The Empire in the Canyon (IC)

[GryffonDurime]

The Rose of Thorns slowly unwraps a tablet from its silken shroud, revealing a humble slate of polished obsidian. Lights play under its glassy skin for a moment, then dance across its surface and then fall into place, forming a crude outline, a map. A single arrowhead points directly south towards the foot of a craggy mountain. A block of carved obsidian the same color as the slate sits, lined with countless etchings in a language that resembles Old Realm in only the barest ways.

Such a motley crew has been assembled, and they meander towards the door. Kaleska leads the charge, bearing the slate under her arm. Her mate, the dark-humored Raven, follows at a leisurely pace. Phoenix, the young Solar, strides forward, his eyes darting across the horizon for any sign of the truly impressive Wyld Hunt that they've doggedly avoided for the past week. The Arbiter trails beside the tiger-headed Umbala, the most recent additions to this strange group. What began as no less than three seperate Hunts for the Arbiter, Phoenix, and Raven have converged into a single group unequaled since the time of the first Shogun of the Realm.

As Kaleska finally approaches the block, the slate shimmers. Light erupts from within the obsidian and it quivers as if struck, a deep fissure forming in its surface. The block slides apart to reveal the entrance of a strange cavern, full of luminous crystal in shades of orange and green.

For Kaleska

As you approach the open cavern, your mind returns to the strange man who gave you the tablet, the toothless and mad-eyed creature who saw through your Tell. His words echo briefly:

"Oh, little moon-creature. There are places you could go where you would be a godsend. Places that the little dragons couldn't find."

[Ganurath]

Kaleska glanced down at the tablet, then toward the opening. The crystal's certainly hinted at Arts that she was unfamiliar with, but that was hardly saying much. Of course, it would also be something the Wyld Hunt was unfamiliar with, which was more or less what the old man had promised. She glanced over her shoulder at her associates, putting on a smile as confidence welled within her. It seemed that the largest Wyld Hunt in Luna knows how long would go home empty-handed. "Looks like this is the place."

Giving the tunnel a glance, Kaleska's eyes fell to the tablet. If it opened the tunnel, and the tunnel would be hidden behind them... "I should probably go last, in case it closes behind the map-bearer. We wouldn't want to be seperated, would we?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix nodded, it sounded logical enough to him, and the thought of being alone with Raven, Arbiter, and Umbala was making him uncomfortable. It wasn't quite fair to them, but after Blood leaving he really wanted to be with someone more familiar to him.

He was still conflicted about leaving to lands unknown. The promise of escape and exploration sounded appealing to him at first. Looking at the obsidian door and eerie crystal lighting, he couldn't help but feel uneasy all over again.

Still, the Wyld Hunt was not far behind, and dealing with them still sounded like the greater of two stupid options. Steeling his resolve, he walked through the entrance and no further.

“I'll stay right here in case someone from the Wyld Hunt managed to catch up to us. Then I'll follow.”

OOC:
How wide is this entrance anyway?

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven gave a sardonic little smile. "I, of course, would be happy to go first." He said, stepping forward. He figured that if there were anything nasty within, he could find a way to escape its clutches and let his more capable... companions deal with it. Besides, this way would cut short all sorts of needless bickering about who was going first, and he got to look brave in the process. He favored Kaleska with a devastating grin, his deep, dark eyes full of suggestion.

"Don't be too far behind, dearest."

[Ganurath]

"I wouldn't dream it." Kaleska gave Raven a coy grin as he departed down the tunnel, hiding the mischievious hints in her expression as she looked toward the less than Celestial members of their group expectingly. They were odd, but their presence was easy to accept with Raven around. He was dark, held things in... But there was no doubt he had the sheer force of presence Eightfold Diligence had taught her to expect. The sooner they were in and away from the hunt, the sooner she could truly get to know him. "Next?"

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter looks at the crystal tunnel with something approaching reverence in his eyes. His hair, strangely, looks like it could be made of green crystal...but only for a second, and never when looked at directly.

"I will cover you. This...I would like to have as much of an unobstructed view of this as possible."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

The slim, dark-haired Exalt paused for a moment, half-turning to look at the... What exactly was he, anyway? Mmm, well, it would have to be resolved soon enough. He shrugged, smiling lightly, and nodded, gesturing for Arbiter to take the lead. "Be my guest."

[GryffonDurime]

As Raven and the Arbiter take their first tenuous steps into the cavern, the stalactites overhead grow in luminosity, brighter and brighter, painting the walls in harsh orange and turquoise. The descent before them is a long and winding one, but not particularly difficult: a few hundred feet of meandering outcroppings before the cave narrowed towards a very clear and obvious door. Curiously, it is not made of the same strange obsidian as the entrance or the tablet, but rather from what appears--at a distance--to be faded gold.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven walked a few paces behind Arbiter, his eyes darting everywhere at once. He maintained that air of easy, almost languid grace that he carried with him everywhere. But inside, his mind was ticking along like a metronome. Dangerous situation - danger on all sides. Shadows and secrets, many of them his own. But he couldn't have been happier. He had his freedom, he had a chance - and most of all, he had opportunity to use his Yozi-given powers for whatever ends amused him, Ebon Dragon be damned.

But he was getting ahead of himself. He approached the door, running his hand over it and waiting for the others to catch up.

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter kept his sword pivoted back along his arm, gazing into the crystals as they glowed brighter and brighter.

"This is...interesting," he says quietly. "The crystals reacted to us. As if alive, or aware of our presence."

[The Demented One]

Umbala

A low orange lights mingles with the strange cavern's illumination as Umbala lights up a pipe. The tiger-headed man appears to have been behind Raven all along, though he would hasten to correct any description of him stalking, creeping, or padding through the crystalline tunnels. He simply happens to be going for a good long walk, perambulating as it were, in the company of people who may or may not know that he happens to be right behind him. "I say, awfully foreboding cavern this is. Great big glowing stalagmites (stalactites?), mysterious doors, all those fine trappings of underground denizenry. How about we give that old door a try, Raven m'boy? Might be interesting to see what's inside."

[Ganurath]

Realizing that she and Phoenix were the only two remaining at the entrance, Kaleska advances so that she's halfway in and halfway out, waving for the Lawgiver to pick up the pace. While they were the proper rulers of Creation, her master had said, the young Solars would occasionally need gentle encouragement to find their way. "You ready to take the dive in?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven gave the tiger-headed creature a conspiratorial grin. "Capital idea, old sport. Might be something jolly smashing behind it, wot-wot?" He said. It was impossible to tell whether he was teasing Umbala or genuinely playing along. Either way, he joined the creature in finding a way to open the door.

[GryffonDurime]

As Umbala and Raven approach the door, they find it to be a solid block of pale orichalcum--terribly heavy, but ageless and easy enough to prise open with an application of raksha strength. Curious, though, that it should be so white, as if drained of sunlight, and colder somehow than orichalcum should be. The door swings on its jade hinges, slamming nastily into the wall.

Behind the door, there is a narrow corridor of polished stone, like dark marble. It terminates in a wide, circular chamber, the floor of which is covered in intricate mandalas--again, the writing looks like it could have been Old Realm, if only it weren't so strangely angular, so sparse and efficient. A figure sits at the center, looking up slowly at the open door. There is an air of forlorn savagery to the creature, as if it has forgotten motion, or light, or being. It stands slowly, eight-feet at it's fullest, a wiry beast of elegant curves with arms the size of tree trunks and a sloping, narrow waist. It's face is almost leonine, carrying a nobility even with it's ragged fur, but its ears are more like a rabbit's, long and lazy things that brush the floor as it moves, slow and lumbering, to look down the hallway. It is dressed in rags, with a thick obsidian collar around its neck.

[The Demented One]

"Astounding!" Umbala ambles into the secret chamber heedless of the dangerous beast within. "Poor noble thing, locked up in here and left to starve! Here, let's have a treat for you." The feline gentlemen rummages around in the pockets of his improbably-tailored waistcoat, producing a handful of smoked jerky. A heaping handful, to be precise–clearly, Umbala's a man of hefty appetites. He lays down the jerky in front of the collared beast's nose, and gestures to it invitingly.

[GryffonDurime]

The beast leaps upon the pile, its dark eyes glistening as it consumes the food with abandon. It heaves as it swallows, its whole body shaking with pleasure and shock. It glances up at Umbala and opens its mouth, speaking soundlessly. On further inspection, its tongue has been cut out entirely, charred and white. A similar, glimmering white scar runs across the creature's throat from the outside, a clean swipe.

[Brontes]

Phoenix looks at Kelaska for a moment and nods. Everyone else has gone through. Phoenix would have liked to look out a little longer, but the doors opened fast enough. It's probably quick to close too.

"I'm ready to go, I guess," he said, "Probably don't want to get too far from the others."

[Ganurath]

"And miss out on whatever this place has to offer?" Once Phoenix was through, Kaleska would hurry ahead of him. She was eager to catch up with Raven, her earlier response having been more sincere than her manner indicated. Not just because she wanted to be with her Mate, either: Ever since Exalting, she had been busy preparing to do great things alongside her Bondmate. Very little of that preparing, however, involved actual doing. Exloring alongside Raven was, to her, the very definition of cathartic. "Not today!"

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter, about to deploy his blade upon seeing the creature, stays his hand as his beast-headed companion feeds it amicably. "What...is it?" And then the rage starts to build in his voice. "It appears to be sentient. Or at least not immediately hostile. Who...what...would do such a thing? And why?"

[GryffonDurime]

As Kaleska passes through the doorway, it seals behind her, a smooth block of obsidian again.

At the end of the hallway, the creature finishes the last of the offered jerky, sucking at each of its thick talon-like fingers, three on each hand. It's eyes dart up towards Arbiter, as if in recognition as he asks his questions. The beast's mouth opens again, and closes, and opens--pantomiming speech. Frustrated quickly, it bangs against some unseen wall that prevents it from entering the hallway proper, and runes flare to life only to die down shortly thereafter. Disheartened, the creature lopes back to the center of its circular chamber, looking from the door that our heroes have just entered to its mate at the opposite end of the room.

It shakes its head and points back, towards the entrance to the cavern.

[Brontes]

Phoenix sighed to himself before taking after her. It would be no problem catching up on her, on natural athletic prowess he was better. Shoot he could probably blow past her if he wanted to make a game of it. Of course then she'd just use her Lunar Magic and be more than a match for awhile.

Besides, the terrain, while stable, was no place to hold silly racing contests. Phoenix chuckled wistfully to himself, he would have to have his childish games later.

"It still feels odd, following a map from a man we do not know," he said as he caught up behind her. He had no idea why he said it, he was in no position to question the intelligence of this plan.

[Ganurath]

"Odd? Perhaps." Kaleska smirked as she glanced over her shoulder at Phoenix, matching pace so that she didn't inadvertently lose track of the Solar. She had to conceed that it didn't make much sense, but that was assuming that it was just an old man that provided the man. It could have just as easily been some near-forgotten deity, for example. "Compared to not finding effective shelter against the largest Wyld Hunt in Luna knows how long, though? It's only sensible."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter puts his hand where the creature apparently pounded against a solid surface.

"Sealed in. An access-restricting effect coded into the local inherent Essence grid?" he muses quietly to himself.

[The Demented One]

Umbala sits down in the dirt before the lapine lion. With outstretched claw, he traces a handful of Old Realm glyphs into the stone floor, carving into it with the gentlest of touches. Yu-Ma-Ba-La, Da Ya-Gu-A-Ra E-Mu-Pa-Ra. He holds his pipe down to the ground, illuminating the graven letters for the cat's benefit. "Can you read this? Could you write in the same script?"

[GryffonDurime]

As the leonine creature kneels, head lowered to examine the glyphs, Umbala notices one last injury, a final long scar running across the back of the creature's head. After a few minutes of reading and rereading the glyphs, it nods, pointing to Umbala and then to his name, nodding furiously, happily, joyously. It tries to write something of its own, some message or another, but each glyph comes out malformed and illegible, and finally the creature gives up, curling with it's massive arms around its slender legs.

