View Full Version : [Actual Play] Exalted: The Sidereals - The Dimming of the Stars
Tonight was the first full session of my latest Exalted campaign. This is my first time running The Sidereals, and the first time any of my players have played Exalted, but I feel we're getting off to a good start.
The game keeps attracting more people - we're up to 7 so far. It's big, but I'd rather deal with a lot of players than turn away anyone who's interested in Exalted.
The characters:
Fas'rial, Chosen of the Maiden of Journeys. Utterly silent, he speaks through images and writings, occasionally coming off as a bit of a lighthearted fool. Is he truly a half-wit, or do his antics cover up some deeper secret?
Caelan, Chosen of the Maiden of Serenity. A gentle weaver, over 700 years old yet still greatly concerned with the well-being of humanity. She's been shackled to a desk job for the last century, and is finally getting a chance to travel to Creation again.
Elentari, Chosen of the Maiden of Endings. A sorceress on the rise, unafraid to bring things to their proper end. Death brings no terror to her. Was she born this way, or did some event change her?
Kyra Laditaken, Chosen of the Maiden of Battles. The Exalted daughter of a warrior, she's the muscle of the group - quiet, but brutal when her blade starts swinging. She acts tough, but what about the friends her Exaltation forced her to leave behind?
Zahara, Chosen of the Maiden of Secrets. An explorer, seeking that knowledge which has been lost to time. She possesses a key which can open any door, and no secret is safe from her eyes.
Merciless Constable of Heaven's Mandate, Chosen of the Maiden of Endings. A brutal enforcer of what he sees as the will of heaven. An celestial policeman, with no regard for the lives of criminals. His fanaticism is sure to bring him trouble some day soon.
Iadas Ipparrion, Chosen of the Maiden of Secrets. A trickster who wants to be remembered - and is frustrated by the Arcane Fate of the Sidereals that causes others to forget him. He wants to create the kind of mythical secrets that men will quest their whole lives to find.
I'll post the session summary shortly!
Session 1: Water Runs Freely
Fas'rial, Zahara, Elentari, and Kara were all Exalted approximately around the same time. After completing their training in Yu-Shan, they were each individually called to the Loom of Fate.
Travelling the canals, able to use the gold channel due to their summons, they each arrived at the Loom in turn, meeting with two Sidereals who would become important to them: Caelan, their new supervisor (of sorts), and Salesh Enoi, one of the few (perhaps the only) living members of the Directional Convention of Wood.
They made some brief greetings, as Enoi was anxious to give them their first assignment, so that they might be officially acknowledged as members of the Directional Convention of Wood. He didn't speak at any great length about himself, the Sidereals, or the Directional Convention.
Falcon Stone, a fisherman in the Nighthammer district of Nexus, had fallen into the Yellow River and drowned. He then went home to his wife. For some reason, the normal flow of cause and effect had failed, and the Sidereals were being sent out to set the course of events right and investigate what had gone wrong.
Five Sidereals left the Loom of Fate - Fas'rial, Kara, Zahara, Caelan, and Elentari. But only two arrived at the gate which would lead into Nexus. Fas'rial and Kara were met by Ayesha Ura, introducing herself as the head of the Gold Faction. Although the new Sidereals had expressed leanings towards the way of Gold, it was still too early to know their deeper political leanings. Still, she greeted them cordially, giving them their official mission statement.
She also mentioned two other Sidereals already operating in Nexus, likewise on a test mission to gain full acceptance into the Directional Convention. Neither Gold nor Bronze yet, Ayesha asked Fas'rial and Kara to find these Sidereals and work with them - and also to deliver a contagious Resplendent Destiny to them. Fas'rial and Kara would be given the Destiny of the Gull. Although affecting other Sidereals with Astrology was normally forbidden, Enoi had apparantly worked out an agreement with the Pattern Spiders to cover these new Sidereals - and suffered no small bit of Paradox in the process.
With a gesture and a flash, Ayesha opened the gate to Creation, and Fas'rial and Kara stepped through.
Already in Nexus were Iadas Ipparrion and Merciless Constable of Heaven's Mandate. Like their fellows, they were resolving a fairly minor twist in fate - a woman's shop in the Nighthammer district needed to be moved one street South. By doing so, a noble passing by would wander in, and examine a cheap glass gem, and the glint of the sun would throw off the aim of an assassin, and so on. But the shop had arisen in the wrong place.
Iadas and Merciless split up their duties - Iadas began sowing a seed of worry in the woman's mind, causing her to consider moving her shop - while Merciless scouted out the Southern street for shops conducting illegal activities, then inspired the local authorities to investigate. Tracking down the landlord of the shops in the Bastion district, he terrified the young noble, demanding that he only sell to the woman who would come by the next day. Although the memory of the conversation surely slipped from his mind, the effect remained to be seen.
Fas'rial and Kara emerged in a dark, damp, dusty ruin, surrounded by bugs and foul smells. They had entered the ancient city of Hollow, where the priceless gate to Yu-Shan sat forgotten among the ruins. Anxious to avoid spending any more time there, they hustled up to the main city of Nexus, where the scent improved, if only slightly.
Nexus was a far cry from Yu-Shan. The heavenly city was clean and efficient, filled with important beings from all corners of the world. Nexus was dirty, teeming with the scum of humanity, clamoring and grunting for a few slivers of jade. The Nighthammer district, where Falcon Stone was reported to live, was run-down, even by Nexus standards.
Questioning a few locals, the Sidereals faced confusing results. Half the people they spoke to mourned Falcon Stone as dead, and half cheerfully commented on his lucky life. They seemed not to notice their own contradictions.
Anxious to cover more ground, Fas'rial and Kara split ways. Fas'rial bravely took a swim in the Yellow River, seeking any magic that might have allowed Falcon Stone to survive. Finally, he released his breath, allowing the dirty water of the Yellow to fill his lungs - yet he did not drown. The laws of Creation were unmistakably broken.
Kara went to speak to Falcon Stone and his wife, Falcon Emerald. She was welcomed in as a weary traveller, still hiding behind the Destiny of the Gull. Falcon Stone knew little of his condition, merely counting himself excessively lucky, and thanking the gods of the river both through shrine and prayer. As Kara left him, he warned her of the Four Brothers Gang, who patrolled this section of Nighthammer.
Puzzled for the moment, the Sidereals checked their mission statement, which mentioned the god of the Yellow River, Wuni-Yan. They found a makeshift temple to the god, and set about to make preparations for a grand prayer to get the god's attention. Along the way, Fas'rial suggested that rather than Wuni-Yan, they pray to the lesser god of the Nexus docks - Simlaon.
As they prepared their prayer, the doors flew open. In strode six members of the Four Brothers Gang, demanding 'protection fees' and 'temple payment'. Fas'rial lured their leader close, holding out a minor coin...then grabbed his wrist and flipped him over his head, and onto Fas'rial's starmetal boot. The mortal dissolved into a spray of red paste and bone, which coated the walls and ceiling of the small shrine. Fas'rial looked upon the work of his own power in horror - truly, it was the first time since their Exaltation that Kara and Fas'rial had been in battle against mortals, and their tremendous power would take some getting used to.
Overhearing the battle, the Merciless Constable entered the temple with a shout and a swing of his starmetal baton, severing one of the thugs at the waist and sending his upper body sailing into the ceiling. They fell to their knees, praying for forgiveness. One foolishly rushed at Kara, who smoothly lifted him over her head and slammed him into unconsciousness. He was lucky to escape with his arm still attached to his body.
Recognizing the others as Sidereal, the Constable, Fas'rial, and Kara filled each other in on their respective missions. Merciless Constable left to check on the progress of the shopkeeper's move, while Fas'rial and Kara continued their prayer to Simlaon. The prayer was successful, and the power of their respect poured into heaven...yet there was no response from Simlaon. Either the god was absent, or simply ignoring the prayer. Either way, it gave them a new focus for their investigation.
Desperate for answers, Fas'rial wrote up several prayer strips to various gods and heavenly officials, including Ruvia, head of his division, and Wuni-Yan, god of the Yellow River. In a small fire, these prayers were burned, their messages floating up to heaven. One stayed longer than the others - the strip to Wuni-Yan burned slowly and shone brightly.
As they watched the fire blaze, they felt a great presence enter the room...they felt light, as if immersed in water, and damp. From the air, a great figure materialized before them, standing nearly 20 feet tall. His body was made from the foam at the base of the waterfall, and he wrapped himself in a golden robe made from the sunlight that falls upon the Yellow River. He introduced himself as Wuni-Yan.
For all his majesty, Wuni-Yan was of only moderate help. He could not solve their problem; the waters of Nexus were the duty of Simlaon. He could, however, offer two important services: first, summoning the final Sidereal they sought, and second, reopening the gateway to Yu-Shan under Nexus so they might return. To earn these services, though, Wuni-Yan requested a minor favor in the future. But what is minor to a god?
Iadas still wandered the streets of Nighthammer, when a great fog descended around him, drifting in from the Yellow River at Wuni-Yan's request. All directions disappeared into a haze...except one. Following this path, he was led to the gates of the temple, and Fas'rial and Kara filled him in on their mission. They agreed that it would be auspicious to combine their efforts when possible.
Having done as much as they could in Nexus, Fas'rial led his companions back to the undercity of Hollow, where Wuni-Yan promised to meet them, and reopen the gate to Yu-Shan.
- End of session -
voidstate
11-30-2004, 03:49 AM
Wow! Cool session summary. When do we get more?
voidstate
PS Must remember that slicing someone in half with a blunt object to demonstrate how strong I am stunt... :D
Wow! Cool session summary. When do we get more?
voidstate
PS Must remember that slicing someone in half with a blunt object to demonstrate how strong I am stunt... :D
I run weekly, every Monday. Although there may be a gap coming up during the school's winter break.
For that fight scene, I specifically asked my players, 'Are you hitting him full-force?' Martial arts training + Starmetal weapons + extras = Fine red mist.
Gizmit
11-30-2004, 01:34 PM
New to Exalted and they're playing Siderials? You must have an excellent group!
New to Exalted and they're playing Siderials? You must have an excellent group!
They are a good group, yeah. I haven't found Sidereals to be much more complicated than the other Exalts, though - if anything, the structure in heaven makes it easier, since I can more easily give them mission statements, advice from NPC superiors, rewards, etc. I always had more of a problem STing Solars, where there was often a question of 'okay, we're incredibly powerful. What do we do?'
Character creation's been a bit of a hassle, especially with all the extra Charms, Backgrounds, and points that Sidereals get, as well as having to explain Astrology. But the important thing is, everyone loves their character, and everyone seems to like the idea of being 'enforcers of destiny'.
voidstate
11-30-2004, 03:05 PM
If they're having trouble with astrology, I made a flowchart thing that makes it a bit clearer. There's a link on my website: www.voidstate.com/rpg :)
voidstate
If they're having trouble with astrology, I made a flowchart thing that makes it a bit clearer. There's a link on my website: www.voidstate.com/rpg :)
voidstate
I'm actually already using that PDF when possible! It's quite profoundly helpful. The problem on the players' part is more in understanding what astrology is, what the Colleges do, what it means to have a Resplendent Destiny, etc. I imagine that'll clear up as they get some time to play around with the system (especially in a few sessions when we do IC 'Astrology Training'.)
Kasumi
11-30-2004, 03:14 PM
This is cool! I'll do my best to keep up with the Actual Play.
Session 2: The Waters of Heaven
Characters present: All of them! Hooray for attendance!
Note: A series of typos kept 'Kara' and 'Kyra' switching back and forth. The character's name is now Kara Laditaken.
After receiving her mission from Salesh Enoi, Caelan returned to her heavenly home. Rather than heading directly to Creation, she decided to weave a change to the fate of Falcon Stone's wife, Falcon Emerald - shifting her star into the constellation of The Ewer, encouraging her fertility, and hopefully inciting a pregnancy without too much Paradox. The Pattern Spiders were merciful to her, making note of a single point of Paradox in her celestial file. The Contagious Destiny was laid upon her, waiting for her to touch Falcon Emerald and transfer the Destiny.
Down in Nexus, Fas'rial led his fellows through the dark undercity of Hollow, returning them to the gate which had originally led them to heaven. As promised, Wuni-Yan opened the door for them.
