Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[LowRollLyfe]

With the day of departure nearing, Durke preps all his usual travel gear. He makes sure all his weapons and armor are cleaned and sharpened and his undergarments are fresh (going to get sweaty in those SE jungles). Durke goes over training plans with Gerard and expectations for how the company should present itself while he is away. Gerard is a capable young man and commands a good deal of respect from the men, so this is of little real worry. The last thing he checks on is the progress of the arms order he placed with Viktor.

(I'm also considering spending some exp. on a charm.)

 

[jaydude]

After a bit of consideration - and consultation with people who actually had experience with the jungle - Annika decided to swap her sandals for a pair of equally tough boots. When Viktor went around offering his enchanting services, Annika went over to his forge to ask him to put those benedictions on her shirt, boots and breeches.

"So, how much is that going to cost me?" She had asked once she had made her request.

Besides her clothes and equipment, she would bring along two full waterskins, but no food. Aredin had claimed that he would be able to take the entire circle to Rathess in only a few hours using some kind of crystal ball artifact, so if the group ran dangerously low on supplies, they could easily return to Gwynnin and restock. She had also gotten the impression that Sirocco would be able to procure additional supplies for the group once they were at Rathess, and based on that assumption, she visited the Lunar and offered her assistance in the aforementioned matter, pointing out that she had climbing skills that could surely be applied to trees as well as buildings, and that sneaking up on unsuspecting creatures was her forte.

Finally, Annika gave instructions to Idola, telling her that she would be responsible for the rest of the thieves in her absence, and to keep a look out for anyone else who might try and do harm to the circle, or Gwynnin. Her affairs settled, she headed over to meet with Aredin and begin their journey.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Besides her clothes and equipment, she would bring along two full waterskins, but no food. Aredin had claimed that he would be able to take the entire circle to Rathess in only a few hours using some kind of crystal ball artifact, so if the group ran dangerously low on supplies, they could easily return to Gwynnin and restock. She had also gotten the impression that Sirocco would be able to procure additional supplies for the group once they were at Rathess, and based on that assumption, she visited the Lunar and offered her assistance in the aforementioned matter, pointing out that she had climbing skills that could surely be applied to trees as well as buildings, and that sneaking up on unsuspecting creatures was her forte.

At first Sirocco was reluctant to have Annika help her, but she stopped herself. They were here to join these Solars, and to do that, they would need to cooperate with them. So one day she takes Anika out to the countryside- to see her well she can be taught to hunt. The Solar obviously knew how to keep hidden, and climb, but her knwoeldge of the wilds was somewhat lacking. But it was definitely fun to see her reaction when Sirocco changed shapes during their hunt, and most definitely, the look on her face when SIrocco managed to grab one fat rabbit, in her cougar form, and proceeded to eat it, uncooked.

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor informed Durke that the work on armaments for his men had begun, and that the crafter's skilled apprentice would be continuing the forging as her primary task while they were away. "Don't worry," he would jokingly reassure the grizzled mercenary. "She will just be focusing on breastplates and blades. I'll make sure to do the plate and chain work myself."


When Annika asked about the cost for benedictions, he merrily waved the question away. "On the house," Viktor grinned. "Call it a benefit of mutual service in Lord Aredin and Lady Darian's court."

 

[Sherwood]

The time finally comes for the Circle of Exalts to take to the sky in Aredin's airship and head for the ancient city. It is expected that it will take about four and a half hours to get there from Gwynnin, and as you fly, Dunbar tells you a bit about the city as it was long ago. "The city itself is layered, with only a small part of it being above ground. In some places, there was as many as a half dozen levels below ground. One can only guess what treasures or horrors may wait for us under there. Above ground, we'll be able to see several large structures, including the city's three pyramid-manses that rise up hundreds of feet into the air and there are the four Flying Towers; docking points for airships from all across Creation. Those towers are easily three thousand feet tall. A true wonder of First Age technology. Lets see . . . the upper city is divided up into slices called Octads, with the bulk of the city dedicated to the Dragon Kings, including a water-based Octad for the semi-aquatic Mosok Dragon Kings that connects out to a large lake outside the city. One of the Octads was made to comfortably house humans, and, located in this Octad is a large graveyard of First Age Exalts that is guarded by several Celestial Lions. In order to make any attempt to recover the artifacts there will have to first get past them."

