Lasuri, Kareth, Kiana, Tageru and Zeru begin their strange journey toward the bowels of Rakatau, the fabled seventh island of Nevermoor.

The first thing the few brave Exalts that enter the Island's mouth discover about its interior is that it is, unsurprisingly, dark. Dark and damp, the scent of wet earth and seawater overwhelming the senses.

Though the interior earthen in nature, the entirety of the behemoth still seems to breathe. The walls and floors are partially porous, stretching and contracting to the faint but constant rhythm of a heart that pulses somewhere distantly ahead. Now and then the caverns tremble, sometimes a rhythmic vibration not unlike a purr, sometimes an unexpected sharp jolt like a cough or a hiccup. And sometimes there are sounds like sighs or groans, a gust of cool, displaced air taking on emotional significance depending on the listener's imagination.

The further the Alliance members travel from the mouth, the darker it gets. The throat cavern slopes downward, gently at first, then more steeply, requiring some care in order not to slide the rest of the way down. Bits of earth and stone dislodge as they maneuver the slippery slope, tumbling down with a final splash somewhere in the pitch black darkness.

---

OOC: Ok, those of you inside, let's roll! Dex or Wits+Athletics. You will have a -1 external penalty (subtracts successes) to this and all other rolls requiring sight because it's dark. That penalty becomes -2 in deeper darkness below unless you've got a light source.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:45, Mon 04 May 2009.

Lasuri, Kiana and Zeru manage to keep their balance, moving carefully down the slippery slope, hugging the curved walls where the footing is more steady while feeling their way down.

Kareth manages to move a couple steps into the deepening darkness only to trip and start tumbling head over heels down the behemoth's throat. Tageru, despite his Immaculate training, does not fare much better, though unlike Kareth at least manages to fall on his rump and slide down the mud rather than tumble down it.

The grumpy engineer is likely made that much grumpier by his fall, which ends in a loud SPLASH! that the others can hear from all the way up. Fortunately the Fire Aspect does not hurt himself; on the other hand he has landed into a body of cold, brackish water. The water is deep, and for the moment he manages to keep his head above water, but without any significant athletics training he won't be able to keep that up for long.

Tageru manages to catch himself on the edge of the water, getting his legs wet before pulling himself up. He's muddy and drenched, now, at least from the waist down, but fine.

The other Dragon-blooded continue to move at a more careful pace before reaching the bottom of the slope. All of them are now in what feels to be a large and very dark chamber. Without a light source it's hard to see where the exits are from here, though everyone can hear Kareth splashing around in the water. They can also hear the rhythmic thrum of Rakatau's heart, closer now, but not close enough that the source would be noticeable in the gloom.

---

OOC: Now roll Perception+Awareness to search around/get a better idea of the surroundings. You get a -2 external penalty as described above. However you might be able to counteract that penalty if you stunt using a sense other than sight to figure out the details. (This counts for any further Awareness rolls while you have no light to see by.)

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: I forgot till now to tell you what I meant about lighting. Basically, you could light up your anima a torch to light the way. The problem with Dragon-blooded animas is that when it's bright enough to see by, it also does elemental damage to everything around the Exalt. A bad idea, since you're inside a living behemoth! You feel, however, that an Earth-based anima would *not* hurt Rakatau and may even please it. So if you do decide to activate your anima for light, it costs 1 mote and it glows as if you're at the 8-10 mote peripheral display (but without actually spending that many motes). You might also want to explain that it'd be a bad idea for anyone else to try it :)]

It seemed that the careful and crafty hands of a engineer did not translate well into their feet, as Kareth went tumbling down the slope, with Cynis falling on his rear as well, though not tumbling as badly.  Kiana's ears were sharp, and though she could still see their faint outlines as the two of them lost their footing, she could more easily hear the grunts of both of the men as they lost ground.  That left Lasuri, Zeru and herself still standing.

The darkness that lied ahead would be dark indeed, and though Kiana trusted her senses to guide her through the elemental, she was not so sure of her companions.  Kiana had trained her senses dearly as she had grown up, both with her father, and after his death.  In these deep recesses, she felt very much at home in the darkness--how often had she wanted such shadows to sink into after Kiando had died?  How many times had she craved nothing but sweet, sweet darkness, to cover her whole and make her disappear?  Too many times to count, and so such a lack of light did not truly bother her.  It wasn't the same for the others, though, whose lives were not the same conglomerations of trials and mistakes, but different paths with equally winding roads.

But the little Earth Princess had a sudden burst of inspiration.

"I have an idea."  She said softly, the caverns they now traveled making her voice boom much more than it normally would.  "But I implore the four of you not to follow my lead.  Rakatau and I are of the same element, and so he might even enjoy what I'm about to do, but I will not displease him regardless.  Unfortunately, the rest of you are children of different dragons, and so he might not be so appreciative.  Hopefully I will be enough..."

Kiana brought her hands together in front of her, as if beginning a prayer.  In that single moment, white light erupted around her as her anima flared brilliantly.  Around the young girl there seemed to spawn myriad tiny diamonds which flowed around her like sand, casting strange glitters that bounced off of the nearby walls like tiny stars.  Around her feet the tiny diamonds seemed to almost rub against the solid stone, like Lucky Coral might well rub against Zeru when he returns to his ship--and one certainly gets the impression that the white-diamond aura would not be so kind to others, inanimate or otherwise.  She and Rakatau were cut from the same cloth, at least when considering their elemental background, and while that certainly made her life a wee bit awkward when at sea, at least for now she was in her own element, and certainly proving to be a valuable asset for it.

Struggling to remain to his feet, it is all Lasuri can do not to fall on his rump - even though he is a seasoned captain and has been a sailor now for well over a decade, this situation is a completely different can of worms.

Once or twice, the Captain has to lean on one side and extend his arms, his shaky balance in jeopardy lest he flaps his arms and shift his gravity enough to restore his equilibrium. So far so good, however, and despite the few close calls, he seems to manage to stay upright and in control.

He winces a couple times as he hears the sound of Kareth and Tageru (audible by their grunts) fumbling and slipping, and is careful not to let the sound of their falling distract him, lest he joins them in their tumbling. He instead tries to focus on the feel and the slickness of the water, trying to keep himself locked on it to keep his concentration and balance.

After what seems to be a long and tedious way down (although Lasuri is grateful he did not take the quick way down, Kiana lights up the way for them, and the captain shields his eyes momentarily at the sudden flash. Once his eyes adjust to the blaze, he steps carefully to Kareth and Tageru's location, extending a gloved hand to the both of them. "Good thinking, Kiana - Rakatau ought to be able to take that much. Man, our new ally's got a big mouth." The captain shakes his head, then turns his attention to his fallen comrades.

"You okay? that was a quick ride, though probably a bit more dangerous than ours."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:43, Mon 04 May 2009.

Zeru was used to balancing, while untrained sailors have a hard time balancing on the deck of a ship, even seasoned veterans have a very difficult time balancing in the rigging or on the mast. He uses his expertise to compensate for whatever movements Rakatau may make, even still he nearly falls but another sudden shift manages to realign him.

Once he reaches the bottom he finds that he is not going to have a good time seeing down here. He can of course hear Kareth and Tageru splashing in their mistake, but he's very used to using his eyes, and this darkness may get the better of him. He blinks a couple of times and tries to adjust his eyes.

[Private to Storyteller: 20:49, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 4 successes using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,10,4,10. Perception+Awareness. ]

Tageru struggles to pull himself up, onto a safe surface and away from the muddy water. "Great! Just great!", he mutters to himself as mud and water drip from his feet. He looks at Kiana as the light from her anima banner envelops her, and then down below, to where Kareth fell. "Are you alright down there? Do you need help?"

The light from Kiana's anima is enough to push back the oppressive darkness and allow the Dragon-blooded to see better. The various groans, sighs and other air-displacements that emanate from the great beast seem to reconcile themselves into a much more content thrumming purr.

Rakatau is apparently approving of the touch of Earth Essence Kiana gives off.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to have any bearing on poor Kareth's fate. The splashing seems to have stopped... but the engineer is nowhere to be found. Has he been sucked deeper into the water? Ripples in the water seem to suggest something of the sort.

Now that the group can see what's around them, they appear to be in a large, damp, natural earthen chamber. The cavern is like a gigantic ovoid shape, textured on the ceiling with stalactites dripping with water that leaks onto the lake below that covers the majority of the floor space. Narrow banks around the lake provide a method of crossing to the other side, skirting the walls -- though it looks like it might be slippery, so being confident in one's swimming is a must.

As for exits, there appears to be two paths leading in opposite directions from the base of the throat canal. The left hand winds upslope into a drier tunnel, and does not require approaching the lake to get to. The right hand path dips downward, partially submerged at the point where it diverts through the wall.

Across the lake (directly opposite of the throat) there's more dark space, hard to see from here even with the anima glow. There may well be other paths from further down there, and the behemoth's heartbeat sounds stronger from that direction.

---

OOC: Waived the need for more perception roll since there is now LIGHT! :) As for swimming, if you have a Strength+Athletics total of 7 you'll make it across without a roll. Otherwise you just need a 1 sux. If you try to cross without swimming, it'll be a Dex or Wits+Ath diff 2.

edit - Coincidentally, I've been told Kareth will be able to post again! But do feel free to freak out and look for him if that's what you'd do. ;)
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:42, Tue 05 May 2009.

"KARETH!", Tageru shouts once more, when the splashing and the bubbles stopped. "We have to look for him!" , he says, and looks to his friends "He could be drowning!"
He looks down one more time and then climbs up to stand on the edge. "I'm going in after him!", he says and prepares to jump. "If someone wants to help, there's no time to waste! I'm not sure how much breath our engineer's got left and I don't want to wait to find out!"

"Completely agreed, Mister Tageru." Lasuri says, nodding to the monk. "We'll go together. I can assist, since swimming's one of my strong suits." He nods, smiling at the monk for a moment. "I've got your back, so let's focus on catching up with Mister Kareth."

"Miss Kiana! Mister Zeru! This could very well be a trap, so you two stay on guard. If we don't come back in a timely fashion, that likely means there's some sort of trap in there, so don't fall for it. I'll leave the exact course of action to you, of course - do stay safe."

And with that, Lasuri nods to Tageru one more time, and then prepares to take the plunge.

Tageru takes a deep breath, nods to Lasuri, straps the bow more firmly on his back and dives into the dark water where he heard the grumpy engineer's last splash.
'I hate diving! I hated it on the Isle, on the Lillyleaf Lake at home, I hate it still! Why in Sextes Jylis name did I go? I can't even swim that well!', he thinks while searching for the lost Fire Aspect. A soft green glow appears around him, just so that he can be seen in the muddy water, but not enough to hurt the titanic beast in whose belly they were right now...
[Private to Storyteller: <lameDnDreference> roll Search </lameDnDreference>]

Lasuri and Tageru plunge in. The brackish water is a cold shock to the senses, and from the grime and salt content it would be a very bad idea to swallow any of it.

When Tageru activates his anima to light the way, there is a slight moaning rumble that Kiana and Zeru also feel, but nothing else happens. They might notice a few small, tentative sprouts of green beginning to form at their feet, stirred by the presence of Wood energy.

The area underwater is now lit in green light. The bottom is much further down than they might have originally expected -- about 30 yards down -- though they can see sea life lurking in the gloom. Mostly bottom feeding fish, turgid sea cucumbers, sponges clinging to the bottom floor. Sea grasses, too, which stretch yearningly toward Tageru's Essence, almost seeming to lengthen as they pass. Sea moss that glows in hues of blue and green, intensified by the verdant light.

Swimming is not easy. As soon as they descend about ten yards they start to feel a sucking sensation pulling them toward one of the walls (the right hand wall if oriented facing opposite the throat). There's a large underwater tunnel there, as wide as three grown men, at least, flexing like a valve of living earth to pull debris... or in this case people... into it.

Meanwhile:

Kareth is being flushed (no other way to say it!) down an underwater tunnel dragging him toward an unknown destination. He can attempt to swim against the current, or just hold his breath and wait to see where this tunnel will take him.

---

OOC: Swim rolls! these are tougher since there's something to swim against. I know the book says Stam+Res but that's only for long term swimming (we'll get to that if you end up being down long enough to need to breathe :P)

Str+Ath diff 2 for Lasuri and Tageru if they want to avoid getting sucked in...
Str+Ath diff 3 for Kareth to swim against the current.

Swimmers are at -2 for being underwater unless you're aquatic in nature *hint*.

Kareth was never much of an Athlete.  In fact, considering he was a Child of Hesiesh, Kareth had remarkably little physical ability.  As such he found himself at the mercy of the current and could only attempt to flail hopelessly as he was pushed further downstream.

[Private to GM: I have no Athletics pool. So my Str + Ath pool is 2.  Factor in the -2 penalty and I've got no dice. :p  Poor Kareth. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:47, Wed 06 May 2009.

"Sir..." Kiana said, watching as Cynis and the Captain both dove into the water.  Kiana, for her part, had absolutely no intention of diving in after Isole.  She cared about the engineer as a fellow member of the Cobalt Alliance, but she was not the best of swimmers.  She could manage in calm enough waters, she guessed, but being both of the Earth and being raised mostly on land, she had never been much of a swimmer.

She didn't like the idea of being separated, not by any means.  It divided their usefulness in combat, AND while being apart, they had no real way of communicating.  She didn't want to leave any of them here after the chalice was found, and she didn't like the idea of being left behind if it was them who found the chalice instead of them.  Granted, she didn't think the captain would leave them, but the thought was still haunting.

She turned to Zeru, half expecting him to jump in as well.  "Shall we wait here until they return, Captain?"  He was, after all, a captain, though not her own.  Though it felt somewhat odd to call someone so young 'captain', she supposed it would be the same for others to refer to her as 'Head of Defense'.

Zeru nods at Lasuri as he dives in. "You got it Captain." Zeru hated to be left out, but leaving just one person alone would be a horrible idea. So he easily acquiesced.

He stared at the dark water lost in his own thoughts for a moment until Kiana asked him what to do. She referred to him as captain, which sent a shiver up his spine, he was still not used to that. "Please call me Zeru, I hate formal titles..." He shuddered again. "But yes if the Captain and Tageru can get our dour friend out of the water this is where they will be expecting us."

Kareth feels another surge of pressure as the living earth tunnel contracts, and squeezes him out of another opening into a much larger body of water. POP!

He emerges into another half-submerged cavern. From underwater he can see some unknown luminescent blue light source glowing from above, illuminating a welcome sight: the surface of the water. There are scattered glowing patches of algae clinging to rock and earth formations underwater, and even lanternfish circling in the darker gloom beneath.

There are also shapes moving up there, on the bank. But it's hard for Kareth to tell while beneath the surface what they are.

Back near the throat of the cavern, Kiana and Zeru continue to wait. Looking at the surface of the water they notice the water level sinking slightly, subsequently uncovering more of the partially submerged right-hand tunnel.

[Private to Lasuri Leomaris; Cynis Tageru: I'll determine your swimming roll / action if there's not a post by tonight, or very early morning tomorrow if you prefer (I sleep late!), just to keep things moving.]

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: if the others end up on the other side for too long, I'll come up with something for you two to do. :)]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:51, Wed 06 May 2009.

Almost immediately after diving in, Lasuri closes his eyes, and for a moment does not even seem to work against the current. He seems to let himself get carried by the upwards current, his limbs hanging in the currents around him. He almost seems at peace in that instance, slowly carried away by the waters that borne him.

And then, after a moment, he opens his eyes once more while black luminescence surrounds him. The light coils about his form, taking on the shape of a sea serpent, a scaled leviathan that seems to roll about the captain protectively. The creature opens his mercurial mouth, and with that, Lasuri moves once more.

And when he does, he does not seem to be struggling against his environment any longer. It is as if he is a part of it, a native element of this place as he swims towards the direction Kareth was pulled.

Almost at peace, Lasuri himself seems to almost be the water, rushing towards the fallen engineer like a strong undertow.

[Private to Storyteller: Activating anima and swimming through.]

Kareth, for his part, was not at home in the watery passageway and was glad to be able to swim up towards the light.  He didn't know how long he could hold his breath but he didn't care to find out.  He made it a point to spend some time meditating on his elemental heritage later.  After all, who had ever heard of a Child of Hesiesh who couldn't swim against a simple current.

Wreathed in his anima, Lasuri is a natural in the water, leading the way as he swims through the opening that likely sucked Kareth through. Moving with the direction of the water flow makes his advance through the tunnel all the easier, as he kicks strongly toward the other side.

Tageru, amazingly enough -- perhaps inspired by his honest desire to help a teammate -- manages to follow the Water Aspect's lead without falling behind or losing control to the suction. He could also, if he wishes, swim against the current with the burst of speed and strength he's putting on right now. But should he follow onward...

They pop out on the opposite side, into the adjacent submerged chamber lit up by blue-glowing moss and lichen, and see the figure of Kareth swimming with newfound determination toward the surface, and air. Above water, the rounded natural earth ceiling peaks at about 10 feet above the swimmers' heads. Kareth (and Lasuri and Tageru, once they join him) sees the glowing lichen clinging to the bank and creeping up the walls of the entire cavern, giving off enough light to see by.

There are other things glittering among the lichen, as well. Artifacts of various size and shape litter the bank, attended to by a trio of rough-featured humanoid figures, earth-hued (or perhaps made from earth itself) with rusty iron teeth and whiplike iron-tipped tails. Two of them carry armfuls of minor artifacts, while the third appears to reaching for another pile. Apparently they are transporting the artifacts to a different area, through another tunnel perpendicular to the underwater one. This second tunnel is moist rather than submerged, as it is above the water level.

The creatures freeze when Kareth breaks the water's surface, staring at him with dark orbs for eyes, though they do not seem to be hostile as much as startled.

---

OOC: Int+Occult if you want to figure what these things are. Also let me know if you will examine the artifacts so I can give some detail there. It will be harder to swim back the way you came, too, so you may want to just proceed in the heart-direction (which happens to be the same way that above-water tunnel goes) and hope you can detour back to where Kiana and Zeru are.

Kiana and Zeru continue to wait. It hasn't been terribly long yet, maybe a minute or two. Kiana's light continues to soothe the island behemoth, and she and Zeru feel a slow, constant thrum in the vicinity that feels very much like a purr.

Eventually, the edge of the light Kiana's anima sheds shines light on some activity coming their way from across the large body of water they stand near.

It seems to be... a boat? A rowboat, to be exact, large enough to hold four people, and being rowed by figures that look humanoid... but not quite. For one thing, they have tails. And it's very unlikely anything truly human could survive and subsist inside a living island's cavity, especially once it dives into the deep ocean.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: you can also roll Int+Occult if you want]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:17, Fri 08 May 2009.

"They are Earth Elementals of some kind..." Kiana said quietly to Zeru.  It made sense that Rakatau would have servants, colossus that he was, but it was still somewhat unexpected.  The thought of sitting in a boat inside of the giant beast was surreal at best--but considering that they had just lost more than half of their team in the first few minutes of entering Rakatau...well, she was certainly at a loss.

"I think they're coming with kind intentions..." She continued, her voice softly emanating off of the earthen walls, making her voice a good bit deeper than it normally was.  Kiana bent down while she waited for the small rowboat to make its way toward them, and gently placed her palms at her feet.  This was for no other purpose other than to give more of her aura to Rakatau.  It was the purr most of all that made her do this--just like petting a cat more after hearing the purr, she didn't see the harm in giving the Seven Day Isle more comfort, given it was surely in pain thanks to the Lintha artifact.

Despite Kiana's explanation Zeru was still uneasy. It showed in his manner, he was restless, anxious. She might think that they were there for kind intentions but this was not his element, this was definitely not his element. He didn't draw his weapon, that would be considered rude, but then again he was never quite far from it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:07, Fri 08 May 2009.

In the large cavern:

The boat continues to approach on the surface of the water, while Rakatau continues to tremble appreciatively under Kiana's hands. Attracted by the heightened glow of Earth Essence, the elementals appear to be rowing with greater speed.

Soon the boat is close enough for the light to make out the elementals' features. They are humanoid beings shaped out of earth and metal, with rusty iron teeth and an iron tipped tail. They carry weapons (axes and swords) but do not wield them, rather using the oars with which they continue to navigate their rowboat toward Zeru and Kiana's position.

When the boat bumps gently onto the throat-side bank, one of the two speaks a sentence in Old Realm. Its voice is a pleasant bass rumble. The other gestures silently to the boat. [Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: if you can understand Old Realm language, it is saying, "We will take you heart-ward, esteemed guests of the Great Island." Basically, across the water in the direction of the heart-chamber. If you DON'T know Old Realm, then make an Int+Linguistics roll, at difficulty 3 you'll still understand since it's just a single sentence.]

In the adjacent cavern:

Kareth and Tageru are also certain that the creatures they're looking at on the bank are Earth Elementals. They're likely there as Rakatau's servants and interior guard; that means that whatever corruption the Chalice of Kimbery has, it isn't something the elementals can deal with without outside aid. [Private to Cynis Tageru: You got a higher roll so you know they're jokun. They're usually employed as elemental bodyguards, and hold to a certain ethic of honor. They converge near valuable luminous lichen (which is likely what you're seeing around you) and sing in sonorous bass voices. If you have Book of Sorcery IV, you would *not* know of any of their special attacks or powers.]

Fortunately the elementals do not stare at the new arrivals on the water's surface for long. They continue with their task of moving artifacts toward the direction of the behemoth's heart. When they leave, a handful of others replace them and continue gathering various items of power. [Private to Cynis Targeru; Isole Kareth; Lasuri Leomaris: Most of these are anywhere from Artifact 1 to 3 in power. Nearly anything of that level you might find in any Exalted book could be in this hoard (90% of it jade or non-magical material). You'll also remember that Rakatau said to only take up to 5 artifacts from its treasures, besides the Chalice itself.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:27, Fri 08 May 2009.

Stepping out of the water, Lasuri immediately moves to Kareth's side, making certain the engineer is okay. "Mister Kareth." He says, letting out a long breath. "Good to see you again here. That was quite the deep dive, I myself am not sure if I would have attempted it." He gazes back for a moment, making certain Tageru can make it as well, and nods when the monk does. "Looks like we've got everybody. And look at this place... Rakatau has a treasure trove inside his belly. Safest place to put anything, I suppose."

The Captain does pause at the view of the creatures, however, taking on a more ready stance at their sight. Seeing that his companions are observing the things intently, he raises an eyebrow in his direction. "So uh... should I be worried about these fellows? Anything you might want to tell me?"

Kareth's eyes were immediately drawn to the elementals and studied them for a moment as he dog paddled towards shallower water.  As the Lasuri appeared by his side, Kareth slilently coughted and then glared at the captain.  With his black hair matted down and his cloak soaked, he looked very unhappy but not increadably menacing.  "It's not as though I wanted to go swimming," he grumbled.  Kareth was obviously not happy to be here.  He did however, turn his attention towards addressing the captain's questions, "They're Earth Elementals.  That much is certain.  Probably servants of Rakatau.  They likely rank far below him in the local Elemental Court.  They don't appear hostile and we are supposed to have permission to take some items from that hored."  Kareth's doubt as to the status of their welcome is in his voice but he had already voiced his oppinion to the captain.  How they proceeded was up to him.

[Private to GM: Yesterday: Isole Kareth rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,8,1,2,9,2. Int + Occult.  I don't know if this gives me anything else on the elementals or even if it's important.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:36, Fri 08 May 2009.

Standing from up, Kiana stopped her petting of the island (because, lets be honest, that was essentially what the Earth Elementalist was doing) and offered a deep bow to the servants of Rakatau.  Her education on the Crimson Isle had deemed several different languages important to study, and Old Realm had in fact been one of them.  Imagine her surprise to hear the old language spoken within the stone passageways of this great beast, though!

"They want to take us to the Heart-Chamber."  She said to Zeru, apparently oblivious if he in fact knew old realm or not--but given that he was outside of his element right now, she thought it was best to assume he didn't.  He didn't seem the type to take offense at such liberties, and if she was mistaken, she would be quick to apologize.

"Thank you very much for your kindness."  She said to the servants, her Old-Realm a bit rusty from neglect on her part, but the words began flooding back quickly.  "We would be ever eager to accept your offer, but I'm afraid three of our numbers have vanished beneath these waters..."  She considered that they have, in fact, drowned, but she quickly shook the thought from her mind.  Tageru was more than capable of swimming to great extents, and the Captain was a water aspect, so the odds of him drowning were very, very slim.  Kareth might well be in danger, but with the other two chasing after him, the odds would have certainly been in his favor.  That left only one real conclusion as to why they hadn't returned, did it?

"...are there channels beneath these waves, noble sentinels of Rakatau?  And if so, where do they lead?  We want desperately to help the Great Isle, but are loathe to leave without knowing the fate of our own."

Then she turned and quickly told Zeru what it was she had just said, in case he was left completely in the dark.  The look on her face was slightly inquisitive, though, asking through facial expression alone if he understood what was happening, or if he was as lost as Kiana thought.  She knew he must have a dynamic array of skills to be a captain, but assuming what those skills were, lingual or otherwise, would be foolish on her part.

In the large cavern:

The elemental that first spoke bares its rather sharp looking rusty teeth at Kiana in a grimace, which looks vaguely threatening until she realizes it is pleased to understand her. "You are very welcome, princess of the Earth," it returns in Old Realm. Both bow stiffly but respectfully in the human way.

At Kiana's worried inquiry, the earth creatures pause to consider, frozen in place in their respective positions on the rowboat, their obsidian eyes staring into the distance. The second elemental speaks after a time, once their consciousness has returned to their materialized form. "Your three comrades have emerged safely in one of the collection caverns. We will have our brothers guide them toward the same direction we take you."

Both elementals once again gesture to the rowboat. Now that Kiana's light shines clearly upon the small vessel, both she and Zeru can see glittering items strewn along the inside of the boat: handfuls of small, minor artifacts (Artifact 1-2, mostly jewelry-like and hand-held items) and uncut gemstones (worth Resources 2-4 each), discarded so carelessly there that one gets the impression there must be even greater riches and items of power ahead. There is still more than enough space remaining for two passengers to be ferried across the interior lake.

In the adjacent cavern:

Two of the humanoid, vaguely lizard-like earth elementals suddenly pause in their artifact gathering, and once again focus their attention on Lasuri, Kareth and Tageru. This time, they beckon to the trio of Dragon-blooded, one of the pair addressing them in Old Realm rather than Seatongue. "If you are lost, we will bring you heart-ward. The Earth Princess is concerned about you."

They stop and wait, clearly expecting some form of response or acknowledgment. [Private to Cynis Tageru; Isole Kareth; Lasuri Leomaris: If none of you know Old Realm I'm willing to let you roll Int+Linguistics diff 3 to understand the gist of what they're saying, since it's only a couple short sentences.]

[Private to Isole Kareth: I'd already counted your lore roll, unless that's a new one. 2 successes was enough to let you know it's some form of earth elemental and deduce that it is likely a low level servant of Rakatau. If you want another shot to figure out more I'm willing to let you make a second Int+Lore roll at -1 external penalty, since you did have occult training in Lookshy.]

"These are Jokun, the honor guards of the behemoth Rakatau. They want us to go with them", the monk says, "but where exactly, I am not sure. They mention the heart, so I guess that's where they'll be taking us. They also mention some Earth-Princess, and it would appear she knows we're here." Tageru adds, and starts swimming slowly to the "shore". "No point in staying in the water, whatever happens, we should get out and see where we are and what we can do about it."

(All of this is assuming Kiana Translates)

"Let's go find them then." Zeru says anxiously, "These guys have been nothing if not cordial, and they say they're gonna bring the captain and the others there, so I don't see a problem with it."

Kareth glares at the monk and then speaks in Sea Tongue.  "Yes getting out of the water would be ideal."  As he gets up and makes ready to follow the elemental, he asks a question to their escorts, "The Earth Princess to which you refer, is she the one who entered with us?"  While he was speaking, Kareth continued to study the elementals.  He was wary of deception by the behemoth, either intentional or caused by the demonic artifact corrupting it.

[Private to GM:
Today: Isole Kareth rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,10,6,2,9. Int + Occult. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 10 May 2009.

Lasuri pauses and relaxes his stance, watching in amazement as the creatures not only do not display any hostile intentions, but end up communicating with them as well. "Well look at that, Rakatau's got a whole community of helpers living inside him. That's pretty convenient, I have to say. Sorry I seemed hostile for a bit there, mates - just wasn't sure what I had to expect what with your master's talk of demon artifacts and all that." He lowers his head apologetically, then looks in puzzlement as the elementals speak of the 'Earth Princess'.

"I wonder if they mean Miss Kiana - they're right, we shouldn't stay split up too long in there. Before we go though - remember that Rakatau gave us a limited right to get some Artifacts from his vaults? See anything you want in here, before we move out? I don't have much of an eye as to what these things do myself, so it'll have to rely on your counsel."

Kareth looked back at the Captain.  "There's a lot of artifacts there, Captain.  Some are as mundane as Armor.  Others have a wide variety of powers.  It would, perhaps be easier if you told me what it is that you desired and I might see if I can find any devices which fit that description."

In the large cavern:

Once Kiana and Zeru climb aboard, the two elementals proceed to row them across to the other side of the interior lake with slow, strong, coordinated strokes. Both of them sing a rowing rhythm in baritone as they go along, their voices harmonizing skillfully. The lyrics are in Old Realm, a rousing praise of the steady, unceasing rhythm of Rakatau's ancient heart. Their voices fill the vastness of the cavern, the acoustics amplifying their voices larger than life, and the behemoth is further pleased.

Kiana serves as a living Essence torch, keeping back the darkness and illuminating the approaching shore. She and Zeru can see that the earth from that point on is not all moist and soft. Rock formations give texture and hardness to the surface, here and then encrusted with living crystal that reacts to proximity of Earth essence, giving off a soft ivory glow. Three large tunnels extend out from the far end of the cavern, and the thrum of the behemoth's heartbeats are ever stronger; one can start to hear a rushing sound between the heartbeats, which rather than sounding liquid, sound very much like sand through a hourglass or grains of earth poured through a sieve. [Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: Hope you don't mind me moving you across already. You do still have a chance to examine the minor artifacts and gemstones strewn inside the rowboat if you want.]

In the adjacent cavern:

"Yes, she and the Chosen of Danaa'd with her, they both came with you," the elemental being addressed by Kareth replies, still speaking Old Realm. Fortunately it appears all three of the Dragon-blooded in the collection cavern are proficient enough in that language to carry a conversation. "The Earth Princess has shown the Great One kindness. Both will be brought heart-ward across the water and you may meet them there if you come with us."

They do not hurry, though; earth elementals are rarely inclined to hurry. They simply wait for the Terrestrials to be done or sifting through the artifacts if they choose to, and decide how to proceed. Lasuri, Kareth and Tageru start to hear the distant sound of baritone singing, resonating from the direction of the larger cavern they were flushed from, and the pair of jokun start to hum along.

[Private to Isole Kareth: It's pretty much as Tageru said, the earth elementals are jokun. They're usually employed as elemental bodyguards, and hold to a certain ethic of honor. They converge near valuable luminous lichen (which is likely what you're seeing around you) and sing in sonorous bass voices. If you have Book of Sorcery IV, you would *not* know of any of their special attacks or powers, such as their ability to disintegrate to escape, their poison bite or their gaze that bestows heat resistance.]

Though Kiana was certainly curious of the artifacts in the rowboat, she was unusually chaste when it came to the use of such things.  Part of her Father's method of the Earth Dragon style was the abandoning of the giant club, so that there was no real need for anything other than the martial artist, and their desire to protect, or in some cases, destroy.  So while she certainly enjoyed their beauty (especially in the light of her aura) they gained little more than simple admiration for their beauty, as opposed to interest in their function.

She listened to the song, and enjoyed how it sounded reverberating off of the deep caverns and canyons of the great Earth Spirit.  It was so surreal--one moment she was surrounded by nothing but water, possibly one of the most opposite of elements to her own...and now she was surrounded by one of the largest representations of Earth in the celestial court, if only in sheer size.  And while others might be uncomfortable with the thought that they were enclose in this giant stone beast, who was in turn surrounded by leagues of water, Kiana found it strangely comforting.  Here, she felt like she was among friends, even if the honor guard of Rakatau looked a little malicious at first glance.

Leaning over the side of the boat, Kiana almost gasped as she saw herself in the wavering lines of the reflective surface.  She had never seen herself with her aura burning so brightly (understandably so, as mirror tended to shatter when such power was invoked) and was taken aback by the beauty of the dust-like diamond sheen that flowed around her.  That, too, and her hair was now just covering the nape of her neck...her gift to Rakatau.  And the giant had showed, and to be true to her word, Kiana vowed to never grow it out again.  She didn't lament the sacrifice, and instead chose to favor it.  Her hair was a small price to pay for stopping the Lintha...and besides, long hair was a trait most commonly found in the Realm, and to that same point, in the Crimson Isles.  She was a different person now, and each day proved this realization more and more.  Action after action, choice after choice, she was following a path that had already found her several allies in the Cobalt Alliance...and with luck, that same path would lead her to the strength she would need to defeat her mother, and take up the mantle of her father.

These thoughts and more were the simple result of her mirror image in the waters, and to break the trance she found herself dipping her first finger in the surprisingly cold waters, causing a single ripple behind the boat as they went.  The rocks beneath glowed more intently with the sudden invasion of her golden-white digit, sending brilliant shadows along the darkest bottom of the rocks below.

"The song is very beautiful, and your voices favor it well.  This is a very spiritual place."  She said.  It sounded almost like a question, but the low murmur of her voice almost sounded more like a statement.

Zeru was still anxious but the treasures that surrounded him were more than enough to take his mind off his fears. He had been raised a Pirate and as such the thought of treasure brought a smile to his face, just as it had to the Marlena. True to his word he examines the jewels looking for any of particularly dark beauty, he wishes to find a match for the beauty of his lady, the guardian of his home.

His fingers unconsciously brush the feather in his breast pocket and he takes it out to examine it once more, this time in the glowing light of Kiana's anima. The song rings around him and for the first time since he entered the mouth of this giant beast he feels at ease.

"Hmm. Well, I have to admit I don't feel particularly greedy, Mister Kareth. Besides, we're limited to five items plus the chalice itself, so I'd rather you people pick what you want, and then I'll pick up something when that's done with, if there's any spaces left." With that, Lasuri nods, looking over to Kareth and Tageru.

"So pick what you might immediately want, and then we should try to follow our friendly hosts to where Miss Kiana and Mister Zeru are. I'd rather we don't stay separated too long in here... We never know what we might find out, and not knowing where your teammates are in that kind of situation can make it pretty messy."

The Captain nods, then peers at the stone creatures. "It'll be just a moment."

Kareth browses the artifacts in the hored.  It was truly an impressive collection for one being to have at its disposal.  However, something caught his eye and it kept going back to it.  A length of rope roughly 2 feet long which was made from strands of all six colors of jade.  "Well since we're dealing with a demon artifact and we don't have a sorcerer among us, it's better to error on the side of caution.  This might be useful," Kareth says out loud.  "This WILL be useful," he thinks to himself

"You're right, you know. Never know when you're going to need rope. Saved my hide more than once, I can say that much." Lasuri nods in approval, but then stops himself, his brow furrowing as he finally seems to catch something in what Kareth said.

