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  1. - Top - End - #61
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    MonkGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    The Dancer sighs. "Very well. Seems the boys are headed down and we're headed up...well..." she suppresses a shudder "I'm not going anywhere alone for right now. That battle shook me, and that ghost has me marked. Would you three lovely creatures do me the honor of escorting me as we search?" She gives a smile as warm as a hearth-fire with sage and cinnamon on its coals, lacing the smoke with scents that both allure and welcome.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Dancer is making an Instill action to create a positive intimacy towards herself. She is targeting Granny, Whisper and Clay. If her Appearance (5) is higher than their resolve, she gains bonus dice to influence them. She is spending 4m on Loquacious Courtier Technique to gain two auto-successes.
    Her roll is (CHA+Socialize-3(multi-target penalty)+2(stunt)=Dice)+2 Successes+Bonus dice from Appearance.
    Spoiler: Rolls
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    (7d10)[7][2][10][9][1][2][4](35)
    I'll roll bonus dice in the OOC
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
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  2. - Top - End - #62
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Rivers doesn't know the details of what goes on in the lower levels of the facility, but given what abominations the Thornsguard were able to unleash to 'cleanse' it, they can fill in more blanks than they'd like to. They proceed with caution - while any horrors yet remaining down there are most likely unfinished, they could still be functional - but despite their talk of theft with Marrow, their primary concern is whether any of the prisoners taken below might yet survive. No one deserves to die in such a place simply because they were overlooked or forgotten.

    The darkling glow of Rivers' anima drives back and supersedes the basement's shadows, revealing the scene. Their senses are open, searching for the merest sign of life, the tiniest ripple in the stillness.

    Spoiler: Roll
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    Perception + Awareness + Stunt:
    (9d10)[2][2][8][10][8][3][8][8][7](56)
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    GMing The Lotus Blossoms! [Exalted 3E] (OOC)
    Playing Waldaharjaz in The Convergence of Sky [Exalted 3E]
    Playing Rivers in Welcome to Thorns [Exalted 3E]

  3. - Top - End - #63
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "It's okay," Whisper assures the old woman. "I don't need his face, really, I just thought that if he was going to die anyway I might as well take it. Besides, this way I can talk to him more! I kind of like him, even if he's a little awful. And it'll be good practice for talking to my brother. I do feel a little bad about taking him away from his friend, though."

    She crouches down to close Cassenia's eyes. "They really cared about each other, as much as they can after - oh! I think she's still alive! Should we take her with us too?"

    Quote Originally Posted by Sticks View Post
    The Dancer sighs. "Very well. Seems the boys are headed down and we're headed up...well..." she suppresses a shudder "I'm not going anywhere alone for right now. That battle shook me, and that ghost has me marked. Would you three lovely creatures do me the honor of escorting me as we search?" She gives a smile as warm as a hearth-fire with sage and cinnamon on its coals, lacing the smoke with scents that both allure and welcome.
    "Sure! Oh, but -" Whisper looks conflicted. "There's ghosts downstairs, mostly prisoners I think, and I don't know if anyone else can see them. I was going to go down and make sure they don't miss anybody. Is it okay if I do that? I can ask one of them down there to switch with me, I bet they'd be fine with it. Downstairs is going to be a little icky."
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  4. - Top - End - #64
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    MonkGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Snark View Post


    "Sure! Oh, but -" Whisper looks conflicted. "There's ghosts downstairs, mostly prisoners I think, and I don't know if anyone else can see them. I was going to go down and make sure they don't miss anybody. Is it okay if I do that? I can ask one of them down there to switch with me, I bet they'd be fine with it. Downstairs is going to be a little icky."


    The Dancer sighs. "Of course, just make sure you don't get separated. Until the Thornguard commander is accounted for, nobody should be alone."

    She looks down at Cassenia and allows herself a degree of pity. "You're probably right. I intended to kill her, but she went down faster than I anticipated, like she was eager to fall." She steps over to the prone Thornguard and shifts her upright, leaning the woman's torso against the railing opposite Clay. "The injuries are shallow. She'll recover, given treatment. I've inflicted worse."

    She leans over the railing and calls down again "Hey! If we could get some help, we've got two captives here and one needs carrying! Someone strong please! Also we've got someone joining the basement sweep who can see ghosts, don't leave without her!"
    Last edited by Sticks; 2020-04-22 at 09:53 PM.
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
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  5. - Top - End - #65
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "She doesn't care whether anyone lives or dies, even herself. Neither does he. I think it's something they do to all the Thornguard." With that, Whisper ducks under the railing and drops onto the floor below...

    ... and lands on a bit of glass from her spell earlier. "Ow ow ow ow ow hi, I'm Whisper, I'm the one who sees ghosts."
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  6. - Top - End - #66
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by Sticks View Post
    The Dancer sighs. "Of course, just make sure you don't get separated. Until the Thornguard commander is accounted for, nobody should be alone."

    She looks down at Cassenia and allows herself a degree of pity. "You're probably right. I intended to kill her, but she went down faster than I anticipated, like she was eager to fall." She steps over to the prone Thornguard and shifts her upright, leaning the woman's torso against the railing opposite Clay. "The injuries are shallow. She'll recover, given treatment. I've inflicted worse."

