B23 South Central Platform is housed in the local Peace Force Department building in Pasiap's Resolve, Sector 5. Rather fittingly, it also opens up into the widest street of the sector: the Fifth Radial, one of the spokes on the city 'wheel' so to speak. The Peace Force is no shadow organization: when they move out, they do so with their colors flying, their armor shining.

They are, after all, on the right side of the law.

As is expected, Winglord Jedevra wastes no time. As soon as the first scale steps out post-transport, she orders her force to march, the latter scales already given direction to form up and follow suit as they appear. Such maneuvers have been trained incessantly into the soldiers long before this moment, right down to seconds of granularity, syncing every marched step, turn and arm motion, even the angle their shields and shock pikes are held. The end result is the perfect column of red-armored and black-visored soldiers tromping down the center of the Radial, a single, fluid entity pouring from the open gates of the Department with two hundred heads and eight hundred limbs and magitech spearheads for bristles.

At the head of the column marches the Winglord herself, resplendent in her custom red jade dragon armor and phoenix pinions, a veritable goddess of war. And beside her walks Kilani Sorune, a young, reluctant archer, a girl with dreams of the sky. A Collared Anathema, and Jedevra's pretty brown-haired pet.

"The Peace Force is coming! The Peace Force is coming!" People are shouting it all throughout the streets of South Sector. The streets clear quickly for their passing. Doors lock and shut, but for the few daring spectators, and even more daring naysayers that shout epithets at the passing soldiers. Now and then, someone throws a crumbling brick, or some ruined piece of factory slag. But for now, such foolish actions are at a minimum, and the formation does not break.

As the soldiers of Burning Feather come closer to the zone of operation, Kilani can see several plumes of smoke rising from the city blocks ahead. [Private to Kilani Sorune: btw, I ended up changing Stone Street to Granite Street. no reason, just a cosmetic difference. :)]

[Private to Saina Nanaret; Yaishin Higura; Talia Zerith; Ledaal Xurizu: you can assume you can start hearing some of this commotion from the outside, though you're still inside the Freerunner safehouse.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:54, Sat 18 July 2009.

Kilani was moving a bit slower than Jedevra might have otherwise liked, as she looked about, felt a sting as she saw people throwing rocks at the soldiers. She didn't come here to hurt anyone, but the collective malice toward them hurt almost physically. As sue slowed,s he felt a scurrying in her robes, and blinked, watching as Gibhari hopped off her foot and burrowed into the ground, rushing along toward the first  waypoint of the unit's advance. Kilani sped up then, t o keep pace with Jedevra.

"We... should be cautious...." she spoke softly. "There's dissent out there, and... well, enemies could well have themselves harbored in the closed windows of buildings here. Especially if they somehow expected us."

"They are welcome to try to assault us," Jedevra says, almost flippantly, confident in the strength of her troops. But Kilani knows she is not simply careless, despite her immense sense of pride in the Forces and her lineage. "Nonetheless, we will not parade long. This is merely part of the process. They must know how strong we are, that we are organized and confident, and we will not flinch away from any foolish attempts to undermine us."

"This is our turf. Those who look down upon us, are the ones who defile it. Don't let their pointless displays discourage you. That is what they want us to feel. They want us to believe the populace has turned against them, that we are in the wrong. Perhaps our mere presence would be enough to make the dissidents think twice. Wouldn't that be nice?" Though her helm covers her smile now, Kilani can imagine how it looks. That indulgent, bordering-on-condescending smile.

Morale is high among the soldiers of Burning Wing. Their armor is more than enough to protect them against a few rocks or arrows. No force large enough to confront them has yet materialized, as they approach the first defense point at Granite and Glass. Here, Jedevra gives the order to split the forces, while Second Talon, First Scale prepares to take their place at the intersection.

The area has already seen a great deal of damage. Shattered windows and storefronts, walls defaced or even blasted apart as if by mortars. Buildings set ablaze, factory products and other goods scattered on the streets, sometimes even bodies, bloodied or trampled. Now and then the Force encounters a group of looters who immediately dart away and run, sometimes dropping their loot or tripping over themselves to get away. For now, Jedevra lets them go; they are the lesser evil for now. "Ready the Essence Twisters and Shock Matrix Rods." [Private to Kilani Sorune: The spiral-etched cylinders, Kilani recognizes as a painful but generally non-lethal riot deterrence weapon, but the rods (which appear to be special blue jade and orichalcum-laced heads fitted in place of the usual shock pike spearhead) are something she's never seen before. (You can try to roll Int+Lore if you want to know more.)]

There are not immediately throngs of people to be seen, but they can certainly be heard, shouting or perhaps chanting, flame-piece fusillades overlaid by wailing sirens. Something is going on, toward the center of Steel, Crystal, Granite and Glass.

Kilani bit her lip, and stood by Jedevra, turning to take in the area about the Intersection. "Shock Matrix Rods? What are they?" she asked Jedevra curiously. "I've only heard of them briefly. I know the basic idea of how they're used, but I don't know what they do..."

"No need to think about that now," Winglord Jedevra says, holding up a gauntleted hand. "You'll see for yourself when it is fully deployed. Or you may not have to. It is only a security measure, after all. A way to ensure that the end to this comes swiftly."

The other scales start to break off into separate directions: four down Granite Street, another four down Glass. Jedevra remains with First Talon, First Scale, while Second Talon, First Scale sets up the equipment and establishes itself at the intersection. The first Essence Twister is set up at the center of the intersection, so that it can swivel to cover both streets. The scale then divides itself to block the intersection, bracing themselves into a defensive position with the line of shields covering their bodies. Not every one of them has affixed the Shock Matrix Rod onto their pikes; perhaps a third of the scale has affixed the blue jade and orichalcum-laced heads, though every soldier has at least one set aside as part of their kit.

"Let's go, First Talon, First Scale. We'll be checking the perimeter from Glass Street. Kilani, you too." She feels the collar lightening its strangle-hold on her Essence reserves, though she knows very well how swiftly that control can be re-applied if necessary. "Once I've interfaced with the public address system I'll make an announcement on my amplifier. There's no doubt the rioters know we're coming -- but we want them to think we're everywhere." Scale 1-1 breaks away from 2-1, eschewing the parade march to move quickly and carefully in a line 2 men wide, checking the windows and alleyways with their shock pikes humming, ready to discharge at the first sign of undeterred hostility toward them. [Private to Kilani Sorune: You can roll Perception+Awareness too, if you want!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:12, Thu 23 July 2009.

"An end to it...?" she bit her lip, clearly appearing anxious as she accompanied Jedevra. "Commander, It's not... not dangerous, is it?  It won't look good if we kill people down here...  I know we have to be prepared to, but... Commander, they're not some deadly weapon that could...  kill many people... are they?!"

Kilani sounded afraid that that was just the case. She could always be counted on to voice opposition to this. Even in front of the men, and her passion was heartfelt.  She didn't want to see people killed, let alone casually slaughtered by the nightmarish super weapons their forces could bring to play.

And she was certainly inviting the Collar to choke the essence and strength out of her...

[Private to GM: 14:26, Today: Kilani Sorune rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,1,1,6,7. Perception+Awareness.

16:54, Today: Kilani Sorune rolled 2 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,9,6,8,1. Wits+Awareness.

6m Committed for Prior Warning!

Also, Charimsa+Performance for her public appeal against using massively deadly weapons! it might put hesitation in the soldiers if it succeeds!

16:10, Today: Kilani Sorune rolled 7 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,1,3,10,10,8,7. Charisma+Performance.

All Rolls assume 0 Stunt Dice!

Compassionate Essence Replenishment SHOULD Trigger, but unless I can recoup the committed motes, I can't store the essence generated.

Motes Tracker!
13/13//13
10/26//35
10m Committed: War, Melee, Presence -1 Difficulty for Unit Rolls
06m Committed: Prior Warning, caste mark]
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Wed 15 July 2009.

[Private to Kilani Sorune: +2 stunt, I'm accounting for the risk you're taking in even speaking out ;) and you got a total of 9 successes. Not bad for your first social roll.]Kilani's heartfelt plea does have a noticeable effect on the soldiers. It's hard to tell exactly what they're feeling, with the visors over their faces, but a few of them falter, even hesitate. "We're only using Shock Matrix as a last resort," says one soldier close by, though his voice lacks complete confidence. "We've been assured it's safe," says another, "though it's experimental..."

Jedevra's voice cuts in abruptly. "No chatter. I'll be addressing the populace from the intersection of Glass and Sunder. Stay alert, and let's move!"

They've only gone a couple of blocks down Glass Street, with no obvious signs of trouble along the way, when a loud explosion erupts from outside the perimeter. Somewhere distantly southward, a warehouse or other large building is crumbling to the ground. The soldiers in formation falter briefly, looking to Jedevra, who shakes her head. "Concentrate on the street. I don't know of any scheduled demolitions but the locals are going to have to deal with it. We have our mission."

The column continues, moving past the first half of Second Scale stationed at Glass and Marble, until they cross Sunder Street. Here Jedevra activates her phoenix pinions, floating low in the air as she prepares to make her speech.

[Private to Kilani Sorune: Prior Warning triggers. You feel that if you continue toward Glass and Sunder, and remain there as Jedevra has ordered, some source of danger will come your way in about four minutes. From my reading of the charm, you really only get the feeling of danger arriving, not any specifics about it.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:24, Thu 23 July 2009.

Kilani rushed to Jedevra as soon as her sense  was triggered, a frantic expression. She had felt something genuinely. "Wait! If we wait there... I... I can't say what, butt it won't be good for anyone! There is great danger if we stay on the intersection of those streets."

She had her premonitions from time to tome, and the look in her eye was genuine and serious. Bad Things would be happening.

"I see," Jedevra says, gazing at Kilani seriously, before addressing the scale that accompanies them. "Take defensive positions and ready weapons. If there'll be trouble, we want them to come to us -- but we'll be prepared." (OOC: this basically means the units will gain cover bonuses and will be alert for ambushes.)

The Winglord rises higher into the air, her pinions extending into the shape of wings with burning feathers. Glowing with that iconic, eye-catching display of Essence, she can be seen hovering above the intersection of Glass and Sunder from hundreds of yards around. A cyclone of fire surrounds her, a pillar made entirely of tendrils of flame and hot winds, shielding her spectacularly from ranged attack.

When Jedevra opens her mouth next, her stern, clearly enunciated voice is amplified throughout the Riot Zone and a large part of the Sector.

"Workers and Citizens of City of Pasiap's Resolve, Sector Five. This is Winglord Sesus Raves Jedevra of the Fire District Peace Force, commander of Burning Feather. As the official representative of the Council's law, you are ordered to cease all acts of violence and rebellion, terrorism and larceny. Drop your weapons and proceed calmly with your hands up toward the corners of Granite, Glass, Steel and Crystal."

"Should you cooperate peacefully, there will be no incident. You will be handled by Peace Force officers, searched, questioned, if necessary punished to the full extent of the law, but you will be treated as citizens and not as enemies of the Coils. However, should any of you resist arrest, we will be compelled to use necessary force. You will be considered enemies of the state and your lives and rights will be forfeit."

She pauses for effect, a brief respite to allow her message to sink into the populace -- if they would hear her in the first place.

"I will not repeat this twice. Drop your weapons and proceed calmly with your hands up toward the corners of Granite, Glass, Steel and Crystal. Cooperate with the directions of the Peace Force, or your lives and rights will be forfeit!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:25, Thu 23 July 2009.

The cacophony of shouts punctuated by firearm shots, shattering glass and other less savory sounds briefly fades in intensity, but is not completely eclipsed by Jedevra's speech.

Two things happen very close to one another at this point.

From the west end of Sunder Street, still about half a mile distant, comes the hum of what appears to be a pair of heavily laden gliding chariots. They are on a course headed straight for the intersection Jedevra hovers above, completing her announcement, though at their current rate of advance it may still take them a couple minutes to arrive. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu; Yaishin Higura; Saina Nanaret; Talia Zerith: This is where you are! To reduce redundancy, I'm having your group enter this thread at this point. You may react to the speech, or anything else you see, as you see fit. Just keep in mind you are still pretty far away from the intersection Jedevra and etc. are at. It's too far even for a powerbow's range at this point, though that should swiftly change.]

Then, two Burning Feather lookouts call out another warning. From the direction of the riot zone - due east, several citizens are sighted starting to shuffle slowly toward the Glass Street perimeter, holding their hands up. The fangs stationed at Marble and Slate are also expressing similar reports, while the soldiers converging toward the far southeast corner of Crystal and Steel (unseen from this position) have encountered larger pockets of unrest and are involved in corralling them as they attempt to seal the perimeter.

[Private to Kilani Sorune: For some reason, even though the gliding vehicles ought to look more threatening, the feeling attached to your Prior Warning is coming from the direction those civilians are coming from, and it's getting stronger.]

Nanaret straightens and lets go of her handholds once the gliding chariot she is riding on rights itself, taking the straightforward path down Sunder Street. Judging from the way the buildings are whizzing by on either side, they are going much faster than she is accustomed to.

Her eyes narrow and her teeth bare as she takes in the ostentatious speech from Jedevra, and the Peace Forces waiting ahead. "You sure we not have to hurt them? I know that kind talk. In Water District it was very same. 'Calm down, we evacuate you.' But they not mean that at all." She takes the tinted glasses from her breast pocket and dons them, gazing up at the figure with the burning wings, then at the figures gathered at the distant intersection, attempting to make a count of the forces there.

Reaching for her backtube, Nanaret draws out her folded moonsilver serpent staff, but does not unfurl it, so it seems less like a staff and more like a club of textured steel and moonsilver. The weapon does not suit the visceral Ranavalona, but its sinuous, mercurial nature suits Nanaret just fine.

Kilani moves toward the lookouts who spotted the approaching civilians, who shuffled toward them with raised arms. She felt  the tightening in her chest, something wasn't right about it. No. Something was very, very wrong and something bad was going to happen.

"No... I ... I don't think ambush will be enough, Commander! We have to go, now... Not retreat, but at least fall back! It' snot those chariots... something... from this way..."

"I agree with Nanaret," Xurizu says.  "I don't like the sound of that talk."  He removes the felt-wrapped package from his back, though he doesn't yet unwrap it.  As the press forwards, he casts his eyes in the direction of their travel, trying to pick the peace officers out from the crowd, trying to gauge how many there were in the area and their armaments.

Hearing the speech from afar, Higura cannot help but frown, his brow further creasing when the others speak their opinions of it. He shakes his head deeply, speaking loudly to cover up the sounds of the engines.

"I am pretty certain this is what it means as well. I was taught to file reports with this sort of terminology when I was still in the office of the Assessors. Although I was lucky enough never to have to write one myself, I have seen some written by others who went in this direction. Directives to 'calm' and 'pacify', for example, were merely covers for 'sanitize'... Meaning whole areas were sometimes massacred. It was then the Assessor themselves who were sent to investigate the post-operation grounds. Of course, the Assessors' reports would then show that these actions were necessary and that it had been completely necessary to resort to violence. Threats were magnified after the fact to justify the actions taken, and the information carefully controlled so that it would make the Peaceforce, Immaculates or Military looks completely blameless in the matter."

The doctor follows Nanaret's example, drawing both his short daiklave and swordbreaker, and getting ready to spring into the heat of action. "No matter what, we cannot let that happen here. Not only would the people be slaughtered, but the truth behind everything that happened here would be twisted and molded to fit the needs of those above. This cannot be allowed to come to pass."

Jedevra's head turns quickly toward Kilani, as she fixes her eyes on the girl. Clearly she is conflicted between taking the counsel of an Anathema and knowing that her premonitions have more often than not been right.

"Very well," she finally relents, and signals to her scale. "We will pull from the intersection, but only far enough that we may still retaliate against whatever may converge here. Split up, 50 yards out to the north and south!"

The group approaching on the gliding chariots sees the assembled elite Peace Force soldiers suddenly break formation, moving away from the intersection and toward the cover of surrounding buildings. The woman floating high above darts downward and toward the right. "Careful," says Irjin warningly, "I don't like the look of that. We may be getting lured into a trap. I'll ask our guests --" meaning of course the Celestials on board "-- their opinion. Shall we spring the trap or swerve from it?"

While the Peace Forces (and Kilani) withdraw a short distance away, the chariots continue their relentless advance, and the few citizens starting to answer to Jedevra's speech keep moving toward the intersection of Glass and Sunder. The chariot passengers begin to glimpse those hesitant, apparently unarmed figures, and the pilots instinctively start to slow their vehicles anyway -- lest they continue on a collision course!

---

OOC: Ok... so we can get this in some semblance of order, EVERYONE roll Join Battle with your next response. Even if you won't necessarily fight. It's more to get an idea of who reacts first.

also, crude map just so you get the idea.

Sunder Street (center horizontal)

     |    |     |    |     |    |
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----   1 - Burning Feather, moving
                Marble                       50 yards away
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----   2 - Gliding Chariots (fast)
     |    |     |    |     |^   |        3 - Civilians, coming from
     |    |     |    |     |1   |            riot zone
-----+  B +-----+  A +-----+  G +-----
        e          g          l
2--->   r          a          a    <-3    Please note: map is NOT
        y          t          s           exactly to scale, and there
-----+  l +-----+  e +-----+  s +-----    are more obstacles/buildings
     |    |     |    |     |1   |         than pictured.
     |    |     |    |     |v   |
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----
                 Slate                    ^
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----    N
     |    |     |    |     |    |
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:03, Thu 23 July 2009.

"If we move forward, they'll be able to swarm us, and civilians will likely get caught up in the fight as well.  If there were someplace we could set up a bottleneck, use their numbers against them..."  Talia galnces around, her voice more speculative than certain.  "But then again, I'm not exactly an expert in these matters."

[Private to GM: You rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((9,4,6,3,7,3)).]

"Lead??" Klaxon, piloting the first of the two chariots, growls at Irjin as Glass and Sunder looms ever closer. The window to break away before emerging fully into the target intersection is swiftly dwindling. The gliding chariots may be sleek, but they're still large enough that the smallest alleyways of the City would be much too small to fit their bulk.

The vehicles cross the intersection of Sunder and Temperance. Then the square of Sunder and Fifth Radial. Sunder and Solemn. Sunder and Onyx. Sunder and Beryl... much further and they'll be too late to turn back. Yet Irjin still waits, calmly tugging at his gloves. He replies to Talia, "We're in the middle of the city. The only bottlenecks would be well beyond where we need to go."

"We going to detour or what?!" Arashi shouts from the second chariot pilot seat.

Xurizu considered, looking at the withdrawing troops and the oncoming crowds.  "I agree with Talia," Xurizu nods to the woman.  "If we move into the intersection they'll be able to fire on us from both sides with very little chance of catching any other members of the peace force in the crossfire.  There's too many civilians on the far side for us to power across too.  We'd have to slow and any shots which missed us would hit them."

"If we swing around, come up one of the streets they've withdrawn down, we do give them chance to prepare, but we also temporarily split their force."

"There two of our vehicles as well. Can split and come at them from either side," Nanaret suggests. "If you think we do well separate. I am ready, and confident," the former gladiatrix says boldly.

"But if you know where we headed--perhaps Peace Forces are lesser at further intersection. We break through, get inside zone. Attack only if we attacked." She shrugs, then, rolling her wiry shoulders so that the joints crack audibly.

(OOC: I'm not even sure if we're all on the same chariot though I've assumed that Nanaret/Higura are on the same one.)

"Hmm." Higura starts, thinking about all of the opinions having been expressed. Part of him, true to his nature, would like to stop and ponder how to best approach the situation, but unfortunately, time is of the essence. A plan would have to be agreed upon now, without delays.

"Considering all angles, I do think that splitting might be a good idea. That way, we get a bit of benefits from both, since we might be able to have one team spring the potential trap and still manage to have a team untied and ready to flank them."

"This does force us to split our forces as well, but I believe that if we time our strikes well enough, we might be able to gain the upper hand still. Applying pressure on two points might force our opponent to take a step back and regroup... Although we cannot count on this for our strategy. The Peace Forces are a well-trained fighting troupe, so we have to expect high training and good fighting strategy. In this ocean of chaos, they are a well-oiled, regimented bastion of calm and professionalism."

"That is all the more why we need to get between them and the rioters..."

Kilani gave a firm nod to Jedevra, then motioned the soldiers to split away from the central intersection. Moving quickly, she rushed to the side next to a building and knelt down, scooping up Gibhari as she ran after the soldiers.

"Gibhari, I need you to keep an eye on those Shock Pikes... If they try to use them... I don't know what they do...  Dig the dirt out from their bases to knock them down and disrupt them... I think they have to work together. You can mess with a whole lot at once..."

"You got it, Kila!"

[Private to GM:
Kilani  got 1 Success
Gibhari got 4 Successes

By the way... I found a weird problem with the Host of Spirits charm.... said spirits have 2 fewer Attributes in everything except Appearance... this reduces most of Gibhari's to 0. Do you have any suggestions for ways to deal with this and make it useful? I was gonna use it to create some copies, but I just realized that  effect of the charm XD;]

"The problem with splitting is that we have no means of communication, whilst we can be sure that the Peaceforce will be in communication even if they are split across the boulevard," Xurizu points out.  "We have no means to communicate that we have been attacked, or that our opposite number is about to be."

"That is actually a very astute point, Mister Xurizu." Higura says, nodding his assent to his fellow Exalt. Pondering for a moment, he then turns towards Irjin, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Is there any way for you and your people to correct this situation, Mister Irjin? Do you have any way to communicate with one another when separated?"

"Or perhaps you have to rely on another method altogether to circumvent this shortcoming?"

"We've got short-range communication, but... better we don't split when we're not certain of numbers," Irjin replies after a tense moment of thought. The gliding chariots hurtle past Sunder and Beryl, and he shouts, "We'll turn north at Agate and detour on Marble Street!"

"Finally!" grouses Klaxon, followed by Arashi's enthusiastic "You got it, Lead!" The two chariot pilots are quick to respond, turning sharply to the left as soon as they enter the Agate intersection, one after the other.

No sooner have the Peace Forces withdrawn from Glass and Sunder that several burning objects come hurtling from behind the approaching citizens, impacting on the ground and bursting in a roaring conflagaration of flames and fragments of pottery, glass and even metal -- the remains of whatever containers the rioters could find to pack in their incendiary cocktails into. As neither group is in the area of the intersection, it serves as more of a spectacularly fiery and LOUD warning, the explosives propelled from what must be some form of catapult, if one could gauge the distance.

Kilani, standing with Jedevra and a half-scale between Marble and Sunder, can hear and see the grenades falling, but cannot see the source from where she is. [Private to Kilani Sorune: The shock pikes are actually hand held weapons, so they unfortunately do not touch the dirt! A disarm would be more appropriate. Ghibari figures this out and lets you know. As for the Host of Spirits I really don't know if I want to change the charm too drastically. I thought you were going to use Shapechange instead.]

Neither can the people on the chariots. The fiery barrage on the intersection continues as the Freerunners execute the detour. "Well I'll be damned," says Irjin in the first chariot, shaking his head ruefully, "the rioters are just as ready for trouble." Arashi, in the second chariot, mutters to Talia and Xurizu, "That's gonna make this... complicated."

Chariots 1 and 2 turn onto Marble, greeted with the sight of another half-scale of elite Peace Forces (1-2a) blocking the way into Glass Street. "Cut engines immediately, or we will assume you conspirators of a terrorist act!" they proclaim, several holding shock pikes aloft. "Fail to comply and we WILL open fire!" If Kilani turns opposite the explosion-damaged intersection, she will also glimpse the rebel vehicles coming! [Private to Kilani Sorune: the thought does cross your mind that the rebels could help stop the Shock Matrix, as well, but THAT could be hard to arrange while collared.]

---

OOC: I decided against splitting mostly due to the extra level of complication it'd involve :( Also, despite the tick count starting, you aren't obligated to do a combat action, or to post in exact order. The count is more for me to figure when actions should resolve. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: I tried to arrange this so you'd have time to pull off a spell if you really wanted, but if you shape sorcery on the moving chariot, you have to roll a wits+occult 2 sux to ensure you don't get distracted]

actions
tick 0 - Xurizu, Irjin, Chariot 1 Freerunners
tick 1 - Half Scale 1-2a, Ghibari
tick 2 - Nanaret, Chariot 2 Freerunners, ???, unarmed citizens
tick 3 - Talia
tick 4 - Higura, Kilani, Jedevra + Scale 1-1, grenadiers

Sunder Street expanded map

     |    |     |    |     |    |     |  ^  1-1a, 1-1b roughly
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+  N  100 yards apart
   Marble St.      /--F-->     1-2a
-----+    +-----+  | +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
     |    |     |  | |     |1-1a|     |    |     |    |
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |
-----+  B +-----+  A +-----+  G +-----+    +-----+    +----
        e          g          l
        r          a          a    <-C    Sunder St.      G
        y          t          s
-----+  l +-----+  e +-----+  s +-----+    +-----+    +----
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |
     |    |     |    |     |1-1b|     |    |     |    |
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
    Slate St.
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    G is ~200 yds away
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    from Glass & Sunder

1-1a - Burning Feather Half Scale 1-1a, Jedevra, Kilani
1-1b - Burning Feather Half Scale 1-1b
1-2a - Burning Feather Half Scale 1-2a
F - Freerunner chariots, Irjin, Higura, Nanaret, Talia, Xurizu
C - Peaceful civilians?
G - Unknown grenadiers!
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:11, Fri 24 July 2009.

Nanaret's muscles tense up as the chariots near the Peace Force blockade. If they'll fight, she'll leap off as soon as they reach the intersection.

"We not wanting to fight unless we have to yes? But if we do not, we stuck here, cannot reach riot." She shrugs nonchalantly. "Obviously... we ram right through them, yes?"

Perhaps fortunately, it isn't really up to her. Still, she bounces on the balls of her feet, ready for action!

[Private to GM: This isn't actually an action, more a reaction. I'm basically holding off until I see what others decide. One of two things will happen depending on that, I'll either be activating Snake Form, or Relentless Lunar Fury + an immediate attack.]

Similarly to Nanaret, Higura seems to keep his body lower on the chariot's surface in order to maintain his center of gravity close to the vehicle. Gazing ahead, Higura nods grimly, renewing his grip on his sword and swordbreaker before glancing sideways at the woman.

"Breaking through seems like our only viable option." He says, answering his companions words while raising his chin. "I would advise that we should speed up, ram the line strongly and then endeavor to put some distance between us and the Peace Force Line - they did say they would fire upon us if we did not desist, so I suspect we should expect them to honor that pledge." With that, the doctor seems to lower his body even further, trying to take advantage of what little cover the chariot does offer.