In Yu-Shan, Caelan, Zahara, and Elentari gathered at the gate to Creation, marveling at its craftsmanship - and the fact that not a single one of them knew the correct spell to open it. As they waited, the doorway bubbled, then burst open, sending a bright foamy cascade of water across the pathway before the gate. When the water had dissolved into wisps of steam, Fas'rial, Kara, Merciless, and Iadas again stood amongst the pillars of heaven. Fas'rial took the opportunity to pass the spell that Ayesha Ura had given him over to Elentari, and she began studying to Open the Spirit's Door.
Iadas sent a wisp of essence out as a spider, and it soon returned to him with a piece of information he sought - the location of the manse of Simlaon. With Fas'rial at the rudder, they set out to either confront this god, or find out why he was missing.
For about eight hours, they sailed, Fas'rial guiding the dragon boat through the canals of Yu-Shan. Over a thousand miles later (and a quick stop for Caelan to bargain for some ambrosia), they had arrived in front of the manse of Simlaon, only forty miles from the main halls of the Bureau of Nature. It was a structure of moderate excellence (as such things go in Yu-Shan), featuring beautiful fountains which sprayed water down, which then fell up - and down again, as rain. The grounds of this manse were slick ice, as reflective as a mirror.
The Merciless Constable and Kara circled around the back of the manse, seeking a path to ambush the god if things went poorly. Their signal would be a bird, either Caelan's raiton or Fas'rial's scroll-bird, flying from the door of the manse.
Caelan approached, bearing ambrosia, and two doormen formed from the icy surface, crossing ephemeral spears as the Sidereals approached. Sweet as Caelan's words were, they could not drive a crack into the hearts of Simlaon's servants. Iadas motioned her back, and began to weave a great tale of men who were of the sea, and of a great conch shell that made them into the first seals. So great was his tale that it melted the heart of the doorman, who would forever remember the glory of the tale that Iadas told. (A good roll on Song of Spirit Persuasion, followed by spending XP to make it permanent. Iadas writes down Spirit Ally: Simlaon's Door Guard. Kick ass.)
Stepping within the manse, they found it dark, lit by myriad sparkles mimicing the night sky. Seven spheres of water bounded around in the air, shooting thin arcs of lightning between them. In the center was the god of the Nexus Docks, Simlaon, roiling with black water and seething on his floating throne.
A few of the Sidereals realized something while gazing up at Simlaon - this fellow was much bigger than any minor god has a right to be. Could it merely be the prayers of fishermen which had bloated him to such a size?
Some negotation followed, with Simlaon getting more and more incensed, and the Sidereals not really getting anywhere - for they really had nothing concrete to use against him. Finally, the idea dawned to one of them - even if they had nothing, surely his crimes were recorded in the tomes of heaven! Caelan stepped forward, declaring her intent to begin a Celestial Audit.
Now that got him going.
Simlaon reeled back, his hand crackling with lightning. Before he could strike, Fas'rial leapt across the skin of the watery spheres, delivering a fierce Flying Mantis Kick to the god's body. Simlaon split in half with no more force than a falling raindrop, both halves merging with the water spheres floating around the manse. A thunderbolt leapt out, striking Fas'rial harshly in the body and sending him sprawling. Zahara attempted to hurl a knife at one of the spheres, but it simply tumbled through and fell out the other side, as ineffective as trying to defeat a lake by stabbing it. (Note to my players: In the manse, Simlaon was immune to Lethal damage.)
Kaloo, the scroll-bird, and the raiton fled from the manse together, alerting Merciless and Kara of trouble inside. They raced toward the entrance.
Iadas gazed upwards, at the few shafts of sunlight barely wafting in through the high spires of the manse. Fortunately, the Unconquered Sun was winning the Games of Divinity at that moment. Raising his bow to sight the sphere where Simlaon was hiding, he brought to mind the mantras of the Generalized Ammunition Technique, and nocked a shaft of sunlight onto his bowstring. He let the golden, immaterial arrow fly, and it struck the sphere, sending sizzling drops of water dancing like raindrops on a hot skillet. The manse resounded with Simlaon's scream.
Instantly, the balls of water rushed to fill the center of the manse, combining before erupting vertically from the central spire of the building. Merciless had nearly entered the building when he saw the sky above it explode in a massive wave of filthy water, leaving a rain of Nexus slime below it as Simlaon dove towards another domain he could exert control over - the Yu-Shan canals.
Merciless narrowed his eyes at this affront to justice, beginning his Inevitable Pursuit. The other Exalted, lacking his insight into the path Simlaon was taking, decided to again take control of the dragon boat that had brought them here, guiding it along the canals in pursuit. Fas'rial called upon the powers of the Black Flame of Mirrored Destiny, the shapechanging sash he wore. With a mere thought to the Unconquered Sun, his sleeves erupted in golden shimmering fabric, and he took flight in pursuit of Simlaon.
The offending god landed on a speeding dragon boat, with Fas'rial landing close behind him. Immediately, the canal twisted itself to his desire. Both sides of the canal, including the gold lane, flowed in one direction - straight toward the Bureau of Nature. From the quicksilver depths rose a dozen dragon boats, awakened by Simlaon's forced command over the canal.
The race was on. If Simlaon were to arrive even five seconds earlier than they at the Bureau of Heaven, he could conceal his crimes, and all the Sidereals' work would be for naught.
Kara first moved into melee distance, leaping from the boat the Sidereals had commandeered, to another, and finally to the same boat Simlaon stood atop of. Merciless soon joined her and Fas'rial, leaping from a bridge onto the boat, at the same time as Caelan used her staff to pole-vault onto that same boat. Now trapped with four Sidereals, Simlaon gambled on a risky assault. Leaping high into the air as the boat passed under the bridge, he shattered the supports with bursts of razor-sharp water, sending the five-ton mass hurtling toward the boat he had previously occupied.
Seeing death tumble towards him, Fas'rial decided now would be a good time to Duck Fate. Kara and Caelan shielded themselves, taking some damage as debris showered down around them. But the Merciless Constable had a plan - twirling his starmetal serpent sting staff, feeling the Blade of the Battle Maiden flow through him, he parried the boat, sending it sailing into the air, skidding across the top of the falling bridge and soaring for a few long seconds before crashing into the quicksilver below.
Simlaon landed on the surface of the canal itself, running as smoothly as a mortal might handle a finely-made road. In his wake, minor elementals began rising out of the canal - elementals of dirty water, rather than quicksilver. Mounting her tiger familiar, Elentari climbed over the wreckage, grabbed Caelan, and charged after Simlaon, striking a blow against him with her Horrific Wreath. Unfortunately, one of the elementals rose up and tore her off her tiger, sending her plunging into the quicksilver below. Another quick attack, and Zahara was in the canal.
In the silver depths below, strange tinkling voices came to the Sidereals - the true spirits of the canal, asking why their domain was no longer responding to them. They agreed to help the Sidereals overtake Simlaon, if they would simply break the surface of the quicksilver so that they might take control again. There was also the agreement of a small shrine in Creation, something to accomplish on a future mission.
The battle rushed onward, growing uncomfortably close to the Bureau of Nature. Was this one spirit a match for seven Sidereals? Was there any hope of stopping him in time? Just as doubts began to grow, two pillars of silver liquid erupted from the canal, one on each side of Simlaon. At their pinnacles stood Zahara and Elentari, guiding their new battle platforms against the offending spirit. The tide of battle had shifted.
Things went badly for Simlaon from here on out. A strong blow from Fas'rial sent him reeling, and Fas'rial found himself also in control of a silver pillar. Kara dove and spun at him, tearing his skin with her blade, and skidded across the surface of the canal. While she did not get a pillar, neither would the spirits allow her to drown in quicksilver. The Merciless Constable spun his staff in a whirring vortex, sailing across the quicksilver to land yet another telling blow to Simlaon, sending him to the edge of unconsciousness. (He was at -4, with only his Incapacitated box left.)
Caelan still sat atop Elentari's tiger, and made a final attempt to reach the Bureau before Simlaon. Seeing her ploy a moment too late, Simlaon sent a powerful arrow of water screaming at the elder Sidereal. With his leg guided by instinct, Fas'rial stepped between them, catching the arrow on his starmetal-armored leg - and being thrown dozens of yards in the air. Again he called to his shapechanging sash, and again the billowing fabric of his sleeves caught the wind and allowed him to glide to safety.
Elentari, magnificent mage that she is, sought a way to end the battle quickly, as the boats approached within a quarter-mile of the dock entrance of the Bureau of Nature. She called out to the spirits of Yu-Shan, seeking for elementals of earth to merge with this rogue god of water, hopefully making a slow-moving mass of mud. Fortunately, her Systematic Understanding of Everything gave her insight into persuasion, and the littlest gods came to her aid.
In front of the Bureau of Nature, they keep a small but extravagantly lovely garden, filled with the flowers of Creation. Each week, a different servant will go down to Creation, returning with a bucket of the purest water from Creation to encourage these blooms to thrive. It is said that Flashing Peak favors the iceblooms of the North, whose leaves always appear coated in frost, while Burnished Talon enjoys the rare Crimson Lotus of the South, known to be flammable and a fine substitution for firedust. The flowers of the East are glorious and large, thriving on the power of life, while the lilies of the West grow fat on the abundant water of the land. The garden of the Bureau is a real treasure.
At least it was, until the soil itself tore itself from the garden at Elentari's request and assaulted the rogue god Simlaon. Horribly tangled into a hideous, steaming mass of water and roots, the Sidereals calmly bypassed Simlaon and stepped onto the docks of the Bureau of Nature. They gave a quick glance at the canal behind them, having cut a swath of destruction five miles long, with dragon boats twisted and overturned, a bridge collapsed in the center of the stream, and various buildings and signposts having collapsed into the quicksilver from errant shots during the fighting. Hopefully Simlaon would take the full blame for this.
Behind the desk at the Bureau sat a beautiful woman with peacock feathers, a shimmering mass of blue and green. No sooner had they requested a Celestial Audit than Simlaon came bursting into the building, seething with rage, and slammed his fist onto the desk, declaring the entire situation an outrage and demanding to see his file. The woman smiled and responded, "I'm sorry, but that file has been closed due to a pending Celestial Audit. What else can I do for you?" The battle had been won. Simlaon, his waters boiling in anger, stomped out of the building, and the Sidereals let him go, knowing he was now powerless.
It was a quick matter to get another minor god to take control of the Nexus Docks for a few weeks until a formal audit could be performed of Simlaon. Still, many questions were unanswered. Why had Simlaon shirked his duty? How had he become a match for an entire Circle of Sidereals? Hopefully that file, sealed deep within the Celestial Bureaucracy, will bring some answers when it is revealed in a few weeks...or maybe it will bring more questions.
That being done, the Sidereals plan to head back to Creation, to finish the last loose end of their mission...but perhaps the hardest. Falcon Stone yet lives, an innocent man. And he must die.
- End of session -
Just had a bit of Inspiration from yer game- Exalted:Fading Sun!
The Sun is fading, darkening, withdrawing from Creation. The Jade Pavilion is shut fast, the Incarna barred, the Unconquered Sun sits listless on his Throne.
Now his Chosen, the Siderals, the little gods and mortals must find out why and save the Sun. For if the sun goes out, so does Creation!
SJE
Kasumi
01-27-2005, 02:11 AM
I'd just like to let everyone know two things.
1. People do follow links from sigs to Actual Plays, sometimes months later.
2. That canal fight was *badass*.
More, more!
Thanks for noticing! Blame my players for being awesome. More of this should ensue shortly - maybe on January 31st, but more likely our next session will be February 7.
Drat - I had about half the session summary typed up, and the internet ate it. More Sidereal action coming soon.
I'm going to start doing this one bit-by-bit, so I can get through it before next week's session!
Session 3: Sink Like a Stone
Sidereals in attendance: Fas'rial, Zahara, Kara, and Caelan. Elentari came in halfway through the session.
Merciless's player got a new job, so he won't be joining us anymore. I haven't heard from Iadas's player, but word on the street is that he has improv on Mondays, and will likewise be bowing out.
---
When we last left our Sidereals, they had just called a Celestial Audit on Simlaon, the rogue god of the Nexus Docks. Now they could only wait, and hope that the Audit actually came up with something. Fas'rial, Kara, Caelan, and Zahara began the long journey back to the Nexus gate by dragon boat, contemplating their mission during the journey.
Caelan still wore a Contagious Destiny meant to increase the fertility of Falcon Emerald, but doubt was beginning to creep into her mind. From her past experiences in the Bureau of Destiny, she knew the folly of trying to change the course of fate - would her intentions, to give Falcon Emerald a child to care for after her husband's death, be a part of the greater weave of the world, or would they be just another snarl to be cut in time?
