[Actual Play] Exalted: The Saga of Thorns

[Bradford C. Walker]

Finally, after talking about it on and off for two years or so, I've got my ambitious Exalted project off of the ground. This past Saturday saw the second session, and it looks like my players are hooked. Now that I have somethng to report, it is now time for the Actual Play Thread. Go me!
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First, the particulars:

Time: It is Realm Year 748. The Scarlet Empress sits securely upon her throne, ably working the many mechanisms by which she--and she alone--rules the Realm, a state of affairs that shall yet endure for another 15 years until the Empress disappears in RY 763.
Past Events of Note: The Bloodied Scythe Rebellion occured in RY 707. The Empress bore V'neef in 708. V'neef came of age, married, founded her Great House and bore her first children in RY 728. V'neef gave birth again in RY 733, 738 and most recently in 743. She also adopted two outcastes in this time, one as an award of retirement for a past Pasiap's Stair cadet and a most unfortunate boy as a measure of gratitude to the child's mother for past service to her; the former is now dominie of a House-affilated academy and the latter is now a graduate of the Cloister of Wisdom. House V'neef still enjoys the Empress' favor. She is due to give birth again by the end of the year.
Canon Changes & Clarifications: House V'neef acquires control of the Merchant Fleet from House Peleps this year, not in RY 758, as part of the Empress' gifts to the first of V'neef's children. The Imperial Calendar begins its year on 1 Ascending Air and ends on 5 Calibration.
Important Threshold Developments: Decidu Alaka, the ancient Autocrat of Thorns, died peacefully in his bed over the past five days of Calibration. The heir-apparent, Decidu Rinep, is not immediately confirmed as Autocrat because the Realm's satrap--Cynis Gavel--is not present; the Empress recalled him recently for matters said to be in regard to the findings of an internal investigation. The other surviving heir, Decidu Sarep, took the opportunity to denouce his older brother as a traitor to the Realm and a heretic before the Immaculate Dragons and thereby is unfit to succeed. Until the charges are confirmed or denied, the succession is held up and the political status of a vital tributary state to the Realm falls into disorder.

And now, to introduce the player-characters, listed in birth order as appropriate:

V'neef Samara: An Aspect of Air, and a graduate of the Heptagram, she is the most desired amongst the Quintuplets by others seeking to make marriage alliances with the House. At least one peer of the Realm has already gone mad in pursuit of her hand, much to Samara's dismay. Fortunately her Infinate Jade Chakram and her man-sized roc familiar often provide sufficient deterant against overzealous would-be lovers. She has an interest in recovering First Age artifacts.
V'neef Andara: An Aspect of Fire and a graduate of the House of Bells, one that impressed her instructors with her acumen as a field officer as well as a staff officer; unfortunately, her excellance at the former is matched only by her utter incompetance at the latter. She's also the acknowledged heir to the armor known as the Skin of Hesiesh, yet another accomplishment that's said to be more due to her good luck than her skill or breeding.
V'neef Maya: An Aspect of Wood and a graduate of the Spiral Academy, Maya is known for her hedonistic behavior and sometimes amazing lack of good sense. Her skills at socialization match Andara's, and she is one of the few that took time to learn the family business--the wine trade--and does well enough with her powerbow.
V'neef Rani: An Aspect of Water and one that followed the naval track at a hybrid curriculum developed jointly by the House of Bells and the Spiral Academy in preparation for her future in the Merchant Fleet. Rani lives for exploration and not for the bureacratic aspect of life as a naval officer. She's also the one with the most good sense.
V'neef Tandoor: An Aspect of Earth, a graduate of the Cloister of Wisdom and a practioner of Earth Dragon Style that--as a child--was pronouced to be the Empress' favorite grandson. Until one of his little brothers Exalts, this is likely to remain the case. He doesn't speak much of his days as a student, and the others tend to be a little protective of him.
Auran Mykah: A Sidereal Exalt--a Chosen of Serenity--that's operating under orders from Chejop Kejak to investigate Thorns, because wacky stuff is going on there and he decided to send a wet-behind-the-ears rookie to handle this simple assignment; he's masquerading as the protege of Ledaal Arnis--head of the Foreign Office--for the time being so that he can operate in the company of the Terrestrials. Though the Gold Faction doesn't exist as such yet, he's sympathetic to that cause.


The Terrestrials, collectively, are known as "The August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef" due to their being a set of quintuplets that all Exalted in different Aspects and with nigh-legendary Breeding being evident. They're quite well-known in the Realm, and known of in friendly (or well-connected) Threshold states. This is due to the interferance of the Sidereals--specifically, two bored young Exalts that now man a listening post near Rathess--upon V'neef's destiny, hence our Sidereal character's presence; Chejop wants to make good use of his juniors' big mistake.

[Argent]

This looks to be interesting; I´ve been hoping to get more detail on the blessed quintuplets. I like the characters - they seem to be defined by their flaws as much as by their Aspects or skills, which (IMO, naturally) is a good thing for Exalted (N)PC:s.

[Bradford C. Walker]

House V'neef's first spymaster is an unlikely choice, but one that's proved effective over the past 20 years: Memafa of Cherak. Memafa is publically known as a tough Legionaire that retired from active service in Realm Year 728 after 25 years of active duty to the Realm. He was actually an agent of the All-Seeing Eye, recruited into the agency when he joined the Legions, and through his career he worked to uncover and expose treasonous and corrupt shadow cabals working in or through Legion fronts. The long investigation regarding the Bloodied Scythe Rebellion resulted in the exposure of Guild subversion of the Legion in command of that operation, and their subsequent criminal enterprises. The result was that Memafa's efforts sent a score of patricians to die in the arena against fantastic beasts, had a few score more sent into slavery to pay off the fines accrued against them by the Throne, had the Dynasts responsible removed from their duties and assigned to a Wyld Hunt against which they were not (and did not) return alive and had the Great Houses concerned all pay a modest fine to the Throne for the inconvience of it all.

V'neef at the time had just come of age, been married and was with child. A new Great House was in dire need of skilled officers to handle vital affairs, and V'neef saw a perfect opportunity to acquire a very skilled spy for little or no real cost. For his part, Memafa wasn't stupid: he knew that, unless he could arrange for a fast reassignment, he was a dead man walking. V'neef's offer of service couldn't come at a better time, so--after some perfunctory dialogues--he accepted the offer and took up the task of organizing the house's affairs.

Within a year of taking that position, V'neef bore the August Immaculate Quintuplets and Memafa's security troubles multipled fivefold. As it was, his skills and connections were barely enough to thwart various attempts at blackmail, extortion, kidnapping, assassination and more subtle political manuevers. Through his diligence, House V'neef managed to stay one step ahead of its rivals for the whole of the August Quintuplets' lives; he is responsible for providing the information that V'neef required to press her case to the Empress for seizing the Merchant Navy from House Peleps, and he is how House Cynis lost their centuries-long hold on the satrapy of Thorns. He's trained the V'neef House Guard, serving for a time as its Captain before his protegy could take over, and he's now training V'neef's second son to replace him- for Memafa, now 60 years old, is feeling age creeping up on him despite his insistance upon maintaining his Legionaire-level of training and diet. He hopes that his mortal Dynast student will be ready for the task when he draws his last breath.

Type: Heroic Mortal
Nature: Judge

Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3.
Social Attributes: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1.
Mental Attributes: Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4.
Abilities: Athletics 3, Awareness 4 (Ambush +3), Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Endurance 2, Investigation 4 (Deduction +3), Larceny 4 (Detection +3), Linguistics 2, Lore 2, Medicine 2, Melee 3, Socialize 2, Stealth 4.
Backgrounds: Allies 4 (V'neef, et al), Backing (House V'neef) 4, Contacts 4, Influence 3, Followers 2, Resources 3. (Backgrounds bought as if a Solar Exalt.)
Merits/Flaws: Favor (3 pts.), Disciple (V'neef Depera) (3 pts.).
Virtues: Conviction 4, Compassion 2, Temperance 2, Valor 3.
Essence: 1 (Cannot access Essence)
Willpower: 7
Health Levels: -0, -1 x2, -2 x2, -4, Incapacitated.
Gear: Exceptional Short Sword, Exceptional Spear, Reinforced Buff Jacket (for when going into combat openly), whatever V'neef says that he requires (for covert missions, usually).


Notes: Italicised Abilities are Favored Abilities.

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Ascending Air, Realm Year 748

The new year begins with a long-awaited party. Today the Scarlet Empress decrees that all shall celebrate the coming of age of the August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef, and that means that the streets are filled with revellers of all kinds. Peasants partake of free food and wine given away at street parties, patricians scurry about to form and firm-up their network of contacts as they scheme their way up from poverty and into the bosom of a Great House and the Host of the Dragon-Blooded strut in all their glory through the city as they travel to the Imperial Manse and observe this one singular miracle of procreation achieve its majority and assume its place amongst them.

The August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef stand before the nigh-complete Host of the Dragon-Blooded in the great audience hall of the Imperial Manse. The Mouth of Peace opens the ceremony, speaking the long-disused formal dialogue of an old ritual observation dating back (reliably) to the Shogunate. V'neef answers for her children, formally introducing them to the Host and annoucing their accomplishments for all to hear. Then the Mouth of Peace asks if there is any present who would speak of them, either to confirm or deny their acceptance, at which point the Empress enters the hall. After the expected obseience, Her Scarlet Majesty walks around her grandchildren and praises each in turn while she proclaims her love for them and her admiration for V'neef in producing such fine and admirable children. Her Scarlet Majesty then begins the given of the gifts.

Each Great House in turn presents the Quintuplets with a gift, given either to one of them specifically or to the House as a whole. House Peleps "gives" House V'neef the Merchant Fleet and sponsors both Rani's commission therein as well as her first command, House Cynis "gives" House V'neef the satrapy of Thorns and informs Maya that she is now the satrap, House Tepet sponsors Andara's commission in the Legions, House Ragara (by Ragara) gives Tandoor a blank book and tells him to "Record your deeds in this tome. It had better be full when you die.", House Mnemon (by Mnemon) binds the group together by sorcery into a Sworn Brotherhood, House Cathak grants--in the Empress' name--the Skin of Hesiesh to Andara, House Ledaal gives Samara a scroll that "...you will know how to use when you need to use it.", House Sesus gives House V'neef a concession on steel manufacturing and House Nellens gives House V'neef a shipping concession. (House Iselei, as it doesn't officially exist, didn't have a gift to present; they're lumped in with the Immaculate Order.)

The Thousand Scales went next. The Imperial Legions presented Andara with her commission, then her uniform and informed her that her first command shall be the Legion garrisson at Thorns. The Merchant Fleet presented Rani with her commision, then her uniform and informed her that her first command awaited her in Arjuf. The Office of the Wise and Knowledgeable Advisors of Foreign Princes presented Maya with the token of her position as Satrap of Thorns and then said that Ledaal Arnis's protege would accompany her to aide her in settling into her duties. Samara and Tandoor each received the public acclaim of their teachers, but no position awaited them; they were free, officially, to act as they desired for now. Instead, they received small tokens signifying their accomplishmets. (Note: At this time, both of them are being watched by the Magistry and the All-Seeing Eye to determine if they ought to be recruited.)

After all the pomp, circumstance and pagentry disgusing blatant political manuevers the ceremony ended. Later that evening the traditional revel for the new adults commenced, with the usual feasting, drinking and dancing--including the Dance of the Gold & Silver Veils--occured. While the Quintuplets enjoyed being the center of attention, V'neef sat alone in a side room entertain successive offers for marriage.

Only one abnormal event happened, and that involved Nellens Resol--another young Exalt--and his recitation of a poem praising Samara. Resol's infatuation with Samara goes back to primary school, where his affection bordered on obssessive, something proven again during his recitation; despite the fact that Samara attended the Heptagram while Resol attended the Spiral Academy, Resol's poem recounted events-some of which were intimate and very embarrasing--that only a Heptagram graduate ought to know about- albeit in a manner that made Samara look like a brilliant, virtuous heroine. Resol forced one of his mortal brothers to play accompaniment for him, and was quickly rushed out once he finished- leaving the mortal brother to the mercy of the Quintuplets. They showed mercy and compassion, giving him the very best V'neef wine and letting him talk at length about Resol's difficulties in the family--including his jealously of mortal relatives that showed him up--and this discussion was mirrored when the Nellens elders spoke with V'neef.

