The Dawn Will Come IC

[Guancyto]

Palanquin was a city of pagodas and shrines, a city of art and philosophy, a place of culture and imagination, a wonderful place to spend a vacation so long as nobody thought too hard about where the food came from or where the sewage went.

It was, however, a less pleasant place to be besieged by a hostile army, particularly when said hostile army already had control of much of the all-important docks, complete control of one of the giants holding up the Palanquin, and a healthy advantage over the strength of men and steel.

The faeries had come for their trophy, and much blood would be spilled to deny it to them.

The Tannhauser Gate groaned under the strain of the great warbeast that was ramming into it, a mighty auroch that had been shrunk by wyld magics until it was of a size that could actually navigate the paths from the docks to the Palanquin. It was the size of a small house now, however, with a fae cataphract cutting a dashing pose on top of it and gesturing with his sword each time it brought its immense skull against the gate. For the moment, the defenders of Palanquin were keeping their heads down; volleys of rainbow-feathered arrows would light the sky whenever they popped their heads up. The auroch was backed by a horde of hobgoblins, and although their aim seemed terrible individually, quantity had a quality all its own.

Then? Then you appeared...

[ChaosArchon]

As the army of cacophonous colors assailed the city gates, Sable watched ten, twenty, thirty even, mortal men fall in the span of a few seconds. Her heart faltered as each soul fell, but she knew it was not yet time to end the siege.

Then, it came to her like a proverb; fight poison with poison. She felt the stars move into place, preordaining her victory. Now was time to strike.

Sable smoothed her wondrous silken robes, but to the world it was not she who did so. Rather, her soldiers saw Seven Embers Ascending straightening her robes before battle. With a sharp look from their commander, the soldiers instantly knew way lay in the heart of Seven Embers. She grinned wildly in a eighth way, and so they unsheathed their weapons.

With an order yell, Seven Embers Ascending led the Realm relief force to wipe out the raksha horde. Like an afterimage of their Empress, they would annihilate those which reality forgot.


rolling Join Battle for Sable, and Join War for the Size 2 BG

activating Auspicious Sidereal Awareness Excellency (spending 4m; 1m of which is to add 1 die, 3m of which is to reduce the target number to 4) and activating Throne Shadow Form reflexively (6m). Total spent motes 10m (1/11 Personal motes remaining)

Join Battle, Wits (2)+Awareness (2)+ Excellency (1): [roll0]

stunt dice: [roll1]

Thanks to TSF (Throne Shadow Form), if my sifu's fingers are in a BG (which they are) I can substitute my MA for War one roll per turn

Join War: Wits (2)+ Martial Arts (3): [roll2]

[Mono Vertigo]

Among the chaos of battle, a rhythm arises. A silhouette advances, following, no, incarnating it. In the backdrop, a handful human figures, cowering away from the battle.
It's a woman, with long hair and garment that would hinder a lesser - mere mortal - dancer, twirling a direlance as easily as if it were a bamboo staff.
"The song of this battle isn't flowing smoothly at all", she shouts harshly toward the Fair Folk, "You are as poor entertainers as you are fighters. I would have thought your kind more artistically inclined. "
Her attitudes dictates that she's both, and even more; with a decisive step, the bells around her joints jiggling, she arrives dangerously close to the fighters.

Using Masterful Performance Exercise and Respect-Commanding Attitude (7m spent) before entering the fight.

Trying to Instill Minor Intimacy in the Fair Folk (Jealousy toward herself) using Cha + Per + 2-points stunt:
Join Battle: [roll0]+1



Join Battle: [roll1]+3

[Ifni]

The stage is set. The stars look down. The rhythm of bells rings out across the battlefield.

Then, from atop the wall, rises a blazing light. Against the pale sky a circle burns: a spinning, blazing, glittering arc of crystal swords and white-and-gold-and-azure fire. Out from the clash and clangor of the evanescent blades, Moon-in-the-Water leaps in a graceful wind-lofted arc, aiming for the wide back of the aurochs. Her long dark hair streams out behind her like a flag, and the sword in her hand gleams with a terrible light.

