Since her Exaltation, Dreams-of-Light has only known three days of freedom.

The keeper of her collar is not always the same person, but generally the duty of her caretaking is split between two figures. One, a man by the name of Master Ragara Gerrun, Immaculate of the Fourth Coil. The other a Water Immaculate who goes only by a single name: Sefima.

Unlike Gerrun, who has follwed in the footsteps of the same illustrious line that birthed the Grandmaster Transcendent -- once known as Ragara Myrrun -- Sefima was Exalted a Dragon-Blooded from the ranks of Water District commoners. One would think that meant she would show more mercy toward those of her previous station, but it only increased her coldness toward them. Those who remember him call her an echo of the famous Wyld Hunter, Peleps Deled, for her wrath towards the heretical and the anathema is nearly unmatched.

That is not to say that Gerrun shows Dreams more mercy. Far from it. It only means that his methods of control are more psychological. Will-breaking propaganda to go with the pain the older man so precisely serves. But Sefima... the passion with which she lays the whip is almost unseemly. She wants Dreams-of-Light to remember the hurt.

The regimen for a slave Anathema is very strict, even more so than the acolytes along which she now and then works: waking for prayer, breakfast, daily exercise, supper, 're-education' courses, and (inevitably) end-of-day punishment for her misdeeds, whether real or imagined. Her keepers force her to do the majority of her tasks manually; all the benefits of Coils' technology, they say, are reserved for proper citizens, the Dragon-blooded and their loyal subjects. The most advanced piece of magitech ever allowed to touch her person is her own collar, and it is a constant reminder of her own oppression.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: Just some general background info to help set the mood of what Dreams has been living until now. There will be more such exposition as we go along, so I can get you current with game events.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:32, Mon 02 Mar 2009.

On Day 140 of Year 1085 -- the 1st of Resplendent Water, so the old calendar goes -- Dreams-of-Light is awoken by a knock on the door of the cramped cell that serves as her 'bedroom'. The lamp at the ceiling turns on automatically, flaring with an ivory light powered by the seemingly endless stores of Earth Essence generated for the Gatekeeper of Earth and its subordinates.

Her first sensation of note after that flood of light is pain. Sefima had been many times cruel, as usual, and Dreams lay to sleep with her back covered in lashes, forbidden to use her cursed sun-powers to help the healing.

The voice outside is that of Master Gerrun, filtering metallicky through the thick door that keeps her confined. "Arise and join me, Dreams-of-Light. Quickly." It is not the first time in recent weeks he has come personally to fetch her like this. It likely means someone is in need of healing -- someone important enough to preempt the daily sutra-readings.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:44, Sun 12 Apr 2009.

Dreams-of-Light rose slowly from the thin pallet she was allowed, taking her sweet time to accustom her body to the blessed agony coursing through her nervous system. Pain focused the faith that drove her, the faith focused her intention to bring the people of Five Coils to the Sun (metaphorically and figuratively), and the intention focused the endurance which allowed her to tolerate more pain.

"Homage to thee, O Sol, at thy tremendous rising!
Thou risest! Thou shinest! the heavens are rolled aside!
Thou art the King of Gods, thou art the All-comprising,
From thee we come, in thee are deified."

The morning prayer was always the first thing she did, facing the ivory light she substituted for the fragmented memories of a sun which was gold and white, amber and rose, lavender and saffron and scarlet. Gerrun's demands could wait a minute.

Still naked and covered in scabbed lashes but clean in a fashion (Sefima's idea of cleansing was to lash her wounds with the salt water of her anima), the priestess of the Sun faced the so-called Master with a slow, sweet smile. "Tell me, Master Gerrun, do you ever really think that such as you can break such as me? I am Anathema, beyond cleansing - according to your faith - and therefore none of your teaching is truly relevant to me. Is it your own doubt which you work out upon my flesh?"

Then she slowly robed herself with the rough homespun shift and robe they allowed her, tying it closed in the manner of an Immaculate of the First Coil - except that she managed to show a good deal more creamy flesh than they ever did.

Gerrun gives the naked form of Dreams-of-Light a hard look, and a still-disapproving one when she 'covers' herself. The man is an Earth Aspect, bald, naturally, with sandstone-like skin, and the pristine but unadorned robes wrapped around his powerful form are pure silk. He is attractive -- in a cold, chiseled way -- a body that Dreams has yet to warm, and may never.

"You find every which way to defy us, even in servitude. You ask why we school you with words and with pain: no acolyte even a fraction so wicked as yourself, Blasphemer, would go without punishment. To serve you any less would be the sin of neglect."

"But understand this." The collar around Dreams-of-Light's neck, attuned directly to the Master, tightens as Gerrun clenches a fist. She finds it suddenly difficult to breathe, much less to speak, and his blue-eyed gaze bears down on her, frigid and unfeeling as marble. "You need not your voice to do your duty to us. You need not your beauty or your wiles. And if you cannot kneel you will most certainly be crippled, or replaced. Your continued existence is a mere respite you may never earn."

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: Make a Stamina+Resistance roll against the collar. I'll roll your stunt dice if any, or you can post the stunt and let me roll the entirety. Also, the same post may apply to a MDV stunt. Your Resistance and Integrity specialties apply, but you also have wound penalties (-1).

Just as a warning, the collar may impose extremely high difficulties when invoked. I do like the idea of giving a chance, however slim, to resist it for a time, but I must also preserve believability. If the collar were so easy to surmount then the DBs would definitely kill rather than risk keeping Anathema at all.

Also, I won't always explicitly ask for MDV stunt when applicable, if only because it's likely Dreams would resist *anyway*.]

Dreams-of-Light struggled to keep her breath as the collar tightened, her dark gaze defiant even as her straight posture wilted under the pain. Her hands clenched into fists so hard that bleeding crescents formed in the tough flesh of her palms.

She welcomed the pain - her body might break but her will never would, if she could help it. "You... need... me... too... much... to... kill... me..." she reminded the monk. "I... know... I'm... alive... when... I hurt. Have... you... made... pain... your friend... yet? I have. The... more... you hurt me... the more... I... like it. I... know... I can rest... when I'm dead. But know... that Heaven... is watching you... and even the Dragons.... answer to... the Unconquered Sun ... in... the end."

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 12:59, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 2 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,1,3,4,4. Sta + Res + Ignore Pain.

With Specialty, Dreams has a MDV of 5.]

For a moment the vise-like grip of the collar does not relent, but intensifies. Gerrun's eyes show no outward concern, much less acknowledgment of Dreams-of-Light's words, and a touch of disdain shows through his normally stoic expression as he watches her struggle.

Dreams' throat closes, cutting off her ability to speak as well as her breath. Her sight begins to blur, and unconsciousness threatens to swallow her. DO NOT CLOSE YOUR EYES, utters a warm, stirring voice in her head. Though stifled by her captivity, the light of the Sun is a strong memory within her, and her thoughts keep their clarity and resolve.

Suddenly, and rather startlingly, the unbearable pressure around her neck disappears. The Earth Master has relented -- for the moment. "It is not the pain that will break you, Blasphemer. It is the truth of your situation. You will live so long as there is no one to replace your power. But you will live in the form and condition that we choose you to. With or without a voice."

"Now come." Gerrun firmly escorts Dreams-of-Light from her cell and through stone-hewn corridors that are by now quite familiar to her. For weeks she has been stationed within the bowels of the vast Temple of Pasiap. Few of the laborers that toil in the mines and refineries of Earth District are aware of just how far and wide the tunnels of the temple interior spread. They only see the outer facades, the individual temples and naves in which common folk gather in prayer. But the entirety is united via interconnected passages, a complex containing the Shrine of the Omphalos Anamnesis at its core, with the outer establishments as nodes.

Dreams has seen some fraction of the Temple of Pasiap complex, most notably the Cells of the Unrepentant from which she now walks, the Confessional Chambers -- little more than glorified torture rooms -- and the base floor of the Earth District Catacombs. None have died under her care, but she has seen several corpses brought in via elevator or carried in on stretchers by common servants.

The patients forced into her care are similarly brought to the Inner Temple Infirmary, where Gerrun appears to be headed now.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: If you think Dreams would resist following Gerrun, you can post that and I'll adjust my posting accordingly. Otherwise I'll continue with the description of the infirmary in my next post.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:04, Tue 03 Mar 2009.

Thank you, Unconquered Sun, Dreams thought with gratitude as the strength flowed from her god to resist unconsciousness - and then, for whatever reason, Gerrun relented. She straightened her robes to maintain some sense of demureness and followed the monk, deciding that she'd pushed too far for this morning.

"A question, Master Gerrun, and a serious one: if I obeyed all your commands, listened to all your sutras, without complaint - would you still hurt me?" She even managed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"I would not. I do not believe in abusing a well-functioning tool."

"But others would." Gerrun most certainly meant Sefima, but there are others in the Order with such zealousness. "You cannot hope to have sympathy in the Coils. You represent all that has forced the scions of the Realm to exile underground. You are the Destroyers of Creation. And you are uncontrollable unless tamed or killed."

They walk on, into the Infirmary. Unlike the dirty clinics of the commoners, its white-washed, brightly illuminated rooms are clean, generously supplied, staffed by skilled acolytes -- and almost certainly exclusive to the Immaculate monks. They will now and then take Dragon-blooded or trusted vassals from elsewhere, but there are even better hospitals for the privileged in Wood District or above.

More likely, the secular Dragon-blooded that end up in the Temple Infirmary are Peace Forces. In fact there have been a large amount of such patients taking up beds in recent weeks. A disturbance in the Water District, or so it has been said.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:14, Tue 03 Mar 2009.

Dreams nodded like a good little acolyte, secretly thrilled at the information that Gerrun had dropped so casually as she walked humbly along bhind the Immaculate master. "I understand. But if the Dragon-Blooded can tame demons and make them serve willingly, why isn't more of an effort put into taming Anathema? Honey catches more flies than vinegar, as Sextes Jylis himself said."

Everything was delivered in a propely humbled voice. If she could win Gerrun as an unintended teacher, she could fight the Immaculate Order using their own tools. "I know my opinion means nothing in the scheme of things, but I do know that I respond better to your harshness than Sefima's. At least you think my soul might be worth saving."

For a moment Gerrun looks surprised, and the severity of his expression fades somewhat. The brief flicker of emotion smooths itself quickly, though, and soon segues into a deeply chiseled frown.

"Do not think to make suggestions for your own care." The words are spoken warningly, though this time his fists do not tighten, nor does his Essence expend to trigger the collar. "You have a glib tongue, Blasphemer. But we can never be too soft to the Anathema. Two Ages were brought down by your hands, and the second time turned the world above into a wasteland, ruled by the demonic and the insane."

"You are young. Perhaps innocent to the harm you have done. There are some who are kinder to their Anathema pets, yes, thinking they are fully under their control. But that way leads to a complacency that will destroy the foundations of society. It is our duty not to be fooled."

The next room they enter is a receiving room for patients that have yet to be diagnosed or treated. There are four men and two women there, laid out on cots with fresh sheets. They have all been severely injured, it appears from a distance, by extreme blunt trauma. Two acolytes, their white robes stained red, are working hurriedly to see to them all, but have thus far only managed to barely stabilize them.

One of them, Dreams-of-Light realizes, is Sefima -- beaten to an near unrecognizable pulp.

"You will use your powers of medicine to aid them," Gerrun pronounces. In that moment Dreams feels a swell of glorious warmth as the Collar unbinds a portion of her Sun-given Essence. She quickly finds, however, that she can touch none of her Charms but those pertaining to healing, and the urge to use them as Gerrun directed is unbearably powerful.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: The collar's influence when it comes to controlling your Essence use is very strong, as that's pretty much what it's for. I'd almost rather not put a mechanic to it, but if you're the type who needs one...

We will assume that you've already previously lost a battle of wills upon being collared, one you will not recover from unless uncollared. This means: you cannot spend WP at all to resist the influence to use your Essence as directed. You can, however, try to actively resist with DV+stunt, though as previously warned the diff. will be high, the interval of resistance short, and your ability to resist the same direction will degrade each time you try.

Otherwise roll Perc+Medicine for diagnosis, use charms/combos if you wish. To save time I'll require only one roll for all the patients.]

Dreams performed a basic check of the obvious physical signs on the Immaculate monks, tending to Sefima last. If Gerrun ever came under her hands... he, like Sefima if she was lucky, would deeply regret it. "Oh, we fell in the First Age," she agreed to Gerrun as she checked pulses and such, "but you fool Terrestrials attempted to use powers not ceded to you. By the Usurpation, you destroyed any hope for the Solars. Your actions destroyed the world, not mine."

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 08:34, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,2,5,9,9,6. Per + Med, diagnosis. Dreams won't actively resist, but she'll drag her feet in using Essence in the hope that Sefima will die.

I'm taking the chance Gerrun won't punish her now... but if he's ticked off enough at the blasphemy, he might choke Dreams long enough for Sefima to slip away.]

"Your recollection of history is twisted," says Gerrun firmly. Rather than rage, though, he 'corrects' Dreams-of-Light's 'mistake'. "A millenia and a half ago, you Anathema proved yourselves unworthy to rule. You proved it again with the Shattered War 300 years past, squabbling amongst one another when you could find nothing else to conquer. We control you now, for your own good and the good of all."

What Dreams finds upon examining the patients in more detail is that the blunt trauma was caused by a large, spherical weapon. There is evidence as well of wounds from smaller edged weapons, both slashing and puncture wounds, and even what appears to be a large animal bite.

Sefima is among the worst off, with her ribs caved in and one of her arms all but shattered and a head wound that removed a good third of her face, including her arm. The other five with Sefima are all Immaculates of the Second Coil. One of them, severely mangled, has already died. Two of them are also in critical health, one with a crushed hip and a puncture wound through the chest, another with a shattered shoulder and clavicle and a heavily bruised abdomen. Two more have a collection of bruises or lesions, but they seem in stable condition.

"You ought to understand by now, resisting by inaction is still resistance. You belong to us. And you will heal whom we wish you to heal." Dreams-of-Light feels the compulsion intensify: she must use her Essence to help the Immaculates she discovers are in critical condition, including Sefima. If she does not... prior experience tells her she may not even remember what happens next.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: Three choices here... you can stunt to resist, you can do as you're told or simply not comply. If you fail to resist or just don't act, there'll be a time skip. Of course, if you DO give into the compulsion, you're still the only one with any medical expertise... the only thing you're being expected to do is ensure the patients immediately survive.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:31, Thu 05 Mar 2009.

Dreams turned towards the first of the critically injured Immaculates (not Sefima), her hands stroking across the injured woman's side as she expended her Essence.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: I'm going to comply by spending as much Essence through the Touch of Light Combo so that by the time I get to Sefima, I hopefully won't have much left.

09:48, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,2,8,7,7. Int + Med, +2 autosuccess, treat monk.

09:49, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,4,4,2,9. Treat 2nd monk, +2 autosuccess.

09:50, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 4 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,8,5,3,10. Treat Sefima, +1 autosuccess

Dammit! So far she's spent 28 motes, 2w on the first two monks and just 2 motes, no Combo, on Sefima.]

The treatment to stabilize the three patients takes only seconds with how swiftly the Sun essence bolsters Dreams-of-Light's medical prowess.

The first patient, she discovers, has a punctured lung. With pure Essence she manages to temporarily seal the puncture wound and encourage the lung to reinflate, but she will need a great deal of bed rest until the body heals it naturally, to prevent the wound from reopening from respiratory stress. The crushed hip has multiple fractures that require setting, pieces which Dreams expertly reassembles and splints into place.

The second critically injured Immaculate has complex internal injuries. Dreams is able to staunch the internal bleeding without a single cut into the abdomen, but the work is not as exact as with the first patient. The patient will be weak of stomach ever after, with chronic gastrointestinal pain. But, he will live. She is able to set the man's clavicle bone just right, but the shoulder is just too shattered. The monk will keep his arm but the shoulder will lose a great deal of maneuverability.

Sefima is the one that Dreams puts the least effort into saving -- yet finds that her abilities as a healer are just too perfectionistic to be satisfied with a purposefully botched job. Nonetheless, even though Dreams is able to right the shape of the hated woman's ribs, straighten out and splint the arm, and even rearrange her face, Sefima will definitely bear scars afterward. If she were not an Exalt, the arm would have been irrecoverable; instead, Sefima will be out of commission for weeks.

"Enough," Gerrun says, finally. "You have done servicably." Dreams-of-Light finds her access to Essence abruptly shut off, and the compulsion disappears. "Clean yourself and we will continue to mass."

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: I can allow you to let Sefima heal as scarred as you wish, since your directive is only to treat her wounds, not to ensure her skin heals perfectly.

Coming next, you'll actually be able to interact with some lesser acolytes/townsfolk. I'm having to stretch this prelude a bit cause I don't know when the PCs will be able to arrange for your rescue; with luck it'll start sometime next week!]

Dreams obeyed, concealing her satisfaction that Sefima will be forever scarred and that the other monk would be probably unable to fight properly. She washed by pouring some clean water over her head, body and robes, knowing that she'd drip all over their nice clean floors. Maybe someone would slip and break their neck.

Afterwards, Gerrun 'escorts' Dreams-of-Light to one of the temple nodes. This one is familiar to her; it is the node that services the B25 Laborers' Conclave. She has been taken here often lately, and she has already suspected it has something to do with the disturbance in Water District.

For now Dreams is forced to sit through an Immaculate mass. The sutras Gerrun reads from the Immaculate Texts emphasize the 'proper order' of society, with the Dragon-blooded as the diligent leaders of mortal men, guiding their fractured society toward emulating the perfection of the Elemental Dragons. The mortals in turn must do their part, by taking care of their physical health and cleanliness, by attending work or school in a timely manner and applying themselves wholeheartedly to work and study. In this way the mortals lay down the foundations of mundane life so their secular and spiritual leaders may devote their attention towards ensuring the safety and stability of society.

"Most important of all," Gerrun preaches to a rapt group of workers and their families, "is the duty of all citizens mindful of their place under the watchful eye of the Dragons to report any suspected, uncollared Anathema. Do not fall prey to the wicked words of those who would incite rebellion in your hearts, for they will twist you towards lofty desires, lure you with promises of an easier life with disproportionate reward. Nothing is gained without toil; no society survives without rules with which keep order, and a body to ensure its governance."

The sermon concludes with a reading of a sutra devoted to the emulation of Pasiap. When the Earth Master closes the book, members of the congregation are welcomed to step toward the pulpit to address any personal concerns with his assistant monks. On the other side of the room, another pair of younger monks near the front of the temple open the double doors leading out into the Conclave, and the mass attendees begin to filter out. Some of them linger, though, making tentative glances toward Dreams-of-Light with mixed disgust and fascination, curiosity and concern.

Dreams allowed her robes to slip a little more and turned away from the crowd, showing the first few unhealed stripes along her back to them as she pretended to study an ornate carving. Then she turned back to the crowd and gestured to the elaborate setting and silk-clad Gerrun, and then to the labourers as if to say, "Speaks the man who dresses in silk while you wear coarse rags." Finally she finished with a clear gesture of contempt that anyone of the poorest ranks would recognise, one that they used to disparage authority figures who were corrupt.

After all that, she bowed in the manner of a monk and smiled innocently at one of the visibly offended assistant monks.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 13:27, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,7,1,9,9,3,8,4. Preaching without Words, Cha + Per.]

The unspoken message shifts the opinion of the 'spectating' workers enough for Dreams-of-Light to notice the difference. They frown and murmur amongst each other, their expressions showing unspoken questions about the sermon and the truth of their situation. But none dare speak openly to Dreams or address such concerns aloud, as there are monks watching nearby, and the last anyone would wish is to risk themselves or their family being labeled an Anathema friend.

On the other hand... it is almost certain these people will return to their homes, to tavern common rooms and other places they might gather, to give voice to their growing doubts. Despite the success the Immaculate Order has had at pacifying the people in the past, it cannot completely nullify the impact of recent events and the dissatisfaction that they have at the increased security that resulted.

Gerrun, in the meantime, doesn't even seem to be reacting. He is deep in what appears to be a serious conversation with an attractive blonde woman, a secular Dragon-blood whose hair is arranged in braids woven with tiny jade bells. Seated at a pew nearby her is a girl no more than 14 or 15 years old, with even paler blonde hair in ringlets and eyes of a vibrant crystal blue. She is garbed in a black floor-length cloak, covering the clothing underneath, with the hood raised so that her curls are only partially exposed. On her neck is a collar, much as Dreams wears.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: You have a little more leeway right now since Gerrun appears to be attending to business. It's doubtful you'll be allowed to just run off, but you could possibly talk to someone. Or listen in on Gerrun's talk.]

