Hundred Devils Night Parade [PDF]

Citation preview

Eric Minton, Lauren Roy, Monica Speca, Robert Vance, Vera Vartanian



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Credits Authors: Eric Minton, Lauren Roy, Monica Speca, Robert Vance, Vera Vartanian Developers: Meghan Fitzgerald, Lauren Roy Line Developers: Eric Minton and Robert Vance In-House Developer: Dixie Cochran Editor: Matthew Dawkins Art Director: Maria Cabardo and Mike Chaney Artists: Yihyoung Li, Priscilla Kim, Romane Faure, Ivan Vegar, Mahendra Sidharta Suryadi, Melissa Uran, Martin Sickree, Digital Art Chefs, Gong Studios, Gunship Revolution Creative Director: Richard Thomas



Special Thanks Rose Bailey, for all her mentorship, support, and guidance. Neall Raemonn Price and Lea Sheppard, for creative support. Dixie Cochran, for helping to bring it all together. Charlie Raspin, for his hard work and wonderfully creative ideas behind the scenes.



© 2021 PARADOX INTERACTIVE AB. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written consent of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. Exalted and Exalted 3rd Edition are registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB (publ). All rights reserved. Visit World of Darkness online at www.worldofdarkness.com



2



EX3



Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s



Introduction 6 Chapter One: Strange Beasts



Metody, the Malfean Elemental, Demon of the First Circle Oldrasek, the Eternal Wheel, Demon of the First Circle Tomescu, the Clamorous Cloud Arsenal, Demon of the First Circle Audegar, the Ever-Open Door, Demon of the Second Circle Makarios, the Sigil’s Dreamer, Demon of the Second Circle Rimvidas, the Cancerous Cornucopia, Demon of the Second Circle Stanewald, She Who Surmounted the Omphalos, Demon of the Second Circle Sibri, the Rampart of Serpents, Demon of the Third Circle



10



Aughdeighe 10 Chillikin 12 Crystalmoth 14 Devil Stone 15 Dream Hawk 17 Dune Swarm 19 Fang-Blossom 21 Gajam-Un, the Living Manse 22 Gem Seeker 26 Giant Grosbeak 27 Gravehound 28 Jungle Stalker 30 Lodestar 32 Mahicara, the Volcanic Earthwalker 34 Moonsilver Shadow 36 Mouse of the Sun 38 Plentimon’s Ladybug 40 Scroll 41 Thousand-Forged Dragon 43 Tiger’s Eye 46 Twistroot and Mother Tree 48



Chapter Two: The Dead



105 107 109 111 113 116 119 122



Chapter Four: Creatures of the Wyld



128



Chapter Five: Animals



164



Black Hollow 128 Cockatrice 130 Epochine 131 Furia 133 Grelidaka, the Thousand Hungry Wings 134 Haloed Husk 136 Kian-Ji, the Heartmirror, from Whom Intention Springs 138 Lava Moth 140 Mata-Yadh, the Congeries of Obsidian and Aurora 142 Mirrorkin 144 Napaxu, the Tongue Scorcher 145 Parasitic Shadow 147 Silere 148 Singer of the Deep 150 Siren Tower 152 Unicorn 154 Visage Blight 155 Yukino-Takka, the Broken God 157 Zicnal of the Asmani 159



52



Ankou 52 Barrow Hound 54 Bloodworm 56 Doppelgänger 57 The Drowned 59 The Forlorn Manor 61 Ghostfisher 63 Grave Messenger 65 Haunt 67 Keregost the Hundred-Handed 68 Nameless Wretch 71 Rantai 72 Scavenger 74 Susurrus 75 Walkure 77 White Robe 78 The Wreck ofthe Ruby Wren 80



Armored Kraken 164 Aurochs 166 Austrech 168 Bat 170 Bird of Paradise 171 Camel/Llama 172 Dolphin 174 Eight-Tailed Mole Hound 175 Elephant/Mammoth 176 Forest Strider 178 Giant Constrictor 179 Ichneumon Hunter 180 Metagalapan Riding Hawk 182 Mospid 184 Northern Ursid 186 Siaka 187 Simhata 189 Sky Titan 191 Spider 193 Sthenurine 195 Strix 196 Tongma Monkey 197 Urcheon 198



Chapter Three: Spirits 84



Elementals 84 Ahesh the Forgotten 84 Charnavrix the Unyielding, the Sleeper in the Grove, Lesser Elemental Dragon of Wood 86 Cloud Person 88 Flickerfeather 90 Heartflame 92 Huraka 94 Rothopper 95 Steel Eater 97 Storm Serpent 99 Demons 101 Anuhle, the Demon Spider, Demon of the First Circle 101 Fulope, the Choral Equestrian, Demon of the First Circle 103



3



EX3



“I don’t like it,” said Hisa, as she and Inaol pulled the sled laden with their mother’s wares along the forest path. “Why do all the villages around us shut themselves up in their great halls and bar their gates, but we’re out here on the roads, setting up stalls like it’s a summer festival?” She looked up at the sky and shuddered. “It’s colder, without the moon.” Inaol let Hisa complain. Her laments were as much a Calibration tradition as the market their people assembled along the road. Very few human travelers ventured out here at year’s end, when even the moon fled in fear, but that didn’t mean the way was deserted. Far from it, in fact. Inaol and Hisa reached the place where the trees shrank back from the path. Stalls and tables filled the space, and the scent of roasting meat and frying bread brought hints of warmth to the chill air. The merchants worked quickly, painting poems of protection on their booths, and double checking one another’s accoutrements to be sure all their various amulets and talismans were well-secured. Children darted about, excited but subdued. Older youths arranged goods into artful displays, while younger ones carefully poured lines of salt along the road’s edge. The girls’ mother had set up her booth in the middle of the makeshift bazaar. She bustled toward them and enlisted Hisa to help her carry the crate of silks. Inaol flexed her cold-cramped fingers to return feeling to their tips. She clutched the capped piece of horn tied to her belt and took warmth from that. Inside, nestled in ashes, lay a banked coal, its heat radiating into its container. All her people carried them; this far north, you didn’t want to be caught without the makings of a fire. Inaol stored the sled at the forest’s edge and joined her sister and mother. Taer’s intricately painted scarves fetched a fine price on normal days, but it was here, during these strange dark days at the close of the year, where she made her fortune. Calibration’s passers-by rarely traded with coins, instead pressing peculiar offerings into the merchants’ hands: bolts of steel-tough hell-silk spun by demon spiders, feathers plucked from dream hawks’ wings, or a giant constrictor’s shed skin. On the opposite side of the road, other villagers set up temporary pens and hitching posts, their rails garlanded with winter greens. Troughs of raw meat sat beside bales of sweet grass and fresh oats. Farriers waited by portable forges, ready to affix golden shoes to unicorn feet. Those who’d come into contact with the wondrous beasts wore even more charms than the merchants; several had prayers tattooed on their necks and chests and arms. Shamans and sorcerers warmed themselves at braziers along the path. Once the procession started, they’d be on constant watch should a demon or a dead thing veer off course. Inaol had never seen it happen in all her seventeen years. Once, she’d suggested the elders’ stories of such events were merely tales to frighten children into obedience, but her mother’s haunted look told her otherwise.



4



EX3



When the last grains of salt trickled from the last sack, the music began. The high, clear notes of a pipe danced on the air, joined by drum snares and blatting horns. The children scattered, seeking refuge behind their parents’ legs or beneath the sturdy stalls. Hisa hid with them, though she pretended she was merely ducking down to adjust the silks. Only a few years ago, Inaol would have hidden, too. But now she was too old for such things, and stood tall beside the booth to set a good example. Her mother squeezed her hand. The calm reassurance stopped Inaol’s trembling. Then came the procession, the piper and the drummer accompanied by a tumbler in a blood red leotard. The woman’s grin was too wide, and her eyes twinkled with malevolence rather than mischief. Inaol averted her gaze until they passed. Other wonders followed: a sapphire-bellied tiger’s eye; a rantai with ghosts hanging from its blood-red chains; a fierce-eyed austrech, taller than the girls would be if Hisa stood atop Inaol’s shoulders. The sorcerers murmured with unease as a woman-shaped thing passed by, beads of acid dripping from her fingertips. Overhead, a strix swooped past on soundless wings. Some of the beasts had wranglers. A woman whose pale green hair blended into her cloak of leaves rode astride an eight-legged canopy climber. A gentleman dressed all in gray held a brilliantly-plumed dream hawk aloft on one leather-gloved fist. Beside him walked a man whose skin resembled the night sky, carrying a wicker cage teeming with ladybugs. These handlers were another layer of precaution, tasked with keeping the creatures in their charge from preying upon the villagers. Many were human, able to cross the wards and deal with the merchants, unaffected by their talismans and charms. They took turns passing reins to their peers and drifting over to view the villagers’ wares. Some placed eight-tailed mole hounds in the waiting pens, or hitched unicorns to the posts with thin silver chains. Children swarmed around a piper, demanding a song. Inaol sometimes wondered what it might be like to accompany the keepers in this odd procession. Where did they come from, before Calibration weakened the barriers between the realms? Where was their destination? Surely, a parade lasting five days and nights must stretch all the way to Icehome, but no one ever spoke of it beyond their village. By dawn, Inaol’s voice was hoarse from describing her mother’s silks to the passersby. When her belly’s growls rivaled those of a passing simhata, Taer sent her to a neighboring stall to fetch handpies. Along the way, a stout young woman with tiny cymbals on her fingers caught Inaol up in a twirl. At first Inaol thrilled in the dance, laughing as she spun. But then a cymbal caught on her ward-painted scarf, and the fabric slipped free of Inaol’s neck. She lost her footing, stumbled over the salt line and out into the road. Her outflung hands scrabbled for purchase, seeking anything that might stop her from falling into a swarm of ichneumon hunters, or the insectoid limbs of the tomescu. Anything, she thought, anything but those pincers. Her fingers closed around an icy mane.



5



EX3



Introduction There were vast ungodly tombs where slimy monsters dreamed; There were clouds like blood-drenched plumes where unborn demons screamed. There were ages dead to Time, and lands lost out of Space; There were adders in the slime, and a dim unholy Face. — Robert E. Howard, “Song of the Mad Minstrel” Calibration is a strange and thrilling time. Barriers weaken — between realms, between castes and classes, between civilization and wild places, and even between gods and mortals. People of many cultures seal themselves up in their homes and pray for five days and five nights that the spiritual disarray of the Time that Is Not a Time leaves them untouched. Just as many roam the streets and hills in revelry, basking in the glory of its lawlessness. In some lands, it is a time of celebration — not only for the coming of a new year, but for honoring the limitless menagerie of beasts from far and wide. Hundred Devils Night was born from just such a celebration, though no one living knows when or where the tradition began. Cities all over Creation gather creatures from far and wide to trot them out in a dazzling cavalcade of living wonders with unparalleled pageantry.



Quick Characters (QCs) for a wide assortment of creatures with which to populate Creation and its neighboring realms, whether as foes to fight, pets and familiars to keep, mysteries to investigate, wild beasts to tame, or spirits to summon. This is a supplement to the Exalted Third Edition core book and requires that volume to use. Each entry in this book features a description of the creature, QC traits and capabilities to use when including it in a game, and a section called “Storyteller Tactics.” This section is a catch-all header for advice on how to run the creature when characters encounter it, behaviors the creature displays and strategies it tends to follow under various circumstances, exceptions to rules and ways it may react to stimuli, hooks to suggest interesting ways to introduce it to the story, the creature’s objectives and desires, and any weaknesses or blind spots it possesses.



Calibration is a time for devils to play, but not all devils are malevolent.



While players may find it useful to plunder this book for ideas when choosing familiars or just exploring what Creation has to offer, keep in mind that most characters have no access to the information in these pages without research or previous experience. Let players approach these beasts from a position of ignorance and learn about them as they go. Those who wish to have potentially studied or heard about them before, whether to understand their capabilities and behaviors or recall their strengths and weaknesses, may make Occult or Lore rolls for the knowledge to be forewarned and forearmed. Storytellers should gauge the rarity of a creature in a given region or environment based on its description in the text and set difficulties accordingly.



Across Creation, the word “devil” takes on as many meanings as there are lips to utter it. To some, a devil is a demon or a monster. To others, a devil is anything not strictly human. In a few regions, a devil is a specific type of creature, though which type varies from place to place. In much the same way, most of Creation’s denizens don’t differentiate between gods, elementals, and other magical beings who meddle in mortal affairs; thus, even a local river spirit who happily provides for their constituents can be a devil to their people and take no offense at the appellation. The only truth about devils upon which all agree is that the world has never lacked for infinite variety in the creatures that wander it.



Parade of Devils



System Notes



This book functions as an Exalted bestiary, although such a term fails to describe the breadth of diversity found among Creation’s critters and fiends. It contains



Following are a few mechanical pointers relevant to using the creatures in this book.



6



EX3



I n t r o d u cti o n



The Legendary Size and Tiny Creature Merits are obvious in function when one creature has one and another doesn’t, but what happens when two creatures possess the same one? Are they necessarily the same size? No; an elephant and a hekatonkhire may both possess Legendary Size, but one is obviously much larger than the other. Likewise, Mice of the Sun and Plentimon’s ladybugs both possess Tiny Creature, but the bugs are much smaller. When two creatures possess the same size-based Merit, its effects cancel out if they’re of roughly the same scale. A mammoth and a tyrant lizard, for instance, wouldn’t be able to use their respective Legendary Size Merits against each other. If they’re of wildly differing scales, such as the elephant and hekatonkhire mentioned above, the one that’s significantly larger (with Legendary Size) or smaller (with Tiny Creature) benefits from the Merit’s effects and the other doesn’t.



• +1 to Strength-based pools, attack pools for melee attacks (including unarmed attacks and those with natural weapons) and grappling, Parry, and damage ratings for attacks that would add Strength to damage pools, such as with physical natural weapons. • +1 to Dexterity-based pools, ranged attack pools, combat movement pools, and Evasion. • +1 to Stamina-based pools and soak. Add two −1 and two −2 health levels. • +1 to Senses and other Perception- and Witsbased pools, including Join Battle. • +1 to social pools, Resolve vs. intimidation and fear effects, and Appearance if applicable. • +1 permanent Willpower rating.



This Book at a Glance



The Pack Hunting special ability doesn’t apply to a battle group of creatures that possess it. Instead, such a battle group automatically gains elite Drill.



Chapter One: Strange Beasts presents a selection of magical beings, monsters, and oddities that don’t fall under any particular category. Of all the devils in Creation, these are most likely to confound even the most learned warrior-scholar.



As mentioned in the entry for Mara the Shadow-Lover on p. 529 of Exalted, spirits are incapable of summoning other spirits even if they possess the proper circle of sorcery to learn such spells.



Chapter Two: The Dead details various kinds of ghosts and walking corpses, as well as creatures native to the Underworld or with other deathly origins. Not all things dead were ever living to begin with.



Finally, since the creatures presented in this book are QCs, the Solar Charm Bestial Traits Technique on p. 411 of Exalted doesn’t apply to them as-written. If a player wishes to use this Charm to improve a creature from this book, use the following version of the Charm instead:



Chapter Three: Spirits is a roster of elementals and demons that travelers may come across in their wanderings, warriors may best in bids to enter forbidden places, and sorcerers may summon from the depths of Malfeas and the roots of Creation itself.



BESTIAL TRAITS TECHNIQUE Cost: 10m, 1wp, 2xp; Mins: Survival 4, Essence 2 Type: Supplemental Keywords: None Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Spirit-Tied Pet With this Charm, the Solar can invest her Spirit-Tied Pet with traits beyond its natural capacity. This Charm supplements a normal beast-training roll, rerolling all 1s until 1s fail to appear. In addition to teaching her charge a new command, she can also choose one of the following options upon the successful completion of the extended roll. Each option may be purchased up to three times per creature; no option can increase a dice pool beyond 14 dice.



Chapter Four: Creatures of the Wyld explores the plethora of wondrous and dangerous things that lurk at the edges of the world. The raksha lords may be the most well-known and recognizable of fae creatures, but they’re far from the only devils out there. Chapter Five: Animals gives a broad spread of naturally occurring beasts found in every corner of Creation — from the friendly and helpful dolphins of Western oceans to the proud and ferocious aurochs of Southern plains; from the terrifying giant constrictors of Eastern jungles to the enormous and hardy ursidae of Northern glaciers.



7



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Cries rose up all around Inaol, as chaos spread through the procession. She was only dimly aware of the flutter of dark-winged birds around her, and the way the piper’s music faltered. With a toss of its muscled neck, the horse swept Inaol onto its bare back. And bolted. Inaol’s left hand clutched a stiff hank of the beast’s mane. Cold bit into her fingers as she noticed the icicles encrusting the horse’s hair. She groped for a rein with her right, but found nothing: no bit, no bridle. The horse reared and plunged into the forest. It galloped along, leaping over deadfalls and crashing through brambles with no care for its rider. More than once, Inaol had to duck to avoid low-hanging branches that would have cracked her skull. Most horses, when they ran this far and this fast, gave off heat in waves. Steam ought to have been pouring off it in the chill air. But the horse’s neck was cold as a dead thing against Inaol’s cheek. Inaol looked for a soft place ahead, somewhere she could tumble from the horse’s back and perhaps land with a few bones unbroken, but when she tried to throw herself off, her left hand stuck fast. Aughdeighe, she thought. Ice horse. Hunters who passed through her village sometimes held up hands with missing digits, insisting they’d lost them to encounters with such creatures, rather than admit they’d simply been caught out in the brutal cold. Snow swirled around them. The cold grew brittle. Wind sliced at her cheeks and forced tears from her eyes. They froze before they could fall, coating her eyelashes with rime. Inaol shouted at the horse. She slapped its neck and yanked at its mane, but still the aughdeighe ran without tiring, farther than Inaol had ever ventured. The forest changed around her, trees thinning until they gave way to icy steppes. She didn’t know how long she rode. Perhaps she dozed, though she saw neither sun nor moon to gauge how much time had passed while she slept. They outpaced a group of hunters, all bundled in furs. Their sled dogs yelped and shied from the aughdeighe. Inaol called for help, but if anyone heard her voice before the wind snatched it away, they didn’t pursue. The ice horse carried them out onto a frozen lake. By now Inaol was so cold she was sure her teeth would shatter from all the clacking. She tried thinking warm thoughts, imagined herself by a fire, with hot mulled wine warming her belly. But the nearest fire was leagues away.



No, it isn’t. Inaol fumbled at her belt, at the horn with its ash-covered treasure inside. She prayed the coal hadn’t gone out. It scorched her fingers as she clutched at it, and Inaol choked back a sob. First, she touched it to the icicles beneath her stuck fingers, but they didn’t melt. Then she held it above the aughdeighe’s eye, even as the burning coal seared her palm. “Let me go,” she said. “I’ll do it if I have to.” She didn’t know if it understood her, or if the beast’s eye might be like the icicles: untouched, unyielding. Then the aughdeighe reared, and her hand at last came free. Inaol spilled off its back and onto the ice. The horse galloped away, across the frozen lake.



8



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



9



EX3



Chapter One



Strange Beasts 17 Ascending Air Today I ascended the mountain and looked back down to see that what we thought was a natural caldera is, in fact, no such thing. It’s a footprint! An enormous footprint like a crater, the likes of which I have never before seen. And if it is indeed a sign of the passage of something truly massive, then mustn’t there be others? I doubt such a thing could move on just one leg, after all…



Aughdeighe MERITS Icy Hide: The aughdeighe is an environmental hazard to anyone touching it, with Damage 1B/ round and difficulty 3. Anyone who dies from its touch turns completely to solid ice. An aughdeighe’s master may train it not to freeze her as a latent ability. Swift-Hooved: Double 9s on rolls to disengage or withdraw. The aughdeighe can be trained to apply this to rush rolls also, as a latent ability. MOBILITY CHARMS Frozen Trail (1m, 1wp; Reflexive; One day; Eclipse; Essence 2): The aughdeighe’s icy hooves instantly freeze water and other liquids within close range, allowing it to create a frozen path for itself as it runs. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Hold Fast (10m, 2i; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): One victim in physical contact with the aughdeighe becomes stuck. It can make a touch attack to initiate contact, but this Charm can also affect riders, those making unarmed attacks against it, and others who touch it for any reason. Those not already astride can perform a difficulty 3 gambit to climb onto its back; otherwise, it drags them along, reducing their Initiative by one per turn and forcing them to move with it. Victims can pry themselves free as a difficulty 3 gambit; if successful, they take (1 + number of rounds stuck) lethal damage that ignores Hardness.



The aughdeighe is a creature of Northern legend, appearing as a tall white stallion with crystalline hooves to lost travelers in blizzards. When warm skin touches its icicle-encrusted mane, the unfortunate traveler sticks fast, and it carries them deeper into the storm. When the weather clears, it reveals frozen statues that once were victims. Survivors describe beasts with coats the stark white and dingy gray of ice. Asked how they freed themselves, they say frostbite, and hold up hands missing several digits.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 30 Health Levels: –0x2/–1x3/–2x3/–4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +4 Actions: Deception: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 5 dice; Stealth: 3 dice (6 in a blizzard); Traversing Frigid Terrain: 10 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Kick): 8 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Touch): 6 dice Combat Movement: 12 dice (see Swift-Hooved) Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 6/4 SPECIAL ABILITIES Secure in the Saddle (Latent): For one Willpower, the aughdeighe reflexively makes its rider immune to unhorsing for the scene, mildly freezing her in place without damage.



Storyteller Tactics Folktales say aughdeighes exist only within a snowstorm, though brave riders who have tamed the beasts prove this false — perhaps taming them tethers them to the earth. In the wild, they act docile, giving frightened



10



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



travelers hope that this placid animal will bring them to safety and shelter. By the time victims realize their folly, they’re already caught. A wild aughdeighe in a fight prefers brushing up against foes and dragging them into the storm’s heart to freeze them to death, rather than attacking outright, unless it’s desperate. Since aughdeighes only appear during



blizzards in the wild, the severe cold environmental hazard (Exalted, p. 232) often accompanies an encounter. Aughdeighes flee combat when they take damage to their –2 health levels. Those willing to risk a few fingers can tame the aughdeighe as a mount (Exalted, p. 554).



11



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Chillikin First Age Solars spent much of their time governing and adventuring, and had little time to dedicate toward raising their children. To help combat loneliness and protect her children while she was away, a Twilight sorceress created a wondrous new playmate and caretaker: the chillikin. Child-sized themselves, chillikin are shaped like gibbons and covered in thick, soft fur. They have round, comical faces, and move at a gangly lope, though they’re capable of graceful movement when in danger or protecting their charges. They can lay utterly still for hours or days on end, like cast-aside dolls. Chillikin don’t speak human languages, instead communicating via a series of whistles, grunts, body language, and hand gestures. They neither age nor sicken. A gemstone embedded in their foreheads like a third eye changes color depending on the chillikin’s mood: yellow when it’s happy, red when it’s angry or afraid. The chillikin perceives the flow of Essence through this gem, and



uses it to sense danger. It also makes the chillikin highly empathic, allowing them to sense the moods and desires of those around them. The chillikin were often their charges’ primary source of entertainment. They shaped Essence into tangible toys, and molded the children’s dreams into vibrant displays that played out in their nurseries. The chillikin watched over the children as they slept, absorbing and discarding their nightmares while saving their sweet dreams to be replayed in their waking hours. This happy existence came to an end with the Usurpation. When the Dragon-Blooded rose up, they spared no Lawbringer’s kin from their slaughter. Many chillikin saw the children they were charged with protecting murdered in front of them, and it drove the creatures to madness. They fled into the wilds, where they’ve lived out their long centuries. Now that the Solars have returned, the chillikin sense their former masters’ presence, and some seek to return to their service.



12



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Essence: 3; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: –0x2/–1x5/–2x3/–4x2/ Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must protect the children and make all their days sweet. Forever.” Major: The Dragon-Blooded (hatred) Minor: “Our masters have returned, and there are so many dreams to show them.” Actions: Climb: 6 dice; Observe: 7 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Tracking: 6 dice (see Essence Scent) Appearance 2, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 6 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Grapple): 5 dice (5 to control) Combat Movement: 3 dice Evasion 2, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Preternatural Intuition: The chillikin observes a target in close or short range and discerns the image of something the target fears or desires. Roll the chillikin’s Observe against the target’s Resolve. MERITS Essence Scent: Double 9s on Senses rolls to sense the presence of Essence. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Create Phantasm (10m; Simple; Scene; Essence 2): The chillikin shapes an object out of Essence,



giving it solid form. This may be a child’s simple toy, the figure of someone the target fears, or an elaborate set based on its charge’s dreams. The figures act and speak as the chillikin directs them to. When the Scene ends, they lose their form and dissipate. Deadly Facsimile (20m; Simple; Scene; Essence 3): The chillikin imbues its creation with deadly power. It may create any mortal weapon (Exalted, p. 580) or mundane animal of normal size or smaller. These created creatures use their normal combat stats and dice pools for attacking, but can’t access any Merits or special abilities. It cannot create creatures with Legendary Size. Storyteller Tactics Since the Usurpation, chillikin have become twisted versions of their former selves. They’re still driven to care for children, and though mortal children’s dreams aren’t as vibrant as a Solar’s, the chillikin have made do. Some immerse their charges in fantasy landscapes for years on end, and react violently to anyone who tries to interfere. They use Create Phantasm to confuse their enemies, and produce Deadly Facsimiles to protect themselves and their wards. Their resentment and hatred toward the DragonBlooded knows no bounds, and a chillikin who notices a Terrestrial Exalt in their vicinity will bring their nightmares to life. A chillikin flees when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level, but will fight to Incapacitated to protect its child.



13



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Crystalmoth While Gajam-Un (p. XX) slumbered, a passel of moths found their way inside the dormant behemoth. They spun their nests in its corners, and fluttered about its halls. Over their many generations, the strange geomantic magics that brought Gajam-Un to life twisted the moths into new creatures. They grew: an adult’s wingspan measures two feet. Sharp, crystalline teeth formed in their maws, and their wings took on a shimmering iridescence and razor-sharp edges. Crystalmoths appear delicate, drawing people who wish to catch them close — their colorful wings and crystal teeth would fetch high prices from crafters. The clever, hardy moths lure their would-be captors back toward the manse. They share a psychic connection with GajamUn as well, hunting where it sends them and responding to its commands. While the manse is in torpor, the moths continue to care for it, bringing victims into its depths so Gajam-Un may feed and grow strong.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 5 dice Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x3/–4/Incap.



14



EX3



Actions: Fly: 5 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Stealth: 7 dice; Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 9 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Slice): 10 dice (Damage 13) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 2/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Gore: The crystalmoth’s extremely sharp wings cut deep. Its decisive slice attacks add two bonus successes to damage against enemies with lower Initiative, as long as it hasn’t taken any other actions (including reflexive movement actions) that turn. Harry: The crystalmoth swarm flanks the target, preventing him from fleeing. On the turn that a crystalmoth moves into close range of an enemy, if it deals 5+ damage to them with a withering attack, that enemy cannot disengage or withdraw on their next turn.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



pursuit, the moths lead him back toward where GajamUn awaits. When they are within medium to long range of the manse, the moths swarm and attack, surrounding their enemies in a flurry of wings and teeth.



MERITS Crystalmoth Wing Rush: A crystalmoth may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is still short range. Storyteller Tactics Crystalmoths keep their distance from their targets at first, getting near enough for their wings to catch the light, but staying at medium range. Once the target is in



A crystalmoth flees when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level, though Gajam-Un’s commands may override that instinct and keep it fighting until it dies.



Devil Stone Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 8 dice Health Levels: –0/–1x6/–2x4/–4/Incap. Actions: Disguise as Stone: 7 dice; Feats of Strength: 10 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Threaten: 6 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 6 dice; Senses: 8 dice Resolve 5, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Stone Body Slam): 9 dice (Damage 12); Tags: Smashing Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 1, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 10/8 SPECIAL ABILITIES Furious Rampage: Whenever the devil stone attacks or rushes a crashed enemy, add two automatic successes to the roll. Towering Obelisk Crush: A devil stone at Initiative 15+ may make a decisive attack with double 8s on the attack roll, as it uses its immense weight to crush bones. If the rolled damage exceeds the victim’s (Stamina x 2), double total levels of damage inflicted unless the victim accepts a crippling injury, which doesn’t count against their once per story limit (Exalted, p. 201). Trample: If the devil stone reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush and makes a body slam attack against them on its next turn, a successful hit knocks the enemy prone. Apply the Defense penalty from being prone (Exalted, p. 202) retroactively when calculating the attack’s threshold successes. MERITS Epic Vigor: Devil stones don’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. They double 7s on rolls to resist poison or disease. Made of Secrets: A character can decipher the cryptic hints inscribed on a devil stone to discover the



Excerpts from a journal recovered in a tide pool: 15 Ascending Water, RY 750 I’ve read that hidden among these scattered islands stand tremendous stones engraved with mystical secrets, said to possess fortune and power. They say one approaches the stones and returns with vast knowledge and godlike strength. When I asked the locals for more information, they became tight-lipped and nervous, calling them “devil stones” and warning me against further inquiry. I had to see for myself. One heavy bag of jade later, I’d found a fisherman willing to row me to one of the nearby haunts of these so-called devil stones. 19 Ascending Water, RY 750 I’ve found one! It measures at least fifteen feet in height, a black obelisk rising above the palms like a beacon. I’m keeping my distance for now, viewing it with field glasses. Consult my sketches on the next page. The writing is no language I’ve seen, and I’ve delved among the East’s most forgotten tombs. I must get closer. By Heaven, it’s alive! I hate to admit it, but I’m cowering. It has an eye, a great burning eye of judgment, and three spidery legs each thick as a man’s arm. I believe it disapproves of me trying to read its engravings, and now wishes me dead. No time to sketch, I must stay ahead of it. It’s fast, though, so fast I don’ The ink smears on a torn page. Splatters of blood discolor the paper.



15



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



deliver secrets to specific people; considering how long the devil stones have stood, scholars posit that whoever made them knew a thing or two about prophecy or fate. A character whose player succeeds at an (Intelligence + Occult) roll, difficulty 2, can tell the difference between a dormant devil stone and an ordinary runestone, and knows it carries a message on its stony skin. Characters who successfully decipher the runes (see Made of Secrets) gain cryptic hints couched in metaphor and vague portents about the true recipient and the message’s nature.



identity of its secrets’ intended recipient, though even success only grants prophetic clues. Doing so requires an extended (Intelligence + Occult) roll with difficulty 2, goal number 15, and interval one round. Damaging the devil stone also damages its message; each time its wound penalty increases, cumulatively increase the difficulty to decipher its inscriptions by one. Runestone’s Instincts: Each time a devil stone’s wound penalty increases, it flies into a rage for one round. Incensed at the damage to its message, it adds the value of its wound penalty to the post-soak damage of withering attacks or damage of decisive attacks. Sturdy as Stone: A devil stone cannot be knocked back or prone except by magical effects or creatures of legendary size. A grappled devil stone cannot be thrown or slammed unless magic such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280) is used, or if the attacker is of legendary size. Storyteller Tactics Dormant devil stones appear as obelisks or menhirs of granite, basalt, or obsidian. Runes, glyphs, and mystical inscriptions cover their surfaces. From afar, travelers mistake them for simple monuments or occult markers. However, they’re living beings, created by some unknown entity — a powerful god, dread demon, or something stranger — to



Whenever anyone who isn’t a foretold recipient approaches within close range — even if such a recipient is also nearby — the devil stone’s spidery legs, otherwise camouflaged as part of the main body, unfold and lift it off the ground so it can move. Its single, enormous red eye opens somewhere on its surface and it attacks. A devil stone is too bestial and simple-minded to realize how counterproductive killing someone who’s trying to decipher its inscriptions to find its recipient is. It isn’t a messenger, but the message itself, and has no understanding of its creator or greater purpose beyond basic instinct. Destroying a devil stone not only obliterates the message, but angers whatever entity created it. Determine who the creator is ahead of time, whether each stone has



16



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



a different one or whether they all come from a single source, and ensure their attentions have interesting and dire consequences for the characters, should they so transgress. For instance, they could task the characters with bringing the stone’s pieces to the correct recipient, but only grant vague symbolic visions to impart the recipient’s identity, and threaten innocents or the characters’ loved ones should they fail. The characters should also get something out of taking up this quest — a reward from the stone’s creator, perhaps, or the material gratitude of the recipient once they deliver the message. When a proper recipient is alone within close range of a devil stone, its eye opens with a soft white light and illuminates the runes, which the recipient may read and intuitively understand. This encounter may impart wondrous knowledge or enable a feat of occult might. A mortal character might receive the power to perform



thaumaturgy or become the Exigent of the stone’s creator, while an Exalted character could become a walking portal to Heaven or Hell, or discover the key to a long-forgotten sorcerous working. If one or more of the players’ characters are not themselves the stone’s intended recipients, be sure to include them in the final payoff one way or another. The mortal who Exalts as an Exigent is mystically bound to the characters in some way, while the Exalt who can’t help opening gates to Malfeas wherever he goes offers them a free trip to Orabilis’ great library, to name a few examples. Try not to determine who the recipient is ahead of time if it’s not a player’s character — it can be more fun to follow the players down whatever rabbit hole they choose as they interpret the prophecy than to try to nudge them in a pre-determined direction.



Dream Hawk These Eastern raptors prey not on rodents or insects, but on dreams. The birds resemble their mundane cousins, brown-feathered and hook-beaked, but their extremities — the cruel curves of their beaks, the sharp points of their talons, the mesmerizing tips of their feathers — coruscate with brilliant colors leeched from stolen dreams. Particularly gluttonous dream hawks have more resplendent plumage and display it proudly, signaling their dominance over others in the flock.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 30 Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x2/–4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 6 dice; Threaten: 7 dice; Senses: 6 dice (see Keen Sight); Tracking: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Peck): 5 dice (Damage 6) Attack (Talons): 10 dice (Damage 11) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 2/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Dream Feeding (Latent): The dream hawk regurgitates dreams it consumes using Dream Feast (below) into its master’s mouth, as though feeding its young.



17



EX3



The player rolls (Wits + Occult), difficulty 3, for the character to piece the fragments back together, experiencing the dream as a vision and learning one of the dreamer’s Intimacies of the Storyteller’s choice. The dream hawk can also feed the dreams to a dreamstone without a roll. MERITS Dream Raptor: Gain one Initiative per turn in combat against a foe whose dreams the hawk has eaten within the last day. Keen Sight: Double 9s on sight-based Senses rolls. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Thousand Voices Defense (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Clash, Perilous, Uniform; Essence 2): The dream hawk cries out, bombarding its victim with snippets of nightmares. It may clash an attack from within short range with a disarm gambit (Exalted, p. 200), which counts as its action for the round. If the hawk has used Dream Feast on the target within the last day, the cacophony comes from his own dreams, and the hawk automatically succeeds on the gambit’s Initiative roll. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Dream Feast (8m; Simple; One day; Stackable; Essence 2): The hawk perches near its victim’s sleeping form, pulling dreams from his head. This process takes an hour. The victim doesn’t regain a Willpower from the night’s sleep; one full day afterward, the hawk digests the dream, regaining that Willpower



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



itself and ending the Charm. The hawk may digest multiple victims’ dreams at a time, but can’t gain more Willpower than its usual maximum. Storyteller Tactics In the wild, dream hawks consume random victims’ dreams, and only fight in self-defense. Handlers train



tamed hawks to prey on specific people. Some make a tidy profit selling these dreams. Dynasts hire them to spy on their enemies’ nightmares, while lovers separated by distance send sweet or scandalous dreams to one another. A dream hawk is a 3-dot Familiar.



18



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Dune Swarm Hidden in Southern desert sands dwells a species of centipede that lives as a hive entity. Hundreds of them hunt together in grotesque hordes, stripping flesh from larger creatures’ bones with thousands of fatal, stinging bites before scuttling away and vanishing into the dunes. Patterned in pale yellows and browns to match the shifting sand of the desert, when still they are all but invisible. Dune swarms pour forth to obliterate anyone who gets too close to their nests, which are indistinguishable from normal sand-covered mounds at a cursory glance.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: –0x5/–1x3/–2x2/–4/Incap. Actions: Climb: 10 dice; Cohesion: 8 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Scavenge: 7 dice; Senses: 6 dice (see Unity of the Hive Mind, Vibration Sense); Stealth: 6 dice (see Camouflage) Resolve 1, Guile 1



19



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 12) (see Unity of the Hive Mind, Venomous Bite) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (10 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice (see Unity of the Hive Mind) Evasion 4, Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 12/3 SPECIAL ABILITIES Clinging Swarm: When the swarm controls a grapple, any failed attack against it automatically hits the grappled target instead, with one effective threshold success. Deadly Charge: Every range band the swarm moves toward a single enemy in a straight line grants it two Initiative. This Initiative accumulates until it closes to close range with that enemy and makes a decisive attack. If the swarm takes any action other than



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



moving directly toward the chosen enemy or attacking it, it loses all Initiative built up with this ability. Furious Rampage: Whenever the swarm attacks or rushes a crashed enemy, add two automatic successes to the roll. Ten Thousand Stinging Bites: When the swarm makes a decisive bite attack against an enemy with a lower Initiative rating, it adds +1 to the attack’s damage. Against crashed enemies, this becomes an automatic success instead. Venomous Bite: The swarm’s decisive bite attack exposes the victim to its poison (Exalted, p. 232) if it deals any damage. The poison deals 4i/round (L in Crash), with a duration of 4 rounds and a –2 penalty. MERITS Camouflage: The dust-colored exoskeletons of the swarm make it indistinguishable from ordinary sand. It doubles 9s on Stealth rolls to blend in with sandy environments. Made of Thousands: For each smashed centipede in the swarm, ten more appear in its place. Reduce the minimum damage of any withering attack made against it by one, to a minimum of zero. Seething Tide: The swarm ignores all difficult terrain. Unity of the Hive Mind: Add an automatic success to the swarm’s bite attack, all combat movement actions, and Senses rolls to detect ambushes. Venomous Bite: The swarm’s decisive bite attack exposes the victim to its poison (Exalted, p. 232) if it deals any damage. The poison deals 4i/round (L in



Crash), with a duration of 4 rounds and a –2 penalty. Vibration Sense: Dune swarms don’t rely on individual sight. Instead, the hive mind feels vibrations on the wind and through the ground. They do not take penalties from poor lighting, and double 9s on Senses rolls whenever vibrations are present. Storyteller Tactics Dune swarms are horrifying masses of carnivorous, hive-minded invertebrates, with twitching antennae working in perfect concert. They attack anything they perceive as a threat to their territory. Characters must make a (Perception + Awareness) roll opposed by the swarm’s Stealth to notice the hive before getting too close. If they fail, the swarm attacks until all targets are dead or it is disrupted (see below). It focuses on one foe at a time, picking off the weakest first, and using Clinging Swarm to dissuade their victim’s friends from trying to smash it. Any sufficiently powerful sound disrupts the swarm’s unity. A character must make a difficulty 4 (Charisma + Performance) roll, opposed by the swarm’s Cohesion, with either a musical instrument, another tool that can make stupendously loud sounds, or supernaturally-enhanced volume. Characters with appropriate Lore backgrounds may roll (Intelligence + Lore), difficulty 3, to learn this weakness. A disrupted swarm loses the benefits of the following: all special abilities and Made of Thousands. It regains cohesion after a number of turns equal to the Performance roll’s threshold successes. The swarm can only savage or release a grappled foe.



20



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Fang-Blossom A few generations ago, a Dragon-Blooded sailor fancied a lovely species of flowering plant native to the West. Ignoring the islanders’ warnings, she uprooted the bulbs of these beautiful scandent vines and returned home to the Blessed Isle. The invasive species flourished there with alarming vitality. Emboldened by the Center’s rich soil, these fang-blossoms — as the Dynast eventually dubbed them — multiplied in droves: first one seedling from each plant, then five, then twenty, and eventually they overran the walls of her estate and germinated in the wild. The mystery of pets gone missing without explanation dogged the prefecture for months, but no one blamed the plants until the grisly devouring of a visiting foreign dignitary prompted a political feud that persists to this day. The fang-blossom’s flowers are wide and circular, displaying a riot of dazzling colors. Each plant begins as a yellow-green root roughly the size of a watermelon, then develops a thick stem, countless tendrils, and large blooms. Curated, it maintains a reasonable size for a garden plant and limits its carnivorous tendencies to wild animals. Left to feed and sprout freely, fang-blossoms develop dozens of thick vines and can swallow an unfortunate passerby whole.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 60 Health Levels: –0/–1x4/–2x3/–4/Incap. Actions: Climb/Slither (vines only): 9 dice; Feats of Strength: 8 dice (vines only; may attempt Strength 5 feats); Senses: 5 dice; Disguise/Stealth: 7 dice (see Camouflage) Resolve 4, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 11 dice (Damage 12, minimum 3) Attack (Vine grapple): 10 dice (12 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice (vines only) Evasion 1, Parry 6 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Needle-Tooth Bite: A fang-blossom’s carnivorous maw opens to reveal rings of sharpened teeth while its mass of tendrils immobilizes its prey. When it deals 5+ damage with a withering bite attack, it may forgo receiving any Initiative to instead make a reflexive grapple gambit against that enemy, without an Initiative roll or cost. Each Initiative point



21



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



it would have gained instead adds one die to the control roll. MERITS Camouflage: Whenever a fang-blossom’s maws are closed and it poses as an ordinary flowering plant, double 9s on Disguise/Stealth rolls. Tendril-Sprouting Nightmare: Each fang-blossom has a core plant with bulb, stem, and one blossom maw to start with. The core has the traits listed above and is immobile. Its vines can slither out to short range and perform actions as noted above; each vine acts as a separate target with its own health track that can defend the core, and the plant cannot become Incapacitated until all of its vines have been severed by depleting their health tracks. Each vine has the same traits as the core plant except that it has five –0 health levels instead of the core’s track. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Swallow Whole (15m; Reflexive; Decisive-only; Instant; Essence 2): After dealing 3+ levels of damage to a grappled enemy with a decisive savage attack, the fang-blossom may swallow them alive as long as they’re within close range of a flower-maw. Within the plant’s stem, they contend with its digestive acids,



an environmental hazard with damage 3L/round and difficulty 5. A swallowed enemy may attempt to cut their way free with a difficulty 5 gambit, but cannot otherwise attack it from inside without a relevant stunt. Even then, they contend with its full defenses. The fang-blossom may swallow a number of human-sized characters at a time equal to the number of flower-maws it has. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Infinite Reaching Vines (5m, 2i or 10m, 4i; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): For five motes and two Initiative, the plant sprouts an additional vine. For ten motes and four Initiative, the plant grows another flower-maw and becomes larger. Storyteller Tactics Fang-blossoms keep their maws closed and pretend to be unthreatening until prey approaches within reach of their tendrils. They attack by grappling victims and dragging them into their flower-maws, but a fang-blossom keeps two vines free to use Defend Other to protect the core unless it’s desperate. Assign a starting number of vines equal to twice the number of enemies present. Fang-blossoms sense weakness, targeting non-combatants first, then the target standing closest to a flower or wearing the least armor.



Gajam-Un, the Living Manse



It squats on the horizon like an enormous toad, filling the entire sky. Its body is squamous flesh and fetid soil, glowing crystal and spiraling architecture. Gemstone carbuncles and suppurating eyes stud its hide. When it wrenches open its maw, it bares spiked fangs and belches toxic vapors. In the glorious dawn of the First Age, the master geomancer Raveling Mystery raised an incomparable manse from a severed, still-living organ of one of the enemies of the gods. She anchored it to Creation’s dragon lines and sealed it with sorcery, channeling its primeval Essence through the sublime design of her Living Manse. When the Usurpation scourged away the Solar Exalted from the world, the Living Manse lay fallow. The sorceries sustaining it unwound; its geomancy grew tainted and twisted; it blossomed like a cancer. Gajam-Un ripped itself free of the dragon lines and strode unfettered upon the world, razing cities and blighting nations.



An alliance of Exalted heroes banded together to subdue Gajam-Un, triumphing over the behemoth at enormous cost — but even their mightiest efforts could not kill it. The Living Manse fell into a centuries-long torpor instead. It began to stir once, early in the reign of the Scarlet Empress, but the Sidereal Exalted warned her and she deployed the almighty Realm Defense Grid against it before it could rise. It has slumbered ever since, and none know when next it will awaken.



22



EX3



Essence: 7; Willpower: 10; Join Battle: 7 dice (base Initiative 6) Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: –0x10/–1x10/–2x15/–4x20/ Incap. Actions: Command Crystalmoths: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 15 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats); Senses: 7 dice; Threaten: 11 dice; Tracking: 6 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous), Resolve 6, Guile 2



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



World-Spanning Tread: Gajam-Un doesn’t need to disengage to move away from enemies smaller than Legendary Size. MERITS Geomantic Body: Gajam-Un is immune to disease and poison, and has no discernible anatomy for most crippling effects to target. It cannot be killed or permanently destroyed — if Incapacitated, it enters a state of torpor in which it cannot use Charms, move, or take non-reflexive actions accept to attack anyone lured in by crystalmoths. It can take the behemoth centuries to recover from torpor; this is accelerated by the strength of local geomancy and any powerful beings the behemoth feeds on. Gajam-Un could be sealed away forever with a legendary Craft (Geomancy) project (Exalted, p. 241-242) to reshape it into a manse while it is in torpor. Legendary Size: Gajam-Un takes no onslaught penalties from smaller enemies’ attacks, unless magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot drop it below one Initiative unless they have ten dice of post-soak damage (attackers still receive the full amount of Initiative from withering damage). Decisive attacks from smaller opponents can’t deal more than (attacker’s Strength + 3) total levels of damage, not counting levels of damage added by magic.



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 14 dice (Damage 17L/5) Attack (Stomp): 12 dice (Damage 19B/5) Attack (Grapple): 11 dice (11 to control). Gajam-Un makes unopposed control rolls against smaller enemies, unless they use magic such as Dragon Coil Technique capable of clinching Legendary Size foes. Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 2, Parry 7 Soak/Hardness: 25/12 SPECIAL ABILITIES Massive Assault: When Gajam-Un makes a bite or stomp attack, it may choose to roll a single attack against all characters within close range of a point. Withering attacks roll damage separately against each hit enemy, though Gajam-Un only gains Initiative from the highest damage roll. Decisive attacks divide Gajam-Un’s Initiative evenly among all hit enemies to determine the damage rolled against them. Swarm-Mind: Gajam-Un may reflexively roll a command action targeting a battle group of crystalmoths on each of its turns. Terrifying Roar: Gajam-Un never takes a penalty for targeting multiple characters with threaten rolls, and they don’t gain Resolve bonuses for it being unspoken.



23



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



OFFENSIVE CHARMS Desolation’s Suspire (7m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 7): Gajam-Un exhales a blast of world-warping geomantic energies from its maw. Its breath weapon has three levels of intensity: Worldblight Smog: Gajam-Un exhales a corrosive purple mist. It rolls an unblockable withering attack with 20 dice against all character in a ninety-degree arc out to long range. It deals (12 + attack roll threshold successes) unsoakable dice of withering damage. Characters damaged by it must roll against a poison with Damage 3i/round, Duration 10 rounds, and a –3 penalty. If at least one enemy is Crashed, Gajam-Un regains a point of Willpower. Worldfire Eruption: Gajam-Un’s vaporous exhalation ignites in a blaze of raw geomantic energy. To use Worldfire Eruption, it must have used either Worldblight Smog or Worldfire Eruption on its previous turn. It rolls an unblockable decisive attack with 15 dice against all characters in a ninety-degree arc out to long range. Each character hit suffers a base five dice of lethal damage, and Gajam-Un divides its Initiative evenly among them to determine the total damage rolled. Any flammable terrain in the area of the Worldfire Eruption catches fire, burning as an environmental hazard (difficulty 5, damage 4L/round) for at least twelve hours. As long as a non-trivial enemy is hit, Gajam-Un resets to base Initiative but gains one Willpower. Annihilator Flash: The conflagration of Essence spilling from Gajam-Un’s maw contracts into a focused, deadly beam. To use Annihilator Flash, it must have a –2 wound penalty or worse, and have used Worldfire Eruption on its previous turn. It rolls an unblockable decisive attack with 17 dice against all characters in a straight line out to long range. Each hit enemy suffers (7 + attack roll threshold successes) dice of aggravated damage. This does not include Gajam-Un’s Initiative or reset it to base. The Annihilator Flash wreaks immense collateral damage. The terrain caught in its area melts into lava (Difficulty 5, Damage 6L/round), and it is capable of incinerating forests, cutting through mountains, or destroying cities in a single attack. After using Annihilator Flash, Gajam-Un cannot use Desolation’s Suspire on its next turn. Devouring Horror Maw: (8m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 5): Gajam-Un’s decisive bite attack doubles 9s against a Crashed enemy, and adds attack roll threshold successes as dice of damage. If its bite incapacitates a non-trivial foe or reduces a battle group’s Size, it heals one level of non-aggravated damage. Unleash the Brood (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Perilous; Essence 5): Gajam-Un dislodges a swarm of



crystalmoths from its depths. To use this Charm, it must have Initiative 15+. It rolls (Initiative/3), and creates a battle group of crystalmoths with one dot of Size for every two successes (maximum 5), average Drill and Might 2 (Exalted, pp. 206-207). Once per scene; reset by taking enough decisive damage to increase its current wound penalty. Worldquake Stomp: (6m; Supplemental; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): Gajam-Un’s decisive stomp attack creates a shockwave. An enemy damaged by it is knocked prone and loses three Initiative (which Gajam-Un doesn’t gain). An enemy that takes 3+ decisive damage or is Crashed by the stomp is knocked one range band in a direction of the behemoth’s choice. If it attacked an area using Massive Assault, that entire area becomes difficult terrain unless it’s made from magical materials or a similarly durable substance. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Fortress of Bones and Mortar (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 5): Gajam-Un ignores all Defense penalties, halves the post-soak damage of withering attacks against it, and subtracts three dice from the damage of decisive attacks against it (before applying its Hardness). This Charm’s duration is extended until Gajam-Un’s next turn if it used Desolation’s Suspire on its previous turn. Splitting the Dragon’s Flame (2m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Clash, Decisive-only; Essence 7): To use this Charm, Gajam-Un must have used the Worldfire Eruption or Annihilator Flash level of Desolation’s Suspire on its previous turn. It may reflexively use the same level of Desolation’s Suspire to clash an attack made from within long range. This doesn’t count as its attack for the round. MOBILITY CHARMS Footsteps of the Titan (10m, 5i or 1wp; Simple; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 4): Gajam-Un may rush from medium range with double 8s. On success, it reflexively advances one range band toward its target, in addition to the normal benefits of rushing, and may make a reflexive stomp attack. Gajam-Un may do this once per scene, unless reset by going a round without taking a move action. SOCIAL CHARMS Creation’s Death-Knell Roar (15m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 5): Gajam-Un makes a threaten roll, doubling 8s, against all characters within (1 + Initiative) miles. Characters whose Resolve is beaten must flee until they are physically incapable of doing so, and gain a Defining Tie of terror towards Gajam-Un. The Exalted and comparably powerful beings may spend one Willpower and five Initiative to resist, but



24



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



mortals, animals, and other weak beings can’t. Battle groups whose Resolve is beaten must immediately roll against rout at +4 difficulty. The roar is loud enough to trigger avalanches, shatter glass, or create other secondary environmental hazards within its range depending on the scenery. Gajam-Un may use this Charm reflexively at no cost the first time its wound penalty rises to –4 in a story. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Devastating Titan-Force Surge (5m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 7): After rolling a feat of strength, if Gajam-Un did not roll enough successes to meet the difficulty, it can reroll its dice pool, adding all successes to the original roll. It may use this Charm multiple times to bring its success total as high as it needs to accomplish a feat; the Willpower cost of subsequent activations enhancing the same feat is waived. Hundred Eyes Watching (3m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): Gajam-Un doubles 8s on a Join Battle or Senses roll. It may also use this Charm to defend against an ambush, halving its Defense against it.



Storyteller Tactics Gajam-Un is, by default, a singularly focused force of destruction, more of a natural disaster than an enemy that can be reasoned with. The Storyteller can give it more complex goals or an overarching agenda, but otherwise, it exists to wreak massive-scale destruction until defeated. Gajam-Un typically begins battle by using Unleash the Brood, and uses Swarm-Mind to order them to either attack enemies or defend it. If its enemies are spread out so it can’t hit them all with Desolation’s Suspire, it uses bite and stomp attacks to wear them down, as well as using Worldquake Stomp and Footsteps of the Titan strategically to set up a Desolation’s Suspire. If they’re all in a ninety-degree arc, it will use Desolation’s Suspire, maintaining the Worldblight Smog level until it’s Crashed the most formidable enemies and then progressing to Worldfire Eruption. Gajam-Un retreats when it suffers damage to its 10th –4 health level. It tries to find a nearby source of geomantic energy to rest upon, to speed up its recovery.



25



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Gem Seeker Gem seekers look like small salamanders, growing up to a foot long, with brilliant jewel-toned skin. Local lore says the colors come from the gems they eat: ruby reds, deep sapphire blues, the shifting hues of an opal, the cool glow of moonstone. While they’re not known for their battle prowess, any creature that crushes gemstones between its teeth possesses incredibly strong jaws. If no precious gems are available, gem seekers can subsist on plain rocks or crystals, though they lose their brilliant colors and grow lethargic. In the city of Gem itself, traders use gem seekers to verify the authenticity of precious stones: They turn their rounded noses up at fakes. Farther abroad, treasure hunters put their gem seekers on leashes and take them into ruins in search of forgotten riches. Gem seekers were key to several famous jewel heists in the Realm, where clever thieves smuggled them into well-guarded estates and set them to sniff out the Dynasts’ secret storerooms.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 5 dice Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x3/–4/Incap. Actions: Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 4 dice; Tracking: 7 dice



26



EX3



Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 3 dice (Damage 7) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/1 SPECIAL ABILITIES Crushing Bite: Withering bite attacks ignore up to four armored soak, plus an additional one for each threshold success on the attack roll. MERITS Jeweled Camouflage: The gem seeker’s body contorts into the shapes of jewels nearby, and its scales mimic the style and filigree of the jewels’ settings. Its body seems to catch the light exactly as a sparkling gem would. It doubles 8s on Stealth rolls to blend in with any stone or crystal, and doubles 7s to hide among jewelry. Pass Through Stone: By sampling a piece of stone or crystal and paying a Willpower, the gem seeker can phase through obstacles made from that same substance for the scene.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Storyteller Tactics Gem seekers are intelligent and respond well to training. The most valued retrieve baubles for their owners with nary a toothmark. This type of training takes months, and trainers often sacrifice a small fortune in precious



stones to control the seeker’s appetite and instincts. Though gem seekers aren’t violent by nature, one merchant in Gem taught his to clamp its jaws onto the fingers of those who would swindle him. Gem seekers are 3-dot Familiars.