And of course, there was the matter of drowning Falcon Stone, the problem which started this whole mess. They figured that four Sidereals should be sufficient to handle a lone fisherman, and left Merciless, Iadas, and Elentari behind to watch over Simlaon as he returned to his manse. The rogue god was now powerless and defeated, but was still a threat due to his irrationality.
As they sailed, they realized that they still lacked the means to open the gates to heaven. Fas'rial, frustrated at the slow pace of his own efforts to learn the spell to Open The Spirit Door, sent off Kaloo, his scroll bird, with a prayer and petition to Ruvia, captain of the Golden Barque of the Heavens, for assistance. As the leader of the House of Journeys, he would surely be able to give them the aid they needed for their travels.
The reply came a few minutes after they reached the gate, as Kaloo came winging back with a prayer strip in his mouth, several feet long. Fas'rial looked it over, but because he either cannot speak or simply refuses to, he passed it over to Kara. As she read the script of the Old Realm, each word burst into a heatless flame as she spoke it. As the last syllable was pronounced, the scroll fell into ash, and the portal faded away into the darkness of the undercity of Hollow, beneath Nexus.
As the ash fell, it spelled out another message, one for Fas'rial - something along the lines of 'That's one more favor you owe me. You really need to learn to do this trick yourself.' As they passed through the gateway, they felt the destiny of the Gull again wrap around them - growing weaker, but still effective. For now, they would merely be wanderers, easily forgotten.
Fas'rial led the way back through Hollow, up into Nexus, and then to the Nighthammer district, where they found Falcon Stone's home. Along the way, they passed a quartet of sailors bearing the bloated and drowned body of a comrade between them. It would appear that the Yellow River was again a deadly hazard. While it meant that the Sidereals had done their job well, seeing the return of death was not terribly satisfying.
They decided to split up at this point, to achieve both of their mission objectives quickly - Fas'rial and Zahara would go to the river to locate Falcon Stone, while Caelan and Kara would meet with Falcon Emerald and pass on the Contagious Destiny.
Falcon Emerald had met Kara before - wearing the same Destiny - and allowed her and Caelan inside. A mere touch would pass on the Contagious Destiny, giving her fertility a boost to perhaps continue the Falcon line, but Caelan hesitated. Could this woman support a child? Was this a part of her fate? Would meddling bring more serenity, or more suffering?
(OOC: There was some confusion about how the Contagious Destiny would work. I finally described it as "She gets a bonus to her 'get pregnant' roll.")
As they conversed with Emerald, Kara noticed something about their shrine. When she had been in the house before, Emerald had mentioned praying to the gods of the river for saving her husband from death. Now the shrine looked to be damaged, a candle fallen aside and incense scattered. As she spoke, Emerald explained that she had felt that the power of the place had run out...that somehow the gods just weren't listening anymore, and she had grown frustrated and damaged the shrine in anger. Perhaps it was a consequence of Simlaon's demotion.
The conversation went on, with Kara fidgeting and Caelan weighing the possible consequences of her actions. In the end, Caelan decided to wait, and did not touch Emerald. Why the powers of the Loom of Fate are passed on by physical contact, we may never know, but the Destiny remained on Caelan for the time being.
Meanwhile, Fas'rial and Zahara had come to the river, and found about a dozen fishermen on it. They wisely called out 'Stone!', causing one of the men on a raft to look behind him and scan the shoreline. While it would be simple to simply dive in and pull him under, or knock him out with a well-placed rock, such physical methods seemed unsuitable for the Sidereals. Besides, why get your hands dirty when you can get the spirits to do it for you?
Fas'rial began work constructing a small shrine to the lesser god of the Yellow River - most likely, the new spirit which was covering Simlaon's post. As they already owed this spirit some thanks, Fas'rial decided to put an exceptional amount of effort into the shrine.
Thinking about what a water spirit might appreciate, he decided that an expensive liquid might be pleasing - wine. He used his Efficient Secretary Technique to discern the location of a few casks of wine nearby, which were relatively unguarded. As Fas'rial continued to build the shrine and begin prayers, Zahara left to locate the liquor.
Zahara located the wine quickly, selected a cask, and began to bring it back to Fas'rial. Now, this was not a simple bottle of wine - it was a large-scale cask, like the kind Japanese sake come in, nearly as big as Zahara's torso. Her progress was slow, complicated by her difficulty seeing over the top of the cask, so she weaved back and forth across the alley.
Enter Caelan and Kara, coming from the other end of this alley. From their perspective, they are being approached by a giant, walking cask of wine.
Perhaps this would not normally startle a Sidereal, but you must understand that Caelan has been drinking. The conundrum with Falcon Emerald has caused her a great deal of stress, and her response to that stress is to drink. And she has been nursing a flask of strong booze ever since they entered Nexus. As a result, her normal Sidereal cognitive powers are...well, a little shot.
(OOC: We compared Stamina + Resistance scores for everybody. Caelan can take two drinks before being drunk. We also found that Kara can drink more than Caelan, Fas'rial, and Zahara combined.)
Caelan tapped Kara on the shoulder. "Do you see that?" Kara replied in the affirmative. Then Zahara started calling out for help. "Do you hear that?" Kara stepped forward to help Zahara with the cask, while Caelan continued to stare on in a dazed sort of wonder. Caelan left them to return to Fas'rial, while she went to 'investigate' the rest of the wine. She promptly collapsed on top of one of the remaining casks.
At this point, Elentari's player arrived and entered the game. The players and I started tossing ideas back and forth, trying to figure out how we would get her back with the group.
After watching Simlaon return to his manse, Elentari left Iadas guarding it and tried to catch up with the other Sidereals. However, she was far behind them once she entered Nexus, and had little idea of where they were going, except that they were off to find Falcon Stone.
Elentari put in some inquiries around Nexus, and found out that the most popular joint for fishermen was a seedy bar near the Yellow River. She planned to go in there, listen and observe until she found Falcon Stone, and then ambush him, drag him to the river, and drown him. The guise of the Gull worked against her, however, as she was immediately seen as an outsider, and not one of the Nexus sailors. She was impolitely thrown out.
Trying a different approach, Elentari ambushed a deliveryman on his way to the bar, throwing out one of the casks of wine he carried and then climbing inside. Her plan was to wait outside until someone carried her into the storeroom, then sneak out from there, probably head for the rafters, and observe until she found Falcon Stone. At this point, she was waiting inside one of the casks of wine, waiting for a sign that she was inside and the coast was clear.
Then Caelan fell on top of her.
Elentari attemped to lift the lid of her cask, but was unable, due to the sleeping Sidereal on top. Figuring that her ruse was already blown, she began to cry out for help. The ensuing conversation was hilarious.
"Let me out of here!"
"...oookay. I'm just going to open the spigot...and you just...flow out."
"No! Open the cask!"
Caelan thought for a moment. "...but then you might go bad."
After a bit more discussion, Elentari negotiated her freedom from the inebriated Caelan. (Along with the comment, "Geez, where were you when they were handing out INT?") Before they returned, Elentari attempted to create a potion to relieve Caelan's drunkenness, at least long enough for them to finish their duty.
Being drunk is really a state of being numb. The alcohol dulls your senses, making negative things seem less problematic, and making you have to do more extreme things to get a positive feeling.
Elentari's concoction tasted so awful, however, that even Caelan's numbed body could not comprehend the swirls of vitriolic vileness that assaulted her mouth. Unable to delude itself into a happy drunkeness any longer, Caelan snapped back into sobriety.
Caelan and Elentari began to return to Fas'rial, where the wine was already being used in their prayers. Hidden away from the eyes of Nexus, Kara, Fas'rial, and Zahara began to mix water and wine as a sacrifice to gain the favor of the lesser god of the river, to complete this messy task.
Fas'rial performed an elaborate ceremony of mixing the water and wine, splashing them together in a cascade of pink rain. I believe it was Zahara who went next, stripping down to her undergarments and kneeling in the sand, halfway between water and land, to ask for favor. (Or was that Caelan? Correct me if I'm wrong.)
Kara, however, did not do as well. The way of Battles is confronting problems head-on. Kara performed a dance, outlining her request to the gods through her movements, but she made an error. Her dance was agressive, urging the gods into a more violent death, rather than less. (Her player botched the prayer.)
I can't remember the other prayers, so if my players want to expound on their actions, feel free to post!
The voice of the river came to them, bubbling up from the piles of stones Fas'rial had built. Zahara had cupped water in her hands, speaking to it, and it spoke back in return. They outlined their request, and the need for Falcon Stone to perish, and the river, with some regret as to the necessity, agreed. However, due to Kara's error, it did not give him a quick and painless death. He was marked to suffer.
A rumbling began over the river, spreading in size and intensity and droplets of water began to dance on the surface. The fishermen who were out on rafts, Stone included, dropped and clung to their planks, wondering what would come next. As the rumbling continued, the spirit simply commanded that the waters would not hold Falcon Stone any longer. His raft soundlessly plunged beneath the water.
It should have been simple, but it seems that Sidereals are fated to face complexities. Stone resurfaced, spitting and screaming, as the waters pulled at him. He begged forgiveness, screaming curses and asking what he had done to be forced to drown twice.
Another fisherman leapt from his raft, intent on saving Stone. He might succeed, but the more likely outcome was that they would both die. Simultaneously, instinctively, Fas'rial and Elentari leapt into the waters.
Fas'rial arrived first, and pulled the fisherman away from Stone, forcing him to give up the fight and return to shore. Meanwhile, Elentari glided beneath the Yellow River, reaching Stone and clinging to him. She understood the way of Endings, and it was his time to go. He struggled valiantly, but the strength and endurance of a Sidereal will never fail to a mere human. He went limp, his story finally over.
On the other shore, Fas'rial climbed out with the fisherman, still sobbing over Stone. A friend, it seemed. Fas'rial wrote out instructions for him, commanding him to take care of Falcon Emerald now that her husband was gone. In his grief, he agreed.
The Sidereals returned to the Falcon home, to break the news of her husband's 'tragic, accidental death' to Falcon Emerald. She cried hysterically, she moped quietly, she showed the full gamut of emotion for her lost spouse. This was not one of the upper-class Bastion citizens, who would react to a lost wife with 'hmm, guess I need to find another one.' Stone was her pillar, her only source of happiness in a lower-class life, and he was gone now. They made efforts to comfort her, but there was really very little they could do.
Caelan stepped forward, patting her to console her. With that action, the Contagious Destiny was fulfilled, and Falcon Emerald was moved closer to the Ewer, imposing an Ascendent Effect upon her in order to hopefully give her a child. Only time would tell whether Caelan's astrology would truly find success.
Their work being done, they returned to Yu-Shan. In the undercity of Hollow, Fas'rial searched around for some souvenier to take with him (a memory of his completed task?) and found a beautiful black arrow sunk deeply into one of the rock walls. Perhaps it would later have some significance...perhaps it was merely a poor shot which landed here.
They were fairly quiet as they returned to the Loom of Fate, contemplating what they had done and the decisions they had made. Upon their return, Salesh Enoi, last survivor of the Convention of Wood, welcomed them back and congratulated them on their new, full, and official positions as the protectors of fate for the entire East.
Enoi told them to return to their homes; relax and train, and come back to the Loom when they felt the time was right. He would then give them their next assignment. The Sidereals spent their downtime in various ways, some training, some otherwise.
I've asked the players to, if they like, write a story about what their characters have done during this downtime. They can either post their stories themselves, or send them to me and I'll post them in this thread.
Some of them only felt like spending a day or two at home, while some took off several weeks to train. Strangely, though, when each one - independent of the others - decided to return to the Loom, they all arrived at the same time. Again, Salesh Enoi waited for them, and presented them with two envelopes. They faced, now, perhaps the most difficult choice they had yet to overcome - deciding which of their options would best serve fate.
One envelope was marked 'Astrology Training', to teach them (and their players) the ins and outs of Sidereal Astrology, which had been overlooked during their training.
The other envelope was marked 'Snake Among The Dragons', and was a more complicated matter of an artifact which had disappeared from fate, and suggested an infiltration of a family of Dragon-Blooded.
Some argumentation ensued about which option to pursue. The issue of the Dragon-Blooded seemed more time-critical, but the Sidereals felt that knowing how to perform Astrology might be very useful in their future missions.
Finally, they settled on undergoing Astrology Training. They were to meet with a Sidereal tutor, named Lucian. It seemed like a fairly straightforward thing - but who knows what surprises their training might bring?