"The city is home to many Manses. The three pyramids are the most obvious, but there are several others. The most notable one in my mind is the Great Observatory, a Sidereal manse of considerable power. I have no idea how much damage may have been done to it, but I would be very interested in seeing the Observatory, if possible."

As you fly, the scattered trees below you become much taller and thicker, until there is almost no open ground below you at all, and you are still several hours away from Rathess.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin gave the options some thought, "Well, I'm not so interested in digging up graves... I guess we can start with the observatory." Having said that he'd abuse the amulet's power to weave a large billowing coat into a giant blanket, wrap himself in a cocoon and prepare to take an extended nap unless it seemed like more conversation was required. For the globe's part it needed no further command from Aredin unless the course changed.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco was besides Heaven. It was a wonder to see the world passing by so quickly. After a while gazing at the sights, she leaned in to him, and caressing his back, she said "I know I promised you that we will talk about it some more, and that it's been quite a while since you've brought it up, but maybe now, when hopefully we can find a place to fit in, is a good time to discuss Sorcery. You mentioned before that it can be useful for me, but other than countering the Sorcery of others, I fail to see a good use for it." It was a discussion they had had several times, on and off, since their first meeting.

 

[jaydude]

In the past, with Sirocco...
Annika listened to and followed Sirocco's instructions on hunting and outdoor survival as best as she could, and didn't begrudge the Luna when she called out a blunder of Annika's; Sirocco was the expert, and so Annika deferred to her.

Despite her best efforts, she visibly shuddered when she saw Sirocco devour that rabbit while in cougar form.

"What can I say? I don't hunt my own food, I either buy it or steal it." She had said when the Lunar noticed her reaction. "But trust me, I've seen a lot worse."

...and Viktor...
"Much appreciated." Annika said when Viktor assured her that he wouldn't charge her for the enchantments he was putting on her gear, before she smiled and decided to address the rest of his remark. "While we're talking about benefits of mutual service...if you ever need me to acquire anything for your work - materials or schematics - you only have to ask. And yes, that includes that implosion bow you wanted. I'll look into that once we get back from Rathess, although you never know, we might find one in the city."

Present...
(In-flight music!)


For a long time after they took off, Annika just gaped at the sight of Gwynnin rapidly disappearing into the distance, as well as the landscape rushing by below them at several dozen miles an hour. She'd heard of how they were planning to get to Rathess, but never in her life would she have imagined that people could have moved so fast without sorcery. Then again it wasn't like this was entirely different from sorcery; after all, both required essence to work.

In any event, she was not going to complain about having a means of travelling across hundreds of miles of Creation in a single day. If she had one of those globes for herself, it would be easy for her and her thieves to move about quickly, and without attracting attention.

She sat down cross-legged as she listened to Dunbar telling the circle about Rathess. After Aredin decided to take a nap, the Night caste turned to look at Sirocco, but the Lunar was in conversation with Heaven. After giving the young Solar a friendly smile, Annika looked up at Viktor and smiled at him.

 

[Psychie]

During the flight, Darian feels a bit claustrophobic with the tight conditions in the transport and the lack of other sounds coming to her. All she can hear is the talking inside the bubble and the low thrumming of the engine. Listening to Dunbar is a pleasant distraction from the boredom of just sitting there, since she is missing the simple pleasure of being able to look out the window and watch the world pass below them. Eventually, she lets the gentle rocking of the ship lull her into a somewhat restful sleep.

 

[MasterDAF]

[PREVIOUSLY, WITH ANNIKA]​

"Yes, that's a good point. Perhaps we will find one there, that would be quite fortunate."

Viktor offered her a smile in return. "And thank you, I'll remember that offer. I'm sure there will be plenty of objects to be gathered in the coming months, especially if we aim to rebuild Rathess in the near future." He shrugged. "Who knows what shape it'll be in? With a millennia or more of abandonment, I'm sure it'll need at least a little more than elbow-grease to get it up to snuff."

