city must provide a wide range of 
  convenient accommodation for its guests, both the living 
  and the dead. These rooms and complexes (occasionally 
  rising all the way to the surface) all stay in the center 
  of Sijan, close to the main facilities of the city. This 
  area is, by far, the liveliest part of Sijan, full of visitors 
  talking a little too loudly and being a bit too obviously 
  enthusiastic in an attempt to ward off the chill of death 
  and the somber shadow of ghosts.
  Clients of the city who come to arrange contracts 
  or who bring the dead with them for treatment or burial 
  are housed and fed free of charge. The precise nature of 
  their accommodations depends upon their social rank 
  and dignity. Royal emissaries, servants of Deathlords, 
  ambassadors from city-states and such ilk receive elegant 
  suites, while the less important or wealthy are allotted 
  clean yet simple rooms in good taste. (They can, of 
  course, rent better-quality rooms if they so desire, and 
  can pay for it.) Such hospitality doesn’t stretch into free 
  housing for years, though. After the funeral ends, or the 
  arrangements are made, Sijan expects its clients to take 
  their leave and politely encourages them to do so.
  Visitors who come for other reasons, or simply for 
  tourism, must pay for their food and residence. Prices 
  resemble those found elsewhere in Creation, and there 
  are usually some spare rooms in the city. (If all the 
  visitors’ accommodation in Sijan were occupied, the 
  situation would truly be dire, as it would only occur as 
  the result of plagues or huge wars striking a huge swath 
  of Creation.)
  The Sijanese treat all visitors politely, but the degree 
  of actual friendship depends on the visitors’ reasons for 
  their sojourn. Clients enjoy every courtesy, as do those 
  who visit to honor ancestors or some revered figure of the 
  past. For instance, generals and would-be warrior-kings 
  visit Sijan to pray and make offerings at the tombs of 
  famous heroes and conquerors, in hopes that these great 
  commanders might aid them in their own wars.
  Scholars or other people with a plausible reason for 
  visiting Sijan are directed to the appropriate libraries or 
  contacts, then left alone to get on with their business. 
  Pure tourists receive a somewhat cooler reception; lo-
  cal guides point them toward Sijan’s great museums to 
  occupy themselves.
  Requests to “see the skeletons” or similar stupid and 
  disrespectful attitudes toward the honored dead cause 
  locals to stonewall—politely—and to call the Black 
  Watch if necessary. Anyone who is foolish enough 
  to suggest that he is a tomb robber, or indeed that he 
  associates with people who maliciously disturb the 
  sepulchers of the dead in any land, finds the Sijanese 
  slamming doors in his face and calling the Watch at 
  once. (Scavenger lords who visit Sijan should be tact-
  ful about how they describe themselves. “Scholar” or 
  “historical researcher” is usually acceptable.)
  The city’s taverns, brothels and similar businesses 
  depend far more on visitors than on the native Sijanese 
  for their trade. They veer between charging as highly as 
  they can (as the only local sources of entertainment) and 
  cutting their prices to the bone (to steal business from 
  their neighbors). Friendly locals can point visitors to 
  establishments that currently charge low to reasonable 
  prices, or even offer to put the visitors up for the night 
  themselves. Local tradition holds that it is a meritorious 
  act to expose outsiders to Sijanese culture and gently 
  remind them that death is an inevitable part of life.
  Notable among the Sijanese who deal with outsid-
  ers are Blushing Spring, a middle-aged woman who 
  runs the city’s most expensive inn, and Wandering 
  Heron, a man who runs the city’s best inn. Blushing 
  Spring is far more politely servile to outsiders than 
  is Wandering Heron. This means that she gets more 
  custom from the Observances sending clients to her 
  establishment, but Wandering Heron has better 
  kitchens and a far better wine cellar.
  THE MORTICIANS’ ORDER
  The Funereal Order of Righteous Morticians and 
  Embalmers, to give them their full and formal name, 
  is the closest thing to government that Sijan possesses. 
  Sijan has less need for government than most cities, 
  but more need for scheduling. The whole city realizes 
  the importance of appeasing the dead who are already 
  buried there, arranging for the funerals of those who 
  have recently arrived, and preparing for future arrivals. 
  Being Sijanese isn’t just a nationality, it’s a vocation.
  The Morticians’ Order consists of three divisions 
  called Observances. Each Observance has its own set of 
  duties, some of which overlap. The leaders of the three 
  Observances meet once a month in council to decide 
  the course of Sijan’s government and to consult with the 
  dead Observances who have gone before them. This is 
  largely a ceremonial duty, though, compared to their jobs 
  as chief administrators of their respective divisions.
  All members of the Morticians’ Order wear heavy 
  gray gowns, with thick overshawls to protect them from 
  Sijan’s ubiquitous chill. Heavy silver bracers tell a given 
  mortician’s rank and Observance. With experience and 
  exposure, outsiders can learn to determine a mortician’s 
  
  69
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  branch and rank by the ornamentation and design of his 
  bracers, though few visitors acquire enough close and 
  regular contact with the Order to learn the patterns.
  FUNERISTS
  The members of the Funerists’ Observance are 
  Sijan’s masters of ceremony, rite and ritual, the super-
  visors and, in some cases, designers of the city’s many 
  funeral services. Funerists know the burial rites of dozens 
  of cultures, which rituals are needed to propitiate the 
  dead and what forms should be observed based on the 
  client’s status in life. In some cases, new cities in the 
  Scavenger Lands commission a master of this Obser-
  vance to design burial rituals for their people.
  Funerists are learned scholars and trained memoriz-
  ers, as well as practiced public speakers and artists of 
  performance. A tale in Sijan (and repeated elsewhere, 
  though not in front of Dynastic ears) claims that the 
  Scarlet Empress commissioned her own burial rite 
  several centuries ago, before the influence of the 
  Immaculate Order became so pervasive, in case her 
  unfortunate demise should actually come to pass. These 
  days, another story has it that certain highly placed 
  members of the Funerists’ Observance now prepare to 
  travel to the Realm to carry out that rite.
  The current leader of the Funerists’ Observance is 
  Lucid Moonlight, an elderly, mild-mannered librarian 
  with huge crystal lenses perched on the end of his nose 
  and half-gloves on his hands. He is a scholar of the high-
  est order, able to recall mortuary customs from hundreds 
  of different lands and cities at a moment’s notice. Lucid 
  Moonlight also applies that attention to detail to the 
  organization and scheduling of his own Observance. He 
  is not himself especially creative, but he knows toward 
  which of his assistants he should direct visitors who need 
  newly designed rites. Lucid Moonlight’s highest personal 
  enjoyment, for which he has little time, lies in researching 
  obscure and forgotten mortuary rites. He is married, with 
  children and grandchildren, all of whom followed him 
  into the Funerists. His assistants include Clear Forbid-
  dance, an artistic woman who has many friends among 
  the Funerists and the Mortwrights; and Willow Leaf, an 
  aging man with an irascible temper and harsh manners, 
  but a great gentleness toward departed souls.
  MORTWRIGHTS
  The morticians of the Mortwrights’ Observance pre-
  pare bodies for final disposition. The Observance boasts 
  the world’s best embalmers, morticians, necrosurgeons 
  and fleshcrafters. They find their services in high demand 
  
  70
  among certain Deathlords, who send their concubines 
  to Sijan to be beautified and their own necromantic 
  experts to Sijan for lessons. While the Deathlords’ 
  own servants far surpass the Mortwrights at military 
  necrosurgery (with what results, see The Manual of 
  Exalted Power—The Abyssals), the Sijanese excel at 
  delicate repairs and alterations of dead tissue.
  This Observance is full of practical artists, who are 
  both used to working with the raw matter of skeletons, 
  corpses and broken bodies, and able to visualize and 
  create the ideal face and body that the corpse should 
  possess. Mortwrights have the most contact with the 
  minions of the Deathlords; most Mortwrights adopt a 
  strictly professional attitude toward them. However 
  admirable the technical skills of the Deathlords’ necro-
  surgeons, the Sijanese find the intended applications 
  of their work… none of their business, and they would 
  like to keep it that way.
  The current leader of the Mortwrights is Lorskios 
  Pinebranch, a hugely muscular man capable of break-
  ing a femur between his fingers or shattering a skull in 
  one hand, though he is all care and precision when it 
  comes to his work. From the earliest days of sweeping 
  up nails and hair clipped from corpses, he always knew 
  that the Mortwrights’ Observance would become his 
  home. Pinebranch places professionalism toward the 
  corpses in his care above any other concerns, which 
  caused some worry among the other Observances. After 
  all, without proper concern toward their spirits as well 
  as their bodies, one runs the risk of falling toward the 
  Deathlords and their heresies. Pinebranch is a loyal 
  servant of Sijan, though. He has no spouse or children 
  but several young nephews and nieces frequently come 
  to stay with him to learn about his work. His assistants 
  include Elegant Knife, a necrosurgeon with prematurely 
  gray hair and a disturbing sense of humor; and Sweet 
  Plum, a talented young woman who needs more expe-
  rience but who will likely become one of the premier 
  embalmers of the city in future years.
  DEADSPEAKERS
  The smallest of the three Observances manages 
  contact between the living and the dead. These mediums 
  can discern the wishes of those who left no testament 
  or whose families either cannot or will not come to a 
  consensus about the burial. This Observance also guards 
  the techniques used to raise ghosts, to bring back the 
  dead to unlife, and the rituals of exorcism that banish 
  the restless dead to the Underworld. The Deadspeak-
  ers do not like to exorcise ghosts—but the covenant 
  between the living and the dead works both ways. Just 
  as the living must be punished for despoiling the dead, 
  sometimes the dead must be prevented from unjustified 
  attacks on the living. The Deadspeakers treat exorcism 
  as a last resort, though, when all persuasions fail.
  The Deadspeakers are the most secretive of the 
  Observances. Few people who visit Sijan ever see one, 
  unless they came specifically to contact a particular 
  ghost. The younger members of the Observance have 
  the most contact with the living, and do most of the 
  scheduling and negotiating. The older Deadspeakers 
  are much too busy talking to the ghosts.
  Silken Veil is the current leader of the Deadspeak-
  ers. Like every member of her Observance, she spends 
  far more time in communion with the dead than with 
  the living. She regards those people around her who 
  still happen to be alive with a gentle tolerance. Silken 
  Veil is nearly crippled by arthritis, but refrains from 
  dosing herself with drugs in order not to hamper her 
  perceptions of the dead. Her tall body is now stooped 
  with age, her long hair has turned pure white, and her 
  movements betray the pain in her joints. She is the 
  most informed person in all Sijan on current affairs 
  in the Underworld, and she uses that knowledge for 
  the city’s good. On the other hand, Silken Veil is also 
  one of the most likely people in Sijan to hire outsiders 
  to perform deniable actions or missions on the city’s 
  behalf. Her assistants include Topaz Embers, a quiet 
  middle-aged man who has long endured prejudice due 
  to a streak of divine blood in his family, which shows 
  in his yellow eyes; and Grieving Shadow, a woman who 
  seems morbid even for Sijan, and who worries other 
  Deadspeakers by her intense commitment to passing 
  on messages demanding vengeance.
  PROPITIATING THE DEAD
  Scheduled ceremony and ritual fills every day in 
  Sijan. There is a constant list of current funerals to 
  perform and old ghosts to propitiate. Tombs must be 
  tended, weeds cut back, tablets cleaned, incense burned; 
  day and night, apprentices and full morticians move 
  throughout Sijan, keeping the houses of the dead in 
  good order.
  In some parts of Sijan, particularly in the Plains of 
  the Dead, no one still living remembers the funerary 
  arrangements and rituals of those inhumed. Even the 
  Observances who reign in the Underworld might not 
  recall some of the niceties about how to propitiate the 
  ancient dead. Those places where no one knows how 
  to perform the necessary rites to keep the dead resting 
  quietly often become very dangerous for the living. 
  The few ghosts that still remain amid these ancient 
  
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  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  bones sleep uneasily, if at all. They may take out their 
  resentment at being thus forgotten on any living mortal 
  they discover.
  Fortunately, these wrathful ghosts also tend to hun-
  ger for some show of respect and remembrance, even if 
  it isn’t the one ordained by their culture. A sacrifice, 
  however performed, may mollify the ghost enough that 
  it explains the ceremonies it wishes performed. After 
  that, a promise to refurbish their burial places and 
  perform the appointed rites usually sets them at ease. If 
  an individual forgets or breaks that promise, however, 
  the ghosts’ anger is as vast as their age. (One of the 
  most frequent themes among stories told to Sijanese 
  children is that of the traveler or young mortician who 
  promises to repair a tomb, but then forgets or shirks 
  his work. In all such stories, the neglectful mortal dies 
  a horrible, shameful death at the hands of the ghosts 
  when he finally returns.)
  Unfortunately, the dead do not always remember 
  the details of their funeral rites—whether because so 
  much time has passed since they last witnessed the 
  ceremony, or because the ghost itself is a bit senile or 
  insane. Nevertheless, these ghosts have little patience 
  with claims that the rituals have passed from living 
  memory. Recovering these lost but vital details can be 
  exceedingly difficult, especially when the ghosts come 
  from societies that predate the current Age.
  Not everyone in Sijan is a mortician, but everyone 
  has a duty to the city. Children pluck up weeds and dust 
  funeral tablets as part of their daily chores. Men and 
  women who don’t belong to the Observances support 
  those who do: trade with other cities brings in food and 
  necessities; alchemists prepare the embalming fluids for 
  the Mortwrights; scribes and scholars collate and file 
  materials for the Funerists; and healers and negotia-
  tors provide backup for the Deadspeakers. While the 
  Observances are undoubtedly the most respected and 
  valued citizens of Sijan, everyone has a place in the 
  City of Tombs.
  FAMILY AND CUSTOM
  The Sijanese greatly value their families, both 
  those currently alive and their dead ancestors. Family 
  is a chain that reaches forward and backward through 
  the centuries. The dead guard and guide the living, and 
  the living honor and propitiate the dead. Marriages are 
  for life, and the Sijanese expect children to take care of 
  their parents and grandparents in their old age.
  The Sijanese treat marriage as a strictly civil 
  contract, celebrated before the ancestral altars of both 
  families. Marriages are usually arranged: parents pick 
  a suitable spouse for their child or at least give him a 
  choice of suitable spouses. If young couples develop an 
  attachment before either is formally married, then the 
  socially proper thing to do is to let the families arrange 
  matters and act as if they planned it all along. When 
  two people fall hopelessly in love but their families 
  refuse to let them marry (perhaps due to feuds between 
  ancestral ghosts), they can only leave Sijan. Even death 
  SIJAN IN THE UNDERWORLD
  The Underworld’s version of Sijan rises in 
  terrifying glory. Much as in the living world, the 
  living and dead mingle in the ghostly city. In 
  fact, the chief difference between them is that 
  the Underworld’s Sijan is larger and grander, 
  while its walls and towers rise much higher.
  The Observances rule the Sijan of the Un-
  derworld, just as they do the living city. In fact, 
  the living Observances serve their dead elders: 
  careers in the Observances do not truly begin 
  until after death. Through the Deadspeakers, 
  Sijanese ghosts contact their living associates, 
  pass along messages, request offerings and in-
  volve themselves in living politics.
  The dead throng the Sijan of the Under-
  world—not just the ghosts of those buried in 
  Sijan, but immigrants from other parts of the Un-
  derworld. The ghosts buy and sell offerings and 
  looted jade, while desperate ghosts from across 
  Creation pay vast sums of funerary gold to have 
  messages carried to the living Observances.
  In addition, Sijan contains several shadow-
  lands entirely free of Deathlord influence. The 
  largest is, of course, the Black Chase. Ghosts 
  with enough courage and strength can pass into 
  the living world through the eldritch forest. 
  The labyrinth of catacombs and long-buried 
  vaults that spreads out and down from Sijan also 
  contain a number of tiny shadowlands—single 
  chambers where the worlds of the living and 
  the dead intersect. Only senior members of the 
  Morticians’ Order (whether living and dead) 
  know the locations of these vaults and how to 
  unlock them, but they provide another way for 
  the twin Orders to coordinate their business.
  For further information about the Un-
  derworld city, see The Compass of Celestial 
  Directions, Vol. IV—The Underworld.
  
  72
  is no romantic haven; after all, their families wait for 
  them on the other side.
  Children in Sijan grow up loved and cared for, 
  but they are expected to join the same trade as their 
  parents—unless, of course, they are lucky enough to 
  enter an Observance. While junior morticians teach 
  general classes in reading and writing, they watch the 
  children for potential recruits to their Observance. 
  Funerists seek memory, scholarship and performance; 
  Mortwrights look for precision, deftness and artistry; 
  and Deadspeakers watch for spiritual gifts and sensitivity 
  to the Underworld.
  At the age of 12, children are apprenticed to a 
  particular trade. Some children go with the Obser-
  vances, while others learn trades concerned more with 
  the living. Even though children often take up their 
  parents’ occupation, they apprentice with someone 
  else, someone who can judge their progress more objec-
  tively. Over the next three years, a child may change 
  her apprenticeship without any disgrace; the Sijanese 
  accept that talents and inclination may take a while 
  to manifest. By the age of 15, however, children are 
  expected to settle firmly as apprentices in the career 
  in which they will spend their lives.
  At the age of 20, children become adults. Those 
  studying in the Observances take their full oaths as 
  morticians and don plain silver bracers on their arms, 
  marked only with the sigil for their particular Obser-
  vance, but without any signs of rank. Other Sijanese 
  gain their own tokens of adulthood. This is the earliest 
  age at which an inhabitant of Sijan can legally marry 
  and is often the age when a descendant takes over a 
  significant part of the family trade.
  Some Sijanese choose a graceful suicide when they 
  feel old age creeping up on them, while others work until 
  they drop, but the Sijanese accept both extremes. The 
  important thing is that their spirits should join their 
  ancestors and that the living family should not forget 
  them. Their descendants lay them to rest according to 
  their previously expressed choice of funeral customs, 
  and the neighborhood joins to celebrate another joyous 
  passage from life to death.
  GENDER IN SIJAN
  Sijanese society does not segregate occupations by 
  gender: all are equal in the eyes of the dead. Anyone can 
  take up whatever trade suits them best. When dealing 
  with cultures that have strong views on gender, however, 
  the Sijanese ensure courteous negotiations by presenting 
  an expert mortician of the proper sex. This is not so 
  much politeness to the living as politeness to the dead. 
  If the deceased wished to have his funeral organized 
  and carried out only by men or only by women, who 
  are the Observances to go against his wishes?
  It is perfectly acceptable for the Sijanese to have 
  lovers of either gender, as long as any marriage remains 
  undisturbed and the family ancestors present no objec-
  tion. As with most cases of social manners, the dead 
  become the ultimate arbiters.
  WORK AND TRADE
  Morticians in Sijan either negotiate contracts 
  through their Observance (in which case the Obser-
  vance gets a percentage of the fees) or directly with their 
  clients. Only the experts or the desperate attempt the 
  latter: experts become famous enough for clients to seek 
  them out by name, while the desperate take any sort of 
  job, however dangerous or reckless. The Observances do 
  their best to see that all their members find reasonable 
  employment, and Sijan certainly has enough clients 
  to keep all three Observances constantly busy. The 
  unskilled or the lazy end up with barely enough work 
  to keep them housed and fed, though.
  The regular, living needs of Sijan are met by book-
  sellers, tailors, smiths, innkeepers, grocers and all the 
  other various trades that the living require. The Ob-
  servances fund some of these professions—morticians 
  often employ their relatives as incense-makers, shroud-
  tailors and the like—while others are purely privately 
  run. Trade is slow, but regular. Nobody gets rich as 
  a Sijanese butcher, baker or candlestick-maker, but 
  nobody goes bankrupt, either. Sijanese shops are quiet 
  and polite, and little bargaining takes place. Outsiders 
  who set up shops in Sijan find themselves reasonably 
  well accepted by the locals.
  Sijan’s docks are the most visibly busy part of the 
  city, and form a district of their own (which the Sijanese 
  think is not really part of their city). Black hearse-galleys 
  come and go, sending out morticians and bringing back 
  clients. Other ships, however, outnumber them ten to 
  one. Sijan occupies a superb location for commerce, near 
  the juncture of the Silver River, the Avarice and the 
  River of Tears. It’s safe. The Guild is only the largest 
  mercantile concern to use Sijan as a trade hub. Most 
  of the sailors and merchants never go past the dockside 
  warehouses and hostelries. The city’s funereal influence 
  also reaches the docks, though. Compared to most ports, 
  the dockside saloons of Sijan are quiet indeed.
  CULTURE AND ART
  Almost everyone in Sijan is literate, well-read and 
  skilled at some art or craft. Of course, their culture 
  focuses on a very specialized area: death and funerals, 
  
  73
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  in all possible forms. Even children chant skipping 
  rhymes along the lines of, “One for ash, two for stone, 
  three for silver, four for bone, five for coffins, six for 
  steel, seven a secret I never reveal…”
  The Sijanese enjoy humor, romance, epic dramas, 
  stories of heroism and all the usual kinds of art in which 
  people elsewhere take pleasure. They simply view art, 
  craft and culture through their cultural lens of dealing 
  with death. Humor is morbid. Romances last beyond 
  death. Stories of heroism involve submitting to the will 
  of fate and remaining loyal into the Underworld. Tales 
  of battles and war all end with careful descriptions of the 
  funerals of slain combatants. Furthermore, while Sijanese 
  appreciate the technical skill of outside culture, they tend 
  to keep their esoteric tastes to themselves, or only share 
  them with fellow enthusiasts. The taverns for outsiders 
  in Sijan are the most likely place to find minstrels or per-
  formers with repertoires from beyond the City of Tombs. 
  Visiting dignitaries often bring their own entertainers, 
  as some antidote to the city’s atmosphere.
  The Sijanese treat cooking as a fine art. The highest 
  form of cookery involves the proper use of spices, with 
  tastes varying from moderate use of a spice against a 
  very plain background, to complicated throat-searing 
  spices in combinations that could nearly wake the dead 
  on their own. In deference to the palates of visitors, 
  meals for guests are usually muted and lack the true 
  glory of Sijanese spicing. A friend of local citizens knows 
  that they truly appreciate him on the day that he has 
  to swallow several jugs of milk or eat several fistfuls of 
  bread during a single meal.
  CRIME IN SIJAN
  Despite the strict oaths they swear regarding con-
  duct, the wishes of the dead, the sanctity of their role 
  as guides to the afterlife and the need for circumspect 
  behavior, a small number of morticians abuse their role 
  and occasionally their clients. Naturally, this happens 
  more often with the bodies of the destitute or those 
  who lack family or friends to protest such behavior. 
  Even the rich and powerful, however, are not immune 
  to the actions of a sufficiently deranged mortician. 
  The Morticians’ Order rarely needs to punish such 
  crimes—the ghosts of Sijan see to their own justice. 
  The screams of miscreants who violate the rights of 
  the dead echo in the far caverns beneath the city for 
  months or even years.
  Sijan also sees occasional tomb robbing. The 
  Sijanese view this offence with the same disgust and 
  horror that other folk reserve for wholesale murder, 
  violent pederasty or temple defilement. Any ordinary 
  
  74
  Sijanese does not condone tomb robbing, does not take 
  bribes to ignore it and certainly does not take part in 
  it. The people of Sijan, and the Black Watch in par-
  ticular, have centuries of experience in dealing with 
  this particular crime. They know how tempting some 
  of their ancient mausoleums are, so they keep a tactful 
  but sensible eye on outsiders, especially outsiders who 
  loiter or explore in a suspicious manner. Tomb robbing 
  carries an automatic sentence of death, which the Black 
  Watch carries out on the spot. Offended ghosts may 
  assist in carrying out the sentence. There is no such 
  thing as justifiable tomb robbing to the Sijanese, and 
  it would take a truly legendary eloquence to persuade 
  them otherwise.
  Both visitors and locals sometimes commit petty 
  theft, assault and even murder. The Sijanese believe 
  that crimes against the living, while regrettable, 
  simply cannot compare to crimes against the dead. 
  The local guardsmen investigate the crime; a junior 
  Deadspeaker seeks witnesses among ghosts who may 
  have been present; then a tribunal of elders—one from 
  each Observance—sentences the criminals. Crimes 
  are punished by payment to the victim or service to 
  the city. If the criminal expires before the term of his 
  service, then his ghost is bound to serve the city to the 
  end of his sentence.
  RELIGION IN SIJAN
  Sijan treats the gods with detached respect. After 
  all, many funeral prayers request that some god or 
  another accept and protect the souls of the departed. 
  Only an utter fool would deny the reality of the gods 
  or their honored place in Creation. This doesn’t mean 
  that the Sijanese engage in active worship.
  The visitors’ quarters and public places offer many 
  anonymous, easily rededicated shrines, where anyone 
  may address a quick petition to specific deities or the 
  gods in general. Sijan’s cellars and storehouses hold the 
  ritual paraphernalia of a thousand gods, whatever the 
  morticians might need for specific funerals. Only a pitiful 
  trickle of Essence rises from the city to Yu-Shan, however, 
  compared to the flood of Essence-rich prayer that goes to 
  ancestors and other ghosts. The Sijanese give the gods 
  their due, but they give the dead their reverence.
  From time to time, visiting priests try to promote 
  the worship of particular deities. The Sijanese are never 
  less than polite (except in the case of violently blood-
  thirsty rites) and let the priest use some spare rooms 
  as a temple if he so desires. They just won’t bother to 
  attend services or offer prayers. After a decade of liv-
  ing underground in Sijan, in a constant atmosphere of 
  funerals, with no success to report and nothing except 
  cool politeness to reward their efforts, most missionaries 
  decide they would rather encourage faith somewhere 
  else. Anywhere else.
  MILITARY AFFAIRS
  Sijan has no real military, because it needs none. 
  The Morticians’ Order does not care about the squabbles 
  of the living—save to bury the dead afterward.
  The city does maintain a small town guard to quell 
  disturbances, keep order and ensure that foolish or desper-
  ate bandits make no attempt to sack the city. Although 
  the revenge of the dead for such an act is as sure as the 
  turning of the seasons, Sijan exists to protect and care 
  for the dead, not to rely on them for protection.
  Most of Sijan’s guardsmen are mortals. They wear 
  dark reinforced buff jackets and carry staves and swords. 
  A sizable number of undead—ghosts who know how 
  to animate corpses—also serve in the guard. The most 
  famous of these are the Black Watch, nemissaries 
  in superheavy black plate armor who wield massive 
  swords of dark steel. Black Watch members are often 
  ghosts who suffered grave robbery and now delight in 
  silently stalking the city for tomb raiders. (Rumors even 
  abound that some of them were originally enslaved by 
  Deathlords but fled their bondage and found shelter 
  in Sijan.) Ghosts also serve in the guard as spies and 
  lookouts, scouting the area and directing the nemissaries 
  to sources of trouble.
  For more detail on the Black Watch, see Scroll 
  of Kings, page 97. For Sijan’s military capacity in the 
  Underworld, see The Compass of Celestial Directions, 
  Vol. IV—The Underworld.
  FOREIGN RELATIONS
  Sijan is and always has been neutral. While the 
  city belongs to the Confederation of Rivers, it has no 
  obligations of mutual defense. It deals with the dead and 
  caters to the dead. That is all. As such, Sijan has good 
  political relations with most of the Scavenger Lands.
  Great Forks is the notable exception. The deities 
  of Great Forks, and by extension the city itself, hold 
  Sijan in disdain. While the gods are not actively hos-
  tile to Sijan, its ships are not welcome at Great Forks’ 
  quays, and citizens of Great Forks don’t seek funerals 
  in Sijan—at least, not publicly. Sijan simply ignores 
  Great Forks whenever possible and interacts politely 
  where necessary (at Confederation Council meetings, 
  for example). In private, many Sijanese coldly deplore 
  the folly of those who give their devotion and Essence 
  to gods instead of to their ancestors.
  
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  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  The Realm views Sijan as heretical but harmless. 
  Sijan views the Realm as safely far away.
  As mentioned, Sijan accepts business from Death-
  lords. Many in the city, however, see a possible conflict 
  in the near future: not just with the Mask of Winters, 
  but also with other Deathlords who might want to co-
  opt Sijan forcibly as an ally. Sijan is both vulnerable 
  and defended in ways that other parts of the Scavenger 
  Lands are not. The living city depends on its inhabitants 
  in the Underworld to guide and guard it. Many powerful 
  ghosts dwell within the Underworld city’s high-strong 
  walls. If Underworld Sijan were conquered, however, 
  the living city could not hope to resist a powerful foe. 
  Sijan seeks to remain neutral but the morticians know 
  this may not be possible much longer. Some within the 
  walls say Sijan should surrender to the Deathlords if 
  that’s what it takes to continue serving their obliga-
  tions to the dead. Others argue that no servant of the 
  Deathlords could ever be free to properly minister to 
  the dead. Arguments take place behind closed doors, 
  and the dead themselves are afraid.
  METAGALAPA
  As the Fair Folk invasion ended and the Contagion 
  died out, few noticed the miracle that occurred in an 
  Eastern mountain range. Mount Metagalapa, the great-
  est of the Ravanashi Peaks, somehow ripped free from its 
  earthen roots and soared several hundred feet into the 
  sky, where it remained fixed. Modern savants explain 
  this as a fusion of the raksha-borne Wyld energies in the 
  region, the Essence from the Realm’s recently deployed 
  defenses collecting in the valleys between the mountains 
  and… okay, they have no explanation. Whatever the 
  cause, Metagalapa’s mysterious ascent stranded a few 
  hundred people on the mountain.
  Those trapped on Metagalapa were a diverse 
  lot: local miners and shepherds; a patrol of a Sho-
  gunate soldiers (by coincidence, another fragment 
  of the Seventh Legion that was currently founding 
  Lookshy); the bandits that patrol pursued; a walled 
  retreat school for the children of the wealthy that 
  had been carefully hidden from the Contagion; and 
  a few other miscellaneous refugees from plague and 
  the raksha invasion.
  This motley population faced many trials from the 
  alpine climate, the difficult terrain and the scarcity 
  of familiar food. The greatest threat, however, came 
  from savage birdmen who saw the flying mountain as 
  a secure nesting site—and the people and their flocks 
  as a convenient source of food. The new Metagalapans 
  pulled together, though, and found a way to survive. 
  In time, they even subdued the hawk-folk and made 
  them servants. Most importantly, though, the Meta-
  galapans bred the oversized hawks that also nested on 
  their mountain, and the rocs—giant condors—that are 
  some of the largest creatures in the skies.
  Sijan, a Magnitude 3 Dominion
  Military: 1 
  Government: 3 Culture: 2
  Abilities: Awareness 3 (Blackmail Official +3), Bureaucracy 2, Craft 1, Integrity 3, Investigation 2 
  (Ancestral Secrets +2), Occult 4 (Supernatural Etiquette +1), Performance 1, Presence 2 (Religious 
  Conversions +2), Stealth 2
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 3, Valor 1
  Virtue Flaw: Conviction 
  Current Limit: 2
  Willpower: 7
  Bonus Points: 15 
  External Bonus Points: 9
  Notes: Sijan’s perpetual neutrality keeps it a Background Dominion; it most likely remains quiescent 
  unless it or the dead are threatened. Its bonus points (chiefly derived from its importance in the Un-
  derworld) go to one dot each of Awareness, Investigation, Occult and Stealth, plus its Investigation 
  and Occult specialties. Sijan’s external bonus points come from its trade connections and its mortuary 
  business throughout the East. These points go to Sijan’s second dot of Presence and its Awareness and 
  Presence specialties. Lucid Moonlight and Silken Veil are both potential savants.
  Sijan’s insistence that its loyalties lie only with the dead are at once its greatest strength and greatest 
  weakness. In Limit Break, the Morticians’ Order ignores even the most blatant threats to the city and to 
  Creation while it busily refurbishes old tombs, builds new mausolea and makes deeply imprudent deals 
  with Deathlords.
  
  76
  About a century ago, these birds finally became 
  large enough for a person to ride—and the Metagala-
  pans finally restored contact with the rest of Creation. 
  They found a world changed beyond recognition from 
  the old tales they remembered. The rest of Creation 
  found a strange new skyborne culture of eager traders 
  and dangerous raiders. The tiny nation of Metagalapa 
  has become an important player in regional politics 
  and war. The Metagalapans found their lives changed, 
  too, in ways that not everyone likes and that could tear 
  their society apart.
  is also the most dangerous, being a favorite haunt of 
  its namesake.
  Metagalapa sees little rain, but clouds frequently 
  wreath the mountain and leave their moisture in the 
  form of dew or frost. A few ponds collect in the moun-
  tain clefts; a few creeks tumble down the mountain, 
  supplying power for water-mills. Metagalapan settle-
  ments include large cisterns for collecting water from 
  the intermittent streams.
  METAGALAPA’S ISOLATION
  Of course, Metagalapa was never truly 
  isolated: the hawkmen came and went as they 
  pleased, hunting for food and carrying brushwood 
  to the mountain for their nests. The Ravanashi 
  range also held other communities of miners, 
  shepherds and other folk. While the Metagalapan 
  humans could not leave, they could easily have 
  arranged for communication and limited trade 
  with their neighbors…
  …Except the hawkmen drove their neighbors 
  away. The Metagalapans had to protect their flocks 
  (and children) from the hawkmen and eventually 
  force a peace with them; they had no other choice. 
  The people on the surface found it easier just to 
  move away. For at least 500 years, no human except 
  the occasional prospector came within 50 miles 
  of Metagalapa, and no one imagined that other 
  humans lived on the flying mountain.
  THE LAND
  The flying mountain extends about six miles by four 
  miles, with the highest peak reaching a mile above its 
  base. Several subsidiary crags and ridges surround that 
  central peak. The whole enormous mass floats about 
  700 feet above the shallow crater that once held the 
  mountain’s base. The alpine climate resembles that of 
  the rest of the Ravanashi Peaks, with warm days but 
  cold nights due to the altitude. The highest peak has 
  permanent snow.
  The terrain is a patchwork of barren, rocky crags, 
  meadows and pockets of evergreen forest on the lower 
  slopes. Very little land is suitable for plowing. The 
  Valley of the Roc, a square mile of lush blue-green 
  grass and hardy pines near the bottom of the southern 
  slope, forms a notable exception. Unfortunately, this 
  most temperate and beautiful region on the mountain 
  THE UNDER
  Metagalapans seldom think about the 
  shallow crater left from where their mountain 
  went aloft. “The Under,” however, is an area of 
  more than 20 square miles whose interior stays 
  in constant shadow. Shade-loving plants grow 
  around the fringe of the Under, but the interior 
  is barren. It’s also icy, as water collects in the 
  crater but is never warmed by the sun. Only a 
  few people have ever explored this uncanny 
  place, and they didn’t stay long. No one really 
  knows what the Under might hold.
  TUSHIPAL
  Although many small settlements cover the mountain, 
  Metagalapan life centers on the cliff-side town of Tushipal. 
  The town itself houses about 4,500 people, with six to 
  eight occupants per home. Tushipal consists of three wards: 
  the Shelter Ward, the Publica and the Aerie. Outside the 
  city proper extend the Working Precincts.
  THE SHELTER WARD
  Homes are arranged one atop another in terraces, 
  with entrances on the roofs. Most homes are carved out 
  of the mountain itself, with only minor embellishments 
  and reinforcements. Over the centuries, more sophisti-
  cated floor plans and outer flourishes appeared, turning 
  the Shelter Ward into a hodgepodge of diversely painted 
  and designed homes. The refinement of any one family’s 
  home largely depends on that family’s expertise, though 
  some families help one another with renovations.
  Several apartments are reserved for use by visiting 
  diplomats and soldiers. Tushipal statutes limit the total 
  number of foreigners permitted in the city at any one 
  time to 40.
  THE PUBLICA
  The public life of Tushipal is centered here, in one 
  rambling building that houses all of Metagalapa’s civil, 
  military and recreation facilities. The central courtyard of 
  
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  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  this structure functions as a general meeting area for social 
  gatherings, weddings, funerals and public addresses.
  The Council of Riders meets under a great dome. 
  The doors of this large chamber stand 15 feet high and 
  weigh three tons apiece. In recent years, this hall has 
  been lushly decorated, appointed with furniture of rare 
  woods and expensive fabrics, all donated by former 
  hawkriders and traders who joined the Council.
  The Scholia houses the hawkriders’ training barracks, 
  where selected children begin their training as hawkriders. 
  It also functions as the hawkriders’ central offices.
  The Communita is a maze of offices and tunnels 
  burrowed into the mountain. The city guard offices, 
  maintenance and record-keeping facilities can be found 
  here, but few can navigate the labyrinth easily. 
  Finally, the Cafeteria services all Metagalapans who 
  work in the Publica. It offers food of markedly higher 
  quality than that served in the Aerie’s dining tents or the 
  grill pits of the mines and the farms. The cooks regularly 
  make valiant attempts at exotic foreign dishes.
  THE AERIE
  The highest ward is the stationing point for all on-
  duty hawkriders and the support personnel who care 
  for the mounts. The Metagalapans do not use cages or 
  leashes in the Aerie, as they keep only trained birds 
  here. Therefore, all mounts can exercise as they like 
  and return at their pleasure. While there is a danger of 
  birdmen ambushing lone hawks out for a midday flight, 
  the mounts typically exercise as a group.
  The dining tents serve average-quality local fungi, 
  breads, milk and other staples.
  WORKING PRECINCTS
  Most of Metagalapa’s workers travel outside Tu-
  shipal daily for work and return at night. The grill 
  pits in the working precincts serve grilled fungi and 
  unidentifiable stews. While the food is usually safe for 
  consumption, it is not a joy for the palate.
  The dozen or so active mines near Tushipal employ 
  roughly half of Metagalapa’s workforce. Iron and silver are 
  the primary ores, but the Metagalapans found small de-
  posits of other ores elsewhere on the mountain. The huge 
  arrays of smelting-mirrors also rise near the mines.
  The Metagalapans breed hawks and great rocs for 
  beasts of burden and battle steeds. They tend these 
  animals in open-air cotes built on terraces near the 
  mountain’s base.
  Hawkman servants may enter Tushipal in limited 
  numbers. The Metagalapans built several dormitory-style 
  facilities outside the city to house them and their handlers. 
  These facilities have been carefully designed to give bird-
  men the illusion of freedom. While trained hawks and 
  condors are permitted to fly off at will, birdmen live in 
  locked hovels and adhere to a regimented daily schedule. 
  After all, even trained hawkmen have wild tendencies 
  and have been known to escape and never return.
  METAGALAPAN SOCIETY
  Everyday life on Metagalapa is full of toil. The flying 
  mountain just barely manages to support 4,600 humans 
  and about twice that number of hawkmen. About two-
  thirds of the hawkmen now live in association with 
  humans, domesticated as a servile underclass.
  THE PEOPLE
  Metagalapan humans look like typical Easterners, 
  with tan skin and a preponderance of red-to-blond hair. 
  Curly or wavy hair is notably more common than usual. 
  What other Easterners find most notable, however, is 
  that Metagalapans are short. In part, this is because the 
  Metagalapans select small, wiry, lightweight people as 
  hawkriders—but the average Metagalapan stands just five 
  feet tall, instead of the six feet common in the East.
  The hawkmen look like birds that someone didn’t 
  quite finish transforming into human shape. Their 
  legs bend the way birds’ legs do, with avian talons for 
  feet, and their arms are wings with claw-fingers at the 
  wing-joint. Their heads are completely those of huge 
  birds of prey.
  After more than 700 years, these avian folk still 
  present many mysteries to the Metagalapans. They 
  can learn Forest-tongue but prefer their own strange 
  language, which some Metagalapans learn but seldom 
  well. Raptorial instinct still dominates the hawk-folk’s 
  thinking, giving them vicious dispositions. They use 
  tools, but do not make them unless a human super-
  vises; but the hawkmen who still live on the mountain 
  peak, away from humans, weave shelters of twigs and 
  branches, or use such wattle-work to make natural 
  caves and overhangs more snug. Some hawkmen re-
  main completely wild, either on Metagalapa itself or 
  on other mountain peaks.
  SUBSISTENCE
  Most effort goes into feeding the population. Most 
  crops grow poorly in the mountains, but the Metagala-
  pans manage to cultivate barley, oats, cabbage and 
  turnips. Huckleberries and blackberries grow on the 
  lower slopes. Only a tiny percentage of their moun-
  tain, however, is suited for any sort of farming. More 
  importantly, the early Metagalapans discovered how to 
  grow edible fungus in caves and played-out mines; this 
  became the staple food of Metagalapa.
  
  78
  In the mountain meadows and scrub areas, the 
  Metagalapans graze sheep, goats and alpacas. Human 
  Metagalapans eat little meat; but they need their beasts 
  for milk, wool and as pack animals (in the case of the 
  alpacas). The hawkmen must eat meat, but the Meta-
  galapans learned to stretch the supply by mixing blood 
  and ground guts with fungus and flour to produce a cake 
  that the hawkmen can stomach—but the hawkmen still 
  prefer to hunt for their food as much as they can. Every 
  day, hundreds of hawkmen fan out from Metagalapa to 
  seek what game they can. The Metagalapans would like 
  their hawkmen to start their own herds on the ground, 
  but the hawkmen seem temperamentally incapable of 
  tending a flock instead of eating it.
  Most Metagalapans eat one major meal, dinner, at 
  about midday, with smaller meals of bread and cheese 
  in the morning and evening. A typical dinner consists 
  of one part fungus, one part salad of cabbage or turnip 
  and one part bread. For centuries, berries were their 
  only sweets. Only in the past century have sugar and 
  spices come to the mountain, and only to the tables 
  of the privileged.
  MINING
  Mining is the next great industry of Metagalapa. 
  Both humans and hawkmen work in the mines and the 
  foundries. Veins of several ores run through the moun-
  tain, though chiefly iron and silver. They no longer use 
  charcoal to smelt their ore; there isn’t enough wood on 
  the mountain. Instead, they use sunlight concentrated 
  by huge steel mirrors coated with silver. The diversity of 
  ores—and a lot of practice—enables the Metagalapans 
  to produce excellent steel and other alloys.
  FALCONRY
  A smaller but highly respected segment of society cares 
  for the giant birds upon which Metagalapan life now de-
  pends. Originally, the Metagalapans bred giant hawks for 
  falconry—sending them out to hunt and bring back their 
  prey. Increasing numbers of Metagalapans work as stable-
  hands, plumers, feed specialists and trainers to maintain 
  a healthy stock of riding hawks and great rocs.
  The hawkriders themselves number about 200, with 
  50 or so merchants. This small elite brings in so much 
  wealth, however, that several decades ago they became 
  the ruling class of Metagalapan society.
  
  79
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  Up until 100 years ago, everyone worked simply to 
  stay alive. The only significant social division lay between 
  humans and hawkmen. They lived by barter. Since the 
  Metagalapans restored contact with the surface world, 
  some citizens—notably those involved in foreign trade—
  have amassed a wide range of luxuries. People without 
  such goods feel increasing discontent, as their mining 
  efforts largely make trade possible in the first place.
  CULTURE
  For all their burgeoning reputation for brigandage, 
  Metagalapans insist upon both honor and honesty. 
  Telling the truth and keeping your word becomes very 
  important when you absolutely cannot get away from 
  people you betray, deceive or simply disappoint and 
  annoy. Metagalapans shun people whom they feel have 
  lied, cheated or slacked at their work (seen as cheating 
  the community). They do not accept apologies: talk is 
  cheap. Anyone who wants to make good a slight must 
  make amends through a gift of food, labor or some other 
  concrete benefit. The Metagalapans also have a system 
  of dueling to resolve conflicts: straightforward fistfights, 
  throwing blunted javelins tipped with red ochre paint to 
  show who could have killed the other, or—when anger 
  grows deep enough that only real blood will do—fully 
  armed and armored battles to the death. When true 
  hatred arises, the Metagalapans prefer that one person 
  dies quickly, than that a conflict festers to endanger 
  the community. Dueling is one of the most frequent 
  causes of death among Metagalapans… though it does 
  help them control their population.
  The Metagalapans judge outsiders by the same 
  standards of honesty and square dealing. An outsider, 
  however, has no access to the traditions that limit 
  and resolve conflicts. Thus, the hawkriders feel no 
  compunction at massacring outsiders they regard as 
  enemies… or prey.
  Metagalapans place little stock in formal education, 
  though some families do teach their children to read 
  and write, as a matter of tradition. The school that once 
  graced Mount Metagalapa was dismantled long ago for 
  building materials, but many books survive. They are 
  available for loan from the Scholia. The Lookshyans 
  were surprised to find some Shogunate-era books they’d 
  never seen before. Merchants now find literacy useful as 
  well, for recording contracts. Most Metagalapan culture, 
  though, is handed down in the form of traditional songs, 
  stories and pictures chased in metal plaques.
  RELIGION
  Metagalapans are not particularly religious. They 
  maintain a very basic prayer-favor relationship with 
  local minor gods, though only the few priests who 
  intercede between Onibala and the citizenry feel any 
  real religious devotion.
  The Immaculate faith many of the original Meta-
  galapans shared died out centuries ago, though they keep 
  the five pillars as guidelines for moral conduct. They 
  maintain no belief in a reward for honorable behavior, 
  considering honor a goal that exists for its own sake. 
  Onibala, the Mountain Princess: The only god 
  regularly revered by Metagalapa is an eight-foot-tall, 
  ice-winged woman with blue skin and seven haloes of 
  colored wind. While she despised the Metagalapans at 
  first, punishing them with icy weather, she soon warmed 
  to them and allowed them to worship her. She lives in a 
  cloud-borne castle above the highest peak; Metagalapan 
  priests built her temple directly below it.
  Onibala shows her favor by issuing rainbows and 
  calm weather, while her anger is unmistakable as vio-
  lent storms of driving hail and lightning. This moody 
  goddess sometimes pays close attention to Metagalapa 
  for weeks, reacting to the smallest misstep or noble 
  act. Other times, she goes for years without casting the 
  Metagalapans a glance. As a result, Metagalapans aren’t 
  sure how best to honor her. She does appreciate prayers, 
  which seems to be the only sure-fire appeasement.
  Rage of the Birdmen: Every score years, Rage of 
  the Birdmen comes for vengeance. In his fortnight-
  long visit, he slays and devours humans who have 
  gravely abused his people. He arrives dematerialized 
  only and acts through any convenient birdman, who 
  attains a godlike strength and cunning when so pos-
  sessed. After the god slakes his thirst for vengeance, 
  he journeys to the Council of Riders’ chambers to 
  scold, threaten and extract oaths of gentle treatment 
  for the coming years.
  Birdman handlers, and others who frequently 
  deal with the hawk-folk, quite rationally fear Rage 
  of the Birdmen. His revenge does much to limit how 
  badly the Metagalapans treat creatures that are—to be 
  blunt—their slaves. Many poor individuals spend years 
  in prayerful penitence to placate Rage of the Birdmen 
  for some injury they did to a hawkman. Stranger at-
  tempts at appeasement include giving the offended 
  birdman one’s daily ration, inviting the birdman into 
  one’s home or even (in the case of those who live in 
  Tushipal) going so far as to sneak the birdman into the 
  city and illegally hosting it for weeks on end. Whether 
  such elaborate acts of contrition always placate Rage of 
  the Birdmen cannot be said, but some have breathed a 
  sigh of relief after being passed over with only a glare.
  
