The Dry Leaf was bustling with business. It was the most popular tea shop in the whole of the Ladders, the poorest neighborhood of Palanquin's disk. Though the whole of the plateau that hung suspended between the arms of the three giants would usually be considered wealthy, the Ladders was a sort of limbo. It sat at the western edge of the outer ring, partially built onto a series of rickety platforms and gangways stretching out from the true disk.

Named for the great lengths of rungs that stretched down through the clouds to the settlements of the shoulders, the Ladders was where you came if you needed to reach the plateau but couldn't (or wouldn't) pay for one of the sorcerous lifts owned by the great houses of Ysyr. It served much the same purpose that a dock might in a port town, except that it was serviced not by sailors, but by the men and women desperate and brave enough to make a living currying cargo up and down the bamboo shoots.

It was only an hour after the sunrise, the first rays of dawn still streaming in over the city spires to the west. Many were still barging in the open door, hastily brushing the frayed silk curtains aside as serving girls rushed back and forth, plates of piping hot tea braced against their shoulders or trays of steaming buns packed with bristle chicken. The Dry Leaf's front room was roaring, but in the back, five different people sat quietly around a table. The silence seemed to have stretched on forever, though it had only really been a few minutes. A steaming cup of spiral tea sat before each of them and a large plate of buns filled the table's center.

OOC: We'll kick things off with the most awkward breakfast Palanquin has seen in recent memory. Tefia and Tzin have both brought back guests to the teahouse that Tzin's sister works in. If there are any questions about the web of connections, feel free to speak up in the OOC, but for the moment, let's get the ball rolling with some dialogue before the first plots launch in earnest.

Lekeles stewed in the silence, like the green leaves that floated around the bottom of his cup. He brought up to his lips, as if to drink, but caught sight of the woman with the animal features and stopped.

She hadn't stopped staring at him since he came in, and he had a horrible feeling that she had good reason for her hostility. He slowly sipped on the tea, placing it back down on the counter and looked uncomfortably across at Wind. He needed Wind right now. He needed him to break the awkward silence, to say something.

To say anything.

He cleared his throat.

"So... Tzin, thank you for the tea..."

Tzin noisily slurped down a cup of tea, signalling his appreciation for its quality by wolfing down one of the buns. The another. And another. If the silence was awkward, he was unaware of it.

Altogether relaxed, Tzin chomped and chewed and then hurriedly swallowed his mouthful of food when Lekeles spoke up. "And thank you for joining us! This is the way it's meant to be--a Circle of Solars gathered in a humble tea house, tea and adventure brewing in equal measure." He grabbed another bun from the plate in the middle of the table. "Have you tried these? They're my sister's recipe--" This last was harder to understand, given that he said it while shoveling a bun almost entirely into his mouth in one go. Another cup of tea cleared things out. Whatever Tzin took it upon himself to do, he did with gusto.

Gobble...snarf...*slurp*

"Anyway what have you been doing since last I saw you? Any luck finding that temple," he asked, in between bites. A broad, guileless grin situated itself on Tzin's face, his sense of unbridled excitement almost palpable in the early morning bustle of the tea house.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Sat 14 Nov 2015.

Tefia slouched in her chair, letting Tzin do the talking for now.

She alternated between sipping at her tea and munching on a chicken bun, occasionally handing bits of it to a large black rat sitting on her shoulder. The rat peered suspiciously at Cathari, ducking behind Tefia's head whenever the beast-blooded solar glanced back.

Tefia plucked the rat off her shoulder and held it in front of her face, whispering to it nose-to-nose. "Don't be such a wuss Justin. She's not actually a cat."

Justinian the rat replied by waving his little rat arms in an exasperated fashion. Tefia rolled her eyes and dropped him into her lap, returning to her tea. Justin returned to glaring at Cathari over the edge of the table.

Lekeles paused, still unwilling to look away from the woman with the ears. "... Er, yes... In fact, that was why I was coming back, I've hit a bit of a... Well, I'm struggling with the next steps."

Briefly he glanced at the sweets on the table, cut from his reverie "No, No I haven't. I'm sorry, I'm sure they're delicious." Lekeles hadn't touched the buns and had barely touched the tea since arriving. He'd missed Tzin's company, the calm and warm voice that had helped him back from the brink so many times.

Wind had provided some stability, being forced to interact with another human had helped him to be Lekeles and not...

Something else.

His eyes slid back towards the cat-woman like a knife, caution and wariness colouring him.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Sat 14 Nov 2015.

Cathari had been taking a moment away from her business to stop in for tea when she spotted him. It had been some time, but she still recognized the face, the wound she'd given him had turned into a nasty scar. The... countenance was different; more at peace, something she could have never seen of the reaver she had fought. So, very much like a cat, she was equal parts alarmed and curious. She watched him with quiet eyes, waiting him to slip up, wanting him to give something away. He didn't acknowledge her. What was he after here?

Her eyes widened in suppressed alarm as the guileless man gave her her answer. Circle of Solars. Multiple. Blessed by the Sun. Far more dangerous than a warband, if the stories she knew were accurate. If even a hundredth of the stories she knew were accurate, she couldn't let him wield such power.

She closed her eyes and sipped her tea. That was her objective. Figure out which of the individuals present were actually Solars, get them to figure out what Lekeles was and what he'd do. It was a task better left to someone better at manipulating people, but she was here and she'd have to do.

Her tail flicked side to side after the manner of a cat stalking something. The indiscreet one would do. "So," she started, and paused awkwardly. Was that really how she was going to start this?

Apparently it was, she couldn't stop now. "So, how do you know each other?" she asked of Tzin and Lekeles.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:01, Sat 14 Nov 2015.

"We met outside of Prasad," said Tzin, as he reached for another bun. "It's a long, but pretty exciting story. Full of adventure and excitement. No pirates though, at least not yet."

Tzin grabbed the whole plate of buns, holding one in his teeth. It seemed like it'd just save time. "But, I'm holding out hope if you've been successful!" he said, towards Lekeles, before gesturing back towards the cat-eared woman with what he probably assumed was nonchalance. "How do you two know each other? You've been giving each other the eye for a while now."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Sun 15 Nov 2015.

Lekeles' cold blue eyes blinked at the question, an almost reptilian facial tic. He racked his mind, it was burning village, but there were so many. He killed people, but he had killed so many. He had led people to their painful and horrible demises, but that had happened before. Where did he know her from? Which scar had she left him? Was it the one from his temple to eyebrow? Was it one of the eighty-two that covered his limbs and torso? He'd shed so much blood, seen so much blood, he couldn't say from which ocean of gore this woman arose; "I don't... I'm not sure. I think we might have met once before, in another life perhaps." His voice faded, "Or in this one..."

With a rush of realisation, Lekeles swept back into the present and smiled at Tzin, "It's good to see you again, my friend. I owe you so much, I've missed listening to your stories. You were right, the Temple of the Sword was where you said it would be, I had to explore a few waterfalls, but I found it." Lekeles patted the leather bundle of wrappings and cotton twists at his side. "We're one step closer, Tzin. One step closer."

The woman with the tail and ears wouldn't stop looking at him, he tried to place where he had seen her. Had it been since Exalting? In his Mortal life? In the life before that? They all blurred, so many screaming faces...

He drew himself back into the moment. "I think I'm going to have to ask a favour again though, but, why don't we all introduce ourselves, Tzin? It might help us make sense of what you were saying, with all the reference to sun-circles?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:10, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

Cathari's ears flattened at Lekeles' confusion. "Of course, of course, how silly of me to expect to be remembered," she said, keeping as calm and stoic as she could manage (her tail was doing most of her emoting for her; the hairs on it were standing on end), and only twitching a little bit.

"It was at the Red Hearth, a pretty big name for such a small town. Other people might remember trying to kill everyone who lived there, steal everything that wasn't nailed down and burn it afterward. Some might remember losing a lot of people to a fisherman's militia and the sorceress who was handy at the time." She shrugged, like it really couldn't be helped, "but to your friend here, it was Marsday. Isn't that right?"

That was... well that was less subtle than she had intended. Rather less beating around the bush. A little bit direct, even. She wasn't getting angry, that would be untoward, right?

Tefia's eyes widen with interest and she scoots back her chair a bit, sitting up straighter. Justin climbs back onto her shoulder, perhaps in preparation for an escape, or maybe because he want's to watch too.

Wind had been watching the proceedings with a mixture of amusement and quiet interest, humming a tune under his breath and following Tzin's lead in gobbling down one chicken bun after another. He stifled a snort of laughter as the man eventually took the entire platter for himself, the Eclipse managing to snatch out one bun before they all disappeared down the man's gullet.

Wind knew a little of what Tzin meant when he spoke of a 'Circle of Solars'. His divine friends back at Great Forks had told him a little of what he had become after his transformation. Anathema. A great God-king of old. Monster. Saviour. Adventurer.

He made a face as the cat-eared woman let off a veritable bomb, accusing Lekeles of murder and brigandry. "Can't see you doing any of that, friend." He said, sipping his tea. "I don't dare tell madam here she is wrong either. Something to figure out, eh?" He said nonchalantly, sitting back in his chair.

