A Spiral of Shadow and Light [IC]

[Kyeudo]

The night sky is peaceful, yet dark. The night of the new moon, Luna's glowing disk is hidden from mortal eyes and a thick cover of clouds shrounds the stars, as though to hide from the world the changes of destiny soon to be wrought upon the Tapestry of Fate.

Finally, light breaks across the horizon as the Unconqured Sun slowly rises to take his place in the heavens, heralding the first day of Resplendant Earth, the begining of the last month of spring. Down below, the sounds of life going on begin to fill the village streets as the mortal inhabitants of Matashi begin to go about their daily lives. Farmers make their way to the rice paddies, weavers to their looms, and labourers to the Valderi vinyard, oblivious to what twists of fate may soon come their way.

Seven travelers, from all walks of life, will soon meet in this small village, this unlikely crossroads of destiny. What choices they make may yet shake the foundations of the world. Will it be for good or for ill? We can only watch. . .


Alright, here we go. Hope that wasn't overdoing it on the drama.

Everyone feel free to post. Tequila Sunrise, if you wouldn't mind, could you wait until everyone's had a chance to post before posting your actual arival in town? Go ahead with a discription of your trip if you want, I just want to let everyone have a chance to see what their characters will do without some nobility gumming up the works.

[Ridai]

After a long, aimless journey lasting almost three months that only seldom allowed for a moment of rest, Raluca emerges from the woods near the small village down the hills, hoping that she was elusive enough so that her followers won't come here for at least a short span of time. The young, tall woman lets her gaze wander across the valley with the eyes of a fugitive, already searching for potential danger again. A sigh of relief escapes her lips when she detects nothing of that sort and she checks the straps binding the large, long object wrapped in heavy cloth to her back before descending down into the valley, tired but still alert. The slowly rising sun reveals the dirt on her light skin, red hair and dark clothes as it shines through the thick layer of clouds and with it comes a cool, but pleasant breeze (at least in this moment).

As Raluca enters the small village, she looks around for a place where she can get something warm to eat, a bed and a bath, keeping mostly to herself.

Here we go! That introduction sounds kind of like the introductions at the beginning of old English plays, but its fitting as we all are unknowingly marching towards potentially cataclysmic events.

[Cyranicles]

Wince had been keeping largely to himself since arriving in the happy little township of Matashi but something felt different about this day. It was a fine morning and the perfect setting to turn a new page in the book of destiny. Wince felt ready to start anew and the first order of business was finding some sort of employment. Besides, people would eventually become suspicious of a peasant who never seemed to lack for money. Wince resolved to begin his search just as soon as he'd checked in on his mothers and enjoyed a nice slow breakfast. Maybe he wasn't cut out for making pottery or vineyard work but there might be something to do in town; and if not, he could always see what these new comers had to offer. Things were looking up.

[The Demented One]

"Curses and blasphemies..." muttered the self-styled "Lady" Azami, uttering profanities to no one in particular as she stirred in her rented room. While she carried not-insubstantial wealth on her person, the hovel of an inn she was rooming in was the best the small town had to offer, unless she wanted to buy a house here.

She got up from bed and began dressing herself in a striking violet dress, not her usual medical robes. While the previous day's attempt at finding someone who knew the town's Immaculate Priest had failed rather egregiously–"Not that I'm going to dwell on that." she reminded herself–she was going to try again today. She wrapped a studded leather sarong around her dress, protection enough against whatever mugger and murderers this town might harbor, and took up her walking stick. Slipping an oilskin pouch of medical tools into a hidden pocket inside her buff jacket, she went out into the village.

[Terraoblivion]

Despite her best skills, city-bred Gao Shu could never pass for a peasant so she hadn't even bothered trying. Instead she had taken on the role of a small time gang member from Nexus on the run after a lost gangwar, though none had actually asked why she was traveling yet, so she just appeared to be a poor woman from the big city.

Since arriving in town the day before the young woman had mostly kept to herself, sleeping in front of the fireplace in the inn for the night. It seemed like a peaceful place where she might stay for a few days to try and restock her supply of money, she would not get far with what she had left from before her escape from Nexus. The amount of people traveling through the town should make it easy to find a mark without the whole town being tipped off, though if all else failed she could always fall back on performing menial chores, though that option wasn't exactly appealing.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian slept in the grass: he couldn't stand another night in that musty wagon. It had made a passable workshop and a workable storehouse, but the smell of alchemical concoctions was beginning to drive him insane. It wasn't the sun that woke him, but rather the croaking of frogs: three, in turn, like a choir.

Humble Jian was handsome, or at least he carried himself with a handsome sort of dignity: his long, black hair was kept in an officious topknot, held up by strands of silver. He wore fine clothes: gray silk and a rich, blue surcoat, a small emblem of the Guild emblazoned over the right breast. He returned to the wagon and began the short drive back into Matashi, his home, and the very thought of it seemed to catch in his throat. Shaiya would be enough to face, he knew, but Nami would have to be dealt with too.

He passed through old roadways, unrecognized by the weavers he formerly occupied with childish storytelling. He went unspoken to throughout the entirety of Matashi until he finally arrived at his home, disembarked from the wagon, and stood at the door, too afraid to knock.

[Kyeudo]

As Jian tries to gather up the courage to knock, the door opens. A young woman with long, dark hair, no more than twenty, steps out, almost running into the alchemist before she notices the man at her doorstep. Startled, she glances at your face, her green eyes widening further. "Jian?... You've really come home!" She throws her arms around your shoulders, a welcoming hug for her older brother.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"I, Shaiya, I'm--" he manages, then breaks down and returns her hug, taking her a half-inch off the ground as best he could. He sets her down and squeezes her once more, then lets go. He saw in Shaiya the same compassionate features that he'd known as a child, the same forgiving eyes and tremulous smile. She'd gotten more beautiful in his absence, and had a matronly sort of reverence hanging about her, like flowers on the vine.

"Shaiya. I'm so sorry for everything that's happened," he said, moving back towards his wagon, rummaging through the back of it. "But I'm going to start fixing it, right now," he said, emerging with a fine bottle of red glass, stoppered and ornamented with silvered wire. "This is for mother. A week's dose. Administer it daily, diluted with water. Age-Staving Cordial, Shaiya. Genuine. Real. I made it," he said, the last statement nearly incandescent with pride. "And I'll make more. For all of us. And...and we can get a new house. A better house, big one with nice furniture. Or they can add on to this one, so we wouldn't have to leave the house that father built, we could just make it bigger and--" Shaiya interrupted him with another hug.

"You're staying? You're not going back to Nexus, are you?"

"I--" and Jian wasn't truly certain how to respond: his business with the Guild could, in theory, sustain itself even if he remained here. He'd taught the procedure for producing the Cordial, and he could continue whatever production the Guild requested from Matashi with regular shipments, pending of course on the goodwill of the Guild--something that Jian had learned not to depend on. "I'll try. But there is something I need to attend to first. Nami. He's at the Vineyard, still?"

[Kyeudo]

"He should be at the manor house. He seldom visits the vinyard anymore unless there's something important there he needs to attend to." Her eyes quiver, betraying her worries. "Please don't cause any trouble. I don't want you to end up like father."

[Tyracus]

Few of the new arrivals had paid attention to the game in the area, thus none noticed a pair of green eyes belonging to a wolf of enormous size that followed their approach. Even more difficult to have noticed was the man who rested easily in the tree above the beast. Opening his eyes he rolled easily to the side, landing in the leaves that made the bed of the forest floor with ease and silence that only comes from long months and years within similar environs. The man reaches down easily to pat the wolf as he speaks to it.

Well Andrel, it seems that we finally found someone of worth to speak to. Travelers such as those would surely have some word of the world at large. Let's go and see shall we, waiting here accomplishes nothing but catching up on our sleep.

With that the man steps out of the woods, sunlight glinting off of the well tended jade of his bow that is strapped over his dark traveling cloak. As he speeds his steps he overtakes the young woman idling inside the gates, taking a moment to stop once he moves upwind of her to speak.

If you mean to hide your weapon a better means of doing so would be to carry a pack like that of a traveling peddler, not such a large singly wrapped item. You seem to have had a hard road, he sniffs and cringes and you seem to have had an unfortunate encounter with boar droppings along your way. I have paid the innkeeper in advance for services for a weeks duration, I would be willing to treat you to a bath and warm meal in exchange for the tales of what you've seen on the road. With that Alanadel motions towards the inn ad sets out, leaving the swordswoman to decide whether to take the offer or not.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"I promise to be careful, sister, but the matter of our father's death must be attended to. Nami was callous," he says, seating himself at the front of the wagon and taking the reigns in hand. "I'll be back by midmorning," he says, reaching into the satchel at his side, first to confirm the presence of his chakram and secondly to withdraw a strip of metal--one mina of silver, which he handed gently to Shaiya. "Let whatever merchants Nami and the potter have allowed to stay know that our family's name is now credible in silver."

And with that he left, the old mare pulling his blue wagon along. The right wheel creaked with each rotation, and Jian felt himself filled with a small sense of familiarity and an uncomfortable sense of growth: as much as he tried to stop himself from feeling so, he became aware of quite how much he'd been changed by Nexus, broadened, enrichened. At the same time, he hated the temptation, the dehumanizing superiority of riches. It was that kind of wonderful, toxic pride that had produced Nami. Humble Jian struggled to be worthy of that name as he passed Hai-Tza at her loom, nodding kindly to the soft-featured old woman who had been a surrogate mother. How curiously distant he felt, as if she were a painting of that woman and not the genuine article. He struggled, and finally conjured a measure of familiarity, remembering an afternoon spent watching her at that loom, the feel of her blankets on a cold night, and the strength of her hands. It was some time before he came to the Manor House...

[The Demented One]

As Azami hurried along the streets, not entirely sure who she needed to see (not that her uncertainty impeded her fervor), a burst of muddy water sullied her face and dress. She whirled back, glaring at the carelessly-led cart tat had slashed her, and at the well-dressed guildsman riding along it. Biting her lip, she vows not to forget that face, composing the beginnings of an angry rant to spit out at him should they meet again. But first, there is her meeting–a woman claiming to be a friend and confidante of the much-rumored Immaculate had agreed to meet with Azami, and being late to such a reception would be catastrophic. Wiping the mud off her dress, Azami hastened to her erstwhile contact's house.

[Terraoblivion]

Gao Shu moved through town at a leisurely pace trying to see if there were any easy marks. She had neither the time nor the resources for anything elaborate. The place wasn't much one for the simple things, people having clear businesses being there and not in awe at being in the big city like they had been back in Nexus. That most were either dirt poor or very clearly passing through towards a clear goal didn't help either. She should probably try to get to know one of the travelers a bit better and see if any opportunities presented itself.

Looking around the town square that she had reached, she tried to determine if there were anybody who weren't too busy to want to talk to her. Of course waiting for the evening and trying to talk to people in the inn would be easier, but she didn't want to spend more time in one place than strictly necessary. The woman in the hideous purple dress hurrying through the town might be a good bet later. She seemed like something was taking a lot of attention and causing stress in her, that should hopefully make it easier to make her open up enough to a stranger to learn something from it.

As she was thinking she tried to feign the appearance of actually having something to do. Which was hard in this sleepy dirthole, she could always go hang around in the bar, but she didn't want to get drunk nor to appear like she was always drunk. It would clash with the image she was trying to project.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

Shaiya stands in the doorway for a long moment, clutching the silver bar in both hands, watching as her brother rides off. He's changed...


Did you want me to discribe the manor house now, or was that an invitation for the rest to take a chance to post?


Azami

The young healer is relatively sure she has the right house. It's a simple place, a wooden one-story, two-room house adjoining a cooper's shop. The building isn't new, with the wood starting to take on the rough grey exterior that comes from a long time spent in the sun and rain, but the place is well maintained, the newer woodwork standing out somewhat. The sounds of hammering come from the shop next door, and somewhere inside a young child is crying.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

The manor is not hard to find. Situated up on the hillside, the two-story stone building towers over the nearby village structures, its tall, narrow windows and elegant stonework lending it a gothic asthetic. The high granite wall encloses at least four acres of tended gardens, secured by an iron-bound oak gate carved with a relief of burgeoning grape vines. A pair of guards lounge against the wall next to the gate, bored with the passing villagers.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige strode into Matashi, searching for a distraction. He had heard this little village had good vineyards...if only he could find a bloody inn. The ride from Nexus had been long; he was a veteran horseman and accustomed to the saddle, but he was finally beginning to feel his age as much as he hated to admit it. His men, the rest of Meoni's armed escort, had ridden with him beside her carriage of course. As long as they were there he had friends to pass the time with...but Meoni had had that look since leaving Nexus. She and her...clerk, Karache, had hardly left the carriage the entire trip despite decent weather. He often wondered if the two were having an affair, but he always decided it could never be. Meoni was warm enough, in a condescending way, but Karache...he couldn't recall ever seeing the small wiry man smile.

Hiroshige was sure that Meoni and Karache were planning something more than a simple 'diplomatic vacation.' Their hosts had certainly been none too pleased to see any of the Shining Summit company arrive at the manor house, though of course the proper courtesies and pleasantries had been extended. Hiroshige knew his sister Meoni wasn't telling him the true reason for their vacation, and he didn't want to know what it was. As long as the family name was respected...well, he was just better off not knowing. If only he could find a damn...ah, there! An inn, and he could fairly taste the wine already! He'd be sure to bring back a bottle or two for the men...

It is possible that the manor that Jian is visiting is the manor of Hiroshige's hosts. But I'm not sure if it'd work, so I'll leave that up to Kyeudo.

[Kyeudo]

Hiroshige

Yes, the manor you are staying in is the same one that Jian has aproached. There's really only one gig in town when it comes to actual political clout. Feel free to describe whichever inn you're going to, if someone hasn't discribed it already.

[Cyranicles]

No mother, I'm planning on getting a REAL job. I feel like this is a chance for a fresh start you know? Anyway, I've gotta get going, today's a lucky day; I can tell. Say "Hi" to the others for me.

She watched him leave, creeping well out of the village before circling around to reenter from the the opposite side. He was a talented boy and sweet. She was proud of his dedication both to his extra-legal skills and his adopted family. Still, she worried, single-mindedness could be both problem and solution.

Wince wasn't worrying about anything. He'd just accomplished a most thorough revenge, enacted his vision of justice, and had seemingly received an entirely fresh start at life for his efforts. Reentering town he found himself facing the village shrine and determined that a sacrifice to his new home's god would be just the thing to ensure that he starts off on the right foot.

Matashi's shrine is a low circular building featuring only two rooms. The first a small chamber in which one can remove one's shoes before entering the shrine proper, the second, a wide circular room whose walls are covered with prayer scripts, talismans, and other religious articles. It could be difficult to separate one god's altar from another amidst the clutter but the shrine was well-kept and clean. Wince found that Shin, the village's god, had his shrine set against the building's central pillar; and kneeling there, he prayed that his good-hearted mothers might find peace in Matashi and that he might find work away from the drudgery of agriculture and pottery. Whispering his thanks, Wince slipped several small coins onto Shin's Shrine as well as a sweetbread that Wince had saved at breakfast.

Wince then stepped slowly back into the village and the light of late morning, casting his eyes about for the opportunity sure to come his way.

[Ridai]

"Really bad start. Mind your own business." Raluca answers to the man and goes to the inn on her own. Seems like I won't stay here for long after all.

There, she directly goes to the innkeeper, paying upfront for accommodations for a day in addition to ordering a bath and also asks where she can wash her clothes. She doesn't waste time with idle talk, immediately going up to her room and locking the door behind her. Raluca closes the window and draws the curtain in front of it, quickly putting the cursed sword under the bed into the corner so she only has to see it when she retrieves it. Pulling the change of clothes out of her shoulder bag, she waits until the bath is ready (locking the door of her room when she leaves), not wasting any time there either, unable to stop or relax (and knowing that the bath won't be as nice as it was at the beginning with all the smears of earth on her body).

After changing clothes and cleaning her first set (well, taking care of the most serious spots, as she doesn't mind the worn look and the smell of earth), Raluca orders a big hot meal, preferably with meat.

All this will take some time, so I'll wait a bit before proceeding. Yeah, I'm not very comfortable playing downtime and idle talk, I find working towards a goal much more interesting.

[Cyranicles]

Wince had emerged from his prayers just in time to observe a green-eyed stranger make a generous offer to a tall woman with the all-too-familiar aire of one who fears she is hunted. Wince's optimism was at least partially a ruse to cover his own fears that he might be being pursued. Perhaps a minute later Wince observed that same tall woman sharply drawing the shades to what was obviously her new room. Old habits die hard but at the moment Wince's curiosity about that heavily wrapped package wasn't enough to overcome his desire for self-preservation. If he got in trouble here he wouldn't know where to go next. He tried to purge from his mind the thoughts of mysterious packages and alluring readheads instead opting to follow the generous traveler into the inn.

Wince found the traveler at a table alone, fingering a bow that was easily worth a fortune. Speaking quietly to avoid drawing any more attention than necessary Wince drew close and addressed the stranger.

I couldn't help but overhear your generous offer to that firebrand outside and that got me thinking...I've got a story or two. Now I don't need a bath, but I am new to town and man like yourself could well have the kind of connections I need. I'm just looking for a job, something...respectable. So, as long as your buying the drinks, I suggest we trade stories and just maybe you'll know where I might find something to do in this town.

Wince peremptorily takes a seat, You first?

[The Demented One]

Not thinking to knock, Azami tries to open the door. If it yields, she brusquely walks in, announcing "The Lady Azami is here for her audience!" She takes a moment to survey her surroundings, seeing if she can discern anything of her contact's personality from them.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian slows the horses to a standstill as he approaches the guards, careful to straighten his posture and upturn his nose to play the part of the good Guildsman.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, I've come for a short parlance with the lord of the manor. Is he in?"

[Tequila Sunrise]

So, as long as your buying the drinks, I suggest we trade stories and just maybe you'll know where I might find something to do in this town.

Wince peremptorily takes a seat, You first?
Hiroshige walked into the inn and immediately heard two men talking, plainly strangers to each other. Striding toward them, he greets them with a broad smile. I'll gladly buy a round of drinks for a round of tales. I'm Hiroshige. Hiroshige is a middle-aged man with long dark hair streaked with gray, held back with a thong. He is muscular, and moves in a precise military fashion. His clothes are travel stained, but well-made and cared for.

Is it appropriate to carry weapons in public areas? I'm sure nobody would try to stop Hiroshige, but would it put off the average Joe?

[Terraoblivion]

The slow drizzle of people heading into the inn did not escape Gao Shu's notice. Of course she couldn't just head back immediately without having done something after leaving the inn earlier, what it was, was less important. She had noticed a structure similar to a temple earlier, she could always go there and send a prayer to some god or another before heading back.

Doing so she went to the temple building and looked over the shrines inside. Most of the gods seemed to be local deities that she knew nothing about. After looking for a bit, however, she found a small shrine to the god of the Grey River. Sure, the river wasn't here by the town, but the local economy still depended heavily on the Grey River and the god could just not be ignored. Bowing down in front of the shrine she uttered a quick prayer to the river, saying a few generalities about hope for prosperity and safe passage on her journey ahead.

Having done something to make it seem like she had a real goal leaving the inn, she left the temple and headed across the town square towards the inn.

[Kyeudo]

Azami

You find the door unlocked. Inside, a woman, rather startled by your sudden declaration, is trying to quiet a crying toddler. Bouncing the child gentley in her arms, she gets up from where she was sitting. "Oh, it's you. Sorry I couldn't help you last night, but I needed to hurry home to prepare dinner. Now, you said you were having trouble finding where Arda lives?"

Humble Jian

The guards come to a semblance of attention at Jian's aproach. "He is here, but he is currently entertaining important guests."

Hiroshige

Carrying weapons in public, while not against any law here, would definately mark you as a traveler. Talking to armed, possibly dangerous men is usually somewhat off-putting.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"Well," he says, slightly irked, "I suppose I can wait. And I don't suppose that you gentlemen," he says, counting out a small stack of silver coins from his satchel with a kind of feigned indifference, "could tell me who these important visitors are? Idle curiosity."

[Tyracus]

Alanadel looks at the man as he sits at the table for a moment before nodding.

It's fine by me, I intend to hear as many stories as I can. You never know what's growing or lurking out there. My name is Alanadel. Now as for tales, I'm only a recent traveler having stayed close to the roads I don't have many tales to tell. Closest thing I have is a bandit ambush, and that was just a tiresome endeavor in burying the bodies. As for work you'd do better speaking with the innkeeper, caravans travel through here from time to time and sometimes look for more guards. Alandel keeps an even not quite droning tone in his voice, reminiscent of someone reciting a simple list of facts with little real interest in them.

[Cyranicles]

Wince adopts a tone of clearly feigned offense speaking more to the other travelers come to the table and the inn than Alanadel.

Surely this gentlemen is being frugal with the wealth of stories he must possess. Why cares he what lurks or grows "out there"? And how did he come to possess such a marvel as that Jade bow? Perhaps he is saving these fine stories for our entertainment when the hot hours of afternoon pass us by. Hiroshige, you seem a man who has seen much of the world. I ask humbly that you be next to share a tale.

Wince knows he's only really got one story to tell and while he is eager to seek favor with these travelers he wants to be sure he can trust them first. He's in no hurry to tell his tale.

[The Demented One]

Azami bows in greeting, much more formally than the makeshift meeting calls for. "Oh yes, I would be so interested to meet the priest, but I've no idea of how to find him, or talk to him. Why, if I could just have an hour alone with him, a day..." Azami pauses, wordlessly fantasizing over all she could learn from the priest. Coming out of her reverie, she gives an apologetic cough. "...and of course, if you could help me meet with him, I would be gracious till the Empire's fall. Where can I find him?" Azami asks in an officious tone, as if she were laying down a formal challenge.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

You can almost hear the coins jingling in the guard's head. "Sure, they made a big enough fuss coming in the whole town probably knows they're here. It's some Dragon-Blood and her entourage. Can't quite remember the name though..."

Azami

The toddler quiets down, looking curiously at Azami with wide blue eyes. "He lives on the other side of the river, with the rice farmers. He doesn't often come into the village proper. I can take you to him, if you'd like. He holds readings of the Texts every week in the afternoon and I usually find a way to attend."

[The Demented One]

Azami claps her hands together in happiness. "That would be just what is needed! I could talk to him, read the texts, maybe even..." She cuts herself off, remembering her host. "Thank you so much, honored mother. If you could take me to meet with Arda, it would be the completion of a long journey for me. When can we leave?"

[Kyeudo]

Azami

"I need to wait until one of the girls comes back to watch this little one. They ran off to play with their friends, but I told them to be back at noon."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Setting his glance on the guards, Humble Jian takes a short, covert breath to steel himself, and then begins to jingle the fistful of coins.

