Exalted/Godbound: Unscrewing The Lunars

Lunar Exalted are among the worst things in Exalted lore. They're an incoherent mess at best or a travesty of writing at worst and it doesn't help that, unlike the other Exalted type, they never had a solid foundation. They started off ported wholesale from Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Further writers just muddled their already muddy and poorly thought-out themes.

I get that theriantropy has deep-rooted symbolism
in our myths but Lunars rely too much on being 'Furry Exalted'

Contextualizing The Lunars

From what I understand, the loose genesis of the Lunar Exalted came from the story of Gilgamesh and the wild man Enkidu. One can easily see the core parallels of the civilized (yet decadently vile at times) heroic God-King that is Gilgamesh and the creature of the wild that is Enkidu, more beast than man. Now one myth isn't exactly solid ground enough to base an entire 'splat' but in this we see the duality of these two archetype and the strong bond they share, which would later evolve into the Solar-Lunar bond. That said, I've given it some thought and managed to find other mythological figures which would suit well the Lunar to some extent:

• Sun Wukong: Aside from the whole monkey thing, he's both a trickster who can change shape just as much as he is an unbridled force. Wild, yet wise. Well eventually anyway.
• Cú Chulainn: There's a wild side to this hero and that wild side is the utterly terrifying Ríastrad or 'Warp Spasm'. The theme of primal and physical power I wish to re instill in Lunars is embodied by this terrifying form he has. You thought anime had crazy power ups? Think again because the description of this thing is insane.
• Artemis: This one is a no-brainer. Female goddess of the hunt, wild, associated with the moon.
• Hecate: Pretty much the benchmark for Lunar sorcerer and necromancers. Being associated with Wiccan and witchcraft add a certain layer of 'meta' to her being one of the inspirations for the renewed Lunar concept given the origins of Exalted as a White Wolf game.
• The Morrigan: Another deity often associated with the 'triple goddess' idea (which is more modern than people think). As a deity whose role and purpose is somewhat ambiguous she fit well into the inspiration of Lunars, especially if one plays off more the bloody aspects of the Morrigan.
• Any Deity with an 'alternate form': Be it Hindu deities or the overlap of Aztec deities, any deity whose myth include having an alternate self or equivalent being can be an inspiration to Lunars.

Moon And Sun

The duality of the Lunar and Solar Exalted is clear: their very name and imagery is drawn from two powerful and very universal symbols found in all human cultures, that of the Moon and the Sun. Both are parallels to each others but each represent/rule a very different domain.

Lunar Exalted	Solar Exalted
The Moon	The Sun
Female Energy	Male Energy
Cycle and Changes	Punctuality and Permanence
Physical Fluidity	Physical Perfection
Beast and Inhumanity	Humanity
The External	The Internal
Concealment	Revelation
Emotions and Madness	Thoughts and Logic

Given how simpler Godbound is compared to Exalted and given how many of the Gifts in the core book are re fluffed and shared among Exalt type, much of what makes the Lunars unique lies in how their Gifts manifest. When a Solar display it's essence-fueled excellence, even in raw physical effects, it never ceased to be just a human being. Solars are, in a way, a lot like Captain America at lower XP and much like Superman at higher XP. Sticking to superhero analogies, by contrast the Lunars are Beast Boy, the Martian Manhunter, the Hulk and other heroes whose form is altered by exertion of their powers.

The Lunars were always defined by their changeability and this is no different here, just without the mandatory beast theme (It's still very much an option for them, however). The vessel of the Solar's Essence remain human in shape and function: it merely expand the powers and abilities to the point far beyond human limits. A Solar can harden his skin, bones and muscles through infusion of Essence, for example. All Exalted can do so, as a matter of fact but Lunars can choose to do it differently. Their flesh, their vessel, is an ever-changing canvas. Lunars can grow in size to become hulking behemoth or impossibly beautiful beings of radiant beauty. They can manifest their powers as claws, scales or they can assume a fluid form which always shift, more light-and-liquid than pure flesh. They can even, to some extent, duplicate themselves. Yes, the Solars are obviously more powerful in the long run but the Lunars are being who express the changing power of Luna, just as the Solars express the perfection of the Unconquered.