  80
  ESSENCE WIELDERS
  Metagalapans occasionally Exalt as Terrestrials, 
  thanks to the Seventh Legion members trapped when 
  the mountain took flight. While this rarely happens more 
  than once in a generation, the Metagalapan population 
  includes about half a dozen Terrestrials of various ages. 
  No aspect is more common than others, and Dragon-
  Blooded can appear in any family. The hawkriders try 
  to recruit any Dragon-Blooded, no matter when they 
  Exalt. A few outcaste Terrestrials and Seventh Legion 
  retirees double the number of Dragon-Blooded on the 
  flying mountain.
  The Exalted are not the only Essence wielders, 
  though. Onibala sometimes enlightens the Essence of 
  her priests or other Metagalapans, sometimes for no 
  reason the mortal understands. The Metagalapans also 
  include several God-Blooded, including offspring of 
  Onibala herself. These enlightened mortals become the 
  mountain’s best thaumaturges. They particularly focus 
  on the Art of Husbandry, which helps them breed their 
  hawks and giant condors.
  PROMINENT FAMILIES
  While there is no emphasis on lineage among 
  Metagalapans, a few old families have risen to dominate 
  certain aspects of society.
  Wathustret: Many prominent guards, hawkriders 
  and Council members come from Wathustret stock. The 
  family dates back to Wathustret Ux Uree, a warstrider 
  taizei of the Seventh Legion. He led a scale of men onto 
  Mount Metagalapa in pursuit of the Gusho Foxes, a 
  marauding league of bandits. The Wathustrets pioneered 
  many aspects of Metagalapan society and designed many 
  laws and traditions that guide daily life.
  Since regaining contact with the Seventh Legion 
  in Lookshy, the Wathustrets’ star has climbed even 
  higher. They hosted the first foreigners on Metagalapa 
  and commissioned the visitors’ apartments. Members 
  of this family travel to Lookshy more than any other. 
  Because of this, some Metagalapans doubt the family’s 
  true loyalty. The few Wathustrets who considered 
  rejoining the Seventh Legion in Lookshy found that 
  without Dragon-Blooded members, they would never 
  achieve any real status. While they admire Lookshy 
  and all that the Seventh Legion accomplished over 
  the centuries, the Wathustrets understand that they 
  belong on Metagalapa.
  Alibeth: This family dominates Metagalapan trade, 
  with seven family members acting as trade ambassadors 
  and 11 working as mine administrators. While they all 
  spend part of their life in the mines, most eventually 
  move on to business. This family’s history dates back 
  over 400 years to Alibeth Surmoon, an ingenious miner 
  who developed many time- and labor-saving procedures 
  still used today. Some Metagalapans now criticize the 
  Alibeths for the riches its members acquired as gifts from 
  trading partners, items they display unapologetically. 
  Most Alibeths have no desire to leave Metagalapa.
  Barrat-Su: The Barrat-Su are politically danger-
  ous. They have a history as gadflies, and now speak out 
  loudly against contact with the outer world. The Barrat-
  Su family is valued for its skill at mustering carefully 
  reasoned arguments for whatever position they hold. 
  Their parents educate all Barrat-Su children, such that 
  not only can they read and write, but also by adulthood 
  they have mastered logic and oratory. The family’s 
  hawkriders are famously loyal and know Metagalapan 
  law by heart. As a result, they often find places on 
  the Council of Riders. The Barrat-Su do not endorse 
  foreign trade or the alliance with Lookshy; they argue 
  that foreign powers will seek to exploit Metagalapa and 
  perhaps destroy their nation in the process. Their loud 
  and eloquent denunciation of foreign luxuries makes 
  them popular with laborers and others in Metagalapa’s 
  emerging lower classes.
  Vallux: This once-insignificant family attained 
  considerable power by managing Onibala’s temple for 
  the last three generations. The family now includes 
  a few of Onibala’s own God-Blooded (directly, or 
  married into the family), while the goddess has en-
  lightened the Essence of a few other Valluxes. While 
  the Valluxes make a show of devotion to Onibala 
  alone, behind the scenes their elders carry on a deep 
  rivalry with both Metagalapa’s Dragon-Bloods and 
  the Council of Riders.
  FOREIGN RELATIONS
  For centuries, most Metagalapans were content to 
  live a life of toil and simple pleasures on their moun-
  tain. After all, it wasn’t as if they had any choice. Most 
  Metagalapans still never leave the mountain: only 
  hawkriders and traders can ever expect to visit the 
  world below. Even these patriots are not overly fond 
  of leaving the mountain, though. The outer world still 
  seems very strange to them. Not many Metagalapans 
  want to extend their little country’s rule; and although 
  they now have the means to do so, no one suggests that 
  they relocate en masse to the ground.
  The Metagalapans have few friends, even among 
  those with whom they do regular business. Thanks to 
  their insularity and their reputation, however, their 
  enemies are many. They have not had enough contact 
  
  81
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  with most nations to determine any kind of definitive 
  stance in the region, though.
  Greyfalls: The Metagalapans’ only contact with 
  the Realm comes through Greyfalls, a city-state with 
  which they have traded amicably for decades. Thus far, 
  the Metagalapans trust Lookshy’s lead in their dealings 
  with Greyfalls and do not consider them exemplars of 
  the Realm.
  Halta: The southern edge of Halta lies at the 
  furthest reach of the hawkriders’ range. Early contacts 
  went badly, despite both societies’ reliance on trained 
  animals. The Haltans are outraged by the way the 
  Metagalapans treat their hawkmen (a different breed 
  than the Haltan hawk-people, but still). The hawkrid-
  ers responded by raiding the Haltans’ southern allies. 
  They have robbed the city of Kajeth a dozen times in 
  recent years.
  Lookshy: Lookshy became a great friend to Meta-
  galapa, in part because the mountain-dwellers’ folk tales 
  turned the Seventh Legion into legendary heroes. Sol-
  diers from Lookshy periodically journey to Metagalapa 
  to train the mountain-folk’s soldiers and learn to coor-
  dinate their own tactics with the hawkriders. Lookshy 
  also opened up several lucrative trading opportunities. 
  Some of the prominent families would like closer rela-
  tions with Lookshy, though most Metagalapans are glad 
  that their ally is a safe 2,000-plus miles away.
  Metagalapa recently obtained a heliograph system 
  from Lookshy, which it uses whenever possible to 
  contact customers, to take orders, to arrange drop-off 
  points or for other business dealings. As Metagalapa and 
  Lookshy are military allies, the heliograph also gets used 
  for strategic planning, scheduling, intelligence updates 
  and a myriad of other applications.
  Thorns: Most Metagalapans do not understand the 
  politics of death, as the ghosts of the Metagalapan dead 
  never return to the mountain. Given this fact, the Mask 
  of Winters is just a scary story from far away. Metagalapa 
  agrees to loan a small number of hawkriders to Lookshy 
  should the Mask of Winters invade, but otherwise, they 
  are determined to stay out of harm’s way.
  COMMERCE AND BANDITRY
  Metagalapa produces some of the best metalwork in 
  their section of the East. The mountain contains high-
  quality ore, and smelting it with sunlight possibly reduces 
  some impurities in the metal. It is their only export. 
  In return, they seek foodstuffs, cloth and anything else 
  they cannot produce on their flying mountain—but 
  the difficulty of transport puts the emphasis on small 
  or lightweight, high-value items.
  
  82
  The hawkriders’ duties include scouting new mar-
  kets. If a town, tribe or village seems amenable to trade, 
  merchants come on roc-back with a load of samples 
  for a trial barter. When the Metagalapans decide they 
  have a trustworthy partner, they schedule additional 
  pickups and deliveries. Since they still prefer to mini-
  mize contact with the surface, most trades take place 
  below Metagalapa itself: the Metagalapans drop ingots 
  of metal off the mountain’s edge to the traders below, 
  and rocs or teams of birdmen pick up the payment. A 
  heliograph system obtained from Lookshy helps the 
  Metagalapans arrange these deals.
  If the hawkriders feel they do not get a good deal—
  especially if they feel the surface folk insult them or try 
  to cheat them—they bring in hawkman reinforcements 
  and attack the town from the air. Once the Metagalapans 
  crush all resistance, they bring in the rocs. The Metagala-
  pans then strip the town of everything valuable, load it 
  on the rocs and fly away. Such communities hardly ever 
  get a second chance to make peace with the hawkriders, 
  and the Metagalapans hardly ever give them reason to: 
  every few years, the hawkriders return to the people they 
  have defined as enemies, and loot them again.
  HAWKRIDERS
  The hawkriders of Metagalapa are not merely a class 
  of highly trained and gifted soldiers, they are an elite 
  society that effectively rules the nation. Only hawkriders 
  are eligible for election to the Council of Riders.
  The hawkriders select recruits at an early age, usually 
  six or seven, and raise them in close proximity to the 
  hawks that will one day become their mounts. While the 
  Council of Riders tries to select suitable children from 
  throughout Metagalapan society, families who tend to 
  be short and wiry naturally produce more hawkriders, 
  and rise in wealth and prestige as a result.
  Selection is cause for celebration for the family 
  and, to a lesser degree, their neighbors. The Council 
  provides good wine and hosts the family and its guests 
  in a rite-of-passage celebration in the Publica.
  The selected children, called hawkrider-chosen, 
  go the Scholia and spend every day learning the skills 
  needed for battle and caring for their mounts. After 
  one year, a hawk is entrusted to each child’s care. The 
  hawkrider-chosen must care for their hawks themselves; 
  in so doing, they form inextricable bonds of loyalty and 
  friendship with the creatures. They also learn to com-
  municate with their animals by means of subtle facial 
  movements, hand gestures and stirrup manipulation. At 
  the age of 17, a hawkrider-chosen becomes a hawkrider 
  and goes out on trading and raiding missions. Metagalapa 
  has more than 100 hawkriders in active duty; there’d be 
  more, except for the cost of feeding the giant hawks.
  At age 40, a hawkrider becomes eligible for the 
  Council of Riders, though most do not attempt to join 
  until age 50, the normal retirement age. All hawkriders 
  are expected to run for Council at least once.
  As hawkriders age, they typically retire from field 
  excursions. Those whose hawks die in battle or through 
  sickness typically go through a period of profound depres-
  sion, but they are expected to bond with another hawk. 
  Some especially talented hawkriders who lost their hawks 
  turn to raising the great rocs as their new mounts.
  QUESTING HAWKRIDERS
  Over the past century, certain hawkriders felt 
  driven to explore and adventure in foreign lands. 
  The first so stricken were forbidden to leave, but 
  could not resist the urge and abandoned Metagalapa 
  anyway. In recent years, the practice of questing 
  has become increasingly common and is now of-
  ficially sanctioned. Questers, as those who become 
  infected with wanderlust are called, are typically 
  granted leave for a period of 10 years. While given 
  no specific mission, a quester must always act for 
  the sake of Metagalapa and defend her homeland’s 
  interests and honor wherever she goes.
  THE COUNCIL OF RIDERS
  The Council of Riders is Metagalapa’s ruling body. 
  It consists of 12 retired hawkriders. Members are elected 
  for life by the hawkriders, and elections are held only 
  when a vacancy arises. Any Dragon-Blooded rider 
  pretty much has a seat in the Council if she wants 
  one, and the Council has three Dragon-Bloods already. 
  Some Metagalapans realize that the long lifespan of 
  Exalts means that eventually, the Council may be all 
  Dragon-Blooded.
  The Council makes laws, but tradition remains a 
  stronger force in Metagalapan society—wherein lies 
  the Council’s weakness. The Council appointed itself 
  to rule, and achieved its power through control of 
  trade and military force. It calls itself an instrument 
  of the people, and most hawkriders sincerely believe 
  this; however, increasing numbers of Metagalapans 
  left resentful by the growing disparity of wealth in 
  their little nation regard it as a self-serving clique. If a 
  large number of Metagalapans decide the Council of 
  Riders has cheated the community, the strife could tear 
  Metagalapa apart.
  
  83
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  MILITARY
  The key to the Metagalapans’ success is 
  their remoteness, coupled with their skill 
  as aerial tacticians. While they are masters 
  at ambushing, they also have no qualms 
  about giving up a losing fight and return-
  ing to the safety of their mountain.
  The rest of Creation encounters 
  Metagalapan military force in the 
  form of hawkriders and hawkmen; 
  see Scroll of Kings for a sample 
  military unit (as well as in-depth 
  discussion of their aerial tactics). At 
  home, Metagalapa’s chief military 
  force is the unimaginatively named 
  Guard, which protects the hu-
  man population from wild 
  or renegade hawkmen. The 
  Council of Riders also directs 
  the Guard to train to repel an assault 
  on Metagalapa, now that contact with 
  Halta and Lookshy revealed that they 
  aren’t the only flyers around.
  METAGALAPAN GUARD TALON
  Description: These mortal soldiers act 
  mostly as guards in Tushipal. This force protects 
  Metagalapans against wild birdman attacks and 
  breaks up fights between citizens. The entire force 
  numbers about 700 foot soldiers—a huge force 
  for such a tiny population, but being a Guard is 
  a part-time job. Only one talon of the Guard is 
  on duty under normal circumstances.
  Anyone the Guards would need to chase can 
  fly, so these warriors do not worry about weight and 
  fast movement. They normally wear reinforced breast-
  plates and pot helms, but they keep a stash of articulated 
  plate and even superheavy plate—just in case. They 
  train with javelins (for fighting birdmen) as well as chop-
  ping swords, axes and other weapons suited for tunnel 
  or house-to-
  house fighting 
  (in case of 
  invasion or a 
  riot). They usu-
  ally operate solo 
  or in fangs, but their Lookshyan 
  military advisors now train them at fight-
  ing in larger groups.
  This necessarily means creating officer’s 
  ranks for larger units; the Guard naturally uses 
  the Seventh Legion as a model, with a taimyo 
  in overall command, a shozei commanding 
  each talon of 100 soldiers, a chozei to lead 
  scales of 20 and a gochei for each fang of 
  four or five. While their command structure 
  answers to the Council of Riders, hawkrid-
  ers do not become guards and guards do not 
  become hawkriders.
  Commanding Officer: Guard-Shozei 
  Barrat-Su Hyksos
  Armor Color: Gray
  Motto: “Claws of Iron.”
  General Makeup: 100 heavy infantry in 
  reinforced breastplates, with 
  chopping swords or axes and 
  three javelins each
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude: 3
  Drill: 2
  Close Combat Attack: 3 
  Close Combat Damage: 3
  Ranged Attack: 3 Ranged 
  Damage: 2
  Endurance: 5 Might: 0 
  Armor: 3 
  Valor: 2
  Formation: The on-duty Guard is based in a bar-
  racks complex in the Publica, though half the talon is 
  always spread through Tushipal, keeping the peace.
  ROCRIDERS
  Description: Great rocs do not seem to 
  respect mortals as riders, so only the most 
  experienced hawkriders dare to work with 
  them. Rocs are too rare and valuable to use 
  in combat, as there are only 25-30 great rocs 
  on hand at any given time (they rarely reproduce). Ro-
  criders carry bows and javelins in case someone 
  should somehow manage to attack them; 
  they never land until the battle is over. 
  A roc and its rider could func-
  tion as a special character 
  (most likely a 
  sorcerer) in a unit of 
  hawkmen and hawkriders. 
  The hawkriders experiment, 
  however, with mounting a 
  light ballista (see Scroll of 
  Kings, p. 137) on a roc. So far, 
  lapans’ success is
  with their skill
  ey are masters 
  e no qualms 
  and return-
  untain.
  counters
  in the 
  kmen;
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  -depth 
  cs). At 
  military 
  named
  u-
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  ntact with
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  ROCRIDERS
  Description:
  respect mortals
  experienced ha
  them. Rocs are 
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  n superheavy plate—just in case. They 
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  xes and other weapons suited for tunnel
  u-
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  t their Lookshyan
  rs now train them at fight-
  oups.
  ssarily means creating officer’s 
  r units; the Guard naturally uses 
  criders carry bows and javelins in case someone 
  should somehow manage to attack them; 
  they never land until the battle is over.
  A roc and its rider could func-
  tion as a special character
  (most likely a
  sorcerer) in a unit of
  hawkmen and hawkriders. 
  The hawkriders experiment,
  however, with mounting a
  light ballista (see Scroll of 
  Kings, p. 137) on a roc. So far, 
  
  84
  the rocs don’t allow it. If the Metagalapans can pull 
  this off, though, their aerial artillery could become a 
  shocking surprise to the East.
  THE REPUBLIC OF CHAYA
  The Chayan Republic is a small nation of about 
  180,000 people at the southeastern edge of the Scavenger 
  Lands. The whole country is no more than 220 miles 
  across. Here, small rivers from the nearby forest join to 
  form the Sandy River. The republic itself consists of 12 
  walled towns knit together by a shared history, govern-
  ment and traditions. Their neighbors know the Chayans 
  as placid, if somewhat austere, folk with a strong sense 
  of community and honesty. They have never tried to 
  conquer anyone. Despite certain odd customs, Chayans 
  are nice people… for 14 months of the year.
  The tale is well known in the Scavenger Lands 
  that Chaya becomes dangerous to visit when the fire 
  trees bloom in the month of Resplendent Fire, though 
  many dismiss the bizarre stories of placid folk turned 
  terrible and murderous. On the other hand, some people 
  believe the Chayans are a duplicitous, evil race who 
  lure in hapless travelers for strange rituals to inhuman 
  gods. Tales grow stranger from there: the Chayans are 
  ascetics; they are secret epicureans; they do not eat; 
  their children grow on trees; or they do not dream. Few 
  people travel to Chaya to find out. Only traders have 
  much reason to visit this small, remote country.
  GEOGRAPHY
  The Chayan plains are fertile and prosperous, with 
  rolling fields of abundant crops and lush vegetation. Fre-
  quent, gentle rains and mild winds keep the temperature 
  comfortably warm but seldom hot. Three small lakes, 
  Tegeus, Machilo and Pancho Bae, occupy the heart of 
  the country. Ruins of First Age factories and fortresses 
  scar the land in places, though. While some of these 
  ruins merely look picturesque, others are truly a blight 
  on the land. These wrecks occupy former demesnes, 
  so weakened and maimed that they no longer produce 
  usable Essence. Little grows in these ruins, and nothing 
  grows right. Vicious clans of scavengers known locally 
  as slag tribes claim these ruins. The Chayans stay well 
  away from all First Age ruins. Instead, they congregate 
  in their 12 widely spaced towns and travel between 
  them on well-maintained cobblestone roads.
  All Chayan towns are rectangular in shape and 
  have a logical, nearly identical grid-like layout. Each 
  has a population of 8,000-10,000, though Larjyn has 
  a population of about 15,000. Most Chayan buildings 
  are made of wood, with flat roofs, and seldom exceed 
  three stories. Homes never have more than two stories; 
  Chayans build them 40 to 50 feet from one another 
  to make room for backyard gardens. Every town has a 
  log palisade 20 feet high, with 12 manned towers. The 
  town walls have a glassy sheen due to their coating of 
  Metagalapa, a Magnitude 2 Dominion
  Military: 3 
  Government: 2 Culture: 2
  Abilities: Awareness 1, Bureaucracy 1 (Trade Agreements +2), Craft 3, Integrity 1, Presence 1 (Imperi-
  ous Demands +2), War 3 (Pinpoint Raids +2)
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 1, Temperance 4, Valor 4
  Virtue Flaw: Temperance 
  Current Limit: 6
  Willpower: 8
  Bonus Points: 10 
  External Bonus Points: 6
  Notes: Metagalapa is brittle. The desire for wealth and glory struggles against its historic need for tight 
  self-control. In Limit Break, the resentments spawned by the emergence of a military elite and commercial/
  raiding tycoons break loose. Riots and looting fracture Metagalapan society, while rebellious hawkman 
  serfs add to the chaos or flee the mountain. A few Metagalapans (such as Onibala’s high priest, a Barrat-
  Su clan elder or a senior member of the Council of Riders) might act as savants or sorcerers (but never 
  with legitimacy).
  Metagalapa’s bonus points go to a third dot of Military and its specialties in Integrity, Presence and War. 
  External bonus points come from Lookshy and Metagalapa’s other established trading partners. They go 
  to a second dot of Government (the Metagalapans imitate the Seventh Legion) and the Bureaucracy 
  specialties (whatever their faults, the Metagalapans have a reputation for delivering what they promised, 
  right on time).
  
  85
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  a fireproof lacquer made from the sap of Chaya’s well-
  known fire trees.
  Chayans keep their streets scrupulously clean. 
  The streets are usually narrow, with some roads only 
  wide enough for walking. All are lined with fire trees, 
  though. At the center of each town rises the four-story 
  rectangular oratoria, the seat of town government.
  All towns are divided into three districts: the Mar-
  ket, the Oratorium and the Temple Districts. Citizens 
  live in each district, with homes nestled between and 
  among public buildings, bath houses, small shops and 
  parks with copses of more fire trees, scattered appar-
  ently at random.
  HISTORY
  Chaya’s history begins shortly after the Great 
  Contagion. The Chayans themselves say merely that 
  their ancestors found a good land and settled down. 
  Here they found their national god Xochichem and 
  received its scripture, the Radiolari Protocols, to guide 
  their lives. The Chayans soon built Larjyn as their first 
  city, and the great Temple of Xochichem and the First 
  Tree. Larjyn remains the center of Chayan religious and 
  political life. By RY 80, the Chayans had founded the 
  other 11 towns and joined to form their republic.
  When the Scavenger Lands defied the Scarlet Em-
  press, the war never reached Chaya. The little country 
  was too far away from the Realm and the strategic 
  locations in the old River Province. Their only con-
  flicts came from the equally-new slag tribes. The early 
  Chayans played the scavenger tribes against each other 
  when they could, avoiding much open warfare.
  In time, other societies encountered Chaya through 
  commercial exploration by the early Guild, visits from 
  Immaculate missionaries and various military excur-
  sions. The stories about bizarre Chayan customs began 
  and grew stranger with every telling. Even by RY 130, 
  though—decades after the city-states of the Scavenger 
  Lands formed the League of Many Rivers—Chaya still 
  had no regular contact with other civilizations.
  THE POISONED RIVER WAR
  Despite their efforts, the world finally came to 
  Chaya. For decades, the Chayan National Council 
  declined invitations to join the League of Many Riv-
  ers, which resulted in their being left out of important 
  negotiations regarding the fate of their region. In RY 
  265, a long-standing dispute between the provinces of 
  Laris and Velen over rights to the water of the Sandy 
  River flared into active war. Chaya’s neighbors all 
  took sides in the dispute. Soon, battles were fought in 
  Chayan territory and armies from hundreds of miles 
  abroad bivouacked near their cities. Even Lookshy 
  got involved, as the Seventh Legion tried to assert its 
  dominance over everyone else. The fighting destroyed 
  Chayan farms and villages. All sides ignored Chayan 
  protests, saying there could be no neutrals.
  Late in RY 265, the war came to a head when armies 
  from Laris and Matetha fought on Chayan soil and the 
  Seventh Legion used Essence artillery to annihilate 
  them both. The Lookshyans also incidentally destroyed 
  a Chayan village. A week later, the Sandy River became 
  toxic. The whole squabble about water rights abruptly 
  became meaningless. Investigating sorcerer-engineers 
  from the Seventh Legion concluded that the Essence 
  weapons must have released some unknown contami-
  nant from a First Age ruin. For the next 16 years and 
  300 miles downstream, the Sandy River killed crops 
  and sickened anyone who drank from it.
  The Chayans, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief 
  that the fighting was over and set about the task of 
  rebuilding the nation. For potable water, the Chayans 
  built aqueducts from the central lakes—and incidentally 
  discovered they had a particular talent and inclination 
  for public service and public works construction.
  THE CHAYAN CIVIL WAR
  In RY 364, the Arczeckhi Horde invaded the 
  eastern tip of the Scavenger Lands. Most of the fight-
  ing took place hundreds of miles from Chaya, but one 
  mob of Arczeckhi marauded through Chaya for several 
  weeks before Lookshyan troops mopped them up. The 
  Chayan militias themselves had little success against the 
  barbarians. Unfortunately, the Seventh Legion troops 
  caused a fair bit of damage themselves, albeit largely 
  by accident and through ignorance of local geography. 
  This experience prompted the National Council to seek 
  a treaty of mutual assistance with the Seventh Legion, 
  offering them land use rights in exchange for protection. 
  The resolution passed by only one vote.
  While little outright violence took place, the end of 
  their traditional neutrality outraged many Chayans. In 
  RY 367, the town of Querecha (half of which had burned 
  down in the fighting between Lookshyans and Arczeckhi) 
  announced its secession from the nation. Later that year, 
  Bhochin followed suit. Some expected armed conflict to 
  erupt, but the National Council astonished everyone by 
  suspending all military operations. Given that no town 
  would take up arms against another, the two towns were 
  implicitly permitted to leave the republic.
  Three months later, citizens of Querecha and 
  Bhochin appeared in twos and threes in other Chayan 
  
  86
  towns, naked and begging for forgiveness. They told 
  of children born eyeless or not at all, and of fire trees 
  smoldering into heaps of metal-flecked glass. The gods 
  had taken back their blessings and abandoned them, 
  they said. At the next National Council session, Quere-
  cha and Bhochin were officially forgiven and envoys 
  dispatched to both towns to deliver the news. When 
  the envoys arrived, however, they found no one living. 
  All of the houses and buildings were burned to ash. The 
  town’s walls were scorched and blasted from the inside. 
  All that remained of its citizens were cleaned skeletons 
  huddled together in desperate embraces.
  That was Chaya’s last internal conflict. The Na-
  tional Council, however, reconsidered alliance with 
  Lookshy, and stayed neutral.
  THE FAIR FOLK
  In RY 547, the Fair Folk invaded the Hundred 
  Kingdoms, Once again, the fringe of an invasion brushed 
  against Chaya. The Chayans found themselves help-
  less against raksha predation, but after a few weeks the 
  raksha left as suddenly as they appeared.
  RECENT EVENTS
  Chaya’s last experience of war happened in RY 
  610, when Erushon, warlord of Cho-Holuth, marched 
  him army into Chaya and declared it part of his grow-
  ing empire. The next time the fire trees bloomed, the 
  Chayans went mad and tore his army limb from limb. 
  Erushon came with a new army to punish the Chayans. 
  Though he came in the second week of Descending 
  Fire, he found the Chayans still in their yearly frenzy. 
  The God-Blooded warlord died in Chaya, and few of 
  his soldiers made it back to Cho-Holuth.
  Since then, no one has invaded Chaya. The little 
  republic maintains an associate membership in the 
  Confederation of Rivers, but does not send delegates 
  to the Confederation’s council. The Guild made Lar-
  jyn a hub city because it made a convenient base for 
  ventures into the Southeastern jungles, but it does not 
  meddle in Chaya’s politics. In view of the unsettled 
  conditions that seem to spread everywhere in the time 
  of tumult, the Chayans recently began building a wall 
  on their eastern border—but they do not mobilize for 
  war themselves. Chaya stays a peaceful, prosperous 
  country of peaceful, prosperous people. Chaya is quiet. 
  Chaya is harmless.
  For 14 months of the year.
  THE PEOPLE OF CHAYA
  The average Chayan looks quite different than 
  the average Easterner. Men and women both stand 
  over six feet tall, with long, slender limbs, pale skin 
  and white-to-blonde hair, worn very long. Their eyes 
  have large, violet irises and don’t seem to blink often 
  enough. Chayans have reedy, gentle voices that never 
  shout in anger.
  Chayans dress in long, beautifully decorated robes of 
  thin cotton, usually of a rich yellow or red (or a combina-
  tion of these), decorated with geometric designs. In the 
  winter months they wear long corduroy topcoats.  Women 
  and men both wear one or two pieces of chakamaya—
  lacquered wooden jewelry—as adornments.
  NAMES
  Chayan surnames usually begin with a vowel 
  and have only one syllable, such as Ah, Ay, Ec, 
  Ov and Il. As in the custom in much of Creation, 
  the surname precedes the given name in formal 
  address. Given names usually begin with Ch-, M-, 
  Xo-, Xm-, Ya- or Ym-. The Chayan ‘X’ is a hard 
  aspirant, somewhere between an ‘H’ and “Sh.”
  Chayans do not use honorifics amongst 
  themselves in any sort of address. It is appropri-
  ate, however, to address someone simply by his or 
  her job title or political office. The given name is 
  usually only used amongst family, intimates and 
  on written contracts.
  CHAYAN OUTLOOK
  The people of Chaya describe themselves as mor-
  alists, valuing freedom and justice above all. They 
  are consciously not individualists: good works should 
  be done for the sake of the republic, the concerns of 
  which outweigh those of the individual citizen. As such, 
  Chayans are devoted to their own particular brand of 
  democratic government, which they invented. Chayans 
  deplore warfare and do not typically invite soldiers into 
  their towns. Too often, soldiers have brought foreign 
  troubles with them.
  Chayans dislike changes in the way they run their 
  lives. They believe that exposure to foreign ideas and 
  influences may corrupt their long-standing traditions. 
  While they must deal with foreigners for the sake of 
  trade, the Chaya maintain a polite reserve and do not 
  associate longer than they must. The Dragon-Blooded 
  officers of the Seventh Legion who sometimes visit to 
  arrange shipments of provisions make them particularly 
  uncomfortable. That said, Chayans are by nature indus-
  trious and can face great hardship and danger for the 
  
  87
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  sake of their communities. They certainly rival Lookshy 
  in their patriotism, in their quiet and pacifistic way.
  Just about every Chayan accepts his or her duty 
  to participate fully in national life and culture. These 
  duties include public and religious service, procreative 
  obligations and full adherence to laws and the dictates 
  of the gods. Public criticism of any of these things by a 
  fellow Chayan happens so rarely that few Chayans can 
  even imagine it. The extremely few who willfully refuse 
  to participate in Chayan society are ostracized by their 
  families, the monasteries and the government, and are 
  usually stripped of any granted property.
  When Chayans say they find most crimes unthink-
  able, they do not exaggerate: under most circumstances, 
  acts that the Radiolari Protocols deem immoral or illegal 
  literally never enter their minds. Popular cautionary tales 
  about the fate of people who fail to conduct themselves 
  properly reinforce this law-abiding mentality. The tale 
  of the Devil Tiger of Larjyn is one such example.
  Chayans believe in justice and law by the consensus 
  of the people, rather than some self-appointed monarch 
  or pontiff, within the limits set by the Radiolari Protocols. 
  They openly reject the Scarlet Empress and her Dynasty 
  and readily explain why their rule is doomed. Perhaps 
  they would not speak so boldly if they were not so far 
  from the Realm—but they equally reject the political, 
  religious and social codes of their neighbors. Chayans 
  seem too obstinately confident in their own system 
  to see other forms of government as anything other 
  than tyranny. Despite their limited experience of the 
  world at large (or because of it), Chayans can indeed 
  explain why everyone else in Creation is wrong about 
  everything. Not that it’s the fault of foreigners; they 
  just don’t have the good fortune to be Chayan.
  LIFE AND WORK
  Chayans take joy in work and never consider it 
  simply toil. Rather, they delight in the collective ef-
  fort. Many Chayans hold several positions within the 
  community, working a few hours in each throughout 
  the day, with breaks in between for short siestas. In 
  fact, Chayans draw little distinction between work and 
  social life, as work, meals and interactions with friends 
  and family take place seamlessly throughout the day 
  and overlap continually.
  While Chayans follow many of the same professions 
  as other cultures (farmers, artisans, shopkeepers, and so 
  on), they distinguish themselves in a few select arenas. 
  They are natural sophists, quick with sound, logical 
  arguments, and quick to identify fallacious reasoning. 
  As such, they are quite adept at social combat. Such 
  skills become particularly useful for Chayans who seek 
  or are appointed to political office. They all get practice, 
  
  88
  though, for Chayans all seem to have free time enough 
  to engage in hairsplitting, very polite arguments about 
  absolutely everything. This is particularly crucial for 
  their democracy, which thrives on debate and rhetorical 
  speech amongst its citizenry.
  Chayans also have a talent for architecture. While 
  the superficial design of buildings—rectangular and 
  flat-roofed—may seem tedious, they are remarkably 
  efficient structures, with little wasted space. Chayan 
  homes always seem much more spacious than they could 
  possibly be, with plenty of cupboards and other storage 
  spaces tucked under stairs or beneath the floor. They 
  also make ingenious use of natural light. A Chayan 
  building’s overall appearance is not so austere as it might 
  seem at first, for intricate carving, all geometric, adorns 
  wooden overhangs, door-jambs and pilasters.
  Civil engineering is another Chayan skill. They 
  erect sturdy structures using a minimum of building 
  materials. Their superb aqueducts, which snake almost 
  invisibly throughout the countryside and cut through 
  several hills, receive the highest praise from the few 
  foreign savants who study them.
  Chayan woodcarvers are famed throughout the 
  East for their finely crafted jewelry, called chakamaya, 
  carved from local woods and lacquered with fire tree 
  sap. Various highly ornamented polyhedra are common 
  designs. Each piece can take weeks to finish. Some towns 
  also have textile factories that produce fine cloth from 
  local cotton and wild-gathered silk.
  Corn and cotton are the two largest crops, though 
  Chayans also grow a variety of other grains and veg-
  etables. At the lake towns, Chayans fish and send their 
  catch throughout the country. The Chayan diet features 
  a simple corn flatbread, fish pies and stews made from 
  local root vegetables. They rarely eat any meat other 
  than fish. Chayans do not spice their food, apart from 
  the salt they use to preserve it. Chayans eschew rousing 
  music or moving works of art. As a race, their specific 
  temperament does not permit it.
  Most Chayans are quite fit and practice martial arts 
  daily along with participating in neighborhood morning 
  exercise regimens. Competitions such as races, wrestling, 
  sparring and trollog, a ball game similar to the ballgame 
  played in ancient Rathess, are common activities for 
  youths and adults alike. Of course, Chayans never really 
  fight each other.
  Chayans rarely travel more than a few hundred 
  miles from their home town. The Radiolari Protocols 
  expressly forbid unnecessary travel. Chayans see very 
  few good reasons for anyone to leave in any case.
  THE FAMILY
  Traditional Chayan households consist of a husband 
  and wife, their children and, if either of the parents 
  are firstborn, their surviving parents. Once all of a 
  household’s children marry, tradition dictates that the 
  remaining adults move in with the eldest married child. 
  Their house then becomes the property of the town and 
  is reassigned to another couple upon marriage.
  Chayan law forbids bigamy, though surrogate father-
  hood or motherhood is legal. The importance of at least 
  one pregnancy every three years is paramount, regardless 
  of any individual’s wishes for fidelity. Chayans accept 
  that medical concerns, absence, death or other compli-
  cations may prevent a pregnancy for a married couple. 
  Regardless of these concerns, however, all women are 
  expected to give birth in the spring, in Descending Earth 
  or Ascending Wood. Women who do not conceive 
  during Resplendent Fire become ill in those months 
  and sometimes die if they go too many years without 
  bearing a child. Women who cannot produce children 
  must stay celibate to avoid this “spring sickness.” They 
  often become midwives or take monastic orders as these 
  professions provide living quarters.
  Same-sex marriage is not a consideration, as Chayan 
  marriage is specifically designed for procreation. Popular 
  wisdom holds that there are no homosexual Chayans. 
  In private, some Chayans might admit they are not 
  completely sure about this. Those suspected as such seem 
  to suffer constant pain and turmoil.
  THE CHAYAN LIFE CYCLE
  Sex between Chayan men and women is usually 
  a guilt-free enterprise, as Chayans can only produce 
  children when the fire trees are in full bloom during 
  the season of Resplendent Fire. That said, Chayans 
  take little joy in sex for the remainder of the year, just 
  as they cannot enjoy most other earthly pleasures.
  As Resplendent Fire commences and the fire trees 
  bloom, the pollen affects adult Chayans in peculiar 
  ways. Chiefly, they become uncontrollably libidinous, 
  usually to the exclusion of all other activities.
  During this period, Chayans violently shun, if 
  not ferociously attack, non-natives. This incidentally 
  prevents them from breeding with foreigners. While 
  sex may be the last thing on a foreigner’s mind when 
  facing a frenzied Chayan, this extreme reaction occurs 
  automatically and the Chayans are virtually powerless 
  to overcome it.
  Pregnant women eat fire tree fruit during the final 
  months of their pregnancy and while nursing their 
  young. Once weaned, offspring must be fed fire fruit 
  
  89
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  regularly every day or, so tradition holds, they will not 
  grow into healthy adults or be able to produce children 
  of their own. While young, Chayans differ from children 
  in other parts of Creation only in being a bit quieter, 
  from growing up in such a placid culture. After puberty, 
  Chayans lose their taste for the fruit, but now respond 
  to the tree’s pollen as adults.
  Chayan children can only be born of a union between 
  Chayan parents. Chayan fathers can produce children 
  with non-Chayans, though the result is not Chayan. 
  Chayan mothers cannot produce viable children with 
  non-Chayans. Such attempts result in stillbirth.
  Outwardly, Chayans are among the healthiest 
  races in Creation, rarely becoming ill. Despite this, 
  Chayans typically live no more than 40 to 45 years. 
  Women who give birth to twins one or more times 
  in their life usually live slightly longer than normal. 
  When Chayans die, they are buried in underground 
  tombs near their towns.
  MARKET
  All major commercial activity takes place in a town’s 
  market district. Farmers’ markets, large shops, factories 
  and warehouses are spaced among the houses and ame-
  nities. This is the most bustling district of any Chayan 
  town, though foreigners find it strangely quiet.
  The Chayans easily meet their own needs for food, 
  clothing and other necessities. Rather than laze around 
  the rest of the time, they produce a surplus for export. 
  While Chaya avoids political or military entanglements, 
  the Chayans accept the idea of foreign trade. Each town 
  has its own specialties. Larjyn, for example, manufactures 
  cloth. Jeysaria, in southern Chaya, focuses on lumber, 
  carved furniture and chakamaya production. Chaya’s 
  official currency is the silver dinar. In return, Chaya buys 
  practical goods it cannot produce in quantity itself, such 
  as metalwork (the deep topsoil in most of Chaya renders 
  mining impractical), medicines and building stone.
  Most Chayan citizens are middle class. Few of them 
  are poor and even fewer become spectacularly wealthy. 
  While no law forbids a Chayan to amass wealth through 
  trade or clever speculation, such citizens often donate 
  their proceeds to their town to help pay for civic im-
  provements.
  THE GUILD
  Chaya conducts much of its trade through the 
  Guild. Every week, a giant grain freighter sails down 
  the Sandy River, bound for Nexus. Most of the crew is 
  Chayan, but the officers are Guildsmen. Of course, the 
  freighter does not run during Resplendent Fire.
  The Guild has a large caravansarai complex in 
  Larjyn. From here, expeditions venture south and east 
  to trade with forest nations, towns and tribes. Although 
  Larjyn is quite far from other Guild hubs, Guild factors 
  like Chaya as a base of operations because the people 
  are so hardworking and honest. Compared to the safety 
  of Chaya (14 months of the year), the Chayans’ lack 
  of interest in recreational drugs is only a minor blot 
  on their profitability.
  Chaya’s refusal to participate in the slave trade 
  presents a greater problem for the Guild. The National 
  Council forbids slavery. If fact, Chayan law holds that 
  any slave who sees two sunrises in their country becomes 
  free. Guild slave-coffles march double-time through 
  Chaya to avoid falling to this most unprofitable law.
  MILITARY SUTLERS
  Chaya’s pacifism and neutrality do not bar the 
  country from trading with foreign militaries. The Sev-
  enth Legion has a standing order for Chayan foodstuffs 
  when it maneuvers in the southern East. So do various 
  local militaries. The morality of selling food to people 
  who intend to kill each other supplies an inexhaustible 
  topic for Chayan debaters.
  GOVERNMENT
  Chaya is a democratic and federal republic that 
  shares power between two components: the local as-
  semblies public that govern each town and the National 
  Council that legislates for the nation. Chaya has no 
  political parties, for Chayans value individual participa-
  tion in the political process. Demagogues make little 
  headway in Chayan politics, for citizens are expected 
  to serve responsibly and for the good of the people, 
  rather than to popularize themselves.
  All Chayan government functions under the rule 
  of one citizen, one vote. Each town’s assembly public 
  elects three delegates to the National Council. The 
  government upholds the Radiolari Protocols as the source 
  of all law, but has also ratified a constitution.
  ORATORIUM
  The Oratorium District of a Chayan town contains 
  the oratorium itself, where the assemblies public meet, 
  along with law enforcement stations, tax and treasury 
  offices, and embassies. Oratoria themselves are massive 
  open-air coliseums with excellent acoustics, such that 
  even quiet voices are fully audible to all. This is the 
  most secure district, and most visiting diplomats arrive 
  through its gates and never leave its confines for the 
  length of their stay.
  
