Chronicle of the Scavenger Lands (Exalted 3E) - IC

[jaydude]

"I hope you'll all forgive me for changing the subject." says Mara. "I was just wondering...what about us? Me and my crew won't be able to follow you overland. Assuming you still want us to to help you, that is."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan raised a hand to his chin in thought. "Well, I suppose we will be needing a plan to acquire more ships to haul more people south. I think I may be able to find a place where we can find some soldiers as well. I'll need some time to research to verify however. As for major advantages you could help with, know of any sorcerers that we could approach?"

 

[jaydude]

At Ryan's words, Mara's grin returns, a little bit wider than before. "Funny you should say that, Ryan. It just so happens that Catseye here happens to be a sorcerer. And not just any sorcerer."

Having said that, she looks at the Eclipse caste and gives her a nod, nonverbally giving her permission to reveal that she too is a Solar.

Epiphany

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera raises an eyebrow. "Just how many of the Sun Touched do we have here? I would have to say that with so many Exalted here, our odds of succeeding have gone up significantly." She is still uncertain if and when she should reveal her own Exalted nature, or just hold it in reserve until later.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill raises a brow at Ailera's comment "I have not heard the term Sun Touched in many years, and certainly not in this day and age. In fact, according to my knowledge, it has not been uttered since the Dragon-Blooded rose up against the Solars and Lunars." He cocks his head at her "Does this mean that you are one as well? Or maybe one of the Moon Touched? Cause if you are, I have many questions I would just LOVE to ask you..."

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera looks down for a moment, then says with a sigh. "No, I am not a Lunar, but . . . yes, I am a Solar." She stands, then brushes her hands down the front of her simple traveling clothes into a completely different outfit, and she then focuses her Essence into a display of her Caste mark. With a twirl, she completes the transformation of her outfit, then she sits back down. "I was hesitant to reveal that fact until now, but with so many Exalted here, it seems a bit silly to hide."

 

[Epiphany]

When Mara implicitly outs her, Catseye is initially irritated. But Ailera's subsequent reaction mirrors her own and she finds herself shaking her head ruefully, well aware that it's equally silly for her to hide as well.

And so, the Eclipse castemark manifests on her forehead. "My Captain is quite gracious to volunteer my services," she says with a bit of a pointed look in Mara's direction. "But if she's willing to part with me for a bit, I have no objection to working with all of you directly." A quirk of the lips twists her following smile. "Never met another Solar and suddenly there's half a dozen, it seems like."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill is visibly ecstatic "I had thought to pick the brain of one Lunar, and got two Solars instead. And one of them is a Sorceress, nonetheless. It must be my lucky day."

 

[Esbilon]

"You are that confident in your men and your own leadership?" Ysandre asks Ryan, the full weight of her attention turning to the Dawn Caste beside her.

Once satisfied with his answer, she regards the sudden revelations of her fellows' Exalted nature with quiet alarm at first, but she quickly schools her appearance. "If we are throwing off all pretence here, it behoves me to do the same." With those words, the full disc of the sun acsendent shines golden upon her brow and white golden light emmenates from her very being. "I am Ysandre de la Courcel, rightful queen of Nalia, descendent of Venus and Chosen of the Unconquered Sun. If you will help me to restore my homeland to me and justice to its people, I will be in your debt personally as well as financially. Nalia is a wealthy country and while I will happily pay your fees, that is little compared to what I can offer you should you choose to make it your home as well as your employer."

 

[jaydude]

Ailera looks down for a moment, then says with a sigh. "No, I am not a Lunar, but . . . yes, I am a Solar." She stands, then brushes her hands down the front of her simple traveling clothes into a completely different outfit, and she then focuses her Essence into a display of her Caste mark. With a twirl, she completes the transformation of her outfit, then she sits back down. "I was hesitant to reveal that fact until now, but with so many Exalted here, it seems a bit silly to hide."