Rather than ask for Samara's hand in marriage, they asked V'neef to aide them in dealing with Resol. Internal discipline somehow fails again him, as it appears that he always anticipates their actions and has countermeasures ready, yet they know that he's barely capable of running his own affairs. Outside of his prowess as a brawler, his only trait of note is his stubborness; how he's able to defeat the will of his elders is unknown to them. Resol's vulgar display of power in his poetry performance confirms Resol's nascient danger to V'neef, so she agrees to aide the Nellens elders; by the next day, Nellens Resol receives word that he's to take up a commission in the Legions and be deployed to Greyfalls as a procurement officer for the 10th Legion. Samara is satisfied, and so the matter fades for now into the background.

After the night's expected enjoyment of one or both veil dancers, the siblings get up and take breakfast with their mother. It is at this time that Decidu Sarep sees the group, seeking to influence the incoming satrap against his brother, which has not the intended effect but does get the Quintuplets interested in going to Thorns as soon as possible lest other petty Dynastic intrigues overtake them. At this time Rani receives a letter from Fleet Admiral Ririon to report to Arjuf immediately, so they left as a group and travelled to Arjuf as fast as the coastal fleets could carry them; they arrived at the end of the month in Arjuf, and Rani immediately took command of the Imperial Merchant Ship Varuna. The House V'neef Master of Security--Memafa of Cherak--had already arrived and began the task of vetting the existing personnel, starting with Rani's crew; Memafa also verified that the Varuna was safe. Memafa handed Rani the latest intelligence report and went about his business. The Quintuplets secured themselves aboard the I.M.S. Varuna and sailed for Thorns.

[Kasumi]

Nifty stuff - are these kids going to be dealing with the arrival of Juggernaught in 15 years' time?

[Future Villain Band]

Bradford -- this is splendid. There were times when you were setting this up and talking about it that I wondered how you were going to pull it off, but you've done the job, man. It sounds fantastic -- I'd love to be playing in something like this.

--Eric

[Bradford C. Walker]

Nifty stuff - are these kids going to be dealing with the arrival of Juggernaught in 15 years' time?
If they live long enough. Fortunately I've taken care of the contingency of having one or more of the Quintuplets getting killed; V'neef gave them direct orders to seek out and recruit Outcastes into the fold.

[Kasumi]

If they live long enough. Fortunately I've taken care of the contingency of having one or more of the Quintuplets getting killed; V'neef gave them direct orders to seek out and recruit Outcastes into the fold.

So are you playing it for tragedy, or will they have a chance to blunt the ambitions of the Mask?

[mdinak]

Wow, this sounds like a great story! I have been looking for a good dragonblooded story, and this has really hit the spot, keep it coming!

[Bradford C. Walker]

So are you playing it for tragedy, or will they have a chance to blunt the ambitions of the Mask?
I'm setting it up as a tragedy and letting the players decide what to do with it by way of their actions. If they want Hamlet, then I'll give it to them. If, instead, they want some cross between Children of Dune and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, then they'll get that instead. Either way, I get to have fun.

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Ascending Air, Realm Year 748

Trierarch V'neef Rani,

Upon recepit of this letter you are ordered to immediately depart from the Imperial Manse and report to Fleet Command in Arjuf. Upon arrival you shall receive both your deployment orders and your command.

By My Hand, In Her Scarlet Majesty's Name, It Is So Ordered.

--Fleet Admiral Ririon
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1 Resplendant Air, Realm Year 748

Trierarch V'neef Rani,

You hereby ordered to assume command of the I.M.S. Varuna and deploy to the tributary state of Thorns immediately. You shall deliever the new satrap of Thorns--V'neef Maya--to her satrapy. Upon arrival you shall assume command of the Merchant Fleet office in the satrapal Manse and put the affairs of the Fleet to order. Once this is done, you shall submit a situation report to Fleet Command; Fleet Command shall dispatch staff personnel as it deems necessary, pursuant to your report, along with your new orders at that time. You shall enjoy the full and undivided support of the new satrap in this matter. The specifics of its execution are left to your discretion.

By My Hand, In Her Scarlet Majesty's Name, It Is So Ordered.

--Fleet Admiral Ririon

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Ascendant Air, Realm Year 748

V'neef Maya,

You are hereby confirmed as the new satrap to Thorns. This is your first posting in the Office of Wise and Knowledgeable Advisors to Foreign Princes, and it is expected that you shall live up to that title. To that end you shall enjoy the expertise of my protege, Auran Mykah, whom I detach from my office until such time as he is certain that you have mastered the skills necessary and otherwise grown into the position that you now occupy. As satrap you are the pinnacle of Imperial government in the satrapy; every action that you take, and every word that you speak, shall reflect for good or ill not only upon yourself and your House but also upon this Office and the Empress herself. Great rewards come from good stewardship, yet the dangers are also great. I share the Empress' hope that you shall fulfill the great hope that your auspicious birth presents, and I look foward to seeing you turn this erring princedom back towards harmony with the Blessed Isle presently and maintaining it for many a year to come. The specifics of how this is done is left to your discretion.

--Ledaal Arnis, Minister of the Foreign Office

[Bradford C. Walker]

Note: As noted above, this is the report that the August Immaculate Quintuplets received just prior to leaving the Blessed Isle and making for Thorns.
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My Lord and Ladies,

My sources confirmed some of Decidu Sarep's claims regarding his elder brother, Rinep, and the political status of the Autocracy of Thorns. They also uncovered information regarding Sarep that he didn't mention, for reasons that shall presently be obvious. I shall specify both sets of confirmations now.

Confirmed for Rinep:

Rinep is a House of Bells graduate, and his post-graduation deed of note was the Bandit Plague of 697. 50 years ago he led a group of Thorns nobles and their retainers as the city-state's contribution to a coalition of states aimed at tracking down a notorious bandit gang that plagued trade in the area. He worked with a group of young Lookshy officers and impressed them with his acumen, and they did likewise to him. He maintained contact with the Lookshy officers that he met then ever since; it is theorized that this connection is the basis for Sarep's accusation of treason against the Realm. His former comrades are now the Decidu House Guard, and remain very loyal to him; they form the core of the Thorns military.
Rinep's wife--Rufisa--is an outcaste Exalt from a small River Province community on the edge of that group of petty holdings called "The Hundred Kingdoms". She's said to act like one touched too much by the Wyld, but it may be a ruse; what isn't is that she possesses a solid Imperial-grade education despite there being no record of her ever being closer to the Blessed Isle than Thorns, and that she exerts a great deal of influence in court.
Rinep's son does suffer from unbidden augeries, but nothing as heretical as Sarep claims. Instead he's notorious for saying that Thorns would fall unless the crown looked to the sun and embraced the roots once more. As Rufisa often speaks in a similiarly vague and flowery manner, this is believed by Sarep to be a ruse to cow the nobility into submitting to Rinep.
Rinep enjoys the love of the common people as well as the traditionalists amongst the nobility due to his support for the common people, doing what he can to alleviate the destruction of the free farmer class by his efforts to use the dispossessed in large-scale building projects, but Sarep's control of the treasury often checks him.

Confirmed for Sarep:

Sarep is a Spiral Academy graduate, and not one of that school's more reputable ones. Sarep controls the Autocracy's treasury. He's gutted the military, reducing to it something barely more than a local patrol force, which would explain the increased bandit activity in the countryside, instead hiring mercenaries to secure favored locations--locations owned by his allies--and (it is alleged) to attack rivals.
Sarep disposes of criminals in Thorns by taking them as slaves and selling them to the Guild, who in turn sell them to the Fair Folk. Sarep buys them back and rents the now-mindless slaves to allies that prefer to use cheap, unskilled and disposable labor in their mercantile efforts. Through this process--which has gone on as long as you worthies lived--Sarep has managed to put an increasing number of free farmers into the poor house, where they eventually end up convicted of a crime and sent on their way as well. He's long used this as a means of destroying opposition amongst the populace, for which the common folk despise him. The former satrap, Cynis Gavel, received a portion of the jade so garnered as part of Thorns' tribute as well as some of the slaves.
Sarep has the support of the Guild and local mercantile interests, for they benefit greatly from the status quo, and he still enjoys support from House Cynis as well. Some of the nobility are wastrels that follow him as carrion-eaters follow hunters. My sources amongst the Thousand Scales say that there is talk of sponsoring Sarep for the throne, but nothing definate yet. I expect that no decision shall be made until the new satrap assumes her position and submits a situation report to the Office of the Wise and Knowledgeable Advisors, so if there is a window of opportunity to act then that would be it.

Assessment: Rinep may be the better ruler, but Sarep is more acceptable to the Scarlet Throne. Sarep never challenges the sovereignty of the Realm, never acts to disrupt the flow of tribute and never speaks heresy against the Immaculate Order. Rinep has questionable contacts with known enemies, flirts with heresy and blasphemy and doesn't have support of anyone possessed of influence with the Realm, the Guild or the Order; if any of his political or religious doubts can be confirmed, then his chances of winning approval from the Realm are gone.

Recommendation: Investigate Rinep and either confirm of deny the allegations. If confirmed, correct him if you can and remove him if you can't; if that is the case, then tame Sarep as you would a dog. If denied, put him into power and put Sarep out as fast as possible. Move quickly, lest your chance to put a friendly tame prince into place slip away.

Update: Nellens Resol left the Imperial City and deployed to Greyfalls, where he'll take his post in the 10th Legion, on 10 Ascending Air.

Verified as Correct Through the Above Date.

--Memafa, Master of Security

[Kasumi]

Bradford, I've got to warn you - you've posted more to this thread alone than I've ever written for any campaign ever. Maybe even all of them added together.

Do you realise the precedent you're setting? ^_^

[Bradford C. Walker]

Bradford, I've got to warn you - you've posted more to this thread alone than I've ever written for any campaign ever. Maybe even all of them added together.

Do you realise the precedent you're setting? ^_^
Get ready for more. In the future, I'll post more about these people:

Decidu Rinep: Our would-be poltically impotent warrior-king.
Decidu Sarep: His slimeball half-brother that knows how to game the system.
Decidu Rufisa: The Forest Witch with her own ideas on why Rinep ought to rule.
Decidu Harep: Rinep & Rufisa's five-year old son, the subject of an increasingly weird personality cult.
The Savant: An NPC that I've not named yet, who is the tutor to Harep and the close friend and confidant to Rinep & Rufisa.
The Decidu House Guard: A unit of 25 God-Bloods and Wood-Aspected Exalts, all of whom are practioners of Crimson Pentacle Blade Style and are armed with green jade dire lances and thunder shields. They're all Rinep's old war buddies.
The Guild Representative: Another NPC that I've not named yet, he's Sarep's partner in crime and corruption. He's also playing Sarep like a fiddle.


Once I finish with Episode 2, I'll get more into this stuff because I've got some time to kill until the next session. The only drawback to this game is that we can't play more often.

[Kasumi]

Get ready for more. In the future, I'll post more about these people:


*grumbles* *resolves to write up a Sidereal NPC every day in LiveJournal* *grumbles more about Bradford making me look like a lazy GM, despite such a portrayal being absolutely accurate*


Keep it up - I probably won't have much to say on a DragonBlooded game, but I'll certainly read.

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Resplendant Air, Realm Year 748

On this day, the August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef boarded the I.M.S. Varuna and set sail for the Threshold tributary city-state of Thorns. The ship--a small cruiser commonly commissioned as a yacht or diplomatic vessel (i.e. a Small Yacht, as per Savage Seas)--under the command of Trierarch V'neef Rani, sailed smoothly along the coast of the Blessed Isle with its pennant flying high and proud atop the mainmast. The winds favored the Quintuplets still, filling the Varuna's sails and speeding it along to the jump-off point, just near Noble, where ships sailing to Thorns break for open water. The Varuna stopped to water, never noticing that unfriendly eyes spied upon them from the shore, and suffered neither delay nor difficulty until it jumped into the Inland Sea and raced across it to Thorns. Sailing to the aforementioned entrance point took the better part of two weeks.

The Thorny Passage--as it is known--encompasses roughly 800 miles in length and rarely sees unfriendly surprises from either men or monsters due to the diligence of the Wood Fleet. Even the blazing-fast catamarans of the Imperial Post take a week to cross it, on average, and the Varuna was slower than that. With good winds and the wise use of Rani's Charms, the Varuna could nearly match that speed. Such good fortune wasn't quite to befall this voyage, for on dawn of the sixth day the Varuna came to quarters as it encountered an unusual fog. From that fog came a ship of a like class and struck colors, one that did not answer hails and soon proved itself hostile as it approach nearly dead-ahead with sorcerous winds filling its sails and a ballista on its bow aiming at their mast.