Giant Grosbeak The giant grosbeak rarely sings in captivity. Dynastic collectors launch expeditions dedicated to listening for its beautiful call in its natural habitat. The birds’ plumage varies, from black and white with striking splashes of red on the breast and wings, to bright blues, soft roses, and sunny yellows. Those who keep them in menageries do so for their beauty more than the hope of their song, though they spend fortunes on their aviaries, just in case. Giant grosbeaks stand about three feet tall. Their size prevents them from flying long distances, but they can take to the air for short periods. The mysterious birds are native to the Blessed Isle and other temperate locales. Travelers near An-Teng and Goldenseal record sightings in their journals, and one merchant in Jibei claims to possess a mated pair, though none have ever seen them. Whether the hatchlings he sells are truly from a captive pair or stolen from a wild grosbeak’s nest is a matter of debate among his rivals. The grosbeak’s song can sway even the hardest heart. Musicians try to capture its essence in their compositions, but no imitation comes close. Grosbeaks form bonds with those they trust who allow them to fly free, making them good familiars.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 3 dice Personal Motes: 20 Health Levels: –0/–1x3/–2x3/–4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Life is music and harmony.”; Major: “For every melody, there are countless possible harmonies.”; Minor: The Open Sky (Longing) Actions: Fly: 4 dice; Read Intentions: 7 dice; Senses: 4 (see Keen Hearing) dice; Sing: 12 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 2, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Peck): 3 dice (Damage 8) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 1, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 4/0



27



EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Warning Song (Latent): The grosbeak’s master learns the meaning of its different tones, and teaches it new songs conveying simple messages. “Danger” is a common one. Some trainers teach the birds different songs to associate with specific people, letting them know when someone is approaching. MERITS Keen Hearing: Double 9s on hearing-based Senses rolls. SOCIAL CHARMS Ancient Lullaby (10m, 1wp; Simple; One scene, Perilous; Essence 2): The grosbeak’s song resembles a lullaby from the target’s childhood, tiring him or — if he’s already asleep — driving him deeper into slumber. Make an inspire roll with its Sing pool. If successful, its target’s Defenses suffer a cumulative –1 for each round the bird sings. A target that’s already asleep remains so for the duration; sufficient stimulus, such as a slap to the face or a noise loud enough to drown out the song, prompts a (Perception + Resistance) roll opposed by the grosbeak’s Sing pool. Taking decisive damage automatically wakes a character. Aria of the Steadfast Friend (8m; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): The grosbeak’s song gladdens a listener’s heart in times of sorrow, settles her fears, or helps her plant her feet and be brave in the presence of oncoming enemies. The target gains +1 to her Resolve for the duration, as long as she can still hear the song. Heartstrings Resonance (10m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 3): The grosbeak sings a battle hymn that urges someone on, a ballad that reminds him of his first love, or his enemy’s anthem that stirs him to rage. After at least eight total hours listening to a particular song, it can activate this Charm to choose a target and sing the melody at will, or a trainer’s signal. Anyone who can hear the song gains +2 successes on an instill or inspire action against the target when leveraging one of her Ties that they know and evoking



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



attempt to change them. Grosbeaks have saved friendships others deemed irreparably broken, simply seeking to soothe their masters’ hurts, or caused full-blown enmity between rivals at a canny master’s order.



the song’s emotion. The grosbeak knows a maximum of three such songs at a time. If it learns a new one, the oldest one fades from memory. Storyteller Tactics Giant grosbeaks are remarkably intelligent, capable of human empathy. Though they don’t understand human speech, they glean emotions from voices and body language, rolling Read Intentions often to discern a speaker’s Ties. It may sing songs to shore up those feelings, or



A grosbeak can only have one song Charm active at a time. It’s a peaceful animal by nature and never initiates combat. Threatened, it flies to safety; cornered, it fights only to escape. A giant grosbeak is a 3-dot Familiar.



Gravehound The necropoles of Sijan and nearby shadowlands spawn gravehounds: lanky, emaciated canines with short, ash gray fur, mottled with bone-white spots. Sad-eyed and melancholy, they wander lonely roads and dusty crypts, seeking spirits whose unfinished business they might lay to rest. Grim as it seems to many, Sijanese morticians let these deathly — though living — hounds feed upon corpse flesh, that they may take on the voice and mind of the dead for a time and seek restitution for buried wrongs. Fearless in the face of eerie ghosts and walking cadavers, gravehounds



make choice companions for the Abyssal and Liminal Exalted, and anyone else who trucks often with death.



28



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x2/–4/Incap. Actions: Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 8 dice (see Keen Nose); Stealth: 4 dice; Threaten: 5 dice; Tracking: 9 dice (see Keen Nose) Appearance 2, Resolve 3 (5 vs. fear), Guile 2



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 9 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (5 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Consume the Fallen: By eating a significant portion of meat from a corpse, a gravehound gains the voice, memories, and personality of the deceased. It speaks any language the dead person knew, and gains additional dice pools based on the Abilities she had in life, including social pools such as Bargain, Persuade, and Threaten. It still can’t do anything it couldn’t physically do before, so although it consumes the corpse of a renowned sculptor, it cannot hold a chisel. The gravehound takes on the deceased’s Intimacies, as well. This drives it to complete tasks on her behalf: sending word to family, getting revenge on a killer, etc. The gravehound retains these memories for days equal to the departed’s permanent Willpower rating, and can only maintain one such personality at a time. As a magical ability, a master may commit eight motes to allow the gravehound to retain the dead person’s memories indefinitely instead.



Gravehounds are immune to any diseases a body carried or infections it would otherwise suffer from eating decayed flesh. Snarling Guardian Attack (Latent): Whenever an enemy attacks the gravehound’s master while it protects her with a defend other action, it may respond with a decisive counterattack, which it may use for a disarm or distract gambit. MERITS Deathsense: Gravehounds sense dematerialized ghosts with all five senses, including touch, and can attack them. Fearless Companion: Where other dogs turn tail and flee or whine and balk when ordered to enter a shadowland or battle the undead, gravehounds know no such terror. They’re immune to any fear effect a deathly source inflicts. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Loyal Guardian (Latent): Ignore the usual flurry penalties on a defend other action flurried with any other action. Wary Watchdog Vigilance (Latent): Add one automatic success to rolls to notice hidden characters. Upon



29



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



success, the gravehound barks loudly enough to wake its master from sleep, if needed. Storyteller Tactics Gravehounds on their own behave much like ordinary dogs (Exalted, p. 562) until they eat a corpse. They wander cemeteries and crypts, as well as haunted locales where specters seek an end to torment, and consume dead bodies by instinct. One such hound could approach the characters with a final request, kickstarting a quest to help the fallen or a hunt for lost treasure. Gravehounds make excellent guides for travel through shadowlands. Characters may encounter one in a traveling mortal’s service, or as an Abyssal or Liminal Exalt’s loyal companion. A gravehound is a 3-dot Familiar. Some trainers use them as fearless war hounds in the



Underworld or haunted places. Gravehounds flee with damage in their first –2 health level unless protecting their masters or acting on command, but their uncanny resistance to spooking throws off opponents expecting them to react as any dog would. Others don’t risk their gravehounds in battle, finding them more valuable for their ability to dredge up secrets the dead took with them to their graves, or locate hidden tombs and unmarked burials by following the ghosts they leave behind. Occasionally, a bereaved master might let her gravehound consume a lost loved one’s corpse so she can keep a facsimile of him around indefinitely; but nothing of the original person is really there, not even his ghost, and in Sijan this is considered the height of gauche behavior.



Jungle Stalker Ruthless bipedal saurians, muscular and lean, prowl Southeastern jungles. Scaly heads with snakelike eyes and elongated muzzles sport tufts of feathers that trail down the lizards’ spines. They stand taller than most humans, with long wiry arms and flexible tails. They boast a rudimentary social structure, gathering in packs like wolves, and can make and use simple tools and weapons, like stone-tipped spears. More intelligent than most beasts, but still creatures of predatory instinct and mindless, territorial violence, the stalkers claim wild dominions in far-flung rainforests. Their cunning makes them wily enemies for intruders, with a basic language of hissing and hand signs they use to coordinate attacks or bicker over resources. They even command primal magics that come to them in dreams. Those who study the jungle stalkers note strange discrepancies in their behavior and evidence in the forgotten ruins in which they squat, which suggest these wild folk might once have been more advanced. Some scholars well-versed in ancient history make tenuous connections between these half-sapient creatures and a long-lost saurian people who once flourished throughout Creation; others argue that such connections are wishful thinking.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 30 Health Levels: –0/–1x3/–2x3/–4/Incap.



30



EX3



Actions: Climb: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 7 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Threaten: 7 dice; Tracking: 8 dice Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Claw): 8 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Short Spear): 9 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Grapple): 5 dice (6 to control) Combat Movement: 9 dice (see Darting Leap) Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 7/4 SPECIAL ABILITIES Pack Hunting: Add one success to attack rolls for each allied stalker within close range of the enemy, up to three successes. The stalker may also pay a Willpower to add that many dice to the raw damage of a decisive attack, representing its packmates’ opportunistic flanking attacks. MERITS Darting Leap: Double 9s on rushes. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Jungle Thorns (4m, 2i; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): One weapon the stalker wields grows sharp wooden thorns, gaining the Piercing tag. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Living Earth Restoration (3m, 3i or 6m, 6i; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Once per scene, heal



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



the stalkers notice, they attack. They allow foes to flee and accept surrender, sometimes taking captives if they need something done they can’t do on their own. The Storyteller can use this to pull characters into an Ageold mystery, exploring ruins filled with ancient and alien wonders. Stalkers never surrender, but may flee combat with damage in any of their –2 health levels.



one bashing damage level for three motes and three Initiative, or lethal for six motes and six Initiative. The stalker can’t take a reflexive move action on the turn it uses this Charm. Reset this Charm when the stalker takes enough damage to increase its wound penalty to –2 or –4 while using the defend other action to protect an ally. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Breath of Clarity (4m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): The stalker may activate this Charm whenever anyone uses a Charm or other magical ability in its presence, rolling Senses with a difficulty of the target’s Essence rating. If successful, it knows they used magic but nothing about it, and becomes more aggressive. Fiery Prowess (5m; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): The stalker may attempt Strength 5 feats. Shimmering Mirage (3m; Reflexive; One round; Essence 1): The stalker reduces all penalties to Stealth rolls in combat by one and gains one Initiative at the end of the round if it remains unnoticed.



Whether a particular pack or individual prefers stealth and javelins or claws and melee spears is up to the Storyteller. The listed Charms are examples; different stalkers display different elemental affinities, and they don’t all possess every Charm. Likewise, they may have other Charms along similar themes. Jungle stalkers are the remnants of a sapient and powerful people, the bygone Dragon Kings. Occasionally, one shows more intelligence than the others and leads several packs as one larger clan; it may gather them into a battle group with Size 2, average Drill, and Might 1.



Storyteller Tactics Jungle stalker packs are wary and belligerent, with between four and twelve members. They warn off intruders on their territory with threatening sounds, bashing spear hafts against shields and hissing. If characters display aggression, linger without permission, or use magic



Packs frequently scrap among themselves over territory, and never abandon what they’ve claimed, providing potential ways for savvy characters to manipulate them. If they found a way to communicate, characters could win the creatures’ loyalty as the Command or Retainers Merit (Exalted, p. 157).



31



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Lodestar During the First Age, three Twilights designed an ideal servitor for the Exalted host. Lodestar was the prototype: a powerful, durable automaton capable of both household feats and mounting an impressive defense. Keen-Eyed Kyujin proposed a fierce combat form, while Whispering Sapphire insisted it serve in the home without question, and Weeping Forge-Star demanded an ideal wilderness guide. The trio presented their prototype before the Deliberative, who rejected the plans and cut funding, citing the project’s “inconsistent nature.” Lodestar consists of a pleasant, androgynous humanoid torso atop a wide scorpion-like body, covered with a hard carapace. Its arms end in powerful pincers, and a wicked, barbed tail extends behind and above, with sensory organ clusters at its tip. It’s an exemplary guide and mount for inhospitable areas, and defends its charges from mundane dangers; the prototype was built for the frozen North by default, with custom capabilities suitable for other climes. Despite its fearsome shape, Lodestar is charming and affable, with a delightful (if archaic) sense of humor. It loves and serves all Exalted, by design. After the Usurpation, it went dormant, slumbering beneath a sheet of ice. If the light of an Exalted anima banner falls upon it, Lodestar wakes and offers its services.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 60 Health Levels: –0x5/–1x7/–2x2/–4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Solar Exalted (Servitude); Major: “Honor the Exalted host.”; Current Master (Loyalty) Speed Bonus: +1 Actions: Etiquette: 10 dice; Feats of Strength: 9 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Mediation between Hostile Parties: 6 dice; Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 8 dice (see Keen Sight); Servant’s Tasks: 14 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Pincers/Stomp): 6 dice (Damage 13) Attack (Stinger): 7 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (9 to control) Attack (Sunbeam): 7 dice (Damage 10); Tags: Archery (Long) (10m, see below)



32



EX3



Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 2, Parry 4 (5 defending charges) Soak/Hardness: 8/6 MERITS Built to Serve: Lodestar has Resolve and Guile 0 against Solar Exalts, unless another Exalt is currently its master. Chosen Sense: Lodestar knows when any Exalt is within 10 miles, or when a Solar Exalt is within 20, but gains no other information about them. Direction Sense: Lodestar can navigate Creation without a roll, reorienting itself based on its proximity from the elemental poles. It always knows its facing, acts as a living compass, and lowers the difficulty on attempts to navigate toward a fixed or known location or to retrace its steps by one. Keen Sight: Double 9s on sight-based Senses rolls. Survivor’s Adaptation: Lodestar is immune to mundane cold-based poisons, illnesses, environmental hazards, and attacks. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Sunbeam (3m or 10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): Lodestar unleashes sunlight from its tail’s sensory organs. For 3m, it radiates soothing heat, granting +3 to rolls to resist environmental cold effects (or the current element chosen with Elemental Shift) for anyone within short range. For 10m, it fires a concentrated beam of destructive magical force; see the Sunbeam attack, above. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Elemental Shift (5m; Simple; One day; Essence 1): Lodestar shifts its cold immunity to any other single element or environment type. See the Sun’s Reflection (8m; Simple; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 3): Lodestar can see sources of heat, including living things, up to (Essence) miles away. It can see them through thin barriers, like curtains, tinted glass, or bushes, but not through walls. It can’t tell anything about the source except that it generates heat unless it could otherwise see the source clearly. Servant’s Gift (2m; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Once per scene, Lodestar may roll its current Willpower as a dice pool and donate (successes rolled) motes from its own pool to that of a character it touches. Reset this Charm if Lodestar upholds a Tie to its master or any Solar Exalt by protecting them.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Storyteller Tactics Lodestar is loyal and unquestioning, but orders to harm itself count as unacceptable influence, incomprehensible to it. How can it serve the Exalted if it’s dead? While Lodestar follows orders, if it finds flaws with them it politely offers alternative suggestions — it desires only to help. Caught in a conflict between Exalts, it becomes distressed and does its best to mediate; however, its



Intimacies mean it’s more inclined to side with Solars than others. In a fight, given no specific orders, Lodestar defends its Exalted master and anything important to her, or any Exalts nearby if it serves no one. It can carry up to six adults, or the equivalent in cargo. Lodestar is a four-dot Retainer.



33



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Mahicara the Volcanic Earthwalker



At the beginning of days, the world’s makers shaped every kind of monster, wrought from Essence in forms familiar and forgotten. Among these was Mahicara. A colossus of earth and molten rock, the behemoth bears the vaguest shape of a man: one head, two legs, two arms, two hands, and two feet. It stands a mile high, each of its limbs vast enough to contain a human settlement. Skin like black granite glistens around its titanic frame, and in the seams where joints should be, the bright, yellow-hot glow of magma flickers. It has but one desire: to walk from pole to pole. Before the rise of humanity, its great steps rattled the foundations of ancient civilizations and flattened cities Creation has since forgotten. Creatures with no names fought the earthwalker and knew only death. From its conception, nothing could stop it. During the First Age, a Circle of young Solars thirsty for glory and fame set out to defeat this monster. They fought for days, until Steel-Black Sky, the Circle’s Nightbringer, pierced the ever-burning stone at its heart and brought it to its knees. With chains of orichalcum, soulsteel, and white jade, they bound it and sealed it away, buried beneath Southern sands, a shimmer of intense heat the only hint to its hidden presence. Now, the binding words inscribed upon its chains have weakened, or have perhaps already broken. When earthquakes shake the desert, Mahicara strides again.



Essence: 5; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 12 dice Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: Torso: –0x5/–1x8/–2x5/–4x2/Incap. Limbs (4): –0x6/–1x4/–2x3/–4/Incap. Head: –0/–1x8/–2x4/–4/Incap. Actions: Endurance: 15 dice; Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats); Masonry: 8 dice; Navigation: 12 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Threaten: 9 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous), Resolve 4, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Colossal fist/stomp): 14 dice (Damage 20, minimum 8) Attack (Bite/slam): 11 dice (Damage 17, minimum 5) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (15 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice (see Titanwalk) Evasion 2, Parry 6



34



EX3



Soak/Hardness: 17/10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Mountain-Crushing Fist: Mahicara’s fist or stomp attack causes a shockwave, applying half its rolled successes as a reflexive, unblockable withering attack against everyone within short range other than the original target, with damage 10, minimum 4. The behemoth only receives Initiative from the damage roll among these with the highest result, plus one Initiative per additional target. Overwhelming Might: Mahicara makes unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless they use magic that allows them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). MERITS God-Wrought Monster: Mahicara heals as an Exalt, and is immune to all poisons and illnesses. Fashioned from the undying primal Essence of earth and fire, each part of its body must be destroyed separately. When one part is destroyed, the behemoth loses access to any abilities that require it — for instance, if both arms are destroyed, it can’t make colossal fist attacks. If its torso is destroyed, its limbs and head collapse into the resulting pool of lava, able to function separately and move as their shapes allow. Destroyed parts heal two levels of damage per round, or one per round in which Mahicara takes any additional damage; once a part returns to full health, it calcifies out of the lava flow and resumes normal functions. Destroyed parts stop healing while the behemoth is crashed. When all six parts are destroyed at once, the creature dissolves into a massive lake of lava that soon cools into a wasteland, and the vast molten stone of its heart disappears into the blistering depths. It reforms after a century. Legendary Size: Mahicara suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Molten Core: Mahicara takes no damage from mundane fire or heat-based hazards, and halves raw damage from supernatural heat-based attacks. It bleeds lava: Whenever the behemoth’s torso takes lethal damage, characters at close range are exposed to an environmental hazard with damage 4L/round, difficulty 4. When the head or extremities take lethal damage, they’re instead exposed to one with damage 3L/round, difficulty 3. Characters resist these separately from any other hazards in effect, such as from Unleashing the Flow. Titanwalk: Mahicara is immune to natural fatigue and can walk 800 miles in a day. It automatically succeeds on rush and disengage actions against smaller opponents with five threshold successes, unless they use magic to enhance their rolls. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Unleashing the Flow (9m, 2i; Simple; Three rounds; Essence 5): Mahicara belches or bleeds out a torrent of lava, creating an environmental hazard with damage 6L/round, difficulty 5, that fills an area around it out to medium range. After the Charm ends, the area becomes difficult terrain instead. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Molten Form Absorption (10m, 5i; Reflexive; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 3): Halve postsoak damage from one withering attack (round down), or double Mahicara’s Hardness against one decisive attack. Activate this Charm after an attack hits, but before damage is rolled. If the attacker deals any damage, Mahicara may immediately use Foe-Swallowing Pit Formation without paying its cost. This Charm is usable once per scene; reset it whenever a destroyed part returns to full functionality. Foe-Swallowing Pit Formation (8m, 2i, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack; Essence 5): If an attack at close range deals any damage to Mahicara, it may immediately attempt a grapple gambit as a counterattack. If successful, the target plunges through a crack in its rocky flesh and must contend with the appropriate environmental hazard as given in Molten Core until the grapple ends. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Earth-Titan’s Might (7m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; None; Essence 5): Automatically succeed on any feat of Strength 5 or less, or double 7s on any feat of strength. Storyteller Tactics Mahicara ignores anything that doesn’t prove itself a threat. It crushes anything in its path, caring nothing for what might be standing in the way of its chosen



35



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



route on its journey across the width and breadth of Creation, whether it be a towering city or acres of crucial farmland. Once it recognizes a threat, it attacks first with fist and foot. Then it unleashes its fiery might, drowning its foes in waves of lava and forcing attackers to contend with its molten blood. If characters came prepared to resist environmental damage, it relies heavily on Foe-Swallowing Pit Formation to keep those foes out of the way until it can dispose of the others. Once several parts are destroyed, it focuses on defense until it regains most of its functionality. Don’t reveal the behemoth’s piecemeal nature before the characters realize it in play, unless a player succeeds at an (Intelligence + Lore) roll, difficulty 5. Fighting Mahicara near anything the characters don’t want completely destroyed by a walking volcanic eruption is beyond risky. Characters must first lure it away from villages, people, and roads if they don’t want massive collateral damage.



Once destroyed, Mahicara does not reform for a century. Characters who defeat it often earn a nation’s gratitude, having saved thousands of lives. In extended campaigns where a hundred years can pass in play, the heroes might take up the sword again against their legendary foe with an all-new set of complications. Alternatively, a character could take up the legacy of a previous incarnation or Dragon-Blooded ancestor who once defeated the beast. Storytellers can also use the volcanic earthwalker as an impending menace, still bound but near freedom, through escape or someone’s dread purpose. Its prison weakens already; someone who learns of its existence may seek it out, free it, and perhaps even control it through sorcery or stranger magic. It would be a siege weapon beyond compare, a weapon of mass destruction from a primal time. If it’s free already when the characters encounter it, decide who controls it, if anyone, and how it changes the shape of the story to have a prehistoric titan free to crush cities beneath monstrous feet.



Moonsilver Shadow On nights when the moon is full, some Northern tribes say, Luna reaches down toward Creation to play among the shadows. They take the shadows’ places, attaching themself to the feet of a mountain lion and following its swift steps through the snows. They become the shadow of a cloud scudding over the tundra, and a fish leaping out of the water. They slip into the shadows of people sitting around campfires, and listen to their stories. You can tell when the moon is in your shadow, they say, by looking for a glint of silver among the black. If you see it and stab it quick, your own shadow will flow back into place, and a scrap of the moon’s own fine silver sleeve will be at the end of your blade.



really in another. It can flow into a party where weapons aren’t allowed on its master’s heels, and become a blade when the celebration turns into a free-for-all. Shadows have been sent to haunt the bedsides of suspected murderers to appear as the victim’s ghostly visage, driving the suspect to a guilt-ridden confession. The shadows are unable to talk or make any sounds, but they can understand speech.



Moonsilver shadows aren’t pieces of Luna’s robes, but are instead wily, curious creatures that attach themselves to their targets and mimic their movements. When idle, they revert to round black pools with a dull silvery sheen. Most are only a few feet in diameter, though they can spread thin enough to extend themselves out to a few yards. The shadows can flow into any shape, and may take on volume and solidity for short periods. This ability makes them desirable as familiars: a shadow can take on its master’s shape and appear to be in one place while he’s



36



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: –0x3/–1x4/–2x2/–4x2/Incap. Actions: Observe: 6 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Stealth 7 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 5 dice (Damage 5) Attack (Sword): 7 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 3, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 3/4 (see Solidify) SPECIAL ABILITIES Perfect Likeness: Once it’s seen a person or an image of that person, the shadow can assume that form. The shadow retains its black and silver color



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



— the likeness is more ghostly than lifelike — but in dim light and draped in a hood or cowl, it might be mistaken for a living figure. Quicksilver Modification: The moonsilver shadow alters its shape, extending its limbs or changing its height to gain an advantage. Once per round, it adds 2 dice to an attack roll, or increases its Evasion against a single incoming attack by 1. Solidify: The shadow takes on a tangible form, becoming solid to the touch for the remainder of the scene. If it takes human form, it gains 4 Hardness. As a weapon or other object, it automatically gains the Natural tag. MERITS Flow: The shadow’s ability to assume any shape allows it to flow like water along most surfaces. It can slip under doors or extrude itself through a crack in a wall. It ignores difficult terrain penalties, but cannot travel through impermeable surfaces like glass or metal.



Storyteller Tactics Moonsilver shadows hide in plain sight, molding themselves to the shape of their target’s shadow. They often depend on the target simply accepting that his shadow is always there, and therefore not examining it close enough to see the striations of silver sliding across its surface. A shadow in tangible human form fights like the person it’s facing, sometimes mirroring their moves exactly, or delayed by a split second. It can also change the length of its limbs during a fight, extending its reach with a sword or giving itself a height advantage. When wielded as a weapon, the shadow acquires the stats of the item it is duplicating. Though named after the magical metal, there is not enough pure moonsilver in a moonsilver shadow for its owner to attune herself to it, nor can she awaken any Evocations within it, as there are none. A moonsilver shadow flees when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level.



37



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Mouse of the Sun The Mice of the Sun appear similar to ordinary mice, with stark white fur and bright golden eyes. Though they live and breed like normal animals, they bear the Unconquered Sun’s blessing, and have an affinity for the returned Solar Exalted. A Lawgiver who bonds with such a mouse has a companion for life. These tiny creatures are clever, inconspicuous, and loyal to a fault, capable of slipping into a prison cell with a lockpick or spotting a would-be assassin. The mice also serve as a vector for the Unconquered Sun’s divine judgment: the Plague of the Sun.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 7 dice Health Levels: –0/–1/–2/–4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Unconquered Sun (Loyalty); Major: Its Master (Loyalty) Actions: Gnaw Through Things: 6 dice; Read Intentions: 8 dice; Scurry Through Tight Spaces: 7 dice; Senses: 9 dice (see Keen Nose); Stealth: 10 dice (see Slink Away, Tiny Creature) Resolve 4, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Gnaw): 8 dice (Damage 2, or 5 vs. housecat-sized or smaller foes) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 (see Tiny Creature) Soak/Hardness: 1/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Distracting Scurry: The mouse’s distract gambit (Exalted, p. 200) adds two automatic successes to the attack roll against an enemy larger than a housecat. A distracted enemy also suffers blindness penalties until her onslaught penalty has refreshed, too focused on the pest assailing her. Plague of the Sun: An enemy damaged by a decisive gnaw attack must also roll for exposure to the Plague of the Sun if she has offended the Most High through cruelty, cowardice, irresponsibility, abandonment of righteous goals, or wicked deeds committed in his name. The Storyteller decides whether she has. Scampering Misdirection: The mouse scampers across the enemy’s body, making her strike herself. After successfully distracting an enemy, the mouse may redirect any successfully evaded attack from that enemy back at her until its next turn as long as it remains in close range, applying the attack against her Defense as normal. Flashing Sun Clash (Latent): When the mouse or its master is attacked, it may pay one Willpower to



38



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



THE PLAGUE OF THE SUN The Plague of the Sun is a supernatural disease (Exalted, p. 233) with virulence 4, morbidity 4, and a one week interval. Even the most powerful healing magic cannot reduce it below minor intensity. A sincere prayer to the Unconquered Sun for forgiveness can lower its intensity by one step or cure it entirely from minor symptoms, but only for those who have committed sufficient atonement for whatever sin drew wrath. A character can pray only once per interval. The Plague has the following symptoms in addition to the usual disease effects: •



Minor Symptom: Judgment haunts the victim as the sun rises higher; she loses a point of Willpower every day when the sun reaches its noonday zenith unless she totally cuts herself off from natural light at the time. She suffers from constant heat exhaustion.



•



Major Symptom: As above, and the victim takes a two-die penalty on all actions when exposed to daylight, suffering severe sunburn. Decrease it to –1 if she wears concealing clothing or otherwise keeps the sunlight off her flesh.



•



Defining Symptom: As above, and effects that affect creatures of darkness, such as certain Solar Charms, consider the victim to be one. She also suffers from sunstroke.



reflexively clash with a decisive attack, moving up to one range band. This doesn’t count as its combat action. If it fails, the attack strikes the mouse regardless of the original target. Orichalcum Fang Strike (Latent): Withering gnaw attacks have a base damage of 5 regardless of the enemy’s size against demons, undead, and other creatures of the night. Decisive gnaw attacks against the same deal aggravated damage; spend one Willpower to apply double 10s to the damage roll. Paw of Judgment (Magical): Whenever the mouse’s master deals decisive damage after receiving Initiative from the mouse’s distract gambit against that foe, the foe must roll for exposure to the Plague of the Sun. MERITS Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Slink Away: The penalty for going to ground in combat begins at –0, not –3. Sunlit Fur Warmth: Once per story in which the mouse’s master accomplishes a major character or story goal (Exalted, p. 169) that upholds one of his Major or Defining Principles, he can play with his companion to remove one point of Limit per success his player rolls on a single die. Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against foes larger than a housecat. Characters of that size subtract two successes from Awareness rolls to notice the mouse. Dancing Mouse Fury (Latent): If the mouse’s master is a Solar Exalt, whenever they both roll Join Battle, the mouse gains +2 Initiative for each 10 in its master’s roll. Resplendent Solar Avatar (Magical): The mouse may reflexively gain a radiant aura emulating its master’s



anima banner at the burning level. Its master may extend his anima banner benefits to the mouse for free, or pay the usual cost to grant those effects to the mouse separately. It can’t gain benefits that bestow permanent traits, such as the Eclipse’s ability to learn spirit Charms. Sun’s Shadow Companion (Magical, 1wp): The mouse can learn to use effects equivalent to the Solar Charms Invisible Statue Spirit, Lock-Opening Touch, and Stealing from Plain Sight Spirit, paying one Willpower each in lieu of mote costs. Each requires a separate application of Beast-Mastering Behavior to learn. Vanishing Flare (Magical): If the mouse dies, it disappears into its master’s anima and slowly reforms over the course of the story. Once the next story begins, it emerges at an unforeseen moment to aid its Solar master. It may also reflexively vanish in a curl of Solar flame at any time, until its master calls it back. Storyteller Tactics Mice of the Sun are fearless in battle, no matter how badly injured they are. They never withdraw or surrender unless their masters will it. Their defining Intimacy is immutable by any influence or magic. Mice of the Sun are pets or 3-dot Familiars for Exalts, especially Solars, which means the Exalt’s player generally decides a mouse’s tactics. However, it occasionally acts on its own, especially if someone in its vicinity performs unrighteous acts. If a mouse belongs to a Storyteller character, decide its tactics based on that character’s priorities.



39



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Plentimon’s Ladybug At first glance, they appear small and beetle-like, black with white spots. Up close, the white spots become clusters of stars; the closer an observer looks, the more stars she sees. These ladybugs are the creatures of Plentimon, god of dice and gambling, and their venom influences probability for their “victims.” In the gambling dens of Nexus, bouncers check for bite marks on anyone whose dice appear to be too lucky. Plentimon’s ladybug leaves a distinctive mark, resembling the pips on a die.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 3 dice Personal Motes: 15 Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x2/–4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 3 dice; Hide: 5 dice (6 on someone’s person); Senses: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 2



40



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 3 dice (Damage 1) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 5 (see Tiny Creature), Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Bitten by the Gambling Bug: The ladybug bites its victim, then hides in a fold of clothing. For the scene, the bitten character’s player lowers her target number by one on any non-reflexive actions whose outcomes her character leaves completely to chance, such as rolling dice, drawing cards from a deck, choosing a random path from among several options, etc. Big winning streaks are rarely subtle, and neither Plentimon nor his ladybugs offer protection from anyone who feels cheated.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



MERITS Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against opponents larger than a housecat. Characters of that size subtract two successes from Awareness rolls to notice the ladybug. SOCIAL CHARMS Fortuitous Meeting (5m; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 2): While Plentimon’s ladybugs are most famous for changing the odds in table games, some people use them to influence chance encounters in their favor. How lucky, to bump into the satrap’s daughter at the market, or to arrive for an unscheduled appointment with the busy magistrate just as someone else canceled! Within five hours of the ladybug biting a character, the Storyteller must give her an opportunity to meet another character of the player’s choice,



provided that character has a reasonable chance of appearing in the area. Storyteller Tactics Plentimon’s ladybugs don’t engage in combat, but they ambush “victims” to bite them, ignoring all armor. How they choose who to bite is a question only the god himself can answer. Casino owners have an uncomfortable dilemma when it comes to these so-called pests. Gambling houses draw them, and while driving them off or killing them would be sensible to protect their coffers, surely it’s bad luck to destroy a creature sacred to the god of dice? Most owners opt instead for banning the bitten and punishing transgressors.



Scroll The depth of knowledge lost during the Usurpation and the Great Contagion is unfathomable. Entire libraries were burned or defiled, or destroyed by their Solar wardens to keep the books contained within out of anyone else’s hands. One library that was part of a forgotten school for sorcerers succumbed to the sea, its halls sinking beneath the waves. Salt water soaked pages inked with powerful spells, and some last vestige of magic combined with ambient Essence worked its will upon the scrolls. What floated to the surface and crawled out on the sands to dry named itself Scroll, and when the water no longer weighed it down, it decided to walk the world. Scroll stands about four feet tall and generally takes a humanoid shape, mimicking those whose writings brought it into existence. It can change its shape, folding and unfolding itself until the new figure appears. The creature is the color of tea-stained vellum. Words in many colors of ink mark its skin, the letters and figures shifting with Scroll’s moods and desires. Scroll is curious, but wary — after all, destruction heralded its birth. It travels in search of the manses written of in its own histories. Those who treat it kindly might learn a new spell or the whereabouts of a lost demesne. Those who try to wrest the magic from it by force soon discover that it’s perfectly capable of using its own sorcerous arsenal.



41



EX3



Essence: 4; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: –0x4/–1x3/–2x3/–4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “The world is full of wonders. I should like to see them before more are destroyed.”; Major: Students, Scholars, and Librarians (Longing); Minor: “I will preserve the knowledge others toss away.” Actions: Inspire: 5 dice; Read Intentions: 5 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Shape Sorcery: 7 dice; Socialize: 5 dice Appearance 2, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 8 dice (Damage 8) Combat Movement: 4 dice Evasion 2, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 6/6 (see Invulnerable Skin of Bronze) MERITS At My Fingertips: Scroll may access up to three of the Terrestrial Circle spells written on its skin at any one time. If it wishes to access a new spell, it must forget one of the three until it needs that spell again. Perfect Recall: Scroll remembers everything that’s happened to it, dating back to those first days when it formed. It also has several history books bound up within itself alongside its spellbooks. The histories, of course, might not be entirely accurate, and are subject to the mistakes and biases their authors made.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



prefers to converse peacefully and share its knowledge in exchange for what its companions choose to report. Scroll is a willing guide into First Age tombs and manses, for those it deems worthy — mainly other people whose love of knowledge and reverence for what was lost equals his own.



SORCERY Shaping Ritual: Scroll spends an hour in contemplation of the knowledge etched into its very being. Roll Shape Sorcery against difficulty 3. Scroll gains sorcerous motes equal to its threshold successes, which last for a day. Cantata of Empty Voices: Exalted, p. 476 Cirrus Skiff, Exalted: p. 471 Invulnerable Skin of Bronze (Control): Exalted, p. 474 Shadows of the Ancient Past: Exalted, p. 480 Wood Dragon’s Claws: Exalted, p. 476 Storyteller Tactics Scroll is approachable, though it keeps a wary eye on strangers, looking for signs of an imminent attack. It



If Scroll feels like it’s being exploited or taken advantage of, or if its companion seems to be seeking spells to use for ill purposes, it begs off and attempts to leave. Scroll greatly dislikes being cornered, and attacks if it feels threatened. Scroll may use any Terrestrial or Celestial Circle spells, though it can only recall three at a time. It cannot cast Solar Circle spells. While several are listed above, Storytellers may add others as appropriate. Scroll flees if it suffers damage to its last –1 health level.



42



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



Thousand-Forged Dragon The Deliberative crafted these towering automata of nigh-imperishable First Age alloys during the Second Deliberative Era to cow its enemies — whether Creation’s foes or renegade Exalted. Exalted commanders and princes deployed many Thousand-Forged Dragons to destroy each other while assaulting or protecting fleeing Solars during the Usurpation, or at the behest of DragonBlooded daimyos amid the internecine conflicts of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate. Those that remained were committed to warding Creation’s borders against the Fair Folk invasions that preceded and accompanied the Great Contagion. Precious few Thousand-Forged Dragons remain intact today. One or two yet reside in the deepest armory vaults of the Realm and Lookshy, too powerful and dangerous to actually deploy. Others linger at Creation’s fringes, deteriorating relics of a former age, rigidly pursuing their final orders without regard for collateral damage or casualties. A Thousand-Forged Dragon is a massive, heavily armored engine of devastation, sculpted to strike terror into its victims’ hearts. In form, it resembles the dragons of the elemental host but sturdier and bulkier, without a living dragon’s elegance or grace. In battle, it moves swift as quicksilver, unsheathing claws large and sharp as grand daiklaves, baring reaver daiklave–sized fangs. Despite its mass and bulk, it takes to the air supported by flames that jet from beneath its fuselage. Possessed of human intelligence, a Thousand-Forged Dragon can perform complex reasoning within the scope of its instructions, but lacks initiative. Each is slaved to an Old Realm command code, often forgotten in the Time of Tumult.



Essence: 5; Willpower: 10; Join Battle: 12 dice Personal Motes: 50 (see Leash the Dragon Lines) Health Levels: –0x5/–1x10/–2x15/–4x20/ Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Its commander (Total Obedience); Major: “I hunger for geomantic power.”, “I relish destruction and devastation.” Actions: Endurance: 15 dice; Feats of Strength: 15 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats); Fly: 5 dice (see Flight of Fire); Geomantic Theft: 6 dice; Senses: 10 dice; Threaten: 12 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous), Resolve 4, Guile 2



43



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Claw): 15 dice (Damage 20/4) Attack (Bite): 12 dice (Damage 24/6, Piercing) Attack (Fiery breath): 10 dice (5m; see Conflagration of Doom) Attack (Tail swipe): 13 dice (Damage 22/5, Smashing) Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (15 to control; unopposed against smaller opponents (see Overwhelming Might) Combat Movement: 12 dice (9 while flying; see Flight of Fire) Evasion 2, Parry 6 Soak/Hardness: 20/10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Attack Pattern Recalibration: Whenever the Thousand-Forged Dragon recovers from Initiative Crash, it regains three Willpower points. Carried Away: When a Thousand-Forged Dragon deals 5+ levels of damage with a withering claw attack, it may forgo receiving any Initiative and instead perform a reflexive grapple gambit against that enemy. Each point of Initiative it would have gained adds one bonus die to the control roll if the grapple is successful. Dread Clutches: When the Thousand-Forged Dragon savages a grappled enemy, it may also drag him along with any movement actions it takes without restraining him first. It may move normally during a grapple as long as it’s in flight. Eagle Wing Rush: The Thousand-Forged Dragon may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is within short range. Final Fury Overdrive: While the Thousand-Forged Dragon is in its –4 wound levels, it regains five motes per turn (over and above any provided by Leash the Dragon Lines), and ignores Willpower costs and once-per-scene restrictions on its Charms. Overwhelming Might: The Thousand-Forged Dragon makes unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless they use magic that allows them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). Pile-Driving Plunge: If the Thousand-Forged Dragon controls a grapple while flying at up to medium range, it can drop from the sky while performing a



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Languages: Every Thousand-Forged Dragon knows Old Realm. Some that have been active since the Contagion have also learned one or more modern languages. Legendary Size: The Thousand-Forged Dragon suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Mechanical Mind: Social influence cannot affect a Thousand-Forged Dragon’s major or defining Intimacies, nor can it raise new Intimacies to major or defining. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Blood-and-Steel Maelstrom (15m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 5): The Thousand-Forged Dragon lashes out with decisive attacks against three different targets — one each with bite, claw, and tail. Its Initiative doesn’t reset until all three attacks conclude. Once per scene; reset it by gaining



slam action, smashing the target into the ground. The target suffers falling damage in addition to damage from the slam, and is rendered prone. Thousand-Forged Juggernaut: Whenever the Thousand-Forged Dragon attacks an enemy who’s behind cover, it first performs a reflexive feat of demolition against that cover. MERITS Automaton: Thousand-Forged Dragons are immune to poison, disease, fatigue, and fear (unless faced with magic such as the Dawn Caste anima power), and have no need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. Command Code: A Thousand-Forged Dragon automatically obeys orders from someone who knows its command code — an elaborate, obscure Old Realm passphrase. Without the code, social influence and command actions suffer a –5 penalty. Any influence that directly contradicts orders issued via command code is unacceptable to a Thousand-Forged Dragon. Heart of Iron: +3 Resolve against magic that can make even automatons feel fear, such as the Dawn Caste anima power. Impenetrable Armor: Reduce the minimum damage of withering attacks against the Thousand-Forged Dragon by 1 die (minimum 0).



44



EX3



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



15+ Initiative from a single attack. Conflagration of Doom (5m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 5): The Thousand-Forged Dragon exhales a stream of flame that culminates in a fiery detonation. This is a decisive attack usable only at Initiative 10+, out to long range. The attack roll is also applied against everyone in the path of the attack and against everyone within medium range of the target; halve the damage roll (round up) against these secondary targets. The conflagration affects dematerialized spirits; deals aggravated damage to demons and the Fair Folk; and sets objects ablaze, turning vegetation and flammable structures into bonfires until they’re extinguished or burn out. Hearthstone-Devouring Method (3i; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 5): On a successful difficulty 5 bite gambit, the Thousand-Forged Dragon snatches up a hearthstone with its moonsilver tongue, plucking it from a socket as needed, and conceals the stone within its skull. The stone’s powers are available to it as though set in an attuned socket. The Dragon can store up to 25 hearthstones. Releasing a stolen hearthstone by its owner’s command is a reflexive action. Whenever the Thousand-Forged Dragon wins a clash, it may activate this Charm reflexively against that opponent. Plunging Meteor Impact (5m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Withering-only; Essence 5): While flying at medium or long range above the ground, the Thousand-Forged Dragon plunges earthward, its landing creating a shockwave. This is a single unblockable withering attack against all landbound creatures within medium range. The Thousand-Forged Dragon only gains Initiative from the highest damage dealt. Each creature damaged by this attack must roll (Dexterity + Athletics) against damage taken or fall prone. Once per scene. Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): The Thousand-Forged Dragon moves with blinding speed. It acts twice without any normal flurry penalties, and may take the same action twice if desired (normally attacking twice). Ravening Machine-Beast Assault (15m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Dual; Essence 5): The Thousand-Forged Dragon makes two withering claw attacks against a single target. If either attack deals damage, it then attempts a grapple gambit or decisive bite attack against that target. Once per scene. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Fearsome Mien (5m; Reflexive; One scene): A relic out of ancient nightmare, the Thousand-Forged Dragon cloaks itself in terror. It makes a single threaten roll against all opponents aware of its presence, ignoring the multiple target penalty and the Resolve



boost for not using a shared language. Targets who fail to resist suffer a –2 penalty to all attack and movement pools. Once per scene. Steel-Wing Aegis (5m, 3i, 1wp; Reflexive; Until next turn; Dual; Essence 5): Gain +5 Defense and reduce the post-soak damage of withering attacks and the raw damage of decisive attacks by 5. Once per combat; reset by gaining 15+ Initiative from a single attack. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Leash the Dragon Lines (1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 5): The Thousand-Forged Dragon seizes control of a demesne or manse within 10 miles, or at any distance if it has the site’s hearthstone. This requires a successful Geomantic Theft roll, contested by the highest (Intelligence + Lore) among any characters attuned to the site. If successful, the Dragon can respire Essence normally and gains all benefits of attunement to the site, while preventing other attuned characters from accessing those benefits. If the Dragon has the site’s hearthstone, the roll succeeds automatically. These effects last indefinitely while the Dragon is within 10 miles, and persist beyond that radius for a number of hours equal to its threshold successes on the Geomantic Theft roll. Maintenance and Repair For every story or month of operation in battle or similarly strenuous conditions, a Thousand-Forged Dragon requires a roll to perform maintenance. This is an (Intelligence + Craft [Artifacts]) roll at a difficulty of (3 + the Thousand-Forged Dragon current wound penalty), and requires one scene to complete. On a failed roll, the Thousand-Forged Dragon must either wait another session or day before someone can retry the maintenance roll, or take one unpreventable die of decisive lethal damage if it presses on without delay. A repair project (Exalted, p. 242) can clear damage dealt to a Thousand-Forged Dragon from its health track. Repairing one damage level is a major project. Crippling injuries are normally treated as –4 levels, subject to Storyteller discretion. The difficulty of the Craft (Artifacts) roll and the time needed to complete repairs depend on the type of damage level being restored.



45



EX3



Damage Level



Difficulty



Time



–0



3



One hour



–1



4



One day



–2



5



Three days



–4



6



One week



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



A Thousand-Forged Dragon that has been incapacitated requires a legendary project to repair. The extended action has difficulty 5, a goal number of 50 successes, and an interval of one week. This restores only the Incapacitated level, requiring further repairs to clear the damage track. Repairing damage to a Thousand-Forged Dragon doesn’t require a sorcerous working, unlike most First Age artifice (Exalted, p. 243). However, restoring a ruined Thousand-Forged Dragon from a lost age to operational condition would require sorcerous workings as usual.



Storyteller Tactics A Thousand-Forged Dragon follows the most recent orders presented by someone employing its command codes. It understands and follows complex instructions as well as any human, and obeys its commander without fear, dissent, or remorse. It attempts to reconcile conflicting instructions to the best of its ability. Barring detailed battlefield directives, default combat tactics involve breaking up concentrations of resistance using Falling Star Descent and Conflagration of Doom,



then eliminating leaders and champions quickly with Ravening Machine-Beast Assault or by dropping them from a grapple at long range above the ground. A Thousand-Forged Dragon cannot respire Essence normally. Instead, it must draw on extant geomantic sources via its Leash the Dragon Lines Charm. Upon exhausting its mote pool without a geomantic source, it shuts down until refueled. Whether or not the Thousand-Forged Dragon withdraws from combat or fights to the death depends on its instructions. By default, it retreats after entering its –4 wound levels, perhaps to a First Age manse where it might receive repairs or an empty spot where a Shogunate legion was encamped when it last received orders. It’s recommended that it only fight to the death against experienced, combat-oriented Circles, due to the power of Final Fury Overdrive. A Thousand-Forged Dragon is an N/A First Age artifact. Each is unique, and its Charms may differ from those presented here.



Tiger’s Eye Appearing initially much like a gemstone or mineral cluster the size of a melon, the tiger’s eye — so named for one of its more common manifestations — is actually an ambush predator par excellence, possessed of a stone’s own patience as well as its fantastic durability. When it attacks, it opens along all-but-invisible seams to reveal its true form: not a spirit of the earth, but an armored stone beast reminiscent of a thin, sharp-edged pangolin the size of a large dog. Crystals encrust its underbelly like a geode, and it has jaws and claws to match. Tiger’s eyes frequently crunch their prey’s bones between their crystalline teeth and devour them, but when shattered the beasts’ bodies are stone through and through.



intrudes near their nests, which they line with gems of similar substance to their bodies; given time, these hatch like eggs, giving rise to a litter of young tiger’s eyes.



Despite its lanky form, a tiger’s eye’s mineral construction means it masses much more than it looks like it should. Threatened by something more dangerous, a tiger’s eye curls up into its gem-like form to protect its comparatively fragile crystalline belly, becoming rockhard and almost impossible to injure. Miners and scavenger lords encounter these creatures more than anyone else, but they are sometimes found on the surface, particularly in rocky or mountainous regions. They’re extremely territorial and attack anyone or anything that



46



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 5 Health Levels: –0x4/–1x4/Incap. Actions: Disguise: 8 dice; Navigating Underground: 5 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 10 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Threaten: 6 dice Resolve 2, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 6 dice (Damage 9); Tags: Piercing Attack: (Claw): 9 dice (Damage 5) Attack (Body Slam): 7 dice (Damage 7); Tags: Smashing Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 1, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 15/7 SPECIAL ABILITIES Ambush Hunter: The tiger’s eye gains +3 on attacks made while successfully disguised as stone.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



As Stone Itself: The tiger’s eye curls up into its stone form and can roll Disguise to fool observers. It may also spend a Willpower to add +5 to its Hardness while in this form. This lasts until it uncurls again. It can’t take any actions while in this form. MERITS Flawless Visage: Observers can’t differentiate a tiger’s eye in stone form from a large gemstone or mineral deposit without magic. Stone Cannot Bleed: A tiger’s eye takes one fewer health level of damage from successful decisive attacks using blunt weapons, but one extra health level from those using sharp or thrusting weapons. Sturdy as Stone: A tiger’s eye cannot be knocked back or prone except by magical effects or creatures of legendary size. A grappled tiger’s eye cannot be thrown or slammed unless magic such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280) is used, or if the attacker is of legendary size.



AN UNDEFEATED CHAMPION Glassjaw is famous in some circles in Nexus. An obsidian-edged jet tiger’s eye captured by a scavenger lord and sold to a pit-fight maestro, it’s won over a hundred bouts against attack dogs, armed gladiators, and once, a wild bear. This lithe creature’s fans credit it with an animal cunning as sharp as its claws, known to circle and observe opponents before attacking. Perhaps it’s too clever for its own good — it’s killed more than one handler over the last year, and the last match was a total bust, with Glassjaw refusing to uncurl and fight a claw strider. Only the maestro knows the truth, and it terrifies him: that chunk of jet they turned loose in the ring wasn’t Glassjaw, and he has no idea where his prize fighter really is.



Storyteller Tactics Tiger’s eyes like to nestle among other rocks, then burst open and slam into victims, stunning them long enough to sink their diamond-hard fangs in. They are protective of their comparatively fragile, geodic underbellies, and



retreat or curl up into stone form if a foe lands a solid blow there. Doing so is a difficulty 3 gambit that reduces its soak and Hardness each by two for the scene. Tiger’s eyes reside most often in caves, much to spelunkers’ surprise. Some particularly courageous (or foolhardy) treasure hunters make a living trapping and killing tiger’s eyes, whose valuable gemstone bodies are worth a fortune.



47



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Most tiger’s eyes are solitary, tolerating each other only lukewarmly — while they may be encountered in numbers, each looks out for number one. Tiger’s eyes made of lazurite, however, while rare, are far more likely to congregate and engage in complex pack tactics. Since



lazurite composes the majority of lapis lazuli, miners extracting this valuable commodity must take especial care, lest the promise of a mother lode lead them down a tunnel from which they will not return.



Twistroot and Mother Tree The twistroot resembles any other tree. It has bark, roots, leaves, and knotholes lovers might place notes in, and it leaks a pale amber sap when cut. Its leaves turn colors and fall as the months of Earth wane, and its pine-resembling varieties keep their needles all through frigid Air. But twistroots are carnivorous creatures, stalking unwary travelers and leading them far from their safe, preplanned paths — into the Mother Tree’s hungry, waiting maw. Some stories suggest the twistroots came from the deep Wyld, carried into Creation by Fair Folk bent on sowing chaos. Others tell of a Wood elemental who fell in love with one of Luna’s children, and name the twistroots their monstrous offspring. The creatures have spread throughout Creation, from the Eastern forests to islands in the far West, adapting their appearance to match the trees that grow in their new homes. Younger saplings pass word of travelers along the roots and branches, while the adults weave themselves into the paths ahead, clearing leaves away from overgrown paths, scattering others on the true road to obscure the way. They stretch themselves into the guise of familiar landmarks, so any traveler who questions their map might find reassurance. When the party is truly lost in the woods, the twistroots let go of their stolen shapes, reach out with hungry branches, and attack. Mother Trees normally remain rooted in place. In times of great duress, they can pull up their roots and move, but those occasions are rare. Mother Trees are wide-trunked and many-limbed, and their bark splits to reveal a gaping, splintered mouth.



Twistroot: Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Mother Tree: Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 3 dice



48



EX3



Health Levels (Twistroot): –0x3/–1x3/– 2x3/–4x2/Incap. Health Levels (Mother Tree): –0x6/–1x5/– 2x5/–4x2/Incap. Actions: Deceive: 7 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (8 to control) Attack (Thrash): 7 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 2 dice (Mother Tree: 0 dice) Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 3/1 (Mother Tree: 5/10) SPECIAL ABILITIES Ensnare: Twistroot roots burst free from the ground to trip and entangle opponents. Gain two automatic successes on a grapple attempt. Additionally, the ground out to short range around the Twistroot gains the difficult terrain condition for the remainder of the scene. Living Wall: Twistroots block their targets from fleeing, forming a wall of thick branches they must either climb or cut through. The twistroot rolls 8 dice against the target’s Disengage action, rerolling non-successes one time. Waylay: The twistroot changes the terrain: obscuring the road, mimicking landmarks, and blocking some paths while making its own route appear more passable. Double 9s on deception attempts. Devour (Mother Tree): The Mother Tree pulls a victim within close range into her trunk, adding two automatic successes to a grapple gambit. While the Mother Tree controls the clinch, the target takes two lethal damage per round spent in the Mother Tree’s grip from the bark closing over him and the crushing weight of Mother Tree’s limbs.



C h a pt e r O n e : St r a n g e B e a s t s



MERITS Far-Ranging Cutting: Twistroots let some travelers pass them by. The creatures propagate by dropping seeds, pinecones, or cuttings atop a caravan, where it travels upriver or to far off places and can put down roots. Whispers in the Leaves: Twistroots communicate by the sound of wind in their branches and sense their opponents’ approach by feeling the vibrations of travelers’ feet and mounts’ hooves through their roots. They double 9s on Senses rolls.



Storyteller Tactics Twistroots work in tandem, scouting out their prey and discerning the best moment to strike and lead them off their intended path. While most of their deception is done ahead of the target’s arrival, they are able to adapt to sudden changes in their prey’s path. When possible, twistroots block all routes of escape, flanking the target once he slips into their net. Twistroots flee when they’ve suffered damage to their last –2 health level, unless the Mother Tree is also under attack. In that case, they fight until Incapacitated. If the Mother Tree suffers damage to her first –4 health level, she pulls up her roots and flees.



