Inside the Machine God

[Raparth]

Before the Estasians were to arrive, Marionette spoke with Minister Garret in order to suggest that the members of her Glass Razor be assigned to watch over the foreign ships. With tensions high, and possible agitating elements within the ranks of the Assembly, a military group that would report to an outside individual seemed preferable. Any attempts by outside forces, from Kamak, Estasia, or an unknown party, to manipulate the situation into open warfare had to be avoided.

On the arrival day, she made sure every edge and facet of her Gleaming Marionette walked behind and to the left of the Kamaki Assemblymembers, partially as a guard and partially to meet the Estasians face-to-face. She was anxious to see if she would recognize any of them, mortal or Champions, from her memories. Even if they were strangers to her, she needed more concrete data for her analysis on probable routes to avoid warfare. The protective fate-fields of Compassion's Bulwark flickered intermittently as snowflakes swirled around her. The blessing of steam attunement meant she had no need for the thick and warm clothes of the mortals and some other Champions, she was simply a statuesque figure of silver and starmetal studying these possible enemies that had come to call.

 

[Psychie]

Off in the distance, the distinctive sound of Essence powered engines can be heard approaching through the soft snowfall. The honor guard snap to their positions of attention as the airship comes into view. It slowly settles down onto the landing grid and the engines power down. A minute later, the side door of the Skiff opens up and four human soldiers come out, flanked by a large Starmetal Exalt that you recognize as Minister to the People. After taking a moment to examine the surrounding security, Minister signals to someone inside the Skiff for the rest of the diplomatic group to exit. At this point, another ten people come out of the ship; the two dignitaries and their bodyguards/staff.

Autocrat Garret steps forward to greet his counterpart with a friendly smile and a brief handshake, then he motions over towards the nearby jade obelisk where there will be a short greeting ceremony to formally welcome the Estasian delegation to Ein. Celebrant Mera offers up a bow and starts to say a few words when Crescent notices that one of the audience members pull out a object from inside her robes. You have a brief moment of clarity as you recognize the item to be an Essence Pulse grenade just as the figure pulls her arm back and throws it towards the gathered members of the two delegations with a shout of, "Death to Estasia!"

From other places among the crowd, other grenades join the first as they arc overhead towards their destination, echoing the cry of "Death to Estasia!" There is at least eight grenaders among the crowd and at least two guardsmen along the civilian line.

Crescent is close enough to the one grenade thrower to get a snap action off. If you want to try to deflect the grenade, you can attempt to do so at some serious minuses.

From their position, Loo, HAL, Developer and Marionette also have a chance to react, due to your vigilance. Everyone gets to perform one action before we move onto the normal combat round.

UnassumingBoxCat Blackadder WlfSamurai Raparth Red Shadow Claws

 

[UnassumingBoxCat]

Realizing that he is much too slow to catch the grenades, HAL dashes towards the delegations, hoping to put himself between the delegation and the grenades. Seeing no other option, he aims to take the brunt of any grenades that manage to strike their target.

Spoiler: OOC

Game-wise this is a move action, with a stunt to (hopefully) allow the grenades to affect him and not the delegates.

Psychie

 

[Psychie]

With an inhuman burst of speed, HAL bolts forward towards the delegation before leaping into the air and trying to knock one of the projectiles aside. As he does so, the weapon explodes, knocking you through the air, tumbling head over heels until you land in a heap on the landing grid. HAL takes four lethal past your defenses from the force of the blast, but at least you know that your actions might just have saved the lives of many people; assuming that the other grenades don't kill everyone anyways.

Blackadder WlfSamurai Raparth Red Shadow Claws

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

The crowd around Cresent parts, as she re assumes her Alcehmical form. With a flick of her wrist, she launches Moon's Tear, her Moonsilver Gyroscopic Chakram into the grenade the nearest grenadier is throwing, setting to change it's course so that it flies higher, and explodes in the air, her mind racing to do the calculations of velocity and arc needed.

Spoiler

Dexterity+Thrown:
11 successes!
10 10 8 7 8 6 10 8 9 1

With Motion-Tracking Targeting Glance, it negates all penalties to called-shots, when am acting in surprise. Which this should cover.

