Lunar Fury - Exalted 3e IC

[Sherwood]

"Grond, do you take orders from the one who feeds you the essence? Or any exalt who puts forth a command?"

"According to the bindings placed on me, I am to obey the orders of the Exalt that feeds me Essence to free me from the statue, but I have some free will to be able to choose just how to best follow the orders given to me." He then pauses a moment to make sure that this answer is sufficient to you, and if there are no more questions, it stands up and starts to lope off into the snow, quickly vanishing from sight.

 

[Aranfan]

Two Mornings has her fist clenched but appears to be holding herself back.

 

[Rykon]

She cast a look at Toun, "A mere trinket this is not. And its value is that of helping our success." She half hissed.

The Ice Walker stood and glared at Hazel as soon as she spoke. I didn't ask for commentary. Don't push it.

After a few moments, Toun seemed satisfied the open venom and threats of violence had died down enough. He didn't want to be concerned about two of his pack mates being literally at each other's throats when he wasn't looking. They had enough to worry about without infighting.

"I can shift again now and begin traveling but I won't be of use in combat for at least another hour after that." The Ice Walker said with a shrug.

At Gwen's question he gave a nod if she wanted one of the weapons.

"As long as everyone else is ready, let's go ahead get a move on. Waiting for an hour or so won't make much difference I'll wager. Not when we're in the sky."

 

[jaydude]

Selket would nod and wait for Toun to transform, before getting on top of him.

 

[D. Rex]

"According to the bindings placed on me, I am to obey the orders of the Exalt that feeds me Essence to free me from the statue, but I have some free will to be able to choose just how to best follow the orders given to me." He then pauses a moment to make sure that this answer is sufficient to you, and if there are no more questions, it stands up and starts to lope off into the snow, quickly vanishing from sight.

"Advice to you, Grond. Explicitly breaking orders is not the best way to follow them." She told him before he left.

Though it wouldnt be the end. In private she would need to check the flows of the effigy. To see what of it she can read the technicalities of. But as of now, she has her doubt on the beast. As it did not seem there were consequences for it breaking commands...

Hazel would remain silent though. As she waited for Toun to change.

Touns warning nor his stare had the desired effect. Her eyes spoke enough, that her anger grew, despite being silent. Not for the sake of the warning... but that they cant afford to fight right now.

 

[Rykon]

Toun shifted into his eagle form and began to grow towards his full height. He clearly didn't care how angry Hazel was. As long as Hazel and Two Mornings stopped progressing toward a vicious altercation, mission accomplished. Truthfully both of their attitudes and incredible stubbornness left him wanting to knock sense into the younger exalts. While this was the north, they weren't Ice Walkers. He learned enough from One Tusk to know, few civilizations settled their differences as simply as the Ice Walkers do.

He recalled the days of his own upbringing and the animosity he and his brother sometimes had toward their own father. 'If you like me, I'm not doing my job.' He recalled the grizzled hunter telling the fledgling barbarians. It wasn't until now he started to see the wisdom in this. My job isn't to be their friends, it's to keep them alive and together. He thought to himself. I wish I had come to appreciate that before it was too late for my own household. Perhaps things might've turned out a bit differently old man.

The Full Moon shrugged off his regret and nostalgia and focused back on navigating the route they had to take. Once everyone was settled in his wings beat with the force of storm front winds. In the rising flow of snow and wind, the giant eagle would take to the air and make his way South.

 

[D. Rex]

Hazel would remain silent for the trip. Only speaking when she sent a messenger to update One-Tusk, or to relay any news from him.

The sour puss instead would rest and reflect on the situation. Though trying to avoid dwelling in what bothered her. After, perhaps. After this was all done.

Also Raksi hadn't responded with a message yet. That likely was not a good sign for Hazel... closing her eyes she could practically feel the master sorceress casting a curse on her. But hopefully that was just her imagination... unless it was Raksi that sent the giants. A thought worth entertaining...