"FOR PALANQUIN!" she cries in a voice to shake the earth, slicing through the inevitable hail of rainbow-feathered arrows with a casual-seeming flick of her sword. The breezes that curl and gust around her catch them up, and spread them about her feet in a sunburst of bright sharp color.

Join Battle!

Full Awareness Excellency and putting up Sensory Acuity Prana, 15m paid from Peripheral, so her anima blazes to Bonfire/Iconic.

So the JB roll is 10 dice from Wits+Awareness, 10 dice from the Excellency, 1 die from Fast Reflexes, 1 die from her specialty (because It's Not Paranoia When Your Evil Scheming Sister's Minions Really Are Breaking Down The Gates To The City - take off the last die if it doesn't apply), and 2 dice from a stunt, assuming it was at least 1 die. So that's 24 dice with double 9's, plus the standard 3 successes (plus any successes from higher stunt ratings).

This is my very first Exalted 3e combat, so correct me if I'm doing something wrong.

(Note that the stuff with the wind is due to Moon-in-the-Water having Stormwind Rider as her control spell.)

Join Battle roll:
[roll0]
EDIT: I make that 14 successes, plus any successes from 2+-die stunts, whether or not my specialty applies. Not a great roll, but I'll take it.

Moon-in-the-Water is a bit of a Large Ham (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LargeHam).

Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 7/33 + 16 committed (5 committed to Sensory Acuity Prana + 5 attuned to Beloved Adorei + 6 attuned to Five Faces of Luna)

[Guancyto]

The faerie commander brushed a lock of hair behind his ear as he beheld the spectacle of the two solars sallying forth in a pincer with Seven Embers' relief force. Although his men looked upon such a sight with a little fear and a little envy, he instead pulled a cup of tea from his sleeve and took a sip.

"Exquisite," he said, and took a sweeping bow to them, "alas that my musicians have succumbed to the slings and arrows of misfortune. In their absence, I shall endeavor that they shall sing our song until the world turns once more."

Hey, we're back! Bodhisattva succeeds in instilling jealousy in both the faerie army, and its commander.
Initiative Order as follows!

17: Moon-in-the-Water
10: Sable Feathers Fall
9: Fae Commander
8: Fae Army (Battlegroup)
7: 1080-Steps Bodhisattva
6: Friendly Relief Force (Battlegroup)
5: Fae Warbeast
4: Beleaguered Palanquin Defenders (Battlegroup)

[Ifni]

"You seem better prepared for a waltz than a war," Moon-in-the-Ice chides the faerie lord, as she balances before him between the vast aurochs' shoulder-blades. Her blade flickers out, a questing viper's tongue scenting for blood, driving her opponent back toward his mount's lashing mud-stained tail. With her free hand, she taps the cold iron knife at her belt. "But I must get the name of your teacup manufacturer; their chinaware seems impressively indestructible. Shame the same can't be said for your army."

Her blade cuts in toward the commander's flowing locks, as precisely judged as the razor-edged line of any barber or surgeon's blade; none of her strikes yet aimed to kill, but fast feints and probes dancing on the edge of danger, ready to turn at any moment to reveal a lethal edge.

My count of 14 did already include the standard +3 successes, so I think MitW is at 14, not 17. Since she still goes first in any case, though, I'll proceed.

Let's begin with a Withering attack, enhanced by Excellent Strike and 2m of Excellency. I believe I have 15 dice base for Withering attacks, so 17 dice with the Excellency, and two extra dice if I have any kind of stunt, for 19 total. Excellent Strike adds 1 success and all 1s are rerolled. Total cost is 5m.

Again, first Exalted 3e combat, correct me if I'm doing anything wrong.

Attack roll:
[roll0] + 1 sux (Excellent Strike), assuming 1-die stunt