Abyssal Exalted

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SIGNATURE CHARACTERS

From left to right: The Maiden of the Mirthless Smile, The Lady of Darkness in Bloodstained Robes, Falling Tears Poet, The Seven-Degreed Physician of Black Maladies and The Disciple of the Seven Forbidden Wisdoms

The Abyssal Exalted, commonly referred to as Deathknights, are Exalted champions of the Deathlords and their Neverborn masters. They have only recently appeared, but they seem to be dark reflections of the returned Solar Exalted, with dark mockeries of the Solars' Caste Marks, Animas and even Charms.

The Abyssal exaltations are created from the roughly one hundred Solar Exaltations stolen by the Deathlords and tainted with the essence of the void, and fused with dying mortals.Continuing an existence frozen on the brink of death, the Abyssals must feed on blood or raw flesh to recover their strength in the land of the living. As part of the transformation from dying mortal to Chosen of the Neverborn, each Abyssal must cast their names into the void, deep within the heart of the Labyrinth, and give up all names except obvious aliases. Instead, Abyssal Exalts use baroque titles to identify themselves.

Most servants of the Neverborn strive for the eradication of all life, whether out of a twisted sense of mercy ("Oblivion will ease the pain of living") or hatred ("Damn them all") or simple nihilism ("I never had this much fun when I was still amongst the living"). Others become ambassadors from the world of the dead to the lands of the living. Only a few rebel and become Rogue Abyssals, horrified by what they've become.

The Abyssal Great Curse is a palpable aura of the malice of the slain Primordials, called Resonance. When an Abyssal Exalt acts in ways that displease the Neverborn or that individual Abyssal's Deathlord, or forsakes the path of the dead for that of the living, she accrues a trait, also called resonance. Resonance scourges the world with the dark miracles the Abyssal exalt is chosen to deliver but refuses, and their unseemly and dangerous nature typically serves to alienate the Exalt from the creation they are called to destroy. The more an Abyssal disobeys the will of the Neverborn, the stronger the aura of menace becomes, and the black miracles can climb to extraordinary levels of power and consequence.

Errata Second Edition Cheating Death and Eternal Life The Black Exaltation of an Abyssal shields her body from the injury that should have killed her and further heals her body of all damage. Like all Exalted, deathknights surge to full motes, full Willpower points and full Virtue channels in the moment of their Exaltation. Damned Thaumaturgical prognostication using probabilistic modeling or consulting the Design of Autochthon is no more effective at determining an Abyssal’s future than reading the stars of Creation, though rolling five or more successes reveals the taint of the Void marring the reading. Rejected by Creation The -2 internal penalty for being in areas of living Essence applies only to non-reflexive actions. The penalty is a Crippling effect and may be defended against as such. Abyssals suffer in all realms of existence suffused with living Essence, which is to say all places save the realms of the dead and blight zones of Autochthonia. Areas the Storyteller deems closely associated with death like graveyards provide their own trappings of death to keep the penalty at bay. Committing motes to block the discomfort is a reflexive action. Feeding Abyssals can feed on Alchemical Exalted to regain motes, though not past the moment of death (i.e. no minute long post-mortem window of opportunity due to immediate physical dissolution). Though no Abyssals yet realize it, Primordial jouten are succulent beyond imagining, yielding five motes per health level consumed. Source: Scroll of Errata

Redemption

Each Abyssal Exaltation is a dark reflection of its former existence as a Solar. Whether by limitation or design, within the core of every Abyssal Exaltation is a spark of the original Solar exaltation, which promises redemption, glory, and the love of the Unconquered Sun. Though spells have been published that would accomplish the task, it is implied that no Abyssal has ever made a successful attempt; and that such an act of ultimate redemption should be a major plot point or centerpiece of a campaign. The whispering spark of light serves as a conscience in even the most black hearted of Abyssals, reiterating continuously that these Chosen of Death have also chosen Death for themselves and all of creation. Should such a redemption occur, the reborn Solar spark is cleansed of the Great Curse.