Trierarch Rani quickly ordered both her crew and her siblings to action, taking the wheel from her man and organized a counterattack despite the Varuna's lack of armaments. Samara sent her man-sized roc up and ahead, using her sensory link to spy upon the enemy vessel; she determined that this small vessel had at least three times as many sailors as necessary aboard, with three magical beings leading them: one leading the ballista crew, one on the wheel and a third fueling the sails with sorcerous wind. Tandoor, with his grand goremaul in hand, stood firmly at the bow and waited for his cue; Andara did likewise, albeit from further back along the deck. Maya ascended to the Crow's Nest, seeking to make full use of her powerbow. Samara stood near the back, just before Rani, spyglass in one hand and chakram in the other. Andara smiled; she'd been bored for too long.

Rani turned the Varuna to a head-on course and meant to answer the enemy's challenge; as the ships closed, the villains fired their ballista five times. Thrice did Tandoor deflect the bolts back upon the enemy and thrice did he humiliate them: the first bolt decapitated their bow spirit, the second lodged in their mainmast and the third pierced their hull. (Twice did those foolish pirates humiliate themselves by missing entirely.) Once the ships got into range, Samara invoked the Emerald Countermagic and broke the pirate's winds; the sorcerer aboard spent precious time putting himself out, lest the shards burn him. Maya shot at the pirate sorcerer thrice with burning arrows, wounding him once and igniting small fires upon the deck.

The pirates then made to grapple the Varuna as the ships came to pass, but only a couple of lines gripped the Varuna's deck. As they did so, Andara put forth her prowess and showed the wretches just what a Princess of the Earth can do: as the vessels passed, Andara ran fast along the Varuna's deck and leap several yards over the ocean and to the enemy's deck; she raced across the heads of the enemy crew, unleashed a dire lance made of pure Essence, speared the mainmast through its sails (igniting both), kept running to the stern and leapt again back aboard the Varuna. Two of the three pirate officers and ten of their men successfully leapt upon the Varuna during Andara's stunt, and just as Andara returned Rani yanked the wheel and made the Varuna lurch hard to port, turning the Varuna such that it would pass behind the pirate vessel and cross its wake. Meanwhile, Tandoor cut the few lines and then used his grand goremaul to hammer two of the pirates into the ocean; Andara skewered two more with her Essence-created lance; Samara unleashed her chakram upon the three officers, using the spyglass to aid her aim, and killed or incapaciated all of them in seconds. The surviving pirates swiftly surrendered, and the August Immaculate Quintuplets--minutes after making contact--defeated their first pirate ship and took the vessel as a prize without anyone taking so much as a scratch.

The I.M.S. Varuna arrived in the port of Thorns on 1 Descending Air, Realm Year 748, with the pirate vessel and surviving pirates in tow, to a grand welcome by the whole of the city-state of Thorns hailing them by name in welcome. Auran Mykah awaited them.

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Auran Mykah didn't travel with the Quintuplets. He gave notice that he would meet them there, preparing for their arrival and taking care of all of the mundane concerns that would be wastes of their time. He knew that travelling first to Arjuf and then to Thorns would take the better part of the season of Air, so he was in no hurry. Instead, he alighted through the nearest gate and returned to Yu-Shan where he reported to his superiors amongst the Sidereal Exalted as a whole- and more importantly, his superiors within the Cerulean Lute of Harmony. While he kept up with the developments regarding the Quintuplets--the pirate battle was a featured segment in the nightly presentation put on by the Office of Humor for all Yu-Shan to see--most of his time in Heaven during this period consisted of usual bureacratic meetings and visits to various libraries to seek out relevant histories on the task assigned to him. With a few weeks to go, Auran returned to Creation by emerging near Lookshy and sailing down the coast to Thorns. Using his skills as a diplomant and savant, bolstered ever-so-slightly by his Charms, Auran swiftly put the Satrapal Manse to order and prepared a most welcome reception for the Quintuplets.

[Hektor]

Wow, this sounds like an awesome game! I will keenly read everything you post on it.

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Descending Air, Realm Year 748

The August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef settled into their new Threshold home, and their new duties, after a week's worth of celebrations welcoming their arrival at Thorns. Andara met with her new Legion command, and found a pleasant surprise: the talon assigned as the satrapal garrison consisted entirely of men that she knew from her cadet exercises at the House of Bells; this included her old companion from school upon which Andara habitually delegated all of the "boring" aspects of being an officer, such as logistical planning and other staff officer duties. Rani found out that, prior to her arrival, the Merchant Fleet office consisted of nothing more than a put-upon functionary because the Wood Fleet got all of the funding for all Imperial naval activities in the satrapy; with the assistance of Tandoor and Maya, Rani got the affairs of the Merchant Fleet into order within a few days and submitted her report to Fleet Command. (She left out the part about Tandoor method of achieving proper bureaucratic cooperation with the Wood Fleet harbor office by way of putting the fear of the Dragons into them first-hand.) Quietly, compared to her siblings, Samara put the satrapal library to order and made room for her familiar near manse's roof, also a good star-gazing spot.

With Auran Mykah's assistance, the Quintuplets met with Decidu Rinep repeatedly over the month of Descending Air, avoiding Sarep as much as they could. Andara invited Rinep along on a bandit-hunting expedition, which the heir-apparent accepted, so she got to see the elder Decidu and his private militia--the House Guard--in action as they cooperated in taking down one of the bandit gangs that plagued Thorns' countryside. (It should be noted, however, that their victory was more due to luck than anything else, though only those two know that.) The Quintuplets also got to see first-hand the omnipresence of slave labor performed by former subjects of Thorns transformed into mindless husks of men by the Guild's trade with the Fair Folk, and--by contrast--the population's hope in the Quintuplets to put an end to this generation-long destruction of the common folk. They heard endless accounts of Sarep's hired mercenaries putting down peasant resistance and extorting ruinous taxes, taxes often paid by Rinep out of compassion for his people. It didn't take long to confirm most of what the house spymaster previous reported.

The final straw was when, one night, Auran Mykah--the first in this company to see Sarep as an enemy--slipped away from the satrapal manse and then stole into the fortified manor of the local Guild office. He did this easily by way of doffing the Respendant Destiny that he otherwise wore at all times, taking advantage of the Arcane Fate of his kind to coneal his presence, and infiltrated the manor as if he were a common manservant. With aplomb he talked his way into the office of the Guild's local representative--that night in private consultation with Sarep--and witnessed first-hand their collaboration. The villains shared a bottle of pilfered V'neef wine, which Sarep consume the majority thereof, and they spoke at length on the current matter. Their control over the previous satrap, Cynis Gavel, came from their explotation of Gavel's hedonism and naiviete such that they made him a debtor and a drug addict- both of which they used as leverage to extort favorable policies from him. They've repeated this tactic to gain control over an increasing number of noblemen (who serve as bravos in order to work off their debt and satisfy their habits) and merchants (who do much as Gavel did), with their goal being to acquire sole control of all power in Thorns; Sarep does this to ensure his ability to satify his own lusts, while the Guildsman does it to acquire more power for the Guild- and, thereby, for himself. They plotted to ensure V'neef Maya with this same tactic, and this time they're going to use Gavel to make it stick; Sarep produced a letter from Gavel stating that he'd done just that. Sarep then went on to brag that, as he was clearly elder to V'neef, that he intended to use Maya and the others as a means to again access V'neef and work his wiles upon her- and thereby become one of the most powerful men in all Creation. They also let slip that it was they who sent the pirate vessel to attack the Varuna.

Auran awaited his inevitable time to act, using Sarep's now-exposed weakness for illicit pleasures against him. As the Guildsman let Sarep drink himself into a stupor, Auran distracted him with his masterful singing voice; Sarep's attention turned to Auran, displaying his increasing lust for the boyish young man with an increasing level of depravity that sickened even the Guildsman. Fortunately for all concerned, the Guildsman successfully conspired to entice Sarep to drink himself into impotence; near midnight, Sarep staggered for his apartmets in the royal manse, leaving the Guildsman alone. At this point Auran saw that the Guildsman picked Sarep's jacket pocket, secreting away the aforementioned letter. Auran, at the Guildsman bidding (for the Guildsman falsely believed Auran to be someone else), returned with the Guildsman to the latter's office and watched as that man successfully removed Cynis Gavel's seal from the letter without breaking it and read the letter. The Guildsman then forged a replacement letter, placed the seal upon it and explained that Sarep would come for it in the morning; Sarep would read it, see that--instead of cooperating--Gavel betrayed Sarep to the Empress and predictably explode in rage and demand that Gavel be assassinated.

Auran nodded sagely and let this be done. When he had the chance, he escaped the manor and returned to the satrapal manse, donning again his Resplendant Destiny along the way. Auran woke the Quintuplets, informed them of these new developments and bade them to act quickly. Samara went first, using her familiar to fly over to the manor and steal both letters--carelessly left out--and return to her swiftly. With both letters in hand, the Quintuplets replicated the Guildsman's feat and replaced the original letters within the hour. Now that they had proof of Sarep's ill-will, they committed themselves to seeing Rinep receive the Crown of Thorns, but first there was the matter of clearing Rinep's name and that required checking Sarep's movements to buy time and widen their room to manuever.

[Kingleon]

Most highly excellent and virtuous game of elemental importance!

Cool, dude!

[Bradford C. Walker]

Decidu Sarep is the last child of the late Decidu Alaka and his third wife, a mortal Dynast by the name of Cynis Salo. Salo was a bitter woman, married off to Alaka as soon as she finished primary school and failed to Exalt as a last-chance way for her parents to save face, and she refused to let some aging country bumpkin prince tell her how to raise the children that he forced upon her. Salo hated Alaka, and she intended to use her children as her weapons of revenge; she refused to acceed to Alaka's demands regarding their education, sending them back to the Blessed Isle as soon as possible to be raised within her former household. Her parents agreed, seeing this as an opportunity to reabsorb House Decidu back into the fold, and thereby a plan devised to engineer a way to place one of Salo's children on the throne of Thorns.

Sarep was one of two that Exalted--the others manifested instead as God-Bloods, as is common amongst House Decidu's scions that don't Exalt--and not the older; Sarep was the spare. Constantly compared to his siblings, driven by his elders to not be a waste of time, Sarep found that the only way that he could get anything was to fight for it. Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a scrapper--he demonstrated expected aptitudes for archery, but the rest was not forthcoming--so Sarep used his mind and social skills to compensate. As a youth he discovered his ability with recognizing how social systems worked; in this he excelled, and soon he learned to use it as a weapon against rivals. He discovered the contraceptive supplies in his primary school, acquired access and then used it to sabotage his rivals when they slipped off with their would-be flings; several unintended alliances, with all of the result marriages and political upheavals, resulted from Sarep's manipulations and thereby did Sarep destroy his enemies.

Sarep repeated his schemes when he went to the Spiral Academy, quickly taking a position within the school's administration and using it to deal with those that got in his way or otherwise threatened his power. Rivals got errant schedules, found themselves expelled for tuition non-payment, arrested for various crimes, ruined by political scandal-mongering, etc. and in all cases Sarep avoided implication that would open him to retaliation. His instructors took notice, some grooming him for future posting in powerful Imperial positions within the Thousand Scales while the rest oppossed him with a subtlety that only a skilled, brilliant bureacratic politician such as Sarep would perceive. Sarep managed to perceive the situation quickly; he moved to neutralize the opposed faculty factions and then built up a shadow government of his own within the Academy, one that required the intervention of a magistrate to destroy- and then, only after Sarep graduated at the top of his class.

During the summers Sarep would visit with his grandparents and participate in the activities of House Cynis. He witnessed the excesses--and the excesses--of the Cynis first-hand, partaking in some of the hedoism as was expected of him but not truly indulging. Sarep recognized, from having assisted his elders in covering the "errors" of various guests, that this was a trap waiting to be laid upon him by someone elder in the family. Sarep also discovered that his brother--who'd gone to the House of Bells and performed admirably--was soon to be formally invested as the chosen figurehead for the family's operation to reabsorb Decidu back into the Cynis fold. The plan called for Sarep to disrupt House Decidu's functioning just long enough to place Sarep's brother on Alaka's throne, at which point Sarep was to meet with a convenient tragedy on the high seas as he returned to the Blessed Isle as Thorns' ambassador.

