Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[D. Rex]

Bard would not let his Lunar attack alone. As Spider leaped into the the air, the Zenith plucked three different strings, their sound ringing out in harmony.

With essence flowing through his fingers, he struck the same three strings again. Their sound vibrating the air itself as force began to shimmer and coalesce around the instrument.

As the strings began to glow with energy, a third time he struck them. But the sound this time was different. It was a note of the heavens that exploded outwards in a singular wave. The shimmering force swirling like the razor winds of a tyhpoon, carried by the sound through hole in the wreckage made by his mate, and to drill into the wound she had just made.


Silver Voiced Nightingale Style Active
5 MA Excellency

Stunting
Decisive Attack (8 successes)

Damage
Initiative 20
11 successes

 

[Sherwood]

The water seems to boil as the kraken thrashes from the force of the impact of the sonic blast. The beast is badly injured, but it is still alive.

Random Word is up

Round Three
17 - Bard
17 - Spider
16 - Maja <====
15 - Kuaidao
13 - Rivers
12 - Dromond
5 - Thallus
Crashed - River Kraken

Round Four
3 - Spider
3 - Bard

 

[Random Word]

The scent of blood is almost overwhelming. The Kraken's powerful heart sends it streaming from the deep wounds of Spider's swords and the thousand lighter lacerations of Bard's razor winds. Maja can feel that heart pulsing beneath the flesh; she can almost taste it. All these wounds have reduced its once mighty hide to ribbons of shuddering flesh, and she drives her claws deep, tearing it apart to reveal her prize and diving headlong into the gore, jaw distended, to sink her teeth in and tear with all her terrible might.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Well, might as well go all in on this one too. Missing would be embarrassing.
5m personal + 4m peripheral on Str + Per excellency.
Str 5 + Brawl 3 + Str Ex 9 + Stunt 2 = 19 dice vs a presumed parry of 5

Wow, just barely. 7 hits on 19 dice, and the final die landed the hit.

10L damage.

 

[Sherwood]

With a savage bite, Maja tears out a huge chunk of the kraken's hide, spraying blood out into the water all around you. It lets out a anguished squeal before it goes limp and begins to sink. The great river kraken is dead.

Moving out of combat time.

The mist that was filling the air is starting to clear away now that the kraken is dead, but visibility is still low and will be for a time. The wreck that the kraken was using as a makeshift shell on its back is starting to sink lower into the water, and will not be on the surface for much longer. Dromond extinguishes the flames off of his sword and goes to one of the unconscious crew members and checks on the figure that fell from the rigging. He looks up and says, "I've heard of such things before, but never had the bad luck to run into one of these monsters. The crew will be out for several hours, but should recover well enough. Poor Jenna, though, has a broken arm from her fall." He carefully straightens out the sleeping figure then stands up, looking at the various members of the Circle.

"I tell you now, I hold little with the Immaculate Order and their ways, but not all of my crew will feel the same. I will tell them that you were put to sleep by the kraken, just like they were, and that I was able to save the ship myself. It is the least I can do for you, since you all risked yourselves to save my ship and crew. I will tell no one of you, and so long as you don't brag about this, you will be safe as long as you are on the Seagull."

 

[Psychie]

Before the wrecked ship makes its way to the deep of the river, Spider takes a quick look around, hoping to find the captain's cabin where there might be some treasure to be recovered, paying special attention for any lock boxes or chests.

 

[Sherwood]

Spider's quick thinking does provide some results. After bashing your way into the cabin, you find a small coinbox, and a larger chest. Both are closed and locked, but the small box does rattle as if there is some coin inside, and the chest is heavy enough to tell you that there is something in there, too.

 

[jaydude]

"Much appreciated." said Kuaidao with a grateful nod of his head, after hearing Dromond's promise to cover for them and remembering his earlier Dynast-related troubles. He took a moment to look at the dead kraken, and then started cleaning its blood off his sword.

 

[Psychie]

Scooping up the two boxes, Spider runs out of the cabin. Boosting her strength to its maximum, she makes a running leap to get back across the water and land upon the deck of the Seagull. With a grin, she says, "Well, that was exciting! I don't know what is in these boxes, but it may be something of interest to us. Lets see if we can get them open. Anyone good with locks?"

 

[jaydude]

"You might call it exciting, I call it inconvenient." said Kuaidao, though not without giving Spider a smile. He then looked at the coinbox and the chest, wanting to see if he could break either one open with an axe.

 

[Sherwood]

The large chest is a bit worse for wear, and you believe that a few good whacks with the axe will be able to break the lock and open it. The smaller coin box has survived the weathering a bit better, and will take a bit more work to get it open.

