Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e IC

[Eonivar]

The hypnotic drone rose even higher as Opal dove upon the other Blood Ape, the fire in Mercy upheld hand preparing for an attack left a streak of light in the sky as the demon wasp dove down, down, down. With the light of the fire reflecting off of the wasps wings and casting erratic shadows everywhere with the action on the ground, the giant wasp attacked the Blood Ape, many of its clawed arms a blur striking forth at the beast with a keen efficiency of movement and in a blink of an eye was already high into the sky, the drone receded some as it rose into air again.

Opal is going to use the charm to make two withering attacks on Blood Ape 2
Principle of Motion
(10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant;
Essence 2): The agata moves with blinding speed, taking
a flurry without the usual restrictions—it can flurry two
of the same action if desired, and it ignores the usual penalties to dice pools and Defense.

Claw Attack 1 - 0 successes
Claw Attack 2 - 2 successes

Spoiler: Mercy Stats

Essence Rating: 1
Personal Essence Pool: 7/13
Peripheral Essence Pool: 24/33
Attuned Essence: 8
Willpower: 5/6
Free Willpower from Cult (Recharges once per story): 3/3
Health Levels
-0
-1
-1
-1
-2
-2
-2
-4
Incapacitated

Natural Soak With Invulnerable Skin of Bronze (Control) invoked = 9 + Hardness 6
Current Charms/Abilities activated: Spirit Detecting Glance, Invulnerable Skin of Bronze, Master Horseman's Technique

Spoiler: Opal Stats

Essence: 2; Willpower: 5/6; Join Battle: 6 dice
Personal Motes: 54/70
Health Levels:
0
-1
-1
-1
-2
-2
-2
-4
Incapacitated
Speed Bonus: +3
Actions: Demon Lore: 6 dice; Flying maneuvers: 12
dice; Inspire: 6 dice; Resist Poison/Illness: 8 dice;
Senses: 7 dice; Tracking: 5 dice
Appearance 5, Resolve 3, Guile 2
Combat
Attack (Claw): 6 dice (Damage 14)
Attack (Sting): 5 dice (Damage 13 and poison when decisive, damage 2i/round, duration 5 rounds, -3 penalty).
Agatae can only sting while airborne.
Combat Movement: 6 dice (12 when airborne)
Evasion 3 (5 while airborne), Parry 3
Soak/Hardness: 8/0
Merits
Shimmering Crystal Beauty: Anyone who looks upon
the agata is treated as having a Minor Tie of wonder
towards it for purposes of social influence rolls.
Vigorous Steed: The agata can bear two fully armored
people on its back while flying at a speed of thirty miles
an hour. It may use its Evasion in place of its Parry to
protect a rider with a defend other action.
Offensive Charms
Principle of Motion (10m, 1wp; Reflexive; Instant;
Essence 2): The agata moves with blinding speed, taking
a flurry without the usual restrictions—it can flurry two
of the same action if desired, and it ignores the usual penalties to dice pools and Defense.
Defensive Charms
Kaleidoscopic Dodge (5m, 3i; Reflexive; Instant; Essence
2): For a moment, the beauteous wasp seems to disintegrate into rainbow brilliance, as though it were refracted
through a prism, adding +2 Evasion against an attack. A
successful dodge allows the agata to reflexively move one
range band in any direction, if it wishes.
Jeweled Heart Allure (6m; Reflexive; One scene;
Essence 2): The agata radiates beauty that dumbfounds
even battle-hardened warriors, forcing characters to pay
a point of Willpower before they can attack it in a scene
unless they have an Intimacy that represents ruthlessness, pitilessness, or a desperate reason to fight it that
is greater than the Minor Tie created by Shimmering
Crystal Beauty.
Mobility Charms
Wind-Stirring Wing Tempest (5m, 1i; Supplemental;
Instant; Essence 1): The agata doubles 9s on a movement
roll. If it is moving downward while airborne, it doubles
8s as well.
Miscellaneous Charms
Hurry Home (10m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The
demon fades away and vanishes on its next turn, drawn
instantly to its summoner’s side. This Charm is unavailable when the demon is unbound.
Materialize (35m, 1wp; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The
agata solidifies itself in a flash of prismatic light.
Measure the Wind (5m; Simple; Instant; Essence 1): The
agata can discern the nature of anyone who rides it.

