I have to be honest. I wasn’t really all that excited about the Exiles when the original 3 races were introduced. Humans have always been pretty boring to me, the Granok seemed like a power race that I am not usually about, and the Aurin…well…bunny people? Meh. Not my cup of tea.
Then the Mordesh were introduced and everything changed. I dove into Exile Lore and found myself writing out character ideas and backstories. The Exiles are a scrappy bunch and deserve so much praise for being not only a clever bunch, but also for still being alive when the Dominion seems to have a limitless amount of soldiers and resources to squash them at every stop in the road. Today we’ll be going into detail about the Exiles and each race of this patchwork faction.
The Exiles, in every sense of the word are exiles. While the Dominion has taken their glorified mission to the most extreme measures, the Exiles have persisted and survived. It’s an impressive feat, for sure. Having the cojones to take on the Dominion is not something to brush under the rug.
Before we dive too deep, I want to make something very clear about the Exiles. The Exiles lost everything, specifically the War. They have been on the fringe of space, living quietly and hoping that they don’t get noticed and praying that their ships can stay together long enough to find a far off world that isn’t under the thumb of the Dominion. Every race has lost their home in a painful and tragic way. They have banded together hoping that maybe if they stick together they can live on.
And settling on Nexus is genius. It’s perhaps one of the smartest things the Exiles could have done. Nexus is a legendary world filled with treasures and technology that could help any faction regain its footing against the other. Not to mention Nexus is literally the only place that the Dominion cannot destroy. They easily tore apart Arboria, the home of the Aurin, and blockaded Grismara, home of the Mordesh, without blinking an eye. Nexus is the holy land. It is home of the Eldan, whom are basically the Cassians’ Gods. They cannot stay away, but they cannot destroy it either. Nexus has to be tamed the old fashioned way, and it’s why the Exiles picked this as their last hope.
Now from a roleplaying standpoint, the Exiles are going to have problems that the Dominion will not have to worry about. The fear of imminent annihilation is always looming. Not just from the Dominion, but from Nexus and even their own people (specifically the Mordesh). Thayd is just as scrappy and different as the Exiles. It is pieced together by what makes these races special. It has a strange blend of flourishing nature and gritty technology. And this is how the Exiles exist. In this imperfect balance. They all need each other.
Keep all of this in mind when you are making your characters. It’s highly likely that there are high tensions between the various races of the Exiles that only exist because they don’t have the time to worry about it. Not to mention if you take a wrong turn in Thayd you can end up in some seriously scary places. It is no where near as bright and clean as the streets of Illium. Most members of the Exiles have lived their lives on the edge of space, doing whatever they can to survive.
Humans
I have never been a fan of playing a human. In any game, if I have another option, I’m going for it. I’m a human. I prefer to explore the other social aspects of other races. It’s more fun that way. But the Humans of the Exiles are a tough bunch. These humans were not part of the original rebellion against the Dominion over 200 years prior, they are the descendants of those humans. They have had to deal with the repercussions of their ancestors and have a hate for the Dominion ingrained into their system. They have come to trust one another without getting too comfortable. They have witnessed the destruction of multiple worlds and places they attempted to call home.
Things to keep in mind when playing a Human:
- They are still related to the Cassians, whether they like to admit it or not.
- Yes, they are very southern in style and taste. As a Texan, I can tell you now that I am going to be nit-picky on how the accent flairs are used in roleplay. I highly suggest looking up various southern dialects, as each one has it’s own unique flair. Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia all have very different southern twangs, as do the other Southern States. If you want your character to speak with an accent, take the time to do a bit of research and figure out specifically how you want it to sound.
- Humans are the only race in the Exiles that were not born on their home world. Granok are similar, but as they can live to be 1000, it is likely most remember Gnox.
- Your leader has been in cryo since the rebellion against the Dominion, due to injury during battle.
- I assume you are also a Human, so I’m sure you can figure the rest out yourself.
Aurin
The Aurin are getting a lot of attention from the community. They are the cutsey bunny/mouse/cat people but they are so much more than that. The Aurin come from a matriarchal, polyamorous society. They are extremely close to nature and are the kindest races in the game. That kindness led them to assist in the Exiles when they needed a place to rest, repair their ships, and be on their way. The Aurin were then punished by the Dominion in the ravaging of their beautiful homeworld. Their Queen, Mayla Everstar, ordered an evacuation of their homeworld Arboria, leaving behind many of their citizens. They are the newest members of the Exiles and probably the most optimistic.