Kasumi
02-12-2005, 09:23 PM
Cool! (I giggled at the wine cask bit, I'll admit)
In session 3, I was wrong - it was Caelan who knelt in the water and spoke to it as her stunt.
Session 4: Astrology is Hard
Not a terribly interesting session today. The Sidereals met with Lucian, and we did a IC/OOC session trying to get the grasp of Sidereal Astrology. I think they're all good enough at it to use it, I just hope they feel that the trouble is worth it to use in their missions. I think that Sidereal Astrology is the thing that sets the Sidereals apart from other Exalted, and I think it's a very evocative thing to have in the game, but it sure doesn't make for a fun session.
Eventually, the Sidereals tried their hand at astrology. Fas'rial performed an effect to bring Wheat And Rain, the fisherman they had met last session, closer in love with Falcon Emerald. His effect was quite successful, but he still needed to make a quick trip down to Nexus to touch Wheat And Rain to pass on the Contagious Destiny.
The Sidereals each practiced their astrology - gathering sacrifices for prayers and fumbling through their rolls, but eventually they got it. Zahara did a dance of black feathers, crows, and song, bringing the Destiny of the Crow down upon herself (although her first prayer failed, and she had to accept a lesser destiny).
Elentari observed the destiny of the Corpse by having an ally spirit tattoo her entire back with an ornate butterfly. A painful and permanent sacrifice.
Fas'rial returned to his manse, a great lantern made of paper. As his servant-spirits bathed him in light, he stood atop the central mast of his home, as flowers swirled beneath him. Then he fell, deep into the cloud of flowers and scent, allowing the whirling air to ease him out of his clothing and dress him in nothing but the caress of flowers. He would become the Ewer.
(Caelan would finish her Destiny next week, as she had to leave.)
As they discussed their mission at a eatery in Yu-Shan, Salesh Enoi entered with something they didn't expect: another mission envelope. This one, titled 'Witness to Evil,' asked them to investigate the servants of the Deathlords and determine their strength. It claimed the request was urgent - just as their other mission, 'Snake Among the Dragons,' had. They began to debate which problem needed to be solved first.
At this point, I brought up the issue of the Great Curse that affected the Sidereals. The Sidereals, believing themselves to be the proper guardians of all Creation, were cursed by the Primordials to hubris and stubbornness - believing in their own plans and schemes without listening to the advice of others. Such an attitude led to the Solar Purge, and still remained today with the division of the Gold and Bronze Factions. Certainly, the Curse wasn't as strong as it could have been, but it did lead to some confusion and anger as the Sidereals attempted to see eye-to-eye, and the ancient curse of the Primordials constantly shifted their gaze.
To make matters worse, Elentari revealed a tragic part of her past. Before she Exalted, she loved a man - and watched him die. Or rather, she watched him cheat death, saved by the Mask of Winters, and observed his Exaltation as a champion of the dead. Her history might be a blessing or a curse to their mission, but Elentari was certain that she wasn't ready to be face-to-face with him, Abyssal and Sidereal, quite yet.
Finally, they decided to continue on their current mission, creating a story where Elentari would masquerade as a relative of a Dragon-Blooded family, and the rest of the group would have destinies interlinked with hers (and created the Destinies you see above). I'll explain the mission in more detail next week.
A new Sidereal would also be assigned with them, although they didn't know it yet. Gicer, of the division of Secrets, was also undergoing training in Astrology. To call upon the Mask, he sat in the center of rows of candles, silently sending the room into darkness by extinguishing them with his concentration and muted essence.
Their first mission was a test. Their second assignment was training. Now, they would enter the realm of the Dragon-Blooded, the home of the Bronze Faction Sidereals, the center of the Immaculate Order which sought to deny the very existence of Heaven. If they failed - if their Destinies were not strong enough - they could not simply run back to Yu-Shan to nurse their wounds. They would defend the fate of Creation - or die trying.
After stumbling through Astrology all session, I went back to Voidstate's page and took another look at the One Roll Astrology system he created. At first I didn't like it, because I felt it lost a lot of the flavor of Astrology, but now I see that a simple system for everyday use could be really useful.
Still didn't like One Roll Astrology, so I restored the Preparation/Prayer Roll, and made it Two Roll Astrology. And then crammed as much extra info as I could on the page. The formatting will probably get screwed up on your computer, but the file is here: http://www.onlyonecomic.com/images/Two Roll Astrology.doc . It should be 2 pages exactly.
Kasumi
02-15-2005, 03:18 PM
Man, you're pumping out the sessions pretty quickly atm. Keep it up!
Now that school's back in session, we're playing once a week!
Session 5: Snake Among The Dragons
Present and voting:
Fas'rial, Chosen of the Maiden of Journeys
Kara, Chosen of the Maiden of Battles
Elentari, Chosen of the Maiden of Endings
And introducing Gicer, Chosen of the Maiden of Secrets!
The session began with Fas'rial carrying a Contagious Destiny for the fisherman, Wheat and Rain. Now that he was capable of using sorcery to open the gate to Yu-Shan for himself, it would be just a quick side trip down to Nexus to pass on the Destiny.
Two astrological effects and numerous trips back and forth to Yu-Shan, just to fix a little problem in a river...being Exalted is hard work!
Upon stepping through the portal to Heaven, Fas'rial entered the undercity of Hollow - and ran smack into Gicer. Fas'rial feared that a mortal had witnessed his passage from Yu-Shan, a mortal who would have to be brainwashed or silenced. Fortunately, though, the man shared the sparks that graced Fas'rial's eyes. Another Sidereal, one Chosen by Jupiter.
Gicer had been sent to Nexus on a similar test as his first mission - to sabotage a Guild wagon's wheel, so it would be slowed, and arrive to Nexus after another caravan from a nearby village had a chance to arrive and sell its goods, thus weakening the Guild in Nexus just a little bit. As was common for the Sidereals, it was complicated, but not hard. The difficult part came when Gicer tried to return to Yu-Shan...and found that he could not open the gate, and that the spirits of Yu-Shan were too busy to answer his prayers. Several days passed before Fas'rial found him.
With Fas'rial leading the way, it was a short run to the Nighthammer District, where they met again with Falcon Emerald. Gicer wore the Destiny of the Mask - a priest wrapped in the mystery of religion. He comforted Emerald on the loss of her husband, while urging her to guide them to Wheat and Rain. While the Contagious Destiny would have worked just by touching Emerald (or, perhaps, anyone in Nighthammer, as it had a broad Scope) these Sidereals seemed to wish to do the job personally.
So she led them to the general area of Wheat and Rain's home, and Gicer located the house. Wheat and Rain was a somewhat gruff, tense man, as one might expect from someone whose only friends are whores and fish. He greeted Emerald politely, keeping her at arm's length...until Fas'rial held them both in his embrace, bringing them to Heaven's attention. Now, Sidereal Astrology is far from perfect...but it was written in the stars that every move that Wheat and Rain made that brought him closer to Emerald would be blessed. It would be only a matter of time before they couldn't live without each other.
It was back to Yu-Shan, then. In high spirits, and with a fish over his shoulder (for some reason) Fas'rial led the way back to the undercity of Hollow. Just as they were about to duck down an alley to access the undercity, the skies burst into color. Far in the distance of Nexus, between low-rising buildings, a corona of brilliant and pure light exploded toward the heavens, accompanied by the scream of a diving raptor. The light faded away soon after, and the Sidereals - unsure if they had somehow caused this event - stole away back to Yu-Shan. He felt the Destiny of the Crow shred around him as he left, finally becoming unusable.
While they had been in Nexus, Elentari and Kara prepared for their next mission. This had found them at the Loom of Fate, in a small envelope marked 'Snake Among the Dragons.' It was from another Sidereal of Serenity, named Evening Sonnet. She explained that some time ago, she had been working on the Blessed Isle with a family of Dynasts. The Exalted patriarch, Lapas Tiame, had stumbled across her destiny as a Sidereal, entirely by accident. In a rush, she created a powerful astrological effect, and wove it into a small statue of white jade which she gave to him. It was written that whenever he would look upon the statue, he would forget again what he had seen.
However, the statue was now gone. Not simply lost or hidden - there are Charms to find that. The statue had disappeared from Fate, and its thread was gone from the Loom. It could be nothing...or it could be a harbinger of something much more dangerous. Either way, that statue needed to be found, and soon. After all, every moment that went by gave Lapas Tiame another chance to remember the existence of the Sidereals...which would throw the Blessed Isle into a paranoid civil war.
Having worked with this family before, Evening Sonnet suggested a path of deception. She had part of their birth charts recorded, and had found a cousin of the family who could visit them without suspicion - a young noblewoman, Lapas Ridana. One of the Sidereals would take her place, learn the information they needed, then escape with none the wiser. At least, that was Evening Sonnet's plan...but of course, nothing seemed to go perfectly according to plan for her.
The female Sidereals had been talking to Evening Sonnet, the Sidereal who had asked them to undertake their next mission. They asked a simple question - if the problem she had was on the Blessed Isle, why not ask the Imperial Convention, rather than the Directional Convention of Wood? Her answer was that Wood symbolized life, something which was unappreciated among the Bronze Faction of the Imperial Convention. Lapas Tiame - the man they would need to investigate - was a good person, hardworking and noble. The easiest and best solution, at least in the eyes of Heaven, would be to simply slaughter the Lapas family - something she did not wish to see pass.
With her eye on profit, Elentari began to negotiate with Evening Sonnet. The prize that was offered for this task was one piece of light Starmetal armor - hardly a worthy gift for a full Circle of Sidereals. Elentari wheedled her up to two pieces of Starmetal armor, at least enough to outfit herself and Kara. The other Sidereals, Elentari told herself, didn't need to know about their extra reward.
It came time to don the web of lies they had woven.
Elentari became Lapas Ridana, wearing the destiny of the Corpse. She wove her own interpretation into the stars - the death surrounding her would be the death of relationships, a woman whose fickle nature ended love as soon as it began.
Playing the other half of her charade was Fas'rial, the Ewer, becoming Jormaine of the Spiral Rose, Ridana's flirtacious fiancee. He remained mute, however, meaning his seduction would be done with body language.
Kara, the Gauntlet, became Thorn, the bodyguard. A greataxe on her back, she followed Ridana around, keeping any muggers or other villains at bay.
Finally, Gicer became the Mask, playing Miroc the priest, trailing Ridana to keep her moral...and perhaps to marry Jormaine and Ridana if it came to that. So their story went.
Before they left, a snake slithered up to Elentari with a book on its head. The small, handwritten journal was a gift from Evening Sonnet, describing the Lapas family's history and familial relations. Tiame's father was assassinated by poison. His wife was mortal, and died a century ago. He has a daughter and a son from different women, one Lapas Meiru, and one Lapas Brisan. Few children of his have Exalted, none yet noteworthy.
Unfortunately, to reach their destination, they had to sail halfway across Yu-Shan, a trip of around a thousand miles. Still, it was better than trying to walk from Nexus to Arjuf on foot. The dragon boat cut through the canals cleanly, with Fas'rial at the helm, somehow sailing while asleep. (Hey, it's the Exalted rule...if it sounds cool, it works.)
Eight hours later, standing in a pavilion of the gates to the Blessed Isle, their Destinies rose around them...and immediately had to be dropped, as Elentari sent thirty motes of essence swirling through the sky to Open the Spirit Door. As Elentari glowed with the soft aura of a Sidereal, they could only hope that the other side of gate 7 would not be the center of a city.
Fortunately, it was not. They stepped out onto a small outcropping on the side of a mountain, about 200 feet above the ground. Below them, about three miles away, lay Arjuf, bustling with activity. Far in the distance, they saw a mountain. It looked impressive, perhaps a few miles high...until they looked at the ground, and saw the trees, cities, and land disappear into haze. The mountain was not 10 miles away, but perhaps a thousand...and it was not a few miles high, but hundreds. The Imperial Mountain. The Elemental Pole of Earth. The center of Creation.
But there was no time to dawdle on that, there's work to be done! By the time they made their way down the mountain to Arjuf, Elentari's anima had faded to a minimal level. They set about seeking information. The Lapas household was not on any map, and Evening Sonnet had mentioned they were nomadic. Before they could be infiltrated, they had to be found.
Gicer sought information at a local horse trader...and botched his attempt. He immediately sought out the rest of the group, convinced that their next move should be to go to the Imperial City, hundreds of miles away.
Fortunately, Fas'rial and Elentari had better luck. Fas'rial managed to convince a bartender to help him, and the bartender recommended the master of the docks, who lived nearby. Thanks to a request by Elentari's player, his name was Billi Idolu.