"Wonderful. I'm sure it will prove to be a fruitful afternoon. I'd be tremendously glad if you could open the gates; I've been aiming to visit my dear old friend, Nami, for quite some time now. I'm sure there would even be some way for me to express my gratitude for your excellent service to my dear old friend," Jian says, pouring the silver coins into a small purse.

Humble Jian really wants to get in, so I'm spending a Willpower for an automatic success...because, really, there's not much way he's getting in on his natural social graces.
Pure Manipulation Roll!: [roll0]
Hopefully that, and Jian's respectable Appearance can get him in before he has to start bribing them in larger denominations.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

The guard smiles slyly. "Lord Valderi doesn't usually like to be disturbed when he is with important guests, but I'm sure he'll make an exception for an old friend."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"Excellent," Jian says, setting the purse on the ground as gently as he can before taking the reigns again. His intentions are clear and simple: get in, see Nami, demand an explanation, and make it clear that such things as this are never to be allowed to happen again. Even still, the thought of it sickened Jian to his stomach, and he set a finger against the cold metal of his concealed chakram.

That was, he decided, the biggest change Nexus had wrecked upon him. He couldn't feel safe anymore if he was unarmed. In a simpler life, he would've been armed with truth or honesty. Now, it had to be sharp, brutal.

He had to be sharp and brutal. But this wasn't Nexus. Nami wasn't a Guildsman, was he? This is Matashi, Jian reminded himself, repeated to himself. It became a mantra, repeated through his head as he spurred on the horse.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

The guards, after collecting the fallen purse, swing open the gates for Jian and his wagon. One remains behind to watch the gate while the other accompanies the wagon as it rolls up the cobbled drive. Once you dismount, the guard leads you inside.

The manor's rooms and hallways are lavishly apointed. The walls are covered with wood panelling or immaculate white plaster, carpets from the Far South cover the floors, and elegantly carved furniture fills every room. Several servants pass you, going about dusting and cleaning throughout the place.

Finally, you are brought to the door of a parlour on the second floor. The guard knocks firmly, and is answered by a well-dressed manservant.

"There's a Guildsman here to see Lord Valderi. He says he's an old friend."

"I shall inform his grace." The manservant vanishes back inside the room for a minute, the returns. "Lord Valderi will be with him shortly. He can wait in the office."

The guard nods and leads you away. Nami's office is in the corner of the building, with the narrow windows of one wall facing towards the vinyard and the others facing towards the nearby forest. A massive desk dominates the center of the room, made of polished mahogony. A few small stacks of papers are arranged neatly across it's surface, appearing to be mostly accounts of revenues and expenses. A few cabinets rest against the wall behind the desk, probably containing more reccords. A row of cusioned chairs provides seating for guests there on buisness. The guard takes up a position next to the door.

Nami is true to his word. It is only five or ten minutes later that the office door opens. Seeing you, his expression sours. "Oh. It's you." He says flatly. For a man of such importance, Nami is incredibly young, only in his late twenties at the most, but his expression is one of those used to getting their way. Taking a seat behind his desk, he leans back into the chair, almost a throne. "What do you want?" he demands condescendingly.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"What I want," Jian begins, even-voiced and stern-faced, "is nothing more and nothing less than is owed to me, and to my family. You killed my father as surely as a knife in the back, but you didn't even have the knife's honesty of intention or courtesy of speed. So," he says, taking a seat slowly, eyes fixed on Nami's, "I've come to organize the formal explanation. Perhaps even, if that heart of yours can spare a moment to beat, extract an apology from you for taking a father from his children, for ceasing the livelihood of a family with such petty intent and callous disregard."

Jian sets his hands in his lap and looks about, taking in the whole of the appointed room.

"Have you ever done a day's labor? Do you know what it feels like to be worked, quite literally, to death? Have you known hunger, met fatigue? Stop me if I'm getting too personal. I just wanted to know what it takes to condemn a man to death. By Shin, I don't think I could manage it. Takes a real predilection for casual cruelty."

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

Nami waves a hand dismissively, displaying a pair of golden rings on his fine boned hand. "Your father was a thief and a fool. He got no more than he deserved."

Azami

The woman, who introduces herself as Gentle Rain, bustles about the house, taking care of everyday chores. Rain's two young daughters, both around ten, return soon enough, later than expected, for which they get a scolding. After ordering her children to their chores and leaving them to tend to the baby, Gentle Rain leads you to where the Immaculate monk lives.

You follow along, through the main streets of the village, down to the river, and across a small wooden bridge to the other side. Here the areas nearest the river are divided into rice paddies by earthen dikes. Farmers in rough clothes wade through the flooded fields, getting the last of the late planting done. Gentle Rain guides you along the dike, towards the clusters of rude huts beyond the rice paddies where most of the farmers live.

You feel a little out of place in your brightly colored dress amoungst all the poor villagers coming and going, but others, clearly from across the river, dot the crowd, although none stand out quite so much. All seem to be gathering around the front of one hut in particular. A wiry, wrinkled old man, bald and begining to stoop with age, is seated cross legged on the ground in front of the door in a meditative posture, a large scroll across his lap. People find their own places nearby, most finding a seat on the muddy ground, although some opt to stand.

Once no more seem to be coming, the old man unrolls the scroll and begins to read, recounting the deeds and words of the Immaculate Dragon Pasiap. The old man's voice is suprisingly loud and carries fairly well, although his tone has a tendancy towards monotony. The reading continues for more than an hour, until, after recounting some final deed of the Dragon of Earth, he begins to reroll the scroll and the crowd begins to disperse.

Hiroshige, Wince, & Alanadel

Hiroshige takes a moment to think. Of recent events, I haven't much to tell. Nexus is the last place of note we passed through on our way here. It is still as decadent a city as ever, where a man can get his throat slit over a cracked jade bit. There was a fire on Sentinel's Hill a day or two before we left, some mechant's manor or some such, but nothing I saw personally.

The grizzled veteran motions to the barmaid and orders a bottle of wine, one of their recent vintages. The serving girl hovers for a moment, allowing a moment for the others to place an order of their own.


Merry Christmas! Tequilla Sunrise said he may be MIA for a few days, so that's why I posted for him.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"You really are a heartless thing, aren't you?" Jian asks, rubbing his temples furiously. "I'd ask what my father stole to raise your ire, but it doesn't really matter, does it? In the end, you'll still just do whatever you want, because Matashi depends on the vineyard and the pottery works. Pity. If only there were something that could be done...oh, wait," Jian says, feigning a smile. "There is. I think Matashi would make a fine place to set up shop. Think the villagers would be up for that? Good pay, Guild-rates, competitive with Nexus. And fair hours. Of course, the Guild likes to know everything about their neighbors. No stone unturned and whatnot; but you don't seem the type to keep any embarrassing business practices that'd come back to haunt you. And I'm sure all the villagers will remain at the vineyard, regardless of what I do. They certainly wouldn't abandon you, not with how gentile and respectful you are," Jian says, standing.

"And in this strange future, when the Guild isn't watching you like a hawk and the villagers of Matashi haven't left the vineyard...I'm sure daddy will be ever so proud."

[Ridai]

Having finished her meal, Raluca feels satisfaction spreading weakly inside her. With a sigh, the young woman looks out of the window, sunlight shining warmly on her face, a grim expression forming on it as she, unnoticed by herself, recedes into the depths of her mind. Three months of fleeing and hiding without a destination or foreseeable end to it, of constant whispers in her mind promising her an end to her duty and to all responsibility as well as a solution to her boiling hatred. The madly thrashing thirst for destruction, bound by its chains, hammering against its cage.

The voice of the barmaid yanks her back into reality. Raluca manages a slight smile as she answers the barely heard question and pays for her meal. Stepping outside the inn, she takes a deep breath and goes on a walk through the village, slowly calming down. One day without the whispers.

Wonder where she'll end up.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

"You actually think you are a threat? A single craftsman? Oh, you might steal away a few workers, but there are always more to take their place. A divot on my bottom line at the worst. As for the Guild, I've dealt with them before. They hold no new threats to me." Nami leans forward, steepling his fingers in front of his nose. "Is that all you came here for? To make some pathetic attempt at extortion?."

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami sits patiently throughout the sermon, albeit not entirely attentively. The lore of gods and Heavens fascinates her, but the tales of Pasiap teaching his arts to the Dragonblooded holds now great fascination for her–had he taught healing, rather than mere architecture and magic charms, then she might hold more respect for legends of the Dragon of the Earth. Nevertheless, she keeps her eyes fixed on Arda, her mien that of perfect concentration as she pieces together her plan for what to say to the monk.

As the service concludes, the healer makes her way through the bustle of the departing peasants, an egregious shade of violet amid a sea of brown and grey. "I didn't quite think this dress through." she moans to herself, hoping that the luxury of dyed cloth won't offend the priest. As she comes to where Arda sits, she bows deeply before him, then sits cross-legged on the ground, silently cursing herself for having worn a dress as she worries with it to both properly cover herself and avoid ruining it in the mud beneath her.

After a moment of respectful silence, Azami addresses the priest. "O Teacher, my name is Azami, a physician and healer. I have come to learn from you, to learn whatever you would impart to me of the ways of the gods of healing. If you could show me how to commune with them, what prayers to offer, which gods to worship, then what little talent I have might be magnified by the grace of the Heavens, blessing the sick with health and the wounded with healing...if you would teach me."

In the silence before the priest speaks, Azami frets needlessly, hoping that her blend of obeisance and piety–certainly not false, but perhaps projected a little strongly–was the right thing to say, and praying that she has not committed some grave offense against the Immaculate Faith.

[Kyeudo]

Azami

The old monk smiles kindly. "I'm not sure how I can help you. I have little skill as a healer and I doubt that my counsel on spiritual matters is quite what you are looking for."

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami is entirely taken back by this. Her mouth slack with undisguised, undignified surprise, she stammers out, "But you are a priest...an Immaculate. Surely you must know all the gods of health and healing, all the prayers to call upon them?" Not thinking of decorum, she springs to her feet, wringing her hands behind her back. "Why, if there were anyone to know the ways of Heaven, how to speak with the gods there, would it not be you? Your counsel may not be the precise thing I am looking for, but surely it would set me on the right path? I beg you, anything you would teach me, I will sit at your feet and learn, if that is the price to be paid!" A raw desperation tinges her voice, just as the droplets of cold sweat slick her forehead.

[Kyeudo]

Azami

"Calm down, child," the old monk says calmly. "No need to get so excited. Yes, I am a priest, but I am only mortal. There are countless gods, more than you could name in a lifetime. Some are great, and others less so, but to trouble them with mortal cares or distract them from their duties with excessive devotion to any single spirit would be unseemly. Are you sure you wish to trouble the little gods?"

[The Demented One]

Azami

"But...surely the only duty the small gods of healing could have would be spreading health and well-being, just as a healer's oath commands them to heal any sick or wounded who comes to them? Do not we share the selfsame, noble goal?" Distraught almost to the point of trembling, Azami cradles her head in her hands, taking a moment to regain her composure. "Oh, teacher, forgive me for my pride. There must be so much I do not know...surely, though, some wisdom must come of this." she says, content and self-sure. "What talents I have will not be wasted here. Surely there are some in Matashi who need healing, and I will not see them want for it."

[Kyeudo]

Azami

"It is good you have such noble goals in mind, but understand that the little gods do not think or act as we mortals do. A god of healing doesn't spread healing and promote health, he ensures its continued existance. If one should be lax in his duties, hundreds might suffer as their illnesses refuse to abate and their wounds refuse to close. Improper worship can tempt the little gods from their proper course too easily. Better it is to leave communing with the spirits to the Dragon-Blooded."

[Cyranicles]

Wince attempts to disguise his interest in Hiroshige's story saying, "Ah, typical of Nexus is it not? One noble's estate goes up in flames, another is built upon it's ashes in a fortnight. Well, I suppose it's my turn isn't it? I'm a Nexusian of Firewander. Raised poor and, as you can see, I remain poor. Poor but not unfortunate. In the dangerous neighborhoods of Firewander I befriended an ascetic Martial Artist who hailed from this very town. Years of studying under him have given me a passion for the fighting arts and I am here to measure myself against his former opponents. I had been considering finding some sort of employment to sustain myself, but just maybe you've given me another idea... Would you gentlemen be inclined to purchase tickets to a fight if I were able to arrange one?"

[The Demented One]

Azami

"Yes, I see the wisdom of that...and yet, my pride refuses to let me alone. It must be blasphemy, but surely Dragonblooded are still mortal, even if they are exalted above mere humanity? If they could be raised up to such power, is not there any other path to it?" Azami asks, thinking of her mentor, who seemed to hold no little sway over the gods.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"This isn't extortion," Jian says, sternly. "For it to be extortion, you'd have to have something I want--and I assure you, you possess nothing either physical or intangible that I covet, Lord Valderi." As he speaks the name, he envenoms it with utmost contempt, stands, and approaches the doorway.

"There will be changes in Matashi. I thought it only neighborly to inform you. Oh," he says, turning, "there is one thing. If you ever, ever hurt any member of my family again...well, let's not even think on that kind of unpleasant business." With those last words, Humble Jian moves to leave the house, striding briskly and growing more and more red in the face as he replays the glib encounter in his mind.

[Kyeudo]

Azami

"You speak of dangerous things, child. Wishing for such things courts the spirits of the Anathema. The Dragon-Blooded are the chosen of the Elemental Dragons, rewarded for their deeds in past lives with enlightenment, long lives, and great power."

"Still, one can't force truth upon the unwilling. I wouldn't live here if I didn't believe otherwise. The gods hear prayers, child. Perhaps if you pray hard enough, one will listen."

[Tyracus]

Alandel pauses for a moment to think over wince's proposal before shrugging. Do you speak of a gladiatorial bloodsport or something more of a tournament. The latter is always an interesting event but the former is rather distasteful in my opinion. Fighting for a goal is always worthwhile but to battle just for the sake of fighting is simply wasteful. Much like the hedonistic practices I've heard tales of from Nexus. Then again part of why I left my home was to open my mind a bit more and it would do me little harm to attend one such event. As for your question of my bow, it is a family heirloom, little excitement in that, however the tale of my final test before joining the ranks of my unit seems to be the type of tale you hope for, but I dislike speaking of it in the company of strangers. Perhaps if we get to know each other better you'll hear it.

[Cyranicles]

Good Alandel, Wince says reassuringly, that sounds like quite a tale and should I ever have the opportunity to hear it, I'd be quite honored. And no, I do not talk of bloodsport though I do not think a tournament is within my power to organize. I speak of single combat to test my own abilities. And with that, let me leave you gentlemen. I must seek about town for an opponent suitable to test my skill. I am grateful for your hospitality and your company and I hope we might do this again soon.

Wince slides away from the table, half-amused and half-ashamed that he hadn't actually bought any drinks for the seemingly good men with whom he'd been sitting. He approaches the stained and sticky bar, standing a coin on its edge in one of the many divots made when patrons slam their glasses down during a drinking contest. He inquires of the bartender as to which martial artists in the area are considered the most accomplished. And, standing another coin next to the first he also asks about the most recent goings on in Matashi.

[Terraoblivion]

Hearing voices from the inn Gao Shu entered. She had noticed people going there before, but not whether they would be talking or just head to rooms. Thankfully it was the first. By attaching herself to the group she had a chance of learning more or possibly finding someone to travel with, there was safety in numbers as well as a general tendency to spot a bit for each other.

She headed inside and looked at the group. "Greetings. Mind if i join you?"

[Kyeudo]

Wince

The bartender answers in a bored tone as he runs a towel around the inside of a glass. "Martial artists? Arda teaches some of that every now and then, but other than that I couldn't tell you. We get alot of people through here, but not many stick around too long."

"Not much has been going on around here lately that would intrest an outsider. Oh, there's the local gossip and the daily grind, but none of that is big news anywhere but here."

[Cyranicles]

Why wouldn't folk stick around? Seems I nice enough place, less than friendly bartenders, Wince flashes a smile to indicate he's just kidding, but a nice enough place. Fact is, I was thinking of sticking around. It would make a nice change from the crazy live in Nexus, you know. Nothing interesting going on eh? Well, bar keep knows best I always say. So where could I find this Arda?

[Kyeudo]

"Most who come through here are travelers and merchants, people just passing through on their way to somewhere else. If you want to find Arda, he lives somewhere across the river with the rice farmers."

[Cyranicles]

Wince thanks the bartender, waves to his new acquaintances and ambles out of the inn as if there were no hurry. However, once outside. his pace picks up quite a bit, reflecting his excitement. Wince knew the layout of the town and especially the surrounding areas from his frequent roundabout trips to see his mothers so he knew exactly where the rice farmers lived.

As he arrived he found the smell less than appealing but none too difficult to bear. After all, there were alleys (and for that matter people) in Nexus who smelled far worse. Asking here and there for directions from the common folk, Wince quickly found his destination. There was a comely young lady engaged in what seemed to be an unfulfilling conversation with an old man who Wince could only assume was Arda. The old man had a patient, almost resigned look to him and as Wince came closer he found that the old man's voice fit the part as well, chiding yet gentle.

Wince approached the two speaking and said quickly to the old man, "I do not mean to interrupt but if you are Arda then I am new to this village and wish to speak to you." Wince is prepared to leave it at that and stand away for awhile as they finish their conversation. If they make no reply to him he will take up a position several paces away waiting until they've finished.

[Tyracus]

Finishing the last of his first mug Alanadel motions for another round before turning his attention to the woman standing at the table.

Seeing as our other companion just left you are more than welcome to take his seat. I am Alanadel and this is Hiroshige, we are both fairly recent arrivals in this town and decided this would be a good place to gather a bit of information about the region.

[Terraoblivion]

Not letting the man say it twice, Gao shu took a seat at the table motioning to the barkeep for his attention. "My name is Flowering Orchid, i'm traveling through myself, arriving only yesterday. The lack of caravans going in the direction where i want to go has left me here for a bit. I just hope to find a caravan before my money runs out."

[Kyeudo]

Wince and Azami

"It's no trouble at all. What did you need to talk to me about?"

Raluca

The weary traveler finds that her meandering path through the village has left her on the north edge of the village, between the Valderi manor and the edge of the forest that borders the vinyard. From her vantage point here on the hillside, Raluca can see the whole sweep of the valley, from the edge of the clay pit and the nearby slave barracks to the rice farmers' huts and the grassy hills on the other side of the Wavering River. A cold breeze ruffles the leaves of the distant trees as a distant flash of lightning catches your attention, its muffled peal of thunder heralding the possibilty of rain to come.

But the thunder doesn't quiet. Instead, it grows, a rumbling sound that seems to shake the earth beneath your feet. Dozens of riders, dressed in leathers and armed with spears and curved swords, burst from the treeline, hundreds of hooves pounding the ground. The workers tending the vinyard break at the sight of the men, running towards the manor compound as fast as they can, but already the riders are overtaking them, cutting them down like wheat at harvest.


Jian probably gets a good view of all this happening, and definately can hear the screams.

[Ridai]

Raluca's eyes widen in disbelief and horror as she curses herself for ever stopping. Very soon after, her survival instinct comes back in full force, sending her running at a breakneck speed back into the town, en-route to the inn. The short sword already tightly gripped in her hand, destruction was coming Raluca's way again and she was ready to cause it herself if necessary. She urges people to flee southwards as Raluca passes them.

[Cyranicles]

Thank you sir. My apologies for the interruption madam. Wince launches into his story. I was trained in the martial arts by my master Tou Wu who came from this village. I have trained for many years and seek to test my skills here in the village of my master's birth. I have also heard that you are this village's most noted martial artist.

I know that I am not known here and that you have the right to reject my request and I will utter no complaint if you refuse me. Still, I ask for the honor to face you in combat at a time and place of your choosing.

Wince bows his head, wary that his challenge might be accepted immediately, as he had been taught by Tou Wu, Fanghao's father.

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami watches the newcomer with a look of wary interest, almost glad to have a distraction from her and Arda's heated theological debate. "There's now chance the monk accepts this challenge, not by my mark. And this new one...bold, at least, if not wise. It would be an amusing bout to watch, at the least."

She smiles graciously, and perhaps falsely, and steps. "I wouldn't wish to obstruct an honorable duel," she says, propping herself up on her walking stick a few yards away, "But if neither of you have any objection, then I would watch. I know a little of the martial arts, enough to know that this would not be a fight to miss."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian sniffs at the air after the lightning, hoping, lightly, for the familiar scent of rich loam and rain-to-come. He nearly falls off the wagon at the sound of the screams, and as he turns his eyes widen to take in the fullness of the throng descending on the village. Jian's thoughts turn immediately and irrevocably to his family, and he takes his chakram from his satchel. He urges the horse on, riding swiftly through the paths of Matashi.

"Attack! There's an attack on the vineyard! Secure your homes!"

Jian yells this message over and over until he finally comes to his home and barges in, finding Shaiya and his younger brothers seated at the table.

"Shaiya, I need you to listen to me," he says, realizing how crazed he must look, gesticulating with a chakram. "There's a raid on...I don't know, it might just be the vineyard, but it might be the whole village. I need all of you barricade the doors and hide. I'll come back when it's safe."

As he exits and begins to look back to the raid, he wonders: is it really so bad? What if they're just after Nami's coffers? Did he have an obligation to help then? But Jian remembered the screams, not Nami's but his workers'. This couldn't be just a matter of vendetta.

[Kyeudo]

Raluca

The riders continue to pour from the woods, a hundred men or more. The horde of raiders splits, the greater part turning to charge down the hill towards the village while the rest continue through the rows of grapevines, killing any workers that come within reach. Mounted archers riddle the fleeing backs of helpless workers with arrows before the men can reach the cover of the nearest houses.

The people you pass need no encouragement, running for their lives from the sounds of dying cries, heading for the manor and the relative safety of its stone walls.

Wince and Azami

"No time like the present, they always say." The old monk rises from the ground with a smile and stretches, joints popping like popcorn. Arda flows through a quick series of graceful, flowing movements before coming to rest in a fighting stance. "It seems someone has forgotten Rule One."

Just then, one of the farmers comes running up. "Sensei! Raiders in the village!" All around, you see people begining to panic as they finally notice the raiders across the river, farmers and their wives scrambling to gather up possessions and children and make for the other side of the hills.

Arda immediately becomes serious. "Gather what men are willing to fight and see what you can do to hold the bridge. I'll go ahead and see what I can." He enters his hut for a moment, emerging with a spear in hand.

"It seems we will have to postpone our match until later." He bows slightly to Wince before rushing off towards the village.

Jian

Shaiya rises from the table as Jian heads back outside. "Please, don't go! You could be killed!" Her words may be too late to be heard.

Outside, people flee as fast as they can, some heading south towards the river, others heading towards the Valderi manor, hoping to reach the safety of its walls before the invading riders. Here and there amoung the crowd, men and women alike grasp weapons, simple spears and bows, ready to defend themselves as best they can from the raiders. Cries for help and desperate prayers to the village's gods mingle in the air with the screams of the dying and the thunder of horse hooves.

At the Inn

The first sounds of screaming finally reach those inside the inn. "What's going on?" the bartender wonders, going to a window to see what all the commotion is about.

