My Wish Will Awaken the Light (IC)

[Guancyto]

Sijan, the City of Tombs. Such a name suggests a dead, hollow place, completely devoid of people. Naturally, it doesn't quite work that way. In between the ancient mausoleums as big as some of the surrounding towns, a sprawling black metropolis goes about its business in its own sombre way. Compared to the Underworld, it is positively lively. Compared to Malfeas, it's like someone let molasses trickle down a five-degree incline. After it had spent a week crystallizing.

Okay, from the responses, I'm going to assume that the Abyssals are here together, while the Infernals have showed up individually. Of course, if you want to declare you came here with someone, that's fine too.

Deathknights

"No, absolutely not! I don't know how things are where you came from, but here the dead are to be respected and cared for, not used as fodder in your armies. No, there would be an uproar in the Lower City. No, no, no!"

You stand in a dusty office that hasn't seen the light of day in years, speaking to a pale, gaunt Mortician about the possibility of acquiring parts for Sorrows' work. Behind you stands your escort, a fang of faceless, black-armored Watchmen. Although the City of Tombs is accepting of your presence, they have insisted that you maintain an escort while inside the city limits. 'For your own protection,' of course.

"If you want to make arrangements with individual ghosts, you could probably acquire the bodies of some tomb robbers. We've had a rash of them lately. Beyond that, we cannot possibly endorse this endeavor."

He turns away, taking a drink of water after his speech, glancing at you now and then as though expecting you to be gone already.

Green Sun Princesses (And Prince)

The Visitor's Quarter is full of people from all ways and nations, some living, a few dead. They talk too loudly and too often, quite reminiscent of the way demons ward off the Silent Wind. Nevertheless, there are many places to visit, and all the usual amenities of a city are here.

There's even someone shouting!

"It's not enough that they're taking over the Threshold! Now they walk openly here, too!"

A man in the robes of a monk with a shaven head stands on a narrow fence, balancing easily on it easily as he incites the crowd.

"No longer do the black Forsaken hide themselves, now they have the gall to tattoo their blasphemous markings on their foreheads! This will not stand! Who is willing to stand against this menace?"

Many people turn their faces away, fear etched all over their expressions. They look to see when the Black Watch will be coming to take him away and whisper that he should not say such things openly.

"Cowards! Weaklings! The Anathema will destroy everything! Sijan must stand against them!"

Well, his ravings are one thing, but black Forsaken? Sweet, Dusks!

[Volthawk]

Sorrows eyes the escort, flexing his grafted arm as he speaks, a deep, slightly sinister voice, without much emotion to it."I see...that's a shame. I was really planning on getting material to work with from this trip...one way or another.

[Ganurath]

Keani worked her way toward the forefront of those standing to observe the preaching Immaculate. She had hoped that the improbability of their presence would allow her to scour the city for evildoers without setting off her Urge, but it seemed that Fate had an odd sense of humor. Her weapon stowed Elsewhere, the visage of the Meer Mortal would let her approach nonthreateningly.

She had to try to get him away from the crowd before she could start persuading him toward the path of pure heroics, but it would be tricky to do without giving him cause to suspect her of being Anathema. Perhaps... She stepped forward nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. She spoke up enough that she could be heard talking, but apparent embarassment made it it difficult to hear. "...Where is the Anathema?"

[Lochar]

The city of Sijan was absolutely huge, and she'd lost track of the Abyssal as he'd been running like the coward he was. With a sigh, Trinia quit running through the town, slowing down to actually take in the sights.

As she meandered, she felt as if she were being quietly ushered away from the masoleums and such, and felt a touch of irritation. That's where her target would be, dang it!

But for the moment, she listened to the locals as they pointed her in the direction of the Visitor's Quarter. Auntie would want her to make new friends, so maybe she could put off trying to crush that stupid Ashes idiot for a little while. Not like he'd get away long.

Hmm, maybe she was getting the funny looks because of Misty? She giggled quietly to herself as she rested the shaft of the hammer on her shoulder as a passerby stopped and stared at her.

"Hmm?" She looked back. "What's wrong with you? Haven't you ever seen a girl and her hammer before?"

Swinging the hammer off her shoulder, she let the head hit the ground, though through the obvious mist that wafted off of it the head couldn't actually be seen. The shaft, thicker than her own wrists, rose almost of a foot above her head. Grips could be seen in the twisted metal where her hands had crushed holds onto the hammer so she could swing it.

"Ah, whatever."

She looked him over. "You're cute, at least." She grabbed his tunic, pulling him to her. Surprised, the man didn't resist. Not like he had much of a choice. Planting a kiss on him, she giggled when she pulled back, and he stood there as if drugged for a moment, a look of delirious giddiness on his face. "Next time you stare at a girl, don't expect to get a kiss. Expect to get hit."

With a flirtatious wave, her hammer was picked back up with ease and swung over her shoulder once more as she continued poking around the Visitor's Quarter.


Hmm, someone ranting to a crowd? Always worth a listen. Ooh, and he's ranting about Black Forsaken?

Stepping forward, hammer still spilling it's mist, she answers. "I want a shot. It sounds fun!"

[Gargulec]

Crouched in the corner of the office, leaning against the wall, with her long, pale hair covering her face, Elise did not listen to the bargaining. Sorrow's request was going to be denied, she had not a singe doubt about it. She came along just in case something would happen. Deathknights lead a dangerous life, after all. Renegades even moreso.

Reflection was lying next to her, sparse light reflecting from its moonsilver surface. It has been... months? Maybe even a year since she got it. She knew that the 'escort' was staring at the blade, probably well aware that if it would come to the worst, they would stand no chance against Dusk that wielded it.

She looked meaningfully at Sorrow, soundlessly asking if he is already done.

[Guancyto]

Abyssals

The Mortician does a double-take at Sorrows, fixing him with a singular glare. Apparently this man does not give the Exalted the respect they are due! After a moment, he sighs.

"There... is a way I can see, though I imagine it will be quite bloody and dangerous. I don't imagine that's a problem for you, is it?"

Infernals

The Immaculate appraises Keani for a moment, curious. Then Trinia stands up and makes her proclamation. "Step forward!" he bellows. "The children are braver than the lot of you! And you call yourselves men! Is anyone else with me?!"

[Volthawk]

"Go on." Sorrow's tone doesn't change, although his curiosity is piqued by the Mortician's statement.

[Lix Lorn]

Star stands next to Elise, paying even less attention. She appears to be engrossed in how the light plays off the black arrow she holds in her hand.

[Lochar]

Trinia chuckled to herself, lifting her hammer up with a single hand. The sight is slightly overwhelming, as the head of it reaches higher than the man on the fence. "Mister, I doubt they could lift my hammer, much less hit a Black Soul with it. If they think they're not going to get hurt, I don't care if they come. Just point me to them, please. I've already chased one to here, and that may be the man I'm looking for."

[Guancyto]

Abyssals

"A peculiar fellow. I think he was one of your kind, though it's hard to say for certain. Called himself Boy With the Seven Word name, yes I know, don't remind me; he was asking a few too many questions about the Sleepers. Those are the ghosts that are dangerous enough that we have to keep them in torpor, usually reside in the lowest crypts. He brought a lot of people with him, and took them all into the Lower City."

He shrugs, "now, he and his entourage are probably going to meet some terrible end down there, because that is what happens when you awake the Sleepers. If I were you and I wanted to get my hands on a lot of bodies, that would be the first place I would look."

Infernals

The Immaculate appraises Trinia, who has no silver tattoos and looks remarkably alive.

"Very well!" he says. "Last I saw they were trying to subvert the government to their evil will. Perhaps you will be able to stop them." Stepping down from his perch, he gives Trinia (and incidentally, Keani) directions to a certain Mortician's office only a couple of blocks away.

"I will remain to continue to speak against them!" he declares, stepping back up to put himself above the crowd.

[Lochar]

"Thanks!" She looks over at Keani, and raises her hammer high once more. "To battle! To the destruction of an Abyssal!"

With that, she props the hammer behind her neck between her and saunters away, her eyes gleaming as she follows the directions.

When she reaches the door to the Mortician's office, she pauses, thinking. "Do I go with overwhelming force, or a half-second's warning before the overwhelming beatdown?"

Shrugging, she shouts towards the building. Yoohoo! Idiot servants of the soon to be passed beyond Deathlords, you have approximately three seconds to get out here to die, before I beat the building down around you. I'm in a good mood at the moment, so I'm trying to save the city from having to rebuild something!"

[Volthawk]

"I see, thanks for-"

Once Trinia starts to shout, Sorrows stops speaking, and sighs. He then walks over to a window and looks down onto Trinia.

"Hmm...small girl, large weapon. Looks like an Exalt to me."

[Lix Lorn]

Star, her curiosity roused, goes for the door. She opens it and sticks her head out.
"The deathlords are poopy-heads!" she yells.

In case battle ensues, a small thrill of essence runs through her.
5m on Elegant Executioner's Stance.

[Lochar]

Trinia pauses at that, and then glares up at the face with the purple bruised caste mark.

"And you serve them anyways, Abyssal. Want to play?"

[Gargulec]

Elise sighed ever so slightly, raising from the ground. Her frame was surprisingly lithe, she looked like a teenager - as she was one, in fact. Grabbing Reflection in her hand, she moved past the black-clad soldiers and out of the office to face the shouter.

She gave Tremia a quick look, her face perfectly expressionless.

'Do not say things you will regret later' she whispered.

[Lix Lorn]

Trinia pauses at that, and then glares up at the face with the purple bruised caste mark.

"And you serve them anyways, Abyssal. Want to play?"
"I don't." she says cheerfully. "But I can play if you like... why so eager to die?"

(Also, Star doesn't have the caste mark. >_> Although she has spent five peripheral motes, so... uh...)

[Volthawk]

"Don't talk about things you're ignorant about with such certainty."

[Lochar]

Trinia's face shows shock, before she giggles. "You're runaways? At least you're running from the right people. Whatcha doing here then?"

Her hammer comes down from her back, the head resting on the ground once more. She seems to be fairly trusting of them, overall.

[Gargulec]

'Our activities should be of no interest to you' replies flatly Elise, her blade still prepared.

[Lix Lorn]

"Jus' seeing what's about." she says happily.

[Volthawk]

"Like she said, our interests are our own. What about you?"

[Lochar]

Sticking her tongue out at Elise, Trinia continues to address the other girl. "Alright. But there's a monk preaching that you're all here to subvert the city or some such and trying to whip up a mob against you. If you're actually runaways, it's not like they should be attacking you."

She pauses, a finger to her chin. "Want some company? I'm looking for your people that aren't runaways. I'm supposed to squash them, grandpa says. And you probably can tell me which ones aren't runaways, right?"

[Gargulec]

'This is not your fight' replies monotonously Elise, not minding that she is not listened to.

[Volthawk]

"Hmm, hunting loyalists? Who is your grandpa, then, to send you out to do that?"

[Lochar]

"Grandpa Dancer!" Trinia laughs. "But he doesn't like to be called that."

Trinia is guileless, and a lie she says almost shows on her face. She's speaking the truth, though Dancer wouldn't mean anything.

"He doesn't want me telling everyone who he is though, so I'd have to tell you when we're not outside."

[Volthawk]

"I...see. Well, where we're headed, there may be an Abyssal. If he hasn't been killed already."

[Lochar]

"I call dibs on squishing his head!" Trinia says, before pausing. "That does mean I get to come with you, right?"

[Volthawk]

Sorrows grins, his extra eyes also focusing on Trinia instead of just wandering around. "Yes. Now, Mortician." When he's talking to the Mortician, he still doesn't look over to him. "Where did they enter the Lower City, and how do we get there?"

[AmberVael]

While others trade curses and quips, indulging themselves in conversation and emotional expression, Satomi finds herself involved in something far more sobering.

Satomi treads towards the furthest rings of Lower Sijan, her soft boots nonetheless making enough sound to echo in the near silence of the dusty crypts. No one was down here but her and a few lonely others, and perhaps a few of the most dangerous dead. But perhaps, just perhaps, she might find a sign of her current quarry.

Though she had few clues, only a handful of rumors and whispers scavenged from the overly verbose visitors, she was coldly certain she would be able to find anything that there was to find. The Sleepers were not to be dealt with lightly, and so it would likely not be hard to find anything out of place, such as certain suspicious people who had been asking too much about them...

One slender hand is poised on the sword at her side, a marvel of black jade tinted ever so slightly green. It seemed all too likely that she would encounter opposition somewhere along the way, whether it be the angered spirits of those disturbed, suspicious guards who gave her no time to explain, or perhaps the very foe she was looking for. Best to be prepared.

Her pace picks up, and her black hair fans out behind her as she searches for clues to her prey's identity.

[Guancyto]

K-k-katamari awaaay!

Abyssals and Trinia

"I can give you directions," the Mortician says, giving absolutely no indication that the interchange he's just beheld was anything out of the ordinary. "Your escort can accompany you most of the way there."

His directions indicate that the Abyssal they're after has gone very deep. The nearest way down to Lower Sijan lies a couple of blocks away... back the way Trinia came. The next nearest is a bit of a hike.

Satomi

Satomi treads lightly through the dimly-lit halls of the catacombs of Lower Sijan. She sees few guards this far down, as at this point the authorities trust the dead to take care of themselves. There are a couple of shades in their place having a spirited argument - the nature of the dead requires that they indulge their passions - but little that would lead her to her quarry.

Turning a pair of corner, she sees several pairs of eyes disappear around the bend she had come from previously. Someone is following her.

[Volthawk]

"Right. If we go to the closest one, I think we might bump into this person that...sorry, didn't get your name. Anyway, the person she mentioned. So we might have a bit of a mob problem."

[Lochar]

"I'm Trinia." She introduces herself. "And we can deal with them. I'll just explain that you're taking me to another Abyssal for me to smush."

[Volthawk]

"I see...well, if it doesn't work, and they attack, I could always use the bodies, I guess..."

[AmberVael]

Satomi continues around the corner a short ways, then stops and turns back towards the way she came, readying her sword. She hadn't survived rebelling against her masters without developing a healthy sense of paranoia, after all. Though she does not attempt to hide, she stands still and silent, waiting quietly for them to follow her, and hopefully reveal themselves inadvertently. If nothing else, maybe she'll hear them if they retreat.

[Lochar]

"Alright, come on then! But no killing them unless they can actually hurt you, k?"

Trinia turns and leads the way back where she came, grabbing hold of the closest one, the one who had called the deathlords poopy heads and dragging her along before she could likely argue.

As they got back to where the monk was trying to raise up a mob, she waved at him. "Hey, they said that could lead me to other ones for me to smush, so these are good guys, k?"

Unless stopped, she'll continue on towards their destination. Hammer in one hand, stunned Abyssal girl in the other.

[Lix Lorn]

Star seems kind of bemused, but doesn't object.

[Volthawk]

Watching Trinia drag Star around, Sorrows sighs.

[Guancyto]

Lots of People

There aren't many things that make an Immaculate Monk give his best impression of a goldfish, but Trinia does her best. He opens his mouth, then closes it again. And opens it again. And closes it again. His face steadily reddens as he gets steadily angrier. Steam pours from his ears - and in fairness, all around him as the crowd steps back from a powered-up Water-Aspect monk. He's... probably going to try and stop them.

We'll pause there for a bit to give other people the chance to respond, before things go terribly, terribly wrong. Duke and Ganurath, you have leeway to have been doing things in the background in the meantime.

Satomi

Satomi turns back. The creature following her fails to get behind an obstacle in time, and is revealed as a figure shorter even than herself, with sunken eyes, corpus melted off half its face to reveal bare skull. Some of its ribs are showing in the same fashion. The red-eyed ghost child tilts its head to one side, further than its neck should allow. "Are you my mummy?" it asks.

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. ^^;

[DukeGod]

Having arrived at Sijan not long ago, Autarch had woke up just now. Seeing around himself some signs of the Yozi he wondered wether he had stayed with cultists once more. They didn't seem to care wether he was rebel or not...

He had come to the city searching rumors saying that some of his Infernal kin were here. Atop the building, a pretty high one of the city he watches it, hands on pockets. Anyone who looked up might have seen him there. Locating what seemed like a commotion and without any better place to begin his "investigation" he decides to go there

"And I thought I could do some crazy partying"

Having nearly no memories of the days he spent with the cultists but having an idea of what they did due to past experience, Autarch smiles. And looks around forming a path. Going down to the streets seemed a good idea but they could be too crowded. Going to the edge of the roof he stood in, he leans forward, falling slowly and once he's almost close to lose his footing, Autarch kicks the wall getting some impulse and throwing himself forward. Leaping several yards, he lands in another roof and without rests continues running and jumping across several roofs. Arriving at the small commotion he makes a quick assessment of the scene and chooses a target for some threatening and small talking. He chooses the Immaculate Monk

"Hey! Didn't your mother tell you to treat ladies well? I was damn sure I asked her to do so the night after..."

Smirking, he jumps to the ground and puts his hands on his pockets again. A fight was always a good day to wake up from a hangover of some very powerful drugs the Yozi cultists had

[Ganurath]

Keani had decided to blend into the crowd after the Hammer Girl from the Reclamation had departed. She may have seen through her secret identity, and if she wasn't a fellow heroine with a tragic past... She knew what had happened to Envy. As the crowd started backing away from the enraged monk, she decided that action needed to be taken. She was going to try to gently nudge him toward allowing it- Anathema fighting Anathema always ended with dead Anathema, right? However, Many Titles Man had to pop in and insult him.

The girl lunged forward through the crowd, her clothes changing form and color as she went. Wool and leather gave way to cloth and silk, gray and brown gave way to black and white with iridescent shines. Most importantly, the masquerade mask that made her utterly indistinguishable from her alter ego. Ideally, the rush through the crowd was a long enough dive so that nobody would connect the prismatic heroine to her seemingly mortal alter ego. Once she gets into the seperation made by the crowd, she'll point an accusing finger at Hammer Girl and the Abyssals. "Villains! For too long your darkness has been a blight on Creation! Know this day that I, the Rainbow Maiden, will be a brilliant light for this city and drive you from it!"

"Radiant Justice Blade!" With that, she clapped her hands together dramatically in front of her, holding them together a second before her right hand forms a fist with the thumb turned in. She slowly pulls her hands apart, a solid rainbow arching between them as she pulls them apart. When her arms are completely spread, the rainbow snaps into its true form, that of her glittering reaper daiklave. With a needlessly overt flourish, she pointed her sword directly at Hammer Girl. "Noble Immaculate, you've already made it clear that your preaching is more important than fighting these villains. Allow me, Rainbow Maiden, to drive them out of the city for you!"

Hopefully, the Immaculate would spare a glance in the opposite direction from her awesomeness to look at Hammer Girl, allowing her to mouth to the quartet "Play along."

First a Int+Larceny roll with specialty dice for Disguise, as well as a success from the Hegra Excellency using personal motes. She's trying to use a dramatic leap through the crowd to cover her transformation, while at the same time not going through the effort to avoid knocking anyone down. Also, I'm fairly certain such a leap would fall under "style over substance" as she sacrifices a less obvious place to transform in favor of a dramatic entrance.

[roll0] +1 sux

After that, and some talking, Keani will use Tragic Love Amusement to make the Monk fall for her: She controls the context of the love, so he'll see her as a comrade in spirit, even if she has her oddities. Once more, using personal motes.

[Guancyto]

Most People

Fortunately for Keani, the Immaculate is sufficiently distracted by the guy on a rooftop talking smack about his mother that she's able to get her message across to Hammer Girl and the Death Heroes. The black-armored watchmen escorting the Abyssals lower their spears and say something ridiculous about neutrality, diplomatic something and not starting fights, but the shouting of Keani, Autarch, the Immaculate and the crowd drown them out.

Now that they've gotten to a safe distance, the crowd is watching the new Rainbow Maiden, the flippant newcomer and the scene with fascination. The native Sijani have probably already fled to call the Watch, and the visitors are loud.

The Immaculate is surprised at her appearance, but whatever suspicions he has of this new arrival are overwhelmed by her immediate and confident offer of assistance.

"Fight well, hero!" he exhorts her, "I will see about their ally on the rooftops." So saying, he takes a series of leaps to buildings of increasing height that will carry him straight at the building Autarch is standing on.

Okay, gang's all here. Continue! :smallbiggrin:

[Gargulec]

Elise observed Hammer Girl storming off with Star in tow in a surprise. That... was not exactly what she expected off her.

