To Stand Against the Crimson Tide

[Sherwood]

Sayuri gave a nod of acknowledgement to the two soldiers that had been attempting to help Sjet as she reached them. "It's alright," she said softly. She touched the arm of the one soldier, hoping to soothe his nerves before kneeling at Sjet's side. "Keep her still." Sayuri's eyes went to Sjet's face and she gave her friend a smile that was warm, yet chiding.

"You're not supposed to put yourself in the line of fire you know," Sayuri said. Her gaze left Sjet's face as Sayuri reached out to inspect the point. The wound was deep, blood threatening to seep out passed her fingers. Sayuri glanced over her shoulder as Droplets spoke, her eyes briefly glancing at the older woman's wounds. She nodded, acknowledging that she would help Sjet. But... "Stay close, My Lady. I'll see to your wounds as well once Sjet's are stable."

Sayuri turned her full attention back onto Sjet as she placed both hands over her wound. Closing her eyes, Sayuri muttered something in a whispering breath, a incantation she had learned years ago when had begun her training in the healing arts.

Casting Charm: Grievous Wound Alteration Energy

As Sayuri approaches her, Sjet manages to croak out, "I - I was arrogant, thinking my Exaltation and sorcery would be enough to protect me. I nearly paid for my hubris with my life, but as the old saying goes, what doesn't kill you and all that." She is a bit wobbly on her feet, struggling to stay upright as Sayuri presses her hands over the gaping hole in her side that nearly brings forth another scream from the Solar until the healing magic starts to take effect.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets looks at the proceedings with an amused look "You're book smart, but you need more experience in the real world, especially now that you're Exalted. But as you've said, what doesn't kill you, makes you learn from the pain." And she turns to Sayuri "My injuries might seem grievous, but they've been granted me as a permanent gift. I will always look like this, and that's fine, the better to scare away those who think they're facing a weak opponent. Some lessons need to be painful."

 

[Equusheart]

As Sayuri continued muttering her healing incantation, a warm green light began to emanate from beneath her hands. The light pooled and seeped into Sjet's wound. Sayuri worked to focus the healing energies, directing it to patch arteries and mend tissue. Stitching together Sjet's body to the point that she would be able to heal the rest of the way on her own.

Casting Wound Closing Technique

Rolling Intelligence (5) + Medicine (5) + Level 1 stunt (2 dice) = 12 dice

 

[Equusheart]

Rolling one extra die for Excellency, 1 dice for 1m.

 

[Random Word]

The effects on Sjet after fifteen minutes of Sayuri's tender ministrations is nothing short of miraculous. Where once she had terrible bloody wounds that ran deep into her flesh, now, once the blood is washed away, she is merely covered in deep bruises of black and blue where the flesh has knit itself together. The internal bleeding has stopped, and though Sjet's body aches and complains, it pales compared to the searing pain she felt before. A few days rest should see her fully recovered.

The soldier who tended to Sjet's wounds looks on with a mixture of awe, wonder, and a small amount of pride. The Lady Sayuri is a local hero, after all, treasured and revered the people of Ombrelune. He'll drink well on this story once the alcohol rations are released again.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets looks approvingly, and somewhat amazed. "Now that you're all better, we need to go out, and figure out the exact situation, and see if these invaders are intent on leaving, or whether they plan to mount another attack. And then we should do a council of all new Exalts, and decide on a course of action."

 

[Sherwood]

After a few deep breaths, Sjet looks over at her benefactor with surprise on her face. "You have my thanks for this. I feel . . . much better now. It still hurts, but it is tolerable and I should be completely healed in no time." She looks down at the ruined dress soaked in her own blood and grimaces. "Ugh. I loved this dress. I also need to find some armor to keep this from happening again. Perhaps there are still some secrets hidden away in the manse that can help me survive our next encounter with the Bronze Tide."