Current Active Charms Jeweled Heart Allure

 

[Psychie]

With the Onslaught penalty for multiple attacks, the Parry DV of the ape is now a 3. Soak is still 7.

 

[Purr]

Spoiler: Music!

(Because I just love the energy and power in this song - especially this live version! And besides, it's time for the CIrcle to get... back on their feet! Hee hee!)
"Boom Boom Satellites Back on my Feet (live)"

Fat Cat could only chuckle at Aredin's terrific taunting. That man with the soul of bard never changed. Hearing him just made Fat Cat grin all the wider. But the Lunar's loud and crazy attempt at rescue was just the beginning of his simple plan.

That Fat Cat's attempt at spanking Kerwin into the ground had failed was of no consequence (especially after what he received just after that!). That Da Chonk had two demon-apes howling challenges at him was of no consequence. Now that he had found Aredin (along with Grey Stone), all that mattered to O Mighty Fat Cat was giving them and their friends everything they needed to get them out of this mess! While Aredin was armed by a fellow of his who appeared literally out of nowhere from Fat Cat's perspective, Grey Stone was still empty-handed. This had to change!

O Mighty Fat Cat turns upon the door inside the wagon. In his thoughts (for he cannot speak in his current form), Da Chonk addresses the barrier, his profoundly-deep voice rich with his native jungle accent, each word crisp and clear and filled with his unmistakable spirit.

"O spirit of dis barrier! You have a duty to keep de people out unless dey have a key. I have a duty to free those whose liberty is in jeopardy. And you? You serve a kidnapper. DIs makes you and me... opposing forces! Forgive me, o barrier - I must prove for the sake of me friend and me ally dat me duty is greater than yours... by breaking you down!"

A strange and mystical thing seems to take place about the strange and mystical wagon-sized feline. O Mighty Fat Cat closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath, nourishing the very center of being. A freedom fighter, he calls upon the vast depths of his own Luna-blessed spirit to summon forth all the strength the Full Moon caste can provide him.

In but moments, he feels his life's Essence - the primordial energy that flows and gathers, drifts and crashes - coursing through his every organ, all of his powerful muscles, his every last bit of his fur until...

... it is there before his eyes! Shining like a full moon only visible to his Lunar eyes, O Mighty Fat Cat bows his humble spirit to the ever greater power that the winds cannot touch yet controls the very seas of all Creation - the moon! Otherwise known as... LUNA!

O Mighty Fat Cat decides no barrier will stand between him and his destiny! Not this night nor any other! Aredin, Grey Stone, and their friends will be free! Free to fulfill their own destinies! Such is the Lunar's way! Such is the way of Luna's blessed! Such is the sole purpose of O Mighty Fat Cat!

Deep within his focused and vibrant being comes the Essence... up from the center of his body until it reaches his vocal chords. O Mighty Fat Cat releases a great spirit-filled roar - a promise - that carries across the sky until it reaches Luna!

With his giant cat-slit predator eyes solely upon the barrier, he seems to explode with energy as he looses with all of the feline finesse and moon-given might of his mutated and Charm-powered body into the door - his very will at the tip of those great and flashing claws! His opposite paw comes up just long enough to shield his turned face from flying debris.

If the door breaks, his wild eyes and Charm-empowered paw reach in for a white jade pillar. If he finds it, if he snatches it up in his huge paw, Da Chonk nods in respect to the artifact, turns with smiling, shining moonlit eyes to Grey Stone and exclaims...

"AWROOOWR!"

His body language, aided by the Charm Glance-Oration Technique, grins with tremendous enthusiasm as O Mighty Fat Cat - the biggest housecat anyone has ever seen - seems to yell to the huge Solar...

"CATCH!"

 

[Psychie]

Opal's effort to hit the demon ape is not successful, but it does distract it a bit as it stands there, roaring in rage at the assembled Exalts.