"I'm Wind, by the way." He said, waving slightly, a smile on his lips. "Met Lekeles near this Temple of the Sword thing. Dodged some angry cannibals and gave him a ride to Palanquin. He looked around curiously. "Funny thing the lot of us coming together like this."

"I'm fairly sure Tzin would say that there's nothing funny about it, Wind." Lekeles attempted to smile, letting Catheri's words slide off him, refusing to acknowledge them.

He set his tea cup down carefully with a chink of crockery.

Lekeles closed his eyes momentarily. The woman's face covered in a blood splatter, his hand around her throat, dead militia men all around them - Elemental husks burning. Blood spilling down his face, hot and sticky. Screams and the stench of burning flesh. Dead friends staring at the sky as he slowly choked the life out of the witch, his face a rictus grin of joy...

Why would he remember something like that? It was one raindrop in a monsoon of horrific things. Since Exalting, it was a drop of water in the Western Ocean.

"And hey, Wind - I still can't thank you enough for that, really. Although, I'm working on ways that I might be able to."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:12, Sun 15 Nov 2015.

"Ah. So you knew Lekeles before, then." Tzin nodded towards the man himself. He paused his unending consumption, trying to read the expressions on Lekeles' face. Cathari's was much easier, perhaps they were kindred spirits.

"You're a sorceress--surely you can understand: are you the same person you were before you learned sorcery? Or even you a year ago?" Tzin looked around the table at his companions. At the plate of buns and the steady supply of tea.

"I know I'm not. I mean look at me now--sitting in a teahouse on the Upper Level, eating fresh buns and tea steeped only once! Not even any holes in the roof, truly this is the height of luxury," he grinned, then, genuine happiness on full display. He leaned back in his seat, nudging a chair out towards Cathari as he did.
"We are who we choose to be. That can change, you know. But don't rely on my word. Join us. See for yourself. I mean, you don't seem like one of the Ysyr--you're not boring or pretentious enough--and you're not dropping with jade like the Immaculates. So have a seat, try the steam buns, they're delicious! If you're going to start a fight, let me please just ask that we take it outside, this is my sister's shop, and I promised no wrath would be visited upon it this day."

Tzin gestured towards the empty chair, then looked back towards Lekeles. "Now then, introductions, yes? I'm Tzin Vel," he paused, making polite eye contact with the two he hadn't previously met, "um." He stopped, a searching expression on his face. An awkward second ticked by. Desperate, he whispered to Tefia, "I don't what else to say--they never talk about this in the stories..."

"You'll get no violence from me." Lekeles grimaced a smile, holding his hands in the air, "You know that Tzin, you know that better than anyone."

He kept a wary gaze on the cat-woman, "You're Tzin Vell, the strange, wise man who I saved from a Wyld Hunt and who saved me from... Well. And this is Swift Wind, also anathema and one of the best ship-pilots I've ever had the pleasure of sailing with. Just don't leave any spare bottles of drink around, he'll have them in a second."

"That's where my knowledge runs out." Lekeles admitted, shrugging slightly.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:38, Sun 15 Nov 2015.

Wind waved his tea cup, dismissing Lekeles' pledge. "Think nothing of it, my friend," he said, "I don't count debt among buddies."

He glanced up at the cat-eared woman and his smile faded slightly. He glanced at the garrulous man giving her a mini-lecture and made a face. He didn't know what was going on. It could simply be a case of mistaken identity, though the look on Lekeles' face implied otherwise.

He inclined his head to the others at the table at Lekeles' introduction. "He is not exaggerating; I am the best there is. Whether sailing or drinking." He said humbly. But his attention was pulled back to the cat-eared woman.

"Is it true you are an Exalt?" He asked her quietly. "If so, I ask you not to give into your natural anger. Sit, partake in tea with us. We can work this out without violence."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:06, Sun 15 Nov 2015.

Cathari had expected a denial, perhaps, or some attempt at justification. Maybe even a real justification - she'd heard a lot of those, and was getting pretty good at sorting them out.

What she hadn't expected was to not be remembered, and then, to not be acknowledged. It was even more infuriating than any explanation might have been. It might even have been more infuriating than if Lekeles had stuck out his tongue and said 'neener-neener.' It was fortunate, then, that there were others present to mediate.

"Cathari Alaskel. Sorcerer-General of Sendavica, once. Now the Sun's own," she said, acknowledging Swift Wind's point. Yes. She was getting angry. That wouldn't do at all. She took several deep breaths to clear her constitution, and sat down for tea.

"I've never met any others, but I've heard enough stories. The Solar makes the tyrant care for his people. Makes the merchant see beyond his coin. Makes the reaver see those he's hurt. If you saved him from that life, then you have my gratitude," she said to Tzin Vel, carefully considering her words. "You'll understand if I don't believe it - the second half of the story usually goes, the Solar goes off on another adventure, and the merchant falls back into greed.

But I would like to see for myself. If that was a real invitation, I would be willing to join you, yes."

Tefia stands, rubbing at her wrists. Suddenly awkward as the room's attention shifts to her. "My name is Tefia. I'm from... places. This is Justinian." She points to the rat on her shoulder.

"I don't know about this whole 'solar' thing, and anathema just sounds like a name tyrants made up for someone with power who doesn't toe the line. So I guess I'm that, 'cause I do what I want." She sits back down, snatching a fresh steam bun out of Tzin's hand almost faster than the eye can see, leaving him to bite down on empty air. Her awkwardness gives way to genuine excitement as she glances back and forth between Cathari and Lekeles. "Right now, I think I want to hang around you folks, 'cause it's looking pretty interesting."

"It was," says Tzin, answering Cathari, before chomping down on...nothing? He stares at his empty hand, puzzled. To Tefia, "It does..."

Fortunately there's another bun in his other hand. He bites down. At least... there was another bun. He looks around, warily. He grabs a bun off of the plate and holds it up triumphantly, "Hah!"

Before he can finish exclaiming, the bun is gone. "You're welcome to join us, but we seem to be running out of steam buns."

He looks around for a server, trying to replace the vanishing food. "Anyway, there's a problem with your version of the story. It assumes that change is the sole responsibility of the Solar. After all, the world is full of troubles. It's up to the merchant--and the people around him--to keep him out of greed."

Lekeles looked at Tzin, "I promised you that I'd keep things quiet, Tzin. You know I keep promises, and I really don't want to end up in a position where I might kill one of your guests." He looked at the woman who hated him, shame filling his features. "I really, really don't want that."

"Especially if you've been Exalted." Lekeles picked up his cup again, carefully sipping from it, trying not allow his emotions to control him. He was pleased with the fact that the cup had not rattled yet, despite the memories and images assaulting him.

[Private to GM: They had died. They had died in mountains and he had laughed as he burned their corpses. A mountain of ten thousand souls - but still so many left to kill. The Slaughter King? That name was a mockery of his true purpose...]

"I can't say that I'm surprised, to hear you exalted, Madam Alaskel. If I remember correctly, you saved that village from me. That was a very impressive feat- so, thank you for that. But your metaphor is limited. I was many terrible things, but I was never a merchant."

Lekeles paused, allowed his frustration to blled like heat and turned to the other woman in the group, "Tefia, if it's excitement you're looking for, then I think I might have something to keep you busy and amused, if Tzin can help me with my search at least."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:01, Sun 15 Nov 2015.

"Stories usually have a purpose behind them," Cathari said to Tzin, getting one of the steam buns before the cute girl present stole them all. "The ones I've heard about the Solar Exalted have many. There's a specific warning: 'beware the Solar who can get you to change your whole outlook on life.' There's a cautionary in general: 'there's no messiah that will drop down and sort out your life for you, no matter how powerful they are.' There's a call to action: 'redemption isn't something that happens just because you want it to.'  The truth is more complicated, I'm sure. That's why I'd like to see for myself.

Intellectualizing something always calmed her. She could intellectually process Lekeles as no longer a menace, for the moment. His hands wrapped around her throat, her slowly fading vision, the creeping feeling that this was finally it, that was all far away now. It couldn't hurt her unless she let it.

"You're welcome for that," she said to Lekeles, "I've gotten better at sorcery since then, if you go back to the way you were or if I find you've been deceiving these people, I'll curse you to piss angry scorpions for the rest of your life. I trust you find that acceptable."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:28, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

"As you like," Lekeles nodded, sipping at the tea. "I'm sure that it would be an interesting experience, to have scorpions coming from there."

Lekeles paused momentarily, "But whatever makes you think that I can ever have redemption? There's no redemption for the things I've done. It will never be enough. I have to live with who I was, with who I am and accept that I will never escape it. There's no moral calculation, there's no bargaining to be done. No matter how many lives you save, you never wipe clean a single life you take."

Lekeles looked to Tzin, then to Wind, then to Tefia, "But that doesn't mean that I can't try and do some good, that we can't try and do some good. Have any of you heard of the legend of the Slaughter King?" Lekeles set the tea cup down on the table in front of him, the shallow liquid sloshing as he did so.

"Can you really do that? With the scorpions?" Tzin looks up at Cathari with mild discomfort. It is plain to see he's visualizing what that might feel like. The look of mild discomfort changes as he imagines the full effect.

