A New Day

[Sherwood]

It has been a week since the full glory of the Citadel has been revealed to the world, and the celebration of the Metagalapans has finally started to die down and the hard work of getting everyone educated on how to help make the Titan work has begun. The Titan has many learning and tutorial machines on board, and TARU has been busy holding classes on how to work them. Classes are being set up to educate everyone in the basics of the Titan, with other classes to show how to repair and maintain the delicate mechanisms of the massive place. The educational machines are top notch, built using advanced Solar Charms to help speed up the learning of various topics. Even so, it will take a long time before the population is up to speed in any of their tasks.

Life for the Metagalapans is slowly starting to work into a simple routine, spending much of their time rotating through the classrooms. The Hawkriders continue to maintain their vigil in the air around the Titan, waiting for the day that all of the defenses are up and running at full efficiency.

It is during the afternoon of the eighth day that the young woman called the Necromancer asks to speak with the Circle of Exalts in private in one of the many conference rooms. Once everyone arrives, she wastes no time in launching into the reason she has called you all together. "I have been contacted by my old Master, Walker in Darkness. He knows that I am still alive, since my Exalted Shard has not returned to his possession, and he has sent me an Infallible Messenger, trying to get me to respond to him. I have not yet replied, and I seek some . . . direction . . . on how to deal with this. I left his service because I was assured that I would be protected from him and his ilk. I need to know that this has not changed."

 

[Psychie]

During the past week, Weiss will join in with some of the celebrations, dancing and carousing with those around her. But, not all of her time is spent partying. Having found one of the physical training rooms with a sparring automation in it, Weiss focuses her time in honing her already impressive martial skills. She drives herself harder and harder, feeling the blood pounding in her veins as she reaches new plateaus of speed and ability, and her anima glowing bright as she trains with her Essence.

Feeling a pleasant glow about her from her hard workout, Weiss takes enough time to get cleaned up and wash the sweat off of her body so she won't offend anyone with her smell before getting word from TARU that the Necromancer wants to talk.

By now, her anima banner has died down, and she hurries along to get to the meeting. I wonder what is on her mind? We still know little about this dark Exalt; it could be just about anything. Sliding daintily into a seat, she leans back to listen as the youngster tells them about her old Master trying to get in touch with her.

"We told you when you joined us that you were under our protection, and to my eyes, you have done nothing to change that. I cannot see any reason why we would turn our backs on you, especially after the stories of torture you had to endure at the hands of this Walker in Darkness. I would like to know more of these Deathlords, especially the Walker. How does he control who gets an Exaltation? What are his plans and goals?"

 

[Arynne]

The re-awakening of the Titan has been marked by celebrations large and small. Ash has organized many of them, culminating in a huge Solar Mass, complete with live music and special effects, in the re-consecrated chapel, open to all who wished to attend.

The service marked a special re-awakening for Ash as well. Before joining Duncan's project, she had been about to reach her Age of Ascension -- the hundredth anniversary of her Exaltation, when the Chosen passed the limits imposed by mortality. Traditionally, Solar Exalts celebrated their Ascension Day by embarking on a long quest to increase their understanding and command of Essence, followed by an enormous festival upon their triumphant return. No one found it at all strange when Ash slipped away quietly in the early morning hours.

Ash still isn't sure if she technically reached her Age of Ascension long ago, when she was in stasis, or if only time awake counted. Either way, she has now passed the century mark, the transition point, as First Age Exalted saw it, between feckless adolescence and young adulthood. (True maturity didn't come until the end of your first millennium.)

Now she says firmly to the Necromancer, "Of course we'll protect you. You've worked alongside us as a comrade, and deserve our help. And even if you hadn't, I wouldn't turn a dog over to these Deathlords you describe. The only question is, what sort of protection do you think you're likely to need? Will he send soldiers or spies to take you back, or try to control your mind with magic, or what?"