Fat Cat's efforts of smashing the door are a bit more successful. The large Lunar hauls back a huge paw and with tremendous force, he punches the door out of its frame, leaving bits of hard oak scattered across the interior of the wagon. Fumbling around inside the formerly locked room, Fat Cat manages to feel several large items that are big enough to be Grey Stone's hammer. Pulling it out of the room, you see that yes, you do indeed have a large jade hammer in your paw.

With a flip of the paw, the Lunar warrior tosses the hammer over at Grey Stone for the other Exalt to catch.

Guard 5 looks around at the rapidly disintegrating situation, and instead of charging into the fight, he runs to Lord Kerwin's side, dropping his sword in the process, and scooping up the wounded Dragon Blooded and starting to haul him away to safety.

jaydude is now up, and you have your hammer in hand.

Join Battle, Round 1
11 - [Silent Glade]
10 - [Amara]
9 - [Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded]
8 - [Fat Cat]
8 - [Opal]
8 - [Amara's Sword]
8 - [Guard 5] pg 496
7 - Grey Stone <====
7 - Guard 1
5 - Aredin
5 - Blood Ape 2
5 - Guard 4
4 - Mercy
4 - Guard 2
4 - Guard 3

Round 2
25 - Amara
9 - Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded
8 - Opal
8 - Fat Cat
8 - Guard 5
3 - Silent Glade
3 - Amara's Sword
Crashed - Blood Ape 1 -8 HL, critically wounded pg 525

 

[jaydude]

Grey Stone smiled to himself as he felt the familiar weight of the tetsubo-like Grand Goremaul back within his hands. Quickly reattuning to it and acknowledging Cat's role in getting it back to him with a short nod, he turned towards the remaining Blood Ape and crouched in a firm stance while hefting the weapon over his shoulder, readying himself to move.

A solid disc of golden light appeared upon his forehead, before he leapt forward and up into the air with a lightness that would have been at odds with his size and musculature, were it not for the footmarks he left behind on the ground. As he fell towards the Blood Ape, he swung Faith's Pillar, timing the attack to bring the goremaul down upon the demon as soon as he was in melee range.

[Decisive Attack. Using Thunderbolt Attack Prana, Force of the Mountain and two motes of my MA Excellency for 9m total Peripheral Essence and 1 Willpower. This allows me to double damage after rolling it, double 10's on the damage roll and use 10 dice for my attack roll. Claiming one-point stunt as well to give me two more dice for the attack roll. 6 successes.]

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 10/13
Peripheral Essence: 19/33
Anima: Glowing

Willpower: 6/7
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 19, 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

Increasing Strength Exercise (+1 Strength)

 

[jaydude]

Rolling Damage.

...really not my best. 2B total damage.

 

[Psychie]

As the mighty hammer blow comes swinging down on the Ape, it shakes its head for a moment and sneers, growling out, "I had expected better from you, Sun Child. I am not impressed."

Guard 1 sees how Grey Stone tried to do some harm to the demon and it didn't do much, and thinks that this is his chance to do some damage on his own. He charges forward with his sword raised high, and he swings with a Decisive attack against you with a mighty shout.

jaydude I have to guess that your DV is better than a 2. If not, let me know. Otherwise, Guard 1 just loses 2i from his missed attack.
Rykon is up with Aredin

Join Battle, Round 1
11 - [Silent Glade]
10 - [Amara]
9 - [Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded]
8 - [Fat Cat]
8 - [Opal]
8 - [Amara's Sword]
8 - [Guard 5] pg 496
7 - [Grey Stone]
7 - [Guard 1]
5 - Aredin <====
5 - Blood Ape 2 -2 B HL
5 - Guard 4
4 - Mercy
4 - Guard 2
4 - Guard 3

Round 2
25 - Amara
9 - Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded
8 - Opal
8 - Fat Cat
8 - Guard 5
5 - Guard 1
3 - Silent Glade
3 - Amara's Sword
3 - Grey Stone
Crashed - Blood Ape 1 -8 HL, critically wounded pg 525

 

[Rykon]

Aredin reaches out, plucking the proffered blade from the night air and giving a solid turn in two arcing sweeps to test its weight. An impish grin overtook his smirk as he bellowed in with a condescending roar, "The fight's barely begun and two of your three heavy hitters are out. Face it mercs. You're outnumbered and outclassed by far. Drop your weapons and you may see the dawn with your lives and paychecks intact." The Eclipse pointed his newly acquired blade at the wounded Kerwin struggling to crawl to punctuate his call. "Better hurry or your meal ticket might not make it."

