Editing From The Pinnacle To The Pit

''“Thou at the sight / Pleased, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile, / While by thee raised I ruin all my foes, / Death last, and with his carcass glut the grave.”'' 

Strange days have come to Creation, and even its most distant corners feel a change sweep over them.  Ashrapur sit in the southwestern seas, a verdant and gleaming gem for those who would pick it. On this lonely island, servants sharpen knives to cut their master's throats; war-drums echo though the jungle; great rulers turn to madness; and deep beneath the earth, a long-dreaming beast stirs and opens one horrible eye. 

Within this tempest stands sun-crowned warriors, reborn from forgotten myths, to carve new legends for themselves, and change the face of Ashrapur -- if they survive. 

''From the Pinnacle to the Pit'' is an Exalted 3rd Edition Solar game by hippokrene for the RPG.net forums.

==Player Characters==

===Legbreaker Ashra===

'''Leg-Breaker Ashra'''. She was once an enforcer and bounty-hunter for the smuggling syndicates that sneak opium, dyes, and jade past House Cynis/work for factions in House Cynis (it always shifts, of course, depending on whose bribes are paid up and who's betraying who today). Ashra, however, would never betray a contract, and would always extract the money her employers were owed or bring them their wayward people. Her employers, however, were not so honorable, and her last job was actually a setup, a trap set by a humiliated cartel underboss who she'd been sent to rein in before. The teahouse encounter was meant to be a simple execution - but when the bamboo walls came tumbling down, only she rose from the rubble, glowing like the sun.

Ashra was raised to more civilized ideals, the daughter of a Dynast naval officer and a local mother. When she was still young, however, her father's family received an offer of marriage to a Peleps Dragon-Blood, and she and her mother were left with nothing as her father moved on to the much more lucrative opportunity. On the streets of Maukai, the other children looked down on her for her 'high-born' heritage and the airs she still tried to put on, teasing escalated to bullying, and eventually Ashra had to learn to be the more vicious fighter or die - which eventually flowed into selling her fists to the highest bidder.

After assessing her life in the wake of Exalting, she's realized that the whole world is turned upside down, that the weak are cowed when they should be protected, and those in power have no honor.

[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B78O1afv6CpJz_AJFiw1xyD6QjuKaeGGchrQuhp4l1c/edit?usp=sharing Legbreaker Ashra]

===Opal Saltwell===

Sheet [[Opal Saltwell]]

'''Command:''' Crew of ''Freedom's Lady'' aka ''Budding Endeavor''.

===Pale Lotus Unfurling===

[[Pale_Lotus|Pale Lotus Unfurling]]

===Tempest Hawk===
Survivor of pirate raid, sold to the Guild, and later sold again. The last ship did not make it to its destination, and a young Hawk was left adrift on a chunk of debris. Washed ashore, the foreign child was taken as an ill-omen and largely avoided, though not outright attacked. His first sight of land was a vision of such beauty that it called a Beauteous Wasp into the world, which would come to submit itself to him upon witnessing his Exaltation. He currently sails under Captain Stormhawk's banner for the pay, the excitement, and the chance to test his might against people like his abusers.
[[Tempest Hawk|Tempest Hawk]]

'''Retainer:''' Glass Bells Ringing, Agata. (An entirely descriptive name; when asked to identify itself, the demon makes an uncanny sound to that effect.)



===Zahir===

[[Zahir|Zahir]]

'''Retainer''': Weeping Flame, summoned fire elemental

==Retired Characters==

===Raltis Nightmoor===

We hardly knew you, err we lost you. 

Sheet [[Raltis Nightmoor]]

==Important NPCs==

===Cynis Najalin Nasito and Cynis Najalin Caiyatro===

The two sisters of Maukai, they came to power over a century ago when the southern region, led by Naranja, attempted to conquer the Maukai. Faced with enemies on two fronts, the current Kai decided being a Realm tributary was preferable to losing his crown (and his head) to Naranja's invading forces. 

Nasito is a canny sorcerer and diplomat, but these days she spends most of her time indulging her vices. Caiyatro is a hard-nosed soldier known for her brutality. The two are lovers, though Caiyatro has married into one of Maukai's noble houses. 

