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

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill was about to leave the place, when a nagging thought occurred, if he could crack the code for the lock, others could. And they might try and rob whatever might be buried with the Solar. And so, he turned back to the door, and tried to do more. Envisioning the mechanism of the lock, he sought ways to rearrange it enough, so that it would take a more complex sequence to open the door.

Spending 4m on 2 auto succeses, I have a total of 5 succeses.

jaydude

 

[jaydude]

Red Shadow Claws

By the time Quill is done with his tinkering, the mechanism for the lock has been radically changed; instead of only needing a single button to be pressed, unlocking it now requires a combination of buttons pressed in a very specific order. If the wrong button is pressed, the lock will now be unusable for a whole day, rather than just a few minutes. And with no clues for the lock provided, it would take a potential grave robber months - if not years - to crack it, assuming they didn't give up in frustration or go mad from all the time and unsuccessful attempts spent failing to break in.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

That job done, Quill heads back to the camp. Time to meet the others, if they've returned.

 

[jaydude]

Does Quill want to present the orichalcum fragments to Ysandre? Or wait for Ryan to gather all of the Exalts?

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

He'll present them to Ysandre first.

 

[jaydude]

Esbilon
Where is Ysandre at the moment?

 

[Esbilon]

After Ganzin and Ryan went off to have their little pissing contest (a contest she had no doubt as to who would win), Ysandre spent some time getting a better impression of the bandits she had inadvertently become somewhat responsible for. If these are good people in bad straits, she has no compunctions about offering them a place in her kingdom once she returns, but if they are thieves and bandits at heart, that is something she will have to change.

Once Quill returns, she is in her tent. The influx of money the deal with the mine will bring them is useful, but it's not something they can use right now. What they really need, she thinks, is information of the state of things in Nalia. Unbidden, the words of a poem spring to her mind.

Beneath the golden balm,
Settling on the fields
Evening steals in calm
And farmers count their yields.
The bee is in the lavender
The honey fills the comb,
But here a rain falls never-ending
And I am far from home.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

As Quill enters Ysandre's tent, and hears the words of her poem, something inside him cracks a bit. And his desire to help her return to her rightful throne flares up. As he approaches her, he brings out the broken pieces and says:

Upon a lovely throne,
An upstart rules the home
But even in the darkness
A light begins to glow
And when the day grows brighter
The rightful queen will glow
And show the upstart
What it means to rule to the world.

"I have come bearing a sort of gift. The broken pieces have been found, and in my mind, a better picture of the crown I wish to craft for you is taking shape. And soon enough, I will be able to start making it a reality. With these pieces, and some of the Jade we've secured, I have the beginning of the materials I need for it. I vow to you, that I will do anything in my power to secure that throne, as Nalia's rightful queen."

 

[jaydude]

After Ganzin and Ryan went off to have their little pissing contest (a contest she had no doubt as to who would win), Ysandre spent some time getting a better impression of the bandits she had inadvertently become somewhat responsible for. If these are good people in bad straits, she has no compunctions about offering them a place in her kingdom once she returns, but if they are thieves and bandits at heart, that is something she will have to change.

By and large, the bandits in Ganzin's gang have been forced into the lifestyle, often when their villages were destroyed in the fighting across the Hundred Kingdoms. Others lost their parents at a young age, or else lost their livelihoods or their means of support through other circumstances.

About half of the bandits seem willing to give honest work another try, but the other half seem to enjoy the violence and brutality inherent in the bandit lifestyle too much to consider giving it up.

 

[Esbilon]

By and large, the bandits in Ganzin's gang have been forced into the lifestyle, often when their villages were destroyed in the fighting across the Hundred Kingdoms. Others lost their parents at a young age, or else lost their livelihoods or their means of support through other circumstances.

About half of the bandits seem willing to give honest work another try, but the other half seem to enjoy the violence and brutality inherent in the bandit lifestyle too much to consider giving it up.

Winning the hearts and minds of men accustomed to a life of violence and taking rather than creating will take time, but Ysandre mentally notes a the ringleaders of that faction and makes sure to speak a more peaceful message where they can hear it.

"I have come bearing a sort of gift. The broken pieces have been found, and in my mind, a better picture of the crown I wish to craft for you is taking shape. And soon enough, I will be able to start making it a reality. With these pieces, and some of the Jade we've secured, I have the beginning of the materials I need for it. I vow to you, that I will do anything in my power to secure that throne, as Nalia's rightful queen."