[Rolling Charisma + Presence with a full excellency (5m) to Persuade them to surrender. The last 4 dice are an Appearance vs Resolve bonus for Appearance 5. Ignore the last 3 dice for the Blood Ape I think in case that matters. Eh, crap roll for 17 dice. Still 5 Successes against the Mercs, 4 against the Blood Ape and that is without any dice benefits against intimacies relating to survival, livelihood, or their boss.]

 

[Psychie]

With the sight of so many of the dread Anathema wreaking havoc on the caravan, especially with the fall of Lord Kerwin, panic begins to spread. Guards 2, 3, and 4 all turn and run, trying to put as much distance between them and you as they can. The demon ape is also starting to reconsider its position here, and it uses its action to once more dematerialize and fade from sight. Only Mercy can still see the Blood Ape as it turns and begins to run off.

Eonivar is up with Mercy. The fighting is pretty much over for this battle, but you still have an action to take if you wish. If you don't wish to extend the battle, just let me know and we'll call it an outstanding victory for your side.

Join Battle, Round 1
11 - [Silent Glade]
10 - [Amara]
9 - [Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded]
8 - [Fat Cat]
8 - [Opal]
8 - [Amara's Sword]
8 - [Guard 5] pg 496
7 - [Grey Stone]
7 - [Guard 1]
5 - [Aredin]
5 - Blood Ape 2 -2 B HL
5 - Guard 4 - fleeing
4 - Mercy
4 - Guard 2 - fleeing
4 - Guard 3 - fleeing

Round 2
25 - Amara
9 - Lord Kerwin -7 HL, critically wounded
8 - Opal
8 - Fat Cat
8 - Guard 5
5 - Aredin
5 - Blood Ape 2 -2 B HL dematerialized/fleeing
5 - Guard 1
3 - Silent Glade
3 - Amara's Sword
3 - Grey Stone
Crashed - Blood Ape 1 -8 HL, critically wounded pg 525

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy, mounted on the lumenescent wasp, looked down at the battle watching the men surrender and the blood ape flee, she makes a long sigh of relief, the fire fading from her hand. She hugs the wasp whispering to it. [Old Realm] "Thank you dear friend for being here for me. Let's land and get our things back."

The wasp ceased its droning and made a happy low pitched buzzing, almost purring sound, and made a long spiralling circle back to land next to the others. Mercy dismounted, making a face as her bare feet touched the ground. The wasp stayed and observed the goings on of her master.
She walks over, folding her hands over her chest to cover herself, and looks at her brothers and sister, giving them a slight grin, and then going to a neutral expression at the large newcomer.

(Mercy does not smile much other than when she is mounted on Opal or cooking, a grin for everything else is good progress)

"Good work. I trust this is an ally? Yes?" She looks at Fat Cat, sizing him up, and nods respectfully. "Thank you for your help, I am called Merciful Fire of Emancipation...friends call me Mercy, my enemies burn in the hells."

She looks at Silent Glade, and then kind of squeezes her arms wrapped about her chest. "Did you find our things? I do not like being in this state of..." She worked through trying to find the right word in Riverspeak. "...nakedness."

 

[Chowlett]

Silent Glade nods, although he himself seems less ill-at-ease at his comparative lack of clothing. "Inside this one's wagon", he replied, keeping a way eye on Kerwin. "Locked up so I could not reach them. But I think our Silver friend here removed that problem."

"It seems I didn't quite kill our captor. A pity. What should we do with him, do we think?"

 

[Sherwood]

Amara steps back from the gravely wounded demon ape and looks around the battlefield for any sign of someone foolish enough to stand against them. Seeing none, she shakes the ichor off of the gleaming starmetal blade and sheaths it but keeps her hand ready to draw at a moment's notice.

She looks over at the Night Caste and says, "Glade, I would ask of you to go check inside the wagon to see if the rest of our things are in there, and if so, gather up my armor and coin purse and bring them out to me. While you do that, I can keep an eye on this worthless dog and make sure he doesn't try to start any more trouble."