 

[Sherwood]

Sjet, now feeling much better, looks at her mother and says, "Speaking of the manse, we should use it as our meeting place with our fellow Exalts here in town. I also have some clothes in there that I can change into and get out of this bloody mess I'm in. Lets go get our elephant-man and ask him to join us, along with the other leaders of the resistance."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets looks at her with some pride. Her little girl isn't so little anymore. "Yes, the Manse would be an ideal meeting place for now. Let's go get the elephant-man, but I think we first need to see about something else. I recall something about treasure ships being shouted earlier."

 

[Equusheart]

Sayuri smiled, chuckling to herself as Sjet commented on her ruined dress. "For that, I am truly sorry," Sayuri said with heartfelt sympathy. "Perhaps once the danger has lifted we can see about finding another one like it." She turned to Droplets, still smiling, but worry in her eyes.

"Are you sure you don't need healing as well?" Sayuri asked.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets looks at Sayuri with some surprise "Am quite sure." And heads out to see what was it about treasure ships, not bothering to see who followed her out.

 

[Psychie]

With the immediate threat of the Bronze Tide now fading, Garret considers just how does he go about returning to his human form, and as he thinks it, he can feel the change taking place. Soon after, he stands there, looking in amazement at the spot on his side where the spear had hit, and seeing nothing more than an angry red mark that fades away as he looks, he is impressed with the powers of his Exaltation.

With a roll of his shoulders to set himself back into his human form, he says, "Ok, what is all the yammering about the treasure ships? I thought we had saved them from getting looted by the Bronze Tide." As he speaks, Garret finds his discarded sledgehammer and picks it up and sets it over one shoulder. Who knows how long it will take before he has time to go looking for this tomb that the Saint spoke of, and in the meantime, it could come in useful.

 

[Sherwood]

Droplets looks at Sayuri with some surprise "Am quite sure." And heads out to see what was it about treasure ships, not bothering to see who followed her out.

Sjet heads outside behind her mother to see what is going on and to speak to the others about their meeting at the manse.

 

[Equusheart]

Sayuri nodded and watched as Droplets turned to leave, with Sjet following behind. She hung back a bit, looking around to see if there was anyone else to help before moving to follow after.

 

[Random Word]

The Cothon
Everyone - S0 - S0 - S2

Sayuri, you see many wounded outside, and you doubt you will have a moment without need of your talents for days yet.

Ryu - or to Garret, simply the Akechi nobleman - leads the charge to the Cothon gates, for his soldiers are the fresher. The marines who have pushed them open are winded and afraid, but urge you on. Passing through those massive stone gates into the deep shadows of the antechamber Garret once held fast against the enemy, you are confronted with a strange sight. There's a man sitting on one of the mooring posts on the pier, a corvine black obsidian mask chased with silver obscuring his face, a cloak of black and silver feathers, a frightened young marine unmoving on the stone ground beneath him, claws of moonlight almost but not quite brushing his neck while the masked figure examines the claws decorating the splayed fingers of his other hand, outstretched, as if transfixed. A group of marines, mostly either unarmed or whose spears have been reduced to half-length shafts, form a wary semicircle around him at a distance.

If that weren't strange enough, the man is not alone. Half a dozen identically clad figures are crewing one of the treasure ships, lashed to a massive sea turtle like a yeddim before a cart in lieu of the standard crew of a hundred rowers, slowly pulling the heavily laden ship along. Marines are trying their best to board the ship, swinging from the rigging of nearby ships, hurling javelins or firing arrows, attempting to lay planks, or leaping from the decks of ships as it passes, but the figures make a mockery of their attempts, dancing through their ranks to trip, disarm, throw, or casually evade their every attempt, leaving them tumbling into the water below.

The Cothon is a circular basalt dock with a long pier leading to a central island. Along the pier and through the central island you can see the outer gates of the Cothon are thrown open to the sea, and the treasure ship is being hauled towards it. Distantly, the most perceptive of you might be able to spot marines attempting to break down the doors of the gatehouses, where the great gates are controlled, doubtless to attempt to close them again.