The young queen turns around when the other Solar begins to speak, a melancholy look on her face. "Thank you, Quill. I am sure it will be a tribute to your skill and dedication, and I hope I will do it honour when the day comes. Sometimes, though, I cannot help but wonder if it truly matters to the people who sits upon the throne. Is my brother's rule really such a bad thing for Nalia? Worse than a civil war would be?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill is moved by Ysandre's dedication to her people. But he quickly moves to stop her from feeling bad about it. "Ysandre, I have complete trust that you will honor it when the day comes, and my hope is that it will be a suitable crown for you to wear. As for the people of Nalia, I cannot answer for them, but I do have some suggestions. First of all, let us see what is the situation there. If your people are suffering, surely, it would be better to free them from your brother's tyranny. We already know that some of the nobles have been brought low, not because they acted against the law, or something like that, but because they thought you should be the rightful queen. And we know he has attempted to assassinate you, and likely will try again. And I think, in my opinion, that you would make Nalia a much better place. As for the civil war you're worried about. It might not come to a long war. By your accounts, the troops are not great, and I am sure that we can devise ways to stun and knock them out rather than kill them, leaving your brother without much of an army."

 

[Esbilon]

Ysandre nods at Quill's words, "we need information more than anything now. Without that, we can neither plan a retake of power or debate its morality."

 

[jaydude]

14th of Ascending Air, Realm Year 768, Evening​

All of the Solars sit around a large campfire in Ryan's camp, along with Sergeant Tannis, and the three newest associates of the group; Ganzin, lazily slouching on his stool while resting his Red Jade weapon against his shoulder, Lyla, sitting particularly close to Ryan, and Attimus, standing near Ryan and Lyla while resting the pommel of his massive Grand Goremaul against the ground.

All of these three now look towards Ryan and Ysandre, thinking them the most likely ones to open up discussions, and looking to them for leadership.

Red Shadow Claws Rykon Esbilon Sherwood Epiphany

 

[Esbilon]

Ysandre stands before the assembled Exalts and Mortals, and though her clothing is far from the resplendent royal raiment one might expect of her, her bearing is every inch a queen's. "I want to thank you all for your support. I am an exile longing to return to my homeland, but I will rush in doing so. Most of all, we need to know the situation in the country at large and particularly in the capital. I want to know how and if the lives of ordinary people have changed since I was forced to flee, and it is of crucial importance if we are to succeed with our venture to know if the disposition of the nation's forces have changed since then, and if my brother has gathered allies of any great significance. There has been a Lookshyan embassy for a long time, and if he has swayed them to his cause, we may start a greater conflict than we desire by returning in force. On the other hand, if he has not we may be able to gain them as a valuable ally. If any of you have contacts in the area or knowledge of the goings on, please come forward. Likewise, if you need any further resources to be at your best, come forward as well."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill clears his throat. "I do not any info, at this point, but could you provide us with whatever info you might remember? Are there any Manses or Demesnes? What were Nalia's relations with nations both near and far? What are it's major exports and imports?" After a brief pause he adds " I could try and get in touch with the Jade Contemplation, to see if I can gather any info from them."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan gently cleared his throat, trying not to make too much noise before speaking. "Simply put, we need archers. We have infantry, we have raiders, we need trained and dedicated archers. In general, rallying more numbers isn't going to be bad for us at all, but for a strategic advantage we need the capability of different types of field forces. As far as things go with the state of Nalia, I concur with Quill. Though I would add that you should inquire on the state of the spirit court as well. Much as I really loathe some spirits, more than a few of them are likely fickle enough to be susceptible to turning on him for the right price. Specifically, if one chafes under pressure from the Immaculate adherents, you may find a motivated party in a negotiation. I'd prefer to have as little as possible to do with that effort though. The gods of Alsein earned their Immaculate burden."

 

[Esbilon]

"Please do," Ysandre answers Quill's suggestion, "all information on how things have developed since I departed are more than welcome. To answer your question, the royal palace is manse, though I am sorry to say that my brother must now be in possession of the hearthstone. There are likely minor demesnes spread around the countryside, but it was never something that figured majorly in my education as we did not have the resources for the kind of geomantic engineering needed to turn them into something useful. Regarding foreign relations, I believe the most significant may let us accomplish multiple goals at once. To our south is the country of Aberuthven whose archers are famed for their skill. They have never had any strong ties to Nalia, either for good or ill, but they have an abiding hatred for the Northborn of Ruon whom I believe you also have a grudge against, Ryan."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan smiles at the thought of breaking Northmen, "While I'd settle for kicking them out of my own home, putting them in their place would be a nice bonus. Since it sounds like we're going to the effort of getting the Aberuthven people on our side, what do we know of them besides their archers? If we want people to put their hearts behind their steel, we need to be able to earn their trust and respect after all. Let's try and paint a picture of how both their people and ours will prosper in the future. With that, I think they'll take to our campaigns with greater fervor."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill clears his throat "Apologies Ryan and Ysandre, but I know there is a way to gain their trust, and possibly secure their aid." He waits till all eyes are upon him before he continues.

