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Jacqueline Bryk, Adam Carbone, Luka Carroll, Manda Collis, Steffie de Vaan,
Meghan Fitzgerald, Blue Frauenglass, Elliott Freeman, Emily Griggs, James Huggins,
Henrik Jäderkvist, John Matyus, Nik May, Eric Minton, Neall Raemonn Price,
Liz Rogers, Lauren Roy, Myranda Sarro, Matthew Scott, John Snead, Benjamin Sousa,
Amber Underwood, Robert Vance, Vera Vartanian
 Credits
Authors: Jacqueline Bryk, Adam Carbone, Luka Carroll,
Manda Collis, Steffie de Vaan, Meghan Fitzgerald, Blue
Frauenglass, Elliott Freeman, Emily Griggs, James
Huggins, Henrik Jäderkvist, John Matyus, Nik May, Eric
Minton, Neall Raemonn Price, Liz Rogers, Lauren Roy,
Myranda Sarro, Matthew Scott, John Snead, Benjamin
Sousa, Amber Underwood, Robert Vance, Vera Vartanian

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Developers: Eric Minton, Robert Vance

Consulting Developer: James Taylor

Editor: Matt Click

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Artists: Yihyoung Li, Gunship Revolution Studios, Gong
Studios, Melissa Uran

Art Director: Mike Chaney

Creative Director: Richard Thomas

Special Thanks

West.
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Violet Green, for invaluable feedback on the War in the

Jenna Moran, for creating the Forest Witches. The ver-

sion here is built on the bones she laid down.
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Lauren Roy, for developing fiction above and beyond the
call of duty.

All the backers who made the Dragon-Blooded Kickstarter

possible.
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© 2021 Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Paradox Interactive AB. Reproduction
prohibitions do not apply to the character sheets contained in this book when reproduced for personal
use. White Wolf, Exalted, and Exalted 3rd Edition are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB. All rights
reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Paradox Interactive AB. The
mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark
or copyright concerned This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mysti-
cal and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment purposes only. Reader discretion is advised.
Check out the Onyx Path at http://www.theonyxpath.com
 Introduction 8
This Book at a Glance 8
Chapter One: The Realm 12
Cadet Houses 12
House Ferem 12
House Nissar 15
House Simendor 17
House Yueh 20
Other Cadet Houses 22
Storytelling Cadet House Games 23
At the Threshold 23
Enemies Abound 23
Far from Home 24
Adventure Seeds
Secondary Education
Unusual Students
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The Cloister of Wisdom 25
The Heptagram 27
The House of Bells 28
The Spiral Academy 29
Pasiap’s Stair 30
Threshold Academies 31
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Storytelling Secondary School Games 31
Teenage Demigods 31
Young Love 32
Great Expectations 32
Monsters and Mayhem 32
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Chapter Two: Lookshy 36
Gens Amilar 36
Air that Rushes Toward Tomorrow 36
Social Standing 36
Economics 36
Serving the Legion 36
Enemies and Alliances 37
Lookshy Timeline 38
Scions of Note 39
Lookshy Timeline (continued) 39
Gens Karal 41
Fire Burning Brightest 41
Social Standing 41
Economics 42
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Serving the Legion 42
Enemies and Alliances 42
Prominent Members 42
Gens Maheka 43
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Earth Unbroken by Armies 43
Social Standing 44
Economics 44
Serving the Legion 44
Enemies and Alliances 45
Scions of Note 45
Gens Teresu 46
Water Flowing with Jade and Silver
Social Standing
Economics 47
Serving the Legion
46
47
47
Enemies and Alliances 48
Scions of Note 48
Gens Yushoto 49
Wood Whose Roots Grow Deep 49
Social Standing 50
Economics 50
Serving the Legion 50
Enemies and Alliances 50
Scions of Note 51
Seventh Legion Leadership 51
The General Staff 51
The Administrative Staff 52
The Seventh Legion Military 53
The Seventh Legion 53
Field Forces 54
Navy 55
Garrison Forces 56
Redoubts 57
Rangers 57
Foreign Legions 57
Artifacts 57
 Sorcery and Lookshy 58
Valkhawsen Academy 58
Sorcerer-Exorcists 59
Storyteller Advice: War Games 59
The Wyld Hunt 60
Behind the Lines 60
Foreigners 61
Chapter Three: Prasad 64
Clan Burano 64
Stone That Towers Toward the Sky 64
Social Standing 64
Growing Up in Clan Burano 64
Clan Leadership 64
Economics 65
Military 65
Enemies and Alliances 66
Major Holdings 66
Scions of Note 67
Clan Ophris
Fire That Renews the Forest
Social Standing
Growing Up in Clan Ophris
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Clan Leadership 69
Economics 69
Military 70
Enemies and Alliances 70
Major Holdings 71
Scions of Note 71
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Clan Akatha 72
Dragons Walking Among Gods 72
Spirit Courts of Love and War 72
Social Standing 73
Economics 73
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Military 74
Enemies and Alliances 75
Sanctums 76
Scions of Note 76
Life in the Dragon Clans 77
Divinity Clothed In Flesh 77
Pure in Spirit and Form 77
Dragons in Waiting 78
Educating the Elite 79
Expanding the Nest 80
Life in Prasad 81
Society and Culture 81
Following the Pure Way 81
A Spiral Ever Outward 82
Neighbors 83
Storytelling Prasadi Games 84
Prasadi Dragon-Blooded 84
Visiting Dynasts 85
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Mixed Dragons 85
Chapter Four:
The Forest Witches 88
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Seeking Perfection 88
Mysteries of the Forest 89
Life in Paradise 89
Ways of the Witches 89
The Blood and the Spear 90
Oreithyia and the Forest
Children of the Woods
The Mandala Guard
The Sea of Mind
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91
92
93
Transcending Reality 93
Beyond Good and Evil 94
Shores of the Sea 94
The Tithe 94
The Company of Messengers 95
The Table of Fiends 95
The Tax of Fading Embers 95
The Dead 95
Atsiluth Eternal 97
A Blessed Labyrinth 97
The Mist 99
The Cult of the Mist 99
Domnica’s Mantle 100
The Company of Thrones 100
Conquest in All But Name 101
Noteworthy Witches 101
Beyond the Forest 102
Systems 102
 The Sea of Mind 102 Dodge 133
Walking Effigies 103 Integrity 134
The Numina 103 Investigation 135
Domnica’s Mantle 104 Larceny 135
Storytelling the Forest Witches 105 Linguistics 137
Lore 138
Theme: Pursuing Perfection 105
Medicine 140
Mood: Idyllic Amorality 105
Melee 140
Chapter Five: Outcastes 108 Occult 143

