Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[Sherwood]

That's why I'm checking - to make sure that I don't make any errors here.

So we will have three teams so far:
Bard and Spider,
Kuaidao and Maja,
and then Thallus and Melinda.

Which group will Rivers join up with?

 

[jaydude]

"Just one thing." Kuaidao said, addressing Bard. "Assuming that I can pass myself off as a mortal warrior worthy of his attention, I already despise Lahor; I'm not sure I could put on an act of sucking up to him nearly as well as you could."

 

[D. Rex]

"I never said you needed to suck up to him. Just seem tough and looking for work. Your disdain for him can easily pass off as coldness." He said. "If we can find out he is up to anything that is going to harm these people, then we are in a better position to put a stop to it."

"Though if you dont think it wise, you could look around the town for his soldiers. To see what you gleam from them. After I meet with Mahina we can then decide what to do next. Or we can simply all go to meet her. Having you along wouldn't be a waste in that regard either."

 

[jaydude]

"No, I can look tough around him." replied Kuaidao. "But unless there's somewhere I can hide this Daiklave, probably better to claim to be a Dragon-blooded or a god-blooded, rather than a mortal. It'll explain why I'm carrying around the Daiklave, and it might make Lahor take more interest in me than he would a mere mortal. From what I remember, the vast majority of Dynasts always saw mortals as beneath them."

 

[D. Rex]

Bard nodded,"Do you have a way to pass as a dragon blooded? I could probably pass as a a prince of air. Could use my strings to simulate such anima. But if you were put on the spot, do you have a way to seal the deal?"

 

[Sherwood]

Melinda looks over at the two of you and says, "If you truly need one of us to disguise themselves as a Dragon Blooded, I can do that. I've passed as a Dynast before as a part of my work for the Celestial Bureaucracy. That has the benefit of putting the focus on me, and it would let Kuaidao more freedom to look around and listen to things that he may not have the opportunity to do otherwise."

 

[jaydude]

"I'd have thought that being able to wield this Daiklave would be proof enough that I'm an essence user." said Kuaidao. "And they're not just used by our kind; me using 'demon gold' might raise a few eyebrows, but I should be able to convince them I'm not a Solar, assuming word about us from Sijan hasn't reached here."

 

[Psychie]

Spider gives Kuaidao a grin. "You can always claim to be some sort of God-Blooded. That would explain the sword you're packing, and why a Dynast like Melinda would choose you to be a bodyguard." She looks over at the other woman and asks, "So, how would that work? Do you have some disguise kit in your bags?"

 

[Sherwood]

Melinda gives a slight shake of her head. "No, no disguise kit. Just some magic that is gifted to the Sidereals by the Maidens. Observe." She pulls out a few things from her pockets and begins to put them on, and as she does so, her physical appearance changes. She literally grows a few inches, and her facial features change to reflect a resident of the Blessed Isle. She is now sporting the symbol for House Ragara, and when she speaks, it is in a different voice than you have heard from her before.

"There now. I am Ragara Minerva, a graduate of the Heptagram and fellow Dynast. Since I have spent my life focused on the pursuit of sorcerous knowledge, I feel the need to have a few blade masters at my side to help protect me. That is where you come in, serving as my bodyguards. This should work well enough, especially since it has done the trick before."

 

[jaydude]

Melinda gives a slight shake of her head. "No, no disguise kit. Just some magic that is gifted to the Sidereals by the Maidens. Observe." She pulls out a few things from her pockets and begins to put them on, and as she does so, her physical appearance changes. She literally grows a few inches, and her facial features change to reflect a resident of the Blessed Isle. She is now sporting the symbol for House Ragara, and when she speaks, it is in a different voice than you have heard from her before.

"There now. I am Ragara Minerva, a graduate of the Heptagram and fellow Dynast. Since I have spent my life focused on the pursuit of sorcerous knowledge, I feel the need to have a few blade masters at my side to help protect me. That is where you come in, serving as my bodyguards. This should work well enough, especially since it has done the trick before."

"As you wish, milady." replied Kuaidao in flawless High Realm, giving her a theatrical bow and grin.