 

[jaydude]

Kuaidao looked at Spider. "If there's a good axe on-board this ship, I might be able to get the chest open. The coin box on the other hand...I think we'll need something besides brute force."

 

[Random Word]

Maja rips the great beast's heart free in a triumphant shower of blood, exulting in their kill. Something in her prompts her to look around for Spider in case she wants half, and in the process finally notices Rivers' slithering through the depths. So alarmed is she her jaw reflexively starts to drop, snapping shut just before the heart can slip free. So that's what Rivers really looks like she thinks to herself, uncertain of whence the thought comes. Maja holds the heart aloft in her teeth and despite its size swallows it in a few quick tosses, blood coursing down her face. She roars and grins maniacally.

Seeing the small mountain of flotsam she's standing on sinking into the river she leaps back to the ship. As she lands she feels the heady rush of euphoria fade with the threat, and she sinks to her knees as the reality of what she's just done begins to dawn on her. Her bloody hands, wreathed in a halo of white-silver light, shake and her heart races as she starts to draw quick shallow breaths. She tries to feel the new shape of her jaw as she stares blankly at her blood soaked coat, but the size of her claws make this difficult. "Great Tusk, why did I do that?" Tears stream down her face and mingle with the blood and she can still taste its raw heart on her tongue and - she abruptly rises and spins around, leaning over the railing of the riverboat to empty the contents of her stomach. She leans over the rail for several more seconds dry retching before collapsing, exhausted, to the deck and wrapping her blood-flecked tails around herself to hide from view.

Dromond's kindness forces her to consider the future. "What if I do this where someone else can see it? Fuck. I'm going to put Kuaidao and everyone else in danger. What if I still look like this when the crew wakes up?" she whispers, panicked.

She overhears Kuaidao's conversation with Spider: "You might call it exciting, I call it inconvenient."

Though she didn't think it possible, her heart beats faster still. "No, I'm not going to be inconvenient." She wipes the tears from her eyes and focuses on taking deep breaths. "If I lose this I've lost everything." It's difficult to give up the protective shell of her tails hiding her from view, but she concentrates intensely on returning herself to normal. Slowly her claws shrink, fangs recede, and tails melt away into silver light. The blood on her hands and face dissolves into so much silver dust, and so too the blood and vomit from her hair. She takes off her coat and rolls it into a ball inside out, dropping it on the deck with a sigh of relief. The cold night air is a relief.

 

[jaydude]

Seeing her state of distress, Kuaidao would come over to where Maja was moping.

"Hey there. You okay?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice.
Random Word

 

[Random Word]

Maja can't bear to meet Kuaidao's eyes. "I'm glowing," she observes distantly, looking at her still shaking hands. She wants to bring her tails back and hide, or deflect. Say she's fine. Something in her soul won't let her. It insists Kuaidao can be trusted, and it's okay to open up. "I just devoured the still beating heart of a... a Kraken," her face contorted with disgust. "It sounds absurd when I say it out loud. Who does that? Icewalkers in faerie stories told to scare children. The worst part is I loved it. It felt so good. Good people aren't supposed to love... whatever that was."

 

[Syvvaris]

There was a reason people feared or elevated exalted and Thallus was glad he witnessed first hand how a handful of exalted handled a deadly beast. He smiled after the beast had been killed, but it soon waned from his face. What did he do this fight? He was a Solar just like some of his other comrades, but he did nothing flashy, amazing, or even useful. He only shot a single arrow and it bounce off one of the tentacles. The others were already to gather around each other in celebration, however he did not feel like he deserved to celebrate. With his bow still in hand, he walked below the deck to his bed to jot down in his journal what he had witnessed here.

 

[D. Rex]

Sitting back down in his Barrel, Bard watched Spider return with her haul. "Quite the opportunist, aren't you?" He said to her with a faint smile as he readjusted his bandages nownthay the commotion was over.

With them no longer staying he opted to just remove them entirely. Showing a slightly scarred face with a short unkempt beard. He touched his cheeks gingerly. "At least it doesnt look like I just stuck my face in a furnace anymore. Doesnt feel like it anyway." A bit more healing and a good shave and he should be right as rain.


Observering the Lunars and the Captain, Bard idly turned his lute from the stresses of the battle.

"Do not worry. Fox girl. Plenty to love. Back home, the fresh heart of giant squid was considered a delicacy. Raw and sliced paper thin, and drizzled over it was a mixture of oil and herbs. To have obtained the beating heart of a kraken, such would have been a treat suitable for the finest festival." He said to comfort her.

"But as it stands, do remember what you are. With us having taken our second breath... a great many more oddities await us. Things we have once known, but now have forgotten. Take comfort in knowing that you are among family, among friends. Whether we recognize each other or not, our souls are entwined."

