Chapter One: The Skull on the Sword. [An Age Undreamed Of]

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Rain


The old man can't stop laughing when he gets up, hobbling away into the distance after putting a tourniquet on his leg. Laughing, laughing, all the way away down the shore.

 

[Negative Thac0]

"He really didn't need to torment that guy..." Adair frowned, standing as well. "I have to wonder why the blood is acting all weird." He thinks out loud, considering his bow for a moment. Deciding that it wouldn't be diplomatic of him he decided to go without. Besides, Matsu was right behind him. Right?


"You ready, friend?"

 

[Chaka]

Rain


Kwan Shu spun around suddenly upon hearing voices. "I did not torment him! I only stabbed him a little! And he asked me to anyway! And... and... oh shit, you were watching."

 

[Midboss]

Matsu


"Well if these people are lackeys of the Mask, then whatever is there must not come by there hands."


He didn't know what was the worst part, the fact that whatever was on that island interested the deathlord, or the fact that these two guys, whoever the hell they were, had just attracted a lot of attention and possibly risked attracting the wyld hunt.

 

[Negative Thac0]

"I guess he'll live, which is important." Adair answered the dawn caste, approaching with both his hands up. "I'm still new to all this, so I'm guessing you just did what was needed- I'm still trying to figure out what that is."


"Anyway, my name is Adair Silverleaf." He smiled, offering his hand out to Kwan Shu once he was close enough. "I know it seems oddly coincidental, but we are like you are, except none of us have a nifty sword."

 

[apoatar]

Mirri


She follows behind Adair as he introduces himself to the Dawn caste and gives a polite curtsy, "I am Dancing Ivory, it is a pleasure. "


Ivory lifts her skirt so the hem doesn't drag on the mud and crouches down near where the blood is pooling in astrange pattern. She closes her eyes and tunes her senses to the chords of fate shaping the Essence around her.


Activating Telltale Symphony with personal essence.


Results for 9 dice:  5 successes [ 0 4 3 1 3 7 7 9 1 ] (TN: 7)

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Mirri


The essence tinged ground spells it out in the blood in green-highlighted motes of essence to your eyes: Mid-tier necromancy, being activated from very far away, not local; very potent, using the blood as the focus. You're not familiar with the spell though.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Aindani Jenos


You'll find yourself resting on a slight rise sitting overlooking a distant rachel--an often ten to twenty foot depression in typically flat landscape (such as this)--this one is the size of a small town and housing a very large and well-organized camp. These folk from Thorns are better organized that you could imagine. Lots of mercenaries, very few undead. That was off-kilter. Maybe those folks in Port Calin told it true. If so, these dead bastards had some very choice artifacts and maps with them somewhere in the middle of that camp.


Possible hints about your former life's own tomb. Either way, if it could be pulled off--payday. The camp is in standard army field issue, rowed tents, several large tents the size of townhouses dominate the center of camp with dragon's teeth and sharpened stakes at the edge of the rachel's dropoff to secure the perimeter. You were told they have naval ships on the lake, but that's probably further north near the shore, you certainly haven't seen any on the glossy surface of the lake a half mile away.

 

[Midboss]

Matsu just face palmed at Adair very expletive introduction. Just great, go yelling around that we're anathema. It's not like anyone compromising could see or hear them.


"Nice job. Now they know you're here and are probably either calling the wyld hunt or the minions of the deathlord. It's not like they have ways of dealing with that sort of problem. Cause if they did, that would really suck and what you just did created a metric tonne of trouble for anyone even remotly involved in what just happened. But it's not the case and all is happy for everyone."

 

[apoatar]

Mirri


Ivory opens her eyes, ignoring the conversation around her, and closely examines the pattern traces by the blood.


"This must be the work of Necromancy," she says as she pulls one of a pair of small daggers from her belt, "I have seen a diagram like this before in the Tome of Nefarious Deeds, the blood is the focus upon which the magic is being weaves."


She shuffles back a foot and extends the dagger and carefully tries to cut a groove into the pattern to see if she can distrupt it.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

To Mirri


Your foot passes through it, like a blade of grass upon the water. It doesn't even come away bloody. You'll feel a chuckle in your bones.