  90
  In Larjyn, the Oratorium District also contains the 
  National Council Commorancy, the seat of Chaya’s 
  national government. This extensive structure includes 
  living quarters for the councilors and pages, a cafeteria, 
  baths, small meeting chambers and the Grand Legisla-
  ture, a large, theater-style room with tiers of benches 
  about a round floor where speakers stand.
  THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
  The National Council is the central government of 
  the Chayan nation. It legislates foreign policy, taxation, 
  import/export laws and tariffs as well as adjudicating 
  political crimes. The National Council has veto power 
  over the assemblies public and may overturn any law or 
  ruling by majority vote. One councilor, usually the oldest, 
  is appointed Councilor Elder, though the office’s powers 
  are purely procedural: for instance, someone has to say 
  what order the Council deals with topics of concern.
  The Council convenes during Resplendent and De-
  scending Air, and Resplendent and Descending Earth. 
  Sessions happen weekly and have no set length: some 
  last mere hours while others go on for days, depending 
  on the agenda and the councilors’ tenacity. A quorum 
  of 2/3 must attend. Otherwise, the Council must either 
  adjourn for the day or declare the session complete.
  Sessions are public. All Chayan citizens may attend. 
  To speak before the Council, however, a citizen must 
  be sponsored by a Councilor. Foreigners attend only 
  by invitation, which only happens if the foreigner has 
  a legitimate reason for attending. Any participation 
  other than answering questions is forbidden for anyone 
  who is not a Councilor.
  THE CHAYAN CONSTITUTION
  The Chayan Constitution is a short, dry document 
  that details how to create laws, what laws the National 
  Council can enforce and what towns must accept to be part 
  of the republic. The remainder deals with matters of taxes 
  and the republic’s rights regarding eminent domain.
  Chayans cannot own property. The assembly public 
  allocates property to citizens, usually based on who can 
  make the best use of the land.
  Each town collects its own taxes, with 70% passed 
  along to the National Council. Every year, one town is 
  remitted from taxes. Some assemblies public tax anyway 
  and invest the extra money in the community. Others pass 
  on the savings to the citizens. In addition, monasteries 
  assess weekly tithes for their services to the nation.
  Chayan towns make their own laws, so long as these 
  are voted on by the people (rather than by decree or 
  by a representative vote) and do not contradict either 
  the Radiolari Protocols or any federal law.
  THE ASSEMBLIES PUBLIC
  Each town holds a weekly assembly public session 
  in the oratorium. All of-age citizens attend, as is their 
  right and duty, and each may vote on all items in the 
  session’s proceedings, initiate public lawsuits and pro-
  pose new laws. Such bodies are empowered to legislate 
  all local matters, including land rights, defense, local 
  expenditures, law enforcement, criminal trials and the 
  election of officials. Sessions may last for several days, 
  with each day’s proceedings beginning at dawn and 
  ending at dusk.
  An assembly public is administrated by three xmeti, 
  officers selected by lot from a pool of all those eligible. 
  These officials record the assembly’s decisions and 
  ensure that the accepted rules of order are followed. 
  Three xmeti are always in attendance to guarantee 
  accurate records and sound decisions in interpreting 
  proper procedure. Disagreements in these matters 
  are settled by vote between them. Citizens must be 
  20 years old to be eligible and may serve only one 
  three-year term. One xmeti is chosen per year, except 
  in the case of death or impeachment, when a special 
  lottery is held to determine who finishes the term in 
  question. Xmeti may be impeached by appeal to the 
  National Council.
  Once a year, usually in the season of Air, the as-
  sembly public elects a new Councilor to represent their 
  town in the National Council. Three Councilors rep-
  resent each town, with three-year terms. In the event 
  of death or impeachment, the elder xmeti is appointed 
  Councilor until the next election. Councilors may serve 
  more than one term.
  Other elected officials include the hunapul, or 
  treasurer and tax collector; the tepuel, a sort of sheriff-
  monk responsible for local law enforcement; and the 
  cezarad, who takes the census and administers elections. 
  Other, ad-hoc  offices may be added by vote of the as-
  sembly public.
  On average, 97 percent of the populace routinely 
  attends their town’s assembly public. The rest are usually 
  invalids or those who lost their rights due to conviction 
  for a serious crime. Voting is by simple majority via show 
  of hands, with the xmeti determining the results.
  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
  Because of the relatively low crime rate, Chayan 
  towns employ between 25 and 50 law enforcement 
  officers. Once in a while, Chayans do find themselves 
  subjected to such stresses or passions that they break 
  the laws. Foreigners also commit crimes that must be 
  investigated and punished.
  
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  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  Common punishments include fines, temporary loss 
  of assembly rights and house arrest. Repeat offenders lose 
  assembly rights forever and are ineligible for elections. 
  Such punishments carry with them a degree of social 
  disgrace that may be more effective in deterring crime 
  than the punishment itself. For serious infractions, such 
  as murder or the willful destruction of a fire tree, criminals 
  may face execution. Chayans consider imprisonment cruel 
  and exile unthinkable and not in the public interest.
  Crimes committed by Chayans during Resplendent 
  Fire are neither investigated nor prosecuted. Such acts 
  are committed at the behest of the radiolari, and gods 
  obviously fall outside mortal jurisdiction.
  until the radiolari intervene to save them and punish 
  the invader, as they did when they poisoned the Sandy 
  River and massacred Erushon’s troops.
  Still, many Chayans recognize that Creation is be-
  coming more dangerous. In RY 766, the National Council 
  and assemblies public agreed to build a wall of rammed 
  earth and lacquered timber along their eastern border, 
  to guard against Arczeckhi raiders and other marauders. 
  Of course, the project will take years to complete—but 
  not as many as Chaya’s neighbors might think.
  FOREIGN RELATIONS
  The number of Chayans who visit foreign lands 
  each year is insignificant compared to the number of 
  foreigners who come, for whatever reason, to Chaya. 
  The nation’s isolation, however, also prevents Chayans 
  from learning very much about the world at large. Hence, 
  they tend to make sweeping generalizations about lands 
  of which they have no direct knowledge.
  Hundred Kingdoms (Southern): Most of these 
  little countries have a superstitious fear of Chayans that 
  prevents them from forming any lasting relations with 
  the republic. The leaders of a few countries overcome 
  their trepidation and rather obviously covet Chaya’s 
  fertile land. Emissaries from the Guild and the Seventh 
  Legion quietly warn these leaders to leave Chaya alone… 
  though for quite different reasons.
  Lookshy: The National Council deals soberly with 
  the Seventh Legion as just another customer for Chaya’s 
  cornmeal and sweet potatoes. Quietly, a National 
  Council of a century ago signed a treaty with Lookshy 
  that allows Chaya to hire the Seventh Legion should 
  it so desire. Centuries of selling more to the Guild than 
  they buy certainly gives Chaya silver enough for such 
  a contract. Chaya supplies provisions to a small Look-
  shyan fortress just across the border, where the Seventh 
  Legion trains and recruits from an allied tribal culture 
  called the Karala, so the National Council could quickly 
  obtain small numbers of Lookshyan troops.
  For their part, Seventh Legion commanders and 
  soldiers feel little respect for Chaya. They concede that 
  Chayan monks are passable martial artists, but from 
  their perspective these people seem terribly, almost 
  willfully naïve about the world and vastly overestimate 
  their place in it.
  Nexus: Much of Chaya’s foreign trade goes through 
  Nexus and the Guild. As such, Chaya has excellent 
  relations, always paying their receipts on time. Chayan 
  leaders know how much their economy depends on 
  the Guild and always treat their representatives with 
  due courtesy.
  THE RABINAL
  Of course, the soft and placid state of Chaya 
  has something hard at its core: the Rabinal, a secret 
  police force and intelligence-gathering office that 
  investigates political crimes. Most Chayans know 
  that centuries ago, their god Xochichem ordained 
  this secret order. Few of them know anything more 
  than that. Some Chayans think the Rabinal is the 
  real power behind the Chayan government.
  The Rabinal consists of intellectuals, expe-
  rienced politicians and influential monks. Their 
  mission is to safeguard Chaya by whatever means 
  it finds necessary. Rabinal activities include ne-
  gotiating secret treaties, keeping an eye on the 
  Guild, launching espionage operations abroad 
  and otherwise attempting to manipulate the 
  politics of Chaya’s neighbors. They also function 
  as the Chayan secret police, ferreting out the 
  rare cases of political sedition and heretics who 
  would flout the Radiolari Protocols. The Rabinal’s 
  influence is not wide; it cannot wield influence 
  or spy further than, say, Nexus.
  Most members are secret. Ec Yanto, a long-
  serving councilor from Larjyn, publicly admits he 
  is a member; so has Ay Mulac, a leading merchant 
  of Camotli. Several powerful Chayan monks are 
  almost certainly members. Some believe the 
  Rabinal’s membership is not entirely Chayan.
  DEFENSE
  As a nation, Chaya maintains no standing national 
  army. Most Chayans believe it needs none. The Chayan 
  Constitution permits each town to raise a local mili-
  tia; in practice, they don’t. Chayan philosophy extols 
  passive resistance when peaceful coexistence fails… 
  
  92
  The Realm: The relationships with Lookshy and 
  Nexus, tenuous though they are, give many Chayans a 
  jaundiced view of the Realm. The prevailing opinion 
  is that the Realm is a crumbling empire stretched too 
  thin and on the verge of collapse. The Realm never 
  attacked Chaya, and probably would never find value in 
  a far-flung campaign with the Seventh Legion at their 
  back over what, according to their best estimate, would 
  be an expensively garrisoned community of lunatics.
  Immaculate missionaries visit periodically with 
  petitions for the National Council to let them build 
  temples and bring the “truth” to those who have been 
  denied it for so long. The Council always thanks the 
  missionaries graciously for their offer, and then hides 
  behind labyrinthine (largely fictitious) procedures 
  forbidding such an enterprise. The Chayans shall have 
  no gods except the radiolari.
  TEMPLE
  A Chayan town’s temple district features the 
  temple itself—invariably the largest structure in the 
  district. Schools, gardening centers, gymnasiums and 
  sports fields are also placed in this district. Martial arts 
  dojos typically occupy the top floors and roofs of other 
  buildings, such as schools or the temple.
  Religion pervades every aspect of Chayan life, 
  though subtly. The Chayan way of life depends on the 
  divine and mortal aspects of society working together in 
  harmony, as explained in the Radiolari Protocols. Chayan 
  law expands upon the Protocols, and obedience to the 
  gods extends to a respect for the mortal laws that they 
  inspired. Like the rest of Chayan society, their religion 
  does not emphasize individuals. Rather, Chayans wor-
  ship for the sake of all Chayans.
  Chayans worship every day in their local temple. 
  Worship consists primarily of prayer recited aloud al-
  ternating with silent meditation. The Chayan religion 
  accepts Xochichem as their primary patron, though 
  each town also worships its own protector-god or gods. 
  In return, Xochichem’s temple includes smaller shrines 
  for the other 11 radiolari.
  The Chayan temples educate Chayan youths. In 
  doing so, they teach only those subjects that the monks 
  deem will make their charges better citizens. They do not 
  teach foreign languages other than Rivertongue or any 
  but the most innocuous foreign literature on practical 
  subjects such as medicine and civil engineering.
  SHRINE OF THE FIRE TREE
  An enormous circular shrine built of blue marble 
  rises four miles north of Larjyn. It is the only circular 
  building in Chaya. The shrine consists of a 30-story 
  cylinder 500 feet across, on a plinth of 300 circular 
  steps. A colonnaded portico surrounds the cylinder. 
  Innumerable windows of variously colored glass, placed 
  seemingly at random, speckle the exterior.
  This place is the sanctuary of Xochichem and, to 
  a lesser degree, the other radiolari gods. A long, dark 
  passage running through the shrine suddenly opens into 
  a massive central chamber, open to the sky, containing 
  the first and largest fire tree in Chaya. This tree stands 
  over 100 feet high. It emits a constant glow and low 
  droning buzz, seeming almost animate. A two-story ring 
  of chambers contains living quarters for the monks who 
  tend the grounds and see to the upkeep of the shrine.
  Chayans come here yearly for worship or whenever 
  summoned by divine writ. The grounds are off-limits to 
  foreigners. Intruders are subject to attack by any of the 
  graced monks in residence or any number of lesser ra-
  diolari visiting the shrine, if not Xochichem himself.
  FIRE TREES
  Fire trees are the lesser altars at which Chayans 
  worship their gods, and the pre-eminent focus of their 
  way of life. Their pollen triggers the Chayan reproduc-
  tive cycle; their fruit nourishes young Chayans. The 
  survival of the Chayan race depends both on tending 
  the trees and hiding the full extent of this dependence 
  from outsiders.
  Fire trees grow everywhere in Chaya, both town 
  and country. The trees have strap-like leaves, with a 
  RADIOLARI PROTOCOLS
  Chayan behavior is governed by protocols 
  set down by Xochichem. They are the basis of 
  all Chayan laws and are considered inviolable. 
  While the protocols are very vague, most 
  Chayans are in agreement regarding their 
  meaning. Several dozen protocols exist, and 
  voluminous commentaries are written about 
  them. Here are a few examples:
  Protocol of the Seed: All Chaya shall multiply 
  with the blooming of the fire tree.
  Protocol of the Tree: The Chaya shall care for 
  the fire trees and shall not suffer them to perish.
  Protocol of the Fruit: The Chaya shall not 
  lie with aliens and outlanders.
  Protocol of the Blood: The Chaya shall not 
  spill the blood of another.
  Protocol of the Root: The Chaya shall not 
  stray into alien lands.
  
  93
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  corona of red in the summer months. They take 20 years 
  to reach full height, growing 15 to 18 feet high. In the 
  latter half of Resplendent Fire, and on into Descend-
  ing Fire, the trees bear masses of large, scarlet blooms 
  that somewhat resemble tulips. The flowers produce 
  copious amounts of nectar and a spicy, intoxicating 
  odor with hints of licorice, jasmine and cloves. Fire 
  tree fruit is a rounded seven-inch oblong, deep green 
  ripening over the winter into a vibrant red, with a 
  thick husk that must be cracked open. For children 
  and pregnant women, the vibrant yellow, custard-like 
  flesh of the fruit tastes faintly of cream and licorice. The 
  fruit tastes sour or rotten to everyone else. The center 
  holds a walnut-sized black pit. Every spring, Chayans 
  feed their children all the fire fruit they can stand, as it 
  contains nutrients necessary for their growth. As a final 
  benefit, fire trees produce abundant sap in the month 
  of Ascending Water; this sap dries as the country’s 
  famously fireproof, glassy lacquer.
  Fire trees do not grow well outside the Sandy River 
  plains. Those that do take root outside the region grow 
  to about half normal height, and produce blossoms but 
  only a shrunken, vile-tasting fruit. Still, a few wealthy 
  gardeners value fire trees as ornamental shrubbery. 
  While Chayans do not export or otherwise sell fire 
  fruit to foreigners, outsiders gather small quantities of 
  the fruit and smuggle it out: certain foreigners prize 
  the fruit for alleged aphrodisiac properties, using it in 
  a number of heavily spiced dishes to mask its flavor. 
  Foreigners who, for whatever reason, eat prodigiously 
  of the fruit, do not suffer attacks from Chayans during 
  their yearly frenzy. Only the Rabinal is aware of this 
  fact. Foreign poachers also slip into Chaya to tap the 
  trees during Ascending Water.
  Although the fire tree superficially seems like an 
  ordinary deciduous tree, closer scrutiny shows they 
  are nothing of the sort. They might resemble some of 
  the stranger vegetation from powerful Fire-aspected 
  demesnes, or from the Wyld. They are always warm 
  to the touch. During the season of Fire, smoke is-
  sues from branches that can burn flesh with their 
  heat. What’s more, beneath its hard bark a fire tree 
  consists of a crystalline pulp with silvery rings and 
  veins. When it dries, fire tree pulp resembles a friable 
  mineral more than wood. This material cannot burn: 
  it merely smolders, emitting an acrid black smoke 
  and leaving sandy ash. All in all, a fire tree is more 
  silicate than organic.
  
  94
  MONASTIC MARTIAL ARTISTS
  While every Chayan’s life follows the Radiolari 
  Protocols, monks do so with greater purpose and clar-
  ity. One to two hundred citizens in each town take 
  monastic orders. Most other citizens at least visit the 
  monastery-temple on a daily basis for prayer, meditation 
  and martial arts practice. The monks are their teachers, 
  priests, sifus and master horticulturists, responsible for 
  tending the public fire trees.
  This highest ranking Chayan monk is the Xbalenque 
  Sifu, Ec Xomaja. She is over 50 years old and rarely 
  leaves the Larjyn Temple. She oversees two main mo-
  nastic ranks. Auditors live in the temples. Their duties 
  include tending fire trees and leading public works 
  such as cleaning and repairing roads. The Elect do not 
  live in towns, but in seven special cloisters scattered 
  through the countryside in order to meditate without 
  distraction.
  Most monks do not follow that as their sole career. 
  Many follow secular careers as well. Several Councilors, 
  for example, are also monks. About one in five Chayans 
  joins a monastery for at least part of their adult lives. 
  Chayans of high spiritual ability (to the Chayans, 
  this means high Temperance and Willpower) may 
  be granted the grace of the radiolari: an enlightened 
  Essence. This requires several years of intensive medi-
  tation, martial arts training and religious devotion. 
  Those so graced usually enter monastic life, if they were 
  not monks already. Radiolari grace requires no formal 
  ritual. The bequest happens instantly. Unlike most 
  forms of Essence enlightenment, the god who granted 
  this grace can also revoke it; so can Xochichem, but 
  no other god. 
  All monks are at least moderately skilled martial 
  artists; more outsiders would know this if Chayan 
  monks ever fought anyone. Their competitions are 
  so stylized that foreigners usually think the monks are 
  dancing. Chayans don’t talk about their monks’ true 
  prowess; for fear that knowledge of this would attract 
  powerful enemies.
  The monks themselves conceal their skills by mak-
  ing their successes look like accidents. In combat, they 
  often appear off balance. Punches that hit their mark 
  seem wild and hastily placed. They practice hard to 
  look so clumsy. Chayan martial arts emphasize quick 
  combat and easy escapes. While many monks eschew 
  the use of them, all are trained to use simple weapons 
  such as nunchaku, staves and sticks.
  Monks who achieve grace can (and often do) learn 
  Terrestrial martial arts. (Crimson Pentacle Blade Style 
  would make a good choice for Chayan monks.) Graced 
  monks can also learn divine Charms as if they were 
  God-Blooded. When graced monks hide their talents, 
  they don’t use their Charms publicly except to defend 
  their town or similar emergencies, in which case they 
  do not expect their opponents and any non-Chayan 
  witnesses to survive the encounter.
  EFFECTS OF FIRE TREE POLLEN
  Around the second or third week of Re-
  splendent Fire, the fire trees bloom. In days, the 
  Chayan people lose control over long-suppressed 
  emotions. For a month, Chayan society becomes 
  a bacchanal, with everyone experiencing wild 
  swings through the gamut of emotional highs and 
  lows, seemingly at random—rage, melancholy, 
  joy, you name it. Chayans under the effect of 
  the pollen also feel irrepressible sexual desire, 
  though this effect abates for one to two days 
  after fulfillment. Most Chayans also experience 
  a feeling of unendurable xenophobia. Foreigners 
  present during this time experience nothing less 
  than a world gone mad.
  Chayans gifted with radiolari grace experi-
  ence xenophobia to a much higher degree than 
  others. They attack foreigners on sight, even 
  those obviously more powerful or armed—
  Exalted, Fair Folk or even gods. This unfortunate 
  effect, which comes from the heightened sense 
  of the need to protect Chaya, has been the doom 
  of many a poor Chayan.
  Visitors to Chaya lose 2 Willpower points 
  for half a day after exposure to fire tree pollen. 
  Natives lose all Willpower for the duration of 
  the flowering season. They also have an effective 
  Valor of 5 and Temperance of 0.
  It is possible to preserve the pollen for 
  later use, though the effect is diminished. Non-
  Chayan users lose 1 Willpower. Natives are 
  reduced to 1 Willpower. The process is such 
  a secret that only a few Chayans know it. The 
  Rabinal stockpiles pollen as a last-resort measure 
  for the defense of a town under attack. A few 
  Chayans (notably, a small cult from Thajecla) 
  abuse the pollen.
  Chayans deprived of the pollen for more 
  than three years begin to go mad. After five 
  years, the effect becomes permanent.
  
  95
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  THE RADIOLARI GODS
  The radiolari manifest at least once a year in their 
  temples. Xochichem, the most powerful of them and 
  the most active in Chayan society, holds court once per 
  season in its temple. The gods manifest as complex poly-
  hedra two to three yards across made of fine, glittering 
  dust floating in the air, with various strangely-jointed 
  appendages sprouting from their corners. There is noth-
  ing even remotely human, or even organic, about their 
  appearance. They keep their sanctums beneath their 
  temples, with special, sacred fire trees as their portals.
  Chaya is a small country and the radiolari are small 
  gods. The lesser radiolari are merely gods of the second 
  rank, while Xochichem is a god of the third rank (see 
  The Compass of Celestial Directions, Vol. III—Yu-
  Shan, pp. 122-124). Xochichem is the only radiolari 
  who ever visits Yu-Shan, in its capacity as god of the 
  Chayan nation in the Bureau of Humanity.
  Despite their low rank, the radiolari wield awful 
  power over the Chayan people and their territory. They 
  can grant or remove grace to any Chayan they see, com-
  pel a Chayan to act as they choose or kill a Chayan by 
  having her body burn from the inside out. These actions 
  automatically succeed; only powerful Essence-based 
  defenses against magic (comparable to Sapphire Circle 
  Sorcery) can protect a Chayan from their gods. Radiolari 
  can turn animals into Familiars (up to Familiar •••) and 
  may do so for favored monks; this requires feeding the 
  animal fire tree fruit for a month, and the animal must 
  dine on the fruit yearly. Radiolari can perceive anything 
  near a fire tree as if they hovered in that location, if they 
  consciously turn their attention that way. They can also 
  infuse poison into the Sandy River or perform similar 
  feats on a scale of square miles.
  Xochichem created Chayan society and the Chayan 
  race itself. While the radiolari are its primary concern, 
  it looks after the Chayans so long as they heed its 
  dictates. It is confident, however, that the scheme it 
  created cannot fail so long as it continues its supervi-
  sion. The Rabinal is Xochichem’s principal tool for 
  guiding Chaya while keeping plausible deniability (in 
  view of Celestial law discouraging direct rule of mortal 
  societies). Xochichem watches over Chaya with a cold 
  determination to see it survive in its current state. It 
  rarely appears before foreigners.
  BENEATH THE SURFACE
  Most people who hear of Chaya dismiss it as just 
  another odd little country. People who visit Chaya and 
  observe Chayan customs, life cycle and religion may 
  conclude that it’s a very odd little country. Investigating 
  further, exploring obscure sources of information, they 
  may decide that Chaya’s neighbors are right: something 
  is very wrong about Chaya.
  Early History: Shogunate accounts of the Great 
  Uprising may include a story that a skilled historian can 
  trace to the Chaya region. Months after the Dragon-
  Blooded slew the local Anathema, every unExalted 
  person in the province died, sort of dissolved down to 
  the bone. Other strange extinctions and stranger, brief 
  proliferations of life happened over the ensuing decades. 
  Shogunate savants attributed the region’s lethality to 
  a death-curse from one of the Anathema, marked it 
  off-limits and let it be. Shogunate botanists do not 
  describe anything much like a fire tree.
  The Fair Folk: The Fair Folk called the Unmatched, 
  which lives in the forests southeast of Chaya, remember 
  when they attacked Chaya. Various fae in the Opal Court 
  also participated and might tell their story, for a price.
  The Fair Folk found the Chayans meek and easy 
  prey. When they died, it felt to the raksha as if they 
  died a million times. But there was something else, 
  some fascinatingly horrific absence from their eyes. 
  The more Chayans they slaughtered, the stronger the 
  feeling became, until they realized a terrifying truth: 
  the Chayans have no dreams. Now sickened by the 
  sight of their prey, the Fair Folk left Chaya and never 
  returned. They had faced… abomination.
  Geomancy: Study of the Larjyn Temple would 
  reveal that it is quite a powerful manse: Air Aspect 
  ••••, despite the fiery associations of the sacred tree. 
  It has no Essence flare and, apparently, no hearthstone. 
  An expert on manse construction can also confirm what 
  Chayan tradition says, that their ancestors built the 
  temple after the Great Contagion, which is impossible 
  in the Age of Sorrows—the best manse architects of the 
  Realm can’t build a four-dot manse without flaring off 
  excess Essence. Did someone who predates the Age of 
  Sorrows tell the early Chayans how to build it?
  Lookshy and Magitech: Standing orders for Sev-
  enth Legion commanders who operate in the Chayan 
  area say to keep magitech out of Chaya if at all pos-
  sible. Manuals for sorcerer-engineers say that magitech 
  malfunctions at a higher rate than usual in the little 
  country, for reasons unknown but perhaps related to 
  the Poisoned River episode. Another magitech ac-
  cident could possibly trigger a repeat of that disaster, 
  harming Lookshy’s interests in the area. Commanders 
  are advised to stop enemies before they must fight in 
  Chaya itself.
  Slaglands: The blighted lands around some First 
  Age ruins have points of geomantic interest as well. 
  
  96
  A geomancer can tell that some of them are former 
  manses that exploded when their Essence became un-
  balanced. The underlying demesnes are damaged but 
  still should collect usable quantities of Essence. They 
  don’t. They manifest only small, occasional flickers of 
  Essence. In fact, Chaya has no functioning demesnes 
  except the one that powers the Larjyn Temple.
  The geomancy of other ruins says they are not 
  demesnes and never were. Nevertheless, the same 
  flickers of Essence play about them. The Essence has no 
  consistent aspect: with patience and keen perceptions, 
  a geomancer can detect flashes of all five elements, plus 
  Solar Essence.
  The scorned, desperate outcasts whom Chayans and 
  other nearby folk call slag tribes show mutations and 
  mutilations that suggest exposure to the Wyld: patches 
  of flesh that look scarred, burned or melted, mismatched 
  body parts and the like. There is no Wyld energy in the 
  ruins. Demesnes induce mutation as well, but these tend 
  to be consistent. The Essence around the ruins is not 
  strong enough to mutate plants, animals or people.
  Yu-Shan: An org chart for the Bureau of Human-
  ity shows what a low-ranking, weak god Xochichem 
  is. He and the radiolari should not have the power to 
  kill with a glance, poison entire rivers or perform other 
  such feats. Yet, they do. They have this power because 
  Sealed By Order of Maiden of Secrets
  Sealed By Order of Maiden of Secrets.
  THE REBELS
  The Chayans think they are free. They are not. 
  A small band of Chayan monks haunts the forests to 
  the south and plots the end of radiolari mastery. These 
  Elect monks received radiolari grace. In the exploration 
  of their self and their Essence, however, they came to 
  transcendent realizations about themselves that would 
  be impossible for normal Chayans. Subsequently, they 
  began to dream.
  They live on the fringes of Chayan society, moving 
  from forest huts to abandoned factories and slaglands. 
  They have thus far avoided discovery. The monks cannot 
  get too close to Chayan towns because the gods (who 
  could be anywhere, watching through any fire tree) 
  might sense their presence and destroy them.
  The monks turned scavenger, something no Chayan 
  did before. Investigating slaglands, using thaumaturgy to 
  open long-sealed doors, they found fragmentary notes 
  from ancient savants, with titles such as Kleptoplasty in 
  Chaotropic Matrix and the Essence Tetrahedron and En-
  dosymbiont Zoosilicate Suspsension Engines. The monks 
  understand very little of these Old Realm texts, but they 
  figured out they have something to do with the radiolari. 
  Only, these radiolari are not gods. They seem to be tiny, 
  living somethings meant to go inside living bodies.
  The monks feel their Essence is not their own. It comes 
  from something else living inside them. Something tied 
  to the fire trees, to their gods and to the Chayan life cycle 
  that only now do the monks realize is so very odd.
  THE TRUTH
  Only a great Exalted savant could put all the clues 
  together to find the secret behind Chaya.
  In the last century of the Old Realm, a Twilight 
  Caste savant noticed that the Lawgivers had impulse-
  control problems. This was hardly a unique observation, 
  but this savant tried to do something about it. The savant 
  crafted tiny mechanisms of crystal and god-Essence, 
  inspired by the mechanical pattern spiders that tend the 
  Loom of Fate but much, much smaller. These entities, 
  the radiolari, would live inside the Exalted and tamp 
  down their bouts of madness.
  Only, the Usurpation happened before the savant 
  could complete the project. Damage to the savant’s 
  laboratory released the radiolari. They entered the 
  local people and other organisms. Because they were 
  defective, they killed. They must have kept trying, 
  though, with one creature after another. They were 
  not intelligent, but they evolved, blindly trying to 
  fulfill their purpose.
  All things in Creation have a god. Eventually, so did 
  the radiolari. Xochichem and the rest, however, are not 
  merely gods of the radiolari. They are made of radiolari—
  emergent intelligences from the countless micro-gods 
  spread through the fire trees, the soil, floating through 
  the air and, in particular, living in the Chayans.
  Chayans and radiolari have coexisted for centuries. 
  These creatures now live within them, mindless for most 
  of the year, mechanically regulating their behavior. When 
  the fire trees bloom, their pollen activates the radiolari er-
  satz intelligence and autonomy. The radiolari then pursue 
  the reproduction of their own kind, and the reproduction 
  of their Chayan hosts. As a result, Chayans experience 
  otherwise foreign emotions with lunatic intensity.
  A simple cure cannot free the Chayans from these 
  parasites. The Chayans cannot produce children without 
  the radiolari. The radiolari and their gods have altered their 
  biology such that they are no longer strictly human.
  The rest of the Chayans have no idea they are 
  parasitized in this manner. They do not know about the 
  resistance and cannot imagine why such a resistance 
  might be necessary. It isn’t that their every thought is 
  controlled; they just haven’t experienced any evidence 
  that anything is wrong. And Xochichem and the other 
  
  97
  CHAPTER THREE • STRANGE HYBRID FLOWERS
  THE DEVIL TIGER OF LARJYN
  The Devil Tiger of Larjyn is a centuries-old 
  tiger that became host to a colony of radiolari. He 
  survived the experience and has, as a consequence, 
  attained a degree of consciousness and intelligence. 
  He considers himself an arbiter of moral behavior 
  for the Chayans, though, for the most part, he could 
  not explain why this is so. Although the Devil-Tiger 
  rarely shows himself, he often stalks the shadows 
  of Larjyn, and confronts citizens whom he believes 
  have been unnaturally tempted by vice. The Devil-
  Tiger even hunts down those who seem ready to 
  betray Chaya. The gods may use the Devil-Tiger 
  as a weapon against foreign intruders.
  gods will make sure they never do. Xochichem values 
  the Chayans—it needs them, after all—but it will not 
  let any foreign meddlers upset the nation it created.
  Chayans have lived in their peculiar manner for 
  centuries. They have no reason to consider living in 
  any other way than what their gods, society and very 
  biology supports. Chayans know that other folk live 
  differently, but they accept that they are not the same 
  as foreign folk. If confronted by fantastical claims about 
  their gods or their true natures, citizens inevitably report 
  the troublemaking madman to the authorities.
  RADIOLARI AND THEIR GODS
  Radiolari are microscopic beings. A polyhedral 
  exoskeleton, made primarily of silica, supports a variety 
  of arms and pseudopodia. They live in colonies located 
  in the brains of their hosts, but can travel anywhere in 
  the body if so directed by one of the radiolari gods.
  As individuals, these entities are only semi-
  intelligent. Radiolari do not use language and cannot 
  communicate with their hosts, whom they are aware 
  of only insofar as they are the landscape in which they 
  live. Radiolari gods, however, are quite intelligent and 
  can direct a radiolari colony in a number of ways, thus 
  causing effects in the colony’s host—such as killing 
  them. The gods can also direct the radiolari that live 
  in the fire trees, the soil and drifting through the air. 
  If they wish, they can breed radiolari by the gazillions 
  and send them down the Sandy River to infect and 
  destroy creatures and crops downstream.
  The Chayans wrote their own constitution and 
  other laws, but in accord with their gods’ wishes for their 
  society. The gods really care only about the Chayans’ 
  obedience to the Radiolari Protocols, however, which 
  preserve them as the radiolari’s hosts. The Chayans 
  themselves deal with minor or unintentional violations 
  of the laws. A serious offender, or anyone who could 
  endanger the nation or the Chayan race, suffers swift 
  death as billions of radiolari devour them from within. 
  The signal to do so must come from one of the radiolari 
  gods, who must somehow know of the threat and must 
  see the offender. There are no pronouncements of guilt, 
  no lengthy demonstrations of punishment to warn oth-
  ers, or cathartic episodes for the innocent or vengeful. 
  The guilty are reduced to bones in seconds.
  THE EXALTED
  There are not and never could be any Dragon-
  Blooded Chayans. If any Chayan received Celestial 
  Exaltation, the surge of Essence would destroy the 
  radiolari colony. As such, Exaltation eliminates all be-
  havioral and reproductive controls and the dependency 
  and effects of fire tree pollen. Post-Exaltation, Chayans 
  experience days of emotional turmoil similar to what 
  they endure during the yearly frenzy, only now they 
  are fully conscious of it. To make matters worse, they 
  are no longer physically or mentally a part of Chayan 
  culture and their former fellow citizens no longer trust 
  them. Even family and friends shun them. During the 
  flowering season, the Chayans will attack the Exalt 
  because she is no longer truly Chayan. The National 
  Council soon explains that while the Exalt is free to 
  visit and to assist in the defense of Chaya, it would be 
  best for everyone if she lived somewhere else. After all, 
  Anathema attract the notice of powerful enemies such 
  as the Wyld hunt and foreign gods. While this explana-
  tion is for the most part an excuse, it is also true. Most 
  Exalted with any love for their people would see the 
  wisdom in it and depart.
  CHAYAN TOWN
  Description: This unit represents an entire Chayan 
  town in the grip of its yearly frenzy. For weapons, the 
  Chayans have kitchen knives, sticks and the like, or 
  their bare hands… but near-perfect morale. Thanks to 
  Chayans’ nigh-universal martial arts training, they make 
  better troops than their everyday civilian backgrounds 
  would suggest, and the Imperial legions might envy their 
  Drill. It’s almost like they were a hive mind…
  Commanding Officer: Xochichem or other radiolari
  Armor Color: Red and yellow Chayan clothing
  Motto: “You are not of Chaya.”
  General Makeup: Up to 10,000 lightly armed but 
  fearless maniacs.
  Overall Quality: Fair
  Magnitude: 9
  
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  Drill: 4
  Close Combat Attack: 2 
  Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Attack: — 
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance: 6 
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 0 (-0 mobility) 
  Morale: 5
  Formation: Crazed Chayan hordes look unordered, and 
  often they are, but they can operate in any formation: 
  skirmish for mobility, relaxed as they surround enemy 
  troops, then finally close to overwhelm the foe. Of the 
  townsfolk, nine monks act as relays, calling the rest of the 
  horde to locations where invaders can be overwhelmed, 
  while another nine (all knowing a supernatural martial 
  art) operate as heroes. Such a graced monk can split 
  off a smaller unit (say, Magnitude 3) to engage smaller 
  units split off from the main enemy force by the often-
  narrow streets of a Chayan town.
  Republic of Chaya, a Magnitude 3 Dominion
  Military: 1 
  Government: 4 Culture: 3
  Abilities: Bureaucracy 4 (Red Tape +3), Craft 3 (Public Works +3), Integrity 4 (Tight-Knit Heritage +3), 
  Investigation 2, Occult 2
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 5, Valor 1
  Virtue Flaw: Temperance 
  Current Limit: 3
  Willpower: 7
  Bonus Points: 15 
  External Bonus Points: 9
  Notes: Xochichem and the Xbalanque Sifu are sorcerers with legitimacy, while the current Councilor Elder 
  is a savant. Chaya’s bonus points go toward one additional dot each of Government, Culture and Temper-
  ance. Its external bonus points go to its specialties. In Limit Break, Chaya tries to shut down all contact 
  with the outside world, acting as if it didn’t exist. Its action while in Limit Break is to do nothing at all.
  
  99
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  
  100
  CHAPTER FOUR
  CHAPTER FOUR
  SAVAGE LANDS
  SAVAGE LANDS
  Beyond the East’s fringe of civilized and half-
  civilized countries, such as Linowan, Metagalapa and 
  Chaya, spreads a huge expanse of forest and jungle, 
  from the stunted taiga of the chill Northeast to the 
  steaming green hell of the Southeastern jungles. This 
  immense forest-land has people of its own. Here dwell 
  countless tribes of humans and creatures partly human, 
  from the most ignorant primitives to tribal leagues on 
  the verge of becoming nations. These savage lands 
  also hold many crumbling remnants of cities now lost, 
  whose ruins reveal both the splendors of the First Age 
  and the appalling decadence, madness and destruction 
  that could claim the rest of Creation.
  LAND OF TEN THOUSAND TRIBES
  The endless forests of the East encourage diversity. 
  The forest offers many different environments through 
  the many sorts of trees and landscapes. Conifers and 
  aspens dominate the Northeast. Oaks, alders, elms and 
  maples become more prevalent moving southward. 
  These give way in turn to beech and hickory. Tulip trees 
  and magnolias, sassafras and ceiba become common, 
  before mahogony, palmetto, tallowwood, calabash and 
  ebony take over completely. In the deepest Southeast, 
  the trees shade into baobabs and acacia before giving 
  way to saw grass and savanna. Areas of swampland fill 
  low-lying regions. In other places, the forest covers 
  mountain ranges. Each environment offers its own 
  foodstuffs, resources, dangers and ways to live.
  Travel through the forest is slow (at least for anyone 
  who can’t fly). People might not need to travel much 
  anyway, since most forest habitats also provide plenty 
  of food. Collecting that food might take a long time 
  and hard work, but the food is there. Eastern cultures 
  tend to be isolated. Cultural patterns may persist over a 
  thousand miles, but each tribe may know only its imme-
  diate neighbors. Deep in the East, people know nothing 
  of the Realm, the Scavenger Lands or the Guild.
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  A tribe’s material culture and social organization 
  can vary as much as the environment. Some tribes 
  don’t even know the use of fire and would think you 
  were crazy if you suggested anyone could control the 
  great destroyer of forests. Other tribes remember how 
  to smelt metal and are fortunate enough to possess 
  deposits of ore. The simplest cultures have no organiza-
  tion beyond families. The usual next step is the sept, a 
  group of interlocking families consisting of anywhere 
  from a few dozen to about 100 individuals. Septs can 
  join into tribes and tribes into confederations and 
  kingdoms. Cutting across these kinship groups, a tribe 
  may include a variety of cults, secret societies, war bands 
  and artisan guilds.
  Eastern tribes can also differ physically: tall or 
  short, thin or stout, hair straight, curled or kinked… 
  if the Pole of Wood or the Wyld haven’t turned it into 
  leaves, moss, tiny vines or feathers. In the nearer parts 
  of the eastern Threshold, tribal folk tend to have skin 
  in various brown or reddish hues. Further east, shades 
  of green enter the mortal palette. The furthest tribes 
  may have skin like bark or wear fur, making it hard to 
  tell the Wyld-touched from beastmen or the influence 
  of the Pole of Wood.
  No one could hope to list all the peoples of the forest. 
  A small sampling can only hint at the possibilities.
  THE ARCZECKH HORDE
  The Arczeckh Horde is a loose culture of Wyld 
  barbarians; at least, Creation’s savants guess the Wyld 
  turned humans into these bestial savages. The Horde’s 
  language has no close affinity with any of Creation’s 
  major tongues.
  Arczeckh “tribes” have little real organization, 
  for Arczeckhi acknowledge no force except physical 
  might and spiritual power. No Arczeckh counts another 
  Arczeckh as a person until they have murdered another 
  one; not even children are so honored. Instead, they 
  treat foreigners and children alike as animals unless 
  they can prove their strength in physical combat. Even 
  their elders and leaders keep their status only so long 
  as their strength endures.
  In the RY 350s and 360s, the Arczeckhi were better 
  organized than they are now. Their greatest war-leader, 
  Mokuu, forced the brawling Arczeckh bands into a 
  union. This howling horde pressed north into the central 
  Eastern territories. Lookshy led an alliance that turned 
  back the Horde, slaying Mokuu and his lieutenants in 
  the process. Lookshy and other River Province states 
  keep watch on Arczeckh regions to hold the barbar-
  ians in check.
  
  102
  The Horde survives, in wasteland territories southeast 
  of the Scavenger Lands, but once more as bands that 
  fight each other as much as anyone else. Here they herd 
  yeddim and pony-sized goats, feeding them on heather, 
  brambles and scrub, and feeding on them in turn. They 
  use their animals in war as well: half a dozen Arczeckhi 
  might ride a yeddim as an archery platform, while others 
  careen about the battlefield in goat-drawn chariots.
  The Arczeckhi believe that force determines reality. 
  Only a blooded Arczeckh is real; all other entities are 
  nazackh, a word that means both “weak” and “unreal.” 
  However, an Arczeckh is less real than anything or 
  anyone that can best him in combat. By convention, 
  a superior never uses the name of an inferior. Doing so 
  elevates them to the same rank. By contrast, an inferior 
  regularly uses the name of his superiors, as a way of 
  showing deference. The chiefs of the tribes, then, are 
  those Arczeckhi whom everyone addresses by name.
  Arczeckh tribes often become minions for Fair Folk, 
  rogue Dragon-Blooded and other powerful persons who 
  seek power over barbarians. Elementals, small gods and 
  powerful ghosts can ensnare whole tribes. These barbar-
  ians are easily ruled through cruelty, so their masters 
  often assert power through the regular sacrifice of the 
  tribe’s weakest non-persons: the old and the young.
  The Fair Folk tend to use Arczeckh tribes as ex-
  pendable pawns. The raksha find Arczeckh dreams 
  rather tedious and unpalatable. They see little point 
  in subjugating an entire tribe when every person only 
  wants to see their family and neighbors mutilated or 
  killed. Instead of feeding on the Arczeckhi, Fair Folk 
  more often subjugate a tribe to send the barbarians 
  against some other foe.
  Spirits are rarely so discriminating. The Arczeckhi 
  build virtually no buildings at all, except for small shrines 
  to the gods who entrap them. These shrines generally 
  consist of huts woven of bones and sticks, adorned with 
  the entrails and organs of small game and unfortunate 
  travelers. Altars of uncut stones litter Arczeckh lands, 
  and most of them show signs of recent, bloody sacrifice. 
  To fall into the hands of a religiously-minded Arczeckh 
  is almost worse than being caught by a hungry one. One 
  of the few people to speak on this subject from experi-
  ence, Lysander of Great Forks, recalls that he lost four 
  fingers from one hand and the other arm below the 
  wrist, when the Arczeckhi who captured him started 
  arguing about which god deserved him as a sacrifice. 
  His companions thus had time to rescue him.
  Because Arczeckhi seek chances to kill each other 
  as a way to show their power and dominance, the rude 
  huts of their encampments stand 30 yards or more away 
  from each other. Each shack has a fenced enclosure, 
  adorned with bits of the occupant’s kills, such as noses, 
  ears and scalps from conquered victims. Arczeckhi of 
  greater cunning build simple booby traps to slay the 
  unwary visitor, such as stake traps or leg traps in the 
  hut’s “yard” or dropfalls above the doorway. (See the 
  rules and examples of traps in Scroll of Kings, starting 
  p. 153.) Each hut has a small firepit at the center, and is 
  usually partly dug into the ground so that the occupant 
  is not at risk of a crude spear stabbing her in her sleep 
  through the hut’s flimsy walls.
  The Horde lacks much in the way of non-violent 
  activities. Few Arczeckhi are artisans of any kind. 
  Their territory has copper and tin deposits, so Arc-
  zeckh smiths hammer out crude hammers, blades, 
  spearpoints and arrowheads in exchange for meat. 
  Other artisans fashion beads and bone ornaments as 
  gifts to the spirits or their superiors. Arczeckhi cut and 
  stitch simple clothing out of skins and pilfered cloth. 
  Possessions of greater sophistication come from the 
  murder of travelers or as payment for doing another 
  person’s brigandage.
  Arczeckhi have no marriage rites or funeral cer-
  emonies. A dead Arczeckh is most likely eaten; only a 
  few great chiefs are ever thought real enough to war-
  rant burial, and most of these had spirit guides willing 
  to look out for their interests among the living. Males 
  and females alike force partners into sex, as well: loyalty 
  and fidelity are unknown among them. Some savants 
  believe that the Arczeckhi are such beasts because they 
  do not remember love.
  The civilized people of the Scavenger Lands view 
  the Arczeckhi as horrific bogeymen. Mothers terrify 
  children into obedience by promising them to the 
  Arczeckhi. Now and then, someone tries to organize 
  an international campaign to exterminate the Horde. 
  Great Forks and Lookshy each mounted at least one 
  unilateral attempt to destroy these monsters. These 
  efforts obviously failed, largely due to the logistical 
  difficulties of vast armies fighting paranoid bands of 
  creatures who do not even trust each other, on their 
  home ground. Eighty years ago, the Wyld Hunt used 
  the Arczeckhi as practice targets before hunting an 
  escaped Solar, and lost 77 men as a result of their 
  overconfidence.
  HURGAA’S HORDE
  Description: This Arczeckh band is somewhat 
  larger than usual, a result of its leader being somewhat 
  smarter and stronger than the usual Arczeckh. Hurgaa 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  grasps the idea of killing people for money. Recently 
  he made the conceptual leap to not killing people for 
  money. Every now and then he sends a group of his 
  warriors to towns on the edge of Arczeckh territory and 
  asks how much they’ll pay for his horde not to attack. 
  The lowest bid gets ravaged.
  Most of Hurgaa’s Horde consists of light infantry. 
  They ride to the place they intend to loot in yeddim-
  drawn wagons, then run about killing everyone they 
  can find and grabbing anything that takes their 
  fancy. A fifth of the Horde rides the yeddim and 
  another tenth (including Hurgaa himself) rides in 
  chariots. Their arms are the same, though: spears 
  and self bows with broadhead arrows. At any given 
  time, though, half the melee fighters simply use 
  their own claws. (See the Arczeckh description on 
  p. 151.) Hurgaa can detach yeddim-mounted groups 
  or charioteers as secondary units to take advantage 
  of their greater mobility.
  Commanding Officer: Hurgaa
  Armor Color: Crudely stitched yeddim hide, equal to 
  buff jackets, stained red
  Motto: “Kill!”
  General Makeup: 500 light infantry with spears and 
  self bows.
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude: 5
  Drill: 1
  Close Combat Attack: 3 Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Attack: 2 
  Ranged Damage: 2
  Endurance: 4 
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 2 (-1 mobility)
  Morale: 3
  Formation: Hurgaa whips his troops into skirmish 
  formation to begin the invasion of a town or the first 
  charge against a foe, but he soon lets the Arczeckhi 
  follow their natural inclination to unordered forma-
  tion. He has five heroes who can take command of 
  subsidiary units, and five chariot-riding relays who 
  blow signals on horns. Hurgaa looks for ways to get his 
  heroes killed, since he knows that each of them wants 
  to kill and replace him.
  FARHOLD AND THE TEN TRIBES
  Where the upper reaches of the Maruto River flow 
  through the Eastern forest, one culture is destroying 
  another. For six centuries, the Ten Tribes of the Oak 
  held this region. This confederation protected the forest 
  at the behest of their god Elder Oak, one of the forest 
  walkers. In return, Elder Oak protected them and the 
  forest sustained them.
  The growing cities of the Scavenger Lands needed 
  timber for construction. The Ten Tribes and Elder Oak 
  drove back lumberjacks who ventured up the Maruto 
  River. In time, however, explorers found a path around 
  the tribes. They found tall, straight, strong hardwoods, 
  including valuable stands of ironwood. Logging camps 
  sent rafts of timber downstream. A hundred years ago, 
  the settlers of Farhold cleared a circle of trees and turned 
  their camp into a village.
  For a while, the Ten Tribes and their god felled 
  Farholders faster than they felled trees. The loggers 
  sued for peace and sent a Terrestrial sorcerer to nego-
  tiate with Elder Oak. They offered the forest walker 
  HORDES FOR HIRE
  The Arczeckh Horde survives for another 
  reason besides the difficulty of finding them all: 
  they are sometimes useful. If you have a diplomat 
  tough enough to march into an Arczeckh camp 
  and survive, it’s ridiculously easy to recruit the 
  tribe to attack your enemies. Just say how plump 
  and weak the people are in the target village, town, 
  county or kingdom, and give the tribal leaders 
  some metal weapons and shiny trinkets with a 
  promise of more after the massacre.
  Other tribes serve as hordes for hire as well, but 
  none operate with the savagery of the Arczeckhi, 
  or as cheaply. Indeed, some “barbarians” rent their 
  military assets as cannily as any Nexus mercenary 
  company… and may even keep well-staffed offices 
  in Nexus for the customer’s convenience.
  
