The Story:
What they know from first hand knowledge. They were all exalted in the century after the Usurpation and they were trained by the Bronze Faction. They know what they were told by them that things during the First age were great and good but slowly, the Solar Exalted began to make horrible decisions and began to endanger Creation. Bored Solars turned off the defenses of Creation and invited the Fair Folk to invade Creation so that the Solars could test their Martial skills agains real foes and so how good their new weapons worked. The Sidereal leaders got together to figure out what to do and they came up with a solution and that was to get rid of the Solar Exalted. There was as general discussion amongst the general populous of the Sidereals and there was a bitter argument, but the one side prevailed with better arguments about how the prophesies all pointed to two destinations for Creation. One where the Solar Exalted were reasoned with ended in the distruction of Creation and the other where the Solars were destroyed and prevented from being reincarnated where the world fell from its spectacular heights to a world that had major problems, but was still there.
At this point, the Sidereal narrator pauses. At least this is what we were told upon Exaltation. It took us years to find out differently. From the few of us that found each other and from various Celestial Gods, we were able to patch together a different story. A few of our numbers, fifteen argued a different prophesied ending. Some suggested that the Lunars would be best to fight the strong wills of the Solars, for each Solar had a mated Lunar who could help them work through the insanity that gripped them. A slightly larger group argued that there was another prophesy that suggested that the Solars could be brought back to reason and their insanity removed from them and Creation pushed to still greater heights than were seen in that long past age. The majority, said that the risks were too high, for although that path promised the greatest rewards, it also posed the greatest risks. So, the majority ruled over their brethren and the Usurpation was set to be done.
All three hundred Solar Exalted were to attend the Great Calibration Party in Meru on the slopes of the Pole of Earth and their Lunar Mates disgusted with the excesses of their Solar Mates, fled from the cities to the wild fringes. A few Solars would not head the call and were out attending their own affairs away from the rest, but that was planned for as well. Things were going perfectly, or as perfectly as they could plan for, but there were complications.
The first complication was Gold Faction as our former lives called themselves, they could not sit idly by and let the travesty happen and in doing so, we may have made things worse. We tried to warn the Solars, we tried to tell them that they were in danger, but to no avail because the Solars thought the threat was small and their hubris was too large. What did happen was that our brethren had to remove our former selves and our sudden arrival in Lytek's (the God of Exaltation) hands tipped him off that something was afoot. Our murders also tipped off the half of the Gold Faction that were not assassinated and some of the Solar Police force that was not under the command of Terrestrials. So that when the Usurpation occurred a few of the Solars were prepared and more of their Lunar Mates were on hand. More of the stronger Sidereals had to be on hand to ensure things went smoothly and smoothly they did go except for one part. The seizure of the Exalted Soulshards. Because more of the Bronze faction was called to Meru, their most experienced were not on hand for the more delicate work and when they grabbed the Soulshards, care was not taken to grab only the Solar's. All the Soulshards were taken and when the mistake was noticed it was too late. According to Lytek, ninety-five percent of all the Solars, half of the Lunars, and the five remaining Gold Faction Sidereals left Creation that day, our souls were only spared because we were there on Lytek's person.
We had been talking with Lytek and a few other gods that favour the return of the Solar Exalted for centuries, but before last month this was just an academic pursuit that we fantasized about in our spare time since the Usurpation. The fallen world you see around you may have fallen further than even the others had foreseen, but they are still sticking to their story that it had to be done, what they did. Last month, Lytek came to us, over joyed and yet still with some foreboding. A flood of Soulshards came to him! And he has been sorting and preparing them for exaltation as he was mandated to by the Incarna. His good news was tempered by the numbers. All of the Lunar and all of the Sidereal Soulshards are accounted for, but he received only forty of the Solar's. He is worried and we are worried about where they might be.
We ask again, will you accept Our aid?
Politic: Integrity, Investigation, Socialize, Presence, Martial Arts
Warlord: Stealth, Survival, Martial Arts, Archery, War
Savant: Martial Arts, Stealth, Lore, Linguistics, Occult
Five Manses/Demesnes
4 level 3 , two Lunar, one Solar and one Wood Manse
1 level 5 Air Demesne
All are Demsene except the Wood Manse, which is the Temple of a Terrestrial goddess, goddess of the apple of the area. It is within a large Orchard in the region. During the first age this region was primarily a apple growing region, its apples exported across Creation and to the great city of Meru. The flowers of the apple made the region a destination for thousands each year and the harvest brought even greater numbers. It is the hope of the goddess that aligning with the Solar Exalted that a brighter future is ahead. This Manse does not produce a hearthstone.
The other locations are Demesne and the three other middling power would require a major effort to cap, many years and with much expense, the larger Air demesne would require years and an army of workers, not to mention a team of exalted engineers, Celestial Exalted.
When the Gold Faction is drawn to Nameless they will offer him a deal. They will provide him with: 1) the location of every Manse and Demesne in the Valley, 2) training to help him, 3) they will help him cap any Demesne in the Valley if they can get a portion for their recruits and allies, 4) training for his the former slaves to fight in future wars.
In exchange they desire of Nameless: 1) that he become a figure head of the training camp, 2) that he accept Missions from the leadership, 3) that he help recruit future Solars to the Cult of the Illuminated.
There is some negotiating room in these demands, but they are quite adamant about certain aspects of the deal. The demand that he recruit Solars for the Cult is one such demand, because Solars will die without help bringing them to safe locations. And they are quite disturbed by some of the information that Lytek has brought them, that there are so few Solar Shards left. If this is a sticking point they will bring Lytek to Nameless to talk with him personally. The missions that they wanted him to perform are rescue missions primarily, so if he won't except this part of the deal they will draw back some of their support, but not a lot. Being head of the training camp was important to let new Solars feel comfortable. If the Nameless accepts all their demands in the end, they will allow him to set a number of the goals of the missions and they will be very cooperative with him and treat him fairly. They will tell him as much as they know about anything that he asks. They will get his input on what skills he thinks are important and they will treat him as a very important but Junior member of the inner circle.
They will not give him blind trust though. They won't lie to him but they will decline to give him answers until he commits to the cause. They understand that a lone Solar may not be particularly trusting and that he could have charms that would detect lies. As such they will be honest about what they won't say too.
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