That night, Sarep confronted--privately--his mother. She was drunk, and in her pride confessed it all to him- exposing to Sarep his mother's contempt for him. He had enough; without so much as a thought, he seized the ancient Plasma Tongue Repeater that Alaka gave to her as a wedding present and fried her with it. Then he reloaded, went down the hall and systematically slaughtered all in the house; Sarep then looted the house, planted evidence implicating his grandparents and burned the house down. Then he returned to the Spiral Academy, completed the final year and graduated without further incident; his grand-parents suffered the most terrible audit from the Imperial Treasury, one brought about by Sarep, as a final means of vengeance. Since that night, Sarep's only goal was to make all of the world suffer- but to do that, he needs power and that requires building a base. Only one place allowed him to do that: Thorns.

After graduation, Sarep returned to his father's house. Alaka disapproved of his youngest son, sole-surviving scion of his late (and long-estranged) third wife, as Sarep struck Alaka as an effette dandy that was out of place in his kingdom built upon a soldierly position. It was at this point that Sarep met the half-siblings he had through his father, including Alaka's favored son--Rinep, son by Alaka's first wife, a Tepet mortal named Jana--and again found himself at the bottom of a new hierarchy. Alaka named Sarep as a tax collector and thought the matter finished.

Sarep instead decided to continue with his mother and grandparents' grand plan, but run by and for his own benefit. His goal is as simple as it is selfish: acquire so much power that no one can ever challenge him again. He's increasingly uncaring as to how he achieves that goal. Fifty years passed, but during that time Sarep seized control of the treasury of Thorns by subverting its government and using a variety of political manuevers to pit petty rivals against each other. He divided his foes, pitted them against each other and then finished off the survivors after each intrigue resolved. Piece by piece, Sarep stripped away all of the rivals that lay in the path between himself and Alaka's throne. Step by step Sarep used his skills to twist the traditions of his father's kingdom against Alaka, Rinep and those that stood with him. He had no qualms with exploiting his standing in House Cynis to see that a one-time ally became satrap, only to ruthlessly exploit the rube once in office and turn his cousin into a pawn. His vision narrowed, paranoia slowly crept in and now he trusts no one but himself and his closest allies; everyone else gets only that which Sarep says that they ought to know, which isn't always true, and even his allies never see what Sarep really is anymore. He's used and betrayed so many in his 70 years that he now expects everyone to be as he is--altruism is a word that is synonymous with "fool", as is "honor" and "duty", for him; those that exhibit such qualities and succeed enrage him--and he's utterly blind to what a tragic figure that he's become.

Type: Terrestrial Exalt
Aspect: Wood
Nature: Bravo

Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3.
Social Attributes: Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Apperance 2.
Mental Attributes: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4.
Abilities: Archery 5, Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Brawl 1, Bureaucracy 5 , Dodge 3, Endurance 1, Investigation 2, Larceny 2, Linguistics 2, Lore 2, Medicine 2, Melee 2, Performance 5, Presence 5, Resistance 1, Ride 1, Socialize 5, Survival 1.
Backgrounds: Allies 2 (The Guildsman & one To Be Determined), Artifact 2, Backing (House Cynis) 1, Backing (House Decidu) 3, Breeding 5*, Connections (Guild) 3, Connections (Outlaw) 3, Henchmen 3, Manse 2, Resources 4. (Bought as a Realm Dynast.)
Merits/Flaws: Ambidextrous (1 pt), Hidden Manse (2 pts.), Secrets (dynastic kinslayer) (-3).
Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 3.
Essence: 3 (Personal 14/Peripheral 33; includes Breeding bonuses)
Willpower: 6
Charms: Benevolent Master's Blessing, Confluence of Savant Thought, Enchanting Performance, Flickering Candle Meditation, Geese-Flying-South Administration, Glowing Coal Radiance, Hopping Firecracker Evasion, Loquacious Courtier Technique, Memorable Performance Techinique, Observer Awareness Method, Ox-Body Technique, Spring Follows Winter, Smoothing Over Past Technique, Swallow Defends The Nest, Testing The Waters, Threshold Warding Stance, Thrashing Carp Serenade, Thoughtful Gift Technique, Unbearable Taunt Technique, Warm-Faced Seduction Style.
Health Levels: 0, -1 x2, -2 x4, -4, Incapacitated.
Gear: Exceptional Slashing Sword, Jade Chain Shirt, Plasma Tongue Repeater, Exceptional Knife, Gemstone of Surface Thoughts, Gemstone of Deep Drink, whatever else Sarep can afford or acquire.


Notes: Italicised Abilities are either Aspect or Favored Abilities. Breeding is subject to the unusual terms regarding the Terrestrial bloodline of House Decidu.

[Bradford C. Walker]

15 Descending Air, Realm Year 748

Trierarch V'neef Rani,

Your reported arrived at Fleet Command on the 1st of this month. It is satisfactory. As of this date your new orders are not yet ready; they shall be dispatched by post presently. Until such orders arrive, maintain your current position. Fleet Command, however, agrees that the field office lacks capable staff personnel to administrate the official channels. You should receive five men with this letter; these men are to assume necessary administrative posts within the Merchant Fleet office as you deem necessary and prudent.

Fleet Command looks forward to your progress come the next seasonal report.

By My Hand, In Her Scarlet Majesty's Name, It Is So Ordered.

--Fleet Admiral V'neef Ririon

[Bradford C. Walker]

1 Ascending Water, Realm Year 748

The August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef awaken on this first day of the new season to find everything in a mess. Everyday supplies needed to operate the local Imperial offices are either out or running low. Upon inquiring into the matter, they find that the whole of the satrapy is ensnared in a near-shutdown of operations due to the bureauracy turning the whole of its attention to an unexpected tax audit of the entire autocracy; no trade enters or leaves unless it flies the Guild colors, and no other travel occurs save that of the Imperial Post or that for which the Guild vouches. The expected shipment of V'neef wine, for example, sits on the docks because there isn't enough customs officials to process the necessary proceedures required to put it through. This angers the Quintuplets, who see through the bureaucratic slowdown for what it is: a deliberate attack by Decidu Sarep, using his powers as Sub-Autocrat of the Treasury, to put pressure upon the Quintuplets. Right after breakfast, they set to work.

V'neef Rani goes down first to the Office of the Merchant Fleet to see what her duties entail. She hears from her beleagered functionaries that all of the people that she sought for shipbuilding purposes aren't able to work due to bureaucratic delays- something that the Office of the Wood Fleet also suffers. She almost caused an international incident when she threatened to stop the Guild's ship from going through, having had to be reminded of the Guild's treaty with the Realm and many of the repercussions of disallowing the Guild to maintain the flow of trade. She managed to get the wine off the docks and into storage before the Imperial Post catamaran arrived, delievering the mail as well as Rani's new staff; Merchant Fleet Command dispacted them to relieve her administrative problems, and Rani was glad to have them. She put them to work, and they immediately began working on the backlog of bureaucratic paperwork that Sarep inflicted on the office.

Andara had an idea. She reasoned that Sarep needed coopers in order to get his merchant friends' wares across the Island Sea. If she could convince them to side against Sarep and with her instead, then she could use Maya's authority to shield them long enough for the coopers' work stoppage to adversely affect Sarep and his allies' trade operations, which would give the Quintuplets the leverage that they need to negotiate Sarep out of power and place Decidu Rinep into power. It was a good idea, and Rinep agreed to go along with it. Part of the plan included a victory parade (of sorts) to show how effective Rinep & Andara (with their units) are at defending Thorns from bandit gangs, using the previously-captured bandit leader (since held quietly in the Satrapal Manse) as their prize capture. All of the other siblings, and Auran Mykah, went along with it.

Meanwhile, trouble stirred in the Royal Manse of Thorns. Decidu Sarep received a summons from the Satrap to explain the bureaucratic slowdown, but he refused it citing his need to oversee the audit lest he be unable to certify the results- and if the tribute collected was to fall short, then Maya would have to find some way to pay the difference. Sarep said that he didn't want such a thing to occur due to a lackey's error, so he was to oversee it personally. Until the audit finished, he was unavailable and not to be disturbed. Rinep couldn't compel Sarep to go as he had no authority to do so. None of the Quintuplets took this well, so they sent a man to insist upon Sarep's presence; the runner returned without so much as getting past the gates to the Royal Manse. Andara, never the patient way, took Tandoor to make a more forceful argument. Despite getting to the door to Sarep's office, not even she could argue her way past the wall of bureaucratic proceedure that Sarep erected. (Tandoor wasn't much help; he became fascinated with the walls of the Manse's interior and lost his focus, making Andara look week by extension.)

Unbeknownst to the Quintuplets, Sarep was overseeing the audit as he claimed; he was also deliberately skewing the figures to conceal the fact that he skimmed a king's fortune off the top, hiding his crimes amongst the expenditures alloted for all of the concessions that he established under the rule of Autocraft Decidu Alaka and Satrap Cynis Gavel, and the mercenaries that he hired to enforce his will beyond that which his private militia--the Unyielding Enforcers of the Sub-Autocrat of the Treasury--provides. His intention is to make the report appear that Thorns is just able to make its tribute quota this year, thus making any expenditures for things other than those necessary to get the tribute from its places of production to the docks appear to be reckless spending. He furthermore reiterated his old decree stating that, no matter the toll exacted, the taxes assessed must be paid; if that means selling all that one owns, including oneself or one's children, then it shall be done. Unrest amongst the urban poor and the ever-shrinking peasantry erupted as a result, forcing incidents of brutal beat-down style repression by the mercenaries hired to do just that. Rinep anticipated that the Quintuplets would act, knowing now what his half-brother is about, and quietly called the House Guard to his side.

On the morning of 2 Ascending Water, Andara and Rinep held their parade as the tail end of a manufactured protest led by the aforementioned coopers; Andara assigned a scale of legionares to watch the events and ensure that nothing unfortunate happened. The idea was to get Sarep at some place outside the Royal Manse where he was known to frequent, but it didn't work; by some freakish accident of fate, Sarep actually went down to the docks that morning to visit his allies amongst the shipping concerns, as they had some words for him regarding Rani and her activitites. Nonetheless, Andara went on with her plan; Sarep's absence wouldn't change her objective, which was to organize the people to Rinep's side. Andara made her speech while Tandoor, Rani and (unknown to all others) Auran (in a new Resplendant Destiny) looked on.

About eight men circled the gathered crowd, which grew to a couple hundred or so, and none of them looked like overly-curious locals. Auran went first, disguised as an old woman with a big walking staff, and managed to effectively trail one of them with superlative skill; Tandoor trailed two others, intercepting and incapacitating each in turn; Rani got one of them with a throwing knife before having to resort to melee; Auran stopped two others, surrepticiously using his martial arts to take each down without drawing attention. At this point Samara and Maya joined Andara and Rinep.

Rinep spotted the assassins first and ordered the Decide House Guard to action. With a cry of "Tortoise Shell Recession!" the guardsmen---respendant in their greed jade dire lances and matching Thunderbolt Shields--snapped into action and formed a Roman-style turtleshell formation centered on Rinep. Andara was not pleased, but Rinep bade her wait a moment. Rinep then ordered "Blowfish Puffs His Cheeks!" and the guard thrust forth their lances, leaving Samara just enough of an opening to see one of the assassins drawing close. She threw her Infinite Jade Chakram up and over the shield wall, having it arc high and bear on down upon her target; it sank into his skull, splitting it, and then returned to her hand instantly. Tandoor spotted another assassin and threw his Grand Goremaul at him, but he missed and the Goremaul bowled over a score or more people in the crowed. Auran, still disguised, swiftly intercepted yet another assassin and clocked him with his staff; then he fled the scene altogether. Andara, finally able to act, leapt into over the wall--using Samara as a stepping stone--and ignited a spear of flaming Essence into her hand. She bore down on the final assassin as he fled the crowd and speared him a few blocks away, bowling over into a warehouse nearby. There was an explosion, from which Andara walked away unscathed; Andara learned at that moment what the others learned just before her- that the assassins were armed with a brace of firewands and four firedust hand grenades. (Later interrogation would reveal the assassins, who claimed to be Grass Spider members, were hired to attack the crowd and make it look like the work of local malcontents.) Maya, through it all, had no idea what went on; she was so intent on petting a dog that she saw that she forgot about the world around her.