Whatever force prevented it from leaving the circular chamber, it did nothing to prevent Umbala from entering.

[The Demented One]

"We must do something, my motley comrades. A noble beast lies here, imprisoned and suffering, and we are for the most part heroes. It is absolutely and utterly necessary to rescue him, and to mend whatever vile injuries have been perpetrated upon him! Come, are there any among our number who might break this invisible cage?" Umbala is genuinely angry, or at least, so the glistening foam around his lips seems to suggest. His massive paws dig into capacious pockets, but produce nothing for the moment.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven tapped his finger against his chin, thoughtful. Though he felt no particular empathy for the creature - a wyld construct? Or perhaps some lab-bred slave-beast? - he understood instinctively the need to be free from restrictions. He spoke after a moment of consideration.

"Perhaps it's not merely altered by crude knife-stroke... Maybe a curse of some sort that renders it unable to communicate?"

He looked stymied, at least at the moment. "If we are to break his confinement, we first need to know the nature of it. Otherwise we might do more harm than good. If, for example, I were to set up a situation like this - and not that I would, mind you - and if I were a vindictive person, I might set up the circumstance so that an attempt to free my chattel would render it useless to a would-be rescuer. Probably by rendering it and anything in a wide radius quite dead."

[Brontes]

"Yeah, I know," Phoenix said. His grin was kind of weak, "I guess I just want some reassurance."

They soon passed the open orichalcum door, "It still amazes me sometimes, the response we've got. Are we really that powerful? I mean I feel strong, but I don't quite feel...I don't know."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter activates his blade, swinging it forward on a pivot to extend over his hand, and spends a few moments inscribing a message in Old Realm with the tip of the sword.

Your suffering discomforts us. We will find a way to reverse what has been done to you.

He walks past the barrier, looking around the room. "I mean you no harm," he says in the Old Tongue, but leaves his sword extended. "My blade is as much a tool as a weapon. I will use it to gather further data on this chamber."

[Brontes]

Phoenix's conversation was cut short once entering the chamber. He could pick up a bit on Umbala's request and Raven's estimations, but he was too busy staring at the pitiful state of the captive. The way they talked about it, they made it sound like a person. Would they talk the same way about an animal? Of course, even if it was an animal, the poor thing had been mutilated on top of imprisonment.

Phoenix said nothing for awhile, trying to go over his options. There wasn't much he could do personally, all he was good for right now was punching things. Well, he could ask things. What he lacked in knowledge, he made up for in questions.

Umbala and Arbiter seemed able to communicate with the creature. Admittedly through writing, but it had to be Old Realm and a simple yes or no gesture was all he needed.

He turned to the others.
"I'm admittedly not the best for this, but while you guys survey the prison I could talk to our captive. Any idea what I should ask it?"

Hold on...it? He turned to the creature.

"I'm sorry, are you male or female? Tap once if male, twice if the other."

[GryffonDurime]

The creature responds, tapping its broad foot once against the cold marble of the chamber. Still, it seems infinitely despondent and resigned. As Arbiter probes the chamber and the door at its far end, the creature's obsidian collar begins to glow and instantly it springs to its feet, terrified and flustered. It gesticulates wildly towards the entrance to the cavern, quick tears welling up in its drop-of-darkness eyes.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven smiled grimly. "It appears that whoever created this situation was either extremely calculating or had a very twisted sense of humor. Not only is the creature motivated to repel intruders, but in order to pass through, one has to render harm upon a defenseless creature. Which tells us something about the sort of person the creator was trying to keep out..."

Raven paused, leaning in and examining the collar more closely, though he was very careful to avoid actually touching it.

[GryffonDurime]

The lights of the collar coalesce slowly, into a single pip. The creature howls soundlessly, it's long ears thrown back in a burst of pain or madness. As Raven inspects it more closely, a second pip forms and the creature falls, it's easy tears thickening to something dark, like pitch. A light shines beneath its glossy eyes, something red and terrifying, and the creature seems to grow in mass, veins throbbing across its brown frame. It makes one last gesture towards the cavern entrance.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven quickly backpedaled towards the cavern entrance, his hair curling around his face. His features were calm, but there was a note of urgency in his voice. "I have a feeling we should adjourn for the moment, unless we wish to become embroiled in conflict with the creature."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter watches the...transformation? rather impassively, though he does cross back to the entrance. He does not cross the threshold, waiting to see whether merely going back to the other side of the chamber stills this process.

He definitely keeps the sword extended.

[GryffonDurime]

As the ragged Circle retreats back into the hallway adjoining the Chamber, the creature stills, the light from its collar dims, and it sinks inward, as if exhausted, panting heavily. It buries its head underneath its great, sharp-taloned hands and heaves, desperate.

[The Demented One]

"Harrumph!" Umbala goes back only reluctantly, giving a wistful farewell to the poor collared beast. "Gentlemen, it seems we've come to an impasse. We simply can't kill this poor creature, it'd be barbaric–but on the other hand, if we go back out there, we'll be easy pickings for what looks like every Dragon-Blood in the Realm. I've got a gambit that just might work, but I won't want to pull it off alone. Mister Arbiter, would you be so kind as to follow behind me, and keep that sword out? Phoenix, could you come with me, and try to talk to the poor thing, to keep it calm?" The tiger-man reaches into his pockets, and pulls out an ivory tile, embossed with a shimmery rainbow icon. "I'll handle the rest."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven smiled, spreading his hands and struggling to sound self-deprecating. "I might be able to offer some small assistance, myself." He said, drawing a heavy-headed staff from somewhere within the cloak of shadow that surrounded him.

[Whiskeyjack]

"Certainly. One moment." Arbiter closed his eyes, and for a second, just a second, his hair becomes a flowing mass of living crystal, dancing inside with an unknowable light, shimmering like a glowfish beneath twenty feet of water. Then it's just green hair again, and his eyes open.

"I am prepared." The strange man stands there quietly, waiting.

Eye of Heaven Form, 5m Personal

[Brontes]

Phoenix stared at Umbala, eyes wide at the suggestion before finally nodding. The others were better at talking, but he wasn't terrible at it himself.

Phoenix caught Arbiter doing something for a moment. It occurred to him, briefly, to take stance as well. Unlike Phoenix, however, Arbiter would have the benefit of being hidden by the two of him. Phoenix could not afford giving away hostile intent.

"Alright," he finally says taking his place next to Umbala, "Any idea what I should say to him? Light talk? Boast about our magical skills, perhaps?"

[The Demented One]

"Just talk to him, keep him calm. I'm sure you'll do fine. And now..." Umbala grips opposing ends of the tiny ivory tile with his dextrous paw-fingers, and begins to tug at them. With the uncanny whumph of hypergeometic space unfolding itself, the tile begins to expand outwards from all four corners. It grows from a miniscule tile, to a modest placard, to an imposing tablet, all the way up to a large ivory panel. Hefting the expansible treasure up, Umbala lays it flat against the stone of the chamber, to which it seals tight. With a firm rap, he opens the panel inwards, swinging it back into what should be the cavern walls. Inside is...well, something. You can't make it out very well. "Come on in, good sir lion! I offer my greatest hospitality."

[GryffonDurime]

The creature is slow to believe, but eventually he stands, meanders towards the doorway that Umbala has set in the chamber. He pokes a finger through first, testing. There is no sizzle, and the collar remains inert. Even still, he seems unwilling to continue further.

[The Demented One]

"Harrumph!" repeats Umbala. He turns to the assembled band of Exalted, and begins making something of an explanation. "I do believe that if we could get this poor creature inside of my magical box, we would be able to free him from this intolerable confinement. Now, he seems to be unwilling to traipse into it, so I think we may need to give him some delicate assistance. In short, we're going to need to wrestle down this lion and force him through that door. Are you gentlemen game?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix stares agape at Umbala's conjuration for a moment.

"That is..." he tries for a moment, seemingly unable to find the words. He liked it though. He began to break out in a grin. He had no idea what the plan was, but he might be able to sell this.

Turning back to the creature, it occurred to him that his earlier reaction may not have been too comforting. He would try to recover for the team.

He tried to signal for them to hold. He wanted to at least try words first.

"As you can see," he began, trying to smile in a more gentle manner and pointing at the conjured door, "We are not unfamiliar with magic. Though I've only known him briefly, Umbala here is well-versed in the art and has been nothing if not reliable in our travels. The others are inheritors of great knowledge as well. If anyone can grant you freedom, it is us."


I'm guessing (Charisma + Presence) to comfort him. I'd like to activate First Presence Excellency for 4 dice from my Personal Pool.

[roll0]
Personal: 10/14
Peripheral: 27/33

Is this right?

[Ganurath]

Uncertain as to how she might effectively contribute to the situation, Kaleska took up a position adjacent to Raven. She didn't like the creature's situation, and so many things didn't add up. It couldn't be a beastfolk, not with features from so many species. As for the solution... Kaleska leans in close to her Bondmate, her eyes locked on the scene before her. "Why not just remove the collar?"

[GryffonDurime]

The creature seems to calm a bit at Phoenix's explanation--whether or not it can understand the words, it seems to understand and appreciate the intent. Still, it tarries at the edge of the doorway, unwilling to go forward just yet.

Kaleska surveys the collar carefully as the creature stands: it is a solid ring of obsidian, two inches thick and without lock or seem.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven smiled at Kaleska, pointing to the smooth circle of obsidian. "There's no joint or seam - and I imagine if it could be cut through by normal means, the poor creature would have already done so..."

Raven turned to the creature, giving it a devastatingly handsome smile - though he suspected that his sublime beauty was perhaps wasted on this creature. "Come now, my friend - I can personally guarantee you that nothing untoward will happen. Our friend here will have your collar off without the slightest bit of trouble. Just relax and leave everything to us. We have only your best interests at heart." He said in a voice smoother than silk, still smiling radiantly.


Manipulation + Presence. Activating the first Ebon Dragon excellency, since this is a blatant lie. Using 6m for 6 extra dice.
[roll0]

[Brontes]

"This is getting ridiculous," Phoenix muttered in Firetongue so that none could hear him. The creature's refusal was beginning to get to him. None of them had any other options. They couldn't go back and couldn't go out. The only other option was to knock the fellow unconscious. Phoenix was unsure he could convince the creature of this fact.

Raven seemed to be up to something different, probably following Umbala's suggestion. Phoenix began stretching, preparing for the struggle that would ensue.

"I'm never gonna live this down," he said, still in Firetongue, "Should have taken stance."

[GryffonDurime]

The creature leans in when Raven talks, blinking in slow, cadent time to the melody of the Fiend's dark voice. Quelled and swayed, he steps across the threshold of the chancel, sticking a foot in first and then the rest of his body. Inside, it seats itself neatly at the center of a broad throwrug, crushing a small glass table under its ponderous weight. It looks up at the surrounding mansion with a happy, subdued curiosity and then smiles--weakly, perhaps, and faintly. But a smile nonetheless.

[The Demented One]

Umbala scratches the beast behind its lapine ears, then closes the ivory gateway behind it. Pantheran muscles flex mightily as he plucks the portal from the wall, then compresses it down to a mere tile once again. "Excellent, excellent everyone! Our path lies clear, and our feline friend shall at last find some surcease from his imprisonment!"

[Ganurath]

"That's good to hear." Kaleska resumes her position at Raven's side, giving him a perked brow. She was curious as to how the collar would be removed after he was dismissive of the possibility of removal, but she accepted the possibility that he was just telling the poor thing what it wanted to hear. She hooks her arm out invitingly, hoping her Bondmate would loop his own through. "Through to the other side, then?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

The Fiend tipped his head to one side. He had rather suspected this sort of situation would arise, but he hid his amusement behind a carefully crafted mien of concern. His brow furrowed lightly, and he gave Umbala an inquisitive look. "I trust, my friend, that you didn't sent him anywhere dangerous? Do you not have some way to end his bondage?"

As he spoke, he took Kaleska's arm in a most gentlemanly fashion, giving it a light, comforting squeeze.