Then, she stalks over towards Kerwin with a dangerous look in her eye. Turning the glare to the one soldier that ran to his employer before fleeing, she says, "I honor your dedication to your employer. For that, I let you live. Do not make the mistake of thinking this mercy as weakness." She then plants her feet in front of Kerwin and says, "You. Talk now, and I might let you crawl from here without hanging your guts around your neck as your newest decoration for your outfit." Amara is not decided on letting him live or not, so that is still up in the air.

 

[Purr]

Fat Cat's efforts of smashing the door are a bit more successful. The large Lunar hauls back a huge paw and with tremendous force, he punches the door out of its frame, leaving bits of hard oak scattered across the interior of the wagon. Fumbling around inside the formerly locked room, Fat Cat manages to feel several large items that are big enough to be Grey Stone's hammer. Pulling it out of the room, you see that yes, you do indeed have a large jade hammer in your paw.

With a flip of the paw, the Lunar warrior tosses the hammer over at Grey Stone for the other Exalt to catch.

"OWWRRAAAWRR!!"

Fat Cat trembles under the awesome sensations of raw power granted to him by his Essence and the experience of putting all of his might behind the desires of his soul. He feels tremendous satisfaction when he feels the door not only give way, but fly off its hinges! Though he had been transformed by the Wyld as a boy and Luna immediately thereafter, he feels even now as a full-grown man that sometimes he knows so very little of his true potential.

But there were two feelings that he was quite sure of - the rapid hustling of his mind when he developed his plan to deliver Aredin, Grey Stone, and their apparent Circle their belongings (which would greatly reduce their being recaptured or so Da Chonk hoped), and the joy of triumph in seeing that plan become a reality! That plan! The sneaking about the camp, the selecting and taking of the wagon, the making the most out of the element of surprise, the hopes that he had indeed found the right wagon (how embarrassing it would have been to blast the door only to find only dirty, smelly laundry!), and then charging across the camp making as much ruckus as he could until he was by Aredin and Grey Stone's sides!

What are they doing here together? O Mighty Fat Cat wonders. Do they know each other or is this group of Exalted beings all gathered together individually?

Grey Stone smiled to himself as he felt the familiar weight of the tetsubo-like Grand Goremaul back within his hands. Quickly reattuning to it and acknowledging Cat's role in getting it back to him with a short nod...

(ellipsis mine)

Whatever the case, Da Chonk feels his heart swell when he delivers Grey Stone additional means to fight for his own freedom! He likes the smile on Grey Stone's face and returns the nod, happy to be of service.

Spoiler: Instrumental tunes that reflect O Mighty Fat Cat's current mood.

"Hiroshima - One Wish"

The wasp ceased its droning and made a happy low pitched buzzing, almost purring sound, and made a long spiralling circle back to land next to the others. Mercy dismounted, making a face as her bare feet touched the ground. The wasp stayed and observed the goings on of her master.
She walks over, folding her hands over her chest to cover herself, and looks at her brothers and sister, giving them a slight grin, and then going to a neutral expression at the large newcomer.

She looks at Silent Glade, and then kind of squeezes her arms wrapped about her chest. "Did you find our things? I do not like being in this state of..." She worked through trying to find the right word in Riverspeak. "...nakedness."

O Mighty Fat Cat marvels at the monster wasp for a moment. Being a "monster" himself, he could not help but admire the same power that enthralled the guards. His expression changes, however. For the first time since this encounter began, that huge toothy smile of his diminishes as his eyes grow wide in discovery. The glowing tattoos upon the woman riding the wasp were not jewelry or sorcerous armor of some kind - but of her own skin! Similar to Fat Cat's own moonsilver tattoos in his human skin, Da Chonk realizes this woman is next to naked!

A glance to his side towards the Exalted called Amara shows the same!

O Mighty Fat Cat lowers his eyes out of respect. He beholds only at their faces or their feet and he makes a solemn effort to keep things that way. He thinks to himself. "The wicked people who have beheld such beauty only to flee have seen something they should never have - for it was not theirs to fantasize about, much less behold in reality. Women should be respected and not treated the way these people have been - like toys for some guard's amusement. This must not continue."