I hope you never actually have to do that to anyone." Tzin chases away the phantom sensations, shaking his head. "Still, there are worse things to fear when meeting a Solar sorcerer in a tea house." Tzin nods towards the others. "Or a whole Circle of them. We have all the makings of one here--" Tzin stops, as Lekeles speaks, listening attentively to the man's words.

"Well," Tefia spoke up, "I don't know about you guys, but I certainly don't plan on going around solving other peoples problems." She took a bite, then turned to address Lekeles, waggling the half-roll at him.

"I don't know anything about any 'slaughter king' or whatever, unless you're talking about Ma-Ha-Suchi up north. And all I know about him is that nobody but nobody messes with him."

"Sorcerer-General!" Wind exclaimed, sitting straight. "That sounds right fancy. I bet you can do some mean stuff, eh?"

He nodded at Cathari. "It was indeed a genuine invitation. Please do join." He nodded at Tefia, as the girl introduced herself. "Nice to meet you! And I hear you! I have had this impossible monk chasing me all the way from the Riverlands, screaming 'Anathema' whenever she sees me." He chuckled. "It would be exhausting even if it weren't so hilarious."

"If it's excitement you want, I think you could do worse than hang out with us." He grinned at Tefia. "Between Lekeles and me, we could show you a few things, I'm sure." He turned to hear the man himself speak. "And sounds like he has a plan of some sort. Count me in. I'm always in for a bit of adventure."

He stifled a giggle at the idea of pissing angry scorpions and squirmed uneasily about all the talk of tyrants and saviours and responsibility. Being Exalted had freed him from all that, as far as he was concerned. He was uneasy too at the solemnity in Lekeles' voice as he spoke of redemption. He didn't really know the man well, but this was a side of him he hadn't seen before. What kind of bloody past did he have?

He nodded at Tefia. "Hear, hear.  I mean, I'm no stoneheart. I'll help people out when they need it. Have plenty of times in the last year. But I'd prefer not to spend my life chasing after people, just looking for problems to solve. I'd rather chase after trouble myself. Much more fun."

Lekeles smiled wanly at Wind, "I seem to remember helping you run from trouble at least twice this week."

"Madam Alaskel? Have you heard of the Slaughter King?" Lekeles asked, refilling his tea cup carefully, focusing on the flow of the tea almost to the exclusion of everything else. Things had so far gone fairly well, he hoped.

"Yes, I can," Cathari said to Tzin Vel about her sorcery, and that was that. "I enjoy finding problems to solve, because I like to think that when I solve them they tend to stay that way." She smiled very slightly at Wind and Tefia, young people and headstrong but with good hearts behind them, "I expect that if I travel with the two of you, so much trouble will arrive on my doorstep that I'll have little time to seek out more."

"The Slaughter King," Cathari steepled her fingers, so much better to involve herself in academic matters than deal with her own emotions, "I've heard it before in relation to another name. There is or was a great storm-serpent they called He Shakes Heaven's Gate, scales black as onyx and edged in lightning. He was the Slaughter King's herald once upon a time, announced his name in peals of thunder. Killed people who wanted to challenge his master but weren't worthy of the honor, they'd wait around for the King and be struck by lightning, over and over. A very dangerous individual, nobody's seen him in a great many years. How much more dangerous must the King himself have been?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:32, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

Lekeles nodded his head, “If I remember correctly, more dangerous than you can possibly imagine. I hadn’t heard that one, about the Elemental, but it certainly sounds believable. The legend goes that long ago there was a being known as the Laughing King. People think that he might have been a god, a Dragon Blood warlord, maybe the folk-name for an ancient nation or people.

“They’re wrong. He was an ancient Anathema, a Solar Exalted. He was supposedly this charitable, wise, kind ruler… The usual benevolent god-king myth. At least, that was who he was, until things started to go wrong. From what I remember, the Laughing King started committing terrible acts, wiping out entire nations in the name of protecting creation. He waged wars of genocide beyond mortal comprehension against the very people he was supposed to protect. He made devastation and called it ‘peace’.

“You want to know why the Immaculates fear Anathema? The Slaughter King’s a pretty good reason.” Lekeles sipped from his tea cup and drew his leather coat tighter around him, its fur lined hood tickling at his neck as he continued. "Imagine it. Imagine a being who had lived thousands of years, who had been one of the rulers of Creation, who had held unchallenged and unrivalled power since before recorded history. Imagine how bad it gets when that gets bad.

“The story goes that the Slaughter King could not be tricked, he was so paranoid and hyper vigilant for threats. He could not be reasoned with, he could not be decieved; so the only answer was to kill him in battle. It took a great army to bring him down, the cost of life was immense – but in the end the Slaughter King was killed and Creation was saved from his madness.” Lekeles set the cup back down on the table and looked around the group.

“After he died, his killers decided to scatter and hide his works and belongings. They couldn’t destroy his artefacts and some of them they didn’t want to. But they were always afraid that the Slaughter King would return, so they wanted to keep his belongings out of his reach. They built three temples, the Temples of the Sword, Shield and the Heart.”

Lekeles drew a breath before he continued, “I’ve heard rumours, chased legends and stories and they all point to one rumour – these temples form a trail that leads to the greatest of the Slaughter King’s secrets, the ‘Sky City’. I can't tell you what it is, I can't tell you where it is and I can't tell you if it even exists. But if it does... Think of the possibilities.” Lekeles fixed Tzin with a stare, “That’s why I asked Wind to bring me back here to you, Tzin. I need your help to find this place, before anyone else does. If Anathema are returning…” He pulled a face, “Well, either we make sure that this place is safe and in the right hands or we destroy it to keep everyone else safe from it.”

Lekeles patted at the leather and fur bundle at his side, “I’ve found the Temple of the Sword, with Tzin’s help. I’ve heard some rumours about the Temple of the Shield and supposedly there are clues about the Temple of the Heart hidden away.”

Lekeles turned to the others in the group, “Wind, if you’re willing to help me I can promise fortune, glory and fun. Hell, maybe this sky city can be piloted like a ship? Tzin, this is a chance to restore an element of First Age glory, to bring back a time when the word Solar Exalted meant hope. Tefia, I don’t know what to promise you, it might be dangerous and hard work, but if we do this we might be able to do something unequivocally good… And Madam Aleskei… Cathari, I’m intending to find these temples with or without your help – but we could use someone with your skills in the hunt. There's also the point that if you coem with us you can keep an eye on me. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get a chance to fill my genitals with scorpions yet?”

Lekeles picked up his cup and took another sip of tea, “Well, what do you say?”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Mon 16 Nov 2015.

Wind smiled and waved Lekeles' comment off. "That's how you know you're having fun." He said, grinning.

Wind sipped his tea as Lekeles told his story, a grim tale indeed. It sounded exactly like a cautionary tale against the dreaded Anathema. Wind knew better than to dismiss it out of hand; but now he himself was one, he knew to take a story like that with a grain of salt. The Exaltation had freed him. There was no chance of him going madman and start slaughtering people for the fun of it. Slaughter wasn't fun at all.

He leaned in when the man started talking of Temples and Sky Cities. This was more to his interest. His eyes shone with the possibilities; the adventure, the discoveries. Without hesitation, he said, "You can count on me, Lekeles. I will join you on this quest. My ship is yours."

Tefia seemed unimpressed. "Sounds more like a warning against greed than a warning against 'solars' to me." She picks a bit of chicken out of her teeth and feeds it to Justin. "But that's neither here no there. It sounds better than just wandering around... And I do want to find out more about this whole solar thing. So I'm in."

Tzin listens to Lekeles' tale, a look of determination mounting upon his face. "This is one of those moments you hear about. I can feel it. Look around, everyone, remember the smell of the tea, the creak of the wood, the bustle of activity all around us..." He looks around the room, drinking in everything he can.

He places his hands on the table, as if steadying himself. A distant look is in his eyes, and when he speaks, it is across the gulf of years. "Here amid the everyday rhythms of life, our story begins..."

In the front of the house, the noise subtly changes as the early morning workers begin to mingle with later risers. Hurried voices are joined by lazy drawls and calls for more... restorative teas, evidence of the vices an evening near the ladders might provide.

Tzin laughs, fully present with his companions again, "So, we go in search of a lost treasure and to prevent an ancient evil from returning. A fitting task for a Circle of Solars. Creation is calling us, crying out for heroes. Can you hear it? This moment calls out for us to grasp destiny in our hands..." Tzin becomes more and more excited as he speaks, his heart beating in time with the rushing Essence around them.

"I'm in! Who knows what else we might find?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:42, Tue 17 Nov 2015.

Lekeles gripped Wind's shoulder and smiled, nodding to the three who had volunteered to help him. "I can't thank you all enough. With your help, I'm sure we're going to do good things."

He hadn't the heart to tell them the terrible truth that the Slaughter King was no parable, that it was real history. That the most terrible things he knew were Solars who had lost their humanity. That there was a dark abyss at the core of all of them, that he remembered it as though he had been there himself.

"Tzin, Tefia, I'm so glad you'll come with me." Tzin's enthusiasm was infectious, if tinged with melancholy.

