Bones of Exaltation
The shard of an Exaltation has a potent and pervasive effect upon its host. While it was well-studied in the First Age that the souls of a mortal remain constant after Exaltation, and separate from it upon death, during life they share their fleshy vessel equally, and it belongs as much to the Exaltation as to the mortal soul now sharing existence with it.
The effects of this are far reaching: the Celestial Exalted are hale and healthful, their bodies heal readily and move easily with the essence of their Charms and magic. Their children, the so-called ‘Half-Caste’ Godblooded reflect a touch of their power (if not their Charms or Exalted capabilities). And, for the skilled artificer, the corpses they leave behind can be a source of great power indeed.
The bones of a Celestial Exalt who lived to reach immense power are highly valuable as an Exotic Component in artifice meant to work with the nature of Exaltation or the particulars of a specific Exalted shard (with some use also found in devices to plumb the depths of past lives and their memories). The bones must be worked by the current bearer of the original Exaltation, who shapes them with anima flared to establish an essence feedback loop which empowers the bones and renders them useful.
While many Solar Exalted in the First Age did all they could to stave off their deaths, a few (pioneers of the techniques to make use of the Bones of Exaltation) made elaborate plans for works of artifice which their next Exaltation could complete using their bodies. Some Lunar Exalted of the Silver Pact continue this practice, but amongst the Sidereal Exalted whose preordained endings would seem best suited for such planning the use of bones is highly contentious: Chejop Kejak is opposed to the practice, and the Bronze Faction strictly hews to his position, though some amongst the growing Gold Faction have begun to consider experiments with such components.
There may, perhaps, be good reason for the elder Sidereal’s concerns. The use of human bones in artifice carries with it an inescapable touch of necromantic essence, slight enough to escape notice and leave the functions of the artifact unaffected… but sufficient to draw the attentions of Deathlords who know what they are seeking.
The bones and animas of the Terrestrial Exalted carry within them insufficient inherent power to be of use as Bones of Exaltation, even if the Dragonblooded still retained knowledge of these techniques.
