The March Across Maltak Revistited [Jezebel]

[Kyeudo]

It is only the first day of Descending Earth, but the weather is already scorching hot. Heat waves shimmer along the horizon in every direction and the stunted coarse grass underfoot crackles with every step that Jezebelle takes.

Nearby, a herd of spidergourds cool their roottips at the edge of a muddy riverbank, the flow of water slowed to barely a trickle by the increasing heat. The herd watches warily in all directions with their gelatinous red eyes, vigilant for the first sign of danger. Rightly so, as a pack of Maltak Aurochs can be seen watching the spidergourds from a rise nearby, perhaps sizing up their next meal.

The Tienchek tribe will not be too far away, perhaps less than a half mile beyond that rise. The ragtag band of orcs barely deserve the word "tribe", barely able to agree on which direction to travel and only then because the spidergourds represent the only reliable source of food within a day's march. The orcs should be easy prey for the Infernal once she makes contact, as factitious as they are, and a toehold from which her cult could begin to grow.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel smiles for an second, letting herself imagine Maltak in its rightful place in the order of Creation - dedicated to her.

But there is work to be done. Jezebel's smile is replaced by a thoughtful expression as she rounds the rise to see if she can spot the Tienchak. Perhaps she will be spotted. Perhaps she will see a foraging group. It doesn't matter. She sits down with same thoughtful look to wait.

[Kyeudo]

From the other side of the rise, you can see the orc encampment, a rough ring of connical tents made of mottled green and brown leather. Several dozen orcs go about their daily work down below, preparing food, mending tools, and other mundane work. Several sentries dot the perimeter, keeping an eye out for dangers.

One of them must have spotted you, because within a few minutes a small band of orc warriors is riding towards you, mounted on what look like large wolves.


I probably should tell you that most places in Maltak aren't going to qualify as places of desolation. Maltak may be hot and dry, but for now there's too much life everywhere.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel stands and dusts herself off, waiting for the orcs to catch up. Running now would be useless. There is too much life here for Cecelyne's grace to protect her.

Mental note: change that.

[Kyeudo]

The riders encircle you quickly, cutting off all chance of escape and leveling sharp, ivory-pointed spears at you. Now that you can see them up close, the orcs are even more intimidating than the discriptions say. The shortest among them stands a head taller than you and are far more heavily built. All of them have black, somewhat coarse hair and green skin, varying from a deep olive color to a bright green like new leaves.

The leader of the warriors motions at two of the orcs, who then dismound and (assuming you do not resist) bind your hands behind your back with some sort of cord before throwing you roughly across the back of one of the mounts.

[tonberrian]

I'm going to use <> to denote Orcish, as is traditional for Dominic Deegan, and reqular quotes for Flametongue. I'll cross the Old Realm bridge when I come to it.

Jezebel stands patiently while they bind her wrists.

<I mean you no harm. I only wish to-Hey! Put me down! I am quite capable of walking-Oof! This treatment is entirely unnecessary, I assure you!>

Perception + Socialize to see if any of these are Yozi worshippers, thanks to my Unwoven Coadjutor:

[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

None of these are Yozi cultists . . . yet.

Just wanted to make sure you didn't want to beat them senseless


They ignore your protests as they ride back to camp, where they dump you on the ground at the feet of what appear to be their leaders. One, the largest orc in the gathering and covered with scars, looks to be a warrior by his dress and the way that he carries himself, while the other two appear to be shamans, from the many beads and bone ornaments that decorate their leather clothes.

"We caught this human spying on us. What should we do with her?"

The warrior is the first to respond. "Were there any others?"

"Not that we saw."

The older of the two shamans, his hair greying, speaks up. "Regardless if there were others with her, we should move the camp. If one human can find us, others could as well."

"And have us run like cowards? Our ancestors would not approve!" The other shaman itterupts.

"Your ancestors, perhaps, but mine were not so reckless."

[tonberrian]

"If I may interrupt."

Jezebel shifts to a more supplicating position, still lying on the ground.

"I assure you, I mean you no harm. These noble warriors are somewhat mistaken - I was not spying on you, merely hoping to alert you of my presence instead of marching down into your camp without warning. They are correct, though, in that there was no one else besides me. My purpose in coming here was to help throw off your oppressors. I have no love for them, myself, and I think their actions are unjust.

[Kyeudo]

"Do not listen to her. One cannot trust a human to speak the truth. A Callanian army probably waits for her to return."

The scarred orc turns to the warriors that brought you in. "Scout the area. If there are any humans nearby, I need to know." The warriors nod, mount back up, and ride off.

"You wish to have us run?"

