Exalted Essence: The Young Exalts and the Sea IC

[Random Word]

Ijara relaxes visibly as the tension drops several notches and terms are agreed. "Masterfully done, Lord Tepet," she says quietly as the negotiations wind down and they begin preparations for making repairs. "You have the temperance of Hesiesh and the wisdom of Daana’d." Whether a spirit court has the wherewithal to maintain a skyship is a problem best left for a world where the skyship survives at all.

She offers passage to Cid on the back of Olnberin with a glance and a gesture. "It seems it is the will of the Dragons that I be at your disposal, Captain. For the moment. Nothing must slow the repairs." Not even my prejudice. "Command me as you see fit."

 

[EbonChevalier]

"I wouldn't thank me too much. As I said, I am still acting in my interests here. Regardless, I think we can all agree the causes the spirit court are liable to put the ship to have the highest chance of benefiting us all in the long run. Even though I'm sure its crew are none too happy to have their ship squabbled over in such a crass manner, right in their faces no less." Sojiro gives the group of elder exalts an apologetic bow. "I am sorry for that. I had given this matter a great deal of thought on our way here. While the context of the dispute is quite a bit different than what I'd expected, the result is more or less the same it seems."

Tulak shrugged.

"When you find a pearl in an oyster's mouth you take it. Unless said oyster's shell edges are razor sharp. Personal interest for you or not this helps the West and it is good enough for me." He turned to the ancient Dragonblooed. " I mean no insult to accepting what Sojiro has given me but the situation is delicate. She may have been yours but Mistress Tenai does not trust you. This is the only way all of us can end this day with no blood being shed needlessly and hopefully many more after that."

'And lets hope she survives her encounter with the beast.' Tulak thought.' A boon like this to Western court would not only strength my position but raise mine.'

 

[Psychie]

Garret keeps his opinions to himself, knowing that he is in no way a diplomat and all his comments would do is cause trouble.

 

[jaydude]

With Cid's expertise and Tenai's resources, it takes less than a week for the Blue Seahawk to be restored to fully working condition. Should you wish, the five of you are free to spend your spare time exploring Tenai's capital of Yinhai, though those of you known to be affiliated with the Realm are watched closely by Tenai's people.

The place is large, and while it's no Imperial City, in's nevertheless fairly prosperous from what you can see. Certainly a far cry from the horror stories about Lunar Dominions Sojiro and Ijara would've heard while growing up. The citizens - the majority humans, the remaining minority feathered lizard beastfolk - seem well-off and happy with their lot in life, as well as wholly devoted and loyal to their Lunar ruler.

Tenai makes a grand speech to her people about how they have been cast into the future, and promises to guide them through the turbulent times. Afterwards she largely keeps to herself within her palace in Yinhai, frequently conversing with Cid about the state of Creation and the other powers within the region. It's clear to those of you with at least some experience with politics that she's gathering the knowledge and making plans necessary to fulfil her promises to her people, while likely also planning to join the current conflict being waged by today's Lunars against the Realm.

Finally, the day comes when Cid informs the five of you that repairs have been completed, and asks that you join him and Mugen's Dragon-blooded upon the deck of the restored Blue Seahawk for a test flight. Tenai invites herself along as well, but assures everyone that she will not cause trouble, and will depart once the Blue Seahawk has proven to be skyworthy.

"Very well," Cid says. "Maya, would you care to do the honors?"

He gestures towards the stern, where the ship's wheel - a construction of both Orichalcum and wood from the Far East - rests. From what Mugen has told you, it's here where one must attune to the vessel.

[OOC: Attuning to the Blue Seahawk will require a commitment of 1 Mote.]

Spoiler: Group Stats

Garret: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Maya: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Tuyak: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Sojiro: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Ijara: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes, 0 Will

 

[Sherwood]

Over the course of the past several days, Maya would do her best to aid in the reconstruction of the airship Xbox if nothing else she is a spare hand to act as a gopher to free up another set of skilled heads. During this time, she can almost forget that she is a woman out of her own time, sent here to help the people of this time.