The blacksmith nodded, thinking of the future projects he hoped to work on. "I have no doubt your help with continue to be needed, and greatly appreciated. Though I'll be careful not to ask too much of you. I'm sure you and your crew have plenty of goals of your own to accomplish."

[CURRENT]​

Viktor listened to Dunbar inform them of what to expect during their flight towards the Eastern city in the jungle. The craftsman was excited to hear about the possibility for gathering additional wonders to tweak and learn about. His mood was slightly tempered though by Aredin's decision to avoid the guarded graveyard. Perhaps while he is searching the Great Observatory, I can go take a look at the graveyards. I'm sure the Celestial Lions will listen to the words of a Solar Exalt and let me pass.

Viktor scratched his chin, thinking about the aid additional flying craft might afford their expedition. It might also be useful to search for any additional airships still docked upon the flying towers. Maybe he would broach this consideration to Aredin after they landed. The Eclipse caste looked ready to take a nap, and the blacksmith did not wish to disturb him.

Instead, Viktor looked over to Annika and noticed her smile. Caste mark glowing, the Twilight crafter grinning back at her. He turned towards his comrade and scooted closer, intent on showing her the small object he'd been working cradled in his hand. It looked like a large piece of highly concentrated Jade, and had an appearance similar to that of a roughly hewn sculptor's stone. "Can you guess what this is?" He rethought his choice of words, due to the rough look of his half-finished project. "Well, what I plan for it to be?"

[Essence/WP Cost: 7m, 1wp (Craftsman Needs No Tools); 5m (1st Craft Excellency)]
[Craft 'Jade Effigy' Roll: 5 Intelligence + 4 Craft(Fire) + 2 HS + 1 Hammer + 5 Charm - 2 Jade = 13 - 3 Difficulty = 10/10 Accumulated Successes]

 

[Rykon]

Before Aredin could actually settle in he remembered something important to ask. "Actually forget all of that mess, where do we need to go to meet the spiritual court? We'll have plenty of time to deal with reconstruction and salvaging once we have the freedom to move unmolested in the city."

 

[jaydude]

Previously...
Annika chuckled. "Soon after I exalted and found out what I was capable of, I decided that I wanted to become the greatest thief in all of Creation. I think I'm going to find it a bit hard to do that now that I'm here...or at least, I doubt that Aredin and Darian would appreciate my thefts being traced back here. That's not a complaint or anything; my thieves and I like it here, and we've got a way to earn our keep. And the way I see it, I'm going to be around for a good few centuries."

Now...
Annika moved a bit closer to Viktor and leaned over to have a look at the object he was showing her. It was definitely jade; she'd stolen enough of it to be able to identify the material at a glance. "Hmm, it looks like a piece of jade you were in the middle of sculpting...but I can't help but think there's more to it than that." She said while grinning at him.

But before she could think on it a bit more, Aredin woke up and asked about meeting with the city's spiritual court.

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar whispers a quick question, seemingly to himself, then says "According to the Celestial Bureaucracy, there are three main gods that lay claim to Rathess as their home. First is Leeayta, the Lizard Queen. She is the predominant goddess of the Dragon Kings, and as such, was the main deity of the city. Any effort to establish a presence in the city or to civilize the Dragon Kings will definitely want to get in touch with her. Next, there is Relza, the Custodian of the Flying Towers. She is one of the Satraps of Vanileth, the Shogun of Artificial Flight. She was in charge of all air travel over Rathess. Finally, the third main god is Shining Flower, the Mistress of Hearts. That one was a prime goddess of the Dragon Kings, as their worship of the Unconquered Sun involved sacrificing a heart to him under her purview. Shining Flower is also very loyal to the Unconquered Sun. There are, of course, a number of lesser spirits in the city, but the three ladies I just mentioned are the big ones that the Bureaucracy has a record of."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

As Dunbar told them of the goddesses, those who could see Sirocco could see that she nodded her head lightly at the mention of sacrificing hearts to the Unconquered Sun.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin blinked, "Yeah but... where do we find them? Is there a reliable way to call any one of em out? Do we just walk up to their home and knock?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar scratches at his stubble. "Well, we could look for Leeayta in her main temple. If she is not there, she would most likely respond to a sacrifice of some sort to her. Relza has her eyes on the Flying Towers; she would most likely pop in to investigate anyone poking around 'her' domain. Those are the two that would be the easiest to contact. Shining Flower is going to be a bit trickier to get in touch with. She is a bit . . . quirky, and is very dangerous."