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Performance 144
The Cult of the Violet Fang 108 Presence 144
The Pilgrimage 108 Resistance 145
Life in the Cult 110 Ride 146

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Northern Relations 111 Sail 146
Scions of Note 111 Socialize 146
The Grass Spiders 112 Stealth 147
Survival 148
The Art of Death 112
Thrown 149
The Unrepentant Sinner Palace 112
War 149
Recruitment 113
The Grass Spiders’ Code 113 Chapter Seven:
Enemies and Allies
Scions of Note
Heaven’s Dragons
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Heirlooms of Power
The Dragon-Dancer’s Wings
Evocations of the
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Humans in Heaven 115
Dragon-Dancer’s Wings 154
Community Life 115
Heaven’s Wildcards 116 Empyrean Aegis 156
On Assignment 118 Evocations of Empyrean Aegis 156
Notable Communities 118
Majestic Nightmare Visage 157
Scions of Note 119
Evocations of Majestic Nightmare Visage 158
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Scions of the Wanasaan 119

Scions of the Temple of
the Reverent Whisper 121
Other Outcastes 122
Running Outcaste Games 124
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Sunset Blaze 161
Evocations of Sunset Blaze 161
White Lizard’s Tongue 163
Evocations of White Lizard’s Tongue 163
Blazerider 165