    She leans over the railing and calls down again "Hey! If we could get some help, we've got two captives here and one needs carrying! Someone strong please! Also we've got someone joining the basement sweep who can see ghosts, don't leave without her!"
    Nord stopped immediately before the stairs, then sighed and turned around. "I got this."

    He made his way up into the rafters, taking a quick look over the group as he arrived. Two thornsguard, one almost in a trance, one out cold. The fire aspect from before, a very lovely lady in a dress that didn't seem made for combat; the outfit seemed made to make his eyes wander. An old woman that definitely shouldn't be in a combat zone, unless of course she happened to be a Lunar that could change into a boar (which she was). A young girl, one so innocent that he felt his heart melt, and instantly wanted to keep her safe... who then immediately jumped down to the floor below and onto the glass from an earlier spell. He winced.

    Nord was tall and well-built, and though he dresses in plain mortal armor he carries himself with strength and nobility. His green eyes were ringed by shadows that speak of exhaustion with life, but with a sharp and grim determination. There was a ghost of a smile on his face that never seemed to break into full. Black hair hung down to just a bit lower than his chin.

    He nodded to each of them, then knelt beside the Thornsguard. He made sure she had no weapons (they wouldn't hurt him anyway but better safe than sorry), then bodily picked her up, putting her over his shoulder like a particularly travel bag. "Hello ma'am, I am Nord, formerly of Gens Karal, and I will be carrying you over my shoulder today." Nord could almost hear Saki adding something lewd and teasing that would no doubt have made the Thornsguard blush. Or maybe laugh (it was always worse when they laughed).

    "You did very well. These two should be a wealth of information." He said instead, glancing between the two of them. "I don't recognize any of you. Showing up at the same time as this raid was a remarkable coincidence. Almost too remarkable." He raised an eyebrow. "I won't ask how you knew, but I will ask again if you'd like to come along with us. The people of Thorns could use power like yours."
    Last edited by HalfTangible; 2020-04-22 at 10:23 PM.
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

    When Gods Go To War comes out March 8th

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  7. - Top - End - #67
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    MonkGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Quote Originally Posted by HalfTangible View Post

    "You did very well. These two should be a wealth of information." He said instead, glancing between the two of them. "I don't recognize any of you. Showing up at the same time as this raid was a remarkable coincidence. Almost too remarkable." He raised an eyebrow. "I won't ask how you knew, but I will ask again if you'd like to come along with us. The people of Thorns could use power like yours."
    The Dancer gives an elegant inclination of her head. "Pleased to meet you. Yes, I will come along once we are sure we have everything we need from this facility, and any potential tails are dealt with." She wills her fire lower, the autumnal flames drifting lazily to the ground and fizzling out, a calm contrast to her earlier tempest of burning leaves. "Sorry about the cinders, it's been some time since I could use my power freely, clearly I need practice." She 'absently' brushes a strand of black hair out of her face and smiles up at the man, large black eyes full of gratitude.

    Nord, of Gens Karal. A promising start to a career cut short under mysterious circumstances. Well, now I know where he ended up, if not why. Funny to encounter such an old case-file here, under these circumstances. Still, at least he can be persuadable.

    Spoiler: OOC & Rolls
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    Making another Instill action to create a minor positive intimacy towards the Dancer for Nord. No motes this time, but leveraging appearance+presence with her 'Turning up the Heat!' specialty. She gains bonus dice for Appearance if it is greater than his resolve. Appearance+Presence+Specialty+Stunt
    Spoiler: Roll
    Show
    (13d10)[1][10][3][7][2][8][7][1][7][7][3][3][4](63)
    Last edited by Sticks; 2020-04-22 at 10:47 PM.
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
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  8. - Top - End - #68
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    pfm1995's Avatar

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Marrow makes a face at the very idea he'd be regulated to quartermaster, but gamely follows along - at least until the pale-haired waif drops down in front of him. Quiet is braced against his shoulder and leveled at the girl before the first word is spoken, though he half-lowers it when the first word turns out to be 'ow'.

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Snark View Post
    "Ow ow ow ow ow hi, I'm Whisper, I'm the one who sees ghosts."
    "...hello? Sorry to be rude," he winces at that, "but your name answers the least of the questions on my mind. How can you see ghosts, and what in Malfeas' name are you doing here?" He glances aside at Rivers. "She's not one of yours, is she?"

  9. - Top - End - #69
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Nord felt something thrill within him when he noticed the look in her eyes. His heart was Saki's, but (ignoring... more painful possibilities) that didn't mean he was blind to other women. This was one of the most beautiful he'd ever laid eyes on and that look she was giving him was... flattering. Suggestive. Inviting. There was a time where such a look from such a beauty would've sent him into a gibbering incoherent mess. Now, however, he had a stronger rein on his emotions.

    "Feeling your warmth does not bother me; there is no need for an apology. I look forward to working with you, miss...?" Whether she gave him her name or not he turned, adjusting the Thornsguard on his shoulder, and grabbed the other by their shoulder. "Hey, let's get moving. Don't try to escape, all you'll do is annoy me."
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

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  10. - Top - End - #70
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "I'm here to help, of course. Well, when I first saw your boat I followed you because I was curious - I didn't know what you were going to do, so I didn't know if I'd want to help or not. But the Moon told me there was something out here that was worth worth seeing. So I came."

