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Beyond our poll about directions we'd like the game to go in, I wanted to have a place to flesh out what direction I'd like to have my characters go in, and what their current and future motivations are. Feel free to throw some in.

Joren's motivation is "To redesign and improve humanity". To this end, and with his own immortality in mind, he's intent on pursuing programs of experimentation and selective breeding, exploring the effects of benevolent viruses, and attempting to exert Essence in such a way that will improve the basic human frame across the board. The goal is to breed better, faster, stronger, smarter humans that live longer, spend more time in their prime, and have little in the way of congenital diseases, inherent mental health problems, or susceptibility to currently-common diseases. That said, one has to break a few eggs to make an omelet. The lives of individuals are generally only useful to him as fodder for experimentation or for the useful genetic codes they might carry. Joren's also not against creating useful offshoot races of humanity specialized for particular environments (on waterworlds or high-gravity worlds, for example), though his personal aesthetic is for them to remain fundamentally human (if somewhat superhuman for their adapted features).

His Urge is currently "to subvert Exalted authority at every opportunity (Ophidian)" which is somewhat self-contradictory with his very nature as an Exalt. With his unwoven coadjutor whispering this sort of imperative into his very soul, Joren suffers a lot of cognitive dissonance - and Limit from resisting the urge to subvert his own authority.


I'd also like the chance to unfurl a bit of his soul pantheon, because I've got quite a few written up already. Here's a preview! (I actually have writeups for Kaishin and all his sub-souls, but this is only a preview :P) You might notice inserts or inspirations from characters in other games - I'm not always super-creative. :P

Kaishin, the Burning Heart, Second Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
-Radan, the Living Fortress, the Warden Soul of the Burning Heart
--Senesals, the Blood Elementals
-Angstrom, the Professor Clad In White, the Indulgent Soul of the Burning Heart
-Toth, Lord of Star's End, the Defining Soul of the Burning Heart
-Romyl, the Game of Worlds, the Messenger Soul of the Burning Heart
-Fenea, With Sails Unfurled, the Expressive Soul of the Burning Heart
-Howkend, the Laughing Tree, the Reflective Soul of the Burning Heart
-Aine, the Frozen Maiden, the Wisdom Soul of the Burning Heart
Nanenlo, the Shrine to Memory, Third Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Avilion, the Thousandfold Blade, Fourth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Bonwei, the River of Flaming Blood, Fifth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Excelsior, the Peak of Power, Sixth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Kerndek, Who Reads the Writing On the Wall, Seventh Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Owuin, the Vale of Ashes, Eighth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Deriok, the Eye of Darkness, Ninth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Phereldon, Who Shows The Way, Tenth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Rhengal, the Blood Dragon, Eleventh Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Iono, the Guild of Hunters, Twelfth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Xaz, the Red Nova, Thirteenth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Zarom, the Battle of Forever, Fourteenth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Haliut, the City of Blossoms, Fifteenth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood
Kago, the Shining Emperor, Sixteenth Soul of the Secret Inscribed In Blood

The Path of a Thousand Whispers (the Essence 8 charm that allows Devil-Tiger Infernals to create a soul hierarchy) limits them to (Willpower+Compassion) Third Circle devas, so this is an exhaustive list of those, but not Second Circles, which will probably never be fully defined, because there are at least 98 more of them (7 Second Circles per Third Circle for a total of 105). That said, the extreme cost of the charm (66m, 6wp) and its ongoing cost of at least 5m/day for ~180 days means that we'll probably only ever see one or two of them in play (if that) unless there is a significant time-skip in the game.
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Cathak Hikari's motivation is mostly to escape the social confines of her station as an heiress to the Cathak Corporation and its stifling environment for a few years. She knows (or thinks she knows) that her destiny ultimately lies with her clan and House, but she wants the freedom to explore the galaxy some, do some stupid things (she's already done a few of those), and generally be herself before she has to go home and live the life she's always been expected to for the good of the clan. Ultimately, she's a free spirit, and finds the oppressive confines of her home to be a little too much to bear. That said, she's young and inexperienced, so maybe she'll think differently after seeing a few more of the horrors of the galaxy outside home.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is how Lokk sees his role in things to come. He is a manifestation of the universal need for balance. The Empire has grown fat, and arrogant. It has overstepped and committed atrocities in the name of its Emperor, idealism, greed, fear and sometimes just because it can. There has to be a response, and Lokk is fashioned to be just that.

The child of a lost world. An experiment into the human genome made to rival the empires greatest assets, the Exalted. Lokk has been gifted with phenomenal power. He carries one other thing though, perhaps more important, and that is his sense of right and wrong.

Whether by design or accident, Lokk sees his power as a tool, to fix a broken galaxy. He genuinely wants to see peace and happiness for the majority. He realizes this is not an easy task. He realizes that there are several major obstacles to this end, one of which is human nature itself. It won't stop him from trying though.

His motivations lie in doing the right thing, and doing it as a beacon so others may follow in his wake. It's not enough to be good. People must see you do good things, and know that not everyone with power is mad, or greedy, or evil. So he confronts injustice, and tyranny as he finds it. He helps those that need it when he can. He does it gladly, and with a flare for the fantastic.

Having come from a utopian society he knows it is possible for beings to live in harmony with one another. He has seen what technology can can provide, and what humanities best traits can yield. This is the gauntlet, a trail by fire for humanity And all the races of the galaxy. It is a test, and one he hopes he can help civilization pass.