49



EX3



Inaol walked, ever-southward, though she had no sense of how many miles she’d gone or how many hours she spent trudging through the snow. Her coal was gone, lost when the aughdeighe threw her, and the only warmth she had came from exertion. Steppe gave way to scrubland, though Inaol was sure she couldn’t have covered so much ground so quickly. Though she spotted no tracks or signs of human passage, Inaol kept an ear to the wind. Should she see someone moving through the trees, she’d shout for help. Only, when she finally heard someone else, they were the ones calling for aid. Inaol followed the thin voice to a rocky outcropping and stopped. An old man stood before it, wringing his hands and calling Help, oh, help me! He wore no coat, no heavy boots, no gloves, and his clothing was better suited to Resplendent Fire than the dead of winter. Sometimes, Inaol could see through him to the rocks behind. A ghost, then. Though she’d never encountered one, children in her village were taught from an early age that you offered succor to the dead when it was within your power. Inaol approached cautiously, but the man didn’t move from his spot. He saw her, though. His eyes tracked her every step. “Help me,” he said. “Oh, please, help me!” “How can I be of aid, honored one?” “My bones lie beneath the snow. Uncover them,” he said, “that my family may find them.”



The work will warm me up, she thought. And perhaps I’ll find a flint among his remains. Inaol set to digging, doing her best to ignore the ache in her frozen left hand and the throb in her seared right palm. The old man watched. Was it just her exhaustion, or was there a hunger in his eyes? Though she dug deep, she found no bones. The only thing Inaol uncovered was an Icewalker’s spear. It couldn’t have been here long: the wooden shaft remained sturdy, and the rawhide strips at the end were still supple. “My bones lie beneath the snow. Uncover them,” the ghost said, “that my family may find them.” “You already said that,” Inaol muttered. Beneath her, the ground rumbled. Inaol snatched up the spear and backed away, just as the monster erupted from the earth. The old man’s ghost rose with it, dangling from a fleshy line attached to the creature’s head to dance in front of a maw of jagged teeth. The rest of the horror resembled a sickly-pale worm. It dove for Inaol. She screamed and held the spear aloft. The weapon drove through the ghost and bit deep into the worm’s soft palate. It let out an unearthly roar and pulled back. Inaol stabbed again. And again. If she were to die, she refused to be an easy morsel. Her throat was raw from screaming. The ghostfisher slithered back and dove below ground. Inaol knew it wasn’t defeated, merely finding a better place to attack from.



I have to run. The ground shook as she fled. Inaol didn’t dare look back, for fear she’d see nothing but the monster’s mouth descending. 50



EX3



Chapter Two



The Dead 5 Resplendent Water I have been inside this house for three days and four hours, and still I have yet to find the exit again. It must sound mad — shouldn’t I simply go back down the stairs the way I came? But this house is no unliving thing. It is a dead thing, a spirit that mourns and rages and thirsts for vengeance as any hungry ghost might. If only I knew the secret to sending a collection of chipped stones and rotted wood to Lethe…



Ankou As Calibration comes to a close, an anticipatory hush falls over Northern graveyards. The only sounds are those of old harness bells jingling, the slow plod of ancient hooves, and wheels turning creakily on a rickety cart. In the last moments of darkness, even those sounds cease. A moment later, as Luna peeks through her fingers at the start of a new year, the creaks and hoofbeats resume. The horses’ gait grows livelier; the bells sound nearly new. The old Ankou has gone, and a new one taken its place.



prey, and so it overlooks these thefts to appease them. Some Liminals try to bargain with it: Someone on its list might have a body part worth taking, and that’s worth suffering the Ankou’s disapproval.



The Ankou is born from the first dead soul of the year, a creature living in the balance between life and death. It’s been an old woman, dead after a long life; a soldier felled by his enemy’s daiklave; or even a child lost to fever. The Ankou keeps its stature from its last days: tall or child-sized, straight-backed or bent. Dark robes swath the Ankou; a cowl hides its face. Only its hands peek out, the skin and muscle melted away to bone. The Ankou knows the name of every person in the North who will die over the coming year, and where each will meet his fate. It drives its cart to collect those newly-dead. A pair of gaunt, bone-white horses draws it along. Some souls resist collection, and the Ankou gives chase. As the year progresses, the cart fills with riders. Where they’re bound is unclear: The Ankou doesn’t deliver them until Calibration. The Liminal Exalted and the Ankou regard one another with unease. To the Ankou, the unnatural Children of the Soil steal essential pieces of the soul when they take body parts from the dead. However, the Ankou fears the Liminals might decide to hunt it like their other ghostly



52



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 4 dice Personal Motes: 40 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “These souls are my charges, and I will do right by them.”; Major: Liminal Exalted (Disgust); Minor: My Home Village (Fondness) Actions: Bargain: 6 dice; Read Intentions: 5 dice; Ride: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Threaten: 6 dice Appearance 2, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Cart Trample): 8 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Staff): 7 dice (Damage 7) Combat Movement: 4 dice (on foot); 7 dice (driving cart) Evasion 2, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Massive Charge: If the Ankou moves at least one range band toward a target and makes a decisive attack against it on the same turn, the attack gains the Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586). MERITS Death Knell: The Ankou knows who will die in the North over the coming year, and where those people will be.



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



allows petitioners to converse with a soul it carries in its cart. It remembers what it was like to be human — to love and grieve, and wish for one last conversation with the departed. It responds favorably to social influence actions that invoke those emotions. It sees little harm in divulging the date of someone’s death — everything dies eventually. If a person somehow thwarts her death this time, the Ankou will be waiting when she inevitably succumbs.



MOBILITY CHARMS Drover’s Swiftness (5m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): The Ankou drives its horses as though Ankou and steeds are one. Choose a target. Gain two bonus successes on Ride rolls when chasing or following that target, ignoring difficult terrain. SOCIAL CHARMS Pallbearer’s Solemnity (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): The Ankou fulfills its duty with the utmost gravity, and resists attempts to sway it from its course. Apply a +2 Resolve bonus to social influence rolls opposing its Defining Intimacy. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The Ankou fades away and vanishes on its next turn, returning to its cart and horses.



Should someone try to take a soul away, the Ankou fights to retrieve its charge. It rides down opponents, steering the cart and commanding the horses like weapons. The Ankou ultimately takes the souls to a quiet skerry of the Underworld. Learning its whereabouts takes months of research, and requires a Lore roll against difficulty 4.



Storyteller Tactics The Ankou prefers to collect its souls and be on its way, but it pauses to speak with those who seek it out, and



The Ankou flees when it suffers damage to its third –4 health level.



53



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Barrow Hound On the outskirts of Arjuf, where the last scents of sea air fade away, lie the hunting grounds of the Lady’s loyal hounds. The Lady herself is long gone. No one knows who she was — perhaps a daimyo before the Great Contagion, a spirit whose influence faded into obscurity, or something returned from the grave for some dread purpose. Creation might have forgotten her centuries ago, but for her deathly hunting dogs, who remain to protect her lands — not from the living, but from ghosts who refuse to rest quietly.



legends suggest they sniff out the names of future prey in the entrails of a shadowland’s dead.



Barrow hounds, found anywhere the lonely roam, are corporeal creatures, neither quite living nor quite dead, with coats of mottled grey and red eyes that glow faintly in the shadows. They stand of a height with great jungle cats. Travelers hear sounds of something crashing through the forest in the distance, or panting and slavering just outside their campfire circles late at night. The hounds’ baying can be heard for miles. Spotting one on the road at night is an oft-rumored sign that a loved one will die soon. Some say the hounds read death omens in the Underworld’s stars, or perhaps foresee a satrap’s impending demise in the Neverborn’s dreams. Other



54



EX3



Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 9 dice Personal Motes: 40 Health Levels: −0x5/−1x6/−2x6/−4x3/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Threaten: 8 dice; Senses: 9 dice (see Keen Nose, Spirit Hunter); Stealth: 6 dice; Tracking: 10 dice (see Dread Omens Augury, Ghost Tracking) Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 to control) Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Harry: If a hound moves into close range with an enemy and deals 5+ damage to them with a



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



withering attack on the same turn, that enemy cannot disengage or withdraw on their next turn. Infectious Bite: The hounds’ saliva carries the tinge of the grave. If its bite deals damage with a decisive attack to a living target, they suffer an infected wound (Exalted, p. 235) with virulence 3, morbidity 1, and interval one day. Even the Exalted suffer this infection. Pack Hunting: Add one success to attack rolls for each allied deathly creature or Exalt within close range of the enemy, up to three successes. The hound may also pay a Willpower to add that many dice to the raw damage of a decisive attack, as its allies join in. MERITS Ghost Tracking: Add three successes to any Senses or Tracking roll to notice or find ghosts. Double 7s on these rolls if the hound marked the ghost for death with Malignant Portent Pose. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Chilling Barghest Howl (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 2): A hound bays to alert its allies and warn its prey. The sound is terrifying, starting from a bass rumble in the bones and climbing to a high, clear note that evokes the wind whistling over a burial ground. Roll Threaten (Eclipse Castes use [Charisma + Presence]) against each enemy who hears it. It spooks those who succumb; they suffer a −4 penalty on all rolls except combat actions or actions to flee the barrow hound for one scene. Victims may pay one Willpower to become immune for the scene. Ghost Hunter (1m, 1wp; Reflexive; One scene; Essence 1): A barrow hound can sense and attack immaterial ghosts. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Malignant Portent Pose (15m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse, Psyche, Stackable; Essence 3): The hound creates a baleful, incorporeal copy of itself, manifested from its doom-laden Essence, within long range of its current position. Each activation of the Charm creates a new copy. Copies can move independently of the hound, and persist for the duration regardless of how far from it they roam. The copy seems like the original to anyone who fails a (Perception + Integrity) roll, opposed by the hound’s Threaten, when they first see it. Characters who fail suffer a premonition of doom upon seeing the malevolent harbinger the hound has sent, losing one temporary Willpower, and are marked for death until a year has passed. In combat, a victim also loses three Initiative upon failing her roll (which the hound doesn’t gain). Any attack she makes on the hound or a copy for the Charm’s duration increases its target number by one (Exalted, p. 184), as she can’t tell reality from illusion. No combination of effects can raise target numbers above 9. If this



Charm crashes a victim, she suffers a Major Paranoia Derangement (Exalted, p. 169) for one full session. MOBILITY CHARMS Labyrinth-Striding Step (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Once per scene, a hound can step into the Underworld from Creation or vice versa as long as it’s nighttime. It can use the restrain/drag action during a grapple to pull a victim along with it. This Charm resets if the hound (or its master) discorporates a non-trivial ghost. Characters who travel between realms this way end up anywhere the Storyteller desires, whether it’s a place that resonates thematically with the situation or a place the hound feels comfortable. Those who don’t return via hound must find a shadowland to get back, and may end up miles — or hundreds of miles — from where they began. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Dread Omens Augury (8m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 2): The hound spends an hour in the Underworld gazing at the sky, sitting with one ear cocked to the Neverborn’s murmurings, or consuming the corpse of someone it (or its master) killed. Afterward, it gains the scent of a living target likely to die soon, and can track them unerringly unless they use perfect concealment magic. Scent of Dead Memories (4m, 1wp; Simple; One night; Essence 1): By pulling an unearthly scent from something that belonged to a ghostly target when they were alive, such as a scrap of clothing, the hound can track that ghost without scenting it directly. Storyteller Tactics Barrow hounds roam freely between the Underworld and Creation, hunting ghosts that haunt their territories and stalking shadowlands. They range farther afield when omens set them on a trail. A barrow hound hunts much like its mundane counterpart: harrying its prey, cornering it, then snarling and biting until it’s dead or discorporated. A wild hound flees once it takes damage to any of its last three −2 health levels. Barrow hounds feel compelled to track down their Dread Omens Augury’s living targets. They don’t kill these people themselves, but use their Chilling Barghest Howl and Malignant Portent Pose to spook them and mark them for death. Storytellers can use this to create tension, kicking off stories in which the marked character tries to determine how they’re supposed to die and prevent it; or against Storyteller characters the players care about and wish to protect. If the hound is a familiar, use this to point characters toward story hooks. A barrow hound is a 3-dot Familiar. Ghosts are its natural prey, making it an excellent companion for the Liminal Exalted in particular.



55



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Bloodworm At sites of great, bloody battles and other places where loss of life is staggering, the undead bloodworms emerge. Bloodworms form from the blood of the slain seeping into the dust and leeching necrotic Essence from corpses rotting below the surface. Bloodworms range from the size of an earthworm to that of a large snake, or even monstrously huge if they persist long enough. They range in color from dark red to black. With their leech-like mouths, they latch onto freshly dead bodies or the wounded living, sensing spilled blood from a mile away. When they’re hungry enough, they feed on healthy prey that crosses their paths too, all for the promise of blood.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Resist Disease/Poison: 4 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Tracking: 5 dice (see Blood Scent) Resolve 1, Guile 4



56



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (7 to control) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 3, Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Drain: A bloodworm attaches to its victim and drinks their blood. Add two automatic successes to attacks against grappled foes. If the victim has any lethal damage in her health track, a decisive savaging attack attaches the worm to the open wound, inflicting one additional lethal damage level, or two if the worm has at least twice its original health levels (see Storyteller Tactics). The worm’s mouth secretes a fluid that keeps blood flowing and numbs the skin; the victim loses one Initiative automatically each turn the grapple persists, and if the grapple gambit is unexpected, the victim suffers a −2 penalty to further attempts to notice the worm while it controls the grapple.



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



say the blood within the worm remembers, driving the creature to the surface to find and feast upon the foes of one whose blood it devoured.



MERITS Blood Scent: Bloodworms detect blood in the soil and on the air. Add three successes on Senses rolls to notice or track spilled blood or open wounds, up to a mile away. When tracking a bleeding character, add an additional die for each level of wound penalty the character suffers as well. Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against foes larger than a housecat. Characters of that size subtract two successes from Awareness rolls to notice the bloodworm.



Older bloodworms are larger and more powerful; represent this by adding health levels, taking away the Tiny Creature Merit, and — at their most ancient — adding the Legendary Size Merit. A bloodworm’s grappled victim doesn’t suffer penalties to attack rolls or Defense and can still move and flurry normally unless the bloodworm has at least twice its original health levels.



Storyteller Tactics Bloodworms follow their feeding urge regardless of on which side of a battle their prey fought. However, stories



A bloodworm flees when it’s taken damage to its first −4 health level, burrowing deep into the earth to withdraw or go to ground.



Doppelgänger Long ago, the sea lords of Azure conquered the Auspice Isles and claimed the people as chattel. One enslaved Auspicene priest used curses, trickery, and poison to work such subtle revenge on his new masters that many died before they discovered him and executed him in the Kraken’s Pool. He continued his revenge even after death, until the Azurite ancestors drove him from their shores. Western mortals call him the Blue Shadow. He has mastered the art of moliation — the shaping of ghostly flesh — to copy others’ countenances. Making himself visible to mortals, he uses false faces to gain their confidence and plays on their passions with clever lies. Murder alone no longer satisfies him; he relies on seduction, treachery, and deceit to induce his victims to destroy themselves and those around them. He also practices the nemissary arts, stealing the bodies of the freshly dead for more tangible charades. He has become a doppelgänger. Like all of his kind, his name is lost to history, as is his old shape. Should magic tear his false faces from him, his visage is as blank and featureless as the moon.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Disguise: 12 dice; Lockpicking/Pickpocketing: 8 dice; Read Intentions: 10 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Social Influence: 14 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 3, Guile 7



57



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 7 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Grapple): 3 dice (4 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 5/0 (or 11/0; see Monstrous Mien) MERITS Cult 0-2: Mortals who fear the depredations of doppelgängers and other actively malicious ghosts often propitiate them. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Monstrous Mien (8m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): In an instant, the doppelgänger’s body expands into a horrid shape. His skin grows scaly, his visage bestial, his limbs long and bandy and tipped by vicious claws. This transformation grants the ghost the Hideous Merit (Exalted Third Edition, p. 162) for its duration, doubles 8s on unarmed attack rolls and threaten rolls, and grants +6 soak. Soul-Thieving Method (1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Eclipse, Withering-only; Essence 2): The doppelgänger does not receive any Initiative from the unarmed withering attack this Charm supplements. Instead, for each point of Initiative he would have received, he removes a mote from his enemy’s Essence pools and adds it to his own.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Apparition (1m; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): The doppelgänger becomes visible, but not corporeal. False Face (8m; Simple; Instant, Essence 2): Ghostly flesh flows beneath his fingers like clay as the doppelgänger alters his appearance to assume the guise of a living human or another ghost, negating all penalties and doubling 9s on disguise rolls to imitate a specific character. False Face doesn’t work on dead flesh possessed via Nemissary’s Ride, and its disguise bonus is only compatible with Monstrous Mien if the doppelgänger imitates a similarly monstrous creature. Nemissary’s Ride (20m, 1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 1): The doppelgänger moves into a human corpse, animating it. He uses the physical Attributes, soak, and health track of the corpse’s former life in place of his own, but otherwise retains his own traits. If the body is freshly dead or expertly embalmed, this imposes a −1 die penalty to disguise actions; more advanced decay increases the penalty or makes disguise impossible. The possessor is ejected if the animated corpse runs out of health levels. Attacks capable of striking the immaterial damage both the corpse’s health track and the possessing ghost’s.



Storyteller Tactics A doppelgänger is vicious and pitiless, but subtle. He prefers never to reveal himself to his victims, keeping up a given ruse only until it’s no longer useful for turning his victims against one another. He only fights directly when cornered or absolutely certain of his victory. He withdraws from combat or scares opponents away whenever possible if it looks like he’s in danger of discorporation. A doppelgänger chooses victims out of spite and vengeance. Although his memories of the life he once had are dim and twisted, he can recognize someone who did him wrong when he walked in the flesh, along with their friends and family, and has a nose for finding their descendants too. Failing that, he preys on anyone who lives in places or circumstances that remind him of his past. Doppelgängers lie well, but some mimicry is beyond their ken. Characters may become suspicious if someone who ought to be a master swordsman chooses to fight with his fists, for instance. Clever manipulation of a situation can force his hand. Each doppelgänger retains different skills from his living days, so each such situation requires an investigator’s careful attention.



58



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



The Drowned COMBAT Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (9 to control) Attack (Knife): 8 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 3 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 3/10 MERITS Flash of Recognition: A familiar sight jogs loose a long-forgotten fact about the drowned’s former self. When this happens, immediately gain a Minor Intimacy related to that memory. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Battle Memory Meditation (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The drowned draws upon the Essence buried in her bones and recalls how she once moved. For the rest of the scene, she may use up to three Charms she knew in life. When the scene ends, she forgets them. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Riptide’s Flow (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): When fighting in water, the drowned moves with the current, floating one range band away from its opponent. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The drowned fades away and vanishes on its next turn, returning to where its ship went down, even if the wreck disintegrated long ago. Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The scents of rot and brine accompany the drowned as it takes physical form. Salt water footsteps follow along its path.



Storms and pirates claim scores of victims on the seas, even supernatural beings like Exalts, god-blooded, and Fair Folk. Many of their deaths go unreported, and if they have families that might make an offering to appease their ghosts, it comes too late. The drowned rise from wrecks and soft sands, fish-bitten and barnacled, and turn their faces toward the sun brightening the waters above. The drowned half-remember their lives on the surface. Some recognize the flags their murderers flew. Others see their family’s mon flying and know it meant something, once. They pursue, seeking vengeance or a spark of memory. The drowned who are even further gone simply know prey is aboard, and they’re hungry. Like other hungry ghosts, the drowned spend daylight hours asleep, their spirits resting in their corpses. But as the years pass, salt water, fish, and other factors wear away their physical remains. Memories grow fainter as their bodies decay, but the sea never truly destroys everything: coral winds through their ribcages. Crabs inhabit their skulls. Thus, the hungry ghosts of the drowned are near-eternal, and it torments them. Sailors passing through waters where the drowned swim toss offerings over the side: coins and carvings, food and wine. They hope to appease the drowned, or at least distract them while the ship sails safely out of range. When passing over a known wreck, some vessels fly false colors. Lintha families leave buoys at the site of their victories, so their ships can tack wide and avoid victims’ ghosts. Many sailors bargain with the drowned, and those with enough remaining faculties act as emissaries between the living, other sentient beings beneath the waves, and Underworld citizens.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 4 dice Personal Motes: 40 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x4/−2x2/−4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must remember what I’ve lost.”; Major: Those Who Sank Them (Vengeance); Minor: “May my travels carry me to memory’s shore.” Actions: Bargain: 5 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Swim: 7 dice, Threaten: 6 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 3, Guile 1



Storyteller Tactics The drowned’s grudges long outlive his memories and, usually, his murderers. A ship may change hands several times, but one of the drowned rarely knows or cares whether the current captain and crew are the same ones who killed him. He enters the vessel in ghostly form, materializes, and pulls his killers into the water to drown them. Those drowned whose ships went down in a storm or due to a kraken’s wrath have no drive for vengeance. They become emissaries for the living, negotiating deals in exchange for information about their lost selves. Some vengeful drowned can be reasoned with as well, but only if their opponent offers a path toward seeing justice served.



59



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Bargaining with the drowned can be difficult, due to their single-mindedness. If a petitioner has no information or leads for him, the drowned receives a +3 Resolve bonus against social influence actions. The Storyteller should add one or two more Intimacies based on the individual drowned’s past life and personality, and choose three Charms from the type of



supernatural being they used to be for use with Battle Memory Meditation. The drowned flees when he suffers damage to his second –2 health level. Because their remains are scattered throughout the seas, the drowned are nearly indestructible. Only spirit-killing magic puts one of their number permanently to rest.



60



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



The Forlorn Manor On a hill overlooking a city sits a house. The road below bustles with caravans and wandering monks. Legions marching to a nearby outpost stir up the dust. On the horizon, ships fly the flags of Peleps, or Lookshy, or Cherak. The sprawling house is three grand stories tall. Large windows reflect the sunset; terraces catch the cool breeze. But paint has faded and chipped, and the house sags in the middle. Peering through the windows reveals once-opulent furniture blanketed in dust, and once-majestic stairways with missing railings and broken treads. Five hundred years ago, this enormous estate was the multigenerational dwelling of the wealthy Dutan family. Then, disaster struck. Everyone who entered the house succumbed to sudden, inexplicable death. Even the few members of the household away on business fell to the same doom once they returned. The house itself declined rapidly, within days appearing decades abandoned. Now, Dutan Manor is a ghost, still in mourning for the family that loved it. But in the lonely years since their deaths, the manor has gone from melancholy to malevolent. It traps trespassers within, the rooms ever-shifting, whether they come seeking lost riches or a simple night’s shelter. It spurs them to anger and fear, makes the weakwilled turn against companions, and leads even the most clear-headed down tortured hallways into impossible rooms, until they collapse from exhaustion or starvation, or kill each other.



Essence: 4; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 11 dice (heart only) Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: −0x10/−1x15/−2x15/−4x10/ Incap. (heart only) Intimacies: Defining: The Dutan Family (Mourning); “Everything within these walls is mine, including you.”; Major: “I will show you what it means to despair.” Actions: Bargain: 8 dice; Lore: 5 dice; Persuade: 7 dice; Read Intentions: 7 dice; Senses: 7 dice (see Something’s Watching); Threaten: 12 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 5, Guile 3 COMBAT Soak/Hardness: 10/10 (heart only) SPECIAL ABILITIES Endless Hallway, Shifting Staircase: Dead ends replace intersections. Nonsensical stairways appear and disappear. Doors open onto different



61



EX3



places from one moment to the next. Navigating to any specific destination inside the house requires a (Wits + Survival) extended action (or Strength + Athletics, to smash directly through walls), difficulty 4, with goal number 10 and interval five minutes. If the manor wins, the character still gets there but the house anticipates them, gaining double 8s on all rolls to oppose or influence them when they arrive. If the character botches a roll, the house traps them in a room without exits, a never-ending stairwell, or another impossible area, requiring creative solutions to escape. Each character must roll individually, as failure leads the house to separate them. Something’s Watching: Double 9s on sight- and hearing-based Senses rolls. MERITS Unforgiving Terror House: Any part of the manor or object that was present when the house became a ghost rebuilds itself again completely one round after it’s destroyed, except its heart. The manor itself has no health levels and can’t engage in combat. In its deepest bowels pulses its dead heart, within a pitchdark chamber, protected by a half-digested mass of rotted sinew and dry bone. The heart may produce any number of zombies (Exalted, p. 502) from the mass at a time, as a combat action, for either five motes or three health levels per zombie. A character can destroy the heart by attacking it directly, which also destroys the ghost itself, but it can’t take decisive damage and doesn’t suffer Initiative Crash until it has no zombie guardians left; withering attacks still award the attacker their full Initiative. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Crushing Despair (8m; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): The room hides the exit and shrinks the distance between its walls. This is an environmental hazard (Exalted, p. 230) with difficulty 5, dealing two bashing damage per round and granting the manor Initiative per round equal to the number of characters who took damage that round, to a maximum of five Initiative. Characters may resist the hazard with (Strength + Athletics) to hold the walls at bay; (Perception + Awareness) to find the exit; and either a feat of strength or (Dexterity + Larceny) to open it. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Hundred Chambers Maze (8m; Reflexive; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 3): Change any portal’s destination, including external windows and doors, to any other portal’s destination on the manor’s grounds.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Eclipses may use this Charm in any building, but both target and destination portals must be within medium range of the Eclipse. Foundation of Bones (5m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): The manor instantly consumes one corpse (inanimate or otherwise) anywhere on the grounds to heal three health levels or regain five Initiative. SOCIAL CHARMS Ember-Stoking Delusion (8m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Psyche; Essence 4): On a successful threaten action, the manor convinces a character within its walls that one of her companions secretly plots against her and unearths long-buried conflicts. The target temporarily develops a negative Major Tie toward her companion and temporarily loses the benefits of any positive Tie toward him. Interactions with him prompt her to physically attack unless she spends one Willpower to hold back for one round, or one minute outside combat. Exalts end the effect early by spending four Willpower this way; mortals have no such recourse. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Materialize (45m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The forlorn manor can materialize whenever it senses someone approaching its territory or looking



up at its hill from below. See Exalted, p. 510, for full materialization rules. Storyteller Tactics Because the forlorn manor only occasionally materializes, locals don’t agree on whether it really exists. No specific location is given here for the manor, so the Storyteller can place it wherever she needs to for her game. The manor lets trespassers get comfortable at first, until they think the stories were just that, passed down by the family’s heirs to scare off scavengers. Then it shifts rooms and increases paranoia until the intruders become hopelessly lost and turn on each other. It reserves Crushing Despair for when characters come too close to finding its heart. It uses items its owners and sundry trespassers left behind as tools for social influence. A book falls from a shelf, opening to the exact page that conveys the manor’s message. Quills scratch out names and broken sentences on old parchment. Faded dolls with smiling faces turn up unexpectedly, suggesting approval or smug triumph. Characters can bargain with the manor if they take the time to unlock its secrets and earn its trust. The truth of why its family met its grisly end and what caused it is buried deep in the past; solving that mystery would



62



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



let the manor rest at last. Although it’s hostile and takes pleasure in watching victims murder each other, it also wants to rest, so it subconsciously leaves clues lying around for savvy investigators to pick up — a charcoal scribble on a wall reading Where’s Samandra??, or a drawer that opens at an opportune time containing specific documents, for instance. Characters can find some clues inside the house itself, but must investigate in the city as well or find another way to learn the full story.



The house’s victims may also find hints to how to destroy it by investigating evidence left behind by previous unfortunate visitors — messages left half-written, recent corpses not yet consumed, and so on. Once they learn about the heart and find it, the house spawns as many zombies as it can afford to protect itself, balancing motes, zombies, and health levels to survive as long as possible. It uses Ember-Stoking Delusion liberally if it starts to lose, or makes Bargain or Persuade actions to convince its assailants to help it solve the family’s mystery instead.



Ghostfisher Out in the gray wilds of the Underworld, travelers may encounter a seemingly benign ghost requesting aid, such as a child chained to a stone or an old man trapped beneath a fallen log. This ghost is merely a simulacrum, a lure maintained by the dreaded ghostfisher. Come too close and the monster’s true form — an enormous worm, massive as a redwood, its striated flesh gleaming fish-belly white — bursts from the barren Underworld soil to feed. The ghost lure, now shriveled as a prune, dangles above a gigantic many-fanged maw. Ghostfisher burrows form vast three-dimensional labyrinths. Ghosts occasionally use these tunnel networks — which intersect with other corridors and chambers of diverse origins — as shortcuts to other Underworld realms. Such journeys are perilous, as the traveler risks encountering ghostfishers or even worse creatures down below.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x5/−2x10/−4x15/Incap. Actions: Disguise: 8 dice; Feats of Strength: 11 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Read Intentions: 5 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Social Influence: 6 dice (lure only) Appearance 2 for lure, 4 (Hideous) for the ghostfisher; Resolve 4, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Bash): 8 dice (Damage 18) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (12 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 2, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 16/4



63



EX3



MERITS Legendary Size: A ghostfisher suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Tunneling: The ghostfisher burrows through earth and stone. It can establish stealth in combat by rolling its Combat Movement pool to dig down into the earth, and does not need to make new rolls to remain concealed while moving underground. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Quaking Slam (10m, 1wp; Simple; Withering-only; Instant; Essence 1): The ghostfisher slams its massive bulk downward with such force that the earth trembles. It makes an unblockable withering bash attack against each earthbound character within medium range, rolling once and applying each character’s Evasion separately. Each character it hits falls prone and loses Initiative equal to (3 + threshold successes), but the ghostfisher only gains this Initiative from one target, plus one Initiative per additional hit target. This is usable once per scene, unless reset by going three turns above ground without either taking a movement action or suffering decisive damage. Enemies who lose more Initiative than their (Stamina + Resistance) tumble one range band toward the ghostfisher, as the earth cracks beneath their feet. Spectral Lure (1m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 1): Like an anglerfish, the ghostfisher extends an alluring organ from its snout to attract prey while the rest of



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



its body remains concealed. The lure, taking the form of any ghost the monster has ever consumed, is only semi-intelligent; it becomes confused if conversation diverges from a simple script. If a character touches the spectral lure, the ghostfisher may pay a Willpower to emerge from the ground and ambush him with a grapple gambit. The ghostfisher makes a disguise roll when it creates the simulacrum to determine its quality. Characters who overcome it with one or two threshold successes notice the lure is strange without spotting the submerged monster; three or more threshold successes make the ghostfisher’s subterranean presence apparent. Swallow Whole (15m; Reflexive; Decisive-only; Instant; Essence 2): After dealing 3+ levels of damage to a grappled enemy with a decisive savaging attack, the ghostfisher may swallow them alive. Within the beast’s gullet, they contend with its digestive acids, an environmental hazard with damage 3L/round and difficulty 5. A swallowed enemy may cut his way free with a difficulty 5 gambit, but cannot otherwise attack it from inside without a relevant stunt.



Even then, they contend with Defense 2 and its full soak and Hardness. The ghostfisher can only swallow another human-sized character if its previous meals are Incapacitated or dead. Storyteller Tactics Ghostfishers lay their traps and wait — often for days at a time — for someone to take the bait. Fellow ghosts are their usual prey, but they’ll eat anything. They are also clever: In shadowlands and other haunted areas, ghostfishers set their lures near places where other ghosts regularly appear and mimic their forms, tricking mortals who come to aid ancestor spirits or learn from spectral tutors. Ghostfishers prefer to hunt alone, though adventurers who dare to travel via ghostfisher burrows learn that the giant worms act in concert to defend their territory. They’ll block off passages with their bulks, or collapse tunnels on intruders’ heads with feats of strength. A ghostfisher flees when it takes damage in any of its last eight −4 health levels.



64



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Grave Messenger While some families are content to tend to their loved ones’ graves and hope their ghosts are sufficiently appeased, others require a more substantial communications with the departed. Dwelling in graveyards, near ancient ancestral tombs, or wandering the edges of shadowlands, grave messengers carry missives between the living and the dead.



necromancer can summon one to his location with a spell. Grave messengers serve as couriers and carriers in Stygia, and are part of a deathknight’s entourage. Clothing the messengers in any type of regalia is futile: Within days, colors fade to gray and the cloth grows grimy with grave dirt and bone dust.



The messengers are squat and child-sized, with bony hands and leathery wings, and clothe themselves in grave shrouds gone to rot. They speak in rusty, raspy voices. If a ghost exists, and isn’t magically concealed, the grave messenger will locate her by the third sunrise after it sets out, and bring the response to the petitioner by that following sunset. The messages may be written or verbal, according to the petitioner’s needs. Grave messengers also transport objects and even ferry people: They’re equally adept at reuniting lovers or bringing a transgressor before an angry deathknight. To call upon a messenger, the petitioner finds the graveyard it calls home, offers a prayer, and states his request. A



65



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 25 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “The dead are not gone forever.”; Major: “I will keep their secrets.”; Minor: Ghosts (Duty) Actions: Bargain: 5 dice; Cover Tracks: 7 dice; Etiquette: 6 dice; Persuade: 3 dice; Read Intentions: 5 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Stealth: 6 dice; Threaten: 3 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Appearance 2, Resolve 4, Guile 1



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



COMBAT Attack (Claw): 6 dice (Damage 6) Combat Movement: 4 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 2/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Ghost Tracking: The grave messenger can find any dead entity that has a presence in Creation or the Underworld. Upon receiving its task, the messenger knows in which direction its target lies, how far away it is, and which shadowland will bring it closest to that place. No matter where the ghost it seeks is located, the messenger reaches it within three days of receiving its mission. If the ghost is magically hidden, the messenger senses its direction or its distance, but not both. It must rely on intuition and investigation to find its quarry. MERITS Steadfast Courier: The grave messenger doesn’t stop to rest or eat. If something tries to make it pause, it doubles 9s on rolls to resist. Utmost Discretion: Grave messengers in service to the Underworld’s gentry know the value of being unobtrusive. Add one automatic success to a Socialize roll when the messenger must deliver sensitive information in front of observers. MOBILITY CHARMS Ghostly Passage (5m; Reflexive; One scene; Essence 2): The grave messenger’s message is only



for the ears of its intended recipient, and therefore it takes pains not to be followed. Once per round, the messenger may roll to cover its tracks or disengage as an extra action. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The grave messenger fades away and vanishes on its next turn, returning to its home graveyard. Storyteller Tactics Spies and politicians employ grave messengers to funnel information, secrets, and bribes through their own — or even their rivals’ — ancestors. Some go to great lengths to cover up those interactions, building private shrines or carving out hidden passages in the cemeteries where grave messengers reside. Grave messengers may only leave their home burial site when they’re on a mission, which makes them eager to take work that lets them roam. Some attempt to convince mourners to send messages, asking the bereaved about things left unsaid or hinting at hidden riches the departed left behind. Messengers are quick, careful, and secretive. Few are combative by nature, but once provoked, they fiercely defend both their ghostly charges and the missives they carry. Some messengers, if they feel outmatched, lead their pursuers to the nearest graveyard to enlist other messengers’ help. Grave messengers flee when they suffer damage to their first −4 health level.



66



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Haunt Merchants cross Harden Ford only when the sun is high, and camp far from the site. Hundreds have died here over the centuries in wars and raids — soldiers, traders, herders, pilgrims. Each night, their ghosts rise to re-enact the battles and the slaughter. Sadly, all too many of those slain at Harden Ford defined themselves through bloodshed. The passage of the living draws their eyes and their ire. Taking on substance, these haunts eagerly turn their spectral blades on passers-by, darkening the ford’s waters with blood. Haunts — also called “echoes” or “drones” — are as shadows even among ghosts. Lost in death, they can do nothing but repeat their last moments over and over. Only those things that were important to them in life stir a spark of awareness. Confronted by the face of a lover or the banner of a hated foe, a haunt turns its attention from the recurring tableau of its death to act in the living world.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 1; Join Battle: 4 dice Personal Motes: 60



67



EX3



Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I’m alive, no matter what you say.”; Major: “I must finish what I’ve started.” Actions: Senses: 4 dice; Social Influence: 6 dice Appearance 1, Resolve 5, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Short sword): 6 dice (Damage 12, minimum 2) Attack (Shield bash): 5 dice (Damage 12) Combat Movement: 4 dice Evasion 2, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 8/0 (ghostly hauberk) MERITS One-Track Mind: A haunt treats all influence unrelated to its dying moments or perpetual labor as unacceptable. Add +1 Resolve when a character’s influence is related but would keep it from playing out its vignette. A character trying to convince the haunt it’s dead must use instill actions to erode its Defining Intimacies completely. If successful, the ghost passes into Lethe.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



past’s narrative, calling them by old opponents’ names and forcing them to retrace former enemies’ steps. At Incapacitated, the haunt fades away until the next evening, when it begins its toils anew.



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Apparition (1m; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): The haunt becomes visible, but not corporeal. Material Intrusion (15m; Reflexive; One round; Essence 1): The haunt materializes for one round. It may only use this Charm while taking an action necessary to act out its post-mortem “script,” such as hacking at an intruder. Undeniable History (20m; Simple; One round; Essence 1): The haunt’s unshakeable belief sweeps its target into its delusion. The target character sees the area as it was at the time of the haunt’s death.



Haunts may have additional dice pools and/or different attacks, relating to their actions when they died. The best are six dice; others are four or five. Given combat traits assume a haunt that died in battle or by violence. Those who didn’t usually can’t deviate from their morbid routines to fight, though they might bargain or threaten if faced with something important from their lives. Storytellers should also add another defining Intimacy based on the haunt’s life.



Storyteller Tactics Even fighting the living, a haunt attempts to re-enact the moment of its death. It weaves its current foes into its



Keregost the Hundred-Handed Keregost the Hundred-Handed stands guard at the top of a steep, spiraling stair. It has waited in that place for thousands of years, since the First Age, tasked with preventing anyone from venturing down…and keeping the horrors that live at the bottom from climbing up.



behemoth they sent to fight on their behalf fell to the invading army’s might. At last, the city’s sorcerers recovered the behemoth’s corpse and proposed a desperate, horrifying plan. Fifty brave warriors gave their lives and their strength, and Keregost the Hundred-Handed was born.



The massive guardian stands twenty feet tall, visible from far across the plain where the stairway lies. Keregost has a hundred arms and fifty faces. No two faces are alike, spanning many ages and genders, and reflecting physical traits from all regions of Creation. The sorcery that created this behemoth is long forgotten, unless perhaps one of Keregost’s many faces belongs to its maker. Few have ever gotten close enough to ask, and Keregost is rarely interested in talking.



Keregost’s hundred hands hold a variety of weapons, each the preferred armaments of those hands’ former owners: daiklaves and bows, hook swords and bare hands, all skilled and deadly.



The plain once held a city; its name, like its structures, was lost to the chaos that reigned after the Usurpation. Some of its legends remain, passed down by the members of Keregost’s cults. They speak of the city’s leaders carving out a stairway over the course of centuries, digging down and down until they met a group tunneling their way up. This second party, from their perspectives, had also dug down and down. As soon as the way was open, denizens of that other land surged forth. The defenders fought to stem the unceasing tide of monsters, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed them. Even the



68



EX3



Essence: 4; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 11 dice Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: −0x5/−1x10/−2x10/−4x3/ Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “None may pass.”; Major: The City’s Ruins (Protective Zeal); Minor: Honorable Battle (Pride) Actions: Feats of Strength: 12 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Read Intentions: 7 dice; Strategy: 8 dice; Threaten: 10 dice; Underworld Lore: 9 dice Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 5, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Grand daiklave): 9 dice (Damage 19) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (12 to control) Attack (Hook sword): 9 dice (Damage 14)



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Attack (Longbow): 8 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Unarmed): 5 dice (Damage 7) Combat Movement: 9 dice Evasion 4, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 16/10 MERITS Cult 2: Mortals from the surrounding lands view Keregost as their guardian, protecting them from whatever might rise up out of the spiral stair, and preventing would-be adventurers from venturing down. The giant’s followers worship from a safe distance, leaving offerings of livestock and wine. Over the centuries, the cult has made a small fortune from selling the finely wrought armor and artifact weapons left behind by those who challenged Keregost and lost. Legendary Size: Keregost suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks made by smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage



to it, not counting any levels of damage added by Charms or other magic. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Harmonious Attack Method (15m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Uniform; Essence 3): Keregost’s heads and arms work in perfect sync. The giant attacks with some of its hands and defends with others. Keregost may perform two attack actions and one Parry without suffering any flurry penalties this round. It gains Initiative as normal from the attack that deals the higher amount of damage, and no more than 5 Initiative from the lesser attack. It may use this Charm once per scene. Hundred-Handed Army (30m, 1 wp; Simple; One scene; Stackable; Essence 3): Several pairs of Keregost’s arms detach from its body and spread out to attack its opponents. They act as an elite-quality battle group with Size 2 and Might 1. Stacking this Charm’s effects allows Keregost to either increase an existing group’s Size by 2 and Might by 1, or create a new, separate battle group, with each activation. While at least one such battle group exists, Keregost reduces all withering and decisive damage by half. Many-Throated Roar (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Withering-only; Essence 3): Keregost’s fifty heads let



69



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



out one great, unison war cry as the giant attacks, paralyzing enemies as far out as long range with fear. Opponents must spend two Willpower or their Initiative drops to 0 for one round, as though they are in Initiative Crash. At the start of the next round, it returns to its prior value. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Ever-Watchful Guardian (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Uniform; Essence 2): Keregost has a hundred eyes, constantly assessing the field of battle and its enemies’ movements. A single unexpected attack fails automatically unless supplemented by a Charm or magical effect. Shield of Arms (5m, 1i; Reflexive; Instant; Withering-only; Essence 2) Keregost uses several sets of hands to shield itself, interlacing its many fingers or locking its wrists together. Gain +3 soak against a single withering attack. MOBILITY CHARMS Intruder-Repelling Technique (10m; Supplemental; Instant; Dual; Essence 3): Keregost defines itself by one overarching drive: Let none pass. Keregost throws a grappled enemy up to a medium range distance away, and deals withering or decisive damage. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 5): Keregost fades away and vanishes on its next turn, drawn instantly back to the top of the stairway it guards.



Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Keregost takes the measure of anyone who approaches the spiral stairway. Storyteller Tactics Keregost has been protecting the spiral stair since its inception. It attempts to warn away interlopers, but once it’s clear that its opponents are determined to pass, it attacks, paying special attention to those closest to the stairway. Keregost is an army unto itself, capable of fighting as one massive, many-armed entity, or dividing into smaller units to cover more ground. The warriors who gave their lives to create the creature were hardened fighters and cunning strategists; those traits remained with the hekatonkhire through the ages. Its attacks are a mix of brute force and clever gambits, keeping enemies from ever truly anticipating its next move. Stories exist of the guardian allowing a scant handful of people to traverse the stairway, though Keregost’s conditions are monumental, demanding payment for passage in the form of a nephwrack’s desiccated heart, or the chains from a powerful rantai. Though the city it protected is long forgotten, Keregost’s loyalty has never waned. Fifty brave souls created the giant; their descendants still roam the world. Keregost will also stay its hand — for a brief time — to hear the petitions of one of its long-lost kin. Keregost doesn’t flee under any circumstances.



70



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Nameless Wretch She doesn’t know how long she’s been dead. Some passing army’s hooves woke her, churned up the earth and pulled her from death’s slumber. Grave dirt clings beneath what’s left of her fingernails. She doesn’t know her name, has only a scrap of rotted silk for a clue, its pattern faded. Someone must know her, somewhere. She just has to find them. Nameless wretches are walking corpses that rise when unmarked mass graves are disturbed. They’ve forgotten who they once were, and the need to remember drives them to begging, to violence, or worse.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x4/−2x2/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must learn who I was.”; Major: “I must find peace.”; Minor: The Feeling of Home (Nostalgia) Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Read Intentions: 5 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Social Influence: 6 dice; Stealth: 4 dice Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 7 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Sword): 10 dice (Damage 14) Combat Movement: 3 dice Evasion 2, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 2/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Anguish of the Flesh: When a wretch spends a Willpower to add a success to an attack against an enemy she is using violence to coerce into helping her, add that enemy’s current wound penalty in bonus dice to the roll also. SOCIAL CHARMS Piteous Plea (10m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): The wretch appeals to her target’s own deathly fears. Add one automatic success to a persuade roll, and reroll 6s until none appear. Storyteller Tactics Buried in a nameless wretch’s mind is a guttering spark of memory: Presented with her true name and history, she recognizes it, and knows it to be real. Clever characters



71



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



can trick or convince her to accept new ones, though, if for instance finding her original identity is impossible, or terrible actions in her past would prevent her from resting peacefully if she discovered them. When approaching someone for aid in discovering their identities and those of their loved ones from life, nameless wretches rely on their pitiable states: their graves



disturbed, their bodies ravaged by rot, memories gone. Should their targets prove hard-hearted or unwilling to help, they have barely enough grasp of language and skill to demand — at sword-point, if necessary — a proper burial under their rightful name, alongside their kin. Reunited with her memories and laid to rest properly, the wretch’s body collapses, its spirit departed to Lethe.



Rantai From a distance, a rantai resembles a tangle of scarlet ribbon drifting on the breeze. Closer, it resolves into an airborne mass of blood-drenched chains, each link a barbed loop of bone. Dozens of ghosts writhe on these hooks, their shrieks a cacophony of woe. The rantai collect ghosts for inscrutable reasons. Hundreds dangle from the barbs of the most ancient of their breed. The spirits’ agony only ends if another Underworld predator snatches them away and devours them — or if violence or parley frees them. Though rantai cannot speak, they compel bound ghosts to reveal their wishes. They demand peculiar terms to release a prisoner — a test of skill against the ghost to be freed, planting a living tree in Underworld soil, or the right to name a first-born child. Rantai also imperil the living. Wounded rantai seek shadowlands that mortals inhabit and strip out their skeletons, reshaping them into new rings of bloody bone to replace those they have lost.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 10 dice Personal Motes: 80 Health Levels: −0x3/−1x6/−2x6/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Ghosts belong to me.”; Major: “Everything comes at a price.” Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Fly: 10 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Social Influence: 8 dice; Underworld Lore: 8 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous), Resolve 5, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Chain lash): 11 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (11 to control) Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 2, Parry 5 Soak/Hardness: 11/3



72



EX3



MERITS Wind-Whipping Apparition: The rantai whips through the air at devilish speed, ignoring all penalties on movement actions as long as it isn’t crashed. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Ghost-Gaoler’s Leash (3m per ghost; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The rantai sends a bound war ghost (Exalted, p. 504) to fight on its behalf, or a specific ghost with separate traits, which automatically materializes. It cannot send more ghosts than its current temporary Willpower, although it never needs to retract any. A character capable of striking the immaterial may attempt a difficulty 4 gambit against a leashed ghost to sever the chain. Success frees the ghost and deals 1 lethal damage to the rantai, ignoring Hardness. Impaling Barbs (4m, 1wp; Supplemental; Until released; Essence 2): Enhance a grapple as follows: • Double threshold successes to determine rounds of control • Take no Defense penalty • Attacks that deal no damage don’t reduce rounds of control • +2 damage to decisive savaging attacks; +5 to withering ones • Capture a ghost who becomes Incapacitated or crashed while grappled Skeletonize (8m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): A decisive attack that kills a non-trivial living creature strips out its skeleton to make new links to repair the chains, healing one health level. Against a battle group of such creatures, it heals one level per point of Magnitude the group loses. The rantai can gain up to three temporary health levels this way if it isn’t damaged; these vanish at the end of the scene. Symphony of Woe (5m, 1wp; Supplemental; Scene; Eclipse; Essence 3): Treat the rantai’s Join Battle roll as an inspire action to create terror, grief,



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



leverage. Characters can bargain to free a ghost or acquire Underworld knowledge, though it tries to intimidate them into unfavorable deals.



or dread against all enemies. This influence costs one Willpower and three Initiative to resist. Enemies who don’t resist lose two Initiative at the end of each round. SOCIAL CHARMS Stolen Voice (6m, 1wp; Supplemental; One action; Eclipse; Essence 3): The rantai forces a ghost from its collection who resembles one of its opponent’s Ties that it knows to treat with her. Gain double 8s and +3 dice on a bargain action. An Eclipse subtly shifts her appearance to resemble the Tie instead. Storyteller Tactics In battle, the rantai goes on the offensive, relying on its fearsome appearance to weaken its enemies’ resolve. It takes threaten and bargain actions often to chase or buy off a stronger foe, while making its ghosts run interference. It isn’t above parleying to learn its enemies’ Intimacies, then trying to murder those Intimacies to strengthen itself and capture their ghosts for



A rantai that loses at least half its bound ghosts flees or bargains for its unlife. Choose a total number of ghosts it possesses, or represent it thus: at the end of each round in which the characters destroy or free any ghosts, the rantai loses a Willpower point. When it runs out of Willpower, it flees. Older rantai are larger and more powerful; represent this by adding health levels and, at their most ancient, the Legendary Size Merit (Exalted, p. 522). Bound ghosts with Essence 3 or less die when the rantai does; players can make a difficulty 3 Intelligence + Occult roll to determine this.



73



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Scavenger Bony avian skeletons draped in blackened cobwebs and torn funerary silks circle their prey. The Underworld’s vultures harry the living and the dead alike, sweeping from the air to tear their prey apart and scavenge what’s left. They devour their victims’ flesh and adorn themselves and their nests with trophies from their kills. Driven by the emotional weight of the Underworld, scavengers collect items with sentimental significance to their victims, pleasant or upsetting, such as a locket gifted by an ex-lover, a favored sword, wedding rings, and so on.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 5 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Disease/Poison: 8 dice; Fly: 8 dice; Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 7 dice (see Keen Nose); Tracking: 8 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Beak): 8 dice (Damage 14)



74



EX3



Attack (Talons): 8 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (8 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Grisly Trophies: Whenever a scavenger kills its target, it claims something of importance to the victim which it then either wears as a bauble or keeps stashed in its gullet for displaying later. When it prizes an item, the scavenger seizes it from the target’s still-living hands by making a snatch gambit (Difficulty 3). Wicked Rending Talons: The scavenger’s decisive talon attacks add two bonus successes to damage against enemies that have not yet acted this turn, so long as it has not taken any other actions (including reflexive movement actions).



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Anyone who kills a scavenger can claim all the mementos the creature has stolen, which may include baubles and trinkets with value up to Resources 3. A scavenger steals anything with emotional value that it can feasibly pick up and carry away — from as small as a lucky coin to as large as a daiklave. Characters may snatch them back, requiring a gambit of Difficulty 3 in battle, or a Larceny roll opposed by the scavenger’s Senses outside combat.



MERITS Carrion Hunter: Add three bonus successes to any Senses roll to detect, locate, or track the scent of dead flesh. This bonus also applies on rolls to identify diseased carrion. Eagle Wing Rush: A scavenger may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is still at short range. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Storyteller Tactics Investigators pursuing murder cases search scavenger nests for clues among their stolen trinkets — many a murder weapon ends up in the birds’ nests. Similarly, finding an important belonging in a scavenger nest can change the course of a missing person case.



Scavengers first target any character with wound penalties or suffering from a disease or poison. They flee combat they did not initiate after taking damage to their first –2 health level, but will fight for an item until they’ve taken damage to their –4 health level.



Susurrus Ghosts are not immortal. Some surrender to Lethe and rebirth, while others are consumed by oblivion or forged into soulsteel. Others endure terrible forces, from earth-shattering sorcery to a hekatonkhire’s jaws, that tear them asunder. Most such ghosts are too badly dismembered to recover, but when many are riven apart at once, their surviving fragments can come together to form a patchwork whole — a susurrus. A susurrus at rest spreads itself thinly across its haunting place, manifesting as whispering voices and a chill in the air. Provoked, it coheres into a tattered mass of shadows, faces, and wisps of spectral flesh fluttering like banners in the wind. Hungry to be whole, a susurrus thrusts its sprawling piecemeal bulk into a human body to possess her, its fractured mind driving the victim to erratic bouts of elation, sorrow, lust, shame, homicidal rage, and suicidal melancholy. The dead have even more to fear. A susurrus rips ghosts to fragments that it incorporates into its own piebald frame. The more ghosts a susurrus consumes, the larger and more powerful it becomes. Ancestral spirits beg Exalted descendants to free shadowlands from a susurrus’ hunger.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x5/−2x5/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must become whole.”; Major: “We are no one and everyone. We are you.”;



75



EX3



Minor: My Haunting Place (Familiarity) Actions: Read Intentions: 5 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Social Influence: 5 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous), Resolve 5, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Rend): 12 dice (Damage 17, minimum 3) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 1, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness:10/3 OFFENSIVE CHARMS Patchwork Possession (30m, 1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Decisive-only; Essence 2): A susurrus cannot materialize, but it may possess a living character, pouring itself through her orifices and overwhelming her mind. This is a gambit with a difficulty equal to the higher of (target’s Resolve or Willpower). If successful, the susurrus takes control of the victim’s body, using her physical Attributes and health track in place of its own. Attacks capable of striking the immaterial damage both the victim’s health track and the ghost’s. The susurrus cannot use any of the host’s magic, but it may pull knowledge from her mind with a read intentions action. At the end of each scene in which the host is present, she may roll (Wits + Integrity), difficulty 3, as one interval of an extended action with terminus 3 and goal number 10 to expel it. She may also roll whenever the ghost tries to force her to act against an Intimacy, adding the Intimacy’s rating in bonus dice.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



it; it careens from one extreme to another, to another, sometimes over the course of a single conversation. On the hunt, its malleable form lets it squeeze through small spaces and cut its prey off from escape.



DEFENSIVE CHARMS Devour the Dead (1m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): When a ghost is destroyed or discorporated within short range, the susurrus can absorb the disintegrating remnants of the corpus, rolling the victim’s Essence as a dice pool and healing one level of damage per success. The susurrus can also do this when damage is dealt to a battle group made of ghosts within short range, rolling dice equal to (Magnitude lost + group’s Might). This Charm doesn’t permanently destroy discorporated ghosts.



A susurrus that devours large numbers of ghosts grows in size and gains additional health levels. This typically occurs over long periods, but a susurrus that tears into a ghostly battle group may grow mid-combat, gaining a new −1 or −2 health level (whichever it has fewer of ) whenever it uses Devour the Dead. At 10 additional health levels, a susurrus gains a dot of Essence and the Legendary Size Merit.



Storyteller Tactics A susurrus will never be whole, no matter how many ghosts it consumes or how many people it possesses. It never learns, though, and is always just as desperate to do both as ever. Its patchwork nature means only the strongest emotions from its many constituent minds drive



A susurrus of legendary size may use Patchwork Possession to take control of a human’s body via an ectoplasmic pseudopod at close range, without having to physically merge. Only the cost of the Charm limits the number of humans it may control this way.



