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BY IAN ELLER, MALCOLM SHEPPARD,

JOHN SNEAD AND ANDREW WATT

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

CREDITS SPECIAL THANKS

Authors: Ian Eller, Malcolm Sheppard, John Snead, I’d like to start this book by thanking Ken Cliffe and
Andrew Watt the other folks in management at White Wolf for allowing
Storyteller Game System Design: Mark Rein•Hagen so many of you to read it. As originally planned, Manacle
Developer: Geoffrey C. Grabowski and Coin was to be a Black Dog book, a part of our adults-
Editor: John Chambers only line, because of its unpleasant subject material. When
Art Direction: Brian Glass it was decided to keep the book in the main line, I was
Artists: Ross Campbell, Shane Coppage, Pop Mhan, Yosi concerned over the issue of content. I wrote to Ken asking
Nosaka, Chris Stevens, Andie Tong, and Melissa Uran if he felt that any of the material would need to change, and
Cover Art: Ross Campbell he said I should “keep it up to the high standards of the
Cover Design: Brian Glass line.” So that’s what I’ve done; I did exactly the book I
Layout and Typesetting: Brian Glass intended to do in the first place. Let’s hear it for managers
with brass nuts.
I’d also like to thank the writers. They did a bang-up
job on a very hard assignment that happened to fall within
the developer’s own sphere of personal interest. Andrew
Watt, in particular, worked tirelessly to capture the full
Byzantine sweep of imperial finance.
Finally, thanks to Ken Hite and Mark Cenczyk for
listening to my plans for the imperial economy at SimCon
2002 and for providing their comments.

© 2003 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Repro-

duction without the written permission 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. White Wolf,
Vampire, Vampire the Masquerade, Mage the Ascension, World of
Darkness, Aberrant and Exalted are registered trademarks of White
Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Werewolf the Apocalypse,
Dark Ages Vampire, Wraith the Oblivion, Changeling the Dream-
ing, Hunter the Reckoning, Werewolf the Wild West, Mage the
Sorcerers Crusade, Wraith the Great War, Trinity, the Age of Sorrows, the Second Age of Man, Exalted the
Dragon-Blooded, Exalted the Lunars, Exalted the Abyssals, Games of Divinity, Creatures of the Wyld, Exalted
Storyteller’s Companion, the Book of Three Circles, Scavenger Sons, Time of Tumult, Ruins of Rathess and
Manacle and Coin are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places
and text herein are copyrighted by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.
The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or
copyright concerned.
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements
are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion
is advised.
For a free White Wolf catalog call 1-800-454-WOLF.
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PRINTED IN CANADA

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 4
CHAPTER ONE: GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE 8
CHAPTER TWO: DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE 38
CHAPTER THREE: SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE 68
APPENDIX: MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION 100

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 INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

It is not funny that a man should be killed, but it is

sometimes funny that he should be killed for so little, and
that his death should be the coin of what we call civilization.
—Raymond Chandler, “The Simple Art of Murder”

I don’t normally speak directly to the readers, but just world material: the Arabic and transatlantic slave trade, the
this once, I’d like to talk directly to the people reading this partition of China and the subjection of its people to opium,
book. Manacle and Coin is a special book for me, one that the perversion of entire nations to serve the ends of the single
I’ve intended to do since I was first developing the main individual who rules and effectively owns them. I hope that
Exalted rulebook. when a reader finishes Manacle and Coin, he will thoroughly
The goals for this book are threefold. First and foremost, understand that there is nothing that some person will not do
I wanted to explain the business practice, macroeconomics to another in the quest for wealth and power. Let this book
and international vice trade of the Age of Sorrows. While stand as a lesson to those who would say that “nobody” would
none of these matters directly affect a game of kung-fu asskicking, “ever” do something. There is always someone willing to
Exalted achieves much of its heroic effect from the extreme perform any particular wicked deed if it profits him or allows
contrast of the game’s over-the-top action with the grim him to gain a position where others are in his power.
realism of the Second Age. This book, then, is a key to Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, this book exists
establishing that grim realism. Like Savage Seas, there are to remind the inhabitants of our own age that the denizens
doubtless some fans who will find the material in this book not of the Age of Sorrows are wrong. Most of the evils this book
to their tastes. It is a serious treatment of business, particularly talks about are largely, blessedly extinct in our own world, so
dirty and unpleasant business, as transacted in the Second Age much so that I needed to publish a book specifically about
of Man. There is precious little graphic sex and even less them so that players and Storytellers could learn enough of
graphic violence in it, and neither is especially glorified when these historical terrors to include them in their games.
it does appear. However, the book covers material that, until These practices are not extinct because they are ineffi-
now, was only available to the developer and a few core writers. cient or unprofitable. Most such inhuman endeavors netted
I think it is fascinating and fun, and my primary goal for this quite tidy sums. If they hadn’t been profitable, their evil
book is that much of the material find its way into your game. would not have been such a pestilence upon mankind. Now,
Second, it was always my intention that this book illus- they are extinct, not because of any natural or historical
trate the depths to which the human individual can sink. Most process, but because people of all nations and all creeds
of the practices illustrated in this book are modeled on real- together turned their faces against these forms of wickedness

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

and decried them as wrong and unjust. After many centuries

of toil and strife, wherein men and women of character railed PLEASE READ ME
against these institutions despite the efforts of vested inter- This book is about horrible things — slavery, drug
ests and apologists, good triumphed. addiction and the socially endorsed exploitation of the
Today, there are no slaves, except for a few “students” in the
inhabitants of the Threshold and the Blessed Isle by the
Sudan. Today, there is no opium concession. Today, we abhor
competing forces of the Guild and the Realm. This book
authoritarian governments without elections or the equality of
does not waste time pointing out how terrible any one
law as the horrifying machines of systematic exploitation that
specific part of this arrangement is. It was our belief that
they are. In the course of these reforms, there were many deaths
and much property damage. Many slavers and opium peddlers the evils depicted needed no emphasis and that pointing
were forced into tragic unemployment, and doubtless, the cost out how ghastly these matters are would be an insult to
of some goods rose, but reform happened anyway, and appar- the reader’s intelligence. Instead, the text portrays them
ently, they weren’t such “necessary” evils after all. as they are seen by inhabitants of the Second Age of Man
We will always live surrounded by those who claim that — as terrible and unfortunate realities thrust upon
the evils of the day are inevitable or ineradicable or an everyone by the times and by practical necessity. I’m
unfortunate necessity of the era. Perhaps they are right, and sorry if you’re one of those people who thinks that unless
perhaps they are apologists or puppets of their time’s vested you include a ritual denouncement every time you
interests. Certainly, I know where my opinion on the matter describe something bad you’re somehow endorsing it. I
generally lies — that most people who speak of an odious guess if you are one of those people, you’ll just have to
practice as a terrible and unfortunate necessity wish to either get a grip on reality or just not read this book.
convince someone else that it is so.
I hope that this book fulfills these three goals. administration: That portion of the Guild responsible for the
Guild’s own health, welfare and operations. The more practical
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK branches of the Guild are the merchants and the craftsmen.
The segments of this book are all relatively independent of age-staving cordial: The most common anagathic (life-
one another. People reading it will probably want to start with extending drug), and the only one generally available in the
Chapter One: Guild History and Structure and then continue post-Contagion era.
to Appendix: Money and Finance in Creation. These two bar: A form of high-value jade currency between the talent
sections should serve to give the reader a good idea of the book’s and the mina.
general contents and of the structure of finance in Creation. bazaar: The central Guild-owned and –operated central
Introduction: It’s what you’re reading right now. A rare market of a hub city. These markets often approach the Little
chance to see the developer mouth off in his natural voice. Market of Nexus in the variety of goods they offer.
Chapter One: Guild History and Structure: This beasts of resplendent liquids: Strange immortal animals
chapter covers the history of the Guild from its founding in created by the Exalted in the First Age to serve as living drug
the wake of the Contagion to the present day and deals with factories. Once, there were hundreds of these great lizards,
the structure of the Guild both as an international organiza- each ingesting raw materials and pissing out concentrated
tion and at a local level. The chapter focuses heavily on drugs mixed with their urine. Today, the only beasts known
caravan operations, as they’re at the center of the public’s to remain are two anagathic producers controlled by the
perception of the Guild. Realm and seven the Guild controls that eat opium and
Chapter Two: Drugs — The Soft Trade: This chapter process it into heroin.
details the effects of most of the common drugs in use in Creation bit: The smallest unit of jade currency, consisting of an
and the Guild’s drug extraction and retailing operations. obol cut into quarters.
Chapter Three: Slaves — The Hard Trade: This caravan master: An individual retained to run the day-
chapter details the trade in human flesh and lives the Guild to-day affairs of a caravan for a merchant prince. Many merchant
transacts with both the Realm and the Fair Folk, from the princes act as their own caravan masters.
gathering of slaves by military units or barbarian raiders to craftsmen: The branch of the Guild whose members
their sale and treatment. produce products. Other branches are the merchants and
Appendix: Money and Finance in Creation: The the administration.
appendix provides details of the imperial monetary and dinar: A silver coin, minted by the Guild, popular in the
financial system and also of financial systems in the Thresh- Threshold because the silver does not attract supernatural
old, and it outlines the Guild’s retail, development and attention. The dinar is the currency of the Scavenger Lands and
commercial banking operations. all those who wish to show they oppose the Realm. Dinars are
the only coins the Guild mints, but the dirham and the silver
LEXICON talent are used as monies of account when handling silver.
The following is a brief lexicon of Guild terminology. Only Directorate, the: The central directive organization of
the key terms from elsewhere in the book are included here. the Guild, controlled by the nine hierarchs. The Directorate is
located in the city of Nexus.

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 INTRODUCTION

dirham: A money of account equal in value to 16 pounds merchant prince: The Guildsman who represents a
of pure silver. Dirhams are not actually minted. given factor on a caravan, similar to a supercargo on a ship but
factor: One of the senior Guild officials in a hub city. with more administrative and directive control. The equiva-
Other important figures include keeps and master artisans. lent to ship captains are caravan masters, who assist the
Factors are tremendously wealthy and stake or partially stake merchant princes by directly administering the day-to-day
most Guild operations in their hub city and the region it affairs of the caravan.
services. Factors are also always Guildsmen of long service, merchants: The branch of the Guild for those members
and wealth alone cannot buy someone a place in the Guild. who specialize in the buying and selling of goods and in
gongfang: An insurance assessor and actuary, usually speculative merchant ventures. Other branches are the crafts-
working for or as an insurance agency. Gongfang operate in men and the administration.
both the Realm and the Threshold. mina: A form of high-value jade currency between the
Guild council: A group of factors who work together to shekel and bar in value.
manage Guild interests in a particular hub city and the area it money of account: A currency unit that doesn’t actually
services. Guild councils are the regional decision-making exist, but that is, instead, a notional value used to provide an
bodies of the Guild and answer to the Directorate. additional column in ledger entries. The best example is the
Guild warden: A Guild official who supervises the good dirham, which is a money of account for the Guild’s silver
business conduct of other Guild officials. Guild wardens use dinar. Weighing in at 16 pounds of silver, there are no actual
bribed agents and retain outside investigators to police the dirhams, but it is easier to keep track of how many dirhams one
ranks of the Guild. has than how many thousands of dinars.
hierarch: One of the nine supreme officials of the Guild. Monies of account are also used for imperial coins larger
The highest rank possible in the Guild organization. than an obol, as the jade is more valuable uncut, making the
hub city: A city containing a Guild council that serves as actual coins worth about 50 percent more than their face
the point of origin for major caravans. Nexus and Chiaroscuro value. Someone asked to pay a mina would be expected to pay
are the largest of the hub cities. with 16 obols. Someone who instead paid with 2 shekels would
jade currency: A standard of currency propagated by the expect about 8 obols in change.
Scarlet Empress to control the availability and ownership of obol: The only coin-shaped form of jade currency. An
the most common of the Five Magical Materials. The largest obol’s value is between that of a bit and that of a shekel.
unit of jade currency is the jade talent, the smallest the obol. quian: A form of jade scrip. This paper note is worth 1/16th
Jade is extremely valuable, and only the Realm’s Dragon- of a bit, or 16 yen. Quian can also be halved and quartered.
Blooded and patricians transact business in jade with any shekel: A form of jade currency between the obol and the
regularity. Low-status individuals use jade scrip instead. mina in value.
jade scrip: A form of coinage used in the Realm for siu: A form of jade-scrip coin worth 1/32nd of a bit, or 8 yen.
transactions among those of low station. slave citadel: A regional Guild facility for collecting
kaja: An imperial prefectural official charged with audit- slaves from independent raiders and for performing prelimi-
ing town or village financial records. Important because nary sorting and training.
peasants in the Realm are legally forbidden from keeping such talent, jade: Uncut blocks of jade, 68 pounds in weight,
records themselves. marked with the Treasury seal, that represent the largest form
keep: A member of the Guild who buys and sells good like of jade currency available in the Realm. A true talent is worth 12
a merchant, but from a fixed location. Keeps provide outlets for bars. True talents are very rare, and the term “talent” is normally
Guild merchandise and help stake banks and trading opera- used to mean a ledger talent used to reckon the value of large
tions. Prominent keeps in a hub city will sit on the Guild council masses of loose jade. Ledger talents are monies of account worth
for the city and generally buy their way to influence after long 8 bars that are used to reckon the value of large transactions.
membership in the same fashion as a factor. There is no such actual coin as a “ledger talent.” True talents are
koku: A form of jade scrip, this paper currency is worth more a way for the Treasury to audit the identity and location
about half a bit, or 128 yen. The koku is the largest unit of jade- of large masses of uncut jade than as coinage for actual business
scrip currency. Below it is the quian. transactions, and when a price is quoted in jade talents in this
lodge: A form of organization found inside the craftsmen book, it is in ledger talents.
branch. All craftsmen who make a certain product are mem- talent, silver: Another money of account. A silver talent
bers of the same lodge, and the lodges exercise iron control is an ingot of pure silver 64 pounds in weight worth 4 silver
over policies of content and craftsmanship. dirhams, or 1,600 dinars. The value of a talent of silver, though
maiden tea: A form of herbal contraceptive and abortifa- great, is only a fraction of that of a jade talent.
cient, usable for birth control purposes by both men and women. yen: The lowest-valued form of jade-scrip coinage, worth
master artisan: A senior member of the Guild’s crafts- 1/1,024th of a bit or 1/1,048,576th of a ledger talent. Yen are
man branch. Master artisans are equal in rank to the factors halved, quartered and even eighthed.
and are often senior members of their craft’s lodge as well.

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

CHAPTER ONE

GUILD HISTORY
AND STRUCTURE

Trade, commerce, the exchange of goods and ideas. Shogunate era. While this new Empress took control of
These are the purview of the Guild in the Second Age. the Blessed Isle and established the Realm of the Second
The history of the Guild is a convoluted one, full of Age, the people of the Threshold rebuilt life, craft and
conflict and uncertainty. Throughout that history, how- commerce. Where the legions marched, roads were cleared,
ever, a single fact has remained ever true: The Guild is a built or simply beat into the earth. These would form the
mortal organization, established by, governed by and in first great trade routes of the Second Age.
the service of mortal interests. Certainly, the Dragon-
Blooded are concerned with wealth and influence and THE FOUNDER
make use of trade and commerce as means to those ends. Prior to the second invasion of the Scavenger Lands
And, indeed, the Guild has its share of Dragon-Blooded by Realm forces in RY 75, trade was controlled by no single
merchant princes, master artisans and investors, as well as power. Individual peddlers, wealthy merchant families
spirits and Fair Folk in its ranks. But the vast majority of the and even imperial traders competed more or less equally
Guild’s membership, at every level, is mortal. Moreover, for the small but growing markets of the Threshold. In the
the people the Guild serves daily, in the shops and on the Lap, a confederation of merchant-philosophers called the
caravan routes, are the common folk, the mortals of the Counters wrote extensively on the art and craft of trade.
Threshold and beyond. The future of the Guild is inexo- During the same period, the River League, a collection of
rably tied to the mortal people of Creation, despite the Scavenger Land merchants bolstered by the region’s con-
return of the Anathema, the instability of a leaderless tinued success in resisting the Realm, developed a highly
Realm and the marching of the Deathlords. reliable caravan system to run between the cities of the
River Province. Due to the continued hostilities between
HISTORY Realm and River Province forces, trade between the East
The Guild was born as the Realm of the Scarlet and the South was slow and unreliable. Both sides sank
Empress rose from the ashes of the Contagion. The Dragon- many merchant trawlers, and it was common for the
Blooded officer who would become Empress took control legions, including the Seventh at Lookshy, to comman-
of the Realm’s First Age weaponry and threw back the deer caravans for supplies.
forces of the Wyld and later used that same weaponry to In RY 76, the Seventh Legion brought First Age
establish supremacy over the surviving daimyos of the weapons to bear against the invading imperial forces and

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

pushed them out of the Scavenger Lands. Almost over-

night the River League began extending its reach beyond
the Scavenger Lands, sending ambassadors north to Halta
and south to the pastureland of the Southeast and the
kingdoms of the South.
Among the many merchants to make their fortune in
the decade of relative peace and prosperity that followed
was Brem Marst. Marst was born to the wealthiest mer-
chant family in Great Forks and raised as much on caravan
routes as behind walls. Each year, Marst guided his caravan
from Great Forks through the Varang City-States, then
south and west along the coast to Yane, Chiaroscuro and
Paragon, to stop finally in the Lap for a month of rest before
he made the return journey. A shrewd negotiator, a charm-
ing guest and a humble host, Marst succeeded as a merchant
to his own great fortune and to the fortune of his family.
The Realm invaded the Scavenger Lands a final time
in RY 88. Marst was on holiday in the Lap when his sister’s
jade songbird (a communication artifact still common at
the time) landed on his sill and sang the story of the war.
Marst would not be able to return home for over a year.
During that time, he began to visit the Counters. These
merchant-philosophers welcomed him, interviewing him
often about the mercantile systems of the River Province,
and allowed him to wander freely about their cloister. The
Counters wrote extensively on the subject of trade, from
both a practical and a spiritual perspective, and Marst read
every book he could find. By the time the jade songbird
returned with news that the Empress’ Guard had been
destroyed on the fields of Melevhil, Brem was already
forming the Guild — in mind, if not in reality.

THE EARLY GUILD

Marst returned home and immediately began to put to
practical use the philosophical teachings of the Counters.
Reconstruction after the Realm’s final attempt at conquest
spurred business, and Marst was able to test and refine the
systems and processes still in use by the Guild today. The
efficiency of Marst’s system impressed the other members of
the River League, and within 10 years, Marst had solidified
the League into a single entity. The Guild was born in RY
99. While Marst is given personal credit for the creation of
the Guild, the formation of the League of Many Rivers in RY
95 and the support of merchant houses from Sijan, Nexus
and Chaya allowed Marst’s experiment to take root.
The early Guild, while venturing as far afield as the
Lap and Whitehall, was primarily a River Province insti-
tution for the next four decades. Marst remained First
Director of the Guild during this time but established the
process by which the Directorate of the Guild would be
chosen and elevated the first Directorate himself. The
Scarlet Empress attempted to convince Marst to ally with
the Realm, through both bribes and threats, but the
merchant knew that his Guild would be stronger without
a permanent debt to the Realm. Instead, he quietly fun-

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

neled money to the coastal city-states that, in RY 104, ventures, moving weapons, food, slaves and refugees be-
broke away from the Realm and joined the League of Many tween the various sides.
Rivers. This act would establish the long-standing pattern The constant battles impressed upon the Guild the
of Realm-Guild political relations. need for military might of its own, and in response, the first
In RY 117, Marst treated with the enigmatic Council affiliated mercenary companies were formed. Before this,
of Entities of Nexus and established that city as the the Guild purchased the services of mercenaries (as cara-
permanent headquarters of the Guild. At the same time, van guards for the most part) on an as-needed basis. After
he formalized the first Directorate, and though he re- the war between Laris and Velen turned general, the Guild
mained the First Director, he relinquished his autocratic established functionally permanent contracts with large
control over Guild policy. The move was surprising to standing mercenary armies and became a military power in
many high-ranking Guildsmen, but Marst understood the its own right.
importance of discourse — after all, he had only managed During this period the Guild managed to establish a
to create the Guild in the first place by accepting the ideas foothold on the Blessed Isle. The Empress allowed the
of the Counters. presence of Guild merchants and craftsmen, though they
For the next three decades, the Guild grew. Guild were restricted in the areas in which they could work: The
caravans cut inroads through the vast expanses between Guild was disallowed trade in jade, weapons and armor and
settled regions, discovering old kingdoms thought de- rice, leaving the Empress in charge of the wealth, the
stroyed in the Contagion and new ones risen since. Local defense and the feeding of the Realm. In other areas of
merchant families and leagues were subsumed into the trade, however, the Guild competed directly with imperial
Guild, and nations and city-states became dependent merchants. Competition extended into the Threshold as
upon Guild delivered goods and news. In RY 146, Bagrash members of the nascent Great Houses sought the Empress’
Köl used the Eye of Autochthon to forge his nation in the favor through trade and economic power.
North. Its power rivaled that of the Realm, and the Guild
quickly worked to establish ties with this new power. The THE ARCZECKH WAR
years during which Köl ruled were profitable for the Guild, In RY 364, the Arczeckh horde invaded the River
and Marst himself made a journey to visit Köl in RY 174. Province. Guild-sponsored mercenary forces, along with
Still a shrewd diplomat despite his age, Brem saw the the Seventh Legion and the Hundred Kingdoms coalition,
instability of the sorcerer king’s rule, his realm and his were instrumental in throwing back the barbarians. Be-
mind. Marst withdrew Guild interests from Bagrash Köl’s cause of this, the Guild formalized its relationship with
kingdom only two years before the Eye destroyed it all. permanent mercenary forces, and the League underwrote
Concurrently, Guild interests were supporting the the Guild on much of the cost of such mercenary units; it
Nine Duchies Banner on the northwest edge of the Great was less expensive than having a large standing army, and
Inland Sea. The Duchies were crushed, and the Empress the unit’s underlying commercial premise made them
herself heard of the Guild’s support of the rebellion. Her more easily lent or rented to allies.
eye was on the Guild then, and despite the occasional
distraction of war and rebellion elsewhere, the Empress
THE TRADE WAR
kept the Guild’s doings near the top of her list of interests. By RY 400, competition with the Realm became more
Brem Marst died of old age in RY 179. The system he akin to war. The Empress continued to push for more
put in place, including the Guild’s internal structure and economic control over the Threshold and, by extension,
guidelines for future growth, provide the Directorate with the Guild. Conducting business on the Blessed Isle became
a clear path to continued success for the Guild and them- more difficult as well, with members of the Great Houses
selves. Brem Marst was buried in his family tomb in Great including trade and craft in their incessant games of
Forks, and his extensive writings were sent to the Counter intrigue. Over the next decade and a half, the Empress used
cloister in the Lap. the Deliberative to restrict Guild activities both on the
Blessed Isle and in the Realm’s tributary states: Tariffs were
GROWTH increased, customs inspections were constant, and certain
Throughout the next 300 years, the Guild grew in goods and services were chosen, seemingly at random, for
both size and influence. There were major setbacks, such restriction. It was clear that the Empress was testing the
as when the Delzahn horde conquered Chiaroscuro in RY resolve of what she referred to as “the little league that had
211 and when the River Province districts of Laris and grown out of its hat.” In RY 416, the “little league”
Velen went to war in RY 265, nearly dragging the whole responded by imposing a boycott on all trade with the
region into internal war, and when an imperial expedition, Blessed Isle, a move that stunned even the Empress.
thought to be a test by the Empress to see if the recent The Trade War lasted for two years. The majority of
internal strife had weakened the Province, was crushed in battles took place at sea and in the mouths of ports as
RY 301. The Guild turned these incidents into profitable Realm and Guild vessels fought over maritime trade.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Land battles were rare and involved Guild mercenaries Guild shuddered. They knew their influence and prosperity
accompanying caravans that Realm legions or tributary was based largely upon stability. While there might be short-
armies attempted to seize. Guild agents drummed up term profit in dozens of petty kings throwing off their
support and removed opposition in the Threshold states shackles and arming hundreds of thousands of soldiers, in
not yet committed to either side. In the end, the Trade the long run, the disappearance of the Empress would
War did more damage to those same Threshold states and weaken the Threshold and the Scavenger Lands. The fears
Realm tributaries than it did to either the Realm or the of the Directorate were confirmed soon after, when the city
Guild. Realizing this, and its implications for future of Thorns was crushed by the army of the Mask of Winters
trade, the Guild brokered peace with the Realm. and all the surrounding lands passed into shadow.
The Guild was ejected from all trade on the Blessed Isle, More disconcerting news concerns the return of the
and high tariffs were placed on all trade between the Guild Anathema. With the Empress went the Wyld Hunt, and
and the Realm or its vassal states. The Realm did not, the appearance of beings capable of leveling entire towns
however, attempt to disarm the Guild or exert control over on their own or destroying entire cities in small groups is
the Guild’s holdings anywhere but on the Isle. Victory of great concern to the Guild. More and more of the
belonged to the Realm, but it was, in reality, a small victory. Guild’s resources must be directed toward defense, making
The Arzechki invasion and the Trade War inadvert- it more difficult to expand and reducing profits. In the five
ently ensured the continued existence of the Guild and years since the disappearance of the Empress, the Guild has
perhaps the River Province as a whole. During these been forced to balance profit with protection and to trade
conflicts, the Guild was instrumental in the formation of in favors as well as in silver, and it looks as if such will be
a great number of mercenary companies, many of which the case for the foreseeable future.
were first blooded fighting for the Guild.
This relationship between the Guild, the River Province THE GUILD TODAY
and the mercenaries proved its worth in RY 547. The Fair The modern Guild is at once an enterprise, an orga-
Folk, with whom the Guild traded, attacked en masse, flowing nization and an institution. As a business enterprise, the
out of the Eastern Wyld. A century of relative peace had Guild is a collaborative effort between the most wealthy
allowed the Guild and the River Province to build up their and influential merchants and artisans in Creation, dedi-
strength, and with the help of many local gods and the First cated to the increase of that wealth and influence. As a
Age weaponry in the hands of the Seventh Legion, the Fair trade organization, it is the originator and overseer of the
Folk were driven back. The Guild suffered politically follow- standards by which trade is able to occur: weights, mea-
ing the invasion, however: Guild merchants continued to
sures, value, supply and demand. As a social institution,
trade with individual Fair Folk for slaves and gossamer,
the Guild links distant lands, employs thousands and
despite the fact that many believed they had narrowly avoided
creates a sense of community in a world that is both vast
another assault on Creation on par with the one that followed
and hostile. These roles and others place the Guild in a
the Contagion. In response, the Guild Directorate put a two-
unique position in the world of Exalted, filling niches that
year moratorium on trade with the fey. It was a token gesture
the governments of the Threshold cannot or will not.
and did little to reverse the opinion that Guild merchants
lacked even the most basic morals, an opinion that persists Despite its reputation as a massive bureaucracy along the
among many inhabitants of the Threshold. lines of the Thousand Scales, the Guild is, in reality, an
affiliation of powerful individuals who share like goals, with
RECENT HISTORY just enough structure to support it. Guild members are part-
The Guild prospered during the centuries following the ners in a mercantile endeavor, each one making an investment
Trade War, despite the invasions. The punitive tariffs on of time, energy, skill and/or money and reaping rewards
Guild goods were lifted in RY 618, and trade with the Realm commensurate with that investment. This holds true for all
resumed. The various powers of the Threshold, Realm Guild members, from the lowest levels to the highest.
aligned or not, found alliance with the Guild necessary, and
trade increased, distributing goods and ideas between places ORGANIZATION
separated by vast stretched of time and distance. The Guild The Guild is structured like a pyramid. A broad base of
established hub cities throughout the Threshold, out from craft and labor supports a pinnacle of wealth and power. At
which the caravans made their runs. the top are the most affluent and influential of the factors,
Business continued as usual until RY 752. In that year, men and women whose investments drive all Guild ship-
the city of Thorns and the Confederation of Rivers went to ping and caravans. Factors put their considerable resources
war, largely instigated by the Realm. The Guild countered behind major business operations and, as a result, reap the
Realm subterfuge with agents of its own and provided vast majority of the profits from such ventures. The money
supplies and economic support to the Confederation. Then, of the factors pays for the caravans, trading fleets, grand
in RY 763, the Scarlet Empress disappeared. While some bazaars and urban mercantile districts, all of which are
cheered this event as divine providence, the wise among the mechanisms through which profit is earned.

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REALM YEAR EVENT

69 Brem Marst is born in Great Forks.
88 While Marst is visiting the Lap, war erupts in the River Province as the Realm invades for a third
and final time. Marst is unable to return home and spends his time with the Counters.
89 Marst returns to Great Forks with a new system by which to govern large scale trading operations,
borrowed largely from the philosophical writings of the Counters.
95 The League of Many Rivers is founded, allowing for easier trade between the cities of the Scavenger
Lands and beyond. Marst takes advantage of the event and expands his trading operations.
99 Marst gathers merchants from North, South and East and forms the Guild. Initially, the Guild
operates out of Marst’s family headquarters in Great Forks.
104 The coastal states of the River Province break with the Realm, thanks to the support of Marst and
the Guild. This event marks the Guild’s first foray into international politics.
117 The Guild allies with the Council of Entities of Nexus and moves its base of operations to that city.
Marst codifies the system by which a Directorate will be named and establishes the first Directorate.
146 Bagrash Köl uses the Eye of Autochthon to forge a kingdom in the North. The Guild allies with this
new kingdom.
174 The Nine Duchies, located on the northern coast of the Great Inland Sea, rebel against the Realm.
Once again, the Guild supplies intelligence and supplies, as well as propaganda, to the rebels. The
rebellion is crushed, however, and the Empress learns of the Guild’s involvement and determines
to watch the organization more closely. At the same time, an aged Marst visits Köl’s kingdom and
foresees its downfall. He quietly withdraws Guild personnel and interests.
176 The Eye of Autochthon destroys the kingdom of Bagrash Köl.
179 Marst dies at age 110. His legacy is a system for the Guild’s continued existence without his guidance,
and it is successful.
211 The Delzahn horde conquers Chiaroscuro, disrupting trade in the region and providing the Realm
with a powerful ally.
265 War erupts between Laris and Velen in the River Province.
301 Testing the resolve of the River Province, the Empress sends an expedition into the Scavenger
Lands. Local forces crush it.
335 The first Guild office on the Blessed Isle is established at the port of Chanos. There is tension
between the Guild members and the Realm bureaucrats, but it does not disrupt business.
364 The Arczeckh horde invades the River Province. The Guild provides substantial military support
to Lookshy and the Hundred Kingdoms, proving itself a powerful force even outside of trade.
371 Lord’s Crossing becomes the Blessed Isle hub city.
393 The first of what would be a long string of Dynastic tariffs is applied to Guild caravans traveling the
Blessed Isle: Newly made House Tepet places a tax on each wagon wheel entering or exiting its lands
anywhere on the isle, even if actually used on working wagons.
416 Infuriated by constantly growing and changing tariffs, taxes and laws, the Guild pulls its interests
out of the Blessed Isle and announces a boycott. This signals the beginning of the Trade War.
418 The Trade War ends with the Guild accepting punitive tariffs and taxes. A hub city or Guild office
is never re-established on the Blessed Isle, and afterward, all trade between the Guild and the Realm
occurs in Cherak.
547 The Guild proves itself again fighting when the Fair Folk invade. By this time, the Guild has
extensive ties to spirits, outcaste Terrestrials and the Fair Folk themselves, allowing it to provide
magical support to the battle, as well as mundane.
554 The Fair Folk are driven back, but many Guild members maintain trade relationships with
individual Fair Folk. It is a scandal from which the Guild has not yet recovered.
752 The Guild uses its own agents to counter Realm agents instigating a war between Thorns and the
Confederation of Rivers. Outclassed by Dragon-Blooded spies, Guild agents fail, and war breaks out.
Thorns is defeated, however.
763 The Empress disappears. Guild spies in the Imperial Manse learn of the disappearance immediately,
and the Guild works to counter the Realm’s attempts to keep it a secret.
764 Thorns is lost to the forces of the Deathlord known as the Mask of Winters.
768 Present day.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

THE DIRECTORATE work, inheriting their businesses from their parents who
themselves are merchants and likely inherited the busi-
The factors sitting head and shoulder above all others
nesses. Other would-be merchants must borrow large
are known as the Guild’s Directorate. From the
sums of money, often from the factors, in order to estab-
organization’s headquarters in Nexus, the nine members of
lish themselves. In addition to the costs associated with
the Directorate oversee the systems and standard of trade
running a business and repaying their loans, these mer-
throughout the Threshold. Each one is, in his or her own
chants must pay the Guild, in the form of dues, for the
right, a person of vast wealth and influence. When taken
right to trade in a given city or along a given route.
as a whole, the Directorate is as powerful as any govern-
Moreover, the merchants must abide by Guild standards,
ment, even that of the Realm. Far more than policymakers
including pricing, when engaging in trade. So, while
and administrators, each member of the Directorate en-
simple in theory, becoming a successful Guild merchant
gages in commerce the same as any other member of the
presents a great number of challenges.
Guild. Even the Directorate must pay its seasonal dues.
Among the merchants branch, the most successful
THE ADMINISTRATION and most highly regarded Guildsmen are the merchant
princes. Often, they are also the most decadent and most
The Directorate is immediately supported by what is
jaded. A merchant becomes a merchant prince through a
referred to as the administrative branch of the Guild. Not
combination of business savvy, blind luck and generous
every member of the Guild is a craftsmen or merchant. A
bribes. Merchant princes are considered the top of the
great many are reeves, clerks, aides and chars. It is they who
merchant food chain and are the agents through which the
bear the unenviable task of balancing books, taking stock,
factors operate away from their headquarters. Merchant
filing papers, arranging meetings and performing all man-
princes command the caravans that carry Guild goods and
ner of mundane tasks that keep the Guild running smoothly.
services to the far corners of Creation. Factors rise from
Unlike factors, merchants and craftsmen, the Guild
among the ranks of the merchant princes. Often, however,
administrators are never likely to gain great wealth or
mercantile skill and financial success are not enough to
prestige. However, a skilled and respected clerk will be well
elevate one to that status, and most merchant princes
loved and taken care of by those who rely upon her abilities.
merely retire from life on the road. They set up shop in
Lesser members of this branch, ranging from messengers to
many of the innumerable cities and towns of the Thresh-
scribes, may be rewarded meagerly, but those rewards are
old, becoming shopkeeps, moneylenders and consultants.
always as consistent and reliable as they themselves are.
While the Guild as an organization does not own slaves, in THE CRAFTSMEN
cities where slavery is legal, many factors use their own
Usually considered the bottom branch of the Guild,
slaves as administrative staff. Elsewhere, clerks and scribes
the craftsmen are those who produce the goods that are
are taken from the marginally educated middle class, if there
sold by the merchants, counted by the administration and
is one, or apprenticed in a way similar to craftsmen.
financed by the factors. While less glamorous that mer-
THE MERCHANTS chants, craftsmen are the Guild’s foundation, and the
copper pots and hemp rope they produce eventually filter
The merchants branch of the Guild is the most visible
up to the most powerful factors in the form of silver and
one. Merchants sell wares in the streets and on the road. They
jade. Master artisans, the highest rank among the crafts-
drive pack yeddim through the forests of the East and drive
men, set the standard for their craft, determining which
dog sleds through the icy North. The title of merchant is worn
journeymen can advance to the level of master and open
by Guildsmen ranging from the barker at the lowliest apple
their own workshops. The master artisans of each craft
stand in the bowels of Nexus to the most affluent merchant
form lodges, groups designed to oversee and standardize
prince riding in her gilded Conestoga with a train of opium-
the craft. Lodges are Guild-wide in theory (meaning that
laden slaves in tow. The merchants of the Guild make their
all master smiths in the Guild are theoretically members of
living through the sale of goods or services. In many cases, the
the Lodge of Red Iron), but their true power lies on the
merchant is linked very closely with the source of the goods,
local level. Wherever artisans gather in numbers, the most
such as when a silk trader buys the precious cloth in Paragon
senior members of the lodge control much of the produc-
and sells it in Cherak. Other times, merchants are farther
tion and sales related to their craft in the area. Lodge
removed from their wares: Shopkeeps in cities and towns
leadership is influential, and master artisans are as likely to
often purchase goods in bulk from various traveling mer-
find seats on the Directorate as members of the merchant
chants and resell them for an increased cost.
class, though often with less fanfare.
Becoming a merchant is fairly easy, in theory. One
needs only the capital necessary to purchase goods to LABOR
trade or to hire services and a place or system through The Guild, despite its intricate workings and massive
which to sell them. Many merchants are born to their scale, is not entirely self-reliant. Besides customers to

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

whom goods and services can be sold, the Guild needs a such experiments: Business is hard enough as it is. There-
resource that is at once cheap and problematic: labor. The fore, factors are elevated from those that not only have the
Guild does not have a branch that fills this void and, silver to pay for the cart, but also the ability to drive it.
officially, does not employ laborers. Rather, the Guild has Factors have offices in hub cities, usually employing at
developed a system of temporary employment, whether for least a dozen clerks, reeves and chars. The larger hub cities
a day or for a year, for unskilled laborers such as teamsters, house a half dozen or more such offices, and each factor
rowers, porters and sailors. Often, the call for laborers is employs dozens of lesser Guildsmen. Factors, regardless of
answered by Guild affiliated agencies known as whip however many support staff they might have on hand, are
legions, which provide great numbers of workers for what- extremely busy people: While one can have a trusted
ever projects the Guild undertakes. assistant tabulate expenditures and capital, meeting with
Despite the name, not all whip legions are composed of clients, inspecting the wares and keeping the merchant
slaves. Some hire cheap labor in depressed areas, while princes under heel all require personal attention. Once a
others use the unfortunate husks that had once been slaves caravan has actually left the hub city, factors do tend to
of the Fair Folk. A rare few are aligned with or even operated have more free time. As with most wealthy individuals
by spirits of various sorts and use elementals and other lesser who fancy themselves a sort of aristocracy, many factors
spirits to perform the necessary work. These god-laborers engage in recreation that would make the most debased
tend to be very expensive, however, and are only used where Realm noble blush.
mortal laborers would be ineffectual or would not likely Factors also make up the seats on the Guild council
survive. Whip legions are not the sole source of Guild labor, of a hub city, making decisions that affect the business of
and often, any number of bodies can be gathered in short the Guild as a whole in that city and the region it serves.
order with the promise of a few silver coins. This is particu- This, of course, leads to the kind of politicking that
larly true in the Threshold, where the Guild is an influential includes bribes and favors. Factors hold the well being of
institution. Whip legion or not, these temporary laborers the Guild and the trade in their region close to their
are not members of the Guild and, therefore, do not pay hearts, however, and if a factor ends up on the unfortu-
dues, nor do they enjoy protections. Working as temporary nate end of an accident due to such politicking, it is
labor for the Guild does occasionally present an individual usually due to an overinflated sense of self worth putting
with contacts and experience that, when coupled with his profits ahead of the Guild’s.
sufficient silver, might allow him to become a full member
of the Guild, but this is by no means normal.

FACTORS BECOMING A FACTOR

Factors are undoubtedly the lynchpin of the entire A character who wishes to become a factor must
Guild structure. Former merchant princes who have el- meet a number of criteria. Most obviously, the char-
evated themselves to their positions through equal parts acter must be a successful merchant prince and must
political and economic strength, the factors represent the be mortal — the Guild respects the Exalted and gives
penultimate goal of all Guild members. Factors, always them all deference, but it does not intend to be the
exceptionally wealthy, are the investors of the Guild. It is agent of an Exalted agenda. In addition, the character
their silver that buys yeddim and stocks iron, their silver must be both wealthy and powerful, at least within
that hires mercenaries and provides wagons and their the Guild. This translates in game terms to a mini-
silver that brings sorcerers and artifacts to bear in the mum of Resources ••••, a combination of Allies,
defense of the caravans as they skirt the edge of the Wyld. Influence and Backing (Guild) amounting of 12 or
Becoming a factor is no easy feat. Most outsiders more dots and no dots in Backing or other ongoing
believe that all factors buy their positions. While this is obligations to an outside power.
technically true, the position of factor is not up for general The actual process through which the character
auction. Factors come from the ranks of the merchant acquires support from other factors should be played
princes. Only by proving himself on the road by turning out, but if circumstances prevent doing so, the follow-
twigs into jade (as the saying goes) can a merchant prince ing method is suggested; gaining the necessary support
prove himself canny enough to take on the position of requires an extended Bureaucracy + Manipulation
factor. Factors are not individual investors, though each roll with a difficulty of 7, with each roll representing
makes a hefty profit from the endeavors he backs. The a month of bending ears and fattening purses. Regard-
factors invest in the name of the Guild as a whole, and a less of the method by which the character gains
poor investment reflects poorly upon the Guild. Too many acceptance, the cost to purchase the position is Re-
rich young fops believe themselves to possess great minds sources •••••, and each month of lobbying costs
and end up watching their fortunes run down the gutters about Resources ••••.
like so much piss and offal. The Guild is not interested in

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

THE LEADERS OF THE GUILD

Headquartered in a 12-story edifice in the city of
Nexus’ eponymous district, the Guild Directorate is the
most powerful collection of mortals in Creation. Nine
individuals compose the Directorate, and all nine have
methods and ideologies distinct to their particular goals.
Taken separately, each member of the Directorate is a
powerful ally or a dangerous enemy. Taken collectively,
the Directorate has the political and economic influence
to raise a slave to majesty or to reduce a prince to chains.
Times at which the Directorate acts with one voice are
rare, however. The interests of the individual hierarchs
intersect only where the Guild as an organization and trade
as an institution are concerned, and even then, opinions
will clash. Hierarchs cooperate when necessary to promote
their own personal goals, feign friendship and take sides as
needed and otherwise conduct business in the manner that
led them to the seats of the Directorate in the first place.
No personage as powerful and complex as a member
of the Directorate can be reduced to a single paragraph.
The following capsule presentations of the Directorate are
intended to provide the Storyteller with starting point.
Storytellers are encouraged to make these characters what
best serves the needs of the chronicle or create members
out of whole cloth that serve the needs of the story.

HIERARCH ARYS SHEN

Hierarch Shen is a native of Nexus and considers
himself the city’s true master. Born an orphan and raised
a thief, Shen came to power in the Guild by way of the
black market. As a fence for the notorious Obsidian
Monkey Band, he came into contact with a great number
of master artisans, both as customers and as enemies, over
the years. He grew rich and feared as a result of his deeds
but discovered the Guild offered something his life of
crime could not: legitimate influence. Through a chain of
owed favors and bribes, Shen was allowed to legitimize his
business as a Guild merchant. Within two decades, he was

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

the undisputed master of Nexus’ “oddities” market: There small god on the panel. A minor figure in the Court of
was not an artifact or treasure Shen could not acquire or Seasons, Blossoms on the Night Breeze materializes as an
unload. Shen is growing old these days and spends less and extremely attractive androgynous figure with the down-
less of his time in Nexus’ seedy underbelly. He has a covered antlers of a young stag and a constant,
scoundrel’s blood flowing through his veins, however, and pleasant-smelling breeze surrounding it. Blossoms on the
the right score might pull him out of his “retirement.” Night Breeze is a consummate seller of seeds, breeding
livestock and other spring-related commodities. The spirit’s
flowers have adorned the marriage halls of kings and
emperors, and its brood mares have filled the Empress’ own
stables. Blossoms on the Night Breeze cares only for the
continued coming of Spring, both literally and metaphori-
cally, and it is rumored that the spirit sits on the Directorate
only while awaiting a more prominent position in the
Court of Seasons.

HIERARCH HENDRIKA NIESINK

Hendrika Niesink came to prominence four decades
ago as a slaver — she was called the Lady of Salt because
none of the flesh she carried with her ever seemed to spoil
on the trip — and unofficially presides over all of the
Guild’s slave trading. Her main interests are with House
Cynis of the Realm. Any characters that deal with the
slave trade or with House Cynis on a regular basis will
eventually come to the attention of Hierarch Niesink. An HIERARCH CHORMUND
experienced merchant and factor, Hierarch Niesink is not This vast glutton is the self-proclaimed master of the
easily moved by tales of hardship on the road or other Guild’s sea trade. He is rarely found in Nexus, but most
excuses and has a reputation for calling debts in on time, other members of the Directorate consider this a boon.
regardless of circumstances. When Chormund does deign to walk on the solid ground
of the Guild headquarters, it is invariably more on the
lower three levels than the top nine. Nonetheless,
Chormund is immensely knowledgeable and deftly man-
ages the vast network of Guild vessels and affiliated ships.

HIERARCH BLOSSOMS ON THE NIGHT BREEZE

While not the only spirit ever to sit on the Director-
ate, Blossoms on the Night Breeze is currently the lone

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

HIERARCH MAZIAR SABAR

The youngest member of the Directorate, Hierarch
Maziar Sabar achieved a vast fortune before reaching his
twentieth year. As a merchant prince in the South, Hier-
arch Sabar traded spices, perfumes, silks and gemstones so
constantly and among so many customers that it was said
that one might sell to him only to buy the goods back a
week later at twice the price. Good natured, charming,
handsome and polite, Hierarch Sabar is the most beloved
member of the Directorate and often finds himself courted
by powerful mortals and spirits alike. It has been rumored,
in fact, that he was offered a marriage to an unExalted
member of House Ragara, only to turn to offer down after
finding the contract stipulated that he leave the Guild to
advise that Great House on its trading operations. Hier-
arch Sabar is well known for his almost whimsical
investments, choosing merchant princes to back seem- HIERARCH GOL DURGO
ingly at random, yet always coming away with a tidy profit. Gol Durgo achieved his position on the Directorate
through bribes. This in itself is not unusual, but it is
generally common knowledge that Hierarch Durgo has
purchased every position, every promotion, he has ever
received. What is more is that, while Durgo is certainly
successful, by the standards of the richest factors, he is not
particularly wealthy. And while he is shrewd, he has never
been accused of being overly so. Exactly how Durgo
managed to buy his way all the way to the Directorate, or
what ambitions led him there, are subject to much debate
among both his underlings and his colleagues. What is
known for certain is that Durgo accepts bribes as easily as
he once paid them and is the one to go to for the Directorate’s
approval of activities otherwise frowned upon.

HIERARCH ARTEMISIA SAPPHIRE

The most recent member admitted to the Directorate,
Artemisia Sapphire is a factor who made her career in the
exotic trade of glamour. Artemisia rarely deals with the
Fair Folk directly (and, in fact, is rumored to despise the
creatures) but has managed to buy, barter or steal some of
the most magnificent pieces of glamour artifice known.
Most of what she has purchased has been sold either back
to the Fair Folk or to mortal and Dragon-Blooded collec-
tors. Other pieces, some of which are rumored to be quite
potent, she keeps for her own collection. Artemisia is still
settling into her seat on the Directorate and has not yet
proven what sort of force she will be for the Guild. Among
the rumors surrounding her are that she is a tool for the Fair
Folk to use the Guild to weaken the Threshold for attack. HIERARCH GAVIN BAST
Others say she suffered some great loss at the hands of the The only Exalt on the Directorate, Gavin Bast is an
Fair Folk and wishes to use the Guild to destroy them or Earth-aspected Dragon-Blooded from Lookshy. Like most
drive them back beyond the edges of Creation. Neither of his brethren, Bast views the art of trade with suspicion
rumor is likely to be the truth, but Artemisia is not and believes it should be left to the Guild, not the govern-
interested in dispelling her aura of mystery. ment of his land, to deal with. Hierarch Bast is an

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

unsurpassed weaponsmith, however, and believes craft to

be the highest calling one may follow aside from that of a CHANGING THE DIRECTORATE
professional soldier. Indeed, Hierarch Bast served as a
There are no Solar, Sidereal, Lunar or Abyssal
dragonlord in the Seventh Legion but left after 30 years to
Exalted on the Directorate as written: The Guild is,
raise a family and to manage his forge. Over the next three
by and large, a mortal organization, with mortal aims
decades, Bast expanded his workshop into a full-fledged
and interests. However, individual Storytellers should
foundry and attracted the attention of a number of Guild
feel free to make changes. If the Storyteller supposes
master artisans. It took a number of years and a great deal
that the Guild is really a tool that the Bronze faction
of convincing, but eventually, Gavin Bast found himself
uses to maintain order in Creation, then a number —
on the Directorate. He not only oversees much of the craft
or perhaps all — of the hierarchs should be Sidereal
done by Guild artisans, but serves as a sort of de facto
Exalted. On the other hand, if the Storyteller decides
military advisor as well. It is rumored among many factors
that the Guild is a weapon against the tyranny of the
and master artisans that Bast is on the Directorate only to
Dragon-Blooded, a Directorate composed of repre-
strengthen ties between the Guild and Lookshy.
sentatives from all types of Exalted, plus mortals and
spirits, might be in order.

every nationality, creed and ethnicity of mortal, plus an

uncommon number of Exalted, spirits and fae besides. This
diversity, combined with the Guild’s long history and its
members’ shared trade, has created within its membership
a culture unique to the Guild.

JOINING THE GUILD

Guild membership is open to anyone whose trade or
skills fits within any one of the Guild’s branches. The
Guild does not discriminate based upon gender, national-
ity or even species.
Anyone wishing to join the Guild must apply through
one of the branches: the administration, the merchants or
the craftsmen. In addition, the applicant must petition
HIERARCH DVORA ODOM with the support of a sponsor: a Guild member in good
Dvora Odom is one of the rare master artisans that standing who is also a member of the branch for which the
rose through the ranks having never stepped foot on a applicant is applying. A sponsor may not have sponsored
caravan route or opened a shop of her own. Hierarch another applicant within the previous year and a day and
Dvora is the head of all of the Guild’s banking and money- must house the would-be Guildsman for the entire process
lending operations. She began her career as a lowly clerk of application and review. This is done to prove the
to the Directorate some 50 years ago. Every day since then trustworthiness of the applicant, at least in relation to his
has been, to her mind, a step toward her present position. fellow Guildsmen.
She is a stern woman, with little patience for foolishness, The process usually takes a total of a month and
who is utterly dedicated to her job of making certain the consists of four steps. In the initial phase, the sponsor
Guild’s financial systems are the most efficient in all of applies for, and a week later receives, an audience with the
Creation. She constantly monitors the goings on of the local hierarchy of his branch and requests membership for
Realm and the jade standard, in an effort to better under- the applicant. After a week’s deliberation, the branch
mine it with the use of silver. Because of her previous leaders give the petitioner the right to apply for member-
position as a clerk of the Directorate, Dvora is not merely ship. During this phase, the applicant must prove his
a member but an institution in her own right. Some of the usefulness to the Guild by presenting evidence, often in
older members of the Directorate cannot imagine the the form of craft or letters of confirmation from important
place without her, while to some of the young members, individuals whose opinions would have relevance. Appli-
she represents a burden of the past. cants rarely see the branch leaders, relying on their sponsors
to present the proof of skill instead. Following another
GUILD LIFE week of deliberation, the applicant is moved onto the final
The Guild is a vast, cosmopolitan entity with branches phase. The branch leadership determines the applicant’s
in every corner of Creation. Its membership consists of branch and Guild rank, places the applicant in the local

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Guild structure when appropriate (this occurs most com- create and enforce Guild policy in regards to daily opera-
monly with the administration and craftsmen) and records tions and administrative issues. Promotion through the
all the necessary documentation regarding the sponsor and ranks in the administrative branch is most often based
applicant. Once the “initial dues” are paid, the applicant upon seniority. Unlike the other branches of the Guild,
is a full-fledged Guild member. the administrative branch offers few opportunities for
In many cases, the sponsor pays the applicant’s fees and fame or riches, so diligence and competence are the
any incidentals — including bribes — necessary to get the benchmarks by which members are measured. Adminis-
application approved. The new Guildsmen is then be- trative duties are also relatively safe, however, enabling
holden to the sponsor until the debt is repaid. Money, powerful administrators to stay in their positions for very
loyalty and favors are all considered appropriate methods of long terms and inspiring the occasional act of assassina-
repayment, repeatedly and in large quantities. The “year tion, of the literal or character variety, by ambitious clerks
and a day” policy was put in place to curb the tendency of and scribes.
some Guild members to sponsor large numbers of applicants Branch rank among the merchants branch is less rigid
as a method of producing numerous indebted followers. in nature than that of the administrative branch. While
Individuals who can pay their own fees are not free from ostensibly based also upon seniority, the fact is that more
debt, however: The sponsor can retract his petition for the successful merchants, financially speaking, rank higher
applicant at any time, without cause or reason. than less successful ones. Low-ranking merchants are
shopkeeps and peddlers who trade in the most basic of
goods and services among the most base of citizens of the
THE COST OF JOINING Threshold. As the customer base and profit margin of a
Characters who wish to join the Guild must be merchant increases, so does her rank in the branch. Mid-
able to pay the entry fees, or “initial dues.” In most ranking merchants have wider ranging operations and
circumstances, it is a Resources •• purchase. How- trade either in large quantities of common goods or in more
ever, if bribes are necessary to move the character’s expensive or exotic goods and services. The merchant
application along, it can become a Resources ••• princes are the highest ranking members of the merchants
or, in extreme cases, a Resources •••• purchase. branch, due almost exclusively to their financial success.
Bribes are necessary when the character is known However, the power of politics cannot be overstated, and
and disliked by the local Guild leadership, when the many merchant princes, as powerful as they are among
character’s capabilities are questionable or when their peers, are beholden to the factors. Due to the method
political maneuvering between the character’s spon- of advancement in the merchants branch, ambition and
sor and other Guild members of rank comes into greed are often seen as synonymous. Rank privileges among
play. The Storyteller should adjudicate the cost as it the merchants center around continued financial success:
fits the needs of the story but should take care if it the right to control prices, to monopoly rights in a given
would require the character to become indebted to area or over a given trade and to first choice over markets,
her sponsor: Players do not like to give up control trade routes and subordinates. For low-ranking members,
over their characters. this means that higher-ranking merchants determine what
they can sell, where they can sell it and for what price.
The craftsmen branch of the Guild employs a rigid
RANK AND PROMOTION structure of rank centered around the master-journeyman-
Rank in the Guild is twofold: Every Guildsman has a apprentice relationship. The lowest ranking members of
branch rank and a Guild rank. Branch rank places the the craftsmen branch are the apprentices, who pay for,
individual in the hierarchy of the administrative, mer- through money or labor, the right to learn a craft from a
chant or craftsman branch, as appropriate. Branch rank master artisan. Journeymen, who make up the middle
determines to whom a Guildsmen is subordinate, how ranks of the branch, are fully trained apprentices and have
much influence he possesses among his peers and the sort been released from their masters. However, journeymen
of work the Guildsman engages in. do not have the right to open their own workshops or sell
In the administrative branch, the lowest ranks are their own wares. Instead, journeymen must find employ-
composed of the pages and messengers, new Guild mem- ment with masters, doing much of the routine work until
bers trusted with little more than the delivery of missives. they can advance to the rank of master. Master artisans are
Mid-ranking members of the branch are clerks and scribes, the highest-ranking members of the branch. Each craft has
those that tabulate and record the infinite variety of data its own collections of masters, called lodges, with some
necessary for the Guild’s continued existence. The most crafts creating more formal systems of governance than
powerful members of the administrative branch, titled others. Masters determine the standards of their craft, as
administrators, are the ultimate jugglers of bureaucracy; well as name new masters. Rising through the ranks of the
they not only keep the records for the Guild, they also craftsmen branch is equal parts skill, seniority and politics.

