Orichalcum Caste

Alchemicals of the Orichalcum Caste, then, lead by example. Assuming a position as first among equals, the Shining Ones act as trailblazers,  innovators  and  inspirational icons. By their excellence, they goad their societies  to  be  excellent. Applying  their genius to national infrastructure, the art of war or their own personal evolution, Archons stand at the cutting edge of Autochthonian society. Moving from success to success and greatness to greatness, they broadcast  a  message to their peers and subordinates: Anything is possible.

Exceeding the bounds of possibility is easier for these Exalts than it is for others, however, which  sometimes  produces  friction  and frustration. Many Shining Ones have little  patience  for  those  who are unable to keep up with their brilliant  deductions,  devastating martial prowess and instinctive  political  acumen. Nothing embitters an Orichalcum Caste so much as submitting a revolutionary proposal only to see it rejected by his Tripartite Assembly because they cannot understand it.

Some of Autochthonia’s most brilliant Archons labour in frantic  seclusion  behind  the  walls  of  high-security  compounds  and  reinforced  testing  sites, emerging only once every few years or decades to unveil some incredible innovation or undertake a nigh-impossible mission on behalf of their nation. For a soul to imbue an Archon with life, its past incarnations must have been visionaries who pursued larger-than-life goals without restraint. The cleric who institutes sweeping doctrinal reform, the senior plutarch who brings vast prosperity to his city, the celebrant who attempts to establish international  orthodoxy,  the  victorious  Militate  general, the revolutionary Scholar Engineer - These are the lives that

combine to create the personality of a Shining One. Because

opportunities to pursue epic goals are mostly restricted to

members of the Tripartite, Orichalcum Castes who possess

memory-echoes of lives among the Populat are rare. This

exacerbates (and to the Archons, justifies) already endemic

trends toward arrogance.

The  Flames  of  Autochthon  often  attempt  to  assume

a leadership role when working in an assembly, outfitting

themselves for that purpose as the situation dictates. This

can be of great benefit if the Archon is skilled at recognizing

group aptitudes and delegating tasks accordingly, or disastrous

if the Exalt is simply willful. In any event, an Archon can be

counted upon to head up group think tanks, to place himself

in the thick of battle or to step forward to inspire the masses

on behalf of his fellows.

Their obsession with progress tends to drive Orichalcum

Castes to upgrade themselves early and frequently, climbing

the ladder toward transhuman evolution as quickly as the

demands of minimum enlightenment allow. Technologically

inclined elder Archons often incorporate complex fabrica-

tion facilities into their own bodies, while martially inclined

Shining  Ones  transform  themselves  into  mobile  combat