Dice Exalted Essence: The Young Exalts and the Sea OOC

[jaydude]

I'll re-edit my latest post shortly. Thanks for helping clear things up, Random Word .

 

[jaydude]

And edited.

Random Word , I'll get on to resolving your roll later. I am kinda just waking up over here.

 

[Psychie]

Since I was able to defend myself from the attack, do I gain Power from this:

Flow Like Blood Active
The Exalt moves in time with the flow of battle, slipping between swords with dismaying ease. Commit 1 mote for the scene. The Exalt adds 1 to her Defense against attacks at close range and steals 1 Power from her attacker after successfully defending. First, generate Power from the attacker’s Overwhelming rating (p. XX), then steal Power.
Cunning Prey Reversal (Lunar): On Step 5, if the Lunar successfully defended, she steals the attacker’s Overwhelming rating in Power.

 

[Psychie]

Btw, good morning jaydude

 

[jaydude]

Since I was able to defend myself from the attack, do I gain Power from this:

Sorry, but no. The Aigonites only gained their power at the end of the round, after your defense against their attack was resolved. Given the whole mixup with the rules earlier, I think it only fair that I be a tad bit more vigilant for a bit.

It shouldn't matter too much. You've already depleted more than half of these guys' health levels through withering attacks alone. I want to resolve Random Word 's roll first, but I imagine that assuming Sherwood has more luck with the dice this time around, you'll finish them off within the round.

 

[Psychie]

I understand. Had to ask, though. This is still very new to me.

 

[jaydude]

I understand. Had to ask, though. This is still very new to me.

Same here.

 

[Sherwood]

We are all learning here. I am looking forward to getting this version of Exalted down pat.

 

[jaydude]

Ijara can hear in her soul the thrum of distant threads of coming strife and killing intent redirecting themselves towards her as she stands in the flickering light of Misja's fiery wings. The enemy falls like the rain in drops without number. So, this is what it's like to stare down death, and to decide whether to stand fast or flee. Is this what her family felt staring out over the tundra at that golden monster? Lesser blood might flee, but she is pleased to find the song of battle invigorating.

She hears the electric crackle of Sojiro's daiklave and feels him step back, but her attention is firmly fixed upwards. With a look of anticipation she draws a red silk thread on two spools from her pocket and threads it around her fingers to make a cat's cradle, calculating trajectories and essence flows in the traversal of knots and patterns all while looking up at the seemingly endless rain of foes and the impossible bulk of the behemoth floating casually high above. The open roof forms a natural chokepoint, she need only make that quartet of murderous ire into a beautiful symphony of death.

Fabian Red-Palps, a tiny spider of red jade and matte black starmetal, climbs around a corner that isn't there to alight on her shoulder opposite Sojiro. "What do you have for me?" she asks hungrily.

It whispers softly in Old Realm, "Before they were slaughtered, the savants of the Black Turtle Shogun observed Aigaion directs the Aigionites with channels of rarefied air essence, to which they are highly sensitive as their mundane sensory organs are largely vestigial. They use the flow of air essence to judge space and their trajectories in flight. The geomancy of the House of Azure Kites suffered significant disruption in the bombardment, and one of its primary dragon lines runs directly through the palace. If you..."

"Yes," she hisses triumphantly, impatiently snatching the crimson thread of destiny Fabian carries in its mandibles and weaving this auspicious foreseen future into her cradle, her fingers becoming a blur as she computes new possibilities, "I feel it." Fabian bows and vanishes from whence it came.

"Lord Tepet, I advise you to stand clear. I will draw the enemy's attention, for much of the city is defenseless and we are not. Please intervene when my work is complete." As she speaks a stack of large fiercely glowing mandalas in blue and white form in the sky above the gaping hole in the ceiling, rotating and shifting in response to the dancing of her fingers. From the position of the stars, the geomancy of the area, the location in the Immaculate Calendar, the disruptions induced by Aigaions own fearsome aura, and the favours owed her predecessor in the Bureau of Seasons, she computes how best to bridge the gap between the dragon line beneath her, now starved for air essence to feed the manse, and the channels guiding the Aigonites to their victims below. She subtly shapes the trajectories, making some longer and some shorter, to maximize the number who arrive simultaneously in the initial wave.

After half a minute of tense concentration, the mandalas snap into alignment and a gentle downdraft quickly escalates into a howling whirlwind centred on Ijara, her braided hair and robes whipping about her in the gale, her fingers continuing their calculations seemingly oblivious as she draws a tiny portion of the power now flowing through her to fuel her sorcery.

"Ensure our visitors receive a warm welcome," she yells over the winds to Misja, who obliges by breathing great gouts of flame out to cover large sections of the hall, further narrowing the landing zone for the enemy. Almost immediately the flames are whipped up by the roaring winds into a swirling inferno. Ijara's eyes shine feverishly in the reflected light of the corona of fire.

She completes her calculations as the enemy begins their descent through the breach, a hail of glittering obsidian butterflies flying forth from her outstretched hands to match their killing intent, slicing them into ribbons of flesh and creating torrential sheets of whatever passes for their blood, sizzling as they fall into the flames. "There's always an ending," she whispers softly to the world.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Ijara wants to pull as many of the falling enemies towards her as she can, and wants to Build Power. Misja will also Build Power by preparing the battlefield and donate the power to Ijara.