Mara doesn't look at all surprised when Ailera reveals herself to be a Solar. Instead, she gives a smile akin to one who has just won a particularly profitable bet. "I figured that there was more to you than meets the eye. I mean, it's not like anyone could have caught my sleight-of-hand so easily. Even if I wasn't putting as much effort into it as I could have."

When Mara implicitly outs her, Catseye is initially irritated. But Ailera's subsequent reaction mirrors her own and she finds herself shaking her head ruefully, well aware that it's equally silly for her to hide as well.

And so, the Eclipse castemark manifests on her forehead. "My Captain is quite gracious to volunteer my services," she says with a bit of a pointed look in Mara's direction. "But if she's willing to part with me for a bit, I have no objection to working with all of you directly." A quirk of the lips twists her following smile. "Never met another Solar and suddenly there's half a dozen, it seems like."

Upon seeing the look Catseye gives her, Mara has the grace to at least look a little apologetic. "All I said was that you were more than just an ordinary sorcerer. There's ways to interpret that statement that don't involve you being a Solar. And if I did say too much, well, I didn't peg these people as the kind who'd turn you over to the Immaculates or the Wyld Hunt."

When Ysandre reveals her own Solar nature, Mara again looks like she was half-expecting it. "I second what Quill here said. To think that I'd find myself in the company of so many Solars." she says to the table as a whole, before looking towards Ryan.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you too are a Solar, Ryan?"

Rykon

 

[Sherwood]

When Ysandre pulls out the titles in full and shows off her Caste mark, Ailera kneels down before the queen. "Your Highness, I will happily support you in your efforts to reclaim your rightful throne. Having a place in Creation where I can openly admit who and what I am is a thing that I have dreamt about for a long time, and a kingdom that is ruled by a Solar Exalt would be a great leap to that goal."

 

[Rykon]

To Ysandre's question Ryan did not waiver. He sincerely believed that no mortal force was a match for his so long as he lead them.

Ryan flared his caste mark dimly for those that hadn't seen it in the Twin Skulls keep. "I am indeed. I cant say I'm as excited about it as some of you, given what has been lost. However, I still have work to do before I can earn my rest."

 

[jaydude]

Mara gives Ryan a nod, and then turns her attention back to Ysandre, the other woman's spiritually enhanced appearance making it difficult for her to look away.

"I won't deny it, your majesty. Your proposal does appeal to me, in the financial sense at least. And Catseye here seems happy to support your cause, and I'm loathe to part with one such as her."

She then looks thoughtful. "Still, even if there are five Solars fighting for your cause, supporting it will carry no small amount of risk for me and my crew. If the Wyld Hunt discovers that so many of you are gathered in one place, and actively working together, if they have any sense they'll come after you - and us - with their strongest shikari, if not everything they have. That isn't something an Outcaste like me can survive so easily, wouldn't you agree?"

 

[Rykon]

Ryan was tempted to interject, thinking Mara might back out of the arrangement. However, her willingness to keep a Solar sorcerer this close for so long lead him to believe she was haggling for hazard pay. "Is there something you would ask for sufficient to compensate you for the risk? You might be more vulnerable than some of us, sure. You are far from helpless though." Ryan noted with a smile, not quite ready to let this serpent wriggle free from the deal.

 

[jaydude]

Mara turns her head a bit to look at Ryan. "I just wanted to be certain that you and everyone else were aware of the risks of five Solars working together." she says with a smile of her own. "As long as I have reason to believe that you and all of the others can put Ysandre's fine backside in the fancy chair, me and my crew will support you however we can. But in the event that that ceases to be the case, and your cause becomes hopeless, I would like to have permission in advance to withdraw, and hopefully avoid losing my ship and crew before it's too late. Not that I believe with certainty that your cause will become hopeless; I just want to be able to cover all of my bases."