"... Wait. That's not just rope, is it?" He says, leaning over to check out the rope more carefully. "Well, in that case, I'll trust your judgment, if you say this might be useful to have around." He says, his comment much more cautious now his overenthusiastic answer failed to cover his complete lack of knowledge regarding the items piled up in the room.

Across the shore:

The elementals merely bow their heads humbly at Kiana's comment, unwilling to break the rhythm of the song just yet. Echoes of their strident voices come from all around, resonating from distant rooms, where their brothers raise their voices to join in the sonorous paean.

There is something inherently ceremonial about the lake crossing, for the heart sanctum is itself deeply sacred to the jokun. It is a source of power, of warmth, of comfort, a rallying point at which they feel united with one another, intimately close to their source element. They are inviting the Cobalt Alliance into their sanctum, and at the very same time, the chamber where Rakatau is most vulnerable. There is no greater sign of trust the behemoth could possibly offer the Terrestrial Exalted that will be its champions against the demon taint.

By the time the rowboat reaches the opposite shore, Kiana and Zeru have a strong appreciation of just how vast Rakatau really is -- and they've not even traveled a fifth of its length. Before disembarking, Zeru has a chance to examine the gems scattered at the bottom of the boat. The one that most catches his eye is over half the size of his fist, and of a deep crimson color like that of fresh blood, yet with the eye-catching luster of a ruby. He does remember that Marlena had requested something red this time.

The collection room:

When Kareth snatches up the multicolored cord, the pair of jokun watch him raptly until it appears the Fire Aspect has decided on taking it. Seeing that no one else wishes any of the artifacts in that particular room, they start to nudge Lasuri, Kareth and Tageru toward the next one.

A short tunnel that ramps upward leads to a still larger, and fortunately dry room. It appears to be a cavern dug purposefully above the water level to keep the artifacts in a dry place. The pile at the center of this room is even more impressive than the ones scattered on the banks of the body of water further throat-ward. Collected in particular in this area are artifacts that are mainly weapons, armor, bracers and boots, most of jade, but some even consisting of materials only the Anathema could use effectively: a moonsilver grimscythe, a full suit of orichalcum reinforced plate. Others appear to lack a specific magical material, but include advanced components built with High First Age technology that could hardly be reproduced today, such as the shield bracers from a sentinel defense force armor.

There are several more jokun in this area, doting over piles of jade daiklaves, grimcleavers, skycutters, razor claws and so on. They appear quite fond of the weapon artifacts, especially the swords, which they polish and sharpen over and over and over with obsessive glee as they continue to hum along to the sound of the distant baritone song.

Three tunnels lead out from this room, one going back to the damp room Kareth got flushed into, another sloping downward in a diagonal direction, and yet another sloping upward straight ahead. Again the elementals wait, in case the Dragon-blooded might be interested in any of the treasures here. (Artifact 1-3 weapons/armor, including magitech items).

As they walk to the adjacent chamber, Kareth explains his selection to the Captain who knows nothing about it, "It's called a Sorcery-Capturing Cord.  If I use it I should be able to capture and store up to 3 spells in it as long as I was part of the original target.  If one has the ability to cast spells of the correct cicle, then one may release the captured spells as though they cast them.  Since we don't have a sorcerer among our number, this might be an effective substitue for countermagic if this alleged artifact or cancer has the ability to create such an effect."

"Oh, I see now. I think I've heard miss Thornbloom talk about these things before, now that you mention it that way. That would sure come in handy, so that's a good selection." He nods, not necessarily understanding how exactly the cord works, but more than capable of grasping the theory behind it. Being able to capture the enemy's weapon when they use it against you is a powerful ability, and Lasuri can only appreciate such a use all the more now that Kareth has explained its function.

When prompted, the Captain follows the Jokun into the new room, and lets out a short, appreciative whistle when he peers around. "Dragons, have a look at that. It seems that our lord Rakatau has swallowed a ton of objects of power over time - I'm sure some of this gear is ancient, even. I wonder if he's done it on purpose, too? Earth elementals have an appreciation for crafting, right? He might not like people misusing these things if he catches sight of it."

Lasuri nods once more, then tilts his head to one side. "Anything you might want in here, Mister Tageru? If now, we should go meet up with the others soon. Looking at all these things might be tempting, but we're still in a potentially dangerous position as long as we haven't spotted the artifact and we're still separated."

Zeru examines the blood colored Ruby with interest. He looks up at Kiana, "Can you tell them that this is my choice from what Rakatau has offered us." He gives a small smile, but waits for his message to be relayed, he would not want to be accused of stealing while still inside the behemoth.

She gave Zeru a small smile and nodded.  She had not expected him to pick a gem as his choice of the horde Rakatau carried within him...but then again, Kiana didn't know so much about Zeru, did she?  He was a curious person thus far.  He was a Captain, and yet he didn't like being called such.  He seemed to be young to have such a position as well, especially consider how powerful his ship was.  That much told her that he was formidable, though in what way she wasn't sure.

"Your liege, Rakatau, has promised us a pick of five artifacts within his sacred depths.  My companion, Captain Peleps Zeru of the Marlena, has chosen this ruby as his gift."  She was sure that they knew this, as they knew to expect them, so Rakatau would no doubt inform them of the crew's pure intentions, and their reward for their previous offerings.

"No, Captain", Tageru answers "I haven't found anything here that I would take. Weapons don't interest me as much as some other things would. I am already a skilled warrior, and a true warrior's power comes not from his weapons, but from his skills and his heart." the monk adds and smiles as he looks at the weapons stash on the shore. "Let us go! We should reunite with our teammates as soon as possible!"

"Well for those of us who fancy ourselves scholars, our power definately comes from our weapons," Kareth says dryly as he waits for their guides to lead them onwards.  "If you don't mind me asking, Master Tageru, if it's not weapons and armor that would please you, what is it that you desire?"

"Something that would help me do something I'm not already very good at." Tageru adds with a smile. "Something that would help me be more useful in a more diverse set of situations. Besides, I already have a good armor, and my bow serves me just well. There is no need for me to make such a choice for the one artifact I can take, when there could be something much more useful later. Something that would help me heal people, or breathe and move under water, or fly or maybe even... there are millions of choices, and each one better for me and our group than simply a pair of bracers or a new bow."

He looks at the engineer and speaks "And, believe me, Kareth, your weapons may help you channel your power, but it comes from you and your Exaltation and your willpower, not those pieces of Jade, no matter how skillfully crafted and shaped. They are useful, yes, but without a true warrior to wield them, they are nothing. You may be a scholar not as trained in the arts of war as some others, but your power comes from within you, not from some weapon, even if you're not aware of it yet."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Thu 14 May 2009.

"I see," Kareth responds and then thinks for a moment.  "Well if it's healing you wish for then we can surely find a set of Wound Mending Needles.  I could  benifit from a good half hour of their use.  As for breathing underwater, we could probably find a gill cloak.  I've heard tales of the ancient Dragon King vegitative technology which allowed them to breath underwater, but I don't know if we will be able to find that.  If you hadn't rule out armor, then I would suggest finding exalted grade Tiger Shark Aromor to breath and move underwater."

Zeru is allowed to take his ruby without any further comment from the rusty-toothed, iron-tailed jokun. It seems they are already aware of Rakatau's orders, though they thank Kiana for her graciousness.

"Our honored guests may take three more items from the hoard," they politely inform Kiana in Old Realm.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:54, Thu 14 May 2009.

The two separated groups moved on, each accompanied by a pair of servant elementals. Kiana and Zeru are brought through the center tunnel leading heart-ward, while Lasuri, Kareth and Tageru are brought down the left diagonal path, sloping down from the collection chamber for weapons and armor. As they walk, the hard-packed earth gradually solidifies into hard, crystal-encrusted rock, then to pure, white, smooth crystal planes. The translucent stone radiates its own inner aura, giving off a warm, uniform light to see by.

Finally, the two groups' respective paths converge, opening up abruptly into the crystalline heart-chamber. It is shaped something like a crescent or a boomerang, with the convex toward Kiana and Zeru's left, and the Captain and the others entering from a downward sloping corridor toward their right. Emerging from their tunnel, Lasuri, Kareth and Tageru see Kiana almost immediately, blazing with Earth Essence that intensifies the living stone's natural glow, as it vibrates with a pleasant low-pitched harmonic.

There are no artifacts collected here. Instead, the Terrestrials' eyes are drawn toward the huge, egg-shaped protrusion of living crystal embedded into the wall, its height stretching at least three stories high. The heart -- for surely it can be nothing else -- expands and contracts powerfully, sinking into the depression in the wall until it gradually expands once more, repeating the process with vigorous regularity. This close to the source, the heartbeat is so dense, so heavy that the air itself seems to pulse with the pressure. Each surge is a muted explosion, followed by the sibilant hiss of sifting sand, seeping gradually back in like the ebb of a tide.

The jokun hang back, allowing the Cobalt Alliance members to reunite as they bow formally to the massive crystal heart. There are several more of their kind occupying the room, including a group gathered in a tight knot near the tunnel leading stomach-ward. They rumble in nervous excitement, trading words about whatever it is that lays between them at their feet.

Three more?  It was quickly apparent that one of the other three had already chosen a boon, leaving only three left.  Kiana had a sharp eye and a fair knowledge of the crafting arts...but in the end, she had no real passion for artifacts of exotic power or brilliance.  She looked at the horde on the boat, as well as gave a glance to other bits of magitech and whatever else was along the way as a polite gesture, but there was very little that would catch her eyes.  "Thank you very much." she told the jokun with a kind smile, "I am sure my other companions will make use of your liege's generosity."  And she very much hoped they would.  Kiana had little use for material things...her search for power and justice was more metaphysical than anything else. And the few artifacts she did want...well, they were long gone by now, no doubt either destroyed or sold by her mother.

Kiana gave a small wave to the others as she saw them, the motion sending wave of lights into the darker recess of the canyons above.  When she approached them, she gave the sour engineer a slightly amused smile.  "Glad to see you made it in one piece, Kareth.  We were worried."  It was certainly amusing that one of the fire-aspect, a dragon whose children were known for grace and agility, was the first among them to not only fall down the slope, but to almost drown in the process.  Many children of the dragons broke the mold they were supposed to fit inside...some in more interesting ways than others.

He bowed back to the servants of Rakatau, and then gave small bows to the Captain and Tageru.  <brown>"It is nice to see you two as well.  Both of you were very brave to give chase to Kareth so quickly."  Though it wasn't her place to give praise (that usually belonged to Lasuri) she felt obliged to do so just the same.  They had not been separated for very long, really, but it felt like something needed to be said.  They were together quickly, and mostly in due part to their simliar mindset, and the help of the (apparently) telepathic jokun.

Kiana turned her head, sending shortened locks a flutter against her neck, and noticed the group of jokun gathered near the heart, apparently discussing whatever it was they had between them.  She listened carefully, hoping to discern whatever it was they were saying before they approached--for all they knew, it could very well be the Chalice--after all, a chalice was usually a simple or elegant drinking cup.  How large could it be?

Kareth glared at the Earth Princess.  He would have looked more menacing had he looked less like a half-drowned rat.  Finally he managed to sputter out a simple and curt "Thank you."  On seeing the Jokun gathering, Kareth decided to make his way over to them and politely asked the elementals in Old Realm "Pardon, but is the chalise here in the heart chamber?"

The small throng of jokun parts slightly when Kareth and Kiana approach. They appear to be discussing a disturbance deeper within the island. An attack of some sort. "More have fallen further inside," they are saying, still speaking in their natural language. Others make even bleaker revelations: "The whole maze section is corrupted." "It is turning our brothers against us."

When the earth elementals step aside, they reveal the two jokun bodies curled at their feet. They have been ravaged as if by wicked fangs or claws, and their physical forms are not quite dead, rather twitching and shuddering convulsively on the crystalline floor. Sand mixed with what looks to be a dark green venomous substance leaks from their wounds.

Another jokun raises its head at Kareth's question. "The Chalice of the Sea that Marched Against the Flame is in the lower abdomen, lodged in the intestinal labyrinth," it rumbles in a troubled voice.

---

OOC: We can assume someone translates for Zeru, since he's the only one who seems not to know Old Realm.

Also, note, I've been skimming the Infernals book but as there are no set charms for Kimbery (besides the Yozi excellencies) there may be some fun improvisation going on on my part, I hope people can handle that!
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:58, Fri 15 May 2009.

Not long after the grisly revelation, a pulse of green Essence appears near Lasuri, forming into the shape of a green-skinned sprite with floral wings. Jadira's Infallible Messenger speaks with the first mate's voice, conveying her report: "We've reunited with Captains Hirdu and Fairwind. They're arguing right now over the prisoner Hirdu's kept under our noses. That Lintha lieutenant, Kizil. I'm telling you, it's a regular animal house over here."

A pause, and the diminutive messenger lets out a very Jadira-ish sigh before continuing, "Something about using her blood as immunity, and ... Dragons, he's determined to go in after you right now. Las, if you could get Kareth to send back some word of your status, that'd be helpful. If you need me, I'll leave Donnegal at the helm. I may not have a choice, if I'll have to keep Captain Hirdu from doing something crazy." The sprite winks and blows a kiss at Lasuri, then disappears into thin air.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:26, Fri 15 May 2009.

"Well, I'm more than glad to see everyone back on the same track." The Captain says, saluting Kiana and Zeru in turn and stepping in the middle of the reunited group. "Thanks for your help, mates. That's really appreciated." He says to the Jokun, bowing for them slightly.

"Now that we're all back together like a happy familiy, we should try to get things underway and find that chalice - I'm of the mind that it won't be easy in the slightest, though. If Rakatau's helpers say it's actually corrupting them, then we'll have to be doubly careful - we don't know yet what it can do to us. Keep your heads together, people, I think we're going to need it."

Jadira's message brings a smile to Lasuri's lips, and he watches the little apparition vanish before rubbing his head slightly, turning back to Kareth. "Mister Kareth, can you send a message back to Jadira on the Dryad? Tell her to keep Hirdu form coming in here late. If you can fit it in, also tell her to pass long that message to the quarreling captains: 'Captain Lasuri will address the issue of the Lintha prisoner when he returns'." He shakes his head, then smiles a bit at the engineer.

"I swear, we have to be averting crises both on the inside and outside."

Kareth nods and then thinks momentarily, counting his words.  He then channels his essence and speaks out loud conveying the Captains message in as few words as possible and tacking on his own question at the end.  "Keep Hirdu from coming her late.  Lasuri will address prisoner issue upon return.  We're fine.  Explain blood 'immunity'.  Kareth."  After he's sent his message, Kareth looks at the Captain and says, "It won't hurt to know what they're talking about.  Regardless, you did say we need to find the chalice.  It's apparently in the intestines.  I'm ready to depart from here when the rest of you are."

[Private to GM: Spending 4 motes to get the message to Jadira.  That should be sufficient.]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:51, Fri 15 May 2009.

Jadira's response does not come immediately. Kareth would know that her messenger takes more Essence to power than his Wind-Carried Words, so it is most likely she is going to make another report when she has more information to give.

Hopefully soon enough for it to matter.

In the meantime the group may as well move forward. The jokun appear quite troubled; one of the two sprawled on the floor has already perished, dissolving into a pile of fine mica flecks. One can only hope that is how these elementals usually die because a human body dissolving into sand seems very, very unpleasant. So does the poison that still wracks the body of the other one.

Another wounded pair of the large, lizard-humanoid shaped elementals rushes from the tunnel leading stomach-ward carrying one of their mangled allies. This one has lost both an arm and a leg; more of the wretched dark green substance sizzles from the stumps. All three look completely drenched, as if they'd been soaked in deep water.

"We can still fight," one of the two that just arrived utters gravely. "Guests of the Great One, the way lies ahead. We will pass the abdomen treasuries into the intestine maze." Depositing the twitching body of their ally, the pair arm themselves with hammers, as do several others still gathered in the heart chamber. They are prepared to lead onward, and defend their brothers and host to the end.

"The chalice itself must be removed. But we have not the expertise to understand this vile creation."

Zeru sees the jokun arming themselves. "They're still good guys right?" He mutters quietly to those around him. One hand toys with the jade ball at one end of his chain, the other rests lightly in his jacket pocket. Inside his hand brush's the ruby, which he almost forgot he had. He pulls it out once more, then notices that it fits in the slot on his bracers. He carefully inserts the gem into the hearthstone slot.

The melting to sand thing was particularly disturbing. Zeru's eyes widen, although he has the constitution to keep his lunch where it lay. Somehow vomiting in someone else's intestines just seems rude, and recursive.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:47, Sat 16 May 2009.

Kiana found the dying Jokun unsettling, and frowned deeply at seeing it die so.  These creatures were just gentle guardians, they didn't deserve such an awful death.  Were there a corpse left, one easily got the impression that she would have said a few words, or perhaps have closed their still-open eyes, but as there was naught left but sand, there was very little to say.  It had simply returned to whence it came.

As the others came into the chamber, however, there was more of a commotion.  This green liquid that was practically eating away at them was probably the primary problem for their warriors.  And given that Kiana was practically of the same element, the thought disturbed her.  She bent down, laying a soft hand against the forehead of the guardian while observing the nasty acid-like substance that was eating away at it.  Was was this horrible stuff?  And why was it hurting them so?

[Private to Storyteller: I dunno what to Roll for her to know what this junk is...Percpetion and Meds, maybe?  Or Occult?  =P]

Kareth studies the green liquid and quickly comes to a conclusion.  "Captain, it would appear I was wrong.  The liquid appears to be vitriol.  It's essentially the only element in demon realm and used as a catalyst in all of the crafting.  It is highly corrosive much like an acid.  What ever is in there has a strong connection to the demon realm and most probably either Kimberly or Malfeas.  We should use extreme cation from here on in."


[Private to GM:
13:05, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 7 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,2,10,9,10,1,9,7. Recognizing demon snot.

Not sure what else 7 sux gets me.]

"Good job, Mister Kareth. I'd like to say that's good news as well but well... We work with what we're given, I suppose." The Captain frowns deeply at the dying Jokun, uttering a few words beneath his breath as the creature dissolves before their very eyes. "Poor fellow." He says, quieter than usual.

"If that's really what you think it is, Mister Kareth, then that might answer a few questions for us. Namely, why the Lintha are supposed to be able to do something with it - if it's of demonic descent, then that'd be right up their alley. Which also confirms that we shouldn't let them have this thing. No telling what kind of sick powers they will get out of it."

He scans the faces around him then, and there is clear concern showing on his features. "The one question I have now is... What will that stuff do to us? No matter what, we've got to be extra cautious with that thing. Everyone stay in sight of one another, and don't do anything reckless... It's not a regular expedition we're facing here."

Kareth is certain of his conjecture, that the vile green substance is a form of vitriol, or Theien To, the element of the demon realm. It was originally meant to be a transcendent acid. Denied this by Gaia, it has instead been infused with the Yozis' hate, and eats away at any substance of Creation it encounters. It is not itself a substance so much as a catalyst, distilled from its raw form into formulas highly sought by alchemists, used to dissolve strong substances, even to corrupt the Five Magical Materials.

[Private to Isole Kareth: ok... having read various samples of Infernal artifacts, descriptions of metody and vitriol, here's what you know the acid can do from an OOC perspective.

Against non-magical materials, it ignores an object's soak or hardness. So non-magical items can pretty much be utterly destroyed by it. With every hit a mundane weapon takes from an attack treated with vitriol, it loses 2 damage. Mundane armor loses -2L/2B per hit.

Weapons/attacks treated with vitriol add +2L damage and ignore half hardness. Certain attacks may even increase damage further due to vapors or seepage, making the +2L completely unsoakable and ignoring hardness. (Basically, the difference between a caustic or an acid rime weapon.) Getting fully drenched in the stuff is like an acid bath (Dam 5L/action, Trauma 5). Depending on circumstances, it may even do Aggravated damage; I've written that the elementals take Aggravated due to vitriol being something of an 'element that shouldn't be' in Creation.]

Kiana examines the second still-suffering jokun. She can at least confirm for herself that the substance is likely demon-related, though she knows nothing more than that of its origins. What she does know is that the substance is more corrosive than acidic, eating away at the substance of the elemental with alarming ease. It would do the same to any organic substance, for certain, if it could melt stone -- though she is loath to see that tested.

Fortunately, a single application of vitriol can only do a finite amount of damage, as once it has fused with and dissolved as much substance as its volume, it is no longer active or dangerous. Nonetheless, the damage already done to the jokun is clearly agonizing (for them, it is Aggravated damage).

---

OOC: Ok... tomorrow night you'll all head to the next area!

Tageru looks in disgust at the vile substance, and his heart and eyes fill with sadness for the poor, wounded Jokun. "The corruption of Kimbery must be destroyed here!" he says angrily, and clenches his fists. "Let us go, friends, there's not a moment to lose! I feel filthy just by being near this source of corruption, I dare not imagine what our host feels like."
There is a lot of anger and outrage in the monk's voice, and his eyes glow with a furious green light.

Once the Alliance members feel ready to move on, a group of six jokun form up to accompany them into the stomach treasuries.

The 'stomach' itself is not a true stomach, unlike the heart which is most definitely the power center of Rakatau. Nothing gets digested here, nor expelled from the body as waste. Rather, the vast, multi-tiered chamber the Exalts step into is the largest collection chamber of all in the island behemoth's body.

This room, like the very first where Kareth had his unfortunate fall, is also partially submerged. However, rather than being a single, unbroken body of water, protrusions of earth breaking the surface of the water form miniature islands within the greater island's stomach. (Recursion strikes again!) Upon these smaller land masses, artifacts of all varieties have been placed in haphazard piles, along with heaps of gems and precious metals formed into bars or jewelry, perfect and enchanted mundane items, even raw magic materials -- mostly jade, and particularly black jade.

One gets the idea the piles are temporary, as the jokun toiling in the main collection chamber move from island to island in their rowboats, choosing particular artifacts out of the pile by some protocol of organization known only to them. They bring this bounty and place it ashore, divide it up further and move them up via earthen ramps to the higher tier chambers, moving through innumerable tunnels above the water level. It looks like tough work -- work that, likely, the island goes through internally every time it rises above sea level -- but the elementals certainly do not complain.

There are not only jokun here, either. Working in tandem from the underwater reaches of the pool are at least a dozen gorgeous female figures with blue-green tinged skin, like the surface of the ocean. They dive to fetch items from far below, and bring them up to the islands. A few of them notice the Dragon-bloods come in, and turn to wave, winking and blowing kisses at the men. Nonetheless, it seems the beautiful water women are willingly helping with labor and do not let themselves get distracted for long.

The demeanor in the stomach cavern is unceasingly industrious, but with a sorrowful undertone, as the jokun hum dirges for their fallen in rhythm to their work. Now and then, rather gruesomely, a boat floats in with the body of a jokun, some twitching and injured, others still. The women shudder and cry, and dive all the faster, staying underwater more often than not.

---

OOC: A single success on Int+Lore or Occult would let you know the water women are nymphs, as it would be common knowledge to a seafaring group. 2+ successes would make you realize it's very unusual they are helping so willingly[Private to GM: ; they must have a very attractive deal to remain in Rakatau's stomach and submit willingly to labor rather than seek their usual sensual pleasures].
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:04, Tue 19 May 2009.

While waiting for the jokun to set up boats for them to cross to the intestinal maze, Kiana sees a very familiar and attractive white jade breastplate jutting from a pile of lesser treasures. Her heart all but skips a beat as the very sight of it recalls strong and powerful memories of her beloved father, Kiando. Unfortunately, the chest armor is currently sitting on an island toward the center of the body of water.

Tageru, keeping his eye out for items that could aid the party, sees a rectangular green jade case on a nearby bank similar to one he has seen in the hands of a Wood Immaculate superior in the Realm. Very much unlike that case, though, it is marked on the cover with an orichalcum symbol he knows signifies an Anathema of the Twilight Caste. Kareth, coming from Lookshy, recognizes this wonder as a Resplendent Satchel of Healing, but the few his home country possessed had a glyph of Sextes Jylis on it instead.

Stepping cautiously forward, the Captain's attention is first caught by the nymphs, and he sends a skeptical glance to the others as he sees them actually working and helping with physical tasks. Of course, Lasuri is not an encyclopedic knowledge base of magical and mythic creatures. However, through the muddy, opaque depths that are the sum of his Occult learnings, he does clearly recall nymphs to be rather indolent and hedonistic in nature - certainly not the type of being one would expect to be working industriously within the stomach of an Earth Elemental.

"That's not normal, is it?" He asks aloud, speaking to the assembled group but turning towards Kareth - after all, the artificer usually has answers for occult questions such as these.

The dirge does affect the captain, however, and he does take a moment to pause as he watches the Jokun, and puts a fist over his heart, as a silent salute to the stone creatures and their fallen. Lasuri shakes his head softly then, speaking merely above a murmur. "I feel bad for the poor guys." He says, the mood hanging in the room clearly affecting him. "Let's make sure to get rid of that wretched thing that kills them so they can live in peace again."

"No, Captain.  It's not normal at all," the articer responds to the captain.  He then turns to the Jokun and asks "These Nymphs, are they always so... helpful or is this a by product from the Chalise?"  It was obvious that Kareth was still not over his paranoia.

"Aye!", Tageru adds "But, let me just take something first, if you don't mind. I would like to take an Artifact, one of the five we're allowed to take. It will help me be of use in more than just battle. With it, I will be able to heal our wounded, and even repair the most grievous of wounds." He points to the small jade box, the one with the Orichalcum insignia. "I believe I can make this a most useful addition to our supplies, if it is what I think it is."
The monk walks over to the case, lifts it up, and inspects its' surface before opening the box. 'Could it be that the Anathema would make a thing of healing like this?', he asks himself. 'I know one who would, but...' He stares at the thing in confusion, and tries to make sure it is what he thinks it is.

"I believe you're right, Master Tageru.  It does appear to be a Resplendent Satchel of Healing.  As for whether or not the Anathema would make things of healing, they made a great many things.  Furthermore, it's my understanding that they wouldn't have particularly needed it for themselves except to expedite what they could do naturally.  Take that for what you will, but that's a question for another day.  I'm ready to be done with this task."

Three boats are prepared to cross the water, each with two jokun rowers. Speaking once more in Old Realm, one of them explains, "The intestine maze is partially submerged as well, though the part the chalice is lodged in is not in the water. The area immediately around the chalice is corrupted, though; none of us jokun can get near without going mad or becoming deeply injured by infernal energies."

"We are not certain, but we think we are too purely elemental to put up enough of a resistance. The demon-kind oppose our very nature. You may have a better chance than us -- and we will do our best to aid you indirectly. Please equip yourselves for battle. You may still choose an item for yourself, Princess of Earth," the earth elemental says respectfully to Kiana, bowing to her. The nearby jokun bow as well; they seem quite fond of the young woman.

As Kareth and Tageru examine the jade and orichalcum box [Private to Cynis Tageru: you can assume you confirm it is a Satchel of Healing as Kareth says], a trio of nymphs emerge to the surface. One of them is exceptionally beautiful, her dramatically long, wavy hair the color of seaweed, and her head crowned with a tiara of perfect water cradling a deep blue sapphire. Flanked by two nymph guardians wielding glaives of unmelting ice, she steps upon the surface of the water as easily as if it were stone, and walks daintily toward shore.

"Who among you is known as the Sea Drake, the Captain of the Cobalt Alliance?" speaks the crowned nymph (in Seatongue), smiling invitingly as she trails her fingers through her lustrous hair. "I am Sylpheel, Queen of the Nymphs of Nevermoor. You do not have much time, but I would speak briefly before you go."

---

OOC: The nymph leader rolled an incredible amount of successes to make a good impression, 11 total, and she's App 6. So, unless you're enough of a skeptic to resist (with DV or willpower) you're pretty much convinced she's trustworthy, and the most beautiful woman you've ever laid eyes on. Also note she did not use any deception. She just... looks very impressive and likable.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:08, Wed 20 May 2009.

The Captain nods at the exchange between Kareth and Tageru, smiling at the explanation the monk gives. "Well, you certainly won't hear any complaints from me. That does seem like a mighty useful thing to have around, having more mojo to patch the crew up when they're down is something I'll never refuse."

He nods encouragingly to the monk, as if to give him the consent he seemed to have been asking for. "Go right ahead, Mister Tageru. Take it, and keep that thing safe."

The Captain's attention is then taken by the nymphs and in particular the one that seems to hold a role of importance within this group. For a moment, Lasuri looks at her, visibly impressed by the majesty of her presence. Not because she is necessarily an alluring, seductive siren to him, but because she is a creature of the sea, and because the very aura she displays cannot help but impress him. Even without a word, Lasuri can feel a certain kinship to her, and immediately has a favorable image of the nymph.

"That would be me." He says, taking a rather understated step as he looks to the crowned nymph. "I'm the Sea Drake. Pleased to meet you, Queen Sylpheel." He says, inclining gracefully before looking at her again. He believes he can trust the lady, but still, Lasuri does not simply abandon all of his caution. He maintains a safe distance from the majestic queen, and looks towards her again.

"What can I do for you, Queen? And why would you call for me personally?"

Kareth is stricken with the woman's beauty, but finds that this whole situation is just too weird for him to accept.  And so like a blacksmith hammering an unsatisfactory lump of metal into scrap, Kareth puts down any idea that this Nymph is being anything less than selfish or corrupted.  Something was wrong.

OCC:  Yeah, Kareth would be the skeptic.

[Private to GM: Spends the willpower to put down the social attack.]

Could it be?  Kiana had refused to let herself have the hope of reuniting her Father's armor, but it seemed that she might have well found a vital piece of the armor in the most unlikely of places.  How would the great Rakatau have found Kiando's armor?  Was all of it down here?  And, for that matter, was that really what she was seeing?  Or was she simply seeing things?

Rubbing her eyes just to make sure, the gesture was almost comical as she gently nodded to the Jokun who addressed her.  She was sure they were so fond of her due to her elemental nature, but that was almost to be expected.  She was innately fond of them too because of the same reason, especially since they had shown her and her companions nothing but kindness since their arrival.  Where Kareth might have seen that as an ill-omen, Kiana saw it as fate being kind--what were the odds of an Earth Elemental being on a pirate ship?

She returned the bow to the Jokun, and pointed a meek finger at the white-jade breastplate that had caught her eye before.  "I believe that breastplate belonged to my father, Noble Guardians.  I don't know how it found a home within the Seven-Day Isle, but I would greatly honored if you would allow me to reclaim it."  She said softly, looking at the breastplate like a thirsty man may well look at an oasis.

She returned the nymphs waves with a small one of her own, though she was pretty sure they were simply flirting with the three men of the crew.  Which, honestly, was fair enough, given the reputation of sailors, and of nymphs, for that matter.  Still, Kiana was just as taken aback as the others at the Queen's beauty, though thanks to her past she was no so quick to instantly trust the creature--though Kiana didn't think the woman meant any harm innately, her past experiences still gave her reason to be cautious, though not nearly as skeptical as Kareth.  To that end, she bowed when the woman addressed herself as a Queen, though remained quiet for the most part, as she had requested an audience with the Captain.

Tageru doesn't notice the Nymphs' arrival at first, looking at the box, going along its' edges with his fingers, as if trying to solve a puzzle. As the captain speaks to them, he starts to notice the newcomers, but doesn't say anything. It is not proper for humans and spirits to mingle...sexually, and that thought settles it for Tageru. Whatever else he is now, he is still a monk, at least in his own heart.
[Private to Storyteller: If you need my MDV, I hope this counts as both a stunt and it going against my Intimacy and high Temperance. :) If that's not enough, Tageru would spend WP not to drool at the nymphs or stare at them :D]

Zeru is Dumbfounded at the Beauty of the Nymph. He is taken by her charms, and convinced of her trustworthiness. On another level her beauty serves to remind him of the loves he has waiting on board the Marlena, the ship herself would no doubt scold him for being taken by the charms of the nymph, and Cinna whom he loved dearly.

These thoughts kept him from throwing himself at the Queen's feet, but that was about all that it did. Her beauty struck him mute, and the normally chatty Zeru found himself at a loss for words.

(OOC I have pretty good MDV, and I succumbed. How did everyone else manage to stave off 11 successes?)

Sylpheel does let her eye rove briefly over every one of the men... particularly Zeru, whom she graces with another warm, special smile. Even so, she doesn't seem interested in giving into the usual games of a being of her nature, and lets her attention return immediately to Lasuri.

Her eyes are as deep blue as the sapphire on her crown, and she moves closer to Lasuri, close enough to brush him with her fingertips should she stretch out her arm. She does not, though, and simply looks him over for a time. The feeling of having this gorgeous creature's eyes upon him is like gazing up at sunlight from a far distance beneath the water: beautiful, awe-inspiring and ultimately suffocating.

"So you are the one," she confirms after a moment, her voice now solemn and subdued, a strange contrast to her supernaturally attractive appearance. "The Elemental Courts of Water have had much to say about you, Ledaal Lasuri--or must I say, Lasuri Leomaris. What is in a name, really? No... your true nature lies in your blood, and the power that flows there. And your true worth lies in the deeds you have done, the choices in life which have pleased Her. For in seeking independence and adapting to uncertain situations, you have truly embodied the fluidity of Water."

"You are a Chosen of Danaa'd in body and in spirit, and so we would give you Her blessing on the eve of the coming battle. For you and your people are the ones who will save our safe haven, and save the West."

Now she does stretch out her hand. In her palm is a ring of perfect black jade, forged to appear like the shape of the Elemental Dragon herself curled around the finger.

---

OOC: This time she's only gotten 3 successes (+3 bonus from Appearance difference, +any additional bonuses due to making a positive impression.) You may roll to sense motive, Perc+Social or Investigation. Or roll Int+Occult to figure out what that ring could be.

Zeru: no one resisted with DV that I know of. They either spent WP or just let themselves be awed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:52, Thu 21 May 2009.

Meanwhile, the jokun do not seem to pay any mind to the Nymph Queen, as heart-achingly gorgeous as she may be. Perhaps they have lived together long enough that they simply are unaffected.

On the other hand, they are quite a bit more interested in Kiana, following her gaze to the pristine white chest armor sitting across the water. One of the half-dozen gathered on shore responds to her reverently. "You are interested in the armor? This is a truly unique piece, which came to us but recently, attracting our attention from where it lay at the bottom of the sea. We could not simply leave it where it was, for less worthy hands to steal, for it resonates with such a strong essence of Earth that it is most pleasing to us and to the Great One."

"You feel it as well, do you not? If it is truly the armor of your father, then it is truly fortunate that you have been brought here, for the breastplate must surely be meant to be worn by you, Princess of Earth." The earth elemental invites her to board the first boat, and he and his partner row her steadily toward the island while the nymphs appear to be engaging the men's attention.

The closer they get, the more Kiana's certainty solidifies. The curve of that shoulder-guard, the simple but elegant design on the chest plate, bearing her father's seal.[Private to Kiana White-Fist: I'll let you decide what his seal or symbol looks like :) since I'm not sure what you'd have in mind.] All that remains (once the jokun stop the boat at the small island-within-an-island where it is nestled) is to confirm it with her own hands. She can easily reach out and take hold of the armor now.

This time, Lasuri does seem a bit more taken aback by what the Nymph is actually saying.

Since his time in the West, Lasuri has become a bit more accustomed to his name being known. After all, despite still being in its infancy stages, the Cobalt Alliance has still managed to gather some attention with nations of the West... And with this attention has come a certain fame (or infamy) for the man now known as the 'Sea Drake'.