"No matter what ends up happening, we should not stop the chariots or our ramming procedure." Higura continues, his expression grim and determined. "Even if some of our numbers were to fall down at impact. I do not like to give the impression that I believe this is every man for himself - I do not, of course. But I also believe it will be easier for individuals to break through the defense line and meet with the rest of the group at a rally point later than it would be for us to stop the chariots... We would be sitting ducks in that case."

With that, Higura realizes that his time is up, and he grips his holds on the chariot tightly, readying himself for the upcoming impact. As he prepares, his gaze turns to Nanaret again, and it softens considerably, a faint smile appearing on his lips. With a slow, almost imperceptible nod, the doctor lets his eyes linger on his companion for a moment, before turning his attention back to the line of Peace Force grunts ahead.

From here on, it is do or die; there would be no turning back.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Okay, so that's more of a reaction to what's coming I suppose, and withholding actual action to either attack (if the chariots are stopped in any way), or otherwise defend (or even keep his balance,  since the ride is likely to get bumpy). Since Higura doesn't have scene-long combat charms, I won't use any here (Blinding the Boar is the only one, but it's so short in duration it's best use in direct conflict), but will keep ready to use charms to support my actions at my turn.]

"Heh... well, then, I'd advise you get down and brace yourselves. You heard 'em, pilots!" Irjin ducks down as Klaxon and Arashi, not ones to disappoint, punch the acceleration with gusto!

The Freerunners don't just leave it at that. They shout, holler and howl as the two gliding chariots come careening toward the armored soldiers, who stand their ground until the very last minute. "Hold, or we will stop you by any means necessary!" demands the lieutenant stationed at the intersection of Glass and Marble, to which Klaxon replies, "Get outta my way!!" and aims the front of his chariot right for the speaker!

Kilani, Jedevra and Scale 1-1 see a hovering oval-shaped vehicle zoom right past them down Marble Street, headed right for the space occupied by Half Scale 1-2a. The red-armored soldiers hurry hastily to clear out, some of them daring enough to snap off a shock pike blast before leaping aside, others crouching post-dodge and aiming shots at the rear of the first as it speeds away. The lieutenant dives away in a close shave, his heavy armor still striking a sizable dent on the front of the chassis. "Er, sorry...!" Klaxon winces, then mumbles to himself, "I just replaced that!"

By the time Arashi's chariot speeds through the path Klaxon cleared, most of the shock-pike wielders have recovered. More blasts lance toward the second chariot, visible as several jagged, electric strands of crackling blue. Rather unlike the 'standard' shock pike, and more reminiscent of the weapon of the Equalizer Alecto, for those who would remember that.

"Fire at will, but don't pursue them too far!" Jedevra commands, belaying her troops' enthusiasm to take down the reckless chariot-riders. "Our priority is crowd control. Hasten the deployment of the Shock Matrix!"

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu; Saina Nanaret; Talia Zerith; Yaishin Higura: Roll another Wits or Dex+Ath to keep footing. Then post defense against shock pike barrage of 10 sux. Those on the first chariot get +3 DV, and those on the second get +2 DV, so long as they don't fall off. (The bonus is related to cover + how many blasts vs. passengers)]

At Glass and Sunder, one last trio of grenades impacts with the intersection, almost as an afterthought. The respite from the barrage only heralds an entire different deluge of sound... that of a large body of citizens breaking into a run, now frightened or stirred to desperation by the explosions. Unchecked, they cease any attempts to advance calmly or with their arms raised, and stampede toward the unguarded intersection.

Innocents looking simply to escape find themselves mixed in with frustrated citizens or workers wielding makeshift weapons or 'borrowed' merchandise. The young and infirm are trampled or shoved aside, as survival instinct or pure rage blinds common sense. Jedevra's scale -- still split in half, and having cleared the intersection prematurely at Kilani's urging -- hurry to close the gap, but they're just too slow!

---

OOC: we're at tick 2 or so now, I tend to post summaries of 4-6 ticks but since a lot is going on I'll be more granular. If you missed your tick you may be considered as delaying or holding action.

Xurizu had decided that he wouldn't be the first to shoot in this conflict.  It was a decision he regretted for an instant as the shock pike barrage went off and the Chariot rocked and bucked in the blasts.  He did his best to keep his footing though, reaching out for the side of the vehicle with his free hand as he let his two feet slide until they jammed up against the side.

The blasts themselves were another matter and Xurizu instinctively wrapped himself in shadow as they started to lance out, ducking down low, trying to make himself less of a target.  There was only so much room to dodge on a chariot, after all.  Still, he managed it, twisting aside from the blasts, letting them find only air ...

[Private to GM: Apologies for the lack of posts, been working on a chapter, which I finished today.  DDV is 5.  +1 from his anima, if that counts (it might not, if they have full nightvision).  +2 dice from the first dex ex for dodge.]

Nanaret relies on her natural dexterity, swaying with the motions of the chariot she is riding, seeking her equilibrium as Klaxon picks up speed. She simply ducks and crouches as the vehicle makes impact with the line of soldiers and swerves past, gripping her folded staff in one hand and hanging on to the nearest handhold with the other. [Private to GM: For the Ath. I'll spend 3m on Dex excellency for total of 10 dice. Got 5 sux!]

"Careful, Doctor Higura!" She knows he is combat trained, and has witnessed him block blows that no ordinary man could hope to catch with a single blade. Nonetheless... she worries for him, though Ranavalona would surely scorn her for it.

The Lunar straightens defiantly as the shock pike barrage comes, precarious as her footing may be. Her grip on her weapon loosens, allowing Sixth Coil to unfurl fluidly, a jointed serpent of steel and moonsilver caught between her hands. She whirs the end sections in one hand, once, twice, thrice, then lashes out in a fan-like motion, propelling the staff into the path of an incoming shock-bolt. Blue collides with mercurial silver, dispersing the energy into spectacular, but harmless arcs of blue sparks and smoke. [Private to GM: With +3 from cover, Nanaret's moonsilver staff parry (at -8) is enough to block the shock pike blasts. Hopefully my stunt counts as a parry! If not I'll use Dodge DV 5 and use Serpentine Evasion + a WP, bringing it to 8.]

Failing that, she dodges in place, her lithe muscles and joints contorting at unbelievable angles to bend and shift away from the path of any errant pike blasts -- sometimes succeeding so narrowly she can feel the hairs singe off her arms, or a flash of heat rise up against her cheek.

Again Talia is shaken by the motion of the chariot, leaving her unable to effectively avoid the barrage.  The bolt strikes, and it seems like a crippling blow to the red-haired woman.  Instead, after the flash of light, Talia appears to have taken little damage.  Those who are able to see her clearly may notice the branching fractal patterns of her anima banner dance briefly across her body, then vanish.


[Private to GM: You rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((4,8,3,1)).  Assuming that's enough to not fall off, my DV is 5 (I am on the second chariot, right?).
5m personal essence to twilight anima effect, which knocks five damage down to two.]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Fri 31 July 2009.

Things get out dicey really fast, as one would expect when charging into such a chaotic situation. Things become very dangerous in but an instant, and Higura has to resort to reflexes and instincts rather than preparation when the chariot he is on starts to shake and rock uncontrollably...

Trying to keep his wits about him, Higura holds on tightly to the chariot, loosening his hold on his weapons to grasp at his holding points on the moving vehicle. The doctor does not have Nanaret's dexterous nature nor her limber quality, and thus it is almost through sheer, pure will that he manages to cling to his constantly shifting surroundings. [Private to Gatekeeper: 11:09, Today: Yaishin Higura rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,7,6,9,6,4. Dex + Athletics.]

Not long after somehow defeating the strong aftershock, the doctor has to contend with the attacks from the shock pikes - and every effort spent to stay aboard would become useless if he gave up now. "I will be fine, Nanaret... Watch your back!" With the words, the doctor lets out a long breath in an attempt to balance his own center of gravity, and raise up to the challenge. With so little room to maneuver, he would not be capable to step out of the way - the only viable option remaining being to stand his ground and simply render the attack on him meaningless.

Standing up, precariously at first, the doctor somehow manages to keep his footing, and stands directly in front of the oncoming attack. Defiantly, he holds his ground against the deadly blasts, staring at them directly as he takes a step back... And then, in a flash of forceful, empowered motion, strikes right at them. With sword and swordbreaker, he strikes powerfully forward, as if slicing right at the heart of each of the projectiles. Sparks and crackles come as the sharp edges of the blades cut through the blasts, destroying the fragile balance that holds the energy together and shattering the beams like they were glass...

[Private to Gatekeeper: Hopefully this is enough to warrant the action being a parry, and gives at least a +1... If it does, the attack is blocked (with cover, my Parry DV is 9, 1 shy of blocking the 10 dice attack.)]

Intersection of Glass and Marble:

The barrage hits the chariots, the passengers of the first getting away relatively unscathed. Basso and Heldra, the two tough-bodied Freerunners, and one of the engineers, Exceed, singed with minimal damage attempting to cover for their allies (2L, 1L and 1L respectively). Higura and Nanaret remain untouched, deflecting what blasts may come their way, while Klaxon, Irjin and others are lucky enough not to draw any fire, keeping their heads down.

The second chariot is not so lucky. Another burly Freerunner going by the name Stone Jaw takes three shots and goes down. (9L!) He is not dead, but definitely knocked out for the fight. Brazen, his brother, takes another pair and is heavily wounded, but not down. (7L) Crank and Rampuri take a couple blasts each, gritting their teeth. (3L each) A wiry quarter-beast, Lucky Break, lurches to snatch Talia as she nearly falls off the chariot, but not quick enough to pull her to safety before another of the crackling energy blasts aims straight for her. [Private to Talia Zerith: Well, since Lucky's action to catch you won't happen until a tick after you get attacked, you don't get the cover bonus, and your best DV appears to be your DDV at 5. I'm fine with you still using charms (like Demure Carp Feint), stunt, WP etc. to push your DV up -- just add it to your post above. Otherwise, you will take 5L damage.]

The Exalts on the chariots also see, before clearing the intersection completely, glimpse to their right the Winglord Jedevra and her companion, a young brown-haired girl with a collar around her neck...

Intersection of Glass and Sunder:

The unarmed citizens start to pour out from Glass and Sunder, heading westward. Burning Feather continues to carry on the message of their leader. "On orders of the Council, you must calmly cooperate with arrest!" No one listens, and the speaker is pushed bodily aside! "Permission to use Essence Twister!" calls one of the Dragon-blooded lieutenants under Jedevra's command, followed by her terse reply: "Granted!"

But the Essence Twister has been knocked down in the grenade barrage, and the following stampede. Some of the more recklessly brave among the citizens have realized the oblong cylinder has some importance, and start to fight with the Peace Forcers for control of it. The situation at Glass and Sunder quickly becomes a chaotic melee between the faceless masses and the much better equipped soldiers of Scale 1-1, who strike back at the rebelling citizens with impunity! Many citizens fall, bruised and bloodied, but the wiser ones get away!

Kilani has remained with Jedevra, who has not advanced into the intersection. For the moment she is safe, while the commanding officer directs the continued preparations for the mysterious superweapon. She speaks into her communicator: "These people are animals. We'll have to do a preliminary blast. Scales 1-2 through 2-4, prepare Shock Matrix Rods for a short 5 second pulse!"

---

OOC: actions
tick 5 - Chariot 1 Freerunners
tick 6 - Half Scale 1-2a
tick 7 - Chariot 2 Freerunners, ???, unarmed citizens
tick 9 - Jedevra, Scale 1-1
Grenadiers have dropped out of combat due to actions by 23 and Immy.
(edit: everyone else is considered to be holding action, so may act at any tick!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:29, Sat 08 Aug 2009.

Kilani flinched at Jedevra's words, and turned sharply, to Jedevera. "Wait! These people are not animals Commander! I don't know what those do but don't just slaughter or torture them!"

She bit her lip. "We need to catch the chariots, right?" she pulled her bow. "Let me block their path, Jedevra. We don't have to resort to cruel weapons." She glared at her with a firm conviction, then took off to an elevated platform to the side, raising her bow. "Gibhari!"

The mole popped from her sleeve, and scurried to her hand, brought to the bowstring. "Ready, Boss!"

"Good. Stop the chariots, but don't kill anybody. Keep them busy so the Peace Force can arrest them." she spoke softly.

"Yes sir!" the mole raised one arm dramatically.

"And Gibhari... be careful." Kilani leaned down and planted a kiss on the mole's head.

Pulling back her bowstring, Kilani narrowed her eyes, then let Gibhari fly into the air, arcing like the finest arrow. But as the mole began his descent, a flicker of light streamed off of him, leaving a contrail of light as his tiny form was replaced with a massive giant of a mole surpassing human size.

Kilani looked to Jedevra. "Now... Let's get those Twisters back up. We won't have long, but we don't have to turn to anything drastic yet."

==========

The mole arcing through the air and spewing essence contrails as it changed shape was one of the craziest things anyone in the district might have seen. But as the creature rapidly plummeted, gaining weight and force, it threw out one clawwed leg, aiming to impact the front right side of the lead, lesser-damaged chariot (the one containing you PCs :P).

Still, the attacker seemed to understand he wasn't destroying an artifact hull, but instead seemed to be trying to force it into the nearby buildings as  he kicked off of that vehicle and leaped at the other, swinging a dropping punch aimed to slam the nose of that vehicle into the dirt. As he landed, the dust whirling around him, he spoke aloud in Old Realm.

"I am Gibhari, God of Moles! Bodyguard of the Chief Medical Officer of the Peace Force detachment! My mistress doesn't wish you harmed, so please put your weapons down and get on the ground!"

[Private to GM: Rolls (None include stunt values)
(Kilani: Speed 6/-1)
6 Successes Archery Attack Roll
Raw Arrow Damage of the attack is 5L+Successes (Using Frog Crotch to increase the damage bonus to Gibhari's first attack in hopes of dealing more Knockback)

Gibhari: Speed 6/-2, 2 attacks

6 Successes on the first attack
Raw Damage is 6L+Successes+whatever benefit he might or might not get from the Generalized Ammo Tech above. His main goal is causing the vehicle to crash, not damaging it.

Second Attack has 2 successes
Raw Damage is 6L + any increases.]



[Private to GM: Motes Tracker!
13/13//13
10/26//35
04/05//05 - 1 spent for Generalized Ammunition Technique, regain with stunt
7m toward Anima so far
06/07 Willpower - 1 autosuccess on archery attack to not botch Gibhari -- possibly add successes+arrow damage to his first landing attack?

10m Committed: War, Melee, Presence -1 Difficulty for Unit Rolls
06m Committed: Prior Warning, caste mark

Gibhari
45/50 Motes -5m Shapechange (Regain with his stuntage)
4/5 Willpower]

Klaxon gawks at the strange, mole shaped projectile that comes hurtling toward his vehicle. "What in the--?!" But there's no time to hesitate. The first chariot swerves, trying to avoid the kick of the rapidly expanding Mole God, but ultimately failing. A sizable dent caves in part of the front right panel of the lead vehicle (4B damage to the chariot), and the entirety veers sharply to the left.

"Hate to say it, Lead, and everyone else... but better hang on!!" Only the Freerunner pilot's exceptional skill keeps the entirety from tipping over, or crashing into the left-side buildings. He manages to bring the chariot down safely, scraping the bottom of the vehicle against the street to slow their momentum with friction. It's a rough ride, but the passengers are only rattled, not injured. The vehicle comes to a stop after gently bumping over the sidewalk and against the wall of the nearest factory building.

The second chariot is luckier. Arashi's quick reflexes allow her to avoid the punch that attempts to stop her vehicle's progress. While Klaxon is busy attempting not to crash, she maneuvers the vehicle carring Talia, Xurizu and others around the bulk of the mole, and speeds onward! "Lead! I'll detour left and meet you around!" she shouts!

"No!" Irjin calls back. "Get back onto Sunder Street. Look for our contacts! We'll deal with this." Unfortunately 'we' in this case includes Higura and Nanaret. Arashi swears colorfully, intending to follow Irjin's direction, unless Talia or Xurizu have something else to say about it. [Private to Kilani Sorune: So, first attack was a great success for you, the second chariot got away though. I have my doubts Ghibari can chase the second on foot, which will be at least 50 yards away before he can move again. So you'll have to wait and see whether the people in the second chariot decide to turn back around.]

Half of Scale 1-2a is now following Jedevra's directions, and making adjustments on the strange blue jade and orichalcum rods replacing the traditional head of the shock pikes they hold, starting to power them up. However, several of them have retained their weapons to aim at Irjin, Higura, Nanaret and others still inside the grounded chariot. "Drop your weapons and get out." None of them want to say, "Like the giant mole said." Even though that is more or less what Ghibari demanded.

UNlike Ghibari, though, they have every intention to cause harm should the Freerunners and allies not comply.

Between the two intersections, Jedevra raises an eyebrow at Kilani. "The chariots are no longer your concern. The situation on the Sunder side is much worse. If you'll make use of your powers, then do so to aid them!" Even so, Kilani cannot be sure who to fire at in that crush of panicked and angry citizens, as Scale 1-1 continues its struggle to reclaim the Essence Twisters and widen the gap between them and the rioters. More bodies, gravely injured or fainting in the melee, fall between the soldiers and their goal, and none of them are armored men.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:52, Sat 19 Sept 2009.

As their chariot comes to a stop, Higura quickly realizes that the situation they find themselves in is far from ideal. If he hadn't escaped from the frenzied Water District in time to avoid its purge, the doctor might even have considered this present situation rather hopeless. But they have come this far. Hopeless or not, it matters little - they have to persevere.

After their narrowly-avoided crash caused by... A mole? Higura immediately recognizes that simply fighting at this point would mean pure suicide. Surrendering would be highly undesirable as well; it might save their lives, perhaps, but it would do nothing for the rioting people and the massacre that will no doubt ensue if the situation continues this way.

There is no time to assess options for too long, so Higura acts quickly. Crouched in the chariot, he gives a silent look first to Nanaret, then Irjin, and then the other Freerunners. Even without words, the meaning of this gaze is rather plain - we can't stay here... we -run-. The prospect is grim, however, and only with smart movement will they be able to make it. If they can reach the crowds and disperse in them, all will be well. After all, the Peace Forces will not be able to pursue them for long, lest they compromise their position here and break their ranks... Theoretically, if they manage to last this long, they should pull it off. But it is the initial blast that will prove difficult to avoid, and may very well make or break this maneuver.

As if to give the example of what he has in mind, Higura gives one final lingering glance to Nanaret, then starts to raise slowly, as if displaying a desire to cooperate and surrender... Then immediately jumps behind the chariot, hoping to use the vehicle as cover at least long enough for him to reach one of the nearby buildings, and hoping the others would follow...

[Private to Gatekeeper: I *think* the roll might be athletics or somesuch, but I'll wait in case you think it should be something else, or multiple rolls and such.]

Nanaret herself has no desire to surrender, knowing exactly what that would mean once her true nature is discovered. To return to the collar, to serve again as entertainment for those who have lost their heart for humanity?! Her blood boils at the mere thought of it, and Ranavalona clings to that spike of righteous rage, rising from her dormant sleep to whisper into her mind. Why risk yourselves for the mindless masses?? This has nothing at all to do with our escape. Fight your way out! Do not cage yourselves with the unworthy and weak! Find the leader of these upstart soldiers and their beloved toys, and destroy her!

Yet her loyalty -- and dare she say, love, for Higura weighs in the balance as well. Saving herself and leaving Higura behind cannot be a viable option. Even if she decides she cares nothing for the workers and the citizens (and she has NOT decided so), the thread of devotion that binds her to the former Mindwalker cannot be so easily surmounted. Not even by Ranavalona herself, who knew the man and loathed him for the weakness he wrought in her!

Nanaret rises, and steps out of the downed chariot, her hands behind her still clutching her weapon. "I will not be bound," she enunciates for all those who will hear her -- and lacking her usual broken speech. "I will not cooperate, when cooperation means slavery or death." Backing away, toward the direction Higura and... hopefully, the other Freerunners will go, she reveals her steel(and subtly moonsilver) weapon, manipulating the textured sections between her hands to form an ever-shifting defense. "Open your eyes, Ghibari. Have you once seen the Peace Force truly act on behalf of the populace, above their own agendas? They will fail you and they will fail your mistress, for they DO mean harm."

Perhaps she may be mistaking the transformed Mole for a Lunar's shape, but the sentiments are still true. Gesturing with her chin for the Freerunners to clear out, Nanaret takes up the rear of their retreat.

[Private to Kilani Sorune: Oh, yeah... my staff only has moonsilver in the chains linking the staff sections, so it's up to you whether you think Ghibari or Kilani will notice the silver or not.]

Irjin has time for a small nod toward Higura. "All right, follow the good doctor. Yes, even you Klaxon." The beastman pilot looks forlornly at the vehicle he's about to abandon. "I dunno, Lead... choosing death or losing my chariot, death's starting to look like a good option..."

"Don't be daft!" The Freerunner leader all but shoves Klaxon out of the chariot and leaps out after him. "Basso and Heldra, ready launchers! Cover miss Nanaret, then withdraw at the next opportunity! The rest of you, smoke grenades if you've got'em, otherwise - run!!" And Irjin does just that!

The two aforementioned Freerunners shoulder their fuel bolt launchers, load a single alchemical round and crouch in the downed chariot while the others get out, ready to lay down cover fire. Four Freerunners pull out smoke grenades and toss them in the direction of the soldiers now preparing a second barrage. Acrid smoke rises up where the grenades impact, obscuring the space between Half Scale 1-2a and the first chariot, and the Freerunners start scrambling away.

Klaxon, still next to his chariot, hurls a grenade of his own... which, unlike the others, doesn't just spew smoke. It strikes the ground with a ear-splitting BOOOMMM! exploding and igniting the surrounding smoke. "That's for hurtin' my baby!" Klaxon nuzzles the gliding chariot one last time and starts running for his life!

"...Damn it, Klaxon," growls Basso as some of the flaming gas billows toward him, Heldra, and Nanaret, "what did you DO?" The incendiary smoke wafts toward Ghibari as well, forcing the self-declared Mole God to resist harm! [Private to Saina Nanaret; Kilani Sorune: This flaming smoke counts as an environmental effect of Trauma 2, Damage 2L/action. You could move away from it in one action and take no further damage, but you will still have to roll to resist it once before then. If you don't know how this works, roll Stamina+Resistance difficulty 2. If you fail the roll you take 2L damage, if you get 2-3 successes you take 2B damage, if you get 4+ successes you take no damage.]

---

OOC: actions
tick 6 - Half Scale 1-2a (about to return fire)
tick 7 - Chariot 2 Freerunners, ???, unarmed citizens
tick 8 - Nanaret (after guard), Basso/Heldra (after aim)
tick 9 - Jedevra, Scale 1-1, Kilani/Ghibari
(Higura, Irjin + the other Chariot 1 Freerunners, on the run since tick 5)

At tick 6, Higura is furthest ahead; he has moved 10 yards from downed Chariot 1. Irjin has moved 5 yards. The grenade-throwing Freerunners (Cheira, Mad Berry, Kaiken Pyra, Exceed and Klaxon) have moved 4.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:11, Tue 04 Aug 2009.

Nanaret flinches and bares her teeth as the explosion of incendiary smoke wafts her way. While her weapon is more than suitable to block most solid weapons and projectiles, blocking smoke is tricky. She does not doubt one of the Sun-chosen would be able to manage such a feat, but she is a Lunar, and that means she has to cheat.

She keeps backing away, enhancing the movements of her serpent staff, whirling the ends in a circular motion, like one would a rope end. Soon they move so swiftly a normal eye cannot make out the individual staff links, but rather see what seems to be two solid silver discs spinning just above her fists. They do not remain stationary, but undulate through the air with the motions of her arms, covering the area immediately in front of her and dispersing the smoke as best she can.

All the while she holds her breath, refusing to acknowledge the smoke can even harm her. She recalls the adrenaline of the Pit, bolstering herself with willpower where stamina alone would not do. How could she ever forget? Sweat coursing down in filthy rivulets, lungs rasping with opium-hazed air, heart pounding so hard her vision throbs with the rhythm, muscles burning with the effort to stay alive, keep moving, keep fighting back. Her eyes and nostrils, her whole body burned, yet she would not succumb. For to succumb to the pain meant to die for nothing.

And Nanaret would not die for nothing.

[Private to GM: bad roll ;.;

17:07, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 1 success using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,4,4,9,6,4,4. stam+res+1wp.]

As Higura hears Nanaret's powerful words, filled with strength and conviction, he almost feels guilty for having initiated this procedure, but he knows, deep down, that there is no other way for him to go about this. That if he stays and simply resists, many more Freerunners will be injured or die. That Nanaret's bid for protection - his protection, and that of the others - would simply be wasted.

And thus, Higura focuses fully on the task at hand. With a resolute look on his features, he takes it upon himself not only to escape, but to lead the escape. Pausing momentarily while behind a pile of nearby debris, Higura gestures sharply towards Irjin and the Freerunners, signaling for them to follow him. "The buildings - we need to try to use them to cover our approach. We need to put enough distance between us and our pursuers so that they will stop their approach... But we cannot simply dive into the crowd, lest the rioters get hit by shots meant for us. We will have to go a round-about..."

Something makes the doctor pause for a second. A familiar feeling, perhaps. Just an impression, lasting less than a second, and yet somehow painting a clear imaginary landscape. Or maybe it is not imagination, but memory...

Fire covers everything, and the younger Chosen are panicking. Some are using their newly found powers to try to fight the organized attack, but their efforts are simply not enough. There are too many of the Dragon-Chosen, and their assault is much too well coordinated. In vain, Dusan calls out to the young ones trying to return fire, but it is too late - the next volley turns three of them to shreds and heavily wounds four more. Already, more trainees wish to go and fetch their comrades, but Dusan stands before them. Something in him wishes to step outside and fight with his brethren, but there he knows full well that his responsibility lies with the young...

Pushing at the group of young Chosen, he can feel their panic and hesitation. Their thoughts and feelings are clear to him, and he knows he must be their source of stability, at least for now. With a sharp gesture, he leads the escape from the compound, through fire-drenched corridors and battle-ridden rooms - to lead the young ones out, away from the conflict, away from death and capture. Everything is a blur; he seems to be dodging and shouting directions for hours, or days. When he manages to finally break open one of the side doors and sharply gesture for the young ones to escape, he watches them run off into the distance with a hazy, tired gaze, knowing they will at least made it.