[Terraoblivion]

The survival instinct honed on the streets of Nexus and wakened during her flight from the Guild woke in Gao Shu. It seemed too crude to be the Guild that had come for her, but it was not impossible and even if it wasn't it could still be trouble. Not wasting time to be polite she was on her feet again, headed for the window to look out along with the bartender, a small hushing moment aimed at the others at the table.

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami turns to Wince. "If there's to be a battle, then the both of us will be needed. Come along, hurry." She sets off running, still cursing her dress as it flaps uselessly at her ankles. She no longer holds the walking stick as a prop, but instead holds it sideways before her, as if to fend off an unseen attack.

[Ridai]

Raluca keeps on running towards the inn, vaulting over low objects and taking the most direct ways utilizing quick single steps on walls to maintain her speed.

At the inn, if no riders are in sight, she quickly opens the front door and closes it just as fast while trying to reduce the noise as much as possible (if there are, well, no time for subtleties). After rapidly ascending the stairs, she unlocks the door to her room and pulls out the cursed sword from under the bed, shouldering both the heavy blade as well as her bag.

[Tyracus]

Alanadel opens his eyes as the noise increases. Standing up he drapes his cloak over the chair revealing his full regalia of jade armor and bracers in addition to his jade bow, iron ringed oak staff and a well crafted knife on his hip.

They are raiders, thus I have seen from my companion who awaits outside. You may stay here if you wish but I intend to stand against them.

With that he moves out bow at the ready. With quick footfalls which make little noise he approaches the bandits, opening fire with a volley of three arrows as soon as he is within range of the lead riders.

First off is Join Battle [roll0]

And a speed 4 flurry of 3 shots, 1 each against the lead 3 riders.

Arrow 1: [roll1]
Arrow 2: [roll2]
Arrow 3: [roll3]

And base damage for all 3

1: [roll4]
2: [roll5]
3: [roll6]

[Cyranicles]

Beautiful and a fighter! What luck!, Wince smirks as they run. He's scared, for himself and for his mothers but he never loses sight of his immediate goal which at the moment is to drive off these raiders. Judging by those he met in the inn and the two he finds himself suddenly allied with, Wince feels confident that the odds are not unbeatable. Wince continues talking as they run, I'm going to need a weapon and you don't happen to know what Rule One is do you?

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami either ignores or does not recognize the comment payed to her. "I never said I was a fighter, now did I? I'm a doctor, not a martial artist. After the battle, there will be wounded." She gives Wince a chance to catch up to her, not wanting to arrive without her new warrior companion.

She holds her staff out to him, gesturing for him to take it. "I know enough of anatomy to wound a man, but you'll be able to do more with this than me."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian can see the bandits, see the raiders, hear the screams. But he turns. Turns away, and begins to run back to his home. Bangs on the door and slides in just as Shaiya moves the barricade aside, then helps her move it back. Whatever worry he has for the others of the village evaporates like a puddle at noon as the image of his family, slaughtered, thrusts itself into the forefront of his mind.

"Go," Jian says, directing Shaiya as he begins to move more miscellaneous debris in front of the door. "Get away from the windows. There aren't any in the pantry...get the kids in there. I don't want them to see any of this."

Satisfied, he adjusts his gloves, then removes a small amber bottle from his satchel and begins to apply it, carefully, to the rim of his chakram.

"Don't ask," he says if Shaiya inquires.

Applying Arrow Frog Venom! It pays to be a pharmacist who really, really likes his family.

[Cyranicles]

To Azami Wince says,Thank you, I'll put this to good use. My name is Wince.

Wince knows that the doors to the house that his mothers purchased are strong and possess thick crossbars. Safety was one of their largest considerations while taking up residence in the village. He tells himself over and over that they are as safe as they could hope to be...but still he worries. What if the raiders begin setting fire to things? If the burning building collapsed, would they be trapped in the cellar? How long to clear a collapsed building?

Attempting to shut these distractions out of his head Wince draws closer to the farmer that brought Arda the news of the raiders.

Arda mentioned Rule One. What is that?

[The Demented One]

Azami

Azami chuckles, trying to hold her amusement in check. "Surely you were trained by a sifu, were you not? Did he not teach you the most crucial of all rules?" The physician remembers more than one young ruffian in the streets of Nexus who was taught the first rule by her mentor, leaving them battered and bloody on the street. "Rule One: 'Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man.' Or woman, as the case may be."

[Kyeudo]

At the Inn

From the window, Gao Shu can see the carnage unfolding. Armed villagers here and there fight back against the tide of horsemen as their charge begins to bog down in the winding village streets, but still the riders push forward, deeper into the village. Some of the raiders lie dead in the streets, cut down by peasant weapons, but the villagers are woefully untrained compared to the invaders and fall easily before the riders' lances.

Still, things are not without hope. Guards atop the manor walls armed with long bows fire down into the mass of raiders, their training and superior equipment inflicting telling losses. From the manor itself, a shower of broken glass is all that heralds a sudden bolt of lightning blasting down from one of the upper windows, felling man and horse in one blow. Even the local spirit court has joined in, apparently. You could swear you just witnessed a discarded bucket lauch itself from the ground to smash into the back of a raider's head and knock him from his horse.

Just ahead of the horsemen, Raluca sprints into the inn just as Alanadel steps outside. The young woman pounds up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time, before vanishing into her room.

Three arrows bloom in the throats of the leading riders. The corpses fall from the saddle, dragging behind the still galloping steeds by feet tangled in the stirrups. A dozen more surge forward, bearing down on the Dragon-Blood at a gallop. Voicing a deep growl, Andrel bounds up beside his master, teeth bared and ready for blood.


1 Stunt Die for Alanadel, but the riders are down anyway, so I don't need to roll it.

The riders and Alanadel act on the same tick, but their action will be to close to melee range with you, so post your next action.

If you are wondering why everyone seems to be using the same inn, noone specified they were staying at someplace else.
Now if only someone will actually name the place before it gets burned to the ground. :smallamused:


Azami and Wince

You splash through the mud on the dikes and pound across the bridge into the village, trying to keep pace with the old man. Despite his age, the old monk easily outdistances the two of you.

He meets the frontrunners at an incredible speed, actually running up the wall of a nearby house and vaulting off. In midair, he lashes out with a spinning kick that crumples the side of the man's head, sending the rider tumbling to the ground. Landing, he snaps the spear around, ready to meet any retribution with deadly force.


You two may want to roll Join Battle rolls.

I was wondering how many would get the reference. :smalltongue:


Humble Jian

Shaiya needn't be told twice. She quickly herds her frightened siblings down into the cellar, then helps your listless mother down as well.

Outside, your fears seem to be quickly coming true. Horsemen race down the street outside, carving through old neighbours and strangers alike. A cluster of raiders pulls up in front of your door and begin to dismount. From inside, you can hear their words over the sounds of slaughter.

"I saw someone head in there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You know the orders. No one left alive."

Rough hands pound on the door, trying to budge the barricaded portal, but to no avail. "Check the windows," the man in command orders. Raiders begin to move to both sides of the house.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Thinking quickly, Jian slides a rug over the cellar door, careful not to leave so much weight on it that Shaiya will be unable to open it. He kneels behind an overturned table, chakram in hand, eyes darting, reflexes ready.

"Let's make a deal," he says, yelling out through the windows as best he can from his cover, "My name is Jian, thaumaturge of Nexus. Money, drugs, potions, long-life--everyone wants something. I can give you any of these. Just leave my house alone!"

[Terraoblivion]

Seeing the carnage outside Gao Shu cursed under her breath as she turned to the other patrons of the inn. She had not wanted this, not for herself and certainly not for the people of this town. She lacked equipment for anything but self-defense, her training wasn't that remarkable either, but she had to do something. "Either of you good with a sword? We are going to need it." A long, slender rod-like object with a metallic end was pulled from her side, which with the flick of her wrist unfolded into an unusually large fan, though the most remarkable feature of it was its metal spines.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

The only answer to your offer is the sound of breaking glass, as a mailed fist smashes through one of the windows. The window across the room shatters in a similar manner and the raiders begin to climb through.


Join Battle:[roll0]

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"Gods that hide little things, let them fail to find my family," Jian says in a pious whisper as the raiders respond with mailed fists. He takes quick aim and lets his chakram fly, sending it towards the first raider only to have it rebound back to his head. Not waiting to see if it's hit it's mark, he turns and throws again at the raiders coming in through the other window, ricocheting it carefully from the first raider to the second to a door knob and back to his hand. Breathing heavily from fear, he offers his thanks to Whispers-in-Autumn for forcing him to learn to defend himself.


Woo. Channeling Compassion to protect my family for a Speed 4 flurry of three attacks!

Normal Pool is 8, plus 3 from Compassion for 11. Flurry brings it down to -3, -4, -5
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

...Wow. It had become rapidly and painfully abundant that Humble Jian wasn't meant to take on lots of opponents. Or, for that matter, any opponents. Hope these rolls go well.

(I'm also afraid I've lost the rules for inflicting poisons with a weapon...I believe I need to inflict a level of lethal damage for the poison to take effect on them, and that it's only a single dose)


[rollv]

[The Demented One]

Azami

Reaching the scene of the battle, Azami prepares to defend herself, spreading her legs into a martial stance, and raising up her hands. Watching the elderly monk fight off the bandits, she is only glad that she is fighting on his side. She turns to her newfound companion. "Stand by me. We have a much better chance of coming through this alive if we fight together."

Join Battle

[roll0]

[Cyranicles]

Wince chuckles in response to Rule One and realizes that it is his good fortune to fight beside rather than against Arda.

Wince quickly realizes that Arda's value is greater than that of a mere ally; Arda is also a fantastic distraction. Wince decides to capitalize on the attention Arda draws by striking raiders who have turned their focus on the old man thereby easing Arda's task and his own.

Join Battle W+A, 4+3, [roll0]

Just as Wince is preparing to leap at his first mounted opponent a water bucket carooms violently off the face of a raider and comes to rest between Wince and his enemy. Leaping off of the bucket Wince twists 360 degrees, building momentum as he lashes out with Azami's staff and catches his target full in the chest with a blow that crushes bone and then some.

Accuracy=Dex+MA+Wpn Acc= 4+5+2=11 die

[roll1]

Wince lands smoothly just next to Azami promising, "If I'm not at your side I will be nearby."

I'm just making notes regarding the math so as to keep things straight in my head and make it easier for any mistakes to be corrected.

[Ridai]

Raluca descends the stairs in full gear. "Back to what I wanted to prevent," she mutters wearily under her breath. Her senses sharpened and focused, preparing for the battle beginning in a few seconds, as she waits for the riders to draw closer to the door, for her time to strike.

When it's her turn, Raluca runs towards the raiders as they draw closer and uses the wall to reach the rider closest to her, crashing into him with a ferocious stab into his chest to send him out of his saddle. Using the freed space, Raluca takes her sword into her other hand and she delivers a wide, brutal swing to the front of another rider nearby while gripping the saddle before jumping into the opposite direction the horse is riding into, seemingly floating in the air for a very short moment. As she falls, Raluca uses the momentum of the rider that quickly passes her to augment her strike on her way down, quickly getting up with a roll when she hits the ground the three riders hopefully hit before her.

Join Battle [roll0]

Speed 5 flurry with three attacks, 12 base Acc pool + 3 channeling Conviction (I'm AFB the next few days, so I don't know if the bonus applies to all attacks or just one, so I don't include them into the rolls. If just one, then add the bonus to Attack 2)
Attack 1 [roll1]
Attack 2 [roll2]
Attack 3 [roll3]

I have no idea if that kind of stunt is possible without an extra action in the flurry or if it is appropiate for a heroic mortal, so yeah, experimentation time.

edit: Wow, incredibly rotten luck there. :smallannoyed:

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

Almost faster than you can react, the first of the raiders are through the windows. Your flying chakram slashes across the first raider's jaw, flaying open the man's cheek before returning to your hand. Your second throw gashes open the second man's throat, spraying blood everywhere, but the rebound to the first man only grazes his thick leather jacket before returning your hand.

"You bas-" the raider begins to say, before the poison catches fire in his veins. He passes out mid-sentance, falling face first onto the floor.

Behind you, you hear the heavy chopping sound of swords being turned on the door, while more raiders attempt to climb through the windows.


Chakrams don't normally rebound, but stunt bonuses say "They do this time!"

You forgot to roll Join Battle, so I rolled it for you. 1 success. They got a 3, so they acted 2 ticks before you to climb through the windows.

To see how fast the door falls apart:
Attack1:[roll0]
Attack2:[roll1]

[Tyracus]

Combat Stats
Dodge Value: 6 (3 after flurry)
Parry Value: 5 (needs stunt to apply)
Soak: 11B/9L/8A Hardness: 5L/5B
Oaksplitter Speed 4, Accuracy 15, Damage 10L (Broadhead arrows), Rate 3 Range 400
Health Levels Unhurt (-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/inc)

Smirking as he readies his next volley Alanadel yells at the onrushing horde.

Come now, if you intend to make me waste my arrows you could at least provide some sport in exchange. Go, show them how it's done Andrel.

With that Alanadel releases two arrows out at angles to strike foes flanking the leader while the third is fired off with a force sounds like a heavy tree-limb snapping suddenly under a great strain. As it flies towards the leader he can just make out a trail of green almost like a vine or willow branch as it nears the point right between his eyes. After the volley Alandel stands his ground firmly as a green shimmer of willow branches begins to fall around him.

Now I will show you just what Oaksplitter and myself are truly capable of. Feel free to run whenever you feel the need.

As the riders approach to meet in him combat they find him a frustrating foes as he begins to spin and turn, making the shining branches dance around him to mask his true position and to push those that are accurate to less damaging locations, even they they are met with the screech of steel on jade lamellar, turning even telling blows into harmless impacts.

3 shot flurry, last shot has 4 motes spent on 1st archery excellency for 8 bonus dice.

1 [roll0]
2 [roll1]
3 [roll2]

I'll save damage for your rolls seeing as I should very likely have some large accuracy bonuses.

Edit: Gah that's a lot of low rolls on the 18 dice attack. My second roll hit harder :smallmad:

[The Demented One]

Azami

Seeing Wince lash out with her staff, Azami leaps and whirls, her slitted dress flapping in the air. She aims a vicious spinning kick at the raider's head, extending her leg straight to its full length. She shouts with more ferocity than such a small woman might be thought to have, hoping to intimidate her foe with her unexpected, terrifying attack.

Attack

[roll0]

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"Try and slaughter me and I'm the bastard," Jian remarks under his breath, still unable to look at the body sprawled out against the frame of his window. With the overturned table between him and one window, he takes aim for the other and rears back. The chakram slides from his lofty grip and whirs through the air with a melodious sort of howl, landing square in the soldier's armor--and there it stays, caught against tangles of metal and armor. Jian curses, uncertain as to whether it's truly even penetrated the armor as he searches around for anything else that can be thrown.


Speed 4, an attack against the one he tried to hit earlier that it just bounced off of. He's really desperate here, so he's spending yet another Willpower for an automatic success.

[roll0]+ 1 Automatic Success.
Awareness roll to try and find anything else that he can use as a thrown weapon...I knew I should've raided the pantry. Next time, I'm bringing a bag of knives. [roll1]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt dice for everyone:

Wince
[roll0]

Azami
[roll5]

Raluca
[roll1]

Alanadel
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

Jian
[roll6]


At the Inn

Riding four abreast, the raiders, Marukani by their dress, level lances at the lone Dragon-Blood and charge. Their horses close the distance with incredible speed, but nothing can match the swift flight of Alanadel's arrows. Three horsemen fall before they can even reach the archer, while you easily sidestep the fourth's wild lance blow.

Andrel, seeing his opening, lunges, clamping powerful jaws around the horse's neck. The horse rears and pitches wildly, trying to dislodge the great wolf's jaws, forcing the formation of riders to part. Only two horsemen pass close enough to even attempt to harm the Terrestrial. One catches only air, but the other strikes home, causing a minor scratch across Alanadel's shoulder (1 lethal damage).


The raider scored 6 successes on his roll to hit you. Since that would require a 3 die stunt to successfully dodge and you don't have a Dodge Excellency, I went ahead and rolled the damage. He got stupidly lucky. If you want to try dodging/parrying it with a stunt, go ahead. Won't hurt my feelings.

Due to her join battle roll and the time needed to reach the scene from her room, Raluca's action is slightly delayed. Alanadel manages to fit in another action just before hers.


Azami and Wince

Wince's spinning strike slams into the raider, but the man's thick leathers absorb most of the blow. As the man raises his sword to strike down the would-be martial artist, Arda's spear darts out, piercing the horseman through the heart. Pulling the point free of the corpse, the old monk whirls to face the next rider, shouting "Well done, but aim for his head next time!"

Azami's leaping attack nearly finds it's mark, but the man raises his buckler in time to ward off the blow. Her foot meets only wood and leather.

The invaders spur their horses around the trio of martial artists, swords slashing and bows drawn. A pair of arrows wizz past Azami's ear, while a third buries itself in the ground just beyond Wince, but he is too busy blocking a sword strike aimed at his head to notice. In Arda's skilled hands, the spear haft becomes a twirling wooden shield, deflecting the raiders slashing blades with ease.


I have the song "Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting" playing in my head right now. :smalltongue:


Humble Jian

Wood splinters as the door gives way beneath the raiders' swords. Unintelligible battlecries come from their throats as the throw what remains of the barricade out into the street. Behind you, you hear a man land with a heavy thud as a raider makes it through the window. The raider trying to make it through the other window isn't so lucky, however. Your chakram flies true, embedding itself halfway into the man's chest.

Searching about for another weapon, the only thing that comes to hand quickly is an unlit oil lamp, snatched from a nearby shelf.


The man whose armor deflected your chakram the first time is the man who just died from poison. There were only two people in the windows.

If you need to dredge up some more improvised weapons, come up with your own. It's your house, so what do you have there?

[Cyranicles]

Wince is shocked that one of the most violent blows he'd ever struck could be so easily shrugged off by this raider but Wince knew what to do when confronted with an opponent that is stronger than anticipated. Cheat. One of Wince's earliest lessons was that the best target is one who doesn't know you're coming.

Wince dives into a somersault just as one horse passes him and just before the next beasts turf-shattering hooves can catch him. Their legs were fast as lightning; in fact, it was a little bit frightening, but Wince had expert timing. Rising fluidly outside the ever-shrinking circle of the Raiders' attention Wince ratchets Azami's staff up into the confused face of a Raider who had expected to find a third target in the circle.

The force of the blow knocks the raider backward in his saddle, causing him to yank on the reins. As the horse rears and other circling raiders begin to collide with it Wince slips quickly back into the circle speaking urgently to his companions, We can't fight them all. We must make for the Manor; Arda lead us!

Wince is attempting a flurry of two actions a reestablish surprise attempt and one attack. Wince will spend a point of willpower to add an automatic success to his surprise roll. It only adds to one roll right? Not each action in the flurry?

Reestablish surprise: Dex + Stealth-Flurry penalty=4+5-2=7 dice
[roll0]

Attack: Dex+MA+Wpn Acc-Flurry penalty=4+5+2-3=8 dice
[roll1]

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige curses himself for leaving Black Lily and Swift Snow back at the manor. Grabbing a nearby broom, the longest thing he can find, he races out of the inn to return to Meoni and his men. If any riders get in his way, he'll aim a blow at their solar plexus with the handle end to knock them off and then take their horse.

Join Battle if Necessary: [roll0][roll1][roll2][roll3][roll4][roll5][roll6]

I'm not sure how to handle rolls for an improvised weapon though.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Desperate, Jian takes the oil lamp in hand and cracks the glass bulb of it against the table like an egg, shattering it into bits of glass. Careful fingers grasp at the center of a large and roughly star-shaped shard as Jian tumbles through the nearby doorway and into his kitchen, launching the shard at the nearest raider in mid-tumble. He stands, slowly, his breath catching in his sternum as he then looks around, taking in his options--cutlery on the counter and a promising butcher's knife still caught in an open bird.


3 Dex + 3 Thrown...no idea what the accuracy penalty is on improvised glass shurikens.
[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice for Jian:[roll0]


Humble Jian

Jian's improvised shuriken finds its mark, but shatters upon the raider's leather armor. The angry soldier follows Jian into the kitchen, drawing his sword and hacking at the young alchemist (2 success). In the other room, you can hear more men plowing through the remains of the barricade.


From what I could find, improvised weapons are a -3 internal penalty, so I'll knock those off the end of that roll.

You got no successes on the damage roll. :smallfrown: Can't win them every time. At least your attacker's roll sucked. All you need is a 1 die stunt to dodge that.

[GryffonDurime]

The attack hit, but did no damage--can I still get back a point of Willpower from the stunt?

Humble Jian

Jian's hands fly to the butcher knife as the raider's arm arcs back, his sword glinting dangerously in dusty motes of light filtering in through the old windows. Armed again, Jian dives, pushing off from the cabinets to slide under the table. He emerges from the other side, hopefully missing the raider's swing, and lets fly with the butcher's knife, sending it hurtling towards the invader.

Woo...knives. Jian's spending another Willpower on an auto success.

[roll0]+ 1 Automatic Success

...I've learned an important lesson about relying on Thrown as your key combat ability. Never go anywhere without a bandoleer of perfect chakrams.
[roll]

[Kyeudo]

Yes, the roll you stunted succeeded.
Stunt Dice for Jian:
2 for the dodge and [roll0] for the attack


Humble Jian

The raider's sword bites into the table as you roll beneath it. The butcher knife slashes across the man's bicep, splattering blood on the floor. The man screams in pain and rage and lunges around the table, swinging wildly. Two more of the horsemen barrel into the kitchen, blades already drawn. They rush at you, but trapped as you are between the wall and the table, only one of them strike at you. Somehow you dodge out of the way of both slashes.


2 damage to the raider, enough to hurt him but not kill him.

[Terraoblivion]

Sorry for being so inactive. Lots of things have distracted me lately, though mostly just a sense of laziness

All senses told her to get away, to only use her weapon for self-defense should the riders attack her. The sight of the riders butchering innocent people overshadowed those instincts, these people needed all the help she could get and she was good enough at fighting to at least give them some. Hopefully...

Heading towards the door she kept low, the fan at the side where it wasn't immediately noticeable. Hopefully they would not notice her until it was too late. She was really making a mistake, she knew it. Even so the screams echoing in her ears drove her onwards. The ones by the dragonblooded were a good bet, occupied and less likely to skewer her. Hopefully.

As she got there, she suddenly threw her hand upwards, letting the spines of her fan bite into the leg of the soldier, before a flick of her wrist let it dig in between the rings of his armor.

A flurry of two attacks against the soldier attacking Alandel. I channel compassion for the extra dice as well.