To All


The rain is lessening, now a mere drizzle.


The blood is forming up into a single pool and beginning to bow upward, taking a shape. Very rapidly it takes a dull humanoid outline, amophous, almost deciding the shape it wants. Soon it takes a very tall and thick shape, slowly forming to that of a man. The blood takes on precise detail of the sorcerer sending the spell. Gauntleted, heavily armored, steel booted, covered in tattered robes with his hands crossed before him stands forth. A faint keening wail thrums in your ears and makes your teeth ache. The sound of bones popping.


And a mask in gross caricature of the Sun, like a mummer's, eyes bolted over with a plate of steel and the normally smiling face a grimly emaciated skull.


The thunderheads seem to be growing darker and restless as another peel of thunder bellows upon the plain. Every woman pregnant for leagues will find her new child stillborn when giving birth months from now. Your own shadows recoil, trying to tear themselves from your very bodies for just a split second of insanity.


It looks between you all and then down at the dead Exalt. And then slowly craning up to the sword in the hand of Kwan Shu. A faint chuckle booms with the thunder. The air begins to chill rapidly and a sudden frost erupts on the stones of the rocky shore. All hail the Mask of Winters.


"You look so worried, children. This is merely a sending. I assure you, there would never be a thing to worry over ever again if I were truly there. You," a long, thin finger plated in bloody steel points at Kwan Shu, "have disturbed this process and I will enjoy your eventual coming to Thorns." Another thin, rattling pop of bone accompanies his finger curling back on itself in a come hither motion.


"I will not be impeded by some petty fool with delusions of granduer and a daiklaive. This is promise you." A soft chorus of little voices accompany his own, seemingly coming from the very rocks and waters. The body next to the blood gola raises up for a moment, eyes rolled back in its white face, speaking in time with the Deathlord. "Remember: there is always someone watching." The corpse falls to the ground again, lifeless and the blood dissolves into nothingness in the misting rain, just a yellowish smear on the rocks.

 

[apoatar]

Mirri


Ivory drops her dagger and scrambles backwards in the mud away from the blood, no longer worried about the mess. Her face goes from pale to ashen as the conjuration speaks the words of a Deathlord.


When it stops speaking she whispers as if to herself, "that was... The Mask..." The end of her sentence dies in her throat.

 

[Midboss]

Matsu


His expression turned to even higher annoyance during the words of the deathlord. Just great, he was hoping they had a few days before their ennemy even knew about them but noooooo. Now they were in the sights of the Mask of Winters.

When it stops speaking she whispers as if to herself, "that was... The Mask..." The end of her sentence dies in her throat.

"Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious."


He turned back to Rain:


"I'd add something but I think lord seasonal can't show his face has pretty much summed it up"

 

[Chaka]

Rain


Rain cocks an eyebrow. "Seems I've been invited." He points at the irate monk. "You. Shut up. The only witnesses are you and a bunch of terrified servants of the Mask of Winters, and do you really think they'll call the Hunt?" He points at the young one. "You. What were you saying about being 'like me'?"

 

[Negative Thac0]

Adair's hand was still held out in attempted greeting, but his head had cocked to the side to watch the abyssal visage of the mask of winters coming and going like the wind. The expression on his face was torn between "This is the most terrifying moment of my life" and "I wish I knew how to do that, except maybe with something other then blood".


He snapped his head back when he heard Rain speak, and after a brief moment of blank staring, recovered his bearings. "Oh! Um, yes, sorry about that. You are like us! Ivory over there would have to give you the theological details, but you have the same sort of enhanced abilities that Matsu and I have. We're heroes!" He said proudly, retracting his hand when it was obvious the Dawn was not going to shake it.


"Also, don't mind Matsu. He can be a bit grouchy, but he's a good guy." He looked over to his monk companion. "You shouldn't snap at Ivory like that though, Matsu..."

 

[Vanman]

Scorpion


From his hiding spot, Scorpion watches, with growing concern - and some small amount of horror - as the blood takes shape and then speaks. This, then, must be the Mask of Winters. He goes on the list. Yes, he's too powerful - right now. But that will change.