[rinabird]

So, GM o'mine, will you be wantin' any of the IC correspondence to tack up here, too, or no?

[Bradford C. Walker]

So, GM o'mine, will you be wantin' any of the IC correspondence to tack up here, too, or no?
In a few weeks; first I've got to catch up to the present in actual log entries.

[rinabird]

In a few weeks; first I've got to catch up to the present in actual log entries.


Oooooh, yes. Please, do remind me what's happened in the last...is it four? gaming sessions now. :p

[Kasumi]

Damn, this is a *real* DB game - I urge you to post more so that I can steal/be inspired by it!

[Bradford C. Walker]

Damn, this is a *real* DB game - I urge you to post more so that I can steal/be inspired by it!
Tomorrow is the end of Finals Week. Tomorrow night is when I join with my three compatriots to form the Iron STs and run our monthly oWoD LARP. So, starting this Saturday, I'll finally be able to update this thread and catch you guys up on what's gone down so far.

[Bradford C. Walker]

The August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef knew that Decidu Sarep wasn't whom they wanted to succeed Autocrat Decidu Alaka. However, they weren't certain as to what to do about it. Sarep's bureaucratic manueverings, while blatantly political and intended to harm the Quintuplets' ability to act, were within the letter of Imperial and local law; both parties knew that so long as Sarep maintained this pretense then the elder Exalt would retain the upper hand in their struggle. In the meantime, Sarep's policies continued unabated: more and more people, crushed by oppressive taxes, end up seized by Sarep's men and sold to the Guild as slaves- only to return a year or so later after the Fair Folk had their way with them, ready to serve as cheap and disposable labor on the vast plantations (usually) outside of the city-state proper.

The Guild's trafficking didn't stop with slaves. They controlled all vice trades in Thorns, thanks to an agreement between Autocrat Decidu Alaka and the Guild made some time before at Sarep's insistence, and that included the brothels as well as the parlors--often the same places--where Sarep rewarded his men and his allies with whatever women or drugs they wished; in this manner, Sarep made his allies into his minions. (This is also the means by which Sarep compromised the previous satrap, Cynis Gavel, and intended to ensnare V'neef Maya.) Sarep had a substantial stake in all such operations, as he sold concessions to the Guild in return for a percentage of the gross profits earned. This trade in misery and vice is what most angered a heretofore ignored Auran Myka: Sidereal Exalt and Chosen of Serenity.

Auran decided that he had to do something about this, that he had to do it now, and that he had to do it apart from the Quintuplets because they--to his mind--did not move fast enough to choke off this vital aspect of Sarep's network of influence and revenue. He retreated to his apartment outside the Satrapal Manse for some time, admitting no one and answering no summons, wherein he unpacked certain of his professional affects--his astrological equipment--and began to create a new working of Sidereal Astrology. By ritualistic methods and dutiful praying to certain gods, Auran Myka created a new persona--a Resplendant Destiny, as those of the Maiden-Chosen call it--with which he may enact his plans to attack Decidu Sarep's vile underworld operations. This persona would be that of an old woman, hair as while as a shining star and eyes as bright as brilliant amber, who would be as one of the common people and take up their cause with great vengeance and furious anger. Armed with naught but a humble staff, she would lay low the oppressors of the people of Thorns, bring them justice- and then disappear before Sarep's lap-dogs could catch her. She would be "The Amber Fox", and she would stir the people--and through them, the Quintuplets--into open rebellion against Sarep.

Auran's first test of his new Resplendant Destiny was during the attempt against Heir-Apparent Decidu Rinep and the Quintuplets by the eight men claiming to be members of the mysterious Grass Spider assassin sect. None penetrated the new disguise, and Auran proved quite adept at handling these mortal assailants with just a walking staff. Auran believed that this first outing was sufficient to justify an immediate escalation of his activities, putting his faith into his proficiency with the Violet Bier of Sorrows style of martial arts as well as his ability to avoid attacks altogether to see him through the inevitable brawls that would occur during these vigilante actions.

Auran's second outing occurred on the night of 3 Ascending Water, when he went out into the city. Again wearing the Resplendant Destiny of The Amber Fox, Auran went on patrol. He had heard earlier that the Unyielding Enforcers resumed their rounds in the poorer neighborhoods, bolstering their numbers with hired thugs, and began again to round up those too poor to pay the taxes that Sarep--as the Sub-Autocrat of the Treasury--assessed upon them to be sold into slavery to the Guild. As Amber Fox, Auran stood prominently at a block intersection and roused the common people with a speech that would impress even the jaded senators of the Greater Deliberative. As Amber Fox, Auran denounced Decidu Sarep and the Guild, called for justice to be rendered to the common people of Thorns, and that the true heir to the Thorny Throne be allowed to ascend to his birthright. This put a new fire into the hearts of a downtrodden people, and they came out of their homes to hear her better. The growing crowd attracted the attention of the Honest Preservers of Order--the city constabulary--as well as the Unyielding Enforcers of the Treasury, with the latter ready to attack the mob under a legal (but clearly immoral) pretext. Were it not for the timely intervention of V'neef Andara, then returning from another matter, this would've erupted into a riot or worse. Instead, Andara convinced the constables to lead Amber Fox away and disperse the crowd; the tax collectors agreed.

Auran knew, however, that the tax collectors would come back later to punish the people for their defiance. With some regret, Auran knocked out the constable and snuck away. He returned shortly thereafter and waited, for sure enough the tax collectors did return and began rounding up everyone. With Andara not there to prevent it, Auran knew that he had to attack the tax collectors if he was to make his revolution work. Only one of the actual God-Blooded members of the Unyielding Enforcers appeared, but a score of hired thugs came with him, and it was those mercenary scum that did most of the dirty work. Determined to make an example of these to all and sundry, Auran--stilled disguised as Amber Fox--attacked them.

The hired thugs went down quick and fast. They couldn't compensate for Auran's superior speed and mobility, they couldn't dodge or parry his staff strikes, and no attack could slip past his defenses. To the eyes of the people, to the eyes of the thugs, and to the eyes of the thugs' God-Blooded master it seemed as if one little old woman wearing no armor and wielding only a quarterstaff could easily defeat a score of vicious and skilled armsmen. The God-Blooded leader, knowing a little about martial arts, knew a master stylist when he saw one, and so he took Auran seriously despite appearances. However, all he saw was an old woman wielding a quarterstaff. Even if she was an exceptionally gifted martial artist, she was just a mortal to his eyes and thus well within his capabilities- especially as he wore a green jade breastplate and wielded a matching daiklaive. If nothing else, just wearing her down would be enough to spit her frail old frame on his jade blade.

It's good thing, therefore, that the God-Blooded leader severely underestimated Auran and failed to penetrate his disguise. Auran had the advantage of surprise, and he used it to good effect because it turned out that this God-Blooded bravo was a good match for Auran; the armor provided some endurance that Auran did not have, compensating for a lack of skill. The people saw that the tax collector had to fight all-out against this spry old woman, making him (and his fellows, by extension) look bad. Though the duel went on for some tense minutes as they fought all around the block, eventually Auran got the upper hand by judicious use of his Charms. He put the God-Blood through a wall and knocked the villain out, intimidating some surviving thugs to take the villain back to his master- and that Sarep is to know that The Amber Fox shall see that his ruinous reign shall come to an end.

[Bradford C. Walker]

4 Ascending Water, Realm Year 748

Word spread throughout Thorns the following day of the old woman calling herself "Amber Fox" and how she single-handedly thrashed one of Decidu Sarep's Unyielding Enforcers as well as the mortal minions that the God-Blooded henchman led against her. This news reached the ears of the Quintuplets at breakfast, and at the office of Decidu Sarep beforehand, as well as to the words of other interested parties in other places. While the Quintuplets discussed vigorously what the importance of such an individual might be, and whether or not this "Amber Fox" was a third party in truth or really an agent provocoteur for Decidu Sarep or the Guild. Sarep mulled these same issues over in his offices at the Treasury while he took his breakfast and made ready to interrogate the still-hurting henchman that faced "Amber Fox" last night. In other quarters, Decidu Rinep and his wife Rufisa discussed the matter before both of these Exalts went about their days; as Rinep left his apartments in the Royal Manse to train with the House Guard, Rufisa retired into her sanctum to perform a series of Sorcerous works.

Far away, at nearly the same time of day, in a caste somewhere in the Hundred Kingdoms, three Exalts sharing a bed stirred from their slumber. One of them, a woman, arose first; she gingerly slid over one of the two men and cleared one of the windows. As the light of the morning sun entered the room, so did a cherub consisting of raw Essence. It regarded the Exalted woman, shook its head, and then flittered like a humming bird to the bed where it hovered as it looked over the two Exalted men. Choosing the one with vibrant red hair, it bent down over the man's ear and bellowed--in Decidu Rufisa's voice--"WAKE UP RED TIGER!" Both men, startled out of their sleep, fell out of bed and scrambled to their feet; as the one called Red Tiger took up his red jade grand daiklaive, the cherub again spoke: "My husband tells you that your time it at hand. Come home to Thorns, and bring your allies with you." Its message delivered, the cherub dissolved and winked out of existence. But enough of Red Tiger and his long-time companions; their part in this story will come soon enough.

By midday Sarep finished interrogating his henchman, and put forth an official statement regarding Amber Fox as a subversive, a criminal, and an Anathema. The Quintuplets privately laughed this off, thinking--as V'neef Andara said--that this Amber Fox could easily be a very skilled mortal or an Exalt keeping his true identity secret for some reason or another. While troublesome, no one thought of Amber Fox as something that couldn't be dealt with later; instead, she was to be a catspaw used in scoring political points upon the enemy. Therefore, as Auran saw the Quintuplets still not stirred to act directly--Maya continued to act impotently against Sarep's political manueverings, while Tandoor helped (badly) Andara try to muscle and intimidate her way into a meeting with Sarep, while Samara mostly dealt with peripheral matters and Rani dealt with the Merchant Fleet matters--Auran decided to escalate things further.

That night, after spending the day in his normal guise as the Imperial Advisor out amongst the people "attempting to get the word from the people on Amber Fox", Auran followed a lead that he heard from earlier in the day. A widow told him of her drug-addled daughter, sold into slavery and made a prostitute in order to pay Sarep's taxes, that the widow's young son--still a boy, really--recently rescued and brought home at great risk. The daughter worked in one of the five premeire brothels in Thorns, popularly known as "The Dens of the Dragons' Repose"- but a better title would be "The Five Whorehouses of the Antithesises" due to the five's elemental themes and specializations. The ex-slave in question worked for that of the five brothels called "Pasiap's Pen", where she dealt in mud-baths and many of the traditional pleasures of the Realm's sex trade. Highly addictive drugs were a part of that panoply. The young woman, suffering severely from withdrawl, tore heavily at Auran's conscious; Auran decided to target Pasiap's Pen, and through it bring down all five of these premeire pleasure palaces- and thereby make as clear as the crystal of Chirascoro what threat Amber Fox posed to Sarep and all those who stood with him.

Night fell, and Auran assumed the Resplendant Destiny of Amber Fox once more; he easily entered the district of Thorns where these five blasphemous bordellos resided. He easily found the alleyside backdoor, and just as easily bluffed his way into the rear of Pasiap's Pen. The guard escorted him to the front room, where an array of clients--many of then Sarep's allies, partners, or henchmen--sat around a subdued room made up to look like a chamber in a mineshaft laden with gold, silver, jade and gems just waiting for miners to carve out. The madam of Pasiap's Pen received Auran, not piercing the disguise, and believed Auran to be exactly as he appeared. Some smug mockery, some tough words, and then the predictable attempt to waylay Auran from behind occured. With a snap of his staff, Auran put the fool out cold.

"I am the Amber Fox." Auran said, "If you value your lives, you will leave this place now for soon I shall bring this den of misery, vice and poison crashing down about you!"

"You're a skilled old woman," the madam said, "but not so skilled as to handle all of my men at once in so small a space. Guards! Kill this old bitch! Men, your next whore is on the house if you bring me her head!"