She followed the outside, just in time to see the Immaculate jump off and the other girl draw her rainbow sword. The abyssal sighed again.

Lightly, she stood forward, before Star and the Hammer Girl, Reflection gleaming in her hand. There was an audible crack as she thrust the blade into the paving at her feet, black Sijanesse stone easily breaking under the moonsilver blade.

Resting one hand on daiklave's guard, she the free one to put down the wide-brimmed hat that cover her head and her caste mark and forced herself not to frown as the Daystar's light reached her.

She did not look aggressive or threatening, with her eyes half-closed, but it was obvious - very much so - that anyone wishing to attack the remaining abyssals would have to go through her first.


Fun fact: Elise's sense of humor was divided by zero

[AmberVael]

Well, that's not incredibly encouraging. Of course, this ghost really doesn't look like just a normal citizen to her, or even something that should be wandering about aimlessly.
Satomi keeps her sword out, though she doesn't have it raised- it hangs relaxed in her hand.
"No, child, but I am here to help."
It seems unlikely that she'd get any kind of positive (or even coherent) response, but she asks anyway.
"Has anyone strange disturbed your rest?"

[DukeGod]

Ignoring the Immaculate monk for some time Autarch keeps his eyes on the girl that arrived. He remenbered her from somewhere. Then one of the Deathknights brings out her sword. Looking at it his eyes focus for some seconds at each detail

"Hey, lady with the sword. You're pretty. Your sword is pretty too, but not even close to her wielder. :smallwink: winking at her from up the rooftops and not knowing of the play he notices how hard was the decision. Fight the monk or watch the catfight? Almost immediately deciding to watch them fight, his eyes are drawed to the sword again. He wanted to use it at least once...let's take a third option then! Fight the monk while paying attention to the other fight!

Closing both of his eyes and taking a deep breath he begins to feel the crackling at his hands. Even with eyes closed he could see the world being reflected in a somewhat abstract shape, surrounded in faint blue light. Putting more effort into it, in a burst of light he recreates the Deathknight's sword that was on the ground. Swinging it around a bit to feel the weight he feels it confortable and turns back towards the monk. Pointing the blade at him, with his other hand the does the "Bring it" motion

"So...SATISFY ME!"

Using Polished Blade is a Mirror in Elise's weapon
4m,1wp from Personal, leaving me with
Accuracy 18, PDV 9

Temp. Willpower ●●●●● ●●●●

Personal: 14/19
Peripheral: 38/42(4 commited)

[Volthawk]

Upon seeing all the theatrics of the new people, Sorrows sighs. "Exaltation really does seem to enhance the traits of the bearer's old personality..." Seeing Elise get ready to defend him, Star and Trinia, he grins. She's a good bodyguard.

He then focuses on the flashy vigilante-type in front of them, and her message. Well, time to put on a show. My improvements make me an easy 'bad guy', I suppose. He then drops the cloak he had on, fully exposing his face, mostly covered with his mask, the rest scarred and burnt, and his Envenomed Talons of Bone, the talon parts sliding out over the skeletal hand, as he surrounds himself in a dark, greyish aura, which seems to get darker and darker as he speaks. "Ah...I see. Well, I can't allow you to do that. Too much to be done, and there's no time for interruptions. I haven't really used my Talons against non-mortals. Always time to test them some more. Care to be the test subject?"

[Gargulec]

Elise sighed for the third time upon hearing what her companion has just said. In a pinch, he was endangering them all, and probably antagonizing entire city of Sijan against them. And Elise would not allow that.

'That won't be necessary' she whispered.

Her eyes still half-shut, her free hand disappears in a blur. There is only sound, because her movement is way too quick for unenhanced eye to percept. In one swift motion, she pulls Reflection from the cobblestones, twists around and with a sound as if the air itself was sliced by the speed and precision of the blow, she delivers a forcefully smacks Sorrow with the flat of her blade, hoping to shut him up and keep him from sicing entire Sijan against them. She understand pretty well that he will not be thankful, but frankly, she does not care in a slightest. It is for his own freaking good, after all.

For observes, it would be very hard to notice that Elise even moved and almost impossible to understand how could she pull the blade, strike and put it down in the ground so incredibly fast. But then again, she did not earn the moniker of Swift Sword for nothing.


Attack on Sorrow, pulling blade and using fierce blow too, hoping to stun and knock him down. And that the attack will be unexpected.

[roll0]

If hits, raw damage is 12B + sux

[Lochar]

Trinia watches, bemused. "So not the way I envisioned us getting to smush things." She says to herself, before looking off at the Immaculate, before jumping over to him. "Hey Mister Monk! Can we play too?"

[Guancyto]

Hallo Everynyan

Sorrow provides an object lesson in why when putting on a show for your foes, it's important to make sure your allies are on the same page as you are. The swift sword flashes! Can he defend against it?

Volt! Perception+Awareness, followed by whatever defense you'd like to use.

Meanwhile the monk doesn't hesitate in the slightest upon seeing Autarch form swords made of mirrors. He ducks low, aiming to negate this advantage by grabbing the Infernal and pressing into combat too close to make use of them!

DukeGod! Monk is attempting to clinch you. Declare a defense please.

Satomi

"No one disturbs my rest. I never rest," the child approaches closer. "They left me behind."

Wait a tick, Satomi has some experience here. Most ghosts usually look quite healthy; even the ones that died of something horrible wouldn't be disfigured so. What would cause its corpus to decay like that?

[AmberVael]

Hmm. It is indeed rather strange, but Satomi is not quite sure it has something to do with her and her immediate mission. Nonetheless, it might be important in some way.
"Will you tell me your story?"
She requests, holding firm and grounding her sword before her. It looks like a gesture of peace, but in another sense, it places the blade between them.

[DukeGod]

"Stay out, this is my fight!"

Yelling to Trinia. Eyes wavering from the monk to the still-to-begin catfight. As soon as the monk begins to rush, Autarch somewhat impressed by the speed of the blade(he could see some of its movements, but not the full thing) almost is caught unguarded

Quickly slashing the new daiklaive to keep him away he makes some attacks controlling the path he took in trying to get closer and with it making him lose balance

Parry. I wasn't trying to stunt but if I did my dice go to my DV...

[Volthawk]

Struck with Elise's blade, Sorrows shakes himself. She was right. No point going with the whole dramatic performance. These new people must be rubbing off on him. Can't have that. He whispers to the others in his group "If need be, give me a little time, and I get can us out of here quickly."

[Ganurath]

"A true hero is always ready to fight evil!" Keani grins confidently as she points he sword skyward, sunlight refracting off the blade in faint rainbow beams as she takes a second to savor her dramatic pose. She then flourishes as she lunges into a charge, smiling confidently. "On your guard, villains!"

Normally a six die pool, Keani will add a success with the First Hegra Excellency for 1m thanks to Effortless Hegra Dominance. I figure with her over-the-top flaire, and the inefficient yet enjoyable battle pose, she qualifies to use it.

[roll0] +1 sux

[Guancyto]

Most People

The monk slides under Autarch's blade, grabbing his legs as he slides along. In one quick motion, he whirls on the ground, building momentum and lets go of the Infernal, casting him over the edge of the roof he was standing on!

"So they've turned you this easily?" he accuses Trinia. "Very well!" He lets out a sharp whistle. A few people in the crowd throw off their cloaks, revealing the same monk's robes and shaven heads as the first aggressor. At the same time, sheets of canvas fly off several nearby rooftops, revealing men carrying bows!

"Second!" he calls out. One of the monks on the ground reveals a pair of short daiklaves and throws them straight at their leader. The leader catches the pair easily and readies them against Trinia.

One of the Abyssals' black-armored escorts nods in approval at their restraint. "Sir, ma'ams. We should get you where you need to be. More watchmen will come to handle this."

The Battle count is!
Tick 0: Keani, Trinia
Tick 1: Star
Tick 2: Sorrows, Monk, Monk Minions
Tick 3: Elise
Tick 4:
Tick 5: Black Watch Escort
Tick 6: Autarch, Archer Minions

There are eight monk minions and six archers. A nice, gentle opening, don't you think?

Autarch, roll Wits+Athletics to slow your fall on the side of the building as you go down. Otherwise, some falling damage may happen. ;D

Satomi

The child stops! He looks curious at this question, as though he's never been asked before. "They left me behind," he says, "we were going through the maze down under the ground down under the Underworld, and the walls were bleeding and there was all the screaming. And the specters were coming and they left me behind. But they didn't eat me, they took me along until I could hear what they heard."

He giggles wildly at this. "But now they've left me behind again here. I don't know why. Maybe to find you. You smell living." He stares at her for a little too long. "Are you living?"

[AmberVael]

"I am."
Satomi confirms, shifting her grip on the sword a little.
"Who is this 'they' you keep referring to?"

[Volthawk]

Sorrows looks over at the watchman with his main eyes, keeping an eye on the Immaculates with his extra eyes. "Really? Since I'd really rather not get attacked any more. Seriously, Elise, haven't you heard of hitting softer?"

[Guancyto]

Abyssals

The Watchman nods. "This isn't the first time this has happened. If the Order thinks it can get away with violating-sweet ancestors!"

Yeah, that's about the point where Star's anima goes totemic. Arrows and all.

Satomi

"I thought you were," the child says, "your blood must be tasty. Want to help me find them? I should show them my new friend."

[Lix Lorn]

Star is a skilled warrior, and a terrible diplomat. The time for diplomacy has ended in her eyes-it seems to have failed already.

The Rainbow girl's attack is almost in slow motion, and Star dodges without even having to try, giggling at their trickery.

The arrows that fly out from her, to use an old saying, are enough to darken the light of the sun.

Swarm Culling Instinct. Reflexive attacks, ho!
Minions, in order, closest first. All do 10L damage plus bonus successes, but double armour soak. If any are within five yards, the bonus successes count double for damage.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

Archers! 8L plus bonus successes, but armour is standard. Five yards still applies.
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]
[roll13]

And the boss monk person! My action will be to shoot him twice, using my archery excellency for five motes.
[roll14]
[roll15]
[roll16]
10L, armour is doubled. Five yards=bonus sux do double damage.

Her anima explodes into reality, a starburst of darkness above her head, dozens of falling stars, dark and icy, falling to the ground, endlessly, the rain unceasing. Her caste mark erupts with blood, the centre of the red sun a portal to insanity... with a tiny golden spark at the centre.

[Lochar]

Trinia frowns as the monk calls up others that wish to attack as well. "You people ALWAYS do this to me. I liked you, I really did. I was gonna invite you to go smush Abyssals with me, 'cause you don't like them either. And then you do THIS!"

She waves her hammer at the other people.

"Fine." Raising her hammer high, she shouts. "Let's PLAY!" Bracers worn on arms and legs pulse and unfold across her body as armor is immediately deployed onto her body. A helm comes up behind her and then covering her head, leaving only her eyes visible.

Even as her armor races over her body, the swarm of arrows that flash behind her go unnoticed, save for the few that attack the monk. But she ignores them, wanting to play a little on her own.

And then she races forward, hammer swung at an angle, the head almost outpacing its own mist as Trinia attempts to catch him underneath the chin. Unseen in the mist, glyphs glow with a poisonous light, looking for a target.


Alright, 3 personal motes deploy her armor as a non-Charm activation. Activating By Pain Reforged, and attacking.

[roll0]

Damage is 20L + successes, with the addition of six doses of Kimbery's depth's poison.

Each dose is 7L/action, Toxicity 4, 0 Tolerance, and Penalty of -4. So if he gets hit, he's got a poison for 42L/Action, Toxicity 4, 0 Tolerance and Penalty of -6 for 6 doses.

Damage on poison is rolled at Stamina+Resistance at difficulty equal to toxicity. Failure gets you one die of the lethal damage. Success gets you 1 die of bashing damage. Double the successes requires negates the poison damage for the action.

Penalty is -6 until the first dose wears off in 7 actions.

Penalty may be halved for an action if the Stamina+Resistance roll was a success. Penalty applies to everything except the Stamina+Resistance roll against the poison.

[AmberVael]

Satomi lets the question hang in the air a few minutes as she considers- and examines. It was not a skill many of her kind even knew of, and her patron's anger over its very existence was... unsettling to say the least, but nonetheless, it was a power Satomi had no intention of abandoning. The unseen third eye on her forehead settles on the ghost before her, sifting through the faint trails of his bizarre essence, honing in on his identity.

The results were not heartening.

Eventually, she would likely have to part with him on unfriendly terms, to say the least, but for now, she felt she might have stumbled onto the clue she was looking for, even if it was drawing her into danger. But danger had little meaning to her ever since the day she saw her home collapse into the grasp of the underworld.

"I will help you. Where do you think we can find them?"

[Ganurath]

The first two had been interesting characters, but the archer was a cold-hearted villain. Just firing recklessly at all those mortals, without even calling her special attack! She needed to get her to focus her attacks on her before she struck at any of the mortals that had been knocked out by the pain.

The Scourge somersaulted out of her lunge through the storm of arrows, spinning into the air with the sun at her back. She held her blade toward up as it was relatively to her body, the spin of the somersault coming to a head as she descended. "Arcing!"

As her body became upright once more, she slashed the blade before in an overhead chop, the spin adding speed to her blade as she swung at the archer. She used the flat of the blade, allowing the light to refract rainbow beams off it more readily for observers at street level. "Rainbow!"

The Rainbow Maiden landed on one knee, but quickly kipped up to a dueling stance, her free hand planted on her hip to demonstrate confident poise. She smiled, one demonstrating less compassion and more radiant confidence. "Blade!"

Keani is very much ignorant as to the condition of those around her, and is once more favoring an over the top style. A lethal strike would be more effective in drawing her target's attention, but then the light wouldn't make the rainbow beams because it'd reflect toward the ground. In other news, this time I'll remember my weapon's Accuracy.

[roll0], with the external penalty for bashing instead of lethal being negated by a free sux from the Hegra Excellency.

[Gargulec]

Posting in advance, mostly because Elise is not going to involve herself in the fight with monks.

The shadow behind Elise twisted suddenly, as if it has somehow awakened, raised from the ground and enveloped her in a shadowy aura as the Scourge struck at Star. Whoever she was, she tried to hurt Star and almost succeeded. That would not stand.

Dusk's eyes were still closed, and the shadows swirled around her, quickly forming a silhouette of horrifying beast with thousands of arms and hundreds of eyes. Blood started to rush down from her caste mark, cascading down at the stones at her feet as her anima blazed and the sun itself appeared to dim under the collective effort of two Dusks displaying their might and essence. Only then did she open her eyes, and they were no longer silver, but gleaming tarnished gold.

Elise did not even seem to move, but her blade suddenly disappeared into a blur again, only sign of it being a wispy trail of necrotic essence it left behind. The daiklave accelerated to unholy speeds, setting a wind powerful enough to blow dust from stones and walls.

Eight strikes, each invisible, each equally powerful fell upon the Infernal, swiftly and precisely. Elise, save for her sword arm, remained perfectly still, not moving for an inch.


5 motes to activate Dusk's anima power, 5 motes, 1 WP to activate Time-Scything Technique. Each blow is pulled. Each attack deals 9B damage.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

Current pools: Motes: 58, WP: 9

[Lix Lorn]

The arcing blade strikes her right on the forehead, where the bleeding void lies-and the spark flares, the entire caste mark shining gold for an instant. The blade jars in her hand, and Star's skin glints, as if made of some impossible metal, and fades to normal.

She smiles dazzlingly, and brings up her bow for her attacks on the monk-and spares one for her too.
"That's not friendly." she tells her, launching a blunt arrow for her chest as her viciously bladed ones fly for the monk.

Perfect soak, counterattack charm. THe monk attacks are those I already made. ****ing retcons, how do they work?

Seven motes on archery excellency.
[roll0] Does 8B damage. Bonus successes count double.

[Volthawk]

Seeing the mortals fall, Sorrows grins. He focuses, black balls of Essence gathering in his lands, with sparks of lightning flickering from it. After a period of this focus, the bodies of the slain mortals arise, as zombies under his control.

Shaping Shadowlands Sorcery, then casting Raise The Skeletal Horde, on the mortals Star killed (so 13 of them). Might as well get some zombies here, while we have dead people available. I mean, the Mortician only forbade me from using the bodies already buried, not these fresh kills :smallamused:. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it :smallbiggrin:.

[Ganurath]

The Rainbow Maiden's blade is quick, the tip of it piercing the center of the fowling arrow's blunt head. The arrow splits in four directions along the blade, scattering in pieces harmlessly behind her. Keani laughs heartily, flourishing her blade to flick off an odd sliver. "Says the villain who fires at innocents!"

Parry DV 7, -1 from the attack, +2 from Hegra Excellency for free if it qualifies. Even if it doesn't, a one die stunt would be enough to block the archery attack.

[Lix Lorn]

"Archers intending to kill us are innocents?" she says confused. "Why?"

[Guancyto]

Most People

Chaos erupts! The black arrows fly from Falling Star's bow through her anima like thunderbolts, striking the monk's minions dead seconds after they had revealed themselves! Only a single archer still remains standing. He's too far away to properly gauge his expression, but he's probably going to be cowering in fear for a while.

More arrows fly at the Dragon-Blooded monk. He eyes them carefully, timing the exact moment when they'll strike. When they are mere inches away from his skin, he closes his eyes. The arrows streak straight through him with a splash of water, tearing bits of clothing as they exit.

Trinia's hammer isn't quite fast enough either, grazing his chin as he falls back just enough to get out of the way. He steadies himself on the rooftop, drawing his blades into a low stance and slicing at her twice. He isn't sure what she is (although wearing the blasphemous Orihalcum is a big indicator), but one who helps the champions of Death deserves only execution!

Trinia curses as the hammer doesn't move fast enough, can't be swung hard enough to crush the monk. And it puts her woefully out of place for the attacks he responded with, but that's okay. Letting the hammer hit the ground, she physically pulls herself out of the path of the monk's first blow, allowing the weight of Misty Crusher to snap her out of range as it pulls her light body away. As her feet touch the ground once more, she gives a great heave and pulls the hammer back up into her guard, only for the second attack to already be upon her. Swallowing, Trinia moves as fast as she could once more to get out of the way, but it isn't enough. She can only rely on the strength of her armor to absorb some of the damage. Flames lick up the length of each blade and shear through her defenses.

Meanwhile Keani attacks Star! Star defends! Star retaliates! Keani defends! Stalemate, for now. Sorrows begins shaping a terrible spell of Necromancy!

Wow. Okay! New rule: when you incapacitate someone who has a name, you have to specifically smack them again to kill them, and pulled blows don't carry over into lethal unless you want them to (Super-fighters are acceptably good at restraining themselves when they need to.)

Meanwhile Trinia takes 9 levels of lethal damage. Ow. She does, however, splash the monk with a dose of poison.

Star kills everyone but one of the archer mooks and the monk leader.

Sorrows is taking his first (and only) Shape Necromancy Action, which will complete on Tick 9.

Stunt rewards:

Trinia: 2 dice on the defense and attack both
Elise: 2 dice on the attack, and for the record, freaking ow.
Star: 1 dice on the assault, and for the record, freaking ow.
Keani: 2 dice on the attack, and for the record, freaking ow

Tick 0: Keani, Trinia
Tick 1: Star
Tick 2: Sorrows, Monk, Monk Minions (Dead)
Tick 3: Elise, Keani
Tick 4: Trinia
Tick 5: Black Watch Escort, Monk
Tick 6: Autarch, Archer Minion, Keani (Unconscious)
Tick 7: Star
Tick 8: Elise
Tick 9: Sorrows

Jesus, you guys.

...

Awesome. :smallcool:

Satomi

"Down and down and down and down," the child giggles. "Let's go see!"

[Lochar]

Blades slide inside the cracks of her armor, and Trinia grins as they slide into her skin as well. Inside her armor, the girl just grins as Essence pools in her body, allowing her wounds to be utterly ignored as the blades are pulled back clear of blood.

"Now that's not a way to treat a lady." Trinia's voice is warm, almost loving. A major counterpoint to the damage that her body had just taken, ignored though it was.

The blood that flowed through her veins though, boiled and twisted, as she hated and hated the monk in front of her. How DARE he? She'd been nice and said she was going to smush the Abyssals! Just because she was having some of them lead her to other ones!