Despite this, however, the fact that the nymph seemed to know where to find Lasuri, as well as apparently being aware of many personal details about him, seems to be slightly disturbing for the Captain. His initial impression has not changed - he still is appreciative of the beautiful water creature, and still finds it difficult to mistrust her. But could this all be a trap set out by the chalice? How would she know all of these things, even down to his discarded birth name?

It seems pointless to lie now - the nymph seems to know perfectly who he is already. And so Lasuri does not deny her affirmations, but continues to ride the fine line between instincts and practicality, and remains some distance away from the creature.

"I haven't worn that name in a long time now - I'm not sure it means anything anymore. To me or to the ones that gave it to me." The Sea Drake pauses, and a faint, almost sad smile appears on his lips. "It bothered me for a while. See, I never really questioned much when I was younger - all I wanted was to do what I loved while still serving my country. I picked up a set of unsavory skills I guess, but I still wanted to just... fit in, I guess. To be able to do my job while still being useful to my people."

"When I lost that... Well, I was kinda at a loss for a while. Took me a while to find out my path, really. But in then end, I just went forward, looked ahead, and decided to help other people find their own path. Maybe 'cause I'm not too sure where mine lies yet, so helping other people with theirs is helping me get more of an idea on that. Maybe because I have nothing else. But that's all I do now."

"I'm not sure what the Elemental Courts would say about that. Nor do I know in which authority you speak, and what you expect out of me." He pauses a moment to gaze at the ring she extends, and to ponder her words. "I'm not sure why I'd be considered the way you say I am - I only know I'm me. But if we can help out with preserving these lands so people have a place to go back to, then I'll give it my all."

"In the end, that's all I know what to do."

"There is no need to question my statements," Queen Sylpheel says with her all-but-perfect smile. "Who you are... is enough. Our fate is in the hands of you and your companions, Sea Drake. But more than that, you want to know what this offer will give you, don't you? Though you fear power may corrupt you, you also know that power is necessary to protect those you love, and to achieve your goals."

Again the nymph gestures with the hand holding the ring, dangling it from her fingertips, as if it is all but natural for Lasuri to take what is offered. Even he cannot help but feel her words have a rightness to them, a heartfelt purity enhanced by her radiant presence.

"Do not hesitate. This is not the end of choice, but the beginning."

[Private to Lasuri Leomaris: she has a total of 4 successes against you (2 sux on roll, +2 sux excellency) to convince you to take the ring, assuming you're not wanting to at the time. You have an effective dodge DV of 1 right now (5-1 from your previous speech-3 from App difference). You can spend WP, stunt to resist, or just take the item ring. Again you can try to roll to figure out her true motives (Per+Soc or Inv) or to figure out what the ring is (Int+Occult).]

"It would truly be fortunate..." Kiana mused softly to the Jokun as the small boat neared the island.  With each stroke of the oars, another memory of her father sprang into her mind.  Though it seemed to take nearly forever, Kiana found herself on the isle-within-an-isle, and while the young woman was normally very composed and reserved, the promise of the artifact's origin gave wings to her feet, and she found herself practically running towards the armor.

She slid to her knees as she approached the breastplate, sending several other artifacts akimbo by her eagerness to appraise her charge.  The Jokun watched in silent anticipation, senseing just how important this was to the Earth Princess.  Her hands were shaking slightly as she reached out for the white jade, and as her fingers gripped the familiar piece of armor, her diamond white aura immediately exploded brighter as it engulfed the breastplate.  It was a large piece of protection, formed and crafted by Kiando's own hands to fit his body perfectly.  How many times had Kiana felt the cool metal across her cheek as she ran to hug her father?  The sudden surge of memories brought tears to her eyes, and her fingers gently caressed the armor.  Her eyes locked onto the crest, through her small tears--how long had it been since she had seen it?  Since she left home, easily.  The emblem was simple and yet elegant, a single dragon curled into a circle, nestled around the Old Realm character which meant both Strength and Honor--a symbol which characterized Kiando, and the dynasty he had begun to build perfectly.

She grazed her hand along the emblem, and as she did the Breastplate vanished in a bright flash of light, matching in intensity of her aura.  Then, in another bright flash, suddenly the breastplate materialized on Kiana!  It was scaled to fit her, just as perfectly as it had fit her father, falling over the curves she normally kept hidden in the looser shirts, yet fully armored.

Kareth gets jumpy when he sees the nymph queen move closer to the captain, but he doesn't make any sudden moves either.  Not until the captain gave the order or was unable to do so.  However, ever being the artificer, Kareth starts paying more attention to the ring than to the elemental when it was presented.  His curiosity so overcame him, that he barely even heard her words for a brief moment.  That didn't keep him from still suspecting foul play.  On the contrary he thought this ring might be some form of trap in itself.  He merely wants to be ready when the trap is sprung.  Treachery via a well placed artifact would not happen on his watch.

[Private to GM: I'm stunting to improve my Dodge MDV using my love of artifacts and lore and my natural skepticism.  I don't have the natural good impression of her.

Oh and I rolled to learn about the ring.

08:36, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 5 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,9,8,10,1,9. Int + Occult. ]

When the armor appears fully attuned and fitted on Kiana's body, the two jokun accompany her grunt in surprise and bow low. "You are truly blessed. Wear this armor on our behalf, and yours."

More importantly than the armor itself, though, Kiana begins to feel what can only be described as a 'presence'. A strong impression that her father Kiando is not only watching her, but very, very close. For now, he cannot speak with her directly, but she can feel a powerful welling of pride for his daughter, a sorrow that he was taken from her so soon, and a desire to guide her in spirit.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: All righty, here are the stats just to be official about it.

Soak +10L/9B, Hardness 8L/8B, Mobility -1, Fatigue 0, Attune 4.

Now, normally this would bump your total attunement to 16. However, I'll say that each successive piece you get reduces total attunement by 2. So, at this point your attunment is actually 10. This means you have 10 less temporary essence to use for your Charms.

As for the 'speaking', I'm actually thinking that the helm would give you direct communication with Kiando's spirit. With the chest, you can feel his presence very strongly though -- you can sense him in emotional impressions, and visions of the past, as if you feel his heart/soul but not yet his thoughts. In this way, though, he can begin to teach you. Combined with the hands and feet, he can instruct you in martial arts, which use your limbs to do great damage. Not sure if you like that idea, but I wanted Kiando's presence to grow gradually rather than be instantly *there* in full.]

Kareth puts his mental faculties toward examining the ring itself, trying his best to shut out the nymph's attractive words. What he discovers is perhaps not unexpected, but undoubtedly unique...

[Private to Isole Kareth: Okay, your MDV is at 4+2(stunt)-3(app diff)=3, and she had 2 sux + 2 more from excellency. So you're short by 1. Despite your skepticism you can't help but feel her words ring honest and true. On the other hand, I just handed you a stunt so you could spend a WP and get it right back to deny that. Doesn't mean you'll be certain she's lying, just that you'll think she's trying almost *too* hard to get Lasuri to take the ring.

As for the ring itself, it's a pure black jade Ring of Being. Artifact 5 in Oedanol's Codex. You think it pretty unlikely there could possibly be more than one of these in existence in the current age, in fact, so it's not unlikely Danaa'd would know of it, though it may not necessarily be a 'gift from Danaa'd herself' as the nymph would claim.

This particular Ring is made ONLY for a Water Dragon-blood to wear, but if worn, the wearer can only be affected by magical effects of Creation. Those from Fair Folk, Demons, the Wyld, even gods (though not elementals like the nymphs) will not be able to target him with anything besides physical and social attacks. Note this still includes physical and social attacks enhanced by Charms, so excellencies would still work. Just not purely magical effects.

The main negative is a HUGE attunement, as you may have read!]

After his brief examination, Kareth's jaw drops and he speaks in a hurried excitement.  "Captain.  This appears to be a Ring of Being.  It's power is legendary... no... that word can't even begin to describe it.  You'll essentially be immune to all magical effects whose source doesn't originate from creation.  But..."  with this the fire aspect stops and gets ahold of himself and looks back at the beautiful elemental queen standing before them.  He then leans in to whisper to the Lasuri, "Captain, she might be speaking the truth and I am far from the most socially inclined person here.  But she does seem eager for you to take the ring.  The power needed to attune this ... gift... is quite significant and it would afford you no protection against her or any other elemental." 

Lasuri stops and ponders what Kareth tells him for a moment, lips pursed and brow furrowed. He listens intently, nodding at a few intervals here and there to punctuate the engineer's words. "But it'd shield me from the powers of that Chalice, wouldn't it? In the end, that's all I need to hear."

"So that's what this ring is, then." He says, his voice lower than usual. He then peers back at the nymph, and takes a step towards the creature. "I'm not certain who you represent, and I don't know what your motives are - though either your own or that of a 'master, I'm sure you have your reasons to do this. Not knowing these makes the situation dangerous, as you might suspect yourself."

"... But in the end, if what Mister Kareth says is true - and I believe in what he says - then I don't care what your motives are." The Captain takes a step forward once more, looking at his comrades and then back at the nymph.

"Yeah, it might be a trap. Yeah, you might be trying to make this appealing so I do something for you. But the thing is, it doesn't matter. We've fought the Lintha, back there, and they revealed they want the item stored in here so bad they can taste it. I've taken risks in suggesting my crew and my people come here, so we can stop them from taking this object and do whatever they want to do with it. And then we get here, and we realize that the Chalice itself is killing Rakatau from the inside, corrupting and offing the elemental spawns, and is basically some sort of malevolent tumor, one that could even ending up corrupting us."

"I don't have a country of my own anymore. But these lands, and their inhabitants... These are the people I'm fighting to protect. To make a place for myself, and help others find their own. To make sure no one ends up enslaving others because of their own selfish wishes. That's what I see here. The Lintha and their cursed item trying to reshape everything in their image, and sacrifice whoever they have to to reach their goal."

"Now, you're telling me that you're offering something that might allow me to resist that damned thing's influence. You're offering me a way to take that burden on myself, and maybe managing to shield others from that Chalice's dangers. If I have to expose myself to danger for that, then so be it. If I have to risk myself in order to accomplish that, then I'll do it. I know no other way to live; I'll die if I have to, but that's going to be with my sword in my hand and my belief in my heart and on my lips."

He takes another step. He looks at the nymph straight in the eye, and his gaze doesn't waver. "If it means having a chance to stop all this, then I'll gladly walk into what might be a trap."

His gloved hand reaches forward, and closes on the black ring extended to him.

"I am glad you understand your place in this, brave champion," the nymph queen replies with a touch of mingled satisfaction and relief.

When Lasuri takes the ring from Queen Sylpheel, her hand suddenly closes over his. Their sea-blue eyes lock, and for a moment the pressure of that grip is vicelike, the nails digging into his skin. He feels his pulse start to increase, an instinctive reaction to the proximity of her repressed desire, her desperation.

But the moment miraculously passes. She releases her grip, and the black jade ring, and wistfully drifts apart from him, her face masked in perfect, unreadable calm. "May fortune smile upon you, Lasuri Leomaris and Alliance."

Sylpheel and her guards step backward until they are once again surrounded by water, sinking gracefully until their heads are completely submerged, and their seaweed tresses disappear beneath the surface. Only ripples remain where they had stood, and even those are calmed as the seconds pass and the effect of the queen's radiance fades into an improbable memory.

The jokun beckon to the Dragon-blooded still on the shore, urging them to board the two remaining rowboats. "It is time. We must hurry to the source of corruption."

---

OOC: By tomorrow Tuesday (forgot it's Memorial day in the U.S.), we shall move to the intestines! And Jadira will contact again very soon.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:10, Tue 26 May 2009.

Kiana stood there for a few moments, completely overwhelmed by the emotional presence of her dead father.  How long had she lamented his death, and yet now, without warning she was reunited with him, and in a very real, if only spiritual, way.  She could feel his pride pouring into her, his sorry and his want to help her, and the feelings only allowed a few more tears to flow from her eyes.  Kiana was strong, only Pasiap knew how strong she was, both emotionally and physically, but she felt no shame at shedding tears of happiness for feeling her father, or for knowing that he wasn't gone--not completely.  And that somehow, someway, she would be reunited with him.

Placing both of her hands clasped in front of her, upon the emblem on the chest of the armor, she whispered.  "I've missed you so much, Daddy.  I knew I would find you again, I just knew it..."  She looked up at the Jokun, her her knew armor, and wiped her eyes with her palms.  "Thank you all very much.  You have been very kind to me.  Thank you for taking care of my Father's Armor--I will make sure to do everything in my power to rid Rakatau of this scourge that rots him from within and brings harm to you."

She walked toward them and, eventually, back into the rowboat to meet with the others.  In truth she had missed most of the discussion about the ring, but the armor was of great importance, and she didn't regret finding it for a second.  Never in her life did she suspect she would ever be inside a giant earth elemental, but even less so did she dream of recovering a part of her father's armor...and here she was, in an improbably place, doing the near impossible.

While on shore, she gave a proud smile as she approached the others, as she was wearing the armor of her Father, so had reason to be proud.

Just as Kiana returns to the group, a glimmer of green Essence appears to Lasuri's left, forming into the familiar shape of Jadira's Infallible Messenger.

"Sorry everyone, that took longer than I thought. Let's just say Hirdu is... cooling down. About blood immunity, Hirdu thought to use Kizil's blood to appease the chalice. Basically feed it so it won't keep feeding on Rakatau. Only a Lintha, akuma or demon would be able to handle that chalice with 100% safety, so I guess her blood might fool it for a while, or so Hirdu says. There's exceptions, I guess, but... well, without that I think you may have a hard time bringing the chalice out. On the other hand -- involving Kizil at all could be dangerous. I hope you've got a better plan."

"The situation's still tense here. It's growing dark, and just our luck, it's a new moon. Our lookout is jumpy, thinks he might have seen a ship coming our way and --" The message pauses briefly, as Jadira appears to be conferring with one of the crewmen. Several seconds pass, and then: "Captain! There are three ships converging on our position. It's the Kri Kiamo and two support vessels. The Lintha Dara-Said! The Alliance ships will prepare for battle. The Falchion as well, they're still a hundred men strong. We'll hold them off, just concentrate on getting the chalice. They're weakened and over-eager and we're ready for them. Oh, and tell Zeru that Cinna sends her love. First Mate Thornbloom out." The petal-winged sprite dissipates into thin air.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Wed 16 Sept 2009.

It is with a moment of trepidation and almost-apprehension that Lasuri feels his consciousness meld with that of the nymph. It is brief, almost too quick to even make a strong impact on his psyche, but in that moment her will, her desires and her profound desperation overcome him, and he realizes how badly she must wish for him to succeed. For her own reasons no doubt, but still, those reasons are no less valid than that of anyone...

Pulling back, Lasuri staggers for a moment, visibly still dazed at the experience. Uncertain of what has just occurred, he simply looks into his hand at the perfectly carved ring of darkness that rests in his gloved palm. His eyes remain affixed on the object for a moment, as if he is trying to figure out exactly what happened here, and for what reason. Uncertain of the 'cost' Kareth spoke of for the moment, he chooses not to wear the ring right away, instead passing it through a leather cord and tying it securely around his neck.

Once that is done, the Captain smiles broadly at Kiana's approach, her expression telling what her words haven't - her finding must have been particularly precious to her, for her to practically glow with pride in this particular moment. Before Lasuri can react, however, Jadira's message comes by and immediately draws his attention.

"Damn it, they found us already." He says, before swiftly turning towards the others. "Mister Kareth, send a message back to Miss Thornbloom, if you could. Tell her we probably have a way to take care of the chalice without involving the Lintha prisoner. Tell her it's untested... But I have to try it." He holds the ring dangling from his neck for a moment, then nods resolutely.

"Please tell them to do what they can to buy us some time, but tell them not to overdo it. If the situation becomes too hot for them, they are to withdraw momentarily. We'll take our chances in that case. Better they make it out and live, rather than them being eventually slaughtered by the time we make it out." The words are tasteless in his mouth, and the Captain shakes his head at them. He would not allow himself to think of that for now.

"As for us, we've got to get moving, and now. We've got a time limit hanging over our heads, and we have to get our work done before it expires, no matter what. Form a tight marching order - we're going in."

Kareth rapidly sends off his message saying "Can handle chalice without prisoner.  Captains Orders: Buy time but if too dangerous, withdraw ships and leave us to fend."  He then turns to the Captain and nods, signaling he's ready to go.

And so they move, the five Exalts spreading out to board the three jokun-rowed boats. Labor continues in the stomach cavern, but as they row the small vessels past their jokun brothers, the workers stop to bow their heads and voice a sonorous baritone chant to build their morale. The entire cavern trembles minutely with the force of that song, soon joined in by the nymphs' sweet harmonies.

But the stirring harmonies gradually diminish in strength as the group passes through the stomach into the intestinal maze. The tunnel they follow is wide enough to fit all three boats without them so much as touching, and the water deep enough that the jokun continue to sail, rather than stop to wade. The deepening silence is broken now and then by groans and guttural growls, splashes of gushing liquid, and the clash of weaponry. It's clear that the group will be fighting in close quarters, as the chalice has taken root in the heart of the maze.

Finally, the rowboats reach shallower waters, as the tunnel unexpectedly starts to widen. The water itself has become dark and murky, and the air tinged with a distinctly acrid smell. The sounds of combat are larger and more imminent now, and ahead the tunnel rises up out of the water level toward damp but drier ground. Unfortunately, it also curves sharply toward the right after rising, so it's impossible to see what's going on without first approaching closer... or being approached by the enemy.

As the small boats nears the slope, two figures stagger from beyond the sharp turn and into view. Two jokun, both of them gouged by tooth and claw, the wounds sizzling with fresh vitriol. One of them sees the boats coming and croaks out words of warning in Old Realm. "The... All-Consuming Wave... it comes..." He topples onto his knees, while the other jokun struggles to reach the water, dragging a crippled leg.

Everyone can hear a crack like a blunt object striking hard earth, then a gurgling noise that doesn't sound pleasant... at all.

---

OOC: Ok, I'll assume you had time to activate any charms / readied any weapons / attuned any artifacts necessary on the way to this point. But please post which and what for my knowledge (preferably IC as well!)

I'll also potentially take an Int+Occult to figure out exactly what's coming, but it'll take a pretty high roll.

After boarding the boat, Kareth quickly attaches on end of his new found artifact to his belt, being sure to leave plenty of room on it to tie knots in the rope should any sorcerous or necromatic effects be thrown at them.  Next he readied for his short sword and his Essence Cannon.  There was a fight ahead and he knew he needed to be prepared.  On hearing the roar he immediately started racking his brain to see if he could figure out what was coming.

[Private to GM: 13:32, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 4 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,6,4,10,10,2. Int + Occult:  What's coming?. ]

Though Kareth is not certain of much else, he is sure that what is being referred to is a sorcerous power.

Whether he can catch or stop it depends on what circle of sorcery, and that is not something he is certain about. He only remembers what he knows of Kimbery: that powers related to her will be aquatic and corrosive in nature.

Kareth takes  deep breath and drops his sword.  "I hope this works," he thinks as he deftly readies the knot with one hand, a trick he learned in the military.  At the last possible second, he focuses hard, trying to will the sorcerous powers into the rope.  "Even if it does work, I still can't release it, though.  If only.... now's not the time for this." He puts those thoughts out of his head.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:12, Fri 29 May 2009.

"That... can't be good, right?" Lasuri says, eyes affixed on the cave ahead, before turning to the others. "We don't have much time, something is coming. Please, if any of you has any idea what's going on, let me know. Otherwise... Be prepared for the worst, and be prepared to dive out of the way."

With that, Lasuri draws his weapons, Wavecleaver and hand axe held at once, and stand defiant against the coming wave. Around him, the unmistakable scent of Sea Breeze starts to gather, spiraling about his form and carrying small droplets of sea mist with it. It seems to extend to the others as well, the invigorating smell of the deep sea coming towards them and enveloping them in its protective freshness. Quietly, the Captain murmurs a soft prayer to Danaa'd, and stands at the front of the rowboat, facing the impending threat directly, unafraid

Instinctively, his mind goes back to the ring hanging from his neck...

[Private to Storyteller: Activating Whirlwind Shield Form.]

Kiana was a Daughter of Pasiap--to the Jokun, the 'Princess of Earth'.  Such titles, as they were, did not convey much in the way of speed or agility, but Kiana was not without these things.  That much was evident now as she saw the servants of Rakatau stumble from around the bend, both of them looking battle-torn and in great pain.  Though she hadn't known them for long, their shared Element had made Kiana very fond of the elemental guardians, and from what she had seen, the docile creatures had suffered more than enough this 'Chalice', and whatever rot and disease it brought.  Of these two, one used precious energy to simply warn them of impending danger, while the other was desperate just to reach the water.  With solid ground so close, Kiana had all she needed to try and help them.  The captain said to prepare for the worst, and to dive out of the way--but what of these Jokun, who could not prepare themselves?  Who could not dive out of the way?

Kiana would prepare for them.

Jumping from the boat, Kiana would land in a crouch.  In that same instance, when her hands and feet touched the damp earth, there was a bright flash as the White Jade Smashfist joined her boot and breastplate in uniform, the three pieces of armor looking all the more impressive now that they were together, though a trained eye could tell there was more to the armor--and entire suit, if the tell-tale signs were read properly.  The instant after she landed, Kiana was running.  She was not the fastest or the strongest of the Cobalt Alliance, but she would certainly be a contestant for most resilient and stubborn--and she considered these Jokun as allies and friends...and she was going to help them, even at the cost of harm to herself.

She ran, covering distance as quickly as possible, and as she reached the Jokun she began to act.  She bent down and tried to grab both of them, one over her shoulder and the other by her waist, and quickly take them back to safety--which, in her mind, was the water, as that was what the Jokun had been trying so desperately to reach.  Maybe it had the strength to withstand whatever the wave was?  Or perhaps the waters within Rakatau had healing properties to them?  She didn't know, either way, but below the waves was surely a safer place to endure the wave then simply standing in front of it.

Tageru kneels for a moment, as if in silent prayer, placing his bow and quiver in front of him. He opens his eyes and rises, and performs a quick series of hits on his body with the tips of his fingers and ends it all with a loud clap of his hands as his body is enveloped in a soft green glow. He picks up the bow and his arrows, and readies himself for whatever might appear. The monk hangs the satchel on his belt, securing it tightly, but not activating it with the hearthstone yet. If it comes to that... He'll sacrifice some of his combat efectiveness for it...
Looking down his knocked arrow, ready to fire, the monk speaks:
"Kiana, will you be on the lookout for the immaterial spirits or do you want me to do it? I'm fine either way, but I just thought we shouldn't both waste Essence unless we're sure we need to. Who knows what we might encounter inside..."

Kareth speaks up at the captains query trying to be as informative as possible.  "I don't know what it is exactly, but it's sorcerous in nature.  I'm trying to use my cord to stop it."

Kiana rushes forward to help the jokun, unable to bear the thought of them being harmed. Though they are too heavy to carry, she is able to support them enough to allow them to move faster, and have a chance to get towards the water.

As she turns her back on the tunnel ahead, greenish liquid pours from around the bend at high speed, splashing against the side of the tunnel and collecting briefly there in the corner until the amount and force are too much for it to contain. The corrosive wave comes gushing through the tunnel, threatening to engulf Kiana and the jokun on its inevitable path toward the rowboats!

---

OOC: Treat this as an 8 sux attack. The wave can only be dodged (attempt to move the boats / yourselves to the sides of the tunnel, or dive underwater). Also roll Join Battle, though you can defend against the wave before the tick count.

[Private to Isole Kareth: at this point I'll let you figure out that it's something like a Malfean tinged version of an Unstoppable Fountain of the Depths, replacing the element of water with vitriol. I've mostly paused the action at this point to give an impression of danger to the others, though you should be able to suck up the spell before it does any harm.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:25, Fri 12 June 2009.

The Wood Aspect holds his powerbow in front of him, watching the wave rush onward, and just as it is about to hit them, he bends his bow against the bottom of the boat and, using it like a pole for a vault, launches himself straight up. The boat rocks just the slightest bit, and stops rocking immediately as the monk lands nimbly on his feet, back in the boat.

Zeru takes one look at the wave and dives off the side of the boat, he knifes through the water with little more than the sound of a large droplet hitting it. Once underwater he spins once to arrest his movement and grabs his chain.

[Private to Storyteller: 15:32, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,7,8. Join Battle.]

The sound of the oncoming wave filled Kiana's ears, and for a moment she considered her actions.  The shrewd General in her, the hardened command yet to be, this part screamed disapproval.  The Jokun she was trying to save were not unique among their kind--in fact, the earth elementals were plentiful within the Seven-Day Isle.  Tactics told her that the two of them hardly warranted such a risk to her own well-being...and thi sis where her heart disagreed.  The Jokun had salvaged her armor of her father, if only part of it, and had guided her to it.  She would not, could not stand idly by and allow further harm to come to them, strategy be damned.

She gave the two elementals a hard push as she began to turn to face the wave.  She she could, she would have tried to make it back to the boat, but the distance was too great to make in any single bound or surge.  "Hurry!  Go!"  She said.  Her anima brightened significantly as she faced the impending magics.  She quickly spread her stance low, her legs sliding into an unshakable stance of the Earth Dragon.  The ground beneath her feet cracked as she ground her soles into their home element, perhaps silently asking Rakatau for help in enduring the coming tsunami.  Her right hand chambered by her wait in a tight fist, while the other was extended, bent at the elbow with her palm flat and fingers pointed skyward, ready to shield her eyes if needed.

With the chest plate of her father protecting her, Kiana felt like she could endure the teeth of Pasiap himself--what was a little wave in comparison?

As the wave turns the bend and threatens to swallow the small group whole, the Captain, almost alarmingly, seems frozen in place.

The instant is quick, but in the tempest of Lasuri's mind, it is an eternity. Just as a perfect, pristine windowpane struck softly at its center by a hammer, he could see the myriad events and possibilities spreading around the epicenter like spiderweb cracks slithering across glass. The finality. The danger. The risk each and everyone of them are exposed to. The dawning, sinking feeling that should they die, should any of them die, it would be his fault. For it was his idea that cast the group here in the first place.

Perhaps it is the proverbial introspection accompanying someone who considers the possibility of not only his mortality, but that of all those he cherishes. Perhaps it is the culmination of an otherwise long journey with many twists and turns, one that now finds itself here. Whatever the reason is, however, the result is the same: in that moment, Lasuri starts to think of everything that led him here.

He thinks of youth in the Realm, an otherwise inconsequential child with a knack for thinking outside the box. He thinks of freedom lost, and the rebirth it caused. He thinks of his new home in the West, of the place he wished to forge for himself and all those who do not have a home to call their own. He thinks of Jadira, and of all his comrades and friends - all those who look up to him for guidance and support. And then, either through some momentarily epiphany or perhaps through simple chance, he realizes he knows exactly what he must do.

The Captain steps at the front of the boat, and grabs the ring that now hangs from his neck. Danaa'd. He starts, the words recited clearly in his head as he stares at the coming tide. I don't know if I'm worthy of this. I don't know if I'm really all you think I am. But I don't care. I don't care about -what- I am. There's things I think need protecting here. There's people I'm responsible for. And that's why I'm going to do this. Not for fame, or glory, or even because I think I'm better than someone else. But because it's the right thing to do. I'll be who you want me to be. I'll play by these rules, and live how you expect me to live in return for your blessing. It's the least I can do for my new home. It's the least I can do for the people I care about.

Quickly, Lasuri removes a glove, and in one quick, decisive, unwavering moment, slides the pure Black Jade ring one his finger. The power courses through his body, but Lasuri has no time to let himself be enthralled. The ring on his finger flares, and his gaze does not leave the wave ahead. His anima flares brightly, the Leviathan surging from the depths with more force and vigor than he has ever displayed, howling in defiance of fate as the Captain gives his comrades a single instruction. "Take cover from the splash." And with that, Lasuri raises, and spreads his arms wide - using his body as a shield to protect as many of them as he can from the oncoming wave.

I'm no hero. I'm just a man.
But it will -have- to do.

The wave of acrid green liquid comes surging toward the group. The other Alliance members can only watch helplessly as the jokun throw themselves toward the water and Kiana, still ashore, just... stands there. She is fully engulfed in the corrosive deluge, the only sign of her the last defiant white glow of her anima shining stubbornly through the liquid. [Private to Kiana White-Fist: The combination of your Charm and the armor you wear, bolstered by the spirit of Kiando, reduced the potential for damage considerably. I made a roll, but the dice were nice enough to spare you, and you came out with 0 damage! But the PCs won't know immediately that you're safe, so I've written it a little ambiguously and can post yourself all completely intact.]

The earth elementals drop like stones into the water, and the All-Consuming Wave continues right over them. Some of it gushes right into the natural body of water, contaminating it further, but momentum carries the rest skimming over the surface to splash directly onto the boats. Tageru makes his daring leap, the height of it just shy of clearing the wave entirely. Zeru takes refuge underneath the main force of the wave, hoping the corrosive effect will dilute enough to be rendered mostly harmless.

Then something welcome but not completely expected happens.

The elemental spell of vitriol is disrupted, drawn in by the knot in Kareth's sorcery-capturing cord. Kiana could not be immediately spared the effects, but the seemingly endless torrents of green liquid start to dwindle before they could strike the boats, siphoning into that singular point until the source of the corrosive wave closes up.

[Private to Cynis Tageru: You were 1 short of clearing it, at 5 DDV+2 stunt, but I decided that Kareth is close enough to you that the wave dissipated before it could actually reach you.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:15, Mon 22 June 2009.

Meanwhile, Lasuri's leviathan anima unfurls itself into full iconic display. The great serpent of water swirls around him defiantly, seemingly building in power despite the drain that the ring of perfect black jade demands of its wearer. Whether it is shielding him, or draining him, the Sea Drake can no longer be sure, as his mind is engulfed by a flood of memories that consume his senses. Some consciously recalled, but others dragged from his subconscious, all of them converging on the same theme.

Water. Pure, sparkling and clean water. The expanse of the sea which called to him from his youth, and the joy he experienced upon traveling it for the first time. The moment of his Exaltation, when he discovered for the first time his affinity for water rang true in his blood. And afterward, honing his talent with Water Essence. Learning to be as one with its fluid, mercurial nature. Seeking to emulate the element as much as it shaped him. Knowing that it is the most natural way for him to be.

Water has been with Lasuri in joy and in sorrow. Water has been crucial in every decision and turning point in his life. Water is his birthplace, and will one day be his tomb. But unlike the child conceived in the womb of his mother, he can choose whether to laugh or to cry, to live or to die, to follow rules or to forge his own path.

A female voice speaks into his mind, the very timbre of it resonating right through to his bones: You have chosen a responsibility that will at times be a burden and a curse. For it is not the power itself that matters, but how you use it. Lasuri Leomaris, I ask that you embody the spirit of freedom and independence in all the endeavors you embark upon. At the same time, you must keep in mind the difference between freedom and chaos. Never forget your integrity, though neither border nor ideology but your own may hold you. Never forget who you are, though water may adapt to many roles and situations. In this way, you will serve your purpose well.

As his anima display fades, Lasuri looks much the same, but all the same is greatly changed in spirit.

---

OOC: And Lasuri gets a sort of impromptu powerup. Soon I'll continue with more things coming over the bend but I'll pause in case there are reactions.

The corrosive wave surged for what seemed an eternity, pumping out of the tunnel like drinking water from a faucet--though surely not as nourishing or welcome.  The white glow of Kiana's anima was lost in the green waves that towered over her, though her teammates would take heart that she was not seen washed into the water as the wave collided with the most natural liquid they had traveled upon.  Alive or dead, it seemed Kiana refused to budge.

Finally, after the wave began to slacken and eventually dwindle (mostly thanks to that clever use of cord) the white glow could be seen yet again, biting strongly against the liquid as it poured around her.  Kiana had not moved, still frozen in that nearly unbreakable stance as the water finally dropped first past her head, shoulders, and eventually around the bottom of her white jade boots.  Little puddles of the green viscus liquid pooled where she had stomped her feet, and she stood up from her stance after a few moments.

Her lovely black hair, now forever kept at just the base of her neck, was drenched and matted to her face, as every bit of fabric she wore followed suit.  Undeniably wet, yes, but otherwise there was not a burn or corrosive mark on her.  The white jade breastplate, in fact, seemed to shine all the more brilliantly thanks to the corrosive bath, as did the Smashfist and Godkickers.  She listened carefully to make sure another wave wasn't fourthcoming, and then quickly turned to face her colleges.  "Is everyone okay?"  She called out.  She made quick steps back toward the boat, making sure that Lasuri, Cynis and Zeru were okay, and then once making sure they were, she dove into the water to help the Earth Elementals get back to dry land.  She wasn't sure if they breathed or not, but it was best to err on the side of caution.  She had risked everything to save them--it would be a shame if they drowned after surviving something like that.

Zeru kept his distance under the water looking up through the refracted surface at both Lasuri's and Kiana's stand against the torrent. He feels bad for all of 3 seconds that he didn't stand with them. After three seconds he remembers that it is his job to flow with the water not fight against it. He was not the rock to be worn away.

He surfaces with a breath, his blue hair sticking to his head. His hat floating next to him. He glares at it for a moment before snatching it up and wringing it out. He agilely climbs back into the rowboat. "I'm OK."

Having captured the spell, Kareth looked at his fellow Dragon Touched.  If he had been embarrassed by his fall earlier, he felt redeemed now.  He at stopped the wave before anyone but the Earth Princess had been in any real danger.  A smug look appeared on his face as he replied to Zeru, "Naturally".  He then looked over to Kiana and said, "Yes we're fine.  You would have been in no danger had you not rushed ahead."  While the words were harsh, someone who was adapt with people might discern that acting according to his elemental nature was not something that Kareth did often.  The cold words were an obvious sign of concern.  He quickly changed the subject though, "Are our guides okay?"

It takes a short while for Lasuri to comprehend everything that's happened in that instant. One moment, he thinks that he has been standing there for only a breath, and the next he seems to recall having been there for hours. Just like a short dream can seem to have stretched all night long, it takes a moment for the Captain to shake the confusion off and regain his bearings. When he does so, he can only echo one thought, at the bottom of his mind, in response to the strong voice he has heard there a moment ago.

I'll follow your request, Mercurial Lady. For myself and those around me.

The moment passes, however, and Lasuri blinks once or twice, gazing at the situation around him and slowly coming to his senses. He smiles, then nods approvingly as he sees everyone unscathed. "Nicely done, Mister Kareth. Looks like you have an eye for treasures - that rope of yours did end up saving our hides. Good call. And congrats to all of you too - seems like we all made it."

Almost immediately, Lasuri's mind focuses on the other beings that were with them, and he starts looking for the Jokun by scanning the waters with his eyes. "What about our friends, Miss Kiana? Did they make it as well?" He asks, a hint of worry in his voice. "We should check on them and then move on - there's something nasty in there, and I want to get rid of it. Both for Rakatau and his people, and because no one should be able to wield that sort of power unchecked."

He turns towards the people around him, and nods to them all in turn, pride flashing in his eyes. "We've got a job to finish, people. You're my trusted in this - let's bring this to an end."