Attack 1 [roll0]
Attack 2 [roll1]

Base damage is 3L, meaning i will probably accomplish a grand total of nothing

[Tyracus]

Alanadel rolls back with the blow trying to diffuse it's force as he draws his bow once again to fire and strike the raider from below. Continuing his backwards roll he pushes off to land on the lowest crate of a nearby stack from which he fires his second arrow at the next approaching raider. Continuing his motion he mounts a rushes up a second and third crate to gain the high ground from which he fires his third arrow to knock another raider from his horse, nailing him to the ground.

Attacks:
1) [roll0]
2)[roll1] 1 mote on 1st archery excellency
3)[roll2] 1 mote on 1st archery excellency

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian falls to his knees to duck the raider's swipe and crawls under the table, springing up on the other side to overturn it, sending it towards the newer raiders while he takes quick aim against the wounded swordsman, noting with a twinge of fear that the bloodied man stood on the edge of the carpet under which was concealed the cellar door. Jian throws his last knife with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, fear erased by a new found courage.



Woo...Valor channel. This would be a flurry for overturning the table against the two new guys and then attacking the wounded one. Let's see if I can at least get my death count to four before I get royally screwed.

Feats of Strength are a Diceless action, right? But the attack is still the second action in a flurry, so -3; mitigated by 2 for the Valor and that leaves...

[roll0]

...I think. I have to admit, this has been my first experience with a lot of the Exalted system's combat in gameplay. Good experience to work with.

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Hiroshige
[roll0]

Gao Shu
[roll1]
[roll2]

Alanadel
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

Humble Jian
[roll7]
[roll6]


At the Inn

Three men fall from their saddles, pierced through by the Terrestrial's arrows as he mounts the pile of crates. Andrel doesn't fare so well. The rearing horse manages to shake the great wolf from it's neck and it's rider soon regains control of the beast. As the raider raises his sword to smite the snarling wolf, he suddenly finds a sword buried in his chest.

Pulling her blade free, Raluca slashes at the nearest rider, but finds her wild blow easily deflected. Not waiting for a counterattack, she leaps away, striking at a third raider on the way down, but her target batters away the strike with his buckler.

The raiders retaliate with swiftness, two slashing at their newest attacker as the remaining three launch a volley of arrows at Alanadel. Raluca manages to turn aside both strikes, but only barely, while the arrows simply clatter off the Dragon-Blooded's jade armor.

Appearing almost from nowhere, Gao Shu's war fan rips into a swordsman's leg, tearing open an artery. The man screams in pain before passing out from the sudden shock and falling to the ground, blood pooling around the body at a prodigous rate.

The other swordsman, hearing his fallen comrade's cry, turns in time to get a broom handle in the teeth. The man sways in the saddle, but does not fall. (He took 2 bashing damage.)


Raluca didn't score any successes on her Conviction channel. Sad, but that's how the dice roll sometimes.


Humble Jian

The table slams into the two newcomers, knocking one off balance, but the other merely throws the table out of his way. Still, the distraction is enough to buy Jian time to hurl his last knife. The blade finds the wounded man's throat with surprising ease, his body falling across the carpet with a hollow thud. A small cry of fright escapes the cellar below, muffled by the heavy door, but still audible.

As the fallen raider climbs back to his feet, the other attacks again, his sword whistling through the air towards Jian's chest. (3 successes)


Planning on Exalting this scene or not? :smallamused:

Since your DV is down to 1 from that attack, you need a 2 die stunt to dodge that slash (or a sudden increase in Essence and Dexterity). :smallbiggrin:


Wince and Azami

Just waiting on Azami to post so I can update this part of the battle

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

As the unhindered raider's blade sweeps through the air, Jian attempts to grab hold of either side of the door frame and force himself up and over, but the sword doubtlessly finds it's mark, sounding loudly as it rips through Jian's tunic to reveal the clean, silvered metal of his chainmail. Stymied and uncertain of the extent of the blow, Jian stumbles as he hits the counter, taking hold of a familiar sack from under the cupboard. He draws out a fistful of it's contents and hurls it, aiming for the raider's eyes as he turns to face Jian anew--salt.


Yeah...I can't dodge that one so I'm probably going to have to take it. Hopefully, I can figure out something else for Jian to throw...other than condiments.

Thrown Attack for the Salt:
[roll0]

[Ridai]

Having barely parried the ride by attack, Raluca stumbles backwards from the combined force of swordarm and horse, a little longer than she has to. Feigning an opening, she abruptly changes her stance and goes for the leg artery of a raider riding close to her. Immediately after, she sees another rider coming towards her, making her dodge around the front of the horse at the last moment, changing sides to catch the riders offguard. Raluca immediately jumps, grabs his arm, pulling him sideways and down, and burries her blade in his back.

Back on the ground, she propels an already damaged flask someone must have lost in the chaos towards another raider with her foot, forcing him to (easily) deflect the improvised projectile. Using the short opportunity, Raluca holds her sword upside-down and rams it into his stomach with both hands' full force.

Speed 5 flurry, 3 attacks. Uses a Willpower point.
Attack 1 [roll0]
Attack 2 [roll1] + 1 automatic success from WP
Attack 3 [roll2]

[Kyeudo]

1 stunt die for the dodge attempt, and [roll0]


Humble Jian

The blade bites through Jian's chainmail and draws blood, but the wound is only superficial (1L damage). The raider pursues after Jian, intending to finish the job he started, but is met by a sudden cloud of salt. He throws up a hand to shield his eyes, but the fine powder easily bypasses his guard, temporarily blinding him. He swings wildly, eyes blinking madly, but Jian is able to keep away from the raider's sword. His comrade is not so penalized, rushing back into the fight with a vicious swing (2 successes).

[Tyracus]

Alanadel gauges his distances for a moment before starting a running leap from his box vaulting neatly up onto the overhang of the inn's stables firing an arrow at the nearest rider as he does so. Upon landing on the roof he kneels, his anima flaring and growing into a whirlwind of whip like branches. When he looses the arrow four tendrils wrap around it's target, pulling the arrow to even greater speeds in it's flight to it's target. As Alanadel stands chips of the edge fly off and marks like those of a whip appear on the roof itself. As the howling of wind through trees howls about him his voice rings out loud and clear.

You fools, I had warned you that you were poor sport for me. You face a dragon-blood and I have yet to crown to my full glory. Leave this village in peace immediately and I may be merciful enough not to hunt you down like the dogs you are.

Speed 5 flurry.
1st action: Jump to the stable roof.
2nd action: 1st shot 11 dice [roll0]
3rd action: 2nd shot 14 dice [roll1]
2 motes for 1st archery excellency. Makes 8 peripheral motes flaring my anima for 1 damage every minute and a flare that should be notable most anywhere in the village.

[The Demented One]

Azami

Regaining her balance after her aborted kick, Azami decides to pin down a foe with Wince. She leaps into the air without a flourish, dropping like a swooping crane and driving her foot not into the rider, but into his mount's leg, hoping to shatter an ankle at best, or spook at the least. "Let's make this fast. We can't take men on horseback."

Attack

[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Wince
[roll0]
[roll1] - Had to laugh once I realized you'd fit a line from Kung-Fu Fighting in there.

Azami
[roll2]


Azami and Wince

Wince rolls between the horses with unexpected speed, taking the raiders by suprise. His borrowed staff cracks the lead rider across the face, temporarily stunning the man and causing the other raiders to pile up behind him for a moment. Arda seizes the chance to spear another man from the saddle as Wince relays his plan. "Good idea. Many hands make for lighter work. Let's go."

As the three of you take off down the street, the riders follow, not about to let their victims escape so easily. Azami attempts to rectify this with a flying kick to the lead rider's horse, but the horseman manages to wheel his mount out of the way and aims a slash at the healer as he rides past. Azami dances out of the way as the raiders launch another volley of arrows. A broadhead slices past the healer, so close to her skin it slashes open the sleeve of her dress. Arda spins to deflect an arrow aimed at his back with a slash of his spear, almost preturnaturally aware of the attack. A third arrow wizzes towards Wince, threatening to bury itself between his shoulder blades (3 successes).

While the raiders draw fresh arrows from their quivers, Arda sees his chance. Planting the head of his spear into the ground, Arda polevaults towards the horsemen, aiming a kick at the nearest rider. The man ducks under the monk's foot, riding hard towards Azami with his sword drawn, leaving the old man to his comrades. The man soon finds out his mistake. Arda pulls his spear from the ground while still in mid-air and hits the ground running, easily keeping pace with the galloping horse. The old monk stabs out, piercing the man through the throat and pulling him from his mount.


Wince's Dodge DV is down to 2 from your previous action, so you need a 1 die stunt to dodge the arrow.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

The sword swings down. Jian looks left, and then right, finding no shred of possibility, no avenue of escape. The world moves slowly, dangerously, and he can see the blade's arc, watching as the raider brings it down. In the distance, though, there's a growing sound like a choir of frogs, some deep like drums and others metallic as bells, but all singing and in strange arrangement. Finally, it all stops: the sword, the world, and even color drains away. Humble Jian's eyes probe the new darkness, wondering if this is death, when a tuft of silvered flame, impossibly bright, springs into existence, flitting about him like a firefly. A figure--tall, male, and dressed in silver--steps through the frozen world, kneeling down to Jian's level. The man in silver looks to the wisp, face changing as if in conversation. Finally, he smiles and nods, touching Jian on the forehead with his thumb as the wisp pierces his chest like an arrow.

"What if I can't do this?" Jian asks, tears in his eyes as the man removes his thumb to reveal a circle of unbroken light blazing on Jian's brow. The man in silver stands and replies in a voice like ten-thousand voices:

"If you can not do this, then become something that can."

Instinct. That's what Jian feels as light and time return to the world. Instinct leads him on a silvered path that brings him to his feet, and instinct bends his knees and launches him into the air, hands questing for the wall behind him as he leaps up and backward. And more than anything else, instinct leads him to a shape that is not his own: his body lengthens and grows lean and taut, his skin pales and slickens until it shines blue. His new hands hold him fast to the angle where the wall joins the ceiling.

As he surveys the situation from his unusual perch, Jian feels the warmth of what has happened. He doesn't understand it, but he knows that the love that helped him defend his family has spurred him to this height, that that same love could envelop and protect everyone and everything. And from that newfound compassion, a chance. Singular:

"Lay down your weapons. No one else need die here."

Wooo! Exaltation Bonus! While I work out what Charms he's intuiting, he's shapeshifted into his Deadly Beastman Transformation and is now attached to the tip of the wall behind him. Hooray for being able to jump 24 feet straight in the air.

Deadly Beastman is Speed 5, 5 motes. Adds a dot to each of my Physical Attributes, and the Gifts are Wall-Walking, Gazelle's Pace, and Enhanced Sense: Smell.

[Kyeudo]

That's definately 3 die stunt worthy there!


Humble Jian

The raiders cower back, away from the monster that Jian has suddenly become. You can see the fear in their eyes, even smell it in the air, an acrid scent that sends shivers of electricity down your spine. Yet beneath their fear is desperation, that burning panic that can drive a man into the teeth of a lion if only to escape a demon. Desperation not directed at you.

The men clutch their swords in shaking fists and charge, slashing as though though their lives depended upon it. Their wild strikes are slow in comparison to your newfound grace.


Please, fill me in on how you get to 24 feet straight up. I've looked up the new mutations, but I still don't see how you can manage more than 7 or 8 feet straight up. You probably have it right and I'm just missing something somewhere.

[GryffonDurime]

You're right on the number, 8: 2 Str + 2 Athletics + 4 Mutation. The kicker, my friend, is the unit of measurement: yards. I can jump 8 yards vertically.:smallbiggrin:

I'll take the Essence for the stunt to fill me back up...it'll make this next flurry much more possible

Jian leaps from the wall as their swords approach, pushing one's blade down with his thumb in midair as he sweeps over the raider's shoulder. His feet--now swollen, webbed things that burst the cords of his sandals--touch the ground lightly, and no sooner do they do so than they leap again. He tucks in one leg and kicks, spinning, at the raider's kidneys, and another quick leap sends Jian's foot straight for the man's spine. His blows are supported and guided by the power of his newfound Exaltation, and as he attacks, the mark on his brow burns brighter still, like molten silver.


Let's test out that Dex Excellency.

2-kick Flurry:
5 Dex + 0 Acc + 0 Martial Arts + 5 Excellency (twice) - Flurry =
[roll0]
[roll1]

Damage on each is 5L.

[Cyranicles]

Directly in front of Wince a raider is advancing on foot toward a young man attempting to hold him at bay with a pitchfork. Just as Wince is wondering if anything can be done to help the boy he hears a powerful twang somewhere behind him. Shouting, ostensibly to his companions, Wince hollers loud enough to be heard by the raider over the din of combat, "Maybe he won't see us" as Wince tucks tucks into a somersault hoping to get below the arrow as it passes. With any luck that arrow should just miss Wince and continue into the chest of the raider who has just turned his attention to Wince and his allies.

[Kyeudo]

Stunt dice for Jian:
[roll0]
[roll1]


Humble Jian

The raider doubles over, coughing up blood as your foot sinks into his stomach, then is sent flying into the wall by the force of your kick. You can hear his spine snap in half.

The last remaining raider grips his sword in both hands, bringing it down with all the force he can muster upon your exposed back (4 successes).


Ah, I missed that. I seem to be missing a lot of things recently, don't I? :smalleek:

[Kyeudo]

Two stunt dice for that dodge.


Wince

The arrow sails over your head and punches through the raider's leather armor, piercing the man's heart. The young man, surprised to find his attacker cut down to so suddenly, sends you a glance of thanks and then, seeing the five horsemen pursuing you, takes the oppourtunity to dart down a narrow alleyway.


Now you can take your actual action. :smallamused:

[Terraoblivion]

The sight of the man toppling from his horse, his leg torn from her cut tore Gao Shu out of her focused state. This was the first time. She'd actually done it, she'd killed a man. The realization dawned slowly, sickening as it seeped in. It had been way too easy, as if it was a routine matter. As if she had become one of the thugs that murdered her mother and reduced her father to a mere shell...

No, that was not it. These men were the ones who were like that. She was merely protecting their victims. They deserved it. And there were more of them left. Trying to regain her composure she gazed over the village. There had to be more of them and they had to be stopped. Spotting one closer to the inn itself, she sprang into action. Running towards him, she ducked low, trying to get under his guard. A quick flick of the wrist folded her fan, allowing her to jam it into his armpit, unfolding it and slashing away, cutting open the flesh underneath.

Just a single attack, channeling conviction this time.

Attack [roll0]

Base damage is 3L

[Tequila Sunrise]

Taking advantage of the rider's momentary pain, Hiroshige grabs a rein. Pulling on it to force the horse in one direction, he shoves the rider in the other direction with the broom in an attempt to dismount him.
[roll0]

[Cyranicles]

Wince comes out of his somersault to see the wounded raider before him fall to the ground, dropping a hook sword as death takes his strength. Wince seizes an opportunity to assist his selfless and beleaguered ally, Azami. He plants his staff in the ground as if to pole vault but making himself an extension of the weapon he rises in a perfect arc until his momentum is gone and he remains at full extension in a perfect handstand balanced on the end of Azami's staff.

Finding himself above and behind one of the bowmen Wince arcs his back, kicking his feet out to leverage the weight of his staff. The staff swings up into the air arcing mud as it comes around almost full circle to impact the bow-wielding raider's neck with a morbid thud, the force of which propels Wince forward to land just where the arrow-slain raider fell moments before. Holding Azami's staff in one hand, he tries to scoop up the hook sword with the other and give it to Azami with a quick toss.

This is a 2 action flurry of one attack and one attempt to retrieve a dropped weapon. Took forever to find out how to do that; it's P158 under disarming.
Channeling compassion for Azami's close calls and his gratitude for her generosity to add 3 die. I'm not sure if the 3 die add to both rolls or just one so I haven't added those 3 die. If just one then add it to the attack, which Wince judges to be the best means of defending her.

Attack: Dex 4 +MA 5 + Wpn Acc 2 -flurry 2 = 9die
[roll0]
Recover Weapon: Dex 4 + MA5 -Flurry 3 = 6die: needs one success
[roll1]

Please let me know if I'm going too far with the stunt by making up weapons or anything.
Also, I'm not sure if Recover Weapon has a DV penalty or not but I'm curious.


If he succeeds on the recover weapon roll Wince smiles as he tosses the hook sword to Azami, "Know how to use this?"

[GryffonDurime]

Dodge attempt enclosed, supplanted by a 4-die add from my beloved Dex Excellency. Gawd, Lunar Excellencies rock.
[roll0]

Humble Jian

"You should have laid that sword down," Jian says, his voice layered with newfound depths and the curious sound of rain. His new legs bend to impossible angles: first his knees hit the floor, then the entirety of his body falls back, almost perpendicular in his attempt to dodge the final blade. Hit or not, he tumbles backward, snatching a knife from one of the raider's fallen corpses. In a desperate attempt to provide mercy, Jian throws the knife with surprising force, aiming to strike the far edge of the blade with the butt of the knife, sending it careening through the air to Jian's expectant hands.


Woo. Disarming Flurry. First motion is an attack against him, imposing a -4 penalty for the attempt and a -2 for the flurry. If it hits, the raider has to roll Wits + Melee vs my net successes to retain his weapon. And since this is very difficult, Jiany's gonna be pulling out all the stops: Full Excellency, Compassion channel since he's trying to avoid another kill, and Willpower for an Automatic Success. Madness!

Disarm Attempt:
5 Dex + 5 Excellency + 3 Dodge + 3 Compassion + 1 Auto Success - 4 Disarm - 2 Flurry
[roll1] + 1 Auto Success + Stunts :D

And now, if that hits, he's flurrying the retrieval action, which is Difficulty 1
5 Dex + 5 Excellency - 3 Flurry
[roll2]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Raluca
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Alanadel
[roll3]
[roll4]

Gao Shu
[roll5]

Hiroshige
[roll6] - you get the stunt die even though your action gets cut. Sorry about that.

Jian
[roll7] - rolled the dice for the dodge without thinking. I forgot to just add them directly. Ignore these.
[roll8] for the disarm (seperate stunt)


At the Inn

Alanadel's first arrow almost misses his mark, but the man still falls, his shoulder shredded by the sudden thorns sprouting along the arrow's shaft. His second arrow, however, has no such problems. From your perch atop the inn, he can get a clear view of the fighting throughout the village.

What was initially scattered villagers fighting back alone has condensed into tight pockets of resistance. The villagers are still outmatched, but now you see that the raiders are severely outnumbered. For every horseman, there are at least two men with spears trying to pull him from the saddle. On the east of the village, on one of the larger streets, a mass of raiders apears to be fighting a pitched battle against a group of foot soldiers, much better armed and armored than the peasant militia. To the south, the rice farmers, armed only with farming implements, are holding the bridge.

But what catches your eye is the manor house. At least a third of the invaders circle the grounds, raining arrows upon any defenders brave enough to climb atop the walls, and in front of the gates a sudden blaze of green flame bursts into existance, a worrying counterpoint to your own blazing anima.

Back on the ground, Raluca brings down two men and wounds a third. The last of the raiders slashes feebly at you, a blow easily blocked, before Gao Shu finishes the man off.

Alone in the street for now, you have a moment to catch your breath and determine what to do next.

Humble Jian

The tip of the sword passes within an inche of Jian's nose as he grabs a dagger from a fallen raider. His Essence-empowered throw hammers into his attacker's blade, knocking it from his grip and sending it through the air end over end, to be snatched from the air with ease by the new Lunar.

The raider backs away, drawing his own dagger, eyes wild with conflicting desires.

[Ridai]

Raluca, glad that the battle is over so soon, takes a few seconds to calm down and clear her head. Fighting with the sword on her back was no easy task, but still better than leaving it somewhere and potentially finding it to be missing when she goes back for it. "Good work, everyone. Anyone wounded?" she calls out to the others and soon after up to the Dragonblooded. "What do you see up there?"

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige

I have to get a closer look at the manor attackers. Hiroshige says.My sister is inside. I'd appreciate any help, if you've got the time. With that, he leaps onto a horse and races toward the manor to investigate the battle there.
I'm not sure who's near Hiroshige, so he could be just talking to himself.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"I offered you the chance to leave. I will not offer that chance again," Jian says, swinging the sword in a tight circle before lunging. Jian's posture sinks as he kneels into the motion, sending the sword toward the raider's stomach with a gracefully sort of fatality.


Bah, I'm tapped on interesting ways to kill people. I'll use the 4 motes I got back from my disarming stunt to make this a nice hit. If the sword I took from him has an Accuracy bonus, there's that too. Have I mentioned lately that Lunar Excellencies rock?
NORMAL ATTACK
[roll0]

[Tyracus]

Cursing under his breath as Hiroshige goes riding off towards the manor Alanadel looks down at the other two by the inn and speaks.

There are battles to the east and south. The former is between the raiders and a group of well armed footmen while the latter is farmers with improvised weapons holding the bridge. Overall the raiders seem to be outnumbered but the manor is under assault by a large number of raiders and something far worse I fear. I have no authority to order you but I would suggest moving south if you want to help, I intend to move to counter the threat at the manor.

With that Alanadel takes off at a sprint, leaping from roof to roof and occassionaly an awning, hoping more than anything to make it to the manor before it's too late and that he can overtake Hiroshige by his choice of a route with fewer obstructions.

[Ridai]

"Take care." Raluca shouts after the Exalted. She considers escaping the village for a short moment, but pushes the thought aside. Killing the raiders should be better for her chances of survival than leaving alone. "Let's assist the farmers, we'll see what we can do at the manor after they are safe."

Raluca leads the way, remembering the layout of the village from her previous vantage points.

[Terraoblivion]

Gao Shu looked to the warrior as the other talked, a collected expression on her face."No wounds here. I don't see any wounded either." Taking just the time to clean off her fan as she listened to the information about the battle going on, immediately following as Raluca headed off. "I agree, the farmers need us the most." This really wasn't her place. It just wasn't. Once again her thoughts returned to Nexus, though for the first time ever with the thought that the city was safe.

[Ridai]

"I am Raluca." The young woman introduces herself without stopping in her fluid, fast motions. "I'll try to draw some of the heat, so the pressure on the farmers is eased and you have an easier time reaching where you need to go in battle." Raluca explains her plan for the coming battle in a no-nonsense manner, putting faith in Gao Shu's ability in battle, but still prefering to take the risk instead of endangering others.

[Terraoblivion]

"Flowering Orchid." Gao Shu showed no inclination to stop either. If any of what she had done was to have any meaning she had to do this and she had to do it fast. Raluca's plan was met with a quick nod as she headed through the streets of the town.

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice for Humble Jian:[roll0]


Humble Jian

The man has no real chance. Slowed by fear and facing one of the Exalted, he can not hope to match your speed. The sword tears through the raider's armor, spitting the man on the blade. He clutches at his guts, but it is no use. You can watch as the life drains from him, the desperation that filled his eyes emptying away.


I know what you mean. There are only so many ways you can punch someone in the face.


Alanadel and Hiroshige

Although the Dragon-Blooded cannot hope to match a mounted rider in speed, his choice of travel allows him to shave distance from his route and mostly keep pace with the mortal down below.