Her voice, still warm, now has a tone of poison in it. "Misty Smasher, CRASH!"

And crash it does. The first blow of the oversized hammer falls directly on the skull of the Immaculate monk in front of her. The second one comes just as quick, blowing into his chest and collapsing ribs and muscle. Under her armor, the young girl scowls.


Trinia twists her own emotions, gaining an Intimacy of betrayed hatred for the monk in front of her.

Additionally, she attempts to kill him. Quite effectively, one would hope.

[roll0] = 6 successes
[roll1] = 5 successes

Misty Crusher also hits immaterial things, but he shouldn't know that until he tries to perfect the first time and gets hit anyways.

Since she still hasn't managed to hit with her hammer, the first blow to hit gives 6 doses of Kimbery's depth poison, and the second hit gives another dose.

Since he has been poisoned once already, he's got a -4 Penalty due to poison, halved for an action if he made his save. So he'll have a -1 or -2 penalty to his DV due to the poison as well as his attack penalties.

Essence:
Personal: 13/17
Peripheral: 25/44

Soak: 16L/20B (14L/16B armor) (9B/9L Hardness)

Dodge DV: 7 (6 in armor)
Parry DV: 5

-2 Penalty to DVs for attacks, +1 DV against the monk due to Hate Springs Eternal


Charms active: By Pain Reforged, By Agony Empowered

-0 [X][X][X][X]
-1 [X][X]
-2 [X][X][X][\][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-X [ ]

[Ganurath]

"Oh, that's easy!" Keani beams as she quickly scales a ladder propped up against the fence the Immaculate had been preaching from. Most likely, it was the means by which he ascended the fence in the first place. Keani needed to keep her sword at the ready, though, so in her case it was more that she pushed up off the midway rung and stepped on to the fence.

She turned, pointing her sword down at the Abyssals accusingly. She was about to explain her logic, such as it was, when she realized the Dusk Caste with the sword was coming at her. She planted her feet in a manner reminiscent of a toddler throwing a tantrum, and began swatting aside the swordstrucks with the help of superior height, each clash of moonsilver and starmetal echoed by a single word emphasizing her frustration. How dare she interrupt her dramatic speech? What was with these Abyssals?! "I! Just! Want! To! Make! A! Quick! Speech!"

Going Move and Guard this tick, and what happens next depends on the result of my defense. Between her acting on her anger toward her attacker and her stopping in the middle of a fight to give a speech, I'm hoping she qualifies to use the Hegra Excellency. If not, or if she gets hit anyway, the minimum damage on that daiklave is enough to force knockdown or knockback, and since the strike is coming from one side of the fence, any falling would likely land her on the other side of the fence. However, since that Moonsilver Daiklave isn't a Reach weapon, standing on the fence also has a preventative benefit, at least according to the sidebar on page 147 of Core.

Attack 1: 12 sux -1 Pulled Blow -3 High Ground -7 PDV: 1 Hegra sux, free
Attack 2: 13 sux -1 Pulled Blow -3 High Ground -6 PDV: 3 Hegra sux, 2m
Attack 3: 12 sux -1 Pulled Blow -3 High Ground -5 PDV: 3 Hegra sux, 1m
Attack 4: 8 sux -1 Pulled Blow -3 High Ground -4 PDV: 1 Hegra sux, free
Attack 5: 8 sux -1 Pulled Blow -3 High Ground -3 PDV: 1 Hegra sux, free
Attack 6: 10 sux -1 Pulled Blow, -3 High Ground, -2 PDV: 4 Hegra sux, free
Attack 7: 10 sux -1 Pulled Blow, -3 High Ground, -1 PDV: 5 Hegra sux, 1m
Attack 8: 6 sux -1 Pulled Blow, -3 High Ground, -0 PDV: 2 Hegra sux, free

All motes spent are personal. Gave myself a bit of a buffer between the High Ground and stunt value, in case I overestimated the former. Should hopefully be enough, though.

[Guancyto]

People

Keani alights upon the fence, above it all for a moment as the world seems to hold its breath, waiting for her dramatic speech!

Elise doesn't care about her speech. She swings against the magical girl, the point of her daiklave seeking to skewer the Scourge like a kebab. Keani dances out of the way of several of the strikes before the flat of the blade clips her in the foot. She stumbles and falls on the other side of the fence, into the lawn of the big house that it surrounded, although she has enough dramatic wherewithal to land on her feet.

Elise doesn't care about the fence. Sparks are thrown everywhere as she scythes through it like it's barely even there, wrecking an entire section of it with a couple of sword swings. With no obstacles between her and her quarry, she gives Keani another smack with her blade.

Wow, I... haven't seen the high ground used in ages. Okay! It's not high enough for +3 DV, but... I seriously haven't seen high ground used like ever. Okay! I hope this is an acceptable compromise.

2-dice on both of your ends, and Keani takes 5 levels of bashing damage. The damage dice were good to her.

Meanwhile Trinia faces off against the monk! His movements are slowed from the poison in his system. His surprise at this turn of events is evident, but he grits his teeth with determination. His ally is fighting, why shouldn't he! Or... speeching, as the case may be. He pulls the same maneuver on her first blow, barely getting out of the way of her giant hammer. Apparently he doesn't think much of his chances on the second, as he closes his eyes and prepares to let it pass through him harmlessly.

Misty Crusher doesn't pass harmlessly. Trinia feels every last dose of poison she imbued the hammer with pass to the monk as she smashes straight into his chest, knocking him sprawling. He struggles to his feet, vision suddenly indescribably hazy, and tries to run away. He... doesn't go very far.

"I... would have been happy to fight the Anathema with you..." he says, delirious, "but it seems that you are one yourself..."

Trinia gets a 1-die and smacks the living hell out of this guy. He Dashes... and then finds out that the poison penalties apply to his movement.

Tick 0: Keani, Trinia
Tick 1: Star
Tick 2: Sorrows, Monk, Monk Minions (Dead)
Tick 3: Elise, Keani
Tick 4: Trinia
Tick 5: Black Watch Escort, Monk
Tick 6: Autarch, Archer Minion, Keani
Tick 7: Star
Tick 8: Elise, Monk (Oh so poisoned), Trinia
Tick 9: Sorrows

[Lochar]

Trinia nods sadly as he tries to escape, and lets her armor flow back into the bracers. She walks up to the struggling monk and gathers him up in her arms, sitting with him. "I'm not a bad girl, Mister Monk. I was sent here to kill the Abyssals that are trying to destroy Creation."

She strokes his face, wiping away poisonous sweat. "I hate you, because you had your people attack without even finding out what was going on. But I understand your position as well." She smiles for him. "Convince me that you are worthy of love, and I can stop the poison before it stops your heart. But I can only do it for people that stand with me, in my heart."

[Ganurath]

Keani has become extremely angry with the Abyssal after the second thwack of the sword, but... A thwack? That isn't the noise a sword normally makes. Ah, of course, the Abyssal was playing along. She was the nicer one, after all. Shaking her head vigorously to regain her bearings, she decides to try to stop the fight without killing anyone. Mercy and compassion are trademarks of a hero, after all, and this one had a chance of becoming a hero herself!

"Well fought," The Scourge drops into a crouch, stabbing her blade forward in an od sort of roundhouse thrust. The stab isn't aimed for the Abyssal herself, though, but the pommel of her daiklave. With a flick of the wrist and an upward slash, the initial push of leverage would loosen the sword up from her grip enough that the Rainbow Maiden could catapult it behind her, and even end with a dramatic skyward stab! "But not well enough!"

Going to make a Disarm attempt, terminating the Guard action early on Tick 4. Two of those earlier attacks were used on the fence, so Keani will use 2m Personal to add 5 sux to her attack with the Hegra Excellency, more than enough to compensate for the external penalty for the disarm. All previous stunts that didn't have their rewards declared go toward motes, by the way.

[roll0] +5 sux -2 external penalty.

[DukeGod]

Not finding much difficulty by moving mid-air using some walls to help Autarch rightens himself. He would still land quite badly and his knees would suffer all the impact but he was damn sure they couldn't care less about taking the impact of a fall of merely some yards...Once in the ground he does not let go of the mirrored weapon and heads back into combat with the monk. He would not live this day

Jumping up and reaching the rooftop once more he closes the distance quickly. Seeing at his hands similar short swords to the ones he had well engraved in his heart, his eyes glow brighter. The tribal irises can only see each of the blades. That monk had to die for using such similar weapons. The daiklaive is his hands goes straight for the heart, igoring everything else

Called Shot, Fierce Blow!, -1 penalty, +2L damage (yeah he's probably going to die from poison still). 17 Acc + Stunt if any

[roll0]

[Lochar]

"You... want to stop them from destroying Creation?" The monk asks, his breath labored as he speaks in a whisper. But then Autarch's blade slides smoothly into the heart of the Immaculate monk Trinia holds, and she startles as she hadn't been paying attention and the attack wasn't directed at her. The monk's eyes fly open for the last time, and he gurgles blood, his eyes focusing on Trinia. "I'm...sorry...won't...fight...together..."

As he breathes his last, Trinia closes his eyes and flows to her feet, a glower in her eyes as she stares at the other Infernal. She recognized this one, yes. A runaway of their own. Grandpa might be happy if she removed him from the world, but she wouldn't do it immediately, no. Auntie would want vengeance to be sweet and slow.

Staring at the Infernal, she speaks slowly, as if to a very small child. "You stupid boy. He was mine, do you hear me? And you took him from me. I was going to make him mine and keep him and love him. Or maybe hate him. But now you've taken that choice from him, and taken him from me."

Trinia picks up her hammer and smashes it on the ground, hitting the blades the monk had wielded, them flying into the air as she snatches both. Her clothes give her enough of a loop to put them both in, more or less out of the way as she glares at her counterpart. "Now all I will have is a keepsake of what might have been."

And Trinia jumps down from the building, landing and walking away, back towards Star, though Trinia doesn't know that is her title.

OOC:
Edited and removed for retcon.

[Gargulec]

Seeing the intent of her opponent, Elise free hand moved swiftly, gripping the long hilt of Reflections and powerfully pulling it up, causing the blade to slash into the ground. Interestingly, her feet has still not moved, only adjusted their position a bit. It was a nice contrast to kicks and spins of her opponent.

There was a grinding sound and a display of sparks as the monsilver cut deeply into the pavement, and again, when starmetal of Scougre's sword clashed with Reflection, not having enough power and leverage to move it for an inch.


Stunt rewards goes to motes.

[Guancyto]

People

Moonsilver and starmetal clash together, pointing, thrusting, seeking. The two Exalts give as good as they get, trying to win over the other.

Unfortunately, Keani can see that things haven't gone very well for the monk. Well. At very least, she did her best; her coadjutor gives a tiny pip of approval and the dictates of her Urge have been satisfied.

Meanwhile a single archer, very glad to be alive after seeing every single one of his allies die in the span of about eight seconds, quietly sneaks off and dearly hopes that no one remembers he exists.

It does indeed miss. 2 dice for both of you though, enjoy ye motes.

Moving to narrative time again unless someone wants to keep ticking.

Sorrow, you can finish that spell now. :smallwink:

[AmberVael]

Satomi

"Down and down and down and down," the child giggles. "Let's go see!"

"Very well. Lead the way."
Satomi gestures for him to go first, as she slides her sword into a more comfortable position in her hand. She gets the feeling that this will not end well, but is determined to see it through anyway.

[Lix Lorn]

Not finding much difficulty by moving mid-air using some walls to help Autarch rightens himself. He would still land quite badly and his knees would suffer all the impact but he was damn sure they couldn't care less about taking the impact of a fall of merely some yards...Once in the ground he does not let go of the mirrored weapon and heads back into combat with the monk. He would not live this day

Jumping up and reaching the rooftop once more he closes the distance quickly. Seeing at his hands similar short swords to the ones he had well engraved in his heart, his eyes glow brighter. The tribal irises can only see each of the blades. That monk had to die for using such similar weapons. The daiklaive is his hands goes straight for the heart, igoring everything else
Star, who was watching interestedly, intervenes, causing the Pattern Spiders to scream in fury as the past retcons itself due to Storyteller confusion. She dashes over, interposing herself between the charging man and the monk, and pulls up her bow for a warning shot. A black arrow, blunt, coalesces on the string.
"My friend here is trying to have a conversation." she says. "Interrupting would be mean."

Twang.

Blunt arrow.
[roll0] Does... 8B, plus bonus successes.

[Gargulec]

Elise was not finished yet.

That girl had to learn her lesson for wantonly attacking without even a good reason. She was good, yes, but not quite good enough.

As soon as Kaeni's blade recoiled of Reflections, Elise pulled her blade to her, and fluidly stepped forward, her feet bracing her in a crack on the pavement, giving her the stability she would need - because a second later, she struck, hilt gripped firmly in both hands.

Her anima exploded at that moment, the creature that was her shadow sprouted untold thousands of tentacles, all rushing to wrap and hold Kaeni's own shadow. In the very same moment, moonsilver daiklave sprung up, blurring, even faster than before, accompanied by a boom of blade going supersonic in speed. Scourge has shown that she can defend herself against even a higher number of weaker blows, but this was different.

Daiklave would strike Kaeni's upwards, maybe even launching her into the air for a few moments.


Single attack with Reflections, using First Excellency to add 10 dice. Pulling blows.

Current pools: Motes: 56, WP: 9

[roll0] - 9 successes.

[Ganurath]

Keani is reluctant to break from her dramatic pose, the sorrow apparent from how flat her hair gets, but then it suddenly curls as inspiration strikes. She swings Radiant Justice Blade down as she crouches, allowing the two daiklaves to meet with her own catching the moonsilver blade in the guard. She then hops up as the metals connect, her brief leap allowing her to harness the momentum of the swing to give her more than the inch of lift she would have gotten.

She presses down on the handle of her sword, levering the moonsilver blade so as to turn the flat upward. This movement allows her an aerial somersault forward. At this point someone may have noticed that both her skirt and her hair consistently defy gravity, the former coming from the nature of her amulet and the latter being a trait gained from her coadjutor. Sparks of every color fly as she draws her sword out from beneath her, pulling herself forward to land on the flat of the moonsilver sword.

Her stance is upright, casual, a privilege allowed by her silken white boots suddenly getting very good grip. Her free hand once more finding her hip, she points her sword at the Abyssal. The anima was intimidating, but true heroes show no fear. "Mind holding still so I can give my speech? You kinda wrecked that fence."

1m Personal to add 5 sux to the parry with the Hegra Excellency, and no cost to add 4 sux to the Dexterity+Athletics roll to balance on the flat of the daiklave. Hopefully 9 sux with a -1 external penalty won't top a PDV of 7-1+5=11 after stunt dice, but that last flurry has taught well the value of caution.

[roll0]+4 sux Excellency = 11 sux

[Guancyto]

People

The monk does indeed live at least a moment longer! He stares at the Abyssal who has leaped to his defense... and starts a combination of surprised laughter and painful wheezing; it sounds like it hurts to do that with so many of his ribs broken. And he is very clearly delirious from both pain and poison.

"She just killed everyone..." he says, hoarse, "...and now this? Go ahead and finish me off, hammer girl, now... now I've seen everything..."

Autarch's action can resolve when he gets online. Note that while she is interposed, Star hasn't taken any sort of action that will actually stop him from stabbering the monk if he still wants to. Aside, y'know, from presenting a much more threatening target.

The world once again seems to hold its breath for just a moment as Keani prepares her speech...

Okay, I have to say, I am enjoying this immensely. 2 dice to Elise and 3 to Keani. :3 Keani's go!

Satomi

Down and down and down indeed. A lesser being would lose count of the staircases they've gone down, the passageways they've treaded through. She sees few guards and fewer ghosts, and what ghosts she does see do their very best to get out of the pair's way as fast as possible.

"Oh. I think I'm lost," the child says, looking from left to right. "Can I have some blood to help me remember?"

[Lochar]

Trinia laughs to him, her voice clear once more. "They threatened her and us first. But you have not seen everything, you must simply see if she will fight another Abyssal."

She scowls up at her brother in Exaltation, before touching the monk's forehead. "Be welcome in friendship. So long as we are friends, my poisons will not harm you." A drop of her essence filters into the monk underneath her, countering the poisons placed there earlier. While still hurt, he at least would not die from what coursed through his veins now.


Trinia adds the monk to her Intimacy list now as a friend, spending one mote on Fathomless Poison Haven to negate the poison in his veins. So long as she keeps 1m committed, the poison he's under will burn out with no ill effects. He's still probably in -4 Lethal damage, but he won't die now from the poison!

By the way, did you know that positive Intimacies over Willpower+Compassion are only lost when you sleep? Trinia doesn't want to lose her connections to any of her friends, so she used Nightmare Fugue Vigilance to stay awake and love her friends forever.

[AmberVael]

"A moment."
Satomi says coolly, brushing past the ghost child to examine their surroundings. If he truly came this way, she believed she'd be able to find out- and without giving him her blood, which she was loathe to part with. Of course, ghosts did not leave much sign of their passing, but nonetheless, sometimes there were trails to follow... such as through their essence.
"We need not resort to such measures to find your back."
Her hellish third eye scans the area, looking for trails and flickers of underworld essence, particularly those that looked like they would belong to the ghost at hand- and give that he's right next to her, determining if it is his should be incredibly easy.

Time for tracking! Normally I wouldn't have much hope for this, but this particular situation gives me some bonuses.

Satomi does have Hellscry Chakra and Desolate End Realization activate, so she will get 3 automatic successes in tracking ghosts.

Further, if he isn't using any magic to resist it somehow, I can just spend a willpower to auto-succeed. Which I will do.

Otherwise, here is my roll:
Perception + Survival (Tracking)
[roll0] + 3 successes
(Result: 6 Successes)

Edit: Hm, Awareness might have been more appropriate, but I would have just gotten even more rolls with that, so...

[DukeGod]

Not minding the arrow as it pierced through his armor Autarch continues. However the exact second the girl interposes between he and the monk, he begins to break his insane speed, feet sliding in the ground, sword used to stop even more speed. He stoops some feet away from her. And looks somewhat annoyed.

If the girls wanted to protect the monk there was nothing he could do for now. Turning his back he starts to leave the rooftop. The guy casting some crazy kind fo spell seemed more awesome to talk right now that he was frustrated. Kill steal was not cool.

Once he is far away, Autarch suddenly turns and sends Reflections flying towards the monk once more, however as soon as it seems to approach him he will the blade out of the world and lets it shatter into a multitude of silver mirror dust

"I don't wanna harm a girl, and will go with the flow for now since help from you suits my best interests. Let that be a sign of good faith"

Edit:Forgot to add this. Taking the arrow, no tricks there. Recovering Willpower with the stunt.

Health
-0 [/][/][/][/]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-X [ ][ ][ ]

[Ganurath]

Judging by the look on the Abyssal's face, she wasn't in much of a mood to let the Rainbow Maiden stand on her sword long enough to finish her speech. She had a perchant for interrupting, as well. And that anima was blocking everyone's view of her! She needed to find someplace else to tell everyone about... About...

The Scourge suddenly springboards off the moonsilver blade, somersaulting three, four, five times in the air before dropping down before the Abyssal archer, facing her with Radiant Justice Blade at the ready. She stares at her warily... Before tilting her head. "What was your question again?"

Picking up XP with that last stunt, and using the Second Excellency expansion to enhance the Jump if needed to cover the distance between where she was and where she wants to be.

[Lochar]

Trinia grins at the exploding silver sword, having finally gotten her hands around her hammer once more and had been expecting to block this time. "You know he's fairly ticked with you leaving, right?" she calls after him, before turning to the girl that had ensured her monk hadn't gotten hurt anymore than he already had been.

"Hi, I'm Trinia. And this is..." she trails off. "Actually, I didn't catch your name." She blushes and grins ruefully, before poking at the Abyssal. "But you are?"

[Volthawk]

Seeing the corpses rise as his servants, Sorrows turns to the new people who were fighting that he didn't recognise. He doesn't react, initially, content to see how they react now things seem to be heading towards reconciliation of some sort.

[Gargulec]

For a moment, when her eyes were on the level of Kaeni's eyes, it would appear that Elise was going to finally lose her composure. But, thankfully, the Scourge broke off the fight, Dusk-caste took a deep breath and calmed herself. There was no point in drawing that farce any further.

She moved Reflections behind her, the enhancements on the blade making it cling to her back without a sheathe. The anima around her faded slowly, last few drops of blood from her caste mark falling on the pavement. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were back silver.

