Listen closely, and you can hear the wheel of the ages turn...
A wanderer garbed in white (Zenith)
She's traveled all along the far borders of the Frontier, through the Old Empires and even into the Wyld Reaches prior to the awakening of the Soul-Eater. Most know her simply as a kindly wanderer, a soft-spoken warrior woman who freed them from slavers or managed to drive off the Raksha, before speaking a few kind words to the Sun and setting out on her way once again. Now and again, she comes to a place too late, shedding tears freely as she helps the survivors of some disaster rebuild their lives and make sense of out of the hardships they've endured. Some even have the privilege of traveling with her, for a time, from a deposed Princesses in fear of assassination to an Immaculate Monk with a very unwanted life debt. Most leave her partnership heroes in their own rite. Some say that the latest Prince of Mhourning Spire was one of her companions, while others tell tales of the Princess who stands as a Warrior of the Sun in her own right now. But the woman, the wanderer? The stories of her always end the same: walking off, into the dying sunlight, alone.
The Blade Maiden and Tarupin (Dawn, Zenith)
Some nights, late into the evening, you can look deep into the East and see a shining Crane and a ghostly Monkey dancing a careful dance. Storyteller's say that this is Selja, the Blade Maiden, practicing the art of the Sword with her constant companion, Tarupin. Most everyone on the edge of Civilization knows of Tarupin's unrequited love for his Sifu, and the bards of a hundred kingdoms have produced countless variations on the quiet tale of how they met. Most agree, however, that their relationship began when the Sun's Prophet, a lonely woman in White, and Selja, still new to her power, rescued the newly reborn "Solar" from the tender ministrations of the Wyld Hunt. Many have been their adventures since, and in truth, the Storytellers are keen to invent a few of their own. You know, to keep things fresh and new. Thus it is that two heroes have done everything from challenge Lords of the Raksha, battle forgotten City-sized Automatons of the Anathema, and even match wits with the horrible cunning of Arad the Hunter.
A few tales suggest they've gained a new companion, a woman named...
The Scavenger Queen! (Twilight)
Former apprentice of Kal Tosh the Younger, and Scavenger King of some renown on her own routes, Opal Blossom was long known as one of the richest and most successful Scavengers in all the Confederation of Rivers. After a particularly storied exploration of the Twisted Spire, where her Mentor perished, she seemingly got out of the business of tomb raiding in favor of a life of luxury, education and high culture in Nexus' Bastion District -- teaching young aspiring Scavenger Lords, and repairing ancient items for the Guild. Then, one day about four years ago, she quietly picked up her gear and left the city for yet another expedition into the Far East and returned with more riches than anyone else in recent memory before setting out again. Since then, Opal Blossom has traveled to many far corners throughout the East, and whispers have begun to surface suggesting that she is no longer merely human.
The Golden Warlord (Dawn)
One of the most frightening of the Anathema in all the East, the Golden Warlord has carved out an impressive Empire in the heart of the Hundred Kingdoms, from his bloody usurpation of the Royal Family of Mar`Asalon to the more recent conquests of Godden and Knapp's Ford. Refugees fleeing the Forsaken's brutal campaigns tell stories of horror, murder and atrocity for the Warlord leaves none who might challenge his rule alive. This makes the fact that his armies continue to grow with every conquest, filled with the fresh blood from whatever land he's added to his holdings, all the more horrifying. In the aftermath of the invasion of the Fae, the Warlord's hold on the Old Empires region of the Hundred Kingdoms is even stronger, and his armies spread even further. Though, now, refugees from the fae-touched lands defended by the Warlord speak tales of his Heroism and Prowess as often as they spread tale of his grim deeds.
Worst of all, though, the most recent tales are all in agreement-- The Golden Warlord no longer stands alone:
The Young Warrior and the Seer (Dawn, No Moon)
Our Circle (Dawn, Zenith, Twilight, Night; Changing Moon)
There is little need to speak to my current audience of the history and storied legends of such luminaries as Merayen Sun-Speaker, Gilgamesh of Thorns, Jackal, or even the Circle's shape-shifting goddess, Karianna, or it's enigmatic spy and assassin. Suffice it to say that people all over the East speak rumor and conjecture related to the Circle's exploits, many of them exaggerated or even wholly fictional. What is generally believed, though, is that the Circle worship the power and glory of the Sun God, Sol Invictis, and seem dedicated to the peaceful alliance of nations and the overall defense of Creation. While many whisper harsh paranoia about this group of Anathema's "true motives", thus far, the actual rumors do not even hint at what their ultimate ends might be.