 

[Sherwood]

The young woman lets out a sigh of relief. "It is good to know that I am not alone. To be honest, I don't know exactly what response I can expect from my old Master. Don't forget that as a ancient ghost, he has a very long memory, and his response to my betrayal might not come for years. I can tell you that unless he is stopped, his reaction to me will not be pleasant, and it will not be quick." She idly rubs her hands over the hilt of her sword, the one that the Necromancer indicated was made using her own parents as raw material.

Looking over at Weiss, she says, "I can tell you that the thirteen Deathlords are some of the most powerful beings in the Underworld, some more powerful than others. On paper, the ultimate goal of the Deathlords is the destruction of Creation at the orders of the Neverborn, the fallen Primordials that sleep in the depths of the Labyrinth at the heart of the Underworld. Short term? Each has different goals. Mask of Winters has conquered the city of Thorns in a day using the behemoth-fortress Juggernaut, and has since paused his expansionist goals to act the part of a good neighbor to the nations in the Threshold. First and Forsaken Lion has the largest army in the Underworld, and seeks a way to open a Shadowland in the south to allow his forces to enter Creation. Walker in Darkness has many plots and plans in the works, trying to expand his own territory.

"Do not let their friendly, pleasant façade fool you. They are hard and cold to the core."

 

[Arynne]

The artisan-priest rubs her chin thoughtfully. "It sounds like our best strategy for dealing with your old boss would be to move against him sooner rather than later. However, if we do that, it might put you in a lot of danger..." Ash studies the patterns in the table for a moment. She hates these memories. "I don't like saying this, but I saw how some of our peers behaved in the old days when they'd gone completely 'round the bend, and they had a habit of messing with the heads of people who worked with them, even other Exalted. Are you certain this Walker character hasn't laid any compulsions on you that could be triggered from a distance? Protection from outside attacks won't be a lot of help if he makes you jump off the Titan." Or something even nastier.

 

[Sherwood]

The Necromancer looks troubled. "If there is such a compulsion, I do not know about it. I have heard my Ma- I mean, my old Master say to the other Abyssals under his control that he held the power to destroy us in the palm of his hand. I don't know if that was a idle boast, or a true threat. I have seen the Walker in Darkness use the strongest level of Necromancy, and has an extensive knowledge of Sorcery, so I will not put his threat aside without some concern."

Renna looks thoughtful. "The Sidereals have a Convention on the Deathlords, studying them as much as possible. Perhaps I can pull a few strings, owe a favor or two, and get one of my fellow Viziers to provide us with what is known by the Order?"

 

[Esbilon]

"If they know of our enemy, that is information it would be most helpful to have," Khutulun answers Renna with a nod of acceptance. "Regarding the man himself, or however we should refer to such a being, I say we move to his lands and show Creation just what is is that has been hiding in its midst all this time."

 

[Sherwood]

The Necromancer says, "I can show you on a map where the Walker's domain is here in Creation. I have no idea on just how fast this fortress can move, though. You can expect a response from him, no matter what you do. The question remains, however, of what if anything I should reply back to him with? Do I ignore his message, or tell him to go jump into the deepest part of the Pit of Sorrows?"

While listening to this, Renna pulls out a piece of parchment from one of her many pockets, along with a writing quill, and begins to scratch out a message to her contact in the Convention of Deathlords.

 

[Psychie]

Weiss leans back and looks over at the Necromancer. "You said that these Deathlords are ghosts, right?" She waits for her nod, then turns to Khutulun. "Don't Solars have Charms that will allow them to destroy ghosts and spirits? Wouldn't that work on these things?"

 

[Arynne]

"Only about the speed of a galloping horse," says Ash in response to the Necromancer. "This is a floating city, after all! If he has any kind of decent transport artifacts he can get here faster than we can get there."

To Weiss, she says thoughtfully, "Just about every Exalt type has a Charm for doing damage to ghosts, but most of 'em require you to actually hit the ghost just like you would anything else. If these fellows are the ghosts of Solars, they will most definitely be attempting to hit right back."

 

[Esbilon]

"Charms powerful enough to slay even the Primordials," Khutulun answers Weiss, "sadly dispersing spirits was never one of my primary concerns and thus I have not had occasion to learn them. That said, my armor does allow me to hurt them. Do we have any way of determining which Solar this Walker is the ghost of?" She asks, addressing both Renna and the Necromancer.