The jokun that sunk into the water do not rise again. Kiana dives in to check on them before anyone can stop her, though Zeru feels his clothes sizzling and smoking a bit against his skin and wonders whether dipping in there again would be a good idea.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: Through the unnaturally dark water you barely glimpse the two jokun at the floor of the tunnel. They're too heavy to float, basically. And too heavy for you to carry up through the strange water. One of them looks deeply injured, but the other appears to be attempting to help it move. The water makes your skin tingle; you think it must at least be lightly acidic. Though you don't feel it harm you yet, you aren't sure it's a good idea to stay down here either (besides the fact you might eventually drown!)

The less injured jokun is waving at you to go back to the surface. But you also see movement in the depths... a pair of toothy worm-like creatures poking out from an underwater tunnel, behind the two jokun.]

The half dozen jokun that rowed the boats seem safe, at least physically. It is difficult to tell with their stone-chiseled, lizard-like faces what emotions they may be feeling, facing the corruption for the first time. But several of them vocalize a low, trembling hum that gives the entire scene a sense of fearful urgency. One of them speaks (in Old Realm as usual), "You possess much power, Chosen of the Dragons. It is you we have chosen to wield such items of power, for we cannot do so ourselves."

Movement comes from around the bend of the tunnel ahead. An oozing, amorphous green thing that even as it moves begins to shape itself into a fat worm with a grotesquely toothy lamprey mouth. The ground it slithers upon sizzles as if melting the earth away, and Rakatau itself shivers in pain. Two more worms join it, slithering down the tunnel toward the shore, and beyond them --  hardened shapes wielding vitriol-dripping claws or weapons. Jokun, but only in body.

"They come now. See there. They are creatures born from Kimbery's waters. They are enemies of all Creation." Two of the jokun begin to row the boat carrying Lasuri and Kareth toward that threatened shore. One of the two in Zeru and Tageru's boat is unresponsive, the other attempting unsuccessfully to row alone. The two in the last, empty boat are frozen with fear. "The chalice is beyond that bend. It is..." The speaking jokun's eyes glaze over. "Guarded by our corrupted brothers... They are... not dead. But no longer with us."

---

OOC: actions
tick 0 - Kiana, wormy things
tick 2 - Lasuri, Tageru, ???, Kareth, Zeru
tick 5 - jokun (normal), jokun (corrupt)

Tageru's face becomes a mask of silent rage as he witnesses the corruption that the chalice of the Yozi has wrought upon these unfortunate creatures. Barely managing not to show his teeth in anger, he closes his eyes and concentrates on his moves, letting the Wood Dragon guide him and keep him safe. A green glow envelops him and a scent of pine and roses rises to cover the foul stench of Kimbery's waters.
"Time to die, foul monsters! Your evil will not spread any further, and you will not be allowed to torment anyone any more!"
He holds his bow in his left hand, and slowly, almost ceremoniously picks it up and aims his arrows at the monsters approaching.

[Private to Storyteller: OOC: I activate my Form and then I'll attack. You can use this also as a JB stunt if you want. :)]

Kareth was not nearly as gung ho as the monk.  He knew he was still injured and wanted to keep his distance.  He drew his shortsword and essence cannon, and figured he would provide cover fire for those who were in better condition to fight in close range.

He steadied himself against the rocking of the boat placing a leg on a seat.  He confidently lifts his cannon and takes aim at the nearest parasite and focuses on its infernal maw.  It slowly grows bigger in minds eye and much harder to miss.  He retains his normal cool as monsters approach.  Finally, when Tageru is set as well, Kareth's military training shines through once again as he says very confidently "Captain, on your order."

Turning towards the Jokun, Lasuri nods solemnly. "You guys've suffered a good deal because of this damnable thing. Well, no more." The Captain raises his black jade Wavecleaver in a salute, placing the fist holding it against his heart. "I make you this promise - we'll clear your master of this disease, and let your brothers rest in peace. If you want to turn back now, you can - we chose to take on this fight, but that doesn't mean you have to get involved."

"But if you do stay... Follow me, and I promise I'll lead you to victory. For your brothers, for your masters, and for yourselves." With that, Lasuri closes his eyes, and once more the Leviathan that is is anima surges outward. This time, however, it it much paler, almost ghostly, like clear spring water on a summer morning. It coils around its master, and then reaches protectively to include the three Jokun who look combat-ready and Kareth in its protective embrace. Once it has used its body to trace a complete, perfect circle, the beast roars and bares its fangs, dissolving into darkness... But the impression of strength and defiance it gave remains on all those included within its circle.

"We'll take all of these things down, and take that accursed thing from here. Mister Kareth... It would seem you and I are destined to fight side by side. Don't hesitate - I've got your back." Lasuri smiles at the engineer, then to Tageru and Zeru, then gazing towards where Kiana has dived. The Captain then steps to the front of the boat, his expression changing into a wolfish, proud snarl.

"Malfeas, Demons or whatnot, -we- are the Cobalt Alliance! Show them what happens when flames meet the crashing waves, people!"

[Private to Isole Kareth; Storyteller: Activating Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement, which means that Lasuri, Kareth, and the 3 Jokun that can fight get +4 to their melee dice pools. Use it well, guys!]

Lasuri's gaze onto the calming body of water gave little away to what was happening beneath the surface.  The ripples that Kiana had made as she had dove after the Jokun were finally fading against the boats, the water convincingly suggesting that maybe she had not dived in at all--that perhaps she had been lost in that wave completely, and they simply imagined her dive in the acidic abyss.  Such discouraging thoughts, if any, were shut down completely when a very intense glow emanated from the waters.  Though the waters were far too dark to see through, even with the brilliant light source clearly displayed near the bottom of the body, there was little doubt that the diamond-white, even so dulled, belonged to Kiana.  She was well enough so far...and an eruption of anima that brightly surely meant she had run foul some trouble.

A few spare moments passed after the bright glow began, and then a sudden disturbance in the water shot upwards.  A large splash going straight up into the air, like a small, but intense geyser spouting for just an instant.  Then, almost instantly afterwards, a small divide in the wave dashed out from that very spot, as if someone were drawing a line in the water towards the far well.  It was almost as if the water were trying to divide itself, or was being divided by something else entirely.

The dark water has started to roil and churn now, from whatever Kiana could be fighting below. Those still on the boats find their footing start to become precarious. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris; Isole Kareth; Peleps Zeru; Cynis Tageru: Roll Dex+Ath difficulty 2 to keep your footing.]The jokun, dense and stable as the element they embody, remain upright, though the frightened ones are still catatonic.

The one attempting to row Zeru and Tageru's boat alone stops and turns to Zeru. It speaks to him, but Zeru cannot understand the language. It points at the second oar, then at Zeru, speaking one sentence in Old Realm.[Private to Cynis Tageru: It says to Zeru, "Chosen of Danaa'd, will you help me row?"] Then it points to the water and makes a diving motion, speaking another sentence.[Private to Cynis Tageru: "Or will you swim to shore?"]

The glow beneath the water shows no sign of abating. But there's little time to worry about Kiana now. The worms slither toward the rowboats, reaching the first one just as the jokun manage to touch it to shore. They show themselves surprisingly mobile, two of them springing toward Lasuri and Kareth with their horrible maws open wide to bite at them viciously with multiple, circular rows of teeth. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris; Isole Kareth: Unfortunately you two happen to be in the first boat coming to shore so... Kareth might be closer to the action than he'd want to be. Anyway, each of you got one worm bite attack of 6 successes. Kareth, your aim puts you at -1 DV. Post your defenses first then an attack. (Note that Lasuri will actually get attacked twice before he gets to attack again.)]

The third glides through the water toward Zeru and Tageru's boat, its long tail like a whiplash, spraying acidic water everywhere. [Private to Cynis Tageru: Technically, the worm will reach your boat before you can shoot. So you should probably stunt a defense first, then an attack.]

The first two rowers ready their weapons and move ashore, up the sloping tunnel passage, to accost their three possessed peers. Mournfully they call out to them. "Do not be enticed by the Sea that Marched Against the Flame!" "If you have betrayed Rakatau, then we must defeat you." Two versus three, the jokun fight brother against brother, forged steel sparking against acid-edged weapons.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: Underwater...

Seething with rage, the first worm kicked into the wall doubles back and springs at the young, white-glowing woman that kicked it. Kiana can see that her kicks have actually burned it, searing and blackening the tender, vitriol-spawned flesh. But before she can comtemplate this, the worm's lamprey like teeth suck in the water and surge close to snap at her in a frothy rage! Circling from behind, its spawn-sibling joins in the attack, its muscular jaw extending wrathfully to chomp at Kiana's arm and rip it right off!

(Your DV is 5 underwater, -2 for your two attacks, so 3 DV. And both worms rolled only 3 DV. So they actually missed! Must be blind with rage. :D Now you can attack again!)]

---

OOC: actions
tick 4 - Kiana (underwater)
tick 5 - Kareth (attack after aim+3), jokun (fighting one another)
tick 6 - worms, again!
tick 7 - Tageru
tick 8 - Lasuri

Zeru is considered to be holding action since he's yet to react.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:57, Tue 30 June 2009.

The movement of water is as always the movement of water. Whether it is acidic or clear and drinkable it will always flow. So too does Zeru flow, the boat may rock and it may be tossed by the water but Zeru's feet remain rooted. His legs flow with motion keeping him stable.

Hoping to guess correctly at the translation Zeru grabs the oar and in swift smooth strokes attempts to help the Jokun push the boat to shore.

Tageru dives toward the worm, instead of trying to jump aside. Quicker than the eye can follow, he slides on his back under the worm and kicks, pushing his maw aside and delivering a painful blow to its' underbelly. The worm-creature hisses in agony as a greenish light flashes from inside its' flesh.
"All my life I have trained to battle monsters like you, and now you will see what the Princes of Earth are capable of, demon!" A great whirlwind of green Essence appears around him and a great Dragon made of wood and leaves carrying a flower in its' mouth starts twisting its' serpentine body around the monk, the boat and the Demon-worm.

[Private to Storyteller: OOC: I parry and I kick it twice, with both feet, as I described. I also use Soul-Marking strike on both attacks, and 1 wp to add a success on the first. If I hit, even if I don't deal damage, he has a cumulative -1 internal penalty (if he's a spirit, I suppose he's a Demon) and I automatically have a cumulative +1 success on all following attacks (so I have a +1 success on the first attack from the WP and if it hits then a +1 success on the second from the Charm and it has a -1 internal penalty from the Charm. :) )]

As Tageru shouts to the worms about them seeing what the Princes of the Earth can do, almost Kareth falls in a most ungraceful manner.  Once again the though crosses his mind that IF he lives through this, he should spend time meditating on his elemental affinity.  However he didn't have time to meditate on this long as he had a huge worm bearing down on him, so he quite literally willed himself to stay on his feet.  After regaining his stance, he did his best to stay calm as he seemed to be in dire straights at the moment.  While being calm did little to improve his situation, he was able to get his footing on the side of the boat.  As the worm attacked he managed to use this leverage to push outward and interject his blade between himself and certain harm.  As the worms jaws closed around the blade Kareth twisted his weight and pushed with all his might trying to turn the monster aside.  However his goal was not to simply block but to use his sword to keep the mouth of the worm open for a split second, because as his firey essence poured through his arms, a split second was all that he needed.  As the worm recoiled from the parry and tried to free its mouth of the metal obstruction but opening it further, Kareth quickly replaced the blade with the barrel of his cannon and fired off a shot directly into the beast's hungry maw as his anima banner jumped to life.  Any who looked would notice that his anima banner looked as pale and weak as the engineer looked himself.  Instead of bright reds and symbols of the Fire Dragon floating through flames, it was simple pale orange fire with what looked to be green flames forming phantom faces that melted away.  The green flames would flow to other parts of the anima flare and reform.  Kareth's saving grace was that most of the others were preoccupied at this time.  "Damn it.  I wanted to avoid this but there's no choice at this point," Kareth thought to himself.  He was only glad Jadira wasn't around to see this as she was more skilled in Occult matters than these.

[Private to GM:

I rolled on 1 on the athletics check but spent a Willpower to stay on my feet.
Had a little bit of trouble understanding exactly what Terrestrial Melee Reinforcement did to me  at first but after reading it I think the roll I made was unnecessary.

I also channelled temerance to try and improve my DV but that botched.  My DV should have been 3 but with the Terrestrial Reinforcement, that raised it to 5.  I tried my hardest to stunt given my situation, so I activated my Privateer's Counter Attack (assuming it was a 1 dice stunt.)  Buying 2 sux with my Archery excellency.  This puts my anima flaring.  Lets see who picks up on it shall we?

Isole Kareth rolled 5 successes using 8d10 ... with rolls of 10,8,7,5,1,2,2,8. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon.

Counter Attack = 7 sux total
Base Damage of Attack = 10B piercing.

]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Thu 02 July 2009.

Allright, well, let's not take a dive right away and flush all meaning that lil' speech might have had down the drain now, Las.

The Captain thinks these words as the boat starts rocking and rolling, but this is not the first occurrence of rocking boats Lasuri faces. Almost instinctively, he lowers his center of gravity and lets his knees act as a dampener for the movement, allowing himself to stay upwards and in full control of his movements and stance. [Private to GM: 22:40, Today: Lasuri Leomaris rolled 4 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,8,1,7,2,9,7. Dex + Athletics +1wp. ]

Having avoided taking an impromptu dive, the Captain immediately turns his focus on avoiding to become worm food (literally). Taking a step back, he makes certain to keep his weight adjusted to the rolling and bobbing of the boat - a necessity for anyone wishing to fight on a water-bound vessel - and stares directly at his opponents, making certain to peripherally watch over Kareth and the Jokun.

The worms might have taken over Rakatau's insides, but they are not in their element. Lasuri also technically isn't, but he does have a certain advantage - the whole battle takes place on water. As he steps back to regain control of his movements, Lasuri takes the maneuver one step further. Instead of simply dampening the impact the boat's movements have on his own, he instead uses the flow and roll to power his own position, helping to narrow the enemy's attack angle in such a way that when he intersects Riptide and Undertow in the worms' path, most of the strikes' power has already been sapped.

"Danaa'd, you guys are ugly."

It is the same unusual motion that seems to power the whole of Lasuri's fighting style, giving his motions the feel of a tribal, primal dance rather than combat movements. Raising his boarding axe in front of his face, the Captain takes a step back in an obviously defensive move... And then immediately steps forward in an unusual, almost stumbling pattern, that morphs mid-way into a full force attack. Lasuri's wavecleaver slices powerfully in a crescent motion that blankets over both the worms that attacked him.

[Private to Storyteller: Two attacks, both powered with 1 mote, so 2 dice on each. With the Melee Reinforcement, that means the attacks are at +5 dice.]
This message was last edited by the player at 07:58, Thu 02 July 2009.

After he managed to rattle off a shot directly into the mouth of the worm, Kareth resumed taking aim until he felt certain he would hit his target.  Without waiting a second Kareth fired his cannon at the worms mouth again, certain of his success.

[Private to GM:

Isole Kareth rolled 7 successes using 12d10 with ... rolls of 3,1,3,10,1,8,9,4,7,8,9,3. Attack with Essence Cannon.

DV: 4 ]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Thu 02 July 2009.

Tageru and Zeru's boat:

Zeru starts rowing toward where Lasuri and Kareth are already being surrounded by two of the slippery, vitriol-spawned worms. This leaves Tageru to defend the boat he is rowing. The aquatic worm lashes through the water like a whipcord, then half-flops, half lunges onto the boat in a poor attempt to hurt the ex-monk.

Tageru's kicks strike the worm's underbelly and leave a burning brand each time that seems to do it great harm, imprinting his boot print twice into the soft, almost gelatinous flesh. It rears back, more than ready to return the favor. The demon-worm's maw snaps venomously at Tageru's face, then thrusts toward his neck, its teeth flexing hungrily outward.

[Private to Cynis Tageru: Ok.. a rundown here.
- tick 6, worm did a lame 3 sux attack which just plain missed.
- tick 8, your turn. Gave you a +1 stunt for the attacks. You managed to hit both times, I counted the +1 sux for you / -1 penalty for worm on the second kick, and now you have +2 sux against its -2 penalty for your next attack.
- tick 12, both worm and you attack at the same time. I rolled worm's attacks just so you can block and attack in the same post. it does a flurry of 6 sux then 3 sux. It's at DV 0 if you attack.]

It doesn't take Zeru long to maneuver the boat with the jokun's help, though Lasuri and Kareth's boat is occupying the tunnel space closest to the shore. He can easily leap onto Lasuri's boat in a single move though, or stay to help Tageru with his worm.

Worm vs. Tageru: 4B damage, -1 wound penalty, -2 internal penalty from Soul Marking
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:49, Fri 03 July 2009.

Lasuri and Kareth's boat:

Still standing on his rowboat, Kareth pries open the worm's circular maw with his sword. Acidic saliva spews from its mouth, eats into the mundane metal of his weapon, and drips on the surface of the boat. Undaunted, Kareth fires off a shot down its throat, blazing with an anima of flame-orange and ghostly green. Fortunately, the anima flux is still weak, and the charring damage is minimal. [Private to Isole Kareth: You can always get off the boat of course. It's already resting on shore. As for your sword, it's starting to get corroded. Let's say it is at -1 Damage now, sadly it's permanent!]

The worm, meanwhile, recoils as it swallows Fire Essence, emitting a strange sibilant hiss. It thrashes in the water, burned on the inside and quite a bit angrier. [Private to Isole Kareth: Ok... I'm going to say this now, the worm NORMALLY is not affected by piercing because they only have natural, not armored soak. But cause I liked your stunt this time around, and thought you put lots of effort, I'm giving you piercing this time. You got a +3 for this counterattack!]

Before it can retaliate, Kareth fires again, completing his aim. This time the worm shuts its mouth -- not quite intelligently, as much as just instinctively disliking fire -- and shies back with its mouth curled down. His Essence Cannon still impacts the constricted mouth hard enough to knock off several teeth, and inflict a heavy bruise around the mouth area that quickly darkens to a black-purple.

Lasuri's attack comes next, his swaying, unpredictable style masking his intent to attack until the very last minute. The sharp edge of his black jade wavecleaver slashes horizontally at the undersides of the worms surrounding him and Kareth. The blade barely nicks one worm, but bites heavily into the other worm previously burned by Kareth. Its ravaged insides gush a spray of vitriolic blood at Lasuri as if in retaliation! Fortunately, the spray burns holes into his clothing but does not harm his skin.

Worm 1 vs. Lasuri/Kareth: 1L damage, -0 wound penalty
Worm 2 vs. Lasuri/Kareth: 5B, 4L damage, -2 wound penalty
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:56, Fri 03 July 2009.

Ashore:

The two jokun that first leapt ashore continue to fight desperately against their corrupted brothers. The effect of Kimbery's taint only seems to have strengthened the corrupt jokun, and unlike their gentler, hammer-wielding siblings, they wield caustic axes and claws with great strength and alacrity.

With the Alliance so busy with the worms, it's hard to see how their battle is going, but it's likely not favorable for the taintless... after all, they have already seen what terrible effect vitriol has on the earth elementals.

Underwater:

Kiana is still submerged. The water level is still swaying and churning. Hopefully that means she's still alive, and kicking worm butt. She isn't natively aquatic, though it hasn't been long enough that she ought to be drowning... yet.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: Ok, just to save time I also rolled the tick 6 attack from the worm you didn't freeze. Pretty sure it missed. Twice. :P (3 sux, then 4 sux) So if you really wanted you could write the results of your Stillness of Stone attack, and then roll/write a new action (with dice pools, DVs refreshed) after that.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 8 - Kiana
tick 9 - Kareth, Zeru
tick 10 - jokun, still duking it out!
tick 12 - Lasuri, Tageru, worms

As the worm hisses and poises to strike at him, Tageru looks at Zeru and speaks calmly, almost as if nothing dangerous is going on. "Go, Zeru, I can handle this. I'll come and help you when I'm finished with this monstrosity here."
He turns toward the worm just as it's about to strike and suddenly, Tageru's movements become almost a blur of motion, his speed incredible, the peak of what a human could hope for. In an instant, the monk is in the air, leaping toward the worm, as it strikes at him, and with a well-calculated blow of his left fist that still holds the bow, he turns the monster's first attack. An eyeblink later, his opponent attacks again, but this time, Tageru is not even there, as he moves with an incredible grace to the worm's blind side and readies himself to unleash his terrible fury on this Demon-Spawn.

He takes a deep breath, and knocks two arrows. A soft sound of the string being pulled and released is heard twice, and then a shriek that echoes through the caves of Rakatau comes from the wounded worm.

[Private to Storyteller: OOC: Guard 1 tick, then attack twice with my bow which is speed 6. I use broadheaded arrows if I have any, if not then frog's crotch arrows. No Charms this turn, unless it hits me, then I'll probably use Wood Dragon Vitality, to increase my soak. :)]

Kareth gets to his feet and quickly gets to the shore so his anima doesn't start to destroy the boat.  He does this knowing he's close to his limit in fighting ability and his angry worm is waiting for him on the shore.  However, he knew that damaging their capacity for escape would a poor idea so he moved to face the worm.  The Children of Hesiesh were supposed to be excellent with athletics but Kareth was the exception when it came to everything dealing with Fire Aspects.  He doubted he could outrun this worm.  So once again he took aim with his cannon, using his sword arm to steady his hand.  He would make this shot count.  And then he fired, the concussive essence of his cannon racing towards his foe.

[Private to GM:

I assume a -1 penalty translates into -1 to all stats until dmg = 0 then the thing is completely broken.

Adding 2 sux with 2nd Ex.

Isole Kareth rolled 6 successes using 8d10 ... with rolls of 2,7,10,5,3,10,9,4. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon.

total attack sux = 8 sux

I haven't been able to figure out what the worm's stats are otherwise I'd go ahead and roll dmg.

DV: 7
]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:57, Sat 04 July 2009.

Zeru takes note of Tageru's abilities and leaves the worm to him, he looks at Lasuri and Kareth and decides they also have things well in hand. That leaves his choice to be helping the jokun and helping Kiana against the giant swimming tapeworm. He leaps from the boat landing on the churning water as if it was solid ground and flips his chain from around his body he drops into the water.

[Private to Peleps Zeru; Storyteller: The kick was solid, and Kiana would have been kidding herself if she didn't admit that the contact had felt good.  There was no redeemable quality to these wretched creatures, to these spawn of the Lintha, and to openly stand against them, and to harm them?  She envied the opportunity, and the pride she felt welling inside of her breast wasn't entirely her own, either.

She braced herself for the worms as they rushed her, but she didn't have much reason to worry.  They were so angered by her sudden appearance, especially the one she kicked, that their zealous attacks were over-commited.  Still in her low stance, Kiana dipped low to avoid the coming rush of the one she had already traded blow with, and the creature swam just over her head, viciously snapping those dangerous jaws in eager anticipation of her young blood, but tasting none of it.

The other, however, was dead set on avenging it's sibling, and lunged at Kiana with murderous intent.  Rising from her low dip, Kiana brought her armored hands up quickly, just as the beast was about to clamp those gnarly teeth around her face, and grabbed both jaws in either hand before it could clamp down!  Her fingers laced through the creatures' teeth, breaking many as she gripped either side of the wicked maw.  The serpent bucked and squirmed in rage, and Kiana's feet dug even deeper into the hard bedrock, and she turned at her hip, throwing the worm using its own momentum under the waves.  It didn't go far, however, nor was it even hurt--Kiana simply eluded the inevitable.

Through all of this, her Aura (which had become the giant image of Kiando) had mimiced her every moved, like a large ethereal double, and now it, like Kiana, preapred for the next rush.  The worm she had kicked before had gathered its wits once more, and it was coming at the girl low, like a coiled torpedo.  Kiana shifted her weight upwards then, and brought her left hand to just beneath her chest with her palm up, while the other hand cocked and chambered, the hand forced into a deadly knife edge (karate chop).  The spark of her aura began to flow around her right hand, the familiar diamond sand-storm flowing down to her elbow as the worm grew closer still with its suicidal charge.  The image of Kiando nodded once as it was within striking distance, and Kiana did not hesitate.

The chop was planned and executed without flaw, and the serpent swam right into it.  The force was brilliant, crashing into the creature's skull, and Kiana dedicated herself completely to the blow, following through until the serpent crashed into the bedrock at her feet.  The creature shuddered in pain, quivering as the Elemental energy began to flow through its essence, slowing it until it was paralyzed completely, with only its angry eyes to flit back and forth, panicked at the condition it suddenly found itself in.

The other was following close behind its brother, and Kiana rose just in time to avoid its snapping jaws.  As it swam past her, the image of Kiando waved its forefinger back and fourth slowly as Kiana rose one leg and attempted to bring the Godkicker down on the creature's skull as it swam around her in attmept to confuse her, or possibly flank her as it whipped this way and that.  Large as it was, Kiana waiting for just the right moment, knowing that every blow was important--especially since she was under water!  The acidic properties did not harm her, but she only had so much air...and she knew full well that if they managed to wound her down here, it wouldn't be their teeth that would be the end of her, but the size of her lungs! ]

The waters churned more and more now as whatever battle ensued beneath those waves heated up.  Large sloshes invade the decks of some of the rowboats, while smaller waves crashed against the earthen walls that surrounded them all.  The acidic waves still harbored that bright light, still obscured by the murkiness of the water, but within that glow a more fierce light began to emanate.  The crew of the Dryad would recognize the light from their previous battle with the Lintha, when Kiana had driven her Elemental Fist into the heart of their caster, as their fearless captain had driven the entire vessel through the spiritual ship, with Kiana's guidance.

That bright glow suddenly moved after several unwavering moments--and the repercussions were immediate.  There was the sound of muted thunder from beneath the waves, and a large eruption of water, almost like a geyser, shot up from where that bright glow had descended.  There was no blood along with the water, as one might well expect, and the surface of the water churned ever more violently--there is no telling what is down there with the Earth Princess, but one this is obvious: it isn't enjoying her company very well.

Almost on cue, Lasuri also steps ashore when Kareth does, abandoning the damaged boat before it becomes more of a liability than an asset.

Catching sight of the Jokun, Lasuri immediately finds his priority - keeping more of them from falling to their corrupted comrades' blows would have to be the immediate focus. "Alliance!" Lasuri calls out, so those able to would hear him. "We've got to move ashore as quickly as possible, and help reinforce the Jokun's position!"

With that statement, Lasuri faces the worm ahead of him, never breaking his almost hypnotic, dance-like attack pattern. Even the shallow water does not hinder him, each and every one of his steps seeming to perfectly mesh with its density. In fact, it almost seems as if the shallows somehow bolster him, accenting the tribal rhythm of his approach - the Captain's feet piercing the water surface on each beat, with clear splashes marking the backbeats with a metronome's precision.

You're the only thing in my way now. You're gonna have to go.

Lost to an almost trance-like feeling, Lasuri finally reaches the distance between himself and the worm, approaching it from a diagonal angle. For a moment, the primal dance makes it seem as if Lasuri will actually dive in the shallows, his body crouching and rushing forward as if to plunge head-first... But at the last moment, it angles not down, but upwards in a fluid, stream-like motion. The Captain's wrist bends gracefully, allowing his wavecleaver to aim diagonally upwards at the worm's body in a vicious, powerful slash. The whole motion makes his body almost seem like displaced water, a rising wave just about to pound the surf...

And this is exactly what happens next. With the strength and power of a tidal wave crashing onto the nearby shore, swallowing and tearing apart everything in its path, Lasuri turns at the height of his slash before altering his angle sharply. Suddenly, all the power of his rising motion comes crashing down, culminating in a crushing blow from his boarding axe aimed straight for the worm's neck.

And just like the rolling wave, Lasuri does not stop with this attack, his motion already pushing him forwards towards the Jokun...

[Private to Storyteller: Two attacks without extra charms (both still at +4 for the melee reinforcement), first with the wavecleaver, then the axe.]
This message was last edited by the player at 18:37, Mon 06 July 2009.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: Zeru has an easy time pinpointing Kiana's location beneath the water. Much to his surprise, perhaps, the Earth Aspect is holding her own against the massive demonic worms! One of them, struck by her earth-infused open-hand chop and propelled toward the bottom of the tunnel, has been weighed down so heavily by the mountainous weight of that energy that it has frozen completely in place. It stays there, unable to move except for minute twitches, its partially broken maw snapping uselessly at the water as Kiana swims upward.

The Earth princess is dwarfed by the glow of her anima, her Essence expenditure so large by this point that its shape is solid and constant. Zeru would not know the strong, proud visage of the man depicted by that aura, though he can see even in the phantasmal ivory rendition a resemblance to Kiana herself. The light from that anima display is enough to light up the underwater area clear to the bottom; he can see two wounded jokun toward the edge of the underwater wall, attempting to get away from the area of the fight.

Meanwhile, Kiana's second kick slams into the second, still-mobile worm, the heel of her artifact boot knocking it hard over the head. It is bruised, enough that it rears back and opens its ugly maw in a rictus of pain, but the bruise is clearly not enough to stun it. Immediately it surges forward to strike at her again, drawing a burst of strength and speed from its immense hatred of the Dragon-blooded -- or any spawn of Gaia -- as it lunges forward with jaw extended to grasp her between its teeth... and misses pathetically!]

The rowboats continue to rock violently, their surfaces waterlogged and precarious as a result of whatever is thrashing below the water surface. Fortunately, Kareth manages to clear the boat before the worst of it begins, aiming his single shot at the heavily wounded worm. It screeches as the single blast purples its already ravaged body, but stubbornly refuses to go down, lurching weakly onto shore and chomping its maw of broken, jagged teeth at Kareth's sword arm. He manages to deflect the blow, but his sword continues to sizzle and melt alarmingly. He isn't sure he can use it more than once more against the worms before it simply falls apart. [Private to Isole Kareth: Ignore the botch I rolled. was supposed to be a Wits+Ath roll but I'm not going to make you fall AND melt your weapon... ^^]

The jokun fighting for Rakatau have a sudden turn for the worse as one of their corrupt brothers makes a powerful downward slash with his caustic axe, ripping a grievous wound into one of the defending loyalists. Determined to clear the way toward them, Lasuri sways and pitches forward in his signature rolling-tide stance, then slashes at the demon-worm in front of him with a double sword-and-axe strike. The noxious creature shifts its slippery body so that the jade weapons have trouble finding purchase, and dig relatively shallow cuts into its greenish flesh. It retaliates almost immediately, springing forward to latch its lamprey-teeth onto his body and weigh him down, preventing the Captain from reaching the jokun. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: Gave you a +3 stunt :) and the worm's attack is an 8 success clinch attempt, which your DV does not beat, so you'll have to stunt a defense before your next attack.]

Tageru easily avoids the clumsy attacks of the worm attempting to harm him. The two arrows he fires point-blank into the vitriol spawned thing tear two gaping holes into its body, the second arrow piercing through to the little spindly organ that counts as its central nervous system. The head of the worm bursts apart very messily, spewing acidic blood all over him as the remaining body of the worm thuds limply onto the deck of the boat. Tageru slips in the mess of steaming vitriol as the boat tips dangerously, helped along by the waves Kiana is making beneath the water. (Tageru takes 2L acid damage! though his Wood form will help him regen.)

---

OOC: actions/locations
tick 12 - Kiana (underwater)
tick 13 - Kareth (on tunnel shore)
tick 14 - Zeru (underwater)
tick 15 - Jokun (few yards ahead of Kareth)
tick 16 - Lasuri (on 1st boat near shore, trying to disembark)
tick 17 - Tageru (on 2nd boat, prone)
tick 18 - worms (2 underwater, 2 near shore)

worms status
vs Kiana(1) - 4B damage, -1 wound penalty, frozen for 3 actions!
vs Kiana(2) - 3B damage, -1 wound penalty
vs Kareth - 6B, 5L damage, -4 wound penalty
vs Lasuri - 4L, -1 wound penalty
vs Tageru - dead!

[Private to Peleps Zeru: Kiana's been posting her actions underwater as mostly PM... so you should probably also follow suit] [Private to Kiana White-Fist: oh yah I gave you another +3 stunt so you can get back 6 motes!]

Kareth knew he had to finish this quickly as he couldn't last a whole lot longer against this worm.  Once his sword was gone, Kareth wouldn't be fit for close combat at all.  His best hope was that the worm was already injured, but then again so was Kareth.  Therefore, Kareth focused once more, this time on the bruises and lacerations on the worm's skin.  In his mind, he visualized the concussive essence from his cannon crushing the worm, even splitting the cuts wider.  This would happen.  He would see to it.  Then he fired.


[Private to GM:

Thanks.  I really need to invest in Athletics ASAP.

Adding 2 sux to the attack with the second excellency.

12:38, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 2 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,6,10,1,2,4,5,3. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon.

Total sux = 4 sux  (Thank god, I got at least 2.  If 7 sux was a hit before the wound penalties then surely this one will be.)


 ]
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Thu 09 July 2009.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Storyteller: Zeru darts forward, his motions fluid and graceful. His head dips down and he flips forward several times with his chain in tow. He charges in on the Worm's side sweeping forward in what looks like an axe kick, only to stop beofre it hits. Tempest continues to fall and a quick shortening of the chain brings it's speed up and a trail of white bubbles trace it's irregular arc as it descends towards the worm.]

A trail of bubbles comes up from where Zeru leapt into the water, it makes a short line, but the bubbles come up in a relatively continuous motion.

[Private to Peleps Zeru; Storyteller: Kiana had not expected to see Zeru as he swam down into the briny depths of the acidic waters, but was relieved when she saw a familiar face, and a water aspect at that!  These creatures were no real match for a Daughter of Pasiap, but they had a serious advantage over Kiana--they could breath down here!  Kiana knew full well that Water Aspects had that very same ability, and so the welcome support was more than welcome.  As he Anima burned brilliantly around her, the figure of Kiando gave a small salute to Zeru as he began to unfurl his chains to attack the worm, while Kiana offered him a brilliant smile.  Apparently the young warrior had not been harmed by the two might beasts--either making her the luckiest woman in creation, or the most resilient.  Perhaps both.

With Zeru attacking the lone worm able to move, some might have suspected that Kiana would join the attack, so as to hit it with a pincer sort of attack, and perhaps finish it more quickly--but Kiana would not do this.  It was not a matter of some sort of strange honor, or sense of fairness, it was only the cold and yet undeniable logic of war.  Zeru could handle his own, of that Kiana was more than sure.  He was one of two Captains of the Cobalt Alliance, and had proven himself more than capable before--and his movements spoke volumes of his combat abilities.  There were still two opponents here to fight, however, and just because one couldn't move now didn't mean it would not move later.  A subdued enemy, on the field of battle, was still very much an enemy--and while Kiana had an innate sense for when the Stillness of Stone would leave the creature, she did not want to get caught up unawares and sidelined by the beast...so it had to be taken care of.

There was no mercy or mirth in the eyes of Kiana as she turned to face the grounded worm, and she moved with deadly intent as she again assumed the low, unmovable stance that she quickly becoming known for.  The worm was still only feet away, as Kiana had been attacked by its sibling quickly after she had dealt it the essence-infused blow.  Feeling the last legs of her oxygen begin to burn in her legs, she knew that this fight could not last much longer--either that, or she would have to make a quick trip above the waves in order to restore her reserves.  That thought alone made her realize that she had no idea how the others were doing up top--but sense Peleps Zeru was unharmed, at least visually, she assumed all was well.  No injuries suggested that he was, in fact, coming down to aid her, as apposed to trying to escape or come to her for aid.

She dashed those thoughts from her mind, however, and focused those slate-gray eyes on the helpless worm not five feet from her--and then she attacked.