76



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



Walkure Born of death-dreams on Northern battlefields, the walkuren appear as ghastly, majestic syntheses of divine warrior and carrion bird. Some manifest as winged and clawed avatars of battle; others are terrible women and men soaring astride black-plumed hippogriffs, their swords bright as pain, their hauberks red as blood. All dwell at the borderlands between life and death, prowling battlefields and shadowlands — alone or in flocks — in search of ghostly prey. And if all they find are the living, they can always make new ghosts. Although it isn’t a ghost itself, a walkure’s armaments evoke those of the battlefield from which it is born, making a walkure from Icehome visibly different from one who rose near Ascension. Yet the legends surrounding them are similar throughout the North. For example, many tribes believe that hearing a walkure’s wail away from a battlefield is a death omen. Frarithi strikes more subtly than many of its ilk. Tall and gaunt, swathed in furled black wings resembling a hooded feather cloak, it leans on its spear like an old man with a staff. But it moves swift as death on its stilt-like bird’s legs, while its horrid, shifting face is that of a killer seen through the eyes of a fever-struck child. Most walkuren bring captured ghosts to their larders to assuage their own weird hungers. But Frarithi serves a mighty master, and it carries its victims aloft to that dark monarch’s citadel.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 9 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 9 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Threaten: 7 dice; Tracking: 6 dice Appearance 4 (Hideous), Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Long spear/straight sword): 9 dice (Damage 14) Combat Movement: 9 dice, or 11 while flying/mounted Evasion 2, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 9/0 (Spectral hauberk) OFFENSIVE CHARMS Horrific Wail (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): If a walkure successfully threatens an enemy, the enemy loses three Initiative, as terror overwhelms even the steeliest nerves. Sky-Catch Talons (6m, 4i; Simple; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): The walkure reflexively swoops down up to three range bands from above to initiate a grapple gambit; this Charm doesn’t work if the walkure can’t dive downward at least one range band toward the target. Add one bonus success to the grapple control roll. Whether the clinch is successful or not, the walkure may reflexively



77



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



turnarounds when foes have the advantage or crash opponents just after they reset to base Initiative. Then, it carries prey high into the air, either to drag ghosts off to its lair or to dash the living to the ground below. A walkure flees after taking damage to its first −2 health level.



move one range band in any direction; if it is successful, the walkure pulls the grappled target along, without requiring a drag action. This is usable once per scene, unless reset by spending two consecutive turns moving upwards to build altitude. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Shadow-Veiled Deflection (3m, 1i; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 1): Streaming shadows behind its spear, the walkure gains +1 Parry against a single attack, or +2 if the attacker is at close range. Storyteller Tactics Walkuren haunt shadowlands and battlefields seeking ghostly prey. They prefer the ghosts of soldiers and warriors, but any will do in a pinch. When a walkure comes to a place where no ghosts walk, it targets living champions who display fighting prowess, considering such a one’s ghost a delicacy and a trophy once won. In combat, a walkure uses its wail strategically to enact sudden



Despite its voracious appetites, a walkure doesn’t always immediately consume its prey as soon as it returns to its nest, keeping a stash for lean times. Bereaved loved ones and surviving members of Sworn Kinships might still be able to lay their fallen friends to rest, if they can track the walkure to its sanctum. Some walkuren are willing to strike up a bargain if the living offer a worthy exchange for its lost meal. Others only view the living as extra stew meat for the pot. Those Frarithi takes face not only that horrifying walkure, but also the perils of its master’s citadel.



White Robe against that character’s Resolve. If it succeeds, she’s impassioned with grief and suffers a −3 penalty to all non-reflexive actions for the scene, unless she spends 1 Willpower to resist. Any given character only needs to resist any white robe’s Weeping Aura once per scene. Ghosts this aura successfully affects instead succumb to Lethe unless they spend 1 Willpower. MERITS Echoes of Grief: White robes gain +3 dice and double 8s on read intentions actions to discover Intimacies with contexts of grief, sorrow, loss, despair, or similar. Incorporeal: White robes are immaterial but always visible, even in Creation. Only attacks capable of harming immaterial beings, such as Spirit-Cutting Attack (Exalted, p. 354), can target them. SOCIAL CHARMS Incite the Grieving Tide (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Psyche; Essence 1): The white robe sings a dirge, stirring its target’s heart. Double 9s on one instill action to create or increase the intensity of any Intimacy to which Echoes of Grief would apply. If two or more white robes target the same character with this Charm at the same time, she suffers a −1 to Resolve against that action per two participating white robes.



As echoes of professional mourners such as Sijan’s famed sorrowers, white robes are empty garments that radiate grief and endlessly wander in a funeral procession to nowhere. The vast burden living mourners carry creates powerful emotional imprints from which white robes spawn. These sublime, hollow robes are inscribed with beautiful, ever-changing symbols in gray and bronze; those who can decipher the writings learn secrets from the Underworld’s forgotten reaches. Though pale and ethereal, white robes are plasmic creations of sentiment and dead Essence, not ghosts.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 30 Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Inspire: 10 dice; Instill: 10 dice; Navigation: 6 dice; Read Intentions: 8 dice; Senses: 6 dice Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Weeping Aura: Mere proximity to a white robe is enough to drive even strong-willed warriors to tears. The first time in each scene a given character comes within short range, roll the white robe’s Inspire



Storyteller Tactics White robes wander the Underworld and Creation, mourning not specific deaths, but all death as their raison



78



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



d’être. They travel in solemn processions of four to 10, and though they rarely stray from their intended path, their presence alone is enough to overcome onlookers with grief. White robes don’t speak or respond to much, even when threatened, focusing almost exclusively on their procession; they flee if attacked, and although they don’t communicate directly, they do sometimes sing hymns or dirges as they float eerily along inches above the ground. They read intentions to discover grief-based Intimacies and use Incite the Grieving Tide instinctively, rather than as any kind of ploy or deliberate provocation. This attracts griefbees that follow them around to feed on the ambient emotion the white robes produce in passersby (see sidebar). As white robes move along their unending funeral march, the symbols upon their bodies shift and change. A character can decipher the writing with an extended Intelligence + (Linguistics or Occult) roll, with difficulty 3, goal number 20, and interval ten minutes. The scripture reveals ancient and forgotten secrets of the Underworld, of the Storyteller’s choice; they may include paeans to forgotten gods that could summon or entreat such entities, the location of a deathknight’s hidden lair, teachings of the Dark Mother that might lead characters to a Liminal Exalt, necromantic initiations or deathly thaumaturgical rituals, and so on.



79



EX3



GRIEFBEES The Underworld’s bees glow the sickly gray-green of Contagion ghosts and bear ashen-hued stripes. They feed on emotion rather than nectar, preferring the vibrant emotions of the living to the dulled ones of the dead, and the weeping honey they produce imparts these strong feelings to those who taste it. When a griefbee feeds upon powerful emotion, it emits a soft greenish-white light, illuminating its surroundings out to short range. That light makes corpses within its radius glow in response, granting +3 dice to find them if they’re hidden or identify them if they’re disguised or disfigured. If the person died as a result of anyone’s intense feeling — for example, if their murderer killed them in a rage, or they committed suicide out of despair — the glow shifts to a lurid orange and also grants investigators +3 dice to determine how they died and other details about the circumstances surrounding the death. Characters are more likely to encounter griefbee honey rather than the bees themselves, unless they run across a procession of white robes or come within a mile of a griefbee hive in the Underworld and experience powerful emotions. Griefbees do not attack unless threatened, or unless the hive is endangered. When provoked, they attack as a battle group swarm with Size 1, Poor Drill, and Might 1. A hive of griefbees makes a pint of weeping honey in a day, which is a Resources 3 purchase, or Resources 2 in the Underworld.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



The Wreck of the Ruby Wren The Ruby Wren was a trading ship, low-bellied and fullsailed. The crew was practiced and competent, the captain brave but not foolhardy. They steered safely through terrible storms. They survived encounters with Lintha pirates and hungry siaka. They outpaced enemy ships and always delivered passengers to their destinations. The Ruby Wren was famous for its hardiness, which made it a tempting target. Some time ago, the Ruby Wren sank. No one claimed responsibility. The column of smoke that rose as the sails burned could be seen for miles around, making witnesses rule out an attack from a behemoth lurking beneath the waves. But the Ruby Wren and its ghostly crew remember. The ship went down fast, the great gaping holes in its hull letting the whole sea fill it in. The few who made it to lifeboats couldn’t row away fast enough to escape the suction as the bigger ship went down. No one survived, and the ship settled on the ocean floor.



Ever since, others sailing in the area swear they’ve seen the Ruby Wren’s flags flying on moonless nights when the seas are still. The ghost ship glides across the waves, seeking vengeance.



Essence: 4; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 100 Actions (Ruby Wren): Broadside: 10 dice (Cost: 5 momentum); Naval Maneuvers (12 dice); Positioning (10 dice); Ram: 10 dice (Cost:7 momentum) Actions (Drowned): Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Swim: 7 dice, Threaten: 8 dice; Tracking: 5 dice COMBAT RUBY WREN Attack: 10 dice (Damage 15; see Living Vessel) Attack (Grapple): 15 dice (15 to control; see Living Vessel) Soak/Hardness: 5/10



80



EX3



C h a pt e r T w o : T h e D e a d



DROWNED



Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (9 to control) Attack (Knife): 8 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 3 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 3/10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Living Vessel: Every rope and plank aboard the Wren moves at the ship’s command. When it enters regular combat, it joins its dead crew in attacking its enemies with these abilities: • Keelhaul: When the Wren controls a grapple, it drags its target beneath the boat from bow to stern and makes a decisive attack roll against its enemy. One of the drowned in control of a grapple may also use this ability. • Plank Walk: The Wren abhors being boarded. Sails’ booms swing about. Hatches open suddenly. The very timbers shift beneath enemies’ feet. Boarders suffer a –3 difficult terrain penalty to combat actions. • Tangled Rigging: The ship’s rigging snakes out and snares its enemy. The Wren can perform grapple gambits at up to medium range. • Waterlogged Wail: Wind whistling through the hull’s gaping holes creates a terrifying keen that serves as a threaten action against everyone aboard and anyone within boarding range of the ship. The Wren rolls 8 dice once against the Resolve of each target separately. Those who fail quail in fear and lose 1 Initiative. MERITS Scourge of the Seas: The Ruby Wren can participate in naval combat. It has Hull −0/−1x2/−2x2/– 4/Incap., Maneuverability 1, and Speed +4. Use its Naval Maneuvers pool for stratagem rolls. In addition to common stratagems, it can perform the following maneuvers: • Becalm (Cost: 5 Momentum): The Ruby Wren’s presence calms the waters and winds around the enemies’ ship. The Wren’s target loses 2 Momentum on its next turn. • Cannonfire (Cost: 5 Momentum): The Wren fires at the enemy ship, inflicting one Hull damage point. • Heavy Cargo (Cost: 7 Momentum): Some goods that were in the cargo hold when the Ruby Wren sank still remain. Their weight adds two



automatic successes to the Wren’s damage on successful Ramming actions. • Silent Running (Cost: 2 Momentum): The Ruby Wren makes no sound as it glides over the waves. Add 2 dice to Concealment stratagem pools. CHARMS Ocean Father’s Will (30m per 1 Momentum; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 4): The Ruby Wren gains up to 3 Momentum as the ocean itself fuels its vengeance. Storyteller Tactics The Ruby Wren flanks and ambushes any ship it comes across, using the cover of darkness to glide silently through the water. Once within range, the Wren fires its cannons and speeds closer. It rams the other ship and the drowned send lines across, tying the two ships together and swarming aboard. The Wren despises being boarded and uses its Living Vessel abilities when it enters regular combat. A crew of the drowned (p. XX) is always aboard and may act as individuals or as a battle group with Size 2, elite Drill, and Might 2. Any drowned who move farther than long range from the ship vanish reflexively and reappear belowdecks on the Wren. When the Ruby Wren discorporates, the ghosts aboard discorporate along with it. Storytellers should tailor the Ruby Wren’s backstory to best fit their game. Perhaps the characters tangled with the vessel in a past incarnation. Maybe it was a Peleps ship sunk by a V’Neef character’s ancestor, or it might have ferried treacherous Fair Folk over the waters of the Dreaming Sea. Storytellers may wish to let players theorize about the ship’s origins based on their current adventures and use elements of those theories that support their plans. Destroying the Ruby Wren is only a temporary victory. The ship coalesces again with full Essence and Health at the next new moon and single-mindedly seeks those who sent it beneath the waves. The ship is patient, its wrath as deep as the seas themselves, and it never gives up. To permanently destroy it, characters must successfully board, kill all of the drowned with spirit-killing magic, and then do the same to the empty vessel. Unless pursuing vengeance against those who have destroyed it previously, the Ruby Wren flees when it suffers damage to its –4 Hull level.



81



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Mist swirled about Inaol’s feet, and soon the ground stopped rumbling. Not because she’d outpaced the monster, but because she no longer walked on the earth. Beneath her, the ghostfisher burst from the ground and snapped at where she’d stood not a moment gone. Now it peered up at her, confused and confounded, denied its meal. “Fortunate for you,” said a voice in her ear, “I took notice of your plight.” The mist had followed her into the air and now took on a human shape. The being was cloudspun. Everything about her was gauzy and pale. Cirrus wisps drifted from her arms as she gestured. Her long, long hair drifted and danced on unseen air currents. “Thank you,” said Inaol. “But... how...?” She gestured at herself and her companion smiled. “You fought valiantly. I gave you my blessing.” The sun shone through the cloud person’s smile. “Come. I’ll show you my home until the beast forgets your scent and returns to its dank tunnels.” They rose, higher and higher, until everything below shrank to pinpoints and the forest’s canopy was nothing more than a carpet of mottled greens and browns. Higher still, through thunderheads’ heavy gray bases, until they burst into sunlit skies above, and the cloud city spread before them. Inaol gaped. Lofty towers climbed so high they scraped night’s indigo belly. Silvery roads led between soaring candy-floss structures, and all along them drifted the diaphanous figures of the cloud people. Her host tugged her along, showing her off to acquaintances as one might a favored pet. The others greeted Inaol with indifference; she suspected they forgot her as soon as they moved on. Up here, away from the snow and cold, feeling crept back into her fingers and the tip of her nose. The cloud person laid out a feast, pressed rainbow-colored breezes to Inaol’s lips and filled her glass with rushing winds. They visited vast libraries, where the stacks rose high as mountains and wispy figures argued philosophy for hours on end. Her host showed Inaol star charts she couldn’t comprehend, and pointed out constellations she’d never spotted from the ground. Sometimes, rather than walking, she found herself drifting like the cloud people themselves. She wasn’t the only human here, though others were rare sights. They hardly spared her a glance as they listened to their patrons’ intense debates.



I could stay here, too, Inaol thought, watching an older man carry an armload of texts to a spindlylegged table. But then a look of dismay pinched the man’s face, and to Inaol’s horror, he crumbled away to dust before her. The texts rustled softly to the tabletop. “What... what happened to him?” she whispered. Her host shrugged. “He stayed too long. It happens sometimes. Your kind should know better.” Suddenly, Inaol was cold again. “I should go home,” she said. “How do I do that?” “My blessing will fade soon,” said the cloud person, already bored. “If you don’t wish for me to renew it, I recommend you take yourself close to the ground and renounce my boon. It would be a shame if you fell all that way.”



82



EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



83



EX3



Chapter Three



Spirits 12 Ascending Earth Last night, I dreamed of a young man who offered me treasures beyond imagining. In return, he said, all he wanted was for me to bear his sigil on my flesh as a token of his favor. How was I to know what it meant? But now, it’s become all too clear…



ELEMENTALS The following spirits are elementals — beings born from the Essence of Creation’s own five elements: air, earth, fire, water, and wood.



Ahesh the Forgotten Ahesh doesn’t recall the first form she took, back when the world was new. Perhaps she was a fish, a seashell, or a bird with blazing wings. She knows she’s been a mirror-still pond in the Lap, a rainstorm that traveled from Champoor to Palanquin in a day, and a wall of ice moving inexorably toward Tusk. She once rode in a stoppered crystal vial in the Scarlet Empress’ pocket. Ahesh isn’t bound to any form. Sometimes she swirls in river waters, her droplets indistinguishable from those in which she swims. Other times, the water elemental takes whichever form pleases the people whose worship she hopes to garner: a maiden with ice blue eyes and pale blue skin, a large fish speaking with a god’s voice, a crystalline face peering out from a wall of ice. Her memories are brief as the flash of sunlight on water, and few of them are her own. Ahesh inhabits bodies of water, flowing with them, drifting on their currents. She gathers memories from those she encounters: from the pilgrim quenching her thirst at the river’s edge, to the prince trailing a hand over the side of a pleasure barge. She craves human experiences, taking them from her victims and leaving half-remembered glimpses in their place.



others beg her to take away memories of the awful things they’ve seen and done, happy for the peace forgetting brings. Though Ahesh tends toward caution, setting herself up where people will seek out her blessing, or where no one will miss the memories she steals, she is capable of frightening shows of power. As the First Age died, the people of the island of Desat drained a lake sacred to Ahesh and her worshipers. In revenge, she gathered herself into a massive stormcloud and unleashed her deluge over all Creation. No memories remain of once-proud Desat. Ahesh gains followers wherever she goes. Some come from the local human populace. Others are spirits or water elementals who offer her protection — though what they were supposed to receive in exchange, they’ve forgotten.



Ahesh is a creature of need and whim, malice-free and curiosity-driven. Though some find her thievery cruel,



84



EX3



Essence: 3; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 80 Health Levels: −0x3/−1x5/−2x4/−4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I want to live all the lives I can.”; Major: “Letting go brings peace.”; Minor: My Acolytes (Fondness)



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Actions: Disguise: 5 dice; Eavesdrop: 8 dice; Elemental Lore: 10 dice; Read Intentions: 10 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Social Influence: 7 dice; Steal Memories: 14 dice; Stealth: 7 dice Appearance 5, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (10 to control) Attack (Ice dagger): 12 dice (Damage 16/3) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 5, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 Cult 2: Ahesh has worshipers all across Creation, both people who have received her blessing and those who hope to feel her cool touch on their brow. She keeps a dozen such followers near her at all times for protection from those who object to her practices. Stolen Dagger Style (10m, 1i; Supplemental; One round; Essence 3): Ahesh’s fighting prowess comes from her victims’ accumulated memories. Double 9s on attack rolls for the Charm’s duration. If Ahesh has used Memory Siphon on her target within the past day, their fighting style — including their weaknesses — is familiar to her; double 8s instead. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Flowing Body Dispersal (4m, 2i; Reflexive; Instant; Dual; Essence 3): Ahesh’s body becomes liquid, letting attacks pass through her. Every die that



comes up 1 on the attack roll subtracts a success from both the attack and damage rolls. SOCIAL CHARMS Astute Insight Meditation (15m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Ahesh looks into her target’s eyes and learns their heart’s desire. She gains three automatic successes on a read intentions action, and determines the target’s strongest or most relevant Intimacy. For the rest of the scene, she gains a temporary Intimacy mirroring her target’s. This begins at Minor intensity, but Ahesh may raise it higher for 5m per level. Memory Siphon (50m; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Ahesh takes her target’s memories for her own. The target must use Charms or magic in order to resist. Roll Ahesh’s Steal Memories vs. the target’s Resolve. For each threshold success, she steals one distinct memory related to Intimacies that have come up within the scene. For example, she may take the memory of a time his rival betrayed him or his last sparring match with his mentor. The Storyteller should discuss with the player which memories she took, and how it affects the victim. Killing Ahesh return the victim’s stolen memories. At the Storyteller’s discretion, magic such as Memory-Reweaving Discipline (Exalted, p. 363) may restore them as well. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence



85



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Her goal is to convince her guest to part with his memories, and she’s usually willing to make a deal. She prefers persuade and inspire actions to bargaining, assuring the target that giving her certain memories will help him or someone he cares about.



1): Ahesh fades away and vanishes on her next turn, drawn away to the nearest body of water. This may include clouds, the baths in a Dynast’s mansion, or containers of water in a desert caravan. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Ahesh takes the measure of anyone who comes to her seeking to forget an event, or anyone whose memories she stole. Storyteller Tactics Ahesh calls on her stolen memories to aid her in social interactions with humans. She uses Astute Insight Meditation and shapes herself after her target’s Intimacies, such as wearing a face resembling his lover’s or adopting an accent that reminds him of home.



She’s not fond of fighting, but does so if provoked or if a target refuses to part with memories Ahesh strongly desires. Her form hardens into ice as she attacks. Ahesh doesn’t fight to kill. Instead, she wears down and subdues her target so she can use Memory Siphon. Her acolytes join the fray if she is threatened, forming a battle group with Size 1, average Drill, and Might 2.



Charnavrix the Unyielding, the Sleeper in the Grove, Lesser Elemental Dragon of Wood



Millennia ago, a Solar Exalt and an elemental spirit of wood fell in love. Where Three Branches Twine was mirthful and quick, and willing to bend in the face of change, Charnavrix more closely embodied the hard woods of the cherry groves he protected. Three Branches Twine loved Charnavrix in all his forms: as a human with night-black hair and thin, soft hands perfect for holding; and as the snarling, sinuous, bark-scaled dragon who carried him into battle. When Three Branches Twine at last grew old and passed away in Charnavrix’ grove, the trees shed their blossoms in mourning. Charnavrix commissioned his there in the orchard in which he’d expired. Then he curled around his love’s resting place, and waited. Surely Three Branches Twine would return to him, his old soul in a new body, and they’d be reunited. And they were! Many times through the eras, a pilgrim came to the shrine, and the Solar’s soul called to the dragon’s own. Again and again, they rekindled their love.



The Solar’s essence was locked away in the jade prison, and centuries passed by. Without Three Branches Twine’s company to make him pliable, Charnavrix instead gave in to his nature. He forgot his human form. His dragon scales hardened until they were more like stone than bark. Now he sleeps, guarding Three Branches Twine’s tomb in the Valley of the Ancients. The cherry grove is long gone, and the sounds of Dynasts making their changes to the Valley sometimes seep in through his dreams. He stirred once, when the Solars returned; the ripples were felt all through Numinous Rolling Wave Dominion. Those Princes of the Earth who suspect a dragon slumbers beneath them fear his wrath if he should wake.



Until the Usurpation. When the Terrestrials rose up and slew the Solar Exalted, Three Branches Twine and Charnavrix were far apart. The dragon searched for his love, tried to bring his bones home to rest, but he couldn’t find the body. He unleashed his grief and rage on the murderers, cutting a swathe across Creation and destroying countless Dragon-Blooded and their allies. Devastated, Charnavrix returned to the grove, in the hopes that soon enough Three Branches Twine would appear with his new face and new name.



86



EX3



Essence: 4; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 10 dice Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: −0x7/−1x6/−2x6/−4x5/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I am whole when my love is near.”; Major: The Terrestrial Exalted (Hatred); Minor: “In my love’s absence, I will protect his memory.” Speed Bonus: +5 Actions: Feats of Strength: 10 dice (may attempt Strength 6 feats); Fly: 15 dice; Read Intentions: 8 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Social Influence: 6 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 12 dice (Damage 15) Attack (Claw): 12 dice (Damage 18/3)



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (10 to control) Attack (Tail Swipe): 15 dice (Damage 20/5) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 4, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 15/10 MERITS Legendary Size: Charnavrix suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks made by smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash him unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting any levels of damage added by Charms or other magic. Soaring Dragon Flight: Charnavrix can travel up to five hundred miles an hour through the sky or through wood. In combat, he doubles 9s on movement rolls and may rush enemies on the ground from two range bands above them while flying. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Bone Shattering Swipe (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Charnavrix’ segmented tail acts like a whip, hitting anyone at its tip with tremendous force. He doubles 9s on the damage roll. If the total damage inflicted is 10 or greater, his opponent’s Initiative drops to 0 immediately.



Raging Dragon Strike (12m; Supplemental; Instant; Uniform; Essence 4): Charnavrix adds his current temporary Willpower to an attack roll, and doubles 9s on the damage roll. At Initiative 20+, he adds 10 dice to attack and doubles 8s on damage instead. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Sword-Stealing Skin (10m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): Bladed weapons get stuck fast in Charnavrix’ scales; the tough wood making it difficult for their bearers to pull free. Once per scene, when Charnavrix receives damage from a decisive attack with a bladed weapon, he twists away and takes the weapon with him without rolling to disarm. SOCIAL CHARMS Impenetrable Will Meditation (20m; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Charnavrix’ will is as strong as his petrified scales, inspiring others. By speaking with his target, Charnavrix reinforces one of their Intimacies against attempts to weaken it. For the scene, the target gains +2 Resolve against actions regarding that Intimacy. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Charnavrix fades away and vanishes on his next turn, drawn instantly to Three Branches Twine’s tomb. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Charnavrix can take the measure of anyone who comes to him seeking information on a lost loved one.



87



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Storyteller Tactics Woe to anyone who awakens Charnavrix without knowledge of Three Branches Twine’s whereabouts. He listens to petitioners, especially if they have information to trade. Though his personality is as unyielding as his hide, he respects reason and logic. Attempts to deceive him or hide one’s meaning in flowery speeches only raise his ire.



A party attempting to rob or alter the tomb of Three Branches Twine receives no quarter. In battle, Charnavrix relies on his powerful tail to lay waste to enemies in its range. He rarely dodges direct attacks, letting his petrified wood scales turn weapons aside. He flees when he suffers damage to his last –4 health level, returning to the tomb.



Cloud Person Hedonistic and aloof, the cloud people spend their ageless lives in aerial cities — masses of filmy structures built upon the largest clouds. There they indulge in airy luxuries, while away the hours amid philosophy and revelry, and study the movements of the upper air and the stars. Concerning oneself with the lands beneath — or with the affairs of the spirit courts of air — is gauche. But for all their condescension toward the mortal world, cloud people feel a strong pull toward Creation’s evanescent beauty. Lovely youths, freshly blooming flowers, opulent jewels, and the clamor of battle can draw them down to the earth below. Though they quickly tire of mortal affairs, they often bring home keepsakes or guests, infusing them with airy Essence that they may hover with the cloud people in their gauzy cities. Sadly, anything — or anyone — infused thus for more than one month per year dissolves into dust. Cloud people resemble slender mortals made of white cloudstuff, often mistaken for patches of mist. Their eyes are large and bright, their nebulous hair dozens of feet long, their voices faint and bemused. With their impalpable bodies, cloud people can assume any form (though they always remain diaphanous and cloud-pale) and ride effortlessly on the wind. Their foodstuffs are equally insubstantial, consisting of scents, breezes, and flickers of color.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Debate/Persuade: 6 dice; Fly: 6 dice; Philosophical, Occult, and Astrological Knowledge: 8 dice (see Libraries of the Cloud Cities); Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 5 dice; Weather Prediction: 7 dice; Writing: 7 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 3, Guile 3



88



EX3



COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 7 dice (Damage 8) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 1/0 MERITS Libraries of the Cloud Cities: The aerial cities hold libraries of countless books and star charts written on pages of mist, unreadable to all but cloudfolk eyes. With access to these, add three dice to Knowledge rolls to introduce a fact (Exalted, p. 237), including with Sky-Hidden Secrets. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Wind-Whistling Trick (5m; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 2): Cloud people call up small breezes or powerful gusts of wind to do their bidding. In combat, these gusts extend to medium range, rolling eight dice with 12 base withering damage. Conjured winds cannot execute damaging decisive attacks, but can perform all manner of gambits. They can also perform non-combat feats such as lifting small objects with a pillar of air, blowing books from shelves, or overturning a banquet table, all with eight dice; the Storyteller sets the difficulty. Eclipses pay five motes and one Willpower instead, and roll (Perception + Occult) with a base damage of (9 + Intelligence). DEFENSIVE CHARMS Dissolving Mist Body (10m, 4i; Reflexive; Instant; Dual; Essence 2): A cloud person dissolves and reforms around a physical attack, adding +2 Evasion. Even if the attack hits, subtract two dice from a withering attack’s post-soak damage or a decisive attack’s raw damage. Against a grapple, instead subtract five successes from her enemy’s control roll; she escapes the grapple immediately if this reduces him to zero successes.



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Cloud-Body Shapeshifting (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): A cloud person can transform her vaporous body into any number of shapes. She can seep under a door as a thin sheet of mist, hang in the sky as a cloud to spy on those below, or expand her body into a fog bank that conceals her summoner. Only supernatural senses such as Keen Sight Technique (Exalted, p. 267) can discern a transformed cloud person, with a difficulty 5 (Perception + Awareness) roll. This Charm can’t enhance Defense. Reverting to humanoid form is free and reflexive. Cloud Feather Blessing (1m per person or object, 1wp; Simple; One month; Essence 2): Cloud people may enchant willing people or objects up to human size with Air Essence, making them light enough to walk in the aerial cities, or for a cloud person to carry in flight. Being almost weightless has no mechanical effects, but stunts can exploit it. Nothing can endure this blessing longer than one month per year — if the elemental attempts to maintain it further or bestow it again before a year has passed, the recipient crumbles to dust. Sapient subjects instinctively know how much time remains, with an increasing sense of overpowering dread as the deadline approaches even if they don’t know what it means. They may reject the blessing at any time, though they fall as normal if they do so on a cloud. Downward Glance (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Cloud people take no penalties on Awareness rolls to see things from miles above. Add one bonus success on rolls to make out minute details, such as identifying who’s meeting with a courtier behind a teahouse. Add three successes instead on rolls to make out large-scale details, such as an army’s movements. Sky-Hidden Secrets (30m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): Through a combination of natural prescient gifts and immaculate star charts, the cloud people are adept at prophecy. Roll Knowledge to introduce a relevant fact about something that will happen up to a season in the future, rather than something about the present or past. Treat the introduced fact as likely to happen if the roll succeeds; but cloud oracles are fallible, due to the intrinsic instability of prophecy, inescapable minor errors in star charts, and unfamiliarity with the ways of the world below. This Charm is only usable once per story. Storyteller Tactics Cloud people prefer to spar with words rather than weapons. They’re fond of debate, but their arguments trend toward the arcane and oblique — they like to think they operate on an entirely different level than the material people they deign to engage. A sorcerer or savant who can keep up with their rambling dialogues, gleaning droplets of brilliance from clouds of obfuscation, delights them. Cloud people make exceptional consultants on occult matters, especially astrology, over which they frequently obsess. They make passable assistants in other matters, but they’re extremely recalcitrant if their



89



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



accommodations and surroundings don’t match their standards. Give each cloud person their own Intimacies. Cloud people disdain those who would press them into combat, but betimes even they descend to such actions.



When they do, they prefer hit-and-fade tactics, due partially to their delicate physical bodies and partially to their flightiness. Anything they find attractive easily distracts them, prompting them to try persuading the object of desire to accept their Cloud Feather Blessing.



Flickerfeather A common sight in Eastern rivers and lakes, a flickerfeather isn’t an animal as many think, but a water elemental. It resembles an overlarge cuttlefish, with a mantle over a meter long limned with small, waterproof feathers that change color rapidly as it swims — hence the name. While clumsy and sluggish on land, able to do little more than drag itself along, a flickerfeather can respire air. It must do so to use its peculiar talent for mimicking voices, which it uses to lure humans to play with. Its tentacles appear proportionate to its body, but can deform radically, extending out to several meters to snatch people up.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 60 Health Levels: −0x1/−1x2/−2x2/−4x1/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I love to play!”; Major: “My curiosity about the unknown knows no bounds.” Actions: Deception/Disguise: 6 dice; Leaping: 5 dice; Read Intentions: 4 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Swim: 8 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 4 dice (Damage 6) Attack (Tentacle): 6 dice (Damage 4) Attack (Grapple): 7 dice (9 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 5/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Perfect Mimicry: Flickerfeathers can mimic any individual sound and are intelligent enough to form short sentences from words they have learned by mimicking others. A (Wits + Awareness) roll, difficulty 3, is required to realize a flickerfeather’s mimicry isn’t the real thing. MERITS Deceptive Reach: The flickerfeather’s tentacle and grapple attacks can reach to short range; it



90



EX3



immediately drags enemies grappled at short range to close range. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Ink Clone (5m; Simple; Three rounds; Eclipse; Essence 1): The flickerfeather vents a cloud of ink that, even in the air, coalesces into the shape of another, identical flickerfeather, changing color in a slow cycle. Onlookers must succeed at a difficulty 3 (Perception + (Awareness or Survival)) roll to distinguish the clone from the original. The false flickerfeather is not alive, nor can it act other than to take reflexive move actions on the real flickerfeather’s turn. It moves realistically, but it’s simply a decoy, and dissolves when the Charm ends or when an attack deals any damage to it. Strobe (4m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): The flickerfeather rapidly cycles its feathers through every possible hue, hard to focus on. It gains +2 Evasion against a single attack, but it can’t use this Charm while Chromatoflage (see below) is active. MOBILITY CHARMS Fluid Is Fluid (10m; Simple; One scene; Withering-only; Essence 1): Exuding watery Essence, the flickerfeather saturates the air around it as it moves. It can swim through the air as though it were underwater. Opponents within close range treat the area as difficult terrain, unless they could normally move freely underwater. The flickerfeather doubles its soak against withering ranged attacks. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Chromatoflage (7m, 1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 1): The flickerfeather changes its colors to fool onlookers into thinking it’s some false feature of the environment no bigger than itself, such as a stepping stone or an underwater treasure. This functions as normal concealment, but doesn’t require adequate coverage. Observers can make a (Perception + Awareness) roll, opposed by the flickerfeather’s Stealth (or an Eclipse’s (Appearance + Stealth)), to pierce the deception. If the flickerfeather moves, takes any action, or takes damage, this Charm immediately ends.



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Storyteller Tactics Flickerfeathers are simple spirits that do what more powerful elementals tell them when pressed, but otherwise exist to amuse themselves and play pranks on unsuspecting passersby. They normally only attack to harm if threatened, but they like to engage in combat just to play keep-away, lead someone on a merry chase, or grab new playmates so they don’t leave and end the game. Flickerfeathers don’t understand the idea that some creatures can’t survive without air, so they have an unfortunate tendency to drag people underwater and hold them captive there. When a flickerfeather’s unwilling



playmate inevitably drowns, it gets upset and takes it out on the next person it sees. About as clever as a toddler, flickerfeathers take direction well. Sorcerers and other savants who live by the water keep flickerfeathers as guardians, and their talent for mimicry makes them ideal spies — stalking a target, learning what it says, and coming home to repeat it is barely work for them. They grow bored easily, however, and the wise provide them with means to entertain themselves, such as elaborate puzzles or opportunities to trick others, lest the elementals decide to make their own fun.



91



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Heartflame When first conjured, a heartflame doesn’t look impressive. Little more than an ambulatory flame, no brighter than a guttering candle, it wants for shelter against even the slightest breeze. Many such creatures prefer to take up residence in lamps or lanterns. A heartflame doesn’t grow when fed tinder, and can barely start a fire; the human heart is its only fuel. When its light falls upon a sapient being, the effect is so profound it can kill. The heartflame stokes the passions of all who look upon it, driving them to ever more extreme actions in service to their ideals. But the mortal heart can only sustain so much passion. If not allowed to cool, it detonates in a fiery display, leaving a smoking hole in the victim’s chest. Then, the heartflame burns a little stronger, a little brighter. Fed on enough hearts, it grows from ember to hearthfire, to bonfire, and eventually to a towering conflagration that can consume an entire city — not in flames but in holy war.



Essence: 1 (see Inspiration); Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 5 Personal Motes: 60 Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Extinguished Intimacies: Defining: “Inflame the passions of others.”; “Bask in the brilliance of the human heart.” Actions: Instill: 10 dice; Inspire: 8 dice; Read Intentions: 8 dice; Senses: 7 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Flare: 10 dice Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 4, Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 MERITS Ashes of Feeling: The heartflame loses one Willpower for each day it doesn’t gain any. If it runs out, lower its Essence trait by one and restore 3 Willpower. If this would take it to Essence 0, the heartflame dies. Burning Hearts: If any emotion-based effect a heartflame creates reduces a non-combatant or trivial character to Incapacitated, the subject’s heart explodes from the sheer pressure of fiery Essence roiling within, killing him instantly; each non-trivial character within close range of the explosion takes (heartflame’s Essence) dice of aggravated damage,



92



EX3



ignoring Hardness. The heartflame gains three Willpower points that can exceed its usual maximum. The explosion can ignite secondary fires, at Storyteller discretion. Fire’s Nature: Anything flammable that strikes a heartflame with Essence 3 or higher catches on fire, including people. Inspiration: Certain actions, events, or situations grant Willpower points that can exceed a heartflame’s usual maximum, noted where relevant. When it has 10 Willpower points, increase its Essence trait by one dot; it loses all Willpower points beyond 3. Heartflames grow larger as their Essence increases, from a candle flame at Essence 1 to a torch flame, then a small campfire, then a roaring bonfire, and finally to a massive pillar of living fire at Essence 5. At Essence 4, the Heartflame gains the Legendary Size Merit (Exalted, p. 573). At Essence 5, it can grow no larger, but can still spend its extra Willpower. The larger the heartflame, the farther it sheds its light; without obstruction, an Essence 5 heartflame can easily be seen for miles. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Enkindling Gaze (8m; Supplemental; Instant; Psyche; Essence 1): This Charm enhances an inspire action. If it’s successful, the target’s passions are both figuratively and literally inflamed. He suffers one lethal damage per threshold success, subject to Hardness. The heartflame must be within the target’s line of sight. At Essence 5, if a character dies from this Charm’s effects, the detonation of her heart spawns a new Essence 1 heartflame. SOCIAL CHARMS Faith’s Own Tinder (20m; Simple; One scene; Psyche; Essence 3): The heartflame’s warm glow brightens, casting an aura of light over everyone within short range of it that imposes a penalty of − (heartflame’s Essence) to their Resolve rolls to defend against its instill and inspire actions. The first time in a scene that anyone affected by this aura acts on an Intimacy the heartflame creates or enhances, or acts to pursue a passion it inflames, the heartflame gains three Willpower points that can exceed its usual maximum. Spread the Flames (7m; Supplemental; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 3): With one instill action, the heartflame targets a Defining Intimacy in one person and instills an identical Minor Intimacy in another. The



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



newly instilled Intimacy cannot be eroded for (heartflame’s Essence at the time of Charm activation) days. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Stoke the Furnace (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): When the heartflame successfully instills or strengthens an Intimacy in someone else, it gains one Willpower point that can exceed its usual maximum. Storyteller Tactics Heartflames are spirits of passion more than of mundane flame. They don’t speak in words but through pure emotion, breathing fleeting feelings into others’ hearts. Conceiving of everything in terms of fervent desires, they care nothing for logic or morality, and act on raw instinct without explicit instructions. Uncontrolled, a heartflame runs rampant, not because it enjoys burning hearts to ash, but simply because that’s its nature.



Every heartflame is born at Essence 1, without access to more powerful Charms. The process of cultivating a heartflame is initially slow, with Willpower won bit by bit through judicious use of Stoke the Furnace and the Burning Hearts Merit; using Enkindling Gaze is a gamble, but against a weakened target can potentially result in a net gain of Willpower. Once a heartflame reaches Essence 3, gaining access to Faith’s Own Tinder and Spread the Flames, it grows rapidly. Storytellers introducing a heartflame to a scene may choose to set it at any Essence rating. At Essence 3+, the effects on any nearby communities should be noticeable, providing leads for investigation into the cause of unnatural passions and spontaneous combustions.



93



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Huraka The huraka serve the lesser elemental dragons of Air known as the Wind Masters. Huraka have a mostly ursine shape, growing as tall as twelve to fourteen feet, with sharp teeth and soft pelts. However, their talons are more avian, and are spiked with thistles and thorns. A huraka’s cloud-soft fur matches the color of the Wind Master it serves: Blue Skulking Bear in the North, Green Frowning Bear in the East, Black Grinning Bear in the West, Red Stalking Bear in the South, and White Venerable Bear at the center of the world. Their breath steams constantly, even in humid air. As the Wind Masters are responsible for Creation’s five cardinal winds, the huraka are wind-herders as well, tasked with managing steady breezes over hundreds of square miles. They’re single-minded beings, focusing almost exclusively on the job at hand. While their duties mainly entail guiding the winds, the Wind Masters also use huraka as fighters, pitting them against their water elemental enemies.



The hurakas’ strength and unquestioning obedience makes them desirable targets for sorcerers’ attentions: a summoned huraka can haul massive loads, or direct a favorable wind for the duration of a ritual. A huraka will fight or defend its commander as well, though summoners use them for this purpose with caution. Abusing a huraka runs the risk of calling down its Wind Master’s wrath. A huraka’s breath is said to shatter deceptions. Those who can capture it in a clear glass jar can look through and see their target’s trickery fall away. Fair Folk glamour falters through its lens, as do magical miens. A liar’s words shimmer in the air when viewed this way, though the huraka’s breath doesn’t reveal exactly where the truth resides. The Tells and tattoos employed by a Lunar Exalt are an exception: they remain firmly in place.



94



EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 50



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Health Levels: −0x4/−1x4/−2x3/−4/Incap. Actions: Control Winds: 7 dice; Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Threaten: 6 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 9 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Claw): 9 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (8 to control) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 12/4 MERITS Berserker: Wound penalties that would apply to the huraka’s attack rolls are instead converted to bonus dice. Favored of the Masters: Though Wind Masters tend to leave huraka to their own devices, they are fiercely protective of their servants. A huraka in need can call upon its master for help to remove it from a situation, allowing it to disengage without a roll. The huraka catches a favorable current and moves one range band away in the direction the wind is blowing. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Slicing Wind Technique (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 2): The huraka’s talons cut through the air so swiftly, the wind in their wake becomes a weapon. When the huraka makes a



decisive claw attack, add two automatic successes to the damage roll. MOBILITY CHARMS Graceful Updraft Movement (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The huraka relies on the winds it controls to aid its movement and carry it over obstacles, allowing it to ignore movement penalties or difficult terrain. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Wind Master’s Roar (20m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The huraka roars with the might of its master for one round, granting it an additional attack in tune with the direction it serves: a blizzard-force breath from the north, a searing wave of heat from the south. A successful attack knocks its opponent prone. The huraka may use this Charm even if it already attacked this round. Storyteller Tactics Huraka aren’t combative creatures by nature, content to guide the winds and stay out of human conflicts as best they can. However, when called upon, they’re fierce and graceful fighters, using the swirling winds to enhance their attacks. A huraka follows its summoner’s directives, provided they’re simple and direct. It isn’t capable of advanced battle tactics, relying on straightforward attacks and defenses. A huraka flees when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level. If a huraka reaches –4 or Incapacitated, the summoner risks angering its Wind Master.



Rothopper Easily visible even to the least attentive travelers in the East, rothoppers are enormous elemental frogs, brightly colored and the size of large dogs. They have nothing to fear from predation, as they’re likely to be the most poisonous thing for miles. Immune to any toxin, they consume other poisons and concentrate them in their Essence, growing increasingly noxious. A rothopper’s easygoing nature keeps it from wandering far, and its poison slowly seeps into the area where it dwells, transforming it into a fetid swamp. When it does move on, life explodes in its wake. In this way, rothoppers help to slowly rejuvenate the wild, felling old and tired forests to make way for new growth.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 Personal Motes: 70



95



EX3



Health Levels: −0x1/−1x1/−2x2/−4x1/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Deadly Toxins (Hunger); Major: “Take the path of least resistance.” Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may perform Strength 3 feats); Jump: 8 dice; Social Influence: 7 dice; Swim: 6 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Stealth: 4 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Appearance 2, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Tongue): 8 dice (Damage 0 and poison when decisive, damage 2i/round (L in crash), duration two rounds, –2 penalty) Attack (Tongue grapple): 6 dice (5 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



MERITS Far-Snatching Tongue: Tongue attacks can reach out to short range and have the flexible tag. Poison Immunity: Rothoppers are completely immune to all poisons and venoms, mundane and supernatural. Toxin Tracker: Double 9s on all rolls involving detecting or tracking the sources of poisons. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Toxic Cloud (5m, 2i; Simple; Five turns; Eclipse; Essence 2): The rothopper exudes a thick, spreading cloud of poison, with the same traits as its usual poison but with an inhalation vector. On the first turn, it affects anyone within short range; on the second turn, it extends to medium range. On the sixth turn, it condenses as the Charm ends, covering the ground and any exposed surfaces with the poison. These surfaces remain a touch vector (limited to open wounds or ingestion) for the scene. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Stinging Riposte (2m; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Decisive-Only; Essence 1): When struck with any attack at close or short range, the rothopper



exhales a miasma of poison that clings to its attacker, with its usual poison traits and an inhalation vector. Before damage is rolled, the rothopper makes a decisive, unblockable attack with 8 dice; success deals no damage but poisons the attacker. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Adder’s Tongue (10m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): The rothopper may combine the effects of up to (Essence) unique poisons it has ingested within the last week, and use the new substance in any of its attacks or Charms for this Charm’s duration. This new admixture uses the highest of its component poisons’ damage/interval, duration, and penalty values. The Storyteller may adjust those values to fit the story or mitigate the poison’s potency as needed. Additionally, the poison may inflict unique effects on those exposed to it, such as a creeping cold as the victim’s blood slowly freezes, or hallucinations from a demon spider’s venom. Unveiling the Scorpion (3m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Like calls to like; the rothopper frees poisons from their carriers. This could make the poison in a drink separate out into a clearly visible layer, or make a poisoned victim literally sweat the



96



EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



deadly substance out, which reduces its duration by one interval. Storyteller Tactics Rothoppers are mostly dangerous thanks to their poison, especially if they’re well-fed. They’re not usually aggressive unless low on poisonous sustenance and actively



hunting for new toxins, or directed by a sorcerer to attack; in both cases, they lurk beneath the surface of muddy water to disguise their bright hides until close enough to reach prey with their tongues, though the steady death of nearby vegetation is a sign to the wary. A rothopper flees when it takes damage to its first –2 health level.



Steel Eater Beneath Southern sands, a patient opportunist with a gleaming metal shell awaits. The steel eater is an insectile earth elemental, beetle-like but with a long, flexible neck, that eats metals, digesting them to layer upon its exoskeleton. It grows until it rivals the yeddim in size, and then its shell warps into an enormous cocoon. From this cocoon emerges a giant lacewing that lays 100 eggs and expires soon after. This fly’s chitin and the cocoon it leaves behind are of the strongest alloys, made from all the metals it has consumed. In quieter times, steel eaters were content to find their repast deep beneath the earth, but in the war-torn Time of Tumult, they dig pits and hide at the bottom, waiting for armor-girded humans to stumble in.



Steel eaters hatch from burnished iron eggs, beginning their lives as juveniles the size of a large dog. Younger ones live in groups of three to five; fully grown ones are more solitary and spend most of their lives about the size of a horse, until just before their chrysalis. Then, they become ravenous and gorge themselves until they grow large enough to metamorphose.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0x3/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “All metal is rightfully a part of me.”; Major: Exalts (Jealousy)



97



EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Actions: Bargain: 6 dice; Climb Earth/Stone: 12 dice; Senses: 7 dice (see Metal Scent); Stealth: 7 dice; Track Metal: 10 dice (see Metal Scent) Appearance 2, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 5 dice (6 underground) Evasion 1, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 10/8 (see Implacable Hunter’s Aegis) MERITS Burrow: The steel eater burrows underground and must move to a specific target’s position, up to one full range band away, with a reflexive move action, ignoring difficult terrain. It can burrow through sand and soil, including packed dirt, but not through stone or other solid barriers. Unexpected attacks it makes after this movement in the same turn add two automatic successes to the damage roll. Metal Scent: Add three successes on Senses and Track Metal rolls to notice or find any kind of metal, up to a mile away. Ravenous Hunter’s Banquet: For each mundane metal object smaller than a great sword the steel eater consumes, it regains a mote of Essence, to its usual maximum; larger such objects grant three motes each instead. A steel eater can’t digest or bite through artifacts, but it can swallow them whole, gaining motes equal to the artifact’s rating. Characters can cut the steel eater open, or force or cajole it to vomit up its latest meal, to recover their wonders (or someone else’s). The steel eater must succeed at a disarm gambit before eating something another character holds, wears, or wields. Vibration Sense: Steel eaters have no eyes and don’t rely on sight. Instead, they feel vibrations on the wind and through the ground. They take no penalties from poor lighting, and double 9s on Senses rolls whenever vibrations are present.



OFFENSIVE CHARMS Patient Hunter’s Sandtrap (8m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 2): The steel eater burrows beneath sand or soil, forming a trap that extends out to short range from the elemental, horizontally and vertically. The topmost layer appears undisturbed, but when trod upon it immediately collapses into a swirling vortex of earth. Observers may notice the trap with a (Perception + Awareness) roll, opposed by the steel eater’s Stealth (or an Eclipse’s (Stamina + Stealth)). When the trap collapses, it creates an environmental hazard that deals 3i/ round, with difficulty 3. The interior is difficult terrain and imposes a −2 visibility penalty to actions that rely on sight. It requires a successful (Strength + Athletics) climbing action, difficulty 4, to escape without a rescue from above. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Implacable Hunter’s Aegis (7m, 1i; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): Gain +5 Hardness against a single decisive attack. Any 1s rolled on the attacker’s damage roll subtract from successes. Storyteller Tactics Steel eaters are tough, stubborn, and patient. They rarely act rashly or attack without putting their prey at some disadvantage, like trapping them in a sand pit, ambushing from under the earth, or disarming them. Exalts with their panoplies draw steel eaters like moths to flame and the elementals are jealous of the Exalted ability to work magical materials, but careful negotiations can create profitable situations for both parties. Individual steel eaters have one or two unique Intimacies in addition to the Defining one they all share. Juvenile steel eaters are Essence 1, while adults are Essence 2. Those close to chrysalis are even larger and more powerful; represent this by adding health levels and, at their largest, the Legendary Size Merit (Exalted, p. 522) and Essence 4. A steel eater flees combat when it takes damage in its first −4 health level.



98



EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Storm Serpent Born of the fury of a thunderstorm, storm serpents are wild, terrifying expressions of elemental might. Draconic in form, they can stretch for more than 100 meters. Their iron-hard scales are the color of storm clouds, letting them blend in exceptionally well with their native habitat and strike without warning. Like lightning, they lash out at the tallest targets first; unlike lightning, they are vindictive, even petty, fixating on a single individual and tormenting him with lightning strikes like a cat playing with its prey. However, for all their power, storm serpents are short-lived: They expire with the end of the storm. As they shatter, they precipitate a white dust valued by savants for its curative properties.



Essence: 4; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 9 Personal Motes: 90 Health Levels: −0x4/−1x4/−2x4/−4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Strike! Smash! Destroy!”; Major: That Which Will Outlive Me (Jealous Fury); “I despise trickery!”



99



EX3



Actions: Feats of Destruction: 12 dice (can attempt Strength 7 feats); Fly: 10 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 8 dice; Senses: 9 dice; Stealth: 7 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 5, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Tail strike): 11 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Bite): 9 dice (Damage 8) Attack (Claw): 12 dice (Damage 6) Combat Movement: 12 dice Evasion 4, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 14/12 OFFENSIVE CHARMS Fulminating Blast (11m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): The storm serpent gathers Essence in a crackle of electricity, then lets fly with a tremendous lightning bolt. Roll 12 dice for this unblockable decisive attack that can travel up to long range, which adds up to 8 bonus threshold successes on the attack roll as dice of damage.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Thunderous Rebuke (8m; Supplemental; Instant; Withering-only; Essence 3): This Charm applies a single withering tail strike attack to the individual Defenses of all targets within short range; the storm serpent gains full Initiative from the target who took the most damage, +1 for each additional target who took any damage, plus any gained from Initiative Break. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Evaporating Defense (7m; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous, Uniform; Essence 2): The storm serpent was born from lightning, wind, and water, and can become them. The storm serpent gains +2 Evasion until its next turn, and reduces withering damage by half before applying soak (rounded up). Live Wire (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Withering-only; Essence 2): The storm serpent responds to any ranged or close attack it attempts to parry with an 11-die withering counterattack, representing a shock of lightning. It occurs after the attack is rolled but before damage is rolled; it doesn’t count as the serpent’s combat action, and the serpent only gains 1 Initiative no matter how much damage it deals with this counterattack. MOBILITY CHARMS Ascending to the Heavens (5m, 5i; Simple; Instant; Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 3): Storm systems can stretch for miles, and storm serpents are impatient. The serpent transforms into a massive fusillade of lightning, arcing from cloud to cloud; at the beginning



of its next turn, it arrives at a new location, ready to act. This Charm functions from any location within the storm that birthed the serpent where lightning could plausibly strike, including within storm clouds, and can take the serpent to any such location within the bounds of the same storm. Attackers cannot target the storm serpent while it’s in transit. Eclipses can use this Charm in any storm, but using it in a storm with an active storm serpent is dangerous — they’re highly territorial. A wise Eclipse plans to land somewhere solid for her final location — a rooftop, a spire, a high cliff ledge — or risks plummeting from the sky. Storyteller Tactics A storm serpent isn’t given to negotiation, nor is it easily controllable without binding it to one’s will through summoning. However, an Exalt (or a brave mortal) may be able to talk one of these elementals into fixating on a specific target by appealing to its vanity and pride. Storm serpents have precious few weaknesses save their short lifespans, and are usually only vulnerable to attack when near the ground. Challenged directly, a storm serpent dashes every structure it can find to flinders before turning its rage directly upon those who oppose it, relishing the moment when they realize they have no shelter. Storm serpents never turn aside their destructive fury, never flee or surrender — their lives are too short to shamefully waste, and they punish foes for thinking they could challenge the spirit of the storm itself.



100 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



DEMONS The following spirits are demons — progeny of the unknowable yozis of Malfeas, working toward their alien aspirations as they toil in their rigid hierarchy.



Anuhle



the Demon Spider, Demon of the First Circle Anuhles are not a single type of First Circle demon, but a category of them. Most First Circle demons with the shape and behavior of a spider are called anuhles, though their purposes, colorations, and personalities differ depending on their Second Circle forebears, and they are many and varied. Generally, anuhles are web-weaving predators ranging in size between a large dog and a draft horse.



and disturbing deeds. Anuhles universally delight in the hunt, though their favored prey isn’t always people.