 

[Esbilon]

"We are aware, captain. Though the threat from the Realm itself is not what it was a decade ago, it is still very real with Grey Falls so close by. And the Immacualte Philosophy is followed in one way or another across the world, not least in Lookshy which remains the mightiest city in the East, if not in all Creation." Ysandre looks serious when she speaks, the threat of the Hunt and the ill will of faithful Immaculate commoners clearly something that has been on her mind before. "So long as you keep any contracts we have agreed upon and do not leave us like a thief in the night, I will hold you no ill will if the situation becomes untenable for you and yours. It is a poor captain who leads their people into death and destruction, and a poor queen too."

She pauses to look at each of the others in turn, her eyes making contact with each of the others' for a moment before she speaks again. "We are presented with two paths, the jade mine Quill has found and going at once to Nalia. I would like more information before returning, even if Ryan is confident in our ability to win on the open field, there is also the question of the peoole's safety and the state of the country and its people. We may be able to acquire this information along the way, but that will also mean giving up something of the element of surprise which will doubtlessly prove useful when confronting my brother's usurpers. That said, anything we do risks information getting back to him, and we have already been followed once in Marita by a large group of dragonblooded. I am unsure of the correct move, what do you all think?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill smiles at Mara "I cannot, and will not, speak on behalf of Ysandre. But I think there is another option for you to gain money in the mean time. But that is for a private conversation."

 

[jaydude]

Mara gives Quill a nod, before turning her attention back to Ysandre. "Thanks for being so understanding." she says.

"As for which course of action we should take, could we not accomplish both? I have a ship, I'm less likely to draw attention in your homeland than you are, and I doubt that your brother knows that I'm working with you. My crew and I could sail down to Nalia and find out what the situation is there, while you and the other Solars travel to the jade mine and see what you can do with it, and then we can sail back up and join you when we've learned all that we can."

 

[Epiphany]

"The Captain's suggestion is an excellent one," Catseye says, reflexively backing the Water-Aspect she's worked so well with for the past several years. "I agree with the principle of information gathering, either way. We may be Solars but there are dangers even Exaltation can't overcome. Not without preparation, resources and a solid plan. Thorns had all three with its defenses and I'm sure you've all heard how that worked out for us."

The Thorns Eclipse sighs and rubs the knuckles of one hand with the thumb of another. "As for making money, if you have the time and patience for it, a few summoned Mercury Ants have a way of setting up revenue streams. Fighting a war's expensive, though, so it wouldn't hurt for us to explore every avenue we have."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill turns to Catseye and asks "I probably need to brush up on my summoned creatures course, but pray tell, what are Mercury Ants, and how can they help set up a revenue stream? and if we are on the subject, how does one summon them?" What a delightful thought, a summoned creature that can create revenue? why did he, and most mortals, worked so hard, if a few summoned creatures can do it?

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera is also somewhat curious as to what a bunch of ants might do to get some sort of revenue flowing, especially if it saves her from having to ply her skills of burglary. One never knows what kind of wards and traps that might be hidden away inside someone's mansion.

 

[jaydude]

Mara decides to answer the question in Catseye's place, recalling the last time she made use of them. "They're Earth Elementals with the power to transmute metals. If we were to, say, come across a deposit of copper or tin, Mercury Ants could transmute it into a more valuable metal, such as gold or silver."

She doesn't mention that their bites can also increase the victim's desire for sexual activity, despite - as Catseye can recall - having had one such experience herself in the past. She doesn't feel the others need to know that.

 

[Epiphany]

"They're also very good miners," Catseye says.

"As for how to summon them, there's two usual methods. The first is you can make a deal with a local Court of Elementals in exchange for whatever highly arbitrary thing they want. The second is you solicit the services of someone who knows the Sorcery for summoning them." The Eclipse coughs once before adding, "Which you already have."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill's eyes almost seem to pop out of their sockets when he realizes what these elementals can do. In a hoarse voice he adds "Wait, can they also turn Gold into Orichalcum?"

 

[Epiphany]

Catseye frowns slightly as she tries to recall some obscure fact she'd overheard, exchanged between two spirits in a conversation she'd been in back in Great Forks. Finally, she shrugs and says "No, I think the Magical Materials are forged in a different way. For some reason, mirrors pop to mind but I can't recall why or what for."