Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e IC

[Eonivar]

Mercy nods and goes to follow the others.

 

[Psychie]

It doesn't take long to find a private place to put your heads together and talk. The tavern you are staying at has it's common room deserted with everyone outside watching the manor burn, making it a good location to discuss Fat Cat's discovery.

Sherwood Eonivar Purr Rykon jaydude Chowlett

 

[Purr]

With great discretion, O Mighty Fat Cat shares all that he discovered in the hopes that his Solar friends can put the knowledge to solid use. He describes the symbols, the blood (and sheer amount of it), tools, writings, anything and everything he saw and detected (with echolocation) before he was forced to flee.

"In de jungle, fire burns everything. But here in a town, mebbe de dire burned everything in de basement, mebbe not. But sorcery? Dis is a... Solar matter. If something wicked survived and we leave, mebbe de next human finds something down dere dat we left behind. Or... perhaps I am thinking this too much and everything is gonna be all right here." O Mighty Fat Cat turns meaningfully to each of you.

"De jungle is my home. De towns and cities? Less so. Of Sorcery? I know nothing. But you do." The large Lunar turns especially to Mercy whose powers and restraint he respects a great deal. Of Silent Glade's sorcerous abilities, the Lunar knows nothing.

"Mercy? My Circle? Should we wait for de fires to burn out and den search through the rubble? I can move much. Or do you have some means to see without digging lest we disturb the villagers with our curiosity? Or do you all believe it is safe? I would rather be certain now than regretful later."

 

[Sherwood]

Amara thinks about what the big Lunar has seen with more than a trace of disgust. The evil of this Lady Ramis goes deeper than she had thought. Finally, she says, "I would say we wait and let the townspeople know what has been discovered in this dungeon, and take the time to make sure that none of the dark magic can be used to harm another person again. I have a feeling that the wheels of justice will end up taking care of the Lady Ramis and the rest of this cult by taking her head. No big loss as far as I'm concerned. I just don't want to come back here and discover that the cult has resurfaced and the misery of three people here continued after we left."

She looks over at Mercy and Silent Glade, knowing that their opinions would with heavy on the actions of the Circle.

 

[jaydude]

Amara thinks about what the big Lunar has seen with more than a trace of disgust. The evil of this Lady Ramis goes deeper than she had thought. Finally, she says, "I would say we wait and let the townspeople know what has been discovered in this dungeon, and take the time to make sure that none of the dark magic can be used to harm another person again. I have a feeling that the wheels of justice will end up taking care of the Lady Ramis and the rest of this cult by taking her head. No big loss as far as I'm concerned. I just don't want to come back here and discover that the cult has resurfaced and the misery of three people here continued after we left."

She looks over at Mercy and Silent Glade, knowing that their opinions would with heavy on the actions of the Circle.

"I second this opinion," Grey Stone added in his rumble of a voice.

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy listens, and then speaks. "If they were casting summoning spells well above Terrestrial ability Lady Ramis is clearly more than she seems or had somehow come upon something beyond her kenning. That Cauldron is not exactly a common thing either, I am of agreement that we need to search that house further."

 

[Psychie]

With no one intervening, including the townspeople, the mansion burns long and hot, slowly collapsing into itself until nothing is left other than ashes and a few scorched support beams. It takes many hours for the fire to die down, but finally, the thick clouds of choking smoke and fire fade away and the day is clear once more.

Moving to inspect the ruins, the basement that Da Chonk described is now revealed. The stone is still very hot, making any exploring uncomfortable and very sooty. There is little left of the basement, having been cleansed of its evil by the fire. The thick pools of blood that were there are all gone, along with the painted runes along the walls and floor. It would seem that the horrors of this house have finally been erased and the tormented spirits that were lingering her can now rest in peace.

While the bulk of the basement is well and truly scorched, there may still be secrets hidden in it. Do you search the ruin, and if so, how do you go about it?

 

[jaydude]

"I don't think there's much to do except look for anything that sticks out," Grey Stone said to the others, before starting to do just that.