They hastened down to the docks, where they found Kara pummeling some information out of a few Arjuf citizens. They also caught up with Gicer, and visited Billy Idol...um, Billi Idolu, the dockmaster. Fortunately, she was barking up the right tree - the family had come in to deliver some stores of meat and drop off supplies just a few weeks ago. (The Lapas family were herders and hunters, it seemed.) He was able to narrow their search area down, giving them a path to follow away from Arjuf that should lead them to the Lapas family.
In her appreciation, Elentari managed to dismiss Gicer and Kara, and sent Fas'rial outside to 'play' with her pet tiger. (I often forget to mention her Familiar.) Fas'rial was lucky to survive the experience, having a chance to practice his Dodge and Endurance abilities, while Elentari and Billi Idolu practiced Stamina and Performance inside. I guess a girl gets pretty lonely when all her friends are spirits, and all her coworkers are manipulative fate-ninjas.
So, without further ado (except the ado where they bought a carriage) they set off. For two days, they travelled the route that Billi Idolu had pointed out. Early on the third day, they came to something strange in the road. Straddling the road was a gigantic depression...an octagon nearly 100 feet wide was pressed into the ground, as if one of the Yu-Shan manses had been pressed down, then lifted straight out of the ground. On the other side, hoofmarks trailed away, with deep ruts cut in the road. Was this the trail of the Lapas family...or something else entirely?
With another day of travel, they came upon it - an elegant, eight-sided manor, sitting off the side of the road in a clearing of trees. It was the perfect fit to the depression they had seen...except, of course, that the house was here, and the depression was there. A closer inspection revealed a masterpiece of engineering - seams divided the house, where various parts fit together, and the outside was covered in hooks and harnesses that horses might be attached to. It was a mobile home! A manor worthy of a Dragon-Blood, but able to be disassembled and hitched to eight teams of horses, and moved across the land as quickly as a wagon might travel. It was extravagant, yes, and unnecessary - and their first taste of the eccentric decadence that was the life of a Dynastic Dragon-Blood.
Guards posted at the door stopped the group, until Elentari introduced herself as Lapas Ridana, the cousin of the family. With a moment's deliberation, they allowed her in - for, wrapped in a Destiny written just for the purpose, they truly wanted to believe her. In the antechamber to this massive home, they met Lapas Meiru, the unExalted daughter of Lapas Tiame. She seemed surprised to see Ridana, and perhaps a little confused, as the real Ridana had visited just last season. Meiru made some small talk with Elentari/Ridana, then ushered her into the main banquet hall to meet with Lapas Tiame.
Tiame arose from a luxurious-looking couch, rising to an impressive height. His skin twinged with crimson, and his hair was as red as flame. The Exalted blood of Fire must be strong in him, as even after three hundred years of life his presence was still awe-inspiring.
More small talk followed, as the Sidereals did not yet know how they would pursue their task of finding the missing idol. Gicer requested a room where he might change, and Tiame commented on how auspicious their timing was - the guest rooms were already made up, in preparation for Tiame's grandson's visit, Lapas Dricas. The boy was Exalted, and a monk of the Immaculate Order...and a day late. The Sidereals wondered if this might be a clue.
Meanwhile, no sooner did Gicer enter his room than he snuck back out and began inspecting other areas. One room was full of trunks and such. A bed was in the back, but it was lost among the trade goods and refrigerated casks that filled the room. As elegant as this manor was, it was still a wagon, and a wagon used to transport goods. Searching through some drawers, he found a copy of the Immaculate Texts with the family's birth chart written in the first page. Useful for filling in holes in Elentari's story.
The other end of the hall was filled with weapons and armor for the guards, but nothing that Gicer was not already equipped with. As he hated to leave empty-handed, he palmed a pair of daggers.
On the other side of the hall (after sneaking past Meiru), he found Tiame, Meiru, and the servants' quarters. Meiru's room was first. He found it filled with all kinds of decorations, the mark of a woman who was not a child but not an adult. Cloth draped from the ceiling gave an impression of royalty, but was simply a cheap decoration. A stand of dolls sat on one side, with skin of alabaster - the kind of toys that were too fragile for a child, and too immature for an adult. No sign of an idol, however, and he decided not to waste time searching her cabinets.
Moving to the servants' quarters, he found, unsurprisingly, that two servants were there. A cook and a maid sat playing a simple card game, probably having just completed their tasks. Wearing his destiny as a priest to the fullest, he asked them for news, prayers, and confessions. They only offered vague requests for Meiru and Tiame, but there was an air that something had gone unsaid. They had mentioned that Tiame had become forgetful as of late, which made the Sidereals wonder if the disappearance of the idol was having some effect on him. But the servants wouldn't explain themselves further, or give any hints as to Tiame's ailment.
The Sidereals met back in what would be Fas'rial and Elentari's bedroom, and agreed that they would each pursue a different path. Fas'rial would speak with, and perhaps seduce, Meiru. Elentari would deal with Tiame. And Kara would speak to the servants, bringing a more physical form of questioning to the table where Gicer had failed.
As we neared the end of the session, I decided to focus on Kara and Gicer.
Kara, or 'Thorn,' entered the room with the servants, her greataxe slung across her back, asking for any information that they wanted to tell her. Her attitute made it clear that it would be quite painful for them if they could not produce anything interesting. They held out for a while, unwilling to spill their family's secrets, but a slip of the cook's tongue allowed Kara to convince them that she was part of the Thousand Scales - the eyes of the Scarlet Empress.
They asked forgiveness for the illegal drugs the caravan carried, claiming that they didn't know where they came from, and that they were carrying them unwillingly. They swore that they had just opened the crate, seen the drugs, and sealed it, and that neither Tiame nor Meiru were aware of them. Regardless of whether this was truth or lies, it gave the Sidereals ammunition to use in their quest.
The cook had one other fact that Kara needed to know. He had discovered poisoned meat in meals intended for Lapas Tiame - a light poison, one that would probably just cause suffering rather than death. He had discarded the poisoned meat, and had not mentioned the attempt to anyone but his fellow servants. He felt that it had been done recently, but he had been unable to catch the poisoner in the act. Whoever had done it - and followed them through their last move - had to know the pattern that the Lapas family used whenever it moved. Only the government of the Arjuf prefecture knew that, and Meiru had already mentioned her distaste for Ledaal Maris, the governness. The possibility that the poisoner was a Lapas went unsaid.
Their leads exhausted, Gicer and Kara went to find the drugs that were supposedly in their shipments. They found a sizable tub of something hidden among shreds of material in a large crate, and brought it back to their fellow Sidereals for discussion.
At this point, I had another good spot of improvisation, creating the concept of Crystal Tears Honey. The Crystal Bees only thrive in a few parts of the Blessed Isle, and rarely survive in captivity. They crave the wild, and will defend the nests they build with fervent anger, bees the size of candy bars directed by their baseball-sized queen. They build a bitter honey, utterly inedible.
That is, of course, unless one can strike at their nest and crush the queen. Then, their warriors lose their fighting spirit, and the bees simply fill the hive to weep for their fallen leader. Their tears, falling upon this bitter honey, create a potent concoction of love, hate, passion and sadness. Soon afterwards, the hive dies, leaving behind a good-sized amount of one of the most unstable and powerful hallucinogens known on the Blessed Isle.
Of course, Elentari had to dip her finger in it and taste it. Suddenly her companions were longer...and fuzzier...and much more colorful.
Perhaps Fas'rial saw the honey, and it reminded him of the Ambrosia of Yu-Shan. Perhaps his destiny was particularly weak today. But he took a bottle of this Crystal Tears Honey and chugged it.
Before the First Age came the age of the Dragon Kings. Powerful masters of mind and body, these reptiles were both culturally advanced and utterly terrifying to look upon. And it was these creatures that Fas'rial imagined his companions transformed into. He squwaked and flapped his arms, running headfirst into the wall - for he believed himself a Pterok.
With a little dead weight from Elentari to hold him down, a bit of knotwork from Gicer, and a failed Stamina roll to keep him conscious, Fas'rial had quite an uncomfortable nap. Lapas Tiame picked this time to enter the room...and seeing Fas'rial tied up and Elentari sitting on him, made a hasty and embarassed exit. They had seen a rare sight - a Fire Aspected Dragon-Blooded become even redder.
Elentari and Fas'rial blacked out together, while Kara and Gicer made their bed for the night. Tomorrow, they would have a chance to interrogate Meiru and Tiame, and get to the bottom of this mystery.
Vargo Teras
02-22-2005, 06:15 PM
Just a small note, and certainly not worth ret-conning over, but resplendent destinies don't allow you to impersonate specific individuals; thus, Elentari could pose as "a member of House Lapas," but not as a specific real member.
What's happening is more that she's creating a somewhat neutral Destiny, then that Destiny is masquerading as Lapas Ridana. Evening Sonnet was able to find a cousin who was distant enough that some slips in appearance and mannerisms would go unnoticed. So she's not actually wearing Lapas Ridana's Destiny. The Resplendent Destiny cannot impersonate a specific person, but the Sidereals are quite good at impersonation on their own.
Vargo Teras
02-22-2005, 06:37 PM
Ah. I see.
Session 5 1/2: Caelan, Zahara, Wherever Did You Go?
This week was an awkward one for our gaming club, the Gamers' Conclave. Kara's managing a play, and had to miss this Monday. Fas'rial got caught up in playing Heroclix at the meeting, and Elentari Mah Jong, and I ended up writing up a quick session for Caelan and Zahara.
One of the missions they had been asked to undertake, called "Witness to Evil," requested that the Sidereals locate an object called the "Witness Stone," rumored to be lost under Rathess. Knowing that many of the cities of the First Age were destroyed and looted when the Fair Folk first invaded Creation, Caelan decided that she would visit a stronghold she knew of in the Wyld. She asked Zahara to come with her to use the Creation Smuggling Practice to ensure their safety.
(Note: I've read Exalted: The Fair Folk, but this session was written off the top of my head. So some of the NPCs/facts/etc. may be all wrong. But hey, the Raksha are strange creatures anyway...and just because they are harmless one day doesn't mean they won't be deadly the next. This session ended up being mostly random and wacky...who's to say it wasn't just a Wyld hallucination?)
Travelling out from the East, they passed through the Bordermarches - where rocks fell up and trees wept blood - and into the Deep Wyld, enshrouded in a tiny pocket of Creation. Travelling for a period of time just short enough not to be frustrating and just long enough to be epic, they found themselves approaching an Arabic-style camp, with low-slung tents and walls of cloth. They were greeted by a Raksha in ornate garb, carrying a blade woven of dreams. He hailed them as Subarto the Sage. Perhaps he was truly that celebrity among Raksha, or merely an impersonator, or merely a dream - but upon hearing that they sought an audience with the leader of the camp, he dove into combat against them.
The battle was short, as Caelan stunned him with a staff-vaulted kick and dust thrown in his eyes, before his first strike landed, leaving him off guard as he barely wove out of the way as Zahara grabbed some of the Creation she had brough with her, nocked it, and fired her Generalized Ammunition, barely missing his head. He ducked and rose to find Caelan's knife at his throat. Amenably, he agreed to lead them inside...yet insisted they finish the duel to the death. Caelan hesitated, then plunged her dagger in his throat. Subarto fell dead, then stepped over his body and led them into the stronghold.
They watched as Neshi of the Double Whips engaged twenty Raksha with her glimmering weapons, sending them sailing with a rote sort of boredom that implied that it simply wasn't written that she should lose. Once her practice was done, Caelan and Zahara followed her back into a tent, where their conversation grew increasingly erratic. Perhaps this Neshi was an impostor...perhaps they only had half the Raksha's attention...perhaps the Fair Folk were as strange as the legends say. Regardless, she nodded at the mention of the Witness Stone and seemed to know what they were talking about.
She offered to set her stronghold to seeking the knowledge of this stone, using their knowledge of how Rathess used to be to simplify the lives of the Sidereals. In return, she asked simply for stories and dreams. Listening to one of Caelan's dreams, she siphoned off just enough energy and creativity not to anger the Exalt. Caelan and Zahara began to gossip about the other Sidereals, currently on the Blessed Isle, and Neshi became engaged in their story. If they would complete this story, and return to Neshi with the finished tale, she promised that they would gain insight into the Witness Stone.
She also requested a young boy, which the Sidereals promised her. Almost immediately after doing so, however, they began to wonder about ways that they might evade this request. But that was something to deal with when the time came.