  104
  a deal: fields for the new town and timber for their 
  trading partners downstream, and a fine new temple 
  for Elder Oak.
  And Elder Oak betrayed the Ten Tribes. The 
  forest walker remembered civilization from the First 
  Age, and the wealth an organized society brings to 
  the altars of its gods—far more than a few tribes can 
  offer. Why settle for a tribe, when he could have 
  a city? Or even a nation, as in Halta? Elder Oak 
  withdrew his protection and his gifts of power from 
  the Ten Tribes’ shamans. He became the patron god 
  of Farhold.
  The Tribes reeled from the shock. No longer could 
  their shamans aid them against the loggers, let alone 
  hostile elementals or other supernatural threats. Bows 
  and blowguns were no match for Terrestrial sorcerers 
  flanked by steel-armored soldiers. Little by little, the 
  circle around Farhold grew and the lands of the Ten 
  Tribes shrank.
  THE FORSAKEN TRIBES
  Elder Oak’s betrayal shattered the tribal confedera-
  tion. All they ever had in common were their customs 
  and Elder Oak. Bereft of their god, they sought some 
  new meaning and plan for their lives.
  COUNTERATTACK
  Three tribes—the Red Scars, the Get of the Tigress 
  and the Devil Braids—continue the fight against Farhold. 
  They hold the central, eastern portion of the Tribes’ 
  territory. The Red Scars lead the alliance. They wear 
  two ruddy slash-mark tattoos across each cheek below 
  the eyes. They are also the fiercest of the three tribes.
  The tribes had little success, though. A few years 
  ago, however, the tribes gained a new leader: Dark Eyes, 
  a Lunar Exalt who shares their determination to sweep 
  civilization from the forest. Under the Lunar’s leadership, 
  the tribal warriors now at least prevent further expansion 
  of logging in their section of the forest, while Dark Eyes 
  picks off Farhold’s leaders and champions one by one. 
  They conduct a war of ambush against the loggers. Often 
  they lead troops sent against them into killing-zones 
  riddled with deadly traps, while the warriors pop up from 
  cleverly-hidden tunnels or attack from the trees.
  The three tribes try to hold to their ancient customs. 
  They still perform the dances of their ancestors, sing the 
  old songs and tell the old tales. Dark Eyes forbids any 
  participation in the slave trade. Everything else about 
  their culture is changing, though, as enmity to Farhold 
  consumes their existence. Even if they recover all their 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  ancient territory, they will not be Tribes of the Oak; 
  they will be Tribes of Dark Eyes. Most members of the 
  Red Scars accept this and indeed are proud to follow 
  the powerful Lunar. The Get of the Tigress and the 
  Devil Braids are not so happy about their subordination 
  to the Red Scars, for the Tribes each have their own 
  chiefs. Dark Eyes brooks little dissent, though; it is hard 
  to avoid the demands of an almost-god.
  CAPITULATION
  The Green Shadow and Axe of Judgment tribes live 
  north of Farhold. Devastated by Elder Oak’s betrayal, 
  they initially tried to regain their god’s favor by imitating 
  the “magic” of Farhold. They cut down trees themselves 
  and floated them downstream with their prayers. Even-
  tually, the Farholders recruited them to scout the forest 
  for timber that meets their requirements.
  When a few tribal members visited Farhold with 
  war-captive slaves in tow, the two tribes learned about 
  the slave trade. Again, they decided to imitate the ways 
  of the powerful invaders. The two tribes now wage 
  ceaseless war against the other eight, and each other, 
  taking captives to sell to the Guild. The tribes obtain 
  metal weapons and other products of civilization, and 
  considerable wealth—but the reward they value most 
  is access to Elder Oak’s new temple.
  COMPROMISE
  The Sky Runners and the Nine Ravens live south 
  of Farhold under their chiefs, Timurish Star Eye and 
  Vahael Blackfeather. These two tribes gave up the fight 
  against the loggers. Instead, they try to profit from them. 
  They gather medicinal or intoxicating plants, hunt for 
  furs, and war on other tribes to capture slaves. Compro-
  mise with Farhold brings them benefits in the form of 
  shinier trinkets and better tools and weapons. However, 
  OUT OF THE PAST
  The tribes’ traditions say they came to the 
  Maruto River region from a place to the south. 
  If anyone followed the directions given in the 
  song-line remembered by their elders, she would 
  come to Sperimin—or as it’s called now, Ma-
  halanka. Dark Eyes gained credibility because 
  he came to them along the ancient trail, not 
  just because of his raw power.
  Dark Eyes serves Raksi, Queen of Fangs. 
  What she wants with the Ten Tribes is anyone’s 
  guess. See pages 142-144 for a further description 
  of Dark Eyes.
  WAR, THEN AND NOW
  The Ten Tribes used to conduct their wars 
  in a highly ritualized fashion. They counted coup 
  with feather-ornamented wands more often than 
  they actually killed each other. Such customs are 
  substantially dead. Dark Eyes’ militants make war 
  only to kill, whether Farholders or other tribes 
  they regard as allies of the loggers. Four other 
  tribes now make war with clubs, nets and bolas 
  as well as spears, to take prisoners and kill anyone 
  who tries to prevent them. These forms of war 
  are new enough, however, that a powerful warrior 
  who challenges them in the old ways might still 
  make some tribal members feel shame.
  it also brings alcohol, unfamiliar drugs and discontent 
  between tribal members who grow wealthy and those 
  who do not. Still, they try to preserve as many of their 
  customs as they can, and stay out of Farhold itself. The 
  tribes replace Elder Oak’s patronage with a group of 
  small gods related to hunting, certain poisonous and 
  medicinal plants, and a few tree-gods gradually refining 
  their Essence toward forest walker status. Together, this 
  confederation of gods and mortals stands against Dark 
  Eyes—largely by keeping out of his way.
  COLLAPSE
  The Bone Faces, Wolf Eyes and Endless Branches 
  tribes shattered. The three tribes now consist of small 
  family groups wandering the woodlands, driven from 
  one place to another by the stronger tribes or the log-
  gers. Murder is rife among them, for they have no law to 
  define their lives. They are easy prey for slavers—and for 
  whatever small god or elemental demands their worship. 
  Bewildered by Elder Oak’s abandonment, they search for 
  new patrons and submit to anything a spirit asks of them. 
  Now and then, a spirit-possessed member of these tribes 
  terrifies Farhold loggers with displays of spirit powers. 
  The populations of the shattered tribes steadily decline, 
  however. Barring intervention by some greater power, 
  in another 20 years the tribes will be extinct—killed, 
  sold as slaves or absorbed into other tribes.
  TEN TRIBES WAR BAND
  Description: Actually, these warriors come from only 
  three tribes, but they claim to fight on behalf of all ten. 
  They are expert at sneaking though the woods and setting 
  up ambushes; they wear light armor made from leather 
  and ironwood and carry bucklers of the same materials. 
  Most of their weapons—short bows, short swords, short 
  
  106
  spears or axes, chosen for wielding in possibly dense 
  forest—are made from ironwood as well.
  See Scroll of Kings, page 115, for the effects of 
  trap-filled killing zones on mass combat. Alter-
  natively, give the unit +1 Might to represent 
  the advantage of luring an enemy force into 
  terrain riddled with ambush holes, pungi 
  stakes, dropfalls and other traps.
  Commanding Officer: Ashivol Hanged-
  Three
  Armor Color: Green-dyed leather 
  and ironwood
  lding in possibly dense
  d as well.
  115, for the effects ofofof 
  ss combat. Alteer-r-r-r-
  ht to represennt t t t 
  my force into o 
  holes, ppungii 
  s.
  ol HHanged-
  atheer r r r 
  COUP STICKS, CHIEFS 
  AND CHALLENGES
  Each tribe once had its 
  own chief, who rose to power 
  through the support of an 
  oath-sworn war band. These 
  followers accompanied the 
  chief everywhere, brandish-
  ing their coup sticks to show 
  the chief’s power. A warrior’s 
  coup stick carried feathers 
  to symbolize the enemies he 
  humbled, or that his father or 
  grandfather defeated. A warrior who 
  had about as many feathers on his coup stick as 
  the chief could issue a challenge to replace him. 
  Alternatively, a tribe could replace a deeply 
  unpopular chief by poisoning him. A chief’s war 
  band therefore also served as his food-tasters. 
  The Sky Runners, Nine Ravens, Green Shadow 
  and Axe of Judgment tribes still keep the old 
  trappings of chiefdom, though wealth now 
  matters more in the latter two tribes. So do the 
  militants’ chiefs, but they actually retain their 
  power only because Dark Eyes says they do.
  Every tribe also had a chief shaman, the only 
  one permitted to pray for an audience with Elder 
  Oak; lesser shamans met the forest walker only 
  when he deigned to visit them. The chief shamans 
  also had a system of challenges to establish rank-
  ings, but theirs involved seeing who could take 
  the largest doses of hallucinogens and still sing 
  sacred songs. The remaining tribes preserve the 
  challenges and a profound knowledge of herbal 
  drugs. Medicines and poisons, but again, much of 
  the meaning is lost.
  Motto: “Cut the tree-cutters.”
  General Makeup: 50 light infantry with 
  short bows and broadhead arrows, mixed 
  light weapons and bucklers.
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill: 2
  Close Combat Attack: 3
  Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Attack: 3 
  Ranged Damage: 2
  Endurance: 5 
  Might: 0 Armor: 1 
  (-1 mobility)
  Morale: 3
  Formation: The tribal 
  warriors typically 
  fight in skirmish 
  formation. 
  T h e i r 
  l e a d e r , 
  Ashivol, is the sub-chief 
  of their village. The war band includes two extraor-
  dinarily skilled archers who function as sorcerers. 
  Standard practice for the war band is to begin an 
  ambush with a volley of arrows poisoned with arrow 
  frog venom (see Exalted, p. 131). They do not poison 
  subsequent arrows, as this takes too much time from 
  moving and shooting.
  FARHOLD
  From a logging camp, Farhold has grown into a town 
  of 8,000 people. A sturdy ironwood palisade surrounds the 
  town. Naturally, all the buildings are made of wood.
  The stockade is built near the banks of the Maruto 
  River. On the river itself are docks, ramps and yards for 
  raw timber. For about five miles out from Farhold, the 
  land is a patchwork of farm-fields and orchards. Copses 
  of young oak trees also grow; all their acorns are sweet, a 
  blessing Elder Oak once gave to the Ten Tribes. Acorns 
  now equal grain as a staple food in Farhold.
  Farhold is a company town, though not just one 
  company. The Golden Axe Brotherhood, out of Nexus, 
  sponsors most of the loggers. Its factor, a retired logger 
  called Faldo “Handy” Honsir, doubles as the town’s 
  
  107
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  mayor. Numerous wildcatters operated from Farhold 
  as well. A middle-aged outcaste Earth Aspect, named 
  Copper Purity but usually called Queen Sledge for her fa-
  vorite weapon, serves as sheriff and chief of defense.
  Keeping a semblance of order in Farhold is almost 
  as hard as fighting the Red Scars. It’s a rough frontier 
  town full of gambling dens, saloons and brothels where 
  lumberjacks can blow their pay. All three establishments 
  tend to cause fights as well. Queen Sledge breaks up 
  the fights, and sometimes the buildings.
  ELDER OAK’S CULT
  The center of town holds Elder Oak’s temple, built 
  entirely of his namesake wood and magnificently carved. 
  More young oak trees surround it. Inside, silver, gold 
  and jewels adorn his new altar, which stands before a 
  10-foot-tall model oak tree plated with these substances. 
  Priests hired by the Golden Axe Brotherhood burn costly 
  incense in the forest walker’s honor and pour the blood 
  of sacrificial beasts around the roots of the sacred trees 
  outside. Loggers write their prayers on strips of paper for 
  the priests to hang from the jeweled tree within.
  Elder Oak demands more than prayers and offer-
  ings from the Farholders; he abandoned the Ten Tribes 
  but not the forest itself. He asks that the lumberjacks 
  perform the same tasks he once assigned to the Ten 
  Tribes: to thin out underbrush, fallen branches and 
  other fire hazards; to fight fires; and to watch for sick 
  or damaged trees. The lumberjacks must spare trees 
  associated with Elder Oak’s spiritual cronies (thus 
  giving small gods and elementals greater incentive to 
  curry his favor). He forbids clearcutting, but permits 
  cutting of roads through the forest. The lumberjacks 
  also must plant three seedling trees for every one they 
  cut. Farhold’s fields now include nurseries for oak, 
  ash and ironwood, while less valuable trees gradually 
  decline in the forest.
  The forest walker enjoys nigh-universal worship 
  from the Farholders. The only attempt at serious 
  competition comes from Righteous Lily, a lone Im-
  maculate monk—mortal, not Dragon-Blooded—who 
  runs a storefront shrine-cum-charity clinic in town. 
  Her congregation numbers in the high teens, though 
  it includes one tribesman who teaches her about the 
  local herbal medicine.
  MAHALANKA, THE CITY OF A 
  THOUSAND GOLDEN DELIGHTS
  Farhold and the arboreal cities of Halta merely 
  return urban civilization to a land that once boasted 
  some of the mightiest and most magnificent urban 
  centers in Creation. Most of those cities are nothing 
  but tumbled stones clutched by tree roots or wrapped in 
  vines. A few cities, however, were so great that mighty 
  wars, horrific plagues and the ever-hungry forest could 
  not destroy them.
  There is still power in some of these cities. And 
  some powerful persons want to use that power for dark 
  and terrible ends.
  Deep in the Southeastern jungle lurk the remains 
  of the fabled city of Sperimin, once the preeminent 
  Farhold, a Magnitude 2 Dominion
  Military: 2 
  Government: 2 Culture: 2
  Abilities: Awareness 1, Bureaucracy 2 (Well-Placed Bribe +2), Craft 2 (Rally Artisans +2), Integrity 1, 
  Occult 1, Presence 2 (Religious Conversions +2), War 2 (Mercenary Champion +2)
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Temperance 2, Valor 3
  Virtue Flaw: Conviction 
  Current Limit: 5
  Willpower: 7
  Bonus Points: 10 
  External Bonus Points: 6
  Notes: Farhold’s bonus points come from the support of the Golden Axe Brotherhood and its clients 
  downriver. These points provide Farhold’s second dot in Government and its Bureaucracy, Craft and War 
  specialties. The dominion’s external bonus points come from the pact with Elder Oak: they pay for the sec-
  ond dot of Presence and the Presence specialty dots. Faldo Honsir can act as a sorcerer with legitimacy.
  Farhold exists because its people follow a dream with all their heart and soul: to make lots of money cut-
  ting down trees. The Farholders don’t give a crap about much else, and actively despise the Ten Tribes. 
  In Limit Break, the loggers go on an orgy of clearcutting and burning, trying to rip out all the value from 
  the forest they can while forcing out the tribal remnants. At that point, Elder Oak may reconsider his 
  deal with Farhold.
  
  108
  center of learning in all Creation. Few savants now 
  remember the location of Sperimin. Even fewer know 
  it became the forbidden city of Mahalanka, where the 
  Anathema Raksi, Queen of Fangs, rules over her beast-
  men and barbarian subjects. In accordance with Raksi’s 
  wishes, few if any of her people even know the name 
  Sperimin… and none would dare to speak it.
  HISTORY
  The Exalted built Sperimin early in the First Age. 
  It rose to become the greatest center of learning in 
  Creation, though it never became a complete city. 
  Rather, Sperimin was the collective name given to 12 
  enormous, interconnected colleges whose faculties, 
  student bodies and support staff numbered in the tens 
  of thousands. Virtually all of Sperimin was devoted 
  to education and research: even the local militia was 
  essentially a campus security force, albeit one with 
  several thousand personnel armed with state-of-the-art 
  First Age weapons.
  Sperimin’s focus on education became its un-
  doing. In its heyday, the preeminent faculty and 
  administrators of the colleges were powerful gods, 
  spirits and, of course, Celestial Exalted. The Usur-
  pation robbed Sperimin of its Exalted instructors, 
  and its divine faculty refused to obey mere Dragon-
  Blooded. Sperimin’s academic prowess collapsed 
  almost overnight. As the vast flow of students 
  slowed to a trickle, Sperimin had to lay off much of 
  its support staff, which then left the area for other 
  work. By the time the Great Contagion struck, Sper-
  imin’s population was less than 10,000. According 
  to the handful of refugees who made it out to more 
  civilized areas, less than 300 humans still dwelled 
  in the vast empty campuses of Sperimin, farming in 
  the old gardens, when Raksi and her armies arrived 
  to claim the city. Although Raksi encourages her 
  people to breed prolifically, Sperimin (since renamed 
  Mahalanka by its new queen) is still home to fewer 
  than 75,000 beings. It is the City of a Thousand 
  Golden Delights, but for Raksi alone.
  THE QUEEN OF FANGS
  Raksi rules Mahalanka with an iron fist, but in a 
  manner both baffling and frustrating to her colleagues 
  in the Silver Pact. Obviously, Mahalanka is a treasure 
  trove of ancient lore. It is only fitting that a Lunar of 
  Raksi’s genius should rule over it. However, the Queen of 
  Fangs shows little support for the goals of the Silver Pact; 
  the society she built has little purpose save venerating 
  Raksi herself. The Crossroads Society, an alliance of 
  Lunar sorcerers, counts Raksi as one of its members, and 
  she seems to show greater patience for scholarly Lunars 
  than others of their society. However, she refuses every 
  entreaty to make Mahalanka’s resources—especially the 
  legendary Book of Three Circles—freely available to the 
  Society or to any other Lunar faction.
  Some younger Lunar scholars argue that in view of 
  Raksi’s evident madness, the Silver Pact should seize 
  the city and its mystical resources for the good of all 
  Lunars. The Lunar elders thus far reject such arguments 
  for three reasons.
  First, the elders respect Raksi for her personal 
  renown. She played a crucial role in devising the 
  moonsilver tattoos that saved the entire Lunar host 
  from being lost to the Wyld during their long exile. 
  All Lunars therefore owe her a debt of gratitude they 
  can never repay.
  Second, the general precepts of the Thousand 
  Streams River project, to which most Lunar elders sub-
  scribe, give all Lunars wide latitude in how they shape 
  the societies they choose to guide. While Mahalanka 
  obviously does not work well as a functioning society, it 
  is not such a failure that it demands the unprecedented 
  step of replacing its Lunar mistress by force.
  The third reason for ignoring Mahalanka goes un-
  spoken, even though it is probably the most valid: fear. 
  By the time of the Contagion, Raksi was already the 
  most powerful Lunar sorcerer still alive. Since then, she 
  spent seven centuries honing her powers and mastering 
  the secrets of the Book of Three Circles. Mahalanka’s de-
  fenses include no less than four Second Circle demons 
  permanently bound to defend the city from any who would 
  attack it or its mistress. The Sidereals know what goes on in 
  Mahalanka, and they make no moves against Raksi. The 
  Lunars, whose position in Creation is far more precarious, 
  simply have no realistic hope of supplanting her at this 
  time. And so, the elders wait, watch and hope the Queen 
  of Fangs never discovers the final, ultimate secret that 
  still eludes her: mastery of Solar Circle Sorcery.
  THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE
  Modern savants sometimes speak of “the ruins of 
  lost Sperimin.” Such savants betray their ignorance. 
  True, most of Sperimin is gone: all the commonplace 
  homes, workshops, markets, temples and civic build-
  ings fell long ago and the jungle claimed them. The 
  structures that mattered to Sperimin’s exalted masters, 
  however, were made to last the ages. The main streets 
  of Sperimin were forged of imperishable adamant 
  glass. The 12 great colleges were built of adamant, 
  spell-reinforced stone, and metal wedded to skeletons 
  of jade-steel. Powerful geomantic effects that survive 
  
  109
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  the passage of centuries keep these streets and buildings 
  clean of debris and vegetation. Even bird droppings that 
  land in the streets magically clean themselves within 
  minutes. Bare ground in the city, however, burgeons 
  with riotous jungle: pristine towers of porcelain and 
  glass rise amid rubber trees and lianas.
  Six distinct breeds populate Mahalanka. The larg-
  est population consists of humans, albeit degenerate 
  barbarian humans. These descend from indigenous 
  tribes whose ancestors fell into barbarism during the 
  post-Contagion collapse of Shogunate culture and who 
  were later conquered and assimilated by Raksi’s forces. 
  Others descend from Wyld barbarians who swore al-
  legiance to Raksi during the Lunar’s long exile in the 
  Wyld. Most of these Wyld barbarians carry a simian 
  aspect, with mutations such as prehensile tails and fur. 
  About 35,000 human and Wyld-tainted barbarians live 
  in and around Mahalanka. The city’s other four tribes 
  consist of the four distinct breeds of beastmen bred 
  by Raksi during her exile. They include a number of 
  her direct children, who often become Half-Castes—
  mortals who inherit the ability to channel Essence from 
  a powerful Exalted parent the same way God-Blooded 
  mortals inherit it from a divine parent.
  The black-furred apemen typically stand about 
  eight feet tall and are incredibly strong and durable. 
  They are also preternaturally disposed to violence (a 
  distinct change from their great ape ancestors): most 
  of them, male and female, serve Raksi as enforcers to 
  keep the other Mahalankans in line. About 6,000 ape-
  men live in the city.
  Orangutanmen are roughly human-sized with 
  shaggy orange fur. Although they are a little stronger 
  than humans, they are fairly intelligent and fiercely 
  loyal to Raksi. She dotes on her orangutanmen follow-
  ers and regularly beds them during ritual orgies, with 
  the result that there are more Half-Caste orangutan-
  men than any other breed. Mahalanka holds about 
  4,000 orangutanmen.
  The baboonmen are the most intelligent of Raksi’s 
  followers, which for her is perhaps a mark against them. 
  The baboonmen perform most every mundane job in 
  Mahalanka. Most of the savants and sages in the city are 
  baboons, although Raksi forbids them to learn thauma-
  turgy. Baboonmen stand slightly shorter than humans 
  but the typical baboonman has an intellect comparable 
  to the typical mortal; many of them are quite learned. 
  About 8,000 baboonmen live in the city.
  
  110
  The last and least of Raksi’s beastman races are the 
  monkeymen, who typically stand less than three feet 
  tall. Nearly 20,000 monkeymen live in Mahalanka, 
  but their limited intellect, poor Essence breeding and 
  diminutive stature place them at the bottom of the city’s 
  social structure, below that of even mortals.
  THE LIBRARY OF SPERIMIN
  In the center of Mahalanka stands the Library of 
  Sperimin, the largest library ever built in Creation. 
  The Library is a hexagonal, 40-story building with 12 
  parapets capped with magical materials and a massive 
  orichalcum dome over its center. The main collection 
  has precisely one million imperishable volumes with 
  spider-silk pages and moonsilver-steel covers. Subjects 
  range from textbooks and reference materials to First 
  Age novels and poetry. Every year, the Library shut 
  down during Calibration, during which the one million 
  books actually rewrote themselves at the direction of 
  the librarians according to which books had been most 
  requested Creation-wide in the previous year. However, 
  the library has not been updated in this manner since 
  the city’s fall, and so the million volumes in its stacks 
  represent the most commonly requested books for the 
  year before the Contagion. Most volumes are in Old 
  Realm. None contain any sorcery spells.
  The supplemental collection is even larger, though 
  in worse repair. These volumes are in every format 
  known to the Old Realm, from clay tablets to memory 
  crystals, and some books did not survive the millennia 
  well. (See The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders 
  of the Lost Age, pp. 21-23, for more about the Library 
  and its contents.)
  When the library was fully functional, patrons could 
  request a given volume from the library staff that, in 
  turn, forwarded the request to small gods who existed 
  for no purpose except to fetch books. The books were 
  never organized in any coherent manner since the li-
  brary spirits could intuitively find any book requested. 
  Unfortunately, those spirits fled the city during the 
  Contagion. In their absence, finding anything in the 
  library is a monumental undertaking.
  Although any book in the library’s collection 
  could be requested, patrons were not allowed to take 
  books outside the building. For a small fee, however, 
  an automated system could make a copy of any book, 
  which was the patron’s to keep. Although this auto-
  mated system still functions, its command routines are 
  long since forgotten, and its animating intelligence (or 
  AI) does not recognize the commands of anyone other 
  than the long-dead library staff.
  Persons who attempt to leave the building with any 
  volumes must contend with an automated anti-theft 
  system operated by the library’s AI. This AI manifests 
  as a spirit in the form of 12-year-old girl called Manon, 
  which was the name of the daughter of the Chief 
  Librarian at the time of the Contagion (a personal af-
  fectation, as the AI’s interface could be easily changed, 
  and usually was at the Chief Librarian’s whim). Manon 
  can follow a stolen book anywhere in the city. Once 
  she locates the thief, she politely but firmly instructs 
  him to return the stolen volume. Failure to do so (or 
  any sort of attack against Manon) activates a force of 
  144 brass legionnaires (see The Books of Sorcery, 
  Vol. I—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 103) that assist 
  Manon in recovering the stolen book and take the 
  thief into custody.
  Persons captured by the automatons are placed in 
  small but comfortable holding cells in the command 
  center for the city guard until such time as the Chief 
  Librarian instructs the AI to release the prisoner. 
  Since the Chief Librarian is dead, the AI does not 
  recognize the authority of anyone to order the release 
  of a prisoner. In the centuries since the Contagion, 
  a dozen or so would-be intruders have died in those 
  holding cells—all of old age, as the automated systems 
  keep prisoners comfortable and fed, even going so far 
  as to provide medical assistance and physical restraint 
  in the case of suicide attempts. Raksi could probably 
  override the AI’s control systems, or even reprogram 
  it to acknowledge her or one of her minions as the 
  new Chief Librarian. She has simply not bothered to 
  do so, mainly because she considers the Library to be 
  her personal possession, and anyone who tries to steal 
  from her deserves what he gets.
  The top five floors of the Library contain the former 
  rooms of the Chief Librarian and the city governor. 
  These levels also constitute a 5-dot Solar manse and 
  are the home of both The Book of Three Circles and 
  Raksi herself. The manse’s Hearthstone is the Gem of 
  Brigid, which reduces the time for Shape Sorcery Ac-
  tions by -1 tick (so that Emerald Circle spells require 
  one 4-tick shaping action, while Sapphire Circle spells 
  require two 4-tick actions).
  The three-volume Book of Three Circles can be 
  found in the manse’s hearthroom. Each volume rests 
  on a podium. The first volume rests on a podium carved 
  from a single giant emerald, while the second sits on 
  a similar podium cut from a giant sapphire, and the 
  third is of solid adamant. A single AI, known simply 
  as “the Keeper,” controls all of the manse’s functions, 
  
  111
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  including access to The Book of Three Circles. While 
  the Keeper recognizes Raksi’s authority over it due to 
  her Old Realm status, the AI does not permit any lesser 
  being to so much as touch one of the books’ covers 
  without Raksi’s permission or a direct order from the 
  Solar Deliberative or the head of the School of Sor-
  cery. Even Raksi herself is not allowed to peruse the 
  third volume, as she cannot practice Adamant Circle 
  sorcery. Not even the Queen of Fangs dares to tamper 
  with the Keeper’s functions for fear of triggering the 
  powerful defenses of The Book of Three Circles.
  The Keeper is a 5-dot AI (see The Books of 
  Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the First Age, p. 146), 
  but has access to every Emerald Circle spell contained 
  within the Book and can cast them freely with the Es-
  sence cost paid directly from the city’s power grid itself. 
  The Keeper manifests as an elderly savant fashioned of 
  origami. Initially reticent about allowing the obviously 
  deranged Raksi to read from the Book, the Keeper was 
  worn down by Raksi’s powerful Social and Mental 
  Charms. It is now nearly as insane as she is, although 
  its programming still bars it from simply granting her 
  access to the Adamant Circle volume. When Raksi 
  does not actively study the secrets of the Book, she 
  sometimes regales the Keeper with tales of bloodshed 
  and grotesquerie. In exchange, the Keeper hints at the 
  lost secrets of the third volume, those that only the an-
  cient Solars knew, and whispers to her of the Adamant 
  Circle spells that are just beyond her reach.
  THE TWELVE COLLEGES
  The Library of Sperimin rises at the center of a 
  circular courtyard nearly a quarter-mile in radius, ringed 
  by 12 open gates. Each gate leads to the Twelve Col-
  leges, each held in a single sprawling and magnificent 
  building. The dormitories and support buildings around 
  their bases are long gone. Each college was devoted 
  to a different area of academic endeavor: Agriculture, 
  the Arts, Cosmology and Theology, Engineering and 
  Architecture, Government, History, Martial Arts, 
  Medicine, Military Science, Mining and Metallurgy, 
  Sorcery and Thaumaturgy, and Trade. See The Books 
  of Sorcery, Vol. II—The White Treatise, pp. 32-33, 
  for a description of the Sixfold Spire, the college of 
  Sorcery and Thaumaturgy. The other 11 colleges were 
  equally wondrous in Sperimin’s heyday, and led by 
  Solars as eminent in their fields as the Sixfold Spire’s 
  headmasters Devon and Salina. In life, for instance, the 
  First and Forsaken Lion knew the College of Military 
  Science very well… and its buildings may still hold 
  secrets about him.
  Most of Sperimin’s classrooms and study areas 
  have remained empty since before the Contagion. The 
  current population is a fraction of what the facilities 
  were designed to teach, and has little use for most of 
  the educational resources. Some of the colleges have a 
  lively population even today but the level of academic 
  discourse is, sadly, much declined.
  The adjacent Colleges of Martial Arts and Military 
  Science house the barracks for the apemen. Although 
  Raksi herself eschews the finer points of physical com-
  bat, she is a bloodthirsty warrior if moved to battle, and 
  she numbers a few combat-oriented Lunars among her 
  followers. These subordinates act as her generals and 
  also as the martial arts instructors for the more puissant 
  of her apemen followers. Raksi’s blood runs strong in 
  her children—nearly one in 100 among Mahalanka’s 
  beastman population is Half-Caste (and as many as one 
  in 50 orangutanmen), and scores of apemen have been 
  initiated into Terrestrial martial arts.
  Orangutanmen make up the priests of Raksi’s cult, 
  and they mainly confine themselves to cloisters within 
  the College of Cosmology and Theology. Raksi’s religion 
  is a simple one: she is beautiful and divine, and there 
  is no purpose in life but to adore her. As a practical 
  matter, this means that the orangutanmen are not so 
  much priests as secret police, constantly spying on the 
  other breeds (and each other) for any hint of insuffi-
  cient devotion to the Queen of Fangs. The most loyal 
  orangutans serve as attendants to Raksi in the Great 
  Library, where she instructs Half-Caste orangutans in 
  common thaumaturgy.
  The baboonmen constitute the savants of Mahalan-
  ka, as well as much of its worker caste. They are also the 
  breed of beastman most likely to view Raksi analytically 
  instead of through the lens of religious devotion, and 
  anyone who does so can’t help but see that she is mad. 
  That realization does little to help the baboonmen: even 
  a mad Exalt can rarely be denied. The baboonmen can 
  be found throughout Mahalanka. Baboon farmers toil 
  on the grounds of the College of Agriculture (Raksi 
  does not bother to restore its advanced agricultural 
  and hydroponic facilities). Baboon smiths work in the 
  foundries of the College of Mining and Metallurgy to 
  produce more weapons for the apemen militia. The 
  most learned of the baboonmen seek to recover the 
  lost sciences of the College of Medicine. Raksi bars all 
  but her most loyal orangutan priests from the Sixfold 
  Spire, however, and the baboons chafe at being denied 
  the ancient secrets of applied thaumaturgy.
  Some baboonmen are completely loyal to Raksi, 
  or at least enamored of the benefits of appearing loyal. 
  
  112
  Such baboon savants live among the apemen in the 
  College of Military Arts, where they seek to master 
  the ancient weapons of the First Age. Fortunately for 
  Creation, the College of Military Arts has theoretical 
  texts on the construction of Essence-based weaponry 
  and warstriders, but no functioning examples of them. 
  The Shogunate, concerned about Solar loyalists among 
  Sperimin’s faculty, seized all of the College’s functional 
  advanced weaponry after the Usurpation, although 
  the College is still a treasure trove of information on 
  building such artifacts.
  Humans and monkeymen alike are found through-
  out Mahalanka, save in those areas, which are the 
  exclusive purview of Raksi or her orangutan priests. 
  A few monkeymen serve as apprentice-helpers to 
  sympathetic baboon savants, but the orangutans are 
  contemptuous of them, and the apemen can barely be 
  bothered not to tread them underfoot. Despite 
  their pitiful status, the monkeymen are the 
  most populous beastman breed in Mahalanka. 
  As badly as they are treated here, it’s still 
  better than the jungles.
  The jungles are where most 
  of the humans and Wyld barbar-
  ians live, in a broad band around 
  the Colleges. They must hunt 
  and gather for a living. Now 
  and then, Raksi sends them 
  a gift of surplus food from 
  the city; she forbids them 
  to try farming on their 
  own. Once a week, the 
  barbarians troop from 
  their rude huts into 
  the city to present 
  their infants to the 
  Queen of Fangs, and 
  she selects the most 
  beautiful specimens 
  for her banquets. Clans 
  whose babies she finds es-
  pecially tasty may receive 
  some trivial reward, such 
  as an ersatz talisman they 
  believe confers Raksi’s 
  blessing. Clans that fail 
  to provide toothsome 
  offspring for too long 
  have their eldest slain, as 
  a warning to do better.
  APEMAN TALON
  Description: Raksi’s troops do not train in units 
  larger than talons; in centuries, she has never needed 
  any larger unit to reach an objective. (Large combat 
  units also find it impossible to stay in order in a jungle.) 
  Each talon consists of 100 apeman warriors, including 
  their commander and officers. In weekly ceremonies to 
  honor Raksi, the 50 talons hold a torchlight parade in 
  Mahalanka’s central courtyard, marching in complex 
  formations. This talon’s commander is one of Raksi’s 
  Half-Caste children; he knows the Jade Mountain Style 
  of Terrestrial martial arts up to its Form-type Charm 
  (see Scroll of the Monk, p. 53). All the soldiers in 
  this elite talon carry minor talismans and alchemi-
  cal drugs to assist them in combat. Every scale also 
  includes an orangutanman priest who knows useful 
  thaumaturgical Procedures.
  Commanding Officer: Ajit Slave-of-Might
  Armor Color: Bronze with green 
  stripes
  Motto: “Flesh for the Queen of 
  Fangs!”
  General Makeup: 100 apeman in-
  fantry with spears, bolas and razor 
  harnesses over their breastplates 
  and pot helms.
  Overall Quality: Excellent
  Magnitude: 3
  Drill: 3
  Close Combat Attack:
  3 
  Close Com-
  bat Damage: 3
  Ranged Attack: 3 
  Ranged Damage: 2
  Endurance: 7 
  Might: 1 
  Armor: 2 (-1 
  mobility) 
  Morale: 4
  Formation: The ape-soldiers
  can fight in close formation 
  when they have sufficiently 
  clear terrain to do so. Out in 
  the jungle, they cannot manage 
  anything closer than skirmish for-
  mation and must break into scales of 
  30. The talon has three heroes who 
  can command such scales, and three 
  sorcerers who are especially skilled 
  at using poisoned bolas to capture or 
  incapacitate enemy commanders.
  ad them underfoot. Despite 
  the monkeymen are the 
  man breed in Mahalanka.
  treated here, it’s still 
  gles.
  e where most 
  Wyld barbar-
  band around 
  must hunt 
  ing. Now 
  nds them 
  od from 
  them
  heir
  the 
  m 
  o 
  t 
  e 
  d 
  st 
  ns 
  ans 
  ds es-
  ceive 
  such 
  n they 
  aksi’s 
  fail 
  ome 
  ong
  in, as 
  ter.
  Commanding Officer: Ajit Slave-
  Armor Color: Br
  stripes
  Motto: “Flesh fo
  Fangs!”
  General Makeu
  fantry with spe
  harnesses ove
  and pot helm
  Overall Qua
  Magnitude
  Drill: 3
  Cl
  3
  b
  R
  Ra
  End
  Might:
  mobility) 
  Formation: 
  can fight in
  when they 
  clear terrain
  the jungle, the
  anything closer 
  mation and must
  30. The talon ha
  can command su
  sorcerers who ar
  at using poisoned b
  incapacitate enemy
  
  113
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  RATHESS
  As first capitol of the Solar Empire and ancestral seat 
  of the Dragon King race, Rathess was once Creation’s 
  preeminent metropolis. The Usurpation, the Contagion 
  and the relentless march of history conspired to reduce 
  it to overgrown ruins infested by feral Dragon Kings far 
  removed from their own noble ancestry.
  However, something far worse than mere savages 
  stirs in Rathess. Horrors long forgotten in Creation 
  gather strength or wallow in their own degradation. The 
  worst of these horrors may be one of the Sun’s Chosen, 
  deluded and maddened, who now truly deserves the 
  title of Anathema.
  HISTORY
  Rathess may be the oldest city in Creation. The 
  Dragon Kings founded Rathess before the Primordial 
  War and even before the ascendancy of the human 
  race. From their glittering city deep in the Southeastern 
  jungles, the Dragon Kings ruled Creation in the name 
  of the Primordials and the Unconquered Sun. After 
  the Primordial War, the Dragon Kings swore fealty to 
  the Chosen of the Sun. Merala, the most powerful of 
  the surviving first generation Solars, became Queen of 
  Rathess. Not long after, the Unconquered Sun himself 
  gave Merala the Crown of Thunders and the Mandate 
  of Heaven, effectively making her his regent in Cre-
  ation. While Merala’s Dragon King subjects rejoiced 
  at this honor, her peers among the Solar Exalted were 
  less enthused. Eventually, Merala used a combination 
  of gentle diplomacy and brutal warfare to secure her 
  de facto rulership over all of Creation. However, she 
  never achieved absolute power. In time, the Solar 
  Deliberative formed as a check on her authority. 
  Merala decided that Rathess was too remote to serve 
  as capital for her far-flung empire, she made Meru the 
  Old Realm’s seat of government, and returned control 
  over Rathess to the Dragon Kings.
  Although Rathess remained one of Creation’s 
  most glorious cities for millennia to come, Merala’s 
  relocation inflicted a subtle but mortal wound. Cut 
  off from constant interaction with the Princes of the 
  Earth, the Dragon Kings grew increasingly decadent 
  and insular. This would harm any great civilization, but 
  it was much worse for the Dragon Kings. All Dragon 
  Kings are born into a state of animal savagery. Over 
  time, a young Dragon King achieves first sentience and 
  then intellect through an ongoing process of spiritual 
  evolution under the direction of his more enlightened 
  peers. As their culture decayed, the Dragon Kings of 
  Rathess abandoned the quest for enlightenment in 
  favor of idle entertainment. As a result, each successive 
  generation became less intelligent and less civilized 
  than the one before.
  Although the Rathessian Dragon Kings caused 
  their own decline, they had help. Not long after Queen 
  Merala’s departure, Han-Tha, a powerful forbidden god of 
  necrophagy, infiltrated the city. Like the other forbidden 
  gods, the Eater of the Dead would not fight on the side 
  of the Unconquered Sun during the Primordial War. He 
  narrowly escaped execution for his crimes against Heaven. 
  Powerful and cunning, Han-Tha concealed himself in the 
  underbelly of Rathess, where he established a cult that 
  venerated him by ritually eating the flesh of the dead in 
  Mahalanka, a Magnitude 3 Dominion
  Military: 3 
  Government: 1 Culture: 2
  Abilities: Craft 2 (Novel Technology +2), Integrity 2 (Religious Edict +3), Occult 5, Performance 3 
  (Intimidating Display +2), Presence 2, War 1
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Temperance 2, Valor 3
  Virtue Flaw: Conviction 
  Current Limit: 3
  Willpower: 7
  Bonus Points: 15 
  External Bonus Points: 0
  Notes: Mahalanka’s role as a dominion is theoretical at present, since Raksi forbids all interaction with 
  the rest of Creation. If Raksi ended Mahalanka’s isolation, the dominion would begin without external 
  bonus points; already, its 15 bonus points are largely due to Raksi herself. They go to the dominion’s fifth 
  dot of Occult, its second dot of Craft and all its specialties.
  Nothing really unites the tribes of Mahalanka except their worship and fear of the Queen of Fangs, the 
  source of the dominion’s high Conviction. In Limit Break, the beastmen and barbarians lose faith in 
  Raksi, or their fear of living under her overcomes their fear of displeasing her. Much of the population 
  flees into the jungle, reducing the dominion’s Magnitude by one.
  