Things to keep in mind when playing a Aurin:
- As stated, Aurin are a matriarchal society. This means that the women are in charge and are the more dominant of the two sexs. This does not mean that a male Aurin cannot be dominant or a female Aurin cannot be passive, it is just their natural inclination.
- Aurin are polyamorous. Usually, females have multiple consorts and live in multiple partner families. Again, there are plenty of monogamous Aurin but they, in no way, care about your family arrangement.
- The Aurin worship a spiritual force called the “Weave.” As it’s still early in the game, we do not know the true nature of the Weave, but imagine it sort of like a tapestry, many threads “Weaved” together; Aurin believe this is the same for the Universe.
- There are plenty of Aurin that believe abandoning Arboria was a mistake. Plenty of Aurin lost everyone and everything during the evacuation. Queen Mayla is still pretty cut up about it and still hopes they can return someday to reclaim their world.
Granok
The Granok are truly they only race to have won against the Dominion. They were originally a tribal race that was scouted by the Dominion, before the Draken, to be their warriors about 600 years ago. The leader of the Granok smashed the Mechari Ambassadors with a boulder….so the Dominion got a little ticked off. War ensues, which was won by the Granok by stealing Dominion technology and turning it against them. The leader of the Granok then exiled all the Granok that used the technology, considering it forbidden by their people. Thus the Granok Mercenaries were born. You could say the Granok were the original Exiles. They joined with the humans easily as most of them still remembered the war. They have been hired guns and warriors ever since.
Things to keep in mind when playing a Granok:
- Granok love beer, a lot. It’s one of their pasttimes.
- They can live to be around 1000 years old, thus, most Granok remember Gnox well.
- While they are “rock people,” they are silicon-based life forms.
- Granok can be blinded a bit by their hatred of the Dominion and seem to be ready to attack them at a moments notice, charging headfirst into the fray without examining all other options. The Granok have no desire to return to Gnox and have accepted their exile.
Mordesh
Okay. I’m biased. I may have three Mordesh characters and wish I could have more. The Mordesh are a highly intelligent elvish race that were masters of alchemy and medicine. Their leader created the Everlife elixir, which made them immortal! Until it also made all the Mordesh diseases mutate together into a super disease called “The Contagion” which basically attacks the body, rots it, and rots the mind pulling to a primal “Zombie” state (also called “Ravenous”). When this happened, everyone panicked, the Vitalis Serum was invented which temporarily suspends the body and mind to allow a Mordesh to live their daily life. Without it, a Mordesh has about 10-20 minutes before they become Ravenous. The Mordesh were about to become part of the Dominion when all this went down. But as soon as the Contagion spread, the Dominion set up a massive blockade around the planet. The Mordesh spent 50 years running for their lives from the Ravenous and attempting to find a real cure, to no avail. The Exiles answered their plea for help and snuck them through the Dominion blockade. The Mordesh helped cure many blights and illnesses within the Exile fleet and also started the Black Hoods, which is essentially an assassins/intelligence-gathering group for the Exiles.
Things to keep in mind when playing a Mordesh:
- Mordesh cannot live without the Vitalis serum and no one has been cured. They have come to Nexus to attempt to find said cure.
- When taking the Everlife Elixir, all Mordesh over 25 practically reverted back to the physical state of being 25. Where as, any younger, aged normally and then stopped when they reached 25 (Regardless of age).
- The Mordesh were stuck on Grismara (Their homeworld) for 50 years, fighting off Ravenous. Then spent another 80 or so years with the Exile Fleet. That means all Mordesh are at least 130 years old. They cannot reproduce any longer.
All in all, the Exiles are my favorite faction. I have no problems admitting this. They are a rich collection of races working together as allies to fight a common enemy. While tensions exist between the races, they all know that they must band together if they are to keep Nexus their home. If you are on the Exiles, or even not, I highly suggest rolling a race you usually would not. Don’t forget to pick up lore books! There are plenty of amazing stories and backgrounds that will help fill some of the gaps or questions you may have. While plenty of questions about background and lore exist for all the races, there is still miles to explore with the Exiles.
Next time we’ll cover the Dominion. Remember, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Until next time!
