Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[D. Rex]

"Prepare how?" Ragnar asked. "Exalts are a stubborn lot, after all. The saying 'lead, follow, or get out of the way' comes to mind here."

"Regardless of what difficulty the pose. I'll help you here any way I can. Though short of wrestling them into submission. I doubt my abilities will be of much aid in your efforts of diplomacy." The large northerner then chuckled. "That is of course unless you think it wise I speak my piece as I see fit. But even I would advise against that."

 

[Rykon]

"You are our military advisor. I only expect you to be present to listen and ask questions as it pertains to our ability to coordinate military power." Aredin said with a shrug. "I trust that should be simple enough, right? Darian and I are more than capable of handling the politics of it all. That is assuming there is any left in the wake of recent catastrophes."

 

[D. Rex]

"As far as I am concerned, this all pertains to military matters. And if we wanted only friendship, we would have taken the long route and under different circumstances. After all, as of right now it is a common enemy that unites us, and is what is bringing them here in the first place." He said.

"Do you, however, have a military plan in mind? A specific goal for this venture once you have allied." He asked.

 

[Rykon]

"Our goal is to slaughter the Empress without getting all of us killed in the process. Though, I'll definitely settle by removing their access to the Sword of Creation if that's even possible. Whatever the Ebon Dragon is planning cannot be allowed to succeed. The details, as always, I leave to you, my friend."

 

[Sherwood]

One of the servants approaches Aredin and asks, "M'lord, do you wish both the delegation from Lookshy and Mnemon to be brought to you in the Library together, or do you wish to meet with them one at a time?"

 

[Rykon]

"In the interests of time, I'll see both of them at once. Just make sure adequate guards are on hand." Aredin smiled and dismissed the servant. Even were it not for being on the brink of wartime, the lord discretely was grateful he had cause to avoid such petty details like accusations of favoritism of one faction or another.

With the arrival of the Blossom, he intended to make it clear. The Dragon-Blooded needed him and his circle if they wanted to survive what comes next.

 

[Psychie]

Darian will head to the library dressed in a long flowing gown of golden fabric with the symbol of both the Unconquered Sun and the Zenith Caste featured prominently on the dress. She plans on being there in her seat before the two parties arrive, and tells the guard to make sure that the two groups come in from different doors to avoid any 'accidents' happening. She will not say anything about having guards present; after all, if things go badly, mortals would just get killed. If there is any trouble, Ragnar, Aredin and I are more than capable of taking care of it. But appearances must be maintained. "Let us have several of our own Dragon Blooded escort each group. They will be a sufficient honor guard for our guests, I believe."

 

[Rykon]

The king gave an appraising glance and smile at Darian's chosen dress, then he nods at her suggestion. "That they should, assuming they didn't bring their own. I merely want ours at their posts as a deterrent, truthfully. I suspect if our guests had enough animosity to act on it, they would have done so by now. Certainly, desperate times call for desperate measures or neither side would bother associating with us." Aredin shrugged clearly having as little tolerance as Darian for foul play. Though, he was obviously glad things had progressed smoothly thus far. He tapped his amulet, replacing his traveling attire with a white suit trimmed in deep blues with gold buttons bearing the marks of the Eclipse and the Sun. He, at the least, saw it as a worthy complement to his wife's impressive ensemble.

He poured the two of them drinks from the nearby wine pitchers he kept in this meeting hall and took his seat. As he settled in, he signaled the servants with a wave of his hand that they were ready to receive their guests. "I suspect we'll see a show of hard negotiating, but I believe we'll be able to stick to the original terms we discussed before darling. I doubt they'll see much to argue with at this point anyways. Let's just hope they don't get too jealous of how striking you look today." He remarked with a grin.

 

[Sherwood]

A couple of minutes go by as the Solars of Gwynnin are alone in the library before the two visiting groups come walking in. First to catch your eye is a young-ish woman in an earth-toned dress with the symbol of House Mnemon embroidered on her shoulder. She moves with a very regal bearing, more gliding than walking, and everything about her tells you that despite her apparent youth, this is Mnemon, the oldest daughter of the Empress. She is not armed with any visible weapon, and has a pair of escorts with her, a man and a woman, and neither one of them are armed either.

The other group is a quartet of people, all four wearing uniforms that are recognizable as the 7th Legion of Lookshy. This group consists of three men and one woman, and from the size of the rank tabs on their shoulders, the oldest of the three men is the one in charge. From his greenish-tinted hair, you would have to guess that he's a Wood Aspect Exalt, and at least two of the others are also Dragon Blooded, if not all three.

