Dice [Exalted] O Brave New World (OOC)

[jaydude]

Those commitments aren't set in stone! You're never required to play a game. It's just for fun, and there's no need to beat yourself up about it. 'Soul-sapping' is definitely not the adjective we should be aiming for on a game, so anything you do to avoid that is a good idea.

Yeah, well, having an incomplete post while the rest of the games I'm in were making progress was the part I found soul-sapping.

 

[Random Word]

D. Rex are you still interested in participating? I know you and Rykon have been busy, but it seems Rykon has returned. Should we skip over the combat scene and move on to something more interesting to you?

 

[jaydude]

Alright, I'll take that as spending a Fate Point to ensure your ideal outcome in the skip.

Is this the same Fate Point as the one I spent to kill off Chuma? Or do I have to use the one I'm getting from the below complication.

I'll offer a complication: While Bahadur was forbidden to participate in the conflict directly, a spirit loyal to him was at the battle where you flared, and he holds you partially responsible for allowing Sakhomet to die. If you accept, claim the usual 3 Solar XP and a Fate Point.

Complication accepted.

Minor correction: No shadowland formed, no matter how bloody and terrible the battle. In fact, if Atusa knows what a shadowland is, it's only as a rumour of terrible places of death in foreign lands. Sassarin scholars interested in the subject theorize shadowlands don't form in Achaea for the same reason hungry ghosts never stalk the living: Merecheas, Sassarin goddess of life and death, forbids it. Scholars in Locura posit instead it is the Lady who judges all souls, and prevents them from rising to torment the living, precluding the formation of shadowlands.

Okay. Went ahead and edited my post accordingly.

 

[Random Word]

This is a new one - you're declaring victory in the civil war, and Atusa is getting most everything she wants out of it. Fate Points are the currency of fortuitous narrative fiat. I think it's reasonable to go into FP debt here if you didn't want to accept the complication as these are exceptional circumstances. We can even throw in another complication, like Chumiren becoming an Abyssal on death or something, if you'd like to go positive again.

 

[D. Rex]

D. Rex are you still interested in participating? I know you and Rykon have been busy, but it seems Rykon has returned. Should we skip over the combat scene and move on to something more interesting to you?

My apologies! Yes. Yes I am.

I'm okay with continuing the fight or skipping ahead. I'll try hard to build momentum again.

Rykon do you want to skip ahead or continue the battle?

 

[jaydude]

This is a new one - you're declaring victory in the civil war, and Atusa is getting most everything she wants out of it. Fate Points are the currency of fortuitous narrative fiat. I think it's reasonable to go into FP debt here if you didn't want to accept the complication as these are exceptional circumstances. We can even throw in another complication, like Chumiren becoming an Abyssal on death or something, if you'd like to go positive again.

I'll accept that complication as well then.

 

[Random Word]

Ooh, okay, that will definitely change history. You'll want to think carefully about that one. Exalted are absolutely nuts power level wise in the scene where they draw their second breath, so we'll need to come up with a good reason why Chumiren didn't win that battle, because going toe to toe with him like that would be really tough. That would mean, as far as many witnesses are concerned, all of Chuma's children were not dead, and the civil war was not just still a going concern, but very much up in the air as far as who will win with one Celestial on each side.

Presumably, for dramatic effect, you struck Chumiren down after he defeated Kotahmun in single combat, and then while impaled on your swords he just refused to die. You fought again, but against a vastly more terrifying opponent, and then something ended the fight. Perhaps all of his allies abandon him, and while he can't be killed he's also left stranded in the desert cursing your name as you sail away?

I would only choose to accept this one if you're genuinely interested in having Chumiren become Atusa's Abyssal nemesis, in which case we're putting such a heavy dramatic weight on this scene it seems narratively criminal not to jump back and play it out at least partially. It becomes a pivotal moment in Atusa's story. Chumiren might then be involved in Moswen's future Exaltation, maybe when she's harvesting ice from the Underworld or something.

 

[jaydude]

Ooh, okay, that will definitely change history. You'll want to think carefully about that one. Exalted are absolutely nuts power level wise in the scene where they draw their second breath, so we'll need to come up with a good reason why Chumiren didn't win that battle, because going toe to toe with him like that would be really tough. That would mean, as far as many witnesses are concerned, all of Chuma's children were not dead, and the civil war was not just still a going concern, but very much up in the air as far as who will win with one Celestial on each side.

