[hider=What are the Exalted?]
[center] [color=gold][h3]"To Fight Which Cannot be Fought and emerge Victorious![/h3][/color]
[img]https://vgy.me/pgjJO7.png[/img]
(TylerEdlinArt)[/center]

The Exalted are the champions, heroes, and the things of legend.  Exalted are different from other entities.  Superior, powerful, capable of casting magics both great and terrible.  An Exalted gains the ability to tap into the forces of magic themselves to levels far beyond the capabilities of their race, manipulating it in an innumerable number of ways by their own essence and will.  Mages, sorcerers, wizards, these are just the common known titles of such beings, but the martial arts master , the legendary swordsman, the King of Thieves, all of these tap into magic, whether to burn the foe, or raise their strength to god like might.  Magic comes in all kinds and forms and it molds to its user just as much as the user is molded by it.

Exalted defy the machinations of the gods whether willingly or not, and the masters of creation take notice.  Only 1 in every million sentient souls becomes an Exalted.  Sometimes these beings are already excellent, rising above the rabble to stand out.  Sometimes they are in their greatest need and the power is given to save themselves or what they love.  Sometimes, it could be as subtle as dream never dreamed, as grand as a battle, the master stroke to a piece of art never seen, an equation solved, or times when one use their words to do the impossible.  Exalted become noticed, they become watched by beings so massive they exist beyond comprehension and thus power awaits them.  Sometimes they are guided, sometimes they are left with only questions.  Research, training, conflict, and strife become the means by which they unlock ever greater powers.  No Exalted can escape this tragedy of their new existence, as the universe seems to conspire to bring them worthy challenges and great feats they must surmount with many of them breaking upon the waves of strife, but among them, legends.  The greatest of heroes, the loftiest of Emperors, or the most vile of villains survive to see their power grow to match the gods.

To become Exalted is to become a champion for masters that do not speak, or know nothing or mercy or pity or the motivations of the mortals they rule over.  Elysia is a dangerous place, and it’s the Exalted that change it for good or ill.  All that matters is that their champions grow stronger, and many whom learn of this fate wonder endlessly why this is so.  

For some becoming an exalted is a blessing in all ways.  They are pursued by empires to be recruited, knowing full well what these heroes can do.  They are given lofty positions, or they take their own.  Many of the Stellar Empires of Elysia have an Exalted that sits upon the throne.  But for each facing a life of rewards and splendor, others do not.  They are coerced by other forces, turned into feared sky pirates, or hunted down by those whom fear that their power would bring about their ruin.  Even exalteds become bitter and paranoids, and will not see any upstart steal their own glory.

[h2][b]The PROBLEM [/b][/h2] is when disenfranchised and unaffiliated Exalted come together for safety and protection.  These rogue agents are seen as potential rivals to the established empires as any wise empire knows that while one Exalted is stronger than an army, a group of them, can found an empire.  Their words can sway nations, their swords severing world spanning monsters, their intellect grasping the secrets of magic in ways unknown and terrible.  

They can even challenge the gods.

There has been six such Exalted Empires in history.  All of them grew too big and too greedily.  All of them fell, sometimes with billions killed in the process.  They defied the gods and the gods banded to smote them down to reestablish the proper balance and way of things.  No established ruler wants to see this happen.

But there are those who always wonder, if the next empire will unite all of Elysia.  The next one will do it right.

[center][color=gold][h2]SAMPLE EXALTED[/h2][/color][/center]

[center][img]https://vgy.me/a7dOtS.jpg[/img]
(Takumi)[/center]
[b][u]Rico Fenix, The Ghost of the Scarlet Currents[/u][/b]
A sky pirate in his youth,  Rico's father was an Exalted of terrible power, a thief who could steal anything.  Memories, even one's title and all that came with it.  He thought himself untouchable, until Rico stole that power from him, Exalting in that very instant.  He is considered a scourge on the Lunar Confederation trading lanes, but he is nowhere near as bad as his father was and thus hires out his services.  Sporting the abilities of simply choosing to be seen, being accepted in any crowd regardless of prior knowledge and hands that can swipe practically anything from the physical to the esoteric, turning enemies strengths into his own.

[center][img]https://vgy.me/qKFfrl.jpg[/img]
(Square Enix)

[b][u]KI75,  Spokeswomen of Merico Industries[/u][/b]
The Ku were once two foot tall rodent like creatures that were always good with their hands.  Speaking to the other taller denizens of Elysia, the development of pilotable robot suits became something of a fashion for the Ku.  This only got worse until, under the Mega Corporation that is Merico Industries, the Ku Homeworld's main governmental body, the entire species removed their brains and placed them into android bodies.  Merico Industries designs all the models as well as accessories, and adapts those techniques to sell to other empires as weapons and ships.  KI75 was designed to be a top of the line model, and almost as if planned, she Exalted on her first field test.  Even her synthetic body was effected by the Exaltation, making it hardier, faster, and allowing for the merging of magitech artifacts.  KI75 can change her arsenal on the fly to fit any situation, giving her a stash of magical items on call that can be swapped out no matter where she is.  Additionally, she is capable of turning into a fighter class airship herself, something that Merico Industries is still attempting to copy.  She uses these abilities to commit raids on beastial pest species, which is televised throughout the stars for entertainment.[/center]
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