She considered Kaeni painfully foolish and ignorant, but she admitted to herself that she was good combatant. Good fencer. For that, she felt a shade of respect towards her.

One more calming breath, allowing chill air into her lungs and back into Creation, and she turned from the scene of the swordfight back towards Elise.


Claiming motes as a reward for stunt.

[DukeGod]

"He can go to Malfeas for all I care. Literally

Dropping from the rooftop he heads towards Sorrows watching the end of Elise and Keani's fight. Yozi Cultist catfights were much more amusing...

"Hey pal. Cool stuff you did with the corpses"

He talks like they became friends a long time ago. The eyes focus on the necrotech implants but noticing he couldn't understand then he believes they are not weapons. At least not ones he could mirror

[Lochar]

"I don't think you quite understand," Trinia laughs to herself, "who I was talking about."

She shrugs, and still giggling turns her attention back to her two new friends.

[Lix Lorn]

Trinia grins at the exploding silver sword, having finally gotten her hands around her hammer once more and had been expecting to block this time. "You know he's fairly ticked with you leaving, right?" she calls after him, before turning to the girl that had ensured her monk hadn't gotten hurt anymore than he already had been.

"Hi, I'm Trinia. And this is..." she trails off. "Actually, I didn't catch your name." She blushes and grins ruefully, before poking at the Abyssal. "But you are?"
"They call me Falling Star." she smiles. She curtseys.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows doesn't initially respond, noticing Autarch looking at his necrotech. "Hmm? The necromancy? Not particularly impressive. Only Shadowlands circle."

[Guancyto]

People

As the poison's effects recede from him, the monk stands. "Iselsi Risore," he looks between the Rainbow Maiden, Trinia and Star, "and that, that I've seen before. They fight us and the world burns before them, they fight each other and the world burns beneath them. But, Falling Star, I've never seen one of you defending one of us. Especially not after killing all of his men. You are... confused, I think."

He feels his ribs and winces, "but I'm not going to complain too loudly about it."

Sorrows' anima flares as well at the completion of his spell. He now has thirteen handy zombies under his control! Risore... doesn't seem to have noticed this yet, fortunately enough.

Satomi

Satomi can find the trail quite easily! There... have actually been a large number of ghosts passing through here lately. She can follow in their 'footsteps' with unerring accuracy.

[Lochar]

Trinia smiles at Falling Star, before frowning once more. "While I understand the whole stopping people from killing you thing, do you really have to do that?" She waves a hand Star's anima, still flaring high.

And then really frowns at the other Abyssals down below, flaring as well.

And the zombies.

"Don't you people understand subtlety?" She yells at them, before turning a look of exaspiration on Star and Risore.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows grins. Play dead.

The zombies drop to the ground, seemingly corpses again. Once the monk was on his way, he'd bring them up again.

[AmberVael]

Ominous, but also a good clue that she's onto something here.
"This way."
Satomi says with certainty, starting down after the trail.

[Ganurath]

"Hammer Girl, Falling Star, as much as I like that you're getting along with... Really Sore? Anway, great that you're getting along, but unless someone makes a big speech about redeemed villains marching off to fight a great evil, everyone is still expecting me to heroically defeat all of you." She relaxes her sword slightly, then shifts her stance to get a better view of the monk. "Except you, of course. You're fine either way."

[Lochar]

Trinia scrambles to her feet, lifting her hammer high. She could give pretty speeches too!

"There are no villians here, only allies that were confused! Now we are of one mind, one heart once more! Let those of us who can, sally forth to fight the true evil that lurks here. The evil known as Ashes of the Ivory Forge, an enemy that has escaped my justice once, but shall not again!"

[Volthawk]

"Ashes of Ivory Forge? I've heard of him, although nothing much, just little words here and there in passing. A necromancer, if I remember rightly."

[Guancyto]

People

"To defend me is one thing, but I cannot..." Risore listens to the heroic and dramatic speechifying! And the revelation of their target. His expression changes to one of conviction as he sees a way of repaying them without impugning his beliefs. He looks between the various Exalts before straitening up, "Rainbow Maiden! In the name of justice, I lay your charge upon you. Accompany these people on their quest to destroy this foul threat to Creation, and if in the course of this mission you deem them to be villains, continue defeating them as well. Do you accept this?"

He inclines his head toward Star, "I cannot fight alongside you, but you do have some honor. I must... consider this. We may meet again."

So saying, he starts to limp away. Unless someone wants to stop him, of course.

Satomi

The ghost boy follows her, surprised! She passes several junctions, choosing the right trail each time. The trail finally stops at one of the lowest crypts, a great basalt doorway partially open. She can peek inside or try to squeeze in.

"You found them! Let me go tell them you're here," the boy says, fitting easily through the gap and going into the tomb.

Hey, does Desolate End Realization reach around corners?

[Lochar]

"Don't make yourself unfindable, Risore! You're going to have to listen to all our cool battle stories when we get back!" Trinia smiles.

[Volthawk]

Once the Immaculate leaves, turns to one of the watchmen, the one who was speaking earlier. "Well, that's that. Onwards, then." He beckons to the Abyssals, and the others, by proxy. The zombies rise up again and follow him as he walks off.

[Lochar]

Trinia grabs Star's arm once more, and hops down off of the roof, landing near Sorrow. "Isn't it great to make new friends?" She gushes, but then frowns at the zombies. "And did you really have to do that?"

[Gargulec]

Elise steps closer to Trinia and eyes her carefully. She is distrustful of those strangers, but both Sorrow and Star seem to be accepting them, so for the time being, she is going to do so too... but not before gleaming some informations about them.

She props herself against a nearby guard, who must be quite shocked when Elise suddenly wraps her arms around him. And even more when her eyes turn pale white, and for a brief moment, her face turns into a mask of sheer horror.

She taps into the Whispers she hears, attunes to them and asks but a one question: "Who are those strangers?". Once, Whispers ruled her, but now, they were but a tool.


1 WP on whispers activation, question as above.

[roll0]

[Ganurath]

The Rainbow Maiden raises her sword in salute to the monk, nodding in satisfaction. She would've said something, but she got distracted by all the people getting up. Wait... "We can discuss the matter of villainous behavior once we've departed. The longer we wait here, the longer this villain has to amass his might! Let us be off!"

After a second passes, she looks between Falling Star and Hammer Girl. "Which way?"

[Lix Lorn]

Star curtseys again to the Immaculate.
"I do so hope you'll try and tell the others of your faith that we aren't ALL psychopaths. Us or the golds. Most, maybe..." she says, giggling a little.

[Guancyto]

People

The guard catches Elise as she falls limp, more than a little surprised at all this.

Meanwhile Elise gets an earful.

COWARDS

incompetents

should have died with us

on bended knee to the wretched Sun

betrayed us

you will consume them too

abandoned us

you will slay them all in My name

no mine!

no mine!

no mine!

The Immaculate, meanwhile, doesn't respond to Star or Trinia as he leaves, merely making a wave behind his back. Fortunately he's off the scene before his companions start to get up and walk. As Star pauses a moment to consider what exactly she's done, she feels the familiar and unpleasant sensation of her necrotic Essence rebelling against her.

Lix! Roll Resonance por favor, and collect one brownie point.

Satomi

Oh, there's one other thing. Satomi is almost certain she felt the ground shake a little just now.

[Gargulec]

Elise straightens after a brief moment, the words of dead Titans still ringing in her ears and in her mind, their presence still filling her with hatred.

She makes a step back and very slowly eyes the strangers. One of her hands slowly - deliberately slowly - moves to the hilt of Reflections on her back. There is a faint screeching sound as the blade is draw again.

Her face still did not change, but for the first time since they met, she spoke.

'Tell me' she whispers towards Kaeni and Trinia. 'Tell me why do you serve Yozis, akuma? What was the wish you want fulfilled so badly that you sold your souls to lords of Malefas?'

Her voice is quiet, flat and emotionless, yet somehow threatening.

'Neverborn do not lie.'

[AmberVael]

Satomi is not a very large person, so she swiftly slips through the crack, readying herself to fight if need be. After all, this entire situation seemed to say trap all over it, at least to her- even if the boy was not precisely aware of it (though he could be).
But she was ready. If need be, she could win this fight.

[Lix Lorn]

Star winces as the imperceptible light in her caste mark, the glowing, shining power in her anima is choked by darkness, death and pain shrouding her. She closes her eyes instinctively, falling to the ground.
NO. I am not a tool I am not a monster I AM STAR. I am the light in the darkness. I am not just a bringer of death, I am a fallen angel, and I will rise again. I am not an Abyssal... I am NOT NO BECAUSE "I AM A ****ING SOLAR!" she screams, tears falling from her eyes.

[roll0]

Moments later, she screams again, wordless, agonised, as the stars of her anima freeze in place, whirling into dark, tentacle-like shapes from the ground, their edges serrated and vicious. Her caste mark bleeds a river of blood, and the vicious tentacles tears at her skin as she falls to the ground. For several moments, they bite and tear and cut, lash and sear and burn. And then with a blinding flash of no-light, her anima is dark falling stars again, and the whimpering girl lies on the floor, gashed and battered.

[Ganurath]

"Neverborn may not lie, but they are stupid." Keani tosses her sword into the air nonchalantly before catching it... And it disappears into her palm as though it were a scabbard. "I'll explain once we're out of the town, but you can rest assured that I'm pro-Creation. Also, I don't serve the Yozis."

[Gargulec]

'No' retorts Elise, not flinching. 'You will explain here and now.'

[Lix Lorn]

((((Points at post and edit)) You may want to notice... quite dramatic and loud.))

[Lochar]

"I am an Akuma as much as you are..." Trinia begins heatedly, before Star falls, her anima going wild as she begins to bleed.

Trinia drops to her knees next to Star, trying to staunch the wounds. By both Suns, what in the world?" Trinia is mildly panicked now, trying to help her new friend.

[Guancyto]

Satomi

Satomi slips inside the tomb! It's... substantially larger than she expected. There's a dim light from a few torches against the walls; a beast larger than a house lays on its side, spikes driven into its flesh and chains holding it prisoner. She can see a ritual circle drawn on the ground in front of it, with candles already lit on its borders. There's a decent quantity of blood already spilled over it, but strangely no corpses. But her magic is better at identifying its occupants than her eyes are.

"I found her!" the child is speaking to a tall man with silver hair. He doesn't register as a native of the Underworld, unlike basically everything else in the room. The man looks at her.

"She doesn't look like much," he says with a rumbling voice, "not nearly enough blood for a good sacrifice. Sameq-ath won't awaken from as little as that."

"No, she's got Essence and everything!"

"Really?" another one that doesn't register steps out of the shadows, a hooded, short figure; sounds older than the child, but still young, "A god-blood, I suppose. Well, she'll do. Won't you, little one?"

Occupants of the room as determined by Desolate End Realization.
4 dematerialized ghosts, Oblivion-tainted Motivations
4 materialized ghosts, Oblivion-tainted Motivations
4 ghosts possessing corpses, servitude-involved Motivations
1 Nephwrack, who is the one she's been following around and whose stats she knows already
2 maybe-living beings, mostly determined by her lack of ability to determine things about them
1 Hekatonkhire, sleeping, motivation is to avenge its death and imprisonment, capabilities are sweet Cecelyne why are you still here

[Ganurath]

"Nope!" The Rainbow Maiden jerks a thumb toward archer girl. "She needs help first, and while I'm always a fan of epic sagas it'd be too long of a story. At least, the telling that provides enough detail for you to mellow out is too long. You know medical stuff?"

A thought occurs to Keani after a moment. "Pro-Creation wasn't the best way to word it, was it?"

[Gargulec]

'Medicine won't help her. Nothing I know can' stated Elise. She knew that there was nothing she could do to help Star. She covered the fact that she wanted to rush to her, hold her quite neatly, her face expressionless. That girl needed to remind herself of the pain that was part of her and from which there was no escape. She had to pay for her feelings.'Neverborn are harsh masters, and we can't slip of their leash. This is the price.'

She stepped towards Kaeni.

'Explain what you are' she repeated, threateningly.

[Lix Lorn]

"I...I'll be fine. I'm used to it..." says Star, pulling herself up, shivering. "It... doesn't hurt too much... the torn clothes are actually the w...worst p...part...." she coughs, fangs clearly visible as something red drips to the ground. "...wow... must look REALLY bad... mustn't I..." she laughs slightly, and pulls herself up. "I'm... fine. I'm fine. I can take a goremaul to the face, I can take this."

[AmberVael]

"I imagine you'd know that better than I would."
Satomi says, her voice quiet and calm, though she was now weighing the situation, searching for all details and tactical advantages she could possibly use. Her eyes- normal and essence endowed- flicker across the room. Subtle streamers of essence expand outwards from her, searching and considering her opponents, sizing up their magical might. The invisible caste mark on her forehead stares down at them, demanding to know if their power exceeded her own.

Perception + Awareness.
[roll0]

Also using Insignificant Embers Intuition to determine the Essence of both the silver haired and hooded man- namely, the two her Desolate End Realization can't notice.

[Guancyto]

Satomi

Satomi uses the power of Malfeas sizes up her opponents! The silver-haired man's command of Essence is somewhat greater than hers, while the hooded fellow is about even with her; both of them command the flows of necrotic Essence that flow so easily down here. Now that she looks closer, she can see a dull sheen of armor on the one, as well as a long blade, both black. She can note the hooded one concealing an odd-looking bracer with what appears to be six small compartments attached to it.

"Quite," the silver-haired man says, stepping closer. "Come now, little girl, we've a busy day ahead of us."

They're underestimating Satomi immensely at the moment. If she wants to act, now would be an excellent time.

Big Guy is Essence 4, Cloak Guy is Essence 3; aspect of both is Necrotic. Roll Join Battle as well as initial actions if you're going to start stabbering. :D

[Ganurath]

"A heroine that was supposed to be a villain, but slipped the leash." Having answered the Abyssal's question to her own satisfaction, Keani turned her attention to the one that seemed nice. "Can you take it well enough that we can get moving? We have a bad guy to beat up, after all."

[Gargulec]

'No' replied Elise again, stopping Kaeni from moving away. 'You are a Chosen. Show your Caste Mark. Explain what you are. Do not seek refuge in glib words that mean nothing.'

[Ganurath]

Keani was beginning to get irritated with the Sword Abyssal. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her from behind her mask. "Yes. No. Say please. Can we please take this conversation away from the people that don't hate and fear me?"

[Gargulec]

'They hate and fear me as well, girl' she replied flatly. 'What is that you want to hide?

[Lochar]

Giving another worried look to Star, Trinia then stands up. "You want a caste mark? Fine, I'll give you a caste mark!"

Green hellfire seems to spill from the little girl, somehow making her bigger, meaner. Twin swords cross across her brow as her anima flares and her essence presses down against Elise. "I am a Chosen of Hell, not some weak willed akuma who sold their soul for a fragment of the power I wield!"


Trinia spends 1 mote peripheral, 4 motes personal to activate her anima effect, still keeping it somewhat muted and also showing her caste mark.

[AmberVael]

"I imagine you do. Scrambling after sacrifices to awaken an old, long dead spirit can't be a particularly easy job."
Satomi says quietly, moving towards the Hekatonkhire.
"You've even had to resort to sending a twisted little half-aware ghost child to accost random passerby who might be odd and gullible enough to follow it. You're quite really are desperate aren't you? Maybe it isn't as easy as you first thought?"
She turns to look back at the silver haired man.
"And even if I am the sacrifice that finally wakes it, what will you really have achieved? Awakening a beast that died once before, long ago, and again managed to end up in chains, rightly forgotten and uncared for? What's the point?"
Some people have a venomous, clever voice, but Satomi's is cold and unforgiving- not twisting words, but merely stating the facts in such a logical, hard and icy manner that they beat down on her enemy like hail.
"You've already failed, just by attempting this task."

Her sword hangs loose at her side, an unused threat. She didn't need it. She wouldn't need it. It would be a waste to fight against someone so pathetic as this.

Satomi is mean! Mean social attack, go!
Charisma + Presence + 5 Excellency Dice (5 personal motes)
[roll0]

[Guancyto]

People

One of the watchmen that made up the Abyssals' escort coughs politely. "If you're quite finished, didn't you have somewhere to be?"

Seriously. No respect for the Exalted. What's with this town?

Satomi

The silver-haired man stops as Satomi's words rain down heavier than any sword blow could possibly do. His expression hardens, and he looks at her with a singular hatred. "Impertinent brat. You're-"

"-right, isn't she?" the hooded one cuts him off. "You have failed. You promised me an army to feed this thing, Ashes," he says. "Where is it?"

Ashes' turns to the hooded one, giving him the same low glare. "Don't question me, Boy."

2 dice! An unexpected angle of success. Yes, Satomi has met our villains for today, why do you ask?

[Ganurath]

"Indeed we do!" Keani clapped her hands together excitedly, looking over the other Exalts... She then remembers the necromancer and Many Titles Man. "Are you gentlemen ready to march off to glorious battle?"

[Lochar]

Trinia helps to pick up Star, nodding Keani. "Let's."

She then addresses Elise. "You can come or not. I don't care anymore. I'll find you later and squish you if you're a bad girl."

[Lix Lorn]

Star murmurs her thanks, pullling herself upright.

[AmberVael]

"So you're Ashes of Ivory Forge? I heard of you. You did build the army you promised to create, but you weren't able to keep it for long, were you? Some troublemaker came along and broke your toys before you could use them, forced you to run and cower into hiding. So this is where you came, is it? Wriggling like a slimy worm into the depths of Sijan, pretending you still have control, that you can still win this, when really you're just scrambling for the slightest scrap to keep you going."
Satomi lets her essence expand outwards with the effort, hammering against him relentlessly. It build on her words, a silent chorus that shouts the words she thought every moment of every day, turning them against him.
Worthless. Worthless worthless worthless worthless!
Her words are like sharp shards of hateful ice, stabbing at him over and over, piercing at his flesh.
"You can't tell me this confidence of yours is real. You're angry with what I've said, you hate me for saying it, because you know it is true. But you don't want to admit it, don't want to have to admit it- so cowardly over your failure that you couldn't even bring yourself to tell those who serve you, while your plan is beginning to crumble around you and them. Crumble to Ashes. Coward. Failure. What use are you? What use is any of this?"

Taking the Motes from that last stunt. Gonna need 'em.

Attacking him again, but this time all out with excellency dice. If nothing else, she can make him look terrible in front of his minions.
[roll0]

Just to keep track here-
Personal: 5/19
Peripheral: 31/42

[Guancyto]

Satomi

"Troublemaker? Singular? The whole thing?" Boy With the Seven Word Name asks.

"Shut up!" Ashes shouts, beginning to shake with rage, "the demon girl with the hammer, she-"

"What, Alveua?" Boy asks. There's a bit of surprise in his voice, but even more scorn, "you lost your army to a Second-Circle crafting demon?" He casts a glance at Satomi. "I see what you're doing, but this is just sad. The boss can summon hammergirl and bind her to mop floors."

2 dice again! Succeeds, and he spends willpower to resist. Keep it up. :3

[AmberVael]

Satomi's eyes flick to the hooded boy, but she says nothing, merely acknowledging his words before looking between them, letting the silence demand to be filled, for the failures and lies hang out between the two death knights, as they surely were.

In the meantime, she tried to get her own insight into things...

Alright, now time for Knowing the Desolate Heart.
Perception + Investigation
[roll0]

Regaining motes again, 'cause I really need those motes.

Personal: 6/19
Peripheral 31/42

[DukeGod]

Following the group somewhat quiet, Autarch begins to speak once more after Trinia flares her caste mark. Scourge. Oh great, hopefully they would not be loyal to the Yozi

"Oh great. One of Adorjan's...well I guess it could be worse. Fellow Princess of Hell, I am the Godslaying Autarch Of The Infernal Storm Last Seen. Autarch for short"

He didn't flared his mark or did anything to show position as a Green Sun Prince. He did pointed towards his tattoo. It swirled around his body and carried a faint green glow. One who knew Demon Ink would understand

"Now, you say you have cut the leash with your old masters? I rejoice then! So have I"

[Guancyto]

People

The party is away! With some new zombies and two more Infernals in tow. They come to a dank and dusty crypt, and start moving down sets of stairways, led by the Watchmen who are more than glad to get all these totemic Abyssal animas off the frigging streets. There are dank hallways and passages lit by torches inset into the walls. The wailing of the dead is heard on occasion as they proceed deeper.

