Book of Bone and Ebony
Book of Bone and Ebony
Book of Bone and Ebony
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EXALTED • BOOK OF BONE AND EBONY<br />
WEAPON OF MEPHITIC DESOLATION<br />
The Malfeans, though dead, are not static creatures.<br />
When the Princess Magnificent with Lips <strong>of</strong> Coral <strong>and</strong> Robes<br />
<strong>of</strong> Black Feathers was routed by the gods <strong>of</strong> Great Forks, the<br />
dead Primordials realized that the gods, while in disarray, were<br />
still a force with which to be reckoned <strong>and</strong> that any significant<br />
penetration into Creation would need to take that into<br />
account. The weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation does that, while<br />
taking a terrible toll on the mortal population.<br />
Creating a weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation involves<br />
particularly difficult necromancy. Five healthy children<br />
no older than 10 must be ritually slain <strong>and</strong> their lungs<br />
taken out through the back <strong>of</strong> their rib cages <strong>and</strong> stitched<br />
together into a large bellows. Their throats must then be<br />
ritually desecrated <strong>and</strong> carefully tuned to the quavering<br />
disharmonies favored by the Malfeans, <strong>and</strong> on each <strong>of</strong><br />
their small teeth must be etched one <strong>of</strong> the 97 glyphs <strong>of</strong><br />
annihilation. The bodies are then stitched together in a<br />
circle facing out from the lung bellows <strong>and</strong> animated<br />
through the necromancy spell Walking War Machine (or<br />
better). Necromancy is required in this instance.<br />
Nemissaries will not do. The necromantically animated<br />
lung bellows pushes air through the dead throats, <strong>and</strong> five<br />
ghostly musicians possess bodies <strong>and</strong> take up soulsteel forks<br />
with which to torment the small bodies into singing<br />
threnodies for all Creation. On those cursed <strong>and</strong> trembling<br />
voices is carried the horror <strong>of</strong> disease.<br />
108<br />
The song <strong>of</strong> the weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation, in<br />
essence, exposes everyone in a half-mile radius to smallpox<br />
(see Exalted, p. 319). All who hear it, human or animal, must<br />
resist, survive or succumb to it. The effects <strong>of</strong> the plague song,<br />
obviously, depend on where the weapon is being played.<br />
The weapon has another, darker, purpose, however.<br />
The sound <strong>of</strong> the desecrated voices drowns out prayers,<br />
spoken <strong>and</strong> otherwise, increasing the difficulty <strong>of</strong> all prayers<br />
(including prayer strips) by three. The afflicted area is like<br />
a numb spot to gods with worshipers in the area. All living<br />
spirits in the afflicted area with Essence <strong>of</strong> 3 or more fall<br />
prey to a kind <strong>of</strong> lassitude (subtract five dice from their<br />
Perception dice pools).<br />
If the weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation is played within<br />
10 miles <strong>of</strong> a Gateway to Yu-Shan, the Bureau <strong>of</strong> Humanity<br />
<strong>and</strong> the Division <strong>of</strong> Endings (within the Bureau <strong>of</strong><br />
Destiny) will instantly go on high alert, <strong>and</strong> divine retribution<br />
<strong>of</strong> some sort is a foregone conclusion, though it<br />
remains to be seen if the Deathlords are aware <strong>of</strong> this<br />
consequence yet.<br />
Creating a weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation takes an<br />
extended Intelligence + Craft (Necrosurgery) roll to<br />
achieve 10 successes with one roll being made for every<br />
eight hours <strong>of</strong> solid work. Using Walking War Machine to<br />
animate a weapon <strong>of</strong> mephitic desolation requires [(8 – the<br />
necromancer’s Essence rating) x 10] motes <strong>of</strong> Essence in<br />
addition to the Essence required to invest it with power<br />
using Oblivion’s Avatar (see p. 102).