The evil creature was prone and defenseless, and so could do very little as Kiana closed the gap with two steps.  The third became a fierce kick, propelling the vile creature off of the floor and slamming against the nearby rock wall that it only narrowly missed the first time Kiana had attacked it.  The sound of the impact was amplified by the waves that engulfed them, and the force no doubt muted, but the sound of breaking bones (or whatever they had in there) was evident--but Kiana wasn't finished.

With her foot still in the air, she brought the foot down so that she was into a deep bot stance (front leg bent, back leg straightened) and at the same time struck out with her left fist, bringing the white jade into the monster's face.  The attack was at the end of her range, but the punch was felt as there was no where to go but into rock wall...and the vibrations of the wall shaking somewhat could be felt in the water as a dull 'Thhooom!'was emanated from the blow, and small, spidery cracks could be seen forming around the worm.  Small clouds of mysterious ichor began to bleed off of the creature from all of the contact from the Princess of Earth, dissolving its skin and causing much more pain than a simple pummeling, but it could only suffer in silence as its attacker posed to take it out of the fight--permanently.

With her back half chambered and ready to strike, Kiana took a step forward.  With that step, all of her built up momentum came with her, and Kiana's fist became like a siege weapon as she brought brought it crashing into the worm with authority.  The cracks around the beast deepened as the force pushed the malicious sea creature into the wall, most of its upper body disappearing as it was swallowed by the girl's natural element.  This wasn't because of some charm she was using, however--Kiana had simply focused her attack on one spot, so narrowly, that the force itself as forging the worm into the wall!  The thing's head was no longer visible, but clouds of blood began to rise from the small crater that the raining blows had made, and Kiana turned to face Zeru and the remaining worm.

One down.  One to go.]

With Peleps Zeru now under the acidic waves with her, the waves changed in their disarray only in a subtle way, seeming to move the slightest bit more gracefully, the ripping arcs of water moving with a little more attention now that one of its own Elements was involved in whatever skirmish was taking place down there.

There was movement from beneath, however, as that bright aura moved toward one of the rock barriers that made up one of the main walls of the chamber under the water as well as above.  Then that movement was quickly by three escalating sounds.

Thoom.  It sounded as if something hit the rocks below...an attack of some kind, perhaps.

Thoom.  Louder this time, and certainly an attack, those of astute perception might even be able to tell that, yes, it was coming from that glow, and even more strangely, seemed to be hitting the barrier it was near.

THOOM!  Those suspicions were proved accurate as spidery cracks began to rise from the water, as some force had actually managed to crack the walls, if only by a small amount.  The damage to the wall appeared merely cosmetic, and there was no immediate retort from the Seven-Day Isle...but odds were strong that the presence of these monsters put it in much more pain and a simple small crack might induce.

Wave upon wave slapped against the wall, almost seeming to clap in encouragement to the sounds that now only echoed from those waters, and lightly from the land above it.

The Captain purses his lips as the attacks he made on the worm ends up insufficient to destroy the threat completely. As he pushes past the creature, he catches sight of its movement with his peripheral vision, and immediately realizes that he is not yet in the clear. The creature still slithers and contorts at the edge of his vision, and as soon as he sees it lower its body in a threatening motion, Lasuri knows he cannot turn his back on this enemy just yet.

Pausing in the middle of a dash can, at times, prove a hazardous venture. With the body in mid-motion, centers of gravity shifting and balance becoming much more precarious, cutting a run mid-step can quickly take a turn for the worse. Thus, when Lasuri realizes the situation he is in, he also understands that simply stopping and turning around is out of the question. This leaves only one possibility - using the momentum of the run to both step aside the creature's attack and follow up with one of his own.

Rather than simply cut off his motion, the Captain simply alters it - with a quick shift in gravity and a slight angling of his foot as it touches the ground, he changes his approach so that it angles first to the right side, and then, with another push off the ground, back to his original point, towards the worm. In this fashion, Lasuri can use the whole momentum of his previous rush, both to block the incoming attack and to ensure he will do more damage this time.

Crossing his weapons in front of him, the Captain uses the full force of his motion to push the attack out of the way - not only with his weapons, but with his whole body. Using the force of impact to knock the blow out of the way, Lasuri now stands up close to the worm... And ready to dish some damage of his own.

In such a close quarters fight, it is less important to try to swing your weapons with strength, and rather try to go vicious, dirty attacks that will likely inflict heavy wounds at such short distance. While the creature is still reeling from being knocked aside with the previous parry, the Captain quickly arcs at its body with his hand axe, using it like a hammer to puncture the skin. With the first strike as a set-up, he then executes a vicious stab to the abdomen with his wavecleaver, hoping that the two consecutive attacks will finally rend the troublesome beast apart.

[Private to Storyteller: Two attacks again, this time using one mote on the First Excellency to bring the bonus on each strike to +5.]

A groaning sound shifts through the tunnels of Rakatau when the cracks appear in the wall from below, but it is not an entirely unpleasant sound. The Island knows that being cleansed of corruption will not be without pain. And it does seem Kiana is doing something of note down there. The water looks... slightly darker. Bloodied and murky, but not with human blood. [Private to Kiana White-Fist: you get your +3... obviously! :D]

[Private to Peleps Zeru; Kiana White-Fist: Zeru's artifact chain slams into the body of the remaining worm beneath the surface. The jade ball impacts hard enough to send shockwaves rippling across the gelatinous surface, the skin caving in and purpling so deep it appears black at the sight of impact.]Following the line of bubbles that trailed after Zeru's dive comes another disturbance from below, as if something large beneath is thrashing and flailing about. [Private to Peleps Zeru: +2 stunt for you! The worm took 4B damage. Ignore the attacks I rolled against you, apparently both you and Kiana go again before it gets a turn. It's going to get creamed. :P]

On shore, Kareth aims his cannon and blasts the heavily wounded worm with a single, accurate shot that pummels its bruised, gashed skin. Rather than bursting messily like Tageru's worm, it implodes with a muffled splatter, and the cartilaginous center snaps in several messy fragments. The dead worm flops back onto the boat while Lasuri attempts to dodge and counterattack the worm still on him. [Private to Isole Kareth: +1 stunt!]

Lasuri's worm fails to grab hold of him with its acid-dripping maw. His combination attack tears two long gashes into the creature's body that spray acid ichor over his chest and arms. The last worm above the water joins its brother on the boat, squirming as the downpour of its sizzling blood, coupled with that of the worm Kareth just killed, starts reducing the boat Lasuri just leapt off of into floating wooden mush. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: +2 stunt! also, 2L acid damage, ow.]

Tageru picks himself off of the second boat, the sight of yet another acid bloodbath. The Wood Aspect's acid burns are already starting to mend themselves, though, and he doesn't hesitate to aim a single arrow at the worm Lasuri mauled but did not quite kill. The shot is unobstructed and direct, piercing it so that the arrow goes right through, inflicting a gory wound bursting from the skin like a blooming acid-flower. [Private to Cynis Tageru: Well, you're a kill-stealer ;) kidding. You'll get to move onto shore in your next action.]

The ex-monk is joined by two more jokun who have shaken off their fear, who row his damaged boat closer to shore now that the first boat has been acid-eaten to uselessness. Their fighting brothers are faltering against the corrupted ones, one stumbling back as its arm is lopped clean off. Coupled with the terrible wound from before, it's too much for the elemental's body to take. The jokun starts to dissolve into coarse sand while the remaining 'pure' jokun on shore grimly faces its three vitriol-tainted brothers.

---

OOC: actions/locations
tick 16 - Kiana (underwater)
tick 18 - Kareth (on shore), Zeru (underwater), last worm (underwater)
tick 20 - fighting jokun (several yards up shore, before the tunnel bends)
tick 21 - Lasuri (on shore)
tick 23 - Tageru (jumping onto shore)

last worm is at 7B damage, -2 wound penalty.
corrupt jokun: 3B damage, 5B damage, 0 damage
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:52, Sun 19 July 2009.

Kareth wastes no time in picking his target.  He searches for the one with the most wounds already on it.  The harder fighting can be left for the more skilled combatants.  He focuses on the vitrol-corrupted elemental while it's preoccupied with fending off his brother's attacks.  Kareth raises his cannon as he recalls something a fellow soldier had once said in a similar situation during their military training exercises.  Kareth allows himself a brief smile as the words "You feeling lucky?" came unbidden to his mind.  He then fired on the attacking elemental.

[Private to GM:

Sorry about the Dirty Harry Reference.  I saw it on TV the other day, and I couldn't resist.  :)

Isole Kareth rolled 6 successes using 8d10 ... with rolls of 9,5,8,7,3,9,7,9. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:51, Tue 14 July 2009.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Storyteller: Zeru sets himself to spinning, with the chain extending out past the edge of his body. He uses his natural grace to glide towards the thrashing worm. His eyes are closed, because this creature makes enough disturbances to guide him from the afterlife. He calms himself, using the circular motion to simulate the turning of the maelstrom, the calming soothing motion.

In one instant his eyes snap open and both hands grasp the chain, he uses the full momentum of his spin and that of the chain, and adds even more power. Like a current from the depths Tempest glides through the water, streaking towards the oversized beast.]

The bubbles speed up for a moment with the bubbling area moving slowly forward. It comes to an abrupt stop however.

[Private to Storyteller: 17:09, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 7 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,9,6,8,8,8,3,9,6,2. Twisting smash!. ]

As the captain slices the bothersome worm, he can only watch helplessly as he fails to get out of the way of the nasty ichor inside. Lasuri grits his teeth and lets out a low hissing sound as the liquid eats away at his skin, but he cannot let go as of now. Not while there is still so much to accomplish.

With that thought his lone reinsurance while the last drops of the vicious liquid burn him, the Captain sets his sights on his destination - the Jokun still fighting bravely against his fallen brothers, desperately trying to hold his own against terrible odds. The sight of one of the elementals dissolving to sand further cements Lasuri's conviction and helps him push forward, picking up to a full run despite the pain.

Too many of your brothers died... No more, mate.

The silent words come almost as a prayer as Lasuri rushes to cover the distance separating  himself from the last standing Jokun, eyes roaring with the intensity of the powerful depths. Realizing he will not cross the ground quickly enough to get the corrupted elementals' attention, the Captain instead twists his body at the waist, and changes the heading of his run so he strafes almost parallel to his targets. Eyes focused on the trio of corrupted Jokun, he lets out a loud, raspy yell.

"Hey, you dirty, mind-eating demon-spawned parasites... You hungry? here's something to bite on."

With those words, Lasuri twists his body back, opening his hand at the end of the motion to release his axe. The combined might of the spinning motion and the strafe run sends the weapon spinning like a sawblade, its thrown path curving outward then heading straight for Lasuri's three targets. The razor-sharp edge spins viciously, about to slice into the corrupted elementals while continuing in its path...

[Private to Storyteller: Okay, this is stunted as one attack, but to keep it easy to track rules-wise, this is actually a three way split thrown attack directed at the bad guys threatening the poor last Jokun. All three strikes will be powered by First Thrown Excellency for +4 on each.]

[Private to Kiana White-Fist; Peleps Zeru: While Kiana burns with white power, overwhelming her enemies with blistering force, Zeru is cool, calm and precise. A natural in the water, he propels his chain into the head of the last worm with enviable grace, power and precision. The single blow strikes a critical point, crippling nerves and rupturing essential tissues.

It convulses in its death throes, the circular jaw opening wide in a last defiant grimace, snapping within inches of Zeru's face. But it never manages to harm him, the wrathful violent thrashes fading away into involuntary jerks, then nothing. The demon worm goes completely rigid, its pulped and broken body starting to sink down to the bottom.

Kiana and Zeru have vanquished the worms - and they can see the two jokun at the bottom of the water starting to hurry away, helping one another toward safety. The next thing on Kiana's mind is most definitely air!]

The disturbances that shook the water from below seem to have died down entirely. On the other hand, so has the white glow of Kiana's anima. The Exalts on shore (or making their way there, in Tageru's case) can be reasonably sure the worms are dead. It remains to be seen whether Zeru and Kiana will emerge unscathed.

Kareth and Lasuri start to lend their assistance to the remaining untainted jokun, turning a desperate one versus three battle into even odds. Kareth fires a blast at the corrupt jokun already struck by a pair of well-placed hammer blows, the impact deepening the cracks forming in its tough, rocky hide. Fragments of earth slough off the body, and the elemental lets out a guttural howl.

Unfortunately, neither of them is quite close enough to stop the lone jokun from being overwhelmed by another series of attacks from his brothers. Perhaps bolstered by the arrival of reinforcements, the wounded elemental settles into a surprisingly effective guard position, deflecting all but a final, devastating axe-chop. In a desperate surge of bravery, or the simple instinct to survive, he manages to knock the axe blade with the haft of his hammer, lessening the severity of the attack.

Finally, Lasuri's throwing axe spins through the air, almost more like a boomerang, flying parallel to the ground as it tears a gash into the first corrupt jokun, then bounces off the shield of the second in line, disrupting its trajectory. The third, unharmed one is missed by a long shot, and Undertow completes its arc, returning obediently to Lasuri's hand.

---

OOC: actions
tick 23 - Kareth, wounded jokun
tick 24 - corrupt jokun
tick 25 - Lasuri

Kiana and Zeru can start getting to the surface starting at tick 23. It will take them 5 ticks though. Tageru also acts next at tick 28 after jumping off the acid-ruined boats and getting solidly ashore.

non-corrupt jokun: 6L damage
corrupt jokun: 3B, 3L damage; 7B damage; 0 damage

Knowing that his defenses wouldn't hold under a direct assault much longer, Kareth begins looking for some form of cover.  He sees a small outcropping of Rakatau's rocky flesh not far away and begins to make his way over to it.  As he vaults over the outcropping, turns his body in mid flight to take aim at the second corrupted elemental once again.  This time he focused his aim just a little lower, aiming squarely at the elemental's chest and hoping that the concussive force of his cannon would bowl his rocky opponent over.  Before he falls behind the cover of the rocks, Kareth fires his shot.


[Private to GM:

Took a move action to get behind cover and fired off a shot with hopefully a stunt in the process.

Isole Kareth rolled 2 successes using 8d10 with ... rolls of 6,6,6,3,10,5,3,6. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon.

And the shot missed.  Oh well...
 ]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:32, Sun 19 July 2009.

Kiana could not recall seeing Zeru fight when the Lintha ship had attacked the Dryad--he had been on the other ship, of course, so her knowledge of his fighting style was slim at best.  His natural movements suggested a good deal of grace and dexterity, and those suggestions proved true as he struck with his chain.  It was an odd weapon to be armed with, as there was no one in the Crimson Isles, or indeed through most of her travels, that wielded one in such a way.  Kiana doubted if just anyone could wield a chain in such a way, though it did seem incredibly effective in his hands, at any rate.  She would have to comment on the excellent blow at a later time, however.  For one, she was submerged under water, and lacked the ability to talk...and fro two, she was also submerged under water, and lacked the ability to breathe.

Kiana's legs kicked off of the bedrock below and forced her towards the surface, her arms cutting powerful, direct paths toward the life giving air.

Kiana broke through the surface of the water in a singular eruption, her hair spiraling behind her head as she released the stale air in her lungs and took in a fresh gulp.  That had been a long time to be underwater--and to be fighting, besides!  Her senses were not dulled by the battle, however, nor the lack of air as those slate-gray eyes focused narrowly on the fight that was still underway.  She had not known there were worms up here, but the corpses suggested there had been--and much like the ones below the surface, they had no fared so well against the Cobalt Alliance.  That left one lone untainted Jokun, and his three tainted 'brothers' however.  Kiana quickly started toward the shore, her arms and legs, unhindered by the white jade, plowed powerfully through the water.  Those who spotted her coming towards the shore might notice that, while she was extremely wet, there wasn't a single mark on her in regards to whatever fight she had fought, or the acidic water she was swimming through.

Belatedly, Tageru aims one particularly well-placed shot at the first attacking jokun. His axe is painfully inept at parrying the arrow, which hurtles right past it and burrows with perfect, enviable precision right through the corrupt being's eye. Once again the monk's attacks prove to be spectacular finishes, as the eye is not only instantly disintegrated, but the entire head bursts apart in a shower of rock and dust. The headless body falls to its knees, and then prone on the ground, continuing to crumble until there is nothing left but sand that sifts away through the cracks in the earth.

Kareth's luck is entirely opposite to Tageru's obvious success. He misses entirely, while Tageru's second arrow impacts with the jokun he just attempted to shoot. This time the damage is not nearly so spectacular, but the jokun still falters, and finally collapses, disintegrating much as the first one did. Only one corrupt jokun remains between the PCs and the bend in the tunnel leading to... whatever the chalice has become. [Private to Isole Kareth: I swear, Tageru is a killstealer! You did get a +1 stunt, though. :)]

The wounded, untainted jokun uses the opportunity to step away from the corrupt one, allowing Lasuri to stand at the forefront. Unfortunately, his corrupt brother is still in good health, and heaves its acid dripping axe at the Cobalt captain, hacking brutally at his chest in an X pattern. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: and... 5 sux, 2 sux! Wow, my enemies are rolling like crap :D]

Kiana breaks the surface of the water just in time to see that her comrades are already standing ashore and cleaning things up.

---

OOC: I just had to post early because... 17 sux on 15 dice? 18 dice of damage? WTF? Tageru always rolls well when I roll for him.

Edited again to put in the last jokun's attack. You people may get a small respite soon, and then.. boss battle?!
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:42, Tue 21 July 2009.

Zeru uses some powerful kicks to propel himself towards the surface keeping his eye on the rising Kiana. He'd be ready if she started to suffocate, he wasn't sure exactly what he would do, but he was certain that he'd be ready to do it.

The Captain does not pause even for a second as Undertow comes back to him, snatching the rapidly spinning axe from the air while continuing to run towards the corrupted Jokun. Seeing the lone 'pure' Jokun fight for dear life only serves to fuel his resolve even more, pushing him to ignore pain as he desperately tries to reach the sole survivor.

Tageru's well-placed arrow makes short work of one of his opponents, but this only drives Lasuri even more. With his single enemy firmly in his sights, the Captain moves with the speed and relentlessness of the tide crashing against the rocks, moving quickly and uncompromisingly forward. The onslaught does not falter even when the Corrupted Earth Elemental goes for a double strike - if possible, Lasuri's will seems to becomes even more focused and unshakable, as if the Jokun's attack only served to give him momentum. In a flash, the captain raises both sword and axe to meet the attacks head on, all but body tackling his opponent in the process. It is neither finesse nor graces that pushes the Jokun's weapons away, but rather an indomitable will and relentless display of might.

You won't stop me. You -can't- stop me.

Lasuri's run takes him to the side of his opponent, flowing flawlessly from a defensive stance into an offensive one, eyes never leaving those of the corrupted kin. And this is where the culmination of the Captain's approach reaches its apex. The desire to save the last Jokun, coupled with Lasuri's hatred of the demonic influence that took hold of the noble elementals, boil in the Captain's veins and seem to grant him a merciless edge he otherwise does not carry. Surging from the aether with the growling of a seastorm, the black Leviathan that is his anima coils about his form, eyes glowing in wrath and its serpentine features twisted in a mask of righteous rage. The leviathan snarls, and Lasuri's eyes are like the deep abyss as he lunges forward with his wavecleaver, an overwhelming move that puts everything the Sea Drake has into offense.

Among the sound of crashing waves, the Captain's axe also comes downwards at a vicious angle, seeking to bury deep within the collarbone area and painfully cleave the head away from the body. No words escape his lips as he pushes the blade with all his might. His face, strangely shadowed by the serpent coiling about him, betray no sign of his current expression. Only his eyes, black as night, seem to bore into the creature's without relent nor interruption. At this very moment, Lasuri is the unforgiving, treacherous sea sailors speak of in hushed tones. The widowmaker, swallowing vessels whole in its wrath and crushing all those who dared to underestimate it.

From such a primal and overwhelming force, there will be no escape.

[Private to Storyteller: Two melee attacks again, powered to the max (so +5).]

Lasuri's wrath is truly blessed by Danaa'd - or perhaps by his own sheer determination. Whatever the case may be, the Sea Drake's wavecleaver thrusts unerringly into the remaining corrupt jokun's chest. The blow shatters the very integrity of the tainted elemental's body, blasting a giant hole into its torso and out its spiny back, exposing the veins of vitriolic green in its jagged, ruined insides.

The dying jokun opens its lizardlike maw, issuing forth a wail that is half pain, half rage, until Lasuri's axe chops relentlessly downward to cut off his suffering once and for all. The neck splits at a diagonal, part of his shoulder cracking and crumbling as well, and the head falls cleanly off, ending the grip of taint upon him.

The tunnel settles into a grim silence, then a reverent air, as the surviving jokun from the boats clamber ashore to join the Dragon-Blooded. They rumble a prayer for the fallen and to Rakatau, that they may remain pure and unblemished by taint, unswayed from their duty to protect the great island from within.

Beyond the tunnel bend... something else awaits. A green mist seeps from the unseen corridors ahead, wisps that carry a foul, acrid scent. Nothing emerges immediately to attack them, though, so for now the Alliance has a short respite.

---

OOC: The Wound Mending Needles heal lethal damage rather slowly... so I will rule that Tageru can only heal 2 lethal HLs of damage, total, from others (Tageru himself can regen, lucky him). If you think you need it, say so!

As the last foe fell, so too did the engineer.  His pale skin sweating and his greesy black hair still damp from his his earlier plunge.  Finally when he caught his breath, he looked at the monk and said, "Master Tageru, I am not an excellent fighter when I'm at full health but I'm still injured from our skirmish with the Lintha.  I did not have much time to heal due to making the necessary ship repairs.  I could use the assistance of your new found treasure if none of the others are overly wounded."  While there was nothing particularly rude about his words, Kareth's deep and brisk tones had a way of making them sound loathsome, but no more than anything else he said.  [Private to Cynis Tageru: Hey, I didn't take any damage this battle but I've still got 2L left over from the last one.  If you have one of your two uses left over after healing the others, could you heal one level of mine so I don't have a wound penalty.]

[Private to GM: When it comes to mote recovery, we gain 4 per hour if we're resting.  But do we gain them all at once at the end of an hour or can we break it down further by saying we get 1 mote every 15 minutes....]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Thu 23 July 2009.

"Is anyone else injured?", Tageru shouts. "If there are critically wounded, come quickly, we don't have much time! I can help you with your injuries"
As he speaks, he takes out the hearthstone from his bow and places it on top of the jade box he found inside Rakatau. The box glows brilliant green and gold, and the Twilight caste mark splits to reveal the contents inside, several Jade and Orichalcum needles and some... orb-like pellets. Tageru waits for an answer and helps whomever he thinks is the most injured one [Private to Storyteller: Okay, roll me a reflexive Perception+Medicine roll to see who is the most injured one, and in need of healing. :) I help them as much as I can then... :)]
[Private to Isole Kareth: I'll see who the most injured one is, and help them first. :) If it happens to be you, then I'll help you, absolutely no problem, I still have plenty of Essence. :)]

"Everyone, report in for emergency treatment if you need it." Lasuri calls out, temporarily sheathing his weapons to take a short break before heading towards the Chalice's nest. Looking around to the others to try to make certain they are alright, creases of worry mar the Captain's forehead - visibly, he is worried about Rakatau, about his own people, and about Jadira and the rest of the Alliance still stationed outside, with the Lintha coming in. Patting the shoulder of the one remaining Jokun, Lasuri then calls out to Tageru.

"I've got a bit of a burn from that acid, but if no one is more seriously injured, I'd prefer you'd get Mister Kareth up to speed. I'll manage if I have to." He nods, then tries to look in Zeru and Kiana's direction, as if to assess their condition as well.

Zeru hauls himself up onto the surface of the acid, standing as easily as it were the deck of the rolling ship, and offers his hand down to the partially submerged Kiana. While strength might not be his best attribute, he feels that the crew would need Kiana's strength more than his own.

"Would you care for a lift Miss Kiana?"

Seeing a water aspect walk on their given element was a rather astonishing thing to witness.  It was a truly inhuman feat, and those it was a relatively simple action, it was still very power, if just in image and usefulness alone.  Kiana took Zeru'd hand.  "Thank you very much, Zeru."  She said humbly, bulking together her thanks for his current assistance and his masterful blow on the worm just moments ago. With his help made it to shore much more quickly than she would have otherwise.

Stepping onto shore, the girl was obviously soaked.  Her water logged pants stuck to her legs, and rivets of water poured from the breastplate in trials.  Her aura had finally settled back down, no longer chipping away at the bedrock beneath the waves, or eating at the acidic water itself.  She smiled at the others as she saw them all--some of them were somewhat injured, but apparently nothing so serious as to merit going back.  Not that they even had that option, Kiana knew.  They this close now, an already they could all sense something wicked lurking ahead of them.  Something flung that acidic water wave at them, after all.  And whatever it was, it couldn't be allowed to live.

"I am fine." The Earth Princess said softly, her eyes trailing over the Jokun that had fallen to their infected brothers.  She couldn't save every life, she knew this, but it didn't stop her from feeling that creeping sadness.  She would use it to fuel her anger, she promised herself.  They would not die in vain.  Whatever lied beyond that bend would taste the full might of the Cobalt Alliance, she had no doubt in her mind.

She turned toward the remaining Jokun as they joined them on land, and after they finished their prayers she approached them and pointed down toward the now-calming waters.  "Two of your brothers are still alive beneath the wave, though they are both injured--one much more gravely than the other.  Please aid them the best you can."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:20, Thu 23 July 2009.

Tageru can see that most of his allies got away unscathed from the battle. Only Kareth and Lasuri are injured, and both are more or less equally so. [Private to Cynis Tageru: both have 2L damage.]

Kiana and Zeru have both managed to resist the acidic water with no ill effects. Zeru can owe that fact to the Hearthstone he recently picked up, while Kiana was aided by her mastery of the Earth Dragon Style as well as her armor, blessed with the spirit of her beloved father Kiando.

The jokun Kiana addressed nod ponderously; "We know of our brothers under water; they are being helped into a corridor above the surface. Thank you very much for showing such kindness and concern." They bow deeply to the Earth Princess, and to the others as well, for protecting them.

During the rest and healing phase, Lasuri receives a message... It is not Jadira's messenger that arrives, but words whispered on the wind, and into his ear. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: "Captain Fairwind speaking. Need ETA on your mission in the Island. Still fighting with the Dara'Said, taking losses. If not the chalice, they'll take Jadira."]"The taint takes a breath of respite," mumbles the jokun that wait with the Alliance members. "It recharges, as we do. We should not allow it to rest too long."

---

OOC: ok, I think an hour rest is the absolute maximum here, so Tageru should be able to heal the wounded and everyone else will get to gain back the equivalent of 1 hours' full rest of motes.

Kareth disconnects his hearthstone from his cannon.  If the group was going to take awhile to rest he felt it would be best to allow himself to recover as much power as possible, seeing as he was running low on it.  As he took his turn under Tageru's care, and his pale anima banner died down Kareth felt some relief for several reasons, not the least of which was that his wound would finally be healed.  This wound had been bothering him for a week now.  He had been having concerns that it would hold the Alliance back on their mission, but now that wasn't much of issue.  "Still, the hardest part is yet to come," the engineer thought as he looked at his mangled sword.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:12, Thu 23 July 2009.

Zeru stretches his back, twisting to get the kinks out of it. "Well I'd say that was a wonderful warmup." He says, but not without some measure of sarcasm. "But it would be in my opinion that the main event is just beyond this space between the swells. Am I wrong Captain, or is the typhoon even now bearing down on us?"

Zeru appears to be anxious. He's fiddling with the blue jade chain that has returned to its place, wrapped around his chest.

Tageru works as quickly as he can, trying to fix everyone's wounds. The needles' effects are miraculous, and the wounds close up like they were never there. There is a small, serene smile on the ex-monk's face, and he seems... happy.

"There." he says as the last of the wounds on his companions close up. "I hope this helps. Now, what's the plan? Are we going to pause here for a while, and recuperate, or hurry inside, so we can destroy this thing sooner and rush to help our allies on the outside, against the Lintha?"

After sitting with his own thoughts for a few minutes Kareth finally speaks up, "Do any of you have any amount of skill in coordinating groups of soldiers into attack formations?  Given the need to return to ships that Master Tageru just pointed out, we might be able to end our fight quicker if we were to concentrate our efforts onto a single target at the exact same moment.  I understand that the Children of Pasip have an affinity for this skill."  This last sentence was said with a sideways glance at Kiana.

"I can, Mister Kareth. Well, I wasn't necessarily groomed as a leader when I was a youth, but I suppose my position kinda forced it into being." Lasuri scratches his head slightly, then turns towards Kiana. "Though of course, if miss Kiana wants to try to do the honors, I won't steal her thunder. But yeah, I can direct attacks and such, if you'd like."

The Captain's expression lightens as he starts to smile, but it is short-lived. Something seems to suddenly bother him, and his face betrays a great deal of worry all of a sudden. Lips pursed, he nods grimly, then tunrs towards his assembled companions.

"Members of the Alliance... I don't want to be a hardass after we've come so far, but I think we'll need to move out soon. I'd prefer being able to recharge for longer but... Our allies are facing heavy opposition above. I've just got a message from Captain Fairwind. Said that the Lintha stated that if they couldn't get the Chalice like they wanted to... They'd take Jadira and use her as a bargaining chip."

"Even as your Captain, I can't force you into an engagement now. That'd be against everything the Alliance stands for. But in light of this, I'll be moving onwards. I can't let any harm come to anyone above - nor will I let the Lintha threaten my first mate in all impunity." Lasuri nods, then draws his weapons once more, as if the news had somehow given him a second wind.

"What say you, Cobalt Alliance?"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:33, Fri 24 July 2009.

The captain's short speech seemed to bring Zeru's energy up as well. He stops fiddling with his chain and grips it loosly spinning it once to either side of him before letting it wrap around his arm.

"Let's do this fast and get back to our fellows. I worry for the entire affair."

Kareth says nothing.  Instead he simply stands, reconnects his hearthstone to his cannon, puts his shades on and nods.  The message is clear.  He'll fight with the rest.

[Private to GM: activating spirit sight and looking cool in the process.]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:49, Fri 24 July 2009.

Tageru stands up from his meditative position, takes his hearthstone back into his bow, and puts the satchel back on his belt, firmly attaching it there.
"I am ready Captain. Let us dispense with these monsters here, so that we may go back to destroy the monsters on the surface. This is a favor for all of Creation."

The idea that she had been 'groomed' as a leader was actually somewhat pleasant to Kiana's mind.  Lasuri had not meant her with the comment exactly, she didn't think, but it had been very true.  When her father had caught her reading his books and studying his tactics without his knowledge, he had went against his own better judgment and decided to teach her himself.  She had taken to the lessons wonderfully, and though the Alliance did not know it yet, her strategic mind was almost as powerful as her growing mastery of the Earth Dragon style.

"I am my Father's Daughter, Kareth.  I studied under him for years and memorized his works and strategies--I could formulate an attack plan, given enough time; but I've no idea what lies ahead.  I don't know how many we will face, the size of our opponents, or even their location ahead.  I can only assume this tunnel ends, and we will be facing opponents with their backs to a wall.  And they obviously know we are coming."    She said, looking at Kareth, and then to the captain.

"I trust your command, Captain.  However, if a tactic occurs to me as we fight, I will be quick to make you all aware of it."

She listened to the Captain, and stood up from her kneeling position.  She nodded to Lasuri.  She was ready.

The jokun, solemn to the point of near-subservience, bow their heads to the Cobalt Alliance members. (They are still speaking in Old Realm, of course.) "We will hold back any further Tainted brothers, as best we can. The Chalice has a... particularly powerful effect on our kind. Therefore, we must leave it to you, our esteemed guests. Please be careful and may the Dragons watch over you."

The elementals remain at the tunnel shore, where they quietly begin to collect what remains and equipment they can find of their brothers, until some of the other jokun closer to the stomach can send fresh boats their way. The worms' bodies have already disintegrated into their native vitriol, further tainting the water; there is little they can do about that but hope that the chalice will be dealt with quickly.

Around the bend, the Alliance continues down what appears to be another natural earth passage... except a body of very unpleasant green mist has seeped into it, severely reducing visibility. Even at the edge of the mist-covered area, the Exalts can tell just stepping in there thoughtlessly may turn out to be very uncomfortable. Just breathing near the space it occupies creates an unpleasant sensation in the lungs.

The mist alone is not the only strange occurrence here. They can feel it -- the presence of something vile and disturbing lurking in that mist, a powerful psychic presence that begins to slither and probe into their minds.

---

OOC: The 'presence' is using the spirit charm Memory Mirror. This normally means you can only defend against it with half your Manip+Socialize. However depending on how you stunt resisting it, I may allow you a different combination to defend with. :)

If you're curious about the mist or the presence you can try rolling Int+Occult after the defense. Or you can just walk into it, if you're bold ;)

Kareth felt the disgusting presence trying to probe his mind.  He he had heard of such things happening before and here he knew the source of the power.  As they say, you fight fire with fire.  If something using the vile powers of demons was trying to enter his mind, he would think of something that repulsed it.  Suddenly the image of a nephwrack leapt into his mind.  Not just any nephwrack though... the nephwrack.  Kareth had heard that most demons found necromancy to be disturbing, so he pushed the image of the nephwrack at the presence slithering in his mind.  Hopefully it would make it not want to look further into Kareth's mind.

[Private to GM: I'm trying to do one of two things here: I'm either trying to defend with (Chr + Presence)/2 and using this as a way to intimidate the spirit while at the same time actually trying to give it a piece honest memory... just one it would find disturbing, or I'm trying to defend with either (Int + Lore)/2 or (Int + Occult)/2.]

Regardless, after Kareth set up his mental defense he immediately started calling upon his training to examine this mist.  He tried to recall all the entities and effects he knew of that could create this visual obstruction.

[Private to GM:
Isole Kareth rolled 4 successes using 6d10 with ... rolls of 4,1,6,10,10,5. Int + Occult. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Sun 26 July 2009.

Tageru feels the unholy power attempt to enter his mind, and almost reflexively enters a meditative state. In his days as a member of the Wyld Hunt, he encountered a minor god that used similar powers to harass the mortals, and he remembered how to defend himself. So he pictured himself under a tall oak tree in the court of the Palace Sublime and he pictured himself meditating on the said tree. The mental image of Tageru meditates and sees himself sitting under a tree inside the courtyard of the Palace, and that image sits and imagines another, and another, and another until there is nothing but a tree and a man sitting under it in Tageru's mind. The perfection of that picture disturbs the demon's attempt to see inside the monk's head and helps Tageru stay calm...

Pursing his lips and gritting his teeth, Lasuri prepares to face the threat ahead, but something slows and distracts his approach. Gazing around him, the Captain seems to ponder something quietly, eyes narrowing in contemplation. Observing his companions steeling themselves and visibly struggling with something, Lasuri finally asks.

"What's going on?" He calls, a trace of worry showing through the mask of harsh suspicion he has kept since marching to face their enemy. Strangely enough, he doesn't seem to be struggling against anything, and so seems a bit dumbfounded. "What's happening, people? I can't tell what you all seem to be feeling..."

Cautiously, Lasuri takes a step forward, protectively covering his comrades before they answer his inquiry.