Much calmer than a moment ago, Fat Cat swiftly turns and stuffs his big furry face into the wagon and searches for anything that resembles clothing - the more the better and the more feminine the better. If he finds at least two such items, he nabs them up in one big paw. Then he approaches both Mercy and Amara with his eyes low. He does not look up.

Sherwood With Amara, he attempts more discretion as not to interrupt her "discussion" with Kerwin.

Eonivar "Awrr. B-r-r-ooowrr?" he politely seems to ask. What he is asking is only clear in his body language which seems to say, "Hello. May I present this for you to wear?"

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy looks carefull at Fat Cat, her dark brows scrunching togheter trying to determine what he is, it was very interesting to her, she then notices that he dropped some random clothing at her feet.

Rolling Occult+Intelligence to determine what Fat Cat is. = 8 successes

She stoops down slowly to look at the retrieved clothing and see if it is hers or someone elses.

 

[Psychie]

Eonivar

Mercy sees that the giant cat has just dropped off a nice warm cloak at her feet to help cover herself up with. Clearly from the way its acting, this is not just some simple animal, and in your spirit sight, it is not a demon, spirit or elemental. There is little doubt in your mind that this is one of the Lunar Exalted, Chosen of Luna. And it seems to know both Grey Stone and Aredin somehow.

Sherwood

Kerwin's guard is clearly scared of you, but he stands his ground next to his employer and does not back down. He is not making any hostile moves; instead, he's doing his best to help staunch the flow of blood that is threatening to kill Kerwin with the loss. Kerwin lets out a pained groan as the guard puts pressure on his wound, his eyes going up to look at Amara as she stands over him.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood to the dirt, he manages to croak out, "You think you've won? <cough cough> The Wyld Hunt is on its way with numbers that will surely overwhelm even you, the mighty Solar Exalted. You are all a plague on Creation, and one that will not be missed when you are gone."

Purr

You hear the pained words from the bleeding man in the dirt at the feet of the one-armed Solar, and you know that he speaks the truth. You yourself have seen at least thirty, maybe forty horsemen, riding under the banner of the Realm, coming hard. From the sight of things, there are at least eight, possibly ten, Dragon Blooded leading the charge. They are perhaps a half an hour behind you, or even less than that. The others in the group look to you to be mortal monks trained in the Immaculate Order's fighting arts, so they will not be a bunch of simple sell-swords, but well-trained fighters used to facing off against Exalts before. Even with your great strength and the numbers of Solars here, this is most likely a fight that you cannot win.

 

[Psychie]

Chowlett jaydude and Rykon

What are the three of you doing during all of this?

 

[Purr]

he dropped some random clothing at her feet.

Eonivar

To be clear in a positive light, the giant housecat otherwise known as O Mighty Fat Cat does not drop the clothing on the dirty ground at her feet but offers it to her.

Spoiler: The offering.

Cats are forever cleaning themselves; to drop clothes meant for her comfort in the dirt is... not his way - not to mention very ungentlemanly.

He offers the garment with both paws - a sign of sincere offering in some cultures.

He waits until Mercy either accepts the clothing or does not. Whatever he chooses, Da Chonk bows in service to her. Then he moves to do the same with Amara.

=)

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy takes the offered cloak and wraps it around her, sighing in the comfort of clothing covering her skin again, that shield of anonimity from covering her markings and in doing so, bringing her comfort from the reality of her upbringing. She gazed back at the Fat Cat and gives him a sweet grin and a sage bow of her head, knowing well what he was now, whispering loud enough that the Fat Cat could hear her but no one else. "Thank you, Lunar friend"

She looks at the rest of her circle and the Fat Cat. "I am going to go and retrieve the rest of my clothing, books, gear, and my skycutter...I will be right back, Amara I am not sure if I could carry your armor...but I will get it out for you to get it quickly, and collect the rest of our things quicker too"

She walks over towards the broken in wagon to retrieve the rest of her things, passing by the waiting Opal and giving the demon wasp an comforting pat on its head before entering the wagon. She goes in the wagon and begins organize their gear, place it out for quick retrieval, as well as put on the rest of her clothes, check to see if all of her belongings were still there, as well as don her skycutter, Black Wind.