 

[Sherwood]

Just to double check, we have:

Spider and Bard going to V'neef Mahina
Melinda, Maja, and Kuaidao going to see Sesus Lahor

Where will Rivers and Thallus be going? You guys can head out on your own, or join either group. Up to you.
HumanPlus Syvvaris

 

[Syvvaris]

"I'm not sure what you guys are planning to achieve with this Sesus Lahor, but I'm going to grab supplies. Does anyone have any special requests?" Thallus stands with his hands in his pockets.

 

[Sherwood]

The now altered Melinda reaches once more into her pockets and pulls out a small bag of coins and hands it over to Thallus. "Here, this might help. I don't know how much you'll be able to find with so many treasure hunters being here in town, but it is at least something. We have some food and cold weather supplies, but if you can find some more field rations to supplement our hunters' skills in finding game, that will be a good thing."

 

[Random Word]

Playing pretend in the court of a Dynast sounds exciting, fun, and enlightening. Maja jumps at this rare chance to learn more about her enemies. She dives, touching down in a swirl of snow at the centre a cluster of tents where the passersby on the street can't see her. She begins to concentrate on returning to her true form, but her mind drifts, considering where she can obtain court-worthy clothing on short notice in a town like this. Something in her soul tugs at her insistently, and while the last helpful suggestion it offered was jarring, it wasn't wrong. Grudgingly she acquiesces and recalls unbidden a memory of attending a wedding in Great Tusk and the outfit she wore.

In a quicksilver flash she returns to her true form, but instead of the well-worn travelling clothes she left home with she finds herself in a full length black wool cloak trimmed with an almost absurd amount of fur, embroidered in threads of everlasting ice with the Visby family crest - a stylized arctic fox - and a depiction of the Elemental Pole of Air, looking for all the world as if she had just stepped out of a storm and the ice had chanced to settle that way. The cloak was clasped with feathersteel set with diamonds, and beneath was a cloth-of-silver and black silk blouse that shimmered delightfully as she moved, thigh high fur trimmed black riding boots, and black caribou riding pants. Her face was made up in family war paint, her hair was elaborately braided and clasped with tiny diamond and feathersteel airships, no two alike, and from her ears hung fully functional compasses made from glass spheres half-filled with mercury upon which jade needles floated. To complete the look she donned the moonsilver tiara with hearthstone setting from her bag - when else was she going to get an excuse to wear it? - and marvelled at how much easier this power was going to make travelling. She would always have clothing for any occasion, never have to sit to have her hair braided or brushed, and always have her makeup done without having to carry any of it. She was going to have to give Luna a very generous offering when next she had more than five minutes to herself to visit a temple. The last few days hadn't been conducive to piety.

Clearly her imagination had run away with her somewhat - she had never worn anything this fancy to a real party, but the theme was spot on if she did say so herself. If she had to describe the style of Haslanti explorer family court dress it was very much, "Oh, I'm so sorry I'm late to the party, I just stepped off the airship from Ascension and you won't believe what I've found. Why yes, that is it out on the ice, and yes, its hold is full of the treasures of Bagrash Kol. I'd love to join you for lunch tomorrow, but regrettably I can't - as soon as this party ends I'll be boarding for another expedition." It was all nonsense, of course. No one would wear anything as absurd as this onto the ice. These riding pants could double as a tourniquet in a pinch and there was no way she could wear them for more than a few hours, let alone a ten day sled ride, but Sesus Lahor didn't need to know that and as with everything it was the image that mattered.

She was the spitting image of the Haslanti noble hired by a Dynast to guide a Northern expedition, and she was decidedly pleased with herself as she swept out into what passed for a street, cloak trailing behind her, and fell into place beside and slightly behind Meli- Ragara Minerva. She reached behind Minerva's back to give Kuaidao a smile and his hand an I missed you squeeze before turning her attention to drinking in every detail of Ragara Minerva's mannerisms and dress, and committing it all to her now flawless memory.

 

[Syvvaris]

"Thank you, Melinda. I will try my best to procure everything we need, and while I disagree with you all shaking a hornet's nest. I have no power to stop any of you." Thallus hid the coin purse on the inside of his coat, next to his prized journal. He took a quick glance to remember each of their faces and turned around to find a general store.