"Like many of the disparate nations of the Scavenger Lands, the people of Aberuthven were refugees of the Fae Invasion, and survivors of the Great Contagion. But they carried a proud tradition of archery. It is unclear whether they were mortal members of one of the Shogunate legions, or maybe they had originally been a handful of surviving Dragon-Blooded, whose blood got so thin that there are now no new Dragon-Blooded born of the blood.
Still, they came upon the Foreboding Forest whent hey were low on ammunition, and missing bows to some of their troops. Uncaring about the forest, and just seeking to be able to defend themselves, they sought to use the trees. But lo and behold, the Forest God was a being known as Cernunnos, who took a deep dislike to it. You see, there were two reasons for it. One is that inside the forest is a grove of special trees that he guards, and these interlopers had struck down one of those. And the second, because it was already enraged with the Fae trying to destroy it.
So, the forest itself rose up against them, and their arrows and bows were of no use against it. Until one of their numbers, whose name I have not found a record of, has agreed to go and placate the forest god. And soon enough, she came back with a deal. The people of Aberuthven would defend the sacred woods, and Cernunnos would allow them to use the forest for their arrows and bows. And every 10 years, he's grant them the gift of cutting the branch of one of the sacred trees, to be used for a special bow.
Life was good for both sides with this treaty. But with the coming of these new invaders things turned sour once more. The sacred woods were damaged, and the treaty is now broken. What more, Cernunnos is even more furious now, for part of the deal, which even the people of Aberuthven doesn't know about, is that the woman who struck the deal, would be given as a bride to Cernunnos. And the invaders have kidnapped her."

Rolling to Introduce Fact

Spending 10 motes on Lore Excellency, 20 dice to roll

7 Successes

 

[jaydude]

"I see." said Lyla. "So if we rescue this woman and bring her back to Cernunnos, it'll end the disagreements between him and the people of Aberuthven."

[Result accepted.]

 

[Rykon]

"There's only one problem I see with our little quest to Aberuthven... How are we planning to get there? It's on the other side of Nalia, the route around it is the territory of the north-born and the other side is the river. I suppose we could march down the eastern coast of the river but... that's still a massive trek... Any ideas?" Ryan said as he traced the various paths upon his map table.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill looks at Ryan "We do have access to a ship, and besides, we still need to do some reconnaissance in Nalia.."

 

[Rykon]

"We only have access to travel by ship if we leave the troops behind, according to Mara. While we do have Lyla and her ship here, there are still more of us than there were before. We will need more than just the two I believe. As for recon in Nalia, that still gets the bulk of us uncomfortably close before we are ready to make our move or defend against retaliation. My men and I can hold the lines, but is it a risk we want to take now? Let's at least get more data from sources outside the borders first."

Ryan looked over the map again. He stared intently at the river and tried to recall what intelligence he had and what he lacked. What he was missing was details on what Quincel knows and what he is doing about it. That's when he remembered the encounter with the five Dragon-Blooded. "Hm... There's also a good chance your brother knows you were in Marita already, Ysandre. Even if we take passage by river, that route will likely be heavily monitored. Our safest bet may indeed be to take the long march east of the River and cross closer to Aberuthven... That would leave Mara twiddling her thumbs and out of our reach for far longer than we intended though. Hm..."

"Well, I guess there's not much to be decided here without her aware of our plans. We need an update on Mara's status anyway to figure out if we even can travel by ship yet."

 

[jaydude]

"We have a sorcerer, don't we?" Lyla asks the group as a whole, before looking at Catseye. "Couldn't you send her a message via sorcery, asking her to provide what information she's gathered so far?"

Epiphany

 

[Epiphany]

Catseye nods slowly, thoughtfully. "I could," she admits. "I've even done so with Mara specifically, as I've served with her crew for some time."

"For that matter, we might see if Mara could hire or recruit some additional ships for us, on our behalf. Bring them with her, for transporting troops if it comes to it. Though if you're worried about Ysandre's brother, Mara's had some experience with...shall we say, private bookings. It wouldn't be difficult for her to take us while her Highness is 'seen' boarding another vessel, perhaps one going the other way. That should give us the element of surprise."

"But either way, tell me what you'd like to put in my message to Mara and I'll send it on its way."