Dreams of the Second Age - Additional IC

Aredin steps from his pod slowly, calling forth his cache from Elsewhere and removing his favored bow. Aredin knocked a three arrows and crept forward. As he entered the shaded regions of the ruin he would begin to blur with the scenery as he waited for the Dawn caste to make his call.
 
Moving slowly, and keeping his hands away from his sword, the man nods. "You're right. There is little I can do to put you at ease if you don't believe me. My name is Pyter, and I am the new host to Duncan's Exaltation. I am here to help you in this new Age. It has taken a little longer than expected for you to return to Creation, and much has changed in the intervening years. If I were planning on attacking you, I would have brought along a little backup. While I'm skilled with a blade, I'm not that good to take on all of you at once." He smiles, trying to put everyone at ease. "Mind if I sit? I've been walking all over the Underways and my feet are killing me."
 
"Go right ahead. We still need a little proof, it's certainly odd that we have been gone for so long. How many years has it been?"


Araneus doesn't let his guard down, but doesn't look like he's actively going to leap at Pyter right away, though. He does hold out his staff to put the others at least off edge and out of battle stances.
 
Zen-Aku takes the lack of response from his charms as a sign of something and slowly lowered his blade. He still kept his weapons drawn, but it wasn't pointed directly at Pyter, which was something.


"I wouldn't call over 600 years a 'little longer than expected'," Zen remarked dryly, "Why were we kept in stasis for much longer? Judging by the fact that a dating system change would mark a momentous occasion, such as the fall of the Solar Deliberative, we have been in stasis for over 700 years."


He shook his head, "Our already monumental task has already been made much more difficult than before. And we haven't even started to do anything yet. But we are Exalted, we shall manage."
 
Pyter slides over to the edge of one of the stasis pods and lowers himself down with a sigh. Then, Araneus asks his question on how long it has been, and his expression changes. "It has been a little longer than that. From what I can tell, you have been asleep for nearly 1500 years, ever since the Fall of the Deliberative and the Usurpation. Your hiding place has been hidden in Elsewhere for nearly the entire time you have been out of circulation. As to why, I can only guess. When Olivia was making her original plans to hide a trump card away, Jupiter herself provided her with the machinery to shift this much of Creation into Elsewhere, and she could only go by what she was told by the Maiden that the shift would be only 150 years. For some reason, the Maidens were responsible for this change in plans."
 
"Over a millennium?" Zen frowned, "And Jupiter herself contributed to this plan? This runs deeper than I thought."


Zen never did adhere to the concept of Fate, the fact that all had a destined path that could not be resisted was an eerie thing. He acknowledged it, but he was never able to truly accept it, nor did he find comfort in it, "If the Maidens are involved, then there must be specific reason why we were released at this exact time. I assume that Jupiter lied directly to Olivia about it, but I do not specialize in fate-seeing; it was never my way."


He turned to Pyter, "Tell us, what exactly happened over the course of our slumber? If we were brought here for a reason, then it's either because it's the ideal time for a new Deliberative to return or we're being led to our deaths right here and now, when the Solars are all but gone."


Zen would keep Judge's Ear up throughout the entire explanation to ensure that Pyter was telling the truth the entire time. It would not bode well to work on false assumptions.
 
"And what of Olivia? She would be hard pressed to have managed to kept her current form after such a time. I knew of only a few who were older than her."


Araneus shook his head at the mention of the Maidens, particularly Jupiter. "There must have been a good reason, they would not lead us astray. But whether or not that reason is good for us, is yet to be seen. Did the slaughter happen as intended, or did it fail miserably as it should have?"
 
"Unfortunately, Olivia was killed when she faced off against a half dozen of the Bronze Faction toadies. Duncan was beaten to an inch of his life and held captive, then placed on trial. He was locked away for many years before finally being released, and his new quest to find out where his old masters' Exaltation has gone was a fatal one. Fortunately, he left behind many clues as to where you were that I was able to follow to find you this day. As of now, Olivia's Shard has been missing ever since the day she fell in her efforts to defend you." He pauses to let that sink in before continuing. "The Deliberative was overthrown during Calibration, just the way it was planned by the Bronze Faction. All but a handful of Solar Shards were taken from Lytek's office and locked away in a Jade Prison that was sunk deep below the ocean, and the ones that managed to escape have been hunted down over and over again in what is now known as the Wyld Hunt."