Without giving the Looksky delegation a second glance, Mnemon pauses and offers up a polite curtsey to Aredin and Darian before turning to take a seat with her two escorts taking up position behind the chair on either side of her. The four from Lookshy also pause, obviously not expecting to see the head of House Mnemon there. The older fellow quickly regains his mental footing and gives a bow before moving to a vacant chair and sitting down.

Mnemon starts off with, "Lord and Lady of Gwynnin, thank you for taking the time to meet with me in this time of great turmoil. I must confess that I was surprised to receive your message."

The man from Lookshy speaks up. "Ah, Lord Aredin and Lady Darian. It is a pleasure to be able to meet with you. I am Lieutenant General Dorian Hal of the 7th Legion."

 

[Rykon]

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to have both parties willing to meet with us today to discuss the chaos regarding the Empress. My wife and I have long held the aspirations of uniting the hosts of the Exalted into one nation. Alas, it is our distinct misfortune that brings us together this day. I'll try and be brief. No doubt you've seen what we refer to as the Blossom arrive at our fair city. It is a fully functioning mobile fortress city of the first age now. Some of the specific bits of the arsenal are still being repaired, yet we have access to a multitude of Warstriders, Thousand Forged Dragons, various grades of power armors such as the much-coveted Immaculate Dragon Armors." Aredin paused to take a pull from his wineglass.

"Now, you might be asking yourselves... 'Why is this pompous anathema sitting here in this backwater rattling off tactical minutiae as if we haven't been enemies for the last thousand years or so?' Well, quite simply, we don't have the luxury of time to play with all of the cloak and dagger pettiness, now do we? I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I can entice the loyalties of former enemies without giving them a shred of hope that we aren't all marching into a meatgrinder. You've seen my people's faces. The land they own and not lease, their smiles, their children's smiles, the Dragon-Blooded who openly live and work here as respected authorities within society... So now I cut to the chase of my terms... If you want to come out of this upcoming storm of hell alive, intact, and in charge, then you will become part of my empire. Your houses and lineages will be officially sanctioned and recognized as such in this nation. That includes authority not just to own land, but to lawfully oversee territories, vote in a legislative body reserved for the Exalted, and manage your own armed defenses. I trust such policies are not vast surprises to you all. I'm well aware we've been under your watch in some form or another, given the wyld hunts we've routed and moles we've apprehended over our time here." Aredin slid a pair of scrolls from his sleeve and unfurled them to reveal contracts he'd penned by his own hand.

"I don't require decisions this moment, or even this day. This preliminary discussion was merely to cement our intentions and conditions in your thoughts before we begin our little tour. That is to say, assuming both parties here would like to lay eyes on what benefits you would enjoy as part of our growing power structure here. Otherwise, if this is an entirely unacceptable prospect to either of you, I'd be curious as to why that is." Aredin spoke having verbally set the board in a checkmate position. "Because frankly, time is short enough as it is without having to rally yet more Exalted in Rathess." Just one last little flourish to ensure they understand they aren't our only options. He thought to himself.

 

[jaydude]

Annika would be stood near Aredin and Darian, though her presence was more for the sake of providing security than anything else. She figured that the other two would be able to handle the diplomacy, even with these two factions that had once been enemies.

 

[Sherwood]

Mnemon looks to Aredin with a wry smile. "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire. I would be willing to work with you, not for you, in this venture to end the blight of Malfias upon the face of Creation that my mother plans on unleashing upon us. As much as I dislike the idea of coming to the Celestial Exalted, I do realize that this is a necessary evil, and without all of us working together, we will all fall under the yoke of the Ebon Dragon. Much better to be dead at that point, than alive and in the claws of that beast."

She takes a dainty sip from the wineglass at her side, swirling the cool drink around in the cup as she speaks. "Lord Aredin, you speak of Exalts gathering in Rathess. I am curious to know more about this."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin makes a dismissive gesture. "I'm afraid I have to insist on these terms. Not just for my own people, but even for your sake. You see, the Silver Pact now gathering in our home away from home of Rathess have more than enough cause to distrust you and the good general here. Not to mention, your people have been at odds with the Seventh Legion since the end of the Balorian Crusade." Aredin flashed a smile to his wife, rather satisfied that his ambitious guests were firmly ensnared in their trap.

"I want you both to think intently about what happens after we complete this little coup against the Empress and the Imperial Manse. Who of us can be trusted with the Sword of Creation by the others? I have Solars here and the lion's share of the Silver Pact in Rathess. Could you trust either of them to handle the sword? Could either of you trust each other with it? Not likely." He added with a knowing smile.

"My nation has not transgressed any of the aforementioned parties. Not once, save for self defense. I can't just be expected to roll over to Wyld Hunts trespassing on my land and killing my subjects, now can I? Of everyone involved we have the greatest track record for bringing people together, promoting prosperity and justice, and over coming the servants of the mighty. I of course speak of our mutual foes that will rally in the wake of what they see to be weakness and opportunity... the Deathlords."

