Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[Random Word]

Maja pads forward softly into the tent before settling onto her haunches, tail swishing in frustration. So close. She's too high on adrenaline and essence for fear, and besides, what are they going to do to her? She tore the heart out of a Kraken, and if they prove more deadly than their size suggests she can simply fly away. She smiles hungrily at the assembly, her mouth full of entirely too many teeth. The moss lanterns in the tent waver as if thinking twice about their decision to draw attention to themselves, and the shadows they cast dance and twist unnaturally. Her own shadow increases in size tenfold against the tent wall behind her and becomes a monstrous caricature of her form, exaggerating every detail of tooth and claw.

She gives the sentry an imperious look that says, Well, you ran all this way to introduce me. So introduce me.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Let's see if I can't get trigger the bonus clauses on some of my fear-dependent Charms.

5m Personal on Perfect Symmetry
3m Peripheral on Appearance Excellency

Instill Fear
Appearance 6 + Presence 3 + Appearance Excellency 3 + Stunt 2 = 14; 6 hits
Not sure what their resolve is, but I'm guessing it's at least 2 so I'll roll 4 dice and you can lop off the ones that go over.
Wow, okay, so 5 more hits if they're Resolve 2, 3 more for Resolve 3, 1 more for Resolve 4.

Personal: 11/16
Peripheral: 23/38

 

[jaydude]

Kuaidao gave Spider's words a nod of agreement. "I'm fine with that." he said, before looking to the others. "What about you lot?"

 

[D. Rex]

"Hohoho, a Queen, you say? You didnt seem to mind letting us get this far, my dear imp." He said, somehow making the demonic connotation sound endearing.

"But it would be very rude of us not to, I believe. Let us, as Spider has put it, go schmooze." He said with a grin.

 

[Sherwood]

Maja pads forward softly into the tent before settling onto her haunches, tail swishing in frustration. So close. She's too high on adrenaline and essence for fear, and besides, what are they going to do to her? She tore the heart out of a Kraken, and if they prove more deadly than their size suggests she can simply fly away. She smiles hungrily at the assembly, her mouth full of entirely too many teeth. The moss lanterns in the tent waver as if thinking twice about their decision to draw attention to themselves, and the shadows they cast dance and twist unnaturally. Her own shadow increases in size tenfold against the tent wall behind her and becomes a monstrous caricature of her form, exaggerating every detail of tooth and claw.

She gives the sentry an imperious look that says, Well, you ran all this way to introduce me. So introduce me.

As Maja makes her grand entrance, you can tell that you have gotten the attention of all the creatures in the camp, and the creatures in the central hut are all snarling and glaring at you, all the while huddling in a scared group in front of the larger one on the throne. They are obviously scared of you, and it seems that they want to attack, but none of them want to be the one to challenge your teeth and claws first, so at this moment, it is very quiet and stil in the hut, with the shouting and noise all coming from outside.

Random Word What do you do now?

 

[Sherwood]

The rest of you are led by the four imps to a small tunnel entrance hidden behind some rocks. The opening is small enough to make you have to duck to go inside. It is rather claustrophobic in there, and you have to move single file and any attempts to fight will be sorely hampered.

Who is going first?

Psychie D. Rex jaydude Syvvaris

HumanPlus I would like to hear something from you, one way or another. Are you still with us? Or are we pulling Rivers out of this?

 

[Psychie]

Spider will look to the others and say, "I can take point. Keep you squishy types protected if there is any trouble from the front." She pats the hilt of one of her Daiklaves as a hint of what she has in mind if there is any trouble.

 

[D. Rex]

Bard smiled at Spider. "I'll be right behind you then."

 

[jaydude]

Spider will look to the others and say, "I can take point. Keep you squishy types protected if there is any trouble from the front." She pats the hilt of one of her Daiklaves as a hint of what she has in mind if there is any trouble.

Kuaidao let out a small guffaw at that last sentence. "Me? Squishy? You do realize what I am, right?" he replied with a grin, indicating the handle of Stormbringer with his own hand, alluding to his Caste and Exaltation.

"Still, if you want to take the front, I'll take the rear. All the better to ensure we're adequately defended on both ends."

 

[Psychie]

Spider laughs in response, then ducks her head down and slips into the tunnel after the little creatures.

 

[Random Word]

Maja studies the cowering creatures, identifying their leader by who they look to when afraid and dissecting them with all of her senses. Her pupils dilate, nostrils flare as she takes a deep breath, and her ears perk up and swivel to take in the sounds of the room. An instinctive predatory cunning she didn't know she possessed processes the overwhelming torrent of sensory information - the smell of their sweat, microexpressions, body language, dress, contents of the room, and the sound of their breathing and heartbeats - to reveal to her the weakness she can exploit to take what she wants: Unrestricted access to the Manse ahead.

