Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e IC

[jaydude]

"I'd much prefer to be present in some form, if words are to be exchanged with those in command of the dead," Grey Stone said. "Perhaps if I were to accompany you, but stay out of sight nearby?"

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 01/16
Peripheral Essence: 40/40
Anima: Dim
Committed Essence: 5 (Faith's Pillar)

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]

Del nods. “I don’t speak for all here, and I am not going to try to stop you from joining me. By the Maidens I would feel more comfortable having you near. Let’s try to be nice and see what that gets us. Worst case we unleash the power of our Circle on them ands teach them a lesson.”

 

[Psychie]

Filial scowls and says, “All you are going to do is give them warning and ruining any surprise attack we can mount. I say kill now and loot their corpses. That sounds fine to me.” He looks around to see what kind of support he might be able to garner for his opinion.

 

[jaydude]

"As long as we keep some of our people hidden while we talk to them, we wouldn't necessarily forsake any chance to surprise them," Grey Stone replied, while silently hoping the Dawn wouldn't see violence as the first choice of action for every complication they encountered.

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 01/16
Peripheral Essence: 40/40
Anima: Dim
Committed Essence: 5 (Faith's Pillar)

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

 

[Purr]

Rykon

O Mighty Fat Cat nods with every opinion provided, but then asks for one whose voice has not yet been added to the whole.

"Me good friend, Aredin, is de king of social encounters!" the large and muscled Lunar grins. "You would be doing de entire situation a disservice without his company - or at least his counsel!"

 

[Eonivar]

“It has been thousands of years…”

Upon those words Maeve's world seemed to stop...her emotions twisted up inside.

Maeve opened her mouth to say something but she could not find the words. Maeve was at a loss, she did not know what to feel or say.

She drank the offered liquid, choking on it slightly for not having drank anything for some time. She carefully laid back and gazed into the ceiling as her thoughts began to flow again.

She was alive.

Thousands of years later.

Her circle was long gone. All of her friends in the village...long passed. Her sister? More than likely gone, although she felt that Raksi was too stubborn and too smart and clever to be killed, but thousands of years is a long time and the odds were not good.

The World has Changed and Changed some more. Maeve thought it could possibly be alien to her.

Alone but for the faithful God of the Titan, Taru. All connections gone other than Taru and the Titan.

Well there are other exalted. Exalted with the proper codes from thousands of years ago. Lots of questions there.

And there is a new threat that they need the Titan for...

Maeve continued to allow Taru to help her recover from the long sleep. The Lunar was quiet and did not say much if anything at all. She found herself wanting to recover faster...she wanted to be outside...to spread her wings and feel the winds again. To feel Luna's gaze upon her again. To breath the air outside of this cramped stuffy mountain. To be free again.

 

[Chowlett]

Remaining hidden near the excavating zombies, Glade takes the scene in, mentally recording every detail as he would a new tale for retelling to his villagers. He counts the zombies, as best he can when they repeatedly disappear underground. He takes note of the two - presumably - Exalts, trying to gauge their age and therefore experience. He spots the Soulsteel equipment - Abyssals then, most likely; perhaps even working for the returned Empress and her consort.

If possible, Glade will edge round so that he can look down into the excavation, to judge how deep they've got, how well they've dug, and how fast they're going. Any further intel on the Exalts would be great if he can draw any further conclusions, but staying hidden is his main priority right now. Once he's learned all he can, he returns silently to the circle.

 

[Rykon]

"As long as we keep some of our people hidden while we talk to them, we wouldn't necessarily forsake any chance to surprise them," Grey Stone replied, while silently hoping the Dawn wouldn't see violence as the first choice of action for every complication they encountered.

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 01/16
Peripheral Essence: 40/40
Anima: Dim
Committed Essence: 5 (Faith's Pillar)

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

Aredin stifles a grunt of frustration to think he might actually agree with Filial on this issue. "Gray Stone. If you wish to speak with them, then you, we, must have something in mind to gain from this. The odds of us being on the same team with them are exceedingly slim. So, I think there may be some merit to Filial's instinct here."

The Eclipse takes a moment to sort his thoughts before continuing with a mischievous smirk. While starting a conversation will put their opponents on alert, he is confident in their combat skills and teamwork. "However, if we do this... We need to prioritize what information we intend to get out of 'em. For anything substantial, we'll likely have to fast-talk or bargain with them as well. Have anything in mind, or would you prefer to improvise?"

 

[jaydude]

"I would ask these people who they are, what cause or master they serve, and why they seek the Titan," Grey Stone replied. "All we really know about them so far is that they have the means to make use of zombies, and one of them appears to wield Soulsteel. Incidentally, perhaps we should ask about that, if the opportunity arises."

He then considered Aredin's other words. "If a confrontation is the wisest course here, I would suggest that we try and subdue them through non-lethal means, rather than immediately assuming they should be killed. Put them at our mercy, but do nothing irreversable. Assuming they give us no cause to do otherwise, of course."

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 01/16
Peripheral Essence: 40/40
Anima: Dim
Committed Essence: 5 (Faith's Pillar)

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

 

[Rykon]

"I would ask these people who they are, what cause or master they serve, and why they seek the Titan," Grey Stone replied. "All we really know about them so far is that they have the means to make use of zombies, and one of them appears to wield Soulsteel. Incidentally, perhaps we should ask about that, if the opportunity arises."

He then considered Aredin's other words. "If a confrontation is the wisest course here, I would suggest that we try and subdue them through non-lethal means, rather than immediately assuming they should be killed. Put them at our mercy, but do nothing irreversable. Assuming they give us no cause to do otherwise, of course."

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 01/16
Peripheral Essence: 40/40
Anima: Dim
Committed Essence: 5 (Faith's Pillar)

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

"I don't think we need to think too hard about why they want the Titan... As for the rest, why would they volunteer that information? What would you offer them to get them to speak up? Assuming any of the ones we find even can..." Aredin nearly cringes in disgust at the prospect of interrogating half-rotten prisoners. Too many memories of his shadow war with the White Wraith cult come to mind for him to consider many outcomes that don't involve gratuitous violence.

"I for one, wouldn't expect a confession like 'We're here at the bidding of the surviving Mask of Winters to find a weapon capable of exacting his vengeance upon the Empress' to come so freely. For example, anyway... Whoever their master ends up being, keep in mind they are connected enough to not only know of this place, but to also have either the desperation or confidence they can activate it. We should tread lightly in what information we volunteer to get them to answer."

 

[Sherwood]

Del looks over at Aredin and says, "We have two options. We deal with this now or put it off until later. Dealing with the situation now is preferred in my book. We can either talk and see if there is any chance of working with them, or we strike first while we have the element of surprise. We can't do both, because if we try to talk and they decide to attack, we will be scrambling to get an advantage over them and win a fight. A decision needs to be made." She looks between Grey Stone and Aredin, seeing one of these two as the de facto leaders of this group, and needing an answer from one of the two quickly.

 

[Sherwood]

Upon hearing no response, Del says, “I understand that there is a desire to cooperate and work well with everyone. I just don’t see it being possible here. These two are probably Abyssal Exalted and in service to one of the great powers of the Underworld. In my time as an agent of Fate, I’ve run into an Abyssal before. He was preaching the gospel of death to a bunch of impressionable villagers, trying to drive them into their graves to get more spare parts for his master. What is the greater evil? Killing them now or working with them to attack the Ebon Dragon, then turning on them later when their master yanks their chains? It is a mercy to end them now.”