Satomi

"It wasn't Alveua, you dimwit," Ashes spits, "it was a completely different little demon girl with a giant hammer."

"Are you... listening to yourself talk, here? Man, I wish I could shank you straight in the eye sometimes," Boy says. Meanwhile, Satomi harnesses the power of Cecelyne to determine their motivations!

Driving emotions! As you might expect, Ashes is driven by rage, at the moment rage at his own failures. He has an Intimacy of contempt toward all who would deny his genius, as well as an Intimacy of hatred toward this jerk who keeps snarking him. His greatest failure is getting his old mistress killed from Resonance because he, in predictable style, hadn't thought things through.

Boy is driven by smartassery. He has an Intimacy of contempt towards Ashes, as well as an Intimacy of respect for The Boss. His Manipulation+Socialize-fu is strong, though.

[Lochar]

Trinia ignores Autarch, as he was the one to nearly kill her monk. As they travel down the tunnels and passageways towards the Abyssals she is allowed to smush, she purposely bangs her hammer on walls, floors, and ceiling to try to shut up the dead.

[AmberVael]

"It might be best if you did."
Satomi quietly interjects.
"You may decry my motivation as obvious as much as you like, but the truth is that this man you work with is dangerous to you. He's failed to bring in what he promised, and attracted the ire of someone who unworked all he attempted. Don't you think it is all too likely that you'll be caught up in his flaws?
"Don't you think he's failed before?"

Eyes like flint, she turns them towards Ashes.
"Did he ever tell you of his greatest failure? I can see it in his eyes. A betrayal- a betrayal through his own incompetence. He killed his mistress, and yet he still hasn't learned. He keeps stumbling... what makes you think you're safe? You know who he is, what kind of man he is.
"Do you want to be pulled down with him?"

She presses her point home.
"He's being chased, after all. You may laugh at his description now, but you may come to regret that- unlikely people may be the worst foes. Yet, you have not been seen in this, not involved. If you wash your hands of this, you still might escape the doom he has coming for him."

Lets put this against the boy this time. He could probably turn aside her attempts if he wanted to, but I think he might see the reason in them and choose not to argue.

Charisma + Presence again!
[roll0]

[Ganurath]

Upon entering the crypt, Keani would draw her sword with the same flair that she had used in the Visitor's quarter. How she kept babbling would likely be beyond the party at this point, as she had spent the time after clearing the crowd talking to Elise, clarifying the nature of being a Green Sun Prince as clearly as one who walked the line between girl and woman without even a basic understanding of the occult could manage.

Of course, she'd also talk about other things, like how she could never remember Auturch's titles but could remember he had a lot of them so she thought of him as Many Titles Man. She didn't recognize Trinia immediately, but she knew there was a Slayer who loved her hammer like she loved rainbows and that hammer was clearly an Infernal relic so she must be Hammer Girl. Also, while rebelling is awesome because she gets to be a hero instead of a villain, there were the odd demons she'd miss. Angylakae were nice because of their music, and she had one in her her, but maybe that was the reason she liked their music. Makarios was alright, too, because there aren't many citizens in Hell that like rainbows. They weren't worth being a villain, but there were still regrets.

Perhaps thankfully, she got quieter when they entered the crypt after her sword was drawn. Her tiptoing was rather overt in movement, but it was certainly quiet. "Shall I scout ahead?"

[Gargulec]

At first, as the green flames erupted in front of her, Elise was puzzled. She has never before heard about those "Champions of Hell" and now, when faced with not one - but three! - of them she did not know what to say.

And so she said nothing, putting Reflections back in its place. The revelation of their existence had to be properly thought through before acting against or in support of them. Elise needed a while to consider. She departed along with rest of the group, wondering why are her Abyssal companions so eager to trust those that for all intent and purposes were created by rulers of Malefas.

And it was then when Kaeni came along, and opened her mouth for the first time. Minutes later, Elise regretted that she ever asked anything about them. The flood of information mixed with comments, rumors, small observations - it all almost made her head hurt. And only pushing her temperance to the limits, she managed not to storm off from her, or run away screaming, her mind filled with visions of Infernal Exaltation and rainbows.

In the crypt, she moved to the front of the group, probably standing just next to the Autarch. She did not object for Kaeni going scouting, though a part of her mind knew well enough that this Scourge was made for everything but scouting.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows is quiet as he walks, deep in thought. So these are the infernals I've heard murmuring about. Looks like they're not just rumours, then. Interesting...

[Lochar]

Trinia pauses from banging on the walls with her hammer long enough to give a weird look to Keani. "If you scout ahead, you're going to kill everything before I get a chance to smush it. If you find Ashes though, leave me something alive enough to hit at least once, k?"

[Guancyto]

People

The circle continues going downward, as the scenery gets gloomier and gloomier and the lights become dimmer. At several points ghosts pop out of their tombs to check out the people clomping around; the most common reaction is to get right back inside at the very sight of Elise's caste mark.

Finally they come to a great threshold of black stone, with a long spiral staircase leading down. "This is as far as we can take you," one of the watchmen says. "Beyond here you're on your own. And if you do go down, it's been nice knowing you."

An ideal opportunity to scout ahead, should anyone desire to!

Satomi

"Enough!" Ashes is probably seeing red about now. It's clear from not even bothering to contest her assertion that Satomi is correct, and Boy realizes it too. Ashes rips his sword from his sheath... and Boy starts to laugh. Freely, openly, as though Satomi had just told the best joke he had ever heard.

"Is that really how it happened?" Boy asks. Ashes merely growls in response. "That is hilarious! The idiot who freed your spark really screwed you over, didn't he? No one to teach you not to get close to the living or your old life, you go right back to what you were doing and BAM, corpses and lynch mobs!" Ashes looks ready to gut his companion as well, paused a moment in indecision on which of them to kill first. Ignoring this threat, Boy turns back to Satomi.

"Obvious or not, you're good at this, little girl. A little too good, I think. The boss won't be too happy about my ditching this hopeless fool, unless..." He puts a hand to his chin for a moment, then pulls a tiny black sphere out of an inner pocket and puts it in his ear. "Let me check if his new coffin has been finished yet."

Seeing he won't receive help from the other Abyssal, Ashen growls orders to his subordinate ghosts. "Cut off the exit, and keep her from escaping," he says, and Satomi can sense the four dematerialized ghosts moving to encircle her. The nephwrack... seems to have disappeared into the ceiling at some point while they were speaking, though she can't quite put her finger on when. Must have gone to find more prey.

Two dice! And it seems to have succeeded.

[Volthawk]

"Alright." Sorrows points ahead, and his zombies move in front of him.

[Lochar]

"Forward, ho!" Trinia points with her hammer, quickly pulling it out of the way as the zombies shuffle past.

She scowls at them again, then looks at Sorrows. "If you're going to keep doing that, is it possible you could make them stand out as yours? If Ashes has brought up more zombies, I'm not going to be able to tell the difference between his and yours, and they're likely all going to get squashed."

[Volthawk]

"Hmm...well, it's not like I can't get more zombies. These ones were just me taking advantage of the material available. They're inherently disposable."

[DukeGod]

"Tsundere..." Autarch whispers at being ignored by Trinia

Moving with the group, he do stays besides Elise. She seemed interesting too. Malfeas be damned if he knew rebellion was like that he would have actively worked towards it hell a lot sooner

Catching part of the conversation, he wonders what was so hard to remenber of his titles. He could remenber then all but then again he was incredibly arrogant and possessive of them. Mainly cause at least one he gained from Mara herself. And his brohood with Ligier. Or at least that was how he saw the whole thing. Maybe he should convince him to rebel too later...

"Ashes is a necromancer too? Wouldn't bringing his own zombies reduce his power? I don't get much of sorcery and necromancy but from guessing of the aura of our friend here at costs quite a bit"

[Volthawk]

"Well, it costs motes just like any other one of your abilities. It is quite intensive, admittedly, so unless he had some way of regaining that Essence, he would be weakened. That's only if he did raise some zombies, and he didn't have something like, say, some living to drink from, or an essence gem, or similar. No reason he's just sticking with zombies, though. He might be a necrotech surgeon, like myself, so he could have some altogether more interesting creations."

[AmberVael]

"You're making a mistake again, Ashes."
Satomi says quietly, her sword finally raising to a ready position.
"But I think its time I make it clear just what a mistake you've made."

Rather than retreating, fighting through the ghosts to secure her exit, Satomi races forward, letting the brilliance of her power escape her. Green fire sears across her forehead, tracing a Mobius, the hourglass of the Endless Desert; the flames writhe down her arm and coil about her black sword, its crackling laughter howling that same damning refrain to the Abyssal who dared think himself her better.
Worthless!
Her curved blade sweeps in an arc of emerald embers, scattering across Ashes as her blade strikes at his neck.

"I'll make your visage match your name!"
Satomi shouts, her anger blazing in time with the fires.
Join Battle!
[roll0]

Attacking Ashes with Requiem. Now's that her plan has worked and she has the leeway she needs, she can give him a few wounds to put him in his place. Cecelyne Excellency for 5 motes to enhance accuracy, and to give me a nice shiny Caste Mark to show him how much of a fool he's been.

Speed 3 attack.
Dexterity + Melee + Modifers (Specialties and Accuracy)
[roll1]
[17 Successes]

I'll further spend 2 personal motes on Green Sun Nimbus Flare to scorch him in the face.
Damage: 9L + Successes (+2L unsoakable from Nimbus if I deal damage)

Also, I took the motes again from that last stunt, so I got back 4 personal essence. Current pools:
Personal: 8/19
Peripheral 26/42

[Ganurath]

"It's easy to tell them apart, just don't hit the ones dressed like that Really Sore Monk!" With that, Keani hurried off to scout ahead. The men in black said that going down was the dangerous way, so most likely that was the best way to go if they were looking for a dangerous enemy.

Once she was clear of the group, Keani resumed her dramatic tiptoe action, although with a much quicker pace so she could remain ahead. She didn't really do... Anything to blend in visually. She just needed to not be heard so that she could approach corners and nonchalantly peek around them. The brave heroine was constantly on alert, though, as she had volunteered to scout ahead: Her reputation as a totally awesome hero was at stake! Also, they were probably depending on her to do a good job, or something.

While on the alert for immediate threats, she was also imagining the possibility of a trail to follow. The sign of a large group of undead being lead by the villain who summoned them, or perhaps a limping villain on his own? Ashes would have been hard-pressed to escape the wrath of Hammer Girl. She would eventually lean in to overexamine some small detail on a floor or wall, and her mind would alight with possibilities. Eventually, one of those possibilities may match up with what she was looking at, and she'd have something.

Well, it's a new scene, so time to rekindle that lovely Effortless Hegra Dominance pool. Going to roll Dexterity+Stealth to get around all sneaky, Perception+Awareness to be on the lookout, and Perception+Survival to try to find a way to track something alive enough to have a functioning brain. Satomi has Transcendant Desert Creature, but maybe Keani can pick up on one of the two Abyssals. Odds are Ashes was too arrogant to hide his trail, y'know?

Incidentally, how much Essence do we respire between scenes?

[roll0] added 1 die, 1m
[roll1] added 1 die, 0m
[roll2] added 1 sux, 0m

[Guancyto]

Well, it hasn't really been 'light activity' per se. Those of you with cults and hearthstones can get the Essence back for an hour's time.

People

The zombies shuffle ahead! Keani tiptoes with catlike tread ahead of the circle, keeping a weather eye and ear out for any possible sign of a trail! Her hyperactive imagination jumps at seeming signs of undead catapults full of boxes of skeletons, giant zombie behemoths with ghostly troops inside and building-sized necrotech warstriders piloted by... spectral ponies? Keani's imagination is weird. Nevertheless, she catches signs of a number of people having passed... and what's that! She hears shouting and fighting somewhere below!

<3 Keani. 2 dice applied across all of those.

Satomi

Ashes steps back in surprise as Satomi whips out her blade, displays her caste mark and assaults him with furious resolve. In response, a flare of dark ashes billows around him, an eight-pointed star bleeds across his forehead and he brings his daiklave up to deflect her strike!

And yet, even knowing her to be Exalted, he still underestimates her! The green fire billows across her blade, striking him and searing a mark across his face! He yells with rage and pours Essence into a strike, aiming to cleave her in half, to ruin his sacrifice for the sake of ending her quickly.

Satomi simply dematerializes around the sword blow, letting it pass through her without leaving a scratch, trails of sand flowing from where the wound would have been.

"Kill her!" he bellows to his minions, as they move to surround her.

Boy watches this exchange with great interest, smiling to himself. Then he gets distracted by something else and starts nodding idly.

Battle Joined!
Tick 0: Ashes of the Ivory Forge
Tick 1: Satomi
Tick 2:
Tick 3:
Tick 4: Ashes, Nemissaries, dematerialized ghosts, materialized ghosts

Satomi gets 2 dice!

[Ganurath]

Keani quickly doubles back enough to get within view of the others, pointing her sword in the direction she came from and gesturing excitedly for them to follow. "C'mon! Someone started a fight without us! This is a perfect opportunity for a heroic entrance!"

Motesmotesmotes.

[Lochar]

"To battle!" Trinia yells, raising her hammer high.

High enough, actually, to knock into the ceiling and dislodge a stone. She absently side-steps it falling.

"To the destruction of the Neverborn loyal Abyssals!" She shouts, giving a woogy eye to Elise before charging forward with Keani.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows sighs once again. These Infernals will get on my nerves. I can tell. He then walks, following Keani, his zombies forming a circle around him.

[Gargulec]

Elise hurried along, ignoring Trinia. Kaeni had some charm, even if a very cheap one. The Hammer Infernal? She was too loud, too arrogant and too smug. In one word: unfit for a real warrior.

[AmberVael]

Satomi's fire dies away into cold ice once more, the black sands of her form coalescing to recreate her once more. Again her sword lashes out, but this time, the black metal of it is without fire, without magic behind it, a guided by honed skill and expertise. It flicks out the instant his strike fails against her, slipping past his defenses to strike at his arm.
"You've failed, Ashes. You have no sacrifice to give, your ally has abandoned you, and you cannot even touch me."
Satomi drifts away in an instant, like sand caught in a desert wind.
"Are you so eager to die?"

Regainin' more motes!

And slashin' him in the face. No excellency this time.
[roll0]

4 successes. Bleh.

After this, she'll use her move to slip back as far as she can, hopefully to the door. Given that her dexterity is 5, I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to move far enough that it takes a bit more effort for at least his minions to attack her.

Personal: 9/19 (3 motes were spent on Sand Through Fingers, 4 gained from the stunt)
Peripheral 26/42

[Ganurath]

Keani grins, leading the way to the best of her competence. They had only come expecting to fight the main villain, but they were going to get to make a heroic entrance on top of that! It was too bad that there wasn't a bunch of townsfolk to see her heroics, but she could always come back with a trophy of victory, like Ashes' weapon.

[Guancyto]

Everyone!

Ashes turns aside her blade easily, pausing a moment to consider through his rage. "That flame..." he says, running a finger over the burn on his face, "is the same as hers! After her!" He directs the ghosts in anger and fear! Satomi finds that she can get to the door and keep herself from being surrounded, but getting through it is further than she can reach, and the enemy presses in.

Meanwhile for the rest of the crew, flares of light and dark come from behind a large, partially open door! The smaller Exalts can probably slip through it! The larger ones might have to squeeze.

Tick 4: Ashes, Satomi, All Ghosts

Everyone else! Roll join battle!

[Lix Lorn]

Star is small, and, feeling a little recovered, will go right through!

Join battle!
[roll0]+1 sux

[Ganurath]

"Reinforcements have arrived!" Keani cartwheels into the room through the opening in the door, pointing her sword at an upward diagonal as she assumes a pose to properly demonstrate her heroic presence. A lot of dead stuff, a couple deadish people, and one person who definitely wasn't dead. She was probably the one being reinforced. "Rainbow Maiden is here to save the day! Oh, and some other people."

Going to pick up three free dice with the Excellency.

[roll0]

[Volthawk]

Still his calm yet serious self, Sorrows points at the door, and his zombies lurch over and start to push the door open, lurching into the room once the opening is large enough. Sorrows follows, taking in the area as he does.


Join Battle for me: [roll0]

Join Battle for my zombies: [roll1]

[Lochar]

Trinia, while small, won't fit through with her hammer. Instead, she sees over Satomi's shoulder and notices Ashes.

"Ashes! I knew I'd catch up with you. Ready to die?" she calls cheerfully.


Join Battle, All Things Betray for 3m personal.

[roll0] + 3 successes

[AmberVael]

"Seems your comprehension has come a little late."
Satomi quietly remarks to the Abyssal as her sword flashes in each direction, green flames streaming from its surface as she spins to dispatch a few of his minions. Despite their incorporeal state, the snarling black sword slashes through them effortlessly, tearing at their corpus as if they were solid. With each strike, her anima grows, a glowing green aura that doesn't quite seem coherent yet, but is growing larger and larger.
"And your enemy has caught up to you. Surrender, Ashes, and I'll at least make sure your death is quick."

Flurry of attacks, one at each of the dematerialized ghosts. Each attack is enhanced with Green Sun Nimbus Flare, which is upgraded with Godscorch Invective, so I can treat them as if they were solid.

Spending 5 peripheral motes and 4 personal. Anima is now at 10 mote level.

[roll0] [8 Successes]
[roll1] [7 Successes]
[roll2] [3 Successes]

Damage is the same as before. 9L + Successes + unsoakable 2 from GSNF.

Personal: 5/19
Peripheral 21/42

[Gargulec]

Elise was slightly taller than her companions - but again, only slightly, and she was still a 16-year old girl in her posture, so she managed to squeeze through the crack without much trouble.

Once inside, she slowly - deliberately so, one could say nonchalantly, if not for the fact that Elise was above such cheap claptrap - moved to the centre of the cavern, her eyes fixed on Ashes.

Not hurrying, she reached to Reflections - a most sparing motion.

The blade shimmered and reflected light of many animas flaring around her. She was ready to fight again.


Join Battle, hopefully stunted
[roll0]

[DukeGod]

Walking in the battlefield without any worries whatsoever Autarch focus his eyes on the enemy Deathknight's weapon. Looking at the shape did a little more than that however as he could see it down to it's most primordial form. He could see it's abilities, material and understand them. Maybe he would not be able to consciously use them without trying some insanity first but surely the man would have to use it's full power against them

He sighed. Doing that took some mental effort but the battle could be serious so he could use some extra help. Focusing his will he causes the reflection phenomenom once more and brings the same sword into the world. Differing from the original it had a more silvery color, the screams of the dead sealed were reversed, the sound backwards. His forehead begins to lit up, the crossed swords of Malfeas glowing

Join Battle [roll0] +4 Sux from Joy in Violece Approach(3m used + 1 from each buy of Wind-Born Stride)
Polished Blade is a Mirror used too, 6m 1wp. All coming straight from Peripheral, let's lit some anima
Temp. Willpower ●●●●● ●●●●
Personal:15/19 (0 Commited)
Peripheral: 32/42 (4 Commited)

[Ganurath]

"He's Ashes?" Keani glances at Satomi, then shrugs. Hammer Girl seemed to recognize him. He was one of the bad guy Abyssals, so she'd use lethal force. Wait, Abyssals could become good guys, maybe nonlethal? Is there time to talk about- Oh, he has an angry face. No time to talk.

Leaning forward and gripping her sword with both hands, Keani lunges forward, her hair billowing in the nonexistent wind behind her. There also seems to be a glint of light off the tip of her blade... How does she always angle it to refract? "Prism Charge!"

A singular attack to get the attention of the Abyssal, buying two free successes with the Hegra Excellency. Since I consider it highly unlikely that the above was a three die stunt, any stunt reward will go toward motes.

[roll0] +2 sux = 13 sux

[Guancyto]

Satomi's blade strikes with unerring accuracy, the green fire of Malfeas scorching the dematerialized ghosts who, until that moment, were quite certain that their quarry could neither see nor harm them. Two of them have the Godscorch Invective burn them to their cores; although they survive, the cause of Oblivion is not served by their destruction! They flee, while their compatriots bring their weapons into the material world briefly to strike at their assailant. Meanwhile the material ghosts rush Satomi as well, surrounding her on all sides and bringing their black iron blades to bear. One of them also strikes out at Autarch, his blazing just as obvious as the Malfefactor's.