"Madam Alaskel?" Lekeles asked

"I'm thinking," Cathari said firmly, as indeed she was, "your fellow are more than happy to jump at the promise of adventure or destiny..."

She took the time to finish her tea and laid down the cup with a decisive clack. "There's enough history and magic there that it would be foolish to say no, and I very much want to see how others chosen of the Sun operate. I'm in."

"Excellent! Our Circle is complete,then, whether you all admit it or not." Tzin nods confidently, excitement in his eyes. "We'll show the world what five Solars can do."

He looks ready to spring into action, though after a moment a thoughtful expression crosses his face. He rests his hands on the table, "Though it occurs to me, I don't actually know where we're going. So. What have you learned? How can I help you track this place down?"

He pauses a moment, thinking. "If there's a storm spirit involved, maybe Zhinhasa can help..." then, looking over at Wind, "Did you say you have your own boat? That's fantastic! What's it called, what's it like?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Wed 18 Nov 2015.

"I on't know much. I've had some success digging out some rumours and local legends that claim the Temple of the Shield lies somewhere around the Dreaming Sea, beneath a Tiger of Stone. I don't know what that means though, I don't know if its a statue or a rock formation or just a little amulet." Lekeles sipped at some more tea.

"As to the boat? Well, wait 'til you see her... She's definitely a sight to see." Lekeles paused, "But be careful if you're sea sick, Wind sails a ship like nothing else alive."

"You have a ship," Cathari raised an eyebrow at Swift Wind. He didn't look like someone who could afford or manage it, but looks were as ever deceiving. "Then I suppose your welfare is to some extent my responsibility, Captain."

Taking an egg and flour from the store and removing a small glass rod and a piece of obsidian from her satchel, she emptied out the egg's contents through puncturing a tiny hole in the top. A tiny spark of energy and the glass and obsidian crushed and mixed; she carefully poured the dust into the tiny hole in the egg. A little heat and white and starch adhesive and the hole was sealed and the shell was hardened to the point where it wouldn't burst casually. The unusual part was that it was done entirely in the air between her hands, a bit of casual sorcery substituting for perhaps an hour or two's careful work.

"Here. To pay for passage, and in case you get into trouble," she offered the miniature grenade to Swift Wind, "you can break it and scatter the contents, or blow it at enemies.. Close-range contact will blind pursuers. The dust is sharp - inhalation will cause shortness of breath and bleeding inside the lungs. Try not to use it near crowds."

OOC: Try ALL the subsystems! Craftsman Needs No Tools!
18:57, Today: Cathari Alaskel rolled 7 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7.  Craft (Black Egg).
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Fri 20 Nov 2015.

"Hmm. Could we just carve a tiger out of stone and then look underneath it?" Tzin pauses, thoughtfully, considering the ramifications of what he's just worked out. "Of course! That's it! My friends, we can make any prophecy we wish fulfilled, I've unlocked the secret!" but before he can get too carried away, his expression falls, momentum fading.

"Ah, but this is legend, not prophecy... still," he says, rallying, "This is good information to keep on hand. And we're definitely in the right place for legends. The Ysyr are heavily invested in the sorcerous lore of the old world. Hmm."

Tzin taps his fingers on the table, drumming out an erratic rhythm. "Perhaps we should see if we can sneak into one of the academies. We might be able to find more information on your "stone tiger" there... or maybe something that will start us on our journey to this tiger. Maybe the name of a historic figure whose ancient tomb is filed with treasure and clues and danger!"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Sun 22 Nov 2015.

[Private to Lekeles: Just as everything seems to be falling into place, a sense of bizarre nostalgia washed over Lekeles. It began as a profound sense of Deja Vu, but as the feeling grew and Lekeles focused on the voices of his companions, they seemed to shift and change. For just a moment, the light in the room dimmed, and he could hear a voice that had only ever spoken in his nightmares calling out, "Fools!" before losing himself in laughter. No sooner had the vision reached this crescendo, however, than it began to fade.]
[Private to Cathari Alaskel: As the others spoke, more of the legend of the Thunder Dragon sprung to your mind. Though your recollection of the contents was dim, you vaguely recalled a tome that told the story of the blasted valley, a fabled stage of combat in the Slaughter King's campaign of murder. The Lex Artorum, the tome in question, was destroyed in the fall of her kingdom, though . . . or at least, the copy she'd seen. It was entirely possible that another edition might exist, particularly in the sorcerous library of a lord of Ysyr.]

As the five strangers rattled on, the day pushed forward. Now, the daystar was well past the horizon, hanging in the eastern sky above Palanquin. The last of the early comers were slowly filtering out of the shop, making the front room quiet enough to hear as a pair of heavy boots crosses the threshold. The sound is accompanied by the chime of mail and the rustle of leather. From the table in back, the circle could see little, but they could clearly hear the gruff voice of a man call out, "Vel, you're late again!"

It was only a moment later that Tzin's sister tore through the room without a word to her brother, her face awash in worry. "I-I'm sorry," she said, doing her best to placate the man, "some family business came up and I lost track of the date."

Lekeles twisted his head to acknowledge the disturbance, shuddering slihtly as reverie flooded from his system.

He looked back to Tzin, an eyebrow raised on his face. "I'm guessing that this isn't normal," Lekeles said quietly, "If you guys want to slip out the back, we can meet at Wind's ship - Tzin I'll see if I can help your sister."

Saying that, Lekeles put his cup of tea gently down and stepped over the back of his seat, walking towards the source of the commotion.

"Hey! Who do you think you are, bellowing at my sister," bellows Tzin, even as Lekeles begins to mention quietly slipping out the back. He barges up towards the front of the teahouse, looking for the source of the voice.  "I'm the only one who gets to do that!"

Tzin struggles for a moment, trying to gain control of the Essence rushing within him, encouraging him to act. Encouraging him to be.

He walks up beside his sister, "I can personally attest that she was not late, having been here since this fine establishment opened--you really should try the steam buns, though, now that we've sorted this 'late' business. They're delicious."

He pulls himself up to his full height, trying to seem nonchalant.

Unfortunately, he has no idea what nonchalant means.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:11, Wed 25 Nov 2015.

"I do indeed," Wind said, his chest puffing out in pride. "Her name is Darkwater and she is a true beauty." He grinned and nodded appreciatively at Lekeles at the man's compliment. "The sea is where my heart is. I promise you this; when you are on my ship, I will let none harm a hair on your head. My ship is my domain."

He preened when Alaskel called him 'Captain'. He had earned that title, as far as he was concerned, above and beyond the fact that he owned Darkwater. "Thank you kindly, Madame," he said, taking the egg-shaped thing she handed him with great curiosity. She had just made the thing right in front of them. He smiled at her. Solar magic. What a time to be alive.

"This will be more than enough to earn you your passage," He said solemnly, not bothering to mention he would not have asked for a fare anyway.

The air in the inn seemed to darken however, as Tzin's sister rushed past them to address some imperious voice. Wind frowned. Though Lekeles suggested the rest of them leave, Wind wasn't inclined to leave his new friends alone with whatever trouble might have been brewing. He followed Tzin and Lekeles' leads, standing and walking towards the front of house, whistling slightly under his breath.

"Hmph." Tefia hmphed. "It takes more than an angry tea steeper to scare me off."

Curious, she hopped up and went to see what was going on with the others. Maybe she would have the chance to throw someone off the side...

The clink of mail and the rustling of leather, trouble and a demand up front. While her compatiots seemed more than eager to go straight to the source of the trouble, Lekeles had indicated there was a back door.

Cathari rose from her seat searching for and taking the back way. It would hopefully be a simple matter to slip around the building and approach the problem from a new angle; if there were ruffians threatening the innocent, she'd quite handily cut off their retreat.

Storming into the front room brought Tzin and Lekeles face to face with the source of the voice harping on Tzin's younger sister. Well, they would have been face-to-face were it not for the featureless mask of steel polished to a mirror sheen that the man wore. Indigo robes sewn with chain swathing draped down about his arms and legs, his exposed arms garbed in long, thick gloves with reinforced metal plates down the back of the arm. More menacing, however, was the polearm he held fast in his right hand. The sturdy, dark wood of its haft was topped with a gleaming blade, wickedly curved in a thick crescent, a deadly hook descending from the top of the inner edge. Every inch of metal was shone, but as the light caught them, a faint etching of runes could be seen.

Cocking his head at the very sudden and unexpected interruption, the guard took a moment to compose himself before inclining his head again towards Tzin's little sister. "These friends of yours, Vel?" His eyes could scarcely be seen through the narrow slits of his mask, but his voice dripped with derision. Turning back towards Tzin, the armored interloper brandished his weapon. "I don't know who you think you are, ledge-scum, but this girl owes tribute to Orias, lord magister of this district. Stand aside unless you want to see me use this."

Cathari had better luck slipping out the back through a simple, cloth covered door leading to a narrow alley that hooked back out to the street. What she found there, however, was far less pleasant than the escape itself had been. The scene within the tea-shop was repeated at large. Men and women, all wearing the same uniform, chased stewards from the stalls. Most were cowering in supplication, but more than a few were being beaten.