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

Apprentices are expected to serve for a minimum number

of years (how many depending on the particular craft) and GUILD RANK AND BRANCH RANK
to produce an acceptable quality of work before being A character’s Guild rank and branch rank are
elevated to journeyman status by a master. Journeymen, functions of the character’s Backing Background.
likewise, work in their craft for years before they will even
be considered for the rank of master. In addition, a jour- BRANCH RANK
neyman must consistently produce work in his craft of Backing Craftsmen/Merchants/Administration
sufficient quality. Such a judgment of quality is subjective, • Apprentice/Peddler/Page
and journeymen are expected to pay for the support of a •• Journeyman/Merchant/Scribe
master. Even so, promotion to the rank of master can be ••• Journeyman/Merchant/Clerk
difficult, as a single dissenting voice among the master •••• Master/Merchant Prince/Administrator’s Assistant
artisans of the journeyman’s craft can send the journey-
•••••It mayMaster Artisan/Factor/Administrator
be necessary to determine comparative
man back to the workshop. ranking between two Guild members with Backing
The craftsmen branch is a broad one, filled with scores that are members of different branches. In such
apprentices, journeymen and masters of innumerable indi- a case, consider craftsmen to have a Backing one
vidual crafts. Rank in the branch crosses the lines between lower than is actually the case, and consider mer-
crafts, so all apprentices, all journeymen and all master chants to have a Backing at one higher. Administrative
artisans are equal in the eyes of the craftsmen branch. In branch characters’ Backing remains unchanged. Mem-
reality, few masters of one craft consider the masters of bers of the Directorate always have Backing •••••.
another equals, unless the crafts are complimentary (such
as wainwrights and lumber millers).
Guild rank is a reflection of branch rank, but one common types of complaints are allegations of unfair busi-
covering a broader collection of rights and responsibilities. ness practices (such as price fixing) between Guild members
While the branches are a convenient method by which to and accusations of fraud and shoddy work by customers.
organize the Guild, the Directorate knows that the lines blur Once a complaint has been registered with the appropriate
between branches. When a question or conflict arises be- office, however, the process is nearly identical regardless of
tween Guild members of different branches, Guild rank, the nature of the grievance.
while not likely to resolve the issue, puts the conflict in THE GUILD WARDEN
perspective. For the most part, craftsmen are considered to
be of lower rank than merchants, with the administration The Guild warden performs what may be the most
subject only to the commands of the Directorate. This is not important function in the Guild: The Guild warden en-
to say that a small-time peddler in Great Forks can order forces Guild rules, laws and standards on Guild members.
around a master blacksmith from Gethamane. Rather, The Guild warden is responsible for ensuring that all Guild
when a merchant prince desires to flood the local market craftsmen and merchants in a Guild-affiliated city follow
with raw timber, for example, the master millers and carpen- Guild regulations and guidelines. Where the Guild investi-
ters of the area must consent and find a way to manage. gator responds to complaints of abuse, fraud and other
crimes, the Guild warden conducts a perpetual investiga-
GUILD LAW tion aimed at uncovering the types of transgressions that are
rarely reported. Those merchants and craftsmen who at-
Since its beginning, the Guild has held a policy of self-
tempt to undercut their Guild competitors, produce inferior
regulation and has managed to police its own membership
goods or manipulate their records in order to reduce their
with a great deal of success. As a transnational organiza-
quarterly dues are all the targets of the Guild warden.
tion, the Guild cannot afford to conduct its internal
The resources and personnel at the warden’s disposal
business in accordance with local business custom and
are dependant upon the size of the city in which the
tradition in every one of Creation’s hundreds of petty
warden operates and the diversity of the Guild businesses
kingdoms. Instead, a concrete system of governance based
operated therein. Larger cities need more active wardens
upon both traditional Guild philosophy and precedence-
to ensure compliance; in the various hub cities, for ex-
setting decisions within the Guild has emerged, known
ample, the wardens have access to dozens of clerks and
collectively as Guild Law.
assistants, as well as the latitude to hire outside agents, just
The justice system within the Guild is generally reac-
as investigators have. In addition, wardens make extensive
tive, meaning that, in order for any investigation to begin or
use of snitches and spies, particularly among the lowest-
dispute to be resolved, the offended party must present a
ranking members of the Guild and those that cater to the
complaint. Guild Law is the purview of the administrative
vices of wealthy craftsmen and merchants.
branch, and there are a number of offices within the branch
Without the wardens, the greed and ambition of indi-
that deal with particular types of complaints. The most
vidual Guildsmen would have destroyed the organization

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

while it was still in its infancy. Traditionally, the Directorate Gethamane. Even cities with close ties to the Realm can
has recognized this fact and has supported provisions main- serve as hub cities; the position of Cherak on the northern
taining the power of the wardens. The Guild councils that coast makes it too advantageous to ignore. While the
manage the affairs of each of the hub cities follow suit. Many Guild is loath to do business under the jackbooted heel of
individual factors, merchant princes and master artisans do the Realm, it is even more loath not to do business at all.
not share the Directorate’s enthusiasm for Guild wardens —
or rather, they support the stabilizing power of the wardens THE GUILD COUNCIL
so long as their own operations are not under investigation In each hub city, the most powerful factors, keeps (see
and their own employees are not spies. Bribing a Guild below) and master artisans form the Guild council. This
warden is dangerous business, however: Few Guild crimes body exists to provide oversight and direction for the
will have a Guildsman’s assets seized and his cheek branded Guild businesses that operates within and out from the hub
faster than attempting to bribe a Guild warden who remains city. In most cases, the Guild council is simply a round
true to his post. table of the richest factors in the city that meets once a
Guild wardens have a level of authority far surpassing month to discuss profit and politics. In other hub cities, the
what their Guild rank would suggest. Despite the fact that Guild council takes an active hand in the economic and
they are merely middle-ranking members of the adminis- political development of not just the Guild powers within
trative branch, they possess the right to conduct an the city, but the city itself.
investigation on any member of the Guild short of a As with the Directorate of the Guild, a Guild council
hierarch and are even able to suspend the operations of the consists of nine members. All members of the council are
accused for up to 30 days. Wardens rarely abuse this power, based out of the hub city, though they may have interests,
as they fall under the direct control of the local Guild homes and even offices in any number of other locations.
council and can be transferred, fired or even placed under Factors, the most influential members of the merchant
arrest by another warden. class, fill the vast majority of council seats in any hub city,
The Guild does not provide its members with the but occasionally, master artisans will manage seats, par-
right to a speedy or open trial. Guild members may elect to ticularly in cities where the production of goods is as
petition for a public case, in which case, other Guild important as the constant flow of caravans.
members may witness the proceedings and speak on behalf It is the duty of the Guild council to maintain Guild
of the accused, but magistrates are under no requirement Law in the hub cities. The Guild council is responsible for
to fulfill the request. Open or not, Guild cases are recorded dealing with disputes, both internal and external, for orga-
meticulously for the purpose of providing precedent. Mag- nizing and paying the administration within the city, for
istrates and investigators often examine the records of managing affairs between the Guild and the local govern-
previous cases, but other Guild members must gain special ment and for ensuring the continued profitability of the hub
permission from the administration to access the records. city. Most importantly, the Guild council is responsible for
collecting dues from all the Guildsmen in the city. Approxi-
HUB CITIES mately half of the dues go toward paying the council, various
The Guild operates in nearly every city and sizeable taxes and tariffs and other members of the administration.
town in the Threshold. Guild members own stores and The rest of the money belongs to the Directorate.
workshops, run taverns and brothels. The caravan routes Despite the heavy responsibilities of council member-
crisscrossing the Threshold are composed of many such ship, there are perks as well. Members of the Guild council
towns and cities, brief stops where goods and news are are always very wealthy and nearly always very powerful
delivered and more of the same are picked up. Though politically. Hub cities, as a rule, are places of profitable
important to the Guild’s regular system of business, venture, and members of the council have first choice
these town and cities are merely spokes on the wheel of among the caravans coming and going. In addition, all
caravan trade. merchants and artisans looking to open shops (see “Keeps,”
Other cities are different. Called hub cities, these are below) must gain the approval of the Guild council, which
the points out from which caravans embark and are the costs both silver and favors. Influence extends beyond the
points at which goods and information converge. Hub Guild itself, as local powers are usually quite married to the
cities are chosen not only because of their advantageous Guild: The tax and tariff revenues the caravans and other
locales along existing trade routes or as a central point to Guild ventures bring in are generally considerable por-
a new route, but because the political and economic tions of hub cities’ coffers.
climate is right for the Guild. The Guild thrives on small Becoming a council member is an exercise in political
governments that do not rely on commerce-stifling autoc- maneuvering. Like all promotion in the Guild, there is a
racies to maintain order. As a result, hub cities tend to be monetary price for the position as well as a political one.
free cities, such as Nexus and Chiaroscuro, and cities that Only the Guild Directorate can name members of a Guild
serve as the capitals of relatively liberal nations, such as council, so all council members are beholden to one or

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

more members of the Directorate. Rivalries run deep, and of the Guild. The title denotes a class of sedentary business
neither favors nor slights are easily forgotten, ensuring that owner, licensed by the Guild council to provide goods or
the life of a new council member will be complicated. services in a hub city. Hub cities are bustling centers for
Many Guildsmen thrive on such challenges, and these are trade and see many visitors. The keep system is there to
the sort most likely to achieve seats on the Guild council. ensure that those visitors have access to all that the Guild
The limited number of seats and the ambitions of has to offer, at the price the Guild thinks should be paid.
lesser Guildsmen make the job of Guild councilman a The businesses operated by keeps fall into four broad
dangerous one. While outright assassination is rare (and categories. The divisions blur in places, not unlike the
generally frowned upon by the Directorate), economic branches of the Guild itself, but they help the administra-
and character assassination are common. The many tion and the Guild council maintain a semblance of order
favors owed to and by council members become weapons when cataloging the Guild operations in a hub city.
in the war for power and influence, and markets are
naturally in flux. And while all factors are interested in WORKSHOPS
profits, the ability to see the long term makes one more The Guild defines a workshop as any place of business
than a mere merchant; suffering in the short term to whose primary purpose is the production of goods. A work-
cripple one’s rivals is considered an almost noble form of shop is always managed and operated by a master artisan.
attack. Given the indulgent natures of the rich and Often, the master owns the workshop as well, though it is
powerful, social manipulations are common tactics as common for factors to purchase such shops and hire artisans
well: Friends, loved ones, vices and character flaws all to produce goods for them. Workshops produce the goods
become playing pieces to rival Guildsmen. sold in outlets (see below), though most workshops main-
tain some form of direct sales. The production level varies
KEEPS between workshops and is dependant upon size and avail-
The owners and operators of inns, shops, warehouses, able base materials. Some workshops are little more than a
taverns, auction houses and brothels, these men and family weaving baskets, while others are foundries deep in
women are the foundation of the Guild’s daily trade. the bowels of the hub cities, pumping out black smoke and
Lacking the resources, the desire or the opportunity to join hundreds or thousands of finished goods per day.
the caravans on the road, keeps are content to make their While the Guild licenses workshops and Guild war-
fortunes with what the caravans bring into the hub cities. dens are ever-present, true oversight of the artisans work
Keeps rise from both the merchant and craftsmen branches

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

comes from the lodges. A workshop can only be expected tomers, consistent profits and the ability to make informed
to be as successful as it is loyal to a lodge and its policies. decisions. Above all things, the keeps and the Guild council
of a hub city seek to protect and extend that stability.
OUTLETS
The selling of finished goods is conducted in outlets. THE WORK DAY
The keeps who own outlets are members of the merchants The start and length of the workday depends on the
branch, though, sometimes, they come from the craftsman nature of the business. Guild rules prohibit any counting
branch and change allegiance when they rise: For ex- house or outlet from opening before one hour after dawn.
ample, if a master potter retires from the craft due to Workshops may begin production one hour before dawn,
arthritis but establishes a shop to sell pots, he is now a keep while service houses have no such requirements, as many
in charge of an outlet and is, therefore, a member of the remain open throughout the day and night. Businesses other
merchants branch. There are as many kinds of outlets as than service houses may operate for no more than 12 hours
there are commodities and goods. continuously and for no more than 18 hours in a single day.
Counting houses and outlets rarely stay open past dusk,
SERVICE HOUSES while workshops regularly push the Guild imposed limit to
Any business that provides nonmaterial benefits to its its breaking point. Guild businesses remain open every day,
customers is considered a service house. Restaurants, broth- except for workshops, which may not operate more than six
els, bathhouses, inns and taverns are the most common days in a row without closing for a full day. Many keeps
kinds of service houses. Also included in this category are attempt to bypass, or simply ignore, these rules. While they
training facilities and schools, hospitals and sick houses are often caught by the Guild wardens, the fine is minimal
and all manner of diviners, such as astrologists and palm- and does little to dissuade the practice.
ists. There are a large number of service houses in any hub
city, ranging widely in both size and expense (which are DISTRICTS, SOUKS AND BAZAARS
not necessarily linked). Interestingly, the Guild does not Each hub city is unique in its layout and divisions, since
vend legal or lobbying services on a formal basis. This is no hub city was built by the Guild. However, the Guild has
because lawyers, advocates and other courtiers have very a powerful influence on the development of a city after
specialized occupations and are seen as having mixed making the city a hub. Guild businesses tend to cluster
loyalties between their professional oaths and their oaths together by type, on a large scale, and trade, on a smaller
to the Guild. Many individuals within the Guild are scale: For example, a whole street might be consumed by
lawyers or courtiers or employ them on a full-time basis, workshops, with the northern end filled with leatherworkers
but the Guild does not sell or resell their services. and shoe makers, while the southern end of the street is a
While there is some blurring of the lines between the collection of tailors and clothiers. The collection of certain
branches, services houses are generally considered in the types of businesses and trades creates districts within the hub
craftsmen branch: Even if no physical property is pro- cities. These districts, which usually consist of a few square
duced, the skill required to create a successful service house blocks, are usually named for the sort of business commonly
usually requires long apprenticeship. Service houses must found in the area, such as the Tanners’ District or the
meet the standards imposed by the Guild as a whole and by Moneychangers’ District. Districts abut one another, and
the lodges devoted to them. The Guild wardens, in par- abutting districts are usually complimentary (the Tailors’
ticular, heavily monitor brothels, as abuse, of both customers District typically abuts the Textile District, for example).
and employees, is common. Districts often have official status in the eyes of city admin-
istrator and are, in all cases, well known. Locals can easily
COUNTING HOUSES guide new arrivals to them.
The term “counting house” refers to any business in In many cases, it is advantageous for certain busi-
which capital, hard coins or jade script or interests in existing nesses that are not related, but feed off the same customer
enterprises, is the stock in trade. Moneylenders, banks, insur- base, usually serving houses and outlets, to collect in a
ance companies, investment firms and the Guild’s minting small area. These areas of a hub city are referred to as souks.
operations are all considered counting houses. The office of a While more specialized items can be found in the districts,
factor that engages in such activities is also considered a souks offer a smattering of everything the Guild has to offer
counting house and must be licensed by the Guild. Counting in the hub city, all in one place. Storage space in the souks
houses operate under the auspices of the administration. is understandably limited and highly valued. Factors will
often buy up the available space in a market district and
BUSINESS OPERATIONS rent it out to keeps at high prices, forcing the keeps to
The ideal of the daily routine of conducting business in maintain higher levels of profitability. The keeps pass the
a hub city is both stable and predictable. While neither cost along to buyers as a surcharge for the convenience of
exciting nor glamorous, predictability means regular cus- all-in-one-place shopping.

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

Bazaars are similar to souks in many ways. The pri- shops or frightening of their customers ceases, they find
mary difference between the two is a matter of scale: A themselves paying dues to the underguild as they do to the
souk services a neighborhood or a district. A bazaar is huge Guild. More prominent and influential keeps are invited to
and serves as the central market to a large city. Usually join, enticed with promises of increased revenues and tem-
located within an open area of the a city, a bazaar is semi- poral power. When these tactics do not work, assassination
permanent. Most buildings are simple lean-tos or tents, and sabotage are the responses of choice.
crammed together in row upon row of goods of every kind. The use of curses, hexes and other maledictions is
Keeps from other city districts will often set up temporary particularly common among the underguilds. Mortal sorcery
kiosks among the aisles in order to sell wares. Other pales in comparison to the magical powers of the fae, the
vendors are traveling peddlers and craftsmen, some mem- spirits and the Exalted, however, and leaders of the underguilds
bers of the Guild and others merely willing to pay the small must pay high prices for true power when it is needed. Since
fee required to open a table. Bazaars often attract other many demons can be summoned by even mortal magic, given
sorts of business. Entertainers such as jugglers and dancers, the right sacrifices, these are a favorite among the underguilds
streetside vendors of food and drink and pickpockets and when more powerful forces are necessary to achieve a particu-
confidence men infest the bazaars like fleas. Although larly difficult goal or to remove a particularly stubborn obstacle.
extremely chaotic to the uninitiated, bazaars do have Outcaste Dragon-Blooded are also common enforcers, and
system, and the experienced shopper can locate nearly sometimes, Fair Folk are used as well.
anything she desires. Because of the vast amount of com- The underguilds are considered dangerous by most
petition between vendors, prices in a bazaar are noticeably members of the Guild, but in a hub city, any number of
lower than in the market district. Guild councilmen are likely to be members of one or to
have been raised to their positions by an underguild. The
DUES AND TAXES Guild Directorate, while concerned by the instability
Dues are paid to the Guild council five times a year, presented by such groups, does not act openly. In part, this
during the Resplendent month of each season. Dues rep- is because the underguilds strengthen the Guild, and in
resent, on average, 15 to 20 percent of a keep’s gross part, it’s because the vast size both of Creation and of the
income for the season. Late payment of dues is frowned Guild make such subcultures impossible to prevent. It is
upon and may prompt an investigation of the keep, but it much easier to just accept them and police them for abuse
is rare for a keep to be removed from the Guild or stripped than to attempt the impossible task of eradicating them.
of his license merely for failing to pay his dues on time. By and large, the problem of the underguilds rests with
Taxes vary from hub city to hub city. The Guild the Guild wardens. Already saddled with the burden of
prefers to base its operations in cities with limited govern- maintaining Guild Law among ethical Guildsmen, the
mental involvement and relatively low taxes, so Guild wardens must also contend with and put a stop to the more
members operating in or out of a hub city will usually pay destructive machinations of the underguilds. Underguild
10 percent or so of their gross income in taxes. Many hub leaders see a bribed warden as a rich prize and an incorrupt-
city governments reduce these taxes for special consider- ible one as a dangerous enemy. Guild wardens must muster
ations on the part of the Guild or the Guild council. This
is a perfectly acceptable practice from the perspective of
the Guild, so long as those considerations allow the Guild USING THE UNDERGUILDS
to continue to conduct successful business operations. The underguilds present built-in adversaries for
Examples of these “special considerations” include re- Exalted characters, Guild members or not. The
duced prices for bulk goods, the use of Guild-hired underguilds can be of particular use if the Storyteller
mercenaries to police the city or the surrounding region wants to avoid painting the entire Guild as an orga-
and unrestricted access to Guild service houses, particu- nization made up of corrupt, scheming villains, yet
larly those specializing in drugs and prostitution. still wants to make use of the “evil business organiza-
tion” archetype typical to adventure fiction.
THE UNDERGUILDS Exactly how prevalent and dangerous the
While the lodges are the official and authorized faces of underguilds are is open to interpretation: A pocket of
the trades, there are also other subgroups within the Guild. corruption in one hub city might be enough for one
These subgroups, known to outsiders as “underguilds” but series, while another story might require a deep-
called by their members “associations” or “brotherhoods” or seated conspiracy going all the way up to the
“secret societies,” engage in discourse, political maneuver- Directorate. The Storyteller should give the
ing and market manipulation as is most beneficial to their underguild, and its agents, whatever resources are
particular trade and the leadership of the underguild. Lesser appropriate to challenge the characters and remain
Guildsmen of the same trade are often cajoled or threatened internally consistent.
into joining these groups, and while the breaking up of their

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

all of their resources, including the use of spies and even from copper pots to heavy tapestries, and turns eastward to
assassins, to battle the underguilds. Many times, innocent the next leg of its journey.
Guildsmen are caught in the crossfire.
CARAVAN PREPARATION
CARAVANS Well before the first wagons set out on the road, the
The Guild is Threshold’s heart, and the many long planning and preparation for the caravan begins. Any
roads that link the cities are the veins carrying the region’s caravan, whether an established run that merchants have
life’s blood: Guild caravans. Far more than mere trains of made for hundreds of years or a new caravan meant to carve
goods, Guild caravans bring people, news and culture from a new road through the wilderness, must be backed. A
one isolated region to another, creating a cohesive whole caravan is backed either by one or more factors or by a
out of the disparate pieces that make up the Threshold. merchant prince intent upon making the trip himself.
Certainly, the factors and merchant princes that fund the
caravans are interested in the profits they bring, but even FACTOR-ESTABLISHED CARAVANS
the most jaded among them recognizes the importance of When a factor sets to preparing a caravan, the first
caravans to the Threshold. Common currency, common step is to find the merchant princes who will make up
language, communication and trade: These are the keys to the leadership of the caravan. Often, this is a reward for
a successful mercantile society, and these are the benefits loyal service and proven profitability. There is a fair
of the caravan trade. amount of politics involved in the decision-making
The great expense of pushing wagons through the process as well, as merchant princes will be beholden to
desolate regions of the Threshold is offset by the regular the factor for the opportunities presented by the cara-
stops it makes. Shortly after the Contagion, what little van. Most caravans backed by factors have
trade and communication that occurred between Thresh- long-established, proven routes. Usually, the same fac-
old states did so because of the presence of independent tors will control the investment in a caravan for years,
peddlers and small merchant houses. Rarely did either of even decades, and are only replaced when they die or
these types of traders cross great distances, which limited can otherwise no longer invest in the caravan.
economic development to pockets of moderately well- It is common, particularly with large caravans, for
connected nations and city-states. It was not until the more than one factor to be involved in the backing of a
official formation of the Guild that merchants braved the caravan. Factors invest interests in the caravan with the
vast wilds between these pockets and cleared the old roads intent of seeing profit. Most often, one factor, called the
of the First Age and built new ones. With each caravan, primary, will invest the majority of the capital necessary to
the Guild managed to delve into new markets, to absorb establish the caravan, and other factors, called associates,
existing trading houses and mercantile societies and to will invest what they can toward the remaining cost.
establish its supremacy. There may be as many 10 or as few as one associates
While many smaller merchant houses throughout the backing a caravan. It is not unusual for other Guild
Threshold choose to remain independent from the Guild, members, such as master artisans and keeps, and even non-
none manage the breadth and scope of the Guild, and most Guildsmen, such as local nobility and other wealthy
fade into obscurity after a few short decades or remain individuals, to make small investments in the caravan.
powerful only in a limited geographic region. Currently, Guild rules limit the investment of all non-Guild indi-
Guild caravans can be seen on Threshold roads daily. From viduals to 10 percent of the caravan’s total value.
the frozen reaches of the North to the bustling markets of Factors will commonly “trade” merchant princes
Nexus and then down to the burning sands surrounding with one another, treating them as pawns in their con-
Gem, a constant stream of goods and information issues stant games of profits and politics. Merchant princes with
forth from the hub cities. proven capabilities can be borrowed of even sold, while
Most caravans run at regular intervals, along estab- those with well-known inadequacies may be inflicted
lished routes and with specific goods. Since linear routes upon rival factors.
are less profitable, most caravan routes are loops that
return back to the hub cities days, weeks or months after
MERCHANT PRINCE-ESTABLISHED CARAVANS
setting out. The long loop may be divided into smaller When one or more merchant princes choose to
sections based on products, however. The Spring Drive instigate a caravan, which is less common than merely
from Cherak to Whitewall, for example, brings herds of heading those established by factors but in no way un-
sheep and wool products to the many small communities usual, the merchant princes involved must find the
along the route and to the thawing city itself. Rather than necessary backing, which means going to the factors. The
turning around and returning to Cherak, however, the factors who will back the caravan must be courted,
caravan buys up a great deal of finished craft goods, ranging seduced with promises of profits as well as other favors
that may, in the end, cost a merchant prince far more

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

than a simple percentage. Merchant princes are likely to

attempt to establish new caravan routes or to bring new CARAVANS AND CALIBRATION
commodities along existing routes. The successful dis-
Caravans do not travel during Calibration: To
covery of a new market can make a merchant prince’s
do so is to invite disaster. Established caravan routes
career: The risk-taking but prudent and profitable mer-
consider Calibration in scheduling and stops, but
chant prince is the ideal, and one who can achieve that
even so, a caravan is occasionally caught out during
ideal will be treated to choice positions and offered
the five days between the years. If this is the case, the
profitable contracts. Despite the success that can come
caravan will bring all of its defenses to bear, mundane
from such risky ventures, in the end, the merchant prince
and magical, and attempt to hold out until Calibra-
still owes that success to the factors that backed the
tion is over.
caravan in the first place and is not allowed to forget it.

THE CARAVAN MASTER the pay is hardly outstanding and the work is often difficult,
Regardless of whether the caravan is factor or mer- no other employer outside of Nexus so readily ignores
chant prince established, the foremost decision to be made criminal brands, slave tattoos and even more unusual marks
is the choice of the caravan’s master. The title caravan and traits. For the most part, anyone with a strong back or
master is an influential one, and the one who bears it is a salable trade is welcome on a caravan.
responsible for the success of the caravan, even more so Joining a caravan is a simple matter in the hub cities.
than the factors and merchant princes. The master will do For weeks before the caravan sets out, word spreads regard-
most of the hiring for the caravan, as well as run the day- ing the number and nature of hands needed for the trek.
to-day operations of the caravan in the field. As such, the Shortly before the caravan actually begins its journey, the
choice of caravan master is an immensely important one, caravan master, under the employ of the factors backing
and politics must often be put aside in favor of compe- the caravan and merchant princes leading it, interviews
tence. The necessary intellectual, organizational and people willing to push yeddim, pull carts and shoulder
leadership skills that make a good caravan master are rare goods. The number of slots on a caravan is limited, and
enough on their own, but they must be found in one person those slots are coveted; hiring is usually done on a first
to make a truly great caravan master. Experienced and come-first serve basis. For all but the most dangerous,
skilled caravan masters carry great renown within the longest runs through the far edges of Creation, all the
Guild. While they lack the wealth and influence of the necessary hands are hired within a single day.
merchant princes, the masters’ names still carry weight. In To fill more specialized roles, the caravan master, the
many cases, it is the merchant prince who has managed to merchant princes and perhaps even the factors themselves
secure the involvement of a well-respected caravan master seek out those with the necessary skills. Usually, such hiring
who will win the backing of a factor. is done merely on the basis of reputation. However, there are
Once selected, the caravan master becomes respon- some individuals and agencies, unaffiliated with the Guild,
sible for the details of the caravan’s preparation. Armed that act as brokers for such talented individuals, linking
with the knowledge of the merchant princes involved, clients in search of work with caravans in need of their skills.
what and how much they are carrying and where the route These agencies usually require a modest fee and/or a mar-
will take them, the caravan master can hire hands, pur- ginal percentage of their clients’ pay from the Guild.
chase yeddim and wagons and contract mercenaries. This Guild-affiliated merchants may buy a place on the
process begins at least a month before the caravan is caravan as well. They are not considered investors in the
scheduled to set out, and larger caravans require longer caravan and profit only from their personal sales. They
preparation times. must provide all of their own hands and guards, though the
Caravan masters are also ultimately responsible for mercenaries hired to protect the caravan in the event of
the caravan’s spiritual matters. The master makes all the attack are not likely to make distinctions. These mer-
necessary supplications, benedictions and sacrifices to the chants usually only stay with the caravan for a short time,
great deal of spirits the caravan will encounter on the road. joining in one city or town and leaving in the next. They
Far from being priests or sorcerers, caravan masters are are the up and coming, the merchants with the ambition
nevertheless well acquainted with the small gods likely to to become merchant princes but not the backing. This can
be encountered during their caravans’ travels and make be a hard row to hoe, as merchant princes will undermine
preparations for such encounters. successful lesser merchants should they consider the lesser
traders future threats.
JOINING A CARAVAN
It is often said that there are no orphans in the Thresh- THE RITUAL OF EXODUS
old, only caravaneers. Guild caravans are well known as The departure of a caravan from a hub city is no small
havens for outcasts, rebels, scoundrels and vagabonds. While matter. Families of the caravaneers will not see their loved

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

THE COST OF A CARAVAN

Caravans range widely in size and scope — and, therefore, in cost. In game terms, the cost — and profit potential
— of a caravan is determined by the dots of Resources and/or Backing dedicated to the caravan.

Resource Dots Description

• These are the smallest “caravans” and, in actuality, usually consist of a peddler with a laden pack
animal or one or two wagons owned by a single merchant. These make short journeys and carry only
the simplest of goods. They tend to follow the major caravan routes but travel on the “off season.”
The Guild does not bother engaging in this sort of small-time operation, but it also tends to
overlook the unaffiliated merchant who does — there is little threat to the power and influence
of the Guild by a neophyte peddling copper pots.
•• The smallest caravans that the Guild will send out, these usually consist of either a small group of
Guild-affiliated merchants or a single fledgling merchant prince and his retinue. The routes
followed by these small caravans are short and are mostly found in rural stretches of inhabited lands
where larger caravans would not likely offset their costs. Many factors back caravans of this sort as
trials for young or inexperienced merchants who show promise or for the occasional merchant
prince who has fallen on hard times.
••• The beginnings of the true caravan are seen at this level. Consisting of a dozen wagons and usually
under the control of a merchant prince of some note, these caravans tend to move staple goods that
bring consistent, if not extraordinary, profits. Merchants looking to make names for themselves
may petition the Guild to prepare and run caravans of this sort out of their own pockets, without
the oversight of a factor. Such requests usually require a substantial fee.
•••• Caravans of this sort are what are commonly seen throughout the Threshold: two dozen heavily
laden wagons, one or two merchant princes in their lumbering Conestogas, nearly 100 laborers and
teamsters in tow and half as many armed guards and a string of hangers-on, whores and entertainers.
The routes these caravans travel take them hundreds of miles over the length of a season, through
medium-sized cities and tiny hamlets alike. These are the smallest sort of caravans likely to be seen
in the extreme edges of the Threshold, as caravans with less protection are easy prey in those wild
regions. Caravans in the Realm are almost always of this size: Smaller caravans are simply
unprofitable, and due to the relative safety of the Realm’s road network, larger ones are unnecessary.
••••• The Guild is renowned for is massive, ambulatory spectacles such as these caravans. Essentially
traveling cities, these caravans range from 50 wagons to well over 200. Almost all such caravans
leave from Nexus, and their routes take them many hundreds of miles. Such a caravan leaves during
Descending Water or Ascending Earth and returns to its hub city by Resplendent Air. Some of the
larger routes, particularly those traveling the North, make a half-trip per year, wintering behind the
walls of friendly cities. Only the most powerful factors and the Guild hierarchs themselves can back
such caravans. Up to a dozen merchant princes compete for assignment to such caravans, as the
profits are proportional to the cost. The armies of mercenaries, legions of laborers and plague of
stragglers and parasites that are an inevitable part of such caravans can swell the ranks to well
over 1,000.

Determining the profits incurred from running or backing a caravan is dependant upon its value, as well as any
special circumstances. In most cases, a character’s Resources can increase by • for rank 1 through 3 caravans and by ••
for rank 4 and higher caravans. However, especially successful caravans can increase this by an additional dot, while
those facing unexpected costs and hardships can reduce the profit by • or more — even to the point of reducing the
character’s overall Resources Background.
All investors must wait until a caravan has finished its circuit before they receive any benefits or suffer any losses.
Each factor and associate profits in proportion to her investment. Rank is important only when considering that more
powerful factors are provided the right of establishing caravans and/or being primary among a caravan’s investors.

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

ones again for many months. Factors have entrusted great

sums of money, in the form of wagonloads of goods or trains CARAVAN SPIRITS
of slaves, to the merchant princes who, in turn, are gam- The Ritual of Exodus, in addition to appeasing
bling their lives and livelihoods on luck and faith. It falls the city and road gods close to the caravan, has
to the caravan master to ensure the caravan good luck on another purpose: it is intended to summon a caravan
the road through the Ritual of Exodus. spirit. As with all things, a caravan has a spirit
The Ritual of Exodus is a ceremony dedicated jointly associated with it. Unlike the land, a philosophy or
to the gods of the hub city and the gods of the roads on a physical item such as a sword or pot, a caravan is
which the caravan will travel. The caravan master serves neither immaterial nor physical, neither permanent
as high priest for the ceremony, asking for good luck and nor temporary. As such, the caravan needs a spirit
protection as the train of wagons, animals and people pass unlike any other.
out of the city gates. The caravan master will often make Caravan spirits are not created out of whole
sacrifices to the small gods during the ceremony, slaughter- cloth by the Ritual of Exodus. Instead, a successful
ing a prize beast of burden or tithing a portion of the Exodus ritual summons a spirit, often a servant of the
caravan’s worth to the poor of the city, depending on the road or city gods for which the ritual was performed,
desires of the local gods. that is bound to the caravan for as long as it travels.
In many instances, the road and city gods will openly The power of the spirit is relative to the power of the
attend the Ritual of Exodus, and their pleasure or lack of it god that it serves and the size of the caravan.
with the caravan master’s ceremony will be obvious. Insulting The involvement of the spirit depends on the
such powerful spirits can doom a caravan to failure, so the relationship between the caravan spirit, its master
Guild, despite its generally pro-mortal stance, takes great god and the Guild members in charge of the cara-
pains to supplicate the gods of the hub cities. City gods are van. Merchant princes and caravan masters that are
aware of the positive influence a strong Guild presence can respectful of the spirits and act in a way that pleases
have on the economy and population of their cities, and most the spirit’s master find their caravan god to be
require only token sacrifices during the Ritual of Exodus. strong and dedicated to the safe and speedy travel of
the caravan. Those that give no more than lip
DAILY LIFE ON THE CARAVAN service to the little gods find their caravan spirit to
Though they may travel through areas ranging from the be slow to act and possibly even mischievously
searing deserts of the South to the frozen tundra of the Far inclined toward the caravan.
North, certain aspects of caravan existence are universal. The The primary purpose of a caravan spirit is to
material that follows details what life is like in one of the protect the caravan against supernatural forces: Fair
Guild’s caravans. Keep in mind that every caravan is unique, Folk, other spirits and Exalted. Because most caravan
depending on its size, its administration and the different spirits are the servants of city and road gods, and
individuals who make it up. Discipline may be slack or taut, occasionally gods of commerce or wealth, they usu-
food and working conditions may be superb or terrible, and ally lack powerful combat abilities. Caravan gods are
the competence and attitude of the individuals running the well equipped to detect supernatural beings that
operation can vary wildly. The latter is especially true in the might be hiding among the caravaneers and are more
case of smaller caravans. Larger caravans tend to have uni- likely to negotiate with other supernatural forces
formly competent administration, as only competent than to fight them.
individuals are entrusted with that much wealth by the Guild.

WORK attendance by grooms, handlers and the like. Many cara-

For most members of a caravan, each day begins well vans bring small herds of cattle and other livestock in order
before the sun rises. Preparations must be made for the to feed the caravan, and the drovers must keep these beasts
day’s travel, from hitching the beasts to their burdens to in line as well. Even the whores and mountebanks typically
feeding the masses of laborers and guards to oiling and find themselves some sort of duty. Typically, it is the
cleaning weapons and armor. merchant princes who lounge in their Conestogas sipping
A caravan member is defined by the work she does, honey and poppy. This is, of course, relative to the wealth
whether she is a merchant prince or a yeddim groom. While and power of the merchant prince. Some are as likely to
some of the caravan fleas (as entertainers, whores and spend their days managing the goods and people under their
peddlers are often called) spend most of their days walking charge as they are to while away the hours with intoxicants
or riding, true caravaneers are afforded little rest during the and courtesans. Usually, it is the young and inexperienced
day. Teamsters must constantly attend to the wagons and merchant prince who works hard along the way: She has not
carts that break down along the worn roads of the Thresh- yet learned that the real work comes upon arrival at her
old. Yeddim and other beasts of burden need nearly as much destination, not on the road there.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Among the mercenaries and other caravan guards, the contents of an entire wagon strapped to their backs,
most days are uneventful. While the low ranking among making movement through areas with rough or non-
them must run messages — often of little importance and existent roads easier. This size, of course, requires that they
merely for the amusement of bored officers — and care for eat more. Fortunately, the yeddim shares a trait with the
equipment and horses, most guards merely move along camel: It can store water and food in its body, allowing it
with the caravan. Some wait eagerly for any sign of trouble, to go for long periods with neither. When corralled,
sending arrows fly at the rushing of the wind or the flapping yeddim are fed vast amount of food. On the road, yeddim
of doves’ wings. Most, however, prefer to earn their pay are fed every day if it can be managed but are capable of
with no threat to their skins. Whether or not the road is going for up to four weeks without fodder and five days
bloody, they say, the silver spends the same at the end. without water. Such extreme treatment will cause irrepa-
rable harm to the animal, however, and is avoided if at all
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF possible: Even bad fodder is better than none at all.
YEDDIM, HORSES AND CAMELS Yeddim provide another useful service to the caravan:
yeddim dung. Referred to as yeddim bolts because it re-
Animal husbandry is a profession akin to alchemy on
sembles a bolt of cloth in size and shape, yeddim waste is
the road: To the uninitiated, it seems more like magic than
extremely dense and made of up plant matter stripped of its
simple art. Husbands manage to keep animals fit and work-
nutrients. If left to dry, a bolt makes a tinder log that can
ing, despite the fatigue of travel, rocks in hooves, biting flies
provide a fire for a whole night. Dry bolts are nearly
carrying all manner of sickness and having far less fodder
scentless, and the smell of burning bolts, much like the odor
than any good diet calls for. Officially, husbands are crafts-
of burning grass, is characteristic of any caravan that makes
men, thereby ranking lower in the Guild than the merchants
use of yeddim. The scent permeates everything and makes
they keep in business — or at least moving toward business.
carvaneers easily identifiable from the rest of the rabble
Used nearly everywhere in the Threshold and the
when they come together in a town or city for the evening.
Realm, the yeddim has a number of traits that make it a
Horses, while lacking the power of the yeddim and the
preferable choice over the horse or camel as a draft animal.
endurance of the camel, are very common as both mounts and
Foremost, yeddim are powerful: After mammoths, they are
draft animals. Draft horses pull wagons and carts where it is
the strongest beasts of burden and are, in fact, far hardier
inconvenient or impossible for yeddim to do so, such as where
animals than mammoths. Two can haul what it takes a half
the only paths are narrow. In addition, riding horses serve the
dozen horses to pull. Their size allows the yeddim to carry

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

various scouts, messengers and guards of a caravan. Horses so they tend to be used to store the delicacies that make
require a good deal of care, but that care is not particularly caravan food bearable, such as grapes and shellfish.
specialized, and the individual using the animal can often All classes of Guildsmen drink wine. Station merely
take care of it, barring serious injury or sickness. Horses need determines the quality and quantity, usually in direct
to eat and drink more often that either yeddim or camels, so proportion. Barley beer, rice wine and palm wine are
their use becomes more and more restricted as caravans move common as well, ranging widely in quality and origin.
farther toward the Elemental Poles of Air and Fire. Caravaneers are well known for their thirst, and they are
In hardiness and function, camels stand somewhere infamous for the presence of hard spirits among them.
between yeddim and horses. They can bear moderate bur- Drunkenness leads quickly to accidents on the road, how-
dens similar to what a horse can carry but are not as useful ever, and those who indulge overmuch are left to rot on the
for pulling. A camel is neither as comfortable nor as agile a side of the road for the betterment of the whole caravan.
mount as a horse, but camels are nevertheless used for riding.
Many desert tribes and mercenaries from the South use
camels in battle, but horses are far superior fighting mounts.
WINTERBREATH JAR (ARTIFACT •)
Their high endurance and need for little food and water, A winterbreath jar is an urn or carafe enchanted
however, make camels a staple of caravan travel. with the power of elemental air to keep its contents
cold or possessed of a sealed area inside that’s filled
VICTUALS with unmelting snow or ice from the Far North. All
Food on the road varies with the region, the season winterbreath jars are typically crafted of blue jade and
and the tastes of the individuals. However, some generali- are of excellent craftsmanship. Common themes of
zations can be made. one’s construction include handles shaped like air
Laborers and other small-timers tend to eat simple dragons and clouds or glaciers engraved into the body
foods. Because of the traveling nature of the caravan, foods of the jar. A winterbreath jar will keep its contents at
that take long hours to cook, such as stews, are rarely a constant temperature of about 45 degrees, cold
present. Instead, most people eat food that is as hardy as enough to keep perishables fresh or wine chilled.
they are, which usually amounts to dried meats, hard Winterbreath jars vary in size but rarely hold more
breads and aged cheeses. Mercenaries, craftsmen and oth- than a gallon of liquid or a small watermelon.
ers of middling rank do not eat better food than their Winterbreath jars need not be attuned to their users.
lessers, but do tend to get more of it. Because they often
have others to bear their burdens, they can afford to carry
enough so that they might eat well, at least occasionally. REST
Also, with somewhat more robust resources than those When the caravan stops for the night, usually late in
below them, some craftsmen indulge in more expensive the afternoon when there are a few hours left before dusk,
foods, such as fresh meat and fruit. the first priority is care of the animals. Horses, yeddim
For either group, perishable foods are provided at the and camels must be secured, lest they wander off, and
evening markets, the nightly stops where local people protected, lest beasts or raiders come for them. Next
trade with the caravan on a small scale. Fresh eggs, fruits comes the securing of whatever goods are being moved,
and vegetables are common additions to the caravaneer’s without which the beasts of burden are little more than
diet thanks to the evening market. an expensive nuisance. Guard shifts usually watch both
Merchant princes and others of wealth and stature the animals and the goods. It is common for competing
enjoy, as in all things, the best that the circumstances of the merchant princes in the same caravan to sign their own
caravan allow. Many merchant princes bring small herds of mercenaries on as guards; the ethics of business often
cattle or sheep along with them, tended by the caravan become blurred in the middle of a long trip. For the most
hands, to provide fresh meat and dairy products during the part, guard shifts are divided among the rest of the
journey. Aside from this, the staple diet of a merchant prince caravaneers, with the longest watches going to the lowest
is not particularly different from that of the other members ranking laborers. Every member of the caravan under-
of the caravan. Merchant princes can afford to buy spices as stands the potential for disaster and while not as well
well as to employ or own accomplished chefs and campfire trained as the professional guardsmen, even the lowest
cooks, however, making those same staple foods much more hands know how to spot trouble. Petty theft is a rare
palatable to their more discerning palettes. occurrence in the caravan, as it is a close-knit group and
In addition, wealthier merchant princes often have a as a thief is never tolerated, or hidden, for long.
large supply of fruits and meats, which are kept fresh in Caravans make their evening stops in caravansaries,
enchanted urns called winterbreath jars. The urns are in towns or, more rarely, on the road between the two. The
imbued with the power of elemental air, keeping their caravan master takes great pains to navigate the roads on
contents as cold as snow or packed with snow or ice from schedule, landing the caravan each night behind stockades
the farthest North. Winterbreath jars are rarely very large, and under the protection of Guild forces or local militias.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

In addition to safety, caravansaries and towns provide the The birds can fly much faster than even a swift rider can
merchant princes, caravan master, mercenary captains and move, covering as many as 200 miles in a day. Some local
other important members of the caravan with soft beds and spirits, most often spirits of birds or air elementals, take offense
dry roofs in an inn. For those among the lesser caravaneers at the “enslavement” of the birds and disrupt the message
who can afford it, such as journeymen and many well-paid system. In other cases, the number of predators in an area can
specialists, flop houses and common halls are available. reduce the effectiveness of the system. Anticipating these
The remaining caravaneers form an encampment around problems is part of the Master of Wing’s duties, and in case of
the wagons and animals, taking their rest where they can. a threat, the caravan deploys duplicate messengers in hopes
A caravan that has been forced to stop on the road for that one will successfully deliver the message.
the night must take greater pains to ensure the safety of its Given the appropriate resources, a caravan will make use
goods and members. Wagons and carts are formed into a of sorcery for communication as well. Sorcery is expensive,
circle, and important individuals and materials are kept however, and keeping spirits or outcaste Dragon-Blooded on
within, including valuable animals and slaves. Before fires the payroll merely to act as conduits for information is too
are started or any rest is taken, the caravan master and his expensive for most factors and merchant princes.
assistants take pains to placate the local spirits, road gods
and other powers in the area. The favor of the small gods ENTERTAINMENT
goes a long way toward ensuring the safety of the caravan. Caravan fleas, as the jugglers and dancers and singers
Soldiers, both Guild mercenaries and privately hired and players that follow a caravan are called, are tolerated
guards keep the watches and, especially when the caravan only because they provide distraction from the monoto-
has stopped on the road, are not expected to sleep much. nous rigors of the road. Every caravan, whatever the size,
Most mercenary companies consider themselves on duty has a motley band of fleas clinging to its back. Most are
whenever the caravan is outside of protective walls. When musicians and dancers: A single man with a lyre can
the caravan has reached one of its scheduled destinations, entertain any number of teamsters and guards, and dancers
however, its guards scatter in search of whatever rest and in short silken shrifts can easily find other work besides.
recreation their wages can afford them. For the small caravan running through well-populated
Most merchant princes make it a point to be comfort- lands, a half dozen such entertainers are usually the best
able regardless of whether they are deep in the wilderness the caravaneers can hope for.
or in Nexus itself; location merely determines the degree Players with stage wagons, troupes of acrobats, exotic
of their comfort. The grand Contestogas of the wealthiest, dancers and even more esoteric performers follow a caravan
or most indulgent, merchant princes rival the finer inns of out of the hub city gates and become one with it as it winds
the Realm for comfort and commodity. While usually only its way through the Threshold. Each stop steals away a few
a single room, they are likely to contain a soft couch and of the performers and adds others, and the circus that follows
a large bed, as well as a bar and, if the merchant prince so the caravan shifts constantly in size and composition. In the
desires, a game table. Young men and women who serve as South, dancers and fire-eaters are popular, while people of
both chambermaids and bed partners are common, as are the North seem to prefer skalds and jugglers. In the East,
bodyguards of various sorts. Eunuch slave guards from the players and acrobats are popular. Guild ships traveling the
South are currently considered both effective and fashion- islands of the West rarely have room to spare, so well known
able. When in the caravansaries, merchant princes are minstrels and poets are best loved.
afforded all the luxuries of city life, if on a smaller scale. Gods and Fair Folk often join caravans as entertainers,
Bathhouses, full course meals, private chambers and the as does the occasional Exalt. Elementals and demons may be
like are all readily available, though expensive. bound by Terrestrial sorcerers to perform, or, like the gods
and the Fair Folk, they may desire the adoration and awe
COMMUNICATION that an audience provides. Fair Folk attached to a caravan
Communication between the hub cities, the cara- feed off the caravaneers and the townsfolk they visit and
vans, the caravansaries and the caravan’s destinations is often prefer emotions such as wonder, lust and joy. The
difficult but, nonetheless, necessary. In order to facilitate motives of Exalts are more varied. Some outcaste Terrestri-
communication without having to rely on sorcery or als join just for the sake of the adulation, others do it because
spirits, the Guild has developed a complex system of they can blackmail the merchant princes into keeping them
communicating through the use of messenger birds. Each with the caravan, and many join purely for the human
caravan leaves the hub city with cages full of pigeons and contact it affords them. Occasionally, the Exalts who travel
other homing birds. The Master of Wings, one of the few with a caravan are Celestials — typically, those on the run.
members of the administrative branch to travel with a
caravan, and his assistants keep the birds. At the request of EVENING MARKETS
the caravan master or the merchant princes, they use the For the common citizen of the Threshold, the arrival of
birds to send messages back to the hub city or forward to a Guild caravan is a momentous sight: It means that life goes
the caravan’s destinations. on, both for the individual village and for the outside world.

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It means that the Anathema have not returned to overturn good portion of whatever income they make must be paid
the world and that the Yozis have not broken free of their to the Guild in the form of levies and dues.
great prison. When the first yeddim-drawn cart appears far Caravansaries are more akin to fortress villages than
down the road, a celebration begins. For the people of the bustling towns. Thick walls of earth or stone protect a great
many small Threshold towns and villages, the caravaneers open courtyard where wagons are parked and pack beasts are
are the only people other than their cousins and neighbors stabled. The structures within, ranging from flop houses to the
they will see in the space of a year. The caravan brings much- Administrator’s Hall, are built against the interior walls. The
needed goods, from plowshares to wagon wheels, and often roofs of the buildings serve as battlements when the fortress
takes local wares in return. The services and substantives the is under attack and as gardens and patios at other times. Most
caravan purchases in that one night provide the village’s of the permanent residents of the way station serve on what
total annual income in many cases. Moreover, the news and amounts to a militia, ready to defend Guild interests at a
tales and the songs and rumors that the caravan brings with moment’s notice. There are full-time troops stationed at
it are beyond quantifiable value. caravansaries, but they are generally few in number since the
For the Guild, these evening markets are its bread and caravansaries are extremely defensible and since the Guild
butter. Every stop along the way, every sale and purchase of mostly depends upon the mercenary units traveling with the
goods, is carefully anticipated. Successful merchant princes caravans to protect these places when they are most valuable
know exactly what to carry and how much, as well as what to — that is, when there is a caravan present.
buy and when. Running a caravan is an expensive endeavor, Outside the walls of a caravansary, particularly one along
and the factors who invest most of the money want to know a well-traveled route, there is invariably a shantytown of
that it can pay for itself. From bolts of cloth to bags of seeds, ramshackle dwellings and businesses. Many who work at the
it is the common items carried by the caravan that provide for Guild-approved businesses within the walls live here, as there
its daily expenses. Inclement weather and other calamities simply is not room for them all inside, and many more come
can quickly destroy a caravan’s profitability, as each extra day to feed off the scraps of the caravans that pass through.
on the road is a day that simple goods cannot be sold to pay Prostitutes, craftsmen of dubious skill, pickpockets, drug
the caravan’s expenses. Many caravan masters will drive the dealers, money lenders, beggars and their ilk all congregate
train through storms and worse, lest they return too late to around the caravansaries, fighting like dogs for positions
their hub city and find themselves reduced to collecting closest to the gates. Caravan fleas are not allowed within the
yeddim bolts on the next outing. walls of a caravansary, and many hands and laborers prefer the
Factors, merchant princes and caravan masters plan rough pleasures of the caravansary ghetto’s lean-tos and fire
their route to allow as much flexibility as possible in time pits to the dull beds found within. Thieves, murderers and evil
and trade. Longer runs provide more leeway, since each spirits and fey stalk the ghetto, and sometimes, hands do not
individual stop and evening market has less effect on the survive to rejoin the caravan as its sets out again.
overall success of the caravan. Caravans that last a single If a caravan has suffered a loss in personnel, it can
season or move through a well-traveled region suffer more replace members before leaving. Hands and laborers are
by comparison, since each stop represents a larger percent- pulled from the riffraff of the ghetto, while more skilled
age of the caravan’s total business. members are hired from the pool of local talent that often
waits at a caravansary in hopes of joining a passing caravan.
CARAVANSARIES
Caravansaries are permanent trading posts, fabricated DANGERS OF THE ROAD
villages that exist to support the caravans that pass through The long roads that link the cities of the Threshold are
them. The Guild establishes caravansaries at regular inter- rife with danger. Assault and accident are ever-present wor-
vals along preexisting trade routes. The Guild runs the ries, threatening to take not only lives, but also profits. Each
caravansaries, usually rewarding an exemplary member of day lost to a road choked by a landslide, each man lost to a
the administration branch with the title of host, a position barbarian raid and each silver coin paid in taxes to a petty king
combining the jobs of mayor, shopkeep and inn proprietor. weakens the caravan and steals from the coffers of the Guild.
On occasion a less-than-exemplary merchant prince re-
ceives the title of host from the Guild council, which WEATHER AND OTHER CALAMITIES
serves to keep the merchant prince under control and Rain, snow, sleet, hail, the blazing sun and all other
remove him from the regional marketplace. sorts of inclement weather are dangers as great as all the
Shortly after the establishment of a caravansary by demons of Malfeas and all the monsters of the Wyld. A
the Guild, it invariably begins to grow of its own accord. caravan is a well-balanced, well-oiled machine, and too
Both locals and transients, often caravan members them- much water, cold, sand or heat can cause the machine to
selves, make the caravansary their home. This is tolerated begin to break down. An army of coughing, feverish
so long as the individual can offer some useful service or mercenaries, fallen ill due to incessant rain, is less capable
skill, from shoeing horses to filling tankards. All residents in its defense of the caravan, while a land of dust where
are officially affiliated with the Guild, which means that a there should be river beds and oases can end a caravan

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

very quickly. Deep mud and impassable snow-drifts will or the warlord, the Guild will hire the mercenaries and solve
halt a caravan as surely as hordes of barbarians. the problem. If the bandits or the warlord’s forces are too
More difficult to deal with, but part of the same class numerous or, as is more often the case, too deeply entrenched,
of danger, are natural disasters. The heaving earth can the Guild pays the tribute and attempts to establish a more
destroy bridges and seal off mountain passes. Floods and equitable relationship with the bandits or warlord. Once they
mudslides wash roads and villages completely away, and have found they can get tribute from the Guild, bandits and
volcanoes create impassable rivers of lava or bury entire warlords often become greedy, and the required tribute in-
cities in ash. Sandstorms create similar threats, burying creases with each passing caravan. Eventually, the expense
whole cities or stripping all the caravaneers not within the will grow greater than the cost of war, and the Guild will
protective wall of a Conestoga of their very flesh. Caravans remove the problem entirely. The Guild is also not averse to
have two weapons at their disposal to combat such men- the use of mortal and outcaste assassins.
aces: good planning and prayer. Where the former does not
succeed, the latter just may. The caravan master deals with BARBARIANS
local spirits, offering prayers and other sacrifices in order to The uncivilized tribes at the edges of the Wyld pose a
protect the caravan from disaster and to beg the removal looming threat. Caravan routes tend to stay as close to
of natural and supernatural obstacles. In the wilderness, civilized lands as possible, and if a route takes the caravan
spirits demand much, and the caravan master must take a close to the edge of the Wyld, the caravan master, the factors
harder stance than during the Ritual of Exodus, attempt- and the merchant princes take the necessary precautions:
ing to negotiate the caravan’s safe and profitable passage more guards, fewer stops and alliances with local powers
against the strong position of the local deities. opposed to the barbarians. When attacks by barbarians do
occur, they are swift, brutal and merciless. The savages kill
BANDITS AND WARLORDS the men, capture the women and loot the caravan for what
Bandits are political dissidents and the disenfranchised goods they can use or sell. Everything else, they burn. While
of the Threshold. Exiled or on the run from Threshold towns even less sophisticated attackers than bandits and the like,
and cities, they form communities of their own, ranging in barbarians have the advantage of knowing their own lands
size from a single family to hundreds of people. The defining very well: They know when and where to ambush caravans
factor of bandits, however, is their form of subsistence: for maximum effect and minimal warning.
Bandits prey upon travelers for their survival. Bandits will Attacks by savage tribes occur primarily between the
generally only attack caravans when they outnumber the cities in the far edges of the Threshold. Occasionally,
caravan guards three to one or more. If there is an obvious tribes make incursions into the Threshold, whether be-
advantage among the caravaneers, such as a powerful spirit cause they are forced out of their land by other powers or
or Exalted protectors, bandits will not attack. However, because they have grown ambitious. When attacks have
bandit groups are often controlled by tyrannical rulers or occurred within the borders of Guild-allied Threshold
non-mortal powers. Both are willing to sacrifice any number states, caravans can thereafter expect armed escorts from
of their servants to achieve their ends. Left to their own local governments. In nations where the Guild is less
devices, bandits prefer easy prey and would rather intimi- popular, barbarian attacks go unopposed and may even be
date the caravan into paying a “toll” than to fight its guards. instigated by the local powers that be.
Also found in the Threshold are the armies of petty
warlords. There are innumerable kingdoms, city-states THE FAIR FOLK
and nations in the Threshold, and they are constantly in The Guild conducts business with many faeries, buying
flux. Powers change like the tides, and the strong warlord and selling slaves and, less commonly, trading in gossamer
can only maintain his position through force of arms. In and other magical artifacts. The Fair Folk as a whole, how-
many cases, these warlords are rogue generals who have ever, have no alliance with the Guild. More to the point,
broken from their kings or are mercenary captains with there is no such thing as a concerted opinion among the Fair
visions of carving out a nation of their own. Well armed Folk, but it is certain that for every faerie that finds mortals to
and well trained, the forces of these warlords pose a be amusing guests, 10 more find them to be amusing prey.
significant threat to Guild caravans should the warlords so Fair Folk are dangerous because there is little than can
choose. More often than not, these warlords merely wish be assumed about where, when and how they might attack
to receive tribute and lip service from the Guild. a caravan. Fey are as likely to insinuate themselves into the
How the Guild deals with bandits and warlords is a caravan itself, masquerading as spirits or mortals or even
question of politics and economics. When the Guild has animals, as they are the break out of the forest with an army
strong ties with a Threshold nation, it will pressure the nation of howling, Wyld-twisted cannibals under their com-
itself to deal with the problem. If the nation is weakened or the mand. Fair Folk may infect the dreams of the sleeping
attacks take place between civilized lands, the Guild must caravan hands or seduce the caravan master in order to
weigh the economic issues. If it is more expensive to pay the lead the whole company into ambush.
tribute than it is to hire a mercenary army to crush the bandits