"No, but Garon has a point. If she lies, we need to know if the Callanians are nearby." He looks down at you. "As for this one, I'd like to know why a human comes to us, claiming to want to help us."

[tonberrian]

"I come to you because you are in need. I come to you because Callan has wronged me. I come to you because Creation is suffering, and I think that if I help you, you might help me make it better.

[Kyeudo]

"You come because you think you can use us for your own ends. Typical Callanian. Why should we trust you."

[tonberrian]

"But if those ends are agreeable to you, is there really a problem? I came here alone, even if you don't believe me on this point. I came to you without resisting. However, I see a demonstration of my sincerity is in order. Are you happy with how your battles with Callanian forces have gone? Would you accept knowledge of their tactics if it were offered to you?"

Charm time! If Scarred Orc Chief answers appropriately, Jez is going to use Verdant Emptiness Endowment on him from her personal Essence pool.

Relevant stats after charm use:
Willpower ●●●●● *
Personal Essence 5/15 (0 Committed)
Peripheral Essence 34/36 (2 Committed)

[Kyeudo]

Looks like you are trying to manipulate the warrior, so lets roll some dice.
Manipulation + Presence:[roll0] vs his DV.


"Were it so easy. The Callanians never fight unless they outnumber us or have the superior position, and their weapons more than match our own. Even if their battle plans were to fall out of the sky right into my hand, we would need more warriors to deal with them."

[tonberrian]

"That is unfortunate. I could try to get you these things, but that would take weeks, and I need to prove my worth to you now. Is there a skill with which you are less proficient than you would like? I can teach a great many things, and if it would prove my worth to do so for one of your shamans, I would do so."

Gah, I meant to spend 5 motes on Cecylene's First Excellency for Manipulation + Presence, but since this is editted in, I'll do so in the OoC thread.

[Kyeudo]

That first one was actually a success, with stunt dice (I gave you 2). His "Were it so easy" qualifies as a wish. Of course, he won't owe you until the end of the scene, so no calling in favors yet.


"I doubt you could teach anything worth learning. Why are we talking to this human? Have her killed and be done with it."

"Let us not be too hasty. If she is in league with the Callanians, we may be able to...'convince' her to tell us of their plans. Let us wait for the scouts to return."

"Very well, but at least have her gagged so we won't have to listen to more of her drivel."

A warrior looks at the scarred orc, who looks annoyed but gestures for him to carry on anyway.


Sorry for the rough treatment, but you are fighting an uphill battle here. One last chance before they gag you.

[tonberrian]

Don't worry about it. I was hoping to use VEE on an ability or attribute, so that it would appear in the scene - makes her a lot more useful if Scarred Orc knows she's behind his "good" luck. Still, using VEE on anything is a huge success. Now for one last trick before she's gagged...

As the warrior removes Jezebel's hood and wrappings around her face to gag her, her calm facade breaks for an instant. And why not? She's a lone human in an orc camp who want her dead, and everything she's offered has been rejected. All she can look forward to is torture and death. Her eyes look pleading to the surrounding orcs, seeming to ask for mercy. It would wrench at anyone's soul.

It's all an act, of course.

Okay, social attack (Manipulation + Performance) to establish an intimacy towards keeping Jezebel safe. I'm going to spend a point of Willpower for an automatic success, and channel Compassion for another 3 dice. Overkill, I know.
Please Keep Me Safe!: [roll0] + 1 automatic success

Also, Jez is going to use VEE on Scarred Orc (just to make that clear).

Compassion ●●*
Willpower ●●●●* *
Personal Essence: 0/15 (0 Committed)
Peripheral Essence: 34/36 (2 Committed)

[Kyeudo]

They drag you away as the three leaders continue to argue over a course of action. They leave you, tied hand and foot, in a sweltering hot tent to await your fate.

You don't have to wait long to find out what that fate will be. Less than an hour passes before an orc woman crawls under the back edge of the tent. She motions for you to be quiet before she unties you, then leads you back out the way she came.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel wordlessly follows.

[Kyeudo]

Once you are out of the tent, the orc woman whispers to you. "You haven't done us any wrong, so get going. It won't be long before someone checks on you."

[tonberrian]

"Thank you for your kindness. The safest place for me right now would be somewhere as empty and desolate as you can think of. Can you tell me how to get there?"

[Kyeudo]

"To the southwest is a deadland, but our ancestors congregate there. For your own sake, do not anger them." The orc woman slips away between the tents, leaving you to find your own fate.

[tonberrian]

A deadland! The orcish name for those forsaken places part of both this world and its darker mirror created by the deaths of those that couldn't. Blasphemies, testament to the failure of Creation's true masters.

