Book of Bone and Ebony

EXALTED • THE BOOK OF BONE AND EBONY
Despite his impeccable etiquette, he outwardly eschews the
conceits of his status, mingling often with the common
ghosts of his district. The Hollow King’s multifaceted personality
shrouds his nature as completely as his mask hides
his true identity, which is precisely what the master of Little
Shoe wants.
The Hollow King is an unparalleled manipulator, unafraid
to conspire with or against even the most cunning of
Deathlords. His mastery of the passions that flow through
the dead allows him to deliver thunderous speeches that
enflame the masses. Conversely, it also allows him to relate
a delightful anecdote that eases the highest of tensions or
the most delicate of situations. He translates his wit and
poise into an insidious death-grip on Little Shoe, the
primary source of his power. All the union bosses of his
district answer directly to him, and very little organized
crime occurs in Little Shoe without the Hollow King’s
knowledge and consent. While not the most powerful
member of the Council, he is nonetheless a formidable one.
The Hollow King’s mastery of subterfuge and deceit is
no accident, for he has many deadly secrets that must
remain hidden for his survival. Not the least of these is his
alliance with the Dual Monarchy. Despite his apparent
corruption and the disdain he seems to hold for the law, the
Hollow King understood long ago that the Dual Monarchs
are the heart of Stygia. They represent its elite and its order
as much as they represent its poor and its corruption. After
the fall of Stygia to the hands of the nephwracks, the
Hollow King made a secret pact with the Dual Monarchs
to support the stability of their reign, and now, the knives
he commands in the night rise and fall at their order.
Because the Deathlords see him as a mercenary, a crime
lord they can manipulate for their own ends, he keeps his
alliance a careful secret, allowing him to play both sides for
the benefit of Stygia. Should he ever be caught, however,
the Dual Monarchy lacks the open power to actually save
him from the wrath of the Deathlords and his own criminal
circles, and so, he must tread very carefully.
MARU
Nephwracks are generally mad, deformed things, and
Maru is no exception. The spectre is small and frail, with
hands curled into claws and gray flesh clinging tightly to
his skeletal ribs. His feet and legs are withered and useless,
for he floats rather than walks. His head is hairless, and his
eyes and mouth are sown shut with black thread. Despite
this, the ugly creature is fully aware of his surroundings and
speaks with little trouble. An aura of subtle, unpleasant
sounds follows him, and from this, he assembles and forms
words in a horrid, ethereal voice. Maru is as mad as any
nephwrack, but his words have disturbing clarity and often
reveal startling insight if taken out of context. Though his
actions seem random, they aid him in unexpected ways,
and his madness advances his agenda. Either Maru is a
lucky wretch who stumbled into power, or he is an insane
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genius whose ascent to the rulership of the District Where
Shadows Walk was inevitable.
No ghost can truly rule a district filled with minions
of Oblivion, but Maru has managed to maintain relative
peace amongst the factions for over a year. His cult is not
the largest, but it grants him access to a wealth of Essence
and wild, suicidal warriors that will not question his orders.
What he lacks in martial discipline, he more than makes
up for with occult prowess. His mastery of Arcanoi is
unparalleled on the Council, and he knows dark arts
unseen outside of the Labyrinth. Despite all of his power,
however, he has many enemies throughout Stygia and
influences little outside of his district. While a disturbing
element within the Council, he is not a major factor of its
politics, and this fact does not please him.
Maru reserves his deepest hatred for the newly arrived
Emissary of Righteous Victory. His mere presence is enough
to summon a furious and discordant jangle from the
nephwrack’s aura. Maru knows just how tentative his
position on the Council is, and the rising popularity of the
Emissary in the District Where Shadows Walk has made
him wary. While the Emissary so far displays little desire to
usurp Maru, the nephwrack’s paranoia forbids him from
trusting his rival. Nothing would please Maru more than
seeing the Emissary cast into Oblivion, and currently, this
passion drives his every action.
UNWANTED WHISPER
Sometimes called the Orphan Queen, this representative
of the District of Whispering Streets is easily forgotten
and easily ignored. Her grand robes are humorously oversized
for her small, childlike frame. Her hair is boyishly
short, and her eyes are large and soulful. On the occasions
that she does speak, her soft, high-pitched voice sounds
timid and furtive, and her choice of words rustic and
ineloquent. She doesn’t belong amongst the other Council
members, and she knows it. Her life was spent as a street
rat, and her death continued the trend. She fades away
from conversations with ease, preferring to be ignored, and
the others have no difficulty obliging her.
Unwanted Whisper is clearly the weakest member of
the Council, but despite this, she causes endless trouble.
Outside her cursed district, the waif has no friends, no
connections, no wealth and no power. All she has is the
silent backing of the dead within her district and the
protection of her personal honor guard. Her greatest asset,
however, is her stubbornness. The District of Whispering
Streets could not break her, and now, nothing can. Her
soft voice rises in defiance of the Deathlords and their
politics, a lone, brave call for sanity. No threats and no
intimidation has broken her of her sense of justice, and
none will. Indeed, her voice has found support amongst
others of the council, the Mistress with the White Hands
and Master Wun in particular. Some fear that her assassination
is inevitable, but she continues her course, for she