Dreams smiled inwardly and drifted casually over to the pew where her fellow Anathema sat and took her own seat. She tapped her collar and gave the girl a sympathetic smile before turning to eavesdrop on Gerrun.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 10:01, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 3 successes using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,2,2,10. Per + Awa, eavesdrop. ]

The girl on the pew smiles, but the expression seems odd on her, as if she had merely practiced smiling enough times that she got the hang of when and how to do it. Almost immediately afterward her face goes smooth. "My name is Mourning Bell," she says aloud, almost without inflection, and observes Dreams-of-Light closely. "I like your robe," Bell remarks innocently. "But I think you should heed the masters more, so your skin stays pretty."

Gerrun is talking rather animatedly to the Dragon-blooded woman. Dreams can't make out every word but she gets a good impression of what they are talking about: the attack that had maimed Sefima. One of the neighboring temple nodes was attacked by 'Free', and some of the epithets and insinuations they speak in describing this entity gives Dreams the impression they are a pack of untamed beastmen, attempting to incite the workers to riot and possibly lure 'them' out.

"...if Free wishes their attention... we should do the same..." the older blonde woman sounds like she is saying. "...could unwittingly lead us... where the Uncollared are hiding."

Gerrun's reply is much quieter than his usual booming voice. He gives the two sitting on the pew a brief sidelong glance. "...more direct... draw them out with one of their own..."

Meanwhile, Mourning Bell swings her legs back and forth, humming to herself. She is short enough that her feet cannot reach the floor from where she is sitting. The girl doesn't seem interested in the quiet conversation at all.

Dreams chuckled richly, though if it was at Mourning Bell's comment or the attack upon Sefima, even she couldn't tell. The Collared beside her was indoctrinated, broken, faking it or maybe even all three. "All men - and women - die. Even the Dragon-Blooded. Even us. Pain is my friend because I have made it so. For as long as I breathe, I will serve the Unconquered Sun to the utmost. And when I should die, I will face Him in the end and know I will have done my best."

The Zenith deliberately arranged her robe to show a little more cleavage when Gerrun and the secular Terrestrial glanced her way, baring her teeth into a smile that had no friendliness in it. "And thank you for the compliment. I am Dreams-of-Light, Zenith Caste priestess of the Unconquered Sun."

Then she chanted her noon prayer under her breath, as she always did, no matter where she was.

"Thy priests go forth at dawn; they wash their hearts with laughter;
Divine winds move in music across thy golden strings.
At Sunset they embrace thee, as every cloudy rafter
Flames with reflected color from thy wings."

The Dragon-blooded woman laughs throatily as she hears Dreams' introduction and the blasphemy that pours from her lips. She speaks loudly enough to be heard clearly. "Oh, you have a live one, I see. Not even the Immaculates themselves can cow her. That will be a problem, won't it?"

Gerrun's face is creased with a frown, but Dreams-of-Light knows he is holding himself back. He'd noticed the subtle reaction Dreams inspired in the few workers who lingered. Nor does he wish to reduce to base tactics when a woman of obviously high breeding -- with a perfectly behaving Collared Anathema, at that -- is watching. "She can talk. But few will think her words anything but heretical ravings. It only means that her contact with others should be vastly reduced."

"Is that so?" The blonde, bell-adorned woman glances at Dreams' cleavage with interest, showing no sign of disgust. "Continuing to take from her with only scripture to explain yourself will only make her fight all the harder. I wonder if she is wasted here, languishing away in the Earth District with you."

"You are little better, sorceress," says Gerrun roughly. Obviously there is little love between him and this woman.

The blonde meanwhile gestures to herself in introduction. "So, Dreams of Light, Priestess of the Sun, is it? I am Cynis Zerabia, and I see you have met Mourning Bell. She is my daughter, and one of the Wretched. You'll show her, won't you dear?"

Mourning Bell smiles her perfect smile and then her eyes turn suddenly dark. Even the whites become completely black. A perfect circle scribes itself in blood on her forehead. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: I'm not sure you'd know an Abyssal on sight (particularly since she was disguising it up until now) but I figure they are mentioned among the other types of Anathema preached against. Either way you get a distinctly unpleasant feeling when the girl accesses her Abyssal Essence.

We'll time skip soon, I think you'll able to see some of the other PCs soon-ish -- they are going to attend the next mass.]

---

OOC: edit, she should have been a Cynis instead of a Ledaal.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:23, Fri 27 Mar 2009.

Dreams faced the Dragon-Blood squarely. "Nightbringers aren't touched by death, my lady," she said with perfect politeness.

"Of course they are not," Zerabia says crisply, touching Bell's head once she has banished her dark power, and looks like a normal (if pale) girl again. "She is a rare one, a corrupted Solar. There are only six of them in the entirety of the Coils, and we have their shards completely controlled. In time, the same will be done for you Solar Anathema as well. After all, the technology for such already exists. It's just a matter of finding the opportunity to apply it." The blonde looks quite pleased at this thought.

Gerrun steps in. Dreams can see the vein on his temple that pops out whenever he is very, very displeased. "You are shameless, Zerabia. Leave us be. You have enough information from me. Send your Black Anathema on her task, do not waste her Essence on displays."

"Oh, do you care that much? How sweet. And here I thought you hadn't the taste for women. Farewell, Master Gerrun, and pet." Zerabia's painted lips are still smiling when she starts to move away, toward the door further into the temple complex.

The Earth Master grasps Dreams-of-Light unkindly by the arm. "Back to the cell with you."
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:45, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

"Bad news?" Dreams asked sweetly as Gerrun hauled her off. Whatever pain she endured tonight, it would be worth going through at the knowledge there were free Exalted out there.

Gerrun's hand grips harder. But he doesn't break her bones, or even bring out the rod he often prefers for discipline.

He takes Dreams-of-Light roughly to her small chamber and -- using the collar to keep her dazed -- shackles her by her hands and feet. When he is done she is suspended from the ceiling by her arms, and her legs chained to the back wall. She drapes there uncomfortably, her limbs stretched painfully as her center of gravity shifts her head and torso away from the wall.

The Earth Master has no more words for her. The heavy door closes and there is neither light nor sustenance for days.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: I'd say about 3 days pass. You can write Dreams' thoughts or you can wait a bit longer while I get the next scene set up.]

Deep within the darkness, shut away from the light, Dreams allowed herself to drift into a reverie despite the pain. She chased fragments of memories and dreams, of what the Sun looked like, and the look on Gerrun's face if he ever met Sol Invictus.

Dreams-of-Light feels it is somewhere between dawn and zenith when the door to her cell opens again. Gerrun is there, holding a chipped tin cup of water. He steps toward the wall, forces it to her lips and tips it. Whether the water goes into her throat or sloshes down her robe from her stubbornness, depends mostly on her.

"Too soon. This is hardly enough deprivation for you." The Earth Master shakes his head and begins to undo the shackles. "But it is time for mass, and I will have you attend -- quietly."

Before she enters the B25 Conclave temple, Gerrun brings her to a washroom. There are two fully-shaven monks there, both female. Under his careful gaze they strip all but the collar and bathe her -- by dashing her repeatedly with buckets of cold water. They use rough rags to dry her still-healing skin. They brush her hair without comment, without care for working out the tangled strands carefully. Dreams gets an impression they, too, are serving some sort of penance, by being made to attend to her like maids. It is not the first time she has seen such.

Gerrun watches the entirety impassively. One wonders if he has even the capability for desire with such an attitude. Finally, he brings Dreams-of-Light a new robe to step into, a 'proper' robe. "Wear it. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Dreams swallowed the water carefully and endured the 'washing' with the faintest curve of her chapped lips. She donned the robe and tied it tightly, twisting her hair into a loose knot. Then she smiled brightly at Gerrun and replied, "The easy way. Your torments get more tedious by the hour, and are woefully unimaginative."

"You thought this torment? No. In fact, I was showing you kindness. Little that you deserve it." Gerrun's face hardens as he brings Dreams from the deeper bowels of the Greater Temple Complex towards the chamber that serves as the B25 Conclave Temple... as seen from the outside.

They emerge together from one of the doors at the rear of the room, to the left of the pulpit. The double doors leading into the laborers' settlement are currently open, flanked as before with two monks on either side.

Dreams-of-Light recognizes most of the people seated at the pews. In fact she might even suspect that there are fewer than there were even three days before. Had her silent message that day had more of an effect than previous days? Though Dreams has only but rarely seen the outside of the temple since her captivity, she can almost feel a palpable difference in the people. Unrest... uncertainty... and in some, even unhappiness.

Some start to murmur when Dreams comes in, dressed appropriately, clean with no scars showing.

At one of the front pews sits the blonde woman with bells in her hair that the Zenith remembers is called Zerabia. Her paler-haired 'daughter' is with her, in her enveloping black buttoned cloak. Zerabia smiles at Dreams, as if in welcome -- surely a blasphemy!

Then, from the front doors, comes a trio Dreams has never seen before. Two are dressed like miners, and one like a clerk, trailing behind them. [Private to Peleps Dashu; Ledaal Xurizu; Saina Nanaret: Here's your cue to enter, and some info specifically from your point of view.

Among the people gathered for mass, all of you see the collared woman you glimpsed a few days before, coming in from a door on the rear wall. She's dressed in a much more chaste robe this time, that covers most of her body. She has creamy skin and long black hair bound in a loose knot, and she's quite beautiful... not as much so as Dena, but enough to be appreciable.

She's being escorted by an Earth Immaculate of the Fourth Coil, a tall, well-built man, bald and clean-shaven, with blue eyes and eyebrows that indicate that his hair is black.

The blonde woman with bells in her hair, you're certain is a Dragon-blooded of high breeding. Hard to mistake that. The girl sitting with her has pale blonde curly hair coming out from her black hood. She's very pale skinned with light blue eyes. Almost doll-like. She also, you notice, has a collar as well.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:06, Thu 12 Mar 2009.

Dreams smiles sweetly at Zerabia and drawls, "Hello there, m'lady. Come to entertain yourself by listening to Master Gerrun's sermons again? As you can see, he's dressed me more appropriately for the occasion."

"He has indeed!" Zerabia says, laughing softly as she takes in Dreams-of-Light's slightly altered appearance. Mourning Bell, silent today, just smiles her strange, practiced smile.

"I am sure this will be quite theatric," continues the blonde Dragon-blooded quite frankly. "After all... there's been these attacks by Free, and all these terrible rumors... The Immaculate Order of all things must save face, and encourage solidarity at a time like this."

Gerrun, Immaculate of the Fourth Coil, climbs the dais to the pulpit carrying in both hands the heavy tome of the Immaculate Texts. He gives a sharp look to Dreams and a dour, disapproving one to Zerabia.

"Oh dear. Let's sit and be quiet for now, shall we?" Zerabia offers a space on the pew to Dreams. There is also Dreams' 'usual' seat, the one set into the rear wall where Gerrun usually has her sit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:45, Thu 12 Mar 2009.

Dreams sat down with Zerabia, openly defying Gerrun with a toss of her head. Oh, she'd pay for this, but damn if the look on his face wouldn't be worth it...

Nanaret, in her guise as 'Bryn', steps into the temple interior for the first time.

She is a tough, wiry woman, above average in height, wearing a dull brown worksuit and a woolen cap over her head. Her skin is dusky brown and her hair a tousled blue-black, cropped close to her head. Her face and hands are still slightly grimy, though she has washed herself as best she could before shuffling in with the rest of the congregation.

The posture Bryn assumes is one of weariness from the day-in, day-out work cycle of an Earth District laborer. It isn't necessarily a fabrication, either -- after all, for the past few days she has been living that very life. And she has had less sleep than she would have liked, in order to make it back to the Conclave in time for her brief absence to go unnoticed.

Inwardly, though, her blood pumps with the brashness of this very move. Stepping right into the Immaculates' den! Ranavalona stirs in her psyche, a dull yearning for action, for carnage. Not now! Nanaret -- Bryn -- remains firmly in control of herself, taking in everything and everyone around her with a careful curiosity. Is that girl... another collared? Two of them in the same place?

Bryn makes her way to a rear pew and sits down, assuming her miner companion will join her. He is her brother, after all.

Dashu walks in and sits next to Nanaret to keep up the guise of him being her sister.  He was sure Xurizu was right behind him.  As he walked through the temple, a cold chill ran through him.  He disliked this place.  To him, it represented the source of all the suffering in the Coils.  The Immaculates were the ones who pushed forth their propaganda vilifying the Sun Chosen.  And here he was walking into one of their temples.  "For a reason," he kept telling himself.  This reason did not keep him from trying to note all the best hiding places in the room.  After all, he was one of the Wretched.  Hiding was what he did.

As he took his seat for the service, he looked around and noted their target sitting near a little girl who was also wearing a collar.   "She's one of us too?" he thought to himself.  He takes a moment to study both the collared women and then turns his attention to the other occupants in the temple.
[Private to GM:

Best not be ill-prepared.  I'm activating my infinite MA master before I enter the temple.  Committing 16m from the peripheral pool and paying 1m to keep anima from flaring.

Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 7 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,8,9,5,7,6,7,10,8. Perc + Awareness. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Fri 13 Mar 2009.

The younger girl with the collar looks completely content, even blissfully distracted, her blue eyes wandering 'round the room as she sits obediently. But Dreams-of-Light looks defiant and anything but content to the newcomers' eyes, sitting on the other side of the blonde Dragon-blood. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: You're certain you've seen this blonde woman before. Though she was not your keeper, she was definitely around now and then, a colleague of Sienna's. In fact, seeing her has jolted some small part of your memory. You sudden recall names: Sienna, Misa and Zerabia... a trio of sorceresses. Misa, you recall, is silver-haired, while Sierra is red-haired and Zerabia, obviously, blonde. You'd seen Misa before, in fact, during the fight back in Floor B29.]

The disguised Night Caste familiarizes himself with his surroundings. Some of the best places for hiding are toward the far end of the room. Beneath the altar, between the locked cabinets holding sacred items for Immaculate rites, or shadowed by the statue of the Elemental Dragon of Earth, situated behind the monk preparing the Immaculate Texts and beneath the mon of the Omphalos at the rear wall. There are two doors at the rear wall, as well; the left one the Immaculate monk and Dreams-of-Light came from, and another one on the right side. On the left side there are also dimly lit alcoves, possibly for conferring privately with the monks.

The other workers and families in attendance have mostly quieted their uneasy mumbles and settled in the pews. Some have names the trio would remember (such as Cairen, the clerk Xurizu knows, and Vergun, the man Dashu remembers had lost his brother). Others they might not remember by name, but have seen daily: a timid man with short, uneven scarlet hair, a man with dark brown dreadlocks, a woman with straight purple hair cut short and angled to the line of her chin. Nanaret notes Hilde is not around at all... though she does recognize more than one off-duty guard.

Right now, with all these people in the way, there is no safe, immediate way to contact the collared ones. Dashu, Nanaret and Xurizu have little choice but to sit through the sermon, for now.

---

OOC: I'll move through the sermon and allow for more interaction when I'm not too sleepy to write.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:16, Fri 13 Mar 2009.

Xurizu started a little when he saw the blonde woman sitting up there at the front of the room, but managed to conceal his surprise well enough that hopefully none of the those present would notice his momentary loss of internal composure and thanking fate that she was facing towards the front of the temple.  He didn't like the thought of testing his disguise against someone who might actually know him.  Once he'd gotten over that thought, he was able to take in more of his surroundings, wondering at the second collared person in the room, scant more than a girl.  What's she doing here? he wondered about both of them, as he took a seat, nodding in greeting to Cairen as he settled himself.

I wonder what an immaculate sermon is like these days ...

Master Gerrun stands at the lectern with the Texts open in front of him. The opening sutra he reads is a vignette of a man who shirked on his duties but once in his life, but that one time inadvertently set off a chain of events that wrecked the foundations of society he lived in.

"We all have a duty to maintain the proper order of society," Gerrun preaches. "Every one of us, from the lowliest refuse worker to the high-born maiden in her manse of blue jade! Society is built up by the hard and honest work of those who accept their place in the Hierarchy, and apply themselves wholeheartedly into occupations appropriate to their station. To stray from our established lot in life is to invite uncertainty and breed mistrust. There can be no true order if even a single man chooses selfishly to prioritize his own immediate comfort, ambition or gain!"

Gerrun's intense, fervent gaze sweeps through the gathered crowd. Many of the common folk under his penetrating blue gaze bow their heads quickly -- sometimes guiltily -- when he focuses upon them. "Take pride in the work you do. You are not mindless drones, as the machines are. So long as you hold faith in your heart, you are greater than the commands you are given. You are suffused in purpose. You will never be poor in spirit, for you are the foundation stones of society, and your efforts enrich us all." Not every man or woman bows, though. Some gaze back at him, their chins held steadily. Though is it for belief in his words, or belief in themselves?

"But be wary. Among you walk those who would convince you to stray from the path of duty and diligence. They will place in your heart the idea that order is unnecessary, that you ought be allowed to rise from your station, partake in knowledge and decisions you are ill-prepared for. They will speak to you of freedom. They will speak to you of injust enslavement. But once they have abused your faith, they will build nothing lasting with you, for they will ultimately wish to defy the Hierarchy and pursue their own ambitions."

"They are the Anathema," the Earth Master pronounces ominously. "And they must be brought under the watchful eyes of the Dragons, lest they unravel all that your hard work has helped build."

Gerrun continues on at length in this theme, reading another passage from the Texts of the days when Pasiap still walked the earth, and the Anathema found his faith too mighty, and his patience too enduring to break him. To emulate Pasiap, he states, is the best defense against those who flaunt power without earning it.

It goes on for at least forty minutes, until finally the Earth Immaculate shuts the sacred tome upon which the Immaculate sutras are scribed. By then, all but a few of those seated are noticeably glassy-eyed with the fervor Gerrun has stirred, and the ones that aren't... stand out. Zerabia, for example, looks alert and bemused, and the younger collared girl seems almost disturbingly happy, swinging her legs back and forth on the pew.

Zerabia gives Dreams-of-Light a critical look. "Heard it all before, I presume?"

---

OOC: Hopefully this is not moving too fast, I just figured no one would talk during sermon anyway.

"Of course," Dreams responded before rising and turning, sweeping her gaze across the gathered Immaculates and workers. She knew she had to get these words out before Gerrun choked her.

"Master Gerrun speaks of the sin in defying the Hierarchy. But what of the Terrestrials' defiance of the Mandate of Heaven, which the Unconquered Sun, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, set down at the beginning of time when all Exalted overthrew the Primordials. The Celestials were placed above the Terrestrials; but in Five Coils, we find the opposite... an inversion, if you will, of the natural order. Yet they accuse *us* of breaking the Hierarchy? No, it isn't us, but those who are so powerless they must chain us with collars that choke our breath if we speak the truth."

She took a breath and continued. "The Celestial Exalted sinned, there is no denying it. We forgot the fundamental truth of the Hierarchy - that all have their place in it, and that the Exalted must take care of the mortals beneath us! Yes, Gerrun is correct in that. But the Dragon-Blooded, who even now repeat the sins of the Celestial Exalted, wouldn't let us have another chance to build a world where everyone has a place according to their worth. I can understand their fear. But I will not excuse it!"

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 09:45, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 1 success using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,1,9,6,3,2,5,5. Cha + Performance, Preaching!.]

Throughout the sermon Bryn focuses on two things: attempting to mimic the reactions of the people around her, while listening closely and carefully to the sermon itself. She remains appropriately hunched and cowed in her seat, and when Gerrun looks her way she fidgets and doesn't quite meet his eyes. After all, Bryn the miner is anything but a rebel. She's the everywoman looking to make a living and stay out of trouble. She talks a little too much sometimes, and now and then she slacks at work, and she's just a little bit thick-headed, but she's a good person and a model citizen. She rightly fears and admires the Immaculate monks.

Nanaret, though, is anything but ignorant and anything but admiring. She knows some of the darknesses the Dragon-blooded hide, how they tell different truths to different people and hide the rest in order to keep the people content. Maybe this monk truly knows only what went on in this Conclave, but Nana has served time in the Pit, seen the mutant rejects they sent from the District of Wood, witnessed the hypocrisy of the Water Purge.

Ranavalona recognizes the rage inside her, and croons softly to her 'puppet'. They deserve it. These upstart Dragon-blooded deserve to feel your fingers digging into their throats. When the dark-haired collared woman opens her mouth, delivering what could well be her final defiant speech to the dazed crowd, Nanaret very nearly gives in. They DO deserve it! They'll silence this woman because she speaks her mind, for questioning what should be questioned!