 

[Sherwood]

Team one: Bard and Spider
D. Rex Psychie

Following the directions of the one soldier, the two of you make your way around the tent city that surrounds Wangler's Knob to the general location that he indicated that you would find V'neef Mahina's tent. It does not take you long to identify which of the tents are hers; there are a half dozen large tents pitched neatly in the snow, with the symbol of House V'neef emblazoned on the tent flaps, each one is large enough to house a score of people in comfort. At this point, there is no way to tell how many are actually using them.

There are at least ten soldiers in heavy armor and thick fur cloaks standing guard outside the various tents, keeping a eye on the crowd of people that have gathered nearby. This crowd is made up of probably a hundred people at least, all huddled together around small fire pits to try and keep warm. This bunch is clearly not a part of V'neef's group; probably treasure hunters.

Your steady stride takes you through the huddled masses towards the tents, and one of the soldiers, a woman sporting a set of Sergeant's chevrons on her shoulders catches your eye and steps forward. In a clear voice, she calls out, "Greetings, neighbors. I am Sergeant Mataya. How may I be of service to you? Have you come for an audience with my Lady V'neef Mahina?"


Team two: Melinda, Maja and Kuaidao
Random Word jaydude

While Bard and Spider are making their way to V'neef Mahina's tent, the three of you are entering Wangler's Knob proper, walking through the gates in the low wall. The streets here are cleaner and much more orderly than the paths through the tent city outside the walls, even if there are still many people walking the streets. With no immediate knowledge of where Sesus Lahor is, it takes a few quick questions of the locals to get some directions to where he's hanging his hat. It is no big surprise that he is to be found in a fine inn towards the center of town in what is known as the Mayor's District, where he and his cronies have displaced all the residents.

As you work your way towards the inn, the quality of the buildings and streets steadily increase, showing the differences in the levels of wealth in the Knob. The inn itself is not hard to find; it is a large, multi-floor structure, and there is at least twenty soldiers out front standing guard, along with a large banner displaying the symbol of House Sesus.

When you approach the inn, Melinda does not pause at the line of guards, but sweeps past them as if they were below her notice. At first, the soldiers seem like they were about to try and stop her, but they quickly step back and offer up deep, respectful bows to her. One benefit to the disguise that the three of you are now wearing.

Inside, the inn is beautifully furnished and quite warm, thanks to the roaring fire in the great room. The place has at least forty patrons in it, but from the size of the room, it is not crowded at all. Taking up the prime spot in the room in front of the fireplace is a large man that could play the part of Gaston from the Disney cartoon Beauty and the Beast. The man has a bit of a redish tint to his skin that is a prime mark of a Fire Aspect Dragon Blood of high breeding, and a head full of thick, black hair. He is wearing a suit of black jade armor with a heavy fur robe tossed over his shoulders, and a jtvery big Daiklave on his back with three gleaming hearthstones attached to its hilt. Finally, the House Sesus symbol is clearly seen on his shoulder.

He has six people in close attendance to him along with a pair of waiters, three of them are also wearing armor and carrying weapons made of the various Magical Materials, marking them as Essence users.

The Gaston-lookalike has a large tankard of wine in one hand and a turkey leg in the other, laughing uproariously at some comment made to him by one of his fellow diners. His laughter peters out as Melinda sweeps her way into the room as if she owned the place, taking in the lay of the room.

What are Kuaidao and Maja doing as she does this?


Team three: Rivers and Thallus
HumanPlus Syvvaris

With the money in hand, you now have the options of trying to get supplies in the tent city, or go into Wangler's Knob proper and find the needed goods there. Where do you go?

 

[D. Rex]

"Well met, Sergeant!" Bard exclaimed cheerfully. "I have indeed come to see Lady V'neef." He confirmed.

"The good Kal Verbena, met him when I arrived, made the appointment. Deemed me of her interest. She should should be expecting me."

"My friends call me many things, but you can call me Rito. Just came from the south. Lovely weather down there. Though a bit marred by some other events. Anywho, might you escort me? I would hate to keep her waiting."

 

[Random Word]

Maja knows nothing about Sesus Lahor's personality except what Kuaidao has told her, but nothing ventured nothing gained. The room's attention is undoubtedly on Minerva at the moment, and she's going to need to borrow the spotlight for a moment to get anywhere. "Why are we here, Minerva?" she asks in exasperated Skytongue, just loud enough to be heard by Sesus Lahor's entourage, "All of these so-called treasure hunters say the rumours were just that. Let me take you out on the ice and I will show you treasures beyond your wildest dreams." She gambles her unseemly familiarity with a Dynast will elicit surprise and indignation, marking her as unexpectedly important and worth a glance.