  114
  BREEDS OF DRAGON KINGS
  There are four sub-species of Dragon Kings. 
  The thin, graceful raptoks were once highly 
  intelligent urbanites and masters of the Dragon 
  Kings’ unique vegetative technology. In their 
  devolved state, the raptoks became the savage 
  stalkers who are the dominant predators in Rath-
  ess. The much larger, amphibious mosoks subsist 
  in Rathess’s aquatic octad and in nearby Lake 
  Therak. The hulking anklok and the winged 
  pterok never maintained a significant presence in 
  Rathess after Queen Merala left the city. Today, 
  those breeds dwell in Rathess in insignificant 
  numbers, if at all.
  For more information on Dragon Kings, their 
  physiology and their unique magic, see Scroll of 
  Fallen Races.
  hopes of gaining their power. The influence of this god of 
  corruption and decay did not directly cause the decline 
  of Rathess, but it greatly accelerated the process.
  By the time of the Usurpation, the Rathessian 
  Dragon Kings were too indolent to play a significant role 
  on either side. That did not save thousands of them from 
  dying as collateral damage. First, the Dragon-Blooded 
  assassinated the city’s Solar overseers. Decades later, 
  two Solars who escaped the initial massacre fled to 
  Rathess. The Wyld Hunt followed them and slew them, 
  but caused further damage to the city. The lavish tombs 
  for the Solars, Albaio and Pleasant Clouds, became the 
  last major public works project in Rathess.
  During the Shogunate era, the Dragon-Blooded 
  viewed the Dragon Kings as a dying people. Very 
  few Dragon Kings attained sufficient enlightenment 
  even to converse intelligently outside their racial 
  language, let alone threaten the Shogunate. Some 
  Dragon-Blooded remembered the race’s loyalty to 
  the Unconquered Sun and the Solars and argued in 
  favor of exterminating the Dragon Kings; the Great 
  Contagion rendered moot all such plans.
  The Contagion reduced the Rathessian Dragon 
  Kings to a fraction of their former numbers and obliter-
  ated their last traces of enlightenment. However, feral 
  raptok stalkers survived to establish a crude hunter-
  gatherer culture in the city’s ruins. Their mosok cousins 
  retreated to nearby Lake Therak.
  The surviving humans of the area fared worse. 
  Some fled the dying city, only to be massacred by Fair 
  Folk advance scouts or caught within mutating Wyld 
  storms. Fortunately, the main force of the invasion 
  never came to Rathess, and so the city’s infrastructure 
  remained largely intact. The raksha’s precipitous retreat 
  from the Scarlet Empress’ counterattack, however, left 
  a few hundred hobgoblins stranded in the area; they 
  took refuge in the depopulated city.
  Other mortals sought to flee the Contagion by 
  walling themselves into the underways beneath the 
  city. Those doomed mortals inadvertently broke 
  open ancient seals set into place long before the Pri-
  mordial War. The debased leech gods—foul entities 
  rejected even by their Primordial creators—escaped 
  from their prison beneath the city to enslave and 
  debase the refugees, turning them into the modern 
  underpeople. The remaining mortals eventually fell 
  to the teeth and claws of the stalkers. In the Age of 
  Sorrows, Rathess has been home only to rival tribes 
  of feral stalkers and a squalid and inbred colony 
  of underpeople who dwell beneath the city in the 
  service of the leech gods.
  EXPLORING THE CITY
  The ruins of Rathess hide deep within the South-
  eastern jungle. Old texts make it easy enough to find: 
  head south along the Gray River to the town of Chaing-
  Dav. From here, travel east about 600 miles up the 
  Gray’s tributary, the Vaniwayan River. Hack your way 
  90 miles north through the trackless jungle. If you’re 
  lucky, you’ll find Rathess. In the dense jungle, however, 
  you could pass a quarter-mile from Rathess and still not 
  see its flying towers through the trees.
  Rathess occupies a perfectly circular area with a 
  diameter of about 15 miles. In the High First Age, a 
  suburban complex extended for an additional 10 miles 
  further into the jungle. The central, circular area dates 
  back to the founding of the city; its builders fashioned 
  the old city according to geomantic principles. The 
  auspicious geomancy of the old city preserved it in 
  part from the encroaching jungle. The surrounding 
  suburbs were less fortunate: nothing remains of them 
  today save for the occasional stone ruin, now covered 
  in dirt and vegetation.
  Eight major roads of gold-streaked marble divide 
  Rathess into eight sectors, called octads. The Way of 
  the Sun, which runs east to west through the city, is 
  the only road whose name is still known to even the 
  most erudite savants. The other roads bore the names 
  of legendary Solar Exalted; the Shogunate erased all 
  references to them from the city’s history. The Dragon 
  Kings built the Way of the Sun to symbolize the Un-
  conquered Sun’s journey across the horizon. Powerful 
  
  115
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  enchantments keep the Way of the Sun pristine, free of 
  even moss and weeds. Its paving stones resist anything 
  save the magical materials. Even then, a would-be 
  vandal would need prodigious strength to dislodge or 
  even scratch one of them.
  The other roads intersect with the Way of the Sun 
  at the city’s center. Before the city’s fall, six octads were 
  reserved for Rathess’s land-dwelling Dragon Kings. The 
  city’s human residents dwelled in a seventh “human 
  octad.” The city’s aquatic Dragon Kings, the mosok, 
  dwelled in the eighth octad. This octad has no roads 
  save for the two thoroughfares on its boundaries. Instead, 
  the mosok’s octad consists of several artificial lakes 
  connected by canals. Most of the area’s buildings are 
  underwater and inaccessible to surface dwellers without 
  the use of magic or technology. Underground waterways 
  also connect the eighth octad to nearby Lake Therak.
  THE DRAGON KING OCTADS
  The octads reserved for the land-dwelling Dragon 
  Kings are filled principally with large apartment build-
  ings, with a scattering of temples, theaters, schools, 
  gymnasia and other structures devoted to spiritual, 
  intellectual, cultural and military pursuits. They placed 
  workshops, markets and other commercial locations 
  underground, as they considered such activities too 
  ignoble to perform in the light and sight of the Un-
  conquered Sun. In some areas, Rathess’s subterranean 
  levels extend six stories underground.
  Dragon King architecture is rife with religious 
  symbolism, much of which human savants find in-
  comprehensible. The pyramidal structure was sacred, 
  and the Dragon Kings reserved it for their religious 
  buildings: the city’s three pyramids and the four 
  obelisk-shaped Flying Towers that served as docking 
  centers for airships.
  Most of Rathess’s public and private high-rise build-
  ings are built on an equilateral triangular plan. Most 
  Dragon Kings lived in apartment buildings between 
  100 and 300 yards tall; each floor typically housed six 
  apartments. Wealthier Dragon Kings lived in high-rise 
  villas with only three spacious apartments per floor. A 
  communal species, the Rathessian Dragon Kings had 
  strong taboos against living apart from other Dragon 
  Kings. Accordingly, Rathess has virtually no single-
  family dwellings outside of the human octad.
  About a fourth of the towers are completely ru-
  ined. Another fourth are damaged to some degree and 
  reclaimed in part by jungle. The rest are undamaged, 
  
  116
  albeit overgrown. Since the Contagion, however, loot-
  ers stripped anything useful from most of the Dragon 
  King dwelling towers. A few remain pristine because 
  their enchanted substance makes Rathessian buildings 
  incredibly resilient. Every wall and every window has a 
  minimum soak of 20L/25B with a Hardness of 15. An 
  intruder must inflict 60 health levels just to make an 
  opening big enough to crawl through. Furthermore, 
  ancient Dragon Kings of any wealth protected their 
  homes with magical seals that made them proof against 
  any Charms that require Essence 4 or less.
  Fortunately, searching the interior of a building is 
  very easy once you’re inside. The city’s internal power grid 
  largely survived the ravages of time, and so most of the 
  apartment complexes still have functioning elevators. 
  However, the same power source also maintains all of 
  the city’s locking mechanisms, meaning that every door 
  that was not left open 700 years ago remains sealed.
  Less fortunately, many buildings are still occupied. 
  Although modern stalkers and hobgoblins cannot use 
  most of Rathess’s ancient technology, they can use 
  stairs. Many of the unlocked apartments now serve as 
  stalker warrens.
  Furthermore, the Dragon Kings were never a particu-
  larly ostentatious species. Locked apartments certainly 
  do not contain heaps of gold or other conventional 
  treasures. Also, the average Rathessian did not own 
  Essence cannons, grand daiklaves of conquest or other 
  powerful items. On the other hand, an apartment might 
  contain a treasure trove of 1- and 2-dot artifacts that First 
  Age Rathessians saw as everyday conveniences. Greater 
  wonders are found, if at all, in the underways.
  THE HUMAN OCTAD
  The human sector of the city is home to far more 
  recognizable architecture: rectangular buildings, market 
  areas and the like. Here too, most buildings were long 
  ago stripped of anything useful. The exception lies in the 
  city’s necropolis. The Dragon Kings themselves burned 
  the bodies of their dead, as they knew that reincarnation 
  would come swiftly. The Exalted dead were another 
  matter. The Dragon Kings venerated their Exalted allies 
  as god-kings. When one died, they often begged for the 
  privilege of providing them with lavish tombs.
  The Necropolis consists of three walled rectangular 
  areas, one inside the other. The outer wall—the Wall of 
  Illimitable Honor—encloses the tombs of Exalted who 
  were buried here in the last years before the Usurpation. 
  There are relatively few such tombs, and all of them 
  were looted long ago. The jungle has almost completely 
  reclaimed this outer cemetery.
  The next zone inward, past the Wall of Transcen-
  dent Glory, houses the tombs of important Lunars, all 
  evenly spaced out. Filial Wisdom has already raided 
  most of these tombs, but since their artifact contents 
  consisted mainly of moonsilver, he has not benefited 
  greatly from his acquisitions.
  The Wall of Sempiternal Majesty surrounds the in-
  nermost area. This area contains the tombs of the most 
  ancient and respected Solars and Lunars buried in Rath-
  ess, as well as two newer tombs. Almost all of these tombs 
  are incredibly lavish structures of gold, silver and stone. 
  Powerful magic keeps them looking like new, despite 
  the vines and trees that grow about them. Mighty and 
  ingenious magical and technological traps protect their 
  contents. Two newer tombs (built in a distinctly different 
  and cruder style) house the bodies of Albaio and Pleasant 
  Clouds. The Sidereals hastily erected their tombs in the 
  innermost part of the necropolis to take advantage of 
  the area’s existing and still potent defenses.
  All the tombs within the Wall of Sempiternal 
  Majesty have essentially the same defenses:
  • The walls and door of each tomb are absolutely im-
  mune to all Terrestrial Circle spells and to all Charms 
  meant to open or bypass locks or doors that require an 
  Essence of 5 or less.
  • Each tomb has a minimum soak of 25L/30B, a Hardness 
  of 25, and requires at least 40 health levels to damage 
  enough to create a man-sized opening.
  • Each tomb is also protected by three to five magical 
  traps. These traps may take the form of magical fire or 
  ice, lightning bolts, swarms of man-eating automaton 
  beetles, enchanted bells whose tolling melts the brains 
  of intruders or even more esoteric effects.
  For Solar tombs, each trap inflicts at least 30L 
  damage per five ticks of exposure. Each trap takes at 
  least 10 ticks to pass through unless the character can 
  fly, teleport, jump horizontally more than 30 yards, or 
  has some other form of special locomotion appropriate 
  to the circumstance. In these cases, a character can 
  get through with only a single action’s exposure or 
  possibly no exposure at all (depending on the nature 
  of the trap). Sidereal or Lunar tombs bear similar traps, 
  but they likely inflict only 20L damage per five ticks 
  of exposure and rarely require more than a single Mis-
  cellaneous Action to pass through. At least one trap 
  in each tomb inflicts piercing damage or can bypass 
  armor-based soak altogether (for example, crushing 
  blocks or poison gas traps).
  In addition to their own unique defenses, the tombs 
  of the inner necropolis collectively have three guard-
  
  117
  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  ians: a trio of celestial lions assigned to permanent guard 
  duty in Rathess. One of the three guards the gate to 
  the inner necropolis. Another protects the tomb of an 
  ancient Solar (his name long forgotten in Creation) 
  who succeeded Queen Merala as ruler of Rathess until 
  his death in the Usurpation. The third guards the 
  tombs of Albaio and Pleasant Clouds. Although they 
  take a dim view of tomb-robbing in general and try 
  to devour any unauthorized persons they catch in the 
  inner necropolis, their primary obligations are to their 
  specific assignments. A clever thief might evade them, 
  at least temporarily.
  THE UNDERWAYS
  In the First Age, visitors impressed by the size of 
  Rathess were even more astonished to learn that nearly 
  half the city was actually underground. Convinced that 
  commerce, manufacturing and even dining were profane 
  in the eyes of the Unconquered Sun, the Dragon Kings 
  developed a massive underground complex beneath 
  the streets of Rathess. These “underways” housed their 
  shops, restaurants, offices and even factories. The un-
  derways extend through the six Dragon King octads, 
  with access points from the human and aquatic octads. 
  In most of Rathess, the underways extend down to four 
  levels below the surface. In a few places, they reach six 
  levels underground. The Dragon Kings refused to dig 
  deeper than that: wisely perhaps, since the underpeople 
  discovered the leech gods by digging down from the 
  lowest levels of the underways.
  As usual, in much of the underways, anything useful 
  rotted or was looted long ago. While these levels once 
  held many manufacturing centers, their Dragon King 
  technology long ago ceased to function. Sections of 
  the underways are flooded, whether by overflow from 
  the aquatic octad or simply from rain and ground water 
  seepage. Stalkers, underpeople and stranger terrors hunt 
  throughout the subterranean tunnels.
  Despite these difficulties, large sections of the un-
  derways remain intact. In many areas, glow crystals still 
  provide light, and a turquoise grass still carpets the floors. 
  This magical grass keeps the underways clean of dirt and 
  debris, but it died in those areas without lights.
  A network of stone corridors from six to 15 yards 
  wide and three yards high runs throughout the underways 
  
  118
  in a pattern of radiating lines and concentric circles. The 
  myriad workshops, markets, factories and other urban 
  utilities branch off from these subterranean streets.
  A fully automated ventilation system keeps the air 
  fresh throughout the underways. Functioning elevators 
  and a rapid-transit tube-car system service the entire 
  subterranean network. However, while the tube-car 
  system still works city-wide, individual tube-cars have 
  broken down and become unserviceable over the 
  centuries. The still functioning cars require a working 
  knowledge of High Holy Speech and a successful (Intel-
  ligence + Lore) roll at a difficulty of 3 to operate. (And 
  of course, many tube-car stations are now flooded.) Filial 
  Wisdom satisfies these criteria. He and his minions use 
  the tube-car system both to explore the underways and 
  to make lightning attacks on their enemies.
  PEOPLE OF RATHESS
  Rathess is currently home to several thousand feral 
  Dragon Kings, a number of Fair Folk hobgoblins and, 
  surprisingly, one Solar Exalt of exceptional power.
  STALKERS
  Since the Contagion, several thousand Dragon 
  Kings have lived in Rathess. However, the centuries 
  turned these once noble creatures into feral beasts: the 
  stalkers. The most enlightened colony of stalkers, liv-
  ing in the Eastern flying tower, achieves near-human 
  intelligence but remains mired in savagery. The rest of 
  the stalkers are cunning hunters but they understand 
  neither magic nor technology. Only the efforts of the 
  god Leeayta enables a few of these savages to learn a 
  few of the Dragon King Paths (the unique Charms 
  relied upon by the ancient Dragon Kings), preserv-
  ing these ancient arts for some future renaissance of 
  their kind. Most stalkers can speak only in a guttural 
  argot that barely qualifies as language. While most 
  stalkers are land-based reptiles, a small sub-colony of 
  mosok Dragon Kings dwells in Lake Therak outside 
  the city. The lake connects to the canals that flow 
  through Rathess, enabling aquatic Dragon Kings to 
  reach most of the city.
  FAIR FOLK
  Rathess also holds a colony of 300 hobgoblins ruled 
  by a trio of Fair Folk nobles: Vau-Chen, a female diplo-
  mat; Poisonous Carnelian Blade, a female cataphract; 
  and Venomous Dreams, a noble whose powers affect 
  earth and wood. Vau-Chen and Venomous Dreams 
  are lovers, and Poisonous Carnelian Blade feels some-
  what jealous of their relationship. Any of the three 
  would betray the others to save their own lives. The 
  hobgoblins—locally referred to simply as “goblins”—are 
  short, skinny humanoids with mottled skin and mouths 
  full of needle-like teeth. A few greater goblins stand 12 
  feet tall with massive builds and horns on their heads, 
  dressed in scraps of ancient Dragon King armor crudely 
  lashed together.
  THINGS ONCE HUMAN
  No true humans live in Rathess, but two species 
  of altered humans dwell in the city. The underways 
  beneath the city’s ruins are full of underpeople, the 
  debased offspring of early post-Contagion humans 
  who interbred with the forbidden leech gods dwelling 
  beneath Rathess. The sickly and debased underpeople 
  have a strong aversion to light and stick to their subter-
  ranean lairs during the day.
  There are also scattered contingents of Wyld-
  tainted jungle cannibals. Most of these barbarians dwell 
  in the jungles just outside the city, but a few live within 
  its boundaries. Most of these barbarians share common 
  mutations: green skin, a coat of mossy green fur and 
  black eyes without pupils or irises. A few exceptional 
  specimens have claws or prehensile tails. Virtually all 
  of these tribes engage in ritual cannibalism of anyone 
  who falls in their hands.
  FILIAL WISDOM, THE GOBLIN KING
  Over a century ago, an itinerant Solar named 
  Filial Wisdom found himself drawn to the city. Most 
  likely, he bears the Exaltation of a Solar executed there 
  post-Usurpation. The forbidden god Han-Tha quickly 
  corrupted the miserable and confused Lawgiver. Today, 
  the now-powerful Solar acts as the priest-king of the 
  Ghoul King’s cult, which consists of a mixture of jungle 
  cannibals, stalkers and goblins won over to his cause.
  Filial Wisdom tries to conquer all of Rathess and 
  unite its people into an army to spread the cult of Han-
  Tha by force. The underpeople live in terror of him, for 
  their masters have ambitions of their own and do not 
  want to join forces with Han-Tha. The three Fair Folk 
  despise Filial Wisdom and his followers: they would ally 
  with almost anyone for a chance to destroy the Solar. 
  Of course, any such alliance probably would not last a 
  second once Filial Wisdom is no longer a threat. The 
  cannibals and stalkers hunt each other, and anyone else 
  who enters the city, with nigh-mindless savagery.
  GODS OF RATHESS
  Several gods live in Rathess. Some of them cannot 
  bear to leave; others have malignant plans for the derelict 
  city and would greatly resent any noble heroes coming to 
  interfere. Of the gods active in Rathess, Leeayta, Relza and 
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  Shining Flower are potential allies. They would only attack 
  visitors if those intruders threatened them or their inter-
  ests. These gods are described in the format used in The 
  Compass of Celestial Directions, Vol. III—Yu-Shan. 
  The god Han-Tha, however, is so malevolent that any 
  peaceful contact seems unlikely; while the vine-runners 
  are likely to attack intruders just because they chopped 
  down some inconvenient vegetation. These emphatically 
  hostile deities receive full traits in Chapter Five.
  LEEAYTA, THE LIZARD QUEEN
  Leeayta, the Dragon King goddess of territorial 
  conquest, was once the leading god in the Dragon King 
  pantheon (after the Unconquered Sun, of course). She 
  fell out of favor as the Dragon Kings lost their capacity 
  to engage in effective warfare. The raids back and forth 
  between stalker tribes simply do not suffice.
  Leeayta often manifests as a claw strider standing 
  eight feet tall at the shoulder, with a mouth full of 
  fangs and crests of feathers along her forearms, back 
  and tail. She also manifests as a raptok woman with 
  similar feathered crests and an elaborate jeweled head-
  dress and collar.
  Sanctum: Long ago, Leeayta’s sanctum functioned 
  as Rathess’ military museum, whose dioramas and ex-
  hibits celebrate victories by the Dragon Kings and the 
  Exalted. A number of her temples in the city provide 
  access. Living virtually alone, the Lizard Queen keeps 
  a section of the sanctum in glittering splendor, but 
  anyone who ventures beyond the galleries leading to 
  her apartment finds a maze of darkened halls full of 
  rusty swords and cobweb-covered statues.
  Motivation: To restore the Dragon Kings once more 
  to greatness as conquerors. The Lizard Queen would ally 
  with anyone who can assist the rebirth of the Dragon 
  King species. She tries to push the stalkers back toward 
  sentience by possessing one after the other and drilling 
  them in civilized arts and their race’s ancient magical 
  arts, but the Lizard Queen is a warrior, not a teacher. 
  She can show little success for her 700 years of effort.
  Description: Leeayta once was a god of the Fifth 
  Rank, scarcely less potent than the Incarnae themselves. 
  She is now a god of the Third Rank. Her panoply is 
  entirely ornamental, as she habitually uses no weap-
  ons except her own claws and teeth. In her sanctum, 
  however, she keeps a number of Dragon King artifact 
  weapons and, more importantly perhaps, complete 
  instructions on how to make them.
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 5, Temper-
  ance 2, Valor 5
  Essence: 5
  RELZA, CUSTODIAN OF THE FLYING TOWER
  Relza is one of the satraps of Vanileth, the Shogun 
  of Artificial Flight. In the First Age, Vanileth had sa-
  traps in every city that received significant air traffic. 
  She claims the remaining flying vehicles in Rathess as 
  her own and kills anyone, goblin, stalker or other, who 
  does not treat them as sacred treasures. Relza works with 
  Leeayta in trying to re-civilize the stalkers.
  Sanctum: Relza’s immaterial sanctum can be 
  reached from the domes surmounting each of Rathess’ 
  two surviving flying towers. It consists of a single large, 
  white room with fixtures and furniture of basalt and gold. 
  The room also contains many sculptures and paintings 
  of old Rathess and all manner of flying vehicles.
  Motivation: To restore artificial flight in Rathess. 
  Relza would parlay with anyone who seems likely to 
  advance the study of artificial flight, but she is fiercely 
  protective of her domain and her flying craft. It beats 
  being the god of nothing.
  Description: Relza takes the form of a beautiful 
  young woman covered all over with metallic blue 
  feathers. Great feathered wings rise from her back and 
  she bears sharp retractile claws on all six fingers of her 
  slender hands. She is a deity of the Second Rank.
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temper-
  ance 2, Valor 3
  Essence: 4
  SHINING FLOWER, THE MISTRESS OF HEARTS
  Shining Flower is the Dragon King goddess of 
  sacrificial offerings. She also serves Yu-Shan’s Bureau 
  of Humanity as the Mistress of Knives. Assassins and 
  knife-fighters across Creation pray to her before battle. 
  During the First Age, Shining Flower personally over-
  saw the sacrifices made by the Dragon Kings to the 
  Unconquered Sun. Such sacrifices ideally involved 
  cutting out the still-beating heart of a voluntary sac-
  rifice. In the modern era, Shining Flower relaxed her 
  standards and accepts hearts taken from unwilling 
  sacrifices, especially Fair Folk captured by her Dragon 
  King worshipers. She readily rewards anyone who of-
  fers her a heart in the proper manner. On the other 
  hand, if she notices someone carrying out a sacrifice 
  badly, she shows how it ought to be done by possessing 
  the inept priest and having him cut out his own heart 
  with suitable skill.
  As Mistress of Knives, Shining Flower’s portfolio 
  is expansive and she could probably be a god of some 
  influence in Yu-Shan if she wished. For reasons of her 
  own, however, she eschews heavenly politics in favor 
  of watching over the Dragon Kings of Rathess. She tries 
  
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  to teach the stalkers to cut their victims with blades 
  instead of their own claws and teeth. Her decision may 
  yet see Shining Flower replaced by a subordinate who 
  pays more attention to Celestial politics.
  Sanctum: In addition to a modest Celestial Manse 
  in Yu-Shan, Shining Flower keeps a larger immaterial 
  sanctum in Rathess. Its entrance is a false doorway in 
  the temple atop the Pyramid of the Sun at the center of 
  Rathess. Her palatial suite features many murals showing 
  Yu-Shan, as well as statues of the Unconquered Sun 
  and an immense collection of knives. Her collection 
  includes many artifact blades crafted from all the magical 
  materials, including two soulsteel knives obtained with 
  great difficulty. The innermost, best-guarded chamber 
  of her sanctum holds an ornate cabinet where the 25 
  finest hearts she has ever cut out are displayed still 
  beating in orichalcum dishes.
  Motivation: While Shining Flower wants to see 
  Dragon King civilization rise again, her overriding goal 
  is to restore sacrifices to her and the Unconquered Sun. 
  (She has not asked the Unconquered Sun if he actually 
  wants unwilling victims murdered in his name.)
  Description: Shining Flower looks like a gorgeous 
  young woman with orichalcum skin and moonsilver 
  hair bound in an elaborate arrangement. She is a deity 
  of the Third Rank—once the Fifth Rank, as one of the 
  Unconquered Sun’s chief acolytes, but her political 
  apathy greatly reduced her power.
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temper-
  ance 2, Valor 4
  Essence: 5
  THE LEECH GODS
  The dreadful leech gods dwell in the underways 
  beneath Rathess. The Primordials themselves banished 
  these foul entities to the dark areas beneath Creation. 
  No one but the leech gods themselves could say why they 
  nested beneath Rathess. After the Contagion, human 
  refugees unwittingly assisted these foul deities to reach 
  the surface for the first time in millennia. Those poor 
  doomed humans became the ancestors of the modern 
  underpeople. For more information about the leech 
  gods, see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The Roll 
  of Glorious Divinity I, pages 69-70.
  The leech gods keep grotesque pets called leech 
  hounds. Not true dogs at all, leech hounds are translucent 
  leeches the size of mastiffs. They move at great speed 
  despite lacking any limbs other than mouth-tentacles.
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  HAN-THA, THE GHOUL KING
  The most important god active in Rathess is 
  Han-Tha, the Eater of the Dead, the forbidden god of 
  scavengers and necrophages. Han-Than did not become 
  a forbidden god by siding with the Primordials; he 
  served no side but his own. Whenever deities on one 
  side or the other of the Primordial War fell in battle, 
  Han-Tha moved quickly to devour their bodies, bat-
  tening himself on their Essences. On a few occasions, 
  Han-Tha even consumed flesh from slain Primordial 
  souls before they could descend into the Underworld to 
  reform as the Neverborn. As a result, Han-Tha gained 
  power far greater than he should have. The Incarnae 
  found Han-Tha an affront on many levels, forcing the 
  god to hide from Heaven.
  Han-Tha found a hiding place right under the 
  noses of gods and Solars alike, in Rathess. Slowly, 
  he built a corpse-eating cult that assisted the decay 
  of Dragon King civilization. Han-Tha now seeks to 
  convert the surviving Dragon Kings to his worship, 
  under the leadership of his servant, Filial Wisdom. 
  The god also seeks powerful deities and Exalted 
  whom he can slay and devour. He believes that 
  consuming the Essences of sufficiently powerful 
  beings can raise him to the power of the Incarnae, 
  making decay and carrion-eating into concepts 
  fundamental to Creation.
  See pages 136-138 in Chapter Five for a complete 
  description of Rathess’ most potent god.
  VINE RUNNERS
  Finally, the weakest but perhaps most common of 
  Rathess’ spirits are the vine runners, a species of wood 
  elemental created to monitor the city’s plant life. Most 
  vine runners simply perform their divine duties, moni-
  toring the life cycles of the vines, lianas, trees and other 
  plants found in Rathess—some of which the Dragon 
  Kings bred long ago for now-forgotten purposes. Most 
  of these little gods feel at least somewhat protective of 
  stalkers. The vine runners remember how the ancient 
  Dragon Kings created the region’s unique plant life. They 
  hope the Dragon King society of old can somehow be 
  restored, so they can resume their place in it.
  Not all vine runners serve such noble goals, though. 
  A few have formed alliances with goblins or Wyld bar-
  barians. Others, especially among those vine runners 
  assigned to oversee the carnivorous plants in the jungles 
  surrounding Rathess, turned carnivorous themselves, 
  hunting any animal creatures that recklessly cut their 
  way through the brush. Vine runners are described more 
  fully in Chapter Five.
  THE CULT OF HAN-THA
  The Ghoul King teaches that growth comes through 
  eating the remains of the dead. He gained power by 
  eating the dead combatants of the Primordial War; he 
  tells followers that they too can gain power and en-
  lightenment by eating the bodies of others. If Han-Tha 
  and his disciples can kill all of sick, suffering Creation 
  and eat it, they can replace it with a Golden Age and 
  replace its petty, quarreling gods with the benevolent 
  wisdom of Han-Tha.
  The Eater of the Dead never attained a widespread 
  following in Rathess, though over the centuries his 
  cult helped drag the city down into decadence. He 
  had no chance of attracting many adherents in the 
  Second Age, either, for two chief reasons: Yu-Shan 
  would kill him if he showed himself; and his doctrine 
  is both ridiculous and repulsive. On the other hand, it 
  works, sort of. Han-Tha really can grant a blessing by 
  which one person can gain power by eating the fresh 
  corpse of another.
  When Filial Wisdom came to Rathess, however, 
  Han-Tha saw his opportunity. He would prefer a char-
  ismatic Zenith Caste, but settles for the Dawn Caste: 
  “Convert or die” should work well enough. Even if Filial 
  Wisdom cannot persuade many people to worship Han-
  Tha, odds are he will slay many gods and other beings 
  of power for the Ghoul King to devour.
  Filial Wisdom has already turned his cult of Han-
  Tha into the largest and most organized force in Rathess. 
  The cult has about 1,300 members, about half of whom 
  are goblins that prefer the Solar’s leadership to that of 
  the three Fair Folk nobles. Almost 200 now are great 
  goblins—some of them recruits, some of them ordinary 
  goblins who became larger and stronger through Han-
  Tha’s gifts. The great goblins serve as shock troops 
  and lead squads of other cultists. The rest are a mix of 
  stalkers, beastmen and cannibal tribesfolk who joined 
  because they’d rather serve Filial Wisdom than die on 
  his blade. Finally, the cult includes 40-odd survivors of 
  a Guild caravan that the cult massacred. These humans 
  are all brainwashed or completely insane from months of 
  forced cannibalism and brutal religious instruction.
  The Solar has military training—as a grunt in the 
  highly structured, disciplined armies of Paragon. He 
  has little success training his motley troops to march 
  in formation or hold a battle line. Nevertheless, he 
  commands a few scale-sized units of competent and 
  obedient soldiers, while the rabble can often win through 
  sheer numbers—at least against other rabble. As train-
  ing exercises, Filial Wisdom sends scales of troops “on 
  
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  patrol” through sections of Rathess, both above and 
  below ground. These patrols hunt and kill any group 
  weaker than themselves who cannot get away.
  If Filial Wisdom ever gets the chance to attempt a 
  full-scale battle, he drives his troops on without regard 
  for their casualties. His rabble is likely to run away before 
  it suffers more than a single loss of Magnitude, though. 
  The Solar directs his great goblins to concentrate on 
  any Dragon-Blooded or other Exalted, to wear them 
  down before he battles them himself.
  The cult performs various ceremonies on the city’s 
  three pyramids and at other places where the cultists 
  dwell. Major rites are cannibalistic. In the first and 
  most common ceremony, “The Offering to the Master,” 
  the cult prepares a cadaver for Han-Tha to devour—
  preferably a chief or shaman from a nearby tribe, 
  though the greatest celebrations come when the cult 
  can capture a powerful or prestigious outsider such as a 
  Dragon-Blooded explorer or a Guild caravan-master. In 
  “The Promise of Things to Come,” a group of cultists 
  themselves feast upon the corpses of slain enemies. “The 
  Expansion of Self” is the greatest rite for the cultists, in 
  which Han-Tha endows selected cultists with the power 
  to absorb the Attributes of a devoured victim. Usually, 
  this is temporary—but cultists who built up merit (and 
  experience points) through their deeds can make these 
  benefits permanent. (See the description of Han-Tha’s 
  Charm, Endowment, on pp. 137-138.) Minor rites of 
  prayer to Han-Tha and Filial Wisdom employ cannibal 
  trappings such as eating from bowls made from past 
  victims’ skulls, or dances in which cultists slap victims’ 
  arm and leg bones together for a crude percussion.
  POINTS OF INTEREST
  In addition to the areas previously described, Rath-
  ess is home to a number of truly amazing architectural 
  marvels.
  THE FLYING TOWERS
  Located as it was in dense jungle, Rathess’s con-
  nection to the rest of Creation depended mainly on air 
  travel. To facilitate such travel, the Dragon Kings con-
  structed four Flying Towers at each cardinal point of the 
  city. These towers served as docking stations for a vast 
  array of flying vessels right up to the Great Contagion. 
  Today, one of the towers is heavily damaged and another 
  is nothing but rubble, but the other two survive.
  Each tower originally stood 1,000 yards tall. The 
  lower part of each tower was an obelisk 300 yards across 
  at the base and standing 850 yards tall. Atop each 
  obelisk was a circular domed platform with a diameter 
  of 100 yards, where smaller airships could land. From 
  the top of each dome, a mast reached an additional 
  150 yards to serve as a docking port for massive First 
  Age skyships. The 10-yard-wide masts held elevators 
  so that skyship passengers could disembark.
  Some unknown disaster completely destroyed the 
  Northern Tower. The Southern Tower lost its docking 
  dome when an out-of-control skyship crashed into it 
  during the Contagion. The remains of that skyship still 
  rest in the jungle half a mile from the city. Although 
  inoperable and overgrown by jungle life, the skyship 
  remains structurally intact. A determined savant/
  craftsman with a lot of money and time to spend could 
  conceivably get it flying again. (Chapter Two of The
  Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the Lost Age
  offers a variety of skyships; Storytellers can pick one 
  that suits their series.)
  The three Fair Folk called Vau-Chen, Poisonous 
  Carnelian Blade and Venomous Dreams live in the 
  Western Tower along with their colony of goblins. 
  The Fair Folk neither understand nor care about the 
  numerous flying ships in their tower’s docking bay. 
  They would happily trade them for artifacts of more 
  immediate use against Filial Wisdom, though they 
  would undoubtedly drive a hard bargain.
  A tribe of about 60 stalkers occupies the Eastern 
  Tower. Seemingly against all hope, these Dragon Kings 
  possess a degree of enlightenment and intellect. Most 
  of them are at least as intelligent as the typical human 
  barbarian, although their limited speech and rustic ways 
  might make it difficult for interlopers to notice how 
  they have evolved beyond the feral stalkers in the rest 
  of the city. They are intensely loyal to Relza, Leeayta 
  and Shining Flower, and they have even begun sacrific-
  ing captured goblins and cannibals to the Unconquered 
  Sun. Their encounters with Filial Wisdom (as well as 
  occasional Dragon-Blooded explorers and Lunar raid-
  ers) make them suspicious of humans. A determined 
  diplomat who obtained the favor of Relza or Shining 
  Flower could overcome the tribe’s hostility and forge 
  an alliance with them in turn.
  THE GREAT OBSERVATORY
  For all the wonders of Rathess, the Great Obser-
  vatory had the greatest fame. The Sidereals may have 
  perfected the art of astrology, but the Dragon Kings 
  invented it, and the Great Observatory lived up to its 
  name. When it was fully functional, the Observatory 
  was the greatest astrological tool in all of Creation, 
  surpassing in some ways even the Loom of Fate. Dragon 
  King astrologers spent millennia perfecting the Obser-
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  vatory and its instruments. In the High First Age, the 
  most brilliant Sidereal astrologers and Twilight Caste 
  savants improved it even further.
  The Great Observatory consists of two buildings. 
  The Eidouranion is a rectangular building that held the 
  facility’s libraries, administrative areas, public areas and 
  dormitories for Dragon King astrologers who lived on-
  site. The Eidouranion has largely been stripped clean 
  in the centuries since the Contagion, but the building 
  itself remains structurally sound. A series of corridors 
  connect the Eidouranion to the actual observatory, a 
  great dome of pure starmetal. At a word in High Holy 
  Speech, the dome’s interior fades to a view of the stars 
  at that moment—regardless of clouds, daylight or other 
  obstructions to viewing. Furthermore, the building 
  once held an abundance of telescopes and other view-
  ing devices to enable a closer view of the heavenly 
  bodies. Most of those artifacts suffered damage over 
  the centuries, but many are still reparable (if you can 
  recover them from stalkers, cannibals and others who 
  use them as starmetal clubs or shiny trinkets).
  The greatest instrument of the Observatory, how-
  ever, is the Orrery of Arainthu, named for one of the 
  legendary founders of Dragon King astrology. This 
  immense mechanism of starmetal, moonsilver and 
  orichalcum clockwork once could perfectly model the 
  movement of the constellations and other heavenly bod-
  ies, down to the faintest star. Such was the accuracy of the 
  Orrery’s movement that the Observatory’s astrologers 
  rarely needed to see the actual stars to cast horoscopes 
  of frightening accuracy. The Orrery of Arainthu no 
  longer functions: over the centuries, looters ripped out 
  some of the smaller gears and bearings.
  Repairing the Orrery of Arainthu requires crafts-
  men with minimum Craft (Fire) 5, Lore 5 and Occult 
  5, as well as specialties in Craft (Clockwork) and 
  Occult (Astrology). Next, the craftsmen’s players 
  must accumulate at least 100 successes in an extended 
  (Perception + Occult) roll and another 100 success in 
  an extended (Intelligence + Craft [Fire]) roll, both 
  difficulty 4. Each roll represents one solid week of work 
  spent installing and adjusting mechanisms. Teamwork 
  is possible, but all participants in the repairs must meet 
  the Ability requirements.
  Obtaining raw materials presents problems. Miss-
  ing parts can weigh up to 300 pounds, so a repair crew 
  needs enormous quantities of magical materials, for 
  multiple Resources 5 expenditures. Only the Varang 
  City-States, the Imperial City or possibly Nexus pos-
  sess the industrial skill to machine such parts. Making 
  the parts yourself requires 50 successes on an extended 
  (Intelligence + Craft [Fire]) roll. This is in addition to 
  the other repair requirements of the Orrery.
  Finally, the Orrery of Arainthu has a prodigious Es-
  sence cost: 20 motes per day. The mechanism bears five 
  hearthstone sockets, currently empty, that can reduce 
  this cost. Each dot of Manse dedicated to the Orrery’s 
  operation reduces the daily mote cost by 1.
  Once restored to functionality, the Orrery of 
  Arainthu operates as follows:
  The Orrery must function for a length of time equal 
  to at least one-fifth of the time to be studied. That is, if 
  the astrologer seeks knowledge of events in one year’s 
  time, the Orrery must be allowed to function for at 
  least a season. The astrologer must regularly monitor 
  the movements of the heavenly models throughout 
  that length of time. (Accurate predictions require not 
  just studying the celestial configurations at the desired 
  time, but for extended periods before and after, to see 
  the larger plan of destiny. Also, while the user can set 
  the Orrery spinning faster than the actual heavens, to 
  run the celestial model forward or backward in time, 
  the Orrery only moves about 10 times faster than the 
  real celestial objects.)
  Using the Orrery in this manner gives the astrologer’s 
  player a +4 dice bonus to all dice rolls for Procedures in 
  the thaumaturgical Art of Astrology (see Exalted, pp. 138-
  139, and The Books of Sorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s 
  Codex, pp. 132-133). Lesser Divination, Divination and 
  Greater Divination have their maximum accuracy raised 
  by one level, so Lesser Divination can generate incomplete 
  but enlightening forecasts (allocating 3+ successes to Ac-
  curacy). Divination can generate forecasts that are mostly 
  accurate with details (from 5+ successes to Accuracy). 
  Allocating 7” successes to Accuracy for Greater Divina-
  tion generates results that are so detailed they answer 
  questions the astrologer did not think to ask.
  What’s more, forecasts using the Orrery carry the 
  force of destiny. Events predicted by Lesser Divination
  definitely come to pass unless a magical being directly 
  tries to block the prophecy’s outcome. With Divina-
  tion, the prediction definitely comes true unless it is 
  subject to the intervention of beings outside of Fate 
  or with Essence 5 or more. With Greater Divination, 
  only the mightiest entities outside of Fate can alter 
  the prophecy’s outcome, such as the most powerful 
  Fair Folk nobles, Deathlords or Third Circle demons. 
  The Orrery of Arainthu does not in any way compel
  the future; rather, it automatically takes account of 
  attempts to disrupt its predictions.
  
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  (Even the Loom of Fate can’t equal the Orrery as a 
  forecasting aid. How can the Orrery of Arainthu improve 
  on the Loom of Fate? Filtering. The Loom constantly 
  predicts the likely futures of everything, from the Blessed 
  Isle to every blade of grass. Relevant information gets 
  buried in the noise.)
  The Great Observatory is technically a level 4 
  Sidereal manse, but it produces no hearthstone, as 
  the entirety of its Essence goes to power the Orrery 
  of Arainthu.
  THE GREAT PYRAMID OF THE SUN
  By far the largest structures in Rathess are its three 
  step pyramids. The largest, the Great Pyramid of the Sun, 
  stands in the direct center of the city. The Great Pyramid 
  is 800 yards wide along its square base and stands 700 
  yards tall. One must climb nearly 2,000 steps to reach the 
  top. At the top stands a small temple to the Unconquered 
  Sun, to whom the Dragon Kings of old performed living 
  sacrifices. In the temple’s prime, orichalcum foil coated 
  it and the entire pyramid. No enchantments protected 
  this most sacred place; the Dragon Kings considered it 
  a shirking of their duty to serve their greatest god. Time 
  and theft robbed them of that precious covering. The 
  Great Pyramid’s exposed masonry stand at the mercy of 
  the elements and encroaching vegetation.
  The interior of the Great Pyramid is full of passages 
  and chambers accessible only through hidden stairs 
  concealed within the temple or from secret doors on the 
  pyramid’s exterior. The Rathessian priests lived within 
  these chambers, and here they parlayed with their Solar 
  allies. They also reserved suites for Merala, whichever 
  Solar currently served as Rojatan or “Sun King,” the 
  viceroy of Rathess, and other Exalted luminaries who 
  dwelled in the city before the Usurpation.
  The largest chamber within the Great Pyramid, 
  the Chamber of the Sun, is actually a three-dot Solar 
  manse. The manse’s hearthstone is a crystal of leg-
  endary leadership (see The Books of Sorcery. Vol. 
  III—Oadenol’s Codex, p. 107).
  Today, the corrupted Solar Filial Wisdom claims the 
  Great Pyramid for his armies and the Chamber of the 
  Sun for himself. He goes so far as to christen himself as 
  the new Rojatan. He also carries the Crystal of Legendary 
  Leadership. However, the Great Pyramid has not given 
  up all its secrets to Filial Wisdom. The Dragon Kings of 
  old hid many of the Pyramid’s chambers behind doors 
  undetectable to those who do not know their ways. In 
  particular, Filial Wisdom never penetrated the suite of 
  rooms reserved for the long-dead Queen Merala and, 
  in fact, has no idea that they even exist.
  
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  CHAPTER FOUR • SAVAGE LANDS
  Pyramid. Here, the Dragon Kings once burned the 
  bodies of their dead to speed their reincarnations. 
  It appears identical to the Pyramid of the Rising 
  Sun except for its lack of a Yu-Shan gateway. It 
  too is a two-dot Solar manse. Its hearthstone is the 
  Stone of the Golden Bier, which allows its bearer 
  instinctively to sense all animate corpses, ghosts and 
  shadowland boundaries (but not Abyssal Exalted) 
  within 10 yards. Once again, Filial Wisdom holds 
  this hearthstone.
  THE GOBLIN KING’S ARMY
  Description: Filial Wisdom leads a cult of more 
  than 1,000 cannibals, stalkers and goblins, but can-
  not muster more than 300 or so at a time. They are 
  disorganized (which is why they haven’t taken over 
  the city) but learning, with their master, by trial and 
  error. The motley force wears a blend of leather (often 
  layered stalker hides) and scraps of Dragon King armor; 
  the net result is comparable to a reinforced buff jacket. 
  Only a few officers carry First Age weapons.
  Commanding Officer: Filial Wisdom
  Armor Color: Green-brown leather, bits of other 
  materials.
  Motto: “Light of decay from the son of glory!”
  General Makeup: 100 light infantry with javelins and 
  clubs, wearing scavenged armor.
  Overall Quality: Fair
  Magnitude: 4
  Drill: 1
  Close Combat Attack: 2 Close Combat Damage: 2
  Ranged Attack: 2 
  Ranged Damage: 2
  THE PYRAMID OF THE RISING SUN
  The Pyramid of the Rising Sun stands on the Way 
  of the Sun about six miles east of the Great Pyramid. It 
  is just 200 yards tall. Here, the ancient Dragon Kings 
  venerated the rest of their pantheon—those gods who 
  were important to the Dragon Kings but beneath the 
  Unconquered Sun in status. Long ago, this pyramid 
  was covered in orichalcum, moonsilver, starmetal and 
  all five colors of jade. Flecks of those precious metals 
  still inlay the pyramid’s walls, but most have long since 
  been stolen away.
  This pyramid’s most interesting feature is on its 
  roof. On the westernmost side of the pyramid’s flat 
  top stands a wall of black basalt standing four yards 
  high. The inside of this wall bears an inlaid, three-yard 
  high arch made of all the magical materials (except 
  for soulsteel). This arch is actually a gate to Yu-Shan. 
  At dawn on the first day of each season, anyone pres-
  ent with an Essence of 3 or higher can spend a mote 
  of Essence and pass through this portal into Yu-Shan. 
  Such a being can also pass through the arch during the 
  entire period of Calibration, while certain Charms or 
  spells can open the gateway at any time. Regardless, 
  anyone attempting to enter Yu-Shan without proper 
  authorization (or a damn good reason) must immedi-
  ately face a group of hostile celestial lion guards. The 
  only exception is at Calibration, when Yu-Shan stages 
  its annual Carnival of Meeting and many of Heaven’s 
  rules are suspended.
  The Pyramid of the Rising Sun is a two-dot Solar 
  manse. Its hearthstone is a sphere of courtesan’s constel-
  lation (see The Books of Sorcery. Vol. III—Oadenol’s 
  Codex, p. 106). Filial Wisdom currently holds this 
  hearthstone, too.
  THE PYRAMID OF THE SETTING SUN
  The Pyramid of the Setting Sun stands along the 
  Way of the Sun, about six miles west of the Great 
  GEOMANCY OF RATHESS
  The chief geomantic influence on the three 
  pyramid-manses is the city of Rathess itself. In 
  its prime, the whole city concentrated Solar 
  Essence. The damage to the city weakened the 
  three manses. Restoring the underlying demesnes 
  to full power would involve rebuilding large areas 
  of Rathess, including the flying towers. Doing 
  this, however, would raise each pyramid’s power 
  by two dots and make their hearthstones much 
  more powerful.
  