As Neshi thought over how she would seek the requested information, the Sidereals experimented with the Wyld. They thought of water, and a cube of it filled the suddenly-large tent. They thought of swimming, and they were. They thought of being dry, and they were.
Neshi began to escort them out, but before doing so, made them one more offer. If they would attempt to solve a riddle, she would reweave their weapons, strengthening them with her ample gossamer supply. She asked a question of three brothers and three sisters who needed to cross a river, but the situation quickly devolved into the Sidereals (and the players) discussing riddles and river crossings and trying to get old logic puzzles straight.
True to her word, Neshi wove new weapons for them from strands of gossamer - not fantastically powerful, but equivalent to the finest masterworks. Then she was gone, and the Sidereals were outside the camp again, returning to Creation.
Along the way, they discussed their next mission, and Caelan finished the Destiny she had been working on. Using the Musician, she created a personage which was upbeat and cheerful, to contrast Zahara's Destiny of the Crow which was already complete. They decided that they would become sisters, Caelan a performer and Zahara a cynic, who were cousins of Lapas Ridana (herself already a cousin of Lapas Tiame). They would have a bet, whether or not Ridana would actually get married this month, and would thus have a good way to follow and harass their fellow Sidereal.
As they returned to Yu-Shan, they were met by a carrier bird, who brought them a brief prayer strip from Fas'rial, telling of the current location of the Lapas family. They would have to hustle to rejoin the other Sidereals - but it would be worth it to see what kind of chaos they could cause!
Kasumi
03-01-2005, 05:14 PM
Cool stuff - and nice a nice turn with the Raksha for a hurried session :)
Session 6: The Immaculate Order Makes Heresy Fun!
In attendance:
Fas'rial, playing Jormaine, courtier of the stars!
Gicer, playing Miroc, priest who actually believes that Immaculate stuff!
Kara, playing Thorn, bodyguard what hurts people!
Morning rose on the Lapas compound. The characters had been separated into two rooms - Gicer and Kara in one, Fas'rial and Elentari in the other. Gicer and Kara, who had not sipped the Crystal Honey hallucinogen, woke up early and refreshed. Fas'rial, who had passed out from the drug, woke up in a tortured nausea. Elentari did not wake up at all.
Fas'rial had been tied down last night, and began working out his escape. Nudging the tiny book he wore around his neck, he willed his familiar - Kaloo the scroll-bird - to appear. Although Kaloo tried to use the opportunity to force his employer into a higher salary, the birdbrain couldn't think of anything it wanted - Fas'rial paid and fed his familiar well, often better than himself. Slipping a single phrase of poetry under a knot, Kaloo pulled Fas'rial free.
The group regrouped in Elentari's room, with her still unconscious. Gicer and Fas'rial agreed to split up - Fas'rial went to speak with Lapas Meiru, while Gicer went to create a 'distraction' by slipping some of the hallucinogenic honey in the horses' water supply. He hoped to slip into Lapas Tiame's room in the commotion.
Fas'rial slipped a finely worded note under Meiru's door, seeking admittance. At first the young Lapas was hesitant to admit the man who should have been Ridana's fiancee, but he seemed harmless and strangely appealing. They began to talk, as Meiru continued to braid her long blue hair. They spoke of her family, and how she felt that even as one of the unExalted, she had a duty to her father. A whisper of paranoia began to drift out, as Meiru mentioned her thoughts of a conspiracy from the government of the prefecture of Arjuf. Meiru mentioned that she feared the work of Ledaal Maris, the governor of the prefecture.
Fas'rial took over Meiru's braiding, and she spoke freely, telling of how she had detected poison in the food, and how she blamed the poison for her father's forgetfulness. She wondered if there was some kind of poison that only affected the Exalted - surely the Scarlet Empress could weave such a trap, but who else? She suggested that Fas'rial, or Jormaine, take Ridana and leave as soon as possible. Another unExalted hanger-on was only another target.
At that moment, the breakfast bell rang. Meiru and Fas'rial made their way to the main hall to partake of the ample bounty of the Lapas hunting business. Tiame emerged from his quarters with a shout, filled with the hunger that only those whose blood runs with fire can know. Gicer slipped in the open door behind him.
Allowing his Destiny to fall from him like a cloak, Gicer began searching the room for valuables and clues as to the idol's location. His discovery was disturbing - not only was the idol not here, but there was no clue that it had ever been here. No disturbed shrine, no hidden details. The idol must be hidden elsewhere - but in a travelling house like this, how many places were there to look? While he thought over the possibilities, he pocketed a handful of charms lying around the room.
At breakfast, Fas'rial sniffed his plate - was Meiru right? Was it poisoned? There was a strange taste to the food...and with the help of a botch, Fas'rial incorrectly identified it as deadly Arrow Frog Poison! Knocking his plate aside and leaping up on his seat, Fas'rial shouted (that is, he wrote in bold calligraphy, being mute) that the food was poisoned!
Perhaps the Crystal Honey was still affecting Fas'rial. But to insult a Dragon-Blood's hospitality, and to throw aside the very meat he had raised himself? It was a graven insult, and Tiame erupted into flame. He drew his sword - not the jade daiklaive that Gicer had found in his room, but an ordinary straight sword - and demanded that Fas'rial be silent and not insult his home any further. The cook was called out to test the food - and he did so without worry, to no ill effect. Finally, Fas'rial calmed down, and Tiame sheathed his sword and sat back down in his flame-blackened seat.
Soon after this incident, a maid came to Elentari's room and spoke to Thorn. She told of the poisoning scare, but was convinced that Fas'rial was mistaken. There was in fact poisoned food, but the cook had caught it long before it ever touched a plate. There was also poisoned wine (although that had been poisoned by Gicer last night, with the Crystal Honey.) The maid insisted that Ridana was in no danger, but that it would be wise to be careful.
The group left the room to do more investigation - but as they approached the entrance to the home, they overheard a commotion outside. A guard stepped in, inhaled, and loudly announced "Lapas Dricas, of the Immaculate Order!" In stepped Lapas Tiame's grandson - a tall, slender man, with a bald head and a fierce look in his eyes. With hardly a word, he stepped into the main chamber, with Gicer quietly trailing behind him to eavesdrop.
Dricas and Tiame retired to Tiame's room, with Gicer already in the rafters overhead. Dricas brought unfortunate news - Lapas Brisan, Tiame's son and Dricas's father, was deathly ill, and it was feared he would pass away within the day. Tiame gave the order to have the house hitched up - eight parts, and eight pairs of horses.
Back in their room, the Dragon-Blooded thought about their options. Gicer tried a direct approach - telling Tiame that the spirits had told him to find some sort of idol, and that Tiame could help him find it. The result was less that helpful, considering that spirit-worship was heresy on the Isle, there was an Immaculate Monk in the house, and Kara had already told the servants that she was from the Thousand Scales. As soon as spirits were mentioned, Tiame clammed up.
If the man would not talk, perhaps the spirits would. Evening Sonnet's journal mentioned that she had asked an air spirit to present the idol to Tiame, muddling his mind so he would accept it. Although they could not know which air elemental had done the work, it did not truly matter; without individuality, one was as good as another. Fas'rial and Gicer began a prayer to summon the spirit to them, but they were only answered by half the incense going out and a heavy feeling in the air.
Perhaps the spirit had the same reservations as Tiame - making itself known with an Immaculate in the house. Gicer and Fas'rial leapt from the window of their room, leaving their Resplendent Destinies behind in favor of the slippery truth of their Sidereal nature. Landing on the horses which had already been hitched to the house, they rode off into the forest where they could be alone with the spirits.
Kara, staying behind, got to see a marvelous sight, as the house was prepared to move. Within ten minutes, everything which could move or fall over was held down with netting. Walls slid into place to divide the eight compartments, latches were closed and locks were shut. The entire home divided into eight sections, which, drawn by horses, formed a line down the trail.
Fas'rial began parlaying with the air spirit which followed them, asking about the idol. It claimed that it did indeed know and remember the spirits giving the idol to Tiame, but that they no longer watched over it. Fas'rial thought of a clever plan - if Tiame trusted the spirits once, he might do so again. He asked the air spirit to visit Tiame in the night and to bring word that the spirits would send a messenger - and gave a description of Gicer. Hopefully, Tiame would trust Gicer - just enough to reveal the idol's location.
In exchange for this dangerous duty, Fas'rial agreed to expand the beauty of the skies of the Isle. He would, someday, find a bird that thrived in the East but was unknown on the Isle, and bring it there to thrive. Fas'rial agreed - a small price to pay in exchange for the risk the spirit would take by manifesting with an Immaculate nearby.
Their work done, Fas'rial and Gicer rode back to the house which was travelling through the forest at a good clip. They sent the horses ahead to be found later, then climbed through the trees alongside the house, eventually leaping in through the same window they left earlier. Confident that they had not been seen entering or exiting, they donned their Resplendent Destinies again and waited to make their next move.
The Lapas house continued it's journey toward the death bed of Lapas Brisan.
Kasumi
03-08-2005, 02:54 AM
Cool stuff - I'm really enjoying reading Wood Conventioneers sneaking around the Realm :)
Session 7: Gold and Bronze
The family home continued toward Brisan's home, with some of the Sidereals helping guide the horses outside. Elentari awoke to a throbbing headache, as the drugs which had kept her asleep for the last 12 hours or so wore off. Finally, they came in sight of the acres of crops and fields which marked the Brisan residence.
Caelan and Zahara had been following the house's travels, and caught up near the end of their journey. As guards came by to check on the new visitors, Caelan explained - too loudly for Ridana's hung-over head - that she and Zahara were cousins to Ridana, quite distant from Tiame. They had come because they had a bet on whether 'Ridana' and 'Jormaine' would actually go through with the wedding, and didn't want to miss the event if it actually happened. So their story went.
Upon their arrival, Tiame, Meiru, several servants, and the Sidereals reconstructed the house, then dressed in finery and went to meet Lapas Brisan. He lay weakly on his deathbed, bravely declaring that he was fine and Tiame worried over nothing.
Looking over the near-corpse, Caelan realized that he was merely afflicted by a minor disease. It was surprising that these doctors had not been able to aid him. However, Caelan could not aid either - not without violating her Destiny and risking the mission. Caelan used her Destiny of the Musician, though, to fast-talk Tiame into allowing her closer to Brisan, claiming that she knew songs to put the illness to rest. She then used Terminate Illness to dispel the spirit of Brisan's illness (or perhaps it was simply driven away by a rendition of Wierd Al's 'The Saga Begins'). Brisan looked more healthy immediately.
Now that he was in more of a mood to talk, the Sidereals asked him gently if he knew anything about a statue that Tiame owned. They had to be subtle - after all, the Immaculate Monk, Lapas Dricas, stood across the room. He claimed to know nothing, but said that if an item was lost, his vizier, Vriane, could find it. He called for his advisor.
From the moment he swept into the room and they caught sight of his burning red eyes, the Sidereals knew they were in trouble. Another Sidereal. They saw through his Destiny, and he saw through theirs. Bristling with anger, he invited the group back to his chambers for a 'discussion'.
As soon as the door closed, the Bronze Faction Sidereal - Resonant Opal - demanded to know what they were doing on the Isle. They insisted that they had a mission to finish with the Lapas family, whereas he declared they had no business interfering with a family he was working on. They had already set his plans back by healing Brisan's illness, and now they were meddling further with Tiame.
Still trying to take a diplomatic way out, they tried to explain how the Arcane Fate had failed on Tiame, and how the idol was the only thing keeping him from remembering, and now it was lost. His response was as Evening Sonnet predicted - if there was a risk to the Sidereals, the entire family must be destroyed.
A slip of the tongue informed him that they were the Convention of Wood, and he flew into a rage. The martial artists in the group noticed that he had taken up one of the beginning stances of the Violet Bier of Sorrows style. He began crafting a prayer to heaven on a long strip of paper, decrying the Gold Faction and asking for assistance with ejecting them from the Isle. The Gold Sidereals realized that if he completed his prayer, not only were they screwed, but the balance of influence between Gold and Bronze might be forever sundered.
Fas'rial first sent Kaloo after the scroll, but Resonant Opal slipped effortlessly out of the way. Elentari was next, wrapping her fists in a Horrific Wreath as she dove toward the paper - and again, missed.
I won't recount the details of the entire battle, but it gave the Sidereals quite some trouble. Whereas their first fight had been a running battle against a dangerous spirit, their second was more methodical, as the five of them tried to pool their resources to battle a well-trained Chosen of Battles.