Before he can follow, however, something hits him, hard. Exhausted and weakened from the long run, he falls to the ground, his vision struggling to remain focused and aware. In the distance, he can see the last of the young ones escaping in the darkness, to safety, and he knows that at least for now, he has succeeded. His thoughts wander to his old Circle, and wonders how many of them died or were captured already. A part of him thinks of the untamed, savage Queen he has met and fought, a long time ago, and whose memory never quite left him.

Hands keep him down, keeping him restrained. In a flash, something solid and cold is closed around his neck with a click, and his thoughts are no more.

Higura shakes his head, then nods again towards Irjin. "We will have to go a round-about way. It is the only way." With these terse words, Higura takes another breath, then leads the escape away from the streetside assault, using nearby buildings to both cover and conceal their approach of the central square and the heart of the riot.

Intersection of Glass and Marble (tick 6-8):

Though Ghibari resists the smoke without consequence, it wafts over Nanaret and the two launcher wielders, causing painful surface burns and making them choke. Even the whirling motion of Nanaret's staff is not quite enough to disperse the smoke enough to be safe. Fortunately they are at least resilient enough to withstand the worst of the burns. (edit - 1B damage on Nanaret, forgot to count nat. soak)

The quarter-scale of soldiers not currently reading Shock Matrix Rods opens fire on the retreating Freerunners as the smoke pours over the melee and bursts into flame, forcing them to take aim mostly by ear. Basso, having taken more damage than the others, is forced to abort his aim, ducking to avoid the shot aimed for him. Irjin and Cheira manage to step aside as they run, two more crackling blasts striking the pavement rather than their bodies. Nanaret, though engulfed by the smoke, still easily deflects the one shot that surges her way.

Klaxon takes a direct hit, but the blast is completely absorbed by his breastplate! Deciding he's tried his luck enough, he dashes after Higura, Irjin and the others, swearing all the while.

The dragon-blooded officer among the soldiers at Glass and Marble signals two of his subordinates to join him in concentrating fire on the second chariot. Three coordinated shots penetrate past the smoke, while Arashi grits her teeth and slides her fingers on the controls, attempting to avoid the barrage while maintaining control. It proves to be a difficult task. All three shots strike the vehicle, puncturing jagged holes into the frame, though still missing the thrusters or other vital components.

"All right, we're outta here!" Arashi says to Talia, Xurizu and the others, speeding down Marble Street out of range of the pikes.

Left behind, Basso and Heldra fire their fuel bolt launchers through the smoke, the latter clipping one of the armored soldiers hard on the shoulder (3L damage). Then they move away from the downed chariot themselves, hoping Nanaret will follow...

---

OOC: 2nd chariot and passengers move on to 'Floor B23 - South Sector 5 - Riot Zone'
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:28, Sat 08 Aug 2009.

Intersection of Glass and Sunder (tick 7-9):

The struggle between the citizens and Scale 1-1 continues. Kilani still has a good view of the conflict. It appears the Burning Feather soldiers have managed to wrest the Essence Twister from the mass of panicked/angry citizens. The Dragon-blooded officer who asked Jedevra for permission, now holds the artifact aloft.

"Get 'im! He's gonna fire it!" "No! Gotta get away!" "Aaagghhh!!" The citizens cannot decide on a unified course of action, some of them even falling upon one another in their attempts to act. The chaotic brawl continues, heedless of the bodies of the unconscious and fallen, as the other soldiers push their way out of the area of the coming blast!

The officer aims the Twister, and fires. It ejects no physical projectile, nor even an energy based one like the custom-altered shock pikes. It is completely invisible to those who lack Essence sight. Rather, the air seems to press in on the citizens clogging the intersection of Glass and Sunder, then continue sucking inward as if turning them inside out. The men and women now trapped in its path cry out, scream, choke, froth at the mouth, as the agonizing pressure puts a stop to their fighting. The great majority of them collapse almost instantly, falling unconscious!

The effect ripples through the immediate conflict, and continues eastward on Sunder Street, colliding with a group of militant workers now shouting, chanting and marching toward the perimeter. Some of them had anticipated the trouble as soon as they saw the conflict at the intersection fall apart, diving out of the way. The others are caught in the Twister blast, falling to their knees, groaning aloud, shouting prayers, vomiting. More hardy and resilient than the ordinary citizens, fewer are knocked out outright, but the merit of continuing onward is questionable.

Jedevra nonetheless continues to coordinate the initial Shock Matrix burst. The Shock Rods hum and crackle with blue energy... and discharge is imminent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:30, Sat 08 Aug 2009.

Nanaret does not need further encouraging. Coughing, she halts the spinning of her staff, then leaves the smoke behind and runs alongside Basso and Heldra at the next opportunity, intent on catching up with Higura if at all possible.

Does she see the crackle of the Shock Matrix Rods? If she does, her thought is that she ought not to hang around and find out exactly what those do.

But as the Lunar turns away, she hears the shouts and cries of the citizens in the further intersections, and her heart constricts with a mix of helplessness and irritation. Should they not have fought there, instead of running as the citizens suffer a painful fate? Yet the odds would have been unpleasant, even for her...

I hate running away, she thinks as she does just that.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Fri 14 Aug 2009.

Pausing a moment in his run to catch his breath, Higura lets the others catch up to him slightly, taking only a few seconds to breathe, sheltered behind nearby architecture. With a sigh of relief, he sees that Nanaret has managed to pull out of it as well - and does not seem to be under the control of Ranavalona, a feat he knows she must have tried hard to accomplish. The Queen relishes these sorts of situation, after all, and he knows she must be screaming and tearing at the edges even now, clamoring for Nanaret to join the fights. The fact that the gladiatrix seems to remain firmly in control merely accentuates his pride in his patient, and shows him just how far she has come in her learning to live with the Queen's presence in her head.

Once the others have caught up with him, Higura picks up the pace as well, trying his best to navigate towards the central square while keeping cover between the group and the Peaceforce, and trying to keep a steady pace so they will manage to break away as quickly as possible. "I am worried about these strange devices the Peaceforce are using. The strangely humming ones." The doctor says, between breaths, to Irjin and anyone close enough to hear. "I fear it might be a dangerous contraption, whatever it does. We should try to figure out what it does when we are in a position to do so..."

Like Nanaret, the cries of the populace, muffled yet so striking, cause Higura to feel a pang of guilt and helplessness. But if they get injured or incapacitated now, they will save no one at all. The doctor keeps telling himself these words, as if to keep his focus on running ahead, and getting in a position where they might be able to do something...

Higura, Nanaret, along with Irjin and the other Freerunners, manage to withdraw from the combat area, covered now by the buildings around them. Making their way around a wide detour, they bypass the range of the shock pikes, running at their maximum pace with Basso and Heldra trailing furthest behind.

Irjin, coming up side by side with Higura after his pause for breath, nods sharply, "It's not just 'might', it definitely is. The Shock Matrix Rods, and the perimeter they've set up, without pursuing us, or tightening the gap... I have my suspicions. If we don't warn our allies, or bring the citizens to cooperate together effectively..."

Reminded of the bleak circumstances, and the necessity for haste, he puts on another burst of speed. "Hurry onward!! We've got several blocks left to go before we re-emerge on Sunder!"

Fzzzt... vzzzz... As Freerunners' footsteps pound on the pavement, something like blue lightning streaks nearly high enough to touch the ceiling of B23. Another, and another. Jagged streams of energy that start to go from intermittent to solid, spraying sparks as they meet toward a common peak.

At the perimeter of the Shock Matrix formation, Winglord Jedevra watches the buildup with barely masked satisfaction. Kilani is left to wonder: does she not realize the Essence Twisters would likely more than suffice? Does she even care?

---

OOC: Higura, Nanaret, you can also roll to think on the Shock Matrix Rods. The roll is Int+Lore, since I only gave Kilani that one choice initially. But if you have an argument for a different roll I'll listen to it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:07, Sun 09 Aug 2009.

Nanaret is far from an expert on magitech, particularly given Ranavalona's distaste for machinery. Still, as she runs, she glances up at those strange, arcing streaks of energy and allows herself to channel just a portion of the Bitch Queen's memories. For somewhere in her distaste may well be a spark of insight on what those energy displays actually *mean*...

[Private to GM: 2 successes total. Not much :(]
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Fri 07 Aug 2009.

(Sorry. I was waiting for tick details, but this is run differently than I'm used to.)


Kilani rushed forward as Jedevra continued to prepare the Shock matrix Rods, and  looked up at her. "Commander,  just what do those things do?" she asked, anxiously. "We have the essence twisters up. And I should have slowed them down enough that we can catch the ones who ran..." she spoke, trying to justify not using a weapon ready to fire. Jedevra knew she wouldn't back down on it, not without having to use the collar, now. Not having see people already suffering and some maybe even dying from such harsh weapons.

------

The mole coughed as the smoke and ash washed past him. Nanaret's words fell on his ears, and though he seemed to have lost visual track of them, he could hear them fleeing.  "Hold! You are the ones raising insurrection against the Dragon-blooded. My mistress might be their captive too, but she feels that this is right." The mole started after them, after Nanaret. "What is it you are trying to do?" -- Because it was a fact that he lacked knowledge...  Kilani too.  And there was a measure of concern in the mole god's tone...

Irjin's words, accompanied by the worrying sound emanating from these 'shock matrix' devices the Freerunner spoke of, continue to deepen the frown creasing Higura's features. As he continues to run towards their possible destination, he cannot help but cast a glance in the direction of the worrisome device, as if trying to guess at what the outcome might be.

Like Nanaret, the doctor does his best not only to try to comprehend what the devices might be or what they might be trying to accomplish, but also to garner insight that might have been locked into his memories. Perhaps Dusan - or, failing this, Prochorus - might have heard of these...

[Private to Gatekeeper: You rolled 6 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((9,5,10,5,7,10,4)).]

Nanaret only spares a glance backward without stopping, not wanting to lose sight of the Freerunners... or Higura.

It is difficult to talk while fleeing. But she does. Though she is unsure about many things, the Peace Force 'experimental weapons' included, her heart is certain that these words must be said.

"Ghibari, what are you? You not collared, but your 'mistress' is? And you have no desire to liberate her? The Dragon-blooded treat Celestial Chosen like slaves! Force us use our power for their gain, rob us of rights because they FEAR us! But not just us--they treat laborers as tools, as worthy of life as how much they produce in mines and factories! Why you think they riot, because they like to fight? No! You MUST see what they do to those who defy them!"

Though her breath is labored from the run, Nanaret's voice sharpens, harsh with anger and derisiveness. "Just like in Water District. Just like when they try to Purge every Water citizen to capture a few escaped slaves!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:58, Sat 08 Aug 2009.

Jedevra hardly gives Kilani another glance. She doesn't even bother to smile, any more. "The Essence Twisters are effective but will not suffice. The entire area is tainted by madness. We are receiving reports from throughout the zone about looters, vandals, altercations in the streets. Rapes and killings. Widespread panic. The workers who have triggered this farce have already seen it spiral well out of their control."

"Very well, you wish to know what the Shock Matrix does. I will allow you to witness a small slice of its power. Stay still and silent, and it will all be clear." The power of command flows from Kilani's collar with that statement, removing choice from the matter.

Kilani is forced to obey. She remains between Marble and Sunder with Jedevra, stricken mute and paralyzed.

In the meantime, Ghibari continues to chase Nanaret, while Nanaret follows the Freerunners and Higura around a detour leading them back toward Sunder Street.

Scale 1-1 herds the few remaining conscious rioters back into the intersection of Glass and Sunder, strengthening the blockade line. They do not even have to fire the Essence Twister twice; it has worked all too well, leaving the citizens at their mercy.

Scale 1-2 through 2-4 complete their preparations with the Shock Matrix Rods. The arcs of blue energy become more numerous and pronounced, streaking above in a solidifying grid. They wait for Jedevra's word.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:16, Sun 09 Aug 2009.

Further removed from the perimeter, Higura and Irjin cross a minor intersection and glimpse a large group of armed workers on the major street running parallel to their right. They quickly realize that this is the direction of Sunder Street, and the workers are moving back toward Scale 1-2a, accompanied by Arashi's chariot (with Talia and Xurizu inside)!

The workers are singing in unison. Not all of them can hold a tune, their voices gravelly from coal dust and qat, but they sing nonetheless. It is a song of freedom under the sky, of crisp air and clean water. It is a song of rolling plains lit up by glorious sunlight. It is achingly beautiful and heartfelt, carrying the hopes of an entire people, who now face their longtime enemy with determination and bravery. And who but a young woman with vividly pink hair (stained with blood) leads them in this song -- accompanied by the hooded seemingly genderless figure that is ever at her side?

Irjin pauses at the minor intersection, shouting to Higura, "There is no mistaking -- that is Kestrel and Twenty Three! Arashi has them, but they've turned right back around to the perimeter!"

Immy and Twenty Three may hear that shout, and see (a block away, at the next intersection to their right), the beastman Freerunner leader in a dark blue suit and duster. He is accompanied by a man with brown hair and glasses in a deep green coat.

Talia and Xurizu see the familiar Freerunner and Higura, and even Arashi calls out, "Leader Irjin!"

But there is no stopping the workers now, marching and singing toward Glass and Marble.

[Private to Yaishin Higura: You know the Shock Matrix Rods work in unison to set up a perimeter within which an area affect, Essence-powered energy attack can be made. The more rods involved, the larger the perimeter and/or the stronger the potential effect. At low charge, it will shock and stun, possibly disrupt all other power sources in the area. At high power it can do severe and LETHAL damage to everyone and everything in range. You believe the current charge is a low one. Finding cover is still crucial at this point. Though it is a minor charge it will still hurt and possibly disable if full exposed to it, especially those with lesser constitutions.]

[Private to Saina Nanaret: The Shock Matrix Rods are special blue/black jade devices placed onto a shock pike, replacing the standard shock pike head. They may draw from the battery of the weapon, or from the wielder's Essence if applicable. The rods work together to form that energy lattice above which may be used to cause physical harm to people below it.]

---

OOC: At the moment, tick count is stopped. ALL PCs from Riot Zone are now in this thread. You may make a post to react to what is unfolding (though if it has a tick speed, the results may be delayed until ticks restart). Below is a map which I hope will help with relative positions. Please note this is not exactly to scale!

     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |
     |    |     |  G |     |    |     |    |     |    |
-----+    +-----+  l +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
(small side st.)   a            Ghib.+Nana->      H+I
-----+    +-----+  s +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
     |    |     |  s |     |    |     |    |     |    |
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
                 Scale                     <-Arashi+chariot
Marble St.       1-2a                      <-Immy,23,Workers
                                           <-Talia,Xurizu
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
     |    |     |J+K |     |    |     |    |     |    |
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
                 Scale 1-1
Sunder St.       (Ess.Twister)
                 Citizens
-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +-----+    +----
     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |     |    |

H+I = Higura+Irjin
J+K = Jedevra+Kilani
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:56, Fri 14 Aug 2009.

Oh no.

As he runs, Higura's consciousness seems to register two different train of thought simultaneously. On one hand, his expression creases even further with worry as he finally understands the nature of the weapons placed against them, and the potentially deadly power it would represent against Exalts - not to mention angry mortal workers. On the second hand, his eyes are immediately attracted to the group of workers marching down Marble Street. For a moment, his mind takes on the quality of the All-Seeing Prochorus, and he can see the streams of possibility colliding down the dusty, rugged street. And the results of these colliding probabilities cause Higura's eyes to open wide at the potential horrors lying ahead.

"The Shock Matrix Rods..." Higura says, low enough that only Irjin could hear. But there is no time. With no warnings, the assembled group will march straight into oblivion - which is likely what the Peace Forces had hoped all along. Standing at the corner of the small street he had used for cover, Higura stares directly at the group down Marble Street, pure adrenaline keeping him from having to catch his breath even after the sprint.

"No, you mustn't!" Higura calls out to the heads of the column, once Irjin has identified his contacts, who are now accompanied by Arashi, Talia and Xurizu. "The Shock Matrix Rods ahead - they will hurt anyone walking into its perimeter, and we are all already within its range! The charge is not at its maximum yet, but it might be enough to seriously damage anyone staying in the open!"

So much to warn about. So little time. The clock is ticking, and the Rods will likely fire any second now. "You must stop your march and seek cover before it's too late! Use any sort of cover you can find, but get out of the open now!"

With that last shout, meant as much for the walking column of workers as to Irjin and Nanaret - to which Higura turns momentarily, to make certain she is close behind - the doctor sets the example by quickly moving towards a nearby building, seeking to break through so he can try to lead Irjin and Nanaret to cover...

On hearing Higura's shout, Xurizu breaks away from the side of the marching workers and pulls out ahead.  "You heard the man, take some cover.  When that thing goes off, it won't be pretty," he calls back.  "I'm going to see if I can disrupt that squad up ahead.  If that happens, we should be able to press forward into the gap.  Whatever happens though, don't get in front of me."

He's hoping that Kestrel and the mysterious 23 will at least be able to steer the workers enough to do that, or the shock matrix is going to make a rather large mess.

Once his warning is given and he has found some cover, Xurizu starts the chanting and the gestures of his sorcery, brilliant arcs of emerald light flashing around and through the shadows of his anima.

A whimper escaped Kilani's lips, as Jedevra's orders gripped her. Straining against the collar was never successful, never worthwhile. Unable to do anything but set her jaw tightly and glare, she watched in horror.

------
Gibhari rushed after Nanaret. "She and I both know little of what happens below save what we are told, and she believes what she has been told. I've seen how they treat their servants, but Kilani was kept in better circumstances." He sighed. "But she isn't happy there." He moved quickly with Nanaret, aiming to help her into some cover and poking his head out, squinting to watch the Shock Rods. "I don't know what those do." He looked to Nanaret. "What is it you all want? To take out all the Dragonblooded? Kilani hates seeing anyone die. That includes them."

"The lightning-rods, they gather energy and focus into net above us. I not know what else! But will be painful!" Nanaret says hastily. She may or may not hear Higura's shout ahead, amidst the clamor of voices singing. However, her instinct tells her not to remain beneath that lattice of blue energy looming above.

So she does not protest Ghibari helping her toward cover, darting into whatever building or covered awning they can squeeze into. Even though he did stop their chariot, Nanaret's impression is that the large, talking mole is not a malicious being. Neither is she--not now, though Ranavalona curdles in the back of her mind, spitting epithets at her. Weakling. Gullible. Coward.

"We not killers simply for enjoyment." she continues as they huddle there, holding Sixth Coil folded and tucked behind her. Yes we are, whispers Rana venemously, not that the mole-god can hear. "Not answer genocide with genocide. But Terrestrials of Coils do many wrong things. They not spare your lives, even should we spare theirs. Fight is unavoidable. But we not exterminate. We fight to liberate those wronged!"

Tensely, biting her lip, she waits for the storm to fall -- and for the next opportunity to dash toward Higura.

I... huh? Because there were... two of them in the distance, and one of them was somebody-nobody-probably-another-Celestial-body, because they other one was "Irjin! Over here!" Hello Irjin! "We heard there was a giant mole after you!"

And then the... somebody with Irjin (Ooooh. There's a third one! Wonder if there're any more...) was shouting something over the roar of the crowd, something about... the... oh, he probably meant the lightning, right? Shock Matrix Rods. They should be called Lightning Webs, or something. And they would... um...

(She could trust him, right? He was running with Irjin. Irjin wasn't an idiot. Generally.)

"Everybody! Into the buildings!" The warehouse doors gaped openly around them, dark interiors framed only by the massive, yawning doors; for a moment, she wondered if they'd been blasted open by looters (probably, probably, she really should go talk to their little gods later), but then the lightning was probably coming down any moment soon and the song was loud (her song was loud) and people would start panicking--

Wait. This was her song.

The tempo leaps upward, whispering urgency and haste; there is a storm coming! A great and horrid storm; it promises only death and ruin to all before it. But worry not! The wise know well how to weather this thunder; and in this moment of respite, they will fox their enemies' wishes, and surge strong and triumphant when they were thought weak! Hurry! Hurry under those sheltering roofs! Let not their lightning take you now, before we can take the fight to them themselves! And her intent leaps from ear to ear and mouth to mouth, replicating it amongst the crowd like a tide--hurry! Hurry to safety! We will rise again!

[OOC: Apologies for lateness. Looooong, busy weekend + holiday. ;_;

10:28, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 8 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,1,10,8,8,8,4,7,4,4,3,8,9. ...Cha Per Com, the other 13 die.
10:28, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 2 successes using 1d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10. Cha Per Com.  So, 8 + 2 = 10 :)

Total spent: 11m, 3 wp. Personal 4/15 (7 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 31/35 (4 committed, artifacts), WP 6/9. Compassion Channels: 2/5, Conviction Channels: 3/4]

As workers and Exalts alike scramble for cover, the Shock Matrix builds toward a crescendo. The air beneath it -- the entire area enclosed by the Peace Force perimeter, a space up to a half-mile squared -- is electrically charged, causing hairs to raise, damp skin to tingle uncomfortably.

Unperturbed by Kilani's plight, Winglord Jedevra shouts through her communicator, "Now!"

And the lightning field descends upon the blocks of Sector 5 Industrial.

The cloud of energy tendrils surges through the streets in an electrical flood. More gaseous than solid, it spills over into doorways and windows, creeps into cracks in the walls. Metals absorb the current, hot and shocking to the touch. It seeps into magitech panels, frying the sensitive circuitry within. Anything dry and flammable left carelessly in the open bursts into flames -- ammunition included.

The unfortunate people exposed in full are drowned in electricity. Lightning spark spiders upon their flesh, into their nostrils and mouths, a series of little shocks that build into painful jolts that rattle them inside and out. Those who manage to stay away from the open air fare better, but are not necessarily spared.

When the lightning recedes from the riot zone, fires have sprung up in multiple blocks, and more people are sprawled on the streets in agony. A few lie still... too still.

Even Jedevra's eyes are wide for a moment, beholding the results. She activates her pectoral of speeches, once again rising upward with the aid of her red jade pinions so she may be heard by all. "You have been warned to cease and desist, and cooperate with arrest. You have refused, and this is the result. This is your last chance. Next time, we will not use a minimal charge."

---

OOC: Shock Matrix produces a widespread environmental effect at this charge level. I will assume everyone found cover so the effect is reduced. Roll Stamina+Resistance. If you get 0 sux take 3L dice of damage. 3-5 sux, take 3B dice damage. 6+ sux, take no damage. You may soak with natural soak for a min. 1 damage. Kilani does not need to resist, she is outside the effect.

Then roll a new Join Battle (if you'll fight). Xurizu, you started your spell already, so you can release it right away, then roll JB. However if you took damage roll Wits+Occult at diff == levels of damage, to ensure your spell is not disrupted.

[Private to Immaculate Kestrel: BTW, I didn't temp. close the thread 'cause of you. I just didn't want more people to post while I was churning out mine, cause it'd complicate things. You posted yours before I even started (I just rearranged a bit cause Nanaret's player wanted her post to be right after Ghibari's.) So... no worries!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:56, Tue 11 Aug 2009.

Oh-oh.

There was a bite on her skin and a charge to her teeth, but she ignored it at first; no, she was singing, and Kestrels don't stop. Flee, little people! Flee! Get to the places between rock and hard stone, and let the enemy smash itself upon the cliffs! Even as the streets emptied (Arashi didn't want to be one of the emptied. She's kinda like that, but then one of the wounded 'runners moaned and she went eep (although she'd never say that she went eep) and then she drove the whole chariot into one massive barn-door. Um. Through the door?  How are you supposed to say people went into an open door, and not make it sound like they walked into it closed?) she kept singing, because at that point there was no reason to stop, not really, until she tried to close her mouth and saw a spark fly out.

Eep

(Quite unlike Arashi, Kestrel could say she went eep. It was an acquired ability of sorts, and may probably have to do with her relationship with shame; that is, they broke up awhile ago, and really weren't on speaking terms anymore.)

"Everybody in!"

She was halfway through a window when her hair began to rise, blue sparks dancing between each levitating hair; and then they weren't just on her hair anymore, but dancing little spiders crawling down her neck and up her feet, elbows hands knees thighs oh Sol oh Sol get them off get them off and they skittered off her hands where she touched the window frame but the smell they left behind was burnt flesh like the way she did back when back when get them off

(Her arm was twitching. It was twitching, and she was looking at it, and she stared and she stared and she (screamed a bit, in her head) stared until it stopped. And she did the same for her legs, and her toes, and her other hand; but she couldn't look at her hair, so all she could do was smell the hiss, and think, well, at least my hair's clean now.)

(The blackened bits of clotted blood could, later, be easily brushed off her hair.)

No. No! Not lying down, not taking this, get off me! There was a bit of her screaming in her mind, and she pushed both hands against the windowframe, watching the spiders skitter off her down the drainpipe into the ground go away go away her hands were burning but she didn't care. And. And then.

And when they were all gone she sank down to the ground and breathed. Oh Sol. Oh Sol. Her lungs hurt, a little. Why did her lungs hurt? But there were people on the ground, and they weren't moving, and.

And.

(She should have told them to move earlier when the lightning started she should have seen this)

Where were. Where were. Where were they? 23. 23. Two Celestials. Three Celestials. And Irjin, right? Irjin would help. Irjin would help. They... they had to stop them before it happened again. (There were some people in the warehouse that weren't moving. She was a Solar. How did everyone else feel?)

"2...23? Talia? Xurizu? We... we have to stop this. Before they do this again. And they will do this again, and people... and... we. We have to go. We have to stop them." Something caught itself in her mind. (Cooked meat.) "Where..." Oh, but she knew. He'd ducked into that doorway, right? "I'm... I'm going to see that man. Maybe he knows something about this. He shouted the warning, right? He. Knows what they do. He'll know how to stop. All this."

And she ducks out of the window, running like the four winds, hunting down the man who'd shouted them out of the storm. Hurry. Hurry hurry hurry. Before it happens again.

[OOC: 15:26, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 1 success using 1d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8. Soaked-to-1-die-bashing!.
15:25, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 3 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,10,3. StaRes.

The Join Battle: You rolled 4 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((6,8,10,9,3,5)).

She dashes at 11 yards per second. No idea if you want the running to be in combat time or not, though.

Total spent: 7m, 1 wp. Personal 8/15 (7 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 31/35 (4 committed, artifacts), WP 8/9. Compassion Channels: 2/5, Conviction Channels: 3/4  Damage: 1B]

[Private to Gatekeeper: Oh, ok. :) Also, random stunt rewards for everything would be fun. >_> Even if they didn't do anything, heh. *peers at the Perf roll. Big fight may be coming, whoo!]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:47, Wed 12 Aug 2009.

Xurizu's eyes widened as he saw the Shock Matrix fire from the assembled troops, saw the rolling cloud of electricity roll out towards him down the street, saw the brilliant arcs dancing as they raced toward him.