At the time, he'd thought that staying back and letting things play out had been the wiser course of action, but now a little sliver of doubt started to burrow into his mind. Had they made a mistake? Had they missed something that was now lost to Hesiesh?

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33
Anima: Dim

Willpower: 7/7
Join Battle: 5
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1,-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 1

Attacks
Faith's Pillar (10 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 18, Overwhelming 5, Bashing, Melee, Reaching, Smashing, Two-Handed)
Unarmed (13 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 15, Overwhelming 1, Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural)

Actions
Rush: 6
Disengage: 6

Evasion 4, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness: 4/0

 

[Chowlett]

Privately, Silent Glade had not been sure he could have helped Mercy significantly with any remaining occult trappings of this place - runes and suchlike are not how he works his sorcery, and their meaning is closed to him (OOC: Glade is illiterate!). So it is with mild relief that he descends into the basement and begins to search. This is more his skillset - one doesn't survive the wilds of creation without an eye for whatever is out of place; and while he cannot read magic, he can certainly feel it.

Psychie let me know what you want Glade to roll to search fairly methodically, guided by what he can perceive as likely magical or otherwise interesting. I can see arguments for Awareness or Investigation; Perception or Intelligence.

 

[Psychie]

Those that wish to look through the rubble of the basement, please give me either a Intelligence + Investigation roll or a Perception + Awareness roll, along with any Charms you may be using.

 

[Sherwood]

Using my Sensory Acuity Prana to get double 9's, Amara will examine the walls to see if there are any hidden chambers that might have survived the fire.

Two successes

 

[jaydude]

Rolling Perception + Awareness.

5 successes. I consider that pretty nice for a 6-dice roll.

 

[Chowlett]

Perception + Awareness; and let's drop 2 motes into an Excellency to make it a round 10 dice.

4 successes. Jay's dice like them better.

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy's cloak covered form walks through the ruin silently, still with her Spirit Detecting Glance charm in effect, her eyes alight with the fire of her ifrit bond looking for anything with occult trappings or anything that may provide more insight on who and what Lady Ramis was doing, occasionally stopping to look at a fallen page or burnt item, to drop it and continue on.

Rolling Intelligence (5 dice) = 2 successes

 

[Psychie]

After a careful examination, you are all fairly certain that there is nothing left of interest in this house of horrors, having all been consumed by the fire. Whatever evils that were going on down here have all been wiped out by the purifying flame.

What do you do now?

 

[jaydude]

After figuring out that Mercy and Silent Glade - the ones more versed in matters of the dead - hadn't found anything either, Grey Stone addressed the group as a whole.

"There's nothing here. Whatever evil was being carried out in this place has been purged. We should move on."

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33
Anima: Dim

Willpower: 7/7
Join Battle: 5
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1,-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 1

Attacks
Faith's Pillar (10 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 18, Overwhelming 5, Bashing, Melee, Reaching, Smashing, Two-Handed)
Unarmed (13 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 15, Overwhelming 1, Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural)

Actions
Rush: 6
Disengage: 6

Evasion 4, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness: 4/0

 

[Sherwood]

Amara wipes a sweaty hand over her forehead and nods. "I agree. Still, it was best to make sure and not leave the evil festering like a bad infection. We were lucky to have come along when we did."

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy walks through the areas with fire still burning, the flames seem calm and move away out of respect for her. She reaches down picks up a still burning book attempting to see if she could read what it says, the flames touch her hands but do no harm to her. She sighs and drops the book and walks back to where the others were standing.

"Yes, there is nothing here. This place has truly been purified by flame."

Their Twilight sister reluctantly glances at the inn with its soft bed and inviting people (which she never got to partake with but was afraid to), with a long glum sigh. "We should probably move on."

 

[Psychie]

With the fire gone and the manor house destroyed, the circle once more gets ready to travel on the way to the old city of Rathess.

Purr are you going to take to the air again, it is the cat bus express taking the ground this time?