But the rational part of her mind gives her pause. The Immaculates may very well want the other Celestials to reveal themselves. They may be waiting for them to rise up right now and join in solidarity with the collared woman. Keep your cool, she decides, forcing herself to look up at the Immaculate with a confused and worried expression on her face. Don't give up the act yet!

During the service, Dashu had tried to to imitate the reactions of the people as best as possible so that his disguise would not be compromised.  He did manage to remember some of the sutras from his days as a child before he exalted.  All the while though, he did try and keep at least one eye on the woman to keep track of her actions.

Dashu cursed to himself as he heard the collared woman engage in her lofty exchange with the woman.  If the idea was to be discrete then there was no way to go unnoticed with when the collared woman was giving speeches.  She seemed to obviously be a Zenith.  He hoped this exchange would end soon enough where he might be able to see where the collared woman went to.  Having located the possible hiding places earlier he looks around the building once again to note possible exits from the building and how the mortal parishioners were behaving.

[Private to GM: Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 4 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,9,10,6,8,5,5,2,5. Perc + Awareness. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 19:51, Sat 14 Mar 2009.

Xurizu was far more concerned with the churning in his mind over the blonde and all those implications, he found, than the Immaculate's speech.  Still, he found it in himself to look appropriately awed, fearful and otherwise approapriately.  Immaculate speeches, it seemed, hadn't changed much since he had Exalted, and those parts he remembered well.

Then the woman they had come here to see, spoke and in his distracted state, this almost unmade him.  Still, he can't have been the only person in the audience looking surprised as she spoke.  Nor fearful, although his fear was motivated differently.

What will happen now? he wondered, risking a glance to Dashu and Nanaret, judging that those on the dias would be too distracted to notice the brief look.

Gerrun turns to stare sharply at Dreams-of-Light. His face is livid, yet his words are controlled and deliberately calm. "The 'Celestials' you speak of were never part of the Hierarchy. You speak of dangerous blasphemies, but your words have no power. They will not believe your misguided words. These men and women are good and right-minded citizens -- see!"

He gestures to the congregation. They are looking at each other, murmuring and fidgeting, but as soon as Gerrun looks their way they fall uncomfortably silent. None of them seem willing to show they have so much as acknowledged Dreams-of-Light's words. They had some sympathy toward her plight, but now she is saying things they don't quite understand, concepts they've never learned about, and being faced with the unknown (with an authority figure obviously disapproving) either confuses or frightens them.

"It is too late for you, Blasphemer," he says triumphantly. "Your sins are older than your mind and body. I can understand you feel righteousness, but you are ignorant of the danger you pose. It is all right. We are willing to show mercy, should you prove yourself willing to repent." Dreams suddenly feels the collar imposing its will on her, robbing her of her ability to speak. If she even so much as tries to talk she feels an overwhelming desire to be sick rise up in her body. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: roll Stamina+Resistance. If you get 5+ sux you can at least choke out a few words. If you get 10+ you can speak normally.]

Zerabia gives Dreams an oddly sympathetic look. "Don't fight it, Dreams-of-Light. Perhaps you and I can talk peaceably in private, instead." She touches the black-haired woman's shoulder reassuringly. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: A feeling of horror rises in you. You are CERTAIN that it would be a terrible idea for Dreams to follow the blonde woman. You can stifle the feeling, but you think that Dreams leaving with her permanently would mean she may be lost to you -- subject to similar experiments as those you endured.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:14, Sun 15 Mar 2009.

Dashu is able to use this time while everyone focuses on Dreams to scope out exits. The only one leading outside is the front door. Of the rear doors, he thinks the right one is more likely to lead to a second exit than the left (particularly since Dreams and Gerrun entered through the left, and the alcoves suggest more rooms on the left side). [Private to Peleps Dashu: Another much less obvious thing you notice is that the inside of the temple is much taller than it looks like it ought to be from the outside--indicating that the inner temple may have some way up to the next floor(s).]

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu; Peleps Dashu; Saina Nanaret: I need you all to roll to blend in here... Originally I was just going to roll it for you, but I'm indecisive on the roll so I'll let you know what I *think* you should roll and possibly hear some arguments if you think another combination works better.

My thought is either Manipulation + Performance or Wits + Stealth. Depending on if you're going more for the 'playing a role' or a more instinctual 'blending in'. Nana gets a +2 and Dashu/Xurizu a +1, though you can improve it if you post more (in this case you don't have to though, since you already wrote that you were trying to be part of the crowd; you can just roll and I'll adjust my posting after looking at your results).]

Dreams' dark eyes flare as she attempts to speak, but she begins to throw up. Only a supreme effort of will allows her to remain on her feet, glaring defiantly at Gerrun and making a rude gesture.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 14:08, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 4 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,6,8,7,5,9,9. Sta + Res.]

"That is enough," Gerrun says, his expression calm and showing none of the exasperation he feels. Dreams has little to actually throw up, as she has been subjected to starvation for days. What does manage to splatter on the temple's polished floor, though, is quickly cleaned up by a pair of acolytes at Gerrun's silent command.

After a while all Dreams-of-Light can do is heave, and her body is wracked with pain. "Is this what you prefer, to die for mere words? Truly there is no audience left in all of the Coils who will hear you now." His eyes sweep over the gathered crowd -- focusing sharply for a moment on Dashu. The moment passes and he lets his gaze drift elsewhere.

"This sermon is over," he announces, and at least half of the gathered mortals get up quickly and start moving quickly towards the doors -- entirely unwilling to remain and be part of this debacle. Enough remain, though, that Dashu, Nanaret and Xurizu do not look unusual for staying, yet. The several that do are the ones whose concern over Dreams' health overwhelms their concern at her strange preaching.

Zerabia continues smiling sympathetically toward Dreams, touching her on the arm. "A shame... there are other places that may be more amenable to your words and your fighting spirit. Perhaps I can tell you of them." Mourning Bell, the collared girl, nods enthusiastically. "Please do, please do!"

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: I'll roll for you myself if you don't get to posting by the time I can post again :) not a big deal.]

Dreams can barely hear Zerabia, her gaze still defiant even though she is on her knees before the Immaculate Master. Though she should die, she would face her God on her feet, knowing she had fought.

Nanaret, unable to watch this any further, stands up from her pew, and deliberately steps away from where Dashu and Xurizu are sitting. If she is to do something like this she may as well not draw attention to the others sitting with her.

Perhaps they could leave quickly or try to slip deeper into the temple while she serves as a distraction.

The disguised Lunar approaches the pulpit, speaking in Bryn's drawl rather than her own voice. "'Scuse me sir monk," she says to the Immaculate she doesn't know is named Gerrun, "but might you tell me what need there is to torture the woman any longer? It's clear enough to me that you've made your point. If no one understands or gives a whit about this 'Mandate of Heaven' stuff or whatnot, you might as well just let her spew whatever it is she wants to spew, other than her lunch."

"I'm a respecting citizen. I've worked every day of my life since I could fit a tool into my hand. I believe in all you've said about there being a place for everyone, and hard work being the foundation of society and all that. But that means that you people up top ought to be doing your part, too. And I'm pretty sure there's more people n' you think that aren't so happy about laboring and seeing nothing of our hard work trickle back to benefit us."

"It ain't riches we want. It's the proof that what you higher folks are doing is to our benefit as well as yours. It's the desire to know what our toil down here in Earth District is doing to help the whole." She gestures ostentatiously at the kneeling, suffering form of Dreams-of-Light, as if to emphasize her existence to the people trying to leave the room. "And I don't think you bullying this woman, though you might call her Anathema, is doing anything to help that cause."

(OOC: Sorry guys, but I just have to STICK IT TO THE MAN. :D Also I'm trying to write it so that Dashu and Xurizu don't have to go along if they don't want. Just to explain to Dreams, we were supposed to just scope things out in the temple, but the situation is a LOT different than we thought!)

As Nanaret rushes to the defense of the choking, collared woman, Dashu thinks to himself, "So much for the subtlety... or maybe not..."  While using the moment of distraction that Nanaret provides, the Night Cast does his best to slink towards a nearby pillar and then darts over to one of the alcoves on the left without being seen or noticed.  This is all made considerably easier by the fact that the few parishioners left in the temple scatter away from the looming conflict.  No one wishes to see the wrath of a Dragon taken out on a mere mortal... little do they know that Nanaret isn't a mere mortal.

[Private to GM: Activating Easily Overlooked Presence to try and blend into the crowds and make it to my hiding place.]

(OCC:  Sorry to abandon you like that Nanaret but I figure once this is all over I might be able to follow Dreams to her cell which would make things considerably when it comes to rescuing her.)

Dashu finds the perfect opportunity to hide while Gerrun focuses his gaze on Nanaret. Even Xurizu finds that he is all but unseen and unnoticed.

Surprisingly, not every one of the mortals gathered in the temple depart at this point. Some of them actually do remain. Not too close, certainly, but they pause nonetheless -- transfixed by the fact her words resonate with their innermost feelings. Could this be the time for them to find solidarity? They glance uncertainly at one another, and at Dreams, whose suffering they find impossible to ignore. Whether they understood or not, she is still willing to die for her words, and that is something that leaves a lasting impression on them. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: I had completely and stupidly forgotten to give you stunt for your speech! So I'm giving you some leeway here. The people who remain in the temple are the ones who would be most amenable to your preaching.]

Gerrun's eyes flash coldly as they focus on Nanaret. His sudden interest in her is so intense that Dreams-of-Light finds herself temporarily relieved of ill feeling. "May I ask your name, bold-tongued woman? I do not think I have ever seen you in this Conclave before. You should not trouble yourself to worry about the Solar Anathema; she is more than able to bear the punishment, as well she ought to."

Zerabia stands as well, but her demeanor is languid and curious, rather than stern. Leaving Dreams to herself for now, she smiles toward the younger collared girl and nods slightly. Mourning Bell, having lost her look of dreamy innocence, suddenly sharpens up and watches the exchange with rapt attention.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu; Peleps Dashu: Ok Dashu, you have your chance to hide, now actually roll your Stealth :) Xurizu, your roll was good enough that you have a chance to get away or hide, too.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:55, Tue 17 Mar 2009.

Dreams remained on her knees, digging her nails into her palms in simulated pain as she watched the exchange intently. "It would be 'bold-tongued woman', wouldn't it Gerrun, if somebody actually stood up to you and said exactly what they think."

Nanaret, what are you thinking? Xurizu wonders as she starts to argue with the Immaculate Monk who ran the temple.  Still, he also had no plans to squander the opportunity she was presenting to him, eveb if only to hide so he could better aid her if she became unstuck...

He starts to drift with the crowd which is withdrawing from the temple, but instead of following them out of the building he cuts through the crowd, using them to shield himself from the eyes on the stage, not that many were on him.  Then, as they finally all round on the 'bold-faced woman' Xurizu takes the last few steps into a shadowy alcove.  He'd prefer to be further away from Dashu, but he doesn't dare risk the shadows beneath the Mon, not when that would bring him potentially into Zerabia's field of view.  Then he might be recognised for who he truely is.

So he settles for the safer shadow, wrapping just a little of his anima around him to hide himself...
[Private to Gatekeeper; Loremaster: Hiding, which is Dex+Stealth.  Or, well, Dex x2 (with Excellency dice).  I'll roll, and you can roll stunt dice if relevant. 5 sux without stunt, though.]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Tue 17 Mar 2009.

"Excuse me, master monk. I've just transferred in, and besides, I'm just another worker, another face in the crowd that dutifully comes for mass." Nanaret ducks her head humbly, mentally preparing herself to speak the lie. It is something she does, donning personalities like throwaway outfits, crafted with embellished truths and outright falsities. Whether it would stand up to the sharp senses of an Earth Master remains to be seen. But she'd opened her mouth -- and she'd finish what she started, one way or another.

Even Ranavalona would agree.

"I'm Bryn, Conclave Miner #5503, if you prefer. But I'm not the first to wonder the things I have asked. I'm just the one who dared to speak it out loud, and I'm not much good at keepin' my mouth shut when I ought. All I thought was that, were I in the collar being forced to choke for my ideas, would I want someone with the voice and the courage to stand up for me?"

"I mean no disrespect." Of course I do, Nanaret's thoughts fill in, though her words are delivered earnestly as she lets her gaze drop to the bottom stair of the dais. "I just hope today's leaders don't become the monsters they preach against. If that's out of line, then I'll take the blame. Just don't hurt that woman no more." She prostrates herself then, on her knees like Dreams is, and bows her head. It's a calculated risk, but besides wanting to cover for the others... she has her own reasons for refusing to let someone be tortured in front of her eyes.

[Private to GM: Well, I'm going with Mask of White Jade with +wp if he tries to test if I'm lying. Otherwise, I think I'll just roll whatever it is I need to to try and convince Gerrun to stop harming Dreams, and channel Conviction into it.]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Wed 18 Mar 2009.

Dashu and Xurizu both believe they have managed to safely hide in the alcoves, though they are also certain that they ought not to risk moving at all while Gerrun is in the room. Even distracted as he is, he very nearly saw them. The collared girl, the younger one, is also another wild card.

While they remain ensconced in their hiding place, Gerrun stares down at Nanaret with a look of cold certainty. "Zerabia. This one is definitely a Lunar Anathema."

"Is that so?" says blonde, bell-ornamented Zerabia, drawing a jade and adamant circlet from invisible space, this one with moonsilver tracery. It glitters forbiddingly in her palm. "I've yet to collect one of my own..."

Gerrun rubs his chin. "Yet she speaks honestly. I do not think she knows what she is." He moves closer to the Lunar crouched at the foot of the dais. "Do you?" he addresses Nanaret. "Come quietly, and this will be painless. Otherwise... Zerabia will release her pet, and none of us want that."

Mourning Bell beams with disturbing enthusiasm as the remaining gathered mortals finally begin to clear out, realizing this situation is well beyond them.

[Private to Saina Nanaret: Well, I assume Nanaret would fight getting caught again. Basically--he used the DB Awareness pinnacle which allows him to analyze your Essence. Also means he basically... increased your Charm costs by 4m, eww. But I'll give you a chance to prepare a charm anyway. I'd recommend trying Mirror Sight Dismay.] [Private to Peleps Dashu; Ledaal Xurizu: ok, I already have permission from Nanaret that it's all right should she get collared again. We'll try to make it work, one way or another. For now she does have a chance (slim but possible!) to get out of this situation without combat or running.]

Dreams slowly rose from a crouch as Gerrun approached the kneeling Lunar, getting ready to move. She saw Zerabia pull out something from the air, saw the moonsilver, and yelled, "Beware of the circlet!"

Nanaret resists the cold clenching feeling gripping her stomach. The circlet. She knows what it means to be collared, though Dreams may not realize it. Before her escape, she was made into the star of the Pit, bade to dispose of the sins of those who experimented with lives and genetics. All in the guise of entertainment.

Her hands were stained in blood for the sins of others. And these Dragon-blooded would dare stain them further?!

Stalling for time, she slowly lifts her head from her prostrate position, her expression a mix of bewilderment and surprise. "Er... I'm sorry? I'm not sure what you're accusing me of. I get it if you think I've spoken out of line. But I'm not the only citizen who would, given a chance."

How Nanaret manages to keep a straight face with the accusation laid upon her is a mix of long practice and determination. She did not cultivate her ability for misdirection in order to cause harm or to profit from it, but to protect what is dear to her: her identity, her freedom, her ideals; the few who may deserve her love and trust, and the fewer that earn it. Truth can be used as a weapon, and Nanaret does not easily hand such an advantage to anyone. Until she acknowledges it as such, an accusation is not truth, but an opinion to be manipulated.

"Please enlighten me, sir. What makes an 'Anathema' in the eyes of the Order? Is it the act of speaking my mind? Is it because I protest slavery and torture? Are Anathema just folks who believe in individual freedom?" Nanaret allows her posture to gradually straighten, as if gaining boldness and courage with each sentiment spoken. "You teach us to fear the label, but I think you're the scared ones. 'Specially if your first instinct against dissent is to cry 'Anathema'. I mean, come on. What citizen could have faith in those who don't trust their own people? We're only subservient out of fear of being collared, and that don't last forever."

"The truth, master monk, is that you underestimate the power of people. I'm not moon-mad or sun-cursed. Don't need pretty lights or magic to point out injustice." She rises up to her feet again, visibly steeling herself for the blows she suspects may come. "I'm just a rebel playing hero. And that's how I'll go down."

[Private to GM: Using Mirror Sight Dismay! Channeling conviction or valor (whichever is appropriate) into it and stunting with all I've got because I really want to fool these guys. Also... I'd like to attempt stunt learning Flawless Manipulation Focus and putting in a +2 specialty for Deceptions. Since it's already a favored attribute I figure there is no training time needed? Let me know if it is possible!]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Thu 19 Mar 2009.

"Enough of your words, Trickster. Nothing you can say now can save you from your fate." As clever and well-chosen her words are, Gerrun sees right through Nanaret's misdirection. He refuses to acknowledge any criticism she may have of the Immaculates, shaking his head sharply. "If you wish to speak of trust, you ought first to be worthy of it."

He holds Nanaret's gaze as he strides down the dais steps, clearly intending to grab hold of her before she can escape the collar Zerabia now brings towards her.

---

OOC: Assuming Nanaret won't just let herself get captured (I doubt it!), it's time for Join Battle. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: You can roll for Dreams too. Though she's got no Essence access, Gerrun will have his attention split.] [Private to Ledaal Xurizu; Peleps Dashu; Saina Nanaret: Unfortunately RPoL is really hating on big dice pools today, so Nanaret just didn't roll high enough. :( It happens! BTW, since this scene happens after the Conclave scene where Dashu and Xurizu meet with Mockingbird, you could still have a way out with him if you end up joining the battle. If you'd prefer to wait and know how that goes, we can arrange that with Loremaster first.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:30, Thu 19 Mar 2009.

Dreams finished rising to her feet and lunged between the stranger and Zerabia in an attempt to intercept the circlet. As dearly as she'd love to kill Gerrun, that collar was the bigger threat to the Lunar.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 09:06, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 4 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,10,9. JB.]

Nanaret's first instinct is to step back, away from the dais.

"Sorry to hear you're so certain," she replies, not completely dropping the mannerisms of 'Bryn'. Better that these Dragon-bloods -- and that strange pet the blonde one keeps -- don't connect her with the 'Princess of the Pit'. "Just when this was starting to be a comfortable place to stay! I was about to say this might be a better job for the Peace Force, and we could've all gone our separate ways. But I guess it's too late for that now, eh?" Nanaret sighs and shakes her head as if pitying the Immaculate Master and his sorceress acquaintance.

"Then I'll just have to oblige you by playing along." She hopes that Dashu and Xurizu will stay hidden, no matter what happens. But she certainly can't be sure what Dreams will do. If only we could get her collar off right away.

The woman who introduced herself as 'Bryn' stops in the middle of the aisle, midway between the pulpit and the front doors, to make her stand. A coruscating silver light with darker blue highlights bathes her as her nails elongate to claws, and her skin toughens like hard leather. She flexes her fingers, cracking them audibly, and settles into a ready stance. "Let's make it a good show, friends."

[Private to GM: On my turn (unless I'm allowed to start earlier) I'll activate my combo and up my soak, also hybrid shift for another 1L/1B soak, claws, and impossible joints, just in case!

21:53, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 3 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,1,5,6,4,10. Join Battle (temple).]

Dashu remains hidden.  Inside he wanted to stand and fight with his friend, but the advantage they had to exploit here was not one strength, but one of surprise.  Now was not the time to make his presence know, or at least so he though.

Gerrun is just a moment too slow to react. Unconcerned, Zerabia lifts a hand sheathed in a glove of essence spider silk, embedded with green jade filaments designed to resemble ivy vines wrapped around the palm and back of the hand. The filaments join to a faceted crystal at the palm and extend down to a dainty solid jade wristcuff. From the crystal she generates a ropy length of warm green essence -- a force whip, adapted from the designs of Vine Dragon armor.

She flicks her wrist, sending the whip flying toward Nanaret in order to bind her arms tight around her body. "It stings more if you resist," the blonde Dragon-blood says with an inviting smile, holding the collar firmly in her other gloved hand. [Private to Saina Nanaret: 6 successes which is probably a miss, I think?]

The temple doors shut with a bang. The pews ought to be empty, but someone, a man with unevenly cropped scarlet hair, seems intent on remaining. Dashu, Xurizu and Nanaret recognize his face and features, but it is strange to see him still sitting there, as they remember him to be a meek man.

