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?