Over the next hour, he goes into detail on the rise of the Shogunate, the Great Contagion and the Fae Invasion, and the rise of the Scarlet Empress. "Creation is in a sorry state of affairs right now. One glimmer of hope is the sudden return of most of the Solars after the destruction of the Jade Prison. Another glimmer is, well, all of you. No one except the Maidens themselves know of the plan that led you to this place, and you are now among the most powerful Solar Exalted in the world. All of Creation will tremble at the sound of your coming."
 
"I can't imagine Lytek was pleased to have several Exaltations forcibly removed from his care," Zen remarked, "But to know that we are among the strongest Exalts in Creation right now is a... comfort of sorts. We are the only people who might be able to get this done. What of the Lunars? What happened to them following the Usurpation? They might be our greatest allies, but they also might be our enemies as well. Our brethren in the First Age were... not kind and I can't imagine that we would be forgiven so easily."


"What allies do we have among us now?"
 
"That is...unfortunate...for Olivia. And for us. I did not think it was so easy to lose a Sidereal exalt, unless the Bronze are hiding it from us all." Araneus bows his head at the mention of both of their deaths, though, and offers a silent prayer. He does look rather downtrodden at having missed the Great Contagion, though. Certainly would have been up his alley, of course.


"I assume the factions are still in play? I doubt Heaven could have changed that much....too much paperwork involved."
 
"The Lunars are a fickle bunch. There are a few Elder Lunars that were alive before the Usurpation, but they have issues with the Solars that will make them difficult to approach. Most of the Lunars are young, and some are willing to stand along side the Solars once more, while others are trying to establish their own rule in Creation. Some will actively resist any attempt by you to reestablish the Deliberative, so be wary on who you approach. Lets see, of the Sidereals, the Bronze Faction are still the ones in power, but there is a growing dissident movement called the Gold Faction that see the return of the Solars as the sign to come out of the shadows and aid them directly. Many gods and spirits are also hopeful that the Solars will reestablish their rule, but just as many are content to keep things the way they are now."


"But there are other players in the mix. Back in the First Age, there were a group of powerful ghosts in the Underworld that have taken on the title of Deathlords, and they have Exalted servants of their own. These Deathknights are as powerful as the newly returned Solars, and there is a sizable number of these Abyssal Exalts; at least fifty, most likely more. There is a Convention in Yu-Shan dedicated to finding out information on these Deathlords and their servants, but it is slow going to get anything of useful nature from them. Five years ago, a Deathlord calling itself Mask Of Winters rose up in Creation and, using a mobile fortress on the back of a dead behemoth, conquered the city of Thorns. Since then, other Deathlords have started carving up domains of their own, including several that are close by to this city. There is one known as Walker in Darkness, and another called the Mistress of Tears that are in the southeast region of Creation. They are a sizable power, and I cannot say if they will be an ally or enemy in the effort to restore any kind of Solar government."
 
Aredin was thankful for his cache being in elsewhere as he removed a sheet of dictation, scribed by his artifacts, and proceeded to roll it up for later review. He'd place another sheet before the pen as he tried going over all of this data for a few moments, "I don't expect anyone taking the title of death lord to be suitable ally material. Though I'm curious on more immediate problems, what is current situation of this city ?"
 
"This would have been easier if a Lunar came along with us..." Zen sighed, "But we shall have to make do, although the 'Deathlords' may pose a direct threat especially with an undead Behemoth at their beck and call."


"I foresaw the need to bring proper armaments and weapons. I have several suits of Gunzosha, Ashigaru, and Tiger Shark armor stored in the facility. I also have various artifact weapons, for those who can wield essence. Give me an willing body of people, and I can shape them into an army and provide weapons easily. What is the state of the Dragon-Kings? They would make good initial allies."
 
"The once beautiful city of Rathess is now a broken-down ruin, and the Dragon Kings have fallen far, also. There is a large number of them still living in the ruins, but there are so few with Awakened Essence that they cannot cope with the numbers of wild stalkers. The city's pyramids are being held by a mad Solar that has raised a small army of twisted creatures and cannibalistic humans. He may be useful, but there are rumors of dark powers associated with his rule. I would not assume that he will be happy to see you."
 
"Then it will be from there we will start," Zen-Aku replied, his mind set on the course ahead, "We can think about planning and alliances later. Right now we need to get our short-term problems out of the way first. And that involves taking back the city. What would you suggest? You are more in-touch with the current way Creation functions now than we are."