---

OOC: actions
tick 0 - ???
tick 2 - Zerabia, Dreams-of-Light
tick 3 - Nanaret
tick 4 - Gerrun, Mourning Bell
tick 5 - Water acolytes (2)

Dashu, Xurizu are holding action and in hiding.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: How I usually handle combat: I tend to summarize chunks of actions at once, and I'm not strict about people posting in exact tick order. When I resolve the actions in my Storyteller post, though, I resolve them in the correct order. I also encourage players to post their defense(s) and their following action in the same post, whenever appropriate. These are just things I do to speed up the slowness of Exalted combat in PbP.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:35, Mon 23 Mar 2009.

The man - that Nanaret, Dashu and Xurizu remember as the meek and unassuming man who had spoken to them shortly before they passed the checkpoint, remains seated on the pew, eyes cast down and fidgeting nervously with a wool cap he holds in his lap. He is jarringly out of place there, seemingly caught in the battle of powers between Bryn, Gerrun, Zerabia, and Dreams-of-Light.

"I don't... I don't think... I don't think you should say... and do... that sort of stuff... Not in church, I mean." Fear is present in every syllable he speaks, and his voice wavers with every sentence fragment he utters. He never looks up as he says the words, however, almost as if not looking might actually serve to protect him.

The man continues to fidget with his wool cap, but surprisingly makes no move to leave. He stays on his pew, looking downwards...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Using Sidereal Shell Games to steal soak from Gerrun while using the words as a distraction. Stealing 5 from his Lethal Soak.]

Nanaret dodges sinuously as the force whip attempts to slither its way around her. She does not move her feet as much as simply bend, twist and fold out of the way with preternatural flexibility, providing the whip too supple and fluid a surface to wrap around.

When the whip retracts, she straightens her back and gazes plainly at Zerabia. "Really sorry, lady Dragon-blood, but I've got better things to do. People to help, places to go... you know what I mean?" Without wasting another breath, she rushes for Gerrun, reminding herself mentally: this is no mutant, he is more than toughened flesh and bone, and biological tricks. This is no pit-fight, not for entertainment, but to save my life -- and another's.

The Lunar leads in with a front kick to the face, more to distract than to damage. She moves in close, immediately putting him on the defensive, giving him as little space as possible to retaliate. Her hands strike nearly simultaneously: the right slams into his midsection, her fingers hooked to dig her elongated nails into his flesh. The left rakes boldly at his neck, latching under his right ear and slashing across the throat.

[Private to GM: Trying to stunt to defend (need 1 more DV). Otherwise I will spend 3m to use Serpentine Evasion (combo) and add +2 Dodge DV. Then I'll flurry 3 times on Gerrun... first strike, no essence. Second and third I will put 4m Dex Excellency (again, combo!) on each.]

Dreams darted to the left, lunging towards a surprised monk with a set of tiger claws in his belt. The youth was trying to put them on as the Zenith dived for them.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 09:50, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,8,3,3,5,7. Dex + MA, Disarm.

Since Dreams' style is Tiger, I thought I'd take the liberty of grabbing a set from some monk. ;)]

Nanaret's initial kick actually seems to take Gerrun by surprise. The impact snaps his head back, bruising his chin and dislocating his jaw. (3B) He blocks the claw strike going for his abdomen, forcing Nanaret's arm down with the force of his parry. Nanaret's second swipe very nearly nicks his flesh, but he pushes aside the Lunar's clawed hand by sheer force of will, refusing her the privilege of first blood.

"Hmph. Very good." Gerrun lifts his hand and pops his jaw back into place without showing a single sign of pain. The skin where Nanaret hit him is visibly purpling, but it doesn't seem to faze him much at all. "A Trickster who can fight. Let us see how well you fare." Staring down the Uncollared Anathema, he takes a deep breath and seeks his meditative center. The Katas of Earth are as natural to him as breathing, and as slow-moving as they may be, they are precise, powerful and insurmountable.

"Let us begin." With a final exhalation, Gerrun stops in a wide, low stance with his fists clenched at his sides, the completion of the Earth Dragon Form.

Mourning Bell stands beside Zerabia, awaiting her orders. "Shall I show her my darkness, Mistress?" Her pale blue eyes shine with excitement as she lifts her hands. Tendrils of black Essence congeal at her fingertips. "Soon, soon," replies Zerabia, her whip held coiled in her right hand. "Let the master do his posturing first. But remember, dear, no killing. This one will be part of my collection."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Wed 08 Apr 2009.

"Good, that's showing him,"  Dashu thought as Nanaret landed the kick, he then turned his attention to the nervous man who dared to stand before the fight of an Immaculate and an uncollared "Anathama."  "What's up with this guy?"

Dreams tries to snatch the acolyte's weapons, but unfortunately he sees her in time to dodge away from her. He, and the other young monk still lingering in the vicinity, manage to arm themselves without further trouble.

The one Dreams just tried to disarm makes a grab for her, to keep her from moving around, but actually manages to miss! [Private to Dreams-of-Light: he only got 2 successes.]

The other claw-wielding acolyte goes to the pew where the nervous scarlet haired man is sitting. "Sir," she says firmly, "it is dangerous here. Come with me and I will escort you outside."

---

OOC: actions
tick 6 - ???
tick 7 - Zerabia, Dreams-of-Light
tick 8 - Nanaret
tick 10 - Gerrun
tick 11 - Water acolytes (2)

Mourning Bell is holding action.

"I... umm..." The man's eyes raise to meet those of the acolyte, even though he obviously cannot stop his fidgeting, his hands still nervously grabbing and twitching over the cap in his lap. "I don't think... I don't think leaving's... a good idea." He says, somehow maintaining eye-contact with the acolyte throughout. "W-With all due respect, of course..." He adds, quickly, as an addendum.

"I just... really really think I should... I should stay."

[Private to Gatekeeper: Using Thought-Swiping Distraction to make the acolyte blank out. Stretching out revealing one's true nature FTW!]

This man's behaivor towards the situation truely was baffling Dashu at this point and he began in in depth study of him to see if he had missed something about him earlier.

[Private to GM: 11:24, Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 8 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,4,10,7,9,10,9,6,7. Perc + Awareness. ]

From his concealment in the shadows, Xurizu activates the Instinctive Essence Prediction, to better see what magics those in the fight are employing so he can decide how and if to act with more certainty.
[Private to Gatekeeper; Loremaster: 4m.  Whenever anyone I can see activates a charm, I get to roll Perception+Essence (diff of charm min ess).  On success, I get a general description of the charms effects.  E:tL pg 179]

As soon as the scarlet haired man meets the eyes of the female acolyte, she stares back at him blankly. A look of bewilderment covers her face. "What... was I doing?" Her eyes dart around her surroundings, until they focus on the most obvious conflict. She moves away from the nervous man to support Gerrun in a rush, as if noticing Nanaret for the first time. [Private to Peleps Dashu: You remember the scarlet haired man, he had spoken up back when you were first entering the Conclave. Though timid, he had actually been one of the few who spoke in favor of the Celestials. You study every detail you can see about him but all you come away with is a vague feeling that he seems to be more than what he appears to be. His clothes seem a touch too new, as if they had been purposefully worn out rather than through time and use.]

Closer to the pulpit, Zerabia lifts her free hand. For now she now keeps the collar meant for Nanaret as something of a glorified bangle bracelet, obviously deactivated. Toxic green energy collects at the crystal lens embedded in her left glove as floral vines of green and purple-tinged Essence twine up her slender arm.

She strikes with the whip first, intending to tangle or at least distract Nanaret with the weapon. As the solid rope of green essence threatens to wrap around Nanaret's limbs again, Zerabia hurls the energy coalescing at her palm. The Lunar is forced to evade the whip's embrace while contending with the blast of green Essence careening toward her face! [Private to Saina Nanaret: You're currently at -3 DV. The attacks on you are 5 sux (whip), 8 sux (ele bolt).] [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Zerabia is using an elemental bolt. Not too tough to figure that one out. Since it's Wood essence you expect the effect to include some sort of toxin.]

Dreams planted her foot against the side of the wall next to the monk who had tried to grab her as she overextended her lunge before tucking into a backwards somersault over his inevitable attempt to clinch her. She spun tightly and drove her fist towards the monk's throat... just as Immaculates themselves were educated.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 19:53, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,6,10,3,6,7,6. Dex + MA. ]

Nanaret bends backward when Zerabia's whip strikes again, shedding silver and blue-shadowed Essence. She dips so low she arches her back and touches her hands to the ground behind her, resting them flat on the cold marble floor. Rocking backward onto her elbows, she lifts her legs off the floor and rolls her limbs and torso into a ball, her joints bending at angles that ought to be impossible for a normal human. Then she rises to her feet and pops her joints effortlessly back into place.

That, of course, doesn't save her from the essence blast coming at her next. "Uh oh!" Rather than make things more complicated, Nanaret just ducks. Her anima flares iconic, its form that of a capering aye-aye, a type of lemur formed in silver with details filled in with bluish purple shadow. A phantasmal simian face with wide, luminous eyes lingers in the spot where Nanaret's head would have been, taking the brunt of the sickly green blast.

"Well, then." Nanaret shakes her (real) head comically as the iconic display briefly dissipates, the bluish-purple shadows fading last. Her dark eyes focus on Gerrun, though Zerabia was the one who nearly blasted off her face. "Time to dance." She assumes a wary stance, her limbs and footwork continually shifting in a slow, hypnotic pattern to distract her opponents.

[Private to GM: Keeping track of my expenditure... my combo was 1 wp, my soak charm was 3m and my hybrid shapeshift was 3m. Then I got 4m back from stunt. Then another 8m to attack, and another +4m stunt. Therefore I've spent 6m 1wp before this action.

Trying to stunt at least a +1 defense, again. Then I'll use Serpentine Evasion on both attacks, 1 WP if needed on the whip attack, and combo to add 5m Dex Excellency to my DV for the bolt attack. That's 11 more motes! (Since I'm dodging, I start at 2 DV and 1 DV. With all the charms, I get 2+2=4(5 with WP) DV and 1+2+5=8 DV. Got 5 sux on the excellency.)

Finally, for Nanaret's actual turn, I'll activate Snake Form. Another 5m gone. Ouch. So total expenditure is 22m 2wp before stunt.]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:02, Tue 24 Mar 2009.

Once again Zerabia's whip fails to capture Nanaret. Her Essence blast comes much closer, but by miraculous luck (or perhaps the will of Luna) the bolt of toxic energy completely passes over the Lunar's head. Nonetheless, it took what appears to be a significant burst of power for Nanaret just to protect herself, and Gerrun has yet to even begin his attack.

"A Snake stylist, I see," comments the Earth Master mildly. "You should take care not to expend yourself so quickly. Yet how else can you possibly protect yourself? One strike would be enough to end your futile revolution."

"It is a shame you must even try." Unlike Nanaret, Gerrun's style is not so much limber or acrobatic as it is pure, disciplined power. He unloads a pair of heavy-handed, bone-crushing punches directly at Nanaret's body, surmounting her defenses by sheer force as the ground rumbles under his footsteps and the air itself ripples in the wake of his fists. [Private to Saina Nanaret: Flurry of two attacks at 7 sux and 7 sux.]

The acolyte Dreams faces off with just barely manages to dodge the fist at his throat, ducking hastily to one side before attempting to get a hold of her again. With each of his hands he attempts to grasp her forearms and wrench them behind her. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: Two clinch attempts, 5 sux and 4 sux. (This weak acolyte happened to roll well!) Of course only one needs to succeed for you to be held. If you are clinched, you can roll to break free at tick 17.]

The female acolyte still looks a little dazed, and hangs back, trying to decide whether she'd just be in the way of Gerrun and Zerabia's fight.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: A lot of charms happened and you rolled well enough to see them all! Nanaret used three of them. Her combo was Dexterity Excellency, which you'd know as you have that charm also, and a Snake style charm that makes her body more limber, also aiding defense. For her turn she activated Snake Form.

Gerrun used a combo of his own. 2nd Martial Arts Excellency + a charm infused with immobilizing Earth Essence, which you're certain will root Nanaret in place like a statue, should that Essence successfully touch her.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 11 - Nanaret (after form charm)
tick 12 - ???, Dreams-of-Light (if not clinched)
tick 13 - Zerabia
tick 15 - Gerrun
tick 17 - Water acolyte (clinching Dreams)

Holding action: Mourning Bell, Dashu, Xurizu, Water acolyte (watching battle)

"Fighting's what makes me feel alive," Nanaret says. Rather than facing Gerrun's attack directly, she sidesteps and blocks, letting her forearm slide across his to divert the immense force he exerts on her to one side. The motion forces him to divert the trajectory of the second punch, and she uses the weakened position to her advantage, again blocking to push aside rather than catch his fists. Much to his frustration she seems to slip around his punches, as elusive as the snake she emulates. [Private to GM: Trying to stunt it! I'll expend a WP on the second block just in case.]

"Call it a revolution if you want, but I'm just one woman. I am Free..." she drops the name, hoping the mere mention of it would distract her attackers "...and I'd like to stay that way. Is that too much to ask?"

(OOC: defending first, I'll take my action once I see whether I'm demolished or not :P)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:37, Wed 25 Mar 2009.

Gerrun's punches pass Nanaret harmlessly -- but barely so. Nanaret feels the sleeves of her worksuit tatter at the forearms just from nearly touching the Earth energy channeled into his fists. He does not show any sign of frustration, though, simply straightens and readies himself both physically and spiritually for the next attack. His expression is one of cold calm and certainty.

Zerabia, on the other hand, laughs delightedly at the mention of 'Free'. "We already know who he is and where he will strike next. Free is no legend. Like you... he is just another man." [Private to Dreams-of-Light: By the way, you would know she is bluffing, as you overheard her and Gerrun talking about wanting to lure Free out. So she doesn't really know who or where 'Free' is.]

Nanaret steps forward as if to strike at Gerrun again, baring her claws, but at the last minute pivots abruptly away from him.

You're going to call for me again, says Ranavalona, her smug words penetrating Nanaret's thoughts.
I must choose between capture and temporary insanity? Which you think I will choose?
Ranavalona answers with cruel, knowing laughter. The choice that will keep you alive.

Luna's brilliance engulfs her. The temple interior is bathed in silver-and-blue light, her aye-aye anima dancing with all the fickleness of the shifting phases of the moon: on one foot, then the other, leaping onto its hands, backflipping back to its feet, pirouetting gleefully. The display is so strange and mesmerizing that Nanaret herself appears more vaguely defined, though her body is still most definitely on the move, somewhere in the flicker of silver, shadow, silver, shadow, silvershadowsilvershadow...

"I said nothing of legend," Ranavalona utters through Nanaret. She abruptly appears inches away from Zerabia's face, emerging from the interplay of brightness and penumbra. Four sharpened claws strike at the base of her Essence whip, swatting the magitech annoyance aside. "Now can you fight without your toys?" [Private to GM: Sorry for all the setup, but I'm doing two things this turn - Activate Relentless Lunar Fury, and attempt a single attack to disarm Zerabia's whip.]

Dashu curses to himself.  "There goes the last shred of hope for subtlety, but maybe not surprise."  With that Dashu darkens, as though he's wrapping shadows around himself.  If anyone saw him they would immediately know he was using essence... IF anyone saw him.  Using the shadows cast by Nanaret's flaring anima, Dashu leaves his hidding place and creeps towards the collared Zenith while trying to stay out of sight.  It was not an easy task but he figured this is the best distraction he could hope to get.  As he reached Dreams-of-Light who was still clinched, he then made an attempt to look at the device which bound her essence without being seen by her assailant.

[Private to GM: Activating Ebon Shadow Form and my 10m anima power (and spending 1m to keep from flaring) to add 2 to the difficulty of noticing me.

What's the roll for looking at the collar?

Stunt for the stealth?

Also, now would be the time to ask, I assumed I had brought my claws along and they're hidden on my person... good assumption or no?

Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 3 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,6,9,5,5,1,6,9,3,9,2. dex + stealth.
]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:11, Wed 25 Mar 2009.

Dreams remained still within the monk's clinch, her eyes wide as she witnessed the Lunar's transformation. At the mention of Free, she laughed and said, "So why are you and Gerrun so keen on luring him out then?"

"I... I think... I think that's because..." The red-haired man gets up on wobbly legs, almost on cue with Dreams-of-Light's question. He holds his cap against his stomach, still fiddling with it nervously as he takes a step forward. His posture is bowed by fear, his head dug into his shoulders, and yet somehow there he stands, mere feet from the battle. He lifts his head slowly, fighting against the shakes that threaten to overwhelm him, and he gazes straight at the battling Exalts.

"I think that's because... because... because they fear him."

The man's demeanor changes almost in the blink of an eye. His posture and back straighten. His shaking subside, and his shoulders release. In but a moment, the fear is gone. The man looks the same, and yet his attitude makes him seem like a completely different person. "Or rather, they fear what he represents. They fear freedom, as a concept. That's why they need to capture him. So they can remind everyone that they are the ones to be feared."

The man tosses the cap aside, gazing straight at the immaculate monk... Beneath them, a set of five knives is revealed, the weapons spinning upwards as if tossed by a juggler. While the blades are still in the air, the man gestures towards Gerrun, and in the wake of his hand, a symbol looking like a stylized white eye opens... and reality itself seems to unravel momentarily unmaking part of the monk - and making a slight cut appear on the redhead's arm.

"Here, Gerrun, sir." The man says, deftly plucking the set of knives from the air in one swift maneuver. "Have some of your fear back."

[Private to Gatekeeper: Using Unweaving Method on Gerrun.]

Zerabia looks stunned for just a moment before her face retains its impenetrable smile. She snatches her whip-hand back, and Nanaret's claws pass harmlessly in front of her. "You'll have to try harder than that," she says chidingly, holding her hand out palm up, where the whip extends through the crystal embedded there. The woman's hand would have to be cut right off for something like that to be disarmed. "Mourning Bell!"

The girl responds quickly, disturbingly eager to be of service. She steps in front of her mistress, releasing the tendrils of dark Essence she holds. Her nails elongate into wickedly curved bone claws, and she beams with pleasure over how grotesque her hands have become. "Let's play!"

Dashu manages to slip into position next to Dreams. However, he has an acolyte in the way to deal with before he can so much as get a glimpse at her collar. The man currently has Dreams' arms pinned behind her in a clinch, meaning that his back is exposed. Fortunately for the Night Caste, the acolyte (as well as any of the hostiles in the room) is totally oblivious to his presence.  [Private to Peleps Dashu: Well, you got +2 stunt, and your total stealth roll was 8 successes (with the anima and your extra 3 successes from stunt dice). I'll have to say no on the claws. Nanaret didn't bring her weapons either; it wouldn't have gotten through the checkpoint, anyway. The only weapons you'll have are mining-related: a pickaxe (treat as hatchet) or a hammer. That said, if you're going to quickly get rid of the acolyte I deem it's quite possible, as he has DV 0. Might want to try clinching him in return, so he'll let go of Dreams and you can control him from making noise if your first attack doesn't knock him out. That's my suggestion anyway!

Once you do your initial attack on the acolyte, if that's what you want to do, I'll put you into the tick count. If you can get Dreams free, the roll to look at the collar is Int+Lore.]

Further complicating the situation is the unexpected shift in demeanor of the red-haired man. Suddenly he is impossible to ignore, willfully entering the conflict with the unknown but considerable power he exerts upon Gerrun. None present have ever seen anything quite like that strange, pale eye, least of all the Earth Master himself, who is immediately struck with a deep and grievous wound. Part of his flesh on his right shoulder down toward his chest simply... disintegrates. It does not bleed, or tear, but splits in fine lines like cracked stone and crumbles away into nothingness, leaving his right arm mostly useless. (5A)

Gerrun lets out a groan of pain, too startled by the sudden attack to stifle it. His next words come laboriously: "Who ARE you?"

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: MORE charm use.
- Nanaret activated a Charm that unleashes her fury. It allows her to access higher levels of combat prowess... at the cost of losing herself to the hunt.
- Dashu activated a Charm that makes him more difficult to see and hit.
- Mourning Bell used a Charm whose effects are pretty obvious (grows claws. Changed this, was too complicated to give her two different weapons.)
- The scarlet-haired man used a Charm of esoteric origins. It does not directly harm the body but actually harms... you can only think of it as Gerrun's right to exist. The Charm literally threatens to unmake him.]

---

OOC: I'll write actions for NPCs next time, but you can at least post a reaction to what just happened, even if you can't act right away.

tick 13 - Zerabia, Mourning Bell
tick 15 - Gerrun
tick 16 - Nanaret
tick 17 - Water acolyte (clinching Dreams)
tick 18 - ???