In a lazy lilting Western drawl the masked man suggests, as if addressing his outstretched hand, the claws of his relaxed hand tracing lines along the exposed throat of the frightened marine at his feet, "Let's not any of us make any sudden moves we might come to regret, yes? Who amongst us would put a soul on the scale with cowrie?" [Cowrie shells serve as a currency in many Western island communities]

The Akechi soldiers nock their arrows and stand ready to fire, their deadly arrowheads glinting in the pale green light of the dock's pyreflame braziers.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets makes her way forward, her dark anima swirling around her, along with Thousand Wings. She stops at a distance from these men, clears her throat, and starts an oration "We'll make no sudden moves, but neither should you, for there are many eyes watching you, some, you might guess, but there are many more that you might not even suspect. And they are watching your every move, and will not let you escape from here with this ship. You've come to our peaceful city, and brought blood and carnage here, but we've repelled you, and if need be, we'll hound you, and take a good share of blood and carnage from your hides. For you have brought to bear terrible powers that haven't been seen here in many years, and your leaders have foolishly led you here, to what will be your eventual ruin. I swear this to you by the powers of the Underworld. I will move Heaven and the Underworld to find you, and exact my vengeance upon you and yours, till you're all enslaved to my will for eternity, and I will have you serve me out of fear and adoration, and blind loyalty, even as I work you to your death, and beyond."

Spoiler: OOC: Social Roll

Spending 5m on Elegant Tyrant's Majesty, to give me 3 dice on Influence Rolls, and 1 mote discount on Charms that create or enhance such roll.
Spending 5 motes on Morbid Fascination Style, so they can't leave or initiate hostilities unless they spend Willpower.
Spending 3 motes on Voice of the Black Truths, so any Intimacy they use to add to their Resolve is treated as one level less
Spending 3 motes (counts as 4 since it's discounted by Elegant Tyrant's Majesty.

So Manipulation 4, Performance 3, 4 dice from Excellency, 3 non-Charm from Death's Unholy Visage, 3 charm dice from Elegant Tyrant's Majesty, and 2 dice and 1 success from 2-die stunt, and 1success from Willpower, for a total of 19 dice and 2 successes, before extra dice from Appearance.

8 successes, and 8 necromantic motes gathered if it Instills a Tie of Fear.

 

[Random Word]

Droplet's words are met with petrified silence from the assembled soldiers. There is no small measure of satisfaction to see her terrible ire turned upon the enemy who has humiliated them and brutalised their beloved city so. No small quiet relief is felt that it is not turned upon them.

The claws still, the shoulders tense, the pale seafoam eyes behind the mask widen, then narrow, the outstretched hand forgotten. They focus, hawk-like, on Droplets, prey sighted in a meadow far below. They study the wounds, the bleeding brow, the purple bruise in the stuff of Creation that trails her every motion. "You are having a rough day, yes?" comes the patronising reply. "Walk it off, perhaps."

[The Masked Man is attempting a Read Intentions against Droplets to identify her greatest weakness. He is rolling 12 dice with double 9's against her Guile. 8 hits.]

That gaze meets your eyes. 'Heart-piercing' feels viscerally apt. The figure's body language shifts abruptly. Claws curl as if around your neck. Muscles coil powerfully, casually, as if in unthinking preparation to strike. The body speaks to a terrible and casual capacity for violence should it be called upon. To Droplets the message is clear: You've died once. You can die again. Do not mistake me. We are both predators here.

[The Masked Man is retaliating with an attempt to Instill a tie of Fear. He is rolling 12 dice and again doubling 9's. Droplets perceives him as her natural predator, which he leverages as a Minor Tie to reduce her Resolve by 1. 4 hits.]