Satomi! 2 dice and excellent hits, but you're a bit surrounded. 2 attacks of immaterial ghosts at accuracy 11, 3 attacks of war ghosts at accuracy 12. Choose/stunt defenses, and choose which of the five attacks is to be Unexpected.

Autarch, one attack from a war ghost at accuracy 12. Defend away!

"You!" Ashes watches a grand total of six probably-Chosen tumble into the tomb with zombies shambling in tow, and at last in his rage he also knows fear. The ashes billow around him and form into an invulnerable aegis as he deflects Keani's strike, but he knows his doom approaches. Especially considering...

"Good news, little girl," Boy takes the globe out of his ear. "The boss agrees he's expendable now. Have fun, Ashes." So saying, he vanishes from sight.

Seeing this final betrayal, Ashes gives a howl of fury and directs a mighty strike at the girl in front of him. "I may die, but I'm going to take all of you with me!"

Boy bugs out. Note that Perception won't do it, as he's dematerialized. Frigging Moonshadows.

Keani! A single attack at Accuracy 27. Declare defense/stunts.

And a high giggling erupts as the decayed ghost child peeks out from under the slumbering beast's corpus and begins to cast a spell. Seeing this, four of the armored corpses rush to it and defend it with a wall of blades.

A nephwrack appears! It takes a Shape Necromancy action; the four nemissaries move to Defend it.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Running)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Fighting)

[Ganurath]

"Hold on." Keani holds her blade up, catching the incoming attack in the corner made by the guard and the base of the blade. She looks at where the boy had been, then swats the blade aside as she moves adjacent to Ashes, looking behind him to see if he was hiding there. "Where'd the little boy go?"

Ashes being angry still isn't anywhere near as interesting as a little kid vanishing into thin air. Hegra is over the top, but she's also impulsive, and puts wants before needs. Spending 5m to add 10 dice to Keani's PDV, which is 6 after the attack's action penalty. If possible, I'll also make a reflexive Perception+Awareness roll with as many free dice as I can manage.

[roll0] + PDV 6
[roll1]

[AmberVael]

Satomi shifts to one side to slip away from the oncoming blows, but when the first attack lands, it passes through her, only paring aside black sand, which instantly reclaims its position in Satomi's body, making her whole once more. Each attack finds itself reacted to, and each success only finds black sand in its wake.

Satomi will make the unexpected attack be from one of the three material war ghosts, and will use her Dodge DV of 7 against the attacks. However, this likely won't matter, as she's pulling out the stops and activating the Soul-Sieve Transmutation upgrade of Sand Through Fingers, spending 5 motes and a willpower to dematerialize until her next action.

Picking up motes from that last Stunt as usual. Lets add a Willpower track to the summary.

Willpower: 7/10
Personal: 4/19
Peripheral 21/42

[DukeGod]

He barely didn't notice the warghost until he was seconds away of being attacked. Willing some power into his body he keeps walking, not moving any muscle to defend from the attack. The sound made was a distorted shriek. Not blade clashing against flesh or even metal but something else. Sparks come from the blade as it slides, completely ignored, and halts completely at the ribcage

"You are dead for a reason. Because you were too weak. Even if you lived countless eons as a mere ghost such weakness will never overcome me"

Smirking his eyes give out a quick glow and he roars. Flexing his abdomen, wind is pushed away and the force ignores the barrier of the worlds throwing both the ghost and its blade at a wall and to the wall. He takes his eyes back to his prey, Ashes

Ablation of Brass and Fire + stunt to recover some motes
Personal 15/19
Peripheral 28/42

[Guancyto]

Ashes' blade catches on Keani's own, and the magical girl distractedly throws the daiklave free. Where did the boy go?

The ghosts growl in frustration as their coordinated assault hits only sand. What good is it to be able to strike the material world from the immaterial when faced with an opponent that can choose whichever suits her at the moment?

Meanwhile the shade that attacked Autarch is forced to consider this idea, as his sword finds absolutely no purchase despite having struck full-on.

A die for Keani and Satomi, two for Autarch, and no one takes damage. Wunderbar. :3

Keani doesn't find anything! :itisamystery:

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Running)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Fighting)

[Lochar]

Still unarmored, Trinia smiles at Ashes. "Now, where were we last time, hmm?" She lines up with her hammer in front of him, a cheery grin on her face.

"Let's sing!"

And with a concentration of will, Trinia begins singing. And Swinging.

"One little," the swing comes across the side, probably startling the immaterial spirits as they feel the wind passing before crashing against Ashes left arm.

"Two little," Trinia continues to sing as she her hammer rebounds and she goes with the flow, dipping low and scraping the ground as she spins, bringing the hammer up and over, dropping it onto the Abyssal's upper portion of the body. She'd been aiming for his head, but with a hammerhead larger than his torso, it'd crush him regardless.

"Three little crushes!" The hammer bounced off of him, and while pulped, he probably still lived. This would likely fix that though. She allowed the hammer to come back, and drove it forward again, directly against his skull once more. This time, the strength of it would either turn him to goo, or drive his body into the ground like a spike.


So, Trinia activates Retributive Tsunami Force, and Ashes is a reviled character. So she can target him with all the hits.

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

Each hit is a dose of Kimbery's Depth poison. Damage: 7L/action, Toxicity 4, Tolerance None, Penalty -4

Essence:
Personal: 14/17
Peripheral: 16/44
Willpower: 7/8

Soak: 16L/20B (14L/16B armor) (9B/9L Hardness)

Dodge DV: 7 (6 in armor)
Parry DV: 5

-1 Penalty to DVs for attacks, +1 DV against Ashes due to Hate Springs Eternal.


Charms active: By Pain Reforged, By Agony Empowered

Anima effect: Active

-0 [X][X][X][X]
-1 [X][X]
-2 [X][X][X][\][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-X [ ]

[Lix Lorn]

A trail of essence, black and gold, ignites around Star's bow, as she lifts it into the air. Five black arrows form from nothing, hanging in the air, pointing themselves at five different targets. Star smiles widely, and in an instant she moves the bow to each arrow and looses it, sending the deadly missiles to tear into the stolen bodies of the nemissaries-and into Ashes, although he's unlikely to be alive by the time it strikes him.

ATTACKS ARE SPEED THREE THIS TICK. :smalltongue:
I used Withering Feathered Maelstrom, and spent five motes on arrows. Heya, anima effect! That wasn't long, was it?
Any stunt bonus will go towards whichever Nemissary I did worst on the third roll, that the dice have a chance of helping. xD
Doing 8L plus bonus successes.
[roll0] H---S
[roll1] -o---*
[roll2] l----*
[roll3] ----y---*
[roll4]...eh, Ashes is dead anyway. xD

[Guancyto]

Ashes underestimated Satomi. In their first encounter, he gravely underestimated Trinia. This time he's not going to take any chances. His anima flare billows up into the ceiling of the tomb, casting spectral images of broken weapons throughout the battlefield as he drives her hammer to his left side. He deflects the second strike up too high to reach him, and with the third swing he catches his blade on the hammerhead and flings it and Trinia alike over his shoulder. Trinia manages to land heavily on her feet and keep her hammer steady and ready.

Meanwhile Star lets five black arrows fly! The nemissaries' stolen bodies swing their swords to deflect the essence arrows, but each one pierces straight through its target and sticks into the slumbering beast behind them before dissipating. The corpses are not so easily felled as that, however; despite each one being wounded, each one still stands.

Ashes bats aside the arrow intended for him easily.

"You found me when I was weakened, little girl! This time you'll pay!"

2 dice for Trinia! She is parried, but it looks like it took a bunch of Essence to do. 1 die for Star and she sticks all four nemissaries.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Running)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts, Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Fighting), Trinia

Note that the dematerialized ghosts are going to keep running away, so the people who act on Tick 8 can go too. :3

[Volthawk]

Sorrows stays back, away from the fighting, while his zombies swarm Ashes, grabbing at him, keeping him down and handicapped in defending himself. Lucky that zombies get enhanced strength, he thinks, watching his minions.


Right, lead zombie's grapple attack, with 12 extra die, one from each of my other zombies, since they're all dogpiling Ashes: [roll0]

Then they'll use the Crush action, which deals piercing bludgeoning damage equal to 5+the number of remaining successes in the grapple attack.

[AmberVael]

Satomi whips her sword towards one of the immaterial ghosts, striking at it cleanly- but without the capability to hit it. However, as soon as is about to pass through it, green fire blazes along the sword, making it all too solid for her ghostly enemy- and possibly at a time too late for it to dodge.

Using Green Sun Nimbus Flare and a standard attack on one of the immaterials still nearby.
[roll0]
[11 Successes]

9L + Successes (+2L GSNF)


Willpower: 7/10
Personal: 3/19
Peripheral 21/42

[Guancyto]

The first and second dematerialized ghosts, terribly wounded by their brush with the Malefactor, continue to flee! They quickly pass through the door of the tomb and fade from view entirely.

The third is less fortunate than its fellows; the green fire of Malfeas commands that the barrier between material and immaterial fall for it, and the ghost shrieks and dissipates into wisps of essence as the blade slices it straight in half.

1 die to Satomi, and she kills her target!

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts, Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost, Trinia

I'll resolve the zombie attack at the same time as the rest of Tick 8.

[Ganurath]

Keani shrugged, not sure where she could further search for the little boy while a fight was going on. After all, Ashes was being dogpiled, the new girl was using Malfean fire to make ghosts explode, some necromancer ghost was casting a spell, and-

Wait, what?

Keani quickly departed from Ashes, hustling up to the caster. She wove so that she went between two defenders so that she was equally close to each. Hopefully, they'd bump heads right after she got past them. Well, not hopefully. She'd have to turn her back to watch, and that either meant missing out on something amusing or losing focus on-

Necromancer! Keani makes a sudden upward slash at the spellcaster with a reverse grip, not entirely sure how she came to the stance. She then took a step back, as a proper hero only got surrounded during their last stand. "I haven't fought whatever you are before, so I'll just attack until something works and make a name for the move later."

1m on 4 sux for a single attack.

[roll0] +4 sux = 14 sux

[Gargulec]

Elise stepped forward, towards Ashes and his war ghosts, and then again. Her caste mark opened into a wound again, blood dripping on polished surface of Reflection, painting the blade red. Shadows around her swirled, a spot of perfect darkness among green flames and her eyes shone gold again.

As she walked lightly between the surprised ghosts, her arm and blade did not even seem to move as she struck each of them, each swing delivering a vertical cut strong enough to cleave each of them in half, of which only trace was the screeching of air being split by Reflections.

Four steps, four strikes, not even a single wasted motion. And then, she found herself in front of Ashes.

Fifth step, and she drew Reflection backwards, stepping right next to him, as if she was just passing by.

And then, when she was just next to him, she twisted her arm and brought her daiklave into a powerful, quick swing, not even breaking her sixth and final step that brought her to his back.


Unfurling Iron Lotus on Ashes + War Ghosts +1WP on Temperance channel. Speed 5, DV -1. Base damage: 9L.

5 motes on reflexive activation of anima.

[roll0]

Pools: Motes 54, WP: 8

Parry DV: 12 (13-1)

[Guancyto]

Keani charges forward, daiklave flashing! The nemissaries do their best to strike her, stop her, slow her down even a little, but she tumbles through them with ease. She slices along the nephwrack's body, spraying bright rainbows that fill the tomb with even more light than before. At the edge of the rainbows, sparks fly as the starmetal sword shears against its hardened corpus.

The necromancer ghost... giggles insanely at this injury and continues casting.

Meanwhile Elise steps up and brings her silver sword flashing in all directions, her absolute calm letting her strike five unstoppable blows. The war ghosts, focused as they were on Satomi, barely even react to the nigh-invisible cutting edge of Reflections as it shears through them and each vanishes in turn. Satomi can see that they've been horribly wounded enough to be forced into an immaterial state and have started to retreat, but to the rest of the party it looks like they're just gone. The Swift Sword's hair waves in the wind created by the flows of Essence.

Meanwhile Ashes' anima flares totemic again as he is beaten back by both the silver sword and the massive wave of zombies. He grits his teeth, looking to his enemies and lashing out at them with blinding speed. The lead zombie falls, its head parted from its neck in the instant it tries to hit him.

Keani, 2 dice; you hit the nephwrack despite its bevy of defenders but it keeps on casting. The nemissaries attack you, but with the multiaction penalties for that and Defending and your Effortless Dominance they don't have the accuracy to hit you.

Elise, 2 dice, and all 4 war ghosts are driven to their last health level and immaterial. Trinia or Satomi can finish them off if they like, but they are for all intents and purposes out of the fight. Ashes is attacking you with a 27-die strike and a 23-die one. Declare defense/stunts away~

Trinia, Ashes is attacking you with a 24-die strike. Declare defense/stunts away~

Satomi, Ashes is attacking you with a 22-die strike. Declare defense/stunts away~

Sorrows, you lose a zombie as Ashes counterattacks. But y'know, more where that came from.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts (Dematerialized, Running), Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost, Trinia, Satomi
Tick 11: Sorrows
Tick 12: Ashes, Keani
Tick 13: Elise, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 14: Zombies

I'm assuming Sorrows is using a Guard action.

[Gargulec]

Without turning to face him, Elise jerked her arms upwards. Reflections cut through air and struck the side of Ashes blade lightly, but precisely enough to set it off from its course. The Deathknight's sword screeched right next to her hair, cutting a strand of hair, but not even scratching her.

'Amateurish' she whispered, not even twitching as strands of her hair floated before her face.

Still not looking, she swung her daiklave once again, hitting Ashes weapon squarely in the middle, this time with far more power, enough it reeling back. And it was only her arm that moved.

'Shortsighted' she added. 'A waste of my time and everyone else's.'


Claiming WP as stunt reward.
Single WP to up Parry DV to 13.

[Lochar]

Trinia blinks from where she'd landed, and smoothly steps to the side, the tide splitting and flowing around Ashes. What man can destroy the sea? Not this man, dead once and soon to be dead again. "As much as I hate to agree with Miss Emotionless, can you please at least attempt to make an effort at this?"

Though as she speaks, she finally, reluctantly, allows her armor to deploy if the blow still somehow manages to crash against her waving body, plates waving out from the guards. "I mean, this is about the time you ran away last time, and it was just me. And you don't have nearly enough minions to keep all of us occupied while you run in fear."


Taking motes from last stunt.

Current DDV: 7 (-1 due to attack, +1 due to Hate Springs Eternal)

Activating Bitter Hearts Unbleeding to add 2 to DDV innately for 3m, and spending 7m on First Kimbery to add to Dodge DV. All coming from Personal pool, just to yawn in his face.

Also, because of the fact that the armor deploys after he hits, if it does, Trinia doesn't take the Mobility penalty until the armor actually does kick out. If it doesn't kick out, I'll take back the three motes.

[roll0] = 6 successes. Setting my final DDV to 15.

Also, if he hits and deals lethal damage, he's going to take a counterattack of Kimbery's depth poison per Sea Within Veins Prana.

Essence:
Personal: 5/17
Peripheral: 16/44
Willpower: 7/8

Soak: 16L/20B (14L/16B armor) (9B/9L Hardness)

Dodge DV: 7 (6 in armor)
Parry DV: 5

-1 Penalty to DVs for attacks, +1 DV against Ashes due to Hate Springs Eternal.


Charms active: By Pain Reforged, By Agony Empowered

Anima effect: Active

-0 [X][X][X][X]
-1 [X][X]
-2 [X][X][X][\][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-X [ ]

[DukeGod]

His allies dealing with the Deathknight is quite the sight. Autarch understands that it was possibly a waste of time. He'd be dead before he could do anything serious probably. But the Necromancer is something else entirely. He begins jumping on zombies's heads and using them as small platforms

Upon being clsoe to the necromancer he takes a longer jump, ending by his side and ignoring the Nemissaries. With a quick motion he stabs the same in the back. He would pay for not paying attention

Attacking the Nephwrack!
[roll0]
Damage 8L+ ExtraSux
11 sux

[AmberVael]

Once again, Satomi merely shifts around her assailant, drifting with the blow as sand caught in the wind. Her expression doesn't change, her eyes silently scathing the man who dared attack her.

Just going to use Sand Through Fingers again. 3 motes.
Gained 2 from my last stunt, so I'm down to 2 personal left.

Willpower: 7/10
Personal: 2/19
Peripheral 21/42

[Lix Lorn]

Star brings up her bow again, pointing it at the nephrack trying to form a spell. Sorcery is dangerous; necromancy more so, and he has to be dealt with before he strikes.

Two arrows materialise in her bow, glowing with dark, frosty, power, and the string twangs as they speed towards the target, burying themselves into his eyes-one in each, vicious barbs cutting deep.

I think I hit totemic. When did that happen? XD
Making two attacks at the nephrack, spending 7 motes on excellency.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Guancyto]

Ashes' blade strikes only the air where Trinia had just been, and he growls in frustration as his assault on Satomi continues to only hit black sand. Whatever method he might normally have of bypassing her defenses, he can't use it and defend himself at the same time.

Elise brings Reflections up to defend and deflects his strike at her as well, a few strands of hair falling to the ground. The Dusk can feel a trickle of blood on her cheek where he has grazed it.

"If you insist," he says, and pulls a barely-visible string of essence stretching from Elise's graze to the tip of his blade. The scratch brims and bubbles with necrotic power. It burns straight past her skin, driving the wound down into her very core. It rips away a part of her before the feeling dissipates.

He seems dissatisfied with this result; why has the fury of the Neverborn not struck her for attacking him? And then in a single moment he realizes the depth of how deeply he has been betrayed. He begins to laugh. A bitter, black, mirthless laugh. He steps back, starting to retreat to the ritual circle before the slumbering spectral beast.

"Live or die, I will win here today."

Meanwhile Autarch skips over the heads of the zombies to assault the nephwrack! He too slips past the screening force of nemissaries, helped in no small part by two of Star's arrows causing two of them to fall prone and give up their possessors. He passes the necromancer ghost and stabs it in the back. He finds his sword ringing against its hardened corpus, but he still finds a weak point and pierces it cleanly.

Wounded but unimpressed, the mad ghost continues its spell.

EDIT: Had forgotten some important mobility penalties, plus that you have to start dashing when it's your turn. Wow, what a screw-up. Ashes will reach the ritual circle on the same Tick that he acts, Tick 12.

2 dice for Elise; there's some good news and some bad news and some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you don't take any damage. The bad news is that he hits you in the Essence. As a Crippling effect that will heal in 1 day, you lose 2 dots of permanent Essence; Charms that have a higher prereq than your new rating cannot be used, and you lose any motes in your pool that are in excess of your new maximum (which I don't think is any). Ow!

The other good news is that took a bleeding truckload of essence and willpower for him to pull off, so he's probably running close to empty. :3

Satomi, 1 die and you dodge.

Trinia, 2 dice and you dodge!

Autarch, 2 dice and you hit! But... still fail to disrupt the casting.

Star, 1 die and you would miss the nephwrack. I've taken the liberty of directing your arrows to the Nemissary-defenders for you; you kill two. I hope you don't mind. :smalltongue:

In future, I'll properly call out when enemies are using Defend actions; when you attack a Defended target, you all can tell me whether you'd prefer the attack to strike the defender or the ward.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts (Dematerialized, Running), Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost, Trinia, Satomi
Tick 11: Sorrows
Tick 12: Ashes, Keani
Tick 13: Elise, 2 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack), 2 Nemissaries (Ride-less and running), Autarch
Tick 14: Zombies
Tick 15: Star

[Lochar]

Trinia will take the motes.

Settling herself between Ashes and the circle he is going for, since that was where she got tossed to, she grins at him.

"You can't win, silly. We haven't finished singing yet!"

Cheerfully, her hammer goes back to swinging then, as she carves through his anima with it, attempting to turn him into mush on the ground.

"Four little, five little, six little crushes!" Trinia continues, her hammer going wide and in, chipping pieces of the floor as she pastes Ashes into it.


Again with Retributive Tsunami Force.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Essence:
Personal: 1/17
Peripheral: 16/44
Willpower: 6/8

Soak: 16L/20B (14L/16B armor) (9B/9L Hardness)

Dodge DV: 7 (6 in armor)
Parry DV: 5

-1 Penalty to DVs for attacks, +1 DV against Ashes due to Hate Springs Eternal.