Holding action: Xurizu, Water acolyte (watching battle)
Imminent surprise attack: Dashu
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:39, Sat 28 Mar 2009.

Dashu reaches down and takes the assailant of the collared woman in a chokehold, both cutting off air supply and covering his mouth.  He then violently pulls the man behind the and squeezes his essence fulled hands until he starts to feel the stress on the man's neck.

[Private to GM: Clich Attack using Martial Arts Excellency.  Glad I activated my Infinite Master before I came in.  +4 Sux.

Peleps Dashu rolled 10 successes using 9d10 ... with rolls of 0,8,10,2,9,2,10,9,9. Dex + MA: clinch attack.

total attack sux: 14

Dealing lethal damage as per my form charm.

Peleps Dashu rolled 13 successes using 16d10 with rolls of 4,4,9,9,6,7,7,1,9,9,8,10,1,10,7,8. Damage Roll for Clinch.

Damage sux: 11

Hope he's got a high soak.
]
This message was last edited by the player at 23:06, Thu 26 Mar 2009.

Dreams remained stock still within the monk's hands, laughing at the wound on Gerrun's arm. "Have you embraced the pain yet?" she taunted.

A few seconds of pressure from Dashu's firm grip is enough to snap the unsuspecting acolyte's neck. He is dead before he hits the ground, incidentally freeing Dreams' arms as well. [Private to Peleps Dashu; Dreams-of-Light: Both of your next actions will be on tick 17, I'll give you leeway to at least say something quietly to each other, though.]

"Thank you," whispered Dreams to the stranger.

Zerabia's mouth opens in an 'o' of surprise until her eyes narrow, staring down the previously meek red-haired man. "I know what you are, at least, even if not who. Errant Starchosen, whyfor do you defy the Coils? It is one of your own that made all this possible, after all." The Dragon-blood woman allows her attunement to the whip to fade, her anima flaring in an explosion of green leaves and purple foxglove blooms. The crystal foci on the palms of her gloves glow a bright and startling sapphire, echoed by another unseen object pulsing beneath the clothing on her chest, as she weaves what is most definitely some form of sorcery.

Mourning Bell's small form surges with another flare of purple-black Essence, billowing into a dark miasma almost double her height, with a multitude of shadowed eyes and claws protruding from its amorphous body. Something from a child's nightmare, yet she is the center of it, lashing out at Nanaret with a pair of phantom claw-strikes that exude a chilling cold, then shoving her forcefully backward. The warning is clear: stay away from my mistress. [Private to Saina Nanaret: 7 sux, 6 sux, 4 sux. Your DV before Charms/WP/Channels is halved(round up).]

Gerrun forces himself to stand straight, disregarding the pain in his partially-unmade arm as he settles back into the Earth Dragon Style's wide, stable stance. "Pain is not pleasure for me. It is a lesson," he asserts boldly. "Nel!" The acolyte close to the rear of the room snaps immediately to attention. "Go. Raise the alarms."

As the female acolyte hurries for the rear door, the Earth Master calmly and deliberately lowers himself to a prostrate position. His head bows low to the earth, his forehead touching the marble. "Pasiap, I consecrate this battle in your name. Grant me the strength to defeat the cursed Anathema, so that they may find peace in service or in death. Grant me the endurance to meet their hatred and recklessness with the certainty of faith." As he utters the prayer his skin stiffens and petrifies, and his hands and feet grow sharp, jagged rock ridges, transforming him into a literal warrior of Earth.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: man, you just never fail these rolls :P Mourning Bell did a combo. It has both an offensive and defensive component. What you see offensively is an effect that makes her strikes ghostly and thus bypass some of the defender's ability to block or dodge it. Also, an extra action charm. You think Nana might get really hurt by this.

Gerrun's charm is the Earth Dragon pinnacle. And Zerabia is using something that allows her to cast a Celestial spell. Your knowledge of Occult makes you pretty certain she probably couldn't power more than one. I'll still rule you have to roll Int+Occult to actually figure what the spell is supposed to be though.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 16 - Nanaret (after defending)
tick 17 - Dashu, Dreams-of-Light
tick 18 - ???, Zerabia (still shaping sorcery), Mourning Bell
tick 21 - Gerrun

Holding action: Xurizu
Retreating: Water acolyte

After snapping the the unsuspecting man's neck, Dashu held onto his limp body just long enough to control its fall to the ground.  That way it made no sound as it hit the cold hard stone of the temple floor.

With no words he nodded to the collared woman in acknowledgment of her thanks.  He then held one finger to his mouth and pursed his lips slightly.  He then pointed at the woman laying at his feet and then behind a pillar.  Finally he made a motion that looked like he was grabbing his own throat and then he dramatically released his grip.

Suddenly, Dashu heard Gerrun bark his orders for the last acolyte to raise the alarm.  "This is bad," he thought to himself.  With a final hand flourish pointing Dreams behind the pillar, Dashu took off after the retreating acolyte hoping Xurizu would be long shortly to help Dreams with the collar.  He was better at those things than Dashu anyway.

Dashu then began making his way as quietly as possible to intercept the retreating Water Acolyte.  Having the alarm raised would drastically impair their ability to escape.  Dashu moved deliberately through the temple, trying to keep his weight low so that he could use the pews, seats and furniture as cover.  However, he moved directly towards his intercept point.  He took advantage of all the shade and shadow he could find, doing his best to time his movements of the shadows cast by the flickering lights of candles, charms, and flaring animas.

While he was making his way to his new target, Dashu took a moment to think about this Mourning Bell.  She wasn't anything he knew about.  He had initially felt like they should try and rescue her since she wore a collar.  However, there was something about her that disturbed him.

[Private to GM:

Making a series of reflexive move actions until my next action to try and catch the escapee.

Peleps Dashu rolled 2 successes using 12d10 ... with rolls of 1,6,4,9,4,8,3,6,1,1,4,1. Dex + Stealth Roll.

Difficulty 4 to notice Dashu due to his anima effect.

I'll post my attack when I know if I'm able to get to him in time. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:54, Sat 28 Mar 2009.

She's going to cast ... Celestial Circle Sorcery?  How?  That isn't possible, not for her!  Never the less, that was what Xurizu saw with his charm enhanced vision.  Something was letting her do the impossible.  And it was an impossibility he couldn't allow to happen.  To allow the battle magics of that circle to be unleashed here could see all of them dead or captured.

So he starts to work his own magic, wrapping himself in concealing darkness, and pressed back into the shadows, hoping that people will be too distracted by the shaping already going on, by the ongoing battle, as he weaves reality together once more.

He hopes he'll be on time.

---

OOC: Entering the combat on tick 16 with Shape Sorcery (Flying Guillotine)

Nanaret, fully possessed by Ranavalona, gnashes her teeth in irritation. Who is that scarlet-haired fool throwing his strange Essence around? She had more of a fighting chance before he stirred up his opponents with his little surprise. Now all of them are glowing with immense power, and even for the Bitch Queen, who thinks immensely highly of herself, being caught between three hostile Exalts is a dangerous situation.

She glares at the collared girl surrounded by black Essence. Something feels instinctively wrong about that darkness. If she judged only by appearances, the girl looks harmless, even vapid. But those bone claws are anything but toys... and they are coming straight for her.

"You think you can destroy me, little girl?" Ranavalona retorts sharply, her harsh tone and disdainful mannerisms nothing like the earnest and good-hearted 'Bryn'. This time she does not attempt to dodge or divert, but moves straight for her attacker, grasping through the phantom claws to confront the real, physical hands underneath. Risking cuts and worse, Rana blocks Mourning Bell's strikes palm to palm, pushing back with furious strength and determination. "This is nothing. You are nothing. A ghost playing at being one of the Chosen!"

Ranavalona spits in Bell's face, trying to make her flinch as she shoves back with an equal force of her own. "Crawl back to your mistress!"

(OOC: Really sorry for the delay. This is just my defense... attack post will come next.) [Private to GM: OK... I'm going to spend some precious XP to up Valor to 4 (9 more xp spent), then immediately channel it to try to boost my DV further. *Hopefully* making up for what stunt doesn't help.]

Nanaret's currently dominant personality meets force with force, relying not on Essence tricks but pure strength and bravery. She locks hands with Mourning Bell, and just barely pushes off every strike, remaining solidly on her feet. The girl doesn't even stop to wipe the spit from her face, but readies herself to press the attack, marking the Lunar as a significant threat. [Private to Saina Nanaret: +3 stunt.. another Loremaster ruling :) +1 from valor channel is just enough not to get hurt at all.]

Moving unnoticed through the temple is fortunately a relatively simple task at the moment, and an easy one for a Night Caste. The opponents facing Nanaret and the unnamed man are entirely too distracted to take heed of him. In particular, Gerrun is still in the midst of his pinnacle kata, and Zerabia's attention is taken up by spell shaping. [Private to Peleps Dashu: I still gave you a +2 stunt though, so you can get back some motes or willpower!]

However, Dashu finds that the female acolyte he is chasing has enough of a head start that he won't be able to catch her without slipping through the rear door with her.[Private to Peleps Dashu: The acolyte is dashing, at 9 yards/tick. That brings her to the door by tick 18, then opening the door slows her to 3 yards on tick 18, after which she continues to run at max speed. You're only moving 5 yards/tick. At that rate you'll make the door at tick 21. If you switch to a dash (which I assume you'll do or you'll have no chance of catching up in time) you'll get through the door before it closes by tick 19, and the acolyte will be 9 yards ahead of you. You could run her down in 5 ticks after that--or less, if you stunt/spend WP/channel virtue for your dash, or try to trip her up/distract her somehow. And you want it to be less, because the further you run, the more likely you'll run into more monks inside.] Beyond the door is a long corridor that ends in a T-intersection after about 30 yards.

Neither of the Dragon-bloods so much as send a glance in Xurizu's direction. Mourning Bell does, though, and the bone-clawed girl pauses uncertainly. "Mistress! Another sorcerer in the alcove!" With her attention caught between two, perhaps three threats to Zerabia, she shifts to a defensive stance instead, putting all her attention towards protecting the sorceress. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Though you've been discovered, the DBs are still too busy to act on it, and Mourning Bell is holding action rather than running for you as she has other more immediate threats in front of her. You can cast your spell in your next post, but it'll resolve after Nana, Dreams and unnamed redhead act.]

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: From your perspective, you see Dashu seem to melt into the shadows, you can no longer track his position. You do however glimpse the sorcerer in an alcove to your left who appears to be on your side.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 17 - Dreams-of-Light
tick 18 - ???, Zerabia (still shaping sorcery)
tick 19 - Dashu/acolyte chase
tick 21 - Xurizu (cast sorcery), Gerrun

Dashu is now chasing after the acolyte.
Mourning Bell is holding action to cover Zerabia.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:15, Thu 02 Apr 2009.

Dashu pushes forward as hard as he can to catch the running monk.  Fortunately no one noticed him.  With a push of will power he summoned his reserves of stamina and speed to help him move his fastest at longer periods of times.  It wasn't his muscles carrying him at that speed, it was his mind pushing his legs forward and his hands working like pistons.  His martial arts had taught him that the body moves faster and stronger when all muscels work at the same time.  He tried to apply that lesson here, timing his breath, legs, and arms to work as he would imagine the perfect sprint would.

Furthermore, all of this was quite difficult as he was trying to be as quiet as possible in his persuit of the monk.  He imagined himself being as swift and quiet as the night breeze.

As he shot through the closing door chasing the monk, Dashu brought his hand up making an arcane guesture and stands of shadow shot from his hands to dance in front of his target's eyes, hopefully causing his steps to falter if only slightly and leaving the monk open to attack.

When he reached striking distance, Dashu pushed forward in a mighty surge extending one leg in a sweep that hopefully would not only trip the monk and stop his retreat but cut ligament with refined essence.  Dashu then used his forward momentum to bring his elbow forward in a slicing spinning attack to the monks skull.

[Private to GM: Stunting, using a willpower and trying to distract him with my Distracting Fingure Guesture.  I'm switching to a Dash action.  If my turn has refreshed then I want to use my martial arts excellency to add 4 sux to both attacks.  In case it needs to be said, the attacks are intended to do lethal damage and I am aiming for an unexpected attack although I don't know how that'll work with the distraction.]
This message was last edited by the player at 19:45, Wed 01 Apr 2009.

Seeing Mourning Bell back down is of immense satisfaction to Ranavalona. Grinning with a feral delight, she bares her own claws to retaliate.

"That's right, coward." Rana stares down her new opponent, leaving Gerrun with his grunting and posing. For now, the girl oozing with darkness poses a more interesting fight than any upstart Dragon-blood trying to assume Celestial power. "Collar-wearer. You protect the ones that keep and corrupt you. Doesn't that make you angry? Doesn't that make you sick?"

She rushes at Bell with claws extended, bathed in another iconic anima burst of bright silver and deep blue. Detailed in the contrast of light and dark, the phantasmal aye-aye rolls its eyes back and dances with a wild, distracting ferocity, contrasting with the ruthlessly straightforward nature of Ranavalona's attacks. The Lunar slashes low with her right hand to rend the collared girl's abdomen, then thrusts her left hand to puncture the shoulder and rip down through the collarbone, her hands pulling opposite one another as if to tear the girl in three distinct parts. "You can't answer, can you??" Rana howls, cackling.

[Private to GM: Expenditure (all peripheral) is 16m, 4wp before this (opted for more motes back). Now I'll spend 4m each on the attacks. She's spilling a lot of motes but am hoping that since we're below ground with no windows it won't be seen anywhere.]

Dreams knelt down and picked up an iron brazier. She flung it in Zerabia's general direction, hoping to distract the sorceress and hope she lost track of her spell.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: Dreams has Str + Athletics 4. This isn't an attack, but an attempt to distract.]

Ranavalona claws viciously at Mourning Bell. The girl thrusts her arm in the way of the abdomen strike, but Rana manages to rip away a thin strip of cloth from her pretty dress, cutting an shallow line into the flesh above her stomach. (1L) Mourning Bell doesn't seem to react in the slightest to the sting of pain, though, and when Rana's second claw strike impacts with her collarbone, her flesh remains unbroken. [Private to Saina Nanaret: +2 stunt! But the damage rolled badly, sigh!]The collared girl stubbornly maintains her defensive position, her gaze sweeping the area alertly.

Dreams-of-Light tosses the brazier toward Zerabia, and gets the satisfaction of seeing the blonde woman flinch instinctively, but it does not interrupt her spell. Not even the battle between Rana and Bell at her flank, or the sorcerer casting from the alcove, manage to shake her concentration in the slightest.

The sapphire glow around Zerabia continues to build...

---

OOC: Unfortunately distraction without damage is only Wits+Occult diff 1! Ah well. Xurizu can toss his spell! Also, mystery man still can act.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:35, Thu 02 Apr 2009.

Dashu quickly follows the acolyte in rushing through the door, which slams shut behind them. She runs and would have continued running, if the darkness of the corridor beyond didn't make the flare of Night Essence from Dashu's fingertips suddenly impossible to ignore.

She turns. Maybe she would have extended her life span should she have just not paid attention. But she cannot help but stare at the shadowy tendrils swirling around his fingertips, so focused on it that she doesn't even realize he's disappeared back into the shadows until he comes at her with the sweeping kick. It connects, imbalancing her just before Dashu's elbow strike impacts hard with her head. (6L total)

The acolyte falls to the ground -- but unfortunately for Dashu she is still just barely conscious. Crawling backward from Dashu with an odd mix of fear and wonder in her eyes, knowing it's likely he will not miss her again, she shouts, "Anathema!!"

[Private to Peleps Dashu: ok, well, the distraction is Obvious--though technically she would not have seen you since she's running away, I gave you some leeway on that. I assumed you got her attention enough to make her stand still, then you rolled to reestablish surprise and attacked twice after that. Unfortunately, since Distracting Finger Gesture works at the beginning of your action, you didn't have time to use Excellency. However, you did get surprise. (Actually, you even got it with the initial 1 success I rolled for you, since your anima took care of the rest, but I rolled again anyway! Poor Dashu, always rolling low on stealth. ;.;)

Your gesture only distracted for 4 ticks, but your attack took 5... you act again on tick 24. But she could act at 23, and was able to get off a short shout of warning. It's possible no one heard but you know... gotta shut her up just in case. ;)]

"You claim that pain is a lesson, and yet you learn nothing out of it yourself." The red-haired man speaks, having now caught his knives from mid-air and standing in a wary stance. Three knives in his right hand, two in his left, he watches Gerrun impassibly, unmoved by the monk's sudden surge of power and his visible transformation.

For those who saw him before his sudden attack, the redhead could not look more different. Gone are the fear and meekness, replaced by an utmost sense of precision and almost detached professionalism. As bleak as the situation might seem, the man seems perfectly in his place there, among the danger and uncertainty.

"Pain is a reminder." He says, eyes affixed on those of the monk. "A reminder that cages made with pain and intimidation will never manage to hold forever. Sooner or later, a person's Will can emerge from the depths and break the barrier of fear and hurt. Corporeal punishment as a lesson? All you will accomplish, Gerrun sir, is reinforcing the next wave of those who will rise against you."

"After all..." the man says, in a tone and inflection that might seem oddly familiar to some, "There is more to freedom than that of the body."

The words have only left his mouth for half a second when the man makes his move. Wispy, almost ghostly essence a sickly green form around him as he retracts both hands towards the opposite hip, making it seem like a flock of ghostly presences have suddenly surged around him. The man gazes at Gerrun, and his muscles seem to tense.

I one swift motion, both his arms spring forward towards the monk. The green wisps suddenly come together, creating a powerful surge of light in the shape of stylized eye, three dagger-shaped tears arrayed below its bottom lid. The display forms behind the man as he releases all five daggers at once, the deadly shards flying towards Gerrun's stony form.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Using a combo of First Martial Arts Excellency and Thousand Hailstone Morning from Night Breeze form. One roll for five dagger attacks, all at base damage. If parried, Gerrun gets onslaught penalties from the second dagger onwards.]

Spotted.  Damn, Xurizu silently cursed to himself before he focused himself almost totally on the spell before him, plucking strands from the anima which coiled around him.

Dashu ran past him, pursuing the acolyte, though neither were really noticed.

He drew them out between his fingers until the black turned to emerald green which he wove into a string.

Dreams threw a brazier at his target, his attention drawn, watching the shaping falter, but not much.

He wove faster, the string became a chain, links suddenly appearing along its length as he gestured.

Nanaret(?) clawed and struck at the young girl, at the edges of his perception.

Then came the blades, which he teased out of the links, each one viscous and sharp.

The man, the odd man ... Pale Gaze? ... unleashed his torrent blades on Gerrun.

The spell was ready.  The spell was primed.  The spell rested on his palms for just a moment before it flew from them.  Capable of traversing half a mile in moments, the spell crossed the scant few yards between himself and Zerabia in scarcely more time than might be taken by blinking.  So close, the Guillotine barely curved.  Just flew straight at neck height.

---

Base pool of 10 dice, +3 automatic successes.  It's unparriable without a stunt or charm. (B&W Treatise, pg 47)

Gerrun reacts instinctively to knock away the flurry of flying knives. The Earth Master thrusts one arm outward to meet the pair darting toward his right side, plucking at one with his fingertips while his forearm diverts the second. He whips one knee up to deflect the knife careening toward his chest, and swiftly darts in with a stone-hardened palm to block the fourth while his foot slams down on the final knife. The sheer force of his parries sends waves of turbulence outward from his position, culminating in an elemental roar as Pasiap's might erupts through him, forming the image of a towering mountain.

Against most opponents that would have been enough. More than enough. But there is something more than physical about the knives the scarlet haired man throws his way, something that force alone cannot surmount. Struck by his limbs and the force of his anima, the knife blades simply slice through them -- severing his fingertip, slicing open his forearm, knee and palm. One knife buries in his foot, and the remaining four slam into his chest, cracking the stone skin and piercing the flesh beneath. (10L)

Gerrun recoils, stumbling back toward the dais, falling when his injured foot catches on the bottom step. This time he does bleed, crimson rivulets pouring onto the stone floor. "N..ghhh... you don't know what you've done..." His blue eyes focus on the man who hurled the knives at him. "They... will overrun us all... they will be the end of all that lives, and all... all for their precious Freedom..." He chokes on his next attempt to speak, and finally loses consciousness, his life gradually bleeding away.

Moments afterward, Xurizu's wickedly barbed guillotine hurtles unerringly toward its mark, crossing space and time to wrap around Zerabia's pretty throat.

