Non-Dragon-Blooded on the Caul Pilgrimage

[Hakkonen]

I'm more than happy for the Dynasts to have promoted a mythology that concentrates power into a handful of families "for the sake of keeping the blood pure", when that is in fact not actually metaphysically supported and is maintained for the same reason any eugenics based colonial empire of aristocrats promote such a belief system. So...Yes? Yes. I personally find that more interesting than there actually being a difference between Mnemnon and Nellens exaltation rates.

Edit: AS for rate of Outcastes, yeah, I don't mind there being a large number of non-realm dragonblooded families, with the Realm's larger share coming from active efforts to incorporate existing states and recruit lost eggs more than their actual eugencis program having any validity.

Except that Terrestrial Exaltation is explicitly hereditary. Ex. Pli. Cit. Ly. To the best of my knowledge, it has never been otherwise. The idea that the number of Dragon-Blooded in your ancestry actually has no effect on the likelihood of your own Exaltation doesn't just make no sense; it makes negative sense. It actively creates a plot hole.

[Accelerator]

I'm more than happy for the Dynasts to have promoted a mythology that concentrates power into a handful of families "for the sake of keeping the blood pure", when that is in fact not actually metaphysically supported and is maintained for the same reason any eugenics based colonial empire of aristocrats promote such a belief system. So...Yes? Yes. I personally find that more interesting than there actually being a difference between Mnemnon and Nellens exaltation rates.

Edit: AS for rate of Outcastes, yeah, I don't mind there being a large number of non-realm dragonblooded families, with the Realm's larger share coming from active efforts to incorporate existing states and recruit lost eggs more than their actual eugencis program having any validity.

I agree with the above fellow. This does not make sense if it makes no difference and Breeding does not affect Exaltation rate. That's literally one of the DB schticks. Much like how Solars are 'I'm better than you in everything I put effort in and I'm also a shiny Ubersmench who makes my own morality' and 'I am the god king!', and how Alchemicals are 'Power to the state!', DBs are 'I am descended from heroes by blood and family, and their power lives in me!'.

[Lioness]

My interpretation is that it is less that House Nellens has appreciably worse Dragon-Blooded than the other Great Houses, so much as there’s a steep drop-off in the marriage prospects for their mortal dynasts.

For the other Great Houses it’s an acknowledged fact that the Terrestrial Exaltation skips generations and that’s disappointing but has the advantage of them being much more controllable. Your mortal daughter paired with a good spouse might bring more Dragon-Blooded children into the House than her older sister whose professed her one true love to be the battlefield.

However, when it happens to House Nellens? That’s a reminder that they're patricians playing at being a Great House.

[Isator Levi]

I think the core topic is still vital and distinct enough that arguments about Dragon Blooded heredity ought to be spun off.

[Eric Minton]

My interpretation is that it is less that House Nellens has appreciably worse Dragon-Blooded than the other Great Houses

I don't think there's anything in the 3e material indicating that pedigree has any effect on the power and potential of the Dragon-Blooded. The intention is that while a Dynast has better odds of having Dragon-Blooded offspring than an outcaste, the Dynast and the outcaste have the same potential to develop and manifest their own personal Exalted talents.

[Meianno Yuurei]

I think it might be cool if an Abyssal's redemption quest involved learning from the magic of the different types of Exalted, for which the Caul pilgrimage handles "learning from" Lunars, DBs, or both, but who also has to go on an incredibly difficult quest to a location important to Solars, an incredibly difficult quest to a location important to Sidereals, and maybe some others. Like needing help from all your friends to redeem yourself, but on a more cosmic scale.

I also think what Moss said is very cool.

I think this is a fine optional idea for something for a Storyteller to offer for an Abyssal story arc, but I think it would be best in general to not have a specific, defined route that becomes the Norm as a result, both because redemption becomes some expected standard route and because "go hit the caul and do the other checklist of things' becomes a stale, boring set of tasks.

[habitableexoplanet]

I think this is a fine optional idea for something for a Storyteller to offer for an Abyssal story arc, but I think it would be best in general to not have a specific, defined route that becomes the Norm as a result, both because redemption becomes some expected standard route and because "go hit the caul and do the other checklist of things' becomes a stale, boring set of tasks.

Sure, that's why I said "an Abyssal's redemption quest" and not "every single Abyssal's redemption quest".

[Blackwell]

The Caul is a super-cool wild continent infused with ancient Primordial energies, recovered from the Wyld, and controlled by Lunars . Surely there's room for Solar, Abyssal, even Lunar sacred places and rituals of power that aren't the Dragon-Blooded pilgrimage route? Jerusalem has many holy places to Jews, Christians, and Muslims; some are only sacred to one of the traditions, some are sacred to multiple groups owing to shared heritage, and some are holy to more than one group but for different *reasons*.