Ashrapur's distance from the Blessed Isle has given the two considerable independence, which they like, but also means they cannot readily count on support should they need it. As such, they maintain the polite fiction that they are not in charge of the city and try not to ruffle the feathers of the locals. Lately, House Cynis has begun to demand more tribute from the island due to the ongoing civil strife in the Realm, but has also lessened the number of troops available to the sisters. This has put them in a peculiar bind. One they haven't yet found an answer for.

====Cynis Ashara Vah====

Ashara is one of Caiyatro's exalted daughters. Born to Maukain nobility, she serves as the city's warden and spends much of her time protecting merchants and travelers from banditry on the seas. As Maukai is a city built on trade, she's well-regarded among the citizenry. 

A serious-minded woman, Ashara has inherited her mother's dislike of politics, and shows little interest in bribes or in appealing to the cartels. This has led to attempts on her life, which the water aspect has easily survived.

===The Dancing Demon Leopard===
Little is known about the Anathema that haunts the jungles of the central wilds, but rumors abound. The creature can turn into mist, the creature caused all the inhabitants of a village to vanish, the creature steals children and sacrifices them for magical powers. Men found mauled in the jungle are said to have been killed by the Dancing Leopard. Women who become pregnant though still virgins say that the Leopard must have crept in their home at night. 

Though much of what is attributed to the Dancing Leopard is fanciful, it has committed numerous, grisly killings, and attacked hunting bands and scouting parties that ventured too close to its territory. What reasons, if any, it has for its actions remain a mystery.

=== Kai Tavisharwa Nah===
Tavisharwa was only eleven when he ascended to the Floating Thone of Naranja two years ago. While his mother holds no official title or position, she still exercises a great deal of political power, and is generally accepted as true ruler of Naranja. 

Due to Tavisharwa's age, his ascension and continued rule is an uncertain one. The atmosphere at the palace is one of mild but constant paranoia that one of the Kai's Sajils might attempt to seize the throne for themselves. Tavisharwa seems to be an intelligent and considerate child, but has become superstitious. He has lately invited a number of soothsayers, alchemists, and other wise men to the palace. 

===Kai Vashistic Om===
Vashistic Om was once the pride of Maukai. A handsome and outgoing prince, he charmed visitors to the palace and his exploits on the battlefield earned him renown with the common folk. This changed however, after a chariot race accident shattered his right leg and hip. Though Vashistic's body eventually mended, he became addicted to the powerful painkillers he took during the months of his recovery. 

Over the years, he became more temperamental, beset with bouts of melancholy or irrational anger. When his mother died and he ascended to Kai at the age of 27, Vashistic quickly withdrew from public life, preferring to spend his days in the palace's ornate pleasure dome. 

Vashistic Om is now nearing 50. He spends his days in an opium filled haze, oblivious to the world outside the palace walls and engaging in listless, fleeting pleasures. Maukai's nobility and Cynis patricians are happy to rule in his place, though a few of the older ones feel pity for the proud prince they once knew.

==Minor NPCs==
A handy list of NPCs the group has interacted with: [[From_The_Pinnacle_To_The_Pit:MinorNPCs| Minor NPCs]]

==Organizations of Note==

===Criminal Cartels===

There are three major cartels operating in Ashrapur: the Vardha, The Brotherhood of the Mountain, and Tiger Sena. 

The '''Vardha''' were once a noble family whose name and fortune was squandered away; they still have connections to nobility and dominate the opium trade. The Vardha claim entire villages in more remote areas of Ashrapur, forcing kidnapped slaves to tend massive opium fields or toil in dangerous mines. 

'''Tiger Sena''' is part criminal organization and part religious cult. It was founded by a mysterious prophet long ago, and members are initiated further into the cult's inner circle as they gain 'stripes.' The Sena often own quasi-legal establishments like gambling and opium dens or brothels, and are known to retaliate with vicious and bloody violence when other gangs attempt to enter their territory. 

'''The Brotherhood of the Mountain''' was formed by soldiers from Ashrapur's last large scale war. They're a band of mercenaries who are as willing to work for criminal organizations as they are honest merchants and legitimate governments. As most nations in Ashrapur cannot afford a professional, standing army, they've fought more wars in the in the last century than any other group on the island. 
 

