Exalted – History

Prehistory

In the beginning it was just Wyld energy.
Fair Folk came into being, then later, Primordials.
- Fair Folk: aka elves, rakshasa, fae, fairies — they like chaos and eat dreams
- Primordial: think Greek titans
Primordials didn’t like how impermanent everything was in the Wyld, so they created Creation.
Creation required constant maintenance, and the Fair Folk hated it, gnawing at its borders from its inception.
The Primordials created YuShan and the Gods, then retired to YuShan and began playing the Games of Divinity, leaving the Gods in charge.
- YuShan: basically heaven
- Games of Divinity: basically World of Warcraft
Eventually, the Gods grew resentful of their masters and longed to play the Games themselves.
The Primordials anticipated this and ensured the Gods were incapable of directly acting against them.
Some of the cleverest Gods found a loophole.
The Gods created the Exalted and declared war.
- The Unconquered Sun created the Solar Exalted, near-perfect rulers of Creation.
- Luna created the Lunar Exalted, shapeshifters and hunters — companions and generals to the Solars.
- The Five Maidens created the Sidereal Exalted, masters of fate, intrigue, and supernatural martial arts.
- The Five Elemental Dragons created the Terrestrial Exalted, or Dragon-Blooded, elemental warriors meant to serve as foot soldiers.

The Exalted waged war against the Primordials for eons. Several Primordials were slain by Solar champions and their Lunar mates, while the rest eventually surrendered.
- Primordials were never meant to die; their souls were too heavy for reincarnation.
  - Their death created the Underworld, birthing the Neverborn.
- The defeated Primordials were cast into their king, Malfeas, forming the realm of demon princes known as the Yozi.
- Two Primordials were spared: Gaia, cornerstone of Creation, and Autochthon, the Great Maker.
As they fell, the Primordials laid the Great Curse upon the Exalted. Under extreme stress, Exalts suffer Limit Break.
- Each Exalt type experiences Limit Break differently.
- Knowledge of the Great Curse is exceedingly rare.

The era after the Primordial War was a golden age of prosperity. Creation expanded, wonders flourished, and the Celestial Incarnae retired to YuShan.
- Celestial Incarnae: the Unconquered Sun, Luna, the Five Maidens, and Gaia.
Over time, the Great Curse began to surface: virtues twisted, and the Solars were the first — and most terrible — to fall.
The Sidereal Exalted noticed everything.
The Sidereals consulted the Loom of Fate and foresaw three possible futures:
- Do nothing — Creation is destroyed.
- Attempt to redeem the Solars — the future remains unstable and unclear.
- Support the Dragon-Blooded uprising — Creation survives.
The Sidereals chose the third path.
At a grand celebration known as the Usurpation, the Dragon-Blooded and Sidereals slaughtered the Solars. Many Lunars died defending them; others fled into exile.
To prevent reincarnation, the Sidereals forged the Jade Prison, trapping Solar and Lunar sparks.

With the Solars gone, First Age wonders decayed and collapsed.
The Dragon-Blooded ruled mortal Creation through a system called the Shogunate.
The Neverborn responded by creating the Deathlords, who unleashed the Great Contagion.
Nearly 90% of life perished.
The Fair Folk invaded from the Wyld as Creation weakened.
Hope returned with the Scarlet Empress, who rallied the Shogunate remnants.
She activated the Sword of Creation, annihilating the Fair Folk within Creation’s borders.
The Scarlet Empress ruled for over 700 years, founded the Immaculate Order, and disappeared five years ago.
- The Realm controls the Blessed Isle and the satrapies of the Threshold.
- The Immaculate Order declares Solars, Lunars, and Fair Folk Anathema and hunts them via the Wyld Hunt.
- No one knows what happened to the Scarlet Empress.