You near the manor and get a better view of the situation. The Marukani are making serious attempts to mount the manor's high stone wall, leaping from the backs of their horses to haul themselves up. The manor guards and villagers using whatever weapons they can find desperately try to keep the raiders from getting inside, despite the dozens of arrows being fired at anyone who shows their face. The main gates, already showing the marks where swords and axes have been used to hack away at the wood, still hold, but perhaps not for much longer. A man, dressed in loose, black clothing, stands before the gate, a collum of pale green fire blazing around him. At his touch, the wood of the gate begins to char, the green flames spreading outward from the point of contact.

The horsemen arn't blind, however. Alanadel's blazing anima makes any attempt to go unnoticed impossible, and Hiroshige's apearance makes him impossible to mistake for one of the raiders. Already some of the mounted archers are taking aim at your position.


Probably going to want to roll Join Battle.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige spurs his new horse toward the body of a fallen raider. Without slowing, he grips the saddle's pommel with one hand, removes one foot from a stirrup, and then unseats himself long enough to reach the fallen raider's spear with his other hand.
Join Battle: [roll0]
Ride: [roll1]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice for Wince:[roll0]


Wince, Raluca, and Gao Shu

Wince's staff slams into the mounted raider, but his armor provides enough padding to absorb the force of the blow with no ill affects. He lands, scooping up the hook sword and tossing it to the beleagered healer.

"I think I can figure it out." she replies, slashing at one of the raiders as he passes. The rider guides his mount out of the way, lashing out in retaliation as he does. Azami parries the blow, catching the raider's blade in the hook of her own. Another volley of arrows falls amoung you, most missing their targets, but one bites into the back of Azami's leg. (5 successes vs PDV of 3, dealing 2 damage.) She stifles a cry of pain with clenched teeth.

Another rider again attempts to cut down the old monk, but he knocks aside the horseman's sword with his spear haft and tears the Marukani from his saddle with a single thrust. Taking up a position between the wounded healer and the circling horsemen, he asks quickly, "Can you still walk?" Gritting her teeth, she nods yes.

Raluca and Gao Shu, coming from the north, turn a corner to see three unarmored figures fighting against a squad of four horsemen.


Raluca and Gao Shu should Roll Join Battle and post their first action.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian swallows softly as he lets the raider fall off his own blade. The sudden force of what he's done--what he is!--rages over and throughout his being. He clutches his arm, a new, blue-skinned arm, and takes a slow breath, trying to bring reason into prominence over instinct. He removes the carpet from the cellar door, cracks it open as carefully as possible to prevent them from seeing what he's become, and speaks:

"Shaiya? Boys? Mom? It's me. They're gone. The raiders who were here are gone. But they may still be out there. I want you to stay here until deep night. If I haven't come back...go. Find whatever way you can. Use the money I gave you earlier. If you can, get to Nexus. Find the High Market, and ask for Whispers-in-Autumn. She can help you settle in there, and if I'm still alive, I swear, by...by all the gods, every last one, I'll find you. I have to go now. I love you all."

Jian closes the door slowly and lays the carpet over it again. All around him are the corpses of raiders, sprawled and bloody. He begins his unpleasant task, piling the corpses out back in the most respectful manner he can manage for the raiders. He retrieves his chakram, cleaning it gently before returning it to his satchel. One great leap and he arrives on the roof of his home, looking out over Matashi.


[roll0] to gather his bearings while surveying Matashi[/rollv]

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

Settling onto the roof of his old home, the newborn Lunar gets a decent view of the village. To the north-east he can see a pair of burning pillars of green near the manor, one a pale flame, the other a vibrant mass of whipping tendrils. To the north, what looks to be Abundant Wind's guards seem to be fighting their way towards the manor. To the south-east, the farmers are doing their best to keep the raiders from crossing the river, but only the narrow confines of the bridge seem to be keeping the raiders from overruning them. Across the village, smaller battles play out, poorly armed peasants try to fight back against the better trained Marukani. The scents of blood and sweat drift on the wind, magnified by the smell of distant rain.

[Tyracus]

Alanadel glares at the man in black recognizing the greatest threat instantly. Drawing back his bow he focuses his energies and lets fly to bolts with a crack like thunder as his anima intensifies, the first is aimed at the mans arm to knock his hand away and the second is at his left knee, to hobble him and slow any movements he may make. As soon as the second arrow is clear of his bow he leaps from the roof right into the grouping of raiders, a third arrow piercing the back of the man unfortunate enough to be standing where Alanadel means to land. As he lands on the man's body Alanadel quickly scoops the arrows from the man's quiver as his anima flares into glory. As he stands Alanadel pays no mind to the cloud of dust and splatters of blood that fly around him, only focusing on his chosen foe and those who move to stop him.

4 action flurry Attack, Attack, Leap, Attack. Speed 5.
Attack 1 3 motes on 1st excellency [roll0] (10-15 anima flare)
Attack 2 3 motes on 2nd excellency [roll1]
Leap
Attack 3 2 motes on 2nd excellency [roll2](16+ anima flare)

Essence 7/8 Personal, 0/7 peripheral

[Ridai]

Acting fast, Raluca sets into motion immediately, moving towards the raiders, accelerating into a short full sprint just before she is within attacking range. With a quick leap, Raluca uses the knee of a mounted raider to gain height, suddenly balancing on the horse's saddle before the rider, followed by a quick stab into the lower neck region. When the short moment of balance ends, she grabs the falling raider as temporary counterweight, leaning outwards to another rider to deliver a slash to his neck before landing on the ground.

Join Battle [roll0]
Moves until within striking range, then Speed 5 flurry -> 2 attacks (6L base damage, DV -2 = Parry DV 3)
Attack 1 [roll1]
Attack 2 [roll2]

[Cyranicles]

Anger and empathy surge within Wince at seeing Azami wounded. Kindnesses were few and far between in Nexus. Here was a woman who had offered him her only means of defense in the midst of danger. The act was almost saint-like in Wince's experience and righteous anger coursed through him as she gritted against the pain. Quickly sizing up his avenues of approach Wince takes off in a low rush at the bowmen who struck Azami. Taking the opportunity Arda has given him by unseating a raider, Wince charges at the fallen man's horse, stepping first off the stirrup then the saddle itself as he gains height and strikes. Spinning first one end of his weapon into the raider's face, then the other.

Two attack flurry. If for some reason the first strike kills then the second is aimed at the adjacent bowmen.

Dex 4 + MA 5 +Wpn Acc 2 - Flurry 2= 9dice Dmg: 10B+successes
[roll0]
second attack 8 dice
[roll1]

[Terraoblivion]

Raluca's charge was not met with apathy from Gao Shu. Moving at a more controlled pace she still headed straight for the soldiers. Even though Raluca was making enough of an impact to draw their attention they were still between her and the farmers. She had to cut a way through them if she were to support the farmers. Following her path she ducked under the thrashing weapons of the Marukani raiders as she headed into the narrow space between two of the horses. Making use of the narrow space and the inability of the riders to properly defend themselves, she took the opportunity to cut a long, deep gash in the leg of one of them as she passed.

Join Battle - [roll0]
Attack - [roll1]

Base damage 3L

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Hiroshige
[roll0]

Alanadel
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Raluca
[roll4]
[roll5]

Wince
[roll6]
[roll7]

Gao Shu
[roll8]


Wince, Raluca, and Gao Shu

Wince's whirling staff smashes into the archer's face, one blow rendering the man dazed and the second sweeping him from the saddle. Azami snags a horseman's boot with the curve of her new hook sword, forcing the man to wheel his horse or be pulled from the saddle and allowing Gao Shu a moment of distraction to slide inside and finish the man off, opening a wound from his stomach to his knee.

The two remaining archers fire a last volley at their previous quarry (to no effect), but now greatly outnumbered they wheel their mounts to put distance between them and their prey. At least, that's what they try to do. Instead, they are met with Raluca's slashing fury and Arda's serpent-like quickness. One rider goes down, throat torn out by the edge of a short sword, while the other is impaled by a sword point from above and a spear tip from below.

Alanadel and Hiroshige

Hiroshige charges into the midst of the massed horsemen, leaning from the saddle to scoop up a lance from the corpse of a Marukani slain by the manor's defenders. The raiders respond with swiftness, loosing arrows and drawing swords to hack at the newcomers. The heavy lance slows his hands, but between his long experience and his armor the aging soldier remains unscathed.

Arrows rain down around Alanadel, but the shafts do little to the heavily armored Terrestrial. He launches two shafts at the man in black, his anima flaring into a writhing mass of willow limbs, before leaping to the ground. His third shaft pierces the raider below through, ending the man's life in an instant. Bones crunch beneath his boots as he lands atop the corpse, and horses and raiders nearby scream as the Dragon-Blood's anima willows slash through flesh as they ripple in the wind of an invisible hurricane. Some fall from their mounts to be torn apart by the force of elemental energy.

The man in black pulls a length of chain from around his waist, whirling the heavy black links through the air, forming an iron shield with only the skill of his hands. Trailing streamers of pale green fire, the vortex of chain links consumes your first arrow, but your second finds it's way through his defense, imbedding itself in the man's bicep before crumbling to ash.

The man licks his tongue across his lips, the pain of his wound a mere annoyance. He eyes the newcomers with cold, grey eyes, even as the flames encircling him mount higher. His muscles tighten and his skin stretches taut across his bones as he leaps, landing almost on top of one of the nearby raiders. The heavy weight at the end of his fighting chain, sculpted into the shape of a black scarab, pulps the man's head in a single blow, before he leaps again. A second raiders screams out his final breath as the blazing specter finally lands near you, having crossed an impossible amount of distance in a matter of seconds.

Whirling the chain so fast that the air seems to scream in pain, he brings it slamming down upon Alanadel (8 total successes). The horsemen urge their mounts away from the pair of Exalts as green flame joins the lashing willows in scourging mortals nearby. Those too slow catch fire, their hair and clothing burned away in an instant.


Alanadel is stupid lucky on those stunt dice. A pair of 10s!

You will probably want to stunt your defense somehow, see if you can't lower the number of net successes he gets, or this could get painful.

[Tyracus]

Cursing as the flaming trails of the exalt tear through the stinging vines of his anima Alanadel reacts quickly. Rolling back he knocks 2 frog crotch arrows in his bow and channeling his essence to attempt to at least slow the chain as he would deflect an arrow. The accompanying anima flare lifts the shredded remains of the raider into the path of the chain as Alanadel dives with all the strength he can muster in a vain attempt to avoid the whirling doom that approaches him, praying that the well tended armor of his twice great-grandfather would at least soften the blow enough so that he could return at least one fateful arrow into his foe.

I'll use 4 motes on 1st archery excellency to try to parry now that I've been reminded I can do that.
Essence Pool: 7/8 Personal, 0/7 peripheral

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Searching the surroundings of Matashi, Jian feels the workings of Essence squirming in his brain, warm and comfortable sensations. He breathes in, and sudden the weight of what he's done and become bear down on him. He slumps to set his legs over the roof, slick blue hands on his knees. Anathema. That's what it's called. Never asked for. He wouldn't have gotten it if he had asked, he knows that by instinct. But Luna, bright and brilliant, had visited him, and he had lost what he had once been. Whispers-in-Autumn had spoken of the power over Essence, a power that even mortals could aspire to, and she had always spoken of sacrifice.

Jian's sacrifice had been unintended, but irreversible: he had sacrificed the man he had been. Even his father's death felt muted as he looked about the death-strewn streets. Love had given him grander aims. Saving his family, now, meant one thing: the raiders had to be repelled.

He stood, straightened his tunic and gathered his thoughts, and then he leapt: from rooftop to rooftop, new feet touching lightly across the tiles and thatch alike. Once in position, he stood still, hands focused in a tight signal like a strange prayer. Silver light raged around him, from him...it came from within. The air around him darkened and twisted into a shadowy penumbra as he spread his arms open, wide and encircling. Above him, the light of his anima twisted into the shape of a great spotted frog, croaking and bellowing with a strange defiance. Flames kindle in his open arms and lick at his face, then swirl and shape into an egg, which breaks and sends a fiery bird coursing through the skies of Matashi, seeking the raiders on the other side of the bridge...


Jian's going to approach modestly close to the fight at the bridge, but he can fire the spell at a range of 5,400 feet, so...

Anima's flaring now, completely totemic, and he's aiming the raptor towards the mid-back of the raiders bottlenecking into the bridge to eliminate as many as possible.

Attack, Occult + Wits + Essence
[roll0]

It can't be parried without a Charm or stunt, but can be dodged. If they're not on guard, difficulty 3 to spot this exceptionally fast moving bird. This first attack does Perception + Occult + Extra Accuracy Success dice of damage, plus my Essence in automatic. If the one raider I hit here takes damage, he gets major pain...but I doubt that'll be necessary.

The tick after it strikes, it explodes, burning everything in 3 yards. 4 levels of damage, trauma 3, functioning as normal enviornmental damage. It sets EVERYTHING in range on fire. Every tick they remain, they suffer 1L/tick, Trauma 2. If they flee, they're still on fire...1L/Trauma 1. They can extinguish themselves with a misc. action. The flames burn for 10 ticks until they go out.

...Man, that's a big spell.

[Cyranicles]

Much thanks ladies! Wince says with emphasis on "much". I must see if my friends have made it to the manor. Best of luck and may we meet again soon He's grinning despite his anxiety over the fate of his mothers because he has finally downed an enemy in combat. Wince hollers to Arda and Azami as they run, "is that what I think it is?" He speaks of the green flames and whipping tendrils of willow branches. Neither exalted nor gods were frequent in Firewander and Wince had always been slightly skeptical about the existence of either. Well, not Dragonblooded, he had met them but the other types, the anathema, Wince had always suspected they were nothing more than stories or charlatans. Swallowing nervously, Wince keeps on a brave face, making for the manor at top speed.

[Ridai]

Raluca nods towards Wince. She is covered with small, fresh blood stains by now. A familiar feeling of calmness (numbness?) slowly spread as she gradually slips back into her old habits. "A Dragonblooded currently engages the enemy at the manor. We two are going to help the farmers to the south." she tells the group, seeing that they are apparently going in the opposite direction. Raluca helps with the arrow wound as needed.

[If Raluca sees Humble Jian]As a third light flares up somewhere in the village, Raluca spots the strangely shaped aura around what looks like another Exalted. "I've seen very few displays of the Dragonblooded's power, but that doesn't look like one of them. We have to go. Now."

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige

Hiroshige's mouth hangs slightly open as he sees the man in black leap through the battle, dealing death with a chain. Closing his mouth and ignoring the voice in his head telling him that attacking an exalted often amounts to suicide, he reins his horse toward the man in black and couches his lance. As he passes a pair of the manor's early-lit courtyard lanterns, he skewers one with the lance-tip and then urges the horse on at top speed. The instant before his lance-lantern reach the man in black, Hiroshige utters a prayer to the Unconquered Sun.

Combat: [roll0]
The lantern might have been a bit much, but something tells me we could really use the stunt dice and possible fire damage!

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Alanadel
2 stunt dice on that dodge.

Hiroshige
[roll0]

Humble Jian
Not that you need more but:[roll1]


Alanadel and Hiroshige

Your arrows catch upon the black chain, the force of your bow contesting the strength of your foe's attack before they too are burned to ash by the blazing green flames. The chain crashes down upon your shoulder, but your ancestor's armor protects you from the blow, absorbing most of the force (2 bashing damage). As you watch, your attackers jaw distends hideously and a streamer of your emerald essense slides down his throat, as though the man swallows a writhing serpent whole.

Hiroshige charges from the mass of raiders, snaring a lantern from the wall with the point of his lance. The lantern pulls from the wall with a jerk, dancing upon the end of its short chain as he thrusts at the man in black. The black chain snakes out however, coiling around the haft of the lance and dragging it off course. As the horse continues its course between the two Exalts, it is like riding through hell itself. Spectral willows lash at every inch of exposed flesh and green flames sear your skin with a numbing chill (2 lethal damage). Hot oil from the broken lantern splashes across the man's pale skin and bursts into flame, but the man doesn't even seem to notice.

The man in black does not stand still, but whirls the chain about again to bring it slashing across Alanadel's body. As the chain screams through the air, a shadow of the weapon, inky and translucent, slashes out before it with unnatural speed. The shadow chain cuts through your armor as though it wasn't there, leaving behind a paralyzing numbness, slowing your muscles and making it difficult to move, but somehow you force chilled limbs to move, dragging yourself back from his assault.


Alanadel has two motes of his Essence siphoned away by the man in black.

Your DV got halved against his attack, but you still dodged. Alanadel gets to act of the same tick as he does, so you get your action and then you'll want to post your next one as well.


Humble Jian

Your conjured phoenix streaks through the air to explode among the raiders. One man and his mount are almost immediately consumed by the firebird's flames, reduced to ashes in an instant by the sorcery. The flames blaze outward as the phoenix bursts apart with a victorious, keening cry, even the soil underfoot catching light before the intensity of the inferno. A dozen raiders are killed outright, skin blackened and charred by only a second's exposure, while other, more fortunate horsemen merely have their hair and clothing catch fire. Horses, frightened and in pain, bolt in whatever direction they can, their riders helpless to control their mounts.

The farmers defending the bridge back away from the flames, awed by the sudden salvation delivered from above.

Wince, Raluca, and Gao Shu

As Wince begins to race towards the manor and Azami limps to the side of the road to tend to her wound, tearing a strip from the bottom of her dress to serve as a bandage, a pillar of silver light blazes into the sky from the southwest, forming into a giant spotted frog. A sudden bolt of sparkling red and white streaks across the housetops, flames trailing in its wake. A burst of fire flares into the air, visible from across the village, coming from the area of the bridge to the south.

[Tyracus]

Alanadel forces the numbness from his body as moves back a few yards to gain the space he needs. Dropping to one knee he begins to focus his energy his anima begins to move down, energy tendrils latching onto the head of the arrow in ever growing numbers as even the well tended jade of his bow begins to strain under the force of the pull. When Alanadel does release the arrow it bursts forth, tendrils of anima hanging from in in a vortex that slashes at those it passes as the arrow flies towards the anathema with unerring precision. As soon as the vortex settles Alanadel follows it with 3 additional arrows to make sure his foe is dead.

1st action is 1 shot with all 5 remaining motes for 1st archery excellency.

[roll0]

2nd action is a 3 shot flurry

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

0/8PersE 0/7PeriE -1 wound penalty

[Terraoblivion]

Stopping dead in her tracks instead of heading off towards the farmers, Gao Shu spun on her heels. That light from behind was not normal, not in the slightest. Turning she saw the great frog made of silver light. "What in the Underworld is that?" As she muttered this her mind raced to think of any suitable god to ward this off, settling on a quick prayer to the Unconquered Sun for deliverance.

[Ridai]

A witness to the destructive might, Raluca's eyes widen and her expression goes from disbelief to grim determination. "Going south would be utter suicide now."

Time to pick my poison. As helping the farmers to the south is now way outside of what she is capable of, Raluca turns around, gritting her teeth, and runs towards the manor. For her, it feels like she is on a crash course straight into a devastating storm, but her dedication to the task she brought upon herself drives her forward. But somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought that she causes more deaths than she prevents in the process of keeping the sword away from the wrong hands manifests itself again, along with the stinging irony. But now is not the time for reflection.

[Kyeudo]

I'm only resolving Alanadel's first attack here so I'll know if Hiroshige even needs to post.

Stunt Dice: [roll0]


Alanadel

The black chain spins through the corpse-pale man's hands, sweeping across the dragon-seared ground before leaping up to meet the arrow, trailing a streamers of ash and pale flame. Emerald sparks fly as the scarab weights collide with your arrow, deflecting it just enough that the arrow misses your opponent's neck, flying past to embed itself into the burning manor gate. The flames, no longer the pale green fire that surrounds the man in black, creep along the arrow shaft as easily as they spread across the carved vines of the thick gate. The black chain slows for a moment as the other Exalt drinks down the remnants of your Essence, the last streamers of vibrant green stripped from your arrow to disapear down the pale man's throat.

None of the Marukani dare come closer to the dueling Chosen, unwilling to brave the wrath of either combatant, but they do not merely stand idle. Arrows fall all around the two Exalts, launched by dozens of horsebows, but none even touch either man. Wooden shafts twist in midair to harmlessly pepper the ground or burn to cinders before nearing skin. The riders continue their assault upon the manor walls, crashing against the defenders like a wave.

The sound of a lightning strike echoes above the warcries and the screams of the injured and dying, reminding everyone that more than one Terrestrial takes part in this battle. Hiroshige's sister seems to have taken to the rear wall of the manor, dealing death with the crackling energies of her birthright.


With what you regained from that stunt minus what your opponent ate, you have 3 motes that you could put towards your flurry if you want.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige

Burn all exalted! Hiroshige curses as he realizes how ineffectual his attack is. Then he hears the familiar crack of lightning, looks up to see Meoni dealing death from the manor and a grim smile spreads across his face. Searching the area briefly for tools, he rams the lance into the ground and then races toward a pile of bodies. With another acrobatic stunt, he scoops up two forgotten shields and then distributes one to each arm. Someone's got to stop those damn chains...here's hoping my arms are strong enough.

Ride: [roll0] (don't know if that roll was even necessary, should I wait to roll my attack or just go for it?)

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Alanadel
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Hiroshige
[roll3]


Hiroshige and Alanadel

The man in black rushes towards Alanadel, the scarab chain spiraling around him with deadly force, as the Wood Aspect fires a barrage of arrows, hoping to end this fight quickly. The arrows disapear into a typhoon of black metal, shafts splintered and charred by the heavy chain links and the Exalt's cold-blazing anima, and suddenly the man is behind you, somehow passing by you while you watched the spinning black chain. The chain whips around your throat, its coils circling tighter . . . (Six successes)


The man's clinch attack is unexpected unless you score an equal number of successes to his attack roll on a Wits+Awareness roll, and then you still have a Dodge DV of only 3 and a Parry DV of 4, so you will need some serious stunting and/or Charms here to not get hit.


Hiroshige scoops up a pair of shields from amoung the fallen bodies, strapping them to his arms as he wheels his horse around.

Raluca and Wince (Possibly Gao Shu)

Wince bursts onto the scene in the middle of the southern wall, followed quickly by Raluca. The raiders have not stopped their assault upon the manor compound and are begining to overrun the defenders, clambering up the walls with dogged persistance. Already a trio of raiders have claimed a toehold atop the center of the wall, and more rush to join them.


For reference, the gate is on the west side of the manor compound, and Hiroshige's sister is defending the east wall.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige gallops his horse back toward the man in black. Instead of attacking from horseback again, he leaps from the saddle directly at the man. A moment before bodily crashing into him, Hiroshige becomes a tornado of spinning muscle and flashing steel.
Just when I drop the lance, the chain stops spinning! *sigh*
Combat: [roll0]

[Tyracus]

2 successes on wits+awareness, can't make it without a VERY lucky 2-3 die stunt but I'll try anyways.

