Ryan Bailey (order #2639004) 173.14.196.1 - fap.if.usp.br

Ryan Bailey (order #2639004) 1CHAPTER TWO: THE BLESSED ISLE50stories and songs transmitted by I AM, the Blessed Isle isa golden paradise where joy infuses the very air and theExalted rain down blessings on every leaf and flower. TheBlessed Isle is the religious as well as the political center ofcivilized Creation.As a result, a Creation-wide trade in charms madefrom granite from Mount Meru or water supposedly drawnfrom various sacred wells and streams on the Isle thrives.Most of the claims on which this trade are based are lessthan accurate. (If all the rocks historically promised to befrom Mount Meru were gathered into one place, the pilewould rise taller than the peak it supposedly came from.)Many thaumaturges do, however, claim that materials fromthe Blessed Isle are more powerful and responsive to Essencemanipulation than materials from other parts of Creationare. Merchants who travel to and from the Isle often have aside business trading stone beads, wooden charms and herbsproduced there.TTHE BLESSED LIFEThere is no want on the Blessed Isle, no hunger, nocold—unless scheduled by the Ministry of Weather—noshadow of war. The glories of the Age of Splendor rise totheir most magnificent heights on the Blessed Isle, andthe Exalted shower their blessings down on those who arechosen to live among them.The Blessed Isle is the center of a Creation-widetrade nexus, so not only are staples plentiful, but every rarefruit, sensuous spice, beautiful fabric and unusual beast canbe purchased here as well. Even the peasants who worktheExalted estates feast daily on meat, enjoy fruit grownnear the Elemental Poles—or in local Essence-regulatedgreenhouses—and sample stranger delicacies that most ofthemortal masses only dream of. Medical care for even thelowest wanderer is freely available at any Total Rejuvena-tionHospital, not to mention the fact that no Exalt wouldallow his own servants to become ill. (That would reflectbadly on the Exalt’s skill at maintaining a proper household.)Entertainment, information, communication and assistancethrough I AM is all readily available, and the basic necessitiesof life are free—and, on the Blessed Isle, the basic necessitiesoutshine the luxuries of many other cities in Creation.Glorious processions and celebrations are common on theBlessed Isle, and they can last for days or even weeks. Not onlyarethe great holidays such as Calibration and Ascendancycelebrated all over the Island, but the Exalted compete witheachother to present the most lavish Midsummer feasts ornameday parties for their children. Unlike everywhere elsein Creation, the Celestial Exalted are a common presenceon the Isle. Mortals here can interact daily with those whoapproach the gods in grandeur and power.This closeness to the Exalted can bring great richesto these around them, but it can also be a terrible burden.The lords of Creation demand much from the mortals theysometimes equate to little more than cattle, and those who