Unsettled by the thought, Hazel wanted to investigate further. It was an odd coincidence to be attacked there. The tombs location should have been a secret, the fae or demons would have been much more hard pressed to have learned of it. It was Something that Raksi was reliant on finding out...

Sherwood Hazel would find the map that was left behind. She wanted to inspect it more closely. To see if showed anything to confirm her suspicions.

 

[Sherwood]

Hazel doesn't see anything on the map to indicate who might have made it, but it does look to be a very recent creation.

 

[D. Rex]

Hazel doesn't see anything on the map to indicate who might have made it, but it does look to be a very recent creation.

Is there marks of the tombs location on the map? What does the map show?


Is there a way to tell about how new the map is?



Hazel sneezes as the innards of her nose change to a more suitable tool for the task. (Spending 4 motes to heighten smell)

She would run the map carefully under her nose. To see if she could smell anything other than giant that might give her a hint.

At this distance... it might be unlikely that Raksi wrote it herself. But a minion might have. Of which smells of Raksis place might linger, as fresh as it is. The most opt agent to do so would be Rocky. His scent is another he is searching for on the map.

 

[Rykon]

Toun seemed concerned for Hazel, worrying she might be growing distant from the rest of the circle. Once they were at rest, he made a point to approach without surprising her. "You seem like you might be troubled. Anything any of us can help with?"

He expected he wouldn't receive a warm response after having to put his foot down prior. If he didn't think Two Mornings would legitimately attempt a kill, he would've left the young ladies to figure it out the way he and his brother once did, by clobbering the snot out of each other.

 

[jaydude]

As they landed, and Toun went off to try and talk to Hazel, Selket would occupy herself with keeping a lookout for danger. Though if the others needed help with setting up camp, or just wanted to talk to her, she'd be more than happy to oblige.

 

[D. Rex]

Hazel was till looking over the map quite intently when they landed. Off in her own little world as the gears turned in her head.

When Toun approached her, she barely gave him a cursory glance. "Stopping already?" She said with a frown, thinking for a moment. "Ah. I forgot to tell you that you must attune some essence into the stone to take its effect."


She did keep herself from spitting out a grinchy whatdoyouwant. But as he spoke it hardly lifted her spirits. And yes, she was still not happy with him. "A great many things trouble me, Toun. Some more than others. The chief among them are nothing I wish to talk about now." She stated bluntly. Too much relied on peace within in the circle right now.


She looked down at the map again. "We should not stay here tonight, should this be the path we came here on. I have suspicions but nothing I can prove." She cast a glance over at Rocky. "Should recent events be more than coincidence then we can confirm that we have foes knowledgable of us."


She shook her head, "Leave me, Toun. I have much to think about and prepare for. Advantage of this night I will take. Summon a demon I will, more information I must have. A spell to be prepared for the knot. And so it is I expect my dreams to be plagued with horror tonight should I have the energy to dream at all." Part of her was still drained from all her training with Raksi. Several nights of restful sleep she would need to recover fully.

Rykon

 

[Rykon]

"Even if I'm okay, everyone else still needs to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves." The Ice Walker casually gestured toward the Solar and group at large. "We all need to be in peak condition for what comes next."

Toun winced at mention of the summoning, deciding to be blunt in his response. "I don't think summoning is a good idea, not right now. Two Mornings has a lot of... baggage, from her past from what I can tell. If even I can see it, you certainly shouldn't be blind to it. She's been angered by almost anything resembling servitude. I get you have your way of doing things and you believe what you're doing is necessary and best. Just try to stop poking her in the trauma. I don't want to have to step into a fight where she is trying to kill you because you can't stop yourself from driving her to madness. We're supposed to be a team. I get her quirks demand that you sacrifice a lot, but sometimes we have to give things up for those we care about."

In his moment of delivering a paternal monologue he decides to head off an anticipated rebuttal from a rebellious heart. "And before you try and say something to the effect we can't afford to give up every advantage and all that crap..." Toun gives an indignant look of his own. "You aren't the only one here and neither am I. We can do this, together." With that he gives her a light pat on the shoulder and heads back to the center of camp to help prepare food.