 

[Purr]

"Thank you, Lunar friend"

O Mighty Fat Cat looks Mercy in the eyes and nods. A big beaming smile of great satisfaction appears across his huge face before he moves out of her path to the wagon and makes his way to Amara to make her the same offer in the same manner. Sherwood

 

[Sherwood]

Amara looks up (and up!) at the giant cat as it cautiously approaches her with a robe in its paw and gently offers it over to her. Not being as well educated as Mercy, she can only guess as to what the true nature of her benefactor is, but Amara is glad to have the chance to cover herself up a bit. She reaches out and takes the robe, and with a practiced move with her one good arm, she manages to wrap it around herself to cover up her underclothes and restore her sense of modesty.

She offers up a pleasant smile and says, "Thank you, kind spirit. It is a welcome gift." Amara then gives a slight bow, then looks over at Mercy. "And thank you, dear sister. We need to get what we can and be on our way quickly. This scum says that there is the Hunt on our heels, and I believe him. I would not wish to leave without my armor, especially with the hounds on our trail."

Amara is now pondering what to do with Kerwin.

 

[jaydude]

Spoiler: OOC

Just to clarify, Grey Stone's actions all happened right after the battle ended.

Giving Fat Cat another cordial smile, Grey Stone would heft Faith's Pillar onto his shoulder and head over to the wagon the huge Lunar had smashed open. If that was where his weapon had been kept, odds were that the rest of the group's effects would be there as well.

He spared the wounded Kerwin a regretful glance as he walked. The Dragon-blooded had been a fool to betray them the way he had, but he'd still have been happy to avoid serious bloodshed.

It didn't take long for him to find his own clothes, and he pulled them on, glad to have his dignity back. He approached the wounded Kerwin, and it was around this time that the Dragon-blooded admitted his reasons for turning on them.

The monk snorted, unimpressed with the man's reasoning. "If this is truly the case, you would have been a lot wiser to leave us for the Wyld Hunt back in Nexus. By helping and then turning on us, you not only forced us to fight you for our survival, you earned our scorn when there was previously indifference." he said reproachfully.

He turned to address the Celestials as a whole. "I second Amara's suggestion. If what Kerwin says is true, we should get our gear and get out of here quickly. The longer we delay, the easier it'll be for the Wyld Hunt to catch up to us."

Sherwood
"Leave them. They're not worth the stain on your blade." He said to the one-armed Dawn, seeing traces of his own old zealotry within both the Dragon-blooded and the remaining loyal guard. "If there's anything they could tell the Wyld Hunt about where we fled, it would almost certainly be picked up by their trackers."

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 10/13
Peripheral Essence: 19/33
Anima: Glowing

Willpower: 6/7
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 19, 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

Increasing Strength Exercise (+1 Strength)

 

[Chowlett]

Responding to Mercy's request, Silent Glade quietly ducked back inside Kerwin's wagon. With the inner door off its hinges, it was a simple enough matter to start bringing out the circle's arms and armour. Quickly finding his own light chain shirt, he slipped it on before gratefully locating Root and Branch. He unsheathed them, and took a moment to admire the fine blades, mercifully undamaged by the cur Kerwin. With a nod of satisfaction he buckled them back onto his belt, and started to carry out the others' equipment.

As discussion turned to what they should be doing now, Silent Glade waited for the others to say their piece, then spoke quietly: "I know these lands. My people have wandered them for generations. Every path, hollow, and cave have been seen by my people, and the wisdom passed down an unbroken line of shamans to me. Many I have seen with my own eyes; others I have seen only with the eyes of those who came before me. I know of a place not too far to the northeast. An old place of power, and some workings on top; a Manse, as the sages call it. Still some hours from here, so we must hurry, but if we can reach it, we will surely be safe for a time."

