From the Forums

From Neph more specifically. Off the forums:
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I've explained this elsewhere. I wish I had it still.

Whatever they once were, the Yozis are now the ultimate archetypal forces of pain and lies. They want their freedom. They want to punish Creation and all its denizens for their long imprisonment. After that, they want to get back to ruling the cosmos as eternal tyrant overlords. To this end, the Exalted stolen by the Yozis become princes among slaves. They serve as a warning of what the Yozis intend for Creation, a symbol of Yozi power and the intrument whereby the Yozis may enslave others. In one hand is suffering and in the other their honeyed treachery damns the world. Fear them because they will hurt you and keep on hurting you.

The Malfeans lurk in fitful slumber, more and less than dead within their temple tombs. The spite of the Yozis is the pettiness of a spoiled child who had his favorite toy taken away before being sent to his room. The manifestation of that spite is a temper tantrum, albeit one on the scale of the titans. That comparison doesn't diminish the horror of that cataclysm, but consider that the Malfeans aren't like that. The spite of the Malfeans has no bounds of selfishness and malice. Yozis want what was theirs, and they believe (rightly or wrongly) that they can have it again. Malfeans want what was theirs and they can *never* have it back. They watch and dream and remember and wallow in alien bitterness, knowing that all they ever loved or covoted or cared about has passed from them. The lurk in shadows, dreaming of shadows. They cannot or will not let go, and so they linger in agony until and perhaps beyond the end of days. Their spite is sour grapes spite. What they cannot have, they will destroy, and they will laugh when all is ashes and embers. Their servants have given themselves over in similar lingering, holding to life or its semblance beyond their time so they can extinguish light, life and hope. Abyssals are doomed where Infernals are damned. The deathknights *will* serve the forces of darkness by action or inaction, and if they struggle against that doom it shall burst from them to scourge the world on their behalf. The Malfeans do not yoke the Abyssals directly because there is no need. Abyssals are tainted, stained to the core of their souls. They will serve their purpose. That is inevitable. Let them play. Let them think themselves free.Let them wallow in life so they can come to hate it more. With every passing day they draw closer to the bleak epiphany of their doom, and ever onward to ragnarok. The Yozis plot and scheme for dominion, and so they claim full dominion of their slaves. The Malfeans crave nothing but the murder of the whole world, and so they are content to let their doomed killers wander free. Where the Abyssals go, death follows. What more do the Neverborn need?

--Neph

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Summed up nicely. Kinda a miserable life for Abyssals and Infernals tho.

Addendum from same topic:

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Well, it's all in how you define redemption, actually. An Abyssal can be redeemed in life with truly Herculean effort. If slain, however, the permanently tainted Essence goes back to Exalt a new deathknight. This process continues indefinitely.

An Infernal cannot be redeemed in life, but all you have to do is kill him to set his Essence free. Yes, the next few incarnations will have urges, but that's ok. They can fight those urges or they can be quickly and summarily executed until the taint passes. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if there were Endings Caste devil hunters who covertly did that in the first age.

"But I'm not a devil worshipper! Why are you doing this."

"Because you could be. Because that risk is not worth taking. Because
it is necessary. Goodbye."

The Yozis have their Infernals absolutely, but only for a life. Then they have to lure them away again or snatch someone else.

Deathknights incarnate to their malformed Essence to the end of days, when they shall bring an end to days. Once more, I stand by my assertion. The Yozis desire dominion, but the Abyssals are ultimately harder to redeem and more doomed in the long run.

--Neph

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