Presumably, for dramatic effect, you struck Chumiren down after he defeated Kotahmun in single combat, and then while impaled on your swords he just refused to die. You fought again, but against a vastly more terrifying opponent, and then something ended the fight. Perhaps all of his allies abandon him, and while he can't be killed he's also left stranded in the desert cursing your name as you sail away?

I would only choose to accept this one if you're genuinely interested in having Chumiren become Atusa's Abyssal nemesis, in which case we're putting such a heavy dramatic weight on this scene it seems narratively criminal not to jump back and play it out at least partially. It becomes a pivotal moment in Atusa's story. Chumiren might then be involved in Moswen's future Exaltation, maybe when she's harvesting ice from the Underworld or something.

Ah, okay. Truth be told, I probably figured that he'd have come back after the battle; my understanding was that prospective Abyssals could be offered their Exaltations after they died, not necessarily at the moment of their death.

This being the case, I think I'll end up with not taking the complication, and going back to zero fate points. I don't want to have to rework the civil war thing once again.

 

[Random Word]

My understanding is Abyssal Exaltations must be offered at the instant of death, much like Solars arrive at the instant of the qualifying heroic deed. If the Abyssal accepts, they do not die but instead rise again. If they decline, they die as normal.

 

[jaydude]

Random Word
Atusa's Influence and Resources are currently both at three. Would I be able to spend exp to bring each of them up to 4, to perhaps represent the Hematti becoming a settled clan? I'm just not feeling as enthusiastic about writing up a big speech as I was a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Random Word]

Yup, you can definitely do that. Are you pivoting away from making the former Fayum vassals your vassals, and instead settling down? Influence 4 implies leadership of a large alliance of clans, or a position of similar power. The settled and nomadic clans by tradition remain separate, but if you're claiming the mantle of rulership from the mythic legends of your people to build a new kind of polity, you might discard that tradition.

 

[jaydude]

Yup, you can definitely do that. Are you pivoting away from making the former Fayum vassals your vassals, and instead settling down? Influence 4 implies leadership of a large alliance of clans, or a position of similar power. The settled and nomadic clans by tradition remain separate, but if you're claiming the mantle of rulership from the mythic legends of your people to build a new kind of polity, you might discard that tradition.

Hmm, not too sure. Seeing as I've already started down my current route of becoming leader of the former Fayum vassals, I kinda want to keep building on that.

 

[Random Word]

Okay. You let me know what kind of scene you do feel excited about playing out, and we'll sort out some sort of narrative contrivance to get Atusa there.

 

[jaydude]

Okay. You let me know what kind of scene you do feel excited about playing out, and we'll sort out some sort of narrative contrivance to get Atusa there.

I'll do something like that later. It's late for me, and I'm feeling pretty tired right now.

And who knows? Maybe a good night's sleep will rejuvenate my excitement or something.

 

[Rykon]

My apologies! Yes. Yes I am.

I'm okay with continuing the fight or skipping ahead. I'll try hard to build momentum again.

Rykon do you want to skip ahead or continue the battle?

After thinking on it, I still don't have a strong leaning either way.

On the one hand, while John's capable of combat, it's not a real focus. On the other, this is an opportunity to reveal something about the character to develop him a bit more.

We should also work on a way to unite the circle without too much ceremony. So hopefully whatever we intend to pursue next can start to align our paths and agendas.

 

[Random Word]

This fight was mostly to establish the jungle as dangerous, an opportunity for Hazel to step up and protect John, and an opportunity for a brief interlude of kung fu fighting. Actually mechanically rolling the combat dice is entirely secondary, and it does seem an unnecessary speed bump to an already lagging pace.

Would you like to skip directly to finding Hazel's manse in the desert, assume you were successful at the Alcazar, and flash back to exactly how you were successful later if necessary? It's an interesting place in its own right, but it isn't crucial you know all about it right now. The main open question would be whether or not you interfered with the ambitions of Thamina, Zahur, or both, as that will have obvious ramifications later.

Jaydude might also be more inspired by the idea of writing Atusa's meeting with John & Hazel.

 

[Rykon]

I don't mind the leap, especially with the extended hiatus. What would John know of their agendas by the time we hit the crossroad?

 

[Random Word]

Thamina spelled out both of their goals from her perspective during the conversation John and Hazel overheard in the library. As a refresher, Thamina and the sorcerers of the Principate believe the Alcazar is theirs by right for some reason, though they've lost the location. She wants to prevent Zahur from reaching the Alcazar and stealing its secrets to make the northern desert bloom, giving Ea-Abzu a dramatic advantage in the cold war against the Principate. If possible, she'll bring that lost knowledge back to the Principate, which they may decide to use it to bring life to the southern desert in a process she expects would lead to the eventual annexation and 'civilizing' of the southern Faqari clans.