[Brontes]

"Well, I completely misread what you were trying to do there. I was afraid things were gonna get ugly." Phoenix took up his position in the front of the group, unwilling to meet the gaze of anyone else. His left hand was over his face. "At any rate, I feel like a complete thug right now."

He decided to look around him again in order to think. "You know what? If this place was designed to hold the guy, there might be a facility near here to maintain his prison."

[Whiskeyjack]

"Assuming his imprisonment for was just cause. Brutality and unjust suffering in excessive or cruel and unusual punishment does not promote the cause of deterrence of future bad conduct. If anything it encourages recidivism in the form of revenge."

He walks back into the room, making a bee-line for the side of the chamber that caused the creature to go into spasms.

[GryffonDurime]

Arbiter approaches the other side of the circular chamber, coming face-to-face with another door of orichalcum, pale as the first. With the lighting in the chamber, it is easier to discern certain features about the door--the crudeness of their construction, the inset glyphs of indecipherable angles, the slight, electric thrum that can be felt when you set your hand on one. A Champion, much experienced in the secrets of Orichalcum, could perhaps discern more. Nothing here, however, implies any wickedness--only a sense of tremendous age and secrecy. It can be forced open, he discerns, as easily as the first such door. A quick push from Umbala dislodges it, revealing a long corridor--impossibly long, perhaps--of the same polished black marble. At its end is something so bright that it hurts to look upon it.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven had crowded up behind the others, and recoiled a little from the sudden revelation of the light at the end of the tunnel - it was painful to the others, but doubly so for him. He quickly regained his composure, however, and started to move through the next tunnel, watching carefully in case there were any more guardians - perhaps less obvious than the last. He spoke as he walk, keeping his arm firmly in Kaleska's and leading her gently along.

"I don't think it was a prisoner. This isn't much of a prison. Rather, I think it was an enslaved guardian. Perhaps bred for the task, in fact, by the look of him."

[Ganurath]

"You'd think it'd be violent if that were the case." Kaleska cringes at the brightness of the light at the end of the tunnel at a reflex, but then tries to bear it. What kind of Seneschal would cringe away from the light? Still, a shine that intense was probably unhealthy to look at, so she looked toward Raven instead. "A bit much, don't you think?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix squinted at the end of the tunnel as best he could. It's intensity was almost familiar to him, much like the light that he himself produced at his Exaltation. It became a challenge then, to see if he could eventually get used to this glare. Was it sunlight? The exit perhaps?

"I don't think it was a prisoner. This isn't much of a prison. Rather, I think it was an enslaved guardian. Perhaps bred for the task, in fact, by the look of him."

Phoenix shrugged. "As long as the room requires maintenance than there may be something we can use to free our new companion."

Phoenix looked down the length of the corridor and frowned. "Such a long corridor, though. You'd think such a facility would be placed closer to the guard post."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

The Fiend nodded to his Lunar mate, his smile slightly sardonic. "Indeed. Then again, I think we've already seen that whoever designed this place did not have the best taste."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter deploys down the tunnel after pausing to look at the orichalcum door again.

"That door," he says. "So much orichalcum...for what? An inefficient use of resources, unless what lies beyond is more precious and rare than even a magical material."

[Ganurath]

Relishing an opportunity to look away from the light, Kaleska glances over a shoulder at Arbiter. "That, or the doors were built in a time of abundance, like the First Age. Of course, that makes what's behind the doors precious in our time, no?"

[GryffonDurime]

As the Circle makes their way into the corridor, they feel enveloped by light--not painful, even to Raven, but not exactly pleasant either. There is a calculation to it, a feeling of being casually examined.

For most, there is perhaps a sense of intrusion. Raven feels curious as the light washes over him--it does not pain him as the Sun may, but there is still something weighty to it, like judgment or desire. He feels eyes falling upon him from afar. Only Umbala experiences a similar discomfort, though infinitely lesser--an instant of observation and then gone.

They emerge at the mouth of a cavern overlooking a deep canyon of tremendous scope. Set before them is a great triangle of land, a vast swath of pristine splendor. Either side is fenced in by great, sloping cliffs of parched red stone. The land before them, however, is thick with greenery and rivers. A small village can be glimpsed perhaps a half day's journey away, and the walls of a greater city beyond that. Several more indistinct shapes fade in the superlative distance of the canyon, and at the edge of even the Arbiter's mighty perception, there is a great, crystalline bay. Kaleska, trained in Lunar rites of observation, takes note of the way that as the foliage nears the bay, it becomes autumnal in color, predominantly orange. A curiosity to be certain, but nothing beyond the ken or whimsy of a bored Lawgiver of the First Age.

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter just stares as he responds to Kaleshka. "Do you mean in the Time Before? So that door could be...five thousand years old?"

There is something unsettling about this place. Arbiter tries to push past the notion of vegetation - or some kind of weak organic crystal growth, as he thinks of it. As always, he is stunned by vistas such as this, having lived solely in the Maker's cramped tunnels, the only open spaces the grand, empty cities of his fellow Operatives, in eternal communion with the Maker's Essence.

So much water, he thinks. A whole Pole of Oil, perhaps, and yet...it is so casual, so unplanned, that there must be a guiding hand of some art behind it. Photoreceptors click and enlarge to the best of their abilities. "Settlements. And...an open Vault," he motions upward, then frowns. "But...are we not underground? Did we not leave the open space behind in the tunnel before the last chamber? And surely those canyon walls rise higher than we have descended? How can this be?"

His sword pivots back with a click as it latches in place, though he retains the Essence committed to his internal battle methodology, ready to snap into action should the need arise.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven eyed Arbiter curiously, trying to shake off the odd feeling from the tunnel without showing it. The others didn't seem to react - he didn't want to bring it up. Not yet. But Arbiter... there was something very... odd about him., even for an Exalt. He filed it away for further investigation, turning his attention to the vista rolling away before him.

Even for a cynical bastard like him, it was impressive. He gave a low whistle, his eyes widening slowly. "Impressive. Perhaps it's a pocket of shaped reality, or something similar? I've heard legends of whole realms from the First Age locked away in hidden places. But I assumed they were exaggerations..."

[Ganurath]

"Further support for the First Age theory, then." Kaleska gives Raven a quick and concerned glance before looking out toward the bay again. Physical reactions of discomfort in others are much easier to notice when arms are interlocked, and it had bothered Raven more than she. Was the light something her tattoos had protected her from? He was trying to hide his discomfort, though, so for now she shifted the forearm of her hooked limb so that she could holds hands, using her free hand to point toward the bay. "The plants seem to shift color over there. It could be a property of the water, but if not then the locals must still be tending the place."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded, giving Kaleska's hand a light squeeze and his mate a small smile. "Well spotted, love." He said, the last word coming out easy and natural. "If there are inhabitants, perhaps we should go down and take a look. I doubt it will be an issue, but I'd hate to stumble into a nest of Immaculates. Death by irony is not part of my agenda for the day."

[Brontes]

Phoenix was stunned momentarily. "I...I was just getting used to foliage and water, heading East and all. This is almost too magical for words."

He shook his head slightly, trying to regain his composure. He looked to his left and right, trying to find a guard post or something near the cavern's entrance. He was not about to forget their new passenger. "Seriously, I know we think the passage is First Age and all, but shouldn't someone be taking care of it still?"


I'm guessing Perception + Awareness to see if there is a nearby building? For all of 4 dots.
[roll0]

[Ganurath]

Kaleska gives Phoenix a smirk as she directs her pointing toward the village and the walled city. "The city's more likely to have answers, but the village would be easier to handle if the locals are unfriendly. Given our lack of knowledge about this little haven, I'm inclined toward making the latter our first stop."

[GryffonDurime]

Satisfied with a general direction--downwards, at least, and towards civilization--the mouth of the cave is consumed by another block of obsidian that emerges from the ground when Kaleska and her tablet stray a bit too far from its proximity. The path to the groundfloor of the canyon is long and winding, and pockmarked with curious niches and archways. None are more than a few yards deep, but they seem wide and well-sculpted. Not natural. Someone lived here once, perhaps, although the writing on the walls of these niches is equally unintelligible.

About halfway down the mountain, the Arbiter spots a collection of these niches carved into a plateau. Faint light seems to be radiating from the crannies. A group of stunted, dwarf-sized figures, all entirely white and glowing softly, stand in the niches, backs to the world. If they hear your approach, they do not seem to respond. Still, the path before you leads towards the village you glimpsed earlier--a hamlet not unlike one that might be found anywhere in Creation, save perhaps for a single pagoda with a glistening black roof.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven stood near the head of the group as they approached civilization, still arm-in-arm with Kaleska. Dealing with people was his forte, so he placed himself close to the front so as to be ready to communicate with whatever rustic bumpkins lived in this time-lost place. His eyes were everywhere at once, and he searched for some sign of life. Spotting the small figures, he shrugged, looked to the others for a moment, and addressed them.

"Pardon the question" He said in a warm, slightly puzzled voice. "But where are we?"

[GryffonDurime]

One of the luminous creatures finally turns when Raven repeats himself, looking up at the Fiend with wide, unblinking eyes and perfectly placid expression.

"We're right here. Doing some standing, mostly. Did you want to join us?"

It smiles faintly, speaking with a sing-song voice.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven quickly readjusted his thought process. This was going to be... interesting. He gave the others a look, then returned his attention to the short creature in front of him. "Ah, yes, I see. Thank you. Might I ask where "here" is, in a more general sense? What is the name of the village nearby, for example? And what is the name of this country? I'm afraid we're a bit lost, you see."

[GryffonDurime]

The creature tilts its head and swivels on its heel, pulling its fellows into a close huddle. They don't speak especially quietly, and seem unable to parse the question until a young, womanly figure approaches from the nearest niche, white hair pulled into a plait. She seems just as content as the others, and she tugs at Raven's hand gently.

"You are the Empire of Wyrwane, and that village," she says, pointing to it absentmindedly, "is Malat." She does a little turn and then points to the walls of the city to the north. "That is not Malat, though. It's Varant, but I would not go there. A very mean woman-thing lives there."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded in thanks, looking the creature over carefully. "Thank you. I hope you enjoy your standing." He said with a warm smile, gesturing to the others and beginning to walk a little way down towards the village the creature had called Malat.

[Whiskeyjack]

"Are all the ledges colonized similarly?" he asks nobody in particular.

He looks back at the closed portal. "Appears we are here to stay. Here in...Wyrwane," he says the last word with a definitely strange pronunciation.

[GryffonDurime]

The circle makes their way to the base of the mountain as dusk begins to fall across the canyon. While it was not hard to notice before, it is now immediately obvious that the strange, luminous girl-creature has followed you, giving a twenty yard berth. Malat is before you: a sparse grouping of houses and (towards the outer edges) shacks that form lopsided circles around the modest, black-roofed pagoda. There are a few people on the streets--drunks, mostly, and innkeepers lighting paper lanterns that hang from the awnings of every tavern along the street. They don't take much notice of you as you approach, giving a brief glance to the luminous creature but ultimately seeming uninterested. When he comes into view, Umbala draws the most curios reaction, and those he passes stiffen, standing at attention.

[Brontes]

"Man we're just picking up stranger and stranger things, aren't we?" Phoenix regarded the luminescent girl with some curiosity. It occurred to him that he'd never asked the girl anything about her people, but he had seen stranger. He took a minor step forward, curious to how she reacted. "I'm sorry, if you've decided to follow us we should introduce ourselves. I'm Wild Phoenix. Who are you?"

Introductions might have been cut short, as the villagers began to react to Umbala. Though it looked serious, Phoenix was not able to gauge their reaction.

"Ugh, now what?"

[Ganurath]

The villagers' curiousity at Umbala wasn't unexpected for Kaleska. Very much the opposite, in fact. The woman following them was slightly more a curiousity, but again nothing unreasonable to expect. She turned her attention to Raven, nodding her head in the direction of the previously helpful woman. "Think we should see what more we can get from our guide, let Umbala and the others mingle...?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven paused for a moment, nodding and giving Kaleska a brief, bright smile before turning back to the glowing woman. "Pardon me, but we're strangers here... is there anyone around here who is especially knowledgeable? Or perhaps someone who leads the community? We'd like to take in the lay of the land, so to speak." He said, cursing himself for using the colloquialism as soon as it left his mouth.