Spoiler: Mechanics

6m Personal on Soul-Piercing Predator Gaze with a free Exquisite Heart's Taste

Spoiler: Soul-Piercing Predator Gaze

Soul-Piercing Predator Gaze
Cost: 6m; Mins: Perception 3, Essence 1 Type: Simple
Keywords: Protean
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Exquisite Heart’s Taste

The divine predator uncovers her prey’s weaknesses. The Lunar makes a special read intentions or profile character roll. If successful, the Storyteller reveals that character’s most significant weakness to the Lunar’s player: syphilis plaguing a master swordsman, a Dynast’s overwhelming debts, a merchant prince’s poor reputation, a Wyld monstrosity’s vulnerability to ash wood, etc. She may seek to find a character’s greatest weakness in general, or in a specific arena. However, there must be evidence, no matter how scant, from which she can infer this information. She gains a temporary specialty in exploiting this weakness in an Ability of her choice. It lasts indefinitely, but she can only have one specialty granted by this Charm at a time.

Protean: In a human or animal shape that her target has a Tie of fear towards, the Lunar can use Exquisite Heart’s Taste at no cost to penalize his Guile with that Intimacy.

Spoiler: Exquisite Heart's Taste

Exquisite Heart’s Taste
Cost: 4m; Mins: Perception 3, Essence 1 Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute, Protean
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: Understanding the Prey

A bead of sweat glistening on a brow, a dilated pupil, or a slight irregularity of breath betrays the secrets of even the most stone-faced courtier. When the Lunar profiles a character or read his intentions, his Guile is penalized by any of his Intimacies that support revealing the sought information as though it were his Resolve (Exalted, p. 215). This Charm is inapplicable against automatons, mindless undead, and similar beings.

Protean: In animal shapes with the Keen Nose Merit, the Lunar also adds (Intimacy) bonus dice.

Read Intentions:
Perception 5 + Socialize 3 + Specialty (Finding Weaknesses) 1 + Keen Hearing and Scent 3 + Minor Fear 2 + Stunt 2; -1 Guile from Exquisite Heart's Taste = 16 dice; 10 hits

Personal: 5/16
Peripheral: 23/38

 

[Sherwood]

It is quickly clear to Maja that the large figure in the back is the one in charge, and that the others in the hut are putting themselves between you and it in order to protect it. They are all very afraid of you, but even in their fear, they pose a threat and can lash out at any moment. The large one in the rear has an additional level of fear, however. It is afraid that it will be trapped here as it has been for another several thousand years, and it desperately wants to be free.

There is a final thing that catches your attention. The throne itself seems be more than just a seat; there is more to it than meets the eye.

 

[Random Word]

Maja growls at the throne. She has mixed feelings about freeing demons - the last one she inadvertently freed spent days trying to thank her with a thousand kisses of razor sharp ice, but she hated being imprisoned for years and the idea of being imprisoned for millenia turns her stomach and makes her blood boil. She flicks her tail at the thing on the throne, gesturing for it to continue as if it had been explaining its predicament, then looks significantly at the throne and back to it. Tell me how to free you.

 

[Syvvaris]

"I don't eat enough to be squishy, but my coat won't protect me from anything besides a glancing blow. I'll go 2nd to last." Thallus spoke and went along with the party.


(Apologies, it's a work week.)

 

[Sherwood]

As Maja is eyeing the various imps in the underground town, you have the feeling that you are in the middle of a keg of firedust that is lit and ready to explode. Whatever unspoken message you are trying to deliver, there is too much fear and anger in the room for the imps to pick up on it.


For the others, you are led through the small caves until you come out in a large cavern that is filled with hundreds of these little creatures, all of them are pretty worked up and sound very angry, all of them very much focused on a large hut located in the center of the cavern. When you enter, a good three dozen or more of the imps notice you getting escorted in, and they turn on you, snarling and growling. The imps that are escorting you stop them from immediately attacking you, but it is a close thing. Something has the whole lot of them worked up, and they are all very upset.

 

[jaydude]

Steady now, Kuaidao. Don't do anything to provoke potential enemy forces that outnumber and surround you if you can withdraw to a more advantageous position. You learned that from The Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Soldier, years before the Unconquered Sun chose you.

That was what Kuaidao told himself, in order to resist the impulse to draw Stormbringer in the face of the creatures' aggression. He thought about trying to reassure them, but then decided that interacting with the rank and file was meaningless when they'd already agreed to give him and his companions an audience with their leader. Best save his words for this Queen Corr'Dal, though he wouldn't try and stop any of the others from speaking.

Now that he had a chance to think about it a bit more, the fact that these creatures had a queen did intrigue him. Did this mean that they weren't the demons Rhabwar had mentioned? Or was his knowledge of Malfeas's denizens simply lacking?