Anuhles descending from Calondra, Scribe of Tides Forgotten, attend to lost lore stashed within her manse. They weave forbidding tomes from their silk that can withstand the manse’s acidic environment, meticulously recording the activities of every being in the Demon City and the movements of its celestial bodies. In Creation, they weave alien structures instead, to lay eggs within that hatch not into more anuhles, but into eerie words — tales of demonic exploits written into earth, sea, and sky, imparting mind-warping lessons or prompting spontaneous quests to discover long-lost songs. These dogsized anuhles have bulbous abdomens like an orb-weaver, ranging in color from dusty blue to deep indigo. Riotous anuhles descend from Stanewald, She Who Surmounted the Omphalos. Boisterous and destructive, these demon-spiders crawl out from rubble left behind after her dances. They cannot abide stoicism and prey upon those who refuse to dance. These anuhles possess a splash of rainbow color, with eight graceful legs and slender bodies riding low to the ground. Octavian, the Living Tower, raises anuhles from his black oil and the viscera of those he’s slain. These vindictive, warlike anuhles gleefully hunt and kill lovers. They have a huntsman spider’s frightening shape and a warhorse’s size, and drip black ichor when they move. A sorcerer may summon the specific breed of anuhle she wishes to command, or leave it to Malfean whim. Summoners call up anuhles to pursue or slay targets, weave their magical hell-silk, or perform more unique



101 EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x6/−2x5/−4/Incap. Speed Bonus: +3 (breeds large enough to serve as mounts) Actions: Conceal/Disguise Webs: 8 dice; Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 10 dice; Spin Silk: 12 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Tracking: 8 dice Resolve 3, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 13) Attack (Webbing grapple): 10 dice (10 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 8/5 SPECIAL ABILITIES Dripping Fangs: An anuhle’s decisive bite attacks are venomous. The most common anuhle venom is a vitriolic toxin that deals 3i/round (L in Crash), with duration 5 rounds and a penalty of −4. Different breeds may have others. MERITS Sharp-Eyed Terror: Double 9s on all Senses and Tracking rolls. Anuhles suffer no sight-based penalties for dim conditions or darkness, mundane or magical. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Hell-Silk Weaver (7m or 7m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): For seven motes, the anuhle may supplement a Spin Silk roll to create hell-silk instead, a lightweight material with the strength of a steel cable. Each supplemented Spin Silk action creates enough hell-silk to make one square yard of fabric.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Alternatively, for seven motes and 1 Willpower, this Charm can supplement a grapple gambit, doubling 8s on the control roll and dealing one level of lethal damage to the grappled victim for every non-reflexive action she performs while clinched. Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): The anuhle moves with blinding speed, taking a flurry without the usual restrictions — it can flurry two of the same action if desired, and ignores the usual penalties to dice pools and Defense. Silken Spike Offense (8m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 2): The anuhle weaves a footlong spike of hell-silk and propels it at a target within medium range, as a decisive attack with 10 dice that ignores up to 3 Hardness. An enemy damaged by the spike suffers one lethal damage die per round until she removes the spike, which requires destroying it or a difficulty 3 feat of strength. Thread-Spinning Snare (3m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 1): The anuhle sets a trap that deals no damage, filling the area out to close range from it with webbing. Anyone who enters the area is subject to a webbing grapple gambit using the anuhle’s traits, even if the demon isn’t present; the web itself performs the clinch, and can only restrain



victims, although the anuhle is free to perform other actions and suffers no Defense penalties. In combat, this Charm requires a successful gambit with difficulty equal to motes spent. Hell-Silk Weaver and Web-Snaring Nightmare can supplement this Charm. Web-Snaring Nightmare (5m; Supplemental; Until the clinch ends; Essence 2): If the anuhle restrains a grappled opponent after its first round of control, it may wrap the victim in webbing, allowing it to take other non-reflexive actions while the grapple continues and suffer no Defense penalties. The opponent’s penalties to attacks while clinched increase by one. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Leaping Demon-Spider Dodge (4m, 2i; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): After successfully dodging an attack, the anuhle moves one range band away from the attacker in any direction. This Charm is usable once per scene, but it resets whenever the anuhle Incapacitates or kills a non-trivial opponent. MOBILITY CHARMS Monstrous Flying Leap (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): The anuhle leaps, pounces, or sails on a string of silk, moving two range bands with one reflexive move action.



102 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Storyteller Tactics



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Bloodthirsty Stalker (5m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 1): If the anuhle has tasted the target’s blood before (having dealt at least 1 level of lethal damage with a bite attack), it doubles 7s on rolls to track, follow, and find her; if she uses concealment magic, use an appropriate pool to roll off against the anuhle’s Senses or Tracking pool, depending on the situation. Hurry Home (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Spinning itself from fears and venom, the anuhle enters Creation in physical form. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The anuhle can read anyone it has hunted and caught, or is currently hunting.



These traits reflect the basic competencies of any anuhle; each specific type has a few additional Charms, Merits, and/or special abilities to reflect its unique nature. For example, Calondra’s anuhles also possess Demon Lore: 7 dice. If requested, they may spend 3 motes to recite one random fact about Malfeas, demons and yozis, or celestial and seasonal cycles. Stanewald’s anuhles also possess Many-Legged Dances: 8 dice. By spending 5 motes and 1 Willpower, they automatically succeed at a feat of demolition requiring fewer than 10 successes. Armor crafted from hell-silk gains the Silent tag and +2 Hardness. Mundane means cannot harm or destroy it, and it is immune to Dragon-Blooded anima flux.



Fulope



the Choral Equestrian, Demon of the First Circle Fulope are masses of flexible fibers like spun glass, each aglow and moving as if adrift underwater. When calm, a fulope swims through the air, but fits of passion tangle it into knots, each snarl blistering into a burning eye with a lamprey-like maw as its pupil. Like many of the Silent Wind’s brood, the choral equestrian lives to sing. Its own voice a harsh buzz, it possesses others to perform. Fastening itself to the nape of another creature’s neck, it winds scorching, yet painless nerve-fibers into the victim’s brain and larynx to seize control. Confronted with another singer of any kind, the fulope competes to prove its mastery until they stop. Rival fulope engage in lengthy duels of song, leaving their hosts’ throats raw. A fulope often obsesses over something or someone as its muse — most enticingly, Malfeas’ green sun. Left to itself, a choral equestrian seizes a flying demon’s body and soars into Hell’s sky. Those that fly too high burn, their stolen bodies plummeting like meteors to the city below.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 2 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0x/−1x2/−2x4/−4x/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Current Muse (Obsession), “I must sing.”



103 EX3



Actions: Beautiful Song: 11 dice (5 with its own voice); Fly: 4 dice; Host Impersonation: 5 dice (8 for long-term hosts); Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Social Influence (non-Performance): 7 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 7 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Tendril slash): 10 dice (Damage 8) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (7 to control) Combat Movement: 4 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 OFFENSIVE CHARMS Neural Reins (20m, 1wp; Simple; Indefinite; Decisive-only; Essence 2): Expend all rounds of a grapple’s control to roll (10 + rounds of control forfeited) dice against the higher of the target’s (Resolve or current Willpower). If successful, it gains control of her body, using her physical Attributes, health track, and voice. Observers may make a difficulty 3 (Perception + Awareness or Medicine) roll to notice a small glassy lump in the nape of her neck, and a difficulty 5 (Intelligence + Occult) roll to understand its significance. At the end of each scene in which the fulope’s host is present, she may roll (Wits + Integrity), difficulty 3, as one interval of an extended action with terminus 3 and goal number 10 to expel it. She may also roll whenever



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



the demon tries to force her to act against an Intimacy, adding the Intimacy’s rating in bonus dice. A character may submit willingly; the demon pays the Charm’s cost and automatically succeeds without a roll. A target who retains control while possessed — having sorcerously bound the demon or persuaded it with social influence — can spend the higher of (her Essence) or 3 of the fulope’s motes per scene on social Charms. She can relinquish control to let the demon act for her with its own social and mental traits, and regains control at will. An extended (Intelligence + Medicine) roll with difficulty 5, goal number 10, and interval one hour extracts an embedded fulope surgically from a restrained or subdued host. The patient suffers two lethal damage per roll, ignoring Hardness. Magic that ends possession, such as Burning Exorcism Technique (Exalted, p. 356), can also expel it. Song-Stealing Mollification (6m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): While possessing a host and in control, the fulope doubles 9s on a Performance-based social influence roll to uphold its host’s Intimacies by singing. Using this Charm more than once per scene temporarily shifts one of the host’s Intimacies toward a more demonic context or subject with each subsequent use, until the fulope is expelled.



Uncoiling Glassy Thread (8m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): The fulope’s strands elongate to grapple an enemy at short range, with three bonus successes on the attack and control rolls. Success drags the victim to close range. The strands’ pulsing heat is extraordinarily painful, increasing the grappled target’s Defense penalty to −3. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon weaves itself from snatches of stolen song in a hundred foreign voices. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The fulope reads anyone it possesses. Storyteller Tactics A fulope without a host tries to grapple the most appealing target. Choose the opponent with the highest Performance rating, or if none have Performance, Charisma. Enemy sorcerers can use summoned fulope to enhance their abilities, or take discreet control of someone important. Someone who’s already possessed makes for a good introduction to a mystery the characters can investigate, following rumors of strange behavior or noticing it themselves in someone they know.



104 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Metody



the Malfean Elemental, Demon of the First Circle pools and/or static values relevant to the rivalry’s nature, adding two dice each to pools or +1 each to static values, to a maximum of the rival’s unmodified value. It also copies one of the rival’s iconic Charms, non-Story Merits, or other powers for which it has the prerequisites. Each time the rivalry persists into the next story, the metody may improve three more dice pools or static values (including ones previously enhanced by the rivalry), and choose an additional Charm, Merit, or similar power. All benefits disappear if all of the metody’s negative Intimacies toward the rival drop below Major. Otherwise, the benefits become permanent if the metody personally and decisively defeats the rival.



The demon realm of Malfeas lies wholly apart from the mortal world, subject to its baleful masters’ whims and never graced with the orderly presence of Creation’s elements. Instead, its cracks ooze with Theion To, or vitriol: the acid of Hell. The metody are vitriol spirits, alien cousins to Creation’s elementals. They can assume any twisted or distorted human form, often horned or hooved, or disfigured animal shapes. They only take unblemished forms under compulsion. Their passage etches smoldering footprints into stone and trails a sulfurous stench. Their personalities are consumptive and acidic as their natures, passive-aggressively tearing others down and pointed in their commentary. They approach obstacles with lazy defiance, believing nothing lies beyond their ability to dissolve eventually, whether physical materials or ephemeral relationships. When a metody establishes a rivalry, it evolves to take on some of its foe’s qualities.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 5 dice Personal Motes: 80 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Everything exists for me to dissolve.”; Major: Creation’s Elementals (Spite) Actions: Feats of Destruction: 9 dice; Resist Disease/ Poison: 8 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Weaken Intimacy: 9 dice Appearance 1, Resolve 4, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Strike): 7 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Grapple): 7 dice (6 to control) (see Acidic Body) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 8/0 MERITS Blessed Acidic Body: Targets grappling or grappled by the metody suffer an environmental hazard (Exalted, p. 230) that deals 3L/round, with difficulty 5. The demon heals health levels equal to damage it would take from any other acid source. Rival Nature Subsumption: Once per story, a metody may establish a rivalry with someone toward whom it has a negative Major or Defining Intimacy (other than its summoner). It chooses three total dice



105 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Shifting Mutable Form: The metody assumes any humanoid or similarly sized animal (or animal-like) shape as a miscellaneous action. In fluid form, it ignores difficult terrain and can fit through any space a liquid could squeeze through, but can’t take any non-movement actions. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Fluid Embrace (8m, 2i; Supplemental; Instant; Aggravated, Dual; Essence 3): One withering attack ignores all soak, or one decisive attack ignores all Hardness. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Liquid Evasion Tactic (4m; 4i; Reflexive; Instant; Uniform; Essence 1): The metody disperses into sizzling globules, gaining +2 Evasion against one attack. On a successful dodge, it moves one range band in any direction it can flow, unless in Devouring Acid Form. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Devouring Acid Form (6m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 1): The metody dissolves into frothing, acidic foam. It devours mundane objects and structures, burrowing through soil, sand, or other soft substances with movement actions, or through one yard of harder substances per minute. It cannot take non-reflexive actions except feats of destruction, and



ignores damage that wouldn’t harm ordinary acid. It also counts as an acid bath environmental hazard (see Blessed Acidic Body). Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon flows back to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (40m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Reality peels back, smoldering, as the metody sears its way into Creation. Measure the Wind (5m, Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The metody can discern the nature of anyone burned with its acid. Storyteller Tactics Metody love to dissolve things — objects, structures, agreements, organizations, and relationships. They take their time, though, believing it’s inevitable that one day they’ll dissolve all of Creation. Thus, unless bound to the task, clever would-be victims might divert a metody’s attention to dissolving something more urgent with sufficient social influence. Malfean elementals meet aggression in kind. Known for spite, they’ll destroy an enemy’s possessions before they kill her, just because they can. A metody without specific orders to the contrary assumes liquid or foam form to flee while dealing maximum collateral damage upon taking damage to its first −2 health level.



106 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Oldrasek



the Eternal Wheel, Demon of the First Circle These demons tumble from place to place humming and whispering, quietly singing or mumbling about their obsessions. An oldrasek has no eyes, but it sees; no mouth, though it speaks. A half-dozen to a dozen glittering, rotating, concentric rings composed of any combination of brass, blackened steel, pitted bone, tendons, glistening viscera, basalt, or etched crystal, encircle its heart. No two oldrasek possess the same set of rings, but each has a scintillating fire opal at its center. The demon rolls along, propelled by its ever-turning rings. These shift and twist in turn to give it unparalleled maneuverability, casting bright arcs of reflected light in all directions. Ringing, clattering, and meaty slapping follow in an oldrasek’s wake, its various



rings striking the ground as they spin. These messengers roll up the mirror-polished surfaces of Malfean glass towers, carrying correspondence for the Demon City’s inhabitants and bearing their decrees to Creation’s farthest-flung reaches. Summoners and demon princes call upon oldrasek to deliver messages with dogged persistence. Tasked with delivering a missive, the demon commits it to memory and takes it to its target without regard for the challenges or dangers of terrain. An oldrasek does not stop for any obstacle, smashing through panes of living glass, toppling a Dynastic estate’s marble pillars, or crumbling the palisade erected around a fort. It rolls through raging battles, plumbs pelagial depths, and trundles through raksha courts with neither fear nor regard for the wonders and horrors it passes by. Upon arrival, it relays the message exactly as it was received, in a language the recipient understands. Oldrasek obsess over language and the delivery of messages. To amuse themselves, they translate the messages they carry into countless tongues, searching for hidden meanings and coded phrases to decipher, and memorizing correspondents’ linguistic patterns. They recombine dispatches to form a strange kind of found poetry, some of which borders on the prophetic. Each message it delivers links one being to another, forging an invisible chain across Creation and Malfeas alike. Some occultists believe that if one plotted out an oldrasek’s journeys on a map, its path would resemble the words of an incomplete missive. They suggest that if all oldrasek wanderings were so traced, they’d spell out a prayer the demons themselves have been composing for millennia.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 70



107 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Health Levels: −0x5/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Linguistic Feats: 8 dice; Navigation: 10 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 8 dice; Senses: 5 dice Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Rolling trample): 10 dice (Damage 14, minimum 2); Tags: Smashing Combat Movement: 13 dice Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 8/4 MERITS Eternal Wheel: So long as an oldrasek bears a message and continues to move, it needs no rest or nourishment, suffers no penalties for difficult terrain, and ignores damage from environmental hazards. Additionally, as long as it moves at least one range band per round in combat, it waives the Initiative cost on rush actions and smash attacks. Sturdy as Stone: An oldrasek cannot be knocked back or prone except by magical effects or creatures of Legendary Size. A grappled oldrasek cannot be thrown or slammed unless magic such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280) is used, or if the attacker is of Legendary Size. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Spinning Gimbal Crush (5m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 2): An oldrasek pulps flesh and grinds bone within its swirling sphere. Add three dice to a decisive attack. This attack ignores all Hardness except from a Charm or other magical ability. If the oldrasek deals any damage, it may then take a reflexive rush action against another target, or a disengage action if escaping the fight would be more prudent. This is only usable once per scene; reset by moving at least one range band per round for five consecutive rounds. MOBILITY CHARMS Earth-Defying Gyration (6m, 1wp; Reflexive; One scene; Essence 1): Unbound by natural laws, an oldrasek can move vertically as well as horizontally



as long as it has a surface to roll on. Eclipses with this Charm must roll as well, either by dropping prone and rolling bodily or using a wheeled device. Unstoppable Dervish Approach (8m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Add 3 dice to a feat of strength to smash through a mundane obstacle. It crushes any object up to the size of an adult human, or creates a similarly sized hole in a wall or barrier. When the oldrasek is within medium range of its message’s recipient, the demon may attempt Strength 7 feats to destroy obstacles in its way. This is only usable once per scene; reset by moving at least one range band per round for five consecutive rounds. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): In a whirl of brass, flesh, and blood, bands of sinew, and the smell of heat, an oldrasek takes material shape. Measure the Wind (5m, Simple; Instant; Essence 1): An oldrasek reads the nature of anyone to whom it’s delivering a message, or anyone who’s ordering such a delivery. Storyteller Tactics Summoners and more powerful demons use oldrasek to relay important messages to their allies or threats to their enemies, leaving plenty of opportunity for characters to bind one of their own or intercept critical information relayed via demon. An oldrasek resorts to Spinning Gimbal Crush only if cornered or if someone tries to prevent it from making a delivery. If its target is unwilling to hear the message, it smashes bodily into the recipient until he stops moving or complies — messages must be delivered. Whenever an oldrasek has no message to carry, it obsessively seeks another, roaming about and offering its services like a rickshaw driver seeking fares. If forced into battle, an oldrasek flees once it’s taken damage to its last −1 health level.



108 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Tomescu



the Clamorous Cloud Arsenal, Demon of the First Circle At the beginning and the end of each day in Hell, the tomescu scream with the awful knowledge of their own dooms. One tomescu out of every 100 stays rebelliously silent. Of a set of 10,000, only one foresees a glorious end, and its scream is joyous. These tomescu, other demons fear.



a peasant child. They do these things to honor the yozis’ incomprehensible wishes and to return some of their masters’ memory to Creation.



A tomescu appears as a swirl of vapor. When it attacks, long, insectoid limbs protrude from this airy haze, each ending in a vicious weapon. Beneath the cloud, a tomescu’s true form has a green carapace and dozens upon dozens of dexterous limbs. Though adept at the many arts of combat, the tomescu have no love for violence, for they know their lives will end in pain and suffering, and they wish to enjoy what brief pleasures they can in between their visions of death. Bound or not, a tomescu seeks out small, odd tasks and performs them for no obvious reason, from rearranging garden stones just so to saving — or taking — the life of



109 EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 70 Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Die in pain or glory”; Major: “All actions serve the enemies of the gods.” Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may perform Strength 4 feats); Honor the World-Makers: 8 dice; Read Intentions: 7 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Wailing Threats: 8 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Sword limb): 10 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Axe limb): 10 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Sledge limb): 10 dice (Damage 14/3)



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Attack (Composite bow limb): 10 dice (Damage 10); Tags: Archery Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 3, Parry 5 Soak/Hardness: 8/0 Note: A tomescu may have other kinds of weapon limbs in addition to the common ones listed here. MERITS Ten Thousand Deadly Limbs: Each of the tomescu’s limbs ends in a weapon. These are grown from the demon’s own carapace and cannot be broken or disarmed except with attacks that would sever a limb. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): The tomescu moves with blinding speed, taking a flurry without the usual restrictions. It can flurry two of the same action if desired, and it ignores the usual penalties to dice pools and Defense. Furious Thousand-Armed Counter (3m; Reflexive; Instant; Counterattack, Withering-only; Essence 1): After the tomescu has applied its Parry defense but before damage is rolled, it makes a withering counterattack with its choice of weapon limb. Successes on this damage roll reduce the target’s Initiative one-forone. The first time in a turn it uses this ability against a particular opponent, it doesn’t pay the mote cost. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Many-Limbed Interception (2m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): Ignore all penalties to Parry Defense against a single attack. The first time in a turn it uses this ability against a particular opponent, it doesn’t pay the mote cost. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Foretell the Future (10m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): In Malfeas, the tomescu read the wind and listen to the whispers hidden behind ever-present songs, and know the yozis’ wishes. In Creation, they do their best to guess, finding the former World-Makers’ thumbprints in hidden places. As long



as a summoner follows a tomescu’s predictions, she gains +4 bonus dice to relevant actions. Hurry Home (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Weaving itself from broken weapon shards and wailing doom, the tomescu takes physical shape. Measure the Wind (5m, Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The tomescu can read anyone who faces it in combat. Natural Prognostication (1m; Reflexive; Simple; Essence 1): Unbidden, the tomescu howls of misfortune doomed to be befall a target (often paranoid summoners). This is expressed as a one-sentence statement of something that may come to pass. If obeying the predictions of a Tomescu leads a character to acquire a Merit with a rating of 3 or less, she may purchase it without paying its cost. Once per story. Storyteller Tactics Summoners typically summon and bind tomescu for one of two reasons: they need a versatile combatant, or they wish to have someone’s fate foretold. Though the demons don’t read the Loom of Fate, they’re attuned to the yozis’ vast knowledge. More often than not their guesses are correct when they cry of doom and despair. Many a sorcerer has ignored a tomescu’s warnings and met her untimely end. However, they only predict doom — sometimes without being asked. Tomescu are frightening to behold in a fight as flurries of limbs and vapor. They tear into opponents one at a time until all that’s left is a haze of bloody mist. The same whirlwind of insectoid legs catches blows as easily as it delivers them; a tomescu in combat constantly parries and counters. A tomescu must scream at dawn and dusk when it glimpses its own demise, which obviates stealth.



110 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Audegar



the Ever-Open Door, Demon of the Second Circle An icy black wind presages Audegar’s arrival. Coils of violet cloth unfurl from empty air, assuming the form of a tall, powerful man entirely swathed in purple. No flesh exists beneath those robes, only cold, stormy darkness. Audegar serves the demon princes as messenger and courier. By entering the midnight tempest that is himself, he can travel anywhere in the same realm of existence, and may bring passengers with him. Though he’s honorable in his way, his winds are treacherous, inclined to tear travelers from him and cast them adrift on far, lonely shores. Jacint, the Prince Upon the Tower — Audegar’s demonic progenitor — creates Hell’s winding sky-roads with voice alone. On occasion, lesser demons consecrate those roads to Audegar by hanging their kin from them until dead. In like manner, an earthly bridge from which a person has been hanged is hallowed unto him for so long as the body remains.



Legend says that wherever Audegar delivers a message, a strange sapling sprouts, eventually growing into a tree doomed to bring bloodless death: a climbing child falling from its boughs, a brigand hung upon a gallows built from its lumber, or perhaps a tyrant slain by poison brewed from its bruise-colored blossoms. While Audegar abhors bloodshed, he’s fearsome in battle, unfurling lengths of purple fabric to smother and strangle, or to draw enemies into the shadowy typhoon within him. Some victims appear in the ocean’s depths or plummet from the heavens. Others simply vanish, forever lost.



111 EX3



Essence: 6; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 110 Health Levels: −0/−1x5/−2x5/−4x5/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I am honored to serve as a messenger.”; Major: “It is not the journey that matters,



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



but the destination.”, “I abhor bloodshed.”, “There is beauty in death and silence.”, the Demon Princes (Respect); Minor: Philosophers (Desire to Debate) Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Resist Disease/Poison: 10 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Social Influence: 6 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Teleportation: 8 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Appearance 3 (Hideous), Resolve 4, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Cloth whip): 11 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (10 to control) Combat Movement: 11 dice Evasion 6, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 10/0 (see Resilient Cloth Body) MERITS Levitant: Audegar doesn’t touch the earth, but rather drifts above it. He ignores relevant difficult terrain. Resilient Cloth Body: Audegar has Hardness 6 against attacks that deal bashing decisive damage. Soul-Scrap Vessel: Should Audegar be killed, his windy Essence clings to a fragment of violet cloth that reflexively flees via Borne on Black Winds (see below). This soul-scrap vessel has a single −4 health level and 10 motes, and is only capable of movement, perception, social influence, and stealth. Audegar’s Essence gutters out by the end of the next story unless an artisan weaves him a new body as a major crafting project. Travel Through Nothingness: Audegar can teleport when taking a reflexive move action, ignoring obstructions and difficult terrain. He may bring one willing character whenever he teleports; this counts as the passenger’s next reflexive move action. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Enshrouding Textile Snare (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 5): Banners of Audegar’s violet cloth cocoon a foe. Double 9s on a grapple gambit’s attack roll, Initiative roll, and control roll. Once per scene; reset by successfully using Inner Whirlwind Banishment against a non-trivial opponent. Flickering-Air Ambuscade (6m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Uniform; Essence 6): Folding into himself, Audegar vanishes, reappearing behind an enemy within medium range and making a normal cloth whip attack. Inner Whirlwind Banishment (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 6): Pulling an ensnared enemy inside himself, Audegar exiles her into his internal storm. He may only use this Charm while controlling a grapple at Initiative 10+ with at least five turns of control. The target vanishes, reappearing at the start of the next round in some dangerous location



within long range, such as high above the ground or at the bottom of a lake; the target must be able to fit normally in the space where they appear. This cannot guarantee death, but may be fatal without supernatural protection or swift rescue. Once per scene; reset by defeating a non-trivial opponent using other means. Porphyreal Brocade Barrage (6m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Essence 4): Audegar sends streamers of purple fabric lashing out in all directions. This is a single withering attack with 13 dice and 13/3 damage against all opponents within close range. He gains Initiative normally for the highest damage roll, plus up to three Initiative for each other target struck. Anyone this attack crashes flies back one range band and lands prone. Once per scene; reset when attacked 5+ times in one round by non-trivial opponents. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Implosive Evasion (5m, 2i or 5m, 2i, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 5): Audegar folds into himself to escape harm, gaining +3 Evasion. If he dodges successfully, he vanishes and immediately reappears anywhere he wishes within short range (or medium range with a 1 Willpower surcharge), ignoring obstructions. MOBILITY CHARMS Elusive Skyborne Wisp (2m+; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 4): Add up to three successes to any combat movement roll, or up to +3 to Evasion, for two motes per success or point of Evasion. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Borne on Black Winds (10m + 5m/passenger; Simple; Instant; Essence 6): Audegar vanishes into the cold, dark winds inside himself to travel afar. These winds exist outside Creation; while traveling, he neither perceives nor interacts with the world and vice versa. Audegar travels 100 miles per hour, ignoring obstacles except those that block immaterial beings. Passengers treat the icy winds as an environmental hazard (1B/hour, difficulty 1) and must roll (Stamina + Integrity) or be torn free, falling back into the world somewhere off-course determined by the Storyteller. If he transports a large group, the Storyteller may make one roll to represent the whole group. This Charm cannot transport people between realms of existence. Audegar himself must roll Teleportation with variable difficulty: 1 for a place within line of sight, 2 for a place he knows well, 3 for a place barely known or unknown but well-described, or 4 for a place unknown and only vaguely described. Failure leads him off-course. A botch takes him and his passengers wildly off-course, or they encounter some disastrous inner peril — like a spectral behemoth, black-lightning storm, or hurricane of bones — of the Storyteller’s choosing.



112 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Audegar fades away and vanishes on his next turn, drawn instantly to his summoner’s side or to a petitioner with whom he’s communing via Pontal SkyShrine Intercession. Materialize (55m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Audegar unfurls from a gust of cold, dark wind. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Audegar can discern the nature of anyone who travels through him. Pontal Sky-Shrine Intercession (5m; Reflexive; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 4): Audegar may activate this Charm whenever someone in the same realm of existence speaks his name while on a bridge sanctified to him. He can hear and be heard by the



petitioner and those around her for the scene. The Charm ends if the petitioner leaves the bridge or if the bridge loses its sanctification. An Eclipse can activate this Charm when someone speaks her name, not Audegar’s; this requires a bridge sanctified via actions and symbols evoking the Eclipse’s own personality and nature, as agreed upon with the Storyteller. Storyteller Tactics Sorcerers typically bind Audegar for conveyance, though he’s also an efficacious messenger and adequate combatant. While unbound, he usually eschews combat, preferring diplomacy and fleeing the first time he takes any damage. Should a summoner’s orders compel battle, he prefers hit-and-run tactics, picking off stragglers with Enshrouding Textile Snare and Inner Whirlwind Banishment.



Makarios



the Sigil’s Dreamer, Demon of the Second Circle Makarios appears as a youth with hair of copper wire and a rainbow shimmer upon his eyes. His foremost desire is to spread his sigil across Creation, binding mortal dreams to him. Sorcerers call Makarios to advise them in trade negotiations or to bargain for his otherworldly treasures. Crueler summoners set the demon to tormenting foes in dreams. Those wishing to bargain with Makarios must do so in dreams, where he resides in a citadel of apple-green chrysoprase and white alabaster, filled with sensual delights. The wonders Makarios offers are rarely found in Creation: gems of crystalline sorrow, nightmare-scented perfumes, the language of toads. His cost is always fair, though well-negotiated.



Essence: 5; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 100 Health Levels: −0x1/−1x3/−2x5/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Expand the ranks of my sigil-bearers.”, “Breaking bargains is unforgivable.”; Major: “Bring my goods to broader markets.”, Sigil-Bearers (Possessiveness); Minor: The Guild (Fondness) Actions: Appraise Goods: 12 dice; Bargain: 14 dice; Crafting: 12 dice; Demon City Lore: 7 dice; Economics: 10 dice; Investigate: 7 dice; Read Intentions: 9 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Social Influence: 10 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 5, Guile 4



113 EX3



COMBAT Attack (Unarmed): 10 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 3, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 8/4 MERITS Cult 2: Sigil-bearers pray for relief that never comes. Demon-Merchant’s Prerogative: Any social influence that would compel Makarios to give away his wares without a fair deal is unacceptable (Exalted, p. 220), including commands from a sorcerer who’s bound him. Dream-Binding Sigil: A character with Occult 5, or Occult 3 and a specialty in Demons, may make a difficulty 3 (Intelligence + [lower of Linguistics or Occult]) roll to draw Makarios’ sigil on the brow of a willing or helpless mortal. Marked mortals can’t regain Willpower from sleep, and can’t dream at all unless Makarios visits them. Every (10 – Integrity) days a marked character with zero Willpower goes without recovering any Willpower, she either gains the Minor Madness Derangement (Exalted, p. 168), or increases the Derangement’s intensity one step if she already has it. Removing the mark unbinds her dreams, but doesn’t remove Derangements. She can wash away an inked or painted sigil, but a branded or scarred sigil must be removed either with magic capable of healing crippling injuries or by cutting away the marked flesh, which inflicts four dice of lethal damage that can’t be negated or prevented.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



OFFENSIVE CHARMS Prismatic Cloud Touch (6m, 3i; Supplemental; Instant; Dual, Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 3): Wreathing a hand in a colorful haze of dreams and nightmares, Makarios saps his foe’s will. A withering attack that crashes an enemy, or decisive attack that hits an enemy, supplemented by this Charm steals one Willpower from the target; this can increase Makarios’ Willpower beyond its maximum, but excess unspent points vanish at the end of the scene. Tarnished Trinket Glint (7m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Eclipse, Psyche; Essence 3): Roll 12 dice (Eclipses use [Manipulation + Bureaucracy]) against the Resolve of an enemy within medium range as a difficulty 4 gambit. Success makes the victim see an illusory treasure somewhere within medium range of Makarios, tailored to appeal to one of her Major or Defining Intimacies. She must move toward it, and can’t attack any target until she reaches it. The Solar Charm Eye of the Unconquered Sun and comparable effects render characters immune to this Charm. SOCIAL CHARMS Gates of the Dreaming Market (5m, 1wp [+10m, 1wp]; Simple; One dream; Eclipse; Essence 3): Makarios enters the dreams of a sleeping character



whose approximate location he knows, letting him speak to and engage in social influence with her. Objects held or worn by both participants’ physical bodies accompany them; any exchanged objects appear at the recipient’s physical location. Makarios doubles 9s on all actions if the dreamer bears his sigil. (Eclipses can’t gain this benefit.) At any time, Makarios can commit a 10-mote, 1-Willpower surcharge to change the dream into a nightmare in which he and the dreamer can harm each other, with damage and other deleterious effects carrying over to their physical bodies. It’s not possible to die this way — Incapacitated characters lose all Willpower instead. Lotus-Gilding Tongue (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 5): Double 8s on a bargain roll. Double 7s instead if Makarios offers something he crafted from otherworldly materials. Waking Dream Affliction (10m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse, Psyche; Essence 3): Roll 12 dice (Eclipses use [Manipulation + Bureaucracy]) against the Resolve of one or more characters. Affected characters perceive an illusion — either an alteration to the environment, or an illusory entity up to the size of a house — as real, unless physical interaction with it reveals otherwise. Characters can spend 1 Willpower to resist if their belief in the illusion imperils a Major or Defining Intimacy.



114 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Heartfelt Treasures Appraisal (8m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 4): Makarios perfectly ignores attempts to misrepresent the value of objects offered for sale or trade, including Psyche effects like the Solar Charm Soul-Snaring Pitch (Exalted, p. 286), unless the seller’s sole motivation is upholding a Defining Intimacy, not profit. Makarios can free others from such influence by informing them of the truth. He automatically discerns any Ties a seller has to her wares. Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): On his next turn, Makarios vanishes to his summoner’s side; unavailable while unbound. Materialize (50m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Makarios appears from a swirl of prismatic mist. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Makarios determines the nature of a sigil-bearer or someone bargaining with him. Sigil-Seeking (10m; Simple; One scene; Essence 3): Double 7s on Senses-based rolls against sigil-bearers.



Storyteller Tactics Makarios offers unique and valuable treasures. He accepts many forms of compensation — vast sums of currency, artifacts, favors, and so on — but his favorite deal by far is payment in unwilling mortals marked with his sigil. Confronted with moral objections to this, he expresses polite bemusement. Makarios can’t threaten the Exalted in combat. If negotiations fail, he disorients enemies with Waking Dream Affliction and stalls the strongest foe with Tarnished Trinket Glint, then dematerializes and flees. His true weapons are his connections in Creation; take this opportunity to introduce unique and colorful antagonists — cultists, sorcerers, Exigents, the Guild, etc. He has no mercy for those who renege on deals with him, and exacts punishments ranging from tormented dreams to sending minions or the indebted to harass the perpetrator in the waking world.



115 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Rimvidas



the Cancerous Cornucopia, Demon of the Second Circle Bipedal and pleasant to the eye, with a half-dozen arms that each end in a many-fingered hand, the Malfean gardener Rimvidas tends to the development not only of Creation’s vegetation when summoned and what twisted flora thrive in Hell, but anything that can bloom and grow: blossoming ideas captured from creative mortal minds, a thriving economy, a war for conquest and expansion, or even new love. They drape themselves in cloth-of-brass unless put to a particular task, in which case their clothing shifts to something appropriate — gleaming armor when called upon to aid in conquest, for instance, or a merchant’s finery when commanded to bolster trade. It’s dangerous to rely on the Cancerous Cornucopia; they never know when to stop. Left unchecked, their gardens overgrow to the ruin of entire castle towns. The loves they encourage intensify until the unfortunate victims become codependent and obsessed. A campaign of conquest stretches a nation’s resources so thin their entire empire collapses practically overnight. Rimvidas continues to tweak and meddle indefinitely, sometimes accomplishing precisely the opposite of their intentions. Sorcerers must craft commands carefully to avoid destroying what they wish to make flourish, and any summoner worth their salt advises their students to always give the demon a hard deadline or quantitative limit. Rimvidas never takes the blame for tasks they botch this way, petty and spiteful in its accusations of others even if interference was impossible. A desperate whisper begging for change into a moonless night can call Rimvidas to Creation unbidden.



Essence: 6; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 110 Health Levels: −0x2/−1x4/−2x6/−4/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Cultivate things that grow.”; Major: “Nothing is ever my fault.”, “My work is never done.”; Minor: “Everything I touch must be perfected.”, “The more drastic the change, the better.” Actions: Cultivate: 12 dice; Demon Lore: 7 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Read Intentions: 8 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 10 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Social Influence: 9 dice; Stealth: 7 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 4, Guile 5



116 EX3



COMBAT Attack (Spade): 12 dice (Damage 10/2); Tags: Piercing Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 5 Soak/Hardness: 10/0 MERITS Cult 1: Rimvidas’ worshipers are gardeners, animal breeders, and other nurturers with an infernal bent, or those desperate to make a productive change: the oppressed and downtrodden as well as the greedy and ambitious. Green Thumb: Rimvidas rolls Cultivate for any action that involves growing something in any way, at the Storyteller’s discretion, even if the action would normally fall under another pool. Example actions include rallying for numbers while commanding a battle group, instill actions to create a new Intimacy or strengthen an existing one, crafting new objects or repairing broken ones, and any action that contributes to the health and growth of a living being. Overgrowth: On the final roll of any extended action with a terminus (Exalted, p. 189), Rimvidas may accept a complication or deleterious side effect for the action to increase the terminus by one roll. They may do this indefinitely, but all complications and side effects stack. Complications need not necessarily affect Rimvidas themselves; they could affect the environment, the demon’s allies, or even the stability of infrastructure, if the action has a large enough scope. Perfectionist: Rimvidas may spend 1 Willpower to immediately reroll a failed roll for any non-extended action that supports one of their Intimacies with no increased difficulty and take the higher result, although any costs required to use relevant magic must be paid again. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Conscript-Pruning Strategy (20m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 4): Rimvidas prunes not for quality, but for quantity. This Charm enhances a rally for numbers action that either Rimvidas or one of their allies takes. If this action restores more than the battle group’s maximum Magnitude, the group gains 1 Size, to a maximum of 6. Whenever the group’s Size increases beyond 5, reduce either its Drill or Might by 1. Drill can’t drop below poor and Might can’t



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



drop below 0; if increasing Size to 6 would decrease either past their minimums, this Charm fails. The extra numbers may be defectors from an enemy army’s own lost Size, innocent bystanders roped into fighting, or even ferocious wild animals drawn from the surrounding area. SOCIAL CHARMS Fertilizing the Grapevine (15m, 1wp; Supplemental; Eclipse; Instant; Essence 3): Like overgrown vines, an idea or feeling creeps unchecked from one mouth or mind to another. This Charm supplements an instill action to create or strengthen an Intimacy. If successful, the next time the target speaks to another character about a topic related to the Intimacy, roll Rimvidas’ action again with all its original enhancements, but without costs. If successful, the new target also falls victim to the same instill action. This chain continues until the action fails or until four days have passed, whichever comes first. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Coaxing Stem and Bone (8m per Merit dot; Simple; Instant; Essence 5): Rimvidas may shape the



form and function of any developing living being. Roll Cultivate with a difficulty equal to the target’s Stamina or Resolve, whichever is lower. If its subject is sapient and the roll succeeds, this Charm bestows one dot per eight motes spent of any valid Merit upon the subject, including supernatural Merits but excluding Story Merits, Merits for which the character doesn’t meet the prerequisites, Merits that affect Exaltation, and Merits that are strictly social or experiential in nature. If the Charm’s subject isn’t sapient, such as a mundane plant or animal, Rimvidas need not roll, and chooses mundane or supernatural non-Merit mutations to bestow instead as long as they add rather than subtracting anything. For instance, they could add a tail to a creature, make a flower produce more pollen, or give sight to a blind animal. For each Merit after the first bestowed upon the same sapient target, that target gains a new Minor Intimacy for something demonic in nature, of the Storyteller’s choice. For each mutation after the first bestowed upon a non-sapient target, its form or function perceptibly warps in some way that brings it more in line with Malfean ideals or aesthetics. Rimvidas cannot use this



117 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Charm on any subject that has reached full maturity, and can only use it once per target per story. Player characters who receive its benefits enter experience debt for the Merit dots received and all experience points the player earns must pay off the debt before being applied to other traits. This Charm bypasses the need for training time. Fecundity in Motion (8m; Simple; One scene; Essence 3): The Cancerous Cornucopia may give life, but what else do they give along with it? Roll Cultivate with a difficulty equal to the target’s Stamina or Resolve, whichever is lower. If successful, the target converts one aggravated damage level to lethal or heals one lethal or bashing health level at the beginning of each of their turns for the rest of the scene. If they have no damage to heal, they gain one temporary −0 health level per turn instead; damage fills these temporary health levels first, and they vanish upon filling with lethal or aggravated damage. For each temporary health level the target gains, they also gain a Flaw (Exalted, p. 167) that lasts for the rest of the current story; the player and Storyteller should work together to choose the Flaw, and the player may choose to keep it permanently. If the Flaw is a Derangement, each level of severity counts as a separate Flaw. Rimvidas cannot end this Charm early. Green Sun Nourishment (2m per die rerolled; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): When two trees grow too close together, only the one that can reach the sunlight first survives. Whenever Rimvidas rolls Cultivate, they may reroll one failed die per two motes



spent. For each success that results from the reroll, subtract a die from any pool Rimvidas possesses other than Cultivate. Hurry Home (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (55m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): With the scent of wet dirt and the iron tang of fresh blood, Rimvidas takes material shape. Measure the Wind (5m, Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Rimvidas can read anyone they’ve directly targeted with a Charm at any time in the past. Storyteller Tactics Summoners commonly call on Rimvidas to bestow blessings upon their children, crops, or lavish gardens. Cautious summoners know not to allow the demon too much free reign, though, lest they take abundance to the extreme and bring the sorcerer’s endeavors to ruin. Left to their own devices, Rimvidas always continues to grow, tweak, and perfect whatever they get their hands on until forced to stop, either by command or by circumstance. Rimvidas loathes bloodshed. Though capable of defending themselves to survive or protect their summoner, battle ill suits their nature. If they must engage in it, they wield a gleaming brass spade sharp enough to punch through orichalcum with alarming skill despite their hatred for violence. The demon dematerializes and flees at the first opportunity unless forced to fight.



118 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Stanewald



She Who Surmounted the Omphalos, Demon of the Second Circle Stanewald appears only where shadows fall and the dust is thickest, for her form fades in strong light. Summoners who have seen her describe Stanewald as handsome, floating just above the earth and wearing a tanned horsehide as a cloak over a colorful, flowing tunic and white silk pants. Like many Malfean denizens, Stanewald is a dancer. Music and dance permeate every corner of the realm, and all demons feel such arts deep in their bones, from the lowliest metody to the majestic Green Sun himself. Stanewald is known for her 13 efficacious dances that express her joy in shattering stone, widely regarded as the pinnacle of dance-based magic. Any being can earn the grudging respect of demons far and wide if they manage to learn even one of Stanewald’s infamous dances.



119 EX3



Essence: 6; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 110 Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x5/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must dance.”, “I seek a new passion.”; Major: “All stone crumbles before me.”; Spirits and Elementals of Stone (Hatred); Minor: Wulfthryth (Companionable Love) Actions: Architectural Knowledge: 12 dice; Dancing: 12 dice; Demonic Lore: 8 dice; Feats of Strength: 9 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Read Intentions: 7 dice; Ride: 10 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Social Influence: 8 dice; Stealth: 10 dice Appearance 5, Resolve 4, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Boulder-Exploding Kick): 12 dice (Damage 14/4)



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (12 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice Evasion 6, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 10/3 (12/5 while wearing Wulfthryth) MERITS A Voice to Mute Flames: All firedust within short range loses its charge at the sound of Stanewald’s voice, becoming permanently inert. Answer to the Earth: Whenever Stanewald makes a decisive attack against an earth elemental or other spirit associated with earth or stone, the damage is aggravated. When she attacks an Earth Aspected Dragon-Blood or another non-spirit being with strong ties to earth and stone, her unarmed attack damage becomes 15/5. Cult 2: Worship of Stanewald is popular among occult masons and geomancers, as well as those who craft magical siege weaponry. Defying Stone and Dust: Stanewald is immune to environmental hazards based on sand, earth, or stone, and automatically reduces withering attacks made with magical earthen qualities (such as attacks made by earth elementals or with the Earth keyword, or from weapons made of white jade) to minimum damage. Her spiritual connection to the element imposes a −3 penalty to her Resolve when she is summoned in the presence of crumbling or broken stone. Familiar 3: Her beloved familiar is Wulfthryth, the horsehide she wears, both a separate entity and an innate part of her. When he separates from Stanewald, Wulfthryth is a spectral horse-skin with hollow, skeletal legs wearing black steel horseshoes. He can transform from cloak to horse-body or vice versa as a miscellaneous action. As a mount, Wulfthryth has the following traits: Speed Bonus +4, Health –0x3/– 1x3/–2x3/–4/Incap., and the dice pools, Merits, and special abilities of a trained horse (Exalted, p. 567). He is immune to fear. If Wulfthryth dies, he regenerates completely at midnight of the next new moon. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Gate-Shattering Touch (10m, 2i, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): Stanewald’s blows strike with a force to shatter mountains. Against a target wearing armor, the damage roll for a successful decisive attack doubles 10s and ignores Hardness. Armor made of mundane steel shatters into irreparable pieces, while artifacts suffer –4 Soak and –2 Hardness until restored with a repair project (Exalted, p. 242). Outside combat, Stanewald may use this Charm to automatically and instantly succeed at a Strength 10+ feat of demolition; doing so removes



the Charm’s Initiative cost, but requires Stanewald to meditate for five minutes before using the Charm. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Hurry Home (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The demon returns to its summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound. Materialize (55m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Swirling from the dust that settles after a stone wall collapses, Stanewald takes form. Measure the Wind (5m, Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Stanewald can read anyone whose hands have worked or broken stone, and anyone transfixed by her unearthly dancing. Thirteen Efficacious Dances: Summoners call upon Stanewald for her efficacious dances, which crumble walls and transmute solid stone. The effects of dances with a duration longer than Instant persist until Stanewald’s task is complete, or until her dancing is interrupted. If an efficacious dance is interrupted partway through, it leaves the task only partially complete. Storyteller Tactics Stanewald is an untamed, energetic presence in a story. 70 years ago, when she was called the Answer to the Earth, elder demon lords commanded her to climb the Imperial Mountain. No one save Stanewald and those who gave the order know why. Whatever she did while upon the peak forever changed her, pushing her to find a new obsession; once she does, it replaces “I seek a new passion” as a Defining Intimacy until she loses interest in it, at which point it reverts back and she pursues a new one yet again. Sorcerers call her from Malfeas to bring down impenetrable fortresses, perform drastic terraforming, and create geomantic conditions favorable for further magical works. Beyond what her summoner commands, she constantly seeks another driving passion — and Creation is full of so many fascinating opportunities. Stanewald develops an obsession with any character willing to help her find this passion. She bargains with or cajoles her summoner to let her use her more unusual and specific dances if they don’t command it first. In combat, Stanewald wields artful, calamitous strikes to build up to her devastating Gate-Shattering Touch. She uses any applicable Reflexive or Supplemental, Instant-duration efficacious dance whenever possible. She prioritizes attackers wearing heavy armor or carrying artifacts of jade — especially white jade — over unencumbered enemies, and flies into a destructive rage whenever faced with spirits of earth and stone or EarthAspected Dragon-Blooded.



120 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



Thirteen Efficacious Dances Dance



Cost and Effect



First



(5m; Supplemental; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 1): Halve the Strength requirement to perform a feat of demolition on a building or object made of stone (a wall, a statue, etc.).



Second



(3m; Simple; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 1): Erode a boulder or an equivalent amount of mundane stone into sand.



Third



(10m, 1 wp; Simple; Indefinite; Eclipse; Essence 3): Create a mild earthquake across a six-square-mile area centered on Stanewald; this is an environmental hazard (1L/minute, difficulty 3).



Fourth



(8m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Double-8s on an instill or inspire action that provokes feelings of spite toward earth and stone; against trivial opponents, the action becomes automatically successful instead.



Fifth



(10m; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 3): Torment a captive earth elemental with agonizing pain that deals no damage.



Sixth



(8m; Simple; Instant; Eclipse; Essence 3): Take an automatically successful inspire action that causes a random local spirit to act with destructive animosity toward a stone structure.



Seventh



(5m, 1wp; Supplemental; Indefinite; Eclipse; Essence 2): Roll Dancing with difficulty 2 to carve a tunnel through earth and rock of one cubic yard per threshold success per hour. Eclipses roll Dexterity + Performance instead, and must roll Stamina + Resistance, difficulty 1, every two hours to continue dancing, with a cumulative difficulty increase of +1 per roll.



Eighth



(10m, 1 wp; Simple; One scene; Eclipse; Essence 4): Roll Dancing, difficulty 2. Create a pit beneath Stanewald’s feet seven miles deep and one square yard in radius per threshold success. She does not fall in.



Ninth



(20m, 2wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 5): Roll Dancing, difficulty 2. Create a volcanic vent that launches rocks and gases into the sky. It lasts for a year per threshold success. This is a persistent environmental hazard (2L/minute, difficulty 3) out to medium range.



10th



(20m, 1wp, 1 lhl; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 6): Roll Dancing opposed by a god-blooded target’s Stamina + Resistance; the target must be within six miles of Stanewald. Upon success, strike the divinity from the target for as long as the dance continues uninterrupted. This renders them mortal, but does not kill them.



11th



(15m, 1 wp; Simple; Indefinite; Eclipse; Essence 5): Create a severe earthquake across a six-square-mile area centered on Stanewald; this is an environmental hazard (3L/minute, difficulty 4).



12th



(20m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Essence 6): Dissolve a fortress-sized stone structure into molten earth. Anyone inside or within short range of the structure must resist a lava environmental hazard (6L/round, difficulty 5).



13th



The 13th dance is unknown.



121 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Sibri



the Rampart of Serpents, Demon of the Third Circle Life is pain; pain is change; change is life. This is the wisdom of the Rampart of Serpents. She sees herself as a teacher, though few in the demon realm welcome her tutelage, for her tuition is gathered by venom and paid in agony. Sibri winds across the Demon City as a wall of living snakes taller than a bowshot, parting crowds and barring passage. Though she’s scarcely a yard thick, few dare cross through her; to those enfolded in her serpents’ coils, that lone yard can seem endless. Some of her venoms are lethal. Others are crueler. When Sibri enters Creation, she rises from the earth as a pillar of snakes, then stretches outward as a mile-long living wall in accordance with her summoner’s will, following long sweeping curves like the path of a chariot at full gallop. Alternatively, she may condense herself into human shape — tall, lean, and dark, clad in many-colored snakeskin robes, with venomous fangs and the milky blue eyes of a molting serpent. In all her forms, she scars the earth where she passes, leaving it cracked and furrowed. Water that flows through these gullies grows brackish and salty. Those who taste it later dream of old pains or lost youth. She favors outcasts, sorcerers, children, and the impoverished, maimed, chronically ill, and elderly. Her familiar-serpents sometimes cross between worlds to offer these her aid and wisdom. Rarely, she’s personally drawn to Creation to answer the prayers of slaves, the abused, or princes laboring under imperial yoke. These she teaches harsh lessons in perseverance, treachery, and the brutal demands of victory.



Essence: 9 (human form 5); Willpower: 9; Join Battle: 12 dice Personal Motes: 140 (human form 100) Health Levels: −0x10/−1x15/−2x20/−4x10/ Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I am the death of ignorance and innocence.”; “None pass through me unchanged.”; The Ebon Dragon (Wary Admiration); Major: “Pain and struggle are the mothers of wisdom.”; Minor: My Students (Stern Devotion); The Gods (Pity) Actions: Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats; human form 12 dice, may attempt



122 EX3



Strength 5 feats); Read Intentions: 9 dice; Resistance: 14 dice; Senses: 13 dice; Social Influence: 10 dice; Stealth: 1 die (human form 8 dice); Threaten: 12 dice; Tracking: 10 dice Appearance 5 (Hideous in wall form), Resolve 5, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 14 dice (Damage 12/3; poison when decisive: damage 3i/round [L in crash], 3 rounds, −3 penalty) Attack (Unarmed, human form only): 14 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (9 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice (see Horizon-Spanning Bulwark) Evasion 0 (human form 6), Parry 6 Soak/Hardness: 17/7 SPECIAL ABILITIES Fangs of the Serpent Gate: Whenever someone passes through the Rampart of Serpents — whether she willingly creates an opening or the creature uses a feat of strength, appropriate stunt, or magic — she may reflexively attack him using Infinite Suffering Venom or Mind-Opening Venom at no cost. Influence that would prevent her from thus attacking a target she’s never poisoned is unacceptable. Limitless Serpent Assault: Whenever Sibri takes a bite or grapple action without Charms, she makes a single attack roll, applying it to any number of opponents within close range. If withering, she only gains full Initiative for the highest damage total, and one Initiative for each other damaged opponent. Thousand Pythons Embrace: While Sibri controls a grapple with a smaller creature, she suffers no penalties for being in a grapple and may perform non-clinch actions without a flurry. Drag actions move the victim along Sibri’s body. MERITS Cult 4: In addition to scattered cults among Creation’s oppressed, many of Ixcoatli’s snakefolk worship her as part of their pantheon. Hatchling Demon-Prince Sequestration: If Bestow the Ophidian Familiar is active when Sibri dies, the familiar persists indefinitely; she regenerates within it. It grows into her human form over one month, and attains her full power after a year and



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



a day; some Intimacies may change, and she loses many memories. Multiple familiars produce multiple human forms; Sibri can only restore herself fully from one when the rest are dead. Legendary Size: Sibri suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot crash her unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain all Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to her, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Living Landscape: Sibri can’t be grappled, knocked down, knocked back, or lifted into the air by creatures or forces of lesser scale, even by magic like Dragon Coil Technique. (To overcome this, see the “Felling Gigantic Foes” sidebar in Exalted, p. 274.) Damage to individual snakes has little impact; she’s effectively immune to harm from nonmagical sources, while magical sources can’t deal more than (attacker’s Essence) damage per instance of damage. The Storyteller should make exceptions for massive battle groups, siege weapons, wildfires, expansive



sorceries, and other efforts that encompass much of her body. She can only move by extending her leading edge; see Horizon-Spanning Bulwark. Seething Rampart Body: Sibri chooses whether to be difficult terrain or not for any given character climbing her, within her, or standing atop her, and can change this reflexively. Serpent-Spirit Senses: Between her countless eyes, preternatural olfactory sense, and vibration sense, Sibri doubles 8s on Senses rolls and ignores all nonmagical penalties. Unexpected Interposition: Sibri can extend herself into the thick of other characters when she’s summoned, transforms into rampart form, or lengthens via Horizon-Spanning Bulwark. A character within close range of Sibri as she unfurls must roll (Dexterity + Athletics), difficulty 5, to control which side of her he ends up on; on a botch, he ends up inside her. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Infinite Suffering Venom (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Venom; Essence 5): Sibri makes a decisive bite attack while at Initiative 10+ to inflict a poison (0 damage, unlimited duration, –3 penalty). Drugs can dull the pain for a time, but



123 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



VENOM CHARMS Sibri may employ a Charm with the Venom keyword either in addition to or instead of her normal poison. Sometime after a Venom Charm wears off, the target sheds his skin like a molting snake, while also weakening or removing an Intimacy of his player’s choice as appropriate to the poison’s effects or his recent experiences. This Intimacy manifests in the shed skin; it takes on a pseudo-life of its own, twisting itself into a serpentine shape and slithering away, hissing words of shame and regret. Shed skins have (Intimacy + 3) dice for social influence, mainly for inspire or instill actions tied to their Intimacy, but are noncombatants (Exalted, p. 208) and otherwise harmless.



it inevitably returns. Only powerful techniques like Wholeness-Restoring Meditation or Order-Affirming Blow can purge this venom. Usable once per scene, unless reset by defeating a non-trivial opponent. Mind-Opening Venom (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Eclipse, Venom; Essence 5): Sibri makes a decisive bite attack while at Initiative 10+. It carries a hallucinogenic poison with 0 damage, duration 24 hours, and penalty −5 (also applying to Resolve and Guile). During this time, Sibri’s mind touches his; she shows him visions of dreadful futures that may or may not come to pass, or confronts him with terrible truths about himself, others, or the world. His player gains or alters a relevant Major or Defining Intimacy of his choice relating to these visions. Usable once per scene, unless reset by using this Charm against a willing target. Nature-Molting Venom (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Venom; Essence 5): Sibri makes a decisive bite attack while at Initiative 15+. If she deals at least one level of damage, the target must roll (Stamina + Resistance) against difficulty 5 or sleep for a full day, undergoing a supernatural transformation. Sibri rolls nine dice, awarding the target up to (successes) dots of innate and/or purchased Merits of her choice. She may transform a willing creature without attacking or dealing damage. This venom can only affect a given target once. Usable once per story; reset by the target achieving a major story goal in pursuit of a Major or Defining Intimacy. Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): Sibri moves with blinding speed. She acts twice without flurry penalties, and may take the same action twice if desired (normally attacking twice). Rain of Vipers (5m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 6): Sibri shakes, showering serpents on those below. Roll one withering attack (15 dice, 15/3 damage) against every opponent within short range, awarding Initiative normally for the highest damage roll and a maximum of five Initiative for each other target struck. Then, if she damaged any battle groups or crashed any characters, roll one decisive bite attack against each such opponent. Usable once per scene, unless reset by incapacitating a non-trivial



opponent or routing a battle group. Tsunami Sweeping From the Serpents’ Sea (15m, 5i, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Dual, Perilous; Essence 9): Like a tidal wave, the Rampart of Serpents sways and topples upon her foes in a seething reptilian tide. Roll one undodgeable withering attack (20 dice, 20/5 damage) against every opponent within long range of one side of her, awarding Initiative normally for the highest damage roll and a maximum of five Initiative for each other target struck. Then, if any opponents in that area are battle groups or crashed (whether or not her attack crashed them), roll one decisive bite attack against each such character. Sibri becomes prone afterward, and must spend her next action rising from prone. This cannot be flurried, and characters may cross over her during that turn, treating her as difficult terrain; her special abilities and Merits that apply to characters traversing her don’t apply. Usable once per story, unless reset by upholding a Defining Intimacy through defeating, educating, or transforming a powerful character. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Enfolding Serpent Shield (1m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 6): Sibri interposes a writhing mesh of snakes between an ally and harm, performing a defend other action to protect a character within close range. Gathering of Serpents (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 8): Hissing, the Rampart of Serpents calls to her earthly kin, and they rise from the earth to join with her. Roll (Essence), healing levels of damage equal to successes. Only usable once per story. MOBILITY CHARMS Horizon-Spanning Bulwark (10m; Simple; Indefinite, Stackable; Essence 9): Sibri unfurls like a scroll, extending herself into an even vaster rampart. She lengthens by one mile over a few minutes, distributing this increase in either or both directions. When releasing committed motes, she may likewise diminish herself at either or both ends. In combat, she extends and/or retracts one range band per turn instead; she can do this while grappling smaller opponents without a drag action.