But Mourning Bell leaps in that very same eyeblink, engulfed in her black, wraithlike anima as she shoves the sorceress back and interposes herself where her mistress would have been. The barbed chain impacts with her neck instead -- ironically, where her collar also rests -- and closes around it, shredding through the tendons of her neck and lopping off her head cleanly. (15L)

Somehow, the strange girl lands solidly on her feet, her head balancing perfectly upon her neck despite the grievous wound. Then she giggles triumphantly, and keeps giggling as the guillotine disappears in a flash of silver light, and her head instantly reattaches to her body in a messy reversal of flesh and blood fusing together. She brandishes her bone claws and immediately starts moving toward Xurizu's position, intent on retaliating personally.

Zerabia's spell winds toward completion as she is surrounded by a blazing sapphire corona, billowing with bright blue smoke.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: You could tell that the unnamed man was using a combo that consisted of a Thrown excellency and a Martial Arts charm (you aren't an artist so you wouldn't know the exact art, but it's an Air based one) that allows him to throw multiple projectiles at once. Other than that it's just pure skill, the guy is just very good.

As for what Mourning Bell did, interestingly you actually failed those rolls so you haven't a clue how she intercepted and shrugged off the damage of your spell. IC, you might figure it's because she's using a type of Essence you've never seen before.

Oh, you also got +2 stunt.]

---

OOC: Gerrun is dying. He will perish in 4 actions, or whenever someone deals him enough damage to eat up his dying HLs (of which there are currently 4 left).

tick 21 - Nanaret
tick 22 - Dreams-of-Light, Xurizu
tick 23 - Zerabia (cast sorcery), ???
tick 24 - Dashu and acolyte, Mourning Bell (after move)

(edited for Mourning Bell's flaw, also rolled JB for Xurizu)
(edited again for beheading reversal... ew!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:38, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

"Life without freedom is not worth having, Gerrun. Not for your captives, and not for you. You failed to understand that in this life, but perhaps you will in the next one." The man straightens, turning away from the monk now, and placing his piercing gaze on Dreams-of-Light.

"Your chains are almost broken, Captive One. Their holder's fate is in your hands." He says, indicating the dying Gerrun with a short hand gesture.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:27, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

Ranavalona looks incredibly irritated that Mourning Bell has all but shrugged off her claws -- AND whatever magic Xurizu had used on her. "Curse this weak body!" she growls, frustrated at Nanaret's lack of power, and glares at the giggling girl as she moves away. "Girl, you are my enemy! Hmph, if you won't stand and fight, then I'll take out your precious mistress first!"

Once again silver and dark blue essence flares around Rana's wiry form, the aye-aye resuming its mad, distracting dance. Simultaneously singled out and cloaked by the shifting light and shadow, she seems to flicker in and out of visibility as she approaches the woman shaping her spell.

The raging Lunar's claws slash threateningly at Zerabia's face, feint at opening up her throat, forcing her to to flinch, duck or raise her arms. But Ranavalona saves her strength for the final blow, surging forward with a double palm-strike to the chest and abdomen with her claws fully extended. The contrast between moonlight and shadow intensifies as Rana pours her Essence into the blow, intent on shattering Zerabia's ribs.

[Private to GM: OK, more spilling Essence everywhere. So, I have spent, I think, 20m peripheral and 4wp now. (Got 4 more motes back with stunt.) Now I'll attack 3 times, two without spending any essence, the last pouring 8m (the maximum of Dex+Essence while in Fury) into driving Rana's claws into Zerabia's chest. Hopefully disrupting the spell?!]
This message was last edited by the player at 02:02, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

Dreams walked over to the dying Gerrun and knelt, true regret on her face as she looked down on the Earth Aspect. "I regret your path led us to this, Gerrun," she said softly. "Know, that in your teaching of me, you have given me the tools to create a new and true Immaculate Order. I wish I could let you live... but you couldn't accept another path, could you?"

Hearing the acolyte's cry Dashu knew he had to shut her up as quickly as possible and get back to his friends.  He aims his punch for her stomach, knowing that she couldn't shout anything else if her breath was knocked out of her.  He swings his uppercut with all his might, driving his punch into her belly, and holds it there for just a minute, hoping her body goes limp and the light in her eyes to dim.

After the girl was subdued, Dashu turns and races back down the hall to help his friends.  Taking only a moment to catch his breath when he reaches the door.

Xurizu watched the spell fly outwards towards its target.  He was so focused on that that he missed the manipulations which redirected it towards Mourning Bell.  ...how did she do that?

Then he watched her head separated from her body, and he felt a brief pang of guilt, to be killing someone collared as he once was.  Then it flew back.  How did she DO that?

Then he saw her running at him with murder in her eyes and he drew out his knife, running sideways from the shadows as he does, trying to delay the time that she would catch him, since he doesn't much fancy his chances in a one on one fight.  When he's moved around a little, he starts to sprint for Dreams, hoping that perhaps he can do something for her collar before the young girl catches him for her vengeance.

Gerrun has lost too much blood and his consciousness is wavering. But his eyes flicker open briefly when Dreams-of-Light comes close, and he seems to notice or at least acknowledge her presence. "Hurry up..." the fallen Earth Master mumbles, coughing a spray of crimson. "No regret... for what I chose..."

Ranavalona's claws impact with Zerabia's body, not crushing, but still tearing through the bodice of her dress, puncturing her chest shallowly. (2L) But that doesn't stop her either, and a surge of Essence from the spell shaping shoves Rana backward.

Mourning Bell breaks into a run to catch up with Xurizu, her pale blue eyes focused purely at her target, radiating insane malice. Xurizu may be quick, but the space they are fighting in is not large enough to give him many options to dodge her. His retreat loops around to where Dreams is -- at the foot of the dais with Gerrun -- and the girl doubles back whipcord-quick, leaping the last yards of distance between them.

Bell claws at Xurizu as another towering, nightmarish miasma of dark essence billows out from her compact form...

...and Zerabia's spell finally triggers. Whirling clouds of sapphire surround her and obscure her body as she utters a few last parting words toward the scarlet-haired man. "Starchosen, thank you for that intriguing display of your prowess. Mourning Bell, playtime's over!" The sapphire clouds whip out small tendrils to seize the collared girl as well, the magic stopping her just short of tearing into Xurizu's flesh. "We'll meet again."

All Dashu sees when he finally makes it back is the aftermath of what turns out to be a teleportation spell: a vortex of sapphire smoke that implodes into itself until it winks out. Zerabia and Mourning Bell are gone, and Gerrun lays dying as Dreams looks on.

---

OOC: Adjusted, almost forgot Nanaret's damage.

Dreams merely kneels there and watches Gerrun die. When it is over, she looks up at the gathered Exalted and says, "Please remove my collar so that I can lay them to rest. Thank you for saving me."

Ranavalona lets out a curse of frustration when her claws fail to rend Zerabia apart. The completed spell pushes her away and she glares at the sapphire clouds that drag away her enemies. "They're getting away--those cowards..." She gnashes her teeth, stalking back and forth restlessly, looking for the next opponent to tear into. But the only one left is bleeding his last on the ground.

Seconds pass, and the rage that stiffens her spine and sharpens her gaze begins to fade. The dominant phase of Ranavalona passes, making way for the kinder shadow of Nanaret, who crouches for a bit and attempts to regain her bearings. The inevitable bewilderment on her face tells the others that the fury of combat that drove her every motion is over, for now.

Nanaret glances around her. Who had she been fighting last? The immaculate? Her attention is immediately drawn to his corpse, and then to Dreams. "I... sorry. I not sure..." In her brief confusion she has dropped even Bryn's easygoing speech. The current personality, it seems, speaks in imperfect Low Realm. She very nearly introduces herself, but sees the red-haired man still standing there, and her fragmented memory can't quite place his significance yet. "The collar, I never tried remove while activated. Ours come off on its own."

To cover any further confusion Nana decides to busy herself looking at Dreams' collar, so bends down to examine it.

(OOC: ahh, the challenges of playing someone with MPD. I'll only examine the collar though, not open it, because Nana isn't good with magitech and doesn't want to make sudden moves :P)

Nanaret, fortunately, does not need to do much examination before realizing that the collar Dreams-of-Light is wearing is no longer active. She can't really figure out any more about the collar than what little she already knows, but her suspicion is that Gerrun himself had powered the collar and his death ended his attunement to it.

In any case, removing it is simple now, whether by Nanaret, Dreams or anyone else.

Dreams sought and found the catch of her collar, undoing it with shaking fingers. Then the dark-haired beauty touched Gerrun's forehead and channelled Essence, burning his body into clean white ash. She repeated this action however many times were necessary.

It only takes a single touch and a slight expenditure of Essence to burn Gerrun's body away. All that remains of him is an amulet of white jade, in the shape of an Elemental Dragon curled around a hearthstone.

The scarlet-haired stranger's five knives remain unharmed by the Zenith's flame, as well. They are of relatively simple design, sharp slivers of a dull greyish metal wrapped in crimson silk, and lacking a crossguard. When Gerrun's body is gone, they remain embedded in the ash, defying gravity as they balance exactly on their points.

Dreams picked up the hearthstone. She also claimed a set of tiger claws for her use.

Nanaret looks satisfied and straightens without touching the collar, letting Dreams arm herself.

The Lunar glances at the knives curiously, again sensing she's missed something, but not quite grasping what. Then she turns to Dreams. "You are Dreams-of-Light, yes? I am Nanaret. We need bring you out quickly before others come. My allies have arranged escape..." She nods to Dashu and Xurizu. "Is a little earlier than we thought, but hope we can make do."

Then she addresses the unnamed man near the pews, remembering his behavior from before Ranavalona took over. "And you. What your name? Speak, now. You have seen much, there is nothing we can do but have you come with. Sorry. But is the only way now."

"He is like us," Dreams stated as she stood, dusting off her clean robes and tucking the tiger claws in her belt.

"My name. If you mean the name attached to this face, it is Liam." He takes a step forward, raising his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "But it is not my own, only a borrowed name and borrowed features. A figment of imagination that helped my insertion here, to scout ahead, gather intelligence, and provide you with backup."

The man makes a gesture, and the five knives come back to him obediently, returning to his hands as he catches them deftly in the fashion of a skilled juggler. Immediately, he tucks the weapons away, in order to prevent his stance from looking hostile.

"If you want to call me by a name of my own however... You should call me Pale Gaze."

Dashu's face looked relieved and he even allowed a full smile to come across his features, and even as he made ready to leave he began asking questions, because that's what Dashu does best.  "Pale Gaze!  I'm glad you're okay.  Looks like that's twice you've helped us... at least.  We've got to get out of here.  Are you coming with us this time?  What happened to the Water District?  And what was that other collared girl?  I've never seen anything like her.  And how did the collar come off so easily?"  As he was asking his questions he was gathering what needed to be taken with.  He picked up the collar that had fallen off of Dreams and said, "I'm Dashu by the way, but here everyone's calling me Freidr.  Best stick to that until we get clear of the compound."  With that he stepped out of his fighting stance and the shadows which seemed to cling to him disappeared.  "We need to get to our meeting point with our coyote with as little attention as possible.  Dreams-of-Light, can you hide the tiger claws someplace for now and cover your neck?  People know who you are and they'll panic if they see you without your collar.  We need to be careful with Nanaret as well since the sorceress and that other collared girl can identify her as being a Chosen."

Dreams tucked the claws into her robe and loosely fit the collar around her neck, tying it closed with a bit of thread but leaving it unlocked. Her dark hair concealed it.

"Ahh, yes. Name is Bryn for now," Nanaret recalls as Dashu speaks, and nods. A moment later, her natural claws discreetly disappear, reforming into nails stained with dirt from hard mining labor. She slouches casually, and puts her hands in her pockets, her word choice and inflection shifting slightly. "Freidr and me are brothers, recently assigned to the B25 Conclave. And our friend here," she gestures to Xurizu, "is Jenci, a clerk that's an acquaintance of ours. That's our story, anyways."

"Oh, right, the collar. It's the Immaculate keeling over that did it. He was powering the thing directly and after that it just stopped working. I'm not an expert at this stuff but maybe Jenci could confirm it."

"So... I guess you've met?" Nanaret glances first at Dashu, then to 'Pale Gaze'. Or could it be another memory lapse? She certainly hopes not.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Wed 08 Apr 2009.

Xurizu nods, explaining that he and Dashu had met Pale Gaze in B31, the Forbidden floor. "He aided our initial escape, when we broke out of the bottom level. And he helped me remember..." He trails off, wondering whether Pale Gaze might have any other gems to pass on to him... literally.

"As they say I am Jenci for the time being, but my real name is Xurizu. I am glad you are free. If you don't mind, can I look at the collar for a bit?" he asks Dreams when Nanaret talks about confirmation, then realizes she has already put it on again. "Or maybe later. The others are right, we should go soon."

Despite saying that, though, he looks very attentive as to what Pale Gaze might say next.

The red haired man smiles, also visibly happy to be able to speak with the group once more. "I'm glad to see you well... Though I have been watching, so I'm afraid it is not as much of a surprise on my side."

He pauses, taking a moment to rest as he answers Dashu's questions. "You have a lot of questions, so let me try to address them in an order that makes sense conceptually." He chuckles, then scrunches his forehead in thought. "First, the Water District. The Gatekeeper of Water pulled the whole District offline as an effort to cut it off from the rest of the Coils."

"You wonder about the girl that was here. She is one of Zerabia's pets, and, according to my research, one of the few Abyssal Exalted within Five Coils. She was brought up to be Zerabia's guard - she knows nothing else."

"And as for my coming with you... I am afraid I cannot. The best way I can help you is by working where you cannot reach, in the areas you have no mean of touching yet."

"The other reason is related to the introduction I gave you - this form you see now is not my face, but my true one has a position somewhere within the structure of the Coils. When our mission here is over, I will need to return to my 'usual' duties for a time, in order not to arouse suspicion."

[OOC: Edited the post down because we couldn't justify the post being as long as it was with how little time the group has before someone steps in, so it's been cut down. Apologies for the possible inconvenience!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:49, Fri 10 Apr 2009.

"Ah, I see," said Dashu as he took in everything tht Pale Gaze said.  "Then I supposed we have have to part ways again.  We have to find our contact to make our escape and we can't really afford to wait until people notice the head monk is gone.  Thanks again.  By the way,"  Dashu says to Dreams, "Do you know the least obvious way to leave this building?"

Dreams shook her head silently, but she smiled. "Get some monk's robes and wrap yourself up, is about my only suggestion."

Nanaret listens to Pale Gaze with a rather dubious expression. "What's an Abyssal?" she asks with her brows furrowed. Then shakes her head, realizing they have to hurry. "Never mind. Dunno why you helped us, but thanks."

Catching onto Dreams' plan, she says. "Another disguise would be a good idea. I can wear the robe, and probably better I do anyway, since I was the one glowing all over the place."

Since Gerrun's body was incinerated, Lunar goes to the one downed acolyte Dreams got her claws from and starts stripping the robes off. "Sorry, but we're kinda in a hurry..." Unabashedly she starts rapidly shedding off her miner's worksuit and tools so she can put on the simple Immaculate robe. As she does so she says quickly, "All we gotta do is minimize contact till we're at the rendezvous. If we're movin' fast enough no one'll notice the robe belongs to an acolyte."

Dreams-of-Light does in fact know there's a back exit but it would involve going through the rear of the outer temple. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: Fortunately it is not far, through the right rear door. You've never been through that door, though so you don't know if it's usually locked or guarded, but it may be a better choice than just going right through the front.]

This, of course, turns more complicated when the Celestials start to hear footsteps and voices approaching from beyond the left rear doorway, where Dashu downed the female acolyte.

There are two exits the group can move to from here: one is the front door and the other the right rear door. All of you have the time to move toward one of these exits and do a single action (including Charm use) until the people who discover the passed out acolyte burst through.

Dreams narrows her eyes. "Let's go," she said, remembering the rear door and going to it. "I hope it's not locked..."

"Miss Dreams-of-Light has the right idea. Once you manage to reach the outside street, head North to the first intersection you see, and then Northwest to reach the rendez-vous point set by the Mockingbird." He smiles, then nods, not taking the time to explain how he even knew of their arrangements with the Smuggler or the plan to spring out Dreams-of-Light. "As for me, I will head in the direction the pursuit is coming, and resume my terrified persona. It should buy you some time and confuse the affair enough for you to slip out."

Preparing to leave, the red-haired man gives a quick salute to the group, then turns, bumping straight into Xurizu as he does so. Quickly regaining his footing, he holds on to the Lunar and pats him on the shoulder, shaking his head softly. "Sorry about that. Quite difficult to know where your mind is at sometimes, yes?"

Without waiting for a response, he starts heading towards the left rear door, his demeanor returning to that of the scared red-haired man as he walks. Steps later, he has effectively become the poor worker who was unfortunate enough to be caught in a struggle between beings vastly more powerful than he.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Slipping Xurizu one of his memory stones while bumping into him.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:45, Sun 12 Apr 2009.

Nanaret quickly finishes changing into the Immaculate robe. Fortunately they are not the most complex garments to put on. She knots the sash around her waist and puts on the dead man's slippers as well. As for the miner's clothing she does the best she can, wrapping the pickaxe and hammer in the worksuit and stuffing it under her arm so it looks as if she's carrying some nondescript burden on a task.

Thus re-outfitted, the Lunar stands with a straight and disciplined posture. "You may call me Spring Dew," she says in a serene, polite tone, once again switching demeanors as easily as she just changed clothes. In the guise of a young immaculate, Nanaret hurries after Dreams and stays close beside her so that -- should they encounter any other groups -- she can attempt to appear like the Solar's 'keeper'.

[Private to GM: I'll use Perfection of the Mockingbird should I encounter any other groups, and just keep on moving unless we're called to stop. Also got 3 successes on a disguise roll in case someone can see through the perfection.]

The right rear door is not locked. Dreams and Nanaret move together into the corridor beyond.

This particular hallway is rather dimly lit, and goes in two directions in an L intersection. There is a passageway that goes straight and another that goes to the right. Dreams would remember that the outer temple is actually part of a much larger complex, and memory tells her that going further right would be the most likely way leading out of it.

The group can hear the frightened voice of the scarlet-haired man starting to address the monks at the left side door. He will definitely be buying them some time but it naturally won't last forever, so Dashu and Xurizu had best get going as well. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: You might want to check your pockets.]

---

OOC: If you're going through the right rear door, roll Dex+Stealth to see how silently you can move.

Dreams turned immediately to the right, keeping her head bowed humbly as 'Spring Dew' led her. She hoped and prayed that she could get free again.

Dashu nods to Pale Gaze and says "Thank you again."  He then quickly follows Dreams and Nanaret out the door.  He would ponder how he know what the arrangements for the escape were later.  Right now, they just needed to go.

[Private to GM:
Anima power is still going I think.  Peleps Dashu rolled 2 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,6,2,10,2,3,2,3. Dex + Stealth Roll

4 sux total.]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:42, Sun 12 Apr 2009.

And yet you really don't seem like the type to be doing that, Xurizu noted with a slightly suspicious frown at the man, before he smiled.  "Thank you for your aid once again," he says to the strange man.  After watching him go for a few moments, Xurizu turned and followed 'Spring Dew' from the Temple, picking his steps as quietly as he could go without obviously sneaking, for who but a miscreant would do such a thing?

As he's leaving though, he thinks back to the strange behaviour of Pale Gaze, sliping his hands into the pockets of his clothing one after the other, checking for things missing ... or added.

As they reached the rear exit of the Temple, Xurizu held up his hand.  "Everyone, wait," he whispered softly.  "We can't wander blindly out there.  The watchers on the roof," he says, to Nanaret and Dashu.  "I'll go out first and check."  Then he activated the Eyes of the Cat, and did just that!

---

Editted to add a little more activity
This message was last edited by the player at 21:37, Sun 12 Apr 2009.

The four escaping Celestial Exalts go through the door and down the right corridor together, leaving the mysterious Pale Gaze behind. They stroll along with sure quiet steps, and no one is alerted to their presence as they pass the L intersection.

Unfortunately, rather than leading straight to an exit, the corridor abruptly ends in a rough earthen wall, so Xurizu doesn't have a chance to check ahead just yet. There are however two doors, one to the left and one to the right. The right hand door appears to be locked.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light; Peleps Dashu: You hear faint footsteps and voices somewhere past the left door.]
[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: You reach into a pocket and find what feels to be a round, faceted gem inside it.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:12, Mon 13 Apr 2009.

Dashu whispers to the others, "There's people coming down the left.  Does anyone have anything that I can use to try to pick the lock on the right with?"  With that Dashu looks around to see what he can find.  In particular he looks to see if there are any paintings with Immaculate Imagery on it hung by wire.