 

[Raparth]

The delegations met, shook hands, and it seemed almost as if the tension might be overcome when the shout rang out. The words "Death to Estasia!" shifted the battle lines. The manifold lifetimes of relevant experience rushed through her mind with the surge of the axiomatic essence that made her Chosen. As the Maker's breath poured through her body and soul, everything became so clear. The casualties on either side would be a detriment to future negotiations, but someone had decided that the many lives a war would cost were worth nothing. Those who hurt the Great Maker, whether through individual short-sightedness or intentional Void-bringing, had to be dealt with. Aegis of Valor seemed to hum in her fingers as she reached her right hand to slide it free of her left holster. The myriad potential cataclysms that spun out from this moment fought for primacy, but her Exalted will would press destiny into a shape she deemed proper. Her left leg raised up in a blur as she pressed it down and forward against the upper back of the Celebrant before her; in the same instant she lleaped up right her right leg to hang briefly in the air behind the Assemblywoman. Increased distance should do more to help save mortal lives than her body's shielding might. The Blessed of Mog, the Minister of Righteous Action and Divine Punishment, kicked up and off Mera, spinning the tactician to the right, backward and higher. The grenades arched closer, nearing their apex, almost lazily floating in her divinely-enhanced vision. Gleaming Marionette was now directly the path of most of the deadly devices. She would not be able to hit them all, but such a simple solution was unbefitting of a Starmetal. The elegant answer presented itself in the guise of the first grenade, just in front of the larger cluster of flying explosives. Over a thousand remembered years emulating the workings of Autochthon guided Valor through a rainbow streak across her body and towards the leading grenade.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Here's what I planned to do before mistakenly going out this morning without posting. If it's too late to pull off (with the explosion on Labor Unit), I'll change it. I think this is a 2-dot stunt (although another die would be lovely ;-) ). If it is okay, she's spending 1 Willpower to channel Valor to try and destroy, by getting in its way so others won't be. The idea is that if the first one explodes, the rest should be knocked away (probably to the side, but it just depends on the delta-v [and narrative] involved). The best part is that the chakram shouldn't hit anyone when/if it's knocked away by the explosion, since that lovely starmetal bonus exists.
1 reflexive peripheral mote to push her anima to 11+ level, to activate Caste power to add +2 to all attack, damage, and Join Battle for the scene.
1 peripheral mote on The Circle Screams, for +2 accuracy.

7Dex+5MA+3Specialty+2Circle Screams+2anima+2stunt+3Valor=24 dice
24D10 = [10, 1, 2, 8, 10, 5, 9, 8, 2, 5, 4, 7, 10, 4, 10, 10, 1, 7, 4, 7, 9, 7, 3, 8] = 19 successes, talk about luck!

The chakram (plus strength) is 6L, so that plus... 13 threshold successes? So 19L for raw damage.

 

[Psychie]

The crowd around Cresent parts, as she re assumes her Alcehmical form. With a flick of her wrist, she launches Moon's Tear, her Moonsilver Gyroscopic Chakram into the grenade the nearest grenadier is throwing, setting to change it's course so that it flies higher, and explodes in the air, her mind racing to do the calculations of velocity and arc needed.

Spoiler

Dexterity+Thrown:
11 successes!
10 10 8 7 8 6 10 8 9 1

With Motion-Tracking Targeting Glance, it negates all penalties to called-shots, when am acting in surprise. Which this should cover.

Cresent throws her chakram, slamming it into one of the grenades, where it gets knocked into the path of a second grenade, deflecting both away from the crowd of visiting dignitaries.