[Ganurath]

"By taking in the lay of the land, he means learning about Wyrwane." Kaleska gives Raven a playful grin. Even if he hadn't realized it, he probably didn't want to make the same mistake of using nonlocal vernacular around these people. "The geography, local customs, the basic stuff that would be common knowledge here but unknown to outsiders."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter looks at the small glowing woman. "I posit a question. How is it that the Vault shines above when we traveled underground? Clarification is requested."

[Brontes]

Phoenix couldn't determine the meaning of the crowd's commotion. Something about Umbala was causing the stir, but he couldn't quite tell what it meant. First instinct was that they were afraid of him, but there was only one way to know.

"Is there a problem folks?"

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter comes to the conclusion that his large sword-apparatus may also be causing the stir. Pity he can't conceal it right now. He keeps it locked back in its passive state, ready to defend himself but also attempting to appear non-threatening.

[GryffonDurime]

The girl-creature smiles at Wild Phoenix's question. "My name is Arashmahar," she says, smiling sweetly, her voice the pitch of tiny silver bells.

The nearest few villagers scurry into their houses at the questions, save for one unfortunate innkeeper who gets cornered between the Arbiter and Kaleska. He swallows deep and then bows to Umbala before turning to Raven's questions.

"If you're lookin' for information, sir, then m-maybe you could talk to Bright Marist. He's the village's only magus, sir, and would be more able to uphold the Old Edict. Please don't take my family to the Otherside."

He ignores Kaleska's clarification but balks at the Arbiter's question, wide-eyed and truly uncertain about how to answer. He doesn't seem to understand the question at all.

[Ganurath]

Kaleska looks at Raven, eyebrow raised. She understood the basic concepts the man was communicating, or at least she thought she did. The Otherside was their term for the world outside Wyrwane, and the Old Edict was probably some rule for obeying either Solars specifically or Exalts in general. That these people would automatically register Raven as a threat, though... Or was it their association with Umbala? That would certainly change the potential meaning for the Old Edict. "I suppose we should find this Bright Marist, then. Unless there's some other way this man could be of assistance that you can think of."

[Whiskeyjack]

"What do you mean, Otherside? Do you mean death, or...something else?"

Arbiter interposes himself between the villager and the source of his fear, considering for a moment that he might be the source of fear and yet setting that aside. "Please, sir, we are not here to browbeat or threaten or cause anxiety among you and your people. We merely wish to know exactly where we are. Where can we find your...magus?"

[GryffonDurime]

The innkeep stutters for a moment, trying to find his words. Flustered, he finally chokes down a small, dry sob. "Marist h-has taken to calling the s-shrine his home," he says, pointing quickly towards the black-roofed pagoda before throwing himself on the ground before Umbala. "Forgive his impertinence! Forgive us for not dragging him out of there!"

Meanwhile, Arashmahar tugs at the Arbiter's hand, her skin soft and luminous and somewhat cold. "He means the place beyond the valley. The Origin. That's the Otherside."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven looked at Arbiter, his lips pursed. "I don't think we're underground at all... if I had to guess, I'd say we wandered into some sort of Brigadoon... that is, a little piece of reality that's sliced away from the rest of Creation, and only intersects with it at a very specific time or point. Often the result of old Solar magics - it explains the orichalum on the door, anyway." Raven pondered how exactly to best turn this to their advantage. He could pretend at knowledge, of course, but they'd need to find out where they were at some point...

He turned to the inkeeper. His voice was warm, rich, and soothing, and he laid one gentle hand on the man's shoulder, looking him in the eye. His features were a mask of gentle compassion and inhuman beauty. 'trust me,' they said, with warm overtones of the compassion of a gentle messiah. "Have no fear, friend. We're not here to harm you. We are strangers, it seems, in a strange land, and we come in peace. Now, would you kindly tell me a little more about this 'Old Compact?' What is it, exactly, and how would Marist's presence in the temple have violated it?"

Manipulation + Presence to try to calm the innkeeper with soothing lies. [roll0]

[GryffonDurime]

The innkeeper responds without rising, his forehead still kissing the earth:

"The Tygerkin have always told us that the shrines are not for us, and we have always obeyed, but Marist...Marist felt he was better than that, and so he has made our shrine into his home. The Old Edict forbids us to enter it, or we would remove him for you," he says, but the warble in his voice betrays the depth of his fear. This man would never approach the dark-roofed shrine. "We live here by the grace of the Ancestors and the benefice of the Edict. We would never so willingly betray it."

Arashmahar looks up at Umbala, considering. A flash plays across her eyes, a glint of some half-understood magic. "You're not a tygerkin," she says, clapping her small hands as if enraptured. "You're a goblin!"

The innkeeper shoots up, straight as a reed, and points at Arashmahar. "You be quiet you foolish little sprite. The enoys of the Ancestors are not to be addressed so...s-so discourteously."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven masked his impatience with a seamless smile. He gave Kaleska and the others a meaningful glance - a look that said further conversation with the innkeeper seemed like it would be fruitless.

He turned back to the prostrate man, still smiling. "Thank you for your help, goodman. You can be sure that the situation will be rectified, and your piety will not go unrewarded." He looked to his companions, and started heading in the direction of the pagoda. "Let us go see what Marist has to say."

[The Demented One]

"A goblin?" Umbala is shocked, his flushed tiger-cheeks showing sanguine outrage. "Girl-thing, I hope you never know the fullness of the offense you have given to me on this day. I am no mere goblin–oh, how that word tastes foul upon my lips! I am xia, kshatriya, nightmare brood, ogre, raksha, but never a goblin!" He practically roars this in her face, foaming spittle flying everywhere. What a poor-mannered tiger man!

"Now, I don't know what accusations you mean by that, little girl. I've never given much thought to whether or not I am a tygerkin, but your father would seem the preeminent savant of such matters here, and I am inclined to trust his judgment. Your shoddy little magic is not terribly impressive. Have you ever even seen a tygerkin?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven put a hand on Umbala's shoulder, his tone conciliatory. "Now, now, my friend. I'm sure she meant no offense. One cannot blame a child for not knowing any better, and surely she has not had enough experience with your kind to understand the intricacies of the Fair Folk." The fiend said with a small smile.

Well, that answered that.

[GryffonDurime]

"No," Arashmahar says, utterly placid. "But I would know one if I saw them! They would not look like you do on the inside. And I don't know your words, but I know what you are, and you're a goblin!" She pronounces this with utmost sincerity and childish menace, puffing out her cheeks as if threatening to hold her breath.

[The Demented One]

"Tiny mortal, I assure you, my innards are immaculate. My thews are strong and supple, my viscera nourished on only the finest fare. My bones are ivory and silver! Now, I understand that you are still small, but let us talk to each other as large people do. First off, let us do away with that nasty word, 'goblin.' If you wish, you may call me a raksha, or a faerie, or a tygerkin, but not a goblin." Umbala stills seem appalled, the calming hand of Raven the only thing holding back another tirade.

[GryffonDurime]

The innkeeper rises, uncertain. "S-so, are you a tygerkin, then?" He winces as he asks it.

Arashmahar simply shakes her head and walks back to Phoenix, taking his hand.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven patted Umbala on the shoulder, guiding the tiger-headed fellow towards the Pagoda and waving the rest of the group onward. "Don't worry about it, My friend. I'm sure she has no idea what she's talking about. You know how children are." He said in a sympathetic tone.

[The Demented One]

"I am a tiger-headed man, dressed up in a suit and speaking with you. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions."

No he won't. Umbala's such a liar.


OOC

Activating Shiftless Untamed Presence to make myself addictive for every Creation-Born I interact with for the rest of the day. If my roll beats their Dodge MDV, they become addicted, taking a -1 penalty to their MDVs against my social attacks and being compelled to come to me if they spend more than a week apart. 3 Willpower to resist.

(Charisma + Presence): [roll0]

[Brontes]

Sorry, for lateness, I'll be posting weeknights from now on.

Phoenix
Phoenix watched the spectacle with dismay, now able to see exactly what there reaction was to Umbala. Still, Phoenix couldn't help but smile as his newest comapnion took his hand.

"Arashmahar, you're from here, if separate from this village. Do you know why they fear Umbala? Is it the...tygerkin was it...what is the deal with that? Do tygerkin control this village?"

[GryffonDurime]

Arashmahar furrows her tiny brow in concentration. "The tygerkin that I've heard of are big and nasty and quiet. They cross the Canyon in armor that's shiny like black glass, and they deliver edicts from the Ancestors to...I don't know. Maybe the village elders, the cityfathers and the pasha? I've never come this far south," she says, smiling as she shakes Phoenix's arm.

The innkeeper wilts under the weight of Umbala's glory and bows, excusing himself. As he opens the door, you can see within--a very well lit room. Impossibly well lit, in fact, and while the lanterns that line the streets are flimsy paper creations with candles inside, there isn't a candle in sight within. The Arbiter scans the windows around him as he notices this fact. No candles inside any houses, all of which are well-lit under the growing dusk.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven took in the information. Knowledge was power. Raven liked power. He nodded thoughtfully. So these tygerkin were either a ruling force, or more likely enforcers for these "Ancestors." Unless the Ancestors were a convenient fiction...

"As I said, we are strangers here... could you tell us where exactly the Ancestors dwell?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix tried to smile, but wasn't sure his heart was in it. It seemed that with each answer he'd learn a word or thing that lead to more questions. Who were these Ancestors? Why aren't they here? What made them their rulers?

Phoenix shook his head, he had to get back on track. He had almost forgotten...

"There's a magus in the pagoda?" he mumbled to himself and then smiled once more, "Got it. Thanks for the help, Arashamar."

"Well, keep talking with the locals if you must, but Phoenix is skipping school for the rest of the day. I've got a meeting with a magus and our Guardsman is not going to free himself."

[GryffonDurime]

"The Ancestors dwell on the Otherside," Arashmahar says, as if it were as simple as pointing out the nose on someone's face.

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter could not look more exasperated with Umbala's puffery if he tried. Which he does not. What he does seem to understand, at least on a theoretical level, is Raven's explanation and apparent translation of the innkeeper's words. "Oh, I see. A paradox space. Yes, that would quite make sense, but of a grander scope than..." he trails off, thinking of Umbala's little room in which now dwells the guardian.

"Black glass...obsidian, the blood of tectonics? What do these tygerkin look like? Like my fine...friend here?" He motions at Umbala. "Or similar in general build and feature, yet distinctly different? If you know."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven pursed his lips thoughtfully. There seemed to be a key piece of information they were missing. Ignoring the Phoenix for the moment, he asked Arashmahar "How does one get to the Otherside? How many passages to it are there? And does anyone ever go there? And do they ever return?"

[GryffonDurime]

"You ask funny questions," Arashmahar says, "but you get to the Otherside by traveling across Blue Iris Bay." She points south, to the distant horizon where the canyon meets a vast stretch of crystal-blue water. "But I wouldn't do that. You're too much fun to be gone forever."

Phoenix strides the streets of Malat, and as he distances himself from Umbala, people seem more willing to stop and stare at the strange man. Some even wave or smile. The pagoda before him is a three-tiered building, each wall carved from some pale ivory-colored stone. On closer inspection, its roofs are hewn from the same black glass as the Tablet and the entrances to the caves--thousands of tiny, perfectly formed shards, overlapping one another like the scales of a snake. A flight of tall stairs leads to the pagoda's entrance, a notched and open archway.


Giving anyone else who wants to come along a second before entering the shrine

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven's lips formed a charming, winsome smile. "Likewise, I'm sure. Well, I'd best keep up with my companion and make sure he doesn't do anything silly. And there's still many matters to deal with." He gave Arashmahar a courtly bow, took Kaleska's arm and began to lead her along the street, following Phoenix towards the pagoda.

[Whiskeyjack]

It seems as if answers will be found in the pagoda. So it is to the pagoda that Arbiter will go.