The probe hits Zeru hard, but this just angered him. His mind was his own, no-one had been able to take it yet. Not the needling of his brothers, not the teachers at the god-forsaken rock, no one. He'd be damned before he let a blasted cup take it from him.

And so as the cup pushed in on the borders of his mind, his mind didn't push back. Rather it pulled. His mind became a maelstrom of emotions, random thoughts, and a catchy tune he came up with in the past. There was nothing of value, it was the very fabric of his personality that fought the probe. Pulling it deeper and deeper into the darkness of the water.

Kiana halted much like the others as the alien presence began to creep around her mind.  It was a horrific thing, feeling some strange entity began to pry at your mind, trying to inject alien thoughts, or worse still, to take the thoughts that were so personal and close to you.  Some people, slaves and other less fortunate folk had only their thoughts, with the rest of the lives decided for them by the whim of someone else.  It was repulsive to invade someones mind, to impede on what was clearly sacred territory--and Kiana would not have it.

The Earth Princess closed her eyes, placing a hand over her Father' breastplate as she began to concentrate.  Being a child of Pasiap meant much more than simply being stubborn and strong of body.  It also meant being resilient and strong of mind--and the trials her mind had already gone through were more than enough practice to keep something so horrible at bay.  She remembered her Father's training, made so much more clearly now that she could feel his presence swelling around her heart, guiding her emotions and her thoughts into the proper channels--into the proper defense.  Kiana slowly crouched down, her right hand trailing to the rock hard ground beneath them.  Her first two fingers dug slightly into the rock, sweeping at the ground like she might the icing of a birthday cake, pulling away at the loose top bit of the ground.  Then she brought those fingers to her forehead, and lightly made a line from the top of her hairline to just the tip of her nose, eyes closed in intense thought the entire time.

I am Kiana White-Fist, Daughter of Kiando, Chosen of Pasiap, and proud member of the Cobalt Alliance.  You will fall, foul Artifact--I will not allow you to poison this God any longer.  She thought loudly, projecting her thoughts at the invading presence like a carefully calculated blow as she stood to her feet.  After that thought was sent, however, she closed her mind to the entity, making her mind as solid and impossible to penetrate as the Great Mountains.

Provided her mental exercise proved effective, she turned to look at the Captain.  "I think it is the Chalice Captain--it is trying to invade our minds, though I know not for what purpose.  Do you not feel it?"   She was worried, then--why was the Captain unaffected as well?  And, was that a good sign?  Kiana had not seen the Captain receive the ring, so occupied as she had been with uncovering her Father's breastplate, but she noticed the ring now, and wondered if that had anything to do with his resilience to the presence.  Narrow her slate-gray eyes, she gazed at the mist, probing her memory for her knowledge of the super-natural, to see if she knew anything of this new menace.

"No I don't... Probably the effect of that ring that nymph gave me. Looks like it might really work..." Inwardly, Lasuri is glad for that, although that does nothing to suppress his worry about his comrades. Staying on guard, he approaches the mist cautiously, eyes never leaving the danger ahead.

"That also means I'm pretty much blind to anything this thing does that's not visible, so I need you to help out, Alliance. I want status reports at regular intervals so I know how you're faring. Miss Kiana, I need you to use your senses to catch anything any of us might miss, and report if you get anything. Mister Kareth, I need you to speak up if your occult knowledge finds anything we should know. Mister Zeru, Mister Tageru... I need you to show this thing that Malfeas is nothing compared to what the Cobalt Alliance can inflict it."

With that, Lasuri tries to speak some more encouraging words to his people, in the hopes that it will lift their spirits and somehow help them keep the enemy's probe at bay. "Stand your ground and don't give in! No matter what this thing can do, it can't shatter who you are and what you believe in. And if you happen to falter, know that your comrades are here to pick up the slack. No one will be left behind, understood? Now show this ugly tumor what you're made of!"

While still trying to literally scare the demonic probe out of his mind, Kareth grits his teeth and manages to grunt "Aye, Aye, Captain!"

"Aye, sir." Kiana said with a stiff nod of her head.  She didn't like the mist ahead, nor did she like how much it obscured their vision.  Thankfully, Kiana was not so dependent on her visual senses, as she had spent much of her training with her father in developing her sense of hearing.  Many a training session had involved her blindfolded while sparring against her father, to hone her reflexes and teach her not to depend on a sense so easily tricked by light, dust, and countless other factors.

She stepped into the mist, then, closing her eyes for a moment as she concentrated not on what she could see, but on what she could hear.  It was only a moment before she opened her eyes and stared into the mist, trying to pierce the dense cover with her trained eyes--she would not fail the Captain!

[Private to Isole Kareth: You find out a few things about the mist. You believe that the mist is a corrosive agent. Besides obscuring vision, stepping into it will eat at ordinary equipment (not clothing though, mostly cause I don't want everyone walking around naked :P). Solid projectiles fired into it will also corrode, affecting their effectiveness. Breathing the mist may even cause some internal damage if exposed to it too long. However... similar to an eristufa's mist, you think that the mist may be warded away with fire.]

Kareth presents the slithering presence with his vivid memory of the nephwrack, attempting to intimidate it away from his precious thoughts. But the tendrils of invasive thought are unimpressed -- or perhaps see the memory as an opportunity instead, diving into what revelations they may discover through the association with the undead. [Private to Isole Kareth: I liked your stunt attempt, gave you a +2 (if you need motes back) but it wasn't enough. I only chose social-related attribute+ability combos so went with your Cha+Pres. Anyway, the end result is, the presence now knows one powerful memory: it should be something you most desire or fear, whichever of the two is strongest. You could tell me which it is, in PM, or I can just be vague. Mechanically it'll give the creature a bonus to the following social attack.]

The other Alliance members fare better. Tageru repels the psychic invader with a serene scene of repetition, allowing the demonic presence no leeway to slip in.[Private to Cynis Tageru: +2 stunt.] Zeru and Kiana, respectively, put all their efforts into protecting their being with sheer determination, stubbornly retaining their identity and memories.[Private to Peleps Zeru: +1 stunt.][Private to Kiana White-Fist: +2 stunt.] Lasuri appears to be completely unaffected -- not even by the strange mist, which is no more harmful than ordinary fog for him. (It still obscures his vision, though.)

A voice slithers into their minds: I feel you, foolish Dragon-children. Isole Kareth. Cynis Tageru. Peleps Zeru. Kiana White-Fist, daughter of Kiando. The fact Lasuri's name is entirely omitted may have something to do with the ring... or maybe not. Nonetheless, the voice continues, There are only two viable choices for you. Turn back now, or be anointed by my waters. Should you refuse, you will drown in endless despair.

And the visions begin. No longer a probing presence now, but a downright invasive one, driving into the minds of the Alliance members minus Lasuri. Each of the members feels an intense surge of hopelessness as they mentally witness, over and over in a deluge of images, every which way they might be able to fail their goal to take the chalice. Every way they may lose their freedoms, their friends and loved ones, their favored posessions, their lives, should they so much as attempt this course of action. For Kareth, who could not resist the memory-probe, the experience is worsened by the fact that every image is personalized -- a nightmare just for him. Yet Lasuri, again, feels nothing.

Kiana, stepping into the green-tinged mist prematurely, opens her senses toward whatever lies ahead. She feels the gaseous substance sizzle against her clothing and even her skin, but at least for her, it tickles more than harms... [Private to Kiana White-Fist: First of all, your earlier occult roll. You didn't find out very much, but you do think that the mist is definitely bad for the health - i.e. if you breathe it for too long it may have adverse effects. Now, looking through the mist (I rolled for you), you find that the corridor continues until it opens up into what seems to be another large chamber, with a body of water within it. Similar to previous chambers you have seen. Except the water is a tainted dark green, and there appear to be something, a mass of large tentacles maybe? writhing in the pool. You can definitely hear them splashing about. You also hear a low, sibilant murmuring. The mist covers everything, even inside the room.

Also are you breathing the mist or not?]

---

OOC: The first social attack was 8 successes. Only Kareth didn't pass, though all of you should've gotten some stunt to gain back Essence/WP if you needed it. Now the presence is inducing despair, which is your Dodge or Parry MDV v. 10 successes. You'll likely need to stunt, channel Virtue etc. to have a chance at beating this. Or you can choose to resist unnatural influence with Willpower -- spending 1 WP over 3 actions before the despair leaves you, or you'll feel too despondent to act.

You can do other actions, talk, etc. along with the post to resist if you want, of course.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:13, Wed 05 Aug 2009.

"NO!" Tageru shouts "Enough! You have tortured these poor creatures for too long, and we will not let you do so anymore!"
With all his will to live, with all his desire to do good, Tageru fights the demonic presence trying to enter his mind. He remembers his fights, his training, all the times in his life when it was hard, and how he always carried on, because it was right. He decides not to let this monster, this artifact this... THING, whatever it was influence him and sway him from the right path. For just a moment, he remembers the young girl that saved him on the island where he last saw his friends from the Realm, and the feeling of hope she instilled in him with just a few words and a smile, and the way he fought the Fair Folk that came for them. He remembered his every triumph in life, and that made him strong. Strong enough to defy the unholy force that tried to infect him with despair, and strong enough to continue.
"MOVE!" he thinks at his muscles, his legs and arms, and the muscles obey, as they always have. "Let's go, friends!", he shouts to the other members of the Alliance "This thing fears us, that's why it wants us to give up! Let us show it that we are made of stronger stuff and destroy it!"
[Private to Storyteller: Well, my DMDV is 6 normally, +2 for this thing going against my Virtues, and some bonus from the stunt and hopefully, Tageru can resist (although I absolutely MUST raise Integrity soon... :D )
If that's not enough, then I have exactly 3 WP left, and I'll resist it that way...]

Kareth fell the ground, his eyes wide from the visions that were going through his head.  He rocked back and forth as he began to sweat and he started muttering to himself.  Anyone who stopped to listen would hear his voice but wonder what nightmare he was talking to.

I know what you are.  They'll send you away if they knew."

"No.  They wouldn't," Kareth muttered weakly.

Images of Kiana, Zeru, and Tageru turning their backs and walking away from Kareth flooded his mind.  Then another image.  The image of another girl shrieking in fear filled his ears.  He felt his hand reaching out her. "No!"  The word came to his lips before he could stop it.

You'll be exiled just like before.
"Silence."

I can help you, though.

"Shut up!"

I can make you what you want to be.

"I... told... you... to... SHUT UP!!!" Kareth roared as his eyes came back into focus and his anima roared back to life with it's eerily weak orange glow and the liquid green flames congealing into ghastly masks and then melting away.  "The Cobalt Alliance will not abandon it's own so easily, Demon!  I refuse to believe your lies and we will put an end to your corruption! We are made of things stronger than yourself."

If you really believe that then why won't you tell them?

At this last mental thought coming through his head, Kareth's eyes widened and he faltered but momentarily.  Then his face became a pure mask of dark rage as he lifted his arm and his firey essence flared from his hand, trying to sear the mist itself.

Then Kareth spoke in a chilling low tone, "I will not allow you to dishonor them.  You will be defeated."

[Private to GM:

Resisting with willpower, activating my anima power and using elemental bolt with 3m to burn at the mist.  18:33,

Isole Kareth rolled 8 successes using 10d10 with ... rolls of 2,9,9,9,10,9,7,4,8,4. Elem Bolt Attack.

Base dmg = 10L
 ]
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Fri 07 Aug 2009.

Worry crease the captain's features as he witnesses the others being subjected to what he can only assume are continual mental assaults. He notices, with frustration, how he is the only one omitted from the demonic being's words - not because he wishes to fall under its influence, but because he does not deem it fair for him to get away freely while his comrades suffer.

And then, suddenly, Kareth's oath and surge of power break the status quo in a rather spectacular, and inspiring manner. There is it, again. Lasuri thinks, momentarily transfixed by the impressive display of Kareth's anima. The strange light seems to grasp his attention for a moment, the marked difference between the green flames surrounding the artificer and the fiery blaze he has seen before in other Fire-Aspected Chosen so evident in this moment. And yet...

Lasuri watches the display, and after a moment, a wolfish, almost feral grin appears on his features, as if he is highly bolstered by his comrade's display of faith. With a confident stride, he steps right into the mist, and calls out to the Creature that dares to toy with his comrades.

"Hey, you sorry excuse for a thrash talking backwoods preacher." The Captain walks ahead and besides Kareth's flames, uncaring whether or not he could see in the unnatural fog. "I don't take rejection easily, you know? I was the youngest of three kids, so that's kind of a sore spot for me." Cautiously, Lasuri takes on a more battle-weary stance, but keeps on his advance.

"Those people you messed with back there... They're my people. I won't try to say it as powerfully as Mister Kareth... He's voiced it better than I ever could. But you've already failed. You'll never wedge yourself between us. It's easy to do with your kind, since they're all opportunistic, narcissistic backstabbers, but that won't work with us. We've got no past in common, but maybe that's what makes us even more united in one thing: Our future."

"And let me clue you in on one more thing, you self-agrandizing, failed attempt at a sorry parasite. You might not see me, or you might not be able to get me with your underhanded crap." The Captain pointed a sword through the mist, letting it part the fog in front of his face for a only a second.

"But I can walk to you just fine, bloodied and on stumps and in the dark if I have to. Stop me if you can."

[Private to Isole Kareth: Hats off for that last one, Kareth. That was one inspiring and exciting beast of a post there. Cheers to you!]
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Fri 07 Aug 2009.

Zeru's mind is filled with a foreign sense of despair. Such a horrible emotion, the feeling of hopelessness. No matter how powerful or how horrible an emotion it was it was still that. Foreign.

"You try to drive me to despair," Zeru's normally calm and serene voice breaks seems shocked before he breaks into a full hearted laughter. He laughs long and hard and out loud. "You think to drive me to despair? It shows just how little you know of me. That emotion does not reside here!"

"Do you think you are the only force that's tried to break me? Do you really? How arrogant you are, you're little more than an ornate cup with a story inside." He stands straight up, his eyes lighting with pride and challenge. "When the sea itself rises against me I turn the prow towards the storm. When an enemy force that should be more powerful than I shows its face I run towards it, not away! If you think a little threat will turn me back, then you are a fool cup. You've got it backwards, all it does is bring me faster."

"Prepare yourself fool cup, you've brought the Cobalt Alliance down on you." With this last statement Zeru strides forward into the mist.

[Private to Storyteller: I'll channel Valor for this.]

Kiana stood frozen for a moment as she allowed her senses to pierce the shroud that was the mist, both her sight and her hearing, waiting until they had every opportunity to detect what was ahead of them before she spoke.  The mist tickled at her flesh, but Kiana had a feeling that it wasn't with mirth that the essence driven effect tried to affect her.  "Captain," She said after a moment, making sure to use quick and plain language so as to be concise as possible, "the corridor continues until opening into a large chamber, much like the ones before.  There is a large body of water there, and whatever waits for us, it sounds like a mass of tentacles splashing in there.  The mist is a constant through out, we will fight it until the battle is won--I wouldn't breath it in, if at all possible." 

Kiana looked into the mists, and then quickly to turn as the others began to fight off the presence of the demon that awaited them.  She only had a moment to considering what was happening as she heard Kareth fight off his inner demons, and was suddenly felt the demonic tendrils reach her own mind.  Her teeth clenched as the icy sensation drove into her thoughts like a rail spike.  She had fought off the first attempt at reading her mind, but this was just pure malice--an attempt to flood her mind with despair--something that, unlike Zeru, Kiana had plenty of, despite her stone-like demeanor and resilient appearance.

Kiana took a small step back, a white-jade hand pressing to her forehead as he eyes clenched shut, trying to fight the alien source of the all-too-familiar emotion.  In her mind's eye, Kiana suddenly saw several men around her, each with a more wolfish grin than the last, looking at her with hungry eyes.  She felt young again, and felt her heart drop as she realized what was going to happen--and it was going to happen again, and again, and...

She could feel the indignant anger of Kiando swell (in?) on her chest, the Spirit of her father angered by what he saw in his Daughter's memories, and
if one was sensitive to the sounds of the spirit, there was a great roar of anger that echoed through out the planes of the shadow and of the spirit.  His little girl...defiled in such a crass way!  She could feel the raw emotion explode form the breastplate, and it was more than enough to put a buffer between the alien thoughts and Kiana's own, and she used the window of opportunity immediately.  Her eyes flashed open, and both hands curled into brutal fists as she planted her feet firm, refusing to back up any further.

"You may know our names, Demon, but you do not know what we are.  You do not stand to face four individual Dragonborn--you face the Cobalt Alliance, and ours is a might you and your kind will come to know all too well."  She said coldly.  She charged forward, but then stopped only to offer Kareth a hand up, if he decided he wanted it--or, if his pride was too wounded, she would no press the attempt to help her sour team mate, despite his fiery show of spirit, which she certainly admired him for it.  She then went forward into the mist, knowing that she had already warned the rest of them as best as she could as she went forward, just beside the Captain as she kept her senses wild and alert.

"You, Demon, of all creatures should know that naught can stand before the combined might of the Dragons.  The Primordials fell before us, as did the Solar Exalted before them.  What are you but a stained memory of a time long ago?  These are your last moments--Best you use them wisely."

Tageru finds hope in triumph, in friends long missed but not forgotten. He stands straight and tall, their memory so vivid in his mind that he could swear for a moment they walk with him. Those who stood with him during that last stand with the Fae, those who sorrowfully departed, and the one, radiant young woman that remained to save him, she for whom he left his old loyalties to seek the truth with his own eyes! Reminded of that purpose, he is liberated from the shackles of despair. [Private to Cynis Tageru: +2 stunt and your Virtue make for success! Thanks for mentioning the Zenith by the way, I do want to nudge some plot your way concerning her if this game can speed up. ;.; Summer has been slow. But have faith, I haven't given up. :)]

Kareth is haunted by a secret so dark he has yet to speak of it. A secret that lurks in the ghostly fire of his anima, so deliciously exploitable. This one will surely serve as a better vessel, thinks the demon chalice. If only he would just succumb. If only he would forget his loyalties, those friends that are only crutches for him. But Kareth has other plans. The flames he summons forth, the intensity of his gaze, the rage shaking in his voice! The mists burn before him, briefly cowed, but the intrusive voice continues to press into his mind... [Private to Isole Kareth: Yay, a +3 stunt! Though you still couldn't pass the DV, unless you want to try to channel a virtue based on your last post. (Normally I wouldn't allow it at this point, but I really liked your post. You need 2 sux from a virtue roll.) Otherwise you will now be spending 1 WP per post to resist further despair. No need to stunt it or anything, unless you want to to make up for the lost WP. For the last post you're assumed to have spent 1WP. So after 2 more posts from now, you're in the clear.]

Zeru does not so much seek hope as he remembers it has always been there, as surely as his nature is of the sea. For as far as he remembers, he has never backed down to threats, nor folded to expectations. He has forged his own path, as those of Danaa'd often do, trusting his luck and his wits and pure, salt-bitten mettle when nothing else suffices. He is the black sheep among the sons of Kaizoku, and the relentless crashing wave of his determination washes the corrupt despair away. [Private to Peleps Zeru: +2 stunt, and your valor roll gave another +1. Just enough!]

Kiana, too, is a survivor by nature. But where Water is ever-flowing, she is of the Earth, pure and insurmountable in the face of terrible odds. She has endured great hardship. She has had her worth as a human being ground into the dirt by abusers. Why did Father have to pass away? If he hadn't left her...! But the spirit of Kiando, bound in her armor, surges forth indignantly to remind her that he had never wished her such pain. Circumstance had taken him away from her too soon, but he would lend his strength to her now! [Private to Kiana White-Fist: and I will allow you a +3! but if you want to continue to write the effects of those memories on Kiana, you can purely for RP purposes.]

---

OOC: part 1 of 2!

While the members of Alliance fight off the false despair, Lasuri asserts his presence boldly, refusing to be ignored or inconsequential. A hiss rises from the corridor ahead, as the slithering mental presence grasps onto the source of his voice, the Captain who bears the accursed Ring of Being. Its voice penetrates Lasuri's thoughts with the others. "Then come, lead your followers to their doom, and yours. For your mind may be shielded, but your body is but a fragile husk for your pitiful soul!"

The five stride forward, through the path cleared in the mist by Kareth's bolt. For a moment, the corridor is clear, the view of the room ahead unobstructed. It is just as Kiana described. There is a room at the other end of the corridor, a large, rounded chamber of natural walls. A pool of tainted water has collected in the center of it, and occupying that pool is a writhing, monstrously sized demonic beast. It looks as if it is formed out of tens, if not hundreds of infernal worms fused together, each appendage tipped with loathesome lamprey mouths.

Standing atop the center of that massive beast is the figure of what was once a gorgeous nymph, her body bound there by tentacles that hold and manipulate her head and limbs about like she were a puppet. Her physical body is no longer a healthy blue, but a sickly green, festering with sores and worm-like tendrils burrowing continuously into her skin. Her Essence, of course, has long since been tainted and converted for the chalice's needs. The cup of tainted orichalcum is fused unnaturally with her hand, the unholy symbol of Kimbery, the Sea that Marched Against the Flame.

She is the Chalice-Bearer, and its puppet slave.

Her eyes blink and jolt wildly about, like marbles rolling around in her head, until they focus upon the approaching Terrestrials. Twitching, always twitching, losing focus as she periodically convulses. Her voice is saying, "help me." But when she opens her mouth, the lamprey-mouths stretch open as well, mist pouring out from their gaping maws to obscure the view. The mist avoids Kareth by a wide berth, though, so long as his anima burns.

"You can wrench me from this place, but you will only be enslaved in turn. No matter what you do, it is futile! But should you be foolish enough to fight me, I will oblige!" The demon-chalice glows a lurid green. Forced by its command, the Chalice-Bearer moans, then begins to chant words of power.

---

OOC: And... part 2 of 2. Make a Valor roll diff 1. Then roll Join Battle. You are all currently 50 yards distant from the center of the infernal beast, where the Chalice-Bearer is bound.

actions
tick 0 - Chalice-Bearer (prep spell)
tick 2 - Lasuri, Tageru
tick 4 - Kareth, Kiana, Zeru
tick 5 - Tentacle Beast

Note that the mist will give penalty to solid projectile ranged attacks, and if you want to attack melee range you'll have to climb onto the tentacles or swim through them, both of which will incur fun Athletics rolls along with your attacks (you may be able to bypass the rolls IF you have good Athletics). There may be other 'fun' mechanics involved with fighting this thing so beware!
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:52, Wed 19 Aug 2009.

Kareth looses his nerve at first when he sees the corrupted nymph.  What sort of thing does this, he thinks to himself. However, as soon as the urge to run wells up inside him, he forces the sensation down and manages to remember what he came here to do.   He drops his weight into a guarding stance and readies his cord and his cannon.  Should those words be a spell he his determined to capture it.

[Private to GM: 10:22, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 3 successes using 6d10 with ... rolls of 10,5,4,7,2,5. Join Battle.
10:21, Today: Isole Kareth rolled 2 successes using 2d10 with ... rolls of 9,8. Join Battle. (accidently hit enter before changing the number of dice).
10:16, Today: Isole Kareth failed (no successes) using 2d10 with ... rolls of 5,3. Valor Check.

Guess I have to spend WP to not be cowardly.]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Wed 12 Aug 2009.

Zeru does not shy away, like he told the beastly voice in his head, threats only serve to push him forwards. The chalice bearer was being forced, she was an innocent, her every being called for someone to rescue her. The Chalice was forcing her... This makes Zeru angry, very angry. Yet for all his anger, all his knowledge of the necessity of the thing, he just can't move towards it.

He breathes heavily, his eyes locked on the nymph at the center. He pulls at the very fiber of his courage, hoping to pull enough up to break the fear that holds him fast. He reminds himself of the battle that is waging on the outside, he reminds himself of Cinna, Antov, Brogan, Curran, and the wounded but defiant Sunden. He needs to bring this to an end before he loses some of his precious crew. All of the Alliance is embroiled in combat, and Zeru will have none of this cowardice.

[Private to Storyteller: 16:48, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 2 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,4,10. Wits+Awareness.
16:41, Today: Peleps Zeru failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,6. Valor.]

"You know what? You're right." Lasuri's response comes, as he continues to make his slow, but determined advance on the creature ahead.

"I mean... These bodies are fragile. They bleed. They break. They age and weaken. They die. But do you really understand what that means?" Another step. All throughout, the Captain's eyes do not leave his target, the monstrosity that has made its nest so far deep within Rakatau.

"It means that we continue to fight, to bleed, and to win despite our weakness and our limits. We're born with a limited lease - even from birth, it's an ultimate certainty that we're all going to expire. It's just a matter of when. And yet, did you ever truly have a look at this world you want to conquer for your masters? The world's full of nameless heroes, average joes whose only power was determination and a will to make a difference."

"Think you can stop that? Think you can compete with that? You can't. And the reason's simple. You and your kind are so stuck on crying for what you've lost that you can't find the strength in what you have."

Turning towards his companions, Lasuri nods one more time, taking a deep breath. "Cobalt Alliance! I have one more command for you. Depending on how this turns out, this might be the last one. I'll go straight for it, but I need a path to do that. I need you to open that for me, so I can grab that chalice..." The Captain turns back towards the nymph, his body tensing in anticipation.

"... And show this parasite the meaning of weakness."

And with that, Lasuri surges forward, like the river flowing strongly towards the seabed, unfazed and unstoppable. This might be dangerous, but the Captain trusts implicitly in his friends and comrades. He is determined to end this, and to bear the burden of this chalice so that no one, friend or otherwise, will be harmed by it ever again. This is the drive that pushes him through water and tentacles, hurtling him ever closer to his target. Once again, Lasuri is the cold-hearted riptide that rips hulls and oars apart, sending the unwary towards an eternal watery grave.

No pause. No hesitation.

No quarter.

[Private to Storyteller:
15:45, Today: Lasuri Leomaris rolled 4 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,9,9,9,3,3,8. Join Battle.
15:46, Today: Lasuri Leomaris rolled 2 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,10,2. Valor Roll (+1 wp).
15:47, Today: Lasuri Leomaris rolled 7 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,10,9,3,10,5,7. Dex + Athletics (just in case). ]

Fists clenched and eyes narrowed, Kiana charged along with the Captain, the shadows in her mind ever shifting and changing thanks to the presence of the demonic entity that laid before them.  The mists cleared and swirled before finally revealing the Nymph.  She was beautiful, of course, bu was horribly twisted by the Cup of Kimberly, but the way in which she held the chalice in one instance, with the beauty of her face, jogged another quick memory into Kiana as revulsion of the sight threatened to weaken her knees.

Kiana was on her back, disrobed most horribly, and had managed to numb her mind to the horror that was being inflicted upon her.  The old General reeked of booze and tobacco as he groped the little girl and forced himself on her, and the pain was, sadly, not the worst she had endured over the years of her mother's care.  She did not think of screaming, or of crying out, but silent tears ran down her cheeks as waves of shame washed over her, as they always did when this particular 'duty' was asked of her.  Such dishonor.  She glanced up, hoping to distract herself with something, anything, when she saw her mother standing in the doorway.  The look on the Woman's face was pure malevolence, the satisfied smirk on her face one that would haunt Kiana for years more to come.  She held a chalice in her hand, filled with her favorite spirits, and Kiana realized just how much she hated her Mother.  It was with as much intensity as she loved her father--and it would strengthen her, she decided.  She would not become mad, or broken--she would endure, as her Father had taught her.  She would endure.

As soon as it hit the memory was quickly ejected from her mind, but not before its effects were felt.  She had endured, and now she faced an evil that threatened not just her, but the entire free world.  Was this a greater evil than her mother?  Kiana didn't believe that--but it was certainly sinister enough to warrant her hate and her determination.  It was revolting to witness, but the presence of her Father's Spirit braced her own sense of bravery and valor--she would not turn back.  This evil would receive just as it deserved--just as her Mother would as well, eventually.

She bent low, power flowing through her being being as she assumed the immovable stance of the Earth Dragon, allowing the essence to cleanse her mind and body, and prepare her for the assault ahead of her.  At the words of her Captain, she have a quick nod, her now shortened black hair swaying around her cheek as she did.  "Aye, Captain!"  She all but roared, charging into the swirling mass of tentacles to give the Captain just as he had asked--a path unto the Chalice.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Mon 17 Aug 2009.

One by one, the Alliance members shake off fear, revulsion or pity to boldly commence the attack! [Private to Isole Kareth: I gave you +1 stunt die but no go :( so, yes, you'll have to spend another WP to avoid running or being frozen in place.][Private to Peleps Zeru: I rolled you +2 stunt and you got 2 sux on valor, so you can still move. I just delayed you a tick (you would have acted on tick 4) to show your hesitation.][Private to Lasuri Leomaris: +2 stunt on valor, woo!][Private to Kiana White-Fist: A +2 stunt for you if you were needing motes or WP back (you can either get 4m or 1WP for a +2 stunt)]

Tageru readies his bow, unshaken at the sight of the once-beautiful Chalice Bearer and the infernal beast that binds her. He aims a pair of arrows at the writhing tentacles, only to find that his mundane arrows disintegrate in the mist! Halfway to their goal, the hafts are consumed completely, and the arrowhead falls uselessly into the tainted water. [Private to Cynis Tageru: I had you fire broadhead arrows, no charm use, this is the result.]

Lasuri rushes toward the mass of tentacles, leading the charge. He advances right onto the shifting, slippery surface, his boots nimbly picking out a path as he ducks, runs and leaps from one tentacle to the next, his eyes piercing right through the cloying mist surrounding him. Danaa'd truly favors him this day, each and every step seemingly guided by divine providence as he rushes toward his goal.

Kiana's movements are not nearly so fluid nor natural upon a surface lacking the solidity of Earth. But she follows Lasuri's lead nonetheless, keeping a precarious balance across the field of worm-like appendages until one of them wrench from right under her feet! She falls into the pool with a splash!

The infernal beast is lethargic, slow, reacting belatedly to the Dragon-blood daring to plunge into their midst. The tentacles around them start to buck and twist, rearing up to attack and seize their limbs! [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: A flurry of 4 attacks! 3 sux, 4 sux, 3 sux, 7 sux. Onslaught penalties apply, and you start at 6-3 = 3 Parry DV! If any one of these hit you, you are clinched, meaning that on your turn, you must roll (Strength or Dex + Martial Arts) in an attempt to free yourself from the clinch.][Private to Kiana White-Fist: You start at 7-2 = 5 Parry DV. Tentacles do a 4 attack flurry on you. So, 2 sux vs 5 DV, 1 sux vs 4 DV, 3 sux vs 3 DV, 7 sux vs 2 DV. This means the last attack goes in with 5 successes. Unless you can get 5 additional sux from a stunt, channel virtues, Martial Arts excellency, etc. you are now clinched, and have to roll (Strength or Dex + Martial Arts) to attempt to free yourself. The action to free yourself will take up your entire next turn.]

Still on shore, Kareth, Zeru and Tageru see their two companions swallowed up by swarming tentacles and (in Kiana's case) acid-water. They can no longer see Kiana or Lasuri clearly, nor do they see more than a faint outline of the shape of the Chalice-Bearer in the mist. However, they can still hear her chanting, and a strange amber light starts to pulse from the center of the infernal beast, where she is held captive. [Private to Isole Kareth: You realize that the Chalice Bearer is still shaping sorcery, you're most certain that the Chalice must be casting *Celestial* magic through its host.]

---

OOC: actions
(tick 0-4 accounted for above)
tick 5 - Chalice-Bearer (shaping spell), Tentacle Beast, Lasuri (30/50 yards, on tentacles), Kareth, Zeru
tick 7 - Kiana (15/50 yards, swimming)
tick 8 - Tageru

Note, if you'll charge (dash) and balance on the tentacles (Dex+Ath) at the same time, your balancing roll is at a -2. If you attack and balance, you still have to include the (Dex+Ath) in your flurry unless you have Athletics 4+.

Also the mist gives you -1 sux to all attack rolls if you are inside it or firing into it.

Kareth can tell from the intricate weaving of the essence patterns and the length of time it's taking to cast this spell that it was well beyond the means of any terrestrial exalt.  "It's using a spell of the Anathama!"  He hated the use of that term and has for such a long time now, but it still came unbidden to his lips.  Old habits do die hard.  But I need to make sure we don't join them, the engineer thought to himself as he began moving and looking for cover.  Cover he found in the form of the entrance way.  He could duck around the corner and at least hold himself against the wall making him a much smaller target to hit.  With a quick flip of his wrist, Kareth sent the cord wrapping around wrist as he moved.  He then leveled his cannon at the chalice and left through the air at the entrance.  He knew the fog hated fire so he thrust out his free hand with the cord wrapped around it, sending a flare towards chalice, both with the intend of knocking it from it's bearer's grasp and to clear a mistless path for his next move... the cannon shot.  His weapon erupted in its powerful way, sending a mass of concussive essence towards the chalise and its bearer.  Hopefully that will be too distracting for the demon, Kareth thinks as he reaches his cover.

[Private to GM: 09:51,

Isole Kareth rolled 4 successes ... rolls of 8,6,8,7,1,6,8,2,2,5. Elem Bolt Attack.

Isole Kareth rolled 3 successes using 8d10 with ... rolls of 8,7,5,6,1,7,3,3. Elem Bolt Attack (right dice).  (Dmg 10L + sux)

Isole Kareth rolled 3 successes using 6d10 with ... rolls of 8,9,6,7,4,6. Attack with Very Small Essence Cannon.

adding 2 sux with archery excellency to both attacks.

Attack 1:  5 sux (10L)
Attack 2:  5 sux (10B piercing)

Basically, I'm trying to cause an essence backlash.  I just hope that the shaping action lowers its DV below 5.  :)

Stunt?
]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Wed 19 Aug 2009.

Zeru snaps back into focus, his cause lending him the courage needed to move. He drives forward following Lasuri, and Kiana's leads, he leaps upon the mass of writhing tentacles searching for an opening. Tempest swings at his sides doing more to keep him on balance than to threaten the beast. As he leans in one direction, Tempest flips to the other, pulling his body back into balance. He leaps, ducks, and bounces his way forward intent on lassoing any tentacles that chase after the captain.

As the Captain goes on his mad advance for the Chalice bearer, something becomes immediately clear to him - there is no way he will manage to avoid all of the tentacles reaching for him. He could very well try his best to slip out of their grasp, using every last ounce of power he has at his disposal to do so... But then, it could also lead him to have to face the potentially dangerous Bearer while diminished and weakened, a situation that his opponent no doubt is trying to push him into.

With that realization, the Captain sees only one opportunity available to him, based on the the way he approaches every problem. If your opponent expects you to jump, duck. If he expects you to advance, pull back. If he expects you to struggle... Don't. And that is precisely what Lasuri does. No doubt the creature expects him to put up a resistance, to try to defend from the many tentacles reaching for him so he can continue unhindered, to expand a large amount of power and energy to remain free - and Lasuri will take his opponent off-guard by doing the exact opposite. Bonus points if that makes it think I'm weak and unable to face it in combat, he thought.

The first tentacle comes, and Lasuri easily brushes it aside, his footing and stance shifting so that he might react to the second one reaching for him... But the action never comes. One might expect a delay for a better defense perhaps, or even a calculated wait to better his position with the next action, but none of these occur. The pause becomes too long, too stretched out to look like a defense anymore, and it becomes clear that the Captain will not move out of the way.