    "As for how, um,"
    Whisper looks away, fiddling with one well-worn sleeve, "I just do? I don't know how to explain it." Oops. She really hopes he doesn't press this point. The ones upstairs seemed comfortable enough when she showed herself, but maybe the rescuers aren't all together? Or maybe it's because they saw her help in the fight, and these ones didn't. "The glass-spell upstairs was me, if that helps you trust me?"

    She glances downward and winces. "I, uh, should probably start wearing shoes if I'm going to use that spell. I'm not very used to. This kind of thing. But you need me right now, I think, because I can hear a lot of ghosts downstairs? Prisoners don't get to leave this place just because they're dead."
    Last edited by The_Snark; 2020-04-23 at 01:32 AM.
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  11. - Top - End - #71
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Marrow's call brings Rivers halfway back up the stairs, and seeing him talking with one of the shapeshifters brings them the rest of the way up. Rivers doesn't know Marrow quite well enough to predict his response to working with Anathema; they should be there if he needs any help easing into the idea. Rivers makes it into earshot of the quiet, deceptively fragile-seeming girl in time to hear her mention the ghosts downstairs. They frown at that; they should've thought of that on their own. In Thorns, the visible world of the living is rarely the only world that's relevant, or inhabited.

    "I don't know of any of her kind working for the Mask,"
    Rivers says to Marrow. "Let her help, for now. We can worry about more thorough vetting later, before she's introduced to any other part of our network."

    To the girl, Rivers says, "Could you use another set of eyes down there? I've a ritual to see the dead, but it takes a few minutes to complete."
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    GMing The Lotus Blossoms! [Exalted 3E] (OOC)
    Playing Waldaharjaz in The Convergence of Sky [Exalted 3E]
    Playing Rivers in Welcome to Thorns [Exalted 3E]

  12. - Top - End - #72
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    The Dancer pulls at Granny's heartstrings with practiced ease, which means that the obvious response is to frown and grumble.

    "Shouldn't be out here, then. This is no place for kids..."

    Considering that most of the bright young things Granny's known are now working in the Mask's forges as shambling corpses, there's a bit of bite to the sentiment. Rebellion is bloody work, and no matter how well things seem to have gone for now it's hard to imagine that the consequences of this raid will end with everyone in this room still alive. The other girl, Whisper, gives Granny similar feelings; protectiveness and resentment all coiled up together. No place for kids indeed.

    In a flicker, Granny takes the shape of a huge ape with long orange fur and a bulging face. She moves with what can only be described as a high-speed shamble, giving the remaining captive a guiding tug on the shoulder and leading him to the boat to make sure he's secured before she comes back.
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  13. - Top - End - #73
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "Fair enough, then." Marrow shrugs and lowers his wand, a broad, friendly grin splitting his face. "Welcome aboard, I guess. I'm Marrow - Marrow of the Root, if you prefer the mouthful - and that one's... what are you calling yourself today, again?" He asks Rivers, before leaning conspiratorially in towards Whisper and stage-whispering, "They change their name every other week; I stopped trying to keep up ages ago."

    "Anyway," he says, once introductions are complete, "onwards! Mind your step, and keep your eyes peeled for anything destructive, expensive, or otherwise interesting - if all the Mask wanted to do was make zombies, he could do that at home. Let's see what Mister Two-faced is hiding."

  14. - Top - End - #74
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    HalflingWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Heights Team
    It doesn't take Nord and Granny long to make their way to the ship, even with the press of civilians boarding all around them. Cassenia is easily stowed in the brig, and while there's a surfeit of chains, Clay still seems docile and cooperative, so locking him in one of the passenger cabins seems sufficient for now. As the two returns to the tower they notice the Cureva loading a few empty metal crates into the hold - they'll need to get these people past Thorns' customs somehow, so it's best to be prepared.

    It's a little awkward to navigate the walkways following Granny's assault, but with a little care, and by sticking to the outer ring, the group make decent headway. There's a lot of stuff to go over. The Thornguard barracks are largely devoid of personal effects, and the room beside it offers little more information - it seems to have been a duty manager's office, documenting personnel assigned to the tower. Its inhabitant is long gone, and while the paperwork remains, there's little here that could be of use to the trio.

    Next on their list of locations however is the storehouse. It's one of the larger rooms on the upper levels, and there are crates of supplies stacked from floor to ceiling within, the cavernous room reaching back almost as far as the hall they've just emerged from. It's strangely overwhelming after so long spent scraping by in Legacy to stumble into a room so very full of things - even if most are as mundane as mops and buckets. Everything the base needs to operate can be found here - weapons for the guardsmen, planks of wood and nails for impromptu repairs, a frightening number of sharp medical devices, but notably there's a worthy stockpile of fresh food brought here directly from the outlying farms. There's whole crates of potatoes, parsnips, carrots - even a barrel of salted beef in one corner. Bring this lot back to Jochim's Hold and anything there could probably be bartered for. But there are other temptations too - specifically a large quantity of cast off Thornguard armor pieces, of various sizes. With a little care and dedication it'd be easy enough to disguise a whole party of rebels as Mask's elite troops... if you were able to haul all of it back to the ship before you cast off, that is.