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

Defense against the Fair Folk is largely dependant right bribery. The negotiators intimidate the gods they can
upon detection. Spirits allied with the caravan can detect and offer sacrifices to the gods they cannot.
disguised fey, and there are many artifacts designed to Once a deity is sufficiently appeased or cowed that the
provide warning of or protection from the Fair Folk. Guild can operate in the area, the Worshipful Company
Mortal sorcery is of little use against the Fair Folk, but assists the local mortal population in further pacification
guards armed with spears tipped with cold-wrought iron efforts. They begin by selling the community a temple,
can discourage attack by weaker fey. complete down to the last alms box and incense bowl. A
flatbed yeddim-cart arrives nine months to a year later,
SPIRITS carrying the temple and its furnishings in crates, ready for
The spirits that inhabit Creation are as numerous and assembly. The Worshipful Company and the community
varied as stars. Most spirits require only a little respect from then invite the deity to take part in dedication ceremonies
mortals, exemplified through small rituals and offerings. In for his temple. Usually, the temple contains a suitably
return, spirits provide some small benefit to the mortals, splendid chamber for the god’s residence in Creation and
even if it is merely to ignore them rather than harass them. additional spaces for his public worship and for his priestly
Guild caravans, being so widely traveled, are more likely retainers. Theological experts working for the Worshipful
than most to encounter various spirits. Shrines dot the roads Company design a set of rites and rituals for the god and
of the Threshold, and the gods of various places and objects copy them out in beautiful calligraphy in well-made books.
have many worshipers where the Immaculate Philosophy Other experts usually check in on the temple for several
does not hold sway. The caravan’s master, local guides and years afterward, helping the priests attend to their duties
caravan spirits help to navigate this sea of powers and allow and keeping the god satisfied. Caravans can cart in temple
the caravan to continue on its business unmolested. upgrades, as well, providing grander worship spaces or
Of all the spirits that haunt caravan routes, it is the road religious schools or monastic establishments, usually carved
gods that demand the most care and respect from the Guild. out of wood or other materials. When a temple has reached
From the rutted cart path through the dense forest to the last sufficient size, the Guild provides architectural consulting
remaining glass highways of the Old Realm, each roadway has services in order to build a new temple complex out of
a spirit. The power of these spirits depends on the age, size and locally quarried stone and also provides the god with
usage of the road, and the disposition of the spirits depends on counseling services on dealing with new-found fame and
much the same. Road spirits are dedicated to the keeping their fortune as a regionally important divinity.
roads clean, well maintained and clear of obstruction. This The Guild has discovered that augmenting the right
can be a heavy burden, even for a spirit, and long but rarely local gods can be very good for business. Some deities find
traveled roads fall easily into disrepair. When the Guild it stressful to give up their wilderness portfolios and remain
establishes a new caravan route, however, one of these ill- difficult and dangerous for decades, and often, the Guild
used roads sometimes becomes part of the route. In such a has little choice but to reroute caravans around their
circumstance, the Guild sends forth an emissary to the god of territories. However, other divine beings can be persuaded
the road — the Guild uses caravan spirits for this purpose or bribed into accepting the title of civic god, and such
before releasing them — and requests use of the road and gods often discover that it can be quite a lucrative business.
presents offerings. Most road spirits are pleased to have their Such a god can then reveal the locations of new resources
domains in use and good repair, but a few prefer the solitude and raw materials in exchange for larger offerings, and the
and actively oppose the Guild and its caravans. presence of those resources attracts artisans and laborers
The Guild has a policy of treading carefully wherever who exploit the resources and also worship the local god as
divinities are concerned. There are hundreds, if not thou- a matter of course. The community grows, and the god
sands, of gods on the loose during the Second Age of Man, profits from the community’s growth.
and it is vital for the Guild’s operations that caravans be The trick lies in finding the right god to approach.
allowed to travel unmolested by the ranks of the deities. To The Worshipful Company is always seeking out deities
this end, a special working group exists within the Guild who can be suitably primed to accept the presence of a new
called the Worshipful Company of Prayers and Preachers. community and simultaneously finding the right combi-
It is the duty of the Worshipful Company to conduct nation of individuals prepared to worship a new god in
negotiations on behalf of the Guild and to assist villages, order to have a new place to live. Matching settlers with
towns and cities where the Guild does business in appeas- deities is a difficult task, and yet, the Guild often benefits
ing their local divinities. enormously from such relationships. Setting up these sorts
The first step is to establish contact with a difficult of deals requires large investments of cash (particularly
god, and this often involves sending in veteran Exalts to jade, since the gods love it), and yet, the Guild often reaps
awe the deity and to demonstrate the Guild’s sincerity in great benefits in the long term.
achieving a resolution. The Guild’s negotiators work
through a combination of actual force, shows of force,
threats, delicate diplomacy, offers of gifts and even out-

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

THE DEFENSE OF THE CARAVAN hands it has hired. This number increases half again in
areas close to the Wyld and in areas in which bandits,
For the Guild, the defense of its caravans is of the barbarians or warlords are known to operate. The caravan
utmost importance. Over its long history, the Guild has will hire multiple mercenary companies if necessary in
developed a reliable system of defense, political and super- order to fill out the required troops. In addition, it is
natural as well as physical. As threats continue to evolve, common practice for merchant princes to hire guards of
so shall the Guild’s defenses. their own, often small but elite units.
ALLIES The rank-and-file caravan guards are divided be-
tween infantry and cavalry, with one mounted warrior for
The Guild does not rely solely upon its strength of arms
every three foot soldiers. Cavalry are lightly armored and
to protect its interests. Foremost among the Guild’s defenses
armed with bows, spears and short blades. Infantry wear
are its alliances, contracts and debts — both owned and owed.
heavier armor and use weapons designed for reach, such as
Nations and city states, wealthy individuals, spirits and Fair
pikes, and for close combat butchery, such as axes and
Folk all deal with the Guild. When negotiating with any of its
chopping swords. The quality of the guards’ gear varies;
clients and allies, the Guild includes arrangements for the
more experienced units have higher-quality gear because
protection and free travel of its caravans in contracts and
they demand higher prices, while untested companies arm
pacts. These arrangements relieve the Guild of at least some
their soldiers with whatever they can scavenge or afford.
of the burden of ensuring its caravans safe passage and increase
Scouts are an integral part of any mercenary company.
profitability, though concessions are made to such allies that,
Drawn from the cavalry units, caravan scouts ride a mile or
in turn, cost the Guild. In addition, the merchant princes and
more ahead of the caravan. They move in groups of three,
factors coordinating a caravan often make sure they are in
with one member ready to speed back to the column
debt to many influential individuals.
should there be anything to report. In more dangerous
GUARDS regions, scouts flank and follow the caravan as well.
Mercenary pay is not better than that of the common
Mercenary units, called companies, affiliated with but
laborers, but there are perks: Mercenaries often get second
not owned by the Guild are the most common defenders of
choice, after the merchant princes, of any prostitutes,
Guild interests in the field. Mercenary companies range in
drugs and other entertainments traveling with the cara-
size from a few dozen men to a few thousand. A caravan
van. In addition, should the caravan see combat during its
requires a number of guards roughly equal to the number of
trek, appreciative merchant princes and factors give out

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 CHAPTER ONE • GUILD HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

bonuses to mercenary captains, most of whom, in turn, Blooded raised far away from the Realm or adventurous
pass the bonuses along to their men. young Dynasts looking to amuse themselves on the road.
The Guild actively courts such powerful individuals, yet
MOVING FORTRESSES keeps them at arm’s length: These defenders are mercenar-
Among the specialized defensive measures developed ies and freelancers, ensuring power over the caravan remains
by the Guild are the fortress wagon and the wall wagon. in the hands of Guild members.
The fortress wagon is a box wagon four meters tall, four Non-Terrestrial Exalted can find work on the cara-
meters wide and ten meters long, pulled by either a pair of vans as well. Caravan masters do not ask questions, and
yeddim or a half dozen horses. Its walls are four-inch-thick merchant princes may pry but know themselves the impor-
hardwood beams banded by steel. The wagon holds three tance of secrets. Solar Exalted, given their power, are
dozen bowmen within, who have access to murder holes in welcome on any caravan where danger is likely, but they
every direction. The roof of the wagon has battlements must keep to themselves lest cries of “Anathema” erupt.
and heavy weapons such as ballistae are often fitted on Lunar Exalted are especially sought after on caravans that
them. In other cases, the area is kept clear for spirit or skirt the edges of the Wyld: As guides, scouts and ambas-
Exalted defenders who need a high vantage point in order sadors, Lunar Exalted are unparalleled in these regions.
to use sorcery or other magic. The fortress wagon serves Even one Exalted member of a caravan drastically
primarily as a rallying point and as a place for the merchant increases the expense of the caravan. Caravans that use
princes and caravan master to hide during an assault. Very Exalted defenders and guides must ensure profits by going
large caravans will have five or six fortress wagons in their out longer and by carrying more valuable commodities,
company, all manned by mercenary bowmen and drivers. which, in turn, increase the likelihood of assault by bandits
Similar to the fortress wagon, but smaller and more and barbarians. In addition, the mere presence of Exalted
numerous, are the wall wagons. The wall wagons are half the on the caravan draws attention, from spirits, from Fair Folk
size of the fortress wagons and only one side is reinforced and from other Exalted — including Immaculates in
with steel. This side is covered in arrow slits while the other search of newly Exalted Solars. Because of their expense,
side of the wagon collapses to form a ramp into the wagon. Exalted caravaneers invariably earn their pay.
When the caravan falls under attack, the wall wagons link The Guild is careful to make itself beholden to no one
with one another using great iron hinges, the protected side individual, no matter how powerful. The Guild keeps tabs
facing out against the assault. There are battlements atop on any Exalted it hires with the intention of using what-
the wall wagons as well. Wall wagons link to fill gaps in the ever information — friends and enemies, loved ones and
caravans defenses or join with fortress wagons to create a rivals, virtues and vices — it can discover as insurance
castle that can survive a siege in the wilderness. should the Exalt ever pose a threat to the Guild.
Fortress wagons are used as supply wagons for the
mercenary companies protecting the caravan and also
serve to carry the wounded after a battle. Wall wagons, on RANK AND PAY ON THE CARAVAN
the other hand, are completely functional for carrying The various members of a caravan draw different
goods and do so. One in every four wagons in a caravan is pay and possess different ranks. The following values are
a wall wagon except in particularly dangerous areas, where an average, and more famous or highly skilled individu-
half the wagons are wall wagons. als may draw slightly higher pay or be granted slightly
The caravan must drill daily with the fortress and wall higher rank. All rank values are considered dots of
wagons if they are to serve as protection against assault. Given Backing appropriate for the character and all pay values
that scouts range only about a mile out from the main body of are considered dots in Resources for the character.
the caravan, there is a limited amount of time between
warning and attack. Drills — during which the wagons circle Title Rank Pay
up and wall wagons link together while the caravan fleas stare Hand • •
in awe — occur when the caravan stops for the evening, Groom • •
Teamster • ••
though some caravan masters or mercenary captains prefer Drover •• ••
more random drills. Merchant princes dislike such midday Wainwright •• ••
drills because they detract from the day’s travel, but even the Guard N/A ••
most obtuse merchant prince understands their value. Scout N/A ••
Master of Wings ••• •••
THE EXALTED Caravan Master ••• ••••
A caravan can hope for no better a defender than an
Note: Exalted members of the caravan draw pay two
Exalt. While the Exalted are too rare to be considered a dots higher than listed above (maximum ••••). In
standard part of a caravan’s defense, the truth is that any addition, a single Exalt will increase the overall
caravan of even moderate size is likely to have an Exalted expense of the caravan (see p. XX) by one dot, and
defender or three. Most such warriors are outcaste Dragon- multiple Exalts will increase the expense by two dots.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

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Michiel Schillhorn van Veen (order #1396275) 82.95.228
 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

CHAPTER TWO

DRUGS — THE
SOFT TRADE

The Guild sells all manner of drugs to anyone willing to to do without regular doses. Taking too many doses of qat
pay its price. Although many Threshold rulers despair at the merely sends the user into a mindless stupor that lasts six to
problems that addiction to opium or cocaine produce among eight hours. The user awakens sluggish and with a hangover
their populace, few wealthy women are willing to do with- (increase the difficulty of all rolls by 1 for the first four hours
out access to maiden tea. Everyone who is sick wishes they after the character awakens), but it has no other ill effects.
had some seven bounties paste, and perhaps most impor- Qat is exceedingly plentiful in the East, and most of the
tantly of all, the number of wealthy nobles using age-staving market is in the hands of local growers. Unfortunately, qat
cordials is quite high. Although many rulers would love to leaves become useless when they are dried. As a result, qat
keep their subjects from stumbling to work or even standing cannot normally be shipped outside of the East. However, the
guard while high on marijuana, few are willing to forgo the Guild has developed a method of preserving these leaves. The
benefits that the Guild’s other drugs bring. To open this leaves are coated with a shiny edible gum. The gum is a
chapter is a list of some of the more popular and common rubber-like sap from trees that are common in the Far
drugs available in the Age of Sorrows. Southeast. This gum is one of the more popular commodities
collected or purchased by expeditions to the Southeast. Qat
QAT (RESOURCES •) treated with this gum is either sold as whole dried leaves, or
Qat is a common euphoric and a mild opiate. Qat is it is compressed into small chewy nuggets that are quite
made from the leaves of a small leafy plant that grows popular with sailors in the West. The Guild owns the vast
extensively in both Great Forks and the Hundred King- majority of qat that is shipped outside of the East.
doms. Users can either chew on the fresh leaves or brew Overdose: N/A
them into a tea — chewing is more common since it requires
fewer leaves and is said to produce a better high. Regular MARIJUANA (RESOURCES •)
users all have pale-green stains on their lips and teeth. Marijuana grows almost everywhere and is widely
When he’s under the influence of qat, reduce all of a used recreationally, as a cure for nausea and as an appetite
character’s wound penalties by one and subtract one from stimulant for the ill. Although the majority of the mari-
the character’s Wits. Each dose of qat lasts for two or three juana trade is in the hands of local growers, the Guild
hours. Qat is only mildly addictive, but its pain-deadening makes money both selling exceptionally fine flower buds
qualities are much in demand — few of its users are willing and selling marijuana to the residents of places such as the

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Far North, where it doesn’t grow. Low doses of marijuana is one of the major exports of the portions of the Hundred
do little except make the user feel relaxed, happy and Kingdoms that contain part of the great Eastern forest. The
somewhat hungry. Higher doses reduce the user’s Wits people of Harborhead also cultivate coca, but it is not one
dice pool by one for the next hour or two. Overdoses are of their major exports. One of the most notable things
essentially impossible. Physical addiction is weak and about cocaine is how little is needed to get the user high.
easily overcome, though many users become psychologi- A normal dose is a pinch of the white powder. Cocaine is
cally dependent. Marijuana leaves and flower buds are normally snorted using anything from a hollow reed to a
typically dried and then smoked, although they can also be beautifully made jade straw.
used as a cooking spice. When using cocaine, add one to a character’s Wits
Overdose: N/A score and reduce the difficulty of rolls to stay awake or resist
fatigue by 1. Cocaine also makes user feel happy, and in
COCA LEAVES control of their lives. A dose of cocaine lasts for one hour.
(RESOURCES •; •• OUTSIDE THE EAST) After this time, reduce the user’s Wits by one, and increase
the difficulty of all rolls to stay awake or resist fatigue by 1.
Coca leaves are a mild stimulant that only grows in
These penalties also last for one hour. Users also feel sad
the warm, high altitude portions of the East and the
and hopeless during this time. However, taking another
Southeast. Coca grows at an altitude between 1,500 and
dose instantly alleviates these penalties and provides the
6,000 feet. Users typically stick a small handful of fresh or
normal bonuses for cocaine. Cocaine is not physically
dried leaves in the side of their mouths and slowly chew the
addictive, but regular users will do almost anything to
slightly bitter mass. Coca is a relatively harmless drug that
avoid the depression that occurs when it wears off.
is far milder than either cocaine or rock cocaine. Coca
Overdose: Snorting more than one dose of cocaine in
makes its user slightly more alert and increases the user’s
an hour doubles the bonuses but also reduces the user’s
initiative by 1. The effects of chewing a single wad of coca
Willpower, Compassion and Temperance by one each and
leaves lasts for several hours. Chewing coca also grants the
makes the user extremely hyperactive. Increase the diffi-
user an extra die on rolls to stay awake and to resist the
culty of all tasks involving either stealth or fine
affects of working at high altitude. Chewing coca also
manipulation by 1 because the smoker literally can’t stand
allows users to drink limited amounts of salt water.
still. Also, double the severity and duration of all penalties
Coca leaves are normally only available in the East,
once the drug wears off.
relatively near to where it is grown. Since coca leaves are
If the user snorts a number of doses of cocaine greater
a far less concentrated than either cocaine or rock co-
than her Stamina score in one hour, her player must make
caine, the Guild does not find it practical to transport
a Stamina + Resistance roll. On a success, all penalties to
coca leaves outside the boundaries of the East. While a
Willpower, Compassion and Temperance and difficulty
few wealthy nobles in other parts of the world have
increases to stealth and fine manipulation are doubled for
special green houses where they grow coca leaves, such
the next four hours after the cocaine wears off. At the end
places are rare, and coca leaves are a difficult to find
of this time, the character takes a level of bashing damage
specialty product outside of the East.
and must sleep. On a failure, the character’s Willpower
Overdose: Because it is only possible to chew so many
also drops to zero. On a botch, the character dies — her
leaves at once, it is impossible to overdose on coca.
heart gives out from the strain of taking too many stimu-
However, habitual users who are suddenly deprived of
lants. Exalts who overdose on cocaine and roll a botch fall
their access to coca will increase the difficulty of all
unconscious and take one die of unsoakable lethal damage
Stamina + Endurance rolls to stay awake by 1 for the next
from convulsions, but they do not die.
three days.

COCAINE (RESOURCES ••) ROCK COCAINE (RESOURCES •)

Rock cocaine is simply cocaine that has been pro-
While most other drugs are taken to relax and deaden
cessed slightly differently. The crystals produced by this
the pain of an unpleasant existence, cocaine allows users
process do not dissolve in water and can only be smoked.
to stay awake and to react faster than normal. In short, it
Smoking rock cocaine produces all of the effects of normal
is an ideal drug for performing any dull and repetitive
cocaine use. However, these effects are both far more
activity ranging from standing watch to working at any
intense and last far less long. Increase all bonuses and
number of jobs that demand tireless precision. Cocaine is
penalties from cocaine use by one, including all effects
a powder extracted from coca leaves. The leaves are
from overdoses. Users add one to their Wits scores and
mashed in strong alcohol, the leaf fibers are strained out,
reduce all fatigue rolls by 2. However, the difficulty of the
and then, the resulting doughy mass is dried and crushed
Stamina + Resistance roll to resist an overdose is 2, and an
into a fine powder. Coca is relatively common in the East
overdose reduces Willpower, Compassion and Temper-
and the Southeast and difficult to find everywhere else. It

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

ance by three. Also, the drug produces an almost over- lasts approximately eight days. Many users believe with-
whelming feeling of euphoria, but this feeling only lasts for drawal is eventually fatal, and even those who know better
between 15 and 20 minutes. often wish to die when they are in the middle of it.
Overdose: Rock cocaine is perhaps the most viciously Withdrawal dou-5bles all wound penalties for the charac-
addictive drug in the Guild’s pharmacopoeia. A few min- ter (round up) and imposes a one-die reduction in all rolls
utes of total ecstasy are followed more than an hour of even if the character is uninjured. Also, the character
crushing depression. Serious users who can afford to do so takes one level of unsoakable bashing damage that will not
occasionally take more than 50 doses in the course of a heal until withdrawal is over and reduces her Willpower,
multiple day binge. Like cocaine, using more than one Valor and Temperance by one each. Taking a single dose
dose in an hour produces overdose effects, which is unfor- of opium immediately removes all of these penalties.
tunate for the user since a single dose lasts considerably less Voluntarily quitting opium once a character is ad-
than an hour. Also, rock cocaine use can easily be fatal. In dicted requires the character’s player roll at least one
addition to the normal penalties for cocaine overuse, using success on four separate Willpower rolls. Rolls are made
more than (Stamina) doses of rock cocaine in a day every other day, starting two days after the first missed
temporarily reduces the user’s Stamina by one for the next dose. If any of these rolls results in three or more successes,
two days. If the user’s Stamina is reduced for more than two the character has overcome her craving for the drug, and
weeks at a time due to overuse of rock cocaine, this her player does not need to make any more rolls. However,
reduction becomes permanent. Heavy users can die from the negative effects of withdrawal still last eight full days.
overuse quite rapidly. Characters whose players fail any of these rolls must
immediately seek out a source of the drug. They will
OPIUM (RESOURCES •) attempt to sell or steal anything that isn’t nailed down to
This drug is the Guild’s most popular and one of the get the money to buy more opium and will become both
most common drugs in the Age of Sorrows. Opium is a gum violent and irrational if they cannot gain access to this
exuded by the ripe pods of opium poppies. Unlike most drug. However, regardless of whether the character suc-
drug-producing plants, opium poppies can grow almost ceeds or fails these rolls, after eight days, the character has
everyplace in Creation. Opium is everything from an kicked the addiction, and all withdrawal penalties vanish.
excellent painkiller and a cure for dysentery to a terrible Exalts only need to make two rolls (also made every other
and life-consuming addiction. Anyone taking opium re- day) to kick opium addiction.
duces all wound penalties by two for the next eight hours. Overdose: If the character takes two or more doses of
This reduction in pain happens even if the user only takes opium at once or mixes opium and significant quantities of
a half dose of the drug. When used solely as a pain reliever, alcohol, she increases the difficulty of all Dexterity, Per-
opium is most commonly drunk mixed with alcohol. ception and Wits rolls by 1 and can move at no faster than
Taken in this fashion, opium is still just as addictive, but a walk. These effects last for (14 – Stamina) hours. If the
it produces no result other than pain relief. Many people user takes a number of doses of opium greater than her
who are in chronic pain from injuries or age use it regularly Stamina score, her player must make a Stamina + Resis-
— most of these users become addicts. Each time a char- tance roll. If the roll fails or botches, the character falls
acter takes more doses of opium in a week than his unconscious for half a day (two full days on a botch) and
Stamina, his player must roll at least one success on wakes up feeling quite sick (+1 difficulty to all rolls for the
Stamina + Resistance roll. Failure at this roll means that next full day). If the roll succeeds, she merely doubles the
the user is addicted. Exalts only become addicted to opium above penalties. Exalts whose players fail this roll only fall
if their players botch this roll. Long-term addicts often take unconscious for four hours.
one dose a day.
When using opium recreationally, it is normally HEROIN (RESOURCES ••)
smoked. Smoking opium affects the user both faster and in Widely seen as the prince of intoxicants, far too many
a more intense fashion than drinking it. The character users have forgone both adequate food and shelter to obtain
subtracts one die from all Dexterity, Perception and Wits this drug. Heroin is an excellent pain killer that also
dice pools for the next (7 – Stamina) hours. Users feel produces a mild stupor filled with exceedingly pleasant
powerful, confident and happy. Many users experience daydreams. Heroin’s method of manufacture is a carefully
pleasant daydreams or enjoyable hallucinations. Most guarded secret. It is normally sold as a pure white powder
users are content simply to lie around and feel good. extracted from the highly concentrated urine of one of the
Once addicted, a character must take at least one dose Guild’s seven huge and immortal beasts of resplendent
of opium every three days or suffer withdrawal. With- liquids (see pp. 49-52). Users either smoke or snort this
drawal is harmless to anyone who is not already in very powder. Aristocrats frequently have special gold or silver
poor health, but it is a deeply unpleasant experience that straws made and sniff measured quantities of this drug off of

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

small jade plates or smoke it in specially made glass or silver Regardless of whether a character’s player succeeds or
pipes. A few of the wealthiest users inject the powder mixed fails these rolls, after eight days, the character has kicked
with water under their skin using elegantly made silver and the addiction, and all withdrawal penalties vanish. Players
gold syringes. The effects of the drug are no stronger when of Exalts must make the same rolls to end their characters’
used in this fashion, but the drug affects the user slightly addiction but only need to make four successful Willpower
faster and produces a more intense and enjoyable high. rolls. Locking someone up and forcing her to go through
Anyone taking heroin reduces all wound penalties by withdrawal is a highly effective form of interrogation —
two for the next eight hours. This reduction in pain occurs offering heroin to someone in her fourth day of withdrawal
even if the user only takes a half dose of the drug. Taken in will make all but the most hardened mortal offer her
this fashion, heroin is still just as addictive, but it produces captors everything from the names of her allies to her
no result other than pain relief. Many wealthy people who mother’s life. This same technique is also sometimes used
are in chronic pain from injuries or age use it — and most of as a way to force someone to quit using heroin — nobles
these users become heroin addicts because the drug is so and wealthy merchants often pay chirurgeons to perform
highly addictive. If a user takes a full dose, increase the this type of “cure” on relatives. Unfortunately, even once
difficulty of all Dexterity, Perception and Wits rolls made by someone is no longer addicted, she still remembers how
his player by 1 for the next (7 – Stamina) hours. Each time good heroin used to make her feel, and most return to the
a character takes more doses of heroin in a week than his arms of their white angel in time.
Stamina, his player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll Overdose: Taking two or more doses of heroin at once
with a difficulty equal to the number of doses the character or mixing heroin and small amounts of alcohol doubles
has taken in the last week. Exalts reduce the difficulty of this both the duration and the intensity of all penalties. If the
addiction roll by 2. If the player fails or botches this roll, his user takes a number of doses of heroin greater than her
character is addicted. If the player succeeds in this roll, his Stamina score or takes heroin and drinks heavily, her
character is not addicted — for now. player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll. If the roll
Once addicted, a character must take at least one dose succeeds, the character falls unconscious for half a day and
of heroin every other day or suffer withdrawal. Withdrawal wakes up feeling quite sick (+1 difficulty to all rolls for the
is essentially harmless to anyone who is not already in very next half day). If the roll fails, the character dies unless she
poor health — even ill-fed, long-term addicts almost never is quickly given a stimulant, such as cocaine. Exalts whose
die from heroin withdrawal. However, the withdrawal pro- players fail this roll are merely rendered unconscious for
cess is a deeply unpleasant experience that lasts between six two full days and only die if a botch is rolled.
and eight days. Many users believe withdrawal is eventually
fatal, and even those who know better often wish to die HALLUCINOGENIC WOAD
when they are in the middle of it. Withdrawal doubles all (RESOURCES •; •• OUTSIDE OF THE EAST)
wound penalties for the character (round up) and imposes
Unlike most of the drugs the Guild sells, barbarian
a one-die reduction on all rolls even if the character is
warriors, torturers and the Fair Folk are the only customers
uninjured. Also, the character takes two levels of unsoakable
for hallucinogenic woad. Hallucinogenic woad is tradi-
bashing damage that will not heal until withdrawal is over
tionally colored with a form of indigo called dyer’s woad,
and reduces her Willpower by two and her Valor and
but it is made medically active by a mixture of toxic
Temperance by one each. Going without a dose for more
mushrooms and glowing lichens that grow inside huge
than four days also temporarily reduces both the character’s
hollow trees found in the Far Northeast, Barbarian war-
Stamina and Perception by one. Taking a single dose of
riors spread this thin paste over their bodies, while Fair
heroin immediately removes all of these penalties.
Folk and torturers smear it over their victims. The woad
Voluntarily quitting heroin once a character is ad-
glows a faint, pale blue as long as it remains active. This
dicted requires the character’s player roll at least one
drug must touch the user’s bare skin to work, and it takes
success on eight separate Willpower rolls. The player of an
affect within five minutes.
addict must roll once a day, starting two days after the first
The effects of this woad are twofold. In low dosages,
missed dose. If any of these rolls results in three or more
where it only covers a small portion of the user’s body,
successes, the character has overcome her craving for the
such as a single arm or leg, it causes the user to have vivid
drug, and her player does not need to make any more rolls.
hallucinations. The user’s player must subtract one die
However, the negative effects of withdrawal still last eight
from all Perception rolls as a result of these hallucina-
full days. Characters whose players fail any of these rolls
tions. The user sees all of his comrades and allies as
must immediately seek out a source of the drug. They will
powerful and glorious magical beings capable of defeat-
attempt to sell anything that isn’t nailed down to get the
ing any foe. However, the user also sees all of his enemies
money to buy more heroin and will become both violent
and anyone who threatens or attacks him as horrifically
and irrational if they cannot gain access to this drug.
deformed monsters. If fighting alongside trusted allies,

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

such as fellow members of a barbarian’s tribe, the user’s RASP SPIDER VENOM
player reduces the difficulty of all Valor and Conviction
rolls by 1. However, if the user is bereft of allies and is (RESOURCES ••; ••• OUTSIDE OF THE EAST)
surrounded by “terrifying monsters,” the user’s player is at Rasp spiders are tree-dwelling spiders found in the
a -1 penalty on all Conviction and Valor rolls for the hardwood forests of the East and Northeast. These spiders
character. Torturers and the Fair Folk use this drug on have fat bodies the size of a large man’s head and long legs,
their victims and then threaten and torture them until and the largest ones are a bit more than a yard across. They
they believe themselves to be surrounded by a pack of the sit in great webs that can be as much as 10 yards wide, waiting
most horrific monsters in all of Creation. for prey. They primarily eat birds and medium-sized mam-
If the user spreads this woad over most of her body, the mals such as baby deer. However, shamans and herbalists in
higher dosage also makes the user less susceptible to pain — the Haltan Republic long ago discovered the secret of
reduce all wound penalties by 1. Torturers and the fair folk distilling rasp spider venom so that it becomes far less
naturally avoid giving their victims the higher dosages. The poisonous but exceedingly powerful and useful as a halluci-
Guild buys this drug from the Northeastern barbarian tribes nogen. In its purified form, this venom only does one level
who make and use it, and sell it to professional torturers and of unsoakable bashing damage to the person who drinks the
interrogators and Fair Folk all over Creation. A single pot of harsh and acrid liquid. Within a few minutes, the target
the drug can supply eight low dosage uses four high dosage begins experiencing vivid and powerful hallucinations that
ones. This drug is relatively safe. However, if used more than last for the next 10 hours. All rolls involving either the
once every three days, the intensity of the hallucinations Perception or the Dexterity of the subject are made at -4.
increases and the user must subtract two dice from all However, strong-willed subjects can use the intense con-
Perception rolls. Regardless of how it is used, all effects last centration and focus that this hallucinogen produces to
eight to ten hours. great effect. If the user attempts to perform a single task that
Overdose: N/A requires both patience and creativity, such as writing an epic
poem, crafting an exquisitely complex piece of jewelry,

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

making a talisman or even cooking a gourmet meal, this drug six and eight hours. Characters can be woken up before the
can help the user tap into resources of creativity and skill drug wears off, but they reduce all dice pools by one die for
unavailable to her when sober. the next hour because they take a long time to fully
To attempt to use the drug in this fashion, the user awaken. Also, waking up someone using this drug requires
must have all the tools and parts needed for the project set much shaking and shouting and cannot be done either
out before taking the drug, and then, her player must make quickly or quietly. While under the effect of this drug, the
a successful Willpower roll for the character at difficulty 2 user has a series of exceedingly vivid dreams. Users who
once the drug has been taken. If the roll fails, the user will have no skill at controlling their dreams can exert a limited
not be able to focus on the tasks because the hallucinations amount of control over these dreams. Characters who
are too bizarre and distracting. However, on a successful know how to control their dreams, including any Haslanti
roll, the user has no Perception or Dexterity penalties for and many members of barbarian tribes who have an Occult
this craft task, and she gains two additional successes to her score of 2 or more or any characters with Occult specialties
player’s Craft roll. The only problem with using this drug in Dreaming can completely control their dreams while
is that the user is so focused on this task that she could be under the influence of this drug. Also, if two or more
loaded on a wagon and taken away without ever realizing people take this drug and remain physically close to one
that she is being moved. So long as the user has access to another while they sleep, they will share the same dreams
the project she is working on, she will notice no other and can either have complex dream contests or can work
distractions. Getting the attention of someone in a rasp together to create a grand dream epic.
venom trance requires either taking the project away from Although most users simply enjoy sharing dreams and
her or doing at least one level of bashing or lethal damage having dreams that they can easily control, some folk allow
to her. Even if you succeed in getting the person’s atten- these dreams to progress without control. When they are
tion, she is still at -4 to all other tasks requiring Dexterity not controlled, these drug-induced dreams provide hints
and Perception until the drug wears off. If the user finishes about the future. Unfortunately, the information gained
or discards the task before the drug wears off, attempting to from ice fern spore dreams is both fragmentary and confus-
start another task requires the user’s player to roll three or ing. If someone is going to attempt to assassinate the user
more successes on another Willpower roll. Also, the ma- the next day, the user might have a dream of someone
terials for the task must be readily available. attempting to kill him at the correct place and time.
Occasional use of this drug is relatively safe. How- However, at minimum, the details will be quite different,
ever, using it more often than once every (6 – Stamina) and the dream is often highly symbolic.
days means that the drug is not fully out of the user’s Used properly, ice fern spores are both safe and
system. Although the drug offers the same benefits to enjoyable. Unfortunately, like most other drugs, this one
creativity and skill, the penalties for other Perception can easily be abused. If users take a dose more often than
and Dexterity rolls are increased to –6, and the user’s once every (7 – Stamina) days, the drug has its normal
player must make a Stamina + Resistance roll for her effects, but it causes the user to remain asleep and effec-
character. Failure on this roll means that the user’s tively unwakeable for 12 hours. Also, the user will be
Perception is reduced by one for the next full week due to groggy and at -2 to all dice pools for six hours after he
mild hallucinations. A botch on this roll causes this loss awakens. The next night, sleeping will be quite difficult,
to become permanent. Master craftsmen who overuse and many regular users find it easier to simply take
this drug seem half blind and nearly deaf because of the another dose of the drug. The user will be back to normal
minor hallucinations they constantly experience. the next day, unless he takes another dose. However,
Overdose: N/A repeated use can mean that the user cannot sleep nor-
mally without this drug and is groggy and distracted for
ICE FERN SPORES the entire time that he is awake. Unfortunately, unless
(RESOURCES: ••; ••• OUTSIDE OF THE NORTH) the user sleeps normally for at least one day, he must take
two doses if he wants to have controlled, shared or
This is the premier dream-enhancing drug. It is har-
prophetic dreams. Taking more than one dose of this drug
vested from rare blue-white ferns that grow up through the
at once has the same effect as taking it too often. Taking
ice and snow during winters in the Far North. Both
more than two doses at once causes the user to remain
icewalkers and the dream-worshiping Haslanti harvest
asleep for a full day. After two or more doses of this drug
this drug. Although the plants are fairly rare, the drug’s
are taken, the user’s player must succeed in a Stamina +
preparation is quite simple. The spores are scraped off the
Resistance roll, or the character permanently loses four
fern leaves, and then, users inhale the pale-blue spores,
points of temporary Willpower. On a botch, the user loses
generally using a short straw made of bone or metal.
one point of Willpower permanently.
The effects of this drug are immediate and profound.
Overdose: N/A
Users fall immediately into a deep sleep that lasts between

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

GHOST FLOWER this person has an exceptionally vivid daydream of speak-

ing with the ghost. If the living person is asleep, she shares
(RESOURCES •••; •• IN EASTERN a dream with the ghost.
Overdose: Users who take this drug more than (Stamina
SHADOWLANDS — •• UNDERWORLD
+ Resistance) x 5 times during a single season invariably die
RESOURCES IN THE UNDERWORLD) while taking the drug. Naturally, anyone who dies from
This rare and unusual drug consists of the ground taking too much ghost flower becomes a ghost. Exalts who
dried petals of the luminous, palm-sized ghost flower. drink ghost flower tea are affected in exactly the same
Dried ghost flowers are exceedingly rare in the land of the fashion, but will only die from this drug if their players fail
living because they only grow in shadowlands in the a Stamina + Resistance roll made after their characters
temperate portions of the East. Ghost flowers can only be exceed the critical (Stamina + Resistance) x 5 threshold.
harvested by ghosts and are typically sold to the living by Otherwise, they can keep taking it as long as they wish.
Deathlords and Abyssal Exalted or by the few ghosts who
regularly trade with the living. Users steep ghost flower MEDICINES
with water, creating a faintly luminous tea that they Some of the substances the Guild sells are not drug at
typically drink just before sleep. all, at least not in the sense that they are substances
The exact effects of ghost flower depend upon how ingested with the purpose of producing pleasurable sensa-
much one takes and how often it is used. The first few times tions. Some of the most highly desirable drugs in the
the user drinks ghost flower tea, she has deep and vivid Guild’s pharmacopoeia do not make the subject feel any
dreams where she can see and communicate with any different at all, but are highly treasured nevertheless. The
ghosts who are nearby or who are interested in communi- Guild is not the only retailer of these substances, but it
cating with her. The ghosts need not be slumbering to distributes them through the same channels as its more
communicate with the user, but they can be. Unlike mundane drugs, deliberately bundling these medicinals
various spirit-related Charms and artifacts, this drug only with recreational drugs so that kingdoms are less willing to
allows its users to see ghosts and other immaterial creatures turn aside the Guild’s trade.
from the Underworld, it does not permit anyone to see
gods, demons or other immaterial beings.
MAIDEN TEA (RESOURCES ••)
If a user takes a number of doses greater than twice her Produced from the bitter fruit of a low bush that grows
Stamina + Resistance in a single season, then she has built in warm climates throughout the world, this drug renders
up enough resistance to the drug that she can remain awake a woman infertile for a month or a man infertile for a week.
while under its influence. She can then see and communi- This drug is a favorite of concubines, high-class courte-
cate with ghosts while awake. This ability persists for eight sans, women having affairs while their partners are away
hours after a dose is taken, and when the user next sleeps, she and wealthy men who wish to avoid siring bastard heirs.
will also be able to communicate with ghosts in her dreams. Overdose: Taking three or more doses at once makes
If the user takes a number of doses greater than her (Stamina the user mildly ill (the user takes one level of unsoakable
+ Resistance) x 3 in a single season, she will also be able to bashing damage and subtracts one die from all rolls until
touch and be touched by ghosts. Under the influence of this this level of damage heals). This overdose also induces
drug, users can have ghostly lovers and fight deadly duels abortions. Large overdoses of maiden tea (six or more
with ghostly opponents. Each dose of the drug lasts until doses) make the user violently ill (the user takes two
after the user next awakens. levels of unsoakable bashing damage and increase the
Frequent users appear both pale and sickly. Also, in difficulty of all rolls by 1 for 12 hours) and renders the user
very dim light, their lips sometimes glow faintly. If used permanently sterile.
more than (Stamina + Resistance) x 5 times in a season,
the user also becomes mildly addicted to this drug but can
AGE-STAVING CORDIAL (RESOURCES •••)
give it up by garnering two or more successes on a Will- Some cynics consider this to be the Guild’s ultimate
power roll. Unfortunately, users almost always have some drug because it provides life itself. Created from the sap of
deep emotional need to interact with one or more ghosts a vine found in the deep jungles of the Far East combined
and are usually quite reluctant to give up the drug. with the diluted poison of a species of small, brightly
Ghosts can also benefit from drinking ghost flower colored clams found on the coasts of the South and West,
tea. Any ghost who drinks ghost flower tea before sleeping this drug is sold as small packets of dark-red powder. When
has a dream where he can communicate with a single mixed with water or wine, it creates a brew that slows
living person who is familiar to him. As he is falling asleep, aging. Anyone taking weekly doses of age-staving cordials
the ghost can decide who he wishes to communicate with. will live 25 percent longer than those unfortunate enough
If the living person is awake while the ghost is dreaming, not to have regular access to this drug. However, it is rarely

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

sold in the Realm — the Dynasts care little about increas- directly to local distributors. Fortunately, there are far too
ing the lifespan of the unExalted and have potent drugs many farmers who grow these drugs for any individual or
that prolong the lives of the Dragon-Blooded by 40 per- even any local region to be able to seriously damage the
cent or more. Guild’s supply of any of these drugs.
Overdose: Overdoses of age-staving cordials have no Both farmers who grow these drugs and entire na-
effect, except that the user has wasted some of this exceed- tions who sell large amounts of these commodities have
ingly precious drug. attempted to organize with fellow drug producers and
demand that the Guild pay higher prices for their goods.
THE DRUG TRADE The Guild strongly opposes all such attempts, and on
The trade in recreational drugs and potent medicines several occasions, it has overthrown queens and princes
makes up a significant portion of the Guild’s income. who refused to abandon these policies. The last of these
These commodities are especially lucrative because they attempts was 17 years ago.
are both valuable and extremely compact — they are an Jas-Kel is a small Southeastern kingdom that was once
easily portable source of wealth. Equally useful is the fact ruled by Sera Zan, an extremely charismatic Wood-aspected
that both addictive drugs and medicines for common Terrestrial Exalt. Jas-Kel produces large amounts of co-
ailments are always in demand. To an addict or to someone caine, and after some local economic trouble, Sera Zan
who is seriously ill, opium or seven bounties paste is at least made alliances with half a dozen other small kingdoms that
as valuable as food is to someone who is starving. Continu- also produced cocaine. These states attempted to negoti-
ous demand for highly compact, easily transportable ate better terms with the Guild — when the Guild refused
products makes drugs an ideal commodity for the Guild. its terms, this alliance refused to sell any cocaine to the
Since many of these drugs are at least worth their Guild and, instead, sold its entire crop to independent
weight in silver and some are worth their weight in jade, a merchants who traveled throughout the Southeast.
single yeddim-load of most drugs can bring the Guild large Since this alliance grew almost a fifth of the cocaine
amounts of wealth. In addition, the Guild can use addic- purchased by the Guild, its refusal to sell this drug reduced
tive drugs and powerful medicines as a highly effective Guild profits. Within six months, a horde of Arczeckhi
form of economic warfare. During even the sort of minor barbarians attacked the northernmost nations belonging
epidemics that occur several times a decade, threatening to this alliance. The Guild army offered to help drive off
to cut off a state’s supply of various medicines can cause the these barbarians in return for the alliance’s dissolution.
leaders of the region to make all manner of concessions to After the Arczeckhi conquered Jas-Kel and tortured Sera
the Guild. Similarly, if a region has a large number of Zan to death, the alliance collapsed, and the Guild’s troops
opium addicts, the rulers know that if the Guild cuts off or moved in to restore order. Because the Guild effectively
even reduces the supply of opium, riots may erupt. More owned the barbarian’s well-bribed leaders, the Arczeckhi
than any other type of commodity, these goods represent departed as soon as the Guild’s security forces began to
the true power of the Guild. advance. Since that time, the nations in this region may
Naturally, the Guild does not just sell addictive drugs have complained about the prices the Guild pays for their
and vital medicines — while these two items are responsible crops, but none of the rulers or nobles has dared to offer any
for the majority of their drug profits, the Guild also sells a serious opposition to the Guild.
wide variety of recreational drugs and useful medicines. Like The Guild is interested in the well-being of the nations
any other luxuries, goods such as rasp spider venom, age- that grow its more valuable or popular drugs. Since the East
staving cordials or ice fern spores are all expensive and the Scavenger Lands are where most drugs are grown,
commodities that can bring in large profits because the the Guild pays close attention to this region. While Great
wealthy and powerful are eager to gain access to them. Forks is extremely stable by virtue of its rule by a triumvirate
of powerful gods, many of the Hundred Kingdoms have
DRUG PRODUCTION mortal rulers. Although it rarely sends in its mercenaries to
The Guild is the primary seller of a wide variety of rare settle civil wars or disputes between these nations, the Guild
medicines and recreational drugs, but it only manufactures has spies and operatives who constantly keep track of the
a few of them. Qat and cocaine are cash crops grown situation in this volatile region. When a war erupts, the
throughout portions of the Scavenger Lands and the East, Guild works to make certain that the conflict does not
while opium, tobacco and maiden tea grow all over the significantly interfere with agricultural production.
world. The Guild is the primary buyer of all of these drugs, The Guild almost always chooses sides in a civil war
but it directly controls only a small portion of their and backs the side that seems most amenable to its wishes.
production. The Guild attempts to keep farmers it deals While it prefers to avoid the expenses and ill feeling
with from selling any of their harvest to the Guild’s generated by directly using military force, it supplies food,
competitors. However, there are always farmers who sell weapons and medicines to the side it backs. On occasion,

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

it will even loan out or sell elite troops as trainers and drugs, these ingredients are of little value. However, heroin,
commandos and powerful First Age weapons such as light age-staving cordials and their other expensive medicines
implosion bows. Naturally, the Guild attempts to main- and drugs all make exceedingly tempting targets for thieves.
tain control over the supply of alchemical reagents that In addition to guarding all such shipments quite heavily,
power these weapons and makes certain that their allies do senior officials in the Guild keep the time and nature of
not possess sufficient amounts to stockpile these supplies these shipments secret from everyone except those Guild
and use them to support independent policies. Because the members who are actually part of the caravans. Also, if
Guild worries as much about avoiding later problems as Guild investigators discover that any of its personnel sold or
about helping its allies win, it often ends up undersupplying otherwise passed on information about these shipments to
factions involved in lengthy civil wars. thieves, Guild guards torture these traitors to death after first
killing their entire families. The profits involved in these
GUILD DRUG PRODUCTION drugs are so high that the Guild wishes to convince all
The Guild actually produces a few of its most expensive potential turncoats of the terrible consequences of betrayal.
and difficult to create drugs. The Guild would love to be the
sole producer of age-staving cordials, heroin, seven bounties
COLLECTING WILD DRUG COMPONENTS
paste and sweet cordials. However, in a world of immaterial Most drugs are ordinary agricultural products grown
gods and sorcerous spying, it is extremely difficult to keep by farmers. Some, such as opium, can be grown every-
anything valuable completely secret. Instead, the Guild where, but most, such as cocaine, can only be grown in
must be satisfied with being, by far, the largest manufacturer specific areas of Creation. However, collecting drugs that
and distributor of these substances. All of these drugs are cannot simply be farmed is a far more diverse and difficult
exceedingly costly, so the Guild keeps careful track of any of process. Almost all substances that cannot be farmed must
these supplies that do not come from it. Except for Dynasts be collected in various wilderness areas. If the substance is
from the Realm, who are protected from the Guild by both relatively common and easy to acquire, the Guild typically
treaties and the reluctance of the Guild to attack the Realm, buys it from people in the area where it is found. However,
anyone who is manufacturing large amounts of these drugs if the substance is rare and difficult or dangerous to obtain,
can expect to face sabotage, blackmail and assassination the Guild employs skilled professionals to collect it. The
(see “Dealing with Competition” pp. 66-67). The leaders of Guild generally pays these professional drug collectors
the Guild are unwilling to face widespread competition for quite well, but it also makes certain that they keep their
the sale of these drugs. However, some producers are too trade secrets to themselves.
small to be worth the trouble to locate, and others are skilled The vine whose sap is used in age-staving cordials
and paranoid enough that the Guild has not yet managed to only grows in the Far East. However, it is relatively
locate them. common there, and the Guild purchases it from a variety
The Guild also vigilantly monitors its own production of barbarian tribes who collect and sell it. Because this
of these drugs to prevent theft and pilferage. The Guild medicine is so valuable, a few of these barbarian tribes do
creates sweet cordials, seven bounties paste, heroin and age- little except collect this sap — the Guild effectively owns
staving cordials in a series of small, well-guarded these tribes. Guild troops help guard these tribes and those
manufacturing settlements scattered throughout the Thresh- portions of the jungles where the barbarians grow the vines
old. There, a few well-paid alchemists and a host of assistants under a primitive form of cultivation. When rival barbar-
create these complex formulas from valuable ingredients. ian tribes, hungry jungle beasts or Fair Folk raiders threaten
The Guild learned long ago that creating these medicines in either the tribe or the vines, the Guild sends in soldiers or
a single area and then shipping them around the world was outcastes to protect its interests. The Guild keeps these
both far more expensive and an open invitation to theft. tribes ignorant and illiterate and discourages all members
Instead, the Guild ships the various ingredients to the of these tribes from traveling — at spear point if necessary.
nearest regional manufacturing centers and creates the The Guild is not about to risk anyone else finding out
actual drugs there. Guild guards carefully watch everyone about its prized jungle-vine plantations.
employed at these facilities — any attempt to steal the In contrast, the bile from the rare Tulach fish is one of
finished product is punishable by death. To further deter the ingredients in sweet cordials. Although only tiny
theft, the Guild does not permit workers in these facilities to amounts are required, it is an essential part of sweet
wear loose or flowing clothes, and the guards search all cordials, and the fish can only be captured by skilled divers
employees whenever they leave the complex. able to swim down to the bases of various coral reefs found
The Guild carefully guards shipments of the compo- far to the West. The Guild trains and employees these
nents that make up these drugs, but thieves and raiders divers and is willing to threaten, blackmail or even kill any
rarely attempt to steal them — without both the other divers who attempt to leave the Guild and teach others
components and the knowledge of how to create the actual how to collect these valuable fish.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

THE SLAVE PLANTATIONS

The majority of the easily farmed drugs such as
qat, tobacco and coca leaves are bought from various
nations in the East and the Scavenger Lands, and
most opium is purchased from small growers located
all over the world. However, the demand for all of
these drugs is quite high, and the Guild’s leaders know
better than to depend solely upon trade with a variety
of potentially unstable kingdoms. As a result, the
Guild owns land where it grows a portion of the most
popular drugs that it sells.
Although the Scavenger Lands are fairly popu-
lous, in various sections of the East, there are large
stretches of arable land that no one farms. The Guild
looks for fertile wild lands located far from any city or
town. Many of these regions contain dangers such as
gods or Fair Folk who require unusual offerings from
mortals tilling their domains. As a result, the Guild
can often lease or purchase such land from the local
nobles or barbarian queens for very little money. Most
Guild lands are located in the East, where they are
used to grow additional supplies of all of the popular
agricultural drugs. However, opium can be grown
almost anywhere, and so, the Guild also owns land in
the South and on the coast of the North.
To supply these plantations with labor, the Guild
diverts some of its slaves to work these plantations.
There are many horrific stories of the conditions in
these plantations, but most are untrue. Constantly
chaining or beating slaves renders them almost useless
for heavy and demanding farm labor. Also, there is
little need for security beyond well-trained guards and
sturdy barracks that the guards lock at night — most
slaves realize that running off into the wilderness
typically results in some form of unpleasant death.
However, this is not to say that any sane person would
ever want to become a slave of the Guild. The work is
hard, and these slaves labor until they die — the
overseers shift old and infirm slaves to lighter and less
demanding work such as packing the drugs for trans-
port. The slaves’ only solace is regularly rations of
various drugs. On rare occasions, the Guild frees slaves
who fight heroically against attacks by Wyld beasts or
barbarians or who save their overseers from or warn
their overseers about slave uprisings. However, all but
a tiny number of slaves who end up on these planta-
tions will work there until they die… and possibly
beyond death — a few slave plantations located near
shadowlands use the walking dead as workers.
Although they vary somewhat according to local
conditions, these plantations are surprisingly uniform.
Each one consists of several square miles of cleared land
surrounded on all sides by wilderness. Guild caravans
stop at the plantation regularly, but the Guild attempts
to make certain that these plantations are as isolated

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

from other traffic as possible — slaves who have no contact plantations are popular posts for ambitious or money-
with outsiders are far less likely to revolt. Some of these farms hungry young Guild members. However, any older Guild
are located next to rivers that lead to major waterways, but employee who is stationed on one of these plantations is
they are always a good distance from any major ports. either truly desperate for money or someone who cannot
There is one overseer for every dozen or so slaves and find a posting anywhere else.
a similar number of well-armed guards. The slaves live in
crude but sturdy barracks designed to resist all attempts to THE BEASTS OF RESPLENDENT LIQUIDS
break free. The overseers lock all the barracks at night. The Guild’s slave plantations are only one of the many
While these barracks will burn if a fire breaks out inside, valuable portions of its drug-production facilities. The Guild
guards only let slaves out of burning barracks one at a time owns processing centers for preserving qat leaves, for distill-
— at least a few slaves are likely to burn to death in any ing sweet cordials, for turning coca leaves into rock cocaine
serious fire. Slaves grow most of their own food, supple- and for turning rock cocaine into cocaine. However, the
mented by supplies brought during the seasonal visits by Guild’s greatest drug resources are their seven beasts of
Guild caravans. Chirurgeons provide crude medical care resplendent liquids. These strange creatures are living relics
for the slaves, and overseers dispense justice that ranges of the First Age that devour vast amounts of raw opium and
from the lash to a week or two hanging in chains to (for the excrete high-quality heroin in their urine.
most serious offenses) death. In the First Age, the Exalted realized that producing
The overseers and guards have better food and live in large amounts of various drugs could easily be a labor and
sturdy houses built for both comfort and defense. However, Essence-intensive process. To avoid this problem and
these amenities cannot make up for the fact that life on one make it into something that ordinary mortals could super-
of these plantations is both isolated and risky. Guild leaders vise and direct, a group of No Moon Caste Lunar Exalted
almost never station personnel here for longer than five joined with several Twilight Caste Solar Exalted and a
years, and most personnel leave within three years — this number of dragon kings skilled in manipulating living
policy also serves to prevent long-term friendships from things. These beings all worked together to create hun-
forming between slaves and Guild personnel. These planta- dreds of different huge, immortal creatures that could
tions are also never less than a week’s journey from each perform the processing needed to create the drugs inside
other to prevent slave revolts from easily spreading. their own bodies. Each of these creatures was a stocky,
Although quite rare, slave revolts are always a risk. At short-tailed lizard a bit more than 20 yards long and
least once a decade, a caravan stops at one of the Guild’s standing more than 6 yards at the shoulder. Each creature
many hundreds of plantations and finds it deserted except produces one type of drug as long as it has access to the
for the bodies of the guards, the overseers and whatever appropriate raw materials. During the First Age, there
slaves died during the revolt. More often, the guards put were more than five dozen types of these creatures. Each
down the revolt and execute all slaves who were even variety produced a single drug that ranged from painkillers
peripherally involved. such as heroin to medicines such as sweet cordials and
Also, because of their isolation, bands of ravagers or potent longevity drugs. Although no one alive today
angry gods can lay waste to such places and kidnap or kill knows what all of the different colors mean, the scales of
everyone present. In addition, deathknights have occa- each sort of beast of production were of a different color.
sionally killed the entire population of one of these The heroin beasts have reddish ochre scales with small
plantations and then animated the corpses as their follow- dark yellow spots. In contrast, the Realm’s longevity-drug
ers. Lunars and, more recently, Solar Exalted who have an beasts all have royal-blue scales.
interest in freeing slaves find that these places make Needless to say, the vast majority of these creatures
excellent recruitment stations for thousands of desperate died at the end of the First Age. Most varieties are gone
and loyal followers. With no one else to turn to for help, forever, and only one or two members of some types of
the Guild members who run these plantation must either these creatures survive. The Realm possesses a pair of these
fight whatever threats arise on their own or flee and beasts that excrete a longevity drug considerably more
abandon the slaves to their fate. Because they are few in potent than the age-staving cordials. This drug almost
number and almost never possess more than a handful of doubles the life spans of both mortals and Terrestrial
effective talismans and one or two minor artifacts, the Exalted. These beasts are housed in the Imperial Palace
Guild employee have little chance to defeat any attack by and are two of the most prized and heavily guarded items
Celestial Exalted or other similarly powerful beings. on the Blessed Isle. These creatures only produce drugs
Because of the dangers inherent in living on one of sufficient to supply 20 percent of the Realm’s Terrestrial
these plantations, few Guild members wish to be sta- Exalted. As a result, the Sidereals of the Bronze faction
tioned there for more than a few years. However, the pay carefully regulate the use of these drugs and keep their
is excellent, and the Guild looks quite favorably on existence a secret from all but the most trusted imperial
anyone who can both increase productivity and prevent officials. Because almost all of this drug is reserved for the
troubles at one of these plantations. As a result, these