Resonant Opal was a starting-level Sidereal - he actually had less XP than any of the PCs. What gave them trouble, though, was his defense. First up was Defense of Shining Joy, which gave him a 9-die persistant dodge for the entire fight. He also had Astrology acting on himself, giving a reduction to his TN to dodge - he had been prepared, at any time, for Brisan or Tiame to turn against him. When something got through that, he hit it with Impeding the Flow. (He also had Shield of Mars, but I didn't use it.)
So even though it was five on one, Resonant Opal was not only holding his ground but slowly doing damage to the group. My players came up with some brilliant stunts - such as Caelan throwing ash from the fireplace to distract him, then attempting to wrap him in a sheet - but each time, he danced out of the way. Finally, he botched one of his attacks, slipping on the aforementioned ash and tangling his weapon in the aforementioned sheet. This opened him up just enough to take a powerful Mantis Kick from Fas'rial on the chin, which knocked him into a bookcase which collapsed on him.
Restraining Opal, the Sidereals began interrogating him. He became much more polite, almost docile after his defeat - when the adrenaline wore off and he found that he was not, in fact, the king of the world, he was willing to listen to the Sidereals and give them a chance to finish their mission. Surprisingly, he knew nothing about the idol, but was willing to aid them in another way. He asked Zahara to knock over a urn filled with sticks, then read the pattern they fell in, thinking of Auspicious Prospects for Secrets and trying to find a Wise Choice that would bring them closer to the idol (and closer to getting them off the Isle). Opal recommended that, when Tiame would ask her to go off alone, that she accept - that it would bring her closer to her goal.
He also saw that killing Brisan would bring them closer to their goal. When the Gold Sidereals asked why he was so interested in killing Brisan, he explained how it worked into a convoluted plan - to eliminate the economic power of the Lapas family, thus weakening Arjuf, forcing them to rely more on sea trade, making Ledaal Maris more dependent on outside cities and advice, and allowing another Bronze Faction Sidereal to become her trusted advisor...he went on for several minutes before the Golds shut him up.
When asked "Maybe whoever's poisoning Tiame has something to do with the idol," Opal responded with "Meiru? I don't think she has anything to do with it." Meiru? Why was she poisoning her father? Because she was jealous of the Exalted, Resonant Opal replied. Her act of being protective of her father and worrying about conspiracies was just to pass off the blame - she was the true conspirator. And if Opal had fanned the flames of her jealousy, all the better.
That explained why Meiru was so sure that her father was being poisoned. The problem was, Tiame wasn't being poisoned, since the cook had caught it before it touched his plate...but the effects of losing the idol must have convinced Meiru that her poison was working. Such a tangled web.
Upon returning to Brisan's bedside (after giving their anima some time to fade) Ridana asked Tiame to walk with her, and he agreed - and was surprised, since he had also been planning to seek some time alone with her.
Out in the fields, under a full moon, Tiame and Elentari made small talk. Elentari had already made plans to seduce him, but he had other things on his mind. He made an off-hand comment about spirits protecting the family - and when 'Ridana' didn't immediately scream about heresy, he told her the full details.
He had nearly lost a son today, and had already seen many wives, daughters, and sons grow old and die. Tiame felt, now, that he was also cursed, and that his end would come soon. Somebody had to know his secret, and continue the Lapas family. Dricas was out of the question, and Meiru was...strange. Worried about conspiracies and paranoia, she could not be trusted with such sensitive information. Even though she was a distant cousin, Ridana was his hope, and the past few days had only cemented that in his mind. He told 'Ridana' all about the idol they sought.
A spirit had given him an idol, and commanded him to build a shrine to worship it. He had built it nearby, in a cave, which he visited every few days. When he looked upon it, everything made sense, and everything was good for the family. But now, he felt that the spirits were no longer listening - and something hurt his head, something so confusing...and then memories of a strange woman...and the stars...
Elentari kissed him then. Desperate to change the subject, and also continuing her original plan of seduction, she enticed him, and he accepted. Perhaps he was willing to do anything, if he thought the gods were behind it. They made love in the fields of tall grasses, the Dragon of Fire and the Maiden of Endings united.
Nearing the darkest part of night, Tiame led Elentari back to his home. Tomorrow, he promised, he would take her to the cave of spirits. Tomorrow, she would aid him in bringing back hope for the Lapas family. Tomorrow, maybe, the Sidereals would get to go home to Yu-Shan.
So answers were gained...but more questions too. If the idol is safely in Tiame's shrine, why did it disappear from Fate?
Caelan's player wanted to know why the Lapas family didn't recognize Ridana, since they had seen her fairly recently. It didn't seem odd to me, but on the other hand, I'm really good at forgetting peoples' faces.
Here's the story. Like all good Sidereals, when she made her plan, Evening Sonnet left herself a back door. As she caused Tiame to forget about the Sidereals, she also caused Lapas Ridana to blur in his memory - preparing for a future time when she might have to come back and meddle some more. Like a Contagious Destiny, the effect flowed to others, such as Meiru and Brisan, making them all quite willing to accept anyone who claimed to be Ridana as family.
Kasumi
03-15-2005, 05:04 PM
Wow, I'm surprised 5 PCs didn't run him out of essence really quickly. How combat-savvy are your players in general?
This is only their second combat - they're all new to Exalted, and most of them are new to White Wolf in general. The main problem was overcoming Defense of Shining Joy - it took a while for them to realize that they weren't going to do any damage by just throwing a flurry of normal attacks. I think they're going to put more attention into their Charm choices from now on, both for combat and otherwise.
There was a bit of confusion in explaining Initiative - that for once, you don't roll a whole bunch of dice, and for once you actually care what the number on the die is. But they got it.
Session 8: Enough With The Damn Dragon-Blooded Already
Sidereals in attendance:
Fas’rial, Silent but Deadly
Kara, Silent but REALLY Deadly
Gicer, Priest/Ninja
After their lovemaking session, Tiame wordlessly brought Elentari – ‘Ridana’ – back to his home. He brought her to her room, laying her on her bed as Fas’rial – ‘Jormaine’ – looked on in silent (mock) horror. Of course, in reality, Fas’rial couldn’t care less about who Elentari slept with, but Jormaine had appearances to keep up.
By this point, my players have become marvelously confused about what’s real and what’s the Destiny, and are almost better at being their Destinies than their real characters. Well, that’s what they’re for, after all.
With Elentari unconscious, any plans involving Ridana needed to be placed on hold. They still had one scheme going – the spirit they asked to come to Tiame in his dreams, and tell him to look for a charm – a charm which Gicer would later produce. In the meantime, though, they owed it to their spirit ally to keep him safe and give him time to do his stuff, and that meant distracting the Immaculate Monk, Lapas Dricas.
Fas’rial sent him a message, asking to speak with him. After Dricas sat down, they had a long conversation. Jormaine began by speaking of how he suspected Ridana of infidelity, and how he wondered if Ridana truly loved him. Dricas spoke of how it is no crime to have many lovers – just look at the example of the Scarlet Empress – but that one’s deepest heart must belong to only one other. Fas’rial detected a hint of agitation as Dricas spoke about Ridana – what could this monk be hiding? Was he, too, a suitor after Ridana’s loins? Surely there was a tale to be told here – and just as surely, it had little bearing on their current duty. Fas’rial did not press Dricas further.
Suddenly, Dricas shot up, gazing into the air as if he could smell something amiss. The finely honed senses of an Immaculate Monk resonated with the feeling of a nearby spirit, and he made way for the door. Fortunately, Fas’rial had already arranged to have Kara standing at the door as a bodyguard, and – playing the overly-loyal thug perfectly – refused to let even the Immaculate Monk pass. This bought Fas’rial enough time to entice Dricas to further conversation, and he again took up his teacup and sat down, opening a tome of the Immaculate Texts between himself and Fas’rial to read over. They spoke of the Hundred Gods Heresy and the Immaculate battles against heresy, which echoed Fas’rial’s Sidereal training on the proper roles of spirits. After all, bribery and powerlust led to Simlaon leaving his station and living like a greater god in Yu-Shan. However, the Immaculate Order was far too strict a response to spiritual difficulties, or so Fas’rial thought. The Bronze Faction was strange indeed.
After another dozen minutes of conversation, Dricas again stood up, confused to feel a presence again. This time, Fas’rial signaled to Kara to let him pass – the Sidereals had given the spirit more than enough time, and if it was still hanging around the compound, it had only itself to blame. After a cursory search of the area, Dricas again retired to his room.
In the meantime, Gicer took it upon himself to check out the Brisan compound for anything he could steal. Although it was the midst of night, he walked over there in his priestly Destiny, hoping to learn something of the architecture for when he returned again as a thief. Brisan was asleep, and the guards only let Gicer make a cursory survey of the house and a quick prayer before ushering him out again.
Soon, after a fine night’s sleep, it was breakfast time.
Gicer played a risky game by talking to Dricas about the Immaculate Texts, but managed to bluff his way through believably as a priest.
Fas’rial told Meiru a fairly obvious tale about a young bird who poisoned her father. Meiru excused herself early, shaken by the way Fas’rial seemed to the secret behind her father’s poisoning, that it was Meiru herself.
Kara went to the servants’ quarters to terrify them once again. They had no new information for her, so she grabbed a quick meal (her Destiny being that of a servant) and went on her way.
Soon, the hall cleared out, except for Gicer and Tiame. Gicer subtly brought up the topic of Tiame’s dreams, and showed the charm (which he had stolen from Tiame) which the spirit had said would mark the man that could help him. The mere glimpse of the charm was enough to put Tiame into a frenzy, and he insisted that Gicer meet him after dark to help him save the family. Although Gicer knew what the old man was talking about, he feigned ignorance and excused himself.
With some time to kill, Gicer made his second infiltration of the home, entering through the rear stables and advancing into the main chambers. Although Brisan was surrounded by doctors and priests, Gicer slipped between the shadows with minimal effort. Unfortunately, there was little that a man who had seen the wealth of heaven could steal from the humble Brisan compound. He armed himself with some throwing knives and stole a valuable bundle of herbs, then, like the breeze, he was gone.
Fas’rial also spent some time terrifying the poisoner Meiru. After some successful intimidation (aided by Kara, who used the Presence in Absence Technique) Meiru sang like a bird. She did indeed poison her father, because she thought it was the only way to get the family back in the good graces of the Dynasty. Ever since Lapas Ruida had attempted to assassinate the Empress, they had been outcasts, living a wretched existence instead of a glorious one in the Imperial City. Only blood could repay blood – and only Tiame’s death would redeem the family in the eyes of the Dynasty. So Meiru believed. Fas’rial attempted to change her mind, but time would tell if his words truly took root.
After night had fallen, Tiame found Gicer and led him out through a secret passage in the main chambers, pulling a cloak tight around him and slipping soundlessly past the guards. Gicer played up the role of a priest, pulled into a conspiracy – voicing a gentle protest, but still going along with Tiame.
After an hour’s walk, they came to the mouth of a cave, and Tiame led them inside, lighting candles with bursts of flame from his fingertips. Within, on a pedestal, sitting on a red cloth, was the idol they sought. But if it was right where Tiame left it, why wasn’t Evening Sonnet’s effect working to erase his memory? Why was his mind muddled, as opposed to the clarity he claimed he used to feel when he looked upon the statue?
Looking closer, Gicer noticed a nearly-invisible circle drawn around the idol – a complex working of dried blood, exactly the same color as the cloth the idol sat on. He suggested to Tiame that they take the statue to the river, pray over it, and cleanse it. Together, they dipped it into a nearby stream, and the statue began to bleed crimson gouts of blood.
“Scum! Bastards of the heavens! I will send you to hell!” The growled voice was accompanied by an explosion of water, as a Blood Ape, a demon of the first circle, materialized and landed on the grass beside Tiame. In a flash, Tiame’s blade was out, ignited in a wreath of flame. Was this the reason that the statue had disappeared from fate? Could so minor a servant of Malfeas hoodwink the Loom of Fate?
Tiame didn’t care – he only saw the demon that had brought his mind and his family to ruin. His blade flashed out in a merciless crimson arc, carving up the demon’s flesh. Undaunted, the demon struck back, drawing blood from Tiame but not harming him greatly.
On the sidelines watched Gicer, wondering if and when he should get involved. Abandoning his Destiny now could ruin the entire mission – but it wasn’t right to allow noble Tiame to fall in battle!
Another slice solved the dilemma, as Tiame neatly bisected the demon. Blood and ash rained down upon the battlefield, as the Dragon-Blood and Sidereal stood alone in a flaming forest.