Still, she said that the spirits of Orcish ancestors gathered there. A blessing of one of them could make her efforts here much easier. And even the dead have needs.

Jezebel sneaks off to the Southwest, towards the deadland, ducking into the shadows between tents until she reached the edge of the encampment.

Dex + Stealth to keep from being noticed: [roll0]

Watch as I botch this.

Also, if she can get far enough into the wilderness to lose sight of the encampment, Jez is going to commit 5 peripheral motes to Penitents Like Scattered Grains. The white noise of worship is comforting to her ears. :smalltongue:

What time is it, anyway? Dark out or not?

On unrelated notes, can Verdant Emptiness Endowment grant Ancestor Cult to ghosts? And what would happen if I stole a Monstrance of Celestial Portion w/ Abyssal exaltation and brought it back to Malfeas?

[Kyeudo]

Let's roll some dice to see if you get spotted:
Average Perception+Awareness for orc camp:[roll0]

To answer your questions: It is evening, Verdant Emptiness Endowment can probably do that if you have Bestowal of Accursed Fortune, and heaven help Creation if the Yozis got their hands on an Abyssal Exaltation.


You manage to make it unnoticed to the edge of the camp, although there were some close calls. Getting beyond sight of the sentries, however, may prove difficult.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel ponders for a moment, in her eyes the glint of torches for keeping the darkness at bay. The sentries are certainly more perceptive than the rest of the orcs, and she's not delusional enough to think that getting this far was anything more than luck.

Wait.

Torches.

Still, she'd prefer no loss of life. While a fire would cause a panic in the encampment, it would be dangerous, especially if it spread. Also, she should probably only burn things that could be easily replaced, by her or the tribe's efforts. Jezebel stays to the shadows, looking for a tent with food or weaponry in it. She's also looking for other sources of confusion, like a pen of plantimals that could escape.

Rolling Perception + Awareness for a source of confusion:

[roll0]

Man, I need to pick up some thiefy skills...

Also, I'm assuming torches because it seems reasonable, but if you don't think it is, I'll change the post.

[Kyeudo]

My rule with such things is that unless I have already specified otherwise or there is some compelling reason why something shouldn't be there, you can make up minor details as you will.


Skulking in the flickering shadows, you find a tent where hollow gourd containers are stacked along the walls, dangerously close to the inner circle of the camp and the majority of the orcs.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel curses under her breath. She would really rather not endanger the orcs, but she does need to escape.

Or does she? The idea of escape is to get to the shadowland and convince the orcish ghosts to trust her and have them convince the leaders here o do the same. Getting the trust of the chief is the most important goal. And warning them about a burning tent? Might not be as solid as endorsement from their ancestors, but it is easier and more likely to succeed.

Jezebel heads back towards the tent where she escaped from, and then darts stealthily among the shadows back towards the gourd-tent. Once she is nearby, she darts out and deliberately trips on a large stone. She tumbles out of the shadows, her arms splayed outward, catching on the nearby torch-stand. With a loud crack, the stand snaps, and the torch falls toward the gourd-tent and catches the edge on fire. Jezebel scrambles to her feet and grabs for the torch, but the heat makes her pull back.

"Fire! Fire! Someone help, this tent is on fire!"

"It's totally an accident!" - Manipulation + Performance, I think.
[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

At your shout, the orcs come running. Most are villagers, who rush to pull containers from the tent or to shovel dirt on the flames to try and put out the fire, but a pair of orc warriors seize you and drag you away from the burning tent.

"What is going on here?!" The chief storms onto the scene, pushing through the crowd to get a clear view of the situation.

"The human set fire to a tent while attempting to escape."

[tonberrian]

Jezebel struggles against them, but the guards' grips tighten like a steel vice on her arms.

"It was a terrible accident! Please, let me go! I have to help them! It's all my fault!"

[Kyeudo]

"I told you we should have just executed her and be done with it. Get rid of her before she causes any more trouble." The younger shaman moves to stand by the chief.

[tonberrian]

"I came peacefully, and offered to help you, and you kept trying to end my life. Of course I tried to escape!"

Jezebel looks askingly towards the chief.

"All I want is for you to convince your tribe to trust me!"

Going to use VEE's owed task here to make my case.

[Kyeudo]

The villagers finally get the flames put out, although a good half of the plant hide covering is charred into uselessness. Luckily, their quick work has ensured that most of the stores contained within went unharmed.

The chieftain looks at Jezebel, his hard eyes suddenly containing a hint of wariness and puzzlement. He considers you for a moment before speaking. "This woman has done us a disservice. That tent cannot be replaced quickly nor easily, especially in times such as these. Someone must pay for this outrage."

