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

[Red Shadow Claws]

He has found it. That thought was racing through Quil''s mind as he entered. Yes, some grave robber has found it first, but this wouldn't deter him. Something might still be here, and whatever it is, he need to find it. And maybe he'll find clues to the interloper's identity. Calling on his power, he let his Caste mark glow, and started descending the stairs, his steps growing more confident as he descended.

 

[jaydude]

As Quill proceeds down the stairs, his Caste Mark lighting the way, he soon comes across stairs of a different design than mere stone. These ones are tiled, with each tile large enough to place a whole foot on, and one of either four colors; green, red, orange or white. On each side of the downward corridor is an inscription in Old Realm: "Follow the path of the seasons, starting from when life returns to Creation."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill looks at the tiles, and frowns. Four colors? Creation has Five Seasons, like the elemental poles. His Caste mark glows a bit brightly and a golden light starts surrounding him, as he looks around to try and assess things better.

Spoiler

Anima rises to Glowing level, as he spends 5 motes peripheral on Awareness to see better.

Only 3 successes

 

[jaydude]

Quill is unable to see anything new just by taking a better look. Whoever designed this staircase and thought up that inscription must have had a very different idea of how the seasons worked compared to mainstream Creation.

From his Shogunate studies, Quill recalls a small handful of cultures who believed in the idea of Creation having four seasons, not five. These "alternative" seasons typically weren't named for the elemental poles, but for the kind of weather and temperatures they had; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

And people told me that studying the Shogunate was a waste of time. It has brought me more knowledge than most of them will ever realize.
And with that, he starts going down the stairs, following the Green, red, orange and white stairs.

 

[jaydude]

Spring, summer, fall and winter. By following this cycle, Quill soon makes it to the foot of the staircase, where he sees a large stone trapdoor, nearly invisible on the floor. He walks across it without any problems, and proceeds down a stone corridor that leads deeper into the tomb, his Caste mark lighting the way. As he walks he sees a few long burnt out torches strewn about on the floor, though no signs of bodies; whoever discarded these torches must have run out of use for them.

He soon comes to a larger, square-floored room, this one containing another set of bronze doors opposite the corridor entrance. In the center of the room is a large stone chair, on which sits a bronze statue of an eight-foot tall Shogunate warrior, whose armor comes from a period long before the time of the Solar resting in this tomb.

Most ominously, there are a number of skeletons strewn across the floor, many of them bearing ragged clothes, as well as rusted armor or weapons.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill looks around the room, his excitement battling with trepidation, but he boldly steps a bit forward. This looks like it was the end of the would be grave robbers who came before him, but that suggests that this statue is one of those animated statues he has heard about. His anima flares even higher, as he strives to be sure of his prediction, by letting his essence wash over it to recover it's secrets.

Spending 6m on Truth-rendering Gaze. A success to figure out about the statue.

5 successes

 

[Rykon]

Ryan drew his Daiklave and rooted his feet in the soft grass of the clearing. "I wouldn't be so eager if I were you. There's a good chance this fight may kill you." Ryan taunted, letting Ganzin exert himself closing the gap before stepping into more advantageous footing around the man's flank.

Rolling Join Battle
Pool: 5wits+3awareness+1specialty+2stunt+8excellency = 19
Successes: 10
Starting Initiative 13

Anima level Glowing

 

[jaydude]

Quill looks around the room, his excitement battling with trepidation, but he boldly steps a bit forward. This looks like it was the end of the would be grave robbers who came before him, but that suggests that this statue is one of those animated statues he has heard about. His anima flares even higher, as he strives to be sure of his prediction, by letting his essence wash over it to recover it's secrets.

Spending 6m on Truth-rendering Gaze. A success to figure out about the statue.

5 successes

Quill's examination reveals that this is nothing more than a mundane bronze statue. Whatever killed all these people, it wasn't this statue.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Making his way to the statue, he touches the armor, and checks it, his anima still glowing around him.

 

[jaydude]

Ryan drew his Daiklave and rooted his feet in the soft grass of the clearing. "I wouldn't be so eager if I were you. There's a good chance this fight may kill you." Ryan taunted, letting Ganzin exert himself closing the gap before stepping into more advantageous footing around the man's flank.

As Ryan moves to the side, Ganzin is forced to check his forward charge, stumbling a little as he abruptly slows down and giving the Dawn Caste a chance to make his move.