While Pyter would give a suggestion, Zen would use Sagacious Reading of Intent to double check his intentions. His so called paranoia had saved his life too many times for him to abandon it.
 
"Let us find out as much as we can about this Solar, at least. Perhaps a name, to start." Araneus taps the spider on his arm again, and it crawls up to his shoulder, where he whispers quietly, "What is the name of the Solar in control of the pyramids in Rathess?"


The spider does its trademark backflip and vanishes with a blip as Araneus turns back to the others. "He may be useful indeed, but it also will depend on a lot of variables. If he's acting this way, even if he's not corrupted, then he may have been active long enough to degenerate beyond usefulness. Our only option may be to send his shard into a new host."
 
Pyter raises an eyebrow at the confidence that Zen is showing. "Taking Rathess back from the jungle would be a epic undertaking, and if anyone else came to me with such a plan, I would laugh at them for even considering it. However, if you were able to reclaim the city and restore it, you could use it as a beacon to call other Exalted to your banner. Still, it will not be easy, but if you were to get some of the local gods on your side, it would be that much easier. Leeayta is the goddess of the city, and she is going to be a powerful ally in training the Dragon Kings to Awaken them once more."


The answer that Araneus gets from the spider is, "Filial Wisdom."
 
Aredin scowled at Araneus's last remark, "The mindset that we need to kill him because he does things we disapprove of led to the usurpation. Let's not be so hasty to kill our own brethren, shall we? I want to overcome the enemy not become them."


Turning back to the group as a whole Aredin continued with questions, "Can we find her sanctum? If I could assess the local spirit court it would help us come up with a more complete plan."
 
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"His name is Filial Wisdom. Does that ring a bell to anyone?"


Araneus offers a scowl at Aredin, but doesn't let it last more than a fleeting moment. "It was also hubris that led to it. Atrocities happened on both sides, and that is something we need to avoid if we are to restore anything. We cannot ignore such things again. Whether or not you disagree, it is simple fact, and one that must be dealt with. How quickly we forget such reasons as to why the children of Luna might be so distrusting."


He turns again to Pyter and then smirks, "What else is there to know of Heaven? And what local gods remain? I can only express doubt that more than the most hardy would stay in the face of what is happening in this city."
 
"I have several artifacts weapons suited for Dragon-King usage. I also have harmonic adapters as well, should they be necessary. As for my confidence, truth be told it is not confidence. It is necessity. In order for us to even start our plans we will need a power base, Rathess is an ideal location not to mention the one that will give us the best start we can. Yes, it will be difficult but we don't exactly have a whole lot of options."


The first step is always the biggest, Zen thought to himself. And for a task such as this, our first step is large indeed. "As much as I hesitate to admit it, this Usurpation happened for a reason. We must ensure that it will not become necessary ever again."


"For now, I propose we get in touch Leeayta and gather information on this 'Mad Solar'. The sooner we can get her help, the sooner we can get started."
 
Pyter pulls out a pipe from a inside pocket and loads it with some tobacco. "The three primary gods of Rathess are Leeayta the Lizard Queen, Relza, the Custodian of the Flying Towers, and Shining Flower, the Mistress of Hearts. There are, of course, other small gods, but those three are the primary spirits here in the city. As for Yu-Shan, it is a quagmire of intrigue and deception, bogged down in the bureaucracy. Unless you show yourselves as a major power, don't expect heaven to be united in any way. There is just too much backstabbing and infighting to get a consensus to act together."
 
"Well, at least with Yu-Shan, it's nice to know that some things never change." Noted Rine with a wry smile.
 
"I will need to make myself known eventually, if anything to re-establish some status. Perhaps I can find someone to work with on the sly within the Gold Faction. But that does not need to happen now, it will work better once we've regained some modicum of power here."


He shrugs at Rine, with a simplified "Meh." and then lets his cloak fall around his shoulders into a scarf that seems to hover around his body. "Let's be on guard, but I think that Relza might be the better choice for first touch. Leeayta will have too much invested in them to just divulge information without at least something from our end to balance the favor."
 
"Politics are good for something I guess..." Zen snorted, "But I suppose we've wasted enough time as it is. Shall we get moving?"


"We can't be too picky about our allies. Leeayta can offer more to use the Relza. Worse comes to worse..." Zen sighed, he really hated his charms sometimes, "I have 'Knowing the Soul's Price'. I hope we don't have to use it but I know it."
 
"Indeed. If you'll allow me a moment, I believe I can conjure us up some scouts so we can survey the area without fear."
 
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