Many, but not all, tales also speak of other's who commonly work this this mighty fellowship:
The Maker's Daughter, and her Companion (Twilight, Eclipse)
Some of the older tales bear a different cast of characters; a young, beautiful, blacksmith with a giant golden hammer and a passion for Freedom, and an older merchant and river boat captain with a powerful drive and vision. These two individuals have since adopted a more prominent place in the legendry of the East. The younger is known as Skyla, and is known as much for her freeing of slaves and passionate distaste for the Guild as she is for the many wonders she's introduced into the Hundred Kingdoms. The dashing River Boat captain, an early figure in tales of the Circle and one who has recently returned, seems to be angling for a position of friend, mentor and perhaps love interest to his younger companion. The two travel together all over the Hundred Kingdoms, repairing the trade networks and doing what they can to make the world a better -- and freer -- place for the people of the Earth.
The Repentant Ravener (Full Moon)
Little is known of the shadowy assassin that travels with the Circle; even descriptions of her are vague and often contradictory. In one thing, though, all the sources agree and that is how frequently she is seen near one of the fearful Raveners. Despite the Lunar Anathema's appearance in such tales, the Circle is not seen to associate with Barbarians or to ride in with the Fair Folk on their heels. Indeed, recent tales even suggest that the Solars were somehow able to tame their Ravener and return him to a love of civilization and the people of the East such that he and others of his kind fought bravely against the Fair Folk invasion. Even so, more than a few people look upon the terrifying Lion-Man with fear in their eyes.
Speaker to the Wyld (Eclipse)
If most of the Circle is well-regarded, one of their frequent companions is... not. The enigmatic Menedraile is well-spoken, even charming, but is frequently known to leave for long periods of time. Stories say he walks amongst the dreaming lands beyond Creation, that he takes members of the Fair Folk for friends and lovers, even that he is welcome in their Courts and Counsels. More than a few tales cautiously hint that this "Menedraile" might have been responsible for the recent invasion of the Fair Folk, with some cautious tongues even suggesting that the entire plot might have been a ploy by the Solar Anathema to increase their own acclaim by arranging and then stopping an invasion.
The Sorceress, and her Quiet Guardian (Twilight, Dawn)
The feared "Demon Sorcerer of Amanton" is now, generally, known to be a woman -- one as grim and distant as she is beautiful! Said by some to be named "Anstaria", and by others "Jaisa," this woman's fame is not as uncomplicated as that belonging to some of the Anathema of the East. Some call her a horror, who walks with demons and casually enslaves others to her will. Others name her a hero, who protects the people of the Earth and offers guidance and a simple common respect. In addition to her Demon Entourage, she is said to travel with a silent grim warrior, often driven to Rage. When necessary she stands between her companion and the common people, and sometimes, her words are able to quell his terrible anger. At other times, the two are driven to blows as the inhabitants of whatever village of townsquare flee the mad onrushing of power. Still, for those who claim the woman the warden of her companion, there seems a quiet yet unbreakable bond between them.
More recently, tales of the Sorceress have gained a new face:
The Quiet Little Sister (Night)
Pale Dove, Night Caste.
The Lord of Nexus (Eclipse)
Once upon a time, Gavin Bael of Nexus was a somebody. One of the richest Merchant Factors in the Guild, with enough influence within that organization that even his nominal superiors in that Organization's Directorate treated with him as an equal. He was a backer of most of the Caravan's that traveled through the major trade routes in and around Nexus, and owned more than a such Caravans himself, while simultaneously bankrolling a significant portion of the cities funds. While he never actually sat on the Council of Entities, that august body considered him both a peer and a rival, and on more than a few occasion Bael had to dodge the long knives of the Cities cautious rulers. The fact that he survived was merely yet more brag.