Hazel heard Zahur's goals while travelling with her up the river. Her honoured ancestor, someone she clearly wants to please and so is afraid of disappointing, has given her a map to a place where she will find the secret to ensuring her family and her people never go hungry again. If she does well on this assignment, she expects to be initiated into the arts of necromancy, and one day get her revenge against the goddess Hanama, even if that's only standing up and showing her what a mistake she made. Unless Hazel relates that story to John he wouldn't know anything about her agenda beyond what he overheard from Thamina, and would likely judge them according to his preconceptions about the Principate and Ea-Abzu.

You've also gathered evidence on your own that the Alcazar has probably been used for different things over its long history, and some of them probably weren't as pleasant as agricultural geomancy.

 

[jaydude]

I feel that when I made my previous post about not wanting to do the big speech, I was letting certain RL frustrations bleed into things, alongside frustration at not having a clear plan in mind at the time. So I'm going to try and gather/outline my thoughts here, while I have a somewhat clear head:

In terms of the unification, I'm willing to continue the scene that's currently taking place at Apporuna Rise. I think that when I came up with the initial mental image for it, my plan there was essentially to convince the assembled Nomarchs to become Atusa's vassals, based on the following logic you suggested earlier:

The obvious suffering inflicted by the civil war, the weakness and immorality of the Fayum, and the possible death of one or all of the heirs would give Atusa lawful good justification for taking over by simply persuading everyone to swear fealty to her instead. That surreal moment when you're standing on the deck of a burning ship, the air thick with the scent of blood and burning flesh, and filled with the screams of the dying, and you realize you're all one people, sisters and cousins butchering each other for nothing, only serving to keep each other too weak to throw off the yoke of the Principate, and you decide no more.

At present, by my reckoning I've at the very least built up two Minor Principles with the vast majority of Atusa's audience: "It is pointless for us to fight amongst ourselves" and "Atusa is the one most suited to rule the Faqari". My intention is to use the former Intimacy to boost the latter one up to Major by saying something along the lines of "under my rule, we could do so much more than simply squabble amongst ourselves", and then use that Intimacy to try and Persuade everyone to accept Atusa as their leader, using the argument that other clans and the Court of Bleached Bone will no doubt attempt to prey upon the divided Fayum vassals. It would be akin to the "Inconvenient Task" option you suggested in this post; Atusa won't ask for much in terms of tribute and obedience, just that her subordinate clans don't fight amongst themselves, and follow her lead when it comes to co-ordinated war efforts.

 

[jaydude]

With regards to future plotlines, becoming settled is still a thing I'd kind of like to do. Besides the strategic advantages, I just like the idea of Atusa having a stone palace to live in and rule from, and the Hematti having a solid city with an ample supply of water and food, as opposed to a mobile wooden township.

Having read your bit about settled and nomadic clans traditionally remaining separate from each other, I'm curious about why this is the case. Like, is there any reason besides tradition that Atusa can't just settle somewhere and allow her nomadic vassals to roam the lands surrounding her domain? Otherwise, I can't help but think that my current scene is going to end up becoming pointless if Atusa can't keep any new vassals she obtains here.

 

[Random Word]

It has to do with a very old and bitter split countless generations ago in the founding myths of your people over how to survive the wrath of the gods, and from there was sustained through the oaths handed down through the traditional bloodlines. The settled clans hold binding oaths from djinn of water and earth, while the nomadic clans hold oaths from fire and wind. This status quo has been maintained because both settled and nomadic clans depend on each other, and it offers a measure of security that one can't really gain anything from war with the other. The settled clans can't use sandships without fire and wind djinn, and the nomadic clans would have a difficult time surviving in the meagre oases that sustain the settled clans without water and earth djinn.

A marriage between the heirs of a nomadic and settled clan would violate tradition - and upset the balance of power - but it's entirely possible. After all, the balance has been entirely thrown out the window amongst the northern clans with the rise of Ea-Abzu. These are strange times.

 

[jaydude]

Okay. I was somewhat under the impression that the settled clans were the more powerful and prosperous of the two types, and that by keeping the Hematti nomadic I'd be gatekeeping Atusa from being able to ever treat with people like Ea-Abzu and the Sassarin Princes on equal terms.

Speaking of, I know I said a while ago that I wasn't really up for any big political stuff. Thinking about it now, I do feel that political interactions are going to be an inevitability, given how I want to play Atusa. And truth be told, I think I'd be fine with them, provided I don't have to take part as someone else's subordinate, as would have been the case in the civil war.