The delegations met, shook hands, and it seemed almost as if the tension might be overcome when the shout rang out. The words "Death to Estasia!" shifted the battle lines. The manifold lifetimes of relevant experience rushed through her mind with the surge of the axiomatic essence that made her Chosen. As the Maker's breath poured through her body and soul, everything became so clear. The casualties on either side would be a detriment to future negotiations, but someone had decided that the many lives a war would cost were worth nothing. Those who hurt the Great Maker, whether through individual short-sightedness or intentional Void-bringing, had to be dealt with. Aegis of Valor seemed to hum in her fingers as she reached her right hand to slide it free of her left holster. The myriad potential cataclysms that spun out from this moment fought for primacy, but her Exalted will would press destiny into a shape she deemed proper. Her left leg raised up in a blur as she pressed it down and forward against the upper back of the Celebrant before her; in the same instant she lleaped up right her right leg to hang briefly in the air behind the Assemblywoman. Increased distance should do more to help save mortal lives than her body's shielding might. The Blessed of Mog, the Minister of Righteous Action and Divine Punishment, kicked up and off Mera, spinning the tactician to the right, backward and higher. The grenades arched closer, nearing their apex, almost lazily floating in her divinely-enhanced vision. Gleaming Marionette was now directly the path of most of the deadly devices. She would not be able to hit them all, but such a simple solution was unbefitting of a Starmetal. The elegant answer presented itself in the guise of the first grenade, just in front of the larger cluster of flying explosives. Over a thousand remembered years emulating the workings of Autochthon guided Valor through a rainbow streak across her body and towards the leading grenade.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Here's what I planned to do before mistakenly going out this morning without posting. If it's too late to pull off (with the explosion on Labor Unit), I'll change it. I think this is a 2-dot stunt (although another die would be lovely ;-) ). If it is okay, she's spending 1 Willpower to channel Valor to try and destroy, by getting in its way so others won't be. The idea is that if the first one explodes, the rest should be knocked away (probably to the side, but it just depends on the delta-v [and narrative] involved). The best part is that the chakram shouldn't hit anyone when/if it's knocked away by the explosion, since that lovely starmetal bonus exists.
1 reflexive peripheral mote to push her anima to 11+ level, to activate Caste power to add +2 to all attack, damage, and Join Battle for the scene.
1 peripheral mote on The Circle Screams, for +2 accuracy.

7Dex+5MA+3Specialty+2Circle Screams+2anima+2stunt+3Valor=24 dice
24D10 = [10, 1, 2, 8, 10, 5, 9, 8, 2, 5, 4, 7, 10, 4, 10, 10, 1, 7, 4, 7, 9, 7, 3, 8] = 19 successes, talk about luck!

The chakram (plus strength) is 6L, so that plus... 13 threshold successes? So 19L for raw damage.

Marionette is able to engage two of the grenades also, causing them to detonate prematurely, right in front of you, causing you to tumble out of control onto the deck and you take a total of 6 Lethal damage from the two explosions.

WlfSamurai and Blackadder are next

 

[WlfSamurai]

Loo acts before she fully registers what is happening. Combat has honed her into a war-machine that fights from instinct and reacts on gut. She leaps off her perch on the building, activating her Gravity Manipulation to gain as much altitude as possible. At peek arc, she kills the Manipulator and plummets toward the crowd a glistening black bullet in the artificial twilight.

She lands, smashing a small crater, between the unknown enemy in the crowd and their targets.

“Show yourselves!”

Spoiler: OOC

Activating Personal Gravity Manipulation Apparatus for 4 motes and using the primary function to change up to down gravity-wise.

That leaves:
Personal 13/17
Peripheral 21/41 [20 committed]

 

[Psychie]

While this is all going on, Minister to the People leaps into the air and manages to scoop up a couple of the grenades flying towards the delegation, curling up into a ball to shield the mortals from the force of the blast. The resulting explosion rips into the visiting Exalt, blasting him into pieces.

Despite the valiant efforts of the Champions here, two of the grenades manage to explode in the midst of the assorted Ministers and their aides. There are many casualties, but the death toll is not total as it would have been if you had not intercepted so many of the explosives in the air.

Moving to regular combat time. Initiative rolls, please. If you prefer, I can make the rolls for you; just let me know.

UnassumingBoxCat Raparth WlfSamurai Red Shadow Claws

 

[Raparth]

Spoiler: Join Battle Stuff

Wits 5 + Awareness 2 + Starmetal Anima 2 = 9
9D10 = [6, 6, 8, 3, 8, 5, 4, 1, 5]= 2

In the future, I'm certainly fine with you doing the rolls, Psychie, if it makes it faster/easier.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Spoiler: Join Battle

2 successes!
3 3 9 3 9 6 6 3

 

[WlfSamurai]

Spoiler: OOC

Join battle: 6D10 = [4, 2, 10, 2, 3, 1] = 2

 

[Psychie]

Just holding on UnassumingBoxCat for your roll, or I can roll for you.

