Keychain of Creation/Characters

Misho (Twilight Caste Solar)
""I'm not used to not knowing something.""

The intelligent, compassionate leader of the band and initiator of the quest. He has perfect memories of his life in the First Age, but no memory of his current life before Exaltation.

""And one of these kings was called Misho, and he was named Thrice-Radiant. To his peers, this was for his sorcery, his memory, and his swordsmanship. To the common people, it was for his insight, his charisma, and his compassion.""
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Beware the Nice Ones, to an extent.
 * Can't Hold His Liquor
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome: a rather bad case, Misho being a chronic sufferer for over a millennia. If things get bad enough though, he slips into Samaritan Syndrome which never works out well. Luckily he has a fairly well-seasoned Heroic Safe Mode just in case this happened (although it doesn't always work).
 * Dead Little Sister: Misho has a particular hatred for the Raksha. The exact reasons are unspecified, but they include having murdered his son (or rather, murdering the son of his original incarnation. It's complicated...).
 * The Hero
 * Heroic BSOD: Several times due to the Great Curse.
 * Improbable Weapon User
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness
 * Informed Ability: Misho favors Awareness as an ability. We're reminded of this every time he misses something important.
 * Magic Knight
 * Meaningful Name: Twice over, no less.

"Secret: How many merits do you have?!?"
 * Munchkin: Parodied - he has both the Past Life merit AND Eidetic Memory.

"Secret: ...you realize that is extremely suspicious. Misho: Yes, we've discussed it. At length. Marena: I've got ten obols on robot clone! Ten: I'll take a piece of that action!"
 * Also subverted. He's got amnesia of his Pre-Exalted life, and Nightmares ("It's not worth the three points.") Oh, and the Eidetic Memory
 * Mysterious Past: While from a munchkin perspective an Exalted not remembering his pre-Exalted life is normal, it's very odd for a character. Lampshaded.


 * Samaritan Syndrome: Misho was already a sufferer of Chronic Hero Syndrome when he first reigned in the First Age, but then he saw the Loom Of Fate and threw himself of the deep end via With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility to become the living embodiment of this trope. His story is not a happy one.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Stern Teacher: both played with and played straight when it came to teaching sorcery.
 * Ultimate Blacksmith: He personally forged the Keys, as well as the Blade of Vitality.
 * The Woobie: You just wanna hug him.

Marena (Changing Moon Caste Lunar, fox totem)
""There we go... Ready for a night out!""

A flirtatious, fun-loving, confident woman who is much more than meets the eye.

""Define 'People'""
 * Anything That Moves


 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Generally, no. She's too down to earth for that. But when Misho wants to change the subject away from cutting his hair...
 * Attractive Bent Gender
 * Boring but Practical: She doesn't use martial arts or weapons. She hits people with large rocks.
 * Dark-Skinned Redhead
 * Fantastic Arousal: Her fox ears, although this trope's only been visited once in the comic so far. Shown here.
 * Foxy Grandma: She might not be a grandma yet, but she's thirty eight years old (46 in Earth years, which is a lot given the expected lifespan of mortals in Creation), and according to Secret, doesn't look a day out of her twenties. That, and the fox part is quite literal. Of course, being a Celestial Exalted and barring death or horrible mutation, she's going to maintain that figure for the next thousand years and more.
 * Actually, if they play by the rules, those tattoos mean only death can take that figure away from her. Cause, you know, this is Exalted.
 * Guile Hero: Doesn't stop her from kicking ass on occasion, but she is definitely not the action type.
 * Hot Mom: She's had three children that we know of. Her son's dead, her oldest daughter's reported dead, and her youngest daughter's location is unknown.
 * The Lancer
 * Ms. Fanservice: Despite being a stick figure, she supplies plenty of Fan Service and is proud of it. See here and here.
 * Take a close look. She's not wearing anything behind that "Forward" sign!
 * Petting Zoo People: Fox.
 * Really Gets Around: And how.
 * Apparently it's In the Blood, see Aria, below.
 * The Woobie: Though it's only apparent once her backstory is known.

Secret (Day Caste Abyssal)
""It's okay! I'm still not dead!""

Full name: The Most Secret And Sorrowful Of The Bearers Of The Endless Destiny Of All Creation Which Wander Amidst Forgotten Sights And Fallen Tears Along The Tread Of Ancient Ashen Footsteps Through The Shadow Of That Which Comes And Into That Riotous Cacophony Which Births All Fools And Steals All Beauty, Who Heralds Through Her Silence The Stillness And Chill Of Those Who Were Not Born And Who Will Fade ‘Till All Things Fall And In That Most Grim Harvest Form The Final Restful Tomb Of All Awakened Life And All The Sleepless De- (At this point she collapsed.) A renegade Deathknight, formerly in service to the Silver Prince, who hasn't yet felt able to live up to her Exaltation.