Pausing in disbelief that his volley had no effect against his foe Alanadel is slow to react to his foes next assault. As he sees the chain curl and loop in line with his throat he drops his weight as quickly as he can, grateful that the blood slicked ground will allow his right leg to slide easily across the flagstones as he drops from his kneeling position into a sitting one. While he does that he desperately tries to catch the chain with Oaksplitter, knowing that if his foe succeeds that there will be little hope of breaking free from this foe.

[Terraoblivion]

Sorry about being slow. The scene is just big and complex and intimidating to keep track of for me.

Not feeling confident in her ability to face the work of gods or dragonblooded on her own Gao Shu followed Wince and Raluca. At least she would only face mortal raiders there, though if worst came to worst she would have to run. She was not going to face certain death at the hands of an exalt here. Instead she'd do what she could.

Seeing the group storming the manor, what good she could do became apparent. She could help trying to repel them, saving whoever is in it and allowing the people from it to help save the village. She should let someone more skilled, or at least armored, than her draw their attention first.

Waiting on any action until Raluca and/or Wince does something as i am pretty sure Gao Shu is the squishiest of us.

Join battle [roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Hiroshige
[roll0]

Alanadel
2 stunt dice, but not enough to get you your DV. This might hurt a little.
Edit: A little is correct. :smallamused:


Alanadel and Hiroshige

Alanadel barely manages to get Oaksplitter between the chain and himself before the black links close around his throat. Bodily hauling you about, Hiroshige's spinning shield attack misses him by inches as he plants a boot in the small of your back and pulls the chain taut, trying to crush the breath out of you. Only Oaksplitter keeps him from crushing your windpipe entirely. (1 bashing damage) "Why struggle so, brother?" He whispers in your ear. "Just give in and your pain will be over in but a moment." The cold caress of the green flames surrounding him sends shivers down your spine as your own anima dims in strength.


Alanadel is officially beloved of the dice gods. I just rolled 14 dice of damage, and only 1 came up a success.

To try and get control of the clinch, it takes an opposed roll of (Strength or Dexterity) + Martial Arts, although I'll let you use something else with a stunt.

[Ridai]

"Stay together, punish them for trying to surround us, keep up the pressure." Raluca says after looking at the battlefield and making a reflexive assessment of the situation due to her experience and training. Standing there, Raluca sees the two bright lights somewhere to the left and the hectic chaos everywhere in front of her. Muscles shaking in anticipation (and a bit of fear) in the calm before the storm (for her at least), all her thoughts are suddenly silenced, her body motionless and tranquil for a short moment that seems like an eternity.

Raluca starts to move towards the enemy, her steps and sword now guided by sheer killer instinct, storming through the mud composed of arrows, blood and soon more corpses. She approaches her first target fast, making a quick turn near the raider and sends dirt flying towards the enemy with a kick, immediately whirling forward using her speed. A brutal downward strike crashes down on the raider's shoulder and hacks across the torso with a cruel twist of the blade deepening the wound, splashing more blood onto Raluca who steps uncaringly on a fallen body, ducking under a quick swipe, battering another raiders sword aside and delivers an upward cut the latter's throat, aiming for the jugular.

Time for some utter chaos. I'm pretty sure Raluca won't survive this, but let's see how far she comes.
Join Battle [roll0]
Move towards enemy, Speed 5 flurry, 2 attacks, base damage 6L, Parry DV down to 3
Attack 1 [roll1]
Attack 2 [roll2]

[Terraoblivion]

She was not the only one who was getting tense. That girl, Raluca was it?, was nervous as well...she hadn't seemed like that before. But it made sense they were outnumbered and had been taken by surprise and now there was a child of the dragons here as well. Or perhaps several.All there was to do was fight and hope to end it and get away before they became the target of hits.

Putting this into action, running after Raluca, seemingly mechanically repeating her martial arts training. The gap was closed in a short while, mud splashing against her legs. When she reached the closest raider, she through herself into a lunge, getting close before he could react to parry. Throwing her entire weight into him as she wrapped her arm around his neck, fan aimed at his throat. Feeling her fan dig into his neck, severing his jugular, she flicked her hand, collapsing the fan as she tore it to the side before letting go of him.

Time for my own mad dash into near-death and subsequent exaltation. Most likely at least. I channel valor for this, it is pretty much stupid bravery after all.
Attack [roll0]

Base damage 3L

[Cyranicles]

Surveying the scene Wince is torn. He desperately wants to assist in the defense of the manor but he sees the struggle going on between Alanadel the dragonblood and what is clearly an Anathema. The choice is agony but Wince quickly determines that while the manor is the best defense against the raiders, Alanadel is the best defense against the Anathema. Shouting, "Defend the walls!" he races to Alandel's aid.

The carnage is awful and Wince's mind wanders back to the young man he'd saved in his race toward town. Wince had spent much of his life fighting but now he knew what he was fighting for. For perhaps the first time in his life Wince is filled with righteous anger as he races toward the Anathema staff cocked back for a mighty blow. Just before he swings Wince realizes that he's had little enough success in combat this day; he'd be better off just trying to save Alanadel. But he was running too fast to stop in time, at least under his own power.

Wince tries to stop and finds himself sliding through the mud and blood with almost no discernible loss of speed. Hating to do it but finding it needful he braces both feet against a corpse as he slides past, using it's mass to slow him and dragging his staff through the mud to one side (like a corpse riding mud-gondolier) to curve his path around the anathema's back to his side. Wince comes to a stop perhaps 10 feet from the pale enemy as he strikes hard at both hand and chain trying to tear the frightful weapon from his enemy's grasp.

that's one disarming attack with a conviction channel. It was hard to make the choice to abandon his goal of getting to the manor so he channels conviction to do so.

Dex+MA+Wpn Acc + Conviction -2 Disarm
Staff: 4+5+2+3-2=12 die
[roll0]
Edit: Alright, 7 plus stunt dice, here's hoping :) Anyone wanna grab that chain and run with it?

[Tyracus]

Struggling against the chain around his neck Alanadel replies to his foe.

I struggle on because that is the will of all living things. As for calling me brother, I wouldn't even consider one so foul as you remotely worthy of such a title. Also I already have a brother, let me show you something he taught me once, though I'm not nearly so good at it as he is.

With that Alanadel pushes off using Oaksplitter as a lever for the motion. Arching up to his right he comes down towards his foes left shoulder feet flashing in a scissor kick motion grasp his opponent's head. Once there Alanadel throws all the force he can muster into pulling his opponent over and down face first into the flagstones wet breaking noise audible even over the din of the combat around them.

Dex+Martial Arts for the reversal - 2 for wound penalties.
[roll0]

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige growls in frustration and rage as he lands in a crouch. Suddenly, and without conscious effort, he remembers the stories that his father told him as a child. There was once a great warrior, and his name was Ishugana, who killed his first anethema at the age of eleven... Shaking his head in an effort to rid himself of silly myths, Hiroshige leaps at the man in black. He uses his shields to bash head, arms, legs, whatever seems most likely to help Alanadel escape.

Melee: [rollv]10d10[rollv]

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Raluca
[roll0]

Gao Shu
[roll1]

Wince
[roll2]

Alanadel
[roll3]+ 1 from Valor + 1 from Willpower

Hiroshige
[roll4] To Alanadel's escape attempt. Stunt was worth 2 dice.


Hiroshige's sudden assault forces the man in black to pull his foot from Alanadel's back and spin about, intending to use the armored Terrestrial as a human shield, giving Alanadel the oppourtunity to act. The Wood Aspect surges up, wraps his legs about his opponent's neck, and heaves, throwing the man off balance and sending him tumbling across the ground.

Rolling to his feet, the pale man whips the scarab chain around, sending it screaming through the air again, but suddenly finds a wooden staff smashing down across his knuckles. The black chain is sent clattering across the pavement. Stripped of his weapon, the pale man rage seemingly knows no bounds. He screams, a bloodcurdling howl that drowns out the sounds of the nearby battle for a long moment. Muscles contort into inhuman postures, tendons strain until they might snap, pale flames flare to a vivid, eye-wounding green, and the man's eyes begin to glow a faint crimson. Snarling, he turns on Wince, prepared to rip him limb from limb with his bare hands.

Not far away, Gao Shu and Raluca fight their way towards the wall. The swordswoman finds her first slash mostly stopped by the raider's buckler, leaving behind only a superficial cut in the raider's armor, but her upward thrust tears a man's throat out. Gao Shu's razor-edged fan slashes across a second man's throat, but misses the artery. Clapping a hand to his kneck, the raider pulls free of her grip and counterattacks, but is too slow to hit Gao Shu. The horseman is not alone, however, and the two young women quickly find themselves surrounded, dancing between swordblades. Gao Shu manages to block or evade the strikes aimed at her, but Raluca isn't so lucky. Three slashes come dangerously close to penetrating her guard. (two 4 success attacks and one 5 success attack)


Alanadel escaped by a margin of 1 success. That last Willpower tipped the balance.

Raluca has a parry DV of 3 right now if I have my math right, so she needs to stunt her parry if she wants to block all those attacks.

[Tyracus]

Alanadel continues the momentum of his roll to bring himself into a ready kneeling position. As he watches the foe before him turn to his savior Alanadel focuses all he has into his archery. With his single minded focus he closes out the sounds of battle, the only noise he hears is the long rattle of the monster's furious exhalation while his whirling anima appears to him to be as still as grain on the calmest spring day.

It is in this state that the bow snaps twice, sending two arrows surging forth to regain his foes attention. As the focus fades Alanadel circles to his left, away from Wince while he yells over the din of battle.

Have you given up your pride, would you choose a lesser for ease of conquest over the challenge I have presented you. Surely you are lower than the worms in the dirt if you would do such a thing. Alanadel keeps his eyes firmly on his foe as he speaks, only to cast a harsh glance at Wince, that while somewhat appreciative, urges the mortal to flee this foe.

I really need to make a combo for my extra-action and excellency charms, but in lieu of that I'll fire a 2 arrow flurry, the first is with 3 motes, the 2nd with 4.

1st attack - [roll0]
2nd attack - [roll1]

Also, I still haven't quite figured out what this guy is. Maybe I need to read a little deeper across my books.

Edit: 8 on the first, 11 on the second. Looks like 2 solid hits.

2nd edit: Thanks to the Kyeudo gave me I'll use a better combination of charms as is state in the OOC for 19 dice on both attacks. Extra dice make both attacks 11 successes :smallbiggrin:

[Ridai]

Rage is slowly creeping into her mind as Wince abandons Flowering Orchid and her and the enmy blocks her strike. After cutting a raider open, she immediately reverses her grip on the sword, sending it downward to intercept a blade coming towards her, pushing it upwards while she crouches and sidesteps under the blade. What follows is a spinning jump, causing her to assume an almost horizontal position in the air while clearing the second, low attack. Landing, she has difficulties stopping on the muddy ground, barely able to turn aside a third blade thanks to her momentum, guiding it towards the last attack, intercepting it. Now having to push against two blades at the same time, Raluca puts all her strength to use, sliding back several inches in the process, but suddenly steps back and pushes her blade downwards, causing the enemy blades to hit the ground and the raiders to stumble forward.

Using the opportunity, she slides to the right past one of the stumbling raiders, guiding her short sword to his throat during the movement, followed by a grab, small jump and roll over his back. Still drawing her sword through his flesh, she lands between the two raiders, using her built up centrifugal force to hammer down on the second raiders neck with a ferocity as if she wanted to hack his damned head right off, her sword drawing an arc of blood into the air during the swing.

Regenerate WP from the stunt, Speed 5 flurry, 2 attacks, 6L, DV 3
Attack 1 [roll0]
Attack 2 [roll1] + WP

[Cyranicles]

Wince immediately begins to doubt the wisdom of his decision to assault one of the exalted. He understands instantly Alandel's warning and agrees whole-heartedly. Spinning in place on the corpse Wince lunges into an all out sprint that sends the body skidding back toward Wince's enraged enemy, hopefully foiling pursuit. As he runs Wince mutters a prayer, "Shin, I've done what I can to protect this town. Protect me now. Gods, spare a fool."

Wince, perhaps sadly, is incapable of less than total commitment. Fleeing, while wise, is just not enough; so he decides to do what little he can and ensure that his efforts, on behalf of Alanadel and the village, bear fruit. As he flees he tosses his staff back (at the legs of his enemy if there is pursuit) and uses his free hands to snatch up the chain as he runs. It is heavy, no less than 20 lbs, but Wince is no weakling and begins winding in the chain as he was taught during weapons training time with Fanghao back in Nexus.

Wince holds out a sliver of hope that Alanadel's taunt will draw the Abyssal's attention but expects to be pursued and is just praying that his allies find a way to stop the Abyssal before Wince is torn to pieces.

Two actions a dash and a weapon retrieval. -2 Flurry penalty to the retrieval. Dash is speed 3, DV penalty -2, allowing him to cover 10 yards per tick. Seems fast so we'll see. If the speed 3 somehow lets Wince move twice before the abyssal Wince will try to cover even more ground.

Retrieve: Dex+MA-2 flurry=4+5-2= 7 die

[roll0]
Shoot, with a roll like that I should have attacked ;) Whatever happened to Arda?

[Terraoblivion]

Falling back from the raiders' attacks, Gao Shu grit her teeth. She had gotten herself into quite a mess here and now that bastard with the stick had abandoned her and Raluca to die. But she wouldn't let him. She was not going to die here. Not to these thugs, not when her vengeance was still unfulfilled. Eying the circle of men and horses surrounding her. The one she had wounded. He was the one she needed. If she killed him she could bust out and get in a better position. The moment she spotted him in the chaos, she broke into a sprint. As she closed the distance a quick shift in her stance allowed her to channel the energy from the sprint into an upwards slash across his neck, before continuing onwards and out of the circle of riders.

I channel conviction for three dice and buy a success with willpower.

Attack [roll0]

Base damage is 3L

[Kyeudo]

Stunt Dice:

Alanadel
[roll0]
[roll1]

Raluca
2 stunt die for the parry
[roll2]
[roll3]

Wince
2 stunt dice, even though you don't need any more successes to snag that chain.

Gao Shu
[roll4]


The man in black turns, eyes glowing crimson, and snatches your first arrow from the air with inhuman speed, then roars in pain as the second arrow punches through his forearm, the thorns sprouting from the shaft shredding apart flesh. Droplets of blood splatter on the cobblestones as the green flames about him gutter for a moment.

The man in black inhales deeply, streamers of vibrant green Essence flow from Alanadel's anima and down his throat. The corona of cold flames around him stabilizes, and the blood-red glow is gone from his eyes."The worms are lucky, for their lives are brief and their pain short. You win this day."

He surges towards you, hands twisted like claws. He lashes out, forcing you to duck out of the way, and in that moment he leaps away. Landing like a blazing comet amoung the Marukani raiders, you hear bones snap as he lands atop one of the horsemen. Screams follow in his wake as he continues on, leaping from one man to the next, maiming as he goes. His final leap, after crossing more than fifty yards in a matter of seconds, carries him over the manor wall.

Raluca feels the searing cold of the pale man's anima surge overhead as one man goes down beneath her assualt, the other taking a deep slash across his shoulder as he tries to twist out of the way. Thankfully, the Exalt is too focused upon escape to single out any single target from the mass of raiders.

As Wince scoops up the heavy chain, he hears a disembodied voice, a sudden answer to his prayer. "As you wish." All around the manor, the very earth seems to turn on the invaders. The cobblestones part and the soil beneath liquifies under the raiders' feet. Horses shriek as their hooves become mired in mid gallop, pitching riders from the saddle and breaking bones with equal ease.

Gao Shu knifes open her target's throat as the effect reaches her. As all around her raiders find themselves slogging through dry earth as though it were deep mud, she remains miraculously unaffected.

The Marukani, their champion routed and the very ground itself now opposing them, begin to flee. Laboring to move, they make for the forest as best they can, struggling for every step. Villagers, tired and bloodied, take up new strength as their attackers turn and run.


2 of Alanadel's motes from stunting get drained off by the man in black, used to fuel his Charm-powered escape.

Since TS didn't post, Hiroshige is taking a Guard action until he does so we can move this along.

Arda headed south to check the bridge and see if there was anything he could do. I forgot to write it into the scene. :smallredface:

[Ridai]

The short brush with the fleeing Exalted's aura feels like icy hands reaching into her soul and Raluca is glad the sensation passes as fast as it came. Unwilling to give up, she continues to defend herself against the raiders closing in until the marukani start to flee. Stopping for a short moment to catch her breath, she starts to clear a way for Flowering Orchid and her towards the western gate, arriving there covered in blood and heavy breathing from the strain of fighting with the giant sword on her back all the while.

"We need to get in there to make sure he can not escape and regroup with his forces or get what he came for.", she says to Alanadel and the others, swallowing her anger towards Wince as more pressing matters are at hand and he abandoned them for a good reason, seeing him hold a large, pitch black chain. Raluca quickly recovers, but the strain still shows as she heads for the gate.

I use one of the stunts to gain back a WP.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian stands on the edge of a Matashi roof, looking out as the raiders flee. He smiles, inwardly, sighing heavily. Instinct has given him power, but balance is difficult to find: Sorcery is too taxing and too overwhelming to use against singular raiders, but filling every blow and dodge with Essence was just as draining, if not more. There was the manner, of course. Pale green flame and...a different anima? For the first time since leaving Nexus, Jian wished that he was at Whispers-in-Autumn's side. She'd know. She had experience with such matters.

And the light wasn't going away. It had dimmed, slightly, but he still blazed silver. There was no hiding this. He could run, pray that none would follow...but he couldn't do that. Matashi meant more than that. Whatever had just happened, the manor was most assuredly at the heart of it. Standing, flexing slowly, Jian prepared. The nearest roof was quite a ways away, across the widest street in the village, a yeddim-sized dirt path. New, strange muscles flexed as he rocketed through the air, catching walls and rooves with newfound alacrity and grace.

"For Matashi and Luna," he said, just loud enough for himself to hear.

[Terraoblivion]

As the man collapsed and the rest fled, Gao Shu exhaled clearly. Seemed like it was finally over. She had somehow gotten unhurt through the horde. What was left of the town appeared to be safe, for now at least. The raiders could return though. She should head on quickly to avoid getting caught up in it again. Even if it meant giving up on earning some money here first.

As she folded up her fan, Gao Shu heard Raluca's suggestion. Thinking it over for just a second she nodded."I guess we should now that we have come this far. Not going to let this town be destroyed while i'm still here. Not after fighting for its survival." Not exactly jumping at the call, she turned to look at Raluca. "Lead the way. Unless we can convince that child of the dragon to do it for us."

[Cyranicles]

Wince is awed into stillness to see that a prayer muttered in desperation can have such enormous effect. Shin is, no doubt, a god worthy of worship.
Shocked that he is still alive, Wince continues winding the cold dark chain. As he finally winds it's last length into the coil he comes out of his shock to look around. Raiders fleeing in all directions and some of his fellow combatants turning toward the manor as if to pursue the pale man.

Not exactly excited about the plan Wince doubles back toward Alanadel and Hiroshige, collecting Azami's staff and a discarded pack as he goes.

Speaking to both of the men who faced the abyssal he says, "Thank you for chasing him off. I thought he'd come after me for sure." Setting the pack on the ground and placing the coiled chain inside he says, "Well I guess we have to go after him don't we?"

[Tyracus]

Releasing his held breath in a controlled sigh Alandel pauses for a moment before breathing in deeply, stopping with a grunt as the movement of his lungs brings a short sharp pain from his bruised ribs. After briefly checking himself he moves towards a small door used by servants located a few yards down from the main gate firing three arrows to destroy the hinges and lock as he approaches. When he arrives at the door he grips in one of the holes and tears it from it hinges causing the massed defenders behind it to cower back and then scatter. Pausing for a moment his cool voice carries across the short distance to the others.

I take no responsibility for what you do, I am hurt and my energies are drained. I will hunt my prey as long as he and I draw breath, such is the code I follow, but I cannot protect you any more if I am to live through this myself. Besides, another exalt comes he points towards the silver flames shining brightly over the rooftops,and I don't know if he is friend or foe of the one who is inside. If it becomes 2 against one I have little hope of survival, you who are without the blessings of essence and artifact will surely perish in such a situation. I will not stop you, but do not expect to be saved as reliably as I worked to do so before. With that he moves into the manner, his swift silent steps following the screams of those who fled inside and the charred footprints, intent on catching his foe unaware for one final decisive strike.

Stealth roll: [roll0] (5 dex + 4 stealth + 2 specialty(Ambush) - 2 wound -1 mobility)

[Cyranicles]

As Alanadel stalks into the passageway Wince mutters to Hiroshige, "Seems he forget we were helping him too. Regardless, I think we've got to go in there. I'll see what I can see."

Wince rises to pursue his enemy and his fate into the manor. As he gets near the walls he feels one of the flagstones shift beneath his feet. It was one of many loosened in the battle. Kneeling to lift it, he finds that there is just enough room beneath it to stash the pack and chain, which he does. Hoping that at least here it is unlikely to be of any use to the Abyssal. Wince lurches into a short sprint, two-stepping up the wall and scrambling onto it to see what awaits inside.

[Kyeudo]

As Wince returns, he catches a snatch of dissembodied conversation, carried on the wind.

*smack*

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Taking credit for what I did. They're my mortals, not yours."

"You wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't woken you up!"

"So? You try getting a dozen earth elementals to move in less than a minute!"

"It's my village getting sacked because you were sleeping on the job."

"Running a valley is hard work. I get tired."

"No you don't . . ."


Inside the manor wall, things have suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Villagers who had been defending the walls run from the blazing spectre that has landed in their midst. The Exalt takes no notice of them, running and leaping to the top of the far wall. A bolt of lightning lashes out at him, sending fragments of grey stone everywhere as the stone shatters, but the pale man dodges out of the way, leaping down to the ground on the other side of the wall. "Stand still so I can hit you, Dragon-cursed pit spawn!" an irate Terrestrial woman shouts, arcs of electricity just begining to crackle around her lithe form.

[Cyranicles]

Lords, Wince speaks under his breath to the gods, it is clear that we owe both of you tremendous gratitude and I swear that should I come out of this alive, I will tell tales of your greatness; but we mortals are not safe yet.

Wince runs along the wall in the direction of the terrestrial sorcerous. At this point he hopes that the abyssal is genuinely fleeing but he's not going to let the enemy out of his sight until he's sure.

[Ridai]

"I am aware of what I am getting into." Raluca says after the Dragonblooded's warning. "As the Exalted left his weapon on the battlefield and abandoned his troops, I reckon that took a beating, so what I propose is that we should coordinate our attacks to weaken his defense so you can put him down for good."
After the explanation of her plan, she turns to the others. "The maneuver will be highly dangerous, so it's up to you if you want to participate in this, but a higher number of attackers may yield a higher chance of success in this case. I'll handle the coordination, just make sure you wait with your attacks until the right moment and that our Exalted has a clear shot."