Many of the clients, being financiers and merchants instead of butchers and man-slayers, fled the scene and raised the alarm. The few that remained joined in the fight between Auran and the madam's guards. Auran learned the limits of his raw skill, as he did end up confined for a tense moment on or near the stairs as six or seven guards, and he had to employ the whole of his Charms to keep an otherwise certain death from happening. Doing so involved burning through all of his Personal Essence as well as tapping deep into his Peripheral Essence at one point: for a time, the Respledant Destiny melted away and Auran glowed with a bright, steady blue aura. Even so, one guard did get in a small blow and drew his blood; the bruise lasted a little while thereafter. Despite this, Auran managed to make this work for him and used the mishap to his ultimate advantage. Many he put down, and the rest fled fearing for their souls once Auran's anima banner let loose; he easily commaded the women to flee, returning to whatever homes that they could find- or, failing that, to seek out friends of Amber Fox. Auran trashed the place, utterly ruining it, but he did not intend to burn it to the ground until he found a store of narcotics and stolen V'neef wine; incensed at seeing this first-hand he burned it all down and fled again out through the alley, and then into the night. Fortunately for Auran, no one remembered who he really at all.

The following day--5 Ascending Water--Decidu Sarep again repeated the claims of Anathema regarding Amber Fox. Again, the Quintuplets spoke at some length of this figure. Again, V'neef Andara dismissed this as Sarep making excuses for his men. Auran Myka arrived a bit late, and V'neef Rani did ask how he got bruised, but if the Quintuplets doubted Auran's assurances that it was purely accidental then they didn't deem it necessary to press him on the matter. However, Andara did see the need to talk to the head of the Honest Preservers on this day; Auran would be pleased by what was to come of this meeting, but that I shall relate in a future post.

[Bradford C. Walker]

The Skin of Hesiesh (Artifact ••••)


History

Conventional rumor claims that this armor was taken from the body of Hesiesh when he died destroying one of the great sleeping beasts known now only as Primordials. As the great beast’s smoldering form crumbled to ash, Hesiesh’s men carried his body from the field and gave him a hero’s funeral. His red jade armor fused to his skin because of the intense heat generated by his Anima; it became impossible to remove. The pyre consumed his physical form, releasing his Essence to be reborn, but the armor did not burn. A great wind swept his ashes into the Inner Sea yet left his armor, cool and unscathed, in the center of the bare fire-pit. Hesiesh’s generals took this as a sign from the Essence of Hesiesh that he wished to leave this behind as his gift to Creation.

Some of the less dramatic elements of the Dynasty insist on a different story. They claim that the Empress commissioned an armorer, whose name has been lost to antiquity, who performed his apprenticeship under the great crafters of the Shogun to create the armor. It was made for the Empress’s third consort, who sired the Great House Jara. This heirloom passed down through the Dynasty to the heir with the greatest claim to Jara’s blood. Jara has since fallen from the Great Houses, and the last living remnant of his line was born into the Minor House of Gantry. There is only one person who knows the truth about the armor’s history, and the Empress is not talking.

Regardless of the armor’s history, when the last heir of Jara died in service to the Legions the Empress commanded that her scribes find the blood of Jara and return the armor to them. When the scribes returned and had found that none of Jara’s blood remained within the Dynasty, she took the armor upon herself and held a period of mourning for her lost consort. When that period of time passed she proclaimed that the armor would pass to the next child to Exalt as a Fire Aspect of a Great House. Several prayers were given to Hesiesh and his Dragon for their child to receive this boon, and the Empress’s recognition, but it appeared as though the Elemental Dragon of Fire was quite selective regarding this honor. No child Exalted as a Fire Aspect within the Realm for nearly three years, until V’neef Andara received his blessing. There was much speculation amongst the Dynasty’s social circles as to why the Dragon had “so blatantly” taken a hand in the gifting of this artifact, for as of yet V’Neef Andara has not proven herself exceptional in any way.

Rules

The Skin of Hesiesh was created using the rules in The Book of Three Circles. It is red jade articulated plate (Soak: 14B/12L; Mobility: -2, Fatigue 0, Commitment : 6), and otherwise is an unremarkable artifact of jade alloy armor from before the Realm of the Scarlet Dynasty. It isn’t until a Fire Aspect dons and attunes to the Skin of Hesiesh that that its true power awakens. When the Anima Banner of a Fire Aspect wearing this armor activates, it becomes extremely hot and pliable (Mobility penalty reduces to 0) and focuses the normally random flares of Essence within the Anima into the elemental Charms of the Fire Aspect. Any Charm that requires a number of motes of Essence to be spent within the favored Abilities of a Fire Aspect (Athletics, Dodge, etc.), acts as if an additional mote of Essence is spent beyond what the Exalt actually spends. This extra mote may increase the effect of the Charm beyond the Charm's normal limitations, but the Exalt must activate the Charm to receive any effect.

Example: A Fire Aspect with a Dodge of 3 may normally activate Flickering Candle Meditation with 2 motes to increase their Dodge pool by 3 dice. If the Fire Aspect is also attuned to the Skin of Hesiesh the armor will focus another mote’s worth of essence into the Charm giving the Chosen 5 dice to their Dodge pool if they spent 2 motes to activate the Charm. If the Exalt does not activate Flickering Candle Meditation with at least 1 mote of Essence, then the Skin of Hesiesh will not give the Chosen a free Dodge pool of 2 dice.

Another effect of the Skin of Hesiesh is that it focuses more power into the summoning and conjuring of Fire. In the case of an effect like Elemental Bolt Attack, the Charm is increased in effectiveness by 1 mote, which may be above the normal limitations of the Charm, as described above. For other Charms, or Sorceries that summon or conjure fire, the fire is larger and hotter than is normally expected with only a nominal increase in any stats or damage the fire might do (an extra foot or level of damage). Elementals summoned will always be on the stronger end of possible elementals to summon. In the case of the Melee Charm Refining the Inner Blade, the weapon formed from the fire has an additional +1 speed, +1 accuracy, +2 damage, and +1 rate. These amplifications occur before any other amplification powers are considered. The primary example of this would be the addition of an Elemental Lens to the Skin. There is a location for a Lens to be placed, but it has long since been lost, and most have no idea what the odd indentations on the Skin’s gauntlet are.

While the skin is active, amplifying the Exalt's Charms, the Anima Banner is barely visible and has no affect on the surroundings. The normal structural damage caused to the environment because of Anima Flare does not occur as most of the Essence focuses into the Exalt’s Charms. Additionally, the Fire Aspect’s Anima Banner is also inactive while the Skin is active (i.e. the Anima does not do Essence in Fire damage), as this is the primary fuel for the Skin.

The Exalt using the Skin of Hesiesh may chose to activate their Anima Banner ability without focusing it. This simply means that the powers of the Skin are not active while the Anima Banner is being used. The Exalt may decide to focus the Anima through the Skin at any point during a scene when the Anima Banner is active. However, once the Skin begins focusing the Anima Banner it will continue to do so until the end of the scene.

The Skin of Hesiesh does not come without a cost. The Skin integrates itself with the wearers Essence so strongly that the Skin will inflict a level of unsoakable lethal damage during the Exalt's turn each turn that he spends Peripheral Essence on a Charm or Sorcery that is amplified while wearing the Skin. The Skin draws upon the Essence and life energy of the wearer to fuel its power and sears the Chosen’s body with it’s extraordinary heat. The Exalt’s Anima power of immunity to fire will not bypass this damage. Whether this was intentional side effect, a defect in creation, or a flaw that has resulted from damage or age is unknown. Most likely because of this flaw, many members of the Dynasty believe the Skin of Hesiesh is “cursed,” that the owner will inevitably die a young death as the Skin consumes their body in its fire. After all, it has already consumed the bodies of an entire Great House.

[some guy]

I love the artifact. Cool effect, plenty of backhistory, and something of a curse.

Oh, and please keep up your tales of intrigue! Whilst I'm going to have to go over your thread again from the start in order to pick up on some of the characters, it's been quite entertaining so far.

[Bradford C. Walker]

"When V'neef Andara gets an idea, those that know her take care to find cover."--Tepet Arada

V'neef Andara is a remarkable young officer in the Imperial Legions, despite her age and inexperience, and much of that reputation stems from her extraordinary swings of fortune- good and ill alike. When fortune conspires against Andara, even when it does its worst, she uses the calamity to challenge her skills to handle the situation. When fortune favors Andara, it is as if fate conspires to hand her the perfect chance to show her quality and achieve exactly the results that she sought in her actions. It is not unusual for Andara to suffer several reversals of fortune in a single encounter, which witnesses report is an apperance that borders upon the surreal. Life is never dull for long around V'neef Andara, something that her family, her classmates at the House of Bells and her subordinates in Thorns quickly learned to accept as destiny.

It is this combination of fortune, skill, and daring that won Andara her reknown and earned her the rank of Talonlord just after graduating from the House of Bells near the top of her class just the season before. She won the notice of living legends like Tepet Arada and Cathak Cainan, and the respect of elders such as Ragara Moinas, by this means. She's also been a source of humorous anecdotes, usually in military circles, as her cycles of good and ill fortune provide many a tale when the officers drink together. It's also--though unacknowledged as such--one of the reasons for why Andara's first deployment was as the garrison commander of the Legion detachment in Thorns: if she can prove her worth in the Threshold, then maybe she'll earn her way into a position within the more respectable parts of society. Thus, when Andara said to her siblings recently in Thorns "I have an idea!" and took off running, everyone that knew her knew that this was going to be both a brilliant and dangerous thing.

V'neef Andara has little patience for the activities that come with being a skilled staff officer, much prefering to be active in the field, but that doesn't mean that she has no aptitude for it; it means that she often delegates the details to her subordinates and collaborators. Such was the case when Andara happened upon a plan to deal with Decidu Sarep, to break his stranglehold on power in Thorns, and thus put Decidu Rinep on the Thorny Throne. The problem is that Sarep has control of the Autocracy's treasury, and thus had primary responsibility to secure the tribute that Thorns must render unto the Realm every year in order to fulfill the treaty between the Realm and the Autocracy of Thorns. To do this, Sarep held to a policy that maximized the profits that the revenue streams--taxes, fines, fees, etc.--while neglecting the physical infrastructure and economic assets, allowing it all to decay into uselessness, whereupon it would be shut down and sold off to a front man for the Guild- and then it would reopen in a more labor-intensive form, if it reopened at all, charging at rates above all but the richest could afford. As the people became poor, the Treasury began seizing them and selling them to the Guild as slaves; these would later return to work as slaves for the Guild-owned operations. Profits soared, the Realm had its tribute, and--so Sarep claims--there was nothing to be spared to relieve the people's plight.

This is a lie, but one that Sarep long ago learned how to hide through layers upon layers of obsfucation- backed up with a cadre of private militiamen, the Unyielding Enforcers of the Treasury, serving as his vassals. He bought interests in most of the Guild-owned/Guild-run businesses, and he embezzled a lot of the money that the taxes, fines, etc. brought into the Treasury; through this hold on the purse of the Autocracy, Sarep exercised dictatorial control over the whole of Thorns, which is how he intended to transform it into an Eastern copy of An-Teng: a tributary of tame natives centered around the servicing of the Dynasty's debased pleasures, with just enough local color to keep the Dynasts entertained and amused. Many suspected it, but few had either the courage or the awareness to oppose Sarep effectively.

Andara had both. Decidu Sarep's Guild allies required that some artisans remain in operation because those artisans produce required capital goods that these businesses required to ship wares elsewhere. Specifically, the Guildsmen needed coopers (barrel-makers) and blacksmiths (for tools, horseshoes, and the bands needed to keep barrels together). Even then, the Guild put these artisans into a no-win situation that resulted in a de facto state of slavery. Andara found a weak point in Sarep's scheme here, and she decided to exploit it. Secretly, she went to meet with these artisans and they confirmed her suspicions that they're not happy with how the Guild treats them. Through negotiation, Andara plotted to use this discontent as the spark that would unleash a firestorm of unrest that Sarep would be forced to repress; Andara's other ally, the local constabulary, put into her hands the knowledge that would allow her to guarantee the artisan's safety in cooperating with her: their release would be guaranteed because those constables would "accidentally" cut them loose due to "procedural errors". While this went on, Andara would team up with Rinep to hunt down and bring in bandit gangs that ran rampant across the countryside; this would make Rinep (and, of course, the Quintuplets) look like good, competent leaders that care about Thorns and its people while exposing Sarep for the selfish, cunning thief and butcher that he truly is- oh, and making the Guild look just as bad.

Of course, as mentioned previously, this didn't quite go as planned, but Andara believes in herself and her capabilities. No one with her extremes of fortune can afford not to be so skilled, not if they want to survive. And, with that, the sides are set; now it's just a matter of deciding who does what to whom, how- and, as always, why.