"I am an honest thief, no barbaric brigand. I have no taste for violence." But some aptitude, suggests a casual flick of a moonlight claw against the exposed neck of the flinching marine. "I have brought nothing to bear on your little town, and no leaders bring me anywhere. I see a people overburdened with shiny baubles and merely thought to relieve you of the onerous task of counting them in this difficult time. Your fleet is on fire, or sunk. You have no ships with which to pursue me, let alone your enemies." He continues airily, "I, however, for a small consideration, might in turn consider you should you wish to know where your enemies moor their ships tonight, that you might exact this bloody vengeance on more than passing strangers."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Droplets glares at him, for daring to interrupt her tirade, but she soon gives him a smile, one that promises pain. "A thief is a thief, whether he's honest about it or not, but steaing from a place reeling from a gruesome atatck, isn't stealing, it's pillaging, and that's even more underhanded. But I don't need to pursue you to inflict pain and suffering, and that's where you underestimate me. I may look a mess, but what you fail to realize is that I show you the mess you're getting yourself into, except, there's no one that can protect you from it. And if you wish to avoid it, the only route open for you is to leave the ship behind, and give us where our attackers moor their ships. What say you?"

Spoiler: Social

Spending 4 motes to raise Resolve to 4. Do another Instill action 15 dice and 1 successes. inclduing 2-die stunt.

9 successes.

 

[Sherwood]

Sjet sees the ship heading off to sea, and she breaks into a run to try and close in the distance between her and the ship, all the while she is gathering up Essence to be able to fire off her spell of Obsidian Butterflies at the ship. It is her hope that the spell will rip the rigging apart and keep the treasure ship from being stolen from them.

OOC 13 Sorcerous Motes gathered so far.

Spoiler

Activating Ancient Tongue Understanding for 6m and spending 7m on Occult Excellency to boost my Shape Sorcery roll
5 Occult + 5 Int + 7 Excellency + 1 Specialty = 18 dice to roll for Shape Sorcery with 1 Auto Success from Ancient Tongue Understanding.



Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
Incapacitated [ ]

Essence: 1
Personal: 13 / 0
Peripheral: 33 / (23)
Committed: 10
Willpower: 8

Join Battle: 5 +3i

Dodge DV: 4
Parry DV: 3
Resolve: 3
Guile: 1

Soak
Natural: +3
VGF: +1
Armored: +8, +7 Hardness
Total: +12

Virtuous Guardian of Flame
Parry DV: 6
Per Roll: 10
Soak: 6
Health: 6 -0 levels

 

[Random Word]

The masked man looks down at the marine and sighs, "Life is cheap on the isle of the dead." He stands and gestures for the frightened man to get out of his sight, and the marine doesn't need any further prompting to roll aside and scramble back towards his comrades. In a quicksilver flash the masked man vanishes and in his place is a massive sea turtle. One man-size outstretched flipper casually bats Sjet back, the bulk of the turtle occupying almost the entire width of the pier.

[The Masked Man is opposing Sjet's attempt to move down the pier! You'll need to knock him out of the way, or find a way up, over, through, or around him. Dex+Athletics could be a good pool to go over or around. Str+Athletics to hurl his giant turtle form aside, or grapple it so he can't interdict someone else. He'll be opposing with 10-16 dice, depending on the chosen approach. Or you can choose violence and just attempt to murder him ]

[While we're at it, he'll take the opportunity to try to Instill a tie of Respect - he cared more about the life of one of your citizens than Sjet! -3 dice for multiple targets, so 9 dice. Only 3 hits.]

 

[Equusheart]

Upon reaching the dock, Sayuri's eyes darted everywhere as she tried to take in everything that was happening. When the Akechi soldiers drew their bows and set their arrows ready to loose, Sayuri's own hand went to her bow. But the sight of the obviously terrified marine under the claws of the Masked Man stayed her hand. There had already been so much blood spilled.

Her gaze shifted nervously to Droplets, a shiver going through her at the darkness swirling around the older woman. She prayed silently as Droplets engaged with the Masked Man, fearing a grave outcome. But Droplets seemed to have things well in hand and Sayuri sighed in relief as the Masked Man released his hostage.