The wave hits him, earthing itself through his armour, setting all his nerves ablaze with currents of agony.  He doesn't scream though.  Screaming would disrupt the essence he was channelling.  He grits his teeth instead, forcing twitching limbs to keep on tracing out the gestures to channel the essence.  For a moment, his view of the street vanishes in a haze of red.  When the view returns, it isn't the street he sees.

The garden is so peaceful, the great tree standing before him, watching his progress.  "That's no good, my little cobra," comes the voice from behind him.  Feminine.  Elegant.  Cultured.  Utterly unsympathetic.  "You must learn to hold the spell.  Again."

Reeling from the twin pains generated by the tree and his own sorcerous backfire, it was all Xurizu could do to nod and say "Yes, Mistress Sienna."

He started to channel again and once more the agony coursed through him generated by the teaching intelligence in the tree.

His vision went red.

The agony passes, as it had that time.  The spell is still under control, still his.  A moments pause, to check his targets had not moved.  Then he unleashed the spell.

Before him, on the street, there appeared the translucent head of a giant made of ice.  It was fully seven feet from the base of his chin to the top of his head.  There was the sound of breath being drawn in, and then the whistling as if of a gale as a column of ice raced down the street towards the peace force soldiers.  All those in its path were wrapped in a thin shell of ice, instantly encased in freezing cold.  Then the giant shouted, a triumphant bellow which echoed off the ceiling above and the buildings to the side, reverberating its way towards the ice shrouded figures and shattering the ice.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished.

And Xurizu allowing himself to say what he'd been wanting to say since the Shock Matrix had fired.

"OWW!"
[Private to GM:
I hope the memory is okay to add in. :)

Just passed the Wits+Occult roll to keep control, so the spell goes off.
I rolled 3 sux, so it has a total of 6 sux to hit people (+ any extra stunt dice) (edit:  The diceroll in question is erroneously labelled "TIB Damage")
It's unblockable, but can be dodged.
It does a base damage (as dice) of 6L + extra sux.
Anyone damaged has half movement, and all actions take 1 tick longer.
The spell hits an area 100 yards long and 10 yards wide (and 10 tall, if that is relevant), directed wherever Xurizu could hit the most people.
]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:29, Tue 11 Aug 2009.

Kilani would have screamed if she'd been able. As it were, she couldn't move her lips, and even her vocal chords wouldn't answer her. Her vision started to well up with tears as an anguished whimper escaped her, tears streaking her face. This was her fault - all her fault.

OOC: JB 3 Successes Kilani

----------------------

Gibhari's tough skin crawled as the waves of lightning spiders marched, but he quickly buried a toed claw in the dirt, and shook, scattering the energy off his spined body. "Ugh! Are you okay, woman?" he prompted, looking to the others. "I have an idea. If you will help me rescue Kilani, I will help you. I will tunnel us underneath the Peace Force position... We could take them by surprise. Or.... I will tunnel you to safety. That power shouldn't reach that far..."

OOC: 1 Willpower Used, 4/5 Remaining
JB 2 Successes Gibhari

The mysterious 23 has left this operation in Kestrel's hands and seems willing to just follow along and observe. For now.

The crowd's following her, that's good. She might not have the best...tactical sense (let's not even talk strategic) but in this sort of chaos, there's really no point in that. 'Charge!' is the only reasonable thing to say at this point.

If you're leading the charge, of course. Which she's...inclined to do.

23 is not.

Therefore, 23's kept within vocal reach of Immy but positioned hirself on the right edge of the workers. (To beat them in the right direction if necessary.) It's always hard to handle artillery used on ill-disciplined mobs...but she's done all she can for that one. (23 can't do much better.)

But that's also one reason why sie's positioned herself at the flank. So diving for cover is easy. (Behind objects. Buildings. People. Something. I'm not a combatant, why do people send me on things like this? Oh, because they want someone who can handle Kestrel...)

23 takes a few burns from it, but not that many. Could be worse. Being grounded helped to mitigate some of that. [Private to GM: Actually, soaked 1 die, so that should have been two dice...the last die was a success, so no damage after killing that! Unless you rule damage, then it's just 1L.] Sie manages to scramble up and recover very quickly, and help people around beat out the flames and continue in the right direction.


Immy has...run off.

But that's normal. And this time, correct.

Let's see what happens.


[Private to GM: JB 9 successes]

Nanaret does not speak for a time, ducking down and curling her body and wrapping her impossibly jointed arms 'round her head, until she seems to fold into herself, like a buried seed, like an unborn child. Only the foolish tree spread its limbs to be embraced by the storm. She would be the simple rock laid flat on the ground, the serpent/monkey hiding in her cave, waiting. Waiting to become the predator again.

Of course she is not afraid. She wants to laugh. No soulless contraption would defeat her, even should it generate lightning where there are no clouds. Lightning spiders its way over her dark flesh, over her armor and gear, but the shocks are no more painful than a tingling caress.

It must be so much worse on the outside, she thinks. Her next thought is for Higura, Xurizu and Talia, the Freerunners. In her mind, in her world, everything is tenuous and fleeting, everything but her own will to survive. Everything else... freedom and safety included... must be earned by sweat, effort, tenacity. "No! No escape," Nanaret says gruffly as she uncurls back to a crouched position. "My... my allies, they all ahead. If we burrow under earth, Higura and others must come! But digging take time, yes? Time that others can be hurt??"

Nanaret sniffs the air, tastes electric sparks on her tongue. When the last of the lightning cloud fizzles and absorbs into the ground, she urges Ghibari to rise and follow. "We meet them. Now! Friends will want Kilani free too. If she collared like we were, she not control what she do. May do something she regret!"

With those ominous words she sprints out of the hiding place with serpent staff in hand, hoping the mole-spirit would come. "Doctor Higura!" she shouts, her voice reaching him from the opposite side the pink-haired girl now approaches. As she turns the corner, in sight of Higura, and Irjin, and likely Kestrel too, she gets a glimpse of Xurizu's titan of ice. Her mind is not well-versed in sorcery; she only assumes it is an ally, for he faces the perimeter, bellowing before it disappears!

(OOC: dashing till I reach Higura! and then, well hopefully we'll figure that out. JB is 5!)

[Private to GM: 13:10, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 5 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,10,7,7,1,5. Join Battle.
12:23, Today: Saina Nanaret failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the Target Number system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3. dam.after soak.
12:22, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,4,3,10. resist!.]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:15, Tue 11 Aug 2009.

Quickly diving within a nearby building, Higura immediately puts his back against an inside wall and holds his breath in anticipation of the onslaught.

The detonation comes, shattering parts of the doctor's cover and sending splinters all round him. Turning his face away to protect it, he uses a gloved hand to keep debris from hurting him, waiting with shallow breaths for the blast to end. When it does, Higura quickly assesses his condition... And, incredulously, realizes he managed to come away unscathed.

How had he known about the Shock Matrix Rods? He is fairly certain that he has never seen them before. Not in this form, anyways. And yet, the information he had about them is more precise than he thought he could hope for. As he quickly gets back to his feet, dusts himself and looks around, the doctor's brain gives him the flash of insight necessary to comprehend his sudden knowledge.

It was not information, but rather data. Details as the All-Seeing Prochorus sees all details. The very blueprints of existence.

The realization goes as quickly as it came, however, since Higura has much more pressing matters on his hands. "Miss Nanaret!" He calls out, once the Lunar utters his name. Pushing away more debris to get out of his hiding place as swiftly as possible, Higura scans the area carefully. "I am in here!" He bellows, to let Nanaret know of his position. Inwardly, a great wave of relief washes over him as he hears her voice, meaning she is allright. He has no time to expound upon this for now, but the sound of her calling is a very reassuring thing for him.

"Mister Irjin! Are you here? Did you come out all right? We need to regroup with the others as quickly as possible and do something about this weapon!" The doctor calls, as he steps out into the street, just in time to catch sight of people converging towards his position. Apparently, the new effort to thwart Jedevra's weapon would assemble around him.

Prochorus had not foreseen this.

But then again, his time in the world had taught him that Fate is not so hardbound as people would think.

[Private to Gatekeeper:

22:11, Today: Yaishin Higura rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,8,3,4,2,8,5,7. Join Battle.

21:54, Today: Yaishin Higura rolled 5 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,10,2,10,8,3. Stamina + Resistance +1 wp. 6 Successes, so I suppose Higura takes no damage! Somehow :o]

Arashi's chariot/Talia:

Crash goes Arashi's already partially damaged chariot into the nearest warehouse door, as workers and Freerunners scramble in before the shock field can reach them. Of the Freerunners, few manage to survive unscathed, having already weathered shock pike barrages and incendiary smoke. They are made of hardy stuff, though, and hardly complain, not even Misteena who gets caught by the lightning while halfway wedged through a window, taking greater damage.

The chariot itself appears to still be in working order despite the current that just jolted it, though for how long it is unsure. The worse problem is one of the wounded Freerunners still inside it, whose unconscious condition has worsened in the wake of the Shock Matrix attack. Arashi looks at Talia, indicating Stone Jaw, slumped back and breathing shallowly. "Can you help him at all? He looks bad." [Private to Talia Zerith: I'll assume you do if you don't post yourself, you should just need a 1 sux on Medicine roll to ensure he won't immediately die, but he'll need more medical attention later.]

Crane just huddles in the chariot, whimpering. "Why me? Why here??"

Gulda/Workers/23:

Not every worker makes it to complete safety, but a good amount do, thanks to the warning. The laborer folk are still tougher than ordinary citizens, most certainly, but they still take enough of a shock for it to rattle them. Most sustain at least minor burns. Many are stunned by the experience, whether physically or mentally, their morale briefly flagging. Then there are the still bodies, the few that couldn't make it inside. The ones Immy doesn't want to look at.

Silence reigns... then someone starts singing again. And another, and another, staggering to their feet, raising their voices. Gulda is with them, as well. They remember the song of the Kestrel, the young, brave Pink-Hair, the song of the sky and the sun and the plains and the open air. Someone peeks through a window and shouts, "There she is!" Seeing she is safe, a stream of workers hurries out to join her outside as she runs to Higura and Irjin. Some workers remain to put out fires, but their priority is to fight, and they're clearly more fond of Immy than 23 at the moment. (For better or for worse.) [Private to Number Twenty Three; Immaculate Kestrel: Since I didn't mention a benefit before, let's say Immy's singing before this point swelled the worker ranks to Magnitude 3 or about ~100. Some passed out / possibly died, reducing the number (but not Magnitude) slightly, but a larger part is stunned and unable to move till tick 11(5 tick delay). If you move toward engagement without letting them recover you'll only be at Magnitude 2. Otherwise you can rouse the full Magnitude 3 group.]

Xurizu's spell:

Almost as soon as the lightning recedes, Xurizu (whom we will assume had leapt off the chariot) directs his titan's freezing breath toward the half-scale at the intersection of Glass and Sunder. Not expecting a sorcerer among the workers, they fail to scramble out of the way. Only their gunzosha armor keeps them from freezing entirely as the ice crystallizes over their bodies, and the titan's shout shoves them backward forcefully. But even so, the cold seeps through the protective plates, into their skin, into their bones. The chill slows their speed and movements. (Half Scale 1-2a has collectively taken 1L damage, has movement halved and speed of actions increased by 1.)

After the spell fades, Xurizu finds himself accosted by a pair of quarter-beast sisters he remembers as Jambiya and Rampuri. Puri is wounded more deeply than her sister, but both are still battle-ready. "You're a sorcerer too eh? We're gonna guard you. Only seems right. You can be our firepower," says Biya with a sharp nod. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Almost forgot! you got a +2 stunt. Actually no let's make it +3 (doesn't change the result unfortunately) I did really like that you included a bit of Sienna flashback. :)]

Everyone else:

Close to Higura, Irjin brushes himself off, having wisely followed Higura's advice as well. He coughs at the dust that flies off from his efforts, then says, "Do not worry for me. I am fine. Immy," he turns to the young pink-haired Night Caste, "meet Higura, and Nanaret." The former is the brown-haired man in glasses and the green coat, and the latter is the one that just caught up: a lithe, dusk-skinned woman with short dark hair, clad in dark colors and carrying a sectioned staff of steel and curiously silver chain links. "Good work gathering the workers. Whatever we're doing, let's do it fast. Where's Twenty Three?"

Behind Nanaret, several more Freerunners led by a harried but determined looking Klaxon run into the area. "That was... crazy! Just crazy! We're going to stop that shiz, a'ite?!" At that point the workers coming out of the warehouse start assembling behind Immy, singing despite their singed wounds and shocked nerves. Klaxon looks surprised, the obvious why are they-- clearly showing in the beastman's eyes. They quiet down only slightly when a red-head with a blue bandanna and a splash of orange paint across her grey coat, shoulders her way to the head of the group. "Gulda Marin. Free Workers, reporting and ready to go!"

[Private to Kilani Sorune: I didn't want to assume Ghibari would follow Nanaret, so you can post him showing up here if you like. As for Kilani, she's still frozen; I'll post more about her when I get to Jedevra's turn.]

---

OOC: We'll say you're all about 80 yards from the target intersection right now, give or take a few yards. It could still take up to 10 ticks to actually *reach* the intersection (less, if you have higher Dex). Most of you are at Higura's position just off Marble street. Xurizu is on the opposite side of Marble Street from him. Talia is still inside a warehouse in this area with Arashi and a few Freerunners on the chariot.

Remember you may post in whatever order is comfortable for you, but I'll resolve actual actions in the following tick order (summarizing 4-6 ticks, usually). Since we're in tick time though, too much conversation will make me advance ticks, so keep your talking short.

actions
tick 0 - 23
tick 1 - Scale 1-1
tick 4 - Jedevra, Nanaret
tick 5 - Higura, Immy, Freerunners(w/Arashi)
tick 6 - Xurizu, Kilani, Ghibari, Irjin, Freerunners(w/Klaxon), Scale 1-2, Workers(w/Gulda), all other citizens
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:13, Wed 12 Aug 2009.

Jedevra, floating atop the battlefield, is an easy target for those with ranged weapons. She does not seem concerned by this, protected by her suit of custom red jade armor with tailor fit, articulated parts, right down to the taloned boots and shield gauntlets. The flaming Essence wings emitted by her pinions, and the beak-like shape of her visored helm complete the look of a garda bird in human form.

She too clasps a pike weapon, but hers is not like the factory made shock pikes and their special rod assemblies. This is an exquisite weapon of gilded red jade, a wickedly barbed spear shaft with a head of pure flame, like a mix of dire spear and fire lance. The opposite end has a blade as well, more like a naginata than a spear, this one purely jade forged rather than flame-wrought.

"They have sorcerers," Jedevra states once she has switched off her pectoral. (This means only Kilani can hear the following.) "Perhaps we may even capture some of the Uncollared. Half Scale 1-2a, assume skirmish formation and pull back from sorcerers' line of sight. 1-2b, maneuver to join and reform Scale 1-2. Bring 2-5 in to replace 2-4 and execute clockwise replacement. 2-2, you will replace 1-2 in recharging the Shock Matrix on Glass Street perimeter. Go!"

What the Exalts and allies watching the intersection from afar will see is that the soldiers hit by Xurizu's ice-attack are starting to pull back from the intersection, shielded by the surrounding buildings. On one hand this will make it more difficult to target them with spells or ranged attacks--on the other hand, it does mean they are delayed from Shock Matrix deployment, if even for a short time. (OOC: it will still take 6 ticks for 1-2a, the unit hit by Xurizu, to pull out. Also certain spells / area effect weapons can work regardless of line of sight....)

Jedevra then directs a single powerful command to Kilani. "Ready your bow. I will not say it twice!" She is still standing on Glass Street between Marble and Sunder with Scale 1-1. The civilians 1-1 was dealing with at Glass and Sunder are all subdued -- or dead.

[Private to Kilani Sorune: Kilani can actually see a few of the soldiers briefly shocked, surprised, even doubtful after having fired that matrix weapon. None of the others are close enough to notice, but she has a feeling those few are actually hesitating on using such incredible power on civilians. The soldiers are still committed to following Jedevra's commands at this moment, though! As well as protecting themselves from the militant workers and Exalts!

Unfortunately Kilani's still stuck under Jedevra's compulsion. So she can't say anything... only obey and hope the workers, Exalts etc. will see that not all the soldiers are happy to slaughter.]

Relieved at being reunited with his companions, Higura seems visibly heartened at the sight of the newly assembled group, and nods his approval silently. Once introduced, the doctor inclines his head, taking a step forward to speak.

"It is a pleasure meeting you, although I wish it was under most auspicious circumstances. Well, we work with what we have, so let us try to make the best of this encounter, if you would." Once again, time is of the essence. There is not much leeway, with the short charging times of the Shock Matrix Rods - and this would be especially true now, with Jedevra knowing that a Sorcerer is among the rioters, and her no doubt wanting to fire again as soon as possible.

"We do not have much time, so I will summarize what I know as briefly as possible." Removing his spectacles to clean the dust and soot from them, the doctor begins to speak, his tone hurried but methodical. "The Shock Matrix Rods are a weapon that use a certain type of formation to create a shock attack over a wide area of effect, as you have seen. Since we do not have the time to fight and destroy all of them before they fire again, so I foresee two options ahead of us; Either we disrupt enough of the Matrix Rods to poke a hole in their formation and thus break the pattern, or we directly try to incapacitate the person who is coordinating the attack."

"Believe it or not, the last strike was not meant to be a lethal one necessarily - it was not at full power. Which means that most of the rioters... Will not survive a second attack. If we allow this nightmarish weapon to fire again, then many lives will be lost."

Higura pauses, then looks to the faces around him, his expression resolute. "I believe our best bet would be to try to attempt both at the same time. This would mean that one group would be responsible of disabling, incapacitating or even swaying enough of the Peace Force so that they will lay down their own rods and break the pattern, while another group would be responsible to strike at the head of the snake - Lady Jedevra."

"Are am I not certain what you all think of this, or what your strengths and weaknesses are... But that is my initial idea, for what it is worth."

Xurizu nods in greeting to Jambiya and Rampuri.  "Very much appreciated," he said, as he tried to assess the result of the attack.  It didn't seem to have slowed their withdrawl much, beyond the chill it had inflicted.  They were heavily armoured troops.  His eyes were drawn up then to the Garda Bird in red, who was no doubt co-ordinating and directing the movements from her place on high.  He looks across to Higura, starting to talk with Immaculate Kestrel and 23 and the others.  Whatever they plan, it would go better if she wasn't up there to observe it all and direct a counter-response.

The answer was fairly obvious.  "We're going to pull back a little ourselves," he says to his two protectors, withdrawing up the street away from the soldiers.  Between the need to replace the squad he had targeted, and the extra distance they had just put on, it would be hard for the peace force to actually engage him with their Shock Pikes without a foolhardy charge.

Then he starts to focus again, flashes of emerald and silver appearing within the shadows that wreathed him as he begins to forge one of his wickedly barbed chains...

[Private to Gatekeeper: moving til I'm about 100 yards from the intersection (as I wait for my tick), which should mean any squad has to venture very far from the perimeter to actually attack Xurizu, then starting to cast Flying Guillotine]

Showing yourself to a generally panicking Kestrel may not, always, be a good idea. She has little enough control as it is; emerging, like some dusty, forgotten giant from rubble and stone makes you a) look like you just survived a horrible blow, reminding her that b) she thought you really, really, really might be dead, like (don't think it) (no) (don't think it) but you were c) really very alive and right in front of her! making you d) a good target. Irjin, therefore, is summarily pounced on half-crushed (she isn't that strong, really), and treated to the general, probably-rather-familiar feeling of having an Immy on your back.

"Irjinirjinirjinirjin I thought you were dead but you're not you're ok you're ok 23 is back in the warehouse over there he looked alright why are you so dusty it couldn't have been nice" little puffs of pulverized stone begin scattering off his fur in time to her open-palm slaps "and, and, and who is this is he another one of the Water Celestials there're another two who came over with Arashi just now oh and Arashi's alright too I saw her before I jumped out of the building and, and..." breath. This. This was the person who shouted, right? "if you know how to stop this tell me! It hurt everyone! Some people aren't getting up anymore!"

And she just barely manages to keep still long enough for Yaishin's words--or, to be specific, for particular bits of them. Will not survive a second attack. was key. Disabling the Peace Force was another. (She wanted to kill Jederva, to reach her and bring her down in sword and gold... but she couldn't could she? She couldn't fly, not yet. Her wings were clipped.)

(But then, who said you needed to fly to reach?)

crash

There was a staircase up, of course. There was one back then, too. Back when... oh, back when they rescued Crane, right? Back before the, the, the Shock Matrix started, before the streets were filled with

(dead)

people, smoking people, burning people, when she was carving a prayer to the little god

(Thirty-Seven)

And that was only one god out of... a hundred? A hundred hundred? B23 was huge, and now it was devastated; so much of it was torn, burnt, charred, smoking, spoilt and

(dead)

because of the Dragons, because of the Dragons. This happened to everything they touched! She wasn't stupid; she knew why the surface world got lost. They blamed her, they blamed her kind, but that wasn't it, was it? The Dragons were ruling the place, and they lost it, and now they were doing the same thing to the Coils, too, except this time they wouldn't just give up and go away. They had to make sure everyone died, too, chain everything, kill everything, because that's the only way they could be happy

(she reached the top of the stairs. The window up was but a jump away; the rooftop, another.)

and it wasn't fair. Why were they always in the position of power? Why did the Celestials always have to come from beneath? They were Celestials. She knew that name. Celestials were the names of the things in the  sky, that were above everything else. Why were they always below?

The shard-and-steel storm of Thirty-seven began to swirl around her, and she was running, running across the rooftops of B23. From up here, she could see everything, and everything wasn't what she wanted. Below her, behind her, the masses of workers gathered; but they weren't all that should be there, no. Countless others were (dead) dead, lying dead on the streets or in the houses or, or Sol knows where else, and, and.... oh, by the Gods. There were so many. There were so many. Over there, where the other party of workers had marched... there were so many.

(And all about her, a thousand thousand buildings burned.)

This.. this wasn't... no. No. For this, her song is of grief; of mourning, and loss, and a slow, puzzled wounded hurt. Look, soldiers, look upon the street of your city; why are they so littered with dead? Look upon the hearths and homes of your brethren; why are they burning?

(You were to keep the peace of this city. Must this how it be kept? With lightning, and fire, and death to one and all? These were children, and children's children, the same as you and yours. These were men and women who have suffered, long and hard, beneath the Dragon's yoke; all they wanted was just a little fairness in their lives. All they wanted were the same things as you do; a bit of happiness, and a bit of hope.)

(There is, perhaps, no voiced chorus to her song; she does not know if the workers, the. the still-living workers, will pick it up and sing along--but this time, perhaps, there is no need for such. Fires crackle. Things burn. The moans of the wounded, the stench of singed hair--they all hang heavy in the air, a beautiful testament to the Shock Matrix's frightening power. Once more, they say, and a hundred deaths upon you.)

And here is when her voice cracks a little, and her essence takes over; her anima flares, rising to wrap her in shadow and mist, and a broken, tattered bride climbs out of her fire to stand before the world. Her eyes are red and weeping, behind her failing veils; and in her hand, she holds a sword, which she lifts to point at the soaring Dragon.

Oh, yes. That was why. That was why.

Singing her dirge, Kestrel sprints across the rooftops, heading for the glowing speck in the sky.

[OOC: Buying 5. 00:32, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 7 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,8,9,10,10,2,1,8,1,6. My gift is my song. 7 + 5 = 12 successes.

Total spent: 17m, 1 wp. Personal 8/15 (7 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 21/35 (4 committed, artifacts), WP 8/9. Compassion Channels: 2/5, Conviction Channels: 3/4  Damage: 1B

Stop killing so many people! You know this isn't what keeping the peace should be! They are just like you.]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:17, Fri 14 Aug 2009.

Nanaret tenses up slightly when the pink-haired girl she now knows is named 'Immy' unexpectedly flies at and clings on Irjin with a deluge of panicked words. She'd never seen the girl before in her life, so is a bit taken aback.

Still, the dusky Lunar cannot help but sympathize with the urgency Immy feels, though perhaps her heart does not ache so acutely for the plight of the people. Not that Nanaret is lacking in compassion. Her body and her mind knows and remembers plenty about wrongful deaths and innocent lives exploited, and has burned for years for the chance to change such things! But she also knows that charging recklessly may help even less, and thus swallows back her fury, if only for a moment longer.

She listens to Higura, long fingers curling and uncurling from her steel-and-moonsilver weapon, then contributes: "I met giant talking mole that brought down our chariot. Said he could dig passage go underground. Safer from there maybe, for those going toward front line, if he get here fast enough. If not, take Free Workers" (were they really with Free? Irjin had said otherwise, but no time to question now) "down side street I came from, meet Peace Force at perimeter."

"Do not hurt Ghibari. Thought stopping us would stop Peace Force attack. He wants free his mistress Kilani. Burning woman owns her. She is Collared." Her teeth bare as she spits this out, angry that the Terrestrials would dare employ another slave Celestial in their midst! But she is not angry for long, for Kestrel soon flies off on her own, and Nanaret thinks quickly.

"Doctor Higura, I must go now. I not think good for brave girl go singing alone to her death." Suddenly Higura finds himself yanked toward the wiry-muscled Lunar by the lapel. She kisses him fiercely, possessively and proud, and in the next moment is gone, following the trail Immy blazes as her sorrowful anima shines upon the rooftops. "I try take speech making artifact from Force Leader!" she shouts as her last parting words. Perhaps it would reach the pink-haired girl as well.

No more talking. Nanaret focuses on the task of keeping up with Kestrel's frenetic pace, taking the same staircase in leaps and bounds, hurling herself from window to rooftop. Her limbs, wiry and lean and enviably flexible, pump powerfully to propel her across the flat rooftops of B23's warehouses and factories, her eyes ever focused on that bouncing head of pink hair while Immy focuses on the burning-winged figure in the sky. When her feet cannot reach the next landing, she catches it with her hands, her monkey-tail helping her tenuous balance as she climbs up tooth and nail, hauls herself back to her feet and springs forward again.

The frenzy builds in her, as Ranavalona rises to the occasion. The thrill of the hunt, the rhythmic drumbeat of the heart, blood heating in anticipation of the fight. Footsteps pounding relentlessly, sweat slicked from the skin by displaced air as the chase builds to its crescendo. Every jump is a leap of faith, a test of resolve. Whether for the challenge of Jedevra, or concern for Kestrel, Nanaret does not stop until she reaches her goal.