All-Outcaste Groups 124 Evocations of Blazerider 165

Mixed Groups 125
Conquering Tide 167
Chapter Six: Charms 128 Evocations of Conquering Tide 167
Archery 128 Fivefold Dragons’ Grasp 170
Athletics 129 Evocations of Fivefold Dragons’ Grasp 170
Awareness 129
Brawl 130 Glacial Mantle 172
Bureaucracy 132 Evocations of Glacial Mantle 172
Craft 133
 The Revelation Sphere 174
Evocations of the Revelation Sphere 174
Gunzosha Armor 176
Gunzosha Evocations 178
Seralawi, the Earth’s Beating Heart 178
Evocations of Seralawi,
the Earth’s Beating Heart 179
Chapter Eight:
Blood of the Dragons 182
Cathak Setod 182
Cathak Urima 184
Cynis Megara 186
Ledaal Kebok Coren 188
Peleps Deled 190
Peleps Najah 193
Ragara 195
Righteous River
Sesus Eshuvar
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Tepet Arada 201
V’neef 204
Karal Linwei 206
Yushoto Mathar 208
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Cevis Ghandarva 210
Kumari Samathi Anja 213
Vitali Proseria 216
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Kingfisher Swift 218
Left Hand Chalima 220
Saloy Hin 222
Chapter Nine:
The Center Cannot Hold 226
Civil War in the Realm 226
Decisions, Decisions 226
Claimants to the Throne 227
Waiting in the Wings 228
Dark Horses 230
In the Ashes of Empire 231
Power Blocs 232
Long Shots and Faint Hopes 235
Storytelling the Civil War 239
The War in the West 241
About This Adventure 242
The Aftermath of Civil War 242
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The War at Home 242
Major Players 242
House Peleps 242
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House V’neef 243
Notable Figures in the West 244
The Neck 245
Islands of Note 245
The Western Campaign 247
Regional Reactions 248
A Possible Future 250
Stage One:
The Dragon Grasps Her Destiny
Stage Two:
250
The Dragon Strikes like Lightning 252
Stage Three:
The Dragon Nests 255
Storytelling the Endgame 256
Appendix:Dragon-Blooded
Intro Reference 258
The Realm 258
Ten Thousand Dragons Rule the World 258
The Scarlet Dynasty 258
The Immaculate Order 258
Social Class 258
The Great Houses 259
The Imperial Service 259
Schooling 259
Magic of Creation 259
Lookshy 260
Last Bastion of the Shogunate 260
The Seventh Legion 260
Chains of Command 260
The Immaculate Faith 260
Political Agendas 260
The Gentes of Lookshy 261
 Civilian Service 261
Magic of Creation 261
The Empire of Prasad 262
Empire at Creation’s Edge 262
Ruled by Dragons 262
Living Divinity 262
Enemies of the Empire 262
Prasadi Culture 262
Magic of Creation 263
Pantheon Invisible 263
Notable Neighbors 263
Unsafe Lands 263
The Forest Witches 264
Seekers of Perfection 264
Among the Witches 264
Mysteries of the Forest 264
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Worldly Powers 264
Many Paths 264
Ruling Without Conquest 265
The Dead of Atsiluth Eternal 265
Numina of the Mist 265
Magic of Creation 265
Outcastes 266
A Divine Birthright 266
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Born of the Dragons 266
Creation’s Threshold 266
Outcaste Societies 266
Lone Dragons 266
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Worldly Powers 266
Outcastes and Empires 266
Immaculate Faiths 267
Magic of Creation 267
 Introduction
“You must learn, child, that what would be wrong for you or for any of the common
people is not wrong in a great Queen such as I. The weight of the world is on our
shoulders. We must be freed from all rules. Ours is a high and lonely destiny.”
— C.S. Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew
The Dragon-Blooded Shogunate born with the Second
Age’s dawn has long since crumbled and collapsed,
weakened by internecine conflicts and ultimately de-
stroyed by the twin tribulations of plague and fae inva-
sion. But from the Shogunate’s corpse arose the great
Dragon-Blooded lineages and polities that still shape
the face of Creation today, including both the vast pow-
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ers of the Scarlet Realm, Lookshy, and Prasad, and more
parochial societies such as the Grass Spiders, the Cult of
the Violet Fang, and the esoteric Forest Witches. From
the lone outcaste wandering the Hundred Kingdoms to
the Great Houses of the Scarlet Dynasty, all carry the
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flame passed down by the Shogunate.
For the rules necessary to play a Dragon-Blood, setting
information on the Scarlet Dynasty and the Realm they
rule, and an introduction to other Dragon-Blooded
polities, you’ll need access to Dragon-Blooded: What
Fire Has Wrought. The book you’re now reading,
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Heirs to the Shogunate, is a companion volume fund-
ed through Kickstarter. It delves into more special-
ized topics, such as how to run games in the Realm’s
secondary schools and the details of regional outcaste
groups. It also includes new Charms and artifacts
created with the help of Kickstarter backers who sub-
mitted their custom concepts. Thank you to everyone
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who made this book possible by backing the Dragon-
Blooded Kickstarter!
This Book at a Glance
Chapter One: The Realm details a handful of the
Dragon-Blooded cadet houses dwelling in the
Threshold that have tied themselves to the Scarlet
Dynasty through allegiance and marriage. It also goes
into greater depth on the Realm’s secondary schools,
where young Dynastic Dragon-Blooded receive an edu-
cation fit for a demigod and have their first adventures.
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Chapter Two: Lookshy explores the Seventh Legion,
including greater detail on Lookshy’s Dragon-Blooded
gentes and the Seventh Legion’s leadership, military
might, and other resources.
Chapter Three: Prasad details the Dragon-Blooded
ruling class of this Dreaming Sea empire — once a
Realm satrapy, until its governing houses went rene-
gade and established themselves atop Prasad’s society
as the ruling Dragon Clans.
Chapter Four: The Forest Witches introduces a mys-
terious group of Dragon-Blooded outcastes whose es-
oteric secrets transcend life and death and draw back
the veil of reality.
Chapter Five: Outcastes discusses a variety of other
Dragon-Blooded lineages, polities, societies, and note-
worthy individuals. These include the Wanasaan exor-
cists, the Cult of the Violet Fang that quests against its
fae ancestors in the Wyld, the Temple of the Reverent
Whisper’s courtesan-priests, the deadly assassins of
the Grass Spiders, and more.
Chapter Six: Charms supplies new Dragon-Blooded
Charms, expanding on the legendary prowess and ele-
mental power of the Terrestrial Exalted.
Chapter Seven: Heirlooms of Power offers heirloom
artifacts from a variety of Dragon-Blooded societies:
Great Houses, Lookshyan gentes, cadet houses, and
more. It also showcases Seventh Legion gunzosha ar-
mor, a First Age relic usable by mortal heroes at great
cost.
Chapter Eight: Blood of the Dragons presents Quick
Character write-ups for a number of Dragon-Blooded
from the Realm, Lookshy, and beyond, ranging from
youthful scions to Great House matriarchs.
 introduction

