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View Full Version : (Actual Play) Dragon-blooded: The Four Virtues Brotherhood


Sigilistic
03-19-2005, 06:44 PM
We had the first session of our new Dragon-blooded game last night. It was awesome. Enjoy.

The Four Virtues Brotherhood
A Dragon-blooded Romance

Four heroes. Four schools. Four virtues. One great destiny.

They met by chance. Four Dragon-blooded heroes, all recently graduated from their respective secondary schools, on a ship destined for Harborhead. In just a few days, they became fast friends and one night, as the stars high overhead cast their blessing, they swore an oath of eternal brotherhood, an oath reinforced with sorcery. From that moment onward, they would travel together, no matter where their journeys took them. They were Ragara Soras Murashige, Sesus Benit, Peleps Lynet, and Gaberal.

Ragara Soras Murashige, or Ballad as he preferred to be called, was the scion of Conviction. His was the Aspect of Earth. He was a graduate from the Heptagram. His Driving Passion was to become Emperor of the Realm, his Vice was an inability to ever see friends or family come to harm, no matter the cost to himself or his goals. Ballad was a man of many secrets. Ostensibly, he served his family by collecting debts owed them, often by breaking a few legs. However, he was in truth a member of both the All Seeing Eye and the Watchers. Both of those secrets he kept even from his sworn brothers.

Sesus Benit, or just plain Benit as he preferred, was the scion of Temperence. His was the Aspect of Air. He was a graduate from the Cloister of Wisdom. His Driving Passion was to achieve enlightenment through mastery of the Fivefold Glorious Dragon Paths, his Vice an uncontrollable gluttony. Benit was a man found easily approachable by all. He served his Order by working as an itinerant monk, travelling the land and helping people where he could. In particular, he sought to strengthen the faith of his fellow monks, and despite his unfortunate gluttony, he was looked well upon by the brothers of his Order for his tireless service to the cause.

Peleps Lynet was the scion of Compassion. Hers was the Aspect of Water. She was a graduate from the Spiral Academy. Her Driving Passion was to remove forever from Creation the stain of the Anathema, her Vice an uncontrollable cruelty whenever the Anathema appeared. Lynet was a woman with a deep heart, but a stern countenance. She served her country as a magistrate, travelling the land rooting out corruption and wickedness. Unknown to her Brotherhood, she was also an agent of the Bronze Faction. Armed with the Eye of the Fire Dragon, she was charged with the hunting down and slaying of all Anathema. In particular, she longed for the day when she could confront and destroy the most villainous Anathema of them all, her brother.

Gaberal was the scion of Valor. His was the Aspect of Fire. He was a graduate of the House of Bells. His Driving Passion was to one day command his own legion, his Vice was a terrible and secret fear of the Anathema. Gaberal was a man driven by his passions. Once an orphan on the mean streets of the Imperial City, surviving by his wits and his fists, all that changed when he Exalted. The Dragon-blooded came for him and to took him to a place called Pasiap's Stair, where others like him trained to one day enter the only career society deemed acceptable for their kind, the profession of the soldier. Hardened and disciplined by his time there, he was so successful that a wealthy Dynast by the name of Sesus Nagezzar sponsored him into the House of Bells, where he stunned everyone by graduating with honors.


Four heroes. Four schools. Four virtues. One great destiny.

And the beginning of that destiny awaited them in the Imperial Garrison of Kirigast...

Sigilistic
03-19-2005, 07:30 PM
Air, RY 768

The spray of sea foam brushed gently against their faces as the Brotherhood heard men up in the crow's nest booming cries of "Land ho!". Finally, after a month-long voyage out of the southern Blessed Isle port of Noble, they had almost arrived at the exotic southern port of Kirighast, capital of Harborhead, jewel in the crown of House Cathak.

Ballad had come because of disturbing reports coming from the All-Seeing Eye out of Harborhead. Reports of rapidly rising anti-Realm sentiments.

Benit had come to try and lend a hand to his beleaguered brothers in the Order in attempting to put an end to the constant blasphemy and heresy that Harborhead was infamous for.

Lynet had come because of increasing rumors of Anathema activity in the land.

Gaberal had come in an attempt to prove himself to House Cathak that they might induct him or marry him into their ranks.

They all had their own reasons for being there, but because they were now a Brotherhood, they would act together, and in doing so their strength increased tenfold.

As the blue water vessel approached nearer to the walled garrison harbor, one of the harbor pilots, Peleps Nostro as it were, sailed out to navigate the boat in safely. Nostro was a crusty old salt, and was once a famous captain in the Water Fleet. Then a battle against Coral pirates cost him his leg and he was forced into this semi-retirement. Nostro happened to recognize Lynet and gave her a piece of advice: "Watch yer back in this here country, missy. If'n ye think the Realm be a dangerous place, y'aint seen nothin' yet." After that ominous bit of dialogue, the Brotherhood disembarked from the ship and after being waved through Customs were given free reign to wander the port as they pleased. Still, etiquette dictated that they first introduce themselves to the satrap, and Benit dictated that they first introduce themselves to the Abbot and so the tour of the city was relatively straightforward.

They made their way to the base of Inkosintaba, the King's Mountain, where the Immaculate temple lay. While the others prayed at their respective Dragon shrines, Benit spoke with one of the postulants and let it be known to the Abbot that he and his Brotherhood had arrived. They then made their way up the mountain to the satrap's palace, a majestic two-story affair over-looking the entire city and indeed much of the country-side as well. Katoru Damo, one of Voper's aids, courteously greeted them at the top and escorted them to a waiting room, informing that Voper was currently meeting with Leopard Oshom but that he was aware of the Brotherhood's arrival. After serving the Brotherhood with fresh fruit, red wine, and cold water, Damo departed. Not long after, another man was brought to the room, one Cathak Luvek, an unExalted Dynast in charge of the Office of Garrison Oversight. Eager to strike up a conversation with the newcomers, it didn't take long for Luvek to talk about why he was waiting to see the satrap. He was attempting to acquire more funding for a project dedicated to creating an evacuation measure in the event of a complete rebellion of the country of Harborhead. The Brotherhood sympathized with him, but were soon informed by Damo that the satrap was ready to meet with them.

Outside of Voper's office the Brotherhood encountered the Leopard, a sweaty, corpulent, wide-eyed man being escorted outside by a pair of grim-faced legionairres. They then went into Voper's office, a spacious and well-appointed place with an entire wall dedicated to important state ledgers and all the paperwork necessary to the maintenance of the satrapy. After the requisite introductions and formalities, Voper cut straight to the point. He wanted to know what the Brotherhood's plans were while in his country. Benit and Lynet quickly earned his trust when they proclaimed their plans, as Voper was a very religious man. Ballad and Gaberal, while not making quite as big an impression, nonetheless managed to avoid making an enemy of the satrap, which was always important. However, before the conversation could continue indepth, the study doors slammed open and a frantic Damo pleaded with Lord Voper to come immediately to the palace gates. Something terrible had happened...