"We can speak matter of factly that one, known as Walker in Darkness, is well aware we possess the Blossom. We stole the keys from the corpses of some of his agents after all. Rather easily all things considered. Do you want to stand against such rotten masses of evil alone, with ownership of the Sword of Creation contested in a hot war of Exalts? That would be beyond foolish. What I offer both the Realm defectors and the Seventh Legion is beyond generous. In exchange for your loyalty you acquire our protection and cooperation against all remaining threats on this earth. Your rights will be expanded upon what you previously enjoyed, what with the ability to own and manage your own lands free of imperial seizure. You will remain venerated and privileged members of society. Most importantly, you will have advocates preventing the Lunars from taking our Warstriders and mowing you down like ripe wheat. And why should I stop them if you refuse? As regrettable as that war would be, I cannot afford to leave them ill protected against such reckless evil that still lurks in the corners of our world. So no, I cannot step back from these demands. There are too many lives at stake for me to risk such incredibly destructive fall out. You of all people should understand this as leaders responsible for the needs of multitudes."

The king concluded, smirk still etched on his face. He knew there was little to argue with the truth as he presented it. They would not find a better offer elsewhere. Not in any corner of the cosmos.

 

[Psychie]

From her seat, Darian adds her voice to that of her husband. "You must recognize that we have the ability to back up with actions what we say we can do. Never before in this Age has so many Solar Exalted gathered together, standing strong and united. The host of Lunar Exalted are assembling even as we speak in the old city of Rathess, what was once a monster filled ruin, now reclaimed by us and our Dragon King allies. We now have at our disposal all of the resources of the Titan, and we will be using it to fight the Demon Empress, and this is a fight we will be victorious in."

She takes a sip of her wine, savoring the taste of the cool beverage. "You now have a decision to make, most likely the most important decision you will ever have. Will you stand with us, or fall alone on the wayside? Either way, our battle with the Demon Empress has begun; do you wish to be remembered as being helpful, or useless?"

 

[Sherwood]

For the first time since arriving, the delegation members from Lookshy speak up. General Hal looks as if he has been eating something rather sour, and is obviously not happy with how the conversation with you has progressed. "I can agree with the esteemed Mnemon when I say that we will not be your vassals, but the idea of having a coalition working together to stop the Empress from her plans of wiping out the whole of Creation and releasing the Primordials once more is one we can get behind. But, before we go much further, I must ask how is it that you think that you can even trust such a serpent as this one?" He motions over at Mnemon with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Surely she is just a puppet of her mother, and will be feeding our mutual enemy valuable data on our forces!"

Mnemon looks unsurprised at the outburst, and does not react with any outward signs of anger at the accusation. She gives him a slight smile and says, "You are right not to trust me. On another day, I would have been working to end this bunch of Solars with all the power at my disposal. But things have changed, and I for one do not wish to live in the hellscape of a world that is under the control of the Ebon Dragon! We must join forces and work together, or we will all die in a very spectacular manner!"

 

[jaydude]

Wearing her amulet, Annika would use her Gemstone of Surface Thoughts to try and get a read on what Hal and Mnemon were thinking, while also looking for any sign of treachery on Mnemon's part.

[3 successes for Hal, 4 for Mnemon]

 

[Rykon]

Aredin leaned back and filled the room with raucous laughter at the open distrust between the General and Mnemon. He wiped the forming water from his eyes at such a good laugh after so much serious business for so long. "Thanks for proving my point General. Your question is valid, but I have it from a reliable source that she is the one that reported her mother's treason to humanity. I know both of you are focused on the threat of the Empress right now, but I need both of you to think of what happens when we've won." Yes that's when, not if. Aredin thought to himself..

"I'd prefer for your people to thrive in the aftermath, not war with us and each other. Especially with the danger the Realm Defense Grid poses to all parties that disagree with the wielder. I have the power to bind oaths, so I was hoping you two would consider terms you might want to request of us for working together in the future. I have to say I'm a little disappointed in the short-sightedness and lack of ambition I'm seeing here. Speaking of what I am and am not seeing here... I've demonstrated already what we can bring to the war. Between the Blossom and peerless martial skill, I think our merits speak to our necessity to win this struggle. Why is it I should endure such stubbornness from the two of you if I can't trust you to cooperate with us once the battle's done? At that rate, we may as well settle this little family spat by ourselves. At least the Lunars seem more than willing to cooperate in the long term."

When he concluded he had to fight the urge to prop his feet up on the table as a power play. Surely their guests had earned such disrespect but the servants worked very hard to keep the furniture in good condition.

