The Ephanim
The Exalted
"We know your deepest desires. We have walked with you through silent places. We have stood resolute to defend you. You have never been alone, never been unloved."
The heart of every mage is home to the blessings of the Wolflords - thus are mortals given authority over the natural world. Yet the divine gaze is a distant thing, and only the talismans They grant serve as reminders of Their presence.
But the Exalted... the Exalted are different.
Once mortal, these blessed few encountered a Wolflord and were transformed into immortal 'demigods'. Each of them possesses strength beyond measure, shards of power passed down from the Sevenfold Themselves. Lieutenants and servants, the Exalted were charged with secret duties that they have upheld across the ages.
Yet even these watchers and witnesses are not immune to the long march of time, nor the thorns ensnaring mortal hearts...
Those Who Ascend
"From completion was derived perfection... The 'concept' of divinity is not equal to the 'execution' of it, just as basest being is greater than its distinct aspects..."
The nature of the Exalted is difficult to define. Though they all walked among mortals as one of us, many of them are so old that history has been warped into legend. Do they still possess mortal hearts, as we do? Do they recall their old lives, or retain their old passions?
Attempting to ask the few who still keep mortal company yields only silence. So we must piece together their nature through other means.
While the Wolflords deal in demesnes, the Exalted possess domains. Granted by their Wolflord patrons, these domains are 'pure yet distinct' manifestations of a Wolflord's power. Arvus, for example, inherited the domain of 'illusion' from her patron, the Dawn's Scion. While her authority is certainly lesser than His, it is no less pure.
As for the other aspects of their apotheosis - their transformations, and their long lives - it is difficult to tell how and why these occur. Perhaps the Exalted's animalistic forms are reflections of their inner selves, or are related to their power. Some, like Axhal and Nur, seem to align with this theory, while others, like Alea, contradict it. We simply cannot say.
To Discern Divinity
"You beg for a guiding light, and forget that you have been granted eyes to see..."
If one were to take every legend as the truth, at least a hundred Exalted have existed at some point in history. Many desert nomads venerate the Onyx Kaiar - a hunter who wields authority over glass and sand. The Scarlet Owl is said to be the Exalted of healing, exacting a price on the land with each life he saves. The Umber Stag supposedly remains alive despite her death in a long-ago war.
Trying to discern who truly ascended, and who remains a myth, has kept scholars and priests busy for centuries. But there are still two warning signs.
The first is that, as far as we know, Exalted do not inherit previously-held domains. Once a demigod is killed, their authority is lost to mortal kind. 'Successors' simply do not exist.
The second is that there have been no confirmed Exaltations since the Endwar. The most recently ascended Exalted is Axhal, who is eight centuries old or more - a time frame which aligns with the disappearance of the Wolflords. Without those great rulers, no new Exalted may be created.
Perhaps it is desperation that drives people to invent more of these great demigods. But if it is, who would blame us? To comfort a scared child, to inspire a struggling people, or to urge on a wounded soldier... even a lie would be a noble thing.
Memory in Relic
"Keep them bright in your memories, and walk the path they once walked. Even you may have a chance to draw the gaze of heaven..."
To follow in the footsteps of the Exalted, one must first try to retrace their paths. But many of them are far, far older than mere millennia - their lifespans stretch back to Iku-Ys' first studies of the celestial orbits, and even into the elder days of creation. Here follow the records of the most notable Exalted.
The first of the Exalted was the Nameless, who ascended even before the sun cast shadows, and before mortals had mastered the use of wyr. Very little is known of him - after the Lirustime, he was killed by his own patron Wolflord, and his name was wiped away.
Arvus, the Grey Spider - chosen of Sol and Exalted of illusions - ascended in part due to the actions of the Nameless, and walks the line between truth and fantasy. Her eyes pierce the soul, and she weaves illusion into reality. Like so many of her kind, she has secreted herself away in her own domain for many years.
An Exalted from just before the Lirustime, Alea, the Amber Serpent, chosen of Lapis and Exalted of gemstones, is perhaps the most well-known of her kind. She once lived among and aided mortals, but her compassionate heart led her astray when she witnessed the catastrophe of the desert, and beheld the darkness at its core.
Siahir, the Viridescent Hare, previous chosen of Aura and Exalted of time, was unique in that she has 'children'. Whether these are truly her offspring, none can say, for she is nearly as old as the Nameless and her origins have been lost. Gifted with both foresight and remembrance, she once peered into the streams of time. She has vanished, leaving behind the 'children' of the Verdigris Tower, who increasingly strain against mortality.
Nur, the Golden Sunbird, was the previous chosen of Sol and Exalted of aethereal fire. He tended the flames of his patron Wolf, keeping the Crucible alight through the long years of darkness. He too has vanished, and the Crucible has long lain dormant - yet now that it has burst back into flame, his long-delayed resurgence may be nigh.
Imya, the Sable Fox, chosen of Lyra and Exalted of silence, steps unnoticed through the pages of history. He has aided mortals in many ways since his ascension, but few are discerning enough to perceive him. He treads the deep places of the world and feels no fear, ever keeping a silent vigil.
Axhal, the Silver Otter, chosen of Imber and Exalted of frost, is the youngest of his kin, ascending only decades before the Endwar broke out. When winter sweeps the world, he dives through all the oceans, granting boons with abandon and gilding the waters with ice. But in recent years, even he has become reclusive, and the winters he heralds have deepened.
The Exalted are often more revered than their masters - despite being temperamental, somewhat fallible, and perhaps even vulnerable to the endless years. But these 'flaws' do not matter to most ordinary people.
These legendary immortals were once like us. They struggled, fought and bled, and were recognised by the Wolflords Themselves. It is the most powerful story mortals can tell, all the more so because it is true.
Our pain will one day merit power. Our courage can shake the stars. The ordained path - full of tears, lined with thorns, stretching into the dark - is worth following to the end, because they have done it before.
This is the true power of the Exalted: they drive us onward, giving us hope of reaching the heavens.
"Make the choice he once did. Show me that you have the strength to see the stars again."
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