Raluca's field experience in handling groups in combat clearly shows and although she looks and sounds determined, a hint of fear is still perceivable. After all, her plan involves engaging an Anathema in melee combat.
She follows Alanadel inside, but as the Abyssal jumps over the far wall, while the mortals are at the other end of the compound, Raluca's plan ceases to be plausible and she sighs partly out of relief, partly out of frustration.

"I doubt that we mortals can still catch up with him now. I'll see what else I can do here." She goes to see if she can help the wounded in and around the compound instead.

Fixed. Sorry about the mistake.

[Terraoblivion]

Having had a bit more time to think about what she had said she would, Gao Shu began looking rather less confident than before. What attacking this thing would entail had begun seeping in. It was an anathema, not some random raider or even a child of the dragons. If even half the stories were to be trusted she would be heading to her death, even with the others nearby and a dragonblood among them.

Dragging her feet slightly at following the others as they headed in, she still tried to convince herself she should. It was the right thing to do. These people needed help and even if they didn't it would be wrong to leave those who were willing to go risk their lives to stop the anathema. She would not let herself do that, she wouldn't betray people who had helped her survive like that.

Also Raluca seemed to at least have an idea for how to do this in a way that would let them survive. That was promising at least.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige races to find his two swords and help Meoni, after quick agreement with Alanadel and Wince's intentions.

[Tyracus]

Watching the Abyssal fly across the courtyard and over the next wall Alanadel knocks an arrow but instead of letting it fly he returns it to his quiver and moves to the wall where he sits with his back against the cool stone. Looking at the group of mortals who are standing in full array to against an absent opponent he speaks.

Glad to see you listen so well. But your movements were good and would have made my shot easier if he were there. He pauses as Andrel enters the courtyard contentedly, his muzzle red with blood and a long piece of bloody leather hanging from his lower-left teeth. Andrel only shakes his head slowly from side to side in exasperated humor. I intend to hunt down the abyssal after I've rested. It will be a difficult task but nothing has ever escaped my notice yet, so I have an offer for you. Seeing as you all are so keen to move against him I'll let you come, mainly so I don't find you crashing through the woods trying to follow me while I follow him.

[Cyranicles]

As the others seemingly cease their pursuit Wince stands on the far wall, not far from the dragonblooded sorceress, hoping that the Abyssal is as willing to let the fight occur another time.

[Terraoblivion]

The rush of adrenaline she had been running on during the battle was starting to die down now that it was over, leaving her tired, even as the energy was still there. "I was just trying to help save lives. I'm not a warrior and hunting an anathema sounds like a sure way to die even if i was." A glance was sent around the area, taking in the damages both those visible from where she stood and those not."And since it appears that the immediate threat is over i will be on my way instead. This place is not safe."

[Kyeudo]

From his vantage point on top of the wall, Wince watches as the man in black and the remaining Marukani make their way through the last fringes of the village and for the forest beyond. Unlike those around him, the pale man is unhindered by the liquified soil, as though the earth itself does not dare oppose him directly.

Meoni gathers up another bolt of lightning in her hand, hurling the electric arc after the fleeing Exalt, even though it has little chance of finding its target at this range. The man dodges out of the way of the blast with ease and enters the woods before the Air Aspect can gather another bolt, his anima already beginning to dim.

The raiders trail after him, some still mounted, others now on foot, all stuggling against the suddenly trecherous ground. Here and there among the Marukani a few continue to stubbornly fight on, but they are overwhelmed by the villager defenders, reinvigorated by the sudden turn in events. The trailing Marukani are cut down by the more zealous militia, but most villagers seem content to cheer as the defeated raiders retreat.

Inside the manor, Hiroshige finds the lower floor crowded with panicked villagers, mostly women, children, and the elderly. The sounds of frightened whispers and of mothers comforting crying children are everywhere. Upstairs, however, the rooms are mostly deserted. It takes you only a few moments to reclaim your swords from your room.


Jian can show up whenever he wants.

If this seems a little less than my usual, I'm writing this at 1 in the morning. I is tired. Must go sleep.

[Cyranicles]

For the benefit of those within the courtyard who are unable to see Wince shouts, "They're gone! Full Retreat!" Caught up in feelings of victory and relief he begins to run across the courtyard to join his fellow warriors when he suddenly thinks of his mothers. Scanning the courtyard for any sign of them, he finds none and rushes through the manor gates, making for the home they'd bought only recently.

[Ridai]

After tending to the wounded and washing off most of the blood, Raluca decides it is time to move on. "With the Anathema recovering in the meantime and all of the raiders gathering around him as one big group, I doubt I can be of any assistance.", she says to Alanadel and who is near him at that time and then turns to Flowering Orchid. "I can accompany you for a while until we are a safe distance away from this village." If she agrees, Raluca follows her, if not, she will leave the village going towards the south.

[Terraoblivion]

Hearing Raluca speak to her, Gao Shu turned to face the woman. "Companionship is certainly welcome. I found that it gets lonely on the road since i began traveling." For a moment a note of longing creeps into her voice as she thinks back to Nexus. Even on the streets there she was poor in a city, with people around her. Not like out here, where she was poor, on the run and often all alone. "And traveling with someone else would also make help dealing with the raiders should they return."

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige runs back outside to find a horse and give chase, hoping to run into Meoni and his five men on the way. If he runs into Meoni, he asks her Do you know who that anethema was, or why he attacked us? If he runs into his men, he orders them on horses with bows and full quivers, to pursue the man in black with him.

[Ridai]

"So be it. We should leave to the south right away, as long as the Anathema's minions are still on the run." Raluca turns to the others. "Thank you for your help, I doubt I could have made it without you." she says with a nod and takes her leave.

Again she leaves in pursuit of her task instead of actually helping those in need. Even if there is an altruistic motive to it, it wasn't the only reason and Raluca is painfully aware of her selfishness. She can't return home because of it and guarding the sword is one of the few things that keeps her conscience intact, uncertain if she could live with the knowledge that someone could find and fall to the blade because of her selfishness. Or worse, that an Anathema could recover it.

Raluca sheathes her sword and quickly makes her way through the village, the sword whispering sweet lies and false promises about getting her revenge and leading a good life if she returns home.

[Cyranicles]

Rounding the corner where his mothers' house comes into view Wince's almost loses his footing at the shock of seeing the door lying broken in the street. Near tears already, with the sounds of others wailing over their lost loved ones, Wince slowly steps across the shattered threshold.

Instantly his thieve's mind identifies the broken barricade of tables and chairs that had been piled against the door and the several points of entry used by the raiders. He lets his mind treat the scene analytically to keep his emotions at bay. He hasn't seen any blood yet and the raiders took no prisoners. That means that his mothers at least made it into the basement.

Stepping into the back room with the trap door to the basement Wince is incredulous. Though scarred and chipped the door is still in one piece and closed at that. His eye continues taking in the small things, the rug that concealed the trap door in a heap in the corner, the back door as destroyed as the front. Despite the details that his mind will not stop collecting Wince's attention is elsewhere as he dashes up to the trap door and falls to his knees, attempting to pry open the trap door.

His attempts are met with cries from bellow, cries of terror in familiar voices.
"Mothers, it's me Wince!" he shouts through the door, "They're gone!" The trap door slowly opens and Wince dives in to exchange hugs and kisses in a muddy hole that no longer seems dismal.

As things calm down Wince gives them the short version of what happened and his desperate attempts to defend the manner in hopes they'd found refuge there. After helping them out of the basement Wince says, "I'd like to stay help you set things in order but I think there may be a counter-attack being organized and, if there is, I will need to go with them. I can't say they won't be back so reinforce the basement door as much as possible and if there is trouble make for the manor if you can; it is probably the most well-defended part of the village." As an afterthought Wince adds, "And do not forget your prayers, the god of this valley turned the earth itself against the raiders. Gods keep you mothers. I love you all."

Wince departs hesitantly but with the knowledge that he can only keep his mothers safe by eliminating the danger that threatens this town.

[Terraoblivion]

"We should. South is as good a direction for me to head as west and much safer for now. Or at least we should once i have fetched what little belongings i have in the inn." Sending the gathered group her most winning smile, she looked around them. "And she's right. Not just her but also me and a lot of townspeople would have been dead. Hopefully the raiders will not be back. I don't think we would be lucky enough to drive them off again." She sent them a quick wave as she turned to head off towards the inn.

As she walked she worried about the impromptu group of anathema hunters. Part of her told her to return to help them. They needed all the help they could get if they were to have a chance. She could provide at least a bit. And it would save innocent lives as well as the lives of those people. But she could not risk it. The Guild was still ruining lives and she hadn't had her revenge, that was what she had to focus on. In the end she would save more lives than she could running after the anathema, even if they were successful in their endeavor. She had to look at the big picture, no matter how urgent the need seemed.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian assesses the whole of Matashi as he leaps from rooftop to rooftop before finally coming to the walls of the manor compound. He leaps over as best he can, vaulting from gate to wall and over with newfound grace and skill. His intention is clear--he will make himself known. Let the Dragonblooded see the Anathema. There are bigger fears for now, bigger issues to be tended to.

[Tyracus]

After ignoring much of what had been going on in an attempt to calm his anima and regain the energies he would need for the hunt ahead of him Alanadel finally opens his eyes to Andrel's soft growl. Rising to his feet he walks to the door he entered from and moves back into the street. Pausing for a moment to replenish his arrows as best he can from the raiders he also takes a moment to relieve one of the fallen riders of his scimitar. Testing it for a moment to get a feel for it's weight and balance Alanadel makes a somewhat dissatisfied face before attaching the scabbard and blade to his left side. Taking a running leap he catches the edge of a nearby roof and pulls himself over the edge taking a ready position on the rooftop with his bow at the ready, as soon as the approaching exalt is within 60 feet Alanadel will release his arrow into the ground just in front of the exalt before speaking.

That's far enough for now. Perhaps if you'd explain your intentions clearly we can see about how much further we let you go. I have my suspicions that you aren't an enemy but one can never be too careful.

[GryffonDurime]

Jian

Humble Jian stands perfectly still as the arrow boars into the roof before him, careful to keep himself collected and calm.

"Dragon Child, noble as your intentions may be, I am not your enemy," Jian says, calling out as he stands to his full height. He adjusts his hair in a single, practiced motion, removing his topknot and tucking his black locks behind his ears. He then shucks off his great, blue coat, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"My name is...Jian. This is my home. Has always been my home. And I know what I appear to be, with this silver light all about me. But I am new to this, and much as that bow leveled at my head makes me think I could be making a huge mistake...well, trust must begin somewhere. Luna graced me in the midst of this battle while raiders tried to strike down my family. I never asked to be this, but now that I am, I can only hope to be of service in exacting a price for this attack, and in keeping these people--my people--safe."

[Cyranicles]

Wince makes for the manor. He wants to see how plans for a counter-strike progress as well as reclaim the weapon he'd hidden. Observing a standoff between his dragon-blooded ally and a strange frog-man he slows down in order to see what happens. If violence does not seem imminent he will walk slowly to where the chain is hidden, retrieve it, draw it out to look it over quickly, then put it back in the bag and make for the town's shrine.

[Kyeudo]

Hiroshige

The veteran soldier finds Meoni and his men in the same place, near the rear wall of the manor. The Air Aspect does not look happy. Sparks still dance across her skin and the smell of ozone fills the air near her. Even your comrades keep their distance. In response to his question, she practically growls. "Whoever that was, he has ruined a delicate trade deal. Several months of work, wasted in less than an hour. If I ever see him again, he will wish he was never born."

Raluca and Gao Shu

Hope you don't mind if I don't have you leave town just yet.

Any particular logic in heading south from here? Do you have some destination in mind or are you just trying to escape the trouble?


Wince

Here's the discription of the chain up close, for whenever you finally get a chance to give it a once over:

"The weapon is thirteen feet long, with each link as thick as your thumb, and the metal is chill to the touch, like cold stone in winter. The metal is, of course, black, with a dull sheen to it that almost makes the chain apear a dark grey in some lights. The heavy fighting weights at each end are carved into the likeness of scarabs, legs folded tightly against their carapaces. Each scarab is delicately ornamented with gold wire, accenting every joint of the body. A pair of flawless black pearls form the eyes of each carved scarab."

Metagame-wise, if you are wondering if there are spectral hands and faces visible inside the metal the answer is no. The signature trait of soulsteel is lacking in this weapon.

[Cyranicles]

Wince, familiar with the body-language of combat can tell that neither Alanadel, nor this newcomer Jian, is looking for a fight. He says in an informative dispassionate voice, "I will return shortly to offer what help I can in pursuing the enemy but first I must make my prayers." Walking slowly because he doesn't want to miss anything, Wince leaves the area for the shrine he was at only an hour or two earlier. He stops only to ask the name of the god of the valley.

Arriving at the shrine is almost a shock. It stands unharmed, as if the events of the past few hours had never occurred, yet so much had changed. Wince enters slowly, almost unsure of what he's doing. Inside the dimly lit room Wince finds himself alone; everyone else must be tending to the wounded and the dead.

Speaking aloud in the silent shrine Wince calls on the two gods he's encountered thus far this day. "Shin. Secoy." He kneels, "I come to you in desperation and with hope. For though I am unworthy of your attention I have witnessed your goodness and stewardship. My own efforts have been meager and faltering but fate smiles on the desperate and I, in my own small way, have helped to defend this, your village."

"Here," Wince draws out the scarab-weighted chain, laying it on the shrine's floor, "is the fruit of my efforts and the weapon of the beast who brought violence to this village. I ask humbly to speak with you of this enemy."

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige tells his sister I'm going after the anethema with the others; there's no telling when he'll be back to cause more trouble. Are you coming? Regardless of her answer, he races off in search of the man in black.

[Kyeudo]

Wince

The empty shrine becomes less empty as a small boy apears, sitting on the altar against the central pillar. Feet dangling just a few inches above the floor, the boy leans torwards you, a look of consideration on his face. "You called?"

Hiroshige

"What do you think you're doing?" Meoni demands imperiously. "I already have the servants readying our things for the trip back to Nexus. This village isn't safe and our negotiations have been disrupted irrepairable."

[Cyranicles]

Trying to hide his nervousness Wince replies, "Yes Lord...Shin?" It takes Wince a moment to place Shin's voice but as he does Wince's own voice becomes more sure of itself. "I am personally grateful for your efforts this day; they have saved the life of many that I love. I am here because my own efforts are not yet over.

I intend to give what aid I can to those who pursue the pale exalt but i am afraid that my efforts will not be enough. I seek your counsel and, if you find me worthy, your aid." Still on his knees but now leaning back to sit on his heels Wince says, "I ask two things. Is there anyway you can help a simple peasant stand up to one of the exalted? And dare mortal hands wield this weapon?"

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige

As Hiroshige hears yet another of Meoni's selfish commands, something begins to unravel inside of him, like a rope tied too tightly around a prisoner for too long. I'm going to ensure good will with Matashi, for future negotiations. I would think that a Shining Summit dragonblood would be first to do so, before any mere mortal, but thinking too hard isn't my job is it? Goodbye, sister. If I live, I'll catch up with you on the road to Nexus. Hiroshige leaves now, regardless of anything more that Meoni might say.

[Kyeudo]

Wince

"Can mortal hands even wield that weapon?" The spirit shrugs his shoulders. "Without magic to lighten its weight, the safety of doing so is mostly academic."

"As for your first question, what would you have me do?" The boy spreads his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I would much like such a threat to my village removed, but my nature constrains what I can do. I can not leave here for long or my duties would be neglected and even if I could I am no god of battles to punish them myself."

Hiroshige

"What will the family think of this?! Shirking your duties at a whim?!" The sparks dancing on her skin turn to small arcs of lightning, crackling through her clothes and her hair. The other men, your fellow bodyguards, look torn, caught between duty and loyalty, safety and possible suicide. Five of the soldiers seem to decide that loyalty means more to them and follow after you, turning their backs on the furious Terrestrial.

Alanadel

Can I get a reply to Jian out of you???

[Cyranicles]

Wince's speaks rapidly in blend of confusion and hope, "Then make me your agent! Can you give me the magic to wield this weapon? Or teach me?" Settling down again Wince muses, "I have heard of mortals who learned or were graced with the ability to do magic. And you are right, magic is likely the only thing that could help me oppose this enemy...but, if you could give aid in this, I would be an intractable enemy of any who threaten this village."

Wince finds himself in awe of his audacity and bows his head attempting to regain proper humility before a god, "Is it possible Lord Shin?"

[Tyracus]

Staying put with his weapon ready for a moment longer Alanadel eventually lowers his bow.

You fought the raiders who came and in my current state you would likely win in a fight, but I still had to test it for myself. He moves towards the edge of the roof pausing for a moment before jumping down.

You may want to do something about your anima, most others of my kind tend to be nowhere near as tolerant of your kind as I'm being. Even this ease of acceptance is in part because I could not even hope to think of a second full battle after my last encounter.

Sorry about the delay, things have been busy (I had an 11 hour day at work yesterday) and I've been trying to keep up with sleep while replaying Valkyria Chronicles. 24 hours just isn't enough for one day.

[Kyeudo]

Wince

"Please, stop that. Secoy is the one who insists on titles and obeisance, not I."

The spirit sighs, tired from the events of the day. "Yes, it is possible. Possible, but slow and difficult. It would be at least a month before you could master your own Essence, if you even can. The threat would likely be over, one way or another, before then."

[Cyranicles]

Wince smirks, "I'll remember that about Secoy's...formality, if I ever I speak to him. I suppose I needn't kneel any longer then?" Wince stands up.

"I guess then the question is whether it is worth the effort. But, to be honest, I don't know what is involved. Naturally, I defer to your judgment in matters of magic."

Taking a moment to think Wince says, "Me, I believe there's no telling how or when this conflict will end. It is, of course, your decision but I see things the same way I did when I attacked the exalt before the manor's gates. We can't avoid the risks so we should make every possible effort."

[Kyeudo]

Wince

Shin puts one hand to his head, as if nursing a headache. "Ug. The paperwork for this is going to be a nightmare, but then what is one more nightmare on top of the rest?"

"Very well, then." He extends a hand. "If you want my blessing, you may have it."

[Ridai]

"If we can find ourselfs two horses, we can cover a lot of distance for a day or two. We can sell the horses at a town and proceed on foot after that." Raluca says to Flowering Orchid and looks for two now ownerless horses of the Marukani.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"It'll die down on it's own...I hope," Jian says of his anima, shrugging. He kneeds the muscle in his shoulder, still unaccustomed to the newness of his strength--not a terrible improvement, but sizable for one who's spent his life so firmly on the wrong side of average. "But I saw two animas at the manor. One was yours, I assume. Whose was the other?"

[Cyranicles]

Wince says while reaching out to take Shin's hand and seal their deal, "I promise to do everything I can to keep Matashi safe and defeat the pale man and his allies who threaten your village."

[Tyracus]

Pausing on the ground Alanadel's voice carries up to Jian.

About the first question, you're correct, just don't expend any more power and it will die down in time. As for the second, he is my prey, one who will not escape me and an entity far more dangerous to the world than either of us.

[Kyeudo]

Sorry if you've been waiting on me. I got a little busy this weekend. On with the show!


Wince

For a moment, you don't even feel the spirit's hand. Then power surges through his spectral touch, coursing through your veins like fire, like ice, like everything all at once. For a long moment, you are the village. You feel the rice growing in flooded paddies across the river, feel the wind blowing along the walls of every house, feel every footstep on every street. You hear the crying of children, the mourning of wives for their husbands, the neighing of frightened horses scattered among the buildings. Every sight and sound and smell is there.

The moment passes, and the sensation with it, but nothing will ever seem the same again.

Back at the Manor

Rain begins to fall as the self-apointed hunters set out from the manor gate. The fat drops splatter on the charred remains of the wooden gate, sizzling on blackened wood still hot from the rogue Exalt's flames. The rain mixes with tears as families try to find friends and loved ones, all too often finding them among the dead. The rain begins to wash away the blood pooled in the streets, trying to hide the tragedy that marks this day.

Hiroshige's men, already going against House and home by disobeying the orders of their charge, don't even balk at working with one of the Anathema. Actions speak louder than words.

You are met at the gate by the wizened old monk, leaning on his spear and breathing heavily. "You didn't think you were going to go after those bastards and leave me here now, did you?"


How are you going to go about your hunt for the man in black?


Raluca and Gao Shu

Rounding up a pair of horses doesn't take long, with so many fine Marukani warhorses lost in the streets. Heading south carries you across the river and up into the hills. The falling rain soaks mercilously into clothing, unseasonably cold. From the top of the hills you can see people just begining to piece the shattered fragments of their lives back together.


An Intelligence + Lore or Survival roll would be appropriate for navigating your way towards the nearest town.

[Cyranicles]

Wince, still hand in hand with a god, suddenly feels...justified. As if he had been correct that morning that it would indeed be a good day. Not good by virtue of what happened to the town but good by virtue of his own transformation into a man with a purpose.

Wince couldn't tell if he had released Shin's hand or if Shin's hand had ceased to be substantial, in either case Wince's still electrified hand drifted down to his side as his eyes traded one last meaningful look with Shin. No words were needed, they had been superceded by deeds, and now there were deeds that awaited Wince's doing. He gathers up the still-heavy, black chain before moving for the door.

Leaving the shrine calmly and quickly Wince follows his still tingling memories of unity with the village around several shops and houses to find the nearest horse just where he had -felt- it to be. Gathering up it's reins and mounting the ownerless beast he notes that colors, from the pale rain to the muddy streets, are sharper than ever before. Dazed with wonder he returns at a trot to the manor to hear a voice brimming with half-jesting admonishment. Arda!

Urging his horse toward the gate Wince adds his voice to Arda's, loud enough that Alanadel and the Silver one can hear, "I don't know what the wise course is, but I offer my aid in all efforts to destroy the Pale Man and his allies. I am glad to see you again Arda; I'd lost track of you."

[Ridai]

Looking up to the sky for a moment, Raluca quietly rides south past the suffering around her, pulling her hood over her head. Her clothing becomes heavier and colder with every moment as she rides faster, setting the next town as her destination for now, so she does not have to think about where to go after arriving there.

Intelligence + Survival [roll0]

[Terraoblivion]

Gao Shu sent a glance over the ruined town as they left. It was a rough world even out here, away from the depredation and squalor she'd grown up with. She hadn't truly expected that, but she supposed it made sense...She had things she could do, however, and they didn't involved staying here.

Drawing her cloak around her for warmth, she kept close to her new traveling companion on the way south, trying to remember if she had heard anything about other towns in the area.

Intelligence+Lore [roll0]

[Tyracus]

Alanadel walks back to the manor, careful not to stray too close to any of the wounded or people busy with clearing the streets. As he reaches his goal he speaks to the people before him.

