The Exalted

The Exalted have been chosen by the great powers of Creation, from the Elemental Dragons to the Deathlords, and given power like that of the gods themselves. A shard of imperishable might has been set within their souls, allowing them to master their internal Essence and empowering them to slay monsters, lead armies, work puissant sorceries and perform other deeds appropriate to the brightest of heroes. Once, the Solar Exalted ruled the world, but they were cursed and fell and were slain, leaving the Terrestrial Exalted—commonly called the Dragon-Blooded—to become rulers in their place.

The Creation of the Exalted

In the earliest times, the gods became discontented with their lot as keepers of the world, tenders of Creation and mere servants of the Primordials. The Primordials had created the gods with mighty geasa laid upon them, however, such that the gods could not use anything that was divine, or any of the stars or planets or moons or turning seasons, to work the undoing of their creators. The Primordials did not mention mortal life in these geasa, for they did not believe that anything mortal could be a threat to them.

The Unconquered Sun proposed to his fellow Incarnae that they should take humans and give them great power, so that the humans could fight as their champions against the Primordials.

The other Incarnae agreed, and they went out and chose mortals to become heroes—the first of the Exalted. Gaia would create no soldiers, but she gave her blessing to the Elemental Dragons, and they raised up soldiers to serve as the armies for the heroes, the Dragon-Blooded. Autochthon, also a Primordial and the first of all smiths, turned against his brothers and gave the Exalted the designs for mighty weapons that could destroy the Primordials. After the war with the Primordials was concluded, the Incarnae took up the Games of Divinity, leaving the stewardship of Creation to the Exalted. In turn, the Exalted took up the position that the Celestial Incarnae had once held, having authority over Creation and the Terrestrial gods.

Of the Exalted, there are five primary types:

Solars: The Solar Exalted are the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, created to be the rulers of the world and the leaders of the other Exalted. Solar Exalted come in one of five castes. The Dawn Castes are unparalleled warriors, the Zenith Castes are priests and mystics, the Twilight Castes are savants and sorcerers, the Night Castes are spies and assassins, and the Eclipse Castes are diplomats and ambassadors.

Lunars: The Lunar Exalted are the Chosen of Luna, the viceroys, generals and strategists of the Solars—and often their consorts as well. They are shapeshifters and hunters, warriors and survivors. Their power is divided in terms of the moon’s phases. The Full Moons are warriors and lovers of battle, the No Moons are keepers of lore and sorcery, and the Changing Moons are the tacticians and shapeshifters and scouts. Originally, instead of the Changing Moons, there were three separate castes—the Waxing Moons, priests and courtiers; the Half-Moons, observers and tacticians; and the Waning Moons, guileful spies and tricksters—but the separation between the three was lost following the Usurpation.

Sidereals: The Sidereals are the Chosen of the Five Maidens, the most secretive and inscrutable of all the Exalted. They are advisors, viziers, planners, counselors and masters of intrigue and the martial arts. Each Sidereal Exalt is chosen by a particular Maiden, but there are never more than 100 total Sidereals at any time.

Dragon-Blooded: The Terrestrial Exalted differ from the Celestial Exalted in that they can pass on their powers to their descendants. They were formed by the Elemental Dragons as foot soldiers to the Celestial Exalted. Separately they are weaker, but when working together, the Terrestrials can topple dynasties and menace even the mightiest gods into submission. A Dragon-Blood has one of five elemental aspects: Air, Earth, Fire, Water or Wood.

Abyssal Exalted: At the recent destruction of the city of Thorns, the Deathlord Mask of Winters was shown to have dark Exalted servants, and there have been increasing reports of such beings from around Creation. These "deathknights" are a subject of terrible rumor, but little certain knowledge.

Then there are the Infernal Exalted: Another type of tainted Solar Exalted, of which even less is known.

The Role of the Exalted

Though the Terrestrial Exalted can pass on a heritage of power to their progeny, the power of the greater Celestial Exalted is too mighty to pass through heredity. Instead, when a Celestial Exalt is slain, the fragment of Essence that grants him his power flees to a new host, granting her Exaltation. Thus, there are a fixed number of each type of Celestial Exalt. In Creation, there are about 300 Lunar Exalted and about 100 Sidereal Exalted at any time, and no new Exaltations have been set loose in Creation since the war against the Primordials. There were also once 300 Solar Exaltations, but their number has been halved by the Deathlords, who snared the other half of the Exaltations and made from a number of them the Abyssal Exalted.

It is important to understand that although the Exaltation springs from a divinity and is clearly aligned with that god's influences, its maker has no natural control over it. Had this been otherwise, the gods would have merely been ordered by their Primordial overlords to gather the power of the Exalted back up and forced to crush their own uprising. Exaltation is a fire passed into the hands of man, a gift that cannot be taken back, and what the Exalt does after receiving it is governed by his will and vision alone.

Of the Nature of the Exalted

Among men, Exalted have no equals, for they were created to be the weapons of the gods in the war against those that came before the gods. When young in her power, an Exalt might be mistaken for the miraculous child of a mighty god or for a particularly talented thaumaturge, but as she matures, she far surpasses the potential of both. Each sort of Exalt is its own distinct being, but the following is true of all Exalted, from an adolescent Terrestrial to the most hoary Lunar.

• The Exaltation grants a vast life span. The mayfly Terrestrials endure for only two or three centuries, while the Celestial Exalted typically live ten times as long. In addition, the Exalted are nearly ageless. They endure, seemingly in the prime of their lives, until the very end of their long spans. Any Exalt who appears elderly is ancient indeed.
• The Exaltation grants tremendous vitality. The physical body of an Exalt is incredibly resilient. Exalted heal with incredible rapidity, are largely immune to disease, and are intensely resistant to poison. An Exalt can endure the most incredible hardship and survive wounds that would instantly fell a mortal.
• The Exaltation demands heroes. Exaltation is a fundamental alteration of destiny, turn a mortal into a semi-divine weapon. To be capable of benefiting from the Exaltation’s power, the Exalt-to-be must already have an important destiny. No Exalt is unwilling to wield his power. The Exaltation is not a rational or moral force, though. It simply seeks out beings who can and will wield divine power. It could descend on the most pious of hermits or the most immoral of rascals, so long as the chosen one is of consequence to history and will put its might to use.
• The Exaltation is desirous of hale hosts. The Exalted heal without scar and recover without permanent disability from all but the most terrible non-magical maiming. In addition, the power that inhabits the Exalted is a military weapon. Though rare exceptions occur for those whose talent and destiny surpasses their limitations, the vast majority of those who become Terrestrial Exalted are free of any serious birth defect and are generally superior physical specimens. Those who become Celestial Exalted are almost always of age to serve in the military—between 13 and 60—and possess full use of their limbs and senses. Exaltation knows no gender or ethnic preference. It desires only quality base material from which to make a hero.
• The Exaltation is imperishable and inseparable. No known process can sunder the bond between soul and Exaltation in either Terrestrial or Celestial Exalted. In addition, the Exaltation is protective. As godly beings and creatures of magic, the Exalted suffer lesser or no effect from many magical powers.

When a Celestial Exalt is slain, the power flees her mortal frame and seeks out a new host. Only once has this succession of power been interrupted, when the Solar Exalted were slain and banished, and that merely postponed their return until the current day.