At the end of the street, a broad-chested man with skin like bronze towered over the others. Easily two meters tall, he wore robes of deep crimson, a thurible hung from the heavy cord strung about his waist. His black lips parted in a wide smile.

[Private to Tzin Vel: What's your sister's name, by the way?]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Mon 30 Nov 2015.

Wind peeked in after Lekeles and Tzin and whistled softly at the intimidating persona on display. He walked in as well, a smile on his lips. "Impressive presentation, friend." He said jovially. He raised his both hands in a placating gesture, showing he meant no harm.

"I am sure you are quite a storm with that spear of yours." He said, nodding at the weapon. "No need for name-calling though, I am sure. Whatever the issue is here, I am sure we can all resolve it by being the reasonable men and women we are."

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
(OOC: Swift Wind rolled 2 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,4,7,6,3,3,5,6,8.  De-escalating the stand-off with the enforcer.)

---

Tefia perked up at the guard's threatening tone. "Climb up on the roof little guy. This sounds like trouble and we might need a better view." She tossed Justin into the rafters and began to limber up.

**Tefia activates Increasing Strength Exercise for 1 dot, using 3 motes of peripheral essence.

Lekeles turned to Tzin and whispered softly to him; "Is this how it works? Is this what a shakedown looks like? I've never been involved in one of those before."

Lekeles craned his head around Wind's shoulder, "That's an interesting weapon. It's very shiny isn't it?" He turned to wind, "I'm supposed to be impressed by shiny, shiny weapons?" Lekeles paused, "Then please, consider me impressed by your shiny, shiny weapon."

Lekeles turned to smile at Tefia, a finger pointing at his face, "This is my impressed face."

Tzin whispers back, answering Lekeles as clandestinely as he can, given their circumstances. "It sure seems that way."

He turns then toward the weapon-brandishing masked man. "Let us hope you don't try and use that, it would go poorly. But why have you cone demanding tribute? Aside from threats, what does your Lord Magistrate have to offer?"

As he speaks he turns back towards his sister. "Miza, perhaps you can shed some light where this person offers only threats."

Cathari's tail swished back and forth as she appraised the problem. Numerous soldiers. A truly spectacular number of potential hostages for the enemy to take. That skin, that manner; a sorcerer-lord. Probably dematerialized entities awaiting a confrontation. Exacting tribute, men kneeling in supplication - legitimacy, if only at the edge of a demon's claw. Men being beaten, presumably as an example to their fellows.

She needed backup to deal with this, which meant going back into the teahouse and dealing with the others again. So she did. "There is a sorcerer and his entourage having men beaten in the street," she said matter-of-factly as she came in the door, neatly surrounding the one warrior inside the teahouse, "he is enjoying the sight. I find it unseemly for one of my peers to engage in such cruelty."

The masked man with the runed poleaxe merited some consideration; she kept a hand on her sword hilt, "Unless you have some special attachment to this one, let us dispense with him promptly that we might go and teach his master a lesson in conduct."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:40, Thu 03 Dec 2015.

"The only issue is that this girl has yet to pay the required tribute to the merciful lord that allows her to cling to the edge with the rest of the vermin . . ." the soldier said, turning his mirrored face towards Wind.

If Wind's words had had any calming influence, it was quickly lost as Lekeles began antagonizing the the sentinel. "You'd be surprised," he said, his voice icy cold as he lifted the hooked halberd in their general direction, "at how easy it is to keep it clean."

Cathari's arrival was the final nail in the coffin of a peaceful resolution. Whirling about, the guard regarded the newcomer with surprise with a bit of alarm. Even the foolhardy soldier of the district's mage lord realized he was quickly becoming both outnumbered and surrounded.

"You'll regret those words," he cried, hefting his weapon in two hands, the chain of his armored robes swirling around him as he took a readied stance, clearly preparing to strike . . .

<orange>And with that, let's consider battle joined! I'm looking forward to this first encounter, everyone

After a very strong join battle roll, the lone sentinel inside is sitting at 10 initiative, and while he is your lone opponent (for the moment), his cry was loud enough to alert the other men outside, who will be joining the battle shortly.

Please roll for join battle, and we'll take action from there.

Lone Sentinel - 10

Join battle!

Tefia spends 4 peripheral motes on Excellent awareness for a dice pool of 12.

09:35, Today: Tefia rolled 4 successes using 12d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,5,6,6,9,4,4,9,2,9,6,8.  Join Battle for Tefia.

Join Battelle!

Tzin spends 4 peripheral motes on the Awareness excellency for a pool of 11 dice.

10:22, Today: Tzin Vel rolled 4 successes using 11d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,4,4,2,5,7,7,10,2,4,2.  Join battle for Tzin.

Points for consistency?

"Vaktri," Cathari made a curt motion, stepping inside the teahouse proper. In her place and blocking the doorway, a great ambulatory statue of red and purple and green gems stepped into the world as easily as pushing aside a curtain.

With a quick and fluid motion, she unsheathed her sword and unhooked a whip from her belt.

Join batttttle! Cathari's Vaktri reflexively materializes and joins battle too.

13:30, Today: Cathari Alaskel rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,2,6,3,6,10.  Join Battle for Vaktri.
13:30, Today: Cathari Alaskel rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,2,5,8.  Join Battle for Cathari.

22:33, Today: Lekeles rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((5,9,2,2,8,4)). At least we're consistent!

Wind groaned internally as his careful attempts to keep things nice and quiet and civil disintegrated. He did so hate violence.

He also felt terribly sorry for the lone guard. Against five of the Chosen of the Sun? Unless the man was truly a god, he stood no chance.

(Join Battle!

Swift Wind spends 4 peripheral motes to activate Excellent Awareness and add 4 die, for a pool of 7

02:57, Today: Swift Wind rolled 5 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,6,10,6,7,8,8.  Join battle for Wind.)

Whether it was the man's steeled resolve in the service of his dark and terrible lord or his own fool-hardiness, the lone masked guard seemed undaunted by the numbers arrayed against him. Even the sudden appearance of Cathari's elemental did not deter him. He had seen such monsters in the service of his liege many times over . . . but her bold words had drawn his ire. Seething behind his mirrored mask, he pulled back his curved pike before lunging forward with a vicious, overhand swing. Unfortunately, his attack strike was overly ambitious, too much muscle dedicated to power over accuracy. Even as his etched, mail-sewn robes spun about his body, his strike was deftly parried by Cathari's blade.

Realizing that his situation was perhaps more perilous than he'd originally imagined, the sentinel raised his voice to shout, "You will be crushed by the fist of Ysyr!"

22:40, Today: Samsara, for the NPC Lone Sentinel, rolled 4 successes using 11d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((6,4,6,8,8,2,7,3,1,4,

The guard's attack neatly misses Cathari's parry, so you're safe for now. Reinforcements will role into battle next round, though they're currently 2+ range-bands away (both outside and a bit down the street). This lone sentinel should fall easily to some dog-piling, but beware that you don't put yourself in too perilous a position when the bulk of their forces arrive.

EDIT

My post was made late last night, so I just realized that I forgot to furnish you with some important information. The sentinel here is using the elite soldier stat-block in antagonists (for reference).

Initiative will be as follows:

Sentinel - 10 (for now)
Wind - 8
Tzin and Tefia - 7
Cathari, Vaktri, and Lekeles - 6

Try to take your turns in roughly that order, though it isn't super important right now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:46, Sat 12 Dec 2015.

In reply to Samsara (msg # 55):

Wind wanted this fight to end as fast as possible. The sooner that happened the less likely that someone would get hurt. To that end, he wanted to disarm the guard and if possible, convince him to stand down.

[OOC: I am going for a Gambit of Disarm. That's a Decisive attack.]

Wind stepped forward, trying to take advantage of the distraction provided by Mistress Alaskel's successful parry. Like his namesake, he moved with blinding speed, moving up around the Lone Sentinel, hooking his arm around the man's pike and twisting with his entire body.

He wanted to tear it from the man's hand and fling it away towards the far walls, twisting away at the same time to avoid any immediate retaliation.

[23:18, Today: Swift Wind rolled 2 successes using 7d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,4,6,10,1,3,5.  Gambit-Disarm (Decisive Attack).]

[23:18, Today: Swift Wind rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,3,4,9,10,2,7,3.  Initiative roll for successful Decisive attack]

Though the guard managed to keep his weapon out of Wind's grasp, it left him briefly open. Tefia darted forward, rolling under a table into a crouch at his feet. In one explosive motion, she lunged upwards, grabbing the soldier by the crotch and throat and swinging him in an arc over her head then hurling him underhand through the thin wooden wall and into the street with a shout of triumph.

Tefia activates Vicious lunge for 1m (personal) and attempts to grapple the guard (attack of 10,000 rolls technique)

12:22, Today: Tefia rolled 4 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 3,3,6,10,9,7,6,3.  Grapple vs guard 8d+1s.
12:22, Today: Tefia botched using 2d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,2.  Rolling 2 stunt dice separately for grapple.

4 successes on dice +1 freebie for vicious lunge will hit the soldiers parry of 5.
Tefia rolls initiative for the gambit, adding 3 dice for vicious lunge.