 

[Psychie]

The first four guards that were throwing grenades and shouting "Death to Estasia!" yank swords from their sheathes and charge forward, intent on butchering the surviving members of the delegation from the other nation. They are far enough back from the delegates that they won't get there until tick 3.

Thousand raises up her crossbow and fires a pair of bolts at the first of the guards charging forward, and manages to puncture his armor enough to drop the man in a heap on the cold deck.

Order of Initiative
0 [Grenaders 2-4]
1 [Thousand]
2 Marionette, Loo, Cresent <====
3 Grenaders 5-8
4
5 Grenaders 2-4
6 Thousand

Red Shadow Claws WlfSamurai Raparth are all up.

 

[Raparth]

The grenades she destroyed had knocked the Gleaming Marionette off-balance and skidding across the deck, where she stopped precariously close to the edge. She left a blazing trail of rainbow essence as she fell, both from her own anima and the momentarily overtaxed defensive fields of her armor. A silent prayer thanked the Maker for the white jade ribbing that kept the pain from overwhelming her focus. Marionette heard a familiar keen and her hand shot up just in time to grab the returning chakram. Her gaze rose with her hand and she witnessed the valiant sacrifices of her fellow Champions, as well as the continued affront of traitorous Kamaki. The sight hardened her heart and she reached high, before launching two overhanded attacks at the nearest guards. The spinning vertical wheels of razors caught the two traitors in their chest, grinding up and through the meeting of their shoulder and neck.

Spoiler: Slice and Dice

Two attacks, so -2 to the first and -3 to the second.
5Dex+5MA+3Specialty+2accuracy+2Anima+2Circle Screams+1Stunt=20 before flurry penalties
18D10 = [1, 3, 9, 10, 9, 3, 3, 6, 10, 5, 4, 4, 9, 2, 9, 7, 8, 6]=10 successes
17D10 = [3, 4, 3, 7, 9, 8, 7, 9, 8, 2, 6, 9, 10, 10, 4, 5, 6]=11 successes
2 peripheral motes spent on The Circle Screams

Damage for each is threshold + 8L (from 3 Strength + 3L weapon + 2 anima).
Speed of attack is 5.

Willpower: 7/8
Personal: 17
Peripheral: 24/26 (45) [19 committed]
(spent 2 in pre-combat round, successful 2-point stunt meant two motes back, then spent 2 now)

 

[Psychie]

Both the guards have lightweight armor on, but it is not enough to stop the whirling blades of your chakrams as they bite deep into the flesh of the men. Under the effects of the attacks, both men drop to the deck in critical condition.

Order of Initiative
0 [Grenaders 2-4]
1 [Thousand]
2 [Marionette], Loo, Cresent <====
3 Grenaders 5-8
4
5 Grenader 4
6 Thousand
7 Marionette

WlfSamurai Red Shadow Claws

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Crescent wasn't made for combat with multiple opponents, even if they are mortals. But her speed more than makes up for it, and she uses it to her advantage. Putting on a speed that no mortal can match, she runs up to one of the traitors with a sword in his hand, with a leap, she lands on the head of one of the people who are still in shock from the turn of events, and jumps up, above the traitor.
With careful tracking, she aims her chakram so that it will knock the blade from his hand.

Spoiler: called shot to disarm

Dex 7, Thrown 2, Accuracy 1, and 1 Stunt, minus 4 external penalty for making a disarm
11 successes!
7 10 1 8 10 8 10 10 5 1 4
for a total of 7 successes to disarm the guard with the sword

 

[Psychie]

The well-aimed shot catches the guard off balance, and knocks the sword from his hand with a cry of pain. Other than a slight bleeding wound on his wrist, he is fine.

Order of Initiative
0 [Grenaders 2-4]
1 [Thousand]
2 [Marionette], Loo, [Cresent] <====
3 Grenaders 5-8
4
5 Grenader 4 - disarmed
6 Thousand
7 Marionette, Cresent

WlfSamurai is up next

 

[UnassumingBoxCat]

Psychie

Sorry for being a veritable vegetable; if you could roll for me, that'd be great.

