Exalted 3rd: To Wound the Autumnal City
- Thread starter Cthulhu_Wakes
- Start date
JayTee
Eight Thousand Club
Yugo
"Not a short journey, but not a long one." Said Yugo. "Our status as Chosen affords us far greater fortitude, so I suspect we could make it in two to three days if we decide to push ourselves."
"Not a short journey, but not a long one." Said Yugo. "Our status as Chosen affords us far greater fortitude, so I suspect we could make it in two to three days if we decide to push ourselves."
Sarky
Drunken master
Samesh:
"I am inclined to agree with Whisper; It's like... There are some drugs in Great Forks that were illegal. Not many, granted, but that's beside the point. We could have spent years tracking down junkies and dealers, and we'd have been doing good righteous work, but there would always be more to arrest. But if we went after the one guy who made the drug, or who distributed to the dealers, it was better for the city than arresting a thousand low-level thugs and pushers.
Awful as this plague is, it seems to be a symptom of something worse. I fear all the healing skill in the world will not stop it unless we confront the source, whatever that may be. "
"I am inclined to agree with Whisper; It's like... There are some drugs in Great Forks that were illegal. Not many, granted, but that's beside the point. We could have spent years tracking down junkies and dealers, and we'd have been doing good righteous work, but there would always be more to arrest. But if we went after the one guy who made the drug, or who distributed to the dealers, it was better for the city than arresting a thousand low-level thugs and pushers.
Awful as this plague is, it seems to be a symptom of something worse. I fear all the healing skill in the world will not stop it unless we confront the source, whatever that may be. "
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Vanman
Two Thousand Club
Echo's Lament
"Whilst I agree with Whisper and Samesh," the musician says in his graveled crust of a voice, "I also understand the drive imploring Shine to give succor to those in need. Perhaps, Shine, you could deputize a local healer, give him or her instruction in the care of your patients whilst you root out the cause? This way, both needs are met."
There is a pause as Echo's Lament considers his next words. "The question, now, is our destination. Antoo is the locale given to us by our patron. Yet there are also the ruins at the center of the Old Crown Lands where we have been directed. If it is not far, then we may be able to affect visits to both places without difficulty. If not, then we have another choice to make. Does anyone know how close to the center of the Old Crown Lands Antoo lies?"
"Whilst I agree with Whisper and Samesh," the musician says in his graveled crust of a voice, "I also understand the drive imploring Shine to give succor to those in need. Perhaps, Shine, you could deputize a local healer, give him or her instruction in the care of your patients whilst you root out the cause? This way, both needs are met."
There is a pause as Echo's Lament considers his next words. "The question, now, is our destination. Antoo is the locale given to us by our patron. Yet there are also the ruins at the center of the Old Crown Lands where we have been directed. If it is not far, then we may be able to affect visits to both places without difficulty. If not, then we have another choice to make. Does anyone know how close to the center of the Old Crown Lands Antoo lies?"
Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Radiant Shine
"That might perhaps suffice," Shine says, stroking his long moustache. "I shall set to it immediately that we might leave for Antoo sooner."
"That might perhaps suffice," Shine says, stroking his long moustache. "I shall set to it immediately that we might leave for Antoo sooner."
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
@Sarky @Vanman @Skrakes @JayTee @Grey
And so it goes. What Yugo foresaw is true: the imbued vigor of the Sun let's you travel a bit further, a bit faster than your brother men. Within two days heading west, you're clear of the marshlands and trundle down a well-worn trade road to the interior of the Southern Crown. Scudding clouds race overhead. Wind heavy with the promise of rain. The land flattens and opens to the so-called Emerald Sea, a chunk of the vast steppe that makes up a large portion of the Old Crown Lands. You can see for many miles to the south and west. Only tiny islands of trees and burbling creeks upset the swaying grasses. Lone villages stand silent, empty amidst ever present ruins of ages past. The plague is felt here, too. Large herds of cattle and towering yeddim freckle distant southern pastures.
The day is growing long. The first coughs of thunder carom off the rocks. Up ahead, what looks to be an old, abandoned estate, walls covered with dead ivy and the eastward wing collapsed.
Chapter One: Foundations
And so it goes. What Yugo foresaw is true: the imbued vigor of the Sun let's you travel a bit further, a bit faster than your brother men. Within two days heading west, you're clear of the marshlands and trundle down a well-worn trade road to the interior of the Southern Crown. Scudding clouds race overhead. Wind heavy with the promise of rain. The land flattens and opens to the so-called Emerald Sea, a chunk of the vast steppe that makes up a large portion of the Old Crown Lands. You can see for many miles to the south and west. Only tiny islands of trees and burbling creeks upset the swaying grasses. Lone villages stand silent, empty amidst ever present ruins of ages past. The plague is felt here, too. Large herds of cattle and towering yeddim freckle distant southern pastures.