    Dancer's focus meanwhile is on her job. Lacroix's office is everything you might expect - probably sedate enough for him to complain about it, but rich and well appointed by any sane mortal standard. There's a fine purple rug to decorate the room, a four poster bed bearing silken sheets and an elm chest with delicate silver trim by the footboard for his personal effects. A cabinet of fine liqueurs sits beside a table-bust of the ghostly commander, the latter grinning up at the invading Dragon as she stalks by. The oaken desk on the far side of the room is bestrewn with paperwork, placed without apparent rhyme or reason - it seems that the Commander was not chosen for this job due to his bureaucratic efficiency.

    There is likely worthwhile intelligence here, even at a glance she can make out orders stamped with the seal of Juggernaut amidst this moras, but it will take her some time to find anything useful. And she has yet to inspect the hearthroom - centre of the manse, root of its power and her best shot at rendering this place permanently inoperable. What should she prioritize?

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Dancer, it'll be perception + bureaucracy to sort through the papers. But if you have a way to do it faster, I'm willing to let you try and stunt to roll something different. Granny and Nord, it won't take a roll to get stuff out but it's going to take you a while unless you have a plan to clear it out faster.


    Depths Team
    Whisper ultimately shakes her head - the ghosts are already evident to her and sound in some distress. Best not to linger.

    The sublevels are massive - the spiral stairs take some time to traverse down. There are several visible doors, but most have been boarded up on the stairwell side. Rivers, able to feel traces of water essence close at hand, can intuit they're about fifty feet below the surface by the time the trio finally encounter what is likely the door they want. The stairs have given way to rock, with a handful of dark stains in the crevices between them, and in the corners of the imposing Black Jade door. The trio exchange a gaze, before Rivers and Marrow each take one handle, turn and push the great portal open.

    To behold majesty.

    A cohort of proud figures in mighty jade armor stand before them, men and women in all five colours of the dragons, smiles wide and weapons raised. The look on their faces makes the three Exalted think back to their own experiences of a minute ago - that same sense of triumph is here. At the heart of the group stands a man with white robes, a charming smile, what looks like an oddly elaborate white jade flame piece in his hand and a half-disk golden mark upon his brow. At his side is another such figure, a woman in pastoral green with a flute to her lips and a bird upon her shoulder. Her mark is a full solar disk, in the exact same shade of gold. Above the scene there's a field of stars, and a few more figures standing on the bow of a skyship gazing down at the scene. A woman with long green flowing hair and a far away look in her eyes, a wizened old man in scholar's robes, and an eager looking young warrior who seems to be crying out to the heavens in joy, raising her sword skyward with a crescent moon gleaming in silver upon her brow.

    The relief really is quite captivating. But after a few more seconds, Marrow turns to notice the detailing on the wall above the door they just entered through. There are more onlookers here, rendered in mosiac rather than relief, another set of silent witnesses to the host just as Whisper, Rivers and Marrow were a second prior. Seven figures can be seen at the highest point of the arc; a man in golden armor with a look of paternal pride, a woman in a silver dress with a twinkle in her eye and five maidens standing as one, as inscrutable as ever. Beneath them though swirl the dragons. All five poles of Creation, rendered with iconographical artistry that would make an immaculate shudder with both rage and extacy to look upon. All are together. All are in harmony, looking down proudly upon their chosen champions.

    It takes a cry of pain from deeper in the complex to snap the group out of reverie. They are here for a reason, and as such they press onwards, towards the sound of that voice, and the sounds only Whisper can hear. Though as they proceed onwards, it's hard to keep the image of that unified host out of their minds.

    As the three progress further into the sublevel, the walls continue the patterns of beautiful illustration, though here mosaic and painting are the norm. They show scenes of those proud warriors fighting as one against strange, monstrous foes - a shadow woman with pipes and a legion of misshapen things at her back crossing blows with the man in white robes who now rides upon the back of an eager thunderbird. A regal figure with mighty horns, wreathed in green fire and bearing a sword thrice his own height duels against the eager maiden of silver. A cohort of ten Dragon Blooded, two of each element, man the deck of the skyship as an alien black winged dragon flies down at them, spitting shimmering acid at the noble defenders of Creation. There is a story here.

    Though even with the time to look, some parts of it may lie forever out of reach. Signs of the occupiers' renovations are more pronounced as the group comtinue onward - many passageways have been sealed behind hastily erected metal barricades, and the pipes and pumps still lying discarded on the floor speak to the efforts Mask's forces went to in reclaiming this sector of the tower. It took them a while to reclaim this much. What more might lie in the sealed sections?

    Soon enough however, the trio are past them, and reach what seems to be some kind of central complex. They're standing at a four way intersection - the first one they've found intact. As their footfalls echo through the halls, there's a cry from the left hand side, "Hello!? So... someone's there?!" Rivers is down the hallway and through the door in seconds, Marrow close behind him.