Instead, he looks straight at the Chalice Bearer, through the mass of writhing tentacles that would keep him from reaching his goal. The tentacles start to slither and circle around his body, but the Captain keeps his weapons firmly in his hands as his freedom of movement is taken from him.

One might call it surrender, in the face of overwhelming odds and the looming spectre of defeat. But one look at the Captain's eyes, still focused on the creature ahead of him, show that this is not the case; the dark irises seem to almost shine with a cold, relentless conviction, a belief in the notion that while temporary defeat might be necessary, it only delays the inevitable. That while the Bearer might hold him in place, it will never be anything but temporary. Sooner or later, through the actions of his comrades or his own, he will break free.

And when he does, nothing will save the Chalice Bearer from his wrath.

And as he continues to meet the possessed creature's gaze, the Captain's muscles start to bulge and strain, already seeking to break free...

[Private to Storyteller: Explanation of Lasuri's action, plus the roll for the break clinch attempt at his turn. I don't really like the post so I don't expect stunt (though I'm channeling Conviction through it to gain extra dice), so I just hope that the others' actions might help in reducing difficulty at the next turn, or else I'll just keep on trying to break clinch each tic afterwards.

04:08, Today: Lasuri Leomaris rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,10,8,5,1,2,1,7. Dex + Martial Arts + Conv (Break Clinch).]

With an angry frown, Tageru curses and spits into the water. "Well, if you can't be hit, maybe you can be distracted" he thinks to himself, and looks at his friends struggling to reach the monster.
"HEY! MONSTER! OVER HERE!" he shouts, and suddenly, his anima flares more strongly, and he starts to move in an almost hypnotic pattern. No, it's not almost hypnotic, it does mesmerize, his every gesture perfect, his grace unparalleled. His moves trail sparks of emerald Essence, and it's obvious that he's using some form of magic.

OOC: using the Unbreakable Fascination Kata to distract the demons. [Private to Storyteller: 13:23, Today: Cynis Tageru rolled 7 successes using 11d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,5,5,4,5,7,7,3,5,9,10. Unbreakable Fascination Kata. If there's a stunt value here, just roll that many dice and add the result :)]

There was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and though there was very little about the Earth Aspect that that suggested that she was not smart, the fact that she had charged so head long into that writhing mass of demonic tentacles, especially given that she was outside of her natural element?  It wasn't exactly the most intelligent thing she could have done, given the circumstances.  Those same circumstances, however, had forced images best left buried into her mind, and while they did not stop her from acting, or make her hesitate or question herself, it DID affect her frame of mind.  This demon had to die--it had to be destroyed, and she could feel a very unnatural hate form in her belly.  Was it right to hate such a thing?  Yes, it was evil, if ever she had seen evil, but hate was something she did not embrace easily.  It was a feeling she reserved only for her Mother...and even then, it was a cold, seething hate, not this fiery flame she felt nestled in her insides.

Perhaps that hate had been the biggest factor in her rushing the demon, but an equal part was easily attributed to Lasuri's request.  Kiana couldn't help but smile as she slipped and fell into the water, surprising the demonic tendrils as they quickly began to search out their new prize.  It had many arms, but how multi-faceted was the demon's mind?  How many targets could it easily attack and keep track of?  Lasuri had the power to take the chalice without being possessed, and he had the power to wrestle it from the poor host--if Kiana's drop into the (normally) deadly waters gave him the extra steps he needed to grasp the damned artifact, then it would be worth it.  What was the worst the beast could do to her, after all?  Harm her?  Injure her?  It could not dominate her mind, and Kiana would be damned if the thing would dominate her body any more successfully.

She felt the tentacles begin to lash and attempt to wrap around her, and despite her focus, her resolve, the recent probe of her mind had loosened her normally stoic mental training, and flashes from the past continued to barrage her.

It was the last night she would ever have to endure her mother's cruelty, but that did not make it any less painful.  Kiana woke up to the unwanted touch of men she did not know.  In the dark recesses of her alien bedroom, she did not even know how many there were around her--only that there hands were upon her, and they were not kind.  This had been the price she had to pay for the death of her Father, as his protective presense was stripped from her life, and her mother started to use her daughter as a bargaining chip in military and social relations.

She felt the hand grip her, felt their hot, repulsive breath wash over her as they began to pull and tear, greedily trying to take her, then eventually share in her misery as they took from her what they wanted--or, for the final time, they tried.  This night was unlike any other, however.  As Kiana felt the tears stream down her face, she felt a strange power start to awaken inside of her.  Her fear and her shame seemed to melt away as this secret strength started to stem from her very being, and for the first time for years, Kiana felt a pure joy rise up into her.  The joy of power, yes, the power of the earth dragon as her very veins began to burn with holy essence, but more still because she knew that this power was her freedom.  She felt the tears streaming down her face turn to crumbling diamonds as she lashed out, finally making her shame and anger felt--

She came to, the vision's magic broken as she realized that the same hands she had felt all those years ago were not replaced by these vile tentacles, and just as she did not allow such things to continue then, she would not tolerate such things now.  Were the tentacles simply trying to strike her or lash out at her, perhaps her response would not have been so strong, but they were trying to grab her, to restrain and contain her, and this would not do.  It would not do at all.

Before the tentacles could grab her, Kiana felt her white Jade boots touch the bedrock, and she quickly ground her feet into the familiar surface, using the touch of earth to strengthen her resolve.  The tentacles came for her quickly, touching and feeling to try and get a grasp of her.  And though the others could not see her action below, they would certainly see the outcome!  Kiana lashed out with her own hand, grabbing two of the probing tentacles and squeezing mightily as she countered their grasp with her own.  Then she quickly moved her arms at the same time, wrapping the tentacles around her forearm as she got a better grip.

And then, with her stance unshakably solid and her conviction strong...she pulled.

Lasuri ducks, weaves, then suddenly stops in his tracks, eyes gleaming with determination, allowing himself to be caught rather than overextend his power. Three fat, toothy tentacles wind around his legs, body and one of his arms, holding him fast. He strains to free himself, nearly prying the slimy mess of appendages apart... but at the last moment they redouble their strength, keeping him held fast. [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: You can roll to free yourself again with another Dex+Martial Arts, or see whether your companions will free you :)]

Kareth hurls his firebolt toward the Chalice-Bearer. The mist in front of him is burned away, and retreats toward the sides of the vast cavern. Tentacle mouths shriek in protest, the infernal beast putting up a wall of appendages to protect the nymph. But the blast is too strong for them to hold back completely, searing glistening green flesh a charred, putrid-smoking black and forcing the tentacles to give way. Reduced in strength, the elemental bolt burrows past the final barriers to impact with the nymph's hand. She jerks in her bonds, her flesh crisping where it holds the chalice, but she neither lets go nor stops chanting. (2L)

The blast from Kareth's Essence Cannon follows, chasing the path of the firebolt before the mist can renew itself. Again the tentacles prove to be an effective barrier, whipping out to block the blast. The first tentacle struck immediately bursts into a messy splatter of corrosive acid, but four more tangle together to catch the rest of the blast, pulping and bruising but holding fast. [Private to Isole Kareth: Gave you a +2 for the entire action and rolled the dice. Your first attack went in with 1 sux but the second didn't go through. :( You did 2L on the nymph but she didn't lose the chalice. I decided to opt for damage since if I just plain subtracted the -2 sux for disarm you would have done nothing at all.]

Zeru, more than accustomed to shaky ground after years at sea, progresses nimbly across the mass of tentacles. Leaping from one slimy whip-cord of flesh to the next, using his chain to swing past those that rear up to block his path, his acrobatics bring him toward Lasuri's position with ease. He can move past Lasuri toward the Chalice-Bearer, or attempt to aid the Cobalt Alliance captain in prying him out of the tentacles' grasp. [Private to Peleps Zeru: +1 stunt for your post, if you need motes back. You have Athletics 4 so can actually cross the tentacles without rolling! Yay! In 3 ticks you've made it about even with Lasuri. You can either act at tick 8 and help Lasuri by attacking the tentacles holding him, or act at tick 10 and try to attack the Chalice-Bearer, try to knock the chalice from her hands, etc. Note: if you try to knock off the chalice you do so at a penalty of -2 successes, as it counts as a Disarm roll.]

Kiana is once again forced underwater as she fends off the tentacles attempting to grab and drown her. She draws inspiration and determination from her triumph over her terrible past, grabbing two of the offending tentacles in a crushing grip enhanced by white jade smashfists. Then she pulls them with such incredible force that they tear right off, leaving two quickly dying tentacle-worms flapping and flailing in her hands. Vitriol spills from the severed limbs, diluting in the water and turning it darker still. But Kiana is garbed in the purity of her jade breastplate, the watchfulness of her father and the pure determination to survive. The acid is too weak to harm her. The tentacle-stumps pull back, writhing in pain, leaving her free to swim back to the surface, or try to make some headway underwater. [Private to Kiana White-Fist: Well, I'll give ya another +3, why not. :) I believe after rolling you pass with 4 extra successes. Anyway, since you're the first underwater, what you see at the root of all those swarming tentacles is some sort of gigantic heart surrounded by a knot of tentacles. If not for its faint, forbidding glow and the visible throb of its pulse you might not see it at all. So, up to you whether you'll surface to help Lasuri (you'll have to punch through the surface level of tentacles to get to him though) or try to beat up that heart, is up to you!]

Tageru's hypnotic kata does not seem to have an effect at all on the monster, as the tentacle worms are completely lacking eyes. They are blind, sensing the Dragon-bloods among them by some other unknown sense, whether it be taste, essence sense or the simple proximity of their bodies. It does, however, affect the Chalice-Bearer. Her spell-shaping, combined with the searing wound from Kareth, leaves her susceptible to distraction. The ball of amber light building up in her free hand suddenly fizzles, much to the chalice's frustration!

Then the captured nymph's eyes start to bulge outward unnaturally. "H-help..." she chokes, plaintively. But the two still in any position to do anything for her are still in the midst of the tentacles...

---

OOC: Ok... at the moment the Chalice-Bearer is distracted by Tageru's kata. Also, until Kareth's turn on Tick 10 the mists are clear enough that they provide no penalties to ranged attacks or visibility. If the IC post doesn't clarify it enough, basically the tentacles are 'parrying' for the Chalice-Bearer. Probably closer to providing cover than actually parrying in the case of ranged attacks though (as I'm not having them stunt to do so).

tick 7 - Kiana (15/50 yards, swimming)
tick 8 - Nymph+Chalice, Zeru (33/50 yards, after first dash)
tick 10 - Tentacle Beast, Lasuri (30/50 yards, trapped by tentacles), Kareth

Tageru doesn't act again till tick 14.

Zeru stops amidst the writhing mass of tentacles, his chain and body naturally keeping him upright. He glares at the chalice itself, but as he swings his chain forward he kicks it behind himself, the chain extending behind him on a course to collide with one of the pitiful worms. The missile sails brilliatly, the blue jade chain following like a jet stream of water.

As he does this he points at the chalice. "You'd best prepare for the end, fool cup. You won't survive this run-in with the Cobalt Alliance" He turns and at the last second changes the angle. The missile turns mid-flight to collide with one of the worms who hold the captain's arms.

"I gotcha Cap'n" He says.

[Private to Storyteller: 18:37, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 8 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,6,10,10,2,9,8,10,6,2. Chain-Missile!. ]

Seeing the casting of the Celestial level sorcery disperse, Kareth breaths a quick sigh of relief.  It would have been problematic had the demon cast a spell of that power.  He still needed to be ready for any castings of terrestrial level sorcery though.  Kareth dropped to one knee and studied  the demonic cup would have it's captive do next.  Cannon and cord in hand, he was ready for anything.

[Private to GM:

I might edit this post based on what the chalise bearer does (since she acts before him).  If she starts to shape another spell, he'll take a guard action so he can use the cord to tie up a terrestrial level spell.  If not, he'll attack.  I went ahead and rolled an attack so you'd know how to resolve it.  There were only 2 sux so it won't make it through.]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Mon 31 Aug 2009.

Despite his gambit having failed, Lasuri does not give in, nor does he stop his efforts. His gaze remains fiercely locked into that of the creature, until the poor nymph regains enough of her own will to make her heart-wrenching plea for help. This has the effect of softening the Captain's stance somewhat, as his desire to help the trapped creature is great... But in no way does it lessen his resolve. In fact, he seems even more determined now to march forward and bring an end to this, and end the suffering for all those who were affected by the chalice...

"Don't give up." Lasuri says, for the nymph's attention. "You won't need to endure that for long." With this, the Captain turns his head towards his allies, and gives them a sharp, grateful nod. The creature, as powerful and fearsome as it is, is also alone. No one will watch its back. No one will cover it when it is hit or in danger. And no one will be there to pick up the slack when it falters.

You guys are the Alliance. You're each other's strength. You're -my- strength.

As Zeru throws his weapon to rescue him, Lasuri gives his fellow Captain another grateful nod, the same one would give a treasured and respected ally. Almost immediately, he throws his body violently in the opposite direction he anticipates Zeru's weapon to hit, in an attempt to help his comrade to liberate him, and to give himself a potential head start in reaching for the damnable chalice.

If Lasuri's bid works as intended, Zeru's attack will not only help liberate him, but might also cause the creature to reflectively retract the nearby tentacles... And cut a small path for the Captain to take.

[Private to Storyteller: You rolled 8 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((10,9,5,9,5,10,8,7)).]

Whatever Kiana does underwater is unseen by the group above. Once again the Alliance members must assume she will prevail, strong in Earth Essence and determination as she is. [Private to Kiana White-Fist: I'm basically holding up for you here, since people can't really get a good glimpse of what's going on underwater anyways. When you come back you may even have two turns with which to act. If you can't post after my next post (which should come on Saturday...) I will assume you'll be attacking the heart of the monster underwater. :) The tentacles will end up attacking you again, but I'll wait to roll it for a few days.]

The nymph's eyes continue to bulge, straining out of their sockets. "NEVER..." hisses the demon chalice's voice. "You will not overcome me with simple tricks as these, dragon-spawn!" Its voice is overlaid with the water elemental's shrieking as she is subjected to the pain of her physical form sadistically harmed by the demon, denied the blessed escape of incorporeal form.

Suffice it to say that after the demon-chalice is done, she can no longer see -- her eyes just empty sockets streaming with blood. The malevolent presence strengthens its power over the Chalice-Bearer, and her screaming suddenly ceases. Somehow strengthened by the act of torture, the words of sorcery forced through her lips are stronger, harsher, more certain in its manipulation of Kimbery's infernal power.

Standing atop the writhing tangle of infernal tentacles, Zeru swings his jade chain, the ball end slamming into one of the appendages holding Lasuri. The impact is powerful enough to turn the tentacle into a pulpy, twitching mess, rendering its grip all but useless. It falls away from the Captain of the Dryad, spewing a vitriolic mess that Lasuri manages to avoid by yanking himself clear in the opposite direction, breaking the tentacles' hold on him.

Eight tentacles surrounding Zeru and Lasuri rear back like angered snakes, their acid-drooling lamprey-mouths gnashing in anger. They split in two groups and surge wrathfully toward the invading Dragon-bloods, intent on devouring them alive! [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: Flurry of 4 attacks: 3 sux, 3 sux, 6 sux, 6 sux. Your DV starts at -1. Again, if any one of these hit you will be clinched, but you can stunt, use Excellency, spend WP or channel to help you out. Should you make it through unscathed, you can use the next 2 ticks to dash toward the nymph at full dash speed, but you'll have to roll Dex+Athletics at 4 or more successes to make your way there without falling off the tentacles. Then after dashing you can try to grab the chalice, it will require a disarm roll. This could all be incorporated in a single post if you like. ][Private to Peleps Zeru: Flurry of 4 attacks: 7 sux, 6 sux, 6 sux, 4 sux. Your DV starts at -1. Looks like only one of them get through, the third attack hits with 1 success. You can of course stunt, spend WP or whatever! After that you can dash forward, it will take you 2 more ticks (tick 13-15) to reach the nymph, then you can try to free her, try to knock the chalice away with a disarm roll, etc. This could all be incorporated in a single post if you like.]

The mist renews itself after the tentacle-attack, filling the room with a green-tinged haze. Though out of the reach of the tentacle-beast, Tageru and Kareth realize that the water level from the pool is starting to rise, burbling out onto the cavern floor and slowly, surely reaching for them... [Private to Cynis Tageru; Isole Kareth: Well, you can risk environmental effects or you'll have to retreat further back.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 10 - Kareth
tick 13 - Nymph+Chalice, Zeru
tick 14 - Tageru
tick 15 - Lasuri, Tentacle Beast

After Kareth's turn on tick 10 the mist is renewed (as well as vision penalties and solid-projectile ranged penalties), assuming no more fire chases it away.

Kiana acts at tick 7 and tick 12 but 1) her player is currently busy in RL, 2) she's underwater anyway, so you can't see what's going on clearly.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:17, Thu 03 Sept 2009.

Zeru is unperturbed by the mass of tentacles that seek to bring him down. His natural skills are more than worthy to avoid these tentacles. He smiles as he takes a half-step forward in front of one that sought to attack him from the side. Stepping on top of it he flips over the second tentacle that attempted to grab him. The third attacks whilest he is in the air. But Zeru swings his chain to the side and changes his aerial momentum. He now moves in a different direction than he was before. He lands on his feet and bounds forth again over the last of the tentacles. He charges forward once more looking to get at the chalice and save the nymph while there was still something left to save.

After his and his comrades' joint effort to get him free of the angry tentacles, Lasuri is certainly not about to give in, and nullify all efforts previously made.

As soon as he feels his body freed from the demonic creature's grasp, the Captain moves aside, eyes still focused on the figure of the poor, battered nymph ahead. Inwardly, he cannot help but feel pity and sadness at the sight of the wounded being, and once more renews his vows to finish this... And to make certain the creature that caused this pain and suffering to both Rakatau and the beings living inside him, all in a bid to get to Creation.

It stops here.

"Tricks? There's no tricks here but your own." Pushing to one side, Lasuri makes certain he keeps the blind nymph form's firmly in his sight. Just a bit more now... You won't have to suffer for much longer. As quickly as able, the Captain finds purchase and continues to stay on the move, his advance powered as much by willpower as it is by skill.

"You're the one who needed to set yourself in here like a disgusting ulcer. You're the one who needed to possess those beings you call 'inferior' to even manage to get anywhere. You're the one who tried - and failed - to take control of the thoughts and emotions of the 'Dragon-Spawns that have come to challenge you. All these tricks are yours, not ours."

Like rainfall, Lasuri is everywhere at once when the tentacles strike. His footing is sometimes focused, hard as pouring rainstorm, and sometimes as misty and ethereal as gloomy, grey fog. He moves with an unpredictable grace, his dance impossible to divine nor comprehend. Sometimes he seems as light as drizzle, and other times as heavy as a waterfall. Essence infuses his motion perfectly, becoming one with his primal expression of survival. In that moment, Lasuri does not simply embody the physical character of water, but also its spiritual traits; he is mercurial and capricious, chaotic and ever-changing.

Finding purchase on the very tentacles that strive to take him down, Lasuri steps on the lamprey heads, eyes never leaving the Chalice Bearer.

"That's because you're not as powerful as you'd want to be. You may have been, a long time ago, or somewhere other than this. But here, you're not. You act through proxies, because in the end, you can't even admit the truth - that you're not in control. That you're trapped."

He does not know whether the creature can feel fear, or despair. He does not know if it can feel anything but hatred and contempt. But if it can... Perhaps such feelings will worm its way into the creature's heart, at the sight of the Captain's advance. Because no matter what is thrown his way, his advance does not stop. No matter the efforts, Lasuri simply cannot be stopped.

Because as chaotic and manipulative as Malfeas can be, not even it can ever hope of trapping Water in its grasp.

[Private to Storyteller: Okay, spending eight motes total on this one, to gain two successes each on the two attacks that beat my DV. Stunt will cover the last +1 for the first attack, and I'm spending an additional 1 wp to ensure the second one gets blocked.

01:48, Today: Lasuri Leomaris botched using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,6,4,4,4,4,6. Dex + Athletics. ]

[Private to Storyteller: Kiana smiled what could only be thought of as a malicious smile as the tentacles came uprooted form their very core--such was her malice.  It brought her a sick sort of satisfaction to hear the sickly suction of the limbs being torn from their body, and she almost lamented the failing strength in those tendrils as they began to quickly lose their grip on her forearms, gripping out of the throes of death only to nevermore move again.  She had not been able to keep up with Lasuri, and that was the folly of earth to try and keep up with the fluid grace of water.  Very much like a stone, Kiana had fallen into the water once more, but much like before, she was quickly discovering, as her eyes spied the dreaded heart of the demon, that she could do much good here, segregated from her comrades as she had been only shortly ago.

The heart of the demon was disgusting, though her eyes could barely pierce the murky water to find it.  Kiana quickly judged her actions--should she return to the surface and help Lasuri?  Or should she remain beneath the cloudy waves and attempt to do her part alone?  When no one else from the Alliance joined her in the water, she quickly made her decision to forge ahead, knowing instantly what must be done.  If the heart was exposed below, where the demon was sure it was safe, then it was Kiana's duty to show the ancient being the error of its ways.  Just as the mountain would eventually become an avalanche to those that did not respect its power, so would Kiana fall upon her foe who was foolish enough to ignore her presence.  She acted quickly and without hesitation, planting her feet against the bedrock beneath and using it to push herself into a dash toward the demonic heart.

 She surged through the waves with unimaginable power as the her anima erupted brilliantly, the phantom diamond specks all the more real now as the water was actually churned by the power of her essence.  And though the glow emanated from all of her, the focus was held firmly in her fists, which glowed the brightest, as she knew what she had to do to ensure victory for the Alliance.  The first blow came from her left hand.  As she dashed toward the heart, her left hand hooked out in a massive blow, striking the vessel with a solid impact, sinking ever so slightly into the bulbous flesh of the infected organ, but not doing any real damage--which was just as well, as Kiana was far from finished.  And though it was hearty, the damage from her Earth Essence was done, as the beast already began to feel the overpowering stillness take hold--the tentacle that had clung to Kiana's forearm shattered into tiny bits, completely enveloped by the diamonds that surrounded her.  Kiana had planned every strike in her her mind before her attack carefully, knowing full well the consequences of each attempt before committing to the series of blows--but once Kiana was sure of her actions, she came as relentlessly as a avalanche, and just as sudden.

The heart could not defend itself now, and so Kiana continued her attack viciously, bringing her left foot up in a mid-height round-house kick, sinking her God Kickers even deeper into the demon, which made a much more satisfied 'thunk' noise under the waves as blood began to seep from the imprints of the the White Jade.  Then, using all of her torque and leverage, Kiana turned her hips into the blow, sending her kicking foot behind her as she brought all of her power into a crushing right hand hay-maker, coming high and striking diagonally down the heart.  The opposite tendril, attached to that arm, shattered as its brother had seconds ago, almost disintegrating under the power of Kiana's blows, and the raw power of the essence that flowed through her. ]

Whatever the Princess of Earth was doing down there, the Cobalt Alliance knew this much--she had proven more than capable earlier, when she had been dove beneath the waves to save the Earth Elementals...so there was little reason to suspect she would be any less capable now.  But then, now the stakes were higher, and there was a little more to contend with than a few infected Elementals and some pesky worms.

Still, there was certainly motions of interest to those who sought the waters for answers for what she was doing.  There was a sudden surge beneath the waves, a large portion that was roughly the size of Kiana, which was quickly followed by a brilliant golden light, which made the entire body of water almost seem to glow.  The Cobalt Alliance would be quick to recognize the shade of Kiana's anima, which was a comfort in and of itself, as it showed not only that she was alive, but was on the offensive.  Following the burst, however, was a strangely beautiful effect--two long, wispy elongations of light suddenly joined the solid glow that had to be her body, darting out behind her in a bright surge.  If one didn't know any better, the trailing light almost looked like glittering wings.

Zeru's agile maneuvering, coupled with the momentum from his swinging chain, keeps the tentacles from so much as touching him. He dances around and between them, as confident as he would be at the helm of the Marlena, navigating an angry, storm-whipped sea. Balancing effortlessly, he springs off the monster's soft, squishy skin, propelling himself toward the poor, eyeless nymph he hopes he can save. [Private to Peleps Zeru: +1 stunt!]

Wielding his paired wavecleaver and boarding axe, Lasuri deflects the tentacles arraying to strike him, continuing his forward momentum. He improvises as he goes along, sinuous as a flowing stream when his opponent expects resistance, parrying with tidal force when it thinks he has let his guard down. His words are a rainstorm pelting at the demon-chalice's psyche, wearing at its patience and certainty. Its wrathful voice retorts, "You should feel fortunate I am thus sealed, foolish child! Even so, I have fended you off this far! Every second you struggle with me is a second your precious crew suffers, as does the woman you love!" Images of Jadira fill Lasuri's mind unbidden, caught in a desperate one-on-one battle with Lintha Hazhain Sul; Zeru sees a glimpse of the Marlena crew fending off a wave of Lintha boarders, Cinna bleeding from a cut across her brow. "Come now, take up the chalice if you dare, should you believe yourself superior to me!" [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: +2 stunt... apparently you hit a soft spot, hehe. Though right now it's not going to amount to much, it may help if you ever end up in a social battle with the demon-chalice. (Likely to happen at some point!)]

Blind and oblivious, the Chalice-Bearer continues her eldritch chanting, words she would never have known if not for the presence forcing her to act in its cursed name. If the Chalice would allow her to whimper, scream or faint, she certainly would, but it impatiently stifles those fragile reactions. All she can do is tremble from head to toe, caught in the slithering embrace of the tentacles twining around wrists, ankles and waist, puppeteering her limbs as her spasming fingers trace sigils in the air. Shaped by ritual word and gesture, a sickly green aura speckled with pinpoints of amber light gathers around the nymph.

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: The fleshy thing Kiana seeks to destroy underwater pulses powerfully enough for her to hear the rush of its vile blood pumping through the creature, up toward where the tentacles writhe and tangle with her comrades. The organ is huge, dominating the space in front of her, embedded with large, fleshy green tubes that expand and contract with the rhythm of the heart. She realizes these are its vitriolic veins, bigger than her legs are wide.

Vulnerable as the heart may be, it is still a tough muscle, stubbornly resisting damage. But Kiana, wreathed in the Essence of her native element, is no ordinary threat! Her glittering white fist (and namesake!) punches through the tentacles guarding the heart, disintegrating them into the same liquid that birthed them. The vast muscle stutters, pulsing irregularly, helpless against the impact of her god-kickers driving into its exposed heart-flesh. Bruises form beneath blackened burns, purpling it like an eggplant under jade-clad knuckles as her devastating haymaker stuns it into cardiac arrest! ]Only then does the pale glow from beneath the water intensify, forming an anima display of glittering sand-hued wings. The tentacle-beast suddenly halts its offensive, its appendages jerking about as if in a paroxysm in pain. Once, twice, thrice, it thrashes with increasing violence, sending Lasuri to his knees just short of the Chalice-Bearer's feet while Zeru fortunately maintains his balance! [Private to Lasuri Leomaris: The beast still shook enough that you would have needed at least a single success, so I ruled the botch made you trip. Just means you have to flurry a misc action (Speed 5, DV -1) to get up before doing anything else.]

Then, without warning, the seizures just stop. The tentacles go completely rigid, as hard and unmoving as stone. The monster appears to be completely paralyzed, providing no further resistance to the Alliance members... for now.

Unfortunately, whatever Kiana has done to the tentacle-beast does not stop the Chalice-Bearer's spell. Her vocal chords strain, shouting the final syllables. The infernal energy descends and infuses all sources of water, converting the overflowing pool into pure, undiluted vitriol that surges above floor level, above the stilled tentacles, to consume the Dragon-blooded in its midst...

---

OOC: Treat this like an acid bath, 5L / Trauma 5 per action. Roll Stam+Resistance. Getting 5 sux means you reduce the damage to 5 bashing. Getting 10 sux or more means you take no damage. You can use only natural soak to reduce damage to a minimum 1 die. Tageru and Kareth are far enough away that if they start running now (removing themselves from the battle) they can avoid the acid bath altogether. [Private to Peleps Zeru: Don't forget you have your Hearthstone, it gives you +Stamina Health Levels and lets you soak lethal with full Stamina.][Private to Kiana White-Fist: Heh, your Form Charm's soak reduces the stronger acid to 1 damage an action. Still, that can add up! Oh, and your last post got +3 stunt, get 6 motes back.]

actions
tick 13 - Nymph+Chalice, Kareth (near border of pool)
tick 14 - Tageru (near border of pool)
tick 15 - Zeru (next to nymph)
tick 17 - Lasuri (next to nymph, but prone), Kiana (underwater)
Tentacle-beast is paralyzed (8L damage) and will remain so for 6 actions.

[Private to Isole Kareth: I thought about this a while, the spell I'm basing on is actually River of Blood, except it makes water into vitriol instead. Technically I'd say the focus of the spell is actually the water, not you, so you can't actually use your Sorcery-Capturing Cord. On the other hand, the tainted water just happens to be overflowing towards you (note, the overflowing is not part of the spell but actually an element-controlling effect the demon-chalice stole from the nymph.) But just this once I am going to leave it to you. If you agree with the 'technical' ruling then don't use the Cord. If you think it's fair to use the Cord then use it, no hard feelings at all! I'm doing this because it's kinda up in the air and I am wary of seeming unfair with my rulings nowadays.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:40, Mon 07 Sept 2009.

The mists swirl around Zeru, his mind filled with Images of his crew battling hordes of Lintha. He smiles at the thought, his crew fought on against unending odds. And he would do what he could to help them. The Acid sizzles against his clothes, and against his skin. His normal clothes start disintegrating in the acidic cloud. His body burns but he refuses to give in...

His mouth curls into a smile. "Of course I'm superior to a loudmouthed fool of a cup." His chain whips around the side not aiming for the chalice bearer but for the Chalice itself. He would rip it from its resting place, if it took all the strength he had left. "You are pathetic, you have a monster of writhing motion and you can't seem to knock me down, you have a tangle of grasping arms and you can't even lay a finger on me." He laughs through the mist. "You have a wall of burning acid that won't hold me away from you. What exactly do you have you failure of a cup? You are naught but a relic of a defeated god." His smile softens as he thinks of the future. "And soon you will be less than that. You will be one more enemy crushed under the keel of the Cobalt Alliance." His eyes fill with determination and challenge. "So bring that which you think you have puppeteer, I will return it a thousand-fold."

[Private to Storyteller: 13:06, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 8 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,1,4,6,7,8,2,4,5,7,7,9,10. Chain Disarm Channel Conv. 13:00, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,9,1,2,4. Stam+Resistance. ]

"Dragons protect me!", Tageru whispers quietly before jumping toward the Nymph casting the spell. Fearlessly, he dives into the wave of corrosive liquid as it rises to engulf them all, hoping his powers will protect him. He moves as quickly as he can toward the Chalice and the Bearer, hoping to land a strike that could finish this whole battle.
[Private to Storyteller: Jump, swim, swim some more, until we can reach the shore. :) Then I try to kill the bearer using Soul-Marking strike with my fists, I'll stunt when I get there. :)
Hopefully, I'll regenerate quickly enough so that the acid doesn't kill me. :D]

Kareth saw the monk dive into the water and swore.  He had been ready to absorb the spell with his cord but he couldn't do it unless he was and actual target.  This spell had been aimed at the water.  Noting the acidic properties of the water and his generally weak constitution, he decided that he would ultimately be of better service to the alliance if he didn't get himself killed.  "This is about all I can do for you guys right now," the engineer thinks to himself as he charges his elemental bolt one last time and lets it sail as he begins his hasty retreat away from the incoming acid.

[Private to GM:

Charging his Elemental Bolt one last time. with 3m and sending it towards the chalise.  Using 3m to make 10L damage.  Buying 2 sux with my excellency

Isole Kareth rolled 1 success using 9d10 ... rolls of 4,4,2,4,1,4,8,2,2. Elem Bolt Attack.

Attack:  3 sux, 10L ]
This message was last edited by the player at 18:25, Wed 09 Sept 2009.

Despite the bold talk of the chalice, the nymph herself is exposed without the tentacles to protect her. Now they are her prison, holding her rigidly in place as Kareth's firebolt flares toward the hand holding the chalice! Acid mist burns away in its path, clearing a wide swath on the way there.

Only the demon-chalice's sheer will keeps the nymph from losing her grip on the cup, but her hand and arm burn for it. (2L, total 4L) Freed from the impulse to shape infernal magic, the abused and eyeless elemental screams in agony, thrashing in her bonds, but the cursed vessel remains fused to her hand.

The acid pool rises to fill the entire chamber as Kareth retreats toward the edge of the tunnel, where the jokun wait, surprised and concerned at his sudden appearance. "Chosen of Hesiesh, what has happened to the cup?" a jokun spokesperson asks in Old Realm as he hurries toward them, the flow of acid still at his heels, though diminished the further he goes.

Zeru feels the acid sting and eat at his flesh and clothes as it rises to engulf his feet, up to his shins, and toward his knees. The pain is surprisingly minimal, as if adrenaline and his desire to put an end to this horrific situation have steeled his body where pure endurance do not. Or perhaps the desperate prayer of Tageru, once-warrior monk of the Immaculate Dragons, has invoked their blessing as he plunges into the acid waves. (Zeru takes 1L, Tageru 0L. Lucky rolls!)

The Wood Aspect boldly leaps, dives and leaps again right through the vitriol toward the nymph, intending to end her life if he must. But Zeru is more merciful than that. He strikes the Chalice and not the Bearer, shouting his challenge without a thought that he might fail. Unhindered by tricks or obstacles, the jade chain collides with the tainted orichalcum surface.

The impact, coupled with the nymph's weakened grip, knocks the Chalice forcefully from her hand and into the air!

[Private to Lasuri Leomaris: Lasuri, his legs scoured by the rising acid, has only a second or two to react: catch it in midair, or plunge with it into vitriolic depths, following it down where even Danaa'd may not protect him. Would he trust the Ring, or his own wits?]

[Private to Kiana White-Fist: Underwater, covered by the acid, Kiana's fate is unknown to the others... (OOC: You just took 1L damage. You'll continue to take 1 damage per action you remain submerged in what has now become a pool of pure demonic acid.)]

---

OOC: We're at tick 17, Lasuri and Kiana's turn. (Tageru at tick 17 is only about halfway to the center of the pool.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:56, Thu 10 Sept 2009.

[Private to Storyteller: Though Kiana didn't hear the spell being spoke, she felt the effects as the water began to sting her skin--more so, in fact, it began to hurt.  Kiana was no stranger to pain, and though she took no joy in the feeling, she did smile at what it meant.  The creature was desperate, and was doing everything it could to stop her.  It was folly, however.  The earth essence that swirled around her body, especially her fists, had already done its damage.  The demon had become paralyzed--now the Cobalt Alliance could do their worst.

She did not see what was happening above the surface, and as such she did not entertain the idea of rising to the surface.  Not yet.  The creature was momentarily stilled, but Kiana was not so sure that meant magic was still not a threat.  It would have to end--and now.  She narrowed her eyes at the heart, knowing it was the source of the demonic entities vitality.  She could end it, she was sure, before the acidic water claimed her life.

She surged forward in a brutal 'U' punch, slamming her glowing white fists into the heart of the creature, the punches turning into gouges as her fists penetrated the evil flesh up to her wrists.  Grimacing, she turned her hands into a knife-edge, and then grinding her feet into small craters into the ground, Kiana gave a groan, acidic bubbles flowing from her mouth as precious air was used to accent her strength, as the Earth Princess tried to literally tear the heart in two.]