Errata Second Edition The guidelines and rules for Abyssal redemption are as follows: Trapped inside the tainted Essence of every deathknight is a dim spark of Solar glory, a fragile hope that gutters like a windblown candle with the faint promise of redemption. The epiphany that damnation isn’t inevitable eventually occurs to almost every Abyssal despite the best efforts of the Neverborn, triggered by a conflict between an Intimacy (or former Intimacy) and the murderous urgings of Dark Fate. Canonically, no Abyssal has ever followed through on this hope to earn redemption, making any player-controlled deathknight to rejoin the light the first of her kind. While the specific requirements of redemption are left to Storytellers to decide based on the needs and scope of each series, the basic guidelines and the results are explained below: Redemption should represent the culmination of a great and lengthy quest rather than a reward for singular acts of heroism. A bare minimum of one story devoted to the task per dot of Essence is highly recommended, reflecting the fact that it is harder to turn back from the darkness the farther you explore its power. Abyssals can also choose to permanently lower their Whispers rating by one dot at the end of each story devoted to redemption (returning 3 experience points if Storytellers give compensatory experience for lost Backgrounds). Redemption is a personal quest and does not require any external assistance or permission, nor may it be accomplished by another entity on the Abyssal’s behalf—not even the U conquered Sun or Autochthon. The inherent power to seek redemption is the legacy of every Solar Exaltation, drawing on the metaphysical inviolability of Ignis Divine. Because redemption is so personal, one deathknight’s path to the light may not work for others, depending on personality and background. Redemption requires profound understanding of Solar Exaltation and the ideals of the four Virtues. Wise mentors can provide this knowledge, though humble mortals often have as much to teach as cosmic powers like Primordials or the Unconquered Sun. Arduous ordeals of trial and error also provide a viable path to enlightenment in the absence of direct instruction. The Charm Unconquered Hero's Faith (Manual of Exalted Power: Abyssals, p. 140) offers tantalizing hope and gives a reliable firsthand opportunity to study Solar Essence, but characters aren’t required to learn it to achieve redemption and should be mindful that rapid Resonance accumulation tends to do horrible things to bystanders. Redemption always involves building relationships with the living, helping others, affirming life and directly opposing the forces of Oblivion. Such actions accumulate significant Resonance, punishing the character with regular Dark Fate manifestations and concomitant tragedy. Redemption always involves some form of meaningful sacrifice, often the hero’s own life (especially if the final act of heroism involves destroying a greater threat, like one’s Liege). An Abyssal who dies as a Solar passes on to Lethe or lingers as a ghost as desired, while her cleansed Essence incarnates in a new Solar. Redemption is absolute. Once a Solar Essence slips from the grasp of the Neverborn, the only way to steal that Essence back to the side of Oblivion is to wait until it incarnates again in a new host (or to assist that reincarnation process along). If an Abyssal attains redemption, her anima flares iconic as her Caste shifts to a Solar analogue, mirroring the process and rules of corruption (see Manual of Exalted Power: Abyssals, p. 117). Known Void Circle spells remain only as inaccessible occult theory. The Lawgiver probably loses all Whispers, but may retain her rating as a psychic “scar” of her former state if that suits the character better. If the new Solar had a monstrance, it shatters violently with her redemption in an explosion of Holy golden flames that inflict 10A levels of damage to creatures of darkness within five yards as a one-time Trauma 10L environmental hazard. Especially generous Storytellers may allow Solars to reclaim experience points spent on Void spells and Combos lost in the conversion, though this is hardly required. After all, the character should seek redemption because she believes it is the right thing to do no matter the price. A redeemed Solar lacks the Great Curse, and may not be subjected to it again by any means in this or any future incarnation. Similarly, children of Dragon-Blooded freed of the Curse retain this immunity and pass it on to all their descendents. All Exalted who have been cured of the Great Curse still possess a Limit track, but no longer gain Limit by any means other than having it inflicted upon them directly by magical effects, such as the Abyssal Charm Sanity-Eroding Diatribe, or the Solar Charm Bloodthirsty Sword-Dancer Spirit. Resisting unnatural mental influence is not such an effect and does not grant Limit any longer. Their Virtue Flaw disappears. When the character’s Limit hits 10, she loses one dot of permanent Willpower (minimum Willpower 1) instead of entering Limit Break madness. Lost dots naturally return at the rate of one per month since experiencing Limit Break The original Exalted Limit track was originally designed by the gods and Autochthon to act as an ablative defense against madness-inducing Primordial magic. Unfortunately, Limit created an unintended backdoor vulnerability that the dying Primordials exploited and corrupted with their Great Curse, bypassing anti-Shaping defenses through this hidden imperfection. It is scant comfort that only the death curses of the Primordials could exploit this crack and that they cannot do so again. Alchemical Exalted, who were never subject to the Great Curse, also possess such a Limit track, though they are unaware of this as there are no beings in Autochthonia with Limit-inducing magic, and Alchemical Charms cannot give their own user Limit. Abyssals form the singular exception to this rule—their Limit track has been twisted into the apparatus by which the Neverborn inflict Resonance on them, and any effect which would give an Abyssal Limit instead grants equivalent Resonance. Any Charms which rely on the character possessing the Great Curse to function (such as Stubborn Boar Defense) are converted into experience, but are considered known for the purpose of meeting Charm prerequisites. Charms that merely add Limit function as stated above. Source: Scroll of Errata