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Dragon-Blooded, less than two dozen of the empire’s most permanently deafen any mortal whose player fails a Stamina
valued mortals ever taste the substance. + Resistance roll at difficulty 2. An Exalt whose player fails
The Guild possesses seven beasts that produce heroin. this roll will go deaf for one full day, and then, her hearing
Because the heroin they produce is so concentrated and will fully recover. Make a new roll every hour.
pure, these seven creatures produce sufficient heroin to After the creature cries at peak volume for four hours,
allow the Guild to regularly supply this drug to almost two it will attempt (while still emitting its alert sounds at full
million heroin addicts. Each of these creatures must eat volume) to climb at least 10 yards above the ground. It will
almost a ton of raw opium every day to work at full only climb on buildings and other structures made by
productivity. To reduce the distance heroin must be trans- humans or Exalts, it never attempts to climb natural
ported, the Guild stationed these beasts all around the features unless they are in its way. These beasts are as
civilized world. The Guild keeps three of its beasts in the mindless as frogs and cannot even begin to conceptualize
fertile and abundant East — each is in a separate com- that their great weight will crush most structures built
pound near the center of the largest of its poppy-growing during the Age of Sorrows.
slave plantations. One is just north of Rubylak, another is If for some reason one of these creatures is in a city or
400 miles south of Nexus, and the third is near the town when it gets the urge to climb, it will attempt to climb
Meander River, 100 miles east of Mist Island. It keeps two upon a house or shop, undoubtedly collapsing the building
in the South — one beast is located in the Southeast, in the process. At this point, the beast looks for another
inside the lands controlled by Harborhead, and one is in building to climb, until it either finds a building large and
the Southwest, 200 miles south of the Lap. Finally, two are sturdy enough to support its weight or collapses every
in the North — one is a few hundred miles east of Cherak, building in the town. Once is has destroyed all of the
and the other is on the coast, 500 miles west of Whitewall. buildings, it looks for a road and walks until it finds other
Except for requiring vast amounts of both fresh water and buildings it can climb, still emitting its vast and terrible
opium pods, these creatures have few needs, and one or two distress calls as it does so.
keepers can do everything necessary to care for one of the These creatures move no faster than a mortal walking,
great beasts. These magical reptiles have been high on opium but they are both incredibly strong and utterly tireless. If
for the past 2,000 years and have not moved more than a one of these creatures actually manages to find a high place
dozen times during these two millennia. In the absence of that can support its weight, it will cease crying, lie down
exceptional events, the beasts sit with their bellies on the and go into a deep stasis where it needs neither to eat nor
ground dreaming strange reptilian opium dreams. drink. It can remain in this state for many centuries. One
However, while they appear to be utterly placid and of these beasts can be brought out of this state either by
completely immobile, if something interrupts their supply placing 10 or more pounds of opium in its mouth or by
of opium, they are designed to alert their handlers that moving it off of the high place it came to rest on. If it is
they are hungry. Their creators assumed that the only moved without being fed, it will immediately wake up,
reason these beasts would remain unfed was if they re- begin to cry at top volume and attempt to climb back to
quired special medical treatments or if their owners were where it was resting.
transporting them somewhere. Therefore, their creators The Guild originally had eight of these beasts, a
also imprinted each beast with an instinct to climb up to third one was in the South, near Chiaroscuro. However,
its pens where its owner could examine the beast or pack 200 years ago, thieves stole this creature. This act is one
it into a vast shipping crate. This instinct only affects one of the seven truly legendary thefts known to the high-
of these beasts if it goes hungry for more than 36 hours. ranking members of the Guild. No one is entirely certain
As long as its handlers give the beast at least five how the thieves managed to steal such a huge creature,
percent of its normal supply of opium and water (which and no one has found this beast in the intervening two
still involves giving the creature at least 100 pounds of centuries. However, the Guild is certain that it still
opium a day), the heroin beasts continue to produce exists, not only because these beasts are almost impos-
heroin — the amount they produce is based solely on how sible to kill, but also because in the South and the
much they are fed. However, if it is given less opium, 24 Southern portions of the West, a few non-Guild sources
hours later, it starts making loud but deep cries. These sell heroin. Since there is too much heroin for it to have
cries, which sound like a combination of a huge lion been stolen from the Guild and it is too cheap to be a part
roaring and an unimaginably vast parrot squawking, begin of the small amounts of extremely expensive heroin
at about the volume of a person shouting and rise to a produced by skilled alchemists, the stolen beast must still
volume similar to being a few yards from a great waterfall. be in use. The Guild continues to offer a large reward to
The creature takes only eight hours to reach peak volume. anyone who can provide information that leads to the
At this point, mortals must flee from the volume of sound recapture of this creature (this reward is sufficient to give
unless a successful Valor roll is made for them every 10 Resources 4 to two or three people or 3 dots of Resources
minutes. Exalts need only flee if this roll is botched. Being for up to two dozen people).
within 20 yards of this noise for more than an hour will

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

Thieves working for the Perfect of Paragon stole this sary to create a hole large enough for one character to pass
beast in cooperation with a local crime syndicate based in through). Each stockade is circular and 40 yards in diameter.
Chiaroscuro. The reason the Guild cannot find the beast Twice a day, guards open these well-fortified gates and
is that it is carefully guarded by citizens of Paragon who all porters carry in more opium and wheel out the huge vats of
know they will die an agonizing death if they ever reveal urine to be dried and packaged. Ten elite troops guard these
that they know anything about this creature. The beast is gates, and another 10 walk the external perimeter of the
currently located in a large cave 300 miles south of Para- stockade at all times. Whenever the gates open, half a dozen
gon. The Perfect’s assassins will also relentlessly hunt additional guards escort the opium to the gates of the
anyone who discovers the location of this creature. stockade, and half a dozen other guards escort the urine to
the drying plant. Finally, while most of the individuals given
SECURITY ON THE BEASTS OF access to the beasts are skilled animal handlers, there are also
RESPLENDENT LIQUIDS three highly trained guards inside the compound at all
times. Guild shamans and magicians also bargained with
The Guild realizes that its seven remaining beasts of
elementals (generally either a trio of wood spiders or a single
resplendent liquids are utterly irreplaceable resources.
garda bird) to help guard each beast.
Each of the beasts is kept in a highly guarded compound
Everyone who works with the beasts, from the people
located at least five days journey from any cities or towns.
who carry food to those who wheel off the huge vats of
Each compound is located very near one of the Guild’s
heroin-rich urine, is a highly trusted employee who has
major centers for opium refining and on one of the major
worked for the Guild for at least five years. The three senior
Guild trade routes. The beasts receive daily shipments of
animal-handling personnel actually live inside the com-
opium carried by Guild caravans. As was stated above,
pound and keep careful track of everyone who enters or
they can each eat up to a ton of raw opium a day. Every day
leaves this compound. The production stations where
that it eats its fill of opium, a beast produces enough urine
these compounds are located are not as secure, but the
to create over 100,000 doses of heroin.
Guild endeavors to keep the location of its seven beasts
Less than two dozen people actually have direct access
highly secret, which is only possible because the Guild
to each beast. The beasts are each kept in well-fortified
placed them all far from any city. Also, there are several
wooden stockades made from hardwood logs at least six feet
dozen guards charged with protecting the entire station
in diameter (Soak: 12B/10L, 30 levels of damage are neces-

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Creature Physical Att. Willpower Health Levels Attack Dodge/Soak Abilities

Str/Dex/Sta Spd/Acc/Dmg
Beast of 15/2/12 2 -0x10/-1x4/ Bite: 3/4/16L 0/14L/20B Brawl 1
Resplendent -2x4/-4x2/I
Liquid

and even more guarding the heroin drying plant and the the Guild will always be interested in purchasing more
heroin supplies. Since stealing a vast fortune in pure opium, so they know that they will always have a ready
heroin is far easier that stealing one of the beasts of market for this crop.
resplendent liquids, the Guild ships out heroin to various Once the farmers sell the raw opium to the Guild,
regional distribution centers every day, so that these iso- porters take the raw gum to the local processing plant. Here,
lated production stations do not contain temptingly large as guards watch carefully for any sign of theft, workers carry
stockpiles of the drug. the sacks of opium gum into large warehouses. Porters drop
the raw opium into huge storage pits, and then, on hot,
AGRICULTURALLY PRODUCED DRUGS sunny days, the tar-like black opium is gathered up from
Although many tales are told of exotic drugs and the these pits and carried in buckets out to wide flat ceramic or
many dangers faced and unusual methods employed to metal trays exposed to the full heat of the sun.
obtain them, the vast majority of all drugs are grown in Workers with long shovels constantly stir the opium
fields and then subjected to various amounts of processing. in these trays to force it to dry evenly. After three or four
The following explains how the most common agricul- weeks in the hot sun (or, in the winter months, in large
tural drugs are both cultivated and/or prepared. rooms heated by great fires), the vast majority of the water
has evaporated, and the opium has become a coal-black,
OPIUM CULTIVATION stiff, putty-like substance. The opium is now ready for
Opium is the most common drug sold by the Guild either transport or smoking. Drying opium is hot back-
and is worth examining in greatest detail. In contrast to breaking labor, and workers can only tend a tray that holds
the way the Guild deals with expensive, difficult-to-create as much as they weigh. As a result, production plants that
drugs such as sweet cordials, most opium is grown by deliver many tons of opium must employ hundred of
farmers, who sell the majority of the crop directly to the workers. The Guild primarily uses slaves to dry the opium,
Guild. Opium poppies can be grown almost anywhere in but it also hires poor locals and pays them both cash and a
the world, but they thrive in warm tropical and semitropi- tiny portion of each pan that they dry.
cal lands with mild winters. Because opium poppies are
both abundant and easy to grow, many farmers use opium
COCAINE PRODUCTION
as a secondary cash crop. These farmers simply plant the Cocaine is one of the Guild’s most popular drugs.
poppies, grow their other crops and only worry about the Coca leaves are easy to grow and harvest but difficult to
poppies once they are in bloom. prepare. Unfortunately, coca only grows in the warm wet
A day or two after the poppies bloom, the farmers lands of the Southern portion of the East. It will only grow
pluck off the flower petals and use small short-bladed at altitudes between 1,500 and 6,000 feet — unlike opium,
sickles to cut several long shallow slits in the thumb-sized the regions that grow coca are relatively small and local-
pod. Over the course of several hours, the cuts in the pods ized. All of the cocaine found in the world grows in these
ooze a sticky sap. When this sap has dried to a gummy Eastern and Southeastern plantations. Part of the reason
consistency, the farmers come back and collect it in large cocaine is more expensive than opium is that the Guild
bags or buckets. Farmers often cut the pods in the evening must ship all of its cocaine from the East and the Southeast
and harvest the sap the next morning. The raw opium — cocaine shipped to the North or the West must travel
starts out as a thin white liquid but dries on the pod into a truly vast distances before it arrives at its destination.
thick, wet, dark-brown gum. After collecting the opium Coca plants are tall bushes that can grow as high as 18
gum, farmers cut the pods again to collect more. Each pod feet, when wild. However, farmers rarely allow cultivated
can be cut as many as three or four times. Although coca to grow taller than six feet. As many as three times a
growing opium is very easy, harvesting it is not. A single year, coca farmers come and harvest most of the plant’s
farmer can rarely harvest more than a pound of opium a leaves. These leaves can be chewed without further pro-
day. Many dozens of plants are required to produce a single cessing, but they are bulky and difficult to transport. The
pound of opium, and it takes a square mile of land planted Guild purchases the majority of all coca leaves sold.
thickly with opium poppies to produce a ton of opium. As Although many alchemists know how to produce unstable
a result, opium cultivation supplies these farmers with a rock cocaine, the Guild has a near monopoly on the secret
steady source of supplemental income, but they never of processing these leaves into ordinary cocaine.
become rich. However, all opium farmers are aware that

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

To produce rock cocaine, workers place coca leaves in wonderfully compact forms of wealth. Age-staving cor-
great vats full of a weak acid, such as vinegar or wood ash. dials, seven bounties paste and sweet cordials are all also
Laborers stomp and press the leaves to squeeze out their juices. exceedingly valuable. Much like raw gemstones and pre-
The resulting liquid is treated with alcohol to cause the cious metals, a single stolen crate or yeddim-load of one of
cocaine to crystallize out. These crystals are rock cocaine. The the most valuable drugs could transform a small band of
Guild rarely stops with rock cocaine because it is both less thieves from ragged beggars to hedge nobles eating roast
stable and far too destructive to its users. Instead, Guild meat off of silver plates. The risk of theft is far greater with
alchemists dissolve these white crystals in various chemicals the more expensive drugs, as is causal pilferage — an
and add other reagents to cause the drug to precipitate out as individual could carry away enough of these drugs under
pure cocaine. The only real difference between rock cocaine her cloak to live well for quite a while.
and ordinary cocaine is that rock cocaine does not dissolve in Despite many tall tales and ill-written plays, the Guild
water and so it can only be smoked. does not simply store such valuable commodities in large,
Rock cocaine is very easy to create, and this process uses poorly guarded warehouses. Guild factors keep the most
only widely available ingredients. However, the process valuable drugs in great safes guarded by talismans, soldiers,
needed to transform rock cocaine into ordinary cocaine heavy locks and, occasionally, simple but lethal traps. Except
requires specialized chemicals and techniques. Coca leaves for opium, which is the least expensive of the high-value
are normally transformed into rock cocaine at small local
drugs, the Guild does not transport any of its more valuable or
processing stations. Rock cocaine is far less bulky than dried
compact drugs in large shipments — instead, these drugs form
coca leaves — the Guild ships most of its rock cocaine to one
small portions of larger loads of diverse goods.
of the large nearby cities, including Cho-Holuth, Meresh
In particularly dangerous and lawless regions, such as
and Marita. Here, Guild alchemists convert rock cocaine
the Far North, where both bandits and Wyld barbarians
into ordinary cocaine, unless the Guild requires a supply of
are far too common, caravaneers often pack these easily
rock cocaine for economic warfare (see p. 62).
concealed valuables inside bales of grain or dried fruit or
OTHER AGRICULTURAL DRUGS store them in concealed compartments in the bottom of
Maiden tea and qat are both only grown in the East, merchant ships. Many of the best private smugglers are
while tobacco and marijuana are weed-like plants that can cargo masters who once worked with the Guild and learned
easily grow almost everywhere. All four plants are extremely the secrets of keeping extremely valuable goods both safe
easy to grow, and a single farmer can produce large quanti- and well hidden from thieves and tax assessors.
ties of the drug. As a result, all three of these drugs are The Guild ships opium as tough, black tar-like blocks
primarily grown by farmers, who grow these drugs as their packed inside burlap or canvas bags the size of an
main crop. Maiden tea and marijuana only need to be adolescent’s torso. When stored like this, opium is resis-
harvested, dried and then sold to the Guild for shipment. tant to water, cold and all but the most extreme heat. Each
Qat is equally easy to collect, but if it wishes to ship the drug bag contains enough opium for several thousand doses of
long distances, the Guild must coat the qat with a gum-like the drug. The Guild transports cocaine in both its raw
sap that it collects or buys from barbarians located in the Far state, as rock cocaine, and as ordinary cocaine. Rock
Southeast. However, none of these drugs require either cocaine is shipped as fist to head-sized chunks placed
complex processing or rare and expensive ingredients. together in the same types of bags used to transport opium.
Cocaine, heroin and age-staving cordial powder are
DRUG SHIPMENTS all extremely stable but water-soluble powders. The Guild
Talking about drug shipments as a general category is ships these drugs in tightly woven canvas bags stored in
no more useful than talking about metal shipments as a torso-sized hardwood boxes that are sealed and made
category — just as shipping gold ingots is different from watertight with wax or pitch. The Guild finds it easiest to
shipping pig iron, shipping heroin is different from shipping simply ship qat, maiden tea and tobacco as dried leaves
marijuana. Qat, coca leaves, marijuana and tobacco are packed in these same boxes, and ships marijuana buds in
relatively inexpensive drugs that users consume in relatively watertight wooden casks. Sweet cordials are shipped in
large quantities. The Guild loads whole caravans of yeddim narrow, man-sized ceramic amphorae, and seven bounties
with bales of qat or maiden tea and completely fills the holds paste is shipped as a soft paste packed into wide, flat
of large ships with tobacco. While considerably more valu- wooden trays sealed with wax and pitch.
able than a bushel of grain, stealing a cask of marijuana buds The Guild packages all of its drugs in well-guarded
is not going to make anyone rich for life, no matter how good warehouses staffed by trusted employees. The potential for
they are. Well-organized pirates and bandits sometimes raid losses due to pilferage is quite high, especially when pack-
ships carrying these drugs, but they are rarely anyone’s first aging expensive drugs such as sweet cordials or seven
choice in items to steal. bounties paste. The Guild normally does not divide up any
In contrast, because so little is needed for each dose, drugs into individual doses or package the drugs for sale
heroin, cocaine and, to a lesser extent, opium are all until they have arrived at the city or Guild trading post

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

where the Guild actually plans to sell the drugs to custom- purchase the less expensive drugs in units of a dozen doses
ers. In places where the Guild instead sells drugs to local and resell them by the dose in tiny twists of paper or leaves.
distributors, the Guild representatives normally peddle Such peddlers make money by almost doubling the price of
these drugs by the bag or box and leave it to the distributor these doses — a poor laborer might not be able to afford a
to divide up and package the drugs. dozen doses of opium, but she may be able to afford one
The way in which the Guild packages drugs for sale even without a bulk discount.
depends upon both the form these drugs are in and their Merchants sell the most expensive drugs such as sweet
cost. The Guild sells inexpensive drugs such as rock cordials, age-staving cordials, ghost flower, ice fern spoors,
cocaine and opium as several small rock-like crystals or rasp spider venom and seven bounties paste by the indi-
wads of dark gum wrapped in twists of cheap paper. Most vidual dose. Because anyone purchasing such drugs or
merchants also sell dried leaves such as tobacco, qat, medicines is a person of wealth and distinction, sellers
marijuana and maiden tea in the same fashion, although package these drugs in inexpensively decorated glass vials
sellers occasionally package maiden tea in cheaply made or small chased tins of brass or even silver. The cost of these
jars made from bark or horn — members of the upper tins is only a small fraction of the cost of the drugs, and few
classes who wish to use maiden tea generally prefer the of the wealthy are willing to buy potent medicines pack-
fancier containers. aged like the blackish opium gum sold to dock workers.
In most places, merchants sell both heroin and co- In every city, there are beggars and scavengers who
caine as powders packaged in small inexpensively made extract these empty tins from the garbage middens of the
tubes of wood or tin. Depending on the seller, these tubes wealthy. These scavengers scrape or boil the tiny drug
hold between a half-dozen to a dozen doses. Most buyers remnants out of the containers and combine these dregs to
purchase these drugs in such quantities, and apothecaries either use or sell to disreputable apothecaries and drug
and drug parlors that sell the drugs in bulk prefer to sell parlors. The only times this does not occur is when an
multiple doses at once. However, drug parlors that dis- aristocrat’s own servants collect these empty containers
pense drugs for use on the premises normally purchase the for the same purpose. A few of the most decadent nobles
drugs by the bag or the box, since they are going to divide add small amounts of poisons or other impurities to the
them up into individual doses for sale at higher prices. dregs of their drugs to ensure that anyone who makes use
Similarly, many extremely small-scale peddlers who also of such remnants greatly regrets the experience.
sell snacks and herbal medicines of dubious effectiveness

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

SUPERNATURAL TRANSPORT several of the Sidereals and Dynasts who control the
Realm know that she helps the Guild sell drugs.
Like most residents of the Threshold, many Guild
members honor and worship the local gods and elementals.
Mostly, this worship is designed to placate potentially
SELLING DRUGS
hostile spirits. However, the Guild caravan leaders have Recreational drugs, especially addictive recreational
also managed to obtain a number of exceedingly valuable drugs, are remarkably easy to sell to regular users. Addicts
services from certain gods. Making the proper offerings to need their fix, and anyone who regularly uses qat or mari-
certain road spirits (see Games of Divinity, pp. 39-40) juana to make it through the day will almost always pay the
allows caravans to double their normal movement rates silver penny or two necessary to get a weeks’ bag of his
while on roads controlled by the spirits. Making offerings favorite drug. However, many of these drugs, especially the
to Burning Feather, Lady of Intoxicants, (see Games of addictive ones, ruin users’ lives, shorten their life spans and
Divinity, pp. 28-29) sometimes enables Guild members to devour most of their money. As a result, persuading people
instantly send messages to factors throughout Creation who don’t take these drugs to become users or, more prefer-
about local drug shortages or surpluses. Performing similar ably, addicts can be a somewhat challenging task. In a city
offerings to other powerful spirits can allow the Guild to where it is obvious that cocaine and opium addicts are
send small shipments of drugs thousands of miles in a few pathetic wretches who almost everyone holds in contempt,
minutes. While all such supernatural favors are infrequent convincing someone to join their number is not easy.
at best, even sporadic miracles can be exceedingly useful. The Guild has come up with several successful strategies
Although none of the gods the Guild regularly deals to create new addicts. Most focus on the young — since most
with are powerful enough to transport an entire caravan or addicts never permanently overcome their addictions, a
even a single merchant ship across long distances, even a young addict is going to be paying the Guild for drugs for many
single pack horse or a full ox-cart full of drugs such as sweet decades. The Guild regularly pays messengers and the other
cordials, seven bounties paste, heroin, opium or cocaine can mostly young casual laborers that it employs at least partly in
carry many thousands of doses. The price exacted by the opium or cocaine. Most of these youths sell these drugs to
spirits providing these Charms can be quite high. However, addicts and drug parlors, but some are curious and try a dose.
the chance to make huge profits by taking advantage of a While many never try another, the quick joy these drugs
local shortage can more than offset these costs. produce tempts some to try the drugs again. With cheap,
Although they cannot equal the supernatural prowess regular access to these drugs, it is relatively easy for one of
of the more powerful gods and elementals, the Dragon- these young laborers to become an addict, especially if he
Blooded can also use their Charms and spells to aid in both begins buying more of these drugs from his fellow youths.
transportation and communication. Unlike the Dynasts of Also, Guild factors instruct both their own merchants and
the Realm, who frequently bully elementals into doing local retailers to give discounts to anyone unfamiliar with
their bidding, the Guild only makes use of such services their drugs. Some taverns even go so far as to include a free
when there is great need. Although its membership in- pipe of opium with the patron’s first drink on certain holidays.
cludes a few outcaste Dragon-Blooded sorcerers, the Guild Owners often give regular customers at drug parlors discounts
does not wish to become too dependent upon their ser- for bringing in new customers. This practice is but one of
vices, and these Exalts are also too few to make a major many reasons that long-term opium, heroin and cocaine
impact on Guild operations. As a result, the majority of the addicts have few friends who are not themselves addicts —
time the Guild uses no magic other than talismans and everyone else long ago grew tired of the addict attempting to
minor offering to lesser spirits. get cheaper drugs by persuading them to try some.
However, the drug trade specifically benefits from the Another way the Guild gets new customers earns it
aid of various spirits because most senior Guild drug both praise and hatred. The Guild normally gives a dis-
merchants regularly make large offerings to Burning Feather. count on opium and heroin to chirurgeons. Since both of
Although almost no Guild leaders involved in the drug these drugs are excellent painkillers, they are invaluable
trade sample their own drugs, they do everything from for the treatment of most injuries. Almost everyone in
requiring addicts in some Guild-run opium dens to pray to pain, especially if their pain is at all prolonged, has said at
Burning Feather before they can purchase opium to offer- least a few heartfelt prayers to the goddess Burning Feather
ing minor artifacts to her. for the wondrous surcease that her opium provides. Heal-
Because of the Guild’s central role in producing and ers and their patients find no fault with the Guild’s
selling all manner of drugs throughout the world, Burning generosity, but some realize that greed as much as altruism
Feather has a loose alliance with the organization and is behind this practice.
occasionally provides minor aid to Guild drug merchants Anyone who ends up taking large amounts of opium
and helps convince other spirits to aid the Guild. She or heroin for pain for more than a few weeks usually ends
knows that her continued power depends upon the Guild’s up addicted. Patients who recover usually become long-
continued success in selling drugs. No one outside the term addicts. The Guild provides a range of services and
Guild knows the specifics of this unofficial patronship, but

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

incentives to chirurgeons who prescribe opium, cocaine Of course, plagues also provide yet another opportu-
and heroin to patients more freely than is perhaps strictly nity for the Guild to use its economic power as a tool to aid
necessary. Many chirurgeons refuse to needlessly promote its political ends. States are almost always in turmoil
the use of these drugs, but enough do that the Guild finds during plagues, and the Guild frequently peddles its medi-
the practice quite profitable. Most Guild factors also cines in regions held by the side it favors in a civil war or
arrange to provide small amounts of cheap or even free palace dispute. Even simply reducing or raising the prices
opium and rock cocaine to hospices that care for the dying. of medicines during an epidemic can shift the course of a
This small charity may not make the Guild any money, but civil war or cement an alliance between the Guild and
it does help quiet many of its more vocal opponents. some local government. If the side the Guild backs loses
the war, the Guild has gained another enemy. However,
SELLING MEDICINES the Guild is highly skilled at economic warfare, and
Selling medicines such as sweet cordials or age-stav- between bribes of valuable medicines and threats of em-
ing cordials is far easier. Everyone instantly realizes the bargoes, only the bravest or most fanatical leaders remain
benefits of these wonders and is willing to pay for the unwilling to deal with the Guild.
privilege of having access to them. Many women would
kill for access to maiden tea, and kingdoms have fallen REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN DRUG SALES
over questions of access to age-staving cordials or seven The world of the Age of Sorrows is exceedingly
bounties paste. Everyone who needs these drugs will pay diverse, and the drug trade varies greatly by region.
whatever they can conceivably afford. As a result, the cost
of these drugs bears little relation to the expense of either THE REALM
their ingredients or their production. Instead, the Guild The Guild sells large amounts of medicines such as
simply charges a price that will maximize its profits. As a seven bounties paste, sweet cordials, maiden tea and age-
result, the only question the Guild has is how to price these staving cordials to House Cynis. The members of this
commodities. In reality, sweet cordials cost no more to house then resell these drugs inside the Realm. The Dynasts
produce than seven bounties paste. However, illnesses are also permit Cynis-sponsored merchants to sell mild
far more common than the types of serious injuries that euphorics and stimulants such as qat, marijuana and to-
require sweet cordials — the market for seven bounties bacco. However, highly potent or addictive drugs such as
paste is larger, and so, they sell it more cheaply. cocaine, opium and heroin are all strictly forbidden, and
The only other factor is scarcity. While maiden tea is supernatural drugs such as bright morning (see Scavenger
quite abundant in the East and is not difficult to grow Sons, pp. 32-3), ice fern spores, rasp spider venom or ghost
elsewhere, age-staving cordials are made by combining a flower can only be sold to Dragon-Blooded. Anyone con-
rare jungle plant and an equally rare clam, while both victed of selling such drugs illegally is enslaved, and
seven bounties paste and sweet cordials require several rare anyone taking these drugs illegally is whipped. All impe-
and unusual ingredients to produce. As a result, the Guild rial citizens and everyone who trades there knows of these
cannot provide enough of these three drugs to supply laws. However, the Realm’s rules on drugs are actually
everyone who needs or wants them. Instead, senior Guild considerably more complex.
members decide how much to charge for these drugs based Naturally, the Realm wishes to avoid the majority of
upon supply and demand. its citizens becoming stuperous addicts whose only goal is
The Guild typically raises the price of seven bounties to find some way to obtain their next fix. However, the
paste during local plagues. However, in many cases, Dynasts also use the fact that these drugs are illegal as a
prices increase simply because there are local shortages of way to both enrich their coffers and to control the
the drug. Foolish and greedy Guild factors used to raise populace, which is why the Realm forbids any drugs that
the price of this remedy drastically during plagues. Un- allow mortals to performs feats reserved for the Dragon-
fortunately, on several occasions, the desperate populace Blooded. Nevertheless, there is a high demand for many
focused its fear and anger on the Guild, killed all local illegal drugs at all levels of society — wealthy patricians
Guild personnel and raided its storehouses. Although, in can evade the law fairly easily, and small amounts of
theory, the Guild has no problem profiting from local cocaine and heroin are a feature at many of the wilder
disasters, its leaders learned long ago that if they use the parties held by the rich.
Guild’s vast economic power incorrectly, they could call However, the lower and middle classes have a far
down upon themselves the murderous wrath of angry more difficult time obtaining illegal intoxicants. In the
mobs with nothing to lose. Today, the price of seven Realm, a large number of small-scale competing criminal
bounties paste can go quite high during local epidemics. syndicates smuggle in various illegal drugs and sell them
However, all Guild factors are forbidden from inflating to anyone who can meet their prices. The Realm knows
the prices of drugs more than threefold — prices higher a great deal about these syndicates and carefully monitors
than this are too likely to create a level of resentment that their activities though the use of Charms, spies and paid
can cause riots. informants. The Dynasts make certain that the various

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

syndicates remain small and antagonistic — they do

not want any of these groups to grow powerful enough
to provide a threat to the power of the imperial
houses.
As a result, the Dynasts put a stop to any attempts
at mergers or long-term alliances between criminal
syndicates by arresting and enslaving everyone in-
volved in these efforts. However, the Dynasts have no
desire to completely wipe out these syndicates. The
leaders of all of the local drug syndicates regularly pay
large bribes to the Dynasts, providing a significant
source of unreported income to the coffers of the
Dragon-Blooded who help police the Realm’s drug
trade. Also, the drug syndicates offer a relatively harm-
less place for highly ambitious and amoral mortals to
expend their energy — the Dynasts would far rather
have these people peddling intoxicants to shop keep-
ers than engaged in activities that might actually
threaten the safety and stability of the Realm.
The leaders of the Guild are far from happy about
the loss of a potential market as large and prosperous as
the Realm. However, in return for its agreement to
severely limit drug sales on the Blessed Isle, the Realm
has granted the Guild an exclusive monopoly on
medicine sales to House Cynis and on opium sales to
the rich agricultural states of the Northern coast. Also,
the Dynasts have only prohibited the legal sale of
addictive drugs — naturally, the various criminal
syndicates that sell opium, cocaine and heroin in the
Realm all purchase their drugs from the Guild. To
avoid the Realm’s wrath, the Guild honors its agree-
ment to sell only a limited amount of these drugs in the
Realm, but it charges high prices for those that it does
sell and makes a very nice profit on this endeavor.

THE THRESHOLD
Because it can only sell small amounts of addictive
drugs in the Realm, the Guild makes the vast majority
of its drug sales in the Threshold. Although selling
drugs in the Threshold is much like selling any other
commodity, sales in the Realm-dominated Northern
coast and in the Guild-run border stations are both
sufficiently different to be worth special mention.

THE NORTHERN COAST

Although all of the Guild’s recreational drugs are
forbidden in the Realm, their sale is both legal and
encouraged in the agriculturally rich states of the North-
ern coast. In Cherak and the other cities and farming
villas of this highly productive land, the Dragon-Blooded
and other wealthy landowners issue the agricultural
serfs small daily rations of qat and opium and often
reward especially bright or innovative serfs with both
cocaine and additional supplies of opium. The land-
owners are well aware of the problems that drug use on
such a massive scale causes and know full well that

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

agricultural productivity would rise by more than a tenth if stations are some of the Guild’s most profitable operations.
the serfs were not using these drugs almost constantly. The Guild typically maintains a dozen or more border
However, these same landowners have also seen the massive stations around the borders of prosperous nations that
peasant revolts that occurred in the past and know that a forbid drug sales. Here, the Guild sells its drugs directly to
docile populace that eagerly awaits its next dose of various middle men and local distributors, as well as to local users
drugs is worth almost any reasonable drop in productivity. who live near the station.
Also, the fact that the landowners are the ones who control Border stations begin as small frontier outposts that sell
the supply of drugs means that they can keep productivity all manner of drugs, as well as food and supplies for patrons
relatively high by cutting the drug supply if productivity who have traveled long distances to purchase these drugs.
falls. To maintain a steady supply of opium, the serfs must Most stations also contain an inn where weary patrons can
remain functional. spend the night before returning home. Most of those who
The rulers of these states wish for the agricultural serfs to come to these border stations are local distributors who
spend their meager amounts of free time in a drug-induced make a living reselling these goods within their own coun-
stupor rather than risk having the serfs plotting against their tries, believing the large profits they make offset the dangers
powerful masters. Naturally, the Guild supplies all of these of selling these illegal commodities. These distributors nor-
drugs. The rulers of these Northern states are the Guild’s mally mark up the prices of most drugs by a factor of 10 or
biggest customers, and every one of the Guild’s caravans and more. As a result, many of the patrons of the border stations
round-bodied merchant ships that arrives at Cherak carries a are citizens who live just across the border. These individu-
large shipment of qat, cocaine and opium. These drug ship- als simply walk or ride out to the stations and buy their drugs
ments are part of the complex agreement the Guild has with for far less than they could pay for them at home. So long as
the Realm. In return for not contesting the Realm’s control these citizens only purchase drugs for their own use, the
of what drugs it permits inside its borders, House Cynis jealous distributors rarely care.
granted the Guild a complete monopoly on drug supplies to In time, successful border stations frequently grow into
the Northern coastal states and makes certain that the land actual towns that serve as trading posts for all manner of
owners in these states do not buy their drugs from anyone else. foreign goods — traders from all over the nearby state come
However, opium sales in the cities are extremely limited — to buy and sell a wide variety of goods. In many cases, drugs
although the Dragon-Blooded land owners want their serfs to become only one of the many commodities bought and sold
be helpless drug addicts, the mortal rulers have no desire to there. Aj-Aran, located just across the western border of the
have the skilled workers and bureaucrats that live in the cities Varang City-States started out as a border station two centu-
to become similarly useless. ries ago. Today, it is a thriving town of almost 10,000 where
traders from all over the South come to buy Varang goods
BORDER STATIONS without having to actually deal with the restrictive and highly
Although some tyrants are overjoyed with the idea that constrained customs faced by anyone who actually lives and
their populace mostly consists of docile drug addicts, the rulers trades within the Varang cities. The Guild still sells drugs in
of most nations wish to avoid the many problems that occur Aj-Aran, but it is not one of the major commodities, and few
when drugged citizens stumble mindlessly through their jobs remember that this town started out as a border station where
and spend most of their income buying yet more foreign- Varang drug users came to purchase their supplies.
grown drugs from the Guild. Since it is possible for the upper Other border stations specialize — some become
ranks of society to obtain alternate (if inferior and more expanding dens of vice and crime, where criminals come
expensive) sources of age-staving cordials, sweet cordials and to fence their loot and jaded visitors sample expensive
other valuable medicines, a few nations simply refuse to drugs, exotic prostitutes, high-stakes gambling and a host
accept any of the Guild’s drugs. Others, such as Gem, are of less savory entertainments. Protected by a good-sized
important enough trading partners that they can obtain garrison of Guild militia from both local officials who wish
promises that the Guild will not sell addictive drugs within to shut them down and bandits who wish to steal their
their boundaries. More accurately, the Guild promises not to profits, these border stations are widely hated — but are
sell such drugs to anyone except criminals and the wealthy. also exceedingly popular and profitable. A few of these
However, unlike the Realm, almost none of these places have grown into small towns devoted solely to vice.
nations are powerful enough to convince the Guild to One of these towns is a vile pit popularly known as
actually limit the drugs they sell to the nation’s citizens. Scab. Located just to the south of the Realm-controlled
The Guild’s most common solution to selling drugs to such city of Greyfalls, Scab is a thriving, if dangerous and ugly,
nations is setting up border stations — commerce stations town of almost 5,000 hearty and amoral souls. The Guild
located just outside of the borders of Threshold kingdoms garrison there works to prevent open murder and theft and
that prohibit drug sales. Located in nations that have no protects the lives and property of Guild personnel and the
laws against such commodities or in wilderness areas town’s wealthier customers. However, the garrison does
where no one can effectively police them, these border not concern itself with lesser matters such as the capture

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

and enslavement of the poor or robberies that happen DRUG SALES IN REGIONS WHERE
behind closed doors — so long as no one important is
robbed. Except for the well-guarded Guild personnel, the THEY ARE FORBIDDEN
only long-term residents are either those on the run from As anyone in the Age of Sorrows can tell you, vice is
multiple nearby states or the well-protected representa- impossible to forbid. Even the Perfect of Paragon does not
tives of various local organized-crime syndicates. utterly forbid his people access to recreational drugs, lest
However, some border stations avoid this fate and, he watch much of his population writhing in the pain of
instead, become places of surprising refinement that cater to their transgressions every night. Everyone knows that
an exclusive clientele. With the dangerous but enticing making various recreational drugs illegal merely makes
carnal delights of Nexus located only a few hundred miles to them more expensive and difficult to acquire, not less
the East, the Guild knew that any border station they popular. Of course, as was mentioned above, this is suffi-
located near Lookshy would have to possess a somewhat cient for the rulers of many states.
different character. The small resort town of Centak, lo- Only a few states ruled by fanatics or fools attempt to
cated just to the north of the lands controlled by Lookshy is forbid drugs that grow abundantly within their boundaries
an exclusive resort used by the more open-minded of — few sovereigns in the coastal sections of the East or in
Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded and by wealthy mortals seeking the Scavenger Lands attempt to forbid their populace from
unusual forms of entertainment. In addition to discretely using qat or marijuana, and alcohol is accepted almost
selling drugs to illegal distributors from Lookshy, the mer- everywhere. However, imported drugs are a drain on both
chants of Centak sell both the finest drugs and the best wealth and productivity and so are forbidden far more
medicines to the mortals and Dragon-Blooded who actually often. Where they are illegal, these drugs are mostly used
visit Centak. Dragon-Blooded gain access to the best high- by rebellious youths, criminals and members of the middle
quality longevity drugs and powerful healing artifacts that and upper classes. Although many of the poorer residents
the Guild has smuggled out of the Realm, and mortals of such states have tried drugs such as cocaine or opium,
partake of the finest medicines and intoxicants the Guild few can afford to be regular users.
has access to. In addition, skilled chirurgeons working for Dangerous criminals are the primary drug sellers in
the Guild attempt to treat all of the visitors’ ills. Also, nations where drug sales are illegal. These individuals freely
Centak offers extremely high stakes gambling, where Dragon- maim or kill any potential competitors or anyone who
Blooded have been known to wager everything from lavish threatens to turn them in. Such people often cut their drugs
villas to (on rare occasions) jade warstriders. Add in the with useless or even dangerous substances ranging from salt
finest entertainers, highly skilled prostitutes and discrete and culinary herbs to (hopefully) small amounts of poisonous
but ever-present guards who keep anything from troubling berries and other toxins that sometimes make impure and
paying patrons, and visitors from Lookshy can look forward diluted drugs seem more potent. Users who unknowingly
to a thoroughly enjoyable stay. Of course, the joys offered in purchase tainted or useless drugs have no recourse beyond
Centak are one of the primary reasons that Lookshy’s attempting to find another supplier. In the vast majority of
Dragon-Blooded rulers have not attempted to shut it down cases, local law-enforcement officers and judges take bribes
as a way to stop the drug trade that originates there. from drug suppliers to overlook their offenses — as a result,
While the rulers of some nations object to the Guild guards most often arrest and punish those who make com-
placing border stations nearby, other princes and queens plaints of tainted drugs, while leaving the sellers free.
find this arrangement perfectly equitable. Where drugs are Depending upon just how strict the laws are against
illegal, prices are higher, and few of the poor can afford selling recreational drugs, they may be sold out of the houses
them. Instead, drugs are primarily used by members of the of the suppliers, at certain shops or in the private back rooms
middle and upper classes and are, at best, infrequent treats of taverns and restaurants. Gaining access to such places
for the poor. Both the cost of the drugs and the fact that may involve knowing a complex and changing series of code
their use must be hidden help to limit their negative effects phrases, and in the strictest states, dealers will have their
on the populace. Also, most of those who sell these drugs aides check out everyone who asks to purchase drugs.
are quite willing to supply regular bribes to various officials.
Such payments provide a useful source of income for the DRUG SALES WHERE THEY ARE PERMITTED
guards and militias of these kingdoms. Some states that permit the sale of addictive drugs have
few problems with overuse — in much of the North, anyone
DRUGS SALES IN THE foolish enough to become a shambling wreck rarely lives long.
Few people sleep or fall unconscious in alleys in a city where
REST OF THE THRESHOLD they will freeze solid during the winter. Similarly, while the
Although the process of selling drugs is fairly similar people of the Haltan Republic make certain that children and
throughout the Threshold, sales tactics are very different people who are old or disabled have the help they need to get
in nations where drugs and legal and where they are not. around, the intoxicated must rely upon their friends to keep

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

them from falling out of the trees or thoughtlessly climb-

ing down to the forest floor. In general, cities located in
harsh and difficult environments have few problems with
the overuse of such drugs, as those who abuse them rarely
survive long and others learn from their mistakes.
In addition, some peoples, such as the Haslanti of
the Far North and the Haltan of the East, have learned
how to use a wide variety of drugs safely. In regions
where rulers forbid the use of drugs or where all good
citizens see them as the refuge of the desperate and the
hopeless, few people learn how to use them safely or in
moderation. However, peoples such as the Haslanti
and the Haltans have long traditions of ritual drug use
as part of their religions.
In the Haslanti League, marijuana and opium are
sold in markets and are used at home in private reli-
gious ceremonies where the person attempts to get in
touch with the sacred source of dreams — overuse is
rarely a problem among the Haslanti because drugs are
used almost exclusively for spiritual purposes. The
Haltan believe various drugs bring them closer to the
spirits of the forest they live in. In these and similar
nations, young people are taught the proper uses of
everything from rasp spider venom to opium. Individu-
als who use various drugs in moderation and avoid
addiction and overdoses are well regarded. However,
most people in these lands see anyone who overuses
any drug as either someone who is ill and in need of
treatment or as a pathetic wretch worthy only of scorn.
Elsewhere, similar attitudes toward overindul-
gence are also common. Life in rural and wilderness
areas is mostly too harsh and demanding for people to
tolerate farm hands or family members who do not pull
their weight, and the population is too small for addicts
to go unnoticed. Conditions are much the same on
many of the smaller islands of the West. On an island
with a population of a few thousand, every resident is
well known, and having access to everyone’s labor for
harvesting crops and setting the larger nets is too vital
for residents to tolerate apathetic, slack-jawed addicts.
In contrast to attitudes on the less populated
islands, the few large cities of the West have a very
open and accepting attitude toward most drug use.
Merchants sell drugs in open-air markets, and most
users take them and then go about their business.
While this means that the most seriously addicted are
of little use, almost everyone else has learned to main-
tain at least a minimum level of functionality. So long
as an individual does not need to perform some vital
task and avoids creating a disturbance, the relatively
carefree inhabitants of Wavecrest see nothing wrong
with someone enjoying himself publicly. In the Coral
Archipelago, most people see those who lose them-
selves in drugs are failures who are unworthy of notice,
and so, the inhabitants have a similarly dismissive
attitude toward public intoxication.

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Addictive drugs are only a serious problem in large escort them home. The best keepers work for one of a small
cities where addicts can be fairly anonymous and in cli- number of highly respected agencies — cheap keepers
mates that are sufficiently mild that sleeping on the streets sometimes lead clients straight into the hands of those who
or in abandoned buildings is not instantly lethal for much would rob or kidnap them.
of the year. Unfortunately, most of the Scavenger Lands In most Southern cities where drugs are legal, mer-
and the coastal portions of the South fit those criteria. In chants sell them in special parlors — each drug is sold in
both regions, there are many large cities, and the weather a different sort of parlor. Even in cities where these drugs
is generally comfortable and mild. As a result, many of are legal, the strict mores of the South dictate that no one
these cities have serious problems with addictive drugs. should wander the streets while seriously intoxicated.
The worst problems are to be found in Nexus and While few care about these rules in the poorest neighbor-
Chiaroscuro — since both cities are major centers of trade, hoods, elsewhere, those who stagger around while
drugs are easily available and slightly less expensive than intoxicated are targets of public ridicule, and if they do not
normal. Also, both cities have large numbers of desper- have rich or powerful friends, they may end up paying a
ately poor inhabitants who are eager for any escape they fine or spending a week helping to repair roads or perform-
can find from the dreary suffering that makes up the ing other menial but necessary tasks.
majority of their lives. Chiaroscuro’s Old City is a classic
example of what such drugs can do. The only people who DRUGS AND POLITICS
move there are those who have lost all hope of making a Drugs are more than just a moneymaker for the Guild,
good life in the vast city and who are either too poor to they are also a significant political tool. Guild leaders are
leave or who have nowhere else to go. Day after day, most perfectly aware of the effect various drugs have on the people
of the residents of the Old City drown their sorrows in a who use them, and its factors in various cities keep careful
mixture of marijuana, cheap wine and opium. The worst note of local variations in drug use. By declaring a local
off sell their bodies or beg for enough money to obtain shortage and withholding some of its normal drug ship-
more drugs and enough food to keep themselves alive, ments to a city or state, the Guild can produce significant
while the rest scavenge and sell ancient trinkets, muck out social unrest as prices go up and people attempt to horde the
stables or work at other ill-paying mindless jobs such as remaining supplies of drugs. Alternately, although it rarely
collecting shards of the ancient vermilion glass to obtain uses this tactic, the Guild also sometimes reduces prices
enough money to make it through one more day. locally to help encourage more people to use drugs. In a
A few of the more motivated or more desperate region where laws have changed and drugs that were previ-
residents instead make use of the false joy and borrowed ous forbidden are newly legal, the Guild often sells its first
vigor of cocaine. Forgoing sleep and often food, they few shipments at a significant discount to encourage every-
become tireless, if often careless, pickpockets and burglars one to try these new intoxicants. Also, in areas with
— many sport a missing hand to prove that their thefts significant social unrest, low-cost drugs can cause many of
have not always been entirely successful. In places such as the poorer dissidents to temporarily forget their complaints.
the less-ruined buildings on the outskirts of the Old City, The Guild is sometimes willing to come to the aid of friendly
there are a multitude of inns that carry every form of politicians by lowering the price of popular drugs such as
inexpensive intoxicant that one could desire — beer, marijuana or opium for several months.
wine, qat, opium and all of the other options are available When a state in the Threshold is undergoing any form
for those who can pay. The costs are generally quite low, of open rebellion, the Guild often charges different sides and
but so is the quality, and few connoisseurs of fine wines regions significantly different prices for all forms of drugs and
patronize these ill-kept establishments. medicines. As a result, many of the common people will
In less desperate regions, drugs are sold and used in a leave the side that is being charged higher prices in an effort
wide variety of different settings, depending upon the local to obtain more affordable intoxicants and medicines. In this
customs surrounding intoxication. In most of Nexus and in way, the Guild can take sides in such conflicts without
many other cities throughout the Scavenger Lands, inn- resorting to less subtle tactics such as arms sales or sending
keepers openly sell drugs in almost every inn that does not Guild mercenaries to aid one side or the other.
specifically cater to stolid foreigners who abhor such The Guild sometimes performs more subtle manipula-
pleasures. Many people use these drugs at the inn, and tions by varying the quality and purity of its drugs and
some who can afford to do so rent a small room at the inn medicines. Although it almost never risks the outcry that
until the effects wear off to prevent them from having to would result from selling poisoned or unsafe drugs, selling
wander the streets in a state that makes them easy prey for significantly stronger or weaker versions of drugs such as
all manner of criminals. However, many others take their cocaine or opium can have a profound affect on people who
drugs at the inn and then go off to some party or other have gotten used to a specific strength of dose as “normal.”
destination. Most wealthy and middle-class individuals This tactic has allowed the Guild to secretly stop several
who do this pay special guides and linkmen, known as local rebellions and to foment several others. When selling
keepers, to take them safely to their destinations or to a drug to a region where it has not previously been available,

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

the Guild sometimes makes the first few shipments quite rock cocaine, the Guild’s manipulations effects all facets of
weak, allowing people to use it without becoming addicted. the society. The Guild sometimes uses discrete local mer-
Then, once the ruler is convinced that this drug does not chants to sell the rock cocaine, to attempt to reduce any
seem to be a problem and the populace is used to using anti-Guild backlash against its efforts.
moderate amounts of the weak drug to obtain a pleasant Few governments survive such attacks. Those that do
buzz, future shipments are of normal potency. Casual users normally capitulate to the Guild’s demands to prevent
can rapidly become addicts, and to many rulers, the prob- them from ever again becoming the target of another such
lems seem more the fault of their citizens than the Guild. attack. However, the selling of rock cocaine is a tactic of
last resort. The Guild never starts this sort of economic
ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC WARFARE warfare without careful deliberation, especially since it
Opium forms the majority of the Guild’s drug sales. can take a region a decade or more to recover from a
Though it sells a wide variety of drugs, many are either concerted economic attack. Producing this sort of eco-
expensive in themselves or are only produced in one loca- nomic ruin means that Guild profits in that same region
tion and so are expensive to transport worldwide. In contrast, will take even longer to recover.
opium grows almost everywhere in the world, it’s inexpen- The most recent example of the Guild’s economic
sive, and it is a relatively safe and highly addictive drug. warfare happened seven years ago in the Southern city-
In many ways, opium is the ideal product for the state of Dan-Far-Noh. The pair of oligarchs who ruled
Guild. Because it is so addictive, the Guild can easily build Dan-Far-Noh encountered financial difficulties when the
up a reliable customer base — few addicts ever willingly low-level conflict between Gem and Paragon caused trade
give it up. Even better, while opium addiction can easily routes to shift. In an effort to help restore prosperity to Dan-
destroy someone’s life, it is almost never fatal, even when Far-Noh, the oligarchs significantly raised all tariffs. The
the addict overdoses. As a result, addicts usually live for oligarchs also placed the blame for the city-state’s financial
many decades — they tend to die a decade or more sooner troubles firmly on the Guild. After a Guild embargo de-
than non-addicts, but the Guild can easily obtain at least signed to force Dan-Far-Noh to lower its tariffs, the populace
20 years of regular sales from each addict. Opium also does rioted and burned down a Guild trading station, killing
not cause addicts to become agitated or violent. Regular several Guild personnel. Shortly after that, bandits based
opium users are unlikely to start revolutions or otherwise out of Dan-Far-Noh began raiding Guild caravans. Several
attempt to upset the social order. Opium addiction may nearby city-states were sympathetic to the events occurring
impoverish a nation, but it will almost never destroy it in Dan-Far-Noh, so the Guild avoided military force be-
unless the opium supply is cut off suddenly. Finally, opium cause it did not want to risk having these states form a
is both compact and easy to transport. The Guild plans for large-scale alliance against the Guild. Instead, the Guild
the long term, and its leaders are canny enough to realize placed a total embargo on all opium sales to Dan-Far-Noh
that focusing solely on short-term profits is a foolish policy and used its soldiers to prevent any of the neighboring states
that can lead to boom and bust cycles that can wreak havoc from selling opium to the residents of this city-state. Then,
with any large organization. the Guild paid local peddlers to sell rock cocaine. Since the
In contrast, selling rock cocaine to the residents of a peddlers belonged to a despised local caste, they were eager
nation means that the Guild is interested in bankrupting to help disrupt their homeland and agreed to keep the
the nation and turning its people against the nation’s source of these drugs secret. Although the government
leaders. Typically, the Guild will flood the nation with killed dozens of peddlers, the sale of rock cocaine in Dan-
inexpensive rock cocaine and then allow the supply to run Far-Noh soared — bringing with it a serious increase in all
out. After the social chaos dies down, it will sell more rock types of crime, including a rise in random violence. Be-
cocaine. It rarely takes more than two cycles of selling the tween the economic collapse and rising crime, the people
drug and then cutting off the supply (combined with began to turn against the oligarchs. Guild agitators trained
skillfully planting rumors that the government is respon- bands of peddlers in the basics of revolutionary organiza-
sible for the supply being cut off) to cause vast social and tion, and the members of this caste soon formed the nucleus
economic upheaval. of a growing revolutionary movement.
This strategy is most effective when the nation in The Guild supplied these rebels with arms and a
question already contains a large population of opium surplus of medicines in return for promises of open trade
addicts. The Guild first announces that it is unable to with the Guild. These medicines persuaded many citizens
deliver opium to that nation. Then, as the addicts begin to to join the rebels, and after four years of increasing unrest,
panic, the Guild offers an alternative drug (rock cocaine) the people rose up, mobbed the oligarchs’ palace and
to help ease the addicts’ cravings. In almost all cases, stoned them both to death. Immediately after that, the
addicts find rock cocaine to be at least as enticing as opium. Guild ceased selling rock cocaine to the peddlers and
With no alternative other than the pains of withdrawal, finalized its deals with the new government. Today, Dan-
most of the opium addicts sate their cravings with rock Far-Noh remains quite poor but is showing signs of gradually
cocaine. When thousands or even millions of people take increasing prosperity.