Scorpion sees the others come out, and hears some of their conversation. He moves silently to a closer vantage point, keeping an eye on the situation. The monk seemed touchy, and there were at least two Exalted there, most likely three. The woman had identified the blood as belonging to a Necromantic discipline. Whilst that was a smart guess, the actions she took pointed to possible otherworldly powers. He wasn't ready to reveal himself yet. He wanted to see how this played out.


Rolling for the sneak.


Dexterity (5) + Stealth (3) - Results for 8 dice: 4 successes [ 8 5 8 6 3 3 8 9 ] (TN: 7)

 

[Midboss]

Matsu


Matsu sighed once again. Aldair really had to learn about thinking before opening his mouth.


"Ok, secret's out. We're anathema too. So, does that mean your pal, wherever he's gone, is one of those too ?"

 

[Chaka]

Rain


Shu spits. "What are you, brainwashed? We're not anathema. We're Exalted. Solars. Chosen of the Sun. Anathema's the name they gave us. You'd have to hate yourself pretty badly to keep using it if you know what you are. And as for that, why don't you ask him? I doubt he's far away."

 

[Midboss]

"Force of habit. In case the robes were too obvious for you, I'm an immaculate monk. Probably the only anathema in existence to have ever been a member of the order. So for the time being, I keep my eyes open for any signs of baby eating I might suddenly develop."


(Sopt check: Results for 2 dice: 2 successes (TN: 7))


He then looked around but coudln't find the guy's friend.


"Sorry, your pal seems to be away for the time being."

 

[Chaka]

Rain


Shu shrugs. "If you want to continue to wear the robes of a religion whose sole purpose is to see your head on a pike, I'll not stop you. And I think you might want to try looking around a little harder..."

 

[apoatar]

Mirri


Ivory stands up carefully, clearly embarrassed at her unheroic reaction to the Mask's message. She smiles gladly at Adair's defense of her but says, "do not worry about me. I reacted inappropriately. I should know better than to worry with three Solar Exalts around me."


She turns to address Kwan Shu after his exchange with Matsu, "I have tried to convince him before, but it takes much more than just harsh words to undo a lifetime of initiation in a false religion."


She raises her voice as she continues, "where is your friend? He should make himself known. I imagine it is not often when a future Circle of Exalted meet for the first time. It is not an appropriate occasion to be shy."

 

[Vanman]

Scorpion


If Scorpion could face palm, he would. Why would Kwan Shu give away a possible advantage? Sure, these folks were Exalts - they'd already confirmed that - but why give away what he could or could not do? Announce you're a Dawn all you want, Kwan. I'd like to remain a little more circumspect.


Although...a sudden grin spreads over Scorpion's face. If he could do it....


The Night starts circling around, using the trees and any other cover he can. He times his steps with the falling rain and the falling water from the trees, using the noise to cover his steps. He grabs various foliage and cover as he goes. Once he finds himself behind the Immaculate, he utilizes that cover and starts moving forward, slowly. He waits until he is right behind Matsu and then he speaks. "You looking for me?"


Another sneaking roll! Spending a Willpower for the roll.


Dexterity (5) + Stealth (3) + 2 dice stunt (2) - Results for 10 dice: 4 successes [ 5 9 2 3 3 7 3 0 2 1 ] (TN: 7) + 1 Willpower success = 5 successes total.

 

[Midboss]

Matsu


(lets be hnoest, I'm not even going to bother trying the spot check)


"Buh !"


(err, you knoiw that surprised sound Mr Bean makes when surprised or just Roan Atkison when he pays non speaking roles ? That's his reaction)


Matsu jumped in surprise at Scorpion's words. Where in the dragons did he pop out of ? He tried to salvage what little dignity he had left by regaining composure as fast as he could.


"Err hello. Just wondering where the last anathema of the lot was at."

 

[Chaka]

Rain


Shu sighs. "Call yourself that if you want, but refer to me or him that way again and I'm afraid you're going to get a broken nose. I do not like that word, ok?"

 

[apoatar]

Mirri


Ivory grins with amusement to Matsu's back. This is a truly historic moment. To think that no only will I witness it, but be a small part of it.


She peeks at Rain out of the corner of her eyes without displaying any outward suspicion. I am sure there is more to his presence here than he has told though. I had best watch their backs.