Charms active: By Pain Reforged, By Agony Empowered

Anima effect: Active

-0 [X][X][X][X]
-1 [X][X]
-2 [X][X][X][\][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-X [ ]

[AmberVael]

Satomi's eyes narrow as she puts together the goal of Ashes. From his perspective, it was true, she supposed. But his perspective, as always, was flawed. He discounted so many possibilities, and the power of others.
She supposed she would have to demonstrate his failure to him once more.

As he lurches backwards clumsily in his armor, Satomi leaps overhead, darting past as swift as the wind, her sword raised high- and then it falls, the air shrieking in protest of her flickering blows as they strike. Not against Ashes, or his allies, but against the ritual circle.

"Your view is too narrow, Ashes."

I assume hitting the circle and damaging it would have some impact. So, that's what Satomi is going to do.

I'm hoping I can get there with just a Move, but she'll Dash if necessary.

I'm going to assume here that Dash is involved. She'll flurry the dash with two attacks against the circle, which I assume should probably do it. If one attack manages to obviously shatter it, she'll just do the one.

Athletics (if needed): [roll0]
Attack 1: [roll1]
Attack 2: [roll2]

9L + successes, as normal.

Willpower: 7/10
Personal: 4/19
Peripheral 21/42

[Guancyto]

Trinia's hammer smashes against Ashes' sword! He raises an invincible aegis against her assault once, twice... but with the third swing, the perfect deflection fades. Luckily he had battered her hammer about enough that he manages to turn it aside again, but his power is utterly depleted.

Adding insult injury, Satomi mars the ritual circle with all her might! She tears into the stone floor and breaks its bounds, cuts up its candles and flecks the bits of blood inside it up with every strike. She has little way of telling she's been successful in her aim... or would have little way, if it weren't for Ashes howling in fury at the sight of her wrecking it up and speaking no more. Although well-equipped, deprived of his Essence he is just a man, and a man driven to incoherent rage.

Seeing this and his fellow destroyed utterly by her previous attack, the last immaterial ghost starts fleeing to join its fellows.

Meanwhile the nephwrack finishes shaping the spell it was making and casts the outflow of essence straight at Autarch! Negative images of him play across his form; he feels his innards starting to move in directions they were never meant to go and if he doesn't do something about it soon he feels he'll be turned inside-out and torn apart.

Trinia, 2 dice; he perfects twice and finds that he really should have sprung for something other than a parry.

Satomi, 3 dice; there aren't many stunts that make me punch the air and that was one of them.

Autarch, you're being struck with a little ditty called Shattering Void Mirror. It is unblockable, undodgeable and does dice of raw damage equal to twice your remaining health levels, which ignores armor. In addition, it makes you lose motes equal to twice your permanent Essence. I'm hoping you're going to tell me you perfect this thing. :smalltongue:

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts (Ran Away), Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost (Running), Trinia, Satomi
Tick 11: Sorrows
Tick 12: Ashes, Keani
Tick 13: Elise, 2 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack), 2 Nemissaries (Ride-less and running), Autarch, Satomi, Dematerialized Ghost (Running)
Tick 14: Zombies, Trinia
Tick 15: Star

[DukeGod]

Taking his hands to his chest, and finding no way to defend himself against the Nephwrack's spell

But suddenly a genial idea comes to his mind. Driving Ashe's mirrored blade through his belly, he takes it up, opening a huge cut. Reaching for inside his body he grabs his heart, lungs, stomach, guts and rips all of them out crushing some and throwing whatever was left at the ground in a small blood stream

At the same time, he is surrounded by Malfea's green fire as it takes form. Swords and lances swirling around his body. In his visible innards, brass organs begin to function, untouched by the spell's effects. They beging to crack and flesh appears beneath as his own regenerate

Outwards at the same time. Several bones of his spinal cord spread out, and are too covered in flames and flesh. Draconian wings appear, and at the same time from his hips a long tail that too swirlis around, dancing with the swords

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHR"

Howling, voice resonating in weird pitches, the whole city seemed to howl along as if brothers to his power he prepares to strike down the montrous ghost...
Yeah. Ablation of Brass and Fire on the spell. 4m(that I recovered last round XD)
Oh well, anima at 14 spent, By Rage Recast kicks in, I chose Wings and Prehensile Tail, gonna put my mutation list on the OoC Thread, I totally forgot it
Personal: 15/19
Peripheral: 28/42 (4 commited)

[Volthawk]

Sorrows surveys the combat, before walking out the room. His zombies would just keep on fighting, and his defensive skills weren't that good, and the others seemed to be good enough fighters. No point needlessly endangering yourself.

[Guancyto]

In a gratuitous display truly befitting Malfeas, Autarch tears himself apart to keep from being torn apart. The nephwrack looks fascinated at this display, up until more or less the entirety of the Slayer's being grows back. Then it hisses in rage at having been thwarted so completely.

Or possibly a gratuitous display truly befitting Shirou. 3 dice, Autarch.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts (Ran Away), Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost (Running), Trinia, Satomi
Tick 11: Sorrows
Tick 12: Ashes, Keani
Tick 13: Elise, 2 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack), 2 Nemissaries (Ride-less and running), Autarch, Satomi, Dematerialized Ghost (Running)
Tick 14: Zombies, Trinia, Sorrows
Tick 15: Star, Nephwrack

[Ganurath]

"...That looks painful." The Rainbow Maiden wears a saddened expression for a moment before she glares angrily at the two nemissaries. Well, one at a time, as they were about ten degrees away from flanking her. "That wouldn't have happened if you'd stayed out of my way!"

"Rainbow Ring Cutter!" With a step back and a twist of the hips, the Rainbow Maiden is suddenly spinning on her toe, her blade angled outward just slightly. Then, as the spin reaches a peak in speed, she flicks the blade out to strike at the necromancer spirit's protectors. She then stomps her foot behind her, stopping so fast that her hair forms into a cyclone shape over her head. "...Dizzy. Fun, but dizzy."

Eight and nine dice on a two attack flurry against the nemissaries. Hopefully how that stunt qualifies for the Hegra Excellency goes without saying.

[roll0] = 11 sux
[roll1] = 13 sux

[Guancyto]

Keani spins, spins, spins for our sins. And also to strike down the two nemissaries, who fall with a bright outpouring of rainbows. The possessing spirits, deprived of their corpses, flee to the ceiling with all haste! The necromancer ghost is entirely defenseless.

Meanwhile Ashes is in a barely coherent rage to the point where he may well be no longer capable of speaking. He lashes out with all his might at the architect of his failure, at Satomi.

Keani, 2 dice and you take down the last two nemissaries.

Satomi! 3 attacks from Ashes of 24 dice, 23 dice and 22 dice.

Tick 4: Ashes, Keani, Satomi, All Ghosts
Tick 5: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy)
Tick 6: Star, Trinia
Tick 7: Satomi, 2 Dematerialized Ghosts (Ran Away)
Tick 8: Ashes, Keani, Elise, Zombies, Sorrows, 4 Nemissaries (Defending Nephwrack)
Tick 9: Autarch, 4 War Ghosts (Ran Away), Star
Tick 10: Nephwrack (Shape Necromancy Completes), Dematerialized Ghost (Running), Trinia, Satomi
Tick 11: Sorrows
Tick 12: Ashes, Keani
Tick 13: Elise, 4 Nemissaries (Ride-less and running), Autarch, Satomi, Dematerialized Ghost (Running)
Tick 14: Zombies, Trinia, Sorrows
Tick 15: Star, Nephwrack
Tick 16: Ashes, Keani

[AmberVael]

This time, Ashes does not meet the typical black sand. Instead, his sword is engulfed by a storm.

Essence rages outward from Satomi, lines of magical talent streaking through the chamber, tearing rifts along its surface; cracks open in the face of reality, dark green fissures that break all sense and coherency of the world. A surge of magic swirls around her like a fell wind, and his attacks are but a meaningless flail against the power unleashed. The answer to whether his feeble attempts succeed or fail is simply lost against the scope of Satomi's cold fury.
"Enough."
Her voice is commanding and terrifying, shivering through the glowing chasms that threaten to engulf him and Creation with it.
"Ashes, you cannot defy your failure any longer. It is time to face your end."

Reflected in her shadowed sword, Requiem, is the force she has unleashed. Her essence flickers and dances there, not as a simple flame, but as death itself, the ending and defeat she has demanded of the abyssal, manifested as void and crackling emerald energies. It is not a tool to end him, but the inevitable displayed at last a conclusion already wrought and waiting to take place; it lifts slowly and inexorably, an executioners blade.

Words once more whisper around him, but their chorus has changed. No longer do they tell him of his failure, of how worthless he is. Instead, cold judgment seeps from the essence, thin voices straining from the otherworldly fractures.
Nothing. You are nothing. No more.

Her eyes grim, mouth set, Satomi lets Requiem fall as the fractures converge on Ashes to rip him asunder.

Last stunt fits with her motivation, so Satomi is going to take the 1 xp for her reward.

To get around his attacks, she'll throw up Soul-Sieve Transmutation to dematerialize until her turn.

And then she's going to pour 11 motes into her first excellency and 3 motes into Green Sun Nimbus flare to bring her plan to culmination and overwhelm Ashes with one final blow. Her anima goes totemic.

Attack:
[roll0]
[16 successes]

Damage: 9L + Successes (+2L Green Sun Nimbus Flare)

Willpower: 6/10
Personal: 4/19
Peripheral 2/42

[DukeGod]

Autarch moved at blinding speed against the ghost. One of his hands was already on his throat stopping him from hissing any further. The only thing allowed for such were true monsters and he was not going to be one of them. He was going to be a bastard to be pitied!

With a bloodlusting smile, holding tight to Ashe's blade he begins to windly swing it, with no direction or aim. Such furious speed and power was enough by itself however and skill had became meaningless. Each blow was as strong as if he aimed it carefully. The blade strikes countless times. Ripping flesh and drawing ghostly blood. Some of the blood he quickly collects by merely drinking and licking his lips. The rest stains his already stained longcoat, mixes with his own in the injury that was almost closed

Running at the same time, he crashes along with the ghost at a nearby wall and restlessly continues his attack, his sword seeking the enemy another two dozens of times or so. New green fire blades and lances being born to the world with each slash. The entire battlefield seemed to be covered by them now
Self as Cyclone Stance + stunt(die goes to the lowest-success attackfirst attack)+move action slamming us into a wall
Oh, taking the 1xp Reward
And my anima reached totemic...
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
8L+ extra sux damage. Each (+9 motes drained...)
6,14,6 sux
Personal:15/19
Peripheral:24/42 (4 Commited)

Willpower: ●●●●● ●●●

[Gargulec]

The Neverborn stirred as Satomi's blade broke through Ashes defences and impaled him, spraying warm blood over the tomb and feeling it with its characteristic, sweet scent. Of course - it would not not kill the abyssal outright. But it was the first step. And Neverborn wanted the failed Abyssal's soul.

Elise listened to the cacophony calmly walking towards the abyssal and Satomi, observing the violence without an expression on her face - as always. Her anima swirled and raged around her.

'Allow me' she whispered when she found herself standing next the infernal. Grabbing impaled abyssal by the throat, she ripped him out of Satomi's blade, spraying even more of his blood everywhere.

With a strength denying her lithe frame, she raised him into the air and crashed him headlong in a nearby pillar with enough power to make the stones crack. Then, slowly, she reversed the grip on her daiklave and with her anima blazing totemic behind her, making a terrifying beast woven of shadows appear behind her back she proceeded to smash Reflection's pommel into his face, again and again until he went completely limp. She could feel the disappointment of the Neverborn when they realized that she is not going to kill him despite all that.

'Have him now' she uttered, throwing him to Satomi's feet.


Okay, I hope (though the hope is most likely futile) that this post does not upset anyone, does not make anyone's moment of awesome less awesome and so on.

Claiming WP as the reward for last stunt.

Singe tick of Guard action.

Time Scything Technique against Ashes, all blows are pulled. 5m, 1WP.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]


Pools: Motes 29, WP: 7

[Guancyto]

Satomi skewers Ashes, rips him asunder as Mirage tears his armored plates from him and lacerate his vulnerable flesh. The plates clatter against the floor. He staggers but even still, even though all of this he stands, but barely. The light in his eyes begins to dim as Satomi skewers him the final time. As his enemies' animas rage, his begins to sputter and to whimper as though recognizing the executioner that the deathknight himself does not.

This final show of defiance is for naught, however, as Elise strides forward. She grabs him. Smashes him against a wall. Batters him again and again and again until her hands and hilt are bloody with the shattered remains of his head. Even through all this he survives, though more thanks to the Swift Sword's restraint than anything else.

And so a skewered, sliced, battered and crushed man lands in a pile of soulsteel armor scraps at Satomi's feet. One could call his breathing shallow, if it could be described as breathing. His anima dies down entirely, the magic of his Exaltation already seeming to have deserted him as he awaits the true execution.

Meanwhile Autarch perforates the vulnerable nephwrack repeatedly. Deprived of its defenders and caught in the grasp of a Slayer it seems almost fragile, the blades ringing against its corpus, every slice widening the gap, every slash building on another until the ghost is driven to its natural state, the strain of keeping such a damaged body material finally being too much for it. Like the rest of the spirits that came to this place, it breaks and runs.

Satomi gets 2 dice and brings Ashes really close to death; Elise gets 2 dice and pushes him down the stairs down to incap with bashing damage, then down again with rollover straight into death. The Neverborn consider this outcome sufficiently hilarious that she doesn't suffer Resonance. then Gargulec reminds me that pulled blows don't roll over unless you want them to. Curse you, page 3! Elise, roll Resonance.

Meanwhile Autarch gets 2 dice also, and drives the Nephwrack to its last health level and dematerialized. The two of you capable of hitting immaterial targets can take a swing at it before it gets away; Trinia gets a -2 external penalty due to not being able to see it, but with wound penalties and all that's not likely to matter much.

Combat time over! Well done, everyone. :3

[Volthawk]

Seeing combat is over, Sorrows walks back into the room, gesturing his zombies to fall in around him. He then walks over to Ashes, and bends down to check on him. Seeing that he survived, one of his zombies walks over and picks him up. Sorrows then walks over to the hekatonkhire.

[Lochar]

As Ashes lays there, near death, Trinia smiles. It is not a nice smile, in fact it is downright sadistic.

"I'm not done singing yet, Ashes." She singsongs, and raises her hammer again, anima flaring.

And then her smile changes to sickeningly sweet, as the hammer falls.

"Seven little, eight little, nine little crushes!" Three hammerfalls come down, the first shattering his right arm, the second his left, and the third break both legs at once, leaving his extremities as mangled flesh.

"And the tenth little crush for you!" And she swings her hammer hard, hitting empty air, but Misty Crusher catching the ethereal nephwrack anyways.

"Broken like he is now, he's actually a drain on the Deathlords. They don't get his Exaltation back until we actually kill him." She giggles.


Yeah, it'd technically be two sets of attacks. Trinia destroys his limbs, specifically choosing to inflict Crippling injuries instead of killing him. This she uses her Extra Action charm for.

And then her next attack goes for wherever the nephwrack should be, roughly, 4 ticks later.

[roll0]

[Volthawk]

Noticing Trinia maiming Ashes, Sorrows sighs. "Why did you have to do that? Working with crippled limbs isn't very efficient. Less performance."

[AmberVael]

As soon as the Nephwrack turns to flee, Satomi is there, eyes cold and unforgiving. She says nothing, merely meeting his movement with a raised sword that flickers with the last remnants of her green fire, allowing him to impale himself upon it before he can turn away.

The action was another drain on her already weakened power, but there was no other option for her to take. She had already erred enough in allowing the other minions to escape.

"I should not allow him to live either."
She says of Ashes, moving towards him.
"But I suppose I have more pressing concerns."
Her eyes flick across the assembled group warily. She doesn't ask for an explanation, but its obvious that she's trying to find one.

Satomi will attack the fleeing nephwrack, spending 3 motes on GSNF so she can hit him...

[roll0]
9L + Successes + GSNF (2L)

Taking the willpower from that last stunt.

Willpower: 7/10
Personal: 3/19
Peripheral 0/42

[Lochar]

"It's best to work with people you don't like by making sure you leave them maimed and broken, so that if they get away they know it was because you let them?

Trinia scratches her head. "At least, that's what Auntie says."

[Volthawk]

"Right, your 'family'." Sorrows doesn't seem to have as much interest though, focusing on the hekatonkhire.

Intelligence+Lore/Occult (not sure which, but they're both rated 5): [roll0].

[Guancyto]

The combined strikes of Trinia and Satomi are more than enough to tear the dematerialized nephwrack apart. It gives an unearthly shriek as its corpus is rent for the last time.

The hekatonkhire continues to slumber, passing the ages in torpor, though it does not breathe. It looks to be some sort of large, mutilated beast of war but it doesn't seem to resemble any existing species. An old behemoth, perhaps?

Okay! Combat properly over. Also, Ashes is very very unconscious.

[Gargulec]

As the hammer crippled Ashes, Elise face started to show traces of disgust. What she did was certainly painful for the abyssl, but Trinia's action was just pointless cruelty. An act of someone in power towards someone defenceless, an act simply hideous. Fitting for a champion of Malefas.

But she did not move to stop the deed from happening - it would be dangerous to incite yet another conflict between Exalts here. And she felt weakened by Ashes blow too, sure that she could not keep up with the Infernal in her current state.

She observed in silence as Satomi delivered her last few words to her former opponent, considering her options.

And then she decided. Abyssal or not. Monster or not. Ashes was human, was living - probably thanks to her deed - and was suffering above what he should suffer. Elise sighed. There was things that every honourable person should do. And letting other suffer - and not doing a thing - was definitely not one of them.

Wrapping up the sleeves of her robe, she crouched by broken abyssal's form. She herself had no knowledge of medicine, of art of easing pain. But she knew someone that knew everything about that, because he was among the ones that created life in the first place. Of course, he was dead, for a more than an era now. But that did not stop him from whispering.

Elise drew a deep breath, concentrated and thrust her conciousness into the endless see of Neverborn's babbling. Somewhere among them, there was one who once healed Ashes body, when bestowing his miracle upon the then mortal. One that knew about his body in perfect detail.

For the others, it would appear that Elise entered some sort of trance, her hands blurred as she moved them over Ashes, tending his wounds. For her, it was a haze of soul-breaking pain as the dead Titain whose knowledge and skill she channelled to spare pain returned said pain to her threefold. She felt as if her entire body was burning, turning inside out, but she knew that she had to carry on. She could deal with pain. She knew how to conceal it. And even as she was not aware of her own body's movement, her dexterous hands tended the wounds of the abyssal as much as they could given the lack of any sorts of equipment here.

Finally, she was done, collapsing on the floor next to her opponent from mere seconds ago, panting heavily and understanding that in fact, she is yet to pay the price for the terrible offence to the Neverborn she has just done.


Elise softer side showing! I have a pretty good justification for this action, so it should not be OOC. I did not include it, because there is only so much angst a post can handle.

Claiming WP as the stunt reward.

Action is Intelligence + Medicine + Channelled Compassion check to tend Ashes wounds, help him somehow. Medicine rating of 5 is gained via whispers.

[roll0]

Sin of life aside, Elise gets one resonance for using Flawed Virtue.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows stops his examinations of the hekatonkhire to watch Elise. Once she stops, he walks over and stoops down next to her, and says quietly "You didn't need to channel the Neverborn, you know. I do have medical skills, remember." He then quietly chuckles, and keeps on talking. "It's weird. We're the ones meant to bring death and destruction to the world, yet they're the ones intent on killing."

[Lix Lorn]

"They don't have anything to prove." says Star, coming over and speaking softly in a rare moment of philosophy.

[Lochar]

As Elise began working on Ashes, Trinia crouched down, her hammer set to the side for a moment. She tilted her head and watched, nodding. "Keeping him alive?" Shes asks, already seeing the answer.

She thinks for a second. "Umm, if he has any love for the Deathlords and stuff, I can poison him against them?" She offers.

Trinia smiles at Sorrows. "I'm intent on killing anything loyal to the Deathlords. You guys said you're not loyal, so I'm not trying to kill you, am I?"