[Private to GM: Nana will activate Relentless Lunar Fury as soon as she is close enough to either jump for Jedevra or catch up with her after Immy, or Xurizu's spell or whatever knocks her down to the ground. :P

Also my last two paragraphs are an Athletics stunt if we're doing an extended roll!]
This message was last edited by the player at 22:50, Fri 14 Aug 2009.

Talia does her best to aid the injured man, but her own wounds make it difficult to concentrate, requiring her to expend more of her already depleted essence.  Through the noise and pain and chaos, one thought rises above all others.  "I will not give up.  I will not surrender.  I will not go back."
"I don't know what else I can do.  I'm afraid I won't be much use in the fighting.  I guess if I survive I can help put people back together."

And from somewhere in the back of her mind, rises a voice from the distant past, winding around her thoughts like a poisonous fog, like a serpent.
<You wouldn't be in this sad state if you had listened to me.  But you were always so stubborn, so afraid to reach out and take what you wanted.>
"Shut up, Mei."
<I suppose it wouldn't matter so much; even if you had been willing to learn, there's no reason to expect that you would have any talent.
You are very nearly out of options.  But then, I suppose dying here would count as escape, after a fashion.
On the other hand, perhaps you should hand control over to someone who has the will to do what must be done.  Give me the body.>
"Never."
Talia waits.  If a moment arises when she can act, she will act.  Until then she will wait.  One thing is certain, in her mind.  She will not be taken back.
[Private to GM: 22:16, Today: Talia Zerith rolled 2 successes using 3d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,7,4.  Damage
22:11, Today: Talia Zerith botched using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,1,6,1,6,3,3. medicine. +2m periph essence to 2nd medicine excellency. 1sux
22:11, Today: Talia Zerith rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,9,1,5. Sta+resist. ]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Sat 15 Aug 2009.

"Do forgive me for that." Replied Gibhari, the huge mole creature bowing its head. "You will find I can dig quite  fast for digging, as fast as any of you might walk upon the earth. But we must act quickly." And immediately he dove into the dirt (or whenever his next action is, I can't tell), and rapidly began to burrow down, then toward the Peace Force.

Anyone who might jump down the tunnel with the mole would find the earth being compacted and kicked back at an astounding rate by his huge claws: the mole was carving a passage three men wide and one and a half tall at a rate of nearly four yards per second.

-----

For Kilani, the world was too blurry from welling tears for sight to give her any information now. She managed a faint squeak with effort at the order, visibly gritting her teeth, hands and arms trembling as she fought, but the bow came up, and drew back, an arrow readied. She couldn't see where to aim. Her head gave a horrified shake, and her only relieve was that she'd brought nothing but Fowling Arrows.

On the rooftops (Immy, Nanaret)

Immaculate Kestrel, followed relentlessly by Nanaret, advance across the rooftops in leaps and bounds. From that height they have a bird's eye view of the streets below: the fires, the fallen...

Kestrel, sensitive to the suffering of others, sings her dirge for the citizens that could not make it to safety. Fewer than her horrified mind thinks have actually died... already, some of the stronger citizens struggle to their knees. But few if any have any insane panic or desire to revolt left in them. They kneel, put away their weapons, docile and afraid. They crawl, limping and shuddering, into the safety of buildings. [Private to Immaculate Kestrel: You get a +3 on your Performance, total 14 sux. You'll have to keep singing every action to wear the soldiers' willpower down. At the same time you need to keep rolling Dex+Athletics (with multiple action penalties, I'll leave it up to you if Performance or Athletics gets the -2 or the -3) until you get a cumulative 10 successes. If you stunt Dex+Ath in your next post, it will count for the entire extended roll series. But if you ever botch, you fall!]

Nanaret, singlemindedly focused, does not look down for long enough to be distracted by the plight of the people below. Her only intent is to catch up to Kestrel, and join her in the close range assault. [Private to Saina Nanaret: +3 for your extended Dex+Athletics roll to run and jump across rooftops. Keep rolling repeatedly until you get a cumulative 10 successes. If you ever botch, you fall!]

Pulling back on Marble Street (Xurizu)

Jambiya and Rampuri follow Xurizu in pulling back. "Gah, the soldiers," Puri says, squinting toward the intersection, "they're clearing the intersection!" They don't know much at all about how sorcery works, though, so trust that Xurizu has some way to bypass their cover. They do their best not to disturb his preparations with distractions; Irjin has taught that lesson well.

Meanwhile, emerald Essence builds in the heart of Xurizu's penumbral anima, as tendrils of shining silver form between his fingers into a solidified chain like shape. He focuses on the floating, jade-clad form of Winglord Jedevra, framed by burning wings. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Since you're aiming upward at a diagonal, you probably couldn't have moved much further back. In any case, you should be able to release your spell in the next action!]

Marble/side street intersection (Higura, Ghibari, Irjin+Freerunners, Gulda+workers)

The majority of workers and Freerunners are still standing outside at the intersection of Marble and the minor cross street. Irjin (still staggering slightly from weathering Immy's concern for him) watches pink-hair run off with Nanaret in tow, shaking his head slightly. "We'll have to do our best to support them from below --"

Then the huge mole speaks up out of nowhere, looming above the gathered group. Many workers are startled, but Gulda Marin shouts, "Hold, you idiots!" They quiet down to listen to Ghibari say his piece, though remain speechless as the mole-god starts tearing right through the street and into the underground. "What're you waiting for?! We're headed underground with the big guy! Let's go!"

"Wait," Irjin belays that action hastily. "I need about twenty, twenty-five of your strongest. Can you spare them? They'll join our above-ground assault group. Higura, we could use some of your level-headed leadership, I will be distracted with offensive sorcery. Long range wielders should take position to aim at the Peace Force leader. Once we've softened the opposition a bit we'll start to advance, using the buildings as cover."

"Ha--I'm enough for five people, but I'm leading the underground charge. How about your people, Rivanto. You heavy lifters are beefy enough for the task. Go with the Freerunners, the rest of us are headed down!" Gulda starts arranging the remaining workers into teams as the remaining 70+ armed workers start streaming into the hole that Ghibari makes for them.

Rivanto, a sturdy, dark-skinned man with his dark hair in dreadlocks, says, "I think this warehouse has a couple bipedal lifting machines to spare. We'll grab what we can and come along!" Several workers move toward the building Arashi crashed into, while the rest join Irjin, Klaxon and Freerunners in organizing the assault team.

Inside Marble/side street warehouse (Talia, Arashi+Freerunners)

Talia manages to stabilize Stone Jaw, though it takes more effort than she would have liked. Arashi looks deeply relieved. "I'm not sure it's going to be safe in here... but Jaw is definitely not going to be able to move on his own. Damn!"

Arashi glances out the warehouse window. "We have to join them. But it'll be easier for us to take cover on foot than on the chariot..." She is still hesitating when Rivanto's people enter, but finally says, "Backing out!" She restarts the chariot with Talia, Jaw and four other Freerunners still on it, pulling out into the side street where Higura, Irjin and the workers are dispersing. "If you've got any better ideas say em! Just don't feel right leaving Jaw here alone!"

Glass and Marble intersection (Kilani, Jedevra, Scales 1-1, 1-2, 2-2)

There is hesitation in the ranks of Burning Feather, particularly among the un-Exalted. They hear Immaculate Kestrel's dirge song, some of them shivering with guilt and uncertainty. Still, they collectively push aside those nagging feelings, and execute Jedevra's orders: 1-1 and 1-2 on either side of Glass and Marble, 2-2 preparing the Shock Matrix Rods along with several other units throughout the perimeter. (They are 2 WP down from Immy's song and Kilani's influence.)

The Winglord activates her shield bracers, seeing the Anathema expending Essence to oppose her: Kestrel on the rooftops, glowing with her tattered bride anima, and the distant telltale glow of Xurizu's sorcery. "Kilani, you see there?" Floating above her, Jedevra draws the collared Chosen's attention to Xurizu. "Fire your arrows on that Anathema there. Men like him, who do not submit to the collar, are the reason why this riot needs to be put down!"

"Scalelord Aurin, the Essence Twister should be able to reach the Anathema and his little gathering band. Disable them while the Shock Matrix recharges!"

---

OOC: actions
tick 9 - Jedevra, Scales 1-1 and 2-2
tick 10 - Higura
tick 11 - Xurizu (cast spell), Kilani (ordered to attack Xurizu), Talia, all other groups

23 is holding action (s/he hasn't posted so I don't know if 23 is with Higura, Irjin or Arashi).
Immy and Nanaret are running since tick 5; their extended roll will determine their next tick.
Ghibari, Gulda and workers won't reach Glass and Marble till tick 26.
Shock Matrix will be recharged at tick 24!
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:13, Wed 19 Aug 2009.

step step step step

Can you dance? Here's the music: there's a cacophony of steps on the roof, trailing shuddering jingles along its trail. The steps are simple: one foot forward, one foot back. Lift one, put it in front of the other, and let it fall; repeat. Three steps only. Try not to slip; its a really long fall.

(She used to work on the balance beams as a child; one hand up, one hand parallel, running, always running, never looking at the ground. "There is, my dear, no other ground. The beam is a floor, isn't it? It comes between you and something else." And this was true, for all the floors in the Coils.)

Of course, there are barriers in her way, but she ignores them; jumps, tucks, leaps, rolls. She's done all this before. There is no other ground. There is a floor below this one; but then, there always is, isn't it? Why should that make her afraid?

step step step step

Her anima doesn't mirror her moments; her mind is on something else. She is dancing the danse macabre, and her eyes are sharp and accusing: This is my wedding, and there was no groom. So will a thousand, thousand other women now; prospective brides and mothers, besides fathers and sons, lying dead and cooked on the cold cold floor. Hundreds more will never marry, because they were born on the wrong floor, perhaps, and never had the chance to see the other; but that was normal, wasn't it? Dragons have to marry Dragons, and chattel must marry chattel, and if they never actually met, well, that was alright. All they had to do was breed.

(Immy doesn't look at her anima. She doesn't like it. It's too real, and it says things she doesn't want to see.)

But she does sing, and the ghostly woman follows. Step. Step. Step by step. Her dance is different, but it's also very simple; you could do it, if you wished. It comes natural to everyone who's drowning; it tastes of opium and the poppy-dream, and a slow gentle falling into pale faces and black water.

(There is a gap between the roofs, and she soars forth, legs stretching, one hand forward and braced to take the impact of the fall. She catches the ground between hand and elbow, letting it roll along the curve of her arm, and throws it off her with a gentle flick of her hand. Feet were better for running.)

(Her lungs hurt, but she had to sing; it was that or die, and the words came, readily enough, to her whispering voice. This is enough. This is enough.)



[OOC: Channeling Compassion for both, then. -2 to the Ath roll, -3 to the Perform roll.

10:19, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 7 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,8,3,7,8,3,7,10,8,6,2,5. And this one's for you.

10:18, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 9 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,4,9,10,6,10,1,7,9,6,4,10. Crap forgot the penalty.
You rolled 3 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 2,8,9,1,6,8,2. Um. Another DexAth roll, in case.

Total spent: 11m, 3 wp. Personal 8/15 (7 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 27/35 (4 committed, artifacts), WP 6/9. Compassion Channels: 0/5, Conviction Channels: 3/4  Damage: 1B]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:36, Mon 17 Aug 2009.

Kilani, still horrified by the results of the mass shock attack and her inability to stop it, feels herself raising her arms and aiming at the mass of shifting, multicolored Essence that obscures Xurizu's presence. Her arms shake, her fingers slippery, and yet she cannot disobey. Mechanically she picks one of her fowling arrows, aims and fires, the arrow arcing toward Xurizu's center of mass, where she may have the most chance of at least striking some part of him and disrupting his spell.

After all it is Winglord Jedevra's will, and the Collar compels her. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: After counting your anima effect the fowling arrow coming for you is only a 5 sux attack. Of course you're at -2 DV for casting.]

[Private to Kilani Sorune: sorry for usurping your character, but that's the collar speaking. Also Xurizu may have been waiting for you to post and roll an attack. Anyway I just rolled 1 vanilla archery attack of 11 dice. You got 6 sux -1 for Xurizu's anima effect so 5 sux. Probably missed, fortunately for Kilani's conscience.

As for Ghibari... he's stuck digging, and will keep digging for several more actions (till tick 26 as mentioned above). There may be some fast forwarding of ticks though to make the wait lesser.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:56, Tue 18 Aug 2009.

Damnit, they have an archer, was the thought that occurs first to Xurizu as he noticed the arrow flying towards him after he'd taken the steps to pull well out of Shock Pike range.  His second thought was the rather more urgent.  Damnit, they have an archer and they're shooting at me!  Casting a spell didn't leave that much room for dodging either.  Thankfully, he didn't really have to have that much room for dodging, all he had to do was make sure it hit the thicker parts of the armour he was wearing and hopefully it would deflect right off...

With that thought in mind, Xurizu twisted like the snake that was his totem animal, presenting his best side to the arrow!
[Private to Gatekeeper: DDV is 3 after the sorcery penalty.  B soak is 12, B hardness (might be relevant if she has a normal bow) is 5.  If possible I'd like him to have some light cover, since there could be another matrix burst, but if he didn't have chance with the moving, that's fine.]

23 glances up occasionally at Kestrel as sie walks fowards, weaving around the groups of people until the front. There's a moment where Burning Feather, collectively, glances up at Kestrel...

...and 23 vanishes. (Not that they noticed hir in the first place, amongst the crowds.)


There's a soldier moving towards Burning Feather. Must have been caught in the blast, they were a bit too far forward. But he (or she)'s recovered and is staggering back into formation...(Or is it a beggar or slum-dweller, trying to escape but moving in a stupid direction? Either way, they're not important. We have better things to be concerned about, don't we? And who cares about those sorts?)

They're supposed to be stationed near the twister, aren't they? Obviously. Needs more people around, just in case. And it's better to keep her (or was it him?) behind it, in case...no point wasting troops. They've already been hit once by it, accidentally. Right? Right.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Underling Invisibility Practice. 23's moving towards the twister, at a fast but nonsuspicious rate.]

Unlike Immaculate Kestrel, Nanaret's progress across the rooftops continues in intense, concentrated silence. She runs, leaps, tumbles and runs again, her footsteps pounding with the beat of her blood.

Ranavalona is cackling with glee, reminiscing. The Queen's Hunt in the deep jungle had been her idea. A hunt not merely for prey, for food, but a contest in which predator hunted predator, purely for the prize of their fur and bones and the prestige of the kill. Her favorite pastime, though, was releasing humans to be hunted down. Those who managed to evade death joined her side as hunters and leaders of the savage men and half-beasts she spawned.

It takes all Nanaret's effort to keep up with Immy at first. She is inwardly impressed at how limber and daring the young Solar is, dancing across precarious footing with hardly a care, as if she'd been born to this role. Had she seen her perform before, cartwheeling high up on a tight rope, swinging across a great divide on a glittering trapeze? Their spheres of entertainment may well have overlapped; the circus performer and the gladiatrix, the Collared Anathema pleasing the gawking crowds.

But the only crowds in this venue are civilians who would die if they failed. Nanaret bares her teeth and pushes onward, bounding across the next several rooftops, propelling herself between them with running jumps as her legs and arms pump the air to maximize distance. She never clutches to another ledge or balcony, landing well past them onto stable footing, setting off toward the next roof before her rhythm and momentum are lost.

In time she pulls even with Kestrel, and calls out to the singing, mourning Solar as they run. "I am with you. I help you fight burning woman and army." They are close now, they must be. Ranavalona knows, smiling her own inward, jagged-toothed smile; she yearns to be released, and that Nanaret will not only concede, but embrace her.

[Private to GM: 10:31, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 10 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,5,6,4,7,8,9,10,8,10,1,2,6,7. Dex+Ath(2).
10:30, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 4 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,5,7,9,5,1,3,8,6,4,7,3,2. Dex+Ath(1)]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:50, Thu 17 Sept 2009.

Marble Street, 100 yards from Glass (Xurizu)

The fowling arrow finds its mark... very nearly. Xurizu twists at the last moment, and Kilani's arrow streaks just past him, underneath his armpit, impacting with the floor a scant yard away. A close call. The strands of Essence he weaves waver slightly, but strengthen as he returns his attention to the shaping, bringing it to an inevitable conclusion... [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Oh oops. I rolled damage, but actually, you should have made it. +1 stunt, and +1 from 25% hard cover. I figured any more than that would be too much since you need to have an unobstructed view yourself to cast your spell. Anyway I already rolled Wits+Occult for you and you passed. I'll let you post and roll for the actual casting of the spell. :)]

Marble/side street intersection (Higura, Talia, Irjin+Freerunners, Rivanto+workers)

Arashi finishes pulling the chariot out of the warehouse, followed by two pairs of workers manning bipedal lifting machines. A design based on a warstrider, but adapted for mundane use, they carry no weapons but are considerably bulky and strong. They flank the chariot, joining the group amassing about 20 yards in front of Xurizu's position.

Irjin and the four Freerunner launcher wielders (Basso, Heldra, Lucky Break and Crank) board the chariot still carrying Talia and the wounded. The Freerunner leader immediately begins to chant, evoking the Howling Word as icy tendrils of wind wreathe his body. The launchers aim up at Jedevra, hoping for a clear shot in case Xurizu's spell and the combined efforts of Immy and Nanaret somehow fail to bring her down.

As for the remaining 'Runners, and the workers with Rivanto, they look to Higura for any last suggestions. He would have to lead the charge.

Moving across Marble Street (23)

Twenty Three crosses Marble Street swiftly, the soldiers unconcerned, perhaps even expecting hir coming. The workers see an unfortunate fool stumbling right toward the soldiers' intersection -- "should someone warn 'im?" -- but they can't stop their plans now for one man, or woman, the Shock Matrix is too time sensitive for that. [Private to Yaishin Higura, Kilani Sorune: The only two who realize Twenty Three is not just an unimportant subordinate are Higura and Kilani. They recognize the Fate effect on the cloaked figure. This one is a Celestial like them, a Chosen of the distant, unseen stars.][Private to Number Twenty Three: since you started at tick 0, I'll assume you used an entire action for a Simple Charm, speed 6, then started moving at tick 6. At 10 yards/tick and 80 yards to go you'll reach Glass and Marble by tick 14, you'll get a cue in my next post. Careful, you may get caught in any attacks thrown at the soldiers!]

Underground tunnel (Ghibari, Gulda+workers)

Underground, Ghibari, Gulda and the workers continue to progress toward the intersection at a relatively slower pace. It is not as easy as it seems; digging involves ensuring not to sever any power sources and possibly electrocute the group, or flood the tunnel by breaking a water main. Surrounded by earth, they have no way of knowing just how the intersection will be faring when they reach it. But reach it they will!

---

OOC: Pausing now for Higura to post and Xurizu to finish spell before tick count moves forward. [Private to Immaculate Kestrel; Saina Nanaret: BTW, Immy and Nana will be able to jump for Jedevra at tick 13. Oh and Immy got a +2 for the last post! You'll both get more description in my next post.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:29, Wed 19 Aug 2009.

As Xurizu finishes shaping the spell, he has a moment to wonder if any amongst the Freerunners will recognise the spell, having previously seen it cast on friends, comrades or contacts.  By that point though, it's hanging in front of him, slicing through the shadows of his anima as it strains to be unleashed on its target.  Half-wreathed in the shadows, the barbs on the Guillotine gleam oddly in the aftermath of the shaping, the blades murderously sharp.

Then it is away and flying, hurtling down the down the street for a moment before it looped up into a barrel roll to get level with Jedevra, skimming the rooftops as it overtakes Kestrel and Nararet.  It rises once again and spreads wide as it nears its target, two feet of terrible and cruel metal.

Then it strikes.
[Private to Gatekeeper:
19:32, Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 7 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,6,9,10,10,7,9,1. Per+Occult+3 sux (FG to hit).

18 levels of damage + 10 from extra successes.  The attack is unparriable without charms/stunt, and ignores cover/shields.]

It takes a moment for Higura to get back his composure from Nanaret's bold and sudden gesture prior to her departure. Looking back towards the direction she took, the doctor watches intently, gazing at the gladiatrix as she follows the pink-haired lady across the rooftops. After a moment, he averts his glance, turning away from the rooftops to look at the workers assembling around him.

Come back safe. He thinks, as he takes a step towards the group.

"Freerunners and workers of the Earth District... I am Yaishin Higura. I once was a collared Assessor, forced to support the Peace Forces through assessments of the populace and veiled control of the Coils' citizens. And yet now I stand before you as a man freed of these chains, ready to strike against those who once owned me."

"So can you be, citizens of the Coils. Free in body and spirit, capable to step up to defend the things you value and hold dear. But there is one thing you must understand, before you step into the turmoil. When you take arms, you have the potential to cause great harm the same as you have the potential to usher in great good. It becomes easy to become lost in one's feelings of righteousness and vindication, and equally easy to lose sight of what harm one might cause in the wake of those actions."

"Your cause is noble. Your heart is in the right place. But before you follow me though this, realize one thing: we are not butchers. We are not murderers, nor architects of chaos. Your origins might be humble, but the moment you take up arms to defend your ideals and your comrades... You become a soldier. And that is how you should act when we meet the enemy in battle. Not as beserkers seeking the blood of our adversaries, nor as slaves seeking revenge. We are soldiers seeking victory from our enemies. Nothing more, and nothing less. Only then shall you be able to fight for and earn your freedom and that of your compatriots."

Higura nods, then turns towards the other groups momentarily, watching them prepare before turning back to the workers and Freerunners around him. "Our objective is simple, but dangerous. We need to approach the perimeter and prepare to weather attacks from the Peace Force, all the while preparing to partake in a coordinated charge with those going underground. That means we shall take hits. That also means I cannot ensure that we shall come out of this unscathed. This means we have to weather the assault while our comrades prepare to join us. This means great danger. But if you believe in what brought you here on this day, if you can muster the courage to step forward and meet the enemy to defend those principles... Then there is nothing the enemy can strip from you."

"From here on, you and I are brothers and sisters... And our greatest weapon is not the poisoned knife of revenge, but the stout spear of liberty." Higura draws his weapons, and, somewhere through the ripples of time, the shadow of Dusan the Mindwalker awakens.

"With me, army of the disfranchised, disenchanted and forgotten. Let us show the mettle that burns within us, and our minders have forgotten!"

And with that, the doctor leads his courageous, but dangerous charge, an unlikely leader at the head of an unlikely army.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Moving in, careful to coordinate the movement rate with the estimated arrival time of the people in the tunnels to get into a pincer attack formation. Higura is in the lead, and prepared to weather the worst of the attacks if need be.]

Marble and Glass intersection (23, Kilani, Jedevra, Burning Feather Scales)

Jedevra sees the glimmer of silver hurtling toward her, unfurling to its full length into a barbed silver chain. She holds up her energy shield and lance, crossing them before her as her flaming wings flare with renewed Essence, pushing her backward and away in a swift burst of speed. But the flying guillotine is not deterred by mere mechanical toys. It whips right around the obstacles, missing the neck but latching onto Jedevra's shoulder, looping around the armpit!

The Winglord's altitude dips dramatically as she releases the energy shield and wrenches at the barbed chain with a gauntleted hand. The chain scrapes noisily on jade plates, dragging upward until it finds flesh between the grooves and tightens further. Where her armor does not protect her, the Five Elemental Dragons respond to her Essence, lending her a portion of their resilience, but the barbs dig in stubbornly and shred skin and sinew, dissipating just short of doing crippling harm. Beneath her helmet, she seethes as hot blood drips onto her armor, red on red, and spatters onto the floor far below. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: Base Dodge DV is 8. Her soak is 16L. This would mean 4L damage, but she actually knows Five Dragon Fortitude, reducing to 3L levels of damage. I should note though that from your distance you can't actually tell how much damage you did, if any, only that she seems to now be reconsidering making herself an obvious target. So that objective, at least, is accomplished]

Breathlessly Jedevra rapid-fires several more commands. "Kilani, keep up your arrow fire! Don't let their sorcerers attack again!" 80 yards away, Kilani sees a smaller group of rebels are organizing themselves into a procession with a gliding chariot and two bipedal machines. One of the figures standing on the chariot glows with a telltale aura of pale blue, while another in dark green toward the front appears to be calling out to the group, perhaps rallying their morale. The one who had thrown the guillotine is further back, no longer glowing. "Scale 1-1, cover me! Scale 1-1, target the Anathema on the roof! All other units hold position and increase Shock Matrix Charge to Level 2! Aurin, fire Essence Twister now!"

Though Immy's dirge tugs at their heartstrings, the soldiers obey. Streaks of energy arc across the ceiling of B23 as the shock charge ramps up visibly, surging from one side to the other like angry storm serpents. Scale 1-2 bristles, jabbing their pikes up toward the rooftops in unison, while Scalelord Aurin steps away from building cover, aiming his reclaimed Twister toward the distant rebel group.

But Aurin seems completely oblivious to the presence of a certain androgynous figure rushing right towards him... [Private to Number Twenty Three: Ok, you should reach the Scalelord RIGHT when he's about to fire. You've surprised him but still need to make the disarm roll. Fortunately you do it with his DV = 0. So roll your Dex+Martial Arts. If you get more than 3 successes you can control the Twister. (The 3 is from Aurin's Wits+Melee which got 3 sux, that's the roll for keeping one's weapon).]

On the rooftops (Immy, Nanaret)

Watching Immy and Nanaret, one may think leaping across rooftops is as easy as skipping across solid ground. They move fluidly, effortlessly, saving time with daring leaps and solid, perfect landings. If not for their lack of wings, they may as well be flying.

As they approach the final landing at a run, they see Jedevra floating lower in the air, below their current height. Deterred by Xurizu's spell, she starts shifting toward the cover of intersection buildings, but remains susceptible from an attack from above. The Fire Aspect has seen them, though. She knows they are there for her. Her visor picks out Immy's anima easily as she gives her commands, and points one of the two gunzosha units bordering Glass and Marble toward them.

Thirty shock pikes, purposefully disconnected from the Shock Matrix, aim upward and eject a salvo of crackling force blasts as soon as they come into range. Jedevra, floating behind the barrage, readies her Blaze Lance and awaits the Celestials' next move.

Immy and Nanaret may jump for her if they dare, or duck for cover! [Private to Immaculate Kestrel; Saina Nanaret: Ok, I'm doing some weird tick-fu, the timing may be a bit off. Nonetheless... 8 successes total. Damage is 14L, and you get a -1 DV if parrying. Now, if you decide to take cover you forfeit your next action but are instead at +3 DV. Otherwise you may post your next action and defense at the same time (use the DV penalty of that action). If you jump and attack though, you have to split action, same if you are singing at the same time too.]