Catching up with Phoenix, he asks, "What are your objectives for this? Anything beyond figuring out the details of the place we find ourselves?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix stared briefly at Arbiter before realizing he hadn't explained himself well.

"Our companion from the passage...I've taken to calling him the Guardsman until I can find out his name. We've removed him from his prison, but I shouldn't rest easy until we've removed his collar and restored his voice. I'm guessing a magus is a miracle worker, if so than he might be able to help him."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven had to work hard to hide the disdain from his face, but through long practice he prevailed. It took him a moment to quiet his contempt enough so that he could speak. "Possibly." he said in a careful voice. "But if the Guardian really was constructed by one of the Exalted, I doubt a mortal thaumaturge will be of much use. Still, it's worth exploring." He said, sounding rather cheerful.

[Whiskeyjack]

"Presumably, this magus is able to tell us more about this...Wyrwane place than the common citizens can as well. Or we can hope." He frowns. "So, we may not be underground even though we entered underground. Curious. It does beg the question of where exactly this entire place is located, in that case."

[Ganurath]

As Kaleska walks with Raven, she leans to whisper into her Mate's ear, her face showing a mix of curiousity and concern. "That girl saw Umbala for what he really is, even if her word choice is inaccurate. Think she'd have been able to see my tattoos as well?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven turned to his mate, pondering the question. "And interesting idea. The girl obviously has some sort of supernatural ability - and that will merit further investigation when we have the time. For now, though, we'd best get the lay of the land and see to our safety. Then we can puzzle out the riddle of that Guardian creature." He paused. "The real question, I think is whether she would have understood the significance of your tattoos. To her, we're probably all so foreign and strange that she'd have just shrugged it off as more oddness from the Outsiders."

[Ganurath]

"...Huh. Good point." Kaleska looks up at the pagoda, wondering what would drive a local to a fearful community to so blasphem everything he was raised to understand. It was possible that she was making assumptions about the situation, but unlikely. "Both about the tattoos, and consolidating our position."

[GryffonDurime]

Arashmahar emerges from behind Phoenix, peeking towards Kaleska and Raven. "I don't know what you all are, though," she says, and the same flash plays across her eyes like a swift silver fish blazing across a clear stream. "I don't know what you are, but I know that you aren't goblin-faeries like the catman. And you're not like me, either."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter regards the child, feeling slightly uneasy; it's more common for him to be a source of discomfort due to ignorance in the general population than to be exposed to discomfort because of his own lack of understanding. "And how do you know what we are not, if you know not what we are?"

[Ganurath]

Kaleska blinks in surprise at the woman's arrival, then looks to her Mate to see if he reacted similarly. She then looks toward Arbiter, a mildly amused expression on her face. "If you can see one of the Fair Folk for what they are, you wouldn't confuse them for anything that isn't one of their number."

[GryffonDurime]

"I..." Arashmahar begins, then trails off. The question seems to truly stymie her, and she takes a seat on the nearest step, curling a finger around her chin. "I don't know. I just know. The catman faerie feels purple, and goblins feel purple. They've always felt purple. I met them once, and they were purple. But I'm not purple. I'm yellow, and all sprites are yellow. But I don't know what you lot are. You all look...I don't know. Shiny? Shiny."

[Brontes]

"Huh, it figures that the shiny people see in color. Neat." Phoenix grinned widely. "There's a weird story behind the shininess, and I'll be happy to tell it later."

He looked at the roof for a moment as he started up the stairs. "Kelaska, do you think the map has anything to do with that roof?"

[Ganurath]

"I'd assume so." Kaleska pulls out the map so she can make a visual comparison between the two. "Odds are the material is locally common, or another altered magical material if the signifigance of this place is more than cultural."

Shrugging, the Lunar nods her head toward the building with a grin toward her fellow Exalts. Including Arbiter, if her senses were as reliable as they seemed. "Only one way to find out, though."

[GryffonDurime]

As the motley Circle approaches the pagoda, a head nervously peaks out from the archway and retreats just as quickly. There's a few terse murmurs and three large creatures, feline shapes cut as if from the night sky itself. They bear their ivory fangs and snarl at the assembled group, and a figure approaches from behind them.

He's a short man, stubby and fat with a well-trimmed goatee and dark blond hair. "I'll try no briggands here, strangers. Who sent you? The Cult at Brynne or the Palace at Eima? I've every right to this place and I won't let some backwards courtiers or choirboys take it away from me."

[Ganurath]

Kaleska looks toward the others expectently, Raven in particular. He seemed to have a certain style of speaking, but she wasn't sure whether or not silken words would do much to put the man's paranoia to rest. "Shall I do the talking? It sounds like this gentleman would appreciate it if we spoke to him plainly."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven pursed his lips. He gave the man a quick once over before looking to Kaleska, quietly weighing his options, then nodded. "By all means, love. Be my guest." He said with a small, secretive smile.

[Ganurath]

Kaleska slowly untangles herself from her Raven, then turns her eye toward the heavy man with the feline warriors. She smiles warmly at all four in turn before focusing her gaze on the odd man out. "You mistake our intentions in coming here... I believe Bright Marist was the name the other villagers used? We have no intentions of removing you from this building, as even if we had reason to do so we've yet to learn of it."

"You see, we aren't from around here." Kaleska gestures toward the other Exalts with a sweeping hand before turning her gaze back toward the man. "We're from beyond Wyrwane, beyond the Otherside, and with one benign exception outside the Wyld. We've found ourselves here, and are curious about our new surroundings. The villagers recommended you by your being a magus, but I think that anyone who would think outside the social norms is likely to be capable of presenting information objectively, which adds to your favorance."

Kaleska perks a brow at Malisk, not letting her gaze waver from him. "It isn't too much to ask that you lend us a helping hand, is it?"

Charisma+Presence, and I'll spend 3m Personal on the First Charisma Excellency. Add in the Gem of Grace, and...

[roll0]

[GryffonDurime]

"Hmmph," Marist says, clapping his hands together in consideration. He seems moved by Kaleska--the beauty of her words or perhaps just her beauty--but still seems suspicious. "There is nothing beyond Wyrwane or the Otherside. There is only the Canyon and its attendant Beyond. I don't know what half-witted cosmology you've been studying, but I only care for facts here, and I won't be swayed by...by...by feeble-minded pasha-trickery!"

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter regards the felines evenly, blade still retracted. Mentally, he compares them to the guardian, noting similarities and differences for future reference.

It is almost too much when he hears of how little these people know of the world beyond. The rudest of Lumpen, these, in terms of knowledge at least. And yet, thinks Arbiter sourly, it is we who are a disadvantage, at least here with regards to this place.

[Ganurath]

"I suppose after Luna knows how many generations living in a bubble realm, it'd be hard to believe in the very concept of an outside world." Kaleska takes a deep breath in, then a breath out. She then glances skyward, looking for the best point of reference from where to begin explaining the Celestial Exalted. "I don't suppose there's any figure in your 'cosmology' who has a mark of the sun or the moon on their forehead, is there?"

[The Demented One]

"I'm not purple." sulks Umbala, miserable at being bested by this tiny mortal thing. "I'm green."

[GryffonDurime]

"Well, you're purple on the inside," Arashmahar says, sticking her tongue out at Umbala.

Marist notes her for the first time, suddenly confused.

"I don't know about any sunmen or moonmen. Why are you all towing around that sprite?"

[Ganurath]

"She's following us. She thinks we're shiny on the inside, the way that she sees creatures of the Wyld like gobins and Fair Folk as purple or sprites such as herself as... Yellow, was it?" Kaleska gives the girl a quick confirming glance before turning her attention back to Marist. "You've never heard of the Solar and Lunar Exalted, though? Such individuals have never existed in Wyrwane? Not even a character with half a golden circle on their forehead from the oldest myths?"

The cosmological implications of a world that Celestial Exaltations couldn't reach were interesting, and it was all Kaleska could do not to flash Raven a grin. This place was becoming exponentially more interesting.

[The Demented One]

"She?" wonders Umbala, before realizing that Arashmahar is the sprite in question. Damnable girl, now she's even stolen the best titles from him! Oh, that insouciant creature!

[GryffonDurime]

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Marist says, utterly sincere but still entirely on guard. "Clearly, you've all gone addle-brained from long association with the sprites. Take them back to your nook or your cranny or wherever it is you came from, girl. Let them melt in peace if you've already mucked about with their minds."

[Ganurath]

Kaleska looks over her shoulder at Raven, nodding her head in Malisk's direction. She points to where her caste mark would be on her forehead, giving him a grin. "No outsiders means no Monks. Flare it?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded, smirking a little. "There are an infinitude of methods we could use to demonstrate, but that seems quite... expedient. Go right ahead, Kaleska."

[Ganurath]

Kaleska turns her gaze back on Malisk, rolling up her sleeves. "Malisk, I should apologize. I never bothered to properly introduce myself. Among my friends and loved ones, I am Kaleska. We've just met, though, so I'll give you the full barrage of titles."

The Lunar's grin widens, and a sudden bloom of silver and violet radiance shoots from her body. Upon her brow, a glowing silver crescent moon appears, and from there she lets her tattoos spread into visibility, marks praising her quiet resistance of the Mask of Winters appearing on her face before the luminesence spreads, lead down her arms to her now visible Tell, plumes of white feathers spreading from her forearms.

"I am Kaleska, the Rose of Thorns. I am of the Changing Moon Caste of the Lunar Exalted, Chosen by the Moon Goddess Luna to act as a guardian of all Creation. Among her favored, I am one of the Seneschals of the Sun Kings, who devote themselves to serving and supporting our Bondmates among our Sun-Chosen counterparts, the Solar Exalted. If you're half as smart as the other villagers made you out to be, you'll keep an open mind."

3m Personal on First Charisma, 1m Personal to flare anima to the 8-10 level. Uncommiting to Hide, if the anima flare doesn't do so already.

[roll0]

[Whiskeyjack]

"Wait, magus." He looks from the sprite to the man to the guardians and back. "So you are not one united people? These sprites are not citizens of your nation? You are...in some degree of opposition?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven watched, bemused and, he had to admit, impressed by Kaleska's performance. In his mortal life, he would have killed for a monologue like that.

Of course, nowadays, he could make his own lightshow - he wondered how the others would react if they saw the green-black radiance of his own twisted Exaltation. He supposed he would have to reveal it soon enough. But not yet.

"As you can see, we don't exactly fit into your world. There is indeed something beyond your canyon - and we hail from it. I am raven, Marist, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

[Brontes]

Phoenix wondered briefly if he should show off his Anima to further their point, but quickly decided against it. Now was not the time for him to botch something, tempting as it would be to show off.

In another time, Kelaska's words would have gone over his head, but Raven's words were enough to get the point.

Phoenix was tripped by the Magus' words, though. Surrounded by a Raksha and his fellow Anathema, Phoenix had slowly stopped questioning the strange things he has encountered, too used to his own strageness.

He turned back to Arashmahar. He searched hard for words. "Where we're from, the Sun had blessed me with his power. In early times, this would have made me a prince of that world. Raven is also a Sun Prince. Kelaska...was blessed by the Moon to be the World's princess. You are familiar with purple Umbala, and I'm not familiar with Arbiter. That's probably where the shininess is from."

"Explanations out of the way, the Magus raised one point. I've been finding so many strange things, I don't even question it anymore. Neither of us really have asked about the other. I've told you a little about us, but what about you. What do sprites do?"

[GryffonDurime]

Marist, flabbergasted by Kaleska's anima, opens his mouth as if to speak but finds no words. Instead, he simply coughs, turns, and ushers his panther-creatures back inside, gesturing for the circle to follow.

Within, they find only a single small room--a perfect cube with walls of the strange black glass. They shimmer, countless glyphs playing across their surface. Marist takes a seat in an old, beaten chair and the panthers settle placidly at his feet. Beyond the chair, the room is quite sparse--a thin mattress atop a light wicker frame, countless books and sutras strewn across the floor, and a staff of what the party recognizes immediately as orichalcum propped delicately against the wall, easily within arm's reach of Bright Marist's sad, ratty throne. The figure atop the staff is a growing, feline face, and threads of braided orichalcum and black jade cascade down from the nape of its neck like a great and precious mane.