 

[jaydude]

Seeing Toun rejoining the others, Selket looked over and gave him a loving smile. "Hey. Need my help with anything while we're camped out here?" she would ask.

 

[D. Rex]

Hazel let Toun speak. Between the furrowing of her brow and the falling of her ears, she certainly did not seem pleased to hear what he said.

But...

She didnt talk back. She didnt say anything in response, actually. She let Toun finish, though she did look like she might bite him after the pat on the shoulder.

Bite her own tongue to keep the peace. She heard the message though. That Two Mornings sensibilities trumped her own. That she was seen as week and easy to kill. That of the circle she was the one to not be taken seriously. To do as she was told and fall in line.

Behind Toun, she also walked to the campfire. "I have things I must attend to in private." She said. "Save me no seat, for i shall be gone for a little while."

With that she turned to head out of camp. Without even flourishing her cloak.

______

Out of eyesight, out of earshot. Hazel walked through the dark, wringing her hat in frustration. "I am no child." She grimaced. "But he treats me like one." She spoke, to the only one she could trust to listen to her heated words.

She looked back, not at the camp but at her tail, "Have I not shown that?" She asked, turning forward again. "The effort i have put in. While they were drinking and relaxing, i was pushing myself as far as I could to ensure our victory." No, she did not know that Gwen and Selket were screwing around with Toun. But that was probably for the best. "And then my words fall in deaf ears! Insult me freely they may! But the goddess forbid I offend."

"Two Mornings..." she growled. "... the fool. Should it be any of us that ruins salvation of creation it will be her. But no... I must sacrifice for her. Bend the knee I must to her demands." In her frustration she grabbed her tail and shook it. "May she go suck the fetid cloaca of a dead raiton." She released her tail and kept walking. "Sacrifice I must to her. But she behaves as she will for the detriment of us. Peace i am expected to maintain, but not her."

Hazel wanted to scream. But she didnt. If she did she knew the circle would come running because they would think she couldn't handle herself. She knew they cared. Most of them. But that didnt make her any less angry. "But should it be the will of the circle, no child like I can go against it." She said sourly. She dug her claws, black as obsidian in her anger, into her hat. They pierced the fabric with ease. "I am not even the youngest!"

"We shall make due though. All this means is that we have to operate in private." She said, trying to calm herself down. "After all... it would be unthinkable for me to make Two Mornings kill me, as if she could... Nay! We can't have her be the victim of my own murder!"

"Hmmph... what sort of circle mate is she really to be so willing to kill her own circlemate. You know the answer to that as well as I, Storyteller. Her loyalty be to herself and her MASTER. Who is very well could be Raksi's pawn... The foolish girl knows not her own hypocrisy."


She trudged on... venting as she found a secluded place to do her business.

Sherwood (I would like to summon a first circle demon, and cast a spell into the knot)

 

[Rykon]

Hazel's hostile expression left a frown on Toun's face. It wasn't anger or fear, only sadness and disappointment as he left. I spoke to you because I thought you were the one who could be reasoned with. I don't want to have to kill her.

[Toun uses Glance Oration Technique to get that message across silently.]

Toun lets out a long sigh but smiles to Selket. "At this point, I'd settle for anything that could keep us from losing a sister from a petty feud. Hazel's showing a pattern of stubbornness, hostility, and now secrecy. That concerns me. Especially since she doesn't seem to want to take anything other than an uncharitable read of anyone else's words. Then there's Two Mornings bottled up hatred to the point of wanting to kill her sister. I don't even know how to begin to unravel that kind of mess."

The Ice Walker's stomach snarled angrily. "A good meal would be nice at this point though. I may have to scoop up a moose or buffalo next time I see one and just hold onto it until our next stop."