Moving across Marble Street (Higura, Talia, Irjin+Freerunners, Rivanto+workers, Xurizu IF he joins them)

Higura's speech has both workers and Freerunners alike emboldened by his words. As he turns to lead the charge, alone in front of the few magitech vehicles they could scrounge as cover and transportation, the group of thirty-odd rebels answers him with a thunderous shout, surging toward Glass and Marble with their hearts suffused with purpose! Arashi's gliding chariot and the workers' refurbished 'striders keep level with the speed of those on foot, carrying Talia, Irjin (still shaping his spell!) and the Freerunner launchermen.

They are ready to fight. They are ready to die, if they must, to break the Shock Matrix and the Peace Force ranks while Ghibari and the larger body of workers approach from underground. "For our Freedom! For the liberation of Coils! For the rights of workers and of all citizens! For those who have died before us!!" Even at a fourth of their former numbers, they chant and sing, echoing the dirge but not the despair, for Higura's words remind them that they strive to stop the senseless murder, not to continue it!

---

OOC: actions
tick 13 - Immy, Nanaret
tick 14 - 23, Jedevra, Scale 1-2, Scale 2-2 (Shock Matrix charge)
tick 15 - Xurizu (re-enter battle after casting)
tick 16 - Higura+assault group (marching), Talia (on chariot), Irjin (cast spell)
tick 17 - Kilani (ordered to attack sorcerers!)

Scale 1-1 is holding action.
Higura, Talia, Irjin and assault group will reach Glass and Marble at tick 24.
Ghibari, Gulda+workers will reach Glass and Marble at tick 26.
Shock Matrix will be recharged at tick 24!
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:18, Sun 23 Aug 2009.

23 steps up to Aurin. Surely he should have an assistant, being a Scalelord. He doesn't have to do all this menial work himself, right?

So the assistant should very naturally be doing the work of firing it. Hm? The non-glorious, non-skilful, non-interesting, very glamourless part. Aurin, of course, gets to do the careful calibration of the device...thank you.

Poor man.

And then 23 simply turns the twister precisely a hundred and eighty degrees around. It doesn't matter that 23 doesn't know how to use this. Aurin's already done the calibration. Just point...no need to aim...and press the button.

The Twister fires.

[Private to Gatekeeper: Okay, eight successes.]

Almost there almost there almost there...

She sees the attack, of course; a blazing bridge of electric colours, falling towards her and what's her name what's her name the other girl, and in that moment a strong surge of anger awakens; how dare they stop me? There were people dying, more people dying, the Shock Matrix was growing and soon they'd fire it again, the world would boil and die and die and...

...her anima suddenly dissolves, the ethereal golds and whites of the bride and her sword fading into nothing but a twisting vortex of hungry shadows. One by one, the streaking fury of the lances dart into that consuming void... and vanish without a trace. What threat can they hold, these pitiful lights, against one who holds the Essence of the Sun? Her summoned night swallows them whole, and rolls on, slowly and deliberately, to the edge of the buildings, and splinters into a thousand pieces.

They rise up like an unnatural rain, guided by will and essence to fall into orbit about the soaring, burning figure; one after the other, they swarm around Jedevra, singing in a terrible, multi-toned voice... and coalescing into a single, dark cloud, boiling with shadows and anger. A maddened swarm of cracking power, Kestrel's anima reaches out to engulf the hapless Dragon-blooded in a cloud of erupting golds and solid gloom, and a loud ching shudders through the air as her blade reaches to find a foothold within any gap of Jedevra's armour.

"Hello, Lady Jedevra. You've killed... oh, over a hundred people today, at the least. Does that make you happy? Because, in all honesty, I'm but a simple girl; I only need one death to make me content." She giggled. It's a strange, crawling sound, and her fingernails clinks loudly against her visor. "Aw, but your eyes are covered. But that's ok. I could kill you, you know, but what I really need right now is for you to call your Peace Force off. Is that ok, Lady Jedevra? It'd be so helpful."

[OOC: Activating combo: 1wp, 3m for SSE, 9m for +2 Acc + 2 Dmg and Piercing. -2 penalty for jump flurry, right? If Jed manages to die from the attack... um. I guess Immy shrugs, says "oops", and tries to ride the body down like a surfboard with a sputtering essence engine.

You rolled 8 successes using 15d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((3,8,1,4,9,5,10,3,10,3,8,7,6,6,5)). Damage will be 12L Piercing, and I'm hoping it hits.

Total spent: 22m, 2 wp. Personal 0/15 (15 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 24/35 (5 committed), WP 7/9. Compassion Channels: 0/5, Conviction Channels: 3/4  Damage: 1B

EDIT: Wrong sum for essence spent]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:49, Mon 24 Aug 2009.

Nanaret is right behind Immy, seeing her jump at Jedevra in a daring aerial attack, that dark surge of Essence surrounding and shielding her as she falls into the midst of the shock pike blasts. Survival instinct tugs at the Lunar in the split second she has to think. Duck, away from the searing energy! Away from the edge of the roof! Anything else is surely suicide.

But Nana is not a coward. Nor is she a hero, whose heart bleeds for the suffering of others. Yet here she is, risking her life for the sake of the worker class and a pink-haired girl she had just met. For the freedom of the Coils, whose masters she will never again obey.

Remember me, Higura. Protect me, hidden moon.
Now, Ranavalona, you will have blood you thirst for.

She would leave Jedevra to Immy, for now. The gladiatrix leaps toward the source of the barrage, her moonsilver staff flashing in her hands as gravity pulls her greedily downward. Falling toward the leader of the attacking scale, she deflects shot after shot on the sections of her Solar-forged weapon, spinning and whirling to protect her face, upper body and arms. They cannot touch her. No one can touch her, the hunter plunging straight as a silver arrow toward her prey!

Nanaret lifts Sixth Coil overhead, folded in half and snapped straight as a rod, and brings it down toward the head of Jedevra's subordinate officer with all the momentum of her fall. The last thing he sees before impact is a flash of her feral grin and dark, taunting eyes.

[Private to GM: Parry DV is 8-2(from jump+attack)-1(from parry)+4(from rolling valor and +3 excellency). Total 9 DV, so I parry! Spent 1 Valor channel!

And, my attack. Spent 5m Excellency. Total spent in this post is 8m, 1wp, 1 valor.

18:43, Today: Gatekeeper, on behalf of Saina Nanaret, rolled 8 successes using 15d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,4,2,4,7,8,10,3,2,4,2,3,4,9,10. Nana's attack! +5 ex. -2 mult. pen.]

Xurizu looks towards Jadevra, trying to judge the effect of his attack.  He notices her dip, but not withdraw fully.  Then he turns his attention towards the line, and the rapidly charging matrix...

"Ladies, I think it's time we left," he said, turning to his two self-proclaimed protectors.  "I don't want to be caught out in the open if the matrix fires again and Irjin and his group seem like our best bett to get there."

With that, he started to sprint across the street, heading for the chariots.

Glass and Marble intersection (23, Immy, Nanaret, Kilani, Jedevra, Burning Feather scales)

Immy and Jedevra

Jedevra grunts as Immy's body impacts with her, swallowed up by gold and shadow, the unmistakable hues of a Night Caste anima. The young Solar's blade finds purchase between the plates of her dragon armor, slicing her side but shallowly as the Winglord manages to knock it aside with the haft of her Blaze Lance. (1L, total of 4L damage) [Private to Immaculate Kestrel: Well, here's what happened. You had a total 9 sux after a +2 stunt (yay motes?) I had Jedevra's DV start at 5 (after a -1 from issuing commands, and a -1 from Xurizu's spell). She rolled 1st Melee Ex. to improve DV and got 3 sux. So your attack went in with 1 sux. Her armor soak is 14L. Piercing reduces it to 7L+2L from Stamina 4. Your damage was therefore 13L-9L = 4L dice, which I rolled, and you got a paltry 1 level in. Aw, dice.]

Knowing her blood has been spilled by Anathema is enough to draw a cold rage from the fiery woman. Two times now, two wounds trickling blood toward the ground below. Two times too many. "If they have died," Jedevra replies to Immy, glaring through her visor, "it is because they foolishly refused to surrender. Their blood is on the hands of those who encouraged them to riot. YOUR hands!" Lip curled, she finds the catch on her Lance, releasing the blade end, separating it into short spear and daiklave. Both weapons stab viciously at the Anathema in tandem, if not to harm her bodily, then to force her to dodge and... perhaps, then, fall toward the ground without her. [Private to Immaculate Kestrel: She's high skilled, loaded up with arties and using Excellencies... anyway, her attack is a 10 sux and 9 sux flurry! If you dodge instead of parry you'll basically have to freefall, though at this point the fall distance is not nearly so bad (let's say... 12 yards, that's only 6B to soak, and you may roll reflexive Wits+Athletics to catch yourself, every sux on this reduces the fall damage to a minimum 1B.)]

Nanaret and Scale 1-2

Closer to the ground, Nanaret brings the full might of her moonsilver weapon upon the Dragon-blooded officer leading Scale 1-2. The Scalelord brings up his pike to parry, but the motion is sadly futile. Sixth Coil is both strong and malleable, the sections sliding across and shoving the pike haft aside, connecting hard with his helmeted temple. There is a sickening crack! and a groan of agony, the officer so dazed by the blow that he falls backward onto the ground, stunned into brief unconsciousness! (5B damage, ow, and a botch on a Sta+Res roll. He's out cold for a couple actions.)

Nanaret herself manages to land safely despite the 20+ yard fall, using the officer's armored body as an unlikely 'cushion'. As she straightens to her feet, the twenty-nine remaining soldiers of Scale 1-2 look at her, toward Jedevra's struggle with Immy, with visible hesitation. But they manage to swallow it down, moving to surround her and attack Immy should she fall... holding desperately to their duty, knowing their Winglord would berate them for faltering against the Anathema.

23 and Aurin, Kilani and Scale 1-1

Aurin, 1-1's Scalelord, doesn't realize Twenty Three's true intent until it's already too late. He tries to snatch the calibrated Twister away at the last minute, but by then the Sidereal has the weapon well under control, blasting the Dragon-blooded officer right in the face with a nauseating Essence-reversing blast. "Hurrrlllppp!!" (Ow!! 5B, and now he's distracted and hurling. -2 to dice pools.) 23 has to dance away to avoid getting splattered by the vomit, but on the other hand, s/he does now control the Essence Twister.

The blast hurtles past the vomiting lieutenant, and all but demolishes a good half of Scale 2-2. (11B damage) Several mortal soldiers tumble to the ground, knocked out cold, the Shock Rods jostled from their hands to deactivate harmlessly. Those covered by buildings struggle to maintain the Matrix's western perimeter, but it starts to waver and weaken noticeably! Shocked by this turn of events, over half of Scale 1-1 starts to hesitate, backing away with horrified looks on their faces. The rest start to push forward, to surround 23 before he can fire again.

Kilani, standing among Scale 1-1, notices their uncertainty and revulsion. She, however, is still bound by her order to fire at one of the sorcerers approaching down Marble Street... [Private to Kilani Sorune: Up to you, you can fire at Irjin or Xurizu. If you don't act soon, i.e. within a day or so, I'll just decide and post it myself. :)]

Moving across Marble Street (Higura, Talia, Xurizu, Irjin+Freerunners, Rivanto+workers)

The assault group marches onward, bolstered by the small but significant victories of their Celestial allies. They shout and clamor, cheering when the officer directly in front of them goes down! Noticing Xurizu running up toward them in her rear view mirror, Arashi slows the chariot just enough for him to hop on, then speeds up just enough to rejoin the main group.

The Freerunner heavy artillerists start aiming for the soldiers starting to surround Twenty Three. Irjin's spell meanwhile reaches its culmination, icy crystals glimmering in the howling winds surrounding his body! "Thunder Wolf, lend me your voice!" he calls sternly in Old Realm, and directs the spell toward its target! The icy gust sweeps down the street, to the side of 23 and Scale 1-1, through the buildings Scale 2-2 takes refuge behind. Windows explode into frozen, ice-rimed shards, whole chunks of wall turn brittle inside and out, as the Thunder Wolf's Howl surges toward the severely reduced scale! (2-2 takes enough damage to pretty much be whittled down to nothing. The very few remaining get -2 to rolls for 10 ticks.) [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: here's your chance to stunt learn Thunder Wolf's Howl too, now that you have an example of it right here.]

Scale 2-2 loses control of the Shock Rods altogether, and their contribution to the Matrix fizzles to nothing. But three other perimeter sides are still charging to full, and the corner scales start to make up for the slack...

---

OOC: actions
tick 16 - Irjin (cast spell)
tick 17 - Kilani, Immy, Xurizu (after catching up w/chariot)
tick 18 - Nanaret, Jedevra
tick 19 - 23, Scale 1-1, Scale 1-2

Freerunner launchers in range to fire at tick 21; Irjin reenters battle at tick 22.
Higura, Talia and assault group will reach melee range at tick 24.
Shock Matrix continues charging (at noticeably redued power) until tick 24.
Ghibari, Gulda+workers emerge from underground at tick 26.

Burning Feather as a whole is at -3 WP(out of 8). Scale 1-1 and 1-2 are at -4 WP after expending for a morale check.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:40, Tue 15 Sept 2009.

"I wasn't even here when they started, you, you, you monster! They were chanting your name before I ever came to this place, because they were overworked and hungry and people's children weren't growing and it's you, and you, and you and your kind, sitting at the top of the Coils looking down at everyone and ignoring everything bad ever! All you care about is that stuff gets made on time, and when people protest you just fly down and shoot them!" With a scream of steel and jade, her sword wrenches out of the crack between her plates, scattering torn pieces of lesser metals to the air. "Nobody even had to do anything to start this riot; it made itself, and all because of you!"

The spear screamed as its sharpened head scraped across her buckler, and she let the force of the thrust carry her; up, up, away from the other blade; but there was a shrill clang as the Dragon suddenly shifted the angle of her attack, pushing aside her defense and sliding... closer... and no! No no no not again never again! She... she could run, she could fade back, she already did that, but she couldn't, because if she ran if she faded then she would just fly, and then they'd have to chase her up and down and all around and none of it would stop! Her blade was moving but it was too slow and the spear was coming and it will hit her enter her puncture her and then and then and then

clang!

"NO!"

Her blade was burning, bright and gold, and her anima was suddenly about her around her her blade guarding her own.  When she spoke she could feel it talking to saying the same things because this is why she this

"You will never own me again!"

(And a bit of her knew, full well, that they hadn't been talking about that at all; but that wasn't it, was it? That bit was washed away.)

She barely had to move to deny the daiklave her blood; her sword moved and hunted on its own, sliding down the spear like some crazed, golden vine and pitching the blade into the heart of her buckler. But she didn't notice. Not really. She was a fire aspect, and he was a fire aspect, and they killed people who were important to her and then they laughed about it and they would do it again and again and throw her into collars and arms

ti-

...but she wasn't the only one. They've done it to hundreds of people, in their time; and above, below, behind, beside; there she was, golden swords burning, her face twisted into several masks of rage. There were weaknesses in every armour, and she was waiting at every one; look. There; that one, her blade poised above the crook of neck and shoulder. Do you know? They had to make the neck mobile, after all; armour was armour, but a woman couldn't fight if she couldn't turn their heads. So they tried to solve that problem, by overlapping scales or mail or others about that place; but it was still the same, wasn't it? There was weakness; and beyond, the hollow between collarbone and armbone, a sweet spot of flesh that opened an entryway past the ribs.

(And she was below that, too; her sword was held in both hands, a thrusting blade, the point hovering below her raised arm. From the left here, you could easily get the heart; it was but inches away.)

And she was there, behind the Dragon; and there, waiting above; and there, and there, and there. Waiting.

Why were they waiting?

Oh.

Flipping down, around, she slammed into the frozen Peace Force commander, wrapping her legs about the woman's waist. "Never again."

They echoed her words, and sprang as she slammed her sword, two-handed, into the Dragon's face.

-ck.

[OOC: Then, of course, I forget to add the dice rolls and whatnot.

Since Kestrel has PDV 7 vs Melee, buying 4 sux each attack to block it. -16 motes.

Then opening the combo again. -1wp, -5m 1 wp for Iron Cuisinarts, - 1wp for Conviction to 1st attack.

13:07, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 18 successes using 20d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,2,9,6,10,10,1,8,10,2,10,10,5,8,8,7,3,7,6,10. First + Con.
13:07, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 2 successes using 1d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10. That 20 die limit.
13:08, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 8 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,10,9,4,2,1,6,1,4,1,4,6,9,7,8,8,7. Second.
13:08, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 4 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,1,9,6,2,4,3,8,4,5,9,2,2,1,6,1,9. Third.
13:08, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 8 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,6,1,1,4,4,9,7,1,9,4,4,10,5,9,10,3. Fourth.
13:08, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 9 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,9,3,7,3,1,2,2,4,10,7,10,9,8,6,4,4. Fifth.
13:08, Today: Immaculate Kestrel rolled 7 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,4,1,9,6,1,2,10,6,5,7,5,7,8,3,1,3. Sixth.

Successes of attacks: 20, 8, 4, 8, 9, 7
Damage is 12L Piercing, as per previous

Total spent: 41 m, 5 wp. Personal 0/15 (15 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 5/35 (5 committed), WP 4/9. Compassion Channels: 0/5, Conviction Channels: 2/4  Damage: 1B]
This message was last edited by the player at 11:50, Mon 24 Aug 2009.

"Thanks," Xurizu said to Arathi as he clambers aboard, gripping as the chariot accelerated once more.  He watches with interest as the spell Irjin is catching unfolds down the street and into the unfortunate ranks of the Peace Force.  Another long buried memory makes itself known.  This one is too tattered though, too torn to make any sense.

...a large garden ...

The effects it triggers, though, are on a level below concious thought.

... a tree, in the center, with leaves of emerald ... real emerald.  They gleam ...

A spell, at its most fundamental level, is a pattern.

... one of them starts to glow ...

A lunar, at their core, is a creature who can mimic patterns.

... the glow intensifies ...

What if this fact and this ability could be made to intersect?

... a woman with red hair asked that question ...

What if the ability could be developed to mimic a spell in the same way an animal could be imitated?

... a wash of red pain ...

What if?

... a woman with red hair smiled.

Back in the present, Xurizu started to invoke the Thunder Wolf's Howl.
[edit: minor tweak of wording]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Tue 25 Aug 2009.

Nanaret snaps her moonsilver staff between her hands, producing a sharp, menacing sound. While Immy vents her frustration on Jedevra with exceptional skill and precision, she bares her teeth at the soldiers starting to rally around her.

She plants a foot on their scale-leader's neck, stomping hard. Something cracks underfoot, and her grin broadens still, a crescent moon splitting her dusky features. It is time to kill. It is the Bitch Queen's moment now. The woman that is Nanaret is eclipsed as the phase of Ranavalona grows in power, summoned by righteous fury and an unquenchable thirst for blood and victory. "You are brittle bones already. Metal-clad walking corpses. Succumb to despair, foolish mortals, for I am your enemy now."

Higura, don't let me forget myself. It is the last gentle thought she has.

The Fury turns her blood to liquid fire. Her vision takes on a sheen of red. All around her, Rana sees the prey Nanaret so desires to subdue, and for once they are united in purpose -- if not sentiment. The wiry Lunar leaps into the midst of the remaining soldiers before they can manage to surround her, picking out the first few targets that dare to raise a weapon against her. The two ends of Sixth Coil blur in her hand, twin serpents propelled at the chin of the first, snapping his head upward; the ribs of another, threatening to pummel his armor plates deep into his chest. She reclaims both ends, forcing the staff together into a hard, compact rod, and rams the end of it snake-bite swift toward the throat of the third.

Pulling back, Ranavalona licks her lips and crouches slightly, her position never stationary, but ever-shifting. Forbiddingly dark, half-lidded eyes gauge the motions of the fools who would dare retaliate against her.

[Private to GM: Activating Relentless Lunar Fury with Wasp-Sting Blur and Might-Bolstering Blow. +2 stunt already included in rolls. +1 sux per roll from Fury. Also using a Conviction channel. +3 to all rolls, -1 WP.

11:05, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 5 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 9,1,7,2,5,3,3,6,1,9,10,2.
11:05, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 7 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,8,7,1,2,4,2,8,4,2,1,8,9.
11:05, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 8 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,3,8,5,7,5,4,5,9,10,7,1,8,9. ]

The strength of Jedevra's command remains, letting Kilani know that her mistress is not dead... yet. Too late to stop Irjin, the collared Sidereal's shaking hands raise her bow, stepping out from her cover to aim at Xurizu again. She looses two blunted shafts at the sorcerer, one diving straight for him while the other misses entirely, striking the ground next to the chariot.

[Private to Ledaal Xurizu: well, only one of the arrows count, a 5 sux arrow. However you have 25% cover from the chariot (or +1 DV) so you just need to spend a WP or stunt a +1. Since this is me (Gatekeeper) posting and not the actual player I will also take the time to say your last post was good! But I will give you the results of that in my next summary post (plus any stunt you get).]

[Private to Kilani Sorune: Have to post for you again, sorry. If I have to keep doing this I will end up retiring your character eventually. :( However you may be freed from the Collar fairly soon, Jedevra is taking a beating.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Tue 25 Aug 2009.

Is she just waiting until I start to Shape? Xurizu wonders as he notices the woman with the bow step out from cover again.  Not bad tactics, he was forced to admit.  It left him with the problem of the incoming arrows and a spell he was concentrating far too much on to really dodge.  He could twist a little though, still.  It was just a case of twisting at the right time.  So he watched, and he waited, and he shaped.

And then, at the right instant, he twisted.

And the arrow sailed on by.

Glass and Marble intersection (23, Immy, Nanaret, Jedevra, Burning Feather scales)

Immy and Jedevra

"Your view of things is simplistic, child," says Jedevra, her face still seething beneath her visor. "Just because you suffered, and believe yourself persecuted, you think you are INNOCENT of the wanton destruction which made your kind so feared and reviled?!"

Then the first of Immy's blows slides past her spear to penetrate her shield, burning and golden and terrible, so terrible she can see the deaths of her ancestors in that single stroke. Gritting her teeth, she summons the peak of her power and courage to deny her own death. Not like this -- not to a mere slip of an Anathema girl who thought she had the right to defeat her!

Gold and shadow clash with the column of flame that erupts from Jedevra's body, screaming like a blast furnace. Rising above even her artificial wings is a phoenix with wings outstretched, shaped in pure flame with sharp ruby eyes. The surge of Essence hardens her flesh, but Immy's golden blade scores another painful gash, and another, thrusting with surgical precision past her crossed spear and shield. And she bleeds, by the Dragons she bleeds and curses the day the Anathema of Coils went free! (5L, total 9L damage!)

"Not yet!" Jedevra growls, and instead of another feeble parry attempt she desperately pushes away from the sword stabbing toward her ribcage. A gout of hot air hits Immy full-on, and in the bare few seconds that look like a blur to the observers below, the Solar continues to strike at the fiery afterimage that remains in the gravely wounded Winglord's place. The Dragon-blood herself is already gone--propelled backard by her phoenix pinions until she is far for Immy to recapture easily.[Private to Immaculate Kestrel: I always rule that virtue channels add to the base die pool before splitting. I also rule the same for stunts (you got a +3 stunt, by the way). This means your attacks had a total of 24 dice each *winces*.

So, somewhere in my confused mess of rolls (so many corrections I can't remember 'em all!) I rolled some extra dice for you, both for stunt and for virtue. I only counted the first three because Jedevra has a hopping dodge. She uses a virtue channel + excellency on each. She uses her shield bracers for added DV. She uses 10m on Fortitude on the first attack, and a hopping dodge on the third attack (the first one she is able to dodge fully), dashing back 25 yards while you hit thin air and likely fall.

She spent a horrible amount of motes, and a virtue channel. End result is, she's at 9L damage (note: 2 ox-bodies) and ~25 yards away in midair. Eee, don't hate me for my rulings--I'd built Jeddy to last longer, but apparently not enough for iron whirlwind craft-blade woman! If you dash and jump you might still be able to catch her...]

Nanaret and Scale 1-2

The two Dragon-blooded lieutenants send their mortal soldiers before them, perhaps thinking to save themselves, perhaps strategically testing Ranavalona's skill. It makes little difference to Nanaret's throwback personality, who gleefully and viciously slams her staff into skulls and bodies with hardly a care of who falls before her.

One soldier is struck hard by a brutal swing to the temple, falling down onto his side in a daze. (5B) The second takes a blow to the chest and flinches, continuing his advance (3B), while the soldier next to him barely manages to deflect the doubled-up staff blow headed toward her larynx. Every time Rana's serpent staff connects with one of the soldiers, she feels a surge of replenished Essence, further fueling her furious attack! [Private to Saina Nanaret: Just for the record... +2 stunt! and 6 motes returned to you from Might-Bolstering charm.]

The lieutenants advance with their gunzosha now, hearing their Winglord agonized but breathing through the comm. If she can survive -- so must they! Coordinated by their next-in-command, the soldiers ignore their shaking limbs and surround the Lunar aggressor as one, stabbing at her from four different directions. [Private to Saina Nanaret: And now, -3 from coordination, -3 from your last flurry. Your DV starts at 2, and you have a 5 sux and 6 sux attack that make it in. (The other two miss outright)]

23 and Scale 1-1

Twenty Three faces Scale 1-1 directly in the middle of the intersection. The figure holding the Essence Twister is surrounded by four crimson-armored soldiers and their lieutenant, covering for their Scalelord knocked down by the nauseating blast. Two pairs of gunzosha flank Twenty Three at either side, attempting to skewer hir between them while the junior officer makes a grab for the artifact. [Private to Number Twenty Three: 4 attacks (6 sux, 5 sux, 3 sux, 1 sux) and a disarm (4 sux). These are all separate attacks vs your DV -1 (for your disarm attempt). You are completely surrounded, so you get a -2 to Dodge DV, and you must choose one of the attackers to be at your back (your DV is 0 against them).]

Moving toward Glass and Marble (Higura, Talia, Xurizu, Irjin+Freerunners, Rivanto+workers)

Irjin's spell awakens another glimpse of the redhead whom Xurizu despises yet cannot help but obey. She and the voice of the Tree, granting him forbidden knowledge which he consumed for her pleasure. Or was it for his? Perhaps he would never know.

Though Xurizu has forgotten so, so very much, he retains the language of sorcery, the Silurian symbols and syllables which make up the magic she so loved him to learn. He will not forget the Howling Word. Summoned by its utterance, the arctic winds gather for him, as much audible as palpable, eager to be unleashed. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: +2 for your spell memory, +1 for your last defense. Yay motes. I'm not sure I would literally say you can mimic spells, what you actually did was a stunt learn mechanics wise :) but IC it doesn't really make a difference!]