"I have never seen something so beautiful, or so unexplainable," he says as he sets a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "But you must understand. What you claim...to be from some other place entirely? I do not understand how such a thing is possible."

Arashmahar turns to Phoenix: "Don't listen to him about sprites. We don't really melt peoples brains."

[Brontes]

"Well, yeah, I could guess that, I probably meant to say that what he said reminded me that I don't know much about you. Sorry if I'm not clear."

Phoenix started to grin madly, "Besides, I've heard that my kind are way better at melting brains. But seriously...do sprites do things that come harder to other people?"

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter looks at Marist. "You might be surprised by what is possible. Or by what is out there."

[GryffonDurime]

Marist turns to Phoenix first:

"Sprites have some small magics by virtue of their nature. But they are foolish creatures by those selfsame natures, and those who spend too long in their company are never quite the same," he says, his expression blank and somewhat bemused. "At least, that is the conventional wisdom. I myself have never seen someone so affected by the sprites, and so my objection to them is mostly a question of convention, but I keep a much broader mind than most of my contemporaries in the Canyon. You have likely seen this, and will continue to see it if you progress towards the heart of the empire."

He smiles, then turns to the Arbiter, reaching to lift his orichalcum staff. As his hand wraps around its handle, the cat-figure's eyes smolder for a second, and the eyes of the creatures huddled so tranquilly around him gleam cruelly. He pushes himself up from the chair and approaches, slowly.

"I am certainly surprised. But such a pleasant surprise it is turning out to be."

[Whiskeyjack]

"These sprites. What are they, and from whence do they come? Or from where id they come originally? We saw them gathering in the nooks and crannies of the cliffs. Are you perhaps...neighbors?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven gave Arbiter a sidelong look. That comment added another stone to the little pile of suspicions forming about the strange... person. Then again, Raven did have to admit that he was suspicious of pretty much everyone. It was his nature these days.

"Encounters with the Exalted tend to be surprising." Raven remarked with wry understatement. "It is our nature, as far as we can be said to have categorical traits." Ever the social chameleon, he found himself assuming a scholarly air to suit what he saw as the Marist's views. "Intruiging creatures you have there. From your acoutraments and your possessions, I assume you are a thaumaturge? A sorcerer-scientist? I'm not sure what the proper terminology is here."

He paused, crossing one leg over his knee. A tendril of shadow-stuff slipped up absently and brushed some dirt off of the leg of this fine silken suit. His acoutraments had become somewhat deshabille during their flight. He made note to find a decent tailor. Soon. Turning back to the Marist, he took another breath and began to speak. "In short, we believe that the Canyon - the world you inhabit - was the creation of one of our forebears. My personal theory is that they took a little bit of the world and sliced it off into its own bubble of reality out in the Wyld. But my magical education is fairly limited by the standards of Exalted, so... " he trailed off, shrugging.

He gave Marist a flattering smile. "To be honest, we're a little lost. We came to you because what we've been told led us to believe that you're a scholar, and we were hoping for an overview of this world - especially its inhabitants, its rules and rulers, dangers to be wary off - everything, in short, that someone from Beyond would need to know."

[GryffonDurime]

Bright Marist's eyes twinkle at Raven's words, and the smile that plays across his lips is wide and somewhat menacing.

"Thaumaturge is the original word. But most of our ilk now style themselves as a magus or maga, sometimes magisters when also of the nobler castes but...what you ask, you must understand, requires two things. First and foremost, it requires me to take and believe your word: that you come from someplace beyond my cosmology. It is a very difficult thing to ask of me, and were I anyone else, it is not likely that I would accept it so readily. But thankfully, I am Bright Marist and not someone else."

He pauses, coughs softly into his fist, and straightens up, tapping his staff against the floor. The catlike creatures spring to life and genuflect before him, stretching happily. He selects the one to his right and pushes the staff through its star-speckled flesh, which yields to its touch with ripples, as it were water. He stirs the light within the creature's form and then draws it out, a thick and luminous tangle on the end of his crozier. He draws in the air with it, sketching a great wedge-shape.

"We," he says, indicating a small point near the top corner of the wedge, "are here. Malat. A small town on the edge of the Canyon. Recent, by most standards. Perhaps a century and a half old? Perhaps not. There are five great city-states within the Canyon's borders: Varant, the Silver City; Brynne, the Summer Hallow; Eima, the Seat of the Pashate; Awgyl, the Bread Basket of the Empire; and Bezel, the Bayward City." As he speaks, he marks five large dots on the map: Varant and Brynne are near Malat, Eima sits almost at the center, and Awgyl and Bezel straddle either side of the lower edge.

"The Empire has stood for thousands of years, since the Ancestors retreated from the Canyon and gave their blessing to the first Pasha. Since that time, the Pasha of Eima has ruled the Empire...not always completely, not always easily. He is bolstered by the Cult of Rosalen, and at times by the Academy at Bezel. Still, the Old Edict is the source of his power and legitimacy: a promise from the Ancestors themselves. Over six thousand years of history, then, and the result is what you see before you." His voice seems almost wistful now.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven watched impassively as Marist drew the map in star-speckled arcane flesh-stuff, drinking in the details. He nodded thoughtfully. "I understand that it must be difficult to embrace such an alien reality. The experience of Exaltation has some similarities - I, for example, was once a simple actor, until I experienced the change at a moment of crisis. It requires certain sudden adjustments in worldview that can be very challenging." Not to mention getting used to the Demon City, he added in the silences of his mind.

"In any case, I hope you'll permit me to trespass on your hospitality and knowledge a bit more - these terms are all strange to me. The Pasha, the Cult of Rosalen, the Old Edict - and especially the Ancestors and the Tigerkin, who we've gathered are servants of the former. I you could illuminate a bit about them, I'd be eternally grateful."

[GryffonDurime]

"The Pasha and the Cult you will have time enough to meet, I wager," he says, setting himself back into his chair as the map fades from view, "and so I'll touch briefly on the Ancestors, for there is not much that we know...save that they were, and then left us to our devices, retreating from the Canyon to...do whatever it is that they do. The tygerkin are our emissaries from them. They come from time to time...every century or so, perhaps. I imagine your friend," he points to Umbala, "might cause quite a stir in that respect."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven chuckled lightly. "We already noticed that. Where did the ancestors retreat to? Arashmahar mentioned something about them being across the sea."

He tapped his chin. "And speaking of rulers, what is the Pasha? Is he a mortal man? A Tygerkin? Or something else entirely? Also, I assume he has a local satrap of some sort in the city nearby?"

[Whiskeyjack]

"Six thousand years..." Arbiter murmurs. "Before... Long before..."

He almost staggers, as if dazed, and his eyes seem to be somewhere else entirely.

[Ganurath]

Kaleska had been standing near where Raven had been seated, but Arbiter's shock caught her attention. They had already figured that this place was made before the end of the First Age, so what was he so... Wait. No, it couldn't be, they thought humans were worthless. But if it was true... "Arbiter... Are you thinking that this place was made before the War?"

Kaleska then looks at Raven, suddenly feeling considerably more worried. If a Primordial still lingered in Wyrwane, the Canyon was a dangerous place to be an Exalt.

[Whiskeyjack]

"By my calculations, six thousand years of age would place Wyrwane as having come into existence one thousand and one years before the Journey began," Arbiter murmurs, speaking before he thinks his statement through, and not responding to Kaleska so much as puzzling out something...else.

[The Demented One]

Umbala preens. "Tell me, how long has it been since the last tygerkin envoy passed through? It does get hard to keep track of time, on the otherside. I'd be terribly upset if I had come off schedule."

[GryffonDurime]

Marist smiles at Umbala, knowingly.

"I heard the sprite...what did you call yourself? Faerie. Faerie, if you object so strongly to being called a goblin. The last tygerkin arrived in the Canyon twenty-four years ago. And I saw her," Marist says. "And you look only passingly like her."

He sighs and rummages through his books and scrolls, finally finding a large, tattered piece of linen. He unfurls it and hands it to Kaleska: inside she finds a map (http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f102/GryffonDurime/Wyrwane.jpg) of the kingdom of Wyrwane, which she quickly annotates, adding a note for the location of the cavern they entered through.

[Brontes]

Phoenix chuckled slightly. "You're having trouble keeping your dignity here, Umbala. I'd say it's refreshing that it's not me for once, but I'll be the joke soon enough. But we have business now, could you bring out the Guardsman?"

Phoenix turned toward the magus. He frowned slightly as he tried to think of a decent gesture of respect, before settling for a slight bow. "I'm terribly sorry, Bright Marist, but in our travels to reach this Canyon, we encountered one a being who was both prisoner and guard of the passage. Though we've managed to remove him from his prison, there's a collar around his neck that reacts violently to intruders. While my fellows are potent, we believe your expertise may be required. Would you be so kind?"

[Ganurath]

Kaleska looks at the map with curiousity, holding it so that Raven could get a look as well. The northernmost Sprite Encampment explained why no outsiders were expected: Nothing up there but sprites, who were apparently something between a nuisance and a threat to these people. Still, there were questions raised from a geographical standpoint alone: Where was the water west of Kishki coming from? Why hadn't the area between Yne and Eima been settled? Why was Oishe highlighted like a major city, yet omitted by Marist?

She perked up at the mention of the lapine creature, curious as to whether the locals were even aware of it.

[GryffonDurime]

"Passage?" Marist asks, uncertain. "I can certainly look over your creature, if you desire. And the map is yours to keep--I've a few more laying around."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven coughed politely. "If you don't mind, could you tell me a bit about the Pasha, the Tygerkin, the Ancestor, and the relationship between the three?"

[Ganurath]

Kaleska looks toward Marist, nodding toward Raven to indicate he should give his immediate attention to her Bondmate. "It will take Umbala a moment to unfold the... I'm not sure of the proper term for it, but what's storing the creature."

[GryffonDurime]

"Ancestors," Marist corrects, shrugging. "And there's not much to tell. The Ancestors were the first to settle here, at the beginning of time itself. When they withdrew to the Otherside, they left the Pasha with the right to rule by the Old Edict because as much as they had outgrown this place, it had been their home. The Tygerkin are spiritual creatures native to the Otherside who serve the Ancestors. And, sometimes," he adds, looking down at the star-speckled creatures at his feet, "they may serve us, as well. But only the least of them."

[Brontes]

"Wait, wait," Phoenix shook his head slightly, "There are different kinds of tygerkin? With different strengths? Why would the Ancestors' send different kinds of tygerkin to act as glorified messengers. Can they be summoned instead of being sent?"

He pointed to one of the creatures at his feet, "For that matter, why would they send a kind of tygerkin that their heirs can subvert and exploit, no offense. I mean you haven't told me that they're gifts from the Ancestors."

Phoenix looked at one of the creatures in the eye. Maybe the whole thing was more benign than Marist suggested, maybe it would be clearer as he learned more. For now, though, Phoenix could only detect a hint of something sinister.

He smiled, "How tough are they?"

[GryffonDurime]

"When most think of the tygerkin, they think of the fully realized, the sentient. But there are other, lesser kinds," Marist says, clearly uncomfortable as he grasps the orichalcum staff with a growing intensity. "The most visible sign of the Pasha's favor are the Signets of Office, by which he can command the least of the tygerkin. And they are tough enough," he says, making it clear that that will be the end of that.

[GryffonDurime]

And the ST takes the reins...

Umbala unfolds the entrance to his Chancel slowly, keeping a wary eye on the little girl-creature as he did so. Bright Marist steps through, seemingly unsurprised by the space-bending wonder. Those who follow him through into Umbala's spacious and well-appointed parlor hear Bright Marist lose his breath entirely, dropping his great lion-crested staff at the sight of the strange creature rescued from the caverns.

For its lot, the creature looks up at Marist, its eyes brighter and clearer than before, its demeanor calm and easy. It has carved countless runes and glyphs into the shards of Umbala's shattered table, but Marist insists that they are--in so far as he can tell--a meaningless idioglossia. The scholar circles the sitting creature slowly, examining its haunches and its frame. He even leans in and delicately pushes the creature's lips apart to consider its razor-like teeth. Finally, he examines the collar, sighing.