  126
  THE SLEEPERS OF RATHESS
  The greatest secret of Rathess has eluded all 
  the city’s residents. In long forgotten chambers 
  hidden in the lowest parts of the underways, 
  ancient Dragon Kings still endure. As the Great 
  Contagion swept toward Rathess, a few still-
  civilized Dragon Kings built stasis chambers. They 
  hoped to sleep through the catastrophe and emerge 
  later to lead their people back to enlightenment. 
  The jerry-rigged stasis chambers malfunctioned; 
  these Dragon Kings, no more than a dozen strong, 
  never woke up. They still wait for someone to 
  manually activate the resuscitation protocols. 
  Each of these ancient sleepers is an Essence 5+ 
  being with an encyclopedic knowledge of not only 
  Dragon King magic and technology, but also of 
  First Age lore.
  Successfully reviving a hibernating Dragon 
  King requires a savant with minimum Lore 3, 
  Medicine 2 and Occult 2. The savant’s player 
  must roll (Intelligence + Lore) at difficulty 3. 
  Failure has no effect, but a botch kills the Dragon 
  King (and, understandably, makes it much harder 
  to win the trust of other sleeping Dragon Kings 
  revived later).
  Although an ancient Dragon King most likely 
  feels gratitude to anyone who awakens him, he 
  also suffers enormous future shock from learning 
  that he has slept for over seven centuries. Such a 
  Dragon King also has no knowledge 
  of any modern language. His primary 
  goal is to resuscitate his fellows 
  and then begin the process 
  of returning intelligence 
  and civilization to the 
  Rathessian stalkers. 
  Gratitude to his res-
  cuers must take a 
  back seat to those goals, 
  especially if the Dragon 
  King concludes that his 
  rescuer awoke him only 
  through accident or out 
  of some malicious or 
  selfish intent.
  Endurance: 3 
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 2 (-2 mobility)
  Morale: 3
  Formation: As yet, most of Filial Wisdom’s troops can’t 
  manage any formation tighter than relaxed. Indeed, 
  he has never led his troops against a foe with much 
  interest in a prolonged battle, so he expects enemies 
  to break and run once he personally slaughters a few 
  dozen of them. Thus, he often lets his troops enter 
  combat unordered. He has not ordained any heroes 
  or relays to help him command, but rewarded three 
  especially skilled fighters with First Age personal 
  weapons: either Old Realm magitech, such as plasma 
  tongue repeaters, or Dragon King crystalline devices 
  that deal comparable damage. These artifact-equipped 
  warriors function as sorcerers.
  GREAT GOBLIN SCALE
  Description: Filial Wisdom trained this platoon of 
  40 great goblins as his shock troops. The strong, tough 
  great goblins carry heavier weapons and wear scavenged 
  bits of old Dragon King armor (functionally equal to 
  reinforced buff jackets). He sends them charging at 
  the enemy, preferably from the flank for maximum 
  disruption. Unlike most of the Solar’s troops, the great 
  goblins are quite disciplined.
  Commanding Officer: Glarboz Feast-of-Glory
  Armor Color: Stalker leather and Dragon King crystal/
  ceramic
  Motto: “Feast on their hearts!”
  General Makeup: 50 medium infantry with great axes 
  and hammers, dressed in scavenged armor
  Overall Quality: Elite
  Magnitude: 2
  Drill: 3
  Close Combat Attack: 4 
  Close Combat Damage: 5
  Ranged Attack: — 
  Ranged Damage: —
  Endurance: 13 
  Might: 0 
  Armor: 4 (-2 mobility)
  Morale: 4
  Formation: The great 
  goblins’ favorite tactic is 
  to mass in a ruined build-
  ing or hidden by jungle 
  somewhere near a battle, 
  form up into close formation and then march 
  in with axes swinging. The scale has no heroes 
  or other special characters.
  p
  Dragon King also
  of any modern lan
  goal is to resu
  and then
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  and
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  rs.
  
  127
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  
  128
  The Elemental Pole of Wood makes the East fertile; 
  humanity shares the Direction with a plethora of diverse 
  creatures. Many of these creatures are quite dangerous. 
  Then again, so are human beings.
  SPIRITS OF THE EAST
  Many of the most important gods and elemen-
  tals in the East are associated with the forest and its 
  CHAPTER FIVE
  CHAPTER FIVE
  GODS AND MONSTERS 
  GODS AND MONSTERS 
  OF THE EAST
  OF THE EAST
  people—but not all. The East also has a long history 
  of civilization, of both humans and the Dragon Kings. 
  This section describes some of the most important, 
  distinctive or unusual spirits of the East using the same 
  format presented in the Exalted main rulebook. For 
  more spirits who might act in the East, and information 
  about spirit Charms, see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. 
  IV—The Roll of Glorious Divinity I.
  
  129
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  ARILAK THE UNSEEN
  Jungle Queen, the Hidden Talon, Chatelaine of the 
  Rainbow Palace
  Arilak began her career as keeper of the Primordials’ 
  zoo. Long before the notion of man, the experiments 
  in life used dragons as their templates. The results were 
  gigantic scaled beasts of terrifying beauty. These experi-
  ments led to the creation of the Dragon Kings. Many 
  of the prototype reptiles became liabilities. They were 
  too deadly to become pets and too hungry to live near 
  the creators’ new favorites. Arilak, overseer of the first 
  lizards, was tasked with removing them from Creation. 
  She has always hated the Dragon Kings for displacing the 
  creatures that were her original reason for existence.
  Over the centuries, Arilak slew thousands of beasts 
  that were only slightly less powerful than behemoths. 
  Against orders, she hid away the favorites of her flock 
  to places far from the notice of the sun or stars, and 
  made them never to age or breed. She lost half her col-
  lection to the Fair Folk invasion, though, and so she 
  hates the raksha even more than the Dragon Kings. A 
  few of the lesser reptiles, such as the tyrant lizards and 
  claw striders, remained free to breed.
  In recognition for her service, Arilak received 
  dominion over all the jungles of the East. Since then, 
  she has kept most of her secrets. Few realize that Arilak 
  can assume many of the great forms of her ageless pets. 
  She chooses to do so only when word of this power 
  could not reach the ears of Heaven, for she fears that 
  the Unconquered Sun might realize she disobeyed her 
  duties long ago.
  Even mortals know about Arilak’s power over aging 
  and health. Much to Arilak’s irritation, enterprising 
  humans constantly venture into the jungles to seek a 
  blessing of immortality. This does bring Arilak more 
  worship than the jungle tribes provide. On the other 
  hand, Arilak values her privacy and has no intention of 
  simply giving away her great favor to just anyone who 
  can survive a few thousand miles through the jungle.
  Arilak looks every bit as deadly as she is. She usually 
  appears as a beautiful woman with green and gold scales 
  and a moderately draconic countenance. The Unseen 
  moves with serpentine grace. She never hides her long 
  golden claws or the way they drip with venom. Arilak 
  wears an eerie black pendant and garbs herself in heavy 
  robes that continually shift their hue.
  The Unseen gives strangers a polite welcome to her 
  sanctum. Visitors usually realize that their host watches 
  them closely though, and the slightest discourtesy can 
  provoke deadly retribution. Arilak suffers neither fools 
  nor boors and can quickly banish, curse or kill almost 
  any intruder. Still, Arilak sometimes gets lonely in 
  her palace. Guests who can get beyond her brooding 
  and sometimes menacing demeanor occasionally win 
  friendship, love, trophies or one of the most desirable 
  blessings in Creation.
  Arilak never materializes outside of her sanctum 
  because she becomes painfully thirsty and dry. If she 
  must act materially in Creation, she possesses one of her 
  pets. She rarely leaves her sanctum at all. Only official 
  business in Heaven can reliably draw her away.
  Like many gods, Arilak notices the Celestial Bu-
  reaucracy’s increasingly lax oversight of Creation. She 
  entertains serious notions of revitalizing the populations 
  of her ancient flock, for both love and ambition. Using 
  her divine powers, she could breed them quickly, but 
  Arilak thinks this tempting plan is still too dangerous 
  in the absence of powerful supporters in both Creation 
  and Yu-Shan.
  THE THREE FOREST RULERS OF THE EAST
  The rivalry between the East’s three chief 
  forest gods goes back centuries, if not millennia. 
  Caltia the Eternal and Golden-Eyed Jorst fluctu-
  ate between political scheming and outright war. 
  Arilak the Unseen seldom leaves her sanctum 
  deep in the Southeastern jungles; occasionally 
  she tantalizes either Caltia or Jorst with hints of 
  alliance, temporarily recruiting one or the other 
  to support her in the politics of Heaven. No one 
  can estimate the full effect on the East of the three 
  gods’ conflict, but the cumulative death toll of 
  the Haltan-Linowan conflict has few equals in 
  the Second Age.
  Golden-Eyed Jorst says that several cen-
  turies ago, he found that a servant of Malfeas 
  had seduced both Arilak and Caltia. He killed 
  the Demon-Blooded seducer, as was his duty to 
  Creation. Arilak asked him to erase her memory 
  of her seducer, but Caltia could not accept the 
  truth or the loss of her infernal lover and has 
  hated him ever since. Caltia says Jorst murdered 
  one of her most favored disciples, and spun a story 
  about Malfean seducers to make himself look 
  good. Arilak says little, but has hinted that one 
  or both of her rivals uses their conflict to cover 
  up crimes against Heaven that could get them 
  smelted into starmetal.
  
  130
  Sanctum: The Rainbow Palace is an enormous castle 
  hidden deep within the most dangerous reaches of the 
  Southeastern jungles. Its humid interior is itself a fan-
  tastic, colorful jungle inhabited by strange and exotic 
  creatures. The palace rises high above the canopy, 
  covered in glistening jewels and stained glass, visible 
  but permanently dematerialized. Without magic, one 
  can enter it only by riding one of the reptilian beasts 
  of the surrounding jungle.
  Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 7, Stamina 8; Cha-
  risma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 5; Perception 5, 
  Intelligence 5, Wits 4
  Virtues:  Compassion 2, Conviction 4, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 3
  Abilities: Athletics 5, Awareness 5, Bureaucracy 4, 
  Craft (Wood) 3, Dodge 5, Integrity 3, Investigation 3, 
  Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Others: Forest-Tongue, 
  High Realm, Riverspeak, Barbarian Tongues) 4, Lore 3 
  (Jungle Life + 3), Martial Arts 5 (Claws +2), Medicine 2 
  (Poisons +2), Melee 3, Occult 5, Performance 2, 
  Presence 3, Resistance 3, Ride 4, Stealth 4 (Jungle + 2), 
  Socialize 2, Survival 5 (Jungle +3), Thrown 3, War 2 
  (Beasts +2)
  Backgrounds: Artifact 4 (Rainbow Dragon sheath), 
  Artifact 4 (Black Core), Contacts 2, Cult 4, Influence 2, 
  Salary 3
  Spirit Charms: Arilak has all appropriately themed 
  spirit Charms for which she qualifies. Some important 
  ones are specified below.
  Banish—All-Encompassing: Arilak can banish anything 
  within her sanctum or jungle purview, or banish any 
  aspect or instance of the jungle, for 17 motes and 2 
  points of Willpower.
  Hurry Home—For 10 motes and a Willpower point, 
  Arilak can instantly transport herself to any place in 
  the Southeastern jungles where no mortal can see her, 
  or to the Rainbow Palace. In Yu-Shan, she can use this 
  Charm to return instantly to her Celestial Manse.
  Impromptu Messenger—Arilak can speak through any 
  creature native to the jungle.
  Intrusion-Sensing Method—Senses when any creature not 
  born in the jungle passes more than five miles into it.
  Martial Arts—Arilak has learned the entire Terrible 
  Ascent-Driven Beast style, using Beyond-the-Idol 
  Perfection as the pinnacle charm (see the PDF ebook 
  The Imperfect Lotus pp. 10-12).
  Materialize—Arilak can materialize for 60 motes.
  Measure the Wind—Arilak assesses the power of poten-
  tial enemies (namely, everyone near her); this costs 
  one mote.
  Meat of Broken Flesh—Whenever Arilak inflicts damage 
  using her claws, she can spend one mote to drain six 
  motes from her target.
  Paralyze—For six motes, Arilak can cause any suc-
  cessful attack to inflict a -6 internal penalty on every 
  non-reflexive action her target takes, until Arilak’s own 
  next action. This penalty is at once a Poison, Crippling 
  and wound penalty effect. 
  Possession—Arilak can possess any jungle animal. She 
  never possesses people.
  Principle of Motion—The Unseen typically keeps seven 
  extra actions stored.
  Shapechange—Arilak can assume dozens of reptilian 
  forms, some of them beasts that Creation hasn’t seen 
  for ages.
  Sheathing the Material Form—Scales turn to multi-hued 
  jade, and her eyes shine like orichalcum
  Signet of Authority—The recipient of this blessing wears 
  an immaterial crown of rainbow vines and can command 
  jungle reptiles as well as jungle spirits.
  Taste of Mortality—All-Encompassing. Arilak’s will 
  destroys even an Exalt’s most basic defenses.
  Touch of Eternity—The difference between a healing 
  draught and a deadly poison is often no more than dos-
  age. Arilak’s powerful ichors cause all of this charm’s 
  listed effects, except that the aging process is slowed to 
  10%. However, the target dries out rapidly, suffering 
  from dehydration 10 times more quickly. This generally 
  restricts most recipients to very humid regions that also 
  abound in clean water.
  Excellencies—Arilak has the First, Second and Third 
  Excellencies for the following Abilities: Athletics, 
  Awareness, Bureaucracy, Dodge, Martial Arts, Stealth 
  and Survival. She also has Divine Survival Subordina-
  tion (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The Roll 
  of Glorious Divinity I, p. 142) and Infinite (Abil-
  ity) Masteries with Dodge, Martial Arts, Stealth and 
  Survival.
  Join Battle: 9
  Attacks:
  Claw: Speed 4, Accuracy 16, Damage 17L + poison, 
  Parry DV 7, Rate 4
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 15B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 14, Damage 12B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Soak: 4L/8B (12B/12L with Rainbow Dragon Sheath; 
  Rainbow Dragon Sheath, 4B/8L, -1 mobility penalty)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2//
  -2/-2/-4/Incap
  
  131
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Dodge: 9 (8 with Rainbow Dragon Sheath) 
  Willpower: 6 
   
  Essence: 6 
   
  Essence Pool: 90
  Other Notes: Arilak the Unseen’s divine panoply 
  consists of the Rainbow Dragon Sheath and the 
  Black Core.
  The Rainbow Dragon Sheath is a one-piece, full-body 
  robe of ever-changing hues that represent the five ele-
  ments. For one Willpower point, the wearer may fix 
  the robe’s color for a scene. For that scene, the robe 
  gives complete protection against all damage, Poison, 
  Crippling and Sickness effects caused by the element 
  of the robes’ color. When the robe takes the green hue 
  of Wood, it prevents damage from wooden weapons or 
  the natural attacks of living creatures, including animal 
  and vegetable toxins. The light yellow hue of Earth 
  blocks damage from metal or jade weapons, or mineral 
  poisons. The scarlet of Fire protects against heat and 
  combustion; the white of Air protects against cold, 
  lightning, arrows and thrown weapons. The black hue 
  of Water blocks damage from drowning or chemical 
  corrosion. Holy attacks, however, can always bypass 
  an elemental defense.
  If the robes are left uncontrolled, there is a one in five 
  chance for the robes to be a particular color during 
  any one tick. In addition, the Rainbow Dragon Sheath 
  provides simple armor against all normal attacks. It 
  carries a +1 fatigue value, but this is negated on Arilak 
  because it is part of her divine panoply. The Rainbow 
  Dragon Sheath is a four-dot jade artifact that requires 
  10 motes for others to attune to it.
  The Black Core is a small amulet that appears to be 
  made out of a tight spiral of black vines. It imbues its 
  wearer with complete immunity to a deadly poison 
  called death sap. In addition, the wearer constantly 
  secretes the deadly death sap from her hands. (Death 
  Sap: Damage 10L, Toxicity 4, Tolerance –/–, Penalty 
  –2.) The Black Core is a four-dot srtifact that costs five 
  motes for anyone but Arilak to attune.
  CALTIA THE ETERNAL
  The Hunter Queen, Evergreen Maenad, Patron 
  of Halta
  Throughout Halta, people recount legends of the 
  great deeds performed by the proud warrior spirit Caltia 
  the Eternal. All travelers through the Northeastern 
  forests, however, would be wise to fear the Hunter 
  Queen’s sudden, often violent arrival. She can bring 
  epic revelry or epic terror.
  Since her birth, Caltia the Eternal sought to 
  excel. With the cunning of Luna and the strength of 
  the Unconquered Sun, she wrestled and tricked tribe 
  after tribe from the clutches of wild Lunars, established 
  Dragon-Blooded and smugly secure gods and elementals. 
  She stood victoriously at the fore of beast armies who 
  fought back the Wyld and other foes of Creation. She 
  made humanity in the Northeast safe from many of its 
  deadliest predators, often at the point of her blade.
  For her deeds, Caltia was made Eastern Goddess 
  of Evergreen Forests. Even though she occupies one 
  of the highest offices possible for a terrestrial god, the 
  proud warrior sees her post as a thankless, dead-end 
  position and a bureaucratic waste of her talents. So, 
  Caltia does what she has always done best. She hunts, 
  and celebrates her kills.
  Caltia’s arrival to a town within or near her do-
  main heralds a great, wild celebration. Caltia and her 
  entourage of spirits bless their hosts, providing meat, 
  wine and beer. The goddess herself sings heroic songs 
  of her exploits and gambles or parties her time away, 
  carousing with local warriors. Occasionally, her eye lands 
  on an attractive warrior, who had best not refuse her 
  advances. Pleasing Caltia means blessings and favors, 
  but those who please her too well are taken away from 
  their homes by the infatuated goddess, and never heard 
  from again.
  Meeting Caltia in the wilderness, where she spends 
  most of her time, is extremely dangerous. She instantly 
  decides whether anyone she meets is predator or prey. 
  She greets skilled hunters and courageous warriors 
  with respect. Those who appear weak and show fear, 
  she callously hunts and kills. Sometimes, all that saves 
  a mortal is that he’s too awestruck by the spectacle of 
  her appearance to feel fear.
  Caltia is a tall, exceptionally athletic woman garbed 
  in hunters’ leathers. She goes always armed with her 
  jade powerbow and twin knives. In summer, she rides 
  an elk-drawn wooden chariot; in winter, she drives a 
  sleigh of ice and ivory, pulled by white wolves. Caltia 
  often travels with an entourage of hunting spirits and 
  beasts. She is quite generous, but even more proud, and 
  occasionally quite cruel. She has little to fear but her 
  faith is gone, as has her warrior’s edge. Even promoting 
  Halta and pursuing the war against the Linowan and 
  Golden-Eyed Jorst often seems futile. Today, Caltia is 
  usually either mean or she is drunk. Fortunately, she 
  is often drunk.
  Sanctum: Caltia has no sanctum. She could easily 
  make one, but claims either that she has no need for a 
  sanctum, or that her last sanctum was useless and she 
  got rid of it.
  
  132
  Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 7, Stamina 8; Cha-
  risma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 5; Perception 5, 
  Intelligence 5, Wits 4
  Virtues:  Compassion 3, Conviction 2, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Archery 5, Athletics 4, Awareness 5, Bu-
  reaucracy 4, Craft (Wood) 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, 
  Investigation 5, Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Oth-
  ers: Forest-Tongue, High Realm, Riverspeak, Barbarian 
  Tongues) 4, Lore 4, Martial Arts 3, Melee 5 (Knives +2), 
  Occult 3, Performance 3 (Epic Songs +2), Presence 5, 
  Resistance 3 (Endure Fatigue +2), Ride 5, Stealth 3 
  (Evergreen Forest +3), Socialize 4, Survival 5 (Evergreen 
  Forest +3), Thrown 4 (Knives +2), War 3 (Beasts +2)
  Backgrounds: Allies 4, Artifact 3, Artifact 3, Cult 4, 
  Followers 2, Influence 4, Salary 3
  Spirit Charms: Caltia has all appropriately themed 
  spirit Charms for which she qualifies. Some important 
  ones are specified below.
  Benefaction—All-Encompassing: For 10 motes and a 
  Willpower point, Caltia confers a one-die bonus to all 
  dice pools for the recipient’s actions.
  Essence Plethora—Caltia has 30 extra motes of Essence 
  (largely due to her extensive worship in Halta).
  Eye of Inspiration—For 15 motes, Caltia can grant a 
  mortal the use of her First Excellency for Archery, 
  Melee, Presence, Stealth, Survival or War. Each Ability 
  requires a separate use of the Charm. A recipient who 
  has his own Essence pool can use it to fuel the Excel-
  lency; Caltia can also permit the recipient to draw on 
  her own Essence pool. At her whim, she can give free 
  use of the Excellency or set conditions such as, “Only 
  when fighting my enemies,” or “Only when I feel like 
  it.” As with Caltia herself, the recipient’s player cannot 
  add more than +6 dice to rolls. The conferred Excel-
  lency counts as dice added through Charms.
  Hand of Destiny—For 20 motes and two Willpower 
  points, Caltia can dedicate herself and all her subor-
  dinate spirits to the destruction of some chosen foe. 
  From then on, she and they gain an intuitive sense 
  for what they must do to accomplish this goal. Un-
  authorized use of this Charm is a direct challenge to 
  the Bureau of Destiny, so Caltia must exercise some 
  caution. For instance, she dares not use it to find an 
  ideal means of destroying Golden-Eyed Jorst: such an 
  attempt to bend Fate toward the murder of a god of 
  his rank would lead to Caltia’s own audit and possibly 
  her own execution.
  
  133
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Impromptu Messenger—Caltia can speak through any crea-
  ture native to the evergreen forests of the Northeast.
  Materialize—It costs Caltia 65 motes to materialize.
  Measure the Wind—For one mote, Caltia assesses the 
  power of her foes or prey.
  Meat of Broken Flesh—Caltia applies this Charm to her 
  knives. When they inflict damage, she can spend one 
  mote to drain six motes from her target and transfer 
  them to herself.
  Principle of Motion—Caltia keeps seven extra actions 
  stored.
  Regalia of Authority—For 10 motes and a Willpower 
  point, Caltia can strike with awe and compel the 
  worship of every mortal who knows and believes the 
  legends about her. Anyone whose Essence is less than 
  Caltia’s suffers unnatural mental influence to obey her; 
  moreover, anyone whose Mental Defense Value does 
  not exceed his own Temperance gains an Intimacy to 
  worship Caltia. Finally, Caltia can substitute her Es-
  sence for her Appearance while this Charm lasts. The 
  Charms remains active for a scene.
  Resisting such Servitude/Compulsion effects costs one 
  Willpower point per action. Spending six Willpower 
  points frees the character from the Compulsions, but 
  not from the Intimacy.
  Sheathing the Material Form—Caltia can evoke a glow-
  ing aura of invincibility that affects all attacks made by 
  creatures that know who she is and believe her legends. 
  For every two motes Caltia spends on this Charm (up to 
  10 motes), she adds +1 to her lethal soak and hardness, 
  and +2 to her bashing soak and hardness.
  Spirit-Cutting—For two motes per attack, Caltia can 
  make her attacks affect dematerialized entities.
  Stoke the Flame—For a scene, Caltia can inspire masses 
  of people to revel with her, fear her or fight in her name. 
  These are all unnatural mental influences. The Charm 
  costs Caltia three motes times the Magnitude of the social 
  unit she wants to affect. Resisting the Emotion effect of 
  the Charm costs individuals one Willpower per action; 
  people free themselves completely once they spend two 
  motes. To implement this Charm, Caltia must attempt 
  a Performance-based social attack against the social 
  unit; her player adds Caltia’s Temperance in automatic 
  successes to the roll. For every success rolled, affected 
  mortals gain a special “Stoked Willpower” point that they 
  can spend only on actions related to the emotion Caltia 
  suggested. These points vanish once the scene ends.
  Tracking—All-Encompassing. By spending 10 motes 
  and a Willpower point, Caltia can know the distance, 
  direction and surroundings of everything to which 
  she has committed Essence. For five motes, she simply 
  locates a single creature or object. While this Charm 
  enables Caltia to find the targeted creature or object, 
  committing Essence to something for the sake of finding 
  it later does pose some risk: a sorcerer or spirit could 
  use that mote of Essence as an arcane link to target 
  Caltia herself.
  Excellencies—Caltia has the First, Second and Third Ex-
  cellencies with Archery, Awareness, Bureaucracy, Melee, 
  Presence, Ride, Stealth, Survival and War. She also has 
  Infinite (Ability) Mastery with Archery, Melee, Presence, 
  Survival and Divine Survival Subordination.
  Join Battle: 9
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 12B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 15B, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 12B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Yagan Fangs: Speed 3, Accuracy 18, Damage 17L, Parry 
  DV 8, Rate 4
  Forgotten Shade Shot: Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 16L, 
  Range 300, Rate 2
  Soak: 8L/12B (Barkcloth buff jacket, 4L/4B, +2 fatigue 
  value)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-
  2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 9 
   Willpower: 7
  Essence: 6 
  Essence Pool: 125
  Other Notes: Caltia the Eternal’s divine panoply 
  consists of her knives, The Yagan Fangs, and her short 
  powerbow, Forgotten Shade Shot.
  The Yagan Fangs are a pair of green and red jade artifact 
  hunting knives. Each carries the statistics of a short 
  daiklave, with standard Speed and Damage bonuses 
  for jade weapons when wielded by a Dragon-Blood or 
  Caltia. In addition, when wielded paired, the first attack 
  of any action does not count toward the determination 
  of multiple action penalties or DV penalties. In essence, 
  the first attack of every action is free. The Yagan Fangs 
  can only be attuned to together, costing eight motes. 
  As a set, they are a three-dot artifact.
  Forgotten Shade Shot is a jade short powerbow that 
  automatically negates any environmental or circum-
  stantial external penalties that apply to the wielder’s 
  shot. For example, range, wind, and cover are negated, 
  but DVs are not. Otherwise, Forgotten Shade Shot 
  has the same combat statistics as a regular jade short 
  powerbow. It is a three-dot artifact.
  
  134
  GOLDEN-EYED JORST
  New Leaf King, Master of Forest Revels, Patron 
  of Linowan
  Golden-Eyed Jorst, Eastern God of Deciduous For-
  ests, is one extremely popular Terrestrial deity. Pretty 
  much everyone likes him, except Caltia the Eternal and 
  her Haltan devotees. Jorst regularly entertains power-
  ful gods and Exalts in his sanctum, the Temple of Joy. 
  Jorst’s sanctum doors are always open. The carefree god 
  seems always ready to please guests with his easy charm 
  and open buffet of exotic pleasures.
  Some of the most powerful gods from Yu-Shan and 
  Creation come to the Temple of Joy. They find it a fun 
  and relaxing place to conduct business: far from the eyes 
  of Heaven, hundreds of miles from all but the smallest 
  human settlements, and shielded from the divinations 
  of rival gods. What’s more, it’s discreet. Golden-Eyed 
  Jorst doesn’t care what or who you do. He cares only 
  that his guests enjoy a wild, worry-free time. What 
  happens in Jorst’s hall, stays in Jorst’s hall.
  Jorst’s only stricture on his guests is that when he 
  leaves, everyone leaves. Jorst likes to wander his forests, 
  sometimes for months at a time. He often takes the guise 
  of a mortal and imposes himself upon the hospitality of 
  those he meets. Normally, Jorst doesn’t have much of 
  a temper, so those who refuse him rarely suffer for it, 
  but he often blesses people that he likes or just wishes 
  to thank. Stories circulate of Jorst’s vengeance, but 
  there simply isn’t any reliable evidence that he ever did 
  any of the horrible things for which he is feared. Jorst 
  would certainly deny ever wanting to hurt someone 
  just because they weren’t nice to him. Anyway, more 
  stories tell of the Golden-Eyed Lord’s beneficence to 
  households that showed kindness to a stranger.
  On the last day of Resplendent Air, Jorst always kicks 
  everyone out of his sanctum and bars the gate, so that he 
  can rest. Then, Jorst goes Elsewhere until spring. On the 
  first day of Ascending Wood, Jorst’s joyous return triggers 
  an enormous party that may not stop for months.
  Jorst’s natural form is that of an attractive green-
  skinned man. He is tall and strong, wearing many 
  layers of fine flowing robes. Fronds of oak and maple 
  leaves form his hair, and his eyes are lidless pools of 
  rippling molten gold. Jorst is expressive and a master 
  raconteur. His touch is gentle and strong. It’s easy to 
  see why everyone likes him.
  Sanctum: Jorst’s sanctum is the Temple of Joy, located 
  in the deepest eastern forests. Visitors enter through a 
  giant archway made of dozens of beautiful trees. On the 
  archway is written the Scripture of the Savory Maiden. 
  Jorst’s sanctum is extremely powerful. For details see 
  Other Notes below.
  Motivation: Bring epic revelry to Creation.
  Attributes: Strength 12, Dexterity 7, Stamina 8; Cha-
  risma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 5; Perception 5, 
  Intelligence 5, Wits 4
  Virtues:  Compassion 4, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, 
  Valor 2
  Abilities: Archery 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 2, Bureau-
  cracy 5 (Divine Politics +2), Craft (Wood) 5 (Topiary +2), 
  Dodge 2, Integrity 6, Investigation 4, Larceny 3 (Eyes 
  of Heaven +3), Linguistics (Native: Old Realm; Oth-
  ers: Forest-Tongue, High Realm, Riverspeak, Eastern 
  Tribal Tongues) 4, Lore 5, Martial Arts 2 (Orgiastic 
  Fugitive Style +3), Medicine 3 (Vegetable Drugs +2), 
  Occult 3, Performance 4 (Storytelling +3), Presence 4 
  (Threats +2), Resistance 3 (Drugs +3), Stealth 3, So-
  cialize 6 (Gods +2), Survival 5 (Deciduous Forests +3), 
  War 1
  Backgrounds: Artifact (Natural Selection) 3, Artifact 3, 
  Artifact 1, Cult 4, Influence 4, Manse 5, Salary 3
  Spirit Charms: Golden-Eyed Jorst knows a multitude 
  of Charms. These are only a few that deserve special 
  mention for one reason or another.
  Affinity Wood Control—Jorst can manipulate plant life; 
  the volume is comparable to six barrels or cubic yards. 
  He can quickly design and create new drugs, poisons 
  or entire plant species. Jorst can use this Charm to cre-
  ate environmental hazards or attack using razor-sharp 
  wood and vines. This attack cannot be dodged, but 
  affects only those visible to Jorst (invisibility or total 
  concealment protects completely). Attacks using the 
  environment have Speed 5, Accuracy 11, maximum 
  Damage 18B/18L, Rate 6. Environmental hazards have a 
  maximum Damage of 6L/minute and maximum Trauma 
  of 6L. Activating this power costs six motes; it remains 
  active for a full scene.
  Banish—Golden-Eyed Jorst can only use this Charm 
  against creatures who commit or threaten violence (such 
  as by drawing a weapon). He can send them to any loca-
  tion in his woodland purview. The target must go to a safe 
  location. High in the branches of a sturdy oak tree is safe, 
  yes? If Jorst feels pissed, he neglects to banish the offending 
  person’s clothes (but he won’t leave them weaponless). 
  This costs 12 motes and one Willpower point.
  Divine Prerogative—Jorst keeps one great secret, his 
  “pick-me-up” (described below). His Intimacy toward 
  that secret renders it inviolate.
  Domain Manipulation Scenario—For six motes, Jorst 
  can make the forest within 60 yards do anything that 
  
  135
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  is normal for deciduous forests, such as calling a nearby 
  hatra pack to attack intruders, or setting truffles grow-
  ing at the roots of every oak tree. For 12 motes and a 
  Willpower point, Jorst can make an entire woodland 
  behave in wildly improbable (but not impossible) ways, 
  such as calling every tree, shrub and herb to bloom at 
  once even through it’s the wrong season.
  Dreamscape—Jorst often sends dreams to his devotees. 
  He uses this to communicate with priests and shamans, 
  or simply as pleasant and cost-free rewards to his follow-
  ers. Jorst can enter the dreams he crafts so as to interact 
  directly with the dreamer’s mind in a fantasy-world. 
  This costs him only one mote.
  Essence Plethora—Golden-Eyed Jorst has 30 extra 
  motes of Essence (largely due to his extensive worship 
  in Linowan).
  Fruit of Living Essence—Jorst can absorb Essence or 
  Willpower from people in the form of worries. He 
  touches the person and spends three motes; his player 
  rolls (Essence + Temperance), with an internal pen-
  alty of the target’s Essence (plus half the Willpower 
  of a resisting target). If the roll succeeds, Jorst takes 
  three motes of the target’s Essence per success rolled; 
  with three or more successes, Jorst can take a point of 
  Willpower instead. Some targets find this experience 
  extremely pleasant as the god wipes their cares from 
  their mind. Targets who have no Willpower or motes 
  to lose instead suffer from a -2 external penalty to their 
  Mental DVs and a –2 internal penalty to all Integrity 
  or Temperance rolls. This is a Sickness effect, and it 
  can stack with itself.
  Hurry Home—Jorst can travel instantly to any woodland 
  in the East that’s at least 50% deciduous trees. He can-
  not venture into the evergreen conifer woods of Caltia 
  or the almost-seasonless jungles of Arilak.
  Materialize—This costs Jorst 65 motes.
  Measure the Wind—The Party God likes to know the 
  Essence-wielding capacity of his guests, the better to 
  steer them towards appropriate delights. In the unlikely 
  event that a guest becomes so unruly that Jorst must eject 
  him… Well, that’s another reason to know someone’s 
  capacity to wield Essence. This costs one mote.
  Memory Mirror—Jorst’s eyes can see a person’s memories 
  and fantasies of pleasure, enabling him to craft nigh-
  irresistible temptations to revelry.
  Mind-Knife Sacrament—All-Encompassing. In a scene-
  long dramatic action in which Jorst has repeated 
  opportunities to touch his target, he can reshape a 
  person’s mind to suppress or implant memories, change 
  Intimacies, or even raise or lower the target’s Abilities 
  or Virtues. Jorst cannot raise any Ability by more than 
  one dot, and cannot raise any Ability to a higher rating 
  than he has himself; this may place a target character in 
  experience point debt, as normal for Training effects. 
  Finally, Jorst can make a person his priest.
  Use of this Charm costs 10 motes, or 15 motes and 
  one Willpower point if Jorst wants to reshape multiple 
  aspects of a person’s mind. However, sculpting a per-
  son’s mind strips the target of temporary Willpower 
  (at least one point per change) or inflicts unsoakable 
  aggravated damage if the target runs out of Willpower 
  points. Thus, Jorst is careful to make only small changes 
  to his targets’ identities. For instance, while Jorst could 
  give a promising Linowan shaman a direct Intimacy 
  to hating Halta at a cost of draining three Willpower, 
  implanting a memory that a childhood friend who 
  drowned was actually pulled underwater by a Haltan 
  assassin would cost the target only one Willpower. At 
  his parties, Jorst subtly makes many such adjustments 
  to the minds of revelers.
  Orgiastic Fugitive Style—Golden-Eyed Jorst never 
  studied any martial art, but Creation’s most dedicated 
  reveler instinctively performs all the Charms of this 
  Wood-aspected Terrestrial style (see Scroll of the 
  Monk, pp. 57-58).
  Ox-Body Technique—Jorst takes this Charm once.
  Principle of Motion—Jorst keeps seven extra actions 
  stored.
  Touch of Eternity—Jorst can grant mortals the same 
  resistance to poison and disease that the Exalted enjoy. 
  This is one of his favorite ways to reward mortals. It 
  costs him X motes.
  Excellencies—Golden-Eyed Jorst has Third Excellencies 
  with Bureaucracy, Craft (Wood), Integrity, Presence, 
  Socialize and Survival. He also has Divine Survival 
  Subordination with the Compassion Flaw of Invulner-
  ability: The god can infallibly perform any feat related 
  to Survival, but only on behalf of a mortal and only in 
  his own deciduous forests.
  Join Battle: 6
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 4, Accuracy 10, Damage 12B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 15B, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 12B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1, Piercing
  Natural Selection Glance*: Speed 5, Accuracy 12, 
  Damage 24L, Range 60**, Rate 6
  *This attack is undodgeable.
  
  136
  **This is the attack’s maximum range. It suffers no 
  penalties out to that range.
  Soak: 9L/13B (Seity Bands, 5L/5B soak, 
  Hardness: 2L/2B)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/
  Incap
  Dodge DV: 8 
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 6 
  Essence Pool: 125
  Other Notes: Jorst’s divine panoply consists of Natu-
  ral Selection and the Seity Bands. Natural Selection 
  is a golden collar fitted with a green jewel. It enables 
  Jorst to cast destructive bolts of pure Wood Essence at 
  whatever he looks upon. Natural Selection requires no 
  maintenance as long as only Jorst uses it, but for any 
  other god it requires the same maintenance (and has 
  the same difficulty to repair) as an elemental lens (see 
  The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the Lost 
  Age, p. 77). Natural Selection only works for gods; it 
  does not focus Dragon-Blooded Essence.
  The Seity Bands are a form of Discreet Essence Armor 
  (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the 
  Lost Age, p. 80) that have no magical material bonus. 
  The Seity Bands require no maintenance, even when 
  used by others. They are a three-dot artifact.
  Jorst’s sanctum is a grand mansion called the Temple 
  of Joy, located within an extremely powerful (5-dot) 
  Wood-aspected demesne. It has been designed as a 5-dot 
  Wood Manse with the powers Magical Conveniences (1 
  pt), Subtle Breath of Sextes Jylis (2 pts, Favored), Geomantic 
  Subtlety (2 pts), Veil of Shadow (2 pts), and Provider (3 pts, 
  Favored). The manse can create a comfortable climate 
  around every guest, even those with unique environmen-
  tal tastes. The great gardens of the temple can provide 
  for many people, and the care-free Essence of the place 
  protects those within from the harmful effects of any 
  intoxicant (but not poisons that are designed and used 
  specifically as such, with no pleasant effects). The manse 
  also obviates the need for sleep. Unfortunately, once 
  people leave the Temple of Joy, their indulgences catch 
  up with them. The damage that would have been done 
  (and not subsequently healed) is still there, and every bit 
  of sleep that was missed becomes acute exhaustion.
  Only certain chambers deep within the sanctum employ 
  protection from prying eyes, and Jorst keeps that little 
  secret quiet.
  The Temple of Joy produces a Gemstone of Deep Drink 
  (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. III—Oadenol’s Co-
  dex) that allows Jorst to ingest any food, drug or poison 
  without fear, but he only uses it when he doesn’t want 
  to have a good time.
  IT’S ALL A LIE
  As a powerful god with an impressive 
  domain, someone has to take care of Jorst’s in-
  terests. Someone is: the other Jorst. Long ago, 
  the irresponsible god realized that his hedonistic 
  lifestyle could not sustain itself. Somehow, Jorst 
  found (or invented) just what he needed: an 
  anti-intoxicant that Jorst calls his “pick-me-up.” 
  He stores it in a magical copper hip flask that 
  produces five doses each day.
  When Jorst takes his pick-me-up, he gains 
  the will to accomplish long-term plans. As a 
  matter of fact, his whole Motivation changes 
  to “Acquire Power.” Each dose lasts for exactly 
  59 minutes. During this time, Jorst becomes an 
  incredibly competent divine politician. In these 
  periods of clarity, Jorst set up his cult amongst the 
  Linowan (who worship him, ironically, as a war 
  god) and made his most lucrative deals, quiet and 
  secure within the hidden depths of his sanctum. 
  In this state, Jorst takes care to parley only with 
  those who will not be inclined or able to reveal 
  what they may learn of Jorst’s unexpected skill 
  at politics and blackmail.
  Jorst’s pick-me-up has the side effect that it 
  reduces his Compassion to 1. He’s quick to react 
  with hostility, and prone to cruelty. What’s worse, 
  his schemes tend to be extremely long-term and 
  potentially devastating. Jorst doesn’t really like 
  what his pick-me-up does to him, but he can’t 
  deny that it kept him where he is.
  More importantly, Jorst is hopelessly ad-
  dicted to his anti-intoxicant (a Shaping effect). 
  He can rationalize or deny absolutely everything 
  he does. Jorst usually even follows through with 
  the ruthless plans that he began under its influ-
  ence, though perhaps reluctantly. On the other 
  hand, Jorst has absolutely no moral problems 
  with covering up his dubious actions. Indeed, 
  he’s become practically perfect at the task.
  HAN-THA
  Ghoul King, Eater of the Dead
  The Primordials gave everything in Creation its own 
  god, including the scavengers who feed on carrion. That 
  was Han-Tha, Eater of the Dead. During the Primordial 
  War, Han-Tha chose no side. Instead, he waited for de-
  mons, gods and Exalts to fall and dined upon their Essence. 
  
  137
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  After the war, the victorious gods sought to destroy 
  Han-Tha out of sheer disgust. The Primordial power 
  that Han-Tha consumed, however, enabled him to flee 
  Yu-Shan and hide in Creation.
  Through the First Age, the Ghoul King occasionally 
  taught mortals or minor gods to feed as he did and so 
  gathered cults of fellow necrovores. These cults never 
  lasted long before the Exalted suppressed them, but 
  no one ever caught Han-Tha. At last, the audacious 
  Eater of the Dead hid in Rathess, a malevolent shadow 
  hidden amid the radiance of a city dedicated to the 
  Unconquered Sun.
  As the civilization of the Dragon Kings declined, 
  Han-Tha helped it fall. The Ghoul King considers his 
  actions entirely justified: the Primordials made him 
  to eat the dead, and he saw no reason to prolong the 
  Dragon Kings’ dying civilization. Really, the gods are 
  quite unfair to condemn him. He did his duty, which is 
  more than can be said for many of the gods in Yu-Shan. 
  If Han-Tha has one disappointment, it’s that he could 
  not end Rathess more completely.
  Han-Tha might have dwelled in the ruins of Rathess 
  indefinitely, quietly sabotaging the other gods’ attempts 
  to revive Dragon King civilization among the stalkers, 
  had not a confused, embittered Lawgiver come to the 
  ruined city. In Filial Wisdom, Han-Tha saw a way to 
  ensure that no hypocritical bureaucracy would punish 
  him ever again. And what’s more, he saw a tool that 
  could help him feed on a scale not equaled since the 
  Primordial War. Through Filial Wisdom, he hopes to 
  gain enough worship, and power, to defy the Celestial 
  Bureaucracy and feast on gods once more.
  Han-Tha usually appears as a 10-foot tall monster 
  with rubbery gray skin. The Eater of the Dead walks 
  perpetually hunched over his great flabby girth, but 
  reacts with amazing speed for his headless bulk. Huge, 
  trunk-like arms end in massive, three-clawed hands. 
  The preposterously large maw in Han-Tha’s belly is full 
  of innumerable teeth ranging in size from tiny razors to 
  gigantic tusks. Han-Tha knows that his appearance is 
  horrible, and makes frequent use of illusion and animal 
  forms for subtle matters.
  Sanctum: Han-Tha’s sanctum is a ruined tower hidden 
  in the jungle only a mile outside the walls of Rathess, 
  where the Dragon Kings stored urns of cremated citizens. 
  The niches are vacant now, and the urns are shards 
  amid a thick layer of jungle mould. From inside, anyone 
  who can become immaterial can enter the sanctum: 
  an intact version of the tower, heaped with polished 
  white bones in every corner and on every flat surface, 
  up through 100 yards of balconies. In the center of the 
  floor lies a heap of bones 50 feet high; Han-Tha moves 
  through the bone-piles as easily as mortal creatures swim 
  through water. Here and there, Han-Tha tried paneling 
  the stony walls with bones, but never completed any 
  of these projects.
  Attributes: Strength 16, Dexterity 6, Stamina 12; Cha-
  risma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 1; Perception 4, 
  Intelligence 4, Wits 5
  Virtues:  Compassion 2, Conviction 5, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 5 (Ambushes +2), 
  Bureaucracy 2, Dodge 5, Integrity 5, Investigation 4, Lar-
  ceny 2 (Dragon King Security Systems +2), Linguistics 
  (Native: Old Realm; Others: Forest-Tongue, High Holy 
  Speech, Riverspeak) 3, Lore 1, Martial Arts 5 (Claws +2), 
  Occult 3, Presence 4 (Inspiring +1), Resistance 5 (Cast-
  Iron Stomach +3), Stealth 5, Socialize 4 (Lies +2), 
  Survival 2 (Jungle +2), War 4
  Backgrounds: Artifact (various) 5, Cult 3, Followers 2, 
  Influence 1, Resources 4
  Spirit Charms: As a god of great power, Han-Tha knows 
  a great many Charms, including all standard Charms. 
  These are only a few of the most noteworthy.
  Bread of Weak Spirit—If Han-Tha gets his claws on an 
  Incapacitated spirit, he can spend a mote and inflict up 
  to seven levels of aggravated damage to his victim. For 
  each level so inflicted, Han-Tha converts one level of 
  lethal damage he’s taken to bashing damage, or recovers 
  five motes that he spent. If Han-Tha wishes, he can 
  inflict the loss of one Willpower point or 10 motes 
  instead of each level of aggravated damage. If Han-Tha 
  uses this Charm against a spirit whose Essence exceeds 
  his own, he can recover one Willpower point for every 
  two health levels he inflicts, but cannot use this to raise 
  his Willpower points above 2.
  Endowment—The Ghoul King can enable mortals to 
  absorb power from corpses by eating their hearts. The 
  Charm’s recipient must eat the heart within one scene 
  of the creature’s death. Doing this grants a +1 bonus 
  to a single Attribute for every dot of Essence that the 
  victim possessed, to a maximum of 3. The Endowment 
  may not bestow ratings higher than the victim’s own, or 
  above human maxima: for instance, if the dead victim 
  had Strength 5 and Essence 3, an endowed character 
  could gain up to +3 Strength—but if the recipient 
  already had a Strength of 4, she could gain only +1 
  Strength. The endowed may decide which Attributes 
  to cannibalize from the victim, and take more than 
  one Attribute.
  