Maja unclasps her cloak in the heat of the inn, shifting her weight to one leg and planting a hand on her hip to casually accentuate her curves from the angle of Sesus Lahor while taking in the room disdainfully, her eyes pausing on him briefly before losing interest and moving on with a look of cold indifference that would put the everlasting ice in her cloak to shame. The cold has brought a ruddy glow to her cheeks, her complexion veritably glows with youthful vitality, and the lustre of her hair outshines the diamond clasps that bind it. She wagers that Sesus Lahor is the kind of man who always wants what he can't have, and who enjoys the chase if the prize is worth bragging about. In so doing she lays out the bait - her, the arrogant, disinterested ice queen - and sets several hooks in her dissatisfaction with Ragara Minerva's choice to travel here instead of a real site - a potential wedge - and the chance to command her attention, deliver a major blow to her arrogant demeanor, threaten her control of a wealthy client, and begin to establish dominance over her all in one fell swoop should someone demonstrate themselves more knowledgeable about the relics hidden here.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Using Perfect Symmetry to raise Appearance to 6 for 5m.
Instilling a minor tie of Fascination/Lust/whatever's appropriate, spending 4m peripheral on Appearance excellency. Shot in the dark leveraging any intimacies around enjoying the hunt for the ones who are 'hard to get' or wanting what he can't have.

Appearance 6 + Presence 3 + Appearance Excellency 4 + Stunt 2 + Appearance Bonus (6 - Sesus Lahor's unmodified Resolve; rolling all 6 but ignore the results of the last Resolve dice)

6 hits, plus 2 if his base Resolve is less than 4 and an extra hit if his Resolve is less than 3.

I want to set him up to use Soul-Piercing Predator Gaze to find the best way to get leverage over him/extract useful information from him, but I figure it's better to wait until we've engaged him in conversation to try that.

Resolve 4
Guile 3
Personal: 11/16 (5 committed to Perfect Symmetry)
Peripheral: 33/38 (1 Commited to Tiara)

 

[jaydude]

Stood close by Maja and "Minerva", Kuaidao would grin a little as the two women started working their magic on Lahor and his entourage, Maja in particular showing off her sex appeal, the likes of which had the Dawn Caste struggling to resist. Clearly, the information he had provided on Lahor wouldn't be going to waste.

Unlike those two, Kuaidao would opt to stay silent unless directly addressed, confident as he was that the pair of female Celestials could handle the social parts when necessary. Only time could tell whether that would remain the case, however.

 

[HumanPlus]

Walking alongside Thallus on their way to get whatever was needed for their journey, Rivers couldn't help but worry a bit about the others. "Bard may be slick as an eel and the other Moonchosen capable of transforming themselves, but we should not ignore the insight of the Dragon-Blooded. I am not sure i would have the acting abilities to completely avoid suspicion". She sighs before continuing "I should probably have been a fly on the wall in one of the meetings in case trouble came upon them, but i suppose i must give them some faith"

As they walked around shopping for supplies, Rivers would stop at several points in the city to carve a simple little mark on things with her knife. "While we know of the Dynastic powers in the area, there might also be other factions hiding around here. This mark will tell other Pactsworn like I that I am present. I would like to know more about who our potential rivals in this endeavor would be before we move out towards our destination"

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry i am a bit late responding. Been feeling a little down the last couple days and wasn't in the mood to write.

I would like to make a linguistics roll to encrypt a message around town which members of the Pact could easily understand but others would just see as scratches (basically clawspeak from 2e, but not really an entire language).

 

[Sherwood]

Sorry i am a bit late responding. Been feeling a little down the last couple days and wasn't in the mood to write.

I would like to make a linguistics roll to encrypt a message around town which members of the Pact could easily understand but others would just see as scratches (basically clawspeak from 2e, but not really an entire language).

No worries on that, my friend. Everyone sometimes gets into a funk that just saps the creative juices out of you, and it can take time to get them back.

Go ahead and give me a Int + Linguistics roll to try and make the scratches without the true intent of the messages being detected by the wrong targets.