“I understand now. My mind is clear. We must take the idol and move far away from here – the demons know where we are. We must find a new place, new spirits, and again seek their aid.”
“Heresy, grandfather.”
Exalt of the Earth and Exalt of the Stars both turned to find Lapas Dricas only a dozen yards away, wielding paired red jade daiklaves in the distinctive stance of the Fire Dragon Style. A shouting match began between these Fire Aspects.
“You’ve ruined this family by turning away from the Immaculate Order!”
“Shut up! I’ve saved us, and we’d all be dead if it wasn’t for the spirits’ protection!”
“Heresy! You corrupt and condemn not only yourself, but your entire family!”
“Don’t speak to me of family, grandson! I am the leader of this house, and we do things MY way!”
Like two comets, they dove at each other, a thousand parries and thrusts in the blink of an eye. As each attacked, the other parried, back and forth like two dragons of flame entwined.
Again, Gicer watched on. Earlier, Dricas had sounded confident that he could defeat Tiame. But Tiame had greater age and greater experience. Could he afford to get involved? Could he afford not to?
(This part of the session turned out perfectly – I just narrated this massive combat, blow by blow, and the players kept arguing back and forth about whether Gicer should step in or not. It was very tense.)
Finally, Gicer remembered one ace he could pull – the talisman against fire he had stolen from the Brisan compound. Ducking behind a flaming tree, he let his Destiny drop, choosing to be his Arcane self as he threw the talisman to Tiame. He caught it, and with a grin, began his Ringing Anvil Onslaught. In the time it takes a flame to flicker, Tiame unleashed five blows. Dricas dodged three, but the last two struck true. Dricas fell, tearing a smoldering gash in the earth. Down, but not dead.
(Before this session, I actually ran combats between Tiame and the Blood Ape, and Tiame and Dricas. I was intending for Tiame to be weakened by the Ape, and then for Dricas to pose a serious threat to his life. However, Tiame ended up slaughtering them both, and taking a single Health Level of damage. Go Dragon-Blooded Melee!)
Gicer saw an opportunity. Since his Destiny was already down, he rushed forward, attempting to steal the valuables from Dricas while his grandfather stood only a few yards away. Tiame got there first, and batted Gicer away with the sheath of his sword. Gicer, seeing his opportunity lost, disappeared into the flaming woods – and reappeared as the Immaculate Priest.
“What have I done…no, I know what I’ve done. I’ve taught the Immaculate Order a lesson, that I run this family, I will do so as I see fit, and I’m not going to be pushed around. It’s not safe here anymore, though. We have nothing keeping us here, our ties were cut long ago. I’m going to take Meiru and leave the Blessed Isle. I think we’ll go to Nexus; nobody will give a damn there, and we’ll be near the spirits of Great Forks. Yes, that will be good. Tell Ridana she should also consider leaving. This place is no longer our home.”
Tiame finally picked up the prize of the battle – the idol – and gazed into it’s golden eyes. His own eyes glazed over, as if one could hear the memories being rewritten as he breathed. He shook his head. “Sorry...what…you, priest, what are…oh, you were here all along, that’s right. That’s right. Yes, that’s fine. But I still don’t sense the presence of the spirits…all the more reason to be on our way. If the Isle won’t be our ally, we’ll find allies.”
Tiame began to tie up Dricas with the fireproof cable Dricas had brought to hold Tiame – not a permanent bind, but enough to give him some extra time to make his escape. “We should part ways, as soon as possible. Here-“ he took Dricas’s paired daiklaves. “He won’t be needing these. Watch over Ridana – I feel she will Exalt soon. She is brave. Be well.”
In silence, they returned to Tiame’s home. Gicer gathered up the other Sidereals, and they were gone before the sun rose again.
Finally, they were done. Finally, order was restored. Finally, this clusterbomb of Dragon-Blooded politics, family feuds, and Immaculate paranoia was at an end. Anxious to get back to the comfort of Yu-Shan, Fas’rial wrapped them in a golden aura, and their horses sped along the road at triple their normal speed.
From time to time, they allowed the aura to fade, to allow Fas’rial to recuperate. It was during one of these lulls that they were nearly run off the road by a proud woman on a fine horse, followed by a pair of wagons. She shouted to them – “Off the road, peasant! Make way for the Exalted!” The wagons displayed proudly the symbols of the Lapas house.
Oh, crap. Lapas Ridana. And she Exalted.
As Ridana continued to spew obscenities, something in Kara’s mind snapped. You see, long before she Exalted, her father, Bakil Laditaken, had been a powerful military leader. And yet he was slain in battle – betrayed by his soldiers, who were turned against him (Kara believed) by the Dragon-Blooded spies of the Realm. This entire journey had been a test of patience from her – her anger at the Dragon-Blooded having seethed for years – and Ridana pushed her past her limit.
She stepped in front of Ridana’s horse, shouting in intimidation, backed up by her willpower, her presence, and the power of her Destiny. Fate works in strange ways, however. On ten or so dice, Kara managed to triple-botch. She merely looked foolish, spouting grunts that she hoped would offend the Exalt before her.
But this was one of those times when a botch worked better than a success. A peasant steps in front of an Exalt’s horse, and tries to intimidate her, but just looks like an idiot. What is a noble Dragon-Blooded to do – except attack, and wipe this scum from the face of the earth? Ridana leapt from her horse in a flaming hammer-strike, and guards began pouring out of the second wagon.
Kara easily parried the novice Exalted’s blow, bringing her terrible great axe to bear. Gicer used his nearly impossible skill to steal the swords from the guards before they even lifted them, flinging them to Fas’rial. The Sidereals were having fun now. Flipping to his hands, Fas’rial juggled the blades, knocking four guards unconscious with the hilts of their own swords. Gicer was less kind with the last two, simply killing them before they could react.
Again, Ridana struck. There was a flash, and silence. If Ridana had thought to bring a scribe, he would be furiously writing away, inspired by the beauty of the blow. Ridana crumpled to the ground, holding her spilled intestines in, as the sun glinted off Kara’s raised axe. At this point, she just didn’t care anymore. If this drove Tiame insane, if it ruined the whole Lapas family, it wasn’t her problem. She beheaded Lapas Ridana, cutting a 700 year career short after just a month of Exaltation.
Gicer began to loot the wagons – then got a better idea. They just stole the wagons, horses, and all. Wisely, they gave Arjuf a wide berth, and put their strength into forcing the wagons up the hill to the gate to Yu-Shan, hoping that Fas’rial’s assurances were right that the gateway to heaven was wide enough to fit an entire wagon.
As they approached the gate, they had one more visitor – Resonant Opal, the Bronze Faction Sidereal who had challenged their entire Circle to combat. Oddly enough, he congratulated them.
“You did okay, this time. The Lapas family is leaving the Isle, so my plans will still work. Remember, though, you may be Sidereals, but you are young and inexperienced, and you will find no aid on the Blessed Isle. There is a reason why you were assigned to the East; it’s the worst job in the Bureau. Work hard and there may be a spot for you among the Imperial Convention.”
With that, he leapt off the ledge and backflipped down the hill. Showoff. With this mission finally done, the Sidereals let their Destinies drop, and returned to Yu-Shan. Finally, they could live like kings of the Heavens…at least until it was time to start their next assignment.
- Session End -
Kasumi
03-29-2005, 05:25 PM
Heh, very cool, especially the Circle venting on the poor DB at the end ^_^
I was so sure that you were going to bust out a 2nd Circle demon on your Circle when the Blood Ape showed, though - I figured that would be the distraction to get the DB out of the way before the real fight started.
Obviously my habit of attacking lone Sidereals with 2nd Circle demons in their preludes has warped my sense of what's appropriate.
That would have been nasty, yes :D I was trying to get this mission done with, though - I'd already thrown more than enough misdirection and complications at them for one short assignment. They'll have to deal with worse in the future.
Mutant KaGe
03-30-2005, 01:55 AM
And boy do we look forward to it! The upcoming mission with the Abyssals should be INTERESTING. I can't wait to kick some Exalted butt without the rage of my father's death fueling it. It'll be much more. . . not blood-thirsty. . . I don't know the word I'm looking for. But it should be FUN FUN FUN! Can't wait to see what comes next, Beri.
PS: That sample campaign you were giving out looks like fun! I may have to get four people together and try my hand at GMing again!
Kara :p
That would have been nasty, yes :D I was trying to get this mission done with, though - I'd already thrown more than enough misdirection and complications at them for one short assignment. They'll have to deal with worse in the future.
PS: That sample campaign you were giving out looks like fun! I may have to get four people together and try my hand at GMing again!
Kara :p
It's been said that the Tomb of 5 Corners isn't very Exalted - that it's just a dungeon crawl, with none of the epic-ness. But who cares? You get to have a good battle scene, solve some puzzles, and play around with some Charms. It got me into Exalted, and helped me rope in another half-dozen at UCI.
One note if you run it - the Dawn Caste, Kage I think, has a horse. It's totally easy to miss until the adventure tells you it runs off. The first time I ran it was like, "Oh, and your horse spooks and runs off." "I have a horse?" "Well, you did."
Mutant KaGe
04-05-2005, 01:07 AM
One note if you run it - the Dawn Caste, Kage I think, has a horse. It's totally easy to miss until the adventure tells you it runs off. The first time I ran it was like, "Oh, and your horse spooks and runs off." "I have a horse?" "Well, you did."
Yeah, I noticed that. LOL. . .but yeah. It looks like a good intro into the game for those who haven't played before. Maybe I can convince my DM to take a break from D&D for a night and let me GM this mini-campaign. There's just the right number of people in the group to do it.
Kara :D
Session 9: Strange Days, Living in Paradise
In attendance / favorite weapon:
Fas'rial / Starmetal sandals
Kara Laditaken / Greataxe
Gicer / Dex + Larceny
Today featured some strange scenes. But, it was understandable. The Sidereals, filled with pride after their first significant mission, and loaded down with goods and rewards, spend some time relaxing and unwinding in the safety of Yu-Shan. In that situation, who wouldn't want to party?
Our story begins with Gicer, dragging the stolen carriage of Lapas Ridana into Yu-Shan. Since mortal horses certainly would not have been allowed into heaven, the Sidereals dragged it along the streets of Yu-Shan, gaining more than a few strange looks from spirits along the way. Leaving the carriage near the gate to Yu-Shan, they decided to split up - Kara would visit Evening Sonnet, while Fas'rial and Gicer checked in at the Loom of Fate.
Evening Sonnet greeted Kara warmly, and Kara related the story of the idol to her - how a demon had somehow possessed the artifact, and been driven back to Malfeas by the Sidereals. She commented that it was strange - Sonnet had specifically ordered and bribed a band of earth spirits to watch over and defend the idol, which should have been far more than enough to repel a simple Demon of the First Circle. Why were the spirits not at their post?
Kara suggested it might have to do with the presence of Lapas Dricas, but Sonnet insisted it must be something more. Odd, indeed - their dealings with Simlaon had been a result of that god abandoning his post. To see several spirits shirk their duties would not be unusual during Calibration - but that would still be months away.
As Kara turned to leave Sonnet's home, she clutched her stomach, coughing violently as nausea overtook her. Sonnet rushed to her side, drew back, and struck Kara's stomach chakra. Kara immediately spit up a tiny bead of blue jade.
"I realized that none of you really knew the language of the Realm, so I enchanted your last meal in Yu-Shan with essence of air. I hope you don't mind. I expected it to dissolve, but as long as that essence is holding together, hold on to that blue bead; it'll come in handy."
The Beads of the Isle
Many Gold-Faction Sidereals refuse to learn the 'corrupted' languages of High and Low Realm, preferring to communicate in Old Realm. Sometimes, however, a Sidereal must make himself understood. This tiny blue jade bead slips easily under the user's tongue. Over the next few minutes, the user will become able to understand and communicate in High and Low Realm, the languages of the Blessed Isle. However, the user will only be able to understand spoken High and Low Realm while the bead is in his mouth; all other languages are garbled. He may still speak and write in any language he knows. These beads are not permanent artifacts, and have a chance of dissolving when used.
Back at the Loom of Fate, Fas'rial beckoned a Pattern Spider over, and began reviewing some of his pet projects. Falcon Emerald and Wheat and Rain were making love at the moment. Fas'rial asked the Spider if it could identify what the flash of light he had seen in Nexus was, and the Spider replied in the negative. "That event was the result of a high-essence being," it explained, "and such beings warp destiny by their existence. I cannot look back at the destiny of that time with any accuracy.&q