[AmberVael]

"You shouldn't waste yourself on him."
Satomi says to Elise- Satomi is, after all, standing over Ashes with a drawn sword after having expressed a desire to end his life, or what little of it he has left.
"I doubt he'll live long after this incident, even if for some reason beyond my current understanding, he is spared now."

Her grip on her sword tightens as they simply discuss among themselves.
"Now, who are you, and why have you come here?"
She looks towards Trinia.
"I have heard of you, at least, but only of your assault against Ashes."

[Gargulec]

'He is my responsibility, Sorrows' Elise retorted, trying to get steady. 'I chose to keep him alive thus I am the one to pay for it.'

She then turned to Trinia. She hesitates for a moment - both at accepting her offer and her person, but she quickly breaks through such petty mistrust.

'I would be glad if you would do so' she says. 'If what we did is to have any meaning, we have to turn him from Deathlords.'

She did not reply to Sorrow's musing over the nature of deathknights. She was still looking for her answer in that field.

[Lochar]

Trinia falls back onto her butt with a slight "oomph!" before looking up at Satomi. "I'm Trinia! Are you a runaway from grandpa too, like Mr. Crazy Swords is?" She waves a hand in Autarch's direction.

At Elise's comment, Trinia smiles brightly. "Alright. Though he's probably going to hate everything he used to like, 'cause I can't pick what things he has good feelings for that will go bad."

Focusing for a moment, the tip of Trinia's finger gains wierd green swirls, before she places it against Ashes forehead, the poison sinking in.


Spiteful Sea Tincture, modified by Great Mother's Tears to change the poison to a soul-twisting poison, to invert his positive Intimacies to negative ones, one at a time until the poison wears off, he runs out of positive Intimacies, or he resists by paying out willpower. Ashes gets to choose which Intimacies change first.

[Volthawk]

Sorrows stands up himself, and faces Satomi. "I would ask the same of you. After all, we're the ones with the numbers." He then walks back to the hekatonkhire, facing it, not looking at the others. "As for converting him...well, unless you can do it unnaturally, you might have a problem. You see, some people, well, like working for the deathlords. You see, they have power. Mortals crave power. Whether its access to armies of undead to lead, arrays of artefacts, knowledge, magic, just plain having things to kill...they enjoy it. Of course, it could all hinge on a single moment. Just something to change their mind. A realisation that being a bringer of death is wrong for them. Feelings of betrayal. That kind of thing. Here...I don't know if he's had that push. That is, if he's loyalist. If not...then, it all depends on him."

[Gargulec]

'And some where never beholden to them in the first place' added Elise to Sorrow's speech.

[DukeGod]

Once his new enemy has gone down Autarch moves back towards the others. His eyes only now notice the hekatonkhire...it was quite amazing...

Approaching Satomi he lets that fade from his mind though. More important things were at hand

"Rebels, m'lady" he talks to Satomi as he approaches. He holds onto Ashes's sword for now, not letting it leave the world even if it soon would. There was something he wanted to do first. End the talk quickly then!

"Me, Happy Hammer, and Rainbow Girl over there rebelled from the Yozi.The others from the Deathlords. Judging from the tattoo in your body, that I recognize as Demon Blood Ink and the fact you were against enemy ours I would believe so are you. My name is rather long but you call me Autarch for short.Now with your pardon there is something I must do quickly"

Leaving he approaches the hekatonkhire. There was something he wanted to know about it after he was done. But first he focuses his will on the blade at his hands. Not to save it into his memory,yet aniways. But to find out how it worked. Feeling the Essence flow and how it was made he begins to analyze and seek it's hidden powers
Awesome, getting back willpower
And I wanna know what the damn sword does. As agreed on AIM XD

[AmberVael]

"I am the one whose activities you ran straight into and joined without a second thought."
Satomi reminds Sorrows .
"Your assistance was timely, but nonetheless, you are the outsiders here."

"However, as it will simplify matters... I am Satomi. I am a former agent of Malfeas..."
She says, looking to Trinia, then Autarch and Keani before moving on.
"But I have parted ways with them. For now, you may consider me an agent of Creation... in particular, a shield against the threats of the underworld.
"And therefore, I am wondering why I should leave this man alive."

[Gargulec]

'Call me Swift Sword. Or Agape, if you find that pretentious' introduced herself Elise, not giving out her real name - there was no need for anyone but her to know it now.

'And I keeping him alive because everyone deserves to be alive. And to be given a chance to seek absolution' she stated coldly.

[Guancyto]

Autarch finds his meditation on the sword to be... unsettling. It is a power directly opposed to that of the maimed Primordials, and one he will probably never wield properly, if at all.

Nevertheless, there are uses for it...

Speaking of, loot! Enjoy the following:
-Soulsteel Articulated Plate, could use a bit of repair after Satomi, Elise and Trinia have smashed it up.
-Meditation Upon the Lesson of Blood, a soulsteel reaper daiklave. If the attuned wielder has the spell Raising the Skeletal Horde, he can make his zombies from that spell permanent for a 1m commitment each in place of the 1wp per 5 commitment, and can mix and match these commitments as he likes. Inset with a Stone of the Earthweb, which naturally only functions for Ashes at the moment.

[Lochar]

Trinia sticks her tongue out at Autarch. "Don't worry Autarch, grandpa still loves me."

Standing up, Trinia goes to look at the hekatonkhires that Ashes had wanted to bring back to life. Looking between it and Autarch, she questions him. "Is it smushable, or do we leave it alone and come back?"

[DukeGod]

"Swift Blades says she wants to keep him so...I guess you let him live. He's gonna be your new plaything maybe. You even get to teach him how to sit, roll over and play dead :smallsmile:

Throwing the sword away and letting it shatter into silver dust, he wipes it out of his mind. The damn thing was useless for him...
Going to the necromancer he makes the question that was in his mind for a long time

"Can you awake them? Under our control preferiantially?"

[AmberVael]

"Don't be naive."
Satomi's voice is surprisingly soft for her words, but her expression is stern.
"He made his choice when he chose to serve the underworld. He affirmed that choice when he ran to plot anew after being ruined. He proved his guilt when he attempted to sacrifice me to achieve his ends. He stood by his hate even when it would mean his own death.
"This man does not desire redemption- and twisting his will with powers is only a mockery of such."

She steps back from Ashes, sheathing her sword.
"If you still hold to such a desire, I will give you no more hindrance, so long as he does not become a danger. But do not be surprised if you fail."

With this, she turns to the two examining the hekatonkhire.
"Do not speak of controlling such a thing. It is more powerful than the likes of us, and it is far from benevolent."
She says in a warning tone.

[Ganurath]

While the others talked about what to do with Ashes, Rainbow Maiden quickly made a swift exit! They'd appreciate her contributions, in time, but until then she needed to avoid dropping her heroic demeanor around them. She couldn't trust strangers with her secret identity, after all.

Once she was around the bend, Rainbow Maiden underwent the transformation back to the mild-mannered appearance she had worn when she initially addressed the monk preaching in Sijan. Once she was properly shifted, Keani hesitantly walked back into the room. It probably seemed a little odd that a mortal would just wander in right after the incredible Rainbow Maiden vanished, but they didn't seem to be paying attention to her anyhow. She was just lucky that ducking around a corner and rapidly shifting was all it took to protect her secret identity.

Stealth to sneak out, Larceny to disguise as mild-mannered Keani. Three sux with Stealth from the Excellency, while the disguise has to settle for a sux and a die.

[roll0] +3 sux = 6 sux
[roll1] +1 sux = 7 sux

[Guancyto]

Thanks to his staggering command of intelligence, occultism and necromancy, Sorrows can determine that he would probably be able to create a spell capable of awakening the beast; it would almost certainly be a Labyrinth-Circle working. Or perhaps he could devise something deriving from his necromantic repair Charms to heal its mutilated corpus, which might also work (assuming it hasn't always been this way). Or possibly hijacking the method that Ashes was trying, to ritually feed it large quantities of blood, flesh and Essence to allow it to do this itself. Many avenues present themselves.

Controlling it is quite another matter, however. Any means of binding such direct progeny of the Neverborn to his will and subsuming its own nature would be a Circle beyond what he is capable of. And even if he were initiated into the Circle below the Labyrinth, the attempt would probably be difficult, dangerous and unpredictable. What the captive deathknight had planned for this is anyone's guess.

[Gargulec]

"Don't be naive."
Satomi's voice is surprisingly soft for her words, but her expression is stern.
"He made his choice when he chose to serve the underworld. He affirmed that choice when he ran to plot anew after being ruined. He proved his guilt when he attempted to sacrifice me to achieve his ends. He stood by his hate even when it would mean his own death.
"This man does not desire redemption- and twisting his will with powers is only a mockery of such."


Elise sighed.

'Don't misunderstand' she retorted quietly. 'I know where my deed leads and what it begets.'

She glanced at Reflections, as if the sight of the blade brought back old memories.

'I knew a dynast once, a glorious hero that bested a vicious abyssal in combat - and then did not deliver a finishing blow. Three months passed, and the abyssal returned, mortally wounded her, and before she breathed her last, he also took care to murder her ward - a girl for whom she cared more than anyone. And that ward was me. Rest, you can probably imagine yourself. Besides, have not I made my choice upon that day? Death over live, destruction over creation? Have not I become known as a mad monster? Have not I proven my guilt when I revelled in slaughter, with no remorse, no regret?'

A faint smile appeared lit up her face.

'I am not doing it because I hope that it will work. It most likely won't, and most likely I will have to fight him again someday, this time the combat being final. Who knows, maybe my end will mimic Asoka's, and I'll die from his hand.'

She closed her eyes - she has not talked so much for a few weeks.

'I am doing it because it is something to believe in.'

[Volthawk]

"Besides, I want him alive. He's got some explaining to do."

[Volthawk]

"Well. I have ways of awakening it. I could devise a necromantic spell to do it - probably a variation on Onyx Reanimation, I think. I also have Charms that mend undead flesh, and those might work, but if the hekatonkhire was always maimed like this, it might not work. Also, we could finish the ritual you see here. Giving it flesh, blood and Essence to get it to get up itself. However, that isn't the problem. The problem is controlling it. You see, the necromancy needed to do that would be an Obsidian Circle spell. I haven't got that amount of mastery over the magic. Yet."

[AmberVael]

Satomi quietly listens to Elise, but makes no further comment. Apparently, she's said all she has to say on the matter. Instead, she keeps her attention on the discussion on the hekatonkhire.

"There is more to be lost than gained by dealing with it. Leave it be."
With this, Satomi takes a seat and places her sword across her lap, pausing to meditate.
"I am going to wait here before moving on. I advise you do the same, so that you do not attract undue attention. Then, I assume we will go on our ways."

[DukeGod]

"A new cute companion. Nice :smallbiggrin:"

Lying down in the ground, he hears Sorrows making his explanation(I gonna delete the last post . I wasn't aware the damn things were ghosts not zombies)

"Guess that's a no...Damn. Oh well, I guess I'll just rest. Not that I really have to but...nothing better to do.Oh right, you should pick Ashes's sword necromancer it got some pretty cool powers for you"

Putting the hands on the back of the head, and using them as some kind of pillow Autarch stares at the sky. He believed the city of Sijan to be a worst place than it truly was

[Ganurath]

Keani examined the organs on the ground. Many Titles Man seemed like he was doing fine, but he came across as a rough and tough type. There was a possibility he was just acting fine to look like a badass. Scratching the back of her head nervously, she looked up at him with an expression of curious concern. "Umm... Is that you're lung? I'm pretty sure that needs to stay on the inside."

[Lochar]

Trinia pouts at Elise. "Aww, but Swift Blade, I couldn't have found Ashes without help, and you all made smushing him easier!"

She lifts her hammer up, grinning like a loon. "We should travel together, and beat up more of the loyal Abyssals. Right?"

[Gargulec]

Elise shrugged, a silent way to say "maybe".

[AmberVael]

"I will continue to fight against the underworld no matter what the rest of you choose to do."
Satomi says simply.
"If you choose to do the same, however, we might be able to cooperate."
Her eyes follow Keani curiously, narrowing a little...

Perception + Awareness
[roll0]

[Guancyto]

Just a mere mortal that happens to be hanging around deep underground in a formerly sealed tomb. Nothing unusual about that, right?

Still, beyond that, no one seems to be coming after them.

Where to now, guys?

[DukeGod]

"I'm not sure kid. I crushed them pretty good and the blood made the whole thing a mess...don't worry. They were too weak to resist the spell slinged at me so I obviously had to get rid of them. Can't have weak stuff on you. Got new ones now :smallcool:"

Without turning to Satomi he speaks still looking at the ceiling/sky

"Oh sure. Let's fight the Underworld. Sorta goes with part of my motivations. Or maybe not. They are confusing. Certainly goes with one!"

[Ganurath]

"That's good." Keani looks toward where Ashes fell, crossing her arms and rubbing her triceps in a rather insecure looking gesture. After a glance toward the exit, she eyes over the others. "Any objection to going upstairs? This place is kinda creepy, and more bad guys may show up."

[Volthawk]

Sorrows reaches into a pack, pulling out a couple of sacks and packs, which some of his zombies take and start to pack the body parts into, with another slinging Ashes over its shoulder. He still faces the hekatonkhire, putting a clawed hand of bone onto it. "Shame it's so big...not like we can get it out...still, I'd like to know more about them..."

[AmberVael]

"Do you know a safe way up which won't risk our being seen?"
Satomi asks Keani, her anima blazing all over the place pretty obviously given the amount of power she let off.
"Furthermore, who are you?"

[Gargulec]

Hearing Keani's words, Elise turned her eyes to her, still sitting on the floor, legs crossed. Her eyes narrowed, as she observed the newcoming mortal - whose movement seemed strangely familiar. However, thanks to Satomi, she did not have to open her mouth again, and she was glad. Bad things happened - to her, at times - when she tried to explain her actions.

[Ganurath]

"Probably the way you came down. As for me..." Keani glanced down, not so much shameful as embarassed at the attention. "I'm Keani. I came from around the corner, over there. Not the same corner Rainbow Maiden vanished behind, though! She left going the way she came. I think it was the way she came, anyway. She seemed very confident in it, but then she's confident in pretty much everything, so maybe she just went exploring instead of securing an exit..."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Keani shook her head vigorously and snapped out of her thought process. "Where was I? Oh, yeah... I'm Keani. Who're you?"

Would any of the other Infernals be able to recognize Keani from their respective times as loyalists? Probably not seeing through her awesome and foolproof disguise, but recognizing her name?

[AmberVael]

"I doubt the way I came in would get me out unseen."
Satomi says, frowning a little.
"I am Satomi. I've been working against the underworld, and was drawn here when I heard rumors of Ashes."
She stands, picking up her sheathed sword as she does so.
"If you could show me a more discreet route out, I would appreciate it."

[Lochar]

Trinia looks over at the newcomer, smiling thinly. She recognized the name alright, though the girl looked nothing like the one she remembered.

But with the amount of magics available to the Infernals, it wouldn't be a surprise if this was the same girl.

Still, it wasn't a huge issue if she wished to play at hiding, if this was indeed the Keani she recalled. Standing, Trinia waved at her, playing along. Or not, if this wasn't the same Keani. "I'm Trinia, of course." A grin there, seeing if she could spark a memory back.

"These are our friends." She pauses, looking at Elise, before nodding. "Well, except the big sleeping dead looking thing. We're still trying to decide what we're going to do with him."

[AmberVael]

Seeing that Keani apparently does not have an immediate answer, Satomi speaks up again.
"I've heard of a passage that leads from this outer ring into the Black Chase. Few people dare venture into the forest, but it would be relatively safe for our kind... and perhaps essential for others of us."
She says, her eyes flickering warily over the few Abyssals.
"I believe I can find our way out without being seen. Follow me."

She turns and heads from the room, slipping through the door and out into the quiet tombs of Sijan once more, assuming the others will follow her. If not, well, they'll be left behind. After all, she is quite willing to operate on her own.

From the rumors and whispers she had heard, Satomi knew that some ghosts and spirits of the underworld used the passage- if she could find one who used it, then she would be able to lead the way out.

Satomi is going to find some tracks of a ghost or other such entity heading to the shadowlands, and find the passage that way.
[roll0] + 3 successes

[Volthawk]

"But what are we going to do with the hekatonkhire? If we leave it here, others like Ashes may find it. And they might succeed. Would put a dampener on your plans of saving Creation." Sorrows thinks for a few seconds, before half his zombies arrange themselves around the hekatonkhire. "Well, at least it will have some protection now. Besides, what about the mortal?"

[AmberVael]

"I am sure she will be fine in our company. And I find it all too likely that our interference with the creature would wake it or cause some other terror. It has slept here for years untouched, it can continue to sleep. Should it truly worry you, we will return when we have rested and regained our powers and seek to bring it to rest."

With that, Satomi will leave, with or without the others.

No offense, but we're stalling right now. Sorrows has some good points, but we need to do something decisively if this game is going to move forward.

Besides, killing the Hek isn't something all that important, if it can really be killed in its sleep. We can montage it during down time. If it isn't that easy, we can montage researching how to do it, and then make it the next plot point.

[Volthawk]

"I guess so. Still, now I have some zombies guarding it, I feel a bit more at ease leaving it here."

Yeah, that was why I was just leaving the zombies there. We'll know if it starts to be tinkered with since they'll have to deal with the zombies, and I'd notice the lack of control.

[Guancyto]

Thanks to her magical perceptions, Satomi is able to pick up the trail of some ghosts! The immaterial has threads of silvery essence and drippings from wounded corpus in the air; these are the ghosts that had fled from their battle. They lead up and to the North, eventually leading to a hidden passage the likes of which she had been told about.

Of course, it could be a trap, but it seems like it would lead where she wants to go.

[Lochar]

"Yay, let's go!" Trinia giggles, snatching up her hammer and swinging it back over her shoulders. "I really need a way to hide this." She says to herself, as she follows Satomi out.

[AmberVael]

If it was a trap set by the ghosts she had sent fleeing, Satomi did not feel she had any reason to be afraid. She will open the hidden passage and lead the way through it without hesitation, though she will (as usual) remain wary and cautious.

[Gargulec]

After a moment of hesitation, Elise clung her blade to her back. Overcoming soreness and sense of exhaustion - no doubt a side effect of Ashe's strike, she followed Trinia and Satomi out.

'Wait' she whispered, putting her hand over Trinia's arm. 'Guard Ashes while I regain my strength, please. I cannot bring him to the shadowland with us, abyssals.'

She waited for a moment for answer, and upon hearing it, finally headed outside. Of course, under normal circumstances, she would not entrust Trinia with anything, but now, she had to put him somewhere while she rests, and the Rainbow Maiden disappeared, sadly.

[DukeGod]

"Okay then!"

Rising suddenly, he stands in the air for some time supporting his weight in his hands and then actually stands up. Messing with his hair a little bit Autarch looks around. Upon his eyes touching Keani he does his usual. Gets detailed data on her. She looks awfully familiar. Her curves were amazing that was a fact that he took for granted and similar to...Rainbown Girl's? He didn't really get a good look at the latter but he was certain of that. And last time he heard her name he was pretty sure it was the same too...

Autarch is more intelligent than he let's show. He couldn't compare to any so called "genius" but he could get quite close. Adding two plus two of her features he reaches the conclusion that she was hiding as a mortal. Good idea. She did look one after all. He on the other hand had way too many monstrous features to even think about that. Since it was small matter and one's decision was quite valuable to him, he just hides the fact in his mind and winks at the girl trying to say "I know who you are but your secret is safe with me". Probably failing considering his previous attitude...

Taking a small run to catch up. He wanders into the passage completely careless...

[Lochar]

Trinia looks at Elise, and then looks to the rather large hammer she's carrying, and then to Ashes, who is taller than her.

Shrugging, she sets the hammer down for a moment and then pulls Ashes' limp body over the head. Lifting it carefully, she keeps him balanced on the hammer head, his body shrouded in the mists that flow off of it. "He falls, not my fault, k?" Trinia says as she gently sets the hammer back across her shoulders.

[Ganurath]

Keani noticed the wink, and was confused by it. Before she could sort out the possible reasons, though, she realized she was rapidly being left behind. She quickly ran after, figuring that she should at least keep pace with Many Titles Man. He seemed to like her mortal identity, and that would be enough reason for her to tag along while blending in. Well, a little behind him. A mortal outpacing an Exalt might compromise her totally awesome disguise.