She watched as Sjet ran down the dock in an effort to stop the treasure ship only to become blocked by the Masked Man, now turned sea turtle. Sayuri brought up her bow, but she didn't draw back the string. Instead she looked about for some other way around, to possibly get ahead of the ship and stop it.

 

[Psychie]

Garret sees the masked man trying to block the Solar girl from going down the dock and it sets his teeth on edge. He begins to move, running quickly down the dock towards the masked man with his sledgehammer in hand.

Skidding to a stop, he growls out, “Leave the girl alone.”

 

[Equusheart]

Sayuri stood watching the scene before her. Sjet having been knocked aside by the sea turtle's large flipper, a man in slightly familiar clothes appearing, welding a sledgehammer to aid her. The fact someone that had stepped in to help eased Sayuri's worry for her friend.

Her gaze shifted pass them to the treasure ship as it pulled away further from the dock. They had to stop it before it got out of the harbor. Before she knew what she was doing, Sayuri had hitched up the skirts of her dress and started running for the covered route outside of the harbor. Hopefully, she might be able to get ahead of the ship enough to maybe get a shot off to break the rigging attached to the turtle pulling it.

[Rolling sprinting: Dex (5) + Athletics ( ) + Level 1 stunt (2 dice) = 7

Success = 30?

 

[Random Word]

Sayuri
Sayuri, as you bolt across the timeworn obsidian flagstones of the pier the Akechi soldiers let out a cry of alarm. Ryu calls after you, "Sayuri! Not without an honour guard!" but his armour precludes any chance of catching up to you. Several of the lightly armoured archers stow their arrows and attempt to pursue you, but the distance only widens, and then you have a stroke of insight. A shortcut. You leap onto a mooring post and run up the taut line onto the nearby ship. Reaching the bow you leap from prow to prow along the radially moored ships, running along the inner edge of the docks, leaving your guardians hopelessly behind.

Heroic as your efforts are, you still see the distance between you and the ship widen as the great turtle seems to sense your pursuit and pick up speed.

[First to 15 successes wins the race. Sayuri is at 4/15. The ship is at 5/15]

Garret
With an arched supraorbital ridge the massive turtle manages to communicate wry amusement at the thought he was somehow pestering the golden sorceress as she runs into him.

Nott
Tracking Lunars is a thankless task, one that requires painstaking and speculation filled correlation of mannerisms, goals, threads of fate, the subtle motion of the stars, and details of form and behaviour across the countless millions of reports that pass across the Celestial Bureaucracy's desks each day. This identity, remarkably, has made it into the bingo book for the West, each of the directional books being considered mandatory for any Sidereal venturing into Creation, excellent light reading to break up the drier Directional Convention seasonal status reports. Codenamed Noble Raiton, this crow-themed masquerade figure has been something of a menace for Realm tithe collectors, Guild treasure fleets, and most famously even sailed a Lintha prize ship into Wu Jian to auction it off.

This identity only shows up in the last few years, and sporadically. There is rampant speculation in the addendums and footnotes that this is the rarely used alter ego of a more established figure. Personally, based on your own research and your read on all the scribbled notes from your colleagues, you subscribe to the conspiracy theory that this is an alter ego of Black Adder Fang, a vicious and terrifying killer who served for decades with Sha'a Oka before they abruptly ceased showing up a few years ago. Several months later Noble Raiton first made an appearance with the theft of a small tithe ship in a Western archipelago far fromthe Caul. Black Adder Fang is definitely in the bingo book as kill on sight, known to have killed at least one member of the five-score fellowship, and suspected in the deaths of two others. They were known to engage in horrifying acts of psychological warfare against the Realm settlements in the Caul, their final act being particularly gruesome. Their current whereabouts are unknown.

 

[Psychie]

Garret looks to Sjet and raises an eyebrow. Well, girl, what do you have in mind? What is your move?

Sherwood