    This looks like it might have been a study once, unadorned bookshelves line the walls, the lore within now replaced by surgical trays and strange bottles. The Necrotechs have jammed an ugly looking operating table into the centre of it, and a scraggly looking old man with a disheveled white beard has been strapped to it. He tenses at the sight of Rivers, leery of the guard uniform even with the accompanying light but relaxes upon seeing Marrow. "Thank the gods the two of you are here. The techs ran off after the alarm sounded. Bugger those cowardly leeches. Thought they'd gut me on the way out, to be honest "

    With a little help from the two of you, he rises groggily to his feet, and starts making for the door before stopping and turning to his rescuers. "There's more folk down here. I kept count when I was up top. They never bring more than half a dozen down at a time, but they'd been going a while today already. There's gotta be five more rooms like this around here somewhere." Marrow, closer to the door, glances round. There's no immediate sign of more prisoners, but at the far end of the hall lies a very new looking Soulsteel door. Whatever's behind that has to be valuable, right? Cecelyne's spit, the door alone is valuable!

    Whisper meanwhile could be forgiven for not having stuck with the group. She likely didn't hear them split away from her, or the old man's cry: the screaming of the dead has only gotten louder so close to the source. She heads straight down the middle path of the intersection and throws the double doors open wide to reveal...

    A garden?

    Indeed, a garden. Tulips and lilies have grown wild over many years of freedom, but the water fixtures still form the gentle canals that circles around the room, and the grassy banks have not run overgrown. There are even scenic wooden benches to sit upon. Above, Whisper can see a glass dome above, looking out onto the churning waters of the Inland Sea, with a few glowing golden orbs casting a light over everything. An old gnarled tree sits in one corner, nursing faded dark green leaves. And in the centre of it all, in the large plaza ringed by the canal where once the inhabitants of this tower must have congregated, a great golden sunburst has somehow been worked into the marble itself.

    Spoiler: Lost Whisper
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    It's beautiful. The screams are gone now as you see this place in its full glory, the music starting to rise as you step into the room. It's been set finely for tonight's dance, with golden sunlight streaming down from the skylight above, somehow piercing through the ocean waters. There are white roses blooming in the flower beds, and the tree's leaves are a far gentler green. Its pink blossoms drift across the dancer floor, an omen of new beginnings. And the people, so many people. Every figure you saw on the relief when you entered is here, dancing and laughing together. The Dragon Blooded are all wearing full plate jade armor, and they move with the grace of dancers as they shift gaily across the floor

    It's hard to find your way through it all. Which is perhaps why you accidentally bump into one figure, one much taller than you, amidst the chaos of the dance floor. Are you lost, little hero? The green haired woman from the skyship laughs, turning to meet your gaze with a familiar, confident smile. She seems to almost loom above you in that moment, all encompassing, all powerful. Yet as she speaks, her voice slowly fades away along with the rest of the room as the music finally ehbs into silence. And after you've come so far.

    And so she is back to reality. The roses are gone, leaving only the humbler flowers she'd noticed before. The tree has withered over the years. And the people... Well, it's not hard to guess, given the context of the room.

    The reconfiguration has turned this garden into a forge complex - the central plaza is dominated by a smelter; carts, ore and scaffolding at the ready and beside that rests the anvil, bellows, and other periphery of smith craft. At the heart of the room however, right above the centre of the sunburst. there is a strange skeletal sphere of some black, crystalline substance. Not soulsteel. It floats perhaps three feet off the ground, and is six in diameter. The rings that make up its superstructure spin constantly, shifting their orbits by the second, arcs of etheric blue lightning occasionally jumping from one to another. And within...

    The sight is horrific. The soul cage does not possess the room to truly house all the spirits, even in their immeteral form, and so has pressed them all together, fraying each one's ability to exist independently and forcing the collective into something akin to a haunt. Mortal eyes would merely see a faint blue light from the centre of the rings, perhaps hear an ominous hum, but Whisper hears an unending chorus of pitiable screams as each of the prisoners struggle desperately for individuality and form. The images fly by in front of her, almost too fast to tell one from the other. A grizzled woman missing an eye, a man with the helm of a Thornguard, a young Magalatapan with the faint vestage of a beard, a snakefolk with slitted eyes, a bald headed monk, a farmgirl with a pigtail. So many trapped in here, the same panic in their eyes.

    As Whisper enters the room, the soul-form turns to look at her. And the cries grow louder still, the kaleidoscopic being reaching out towards her pleadingly now it senses her presence. They want her help. They need her. They have been without even a trace of hope for so long, but now she is here. And every heart, every thought they have is raised in desperate invocation of Lost Whisper, with a deafening cry of sorrow and fear, distorted almost past recognizable language.