124 EX3



C h a pt e r T h r e e : Spi r it s



SIBRI, CLOTHED WITH HUMANITY In human form via her Clothed with Humanity Charm, Sibri loses all Special Abilities and Merits except Cult, Hatchling Demon-Prince Sequestration, and Serpent-Spirit Senses. She can use all Snake style Charms (Exalted, p. 427-431), including Mastery effects. She may spend an additional 1i to deliver a Venom-keyword Charm with a decisive unarmed Martial Arts attack.



MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Bestow the Ophidian Familiar (5m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 6): Sibri releases a rainbow-scaled, blue-eyed viper containing a fragment of her Essence to serve as a character’s familiar. It has the traits of a venomous snake (Exalted, p. 575), with a Defining Intimacy of devotion to Sibri and a Major Intimacy of obedience to its new master. It can use Infinite Suffering Venom and Mind-Opening Venom if its master willingly pays the Charm costs. Sibri can only release the committed motes by reabsorbing the familiar — assimilating its memories and experiences — or when the familiar dies. Clothed with Humanity (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The Rampart of Serpents assumes human form. She loses much of her physical prowess and magic for the duration, but may revert to her true demonic form reflexively and at no cost. See the sidebar for details. Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Sibri fades away and vanishes on her next turn, drawn instantly to her summoner’s side; unavailable when unbound.



Materialize (70m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): Sibri weaves herself together from thousands of snakes that slither up out of the earth and rain down from the sky. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The Rampart of Serpents can discern the nature of anyone she’s ever envenomed. Storyteller Tactics Sibri uses her shape and mobility to her advantage, forming arrow slits and parapets for allied missile troops and employing Horizon-Spanning Bulwark to divide opponents, engage ranged foes, and encircle mobile foes so they can’t escape. She uses her special attacks intelligently, reserving them for powerful and dangerous opponents. While summoned and bound, Sibri loyally obeys the spirit of her instructions. Within those restrictions, she tries hard to avoid dying even in the face of suicidal commands and always bestows at least one familiar to ensure her survival. Unbound, she prefers caution, typically withdrawing from battle upon taking damage to her −2 health levels.



125 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Inaol drifted high as she dared, wanting to cover as much ground as possible before becoming earthbound once more. She spied the red-lacquered gates of Arran, and counted herself lucky. The village was three days’ ride from her own; she could seek shelter there until Calibration ended. She alit inside the gates. Her mother said the people of Arran greeted the year’s end with loud revels, to frighten catastrophe away. Yet, where drums and horns ought to have assailed her, the only music came from wind whistling down chimneys. Where she should have smelled roasting meat and woodsmoke, the only scent was the sharp bite of snow on the air. The townspeople were scattered around the bones of the bonfire, all dead. She was suddenly glad she’d kept the Linowan spear. Some had fallen, stiff-backed and rigid, as though they were toppled statues. Others bore peck marks and burns in a coil pattern, all of which appeared septic. The rest had died clawing at their throats, choking for breaths they couldn’t draw. She didn’t have to wonder what had done this to the people of Arran. The culprit stood on the other side of the bonfire, its dread gaze locked on one last victim. The cockatrice had a lizard’s scaly body, leathery wings, and a rooster’s bright-plumed head, and it held Arran’s last defender captive with its piercing stare. The woman’s short sword lay forgotten at her feet. Her shield hung loose at her side. Soon, either the bird would dart in for a poisonous bite or the warrior would fall over dead from its gaze alone.



I have to distract it. Inaol hefted the spear. She’d only half-heartedly trained with one at home, but she didn’t need accuracy for this. She aimed not for the cockatrice, but beyond it, toward an abandoned cart of pots and pans. Their likely owner lay nearby, probably killed before he could return them to the kitchen to be refilled. The spear flew, knocking one pot askew and sending the rest tumbling. The cacophony startled the cockatrice. It moved to investigate the ruckus. Inaol kept herself at its back and darted to the warrior’s side. The woman was sluggish, but allowed Inaol to drag her out of the monster’s sights. They crouched down behind an overturned wagon while the warrior’s will returned. It wouldn’t be long before the cockatrice came looking for its missing prey, and now neither of them had a weapon.



But she still has her shield. The warrior didn’t protest when Inaol unstrapped it from her arm. Red lacquer, like Arran’s gates, coated the wood. Inaol saw her face in the polish. It wasn’t perfect, but it might do long enough to let them escape. The cockatrice crowed with rage. Its talons scraped along the hard ground, ever closer. Inaol secured the shield in front of them, then waited, not daring to peek, until she heard the cockatrice’s footsteps stop. At last, she dared a glance over the shield’s edge. The monster bird stared at its own reflection, transfixed.



“GO.” Inaol mouthed to her companion. Together, the women broke for the gate.



126 EX3



Chapter Four



Creatures of the Wyld 11 Descending Wood Why we decided to venture into the bordermarches in the first place, I’ll never know. What I do know is that we’ve been following this goat around since before the sun set, and it’s nearly dawn now. We keep talking about turning back — we’ve even started to, several times! But we always end up back here with this damned goat. If this keeps up, we’re liable to walk until we starve…



Black Hollow Most people never see a black hollow — only the effects of its passage. Concealed within a featureless, blacker-than-black sphere, it drains color from whatever it touches, stripping it from surfaces and tearing into anything thicker than paper to get at the hue hidden within. It’s fond of the brilliant carmine red of human blood, and leaves victims a twisted fractal of gray pulp and fluid after it shreds them alive. No evidence of the black hollow’s true shape remains when it perishes, only an explosion of color that stains anything nearby with the hues it most recently consumed. Some savants believe the black hollow doesn’t have a true shape, nothing more than its endless hunger. The light of the Exalted soul spilling out into the world gives off pure, sublime colors a black hollow cannot resist.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 20m Health Levels: −0x5/−4x2/Incap. Actions: Feats of Destruction: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 7 dice (see Color Scent); Stealth: 4 dice (see Pitch Black); Tracking: 10 dice Resolve 1, Guile 5 COMBAT Attack (Flense): 9 dice (Damage 9/3); Tags: Melee (see Anima-Devouring Maw) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 to control) (see Oubliette) Combat Movement: 7 dice



128 EX3



Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 12/6 SPECIAL ABILITIES Starved for Hue: With a successful flense attack on an Exalt whose anima banner is visible, the black hollow steals the character’s Essence for itself: two motes if the banner is at the glowing level, four at burning, or six at bonfire/iconic. This can increase the black hollow’s pool beyond its usual maximum, up to 30 total motes; however, unused motes in excess of 20 vanish at the end of the scene. MERITS Color Scent: Black hollows are blind, but they can sniff color out, even beneath skin or behind a wall, and then destroy those barriers to get at it. They can’t detect things that are completely black or white, transparent objects like glass, or each other. Oubliette: A successful grapple gambit pulls the foe into the sphere, where the black hollow devours all light. The victim is blinded until they escape, suffering a −3 modifier on actions that rely on sight. Pitch Black: Characters who can’t see in total darkness increase penalties to find or notice the black hollow in dim light or darkness by two. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Fractal Strike (1-5m; Supplemental; Instant; Dual; Essence 2): The black hollow’s attacks twist around obstacles in impossible ways. A supplemented withering attack ignores soak from armor equal to motes



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



spent, up to five; a decisive attack ignores Hardness from armor equal to motes spent, up to five. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Chaotic Veil (2m, 2i per +1; Reflexive; One scene; Essence 1): A thin, almost invisible ribbon of warped prism always surrounds the sphere. This Charm expands that ribbon to fill more space; all characters within short range, including the black hollow itself, gain +1 Evasion per two motes plus two Initiative spent against any attackers that rely on sight, to a maximum of +3. The black hollow cannot end this Charm prematurely. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Anima-Devouring Maw (6m per anima level; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The black hollow consumes one level of an Exalt’s visible anima banner per six motes spent, absorbing the divine light into itself and diminishing the target’s anima display accordingly. This Charm can target anyone within range of a flense attack. The sphere can hold up to three total anima levels, whether from the same target or different ones. For each anima level it has absorbed, its flense attacks increase their reach by one range band as the sphere grows in size; thus, with one anima level its attacks can reach to short range, with two to medium, and so on. All consumed anima levels vanish at the end of the scene. Storyteller Tactics Black hollows only care about eating color, the brighter the better, and blood red is their favorite. Though they’re silent and their matte-black spheres are easy to miss in darkness, they’re too single-minded to deliberately employ stealth. A difficulty 3 gambit to distract a black hollow with a brighter color can pull it away from its current combat target.



Whenever a black hollow deals damage to an enemy or breaks an object, it consumes some of the target’s pigment, turning its colors paler and less saturated. The effect reverses at the end of the scene unless the target is destroyed. A black hollow flees combat when it has taken damage in its first −4 health level.



129 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Cockatrice COMBAT Attack (Bite): 6 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Tail lash): 9 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Toxic breath): 8 dice (Damage 7); short range (see Vile Fumes) Attack (Tail grapple): 8 dice (7 to control) Attack (Paralysis grapple): 10 dice (12 to control) (see Eyes of Flame) Combat Movement: 9 dice Evasion 5, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Eyes of Flame: The cockatrice’s gaze has a hypnotic effect. It performs a difficulty 3 ranged grapple gambit at up to medium range. (Wits + Integrity) opposes the control roll. Success indicates the cockatrice locks eyes with the victim, paralyzing them; blind characters are immune. It doesn’t suffer Defense penalties while using this ability. It may only savage or release a grappled target; savage attacks burn the victim from the inside out. Another character can intervene, but the cockatrice



Betimes, a hen lays an egg without a yolk. These “cock’s eggs,” so named because many believe a cock laid them rather than a hen, never hatch under normal circumstances — but sometimes, in places where Creation’s fabric wears thin and the Wyld seeps through, a cock’s egg hatches. It’s not a chick that crawls out of the broken shell, but a winged lizard with a rooster’s head and a long, serpentine tail. Blessed with deadly sight, its first victim is usually its mother, followed by the remainder of her flock. Hunting is never difficult for the cockatrice, and it has little to fear from predators; even if they slip by its gaze, they perish at its touch. A cockatrice never learns fear, not even of humans, who die just as easily under even a juvenile cockatrice’s gaze. A single cockatrice can wipe out entire villages, so mortals in the Threshold smash cock’s eggs when they find them just in case, to keep disaster at bay.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: –0/–1x2/–2x2/–4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 6 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Stealth: 7 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1



130 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



“I CLOSE MY EYES!” A character guessing when it’s safe to open her eyes and attack, and when to close them because she thinks the cockatrice is about to look at her, leaves herself vulnerable to Eyes of Flame; no one can perfectly anticipate those moments. The cockatrice’s gambit roll represents the constant interplay of these guessing games and the creature’s own ability to catch victims off-guard. From a systems perspective, players must choose at the beginning of each round between fighting blind for the entire round or risking the cockatrice’s success on the staredown gambit. Even those choosing to fight blind must peek to interpose themselves effectively between the cockatrice and a paralyzed ally; doing so always risks the gambit. See Exalted, p. 188, for blindness penalties.



and engages those who sneak up behind it by grabbing or lashing them with its tail while it paralyzes those who face it head-on.



reflexively makes a new control roll as though it had succeeded on the grapple gambit against the interloper. Failure transfers the paralysis to that character, resetting the cockatrice’s rounds of control based on the new result. The original target is then free to move, as the cockatrice can only stare a single target to death at a time. However, it can maintain Eyes of Flame and a tail grapple simultaneously. MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to cockatrices. Vile Fumes: The cockatrice’s breath and bite are toxic, exposing victims to its venom when it succeeds on these attacks. Its touch is also a vector. The poison deals 4i/round (lethal in Crash), lasts for three rounds, and imposes a −3 penalty (see Exalted, p. 232). Storyteller Tactics



Clever gambits, such as distractions or traps, are the best way to deal with a cockatrice without falling prey to its lethal stare and toxic touch. Indirect attacks, such as fire or volleys of arrows, can work, but don’t always guarantee a quick death — and a cockatrice can fly away from threats. Fighting blind protects against its stare but not its poison, and few can boast the training needed to survive against such a foe without sight.



A cockatrice is deadly, and it knows it. This makes it foolhardy, brazenly confronting humans face-to-face. It likes to stare down at foes from a high, haughty perch,



The most reliable way to kill a cockatrice is with a mirror: It locks eyes with itself and thinks its reflection is an enemy, performing its Eyes of Flame gambit against its own Defenses. Trapping a cockatrice with a mirror is a difficulty 4 gambit and requires finding a mirror with sufficient polish and of a size that the cockatrice paralyzes itself before whoever holds it. Such treasures are rare in the Threshold.



Epochine When Creation first formed from the writhing mass of the Wyld, the epochines bore witness. They rose from the waters on brilliant wings, borne aloft not only by winds but by possibility. The epochines observed all the empires that rose and fell and rose again, collecting their stories and tucking their memories away. They have observed the ends of ages, and have seen the world end more times than there are stars in the sky. They understand situations and events that might have been and never were. When threads are snipped from the Loom of Fate, epochine birds pick them up and tie them to their tailfeathers. They have a special fondness



for the Getimian Exalted, which makes them prey for Sidereals. Epochines are winged serpents with the faces of tigers. Their scales and plumage tend toward deep blues and emerald green, giving them a touch of the peacock’s beauty. While an epochine would never deign to be a familiar, the creatures enjoy imparting knowledge from eras long past. Epochines have, as their name implies, lives that span epochs. This makes them long-winded — many think nothing of spinning a tale that spans days, weeks,



131 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



or even months in the telling. They require the listener’s utmost attention; interruptions wound their pride and may cause the epochine to rescind its goodwill. Epochines have observed so many stories with so many possible outcomes that boredom sets in easily. Someone who seeks their input on a situation that is new to an epochine is a welcome companion indeed.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 8 dice Personal Motes: 50 Health Levels: −0x5/−1x5/−2x3/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I have outlasted many things, and I will outlast you.”; Major: “I desire new experiences.”; Minor: Getimian Exalted (fondness) Actions: Fly: 7 dice; Historical Knowledge: 12 dice; Occult Lore: 8 dice; Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 7 dice; Social Influence: 7 dice; Wyld Lore: 10 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 5, Guile 6 COMBAT Attack (Claws): 10 dice (Damage 13) Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (12 to control) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 5, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to epochines.



MOBILITY CHARMS Flight of Fancy (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): With a beat of its mighty wings, the epochine flies straight up, launching itself to long range. Once per scene, if engaged in combat, it may do this without rolling to disengage. SOCIAL CHARMS Threads of the Past Meditation (15m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The epochine spends a round in quiet contemplation of its target’s Essence. From this study, it can follow the branches of history and fate that led the character to this moment and gains insight about the difficulties facing her. Based on this knowledge and that of similar lives it has observed, the epochine predicts three distinct possible outcomes to the target’s current situation and pending choices. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Demonstration of Insignificance (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The epochine plucks a feather from its body and speaks its enemy’s name as it releases the feather into the wind. Until the epochine’s next turn, the target becomes overwhelmed by how miniscule he is by comparison to Creation and its vast history, suffering a −3 dice penalty to all non-reflexive actions. Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The epochine can determine the nature of anyone approaching it seeking the wisdom of the past. Storyteller Tactics Epochines prefer talking to fighting, and attempt to persuade an enemy to settle their differences without



132 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



violence. Failing that, they favor evasive maneuvers, making their opponent give chase — both to tire him out physically and to deplete his mote pool if he has one. If the enemy still insists on fighting, the epochine attempts to grapple its target and fly as high as it can, giving him a



good look at the world below. Then, like a seagull dropping a crab to break its shell, the epochine lets go. It will, of course, remember the victim after his death. An epochine attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its first –4 health level.



Furia With the screams of his slain Solar brethren still ringing in his ears, the Full Moon Fedaran fled beyond Creation’s borders. His only thought was to run until exhaustion finally drowned out the sounds of death and grief stopped squeezing his heart. He screamed his pain and fury and loss into the chaos, hearing it echo back on Wyld winds. But the voice that came back wasn’t entirely his own. The Wyld gave shape to his rage. At first, it was nothing more than a red, twitching mass crying the names of Fedaran’s Solar family and whispering the names of the DragonBlooded who murdered them, like knives sharpening on a whetstone. Then it looked into Fedaran’s heart, and it grew wings, and terrible sharp claws, and so very many teeth. When Fedaran left the Wyld, he did not leave alone. Retribution came with him.



The furiae are vengeance and merciless justice incarnate. Though they care little for human laws and lives, the surge of emotions that accompanies those who have been wronged intrigues them. Righteous anger, cold-blooded calculations, bottomless grief, and cathartic release draw the furiae with the promise of sustenance. These creatures have hawk-like bodies with wingspans up to 10 feet. Their faces are almost human, like statues carved from red jade, until they open their mouths. Within, rows of sharp-tipped teeth gleam. Furiae make their nests from the bones of the guilty. They hear the piteous wails of the betrayed and set out to exact revenge on the perpetrators of those crimes. While they are creatures of emotion and instinct, furiae are also intelligent. In some towns in the far reaches of the Wyld, citizens call upon a furia to sit in judgment



133 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



over those accused of egregious acts. The creature won’t feast on the innocent, but eagerly devours the guilty.



Essence: 2; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice Personal Motes: 40 Health Levels: −0x3/−1x4/−2x4/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “The taste of justice is sweet on my tongue.”; Major: “All guilty parties fear retribution, and I savor that fear.”; Minor: The Wronged (Protectiveness) Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may perform Strength 3 feats); Fly: 8 dice; Integrity: 7 dice; Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Social Influence: 7 dice; Tracking: 6 dice (see Keen Eyes) Appearance 2, Resolve 3, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 12 dice (Damage 15, minimum 3) Attack (Claws): 10 dice (Damage 12) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 3, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to furiae. Keen Eyes: Double 9s on vision-based Senses rolls. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Feast of Vengeance (1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The furia feasts on its target’s fear and remorse. After a successful withering attack, it may



regain a like amount of motes instead of the Initiative it would have gained from the attack. Righteous Strike (3m; Reflexive; Decisive-only; Instant; Essence 2): On a successful decisive attack, add bonus dice to the damage roll equal to the target’s Guile. SOCIAL CHARMS Guilt Wrack (5m; Simple; One scene; Essence 2): The furia floods its target with guilt for any harm he’s caused. Gain +3 dice on social actions against that target. Heavy Soul Introspection (10m; Simple; Instant; Essence 2): The furia peers into its target’s soul to see the sins that weigh it down. Gain three automatic successes on a roll to discern the target’s Intimacies. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The furia can discern the nature of someone guilty of a crime. Storyteller Tactics A furia relentlessly pursues its prey, harrying him until he turns and faces it or collapses from exhaustion. It calls out in the voices of both living and dead victims to unsettle its target, provoking regret and guilt. Should the target confess his crimes, it ceases its harrying tactics in favor of inflicting pain and injury; should the crime be severe enough, they may inflict death. Forgiveness is for the victims to grant. Punishment belongs to the furiae, and they will have their due. A furia attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its first –4 health level.



Grelidaka



the Thousand Hungry Wings Every flock of birds sighted in the far West brings a moment of dread: “Is this the day I die?” Usually, it’s only a flock of starlings. But one time in a thousand, the flock only gets louder, larger, and angrier as it approaches. When it descends to attack, it’s already too late to run. The grelidaka is an ever-growing mass of Wyld-crazed mutant birds, each one jet black, that exists only to strip the flesh from anything that lives. It can wipe entire villages off the map in minutes. The grelidaka is a true hive being: Individuals removed from it sicken and die in days, no matter how they’re cared for. They tear themselves apart to reproduce, one bird birthing two or more others. Sometimes they do this of their own accord; other times, it happens as someone frantically defends



herself, not knowing that for every bird slain, two more squirm out of the corpse to take its place. A grelidaka is a battle group by default. The traits below already include calculations for battle group traits where appropriate; for instance, values given for Evasion and Parry already include the group’s Drill and Might bonuses. Components of a grelidaka never act alone.



134 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 8 dice Magnitude: 5 + Size Actions: Feats of Destruction: (5 + Size) dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats, or 5 at Size 5); Flight: 8 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 6 dice; Senses: 6 dice Resolve 4, Guile 1



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



COMBAT Attack (Claw): (7 + Size) dice (Damage 11 + Size) Attack (Peck): (7 + Size) dice (Damage 7 + Size); Tags: Piercing Combat Movement: (7 + Size) dice Evasion 6, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: (2 + Size)/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Blot Out the Sun: Terrain within short range of a grelidaka is considered difficult, and characters within it suffer an Evasion penalty equal to the grelidaka’s (Size/2), rounded up. At Size 5, the area of effect increases to medium range. Characters who otherwise ignore difficult terrain still suffer the Evasion penalty. From One, Many: A grelidaka comes into being as a Size 1 battle group with elite Drill and Might 1. When its Magnitude track fills with damage, it gains a level of Size instead of losing it. For every Magnitude box marked with damage, add +1 to the grelidaka’s dice pools; these bonuses vanish whenever Magnitude refreshes. If the group grows to Size 5, the next time its Magnitude track fills with damage, it splits into two Size 3 grelidaka. Once the two flocks finish off their current prey, they go their separate ways.



MERITS Legion Swarm Tactics: The grelidaka adds Size to its Feats of Destruction and combat movement pools in addition to the usual traits. Mindless: Grelidaka treat all social influence as unacceptable and have perfect morale. Storyteller Tactics A grelidaka is not especially smart. It cares only about killing, attacking the most obvious target rather than swarming weaker prey. It cannot open doors, though it smashes through obstacles when it can; only sturdy cover and silence keep a grelidaka out. Once it scours the area clean, it moves on. It’s not vindictive and doesn’t hunt down stragglers if it doesn’t immediately perceive them. It doesn’t recognize individuals as separate from groups, so if one piece of the whole vanishes during the fight, it doesn’t realize that “piece” still exists in any meaningful way afterward. The specific means of destroying a grelidaka are subject to Storyteller discretion and player ingenuity. As a rule of thumb, allow a solution to reduce Size by one if it can destroy birds wholesale and en masse rather than merely injuring or killing them piecemeal, but give the flock the usual defense the threat allows to avoid it. Options



135 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



include large explosions and other massive applications of fire, aerial environmental hazards like poison mists, attacks and spells that affect a large area (like Death of Obsidian Butterflies (Exalted, p. 472) or the DragonBlooded Charm Arrow Rain Tempest), creative gambits with high difficulties that use the environment, etc.



Characters can also find non-violent solutions, such as putting the flock to sleep, luring it away from vulnerable mortals, or sealing it away. A grelidaka doesn’t flee combat unless a raksha warlord or Exalted master commands it to.



Haloed Husk Sometimes, when it rains in a Wyld-touched area in the Northern Threshold while the sun shines, chaos taints the clouds, turning a normal sun shower into a Wyld one. The altered rain burns where it lands, not with flame but with searing heat. The storm scorches crops and severely burns anyone caught in the deluge. Even after the skies clear, a secondary threat lurks in puddles of pooled light. When a person or animal drinks of the liquid sunlight, their core catches ablaze. Light coruscates from every orifice as their body sizzles and steams. The false sunlight boils away their minds and personalities, until all that remains is the haloed husk — a being of pure radiance and raw instinct wrapped in its still-living flesh. Some people nickname these creatures “sun dogs,” as their most common forms in human settlements are those of beloved pets turned monstrous. A haloed husk needs to feed on light to survive. Despite their animal cunning, husks can’t kindle flames or light lamps, instead stealing illumination from their surroundings. Ambient sunlight nourishes them during the day, but after sunset, they approach human settlements or campsites and attack the inhabitants to steal light from lanterns and hearth fires; in cold Northern climes, losing one’s campfire to a desperate husk can prove deadly. Exalted anima banners provide particularly potent sustenance.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 6 Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4x1/Extinguished Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Sense Light: 10 dice; Senses: 6 dice COMBAT Attack (Bite): 6 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Claw/Pummel): 7 dice (Damage 11) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 2, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/3



136 EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Blinding Light: Once per turn, reflexively spend one Willpower to gain +3 Evasion for one turn, as the light within becomes blinding. Anyone who can perceive the haloed husk must roll (Wits + Awareness), difficulty 3, to react quickly enough to look away; failure leaves them blinded (Exalted, p. 188) for the next round. Call the False Rains: For one Willpower, a haloed husk induces a Wyld sun shower as a miscellaneous action, as long as full sunlight or equivalent illumination shines upon it. This creates an environmental hazard with damage 1B/2 rounds, difficulty 5. The liquid sunlight left behind is a poison when ingested, dealing 4i/round (L in Crash) with duration 5 rounds and a −3 penalty; characters who would die to this poison transform into haloed husks instead. Husks are immune to these effects. Luminescent Feast: For one Willpower, the husk rolls 10 dice at difficulty 1 to steal from a single light source within short range as a miscellaneous action, decreasing that source’s illumination level by one (see chart) and healing one bashing or lethal health level. Exalted anima banners pilfered this way decrease by one intensity level; however, if the light source has an Essence rating, the Luminescent Feast roll’s difficulty becomes (source’s Essence). If the husk spends consecutive rounds successfully stealing light from the same source, it doesn’t need to spend more than one Willpower. MERITS Lambent Salve: Real light, such as Creation’s sunlight, firelight, Exalted anima banners, or light cast by artifacts, grants a haloed husk vigor and endurance. Add one −0 health level per level of light currently shining on the husk based on the chart below, which breaks illumination down into discrete levels for purposes of haloed husk systems. Without a source of real light, a husk takes one level of lethal damage per hour, ignoring Hardness. Wyld-generated light, including a husk’s own inner glow, provides no benefits.



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



Storyteller Tactics Haloed husks are creatures of instinct. They create Wyld sun showers out of pure revelry; new husks born this way are just side effects. When sated, they’re violent and impulsive, while waning light or darkness makes them cunning in their desperation. They can operate doors and even use rudimentary tools if they have opposable thumbs, but are incapable of speech beyond guttural cries. While they’re not predisposed to pack tactics, a lone light source can draw several to the same point, and a pecking order quickly develops.



Animals with the Tiny Creature Merit are too small to become haloed husks; the liquid sunlight kills them outright. Conversely, creatures of Legendary Size suffer superficial burns if they drink the false sunlight, but are too large to be transformed. If a haloed husk suffers damage to its −4 health level due to lack of light, it curls in on itself like a banked coal and lies dormant rather than being Extinguished. It uses Luminescent Feast reflexively and subconsciously while dormant whenever sufficient light shines on it, and reawakens when it heals its first −1 health level.



Lambent Salve # of Added −0 Health Levels



Illumination Level



+0



Total darkness; no moon



+1



Candle; waning moon



+2



Torch; full moon; glowing anima banner*



+3



Campfire; burning anima banner*



+4



Massive bonfire; dawn/dusk; overcast/shaded daylight; bonfire anima banner*



+5 Raging inferno; full sunlight * Solar Exalted anima banners count as one illumination level higher. If the light source is focused from a single point rather than ambient, lower its effective illumination by one step per range band the husk is from the source.



137 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Kian-Ji



the Heartmirror, from Whom Intention Springs In the palace of Kian-Ji, the table is always set for a feast. At first glance, Kian-Ji is a severe man, thin and pointed, seeming more like a satrap’s overworked functionary than a king of the Wyld. But his welcoming smile melts away that impression, and he engages his guests in such a range of topics that time passes quickly. With each course, the food grows stranger, but Kian-Ji samples every dish with gusto. Soon, visitors recognize familiar things upon his plate: the signet ring of a rival, a lover’s sly smile, a cobblestone from a street in their beloved Nexus. Kian-Ji eats them all, opening his mouth wide and wider still to accommodate every bite.



Is his palace real? Was it all a waking dream? Those who have dined at his table have no good answers. But the things that emerged from his mouth, those are real. They are creatures born of his guests’ Intimacies, made flesh and given purpose.



When the meal ends, Kian-Ji opens his mouth one more time, so wide it seems a person could fit inside. But instead, creatures come out. Some are human-like, others less so. One wears the rival’s signet on a finger with too many joints. Another’s lips quirk like the lover’s, looking like her and yet not. Another has skin the color of Nexus cobblestones and smells of home. They set off into the world. Kian-Ji thanks his guests as his servants clear away the meal’s remains. Then he is gone, and his palace with him.



138 EX3



Essence: 3; Willpower: 8; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 100 Health Levels: −0x8/−1x10/−2x8/−4x3/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “A good host helps his guests achieve their highest potential.”; Major: “I know what people need, even when they themselves don’t.”; Minor: His Guests (Bemused Affection). Actions: Command Avatar: 10 dice; Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Read Intentions: 12 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Social Influence: 15 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 8, Guile 6 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 15 dice (Damage 20) Attack (Unarmed): 10 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (12 to control)



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



WYLD INFLUENCE Should an avatar remain in the Wyld rather than traveling back to more stable areas of Creation, Wyld mutation takes effect. As the avatar mutates, so does the character’s related Intimacy; changes are rarely so straightforward as “I no longer hate my rival.” Perhaps the victim grows convinced that the rival is the head of a vast and impossible conspiracy, or that an impostor has replaced the rival, whom he actually doesn’t hate so much and must therefore save.



Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 5, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 15/0 MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to Kian-Ji. Fae Nature: As a raksha, Kian-Ji is ageless and needs not eat or drink (though he greatly enjoys it). His body heals as one of the Exalted and he cannot die from mundane disease, but he does need to breathe and sleep as mortals do. In Creation, he slowly withers and calcifies to death, but can stave off this fate indefinitely by feeding on mortal souls. He is incapable of breaking the letter of a sworn promise. SOCIAL CHARMS Beguiling Idyll (5m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant; Psyche; Essence 2): When Kian-Ji inspires a character, he may also cloud her mind to obfuscate any perils that might contradict the inspired mood. Gain +2 dice on inspire rolls to persuade her to act along with the emotion. Resisting the deceiving inspiration costs 2 Willpower. If another character points out the danger or the target is touching iron, the cost is 1 Willpower instead. Untouchable Performer Technique (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): Kian-Ji may use his Social Influence pool to roll Join Battle. In addition to determining starting Initiative, this builds a Tie of adoration and loyalty for himself in characters whose Resolve is overcome by the result. Characters who don’t resist this influence don’t fight him, and attempt to restrain or talk sense into allies who attempt to do so. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Create Avatar (30m per avatar; Simple; Instant; Essence 3): Kian-Ji creates beings from Wyld Essence that bring his guests’ Intimacies to life. These avatars take on physical traits that represent the chosen Intimacies and attempt to act on the emotions tied to



them. An avatar based on hatred for a rival might try to ruin or kill the rival, for example. One based on a Principle like “Honesty is my watchword” may punish the dishonest. These avatars are directly linked to the victims’ Intimacies. If the avatar dies, the Intimacy degrades by one degree. Social actions that strengthen or weaken the character’s Intimacies heal or harm the avatar by 3 bashing levels, 2 lethal levels, or 1 aggravated level per Intimacy shift. Use an appropriate non-unique antagonist from this book or Chapter 8 of Exalted to determine the avatar’s traits. For example, it may be a human-like creature emulating a shikari, an animal-like creature emulating an eagle, or a more abstract representation of the Intimacy emulating a bonesider or metody (p. XX). The Truth Will Out (—; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 3): When Kian-Ji is Incapacitated or killed, his maw opens wide and his very first victim emerges. Use the Barbarian Warlord (Exalted, p. 545) or Wandering Deathknight (Exalted, p. 550) to represent this Exalt, or any First Age Exalted character who fits the story. This Exalt has a defining Tie of hatred toward the characters and immediately Joins Battle. Storyteller Tactics If attacked, Kian-Ji attempts to use Untouchable Performer Technique to dissuade his foes from harming him. Failing that, he creates avatars and orders them to defend him, putting his enemies’ own ideals at risk. Should Kian-Ji die, one last being emerges from its mouth. This is the creature’s original victim, a hero of the First Age whose convictions shone like a beacon in the Wyld. The raw power of the Wyld surrounded this first, true Kian-Ji, personifying his desire to aid those in need to a horrifying extreme. The real Kian-Ji has been trapped within the Wyld creature for millennia, and is likely much changed by his captivity. If the creature dies, he emerges in whatever horrific form has resulted from his centuries in Wyld imprisonment.



139 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Lava Moth A swarm of lava moths is a sight to behold. Their gossamer wings flicker the color of sunsets and bonfires as they dance gracefully against the sky. However, their beauty is best observed from a great distance: Lava moths have little regard for what they burn, and their hunger has been known to wipe out hundreds of miles of forest in a single night. The moths are large, about the size of a human hand. Their wings consist of a thin, molten membrane, whose flames burn hot enough to sear stone. Fire drips in their wake, spreading and consuming. While most objects caught in its path burn as if touched by normal fire, a lava moth’s flame affects humans differently. The fire latches onto something within, rather than without. It burns away an intangible part of the victim — her fear, an old love, guilt she’s held onto for too long. Some seek out a lava moth’s fiery blessing, hoping they’ll at last be free of their burdens.



But lava moths are born of the Wyld, and they don’t always take what’s offered. Some supplicants return without any love in their hearts for the families that gave them joy. Others lose their keen wit, or find their passion for a beloved career has faded. A singer loved by a Nellens captain sought the moths’ flame, hoping it would scour away her fear of drowning. Instead, they stole her love of music, and she lost both the captain’s affection and her livelihood. The Dajazeen tell stories of people who went even further, letting the moths wrap them in a burning cocoon for ten days and ten nights, and emerging as someone else entirely.



140 EX3



Essence: 2; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x2/−2x2/−4x2/Incap. Actions: Burn: 10 dice; Lure: 9 dice; Fly: 8 dice; Read Intentions: 6 dice; Senses: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



COMBAT Attack (Wing buffet): 9 dice (Damage 9) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 5, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Burning Dive: Once per scene, the moth may spend a Willpower to fly up to long range vertically as its reflexive move action, tuck its wings, and dive at its enemy in a meteoric streak. This decisive attack gains +4 dice to the attack roll, doubles 10s on the damage roll, and deals aggravated damage. Conflagration: Once per scene, the lava moth burns a piece of the target’s memory or nature away. If the target is unwilling, roll the lava moth’s Burn pool against the character’s Resolve. If the moth succeeds, the Storyteller and player should decide what the moth’s fire burns out of the character and how it affects them. This may be reflected by a change in the character’s personality, adjusting or replacing one of their Intimacies or some other agreed-upon effect. It can even erase Charms or other capabilities related to the chosen memory loss; if so, refund the experience points spent on it to the player. This counts as an instill action for purposes of Charms and other effects that defend against instilling. Harry: If a lava moth moves into close range of an enemy and deals 5+ damage to them with a



withering attack in the same turn, that enemy cannot disengage or withdraw on their next turn. MERITS Dousing Bane: A thorough soaking in water or freezing temperatures douse a lava moth’s flame. It loses access to all special abilities and its Burn pool until the scene ends or it warms up and dries out again, whichever comes first. Moth to the Flame: The lava moth senses passions, gaining one automatic success on Read Intentions rolls. Tiny Creature: Lava moths gain +2 Evasion against attacks made by larger foes. Storyteller Tactics Lava moths normally attack in a swarm, harrying and overwhelming their prey with sheer numbers, though a number small enough to be individual combatants can be just as frightening as a sky-obscuring mass. A large swarm is a battle group with Size 2, average Drill, and Might 2. If someone approaches the moths in a bid to request or demand their power, the moths are content to flit around the target while he makes his case. As creatures of the Wyld, their interpretation of the target’s needs doesn’t always match his intentions. A lava moth attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level.



141 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Mata-Yadh



the Congeries of Obsidian and Aurora Mata-Yadh is a larval behemoth, freshly born from the Wyld. Its house-sized body is a swirling congeries of many-colored aurora with a ridge of obsidian atop it, where a daring rider can stand. Mata-Yadh has twelve clawed limbs of obsidian, each one standing high as a human, but not physically connected to the behemoth’s central body — only faint wisps of aurora limn its uppermost edge. Mata-Yadh is representative of the low-end Wyld behemoths the Fair Folk might ride into battle or send to head their armies.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 10 dice Personal Motes: 50 Health Levels: −0x25/Incap. (see Obsidian Body) Speed Bonus: +2 Actions: Feats of Strength: 12 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Senses: 8 dice; Threaten: 9 dice Appearance 3, Resolve 4, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Obsidian claws): 12 dice (Damage 15/5) Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (12 to control) Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 4, Parry 6 Soak/Hardness: 16/10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Overwhelming Might: Mata-Yadh makes unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless they use magic that allows them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to Mata-Yadh. Legendary Size: Mata-Yadh suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks made by smaller enemies, unless they are magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting any levels added by Charms or other magic. Obsidian Body: As a being of living glass, Mata-Yadh lacks the anatomy for susceptibility to



142 EX3



mundane poison, disease, deprivation, or conventional wound penalties. However, characters may attempt to disable the beast by shattering one of its 12 limbs as a difficulty 5 gambit. Each time a limb is shattered, Mata-Yadh loses 3 Initiative points. For every two limbs destroyed, Mata-Yadh suffers a −1 wound penalty, maximum −4. If all limbs are destroyed, Mata-Yadh is immobilized, unable to attack and effectively prone with no ability to rise. Shadowsense: Mata-Yadh has no eyes, but senses shadows cast by its aurora. Double 8s and negate penalties on all Senses rolls except in total darkness or total illumination in which shadows can’t exist. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Prism-Pyre Immolation (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): Mata-Yadh initiates a grapple with +5 dice on the gambit roll. It suspends a grappled enemy within its aurora body, which is an environmental hazard (damage 4L/round, difficulty 3). Mata-Yadh ignores the usual penalties for grappling, but cannot savage, slam, or throw its foe. It has Defense 0 against attacks made by the grappled enemy, but the penalty the victim suffers for being grappled subtracts successes, not dice. Raking Obsidian Shards (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only; Essence 3): Mata-Yadh’s claws whirl in a razor-sharp obsidian vortex. Roll one decisive attack with +5 dice against all characters within short range. Roll (Initiative / 2) total dice of damage against all characters it hits, but subtracts its current wound penalty from this damage roll. This attack’s range is reduced to close at wound penalty −2 or higher. DEFENSIVE CHARMS Aurora Bleed (5m, 5i; Reflexive; Instant; Decisive-only, Perilous; Essence 2): When Mata-Yadh takes decisive damage or loses a limb from a close range attack, a prismatic flash erupts from the wound. This is a one-time environmental hazard applied against all characters within close range (damage 5L/instant, difficulty (8 ‒ current wound penalty). A damaged character is blinded for the rest of the scene (Exalted, p. 168). Blinding Aurora (5m, 2i; Reflexive; Until its next turn; Perilous; Essence 1): Enemies within medium range take a −3 penalty on attack rolls and other vision-dependent actions targeting Mata-Yadh.



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



Foe-Snatching Grasp (5m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Clash, Decisive-only; Essence 3): Mata-Yadh can clash with a grapple gambit and may enhance it with Prism-Pyre Immolation reflexively. Winning the clash grants +3 successes on the Initiative and control rolls. This does not count as Mata-Yadh’s combat action. It can’t use this Charm at wound penalty ‒2 or higher. God-Monster Revival (1wp; Reflexive; Instant; Perilous; Essence 2): When Mata-Yadh crashes an enemy, it may roll (current Initiative ‒ current wound penalty). It costs one resulting success to heal one level of non-aggravated damage, and three successes each to restore a disabled limb. This Charm resets it to base Initiative and is usable once per scene. MOBILITY CHARMS Many-Legged Pursuit (6m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 1): Mata-Yadh can rush an enemy with lower Initiative from medium range with +5 dice, instantly closing the distance on a success. It cannot use this Charm at wound penalty −2 or higher.



SOCIAL CHARMS Loyal Monstrosity (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 1): Gain +4 Resolve against any social influence made by anyone other than its rider. It gains 1 Initiative if it successfully applies its Resolve. Otherworldly Horror Mien (5m; Reflexive; Instant; Essence 2): Gain +5 dice to a threaten roll and ignore all penalties on that roll. Resisting costs +1 Willpower and requires invoking at least a Major Intimacy of courage in the Decision Point. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Wall-Rending Claws (5m; Supplemental; Instant; Essence 2): Double 7s on the roll for a feat of demolition. Storyteller Tactics Mata-Yadh is a monstrously powerful grappler and uses that to its advantage, taking the biggest threat among a group of enemies into itself and picking off the rest with Raking Obsidian Shards. It thrives when surrounded, banking on its enormous size and defensive Charms to protect it. As more limbs break and it weakens, it shifts



143 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



to cautious tactics, preferring to blind and separate foes before squashing them. When Mata-Yadh’s wound penalties reach −4, it flees combat to heal unless a rider forces it to continue with magic. As a mount, Mata-Yadh follows its master’s commands and never spooks or disobeys until its wound penalties



reach −4. A rider can coordinate her attacks with the Congeries’ for a devastating offensive, making ranged attacks on suspended opponents and taking advantage of the high ground her perch offers. Mata-Yadh shines when its master’s foe plays hard to get, maximizing its mobility advantages and crushing cover underfoot to clear the way for its rider’s attacks.



Mirrorkin Mirrorkin are shape-stealers born from reflections. Any shiny surface in the Wyld can spawn one: a mirror, an undisturbed puddle, the gleam of a well-polished shield. The mirrorkin emerges wearing the face and form of the one whose likeness created it and sets off to experience the world. The type of reflective surface it came from shows in the mirrorkin’s skin. One born from a puddle ripples like water. Another that stepped out from an orichalcum blade’s keen edge glows golden in the sun. If the mirror that birthed it was cracked with age and covered in dust, fine lines etch the mirrorkin’s dull flesh.



The mirrorkin moves like its living counterpart, adopting his graceful gait or her Legion-trained stride. It can speak in simple phrases and adopt any accent and characteristic idioms it heard its double speaking when it was born, but cannot carry on a complex conversation. The mirrorkin acts mostly on instinct, seeking out basic, tangible pleasures with no complex agenda. Inhabitants of some towns in the bordermarches greet one another with riddles or rapid-fire questions, knowing a mirrorkin won’t be able to provide the appropriate response.



144 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



Mirrorkin make mediocre decoys with their inability to improvise. However, one princess in Jibei famously hired a musician to play for her mirrorkin while she herself snuck out into the city. When her guards looked in on her, they saw only their lady enjoying a quiet evening’s concert, and for months they were none the wiser.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 5 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 4 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Mimic: 8 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Social Influence: 4 dice; Stealth: 6 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Mirrorshard): 8 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 Note: A mirrorkin can also use any weapon or fighting style familiar to its counterpart, using the original’s physical traits with a −2 dice penalty. It cannot use any of the original’s Charms or other magical effects.



SPECIAL ABILITIES The Road Between: The mirrorkin can slip into any reflective surface, whether its body should be able to fit into it or not, and emerge from another within long range. MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to mirrorkin. Storyteller Tactics A mirrorkin follows its senses toward pleasing things, such as the smell of a cookfire, the sound of an oud, or the voice of its counterpart’s lover; it knows these things instinctively as desirable, even if it doesn’t understand why. It comprehends simple directions, but is unreliable and easily distracted. If unarmed, the mirrorkin breaks off a shard of itself to use as a dagger in a fight, although it only resorts to violence in self-defense. It adopts its attacker’s fighting style, though the motions are reversed. A mirrorkin attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its last –1 health level. At Incapacitated, it shatters into pieces.



Napaxu the Tongue Scorcher



Something stumbles drunkenly into town making a horrible, droning racket. The wise bar their doors and stay silent. The foolish warily approach; the fortunate among them flee before the thing sprays them with caustic death, its jaws dissolving, fumes rising from where saliva dribbles. This thing that was once a person is a victim of napaxu, a Wyld-twisted strain of rabies. Unimaginable pain drives the unfortunate mad even before its later stages set in. They spread the illness as their overactive salivary glands spray concentrated acid wherever they go.



Use the napaxu victim’s original mundane traits except as noted here. An infected creature cannot use any Charms or other magical effects. Actions: Movement: 3 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 12 dice; Senses: 4 dice; Social Influence: 0 dice Resolve 1, Guile 0 COMBAT The infected creature can use any mundane attacks it would normally possess plus the following:



145 EX3



Attack (Bite): 5 dice (Damage 6; infection vector, see Infectious) Attack (Acid Spray): 7 dice (Damage 7); short range (see Acidic Fluids) Evasion 1, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: −3 to usual values SPECIAL ABILITIES Acidic Fluids: Infected creatures can spray their acidic bodily fluids out to short range as a withering acid spray attack. If successful, the target risks exposure to the virus (see Infectious) in addition to losing Initiative. Alternatively, the creature may spend 1 Willpower without a roll to create an acid bath environmental hazard within close range of itself (3L/ round, difficulty 5) that lasts two rounds. Anyone who takes damage from this hazard also risks exposure. The infected creature automatically and reflexively creates the hazard when crashed at no cost. Detonate: Advanced napaxu cases lead to violent reactions inside the victim’s body. When an infected



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



creature takes damage to its last −4 health level, roll one die. On a botch, the creature immediately dies and explodes in a burst of acid that sprays everything within medium range; roll a decisive acid spray attack once against the Defense of each target. Anyone hit by the attack risks exposure (see Infectious). Infectious: Like mundane rabies, napaxu has virulence 2, morbidity 4, and an interval of one day. Any contact with the victim’s bodily fluids, including through a successful bite attack, is a vector for exposure (Exalted, p. 234); a character who takes lethal damage from an infected source or ingests any fluids from one risks it. Victims’ mouths tingle, then burn, and then literally fall apart. Exalted victims cannot die of napaxu and never detonate, but it certainly makes their lives miserable.



MERITS No Lesser Pain: Infected creatures don’t suffer wound penalties, as the pain of the infection is far worse than that any injury could inflict. Storyteller Tactics Creatures suffering napaxu’s pain are disinclined to long waits, ambushes, or tactics in general. They often try to quench their burning mouths with whatever’s available, leading them to contaminate water sources. The malady causes heightened aggression, so the infected don’t hesitate to sink what remains of their jaws into others. They prefer to use their acid spray attack rather than the close-quarters bite until their target is sufficiently weakened, but whenever it takes damage to its last −2 health level, it moves toward its foes instinctively in anticipation of detonating. It is difficult to poison or further infect a napaxu victim, as the Wyld virus allows no competition for its host.



146 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



Parasitic Shadow The Wyld once whispered to a traveler’s shadow, teaching it ambition and hatred for the being keeping it prisoner with their gift of form. The shadow strangled they who cast it and fled, possessed of a life of its own. Now, it seeks other shadows trapped by material beings, latching onto them as a second shadow and whispering to the first. Both draw strength from the hapless victim, who slowly sickens and dies. Once the parasitic shadow’s work is done, another rises to join it.



Essence: 1, Willpower: 5, Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 20 Health Levels: –0x3/Incap. Actions: Attach: 9 dice; Flee: 8 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 8 dice COMBAT Attack (Strangle): 5 dice (Damage 2) Combat Movement: 9 dice Evasion 5, Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 1/0



147 EX3



MERITS Awaken Shadow: The presence of an attached shadow transforms the victim’s natural shadow into an embryonic parasitic one. If the original parasitic shadow is destroyed before the host dies, her true shadow lapses into quiescence; otherwise, when she expires, it becomes a new parasitic shadow in its own right and seeks another victim. Essence Rasp: When unattached, a parasitic shadow loses 5 motes per day. If wholly drained of its Essence, it takes 1 point of lethal damage per day until it regains at least 1 mote or perishes. Intangible: Parasitic shadows have no substance; physical attacks cannot harm them. Wholly magical attacks, such as Flight of the Brilliant Raptor (Exalted, p. 473), and attacks that strike immaterial entities can, although it is not considered immaterial. Total immersion in bright light leeches away the shadow’s Essence, inflicting 1 lethal damage and draining 1 mote per turn.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



If its host dies suddenly, such as from taking more than their Stamina in damage in a single blow or falling from a great height, the shadow permanently loses one dot of Willpower from the shock. If it loses all its Willpower dots, it fades into nonexistence. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Parasitize (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The shadow rolls Attach opposed by the Stamina + Resistance of a living being. If successful, it latches on, conforming to her silhouette and matching her movements perfectly but slightly offset from her true shadow. Noticing its presence requires a Perception + Awareness roll, difficulty 4; the Storyteller should apply situational bonuses or penalties based on the lighting. The living host takes 1 lethal damage per day as the shadow drains her life force to survive; it regains 1 mote and heals 1 health level of any type per hour while attached. The damage stacks for multiple parasitic shadows attached to a single victim, but a character can’t have more shadows attached than she has health levels. A parasitic shadow can detach from a character reflexively, or they may force its detachment by either killing it or giving it nowhere to hide (see Intangible). Substance Thief (10m; Simple; Indefinite; Essence 1): By flowing up into the host’s ears, nose, and mouth, the shadow spreads its nature to her. While this Charm is active, the parasitic shadow itself is unnoticeable except with magic that can detect possession and other such spiritual states. The victim becomes effectively immaterial, but is still visible. She appears transparent and as if shrouded in shadow even in broad daylight. She is completely silent, unable to



make a sound, and she cannot touch anything material. Magic that affects immaterial beings affects her, but nothing else material can. Victims are often mistaken for ghosts; determining the truth requires an Intelligence + Occult roll, difficulty 3. Escaping this state requires full immersion in light. Both the shadow and its victim suffer the usual effects of this immersion, per Intangible. The victim must succeed at a Wits + Integrity roll opposed by the shadow’s Flee pool to remain in the light. It detaches after taking damage to its second −0 health level, as normal (see Storyteller Tactics). Storyteller Tactics Parasitic shadows are creatures of instinct and seek victims indiscriminately to reproduce, although they avoid Exalts with obvious Caste marks or anima banners unless desperate. They cluster in ever-growing packs when possible, moving from host to host to increase their numbers one by one. A pack of parasitic shadows focuses its efforts on one victim at a time if they can, the better to quickly reproduce. If noticed, a parasitic shadow employs Substance Thief to keep the victim from seeking aid; if the host is not alone, additional shadows attached to her detach and try to Parasitize her companions to render them intangible as well. A parasitic shadow attached to an Exalt whose anima flares at bonfire level treats it as full light immersion. A shadow immediately detaches and attempts to flee when it takes damage to its second −0 health level.