If Dashu finds such a painting, he takes the wire and pushes it into the hole.  As the wire worms its way into the hole, it pushes the tumblers around, hopefully unlocking the door.



[Private to GM: 06:36, Today: Peleps Dashu rolled ... with rolls of 7,3,7,9,7,7,4. Dex + Larceny (lock pick).

Stunt? ]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:37, Mon 13 Apr 2009.

... another one. Xurizu thought as his hand closed around the item in his pocket.  Where does Pale Gaze get them from?  And how many are there?  He would leave it for the moment though.  Now was not the time for a flashback fugue.

"Nothing sorry," he whispered to Dashu.  He would help him with any painting though, so it could be lowered to the ground without too much noise.

Unfortunately, the Immaculate religion isn't very keen on symbols or icons. The only painting Dashu knows is in the vicinity is in the room of worship where the battle with Gerrun recently ended. It is a rather large sized painting of the Elemental Dragon of Earth and would take two people (or one particularly strong person) to retrieve and carry it away.

[Private to Peleps Dashu, Ledaal Xurizu: will you risk returning to the main room to get it? Otherwise you may have no choice but to break down the door. You don't feel you have a great deal of time.]

Dreams watched the others search desperately for a wire, something, anything to open the door. She also knew that they didn't have enough time to rip down the massive painting where Gerrun's ashes lay in the hope of finding something to pick the lock. The Zenith closed her eyes, looked deep within herself, and tried to sift through the fragments of memory from her previous incarnations for some way to figure out how to solve this.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: I failed in the roll to try and remember a Charm, but I hope the stunt gets me something!

10:34, Today: Dreams-of-Light failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,2. Int + Occult.]

Dreams' attempt at a sudden revelation catches on, though the memory is vague. She might be able to push Essence into the lock to serve as a versatile picking tool.

[Private to Dreams-of-Light: Got a success with stunt, you can have your lock-opening charm. :)]

Dreams walked over to the lock and gently placed her hand on it. She pushed a shimmer of golden Essence through it, waiting to hear the click of it unlocking.
[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 3 Personal Motes on Lock-Opening Touch.]

The lock is just an ordinary lock, and it unlatches easily at Dreams' touch.

Opening the door leads to a musty room that looks like a storage area. The room is unlit but from the hallway lighting one can see soft shapes that look like clothing and racks that hold hard objects that could be anything from weapons to wine bottles to bundles of wood. Toward the far end there are larger shapes that could be boxes or barrels.

At first glance it does not seem like the room has any exits besides the door just unlocked, but Dreams feels certain that the other way is the wrong way. There is a switch near the door presumably for the lights, as the temple is fortunate (read: funded) enough to have powered lighting.

The voices and footsteps coming from the left door are much louder now. "It's this way," someone is saying, "we heard it was a surprise attack on the Master..."

---

OOC: Assuming you're stepping in the storage room, you can search it. (Perc+Aware. -1 external penalty if you search in the dark.)

Until now Nanaret has been watching the other end of the corridor leading back to the intersection, keeping watch while the others figured out what to do with the door. When Dreams unlocks the door, though, she immediately and swiftly moves towards it. "Let us get inside," she suggests softly, in the soothing voice of Spring Dew -- never one to drop her act until it's over -- "and leave the lights off until whoever is approaching passes."

"I agree," said Xurizu in a hushed whisper, withdrawing into the concealing darkness of the storeroom once it was opened, staying well away from the shelves or anything else that he might knock into and make a noise.  Then, he settles in to wait.

Dashu simply nods his head in agreement.  However, he couldn't help but think to himself that Dreams had a nice trick up her sleave.  Once inside he keeps his ears open for whats going on outside the door with their pursuers and also began trying to observe the storage room as much as he could with the limited lighting.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:52, Tue 14 Apr 2009.

Dreams slipped in after everyone else, scanning for anything hidden. If the pursuers went past, Heaven only knew what could be scavenged around here.

[Private to Gatekeeper: OOC: 10:46, Today: Dreams-of-Light rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,4,2,8. Per + Awa. ]

The group of Celestials settles into the dark storage room, shutting the door behind them and staying quiet while the monks coming in from the opposite door step into the hall.

Only Dashu seems to be able to make out any pertinent details in the room. Dreams sees absolutely nothing -- to her, it's so dark she can't even see her own hands. Without her night-vision eyes, even Nanaret is all but blind, and Xurizu's senses do not fare much better.

The monks' footsteps rush by, moving toward the room of worship. There are more voices emanating from there now and they all sound worried, even argumentative.

[Private to Saina Nanaret; Ledaal Xurizu: Your senses confirm for you the feeling that the right side is an open closet with robes and cloaks hanging from it, but you can't tell more detail than that. Stored on the left side are racks and shelves that hold weapons of the blunt variety, mostly clubs, tetsubos and staves. The far end seems pretty solidly filled with boxes.]

[Private to Peleps Dashu: Here's what you see... I used your first roll, since an external penalty actually subtracts successes, not dice. So here is a 6 success result!

On the right there's clothes hanging from an open closet. They seem to be more acolyte robes, as well as hooded cloaks. On this side there are also some low shelves with breastplates and lamellar crafted to wear with the robes. On the left, several shelves of racks hold weapons. Most of them are blunt weapons -- clubs, tetsubos and staves. Another shelf holds cesti and fighting gauntlets, and you find a few fighting chains dangling from hooks. All of the equipment is mundane, exceptional in quality and elementally enchanted, though you can't tell how just from looking at them in the dark.

The boxes, you can't tell what's in them, you'd have to go and mess with them to see what's inside. More interestingly to you is the sound of airflow you hear toward the far left corner of the room. You think there may be a door or passage there but the stacks of boxes are covering it.

Lastly you are certain the people coming by moved on and there's no one outside the storage room right now. The people in the worship room seem to be arguing because they can't make up their mind what just happened in there, and the panicked voice of "Liam" is contributing to the confusion.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:27, Wed 15 Apr 2009.

Nanaret waits until she hears nothing from outside. Rather than turning on the light -- which she would rather not do unless absolutely necessary -- she expends a touch of personal Essence to shift to her night vision eyes. Her companions don't really notice the difference unless they're looking straight at her: her eyes reflect a golden-yellow color in the dim light seeping through the cracks of the storage room door.

The Lunar soon steps away from the door, moving toward the right hand side of the room. She picks up a cloak for herself, draping it over her shoulders, then she crosses to the opposite side, picking out a seven-section staff. She has the much better one Danae made for her waiting at the settlement, but the moonsilver would not have gone over well at the conclave checkpoint, so mundane would have to do for now. Folding the staff into a compact shape she tucks it into her sash, behind her so that the drape of her cloak covers it.

Then she grabs a cloak to hand to Dreams-of-Light, too, in case she could not see them in the gloom.

As she waits for the others to adjust to the darkness, or take some equipment if they wish, Nanaret whispers in Spring Dew's polite, measured tone: "This appears to be a dead end. One of us should step out and check the other door before more of the monks come by."

Dashu picks out two of the fighting chains and a cloak for himself.  He coils them both and then tucks them into pockes found on the inside of the cloak.  At Nanaret's insistance on going back out, he whispered as quietly as he could manage, "No I hear airflow in the left corner.  We can use the boxes covering it to baracade the door. Grab what you can.  It looks like some of these weapons are enchanted."

Xurizu nodded to Dashu as he wrapped one of the cloaks around himself, picking up a pair of tonfa.  Having something other than a knife might help.  He didn't really want to take that much more, since all the larger weapons seemed quite improbable for him to carry, especially concealed.

"Well, lets wait a few moments, then start to move them quietly," Xurizu says as he lifts one of the boxes oh so slightly, trying to judge what was within them - or at least how immediately noisy it might be.

With her night-eyes, Nanaret sees a few more interesting details she didn't before. [Private to Saina Nanaret: You can see the robes are definitely acolyte robes. The cloaks are plain woolen cloaks, that's all. Also you can find the breastplates and lamellar sitting on a low shelf partially hidden by the cloaks, as well as some fighting chains hanging on the wall next to the shelving holding blunt weapons. There are also some shelves that were previously less apparent with cesti and fighting gauntlets.]

Dreams-of-Light can make out a few more details herself, now that her vision has adjusted to the darkness. [Private to Dreams-of-Light: The right side of the storage room is an open closet with robes and cloaks hanging from it. Stored on the left side are racks and shelves that hold weapons of the blunt variety, mostly clubs, tetsubos and staves. The far end seems pretty solidly filled with boxes.]

Xurizu tries to lift one of the boxes and finds that it is much too heavy for him to even move. He strains just to lift even a corner, so stops before his arms give out. The other Exalts find the task of lifting the boxes feasible enough, as long as they stick to one or two boxes at a time.

---

OOC: Safely lifting the boxes needs a Strength+Athletics of at least 4. (It's actually more like 3 to lift it at all, but 4+ would mean you would be able to do so without trouble or noise.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:35, Thu 16 Apr 2009.

Noticing some light armor stashed where the cloaks drape over the floor, Nanaret also grabs a breastplate and fits it on over her acolyte robe. The extra protection is welcome, beyond the fact it supplements the part she is trying to play. An Immaculate moving cargo as crucial as a collared Anathema ought to be both armed and armored, after all.

She thinks of grabbing one of the cesti... and finally does, but doesn't fit them on, just carries them in the bundle of work clothes and tools she is carrying.

Finally, Nanaret puts her bundle aside for a moment to help Dashu start moving the boxes, helping to stack them up quietly against the door leading into the hall. "Which way are we going once we are outside?" she asks midway through the task.

Dreams moves over to the boxes, lifts the lightest one she can find, and tucks a number of light, portable, potentially useful objects under her robes. She shrugs slightly at the moment, still remaining silent.

Three Exalts make the box lifting task easy enough, and there are enough of them to form a barricade at least two boxes thick. Behind the boxes at the far left corner of the room, there is the outline of a door, just as Dashu had suspected.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:31, Fri 17 Apr 2009.

After taking a quick look in the boxes for items which could serve as lockpicks, Dashu moves towards the door to determine if he can open it.  He then listens to see if he can ascertain any danger which might be waiting for them on the other side.  If he doesn't sense anything, he tries to gently open it so as not to draw the attention of whatever maybe on the other side.
[Private to GM:
Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 5 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,5,10,10,4,1,3,7,2. Perc + Awareness. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 13:44, Fri 17 Apr 2009.

The boxes contain dry food items, mostly. Flour, rice, salt, even some sugar which is actually quite rare in the Earth district. Some contain pickles or preserved meats, all in sealed jars stacked in the boxes, or bottles of what could be vinegar or rice wine.

As for lockpick materials, Dashu finds a bit of wire wound around a partly empty bag of rice to keep it shut.

At the door, Dashu hears intermittent footsteps, distant voices conversing, but they never linger close by, moving away from the vicinity of the door. From the echo of these sounds, he can ascertain that beyond the door is an alleyway just outside the temple. He also hears, closer than the footsteps or voices, a grating breathing sound that he realizes is someone snoring.

When the Night Caste moves to open the door, the doorknob rattles slightly but the door stays shut. It is also locked.

---

OOC: Everyone else who gets at least 1 success on Perc+Aware (automatic if you have 7+ dice pool) can at least hear the footsteps and the snoring sound if they stop to listen.

Xurizu looks faintly embarrassed at his inability to lift the boxes, although it's doubtful that any other than Nanaret will be able to see this embarrassment in the dark.  Since he can't useful employ himself lifting things, he instead lays out, in low tones, the route that they will have to take once they get out of the building and then after that, explaining the plan: That they will be smuggled out of the conclave as 'mining supplies' and then let out at a waystation beyond the conclave limits.

As the door is cleared, and the noise becomes more audible, Xurizu whispers once more. "There's someone out there.  Sounds like they're asleep" for the benefit of anyone who had not heard.

Dashu takes the wire and slips it into the key hole.  He carefully moves the tumblers out of the way.  In the end, he relied much more heavily on his natural dexterity than he did on his actual skill, but the result was the same.

If the lock comes undone, Dashu tries to open the door as silently as possible so as not to wake the man on the other side or to attract attention to the group.

[Private to GM: 10:47, Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,2,2,9,2,5,10. Dex + Larceny (lock pick). ]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Sun 19 Apr 2009.

The man sprawled near the other side of the door seems to be deep asleep. In fact, he stinks very strongly of alcohol. Likely a drunk camping out here hoping to get a shot at the stash of rice wine inside, but instead he passed out from the drink he already had. With the Immaculates and Peace Force kept busy by the Freerunners and now the Celestials, relatively minor vagrancy such as this in populated areas is becoming more frequent.

Dashu peeks out and sees that the alleyway is currently clear, besides the passed out man. On the far side of the alley, he sees several large squat buildings set next together in rows. The buildings have no markings besides the numbers painted in large bold numerals across the double doors leading inside them. From the crack in the door Dashu opens up, the Exalts can clearly see the number on the building across the way: 3865.

Dashu and Xurizu remember what Mockingbird told them, and notice that the numbers are going up towards the left, from the perspective of the now-open door.

---

OOC: All right, assuming you're all geared up you can make your way outside. You can either try to sneak (Dex+Stealth) or you can just walk in plain sight and attempt to act innocuous. This would probably be a non verbal social roll of some sort (maybe Charisma+Presence but I will consider other combinations if you can justify 'em). In Nanaret's case her disguise will also help. [Private to Saina Nanaret: roll Int+Larceny+2, since you adjusted your outfit somewhat]

Dreams bowed her head and continued to walk humbly under 'Spring Dew's' supervision.

"There are invisible watchers on the roofs of the Conclave," Xurizu re-iterates in a whisper as Dashu works with the door.  "If there are any that might be able to observe our passage, I'll clench my fist as I walk, on the side of the street they're on."

Xurizu activates the Eyes Of The Cat as he exits the temple, casting his eyes up to the rooftops for the invisible watchers he had just warned the others of.  The cloak he had picked up concealed his lack of muscle for the post which he had now adopted, that of an acolyte guard.  He obviously has nothing to concern him, though, except for the safety of his charge.  Or at least, that was the attitude he was projecting, keeping his head high as he walked so that he could see the roof on either side of the street, leading 'Spring Dew' and Dreams as they walked to their exit point.

Nanaret nods at Xurizu's warning. She feels confident in her disguise, and decides she need not embellish it with any further personality quirks that might only serve to draw more attention, rather than less.

Before heading out she suggests to Dashu in a whisper, "Please take the rear and keep an eye on us. I cannot be very attentive in this role." Her night eyes shift subtly back into their normal dark color as she speaks.

With that last tidbit arranged, 'Spring Dew' exits the storage room with Dreams, stepping over the drunk man. Despite the audacity of bringing out a 'collared' Celestial in plain sight, she walks with straight posture and unhurried steps, guiding the Zenith with one hand gripping her forearm. She keeps her eyes forward, resisting the temptation to look around her. It is of utmost importance the disguised Lunar give the impression she knows exactly where she is going, even though in actuality she is following Xurizu.

[Private to GM: 17:17, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 6 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,2,2,10,2,2,10,9. Int+Larceny+stunt +a wp for success. I used my +2 stunt to regain WP again. Anyway, I think I'm just going to walk and rely on my outfit, I can also use Perfection of the Mockingbird if need be.]

Dashu simply nods to the two lunars and takes position in the back.  He huddles into his cloak where no one would really recognize him with the group.  He was, after all, still in his miner's disguise.  He managed to stay just a step back from everyone else and kept close to the buildings, staying in their shadows as much as possible.  He moved silently enough to where the average person wouldn't have even noticed him.

[Private to GM:

21:14, Today: Peleps Dashu rolled 5 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,6,8,9,10,2,9,4. Dex + Stealth.

I DIDN'T BOMB THE STEALTH ROLL!!! THE NIGHT CASTE FINALLY DOESN'T SUCK AT SNEAKING!! ]

Passing through the alleyway is a bit of a nervewracking experience, as it does not remain empty and unviewed the entire time they walk across and toward the warehouse Mockingbird told Xurizu and Dashu about. Once, a pair of laborer citizens walk right past them, though once they see the Anathema being transported, they give the group a wide berth. Another time a guard passes the intersection ahead of the group and glances at them, pauses, and continues his rounds.

Xurizu glances up at an opportune moment and sees one of the rooftop snipers looking right down the alleyway, invisible to anyone but him. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: The stealth-armored woman does not notice Dashu at all, but her gaze focuses solidly on Nanaret and Dreams, watching their advance down the alleyway without reaction.

The sniper moves on to scrutinize Xurizu. Something about him feels... off to her. Unfortunately, he can't watch her constantly without further drawing suspicion. By the time he figures out she's onto him, she's already nocked an arrow to her bow and is aiming toward him.]

At this point the group is just about to turn the intersection toward the corner where Warehouse 3876 is nestled. The door actually faces the cross-street, rather than opening into the alleyway at the side of the temple. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Moving into the cross-street would obstruct the sniper's aim, possibly force her to move to a better vantage point. The possibility of drawing off her attention may occur to him, if he doesn't want her to notice where the group is going into. In any case, OOC, you have one action to do something before she shoots.]

Damn, spotted, Xurizu thinks as he balls his hand into a fist to indicate the hidden presence on the roof above.  As he does this, with his other hand which is concealed from the sniper, he gestures to Dashu to lead the pair from here.  Then he started to sprint for the cover of the cross-street, hoping to draw her attention away from the the other three, and gain a little cover from the arrow she was knocking across her bow, diving behind a pile of crates stacked by the side of the warehouse.  She can't see where we're going, we might have to sit around entirely too long for that to be safe for any of us.
[Private to GM: I'm willing to spend Excellency Motes on dodging, but I'm trying to get into cover, and draw the sniper away from the warehouse.  Ideally I can break contact and get back with her, but if not, I guess I'm finding my own way out.]
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Wed 22 Apr 2009.

Dreams keeps her head bowed, trusting in the others to warn her if danger should occur. If they failed, she was likely dead.

When Xurizu suddenly bolts in the other direction, Nanaret does not freeze or falter. She just keeps moving, holding Dreams by the arm, and turns the corner her fellow Lunar was about to take.

The other thought that occurs to her is that she may be able to save this situation by pretending to subdue Xurizu herself, using her disguise and her acting ability. But even before that her priority is to get Dreams-of-Light out of danger.

She finds the warehouse that Xurizu's directions lead to, checking inside quickly for anything amiss before letting Dreams in with her.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:00, Wed 22 Apr 2009.

Dashu silently took the lead as Xurizu bolted off.  The way to the wearhouse was relatively straight forward.  He hoped his friend would be okay, but knew the other two would need him when they arrived at the wearhouse.  He still kept to the shadows to avoid notice from the invisible snipers.

Dashu, Nanaret and Dreams-of-Light take the opportunity to slip into Warehouse 3876 while Xurizu draws off the sniper. The first thing they notice is that the warehouse is not empty. There are laborers inside moving boxes to and from conveyor belts, and a tough older foreman with short cropped black hair standing on a platform, wiping her sweaty forehead and neck with a rag. She doesn't acknowledge any of the three Exalts entering the warehouse, but mutters a line loud enough for them to hear: "Man, I wish I could just push a pencil rather than break my back everyday."

The stealth-cloaked woman on the rooftop firing in Xurizu's direction does not seem intent on striking him. The energy arrow that flies from her bow impacts with one of the crates near where Xurizu is hiding, splintering it rather spectacularly. It seems she is aiming to warn rather than kill at least for the moment, or baiting Xurizu to see how he will behave.

From his hiding place Xurizu has only a partial view of what the woman is doing. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: You do glimpse the still-invisible sniper touching a hand to her ear. Likely communicating with others. Then you see her leap from the rooftop to another, propelled by the superior strength of the exomuscular fibers of her armor, to get a better vantage point. The impression is that you may get people intercepting your position so you'll either want to keep moving or find a better place to hide. Roll Dex+stealth if you move, Wits+stealth if you try to hide in place. This may also a good spot to potentially stunt learn something :) don't have to though, just suggesting!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:07, Thu 23 Apr 2009.

Dashu looks at the woman and smiles a bit, acting out the part of a friendly miner while delivering the line needed to get the escape underway.  "Careful what you wish for, you could break more than your back sitting at the top."

Dreams slips in, guided by the Lunar, and wishing heartily that this was over.

Well, she doesn't want to kill me yet it seems.  Lets keep things that way, Xurizu thought as he moved on down the alleyway.  Whilst not getting shot was high on his list of priorities, just a little higher was drawing any pursuit and attention away from the warehouse and his friends within.  Still, he thought, as he suddenly broke left down another alleyway between warehouses, hopefully breaking contact with the sniper from the roof just briefly, they're looking for a man in a cloak.