 

[jaydude]

Toun lets out a long sigh but smiles to Selket. "At this point, I'd settle for anything that could keep us from losing a sister from a petty feud. Hazel's showing a pattern of stubbornness, hostility, and now secrecy. That concerns me. Especially since she doesn't seem to want to take anything other than an uncharitable read of anyone else's words. Then there's Two Mornings bottled up hatred to the point of wanting to kill her sister. I don't even know how to begin to unravel that kind of mess."

The Ice Walker's stomach snarled angrily. "A good meal would be nice at this point though. I may have to scoop up a moose or buffalo next time I see one and just hold onto it until our next stop."

"From what I gathered during the earlier argument, Two Mornings considers spiritual servitude akin to slavery." replied Selket with a little shrug of her shoulders. "I've never bothered with spirits much; if I were in Hazel's position, I'd probably have let that spirit dog go free, if I knew that one of my fellows was that opposed me keeping it."

Her stomach then rumbled as well, eliciting a chuckle from the female Lunar, as did Toun's remark. "I'll grab us some food from our supplies. Or I can try hunting something here, if you're willing to give me guidance on how to do that in the North." she suggested, looking around at the surrounding area.

 

[Aranfan]

Two Mornings is talking quietly with Rocky, seems to be meaningless couple chatter if anyone is listening in.

 

[Sherwood]

@Sherwood (I would like to summon a first circle demon, and cast a spell into the knot)

First, which spell did you wish to put into the Cord? Second, what demon would you like to call up?

 

[D. Rex]

First, which spell did you wish to put into the Cord? Second, what demon would you like to call up?

Flight of the Brilliant Raptor.



I didnt know I got to choose! What first circle demons are there?


And could you answer the question Hazel did involving the map? What did it show and I'd it showed the tomb. And using sharpen sense (smell)charm, did she pick up anything aside from giant that she might recognize and give a clue.

 

[Rykon]

"From what I gathered during the earlier argument, Two Mornings considers spiritual servitude akin to slavery." replied Selket with a little shrug of her shoulders. "I've never bothered with spirits much; if I were in Hazel's position, I'd probably have let that spirit dog go free, if I knew that one of my fellows was that opposed me keeping it."

Her stomach then rumbled as well, eliciting a chuckle from the female Lunar, as did Toun's remark. "I'll grab us some food from our supplies. Or I can try hunting something here, if you're willing to give me guidance on how to do that in the North." she suggested, looking around at the surrounding area.

"Well if you're up to learn, there's a few things I try and keep in mind. Before I Exalted, we usually picked off large creatures from herds. Such animals were often easy to track simply by the disturbance large numbers leave behind. Like sand dunes down south where we trained, you have to keep in mind how wind and snowfall obscure specific prints and tracks. Here though we have the advantage of seeing if their passage disturbed any snow off the nearby trees. Seeing a pattern of fallen snow mounds and bare branches is a sure way to tell something's been through recently. There's a lot more I learned about hunting smaller creatures once I got a handle on my spirit shape, but I can save that for another time if you'd like."

The rumbling in his stomach returned as if to bring his purpose back into focus. "I'd like to think everyone'd prefer that we focus on the big targets anyway. On foot then, or do you have a favored predator form?"

 

[jaydude]

Selket let out a small chuckle. "I think it would be safer for me to go on foot. All of my forms were taken from the South; I don't know how well they'd cope up here in the cold."

 

[Rykon]

"Very well, on foot it is. Perhaps we can find Great Ice Weasels or Snow Lions to add to our shapes if we're lucky." Toun said with a wide grin.

 

[jaydude]

"They certainly sound useful. And formidable." replied Selket, matching his grin with one of her own.

 

[Sherwood]

With her enhanced sense of smell, Hazel now has the scent of the last few people to handle the map. One is the giant that was so recently felled in combat with you. The other is quite distinct, and if you ever come across it again, you are sure that you will recognize it. The rest of the map is fairly basic, as if it were made for someone without a high level of intelligence to be able to read it. Other than that, there are not many clues to be garnered from the map. The last thing that you are certain of is that it does not have any scent that you can place to Raksi.