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

RESPONSE TO RESISTING DRUG SALES Whitewall contains over a million residents. The long
winters and the constant threat of attack by both the undead
With access to potent medicines as a carrot, the Guild and the Fair Folk mean that many of its residents would
has managed to gain permission to sell its addictive wares happily seek solace in the fleeting joys of an opium pipe.
in most nations other than the Realm. However, some Unfortunately, the three Syndics who rule Whitewall
rulers see the havoc opium and similar drugs have caused wished to avoid having a large part of their population
and attempt to halt the sale of those drugs in their realms. turned into useless opium addicts or potentially violent
In many cases, the Guild is willing to work around such cocaine users. Also, the Syndics were concerned that
problems and simply set up border stations. However, the someone under the influence of one of these drugs might
Guild’s leaders hate to lose an especially profitable market, succumb to the empty promises and cunning threats that
and so, they occasionally attempt to prevent nations from both the Fair Folk and the dead constantly use to attempt
halting drug sales. Most of these attempted rebellions to gain access to Whitewall. To avoid these problems, the
against the Guild’s economic dominance fail, generally Syndics decreed that both opium and cocaine could not be
around the time the upper classes realize that they no bought or sold inside the city. The realities of life in
longer have access to their precious medicines and longev- Whitewall made this decree unusually effective — the
ity drugs. The following three incidents should help entire population of the city-state surrounding Whitewall
illustrate the possible range of outcomes to attempting to sleeps inside the city walls. Once night falls, anyone who
resist the Guild’s drug sales. is not either inside the city walls or standing on the
WHITEWALL Traveler’s Road is fair game for both the Fair Folk and the
dead. This makes discrete drugs sales quite difficult.
Several years ago, rebellions began to trouble the
As a result, the Guild found few local distributors who
Realm-controlled coastal states of the North. Beginning
were willing to sell opium and other drugs in the city. Also,
shortly after over a third of the Realm’s peacekeeping troops
the Syndics are immortal spirits of ice and silver who have
departed to help deal with troubles on the Blessed Isle, these
no use for mortal medicines. While the local nobles and
rebellions meant that the demand for opium in the coastal
merchants were far from happy when the Guild cut off the
states went down. The Guild attempted to find a lucrative
supplies of various medicines, these worthies were not in
Northern market for the drugs produced in the North to use
any position to attempt to overthrow the Syndics.
up its new surpluses. The Haslanti buy only limited amounts
In its last attempt to open Whitewall to drug sales, the
of the Guild’s recreational drugs and trade with the Haltan
Guild imposed an embargo on this city. Since the Traveler’s
Republic for most of the medicines they need. However,

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Road is kept safe by powerful supernatural pacts, neither the Alom Vilag was most noted as a nation of dyers and
Guild nor the Syndics was willing to risk blockading it, but potters. The excellent kaolin clay from the Razek cliffs
for a period of almost a year, the Guild refused to buy or sell that separate Alom Vilag from Chiaroscuro was an easily
goods in or near Whitewall. Guild caravans simply camped available resource that allowed the people of Alom Vilag
on the Traveler’s Road and traveled around the city during to become renowned as producers of excellent porcelains.
the day, when going off of the road was safe. The people of The wares of Alom Vilag were sold all over the South, and
Whitewall had to rely upon what they could produce locally the best were sold in places as distant as Nexus and the
or trade with local merchants from the coast or Gethamane. Imperial City. Also, the presence of the murex conch on
Conditions were quite hard during that year, especially the coast allowed artisans in Alom Vilag to produce a rare
during the long winter months when many in the city had purple dye that is one of the most prized colors in the world.
to live without various luxuries — or near necessities — that Before the Guild set up trading stations near the
they had previous been able to purchase. However, the Varang border, they paid large amounts of jade or silver for
Guild also paid a heavy price for this embargo. Unable to Alom Vilag’s porcelain and dye. However, in addition to
stop and replenish supplies in Whitewall, Guild caravans wishing easier access to trade within the prosperous Varang
had to carry considerably more provisions. As result, they City-States, the local Guild factors suspected that opium
could carry fewer trade goods to and from both Gethamane would become quite popular within Alom Vilag. These
and the prosperous Haslanti city-states. shrewd merchants hoped that the demand for opium
After most of a year, both the Syndics and the Guild created would allow the Guild to trade opium instead of
realized the full magnitude of the problems this embargo jade and silver for the local porcelain and dye.
caused for both of them. They reopened negotiations and Within a decade of the opening of these border sta-
reached a compromise — the Guild cannot sell opium in tions, more than one in twenty of Alom Vilag’s population
Whitewall, but it can now sell both heroin and cocaine. As was addicted to opium. In addition to wealth flowing out of
a result, the large lower class cannot usually obtain drugs, this city-state and into the hands of eager Guild merchants,
but the Guild can sell drugs to the city’s middle and upper the social effects were immense. Productivity in both the
classes. Since both of these drugs sell for considerably more dye factories and the porcelain shops slowed significantly,
than opium, the Guild has lost some sales, but it still makes and both crime and poverty increased dramatically. Alom
excellent profits off of the drug sales that the Syndics Vilag went from being a small, highly prosperous city-state
permit. In practice, the Guild sells little cocaine in White- to one that was gradually becoming poor and downtrodden.
wall because of the distances it must be transported. When the king ordered the Guild to cease selling
However, it now feeds a good portion of any local opium opium to residents of Alom Vilag, the Guild retaliated by
surpluses to one its two beasts of resplendent liquids cutting off the yearly payments for the privilege of operating
stationed in the North and obtains heroin that is sold in these stations. Since other sources of revenue were down,
both Whitewall and Gethamane. The Guild also sells the loss of these funds hurt the government. The king
limited quantities of heroin in the Haslanti city-states. retaliated by ordering the execution of all opium sellers and
These new sales have eliminated all of the Guild’s worries addicts. Although he wisely avoided directly threatening
about accumulating a massive overstock of opium. Every- Guild members, many hundred of local distributors and
one who is aware of the realities of this situation agrees that addicts were killed before the Guild intervened.
Whitewall was in a uniquely good position to resist the The Guild responded with a combination of military
Guild and that few city-states would have such an easy force and propaganda. Prominent Southern sent an army
time getting the Guild to agree to a compromise. to Alom Vilag —and with it came several hundred of the
Guild’s more charismatic merchants and negotiators.
ALOM VILAG These civilians provided medical aid and distributed
Alom Vilag is a small Southern nation located on the inexpensive but useful items such as knives and simple
coast between Chiaroscuro and the border of the Varang medicines to the poor, and the army made a special effort
City-States. More than a century ago, the king and the to avoid harming civilians or damaging their property.
mandarin-eunuchs of Alom Vilag gave the Guild the right Since the king’s army had already earned the hatred of
to build half a dozen trading stations just outside the border the populace for the widespread summary executions of
of the Varang City-States in return for a yearly payment of opium sellers and addicts, most of the nation welcomed
a small portion of the profits from these stations. As is the the arrival of the Guild forces.
case with most border stations, the Guild sold great quan- Although the king of Alom Vilag was familiar with the
tities of opium and other drugs to Varang merchants, who Guild’s military might, the rulers of the Varang City-States
then resold the drugs inside the Varang City-States. Un- had promised him aid since they also wished to eliminate
fortunately, these trading stations also became quite popular these border stations. Unfortunately, the Guild bribed half
with the residents of Alom Vilag, and a large number of a dozen senior Varang leaders with both cash and access to
them became addicted to opium. unusually potent medicines and longevity drugs. These
bribes secured the Varang leaders’ promises to remain neu-

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 CHAPTER TWO • DRUGS — THE SOFT TRADE

tral during this conflict so long as it did not spill over into locally and sold the islanders a portion of this drug as well
Varang territory. Outnumbered and without his expected the qat it grew on the mainland. Almost one tenth of the
allies, the king had no choice but to surrender to the Guild, island’s population of 80,000 regularly used opium or qat.
especially since the Guild’s propaganda campaign ensured The island was a quiet and peaceful place where a combi-
that most of the common people supported the Guild. nation of a near-ideal climate, easily available food and
When the army arrived at Vilag City, the populace abundant drugs produced a society where the inhabitants
welcomed it. At this point, the beaten and haggard king and worried little about politics or other larger issues.
his three senior eunuch ministers all came out to surrender. This state of affairs continued as it always had until
The Guild could afford to be generous —it ordered the king three years ago. Then, the Lunar Exalted Tekia Blue
to repeal the laws against the sale of opium and other drugs. Water, a member of the Changing Moon Caste who was
In return, the Guild agreed to sell a slightly weaker variety loosely associated with the Lintha Family crime syndicate,
of opium in Alom Vilag, primarily because the Guild wished came to Ilmarini. Using her inhuman powers of persua-
to be able to purchase this land’s porcelain and dye with sion, she convinced the inhabitants that they were little
opium, but it didn’t need a nation of addicts unable to better than slaves working under the Guild’s well-drugged
produce high-quality goods. Today, this king’s grandson yoke. She organized secret meetings and summoned pow-
rules Alom Vilag, which is again reasonably prosperous. erful water elementals to aid her, and six months after she
However, the nation still contains a large number of opium and her allies in the Lintha Family arrived on the island,
addicts. The crown finances hospices for anyone who wishes Ilmarini rose up in open revolt against the Guild. After
to end their addiction, but neither the king nor his eunuch killing or driving off everyone associated with the Guild,
ministers have been willing to risk the Guild’s wrath by her lieutenants from the Lintha Family moved in and
attempting any stronger measures against this drug. reorganized the government of the island.
Tekia’s overwhelming charisma meant that almost the
ILMARINI entire populace supported the selection of Akio Felik as the
Ilmarini is a large, warm tropical island located 600 new prince. Prince Felik was a local smuggler with close ties
miles west of the Southern coast. The island’s warm to the Lintha Family — he had been one of Tekia’s first open
climate and fertile soil made it ideal farmland, and the supporters when she came to Ilmarini. Under Tekia’s direc-
Guild had paid the inhabitants to grow opium for more tion, Prince Felik made opium and qat illegal and ordered his
than 300 years. The Guild also processed this opium guards to burn all of the poppy fields. Tekia used spirits and

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

medicines obtained from the Wyld to help the thousands of

addicts overcome their cravings. A year later, the island was
DEALING WITH COMPETITION
a thriving port that the Lintha Family used as a place where Although other, far smaller merchant companies oc-
it could openly purchase food and other supplies. The Lintha casionally sell cocaine, inferior versions of sweet cordials
Family also used the large docks that the Guild had built as a and other drugs primarily controlled by the Guild, none of
place where it could refit and repair Lintha ships without these traders significantly hinder the Guild’s profits and so
compromising the sanctuary of Bluehaven. Also, the people are largely ignored. The Guild’s first rule when dealing
of Ilmarini had greatly expanded their practice of making with any form of competition is that competitors who are
scrimshaw and were selling these miniature sculptures as far too small to pose any threat are also too small to be worth
away as Chiaroscuro and Arjuf. the effort to eliminate. Guild factors keep careful track of
During this time, the Guild made one attempt to repel all competition but only interfere with merchants who
Tekia and the Lintha Family. However, between Tekia’s significantly cut into Guild profits.
Exalted martial prowess, the aid provided by the elementals The opium trade forms the backbone of the Guild’s
she summoned and the might of the Lintha Family fleet, drug sales, and while no single kingdom or trading collective
the Guild ships retreated after one short engagement. Still, can hope to rival the scale of the Guild’s opium trade, if
the Guild was not ready to relinquish access to the island’s growers sold most of their opium to local distributors in
growing land. Although it avoids using this option too enough different regions, the Guild would quickly lose its
often, senior officials in the Guild appealed to the Dynasts hold on the opium market. As a result, the Guild must
of the Realm and requested that the Wyld Hunt destroy ensure that this does not happen. Each individual competi-
the Exalt who was controlling this island. Although the tor is rarely worth worrying about, but the Guild must make
Wyld Hunt had been severely curtailed by the departure of certain that the total business held by all of its local
the Empress, the threat posed by a Lunar Exalted that close competitors does not cut into its profits too much. In
to the Realm was too great to ignore. The Immaculates practice, this means that the Guild attempts to controls at
dispatched a team of two dozen Dynasts and two elder least three quarters of all of the opium trade in any kingdom.
Sidereal Exalted to Ilmarini. In less than half an hour, they CONTROLLING DRUG PRODUCTION
had destroyed all the Lintha Family ships in the harbor and
To guarantee its commercial dominance, the Guild
had slain more than 2,000 people who had been working
attempts to ensure that the vast majority of all opium growers
at or near the docks. Tekia Blue Water and her allies in the
sell their wares only to the Guild. Its first step is to deal only
Lintha Family were unable to halt this destruction and all
with growers who swear never to sell opium to anyone else.
fled the island. Later that day, Guild ships that had been
The Guild forces growers who break this agreement to pay
waiting a short distance away sailed in and quickly restored
heavy fines and then never buys from them again.
order on Ilmarini.
In practice, these fines usually mean that growers who
After they saw what the might of the Realm could
sell to others have their land confiscated by the Guild. Also,
accomplish in a single hour, the people of Ilmarini did
unless they have friends or allies among the wealthy, growers
not resist the Guild soldiers. However, the islanders had
who break oaths to the Guild are usually beaten and, occa-
tasted freedom and were not prepared to give it up.
sionally, enslaved. Since it is large enough that local
Although they were willing to go back to opium farming,
fluctuations in demand have little effect on its purchase of
the number of residents who use opium is now far smaller
opium, the Guild can promise that growers who sell to them
than before, and few of the residents currently use qat
will have a continuing market. Growers who sell solely to
(which used to be a major import). The trade in carved
local distributors may find that in particularly bad years nearly
whale ivory also continues to be an important part of the
half their crop remains unsold. Finally, the fact that the Guild
island’s economy. There is now a large amount of resent-
has both vast opium reserves and the fact that it can ship local
ment against both the Guild and the Realm, and most
surpluses to regions with opium shortages means that the
residents of this island wrongly believe that the Guild
Guild can also pay consistently higher prices for opium and
and the Realm are close allies who regularly work to-
any other drugs that it purchases. As a result, growers have
gether against the people of the Threshold.
little incentive to sell their drugs to anyone else.
Recently, several sailors from Ilmarini have made
contact with the Lintha pirates and are secretly taking SHIPPING OPIUM
orders from Tekia Blue Water, who is currently seeking
With many thousands of specially bred pack yeddim and
allies among Solar and Lunar Exalted to help her hold off
vast fleets of swift but fat-bodied merchant vessels, the Guild
any future attacks. Because she employs aquatic Wyld
can ship vastly more opium than its largest competitor. Only
barbarians who can sneak onto the island with great ease,
the Realm could stand any chance of rivaling the Guild’s
she has also been able to renew her contacts with local
opium shipments, and the Realm does not deal in addictive
farmers. The fate of Ilmarini is not yet decided, and it
drugs. If competition in one area grows too large, the Guild
could easily end up controlled by either the Lintha
redirects a few of its caravans or fleets and ships twice the usual
Family or the Guild.
amount of opium to a metropolis or even an entire kingdom.

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The local price of opium plummets, and the Guild’s compe- Currently, injecting a slow poison that leaves the victim
tition soon leaves, goes out of business or switches professions. writing in agony for three days or having the thief slowly
If necessary, the Guild can ship so much opium to a location dissected alive by a small god friendly to the Guild are the
that anyone attempting to sell opium in the region will do so most popular forms of execution for this crime.
at a significant loss. Although this sort of economic warfare Successful raiders manage to hide the true source of
also causes the Guild to lose money, its leaders long ago their drugs. Most buy the majority of their opium and other
learned that long term success is far more important than drugs but supplement these supplies by hiring freelance
short-term, local profits. To use this tactic, the Guild must thieves to deplete the Guild’s storehouses and so increase
divert opium from other regions, so it can also charge some- their own supply of drugs at a lower cost than actually
what higher prices in the regions that now have slightly less purchasing and processing the drugs would cost. The most
opium — these profits help offset the losses the Guild takes successful raiders belong to well-organized organized crime
from underpricing opium in another region. Also, the amount syndicates and are exceedingly adept at hiding all facets of
of casual use of low-grade opium by non-addicts rises when their enterprise behind a façade of legitimacy.
opium prices drop, further offsetting the Guild’s losses. Much of these criminal enterprises are difficult to
distinguish from ones that are simply run by brilliant and
SELLING OPIUM highly determined business people. These individuals use
Although economic warfare is useful for destroying bribes, minor magic, governmental connections, great skill
large-scale local competition, it is too blunt a tool to eliminate at reading local markets and their local gods’ predictions of
smaller competitors, especially since too much economic the future to stay one step ahead of the Guild. When
warfare can lose the Guild even more money than having confronted with a successful competitor it cannot simply
competitors. Despite the Guild’s best efforts at both economic drive out of business, the Guild employs spies to investigate
warfare and putting pressure on growers, some local distribu- this business. At first, these infiltrators do nothing other
tors are able to purchase opium from local farmers. These than insert themselves into the rival organization and send
distributors then sell this opium to anyone willing to purchase back regular reports. Their first goal is to determine if the
it. In regions where there is significant anti-Guild sentiment, business is relying upon buying drugs stolen from the Guild.
such distributors can do quite well. However, in most cases, If the spies find out that the business is based on theft, the
their operations are less profitable than the Guild’s. Guild’s response is swift and ruthless — the Guild does not
Naturally, the Guild attempts to discourage local permit anyone who steals from it to live. As a warning to
chirurgeons, drug parlors and others from purchasing drugs anyone else who considers attempting to set up a business
from the Guild’s rivals. The Guild persuades the majority that preys upon the Guild, its agents kill everyone involved
of local shops to swear an oath to purchase drugs only from at the top levels of the rival organization and torture both
the Guild. In return, the Guild sells these clients drugs at the leader and her entire family to death.
slightly lower prices. Shopkeepers and others who break In contrast, if the competitor relies upon skill and
this oath are subject to both fines and beatings, and some cunning rather than theft, the local Guild factor approaches
find that their shops are mysteriously vandalized or burned the heads of this company and offers to allow them to join the
shortly after the Guild discovers their betrayal. Guild. Before he makes this offer, the factor will make certain
In regions where opium and other recreational drugs to acquire some sort of hold over the leaders of this business.
are legal, Guild factors cultivate close ties with the local If the competitor refuses the offer to join the Guild, the Guild
leaders. As a result, any competitor who becomes too factor then turns to bribes, blackmail or information obtained
successful could easily end up arrested when the Guild bribes from the spies who investigated this rival to convince the rival
the local chief of police. Similarly, in places where drugs are either to join or to seek another line of work. However, if (as
illegal, Guild informers spy on their competitors and then is most often the case) the rival joins the Guild, then all such
turn the information they have gathered over to the local information is stored away for later use, and the Guild
government. Local merchants who attempt to turn the welcomes the competitor into its ranks. Many successful
Guild in for similar offenses soon find that not only does the drug-selling organizations have been invited to join the
Guild have enough money to buy its employees’ freedom, Guild, and some who have joined in this fashion have become
but Guild assassins and thugs make life both unpleasant and important members of the Guild. Although profits always
exceedingly short for anyone who informs on the Guild. come first, the Guild has also learned that talent at business
Despite all opposition, a few canny and determined is relatively rare and attempts to never waste talent.
local drug merchants manage to successfully compete Because of its skill and ruthless determination, the
against the Guild. There are two primary types of success- Guild has relatively little serious competition in the opium
ful competitors, raiders and financial geniuses. Raiders trade. Naturally, there are a large number of very small-
remain successful because they steal from the Guild. Any- scale merchants selling locally produced drugs. However,
one who simply steals the Guild’s drugs and attempts to individually, they are too small for the Guild to worry
resell them locally is easy to discover, and the Guild makes about, and even taken together, they do not reduce Guild
certain that such foolish thieves end up messily dead. sales by any significant amount.

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

CHAPTER THREE

SLAVES — THE
HARD TRADE

Slavery is common throughout the world of Exalted,

but it isn’t universal; the lands between the elemental SLAVERY AND BIGOTRY
poles are simply too vast for anything to be common to In the world of Exalted, the racism we associate
every society. Nonetheless, in many places, slavery is a with the transatlantic slave trade of our world does not
vital industry; the chained keep the Great Houses of the exist. Except for the obvious divide between the
Dragon-Blooded clothed in glory and give the Fair Folk Exalted and the unExalted of the Realm, there is no
the strength they need to assault Creation. racist ideology that permeates the slave trade during
To the Guild, slaves are the commodity that defines the Second Age of Man. Slavers can be of the same
civilization; any nation willing to traffic in human lives is ethnic background as their victims or of wildly differ-
open to almost any other sort of trade. Preeminence in the ent ethnic backgrounds. Many of Creation’s
slave trade is one of the Guild’s major strengths. By cutting inhabitants dislike foreigners and are apt to enslave
off supplies, a factor can force the acquiescence of nations them, but with the exception of Wyld-taint, physical
that depend on imported labor. Genteel merchant princes appearance creates little prejudice. The Guild, the
call it the “threefold trade,” referring to the powers that Fair Folk and the Realm don’t discriminate either.
influence slavery: the Guild, who acquire human mer- Slavery is a social condition, not an ethnic one.
chandise; the Fair Folk, who hunger for the dreams of the
chained; and the Realm, whose wealth depends to such a
great degree on indentured toil. gauche, if not naïve — a common sense attitude that most
However, there are more than just three factions at slave owners across Creation adopt. Exceptions do exist;
work. The life story of a slave is as complex as anyone’s, reminding a slave that he was once an enemy, a rebel or a
from her capture (or birth) into service to her travels, criminal is one of the pleasures of ownership. Still, a master
labors and death. only stands to weaken a slave’s obedience if she reminds
him of his free life. The rare few who oppose slavery are
THE SUPPLIERS rarely better informed about the realities of enslavement
and tell tales of “Guild raiders” and “murderous soldiers”
Unless there’s some novelty to it, few slave owners
descending on unsuspecting villagers.
care about how their property came to be enslaved. In the
Slavery is common, but the Guild, the Realm and the
Realm, inquiring about a slave’s previous life is considered
Fair Folk are hardly omnipresent. Those unlucky enough

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

to fall into irons are usually pushed there by their neigh- worse than that of her supposed masters. Closer to the
bors. The slave trade could never survive if people were Imperial Manse, the warring diamyos’ First Age weaponry
simply ripped from their homes by slavers. Since the Great crippled the Old Realm’s mystical infrastructure. In some
Contagion, slave labor has been an integral part of the regions, indentured servants went from being mere status
rebuilding and maintenance of societies across Creation. symbols of the officer class to necessary labor, toiling
The Guild’s major contribution to the trade has been to beside the wreckage of artifacts that had once done their
enrich the rewards of slavery. Many of the tribes, city- work a dozen times more efficiently. When the Dragon-
states and nations the Guild purchases captives from Blooded marched under the new Empress’ banner, the
already practice slavery, but the merchant princes offer only tribute that the many devastated regions had to give
exotic and vital goods in trade for slaves. The widespread was a portion of their own population.
demand for and steady supply of slaves makes it a conve- Then, the Guild arrived, able to ferry riches to any
nient backbone upon which to lay other forms of commerce, warlord with prisoners to spare. Tribes on the periphery of
to the extent that many states owe their wealth to it. the growing cities learned that slaves were their greatest
The Guild’s unequaled network allows it to acquire resource and began to harvest them in earnest. The refu-
trade goods cheaply enough to provide a constant incen- gees and petty lords of the wrecked River Province saw the
tive. Usually, wholesale trade results in a bargain for both opportunity to regain civilized comfort and kidnaped their
parties. For example, an inhabitant of Harborhead can equally unfortunate neighbors to supply the market.
acquire an excellent Haltan bow by trading a farm’s worth At present, a thousand fiefs and tribes raid each other
of livestock, or she can simply capture two of her neigh- for captives in the outer Threshold. The Scavenger Lands
bors. The value of a slave sold to the Guild outstrips that are dotted with fortresses built to collect prisoners for
of one retained as a farmer or worker, since the captive’s Guild purchase. The richest slaving states take their “wares”
body can be traded for steel, fine cloth and exotic drugs directly to cities such as Nexus.
from the length and breadth of Creation.
But this is only one of the hundreds of ways someone
might suffer the slave’s collar. Many civilized nations TYPICAL CAPTIVES
sentence their prisoners and debtors to slavery. The armies Prisoners of slave raids are usually young, in
of the Realm and its peripheral states throw conquered their middle childhood or teens. They are easy to
populations into chains. These slaves often find their way catch and have the constitution necessary to endure
into the Guild’s hands as well, through a small stream of the trials they’ll face. However, there are many
direct trade that enriches the coffers of independent mer- exceptions. Local customs may dictate the capture of
chants, bureaucrats and generals. With its enemy elders or people with certain physical charac-
Creation-spanning scope and pragmatic policies, the Guild teristics. These typically remain the chattel of their
draws slaves from all of these sources and more. captors, but the Guild will purchase expert crafts-
men or exotic-looking slaves from these groups.
RAIDERS AT THE THRESHOLD In addition, capturing a young prisoner allows
After the Great Contagion, lands far from the Impe- her community to continue functioning, making it a
rial Mountain battled each other for the remaining resources renewable resource. Some perennial victims of raids
of a newly twisted world. Many settled on customs de- have dropped the pretense of struggling and provide
signed to ensure victory without sacrificing the few a regular tribute of captives to raiders.
survivors, and massacres were gradually replaced with
hostage taking and indenture. Labor was a scarce thing in
the wake of the Great Contagion; it was far better to hang RAIDER TRIBES, SLAVER STATES
on to workers by any means necessary. If a captured tribe Most slave-taking groups are richer than their fel-
farmed, its people would be put to the field. These slaves low barbarians; the wealth they accrue from capturing
didn’t lead pleasant lives, but the depopulated wilds didn’t their neighbors gives them the power to buy goods
allow their captors to treat them as inhumanely as the forged in the smithies of faraway Nexus and Chiar-
civilized masters of later eras. Warriors took concubines oscuro and foreign seed to multiply the yield of their
from losing tribes, and the peripheral cities of the Realm crops. Most are culturally sophisticated; they’ve adapted
reclaimed some of their old power. their native hostage-taking customs to the slave trade
In their exile, the Lunar Exalted promoted ritual and retain similarly complex beliefs about the social
warfare, so that matters of honor could be settled without order, religion and ritual. Most lack some vital resource
depriving the victor of needed labor. Any person able to that allows them to compete with the larger cities;
contribute to the tribe’s survival had some value — some- technological deficits or a lack of mineral resources are
times as the occasional sacrifice to a local god or a Fair Folk two common problems.
marauder, but more often as a worker whose lot was little

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

Occasionally, a raiding fief grows large enough to choice but to continue submitting to slave-taking, even
thrive off of other trade, and slave raids are no longer when the victims are sold to the Blessed Isle rather than
practical. If this would reduce profits, the Guild retards kept as spouses.
this process when it is viable. Factors nurture emergen- A merchant prince who buys slaves wholesale gen-
cies, plagues, political strife and small wars when they erally attempts to modify the traditions of the tribe he
don’t want to lose a valuable source of revenue. One less deals with in order to make it better at slavetaking. When
extreme solution is to pay slightly more for captives while the Axe of Judgment band disfigures all captured war-
carefully withholding resources that might allow the riors, a Guild representative purchases them at a poor
slave raiders to grow out of their profession. This allows price, lamenting that the demand for mutilated slaves is
the Guild to retain slave raiders in as many places as so low. Under such conditions, it is likely some of the Axe
possible, reducing transportation costs. Eventually, a rich of Judgment will stop mutilating their slaves. In many
tribe’s slave prices grow too high, and the Guild decides cases, the merchant prince will be incorporated into the
that it would be more profitable for them to graduate into rituals. For example, Marukani horsemen sidestep their
a more diverse market for Guild wares. Tribes graduate nation’s usual prohibitions against slave trading by “mar-
into cities as they come to afford the goods necessary to rying” prisoners to a Guild merchant.
support a fully civilized infrastructure, and the factors
adjust prices accordingly.

A RAIDER’S LIFE
A typical barbarian or near-barbar-
ian raider tribe adapts the ritual of taking
captives to serve the Guild and other
slaver interests. Tribal customs and
Guild pressure combine to create a pow-
erful predilection for taking slaves. In
return for the prisoners, a raiding band
receives better weapons, drugs and other
goods. The Guild takes care to provide
exactly what the raiders need to prosper
and do their work more efficiently. The
most successful groups are rewarded with
fortifications and holding pens. These
trading posts can hold hundreds of cap-
tives and are incorporated into the routes
of Guild caravans and nomadic raiders
alike. To meet the Guild’s demands, the
tribe intensifies the raiding that it has
practiced for generations.
The web of feuds surrounding the
capture and counter capture of future
slaves is complex; criteria vary wildly
depending on the traditions of the raid-
ers and the victims. Some raiders only
capture commoners because full-blooded
warriors would be dishonored by such
treatment. Other raiders stand to gain a
great deal of prestige from capturing an
enemy chieftain. Neighboring tribes of-
ten have traditional patterns of
human-tithing, originally set in place to
promote intermarriage and trade. Faced
with the Guild-equipped superiority of
their attackers, tribes on the weak side of
such a relationship often have little

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

SUPERNATURAL MATTERS Guild caravans, waiting for the divine counterparts of the
merchant princes to arrive with the magic the shamans
Raiders face more than material pressures. Away from
need to save their people. The Guild generally considers
the bulwark of civilization, they must contend with super-
this sort of thing to be bad for business, since more
natural powers that are often aware of why the tribe takes so
elaborate rituals have a tendency to both eat into profits
many captives. The raiders’ gods rarely object to raids to take
and to offend local supernatural powers. The factors are
captives, as frequent raids garner more wealth and glory for
well aware that jealously is a trait common to many gods
the whole tribe. However, most gods expect that the cap-
and aren’t eager to court the gods’ anger.
tives will be made into slaves or spouses and used to
strengthen the raiders, not sold to the Guild. Elaborate PRISONERS OF WAR
rituals and sacrifices by the Guild bribe the tribal gods into
allowing the raiders to escape unmolested with their cap- More civilized nations acquire captives over the course
tives. Usually, the gods demand an offering in lieu of the of military campaigning. An army can rarely make a profit
worship (and Essence) that they would receive if the cap- from slaving without the help of city-states and satrapies
tives were left to bolster the numbers of their subject tribes. that will pay to relieve them of the burden of guarding
Most gods generally value prayers in their ears and the smell prisoners. Unlike tribal raiders, the first goal of a military
of burnt offerings more that the possibility of future prayers campaign is to win the battle. Slaves can hinder an army
and let the captives go at a significant discount. on the move and provide a ready supply of spies and
If the tribe worships an Exalt, its patron’s sentiments saboteurs for the enemy. The slave trade is a sideline, but
may well trump any of the Guild’s ambitions — many a tempting one. An undisciplined force can easily become
among the Silver Pact disapprove of the sale of slaves to the sidetracked with taking captives for profit, so most armies
Guild. In most cases, the tribe will not sell its captives out have set policies about the disposition of prisoners. These
of deference to its god-chief’s will. Still, many Exalted determine the conditions under which a given prisoner is
chiefs approve of raiding or were once raiders themselves. interrogated, enslaved to an officer, sold or executed.
Others who have learned to harness the Essence of worship Otherwise, general orders about the division of spoils are
sometimes make the same demands as other gods. The applied to prisoners suitable for slavery.
Guild prefers to keep Exalts at arm’s length, but with Lunar Southern states have a particularly strong appetite for
Exalted so intimately connected to tribal societies, and prisoners of war. The Delzahn of Chiaroscuro raid their
with others who unpredictably appear to complicate mat- nomadic cousins to provide the large number of slaves
ters, the situation is sometimes unavoidable. aristocrats keep as trophies. The raids hone mounted
The greatest supernatural threats come from the en- fighting skills and are a part of Delzahn tradition, so they
emy tribe’s gods, who are loathe to lose worshipers. Most often result in the nobility taking more prisoners than they
raiders carry a few rough charms designed to placate the can comfortably support. Many are given as gifts or sold in
gods of their victims. These are worn openly as a gesture of Chiaroscuro’s markets.
respect for the gods. When properly constructed, they Varangian armies often acquire large numbers of cap-
serve as a message sent from the raiders’ shamans to the tives because the caste system makes it difficult to rely on
enemy’s gods. One type of charm tells the gods that the native labor. Members of the military caste are born to fight,
tribe is willing to offer them a blood sacrifice in compen- not to dig earthworks, but astrology doesn’t always provide
sation; another promises to include the gods in its own the right number of ditchdiggers and cooks for the task, and
rituals, so that the gods will recoup the lost Essence from by a strict interpretation of Varangian custom, the kind of
captured worshipers. general multipurpose labor an army on the march needs
Unfortunately, even the best precautions can fail, and clashes with the ideal of perfecting a single profession.
the raiders’ tribe suffers for it. Angry gods drive away herds, Foreigners present no such difficulties, so one of the first
spark plagues, spit down storms and, worst of all, complain tasks of a Varangian army is to capture as many foreign
to other gods, so that no member of the tribe can live in prisoners as possible to provide workers for subsequent
peace. If the tribe isn’t destroyed outright, it’s forced to battles. Eventually, the campaign ends, and the Varangians
move or to rely on the Guild to meet its needs. When the are eager to rid themselves of their unlucky prisoners, so they
Guild recognizes this phenomenon, it raises prices for its sell them to both neighboring allies and the Guild.
wares, while keeping the price the Guild pays for slaves While military prisoners are more likely to be brought
stable. The tribe will either find that slaving turns too poor directly to market, the Guild does occasionally intervene.
a profit and make its peace with the gods or step up its raids Brave merchant princes follow campaigns that are likely to
to pay for needed goods, enriching the Guild. acquire large numbers of captives, then purchase slaves
When a tribe has nowhere else to turn, cults some- from the force’s commander or quartermaster. This light-
times deify the merchant princes and their wares. Exotic ens an army’s burden while keeping it well supplied. The
goods become ritual objects, and shamans create effigies of Guild can pursue political objectives along with doing a

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

little price gouging in the process, since even successful and the bulk sale of prisoners, but forced labor and personal
armies are often desperately short of supplies. attendants are permitted. Captives are divided into those
capable of working and those who appeal to Dragon-
THE FATE OF THE CONQUERED Blooded officers. The former help build fortifications, and
Not all military slavery is permanent. When a war the latter serve their Dragon-Blooded masters. Personal
ends with a truce or surrender, the conditions often require slaves, captured in battle, are part of long-standing legion
all sides to repatriate any remaining captives. Captives tradition that predates the Scarlet Dynasty. There is no set
means prisoners who have not yet been sold or given away limit to how many slaves an officer may acquire other than
to other parties. Those who are already sold are on their legion policy, and many Dragon-Blooded run a side busi-
own — the best they can hope for is that some compassion- ness selling captives to House Cynis.
ate or patriotic fellow countryman will see them enslaved Dragon-Blooded officers have the right to choose
and seek to buy their freedom. When political consider- human spoils commensurate to their station. Most Exalted
ations demand that a soldier return her personal slave (a veterans acquire at least one concubine, menagerie inmate
common situation when the slave has a noble back- or valet by the time they return to the Realm to retire.
ground), the warrior’s ego can cause problems. After the Theoretically, Exalts select prisoners in order of rank —
release is negotiated, there is no formal manumission. The junior officers must make do with what remains after the
enslavement is treated as having never existed. generals have had their pick. Long-standing tradition
Otherwise, slaves captured in war are often left to holds it dishonorable to use this privilege to take away a
suffer at the hands of their conquerors. In the Southwest, prisoner another officer has personally captured, but the
the Delzahn disfigure enslaved prisoners. Killing one in custom is often breached in the case of beautiful or exotic
the process is considered a sign of almost foolish zeal but is prisoners. Also, overly successful or arrogant young officers
not considered immoral. Similarly, public executions and are sometimes punished by the loss of their favorite slave,
scapegoat rituals release popular hatred for the enemy but this tactic is a dangerous one, since it can stir resent-
among tribes such as the Linowan, especially if the war was ment in the ranks.
based on a long-standing feud. Slaves sold to the Guild Aside from such selections, any prisoners who are not
often face a better fate than those marched to their fate by executed (a common occurrence in the middle of a cam-
a conquering army. If a city has a thriving slave market, paign) are pressed into labor. The legions rely on neither
armies and mercenary companies might put their slaves on slave soldiers nor levies, but these captives are expected to
the public block, but not until the officers and their allies work in the heat of battle, forming false trains to draw
take a cut. Nexus is an exception. Mercenary companies ambushes or pulling loads over difficult terrain. Those that
are small enough and close enough to a major center of the survive are displayed for the Realm to see in a successful
slave trade to put all or most of their prisoners on the open legion’s triumphal procession, after which enemy leaders are
market. With its constant appetite for slaves, Harborhead executed and the rest are enslaved and given to other
also welcomes prisoners of war. Harborhead emissaries pay Dynasts as gifts. From time to time, these “presents” are
well for military engineers, smiths and construction labor- actually transferred in significant numbers, with the giver
ers as their nation prepares for war with the Varangians. fully expecting a “gift” in return as payment. Before her
disappearance, the Empress let it be known (through her
THE LEGION TRADE consorts or bureaucrats) when she felt that such gifts were
The legions’ slave trade is an informal business that getting out of hand and threatening the Cynis monopoly.
formed around exploiting the loopholes and contradictions At the same time, these events also served to remind House
in the Scarlet Empress’ general orders. The Empress never Cynis that its monopoly could be revoked at any time, so she
encouraged taking slaves, but it was an important part of hadn’t begun a full-scale clampdown on the matter. After
tribute and trade systems after the Contagion because it the disbursement of gifts, excess slaves are sold to House
controlled the flow of needed labor and appealed to the Cynis, a practice that continues to the present day.
daimyos, who kept slaves as a status symbol. Positioning Imperial legions never deal with the Guild. The Scarlet
herself at the top of these practices, the Empress imposed Empress’ policies forbidding it have lasted to the present
regulations designed to require her intervention if the day. Such trade would put a legion in a compromising
legions were to make any significant profits and designated position and would anger House Cynis, who usually deal in
House Cynis as the only Dynastic house that could make an the Realm’s military captives. The Vermilion Legion is an
open business of it. This had the added benefit of preventing exception. Under-funded and already poorly regarded, the
the legions from earning their own profits without her Red Piss Legion has been known to trade the occasional
consent, curbing their economic self-sufficiency and mak- windfall of prisoners to the Guild to shore up supply deficits.
ing them less likely to turn against her. Other legions occasionally sidestep the rules by using rigged
As a result, the legions are technically forbidden from bookkeeping or several intermediate partners, but this is
establishing a full-blown slave trade with its own markets both criminal and poorly regarded by the Dynasty.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

House Cynis is the strictest adherent to and advocate DEBT SLAVERY

of Dynastic policies on slaving. Long ago, the Scarlet
Because all slavery in the Realm is permanent barring
Empress permitted it to hold a near-monopoly on the sale
manumission by a Dragon-Blooded who applies to the
of slaves in the Realm so long as it did not gather them with
Deliberative (see Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded, p. XX),
force of arms. The other Great Houses are well aware that
debt slavery is only imposed on commoners who have
Cynis would gain an immense advantage by being able to
amassed a larger debt than they can ever repay or after
directly acquire slaves without paying the Guild and have
attempts to negotiate repayment have repeatedly failed to
let the house know in no uncertain terms that it will suffer
bear fruit. If the complainant is Exalted, he can file to have
should it attempt to do so.
the commoner enslaved himself. Because only the Dragon-
Now that the Scarlet Empress is gone, there are fewer
Blooded are permitted to own slaves, an unExalted
controls in place to prevent the legions from directly
complainant typically asks a Dynast for sponsorship. The
selling their slaves, but it still happens only rarely. The
complainant and the sponsor negotiate a contract where
legions lose battles more often now, and therefore, occa-
the Exalt agrees to lodge the complaint in exchange for a
sions to herd an ocean of prisoners ahead of them in
percentage of the slave’s market value. The complainant
triumph occur less frequently than they once did. Finally,
and the sponsor visit a judge and produce evidence of the
the Deliberative holds many of the same concerns as the
debt, after which the debtor is enslaved to the sponsoring
Empress once did, and doesn’t wish to let the legions turn
Dynast. The Exalt and the complainant then divide the
enough of a profit that they can afford to follow policies
remainder of the new slave’s estate and estimated market
independent of the Scarlet Throne.
value according to the previously agreed-upon contract.
ENSLAVED BY LAW If a patrician is an unExalted Dynast, she makes this
arrangement with an Exalt of her own house. Otherwise,
Legally mandated slavery is common throughout civi- patricians build upon previously established business rela-
lized Creation. In the Realm, commoners can be enslaved for tionships to arrange the deal. Some Exalts (especially
severe debts, while the disenfranchised may be summarily those of House Nellens) are especially open to the prac-
enslaved before a Thousand Scales magistrate so long as the tice, and the names of willing Dragon-Blooded pass through
plaintiff provides proof of any debt. Other nations practice certain patrician circles. One need only know the right
debt slavery and voluntary indenture to limited degrees. person to ask, and by tradition, the patrician should frame
In some places, is also common to be enslaved for the question as a hypothetical one.
committing crimes that warrant neither execution nor Debt slavery is looked down upon because it essen-
torture. Imprisonment is a rare legal innovation and one tially consists of an Exalt and an unExalted conspirator
usually limited to the aristocracy, so slavery is often one of forcing a debtor into chains. The Immaculate Order frowns
the most merciful fates a convict can hope for. on the practice, and devout Dragon-Blooded avoid it. The
CRIMINAL SLAVERY Exalt is ordered by the judge to convert defendant’s person
into property in fair compensation for the complainant
In the Realm, slavery is a common punishment for
and to supervise the matter as a service to the throne.
insulting the Deliberative or the dignity of the Empress, for
Without the legal wrangling around the Exalted and
minor theft or for smuggling and other nonviolent crimes.
ownership rights, most other states have a much more
Only commoners can be enslaved. UnExalted Dynasts and
straightforward approach. For permanent enslavement,
patricians face fines and censure instead.
the debtor’s person and property become the complainant’s,
Criminals make up a small proportion of the Scarlet
either directly or after being liquidated by the authorities.
Empire’s slaves. They are owned by the Thousand Scales
The Guild purchases a small but steady proportion of its
until sold at a Cynis market (for which the house takes a
slaves from such states.
cut of the profits). As the criminals have often been
disfigured for their crimes, they are commonly put to hard CONTRACTUAL SLAVERY
labor out of sight of a Dynast’s household. Some nations, notably Great Forks and Calin, allow
Elsewhere, a sentence of slavery may be a temporary a freeman or citizen to sell himself into a temporary or
one. In these cases, the slave cannot be sold and has further permanent period of indenture. Such contracted slaves
limited rights. Such is the case in Great Forks and in usually have special skills that make them extremely
Lookshy. In Great Forks, all slaves have property and valuable but suffer from some exorbitant debt or other
marriage rights. In Lookshy, temporary indenture is a emergency. The owner gains a household expert who is
separate class of slavery, distinct from enslaved prisoners of constantly on call, cannot refuse duty and is cheaper than
war and slaves purchased from the Guild. Alongside pris- the hired alternative. The slave gains enough money to
oners of war and the semi-free helot class, this makes for a pay off his debts or other financial concerns and is guaran-
complicated system, so Lookshy generally imposes this teed room and board for the duration of the contract.
penalty as a last resort.

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Typically, a contract for voluntary indenture is more

favorable than involuntary servitude. These slaves are
FLESH COMMERCE
Whatever their source, slaves normally enter the
usually given different marks or livery to indicate that it is
Guild’s distribution system at a wholesaler’s or trader’s
illegal in certain capacities to treat them as full slaves. For
market. Since the majority of slaves are captured by
example, in Great Forks, harming a voluntarily inden-
barbarians, these markets are generally Guild trading posts
tured slave is considered as serious as harming a citizen or
put in place to serve the slave trade’s needs. In addition,
helot. At the very least, this is the way it is supposed to
cities such as Nexus provide a place to transfer captives to
work. In truth, contract slaves are generally a poorly-
Guild ownership. When a slave first enters the wholesale
regarded lot, and many authorities look the other way
slave trade, the worst part of her experience since initial
when the owner breaks the terms of indenture. And, of
capture begins. Slaves are subjected to overcrowded, filthy
course, should such a slave travel outside the nation that
conditions, and slavers use the opportunity to break their
backed the contract, his owner might sell him when
property’s spirits.
money is short or expand his duties beyond the bounds of
The Guild maintains a monopoly on the wholesale
the contract.
slave trade wherever it can, but does not especially fear
Payment consists of a lump payment that the would-
competition. Its trade network and vast experience makes
be owner makes based on projections of the value of the
it possible for the Guild to offer competitive prices com-
prospect’s work over the period of the contract, minus a
pared to local outfits.
hefty discount (since such arrangements are the mark of
the desperate). The contract also spells out the living
conditions that the slave will endure and any limitations
SLAVE CITADELS
on her duties (such as a ban on sexual or military service). The Guild and local raiding groups cooperate to build
Limited periods of indenture last an average of 10 years in slave citadels and to clear routes to and from them accord-
Great Forks. Elsewhere, it is common for such arrange- ing to a Guild architect’s plans. Newly captured slaves are
ments to last up to 20 years and rare for them to last less often put to work on these projects. The resulting fortress
than five years. Contracted slaves cannot be sold without can hold hundreds of slaves, dozens of mercenaries and a
the slave’s consent. merchant prince with retinue and guests.
In cases of permanent voluntary indenture, the lump These citadels serve as trading posts and distribution
sum is much greater and is passed on to whoever the slave centers. A Guild representative pays raiders here, often
designates as her heir. Alternatively, the slave is “rented,” recruiting them to guard the fortress as well. Since the
in the sense that her owner sends a regular payment to a looting of the establishment would cut off the supply of
heir. Upon death, the slave is returned to the family for goods, tribal raiders are usually willing to defend a slave
burial. Unlike regular slavery, the children of contracted citadel. The Guild supplements these tribal fighters with
slaves are free persons. Indentured service is practiced mercenaries, including training cadres. Raiders who agree
throughout the Hundred Kingdoms, in Calin, in Gem to this arrangement often learn more sophisticated mili-
and in Gethamane in the North. Both Gem and tary tactics, and the Guild frequently offers training in
Gethamane make use of indentured miners to supervise professional slaving techniques as well.
other slaves. Nexus practices voluntary, temporary in- Various merchant princes rotate through command
denture, and no other kind is permitted, but the Guild of these citadels. This way, a slave community cannot
has been very successful in stretching the law to include mark a particular merchant prince or caravan for easy
its own slaving operations. harassment, since the subject of the slaves’ ire will be gone
In the Realm, contract slavery is illegal and impracti- in a few months, anyway. However, the merchant prince
cal. Owning slaves is a mark of Exalted privilege, and assigned is always familiar with local tribal culture, the
limitations on ownership would constitute a challenge to area’s geography and the particular qualities of slaves
that privilege. In addition, many commoners are, for all taken from the region, and in practice, this means that
intents and purposes, chained to the service of a patrician. merchant princes often return to the same citadel five or
Forestry and mining operations often require workers to go ten years later.
into debt to pay for their shelter and meals, and many
villages are, at this point, at the mercy of the Dynasts who
LIFE AT A SLAVE CITADEL
pay their annual rents. As a result, actual slavery is hardly A successful slave citadel becomes a meeting place for
necessary. Finally, the number of slaves on the market trade of all kinds, whether brokered by the Guild or not.
ensures that any interested buyer can find the right slave Most long-term raider tribes institute regular trade fairs at
for the right task. Anyone legally allowed to own a slave is the citadel, where livestock, hides and other local goods
hardly going to be interested in a contract slave when the pass from one clan to another. The Guild benefits from the
real thing is for sale in any major city. increased importance of the location and the ability to
directly influence the crude local market. New drugs or

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

luxury goods are often discovered at these fairs. A

merchant prince brave enough to speculate on a new
type of herb, animal or tribal craft can reap immediate
rewards, but his temporary tenure ensures that he
doesn’t build a personal monopoly, but enriches the
Guild as a whole. These fairs also mark the highest
volume of slave sales.
When a new group of captives comes to the
compound, the merchant prince assesses their value
and offers compensation after consulting with the
fort’s permanent staff. Slaves must be healthy and
strong to survive the travel ahead and labor for their
owners. After that, appearance and special skills are
considered. Often, the merchant prince’s advisors will
handle all direct contact with the raiders on the
strength of their knowledge of native customs and the
local economy. The Guild pays raiders well. It can
afford to, and it ensures repeat business.

SLAVERY AT A CITADEL
Slave quarters at a citadel are crowded but clean,
as good hygiene is necessary to prevent outbreaks of
disease. Slaves eat and exercise in a yard at the center
of the stockade and are usually afforded a roofed
outdoor enclosure to sleep in (except in the North,
where tents are the rule).
A slave first sees the yard when she is sold to the
Guild. A platform is erected in the center of the
stockade, and the slaves are stripped naked, then
marched before Guild representatives. A slave breaker
or doctor checks for signs of disease or weakness,
especially observing each captive’s gait, the condition
of his teeth and his muscle tone. The Guild represen-
tative haggles with the clan head or other
representative before placing each prisoner into one
of four groups.
The first group consists of the best potential
slaves of the lot. These are few in number and possess
tremendous athletic ability, expertise in a field, an
unusual appearance or other exceptional, salable quali-
ties. A given lot of captives will have, at best, one or
two of these candidates.
The second group consists of normal laborers,
suitable for any number of duties. These slaves possess
a basic level of physical fitness and no visible deformi-
ties or illness.
The third group consists of older captives as well
as those with minor disabilities, who cannot com-
mand the best prices at a slave market but are both
strong enough to work and to survive the voyage to
their final destinations.
Finally, certain captives are deemed worthless
due to injury, illness or age. These are given back to
their captors to do with as they wish or else killed by
the citadel staff if the slavers won’t take them back.

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

The factors believe that the Cestas have made the

THE SAVAGE GUILD Amber Post into their own private fief that interferes with
To intimidate their captives, raiders often tell the economic potential of the region. Cesta has a strong
brutal tales about they fate they are to suffer at the personal cadre, however, leaving the Guild to determine
hands of Guild buyers. Since the typical merchant the best time to kill him, rather than simply dismiss him.
prince is a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language It is only a matter of time until the Guild intervenes.
of his property, these stories play upon the prisoners’
fear of outsiders and persist even after months of ARGUIN CESTA: SENESCHAL
captivity. The most common rumor is that Guild
officers and slave buyers are cannibals. Given the OF THE AMBER POST
number of slaves that end up with the Fair Folk, this Arguin’s cruelty comes as naturally to him as any
isn’t an entirely inaccurate rumor. Other stories exist of his other attributes, but his enthusiasm for slave
that describe the Guild as a tribe of soulless automa- breaking outstrips that of his predecessors. He can
tons or subjects of demonic possession. often be found standing ramrod straight with his back
to the river, gazing down at slaves in the square below
in search of hesitation or imperfection. Over the
The bodies are burned to prevent supernatural possession generations it has managed the Amber Post, the Cesta
or reanimation. family has developed a number of internal traditions,
Members of the first three groups are branded (on the such the practice of torturing to death the first disobe-
shoulder or buttock) with a mark denoting their assessed dient prisoner of a new group to demonstrate the
value and locked in an iron collar inscribed with addi- master’s absolute power over their lives. Arguin’s
tional information, including the group they were originally shaved head, gray leather dress and pale stare create an
captured with. To prevent insurrection, the Guild breaks image of mercilessness to match his attitude.
up such groups, so that linguistic and cultural differences Arguin Cesta is devoted to a life of precision and
prevent an easy conspiracy. The merchant prince waits routine. His methodical abuse of captives is part of a
until several separate groups of captives are gathered at a larger ethos that ensures that he is never lax with any
citadel, then mixes them to break up preexisting tribal or of his responsibilities. Under his tenure, the number
social ties before ordering the caravan to move on. of mercenaries guarding the citadel has tripled. Their
In addition, slaves captured elsewhere stay at a citadel expanded mission includes securing territory around
as the caravans transporting them stop to rest. If their the Amber Post and administering to the small
eventual destination is a nearby city, bargain hunters will shantytown that has grown up around it. Arguin is
occasionally brave the journey to try and buy directly from exceedingly polite to visiting merchant princes, while
the Guild. The merchant prince in charge assesses these leaving no doubt that he holds true authority here.
offers on a case by case basis. Since his efficient practices and intimidation of the
raiders allows him to fetch considerably lower prices
PROMINENT SLAVE CITADELS for the Guild, it has taken years for reports from
A few citadels are better known that the rest, due to various caravans to gel into the realization that he is
the high volume of slaves that pass through or their stunting the growth of the region. Arguin has also
particular conditions. forced the raiders into several skirmishes with his
own troops, then demanded tribute after his better-
THE AMBER POST equipped soldiers won. Ultimately, he hopes to hold
Located near the northwestern tributary of the River the Amber Post as his own personal fief, supplied by
of Tears, the Amber Post is a squat, dour building of black the Guild but permanently staffed by his own family.
stone named for the glow of the water at sunset. The
Amber Post is well known for its slave-breaking tech-
niques — the Cesta family perfected its cruel art over THE PIT OF SIGHS
three generations. The family wields a disproportionate Located south of the Lap, the Pit of Sighs is the
amount of power compared to its members status as Guild final stop for many slaves before entering the markets of
custodians. Even though many of them have outgrown the South. As nations such as Gem flourish, the demand
the practical economic advantages of raiding, local tribes for more slaves increases, overcrowding the Pit of Sighs.
and petty states alike send a constant stream of captives Unlike most citadels, it was dug out of a natural crevice.
to the citadel because they are intimidated by the Amber The underground chambers that once provided shelter
Post’s mercenaries and by seneschal Arguin Cesta him- from the heat now host a diseased miasma, as local and
self. The fortress specializes in supplying unskilled labor caravan slaves are crushed into cells. However, the
and Fair Folk delicacies.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

number of deaths is still too low to justify the expense HARBORHEAD

of expanding the fortress.
Harborhead needs slaves. Because its laws make slavery
The slaves kept here maintain a rough cult devoted to
a nonhereditary condition, Harborhead encourages raiders
a plague spirit, praying that they will be spared the sickness
to sell directly to it. When the vagaries of birth and death
that sweeps through the place. The Guild has attempted to
leave the city with fewer slaves than normal, the direct
stamp it out on several occasions, but the cult always
market shores up the difference. When slaves are abundant,
reestablishes itself with new, hidden rites. No matter the
the excess is sold to the Guild. Harborhead is also aware of
variation, it’s persistence is puzzling, given that captives
its vulnerability to Guild subversion and strives to maintain
rarely linger longer than a few months before joining a
a robust direct market in case the Guild ever decides to
caravan. The cult is troublesome to the Guild because its
interrupt the flow of new slaves. Currently, the Guild and
members practice self-mutilation, lowering their sale price.
Harborhead are gearing up for the abundance of slaves soon
The fact that the most scarred slaves never seem to
to arrive from the upcoming Varangian campaign.
contract diseases is not lost on the Guild. A little god or
Fair Folk interloper is suspected of fostering the cult, but NEXUS
even with the aid of bright morning (see Scavenger Sons,
The Lawless City has served as a meeting place for
pp. 32-33), Guild occultists have found nothing, and spies
slave-takers since before the coming of the Council of
sent among the slaves have all died of horrible diseases.
Entities. Since the Council claimed the city, trade has
been even better. Despite laws that demand that it be
OTHER WHOLESALE MARKETS circumspect about it, the Guild has a reliable place to
In addition to the Guild’s network of trading posts, it acquire slaves, and raiders who might be pariahs in any
is possible for raiders to take their captives directly to the other Scavenger Lands city have a place to sell them. Such
cities, where both the Guild and independent merchants is the success of the arrangement that Nexus’ neighbors are
bid for prisoners. Agents of House Cynis also attend these sometimes raided along the way to market — an unlucky
markets, hoping to find a reliable supply of slaves outside merchant may find himself returning to the city he just left
of the Guild. The factors have little to fear from indepen- under markedly different circumstances. Raiders are care-
dent merchants, since most of them service an inefficient ful never to raid any place claimed by Nexus. The Council
local slave trade. The Guild also makes a point of trounc- of Entities’ severity about such matters is well known.
ing Cynis representatives at the auction block, to emphasize The fact that the Guild and the raiders don’t have any
the inevitability of the Guild monopoly. legal recourse if a slave escapes is a minor problem, since
The Guild encourages the use of silver currency at there are a dozen mercenary bands willing to guard cap-
wholesale markets. By entering a less competitive bid tives for a reasonable fee. If caught, would-be runaways are
against merchants who offer silver, it sacrifices total con- publicly tortured before the other captives or quickly sold
trol of the slave trade in exchange for the acceptance of to the Fair Folk.
silver — which is, in any event, best spent on Guild wares.
The following cities are notable for their wholesale BREAKING SLAVES
slave auctions:
Slave citadels and other wholesale markets are the
AZURE typical places where slave breaking begins. A slave breaker’s
Early trade with the Guild allowed Azure to develop job is a violent, disgusting one, since he is expected to
the resources necessary to become a civilized nation, ready destroy the slaves’ desire to escape or disobey. To put it less
to take the reins if the Realm faltered. Now the supply of gently, slave breakers are professional torturers. The Realm
slaves has practically come to a standstill. The people of and other states promote the idea of a “slave mentality,”
Azure have chosen conquest over trade and have been which holds that their property would not come into their
filling their wealthy households with prisoners of war, hands unless they lacked the will to be free. A slave breaker
seizing what the Guild feels they should simply purchase attempts to give truth to this fiction.
and leaving nothing to fill slave ships headed east. The A slave breaker is an unacknowledged part of every
other fruits of war have been spent on festivals and games, merchant’s retinue. Most often, slave breakers also work as
so trade of all kinds is growing sparse. Of course, Azure’s teamsters, physicians or quartermasters and are referred to
wealth was originally engineered by the Guild, partially in by those titles. Regardless of their culture, most people find
the form of several large loans to its current dictator. The the process of breaking slaves unpleasant, but the Guild,
Guild is on the verge of using those loans as leverage to House Cynis and others have always been able to find
contain the local political situation. Some merchant princes someone suited to the task. In the Guild, slave breakers
favor more forceful options, from crushing tariffs to assas- enjoy better pay, but they rarely advance within the
sination, but more conservative voices are arguing that the organization. A few move into bounty hunting, but most
uncertainties of war make such options a bad investment. remain at their jobs until they are too old to work.