[Bradford C. Walker]

The silence from the audience makes me a little uneasy. Feel free to ask questions, mark observations, or otherwise speak your minds.

[rinabird]

The silence from the audience makes me a little uneasy. Feel free to ask questions, mark observations, or otherwise speak your minds.


Just FYI, GM-dude, I'm subscribed to this thread, and I didn't get any notification of either of the previous 2 posts, so maybe people just don't know it's been updated.

[DaveB]

The silence from the audience makes me a little uneasy. Feel free to ask questions, mark observations, or otherwise speak your minds.

I get that silence all the time, dude. Just means that your audience is too awed to interrupt.

Or, that's what I've carefully trained my ego to say.

There are people reading and enjoying this thread. I know this for a fact, being one of them.

Please, continue.

[some guy]

I get that silence all the time, dude. Just means that your audience is too awed to interrupt.

Or, that's what I've carefully trained my ego to say.

There are people reading and enjoying this thread. I know this for a fact, being one of them.

Please, continue.

Agreed. I always make a note to read this thread when it pops up at the front page. Though at the moment I keep feeling like I'm watching a very quiet still lake... because any minute I know that a large rock is going to hit it, destroying utterly the tranquility.

[Ranko]

I'm on the fan-train too, subscribed and all...

So stop your crying and give us an update!

[QuicksilverFox85]

Just found this thread, and it's bloody awesome. Will you be updating it any time soon? *puppy dog eyes*

[Bradford C. Walker]

Just found this thread, and it's bloody awesome. Will you be updating it any time soon? *puppy dog eyes*
New updates begin next week. I'm still organizing my notes into something more coherent that I can use as a foundation when I write about this stuff.

[rinabird]

Just found this thread, and it's bloody awesome. Will you be updating it any time soon? *puppy dog eyes*


We (his players) have been asking that question with annoying (for him) regularity since January...notice how far we've gotten.

Make the puppy dog eyes at him some more. Maybe he'll listen to you.

:rolleyes:

[Bradford C. Walker]

5 Ascending Water, Realm Year 748

V'neef Andara had an idea.

Decidu Sarep's operations relied on trade, trade in slaves and trade in specialized goods & services. The one thing that both of these enterprises required was access to a supply of containers, meant to hold either necessary supplies to maintain slaves (such as water) or to contain the goods. That meant that he needed barrels, which meant that he needed coopers, blacksmiths and carpenters. This was the weak link in Decidu Sarep's chain of dominance and influence, and V'neef Andara intended to execute an all-out attack upon it. She met with the remaining local artisans--those very blacksmiths, carpenters and coopers--and heard them tell of how the Guild reduced them to virtual slavery, working with Decidu Sarep to trap them into making barrels (and other necessary staples) for and that now they weren't able to pay their taxes. V'neef Andara also met with the Honest Preservers of the Public Order (the constabulary), and she found that they didn't like Sarep either. Andara struck a deal with the constabulary to sneak the artisans out from under Sarep's control; they would arrange to hold the artisans until V'neef Andara would arrive to produce a writ from the Satrap transferring the artisans to Imperial custody, appropriating them for the good of the Realm- they would go to work producing barrels and other staples, at living wages, directly for the Legions and the Fleets.

This was done, and Sarep was furious. Previously, when V'neef Andara met with Decidu Sarep at the latter's office within the Sub-Autocracy of the Treasury, Sarep showed Andara the detailed book-keeping entries that he (and his assisstants) produced in the wake of a general audit of the entire satrapy. Sarep point out to Andara where the taxes and other tribute came from, and where it went, saying that "...the numbers don't lie, young lady; there simply isn't any money to be had, as your grandmother claims all but a pittance for the Realm's treasury." Andara's response was to slam the ledger with her fist, let her anima flare for a flash, and thereby ignite the ledger- burning it to ash, and leaving a fist-shaped burn mark on Sarep's antique desk. "I'll subtract the cost to repair my desk and replace this ledger from the tribute." was his reply at the time. Decidu Sarep didn't think V'neef Andara to be so bold as to conspire to steal his virtual slaves, which was a mistake on the elder Exalt's part, and seeing his very own scheme turned against him struck him with a great wound to his pride- and Andara, had she known, would've smiled at that fact.

Decidu Sarep, however, did not think it so amusing. He attempted to ensnare the Quintuplets into his web of corruption, and he attempted to demoralize them into compliance. Both attempts failed, and now he has a would-be folk heroine ready to incite a revolt against him as well as proof that the Quintuplets meant to throw down his plans- and him with them. It is one thing when Sarep doesn't take rivals seriously; it's another when he does, for that is when what restraint he has falls away and the true nature comes forth once more. Privately, Decidu Sarep wrote a few letters which he sent by secure means to contacts outside of Thorns. He also went to his erstwhile ally in the local Guild's administration, where he spent many hours speaking about the shifting situation and what threat the Quintuplets and "Amber Fox" posed to their plans.

What was amusing here was that Auran, without any Resplendant Destiny, went to that same location and infiltrated it in the guise of a common manservant. As Sarep's intoxication increased, so did his true--and degenerate--self become more prevalent. Utterly taken with Auran's beauty (Appearence 5), Sarep--still talking to his Guildsman ally--proceeded to use Auran as a living prop to demonstrate his particularities in terms of sensual and sexual preferences. The Guildsman, doing a good job at concealing his discomfort at Sarep's beastial behavior, kept Sarep at drinking plenty of wine- stolen V'neef wine, smuggled into Thorns with the intent to resell under another name and mark. Eventually Sarep and the Guildsman put together a call to a series of known mercenary affiliates, using them to act out in the hinterlands as bandits; this would draw the more potent Quintuplets away as Sarep set a trap for the weaker ones. Once they bought enough time, and put a stronger force into position, then they'd swiftly strike down the Quintuplets and blame it on a believable third party- such as a rival Great House or a known cult of Anathema. Then Sarep produced a letter to the former satrap, Cynis Gavel, with a slurred explanation that it would be enough to compel Gavel to intervene on their behalf in the Deliberative against the Quintuplets. The Guildsman, impressed, put it back into Sarep's vest pocket as he escorted his Exalted ally to the door; Auran saw that the Guildsman palmed that letter instead.

The Guildsman saw that he had an opportunity to eliminate Sarep, believing that Sarep was too dangerous to let continue as he was; the Guildsman used Sarep's letter to forge a second letter, one that would induce Cynis Gavel--due to threats and cajolings--to turn on Sarep instead and turn the rusted wheels of Imperial Justice upon Sarep. Believing Auran to be an insignficant peon, he explained it all to Auran; Sarep would awaken in the morning, see that he misplaced the letter, come back for it and take the forgery. He'd put into the Imperial Post post-haste, and thereby bring about his doom while making the Guild appear to be another of the monstrous Sarep's victims. Auran exfiltrated, returned to the Satrapal Manse, resumed his Resplendant Destiny and briefed the Quintuplets on the matter. In a not-so-skillful manuever, V'neef Samara had her familiar fly over to the Guild office and steal the forged letter; they replaced it with a second forgery that implicated both Sarep and the Guild, and inserted it with none the wiser. This was the start of Decidu Sarep's downfall.

But not before Decidu Rinep and his wife, Decidu Rufisa, intervened by calling the Outcaste Dragon-Blooded mercenary champion (and native of Thorns) Red Tiger--and his two best friends, White Plume and Pillar of Heaven--home to lead a peasant uprising against Decidu Sarep. This development, however, deserves--and shall receive--its own post.

[Bradford C. Walker]

V'neef Maya, as Satrap of Thorns, spent much of her time dealing--or, just as often, pretending to deal--with affairs of state. V'neef Andara, when not acting in a more political capacity, spent her time building up the Legion garrison from scratch. V'neef Rani worked increasingly in tandem with her counterpart, Peleps Tarik, in building up the Merchant and Wood Fleet facilities. V'neef Tandoor took to a more forceful way of enforcing law and order, often following up on what "Amber Fox" did the night before and taking care of unfinished issues- usually with his grand goremaul. That leaves V'neef Samara, who spent much of her time in the Satrapal Manse studying.

Auran recommended that she investigate the area to see if she could establish any contact with local spirit courts, or find if any baleful occult phenomina existed in the city. She did just that, and she left the Manse one day to walk the streets of Thorns all by herself. She spent many days walking around the vast city-state, getting to know its neighborhoods and seeing the put-upon people struggle day by day- to see that they fall asleep with food in their stomachs, and that they awaken the next day alive. This constant scene of misery and despair wore away at the compassionate heart of V'neef Samara, and she often related what she witnessed to her siblings; in particular were the encounters with those ravaged by the drug trade. However, she didn't find any spirits.

One day Samara went by the temple of the Immaculate Order. By order of Decidu Sarep, the temple was sealed. Surrounding its perimeter was a circle of salt, and that set Samara ill at-ease. With a little effort she reached a suitable position to look into the temple proper and used her Charms to perceive the immaterial; in a few darkened interiors she saw signs of spirit presence. As the sun hung high in the sky, near midday, she felt it safe enough to cross the circle and take a closer look. Within the temple, she found scenes of a massacre; following her nose, and holding it, she found over a score of corpses that were utterly foul and rotten, as they had be dead for quite some time. Her Charms allowed her to see the hungry ghosts hiding in those corpses, and that those of the monks--powerful Exalts all--were the most powerful that she'd ever seen. The others were the ghosts of a group of recently-Exalted Outcastes, awaiting transportation to the Blessed Isle. While not a trained investigator, Samara's knowledge of the occult lead her to conclude that the many burns found on the corpses were due to some form of firedust weapon; the high number of such burns, in so rapid an apparent affliction, lead her to believe that the killer either had a dozen or more mundane weapons- or that the weapon was a relic of First Age weaponry. Many hours passed, and the sun was soon to set; V'neef Samara was in no position to deal properly with this threat, so she fled the scene.

Samara returned the next day with her siblings and Auran, intent on destroy the ghosts and cleansing the temple. V'neef Tandoor's training at the Cloister of Wisdom would be most useful for this mission. Upon arrival, they discovered that someone had broken the salt circle. Dealing with the hungry ghosts, however, wasn't as hard a task as it could've been due to it being daylight. The weak ones were easily and quickly dispatched, while the stronger ones were held at bay. Had they not arrived that day, then those hungry ghosts would've gotten out and slaughtered the nearby residents before being put down- and before making their number multiply, in all likelyhood. Once the ghost-hunting ended, Samara went work on restoring the circle and repairing the ward that the salt represented. This went on for many hours, past dusk, and Samara finished just as the surviving hungry ghosts made a run for her; one claw snapped at her just as she finished the incantation, again trapping them inside. The siblings sent work to the Blessed Isle for an expert exorcist, and then set a watch--exploiting their collective good will with the people to do so--upon the temple, lest this nearly happen again.

Then came Samara's second spirit encounter. She went to the Royal Manse of House Decidu to speak with Decidu Rinep and Decidu Rufisa on a proposal to put up a revitalized primary education system. While there she took advantage of her presence to go roaming about the place, whereupon she encountered a very old man sitting in an attic room. The guard that had been trailing her slumped limp in a nearby chair, knocked out. The old man demonstrated command over the whole of his environment, moving things and opening doors without so much as a glance at them. Samara surmised that this old man was really a god, and a potent one at that. They spoke over tea, and Samara learned that the old man was the city god of Thorns; she also learned that the mile-high tree husk was the body of the city god's elemental concubine, whom had died in the Contagion. The god's will is to ressurect her, for he loves her so and wants her to return, and he is certain of eventual success because--back during the Primordial War--he saw a plan by the Great Maker, Autocthon, that it could be done by assimiliating the bodies of those harmonized with one's Essence into one's own body, and that once you reached a critical mass of Essence you'd come back to life.

As Samara came to see, the city god's grief and despair had driven the old god to insanity. It also drove the god to commit heinous violations of the natural order, for it was he--and not the Wood Dragon allies of House Cynis--who changed the founder of House Decidu, Cynis Decidu, such that all Exalts of House Decidu are always Wood Aspects (and that all that don't Exalt instead become Wood Element God-Bloods); he inters their corpses into the heartwood of the great tree, using a sorcerous ritual to ensure that the Essence merges with the body of the tree by assimilating it into the tree's body. Samara hid her outrage and disbelief well, and she hid even after the old god offered House V'neef the same bargain, for the god knew well that a Great House of the Scarlet Dynasty needs many Dragon-Blooded members if it truly to become (and remain) a great power in Creation. Samara's non-commital response seemed to go well with the old god, and when Samara took her leave the old god used his power to link the door to his room to a door across the street from the compound surrounding the Satrapal Manse. This was a bit surprising to Samara, a feeling that soon became great concern.