12:57, Today: Tefia rolled 4 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,5,7,6,1,1,6,10,3,9.  initiative roll for grapple 10d.

Grapples are difficulty 2, so the grapple succeeds. Tefia loses 3 initiative.

Opposed control rolls:
Tefia's pool = 11d (str 6 + brawl 4 + grabble specialty)
Guard's pool = 5d? (Str 3 + brawl/MA 2? Puts it in line with his combat movement pool)
13:16, Today: Tefia rolled 7 successes using 11d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,8,1,8,7,8,3,6,2,4,10.  Control Roll for Tefia 11d.
13:24, Today: Tefia rolled 5 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,3,10,8,10.  Control Roll for Guard 5d.

That gives Tefia 2 rounds of control.
Which she immediately forfeits to throw the guard through the wall (witheringly), activating Crashing Wave Throw for 5m, from personal to keep things frosty.

Rolling 'to hit' for the throw:
13:38, Today: Tefia rolled 5 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,3,10,2,7,9,7,3,2,6.  'to hit' roll for throw, 8d + stunt vs dif 0.

13 base damage + 5s + 4 for 2 rounds of control + 4 again for CWT = 26 raw damage
-10 soak = 16 withering

13:42, Today: Tefia rolled 4 successes using 16d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 7,7,2,3,9,5,1,1,8,5,6,5,4,1,4,4.  Withering throw damage vs guard.

srsly... -_-

*sigh* Tefia gains 5 initaitive, the guard loses 4 and is prone in the street outside. And there is a hole in the wall.

She spends 6m from her personal pool.

In the wake of Tefia's throw, there's a moment of silence and stillness. No one speaks, no one breathes. The wood creaks and a thin cloud of dust hovers around the hole made by the guard. Tzin marvels at the sheer power of it all, then, breaks the trance of the moment:

"Don't worry, the wall will be paid for by the Fist of Ysyr," shouts Tzin, both taunting his foe and reassuring his sister in one fell swoop. "Let's go show these Ysyr that they can't push people around like this!"

With that, Tzin bursts through the front door and into the street outside. He breathes in the battle, taking in the ebb and flow of its currents. When he exhales, he is bolstered by this understanding.

OOC: Tzin activates Diamond Body Prana, spending 5 motes of personal Essence:

11:42, Today: Tzin Vel rolled 3 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 1,8,6,1,2,2,8,1,3,8.  Diamond body prana roll.

+3 auto-successes, which brings my new Stamina + Soak to 11, and grants me 5 hardness.

Tzin then heads outside.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Thu 17 Dec 2015.

Skidding to a halt in the street, the sentinel's chain regalia was covered in dust and soot. Reeling from the shock, he cradled his masked head in a single, gloved hand, the other still clutching at the halberd as he tried to get his head around the hurricane that had just hit him. He managed to gather some of his senses once more just in time to see Tzin crashing through the teahouse's swinging doors.

What Tzin found on the other side, however, was not precisely what he might have been expecting. While the lone sentinel was indeed prone and vulnerable in the dirt, he was no longer quite as "lone". Up and down the street, amid the awnings of red silk, thatched roofs, and unlit lanterns buoyed by the morning breeze of Palanquin, more sentinels stood. Some were occupied with their own abuses of power. One had a hapless merchant dangling by the throat. Another was in the midst of delivering a heavy kick to the stomach of a crying woman he'd only recently knocked to the ground. Slowly, however, each and every one was turning their mirrored masks towards the scene developing outside of the tea shop that belonged to Tzin's sister . . .

Besides the sentinels, numerous more men, dressed in simpler, skirmishing armor, littered the street. Though the hanging cloth of their sashes was the bright, sky blue of palanquin, the look in their eyes as they stood aside their Ysyr masters made clear where their loyalties lay. A dangerously curved scimitar hung belted at each soldier's waste.

In the distance, a bronze skinned sorcerer stood, a dark look wrinkling his brow. The smoking thurible hanging from his own belt spilled a thick incense into the air around him. "What is this blasphemy," he cried, the red gem set in his forehead glinting in the light of the low sun.

The forces assembled in the street represent a couple of groups that have not yet rolled into battle, but will be at the start of the next round. There will be two battle groups: one composed of more sentinels, the other of the more numerous, but less personally skilled militia men. There's also the sorcerer, and I'll just say that it's not unlikely he has some more help hanging in the air, if you catch my meaning.

Also, just to update things, the Sentinel you're currently dealing with has had his initiative knocked down to 5, though he won't be acting again until next round, should he still be with us.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:43, Sat 19 Dec 2015.

So much for a choke point! Cathari whistled a little as the man went flying, Tzin hadn't been joking when he talked about a Solar's power. In light of that, Cathari would make do. With a crack, she caught her whip on to a loose bit of the roof and climbed atop the teashop.

"Lord-Magister Orias, I presume?" Cathari shouted from her perch, posing with her sword, her tail curling around her in the wind, "I am Cathari Alaskel, Sendavican Sorcerer-General! For abusing your authority, terrorizing your people and worst of all interrupting my tea with your crude demands for tribute, I intend to shove your face in the dirt and make you kiss my boots. Prepare yourself for humiliation!"

None could mistake the mandalas that lit up around her hand as she made a series of curt, efficient gestures. Some manner of sorcery was incoming!

It looks like nobody has ranged weapons, so Cathari is gathering sorcerous motes to cast Mists of Eventide. 2/7 gathered.
13:32, Today: Cathari Alaskel rolled 2 successes using 10d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,7,5,5,5,9,5,1,3,3.  Int+Occult; gather sorcerous motes.

For a long, pregnant moment, the sorcerer Cathari's words hung in the air. The atmosphere grew thick, pregnant with the potential for violence as the essence of her spell began to take shape about her, the myriad thugs and sentinels standing poised, muscles tense, but frozen with indecision.

"Kill them! The bronze-skinned sorcerer's words cut through the air like a hot knife, hot ash spilling from his mouth as he cried out, an outstretched finger leveled at the presumptuous woman who dared to challenge him here. "Make the wench and her friends suffer for their impudence!"

The air filled with the sound of swords being pulled sharply from their sheathes, the bright, morning light bouncing from their blades to cut through the long shadows that filled the market street. Tefia's brazen display of skill and athleticism, though, as well as Cathari's declaration of doom, gave the poorly paid patrolmen pause. The light glinting off their light, curved blades flickered and danced down the streets as their arms trembled, the deep blues of their uniforms wavering in the cool morning air as they realized they considered the sort of foes they might be facing for their new masters.

The sentinels, however, acted with no such hesitation. In the space of a single breath, six men, their faces hidden behind the mirrored visors they wore and bodies draped in chain and indigo, descended up on the foes assaulting their fallen comrade. In the distance, the sorcerer's eyes burned with fury and the essence of creation . . .

00:22, Today: Samsara, for the NPC Sentinel BG, rolled 6 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 ((10,9,1,3,10,7,6,1)). Starting Initiative: 9
00:34, Today: Samsara, for the NPC Bronze-Skinned Sorcerer, rolled 2 successes using 6d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 4,7,9,3,1,1.  Sorcerer's Initiative. Starting Initiative: 5

Current Initiative:
Tefia - 12
Sentinel BG - 9
Tzin - 7
Cathari and Vaktri - 6
Bronze-Skinned Sorcerer - 5 (Parry 2, Dodge 3, soak 9, Hardness 6)
Lone Sentinel - 4 (and prone)

Locations:
Tzin, Tefia, and the new battlegroup of sentinels all share a space. Also the lone sentinel, but he'll likely simply be rolled into the battlegroup with his compatriots when his turn rolls around (and he stands up from prone). Cathari is at short range from them atop the tea-shop. The Bronze-Skinned Sorcerer is at medium range from all of you at the end of the lane, seemingly unguarded.

Lekeles . . . mysteriously absent (also Wind, but I'm probably just going to ignore that, if everyone's okay with that).

Also, I had a much longer post worked up until I realized that Tefia's new initiative beat the new battle group of sentinels, so their attack that I rolled hasn't happened. I'm also changing up this encounter a bit, keeping the rank-and-file patrolmen out of it because we've lost a couple of actors in this fight. I think I'll prefer to keep this group a bit small in order to keep mechanics posts from being longer than this, since this was a tad complicated all on its own. Of course, part of that was the attack roll I made that shouldn't have happened yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:53, Mon 18 Jan 2016.

A predatory grin spread across Tefia's face at the sorcerer's words. "Oh... You sound like a problem."

She rushed towards the oncoming sentinels. Just before they might have clashed, Tefia leaped into the air with enough force to displace the cobbles beneath her feet. She sailed over the sentinels, clearing them by a metaphorical mile, then landed far down the street.

"And there's only one way I know to solve problems." She charged towards the sorcerer like an implacable juggernaut.

Gain 4m to peripheral and 1m to personal at the end of the round (it's split because I have 3 peripheral committed)

She uses monkey leap technique for 2 peripheral motes to jump over the battlegroup with her reflexive move, putting her at short range to them and the sorcerer.