As he spoke, he began to play a peaceful tune. Something soothing and relaxing for the distraught girls heart.


Bard looked over at the dragon blooded. "Esteemed Captain Drommond. Being one in your position, you seem mighty unsurprised about a gaggle of God born galavantaing around your galleon. Do such events happen often?" He asked.

 

[D. Rex]

To roll for a soothing song for Maja should I need to.

Spending 2 motes

Spoiler: Masterful Performance Exercise

Masterful Performance Exercise
Cost: 2m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Mute
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None

The Solar’s talent is not free or instinctual, but rather the hard-won excellence that comes from a lifetime of practice. This Charm supplements a Performance-based action, granting one automatic success and rerolling1s until 1s fail to appear. This Charm also makes the Exalt’s 1s unavailable to magic that might interfere with her performance.

6 successes

 

[D. Rex]

Lastly, Sherwood
May I make a read intentions on Dromond to get an idea if he was expecting us or not.

Or what his Intimacies might be in that regard?

 

[HumanPlus]

Twin Rivers Entwined reveled in victory. Deep underwater her massive form would circle the corpse of the beast and dash in to rip chunks of the beast's flesh with her sharp teeth, reddening the water around the two ships. The voice of the beast in her soul whispering that she was big, she'd need to eat, for who would know how many days would pass before her next meal. The part of her that was more rational let the animalistic urges play out some more. It felt good to be big and strong after all, it was not often enough that she got to wear this skin.

But such little joys must end before long, and her circle would likely have questions.

Beast sated, she transforms underwater. Rivers swims back up to the stern of the boat and climbs aboard. Dripping wet, she throws her discarded fur-lined cloak over her shoulders and walks barefooted towards her new Circle while wringing some of the water out of her long dark locks.

Some celebrates and the quiet one is no longer on deck. Yet what catches Rivers' eye is Maja in her distress with thick blood still dripping down her chin and hands, glowing with an inner light from natural essence filtered through her spirit.
Maja's friend with the name and look that suggests some relation to the central continent seems to be attempting to console her, but that is not what the girl needs. She has done nothing to be ashamed of.

Rivers steps right up to Maja and, with a finger, lifts the girl's chin so their eyes meet "You were the one who took the beast's life? I felt its spirit as it met its end, it was content with the struggle" She wipes some of the blood off Maja's face "I see you have honored it, that is good. Those are old ways, ingraved in our souls. You have reason to be proud"
She releases the girl and takes a step back before giving a nod in respect for her fellow Moon's Chosen, allowing her to digest the words.

Spoiler: OOC

I would like to roll an Inspire Emotion roll against Maja, trying to change her emotional state to pride rather than distress.
That's Charisma 3 + Presence 3 + 3 exellency
I also use Charismatic Lunar Trick to get double 9's and pulling on my tie of pride towards the Silver Pact and its ways to get two extra dice

Charismatic Lunar Trick
Cost: 4m; Mins: Charisma 2, Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Lunar conveys subtle nuances of emotion through vocal tenor and deft word choices. She doubles 9s on an inspire roll or to an instill roll to create, strengthen, or weaken an emotion-based Intimacy. If this influence upholds one of her own emotion-based Intimacies, she adds (Intimacy) bonus dice.

 

[Random Word]

Maja can't help but smile as Bard begins to play. The soul-stirring beauty of the music pulls her attention out of the pit of fear and into the world around her. She takes a deep breath and as she breathes out the tension melts out of her face and shoulders. "Alright, then. You get the oil and herbs and next time I'll share it with you." She does strangely take comfort from being reminded she is amongst friends and family, though only having met them hours and lifetimes ago. She blinks a few times, nonplussed. Where did that last part come from?

She has no time to contemplate that as Rivers' lifts her chin and her presence eclipses all other thought as Maja drinks in her affirming words eagerly. Pride swells from somewhere deep within her, and camaraderie, and joy, and her smile is like the full moon breaking through dark clouds. She licks the blood from her lips and fangs as she listens, and then before Rivers can step back she leans over and embraces her leg tightly. "Thank you," she whispers fiercely.

After several moments she realizes she's pressing a bloody cheek into Rivers' leg and pulls back abruptly, "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... here let me..." She tries vainly to wipe it away for a few moments before giving up, but this again draws her attention to the shining light around her. Well, if anyone knows the answer it must be Rivers. "Ummm... I have a strange question. I've figured out that no one can see these big fuzzy ears on top of my head," she runs her fingers along the soft fur, "And no one seems to notice I have fangs. I thought I was going crazy at first, but it must be some kind of magic to keep me safe. When I, um, changed like that, with the tails and bigger claws, could you see it? Can you see this glowing light around me, or is that hidden, too?"

