Starmetal
Caste
While Orichalcum
Caste Exalted brazenly assume a “first among equals”
stance in Alchemical society, they are not the only leaders of the
Keeping all of the above in mind, the Starmetal Caste are not cruel or
even so inhuman as their Soulsteel brethren. Clarity
has its uses, but on the whole, the Viziers hold emotional balance in higher
regard. Human beings operate according to human needs, after all, and thus, the
Viziers recognize the need to maintain some measure of empathy for the sake of
their formulas. In a similar and surprising vein, Plot Weavers abhor lies
despite their deserved reputation for guile. Disinformation is a weapon to be
used against the forces of the Void, and it is a useful weapon best deployed by
the Moonsilver Caste. Viziers prefer to control the
truth, distributing partial data as a tool of social engineering. The Lumpen do not need to know everything that the Populat needs to know, and this pattern holds true for
higher strata of society as well. For example, the strict and deliberately insufficient
monopolies held by the five Sodalities force them to cooperate while providing
built-in checks on one another’s power. While greater numbers of Moonsilver and Soulsteel Caste Exalted
actually gather information as spies and watchers, the disparate bureaus of the
Starmetal Caste actually coordinate these missions
and collate the assembled reports. Consequently, the Viziers are at once the
heart and soul of every intelligence agency in Autochthonia
and the undisputed spymasters of the Alchemicals.
On the rare occasions when members of
the Starmetal Caste must fight or take physical
action, they take a minimalist approach. They are literal clockwork killers in
such instances, every movement an intrinsic and deliberate part of a calculated
kata. Efficiency makes them deadly, but they would
much rather fall back and send Archons and Sentinels into the field. This is
not cowardice, but a simple recognition that their caste is optimized for other
functions. The rare exceptions to this policy are truly frightening, combining
battle poise and martial programming with a detached tactical genius to
overcome stronger and better-armed opponents.
The eldest members of this caste prefer
to evolve into smaller, specialized complexes, typically oriented toward some
form of magical research or information analysis. When they can tear themselves
away from the rapturous data stream of Autochthon’s Clarity enough to focus on the
present, these metropoli employ intricate yet
sweeping forms of social conditioning, the end result of which optimizes their
citizens’ efficiency so gently that no one even perceives the change.
Caste Markings: Since starmetal
is the rarest of the Five Magical Materials, the Charms of this caste
incorporate a delicate, minimalist aesthetic to their designs. Braided or
tangled coils of starmetal wires outline conventional
alloys in artful filigree whose loops and whorls are vaguely hypnotic to
behold. Essence sparks occasionally leap between these filaments at random when
the Exalt is deep in thought. The animas of this Caste are deep blue in hue and
shot through with bursts of prismatic sparks like static.
Anima Effect: For a reflexive cost of 5 motes, a member
of the Starmetal Caste can align his soul and Essence
with the Design of the Great Maker. In this transcendent state, the Exalt’s player adds (the Exalt’s Essence
÷ 2, rounded up) to all attack, damage and base initiative rolls for the scene.
During this time, a prismatic halo of colors trails slightly ahead of the Alchemical
as a sort of reverse afterimage, highlighting the auspicious movements and
attacks he will take. Those who behold the halo perceive the dim hand of inevitability,
and yet, this perception avails them nothing. For all that their senses warn of
danger, victims cannot recognize the Alchemical’s
impending movements until they actually occur. Only in painful retrospect do
targets understand what they saw.
Caste Attributes: Balancing subtlety and cunning against
the forthright genius of the Orichalcum Caste, members
of the Starmetal Caste wield body and mind with scalpel-like
precision and unmatched discipline. No other caste can match their use of
intrigue and well-placed suggestions to guide all levels of society. When they
must physically act, they do so without warning, a blur of perfectly calculated
violence. As such, their Caste Attributes are Dexterity, Manipulation and
Intelligence.
Associations: The color blue, steel, starmetal, the element of crystal, half-truths
Sobriquets: Plot Weavers, Viziers, Daggers of
Autochthon, Blessed of Mog
Concepts: Tactical advisor, data interpreter,
pattern theorist, social prognosticator
Do not trouble
yourself with the details.
We have the
matter well in hand.