Panther (Exalted)

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Panther from the front cover of the novel Pillar of the Sun written by Carl Bowen and published by White Wolf Publishing.

Exalted is a role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing. The game is classified as high fantasy. It is strongly influenced by Japanese anime and manga, the cultures of China and Rome, and a number of literary sources such as the writings of Michael Moorcock. Panther is one of the signature characters of Exalted, a representative of the Solar Exalted Zenith Caste.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Pre-Exaltation

Panther was born in Nexus and never knew his father. His mother died of a fever when he was still a boy and after she was gone, he lived alone on the streets, stealing what he could to survive, living among the rats and the vermin - human and otherwise. He was not a very good thief and was caught and enslaved, where he was then sold off and trained to fight. He learned swiftly and painfully during his first few years of training, but he trained longer than most slaves were able to before being sent into the arena. They called him the Panther, for his black skin and his grace in the pit. During his years in the arena, he fought more matches than he could count, sometimes against men, sometimes against beasts. He fought with many different types of weapons, and sometimes with his bare hands, but more importantly, he won, and the crowd loved him for it. He made his owner a wealthy man and eventually won his freedom - but he knew nothing of the world beyond the arena and turned his back on it.

[edit] Exaltation

After turning his back on the outside world, Panther returned to the world of the gladiatorial arena. there was money, wine, drugs and many women who sought his company. Inside, though, he felt only emptiness. One day, he lay in his apartment pondering his existence. That was when it came upon him. The glorious golden radiance seemed to fill the room like water, and the sense that something vast and powerful had entered the room filled his mind, headier than the finest wine. All of the sensations that he experienced were nothing compared to the voice that spoke to him and said, "Go and see. Look at the face that has chosen you." Walking out onto the balcony, Panther looked up at the glorious, golden mask of the sun and the Unconquered Sun spoke to him again. "You who have no father, I am your father now. You who shed blood and know not why, I give you a reason. In my anger, I turned my face from the world of men, but I shall do so no longer. Know you are among my chosen priests. Go, and make the world a righteous place as you know best. take light into darkness, and know you act with my blessing." He felt the searing kiss of the Unconquered Sun on his forehead and knew what he had become.

[edit] Since his Exaltation

Panther has since left the city of Nexus and walked eastward for many days and nights without resting or sleeping, drinking little and eating less. His limbs were still flush with the power he could feel in every fiber of his being. During those first few days of travel, he avoided the small towns and hamlets he passed, uncertain of the welcome he would receive. He walked eastward into the wood until he reached a place where even the creatures of the forest were silent and he came upon a path made of woven branches and fallen leaves with trees stretching up all around him as far as the eye could see. There, he rested. There, in the silence, he questioned for the first and last time why he had been chosen. He meditated for the first time in his life there, drank the sweet water that bubbled up from between the tree roots and fasted and listened for the thunderous voice that had spoken to him. He waited and listened but heard nothing. Then, in his heart, he heard the words of the Unconquered Sun again. "Go, and make the world a righteous place as you know best." He already knew what he had to do and knew that his purpose was clear. He left the silent temple of trees and walked out of the forest, back into the lands of men. There, he has sought out what was wrong and has worked ever since to make the world a righteous place.

Panther is a member of a Solar circle with Dace, Arianna, Harmonious Jade, and Swan. Panther feels that they must cut the cancer out of the Realm before they tackle any other problems. In this, he is in agreement with Swan, but disagreement with Dace who feels that they can grab a large piece of the Threshold and starve the Realm out of their tribute now that the Scarlet Empress is gone.

[edit] Stories involving Panther

• Panther fought against the barbarian army unleashed by the First Age Lunar Ma-Ha-Suchi against the Hundred Kingdoms. He fought against the Arczeckh Horde and their god of war, Mokuu.

[edit] Other notes on Panther

• He is a pit fighter and an architect by nature.
• He owns a pair of orichalcum slayer khatars, names as of yet unknown.
• He believes that the Dragon-Blooded need not be the enemies of the Solars, but that the greatest threats come from the Wyld - the destructive barbarians, the dangerous Raksha and the vengeful Lunar Exalted.
• His virtue flaw is the Red Rage of Compassion.

[edit] References

• Exalted (2001) - ISBN 1-56504-623-4, WW8800.
• Caste Book Zenith (2002) - ISBN 1-58846-660-4, WW8831.
• Pillar of the Sun (2005) - ISBN 1-58846-868-2, WW10068.
• Exalted: Second Edition (2006) - ISBN 1-58846-684-1, WW80000.