+ Minor -> Major: Admiration (Rivers)
+ Minor: The Silver Pact and its Ways (Curiosity)

 

[D. Rex]

From soothing music, Bard had shifted his tune to something more adventurous. The kind of music he'd play in taverns when telling an epic.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." He said in with a light heart. A joke of course. For Bard was glowing too.

"The ways of the Moon, they escape me. But, many a tales of Anathema involve them being surrounded by a terrifying radiance as they draw on their dark powers."

"Basking in the unholy power of villainous gods they would shine with their illbegoten power. An evil glow that would form into the true monsters that resided in their hearts. The anima."

"This is not true, of course. The evil of it, anyway. We are simply different. The dynasts of dragon blood, their anima is that of fire, earth, wind, wood, and water. Ours is the glow of the sun and the moon. Should we continue to draw upon our power, the image that embodies our soul would indeed be revealed in our outward essence."

"This anima. Others can see it. And it is unmistakable. Great fortune it is then that the crew had fallen asleep."

"It will fade in time. Hopefully before they wake, otherwise we shall isolate ourselves until then. There are ways of mitigating it. Close your eyes and feel it. Just as the power swirls invisibly around us, it is also inside of us. By using what is inside, we can postpone the revelation of our divine nature."

"We must be very careful not to let our light shine. As you well know, there are a great many who would wish death on us for no other reason than we are who we are."

 

[jaydude]

"We must be very careful not to let our light shine. As you well know, there are a great many who would wish death on us for no other reason than we are who we are."

"You got that right." replied Kuaidao. "We lucked out that the kraken put all the mortals to sleep, and that Dromond's willing to forgive our...supernatural nature."

 

[HumanPlus]

Rivers pets Maja's head awkwardly as the girl hugs her leg, unused to spontaneous physical affections such as that. "Your ears are visible to all right now, they will whenever your Soul's Fire burns visibly. A little trick played on us by the Moon in days long gone by, as far as i heard. We of Luna's Chosen all have a secret mark that identifies us in any shape we take if one has a keen enough eye to discern it".

She nods in deference to Bard's wise words on the topic of Anima. Whereafter her eyes moves to Kuaidao and then Dromond "Speaking of supernatural natures. I could not avoid noticing the gleam of firelight from beneath the water". She waits a moment for words to sink in, and raises a questioning eyebrow

Spoiler: OOC

+Minor intimacy towards Maja of Protective Endearment

 

[Sherwood]

It takes a bit of work, but through the efforts of various people, you are able to smash the chest and the coin box enough to see what is inside them. First, the coin box has a goodly sized stack of jade coins of various denominations, enough there to make a Resources 2 purchase.

In the chest is a thick bolt of moldy cloth that has a sword and a reinforced buff jacket wrapped in it, both appearing to be in excellent condition that gleam a bright gold color in the firelight. It is quickly clear to you that these are not mundane gear, but these are both made from orichalcum!

Also inside the chest is what used to be a fine painting that has been ruined by the sea air, a silver tiara with a large gemstone set in it, and a finely carved wooden statue, roughly a eight inches tall, inlaid with precious metals.

There is also a false bottom to the chest that is visible now that it has been smashed. Inside the false bottom is a pair of smaller swords, also wrapped up in cloth. Instead of being made of orichalcum, these weapons are a silver metal that seems to shine alluringly in the light.


When Rivers asks Dromond about the flames she saw, he nods. "Aye. That was my sword, burning bright. It was a little memento of my time in the military that I was able to keep on me when I left. I was taught to fear the Exalts of the Sun and Moon, and for many years I did what I could to make Creation a safer place. One day, I was a part of a Wyld Hunt to kill a young Solar. He was so young, I started to ask some questions about what made this young boy something so evil that it took four Exalts to eliminate him. For the first time, I refused to do it, and my former comrades turned on me. I was barely able to escape with my own life."

He looks over at each of you in turn with a sad look on his face, then says, "I have been the captain of the Seagull for many years now, and in that time I have done what I can to try and redress the wrongs that I was a part of. That is how I have experience with Exalts of your kind. Now, if you will pardon me, I have a ship and crew to take care of."

 

[D. Rex]

Bard gave a little whistle at the haul that Spider had found. Plenty of currency and a sword and jacket fit for an exalt. As well as some bejeweled trinkets. He gave her a pat on the back. "Looks like you are rich now, eh?"



He turned back to hear Drommonds story. "Ah yes. I have witnessed a similar encounter, yet from the other side. It is good to know there are yet some Dynasts who havent yet lost their heart."


"If you excuse me. I am going to go check on the quite lad. To see how he is holding up." With that, Bard shouldered his instrument and made to the quarters to seek out Thallus Syvvaris




Sherwood Is the wood carving of anything specific or anything one might recognize?