"I don't know where you found this creature, but I have never seen anything quite like it. In many ways," he says, "this looks like the tygerkin who last came from the Otherside." The creature looks up, staring into Marist's soul.

"Similar," he says after a long and uncomfortable pause. "But also different. Even, entirely different."

[Whiskeyjack]

"We found him in the passage between the Otherside and your Empire," Arbiter says. "He appears to be incapable of expressing himself via oral or written communication, as you can see. Though he understands the Old Tongue. He seems to be able to express himself through body language and signing motions. And he got very upset...it seemed like the collar affects him somehow."

Arbiter clears his throat. "I cannot speak for my companions, but I am not best pleased at the thought of a sentient being enslaved in such a manner. Especially if he has been in this state for six thousand years. But, an initial inquiry: how is he different than the other tygerkin?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix blinked before lowering his head. His eagerness had gotten the better of him, it seemed. "I..I'm sorry..I didn't mean I'd fight yours...It just seems suspicious, to me. In my experience people send only three things: messages, gifts, and threats. And the gifts could be poison, you know?"

Phoenix quickly shut himself up as Umbala set up the odd tile door. He whistled as he got a better look into the tile, "So...this fancy little place costly? Stories say Fae can just make up stuff where they're from, but except for this house, I've never seen you pull random stuff out of air."

Marist was talking again about tygerkin, something about similarities and differences. Phoenix shrugged slightly. "So what? Maybe native to our place? Or heck, we were underground this whole time, for all we know we crossed through some kind of Fae Area. That kind of area is nasty for your health."

[GryffonDurime]

Marist allows the companions time enough to speak in turn, and is about to answer the Arbiter when Phoenix's statement sets in, with a flash of confusion.

"Underground? How in the Ancestor's names could you have gotten here from the Otherside if you were underground?"

[Brontes]

"You know, you're right, we weren't so much underground as walking through a tunnel in a mountainside."

He frowned a moment and turned to Kelaska, "That seem more accurate to you guys? Help me out."

[GryffonDurime]

"Under a mountain?" Marist asks, even more incredulous. "That is also patently impossible. The Otherside is across the Bay of the Blue Irises, you can only reach it across the water," he says, and points southward to the great expansive sea that Arbiter glimpsed on the furthest horizon. "The Otherside exists across the Bay, and then there is the Canyon, here, and that...is all. The whole of existence."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter shrugs and indicates the path they took, broadly. "We came from up there, passing the sprite warrens on the way down. That was the way we entered."

[GryffonDurime]

"That is impossible," Marist intones. "There is nothing beyond the fourth ridge of mountains. We have sent parties to explore, and they have always returned with the same fact."

[Ganurath]

"Impossible without the proper equipment, perhaps. However, the means by which we came to Wyrwane involved a map from an elderly figure. He was likely disguising his true form." Kaleska would have held up the map for emphasis at that point, but she realized that what she held was the only means that she knew of to return to Creation. "In any event, upon our arrival at the cliffside it opened to reveal the entrance to the tunnel. I imagine the same restrictions apply to Wyrwane as well as Creation."

[Brontes]

"Right, there's magic involved." Phoenix nodding towards the resting tigers outside, "Though I get the feeling your side is not averse to magic. Maybe our magic is different and the tunnel's using that. Not that I'd know, I'm quite new to this."

"As odd as it is, however, I'd like to remind people we have someone who needs taking care of. We can discuss these issues later."

[GryffonDurime]

"You nonsense aside, there's not much I can do for you or--" Marist hesitates, giving the creature one last look, "your friend. This," he says, and points to the collar, "is a relic of the Ancestors. An alloy called black glass. Magi know it more properly as hepatizon, because it sheds a fine purple-black dust when...well, I don't imagine the specifics matter much to you people. Suffice to say," he adds, truly flustered, "if this creature was placed somewhere by the Ancestors, it was with a purpose in mind. Hepatizon relics are indestructable save by the powers of the Ancestors themselves. We have reached the limit of my abilities, and so while I would be more than happy to help you on your way to wherever it is you're going...I don't know that we've that much more to discuss."

With that being said, Marist turns on his heel, puffs out his chest, and strides from the chancel. From outside, in his tiny chamber of what you now recognize as hepatizon. You hear a brief shriek as Marist exits, followed by a soft laugh.

"And," he yells, "you can kindly take your scary little sprite friend with you."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven looked at his companions, arching a brow. "Well... that was informative. "" He said in a mild tone But it seems our host would like us to depart. Any thoughts as to where we should venture from here?" Personally, Raven couldn't care less about the strange creature they'd found, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Phoenix, at least, wasn't about to let the issue drop.

[Brontes]

"..."

Phoenix began clinching his hands violently, fighting the urge to punch the wall inside Umbala's tile-house. "I'm really starting to hate these Ancestors."

He swore to himself that he would punch the first talking tygerkin he came across.

"You know what? Maybe I'm overreacting. Having the prison-collar around your neck is terrible, but maybe it's magic won't work this far from your prison. How about we try exiting Umbala's house, first?"

[Whiskeyjack]

"You mean asking our friend here to come out?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix nodded, "Exactly. Lovely, as Umbala's tile-house is, I can't imagine he would want to stay in here the whole time. Maybe this far from the tunnel, the collar won't go off. Worse case scenario: the collar goes off and we have to push him back into the house. Umbala's place doesn't set it off, so the collar might deactivate given enough time. Then we can work our way from there."

[Ganurath]

Kaleska makes her way toward the exit of the tile room, continuing to face her Mate as she moved so that at least one person would pay his question mind. "While any Lunar can handle the outdoors if need be, I personally would adore the opportunity to sleep and not have to keep one eye open. Perhaps we should see what sort of accomodations we can get?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded. "That sounds like a plan, on both counts." He inclined his head towards Phoenix. "It seemed that the trigger condition for his collar was us passing through the door - I'd venture that it would either trigger immediately now that we're through it, or remain totally quiescent, so I recommend we be ready to put him back through immediately if things go awry." He turned, taking Kaleska's arm. "Myself, though... I'm certainly looking forward to hot meal and a warm bath. Not to mention a nice, soft bed." He said with just the hint of a salacious smile.

[Whiskeyjack]

"Let's hope it's not the former, then," Arbiter says quietly. "We should be prepared for such an occurrence. Though it would be a tragedy is he is resigned to that tiny room until we can figure out how to get the collar off of him. Assuming I cannot simply strike it off after all."

[Ganurath]

"You three can address the matter of the Greeter of Wyrwane, then." Kaleska didn't like the creature's situation, but at the same time talking the hypotheticals to death was far from productive. Still, she wasn't so callous as to come out and say it directly, so she'd just leave them to it. Perhaps if she and Raven departed, it would encourage the others to take action.

More importantly, it was an opportunity to have some private time with her Mate. There was a lot that she wanted to talk about, and she could see Raven was interested in engaging her in intercourse as well even if he didn't clearly state it. She gives him a knowing smile and a nod toward the exit. "Shall we get a room, then?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

The Fiend offered his mate his arm with a gallant little smile, nodding. "Feel free to come get me if I can be of any assistance - but I'm afraid that there's little I can do when it comes to breaking the unbreakable, unless the collar proves vulnerable to being talked off." He bowed his head to his companions, before leading Kaleska off to find a room.

Inwardly, however, his mind was racing. How much should he tell her? It was probably time for a bit of disclosure, he decided - if nothing else, bringing her into his confidence would be a display of trust towards his Lunar mate, and if he played it right, it would only strengthen their bond.

[Brontes]

Phoenix turned toward the Guardian, eyes rolling slightly.

"I swear, I don't get those two. Solar Bond nonsense."

He gave their lapine companion a big smile, "I know it's risky, friend, but freedom is always worth the risk. At any rate, you've gotta be cramped in there. Wanna try coming out?"


Clearly Charisma + Presence to convince him to exit. Not going to activate any Charms, I'd think he'd have enough of soaking Wyld energies.

Hope I've got the coding right.

[roll0]

[GryffonDurime]

The creature ambles out at Phoenix's invitation, slowly at first but then more gingerly as it crosses the threshold and--nothing happens. The creature's nostrils flare is it scents fresh air and it rushes out of the pagoda, tears welling up in its eyes as it takes in the pinkish-orange of the growing twilight over the canyon. Marist follows it, his expression softening as he and the creature stand at the edge of the raised steps that lead to the pagoda and watch the last sliver of sunlight slide over the distant horizon.

Kaleska and Raven smile under the fresh night as they walk the lantern-lit streets. Without Umbala in tow, the locals seem much friendlier, smiling as the Exalted pair passes. At least until someone looks up. A few moments after the start of the night, two thin blue comets streak slowly across the sky--but no sign of any moon. At the pagoda, Marist looks up slackjawed and trembling. In the town, the innkeeper with whom Kaleska and Raven are bartering tilts his head skyward and mouths an empty, silent scream.

"The third star is gone," Marist says, voice empty and trembling. "How can this be?"

[Ganurath]

"Well, the night sky is a matter of expertise to Lunars by nature." Kaleska, still arm in arm with Raven, crosses her other arm to his shoulder as she closes her eyes, focusing on her connection to Luna. "Let me find out."

I'll spend a mote on the anima effect to know the day of the Lunar month, phase of the moon, etc. for the remainder of the scene.

[GryffonDurime]

Kaleska

It is the 13th Day of the Lunar Month, and the moon is one night away from Full.
It's just not here.

[Ganurath]

"...Huh. Tomorrow night's supposed to be a full moon. Apparently this place uses a different sky from Creation." Kaleska looks toward Raven, a slightly worried expression on her face. Such a distinct absence of Luna's presence may disrupt her abilities... What if Raven had the same troubles from a false star? "At least we know the Essence of the place works close enough to norm-"

Then, a moment of realization. Was the connection to her attuned manses still intact? Neither stone was in a position that she could really reach for without being noticed... Perhaps Raven had one in the staff somewhere. "Raven, do you have a hearthstone you could check the connection on? Neither of mine are in a place that I could reach for without making a scene."

[Whiskeyjack]

Arbiter follows the creature. He looks out over the vista, fighting that reflexive wave of vertigo that's plagued him since leaving the Maker's bowels. No ceiling...or not one close enough to touch. It was always a little disconcerting, so he focused on separating the tiny differences in the shades of the sunset and calculating their rough photonic energy discharge until the nausea passed.

He turned to the creature, seemingly exultant now that it walked beneath this strange sky again. "Is your communicative ability still impaired?"

[Brontes]

Phoenix grinned widely as the creature made way to the outside world. Coming across Arashmahar as he exited, he made a point to bow slightly and wait for her. "Sorry about the wait, but the...I'll call him tygerkin for now, really needed to escape. It's been so long since he's had fresh air."

[GryffonDurime]

Raven finds his Stone of Infernal Glory utterly unaffected by the exotic milieu, and a moment's quiet contemplation reassures Kaleska that her own hearthstones remain attuned and functional. Wherever they are, it is not so far that the geomancy of Creation can't pierce its veil. Nonetheless, the innkeeper's eyes are fixed to the sky, and countless people are looking up now, in terror.

At the pagoda, Marist slumps and seats himself beside the almost-tygerkin atop the steps. "This is catastrophic," he says, unable to look down from the two comets diverging across the sky.

[Ganurath]

"...It's like the people who were staring at the wall." Kaleska looks toward Raven once more, sensing an opportunity. He'd likely pick up her subtle suggestion as innuendo, but... She wouldn't object to entertaining such a misconception, so long as her true intentions were addressed. "Part of me wants to try to snap people out of it and put their minds at ease. Part of me sees whatever they're upset about as the perfect distraction to find a private place for us."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Gave Kaleska a wicked little grin when she told him her hearthstones were "Inaccessible," but he said nothing as he checked. After reporting that all was well, he shrugged and grinned. "Personally, I'm far more inclined to the latter. Whenever something goes wrong, people tend to blame the dirty foreigners." He shrugged and chuckled lightly. "It's one of the less admirable aspects of human nature. So I say we find somewhere nice and quiet. The world will probably still be here in the morning."