[At this point just going to hit them with a Presence roll. Full Excellency, 1wp for an auto success, and Irresistible Salesman Spirit for good measure. 16 successes.]

 

[Sherwood]

Mnemon nods in agreement, looking at Aredin with a slight smile. "Your words are, of course, compelling, Lord Aredin. I am quite willing to do what is needed to save the lives of millions of innocent people across Creation. It is my hope that when all is said and done, you will remember my aid when the time comes to mete out thanks for your allies' help. I will not lie; I have my eyes set on the rulership of the Blessed Isle. With the removal of my mother from the throne, a new leader will be needed to take the reins of power and I intend on being the one to step forward."

She pauses for a moment, letting the delegates from Lookshy speak. The General says, somewhat begrudgingly, "For the greater good, we can put aside our differences and work together. I do not as yet wish to speak on the subject of a new Solar Deliberative; such a conversation is, I believe, best left for another time. But for now, let me say that Lookshy will step up and help."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin taps on his chin in thought for a bit mulling over potential terms. "As long as Darian and I can pick what vacation homes we wish for our own use I have no problems leaving administrative oversight of the Blessed Isles to the Dragon-Blooded if that is your wish. I'm sure the Seventh Legion has it's own requests of not only me but you as well if that'd be your aim. Other than that I suspect the celestial presence there would be mostly to guard and monitor the state of the defense grid to prevent unauthorized access. Please correct me if either of you had other requests than that."

 

[Sherwood]

Mnemon continues to sip at her wine, and says, "At this time, I do not have any major demands that would make that stipulation a deal-breaker. I have no desire to walk the path of my mother and try to take control of the Sword of Creation. Being able to rule by the consent of the populace is my goal."

The General from Lookshy gives Mnemon a sour look. "We have no objections to a strong guard on this superweapon that was used to wipe out the lives of the people of Thorns. We would want a say in just who would have access to the Sword, though, along with any plans on using the weapon against targets here in Creation."

 

[Psychie]

Darian smiles. Things were proceeding better than she had hoped. "Excellent. Obviously, the details of our alliance will need to be worked out, but knowing that the three powers here are able to sit down and talk, coming to an agreement to work together, that has advanced the struggle against the Demon Empress greatly. Thank you all."

 

[D. Rex]

Ragnar would finally step in. A freshly packed pipe in hand, but not lit. "When the time comes, I would personally oversee the security of the Sword, General."

"As we well know, the sword itself is a powerful weapon. Not something to be taken lightly. The only targets that should ever be fired upon are those of it's original purpose. A Fae invasion, likewise any comparable uprising of forces of darkness. To use it upon our enemies would make us no better than the Scarlet Empress. As for who, such will be decided once we win, but a small council of those without political motivation to use it for their own means would be wisest, as it being left in the hands of one person could lead to great temptation."

 

[Rykon]

"I am not comfortable in letting others have their hands on it either. If I am to succeed on bringing all of these disparate groups together, I will obviously be as transparent and fair as I can be. For now the only ones to have access according to previous plans are my wife and I. Any others would be a matter of debate for sure. I'd prefer the thing never be used again, but there are many challenges we still need to cooperate to overcome after this immediate threat. Is this agreeable?" Aredin offers before pausing for a drink.

 

[Sherwood]

Both the delegation from Lookshy and Mnemon agree to your terms, if somewhat reluctantly on the part of the General from Lookshy. He says, "I will need to send a message to the general staff of the Legion to inform them of what has been gone over today, but I see no obvious deal breakers at this time."

Mnemon says, "There is something that I must tell you. You cannot trust any Dynast that is a descendant of the Empress that you come across. The Demon Empress has magics at her disposal that can apply her own will against them, and make them do her bidding. I have done some research, and have come up with a spell that will sever these ties, but only if the subject is willing to accept it. If any refuse, you can bet your Jade on the fact that the person will be a puppet of the Demon Empress."

 

[Sherwood]

One month from the day of this meeting and we find ourselves in Rathess as over the past weeks more and more Lunars have begun to arrive in the shadow of the Titan as it floats overhead. The delegates from Lookshy have set up a permanent embassy in Gwynnin, and Mnemon has left to arrange some mischief to be done to the forces of the Demon Empress.

In the meantime, the various spirits of the city and Dragon Kings are playing host to the Lunars. As you go about the business of playing host to the Chosen of Luna, both Aredin and Darian find themselves being shadowed by a pair of rather unsavory folks. One is a man in his mid-twenties, wearing a Moonsilver breastplate with a dark sword,



And the other person is a young woman that seems to have a plethora of daggers about her.



The girl seems to be in her late teens, and is rather sneaky. If it were not for Darian's superior hearing, she might have gone unnoticed. Neither one seems to be a threat, but they are still quite interested in you.