Minireview: Compass of Celestial Directions vol. V - Malfeas (Exalted)
As a companion book of sorts to the recent Infernals book, Malfeas details the “hell” of Exalted’s game world. It’s pretty cool. Some is updated versions of bits and pieces from 1st edition, while the majority of the book is new stuff. Like Exalted’s “heaven”, its “hell” is also very… nonstandard. While in many games hell and heaven are extremely abstract concepts, and if detailed at all are mostly populated by stereotypical and (honestly) quite boring inhabitants, Exalted is a game where the PCs can (and sometimes will) go to either and kick some ass – or at least get a chance to state their case and be heard by important entities.
Exalted’s “heaven”, Yu-Shan, is a magnificient bureaucracy gone mad, “led” by gods totally addicted to their Games of Divinity… in other words, actually run by and mostly for a vast army of celestial “civil servants”. Meanwhile, “hell” is actually the body of one of the defeated Primordials (now Yozi), Malfeas. Banished from Creation and forced to become part of the prison for himself and others, his rage is vast and endless, and sometimes he grinds parts of himself together in frustration – killing scores of inhabitants in the process. One of his souls, Ligier, lights everything with a harsh green glow. Another Yozi, Cecelyne (the Endless Desert) surrounds the Demon City of Malfeas in all directions (and dimensions). There is no way out, even for Cecelyne herself… unless someone or something summons from Creation, in which case the summoned entity must walk across the vastness of Cecelyne for 5 days, arriving just in time for the summoning. Time is not quite linear in this realm, and causality laughs at you.
The Ebon Dragon plots the doom of Creation while making plans for his upcoming wedding, while Adorjan, the Silent Wind, whispers across the city bringing silence and killing everything in her path. Hence, there is noise and music everywhere, in an effort to keep her out. Sometimes it even works. Kimbery, the Sea that Marched Against the Flame, laps her acidic waves against Malfeas and whispers to her demonblooded children in Creation, while She Who Lives In Her Name dreams of finally bringing order everywhere. Order of the static and final kind.
It’s not an evil realm as such (just like Yu-Shan is not exactly “good”). What it is is very, very alien. Sure, most of the Yozis would love nothing more than to escape their prison and to bring unending death and destruction to Creation… but they have been imprisoned for millenia. Cabin fever can be a bitch, especially for alien gods.
It’s a good book. It provides fun detail on lots of things, from the Yozi to their lesser souls and servants, to general life in the demon realm. It continues the line of keeping Exalted’s demons more alien than plain “evil”, which I personally like a lot. “Evil” is boring. “Alien” has a lot more story potential.
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:18 Posted in Books, Games
Tags exalted, malfeas, white wolf, white wolf, yozis