 

[Rykon]

"To Leeayta then, priority is the recovery of the people. Once the Dragon Kings have started recovering and joining up with us, we'll be well on our way to restoring the city to something habitable."

 

[Psychie]

Darian nods in agreement. "Dunbar, does your knowledge of the city also include as to the location of her temple?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar nods. "There is a series of symbols that will indicate the location once we reach the city. The next question is, do we approach the city in the transport bubble, or land outside of the city and approach on foot? And if we do land in the city, were should we land?"

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor nodded along as they spoke. "I agree, Leeayta seems like as good a god to start with as any."

He turned to look at Sirocco, as Dunbar mentioned their landing location. "What are your thoughts on this? From your experience with the Pterok, would it be more advisable to be direct and touch-down in the city center, or enter stealthily from the jungle and brush on the outskirts?"

 

[Psychie]

Darian muses, "I think that the best place to try to land is on the top of these Flying Towers. That way, we can conceal the Transport Globe up there, and keep it from being spotted. Plus, we may be able to attract the attention of the one goddess, Relza, and have her help us find Leeayta."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Viktor nodded along as they spoke. "I agree, Leeayta seems like as good a god to start with as any."

He turned to look at Sirocco, as Dunbar mentioned their landing location. "What are your thoughts on this? From your experience with the Pterok, would it be more advisable to be direct and touch-down in the city center, or enter stealthily from the jungle and brush on the outskirts?"

"I was unconscious when the Pterok came and carried me to their hidden place. But if we land somewhere, whether on the towers or outside the city, i can easily go get a peek around in any of a number of animal forms."

 

[LowRollLyfe]

Durke stands their, hunched over and scowling. He stares at the forest beneath as it zooms past his feet. He would be in awe at the wonder of what they were doing...if not for the fact that everyone was stuffed into the small globe for the journey. "I don' care where we land, just as long as we do it quick. This damn flyin' ball is makin' me regret not goin' by ship." He turns his head towards Viktor. "Hey forge master, think ya' can whip up somthin' a little bigger than this?"

 

[MasterDAF]

"Gotcha," Viktor responded to the Lunar. "Assuming Aredin is alright with that, I think it would be a smart move for scouting our surroundings. Obviously you seem much more equipped than most of us for such a task."

The blacksmith grinned at Durke's remark about a quick landing. Yes, as amazing as this globe of essence is, I'll admit a little extra headroom and maybe some cargo storage would be appreciated. He looked around at the essence walls as he thought through the request. "Perhaps I could."

Viktor shook his head at the mercenary. "Though I'll admit, I don't have much experience working on or repairing ships. But the Sun seemed fit to grace me with a crafter's soul, so I imagine some hard work and creativity could make up for such a shortcoming." He shrugged. "Maybe, as Darian mentioned, we could make our way to the Flying Towers while we're in Rathess. Even if everything that had once docked is long gone, there might still be information to be gleaned that could aid such a project. Or even the god Relza herself, if we can find her and she proves amenable to the idea."

 

[jaydude]

Listening to the discussion taking place between Dunbar, Aredin and Darian, Annika raised her eyebrows in recognition when she heard mention of Shining Flower. The Mistress of Knives was a goddess well known to the Night caste; the Shadow Masters Alliance had held many services to her during Annika's time with them, in the hope that she would bless the blades of their assassins.

The discussion soon moved on from the spirits of Rathess, to the subject of how they were going to approach the city. Darian suggested that they land on one of the four airship docking towers in the hope of getting the attention of Rezla. It was an idea that was seconded by Durke, although that was more due to the fact that the mercenary found the globe too cramped for his liking.

"Speaking as the most criminally inclined member of our circle, I'm fine with the idea of us landing at one of the towers, provided no-one except Rezla sees us doing so. And also that Sirocco help scout out the city. Of course, I'm equally happy to help out in that regard myself." Annika said. "Though I don't think we need to worry TOO much about hiding the Globe of Transport; Aredin can just put it in his pocket when we land, right?"