Chapter Nine: The Center Cannot Hold provides
Storyteller guidance for including the Realm civil war
in their games in a variety of different ways. It also
covers the War in the West, a scenario detailing one
possibility for how civil war might unfold.
The Appendix contains two-page sheets intended for
new players of Dragon-Blooded characters of various
origins, summarizing the setting details relevant to
their characters.

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 The gala was a beautiful sham.

Nissar Udar stood on a secluded balcony above the grand hall of Peleps Belina’s seaside estate in Voice-of-the-
Tides Prefecture. His hosts had thrown the veranda doors wide, letting the chill ocean breeze swirl about the
room. Below him, Haltan acrobats clad only in jewels flew through the air, Dynasts and other honored guests
marveled at the exotic and ephemeral prodigies from the far West on display, and attendants scurried about,
carrying trays laden with paper-thin slices of salted siaka, hybroc balut, and crystal flutes of the most expensive
wine that jade could buy.

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Over the last few years, Peleps’ soirees had grown less frequent, though they maintained their opulence. Udar
wondered how much this whole affair had set the Great House back, though he’d never be so gauche as to ask.
House Nissar’s galas in Wu-Jian might be more modest, but at least they stayed within the cadet house’s means.

Peleps Belina stood beside Udar. The cadet house scion had commissioned a new silk coat for the occasion, in

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Peleps blue and black to subtly signal the house had his — and thus, House Nissar’s — support.

His first mistake.

Wearing house colors had gone out of fashion on the Blessed Isle, it turned out. Rather than looking the savvy
courtier, sending messages to his hosts via his sartorial choices, Udar came across as the country cousin
borrowing clothing ten years out of date, or an overdressed servant in house livery. Perhaps that was why Belina
insisted on having their discussion up here, where his appearance couldn’t embarrass her.

Country cousins or not, Peleps needed Nissar, or so Udar hoped to convince her. He pretended not to notice the

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way her eyes kept slipping toward the party below, as though watching for someone important to pass by. As if
to emphasize Udar’s inferiority.

“If it comes to war,” Udar said, “Sesus and V’Neef will move to secure Wu-Jian’s harbors and restrict the
shipping lanes. But they’ll be focused on your ships, not ours.”
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That snapped her gaze firmly back to him. “Go on.”

“House Nissar can deliver you the West. And from there...” From there, the Realm.

Belina gestured with a complicated flutter of her fingers Udar couldn’t interpret. Was she signaling assent?
Telling him to elaborate? Scoffing? Was the movement a warning that he’d overstepped, or that someone was
eavesdropping? This wasn’t the first time in this conversation that Belina had left Udar to flounder over her
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meaning. Turns of phrase and idioms exclusive to the Scarlet Dynasty’s elite littered her speech, none of which
Udar had context for.

He was a Prince of the Earth, same as Belina. He could trace his lineage back to the Empress, just as she could.
And yet she seemed intent on putting him firmly in his place — one well beneath her.

He breathed in the salt air, willed his anger to dissolve like footprints washed away by the tide. “Peleps can’t
take the Imperial City by itself. Your house’s navy and reputation will be a boon, but the money will run out.”
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Belina drew a sharp breath. His candor had thrown her off-kilter, but intrigued rather than insulted her. “I’m
listening.”

“Peleps needs an ally willing to do the dirty work, someone who knows which throats to cut and which pockets
to fill. House Nissar keeps Sesus, Peleps, and V’Neef in check in Wu-Jian. It can put a Peleps on the Scarlet
Throne.”

Belina took his arm. “Let’s speak somewhere more private,” she said, leading him away from the balcony.

Udar matched his gait to hers, careful not to break the fragile rapport he’d finally established. It’d be no small
feat, convincing her to take his offer, and placing Peleps on the throne would take effort enough to shake the
heavens. But to see the Great Houses struck from the Imperial ledgers by a new Empress’ hand and House
Nissar elevated in their place? It would all be worth it.

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