[ww80105] Manual of Exalted Power - Infernals.pdf - Vakermit.com

24
Once the demon makes it into Creation, the intrinsic
programming of the tainted Exaltation takes over. It reads
the vibrations of the fabric of Creation to detect the telltale
signs of an individual with a particularly impressive destiny.
When it detects those signs, the Exaltation leads the demon
toward the person in question. This pull toward a worthy
candidate is lessened in the Exaltation’s warped condition,
weaker than the natural tension applied by the filaments of
destiny that connect the Exaltation to its phylactery-womb
in Hell. It is up to the Yozi overseeing the process to keep
plenty of slack in the filament, lest the Exaltation snap back
into Hell, tearing its demon conveyance inside out. (Maintaining
vigilance over the filament also allows the Yozi to
experience what his demon agent experiences in Creation.)
When the demon finds the mortal to whom the Exaltation
has led him, he and his Yozi master know it immediately.
They both then pause to watch.
THE MOMENT OF SELECTION
Whenever an untainted Exaltation comes upon a worthy
potential hero, it does so not simply at random, but at some
moment of crisis or other import in the mortal’s life. The
same is true of an Infernal Exaltation, but the process by
which it bonds with the mortal’s soul is not automatic, as it
would naturally be. In fact, the demon carrying the Exaltation
actually withholds the power at its master’s behest so
that the Yozi can observe the mortal’s reaction to imminent
crisis. Were the Exaltation untainted and free, it would join
with the mortal at the moment of truth, allowing him to
rise to the occasion to which his destiny has led him. In the
case of an Infernal Exaltation, however, the mortal is on his
own. It is entirely up to him to rise to the occasion or fall
flat on his face. How the mortal reacts in that moment tells
the Yozi much about him.
In most cases to date, the mortals destined to receive
the Infernal Exaltations have fallen short. Such is usually
the case with the vast, overwhelming majority of mortals
in all circumstances. When events call for bold heroism,
mortals tend to quail in cowardice instead. When the times
demand unbending righteousness, mortals put their selfish
desires first. Mortals float in seas of mediocrity; they surrender
their will to the whim of the mob. In short, mortals
fail. It’s just human nature. In most people’s estimation, it’s
better to simply choose not to rise to the occasion than it
is to try but fail. To them, Creation is a harsh, unforgiving
world that doesn’t give out awards for trying. (The fact that
it is the imperfections of human nature that have made the
world this way is lost on humankind.)
It’s not until after the situation that draws an Exaltation
to its intended mortal plays out that the Yozi allows his
demon vessel to approach the mortal—assuming the mortal
survived the events of the crisis. While the mortal ponders
the events that just transpired (whether he’s sulking in a
hiding place, cooling his heels in prison, standing alone in
a mob-ruined market square, recuperating in a hospital or
what have you), the demon whispers its master’s will in the
mortal’s ear. It consoles him over his failure, reassuring him
that he’s only human and that failure is sometimes inevitable.
It then tantalizes him with a dream of power… enough,
certainly, to make his recent stinging failures into nothing
more than hazy memories. If it has not already done so, the
demon reveals itself at this point and makes the mortal an
offer. It can grant him such power, it tells him, if the mortal
will only swear to serve the Yozis—Creation’s true masters—
and help them take back what is rightfully theirs.
To simply say that the demon makes this offer is to
oversimplify what is usually a tense, cathartic battle of wills.
Those mortals who have failed to heed the calling of their
destinies are usually emotionally fragile and in foul tempers
besides. Once they’ve forgone greatness in favor of pettiness,
it can be surprisingly difficult to convince them to accept
greatness when it’s offered. It is up to the demon—and his
Yozi master through him—to persistently cajole, flatter,
mislead, praise, ridicule and browbeat the mortal until he’s
in the right state of mind to properly consider the Yozi’s offer.
For the coward who fell short of heroism, for example,
the demon might have to spin lurid fantasies of the bloody
revenge and sexual conquests the mortal will be able to
achieve if only he will serve Malfeas. During this tenuous
period, the demon must needle the mortal’s every vice until
the mortal sees accepting the demon’s offer as not simply
the best choice available, but the only one.
When the Yozi is no longer willing to indulge the mortal’s
hesitation, he forces the mortal to choose. The demon
cannot control the mortal’s thoughts or emotions in any
supernatural way regarding this decision, though he can lie
or coerce in any mundane way he pleases. Yet, in the end,
the mortal’s choice must be entirely his own. If the answer
is no—which has been the case a handful of times to date—
there’s nothing more the Yozi can do. He allows the demon
to destroy the recalcitrant mortal in whatever way it wishes.
After that point, the Yozi can either maintain the slack on
the filament of destiny connected to the Exaltation, allowing
it to reorient toward a new target, or he can let it snap back
to Lillun as he reconsiders his options.
If the mortal answers yes to the demon’s offer, however,
then begins a period of transformation that is at once physical,
mental and spiritual.
THE CHRYSALIS GROTESQUE
The moment the mortal accepts the demon’s offer of
power, there is no turning back. The demon seizes the mortal
in an inescapable grip, and the Yozi gives a practiced flick of
the tether of destiny attached to the hidden Infernal Exaltation.
The disturbance propagates instantly up the length of
the filament and causes the demon’s body to come undone
and envelop the (likely horrified) mortal. As the demon’s
flesh swells and flows around the mortal’s body, he is plunged
into darkness and the tainted Infernal Exaltation worms its
way into his soul and grafts onto it.
2