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

While the process of breaking a slave begins at the slaves are able to share some of these benefits. Between a
market, it continues throughout the rest of the slave’s life. better diet and less confinement combined with swift move-
Most Dynastic households have a slave breaker in their ment on the water, river travel is the most survivable type
retinue, either as an assigned duty or an unofficial, occa- of slave transportation. Nonetheless, conditions are as
sional task. By the time slaves enter the houses or businesses crowded or worse because a riverboat need carry no supplies
of their owners, they are expected to be obedient and and need not worry about its ability to survive on the stormy
attentive. Dynasts of the Realm consider slave breaking open ocean and, thus, can be far more heavily laden. Slaves
beneath them. It’s usually entrusted to a senior servant (as in Guild river freighters also spend periods being sand-
an honor) or an unExalted relative (as an unpleasant duty). wiched between other cargo. Security on riverboats is
Slave breakers use hard repetitious labor to force stricter because it’s possible for escaped slaves to immedi-
complicity, adding other techniques where necessary. The ately find purchase on the shores of all but the greatest rivers.
lash is a useful tool because it can inflict terrible pain with Land travel is the most physically arduous because
little lasting harm. Beatings (the soles of the feet and palms slaves must walk to their destination, chained together
are common targets, since they leave no disfiguring scars) alongside the yeddim and the other pack animals of a
and repeated suffocation to the point of unconsciousness merchant prince’s entourage. Only slaves of the greatest
are used at the slightest hint of disobedience or fatigue. potential value are allowed to take any rest for illness or
This is complemented with verbal and psychological abuse infirmity. If an average slave can’t keep up, he’s cajoled or
in the form of periods of enforced silence, insults, sensory beaten by the caravan’s slave breaker. A slave that cannot
deprivation and threats that capitalize on the slaves’ worst move even under the threat of torture is killed. Still, land
fears. Repeated promises to starve or mutilate the slave, travel lacks many of the hazards of a confined ship’s hold.
along with threats to harm the rest of his family or tribe are Lack of fresh water is only a problem in the South, and
used to force passivity. The Guild considers sexual assault disease rarely plagues slaves on land the way it does those
an unprofessional way to condition slaves, and the trapped on ships. Slaves who mostly traveled on foot to
Immaculates consider it immoral, but independent slave market stand out because of the scars along their necks and
breakers often employ rape as well. shoulders, acquired from the friction of the chains and
collars they wore for the entirety of their march.
TRANSPORT ON THE CARAVAN
Once slaves have been sorted at the slave citadel, they
are assigned to passing Guild caravans based on each Slaves en route to markets receive the heaviest guard:
caravan’s destination. The highest quality slaves are usu- one for every 10 to 15 slaves. Fresh from slave citadels and
ally destined for the Scarlet Empire, although a few major points of capture, these slaves have yet to be cowed by the
states in the Scavenger Lands also have promising markets sting of the whip. On a slave caravan, weapons are kept under
capable of moving the most expensive slaves. The lowest lock and key whenever they are away from the hands and
quality slaves typically go to the Fair Folk, though captured scabbards of the guards. Slaves are searched daily for anything
wise men or artists occasionally join the lot to enhance the they might be able to use as a weapon, including sticks, stones,
Fair Ones’ diet. soup bones and lengths of rope. Slaves are forbidden to speak
In any event, the journey is the most dangerous part unless spoken to in order to prevent conspiracy.
of a slave’s journey, as they suffer according to the eco- Despite such precautions, caravans still fall to slave
nomic realities of the trade. The Guild strikes a balance rebellion. In RY 752, the icewalker Grozh Sar used a flaked
between cheap transportation and the survival of its chat- stone to amputate his left thumb and the large toes from
tel. A slave may travel by ship, by riverboat or on foot — both feet. This loosened his bonds, which he used to strangle
or all three — to get to the consumer market. Only the a guard. Grozh used the guard’s key to release a master chain
luckiest, such as those captured in the Scavenger Lands which connected all the slaves to the caravan wagons. They
and auctioned in Nexus may forgo the journey. Each type found the caravan’s arms and keys, but not before a quarter
of transportation has its own hazards. of them had fallen to guards. Wielding planks torn from the
Between the options of river, land and sea transport, wagons and captured swords, they slaughtered as many of
the last is the most dangerous. All but the most exotic the caravan’s company as they could catch and returned to
slaves spend most of their time locked in a cargo hold in the North. Although crippled for life, Grozh Sar’s tribe
order to prevent their rebellion or suicide, with only one allowed him to live as a hero. His Ashen Stags now plague
daily exercise drill. Rations are thin, as the slaves must Guild caravans bound for the Haslanti League.
compete with the sailors for the ship’s dwindling stores of Based on the testimony of survivors, the Guild
food and fresh water. Disease and filth are rampant as changed its procedures. Slaves are no longer secured by a
human waste accumulates in rarely emptied tubs. single master chain, and guards watch for prisoners who
River travel is more merciful. A slave boat plying the know the art of chipping stones into blades. This story
Yellow River makes frequent stops for food and rest, and underlies the importance of attending to every detail.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

ers. Konjin is a small, efficient port that sits on the southeast-

AWKWARD CIRCUMSTANCES ern shore of the prefecture, across the strait from the Imperial
The Guild is aware that any given slave has a small City. Almost entirely dedicated to the slave trade, its position
chance of being the child of an outcaste Dragon- allows it to ship slaves upriver as far as the foothills of the
Blooded. A few merchant princes also realize that other Imperial Mountain, but it isn’t so far up the waterway that it
Exalted might take the Second Breath in their chains. can’t attract vessels sailing around the Blessed Isle. The city
Though it has been invoked on only a handful of is directly adjacent to one of House Cynis largest estates, so
occasions, Guild procedure is to apologize profusely Guild envoys regularly visit to negotiate the price of slaves
and pay off the Exalt. The Guild is willing to offer the and other imports with the Great House.
equivalent of a Resources ••• transaction but can be House Cynis purchases slaves at Konjin and allots
pushed to a Resources •••• transaction if the Exalt them to markets across the Blessed Isle. The house estate
seems particularly talented, dangerous or angry. Of includes a slave camp, isolated from the rest of the
course, Exalted who receive the Second Breath as prefecture’s territory. Each block of slave tenements corre-
slaves are likely to be young, confused and unsure of sponds to a different Eastern prefecture (the western half
how to manage their newfound wealth. The Guild is of the Blessed Isle is served by other camps). The entire
pleased to offer its services, helping the beneficiary to palace is surrounded by untamed woods, as thick as Cynis
live a comfortable life as far away from Guild opera- sorcery and the elemental aspect of the Manse can make
tions as possible. Naturally, the Exalt must agree to them. Slaves are sedated for the duration of their stay.
never interfere in Guild business. In all cases, a factor Attached to the main estate is a small but richly
deals with the situation through an intermediary, appointed keep called the First House of Equitable Pros-
and the incident is noted for future reference. perity. Visiting merchant princes and proxies assigned to
If negotiations fail, the Guild is willing to deal with House Cynis stay here, surrounded by slaves,
test the new Exalt’s strength with hired killers, couriers and elaborate artwork provided by the house.
but this runs the risk of angering other Exalted as Paintings and sculpture showcase the house’s military
well as others within the web of supernatural victories against barbarians, Anathema and little gods to
powers that Princes of the Earth are enmeshed in. intimidate guests with the Dynasty’s might. The factors
The Guild would like to have as little to do with that this is supposed to impress have never been here
the world of feuding gods, sorcerers and super- because long-standing Guild policy discourages direct
natural martial artists as possible. In cases where contact between Dynasts and high Guild officials.
the Guild has accidentally offended a powerful UnExalted Dynasts on business also stay at the First House,
Exalt, a satrap’s fortune is a reasonable price to while the Exalted are housed at the palace itself.
pay, and the Guild is willing to meet quite unrea- House Cynis maintains a number of smaller camps
sonable demands to preserve itself. organized in the same fashion as the one in Pangu Prefec-
ture. Each of these has its own House of Equitable Prosperity
(though none of them are as fine as the First House), and
Determined captives will make every effort and use any camps are sectioned off according to nearby markets. In the
tool they can find to escape. When the opportunity for Western half of the Blessed isle, the Guild ships slaves
freedom arises, the supposed “slave mentality” dissolves. directly to these camps. The Arjuf camp is, after the Pangu
DESTINATIONS estate, the second largest in the Realm. Individual Cynis
slavers and pleasure house owners pick up their property
After their journey, slaves are allotted to the city slave here and pass along the profits from previous sales, where it
blocks in hundreds of nations, to the trade savants of travels back through the network to enrich the entire house.
House Cynis and to the graceful torture of the Fair Folk.
Additional merchandise is acquired at these destinations, HARD BARGAINING
some going back to the raiders, continuing the cycle of The waning hegemony of the Realm has forced House
trade. Of the states and petty fiefdoms visited by Guild Cynis to make some damaging choices in its relations with
caravans, only a minority reject the slave trade com- the Guild. Discontent in the Scavenger Lands forced the
pletely. Shadowlands and nations that use the labor of the Guild to look farther afield for slaves, and the legions have
walking dead have no need for slaves, and a few less been turned back often enough since the Empress’ disap-
civilized communities either acquire slaves through direct pearance that the house couldn’t acquire cheaper slaves
warfare or depend on feudal indenture to till their crops. through the military. So, on three occasions since Realm
Year 763, House Cynis purchased large slave shipments on
THE REALM Guild credit. Initially, the house believed that the Empress’
Most slaves destined for the Realm end up in Pangu absence would be temporary and that the severe terms it
Prefecture, where the town of Konjin receives Guild freight- agreed to would be easy enough to wrangle out of after the

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legions restored order. Five years later, the house cannot rely breaking the law. Most slaves are leased and operated under
on intimidation to modify the terms of the loan. at least nominal supervision — a Cynis Exalt is ultimately
House Cynis had always sold the drug bright morning responsible for their actions and stays in shouting distance of
to discrete clients. Persuading the Guild to regularly ac- whatever the slaves are working on. Thus, the house can earn
quire and sell Cynis the drug in defiance of imperial law is several times a slave’s sale price in a relatively short length of
another favor that put the house further in the factors’ time. To promote this, Cynis has experimented with restrict-
debt. In response to this, the Guild has again raised the ing direct sales in a few outlying prefectures. This reduces the
price of slaves, while suggesting that House Cynis should number of slaves other Dynasts can loan out, forcing them to
make up for lost profits by accepting larger shipments of rely on rented slaves for parties, for construction projects and
bright morning. Blatantly defying the Realm’s law by for other labor-intensive projects. The other houses are
creating a large market for the drug could land Cynis understandably incensed. In response, House Ragara is devel-
Dynasts in serious trouble, but the Guild would like larger oping its own network to buy slaves elsewhere and ship them
access to what constitutes the most concentrated market to affected regions, while House V’Neef is slightly increasing
for bright morning in all Creation. the number of slaves its legion officers acquire, closer to the
House Cynis has considered starting a competing slave limit of what would be considered acceptable without infring-
trade with its own mercenaries, but the massive cost of such ing upon official Cynis control of the trade.
an undertaking would cripple its short-term finances for an In addition, House Cynis has invested more heavily in
uncertain gain. This is especially true given suggestions that its slave brothels. Virtually every major city on the Blessed
the Guild may respond by instituting levies or undermining Isle now hosts a Cynis pleasure house, and the Imperial City
the Realm’s jade currency standard in Cynis satrapies. has several. Despite the requests of many righteous Immacu-
late monks, the Mouth of Peace does not speak out against
CYNIS BUSINESS the brothels. Conservatives emphasize the doctrine that
To make up for the narrowing profit margin, House such illusory pleasures prevent the accumulation of Essence,
Cynis has invested more and more in rented slave labor and but this has had little effect on their popularity. Occasion-
prostitution. Rather than sell slaves outright, Cynis rents ally, the monks quietly observe who is frequenting the local
them out at rates geared to the type of service they provide. brothel, then deliver lectures and the occasionally beating
This is the most common form of slave service in the Realm, to those customers when they arrive at the temple for
since the slaves can be directed by unExalted clients without spiritual guidance and blessings.

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One rapidly growing sideline to prostitution is the use of change, but when a caravan travels close enough, one of
slaves to satisfy the murderous perversions of a growing the common Fair Folk invariably appears to guide it. These
clientele of Dynasts and patricians. The fees are exorbitant — guides mutely appear, their bizarre form testimony to their
up to several times the sale price of the slave — but the origin. Occasionally, a guide arrives alone, but more com-
demand is persistent. Although slaves are routinely and monly, an honor guard of gossamer-glass ships, shimmering
openly used for things such as test cutting daiklaves and worms, skinned selkies or other wonders out of faerie
vivisection, this service extends far beyond that, attending to accompany her. Caravans that travel along certain roads
tastes that range from gang abuses to initiate a sworn broth- or sea lanes (or in the case of the wandering hill, take a
erhood to treason against the throne. Hurting or killing slaves counterclockwise path around source of the Grey River)
dressed in the scarlet panoply of the Empress or groomed to receive these escorts.
look like a the head of a Great House is a popular fetish. The After formally asking permission to enter, every mem-
most extreme of these services are consummated on the Cynis ber of the caravan, slave or not, must do so. The Guild
estate, and the woods there conceal the remains. forbids its officials from sampling the exotic delights of the
Fair Folk, as their food, drink and favors enchant the fools
that partake of them. In spite of this, the Fair Ones always
CYNIS INGENUITY offer their refreshments. Caravan guards and the like are
Of course, knowledge of the secret fetishes of the warned that they will be killed for indulging, but a few fall
powerful is a valuable tool for blackmail. House Cynis prey to temptation. Of course, slaves may satisfy them-
keeps a staff of slave-scribes who have been sorcerously
selves freely and find respite from the hunger and thirst
bound to secrecy to record these indiscretions by the
they have endured to get there.
house, region and profession of the clients involved.
After several hours of dallying over these sweetmeats,
These records prove to be most valuable when House
the lord of the fortress arrives in splendor. Common Fair
Cynis goes into negotiations or simply wants to ruin a
Folk secure manacles of gossamer on all who have partaken
rival. The house rarely employs long-term blackmail
because even the most deviant victim eventually of Fair Folk hospitality as well as those who the merchant
grows tired of the abuse. Even vices that are not prince designates as slaves. So, if the Guildsman’s staff
technically illegal can injure a Dynast’s reputation. partake of the Fair Folk’s hospitality, they also find them-
These secrets are used to entice and frighten in mea- selves chained. During the elaborate feast that follows
sured doses. In many cases, a Cynis Exalt may discreetly (which the merchant prince refuses, despite endless invita-
let the secret out first so that the disgraced mark will tions, cajoling and intimations of insult), the merchant
come to the house for support. After all, House Cynis prince and the Fair Folk noble discuss events in the world,
is nothing if not tolerant of its clients’ eccentric tastes. fix the schedule of the next caravan and gently haggle over
the price of slaves. The merchant prince discusses what he
might value in abstract, uncertain terms. The noble, in turn,
THE FAIR FOLK suggests other goods that might serve the Guildsman’s needs
or whispers a First Age secret as if in confidence to a friend.
The brave factors who negotiated the first sales to the Fair
Twenty years ago, a merchant prince returned from the
Folk left detailed instructions as to the proper protocols to use
North with the location of one of a set of five orichalcum
when dealing with these chaotic clients. The Fair Folk leave
mirrors. When properly activated, they allow their users to
three sorts of payment: the dream-eaten, who go on to work
see whatever is reflected in one of the other mirrors. Other
farms, mines and factories across Creation; works of gossamer
bits of lore, such as the original plans of certain Scavenger
and precious materials; and artifacts and lore from the First Age,
Lands cities, have allowed the Guild to find hidden artifacts
which the Fair Ones drew into the Wyld long ago.
or simply to charge large fees to act as consultants to the
A Guild caravan visits with precisely 150 personnel
rulers of those cities’ modern incarnations.
and slaves. The Fair Folk usually take about 100 of these,
Those Guild personnel who remain return to their
though they have been known to demand as many as 120.
vessel or caravan, where approximately 50 dream-eaten
The merchant prince asks for permission to enter the Fair
and a Ravager steward await them. The steward passes on
Ones’ domain and is always spared, but otherwise, the Fair
her lord’s salutations, explaining that precious “gifts” await
Folk do not always discriminate between caravan person-
the crew, already stowed for travel. As soon as they cross
nel and slaves.
the border of the Fair Folk Demesne, the merchant prince
TOWERS OF SPUN GOSSAMER runs to her new cargo and assesses the profit. The dream-
eaten go to the drug fields and mines where they will live
AND JEWELED BLOOD out the short span remaining to them or to the sorcerers,
There is one manor at each corner of Creation that spirits and other clients that demand them.
receives Guild caravans, plus a wandering hill that appears
wherever the Wyld’s touch lingers. Their exact locations

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

yew is anathema to other vegetation. The result is as large

FAIR FOLK HOSPITALITY as most human fortresses, dwarfing even the great Eastern
In their own Demesnes, the hospitality of the Fair forest that surrounds it. Interlocking chambers lie within
Folk has an effect similar to the Glamour power listed the living wood, decorated with tapestries and webbing,
on page 286 of Exalted (under the “Fair Folk Diplo- whose soft music comes from the plucking of fist-sized
mat”), except that it causes a person rather than an spiders at their centers. Hanging fruits, candied insects of all
area to fall prey to illusions. Inside the Fair Ones’ sorts and nectars are served here. By avoiding these tempta-
Demesne, a victim may interact with these illusions as tions, Guild representatives leave with bright bolts of
if they were real, even to the point of hovering in the gossamer cloth and the recipes for long-lost tinctures and
air, standing on a stairwell only she can see. In the five medicines. Caravans to this fortress follow a series of twist-
fortresses, the Fair Folk use their hospitality to prepare ing paths toward the rising sun until they are greeted by the
victims to live out their dreams and nightmares, carnivorous gray stags that escort them to their destination.
refining their emotions for Fair Folk consumption.
The player of anyone exposed as a guest to Fair
THE MOUTH OF WHITE SLEEP
Folk hospitality must make a Willpower roll at diffi- Merchant princes reach the Mouth of White Sleep by
culty 2. The player of anyone exposed as a prisoner taking their caravans North. The gate of this ice palace
must make a Willpower roll at difficulty 3. Those who blows with a chill white fog. In this austere fortress,
fail are subject to the Beguile power (see Exalted, p. warmth is the hospitality offered to visitors, and slavers
286), which directs them to linger in the fortress and must refuse the fur cloaks and heated rooms offered to
show no resistance to the Fair Folk. The beguilement them. In return, travelers receive blocks of the never-
has no effect on characters with a Wits + Essence of 7 melting ice of the farthest North, First Age maps and flying
or higher. This beguilement is a natural property of craft knitted from the dreams of gifted artisans.
Fair Folk Demesnes, but it is the nature of such THE SURGEON’S DEEP
glamour-gifts to only function when freely chosen.
This palace is cut from the body of a slowly writhing
Individuals who are forced to consume them are under
whale-behemoth. Great spears puncture its vital points
no compulsion, and the Fair Folk will not tolerate
and have closed the flow of living Essence its vital organs
abuse of their guests through force-feeding.
until these chambers have hardened to greenish stone.
Slaves are exchanged for Wyld pearls, corals and shells,
THE FIVE FORTRESSES gossamer armor and other Western treasures. Merchant
princes avoid the skewered, living sea creatures and heady
Although the noble Fair Folk commanding them change
rum offered them. Glass boats and Sea Folk in the shape of
(or merely change their natures) at irregular intervals, the
seals guide slavers who sail west, toward Mars.
names and general appearance of the five fortresses that the
Guild delivers slaves to remain relatively constant. THE FRAGRANT HILL
THE WREATH OF LASHES Wandering throughout the Wyld places in the world,
this hill smells of the rare incense of the greatest Immacu-
The Ash Road runs straight south through the South-
late temples. Visitors must refuse the shining gems they are
ern desert until caravans meet the lions and fire-blackened
offered to navigate the darkness, using their own lanterns
scorpion children that will guide them to the Wreath of
instead, and should not partake of the roots and legumes
Lashes. The slowly writhing walls of this bronze tower are
heaped upon platters for them. Scrolls depicting the de-
chill to the touch, defying the persistent beating of the sun.
vices of the First Age and precious metals worked with
This fortress is a disturbing place for slavers to visit, for the
inhuman precision pay for slaves. Within the Guild, some
Fair Folk forged much of it from the dreams of tortured
speculate that this is a surreptitious trade undertaken by
chattel. The walls move with shifting bas-reliefs of long
the Mountain Folk in order to conceal their appetites.
devoured slaves, reliving their past torments in slow mo-
Caravans take a widdershins route around the source of the
tion. A maze of curtains made of whip-braids and chains
Grey River until the hill appears, cloaked in mist.
leads the way to the reception hall. Visitors are offered
wine with the aroma of burnt blood and raw, spiced meat.
Merchant princes often leave with gossamer blades or
MARKETS ACROSS CREATION
gems carved into the shape of fierce, fantastic creatures. Slaves who avoid the Fair Ones’ attentions or the Cynis
camps are delivered to one of the thousands of slave markets
THE EMBRACE OF ASH AND YEW that flourish in the Second Age. Larger cities’ markets are
It is a testament to the unnatural existence of the Fair staffed by the Guild, small towns by independent merchants.
Ones that these two trees twist together, since the poisonous In between these extremes, the Guild promotes a thriving
retail trade. These independent merchants promote the

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

mines the authority of the shogunate. The families pass laws

GETTING THERE to “show merchants their place,” restricting certain arma-
The Guild originally handled its transactions ments and the right to dress in the state colors. Even farmers
with the Fair Folk on an ad hoc, improvised basis. The are allowed the leaf shaped blades and flame-orange heraldry
Fair Ones would occasionally devour entire caravans, of the city, so the merchants are reminded that, in the eyes of
merchant princes would ensnare themselves with the the nobility, they are less than peasants. Still, this doesn’t
pleasures of glamour and the factors would respond keep them from being wealthier than the farmers and the
with brief embargoes. The Fair Folk could hunt for aristocrats, and unless Port Calin can wean itself away from its
themselves, of course, but business with the Guild was economic dependence on cheap labor, the slave merchants
a far more efficient way of acquiring sustenance and will continue to increase their influence in local affairs.
presented far fewer dangers than the possibility of
dream-starvation or attack by angry Exalts and spirits.
GREAT FORKS
In RY 414, Fair Folk diplomats and Guild factors The slavers of Great Forks have a reputation for being
met in Nexus to resolve such outstanding issues. As the most humane practitioners of their trade. This isn’t to
a result, the five fortresses system evolved, and the say they don’t beat and brand their property, but they do
Fair Folk gave the Guild its showstones, small gossa- so with full knowledge that, by the laws of the city, a slave
mer talismans that merchant princes still carry. enjoys many rights and can, in some cases, buy back her
Showstones emit a subtle magical vibration that freedom. The best slavers refuse to sell to clients who
notifies the guardians of each fortress that the bearer might abuse their thralls — for that reason, “a slaveless
(and, presumably, her caravan) approaches and warn prince” is Great Forks’ slang for a cruel, wealthy man.
other Fair Folk not to molest the caravan that a Many of these merchants are treated as something
stone-bearer leads. The caravan still has to take the akin to grandparents or uncles by the better-treated slaves
right road to the right area (an amorphous, roughly of the city. Slaves often come to them for financial advice
200 mile square territory), and such regions are at the and loans as a part of their plans to buy their freedom. Once
Bordermarches of the Wyld (see Exalted: The Lunars, freed, many of these slaves become slave sellers them-
Chapter Six, for information about Bordermarches selves, though not necessarily with the Guild.
and the Wyld in general). Caravans usually time
their arrivals for the new or waning moon because GREYFALLS
the Wyld strengthens as the moon waxes. Greyfalls boasts a small number of slave merchants.
A showstone’s emanation can be sensed by super- All are Dragon-Blooded because the state emulates Realm
natural powers capable of detecting Essence flows, law. Greyfalls is one of the few places where Dragon-
such as the Charms All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight, Blooded factors exist, just to keep the Guild’s hand in the
Pulse of the Invisible and Measure the Wind. Chaos- trade. These outcaste Terrestrials sell slaves alongside
Repelling Pattern can neutralize a showstone’s their Cynis counterparts. The Guild’s slaves are cheaper,
emanation. Two successes using Wyld-Shaping Tech- but Dynasts who buy from anyone else are thought to be
nique can actually produce a counterfeit showstone unpatriotic. Also, House Cynis rents out its slaves here,
out of Wyld-stuff if the Exalt has previously examined just as in the Realm.
the real thing with All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight. Technically, mortals may not own slaves in Greyfalls,
but the law forbidding ownership is often stretched. Hu-
Guild’s interests by ensuring that healthy local competition man buyers “rent” a slave from the Guild for its purchase
fee, then pay a trivial sum annually to keep the de facto sale
is the rule. Furthermore, the Guild influences the economies
legal. The Guild does not compete with House Cynis for
of such small states by demanding particular payments for
actual slave rentals and pays regular bribes to River Prov-
their slave shipments. When the Guild demands silver, the
ince satrapy officials. Both tactics prevent the Guild trade
wealthy hoard silver. When merchant princes offer a trade
from official interference, but local Immaculates regularly
discount for fine weapons, a city’s forges crackle with the effort
rail against the outcaste market in sermons.
to fill subsequent orders.
LOOKSHY
MARKETS IN THE SCAVENGER LANDS Lookshy is one exception to the Scavenger Lands-
Calin, Great Forks and Greyfalls are all cities that can wide tendency toward slaving. The city sees slaves as a
support wealthy local merchants, though each does so in security risk and is loathe to support a population that it
its own particular style. cannot trust to bear arms against an aggressor. Its Dragon-
Blooded lords try to keep the city as self-sufficient as
PORT CALIN possible and are cautious about allowing the Guild too
The wealth of the slavers is troubling to the Calinti. much economic leverage. The handful of licensed slave
Slavers are members of a burgeoning middle class that under-

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

sellers report to the Vincular Warden. This official records as to encourage a rapid sale. News of exotic or skilled slaves
all sales and keeps an exact census of the sparse slave is sent by mounted messenger, so that negotiations for the
population and imposes a hefty luxury tax on all sales to sale can begin before the slave arrives.
keep the numbers down. In any event, the demand for Slaves entering Nexus need the same sort of paper-
slaves isn’t high. The odd footman or courtesan that work, lest they be freed (and the owner most likely murdered)
complements the other property of ranking strategoi is by the Council of Entities and its mercenaries. The rules of
almost always a prisoner taken on campaign. Otherwise, slavery in Nexus are not simply paid lip service. The Council
criminals and prisoners of war are owned by the govern- emphasizes that its city is a place of refuge for the disenfran-
ment, who set them to the city’s public works. chised and draws strength from the cult that formed to laud
them (particularly the Emissary) as liberators and keepers of
THE TRADE IN NEXUS the peace. The documentation must pass legal muster, and
Though many cities impose some local regulation on slaves kept in the city overlong are likely to be impounded
the basic business of selling human beings, the bureaucracy and manumitted by the Council’s servants.
of the slave trade in Nexus is in a class of its own. Situated
in a city where any slave can run without consequence and
THE COFFEEBLOCK MARKET
where the trade is technically illegal, the greatest slave The vast majority of slaves are auctioned off to local
market outside of the Realm merits special attention. and regional dealers in the Coffeeblock Market alongside
Long ago, the Council of Entities made this decree: all manner of livestock, from bull yeddim to Wyld-touched
None shall labor against their will except by order of peacocks. Roughly half of a new shipment is earmarked for
the Council. internal Guild transactions, to be sent to the whip legions
Like most of the Civilities (the proclamations of the or to assist factors and merchant princes with various
Council of Entities — see Scavenger Sons, p. 107), the projects. The rest are sold to foreign merchants and others
wording of this decree is somewhat vague. Like the others, who intend to leave the city as quickly as possible.
the Council clarifies it with brutal magical punishments During the auctions, naked slaves are paraded along a
when required. The Guild was brave enough to test the law raised platform, then pose to display their health and
(or knew something of its true intent) when it first brought anything notable about their physical condition, such as
humans to the livestock pens of the Coffeeblock Market in tattoos or Wyld mutations. A handler stands nearby to
RY 152. To assuage the nervousness of the neighboring persuade any recalcitrant slaves to do as they’re told. A
ranchers, the reeves posted a bill claiming that these chained Guildsman then extols each slave’s virtues as a laborer,
prisoners were not slaves but contracted servants, and the savant or other servant and names the minimum bid. A
legal fiction upon which Nexus’ slave trade rests was founded. good slave hawker has a clear, booming voice combined
Before entering the city, all slaves sign or mark a with the ability to read the faces of the crowd and can adjust
contract declaring that they have sold themselves to the the minimum up or down based on their expressions.
Guild for three days of indentured service. Typically, the SLAVES IN NEXUS
caravan master gets the slave’s handprint on two copies of
Slavery is illegal in Nexus. The Guild walks a fine
the document per slave, but some slaves are made to sign
enough line selling them, but keeping slaves in Nexus
theirs to indicate that they are literate. Nexus artisans
territory is a reliable way to get murdered, either by
print thousands of these contracts every year and forge
Council troops or through messy, sorcerous means. There
hundreds of collars inset with three jade bits: the payment
are very few exceptions to this rule.
mandated by the contract. Slaves wear them as they stand
The first exception is when a mob decides to subject
in the Coffeeblock stalls, all the while clutching their copy
a criminal to a period of indenture for her crimes instead
of the contract. It doesn’t matter whether or not the slave
of killing her. The offender must be guilty of a crime
can read it; refusals to mark it are met with swift, harsh
heinous enough that a lynching would not normally be
punishment. The legal paraphernalia of slavery spawned
opposed by the Council, and the mob must agree to a
two pieces of popular slang. A “black hand” (derived from
particular labor that the criminal will perform. Typically,
the stained hands of slaves who have marked their con-
this sort of criminal slavery is inflicted on those who are
tract) is used to refer to a slave or to someone with a
young and would otherwise die as a form of mercy. The
submissive attitude, while a “three-bit deal” is any arrange-
mob then contacts a Council representative and explains
ment characterized by fraud or excessive effort.
the situation. The response normally takes three to five
This means that the Guild must sell its slaves as
days to arrive. The Council either orders the offender freed
quickly as possible, before the contract is up and their
or killed, or it approves of the arrangement and tells the
“bondsmen” are freed. Slave markets in Nexus are a
new owner to periodically report to the Council for a
frenetic affair. Laborers are sold in volume to slavers with
review, wherein it may again order the death or freedom of
ready transport out of the city, and prices are kept low so
the criminal. The small number of bondsmen this process

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

creates cannot work at any skilled trades, so most of them own staff, while less prestigious households leave the job to
are household servants or gladiators. family members or to personal retainers.
Secondly, while not technically slaves or bondsmen,
apprentices for skilled trades must serve their masters in THE FAIR FOLK
exchange for training. There is no penalty for running The Fair Ones hold their slaves in Wyld-wracked
away from an apprenticeship, but a master artisan can realms far from civilization. Handling slaves is a chore left
inflict beatings, levies and brief periods of forcible confine- to the commoners of their kind, who feed on the dregs of
ment upon a disobedient apprentice without the Council prisoners’ dreams, herd them through games designed to
intervening. Fortunately, apprenticeships eventually end, provoke delectable emotions and drag their devoured
freeing trained artisans to work where they will. husks back to the five fortresses to exchange for fresh
supplies. The shimmering slave fields are vast; glamour
THE FATE OF THE CHAINED courses through them, weaving illusions to provoke the
From their caravans, stalls and stages, slaves go on to slaves’ emotions to the point of madness. The Fair Folk
do all manner of work. Most slaves work in unskilled prowl among the slave population, hidden behind familiar
professions such as farm labor or mining. The Guild tries faces or the masks of nightmares. Contrary to popular
to determine what a slave’s assets are as soon as possible belief, the Fair Folk do not immediately drag their prison-
after acquiring her. Prisoners who are literate, attractive or ers into the bizarre flux of their homes. The Fair Ones are
possess some unusual skill command a higher price than a aware of their corporeal strength and understand that
dream-eaten farmhand. human beings are quickly aroused by material stimuli. A
A slave purchased through the Guild is rarely a trivial slave who is drawn immediately into the Wyld risks losing
investment except for very wealthy clients. Urban house- her mind, leaving nothing but the thin, tasteless dream-
holds can usually afford one or two domestic slaves, while fare of madness. Sustenance and entertainment demand
large agricultural manors benefit from the cheaper cost of games and rites, where slaves confront terror and desire on
unskilled laborers and the rough chain of command that the shores of the Wyld.
develops. In such areas, semiprofessional slave breakers,
handlers and bounty hunters ply their trade. The Guild GAMES OF THE HUNTED
often provides favored clients with access to the best of its At the edge of Creation, the Fair Ones have a great
deal of control over the shape of the land, the

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

currents, the quality of light and other facets of the

environment. This power is typically keyed to the faerie
THE LIBERATING ONES lord’s elemental affinity (see Scavenger Sons, p. 132), so
The Liberating Ones are a set of six statues of the that prisoners in the North confront snow and ice that has
Emissary that stand at Nexus’ territorial borders. been wind-chiseled into disturbing shapes, while braids of
They take their names from the fact that they mark flame imprison Southern captives. The Fair Folk look into
the point at which Nexus’ Civilities take force, the minds of their prisoners and shape the Wyld in ways
prompting runaway slaves to seek them out. Inside calculated to provoke their emotions. An Eastern slave
the territory marked by the statues, slave owning is sees friends and lovers twisted out of leaves, branches and
punishable by death, and the Council makes a point shadows while fleeing the keening of hunting hounds he
of sending mercenaries to kill slave owners who once trained. Commoners prowl these preserves,
recapture or march their slaves through any part of it. shapeshifting into roles calculated to twist a victim’s
The Guild takes pains to ensure that all indenture heartstrings and to work their emotions to a fever pitch
contracts are marked before caravans are in sight of under the influence of Wyld-shaped blossoms that emit
the Liberating Ones. cloying psychotropic pollen. Nobles ride these fields for
“The Liberating Ones” is also Nexus slang for sport as their inferiors weave ideal hunting grounds from
political activists and former slaves who live in the stuff of chaos.
Nexus and see that the city’s code of freedom is Then, the pursuit and the shifting of the land ceases
known and enforced. Some Liberating Ones pay for a moment, just long enough for the slaves to sleep and
individuals to walk up and down the streets of Nexus, to draw the day’s experiences into their dreams. This
shouting out the good news of freedom in their own moment of peace is always brief, and its duration changes
languages, so that everyone in the city, regardless of on each occasion, so that the slaves are worked to laugh,
extraction, will know that they cannot be made to cry or fight with the phantoms of the land in a haggard,
labor against their will. This job is one commonly half-dreaming state. Their efforts are as exhausting as
given to newly liberated slaves, who can simulta- those of farmers or miners, except that they are, in the end,
neously become familiar with the city and have a cultivating themselves for consumption.
good chance of contacting communities of their While terror and rage are certainly easy enough to
fellow countrymen as they walk up and down the provoke, these are not the only emotions that the Fair Folk
streets shouting in their native tongue. prepare for dining upon. While most slaves receive some
Other Liberating Ones act as intervention teams, preparation, only a few undergo the elaborate dramas
reporting abuses to the Council and publicly de- demanded by the greatest Fair Folk nobles. The greatest
manding enforcement or sending their own armed Fair Ones pick slaves with the most passionate souls and
teams to free slaves. Even the guards of Guild cara- ensconce them in twisted dioramas that recall their free
vans are especially alert near the boundary statues, lives. A lone child awakens in a replica of her former home,
lest a snap raid by a paramilitary abolitionist faction where her parents (commoners carefully sculpted for the
spirit the slaves across the border to Nexus. Only the role) nourish feelings of trust and false freedom. While
semiformal Coffeeblock trade is off-limits to armed there is usually some falseness to the scene (such as the
assault. The Liberating Ones are well known for dominance of the local Fair Folk’s favored element), many
rescuing the elfshot from Ravagers, and it is in this slaves ignore these signs, desperate for the comfort or
capacity that the Liberating Ones earn a positive distractions that such illusions offer.
reputation among the populace. The Liberating Ones Over a span that may range from mere hours to years
play up their opposition to the Fair Folk and never (and which, at the edge of the Wyld, does not always
tire of painting every slaver as a collaborationist who correspond with the progress of time in Creation), the Fair
sells Creation out to the Hosts of Faerie. Folk devour their slaves. The Fair Ones enter the illusion,
The richest among the Liberating Ones are stealing the slaves’ emotions after agitating them to a fever
also sponsors of the caretaking society of the opu- pitch. A warrior’s Valor is cultivated over a months, as he
lent Temple to the Liberating Council, where conquers dream-monsters, until he becomes ripe with
constant lavish rituals and costly libations honor bravery. Compassionate monks tend Fair Folk in the guise
the Council as freedom’s caretaker. This is ranked of the wounded and wretched until their mercy matches
as one of the city’s most obvious ongoing bribes, but those of legendary sages.
it seems to be working — few of the Liberating Ones Then, the failures come. The warrior is beaten back by
turn up dead from Council-style hits, despite dis- a Wyld terror, and the monk’s patients betray him — all
playing a level of organization that generally draws outward manifestations of Fair Folk’s feeding. The wisest
the ire of the Emissary. Fair Folk give their slaves time to recover their Virtues, but
many are swept up by the ecstasy of feeding, quickly

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reducing their victims to spiritless husks. Eventually, the on the grounds that it weakens the moral resolve of the
cycle of feeding and spiritual recovery is too exhausting for Exalted. In deference to these wishes, most of these experi-
the slaves. Fair Folk nobles devour the emotional treasures ments are only undertaken in the service of the Realm,
that remain and leave the paltry, common feelings for the either to test new weapons or to train legion surgeons.
commoners. Once their feelings and will have been en- Spirits and sorcerers also use the dream-eaten in their
tirely ravaged, the slaves become dream-eaten. work. They make convenient sacrifices and have no in-
nate resistance to possession. In Great Forks, a worldly
THE DREAM-EATEN little god may keep a few dream-eaten in order to forego the
After her emotions and ambitions have been de- bother of materializing. Some demons also enjoy having
voured, a slave is little more than a tottering husk of a material form. Between this and their uses in the fields of
person, but such dream-eaten are still useful. The Guild alchemy and medicine, the Heptagram purchases a score
collects them after every delivery and sells them through- of them every year (in defiance of popular disapproval, but
out Creation. the sorcerous academy doesn’t care). Because they can
Until they become used to a routine, the dream-eaten easily be possessed, the dream-eaten often cause problems
do nothing unless they are ordered to. This makes them when they work in labor gangs. Local spirits may turn them
uniquely suited for hard, repetitive labor, especially since against their owners, and so, most wear neck-rings with a
they care little for their own bodies. Bereft of the sense of talisman against possession set into them.
violation that accompanies injury, they feel little pain and
only react to a hazard with the most fundamental reflexes. SLAVERY IN THE REALM
A dream-eaten slave will flinch from the touch of burning Although dream-eaten are unpopular, the Realm uses
coal or cringe under a falling rock but does not evade such slaves for almost every conceivable purpose. Slaves are
hazards unless ordered to do so at the time of their occur- forbidden from acting as warriors outside of the gladiato-
rence. With these reduced reflexes, many dream-eaten rial arena. Otherwise, slaves can be found tilling fields,
begin to look like lepers after several years of labor, as their teaching young Dynasts and performing a whole host of
extremities are marked with sores and missing digits from other duties. A fiftieth of the Realm’s population are
untended injuries. They do not talk or cry out, though, in slaves. No census records this, though a few knowledge-
many, some wisp of their former life is trapped within able members of the Thousand Scales and House Cynis are
them. This may lead them to repeat nonsensical phrases, well aware of the importance of the chained to the Scarlet
such as their own name or the last thing they said to a good Empire’s continued prosperity.
friend. This irritates most handlers, who are quick to cut
the tongues out of these murmurers. The Guild’s least- LAW AND SOCIAL ATTITUDES
valuable whip legions are populated with the dream-eaten, Only Exalted Dynasts may own slaves. The Empress
who tend drug crops and other monotonous duties, always demanded this to prevent the empire from coming under
under the care of a handler. The Guild sells dream-eaten undue influence from merchants and patricians. This is
whenever possible, both to rid itself of the depressing effect justified by the Immaculate faith because only the Dragon-
that they have on morale and because their labor is less Blooded possess the enlightenment necessary to guide the
efficient than that of healthy slaves. Still, there is always lesser races of humanity. Slave owners must shepherd their
a market for pliant, spiritless slaves. Many of them are sold property down the Immaculate Path — a mortal cannot
as quick, disposable labor. The Guild dispatches a handler claim responsibility for those of equal Essence, disqualify-
along with the lot to acclimatize them to their work with ing them from the privilege.
a few weeks of drill. House Cynis and other panderers Slavery is not a controversial issue in the Realm. It
purchase new, beautiful dream-eaten to serve as sex ob- simply exists. Some deplore it, and some justify it, but one
jects for the powerful. Warriors use them to test swords and way or another, it is viewed as a fact of life. Slaves born in
martial arts techniques. Vast numbers work the Guild’s the Scarlet Empire may have trouble conceiving of any
drug fields, either directly or with a local drug farmer, other life. Organized opposition to slavery would be con-
sustaining another lucrative market. sidered unthinkable if it had not happened at least once in
It is not illegal to own dream-eaten in the Realm, but the Realm’s history, when country slaves joined the Un-
there is a moderate social prejudice against doing so. As broken Rushes Rebellion in RY 465. Most of them were
with any slave, only Dragon-Blooded may own them. tortured to death when the revolt ended, beginning the
These wretches cannot seek enlightenment through the custom of killing slaves on the correction wheel.
Immaculate faith and represent the influence of a power
that threatens the Scarlet Empire. House Cynis is very SLAVE PRIVILEGES AND PUNISHMENTS
discreet about offering the services of its “puppets.” The Slaves in the Realm have no rights per se, but a number
Immaculate Order frequently preaches against the prac- of strongly ingrained customs effectively regulate the treat-
tice of using dream-eaten for vivisection or daiklave testing ment of slaves. Harming another Dynast’s slave is akin to

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death — or a much slower one if the weapon was actually

THE CORRECTION WHEEL used to threaten, injure or kill anyone. If captured, a
runaway slave is subject to whatever punishment his master
Slaves who murder, who aid treason or who
decrees: Hobbling (removing or crippling one foot at the
commit other serious crimes are tortured to death on
ankle) and other forms of mutilation are standard. Aiding
the correction wheel, a legacy of the Unbroken Rushes
the escape of a slave is a capital crime for the unExalted.
Rebellion. A condemned slave is chained to the edge
Dragon-Blooded are punished for insulting the Delibera-
of a large disk inscribed with phrases from the Im-
tive, with a sentence based on the number of escaped slaves
maculate Texts. A pair of young Dynasts rotates the
and the offender’s social standing. Only a handful of Exalted
wheel while chanting prayers for the Empress’ contin-
Dynasts have ever been accused of this crime.
ued health. Dehydration and suffocation from
prolonged arching of the back eventually kill the THE IMMACULATE FAITH
slave. When not in use, a house’s correction wheel is In support of imperial law, the Immaculate faith
prominently displayed in the compound’s largest court- claims that slaves are guided by the Exalted for their own
yard. Manning the wheel is thought to build character eventual enlightenment. Since many slaves were once
in young Dynasts destined for military service. barbarian enemies of the Scarlet Empire, conservative
monks claim that they have lost their freedom in punish-
damaging her property, but it is understood that some ment for their sins against the principles of enlightenment.
favored slaves may hold far more value to their masters than The Immaculate Texts hold many contradicting passages
House Cynis would assess. Normally, the offender pays about the role of a slave. One sutra (discovered after the
several times the slave’s market value based on the slave’s Unbroken Rushes Rebellion) claims that slaves must be
skills and position in the household. The amount of money tempered by constant punishments from their masters.
needed to compensate a Dynast for a slain or mutilated Another (currently favored by Regent Fokuf) consists of
concubine is easily enough to ruin most offenders or to turn an erotic poem composed by a daimyo on the eve of taking
their house against them for wasting money. her monastic vows. The author despairs because she will
A slave’s master may treat him in any way she wishes, not be able to train her husband’s concubine to be her
but outrageous public abuse is normally considered to be equal in the arts of love.
a sign of poor breeding. Beatings and other punishments Commentators interpret this as an allegory for the
are usually delivered in private. On the other hand, cultivation of Essence and claim that a slave’s intimate
parties and other occasions where it is acceptable for relationship with his master brings a special opportunity
Dynasts to trust in their impulses remove the normal for enlightenment and a special commitment on the part
taboos. Although House Cynis is infamous for its treat- of a Dynast. The Immaculate Order does not purchase or
ment of slaves, members can honestly claim that they own slaves. It has enough novices to do its work. Occasion-
simply make a habit of the parties and entertainment that ally, pious Dynasts give their slaves as gifts to the Order.
all Dynasts indulge in. These slaves are usually treated better than their secular
By long-standing custom, slaves are allowed to learn counterparts. Immaculate doctrine considers them to be
to read and write as well as to own private property. lay followers, while monks are forbidden by their vows to
However, since they are not allowed to purchase anything use slave assistance to ease their labors. However, indi-
unless on house business, slaves rarely have an opportunity vidual Immaculates may abuse a slave without many
to actually own anything. Generous households will occa- consequences in the same way that senior monks occa-
sionally allow a yen or two’s worth of purchases to be made sionally mistreat novices. Abbots employ the slaves as
on the slave’s behalf. It is considered impious to keep a messengers and laborers, especially when the task at hand
slave working too hard to practice a few sparse Immaculate would, if given to a novice, strain her vows. The current
rites, but many households aren’t very pious to begin with. Mouth of Peace allows monasteries to emancipate one
The Deliberative must approve any request to free a slave per decade. Previous Mouths of Peace have cited the
slave. A single Dragon-Blooded may only free three slaves Immaculate Texts to justify freeing as many slaves as
a decade. This is normally routine, though the Delibera- possible or none at all.
tive has refused requests in order to chastise a particular Most slaves in the Realm are either foreigners or
Dynast or Great House. Most applications to free slaves are criminals. According to most monks, foreigner slaves are
timed so that they will come into effect during Calibra- blessed with a new opportunity to seek enlightenment in
tion, as freeing or rewarding slaves brings luck at a time the heart of the Immaculate faith instead of suffering the
when the eye of Heaven has the most merciless gaze. spiritual blandishment of some barbaric cult. Enslaved
It’s illegal for a slave to hold a weapon for any purpose criminals erred on the path of cultivating Essence to such
whatsoever unless he is fighting or training in a licensed an extent that the Realm, following the model of Heaven,
gladiatorial arena. The punishment for doing so is a swift assigned them stricter duties and closer supervision by

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

the Dragon-Blooded. Dissenting Immaculates point out

that the Realm follows Heaven’s example but its servants THE VIRTUE OF LOYALTY
sometimes stray from their duties and prescribe a code for
Loyalty is the virtue the Realm’s masters value
the treatment of slaves based on Immaculate austerities.
most highly in their slaves. Folk tales about loyal
Dynasts who follow this line of thinking order their slaves
slaves following their masters into death (somewhat
to chant the Immaculate Texts and to strictly moderate
reminiscent of tales about faithful pets) are common
their diet and do not sexually exploit the slaves.
and well-liked among slave-owning Dynasts. An
THE THOUSAND SCALES experienced slave learns all the stories, from The Tale
of Trys (who was burned alive bringing her Fire-
The imperial bureaucracy keeps a large number of
aspected master out of deep despair) to The Virtues of
slaves. These are technically owned by the Empress and
Dethrig (a slave who killed his master’s assassin,
kept in trust. Most are bearers, messengers and savants
knowing full well he would be broken on the correc-
with mathematical or literacy skills that suit them to the
tion wheel for taking up a weapon) because many
task. Senior bureaucrats are often rewarded with one or
masters never tire of telling them.
more personal slaves as well, though most suspect that
In slave culture, these stories are often the butt
these act as spies for their superiors. One of the attractions
of grim jokes. “Trys’s kiss” is a common euphemism
of life in the Thousand Scales is that an unExalted bureau-
for sadomasochistic attentions from a particular
crat can earn slaves that are answerable to him rather than
Dynast, and slaves have their own cycle of stories
his house. A slave of the Thousand Scales typically leads
about Dethrig. In them, the legendary slave is an
a less strenuous life than those working in a household but
idiot and a snitch who betrays his fellow slaves for
can never be freed because he is the Scarlet Empress’
greater and greater rewards from his master until the
property, held in trust until she returns.
Dynasts punish him for his presumption. Lessons on
Slaves of traveling magistrates have perhaps the best
how to keep secrets, to hide food and to master other
lives of those indentured to the Thousand Scales. On the
survival tricks are worked into the stories as well.
road, a judge’s attendant takes care of a multitude of minor
Slaves who share a household tend to be quite
tasks, from arranging lodgings to gathering information
loyal toward each other. Everyone suffers under an
from local slaves. This comes at a price. The slave must be
Exalt’s capricious moods, so they do their best to
literate enough to assist the magistrate and loyal enough to
make up for each other’s shortfalls and give the
forego the countless opportunities for escape that arise on
appearance of a smoothly functioning household.
the road. He also has to deal with peasants who despise him
for living so well under the yoke.

LABOR FOR THE REALM given such responsibility has special skills that suit her to
these tasks, such as originally hailing from the region
The Scarlet Empire employs slaves in countless where the plant or animal is usually raised.
nonmilitary pursuits. Most slave labor is invisible. Gems Occasionally, slaves are called on for more intensive
and jade come forth from the mines, the fields get tilled, efforts. If disease or revolt lowers the harvest yield, slaves
and the bills get paid, and the Dragon-Blooded hardly are expected to make up for it. Peasants naturally resent
worry about it. Generally, these chores only garner serious this, but their chained counterparts are expected to work
concern when they cost a lot of money. The price of slaves twice as hard. Overseers are particularly brutal, both in
has been steadily increasing since the Scarlet Empress’ memory of the Unbroken Rushes Rebellion and because
disappearance, and House Cynis’ new emphasis on renting there are more opportunities for escape.
slaves for major projects (such as canals and quarries) has Civic Labor
caused some friction and increased favor trading as other Despite the decline of recent years, the Realm still
Great Houses try to minimize their losses. pursues the most ambitious civil engineering projects in all
Agriculture of Creation. Slaves keep the roads repaired, construct
Farms in the Realm are tended by peasants, not aqueducts and rebuild after fires and other disasters. Previ-
slaves, with the exception of large personal or family ously, the Empress “borrowed” labor from any house that
estates. Slaves usually work a small plot of land to feed needed to be taught a lesson, making up the difference
themselves and to provide an extra source of food for from the Cynis camps. The Regent would never be permit-
their masters. These resemble glorified gardens rather ted to be so presumptuous, so now, each house is responsible
than farms per se, as the Dynasts’ jaded palettes call for for maintaining the roads and works in its immediate
exotic vegetables and legumes. If a master absolutely territory. Each Dynast tries to cut costs as much as possible,
needs to dine on meat that isn’t raised in the area, it falls especially since the price of slaves has increased. When
on the slaves to tend livestock along with any pets or boundaries are unclear, it’s customary to leave it to one’s
mounts that belong to the estate. In many cases, a slave

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

neighbor. The result of this is that the Realm’s roads and

infrastructure are beginning to become a little ragged. PETAL
This kind of maintenance requires more than slave This lithe, frowning Northerner is the door slave
labor. Skilled artisans work with overseers to ensure that for a Mnemon Manse in Ayreon Prefecture. She’s a
masonry is properly laid and that bridges remain strong. 20-year-old woman whose blonde hair hangs in doz-
Botching a job in such a fashion as to endanger trade or ens of small braids, and she wears Mnemon livery with
lives is punished with a painful death for the work gang a thick collar to hide the ritual scars she received as a
responsible, so slaves have to combine attentiveness with child among the icewalkers. If it weren’t for the
backbreaking labor. Essence that flowed through it, her home would be a
Mining sleepy little place, barely occupied by an unExalted
Most of the Realm’s mining is done by slaves, since family. As it stands, her master, Mnemon Lilad,
they have no cause to pilfer jade and precious metals when spends most of her time here, along with a constantly
everything belongs to their masters. Mining is dangerous changing retinue of savants and sorcerers. Lilad is an
work. Household slaves live in constant fear that they will adept sorceress and something of a misanthrope. Under
be sent to a house mining operation if they fail to attend to her lead, Petal has become an efficient, distant ser-
their duties. Aging concubines and obsolete tutors work vant, devoted to quickly greeting guests, serving them
alongside the dream-eaten to extract gems and ores. Des- and then sending them out the door.
peration often drives these slaves to revolt or suicide, so Despite her coldness toward outsiders, Lilad’s
overseers are particularly heavy-handed with them. passions were such that she took Petal for sexual
Household Servants release five years after she was made door slave of the
Upon entering a Dynast’s home, the first people a Manse. Petal’s intimate duties now interfere with
visitor is likely to see are the household slaves, ready to take her ability to manage the household’s slaves, who
her cloak, guide her to an antechamber and offer her have grown to resent her unwanted relationship
refreshment and diversion until the head of the household with the master. The chamber slaves are lazy about
arrives. A hierarchy exists in most households, where the cleaning up and don’t present the model of swift,
slave responsible for answering the door is the informal head uncomfortable efficiency that keeps visitors from
of the estate’s indentured staff. Underneath her (door slaves wanting to linger. Petal no longer has the time to
are usually women), chamber slaves and servants who have beat some loyalty into the rest of the slaves, much
less see to the proper management of the household.
direct contact with the Dynastic residents and guests hold
Lilad’s bedchamber play has become more vio-
the most status. These slaves have livery or tattoos indicat-
lent lately, and she has taken to striking Petal
ing their connection to the household. The door slave often
whenever guests stay for longer than she’d like. The
functions as the estate’s taster, preventing poisons or spoiled
last beating left Petal’s right knee dislocated. As door
food and drink from touching the master’s lips.
slave, she wasn’t permitted to even limp. Her dete-
In the kitchens, basements and storage rooms of the riorating relationship with the rest of the staff has
manor, low status slaves toil under the informal direction delayed the opportunity to receive treatment, and
of the cook. Many cooks are, in fact, free commoners, but when she walks by Lilad, the Exalt gives her a long,
such a servant learns that, in the household hierarchy, he frowning look, as if she knows that her “favorite” is
stands firmly under the door and chamber slaves. He may suffering but considers it fair punishment.
have his freedom, but he knows nothing of the household’s
struggles, the comings and goings of guests and the tem-
peraments of the Dynasts. In some households, the cook exploitation at some point in their lives, but only a few
and the door slave (as well as the kitchen staff and the slaves are dedicated playthings for their masters. Dynastic
chamber staff) have some rivalries, but for the most part, culture discourages unExalted scions from using house-
their fear and loyalty toward their household overrides any hold slaves this way, especially if the head of the estate is
differences. Most Dynastic households assign an unExalted a devout follower of the Immaculate faith.
family member or free servant the responsibility of watch- Concubines are expected to be pliable, educated and
ing over the slaves. The household staff tries its best to well spoken. Keeping a concubine is not considered to
ensure that he never has any reason to enter the kitchen, insult a marriage, so long as the Exalt in question has done
relying on chamber slaves to relay rumors and warnings her duty to the Realm by having children with her spouse.
about the master’s temper. Same-sex consorts are considered to be an excellent way to
Concubines balance one’s family duties and sexual tastes. Consorts
Sex slaves are segregated from the household hierar- often accompany their masters in public, serving as hosts,
chy. The formality of this category varies from Great escorts and performers. Even more so than for other slaves,
House to Great House and from household to household. concubines are expected to be unswervingly loyal to their
Regardless of their duties, many slaves will face sexual masters. An ideal concubine can keep his master’s secrets

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

and never divulges what occurs in the bedchamber. For

this reason, concubines are never shared, except among
members of sworn brotherhoods.
Because they are slaves, normal taboos do not apply to
consorts. While great differences in age are frowned upon
in opposite-sex pairings, same-sex pederasty is common —
many concubines are very young. Torture is also accepted
— so long as the slave has no visible marks, his master
doesn’t lose face.
Their privileges and supposedly comfortable lives
tend to cause resentment among the rest of the household’s
slaves. At the same time, a concubine usually has the most
accurate news of a master’s current concerns, so the door
slave often takes pains to strike up something of a friend-
ship. A concubine’s close ties also make her a favored point
of leverage in Great House politics. Concubines are occa-
sionally murdered to upset their master, but it is more
common to press them for secrets using drugs and torture.
Keeping a proper concubine is fairly expensive. With
soaring slave prices and the worsening economic state of
the Realm, House Cynis seized the opportunity to provide
slave-staffed brothels. Aside from their appeal to patri-
cians, Dynasts who’d rather not be bothered with the
expense or mess of household sexual service can rent time
with a Cynis slave for anywhere between an hour to several
days (during which time the slave travels with the Dynast).
The Menagerie
One custom that is unique to the Scarlet Empire is the
keeping of a menagerie, a private zoo for the amusement of
a Dynast and her guests. These menageries are displays of
wealth and power, as creatures from across Creation are
gathered for internment at the Dynast’s estate. Aside from
exotic animals from the periphery of the Realm, many
households also keep exotic slaves, usually Wyld-touched
barbarians who were seized from their homes as children.
Surgically altered slaves and barbarians who were noted as
performers and storytellers in their free lives also spend
their time here, languishing in chambers designed to
roughly emulate their homes — or at any rate, anything
about their homes that the Dynast thought was particu-
larly noteworthy. The slaves are taught enough of the
Realm’s tongue to tell stories of their homelands. Fantastic
embellishments and reinforcement of stereotypes about
the world beyond the Realm are well received.
Most menageries are sad affairs. The animals and
slaves are sickly, miserable things, tended by slaves and
commoners who rarely know how to treat them properly.
In lean times, the inhabitants are sold to interested sorcer-
ers and savants, and aged or sick menagerie slaves are
assigned to manual labor once their novelty has worn off.
Gladiators
A recently acquired taste for the inhabitants of the
Scarlet Empire, gladiatorial games range from on the spot
wagers between two slave combatants to elaborate skir-
mishes in the Theater of the Bright Panoply in Arjuf, the

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

Equal parts showmanship, faked theatrical combat and

EXOTIC SLAVES, MUTILATION deadly serious fighting, the curriculum takes up most of the
slave’s free time. Managers look at the slave’s homeland,
AND SURGERY physique and temperament to develop a unique arena
Some sorcerers and savants cater to a specialized personality, including signature weapons, costumes and
market in modifying the bodies of slaves. Some of even a catchphrase to utter at a downed opponent. Slaves
these changes (such as giving the skin a strange hue) born in the Realm are usually costumed in homage to their
are temporary. Other adjustments are permanent, owners. Barbarians are popular gladiators because of their
such as the blinding (without disfiguring, making it a ferocity and outrageous appearances, exaggerated by a fight-
specialized art) of children destined to act as masseuses ing harness and arms that rarely match their native weapons
or masseurs or the application of brands and tattoos. but capture the imagination of the audience.
Generally, the more radical the surgery, the more Once a gladiator is trained and outfitted, her job
dangerous it is to the slave. While amputations and the becomes considerably safer. At this stage, most fights
like are relatively safe, more specialized changes carry consist of demonstrations or of cutting down a new lot of
the serious risk of death. Unfortunately, the low success hapless wretches. Aside from decimating newcomers, most
rates of some procedures only enhance their demand, as
a successfully altered slave becomes something of a
status symbol. For example, a technique called the GLADIATOR TRAVELS
Juche Reed allows a slave to sing in three distinct tones
The games are a recent import to the Realm.
simultaneously by loosening certain vocal cords and
Local gladiatorial schools have quite a bit of contact
carving fleshy chambers into the throat and abdominal
with managers in the Realm, and a fighting slave
cavity. There are about a dozen survivors of this proce-
may travel far, fighting and performing for her owner.
dure out of three times as many failures.
Some regions have no taste for staged combat, so
Sorcerous changes are often spectacular but
these tours are often hazardous. Other cities have
considered to be in rather poor taste. Spells exist to
frenzied fans who fight amongst themselves while
twist a slave’s body in any number of ways. As the
the slaves clash below.
slaves rarely survive with their sanity intact, these
Nexus has one of the largest arenas in Creation,
are often displayed at gatherings where a Dynast
but it’s difficult for managers in the Realm to arrange
wants to make a dramatic statement, regardless of
for Nexus talent to travel to the Blessed Isle. Nexus’
what her friends might think.
gladiator companies chafe under the Realm’s restric-
tions, and the distance is formidable. Great Forks
Realm’s largest gladiatorial arena. Other such arenas exist (where fighters may face spirits and Fair Folk in the
in Juche and in Eagle’s Launch. The Empress expressed arena) and Greyfalls both host large arenas as well.
disapproval for such a structure gracing the Imperial City In the Scavenger Lands, free men and woman
itself, but since her absence, makeshift battles in open-air occasionally take to the profession. It’s an especially
markets and on private estates are on the rise. Gladiators popular way for traveling barbarians to make money
are owned by individual Dynasts, but they are managed, because the crowds love their aggressive spirit and
housed and trained by patricians. These businessmen are strange appearance.
usually veterans of the legions or of an Immaculate educa- For a fee, the Guild will provide transportation
tion. They use their knowledge to turn slaves with an for a gladiatorial company, providing security to
athletic bent into warrior-performers. The art of training keep the slaves in line as well as swift transit though
and promoting gladiators in the Realm is in its infancy. As its network of trading posts and caravan routes. This
such, managers use all sorts of exaggeration and gimmickry is a Resources •• transaction for a single fighter, his
to increase interest in the games. manager and entourage and a Resources ••• trans-
Among slaves, only gladiators are allowed to carry action for a group of five. The most famous gladiators
arms — and then only in an arena or other performance have larger entourages and more expensive needs
space. Managers pay a licensing fee and sign an agreement such as special diets or protection from thugs who
stating that they understand that they will be executed if would cripple or poison them to fix wagers, so trans-
any of their charges ever harms a free citizen of the Realm. porting these fighters requires an additional level of
A prospective gladiator’s first priority is to survive. Resources above and beyond the above costs. For the
Novices are released into the arena with clubs, daggers or most part, the Guild provides this service to main-
nothing at all. They may face tigers, better-armed and tain its reputation with managers who come to them
experienced gladiators or another, equally desperate gang for fresh meat, but individual merchant princes have
of neophytes. After a few fights thin the ranks, the survi- also profited from wagers laid based on what they’ve
vors receive intense training in the gladiator’s trade. learned about the fighters on the road.

