Moonshadow Caste
As the Unconquered Sun hides in fear, Luna's face bloodies in the unnatural shadow of darkest night. All of Creation holds its breath in collective prayer the Neverborn's shadowed portent passes quickly before fate must acknowledge the sign. Such is the dread grandeur of the Moonshadow Caste who embody the ill omen. Those Who Within Webs of Deception deftly snarl the designs of heaven as they defile world with lies and discord.
Moonshadow Exaltations fit best in mortals who prey upon others socially, whether through direct, tyrannical authority or through a web of influence. Such influence need not be wantonly or universally applied. A matriarch who perpetuates a feud to preserve her own power in the family is just as acceptable as a malevolent courtier who sparks a civil war for fun. This long-term, big-picture of view destruction ultimately places the Winds of the Abyss in contention with the Dusk Caste, who cut to the heart of convoluted schemes with a stroke of the blade.
Renegade Moonshadows might work to end oppressive or tyrannical societies, destroying the fear of the populace while crippling the power of those who abuse their authority. The burden of Dark Fate makes direct control extremely difficult, so these produce social change through proxies, conspiracy, terrorism or other indirect means. Redemption-seeking Moonshadows realize that the world they want to create has no place for them, but their evil can excise corruption from the world like a surgeon cutting away infected flesh.
Loyalist Children of Dust serve a variety of useful functions for their Deathlord masters. They often lead their circles. Unlike Solars, who tend to rally around the faith and charisma of the Zenith Caste, few Abyssals trust the high priests of Oblivion enough to follow their ravings. Deathknights don't trust their Moonshadows, either, but at least the Children of Dust have sufficient guile to hold a circle together in spite of rivalry or dislike. Deathknights of Hollow Darkness also sometimes manage the tedious day-to-day operations of the Deathlords' empires, or become their poisoned ambassadors to the living and the dead. Given the Moonshadows' penchant for leadership and treachery, Deathlords typically insist that the Children of Dust sanctify their own oaths of fealty. Most Moonshadows find cunning ways to work around these oaths when they have to, but the oaths prevent direct rebellion—for now.
As agents in Creation, Moonshadows draw towns, tribes, nations and empires into chaos, allowing the other members of their circle to work unmolested. Years of lies and manipulations result in treaties that further the aims of the Deathlords—sometimes even outright alliances. Death comes for all things in time. If a single city needs to be spared the enlightenment of Oblivion for a hundred others to feel death's cold embrace, so be it. The Hollow Darkness is patient.
Anima Banner: A bloody ring around a central disk scars the Moonshadows, symbolizing the whole of existence encircling and poised to fall into the Mouth of Oblivion. Their animas are translucent silver and black sheets, with flaring sparkles orbiting the Exalt.
Anima Effects: These consummate hypocrites do not abide the lies of others. If a Moonshadow touches the hands of people who make a promise, the deathknight may reflexively spend 10 motes and a point of Willpower to call the Neverborn to witness the oath. (Doing so costs nothing while the Moonshadow displays his anima banner at the 11–15 mote level.) Upon invocation, the air bleeds spider-like runes spelling out the broken promises of the gods' ancient fealty to the Primordials. Anyone who breaks these sanctified promises is fated to botch a number of actions equal to the Essence rating the Moonshadow had when the promise was made. The Storyteller decides when the botches occur. Until all of the botches take place, the oathbreaker instinctively understands the doom her treachery brought upon herself. For this reason, the infinitely spiteful Neverborn often delay their wrath so that oathbreakers live in constant fear, waiting for the day when the darkness finally strikes.
Although Moonshadows are not protected by the same pacts as their Eclipse cousins, they receive similar protection from other creatures of death. Such creatures instinctively know that the Neverborn can twist their fate to make them suffer. If a creature of death initiates physical hostilities against a Moonshadow who has shown his caste mark and invoked the protection of Oblivion, the aggressor suffers a Resonance effect chosen by the Abyssal's player. The severity of the effect equals the Abyssal's Essence rating (though the Moonshadow does not actually vent any points of Resonance). Even mindless creatures such as hungry ghosts and walking dead understand this doom. They will not attack the Moonshadow, or anyone the deathknight names as under his protection, unless they are supernaturally compelled to do so. Only the Deathlords and other Abyssals are exempt from this ban.
Finally, Moonshadows may perform the ultimate feat of magical cheating by learning non-Abyssal Charms. Such Charms cost 16 experience points apiece to learn, and two extra motes to activate.
Caste Abilities: As envoys and social weapons, Winds of the Abyss may go anywhere to spread their poison with command of Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail and Socialize.
Associations: The color silver, the center direction, the corpse-element of prayer, the gibbous moon.
Sobriquets: Those Who Walk Within Webs of Deception, Winds of the Abyss, Children of Dust, Hollow Darkness, The Deceivers
Concepts: ambassador to the Yozis, betrayer of the revolution, mask within a mask, merchant prince, political troubleshooter, raksha soul dealer, sinister vizier, snake-oil salesman, terrorist mastermind, warmonger
Quote: "I speak for the dead. Would you have me speak for you?"