 * Badass Adorable
 * Boring but Practical: DODGE CHARMS are good for just about everything.
 * The Chick
 * Covert Pervert: She takes notes when she discovers Marena's weak points.
 * As of #354, she is also known to
 * Suggested using a twin switch to help Karen catch Ten Winds.
 * Dark Is Not Evil
 * Defector From Decadence: Though as a renegade deathknight there's a limit to how far she can get away from what she's become. She's prone to the occasional resonance blowout.
 * Does Not Know Her Own Strength: Secret seems to have... a little too much aptitude with Water Dragon Style. She has the same problem with Sorcery.
 * Since her backstory exposition, we also know that
 * Enemy to All Living Things: As a renegade deathknight, any living creature she may happen to care about has a distinct possibility of simply dropping dead from the wrath of the Neverborn.
 * Expy: She bears a great (stick-figure) resemblance to Death of the Endless.
 * Fish Out of Water: She's basically a normal girl forced to be something horrible.
 * Moe
 * Overly Long Name: As seen above, she is unable to recite the entirety of it without passing out.
 * Perky Goth: Sorta, especially what with her secret affection for  Spoilered because it's funnier that way.
 * Shrinking Violet
 * The Undead
 * Walking Wasteland: She's prone to the occasional resonance blowout as noted before, causing birds to die and the like.
 * The Woobie: Oh so very much.

Ten Winds (Air Aspect Terrestrial)
""JUSTICE!!""

Formerly a monk in the Immaculate Order, who left because he grew disillusioned with the Order, and because he enjoyed the pleasures of the world a bit too much. Taciturn, wry, resolute.


 * The Ace
 * The Alcoholic: Actually helps him out in the fight against Nova.
 * Badass: Wait. So you're saying this guy is an all-powerful martial artist despite being of a weaker character type than other Exalts, he knows almost everyone important in Creation, ? Holy shit, is this guy Chuck Norris' Dragon-Blooded brother!?
 * Badass Grandpa
 * The Big Guy
 * Can't Hold His Liquor: Averted and played straight. Imbibing some apparently pretty punchy stuff, including a strong sedative, does not seem to affect him. At other times he takes a swig and falls down. But then he sneaks off for a drink every other panel sometimes...
 * Defector From Decadence: Sort of. In another sense, a defector to decadence—Immaculate monks aren't allowed alcohol.
 * Expy: He's essentially what would happen if
 * From a Certain Point of View: His original backstory.
 * Old Master: Badass enough that a Sidereal thinks twice before fighting him..
 * And we now know that he's trained in, and is capable of teaching, several Celestial martial arts styles. Most Dragon Blooded never get around to learning even one.
 * Papa Wolf: Strip #241. Nemen Yi may have ripped through Ben's entire band without breaking stride, but now she's made the mistake of threatening Secret, and Ten Winds is pissed.
 * The Quiet One
 * Weak but Skilled: Dragon-Blooded are the weakest of the Exalted, but Ten is easily one of the toughest characters in the comic.

Karen (Dawn Caste Solar)
""..." (does not speak)"

Marena's twin sister. She Exalted to save Marena from Immaculate Monks and later traded her voice to join the Silver Pact to be with her sister.


 * Dark-Skinned Redhead
 * Love Martyr: She has made a number of pretty significant sacrifices on her sister's behalf.
 * May December Desire: While she's not exactly loudly proclaiming her preferences, she's mentioned to have always liked older men.
 * The Quiet One
 * Sarashi: Under her vest. Fitting, since Dawn Caste are pretty close to being samurai.
 * The Speechless

Cluivnarihe
""[Treachery] is my nature; this is what I am. It is all I have that cannot be lost.""

A shape-changing weapon that travels with Secret but is only barely under her control.


 * Empathic Weapon: Mostly, she's a jerk.
 * A jerk with a literal heart and soul of steel and her own backstory. Then again, the love of her life and unlife did leave her behind with a barely-competent Abyssal.
 * Morph Weapon

Racer (Full Moon Caste Lunar, horse totem)
""Suddenly, my lady-sense is tingling!""

Marena's old teacher and, it seems, occasional lover.


 * Casanova
 * Chivalrous Pervert
 * Cool Horse: He even gets bishie sparkles.

Resonance Ben (Midnight Caste Abyssal)
""Ah right, the eyes. Hey, who needs them, right?""

Full name: The Conductor of the Cacophonic Steel Chorus. Faux Affably Evil blind Musical Assassin.


 * Cool Shades
 * The Dragon
 * Eye Scream - There's a reason he wears those glasses...
 * Handicapped Badass
 * Leeroy Jenkins
 * Musical Assassin:

Flame (Daybreak Caste Abyssal)
""I've got a bone to pick with you...""

Full name: The Forgotten Flame of Endless Unmarked Years. In the author's words: "[a] south-american-style mummy dishing out kung fu action". With soulsteel chainsaw-Khatars.