  138
  Han-Tha can also endow a person with Abilities by 
  enabling him to consume the memories left in a ca-
  daver. These follow the same rules as for Abilities, but 
  the endowed person eats the victim’s brain.
  The endowed recipient retains the cannibalized At-
  tributes or Abilities only until he prays to a god other 
  than Han-Tha, until the endowed character eats another 
  heart or brain, or at most one month in any case. If the 
  character has (or gains) sufficient experience points to 
  raise the boosted Attribute, however, he can do so and 
  make the endowment permanent: Han-Tha’s blessing 
  simply enables the character to forego the normal 
  training time to raise an Attribute.
  Granting the Endowment costs Han-Tha one Will-
  power point and 15 motes. The number of recipients 
  who can cannibalize traits from a single corpse equal 
  the victim’s Essence.
  Essential Consumption—Han-Tha can reflexively 
  activate this unique power whenever he kills a spirit 
  using Bread of Weak Spirit or he fully consumes a 
  physical corpse. Eating a physical being takes the 
  Ghoul King only two miscellaneous actions: one to 
  put the corpse in his mouth (regardless of size), and 
  one to digest it. With this charm, Han-Tha heals 
  and grows stronger. He heals a number of levels of 
  lethal or bashing damage equal to the target’s Essence, 
  and gains one Willpower point. If the Ghoul King 
  already has a full Willpower pool, extra points go to 
  his Reserve of Will.
  If Han-Tha manages to eat a victim who had a higher 
  Essence score than his own, then he suffers severe diges-
  tive pains for the next hour. This inflicts an additional 
  -4 Wound Penalty on Han-Tha. When that hour is up, 
  however, Han-Tha gains a dot of Essence.
  Hurry Home—Han-Tha can only transport himself to his 
  sanctum or the shrine Filial Wisdom built for him.
  Materialize—This costs Han-Tha 75 motes.
  Measure the Wind—More than most gods, perhaps, 
  Han-Tha has reason to assess the Essence of those he 
  meets. Gods and Exalts have hunted him before.
  Outside of Fate—Han-Tha is as much outside of Fate 
  as a Second Circle demon. The Loom of Fate does 
  not register his presence. Not surprisingly, he is also a 
  creature of darkness.
  Principle of Motion—Han-Tha stores nine actions.
  Reserve of Will—Han-Tha can have as many Willpower 
  points stored as his permanent Essence. However, the 
  Ghoul King can replenish this pool only through Essence 
  Consumption or using Bread of Weak Spirit against a 
  spirit whose Essence exceeds his own.
  Ride—The Eater of the Dead can possess willing mortal 
  creatures (including the Exalted). Currently, this means 
  Filial Wisdom. To do this, Han-Tha must touch the 
  Solar (though the god can be immaterial when he does 
  so). Han-Tha spends 18 motes and one Willpower. After 
  a century of off-and-on possession, Han-Tha and Filial 
  Wisdom merge easily, but still not completely. Merged, 
  they use all of Han-Tha’s traits, except that the god 
  can use two of the Solar’s Charms. Usually Han-Tha 
  acquires Reflex Sidestep Technique and Dodge Essence 
  Flow, which he regards as the most useful Charms for 
  keeping his favorite host alive.
  Scourge—For 15 motes and one Willpower point, 
  Han-Tha can curse his victim so that she can eat only 
  uncooked meat, as per the Wyld Mutation Diet. What’s 
  more, the target’s body wastes away, as per the Muta-
  tion Decomposing.
  Sense Domain—For five motes and one Willpower point, 
  Han-Tha can see through the eyes of any corpse or 
  priest within seven miles, or sense the presence of every 
  corpse within that radius with a successful (Perception 
  + Awareness) roll. Thanks to the god’s long relationship 
  with Filial Wisdom, he can see through the Solar’s eyes 
  and hear through his ears at will and at no cost.
  Shapechange—Han-Tha can assume the form of a gro-
  tesque undead hyena, or a black vulture with red eyes. 
  This costs five motes and lasts a scene.
  Excellencies—The Ghoul King has the Second Excel-
  lencies with Awareness, Dodge, Integrity, Martial Arts, 
  Presence, Resistance, Stealth and Survival.
  Join Battle: 9
  Attacks:
  Bite: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 25L, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 1
  Claw: Speed 4, Accuracy 13, Damage 20L, Parry DV 7, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6 Accuracy 11, Damage 12B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Soak: 24L/30B (Nerveless gristly horror, 18L/18B, 
  Hardness: 12L/15B)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-
  2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 9 
  Willpower: 9
  Essence: 7 
  Essence Pool: 115
  Other Notes: The gaping wounds from Han-Tha’s 
  claws cause victims to bleed profusely. Any victim that 
  is not actually an object (including spirits, ghosts and 
  Exalted, but not automatons) suffers one additional 
  level of lethal damage every 15 ticks thereafter, until 
  someone manages to bandage the wound.
  
  139
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  SUNIPA
  Eastern God of War Constrained By Law
  Sunipa, the East’s supreme god of war, governs all 
  aspects of war in which soldiers follow rules. She is 
  the patron of soldiers who follow orders, from grunts 
  in the field to generals who start and end their battles 
  as their heads of state direct. Her purview also covers 
  truces and surrenders, exchanges of prisoners, battlefield 
  challenges, military training, supply contracts, military 
  police and indeed every military activity in which 
  warriors act according to agreed-upon rules. Sunipa 
  works closely with her colleague (and reputed relative) 
  Shield of a Different Day (see The Compass of Ter-
  restrial Directions, Vol. I—The Scavenger Lands, pp. 
  142-144). She also directs a staff of gods who oversee 
  other aspects of professionalized warfare, such as military 
  intelligence, logistics and chains of command.
  The goddess herself looks like a fit middle-aged 
  woman, handsome rather than beautiful, with short, 
  gray hair and jet-black eyes. She wears a suit of green 
  and silver magitech armor; a minor illusion makes it 
  look like lightweight, ornamental half-plate with a 
  mottled green and brown camouflage cloak worn over 
  it. Sunipa carries a fire lance called Delicate Scarlet 
  Blossom and a slashing sword called Neverfrost whose 
  blade is carved from steel-hard, unmelting ice. Thus 
  does Sunipa balance pomp and practicality, heat and 
  cold, the magitech of the Exalted and the blades of 
  common mortal soldiers.
  As Eastern God of War, Sunipa answers to E-
  Naluna, Queen of Warfare in the Bureau of Heaven, 
  and Hu Dai Liang, Shogun of the Crimson of Battles 
  in the Bureau of Destiny’s Division of Battles. Sunipa 
  enjoys extensive worship throughout the East. Her cult 
  is particularly strong among mercenaries, who fight ac-
  cording to the terms of contracts. Somewhat ironically, 
  the East’s large contingent of guerillas, partisans and 
  insurgents also pray to Sunipa… to keep the regular 
  armies they fight slow and hidebound. In the planning 
  sessions at the Division of Battles, though, Sunipa only 
  backs rebels who feel they have just cause and follow 
  rules about legitimate and illegitimate targets for attack. 
  Sunipa despises rebels who try to tear down a society 
  without building something new in its place, and sees 
  them as no more than bandits with slogans.
  For all the power and prestige of her office, Sunipa 
  does not consider herself safe. In the First Age, Sunipa 
  held a lower position in the Division of Warfare as patron 
  of the concept of soldiers under orders. As such, the 
  soldiers of the Dragon-Blooded Host fell in her purview. 
  The wolf-goddess Darunla held the office of Eastern 
  War God. When the Usurpation came, Darunla sided 
  
  140
  with the Celestial Exalted. Sunipa felt immensely con-
  flicted: she could not countenance mutiny, but wanted 
  to help her Dragon-Blooded soldiers. Eventually, she 
  sided with the Dragon-Blooded, reasoning that most 
  of the Dragon-Blooded who actually attacked and slew 
  the Solar and Lunar Exalted were just following orders 
  from their own commanders.
  After the Usurpation, Darunla disappeared and 
  Sunipa took her place. Sunipa believes the Bronze 
  Faction destroyed Darunla, and could destroy her too if 
  they ever suspect her of working against them. Sunipa 
  does not work directly against Solars in the East (for 
  she fears what the resurgent Gold Faction could do to 
  her, too) but tries to prevent any of the gods under her 
  command from assisting the new Lawgivers.
  Sanctum: Sunipa lives in Yu-Shan, where her mansion 
  doubles as an immense command-and-control complex 
  for monitoring wars throughout the East. She staffs her 
  sanctum with automatons called the Sun Guard, equal 
  to brass legionnaires (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. 
  I—Wonders of the Lost Age, p. 103), whom she re-
  spects as near-perfect examples of dutiful soldiers. She 
  usually keeps a dozen of them nearby.
  Motivation: To see that warriors fight according to 
  rules.
  Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 10, Stamina 8; Cha-
  risma 8, Manipulation 4, Appearance 5; Perception 6, 
  Intelligence 7, Wits 7
  Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 4, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Archery 4 (Fire Lance +2), Athletics 3, 
  Awareness 5, Craft (Fire) 4, Craft (Magitech) 4, Dodge 5, 
  Integrity 4, Investigation 5, Linguistics (Native: Old 
  Realm; Others: Forest-Tongue, High Realm, Low Realm, 
  Riverspeak, Tribal Tongues) 5, Lore 4 (Magitech Weap-
  ons +1, Military History +2), Martial Arts 4, Melee 5 
  (Spears +1, Swords +2), Occult 3 (Military Magic +3), 
  Resistance 4, Stealth 4 (Ambush +2), Thrown 4, War 5 
  (Large-Scale Strategy +3)
  Backgrounds: Allies (staff of subordinate gods) 5, 
  Allies (Sun Guard) 4, Artifact (Verdant Sanctuary) 
  5, Artifact (Dreadful Necessity) 5, Celestial Manse 3, 
  Cult 5, Followers (Mercenaries and Soldiers) 5, Influ-
  ence 3, Salary 4, Sanctum 4
  Spirit Charms: Sunipa knows an immense variety of 
  Charms. Some of the more important include:
  General of the All-Seeing Sun—Sunipa’s ability to monitor 
  a battlefield has the same effects as this Solar Charm 
  (Exalted, p. 197). She can select any side of a conflict 
  as “loyal” to her, as long as she believes they sincerely 
  attempt to follow rules of warfare that minimize harm 
  to civilians.
  Materialize—This costs Sunipa 75 motes.
  Measure the Wind—Naturally, Sunipa always spends a 
  mote to assess the prowess of any creature that might 
  become her foe.
  Principle of Motion—Sunipa carries 8 extra actions in 
  reserve.
  Reserve of Will—Sunipa has three extra points of tem-
  porary Willpower.
  Sanctify Oath—When military commanders agree to a 
  truce, conditions for an exchange of prisoners or other 
  rules to conflict, intermissions in battle, its resolution 
  or aftermath, Sunipa can sanctify their agreement in 
  the same manner as an Eclipse Caste, and with the 
  same consequences for breaking the rules. She must 
  manifest visibly (if not materially) to do this; it costs 
  her 10 motes.
  Excellencies—First, Second and Third Excellencies 
  with Archery, Dodge, Integrity, Martial Arts, Melee, 
  Stealth and War. She has Divine (Ability) Subordina-
  tion with Melee and War, both with the Compassion 
  Flaw of Invulnerability.
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery—Sunipa knows several spells 
  with military applications, chiefly those that facilitate 
  communication or construction defenses.
  Join Battle: 12
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 15, Damage 14B*, Parry 
  DV 8, Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 15B*, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 14, Damage 9B piercing*, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Slashing Sword (Neverfrost): Speed 4, Accuracy 19, 
  Damage 13L*, Parry DV 8, Rate 3
  Fire Lance, Melee (Delicate Scarlet Blossom): Speed 5, 
  Accuracy 17, Damage 17L/23L*, Parry DV 9, Rate 2
  Fire Lance, Charged: Speed 5, Accuracy 17, 
  Damage 25L/31L, Parry DV 9, Rate 2
  Fire Lance, Streamer: Speed 4, Accuracy 17, Damage 18L, 
  Range 750**, Rate 2
  Fire Lance, Fire Fan: Speed 5, Accuracy 19, Damage 12L, 
  Range 525**, Rate 1***
  * Bonus damage from wood dragon armor included.
  ** Weapon has no extended range.
  *** Attacks an area up to 20 feet in diameter; cannot 
  be parried except by perfect parries. Roll the attack once 
  and compare the successes rolled to the Dodge DV of 
  any character who can attempt evasion.
  
  141
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Soak: 20L/22B (Wood dragon armor [Verdant Sanctu-
  ary], 16L/14B, Hardness: 8L/7B, -1 mobility penalty, 
  1 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/
  Incap
  Dodge DV: 11 Willpower: 8
  Essence: 7 
  Essence Pool: 110
  Other Notes: Delicate Scarlet Blossom is self-powered 
  and regenerates four motes of its 20 mote battery every 
  5 ticks. It deals the damage of a warstrider fire lance 
  (see The Books of Sorcery, Vol. I—Wonders of the 
  Lost Age, pp. 159-160) with triple normal range. Any 
  wielder but Sunipa finds that Delicate Fire Blossom 
  has the weight and Strength Minimum of a warstrider 
  fire lance, too.
  Neverfrost looks like a slashing sword but functions 
  as a reaper daiklave; it has no magical material bonus 
  but ignores the first 10 points of its target’s lethal soak, 
  whatever its nature.
  Sunipa’s armor, Verdant Sanctuary, is a suit of Armor 
  of the Immaculate Dragon (wood variety; see Wonders 
  of the Lost Age, pp. 84-87). In addition to soak and 
  Hardness, it provides these powers: Filtration Baffles 
  against disease and poison; a Sensory Augmentation 
  Visor for Essence sight; Exomuscular Fibers giving the 
  wearer +1 Strength; Reinforced Gauntlets and Boots 
  that increase Punch and Kick damage; a Cloaking 
  Device; an Astrological Occlusion Field; an Integrated 
  Elemental Lens; and an Essence-Dampening Field that 
  increases an enemy’s cost of using Charms.
  Sunipa also owns a royal warstrider called Dread-
  ful Necessity, armed with two medium Essence 
  cannons. (Again, see Wonders of the Lost Age, 
  starting p. 137.)
  Of these items, only Neverfrost and Delicate Fire 
  Blossom actually constitute Sunipa’s divine panoply. 
  Verdant Sanctuary and Dreadful Necessity are simply 
  artifacts that she owns.
  VINE RUNNERS
  Hundreds of minor elementals called vine runners 
  live in and around Rathess. Some of these spirits wandered 
  hundreds of miles away. Most vine runners simply carry 
  out their duties as caretakers of jungle plants, especially 
  those plants bred by the Dragon Kings (such as the blade 
  vines bred as guards; see pp. 155 and 159). A few vine 
  runners form pacts with jungle shamans or Wyld barbarian 
  tribes. These often seek sacrificial victims as part of their 
  worship. Any vine runner, however, might take offense 
  at mere humans who slash their way through the jungle, 
  and decide to do a little slashing right back.
  Vine runners know a great deal about the properties 
  and uses of jungle plants. They may be the last entities 
  to understand how to grow and use many examples of 
  the Dragon Kings’ vegetative technology. These spirits 
  have short attention spans, however, and would not 
  even consider imparting their information to anyone 
  who did not first propitiate them with offers of fine 
  wood carvings, time spent tending and propagating 
  rare plants, and the blood of dangerous and unusual 
  animals (or people).
  Vine runners look like bright green, slender lizards 
  with long legs and no tails. They are the size of dogs. 
  Each leg ends in an inhumanly long-fingered hand.
  Sanctum: Vine runners don’t have sanctums. They live 
  amid their beloved plants.
  Motivation: Tend the vegetation of Rathess.
  Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4; Cha-
  risma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2; Perception 4, 
  Intelligence 3, Wits 4
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 3
  Abilities: Athletics 4 (Climb +2), Awareness 3, Craft 
  (Water) 2, Craft (Wood) 2, Dodge 3, Integrity 2, Lin-
  guistics (Native: High Holy Speech; Forest-tongue, Old 
  Realm) 2, Lore 3 (Jungle Plant Lore +3), Martial Arts 4, 
  Medicine 2 (Jungle Herbalism +3), Melee 3, Occult 2, 
  Resistance 2, Socialize 1, Stealth 2 (Jungle +3), 
  Survival 4, Thrown 3
  Backgrounds: Allies 2 (shamans or other spirits), Fol-
  lowers 3 (barbarians)
  Spirit Charms:
  Affinity Wood Control—These elementals can manipulate 
  living plants in just about any way imaginable, from turn-
  ing fruit toxic to animating branches and vines to attack. 
  A vine runner cannot affect very much vegetation at a 
  time, though—about two cubic yards. Toxins deal only 
  1L/minute damage at Toxicity 1, while vegetation-based 
  environmental hazards deal a damage of 1L/minute at 
  a Trauma of 1L. In a few actions, the spirit can shape 
  useful items (such as bridges, weapons or small shelters) 
  from plant materials that should be too weak or otherwise 
  inadequate. Animating nearby vegetation enables the 
  vine runner to make attacks with Speed 5, Accuracy +2, 
  base damage 6B or 6L and Rate 2; these can be grapples, 
  using the vine runner’s Strength. The base attack roll 
  is the vine runner’s (Wits + Conviction). Invoking the 
  Affinity Wood Control costs the vine runner six motes. 
  The effects last a full scene.
  Blessed Wood Body—A vine runner has all the benefits 
  of Elemental Rejuvenation (see Exalted, p. 302, or The 
  
  142
  Books of Sorcery, Vol. IV—The Roll of Glorious 
  Divinity I, p. 170). In addition, by spending two motes 
  the vine runner can reflexively and perfectly counter 
  any wood-based effect that would cause it damage: for 
  every three dice or one health level of damage the at-
  tack would have inflicted on the vine runner, it instead 
  heals one level of damage or regains one mote.
  Dematerialize—Costs the vine runner 45 motes.
  Essence Bite—For a scene, the vine runner deals dam-
  age to any creature that strikes it. It can spend up to 
  seven motes on this Charm, either one die of bashing 
  damage per mote or one die of lethal damage per two 
  motes. (The vine runner must choose which form of 
  damage it inflicts when it activates the Charm.) The 
  Wood-aspected Essence of the spiritual backlash is 
  elemental and a Poison effect.
  Landscape Travel—The vine runner moves through 
  vines and branches as quickly and safely as it moves 
  on the ground. This duplicates the effect of the Wyld 
  mutation Brachiation (see p. 149) taken twice (i.e., as 
  an affliction). This is an intrinsic power, however, not 
  a Charm; it costs no Essence.
  Join Battle: 7
  Attacks:
  Claw: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 5L, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 3
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 4B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Short Spear: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 8L, Parry 
  DV 5, Rate 2
  Soak: 8L/12B (Woody hide, 6L/8B)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 5 
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 2 
  Essence Pool: 55
  Other Notes: None
  EXALTED OF THE EAST
  The Exalted often play leading roles in Eastern 
  societies. Some of them are threats to Creation as mad 
  or evil as any demon. Others pursue their goals with 
  the fervor that makes a mortal deserve the Incarnae’s 
  blessing—and whether you call them hero or villain 
  depends on what side you are on.
  DARK EYES
  Warlord of the Ten Tribes
  The warrior whom the Ten Tribes call Dark Eyes 
  was born a slave and raised a gladiator. Once he called 
  himself Kan. He had natural athletic talent, survival 
  instinct and peak physical prowess. Kan did well in the 
  arena but the Threshold is unfair. Kan found himself 
  sold repeatedly, treated as an investment and subjected 
  to countless petty humiliations.
  Kan always appeared servile but struck quickly when 
  one lazy master became careless. The young gladiator 
  ran from his prison and into the forest without waiting 
  to find out if his blow had killed. Kan ran for weeks to 
  find his freedom, fleeing civilization.
  One evening, Kan found a sleeping simhata in 
  the savanna. Its fierce beauty enchanted him. He ap-
  proached cautiously, but the beast awoke startled. It 
  roared and charged; Kan defended himself. The simhata 
  struck four times but finally the gladiator got a hold and 
  broke the animal’s neck. Kan gently kissed its forehead. 
  A silver hand touched his shoulder, and he Exalted. 
  Luna kneeled next to him, and painted his face in the 
  simhata’s blood. As she did, the Silver Lady divined 
  for Kan a future rife with death and pain. Only love, 
  she said, could illuminate this eternal night. Then, as 
  suddenly as the goddess had come, she was gone.
  Creatures loyal to Raksi, the Queen of Fangs, found 
  Kan and brought him to Mahalanka. Raksi happily 
  fixed his caste as a Full Moon. The Queen of Fangs 
  then enthralled Kan with wonders and pleasures he 
  had never imagined.
  For a time, the young lunar felt happy. He worshiped 
  Raksi and marveled at her city of splendors. Eventually, 
  however, the cruel queen grew disinterested. She sent 
  her loyal protégé on a “final trial”: to collect the Ten 
  Tribes of the Oak, bend them to the worship of Luna 
  and Raksi herself, and bring them to Mahalanka. Sad 
  to go, but eager to please, the warrior departed.
  Kan planned to win the tribes’ loyalty by defeat-
  ing Elder Oak, their patron god. He would show them 
  the splendor of Luna’s powers, and kill or subdue any 
  who defied him. His plans changed the same day he 
  found the tribes.
  Elder Oak had betrayed the Ten Tribes, leaving 
  them divided. Kan realized that to fulfill Raksi’s plan 
  he needed to reunite them. He easily took command 
  of the Red Scar tribe; they gave him the name Dark 
  Eyes for his eyes’ actual hue and the black patches of 
  fur around them in his simhata form. The trouble began 
  when mercenaries led by a circle of Dragon-Blooded 
  ambushed the tribe. The mercenaries slew many of the 
  Red Scars. Red Eyes drove them off, but not before 
  falling victim to devilish Charms that bent his mind 
  and tortured his soul.
  Using the most potent songs and medicines at their 
  disposal, the women of the tribe nursed their new chief 
  back to health. One girls’ voice in particular penetrated the 
  
  143
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Dragon-Blooded magic and eased his suffering. Her name 
  was First Iris of Spring, daughter of the chief shaman. She 
  showed Dark Eyes compassion—and he fell in love.
  When Dark Eyes recovered, he vowed revenge 
  against Farhold and its mercenaries. After several suc-
  cessful battles, a demonic messenger from Raksi asked 
  him how his trial progressed. He replied that a war had 
  torn apart the tribes and that he was fighting it for the 
  Queen of Fangs. Soon, the demon returned to him with 
  Raksi’s reply. The war, said Raksi, was good for him. He 
  should fight it and report every detail to the demon on 
  each weekly midnight visit. As soon as the war ended, 
  he must kill the tribal shamans and deliver the people 
  of the Ten Tribes to Raksi’s apemen. Dark Eyes was 
  stunned. He did not expect such a vicious order, even 
  from the Queen of Fangs. Even more surprising, he 
  found defiance in his heart.
  Though he doesn’t completely realize it, Dark Eyes 
  has fallen in love with his new people as well as First 
  Iris of Spring. The twisted wonders of Mahalanka hold 
  little appeal to him now. Still, Dark Eyes remembers 
  the power of Raksi. To avoid her notice, Dark Eyes 
  continues the tribes’ war, though it brings more death 
  to his people daily. If the war ends, the Queen of Fangs 
  will surely expect his prompt return. Dark Eyes knows 
  that he cannot defeat the elder No Moon, but he would 
  fight her if he must. He prays to Luna for some better 
  solution, and he needs one quickly.
  To his chagrin, Dark Eyes realizes he isn’t much of a 
  leader. He’s just a warrior. The tribes follow him because 
  he is Exalted—but they don’t just want him as a warlord. 
  They ask him to resolve disputes, to speak for them with 
  gods and other tribes, to guide them in peace as well as 
  battle. They want the slave to become a king.
  Dark Eyes wants to do right by the Ten Tribes and 
  especially the Red Scars, but he reserves his compassion 
  for the Ten Tribes alone. Farhold made itself his enemy, 
  and enemies must die. If he could, Dark Eyes would go 
  alone into Farhold, burn it to the ground with Elder 
  Oak in the middle of the pyre and then escape with 
  the Ten Tribes to somewhere that Raksi could never 
  find. Unfortunately, he doubts that such a place exists 
  in Creation, even if he could bring down his civilized 
  enemy single-handedly.
  Dark Eyes is a tall, strong man with shimmering 
  silver hair that descends nearly to his waist. Silver 
  tattoos spiral along his chest, back and arms. He often 
  goes shirtless, carrying a brace of hunting javelins upon 
  his back. Dark Eyes’ countenance is usually more stern 
  than fierce. He saves anger for his war form.
  As a half-simhata, Dark Eyes towers nine feet tall, 
  with leonine features, short gray fur except for darker 
  patches around his eyes, and a moonsilver mane. His 
  muscles bulge tremendously, and all four limbs end in 
  dagger-like silver claws.
  Motivation: Destroy Farhold and raise the Ten Tribes 
  to nationhood.
  Caste: Full Moon
  Anima Banner: A simhata of glittering silver.
  Spirit Shape: Simhata
  Tell: Long, silver hair
  Attributes: *Strength 4 (Leaping +3), *Dexterity 4 
  (Grappling +3), *Stamina 4; *Charisma 4, Manipula-
  tion 2, Appearance 2; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, 
  Wits 3
  *Caste or Favored Attribute
  Spirit Shape (Simhata) Attributes: Strength 7, Dex-
  terity 3, Stamina 6, Appearance 2
  Virtues:  Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 4
  Virtue Flaw: The Curse of the Lone Wolf
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Dodge 3, Linguistics 
  (Native: Riverspeak; Others: Forest-Tongue) 1, *Mar-
  tial Arts 4, Medicine 1 (Sports medicine +1), Melee 4 
  (Spear +1), Performance 1 (Combat Showmanship +1), 
  Presence 1, Resistance 3, Ride 1, Stealth 1, Survival 2, 
  Thrown 2 (Spear +2), War 1
  *Favored Ability
  Backgrounds: Cult 2, Followers 4, Heart’s Blood 1, 
  Influence 2, Reputation 1, Resources 3 (Dark Eyes no 
  longer regards Raksi as his Mentor)
  Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation (Claws, 
  Thick Skin, Cheetah’s Pace)
  Charms: Claws of the Silver Moon, Eastern Mastery 
  Technique, First Charisma Excellency, First Dexterity 
  Excellency, First Stamina Excellency, First Strength Ex-
  cellency, Flawless Dexterity Focus (Grappling), Flawless 
  Strength Focus (Leaping), Instinctive Dexterity Unity, In-
  stinctive Strength Unity, Might-Bolstering Blow, Ox-Body 
  Technique (x 3), Perfect Fear Scent, Relentless Lunar Fury, 
  Secure Cat Stepping, Silver Lunar Resolution, Subduing 
  the Honored Foe, Unstoppable Lunar Wound
  Combos:
  Devil’s Claw Coup: First Dexterity Excellency, First 
  Strength Excellency, Might-Bolstering Blow, Subduing 
  the Honored Foe, Unstoppable Lunar Wound
  Join Battle: 7
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 4B, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 3
  
  144
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 8, Damage 7B, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 4B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Javelin (Melee): Speed 4, Accuracy 9, Damage 7L, 
  Parry DV 5, Rate 3
  Javelin (Thrown): Speed 4, Accuracy 9, Damage 7L, 
  Range 30, Rate 2
  Simhata Claw: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 10L, 
  Parry DV 4, Rate 2
  War Form Javelin (Thrown): Speed 4, Accuracy 10, 
  Damage 8L, Range 30, Rate 2
  War Form Silver Claw Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 12*, 
  Damage 10L, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
  War Form Silver Claw Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 11*, 
  Damage 13L, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
  War Form Silver Claw Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 13*, 
  Damage 10L piercing, Parry DV –, Rate 1
  * By spending another 2m on Claws of the Silver Moon, 
  Dark Eyes adds +2 to these Accuracies.
  Soak: 2L/4B (4L/7B in war form)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-
  2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 4 (3 in simhata form)
  Essence: 3 
   
  Willpower: 6
  Personal Essence: 15 
  Peripheral Essence: 50
  Other Notes: The knowledge Raksi gave Dark Eyes 
  about Lunar culture could charitably be described as 
  selective. Dark Eyes knows that other Lunars exist; that 
  each Lunar claims a domain of his or her own; that 
  Lunar elders respect each other’s autonomy; and that 
  the Realm and its Scarlet Dynasty seek to kill all Lunar 
  Exalted. However, Raksi decided that her disciple did 
  not need to know about the Silver Pact, the various 
  societies within it, the Thousand Streams River project 
  to foster new cultures or the Lunars’ ancient title of 
  Stewards of Creation.
  FILIAL WISDOM, THE GOBLIN KING
  The Darkened Dawn, Apostle of the Carrion God
  The Solar Exalt Filial Wisdom is one of the best kept 
  secrets and most-dangerous people in the entire East. 
  About 140 years ago, the man who would rule Rathess 
  was a warrior in the service of Paragon. He trained and 
  fought for the Perfect, aspiring to the greatness of the 
  legendary Dragon-Blooded. That all changed during a 
  trip to the Realm, where Filial Wisdom saw firsthand 
  the corruption of Dynastic society. Filial Wisdom’s 
  revelation gave way to Exaltation.
  Despite all odds, the newly anointed Solar fought 
  his way out of the Realm. Gradually, he wound his 
  way into the deep wilderness of the Threshold. Driven 
  eastward by hazy dreams and immaculate assassins, Filial 
  Wisdom fought for glory and honor, but he also did some 
  questionable things to defend his own life. After years 
  of sacrifice and injustice, Filial Wisdom found what he 
  never knew he sought: the ruins of Rathess.
  Alone and disillusioned, the Dawn Caste rested in 
  the ruins and prayed in the sacred temples to a god who 
  did not answer. Someone answered, though. Han-Tha, 
  forbidden god of necrophagy and decay, approached Filial 
  Wisdom with a vivid vision of a world with meaning – a 
  world of reason, order and fear. The dark god’s words 
  revealed finally what Filial Wisdom’s experiences had 
  shown him all along: that the defining forces of society 
  were fear and strength. Filial Wisdom and Han-Tha 
  agreed that the Second Age deserved to die. With his 
  orichalcum daiklave in hand, Filial Wisdom vowed to 
  carve a new, utopian Creation from Gaia’s corpse.
  For over a century, Filial Wisdom has gathered 
  power in Rathess. Han-Tha guided him in raising his 
  Essence. He acquired many of the city’s hearthstones 
  and other treasures. Building an army proved more dif-
  ficult. Most difficult of all, he works on an epic poem 
  that will irresistibly convey Han-Tha’s truth to all who 
  hear it. He will not advance his plans for world-wide 
  massacre until the poem is complete.
  Filial Wisdom agrees with Han-Tha that salvation, 
  both personal and cosmic, depends on eating the dead, 
  preferably after killing them yourself. Since his life experi-
  ences are limited to the Perfect of Paragon’s despotism, 
  Dynastic decadence, fanatical, murderous pursuit by the 
  Wyld Hunt and the lethal anarchy of Rathess, he truly 
  cannot find any flaw in Han-Tha’s proposal to kill the 
  world and eat it. At times, Han-Tha finds himself acting as 
  the more compassionate member of their partnership.
  Fortunately, part of Filial Wisdom does not truly 
  believe the insane philosophy that he has otherwise fully 
  embraced. This unsatisfying burden has unconsciously 
  kept the Goblin King from writing the magnificent 
  work that his glory deserves. What he really needs is a 
  poet. That would be truly disastrous.
  Filial Wisdom has the swarthy skin and black hair 
  often found in the South, with heavy brows, strong 
  cheekbones and aquiline nose. He usually wears his 
  orichalcum reinforced breastplate, with his grand dai-
  klave on conquest sheathed at his back.
  Motivation: Kill the world and feed it to Han-Tha.
  Caste: Dawn
  Anima Banner: Thunderheads of white and gold, 
  flashing with black lightning.
  
  145
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5; Cha-
  risma 4, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3; Perception 4, 
  Intelligence 3, Wits 6
  Virtues:  Compassion 1, Conviction 5, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 5
  Virtue Flaw: Fanatical Devotion (see Other Notes 
  below)
  Abilities: Archery 4, Athletics 6, Awareness 4, Bureau-
  cracy 1 (Ruling with Fear +2), Dodge 6 (Surrounded +2),
  Investigation 1, Linguistics (Native: Flametongue; Oth-
  ers: Forest-Tongue, High Holy Speech, High Realm, 
  Old Realm) 4, Lore 3, Martial Arts 5, Melee 6 (Dai-
  klaves +3), Occult 3, Performance 2 (Inspiration +1), 
  Presence 1, Resistance 5, Ride 3, Stealth 5, Socialize 1, 
  Survival 4, War 2
  Backgrounds: Artifact 3, Artifact 3, Artifact 3, Fol-
  lowers 4, Influence 1, Manse 5, Manse 3, Manse 4, 
  Mentor 3, Resources 4
  Charms: Armored Scout’s Invigoration, Bulwark Stance, 
  Call the Blade, Dipping Swallow Defense, Dodge Essence 
  Flow, Dragon Coil Technique, Essence Arrow Attack 
  (all), Feather-Foot Style, First Archery Excellency, 
  First Athletics Excellency, First Awareness Excellency, 
  First Dodge Excellency, First Awareness Excellency, 
  First Martial Arts Excellency, First Lore Excellency, 
  First Melee Excellency, First Occult Excellency, First 
  Resistance Excellency, First Stealth Excellency, First 
  Survival Excellency, Fists of Iron Technique, Flow Like 
  Blood, Foe-Vaulting Method, Fury Inciting Presence, 
  Graceful Crane Stance, Hauberk-Lightening Gesture, 
  Heaven Thunder Hammer, Hungry Tiger Technique, 
  Immunity to Everything Technique, Infinite Dodge Mas-
  tery, Infinite Melee Mastery, Infinite Stealth Mastery, 
  Invincible Fury of the Dawn, Iron Whirlwind Attack, 
  Keen Sight Technique, Martial Arts Essence Flow, 
  Melee Essence Flow, Mob-Dispersing Rebuke, Monkey 
  Leap Technique, One Weapon, Two Blows, Ox-Body 
  Technique (x 2), Peony Blossom Attack, Reflex Sidestep 
  Technique, Seven Shadow Evasion (Conviction Flaw of 
  Invulnerability), Shadow Over Water, Sledgehammer 
  Fist Punch, Solar Hero Form, Spirit-Cutting Attack, 
  Spirit-Detecting Glance, Stealth Essence Flow, Thun-
  derbolt Attack Prana, Trackless Region Navigation, 
  Whirlwind Armor-Donning Prana
  Combos:
  Cyclone of Gore (Bulwark Stance, Hungry Tiger 
  Technique, One Weapon, Two Blows, Peony Blossom 
  Attack)
  Golden Flash of Destruction (Call the Blade, First Ath-
  letics Excellency, Foe-Vaulting Method, Hungry Tiger 
  Technique, Seven Shadow Evasion, Spirit-Cutting 
  Attack, Thunderbolt Attack Prana)
  Join Battle: 10
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 6B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 9B, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 6B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Grand Daiklave (Glory to Decay): Speed 5, Accuracy 17, 
  Damage, Parry DV 8, Rate 2
  Long Powerbow (Parting Shot): Speed 6, Accuracy 11, 
  Damage 12L, Range 400, Rate 3
  Soak: 13L/17B (Orichalcum reinforced breastplate, 
  11L/12B, -1 mobility penalty, +1 fatigue value [usually 
  countered by Armored Scout’s Invigoration])
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/
  Incap
  Dodge DV: 9 
   
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 6
  Personal Essence: 27 
  Peripheral Essence: 73
  Committed Essence: 18
  Other Notes: Glory to Decay is an orichalcum grand 
  daiklave. It used to be called the Scarlet Dawn Daiklave. 
  In his grand daiklave, Filial Wisdom carries the three 
  hearthstones from the Pyramid of the Sun, the Rising 
  Sun and the Setting Sun (see pp. 124-125). Parting 
  Shot is an orichalcum long powerbow.
  Fanatical Devotion causes Filial Wisdom to sacrifice ev-
  erything for an ideal. When his Limit Breaks, he must 
  spend (Conviction) scenes working toward no end other 
  than accomplishing his stated purpose, which must be too 
  grand to accomplish during that time. He will strike down 
  anyone who opposes him, and cast off all burdens in an 
  effort to achieve his perfection. If Filial Wisdom partially 
  controlled his Limit Break, then he would recognize that 
  others have their own beliefs that may be valid to them—
  but the Solar is too far gone in insanity ever to exercise such 
  restraint. Instead, he believes that anyone who disagrees 
  with him is morally unjustifiable and must be destroyed. 
  In play, Limit Break usually causes the Goblin King to 
  try completing Han-Tha’s mission in Rathess once and 
  for all, killing everyone who does not immediately submit 
  and join his mad crusade to destroy Creation.
  RAKSI
  Queen of Fangs
  When Immaculate monks need an example of 
  the evils of the Anathema they need look no further 
  than Raksi, the cannibal queen of the jungle. Raksi is 
  
  146
  invincibly powerful, insanely perverted and eternally 
  hungry. The twisted tortures she devises for her own 
  amusement display a wicked creativity reminiscent of the 
  pain galleries of Malfeas. Perhaps worst of all, Raksi hoards 
  all the wonders and wisdom of the ancient city of Sper-
  imin, ancient capital of knowledge. Its treasures include 
  two of the Eight Gifts of Celestial Grace: the Library of 
  Sperimin, and the Book of Three Circles. Once, Raksi was 
  a shining light to Creation and savior to Luna’s Chosen. 
  Now, she has a heart as dark as the deepest jungles.
  At the age of 13, Raksi became the youngest person 
  ever to Exalt as a Lunar. At 16, she was initiated into 
  Celestial Circle Sorcery. Unfortunately, the Usurpation 
  began just a few months later.
  Like many other Lunars, Raksi fled into the Wyld. 
  The young Lunar’s young mind was no match for the 
  wonders and horrors she encountered along Creation’s 
  rim. Her insight and creativity remained intact or even 
  increased: Raksi played a key role in devising the moon-
  silver tattoos that protect Luna’s Chosen from the Wyld. 
  Her personality shattered in the Wyld, however, turning 
  her moral sense inside-out. Raksi leads a life defined by 
  mad obsessions: becoming the first Lunar to master So-
  lar Circle Sorcery; enjoying the worship of her apeman 
  children and making them partners in her depravity; and 
  feasting on raw human flesh, preferably infants.
  Raksi appears as an unimaginably beautiful, red-
  haired girl of 16. Her grace and raw sexuality dominate 
  any scene in which she is present. Whatever her form 
  she rarely hides the moonsilver tattoos that spiral about 
  her body. Setting her further apart from humanity are 
  long fingers and toes tipped with sharp nails, and the 
  sharp teeth that inspired her sobriquet. Sometimes, she 
  becomes distant and fixated as she plays with her own 
  joints, which bend any way that she wishes.
  The Queen of Fangs can hide her insanity if she 
  chooses. She does not rave. Raksi can seem like the 
  sweetest, smartest, most delightful girl anyone ever met—
  right up until she bites into a squalling baby and asks 
  you to join her, lest you become the second course. A 
  visitor might survive as long as he seems useful, amusing 
  or willing to degrade his own soul. Or he might not. The 
  Queen of Fangs’ cruelty is devious and all-encompassing: 
  she’s willing to string a person along so as to make the 
  eventual betrayal and torture more exquisite.
  Raksi’s war form is more predictable. Her red half-ape 
  form stands nearly 15 feet tall. In battle (which is rare, 
  and pretty much only for fun), Raksi wears a full suit of 
  moonsilver super-heavy plate and dips her dagger-like 
  claws in demonic poison of her own design. Battle is not 
  her specialty, but that doesn’t mean the ancient Raksi 
  is not a match for almost any army in Creation.
  
  147
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Motivation: Make Creation a mirror for her own mad 
  whims.
  Caste: No Moon
  Anima Banner: Gibbering, grimacing baboon
  Spirit Shape: Red Baboon
  Tell: Long, sharp nails and teeth; long, prehensile 
  toes
  Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 8 (Inhuman 
  Precision +3), Stamina 7; Charisma 7, Manipulation 8 
  (Terrifying +3), Appearance 7 (Sexual +2); *Percep-
  tion 8, *Intelligence 8 (Creative New Approaches +3), 
  *Wits 8
  *Caste or Favored Attributes
  Spirit Shape Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, 
  Stamina 3, Appearance 2
  Virtues:  Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 4,
  Valor 2
  Virtue Flaw: The Curse of the Heartless Weasel
  Abilities: Archery 5 (Essence Weapons +2), Athletics 8, 
  Awareness 8, Bureaucracy 3, Craft (Air) 6, Craft (Earth) 6, 
  Craft (Fire) 6, Craft (Magitech) 6, Dodge 7, Integrity 4, 
  Investigation 7, Larceny 1, Linguistics (Native: Old 
  Realm; Others: Claw-Speak, Forest-Tongue, High 
  Holy Speech, Riverspeak, Tribal Tongues) 5, Lore 8, 
  Martial Arts 6 (Claw Punch +2), Medicine 2 (Torture +3), 
  Melee 3, *Occult 8 (Sorcery +2), Performance 4, Pres-
  ence 6, Resistance 6, Ride 2, Stealth 6, Socialize 7, 
  Survival 5, Thrown 3, War 2
  * Favored Ability
  Backgrounds: Artifacts (many) 5, Backing (Crossroads 
  Society) 1, Cult 2, Followers (apemen and barbarians) 5, 
  Heart’s Blood 5, Manse (several) 5, Reputation 5, 
  Resources 5
  Charms: All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight, Burgeon-
  ing Wyld Infliction, Celestial Circle Sorcery, Claws 
  of the Silver Moon, Clay-Wetting Practice, Cobra 
  Hypnotic Method, Counting the Elephant’s Wrinkles, 
  Devil-Restraining Grip, Eagle-Fish Transition Proph-
  ecy, East Mastery Technique, Eye of the Cat, Flawless 
  Appearance Focus (Sexual), Flawless Dexterity Focus 
  (Inhuman Precision), Flawless Intelligence Focus 
  (Creative New Approaches), Flawless Manipulation 
  Focus (Terrifying), Form-Fixing Method, God-Cutting 
  Essence, Hard-Nosed Denial Style, Harmony with Real-
  ity Technique, Heightened Scent and Taste Method, 
  Hide-Toughening Essence, Inevitable Genius Insight, 
  Instinctive Appearance Unity, Instinctive Dexter-
  ity Unity, Instinctive Essence Prediction, Instinctive 
  Intelligence Unity, Instinctive Stamina Unity, Keen 
  Scent and Taste Technique, Lessons in the Blood, 
  Lodestone Reckoning Manner, Lost Mirror Flight, 
  Lunar Blade Configuration, Luna’s Blessed Hands, 
  Might-Bolstering Blow, New Friend Aroma, Ox-Body 
  Technique (x5), Perfect Fear Scent, Perfect Symmetry, 
  Relentless Lunar Fury, Resisting the Lure of Madness, 
  Righteous Lion Defense, Roused Bear Throw, Second 
  Appearance Excellency, Second Charisma Excellency, 
  Second Dexterity Excellency, Second Intelligence 
  Excellency, Second Manipulation Excellency, Second 
  Perception Excellency, Second Stamina Excellency, 
  Second Strength Excellency, Second Wits Excellency, 
  Secure Cat Stepping, Silver Lunar Resolution, South 
  Mastery Technique, Spirit-Maiming Essence Attack, 
  Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, Terrifying Lust Infliction, 
  Third Intelligence Excellency, Wasp Sting Blur, Wyld 
  Migration Formation, Wyld-Sensing Instincts
  Note: For the Storyteller’s convenience, these Charms 
  are deliberately limited to those found in The Manual 
  of Exalted Power—The Lunars. Raksi could very well 
  know high-Essence Charms from Dreams of the First 
  Age, miscellaneous Charms scattered through other 
  supplements such as an Absorption Charm (see pp. 
  21-22 of The Books of Sorcery, Vol. II—The White 
  Treatise) or—most likely of all—unique Charms that 
  she invented herself.
  Combos: God-Murder (Second Dexterity Excellency, 
  Second Strength Excellency, Spirit-Maiming Essence 
  Attack)
  Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation (Armored 
  Hide, Brachiation x2—see p. 149, Cheetah’s Pace, 
  Fangs, Enhanced Scent and Taste, Inexhaustible, 
  Omnidexterity—see p. 149, Short Gestation, Talons), 
  Devastating Ogre Enhancement, Green Sun Child, 
  Hearth-and-Flame Shell, Humble Mouse Shape, Life 
  of the Hummingbird, Luna’s Hidden Face, Prey’s Skin 
  Disguise, Subtle Silver Declaration, Terrifying Beast-
  man Alteration, Towering Beast Form
  Wyld Mutations: Afflictions: Impossible Joints; De-
  bilities: Diet; Derangements: Cannibalism (Deformity), 
  Hallucinations (Debility), Megalomania (Deficiency), 
  Obsession (Debility), Obsession (Deficiency).
  Spells:
  Terrestrial Circle Spells: Practically every Terrestrial 
  Circle spell listed in the Exalted main rulebook and in 
  The Books of Sorcery, Vol. II—The White Treatise. 
  Raksi also knows dozens of Terrestrial Circle spells that 
  cannot be found in any book.
  Celestial Circle Spells: Dozens of Celestial Circle spells, 
  certainly including Demon of the Second Circle, Insidi-
  ous Tendrils of Hate, Mercury’s Deliverance, Raise the 
  Puissant Sanctum, Sapphire Banishment and Sapphire 
  Countermagic.
  