But now the Blue Seahawk is ready to take to the air once more, and she has been invited to take the controls on this first flight. With a growing level of excitement in her chest, she steps over to the controls and takes them in both hands, concentrating for a moment to channel her Essence into the controls. Feeling the ship come alive around her, she says, "Everything is ready. I'm applying power to the flight systems slowly, so everyone hold on."

 

[jaydude]

Maya pulls upon a lever located next to the ship's wheel, and wing-like sails of blue cloth-of-jade - just like the sails upon the ship's main mast - slowly unfold out from the hull, while the ship as a whole starts to levitate up into the air. At the same time, the ship's wheel lowers down into the hull, to be swiftly replaced with a set of levers that - as Maya recalls - allow for the ship's pitch, yaw and roll to be adjusted.

A look over the side of the deck confirms your hopes; the Blue Seahawk is no longer aground, and ready to take to the skies.

Spoiler: Group Stats

Garret: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Maya: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Tuyak: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Sojiro: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Ijara: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes, 0 Will

 

[Random Word]

Ijara smiles and shakes her head in awe at the sight. Pilot and vessel, the pinnacle of craftswomanship for one of the titans that made the world and the finest of Creation's Exalted savants, both held in stasis for millenia, united now in singular purpose. To think she was running a bar! Fate had a curious sense of humour sometimes.

Speaking of Fate, after ensuring the most skilled of craftswomen and labourers fortuitously showed up to the worksite, she had spent the week tending to all the snarls in the Loom, big and small, caused by the sudden reintegration of an entire island into Destiny. Between this and studying the masterful examples of sorcery preserved in pristine condition on the isle, she significantly honed her essence sight to a degree even her sifu might be proud of. In lieu of sleep, she even found time to master a new spell that had eluded her for months. A most productive week. It is the soldier's lot to hurry up and wait - the mark of a truly excellent legionnaire was to come to readiness with a blade sharpened, not dulled.

[Buying Spirit-Cutting Glance, All-Encompassing Sorcerer's Sight, and Invulnerable Skin of Bronze UNBREAKABLE BONES OF STONE]

 

[Sherwood]

Maya feels quite at home at the controls of the First Age ship, almost as if she belongs there. She turns her head to look over her shoulder at the others and says, "Noble Exalts, what shall our destination be?"

 

[jaydude]

Mugen gives a troubled look at that question. If it hasn't yet done so, it finally occurs to you that you have no way of tracking Aigaion, wherever it might be.

Tenai clears her throat. "If you have no idea where your quarry is, I may be able to help you," she says while giving you all an amused-looking smile, as if finding your predicament entertaining. "Us Lunars have sorcery we once used to track dangerous beasts, back when we and the other Celestial Exalted were watching over Creation. I require only the brief use of a weapon which has tasted the blood and flesh of your foe."

She and Cid give Sojiro a significant look.

Spoiler: Group Stats

Garret: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Maya: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Tuyak: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Sojiro: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Ijara: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes, 0 Will

 

[Psychie]

Garret says, "I'd offer you my blade, but I've only tangled with the smaller creatures that came off the back of that monster and not the air whale-thing that we're dealing with. But if that will help, you are more than welcome to Singlestroke. So long as you return it in the same condition I gave it to you in."

 

[Random Word]

Ijara can scarcely imagine anything more embarrassing than crawling to this monster for help. A member of the Fivescore Fellowship, who have guarded Creation against horrors from beyond for millennia, unable to find a behemoth the size of a flying island without help of a Lunar who would as soon kill her as look at her. This moment, foretold in aeons past by outrageous fortune at its most perverse, must have been the inspiration for the Gauntlet.

She looks with rapt attention as Garrett offers his sword. They had best not be beholden to a single blade, no matter how august and storied, to track the beast.

Afterwards, she addresses Tenai with humility from some reserve deep inside her, beaten into her by her sifus, dredged up at great cost. "If this spell locates only enemies of Creation, if I swear to hunt this beast or die trying, will you teach it to me? This may not be the last time we must find it. It has demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for escape, given its size."