Let me know if and how you want me to roll for attracting enemies, but I'll roll for the bits I know now.

Ijara has Force 4 + Sagacity 5 + Stunt 2 = 11 dice; 8 - 3 = 5 + 1 Power
Misja has Primary 12 + Stunt 2 = 14 dice; 3 - 3 = 0 + 1 Power

I'm assuming Ijara has 10 Will whenever she's had more than a few minutes to prepare, as building Will takes only maybe 30 seconds and lasts for a full Session, which could be one or more days or the span of a few hours, but it seems sensible for any Sorcerer to have the habit of rebuilding it at the earliest opportunity as soon as it fades.

Spending 5 Will on Death of Obsidian Butterflies.
She'll make a Decisive Medium weapon attack against all targets she can see out to Long Range while wagering 7 Power + 3 Will. That will be 10 damage dice + 1 success.
Attack pool: Force 4 + Sagacity 5 + Excellency 5 + Stunt 2; 9 hits + 1 Accuracy = 10 hits. Defense of 4 means 6 bonus damage. 10 + 6 = 16 dice + 1 success; 11 hits + 1 autosuccess = 12 HLs of damage.

So it turns out Death of Obsidian Butterflies isn't actually good against Battle Groups in Essence. I am only slightly regretting my life choices right now . Rykon will save me.

1m, 7 Power, 8 Will expended. 0 Power and 2 Will Remaining.

Yeah, given that Will is only stated to be depleted when it's used for spells or a session ends, I think it more than makes sense for Sorcerers to have it already gathered, at least when they know there's about to be a battle.

I'll treat Misja's roll as a Prepare Build Power Action. Ijara's roll, I'll treat as a Focus build action, which isn't marked as using Sagacity, but I think this is one instance where I can bend the rules a little. In terms of luring additional Aigonites though, I'd imagine that would be a custom gambit, which you'd also have to spend power on to use. And considering you want to wager all your power on your Decisive Attack...

In terms of damage, 12 HLs is enough to take out a Size 1 battle group.

 

[Psychie]

Once you are ready for me, let me know and I'll post for Garret.

 

[jaydude]

Once you are ready for me, let me know and I'll post for Garret.

You can go ahead and post whenever. I might just not be able to resolve things immediately.

 

[Psychie]

You sure? I can wait if you need me to.

 

[jaydude]

You sure? I can wait if you need me to.

Nah, go ahead.

 

[EbonChevalier]

Who's still in the ruined palace? I think this is the part where we all come together.

 

[jaydude]

Who's still in the ruined palace? I think this is the part where we all come together.

For PC's, it's just Ijara ( Random Word ) and Sojiro ( Rykon ).

 

[Random Word]

Yeah, given that Will is only stated to be depleted when it's used for spells or a session ends, I think it more than makes sense for Sorcerers to have it already gathered, at least when they know there's about to be a battle.

I'll treat Misja's roll as a Prepare Build Power Action. Ijara's roll, I'll treat as a Focus build action, which isn't marked as using Sagacity, but I think this is one instance where I can bend the rules a little. In terms of luring additional Aigonites though, I'd imagine that would be a custom gambit, which you'd also have to spend power on to use. And considering you want to wager all your power on your Decisive Attack...

In terms of damage, 12 HLs is enough to take out a Size 1 battle group.

I can have more Power . You tell me what it would take to get a bunch of them together to Obsidian Butterflies, and I'll try to get there. I have 3 more Will to spend as Power, and I didn't Excellency my Build Power, and Sojiro is an Air Aspect, so he could probably aid with a gambit to manipulate air essence.

The goal here is to try to save more civilians by drawing in Aigonites from a wide area.

 

[jaydude]

I can have more Power . You tell me what it would take to get a bunch of them together to Obsidian Butterflies, and I'll try to get there. I have 3 more Will to spend as Power, and I didn't Excellency my Build Power, and Sojiro is an Air Aspect, so he could probably aid with a gambit to manipulate air essence.

Tbh, in the end I decided to basically just handwave things away on this occasion in the IC topic. Golden rule, and all that.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word
So just to check, Ijara's currently posing as a vanilla Dragon-blooded Dynast, yes?

 

[Random Word]

Nah, a mortal sorcerer from Medo, one of Tepet's Satrapies. Her decorations indicate she served in the legions as a staff officer to a Dragonlord, but was probably mustered out when they were dissolved out of suspicion over her Tepet loyalties. She's in the White Registry, but has completed her favour to the Empress.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word and Rykon
Do you want me to skip ahead to the other three PCs finding you?

 

[Rykon]

Unsure at the moment, I'll try and catch up this afternoon.

 

[Rykon]

Alright I can't think of much else to do in the intervening time, and the turbulent air and pillar of lightning should suffice for justifying a united party before any further skirmishes.

 

[Random Word]

one of whom seems to have a very familiar glint of silver to them

So Garret is still in war form and has a burning silver anima?

 

[jaydude]

So Garret is still in war form and has a burning silver anima?

Nah, his Anima's currently at Glowing. And if that's not visible as a silvery glint from the palace, I kinda figured that his Moonsilver greatsword and breastplate might be.

 

[Random Word]

But what you're saying is there's no doubt a Full Moon is advancing on the palace in war form?