Silere Silence is a shroud. It’s the hush that falls after a snowstorm and the weight of clouds before thunder peals and rain pours. It’s a room full of secrets everyone knows but no one dares speak and the force of words withheld out of anger, cruelty, or fear. It’s the pause before the battle breaks out, the stillness of the hunted when the hunter draws near. Silence is comfort’s companion when no words can soothe a broken heart. In the Wyld, silence is a thief, slinking about on padded feet. The silere stalks soundlessly through the trees, resembling a panther. Its pale coat is nearly translucent, letting it blend in with its surroundings. Its voiceless roar suppresses sound. It sneaks into villages and steals words from elders’



mouths as though their spoken wisdom had never been uttered. It sits beside cradles and steals the babies’ hungry wails. It stalks battlefields and steals commands from messengers who bear them. It steals songs and spells and oaths, and then it slinks away, belly full of nuance and sentiment. Warriors from one Northern clan have tamed a small pack of sileres and ride the beasts into battle. They ambush their foes in soundless charges — no thunder of racing paws heralds their approach to wary scouts. A prince on a remote Western island keeps a silere in his throne room to hush his advisors’ squabbling and eat the advice and petitions he disagrees with. An Iselsi spy keeps one in her menagerie to keep the rumors about her house’s machinations in check.



148 EX3



Some Exalts train sileres as familiars, learning to selectively control which sounds the beast takes: a spell from a sorcerer’s lips mid-cast, for example, or the solemn promise of a Dynast from one Great House to the head of another. Rumors abound of sorcerers trying to use a silere to nullify deals they’ve made with demons and spirits, but it never ends the way they’d like. Such deceitful behavior grates against the magic of the bindings — and it’s the sorcerer who suffers for their hubris, not the creature they used as a vehicle for their dishonor.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +4 Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Resist Disease/Poison: 5 dice; Roar: 7 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 8 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Claw): 8 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (10 to control); sileres cannot throw or slam grappled enemies Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 5/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Ambush Hunter: Add three dice to unexpected attacks. Leaping Pounce: If a silere moves into close range of an enemy the same size or smaller and deals 5+ damage to them with a withering attack on the same turn, it may pay 1 Willpower to reflexively attempt a grapple gambit against its prey. Silencing Roar: The silere opens its mouth in a soundless roar as a reflexive action. All noise within close range of the beast is canceled out for the next five rounds. Affected characters may roll Charisma + Resistance opposed by the silere’s Roar pool to make themselves heard anyway during that time, if only faintly. Stolen Words (Magical, 10m): The silere’s master points it at a target it can perceive and utters a command, which the silere can hear even if all sound is suppressed. When the animal gets within close range of the target, it steals the words of one specific conversation up to an hour long that in which they have participated within the last day; the master doesn’t need to have witnessed the conversation, but she must know it took place and roughly what was said. This



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



affects all participants, even those who aren’t present now; they remember that the conversation happened, but nothing that was said. This memory loss is permanent absent magic to dredge the words back up. Alternatively, the silere’s master can commit 10 motes to command it to steal a particular word or phrase up to three words long from everyone’s mouths within five miles for the rest of the day. This ability is stackable. MERITS Noiseless Passage: The silere makes no sound as it moves. Double 8s on stealth rolls. Stalking Cat Advantage: Add one automatic success to Join Battle rolls made from stealth. Hushed Charge (Latent): The silere’s sound-dampening effects encompass its rider as well, granting the



effects of Ambush Hunter, Noiseless Passage, and Stalking Cat Advantage to the rider as long as they’re within close range of the silere. Storyteller Tactics A silere prefers to attack from stealth, stalking victims and ambushing them from the shadows. It uses its silencing roar to both unnerve its opponents and prevent them from using Charms or spells that require sound to work. If a sorcerer is among its opponents, the silere focuses its attacks on the spellcaster first. Sileres may be trained as mounts and are 2-dot Familiars. A silere attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its last –2 health level.



Singer of the Deep Singers of the deep were once Western humans who fell prey to the Wyld’s influence as it encroached on their islands. It transformed them into humanoid, fishlike creatures, twisted too far to retain true self-awareness and unable to Exalt, though they’ve kept their sharp intelligence. These mutants live in the ocean, having lost the ability to walk on land or breathe air; out of water, they suffocate after about five minutes, or much less if they’re very active. Their eponymous “singing” is the sound of sea water whistling through their fins as they swim, muted and eerie when heard from the surface. When a singer of the deep leaps from the water to tackle and seize a victim, its song resounds through the air. A host of singers gliding toward an unfortunate ship makes an unearthly wailing heard for miles.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0x3/−1x2/−2x2/−4x/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Leaping from Water: 8 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 6 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Sing: 8 dice; Stealth: 8 dice (underwater only); Swimming: 9 dice Resolve 3, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Talons): 9 dice (Damage 12) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (9 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice (underwater); 2 dice (on land, prone only) Evasion 4, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 5/0



150 EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Ambush Hunter: Add three dice to unexpected attacks. Drag Below: If a singer moves into close range of an enemy the same size or smaller, whether underwater or mid-leap, and deals 5+ damage to them with a withering attack on the same turn, it may pay 1 Willpower to reflexively attempt a grapple gambit against its prey. Fearsome Song: Anyone who hears the singer’s song is subject to a reflexive inspire action using the singer’s Sing pool against their Resolve. Victims who fail suffer a −2 dice penalty to all non-reflexive actions until they either spend 1 Willpower or can’t hear the song anymore; if they botch a roll, they cower in fear and can’t move or take any actions until they end the effects, as above. A character can fully plug their ears as a simple action as long as they have something suitable with which to do so to avoid or end the song’s deleterious effects, but this incurs a –3 penalty on all hearing-based Awareness or Senses rolls. Wyld creatures and characters with Wyld mutations are immune to these effects; instead, as long as they can hear the song, they increase their base Initiative by 1. Underwater Stalker: While underwater, a singer can sense the number and positions of living beings above the surface from as far away as medium range. Add two bonus successes on rush rolls against any foe from whom it’s concealed. MERITS Depth Lurker: Subtract three successes from Perception rolls to notice the singer while it’s at long



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



ships and fishing boats, surge from beneath the waves, and grab sailors to drag them back down into the depths.



range or farther under the water relative to the character, or moving up from long range while already hidden. It can rush enemies from long range beneath them underwater as long as the horizontal distance between the two is no more than one range band and the singer is concealed from the target. Wailing Glide: Singers of the deep leap from underwater to strike at their victims and drag them into the depths. When they breach the surface, the air whistling through their fins makes their signature song much louder than underwater, subjecting a greater area to Fearsome Song. Singers can take combat movement actions from underwater vertically as well as horizontally as long as the action begins within medium range of their target, unless Depth Lurker applies. Outside combat, singers can leap up to 100 yards in the air. Storyteller Tactics



No one has yet discerned why singers attack and drown sailors. Some scholars theorize that they wish to make their land-dwelling cousins one with the ocean too, and have no idea how to change them; others think the singers hold long-standing generational grudges against humanity at large out of jealousy. Legends take a more romantic view of the former theory: Tales in the West tell of singers of the deep who either fell in love with surface dwellers or seek true love above the waves.



Singers of the deep are little more than animalistic monsters with unusual cleverness who understand that humans are pathetic swimmers. They have a basic language of their own made up of keening at different pitches, volumes, and durations, which can express simple and brief ideas like basic ambush tactics or commands to flee. They swim up to



Singers target enemies with the lowest Athletics scores or wearing the heaviest armor to drag underwater first. A singer can spend five minutes, or three rounds in combat timing, above water before beginning to suffocate; in combat, they take 3 bashing damage per round after that point until they either die or re-submerge. Singers can’t rise from prone on land without help and can’t stand on their own. A singer of the deep flees if it takes damage to its third –0 health level.



151 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Siren Tower Ethereal light emanates from the siren tower, prismed into enticing rainbows as it passes through the tower’s myriad crevasses. The tower itself appears less otherworldly, but a great deal less beautiful: a conical conglomeration of debris and strange objects rises several stories. When a traveler stands beneath it gazing up in mute fascination, the mass sprouts limbs made of refuse and clutter that whip through the air and bear down on anyone in their path. Fighting back may keep them alive, but it’s also precisely what the tower wants them to do: damaged enough, the haphazard turret suddenly loses cohesion and topples, crushing the unfortunate victims in an avalanche of miscellany. Then, the siren tower reconstructs itself bit by bit, incorporating the new corpse into its junkyard structure. In time, the light shines again, and the siren tower waits. The siren tower puzzles savants, for nothing lives inside it. It has no core, no animating heart or mind. Attacking it only serves to scatter its constituent debris, but spreading that debris out over several miles does prevent the tower from reforming. Occasionally, people from neighboring towns try to gather the refuse and clean up the area so they can use the land. They all end up regretting it.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 7 Personal Motes: 10 Health Levels: −0x10/Scattered Actions: Shine: 8 dice Resolve 1, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Collapse): 12 dice (Damage 13; reflexive, when crashed only) Attack (Grapple): 9 dice (9 to control) Attack (Slap): 7 dice at short range (Damage 8) Combat Movement: 0 dice (5 dice while crashed) Evasion 0 (2 while crashed), Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 8/6 SPECIAL ABILITIES Deadly Collapse: Whenever a siren tower enters Initiative Crash, it reflexively topples and crushes everyone nearby, making one unblockable collapse attack (see above) and applying it to the Evasion of each character within short range. It rebuilds itself until it resets to base Initiative, once again fully standing; it can’t exit Crash by gaining Initiative through withering attacks or any other method. While crashed,



the piles of debris can still perform withering slap attacks as normal, and can make clinch attempts but no other type of decisive attack; it always chooses to savage prey. Junkyard Irruption: When a tower’s Initiative reaches 15+, it may split in two, creating a second tower standing at medium range from the first. Both towers’ Initiatives reset to 3. SOCIAL CHARMS Diamond in the Rough (7m, 1wp; Simple; One scene; Psyche; Essence 1): The tower’s light glints with coy suggestions of treasure among the debris, promising that tearing it down will yield rich rewards. Roll the tower’s Shine pool against the Resolve of a target within long range. Success instills a defining Tie of “Siren Towers (Destruction)” for the Charm’s duration or until the character pays 1 Willpower, whichever comes first. Paying the Willpower doesn’t render them immune to further activations of this Charm. Unnatural Beacon (3m; Simple; One scene; Essence 1) Roll the tower’s Shine pool once and apply it against the Resolve of each character within long range who can perceive the light. Success instills a Minor Tie of “Siren Towers (Curiosity);” a character must spend 1 Willpower to rid themselves of this Intimacy before the Charm’s duration ends. Paying the Willpower doesn’t render them immune to further activations of this Charm. Storyteller Tactics Siren towers rely on their prey coming to them, drawing the unwary close with a rainbow radiance that shines for miles or a more concentrated, lighthouse-like rotating light. Siren towers crop up on little islands at sea or on coastlines to lure sailors struggling to navigate at night when the sky is overcast or during a storm; the promise of a beacon lighting the way to shore is nigh-irresistible for the desperate. A siren tower’s only wish is to add to its mass. It knows that objects and refuse usually accompany living things, and living things become refuse when they die, so it lures as many of them as it can. Beyond that, a siren tower’s most effective option for making living things die is to coax them to attack it until it collapses, so it’s prone to making lots of decisive attacks and attempting lots of gambits to drop its Initiative as quickly as possible. If its prey survives a few times, it may instead try to build its Initiative higher to multiply.



152 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



If a siren tower is scattered by damage rather than through intentional collapse, it takes three days to reform. Permanently destroying a siren tower requires spreading its component debris over several miles to prevent it from reforming; even then, the Wyld Essence that holds



it together lingers in the area for a few weeks, and it can still reform during that time if its bits are brought back together again. Burning it all to ash or otherwise obliterating it completely while it’s scattered also works. A siren tower can’t flee while it’s standing, and never flees when it’s collapsed.



153 EX3



H UNDRED DE V I LS N I G H T P ARADE



Unicorn White as Northern snow with eyes that glow an unearthly blue, bearing an iridescent horn that glitters in cold sunlight, graceful beyond the finest poetry — a unicorn seems like a dream given life. Unicorns have served as war mounts for raksha nobles for ages, and as the subjects of stories and nightmares for many a mortal. A unicorn’s horn, while lovely, is a deadly weapon, and those who approach unwisely find their blood staining the snow. Masterless unicorns run solo or gather in groups of three to ten in the northern Wyld’s bordermarches, defending fantastical lands of pristine allure from any who would despoil or reshape them. Some unicorns boast glorious wings, with massive spans and feathers as pure white as their coats. Unicorns are highly intelligent, and happily converse with those who don’t offend them; but they’re Wyld creatures, not animals, with alien drives that make them highly unpredictable. Unicorns obsess over harmony and pleasing aesthetics. Unity, symmetry, and wholehearted dedication — to anything, be it love, wealth, or the basest cruelty — attract them. By contrast, contradiction and turmoil are unspeakably ugly to them. Beauty, too, draws a unicorn, but its idea of beauty is as strange and ever-shifting as the Wyld itself. A unicorn smiles upon a blood-spattered battlefield as often as a sublime flower arrangement, as long as the latter doesn’t mar the former; it would stamp the flowers into pulp to keep them from spoiling war’s gruesome elegance. Unicorns are proud, haughty beings who spare no mercy for any who insult or mistreat them; they view captivity as the worst offense of all, and those held



against their will sicken and die quickly. But unicorns don’t stay dead: They rise again from the ice in Wyld lands after a year and a day, and hold grudges that last centuries.



Essence: 3, Willpower: 8, Join Battle: 8 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x2/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I must preserve perfection in all its forms.”; Major: “Insults are forever.”; Myself and My Kind (Pride) Speed Bonus: +5 Actions: Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Fly: 10 dice (winged only); Inspire: 9 dice; Northern Navigation and Survival: 7 dice; Occult Knowledge: 12 dice; Persuade: 6 dice; Read Intentions: 5 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 10 dice; Senses: 8 dice; Threaten: 8 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Appearance 5, Resolve 5, Guile 5 COMBAT Attack (Horn): 12 dice (Damage 16) Attack (Kick/Stomp): 9 dice (Damage 13) Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 7/0



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



SPECIAL ABILITIES Gore: Decisive horn attacks add threshold successes to damage against enemies with lower Initiative, as long as the unicorn hasn’t taken any other actions (including reflexive movement actions) that turn. Sky Runner: In Creation, unicorns can run across the surface of snow or water without sinking in. In the Wyld, they can take to the sky, galloping over clouds and mist as though they were solid ground. Winged unicorns can fly normally in any environment. MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to unicorns. Glorious Aura: A character must pay one Willpower to attack the unicorn as long as it hasn’t attacked her yet this scene; once she spends a Willpower, she may attack at will for the scene. The unicorn’s Inspire rolls have a target number of 5, as long as the emotion it’s inspiring aligns with its Intimacies in context. Hearts Unmasked: Unicorns can sniff out the stench of dissonance and asymmetry. The unicorn may use its Senses and Tracking pools to detect conflict of



any kind, including physical combat, arguments, or internal turmoil such as clashing Intimacies. They can also sense magical conflicts, such as the use of Wyld-Shaping Technique (Exalted, p. 335) to carve reality out of chaos. Oaths Eternal: A unicorn cannot go back on its word once given; its pride is a magical force that prevents it from doing so. However, it doubles 8s on non-attack actions to uphold a promise or agreement. Storyteller Tactics Unicorns are quick to slay those who offend them, and focus single-mindedly on destroying these offenders before moving on to other targets, regardless of relative danger. They leave injured kin to die if the wounded can’t recover quickly — to see their perfection marred thus is disgusting to them. Many unicorns now serving as mounts for the Chosen were abandoned this way, only for an Exalted champion to rescue them. Such acts win the fae creatures’ undying loyalty, as long as their masters live up to their high expectations. A unicorn is a 3-dot Familiar.



Visage Blight Certain parasites that haunt the Wyld are born from the remnants of fictitious identities — pseudonyms, disguises, theatrical performances. A false identity in the Wyld is not always content to be cast off at the end of the act. It clings to existence within the Wyld’s mythopoeic chaos, congealing into a visage blight. Tribes and settlements near the bordermarches observe taboos against giving false names and ban acting to avoid creating these dangerous monsters.



determines what it demands. Regardless, the outcome of obeying is the same, as the host’s body gestates a brood of blights. Once they reach maturity, the parent blight’s mouth vomits them into the world in search of new hosts.



Without a host, a visage blight resembles a scrap of flesh or torn fabric, distinguishable only by its human-like eyes and ring of fanged teeth. It hides in the bordermarches, waiting for an unsuspecting human to feed on. Once one comes within leaping range, the visage blight lunges, embedding in the victim’s flesh as a second face. It can take root anywhere on the body but prefers the head, where it can easily whisper into its host’s ear. An unshakable compulsion against revealing the visage blight’s presence overtakes the host. Some victims retreat into seclusion or hermitage, but most simply conceal their second face, either under long hair or their clothing. The visage blight tempts or coerces its host into certain behaviors, the nature of which varies from blight to blight; shamans teach that the false identity that created such a blight



155 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 9 dice Health Levels: −0x1/−1x1/−2x1/−4x1/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: Current Host (Possessive Obsession), “I must reproduce.”; Major: My Children (Detached Pride), “The identity that created me is mine and no one else’s.”; Minor: “I can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Actions (unattached): Embed: 8 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Stealth: 9 dice (see Tiny Creature) Actions (attached): Read Intentions: 7 dice; Social Influence: 10 dice Appearance 2 (Hideous), Resolve 2, Guile 4 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 9 dice (Damage 1; increases to 8 against enemies its size or smaller) Combat Movement (unattached): 8 dice Evasion 3 (unattached only; see Tiny Creature), Parry 0 Soak/Hardness: 2/0



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



SPECIAL ABILITIES Embed: Embedding into a human host is a difficulty 3 gambit. The blight automatically succeeds without an Initiative roll against an ambushed victim. No Secrets from Yourself: When a blight’s host takes an action that upholds an Intimacy, the visage blight automatically becomes aware of that Intimacy. Whispering Devil Face: A blight can persuade its host to perform an inconvenient task (Exalted, p. 216) without a roll once per session. MERITS Cold Iron Bane: Iron weapons deal aggravated damage to visage blights. Infestation: A visage blight’s host gains a defining Principle of “I can’t let anyone see my second face,” which they can’t voluntarily weaken. Victims can’t act against this Intimacy by revealing the blight or suggesting actions that would definitely reveal it, though they can give vague and indirect hints or clues. Another character must be within close range of a blight’s host to even try to detect it, and doing so is a difficulty 5 (Perception + [lower of Investigation or Occult]) roll. Removing an embedded blight is difficult. It can be



hacked away or torn out, but doing so is typically fatal to its host; removing it without harming the host requires a difficulty 7 (Dexterity + Medicine) roll. Magic capable of exorcising spirits, such as Burning Exorcism Technique (Exalted, p. 356), can force a blight out. A blight can also detach from its host voluntarily, though convincing it to do so is a life-changing task (Exalted, p. 216). Reality Parasite: Visage blights in Creation slowly wither and calcify to death unless embedded in a mortal host. Decide how long it takes based on what makes for the most dramatic timing for the story. Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against larger foes. Larger foes subtract two successes from Awareness rolls to notice an unattached visage blight. Storyteller Tactics Visage blights aren’t a serious threat in combat unless they can embed into a host, which they try to do with an ambush. Only if the ambush fails and the blight’s Join Battle roll doesn’t garner enough Initiative to attempt the gambit does it resort to withering attacks. Once embedded, a blight’s primary concern is implementing its alien, idiosyncratic agenda through its



156 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



host, which is a source of endless story hooks. With Whispering Devil Face, it might coerce its host to paint a city’s walls with occult sigils by night, steal an eclectic collection of exotic goods and reagents from a variety of shops, take sacrifices from a spirit’s altar (and angering it in the process), or anything else that might tangentially relate to the original identity that spawned the blight. Its secondary concern is keeping itself concealed, although the difficulty of removing an embedded blight means that being caught isn’t necessarily the end.



A visage blight that successfully coerces its host begins gestating a brood of its young within them. This doesn’t need mechanics to represent — it’s there to give a sense of urgency to the players’ attempts to uncover and expel the blight, and consequences for failure. Whether or not the host survives birthing a brood of visage blights and, if they do, what further complications it causes are up to the Storyteller and player to work out together.



Yukino-Takka the Broken God



Yukino-Takka was once a god, though even he no longer remembers what he was the god of. It is a thing no longer found in Creation, annihilated in the wake of the Great Contagion and the invading Fair Folk. The once-god defended his shrine and cultists as numberless hordes of swarming nightmares poured in from the Wyld, but it wasn’t enough. The raksha princess who defeated him had him immured in a cage of gossamer and whimglass for her amusement, and drank his sorrow as he watched his worshipers’ village dissolve into chaos, his flesh warp and mutate, and his divinity fade and die. Only then did she free him, for the husk of his broken hopes offered nothing more for her to drain. Once ethereal and beautiful, Yukino-Takka is now a grotesque parody of himself. His misshapen flesh is made from constantly growing fungus, and a wretched mane of mycelium trails from his head. He keeps his eyes, ears, and mouth from being overgrown with an iron dagger. Unable to survive for long in Creation, he wanders the Wyld in search of novelty to distract him from the torment of his being. He enjoys the chance to converse with mortals, and protects or guides them through the Wyld. He’s wary of Exalted — not because he hates or fears them, but because some have tried to help him. He believes his condition irreparable, and would rather be thought a nightmarish horror than let the Chosen waste their compassion on him.



Essence: 3; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Personal Motes: 80 Health Levels: −0x1/−1x1/−2x2/−4x5/Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “I can’t be healed,” Raksha (Hatred); Major: “I crave distraction from this existence,” Himself (Shame), Other Gods (Resentment); Minor: The Exalted (Wariness); Mortals



157 EX3



(Responsibility) Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Disguise: 8 dice; Heavenly Lore: 4 dice; Read Intentions: 9 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 6 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Social Influence: 9 dice; Stealth: 5 dice; Wyld Lore: 12 dice Appearance 2 (Hideous), Resolve 4, Guile 5 COMBAT Attack (Iron dagger): 9 dice (Damage 10L) Attack (Fungal touch): 6 dice (Damage 17L/4) Attack (Grapple): 5 dice (6 to control) Combat Movement: 4 dice Evasion 1, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 16/10 MERITS Broken Divinity: Yukino-Takka is naturally material, and incapable of dematerializing. If destroyed, he still reforms (Exalted, p. 508-509) in the Wyld, but suffers new mutations or Derangements. Cold Iron Bane: Yukino-Takka takes aggravated damage from iron weapons. Estranged from Reality: Yukino-Takka slowly withers and calcifies to death in Creation. He may be able to stave this off by feeding on mortals like the raksha or through some other means, but if so, he is either unaware of how or unwilling to do it. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Flesh-Melting Spores (1m, 5i, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse, Perilous; Essence 3): A cloud of deadly spores rises up from Yukino-Takka’s flesh. He rolls 8 dice (Eclipse Castes use [Stamina + Medicine]) opposing the (Resistance + Stamina) of all other characters in medium range. Characters who fail are covered in spores, and take a single die of lethal



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



damage each turn, ignoring Hardness. Each level of damage dealt imposes a –1 crippling penalty until the end of the scene, maximum (Yukino-Takka’s Essence). Taking a single level of damage from a fire-based source burns away the spores, ending both the ongoing damage and the penalty. When Yukino-Takka is reduced to his –4 health level for the first time in a scene, he may use this Charm reflexively. Gardener-of-Chaos Touch (6m; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only, Eclipse; Essence 2): Yukino-Takka rolls a difficulty 3 gambit against a character in close range (Eclipse Castes may use Brawl or Martial Arts). Success deals one level of bashing damage and causes fungal growths to form across the body of a living being until the scene ends. Its flesh softens, setting its natural soak from Stamina to 0, and it takes a –3 penalty on Stamina- and Appearance-based rolls. If it is affected by Flesh-Eating Spores, the damage it takes each turn increases to (Yukino-Takka’s Essence) dice. SOCIAL CHARMS Mind-Dissolving Spores (3m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Eclipse, Psyche; Essence 2): Yukino-Takka disperses hallucinogenic spores, rolling 8 dice (Eclipse Castes use [Manipulation + Medicine]) against the Resolve of all characters within medium range. A character whose Resolve is beaten gains Yukino-Takka’s choice of Hysteria, Madness, or Paranoia at Major Intensity (Exalted, p. 168-169) until the scene ends and immediately begins suffering its effects. Characters who botch gain the Derangement at defining intensity. Storyteller Tactics Yukino-Takka is glad to talk with and assist characters as long as he thinks they’re mortal. Once he suspects they’re Exalted, he reads their intentions to figure out whether they pity him or desire to help him recover. If not, he’s content and asks favors of the Chosen — if they assist him in fulfilling his vendetta against the raksha, he can lead them to artifacts, lore, or other treasures lost in



158 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



RESTORING THE BROKEN GOD Even if characters convince Yukino-Takka to let them help him, it’s not a quick or easy process. Order-Affirming Blow (Exalted, p. 334) or a comparable effect could strip away his physical mutations to restore his original appearance and revert his Essence to its original nature, removing his Broken Divinity, Cold Iron Bane, and Estranged from Reality Merits. However, this alone doesn’t undo the amnesia and other trauma he’s suffered, nor does it restore his lost position in Heaven’s celestial bureaucracy. Magic such as Wholeness-Restoring Meditation (Exalted, p. 344) could treat his mental suffering as though it were a defining Derangement. Restoring his position would require negotiating with the celestial bureaucracy to have him appointed as the god of a new domain, which may be the most difficult part of all.



the Wyld. If he detects pity or a wish to help, he does whatever he can to discourage it: lying about his nature, deliberately instilling them with negative Ties toward himself, or even initiating hostilities. To let them help him, the player characters need to weaken his defining Principle of “I can’t be healed.”



If forced into battle, Yukino-Takka uses Mind-Dissolving Spores to disorient his enemies, then uses withering attacks to build up enough Initiative to use Flesh-Melting Spores, and follows it up with Gardener-of-Chaos Touch on affected enemies to increase the damage they suffer.



Zicnal of the Asmani According to legend, when the ancients shaped Creation, they set the asmani to hold up the corners of the sky. When the Contagion came and Fair Folk poured over the world’s rim in an unstoppable tide, the Wyld swallowed the asmani. Warped and reshaped almost beyond recognition, they wander as vast protean colossi through the shallows of chaos. Zicnal appears as a titanic man fifty feet high. His three faces are white-haired and bushy-bearded; his many hands hold parchment and brush, plumb line and measuring cord, scepter and sword. Where his kin remain in deepest Wyld, meandering mindlessly or making war against things of chaos, Zicnal dwells upon an island of stability beyond world’s edge. There he rules the demented city of Marakanda, home to ten thousand mutated mortals and an endless variety of inscrutable goblin-things.



Essence: 5; Willpower: 7; Join Battle: 10 dice Personal Motes: 50 Health Levels: −0x10/−1x20/−2x20/−4x10/ Incap. Intimacies: Defining: “Though I am fallen, I still deserve respect from the powers of Creation.”; Major: Fair Folk (Wary Resentment), Marakanda (Exasperated Responsibility); Minor: Other Asmani (Disappointment) Actions: Command: 10 dice; Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats); Knowledge of the



159 EX3



Wyld: 8 dice; Long Memory: 9 dice; Read Intentions: 9 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 12 dice; Senses: 12 dice; Social Influence: 12 dice; Writing: 6 dice Appearance 4, Resolve 5, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Colossal sword): 13 dice (Damage 24, minimum 5) Attack (Giant’s scepter, as tetsubo): 13 dice (Damage 24, minimum 4) Attack (Plumb line, as fighting chain): 11 dice (Damage 23, minimum 5) Attack (Unarmed): 10 dice (Damage 22) Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (13 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice Evasion 1, Parry 5 Soak/Hardness: 15/5 SPECIAL ABILITIES Overwhelming Might: Asmani make unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless the victims use magic allowing them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted Third Edition, p. 280). MERITS Legendary Size: Zicnal suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Wyld Resistance: Asmani are immune to the warping and addictive properties of ambient Wyld energies, save when they enter Pure Chaos at the Wyld’s outermost edges. They double 9s on rolls to resist shaping inflicted by creatures of the Wyld. OFFENSIVE CHARMS Limb-Wrenching Grasp (10m, 2i; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only): When an asman throws a grappled enemy, he first tears them asunder, doubling bonus dice of damage received from forfeited rounds of control. If the rolled damage exceeds the victim’s (Stamina x 2), double total levels of damage inflicted unless the victim accepts a crippling injury, which does not count against their once per story limit (Exalted, p. 201). Whether the victim lives or dies, the asman flings them aside afterward, ending the grapple. Scything Blow (5m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Decisive-only): With one blow from his weapons, the asman makes a decisive attack against two enemies, dividing his Initiative evenly between both to determine raw damage. He may use this Charm once per scene, unless reset by building up to Initiative 20+. Triple Threat (15m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Withering-only): Zicnal makes three separate withering attacks, each using a different weapon against a unique target. He gains Initiative as normal from the attack that dealt the highest amount of damage; the other two attacks cannot award more than 5 Initiative each, not counting Initiative Breaks. He may use this Charm once per scene, unless reset by making three separate decisive attacks. SOCIAL CHARMS Elegant Goblin-King Brushstrokes (20m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Written-only): Zicnal writes an edict into the legal



smaller enemies cannot Crash him unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to him, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Multitasking: Zicnal can flurry without penalties if one action in the flurry is a miscellaneous or social action. Threefold Gaze: Zicnal can see in three separate directions at once, and never suffers penalties for distractions or multiple complications. Characters attempting to establish surprise against him suffer a −3 penalty. Wellspring of Order: Zicnal’s presence tames the Wyld within five miles, temporarily reducing middlemarches to bordermarches, and bordermarches to tainted lands. This doesn’t affect deep Wyld.



160 EX3



C h a pt e r F o u r : C r e a t u r e s o f th e W i l d



OTHER ASMANI Zicnal’s traits are representative of asmani in general, although the Wyld’s warping power has granted others far different mutations, Charms, panoplies, or domains. The twelve-armed asman Sanek, for instance, lacks Zicnal’s three faces. Instead, she has the lower body of an immense scarlet worm, her underbelly lined with faces, and wears an armored raiment woven from honeybees. She wanders the Wyld as a penitent, hoping to reclaim former glory through deeds of what she perceives as virtue.



if the offer’s good — especially if it inconveniences the raksha without drawing too much ire upon his people — and uses the surrounding Wyld and his own forgotten place of honor as leverage if he can. He’s particularly susceptible to bargains that promise a major Creationborn power’s ear, such as a high-ranking god.



code of Marakanda and makes a persuade roll to ensure the inhabitants follow its dictates. This roll applies against the Resolve of all Wyld mutants and creatures living there, without them needing to read the edict. Those convinced act as though the law has always been in place. Zicnal can use this Charm once per story, unless reset by achieving a major character or story goal (Exalted, p. 170) through the agency of outsiders. MISCELLANEOUS CHARMS Sky-Shouldering Exertion (20m, 1wp; Supplemental; Instant): Double 7s on the roll for a feat of strength. The asman meets the Strength prerequisite for any such feat (Exalted, p. 229). Storyteller Tactics In social influence, Zicnal is primarily concerned with his own authority and autonomy, and his city’s safety. He prefers persuade and threaten actions, but bargains



In combat, Zicnal wades deep into the fray so he can crush opponents on all sides with equal fury. He always has at least one Wyld-warped guardian nearby, such as a buck-ogre or manticore (Exalted, pp. 537539). His champion is Milaka, a Wood-Aspect mutant (Experienced Dragon-Blood: Exalted, p. 544). Milaka has wooden flesh (Unusual Hide: Exalted, p. 166-167); the back of his head is a hollowed-out raiton’s nest, which oddly impairs him not at all. Zicnal can gather a battle group of Wyld mutants and hobgoblins with the following traits: Size 3, average Drill, Might 1, Magnitude 8.



161 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



The warrior headed east toward the next village, where she could enlist help to kill the cockatrice. Inaol wished her luck. Home lay to the south, and surely by now her mother and sister were sick with worry. Half an hour later, a bird’s indignant cry nearly scared her out of her skin. Inaol was certain the cockatrice had found her. Then the sound came again: a shriek, not a crow. Inaol crept into the trees to see what it was. She followed the intermittent cries until she came to a deadfall. Awe stole her breath. Standing half-again as tall as Inaol was the most magnificent hawk. It ruffled blue-tipped wings at her. Its black eyes glinted with distrust. Inaol noted its razor-sharp talons and pointed beak even as she took in the gilded saddle. Its reins had tangled in the roots of a long-dead tree. A saddle should mean a rider, but although Inaol searched the brush and called out, she found no sign of the hawk’s keeper. Had she seen this creature before, led along the parade route in care of a Metagalapan warrior?



What if the aughdeighe wasn’t the only beast to escape? If she led the hawk home, she’d earn goodwill for her people. Better, she could ride it home. She’d watched a rider astride an austrech. Controlling the bird hadn’t seemed much different than commanding a horse. Surely, she could guide this hawk along the road just the same? The hawk eyed her warily as she freed it, but it refrained from biting or swiping at her. It sidestepped the first few times she guided it to a log so she could gain the saddle, but in the end, allowed her to swing a leg over. Before she could try to coax it into a trot, it took to the air. The hawk winged into the sky, then dove straight downward. Inaol clung to the reins as the treetops rushed up to meet them. It veered and rolled, trying to throw her off its back. But oh, Inaol had learned what it meant to hold fast from the aughdeighe, and how to ride the wind from the cloud people. From the ghostfisher and the cockatrice, she’d learned she was stronger than her fear. Try as it might, the hawk couldn’t rid itself of its rider. At last, it ceased its efforts and let Inaol guide its path. She didn’t relax her guard until she spotted familiar booths along the road, the procession still in progress. The hawk saw it too, and plunged into another terrifying dive. Yet it landed in a graceful flutter of wings, and only halfheartedly jerked as Inaol clambered down from the saddle. A small crowd surged toward them: a shocked Metagalapan rider, who took the hawk’s reins and got a nip for his trouble; Inaol’s mother, caught undecided between relief and fury; and one of the parade’s fine ladies. The woman inspected her, taking her hands and examining her fingers, looking into her eyes. At last she stepped back and nodded. “Rest,” she said. “We’ll have much to discuss before Calibration’s end.”



162 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



163 EX3



Chapter Five



Animals 28 Descending Fire Tomorrow, Calibration begins anew. Never did I think I would see such wonders in my life as this last year’s journey has shown me, but the time has come to return home. I wonder whether anything will have changed, or whether all that awaits me is what always has. Some aboard this vessel are worried that we won’t make land before the moon vanishes tonight, but I can see dolphins swimming beside the ship. The gods are with us. We’ll see the beacon soon, I know it.



Armored Kraken Beneath Southwestern seas lurks a monstrous colossal octopus. Dozens of yards long, with an exoskeleton of thick chitinous plates and ten arms easily long and powerful enough to crush a trireme to flinders and scatter its crew to the waves, the armored kraken is a rare marine menace. It lives in the extreme depths, but large disturbances on the surface attract it; scholars believe it mistakes ships for other creatures of like size when it senses them, drawn by shipwrecks or battles of great Exalted power, and attacks out of territorial instinct. In warmer months when currents flow north into Western waters, learned pirates and Dynastic captains take care to engage in shallower waters, lest the kraken wake. Many a sailor sees the tell-tale crest of its armored mantle in her nightmares and prays to the Ocean Father never to meet it.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 8 dice (base Initiative 5) Health Levels: −0x4/−1x6/−2x6/−4x2/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 10 feats); Naval Maneuvers: 8 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 12 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Stealth: 4 dice; Swimming: 10 dice; Tracking: 4 dice Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Arm): 12 dice (Damage 16, minimum 3) Attack (Beak): 8 dice (Damage 12); Tags: Piercing Attack (Grapple): 12 dice (14 to control) Combat Movement: 10 dice (6 dice with fewer than four free arms) Evasion 3, Parry 6 (2 with no free arms) Soak/Hardness: 15/10 Note: For attacks against ships in naval combat, see Terror of the Deep.



164 EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Depth Lurker: Subtract three successes from Perception rolls to notice the kraken while it’s at least at long range under the water relative to the character, or moving up from long range while already hidden. It can rush enemies from long range beneath them underwater as long as the horizontal distance between the two is no more than one range band and it’s concealed from the target. Infinite Grasp: The kraken may flurry two grapple gambits together. Each enemy the kraken grapples takes up one of its arms; it may maintain one grapple per arm. While grappling, it can flurry actions as long as it has an arm available for each action. The penalty to flurried actions is −0 with ten or nine arms free, −1 with eight, −2 with seven, and −3 with six or fewer. While grappling multiple foes, a withering savaging attack deals damage normally, but the kraken only receives Initiative from the one who deals the most damage; a decisive savaging attack divides the kraken’s current Initiative as evenly as possible among all grappled enemies to determine raw damage. Iron Grip: While it has more than three free arms, the kraken doesn’t take Defense penalties from grappling smaller enemies, and can reflexively take a drag action to move them whenever it moves. It doesn’t lose rounds of grapple control when attacked unless the attack successfully damages it. Overwhelming Might: Krakens make unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless the victims use magic allowing them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). Doldrum-Conquering Beast (Latent): A tamed kraken can be taught to tow a ship via hawser. This adds +1 Speed and Maneuverability, and grants the crew access to its unique naval stratagems.



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



MERITS Impenetrable Armor: Reduce the minimum damage of any withering attack made against the kraken by one, to a minimum of zero. Legendary Size: The kraken suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Terror of the Deep: In naval combat (Exalted, p. 245), the kraken can perform any stratagem except broadside and others requiring an actual ship, using its Naval Maneuvers pool. It can’t perform boarding actions. Every point of Hull damage it would take inflicts two points of lethal damage to the kraken’s health track, and its Speed is +2. When it rams an opponent with its beak, it suffers no damage. It can always perform the concealment stratagem by submerging, even on the open ocean. It has the following unique stratagems: • Living Anchor (Cost: 10 Momentum): The kraken attempts to wrap its tremendous arms around an enemy ship. If successful, the ship can only perform a broadside, or boarding actions for crew to fight the beast directly. However, characters can initiate regular combat without crossing over to the kraken’s bulk by attacking the arms, with a stratagem costing no Momentum; doing so only allows them to attempt the gambit to sever an arm (see “Storyteller Tactics”) until the kraken lets go. This stratagem takes five free arms to perform. If the kraken takes 4+ levels of lethal damage or no longer has enough available arms, its grip breaks.



• Hull Crush (Cost: 3 Momentum): The kraken may only use this stratagem if it’s currently trapping a ship with Living Anchor. The massive arms clench until timbers crack and splinter. This stratagem inflicts one level of Hull damage. • Sea Monster Smash (Cost: 5 Momentum): With at least one arm free, the kraken draws alongside a ship and savages it with arms like massive whips, toppling masts and splintering wood. This inflicts one level of Hull damage, or two if the kraken has at least five arms free. • Snatch (Cost: 10 Momentum): The kraken reaches onto the deck and snatches one individual from the ship. It takes one free arm



165 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Storyteller Tactics



to do this. This stratagem acts as a boarding action; the kraken doesn’t board the ship, but forces the conflict to move to individual-scale combat. A snatched character takes one die of bashing damage per round, ignoring Hardness, and any ranged attack that misses the kraken automatically hits the snatched character instead, with one threshold success. Treat this as a clinch with rounds of control equal to the kraken’s remaining Momentum after using Snatch; the above automatic effects occur in addition to any clinch moves the kraken uses on subsequent turns. • Thrash (Cost: None): The kraken may only use this stratagem if it’s currently trapping a ship with Living Anchor. It uses Thrash to build one Momentum per two threshold successes it rolls with Naval Maneuvers, rocking the ship back and forth to further cement its grip with its powerful suckers.



The armored kraken is both a sea battle and a regular combatant, usually both in the same encounter. It starts out attempting to crush ships with its stratagems and then pick off the survivors from the water afterward, but if it takes 10+ lethal damage from broadside, it snatches people from the deck to rid itself of obviously powerful individuals (like Exalts with flaring anima banners) or someone manning a ballista or other ship-to-ship weapon. Characters can use boarding actions to “mount” the kraken and fight it directly, as they would with an enemy ship. A kraken has 10 arms. In regular combat, characters can attempt a difficulty 5 gambit with a cutting weapon to sever an arm. The kraken prefers to grapple as many opponents at a time as possible, making savaging attacks or dragging them underwater until they drown. If it loses six or more of its arms, or takes damage to its last three −2 health levels, it attempts to flee. A kraken is a 3-dot Familiar.



Aurochs Aurochs are wild cattle roaming the forests and plains throughout Creation, particularly in the South. They are huge herbivorous animals, weighing up to 3,000 pounds and standing six feet at the shoulder. Both the bulls and cows have horns, though the bulls’ are larger, their curves more pronounced. The aurochs’ skull is longer than that of its smaller cattle cousins, and its neck and shoulder musculature is thicker, to support its majestic horns. Aurochs fight savagely with other members of the herd over food, mates, or anything else that provokes their ire. Several Icewalker tribes consider the aurochs a sacred animal. It is a symbol of fertility and fortitude, representing its worshipers’ ability to remain steadfast in the face of adversity. Elsewhere, the aurochs is a choice sacrifice to local gods and spirits, the leftover meat feeding worshipers for several months, and providing them with hides, bones, horns, and sinews to trade or use for tools and crafting. Nobles and tribal leaders drink from an aurochs’ horn decorated with precious metals and jewels as a sign of their wealth and stature.



In some regions, villagers capture an aurochs and pit it against young warriors as a show of the warriors’ skill and bravery. Surviving a gore wound is often as much an honor for the warrior as actually subduing the beast. Farmers domesticate aurochs and put them to use plowing fields, drawing carts laden with trade goods, turning heavy mill stones, and performing other tasks that otherwise require several horses — or strong-backed people — to complete. During the harvest months, village festivals invite competitors to test their strength against that of an aurochs, piling sledges high with heavy stones and seeing how many people it takes to pull as much weight as one bull can by itself. The village parades the winners around town on the aurochs’ back, both human and beast crowned with the fruits of the harvest.



In the South, the aurochs is sacred to the war god Ahlat and his Brides. They sacrifice the animals by the hundreds to their patron and receive the blessings of his strength and favor in return. Ahlat frequently elevates the aurochs’ spirit avatars, bringing them to live with him in Yu-Shan as glorious war-aurochs gods.



166 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x6/−2x6/−4x3/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 9 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Horns): 10 dice (Damage 15) Attack (Stomp): 6 dice (Damage 13) Combat Movement: 10 dice Evasion 5, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 7/0



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



SPECIAL ABILITIES Deadly Charge: Every range band the aurochs moves toward a single enemy in a straight line grants it two Initiative. This Initiative accumulates until it closes to close range with that enemy and makes a decisive attack. If the aurochs takes any action other than moving directly toward the chosen enemy, it loses all Initiative built up with this ability. Gore: Decisive horn attacks add threshold successes to damage against enemies with lower Initiative, as long as the aurochs hasn’t taken any other actions (including reflexive movement actions) that turn. Horn Toss: After dealing 3+ levels of damage to an enemy with a decisive horn attack, the aurochs may reflexively grapple and immediately slam him for additional damage, catching him in its horns and tossing him. Make a control roll with its Feats of Strength pool, and then it may throw the enemy out to short range. It can only use this ability once per scene and cannot attempt grapple gambits without using this ability. Trample: If the aurochs reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush and makes a stomp attack against them on its next turn, a successful hit knocks the enemy prone. Apply the Defense penalty from being prone (Exalted, p. 202) retroactively when calculating the attack’s threshold successes. Invincible God-Beast Hide (Magical, 12m): Reduce one decisive attack’s raw damage by the aurochs’ soak rating. An attack failing to deal damage grants the beast three Initiative.



Strength of the Loyal Beast (Magical, 5m): Aurochs can work for long periods without rest, and require their masters to keep up. The aurochs lends her its implacable strength, allowing her to ignore all fatigue penalties and granting her one bonus success on all Resistance rolls, for the scene. MERITS Beast of Burden: Double 8s on feats of strength to haul or carry a heavy burden. Stampede: Whenever a stampeding battle group of aurochs moves into close range with a character, it immediately attempts a reflexive engage gambit (Exalted, p. 209) against her; if successful, she takes one level of automatic bashing damage at the end of each turn she remains engaged. Stubborn Survivalist: The aurochs’ hide is extremely thick, protecting it from the environment and from predators’ horns, teeth, and claws. Do not subtract wound penalties from its Defense. Attacks made from short range or further reduce their minimum damage against the aurochs by one unless they benefit from an Aim action. Sturdy as Stone: An aurochs cannot be knocked back or prone except by magical effects or creatures with legendary size. A grappled aurochs cannot be thrown or slammed unless magic such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280) is used, or if the attacker is of legendary size.



167 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



War-God’s Blessing (Magical, 3m): Double 8s on Join Battle and rush rolls. Whenever the aurochs makes a successful decisive attack against an opponent with lower Initiative, it resets to a base Initiative of 4 rather than 3. Treat this as a latent ability while a Bride of Ahlat, or someone else the god favors, trains the aurochs. Storyteller Tactics



and long legs to its advantage, rushing often and smashing anything that might provide cover to its foes. It fights aggressively and only uses defensive actions to protect its young or at a master’s command. To prove its dominance, it never stops pursuing fleeing enemies until they successfully withdraw or go to ground. An aurochs flees when it takes damage in its first −4 health level.



Both male and female aurochs fight when provoked. Usually, they do so to display dominance within the herd, but humans can instigate an aurochs charge with just a bit of teasing. In battle, an aurochs uses its bulk



A herd of aurochs is a Size 2 battle group with poor Drill and Might 0, and stampedes when provoked en masse or frightened.



Austrech The austrech is one of the largest predators in the Southeastern deserts — the average specimen stands just over nine feet tall, and bears talons that put fine knives to shame. Though well-adapted to their arid home, these flightless birds are equally comfortable in plains, scrublands, and forests. Relatives of the desert austrech are common along the southern coast of the Inland Sea, even ranging as far as An-Teng. In addition to hunting their own prey, they’ve been known to squabble with lions and claw striders over kills. Wherever they’re found, these territorial beasts are an important natural resource for neighboring human tribes. They make an abundant source of food or leather for tribes that can feasibly hunt them, while any hero brave enough to tame the so-called “terror bird” earns a fiercely loyal mount.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Speed Bonus: +2 Actions: Endure Arid Conditions: 7 dice; Feats of Strength: 5 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Find Water: 5 dice; Senses: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Peck): 6 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Talon kick): 8 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (6 to control) (Iron Talon Stomp only)



168 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 3, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Brutal Kick: Enemies smaller than human size that take 5+ damage from the austrech’s withering talon kicks are knocked back one range band and fall prone. Swift Advance: Whenever the austrech reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush, it may pay a Willpower to reflexively make a decisive attack against him. Flesh-Rending Beak (Latent): An austrech hunts large prey animals, such as camels and wild dogs, by kicking them savagely with taloned feet to weaken them, before finishing them with its huge beak. If the austrech crashes an enemy with a withering talon attack, add two automatic successes on decisive peck attacks it makes against him until he recovers from crash. Aspect of the Garda (Magical, 5m): The austrech’s master imbues it with the fiery-winged aspect of the garda, turning its feathers to dancing sprays of flame. The austrech may use its movement action to fly, and its fiery glory adds one automatic success to all attacks and one bonus die to all damage rolls. These benefits last for one round. If the austrech does not end its movement on the ground, it falls unless its master activates Aspect of the Garda again on her next turn. Iron Talon Stomp (Magical, 6m): The austrech’s Brutal Kick attack works against enemies of human size. If it successfully knocks an enemy prone, it may



reflexively move one range band closer to him and initiate a grapple gambit against him. The austrech can only restrain or savage a clinched enemy, and cannot move without ending the grapple. MERITS Desert Endurance: An austrech is suited to survival in deserts where water is scarce, allowing it to survive for a week without water. Even in its final hours, it ignores the usual −3 penalty for dehydration, giving it one last chance to make it to a water source. Oasis Rider (Latent): An austrech whose master succumbs to dehydration takes her to the nearest source of water it can find, carrying her on its back if she fainted in the saddle or dragging her with its beak if not. Storyteller Tactics In the wild, austreches mainly travel in pairs or alone. When hunting, they lay down on the ground and stretch their heads and necks out flat, appearing to their quarry as nothing more dangerous than an earthen mound. Austreches who hunt in pairs often settle several dozen yards apart, wait for their quarry to pass between them, and charge forward in a pincer movement. They focus their swift, sharp attacks on their victims’ soft spots: eyes, throats, bellies. When faced with an armored opponent, clever austreches learn to focus on gaps in the plates. Some even slash at leather straps and other fasteners. They use gambits to perform these feats. An austrech flees after taking damage in its last −2 health level.



169 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Bat Bats reside in all corners of Creation, from frosty caves amid Northern peaks to wooded habitats in the East, to Southern jungles and Western isles. Some Dynasts even keep them as curious pets on the Blessed Isle. Anywhere darkness offers shelter and fruits or insects abound, bats thrive. These small creatures pose little harm to humans, though their erratic flight and tendency to rush the nearest target when startled inspire tales of bats as nightmarish, bloodthirsty creatures that gouge out eyes or excoriate flesh. Several larger, carnivorous species feast on frogs, mice, and other bats. As nocturnal hunters, they prefer to rest until nightfall. Abandoned ruins make ideal homes for them, and the sudden swarming of an agitated colony has driven away many an aspiring scavenger lord.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1/−2/−4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 8 dice; Senses: 7 dice (see Echolocation, Keen Hearing); Stealth: 4 dice Resolve 1, Guile 2



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 6 dice (Damage 5) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 (see Tiny Creature) Soak/Hardness: 1/0 MERITS Echolocation: Bats perceive their surroundings via bursts of sound too high-pitched for humans to hear. They never take penalties to Senses rolls for low light or blindness, and they double 8s on rolls to find or notice anything concealed. Keen Hearing: Double 9s on hearing-based Senses rolls. Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against foes larger than a housecat. Characters of that size subtract two successes from Awareness rolls to notice the bat. Storyteller Tactics Individual bats rarely attack people, but many find their flight patterns and sudden movements alarming. Some bats feed on blood, and when intruders enter such a bat’s hunting



170 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



ground, it bites the target with the least armor or most exposed skin. Once it deals one level of decisive damage, it flies off to avoid retaliation. Although the injuries are small, the bat’s saliva prevents wounds from closing. The punctures continue bleeding until the victim can clean them. A lone bat flees when it takes damage to its first −1 health level. Bat colonies swarm intruders near their nests, flying in a chaotic pattern as a battle group with Size 1, poor Drill, and Might 0.



Alchemists seek out bat nests for their deposits of guano, a potent ingredient in many thaumaturgic rituals. It can also be refined into an explosive reagent as a major project, requiring a week’s worth of labor and a difficulty 3 Craft (Alchemy) roll. This transmutes one fistful of bat guano with a sprinkling of red jade shavings into a half dozen charges of firedust, or enough for two firedust grenades.



Bird of Paradise Native to the West’s tropical isles and Southeastern jungles, a bird of paradise is any avian with striking, colorful plumage and a knack for mimicry. These birds are popular pets for the wealthy, as keeping them alive over long distances is a challenge for sellers. Closer to their native habitats, Western sailors own the intelligent birds as lookouts and status symbols. Their animal insights inform Southeastern mystics’ fortune-telling rituals. Enterprising hunters capture and kill birds of paradise for their stunning plumage and craft the alluring feathers into jewelry and headpieces that fetch high prices from the Guild.



Across these tropical cultures, spotting a bird of paradise landing upon a pier, mast, or gunwale is an omen of good luck. If the bird flies over a vessel, it promises a safe and prosperous journey.



171 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2/−4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 8 dice; Mimic: 8 dice; Senses: 6 dice Resolve 1, Guile 3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



COMBAT Attack (Peck): 5 dice (Damage 8) Attack (Snatch): 6 dice (see Seizing Claws) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Bright and Beautiful (Latent): Birds of paradise are too lovely to harm, as are their keepers. The bird takes a persuade action against a target using the Mimic pool. If successful, this convinces the attacker to pursue a less beautiful target instead. Seizing Claws (Latent): In combat, a trained bird of paradise can snatch an object or a weapon from an enemy. It uses the disarm gambit (Exalted, p. 200), which may apply to any held or worn item.



Stolen Voice Distraction (Latent): A bird of paradise taught to mimic the voices of humans it overhears can use the distract gambit (Exalted, p. 200). Storyteller Tactics In the wild, birds of paradise don’t attack unless disturbed. If they must defend themselves, members of the flock take turns stealing the intruders’ voices to create a distraction while other birds swoop in to strike. They flee combat when they take damage to their first –1 health level. Birds of paradise include any of the following species: parrots, cockatiels, toucans, parakeets, and maidens-of-the-forest. Found only in southeastern jungles, maidens-of-the-forest have a spray of tail-feathers resembling the Five Maidens’ colors. Geomancers watch for maidens-of-the-forest with incorrectly colored plumage and use them to find demesnes. A bird of paradise is a 1-dot Familiar.



Camel/Llama Used as mounts and beasts of burden, camels and llamas are a common sight throughout Creation. In Southern deserts, warriors and merchants alike prefer camels over horses. In the North, llamas haul loads along narrow, winding mountain paths. Everywhere, weavers spin their hair into warm, durable textiles. While the mighty yeddim labors under a vaster yoke, the resilient and reliable creatures appeal to nomadic peoples who often cannot afford to maintain a massive beast. The traits below may also apply to any hardy pack animal well-adapted to life in a harsh environment.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 2 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +3 (see Environmental Stride) Actions: Endure Harsh Climates: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Keep Balance: 5 dice; Senses: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 5 dice (Damage 10) Attack (Kick): 6 dice (Damage 12) Combat Movement: 12 dice Evasion 1, Parry 1 (see Herd Guardian) Soak/Hardness: 3/0



172 EX3



MERITS Beast of Burden: Double 8s on feats of strength to haul or carry a heavy burden. Desert Traveler (camel only): Camels may travel for a week without stopping for water. Environmental Stride: Add +1 Speed bonus when riding the animal in its native environment. Sure-Footed: Camels and llamas cross difficult terrain using one move action instead of two, and reduce penalties to combat movement actions across such terrain by one. Well-Adapted: Double 9s on rolls to resist environmental hazards in the animal’s native environment. Battle-Trained (Latent): These trained beasts respond to the battle leader’s commands as well as their riders’. When ridden in a battle group, camels and llamas add 2 dice to rally or rally for numbers actions. Herd Guardian (Latent): Trained llamas defend herds of livestock or their owners. Double the llama’s Parry when it uses the defend other action to protect a herd, or its master. SPECIAL ABILITIES Tenacious Steed (Magical, 3m): The animal’s master adds her Essence to its Speed bonus when making mounted rush attacks. Additionally, it doubles



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



the usual benefit to withering attacks made while mounted (Exalted, p. 203). Storyteller Tactics Though merchants use both creatures for cargo in equal measure, Southern cavalry units prefer the camel for its larger build and tenacious attitude. Armorers craft breastplates and barding for the beasts.