Calling

Like a Solar Exalt, an Abyssal Exalt is almost exclusively chosen for excellence, a will to use power and a destiny to lead. Unlike a Solar Exalt, however, an Abyssal also has a dual nature as a servant and follower, and is typically chosen as such. The Abyssal Exalts vary from the solar greatly, in that they are chosen directly by their masters: The Deathlords. Each Abyssal's personal calling varies upon her dreadlords wishes and goals. In the end all Abyssals do their own part in the plan of oblivion, bringing all creation closer to destruction. a very small minority of deathknights pursue the goal of redemption, wishing to escape their twisted destiny, and subservience to oblivion.

Dark Fate and Resonance

With their last spiteful gasps, the Neverborn cursed their murderers to an endless spiral of madness and betrayal. As the chosen weapons of the slain Primordials, the Abyssal Exalted no longer bear this curse. The slaves of Oblivion merely trade one burden for another, though, without even temporary insanity to excuse the atrocities their very presence inflicts upon the world. - The Manual of Exalted Power - Abyssals, p.112.

The major axe that looms constantly over the heads of the Abyssal Exalted, Resonance represents the ire of the Neverborn earned by the Abyssal in question. Upon being brought before the Neverborn in the Underworld citadel of their Deathlord masters, the Neverborn revoke the Great Curse, instating in its place Dark Fate and the Resonance track. The methods by which Abyssals accrue Resonance include:
Assertion of Exalted Will: Spending willpower to resist unnatural mental influence causes an Abyssal to accrue Resonance in exactly the same way as Solars or Lunars gain Limit. In asserting their sovereign will against mind-controlling influences, the Abyssal Exalted affirm the inevitability of Oblivion and draw a little more of the Void into themselves.
Flawed Virtue: The Black Exaltation damages a deathknight's soul so severely that she has difficulty using one of her Virtues. (chosen at character creation) Upon making any roll which involves that Virtue, including channeling Willpower through the Virtue, the deathknight gains Resonance. The Virtue involved does not have to be her primary Virtue and rarely is.
The only exceptions to this rule are that an Abyssal does not gain Resonance when channelling a Virtue solely to regain Willpower (typically a Conviction roll following sleep) or chanelling that Virtue in defence or support of their Lunar mate.

Errata Second Edition Flawed Virtue Abyssals do not gain Resonance for rolling a flawed Virtue solely to regain Willpower (usually a Conviction roll following sleep) or from channeling a Virtue in defense or direct support of their Lunar mates as explained below. Source: Scroll of Errata

Transgressions Against The Void: The Neverborn created the Abyssal Exalted as champions of Oblivion, and punish any who strays from their nihilistic crusade. An Abyssal can gain Resonance for sins against the Void regardless of whether the Neverborn are observing, or indeed can observe those sins.
The first time an Abyssal transgresses against his Dark Fate in a scene, he accrues Resonance equal to the successes on an Essence roll. The more powerful a deathknight becomes, the greater the scrutiny of the Neverborn, and the swifter their punishments for disobedience. This extends to the Deathlords, who deal with their masters carefully for fear of appropriately high-Essence punishments - such as The First and Forsaken Lion's imprisonment within his armour.