Round 1:
Ryan: 13 (Anima glowing) <------
Ganzin: 4

Round 2:
Ryan: 13
Ganzin: 4

 

[jaydude]

Making his way to the statue, he touches the armor, and checks it, his anima still glowing around him.

Even up close, Quill is unable to see anything extraordinary about the statue.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Without further ado, Quill will walk towards the door, and check whether it is locked.

 

[jaydude]

Mounted on the door, Quill sees a thick, circular disc of Green Jade that bears an image of a growling dragon, with a ruby sitting in each of the Jade dragon's eye sockets. The Twilight Caste soon sees that the rubies and several of the dragon's scales are raised up, as if they are meant to be pressed.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan suddenly twists about on his heel, tearing weeds from the ground with the tread of his boots. Leveraging the circular momentum, he brought his blade around in a wide arc rocketing forward to strike Ganzin across his back and leave him gasping in the dusty grass.

Withering attack accuracy pool is Dex, Melee, specialty, weapon accuracy, stunt, +5d from excellency.

8 successes.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill runs his fingers lightly on the raised plates, and tries to figure out how worn they are, and then decides to press all raised plates at the same time.

 

[jaydude]

Ganzin spins around as well and manages to get his guandao in the way of Ryan's daiklave, the two artifact weapons meeting with a loud clang. It's not a perfect block, however, and the force from the blow sends the Fire Aspect back a few steps.

(Ganzin uses 4m peripheral motes to raise his Parry by 2, bringing it up to 7. Roll damage.)

 

[jaydude]

Quill runs his fingers lightly on the raised plates, and tries to figure out how worn they are, and then decides to press all raised plates at the same time.

After Quill does this, he hears the sound of multiple gears turning and heavy stones shifting...from above him.

Please roll Perception + Awareness.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Looking around, Quill decides to pay close attention to the ceiling. It was always fun to see what traps the Shogunate left to those unfortunates who triggered the trap, but this time it was doubly exciting. He hoped to find a way to overcome the trap.

Assuming a one-die stunt, I got 3 successes.

 

[Rykon]

Rolling for Withering Damage.

7 successes, which puts Ganzin at -3 initiative and Ryan gains 7 for damage, 1 for landing a hit, and 5 for a crash... so 26 initiative.

 

[jaydude]

Looking around, Quill decides to pay close attention to the ceiling. It was always fun to see what traps the Shogunate left to those unfortunates who triggered the trap, but this time it was doubly exciting. He hoped to find a way to overcome the trap.

Looking up, Quill sees another tall and muscular bronze statue - this one wearing armor from the same period as the deceased Solar, carrying a bronze slashing sword, and very much animated - falling towards him feet-first through a stone trap-door in the ceiling. The one on the chair was just a decoy.

(Roll join battle, Quill.)

 

[jaydude]

Ganzin grins despite being put at a disadvantage from Ryan's blow, as if he's enjoying being in a fight he'll have to work hard to win. Less than a second after taking the strike, he attacks Ryan with a flurry of blows, wielding his guandao with a deadly grace as a red, flame-like glow envelops his body.

(Withering attack. 11 attack dice + 5 for excellency. 12 successes.)

Round 1:
Ryan: 26 (Anima glowing) Moved
Ganzin: -3 (Crashed, anima glowing) <------

Round 2:
Ryan: 26 (Anima glowing)
Ganzin: -3 (Crashed, anima glowing)

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill smiles at the descending statue. Now he can test his mettle, and his newfound connection to Sun's brush, which he summoned to hand with but a thought.

0 successes

 

[jaydude]

The statue falls towards Quill, intending to land on him feet-first and squash him like a glowworm.

(Withering attack, 7 successes.)

Round 1:
Statue: 5 <------
Quill: 3

Round 2:
Statue: 5
Quill: 3

 

[Rykon]

Ordinarily, Ryan would spare his power and attempt to defend more conservatively as he always had other elements to concern himself with on the battlefield. This man, however, begged to be made an example of.

Ryan surges with power elevating his anima to it's peak, his will driving his blade to swat the pole arm aside with unshakeable, thundering force.

"Now to finish this!"

I'll spend 10 peripheral motes and a willpower to raise Ryan's parry to 13 + stunt. Given that this is to demonstrate the mastery of a Dawn Caste.