    H̶̻̬͈͙͉̫̼̀͐͋̽̊̽̅̃͆͂͋̏̎͋Ë̶̢̛̦̹͈̖́͒̑L̴̢̫̘͙̹͉̺͓̻͊̀͗́̉ ͔̹P̷̧̛̣͙̼̱̞̬̻͚̦̄̏̈́̆͝ͅ ̶̧̨̮̟͇̺̏Ú̷̫̟̞̱̣̰̺̥͍̍͋̿̌̀͋͑́̌̂̈́̚͜ͅS̴̢̢͖̥͔̣̞̗͕̻͕͚̏! ̵̮̓̓̄̒̓͜͠S̷̛̬̞̱͍̹͐̍̈́̓̿͆̈́͊̿͜ͅA̴͍̙̰̟̖͖͂́͂͂͑̒͜͝ͅV̷̡̥̠̲̉͂̿̔̃̂̀̚ ͙̦̫͇̠Ę̵͇̺̬̗͍͍̺̱̈́ ̴͍̖͈̫̘͂̅́̈́̀̓̈͘͠͠U̶̺͚̭̐̇͌̋͜S̸̡̡̧̼̯͚̻̳̀̂͌̾̿̓̚̕̕!̶̐́̕ ̨̨̘̟͙̞̯̣͖̹̓̈͊̎͌̋̈́͠͠F̵̨̡̗̟͚͙̼͙͓̥̺̟̄͒̏͌̿̀̅̄́̍̑R̵̡̤͔̻͔͙̝̯̼͍̯̔̇̔̄̌E̵̓̽̔͛̚ ̢̛̘̱͍̯̥̝̖̪̒̈́̍̈́͛̔͜Ę̸͚̝̲͉͙̓̐̈́̐̂̈̾̒͑̈́̑ ̷̛̮̾̄̾͛̆̐͑̏͊Ǔ̶̙͚̿̎̽̈́̽͂͑͝S̶̡̧̟͍̥̗̞̳̥̑̒͐̃̇͋!̸̉͛̅̓̀͘ ̢͍͇̼͍̼̟͍͔̳͔̱̩̀̑͑̀̕ͅͅ


    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Rivers and/or Marrow will need Perception + Investigation to find the other prisoners - not all of them are conscious enough to cry out, and there's a lot of rooms to go through in this 'exterior ring'. Whisper... feel free to do whatever, I'll call for a roll in Discord if I want one. ;) Good luck
    Last edited by Inspector Valin; 2020-04-24 at 10:06 AM.

  15. - Top - End - #75
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Granny's eyes widen in avarice and then narrow in irritation. Even an out-of-the-way base like this is better stocked than an entire refugee camp. That's not surprising, as such, but it's still enough to make her boil a little. As an orangutan, she can carry quite a bit, but the problem isn't the weight so much as the unwieldiness of trying to carry a load while scrambling up and down the levels. Surely there must be a lift or a ramp somewhere, though? They got the stuff up here in the first place, after all...

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Let's try Perception + Investigation? Untrained, though. So with stunt bonus that's 7 dice, and let's spend a WP, why not.

    (7d10)[3][1][10][10][10][2][8](44) +1 success
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  16. - Top - End - #76
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    The Dancer sighs in exasperation. Of course that fop wouldn't have an organized file system. No handy cabinets with labels like 'correspondence from the Mask' or 'known locations of insurgents' or even 'where are troops are and what they're doing and why that's important'. Well, not knowing what was relevant, she has to assume all of it is. She quickly locates a small crate, likely what brought all that wine up here (expensive but unrefined stuff, clearly Lacroix favored extravagance over taste) and begins straightening papers from the desk when a thought occurs to her.

    Nord and the beast-woman aren't here, they're not far, but it's two turns and a short sprint to reach them, and they her. She is effectively alone, and in a place Lacroix knows intimately. She keeps shuffling the papers into stacks, but her mind is not on the task, justifiable paranoia occupying her full attention. If he's here, he'll know this is his best chance to strike. She could use the opportunity to finish him, but she needs to lure him out first. He cannot know she suspects his presence, so she needs to continue sorting papers as though nothing is amiss. At the same time, she is afraid. That ghost had given her the fight of her life only moments ago, he was a threat she could not ignore, and now she had to bare her neck to lure him out...well, she'd been in dangerous situations before, she'd been alone before. She can handle this. Give him an oppertunity he can't ignore, and be ready to defend. Be ready to fight. Be ready to die...

    The Dancer lets out a small gasp of irritation as several papers with heavy wax seals fall off the desk and scatter on the floor. She bends, her back to the wall, gathering them up with one hand, all the while ready to tumble away when she feels that huge sword descending upon her...

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Not sure if there's such a thing as 'readying an action' but Dancer is getting ready to take a full defense and roll JB.
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
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  17. - Top - End - #77
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    Quote Originally Posted by Inspector Valin View Post
    Heights Team
    It doesn't take Nord and Granny long to make their way to the ship, even with the press of civilians boarding all around them. Cassenia is easily stowed in the brig, and while there's a surfeit of chains, Clay still seems docile and cooperative, so locking him in one of the passenger cabins seems sufficient for now. As the two returns to the tower they notice the Cureva loading a few empty metal crates into the hold - they'll need to get these people past Thorns' customs somehow, so it's best to be prepared.

    It's a little awkward to navigate the walkways following Granny's assault, but with a little care, and by sticking to the outer ring, the group make decent headway. There's a lot of stuff to go over. The Thornguard barracks are largely devoid of personal effects, and the room beside it offers little more information - it seems to have been a duty manager's office, documenting personnel assigned to the tower. Its inhabitant is long gone, and while the paperwork remains, there's little here that could be of use to the trio.

