Moonshadow
Caste
When Luna’s face is hidden by shadow, all Creation
is engulfed in darkness. In every corner of the world, there is no light save
that of the pale and distant stars. The Unconquered Sun is dead, and the Silver
Lady is shrouded in mourning. In this moment, all who exist are granted a brief
glimpse of the darkness that awaits at the end of all
things. And so, the Moonshadow Caste works to spread
the shroud of death across all lands. Death touches all things, crossing all
boundaries and uniting all within its cold embrace.
In the Underworld, members of the Moonshadow Caste serve as the diplomats of the Deathlords. They endlessly travel from one court to the next,
negotiating treaties and striking dark bargains. Through their efforts, cities
of the dead are slowly but surely brought under the Deathlords’
influence, dread legions are ensured the resources they need for war, and dark
kingdoms are kept running smoothly. Dust Children endlessly create, alter and
discard alliances, treating individuals, groups and cities like pieces on a Gateway
board.
Among the lands of the living, Moonshadow Abyssals perform
similar functions. They work to sow discord within and between towns and
cities, leaving chaos and mistrust in their wake. By doing so, the kingdoms of
the living are less able to resist the armies of the dead. Some are even
willing to ally with the Deathlords if it will mean
the defeat of their hated enemies, and the members of the Moonshadow
Caste are there to negotiate and sanctify treaties whose creation is likely the
end result of months or even years of lies and manipulations (and will
undoubtedly be worded in such a way that allows the Abyssal and his Deathlord several loopholes). To the Dust Children, it does
not matter if one city is spared the gift of death in order to better bring
that gift to a second city. Death comes for all things in time.
Members of the Moonshadow
Caste are chosen from among those who excel at social manipulation. Unlike the
Midnight Caste, who speak truths others do not wish to acknowledge, the Hollow
Darkness uses treachery. The Moonshadows are ruthless
diplomats, wicked courtesans and heartless confidence men who patiently spin
webs of lies and deception throughout back alleys, market places and royal
courts. They are the true masters of guile and plotting.
Children of Dust are frequently the voice
of their Circle. As natural manipulators, they turn potential foes into allies
of convenience and use their abilities to plan and organize to help devise and
set in motion grand plots.
Anima Banner: Moonshadow Abyssals have a
black disc within a circle branded upon their brow as a Caste Mark. During
large expenditures of Peripheral Essence, this disc and circle will bleed along
the edges. Their animas are translucent grays and blacks, often with faint pale
purple and green sparkles.
Anima Effects: When a Moonshadow
Caste is party or witness to an oath, he may use his anima to sanctify it. The
character must touch hands to seal the agreement or touch the hands of those
who are party to it. His anima burns brightly, swirling with the words and
runes by which the Malfeans give him the right to
sanctify matters by their unspeakable names. Those who break such an oath
(including the Exalt himself) suffer a terrible curse.
The Exalted spends 10 motes of Essence and
a point of Willpower to sanctify the oath. Those who break it will suffer terrible
luck from their oathbreaking. A number of times equal
to the Exalted’s Essence at the time he witnesses or
agrees to the oath, the oathbreaker’s player will
horribly botch a critical roll. When this happens is up to the Storyteller, but
it is always at the worst possible moment. The Exalted need not be alive when
the curse takes effect — he sanctifies the oath, but the Abyssal’s
dark gods enforce it.
Also, Abyssals
of the Moonshadow Caste are talented generalists.
Provided they have willing tutors, they may learn the Charms of other types of
Exalted and even of spirits (including ghosts). Such Charms cost double the
normal experience to learn (usually 20 points) and use. Moonshadow
Caste characters may not start the game knowing the Charms of other such beings
without the Storyteller’s permission.
Caste Abilities: Members of the Moonshadow
Caste excel in all forms of manipulation, organization and travel. They have a
natural affinity for the Abilities of Bureaucracy, Linguistics, Ride, Sail and Socialize.
Associations: The period of Calibration, the color silver,
the center direction, the corpse-element of prayer and the gibbous moon
Sobriquets: They Who Walk Within Webs of Deception,
Winds of the Abyss, Children of Dust, Hollow Darkness
Concepts: Merchant prince, scheming socialite, actor
turned Deathlord agent, political troubleshooter, self-serving
seneschal, honey-tongued courtesan, sower of discord
You speak
for the living, I speak
for the
dead. Let our meeting be
hallowed
by the ancient courtesies
of such
business.