Shards Of A Solar Empire

There are precious few records of what is known to be The First Age.

Most of the Realm's records speak of the rule of the Scarlet Empress and of her rule that lasted almost eight hundred years.  It was her actions, with the assistance of the Immaculate Order, that saved the Realm itself from the cruel tragic events of the earlier time.

That time, was a time when a Great Contagion killed nearly 90% of the world's populace. Between the massive deaths of the Great Contagion and the chaos that overwhelmed the world, the Fair Folk closed in to consume the world.  These are collectively remember as the Age of Sorrows.

But if one looked far back, to the time prior to the Age of Sorrows, one would hear of the Shogunate.    During the Shogunate, various Terrestrial daimyos squabbled over control of the Realm.   For centuries the Dragon-Blooded fought amongst themselves over ever dwindling supplies of magical devices and resources, obfuscating these reasons for the fighting behind obscure ideologies started by long dead leaders.

The rulership of Creation was held by a loose confederacy of daimyos who squabbled amongst themselves except for times when a single strong shogun unified them. This lead to a shuddering at the borders of Creation as armies of Fair Folk breeched the boundaries of reality to invade and sow chaos.

Few know of the history before the Shogunate.
Few know of the Solar Exalted and how a Solar Deliberative once watched over all of Creation.
Few know of the massive war that threatened to destroy everything that existed both in Creation and in the lands of the Gods.
Few know of the Prophecy.  Of the betrayals.   And why the Sun itself once turned away.

And only two actually know of the Great Curse.
One of them being the thing that made the Curse.
The other...

These secrets lie in the ruins of the First Age.

These secrets, if found, can help the Solar Exalted regain what they have lost.
And repair the damage they have also done.

The Great Houses

The Eleven Great Houses that form the Scarlet Dynasty are where most of the Dragon-Blooded of the Realm are found. The Great Houses, and the viewpoint of them held by most of the peoples of the Threshold are below.  All the players will come from one of these Houses, based on their elemental affinity.

Like the Terrestrial Exalted themselves, these great houses (with one exception) are aspected to a specific element.

The First Age technology, also known as the Sword of Creation that defends the Realm from its enemies, particularly the Fair Folk of the Wyld. It can produce many amazing effects, such as showers of iron needles that fly to the edges of the world, walls of fire, and holographic apparitions throughout Creation. However, the geomantic effects of the Defense Grid cause earthquakes and other natural disasters throughout Creation, making it something of a weapon of last resort.

The Grid is controlled from the Imperial Manse, which was the sole province of the now missing Scarlet Empress.

The Blessed Isle is a continent at the very center of the Realm itself.  Spanning approximately 2000 x 3000 miles, 

Part of the fun in this coming game will be rolling up for your family.  Each player will take a turn at rolling the d10 a few times to determine the elemental affinity of his mother and father, whether or not he or she has siblings, which ones are Exalted, and whether or not there are family ties of note that also affect influence to some extent.

Yes, this does mean you might end up with a very boring family... or a tremendously complicated one... or a frighteningly singularly-minded one that seemed to be devoted wholly towards the destruction of Anathema.

Exciting, ain't it?

With that in mind, consider then working with the other players to clearly define why you are best of friends and how you work together in things.  Again, you most likely have only each other to rely upon in this game.  There won't be NPCs who will be there to save your asses (or at least if there are any, there's a good reason they did that!)

From the Elemental Pole of Air at the north, to the Elemental Pole of Fire to the south, the Poles of Water from the East to the Pole of Wood at the west, all the lands recognize the far-reaching influence and power of the Dragon-blooded Dynasty that has been forged by the Scarlet Empress.

From the Blessed Isle at the center of the world with the Elemental Pole of Earth at its heart, the lands of Creation find protection and sanctuary from the many horrible forces and threats that seek to devour the hearts of men.  The Dragon-blooded fight a never-ending fight against the legions of the Fair Folk that seek to breach the borders of the world, the shape-shifting tattooed savages in the Wyld, the corrupted servants of the Deathlords and their undead kin, and worst yet, the evil Anathema that stalk the lands and beguile with their misleading golden light.

But all is not well in Creation.

Ever since the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress herself, the Dynasty is at the brink of a Civil War as calls for succession grow stronger in the Deliberative.   The people need a visible leader, and the Eleven Great Houses call for action.  Some fear that the Dynasty may shatter and from its ruins once again arise a Shogunate as once existed before.  The Realm is in danger of ripping itself apart, and many are uncertain if even the ever-influential presence of the Immaculate Order can lead the people to a brighter Age.

This is the world of Exalted.
And this is the new Sunday Group game, starting March 2011.