    Next on their list of locations however is the storehouse. It's one of the larger rooms on the upper levels, and there are crates of supplies stacked from floor to ceiling within, the cavernous room reaching back almost as far as the hall they've just emerged from. It's strangely overwhelming after so long spent scraping by in Legacy to stumble into a room so very full of things - even if most are as mundane as mops and buckets. Everything the base needs to operate can be found here - weapons for the guardsmen, planks of wood and nails for impromptu repairs, a frightening number of sharp medical devices, but notably there's a worthy stockpile of fresh food brought here directly from the outlying farms. There's whole crates of potatoes, parsnips, carrots - even a barrel of salted beef in one corner. Bring this lot back to Jochim's Hold and anything there could probably be bartered for. But there are other temptations too - specifically a large quantity of cast off Thornguard armor pieces, of various sizes. With a little care and dedication it'd be easy enough to disguise a whole party of rebels as Mask's elite troops... if you were able to haul all of it back to the ship before you cast off, that is.

    Dancer's focus meanwhile is on her job. Lacroix's office is everything you might expect - probably sedate enough for him to complain about it, but rich and well appointed by any sane mortal standard. There's a fine purple rug to decorate the room, a four poster bed bearing silken sheets and an elm chest with delicate silver trim by the footboard for his personal effects. A cabinet of fine liqueurs sits beside a table-bust of the ghostly commander, the latter grinning up at the invading Dragon as she stalks by. The oaken desk on the far side of the room is bestrewn with paperwork, placed without apparent rhyme or reason - it seems that the Commander was not chosen for this job due to his bureaucratic efficiency.

    There is likely worthwhile intelligence here, even at a glance she can make out orders stamped with the seal of Juggernaut amidst this moras, but it will take her some time to find anything useful. And she has yet to inspect the hearthroom - centre of the manse, root of its power and her best shot at rendering this place permanently inoperable. What should she prioritize?

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Dancer, it'll be perception + bureaucracy to sort through the papers. But if you have a way to do it faster, I'm willing to let you try and stunt to roll something different. Granny and Nord, it won't take a roll to get stuff out but it's going to take you a while unless you have a plan to clear it out faster.
    "Hm." Nord mused, looking over the various prizes to loot. The resistance was poorly supplied, and this was the perfect opportunity to remedy that. Food would be the highest priority, given the resistance was not formed solely of combatants, but the armor and weapons would be great too. The prospect of slipping in under the nose of the guards was too delicious an idea to pass up entirely, and it would assist greatly in further supply runs. On the other hand, medical supplies would perhaps be more useful and broadly applicable than armor... and with or without armor there would be injuries in need of fixing...

    ... actually, come to think of it... Nord hadn't been in this resistance group for particularly long, but the Mask of Winters was very well known for favoring the undead and necrotech beasts. That would mean that he would have little use for doctors or healers. He had some to assist his army on the march, probably, but nowhere near as many as an entire city would need, even if he'd somehow managed to get every healer to turn against the living (not even worth considering). Jochim's Hold and other resistance groups would have doctors and medical professionals among their refugees, without a doubt. Which meant that medical tools would already be well-supplied. On the other hand, that didn't mean they had all the supplies they needed. Perhaps it would be better to take...

    He quickly shook his head. He was spending too much time standing around. The food would go first no matter what. The prisoners had to be kept alive for the necrotech experiments, so this was the best opportunity to be relatively certain that nothing would be poisoned or cursed. They should take as much of it out as possible, then worry about whether medicine or armor would be more important.

    "Find any way down easier than taking the stairs?" He called out to the others. "We should start with the foodstuffs."

    Spoiler
    Show
    Nord attempts to establish a fact about the resistance's supplies: "The resistance may be low on food and weaponry, but they do not lack for medical professionals."

    Nord will also be using a Lore excellency to boost the roll as much as possible, drawing 4 motes from his personal pool.

    Int 2 + Lore 2 + Stunt 2 + Lore Excellency 4
    Spoiler
    Show
    (10d10)[3][4][8][3][4][6][2][8][4][2](44)


    Nord will also be looking for the most efficient use of the boxes. Say, starting with the most full box of foodstuffs and working his way down from there.

    Perception 2 + Awareness 3 + Stunt 2
    Spoiler
    Show
    (7d10)[10][1][1][7][6][6][7](38)
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

    When Gods Go To War comes out March 8th

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  18. - Top - End - #78
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    BlueWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    As they enter the sub-levels, Rivers' eyes go wide. Doubtless a proper Isle-born Immaculate would connect the antique manse's open glorification of the Anathema with the Mask's corruption, would call it unsurprising to find demonic taint alongside the taint of undeath, but Rivers isn't so certain. The signs of the Thornsguard's occupation, the ugly metal walls and crude surgical chambers, seem as much an invasion, as much a desecration, here as in any of the city's more modern buildings.

    With time and effort, some saga of a former age might be gleaned from the manse's artwork... likely a story fit for Talespinner's court, and perhaps a story which might shake the Immaculate creed to its core. But time enough for such projects is a luxury the Resistance doesn't have. There's nothing to do but press on in search of those who have been made victims in the very shadow of such magnificence.

    * * *

    Minutes later, once the elderly prisoner is freed, Rivers kicks the base of the operating table he had been strapped to.