 

[jaydude]

Garret says, "I'd offer you my blade, but I've only tangled with the smaller creatures that came off the back of that monster and not the air whale-thing that we're dealing with. But if that will help, you are more than welcome to Singlestroke. So long as you return it in the same condition I gave it to you in."

"The weapon will be returned to you unaltered once I am done using it. And if you have slain the monster's spawn, your weapon could very well suffice," Tenai replies. "Otherwise, there's the weapon of the one who wounded Aigaion itself...though I suppose I can understand if he's not entirely willing to trust me with it."

Ijara can scarcely imagine anything more embarrassing than crawling to this monster for help. A member of the Fivescore Fellowship, who have guarded Creation against horrors from beyond for millennia, unable to find a behemoth the size of a flying island without help of a Lunar who would as soon kill her as look at her. This moment, foretold in aeons past by outrageous fortune at its most perverse, must have been the inspiration for the Gauntlet.

She looks with rapt attention as Garrett offers his sword. They had best not be beholden to a single blade, no matter how august and storied, to track the beast.

Afterwards, she addresses Tenai with humility from some reserve deep inside her, beaten into her by her sifus, dredged up at great cost. "If this spell locates only enemies of Creation, if I swear to hunt this beast or die trying, will you teach it to me? This may not be the last time we must find it. It has demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for escape, given its size."

Tenai gives Shale a shake of her head. "I am afraid the spell in question belongs to the Second Circle of sorcery, thus learning it is far beyond the capacity of a mortal."

Spoiler: Group Stats

Garret: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Maya: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Tuyak: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Sojiro: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Ijara: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes, 0 Will

 

[Random Word]

Survival is acceptance. She doesn't say it out loud. Doesn't even move her lips a little bit. Bites her tongue. She doesn't need to die today, though it might be a mercy. Wisdom hurts.

Beyond the grasp of a young Sidereal, too, while we're twisting the knife. She glares petulantly and impotently at Tennai and sulks.

"Take th- Garret's blade. I don't care to dwell on how many lives that monstrosity can take in every minute we waste," she says bitterly, with a reproachful look that says and its existence is probably somehow your fault.

 

[EbonChevalier]

As the this little scene played out Tulak was off in a corner of the ship’s bridge watching. Watching Ijara in particular. Her hate for Garret and his kind was obvious but he had a feeling it when deeper. Though they were now a circle and should be closer to each other that children born of the same wounds he had his suspicions. Circle or not, not all of them would be forth coming with their intentions. He certainly wasn’t. jaydude (what’s the diff for reading Ijara true feelings with Awareness + Finesse)

 

[Psychie]

Garret hefts his greatsword for a moment, then lays out across his arm with the hilt pointed to the elder Lunar. "Here, m'Lady, I offer you Singlestroke freely to use to find out where our quarry lies in hiding. I can do little else beyond this, since the ways of sorcery are far beyond my skill set. But if there is anything more that I can aid with, I stand ready to serve."

 

[jaydude]

[ EbonChevalier I'd assume you would have to roll against Ijara's Resolve of 2, plus any bonuses from Intimacies Random Word decides to make use of.]

Tenai nods, then places her hands upon the flat of Singlestroke's blade. She then murmurs rapidly in Old Realm, with Ijara/Shale just about able to make out a few phrases from some ritual hunting blessings of the Twin Platinum Dragons era, long before the events of the Usurpation. Then she lifts her hands, and a ball of bright light appears between them, before dimming and taking the form of a clear crystal sphere the size of a polo ball. Within the sphere, all of you can see what appears to be a needle of moonsilver floating within it.

"This compass will point you towards Aigaion wherever in Creation it might be. As you approach, the needle will glow with silver light as a warning," Tenai explains as she hands the compass ball over. "The compass will vanish once the quarry is slain. And with that, Cid and I will bid our farewells."

Cid clears his throat. "Oh yes. I don't remember whether or not I mentioned it to you while we were fixing up the ship, but me and my crew are planning to stay here," he explains. "Tenai wants me to serve as an advisor within her court."

Spoiler: Group Stats

Garret: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Maya: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Tuyak: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Sojiro: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes
Ijara: 0 Anima, 5/5 Motes, 0 Committed Motes, 0 Will