===The Sons of the Saki=== 

Numerous tribes have been conquered, enslaved, and assimilated in Ashrapur storied history. The ancestors of the Sons once dwelled in the fertile river basin now occupied by Naranja but were displaced to the rocky southern shores. There they encountered a great animal spirit who offered them protection in exchange for their veneration. 

Now the Sons of Saki launch frequent sea raids against their neighbors. Only a few hundred strong, they’re wise enough to avoid the great barges of the Dragon-Blooded, the Guild, and the Lords of Ashrapur, but instead target small towns and villages along the coast.

==Ashrapur and its Environs==

===Khilate Hai===
One of Ashapur’s southwestern ports. Its bay provides sanctuary from the storms known to lash the western coast. The people are friendly but highly traditional and not fond of foreign customs or habits. The surrounding land is hosts no jade or beetles for dyes, but does produce an abundances of sweet potatoes, corn, and wine.

===Lok Damin===
The human inhabitants of Ashapur shun the Shadowlands, but not all who dwell on the island are completely human. Lok Damin plays host to an ancient race. These insectile people may be humans twisted long ago by the wyld, the experiments of a First Age sorcerer, or perhaps creations of the enemies of the gods. Most fear and avoid them, but some scholars visit Lok Damin to study in ancient, well-preserved libraries or speak with learned ghosts in the grave-hives. 

===Maukai=== 
The second largest of Ashrapur's cities, Maukai is a bustling port city with a population of over twelve-thousand. Its people are some of the most diverse in the region with a wide-range of ethnicities, religions, languages, and cultures on display. 

Over a century ago, Maukai pledged itself to the Realm. It retained its rulers and laws, but the Immaculate Order became the state religion, its military was drastically curtailed, and it now pays tribute to the Realm in the form of silver and black jade. 

It's allied with the cities of Anica and Tulkai, and their combined influence over the surrounding region forms Ashrapur's northern power bloc. 

Maukai's current Kai is Vashistic Om.

====Great Halls====
The Outer Palace of Maukai is a city within the city made up of 36 great halls. '''The Hall of Astute Learning''' is the Maukai’s secondary school. It has a library. '''The Hall of Excellent and Efficacious Works''' and '''the Hall of Harmonious and Profitable Works''' are the civic center of Maukai – geological records, ownership papers, tax records, licenses, public offices, etc.

====35-37 East====
A prominent gambling den near the docks. It hosts frequent pit fights. It also has live music, a small bar, and several games going on at all times.

===Naranja===
Naranja, the Floating City, sits in the Ashrapur's great basin and is the largest city on the island. It is the crossroads of the island's trade and controls some of the richest jade and iron mines. The city predates the Great Contagion and benefits from a number of artifacts and workings found nowhere else on the island. 

It's allied with the cities of Matahja, Lotco, and Annik, forming the central power bloc. Its attempt to conquer the northern lands over a century ago caused Maukai to cede to the Realm, and it remains hostile to Cynis influence. 

Naranja's current Kai Tavisharwa Nah, who is currently 12. The Nah line descends from the goddess Lahis, She of Ten Thousand Rivers, and the city has enjoyed her patronage since they ascended to power.

===Neighboring Islands===
Ashapur is one of several islands stretching from the Cinder Coast to the Caul. Here are a few in close proximity. 

====Neya====
A hot and sandy island to the southeast of Ashrapur. Sparse vegetation means the natives are dependent on fishing and trade for food. Previously, Neya was viewed as little more than a stepping stone from the mainland to Ashrapur, but the recent discovery of firedust deposits has seen an increase of interest in the island.

====Saaya==== 
A small island located to the north of Ashrapur, hosting only a single port town. Rumors abound that the island is cursed or home to terrible monsters as all other settlements meet with calamity or, in one case, simply disappear.

==References==
'''Champa''' - A division of land tended by, typically, an extended kinship group. Champas are often farmlands that pay tribute to a sajil. 

'''Kai''' - Typically the highest ranking lord in an area. Analogous to king. 

'''Sajils''' - The Lords of Ashrapur. Sajil is a loose term, it may refer to anyone from the chief of a village of fifty to a wealthy noble ruling over a hundred champas to one of the heads the cartels.