 

[Psychie]

I'll add you into the initiative order soon.

 

[Psychie]

Added HAL to the initiative list. WlfSamurai is up with Loo.

Order of Initiative
0 [Grenaders 2-4]
1 [Thousand]
2 [Marionette], Loo, [Cresent] <====
3 Grenaders 5-8, HAL
4
5 Grenader 4 - disarmed
6 Thousand
7 Marionette, Cresent

 

[WlfSamurai]

Like a mountain of soulsteel, Loo stands unmoving as the grenades explode behind her. Her expression is indifference and her body relaxed. Her eyes shift to her Exalt comrades as they flash forward in action, striking here and there. She remains unmoving, unflinching, collected, though not incapable of feeling. The screams of those behind her and around her fill her heart with loss and desperation. But there is little use on the battlefield for such things and her mind cages those thoughts and feelings and shoves them into a dark corner of her brain. There will be time for opening the box later.

For now, Loo focuses and turns to face the third group of Grenaders. Like a blackened wraith, or a shadow from the depths of the Great Maker himself, she closes the gap with a leap, her Grand Beamklave bursting to life. She slashes one of the Grenaders, spins, and slashes the other.

Spoiler: OOC

Two attacks as a flurry.

Grand Soulsteel Beamklave: Speed 5, Accuracy +1[14], Damage +11L[16]/4, Defense +0[7], Rate 1, Tags: 2, O, R

That puts me at Speed 5 and -2 DV.

Attack 1: 12D10 = [3, 7, 7, 9, 9, 10, 1, 10, 3, 4, 1, 6] = 8 successes
Raw damage: 24L/4min

Attack 2: 11D10 = [9, 2, 4, 3, 8, 2, 2, 5, 10, 9, 6] = 5 successes
Raw damage: 21L/4min

Go ahead and roll the damage after their defense and soak.

 

[Psychie]

Screams of terror fill the air as the crowd of onlookers finally realize that there is something horrible going on, and they want to get the hell out of there before they become casualties, too. The rush of bodies scattering makes it a little harder to identify which ones are active combatants and which ones are innocent bystanders, but Loo is able to identify a pair of attackers dressed in civilian clothes that you can remember were a part of the team of grenaders, and with your Grand Beamklave, you literally cut them both in two and the body parts hit the deck with the stench of cauterized flesh.

UnassumingBoxCat is up with HAL

Order of Initiative
2 [Marionette], [Loo], [Cresent]
3 Grenaders 7-8, HAL <====
4
5 Grenader 4 - disarmed but active
6 Thousand
7 Marionette, Cresent, Loo
8
9

 

[Psychie]

With UnassumingBoxCat in the wind, we are moving on and having him delay.

The last two of the active fighters both yank swords from their sheathes and charge towards the injured crowd of delegates, murder intent on their minds.

The injured but active man is now fumbling at his belt, trying to pull out another weapon with his wounded hand.

Thousand spins and trains her crossbow at the two men armed with the swords, and fires a bolt at each. With her anima effect flaring, she manages to wound both, making them stumble and fall to the deck. Possibly just wounded, they might just be able to react later on.

Order of Initiative
2 [Marionette], [Loo], [Cresent]
3 [Grenaders 7-8], HAL
4
5 Grenader 4 - disarmed but active
6 [Thousand]
7 Marionette, Cresent, Loo <====
8 Grenaders 7-8
9
10 Grenader 4

WlfSamurai Raparth Red Shadow Claws

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

With the guy already injured, and fumbling for yet another weapon, Crescent decides that it's best to take him completely out at this point, hopefully alive, so we can question him later.

Her mind calculating speeds and angles, she runs past him, as if to protect the delegates, and she sends her chakram flying, but instead of hitting him, it flies near, close to his neck, and then loops back around his neck, suffocating him almost instantly.

Spoiler

Doing only Bashing Damage, to knock him unconcsious
9 successes!
10 4 10 9 10 7 7 6 1 1 1 6 5