 

[Random Word]

The Ur-Pharoah was from a nomadic clan, and draws his power base primarily from the large number of nomadic clans who have sworn fealty to him. He leveraged that, and the dead legions he pulled from the sands, to capture several cities, so now there's a bit of a culture clash and an internal power struggle between the clans who were with him from the beginning and the much larger and well established power structures of the cities they conquered.

Because of cultural ties, if most of the southern nomadic tribes swore fealty to you, Ea-Abzu would treat with you as an equal unless the urban factions seized considerably more power at court. The Principate is most likely to see significant unification as a threat, and is unlikely to treat with you at all except to try to avert what they would see as inevitable war. The distinction between drawing fealty from nomadic and settled clans is largely irrelevant to them. It wasn't the settled clans that invaded the cities on the north bank, after all.

Obtaining the fealty of the settled clans would make you wealthier, but more importantly it would improve your supply lines in the event of war. Right now your supplies of food and water are entirely dependent upon the size of your coffers and the willingness of merchants to trade with you, as you produce none of it yourself. The Principate being the primary buyer for most of the goods your people transport, should they become frightened and close the markets it would put you in a dire position, possibly all but forcing the war. The US embargo on oil to Japan before WW2 comes to mind.

 

[jaydude]

The Ur-Pharoah was from a nomadic clan, and draws his power base primarily from the large number of nomadic clans who have sworn fealty to him. He leveraged that, and the dead legions he pulled from the sands, to capture several cities, so now there's a bit of a culture clash and an internal power struggle between the clans who were with him from the beginning and the much larger and well established power structures of the cities they conquered.

Because of cultural ties, if most of the southern nomadic tribes swore fealty to you, Ea-Abzu would treat with you as an equal unless the urban factions seized considerably more power at court. The Principate is most likely to see significant unification as a threat, and is unlikely to treat with you at all except to try to avert what they would see as inevitable war. The distinction between drawing fealty from nomadic and settled clans is largely irrelevant to them. It wasn't the settled clans that invaded the cities on the north bank, after all.

Obtaining the fealty of the settled clans would make you wealthier, but more importantly it would improve your supply lines in the event of war. Right now your supplies of food and water are entirely dependent upon the size of your coffers and the willingness of merchants to trade with you, as you produce none of it yourself. The Principate being the primary buyer for most of the goods your people transport, should they become frightened and close the markets it would put you in a dire position, possibly all but forcing the war. The US embargo on oil to Japan before WW2 comes to mind.

Truth is, the main reason I've so far played Atusa as being reluctant to trust the Ur-Pharaoh is because I can't help but think he's a Deathlord (Not that Atusa's likely to know what they are, of course). I don't know how much things have changed between gaming editions regarding them, but the impression I've gotten is that they're overall an opposing force to the Unconquered Sun and the Solars, hence why I've given my Zenith IC reasons to be hesitant regarding Ea-Abzu (The Hematti once fighting against him in the name of the Principate, uncertainty over the source of his power, and Atusa being told by the Unconquered Sun that she's the one who's supposed to be unifying the Faqari, not him).

All that being said, he's starting to look more and more palatable as a potential ally to me. And I certainly put down finding out more about him as one of Atusa's possible future goals ages ago. Thus, one idea I've got for a future plotline is the Ur-Pharaoh learning about Atusa's unification of the southern nomadic tribes and sending an envoy to the Manzil-Hematti in order to establish diplomatic relations with her, his goal being to see if he can sway her from continuing to serve the Principate and get her on his side, with Atusa taking the opportunity to try and find out more about him in turn. This would, by extension, allow me to learn more about the Ur-Pharaoh through gameplay.

 

[Random Word]

He is highly unlikely to be a Deathlord, unless that Deathlord is possessing the body of a deceased mortal. He has a well known upbringing with plenty of acquaintances and an extended family full of members who do not seem to doubt his identity and have - in some cases grudgingly - accepted him back into the fold after his triumphant return from exile and almost certain death. He could plausibly be a puppet of a Deathlord, an Abyssal, or something else entirely. He does seem to be some flavour of Exalted given the rumours you've heard about him. He is purported to have returned wreathed in glorious flame, seems impervious to even the most intense desert heat, practices by fighting a dozen veteran warriors of his clan at once, and it is said his soul-firing oratory can stir the most jaded and cynical of hearts.

Yes, if you make a big splash, everyone important who learns of you will either send envoys to feel you out or try to neutralize you as a threat.