 

[Psychie]

Leaving the town at dusk, the Cat Bus Express takes to the air on the way to the ancient city of Rathess. Navigating by starlight, the miles seem to flow along below you as Da Chonk flies through the air, passing over low hills and valleys with ease and not worrying about the rugged terrain you are bypassing. It is an uneventful flight.

Even with the speed that you are traveling at, it still takes several days to get close to the ruins. According to the maps and your efforts to keep on course, you will arrive late in the evening, a few hours before dawn. Considering that you plan on going to the cemetery to raid a tomb, it might behoove you to wait for morning before you enter the necropolis that houses the tombs of many fallen First Age Exalted. Or you can trust to your own Exalted nature to get through any challenges on your way.

What do you wish to do?

 

[Sherwood]

As they finally get closer to Rathess, Amara can feel the level of excitement increase. Here they were, about to arrive at the ancient city to delve into the depths of a First Age tomb, and who knows what other treasures that they may come across? The possibilities are nearly endless, and she is looking forward to arriving. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them all.

When the question comes up of just what time of day or night that they should approach the tomb with the artifact that they are after, Amara pipes up with, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't have the needed Charms to be able to deal with angry ghosts that might be lurking around that come out at night. I say we rest up a short distance from the city until morning, then advance during the day into the tomb itself to avoid any angry ghosts. That's my vote."

 

[jaydude]

Grey Stone gave a nod at Amara's suggestion. "I have the means to force spirits to materialize, as well as fight them if they refuse to do so," he offered. "Still, it is generally wiser to avoid a fight if at all possible."

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33
Anima: Dim

Willpower: 7/7
Join Battle: 5
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1,-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 1

Attacks
Faith's Pillar (10 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 18, Overwhelming 5, Bashing, Melee, Reaching, Smashing, Two-Handed)
Unarmed (13 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 15, Overwhelming 1, Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural)

Actions
Rush: 6
Disengage: 6

Evasion 4, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness: 4/0

 

[Chowlett]

"And others - myself, at least - cannot do so. I worry about how long we will need, though. We may enter in daylight, but searching will take time and night may fall while we do so." Glade thinks through his oral tales, attempting to recall anything he may have heard about the size or layout of Rathess. The ruin is a relatively long way from his home turf, but it is also a major site of occult significance, and his predecessors collected such knowledge voraciously.

Rolling Int+Lore with Specialty (Shamanic interests in the east), stunted. 9 successes on "how big is Rathess, and how is it laid out internally?"

 

[Psychie]

"And others - myself, at least - cannot do so. I worry about how long we will need, though. We may enter in daylight, but searching will take time and night may fall while we do so." Glade thinks through his oral tales, attempting to recall anything he may have heard about the size or layout of Rathess. The ruin is a relatively long way from his home turf, but it is also a major site of occult significance, and his predecessors collected such knowledge voraciously.

Rolling Int+Lore with Specialty (Shamanic interests in the east), stunted. 9 successes on "how big is Rathess, and how is it laid out internally?"

Rathess is not as large as some cities, but many of the buildings are multi-level, granting more living space for the old residents of the city. The bulk of the city was inhabited by the lizard-people known as the Dragon Kings, but there was one section, called an Octad, devoted to the human residents of Rathess. There was even a octad of the city set aside for the water-dwelling Dragon Kings, with deep artificial lakes.

You would also know that the necropolis housing the physical remains of the fallen Exalts buried there are located on the outer edge of the Human Octad. Rumor has it that the necropolis is regularly patrolled by Celestial Lions, keeping looters away from the tombs.

 

[Rykon]

"Once again, I'd like to remind everyone that any ghosts, spirits, and the like that cross us in our expedition here can't really threaten us if we keep to our diplomatic manners while we're here. We can negotiate for this relic if we must, as it is for a noble cause. Otherwise, our priest and arsenal should be more than sufficient that the dead keep to the rest they've earned in life." Aredin adds. "Besides, it might be more dangerous to linger here in the open overnight than it would to merely see to our business and leave. We don't know what else has taken shelter here after all."