Where Kiana had dove, the white glow still remained, ever strong and vigilant, though it gave no sign of returning to the surface, despite the danger that now posed even an Earth Aspect.  Instead, a few large bubbles broke the surface, and those of acute hearing might hear the muddled groan of someone beneath the waves.

Kareth stopped just far enough away from the earth elementals that his anima banner would not harm them.  It's eerily weak presence filled with strange green fires was flaring at its maximum capacity.  "I did what I could, but it's up to the others.  It's corrupted a nymph and using her as a vessel to cast sorcery that's more powerful than any in the Alliance can wield," the engineer managed to gasp out as he stumbled to a halt.  "I'm down to my last reserves of essence.  I can't hold out much longer in there."

Everything seem to occur so fast that Lasuri's mind can barely follow it all.

All in their own ways, everyone has come together for this. Despite facing hardship every step of the way, the group has somehow manage to beat back even the most difficult obstacle their have faced, through sheer determination and effort, but most of all, through constant teamwork. They have watched each other's back, helped each other when one among them faltered, and kept tightly to one another in order to proceed forward.

And now, here, at the very end, all of this is threatened.

In one last triumphant assault, Zeru has managed to knock the Chalice from the bearer's hand - but one more step remains. If allowed to fall in its present trajectory, the cursed object will fall into the vile acid, away from an easy grab for any of them. The fall can be stopped, but if anyone but the Captain touches the chalice, they risk being overcome by its powers of domination. In Lasuri's mind, this makes everything clear; he has to secure the damnable thing, so that his brethren do not have to carry this burden.

Watching the falling Chalice intently, the Captain's first thought is to try to grab it in midair. He positions his body in order to do so, but as he evaluates the actual distance separating him from his target, it quickly becomes apparent that this option will not be viable. His loss of footing, at a hopelessly inopportune moment, has cost him this possibility. One second passes, and the chalice falls further down, closer to the dangerous, hungry acid. Multiple choices and paths come into Lasuri's brain, but in the end there remains only one.

He cannot allow the cursed artifact to fall to the bottom of the acid pool without intervening himself.

With a grim expression, Lasuri raises himself from his prone position, and angles his body for one faithful - and very likely fatal - leap. He knows very well, in this moment, that if the ring does not protect him from the acid bath, he may very well die, writhing in atrocious agony. He has been slashed by the vile liquid before, so he is uncertain as to how he will overcome this. But despite the risks, despite death itself, the same things keep playing in his mind: the sight of his comrades and crew. The people he has seen and forged alliances with in his travels. Jadira, the woman that stood by his side through joy and pain for so long. And Lasuri knows, inwardly, that he cannot ask any of these people to face this danger and fetch the Chalice from its acidic prison.

There is a pause, only for a breath. And then, suddenly, the Captain leaps...

Straight for the acid bath, into the Chalice's trajectory.

Danaa'd. He speaks, inwardly, as his body hurtles towards its possible death, almost in slow motion. You've chosen me when I was a child. You've done that again just now. I don't want to break your party... But I just might very well hold the record for 'Champion Having Held his Office the Shortest. I have to ask you something now. I want to -live-, Danaa'd. Not for myself, but for everyone else I've met, and every life I've touched. To help and protect them, to help them reach their destined future as I reach mine. If you're here, of you're serious about wanting me to represent you... Then I need your help, right here and now. I need you to protect me, 'cause I don't think I'll survive it.

If this was a test I've failed, and you can't save me, then I have to ask you two things. First, give me enough strength to bring that accursed thing that Malfeas spun, and swim with it to the surface. If I can't make it, I have to make sure that my body can hold on long enough for me to bring it to the others. If I can't destroy it, they will. They can't touch it, though - so give me just enough strength so I can pass my ring to them. I don't think I'll have much motors skills after a swim in acid, so just give me good aim and a strong arm just one last time before I go - I'll take care of the rest. Still in midair, Lasuri eyes his hand axe, and his opposite wrist, the hand bearing the ring. Inwardly, he calculates how much force it would take to cleave the limb straight off.

Other thing I need is this: If you deemed me worthy enough to watch over me, then watch over my people. They deserve it a thousandfold. I don't want to leave my job helping and protecting them, but if I can't do it anymore here, someone's gotta do it. So please... If you can't save me, then at least grant me these two things. I wish I had a better way to finish this, but I'm kinda lousy with prayers. So I'll have to leave that hanging here... And hope you can hear this, my Lady.

In midair, Lasuri twists his body, aiming it for the sinking Chalice.

He makes barely a splash as he dives in.

Unhindered, the chalice tumbles down into a gap between the frozen tentacles and into the vile, demonic acid.

Though never known to be a praying man, Lasuri's last thoughts flash through his mind in those last split seconds of uncertainty, beseeching Danaa'd for attention. Surely she would not have chosen wrong, only to lead him to his death at this crucial moment. But the Dragon is silent, giving no sign of acknowledgment. He would not be given any glimmer of hope or shattering despair to affect his decision. In truth this may well be her real test of his bravery, of his trust in his comrades, of what he values most - his life or the fate of Rakatau, his crew or the fate of the world. Should the cup ever be seized by a being of great power he can find the means to control, it would unleash the full power of the Lintha and Kimbery upon the West and beyond.

For this Lasuri dives into the most dangerous waters he would ever encounter, birthed from infernal magic and the churning hatred of the Chalice. He is not alone, though. Underwater, another Chosen of the Dragons strives despite the Malfean element that threatens to drown her... [Private to Kiana White-Fist; Lasuri Leomaris: Lasuri plunges in just in time to witness Kiana's fists plunge into what appears to be a giant, throbbing green and bruised-purple heart below the center of the acid pool. Though half-blinded himself from the stinging liquid, she glows so brightly he can see her outline easily, digging her feet into the bottom of the pool as she tears open the gigantic, exposed organ! It shudders, gaping grotesquely as tough, sinewy heart-muscle shreds in her gauntleted hands. Its darker green 'blood' starts to flow out from hundreds of sundered vessels, making the water heavier around her, even harder to breathe. She is fairly sure the monster is dying, though it hardly moves at all in doing so, forced by her Essence to remain utterly still as its life-fluid pours out into the pool.

But Lasuri cannot spare so much as a split second to see whether Kiana will ascend alive. The Chalice has not fallen far yet, and he swims to it. It is agonizing. His skin feels scoured as if bathed in fire, then rubbed with salt into the burns. Every swimming stroke is like pushing his way through slime rather than water. Dear gods, he hurts! But the chalice's position remains clear to him. The pain is horrible, but does not stop him from what he must do.

His hand closes around the base of the chalice... and the pent-up wrath of the demon within closes over his mind. Deprived of magical means to harm him, it simply bombards him with words to evoke memory. You were never the child your parents wished you to be. The woman you loved took decades to even look upon you with desire. Your foolish decisions led you astray, in questionable company that led to your exile, and hers. You are a small-time captain, facing the mounting powers of the West with a beat-up warship and a ragtag crew. You are a failure. You will die here, clutching the instrument of your death like the wretch that you are. SUCCUMB A PATHETIC END, OR GIVE YOUR POWER TO ME!][Private to Lasuri Leomaris: You took 2L damage but you get no wound penalties, due to divine intervention.]

Whatever happens below causes the tentacles to react with a constant, low-grade tremor, enough for those above to understand that the paralyzed monster is faltering. Hundreds of tentacle-mouths gnash and hiss and wail, the strange sibilant keening the only thing they can possibly do in retaliation. The tentacles that hold the nymph suddenly relax as if sapped of strength, and the elemental -- blinded beyond any normal healing, for what could blind a spirit except a Malfean curse? -- sags onto the point where the tentacles meet at the center of the pool, sobbing and shuddering.

Tageru continues his reckless advance toward the center. His clothing, skin, even his hair sizzles in the vile green drink. Finally, he reaches the point Zeru stands partially submurged in the acid, facing the collapsed nymph. It would make the most sense of all to escape as Kareth was forced to, hope the ring of being would shield Lasuri and Kiana would emerge triumphant. The acid would eat them alive if they remain!

---

OOC: All except Kareth roll another Stamina+Resistance. Same difficulty (5 sux means you 5B dice of damage and soak with natural soak, less than 5 means you take 5L dice damage. 10+ sux means you take no damage at all.) I'll roll myself to save time if need be. [Private to Peleps Zeru; Cynis Tageru: You don't have any way of really knowing if he managed to grab the chalice or not, but you can still see the spot where Lasuri fell into the acid. If you wanted to dare the acid to help him or Kiana, or kill/save the nymph, it's up to you!]

we're really close to the end now, woo!
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:45, Fri 11 Sept 2009.

Zeru gently lifts the nymph and hands her to Tageru. "Take her and go find Kareth leave these two to me." He says firmly. Despite all of his issues with titles and leadership, he fits into the roll quite easily. He has no idea of what happened to the Captain and no Idea of what happened to Kiana, but he is unfettered by this. He will rescue them both, no matter the cost. The alliance needs the Captain, more than it needs him, and Zeru would never forgive himself if he didn't try his damnedest to save Kiana.

He takes a solemn breath and dives into the acid where the bubbles Kiana had eschewed had burst. His anima flaring and allowing him a freedom of motion even in such inhospitable waters. He swims as fast as he can while one of his arms spins the chain. Once he gets a clear view Zeru wills the tempest to take on her full length as he hurls her towards the captain. It's a wide sweeping arch through the water in which the blue jade ball barely breaks the surface. The motion, should it find the captain would wrap around him and hook on itself. Hopefully Zeru made the right choice as the acid reddens his skin, but doesn't dissolve it quite yet.

[Private to Storyteller: 12:53, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 7 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,4,10,9,10. Stam+Resistance. Dice Roller is happy for my birthday today! :D]

The jokun that spoke first looks with deep concern to Kareth. "Surely there is something we can do, Isole Kareth? Can we help them, or you? We are not blessed by the Elemental Dragons, but we can send reinforcements--"

But the engineer's attention is taken up by another distant message that reaches his ears from the wind. The voice sounds strained, holding back desperation. "This is the Falchion, Captain Fairwind. The Lintha fight like this is their last battle, but can't fight forever. Jadira's against their leader. Your status?" So much depends on Kareth's comrades getting the chalice safe and sound, but the battle outside Rakatau poses yet another unwelcome concern...

[Private to Isole Kareth: I may have missed telling you about stunts a couple of times... so to make up for that let's say you got a free +2, get motes or WP back if you need. (Motes probably more than WP :P)]

Our status? Kareth thinks to himself.  By the Dragons, we've let ourselves be eaten by an behemoth and we're fighting a tentacle beast and Yozi spawned artifacts and this man wants to know our STATUS?  After briefly grumbling to himself, Kareth holds a hand up to the Jokun signaling the spirit that he wished a moment to think.  Finally he rattles off a message to Fairwind "Situation normal.  Should return soon.  Have wet gift Jadira can give Lintha in a knot."  The last part of the message was whispered as he thumbed the knot in his cord.  He hoped he wasn't lying to Fairwind when he said they would be retuning soon, but regardless if the knot could get to Jadira soon, then she would be able to use the 'gift' inside as a surprise attack.

He then turned his attention to the elementals before him.  "If you go in there now, you could be corrupted like your brothers were.  That would just make the fight harder for us.  However, once we have the chalice, we will need to leave here in the quickest route possible.  What is that route?"

After a moment's hesitation, he continued "And secondly, do any of you have a method of sending something small very quickly to the ships outside?"

[Private to GM:

Yes, motes are needed more than willpower (but not by much).  Spending 3m to make sure the message gets there.  That brings me to 6m, 2 wp.  Kareth will need to take a long nap after all this.  :)

]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:45, Fri 11 Sept 2009.

No further message comes from Fairwind; Kareth can only hope that means there's nothing else to report.

"We could travel the way we came, Isole Kareth," replies the jokun. "Through the waterways. If we have a nymph with us she may use her affinity for Water to make the travel much faster."

"Or we can ask Great Rakatau to open a portal directly out of his domain. This is also possible."

The gathered earth elementals blink slowly at Kareth's other request, and withdraw briefly to commune with one another, not speaking but linking with the collective that all jokun standing upon Rakatau's earth share. Finally the spokesperson says, "We still believe a nymph's help would be ideal, if it is a small item she can meld with the water and travel through underwater tunnels much, much faster than on a boat. A direct teleportation would take a great deal of effort from Great Rakatau. Is this item important enough for that?"

The jokun look at Kareth, waiting for any further instruction.

---

OOC: Note that it wasn't possible to do this inside, Rakatau can't make portals from one point to another inside itself. And teleportation is more draining than portal magic.

Will wait for Lasuri to post (and Tageru if he wants) before I write about what happens with him and the Chalice...

Lasuri had steeled himself for pain, but nonetheless, what he experiences upon diving into the pool still cannot compare. For one usually so at ease and at home in water, the experience is particularly excruciating; an element so familiar, usually so nurturing, twisted and changed into a painful, searing solution eating away at the Chosen's flesh. And yet, despite the pain, Lasuri keeps pushing onwards.

He can feel his skin burning and being slowly eaten away. Just a little bit longer... He thinks, forlornly. He had never thought to go so quickly, dissolved in the vile liquid the accursed Chalice spawned. Regardless, the Captain does not give up, pushing through the acid with strong strokes, to at least accomplish his original goal before it is too late. His limbs ache and and his whole body burns more than he can describe; his eyes are narrowed slits, in order to protect them from being burned away and dissolved by the vile liquid. I'll need my eyes at least a bit longer, if I'm to do this.

When the Chalice mentally assaults him, Lasuri refrains from responding - swallowing acid would likely terminate him much faster than he would desire. He knows the Chalice can at least receive his thoughts, however, so he thinks of the response, knowing the cursed relic will hear...

"All those things you say about me... They're true. I never had any huge design for my life. I trusted the wrong people at times. I've made bad choices. I've not attracted the attention of those I cherished for a long time. I'm a small-time captain trying to make a place for his people in the infinite waters of the West, and I don't even know if I'll succeed."

"I'm all these things, Demon. But once again, what you decry as my own failings is also my strength... and your own chains. All you've mentioned is only possible because of one thing: I'm -free-. Free to live and die by my own choices, free to laugh and to hurt based on my own decisions and actions. Free to succumb to my choices and my ill-fated trust in the wrong individuals, free to triumph and enjoy the strong links I forge with my trusted friends. That's how people live, Demon. That's how people grow. Tempered by mistakes and failures, powered by both successes and setbacks alike. But that's not something you'll ever know. Freedom is a luxury you'll never experience. You've come from a Realm that is a prison, only to escape to a different cell."

Another long, powerful stroke. The Captain burns everywhere, as if aflame from the outside and the inside. And yet, his determination does not falter. From the depths of the dissolving liquid, the Leviathan of black essence curls around the Captain, its powerful dark glow visible all the way to the surface.

One more stroke, and Lasuri's gloved hand reaches for the Chalice, grasping it firmly. Just a bit longer... I have to hold until I can get this to the surface, somehow...

"The Cobalt Alliance is your cage. Maybe you'll erode and destroy me, but I'm just one bar in the cell - others will take my place. And you're not strong enough to erode us all."

"Because you've never had the freedom to make mistakes, and that's left you weak and powerless against them."

"Hold on tight, Elemental.", Tageru says to the nymph as he takes her in his arms, and then places her on his back, to free his hands for swimming, as he starts moving back, toward safety. He swims with all his strength, trying to get across as soon as possible, and not stay in the vile acid a moment too long. The ex-monk jumps out on the shore, turns for a moment to his allies, and then runs after Kareth...

Kareth listens to the jokun and then shakes his head.  "No, it can probably wait.  Can you contact nymphs to help us leave post haste?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:03, Sun 13 Sept 2009.

Chalice chamber

Zeru is so determined to help his friends that he resists the burning liquid bravely. (0 damage! Go Zeru!) He can see clearly where Lasuri is, guided by the the other Water Aspect's dark, coiling anima banner, burning strongly through the acid. Kiana, too, is submerged deeper below - her white aura is impossible to miss, compared to the huge, lumpy shape that floats nearby. Some sort of heart? It looks like the part where the tentacles fuse together, in any case... and it's pouring vast amounts of dark green blood into the paler acid.

Lasuri is closer, so Zeru sends his jade chain through the vitriol to grab hold of him. The Captain is much too busy subduing the Chalice to be a difficult target, so it wraps around him securely.

But compared to the agony of the acid bath and the demonic thoughts crawling in his head, Lasuri feels the security of the chain only faintly. (2L damage) The demon inside spits its wrath at him -- You presume too much, your freedom is ephemeral! -- but try as it might, fails to bend or break his will. Danaa'd, through the Ring of Being, shields his Essence and his mind until the malevolent presence backs off, seething its temporary defeat.

Dragon-child, you are still mortal, with all the weaknesses of mortal flesh. I will lie awake every time you sleep, planning your untimely demise. I will taint every mind that dares come close to you. I will find my way into the hands of another, and destroy all you love and build! Mark my words - you will grow complacent in your power over me. Possess my vessel at your peril!

Something more begins to happen, as the Ring of Being reacts to the Chalice. The first thing Lasuri notices is the pain starting to mercifully recede, replaced by a wash of soothing water that cools his burning skin. The liquid fades from its lurid shade of green toward a clear, refreshing blue. The spell that tainted the water is receding!

The tentacle beast is affected as well. Without the chalice feeding it, after the grievous damage Kiana inflicted upon it, it simply has nothing left to keep it alive in this world. It petrifies completely, even its blood turning into dust.

Tunnel shore

"Of course." At Kareth's request, one of the jokun kneel down to touch the nearby water; a ripple goes through it, and travels down the water tunnel.

Moments later, Tageru bursts in from the outside tunnel, carrying a nymph in his arms. He'd made his way through the acid like his life depended on it, the vitriol seeping into his flesh, creating horribly burning, open sores. (3L, but it's regenerating) Already Tageru's Wood Essence starts to mend his ravaged flesh, but the water elemental he holds is still wounded in body and in spirit.

The jokun let out a collective murmur of shock, seeing their nymph ally so cruelly blinded. "The nymph sisters are coming," they say, gazing nervously and expectantly toward the water as if the mere act of looking will make them come faster. "They will know how to help her, too."

Then, soon after, another exhalation of relief. The speaking Jokun says, "It seems they have succeeded. Rakatau is cleansed..."

Everyone is much too exhausted to be triumphant. The mood in the tunnel is somber, as news of victory settles over elemental and Dragon-blood alike. So many have perished, and many more are hurt and tired. However, their pain does not go unanswered. All feel a soothing sensation envelop them gently, revitalizing them in mind, body and spirit. Only the blind nymph remains blinded, cursed beyond immediate repair.

Two boats approach the tunnel shore, not rowed but gliding swiftly as if guided by an unseen power. Two nymphs sit in each, along Queen Sylpheel, standing at the head of the lead boat. Her face is filled with worry, then overflowing sorrow as she sees the state of her ruined sister, Melusine. "Please," says Sylpheel through her tears, "tell us what we must do to help you, saviors of Rakatau."

---

OOC: Battle is over! In the chalice chamber, assume the acid turns completely back to water. Reunite, so we can move on!

Also, assume divine intervention heals you back half the damage you've taken, if any, and returns to you an amount equal to half your total Essence and Willpower, rounded up. XP will come soon, too. But you'll still have the Lintha to deal with (I will not run a full battle for it. You deserve to do a bit of freeform after all this!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:46, Tue 15 Sept 2009.

Zeru lets the chain hold his captain whilest he swims to the floor and wrapping one arm around Kiana. He looks at the young woman to make sure that she is not drowning, as his powerful kicks send him to the surface. Once he breaks the waters surface he will pull Kiana to the petrified mass of tentacle, or let her swim there herself. He will pull on the chain to ease the captains ascent, and hope to the dragons that the defeat of the chalice did not cost the captain his life.

Tageru steps onto the shore, gritting his teeth against the pain, trying to endure and fulfill his task. He puts the Nymph down gently, careful not to hurt her any more, and looks at the Jokun. "If her sisters can't help her heal, I can. There is no time for that right now, there are other dangers ahead, but as soon as this battle is over, you can bring her to me, and I will try to help her regain her sight..."
He turns to his allies, looking to see if any of the warriors are injured and in need of healing, and helps anyone who needs it, letting the Wood Dragon's energy suffuse him and heal his deep burns. Soon, his skin is perfectly clear, like it was before, with the only difference being that most of his hair is now gone, burned away by the acid. Only a single purple flower remains, untouched by the vile Malfean powers...

It was done.  Kiana watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the demon began to turn to stone.  True, the corruption and true source of the creature was the Chalice, which still needed to be dealt with--but it was in the capable hands of Lasuri Leomaris.  The remnants of its influence on Rakatau, and the Nymph it had captured was now incapacitated.  Even better, actually, Kiana's touch had forced its essence to become an eternal representation of what the Earth Dragon was capable of...and it brought a small smile to her face to think that something that had once caused the earth god such pain might actually now give him a source of pleasure, as the stone that it had become was as pure as any other, and laid deep within the Seven Day Isle.

The satisfaction didn't last horribly long, though, as the burning in her lungs (not from the recently departly acid, thank the Dragons) told her that she had spent more than enough time in the water.  She moved to begin pushing off the bedrock to surge upward, but then felt Zeru's hands suddenly wrap around her.  She was stunned at first, having not expected it, as she had been focused on the beast, and almost lashed out at the touch.  Training intervened on her instincts, however, and she realized it was the touch of a friend--she was in no danger.  She allowed him to carry her to the surface, as she was very tired from the fight already, having spent a large quantity of her essence in her attempt to end the fight as quickly as possible.  And, thankfully, it seemed to have worked.

Upon breaking the surface, she quickly swam to solid ground.  She was soaking wet again, for the second time on this adventure.  She shook her head, throwing water from her hair as she quickly combed her fingers through the shorter length, getting it out of her eyes as she got to her feet and quickly ran to join the others, at the boats that had brought them there.  Now wasn't the time to ask if everyone was okay.  Who she couldn't see, she could hear--they were alright, or at least mostly unharmed.  But the day was hardly won.

"How quickly can we return to the ship?"    She asked as she reached the boats.  'Her' crew was up there, fighting the Lintha.  Bravely, no doubt, but Kiana didn't want to make them fight without her any more than she had to.

The Chalice speaks its last poisonous words, but they sound empty and petty - the words of one who was defeated, but already plots revenge. For the moment they do not take root in Lasuri's mind - only his desire for the conclusion of it all remains.

The plunge was so excruciating that once the soothing currents wash over him, it is almost as if Lasuri's limbs have suddenly turned to lead. With the Chalice in hand, the adrenaline boost starts to thin out, and the Captain is left only with the aftermath - and how much he has pushed his body to get this far. Letting out a long, drawn out breath, Lasuri murmurs some words of thanks for Danaa'd - although not a praying man, he is also not a man who leaves debts unpaid.

When Zeru's chain wraps around him, Lasuri does not fight it. Instead, he lets himself get pulled upwards, Chalice firmly in hand, as if struggling to even remain conscious. Even when his faithful comrade pulls him ashore, the Captain does not yet move. For a moment, he is unable to do so, and it suddenly becomes unclear whether the Captain survived the ordeal or not.

Locked in stasis, Lasuri can only think of how weary and hurt he is, his mind completely blanked out by the ordeal. But then, in the back of his mind, a voice calls to him - that of his comrades, his friends, the reason why he even still draws breath. And those voices are compounded by flashes of Jadira, Donnegal, and the loyal crews of the ships of the Alliance, fighting the menace of the Lintha even as the Chalice is recovered.

No, there is no time to be hurt and weary. No time to be broken.

There is work to do.

Suddenly, without warning, the captain rolls over on the shore, lifting himself with his hands and knees... And spitting a few times as he shakes his head. "Dragons... Do you have any idea how bad that stuff tastes? I feel like I just rinsed my mouth with rotten vinegar." Slowly and carefully, he struggles to get back to his feet, testing his balance - shakily at first, and then progressively getting better. He rubs his head, and looks around, a haggard look on his features.

He might not be a phoenix, but the Sea Drake nonetheless was reborn from his ashes. Again.

Making sure he holds the chalice at bay, Lasuri puts a hand on Zeru's shoulder, nodding warmly to his fellow sailor. "If felt like... Well, like Malfeas in there. I'm not sure I'd have managed to make it out on my own at all, Mister Zeru... From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You've got a life debt waiting to be repaid, mate." Lasuri nods once more then turns back to the others. He walks towards them, stumbling a bit at first, but his tone when he speaks is as driven and certain as ever.

"Allright, we've got to get on the ball, people. I know you're all tired, but we've still got one more job to do. The Lintha want their glorified wine glass, and we're gonna make sure they don't get what they want. So, like the pissy customers they are, we should expect more... discontent."

He shakes his head then, rubbing his forehead as he takes a deep breath, a grin forming on his features. "I owe you all a paid island vacation, when we're all done with this. Think I'll need some time to sleep this headache off after we're done... I think a month or two ought to do."

The Captain grins, turning to the others once more. "Allright, Alliance. Let's go."

Zeru smiles at the captain's thanks, grateful only that he fights on. "I know captain I took a dive myself." He says smartly, although he looks none the worse for wear, his pants and trenchcoat are haggard and riddled with holes. His hat is gone completely, for the first time revealing the long blue, and sea green hair that he kept under it. Also showing through his coat is a white and blue jade breastplate. In the center of the armor a whirlpool of blues. "I couldn't rightly leave you and miss Kiana to burn now could I? You owe me nothing as you'd have willingly sacrificed yourself for any of us." He says seriously. "You've given me a chance at something greater than myself and I owe you for that for every day I sail with the Alliance."

After walking across the water and arriving at the shore he nods down at Tageru and the nymph. His eyes fill with compassion and he asks. "Can you help her?" It almost pains him to see a woman in such dire straights.

He bows to the nymph sisters his face filled with remorse. "I'm sorry ladies, I was unable to save her before she was badly injured." He holds tempest between his hands and his knuckles grip so tightly that they turn white. He really appears to be taking it hard. "I hesitated at the sight of the beast, and it has cost your sister her sight."

His hands move as he rises. With a flick of his wrist Tempest loyally wraps around him, the collision of the chain on his breastplate sounding like the roar of a downpour. The blue jade ball, crafted to look like a breaking wave rests at his shoulder and the other at his hip. He steels his resolve as his fight was not over yet. He inhales a deep breath and his muscles tense, ready to uncoil and run to the battle if need be. "But I have not yet begun to fight, I will continue to battle that you may do what you can for her. These Lintha will know what happens when the seas rise against them. Because while they are in the midst of a storm even as we speak, it has yet to turn into a maelstrom." he promises them.

"I know not how much of what that fool cup said is true, but our crew fights on, and the crew of the Marlena was not yet fully recovered. I must aid my Lady."

"I hope I can, although I haven't tested the full limits of my artifact yet. It should help anything of Creation, but I am not perfectly sure in my estimate. I will certainly do my best, as soon as this battle is over. It pains me to see any being suffer the Yozi's wrath and their demented punishments. Worry not, friend, if there is something we can do to help, then we shall do it, I promise. But, our friends are fighting and possibly dying out there, and there is no time to tend to the wounded now, unfortunately, not when there are those we can save from death. So, let's not waste any time if we can choose, and go right back to help fight the vile Lintha. If anyone needs healing, I can try to help, but we should hurry in any case..."

When the others brought the nymph to the shore, Kareth looked her over.  He then felt he should impart the last message he received from Captain Fairwind, "Captains, we need make haste back to the ships.  Jadira is battling the Lintha commander as we speak.  I sent for the nymphs so that they can help speed our return.

Master Tageru, to activate the instrument of regrowth in your satchel, you'll need a Wood or Sun aspected hearthstone.  Even then it takes a great deal of time, which, to put bluntly, we don't have.  I'm afraid that if we can do anything for her, it will probably be after we return to our ships."

[Private to GM: Not sure if the Satchel can help a spirit or not so I rolled twice:

Lore to know the extent of the satchel's effects on spirits.  8 sux.
Occult to see if there's anything that can be done for the spirit.  6 sux.

The answers might be the same.]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:21, Tue 15 Sept 2009.

"I know and fortunately, I have such a hearthstone, I inherited it from my grandmother when I Exalted. Let's leave now, while there is time. Do we go back the way we came, or do we have a shortcut to the outside and the battle there?"

"I believe it would be simplest to return from where we came.  The Nymph Sisters would be able to speed our passage..."  Kareth turns to the water elementals and says "if you would be willing, good spirits."

Sylpheel finally controls her grief, as the Dragon-blooded gather at the tunnel shore. She has one of her stronger guards take Melusine, who seems to have fallen unconscious since Tageru carried her over and gently put her down.

The Nymph Queen humbly touches a hand to her heart at the concern shown by Tageru, Zeru and Lasuri. The Alliance members notice that she keeps her distance from the Captain, though, who now holds an incredibly powerful and malevolent artifact in his grasp. The jokun, though grateful the Captain has it well in hand, are similarly nervous, remembering how many of their brothers died because of the corruption that overflows from the cup. "You have returned," they mumble in a deep baritone chorus, nonetheless, and bow deeply in solemn thanks.

Lasuri can feel the demon-chalice's mental presence curdling in the back of his mind, figuratively licking its wounds. Clearly waiting for an opportune moment, should he drop the tainted artifact or mistakenly brush it on a friend. The Ring Lasuri wears only protects himself, after all. Oh, revenge could wait, it could most certainly wait.

"Chosen of Sextes Jylis, if you could truly cure Melusine of her blindness, we would be eternally indebted to you," says Sylpheel to Tageru, then offers Zeru a small, sad smile. "In saving Melusine at all you have done more than we expected, Dragon-chosen. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that. However, you are all correct - her healing will take more time than you have now. You have saved Great Rakatau, and now we will help you save your comrades."

She ushers the Dragon-blooded to the boats - spirit-conjured they are, beautiful and sleek, sporting fish-like fins instead of oars - then belatedly answers Kiana. "With our vessels and enchantments we will bring you there within two or three minutes. We will go as fast as we absolutely can, so please hold on."

Sylpheel guides the lead boat, whispering words to the water and stroking the hull of the boat. One of her trusted aides repeats the same with the second boat, magicking it to bring them swiftly to the mouth of Rakatau.

[Private to Isole Kareth: You can certainly know all the functions of the Satchel with those rolls. You're also pretty certain that since a spirit is not naturally corporeal, whatever the demon did to Melusine cannot be easily healed by normal means. It would require some manner of spiritual healing, or destroying the source of the curse - meaning that you'll have to find a permanent way to destroy the chalice (which you believe would banish the presence bound inside back to Malfeas). It's more a long term quest type thing :)]

"The Alliance does not hold tabs, Mister Zeru, but personal gratitude remains. Even the acidic seas of Malfeas can't wash that away." The Captain smiles once more, clasping the man on the shoulder one more time before turning to the nymphs and their injured sister.

"If Mister Tageru can do something for this poor Nymph, then we'll bring her along with us." The Captain says, visibly regaining more and more of his composure. "Our work here was to cleanse Rakatau of his disease, and rid those inside of the demonic influence. As long as that one is suffering, then our work's not done." Lasuri shakes his head, looking at the injured nymph with sadness in his eyes. "If we have to keep her with the Alliance for as long as it takes for her to get better, then so be it. You'll permit that, won't you?" He says, addressing the nymphs around the wounded. "I'm not keen on separating you from your sister, but coming with us might be her only chance at her getting better."

Now that he is more eloquent and has more of a head on his shoulders, Laruri turns towards the others. "Spectacular work back there, everyone. That victory was a group one, through and through. But we've not quite won the right to savor it yet. We've got friends and loved ones in danger, and we've got to get them out of there."

Turning back towards Kareth, Lasuri inclines his head, taking a step towards the engineer. "Splendid word, Mister Kareth. We'll go along with your plan and assessment - I trust it implicitely."

"Allright, the nymphs are in charge of our passage outside, everyone follow their directions! Let's show the Lintha they're not welcome here either, and wrap this whole thing!"

Kareth takes a seat on the floor of the boat.  The way his day had been, he figured he wouldn't be able to stand.  He gloomily braced himself during the fast journey from the behemoth, knowing full well how foolish he looked.  "Note to self:", he thought, "Meditate on elemental affinity when I get a break."

Kiana didn't say much as she saddled herself inside the boat.  Even sitting, she was a paragon of stability, and hardly moved as the boat practically flew across the water.  This battle was not finished, she knew--they were only going to another level of the conflict.  But that was fine, she realized.  Fighting was in her blood, it was what was required of her.  It would be a crime against the world if she did not apply what skills and talents she had...and despite the wishes for her Father, Kiana was a reluctant source of war.  Her mind was that of a general, despite her soul being that of a young girl who only wanted to live peacefully with her father.  And her Spirit?  Her spirit was as old as the Earth itself, infused with the might of Pasiap.

Still dripping wet, Kiana went the entire way with her head down and her eyes closed--a casual glance might well lead others to believe it might be motion sickness, but no...the Earth Princess was simply gathering her thoughts, and preparing for the apex ahead.

"It would be against our nature to do any less than our absolute most for her."  Kiana said, in regards to the injured Nymph.  Then, Kiana realized as she sat there that, while the Nymph was well beyond her means to heal, she might be able to help comfort the poor creature with her knowledge of medicine.  Her knowledge of Nymphs was limited, but it was worth a shot as she kept low on the boat, bringing those piercing slate gray eyes onto the beautiful creature, and tried to decipher the true extent of the damage.

Kiana manages to get a good glimpse of Melusine before the boats travel too fast for her to do anything but hold on.

What she finds may not make her too happy... [Private to Kiana White-Fist: Medically, well, Melusine lacks eyes. They're gone, they were popped out of the sockets and melted away in the acid. Without some way to regrow body parts that won't be coming back any time soon, any NORMAL mortal would be permanently blinded by that.

However, Melusine is a spirit. Surely she could just regenerate the eyes with a new physical form? That would just take some time and Essence, pretty much. Unfortunately... your Occult knowledge tells you that the nymph has more than just a physical affliction. The demon-chalice cursed her to be blind both in body and spirit. This is a supernatural wound, and likely strongly tied to the chalice itself. You aren't sure Melusine could even be cured without the cursed cup's consent!]

However, this is no time for discouraging thoughts or words. Later, when the Lintha are routed or sunk into a watery grave, Melusine's condition can be considered in earnest.

When the boats start moving -- it feels more like flying than sailing. Compared to the jokun's slow rowing, the nymph's boats are light as a feather, taking the tight tunnel turns as easily as raindrops gliding down a pane of glass.

There's not even time to see the surroundings they passed; all that's obvious are telltale glitters of artifacts passed by, brownish grey blurs representing stalagmites or rock formations. Now and then they're pushed through a tunnel by shifting water pressure, and water splashes up onto the occupants of the boat. None of the clear liquid pools there, though, immediately sloughing off as if the boats' sleek surfaces are oil-slicked.

Finally, after winding around Rakatau's Heart, they cross the vast chest cavity pool. The water level actually rises, pushing the swift boats high enough that it sends them shooting up and through the throat, and out the living island's open maw...

---

OOC: Closing this thread now! (I just moved the ending up a few posts.) Please continue in the original Seven-Day Island thread. :)

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