"It seems you have a situation to salvage, Ben."
 * And Your Little Dog, Too
 * Chainsaw Good
 * Deadpan Snarker


 * Evil Genius
 * Lawful Evil: He keeps promises and tries to negotiate before fighting, but is not a nice person by any stretch.
 * Noble Demon
 * Red Right Hand: The First And Forsaken Lion does not like it when his minions fuck up.

Nova (Orichalcum Caste Alchemical)
""[...] I can make anyone into a demigod... piece by piece.""

Full name: The Elegant Nova of Progression. A cybernetic mad scientist with cyborg mooks.


 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny: Ten manages to distract her in combat with trivia.
 * Cheshire Cat Grin
 * Foe Yay: She thinks Misho is "just too cute. <3 <3"
 * One of the first things out of her mouth to him upon meeting him is that she's "fully functional."
 * For Science!: Her motivation and battle cry.
 * For the Lulz: The other half of her motives; she hates being bored, and she's overwhelmingly curious.
 * Genki Girl
 * Catgirl: In sphinx form, she's not quite human enough to meet this trope, but she does have the mannerisms.
 * Emotionless Girl: In the past, when she first came to Creation. Her robotic face didn't even have a mouth yet.
 * Figure It Out Yourself: She knows Misho and Ten from before the met in the story. Why she knows Ten is eventually explained. Why she knows Misho is not, despite him directly asking her.
 * Large Ham
 * Ms. Exposition
 * Mad Scientist
 * One-Winged Angel
 * Robot Girl
 * Throw It In: After her creation in the comic, Nova got a cameo in the 2nd Edition Alchemicals book for Exalted, making her a canon character.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Blossom of Harmonious Ethers (Unknown Caste Alchemical)
One of Nova's two Alchemical Henchmen. She prefers non-violent solutions to problems. Probably a Jade Caste Alchemical, but it's not explicitly said.


 * Actual Pacifist: She won't fight, though she is willing to let someone else fight (under protest) if she can't talk sense into potential enemies.
 * The Cutie
 * Flower in Her Hair
 * Granola Girl
 * Made in Country X: Nova's attempts to make Alchemicals in Creation aren't quite up to snuff, as shown when her arm falls off.
 * Puppy Dog Eyes
 * Robot Girl
 * Robot Maid: She's the one who has to clean up any mess after a fight.
 * Slipping a Mickey: Tries it on Ten Winds. He complements her on her taste in sedatives.
 * Smells Sexy: Subverted. She uses pheromones to subdue opponents, but they're calming pheromones, not sexy ones. Marena counters her with more traditional pheromones.
 * The Woobie: It's hard not to feel sorry for her when she flinches from all the violence around her or when she points out that she's the one who has to clean up after everyone.

Nemen Yi (Sidereal of Battles)
""I will judge as a warrior does.""


 * Appeal to Force: What does she do when called on an error of judgment? Why, settle her confusion by force of arms, of course!
 * The Chessmaster: She is a powerful Sidereal.
 * Dual-Wielding
 * Just As Planned:
 * No Fourth Wall: Or rather, using the Fourth Wall as a weapon and playground.
 * Properly Paranoid: She won't pass on her duty to guard her Key because anyone powerful enough to guard it would have their own agenda for using it.
 * Wild Card:

Aria (God-Blooded)
""Lavish meals and fine drinks for everyone!""

Full name: Sonorous Aria. Marena's and Karen's mother, Queen of Janara, daughter of Kuka-Rem, a god of machination and manipulation. A pleasant and gracious demeanor hides a mind as sharp and strong as a steel blade.

""Petal!""
 * Abusive Parents: Marena claims Aria was like this....
 * Anticlimactic Parent: Marena describes her mother as a borderline Evil Matriarch, but when we first see her she seems to be a caring and generous woman.

"Aria:"
 * Consider, though, that one of the primary traits ascribed to her is a penchant for manipulation, so this discrepancy is hardly unexpected...
 * Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: Astonishingly good-looking considering that apart being one of the oldest people in the comic (122 Alternative Calendar years old. Which makes her roughly 147 and a half years old by our calendar)
 * Hot Mom
 * Knight Templar Parent: In the World of Badass that is Exalted, a person is either an exalt, a Badass Normal, or a nameless victim. Aria equipped her daughter with the skills necessary to become a guile heroine, but at the cost of becoming an Abusive Parent.
 * Magnificent Bastard

"Marena: You're not my mother, Aria!! Beat Aria: No... I was in a position to be certain, petal. Now if you were unsure of your fa-"
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * As Marena herself mentioned, Aria
 * Really Gets Around


 * Silk Hiding Steel
 * Third Person Person: Refers to herself as "this one" when she's being formal.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

The King of Uncloaked Steel (Dusk Caste Abyssal)
""Stop running away, you pansies!""

A Deathknight with an enormous appetite for combat and a violent disdain for people who have more power than puissance.


 * Blood Knight