"However, she claims she wishes to help us. She has not yet lied to us and this does look as though unintended. For that, I am inclined to show her a measure of mercy. It is more than her kind deserves, but let it not be said that our people are as unfeeling as the Callanians."

"She will be our servant until the elders of this tribe deem her debt repaid. Until then, if she is caught shirking or attempting to escape, she will pay with her life."


Sorry that your thread goes slower than the others, but I find social intrigue much harder to write for.

[tonberrian]

"Please then, might I know your names? Or at least what to refer to you as?"

[Kyeudo]

"I am Chief Thern. Atka Theror and Nakta Garon will see to it you have plenty to do."


Anything more to do before the end of the scene? If not, how far should I timeskip?

[tonberrian]

Nope. Tomorrow morning works. And let's roll Conviction for regained WP
[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

Since the tribe is now down one tent, they can no longer spare the tent they were holding you in, so you no longer get to sleep inside. Instead, you get a hide blanket on the hard ground, near one of the sentries so you don't attempt to escape again.

In the morning, you are awakened at the crack of dawn to help take down the camp. The spidergourds are on the move and the tribe must follow or lose its main food source. They put you to work hauling lodgepoles, folding covers, tying straps, and whatever other task they can find for you.

[tonberrian]

Jezebel spent half the night meditating on learning a new charm, so she was slightly groggy when she was awakened. Still, she is Exalted - mere sleep loss is only a minor inconvenience.

She completes the tasks she is presented with with a surprisingly deft hand. As she does so, she listens to the conversations around her for any chance to bind them to herself.

Going to spend 8 xp towards Holy Land Infliction. I'm going to say that Jez spent 4 hours meditating and the rest of the time sleeping. At this rate, Jez will learn the charm in 2 weeks.

And a roll of (Perception + Awarness) to see if there's anything interesting being said nearby:
[roll0]

[Kyeudo]

A day spent listening to snatches of conversation reveals much about the tribe. Though they try to present a unified front to the world, the tribe seems divided into several factions.

One part of the tribe more or less loyally follows Chief Thern. He's managed to keep the tribe alive for at least a year from what you've heard. His supporters contain the remnants of his former tribe, but the majority are refugees from other tribes and clans.

Another part wants either revenge on the Callanians or to retake their former territories from the Callanians. You find no love from those among that sect. These aren't happy that the current path of travel the tribe is following puts them too far away to raid Callanian settlements, a potential problem for the tribe since most of its warriors share that opinion.

The remainder are unhappy that the Callanians are still nearby. They wish they were moving farther away from the trouble. Some even advocate moving into Doma lands, although they are in the minority.

[tonberrian]

After another night of half meditation, half sleep, Jezebel wakes. After yesterday's exhausting labors to take down the camp, today the tribe is ready to head after the roaming heards. Jezebel, bundled down with supplies, slowly but steadily manuevers her way through the mass of orcs towards some of the disaffected youths unhappy with the current movement away from Callanian settlements. Jezebel recieved more than her fair share of racist comments from them yesterday, today should be no different.

I'm trying to provoke a conversation, here.

[Kyeudo]

"Hey, look! Here comes Pinkie again."

"Back for more work, eh? Here, you can carry this." One of the orc youths dumps another heavy pack on your back, forcing you to bend over almost double beneath the weight.

[tonberrian]

"Oof! Oh, woe is me, that I have to carry such a heavy pack! If only I was more athletic, this would be so much easier to carry! Is there anywhere in particular you want it, or shall I be doomed with this burden for eternity?"

Her voice is thick with sarcasm.

[Kyeudo]

"Na. I'll need that tonight. Maybe if you sprout tusks by tommorow, I'll give you a day off."

[tonberrian]

"Ilka tuk tak. Clever. Veeerrry clever. Still, this is a very heavy pack. Your friend speak Callanian, or is he as stupid as he is ugly? I bet I could teach him it in an hour, tops."

[Kyeudo]

The insulted orc backhands you, knocking you and your packs to the ground. "You can shut your mouth, you little toothless pinkskin. No one but fools want to understand your people's lies."

[tonberrian]

Rather than hitting Jezebel, the orc's blow passes through her body with a burst of sand. He continues his outburst only to begin to mumble once he realizes the futility of his attack.

"Perhaps those 'fools' are wiser than you think. How can you defeat something you cannot understand? Such violence and foolishness only show that the gifts I could give would be wasted on the likes of you."

3 personal motes on Sands through Fingers Defense, leaving me with 12.

[Kyeudo]

Your display of supernatural power inspires terror in the orcs. "Demon! She's a demon!" They stumble backwards, and already warriors are rushing towards where you stand.