Solar Exalted

Known also as the Lawgivers, the Solar Exalted are the champions of the Unconquered Sun and the most powerful of all the Exalted. Once the masters of Creation, the Solars were betrayed and usurped by their trusted advisors and soldiers, the Dragon-Blooded. Most Solars were unable to be reborn until recently, and the Wyld Hunt was organized to slay those few who did find a way to reincarnate. While the other Exalted may be able to exceed the Solars in narrow domains, the Solars have the most flexibility, a wide array of powerful Charms and sole access to Solar Circle Sorcery. The only Exalted who are their equals are arguably the Abyssal Exalted, their dark reflections.

Castes

The Solars have five castes, named after the progress of the sun across the sky.

• Dawn: The Dawn caste are the generals and warriors of the Exalted. They can channel Essence into their anima to appear more terrifying.
• Zenith: The Zenith caste are the priests and leaders of the Exalted. In the time of the Solar Deliberative, the Zenith caste were the priest-kings of Creation. Zenith castes can channel their Essence to banish darkness and permanently terminate the undead.
• Twilight: The Twilight caste are sorcerers, scholars and savants. They can channel their Essence for damage resistance.
• Night: The Night caste are the assassins and spies of the Solars; in the First Age they were the secret and public police. They can channel their Essence for concealment of their anima.
• Eclipse: The Eclipse caste are the diplomats of the Solars. They can channel Essence to sanctify oaths, invoking a curse on oathbreakers. In addition, Eclipse Castes can learn any Charm, regardless of source.

History

The Solar Exalted were specifically crafted to lead the other Exalted, and are particularly talented at various forms of leadership. During the Revolt of the Gods, the Solars lead the other Exalted against the Primordials, defeating the creators of Creation and assuming leadership of the material realm when the Celestines retired to Yu-Shan.

During the First Age, the Solars ruled in righteousness, then corruption and finally madness as the impact of the Great Curse wore away at their sanity until the Usurpation. Slain by the Terrestrials, the Solar Sparks of Exaltation were captured in the Jade Prison.

Until the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress some small fraction of these sparks continuously reincarnated through the Realm and the Threshold. These Solars were efficiently cut down by the Wyld Hunt until the Deathlords broke the Jade Prison, accidentally freeing the Essences inside. Since that time, the Solars are slowly returning to power.

Attributes

Solars are aligned to the metal Orichalcum, which they can refine from Gold.

There are approximately 100-200 Solars in the canonical setting.

Notes

For those who choose to view a connection between the Age of Sorrows and the World of Darkness, Solar Exalted correspond to modern Imbued. Although ironically, the Imbued are among the weakest groups individually compared to the Solars who are the strongest .

Alternately, one may view the Solars as connected to Mummies, as mummies draw their power from the Sun God Ra as the Solars draw their power from the Unconquered Sun.  Also, mummies have a direct connection with vampires as Solars with Abyssals.  If this is the case, the Imbued have no connection to the Age of Sorrows.