  148
  Join Battle: 16
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 4, Accuracy 15, Damage 6B, Parry DV 8, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 14, Damage 9B, Parry DV 6, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 14, Damage 6B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  War Form Silver Claw Punch*: Speed 4, Accuracy 25, 
  Damage 16L/9, Parry DV 12, Rate 3
  War Form Silver Claw Kick*: Speed 5, Accuracy 22, 
  Damage 19L/9, Parry DV 10, Rate 2
  War Form Silver Claw Clinch*: Speed 6, Accuracy 22, 
  Damage 16L/9 piercing, Parry DV –, Rate 1
  * Using Claws of the Silver Moon at maximum power.
  Soak:
  Human Form: 19L/22B (Silver skin, 15L/15B, Hardness: 
  10L/10B, +2 fatigue value)
  Red Ape Form: 1L/3B
  War Form: 20L/24B (Silver skin, 15B/+15L, Hardness: 
  10L/10B, +2 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2
  /-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 13 (14 in war form)
  Essence: 8 
   
  Willpower: 10
  Personal Essence: 28 
  Peripheral Essence: 78
  Other Notes: Raksi’s Righteous Lion Defense protects 
  her ownership of The Book of Three Circles.
  The Queen of Fangs’ Diet consists entirely of raw flesh. 
  Her Obsession (Debility) is with cruelty and evil. Her 
  Obsession (Deficiency) is with casting Solar Circle 
  sorcery. Her Hallucinations (Debility) usually manifest 
  as people and monkeys laughing at her. When she is 
  alone, however, her father comes and beats her for 
  being such a stupid child.
  Raksi can manufacture artifacts of virtually any power 
  level, so she has plenty of weaker ones, and several 
  extremely powerful ones. She also has full access to 
  the remaining technology of Sperimin, including its 
  manses and library.
  Heart’s Blood: Raksi can take the form of every mundane 
  animal in the Southeast. She also has access to hundreds 
  of unique Wyld beasts and a number of slain demons, 
  gods and elementals. At the Storyteller’s option, Raksi 
  has special High-Essence Knacks (described in detail in 
  Dreams of the First Age) that let her use the Essence 
  powers of the demons, elementals and Wyld creatures 
  whose forms she can assume.
  Malfean Lacquer: Raksi created an oil of liquid brass, in 
  which she dips her claws before battle. The oil hardens and 
  lasts for a full scene. So coated, her claws deal aggravated 
  damage to all Exalted, priests, gods and elementals. It 
  also poisons such targets with effects identical to those 
  of arrow frog venom. However, the oil renders Raksi un-
  able to channel Willpower through any Virtue for that 
  scene. The moonsilver container for this brew, and the 
  10 remaining doses, constitute a four-dot artifact.
  When she uses the Malfean lacquer, Raksi wears a talis-
  man that makes her immune to all demonic poisons. 
  The chain of the talisman is moonsilver, and it cannot 
  be removed by anyone besides the wearer. The talisman 
  is a two-dot artifact.
  Raksi invented the oil in the course of researching 
  demonic Essence, in hopes that she might find a way 
  to re-engineer her own Exaltation for Solar Circle 
  Sorcery. She didn’t, but the demonic oil has the ad-
  ditional use that a mortal tattooed with it becomes 
  Demon-Blooded (assuming she survives the toxic ef-
  fects). For any creature that already has an enlightened 
  Essence, the oil is merely poisonous.
  MORE OR LESS MORTAL
  The East holds many creatures that look at least 
  somewhat human. Some of them are humans touched 
  by the Wyld or other forces. Others merely imitate 
  human form in a superficial manner.
  BEASTMEN
  The special powers of beastmen can be represented 
  as packages of Wyld mutations. Compass of Celestial 
  Directions, Vol. II—The Wyld has rules for creating 
  beastman characters, as well as Wyld mutants and tree 
  folk, starting on p. 157. See also that volume and The 
  Manual of Exalted Power—The Lunars for additional 
  Wyld mutations. Beastmen are often extras.
  GORILLAMEN
  Gorillamen are large and strong, like the great 
  apes from which they descend. They have black fur, 
  beetle-browed but almost human faces, and large, strong 
  fangs—but are chiefly herbivorous, despite their fero-
  cious appearance. The gorillaman below is one of Raksi’s 
  warriors and so bears weapons and armor unknown to 
  most beastmen of the deep jungle.
  Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Cha-
  risma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2; Perception 3, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 2
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Athletics 2 (Climbing +1), Awareness 2, 
  Dodge 2, Integrity 1, Martial Arts 3, Melee 3, Pres-
  ence 2, Resistance 2, Socialize 1, Stealth 3, Survival 2, 
  Thrown 2 (Target legs +2), War 2
  
  149
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Wyld Mutations: Poxes: Fangs, Fur, Large
  Join Battle: 4
  Attacks:
  Bite: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 5L, Parry DV –, 
  Rate 1
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 5B, Parry DV 8, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 8B, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 2
  Razor Harness Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 6, Damage 
  8L piercing, Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Spear: Speed 6, Accuracy 7, Damage 9L/12L, Parry 
  DV 5, Rate 2
  Bola: Speed 6, Accuracy 5, Damage 5B + restrain, 
  Range 20, Rate 1
  Soak: 5L/7B (Breastplate, 4L/2B, -1 mobility penalty, 
  +1 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 3/2 Willpower: 7
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: A gorillaman’s package of mutations costs 
  3 bonus points. Raksi’s gorillamen might carry other 
  weapons than the examples listed here.
  The bola is a thrown weapon consisting of weights 
  connected by cords. With a successful called shot (Ex-
  alted, p. 158) it can wrap around a target’s arms or legs, 
  restraining them. See Scroll of the Monk, p. 158, for 
  complete rules on bolas and restraining weapons.
  HAWKMEN
  Tribes of hawk- and falconmen live throughout 
  the East, as well as the mountains of the Northeast 
  and Southeast. Smaller colonies live in other parts of 
  Creation. Like their avian ancestors, hawkmen live in 
  trees and on cliffs. They combine a humanoid frame 
  with a beaked, birdlike head, clawed hands and feet, 
  and plumage in the hues and patterns typical of falcons. 
  Haltan hawk-folk have wings as well as arms; Metagala-
  pan hawkmen just have wings, but with three fingers 
  at the wing-joint to form a rudimentary hand.
  Hawkmen often experience less prejudice and 
  hatred than other beastmen because of their attractive 
  appearance. However, only the Haltans allow them 
  to participate fully in their society. Most hawkmen 
  either live apart from ordinary humans or, at best, 
  they work on the fringes of society as guides, hunters 
  or trappers. On Mount Metagalapa, they are little 
  more than serfs.
  Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Cha-
  risma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3; Perception 2, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 3
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 2, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 3
  Abilities: Athletics 3 (Balance +2), Awareness 3 (Vi-
  sion +2), Dodge 3, Integrity 1, Linguistics (Native: 
  Forest-Tongue; Others: Riverspeak) 1, Martial Arts 3, 
  Melee 2, Performance 2, Presence 1, Resistance 1, 
  Stealth 2, Socialize 2, Survival 2, Thrown 3, War 3
  Wyld Mutations: Poxes: Claws, Enhanced Senses 
  (Sight), Feathers, Tail; Abominations: Wings
  ADDITIONAL WYLD MUTATIONS
  These mutations are specially designed for the 
  beastmen of Mahalanka, though Wyld barbarians 
  can have them too. The tree folk, for instance, 
  all have the Omnidexterity affliction.
  Brachiation: The mutant has especially 
  flexible arms and a strong grip for climbing and 
  swinging through trees. One level of Brachiation 
  is a pox: It enables the character to climb and 
  move through treetops with a Move of (Dexter-
  ity ÷ 2) yards and a Dash of (Dexterity) yards. 
  The player does not need to attempt (Dexter-
  ity + Athletics) rolls for ordinary actions the 
  character performs up in the trees. Two levels of 
  Brachiation turn the pox into an affliction. The 
  character climbs and moves through branches at 
  the same rate as her Move and Dash actions on 
  the ground. All actions to climb, swing or jump 
  through the treetops receive +1 bonus success, 
  making botches impossible.
  Omnidexterity: A character with this af-
  fliction is ambidextrous with all four (or more) 
  limbs. He never suffers an offhand penalty for 
  any task and can hold weapons and tools in his 
  feet as readily as his hands.
  OTHER APEMEN
  The baboonmen and orangutanmen of 
  Mahalanka physically resemble humans closely 
  enough that they do not require full character 
  sheets. Either breed is adequately represented by 
  the standard humans on pages. 278-282 of Ex-
  alted, with Wyld mutations and a few specialties. 
  Baboonmen are simply humans with the pox Fur. 
  Orangutanmen have the pox Fur and the afflic-
  tions Brachiation (x2) and Fully Prehensile Toes, 
  plus one Athletics specialty in Arboreal.
  
  150
  Join Battle: 6
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 3B, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 6B, Parry DV 1, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6 Accuracy 6, Damage 3B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Short Spear: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 7L, Parry 
  DV 3, Rate 2
  Javelin: Speed 4, Accuracy 6, Damage 6L, Range 30, 
  Rate 2
  Soak: 4L/5B (Chain shirt, 3L/1B, +1 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 3 
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: A hawkman’s package of Wyld mutations 
  costs 10 bonus points at character creation.
  MONKEYMEN
  Child-sized monkeymen scamper and swing 
  throughout the jungles around Mahalanka. They live 
  at most 25 years, but breed prolifically. Raksi finds them 
  too weak and too impulsive to make good minions. 
  Since most Mahalankans ignore them, monkeymen 
  might know more—and have a more objective view—
  than Raksi or anyone else imagines. Monkeymen use 
  no weapons larger than knives.
  Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 3, 
  Stamina 2; Charisma 2, Manipulation 1, 
  Appearance 2; Perception 3, Intelligence 2, 
  Wits 3
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 1, 
  Temperance 1, Valor 2
  Abilities: Athletics 3 (Brachiation +2), 
  Awareness 2, Dodge 3, Investigation 1, Lar-
  ceny 1, Martial Arts 2, Melee 2, Socialize 2, 
  Stealth 3 (Hide in Foliage +2), Survival 2, 
  Thrown 2
  Wyld Mutations: Poxes: Hair Color 
  (furred body); Afflictions: Brachiation (x2), 
  Omnidexterity, Prehensile Tail, Short Ges-
  tation, Tiny; Deformities: Short Lifespan
  Join Battle: 5
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 4, Accuracy 6, Damage 1B, 
  Parry DV 4, Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 4B, 
  Parry DV 2, Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 5, Damage 1B 
  piercing, Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Knife: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 3L, 
  Parry DV 3, Rate 3
  Knife, Thrown: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 3L, 
  Range 15, Rate 3
  Soak: 0L/2B
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 3 
  Willpower: 4
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: A monkeyman’s package of Wyld muta-
  tions costs 7 bonus points at character creation. Due 
  to its small size, attacks on a monkeyman suffer a –2 
  external penalty (-1 if the monkeyman is immobile).
  SNAKEMEN
  Snakemen form communities of their own in the 
  depths of the Southeastern jungles and the Eastern 
  Forests, while the Southwest includes islands in-
  habited solely by snakemen related to water-snakes. 
  These beastmen also show a surprising taste for 
  life in human cities. Snakemen seem to thrive in 
  urban environments as much as they do in isolated 
  jungle villages.
  Urban snakemen often become beggars, petty 
  criminals or circus freaks, but a few of them make their 
  way into the lower levels of criminal organizations. 
  Most people hate and fear snakemen because of their 
  inhuman appearance, scaled skin and disturbingly 
  smooth and quick way of moving. However, they are 
  
  151
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  well regarded in Halta and a few other nations, where 
  they often work as scholars or physicians.
  A few tribes of poisonous snakemen live in the 
  warmer hinterlands of the species’ range. Most snake-
  men in the central and northern forests of the East are 
  non-poisonous.
  Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Cha-
  risma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1; Perception 2, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 3
  Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 2, Temperance 3, 
  Valor 2
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3 (Smell +2), Bu-
  reaucracy 1, Dodge 3, Integrity 1, Linguistics (Native: 
  Flametongue, Forest-Tongue or Seatongue; Others: 
  Riverspeak) 1, Lore 1, Martial Arts 3, Melee 2, Pres-
  ence 2, Resistance 1, Stealth 3, Socialize 1, Survival 2, 
  War 3
  Wyld Mutations: Poxes: Elemental Adaptation (East, 
  South or West, as the case may be), Enhanced Senses 
  (Smell), Fangs, Longevity, Night Vision, Scales; Defi-
  ciencies: Temperature Sensitivity (cold), Ugly
  Join Battle: 6
  Attacks:
  Bite: Speed 2, Accuracy 5, Damage 2L, Parry DV –, 
  Rate 1
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 2B, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 5B, Parry DV 1, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 6, Damage 2B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Hook Sword: Speed 5, Accuracy 5, Damage 5L, Parry 
  DV 4, Rate 3
  Soak: 4L/5B (Chain shirt, 3L/1B, +1 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 3 
  Willpower: 7
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: The snakeman package of mutations 
  costs 4 bonus points; or 5 points for Haltan characters, 
  since the Ugly deficiency comes from cultural preju-
  dice. Serpent-folk descended from poisonous snakes 
  (including all Western and many Southern snakemen) 
  also possess the affliction Toxin, for an additional 2 
  bonus points.
  MISCELLANEOUS
  ARCZECKHI
  The Arczeckhi are crazed fighters who rush 
  headlong into battle. They fight with single-minded 
  enthusiasm and a complete disregard for tactics. It’s also 
  tough to scare the horde away, since only those Arczeck-
  hi whom they know have killed (the more the better) 
  are truly real to other Arczeckhi. When Arczeckhi 
  aren’t fighting, 
  they’re proba-
  bly building 
  traps with 
  which to 
  defend them-
  selves. The vast 
  majority of Arc-
  zeckhi die before 
  the age of 30, but 
  they live furious lives, 
  and older Arczeckhi 
  can be extremely ca-
  pable. Arczeckhi speak 
  their own language 
  and only a few of them 
  learn Riverspeak or 
  Forest-tongue.
  Coarse red fur 
  covers an Arczeckh’s 
  body. Beady red eyes, 
  fanged mouths and 
  long, pointed ears tipped 
  with tufts of fur add to 
  their bestial appearance. 
  Arczeckhi can (and do) mate with 
  ordinary humans, but the Wyld traits breed 
  true, from clawed hands to 
  bandy legs.
  151
  ONSTERS OF THE EAST
  e truly real to other Arczeckhi. When Arczeckhi 
  en’t fighting, 
  ey’re proba-
  y building
  aps with
  hich to
  fend them-
  lves. The vast 
  ajority of Arc-
  ckhi die before
  e age of 30, but
  ey live furious lives,
  nd older Arczeckhi
  n be extremely ca-
  able. Arczeckhi speak 
  eir own language
  nd only a few of them
  arn Riverspeak or
  orest-tongue.
  Coarse red fur 
  vers an Arczeckh’s 
  ody. Beady red eyes, 
  nged mouths and 
  ng, pointed ears tipped
  th tufts of fur add to 
  eir bestial appearance.
  rczeckhi can (and do) mate with 
  dinary humans, but the Wyld traits breed
  ue, from clawed hands too 
  andy legs.
  
  152
  Motivation: Typically, to assert their reality by killing 
  and dominating weaker creatures.
  Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Cha-
  risma 2, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1; Perception 3, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 2
  Virtues:  Compassion 1, Conviction 2, Temperance 2, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Archery 2, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Craft 
  (Wood) 1 (Traps +1), Dodge 2, Martial Arts 3, Melee 2 
  (Spear +1), Presence 1, Resistance 2, Ride 2 (Chariots +1), 
  Stealth 2, Survival 1 (Scrubland +1)
  Wyld Mutations: Poxes: Claws, Enhanced Sense 
  (Hearing), Night Vision; Derangements: Sociopathic 
  Detachment (deficiency).
  Join Battle: 5
  Attacks:
  Claw: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 3L, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 6L, Parry DV 2, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 6, Damage 3B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Spear: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 7L/10L, Parry 
  DV 4, Rate 2
  Soak: 1L/4B
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 2 
  Willpower: 5 
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: An Arczeckh character’s package of muta-
  tions costs 2 bonus points. They are usually extras.
  GRACED CHAYAN MONKS
  Graced Chayan monks achieve an enlightened Es-
  sence through meditation, martial training and the gift 
  of their radiolari gods. As enlightened mortals, they can 
  learn Terrestrial Martial Arts Charms. All such monks 
  are serious practitioners of the martial arts and use their 
  skills to protect Chaya from supernatural threats. Al-
  though graced monks are rarely well equipped, they are 
  dedicated, prudent and trained in formation fighting. 
  They favor the Crimson Pentacle Blade Style (though 
  as enlightened mortals they cannot form Combos and 
  therefore cannot exploit the style to its full potential). 
  Some monks learn the Golden Janissary Style instead. 
  (See Scroll of the Monk for these martial arts styles, 
  starting on pp. 48 and 63.) This is an example of an 
  uncommonly experienced monk, who has developed 
  her Essence and Charms to a high degree.
  Motivation: Varies, but frequently something along 
  the lines of, “Guide the Chayan people in the perfect 
  order of the radiolari gods.”
  Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Cha-
  risma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2; Perception 2, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 3
  Virtues:  Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 4, 
  Valor 3
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Bureaucracy 1, 
  Dodge 3, Integrity 3, Lore 2, Martial Arts 4, Melee 2, 
  Occult 1, Performance 3, Resistance 2, War 2
  Powers/Charms: 
  Crimson Pentacle Blade Style—Crimson Pentacle Blade 
  Form, Eastern Root Protocol, Graceful Tortoise Tech-
  nique, Northern Lotus Petal Discernment Meditation, 
  Speardancer Concentration
  Essence Pool—As enlightened mortals, graced monks 
  have Essence pools of (Essence x 10) motes. They can 
  access a third of that pool normally (round down), but 
  must spend one Willpower point to access the remain-
  ing points for the rest of the scene.
  Join Battle: 6
  Attacks:
  Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 8, Damage 3B, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 6B, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 7, Damage 3B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Short Spear: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 7L, Parry 
  DV 3, Rate 2
  Soak: 0L/3B (Target shield +1 DV, -1 mobility pen-
  alty)
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 4/5 Willpower: 7
  
  153
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Essence: 3 
  Essence Pool: 30
  Other Notes: None
  GREAT GOBLINS
  The Fair Folk create hobgoblins of varying power. 
  The great goblins of Rathess are much larger, stronger 
  and tougher than the city’s everyday goblins. These 
  creatures stand 12 feet tall, with large horns on their 
  heads and claws on their fingers. Their sharply receding 
  foreheads show they are no smarter than the average 
  hobgoblin, but their Fae creators made then sharp-
  eyed and cunning. Some great goblins still serve Fae 
  nobles as bodyguards, officers for hobgoblin hordes 
  and elite shock troops; great goblins who switch their 
  allegiance to Filial Wisdom and Han-Tha fill the same 
  roles for their new masters. Great goblins often carry 
  heavy weapons such as great axes, poleaxes or tetsubos 
  (typically, a section of tree trunk). They know how 
  to wield bows, but Rathessian examples generally do 
  not do so.
  Most importantly, perhaps, every Rathessian 
  goblin has the potential to become a great goblin. 
  The Fair Folk simply gave extra size and power to 
  basic goblins; therefore, Han-Tha can transfer that 
  power from a dead great goblin to the basic goblins 
  who feed on its corpse. Other aspects of great goblin-
  hood spontaneously appear as the cannibal goblin’s 
  Attributes rise.
  Motivation: Serve as the master’s strong fist of 
  destruction.
  Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 4, Stamina 10; Cha-
  risma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1; Perception 3, 
  Intelligence 2, Wits 5
  Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 4, Temperance 1, 
  Valor 4
  Abilities: Archery 2, Athletics 3, Awareness 4, Dodge 4, 
  Integrity 1, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 4, Melee 4, 
  Presence 2 (Terrorizing +1), Resistance 2 (Disease +1), 
  Stealth 3, Survival 3, War 3
  Join Battle: 9
  Attacks:
  Claw: Speed 4, Accuracy 9, Damage 9L, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 2
  Punch: Speed 4, Accuracy 9, Damage 8B, Parry DV 5, 
  Rate 3
  Gore: Speed 6, Accuracy 7, Damage 12L, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 1
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 8, Damage 11B, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 8, Damage 8B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Great Axe: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 15L/2, Parry 
  DV 3, Rate 2
  Soak: 12L/21B (Tough hide, 2L/3B; salvaged scraps of 
  armor, 5L/8B, -2 mobility penalty, +2 fatigue value)
  Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/Incap
  Dodge DV: 5 
  Willpower: 8
  Essence: 2
  Other Notes: Iron (not steel) weapons inflict aggra-
  vated damage upon great goblins, just as with other 
  Fae. Because great goblins exist for the sole purpose of 
  exerting brute force, most of them cannot shape glamour 
  or change their form. A few exceptional great goblins 
  may wield these powers, though.
  STALKERS
  Stalkers are Dragon Kings who devolved into a 
  primitive state. They barely count as sentient, but show 
  considerable skill and cunning at combat. Stalkers are 
  sometimes led by a semi-civilized Dragon King with 
  more advanced powers. Filial Wisdom occasionally 
  trains by battling stalkers, and his transcendent wisdom 
  and skill during these bouts have enlightened a few of 
  his opponents. Unfortunately, death is usually quick 
  to follow.
  The stalkers of Rathess come from the raptok race of 
  Dragon King. These wiry reptilian creatures resemble claw 
  striders shaped halfway into human form: clawed, birdlike 
  legs, body leaning forward with a heavy tail for balance, 
  and a narrow muzzle. They can craft only the simplest 
  weapons and often prefer to use their own claws.
  Motivation: Hunt, feed, breed, attack anyone not of 
  the tribe.
  
  154
  Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4; Cha-
  risma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 2; Perception 3, 
  Intelligence 1, Wits 2
  Virtues:  Compassion 1, Conviction 1, Temperance 1, 
  Valor 3
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 3, Martial 
  Arts 3, Melee 2, Presence 1, Resistance 2, Stealth 3, 
  Survival 2 (Jungle +1), Thrown 2, War 1
  Join Battle: 5
  Attacks:
  Claw: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 4L, Parry DV 4, 
  Rate 3
  Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 6, Damage 7L, Parry DV 3, 
  Rate 2
  Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 6, Damage 4B piercing, 
  Parry DV –, Rate 1
  Short Spear: Speed 5, Accuracy 7, Damage 8L, Parry 
  DV 3, Rate 2
  Javelin: Speed 4, Accuracy 6, Damage 7L, Range 30, 
  Rate 2
  Soak: 5L/7B
  Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Dodge DV: 3 
  Willpower: 4 
  Essence: 1
  Other Notes: Stalker leaders occasionally exhibit 
  minor powers, usually of an elemental nature. These 
  powers usually just add slightly to the stalker’s ath-
  letic or combat abilities, but it has been reported 
  that some stalkers can exert minor control over plant 
  life or lighting conditions, as well. These stalkers 
  achieved enlightened Essence and slight proficiency 
  at one of the Dragon King Paths. See Scroll of the 
  Lesser Races for information about the powers of 
  the Dragon Kings.
  MONSTERS AND ANIMALS 
  OF THE EAST
  APE, GREAT
  The noble 
  great ape of the 
  jungle has thick 
  black fur and 
  walks on its feet 
  and the knuckles 
  of its hand. Tribes 
  of great apes fight 
  together against 
  the threats of the 
  Southeast, just 
  as humans do. 
  The great ape and humanity have a spotty history, 
  however, and so great ape tribes distrust humans 
  intensely. Elder males, called silverbacks for the 
  change to their fur color, lead the tribes. Silverbacks 
  are often larger and smarter than other great apes, 
  and can potentially be reasoned with if one can 
  communicate with them. Silverbacks have Social 
  Attributes comparable to humans and may have 
  additional Abilities.
  BAT, GIANT
  The giant bat is a larger variety of the common bat 
  found throughout Creation. They have wingspans of five 
  to seven feet. Like ordinary bats, they are most active 
  in mornings and evenings, and rely on echolocation 
  more than sight. They also possess fully prehensile back 
  feet with opposable thumbs and three fingered hands 
  on their wings. Giant bats are some of the most agile 
  flyers in all Creation. 
  
  155
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  I n  
  H a l t a , 
  these creatures are 
  typically san-bats 
  or ata-bats (and 
  have higher Intel-
  ligence). Haltans 
  train san-bats as 
  messengers and 
  hunters. The re-
  public includes 
  many colonies of 
  wild san-bats and 
  communities of 
  ata-bats who live apart from humans.
  BLADE VINE
  This aggres-
  sive carnivorous 
  plant winds upward 
  around any support 
  that it can find, 
  or trails along the 
  ground. When its 
  leaves sense sud-
  den movement, the 
  whole vine lashes 
  out to wrap around 
  its prey. Sharp or-
  ganic blades and 
  needles along its 
  length slice into the victim’s skin. The Dragon Kings 
  bred the blade vine to guard their garrisons. They now 
  grow throughout the south and central East, though 
  inhabited areas take measures to destroy them before 
  they grow large enough to kill.
  Recognizing a blade vine in a typical forest or jungle 
  setting requires a successful (Perception + Survival) roll 
  at difficulty 3. Failure gives the vine a chance for an 
  unexpected attack. The vine’s only attack is a clinch, 
  but it can attack up to three targets within three yards 
  of itself without suffering penalties for multiple attacks. 
  A vine cannot attack a given victim more than once 
  per action, however, nor attack additional targets by 
  taking multiple action penalties. As with automatons, 
  the mindless vines never fail Valor rolls and never 
  succeed at other Virtue rolls.
  A basic blade vine has the traits listed here. Represent 
  larger vines by giving them levels of Ox-Body Tech-
  nique (one -1 health level and two -2 health levels); for 
  each level of Ox-Body, the vine gains +1 Strength and 
  Stamina, and can attack one more target at a time.
  BURROW LOK
  This predator 
  of temperate forests 
  resembles a badger 
  grown the size of 
  a pony. A burrow 
  lok digs an under-
  ground den that 
  doubles as a trap 
  for its prey. The den 
  extends up to 30 
  yards, with periodic 
  chambers that ex-
  tend almost to the 
  surface. Anything larger than a small child that steps 
  over a chamber collapses the roof and falls three yards 
  into the tunnel. The burrow lok then sprints to attack its 
  prey with its fangs and claws. Noticing a burrow lok den 
  requires a (Perception + Survival) roll, difficulty 3.
  Burrow loks have remarkable senses, equal to the 
  Solar Charm Keen (Sense) Technique for smell and 
  hearing (see Exalted, pp. 225-226). Sometimes they 
  venture out at night to hunt prey directly.
  EMERALD MONKEY
  These small, 
  long-tailed and 
  g r e e n - f u r r e d 
  monkeys live ev-
  erywhere in Halta. 
  Haltans keep em-
  erald monkeys as 
  pets, guards and 
  working animals. 
  Some patrol the 
  forests around 
  border forts; oth-
  ers perform simple 
  tasks such as gathering nuts, spinning thread or polishing 
  wood. All domestic emerald monkeys are san-beasts. 
  Ata-emerald monkeys are fairly rare. Wild emerald 
  monkeys often become pests for travelers, rummaging 
  through packs in search of food.
  Emerald monkey stats can represent any small 
  monkey.
  FLYING SERPENT
  Deep in the East, some snakes can glide by open-
  ing their ribcages to form rudimentary wings. These 
  serpents may glide up to 100 yards. All varieties of 
  flying serpent are venomous, but most have relatively 
  weak venoms.
  
  156
  The traits 
  listed here are for 
  a common variety 
  of flying serpent. 
  There are many 
  types, and some 
  have stronger or 
  weaker poisons.
  FOREST BABOON
  These moss-
  green creatures 
  live only in the 
  Northeastern for-
  est. Wild forest 
  baboons normal-
  ly move on all 
  fours but can 
  manage a slow 
  upright waddle. 
  Haltan san- and 
  ata-baboons walk 
  as easily as any 
  human.
  San-baboons are one of the most common domestic 
  animals in Halta. Some are pets or hunting companions, 
  but most carry burdens and perform other simple tasks. 
  Halta also has many ata-baboons, who have lives little 
  different from their human neighbors.
  Forest baboon stats can represent any large monkey 
  or small ape. San-baboons have the same social and 
  mental traits as humans.
  FOREST MIMIC
  The forest 
  mimic resembles 
  an oversized orang-
  utan with goatlike 
  legs, great spiral-
  ing horns and one 
  large eye. The 
  creatures seem 
  genderless and are 
  never encountered 
  in groups.
  This creature 
  can reproduce any 
  voice, or indeed 
  any sound it has ever heard. A forest mimic hunts by 
  reproducing voices and words that seem to entice its 
  prey—whether the mating calls of birds or a person’s 
  cries for help. Once it lures in a victim, it tries to throttle 
  or bash its prey unconscious before feeding. Though 
  cunning, forest mimics do not seem to be actually 
  intelligent. They cannot create original statements, 
  only repeat what they hear.
  A forest mimic’s Strength, Stamina and health 
  levels increase as it ages and grow larger. For each 
  additional six feet it grows, it gains +1 Strength and 
  +1 Stamina (maximum 10) and a -0 Health Level. 
  Its greater size also grants a +1 Accuracy bonus to 
  attacks but imposes a -1 internal penalty to Stealth 
  rolls. Recognizing a mimicked voice requires 5 suc-
  cesses on a (Perception + Awareness) roll—not 
  reflexive: a character must consciously suspect an 
  imposture unless she uses Charms that reveal deceit 
  or grant superhuman perception, such as Keen Hear-
  ing Technique. It also requires familiarity with the 
  real voice.
  GRAVEHOUND
  This uncanny 
  b r e e d ,  
  f i r s t 
  discovered among 
  the necropolis 
  of Sijan, became 
  a favored war 
  hound for both 
  the Abyssals and 
  those who fight 
  them. Unlike 
  other beasts, 
  gravehounds do 
  not fear the dead or shadowlands, and can see and 
  touch dematerialized ghosts. Most disturbingly, when 
  a gravehound consumes the flesh of the dead, it also 
  consumes the victim’s memories, personality and voice. 
  A gravehound who eats a dead person’s memories 
  often tries to complete some last, urgent task of the 
  deceased such as soothing the grief of loved ones, 
  seeking vengeance against its murderer or carrying 
  news to its former lords. Since a gravehound is still a 
  dog (albeit a talking one), some tasks are more difficult 
  than others. A gravehound retains the memories of a 
  consumed victim for a number of days equal to the 
  victim’s Willpower.
  GREAT ROC
  These exceedingly rare, mammoth-sized raptors 
  darken the skies when they take flight. With wings 
  that extend more than 60 feet, they can carry sizable 
  loads. Though they live for an extremely long time 
  (no modern great roc has died of old age), the birth of 
  a new roc is so rare that all of Metagalapa celebrates 
  
  157
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  it. As a result, 
  the Metagalapans 
  seldom use these 
  massive birds in 
  war and instead 
  bring them in only 
  after the battle to 
  carry off the loot.
  HATRA
  Hatra resem-
  ble weasels the 
  size of small dogs. 
  Webs of skin be-
  tween their front 
  and back legs en-
  able them to glide 
  from tree to tree, 
  or swoop down 
  on prey. They live 
  throughout the 
  East.
  Hatra colonies 
  usually contain 
  between 10 and 
  20 individuals. A 
  single hatra is little 
  threat; but a whole 
  tribe may descend 
  at once to kill prey 
  as large as a bear.
  HORSE, HALTAN
  These slender, 
  gray bodied, green-
  maned horses are 
  specially bred for 
  traveling outside 
  the forests. Most of 
  these horses are san-
  beasts, and Haltan 
  traders occasionally 
  sell these animals 
  to buyers who can 
  both pay their high 
  prices and who they 
  feel sure will treat these horses well. All Haltan horses 
  that are not san-beasts are fully intelligent ata-beasts. 
  Ata-horses are most often found in the company of 
  Haltan traders who spend large amounts of time on 
  the road. Naturally, these are never sold (unless the 
  horse and trader are running a scam—sell the horse to 
  some sucker, the horse escapes, and the two take the 
  money and run).
  LEECH HOUND
  Still waters in 
  the jungles may 
  conceal leech 
  hounds. These 
  dog-sized leeches 
  move as fast as a 
  running man, but 
  do not give chase 
  far from the water. 
  They attack by 
  grabbing with their two long tentacles and wrapping 
  their extensible mouths around their target—they aim 
  for the head by preference, to kill quietly as well as 
  quickly. The leech hound only deals damage with an 
  already-established clinch. They are blind, but target 
  prey by scent and vibrations as accurately as any hu-
  man could by sight.
  The vile leech gods (see The Books of Sorcery, 
  Vol. IV—The Roll of Glorious Divinity I, pp. 69-70) 
  can control leech hounds and often use them against 
  their foes.
  RAPTOR CAT
  The poorly 
  named raptor 
  cat looks vaguely 
  feline, but camou-
  flage-pattern green 
  scales cover its 
  body. This animal 
  waits in trees and 
  attacks anything 
  smaller than a ty-
  rant lizard, as long as it has the element of surprise. 
  A full-grown raptor cat extends eight feet from nose 
  to tail, and can kill a man with a single blow. The 
  beast’s jaw unhinges like that of a snake, so it can 
  swallow creatures almost as big as itself. Raptor cats 
  also sometimes toy with crippled prey, giving them a 
  frightful reputation for cruelty.
  SLITHERER
  Amongst the deadlier hazards of Rathess, the slith-
  erer is an aggressive and mobile green blob the height 
  of a large dog and up to 10 feet wide. Its corrosive touch 
  carries a deadly plague. The slitherer can slip under 
  doors and through tiny gaps and cracks. Weapons 
  mean little to the blob: all non-aggravated damage is 
  downgraded to bashing damage, and aggravated damage 
  
  158
  TREE PARD
  Although some 
  Haltans prefer pet 
  giant wolf spiders, 
  the tree pard is the 
  single most com-
  mon companion for 
  Haltan scouts, hunt-
  ers, commandos and 
  traders. These gray 
  and black leopard-
  sized cats weigh 
  almost as much as 
  a person and are 
  extremely well adapted for life in the trees. Several 
  ata-tree pards are decorated military heroes. Haltans 
  regard both normal and san-tree pards with the same 
  affection that other humans reserve for extremely bright 
  and reliable breeds of dogs.
  WARHAWK
  These regal 
  legacies of the First 
  Age have wing-
  spans of up to 30 
  feet and massive 
  claws that could 
  rend a man in half. 
  Despite their size, 
  however, they can 
  carry loads only 
  up to 150 pounds, 
  meaning most 
  hawkriders are small and wiry. Once a rider properly 
  earns the respect of his warhawk, it becomes exceed-
  ingly loyal; rider and avian remain paired for the rest 
  of the mortal’s life. Warhawks usually outlive their 
  riders, for their life spans extend more than 150 years, 
  but their low birthrates keep their total population low. 
  A warhawk can reach speeds of 120 miles per hour in 
  a dive, but generally flies only 50 to 70 miles per day, 
  a rapid pace it can maintain for only a few days.
  (from any source) 
  is downgraded to 
  lethal damage. It 
  is unknown how it 
  senses its prey, but 
  it seems well able 
  to do so, even in 
  darkness.
  The slitherer 
  cannot dash. It never tires. It cannot jump. It can reach 
  up to three yards to attack. The senses of the slitherer 
  ignore darkness. It is mindless, immune to social attacks 
  of any kind, and driven to dissolve any animal matter 
  it finds. Like an automaton, it never fails Valor rolls 
  and has no other Virtues.
  STEEL SHADOW
  These night-
  marish creatures 
  come from the 
  n o r t h e r n m o s t 
  reaches of Haltan 
  territory, but have 
  spread from there. 
  These creatures 
  owe their name 
  to the hardness 
  of their hide and 
  their penchant for 
  ambush as they silently stalk the night sky. A steel 
  shadow has a black back, ashen belly and glittering 
  blue eyes. Up close, the beast resembles a great rai-
  ton, with razor-sharp black claws and an eight-foot 
  wingspan. They hunt any creature smaller than 
  themselves (including small humans) or those who 
  appear wounded. During the day, these creatures sleep 
  beneath sandy ground.
  Steel shadow can see much better at night than 
  during the day. In the dark, their vision emulates the 
  charm Keen Sight Technique. During the day, they 
  suffer a -2 internal penalty to all rolls. A steel shadow 
  may fly at five times its ground movement speed.
  
  159
  CHAPTER FIVE: GODS AND MONSTERS OF THE EAST
  Name 
  Str/Dex/Sta Per/Int/Wits/Will Health Levels 
  Attack (Spd/Acc/Dmg/Rate) Dodge DV/Soak
  Ape, Great   6/3/6 
    
  4/2/3/6 
  -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/ 
  Punch: 5/7/6B/3 
  2/3L/6B
   
     
   
   
  -2/-4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 1, Integrity 3, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3, Presence 3, Resistance 2, 
  Stealth  2, Survival 4
  Bat, Giant 
    2/4/3 
   
  4/1/3/5 
  -0/-1x2/-2/ 
  Bite: 6/7/4L/1,  
  4/0L/3B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap 
  Claw: 6/8/2L/2
  Abilities: Athletics 4 (Flying +2), Awareness 3 (Hearing +2), Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Investigation 1, Martial 
  Arts 3, Resistance 2, Stealth 3, Survival 3
  Blade Vine   2/3/2 
   
  1/1/2/– 
  -0x3/-1x3/-2/ 
  Clinch: 6/7/5L/1 (special) 2/3L/7B
   
     
   
   
  -2/-4/Incap
  Abilities: Awareness 5, Dodge 1, Martial Arts 2 (Grapple +2), Resistance 3
  Burrow Lok   6/3/6  
   
  3/1/4/2 
  -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/ 
  Claw: 4/7/9L/4 2/3L/6B
   
     
   
   
  -2/-2/-4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 4 (Jumping +2), Awareness 4 (Smell +2), Dodge 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3, 
  Presence 1, Resistance 2, Stealth 3 (Forest +1), Survival 3
  Emerald Monkey   1/4/2   
  3/2/3/2 
  -0/-1/-2/Incap 
  Bite: 6/6/1L/1 
  4/0L/2B
  Abilities: Athletics 2 (Climbing +2), Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 2, Performance 2, 
  Presence 1, Resistance 1, Stealth  2 (Forest +1), Survival 3
  Flying Serpent   1/4/2   
  3/1/3/2 
  -0/-1/-2/Incap 
  Bite: 4/7/1L/2 
  3/0L/2B
  Abilities: Athletics 1 (Climbing +2), Awareness 2 (Smell +3), Dodge 4, Integrity 1, Investigation 1, Martial 
  Arts 2, Presence 2, Resistance 1, Stealth  3, Survival 3
  Flying Serpent Venom: Damage 5L, Toxicity 2, Tolerance -, Penalty -2
  Forest Baboon   4/3/3 
    
  3/2/3/3 
  -0/-1x2/-2x2/ 
  Bite: 6/5/5L/1,  
  3/1L/4B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap 
  Thrown Rock: 5/5/4B/2
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 2, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 2, Presence 1, Resistance 1, 
  Stealth  2, Survival 3, Thrown 2
  Forest Mimic    5/4/5 
    
  3/2/3/5 
  -0/-1x3/-2x3/ 
  Punch: 5/7/5B/3 
  3/2L/5B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 5, Dodge 1, Integrity 1, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 3, Performance 5, 
  Presence 1, Resistance 3, Stealth 3, Survival 5, Thrown 1
  Gravehound   3/3/4 
   
  4/2/2/4 
  -0/-1x2/-2x2/ 
  Bite: 6/6/4L/2 
  4/0L/4B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 4, Dodge 1, Integrity 1, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 1, Presence 3, Resistance 4, 
  Stealth 2, Survival 4
  Great Roc 
    10/2/6  
  3/1/2/3 
  -0x2/-1x3/ 
  Beak: 6/5/14L/1,  
  2/3L/6B
   
     
   
   
  -2x3/-4/Incap 
  Claw: 5/6/12L/2 
  Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 2, Dodge 2, Integrity 2, Martial Arts 2, Presence 3, Resistance 2, Survival 1
  Hatra 
    1/4/2 
    
  3/1/3/3 
  -0/-1/-2/ 
  Bite: 4/8/3L/2 
  3/1L/2B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 3 (Climbing +1), Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 1, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 4, 
  Resistance 2, Stealth  4, Survival 3
  
  160
  Name 
  Str/Dex/Sta Per/Int/Wits/Will Health Levels 
  Attack (Spd/Acc/Dmg/Rate) Dodge DV/Soak
  Horse, Haltan  4/4/4 
   
  3/3/3/5 
  -0x2/-1x2/ 
  Bite: 5/7/2L/1,  
  4/1L/5B
   
     
   
   
  -2x2/-4/Incap 
  Kick: 2/4/6B/2
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 2, Presence 2, Resistance 2, 
  Survival 3
  Leech Hound  3/3/5 
    
  4/1/2/3 
  -0/-1/-2/-2/ 
  Clinch: 6/7/6L/1 
  2/0L/5B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 4 (Climbing +2), Awareness 3, Dodge 1, Integrity 1, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 3, 
  Presence 1, Resistance 1, Stealth  3, Survival 2
  Raptor Cat   5/6/6 
    
  4/X/5/4 
  -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/ 
  Claw: 4/10/9L/4 
  4/6L/9B
   
     
   
   
  -2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 2, Integrity 1, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3, Presence 3. Resistance 2, 
  Stealth 3 (Jungle +2), Survival 3
  Slitherer 
    3/1/3 
    
  3/X/2/0 
  -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/ 
  Touch: 5/7/8L/4 + Plague 0/5L/7B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Martial Arts 4, Stealth 3 (Silent Movement +3)
  Note: If the slitherer’s touch inflicts damage, the victim is exposed to plague (see Exalted, p. 353). Exalted 
  are not immune. A slitherer also has Hardness 5L/7B.
  Steel Shadow   4/4/4 
    
  4/X/3/4 
  -0/-1/-1/-1/-2/ 
   Talons: 4/8/6L/2 
  3/12L/8B
   
     
   
   
  -2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
  Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 2, Integrity 1, Investigation 3, Martial Arts 3, Presence 3, Resistance 2, 
  Stealth  3, Survival 3
  Tree Pard 
    5/4/4 
   
  3/2/3/4 
  -0/-1x2/-2x2/ 
  Bite: 6/7/6L/1,  
  4/2L/4B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap 
  Claw: 7/8/5L/2
  Abilities: Athletics 4, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Martial Arts 3, Presence 3, Resistance 3, 
  Stealth 4, Survival 3
  Warhawk 
   5/3/3 
   
  3/1/3/4 
  -0/-1x2/-2x3/ 
  Beak: 5/7/7L/1,  
  3/1L/3B
   
     
   
   
  -4/Incap 
  Claw: 5/8/9L/2
  Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 3, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 3, Presence 3, Resistance 1, 
  Survival 1
  
  THE COMPASS OF TERRESTRIAL DIRECTIONS, VOL. III — THE EAST
  THE COMPASS OF TERRESTRIAL DIRECTIONS, VOL. III — THE EAST
  www.white-wolf.com/exalted
  Beyond the Scavenger Lands 
  lies much more than a rough 
  frontier of rural backwaters and 
  petty kingdoms. The Far East is 
  full of nations that rival their 
  supposedly more “civilized” 
  neighbors in terms of size and 
  sophistication, from the warring 
  states of Linowan and Halta, to 
  the floating land of Metagalapa 
  and even grim Sijan, ancient 
  city of the honored dead. Still, 
  the region’s reputation as a land 
  of untamed wilds and rough 
  barbarians is not without merit, 
  as the broad Eastern forests are 
  home to a myriad of human, 
  once human and completely 
  inhuman tribes. The wealth 
  of the East lies within these 
  forests, just waiting for those 
  brave enough to take it.
  The third of five Terrestrial Direction books 
  devoted to fleshing out the bare bones of 
  Creation presented in the Exalted
  Exalted core book, 
  this book includes the following:
  • Details of Linowan, Halta and the many other 
  Eastern states
  • Mass combat stats for the myriad of Eastern 
  powers
  • Traits for the East’s native gods and beasts
  WHITE WOLF
  WW80202
  9 781588 466174
  52499
  PRINTED IN U.S.A.
  ISBN: 978-1-58846-617-4   WW80202  $24.99 U.S.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Deduped  Shit/Exalted 2E/[WW80202] The Compass of Terrestrial Directions, Vol. III - The East.pdf