 

[Psychie]

Spider decides it is time to take charge of this crowd of imps. She steps forward and blazes her anima, glowing bright and filling the cavern with Luna's own holy light. In a loud voice, she calls out, "ENOUGH! You will cease your pathetic attempts to cower us and treat the Celestial Exalted in front of you with the respect that we are due! Now! Take us to Corr'Dal that we might speak with her, or simply stand aside as we go ourselves!"

OOC using Argent Songbird Voice to add 3 successes to my Cha + Pre roll, along with a WP point.
This gives me a total of 9 successes.
Forgot to add my 2 stunt dice: That raises my total up to 12 successes.

 

[Sherwood]

The sudden display of power from Spider is enough to silence the entire cavern around you, and the imps begin to split apart to allow you to make your way to the large hut in the center of the horde.


Inside the hut, Maja hears Spider's shout and the caterwauling of the imps outside fade to a light whisper, and moments later, the cloth flap that plays the role of a door is tossed aside and your companions come in.

The glowing light of Spider's anima fills the room, and it illuminates the fifteen or so imps in the room, along with the one larger creature in the back on its throne. One of the imps steps forward and offers up a bow in Spider's direction and says in Skytongue, "You are the first Exalted to come here in generations, and you now stand before our queen, Corr'Dal, the First of us. What do you have to say, Chosen of Luna?"

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks at the imp that is speaking to her, then over at the larger one in the back. She then says, "I am Spider, Chosen of Luna, and my companions and I have journeyed here in order to reclaim our lost birthright of the manor house and all that it contains. We have recently learned of your presence, and I would like to know, who are you and how did you come to be here? Are you demons, and if so, who summoned you and what are your orders?"

 

[Sherwood]

The larger demon in the back looks down at the one smaller imp that is speaking but says nothing. The smaller fellow turns to look at Spider and says, "I am U'awa, and yes, we are demons, and we were summoned here ages ago by the Solar Exalt Kal Bax to aid him in building the manor house with the promise that once we were done with our task, we would be free to return to Malfias. It wasn't long after that we discovered that we were tricked, and that we were all trapped here, expected to guard the manor long after the death of Kal Bax and his fellow Exalts."

The large demon again looks down at U'awa, and the little imp speaks once more. "Our great queen Corr'Dal was the first to be summoned, followed by the rest of us. We number just over five hundred, and have been trying to find a way to get into the manor to find the Keystone, the artifact that binds us here and prevents us from leaving. If you are truly our former masters and seek the treasures of the manor, we will be willing to guide you the final distance there and allow you free entrance - providing you find the Keystone and destroy it. We would then be free to return to our homes in Malfias, a land that we are at least free to do as we will."

 

[jaydude]

Having listened to the demons, and given Maja a friendly smile - glad as he was to see her again - Kuaidao turned to the other Celestial Exalts.

"I say we take the offer, and destroy the keystone. We wouldn't have to fight these demons, and they won't be able to do any more harm in Malfeas, at least until someone else summons them." he said quietly. "Besides, if one of our past lives did indeed cheat them, I think we owe it to them to free them, don't you?"

 

[Psychie]

Spider narrows her eyes as she hears about the plight of these imp-demons, thinking back to her own years of slavery. In a heartbeat, she answers Kuaidao, saying, "Absolutely. They may be demons, but if they truly have been trapped here for all these years, it is time to send them back to where they came from."

She then looks to U'awa and Corr'Dal, saying, "What does this Keystone look like? Do you know where it is hidden in the manor?"

 

[Sherwood]

With these comments, the vibe in the hut goes from almost hostile to excited at the thought that they would soon be freed. U'awa describes an object that is basically a crown or circlet that is made of orichalcum, fitted with a socket for a hearthstone. He says, "If you were to destroy it, we would then be free to leave here. Such a gift would be wondrous beyond words to us."

"We do not know where the Keystone is inside the manor. It will most likely be interred with the body of Kal Bax."

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks at the others, and says, "Well, if this Keystone is what is keeping you here, and you need us to find it, we should set off for the manor in order to make it happen. I do have a question, though. If you know where the manor is, and the Keystone is with this Kal Bax's body, why haven't you gone inside and gotten it out yourselves?"

 

[Sherwood]

U'awa says sadly, "We are barred from entering the manor itself, or else we would have done so a long time ago. It was a part of the bindings placed upon us that once we completed construction, we could no longer enter the manor."

 

[D. Rex]

"And what of this keystone? To free you is ideal. But what else does it do? What other consequences might arise if it is destroyed?" He asked, watching them carefully. "And on what bonds would you not harm us?"

Bard gave a charming smile."As cute as you imps are. Demons do have a reputation for turning on those who free them."

( Sherwood may I read intentions to see if they mean harm and if destroying the keystone will do something unwanted?)