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gladiatorial fights are a matter of flashy techniques and prowess, or they are relatives of the chieftain. Since their
fake blood. A successful gladiator must take care not to value is well known, they will not readily be killed, for fear
soften on a steady diet of fake combat because her manager of wasting talent or of stirring up a blood feud with the
or owner will eventually arrange a real fight with another hostage’s tribe. When fighting between two tribes gets out
slave warrior, and she has to be ready to win. off hand, voluntarily exchanging hostages is sometimes
Dynasts will sometimes sublimate rivalries by using their used to quiet things down. In other cases, a hostage is taken
slaves as proxies, and managers are keen to arrange real fights on the battlefield or in a swift raid and a messenger returns
that will draw large audiences and wagers. These fights are to the captive’s tribe with demands. These can be anything
typically planned months in advance, so that word of the from a demand to halt feuds to marriage proposals.
impending duel reaches as far as possible. The fighters’ owners
must attend or send a representative to these fights. The THE NORTH
owner or her representative is responsible for deciding whether The harsh climate of the North breeds self-reliance. As
or not her fighter should accept a surrender and ensures that nations fatten or starve on the fortunes of the hunt, slaves
the fight and all associated wagers were fairly placed. Silk flags are a sign of luxury, a gesture of confidence that, no matter
with the standard of the owner’s house are used to convey what occurs, the owner can feed his property. The Haslanti
commands. Generally, refusing the surrender of a fallen League is the largest purchaser of slaves in the North. The
gladiator is an insult to her owner. Maiming the fighter and Oligarchs are keenly aware that southern nations consider
then letting her live is a sign of mortal enmity. them to be half-barbarian at best, and imported slaves, drugs
and fineries symbolize culture and ambition. With these
SLAVERY IN THE THRESHOLD accouterments, the elite of the League hope to be taken
In the Threshold, slaves range from an ostentatious seriously as princes. Fortunately, the Guild only asks for
luxury to the lifeblood of a community’s well-being. Slaves mammoth ivory in return, a commodity that most Haslanti
sold by the Guild are moderately priced (conforming to the use for construction or idle whittling.
Resources costs listed on pp. 324-325 of the core Exalted The League thrives on the mammoth hunt, and slaves
rulebook) but still beyond the reach of most city-dwellers. don’t improve the productivity of its sparse farms, but
Rural communities rarely use slaves to any extent, though personal servants are in great demand among the gentry.
there is often a system of serfdom in place that makes the The farther south the slaves’ origins, the more they are
agricultural peasants the effective property of a local lord. desired. A pair of concubines from the markets of Gem
Most people view slavery as a fact of life. It isn’t a matter (hair braided with the glittering wealth of their home) is
of liking or hating it but, rather, accepting that human the sign of a cosmopolitan Oligarch, fit to lead the nation.
property is as fundamental to the way the world works as Whitewall also has its share of slaves, but the people
war and taxation. There are exceptions however. Numer- are disinclined to host more than the minimum needed to
ous cults, would-be utopias and extended clans claim their satisfy the wealthy and the local Dragon-Blooded. Slaves
own lands. To these folk, slavery is usually alien to their are cautioned about the presence of the dead and the
culture or ethical code or a trade that has seriously injured Winter Folk that surround the city, but a few always try to
its citizens and leaders. strike out on their own. These unfortunates are usually
devoured in less than a day, but a few are used as quislings.
BARBARIANS Their soul-dead husks return to trick their owners into
Despite the vital part they play in the Realm’s slave letting the city’s enemies in. The Syndics who rule White-
trade, barbarians have little tolerance for slave societies. wall treat this as an act of treason on the part of the owner,
This may seem hypocritical given that most settled tribes and the sentence is exile into the hands of the dead or the
have field and house thralls of their own, but these captives Fair Ones, so only the most confident or foolish gentry own
are fairly won in battle or feud, not purchased from an slaves. Accordingly, the Guild charges an exorbitant fee,
honorless merchant. With the wilderness all around them, both to reinforce the role of slaves as a status symbol and
there is little need to chain and supervise these prisoners. A to recoup the cost of trading in such small lots.
minority are ransomed to neighboring clans who have the Ice Miners
same sense of honor and propriety. These slaves act as poets, In Gethamane and the Haslanti League, slaves mine
advisors and even bodyguards (a hostage is reluctant to stab the hearts of glaciers for two kinds of treasures. First of all,
his hosts in the back, as he voids the right of hospitality) the deepest layers contain veins of the blue, imperishable
until their cousins pay their ransom or the chieftain tires of ice of the uttermost North. This ice radiates a killing chill
them. Most hostages prefer the former, since their hosts and must be handled through several layers of fur. True ice
technically have the right to kill them at any time. Other- (as it is called) never melts except through the application
wise, prisoners of war can face anything from adoption to of Charm or sorcery and continues to cool its surroundings
torture, depending on the customs in force. even when it is transported to more temperate regions
Hostages are exchanged between tribes with similar (though there, it loses its deadly potency).
customs. They are either known for their wisdom or battle

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Slaves also chip away tunnels where savants believe It’s not unusual to see merchant-slaves haggling with Guild
First Age artifacts lie buried. This is usually a safer job then traders. Many of these slaves were originally Guild property
mining for true ice, unless the slaves find some ancient and enjoy making their former masters pay a little bit more
device or tomb with its own lethal powers. The creatures for goods and services. Unlike the miners, skilled slaves are
that haunt such ruins are also a hazard. Gethamane is best especially trusted. In addition to trade, mathematics and
known for offering ice miners a cruel, inexplicable death, sex, Gem uses slaves for combat. These janissaries are
even though expeditions dig away from known hazards. trained from childhood to guard the members of a particular
Ice miners work in gangs of up to a dozen led by an house. Fashion favors slaves of foreign extraction, so
overseer who, among other things, keeps a supply of janissaries often have a pale or golden complexion that
torches and coals at the ready. Despite the precautions, contrasts with the swarthy natives. Aside from bodyguarding,
frostbite and collapsed tunnels constantly threaten the these slaves are used as proxies in duels between houses.
whole operation. Still, the potential rewards are enor- The slaves doomed to the mines have nothing but hatred
mous. In the South, true ice is worth its weight in jade, and for the “golden collars” who manage the markets and the
First Age artifacts are valued as curios, even if a more security of their owners. Their masters know this and intensify
practical use for them is never deciphered. The Guild the rift by using skilled slaves to oversee the miners. Thus,
values the steady stream of both commodities and sells anger that might be directed toward a slave revolt is chan-
slaves to ice mining ventures at a discount.
neled toward fellow slaves on both sides of the hierarchy.
THE SOUTH THE WEST
At the other end of the world, slaves toil in mines and
Slaves may come from the West, but very few of them
vast fields. Slavery is a popular institution here, and the Guild
go there, unless they are destined for the larders of the Fair
trades slaves for the gemstones, forged glass and firedust of the
Folk. Wealthy islanders value exotic slaves in much the
South. Only Paragon resists the trade. The Perfect holds all
same way as their Northern counterparts, since it is espe-
residents as his slaves, magically subservient to his will.
cially expensive to ship slaves across the sea lanes, but this
In Gem, this intensifies the slave trade, as more miners
are needed to win the trade war with Paragon. There is some minor market cannot compare to the continental trade.
discontent, as, before the trade war, mining was always an The Guild serves as a go-between for the Lintha pirate
honorable trade for the state’s poor. The Despot of Gem is clan. The Lintha regularly trap prisoners on barren islands,
unwilling to bend on the need to conquer the region’s awaiting Guild ships. Normally, these slaves are destined to
gemstone market and wants miners who will work under the meet the Sea Folk at Surgeon’s Deep. Water breathers
whip as efficiently as Paragon’s. Lacking the god-king’s sometimes fetch a high price on the mainland, so the pirates
power, the only solution is to buy more slaves. These diggers chain as many Wyld barbarians as they can find to these
often die in the choking heat of the tunnels. Most are desolate spars of rock. When intra-clan tensions run high,
worked to death, as mining slaves are typically those too Lintha with brilliant-green skin and gills may find them-
disfigured and unskilled to retire into household labor. selves joining them, serving the Family with their body-price.
Harborhead both buys and sells slaves. In times of war, The Coral Archipelago supports a small but thriving
the city sells its excess prisoner population, and the chil- slave trade. Murderers sentenced to lifelong indenture end
dren of Harborhead slaves are free. The turnover that up in the Guild’s hands, as do chronic debtors and prison-
results quickly bleeds away the indentured population. ers of war. In return, the Guild provides skilled slaves to
The city tops up its supply from Guild trade, warfare and assist Coral’s military bureaucracy and dream-eaten labor-
just about any other supply that it can find. Accordingly, ers to build its triremes and docks. Otherwise, Skullstone
the slave markets of Kirighast are among the largest in enslaves the dead, and Wavecrest lacks the inclination to
Creation. As Harborhead prepares for war with the Varang buy or sell slaves. The Guild picks up whatever captives it
City-States, janissaries and slave-savants are in demand. can among the islands as ships travel toward the Far West,
Harborhead’s ranches and farms are worked by slaves, where the Fair Folk await their shipments.
the most skilled of which are in the cattle trade. Their free THE EAST
children learn the profession at their parents’ knees and
The bustling East is prospering, thanks in no small part
often work alongside them as free hands when they grow
to the Guild’s support of trade and skilled labor throughout
older. These slaves began a tradition where the children of
the Scavenger Lands. Slaves are in demand, and Nexus’
slaves buy their parents. Harborhead law forbids the free-
Coffeeblock Market serves hundreds of merchants down
ing of slaves, but many do live as commoners after their
the Yanaze River. Farther East, whip legions tend bright
sons and daughters acquire enough money to buy them.
morning crops in the shadow of Mount Metagalapa. Some-
The Clever Slaves of Gem
times, several caravans will meet. The result is a sea of
As a wealthy nation, Gem has always made great use of
humanity, walking to the markets that will bear them.
slaves. The clans that rule the city use savants purchased
Greyfalls apes the lifestyle of the Realm and supports
from the Guild to run their markets and track their wealth.
the legions but doesn’t suffer from the Cynis monopoly.

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independent merchants from small communities to take

OTHER JANISSARIES their purchases back to whatever petty fief they came from.
Even though janissaries (used here to mean The factors have already earned their margin, and in many
slaves trained and dedicated to war and fighting) are cases, sending a merchant prince around would be more
illegal throughout the Realm, the Guild does find it trouble than it’s worth.
profitable to trade in them. Gem, Calin, Coral, Northeast
Nexus, Halta and, occasionally, Lookshy buy mili- To the Guild, the Linowan are a troubling people.
tary slaves, though in Lookshy they are made helots Although they constantly take slaves in their endless
and sent to teach at the city’s various martial arts struggle with the Haltans, their tribal customs bar them
schools and military academies. from selling to the Guild, as captives are a symbol of a
Janissaries are usually enslaved as children, though chieftain’s prowess. To part with one would be like parting
a few adults who can be counted on to obey due to drug with the owner’s honor.
addiction or disability act as trainers. Factors hire Meanwhile, the Haltans have no interest in the slave
Nexus mercenaries to put these youths through their trade. Their Linowan captives are sacrificed to the Fair
paces (and to take them as apprentices so that they Folk who live in their midst. Still, the Guild makes a profit
cannot refuse), instilling both martial skills and obe- from Haltan drugs and crafts, and Haltan merchants are
dience to the Guild first and to their prospective known for their skill with plants and animals and are often
masters second. The expense of the training is passed targeted for recruitment.
on to the buyer. As a result, most janissaries can only The Guild would like to develop the Linowan’s eco-
be purchased for Resources •••• or greater. Most nomic potential, but not in any way that would allow them
individuals who use janissaries just buy child-slaves to claim victory over the Haltans. Linowan carving and
and raise them in their own military camps. weaving are known throughout the East. Their great canoes
When they are not being trained, janissaries are set out from Rubylak to trade for metalwork and engage in
treated very well indeed, to emphasize the Guild’s opportunistic piracy. The Linowan are a stubborn people.
generosity and to keep them from turning into runaway Cutting off the flow of trade and increasing the price of steel
apprentices. The factor sponsoring their training pro- may impoverish them, but it won’t make them gather slaves.
vides them with good food, prostitutes and finery. The situation is at an impasse, awaiting a clever solution or
Janissaries are sold through private meetings rather some new, radical influence to seize the lives of the Linowan.
than in the stalls of the Coffeeblock Market. A client’s
needs are matched with the talents of a particular FREEDOM
janissary. The slaves are moved in scale or talon strength, Manumission is a rarely granted privilege. The Guild
as part of light shipments, so that they will reach their has no particular position regarding it. Freed slaves sim-
destinations as quickly as possible. Most are young ply create an opening to sell replacements. Attitudes
adults at this stage, between the ages of 16 and 18. regarding slavery are another thing entirely. Factors and
Most janissaries serve as elite forces or personal merchant princes are quick to point out the economic
bodyguards. A few janissaries are trained in a military advantages of slavery as well as the fact that, as most
specialty that they can pass on to their owners’ slaves are former barbarians, a life in chains grants them
troops, such as firedust munitions or mounted ar- security, an education and other civilizing influences.
chery. Free troops are sometimes skeptical of the More pragmatic clients are reminded that so long as the
young slaves, but janissary training quickly erases barbarians are hunting each other for profit, they are less
doubts and rebellious smirks. likely to turn to storming cities.
Aside from the profit they generate, military Slaves earn their freedom in a number of ways. Some
slaves also allow the Guild to disseminate and con- may buy their own freedom or win it for exceptional
trol battlefield technologies. And because they are service. Slaves who are held because they committed a
trained to be loyal to the Guild, the factors gain an crime may sometimes eventually make restitution or sim-
upper hand in any future conflict with their clients. ply complete their sentence of indenture. Then, of course,
slaves escape or seize upon opportunities to revolt.
For this reason, the Guild watches the city closely, as this
would be the ideal place for House Cynis to sidestep it.
MANUMISSION AND ESCAPE
Great Forks and Nexus are other notable centers of the One of the most important parts of breaking a slave is
trade. With fertile land caught in a web of rivers, there is convincing her that captivity in inevitable, that any at-
always a pressing need for slaves to till the soil. Great Forks’ tempt at escape would be futile but, nevertheless, punished
farms rely on slave labor, and the herbs and drugs they by torture. While this is meant to create an aversion to
harvest enrich the city and the Guild. Most of the Hun- escape, the “slave mentality” that the Guild and slave
dred Kingdoms also use slaves. The Guild allows owners would like to believe exists is a rare thing. Still, many

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EARNING FREEDOM
A MATTER OF BODIES In Great Forks and in other nations where a slave may
The shadowlands have their own tireless labor: the own property, it is possible to buy one’s way out of bondage.
dead who shuffle along, serving the Deathlords and Usually, the slave must pay his own value plus a penalty
their lieutenants with surprising efficiency. The supply determined by the value of the service he will no longer
of dead never ends. Each new corpse can work until it provide. This amount is adjusted downward for older
falls apart. Slaves are not entirely useless. Necromantic slaves because of the shrinking period of future service they
rituals and the need for servants who can easily travel must offset. A valued slave and his master often struggle for
through the living world support a small market. control of a slave’s finances. As it is difficult for a slave to
Undead labor is gruesome but tempting to the accuse a master of stealing or cheating, slaves usually hide
inhabitants of communities on the periphery of their valuables, trading bulky coins and uncertain scrip for
shadowlands. The dead of Thorns tempt the living, gems and jade. The final transaction (including haggling
offering macabre labor in exchange for nominal over the slave’s market value) is usually mediated by a civil
loyalty to the Mask of Winters. Not all of these authority. Contracted slaves (who have accepted a fee for
servants are rotten and hollow-eyed. Cold, pale cour- their indenture period) may sometimes pay a hefty fee to
tesans have, from time to time, swayed the living into leave the agreed indenture early.
supporting the Deathlord’s expanding influence. The Enslaved debtors and criminals are freed at the end
Mask of Winters’ ambassadors promise further gifts of their sentences. In Great Forks, it is possible to buy
and reiterate his desire for the River Province to one’s way out of further bondage for minor crimes. Some-
remain independent from the Scarlet Empire. times, this takes the form of a fine paid to reduce the
Even though it’s hardly likely that people will period of indenture.
embrace deathly toil throughout the East, the Guild Freed slaves face uncertain prospects. Families they
stands against the expansion of the shadowlands. offended may seek revenge, they have no money to speak of,
Aside from the dread individual factors may feel, the and they bear the double stigma of being former slaves and
Deathlords represent a threat to the economic secu- foreigners or barbarians. Most eke out an existence at the
rity of the Scavenger Lands. Their territories no bottom of the social hierarchy unless they have families
longer obey the laws of supply and demand, and their willing and able to help. This rarely occurs. Most former slaves
fields are barren except for grave blossoms and the were never highborn to begin with, and they are thousands of
sickly gardens tended by the living minority. The miles away from their families. Ex-slaves often end up as
shadowlands are also more self-sufficient, with their poorly paid employees of their former masters, doing the same
own soulsteel production and arcane industries. As work they did while they were wearing the collar.
they bloom into nations of their own, trade suffers. Other slaves may not be able to buy their freedom, but
The Guild has yet to plan a definitive response to they can win it. Usually, the greater public visibility a slave
the problem, and as of yet, the impact on the slave trade has, the more likely social pressures will motivate her master
has been minimal. Through their respective emissaries, to free her. This was the case for the Nexus gladiator known
the Guild and Thorns have come to an agreement: as Panther, whose unbelievable string of victories and massive
Respecting Guild interests, the dead will not be used to popularity earned him freedom. In addition, some prisoners of
mine or tend drug fields. Meanwhile, merchant princes war are ceremonially freed at the cessation of hostilities in a
make more frequent stops by the shadowlands, to sell custom adhered to by Lookshy and several surrounding states.
their slaves at reduced prices (especially skilled laborers, In the Realm, freed slaves face better prospects than
which the dead cannot easily match) and to study the in many other places. They were, after all, released by the
local markets. Otherwise, jade, steel and luxuries com- Dynasts in a rare gesture of compassion, so it is assumed
prise the bulk of Guild trade there. that they have somehow earned their new liberty. Accord-
ing the Immaculate faith, they have graduated to a spiritual
condition where they can seek enlightenment without
slaves do feel a sense of loyalty toward masters who have
constant Exalted guidance. As a last gesture of kindness,
moderated their abuses with rewards. The decision to escape
the slave’s former owner is expected to provide a small
is made very cautiously, but many slaves feel enough kinship
amount of money (Resources ••) and kind words to
with their fellows that, even if they themselves would never
potential employers and landlords.
try for freedom, they will rarely report such plans to a master
Unless they are deported after a war, freed slaves are
or overseer. Snitches are hated and socially ostracized in
usually given a document or mark indicating their freed
most slave camps or households. More often, a slave’s
status. Without it, they can be summarily recaptured and
companions will refuse to hear anything about an escape
resold. This is the law in the Realm and in most larger
plan. This enforced ignorance keeps them from being impli-
Scavenger Lands nations.
cated when an overseer comes to investigate.

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ESCAPING THE REALM a superior education on how to track and anticipate a

runaway’s movements. Guild bounty hunters are usually
Dressed in rags and often branded or tattooed by their slave breakers with military experience that is kept fresh by
household, slaves who try to escape Dynastic masters face training with mercenary companies. Slave-holding states
an incredible challenge. Fortunately, lone slaves are a such as Harborhead also keep their own cadre of bounty
common sight on the Blessed Isle and are usually assumed hunters. Adventurous Cynis Dynasts may pick up the
to be running an errand for their masters. However, a slave trade as well, using their experience as slave masters to
in the Realm has a tremendous journey ahead of her if she track their quarry. Guild-trained bounty hunters are ex-
wishes to escape. On the other hand, the Realm has its pensive to hire but more reliable than their independent
underworld, where commoners and patricians will offer to counterparts. To encourage the prompt capture of slaves,
hide a slave and smuggle her to freedom for an exorbitant local kingdoms will sometimes offer a bonus on top of any
fee. Slaves are often privy to the location of household privately offered bounties.
wealth, so they can sometimes pull off a large enough theft Bounty hunters cultivate a fierce reputation, combin-
to pay that fee. Sometimes, the slave’s criminal accom- ing the determination of a hunter with the brutality of an
plices reward her with a knife in the back. Sometimes, she overseer. The Guild’s bounty hunters are supplied with
is reenslaved outside the Realm. In no case, however, do drugs to pacify runaways. Blowguns and small bows with
they turn her in because the free conspirators face torture envenomed ammunition are common weapons.
and death if caught.
Once she leaves the Realm, a slave has to avoid legion
patrols and nearby satrapial authorities, who will recapture BOUNTY PROFITS
any known escapee. Few slaves on the Blessed Isle succeed A slave’s bounty will usually have a Resources
in escaping. Recaptured slaves are remanded to their former cost of one level less than the slave’s purchase price.
masters or to House Cynis, depending on the point of arrest. Guild-trained or very reputable hunters can demand
fees up to and including the slave’s original Resources
BOUNTIES cost. The Guild demands half of a bounty hunter’s fees
In addition to buying and selling slaves, the Guild also but offers steady work. An independent must deal
offers its services in recapturing them. Outside the Realm, with dry spells and competition. Bounties offered to
slave bounties are numerous. The Guild records all slave Guild hunters are not put on the open market.
escapes from its own operations, giving its bounty hunters

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 CHAPTER THREE • SLAVES — THE HARD TRADE

REVOLT rebellions. The revolt’s leadership coordinates several cells,

all awaiting a prearranged signal. According to legend, Iron
Revolt is riskier than escape, but the potential re- Mandala often quoted the Immaculate Texts and had the
wards are that much greater. Thousands of slaves joined aura of monastic discipline about him. This is not unusual
peasants in the Unbroken Rushes Rebellion with the full either. Rebel leaders often use faith to strengthen their
knowledge that if they failed to sway the Realm they movement’s resolve. As a result, the Guild takes care to
would pay with their lives. Slaves keep an oral tradition discourage religion among its slaves. It does not sell priests,
of this and other such events. In the Realm, slave culture and holy men who rise up among the slaves are separated
is particularly prolific. Slaves from all over the Blessed from their flock and given to another caravan.
Isle frequently find themselves working together and
able to exchange stories.
Revolts usually take place under a single leader and THE WILL TO EMANCIPATE
his immediate circle. In some cases, the leader may not be
Even though the existence of slavery is deeply
a slave, but finds common cause with them or feels a sense
ingrained throughout Creation, culture has never
of sympathy or moral outrage. Former slaves often take this
completely stifled moral sense. However, a world
role, and as a result, the Realm’s All-Seeing Eye watches
without slaves is difficult for most denizens of the
ex-slaves for signs of treason, an effort duplicated by the
Second Age to even conceive of. Slavery is an
security services of other slave-holding states. The Guild
unfortunate part of life. To someone from the Sec-
periodically mixes paid informants in with the slave popu-
ond Age, escaped slaves are simply fleeing out of
lation. Originally, they tried the same tactic by promising
self-interest, rather than in an abstract defense of
good treatment to slaves, but such agents were less reliable
their freedom. Revolts occur for political reasons or
and often deliberately misled their masters.
as the result of collective grudges, not in response to
AGAINST THE MASTERS the slaves perceiving the system as unjust.
Revolts in the fields and households of slave owners As a result, organized emancipation movements
are carefully planned affairs. Successes have relied on a cell are almost nonexistent. In the world of Exalted,
structure, where one mobile leader and her representatives individuals may feel that slavery is unjust and ought
mingle with the slave population to coordinate plans. to be eradicated, but most people see it as an unfor-
Each cell is ignorant of the activities of the others, so only tunate economic necessity. People think of protecting
the leaders can give away the full extent of the revolt. The their family, tribe or nation, not humanity as a
Realm has been fortunate in that a large revolt has never whole. That’s why this chapter doesn’t describe any
occurred. Even when slaves joined peasants in the Unbro- antislavery movements — there are none.
ken Rushes Rebellion, they did not turn on their masters However, just because this is the way it is right
so much as run away, joining farmers’ committees and now doesn’t mean that your characters have to
rogue Immaculates who arrayed themselves against the subscribe to that. An organized emancipation move-
Empress or founding camps in the wilderness of the Blessed ment doesn’t exist, but it could, if the protagonists of
Isle. In most cases, the power of a Great House’s Dynasts your series so desire. The Exalted are exceptional —
makes insurrection a difficult prospect. they have a broader view of the world than most.
Slaves revolting against the Fair Folk face similar They need it to survive and to realize their destinies.
problems. Despite the thousands that languish in the Fair The Sidereal Exalted took that broad view when
Ones’ hunting ground, their powers of glamour and illu- they purged the world of the Solars, and the Solars
sion are difficult to contest. Amazingly, slaves under the of the First Age took it when they ruled Creation.
Fair Folk of the East succeeded in RY 546. A concubine- Even the Dragon-Blooded have a global ideal for
thrall known as Iron Mandala visited hundreds of slaves humanity, united under the Scarlet Empire.
with the excuse that he was selecting a meal for his master. Linked to emancipation, all-encompassing ide-
He armed them with iron weapons and told them to rise up ologies such as these could serve as a major force, but
when he gave them a signal. nobody’s applied them to the problem yet. In your
In the midst of a caress, Iron Mandala wounded the series, a Circle of Exalted, a company of righteous
Master of Ash and Yew. The glamour faltered, and the monks or even a cabal of principled mortals could
slaves had their sign. They struck at the commoner over- become abolitionists. It is also perfectly acceptable
seers and laid siege to the Embrace of Ash and Yew. to play a character who stands for the status quo and
Survivors staggered west to the Scavenger Lands, harried accepts slavery as normal (though probably not in a
by Fair Folk warriors. game about abolitionist activists), but doing so isn’t
Despite the supernatural powers of the enemy, the Iron necessarily the sign of better (or “more realistic”)
Mandala Revolt shares the characteristics of most slave character portrayal.

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

APPENDIX

MONEY AND
FINANCE IN
CREATION

The child in a Patrician school in the Realm Empress gone, however, the monetary policy of the
thinks in terms of piles of jade obols, while the peasant Realm is unraveling, and some fear the whole of the
toiling in the fields outside thinks of a new house and Realm’s economic system may come tumbling down.
20 koku stashed in the cellar. The merchant prince’s
son, on the dusty caravan trail, imagines a fortune in IMPERIAL FISCAL POLICY
silver. The cabin boy on a Lintha Family pirate schoo- At its heart, the Empress’s fiscal policy had been
ner waits for his chance at a triple string of cowries, quite sound. In an effort to control the sorcerous power
and the goatherd in the mountains around Gethamane associated with jade, the Empress made a specific effort
hopes for two wan-bracelets to give the shepherdess as to concentrate raw jade exclusively in her own hands
a dowry. Money means different things to different and in the hands of more trusted companions and
people. Some love to amass wealth in order to achieve institutions. Her confiscations led to an artificial scar-
certain goals. Others love money for its own sake. At city of jade and a corresponding rise in its market value.
heart, money is desired by all, and understanding it is The rarity of jade, combined with her own controls
critical to understanding Creation. over that scarcity, gave her the ability to introduce jade
as the new legal standard for financial transactions in
MONEY IN THE REALM the Realm. Her choice had precedent, since a few coins
In the Realm, money takes two forms, one currency and even some hoards of First Age jade coins occasion-
overlying the other, and one substantially more valuable ally came to light.
than the other. The more valued and valuable form is the Over time, the Empress concentrated more and
jade standard, formally established by the Empress in RY more jade in her own hands and sought to control the
134. Later, in RY 185, the Empress supplemented the stone more thoroughly than ever before. In RY 185, she
jade standard with the jade-scrip system, in which depos- introduced the jade scrip, a fiat currency that helped to
its of jade are returned to the depositor as substantially regulate social class differences and to solidify her own
greater sums of jade scrip. control on the monetary system. Through regular but
The system has functioned properly for more than limited disbursement of jade to the Great Houses, the
500 years, with jade and jade scrip each circulating Empress kept a tight rein on the Dynasty and the ambi-
successfully, in their own stratum of society. With the tions of its factions. She set up a stipend plan to pay for

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

the costs associated with the Realm’s education program

and religion and assumed total and complete control COUNTRY LIFE
over the land and the tax-rents collected on that land. By
For the last 600 years, the peasants of the Realm
keeping the Realm’s factions on a tight leash financially,
have enjoyed a greater degree of health and prosper-
the Empress maintained her power over the Realm and
ity than anyone else of the same economic background
its growing hierarchy of bureaucrats and nobles.
anywhere in Creation.
The question of whether she succeeded or not is a
The source of this prosperity was the Empress.
complex one. The histories her censors approve for the
Her magic increased the fertility of the Blessed Isle
education of young Dynasts say she succeeded. How-
and worked ancient First Age weather machines, and
ever, the whole system required the Empress’s continuing
her power kept the isle’s gods in line. Peasants now
presence and attention. At present, the Empress is
reap three harvests a year from the land, producing
gone, and the structure of money in the Realm has
corn, wheat, barley, rice, beans, sugar cane, millet,
almost paused, as if unsure whether to keep going or to
squash and peas. Villages also grow flax for linen,
collapse. The Treasury is having difficulties maintain-
hemp for rope and cotton for canvas and clothes and
ing the flow of jade to the appropriate factions in the
tend orchards for fruit and nuts or plantations of
legally mandated sums. The Great Houses are begin-
mulberry trees for their silkworms. The average vil-
ning to suborn the Empire’s tax collection system in
lage is able to plant three fields for food and a fourth
order to enrich their own treasuries. Perhaps worst of
and fifth for fiber crops and still keep two fields fallow
all, the jade-scrip system relies upon the trust of the
for animal pasture.
people in its basic security, and that trust is eroding.
The Realm’s villages are densely settled, with
The vast and sophisticated financial system of the
the flatlands supporting one village every three miles
Realm now balances on a knife-edge.
and the intervening countryside thoroughly devel-
THE CENTER HOLDS oped. Almost every acre not part of the vast swaths
left as land preserves is under heavy cultivation.
Not everything is bad for the Realm’s economy. The
These villages are inevitably crowded. Since the land
loyal Threshold nations still send in their tribute. The
produces so much food and the wilderness is so
peasants pay their taxes on time or become disenfran-
dangerous, lonely farms are a rarity.
chised. The imperial monopolies still pay their license
This massive agricultural apparatus supports re-
fees, and the markets are full of goods. People still have
gional market towns in each prefecture. By law, certain
money to buy things, both the nobles with their purses of
businesses must operate only from the market towns:
jade and the peasants with their strings of yen. The
brewing, milling, pottery production, papermaking,
prefectural towns are not getting wealthy, but neither
silk weaving and more must be located in these market
are local economies collapsing because of the strains on
towns. A very few of these businesses manage to work
the national economy. The government pays out sti-
their way into the patrician and even Dragon-Blooded
pends and salaries on time and fulfills its obligations to
consciousness. The rough black-ware pottery of rural
its contractors. By all superficial appearances, the finan-
Winter Blossom Prefecture was popular for a time as a
cial apparatus of the Realm appears healthy.
substitute for golden tea sets, for example.
THE ROT SPREADS In the present climate, however, many of these
However, little cracks have started to appear in the businesses and farm villages are being squeezed for
structure of the Realm’s prosperity since the disappear- more tax revenue, and that revenue is going into the
ance of the Scarlet Empress. Slowly, the Great Houses coffers of the Great Houses, rather than the Imperial
are getting used to the idea that the Empress is gone and Treasury. Even a casual observer can tell that there
that she is not coming back. Someone, of course, will is weariness in the villages, as the honest villager is
eventually wind up on the Scarlet Throne, yet it is gradually being broken to his new role as a serf.
unlikely that whoever winds up there will wield the same
degree of financial control or hold the whole of the Great Houses are currently working to claim the land
Blessed Isle as her personal property. In the face of such they held leases on at the time of the Empress’s disap-
jarring economic reality, the Great Houses are begin- pearance. Not all of the houses are happy to do this.
ning to get greedy. House Ledaal, for example, recognizes that the creation
The avarice of the Great Houses takes three major of house fiefdoms is a prelude to civil war on the Blessed
forms. First, some of the houses are working to claim Isle, which it still hopes to avoid. However, with all the
actual territory on the Blessed Isle. When the Empress Great Houses seizing territory, even Ledaal cannot stay
ruled, all land belonged to her, and everyone paid rent out of the great land game. Fiefdoms are the Blessed
on it, Great House and peasant family alike. All of the Isle’s future. Hand in hand with the seizure of the land

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

has come the seizure of Scarlet Throne-owned busi- at home in the prefectures. Currently, the Great Houses
nesses that might aid the houses in the coming conflict: are not concerned with consumer goods or with main-
Transport lines and fleets of merchant-marine ships, taining healthy markets in the Realm. Prices have begun
weapons manufactories and armories have all slipped to rise as the houses shut down manufactories that seem
into the hands of the Great Houses. to offer no advantages in the quest for the Scarlet
Second, the Great Houses have sought to increase Throne. And there are unexpected shortages here and
their control over the peasantry of the Blessed Isle. By there of important materials and goods as the houses
raising taxes and tariffs on peasant land and goods, the divert trade caravans to serve their own interests and
houses have begun to force the poor but independent properties. The Empress’ balanced, if self-centered, eco-
peasantry into a state of servitude. Prefectures under nomic policy has been replaced by eleven competing
the control of Houses V’neef, Peleps and Cynis have economic polices, each of which seeks to advance only
been the hardest hit in the last two years, but other one family at the expense of the other 10. Squeezed
Great Houses are imitating their methods. Their tac- between them like fruit in a jam-making press are the
tics are extremely unsubtle — the bribed local tax middle class of the cities and the rural peasantry. Shut
assessor doubles the expected tax for the year, and out of the political process and forbidden to enter the
when the village cannot pay at harvest time, the asses- larger economic markets, they are left staring at empty
sor threatens its inhabitants with disenfranchisement. stalls in the marketplaces and ever-growing tax bills they
An elder of the Great House then comes in and pays the cannot hope to pay.
tax in the nick of time, but she seizes half the stored The behavior of the Great Houses is like a kind of
food in the barns as a “reward” for her “generosity.” By cancer eating at the roots of the Realm. All the high
the second time this happens, the village is prepared for families recognize that no one is going to be quite as
the pattern and simply accedes to the demands. If the powerful or controlling as the Empress was. However,
Great Houses want the land but not the villagers, they none of them wishes to be the victim of the others in the
simple double the assessment but don’t bother to pay same way that Iselsi was dismantled by the Empress.
for the villagers, instead turning them out onto the These new princes of the Blessed Isle recognize that
roads as disenfranchised. control of land, naval power and reserves of money is the
Third, the priorities of the Great Houses now drive only way to secure power in the political reality following
the Realm’s economy, both overseas in the satrapies and the disappearance of the Empress. As each Great House

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

makes its bid for power, the peasantry and the middle Some blocks, particularly illegal ones, are not marked at
class get squeezed a little harder to pay the expenses of all because the penalty for owning an unmarked talent of
the houses’ schemes. jade is confiscation and a hefty fine, but the penalty for
forging the Treasury’s marks is death.
JADE COINAGE The true talent is becoming increasingly rare in the
Imperial coinage is based on the jade standard. Realm, since it is difficult to transport and since so few
Because of its magical nature, jade has an exceptionally things are as valuable. More frequently, the talent ap-
high value to start with. The Empress’s decision to create pears merely a column in a bookkeeper’s ledger, where it
an artificial scarcity of jade increased its worth on the is used as a money of account. An actual block is not in
market still more. Now, many ordinary goods on the storage somewhere. Recording “one talent” is simply an
market are worth mere fractions of the smallest jade coin effective way of keeping track of 1,024 coins without
available. A peasant family can make the equivalent of having to write 1,024 so many times. This so-called
two jade obols a year, pay an obol in taxes and still live ledger talent is actually worth less than a true talent of
in relative comfort. The peasants might never leave the jade because the ledger talent contains eight bars, where
village of their birth or wear silk robes, but they wouldn’t the true talent contains 12 bars by weight.
lack for new clothing or food on the table. The reason for the discrepancy is that when a true
On the other hand, if a Dragon-Blood tried to live talent is carved into coins, approximately four bars are
on 20 obols a year, she would starve. The requirements ground into dust. The dust can be mixed with metals and
of her rank and status dictate that she cannot eat like a smelted into jade-steel alloy, but that is still 32 more
peasant. She has to have a suitable house or suite of minae that that cannot enter circulation. Formerly this
apartments, elegant furnishings and wall hangings to dust, sometimes referred to as “imperial boot polish,” was
decorate it and servants or slaves to take care of it. She the exclusive property of the Empress and was used to
has to write invitations and letters on good mulberry make jade-steel-alloy weapons for her personal guard
paper and not on rag linen. She has to give parties and and the armories of the Scarlet Dynasty. In the present
has to be suitably dressed when she goes to them. All this day, the Treasury has been retaining it under tight
takes money — and lots of it. security at the mint in the Imperial City, since jade-alloy
weapons have been disappearing from the Realm’s ar-
TALENT mories in alarming numbers.
Officially, the standard unit of jade in the Realm is A ledger talent is worth 8 bars, or 64 minae, or 128
the talent. Weighing in at 68 pounds, a true talent is a shekels, or 1,024 obols, or 4,096 bits.
gigantic slab of jade. In talents that come from the
Treasury, the slab is roughly scored to form the shape of BAR
eight rectangular bricks, each of roughly the same size, Like its companion the talent, the bar is rarely seen
and the Imperial Treasury’s seal is lightly scored into in physical form, and is more often a money of account.
each of the resulting facets. The minting date and an In true bar form, it is a brick-shaped block of jade with
identifying number are also carved into one of the sides. the seal of the Imperial Treasury lightly scored on each

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

face. Like the talent, it is further scored to represent eight weighs an ounce, and indeed, the sellers of herbs and
smaller slabs and is labeled with a carving date and a drugs use them as balance weights to demonstrate accu-
serial number to discourage fraud. It is weighs about eight rate measurements. The obol’s a round coin about an
and a half pounds and is worth about eight and a half inch in diameter and about three-eighths of an inch
minae, depending on its exact weight. thick. One side is graven with the Imperial Treasury seal.
A ledger bar is worth one-eighth of a talent exactly, The other side, shockingly, bears an image, scored in
or 8 minae, or 16 shekels, or 128 obols, or 512 bits. quick, fine lines. The age of the coin can be determined
by what image it is. The oldest obols bear an icon of a
MINA woman in a doorway, representing the Empress entering
The true mina weighs slightly more than a pound the Imperial Manse. Slightly more recent coins com-
and is a slab of jade about three inches wide, six inches memorate the recognition of each of the Great Houses,
long and a quarter-inch thick. A score line divides it into the creation of the Deliberative and various battles that
two square halves, and each half has been further scored imperial forces have won. The most recent coins con-
into eight closely spaced circles, making 16 circles alto- tinue to depict the lightning bolt from the Battle of
gether. The Imperial Treasury seal is scored inside one Mishaka in RY 754. So far, no one has taken the step to
circle on each half, all on one face. By weight, a true mina change the design on the obol, though some wags have
is worth about three shekels. suggested a design depicting an empty throne.
A ledger mina has a specific value of 1/64th of a
talent, or 2 shekels, or 16 obols, or 64 bits. BIT
Bits are an unofficial addition to the currency of the
SHEKEL Realm. A bit is simply a section of an ordinary obol piece
A true shekel is a thin square slab of jade graven with that has been chopped into fourths. One can identify the
eight circles on its square side and milled around its thin original coin’s image after the division, and often, it is
edge to discourage jade shaving. Each circle has the possible to tell which four bits came from the same coin.
Imperial Treasury seal scored on it, all on one side. A true In the Unbroken Rushes Rebellion, it was made illegal to
shekel weighs about nine or ten ounces, with a corre- carry bits because messengers between rebel cells appar-
sponding variation in its market value. ently used them to identify themselves to one another.
The ledger shekel used by accountants represents 8 However, the currency modification was simply too
obols, or 32 bits and is worth 1/128th of a talent. useful to be suppressed. Though the law against bits is
still on the books, it is not enforced except where other
OBOL circumstances suggest guilt without proving it.
A true obol is the most common coin seen in the One common modification to bits is based on the
Realm, so much so that one will likely see hundreds of magical nature of jade. Peasants and others are not above
obols before seeing a single true shekel and thousands of burnishing off the remains of the Imperial Treasury seal
them before encountering a true mina. An obol always and the image off of a bit and carving a character into it,

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

JADE SCRIP
Below the bit, imperial currency ceases to be
made from jade, and jade scrip takes over. Jade scrip
was created in RY 185, when the Empress realized
that the manufactories of the Realm could produce
all kinds of consumer goods for a fraction of the value
of the smallest jade coin, and yet, the peasantry of
the Blessed Isle could buy none of them.
The Treasury issued koku and quian first. Two
years later, it introduced the copper coins, the siu
and the yen, when the koku and quian proved to
still be too large for most day-to-day business. At
first, the Treasury bought jade for one-and-three- faithful Immaculates consider them possibly idolatrous,
fourths its value in scrip. Over the first 30 years of and many of the very faithful avoid using them for fear of
the new currency, this was gradually reduced to a worshiping the Empress.
one-to-one-and-an-eighth parity. Jade and jade
scrip were completely interchangeable until RY
COPPER COINS
540, when the Deliberative fixed the jade-buyback The siu and the yen are two small coins of copper. The
ratio at 2 obols (scrip) to 1 obol (jade). In RY 650, siu is about the same size as a jade obol and has the Imperial
the Empress organized a new department of the Treasury seal on the obverse and a stylized portrait of the
Treasury, the Jade Sniffers, whose duty was to ferret Empress on the other. The coin is chemically treated to
out unauthorized caches of jade and to seize them, make the copper stay brown. The yen is twice as large, has
returning half the cache’s value to its owner in jade a hole through the middle and is stamped with characters
scrip. In RY 755, the Deliberative again changed that say, “Scarlet Empress” on the obverse and “She
the rules regarding jade buybacks using scrip, mak- Reigns Forever” on the reverse; the copper is treated to
ing the ratio three to one and limiting buyback make it turn green. The siu is worth 1/128th of an obol,
transactions to certain times of the year and only and a yen is worth 1/1024th of an obol.
under specific conditions. Jade scrip was issued in the Empress’ name, rather
than under the Realm’s aegis. It is her personal fortune
that backs the jade scrip. For this reason, there is much
concern in the Realm as to whether or not the Realm will
such as “wealth” or “protection” or ‘”love.” A drilled hole make good on any buybacks of jade with jade scrip. Bal
and a lanyard makes the bit into an impromptu amulet. Keraz and other officials at the Treasury have deliber-
Dragon-Blooded commanders made a point of collecting ately left matters vague. They fear a run on the central
them as trophies during various peasant uprisings, which bank on the one hand and the collapse of the scrip
suggests that their effectiveness is limited. economy on the other. Most officials have been enforc-
PAPER MONEY ing the regulations on buybacks with scrupulous attention
to the letter of the law.
The koku was the original base unit of the scrip
The Empress and the Deliberative have placed spe-
system, and it has a face value of one-eighth of an obol,
cific legal limits on what jade scrip will and will not buy.
or one-half of a jade bit. The koku is printed on a
It will not buy weapons or armor of any kind from any
mulberry paper rectangle shot through with gold and
Realm-based manufactory, for example, nor can it be
purple silk threads to form a pattern of flying cranes.
used to buy luxury goods of any kind or ships or items of
Stamped on one side is a black-and-green ink print of
sorcerous power. All such items must be paid for in true
eagles nesting on the Imperial Mountain. On the reverse
jade, rather than scrip funds. On the other hand, food,
is the legend “In the Scarlet Empress’s name, one-eighth
raw materials and most manufactured goods such as
of an obol of jade.” The paper also carries a watermark
pottery and cloth can be bought with jade scrip. Neither
depicting the Imperial Manse. The quian is also printed
the koku nor the quian enjoyed widespread use. The
on the same type of paper, but it features lions instead of
imagery on both paper bills was seen as bordering on
cranes. The front bears an image of the Imperial City
heretical, and both proved too large for most individual
skyline, while the back bears the inscription, “In the
commerce. Fortunately, the yen and the siu have proved
Scarlet Empress’s name, one-sixty-fourth an obol of
to be successful, with both copper coins being chopped
jade.” These papers bills were never exceedingly popu-
into halves, quarters and eighths for still smaller change.
lar, both because their values were unwieldy and because

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

1 Talent (T) = 8 Bars (B) = 64 Minae (M) = 128 THE REVENUE OF THE REALM
Shekels (S) = 1,024 Obols (O) Not even the personal military and sorcerous might
1 Bar = 8 Minae = 16 Shekels = 128 Obols of the Scarlet Empress herself could convince bureau-
1 Mina = 2 Shekels = 16 Obols crats, priests and soldiers to do their work for free, and so,
1 Shekel = 8 Obols* the Realm has taxes. These taxes take three major forms:
1 Obol = 8 Koku (k)= 64 Quian (q) = 128 Siu (q) = taxes on the licensed use of cultivated land and Realm-
1,024 Yen (y) owned businesses, taxes on goods and materials coming
1 Koku = 8 Quian = 16 Siu = 128 Yen in or going out of the Realm and tribute collected from
1 Quian = 2 Siu = 16 Yen overseas satrapies in the Threshold.
1 Siu** = 8 Yen#
LAND TAXES
* Obols are divided into quarters to form bits. All the land of the Realm belongs to the Empress,
** Siu are divided into halves and quarters. particularly in the Blessed Isle. Through her gracious
# Yen are divided into halves, quarters and eighths. decree, that land is lent out to groups of peasants in
village-sized lots, and in turn, the villagers pay their
taxes as specific villages, with all of them together
PURCHASES IN JADE SCRIP responsible for meeting the village’s debt to the Empress.
A jade obol is about an average farmer’s annual If the peasants fail to meet that debt, the penalty is
earnings, after taxes. But you can’t pay a farmer for his disenfranchisement — they become refugees from the
crop in jade. He’s not allowed to own jade, and it won’t land. If they pay, they can stay for another year. The
buy most of what he needs. So you pay him in jade scrip. Empress also owns all the businesses and manufacturing
What does that buy for him? facilities in the Realm, at least officially, and so, their
A koku is more than a month’s wages for a peasant. operators pay licensing fees to the Treasury for the
He can buy a new plough and oxen team for this much privilege of running them.
or start a cottage industry such as breeding silkworms,
cultivating an apple orchard or making cheese. For 1 to VILLAGES
2 koku, he can renovate his house and outbuildings or No villager pays her own taxes directly to the
hold a wedding. For 3 to 4 koku, he can set up a child in collectors. Instead, she contributes to a village tax box
a house of her own with a plot of land to farm or pay his that she and her neighbors run. In some towns, the box
annual contribution to the village’s tax fund. comes around every week, and in some villages, it only
A quian is a week’s wages for a peasant. He can makes the rounds at the full moon. The peasants are free
increase his flock by a dozen sheep for this much or buy to choose how to collect the tax, knowing that failure to
a couple of milk cows. He can hold a feast for his pay means disenfranchisement for all. The tax collector
neighbors or help build a temple with them. usually makes two visits to any village, once in the spring
A siu puts meat on a family’s table for a week or buys to lay down the assessment and then again immediately
a coop full of chickens ready to lay eggs or feeds an after the third harvest to collect the money.
extended family on feast days. It buys a farmer’s whole The tax averages out to slightly less than a half-obol
seed stock for planting or a couple of fruit or nut trees for every year per family in the village. However, this must
his house plot. be paid in jade, rather than in jade scrip. Since most jade
A yen is a day’s wages for an extra man at harvest never makes it out to the countryside, much less into the
time. It means a new suit of plain clothes of linen, cotton hands of the peasants, the peasants must raise three times
or wool or meatless meals for a large family for a day or this amount in jade scrip. This usually amounts to half of
meat for a family dinner. It will buy some new farm tools any family’s income in any given year. The tax collector
or a new set of pottery for the kitchen. then goes through the motions of accepting the jade
A half-yen will feed a childless couple for several scrip, figuring the proper amount of jade to return and
days, without meat, or provide meat for the same couple then handing over jade pieces of the appropriate amount.
for a day. The village elders then pay their taxes with the only jade
A quarter-yen will buy a loaf of bread, a quart of they likely see in their entire lives, which is in and out of
milk, a small round of cheese and a dozen eggs or a pint their hands in 10 minutes or less. Every village is careful
of cider and a smoked fish. to get a receipt, on a specific kind of mulberry paper with
An eighth-yen buys a berry pie and a pint of cider or the Imperial Treasury seal woven into the paper in
wine or tea at the inn. orange and purple thread, and a watermark of its own
prefecture’s seal.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Sometimes, a peasant cannot afford to raise enough and to squeeze independent businesses. The money they
money on his own to meet his family’s tax obligation to collect rarely reaches the Treasury.
the village. Other peasants often chip in, since the Further, House Cathak and House Nellens success-
failure of one means disenfranchisement for all. The fully argued in the Deliberative and with the Treasury
inequity this generates causes a lot of resentment and that businesses founded in the Empress’ absence belong
tension in the villages, and this resentment, in turn, to their founders and can be taxed only on their profits
leads to occasional strife and bad blood between families. and not on their capital. While the other Great Houses
Now, these stresses are on the rise, a sign of the disinte- have been slow to pick up on the advantages of this
grating economic fabric of the Realm. system, Cathak and Nellens have invested in starting
new manufactories of weapons, ships and consumer
BUSINESSES goods as a way of keeping their sinking fortunes afloat.
Businesses pay their taxes in a different way than
villages. Technically, businesses have belonged to the EXCISE DUTIES
Scarlet Empress since RY 242, and their operators are In addition to collecting taxes on land and busi-
merely paying a fee to the Empress to run the businesses nesses, the Imperial Treasury agents collect taxes on
for her. Unlike villages, which pay a flat rate based on the goods entering and exiting the Realm. These are rela-
number of families living on the Empress’s land, entre- tively easy to police with the naval fleet or with a
preneurs pay a tax based on two different calculations. harbormaster reporting directly to the local prefect and
The first calculation is based on the profit they return to his staff. A maze of regulations govern what may be
the operation, assessed at one shekel per full talent imported or exported, with weapons and sorcerous ma-
reinvested. The second is based on the profit taken out terials topping the “banned from export” list, and a
of the business, assessed at one shekel per bar. The whole hierarchy of officials helps merchants sort out
Empress hoped to keep money invested in the Realm’s what they can and cannot ship. In general, however,
economy and to stimulate small businesses, while retain- goods are divided into four major categories and taxed or
ing enough clout to divest a political opponent of his regulated accordingly.
investments without much difficulty. Since her disap- Raw Materials covers timber, stone, mineral ores,
pearance, however, the tax assessors have begun to metal ores, cotton, wool, flax, hemp, raw herbs and
overlook businesses associated with their own houses spices and any other product that can be further

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

such as rice and beans expensive, unless the food is

IMPERIAL AND HOUSE PATENTS destined to be the main component of legionary rations.
The Empress recognized that where she bought Even with this high protectionist policy for the farmers,
goods, the rest of the Dynasty, and indeed the whole however, the Realm still imports massive amounts of
Realm, would follow. It made sense, then, to issue food, as well as transporting it all around the Blessed Isle.
imperial patents to certain businesses, allowing them Luxury Items covers silk, porcelain, jade and jade-
to put the Imperial Seal beside the door and explain alloy products, weapons, armor and even certain kinds of
to other customers that these were the same products food and drink, such as caviar, fine wines and spices. A
that the Empress used. The heads of the Great Houses complex tax code covers luxury goods in minute detail,
followed her example, not only in the Imperial City, with taxes often doubling the cost of luxuries on the open
but also in the prefectural capitals. The heads of major market. This, of course, has led to an elaborate series of
lines imitated their elders, as well, allowing their seal smuggling operations, which Treasury officials are finding
to be placed on shops in towns and even some larger more difficult to discourage, much less prevent.
villages near their major holdings.
The best shops and manufactories in major TRIBUTE
towns and prefectural capitals will display one or The third major source of wealth for the Realm
more seals from the Great Houses. This almost comes from its collection of tribute payments from the
guarantees a 10 to 20 percent markup of prices on satrapies and semi-independent kingdoms of the Thresh-
goods and services from that establishment. If the old. Nominally, over 500 towns, cities, provinces,
Imperial Seal is present, this represents a 40 to 50 autocracies, and principalities pay tribute to the Realm.
percent markup in prices. However, in the best of times, the Empress rarely got
The penalty for misusing the seal of the Empress everyone to pay on time or in the correct amounts. Much
or a Great House for business fraud is death. of the Threshold’s leadership knew that the Empress
could deal with any large-scale rebellion easily enough,
but they suspected she would have a harder time dealing
processed but has not been. In general, these items are with genial delays and minor setbacks. In any given year,
taxed lightly or not at all, except where a given port has even during the height of the Empress’s power, the
unused processing capacity. There, raw materials are Realm was able to collect the owed tribute in only four
heavily taxed. For example, Ventus Prefecture has a satrapies out of every six.
large distillery capacity for deriving essential oils from For a long time, the Empress’s administration bore
plants, so shipping Ventusian herbs is taxable. At the little of the cost of collecting the tribute. Instead, the
same time, Ventus has large seams of coal and sulfur, but tribute-collection rights were farmed out to the Great
the prefecture has no processing facilities for these ma- Houses on a high-bid system every eight years. An
terials, so shipping them elsewhere is not taxed. official of the Humble and Honest Assessors of the
Manufactured Goods covers pottery that is not Imperial Tax calculated the estimated minimum rev-
porcelain, cloth that is not silk, metal goods that are not enues from a satrapy, and then, that territory’s
weapons, carved stone that is not jade, paper of various tax-collection duty was put up for auction at that price
kinds, ink, furniture, musical instruments and more. per year. Some territories were required to pay in jade,
Items made in the Realm are never taxed when they are some in goods and raw materials. Most satrapies had to
transported to another location in the Realm. However, pay a combination of jade and goods.
they are all taxed when they leave the Realm, at a rate In the interest of balancing the Great Houses against
based on their assessed quality: one obol per bar of the one another, the Empress usually appointed a satrap to
shipment’s assessed value for low-quality goods, and one an area who was not of the same house as the tax
obol per mina of the shipment’s assessed value for high- collector. The tribute-agent and the satrap would then
quality goods. A similar tax is levied on goods imported be diligent about monitoring one another and reporting
to the Realm, equal to one obol per mina on low-quality irregularities. In the best of times, the Treasury still
goods and one obol per shekel on high-quality goods. collected only four-tenths of the expected amount, with
Some goods are subject to even higher import duties, to two-tenths winding up in the Great House’s pocket and
protect the Realm’s own manufactories. three-tenths lost to graft. One-tenth was often not
Foodstuffs covers any kind of product that can be collected at all.
eaten or added to food to make it taste or look better. In the present crisis, the Deliberative has insisted
Wine, spices, smoked fish, smoked meats, rice, squash, upon changes to the Empress’s policy. Now, satraps and
beans, flour and vegetable oil are all foodstuffs and all tribute-agents both come from the same Great House.
covered by the import and export duties on them. The The house may legally keep two-thirds of what it collects,
Realm’s tariff regulations make the importation of staples and the system of auctions has been abolished completely.