 

[Psychie]

Spider nods in agreement with Bard as he talks to the soldier. "I am Lilo, and am pleased to meet you." She offers up a polite bow as she says this, taking a moment to look over the assembled guards to try and get some kind of vibe on how good they are; green recruits, or seasoned troops? She then asks, "If I may, do you know why the Lady V'neef is going out of her way to meet visitors and fortune seekers like ourselves? One would think that would be a bit below her station, as a member of one of the Great Houses of the Scarlet Empire."

 

[Sherwood]

Team One - Spider and Bard

"Well met, Sergeant!" Bard exclaimed cheerfully. "I have indeed come to see Lady V'neef." He confirmed.

"The good Kal Verbena, met him when I arrived, made the appointment. Deemed me of her interest. She should should be expecting me."

"My friends call me many things, but you can call me Rito. Just came from the south. Lovely weather down there. Though a bit marred by some other events. Anywho, might you escort me? I would hate to keep her waiting."

At the mention of Kal Verbena, the woman soldier in front of you nods. "Ah, yes, the corporal told us about you and your friends, and yes, the Lady V'neef is looking forward to meeting men and women of exceptional caliber before we break camp and head north to look for the treasure that awaits the lucky and the bold. Please, come with me and I will introduce you to my Lady."

Psychie Your skill in swordsmanship tells you a little bit about the solders, but mostly about this Sergeant Mataya. She moves with the smooth grace of a blademaster, one that might even equal your own skill level. If the two of you were to cross swords with one another, it would be a very tough match if you did not add in the bonuses of your Essence to it. As for the rest of the guards around, you can see that their gear is well maintained and that they show a good level of discipline, indicating that they are not in the 'green' level of training.

Mataya leads the two of you into the large tent, and inside, you can see three people. One is a man, roughly in his late fifties or so is standing at a small table with a map that is spread out over it. He is not wearing any obvious armor, but is packing a sword on his hip. His clothes are very fine, indicating that even if he is not a Dragon Blooded, he is of high status.

The second person is a pretty young woman in her late teens, with her hair tied up in braids, in a fine traveling outfit. She is sitting on a stool looking quite bored with everything going on around her.

The third person in the tent is quite obviously V'neef Mahina. She is sitting in a chair positioned at the table, looking at the map and talking with the man. She is quite beautiful, with long dark hair pulled up in a bun. Mahina is in a fine dark blue robe with her House symbol embroidered on it, and you can see that she is wearing a necklace made of jade with a gleaming hearthstone set in it.

Mahina pauses her conversation with the man as you come into the tent and looks over at you with a pleasant smile. "Sergeant? I see you have brought me some visitors. Who do we have here?"

 

[Sherwood]

Team two - Melinda, Kuaidao, and Maja

Most of the room had turned their attention to Melinda as she walked over to talk with Lahor, but when Maja puts on her display, that quickly changes as almost everyone's eyes are now focused on Maja, some in obvious lust, others in catty jealousy. Even Lahor is eyeing the beautiful Lunar woman hungrily. It takes him a bit of effort to pull his eyes away from you to talk with Melinda, but eventually he does so.

The various other men and women in the room continue to ogle Maja, with a few people looking at Kuaidao with curiosity. One of the ladies drinking in the common room stands up and slides her way over to stand in front of Kuaidao, doing her best to ignore Maja. With an appraising eye, she looks you over before saying, "So, some fresh faces, and not the usual uncultured swine that have been flooding the area. Here to make your mark and strike it rich? Or is there another reason that brings you to this armpit of a town?"

 

[D. Rex]

"Rito, my lady! The luckiest and boldest." Bard would say with a charming smile, stepping up to table and offering her an elegant and graceful bow. "An honor it is."

Bard would pull Spider up beside him, putting her on whichever side of him that gave her the best view of the map. "And this is my Lilo. A very dear friend and whom I entrust much of my safety to."


"I hope I have not come too early. I would hate to interrupt important business." Bard would say kindly, looking to the man and then the teenager, catching their eyes with a polite nod. "My apologies, I hope I havent disrupted anything for you two, too."

Now was simply the time for introductions. Baby steps. Best to gain comfort of conversation first. And perhaps find out whose these others were as well. With eyes on him, at least, to give Spider the opportunity to eye things.