He glanced up and down the length of the alleyway.  Some people in the distance, groups and loners both.  No-one looking though, good.  Xurizu doffed the cloak, and removed one of the tonfa from his belt, wrapping it in the cloak and then 'hiding' it inexpertly in amongst some crates by the side.  It wasn't me ma'am.  I didn't steal nothin' from the temple.  Search me.

Not that he was actually going to try and brazen that out.  Instead he took another moment to make sure that the second tonfa and the gem were both concealed about his person.  And then with a blink inducing flicker, there was no longer a man in the shadows, but a cobra disappearing between a gap in the brickwork.
[Private to GM:
Okay, so Xurizu's plan here is to break contact briefly, leave his cloak and one of the tonfa there so it looks like he'd tried to steal something from the temple, then has ditched loot for later retrival and so he doesn't get caught with it.  Then assume totem form and slip into the warehouse through some small hole rats and things use.]

Xurizu's quick thinking saves him the trouble of having to deal with the sniper OR the contingent guards coming his way, at least not initially. In totem form, the serpentine Lunar slips into a hole in the nearby wall and curls up to wait. Fortunately for him, they are not looking specifically for an Anathema, much less one in a snake form -- only a shifty, rather thin person in a cloak.

While Xurizu waits he hears footsteps and voices approach. Several male, and a couple female. "This is all we've found," says one woman. "It appears to be clothing and gear from the temple. But we've not intercepted the suspicious individual. That may mean he is hiding nearby... or he slipped past our perimeter."

The hard voice of a man who is apparently their commander lets out a quiet curse and grumbles about vagrants. "We can't have too many of these people slipping away. Anyone of them could end up fattening the ranks of the Freerunners. They're really starting to be a thorn in our side. All right, Luceid, coordinate with the checkpoint guards. I really don't think this man could have escaped the notice of the Silencers, but it's in our directive to be thorough. Speria, have your group spread out and search the area, including the warehouses."

The footsteps and voices start to disperse. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: you rolled well enough that no one's caught you in the vicinity. However the sniper woman also rolled well, so while she did not SEE you she is very confident you are still in the area of the warehouses. That's why they've now called a search. Now, you can wait as long as you want... if you wait till they move on, then you will entirely miss returning with the group and will have to solo RP your way out in a different thread. If you try to slip out now and into 3876, you'll have to roll stealth, but this time it'll be Dex+Stealth since you're on the move.]

---

OOC: Loremaster will be taking over for the people inside warehouse 3876 as the smuggling operation was his plan.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:28, Sat 25 Apr 2009.

The workers do not stop their loading procedures as Dashu speaks his words, the team seemingly unperturbed by the arrival and instead continuing their work as scheduled. The woman that spoke earlier does take a step towards them, however, leaning over one side of the platform to take a look at the group. She wipes her hands with the rag she is holding, looking at the the three with an appraising eye.

"You're right on time. You're as cautious as he said." The woman says, a smile appearing on her hard features. It is short lived, however, as she regards the trio carefully, her gaze jumping from one to the other in turn while she seemingly ponders something.

"Though..." She pauses again, as if to reconfirm something. "I was told there'd be four of you, and now there's only three. What's going on?"

Nanaret, having only heard of the plan second-hand, is content to let Dashu start off with the talking. Her purpose, for now, is to guard Dreams, and until she feels confident that the foreman is not faking in order to capture them, she remains alert.

She listens to the initial exchange between Dashu and the foreman. A password phrase? Is that the extent of their security here? She certainly hopes not.

"Excuse me," Nanaret speaks up in Spring Dew's voice, still grasping Dreams firmly by the arm. "May I ask what four you were expecting? We would not want a case of mistaken identity, after all." She smiles politely, stepping deeper into the warehouse with the Zenith to observe the work of the loaders. Did they show surprise, panic or hesitation as she came nearer? Were they competent at their jobs or merely faking the motions?

[Private to GM: 04:02, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,6,10,2,2,4. perc+excellency. I figured investigation, but I have none, so just rolled straight perception with excellency to double the pool. If Awareness would count, roll 3 more dice for me. :)]

Dashu glaces over at Nanaret and smiles.  He and Xurizu hadn't had much time to fill her in on all the details so her caution in this instance was understandable.  In fact, normally he would have applauded it.  He also knew that in giving the password to this woman, he had marked them as the group of people she was looking for.  He looks back at the woman and says "Our friend is drawing some unwanted attention away from us.  I'm sure he'll be along shortly enough.  Most importantly, we do have our cargo.  I do believe we're supposed to let you help us transport it."

Damn suspicious soldiers, came the highly unusual thoughts of the cobra currently concealed within the wall.  Still, at least they think I'm only a Freerunner, not an escaping Anathema.  Now, do I stay or do I go? Xurizu considered for a few moments, as the footsteps faded.  His tongue flicked out, tasting the air, the scents of the troops left behind.

Let's go, he reached his decision.  His tongue flickered out again, his body listening for vibrations.  And then, when he was sure that there was no-one close, no-one looking at his hidey-hole, the cobra slithered out and back down the alleyway he had moved along before, keeping to the shadows by the walls and the cover afforded by the crates and the rubbish that had been swept to the sides.  Then he went past the alleyway which led to warehouse 3876 and carried on down that alleyway.  He was going to continue on down past the warehouse that was his ultimate destination, and then doubleback on himself to get back, once he was clear of the patrols...
[Private to GM: Gonna spend 4m for 4 dice on the stealth roll.  Giving a pool of 8 + stunt + any bonuses for being snake, not human sized.]

The woman raises an eyebrow at Nanaret's question, but soon enough a grin crosses her features as she leans back from the railing. "Cautious, are we?" She asks, briefly casting a glance to the workers to oversee the loading procedures. "You must be Bryn. Word of your actions at the temple have already been sent all over the information network - people think you guys should get recruited." The woman chuckles, twisting the rag in her hands absent-mindedly. "We're workers, but that's not our only work. And, contrary to the average miner, we're pretty well informed... And cautious."

As Nanaret steps forward to look around, she catches a few signs here and there that show the workers are not simple workers. Here and there, she can see that some of the overall-wearing loading bay watchers are actually carrying weapons. They are not trying to conceal them at the moment, but Nanaret has no trouble imagining that they would be a lot more cautious were guards around.

With that new information in mind, Nanaret's glance is attracted to the top railing, high above the main floor of the warehouse, where a small office oversees the procedures. From there, she can quickly catch sight of a silhouette, likely an operation supervisor, watching the going-ons from above... He is in the perfect spot to see every corner of the warehouse and oversee its use - or to spot and shoot undesirables.

"Your friend's drawn some attention?" The woman says, several workers immediately looking up at the sentence. "That's not good. We need to get you out of here now, or things are going to get tense. That means we need to go through emergency procedures and load you guys up fast." She does not even need to give orders - already the workers seem to operate at a much accelerated pace, preparing some of the crates for transport.

"Get up here quick, we'll need to secure your transport arrangements before anybody comes snooping in here."

Dashu quickly follows the woman without any hesitation.  He did however, take a brief moment to explain to Dreams-of-Light their escape plan.  "Dreams, we're basically going to ship ourselves out of the compound in some crates.  We were told it won't be a comfortable trip but it should be effective."

"Bryn is one of my names," replies Nanaret in flawless Low Realm, "but you may call me Spring Dew now."

Then, briefly, she relaxes her perfectly postured stance and murmurs, in a more casual 'Bryn-like' tone, "But I do appreciate the vote of confidence." She straightens again, resuming the demeanor of the well-mannered Immaculate monk, though this time she releases Dreams-of-Light and lets her walk on her own.

Still holding the bundle of miner work-clothes and weapons under one arm, Nanaret follows the foreman to the crates they'll be stuffed into. She considers using her totem form to be more compact, but decides she would prefer to save that trick for last.

Xurizu slithers along...

The guards nearby him don't see him at all, though there's a close call or two when he's forced to dodge their boots, or freeze in a dark corner until they pass by.

Then the lieutenant (Speria?) says something that makes the king cobra freeze a moment. "Intersection's all clear. All right, start checking the warehouses... Narat, Liedra, start on '70s even; Xian, Tir, take '70s odd..." The voices become more distant and difficult to hear as Xurizu picks up the pace and widens the distance.

The group inside 3876 can hear a pair of footsteps approaching from outside. Fortunately Mockingbird's people are well prepared, but it's going to be a close call, and they have no way to know what happened to Xurizu from here.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: I decided to penalize the Awareness rolls of the guards and Silencer instead. I was making it a -2 die one but I think I'll make it -3 for the Silencer as you're smaller and she's at a distance. So she doesn't actually see you (I subtracted the rightmost die).

You'll probably want to cue your coming back after the guards check 3876 and leave. Assuming that's what happens :)]

The warehouse workers now toil at a much increased pace, preparing two crates that the group understands will serve as their transport for a short while. Quickly, two pairs of warehouse workers pry at the underside panel  of the crates, revealing a false bottom - a trap door that will close above them, allowing the workers to pile up implements on top of the fugitives.

"Get in. Now." The foreman lady utters, casting a quick glance towards the door. "Sorry for the shitty conditions, but that's the best way we have to ship people who don't want hassling. We'll make it as quick as possible."

The woman physically ushers the group towards the crates indicating the bottom sharply. "Hop in on the double, we've got no time! Two per crate. We'll leave a space for your friend so we can hide him in later. If we make it this far. Now step in, don't move, and stay quiet!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:52, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

Nanaret answers THAT call immediately, helping Dreams-of-Light in one of the crates first before slipping in with her, curling up in as compact a position as possible.

"I hope you are not claustrophobic," she whispers to the Zenith before the false bottom is placed over them.

Then she just concentrates on keeping quiet, while listening carefully to the sounds outside the cramped crawl space she and Dreams are stuck in.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:34, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

Dashu follows suit, climbing into his own box as quickly as possible.  Good thing that he considered Xurizu a friend because this was going to be very tight quarters when the Lunar arrived.  He thinks for a moment that maybe Xurizu could change into his snake form in the box, but the Night Caste quickly decided that would not make him more comfortable.  Once inside, he too quickly focused on remaining completely still, trying his hardest to breath as shallowly as possible.

A tense, heavy darkness closes around Dashu, Nanaret and Dreams once the false bottoms are placed on the crates and the cargo loaded on top.

The Exalts hear the sounds of laborers continuing to work, the foreman keeping up the rhythm as they continue to fill boxes and load them up on the conveyor belt, the whir of heavy machinery used for lifting large loads. They become distinctly aware of the space above and around them becoming increasingly dense, as boxes are momentarily piled around and even on top of them.

Then comes the creak of a door being open. A stern female voice speaks. "We are looking for a suspicious individual that may have stepped into this warehouse." She goes on to describe a figure with the features Xurizu had at the time he was spotted: lanky, pale and dark-haired, wearing what looked to be a stolen Immaculate cloak.

The voice continues, "Have any of you seen a person matching this description?" The sound of boxes being loaded and shifted continues, along with two pairs of footsteps that stride purposefully into the warehouse, spreading apart to start examining the workers and the area.

Outside, assuming Xurizu stops to look behind, he notices a half dozen guards starting to spread out and examine the warehouses. Most of the buildings appear to be empty, as the guards step in and back out in the space of seconds. However, two have moved into 3876, and are currently lingering there.

The currently snake-sized Lunar could potentially start doubling back already, by taking the next parallel street the guards are not concentrated on. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: I won't make you roll again though technically I'd consider this another stealth move. So just pose what you'll do to try to get back into the warehouse.]

---

OOC: Dreams' player has told me to abstract or NPC her for the moment due to her being busy in RL.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:21, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

The workers do not pause at the arrival of the soldiers, instead working on fulfilling their 'deadline'. To any outside onlooker, they look very much the consummate professionals, taking care of their tasks with utmost dedication and hard work. The lady foreman does step forward at the soldiers' arrival, however, and listens intently to their interrogation, nodding her head at several points to let them know she is paying attention.

Once the description is over and the questioning begins, however, the woman shakes her head apologetically. "Wish I could help, officer." She begins, her tone even but still deferential. "But no man like that stepped into this warehouse. This platform's right lined with the door too, so I'd notice if someone walked in." She furrows her brow then, considering what the soldiers just told her.

"I'm not the expert here, but I'd think if someone was to try to sneak around, they'd try to avoid the actual loading warehouses, 'cause there's almost always someone in there. Sometimes people sneak into the warehouses up north along Hangman's road, 'cause those are mostly used for storage and such." She shakes her head, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Hope that's not the case though - I'd hate it if it was someone trying to steal supplies again. That's always such a pain - we always end up having to do full inventory lists of the warehouses they break into. You'd think they'd put up sentries eventually, but well..." She cuts her sentence, although she seems rather agitated at the thought now.

"In any case, sorry I can't be more help."

"While your suggestion is appreciated --" not really, considering the deadpan delivery! "-- we're expected to be thorough, and our spotter is certain our target has not left this area."

The footsteps continue. Now and then there's the sharp clack of creaking wood as boxes are open and carelessly shut. "Tools... spare parts..." says the guard unseen by the Exalts. "More tools," adds a male voice from further away.

The female guard exhales sharply, close enough at this point to the crates Dashu, Nanaret and Dreams are in that they can hear the rush of breath clearly. "All right. Carry on, Foreman Leona. We may have more questions for you and your workers later, so we will be checking your schedule for a proper meeting time."

The guards' footsteps leave with another creaking of the door, and proceed further down the street to 3878.

---

OOC: Ok, so Loremaster and I aren't just filling the thread with narration, we'll move you out as soon as Xurizu arrives.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:20, Tue 28 Apr 2009.

Well, crap, thought the snake as he saw people entering the warehouse that was his ultimate destination.  I didn't think they'd throw their net quite so wide.  Oh well, no use worrying for the moment.  Either they'll be fine, or I'll have to do something very stupid, and hopefully surprising.  His tongue flickered out once more, tasting the air, the scents of the city around him as he felt the trembling of the ground beneath his feet, the footsteps of the citizens and soldiers around him.  He was waiting for the right time and when it arrived, he took it, surging forward to cross over the next intersection and then making his way down the shadowed edge of the next street along, outside the current searches of the troops.  He was searching for the backdoor of Warehouse 3876.

He found it in the form of a large loading door, one which ... yes, didn't quite close tightly enough.  Enough to keep out a person, certainly, but a snake?  Xurizu flattened himself out and pushed his way through and then slithered into the darkness between crates.  So far, so good.  He waited there in the concealing darkness for a few moments.  Enough time for the soldiers to leave the vicinity of the warehouse.  Then he waited just a little bit more before he removed himself from the hole, found a space large enough that he could transform and adopted his human form once more.

Then he straightened, slowly and emerged from the shadows, palms held spread to show he was unarmed.  "My apologies, for any trouble I might have caused," he said, softly.

The sudden appearance of the man does startle a few of the workers - after all, even though they are all genuine warehouse workers, they are all also agents, and keep a very close watch on their warehouse at all times. To have someone come in so quickly and silently throws them off guard for a moment, and Xurizu can even catch a flash of weapons on some of them as they first see him.

Leona steps towards the end of the railing as soon as she hears the commotion, and she immediately raises a hand to quiet down her people. "Stand down, dammit! Don't lose your wits now." She says, looking straight at Xurizu. "It's just a visitor." She peers at the man for a moment, almost as if gazing through him. "It's the last one." She confirms, after her little observation.

She nods to Xurizu, and quickly signals him to step up to the railing and come closer. "You're late, pal. And we'd better hurry. When the soldiers don't find you in the area, they'll double check, and we'll all get a collective kick in the ass from it, all of you included. So we'd better make that deadline and get you out of here." She signals to the box where Dashu is hidden, and the workers remove the box's contents, and reopen the false bottom. For Dashu, it is a breath of fresh air as light and a soft breeze wash through his small hiding place, if only momentarily.

"Get in, quick. It'll take only a couple minutes to finish loading the transport and get out, once you're all hidden. We'll make this as quick as possible."

With that, they usher Xurizu into the box with Dashu, and immediately start to reload and - as uncomfortable as the notion is for the hidden Exalts - seal the box.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:11, Thu 30 Apr 2009.

Xurizu made no sudden moves as the weapons are drawn, just carries on walking forward, palms still spread.  He nods to the foreman as she confirms his identity, an apologetic look in his pale blue eyes, for the difficulty and danger he has put them in.  He hurries over to the indicated box and climbs inside, nodding to Dashu as he hunches down in the small space.

"Thank you," he says to the workers, just before they start to seal him in once more.  Once they are both sealed in, Xurizu turns to his friend and murmurs.  "So, want to be all alone in the dark with a man or a snake?" he grins.

Nanaret stays quiet for the remainder of the journey, though she feels a sense of relief when she hears Xurizu's voice. Good, we are all leaving together.

In order to let Dreams-of-Light more space to stretch out (as much as one can in a cramped cargo box), she decides at the last moment to shift to her much more compact totem form. Creepy little lemur she may be, but at least she is not poisonous or foul tempered. She remains hunched in one corner of the box, her luminous monkey eyes gazing through whatever cracks or crevices there may be in a crate of the size they are being transported in.

Dashu simply snorts at the choices his friend gave him and rolls his eyes.

Regardless of what Xurizu decides, the sealed boxes are soon on the move, loaded up by laborers operating heavy lifting machinery onto conveyor belts (at least that's what it feels like from the vibration of the floor beneath them), then into their transport outside. The Exalts cannot see it fully, but for brief glimpses through all-too-narrow breathing holes in the boxes; it is one of the few dozen beat up ancient hover carts -- formerly known as gliding chariots -- that still operate on Earth District to this day, dragging equipment and materials relatively short distances.

They have become rarer and rarer, as the Dragon-blooded are loath to give their best vehicles to the lower Districts, forcing most Earth District facilities to make use of conveyor belts or mining rails. And this particular chariot seems on the verge of breaking down. So it isn't exactly a smooth-going ride.

The old vehicle sputters and shakes all the way out the freight entrance. It pauses only once at the gate, during which Foreman Leona's voice can be heard, papers and banter exchanged.

Then... finally... the Celestials and their 'escort' are outside. It is quiet for some time. Leona gives a few terse orders, and the vehicle proceeds dubiously onward.

Perhaps 10 or 15 minutes pass. Then the transport thuds unceremoniously to a halt.

The lady foreman says something like: "Unload, rig it, move. Quickly!" Dashu, Xurizu, Nanaret and Dreams feel their boxes being hastily lifted by a team of grunting men and women each, and deposited on the ground. Gravity makes the experience quite unpleasant when the boxes are suddenly tipped to one side and the contents allowed to spill out. "Sorry. That's the best we can do. Now get your butts out of here. And watch out for the --"

*FWOOOOOOOOMM* A nearby explosion rocks the ground, along with the shriek of tearing metal.

"-- explosions. Go, go!" That's the last Leona says directly to the Exalts, as she and her men fake being shocked over the explosion. Someone else hisses, "Geez how much powder did you USE?" Apparently the faking is not that difficult with the conflagaration of flame that now starts to consume the old chariot. Regardless, the distraction is more than enough for the Celestials to make their escape and head back to what, for now, is 'home'.

---

OOC: ok, a last pose if you like, then I'll be posting a prompt for you in Mining Settlement thread by tonight (or tomorrow at the latest.)

Nanaret, in aye-aye form, nimbly picks her way out of the pile of mining tools that were on top of her and Dreams-of-Light, before shifting back into human shape. Kneeling in front of the knocked-over box, the Lunar (still Immaculate disguised) pushes aside the mound of tools and helps the true 'cargo' to her feet.

Though Nanaret might have liked to thank Leona, the risk of being spotted by sentries attracted to the explosion is too great. For all she knows, she may never see the foreman again... or the Conclave for that matter. I hope Mockingbird's people knows what they're doing. She reassures herself with the thought that if they'd been in the smuggling business this long, they ought to have multiple ways to protect themselves.

Holding the silent Zenith by the hand, Nanaret waits for Dashu and Xurizu to extract themselves, glances around to get her bearings, then starts moving swiftly in the direction of the mining settlement.

Xurizu elected to maintain his normal form, the better for acting should something go wrong, though by the time the crates were tipped out, he was regretting it somewhat.  For a start, maintaining his human form left him free to clench and release the smooth, hard stone in his pocket over and over, wondering what it might contain.  He was almost relieved when the explosion went off, which allowed him to banish the thoughts and instead concentrate on the task in hand.

Quickly extracting himself from the tools, he held out a hand to Dashu to help the man up and then he nodded to Nanaret, and walked with her out of the wreckage of the chariot.