[Rolling Int + Lore to declare there's a suitable hiding place nearby. 5 successes]
[Rolling Perception + Awa + specialty (low light) for the inside of the wagon: just 2 successes

 

[Rykon]

Aredin had knelt beside Kerwin, tearing off his sleeve and tying a bandage by the time he spat his warning. The sword he had held earlier still little more than a prop, point first in the dirt beside them. “You idiot. We both know what’s been going on here since the beginning.” He stopped to glare at the guard standing trying to help, what came next wasn’t for his ears. When he had chance to speak away from potential eaves droppers he changed to a low whisper. “You wanted this. For us to escape. Otherwise we would’ve been bound and gagged, detained before we even left, or merely left alone and caught by surprise. It was a nice spectacle all told. Very convincing. And yes, lesson learned. I don’t know what they have on you, but it’s enough that you can’t risk your staff letting the uh…fat cat out of the bag.”

Speaking of their hefty hero, Aredin lifted his head for a moment checking for any signs of Da Chonk or the others returning his clothes and effects. “When they see you here wounded, busted prison, guards complete with freshly soiled trousers, and the broken bonds you were going to plant by that wagon we were in, here’s what you tell them. By the direction we were headed, we are going to one of my safe houses you know of. The one we made out of our base camp by the tomb of the Gilded Glories conclave. It should be convincing enough by our tracks that they’ll leave you be for now. When you’re able to break off from those isle brats, head to Felder’s pub in Great Forks. If you tell him you need a lead on ‘the dreaming dragon’s roost’, they’ll point you to a rather comfy private resort where you can recover. I’ve even left a map there to another dig site as well for your trouble. I won’t be able to catch up til we shake our tail, so don’t wait on us.”

By now Aredin had finished dressing the wound and gave the man a solid pat on his unskewered shoulder. “There’s still plenty of work left for the both of us, so we’ll catch up when those reckless rich kids are out of the way of real scavengers.” Having concluded his instructions his tone returned to theatrical condescension. “Well Kevin, our old debt’s settled. It’s rather cute that your fan club thinks they can keep up with us much less our titanic accomplice, but I think we’re done giving them a head start.” With that he gave a brief wave of farewell as he stepped away to get dressed and make their exit on moonlit trails.

[Given that Kerwin held back considerably in their capture, restrained himself from outright murdering the circle after knocking them out, and even agreed to take them in at first, it’s a reasonable guess that he could be getting blackmailed into assisting the hunt against his will. This staged confrontation was a token act of complying without actually being sincere. There’ve been no casualties aside from maybe soiled clothes out of fear or Kerwin’s own wound. The man even has a mountain of plausible deniability. So I figure why not run with it? It makes things a little more interesting to me at least.]

 

[Sherwood]

The Dawn Caste doesn't bother trying to overhear the words being said between Aredin and Kerwin, but the way that Aredin is taking time to bind the wounds of the fallen Dragon Blood tells her that he is most likely not going to end up dead this day. At least, not by their hands. She had only recently met Aredin, but at this point, she already trusts him with her life, and if he is willing to leave Kerwin alive, she will not second guess that decision.

When Glade comes out with his arms laden with their things, she goes over and takes her clothes and armor back from him and quickly dresses and once more feels whole as her armor is finally settled back in place on her body.

Looking around to the others, Amara says, "We need to be on the move. Our time is rapidly running out." She looks over at the giant cat and plants her hand on her hip, saying, "So, what is your story, kind spirit? You helped us out when you didn't have to, so I will guess that you are a friend. Are you willing to help us escape from the Wild Hunt? Knowing that you may be putting your own life on the line in the process of doing so?" She waits for some kind of response from the cat, hoping for a positive answer. Purr

 

[jaydude]

Looking around to the others, Amara says, "We need to be on the move. Our time is rapidly running out." She looks over at the giant cat and plants her hand on her hip, saying, "So, what is your story, kind spirit? You helped us out when you didn't have to, so I will guess that you are a friend. Are you willing to help us escape from the Wild Hunt? Knowing that you may be putting your own life on the line in the process of doing so?" She waits for some kind of response from the cat, hoping for a positive answer. Purr

"I know this one. He's a Chosen of Luna." Grey Stone said gently to Amara. "I met him during my days on the road following my Exaltation, before I ran into you and the rest of our group. We shared food and a campfire, and talked about the paths we'd taken prior to that moment. We chose to go our separate ways afterwards, but I am confident in my wisdom regarding my decision to call him a friend."

[OOC: Apologies to Purr ; I just wanted to establish that our two characters knew each other to a degree.]