Samara related all that she learned to her siblings and Auran. They agreed that the city god had done seriously wrong things, and that this was something that would need to be dealt with as soon as their position achieved a superior degree of stability. However, reports arrived that bandit activity in the outlying regions had increased, and this Amber Fox woman continued to operate within the city, so it would have to wait.

Then, that night, the Guild's offices in Thorns exploded.

[Kasumi]

Excellent. I'm always up for more DB politicking ;)

[Bradford C. Walker]

The Quintuplets's concerted plan, covertly assisted by Auran in his guise as Amber Fox, worked to sap and undermine the wall of illusion created by Decidu Sarep in his efforts to cow the people of Thorns into submission. The artisans freed through the guile of V'neef Andara, the sincere empathy demonstrated by V'neef Samara, the raw compassion shown by V'neef Rani, the stone-like tenacity of V'neef Tandoor, and the cheerful demeanor of V'neef Maya all acted to counter and reverse the demoralizing effects of Decidu Sarep's regime. With this subtle spark of hope ignited in the hearts of the people as its catalyst, Auran--disguised as Amber Fox--transformed nascient hope into something that could easily be the basis for a mass political movement, a movement that the Quintuplets could easily capitalize into solid political support for Decidu Sarep's removal and Decidu Rinep's ascension. Unless something unforseen intervened, the transfer of power would be bloodless.

Something unforseen did intervene. Auran, on patrol as Amber Fox, stood atop the roofs of a downtrodden ward of the city when he heard a great explosion at the edge of his sight. Flitting from roof to roof, lighter as a feather, he ran to the site of the explosion. As he approached, he saw that the building so stricken was that of the Guild's headquarters. Below he saw roughly a scale's worth of men in combat with a like-sized group from the Honest Preservers of the Public Order, a group led by an obvious Fire Aspected Terrestrial Exalt. The man, his Anima fully blazing, ordered his men to fall back and regroup; he move forward to cover their retreat, using his red jade grand dailklaive to keep the constables focused upon him while relying upon his matching jade breastplate to protect him from harm. In a few moments, the Exalt withdrew from the constables and made his way to the roofs. Auran followed.

Auran chased the Exalt across the city, and eventually the Terrestrial noticed him; he stopped and faced Auran. Auran introduced himself as Amber Fox, and he put to the Exalt a demand to explain himself; the Exalted one said that he was Red Tiger, a foe of Decidu Sarep and the Guild, leader of a popular revolt against that man's regime, and he wanted to know if Amber Fox was one of Sarep's hired henchmen--if "she" intended to oppose him--or not. Auran took a good look at Red Tiger, noticing that this Fire Aspect--as with many Dragon-Bloods--was older than the boyish looks indicated; Red Tiger's eyes, posture, and demeanor spoke of him being highly skilled as a swordsman, an athlete and a leader- a common evolution of the Fire Aspects of the Dragon-Blooded. He did not doubt that Red Tiger could put that grand dailklaive right through his ribcage, so Auran paused an infitesimally small moment before answering.

Auran went through all of his memories of briefings and reports put before him in Yu-Shan prior to his deploying to the Blessed Isle; he vaguely remembered a Red Tiger appearing once or twice as a notable outcaste Terrestrial mercenary leader and champion, often active in the Hundred Kingdoms and often seen operating in tandem with an Earth Aspect--White Plume, master of Jade Mountain Style--and a Wood Aspect--Pillar of Heaven, mistress in archery and medicine--over there. Red Tiger's presence here, therefore, seemed out of place.

"You and I have common cause, Red Tiger." Auran said, "You champion the people beyond these walls, whereas I champion those within them, but we fight against the same foe. We should not be enemies."

"If this is so, then you should forth to my camp where we may discuss an accord. Come three days' march to the East, where my men camp around a fortified inn that we liberated from the Guild. Come as you are now, lest my men slay you as a spy, and come alone. I shall guarantee safe passage for you there and back."

"And you shall not return here until then?"

"Nay, I shall not."

"Done. May the Dragons protect you, Red Tiger."

And Red Tiger, his anima muted, departed into the night. Auran's work, however, was not finished. First he went back to the sight of the Guild's headquaters, and he saw the constabulary--with assistance--putting out the fire. The building was no more, and Auran quickly surmised that the explosion came from within-- from a store underground of explosives, probably firedust. Then he stopped an attempt by a few of Sarep's Unyielding Enforcers to exploit the chaos by seizing people off the street in the name of tax collection, and Auran thwarted that soundly. Once done, he retired for some much needed rest before returning to the company of the Quintuplets in the morning to brief them on what occurred overnight. (Rani, at this point, had become quite concerned at Auran's apparent ragged appearance; she suspected that he'd been working himself too hard to ensure Maya's place as Satrap of Thorns, but Auran just wouldn't let Rani treat him as an equal- a habit that Rani found incredibly, irrationally frustrating.)

Auran briefed the Quintuplets on Red Tiger's attack upon the Guild, falsifying only the elements involving Amber Fox, and then only as much as necessary. Then he decided to take a risk; Auran mentioned that he had contacted Amber Fox, intent on assaying the folk heroine's intentions, and he reported (truthfully!) the desire to throw down Sarep and elevate Rinep instead. Auran also reported, contrary to Sarep's latest propaganda pronoucements, that Amber Fox was not in league with Red Tiger; instead, Amber Fox confronted Red Tiger, calling him to account. In response, Red Tiger offered to meet with Amber Fox at a place three days away by foot. V'neef Andara was about to make a plea for going forth to confront Red Tiger, but Auran talked her down; Auran successfully argued that they ought to let Amber Fox make contact on her own, because Auran can get her to confide in him and he in turn would report to them what went down. The Quintuplets did agree to this plan, much to Auran's relief.

Auran the next day by horse, riding to the place that Red Tiger indicated, and he saw that a talon's worth of peasant militia did indeed billet themselves what was once a small caravan layover villiage. Again appearing as Amber Fox, Auran met with Red Tiger, White Plume and Pillar of Heaven. There they discussed for some time the past that shaped their present situation, and what possible futures they could create from the present. Red Tiger asked Amber Fox about the Quintuplets, asking if they were like the typical Dynasts that they encountered elsewhere- the spoiled scions of priviledge, power and position that aren't much unlike the Guild or Sarep. Auran gave a firm, critical, but overall positive assesment of the V'neef Dynasts; what sealed the trio's decision to seek a meeting with the Quintuplets was the insistance that, as a young Great House, this was their opportunity to intervene into Imperial Dynastic Society for the purpose of reforming its character by supporting a rising Great House that exemplified those virtues that they value so highly. As Red Tiger, White Plume and Pillar of Heaven were all idealists, this was an opportunity too great to ignore; they too placed their hope in Amber Fox, and let the "woman" ride away with the idea that--at long last--they could be so much more than hired heroes without a home of their own. Oh, and that revenge against the Guild and Sarep would be finally at hand.

A few days later, after Auran--still pretending that he and Amber Fox are not one and the same--told the Quintuplets of Amber Fox's successful meeting with those three outcaste insurgent leaders, V'neef Andara secretly left Thorns to meet with them. The two Fire Aspects negotiated at length, accounting for aid from Decidu Rinep, and agreed to coordinate their actions such that Red Tiger would be there to blunt whatever external overland action comes from the Guild; the signal to go forth would be when Decidu Rinep and the Decidu House Guard would take the field against the reported invading forces. The Quintuplets would handle all within the city walls, and any problems coming by sea. This would turn out to be quite a fortunate alliance, as already Sarep's response took shape at the borders of the city-state's territory. Soon political tension would explode into open warfare.

[Bradford C. Walker]

Decidu Sarep saw that he faced a true threat to his power in the August Immaculate Quintuplets of V'neef. He wasn't about to let some fresh meat from the Realm's four secondary schools destroy what he's schemed, plotted, conspired and murdered for 50 years to achieve. He intended to cut down these upstarts, blame their deaths on a convienent pasty and ensure that the inevitable replacements wouldn't get in his way. How was he to do this? Sarep knew that his private militia wasn't enough; he had too few men, yet he needed more and in multiple places. He had to find a way to split the coalition between the Quintuplets, his half-brother Decidu Rinep and that damned Amber Fox- oh, and keep that lunatic Fire Aspect that blew up the Guild's HQ from executng a repeat performance upon his holdings. Propaganda didn't work, nor did other subtle forms of divide-and-conquer, so Sarep decided that he had to go for the real thing; Sarep contacted several Guild-affiliated mercenary units, bidding them to come to Thorns, invading it with the intent to take and hold it while Sarep purged the land of dissidents and other enemies of his regime. Sarep would sell those that he arrested as slaves, and use those slaves as payment for the mercenaries' deeds; it's not as if he either needs nor desires that large of a population.

The campaign plan was a simple one. Several talon-sized mercenary units would cross over the border into Thorns and begin raiding and looting through the back country as they converged upon Thorns proper. Meanwhile, mercenary captains would ferry marine units down the coast and assault Thorns from the sea, using the undefended harbor as their point of entry. Word would be spread of the first group, compelling Decidu Rinep to take the Decidu House Guard out of the city to meet them. V'neef Andara would deploy her own talon of Legion troops into the field to back Rinep. Sarep decided to gamble here, and would send his own militia with Rinep & Andara's troops; at a given signal, the Unyielding Enforcers would turn on the House Guard and the Legion troops, tying them down long enough for the mercenaries to engage and finish the job. Meanwhile, the marines would take the harbor and Sarep would arrange for the Satrapal Manse to be blockaded by a panicked rabble. Meanwhile, knowing that the Quintuplets couldn't pass up a go at him as he sat seemingly unprotected, Sarep would engage the Quintuplets in direct battle; again, the strategy was to tie them down long enough for the hired goons to arrive and finish the job. Sarep had no problem believing that this plan would work.

Sarep was a skilled marksman, quite athletic, and utterly ruthless; he assessed the Quintuplets previously, and he deduced that Andara and Tandoor were the most dangerous of the five- the others weren't a threat to him without them. It was his intention to draw them into close quarters, move about quickly and make use of his aces in the hole--Safety Amongst Enemies, and a Plasma Tongue Repeater--to ensure that the heavy hitters would instead hit each other while he took down the weaker trio one-by-one. It was a solid plan, one that left plenty of room for the vageries of combat and thus (so Sarep believed) one that will see him through to victory.

Except that he forgot to account for Decidu Rufisa, Red Tiger, and the god of Thorns.

The Quintuplets and their allies did act as Sarep believed that they would. The Quintuplets did decide to directly assault the Royal Manse, aiming to capture or kill Decidu Sarep. Their allies did take to the field, along with Andara's troops, while Auran ran to the harbor to organize the dockworkers into a defensive force. The battles began after nightfall, and the fighting went on for hours in the fallow fields beyond the walls of Thorns, at the harbor docks, and in the Manse.

Decidu Rinep anticipated the treachery of the Unyielding Enforcers, so he put them out front. This forced Sarep's men to switch sides too soon, but still it was a very difficult battle. More mercenaries than expected arried, and the allied troops were outnumbered; Rinep couldn't hold the line for as long as he needed. That's when two events occurred; the first was the arrival of Red Tiger, White Plume, Pillar of Heaven and their militiamen on the mercenaries' right flank and the second was a fast-moving cloud of mist and fog on the left flank. Between the two, the flanks collapse inward toward the middle; Rinep and company swiftly slaughtered all of the mercenaries, granting no quarter. At the conclusion, a green-skilled woman-like spirit emerged from the fog. She addressed Decidu Rinep and said, "Your wife's sacrifice today brings you victory, but tomorrow it shall bring you grief." before disappearing. No one, not even Rinep, knew what that meant- then. They burned the corpses, said a few prayers to the Dragons, took what proof they required and then double-timed it back to the city.

Peleps Tarik, commodore of the Wood Fleet in Thorns, took his ragged flotilla out to meet the mercenary navy. Under him were a handful of midshipmen posted to this place by the House of Bells for an internship or sorts, and they dutifully sailed the boats out to fight off the invaders. Each had a store of firedust aboard for the catapults, and the invading ships had stores of the