As happens to all such great men, Gavin Bael eventually grew from a young and vigorous man, to an older gentleman of wealth and cunning, and eventually, began the long slow decline into decrepitude and eventual death. Businesses and contacts passed to fortunate sons, influence waned as younger men eclipsed the once-legend, and life turned from a endless uphill adventure to a long, slow, luxurious fall from a very great height. Such was natural, and right. Except, it didn't happen like that and three years ago this new reality became very obvious to absolutely everything. The Directorate that once tried to kill him now wishes they'd tried harder, while serving under the man, or have long since fled the city along with those loyal. Slowly, Bael rounds up the organization and turns it into his own. Once, it might have been said in figurative fashion that "Gavin Bael runs business in Nexus." Now, it's not at all figurative and he runs a lot more than just business, and more than a few refer to the man as "Lord of Nexus" in most unironic fashion.
But, though he has forced many Exalted out of Nexus, Gavin Bael is not alone...
The Former Gladiator (Dawn)
Kaesan "Panther" Tor was, and is, a legend in the Arena. He's fought and killed hundreds of men, and bested many more. He's faced everything from packs of starved Claw Striders to a small horde of Wyld Mutants, to say nothing of mundane threats like Tigers, Lions and worse. He's beaten Fair Folk to death with his bare hands, is a peerless master of every weapon common in the Nexus Arena, and if anything his sexual prowess is even more talked about amongst the folk of old Hollow. Then, two years ago, the Panther strangled a Tyrant Lizard and climbed atop its gently breathing body -- and was Exalted. Now, Kaesan works for 'The Boss' and if anything the people of Nexus talk about his battles even more. Now those battles don't take place in an Arena, and are against the Dragon-Blooded of the Hunt (flawless victory), Ancient Enemies from a Lost Age (odds-makers lay good numbers on the rematch), or even the Emissary himself (an effective draw, though situationally, a victory).
The Driven Investigator (Night)
Once, there was an ugly frog-faced woman married to a "troubleshooter". They took on cases for the rich and powerful, solving them where they could and generally making the world a better place while avoiding getting in the way of anyone too powerful. Then, one day, the pair of them took the wrong case and angered the wrong people. Poor frog-faced Huyla received her husbands head on her doorstep. She ran. They followed. Weeks later, only Huyla emerged, and not long after that many of the people that she and her former husband had "avoided" turned up dead. Rewards were awarded for murderers who had exhibited a little bit more than human competence, organized criminal enterprises were neatly rounded up. Huyla even went after the Council, where she felt the need, or Gavin Bael himself. She'd not yet decided which was the greater threat, when the Council arranged to have the Wretched chained by powerful Sorcery and bound to their will, and Gavin Bael directed his Circle to rescue her. Now, she works with "the Lord of Nexus", and the common folk of the city feel a little safer.
The Spymistress (Changing Moon)
For the past 13 years, there has been a "Mistress Ella" at the House of Sighs. Both a Madam, in charge of the beautiful young people who reside in that most exclusive of all Nexus Pleasurehouses, and a High-Class Escort herself, for those able to afford her substantial fee, no one is sure exactly when the "Mistress Ella" of a decade ago became the "Mistress Ella" that now runs the House of Sighs. Some suggest that the two were always the same, others suggest that the change only happened some time after the Ascension of Gavin Bael. Everyone, though, knows that the woman who runs Nexus' most exclusive Whorehouse is not what they thought she would or could be. Several months ago, when the open secret was completely compromised, she even stopped pretending. The woman who answers to the name "Mistress Ella" now wears a different face. A younger face, etched lightly with Silver Tattoos, and sometimes bearing the moon-mark of the Trickster. With this final revelation about Gavin Bael's long-time "girlfriend", more than a few of the more cunning minds about the city began to wonder just what else this shadowy shapeshifter has been up to in the last... however long she's been in Nexus.
The Poet (Moonshadow)
The Union of Sun-And-Shadow (Twilight, Midnight)
The Hidden Ogre (No Moon)
The Lady of the Plains (Zenith)
The Silvered Mask of Revolution (Eclipse)
The Mirror Flag.
The Disgraced Warrior (Night)
Stryck Wiki