The day is growing long. The first coughs of thunder carom off the rocks. Up ahead, what looks to be an old, abandoned estate, walls covered with dead ivy and the eastward wing collapsed.
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JayTee
Eight Thousand Club
Yugo
"I may be an amateur acetic, but even I know the value of shelter in the face of a storm." Yugo said. "I suggest we take shelter for now in that estate, and wait for the storm to blow past us."
"I may be an amateur acetic, but even I know the value of shelter in the face of a storm." Yugo said. "I suggest we take shelter for now in that estate, and wait for the storm to blow past us."
Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Radiant Shine
Shine pats his robes and produces a pipe, a wry grin on his weathered face.
"Were I not blessed by the Sun, I might suggest so convenient a place of dubious respite would be rife with forgotten horrors and wandering beasts," he lights, inhales, and puffs a stream of sour smoke. "I find myself now hoping that might liven up the storm a tad. Shall we explore?"
Shine pats his robes and produces a pipe, a wry grin on his weathered face.
"Were I not blessed by the Sun, I might suggest so convenient a place of dubious respite would be rife with forgotten horrors and wandering beasts," he lights, inhales, and puffs a stream of sour smoke. "I find myself now hoping that might liven up the storm a tad. Shall we explore?"
Vanman
Two Thousand Club
Echo's Lament
A wry grin spreads on the bard's face. "Normally I, like you, friend Shine, would warn against such temptings of Fate," he says in his broken, harsh voice, "but I find myself ebullient at the thought of exploring with our new found sodality. If we are to find adversity, we shall see how we fare with one another. The first step, if you will, in forging a working alliance. I, for one, agree to the good Shine's proposal."
A wry grin spreads on the bard's face. "Normally I, like you, friend Shine, would warn against such temptings of Fate," he says in his broken, harsh voice, "but I find myself ebullient at the thought of exploring with our new found sodality. If we are to find adversity, we shall see how we fare with one another. The first step, if you will, in forging a working alliance. I, for one, agree to the good Shine's proposal."
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
All
With marvelous aplomb and terrifying savvy, you advance. A quartet of lovely low hills cradle the estate. It was once opulent and imperial centuries ago, but now overgrown and decayed. The windows are open mouths of jagged glass(!) set in walls pocked by bygone looters prying bricks to raise a village. Weathered baroque iconography splashes the columns of the portico. A shattered marble fountain as wide as a galley centers the overgrown courtyard. Feral hedges bracket the yard. The first fat raindrops pelt the cobbles as you pass through the gate.
With marvelous aplomb and terrifying savvy, you advance. A quartet of lovely low hills cradle the estate. It was once opulent and imperial centuries ago, but now overgrown and decayed. The windows are open mouths of jagged glass(!) set in walls pocked by bygone looters prying bricks to raise a village. Weathered baroque iconography splashes the columns of the portico. A shattered marble fountain as wide as a galley centers the overgrown courtyard. Feral hedges bracket the yard. The first fat raindrops pelt the cobbles as you pass through the gate.
Sarky
Drunken master
Samesh:
Samesh swore softly at the rain. The shelter would be welcome. "Glass windows, marble fountain... Fancy stuff. One wouldn't think from the villages that these lands ever hosted such finery."
He stretched, popping shoulders, loosening up after a long trek with a heavy pack. Then he checked the straps securing the daiklave on his back. "The collapsed wing seems like the easiest entrance. Shall we?"
Samesh swore softly at the rain. The shelter would be welcome. "Glass windows, marble fountain... Fancy stuff. One wouldn't think from the villages that these lands ever hosted such finery."
He stretched, popping shoulders, loosening up after a long trek with a heavy pack. Then he checked the straps securing the daiklave on his back. "The collapsed wing seems like the easiest entrance. Shall we?"
Grey
Dialectical Hermeticist
Radiant Shine
Shine nods, glancing to see who might take the lead. "We should be cautious - the collapsed wing might be the easiest, but is that too the safest? We must pick our way carefully, but by all means, press on."
As they walk, he glances around, as if reading the old stone.
"Who might have been lord of this place, before the rats and crows made it their domain?"
Shine nods, glancing to see who might take the lead. "We should be cautious - the collapsed wing might be the easiest, but is that too the safest? We must pick our way carefully, but by all means, press on."
As they walk, he glances around, as if reading the old stone.
"Who might have been lord of this place, before the rats and crows made it their domain?"
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
All
The scale of the place becomes oppressive with each step, each roll of thunder. You could house all of Manua in this ruin--not including the collapsed wing--and still have room for more. The building style is very much an out-of-date, Shogunate or immediate post-Contagion style. The detail is just left of compulsive.
The scale of the place becomes oppressive with each step, each roll of thunder. You could house all of Manua in this ruin--not including the collapsed wing--and still have room for more. The building style is very much an out-of-date, Shogunate or immediate post-Contagion style. The detail is just left of compulsive.