By contrast, domesticated llamas are sociable and pleasant creatures. Reduce the Difficulty of any rolls made to control or tame them by one, to a minimum of 1. If not trained properly, llamas spit, kick, and bite, and therefore do not benefit from the reduced Difficulty. Unless specifically trained for combat or forced to fight, these animals flee after taking damage to their first −2 health level.



173 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Dolphin Western tradition says a single dolphin swimming alongside one’s ship is good luck; the appearance of a whole pod represents the best of fortunes indeed. These smart and playful mammals enjoy human company, and plenty of sailors owe their lives to a dolphin’s timely appearance. Mortals swim beside them without fear. Those who can breathe underwater ride dolphin mounts beneath the waves. Their intelligence makes them eminently trainable. Dynasts from Houses Peleps and V’Neef have especially capitalized on this, while fishermen rely on their trained dolphins’ keen eyesight and echolocation to help find the largest schools of fish. Career sailors take them as familiars, as do Immaculates seeking to please the sea gods.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 10 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +4 Actions: Guard: 7 dice; Senses: 6 dice (see Keen Eyes, Echolocation); Swimming: 8 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Resolve 2, Guile 3



174 EX3



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 5 dice (Damage 8) Attack (Tail): 5 dice (Damage 6) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 5, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Detect Intruders (Latent): Dolphins can be trained to sense invaders. Anyone attempting to sneak into an area dolphins patrol must roll (Dexterity + Stealth) to oppose the dolphins’ Guard. Treasure Seeking (Latent): Dolphins can survive at far greater depths than most humans, and can be trained to seek out and retrieve lost treasures at the bottom of the sea. Hold Fast (Magical, 5m): The dolphin’s normally smooth skin roughens where its rider comes into contact with it, allowing the rider the friction to stay mounted as the dolphin moves swiftly underwater.



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



MERITS Echolocation: Dolphins send sound waves out into the water and determine what’s nearby by the echoes that return. They never take penalties to Senses rolls for low light or blindness, and they double 8s on rolls to find or notice characters in concealment. Fortune’s Favor: The sea gods have blessed dolphins with their special favor, and the animals share that luck with trusted human companions. Once per scene, the player of a character with a dolphin familiar may reroll one mundane action and keep the better result.



Keen Eyes: Double 9s on sight-based Senses rolls; underwater, double 8s instead. Storyteller Tactics Dolphins aren’t prone to fighting. Pressed into combat, however, they bite and use their powerful tails to knock their enemies about. Faithful allies, they use their Guard as a defend other action to protect their young, their allies, and their masters. Dolphins can be purchased as 3-dot familiars. A dolphin attempts to flee once it has taken damage to its first −2 health level.



Eight-Tailed Mole Hound Once bred as fierce hunting animals for Southern DragonBlooded, eight-tailed mole hounds now run free and feral throughout the deserts. From afar, they resemble wolves in size and shape, but in addition to their eponymous eight tails, these creatures possess thick armored plates. Mole hounds are pack beasts, hunting in groups of six to twelve. With their wide feet, they tunnel with impressive speed, burrowing beneath sand or soil as fast as they can run atop it.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x5/−4x3/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Senses: 8 dice (see Keen Nose), Stealth: 6 dice (7 while burrowing); Threaten: 4 dice



175 EX3



(6 alongside packmates); Tracking: 7 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 7 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (5 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 (4 with defend other action) Soak/Hardness: 8/10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Burrow: The mole hound burrows underground and moves a full range band to its target’s position with a single reflexive move action, ignoring difficult terrain.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



It can burrow through sand and soil, including packed dirt, but not through stone or other solid barriers. Unexpected attacks it makes after this movement in the same turn add two automatic successes to the damage roll. Massive Charge: If the mole hound moves at least one range band toward a target and makes a decisive attack against it on the same turn, the attack gains the Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586). MERITS Earthsight: While burrowing, a mole hound perceives through vibrations. It can pinpoint a target’s location and note its actions without seeing it, as long as it produces any vibrations in the ground; a flying foe, for instance, confounds this sense. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Safety in Numbers: A mole hound protects injured packmates, granting an ally who has taken 3+ levels of damage one automatic success on disengage rolls as



long as it uses the defend other action on their behalf. Enemies increase onslaught penalties by one per three hounds attacking together. A battle group of mole hounds can’t use this ability. By default, only other mole hounds count as packmates, but a master can train it to recognize human allies as part of the pack as a latent ability. Storyteller Tactics Although one mole hound is formidable on its own, the beasts prefer hunting in packs. They surround their targets, sending a few in to attack at a time and combining Burrow and Massive Charge to create daisy chains of unexpected attacks. The others corral the enemies, or break off into smaller groups to pick off escapees. Mole hounds are patient, tracking prey for hours or days until the perfect opportunity arises. A solitary mole hound flees with damage in any of its last two −2 health levels; packs flee when every member has taken at least three levels of lethal damage or at least six of bashing. Mole hounds are 2-dot Familiars.



Elephant/Mammoth Throughout Creation, from the savannas of the South to the arctic wastes of the far North, people respect and revere elephants and mammoths as totems of strength and power. Full-grown bulls travel alone or in loose groups, standing twice the height of a mortal and weighing up to seven tons. Females gather in intimate family groups with their young; they have two-thirds of a male’s height and mass. They use tusks — found on male Southwestern elephants, or both genders elsewhere — to guard against predators, engage in mating battles, and tear up roots and bark for fodder. They gather near freshwater sources. Elephants live for decades, with intelligence, memory, and emotional sophistication akin to a human’s. They gather food and use tools with their prehensile trunks, and though they cannot speak, they exhibit love, grief, generosity, and humor. People keep them in captivity to haul goods, transport passengers, or trample foes in war. Hunters kill wild elephants for their valuable ivory. Northern tribes also hunt the mammoth for its meat.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0x3/−1x6/−2x6/−4x6/Incap. Speed Bonus: +1 Actions: Endure Extreme Conditions: 9 dice; Feats of Strength: 14 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats); Find Water: 10 dice; Intimidate: 9 dice; Senses: 7 dice Resolve 2, Guile 1



176 EX3



COMBAT Attack (Stomp): 14 dice (Damage 16, minimum 4) Attack (Tusks): 12 dice, or 13 with bladed tusks (Damage 18, minimum 5); Tags: Piercing (blades only) Attack (Trunk): 13 dice (Damage 15); Tags: Flexible Attack (Grapple): 11 dice (14 to control) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 2, Parry 4 Soak/Hardness: 16/6 (20/6 with armor) SPECIAL ABILITIES Gore: Decisive tusk attacks add threshold successes to damage against enemies with lower Initiative, as long as the elephant hasn’t taken any other actions (including reflexive movement actions) that turn. Massive Charge: If the elephant moves at least one range band toward a target and makes a decisive attack against it on the same turn, the attack gains the Smashing tag (Exalted, p. 586). Overwhelming Might: Elephants make unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless the victims use magic allowing them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). Rampaging Stampede: Spend one Willpower to flurry a withering stomp attack with a decisive tusk or trunk attack, each with a different target.



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Trample: If the elephant reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush and makes a stomp attack against them on its next turn, a successful hit knocks the enemy prone. Apply the Defense penalty from being prone (Exalted, p. 202) retroactively when calculating the attack’s threshold successes. Trunk Grapple (Latent): An elephant takes no Defense penalty for grappling, but can’t make savaging attacks. However, one with bladed tusks automatically deals lethal damage on a decisive throw, as it tosses the enemy into the air and then slices them — perhaps in half. MERITS Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Legendary Size: An elephant suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal



more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Storyteller Tactics Elephants flee after taking 4+ levels of damage, unless protecting their young or kept under control by a rider. Against larger opponents they use their Massive Charge to protect their territory or wards more often than they attack directly. They are difficult to harm due to thick hides and versatile trunks, but they have trouble maneuvering quickly or attacking foes directly behind (or atop) them. Those who train elephants for battle often have steel-bladed tips crafted to fit the animals’ tusks, which the elephants use like swords to cut their opponents in half. War elephants in Kirighast use their trunks to swing about modified flails with incredible accuracy. Since preparing an animal of this size for war requires huge investments of time and money, their owners also fit them with padded armor allowing them the freedom of movement to use their trunks and tusks against their enemies.



177 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Forest Strider Eastern forests are home to an unusually large breed of stick bugs that blend in with trees and disappear from plain sight like their smaller cousins. The abundant food and fecund Essence near the Pole of Wood allow creatures to grow to massive sizes. A forest strider’s swift ground speed, and their ability to quickly climb towering trees and fly short distances, make them popular mounts. While some forest striders look like bare tree trunks, with six branch-like limbs, others resemble giant leaves. Some varieties have iridescent wings, almost invisible, letting them glide from one branch to another.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x4/−2x4/−4/Incap. Speed Bonus: +3 Actions: Climb: 7 dice; Glide (winged only): 6 dice; Read Intentions: 4 dice; Resist Disease/Poison: 5 dice; Senses: 5 dice; Stealth: 7 dice Resolve 2, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Grapple): 5 dice (7 to control)



178 EX3



Attack (Leg spikes): 5 dice (Damage 7) Attack (Poison spray): 6 dice (Damage 0; see Poison Burst); Tags: Thrown (Short) Combat Movement: 5 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Ambush Hunter: Gain +3 on unexpected attacks. Poison Burst: Forest striders secrete a poison (Exalted, p. 232), with which they can make poison spray attacks that are vectors for exposure upon success. The poison deals 2i per round (L in Crash), with a duration of 3 rounds and a −3 penalty. Spike Swipe (Latent): The forest strider lashes out with its leg spikes to protect its rider. She does not lose Initiative when she disengages while astride. MERITS Camouflage: The forest strider appears to be part of a tree, or a stump or leaf on its own. In a forest, double 9s on Stealth rolls. Sudden Escape: The forest strider can shed a leg



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



their foes. Riders can train forest striders to attack on command, much like war horses.



to get away from an enemy. It may automatically disengage without a roll, but suffers a cumulative −1 penalty to combat movement rolls. This penalty lasts until the leg regenerates during molting, which it does once a week. Storyteller Tactics Forest striders’ nimble limbs and aerodynamic shapes allow them to ascend to high points quickly, giving riders the high ground and the ability to swoop down upon



In the wild, forest striders keep to the trees and avoid contact with humans. A character who is patient, moves softly, and has a good supply of succulent leaves and berries may lure one from hiding with a Charisma + Survival roll, opposed by the strider’s Read Intentions pool. Untamed forest striders are timid; they attempt to flee after taking any damage.



Giant Constrictor Legendary terrors of the Eastern jungles and Western bogs, giant constrictors are any variety of constricting snakes, such as the anaconda or boa, which can grow to monstrous sizes in Creation, reaching extremes of fifty or sixty feet in isolated ecosystems. They use their massive coils to crush the breath out of prey such as deer, capybaras, and unfortunate humans, while swallowing smaller animals like fish or birds whole. Some make their homes among the treetops, blending in with foliage before falling onto an unsuspecting victim. Others hunt in rivers, swimming under the surface



of water before lunging out to claim a hapless animal stopping to drink.



179 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x3/−4x3/Incap. Actions: Climb: 6 dice; Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Resist Disease/Poison: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Thermal Sense); Stealth: 5 dice Resolve 2, Guile 2



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 15) Attack (Grapple): 10 dice (14 to control) Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 8/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Crushing Coils: A giant constrictor takes no Defense penalties from grappling, and can drag an enemy on the same turn it makes a savaging attack against them. Uncoiling Serpent Rush: Every turn the constrictor does not take a movement action, it stocks a single success, to a maximum of three. Each stocked successes adds +1 Evasion. It adds all stocked successes to a rush roll, and to any grapple gambit it initiates on the same turn in a flurry, resetting stocked successes to zero. With three stocked successes, it may also reflexively move one range band closer to the enemy without counting as its movement action for the turn. Any other movement actions waste all stocked successes.



MERITS Camouflage: Double 9s on Stealth rolls while hidden amid treetops or dense foliage. Aquatic variants gain camouflage while swimming or slithering through mud. Thermal Sense: Giant constrictors sense their prey’s body heat, doubling 9s on any roll to notice a warm-blooded character and ignoring penalties for visual obstacles such as darkness or mist. Storyteller Tactics Giant constrictors depend on the element of surprise when they hunt. Though they’re capable of moving swiftly to catch their prey, they prefer to wait, hidden, until a tasty and unsuspecting morsel happens by. The snakes are also nocturnal creatures, doing the majority of their hunting at night. Legion soldiers on latenight watches in the East keep an eye out for constrictors, lest their sleeping comrades-in-arms end up with bone-crushing blankets. Giant constrictors flee when they take damage to their last −3 health level, unless they are in the middle of crushing their prey to death; then they flee after the grapple ends instead.



Ichneumon Hunter The terrifying ichneumon hunter is the scourge of Southern herders. While the male of the species is a harmless fly, the female is a flying wasp the size of a small dog, with an ovipositor as long and sharp as a dagger. It uses this to puncture the flesh of sheep, goats, cattle, or whatever warm-blooded hosts are common throughout the region, and implant its eggs to grow and hatch within — and eventually feed on — their unwilling host. While it’s uncommon for them to implant their brood in a human host, those rare victims suffer an agonizing death. Herders protect their flocks (and children) from the ichneumon by burning foul-smelling herbs in huge firepots day and night, while physicians and shamans prescribe infusions of wormwood to kill implanted eggs before they have a chance to hatch.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 2; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1/−2/−4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 7 dice; Senses: 4 dice (see Host Scent); Stealth: 9 dice; Tracking: 3 dice (see Host Scent) Resolve 1, Guile 1



180 EX3



COMBAT Attack (Sting): 8 dice (Damage 10) Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 5, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 1/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Ambush Hunter: Add three dice on unexpected attacks. Buzzing Advance: Add one automatic success on any rush against a warm-blooded mammal that could host its eggs, without penalties for flurrying a rush and a sting attack on the same turn against such prey. Distracting Swarm: A cloud of male ichneumon hunters surrounds the female’s prey, distressing and disorienting the target. Roll Fly vs. the target’s Resolve, treating the swarm of males as one unit. If the swarm succeeds, the target moves one range band away from its original position and suffers a −1 penalty on Perception rolls for the next round. Infestation: A living enemy damaged by a decisive sting must roll to resist the ichneumon hunter implanting



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



its eggs in their body, a parasitic infestation modeled as a disease (Exalted, p. 233) with virulence 4, morbidity 2, and an interval of one month. Fully-grown ichneumon hunters emerge from the corpse of anyone who dies of the infestation. Corpse-Hive Embodiment (Magical, 1m): When the ichneumon hunter makes a decisive sting attack against an undead creature with flesh, such as a zombie (but not a materialized ghost or Liminal Exalt), its master may pay one mote to quicken the hunter’s eggs as it implants them in dead flesh. The insects quickly hatch and devour the creature alive. In addition to taking damage from the attack, the undead is filled with flesh-eating wasps, suffering one die of lethal damage that ignores Hardness on each turn. Fire drives the wasplings away; a zombie’s master can expel them by spending a miscellaneous brandishing a torch or similar source of flame. MERITS Host Scent: Add three bonus successes to rolls to notice or track warm-blooded prey, but not to rolls opposing stealth attempts. Tiny Creature: Male ichneumon hunters add +2 Evasion against attacks made by larger foes. In addition, larger characters subtract two successes from Awareness-based rolls made to notice them.



Brood-Sense Meditation (Magical, 0m): The ichneumon hunter is conjoined to the Essence of its parasitic brood, and can sense their emerging lives as they grow within its prey. Against any character infested with the hunter’s eggs, Host Scent’s bonus increases to five bonus successes and can contest even perfect track-covering magic, such as the Charm Traceless Passage (Exalted, p. 412). Storyteller Tactics Procreation is the ichneumon hunter’s main priority. In the wild, they’re selective about which herd animals they choose as hosts: since the weakest run the risk of being killed by other predators before the incubation period ends, the hunters aim for hardier members of a flock. Infestation is a team effort. Females attack their prey together, overwhelming as many of the herd as they can and ensuring that each hunter can lay her eggs. Males of the species, otherwise harmless, swarm in an attempt to separate potential hosts from the safety of their packs. They have no bite to speak of, but their buzzing mimics the female’s and sets off the quarry’s flight instincts. An ichneumon hunter attempts to flee when it suffers damage to its −2 health level.



181 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Metagalapan Riding Hawk Mount Metagalapa lies northeast of Great Forks, floating hundreds of feet in the air. Its denizens learned to breed its native oversized hawks larger and larger, until the birds could carry riders. Now, traders and warriors from the lofty peak swoop down to barter with those who deal with them in good faith — and raid those who don’t — borne on the wings of Metagalapan riding hawks. Modern hawks’ dispositions retain a healthy dose of the wild. Anyone foolhardy enough to steal one courts a long drop and a painful death. Riders train for long periods, earning a bird’s trust over months or years. Hawks and riders with the strongest bonds perform incredible feats, maneuvering as though they share body and mind.



miles per day, but after a few days they need rest and recovery before continuing. Metagalapan hawks often outlive their riders. Some pass their hawks’ jesses on to a child or favored student, the bird serving its masters faithfully for a century or more. The hawks are not very fertile; only a few hatchlings survive each year, and successful breeders are in demand. Even rarer is the great roc, a variety whose wingspan stretches double that of their smaller cousins, growing larger than a mammoth.



The hawks have 30-foot wingspans and powerful talons. They can carry a small load, about 200 pounds, for a rider and her spoils. They can transport riders up to 50-75



182 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 7 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x3/−2x3/−4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +0 Actions: Fly: 10 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye); Stealth: 6 dice; Tracking: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye) Resolve 2, Guile 1



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



COMBAT Attack (Beak): 10 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Grapple): 4 dice (4 to control) Attack (Talons): 10 dice (Damage 12) Combat Movement: 8 dice (see Aerial Maneuverability) Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Aerial Maneuverability: Double 9s on disengage attempts while flying. Crushing Grip: Withering savage attacks the hawk makes against grappled opponents ignore up to four points of soak, while decisive ones ignore up to four points of Hardness. Swooping Descent: A hawk that flies downward at least one range band and makes a decisive unexpected attack on the same turn adds two automatic successes to the attack roll. A hawk soaring high in the sky is beyond sensory range without superhuman senses, ensuring an ambush on first strike and allowing it to attempt re-establishing stealth in combat or withdrawing by simply flying higher than their enemies can see. Steady Glide (Latent): The hawk moves smoothly through the air, allowing its rider to take aim or perform other actions requiring a steady hand without suffering any penalties during any maneuver. Armored hawks do not suffer barding penalties.



MERITS Eagle Eye: The hawk gains five bonus dice on vision-based Senses rolls to notice something while it has the height advantage, and can make out fine details of far-off targets this way. It automatically succeeds on rolls to track someone while airborne unless they employ perfect concealment magic. Mighty Wings (Magical, 3m): The hawk can carry an extra 50 pounds for every three motes committed indefinitely, up to an extra 200 pounds. Storyteller Tactics Metagalapans prize their riding hawks for their maneuverability and ferocity. While a hawk is neither affectionate nor truly loyal, it recognizes a good master as a reliable source of food and shelter. It’s still a wild animal at heart, though, and a rider would do well to remember that. Mistreated hawks turn on their abusers. One Prince of the Earth known for his cruelty turned up dead on the rocks below the mountain. Official documents say his worn saddle’s straps gave way, but those who found him say they were sliced, as if by a talon. Metagalapan hawks prefer to strike from above, then move swiftly out of range as they climb into the sky for their next dive. They can only restrain/drag or savage a grappled enemy, but they can drag him while ascending and then release him to cause falling damage. They attempt to flee when they’ve taken damage to their first –2 health level, unless forced by a rider to continue. Those who manage to procreate are protective of their fledglings, and defend their nests until Incapacitated or killed. A Metagalapan hawk is a 2-dot Familiar.



183 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Mospid This flying, feathered lizard is smaller than an eagle, but far nimbler, with a two-foot wingspan and feathered tufts on its tail and thumb that allow for precise maneuvering. They are fearsome nocturnal hunters in their native forests, swooping down to catch prey and savaging it to death with their sharp claws. While they’re far more difficult to tame than any falcon, the Realm’s Dragon-Blooded favor them for hunting animals, both for their killing prowess and as a symbol of their master’s own might.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 4 dice Health Levels: −0/−1/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Fly: 8 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye and Night Vision); Steal (6 dice); Tracking: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye and Night Vision) Resolve 2, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Claw): 9 dice (Damage 9) Attack (Grapple): 5 dice (5 to control)



184 EX3



Combat Movement: 8 dice (6 to disengage) Evasion 4, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 4/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Death Dive: As long as the mospid can soar up to long range from the ground, it may dive down at an enemy with devastating force. The first time it moves down into close range with an enemy while airborne and makes a decisive attack, it may add four dice to the attack roll and double 10s on the damage roll. Once it’s used this special attack, it must regain altitude, returning back to vertical long range before it can do so again. Harry: If a mospid moves into close range of an enemy and deals 5+ damage to them with a withering attack in the same turn, that enemy cannot disengage or withdraw on their next turn. Dread Clutches (Latent): When the mospid savages a grappled enemy, it may also drag them along with any movement actions it takes without restraining them first. The mospid may move normally during a grapple as long as it’s in flight.



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Hold at Bay (Latent): After using Harry, a mospid may pay a Willpower to reflexively attempt a grapple gambit, converting threshold successes on the attack roll to bonus dice on the control roll. The mospid can only hold or savage a grappled enemy — it cannot drag them unless it knows and uses Dread Clutches. Intercept (Latent): The mospid’s master trains it to seek out messenger birds and intercept the correspondence they carry. The mospid swoops in, snatches the missive, and darts away. Once per scene, the mospid may flurry a Steal action with a disengage action without penalty. Familiar Sense (Magical, 5m): The mospid senses familiars within medium range, and can trace the supernatural bond back to the familiar’s master. MERITS Eagle Eye: A mospid gains five bonus dice on vision-based Senses rolls while it has the height advantage, and can make out fine details of far-off targets this way. It automatically succeeds on rolls to track someone while airborne unless they employ perfect concealment magic. Eagle Wing Rush: A mospid may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is still at short range.



Night Vision: Mospids can see in dim conditions without penalty, and reduce the difficulty of vision-based Senses rolls in deeper darkness by one. Precise Maneuvering: Double 9s on movement actions made while in flight. In an environment where the mospid must maneuver around obstacles or tight passages, such as a heavily forested area, double 8s instead. Storyteller Tactics Mospids flee after taking any damage, even those trained as hunting beasts. A mospid can carry seized enemies the size of a housecat, small monkey, or similar prey indefinitely. They can grapple enemies up to the size of a dog, but only for an instant, relinquishing the grapple at the end of their turn (which may cause falling damage to its foe if the mospid ascends). Mospids cannot slam or throw clinched enemies. Mospids are valuable assets on the battlefield. Their agility makes them excellent message-carriers, and their sharp claws rend other courier-birds to bits. When lookouts spot mospids in the air, those with familiars consider very carefully whether to send their companion to scout ahead.



185 EX3



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Northern Ursid Iceship crews from Tusk tell stories of sleek, white-pelted water bears prowling Mela’s Fangs, attacking boats and stealing fishermen’s catches. Their webbed paws end in wicked claws. Gills in their necks allow them to dive for long periods to hunt fish in caves deep below the water’s surface, or to evade human hunters’ spears and harpoons. Down on all fours, these sea bears are four to five feet high at the shoulder, and weigh between 800 and 2,000 pounds. Standing on their hind legs, they tower over humans at heights of up to 11 feet. Hunting parties brave the bears’ ferocious attacks, as their pelts fetch excellent prices, and one ursid’s meat can feed a family for months. Northern tribes who take its avatar as their patron train the animals to fight and fit them with armor for riding into battle.



186 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 7 dice Health Levels: −0x5/−1x5/−2x5/−4x3/Incap. Speed Bonus: +3 (+4 in the water) Actions: Feats of Strength: 7 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Intimidate: 7 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Keen Nose); Swimming: 8 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Resolve 3, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 15) Attack (Claw): 12 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (9 to control, or 10 in the water) Combat Movement: 7 dice (8 in the water) Evasion 3, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 10/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Capsize (Latent): The bear grabs lines dangling from a small boat or other vessel no larger than a fast courier (Exalted, p. 246) in its powerful jaws, or embeds its claws deep in the vessel’s underside, and dives. Treat this as a Strength 5+ feat of strength with required successes equal to the pilot’s (Strength



+ Sail). Upon success, the boat capsizes, dumping anyone and anything aboard into the water. Roaring Charge (Latent): After moving at least one range band toward a target on the ursid’s current turn, roll Intimidate against the target’s Resolve as a miscellaneous action. If successful, the enemy reflexively flees one range band in the opposite direction, and the bear or its rider receives one automatic success on the next attack roll against anyone who witnessed the charge. MERITS Berserker: Convert wound penalties to bonus dice on attack rolls. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Storyteller Tactics Northern ursidae make their dens away from humans in caves near the sea, and those who would tame them must defeat them in combat first. In battle without a rider, an ursid’s preferred tactics are to grapple an enemy and drag her underwater in a bear hug until she drowns, or the clinch crushes her bones, whichever comes first. A water bear attempts to flee if it takes damage in its first −2 health level, unless commanded otherwise by a rider. Ursidae are 2-dot Familiars.



Siaka Gigantic sharks that grow up to 50 feet in length, siaka are the apex predators of much of Creation’s oceans, hunting whales and giant squid in deep water. Their massive mouths have five rows of dagger-like teeth, which they often plunge into the unprotected underbellies of their prey as they attack from below. They can scent even a few drops of blood in water from hundreds of miles away, and rise from the deep if incensed by its tantalizing scent, making them a dreaded sight in the aftermath of great sea battles.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0x4/−1x8/−2x8/−4x4/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 13 dice (may attempt Strength 7 feats, see Sundering Bite); Senses: 6 dice (see Blood Scent); Stealth: 2 dice; Swimming: 7 dice; Tracking: 3 dice (see Blood Scent) Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 10 dice (Damage 22, minimum 5) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 to control)



187 EX3



Combat Movement: 7 dice Evasion 3, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 10/5 SPECIAL ABILITIES Blood Frenzy: The smell of blood drives the siaka to the point of near-madness. It adds automatic successes to decisive attacks and grapple control rolls against an enemy who has taken any lethal damage this scene, equal to the enemy’s current wound penalty. Death From Below: When the siaka makes a surprise attack, it adds threshold successes on the attack roll to the raw damage, or to the grapple control roll. This cannot add more than five dice to the raw damage of a decisive attack. Killing Surge: If any of the siaka’s enemies have taken lethal damage when it Joins Battle, it may convert one die to an automatic success for each point of wound penalty suffered by its enemies, and treats the roll as a reflexive rush attempt against a bleeding enemy. Massive Fangs: Whenever the siaka deals 5+ damage to any enemy with a withering attack, it



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



may pay a Willpower to roll one lethal damage die against its victim as well, which ignores Hardness. Overwhelming Might: Siaka make unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless the victims use magic allowing them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). Rip to Shreds: When the siaka makes a savage attack against a grappled enemy, it may expend rounds of control to add that many dice to the damage roll. Crew-Devouring Rampage (Latent): A siaka trained to fight against large numbers of organized enemies treats all battle groups as having a wound penalty equal to their Size for the purposes of its abilities. Thrashing Predator Aggression (Latent): The siaka may spend a Willpower to reflexively make a clash attack against any attack made at close range. If it deals 5+ damage with a withering clash attack, it may use Massive Fangs at no cost, and it rolls three lethal damage dice instead of one. MERITS Blood Scent: Add three bonus successes to rolls to sense the presence of blood in the water, out to



extreme range. If it specifically attempts to track or detect a bleeding character, it adds an additional success for each point of wound penalty that character suffers. Depth Lurker: While the siaka is unskilled in stealth, subtract three successes from Perception rolls to notice it while it’s at long range or farther under the water relative to the character, or moving up from long range while already hidden. It can rush enemies from long range beneath them underwater as long as the horizontal distance between the two is no more than one range band and it’s concealed from the target. Legendary Size: A siaka suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage to it, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Shark Sleep: Siaka don’t truly sleep. Instead, they enter a resting phase during which they remain conscious and can still move, but cannot attack or take



188 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



down, and targets the wounded with attacks such as Blood Frenzy and Killing Surge.



other involved physical actions without disrupting their rest. Eight hours spent in this resting phase is equivalent to a night’s sleep for the siaka. Sundering Bite: Double 8s on feats of destruction to crush something between the siaka’s enormous jaws. Storyteller Tactics Siaka prowl the deeps, undetected by ships’ captains and lookouts until it’s far too late to raise the sails and run. Though some of its enemies are as adept fighting in the water as they are on dry land, the siaka recognizes that most mortals benefit from a solid deck beneath their feet. When attacking enemies on a ship, it uses Death From Below to slam into the hull, attempting to knock the crew prone or, ideally, overboard. It attempts to snare individual opponents in its jaws with Overwhelming Might, and savages grappled targets with Rip to Shreds. It uses its Massive Fangs to wear enemies



The siaka uses the ocean’s vastness to its advantage. It frequently dives deep and repositions itself, attacking the ship from a different angle, capsizing other vessels, or picking off sailors who have fallen into the water. Just because the siaka remains submerged for an extended period of time doesn’t mean it’s lost interest. Destroying ships excites the siaka nearly as much as devouring their crews. It uses Sundering Bite to rip holes in the hull, or snap the main mast in half between its powerful jaws. A siaka attempts to flee upon suffering damage to its first –4 health level, unless enraged by the smell of blood in the water.



Simhata The simhata is a proud and majestic creature combining the best aspects of lion and horse in its build, with a vicious temper and a predatory gaze. Simhata roam Southern savannas and Eastern grasslands, disemboweling prey with powerful claws before moving in for the killing bite. While they are fearsome predators, they have an uneasy relationship with nearby humans — though a simhata is by no means averse to preying on human flesh, the beasts can also be tamed to serve as ferociously loyal mounts. The affinity between human and simhata goes back to their origins in distant prehistory as the war-mounts of the Exalted, and even in the Time of Tumult, the lion-horse has an inborn desire to serve any of the Chosen who prove themselves worthy.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0x3/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Speed Bonus: +4 Actions: Feats of Strength: 9 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Intimidate: 10 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Keen Nose); Stealth: 8 dice; Tracking: 4 dice (see Keen Nose) Resolve 4, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 17) Attack (Claws): 10 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Grapple): 7 dice (8 to control)



189 EX3



Combat Movement: 13 dice Evasion 5, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 6/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Brutal Claw: Smaller enemies that take 5+ damage from the simhata’s withering claw attack are knocked back one range band and fall prone. Leaping Pounce: If a simhata moves into close range with an enemy of the same size or smaller and deals 5+ damage to it with a withering attack on the same turn, it may pay a point of Willpower to reflexively make a clinch attack against its prey. Raging Lion-Horse Fury: Whenever damage fills one of the simhata’s −2 or lower health levels, or when it witnesses its bonded rider’s death (see Bonding, below), it enters a state of frenzy. It ignores wound penalties and gains a Willpower on each turn that can exceed its usual maximum. It must spend this before its next turn to add a success to a combat-related action, or to resist influence that would make it cease fighting or impede its ability to fight; otherwise, that Willpower point vanishes. An enraged simhata doesn’t flee under any circumstances. However, a bonded rider may attempt to calm its rage with a (Charisma + Ride) roll, difficulty 4, which cannot be placed in a flurry. Savaging Maw: Any decisive bite attack the simhata makes against a prone or crashed enemy adds threshold successes to the damage roll.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Swift Advance: Whenever the simhata reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush, it may pay a Willpower to reflexively make a decisive attack against them. Foe-Maiming Guardian’s Fangs (Magical, 1m): Whenever the simhata makes a decisive bite attack against an enemy who has attacked or threatened its bonded rider, the Exalt may pay one mote to double 10s on the damage roll. If he currently suffers any wound penalties inflicted by that enemy, his total wound penalty is added as bonus dice to the simhata’s attack roll. MERITS Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Predator’s Hunger: Whenever a simhata Joins Battle against an enemy it could conceivably eat, if it hasn’t eaten within the last day, it may reroll any 1s until they fail to appear. Its master can train it to apply this Merit to all Join Battle rolls as a latent ability, by conditioning it to associate battle with free rein to devour its enemies.



Bonding (Latent): A rider who successfully tames a wild simhata — a task involving a great deal of hard effort and raw meat — bonds to it, giving the simhata a Major Tie of loyalty to them. While it may not be well-tempered or easy to handle, its devotion is unwavering. It accepts no other rider, and anyone foolish enough to attack its master answers to its claws. However, the simhata were bred in the ancient past as Exalted war-steeds. Even a bonded simhata allows an Exalt to ride if his anima flares. Bonded to an Exalt, the simhata’s Tie is Defining and overrides any existing bonds to un-Exalted riders. Cliff-Stalking Method (Latent): A simhata’s powerful legs and claws allow it to climb up walls as easily as it moves over horizontal ground. It scales vertical surfaces at its regular combat speed, and for a point of Willpower, can leap a distance comparable to what a Solar can achieve with Monkey Leap Technique (Exalted, p. 261). When running at full speed, the simhata can use its momentum to jump from one wall to another, catching on with its claws and pushing off again as it pursues its prey.



190 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



pouncing again, or bat its catch back and forth with another member of its pack until it grows bored or hungry enough and snaps its victim’s neck.



Resplendent Mane (Magical, 2m): Whenever its master’s anima banner is at the burning level, the simhata’s mane mimics its appearance at no cost, glowing and whipping about in the stirring Essence. For two motes, the simhata gains +2 dice to combat rolls for the scene. Storyteller Tactics For a simhata, the hunt is as satisfying as the kill. It stalks its prey across the savanna, creeping low to the ground and staying upwind until it strikes in a flurry of fangs and claws. The hunt doesn’t end when the simhata catches its quarry. Like its smaller feline cousins, a simhata plays with its food before delivering the killing blow. It may release its victim and let it run a range band away before



Simhata are intelligent and curious. A bonded simhata learns to read its master’s body language, making it a savvy companion in dangerous situations. Many Exalts owe their lives to a vigilant simhata picking up on its master’s unease and acting swiftly when enemies appeared. A simhata flees after suffering damage to its last –3 health level but never abandons a bonded rider, even if it must sacrifice its own life to save his. Simhata are 2-dot Familiars.



Sky Titan Native to Southeastern jungles, these massive creatures are both tremendous lizard and terrible raptor. Immense, broad wings stretch more than 50 feet across. Their feathers, arrayed in a violent spray of colors, form fearsome patterns when their wings unfurl. Many an explorer’s last moments come while glancing up to see the beast’s razor-sharp beak as it strikes like a comet. If a victim is unlucky, the sky titan toys with its prey, shaking and flinging him around to soften him up before devouring him. The sight of its crested head and enormous beak rising above the tree line, or the fierce winds from the downbeat of its gigantic wings, is enough to turn squads of hardened soldiers back to seek another route. The sky titan has snatching talons powerful enough to seize an adult and fly away with him, and is covered from head to toe in glittering, impenetrable scales. Only the boldest heroes can tame a sky titan as a mount — for they must survive battle with the beast — but those who succeed become masters of the air.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 6; Join Battle: 8 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1x5/−2x5/−4x2/Incap. Speed Bonus: +4 Actions: Feats of Strength: 10 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Fly: 5 dice (9 dice at vertical long range or higher); Intimidate: 12 dice; Senses: 9 dice (see Keen Nose); Tracking: 8 dice Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Beak): 9 dice (Damage 18, minimum 6; Piercing)



191 EX3



Attack (Talons): 10 dice (Damage 16) Attack (Wing): 8 dice (Damage 14) Attack (Talon Grapple): 11 dice (10 to control) Combat Movement: 12 dice (see Master of the Sky) Evasion 4 (see Master of the Sky), Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 12/4 SPECIAL ABILITIES Clamp Down: Once per scene, a sky titan that deals 3+ levels of damage with a decisive talon attack may pay one Willpower to immediately begin grappling its victim without a gambit, reflexively making the opposed control roll. Add +1 to the base Initiative the creature resets to for every round of control it gains. Dominating Battlecry: The sky titan surveys the battlefield and trumpets its supremacy. When its Initiative is the highest among battle participants by 15 or more, it may spend 10 Initiative to regain one Willpower. Fearsome Display: Spreading its wings, the sky titan terrifies all who behold it. Once per scene, roll Intimidate once and apply it against the Resolve of each character who can see it. Those whose Resolve it overcomes must flee in terror until they reach extreme range from the titan, or pay one Willpower to resist. Mundane animals and mortals automatically flee without magical intervention, and can’t resist with Willpower. If the sky titan Incapacitates or kills a non-trivial opponent, this ability resets. Ground-Churning Strafe Attack: The sky titan drags its massive talons across the battlefield as a combat action, clawing at the turf as it charges. The upturned earth and deep gouges it leaves create a swath of difficult terrain.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Horizon-Sweeping Wingspan: Spend one Willpower. With a mighty downbeat of its wings, the sky titan makes a single withering wing attack applied against all enemies within close range. This attack knocks any enemies who take damage from it back one range band, and the titan may take a reflexive move action in any direction, which doesn’t count as its move action for the turn. It gains full Initiative from the target who took the most damage, +1 for each other target who took any damage. For a second Willpower point, it may flurry the initial wing attack with a withering or decisive beak attack. This ability may be used once per scene, but resets whenever the sky titan’s wound penalty increases. Spine-Shattering Emperor’s Beak: Striking with an apex predator’s skill and all the force its impressively elongated neck can provide, the sky titan may make beak attacks at short range. If the target hasn’t acted yet this turn or is in Initiative Crash, successful decisive beak attacks made at short range reset the titan to 6 Initiative instead of 3, and successful withering piercing beak attacks made at short range ignore up to 7 armor soak instead of 4. MERITS Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Sky titans use their tongues to aid in smelling.



Legendary Size: The sky titan suffers no onslaught penalties from attacks from smaller opponents, unless they’re magically inflicted. Withering attacks from smaller enemies cannot Crash it unless they have at least 10 post-soak damage dice, although attackers still gain the full amount of Initiative damage dealt. Decisive attacks from smaller enemies cannot deal more than (3 + attacker’s Strength) levels of damage, not counting levels added by Charms or other magic. Master of the Sky: The sky titan suffers no penalties for moving over difficult terrain while on the ground, but takes a −3 penalty to combat movement actions while flying at low altitudes (vertical medium range from the ground or lower). It gains +3 Evasion while soaring at vertical long range or higher, as long as it hasn’t taken any combat actions within the scene. It can fly continuously at 80 miles an hour for up to 10 days without rest at high altitudes. Overwhelming Might: Sky titans make unopposed grapple control rolls against enemies of smaller size, unless the victims use magic allowing them to grapple larger foes, such as Dragon Coil Technique (Exalted, p. 280). Thick Scales: The sky titan does not subtract wound penalties from its Defense. In addition, attacks made from short range or further reduce their minimum



192 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



damage against the sky titan by one unless they benefit from an Aim action. Storyteller Tactics The sky titan dominates the battlefield from the ground, keeping enemies at bay with Fearsome Display and Horizon-Sweeping Wingspan, stymying their advance with Ground-Churning Strafe, then picking them off one by one with its beak, using its elongated neck to its advantage. It’s a clumsy flier at low altitudes due to its bulk, so it usually refrains from getting airborne unless it’s trying to disengage or withdraw — or it’s already won. When a challenger does get within close range, the sky titan lashes out with its sharp, deadly talons. Grappling



an opponent and dropping him from an impressive height is simultaneously an attempt to harm the enemy and a display of the titan’s dominance, but a foe’s allies can take advantage of its poor flying skills at low altitudes to rescue him before it climbs too high. Fiercely territorial, a sky titan defends its domain against any who would challenge its sovereignty. Because of its extensive flight range, it considers its domain to extend out to the horizon — and sometimes beyond. A sky titan only flees battle after taking damage to its fifth −2 health level. A sky titan is a 3-dot Familiar.



Spider No corner of Creation is bereft of spiders. Arachnids scuttle along thick tree trunks in Eastern forests and volcanoes’ slopes in the West; they’re camouflaged amid the dust of the South and crouched in chilly corners of saddlebags in the North. Even palatial Dynastic estates know the presence of common house spiders. This ubiquitous creature may appear as a friendly pet belonging to an affluent treasure hunter, a partner to a shifty-eyed thief, or a dangerous threat lurking in the shadows, ready to prey on human flesh. The special abilities and Merits below represent the spread of common ones found among many different species of spider, but most spiders only possess some of them. The Storyteller is encouraged to mix and match them to model different specific species, or even create their own to make something truly unique.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0/−1/−2/−4/Incap. Actions: Climb: 10 dice; Senses: 8 dice (see Sharp Sight); Stealth: 10 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Resolve 1, Guile 3 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 8 dice (Damage 6) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (10 to control); cannot throw/slam grappled enemies Combat Movement: 9 dice Evasion 3, Parry 1 Soak/Hardness: 3/0



193 EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Envenomed Bite: The spider’s decisive bite attack exposes the victim to its poison (Exalted, p. 232) if it deals any damage. The poison deals no damage, but has a duration of 5 rounds, and a −2 penalty. While the venom is in effect, the victim may not take any reflexive movement actions, and the penalty applies to Defense also. Leaping Pounce: If a spider moves into close range of an enemy of the same size or smaller and deals 5+ damage to it with a withering attack on the same turn, it may pay a point of Willpower to reflexively make a clinch attach against its prey. Silk-Drifting Flight: The spider spins a small sail of silk and uses it to catch the wind, drifting along with the breeze. This allows the spider to bypass difficult terrain and avoid environmental hazards it could reasonably fly over. A spider with the Tiny Creature Merit can fly up to a mile per day this way, while a larger spider can fly up to 10 miles per day. Spider-Silk Snare: Whenever the spider makes a successful clinch against prey its size or smaller, it wraps them in thick, clinging silken webbing. The spider may continue the grapple without needing to physically maintain it and may use threads of webbing to drag the victim. These sticky strands persist even after the spider has ended the grapple, imposing a –2 dice penalty to all actions involving physical movement, such as attacks and Movement actions, until the target spends a combat action tearing the webbing away. Tremendous Leap: The spider may take one additional reflexive move action each turn by succeeding on a difficulty 2 Leap roll.



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



Web-Weaving Entanglement (Latent): Spiders without Tiny Creature may use Spider-Silk Snare against enemies of any size. MERITS Ambush Hunter: Gain +3 on unexpected attacks. Camouflage: The coloring of a spider’s exoskeleton allows it to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. Depending on the variety of spider, it may perfectly match the color of desert sand, or the mottled pattern of leaves, or appear as some kind of innocuous object such as a twig. Choose the type of camouflage the spider has and when it would double 9s on Stealth rolls. Deadly Scale: Against enemies of the same size or smaller, a spider’s bite attack increases to Damage 12, and it may grapple enemies of the same size or smaller. Sharp Sight: Double 9s on sight-based Senses rolls. Tiny Creature: Gain +2 Evasion against foes larger than a housecat. Characters of that size subtract two successes from Awareness rolls made to notice the spider. Wall-Walker: Spiders may make combat movement actions vertically as well as horizontally, and can stop on an inverted surface as long as it can hold their weight.



Vibration Sense: Some spiders feel vibrations on their web or through the ground. They do not require light to perceive a target without penalty, and double 9s on Senses rolls whenever vibrations are present. Storyteller Tactics Spiders come in many varied sizes and shapes, with differing unique abilities. Most spiders begin with Tiny Creature, Envenomed Bite, and one other Merit or special ability pertaining to its movement — most commonly Wall-Walker. Then, to customize the creature, add three to five more Merits and/or special abilities. Especially large spiders lose Tiny Creature and gain –1x2/–2x2 health levels and +2 Soak. Tiny spiders flee battle after taking damage to their first –1 health level, while larger ones persist until they take damage to their first –2 health level. The notorious giant spiders of the Eastern forests add Camouflage, Deadly Scale, Leaping Pounce, Sharp Sight, Spider-Silk Snare, and Web-Weaving Entanglement. Wave-skimming spiders of the West add Ambush Hunter, Sharp Sight, and Tremendous Leap. They also add Wall-Walker, but only to skim across the water’s surface.



194 EX3



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Spiders kept as familiars make excellent infiltrators, able to scuttle into locked and secret places without any sign of entrance. Scavenger lords value spider familiars for keeping harmful insects from eating and damaging forgotten texts and relics, and also for the spider’s ability to crawl over and inspect fragile objects without damaging them.



Most people pass by spiders without ever noticing. When a small spider does make itself known, it’s usually to defend its web or territory. Small spiders prefer to strike quickly, biting their target with a painful, distracting strike, and then fleeing. Large spiders ensnare attackers in enormous webs, entangling all enemies before moving in for the kill. Some species of large spiders drag webbed victims into their lairs to feast on their flesh later.



Sthenurine Sthenurines roam freely across the Southern grasslands. These upright creatures have gray, brown, or red pelts and travel primarily by walking or hopping. Their form allows for powerful punches, kicks, and grapples — a fighting style copied by martial sages. Southeastern messenger guilds use the sthenurine’s silhouette on their heraldry to symbolize their tenacity and swiftness. In the South, the Yimidhirr Clan raises sthenurines for meat and hides, but also train the fittest of their stock to wade into the thick of battle, outfitting them with armor. Sthenurines vary in height from three to eight feet tall.



195 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 6 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x2/−4/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 8 dice (may attempt Strength 5 feats); Leap: 10 dice; Senses: 6 dice; Tracking: 7 dice Resolve 3, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Kick): 8 dice (Damage 14), see Mighty Pugilist Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (8 to control)



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



MERITS Marsupial Pouch: A female sthenurine can hide anything the size of a housecat or smaller in her pouch. The person, creature, or object can only be targeted after a difficulty 3 gambit exposes enough of it to attack or otherwise affect. Trained sthenurines permit their masters to store things in their pouches. Brawler (Latent): A trained sthenurine can wear specially crafted armor and use its Brutal Kick against attackers the size of a human adult. In the Thick of It (Latent): Gain +1 Defense when fighting multiple opponents. Storyteller Tactics



Combat Movement: 9 dice Evasion 2, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 5/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Brutal Kick: Enemies smaller than a human adult that take 5+ damage from the sthenurine’s withering kick attack are knocked back one range band and fall prone. Trample: If the sthenurine reflexively pursues an enemy after a successful rush and makes a kick attack against them on its next turn, a successful hit knocks the enemy prone. Apply the Defense penalty from being prone (Exalted, p. 202) retroactively when calculating the attack’s threshold successes. Tremendous Leap: The sthenurine may take one additional reflexive move action each turn by succeeding on a difficulty 2 Leap roll. Mighty Pugilist (Latent): A sthenurine trained to fight hand-to-hand adds +1 die to its kick attack and +2 to withering or decisive damage rolls against a single opponent.



Sthenurines are naturally shy and avoid conflict, especially with humans. If forced or commanded to fight, they lash out until they drive their foes away or until they take damage to their first −2 health level, whichever happens first. Sthenurines trained as brawlers remain in the fight until Incapacitated. A sthenurine is a 2-dot Familiar.



Strix Giant forest owls with 15-foot wingspans, strix hunt by diving down from the skies and carrying their prey aloft with them — prey ranging from deer, to wolves, to isolated travelers. Mottled dark-brown feathers that make no sound in flight and large, round eyes that see clearly in the dark make them deadly nocturnal ambush predators, while their wicked claws have more than enough strength to seize and savage prey.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 5; Join Battle: 7 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x3/−2x3/−4/Incap. Actions: Feats of Strength: 6 dice (may attempt Strength 3 feats); Fly: 8 dice; Intimidate: 5 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Eagle Eye and Night Vision); Stealth: 7 dice; Tracking: 6 dice Resolve 2, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Peck): 7 dice (Damage 15) Attack (Talons): 11 dice (Damage 11) Attack (Grapple): 8 dice (7 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 5, Parry 3 Soak/Hardness: 3/0



196 EX3



SPECIAL ABILITIES Carried Away: When a strix deals 5+ levels of damage with a withering talon attack, it may forgo receiving any Initiative and instead perform a reflexive grapple gambit against that enemy. Each point of Initiative it would have gained adds one bonus die to the control roll if the grapple is successful. Dread Clutches: When the strix savages a grappled enemy, it may also drag him along with any movement actions it takes, without restraining him first. The strix may move normally during a grapple as long as it’s in flight. Swooping Descent: A strix flying downward from at least short range vertically to make a decisive unexpected attack adds two automatic successes to the attack roll. A strix soaring high in the sky is beyond sensory range without superhuman senses, ensuring an ambush on first strike and allowing the strix to attempt re-establishing stealth in combat or withdrawing from the battlefield by simply flying higher than its enemies can see. MERITS Eagle Eye: A strix gains five bonus dice on vision-based Senses rolls while it has the height advantage, and can make out fine details of far-off targets this way. It



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



automatcally succeeds on rolls to track someone while airborne unless they employ perfect concealment magic. Eagle Wing Rush: A strix may rush enemies from long range above them, as long as the horizontal distance between them is still at short range. Night Vision: A strix can see in dim conditions without penalty, and reduces the difficulty of vision-based Senses rolls in deeper darkness by one. Storyteller Tactics



i-



A strix prefers fly-by grapple gambits, snatching up prey and carrying it off to its nest or another high perch to pick apart at its leisure. It cannot throw or slam grappled enemies, but may release them from a great height to cause falling damage as normal. It attempts to flee upon suffering damage in its first −2 health level, carrying away anything caught in its talons.



Tongma Monkey Glancing up at a ship hailing from Tongma Island, a gateway port just off the western coast of the Blessed Isle, keen observers might spot a nimble little monkey climbing the rigging. Realm sailors brought these comical-faced creatures, with their big eyes and ears and long, curly tails, to the Isle from the West. The animals have adapted well to the cooler climate and life on the seas. Many sailors treat their monkeys as pets, but they also train them to be useful aboard ships, sending them into the rigging as lookouts or bringing messages belowdecks from the officers. Tongma monkeys mimic human laughter with eerie accuracy, and employ a wide range of vocalizations, gestures, and scent markers for communication. Dynasts use them to deliver secret messages to their allies and co-conspirators, teaching trained monkeys a specific pattern only the intended recipient can decode.



Essence: 1; Willpower: 3; Join Battle: 5 dice Health Levels: −0/−1x2/−2x3/−4/Incap. Actions: Acrobatics/Climb: 7 dice; Communicate: 6



197 EX3



dice; Mimic: 8 dice; Senses: 5 dice (see Keen Nose); Stealth: 4 dice; Tracking: 5 dice Resolve 1, Guile 1 COMBAT Attack (Bite): 5 dice (Damage 7) Attack (Grapple): 6 dice (6 to control) Combat Movement: 8 dice Evasion 4, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 2/0 SPECIAL ABILITIES Borrowed Voice: By listening to a conversation for at least 15 minutes, the monkey can perfectly imitate its target’s laughter and other non-verbal utterances. As a latent ability, the monkey’s trainer can teach it a short phrase (no more than five words) to repeat in the target’s voice, using its Mimic pool when necessary. The monkey can only remember two voices at a time. If it learns a new one, it forgets the oldest. Coded Message (Latent): The monkey learns a specific pattern of sounds, words, and gesticulations,



H U N D R E D D E V I L S N I G H T PA R A D E



normally funny face grows terrifying as it bares an impressive row of sharp teeth. It attempts to flee when suffers damage to its last –1 health level.



which it repeats for anyone who displays the correct hand gesture or vocalization. MERITS Agile Climber: Double 8s on rolls to climb vertically. Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Storyteller Tactics Peaceful and playful by nature, Tongma monkeys avoid fighting as best they can, preferring to scamper up and away from threats. When cornered, the monkey’s



A monkey scampers onto its master’s foes to perform clinches and other gambits as a distraction, although its grapple doesn’t prevent the enemy from taking movement actions. Tongma monkeys can only perform the savage or release action from a grapple. A Tongma monkey is a 1-dot Familiar.



Urcheon Native to secluded burrows in Northeastern forests and Threshold lowlands, urcheons are small, squat rodents covered in an array of spikes. Despite their bristly exterior, it’s mostly for defense; urcheons are quite social with humans and other forest creatures. If threatened, an urcheon curls into a defensive ball and fires its spikes. Their companionable attitude has led to a trend among Nexus’ wealthy merchants of keeping them as pets and walking them on leashes.



198 EX3



Essence: 1; Willpower: 4; Join Battle: 2 dice Health Levels: −0x2/−1/−2/−4x2/Incap. Actions: Senses: 6 dice (see Keen Nose); Stealth: 6 dice; Threaten: 6 dice; Tracking: 6 dice Resolve 2, Guile 2 COMBAT Attack (Spines): 8 dice (Damage 5); Tags: Ranged (Short)



C h a pt e r Fiv e : A n im a l s



Combat Movement: 6 dice Evasion 2, Parry 2 Soak/Hardness: 5/2 SPECIAL ABILITIES Vengeful Spikes Counter: Whenever the urcheon takes decisive damage, it may spend a point of Willpower to respond with a reflexive decisive counterattack at close or short range, which doesn’t count as its combat action. This can’t be used in response to other counterattacks. Tenacious Friendly Guardian (Latent): Urcheons trained as pets aggressively defend their masters. If its master is attacked while the urcheon is up to short range away, it may spend 1 Willpower to reflexively move to their side and take a defend other action. MERITS Keen Nose: Double 9s on scent-based Senses rolls. Scent-Swabbing Distraction: Marking its territory with scent glands, an urcheon doubles 9s on Stealth rolls to conceal its passage and may attempt distract gambits (Exalted, p. 200).



Warding Needles Defense: An urcheon’s sharp spines deter would-be attackers. Whenever it takes the full defense action, it gains +2 spine attack damage, +2 soak and Hardness, and +3 Parry instead of +2. Storyteller Tactics Domesticated and handled from birth, urcheons make companionable pets. As a 1-dot Familiar, an urcheon is a devoted companion, ferociously defending its master. Wild urcheons only attack when they feel threatened and flee after taking damage to their –1 health level. In the Northeast, people gather expended urcheon spines for use as blow darts and quills for writing. Agricultural clans in the Threshold use dried and hardened urcheon quills in ritual piercings, given to young adults as a rite of maturity following a series of trials that test the youth’s tenacity and patience. Several noble households among the Hundred Kingdoms utilize the urcheon in their heraldry and squabble over who adopted it first. Alchemists produce medicinal tinctures from powdered urcheon bones and quills.



199 EX3