Meanwhile, the chariot (carrying Talia as well) and labor-machines continue to advance, the remaining rebels marching from behind. They know the end is coming, they shouted with all their might when Immy tore Jedevra apart, forcing her to retreat down Sunder Street licking her wounds! Two of the artillerists change target at the last moment, aiming at the burning woman: there is time yet. 40 yards. 30 yards. The two Freerunners still aiming at Twenty Three's assailants fire without hesitation at the two soldiers flanking hir from behind. [Private to Number Twenty Three: Unfortunately this won't occur till after your tick 19 action, unless you decide to hold.][Private to GM: 3 damage and 4 damage on two 1-1 soldiers, when tick 21 comes by.]

Five more soldiers from Scale 1-1 level their shock pikes as the assault group as they close into range. Two force blasts aim straight for Higura at the head of the line, singling him out as a rebel leader.[Private to Yaishin Higura: A 5 sux attack, then a 6 sux one. Not a flurry. You're at -2 DV since you're marching on foot.] Three more strike Arashi's battered chariot, ricocheting off within inches of the pilot and Xurizu. The heightened sense of danger once again threatens to distract Xurizu from his casting! [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: I rolled dice to see who they'd hit, and you came up twice :( I fudged things a bit mostly because it's awkward to make you post *another* defense. So instead I'll have you roll (Wits+Occult) diff 2. Basically just +1 diff per blast that ALMOST hit you. That way you can just immediately post your casting if you pass the 2 diff, otherwise spell fizzles.

Speaking of the Howl, valid targets would be Jedevra (who is isolated from the others, but killing her might be a good idea), Scale 1-1 (but 23 is among them), Scale 1-2 (but Nanaret is among them) and Scale 2-2 (who are charging Shock Rods).]

25 yards beyond Shock Matrix perimeter (Jedevra)

Over twenty yards outside the Shock Matrix perimeter on Marble Street, Jedevra glowers. She is drained of all but a modicum of power, dripping blood that immediately goes up in smoke as it touches her fading anima.

The Winglord shouts to her soldiers, "Do not... fail me... complete the charge... on my mark!!" With the last gasp of Essence she has, she garbs herself in a scalding aura that renews the resilience of her flesh, and summons from her bracer a large, visible energy barrier to shield her body. If her torch must sputter out--it would not be before the Shock Matrix releases!

Glass and Marble Intersection (Kilani)

Only Kilani, connected to her through the collar, has any idea just how hurt her mistress is. Jedevra, thinking first of her survival, was forced to free the Essence keeping Kilani bound in order to save herself. For the first time in years, Kilani is inexplicably free... and no one has noticed. What will she do with her newfound freedom?

Kilani is standing just outside the knot of Scale 1-1 soldiers attacking the stranger that stole the Essence Twister, while more soldiers flee the scene. 30 yards eastward is the rebel assault group led by a man with brown hair and a green coat. 25 yards to the west is Jedevra, bleeding and deeply wounded, yet making her last stand.

---

OOC: actions
tick 19 - 23 (after defense)
tick 21 - Immy, Freerunner launchers (fire at Scale 1-1)
tick 22 - Nanaret (after defense), Xurizu (cast spell), Irjin
tick 23 - Kilani, Freerunner launchers (fire at Jedevra)

Higura, Talia and assault group will reach melee range at tick 24.
Jedevra and all units act at tick 24; Shock Matrix fires at slightly reduced power?
Ghibari, Gulda+workers emerge from underground at tick 26.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:37, Tue 25 Aug 2009.

The shock pikes didn't even make Xurizu bat an eyelid, so wrapped up in the final moments of sorcery as he is.  And then the Howl is ready.  He gestures, and it's released.

Jedevra notices first the silence around her.  The silence before a storm.
Jedevra notices second the chill around her.  The chill of the northern wind.
Jedevra notices third the closeness in the air around her.  The closeness of Power.

And then the howl rips through the area around her, echoing off the buildings to either side, tearing through her as it goes back and forwards, ripping up a maelstrom around the small area of the street she has chosen to settle in.

Then there is silence once more.
[Private to GM:
 23:35, Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 7 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,3,8,10,4,2,10. Wits+Occult.
23:38, Today: Ledaal Xurizu rolled 6 successes using 11d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,10,1,2,4,4,5,7,7,9,1. Thunder Wolf's HOOWWWWWWWL! (+2 stunt).
So, 9B levels less her soak.

And yeah, it's mimicking in the learning the spell (and spending the xp) sense.  Glad you liked it though :)
]

Kilani felt the flows of essence into her neck stop, and the distinct shift as the spines of starmetal pulled free. Wincing, she flinched, nearly dropping her bow as the collar clicked to announce it's looseness. Her eyees shot wide as she realized she was free, then wider still as she felt the sensation of her essence, unrestrained.

And then she saw the sorcerer. Her Essence flowed naturally, as she ran towards Jedevra, shouting out. "It's a spell, look out!" As she ran, the collar's clasp came loose,and as she turned to block, standing before Jedevra, arms spread out in front of her, she glowed with an aura of compassion. Even a determined sorcerer would falter trying to strike her, in that moment. "Stop this!"

As she screamed out for this all to end, a billowing bright red glow burst upward from her, washing the area brightly, the Sign of Mars seared onto her brow. As she stood before Jedevra, the collar fell off, landing on the ground at her feet, in front of the commander.

[Private to GM: Motes Tracker!
13/13//13
00/26//35 -5 motes: Anima Activation, -5m committed Optimistic Security Practice
04/05//05
13m toward Anima so far
06/07 Willpower

10m Committed: War, Melee, Presence -1 Difficulty for Unit Rolls
06m Committed: Prior Warning, caste mark
05m Committed: Optimistic Security Practice: +3B/+3L/+3A Soak, and anytime someone with Essence less than my Compassion (5) tries to take an action that would harm me, the Action fails unless they spend 1 WP: I'd ARGUE that this includes an area effect spell tat would ht me -- and thunder wolf howl has a big area of effect, I can get into it before it goes off with reflexive movement from 20 yards from the epicenter.

My Anima Effect is now up, also, and Kilani considers everyone an ally right now, since she's  trying to put a stop to the fighting: All people take one less level of damage from incoming attacks within 30 yards of her.

After Jedevra is safe, she'll move on to trying to take command and stop the soldiers.

Gibhari
45/50 Motes
4/5 Willpower]
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Wed 26 Aug 2009.

Xurizu's spell strikes the area around Jedevra, unabated even by Kilani's last moment of self-sacrifice.

Her flame anima is instantly extinguished by the icy maelstrom. The terrible sound batters her ears, freezes and cracks the pavement around her, gouges the surrounding buildings and blasts right through her armor. Her shield does not avail her against wind and sound. The dwindling aura of power guarding her flesh only delays the inevitable.

Death reaches it's cold, smothering fingers for her.

But Kilani stands before her, glowing crimson. Why? Jedevra, facing her final moments, is stunned even more by this than the spell or her frozen wounds. She sees Kilani's collar fall and something twists in her heart. "What have you done, Kilani?! You're free, you foolish girl... are you soft AND stupid...!?" [Private to Kilani Sorune: OK, you either take 6B damage (if you're wearing armor) or 3B damage (if you're not). Weird! But Thunder Wolf's Howl bypasses all armor, and Opportunistic Security only works if you have no armor.]

The winds recede. A loud BANG! fills the air as a Freerunner fires his fuel bolt launcher, striking what remains of Jedevra's energy shield. It shatters in a burst of red-orange light and dissipates into thin air.

The Winglord flinches from the impact and falls. Even her pinions fail her now. The second artillerist on the chariot takes aim...

---

OOC: pausing for dramatic effect here in case Kilani will defend for Jeddy, Immy will run in (would arrive at tick 23) and do something, etc. mostly cause I don't want a NPC to finish off a major opponent if at all possible.

Just to have the explanation here as well - Jedevra had only 2 health levels left. But she used Aura of Invulnerability which gave her 3 more HLs. Xurizu's spell was 9B damage base. She has Stamina 4. So the spell would do JUST enough to knock her out... except that Kilani stood in the way and reduced her damage by 1 with her Battles anima.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:13, Thu 27 Aug 2009.

Ranavalona cannot see the spell or sacrifice. Her world is the soldiers surrounding her, their pikes thirsting to pierce her flesh. She lets out a peal of laughter, reddened eyes darting from visor to visor as if her gaze can pierce right through them.

The fury-possessed Lunar spins, her serpent staff whirling to either side of her, shoving two pike hafts aside as if their wielders were both crippled and blind. She blocks the remaining two in quick succession, trapping the pair of offending weapons on the moonsilver chain links between the sections, yanking hard to jar them from their path toward her chest as her legs slide apart. Her joints bend as if made of liquid, bringing herself low to the ground and the pike points over her head.

Bouncing back to her feet, Rana steps over the soldier she felled last, using him as a springboard toward the lieutenant coordinating the attack. She swings Sixth Coil in a wide arc, smashing one end of the staff against his visored face, then twists her body, propelling the other end hard against his armored chest.

The fighting may soon be unnecessary, but Ranavalona could care less. For her, the fight is now. That is all that matters.

[Private to GM: Before stunt. +4 Dex excellency to each.
00:20, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 10 successes using 13d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,7,10,8,5,7,3,7,5,2,7,9,9.
00:20, Today: Saina Nanaret rolled 6 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,1,10,4,1,3,1,10,4,8,1,7,3.]

Solars do not fall. Her last stroke is heavily over-balanced; after all, there was no more Jedevra under it, she was flying, flying away, "Come BACK here!" and so she lets the swing carry her on (she had to learn how to fly) swooping, swooping,

chink

And her sword caught the wall, cleaving brick and mortar like butter and milk. Immy shuddered to a vertical halt, but her feet were already moving before they ever touched the wall, the blade throwing sparks and pieces of crumbled warehouse behind her.

can't let you go can't let you

and she was sinking, sinking, arcing lower and lower but Jedevra was still above, rising, soaring, and now she was low enough to run her feet on the helmets of the soldiers below her, step bound step bound, a flood of twisting light worn by a girl without a face.

"What are you doing? The collar is off you. You don't have to defend her."

But she has no time for the idiot in red. Leaping easily past the blazing Sidereal, she makes her own, burning leap over the girl's head, blade coming down before her in an arc of golds and whites. "Hello, Lady Jedevra. It turns out I have the right after all, don't I?"

And the sword bursts into its own triumphant flame, twisting, alive in its attempt to burn into the Dragonblooded's throat. Above her, the corpse bride raises her own sword in undeniable triumph--this, my sorrow, I return.

snicker-snack.

[OOC: So, first action is to dashjump, and action on tick 23 is to attack. Buying 5 successes for 10 motes, whee.

You rolled 9 successes using 17d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7. 9 + 5 = 14.
Damage is 12L Piercing, as ever.

Total spent: 39 m, 5 wp. Personal 0/15 (15 committed, scenelongs), Peripheral 7/35 (5 committed), WP 4/9. Compassion Channels: 0/5, Conviction Channels: 2/4  Damage: 1B]
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Thu 27 Aug 2009.

25 yards beyond Shock Matrix perimeter (Kilani, Immy, Jedevra)

Jedevra's eyes still smolder with rage as Immaculate Kestrel comes to finish her off. But her body feels too heavy, the pain a terrible hindrance on her reflexes. She can hardly even raise her arms to parry. All she has left is her pride and her courage, screaming at her from within not to fold to this impertinent Anathema's will.

"Right...? You call this a RIGHT?" She spits blood and forces herself to move, jerking backward as Immy's glittering blade comes to finish her. The sudden movement avoids what would have been a neat beheading... but it isn't enough. The Winglord's eyes bulge as her neck is sliced open, and the Bride has her revenge.

The Essence of the Battle Maiden continues to emanate from Kilani. Everything red is made redder. Crimson blood on crimson jade, awash in crimson light. Jedevra stumbles to her knees, her vocal chords somehow spared enough for her to rasp, "Kilani... the Shock Matrix... don't... let them stop..."

She collapses at Kestrel's feet, dying slowly.

Glass and Marble intersection (everyone else!)

Jedevra's soldiers falter, caught between the reality of their leader's imminent demise, and the small but tenacious rebel force swiftly approaching the intersection. The group harrying Twenty Three fails to so much as touch the cloaked figure - it is as if he has simply disappeared into thin air, taking the Twister with him. The lieutenant facing Ranavalona manages to parry one staff blow, but the second slams brutally into his chest. He falls back, speechless with agony and a growing sense of dread.

Above, the Shock Matrix crackles, weakened but not dissipated. Scale 2-2 has already been demolished by Essence Twister and sorcery, Scale 1-1 partially routed, and 1-2 forced into close combat by Nanaret's alter-ego. Seven scales remain, but without a leader, much like a beast with its head chopped off. Lieutenants give clashing orders, and the entire body of soldiers is weighed down by indecision!

Higura, Xurizu, Talia and the Freerunners have the opportunity to break through, joined the scale of workers led by Rivanto and their refurbished warstriders. Only a few seconds behind, Ghibari and the larger body of workers with Gulda strive to break through the rock in time to meet them, and finish this once and for all.

---

OOC: The entire body of soldiers is effectively stunned. Higura may take his action to lead the assault group. Ghibari can also break through to the surface. You may post your next actions regardless of tick as we're pretty much approaching the end...

As for Jedevra, she is 2 HLs below Incap and permanently out of the battle. She will bleed to death if left unattended, or die with a coup de grace. I'm saying this only in case Kilani might try to keep her from dying.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Tue 15 Sept 2009.

Kilani flinched, and she glanced back as Jedevra let out a cry, her eyes widening in a moment of shock as she watched Kestral strike. The bow in her hand shook, then fell to the ground, abandoned.  Rushing to her, Kilani knelt, and glared up at Kestral. "We really are... monsters." she whispered, rushing to pull her healing supplies from the kit at her side, strapped across her chest.

While the stunned soldiers looked on at the result of the clash,  they were unprepared for the rumble, then the upward shattering of earth as Gibhari rammed through the surface at an angle, leaving a climbable pathway for those who had followed him as he landed  amidst the solders. "Kilani!" the Mole-God called out, drawing anxious stares, before Kilani lifted her head, her jaw set firmly as she stood. "Peace Forces! Think about your title and then decide whether you'll continue using that weapon or not! I order a retreat, right now! Someone has to stop this. I can't treat everyone, so think about whether you are prepared to die for this fight or not!"

She looked up to Kestral. "Call your soldiers off, and be gone! You've all done more than enough damage."

[Private to GM: Motes Tracker!
13/13//13
00/26//35
04/05//05
13m toward Anima so far
06/07 Willpower

10m Committed: War, Melee, Presence -1 Difficulty for Unit Rolls
06m Committed: Prior Warning, caste mark
05m Committed: Optimistic Security Practice: +3B/+3L/+3A Soak, and anytime someone with Essence less than my Compassion (5) tries to take an action that would harm me, the Action fails unless they spend 1 WP.

My Anima Effect is now up, also, and Kilani considers everyone an ally right now, since she's trying to put a stop to the fighting: All people take one less level of damage from incoming attacks within 30 yards of her.

Let me know what rolls and relevant stunt to use. She's trying to stop the Shock Matrix and stabilize Jedevra, but this is just a single action, and I think they love dying levels per minute? so she has time aplenty to get her Wound-Mending Needles to help the issue. Can you tell me how many levels of which kind of damage she's suffered? Mending the Bashing might be enough to get her out of Dying, and it's cheaper and easier.

Gibhari
45/50 Motes
4/5 Willpower]

"The right of the oppressed, of course, Jed-Jed. You couldn't possibly think that we'd all just lie down forever, would you? There's a sun up there, you see, and the Dragons have been keeping us holed down here for ages, and the Sun's so very impatient now it's sent little bits of itself down here to help, you see, the Sun and the Moon and the Stars and now it's the entire Sky that's come into ground, do you know? You've trapped the sky beneath the earth, but of course we'd go back in the end. It's only lo-gi-cal." Slap. Immy pauses, frowning, and hits the lolling head again, watching it flop lifelessly onto its other ear. Blood gurgles softly from the raw wound in her neck. "Aw. No reply for me, Lady Jed? But I was just beginning to enjoy myself. You don't even have the courtesy to be properly dead, either; no, you just have to go and faint on me, so I can't even just watch you die all properly."

She crouches, a tiny pink figure splashed with luminescent reds, and pokes apathetically at the Dragonblooded's limp form. "But you're already dead, aren't you, Lady Jedevra?I haven't killed you, oh no, but you are dead already. Your blood's dripping out like a little, little river, and no one's going to save you at all. Everyone who already died out there; at least they died with someone else, y'know? You, though; you're going to die alone, and I'll spit in your face when you're done." Slowly, she dips a finger in the pooling blood, and sketches a small symbol on Jedevra's brow. "In fact, I think I'll start now, too. How does that feel, Lady Jed? I've just consecrated you to the Sun, and I don't think He'll be happy with you when you see Him. Maybe then you'll learn what being hunted is like, wouldn't you? No Dragons to protect you, and nobody but every last Sun-child you've ever killed. Maybe they'll kill you again, and then you'll just be reborn, just like us. A thousand deaths in a hundred years, and you'll still be you when they're done."

The pattern continues, a twisting line of half-remembered shard-memories of holy writ and sacred text, sprawling across the fallen commander's face like a bloody mask. "And one day, I'll die to, and I'll be right up there with you. Hunting you. Across every last century I can find in this beautiful, beautiful world. I'll even pray for you, if you want; we'll have to keep up your strength, after all, or it wouldn't be fun for anyone involved, don't you think? You'll need to be able to run, like we always had to run, and maybe even fight a little, at the end; just enough  to remind people who you are, who you were, before a little Kestrel killed you in a sad hole in the ground. It's almost funny." She wasn't crying, was she? No, of course not. "Funny."

And then Kilani comes in, shouting and... and stuff, and that was what that was that was a healer's kit? But... but the girl wasn't collared anymore, she had to know, what... what was she doing? Healing her? Half-reflexively, she swats at whatever she had brought to hand, sweeping the beginnings of the treatment onto the floor. "You--the collar's off you, you have to feel it, it's like life and freedom and power all jumping into you how can you not know why are you trying to help her? She's one of them!" The sword is up again in a flash, balanced inches away from Jedevra's throat and neatly removing the head of the Dragonblooded commander. "Do--you... she still has some command over you? Is that it? She had more than the collar in you, was it? That's--that's why you're being compelled to help her--they, they broke your mind as well, they almost did that to me, that's why, isn't it? All the nights and the blood and the, the little whispering words, everywhere, all the time always. That. That's why. Right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:04, Thu 17 Sept 2009.

At the intersection, Higura continues to lead the soldiers in their march - the debacle with Jedevra having apparently caused a commotion big enough for him and the workers to take advantage of it. Higura can already sense the shift in his soldiers' attitudes, the jubilation and the elation that comes with their first glimpse of victory... And this is something that worries the Doctor. After all, this is how frenzy starts. Unchecked, this could change in an uncontrollable wave washing over the enemy soldiers, reducing them to blood and ashes in the morbid celebration of their win.

"The enemy panics." Higura announces to his troops, to some cheers and applause. As their leader, however, his expression remains calm and focused. "Thus, we must remain doubly calm, workers and children of the Earth District." The doctor speaks, turning behind himself momentarily. "That is why we must remain doubly more in control. Remember what we have said before - you are soldiers, not butchers. We shall use these skills to break the enemy's advantage and take a bargaining position with them, but we are not there to summarily execute them. Show you have the high moral ground!" With the words, the Doctor looks ahead, at the frantic and confused enemy line. Now is the time.

Pointing his sword ahead, Higura continues his mental count, seconds ticking away until the mole god emerges and shatters the ground, initiating the pincer attack. Perfectly on cue, the sound of the ground splitting comes to his ears, and the Doctor fulfills his part of the plan, dropping his sword downwards in a powerful sweep. "Now!" He shouts, before running ahead to lead the charge himself.

Leading the assault, Higura makes certain it accomplishes the goal it is supposed to. Uncertain and panicked without their leader, the enemy forces are this close to breaking. This attack will finish the task, robbing them of their will to fight once and for all. The run towards the enemy line is accompanied by the loud shouts and screams of the workers, their pent-up feelings and the accumulated adrenaline finding release in this one hallowed moment. Fearless, undaunted, they run straight for the enemy without pause nor hesitation, a veritable manifestation of their will to be free - an incarnation of their own liberation.

With a thunderous clash, steel meets steel as weapon blows are exchanged and the two lines collide, powered and bolstered by the appearance of Ghibari leading the second detachment of workers from behind the line. Pushing through the Peace Force line on his first charge, Higura quickly looks around while defending against blows, looking for a suitable place for him to stand. Settling for a pile of debris that will allow him to project his voice above the din, the Doctor quickly sidesteps and dodges, scampering up the small uneven mound to make his announcement.

"Peace Forces assigned to this Operation." He calls out above the din, as the workers work to maneuver themselves in a complete pincer position according to the plan. "I am Doctor Yaishin Higura, and I speak for the children of the Earth District, workers and citizens who have been birthed from its dusty womb. This is their home, their birthright - and they will defend it with their lives if they must. You were assigned to this Operation, but you do not have to die here. Like these workers, you have homes waiting for you... Elsewhere."

"These men and woman are standing for their very right to live for themselves. If you truly would deny that right to your fellow citizens, then step ahead - but be warned that these people will not give up their rights so easily."

"I ask you to stand down and leave these premises, and you shall not be harmed. I know your leader spoke these words and I know you understand that it meant something completely different. But these people have no need for your blood and extermination. Like the bird will risk its life against much bigger predators, they are only concerned with protecting their nests and defending themselves, not to kill their assailant. All who give up the fight will be spared. The Chain of control and hatred ends here."

Higura lifts his chin then, trying to ascertain that the charge remains in control. "Leave this place. Return to your homes, and remember what you have learned here. You should only fight for what is dear to you, never because of orders who come from above. Weigh in what matters, and know that it could be taken from you one day like it was threatened to be taken from this people. These people might have done something that earned them the ire of the powerful few - but remember this: they are your brethren, not your enemy."

The lieutenant that looks upon the Bitch Queen with dread is already marked for death. Whether he dares to lift his spear to her or not, she is upon him with a howl of delirious triumph. She is a Lunar predator, the Usurpers' conqueror! The dragon-spawn and the mortals in their sway would fall at her feet and worship her, or die by her hand!

In her mind's eye, her jungle kingdom burns dry. Towers of gold, silver and gemstone crumble to the ground, coated with the blood of her children. Her warhost below lies cut like wheat against a reaper's scythe, scattered to the winds.

No more!

And Rana swings her serpent staff like a segmented club to crush the lieutenant's helmet, pulping the insides like a overripe fruit. Without missing a step, she falls upon the next armored fighter who dares wield the Essence of the Dragons against her. Where she strikes, her staff finds its way into the most brutal impact points, striking the neck and joints where armor lacks padding, shattering ill-prepared visors and collapsing breastplates right into the bone!

But what is this? She feels hesitation ripple through the gathered soldiers, affected by the demise of their leader, the confusion among their ranks and the rebel forces surging to the perimeter. Her attention is caught by Kilani as she speaks to the soldiers, glowing blood-crimson. Are they losing their will to fight already? Would they dare run from me?

Ranavalona snarls, whirling about, bits of gore and bone sliding off Sixth Coil's steel and silvered surface. Must she always be content to hunt those who do not fight back?!

Then... she hears a voice, penetrating the haze of fury that fills her. A familiar voice, a soothing voice. She remembers a man who once defeated her and calmly showed her mercy, though she spat and swore at him for doing so. And every time after, when he gazed at her with kindness, sought to temper her rage and school her in how to wield it! You are not worth this. Senseless killing is beneath you, proud Queen. As is a senseless death.

Nanaret remembers, and drops to her haunches to watch the soldiers warily, listening to him speak...

The soldiers of Burning Feather also listen. They hear Kilani's pleas, and the Shock Matrix continues to waver. One by one the crackling streamers arcing toward the ceiling begin to deactivate.

Not all of them stop, and not all for the same reason. Officers argue with their soldiers not to listen to the words of a free Celestial. Others insist to abandon the Matrix to save their Winglord, or themselves. Let the Industrial Sector become a no man's land, they should protect their own!

But it is too late for Jedevra. Her neck slices cleanly under Immy's blade, the blood-consecrated head rolling aside, as useless as an ornamental gourd.

Higura's charge follows immediately afterward. The workers under Gulda and Rivanto, the Freerunners under Irjin accompanying Xurizu and Talia, smash through the weak-willed soldiers at the perimeter. They hardly put up a fight, struggling simply to survive, to regain their bearings as their well-laid plan falls into shambles. Though the rebels are encouraged to break, but not execute, not all of them are so disciplined; soldiers still die, and some workers as well, trampled underfoot by those that follow. No Freerunner emerges unscathed from the chaos at the intersection.

By the time Higura clambers up the debris to beseech the soldiers to leave, the Shock Matrix - their latest innovation of war - has already fizzled to a minimum. There simply aren't enough remaining to uphold the shock charge. Soon enough, there are none. The Burning Feather soldiers attempt a tactical retreat that becomes a stampede as cold reality sets in: their leader has fallen, and they stand against no less than four uncollared Celestials, and probably more.

A smaller subset of soldiers do not run, though they do not fight, either. They remember Kilani, and worry for her safety, Anathema curse be damned. But only a few dare step forward while the pink-haired terror stands with her, drenched in Jedevra's blood. They have seen what Immy's blades can do against their best.

Kilani and Kestrel are left facing one another with the dead Winglord's body cooling between them.

---

OOC: The battle is more or less over so we're out of tick count and can post more naturally. XP coming shortly!

Also, Jedevra's equipment, in case you are interested, includes a Pectoral of Resplendent Speeches, a set of Transcendent Phoenix Pinions, her custom Dragon Armor and a custom weapon, the Blaze Lance (also has a daiklave attachment, that attaches from the base of the lance to form a double-sided weapon). Her armor has all three Hearthstone slots filled.

Later, will post other spoils of war and the # of soldiers that remain loyal to Kilani.

As the Winglord falls and the Shock Matrix fizzles out, Xurizu allows himself to relax a little.  He doesn't relax himself completely, trying to keep an eye on both Kilani and Kestrel, as well as on the retreating soldiers. This rout would be trouble, that's for sure.  Whether it would be more trouble for them or the masters of Five Coils remained to be seen...