She uses her combat action to rush the sorcerer (7 succ on the opposed dex+athletics). By the way, what's the range between him and the side of the disk. Just curious :3

If she is hit, Tefia will use the dodge excellency to boost her evasion by up to two, and if that's not enough, she will use Reed in the Wind to take it as high as necessary after that. (up to +5 from RitW, for a total of +8 evasion)

Even as Tefia vaults over the sentinels, the half-dozen men, each hidden behind a silvered mask, storm forward, their cloaks of indigo and chain swirling about them as they heft their curved glaives. The thicket of blades descends on Tzin, lashing the air, driving him backward. Each strike drives him deeper into a corner, each near miss sending him towards another waiting blade. Clearly, the men work remarkably well together in a unit. Though they never manage to land a clean hit, several blades strike glancing blows that slide off the exalt's skin, shedding sparks over the dirt and cobblestones of the market street.

Re-using my rolls from yesterday, the BG rolled 8 successes to attack and dealt 2 initiative worth of damage to Tzin with their assault. I forgot to include bonuses for magnitude, so I suppose we can count that as gravy this time.

As for Tefia's question; Your group is actually between him and the ledge, and I'd hazard that it's beyond long range from you now. Though the district you're in is on the edge, it is not the edge itself.

"So many men and so little sense," Cathari said, shaking her head, "you're making a terrible decision, but I am merciful. Get back to me after you sleep on it."

It was then that the surge of sorcerous power reached its climax, and Cathari inhaled sharply. She locked eyes with the group of elite sentinels and blew out a cloud of dense, sparling mist on them, blanketing the whole unit with magical sleep powder.

Vaktri uses Defend Other on Cathari, protecting her with its Parry of 3.

Cathari rolls Shape Sorcery again, finishes her spell, gains a wp and drops Mists of Eventide on the battle group. Since it is my control spell, anybody who falls asleep falls under my control. To simplify things for the ST, if people who aren't raising arms against us fall asleep, Cathari will simply keep them out of the line of fire.

11:56, Today: Cathari Alaskel rolled 9 successes using 14d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 2,6,10,7,8,9,9,7,1,5, 4,8,7,1.  Int+Occult+4ex, gather sorcerous motes.

Initiative for both is unchanged; 6 and 6.

Tzin scrambles to safety on one side of an overturned cart. Cabbages are scattered on the cobblestones--a testament to the earlier violence. But there's a stillness now, as Tzin faces down the Sentinels. A momentary pause as Tzin weathers their first assault, and prepares for the next.

The early morning sun beams down on them. The soft sea breeze beginning to quell as Cathari works her sorcery, and lulls the very air itself to sleep. In that quiet, still moment, the mist drifts past, pooling at the feet of guards and Exalt alike. Around them, the poor folks caught out in the mist already begin to fall into sorcerous slumber. The air itself is heavy with the promise of slumber.

Tzin breathes in. His eyelids droop, closing just for a moment. And then everything erupts into light.

He exhales. The Essence around him a vibrant torrent of coruscating energy. As the sentinels surge forward, Tzin shifts his stance, a fierce cry on his lips. "Dogs of Ysyr!" For now, at least, he fights on, unaffected by the spell. He ducks back, sweeping the overturned cart in the way of his pursuers--now vaulting through an empty merchant's stall. As the sentinels approach, he swings out above them, scything down with a threshing, crescent kick. Three more approach, blades flashing. But he ducks between them, using their numbers against them. Moving and striking in wide arcs that always ensure that the men keep getting in each other's way.

Here, two more strike at him, but Tzin spins, elbowing one of the guards and driving his blade against the chain of the other. Again and again he strikes. A bonfire of blazing Essence erupts around him. Golden light coruscating all around him as he unleashes his power. It is a beacon in the fog. A light to all who suffer under the heels of the Ysyr. Its radiance flares as Tzin roars, "Renounce your masters! The yoke of the Ysyr is broken this day!"

OOC: Tzin spends 5 motes of Peripheral Essence on the Resistance Excellency to resist Cathari's spell. 01:18, Thu 21 Jan: Tzin Vel rolled 12 successes. Unaffected by the Mists. For now.

Tzin spends 8 motes of Peripheral Essence to reflexively activate White Reaper Form, which lets me reduce the defensive bonuses that the battlegroup has.

Tzin spends 5 motes of Personal Essence on the Martial Arts Excellency to attack the Sentinels.

Tzin spends YET ANOTHER 5 motes of Peripheral Essence on the Falling Scythe Flash to attack the Sentinels.

Tzin attacks the Sentinels: 02:17, Thu 21 Jan; 01:42, Thu 21 Jan. 9 successes total, leaving 4 net.

Tzin damages the Sentinels (10 base + 4 net + 3 (Falling Scythe Flash) - 10 (Soak) = 7. 02:18, Thu 21 Jan: Tzin Vel rolled 7 successes! Net result: Tzin punches them all for 7 levels of bashing damage, gaining 1 initiative.

If attacked, Tzin can boost his defense by 2 with the excellency, and if hit, will use Spirit Strengthens the Skin followed by Durability of Oak Meditation to reduce the damage of the attack down to minimum, as needed.

Tzin is now initiative 6.


This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Sun 24 Jan 2016.

The light of Tzin's anima blazed through the streets, scorching the air as a corona of silvery light joined the conflagration. The flare shined bright, casting a glare off the metal of the sentinels' arms and armor. As the anima's power burned higher, the shadows of those in the alley grew long. Tefia's stretched out towards the sorcerer. Within the black, two flames of green flicker to life, glittering in darkness like emeralds.

A roar splits the air, power surging like a vital current as flecks of blood and dirt spin themselves into bone and wet, glistening muscle. Crimson fur sprouts from newly formed flesh, and a fetid plume of smoke shoots out between yellowed fangs. A blood ape, loomed large between Tefia and her target, a snarl twisting its beastial features as it dug its claws into the soft earth coating the disk.

"Tremble before the might of an Erymanthus," the man cried, a crazed look spreading aross his face. "Face my familiar, you wretch!"</red>

Falling away, the bronze-fleshed sorcerer raised his hands, knuckles cracking as his fingers clawed the air. The light of a hazy flame danced in his eyes as glittering motes of essence drift and sway, swirling as they coalesce into a flowing ember between his hands.

A wild blood ape appears! Or materializes in Tefia's range band. The sorcerer begins conjuring sorcery, shaping flames between his hands and accumulating 3 motes towards his spell.

I think Swift is up next, and after he moves we'll head to the top of the next round with Tefia, the sentinels, and then on from there.

The blood ape's sudden appearance threw off Tefia's rush. She dropped to the flagstones, using her momentum to slide through its legs. She tried to grab one of its massive ankles as she flew past, but the monstrous demon ape danced out of the way with unnatural speed.

Tefia caught a foot against a raised flagstone and kicked herself upright, turning to square off against the horrifically malodorous demon.

Tefia regains 2 peripheral motes and 3 personal motes.
She spends 1m to use Vicious lunge, but manages to miss parry 4 with 11 dice and a bonus success (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
She loses 2 initiative for a failed decisive attack, putting her at init 10
If she would be hit, she will use Excellent Dodge to boost her evasion by up to 4 as needed. If she would still be hit, she will spend init to activate reed in the wind for up to 4 more evasion. If she is somehow still hit, she will use durability of oak meditation.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:53, Mon 01 Feb 2016.

The powerful essence surging about Tzin's strikes drove the sentinels back, the powerful blows lashing out and breaking their root like a harvester's scythe culling ripe grain. Several members of their company had been knocked completely to the ground, their mirrored masks hiding the shock that painted their faces, fully unaware of the great mercy their foe had shown them. As the fires of his totemic anima surged around him, Tzin seemed a demon in their eyes, his every movement wreathed in sunfire like a terrible hero of the time before. He heard the note of dread in the voice of one of their number as the fallen man whispered, "A-anathema . . ."

Before the unfortunate soul had too much time to wallow in his terror, the weight of the sorcerous mist conjured by Cathari settled over him. Their power, combined with the pain of his injuries, drove him into unconsciousness, and his mailed form slumped quietly against the cobblestones. The few sentinels who remained standing fled in terror, dispersing into the nearby alleys as they tried to escape while avoiding the mighty woman and the monster their master had summoned.

The Sentinel's battegroup sustained an almost full magnitude track of damage from Tzin's attack, and the initiative damage from Cathari's spell tipped them over the edge. After failing their route check, the BG disperses, granting Cathari and Initiative break. You two now have time to act before the Blood Ape and its master can try to salvage this fight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:51, Sat 06 Feb 2016.

Seeing success (although having caught Tzin in the cloud was going to be a problem sooner rather than later), Cathari hopped down from the roof onto the Vaktri's shoulder. She took a comfortable sitting position on the giant stone man's shoulder and crossed her legs.

"Are you reconsidering your decision, perhaps?" she said as the stone giant took great strides toward the sorcerer.

The sentinels that had fallen to Tzin's blows and Cathari's poison cloud proceeded to get up again, their movements jerky and stilted as the sorceress gestured to them and they responded, like puppets controlled by her strings. One by one they formed up into two lines on either side of her approach, holding up their hands in a sharp salute, presenting themselves as her honor guard.