Sarky
Drunken master
Samesh:
Samesh paused. Shine had a point. Overconfidence could be an insidious killer. "You're right, there could be anything in there. Let's see if there are any tracks first, before the rain obliterates them." He started scanning the ground as they approached, looking for footprints, animal tracks, anything that might give cause to worry...
[dice]18692[/dice]
Samesh paused. Shine had a point. Overconfidence could be an insidious killer. "You're right, there could be anything in there. Let's see if there are any tracks first, before the rain obliterates them." He started scanning the ground as they approached, looking for footprints, animal tracks, anything that might give cause to worry...
[dice]18692[/dice]
OOC
Argh, neglected to mention 4m personal essence on excellency
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Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
@Sarky
The rain picks up steadily as you approach. The lawn is overgrown and the hedges are feral with overgrowth. It's easy enough to pluck out obvious signs that animals and people have been through. A cut out or rooted hole in the hedge, big enough through which a single soul could slip. There are two notable tracks: recently stamped grass done as if with a hobnailed boot toward the long gone front doors; and another strangely drug out patch of grass and soil leading up to the ruined wing and inside.
Both seem fairly recent.
The rain picks up steadily as you approach. The lawn is overgrown and the hedges are feral with overgrowth. It's easy enough to pluck out obvious signs that animals and people have been through. A cut out or rooted hole in the hedge, big enough through which a single soul could slip. There are two notable tracks: recently stamped grass done as if with a hobnailed boot toward the long gone front doors; and another strangely drug out patch of grass and soil leading up to the ruined wing and inside.
Both seem fairly recent.
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Sarky
Drunken master
Samesh:
"Yes, it looks like the building is occupied", he pointed to the tracks. "One set of boots heading to the main doorway, and... someone else, headed to the collapsed walls. Someone dragging a weight, maybe? Perhaps just a stiff leg? Nothing else looks recent, save for the wildlife. The front door now seems more polite if we are to be guests, not to mention affording us more cover on the approach for the same reason..."
"Yes, it looks like the building is occupied", he pointed to the tracks. "One set of boots heading to the main doorway, and... someone else, headed to the collapsed walls. Someone dragging a weight, maybe? Perhaps just a stiff leg? Nothing else looks recent, save for the wildlife. The front door now seems more polite if we are to be guests, not to mention affording us more cover on the approach for the same reason..."
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
@Skrakes
As shadow upon shadow, you flit into the tumbledown wing far ahead of any of the others. A cavernous silence awaits: the dripping water, the moaning masonry. A hollow, earthy scent saturates the great hall you enter. Vast is this place. Tapestries hang oddly on the wall, some still pristine and vivid, others threadbare and eaten by time. This may have been a hall of antiquities and art. Odd arabesque designs are glimpsed in shadow as another peal of thunder rings nudges the air.
But then, a soft, flickering light, noticeable only in its sudden change, slowly begins to fade around the corner ahead.
As shadow upon shadow, you flit into the tumbledown wing far ahead of any of the others. A cavernous silence awaits: the dripping water, the moaning masonry. A hollow, earthy scent saturates the great hall you enter. Vast is this place. Tapestries hang oddly on the wall, some still pristine and vivid, others threadbare and eaten by time. This may have been a hall of antiquities and art. Odd arabesque designs are glimpsed in shadow as another peal of thunder rings nudges the air.
But then, a soft, flickering light, noticeable only in its sudden change, slowly begins to fade around the corner ahead.
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
@Skrakes
'Round the corner is another decaying hall. Ah! The light is a dimming stone in the ceiling. A hemisphere trying to stay lit but fading, fading like lantern bugs in summer. It finally gutters out. There's something odd about the walls here.
Beyond that, a split second of sound--fading footsteps.
'Round the corner is another decaying hall. Ah! The light is a dimming stone in the ceiling. A hemisphere trying to stay lit but fading, fading like lantern bugs in summer. It finally gutters out. There's something odd about the walls here.
Beyond that, a split second of sound--fading footsteps.
Cthulhu_Wakes
Black Sun in a White World
@Skrakes
The light gutters out and the strangeness of the walls is revealed in a rapidly dimming shaft of light from a nearby window: vines. All manner of ivy and something like kudzu gripping the old walls. You trace down the corridor as a sound not dissimilar to stories you've heard about the sea. A great surging sound, soft and then loud. The brief notes of musical piping trickle down the marble hall to the shadows where you sit.
The light gutters out and the strangeness of the walls is revealed in a rapidly dimming shaft of light from a nearby window: vines. All manner of ivy and something like kudzu gripping the old walls. You trace down the corridor as a sound not dissimilar to stories you've heard about the sea. A great surging sound, soft and then loud. The brief notes of musical piping trickle down the marble hall to the shadows where you sit.
