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Winter of Wonders

Winter of Wonders

Exalted 3rd Edition | Campaign

About the adventure

In the heart of the North, where the auroras gleam like distant, dying gods, something strange stirs. Towns and cities are transformed, replaced by breathtaking reflections of what they once were. Gilded spires gleam against the ice. Streets of ivory wind past gardens lush enough to defy the frozen air. And yet, these places are wrong. Perfected. Parodies of themselves. Those who set eyes upon them are caught—entranced, beguiled, lost to the beauty that hides the rot beneath. The tales of these "utopias" are carried south on the wind, but the halls of power dismiss them as inconsequential. Why waste resources chasing rumors in the wastelands? Let those cities and their people fend for themselves. But there are those who cannot look away. A small band of Exalts, young enough to believe the world can be saved, abandon their posts and orders to seek the truth. Driven by fire-bright ideals, they journey to the frozen edge of the world, vowing to unmake this creeping perfection before it consumes all. What awaits them is a labyrinth of danger. Maddened Rakshasa offering bargains for blood and dreams. Monsters haunt the white void between these strange new cities, hungry for the warmth of flesh and spirit. The land itself turns even more hostile, and rival Exalts— ranging Sovereigns of Uluiru and the increasingly fraught subjects of the Bull of the North’s fracturing empire—stand as obstacles, driven by ambitions that cannot abide interference. The beauty they fight is a cage, a trap spun with otherworldly precision. Every step closer to the truth threatens to unmake them, as they face not only the terrors outside but the doubts and divisions within. In the North’s radiant shadow, the question remains: can their righteousness resist perfection or will they be consumed by it?

Game style

Rule of Cool (RoC)

“Rule of Cool” emphasizes creative story beats over sticking to a system’s rules as written. Players have the ability to push the limits of the rules or even break core rule mechanics at times if the Game Master thinks it is interesting, fun, or cool enough.

Roleplay Heavy

“Roleplay Heavy” games place the focus on the story, the characters, and the world they live within, and tend to lean hard into the various roleplaying elements of the game. These games will frequently find the party talking with NPCs, exploring the personal elements of their backstories, or even having emotional moments around the camp fire.

Combat Heavy

“Combat Heavy” games emphasize the combat mechanics within their systems over roleplay or puzzle solving. There are frequent and longer battles with enemies and a greater emphasis on tactical game play.

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BIMPOC
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Neurodivergent

3 years on StartPlaying

781 games hosted

Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, Voices

Average response time: 6 hours

Response rate: 100%

Game Master Reviews (47)

Proficiencies

Players say this GM is great at:

Creativity

Storytelling

Voices

Ivan Garcia avatar

Ivan Garcia

New review

Played 15 sessions

Knowledgeable, great ideas and overall a blast to play with.

Taya avatar

Taya

Tsire is an amazing story teller and one of the best DMs I've ever played with. I've played multiple games and systems with him, and they've all been a blast. He keeps things interesting for experienced players while also making sure newer players learn the ropes. He is amazing at improv and his narration makes me feel like I'm watching a movie. Tsire is great at making sure everyone is having fun and feeling out if the party is looking for more or less of a certain aspect to adjust the game. Highly recommend him!

Siegfried avatar

Siegfried

Played 51 sessions

Never been in one of his games where the world was difficult to engage with, or felt out of my depth when it came to the game. He always seems more than willing to help smooth out the experiences, which is very welcoming.

David Gearhart avatar

David Gearhart

Played 17 sessions

Tsire's creativity and ingenuity shine through in his ability to allow players agency in the world. His ability to create meaningful impacts from character decisions really allow you to feel like you're making an impact on the world, and it brings a lot of interesting tension to the narrative decisions you make. I can't speak highly enough of his willingness to work with players to let people do cool things in interesting ways, but also his effort to maintain balance among the players at the table. He was the first GM that I ever tried with pay-to-play, and it was a clean experience that I enjoyed. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best possible introduction to paid GM'ing, and I'm VERY happy to have experienced it.

Steven avatar

Steven

Played 18 sessions

I started as a Lunar doctor/scholar in a Prasad Empire campaign (in the Dreaming Sea) with Tsire Divyn however after the second session I just wasn't liking it. After some discussion I switched to a water blooded Dragon Blooded. Having never played a DB before, he was patient and helpful with building my character and giving me plenty of advice on how to approach the character. With that my my ship captain was born and I have been enjoying the character very much since then. Campaign wise Tsire Divyn was has been weaving a captivating narrative when describing scenes, background elements and unfolding areas of plot that make the game fun and interesting. This has allowed them to wrap me up in a level of detail and creativity in Exalted's setting that makes me look forward to diving into it and getting involved. The way they describe the Dreaming Sea's exotic locales and its myriad dangers brings the world vividly to life. His understanding of the game mechanics (the difficulties make be high on the rolls but we have alternate ways of engaging) helps keep the gameplay smooth and engaging, allowing us to focus on the narrative. His enthusiasm and passion for the game are infectious, making every session something I look forward to. You are in good hands in an Exalted game with him.

Kata avatar

Kata

Played 15 sessions

GM has a talent for interesting NPCs and situations, and I had fun when doing RP-heavy interactions with other players and friendly NPCs. however, the playstyle is fairly frustrating. Stunting is rarely rewarded as intended, difficulty on common tasks is unusually high, rules are applied strictly and often more restrictively than rules as written or intended, and player creativity is usually penalized rather than rewarded - generating extra work and wasting entire sessions on side-tasks upon side-tasks. In addition, in this Exalted game, players will spend several months of real-time as unexalted mortals who cannot succeed at most rolls being asked of them, before they become an exalted who is likely being run at lower essence than intended for a starting character. GM also does not ask for feedback, nor respond to in-session feedback. All in all, I never once felt impactful or cool in this Exalted game.

Additional details

How to prepare

As this is an online game using discord and FoundryVTT, players will need access to both as well as microphones to play. While reading the rules ahead of time will help, it is not required.

What I provide

The Books, A Flexible Mind, A Whole Bushel Full of Patience, and FUN!

Gameplay details

With the number of Tags we have, it's important to note that we will absolutely be doing a session 0 to discuss the Overall tone of the Campaign. Character Creation will also be done during Session 0. Players who join after Session 0 has been conducted can schedule a meeting with me to get caught up on the game and go through character creation and whatnot together.

Content warnings

• Freezing

• Nightmares about Traumatic Events

• Violence

• Drugs (addiction, use, withdrawal)

Safety tools used

Lines and Veils

Session 0

X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

This will be a mixed splat campaign, no Solaroids or Janest. Apocryphals may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. (Alchemicals *may* be accepted in the future)

Players can expect

Combat / Tactics

Medium

Roleplay

High

Puzzles

Low

Experience level

Open to all

Platforms used

Discord

Foundry VTT

1 SEAT LEFT
$20.00

/ Session

Each player will be charged when a session starts.

Details

Weekly / Tuesday - 6:00 PM UTC

Apr 15 / Session 1

2.5-3 Hour Duration

5 / 6 Seats Filled

Schedule

Tue, Apr 15 | 6:00 PM - Session 1

Tue, Apr 22 | 6:00 PM - Session 2

Tue, Apr 29 | 6:00 PM - Session 3

Tue, May 06 | 6:00 PM - Session 4

Tue, May 13 | 6:00 PM - Session 5

Tue, May 20 | 6:00 PM - Session 6

Requirements

Experience required: Open to all

Age: 18+