"I may yet show you clemency, dog of Ysyr, if you will kneel." She couldn't help but smile at Tzin, such power, such passion! Tefia, so unassuming but quick as the first rays of dawn itself! "But no, that is not to be, is it? My associates would see you broken, and you have too much foolish young pride to do it unless your legs were cut off at the knees. Very well!"

From her perch, she took her weathered and battered tome from its place at her hip and flipped to the appropriate page. An unearthly incantation charged the air with potential, and a whirling torrent of blades materialized at her gesture, aimed straight for the sorcerer's legs. Maybe he'd kneel after all.

Mists of Eventide is my Control spell, so people who fall alseep from it sleep-walk and I get to control their actions. To keep things simple, this is absolutely useless right here, but incredibly stylish.

Vaktri drives her closer (she wants to hit him with her sword); Cathari closes to Short range and wither-attacks with Burning Name, with four dice on Occult Excellency. She gets 8 successes on the attack with a raw damage of +9, so rolls 5 withering damage dice. 3 successes; Cathari gains 4 initiative and the sorcerer loses 3. Her new initiative total is 15.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:30, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

Tzin watches as the Mists drag down the last of the sentinels. Perhaps their dreams will be free of terror. Perhaps they will remember how futile their master's power was before the glory of the Unconquered Sun.

The Mists hang heavily around the Solar. The light from his anima blazes through the fog, surging even brighter as Tzin rushes forward, unhindered by Cathari's sorcery. He bursts through the mists, wreathed in sunlight. It is morning, and yet as Tzin lunges forwards, it is a bright noonday light that washes through the streets, scattering shadows before it.

"Tremble, Sorcerer. The Unconquered Sun has come to break your power and cast down your tyranny." Tzin's voice booms out across the way. He speaks with authority and excitement. The rush of Essence is heady, driving him to break the tyrant, to free the city and the world itself all in one moment.

Then he charges the Erymanthus, leaping onto a stack of barrels (hastily set out as tribute) then to the roof of a merchant's stall. A few clay tiles clatter to the ground as Tzin sails from the roof, leg outstretched and scything downward--a falling, blazing arc carved through the air. As he strikes the demon, the blazing wrath of his Anima coalesces into a glowing golden shield emblazoned with the sigil of the Unconquered Sun. It is perfectly round, and surrounding the central sunburst are the Caste Marks of each type of Solar. On the edges of the shield, two sutras are written. One promising that the sun shall always rise, the other promising that darkness never lasts.

There is a flash of golden light as Tzin rebukes the Demon. Underneath its thick, clawed feet, the stones of the street crack from the force of the blow. And yet the demon stands, facing down the might of Heaven.

OOC:

Tzin regains five motes of Peripheral Essence, and with Initiative Break, becomes Initiative 11
Tzin resists the Mists completely, spending 5 motes on the Resistance Excellency.

Tzin makes a Decisive attack against the Demon, spending 3 motes on the Martial Arts excellency and 5 motes on Falling Scythe Flash. Tzin hits (thanks to the onslaught penalty from Tefia! (seriously, 3 successes on 13 dice! Raaaage!)

Tzin damages the demon, dealing a mighty 3 levels of damage to it. (ZOMG 3 successes on 13 dice. AGAIN?!?!?!?!!!?! Quick, Tefia, help me pick up the table so I can flip it). Tzin spends 5 motes on the Zenith Anima power and does not reset to base initiative.

Tzin is still at Initiative 11

If hit, Tzin's going to save what little essence has has left for Durability of Oak Meditation and Spirit Strengthens the Skin.

Cathari's magic scythed through the air, the phantom blades leaving visible ripples as they shredded the very air between her and her target. Were it not for the Ysyrian's small evasion, his legs would surely have been amputated. As it was, however, the attack merely sounded a clanging blow across his bronze skin, the resounding screech of metal upon metal as the force scraped past.

Wide-eyed and awestruck, the Ysyrian sorcerer looked upon the cat-eared woman and the thralls she'd reaped from his men with newfound appreciation. "This magic," he cried, stumbling over his words. "You're from . . ." Not bothering to finish his thought aloud, the sorcerer renewed his focus on the imminent danger before him. "I'll not bow before you like helpless whelp!" The motes of fiery essence swirled between his fingers, glowing ever brighter and hotter as his face contorts with obvious rage.For a moment, it seemed as if the sorcerer struggled to contain and control the power of his spell, but at its apex, the censor that hung from his robes began to glow, trails of smoke wafting from its chamber as faint cries could be heard, as if echoing from a far-off chamber. Congealing into an orb of roiling flame, the essence of the spell finally took shape. "I'll show you real magic," he cried before crushing it between his hands.

With a roar, the sorcery erupted, a torrent of wailing flames tore forth, each one a screaming wisp, showering the gathered heroes, as well as his own demon, in the wrathful fires. For a brief moment, it seemed the whole world was shrouded in pain and flame. Despite their heat and fury, however, the attack seemed unfocused, the summoned spirits of flame barely controlled. Asquickly as they'd been born, the hateful specters dissipated, falling to the cobblestones as their weak forms unraveled, each leaving a scattering a burning coals at their feet.

Meanwhile, Tzin's strike buried itself in the demon's shoulder, hot blood spraying from the point of impact as the cobblestones crack beneath the creatures immense bulk. As steam rose from the spatter of gore, the creature's gaze settled on the meatbag whose foot still rested in the wound. Silence hung in the air like a noose until, bellowing an unearthly roar, the savage ape-demon beat its chest and lunged forward, its claws cleaving a devastating arc down, crashing into Tzin with unholy wrath. Even as smoke curled from its fur, it snarled at the man and his compatriots. Though the beast's master feared the anathema, clearly, the demon did not.

All right, this was a busy turn. The sorcerer has an excellent shape sorcery roll, and combined with a store of sorcerous motes from his artifact, he manages to cast his spell (a fiery reskin of death of obsidian butterflies). Unfortunately, his attack roll is so poor that I'm not even going to bother rolling damage for the effect.

This is probably good, because the blood ape manages to savage Tzin with its fearsome claws. I assumed Tzin was willing (and able) to spend 7 motes to add to his soak, because this creature managed 21 dice of raw damage. Of the 9 remaining, it managed 6 successes worth of initiative damage. As a result, it gains 7 initiative, and Tzin loses 6. Unless I'm mistaken, this means it will be starting the next round, but I'll produce that post tomorrow.

OOC: Tzin only has 5 motes to spend, and will spend them all to reduce the raw damage by 5. However, Tzin ALSO has Diamond-Body Prana active, and has a current Sta + Soak of 11.

In reply to Tzin Vel (msg # 73):

My mistake. To avoid rerolling, we'll simply subtract the difference that I missed from rolled successes. As a result, he only dealt 2 initiative damage and gained 3, putting him at 8 initiative. This should give you all a chance to act again before his next move.

That should be more than fair. I'm going to put up a thread, however, for tracking things like current essence, health levels, soak, dv, and active charms.

It's really difficult to keep track of those things once a thread like this grows even a little bit, so players will be in charge of tracking and updating their own entries there for personal and group reference.

Taking advantage of Tzin's distraction, Tefia dodged back behind a nearby cart and gripped its frame with both hands. With a roar of "That's enough from you!", she lifted the cart over her head in a surge of power. A golden circle of burning light flashed into existence on her brow as she smashed it down on the blood ape, crushing it to the ground and scattering pieces of broken wood and cabbages all over the street.

Tefia regains 1 peripheral motes and 2 personal motes.
She grabs the cart and uses it as a heavy improvised weapon, spending 1i to attack. She also makes a withering smash attack, spending 2i more and losing 1 defense.
Continuing the theme of 'swing like you mean it', Tefia Brawls Excellently for 8m from her peripheral pool, igniting her caste mark and setting her anima to Glowing.
She hits the blood ape's parry of 3 with 7 successes, for 4 net successes.
14 dice of damage after soak gets me 6 initiative damage on the ape.

End result, Blape loses 6 initiative and is knocked prone, putting him at init 2. Tefia spends 3 init then gains 7, putting her at init 14.

Defense plans are in stats thread :)

Cathari looked nonplussed as the sorcery fizzled and dissipated. "Well, that was a real... something, anyway," she said, her ears flicking as a final remnant of hot ash touched one. "So if that's real magic, allow me to demonstrate the strength of fake sorcery," she said, a gleam in her eye.

Tefia was handling the ape well enough, but it was quickly apparent that it was more of a threat than its master. She hopped down from her Vaktri and stretched out her hand; a mass of black shadows swarmed from her hand, forming itself into an illusory swarm of cats with gleaming blue eyes that scratched and clawed at the prone blood ape from head to toe.

Cathari closes to Close range and gives the Blood Ape a once-over with Burning Name; adding 4 dice from the Occult Excellency. Result is 12 successes with raw damage of +9, against the blape's parry of 2 (4 base -1 onslaught -1 prone) and soak of 7, means 12 dice, resulting in 2 init damage. Blood Ape is Crashed and at init 0, putting Cathari up to init 22.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Tue 01 Mar 2016.