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MOUNTAIN TRIBUTE Disbursements to the Work of the Thousand Scales (the

Bureaucratic Salaries) and the Disbursements to the
There is one tribute payment the Treasury never
Honorable and Loyal Commanders of Land and Sea (the
worries about in public. The Mountain Tribute, amount-
Army and Navy Expenditures).
ing to 100 talents every year, arrives promptly on the
Bal Keraz has been playing a delicate balancing
seventh day of Ascending Fire — and has since the third
act. The Great Houses intend to empty the Imperial
year of the Empress’s reign. This tribute is the backbone
Treasury’s reserves and to drain the Empress’s personal
of the Realm’s fiscal policy, since it pours more than
coffers, as a prelude to open civil war. In the present
100,000 obols into the economy every year and has
crisis, he sees it as his duty to prevent this at all costs,
provided enough jade dust over the years to back the jade
while retaining the Realm’s financial integrity as much
scrip — at least in theory. Bal Keraz privately worries
as possible. Therefore, he resists opening the Treasury’s
about how long the Mountain Folk will continue to pay
reserves or the Empress’s coffers to increase the Dynas-
this tribute, but he is very cautious with whom he
tic Stipends or the payments to the Immaculate Order,
discusses this fear. If they ever stop paying, he knows the
while trying to keep salaries to bureaucratic officials
Treasury will likely not be able to meet its payments to
and active military officers intact. “If the Realm cannot
the Great Houses and the Immaculate Order.
afford to pay its servants, then it cannot expect their
loyalty,” he regularly declares in his speeches before the
TAX COLLECTION Greater Chamber.
With the exception of the Mountain Tribute, the By and large, his pleas fall on deaf ears. The Delib-
Imperial Treasury has functionally ceased to collect erative has voted two major increases in the Dynastic
taxes of any kind since the disappearance of the Empress. Stipends. It paid for the first increase by freezing the
Imperial tax collectors remain in the field, assessing and construction of new equipment for the Realm’s own
collecting tribute. However, that money now flows into legions and by deferring any new warship construction.
the pockets of dishonest officials or into the private Though Keraz pleaded for the maintenance of the navy,
treasuries of the Great Houses. Perhaps a tenth of what the Greater Chamber overruled him, citing the Great
the Realm used to collect in majesty is now grudgingly House legions and the V’neef fleets as a more effective
bestowed upon it. defense of the Realm. The second increase came through
The Empress had substantial reserves of jade, of halving the number of tax collectors and decimating the
course, and the Treasury has been making use of these Knowledgeable Advisors under Ledaal Arnis. Keraz re-
judiciously, to balance out the loss of other revenue. leased some of the Treasury’s reserves at the last moment
While this vast surplus is in no danger of drying up to keep another 200 junior tax assessors in the field, but
anytime soon, there are limits on its use. Some of it is he dares not open the floodgates too widely.
locked away in Manses that only the Empress knows Of late, the Deliberative has been discussing 14
how to open safely, while some officially backs the jade minor departments in the Thousand Scales and whether
scrip, and if it is withdrawn, it might cause the scrip to dismantle them. The savings would be used to aug-
economy to collapse. Bal Keraz and his advisors know ment the Immaculate Order’s disbursement, making it
that very hard decisions about budget-cutting are only closer in size to the Dynastic Stipends. Five of the
three years away. departments are responsible for policing the imperial
highways of the Blessed Isle that connect the prefectures
IMPERIAL EXPENDITURES and keeping the roads in good repair. Again, Keraz is
The Realm’s budget makes expenditures in four debating whether or not to release more funds to keep
basic areas. Since RY 764, the Deliberative has spent the departments from being dismantled, to suggest other
three days out of every five in session wrestling with ministries for elimination or to accede to the inevitable.
budget priorities and deciding how to spend the Treasury’s The gutted army and navy worry him greatly, but he is
funds. Although most members of the Deliberative know also concerned about maintaining the transport network
that the revenues of the Realm have declined to a trickle, within the Realm.
they insist that the Treasury continue to meet its finan-
cial obligations. Most particularly, the Deliberative insists THE RELIGIOUS SUBSIDY
that the Treasury pay out the Stipendiary Disbursement Officially, the Immaculate Order is not part of the
for the Work of the Imperial Families, otherwise known government of the Realm, and so there is no reason why
as the Dynastic Stipends. After these payments to the the Order should receive any stipendiary payment from
Great Houses, the Treasury is expected to pay out the the Realm’s treasury at all. However, the Order plays a
Disbursement of Charity to the Work of the Immaculate large role in maintaining order in the Realm, by provid-
Order (the Religious Subsidy). Then it pays the Salaried ing sufficient justification for the rule of the Empress and

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the Dragon-Blooded and by helping to uncover and country. Their former power and connections with the
suppress the worst abuses of the Realm’s individual Great Houses turn them into little princes lording it
agents and institutions. Further, the Order is responsible over petty villages and towns. Many of these former
for operating many of the services for the poor and the officials seem to take delight in pestering those who
disenfranchised that they would otherwise not have: remain in the Thousand Scales.
hospitals for the dying and hostels for the disenfran-
chised, monastic establishments in major towns and THE ARMY AND NAVY EXPENDITURES
itinerants on the roads. In exchange for performing these Of all the areas that the Realm supports financially,
services, the Order has received gifts of land rights from the most heavily savaged by the budget debates in the
grateful peasants, gifts of goods and services from the Deliberative are the army and the navy. House Peleps
Great Houses and an actual disbursement from the has taken over nearly all of the Realm’s naval powers and
Realm’s treasury. receives extra funds for building up its own navy at the
The Order has never requested the disbursement, expense of the Realm’s fleets. The dockyards of Arjuf
but it has never refused it, either. The money goes toward and other towns of the south are filled with new con-
helping people all over the Realm and provides a wide struction on the V’neef fleet, while the older vessels of
variety of free services where there would otherwise be the Realm’s navy are hulks rotting in harbor. Newer
nothing at all. The Order provides the Realm with an imperial ships are still no match for the best new ships in
accounting of how its money is spent. Since the Empress’s Peleps’ squadrons, and there have been no new vessels
disappearance, the Order has continued to receive the other than dozen trimaran scouts added to the imperial
money, if only by constantly shaming the Great Houses fleet in three years. In addition, the naval accountants
into recognizing how much distress they are causing in have made a point of delaying payment of salaries up to
the world. The Mouth of Peace recognizes that the Order three or four months. In the intervals between, the
is not likely to continue receiving funds after civil war talented officers often resign from the Realm’s service to
breaks out, and he and Bal Keraz have had more than one sign up with the Peleps, transferring their allegiance to
tense conversation about it. They both expect that if the where they are paid. The crewmen, similarly short of pay
“minor” departments are collapsed and the monies plowed and often in more desperate straits, jump ship when they
into the Religious Subsidy, then when the Deliberative can. A whole generation of midshipmen has had no
next raises the Dynastic Stipends, the Disbursement of opportunity to enter naval service with the Realm at all.
Charity will suffer. Neither of them has made a decision The Deliberative is also stripping the legions sta-
about what to do when that moment arrives. tioned in the Blessed Isle of the funds necessary to pay
both troops and officers and to maintain a state of battle
THE BUREAUCRATIC SALARIES readiness. What army would dare threaten the Realm on
The Salaried Disbursements to the Work of the its home soil, the members wonder aloud? Yet, in the
Thousand Scales, otherwise called the Bureaucratic absence of the Empress, any general with his own troops
Salaries, is the government’s third basic area of finan- is suspect and a danger to the legitimate authorities,
cial responsibility. There were over 37 ranks in the meaning the Great Houses. The Deliberative has func-
Thousand Scales when the Empress still reigned, with tionally disbanded one legion a year since the Empress
different salaries at each grade and in each department disappeared, sending the troops home to their farms and
or group of departments, and in theory, all of them were towns and recalling their officers to the houses in which
necessary to the functioning of the Realm’s administra- they began. The funds thus freed are distributed among
tion. Every single one of them was indispensable. Now, the Great Houses and now pay the salaries of new house
the Deliberative is finding that more and more of the legions the old imperial officers are expected to raise.
functionaries of the Thousand Scales are disposable.
The Deliberative first swept away the entirety of the BANKING IN THE REALM
Chamber of Florid and Fluid Masters of Pen and Brush In the First Age, there was an elaborate banking
in but a single half-hour of debate, thereby eliminating network that allowed everyone access to their money
most of the scribes skilled enough to copy out imperial almost all the time. One could deposit one kind of money
decrees. Having done away with the Thousand Scales’ in the morning and draw out another kind of money
ability to issue new regulations or to make changes to before sunset. There were complex financial instru-
the old ones, the members of the Greater Chamber ments called Walls of Creation War Bonds. The Great
have been proposing new departments for personnel Southern Mutual Support and Communication Society
and equipment budget cuts every day. Discouraged by used money to build magical defenses against the fey, and
the loss of good friends and close colleagues, officials the Northern Bulwark Personal Fortune Fund made
are retiring in record numbers and turning to life in the deals worth billions of talents of jade — these structured

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

financial and commercial arrangements buttressed the In the Empress’s absence, however, the arrange-
fabric of reality in whole regions. ment she made with the salt gods has come unglued.
Almost all of that sort of banking is gone, at least in Over half of the salt gods continue to honor the present
the Realm. Banks serve few individuals these days and sacrificial custom of 21 obols, a four percent salt rate.
reserve most of their energies for institutions, corpora- From the Heptagram east and south around the coast to
tions and organizations. The Empress was considering Arjuf, that standard applies. However, in the western
plans to renew the old concept of personal banking and parts of the isle, some of the gods lowered their rate to 18
to create the necessary systems to run a banking network obols or less. Eleven obols is the lowest known rate at
for individuals. Then, she disappeared, and Bal Keraz is present. Other gods have raised their rates to 28 or 35
not strong enough to push through the necessary reforms obols. The results are chaotic, at best. Instead of dealing
himself. The Imperial Treasury and the Credit Houses of with one prime rate, branches of the Treasury and other
the prefectures do business with businesses but not with financial institutions now have to pin their salt rate
any but the most extraordinary individuals: heads of calculations to whatever the local salt god demands.
houses, imperial governors and senior bureaucrats and Where before the same lending and borrowing
the holders of imperial monopolies. To these individu- rates applied throughout the Realm, now a different
als, the privileges of bank membership are open. climate prevails. The whole prefecture of Eagle’s Launch
Otherwise, banking is available only to groups: organiza- has been effectively cut out of the banking network
tions and agencies of the Realm’s government, companies because of the demands of the local salt gods for a
and the Great Houses. sacrifice of 84 obols per quintal, or a salt rate of 16
percent. Towns and villages experience the same diffi-
THE SALT RATE culties on a smaller scale when their salt gods begin
Banking in the Realm depends upon the salt rate. their old extortion rackets.
Prior to the introduction of the salt rate in RY 314, The breakdown of the compact with the salt gods
there was no serious banking at the national or interna- means that, in some places, it is very easy to get a loan or
tional level in the Realm. However, in that year, the to give one. In other areas, particularly in the west of the
Empress turned her formidable powers against the vari- Blessed Isle, it is very hard to borrow money or lend it.
ous minor gods and spirits known as the salt gods. These The salt gods don’t particularly care about mortal mon-
beings watch over shorelines, coastlands and marshes etary difficulties. They just want sacrifices, and it makes
and some mines — anywhere that salt can be gathered them petulant and greedy but also likely to change their
from ocean evaporation or dug up from the ground. The minds about acceptable sacrifices on the spot.
Realm alone has 736 salt gods watching over long In addition, of course, the salt gods are attacking the
stretches of its coastline and monitoring the collection salt collectors themselves. Now that they are no longer
and use of their product. bound to any sort of collective agreement, the gods
Normally, these gods were jealous of their preroga- patrol their territories with increasing aggressiveness.
tives and forbade the extraction of salt except after very
large sacrifices. Since salt is a vital commodity for pre- SOURCES OF LOANS
serving food and preparing other raw materials for use, Should a person or institution wish to negotiate a
this divine interference with salt collection was hinder- loan, there are four major sources of finance in the
ing agricultural production and economic stability. Realm. The first and most reliable source has always
The Empress forced the salt gods to set one low rate been the Bank of the Scarlet Throne, which operated
of sacrifice throughout the Blessed Isle: 18 jade obols or as an extension of the Empress’s fiscal policy. Follow-
the equivalent value for every quintal of salt gathered. ing the Throne Bank, the Imperial Treasury and the
This amounted to a two percent tax on the price of salt Great House ‘banks’ were the next best options. The
throughout the Realm. This became the prime rate to worst option was to consult the Guild about a loan at
which the Realm’s banking establishment pinned its usurious rates.
own lending and borrowing rates.
The salt rate has fluctuated over the centuries since THE BANK OF THE SCARLET THRONE
then, usually between 12 and 21 obols per quintal of salt. At present, the Bank of the Scarlet Throne is
The Empress has made these changes herself, though she making only the most stable and fiscally sound loans it
has gone through the motions of consulting the salt gods can find and is charging high prices for its money. Every
by traveling to their main temple in the Imperial City loan category is bumped up two places on the risk table,
and offering a sacrifice at the new rate. Forced to accept with low-risk loans being charged high-risk interest
the new rate, whatever it was, the salt gods throughout rates. The bank’s officials are reluctant to risk more of
the Realm complied with her request. their mistress’ capital than necessary during her ex-

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

LEVELS OF RISK
In negotiating loans, the officials of any bank are likely to take into account five things. First is the length
of time before the loan is to be repaid. Second is the profitability of the business to which the loan is to be applied.
Third, the officers consider the likelihood of repayment. Fourth, the banking heads consider how much the bank
has invested in ventures with a similar rate of risk. Lastly, the bankers consider what the applicant owns that can
be seized in the event of a failure to repay. They then offer the applicant a loan rate based on these five factors,
which corresponds with one of six levels of risk.
Low-Risk loans are made out in small sums of money to businesses with high profitability and a high likelihood
of repayment and are relatively short-term loans. The loan-seeker must also have a piece of property that is
relatively easy to seize, such as a caravan route on the Blessed Isle or a manufactory or legal rights to a prefecture’s
tax revenue. Many Realm banks offer low-risk loans at the present salt rate plus an additional four percent interest.
Medium-Risk loans mean a small or medium sum of money lent to businesses with acceptable profitability and
a high likelihood of repayment and are typically mid-length loans of 3 to 15 years. The loan-seeker must have a
piece of property that is easily seized as collateral or must be reasonably easy to find in the event of a failure to pay.
Medium-risk loans are given at the salt rate plus 10 percent interest.
High-Risk loans mean a riskier venture with a larger sum of money lent, such as those made to businesses with
uncertain yields or to companies that may not be profitable for some time. High-risk loans run to 15 or 20 years
for stable businesses or for shorter periods measured in months for riskier plans. The collateral may be easily
hidden or taken away, such as family heirlooms or a ship. Such businesses receive loans at the salt rate plus 14
percent interest.
Very High-Risk loans are made only in exceptional circumstances. The bank does not really expect to get all its
money back, and so, it charges the salt rate plus 26 percent interest on loans of this type. The loan applicant may
be considered a flight risk or a person so important and prestigious that he believes he can get away without paying
his bills. The collateral may be very difficult to seize, such as an heirloom weapon or property in the Threshold.
Enormous-Risk loans involve enormous sums of money with uncertain returns. The collateral’s value is subject
to enormous fluctuation and may be illegal. The applicant is not a wanted criminal, yet, but is under suspicion
of high crimes. However, the intended purpose of the loan must be expected to pay out handsomely. Enormous
risk loans are assessed at salt rate plus 31 percent interest.
Insane-Risk loans involve enormous sums paid to people who do not ever seem to pay their bills and offer no
serious collateral. The loan applicant is a known criminal and a definite flight risk, is engaged in shady or outright
illegal operations, threatens the security of the Realm in a real way and places the bank’s personnel in real hazard
of their lives. The loan’s purpose must be enormously attractive in its own right to be considered at this level, and
the collateral must be both spectacular and in the bank’s possession at the time of the loan, to be returned upon
repayment of the principal and interest. Insane risk loans are granted at salt rate plus 48 percent interest, which
is the Realm’s highest legal maximum rate.

tended absence. As a result, the Bank of the Scarlet THE IMPERIAL TREASURY
Throne is making very few loans of any kind these days,
With the Bank of the Scarlet Throne increasingly
since most people prefer not to borrow money at such
conservative in its fiscal dealings and management strat-
exorbitant rates.
egies, a good many more loan applications have come
With the Empress gone, the Bank of the Scarlet
directly to the Treasury, and a small army of accountants
Throne is blinded to many political machinations. The
is kept busy sorting out which applications are from
Imperial Household previously approved all loans, and
legitimate commercial concerns and which requests come
despite repeated urgings from officials in the Treasury,
from companies that are merely fronts for the Great
the bank has yet to establish any sort of investigation
Houses. The various branches of the Dynasty are after
procedure for determining which loan applications are
extra cash in any way that they can get it, and by flooding
legitimate and which are coming from the front organi-
both the Empress’s private bank and the Treasury with
zations of the Great Houses. The Bank is making some
requests for funds, at least some are getting through. Bal
loans to groups who have no intention of ever repaying
Keraz has assembled several teams of agents to go and
their debts, particularly fronts for House Nellens and
examine businesses in the field, at various places around
House Peleps, who intend to drain the Empress’ private
the Realm, in order to determine which kind of business
bank of capital, if they can.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

is which. In addition to the usual risk assessment, how-

ever, the Treasury also makes loans based on how good LETTERS OF CREDIT
a particular loan looks at helping to maintain the integ-
Any of the Realm’s banks or banking establish-
rity of the Realm. For example, the Treasury is currently
ments can issue what is known formally as a letter of
financing the construction of a large number of warships
credit, or informally as “flying money.” Simply put, a
for House Peleps, on the theory that such ships will help
letter of credit is a letter announcing that the bearer or
defend the Realm against invasion before they are put to
an agent of the bearer has deposited a sum of money in
use in any civil war.
jade or scrip with that bank in one place. That amount
THE GREAT HOUSE “BANKS” of money can be withdrawn at a later date from
another branch of that bank in any city of the Realm,
While they are not officially banks, as such, the
simply by surrendering the letter to an official of the
Great Houses run their own lending systems, to pump
bank. Some letters can be written in such a way that
investment into their own businesses whenever a
the bearer is able to withdraw from two or more
particular market looks promising. These semiformal
branches, and the officials at each branch mark the
arrangements lend only within their own houses.
letter of credit to prevent double withdrawals.
Reduce the risk level by one place on the chart when
determining the interest rate, with low-risk loans
fixed at salt rate plus one percent. These dynastic essence of the transaction was simple, and an individual
lending institutions are also looking for ways to bleed merchant, a shipping line or a Great House could all
the Treasury and the Bank of the Scarlet Throne, and afford insurance until very recently. The party in ques-
they have created several companies and trading houses tion would pay the throne a percentage of the value of a
specifically to draw monies out of the imperial re- caravan or a ship and its cargo, in exchange for complete
serves of capital. reimbursement of the value of transport and goods if they
were destroyed by disaster. Common disasters covered by
GUILD INVESTMENT insurance include loss to sea, the acts of gods or monsters
When all else fails, a citizen of the Realm can always and fire. Not only could merchants buy insurance on
borrow money from the Guild. The Guild charges heavily caravans and ships but also warehouses, manufactories
for its services but, at present, not so heavily as the Bank and specific objects.
of the Scarlet Throne. The Guild is also the only insti- There is no such thing as a “standard” insurance
tution in the Realm that will lend to an individual rather package anywhere in the Realm. Each individual insur-
than to a commercial entity such as a company, a trading ance contract is negotiated separately, based on what is
line or a manufactory. being insured against loss, where it is going and who
Note that borrowing money from the Guild is owns it. For example, a ship is usually protected against
considered a political act. The Guild is not kind to the rain and hailstorm, lightning, lesser gods, monsters and
Realm’s commercial interests in the Threshold. The mutiny, as a matter of course. But depending on its
only reason the Guild is allowed to do business in the planned route, it might be insured against an attack by a
Realm at all is as part of a settlement to a long and specific spirit or a greater god. For example, ships passing
bitter economic war. However, borrowing money from between Arjuf and Paragon regularly encounter
it invites the Guild’s influence in the Realm’s internal Thalassov, one of the gods of the Southern Inland Sea.
affairs, and most people in the Realm find the idea Thalassov is famously difficult about granting passage,
itself offensive. and so, buying insurance against him is an absolute must.
In order to borrow money from the Guild, one must
contact a branch of the Guild Bank in one of the six port BUYING INSURANCE
cities where the Guild is allowed to land cargoes. Then, In the Realm, buying insurance requires an assess-
one must contact the Guild’s officials and persuade them ment of value by an appraiser and an accountant. The
of the propriety of the loan and leave a suitable collat- appraiser and the accountant check out the goods and
eral. The Guild’s policy in the Realm forbids loans of materials to be insured very thoroughly and then make
money without collateral, since Guild agents cannot a report to their superior, a gongfang, or actuary, who is
recoup any losses in court and are forbidden from travel- either a servant of one of the banks, of the Treasury or
ing very far from their licensed ports. one of the houses — or is in private practice for himself.
The gongfang assimilates the information about the
INSURANCE IN THE REALM materials to be insured and where it is to be transported
Insurance is a complicated business, and the Em- and develops a risk-plan. The risk-plan offers the owner
press used to handle it with her own money and her three basic options of insurance: partial coverage, com-
trusted servants in the Bank of the Scarlet Throne. The plete coverage and special coverage.

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

Partial coverage insures the owner against half the and complete coverage policies specifically do not cover
replacement value of the insured item or items, when that specific type of disaster. For example, a complete
they are lost to ordinary natural disaster: storm, flood, coverage policy might cover storms, yet if the gongfang’s
fire, earthquake, volcanic eruption and typhoon. If gods, tables note that storms of the Western Ocean during the
spirits or monsters are involved, no payment at all is month of Descending Earth are particularly severe, then
made in the event of loss. Partial coverage is the cheapest the complete coverage policy does not insure against loss
form of insurance and usually begins at a price of salt rate due to storm in the Western Ocean during Descending
plus six percent of the insured item’s value. Additional Earth. For these matters, special coverage is required.
risks can raise this figure to as high as 10 percent, The insurance buyer may then select from the list of
depending on such factors as the time of year or the special coverages the ones she wishes to accept, and
planned transport route. then, the gongfang calculates the final cost of the insur-
Complete coverage is not complete by any means, ance policy. The buyer hands over a sum in cash or kind
since it only insures an item or cargo against natural and receives elaborately calligraphed insurance papers
disasters of all sorts. However, it does restore to the for her goods. In the event of a loss, she simply presents
owner of the insured items the replacement value of the insurance papers and collects the money owed.
the goods destroyed. Complete coverage prices begin
at salt rate plus 10 percent of the assessed value of the
insured objects.
A GONGFANG’S SPECIAL RISK TABLE
The insurance business in the Realm becomes most Risk tables are a vital part of any gongfang’s
complicated when special coverage enters the picture. The business, and they are often the result of dozens of
Society of the Precise and Punctilious Gongfangs has years of careful assessment of risk, if not centuries.
collected almost 700 years worth of data on all kinds of Gongfangs frequent taverns and seek out travelers,
disasters, natural and unnatural. These tables add on per- merchants, pilgrims and soldiers to get their first-
centage points and tenths of a percentage point to provide hand accounts of disasters and threats to travel, and
coverage from specific threats: the irascibility of gods and they also compare information frequently, to keep
the migrations of animals, the regular appearance of certain their business running smoothly. Risk tables are
wind spirits or irregular eruptions of the Southern volca- passed from master actuaries to their juniors. They
noes. If a special coverage is recommended, then the partial are also traded, bought and sold at high prices.

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Insurance usually lasts for a specified period of In addition, a gongfang or his associates or superiors
time, usually set at either eight months or seven will sometimes suspect that a specific case involves a
months and Calibration. In particularly high-risk busi- deliberate effort to commit fraud. In such cases, the
nesses, such as arms dealing or the transport of jade gongfang will delay payment of a claim while sending
tribute, the insurance period is usually four months or investigators to determine the truth of the matter. These
three months and Calibration. An insurance rate is missions are usually hair-raising and fast-paced, for an
usually locked in for a period of four years, and adjust- agent has little time to determine the truth or dishonesty
ments to the cost of the insurance are only made at the of a claim — three months is the legal limit on such
end of that time period. The insuring agent usually investigations. Larger agencies, such as the Bank of the
reserves the right to cancel a policy at any time, if he Scarlet Throne, have their own investigation teams.
suspects reckless endangerment of insured goods or Smaller, independent gongfangs will usually hire a team
deliberate intent to defraud. when they think there is a need for one.
Traditionally, people buy insurance only on items
that cost an obol or more and expect to be reimbursed INSURANCE IN THE THRESHOLD
in jade in the event of a loss, as well. There are no laws While normally the business interests of the Guild
against insuring something with jade scrip, but it is and those of the Realm are at loggerheads, the gongfangs
rarely done. of the Threshold actually see eye-to-eye with many of
From time to time, a gongfang or a bank will be their independent counterparts in the Realm. A god’s
sufficiently concerned about an insurance policy that it threat is usually the same to a Guild caravan as to one led
will reinsure the policy against loss. Reinsurance in the by a servant of the Realm, and the same holds true of
Realm is a complicated business, and the gongfangs are storms and dangerous animals. While pirates and bandits
reluctant to discuss it with anyone outside their own sometimes have specific targets in mind, most of the
profession. The essence of the deal is that the risk is time, the Realm and the Guild can share their risk tables
syndicated (shared out) among a larger group of gongfangs easily and simply. It is a professional courtesy to buy, sell
or bank branches, with each one accepting a share of the and trade risk data across the Inner Sea, and the insur-
insurance policy’s price and absorbing a proportionate ance agents thus also provide a series of backdoor channels
share of the payout in the event of a loss. Since the for communication between the powers of the Thresh-
Empress’s disappearance, reinsurance has been a dwin- old and the factions of the Blessed Isle.
dling business because losses have been multiplying While the business of insurance is much the same in
faster than the gongfangs can adjust their risk tables its generalities between the Realm and the Threshold,
adequately, and fewer gongfangs are willing to take on insurance and reinsurance are both much more competi-
the risks of other agents and banks. tive and cutthroat in the Threshold. The gongfangs there
have not had the same kind of rigorous schooling and in-
COLLECTING INSURANCE the-field training that those on the Blessed Isle have had,
Once a ship or caravan is lost, the owner or owners and there are no large-scale agencies with offices in a
usually attempt to collect the insurance money owed to dozen cities, as there are in the Realm. The small and
them. Most of the time, this is a simple process. The independent gongfangs of the Threshold also tend to go
owner simply presents the insurance papers to the out of business suddenly and unexpectedly. At least, some
appropriate agent of the insuring bank or to the inde- of them do. Others go out of business so that the gongfangs
pendent gongfang, and the claim is usually paid off do not bankrupt themselves paying out a claim. Usually,
within a season. such a gongfang also skips town and moves into a new
After an insurance payout for lost or damaged goods profession, preferably out of the public eye.
is made, the lost property belongs to the gongfang or to In the River Province, the Guild has a fairly tight
the agency that issued the insurance. While in some hold on the insurance business, and its own insurance
cases, any effort at recovery is deemed useless, many group, the Energetic and Illustrious Association of Risk-
agencies will, in fact, go to some effort to recover their Buyers, has agents operating in most cities and in many
new property. Such effort has at times included hiring towns. The Guild maintains one primary list of risk
divers to locate and salvage a wrecked ship or mercenar- tables and distributes copies of it from Nexus once a
ies to hunt down a bandit or pirate. When a specific month. This means that the fringes of the Guild’s busi-
threat begins to do more damage than a risk table ness often suffer from late delivery, but this is more than
suggests that it should, the gongfangs are not above compensated for by the Guild’s ability to make uniform
putting pressure on a kingdom or even a god to curtail its insurance policy over a wide stretch of territory. The
activities. Dumuiz, the patron god of the gongfangs, has Guild’s rates are frequently lower than any individual or
even brought suit in the courts of the Celestial City on local agency can set them, and the presence of so many
behalf of his mortal worshipers.

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agents and offices means that a claim can be settled ers do keep their own records, since they are so useful).
immediately instead of at the end of a long journey back The kaja is responsible for the quality of his bookkeeping
to the original insurer’s offices. However, the Guild has and the elegance of his calligraphy, and he also presents
not had much opportunity to penetrate the family-based the records to the local tax assessor on a regular basis, to
and tight knit insurance businesses of the North, South show how his villages are doing. After eight years as a kaja,
and West. Here, one must do business with local sources, the accountant may take a second examination on the
rather than with the Guild, and it is here that insurance recommendation of three tax assessors and attempt to
buyers are likely to experience the most difficulty, both enter the ranks of the Humble and Honest Assessors.
with buying insurance and with making claims upon it in Some kaja take a different examination to become a
the event of loss. gongfang, an actuary in service to one of the insuring
agencies of the Realm. Some of the new Assessors are
ACCOUNTING tapped to work in other departments of the Thousand
Money is valuable, and while it seems a waste of Scales, while others leave public service and enter service
words to say so, anyone who possesses money goes to with the Great Houses, with imperial corporations or with
great lengths to keep it protected from thieves and the Immaculate Order. Still others, after a further eight
scoundrels. Strongboxes, safes, hidden caches, secret years of practice, apply to take the Imperial Counters
compartments and money belts each protect money Examination, in order to enter the highest ranks of the
from robbers to some degree. However, another type of Thousand Scales. The Realm has an elaborate and com-
thief, the embezzler, relies on stealth and lackadaisical plex code of behavior for its accountants, down to styles of
counting to increase his own fortune. The embezzler clothes they may wear and the proper posture to be
does not take everything. He takes only a little and assumed around various other officials, and the work is
makes things appear as if all is in order. demanding in more ways than simple addition and sub-
To defeat this kind of thief and his relatives, the con traction. An official can find herself demoted back to a
artist and the spendthrift, businesses in the Realm and in village examiner for an incorrect bow as much as for a
the Threshold rely upon accountants and account logs to miscalculated koku.
keep their wealth safe from predatory financiers. Ac-
countants in both regions are expertly trained in
mathematics, particularly arithmetic, and are able to
THE JADE SNIFFERS
perform large, multi-step calculations in their heads. Somewhere in the Thousand Scales, between
However, accountants usually make a point of putting the Humble and Honest Assessors of the Imperial
their work on paper, since they are paid to show their Tax and the Imperial Treasury, is a small ministry
work to their employers. called the Righteous and Perfect Examiners of Illicit
Scents, otherwise known as the Jade Sniffers. With
IN THE REALM their officials drawn from the individuals scoring
In the Realm, accounting is not only an honorable highest on the Imperial Counters Examination, the
profession, it is a suitable career path for a child with an Jade Sniffers hold a charter from the Scarlet Empress
aptitude for numbers. Training of the Realm’s accoun- herself to search out and seize caches of illicitly
tants takes place at a number of schools. The most acquired jade. As part of their mandate, they break
significant and important academy is the Shining Garden up hoards of jade that have grown large enough to
of Calculating and Counting. The training lasts six years destabilize the economy. For 400 years, the Jade
and is as thorough and intensive as any other career path Sniffers operated with ruthlessly efficiency to find
in the Realm. Once their training is complete, some go hoards of jade and prosecute their holders. Some-
into private practice, to be hired by a business or a Great times, they have worked through stealth, infiltrating
House to keep track of its funds and investments. After businesses and organizations that have good reason
three years of real-world practice, an accountant may sit to hoard jade. Sometimes, they have swept in to
for the Counters Examination in the Imperial City. If he examine a set of books and nosed out the existence of
passes, he may be appointed as a kaja, a prefect’s counting a secret jade hoard from subtle clues in the records.
official. A kaja’s official role is to ride circuit between a Excellent Chrysanthemum, the head of the
number of villages or to reside in one larger town and audit Jade Sniffers, was assassinated by an operative of
the records of the villages or the town. Since individual House Ledaal in late RY 767, and the remainder of
village households are forbidden from keeping financial the department is slowly being murdered or sub-
records, the kaja’s duty to the peasants is very important. orned or blackmailed by the other Great Houses. A
Without his help, they rarely know how much tax they few agents remain in the field, but everyone knows
owe or who owes what (though, unofficially, many villag- their days are numbered.

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In the present political climate, however, the ac- of auditors at the level of the hub cities and the
countants have been more and more lax about their districts and punishes whichever infractions it can
behavior in public and the accuracy of their counting in find, while hoping that most of its counters are not
private. Many persons of patrician rank or higher have lying to their merchant princes and factors. It is, at
been appointed out of turn or without taking the best, a fragile solution.
examinations, and the Great Houses often appoint
persons to accounting jobs in imperially owned busi- MONEY IN THE THRESHOLD
nesses who have not been certified as imperial While the jade standard and jade scrip work well in
accountants. These new men are more inclined to the Realm, neither holds complete sway in the Thresh-
fudge the books they keep or to turn a blind eye to old. Tribute payments to the Scarlet Empire have
irregularities. “As honest as a kaja” has ceased to be a depleted jade reserves everywhere, and there is simply
praising phrase since the Empress disappeared. not enough jade in circulation to keep trade flowing
around the Inland Sea, out to the Western Isles and
IN THE THRESHOLD back again. The Threshold has needed a new standard
Eight years ago, Guild auditors in the Lap seized of money for almost 100 years, and it is only in the last
Stunning Smile Wang, a merchant prince, and his ac- 30 years or so that a new standard has begun to emerge
counting team on fraud charges after discovering three on unsteady legs.
meticulous account books for Wang’s caravan. The
accountants had been sending a doctored set of records THE SILVER STANDARD
to the caravan’s sponsors, showing that business was not The new standard is silver, and the Guild is behind
good, but not bad enough to shut down the caravan. The its appearance. Tired of constantly paying out its small
accountants showed a second set of books to Wang, jade caches to gods and demons for tribute and passage
demonstrating how miserably his caravan was doing, so rights, the Guild began promoting silver as a medium of
that Wang would not report on his progress to the factors exchange. Simply put, silver has relatively little value
too often. The third set, for the accountants themselves, other than as personal adornment. It is not a particularly
showed how the caravan was really doing and how much useful metal for anything other than jewelry, mirrors or
the accountants could split between them. Of course, decoration, and it cannot be made into weapons or
Stunning Smile Wang and his counters now serve as armor. Nor is it as rare and costly as jade. However, while
gruesome signposts on the Southern Way. Their skel- silver is more common than jade, it is less common than
etons, stripped clean of flesh by carrion birds, stand iron, copper or tin, it can be easily minted into coins, and
chained to stone pillars with their bones wired together, it can be transported long distances without alerting
their arm bones pointing east and west along the road. gods, spirits and demons with its presence.
While the Guild regretted the loss of four trained Silver has not been entirely successful as a new
accountants and an otherwise competent merchant standard. Its lack of magical value makes many people
prince, everyone who heard of the crime agreed with initially suspicious, since money has been based on a
the punishment. The Guild thrives on profits from magical standard for so long. Moreover, the Realm has
marginal businesses. Doctored books prevent the Guild made a point of snubbing the new currency, such that
from recognizing which lines of business are profitable it is only useful in the hinterland, away from the
and which are not. satrapies of the Realm and the coastal territories that
On the other hand, no one knows what happened do business with them or with the Realm directly.
to the money the accountants hid away before they Indeed, choosing silver as a standard is a political act as
were caught. At least, no one who’s telling, and the well as an economic one. It is unlawful in many satrapies
four accountants’ families wisely went missing. As a to do business in silver, and the penalties are severe:
result of these financial shenanigans, Guild officials heavy fines in jade, public incarceration and, some-
in the relevant district have had to make up losses of times, mutilation.
almost 400 talents of jade, sustained over a six-year In some Threshold communities, however, par-
period. The temptation clearly exists for dishonest ticularly in the Scavenger Lands, the opposite holds
record-keeping and sending false information to head- true. Here, it is jade which is viewed as threatening
quarters. The Guild has debated how to solve the and dangerous. The presence of the magical stone
problem for many years but reached no satisfactory twitches the senses of gods and spirits and monsters
conclusions. Adding more accountants, guards or spies and can attract them from a long way off. A hostile
decreases overall profits. Reducing the number of deity striding into town to seize all the jade does not
accountants sacrifices accuracy and sane workloads. make for a positive business climate. In the Realm and
For the moment, the Guild has increased the number its satrapies, the gods are tame or, at least, not vicious.

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In the hinterland of the Threshold, they are neither

tame nor kind. Silver provides an alternative to tricky THRESHOLD CURRENCY CONVERSION
barter arrangements, and it does not attract the pow- The following chart explains how the silver stan-
ers of Creation in the same way that jade does. dard stacks up against the jade standard in RY 768.
These numbers are subject to variation as the Guild’s
THE DINAR AND THE DIRHAM power rises and falls. The Realm is considerably
The Guild mints its own silver coins at several more stable in people’s minds, and so the jade
locations in the River Province, always with heavy standard remains rather more stable as a result.
security and under the direct control of the Director- 1 Talent (jade) = 5 Talents (silver)
ate. These coins have the highest silver content of any 1 Talent (silver) = 64 Pounds = 4 Dirhams = 1,600
coins in the Threshold, with their weight set at a half- Dinars = 1/5 Talent (jade) = 204 1/2 Obols
ounce per coin and with the metal itself set at 97 1 Dirham (silver) = 16 Pounds = 400 Dinars =
percent pure silver. 51 1/4 Obols
This coin, called the dinar, has a slightly oval shape 8 Pounds (silver) = 200 Dinars = 25 3/4 Obols
to it and is milled around the edges to discourage shaving 4 Pounds (silver) = 100 Dinars = 13 Obols
for extra silver. The obverse is stamped with an image of 2 Pounds (silver) = 50 Dinars = 6 1/2 Obols
the Guild’s main building in Nexus and the legend “One 1 Pound (silver) = 25 Dinars = 3 1/4 Obols
Dinar” in Riverspeak. The reverse bears the Guild’s sigil, 1/2 Pound (silver) = 12 1/2 Dinars = 1 3/4 Obols
the year in which the coin was minted and an initial that 1/4 Pound (silver) = 6 1/4 Dinars = 3/4 Obol
designates which mint it came from. As with obols, yen
and sui, dinars are halved, quartered and, sometimes,
even cut into eighths. THE COWRIE
In addition to creating the dinar as actual money, A third type of currency exists in the West, among
the Guild also created the dirham and the silver talent the islands. The rare red cowrie shell can be used as a
as monies of account. The dirham represents 16 pounds medium of exchange among the islanders, and the is-
of silver, and four dirhams make a talent of silver. The landers set a rate of exchange with outsiders of three
Guild has never yet minted any dirhams, since coins dirhams to the cowrie and six cowries to the obol. Thus,
made of 16 pounds of silver would be difficult to they rate silver very high and jade very low, and the
transport. Officially, the dirham contains 400 dinars, cowrie remains one of the best intermediate investments
though the same actual weight of silver would contain to date. However, they are not accepted anywhere else in
416 dinars. The 16-dinar discrepancy pays the mint the Threshold or the Realm, and so, the cowrie’s useful-
workers and funds the Guild’s banking operations. The ness and resale value is somewhat limited.
Guild does pour some dirham-value ingots for easy
transport, but these are not often seen. Some enterpris-
ing silversmiths have also started making belts of 16
BANKING IN THE THRESHOLD
Whereas banking in the Realm is stale and institu-
one-pound plates and bracelets of pound and half-
tionalized, banking in the Threshold is much more of a
pound weights, and these are popular in the South and
personal service — and an adventurous one at best.
the extreme North.
There is no overarching body that safeguards depositors
As the Guild’s fortunes rise and fall, the value of the
in the Threshold, and the banks are not backed by the
dinar against the jade obol has risen and fallen. In RY
faith of families as wealthy as large nations. Even the
768, this rate stands at five talents of silver to one of jade.
Guild, with its vast network of trade and its holdings in
Though this suggests a strict conversion rate between
silver and jade, assumes no responsibility whatsoever for
silver and jade, in real life, many merchants deal exclu-
the loss of a part or the whole of a depositor’s funds.
sively in either jade or silver, and transfers of goods
Putting one’s money in a bank is a gamble. There is
between the two will usually be arranged by barter rather
always the chance that the local Guild operation will
than as cash transactions.
collapse or that the banker will run off with one’s money,
The Guild also runs several minting operations for
and there will be no one to complain to when it does.
other cities, city-states and principalities, with the
Even so, banking is much easier for individuals in
same weight of metal but at a lower purity, between 80
the Threshold. Anyone can open an account with a
percent and 90 percent silver content. The Guild
bank, and indeed, anyone can start a bank. While some
discounts the value of these coins against its own,
principalities and kingdoms do have banking laws that
usually treating them as if they contained 10 percent
govern how a bank may operate, there is no overarching
less silver than they actually do.
set of rules or overseers, just as there is no guarantee
against a bank’s folding.

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

Where the Realm has a specific salt rate that is, or at factor that is empowered to represent the Guild Bank to
least was, common to the whole of the Blessed Isle, the some degree. Some factors operate with more responsi-
Threshold banks operate off of the local salt rate closest bility and negotiating power, others operate with
to the bank. This means that, in some areas, banks are considerably less, but most of them begin with the power
few and far between. In the River Province, the Guild to accept deposits of up to 50 dirhams and to make a
has been negotiating with the salt gods for almost 60 number of loans of up to 20 dirhams on behalf of the
years for a low salt rate. At present, an intermediate Guild Bank.
arrangement has set a Yanaze River Basin-wide salt rate The Guild Bank also holds responsibility for issuing
of seven percent. This rate has lasted almost a year and the Guild’s coinage and keeping it at a high level of silver
a half so far, but the upstream gods are impatient with the content. The bank runs the mints and issues the coinage
agreement, and they will probably break the deal in the through Guild caravans or provides raw silver to the
near future. national banks and mints. The Guild Bank sends out
operatives to investigate alleged problems with Guild
TYPES OF BANKS currency and oversees the financial management of
All Threshold banks work in more or less the same Guild operations in hub cities. It also audits the books of
way. A group of investors puts in a substantial amount of the various caravans whenever they pass through hub
money usually balanced in some fashion between silver, cities and sends auditors into the field to find caravans in
jade and jade scrip. These investors then become the the hinterland.
board of the bank. They accept money from individual The Guild Bank’s operating capital dwarfs that of
depositors and provide a low rate of return, usually salt any of the national or district banks in the Threshold,
rate plus one percent interest per year. Businesses may but the Empress’s holdings in the Bank of the Scarlet
also deposit money in the bank and receive a slightly Throne are larger still. Moreover, the Guild Bank can-
higher rate of return, salt rate plus two percent interest not absorb any large losses. If one caravan is destroyed,
per year. The bank’s board then lends out the money to the Guild Bank will survive. However, with the destruc-
various parties at a minimum of salt rate plus three tion of Thorns, the Guild lost one major hub city at the
percent interest per year. The bank board’s initial invest- periphery of its trade network, and its operations suffered
ments and the difference between what is paid to a massive blow. The Guild Bank’s board of directors
depositors and what is returned in loans are all used to keeps trying to figure out ways to survive the loss of one
keep the bank afloat when depositors want money that or more such cities, in the event that the Deathlords, the
has not yet been returned from loans. Realm or the Fair Folk act against the Guild. So far, they
have not found an adequate solution.
THE GUILD BANK
The largest of the Threshold banks is the bank the NATIONAL BANKS
Directorate itself operates, the Bank of the Guild of Operating outside but often alongside the Guild
Nexus and the Great River, usually called the Guild Bank are the various national banks of the kingdoms,
Bank. The Guild Bank accepts deposits from anyone but principalities and city-states of the Threshold. Each
invests only in Guild enterprises. Its savings accounts issues a coin that has a rough value equal to 80 percent
return dividends of two percent over salt rate, and it of the dinar or thereabouts. They offer individual and
offers a range of financial services above and beyond the business depository services, and they offer loans, just as
usual individual accounts to businesses, including letters the Guild Bank does. National banks usually have a
of credit and letters of debit. The Guild Bank offers headquarters and one or two branches in their outlying
special savings clubs for Calibration, and it is one of the districts, and in addition to running a mint to produce
few institutions in the Threshold to exchange jade for coins, they also regulate fiscal policy for their kingdoms.
silver and jade scrip in the whole Threshold. There are a limited number of national banks, since they
However, the Guild Bank is primarily an investor in are restricted to those Threshold kingdoms that are
Guild activities, and it owns at least a nominal percent- strong enough to have commercial economies and not
age point or two in every caravan in the Threshold that be subjects of the Realm — but not so strong that the
the Guild operates. The Guild Bank invests in every Realm has made a deliberate effort to smash them.
Guild-run business over 50 dirhams in value, and it loans
money at an attractive rate to every Guild-run business
DISTRICT BANKS
of any kind. At an even more basic level, there are district banks.
The Guild Bank maintains 26 major offices with Where the Guild Bank operates on a multinational level
staffs of 10 or more in the biggest cities around the Inner and the national banks operate at the level of a city-state
Sea, and many other cities and towns will have a Guild or a kingdom, the district bank operates at the level of a
municipality or territory, and in highly developed cities,

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

at the level of the neighborhood. Usually, district

banks only have one location, though a very ambi-
tious one might have two. Their existence is usually
restricted to the major cities of the South that remem-
ber something of the banking institutions that existed
before the Contagion and to the cities and towns of
the River Province.
Almost all of the district banks are partly created
with the Guild Bank’s approval and investment. Once
a community reaches a certain economic size, the
Guild Bank sends in a search team to find a group of
likely investors. The investors pony up half the money
to capitalize the bank, and the Guild Bank puts up the
other half. The district bank then provides an office
for a local factor to work from and pays a percentage
of its profits to the Guild Bank, but in exchange, the
district bank receives a substantial degree of autonomy.
The district bank is an investment in a commu-
nity. It provides loans for local businesses to get started
and helps individuals and small cartels save funds for
a rainy day. It provides a safe storage space built of
stone and metal to hold important documents such as
ship’s papers and legal contracts, and it usually pro-
vides contract witnessing and notary public services.
It acts as a collector and focus of a community’s
capital, and it loans that capital out to likely
moneymakers in the immediate area. It can respond to
crises much faster than the Guild Bank can, or even a
national bank, and it can serve individuals much
better than any other bank in Creation.
In the last several hundred years, the Guild Bank
has helped to create thousands of district banks, in
places as widely spread as an outback silver-mining
town in the Far North to seven interlinked neighbor-
hood banks in the city of the Lap.

LOAN PROTOCOLS
All of the Threshold banks accept deposits from
individuals and make loans to them, unlike the banks
of the Realm. Anyone at all can open a bank account
or can apply for a loan. The banks usually require that
a person be known at the level of bank to which he
applies. A fur trapper from the outback can’t get a loan
from the Guild Bank, but he might be able to get one
from his local district bank, especially if he can find a
partner in town to go into business with. As in the
Realm, the interest rate is tied to the risk level and the
salt rate. Interest rates are somewhat higher in the
Threshold than in the Realm, as well.

BANK FAILURE
Among the Guild Bank’s directors’ fears, fear of
bank failure tops the list. Failure of the Guild Bank
would almost certainly bring down the Guild as a

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 EXALTED • MANACLE AND COIN

unified entity. There is no one thing that could cause GREATER WONDERS
the Guild Bank to go belly up. Yet, a series of very bad
Greater wonders, are almost never available for sale.
months, or a couple of bad years, could cause some
They belong to the Great Houses or to the major powers
distinct difficulties. The sack of another major Guild
of the Threshold, or they are stuffed away in some secret
city such as Thorns by the Deathlords could bring the
place at the very edge of the world. No one is ever in
Guild Bank down. If the Realm started to attack and
desperate enough straits to sell one of these artifacts to
sink Guild ships in the Inland Sea and to attack Guild
someone who might very well turn it against the seller —
caravans on land, it could do enough damage to cause
either immediately or in the future.
confidence in the silver standard to collapse. It has
taken the Guild Bank a good 30 or 40 years to get people
to trust the silver standard at all, and that trust could TRADING DOTS FOR CASH
vanish much more quickly if the Realm took an ac- Players and Storytellers alike will at some
tively hard line against the Guild. The last trade war, point wish to convert a character’s Resources dots
beginning in RY 416, proved that the Realm was a to actual cash. It is difficult to translates Resources
potent force in the economy of the Threshold. No one into specific amounts of cash; the system was not
believes things have changed that much in the inter- designed to make such a translation easy. The
vening centuries. levels of financial capability between one dot and
National banks rarely fail except when the nation the next highest are not linear; they represent
collapses. It does happen from time to time. For example, substantial gradations of wealth and power.
the Bank of Thorns failed when the city was sacked. For each character in her series, the Storyteller
Little district banks come and go with alarming should make a judgment about whether that
regularity. It’s hard to get a bank started and hard to keep character’s wealth is in jade, silver or jade scrip.
it going even without fraud or embezzlement. Almost The division is primarily one between the Realm
none of the money in the Threshold is imaginary. All of and the Threshold. Characters in the Realm use
it exists as a piece of jade or as silver dinars or as the jade (or jade scrip if of a lower economic class).
copper siu and yen of jade scrip. As such, it is susceptible Characters in the Threshold use jade, silver or
to fire and flood, damage and loss, as well as theft or barter; they also tend to have some jade and some
embezzlement. All of these are regular occurrences. silver. This book assumes that characters with four
When an investor or a clerk runs off with a bank’s total or five dots in Resources are not going to be using
capital and deposits, the bank is done for. When angry jade scrip, but you may make other decisions about
monsters or vengeful gods destroy a bank, usually the how jade scrip is used in your Exalted game.
bank’s holdings are lost, as well as the building itself. The following correspondences of cash with
Resources dots are offered as a guideline.
PRICES Resources Cash Equivalent
Nearly everything in the world of Exalted is hand- X Jade: less than 2 obols a year
made. There are many manufactories where goods from Jade Scrip: less than 16 koku a year
pottery to bolts of cloth are made, yet these are made by Silver: less than 20 dinars a year
human hands rather than with machine labor. Artisans’ • Jade: less than 1 mina a year
hands create nearly any item a character might wish to Jade Scrip: less than 64 koku a year
buy, from bolts of silk and cotton cloth in the market- Silver: less than 60 dinars a year
place to weapons on the battlefield. •• Jade: a shekel or less a year
The following tables indicate rough prices for things Jade Scrip: less than 128 koku a year
in three columns — what they cost in Resources dots, Silver: less than 100 dinars annually
and how those dots translate into actual cash, in jade and ••• Jade: less than 1 talent a year
jade scrip and silver. These prices are somewhat inflated Jade Scrip: less than 8,000 koku a year
and represent prices on the Imperial City high street and Silver: less than 5 talents a year
in the Little Market in Nexus. In many places, prices on •••• Jade: 4 to 6 talents a year
ordinary goods will be lower — but more expensive Jade Scrip: 16,000 to 50,000 koku a year
objects will not be available. Silver: 20 to 30 talents a year
These pages closely follow the Wonders and Equip- ••••• Jade: 12 to 20 talents annually
ment tables on pp. 324-346 in the main Exalted book, Jade Scrip: 96,000 to 160,000 koku a year
but there are some minor additions. Silver: 60 to 100 talents a year

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

CLOTHING AND JEWELRY Build a grand palace ••••• 15 talents 75 talents

Item Resources Jade Silver Staff a grand palace •••• 3 talents 15 talents
Peasant clothes • 1 obol 8 dinars for a month
Fine clothes •• 1 mina 50 dinars Furnish a grand •••• 5 talents 25 talents
palace (Spartan)
Fancy clothes •• 2 minae 150 dinars
Furnish a grand ••••• 18 talents 90 talents
Courtly clothes ••• 4 bars 2 dirhams
palace (posh)
Royal raiment •••• 5 talents 19 talents
Lavish feast for ••• 6 bars 1,450 dinars
Noble jewelry ••• 6 bars 3 dirhams two dozen
Royal jewelry •••• 7 talents 33 talents Grand banquet •••• 2 talents 10 talents
for 200
Imperial jewelry ••••• 15 talents 70 talents
Erect a Manse •••• 8 talents 45 talents
SLAVES AND ANIMALS (rating • to •••)
Item Resources Jade Silver Erect a Manse ••••• 20 talents 100 talents
Unskilled slave •• 5 shekels 370 dinars (rating •••• to •••••)
Skilled slave ••• 4 minae 600 dinars Passage across the •• 12 obols 80 dinars
Inland Sea
Concubine •••• 3 bars 750 dinars
Buy a yacht or ship •••• 1 talent 5 talents
Keep for a slave •• 1 shekel 70 dinars
per year Crew and provender •••• 6 bars 1,300 dinars
for a ship for a
Domestic Animal •• 1 shekel 60 dinars
month
Fine camel/horse ••• 6 minae 950 dinars
Crew and provender ••• 3 bars 650 dinars
Elephant or ••• 1 bar 3 dirhams for a yacht for a
mammoth month
Fodder for horse • 1 bit 2 dinars Rent a mercenary •••• 2 talents 10 talents
per month company for a
month
Fodder for elephant •• 2 obols 14 dinars
per month Rent a crack •••• 4 talents 20 talents
mercenary company
Stabling for work •• 3 bits 5 dinars
for a month
horse per week
Stabling for fine ••• 6 bits 10 dinars REALM EXPENSES
horse per week
Item Resources Jade Silver
Commission price ••• 4 minae 500 dinars
SHIPS AND PROPERTY (field command)
Item Resources Jade Silver
Commission price •••• 2 talents 8 talents
Buy an estate •••• 7 talents 35 talents
(legion command)
Build country or •••• 6 talents 30 talents
Donatives necessary •••• 5 talents 25 talents
town house
to be named an
Staff a country ••• 7 bars 1 talent imperial prefect
villa or townhouse
Donatives necessary ••••• 3 talents 15 talents
Furnish townhouse ••• 4 bars 780 dinars to be named an
or villa (Spartan) imperial satrap
Furnish townhouse •••• 2 talents 10 talents Donatives necessary ••• 3 bars 600 dinars
or villa (posh) to have a child
accepted at a good school

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Raise a new legion •••• 4 talents 20 talents Thrown Weapons

Chakram • 1 bit 2 dinars
Keep a legion armed, •••• 3 talents 15 talents
fed, paid & in the Hatchet • 2 bits 6 dinars
field for one year
Javelin • 1 bit 4 dinars

WEAPONS Throwing Baton • 1 bit 2 dinars

Item Resources Jade Silver Throwing Knife • 1 bit 3 dinars
Blades
Chopping Sword ••• 1 mina 100 dinars ARMOR
Great Sword ••• 2 mina 220 dinars Item Resources Jade Silver
Light Armor
Knife • 2 obol 4 dinars
Breastplate •• 12 obols 130 dinars
Short Sword • 1 obol 8 dinars
Buff Jacket • 3 bits 8 dinars
Slashing Sword •• 4 obols 30 dinars
Chain Shirt •• 10 obols 95 dinars
Straight Sword •• 7 obols 60 dinars
Medium Armor
Impact Weapons Chain Hauberk ••• 4 minae 240 dinars
Axe • 1/2 obol 7 dinars
Lamellar ••• 6 minae 1 1/2 dirham
Club/Staff • 1/4 obol 3 dinars
Reinforced Buff •• 5 obols 40 dinars
Great Axe •• 8 obols 80 dinars Jacket
Hammer • 1/2 obol 6 dinars (Concealed Plates) •• 7 obols 60 dinars
Mace • 3 bits 9 dinars Heavy Armor
Articulated Plate ••••• 3 talents 17 talents
Poleaxe •• 10 obols 75 dinars
Plate-and-Chain •••• 2 talents 11 talents
Sledge •• 7 obols 60 dinars
Reinforced •••• 1 talent 7 talents
Spears
Breastplate
Lance • 1 obol 9 dinars
Superheavy Armor
Short Spear • 1 bit 5 dinars
Chain Swathing •••• 2 talents 10 talents
Spear • 3 bits 7 dinars
Superheavy Plate ••••• 6 talents 30 talents
Brawling Aids
Cestus • 2 obols 20 dinars HELMETS AND SHIELDS
Fighting Gauntlet • 10 bits 35 dinars Item Resources Jade Silver
Helmets
Khatar •• 5 obols 45 dinars Masked Helm ••• 3 minae 400 dinars
Tiger Claws •• 8 obols 60 dinars Pot Helm •• 4 obols 40 dinars
Martial Arts Weapons Slotted Helmet •• 3 obols 25 dinars
Hook Sword ••• 4 mina 480 dinars
Shields
Seven-Section Staff •• 7 obols 75 dinars Buckler • 1 bit 3 dinars
Wind-Fire Wheel •• 12 obols 115 dinars Target Shield •• 5 obols 55 dinars
Bows Tower Shield ••• 1 minae 100 dinars
Self Bow • 3 obols 35 dinars
Long Bow •• 7 obols 70 dinars
Composite Bow ••• 4 bars 950 dinars

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 APPENDIX • MONEY AND FINANCE IN CREATION

EVERYDAY WONDERS Found warding ••• 3 minae 400 dinars

charm
Item Resources Jade Silver
Offerings and Prayers Created warding •••• 1 talent 6 talents
Premade prayer • 1 obol 12 dinars charm
papers
Created good luck •••• 2 talents 8 talents
Special prayer •• 4 obols 30 dinars charm
papers
Created walkaway ••••• 8 talents 36 talents
Small animal •• 7 obols 90 dinars
sacrifices GREATER AND LESSER WONDERS
Large animal ••• 2 minae 400 dinars Item Resources Jade Silver
sacrifices Collar of Dawn’s ••• 6 bars 5 talents
Cleansing Light
Burning incense •••• 1 talent 5 talents
Dragon Tear Tiara •••• 1 talent 7 talents
Healing
Seven Bounties ••• 2 bars 6 dirhams Daiklave •••• 4 talents 22 talents
Paste Grand Daiklave ••••• 9 talents 45 talents
Sweet Cordial •••• 2 talents 10 talents Hearthstone ••• 4 bars 3 talents
Talismans Amulet
Found good luck • 6 obols 50 dinars Hearthstone •••• 2 talents 8 talents
talisman Bracers
Found disease •• 9 obols 85 dinars Mask •••• 3 talents 24 talents
talisman

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