Errata Second Edition Dark Fate Though the Neverborn can instill Resonance in their slaves, they are merely conduits of Oblivion. So long as Oblivion threatens the universe, the dark fate of the Abyssal Exalted is an immutable facet of their existence. Destroying the Neverborn will not free them from this curse. Only by becoming something else—most likely through redemption into a Solar—can the Chosen of the Void escape the doom they must bring upon the world. Like the Clarity of Alchemicals, dark fate is an intrinsic property of Abyssal Exaltation rather than an external malediction. Thus, it is categorically impossible to be an Abyssal and not suffer Resonance. Source: Scroll of Errata

Sins of Life

Abyssals can sin against the Void and the Neverborn through inappropriate contact with the living world.

• They must not promote or defend life. Actively protecting a living being from harm is always a sin. (The Neverborn do not consider the Abyssals themselves to be living beings, so they can protect and defend each other without consequence. Or at least, without the ire of the Neverborn.)
• A deathknight must never use or answer to their pre-Exaltation name, except to reject all claim to it.
• Reverence to any divine power other than the Neverborn or Oblivion is strictly banned.
• Building or maintaining positive Intimacies attracts the wrath of the Neverborn, especially when those Intimacies are with individuals the deathknight knew before her Exaltation. Indeed, simply living a normal, mortal life angers the Neverborn, unless done so as a ruse or at the behest of a greater servant of the Neverborn.

Sins of Death

The only thing the Neverborn punish more severely than supporting life is opposing Oblivion. Abyssals can torment or destroy 'normal' ghosts with impunity, but they fight against nephwracks, spectres and other servants of Oblivion only as commanded by the Neverborn or their greater servants, or risk their wrath. Disobeying a greater servant of the Neverborn can also attract their anger, although it can be difficult to predict how they will react when their servants turn on each other. The slain Primordials do not always object when their servants fight.

Atonement

Unlike other Exalts, who cannot mitigate their Limit, Abyssals can rid themselves of Resonance by reaffirming their loyalty to the Neverborn. Atonement involves ritual prayers begun at sundown and ending at midnight, spoken in disturbing glossolalia untranslatable by man or magic, though the malevolence of the words can be easily-sensed beneath the inflections. The deathknights also flagellate themselves and engage in other self-torture.
At the conclusion of the ritual, the Abyssal's player attempts a prayer roll to the Neverborn, whose difficulty decreases with the amount of damage the Abyssal inflicted upon themselves during the ritual; The Neverborn also accept human sacrifices and the senseless destruction of irreplaceable artifacts whose loss diminishes Creation. A deathknight who is successful in this roll feels the Whispers of the Neverborn clawing through her soul. If the penance is sincere, the deathknight loses Resonance equal to the number of levels of lethal damage they inflicted upon themselves. (or, perhaps, others) The Neverborn cannot be fooled however, and insincere penance is a Resonance-worthy sin.

Venting Resonance

The simplest way for an Abyssal to reduce Resonance is, well, simply to suffer the punishment of the Neverborn. A deathknight can do so whenever she chooses with a reflexive Essence roll. Each success spends one point of Resonance on black miracles. Failing the roll, however, means the character suffers a Resonance effect equal to the character's Essence but gains another point of Resonance rather than losing any.
Although the character has no say in how or when a Resonance eruption occurs, his player spends these points among the four types of eruption, however the Storyteller retains veto power and can exercise this if the choices do not impose any actual drawbacks. The effects are generally unpleasant enough already, however. Additionally, if an Abyssal's Resonance reaches 10 or more, the Storyteller immediately spends 10 points on an eruption without needing a roll, choosing the most cruelly-appropriate punishment(s) for the Exalt's recent sins.
Full rules concerning Resonance eruption can be found on page 113 of The Manual of Exalted Power - Abyssals, but the breakdown is as follows:

Blight: The Abyssal's presence taints Creation where they walk, snuffing out fires, wilting plants, symbols of the gods becoming tarnished. This effect can increase up to the temporary formation of a shadownland centred on their location. Additionally, depending on the level of the Blight effect, a natural animal or even a mortal towards whom the Abyssal feels positively can die instantly, struck down whereever it is regardless of distance.
Branding: The Abyssal's mien assumes any number of spectral qualities for a scene, minor at lower levels of eruption and increasing in severity, such as an inhuman rasping voice, glowing red eyes, and more, marking the Abyssal beyond doubt as a servant of Oblivion. These effects persist for longer periods with greater eruptions, and force animals and, at higher levels, mortals to find the presence of the Abyssal unbearable.
Conduit: The Neverborn possess the Abyssal in increasingly-direct ways, removing or poisoning positive Intimacies held by the deathknight, or even take over the body of the deathknight directly in the case of severe transgressions. The deathknight may remain conscious but helpless during this time like a ghost in his own flesh, or might black out and enter a fugue state, awakening later with no memory or explanation for the gore on his hands.
Stigmata: Essence spent from the character's personal pool causes his anima to flare as if the motes had been spent from his peripheral pool. The Abyssal can also suffer unsoakable lethal damage up to the number of Resonance spent, experiencing the injury in a blatantly supernatural and horrific manner. This damage will not take the deathknight below Incapacitated, although falling unconscious at the brink of death in the middle of combat usually results in an effective death sentence. At higher levels of severity a part of the deathknight's body will wither and become as useless as if amputated.

Dark Fate and Lunar Mates

Errata Second Edition The mystical ties that bind Lunar Exalted to their Solar mates offer Abyssal Exalted a tiny sliver of hope. Resonance is never gained from sins of life directly associated with the appropriate Lunar. If the deathknight’s mate calls her by her forsaken name, she may answer to it. She can protect her mate from harm and love her with a positive Intimacy. The two can even have children together safely, for all that the Neverborn impotently roar in fury. If the Abyssal actually does hold a positive Intimacy for her mate, the protection goes even farther, shielding her from sins of death so long as her actions are in direct support or defense of the Lunar. Thus, an Abyssal with no positive Intimacy could safely protect her mate from demons, but not a horde of specters (since the sin of death for opposing creatures of death still applies even though defending the specific life is permitted). With a positive Intimacy, the deathknight can safely ignore her Liege’s command to murder her mate and can even fight the Deathlord in defense of that one precious life. Source: Scroll of Errata

Abyssal Castes

Dusk Caste

Main article: Dusk Caste

The counterparts to the Dawn Caste are Warriors, generals and champions.

Midnight Caste

Main article: Midnight Caste

The counterparts to the Zenith Caste are Priest-kings, prophets and mystics.

Daybreak Caste

Main article: Daybreak Caste

The counterparts to the Twilight Caste are Scholars, necromancers and craftsmen.

Day Caste

Main article: Day Caste

The counterparts to the Night Caste are Spies, assassins and thieves.

Moonshadow Caste

Main article: Moonshadow Caste

The counterparts to the Eclipse Caste are Diplomats, lawyers and politicians.

See also

        

Abyssal Exalted

Dusk Caste	Midnight Caste	Daybreak Caste	Day Caste	Moonshadow Caste
Warriors, generals and champions	Priest-kings, prophets and mystics	Scholars, necromancers and craftsmen	Spies, assassins and thieves	Diplomats, couriers and bureaucrats

Abyssal Exalted Charms of the Abyssal Exalted Artifacts of the Abyssal Exalted Champions of the Abyssal Exalted Other Powers: Necromancy Dark Messiah Style Martial Arts Inherent supernatural powers of the Abyssal Exalted Artifacts made from Soulsteel Notable heroes and villains of the Abyssal Exalted Other powers the Abyssals have access to Martial Arts native to the Abyssal Exalted

Manual of Exalted Power: Abyssals Abyssal Characters for a list of Characters Abyssal Charms for a list of Charms Exalted Lexicon of the Day: Abyssal Exalted Exalted Lexicon of the Day: Abyssal Names Abyssal Motivations Scroll of Errata