I will hunt him as soon as I have rested. I believe an hours time should suffice to both replenish my essence reserves and to allow my anima to fade. That will give him a head start but he is wounded and low on essence himself, he will need a similar rest, if he chooses to neglect it it only makes it easier as we will have his anima to follow as well. Taking stock of the arrows remaining in the three quivers he carries Alanadel consolidates them into one as he finishes his inventory of supplies.

I have all that I need, gather what you need but we travel light. I don't intend to stop unless absolutely necessary before we track down our prey.

Sorry about the delay, I thought this had gone through but apparently it was eaten by the server issues.

[Kyeudo]

At the Manor

The old monk nods at the latecomer. "Good to see you too, young one."

Turning to hear the Terrestrial, Arda bows respectfully once he finishes. "I am ready to leave whenever you wish."


I don't think anyone has anything they need/want to grab, so lets just assume that you pass your hour to get your Anima down and regain some Essence. If anyone had preparations they wanted to do, just write them in retroactively.

If you do intend to track the man in black, you'll need to make a tracking roll.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

"If we've just a moment before we head out," Jian says, turning softly towards the nearest mortal, "I've a task for you. I slew some marauders as they took to a family's house, but the lot of them were able to take refuge in their cellar. Down the high road, right onto the hill, it's the house with the polished red door. The cellar's in the kitchen. Make sure they're all right."

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige will head out with Alanadel after he's recovered, along with whoever else is going anathema hunting. In the mean time, he and his men look for nets and rope--anything that might be handy for restraining the foe.

[Cyranicles]

Wince takes the hour to go back to his mothers' house to help them set some things in order as well as gather up some supplies. He's not sure if he'll be back in hours, days or weeks so he takes a pack stuffed with food and a bed roll. He returns to the manor before the hour is up and approaches Jian. (Still frog shape?) "I believe you might know more about magic than I do. Is there anything you can tell me about this?" Wince holds out the gray-black, scarab-weighted chain, "We managed to take this from the exalt who attacked the manor."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian takes the chain, surprised at the heft of the dark metal. He turns it over in his blue, slick hands; raises it to his nose and breathes in. Eyebrows raise. Inside his mind, Jian feels the sublime pleasure of new pathways forming between old competencies, a mind working more swiftly for the mastery of Essence. Whispers-in-Autumn had spoken to him at length about a great many things: artifacts had at least been among them. Had he heard of such a material? Luna only knows.

[Kyeudo]

Jian

The chill metal seems thirsty against your skin, tugging subtly at the Essence coursing through your veins, urging you to try to fill its depths with your power. The black weapon is made of a material that seems familiar and yet alien all at the same time. Other than it's icy temperature, the texture is like that of jade, with a weight that reminds you of white jade, but the color is all wrong. The material smells like cold stone, subtle hints of old bone and fresh blood wafting about it. There is only one material you have heard of that this might be: Underworld Jade.

Other than that strange revelation, the weapon itself is fairly simple. Besides the enchantments that lighten and strengthen the weapon, it has no hidden magic, harmful or otherwise.


Metagame: The chain has the stats of a Jade Dire Chain, and that's it. No special powers. That many successes nets you a straight answer.


Anathema Hunting

Nets are hard to come by in a fairly landlocked little village, but rope is much more availible. After taking care of your preparations, you follow the trail of burnt footprints to the edge of the forest, where Alanadel takes the lead, eyes following any and all signs of the raiders passing. There are suspiciously few. Trails seem swept clean of footprints. No branches seem broken by the passage of man or beast. Not even a blade of grass seems to be trampled. A few charred footprints continue into the woods before even those fade. You suspect magic to be involved.

Following the trail is more following the lack of a trail. Where one would normally look for signs of human passage, you hunt for a lack of animal passage. The slightest upturned rock is an arrow pointing onward, a hint of a hoofprint in mud a map onward. Still, the going is slow, always on the verge of losing the trail.

After two days in the woods, you finally get the first confirmation that you are still on the Marukani's heels as the trail leads out of the forest and onto the plain beyond Matashi's hills. Whatever power was hiding the sign from you doesn't extend into the tall grass. A large number of horsemen has trampled a swath through the grass, leaving a trail easily followed. You pass the ashes of a dozen campfires now and again as you press onward, heading westward from the woods.

As the sun is begining to set on the third day, you top a small rise to see a small village on the horizon and the last stragglers of a line of horsemen heading towards it. You could reach the village by nightfall, perhaps a few hours after the Marukani.


I am making the assumption that everyone grabbed a horse and that no one felt an overpowering need to investigate the wierdness in the woods instead of continuing the pursuit.

Yes, that is three days of healing and Essence recovery.


Raluca and Gao Shu

Three days of hard travel southward, across hills, through valleys and forests, finally lead you to a hill overlooking a small village along the Grey River. The sun is starting to sink beneath the horizon, but the village has not yet begun to light candles or lamps for the night.


I should stop watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann when I'm trying to write a post. It is very distracting.

[Ridai]

After three days of constantly staying on guard, Raluca doesn't feel reliefed upon seeing the village. What happened at Matashi could easily repeat itself, in one form or another. "Let's look for a buyer for the horses and a place to stay. We should plot a course today so we can leave early in the morning."

Raluca rides down the hill and asks for general directions, as well as an inn and potential buyers.

[Terraoblivion]

As they drew up to the village, Gao Shu started noting just how painful the ride had been for her. A village, even if it was just a floor in front of a fireplace it would be great with a roof over her head and warm food again. "I'll handle the sale. I have experience with this sort of thing...not horses specifically, but sale. I'm pretty sure i can get a good price."

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige

As much as I hate putting those villagers in danger, I think this may be our best opportunity to take the anethema. If we can slip in after they go to sleep, we may be able to catch them unaware and get any nearby villagers out of harm's way.

[Cyranicles]

I'm not so sure those villagers will need our protection. The Marukani aren't attacking so the villagers are likely neutral or, in the worst case, allies of the raiders.

Wince has been getting annoyed now for several days as they trekked through the forest following an almost indiscernible path. "And blast that damnable forest! The raiders actually gained ground against us. Didn't we leave only an hour behind them? Shouldn't a group of our size been able to overtake them before now? I am loathe to give them until nightfall to settle in, especially if they're aware that we pursue them but at the same time, it would likely be the best time to strike...so long as they aren't expecting us."

[Kyeudo]

Gao Shu and Raluca

As you enter the outskirts of the village, the first thing you notice is the oppressive quiet. No mothers call children home from play, noone walks the streets to visit a neighbour, and no farmers make their way to their houses in the growing twilight.

No obvious signs of violence mar the town. A few doors stand empty, a few everyday objects lay discarded in the streets, but that is all.


I forgot to mention that the moon phase has shifted. Jian's a Changing Moon for now.

[Ridai]

It looks like everyone fled the town and Raluca does not want to find out why. "I don't like this. Let's look for food and get out of here as soon as possible. Whatever the people fled from is maybe already here or soon will be." she whispers to Flowering Orchid and starts to ride faster, as she doubts slowing down so that the horses make less noise won't help as much as speed. Raluca is keeping an eye out for trouble and looks for a store or warehouse, some place where she can find rations for the journey.

[Kyeudo]

Anathema Hunting

"Whatever we choose, the horsemen will have several hours to do as they please in that village."

[Tyracus]

I knew we'd lose time, but I didn't expect that much. There's likely little we can do in the village but they have been moving consistently in one general direction. If we move around and try to get ahead of them then we can make up for our delays. With that Alanadel begins to move down the rise, heading off on a route to move around the village.

[Cyranicles]

As Alanadel begins to move away Wince objects, "Alanadel! You've done enough leading and little enough listening. We don't know if they're planning on leaving that village and if we simply wait on the other side then we only give them more time to settle in. Your plan is fine if they do intend to move on but we clearly need to have some knowledge of their intentions. I suggest someone, probably you, sneak into that village to gather a little information that we might make the right decision."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian looks onward towards the village distractedly; he hears Alandel's ideas as if they were little more than buzzing. Every sound in the forest has been like a temptation, and strange, silver urges teem through Jian's mind. After Wince's, however, his brow furrows for a moment and he speaks without turning back towards the others:

"Mm. I agree with the brawler. We need information, and you, young Dragon-Blooded, are welcome to assay with whatever skill you can bring to bear. I'll be back by morning," Jian says--but Jian's not there anymore; in his stead a small blue frog sits, wide-eyed and contented, on the bough of a low bush. A low croak trills across the clearing and it begins jumping towards the village in long, high-arced leaps.

1 Mote to turn into my Spirit Shape. Hoping towards the village. No one ever suspects the Arrow Frog Inquisition.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige blinks as he watches Jian turn into a frog and then hop away. "Well...I guess that's one way to recon."

[Kyeudo]

Forgot to mention: 4 more XP to everyone.


Anathema Hunting

"It seems that those of us not given to scouting are to wait here." The old monk sinks down into the lotus position, closing his eyes to meditate.

Jian

You figure out rather swiftly that traveling as a tiny frog is slower than as a human, if much less noticable. For all your ability to jump, you cover in one leap the same distance as a single stride. Still, the ability to enter the village undetected to be much more useful right now.

You arive about an hour after sunset. Hopping along the packed dirt roads, you find the outskirts of the village deserted, with trails of debris and scattered goods here and there indicating that a good amount of looting has taken place. Further into the village, lights flicker in some of the windows, most of them larger structures such as the village's sole inn. At the center of town, gates open wide, is a wooden pallisade, encompassing perhaps half an acre. Lights burn in the few structures errected inside the pallisade.

Raluca and Gao Shu

Your horses hooves seem to echo in the empty streets, an eerie sound in the dimming light. As you go farther into the town, the smell of something rotting begins to assault your senses, intensifying the further you go towards the center of town. Your search for anything resembling food storage along the hillward side of town proves futile. Any stores or shops must be on the far side of town, near the river front.

[Cyranicles]

Wince feeling pacified after his outburst and Jian's quick, though odd, agreement, decides to have seat with Arda. "I'm pretty good at going unnoticed but I have no doubt that the exalts can manage more effectively than I can." To pass the time Wince strikes up a conversation with Arda about the lore of the martial arts world and the many styles practiced throughout creation.

[Ridai]

What is going on around here? Raluca grips the reins and her sword tighter as a slight chill runs down her spine. As much as she wants to ride along the outer edge or just leave this place, she still guides the horse past the town center to reach the other side (and the needed supplies for Flowering Orchid) as fast as possible, clenching her teeth when the rotten smell intensifies. Raluca takes a look at the town center on the way to see if they are in immediate danger.

[Terraoblivion]

The sense of destruction was not lost on Gao Shu either. Keeping her fan at the ready at all times, she let her gaze sweep over the empty streets. No corpses. It did not appear to be a random massacres. Did they just leave, leaving everything including food and livestock behind? She doubted it. It was likely something much worse.

[Tyracus]

Looking up at Wince as he moves down towards the village. He holds his hand up by his mouth and a moment later his voice arrives carried by the wind.

I am used to independent action. Leading is natural, I will call again when it is wise for you to move, wait until then.

With that Alanadel raises his hood and draws approaches the village, doing his best to maintain a low profile as he nears it's outskirts.

1m of personal essence for wind carried words. I'll move towards the village and as I get close I'll work on moving in unnoticed.

Dex+Stealth = [roll0]

[Kyeudo]

At the Campsite

"Strange days we live in isn't it? Anathema hunting with an Anathema." The old monk looks at Hiroshige. "What brings you out here, so far from Lookshy?"

Alanadel

You work your way close to the village, using the natural curves of the land to aid your attempts at sleath, bringing you in on a different angle than the frogman.

The streets here are no different, though. No one living can be seen on the edge of town. The corpse of a villager, a spear left sticking in his back, is the only sign that life once went on as normal here. With no apparent sentries around, the lights deeper into town beckon.


Nitpick: Wind-Carried Words Technique will cost you 2 motes due to the elemental surcharge.


Raluca and Gao Shu

As you continue your search in the fading dusk, you come across the first sign of something overtly wrong. What used to be an inn stands gutted by fire, only the remnants of its walls and its stone chinmey still standing. The smell of decay hangs thick in the air. Beyond the charred inn, you can see a row of shops dotting the large street leading down to the riverfront and what looks like a storehouse of some kind nestled behind a row of houses.


Am I being too cliche here?

[Ridai]

As Raluca still can't see any corpses despite the powerful stench, she slowly expects to find something much fouler than just a bunch of rotten corpses. As a popular saying goes, she has a bad feeling about this. She guides her horse towards the storehouse, staying fully alert on the way. There, Raluca listens for any noises in the vicinity or the storehouse before carefully entering it.

I'm fully prepared for an ambush by hordes of the undead or something similar (scratch that, you are never prepared for that kind of thing, as a human at least).

I like the atmosphere. If it's cliché, I don't mind it, as most of us already saw all kinds of movies, games, stories and what-not, so it's easy to call something cliché or uninspired (kind of like how many people scream "Emo!" when they see characters with some sort of problems and/or in dark clothes).[/opinion]

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige replies to the old monk. Strange times indeed. Even stranger is how I all but called my dragon blood sister a coward; I've been thinking about it since we left Matashi, and I still don't know what got into my head to do something so foolish. To be honest, I don't have any real idea of what she was doing in Matashi. I was protecting her and not asking foolish questions, as usual. After the raid, she said that whatever business she had in the village was irrevocably ruined. Another thing I've not been able to work out. Strange indeed. So how did you come to be a part of this merry hunt?

[Cyranicles]

Wince has been keeping up casual conversation with Hiroshige's men but chimes in to add his interest to Hiroshige's, "I also have a question Arda; perhaps, it is the same question. You're a superior martial artist; how did you came to possess such skill?" Then to Hiroshige, "Your aid in this hunt could well save the lives of people I care about. I may not be able to judge the wisdom of your words to your sister but I would not call your decision foolish."

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian enjoys the raw change of sensation inherent to his spirit shape: it's utterly novel, and still familiar. He hops towards the pallisade, careful to contain the newfound desire to croak. Even in this strange new form, Jian feels a measure of serenity fall over him as night begins--the light of the waxing moon slides softly across his new, blue skin. He needs to find one of the raiders--important if possible, but more imperatively alone. He catches the walls of the buildings as best he can, peering through windows.

[Tyracus]

I'm pretty sure it's 1, Wind carried words lacks the elemental keyword, thus it's a neutral charm.

Pausing for a moment to check the man's body, Alanadel continues to move in, leery of any hidden sentries he takes to the rooftops and back alleys to keep out of sight as best he can.

Stealth again: [roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Quick check: What languages does everyone speak?


At the Campsite

"I spent much of my life wandering these lands, teaching the Immaculate philosophy with my master, one of the sohei. I learned many things in my travels, not the least of which was how to defend myself and my master. Unlike my master, the ravages of time took its toll upon me, and I decided to bid him farewell and settle down somewhere. That was ten years ago." Arda closes his eyes, lost in nostigalia for a moment, then resumes. "Matashi became my home. I came to make sure that Anathema does not return to threaten my home again."

Humble Jian

As Jian hops from window to window, searching for a lone raider, he notices something interesting. While checking out a small storehouse that has been converted into a makeshift barracks, you notice that, while most of their equipment is fairly uniform, almost all of the raiders in view have some sort of stylized insignia somewhere on their gear. Some wear theirs as part of a wooden or bone necklace, some have theirs stitched onto a shirt, and some even have their crest tatooed or branded onto them. There are a few different insignia amoung the raiders, and most seem to be bunking near others with the same crest.

That alone wouldn't seem unusual, but as you bound through the shadows to the repurposed inn, you see that there are guards posted all around the lit buildings and that all the guards bear one of two different crests. Moving to a ground floor window, you don't see any of the men bearing the guards' crests inside.

Making your way from the window to window, you pass many rooms with multiple men taking care of gear, tending to wounds, getting ready for sleep, or simply killing time. However, in one second floor room, a lone man is sharpening his sword.


I can already see what you are planning and I like it. :smallamused:


Alanadel

Alanadel makes his way through darkened streets and up to the roof of a small house across from a large, rambling house appropriated by the Marukani. Several guards are posted at every entrance and occasionally a pair will make their way around the perimeter. None of them see you.


Read page 127 of MoEP:Dragon-Blooded again. If it's a Charm from an Ability that isn't an Aspect Ability for you, you pay the elemental surcharge, regardless of if it has the Elemental keyword. I've house-ruled the surcharge for you slightly, so that you pay it on a per Ability basis instead of a per Charm basis, but it's still there.

Could you be more specific about where Alanadel wants to go and/or do?

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian enters through whatever means necessary--slides open the window as best he can, mortal training supplementing the weakness of his form. Inside, quietly as he can, Jian examines the man's form, searching for a cut or a scrape or a bruise...

If and when he spots such a wound, Jian leaps for it in a single bound, nuzzling the cut with his slick blue skin to spread his toxin as quickly and virulently as he can. He tears at scabs with his new, dumb fingers. He bites down with a strong-muscled but toothless mouth. If the man proves to be woundless, the frog waits for the raider's hand to reach the most dangerous arc of the sharpening motion and then jumps, croaking loudly, aiming to knock the blade against the rogue's own skin...

Pure Dex for Stealth role, spending a Willpower for an automatic success so as to avoid being noticed as I enter the room.
[roll0]+1 Auto Sux...I'm honestly not sure what to roll for the rest.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

You find a way to open the window a crack and creep inside, unnoticed. As the man draws the whetstone against the blade, you leap towards him. Your sudden apearance, combined with a loud croak, causes the man to jerk. "What the - Arg!" A slight line of crimson apears on his finger from where the edge nicked him. "Crazy frog!"


I rolled your Manipulation against his Wits to see if you successfully startled him.

To poison his nicked finger, use Dexterity+Martial Arts, with a -1 external penalty for the called shot.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Humble Jian's eyes narrow for a moment. His legs tighten like the strings of a sanxian, like the tensing of a pulled bow...and he jumps, flawless and true to the name of arrow frog. Silvered essence flares into being within his musculature, guiding every motion and cutting through the air. He grabs for the man's nicked finger and clutches it tight to his stomach. In his primal mind, instinct sends sickly blue toxins coursing through and over his skin.


Dex+Ma+4 Mote Excellency+WP+Conviction channel, to offset the penalty
[roll0]+1 Auto Sux[/rollv]

Let's see if I can bamboozle the roller again.

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

The raider shakes you from his finger, but the damage is done. "What in the name of the ancestors is going on?!" The man, unaware of the poison, tries to step on you, but instead finds himself falling over, passing out in a matter of seconds and hitting the floor with a loud thump. Within moments, his breathing stops.

The comotion does not go unnoticed. You hear footsteps in the hall and then a voice. "Jarl, you alright in there?"


Mortal vs Poison Dart Frog! Winner! Jian!

That counts as a 1 die stunt.

[Cyranicles]

"I don't mean to change the subject Arda but I just wanted to mention that it seems Alanadel can just talk into my ear whenever he pleases and I thought I'd mention that maybe we should be ready for action when he calls for us. I need a moment." Wince makes his way to his horse where he retrieves and dons his Silken Armor. Taking a moment to send a prayer to Shin, Wince mutters, "I may soon have a chance to keep my end of our bargain; wish me luck."

Returning to his seat with Arda and Hiroshige, Wince rests one hand on the staff he'd been given back in Matashi, "So Arda, you said you believe in the Immaculate religion right? Doesn't that mean you're supposed to hate this guy Jian?"

[Kyeudo]

At the Campsite

"Perhaps when I was younger that would have been the case, but time has done more for me than put an ache in my bones. Perhaps Jian will prove himself to be just as dangerous as the one we hunt, but I will judge him by his actions and not by his appearance. His actions saved friends of mine at the bridge."


Please no pulling stuff you haven't gotten yet out of Hammerspace. I'm working on getting your gear to you. Just have some patience.

[GryffonDurime]

Humble Jian

Jian is a man again, and for a single instant a crescent moon slides across his brow, a thin scar of light...as it passes, so too does Jian's form. The dead man stands over his own corpse now--Jian in disguise.

"It's fine," Jian calls out in a new voice, "just some little vermin caught me and I nicked myself."

Jarl, he recites to himself as he wraps the body in a sheet and hides it wherever's available--under the bed, in a closet. Tucks it behind anything he can find and arranges the furnishings to draw attention away. He sheaths the sword and steps into the hallway.


Wits+Investigation to hide evidence?
[roll0]

[Terraoblivion]

The sight of the warehouse did little to reassure Gao Shu. Anything in it was likely to be rotten as they approached it, and it seemed like such an obvious trap. Even so they needed supplies and the warehouse was the best bet for that. She did like Raluca, however, and waited, listening carefully for any raiders or beasts that might roam the abandoned village.

Just standard perception+awareness

[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Humble Jian

You stow the body beneath the bed, hiding it well enough that you doubt it will be discovered for some time. Out in the hallway, the other raider seems to have gone back to his room. The hallway is lined with doorways on either side, about eight total, with a stairway at the far end leading down to the common room.


I'll give you one stunt die for the last thing.


Raluca and Gao Shu

The two of you ride past the remains of the inn, whatever was once inside hidden behind the blackened remnants of walls and the charred timbers of the building's upper floors. The smell begins to fade the farther you get from the derelict structure, but doesn't go away. As you reach the warehouse door, the last sliver of the sun dips below the horizon.

Raluca, glancing backwards over her shoulder, sees something deeply disturbing. The inn behind her is whole once again, glimmering faintly with an ephemeral light. At least, it seems whole at first glance. A moment more and it becomes clear that the burned out building remains, but with a ghostly, almost solid form superimposed upon it. The spectral door begins to open, revealing only darkness within.


Jian must have sucked all the luck out of the roller. Luckily, you have Raluca nearby to notice what Gao Shu missed.

[Ridai]

"This is not good." Raluca's eyes widen as she sees the spectral inn. "Keep an eye out for trouble.", she whispers to Flowering Orchid and points towards the inn. Then, she quickly jumps from the horse and enters the warehouse, searching for a rations that could last one person for a few days as fast as she can.

[Tequila Sunrise]

Hiroshige grunts at Wince's suggestion. I've been ready for the last few days. I hate the silence before battle.

[Kyeudo]

At the Campsite

"Patience is a virtue, and calm an ally." The old monk closes his eyes again, returning to his meditation.

Raluca

You try the door, but sadly find it locked.

[Cyranicles]

Wince's gaze bounces back and forth between Hiroshige and the old monk, then to Hiroshige's men..."I guess I'm the only one here who's not used to rushing off into danger..."

Nervously Wince attempts to make conversation, "So, Hiroshige, do you quarrel with your sister frequently? I can't imagine it being easy to be around the dragon-blooded so much"

[Ridai]

Raluca runs around the warehouse in search of an alternative way inside. If there isn't one, she goes back to the front door, examining the look for a moment. Having found her target, Raluca goes back a few yards and takes a moment to gather her strength. Then she launches herself full speed towards the door and tries to break the lock through sudden force with a jump-kick, putting her whole weight and speed into it.

Feat of Strength, btw.