 

[Sherwood]

Renna shakes her head. "I am not on the Convention of Deathlords, so if that information is available, I don't have access to it. I am sorry."

The Necromancer also shakes her head. "I lack that knowledge, too. I do know that once I was Exalted, I had to forgo use of my old name and take on only the title of the Necromancer. It may be a similar thing with the Deathlords, since their overall loyalty is to the Neverborn in the heart of the Labyrinth."

 

[Psychie]

Weiss thinks for a moment, then says, "Powerful ghost or not, I doubt he would do well against the Titan's Eye of Judgement. Just get him in range of that and 'Poof!' he's toast. That sounds like a solid plan to me."

 

[Sherwood]

The Necromancer looks to Weiss. "I don't know what this Eye of Judgement is, but I can tell you that the Walker does possess a potent military force along with several Deathknights. Granted that several of his Deathknights have been sent back to him as Shards that need to be re-Exalted. But you must not underestimate his ability to deal out a nasty fight. Your Circle is potent, but can you face an army on your own? Its not like the mortals that have moved into the Titan can hope to cross steel with the Walker's forces and hope to win."

 

[Psychie]

Weiss nods. "I understand. But, we also have other cards up our sleeves. This Titan houses thirty of the Thousand Forged Dragons on board, making for quite a potent attacking force. But you are right in the fact that we do need an army of our own, besides the crew that we have started to train. Allies in the battle against these Deathlords would also be a blessing. We would have to approach our potential friends with caution as to not spook them, though. Having Scattered Petals show up in the sky overhead might just send the wrong message."

 

[Esbilon]

"Is his army one of ghosts and the undead, or one of mortal men?" Khutulun asked the Necromancer.

 

[Sherwood]

"Both, but with an emphasis on various types of dead. Some zombies and skeletons, but more warrior ghosts and mortal men. Many undead war constructs, and a handful of Dragon-Blooded that have turned to the Walker for leadership. If you have a map, I can show you where the Walker has his fortress in Creation."

 

[Arynne]

Ash fetches a memory crystal and fiddles with it briefly. A moment later, it projects a map of the First Age Eastern provinces upon the table. "We've learned that the far Eastern sections aren't... accurate anymore," the artisan-priest sighs.

 

[Sherwood]

With a quick glance over the map, the Necromancer points. "There. That is the location of the Walker's fortress inside Creation. It is in a sizable Shadowland, and I don't know if this city ship will be able to function there." She points again, and says, "This is Thorns, the city that Mask of Winters was able to capture in a single day with his own fortress; Juggernaut. That is the huge animated body of a fallen giant, with a fortress built into and on its back. Quite the marvel of necromantic engineering, far beyond my own skills at fleshcrafting."

 

[Psychie]

Weiss pauses to think. "There was talk of a refit to the Titans to allow them to function in the Underworld, but I don't know if this one has been worked on for that. Even if it had not, I believe that operations inside a Shadowland will be possible, just so long as we don't fully transition into the Underworld. What kind of air defenses does this Walker have?"

 

[Arynne]

The Zenith glances at Thorns. "Are the other Deathlords likely to come to the Walker's aid? Or will they look out for themselves alone?"

 

[Sherwood]

"That depends. If they believe that this weapon cannot reach into the Underworld, they may just let us take him out of their way for them. If they think that this can go after them in the relative safety of the Underworld, then I can see that fear being a real motivator to band against us here."

 

[Arynne]

"Hmm. Then perhaps our best strategy would be to lure him out somehow."

 

[Esbilon]

"Fighting an enemy outside their comfort zone is generally preferable. The Scattered Petals let us overcome many of the issue with siege warfare, but far from all." Khutulun turns to the Necromancer, "do you think he'd come after you himself if he knew where you were?"

 

[Sherwood]

The Necromancer ponders. "He may. Depending on how I phrase the message, he may come in curiosity, or in full out battle regalia. What would you like me to say?"