The fact Lunars can be so difficult to 'pin down' is just as much part of their fundamental nature. This is what makes them opposites (or, to some extent, a complement) to the Solars. There is a certain purity of purpose and nature to the Solar and their excellence.

Facets And Shapes

There is a lot (and I do mean A LOT!) of contradictions in what the Lunars are supposed to be within the lore to the point that trying to find a solid, central identity is somewhat difficult. Rather, this lack of a central identity could very much be seen as inherent part of what they are, going with the moon being associated with cycles and changes. If one goes by this reasoning, the whole idea that Lunars can be one or more 'things' at the same time make some sense...if you basically accept that they are the empowered champions of a deity whose entire shtick is being many things at once.

Thus it is not impossible to imagine Lunars who not only cultivate (and learn to master) several shapes but also have them learn to cultivate different personalities and mindset, almost like some mystical version of the pop culture version of Multiple Personality Disorder. Thus does the Lunar become almost like a shaman, donning the 'mask' and 'purpose' of any number of beings and archetypes when it suit their needs. To the Lunars, changing aspect/personality/form is a part of what they are and while their mindset may be a tad alien over time there is a certain method to the Lunar's madness which can be somewhat difficult to grasp for the Solar (and other Exalted) who tend to be more static and retain a human mindset. One could argue that the changes undergone from Lunar Exaltation makes a being far less human than other Exalted type (safe perhaps Abyssals, who lose much more mentally of their humanity).

Rage And Madness

Lunars aren't all combatants, obviously, but one image come to mind when it come to Lunar warfare: their ability to assume a terrifying and inhuman 'war form'. While not an ability all choose to refine, the Lunar War Form is a pure expression of Luna's maddened wrath. Some War Forms include animal traits (as they do in canon) but others are more abstract transformations where the Lunar's skin turns an unnatural color, their hair stand up or writhe, muscles bulges and tear the skin apart or they grow extra arms and their skin harden into bony spikes. Some breathe 'wyld fire' while others spit acid and others still create flowing ever-changing giant weapons of shifting essence to cut down whole armies.

Because of their connection to Luna who, in turn, is connected to the Wyld (the maddening chaos of infinity possibilities beyond all reality) the Lunar Exalted can learn to tap into madness and wild passions. Not every Lunar is disheveled, crazy eyed publicly-defecating mad sage or a raging army-destroying thousand-armed berserker (since the idea of trying to define Lunars as a whole is pointless) but most of them learn to tap into the inherent crazyness that come with their powers and the wild rush of emotions. Those who learn to tap into 'the crazy' without losing themselves to emotions can be ruthlessly dangerous since their madness is more that of a mad genius who can foresee every possibility (and also a few impossibilities, given we're dealing with Exalted).

But what do they DO?

So are Lunars crazy luddite, barbarian heroes or social engineers fighting against the Realm? The answer to all these is both yes and no and entirely dependent on the Lunar. In my game, Lunars aren't any more tied to so-called 'barbarian' cultures any more than the Solars are tied to the 'civilized' folks. There are Lunars who emerge in high society and become ever-shifting social predators who wield dread illusions, change shape and alter the mind of their rivals just as much as there are mighty-thewed Solars born to bloodthirsty barbaric societies.

There's no established central Lunar society in my games and as with any other Exalt type they are limited, at best, to a local network. Trying to herd Lunar together on a common cause is the kind of act only a truly legendary Lunar could ever manage as otherwise it's basically like herding cats (and in some cases it may involve herding people who turned into cats). Each Lunar share the same level of drive toward their personal goals that the Solars have which make leading them difficult. While the whole 'social engineers against the Realm' angle is dumb on a massive setting-wide scale it is one I do plan to use for my game but only because it make sense within the context of the locale. Should the players travel elsewhere they would find Lunars much, much less united under a common banner.