[Ganurath]

"To the inn, then?" Kaleska shifted in her clinging to Raven's arm as she gently pulled her Bondmate in the indicated direction, holding herself in such a manner that he could feel the Gem of Grace through layers of clothing. "It'll provide the soft bed you wanted, and we'll get the minimum of local interaction to confirm that probability."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded, giving her a look of calculated but genuine vulnerability. "A little privacy would be nice. We need to talk, among other things." He said with a smile that would have been shy, if not for the Fiend's rather brazen nature. Tangling his arm pleseantly around her hip, he guided the pair of them towards the inn, humming a jaunty tune under his breath.

[Brontes]

Having apologized to Arashamar, he decided to finally check on their now free companion. With the Guardsman free, there would be so many things to do.

"This is catastrophic," Phoenix followed Bright Marist's gaze toward the sky.

"So, I take it 'Wane is supposed to have a moon as well? That does look ominous."

[GryffonDurime]

Bright Marist isn't sure what to make of the word "moon," but he glosses over it quickly enough, shaking his head. "The third star. There should be three," he says, pointing upwards to the two comets streaking overhead. "Every night since men first arose in the Canyon, the three stars have burned across the night sky, always in the same pattern. Always."

Meanwhile, Kaleska and Raven find themselves quite easily capable of pressing a few strange silver coins into the gapping-mouthed innkeeper's hand. He gives them a key, absently, and then returns to staring skyward in horror. Atop the stairs, the find their room--spacious, if a bit spartan. There is a bed, comfortable enough at Kaleska's inspection, and a desk, and a rug, and a small chaise. It's Kaleska herself who first realizes that the room is not as it should be--it is lit too evenly, and heated without sign of candles or flame. She looks up to see a few small chips of hepatizon studded into the ceiling, shedding light softly, evenly. The whole inn had been like this, in fact.

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven eased himself down onto the bed, sitting on its edge. He looked around the room, then at Kaleska, his eyes wide and dark, an enigmatic smile across his face. "So." He said quietly. "Here we are."

[Ganurath]

"...Huh. The lack of Exalts haven't stopped magitech conveniences, it seems." Kaleska points out one of the heptazoin bits in the ceiling. She then looks at her Bondmate... And it feels like her next heartbeat reverberated through the room. She wanted to be with him, to stand by him, but she needed to know where she was standing. "Not that that's important right now. I was hoping that we could talk about... You. And us."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

The Infernal nodded soberly. "Yes. I was thinking the same thing." He paused for a moment, pondering the best way to approach the revelations and decisions that they needed to come to. "What are your feelings on the matters at hand?" He asked, playing for time while he tried to think of the best way to phrase what he had to say.

[Ganurath]

Kaleska gently places her hands on Raven's shoulders, looking him in the eye if he doesn't avoid eye contact. "I understand if you want to keep some things about yourself secret from the others. Everyone has elements of their past that they aren't proud of. But... I'm your Bondmate. I'm supposed to be there for you, and I can't do that if you aren't willing to open up to me. Otherwise I'd be flying blind, and would probably do more harm than good."

"So please," Kaleska slides her hands back, wrapping around behind the man's head in an awkward half-hug, pulling the Lunar closer, at least physically, to her Bondmate. "Raven... Let me in?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven nodded, moving with a sudden, liquid grace, turning the half-hug into a full embrace. His eyes grew even wider, and he leaned in close, his voice rich and thick with emotion. "You trusted me out of hand, Kaleska. you took me in without asking questions, you've brought me this far. You've earned my trust, love. I only hope I'm worth it. My past... well, it's dark, my Rose. I have done terrible things... served terrible things." He took a deep breath, and began.

"You are my bondmate, this much is true. You are under the impression that I am a Solar exalt. That... is a half-truth. The power that I bear is a Solar shard, yes, but it has been changed... corrupted, perhaps. By the Yozi."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know this may make you feel betrayed, and I understand if you hate me now. But understand that truth does not come easily to me, and that when I met you, when I found someone who cared for me as you do... I couldn't bear to ruin it, to..."

He paused, composing himself. Something glimmered in his eye, and he wiped it away. "I'm ranting. I should start at the beginning." He took a deep breath and began again. "In my youth, I was an actor in the Realm. I was quite skilled, but... well, somehow, I always ended up cast as the villain - the Anathema, the corrupt lord, the jealous jilted lover. It was odd. Prophecy, perhaps." He gave a winsome little smile. "In any case, despite the roles in which I was cast, I was quite popular. I went through a number of Patrician patrons before I finally caught the eye of a young dynast." He blushed lightly. "As you probably suspect, she was interested in a bit more than my acting talents. Her father, however, turned out to be a rather fanatical purist - and as his daughter had been, ah, untouched previously, he took my amorous intentions as an insult. When he caught us in bed together, he had his men drag me into the slums"

Raven's face contorted with the memory of pain. "They beat me to within an inch of my life, and left that to bleed away. As I lay there, broken, I was filled with bile and bitterness and impotent rage. For all my skills, I was nothing next to a Dynast - moreover, they were something I could never be. Jealousy at at me in my dying moments."

He took a shuddering breath. "That was when I was saved. I was approached by a demon. It promised me power. Told me of a mighty patron who knew what it was to be broken and humiliated and left to rot. It offered me revenge."

Raven looked away from Kaleska. "I took it, of course. I was reborn in fire and green shadow, a servant of the Ebon Dragon. I was taken to Hell, to the demon city of Malfeas, and made a prince thereof. It... was a dark time in my life. I indulged in almost every excess you can imagine and quite a few you probably can't. And, I must say with honest, I do not regret all of the things I did... but there was much I did."

He turned his gaze back to Kaleska. "But the worst thing... worse than all the carnal atrocities, than the bland day-to-day brutalities and little horrors of that place, was that it was a gilded cage. Not merely for my one-time masters, but for me. All the pleasures there were bait on the hook, and I was the fish. One day, I simply realized that I was a slave with a golden collar. I left." He took Kaleska's face in his hand, one slim, soft finger stroking her flawless cheek.

"I do not know, my Rose, whether I am a good man or not. I suspect the latter. But good or evil, those are merely words. One thing I know I am not is a slave. I have taken power from unholy sources, but what to do with it is my decision. I swear to you on my life and soul that I have no masters now, and that I will not return to them. And I hope that you will be part of the destiny I make for myself."

[Ganurath]

As Raven spoke, Kaleska took it all in, her facial expression switching between two basic patterns. When regret marred Raven's face, or his touch shifted in the right way, the Rose of Thorns showed naive sympathy. However, at the mention of ill deeds and ill masters, her expression hardened to one of wary curiousity. At the end of it all, it was clear that her mind was racing to find a decision.

"This is... A lot to take in." A servant of the Yozis, possibly lying. Yet at the same time, he didn't have anything to gain from the reveal... He would have had to anyway. It was possible that he was being deceitful, and also sincerity was a possibility. A false hero was better than a true villain, though, especially with a Seneschal there to nudge him in the right direction. If his story was true, then she could help him return to the roots of his power. If he was manipulating her... Her best bet was to help him become the mask. "I have too much to lose to exposing you, though, compared to helping you be more true to the origins of your power. So long as what you've said of your loyalties remains true, I'll be with you."

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven leaned in, embracing her wordlessly for a moment, then kissed her on the lips. When he pulled back, he gave her a radiant smile. "Thank you, Kaleska." He said simply, taking her right hand in both of his. "You are the first person in my life who I have ever been completely honest with." He said. "You have no idea how much that means." He took her hand, placing it over his heart.

[Ganurath]

When their lips met, Kaleska came to realize the full weight of many of the lessons she had received. It was easy to understand much of it on a conceptual level, but talk can only go so far as a substitute for action. Specifically, the idea of being Raven's lover, likely his wife, briefly rushed into her mind. The full weight of her responsibility sunk in, and she found... Satisfaction.

She closed her eyes when her hand was placed over his heart, smiling softly at his heartbeat. He was right in that she didn't understand the full value of his honesty. She opened her eyes, looking into his as her smile broadened. "I'll treasure it just the same."

[Brontes]

"Well, that's what I get for assuming that Wyrwane has a Moon considering we both have a Sun. Alright, so a 'star' is missing that has never been missing before. I know that's ominous, major stars don't just disappear. What I wanted to know was if this is supposed to mean something. Is there something in your stories about this kind of event?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Raven

Raven took Kaleska in his arms again, his kiss more serious this time. It was a dance he'd done before. But then, he'd never had a partner quite like Kaleska - never so physically perfect, and never one he'd been able to be so honest with. His shadow brushed across her in time with his hands, and he drew her close as, with a wave, the lights went dim. They could forget the hunt, forget Wyrwane, forget it all, if only for a little while.

[GryffonDurime]

"Don't be dense," Marist spits back at Phoenix. "Prophecy. Hogwash. Nothing but retrogressive thinking. The three stars signaled the protection of the Ancestors, the strength of the Old Edict. If one has gone out, their protection wanes. We need no prophecy to know that the present is a grim one."

[Brontes]

Phoenix bit his lip, wishing that either Umbala or Arbiter were the ones dealing with the questions. His patience was wearing thin, and he was not about to be fully condescended to by a stranger.

"What part of 'from a place beyond the Canyon' have we not established? Did the glowing silver display do nothing for you? Like I'm magically supposed to know that three bright lights is the Ancestral equivalent to a handshake for some deal they made with Canyon people. Secondly, prophecy, or something similar, is a real working phenomenon where I'm from."

[GryffonDurime]

"That is a cosmologically stupid," Marist says, but the vitriol's gone out of his voice, replaced by slow and stubborn weariness.

[Brontes]

"Whatever, I'm not going to waste my energy being threatened by vague omens. Let me ask you something else that maybe will get better answers and less huff. What enemies does Wyrwane have that would require the protection of the Ancestors?"

[GryffonDurime]

Marist looks puzzled for a moment, as if it's a question no one ever asks anymore. Slowly, he relaxes his posture. "Vague creatures. Apocrypha from before the Edict. Something about the hypocrisy of the Descending Constellation and then...the Deadworld? Vague, as I said. And it is not my panic you should be afraid of. I have no fear of the new. You should fear for the rest of the Canyon, which does not share...my enlightenment."

[Brontes]

"Ah, that kind of threat. I don't know, there used to be big things that walked the world where I'm from. From what the others tell me, there still are. I'm used to dealing with human threat and ignorance, but I've seen the damage powerful magic does. I guess I'm more curious about the kind of things that would require the protection of the Ancients."

Phoenix clinched his hands again, before reaching into a sack he was carrying. He quickly retrieved his prize possession, the orichalcum gloves he had freed from his first great enemy. He blinked once in its glow, a reminder of its brilliant origin.

"I must be tiring you with my ignorance, I'm new to a lot of things. An exchange of knowledge then. Your Ancestors have...black glass was it? They call me one of the Solars; we were entrusted with the knowledge of forging and wielding orichalcum."

[GryffonDurime]

"We know of orichalcum," Bright Marist says, eying the golden staff in his hand. "But no smith has crafted a new work from the metal for at least a few hundred years, ever since Oishe became uninhabited. If you could teach me to craft sunmetal," Marist says, a cruel little gleam of ambition playing in his eyes. "But that is for another day, I suppose. I am tired. And your companions need rest. If you wish, your almost-tygerkin may setup his home here for the night. Or you may find your silver-y companion and her young swain."

[Brontes]

Phoenix bowed slightly before quickly retreating to his tyger friend. He could almost hear Blood laughing at him. He really wished the others were here talking to Marist instead.

"Well, my new friend, the sage has promised to give you his protection for the night. I'd stay with you but I've made a blunder with Marist and am not ready to handle it yet. You can come with me to the inn if you want, I've just gotta check on our sprite friend and then I'll be packing in."

Phoenix realized he had left Arashamar inside the pagoda, although he was sure she would have followed him outside assuming she didn't decide to go home.

OOC: Well, that was very stupid of me, Sorry.