Xurizu advances with the workers, hanging back a little from the front, until they reach level with the line of soldiers.   He breaks off, to go over to one of the sprawled members of Burning Feather, picking up his modified Shock Pike to examine the mechanisms more closely.

Kilani stared. Her eyes were wide, features pale as she  could do nothing but watch Jedevra's attacker. That small girl  was far too strong, the pink hair and cute face hiding such wild brutality.

Tears, on the girl's face, as she spoke.  Kilani was overwhelmed, eyes lowering to her hands, having dropped  even her medical gear when smacked away by the girl. They were shaking, shaking far too much to shoot or treat anyone, as she saw Jedevra's head roll, and the body fell between them.  Kilani took a weak step back, glaring at Kestral. "Y... You don't understand... you couldn't possibly understand... You're a monster..." she whispered, eyes wide, staring at her. "W... we all are..."

This time, Kilani was the one with tears, welling in her eyes and streaking her face quickly. She was trembling still, wiping her face on her sleeve. "S-Stay away..."

And she's crying she's crying why was she crying but she knew what to do in times like this; so she side-steps (neatly, gently; she likes her boots, after all, and she didn't want to get them bloody, not now, there was so much blood all over already she didn't want something else on the laundry list, especially apparently since the whole Level was out of damn soap) the  no-longer-a-Dragon on the floor (and a bit of her mind goes oooh, shinies!, but the rest of her push it down first) and grabs hold of the shining Celestial, pulling her backwards into a tight, bone-crushing hug.

"Shhhhh. Silly. Shhhh." And Irjin had told her about cases like that, right? Collared who'd been collared for so long they kinda forget about who they are, and become so used to following instructions that they feel kinda lost and frightened when all that control's taken away. She didn't quite understand why anybody could be like that, because how could anyone get used to wearing a collar she didn't know, but 23 had said that that was because she had been kinda grown up before her collar got on and because she'd escaped before too long had passed, and because she'd been just waiting for her revenge all the way down the line; and because she was a little bit cracked, a little, and she knew this was almost true. But it wasn't something she wanted to be, it was something that just happened, and she was kinda happy that no one really minded at all.

"Shhhh." And she begins to hum something, an old, nostalgic tune, whispering of soothing winds and sleeping rivers, her arms still holding the crying girl tight around her middle. (Bits of her, of course, whispered that she had to hold her, and to hold on tight--with what she'd said just now, she probably wanted to run back to the soldiers, and that'd just get her captured again and collared and she couldn't possibly let that happen, right? Not after all this had to happen to set her free, and then she'd never ever ever realize there was anything besides the kennel in her mind.) "It's ok. It's ok. Even the Shock Matrix is down now, right? The Peace Force surrendered, so nobody else has to die now, right?" And, overhead, the bright, lightning web had crackled to a stop. "We won."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:27, Sat 19 Sept 2009.

Nanaret gradually returns to her senses. Her quickened heart begins to slow as the fury releases her, and the Bitch Queen recedes to lurk in the shadows of thought, her wrath tuned down to mutters and hisses.

The Changing Moon tries to regain her bearings, seeing several soldiers fallen around her. Their gunzosha armor is crushed or caved in at strategic points, their bones broken into odd angles, skin purpled and sinew pulped by brutal impact wounds. Fortunately, Nanaret is not weak of stomach, but she does not relish in killing quite as extremely as Ranavalona would, nor is she so driven by pride or revenge. She looks upon the soldiers, remembering only vague impressions of their deaths, and thinks: She is my monster; I bring her back to the world.

Now, Queen, you are sated. Be still and sleep. Battle is done, everyone safe. Higura is safe. Her chest stops feeling so tight, her taut muscles relax into restfulness. She wipes Sixth Coil clean of gore and blood, then folds it into a compact shape and goes to join the others.

Nanaret's steps are unhurried while the remaining soldiers flee and the rebels start to regroup. Approaching Higura, she notices Xurizu examining the Shock Rods, and nods. He would be more knowledgeable in such things than she. Then she sees the scene down the street - Jedevra's fallen, beheaded body, and the two girls. Pink-hair... and collared one? But not collared any more.

She gazes up to Higura, directing his attention toward Kilani and Immy. Then she continues on, across the street toward them. "You are all right?" she asks, rather uselessly, then looks at Jedevra's corpse. "Is better like this... even should the Dragons show you kindness, they still wish you in a cage. Sometimes fight is all that people listen."

Xurizu takes a closer look at the Shock Rods. Unlike the usual factory made Shock Pikes, which are made primarily of ironwood with green jade nodes, these are made completely of metal alloy similar to the ashigaru and gunzosha armors the Peace Force soldiers wear. The spear head is less of a spear than a spiraling cylindrical shape ending in a point, something like a unicorn's horn, and made of blue jade with orichalcum tracery.

The point is still much more blunt than a normal spear, making it not much better than a staff in combat, but as Xurizu has seen, the power of the Shock Rod is not in close combat. It is capable of ejecting a long range lightning blast, rather than a simple force blow like the original, and is also equipped with a network interface module which allows it to sync with other Shock Rods to create more powerful effects. As it is made for use by mortals it also has an internal battery, activated via a switch, which will drain from the stored power rather than the wielder's Essence if necessary. However since the Shock Rod requires much more energy, the integrated battery makes the entirety heavier than one might expect simply by looking at it.

This is as much as Xurizu can tell of the Shock Rod without having the time and proper equipment to take it apart. It is enough that he could wield one himself if he wished - despite the jade and orichalcum involved it is possible to be used without attunement, though with attunement reduces the cost of Shock Blasts and Shock Matrix powers.

Most of the fallen Burning Feather soldiers are found with a Shock Rod - as well as one spare cylinder in case of burnouts. Their armor is First Age quality Gunzosha armor.

---

OOC: Stats for any piece of equipment given by request, or if you decide to keep it! I forgot to mention that Jedevra's armor has integrated Shield Bracers (as per Sentinel Defense Force armor); these can be detached, if you just want the Bracers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:11, Sat 19 Sept 2009.

Meanwhile, the laborers-turned-rebels raise a great cheer in the wake of their victory, thrusting their fists or weapons toward the ceiling. Some go so far as to shout epithets at the retreating soldiers, throwing rocks or bricks or whatever they can snatch as the mighty Burning Feather scatters away.

Irjin and the Freerunners' reactions are not quite so extreme, though they join in the shouting, patting each other's back in congratulations and relief at one another's safety. Not everyone made it through, and there's just as much mourning as there is jubilation. Even more so, the Freerunners and especially their leader are quite aware that this is only one victory out of many that will be needed to achieve freedom from the oppressive Council.

While Nanaret moves away, Irjin stops next to Higura (and within earshot of Xurizu). "This is a great victory for the Industrial Sector, but it may not last if we let ourselves get too lax with victory, or too zealous. For now we should try to clean up and, hopefully, secure this area. I assume you and your companions are still interested in meeting with Free?"

Talia joins Arashi, Klaxon and others in starting to pick out the injured from the dead. Hopefully they can either stabilize them immediately, or drive them to an infirmary where they can get more specific care.

At the same time, a group of workers led by Gulda notices the remaining soldiers gathering around Kilani (and Immy, still holding onto her). They march forward, most still armed with makeshift weapons, until the embracing girls are surrounded by a half-circle of Peace Force soldiers on one side, and a half-circle of armed workers on the other. Nanaret is caught between the two groups as well.

Far too shocked by Jedevra's horribly messy death, there was little that Kilani was able to do anything about Kestral coming around behind her. As she was grabbed by the arms, then pulled into her embrace, her Satchel of Medicine fell from her grasp to join the bow at her feet. Pulled back so tightly, a whimper escaped the frail girls' lips as her back was pulled against Kestral's form, her lithe frame tensing and struggling to escape. But there was no way -- she was weak and too shaken to think out her struggles, and as the sense of being captured joined with her shock and fear the welling tears in her eyes broke into streams.

Kilani seemed in a dazed panic, struggling to break free, her tears making everything a blur as she struggled uselessly. But she was already tired from the battle, and broken from failure.  With a helpless cry she went limp in Kestral's grasp, head falling back against the taller girls' chest, eyes clinching shut. The trembling in her body, and her whimpers  stilled as she shut out , left with Kestral's calming hum. Even the tears began to slow after a few minutes and her red eyes slipped slightly open again, turned up, looking slightly behind her to Kestral, full of confused anxiety, as if she expected to be killed at any moment - or perhaps was wondering why she was alive.

-----

Slowly, Gibhari, covered in dirt and with the effort of boring through the earth approached the circle, brushing aside several stunned Peace Force soldiers as he moved toward Nanaret, speaking firmly as he watched Kilani giving up. He kept his vice somewhat low, though. "Will she be safe...? Is she hurt?"

Nanaret frowns at Ghibari's question, not because she is displeased he asked it, but because she is wondering the same thing herself.

She keeps her serpent staff folded in a non-threatening position, looking at the two groups encircling her, Kilani and Immy. "We done fighting now, yes? Maybe better all us put weapons away." And to make an example of herself, she slips her folded staff into its backtube, her hands empty now. "Now all you do same." Her eyes flash from dark to a startling yellow as she glares around at the soldiers and workers.

Then she answers Ghibari directly, "I can speak for people I know. Higura, and Talia and Xurizu. Irjin and Freerunners. I know they mean no harm. Freerunners have saved many Uncollared. I too would protect her. And Immy not want harm to her either, see?"

(OOC: as for equip I will probably take a Gunzosha armor, not sure what else. No one wants the phoenix pinions or the pectoral?)

Crunch crunch crunch crunch

"Don't come any closer, please. I just said nobody else was going to die, and I prefer it when I don't have to lie to people." She smiled, and her blade hissed softly, Jedevra's blood boiling away from its golden light. "I could, I suppose, knock you all unconscious, but then she'd get all upset and jealous and wonder why I don't love her anymore, and then I'd have odd dreams of my sword fighting over me with a club. Which would be very weird." Pause. "Although it'd be kinda interesting, too, because I never quite had anyone fight over me before, and Jewel always used to say that a girl should experience it at least once in her life."

"But where was I? Oh. So if all you Peace Force people would just kneel down and drop all your weapons, I'll be very, very thankful, okay? And so will you, too, later, because you'd be still alive, and I wouldn't have had to kill anyone, too, because otherwise Irjin will have to yell at me about doing overkill and broken equipment and how prisoners could be a valuable asset and stuff. I'm certain he won't mind if one or two of you won't missing, though, right? Because I bet most of you know what each other know, so there's going to be a lot of repetition around, and one or two lost copies isn't going to hurt anyone. Except probably the copy, but that's just too bad, then." She beamed. "It's better than losing people from our side, after all, and the longer you hold on to those things the more I become convinced you still want to fight me, you know? Or at least the other half of the circle, and I like them. But I didn't really like you to begin with, and since then you've been shooting me and massacring people at things."

And then... the.... girl on the roof? Um. Other Celestial. Name. Nana-thingy came over, and, ooh, she looks like she'd been busy, too. Celestials tended to be busy people, didn't they? "Um. Although I think our side can not drop theirs until they drop theirs first, right? Because it'd be kinda silly, otherwise, if we win the whole battle just to get killed now."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:51, Tue 22 Sept 2009.

Nanaret sighs, glancing at Immy with those strange yellow eyes. "These few soldier remain here though they know they beaten by us, their leader dead at their feet and their allies run off. Truly only fools should wish to fight more now."

"Besides... I can fight just as well with no weapon at all." She flexes her fingers and the finger-joints crack audibly in quick succession. Then she shrugs (with another pair or loud pops from her shoulders as she rolls them up and back). "But maybe you are right. Peace Force first. Hurry up now."

After a moment the dark-skinned Lunar adds a belated, "And my name... Nanaret. Also Free Celestial who wish to stay free." She thumps her fist on her breastplate over the heart. She thought she'd given it before, but gives it again anyway at least for Kilani's sake.

Gulda Marin appears to be in agreement with Immy. "That's right. We're not disarming until we know you red-armors are surrendering," the workers' de facto leader says boldly. The redhead with the blue bandanna still hefts a fuel bolt launcher that would tear through even a heavily armored man at point blank. Beside her stands Rivanto, and surrounding them in a phalanx are at least twenty others whose names Immy has yet to hear, wielding their hammers and pick-axes, heavy chains and pipes.

The spokesperson on the other side is a surprisingly young man with short cropped dark hair. With his visor up he looks a touch more human, but few can forget that he and the other soldiers arrayed with him had once held those Shock Rods and fired. Whether truly willing or not, whether believing in their lack of choice, they still allowed that travesty to happen, and the sin of the innocent dead is upon them.

This young man doesn't appear to have any fighting spirit left in him. His shoulders sag as he explains for all the soldiers. "We didn't run, for Kilani's sake," he says, and at that moment Kilani recognizes the man. He is Solemn Edge of 2nd Talon 1st Scale 5th Fang. Next to him is Mist Opal, of 2nd Scale 4th Fang, and close by Aron Delsus who asked about Kilani's sister. She knows these people. Many of them are soldiers that showed her kindness before, or have at one point or another earned Jedevra's wrath.

Solemn Edge continues, "We had to make sure Kilani would not become a scapegoat for following Jedevra. She's a gentle girl. Maybe too much so. If she'll not come to harm, then so be it." Only then does he kneel down and rest his modified shock pike on the ground. The others who still hold weapons do the same, though not all of them without hesitation. "I am prepared to be a scapegoat in her place."

"She will not." Comes Higura's answer. The doctor steps in proximity of the talk, after having ascertained the health of some of the wounded along the way, and organizing his 'troops' so as to leave them in complete control of the perimeter. He makes certain to brush Nanaret's arm as he comes closer - a gesture that perhaps holds meaning only to her - before stepping closer to the spokesperson shaking his head softly.

"I will ensure that she does not. I too, spent my time serving those who many would refer to as 'the enemy'. And I too realizes that 'the enemy' is only an appellation that makes it easier for he who wields a weapon when it is time to take a life. No side is faceless, however. That I can ascertain. This girl will suffer no ill will - I will see to it personally."

Higura looks at the surrendering troops, and nods quietly. "You are courageous to remain here, even when your comrades flee in terror. This speaks volumes of your desire to help this girl - Kilani, you call her. This shall not be forgotten." Higura nods, and, in a perhaps shocking gesture, extends a hand to the man to get him back to his feet - a clear sign of peace.

"There will be no more scapegoats. No more blood. Enough was shed already. Those who had a price to pay already paid their dues - no other payment will make sense. There has been enough chaos and desolation here. Take your comrades and your subordinates, and return to your home."

"Leave this place. I promised earlier that those who surrendered the fight and left would not be harmed - this was not a lie. But before you go, I would ask one more thing out of you. One more thing out of all who saw what occurred here today." Higura looks at Solemn Edge, then extends his glance to the others around him. "Remember."

"Soon enough, news of what occurred here will spread. Jedevra's death will be made public, and as I am certain you are well aware, facts will become distorted by the propaganda machine. So I want you to take a good look around you." The doctor gestures around him, at men and woman, dirty and bloodied, fearfully trying to cling to the liberty that was so hard won. At the homes and streets ravaged by battle and war. At the faces gathered around, human faces, ordinary men and women who would never a picked a weapon in their lives if they didn't feel they have been backed into a wall.

"I want you to take a good look and to keep that memory close to your heart. I want you to remember this when words spread that bloodthirsty, unruly citizens led by heartless demons rose arms against the peace forces. I want you to remember this when every attempt is made to demonize these people, to demonize myself and my brethren, and I want you to recall what you have seen and felt here. I want you to remember these faces, and I want you to realize that some day, they might be your faces, and that of your families, when your words or your beliefs have earned the ire of those who pull the strings."

Higura nods one last time, and take one step back. "Now, you can leave. Return to where you came from. And remember what you have seen today."

"Always."

Gulda looks shocked, downright scandalized at Higura's words. She interjects almost immediately, hardly allowing him to finish his speech before waving her arms in protest. "W-what?! We're letting them go? You must be joking, sir - I have no idea who you are, but we've captured these men. They've done us wrong, and they need to answer for it!"

Solemn Edge, meanwhile, hesitates between Higura's benevolence and Gulda's ill-controlled rage and the glimmering golden blade Immy still clutches, though cleaned now of Jedevra's blood. Finally, he rises slowly, keeping his hands palm up, showing them to be empty. "I think you misunderstand us as well," he says, taking a deep breath to settle himself. Clearly his nerves are jumpy from this uncomfortable situation, from the clashing opinions and ideologies, and what fate the choices he and his comrades have made will bring. "Your words are well spoken, but we do not wish to go back. We have nowhere to go back to."

The other gathered soldiers, no more than twenty or so, nod in agreement and glance at one another nervously.

"What you want for us," and Solemn Edge gazes into Higura's eyes, "is to return to living a lie, where we cowardly cover up our eyes to the sins we commit and continue to convince ourselves it is good and right."

The woman next to him with pale blue hair shrugs helplessly. "It'd be safer for us to return, we're not expecting charity here. We'll be prisoners as best." She doesn't state what she thinks the worst is, but her face looks grim. "But that's how it is. We're done with being the fearsome weapons of the council. So punish us. Or kill us. Whatever you wish."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:59, Wed 23 Sept 2009.

Higura's expressions shifts slightly as the man speaks, but he does not protest. He closes his eyes, nodding silently, until the interjections are over.

"Miss Gulda. Let me put it this way - will you capture every weapon these men and women left behind and punish them for their masters' deeds? This is the reality you are facing, here. Someone, above us all, is using all of us as pawns in their great schemes. These men and woman did not choose their cause - they were weapons, just like the swords or spears we use."

He turns back towards Solemn Edge, regarding him and his people carefully before turning back towards Gulda. "You hated the control the Head of the Coils exerted over you, did you not? You hated your powerlessness, and you have hated it for years, I suspect. And yet, you did not act for a long while still. Something happened that made you want to take arms, to change your lot, to break free of your chains and say 'no more'. Well, it is the same with these people, here."

"If you truly have nothing but hate and contempt for your fellow prisoners in your heart, then go ahead, let yourself be consumed by it. But realize that somewhere down the line, this makes you one step closer to the oppressive forces you combat."

"Look at then, Miss Gulda. Look at them carefully. They are neither monsters nor demons. They are men and woman, just like you. And they are men and woman that would rather stay here and help you in your fight than return to their comforts and their lies. They cannot forget what occurred here."

"They are men and women trying to break free, just like you are."

Kilani finally brought up an arm, and wiped the crimson sleeve of her  robe across her face, blinking her eyes wide. They first latched onto her Familiar, then looked to the soldiers who had gathered. Shifting in Immy's grasp, Kilani firmly made it clear she wanted to stand on her own, taking a weak step away from  Kestral.  "N... No...." she spoke softly, looking to Solemn Edge.  "I won't see any more hurt...." she spoke softly, looking out to everyone, the small girl reaching up to wipe her eyes, where tears still flowed. "I... I am... alright..." she reassured them, then looked down, hand brushing against her neck.  It really was... gone now.

Kilani turned her eyes to Higura, then back to Solemn Edge briefly. "They... want to stay with me..?" she asked, biting her lip anxiously. "I... I don't... know where I will go or what I will do now... " She looked down. "But.. but I don't want to see anyone else hurt..." she murmured, shaking a little. "I... Is there anyone who is in need of care... I... I could  make some of this right that way..." she offered softly.

Her feet beneath her swayed, leaving her unsteady and clearly overwhelmed by everything that had happened. Looking to Kestral, then, and turning half-around, she looked up at her, her expression hard-to-read. "S-So...  will everyone... please stop hurting people now? Let's... make everyone well now.  The fighting is over..."

[Private to Immaculate Kestrel: Kestral might be able to tell that Kilani is too exhausted to be working on treating anyone, and she's also overwhelmed being surrounded by people and such. She needs fresh air and rest, and  doesn't look like she's going to get it for herself.]

Tch.

...sigh. Silly, silly, silly people. Peace Forcers didn't become Freerunners that easily, did they? Nor did anyone else, really; Irjin and his side always made sure people were who they said they were, and joiners-up tended to stay joined or very, very dead. She knew. She helped. Although Irjin still wouldn't let her watch during some of the louder performances, which was so very unfair, because sometimes they were people she found out, too, but then she'd be chased out of the room because she was, what, too young when she'd probably seen more than half of them combined.

(Irjin chased her out of the softer ones, too, but she didn't mind those quite so very muchly. They never seemed to do much of anything but cry.)

But oh well. They'd dropped their weapons, and they were on their knees, and then the other Freerunners would take care of it when they got back to base. One of the base. Bases. So one problem solved, or almost-solved, anyway, unless they were all hiding extra weapons somewhere and stuff. The other problem...

"Ok! We'll start with you, then!"

Humming softly, she grabbed hold of the younger girl's hand, and pulled her off in search of Irjin. "...and you obviously need some rest, you're, what, you look like you're almost out, just how much Essence have you been using, really? Anymore and you'd collapse on your feet. You can't treat anyone if you're falling over--um, well, ok, I suppose you could, but then it wouldn't be very much a good treatment and all, because you'd be too tired to do anything right and end up sewing fingers on toes and that kind of nonsense. It'd be like trying to..."

Gulda looks at Higura, a scowl simmering on her face. "Maybe they really do feel sorry. But I'm not so much of a fool just to let them off so easy they can walk around free." She glares at Solemn Edge and the others. "If they want my respect then they gotta earn it. And I for one wouldn't be kind about it, after we laborers worked our fingers to the bone to arm them, only to have those weapons turned on us!" There are general murmurs and nods of assent among the workers.

Until recently, Irjin has been coordinating the gathering the wounded and separating the bodies (even the dead soldiers' corpses are treated with respect, under his watchful eye; the last thing anyone would wish is for them to return in undeath.) Weapons and armor have been stripped from the bodies of the Burning Feather soldiers, and placed into a pile.

It turns out Irjin is already walking Immy and Kilani's way. He stops next to them, but address the others first. "I applaud your sentiments, Doctor Higura. And Gulda, I understand your anger more than anything. However, though I don't imagine we will torture them, we will have to err on the side of caution. These soldiers must be restrained, and questioned. The Boss himself will want to see them. Gulda Marin, you and yours have earned much more than that, should you choose to join us officially." From the sudden spike of excitement among the laborers, it seems that they're all but thrilled by this prospect.

As ordered, some of the stronger bodied Freerunners come toward the subdued soldiers with long lengths of ropes and chains: Lucky Break, Crank, Basso, and Heldra, binding them one by one while Jambiya and Rampuri snatch their weapons away and put them in the pile.

Irjin smooths down his lapel, crimson stained as it is. It is strange to see a beastman so well-dressed, but spattered with blood. "I should add that the Freerunners' agenda is not to rule outright. Our first purpose is to liberate the Earth District. As we speak, a group of free Celestials breaches the base of the Inner Temple, while our best diplomat gathers allies in the City. We will soon rally together under the banner of Free, citizens and Celestials, and join their fight at the central column."

"For now, rest while you can, and prepare." Finally, Irjin looks to Immy and the exhausted, formerly collared Kilani. He addresses them personally, his wolfish face weary with a touch of sadness. "We have another safehouse set aside. You'll have time to recuperate before the Boss arrives and we can plan our offensive into the column."

---

OOC: Well, my next post will likely close this thread. The next part for your group will possibly be more of an 'intermission' until Perian's thread completes (hopefully soon!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:41, Thu 24 Sept 2009.

Xurizu moves over to Jedevra once Kestrel and Kilani move away from her.  He kneels in the blood and dust that were the remains of his and Kestrel's attacks on her.  His brow furrows as he studies the remains.  Between them, they'd certainly made a mess of her.  He starts to study the armour she is wearing, and the hearthstones embedded in it.  As he works, he listens to the sounds of the miners and the ... now ex? peaceforce, and the others.

If you're going to kill them, you have to kill me.  There's more blood on my hands than most of the Peaceforce here together.  Yet you accept me because I am not mortal any more?

Xurizu is unperturbed by the sight of Jedevra's dead, torn up body. His systematic analysis of the Hearthstones embedded in her armor might have been more noticeably creepy, if Immy hadn't already surpassed the comfort levels of most in the vicinity. This ought to be suitable for the King Cobra, though, who is used to working in solitude.

In the end he is able to identify two out of three. The first is a major Fire Aspected hearthstone, a Candent Carbuncle, which makes any weapon the hearthstone bearer wields burst into flame and cause significantly more damage, as well as increases defenses versus fire damage. The second is an Air Aspected stone, a Gemstone of Surface Thoughts, which functions much as its name, whispering the surface thoughts of any target within a certain distance to the bearer's ear. [Private to Ledaal Xurizu: It requires a (Perception+Awareness) roll, though.]

As for the final stone, all Xurizu is certain of is that it is an Earth aspected stone, but its actual function eludes him. One can only hope the group will find the Manse it belongs to somewhere in this District. In any case, knowing the function alone does not convey use of the Stone, one must attune to the Manse it generated from.

In a couple hours time the former riot zone has been more or less reorganized, firmly in the hands of the worker class. It is uncertain yet how long their impromptu hierarchy will last, once the euphoria of triumphing over the Peace Force has faded. But for now Gulda Marin is considered a leader among the laborer class, and the Freerunners and Celestials their stalwart allies.

The dead Burning Feather soldiers (along with their leader, now stripped of all her equipment by Xurizu) have been placed in a mass pile next to one of the largest air vents in the Sector. Here their bodies would be torched and their spirits sent upward, the updraft of smoke and ash serving as yet another warning to the higher districts: the laborers of Earth are no longer tamed and well in hand. They will fight, and they can win.

It is arranged for the deceased citizens to be brought back to their families, for individual ceremonies, or if they wish it, a larger ceremony held a bit later in the day. In the meantime, the last of the wounded and equipment are brought by chariot, hand-drawn cart, or carried by hand to the next nearest Freerunner safehouse. Irjin Edgestrider invites the Celestials to join the Freerunner-worker union gathering there, in anticipation of the arrival of "the Boss" to the sector.

Free is still expecting to meet them personally, and is very excited at the prospect... or so he claims.

---

OOC: Will continue in 'Floor B23 - City of Pasiap's Resolve, South Sector 5' when I reopen that thread.

Artifacts claimed
- Higura: Blaze Lance, Gunzosha Armor
- Kestrel: Red Jade Daiklave
- Kilani: Phoenix Pinions
- Nanaret: Gunzosha Armor
- Xurizu: Gunzosha Armor, Shield Bracers

Jedevra's Dragon Armor, Hearthstones still unclaimed. Still more Gunzosha Armor and Shock Matrix Rods available, they will be kept in storage for PCs to claim if they wish.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:30, Sat 03 Oct 2009.