    "Disgusting what they were doing here,"
    they growl. They glance back to make sure the prisoner is out of earshot before adding. "No guarantee that the other five from the last batch are still breathing, but we owe it to them to make sure."

    This is a task worth spending precious time on, even under the circumstances. Rivers takes care, searching for any sign of the other prisoners' whereabouts, be it a faint whimper, a drag mark, an errant spot of blood. They aren't quick about it, but they are thorough.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Perception + Investigation + Stunt:
    (6d10)[3][8][9][7][1][8](36)

    Definitely putting some XP into Investigation sooner or later.
    Current Games:
    Spoiler
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    GMing The Lotus Blossoms! [Exalted 3E] (OOC)
    Playing Waldaharjaz in The Convergence of Sky [Exalted 3E]
    Playing Rivers in Welcome to Thorns [Exalted 3E]

  19. - Top - End - #79
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Storehouse
    Medics... yes! Yes, Nord can recall a number of medics from his last visit to Jochim's Hold - pillars of the community who the common folk flock to see, standing proudly on soapboxes to advertise their services across the underground marketplace. Surely they will appreciate these fresh supplies and be able to put them to good use!

    Granny's vigilance meanwhile has paid dividends. Searching the back of the storeroom has led her to the facility's second door, one leading outwards to a balcony on the tower's exterior. There's a service elevator here - a great contraption of chords and pulleys, of the sort you might see in a mineshaft or by the edge of a cliff. And down right below them... is the dock housing the newly recovered escape ship. It takes just a minute for her to descend the stairs that run beside the cargo life, and return with a couple of members of the Cureva happy to work the pully for the Chosen. Now both her and Nord will be able to move crate after crate of items to the ship in just a few minutes. They could almost empty this place if they kept going! Even keeping things brief, the haul should hopefully prove a bounteous one.

    Spoiler
    Show
    Okay, thanks to this, you're gonna be able to make off with all the food, the Thornguard disguises, all the weaponry and one other item of your choice in good quantities, and do all that in excellent time. Nord's Introduce a Fact roll suggests that you'll want medical supplies, but Granny found the lift and is doing her fair share of the work here - feel you both should get a say. Pretty much any sort of mundane good that a fortification might have, you'll be able to find.

    Oh, and Tangible? I'm not confirming if that Fact worked or not until you arrive in the Hold. ;) It was borderline, I will say that.


    Lacroix's Office
    Dancer knows exactly what she's doing. She's more than able to bait out hidden attackers like this, practiced it time after time for many years. The Fire Aspect moves down slowly, just enough to make herself a target whilst remaining ready to roll away. Her hand draws closer and closer to the letter, the bait to catch her metaphorical fish.

    Aaaand... nothing.

    The room is quiet and still, the documents just sitting there in her grasp, the emerald flame in the lamp upon the table flickering as if in mockery. Dancer rises to her feet, glancing around the room. He could be anywhere, waiting for her, oversized sword in hand and that wretched smug look on his face.

    Isn't this fun, firebird? Waiting for that moment? For the kill? For the chance to prove yourself with the old parry, cut and thrust?

    She glances around. Dancer could swear the bust just winked at her. The voice in her head starts to drawl. It's a-maazing. Trust me. There's nothing quite so intoxicating as thinking you matter. That what you're doing matters. That your actions will change the world.

    Lacroix sounds like he's right next to her again. The ghostly commander snorts, and she can just picture the grin he must be wearing. That you're an agent of your city and not just a failure they tossed to the wolves then left to rot.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    This is an Inspire effect meant to create a feeling of rage. It adds 3 automatic successes due to Bleak Heart's Cry - drawing on the parallel intimacies that Dancer and Lacroix hold. If successful... well, we'll get to that in a second. This ain't the end. But Sticks, your response? ;)

    Spoiler: Inspire - Anger
    Show
    (13d10)[9][1][5][8][2][7][6][1][2][2][7][8][9](67)
    Last edited by Inspector Valin; 2020-04-24 at 06:34 PM.

  20. - Top - End - #80
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    MonkGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    The Dancer straightens, placing the papers into the wine-crate. She looks around, seeing nothing out of place. She knows she's being watched, she's sure it's that damnable spirit. She'd never harbored such absurd thoughts before tonight, and now they're here, in his voice? He's trying to get inside her head, thinking he knows her. Well, it seems he's proving that old idiom wrong. Even death has not cured this fool. She doesn't matter? SHE doesn't matter? She'll show him just how much she matters.

    The Dancer finishes piling the papers into the crate, then lifts it. It's quite heavy, but she can manage it, especially if the others found a quick way downstairs. Still though, it's time to play her winning hand. If an enemy asset cannot be turned or eliminated safely, subvert them, undermine them, make them useless to their side. If his constant focus on her has proven anything, it's that she matters to him. Let's see just how far his obsession would stretch.

    "Well, after all that, I need to stretch." She said to nobody in particular.

    She plants her feet, turns at the waist, hands on her hips, elbows out. One to three, right, one two three, left. Her left foot leaves the floor, her right raising onto her toes in a demi pointe. She bends her left leg at the knee, arms raised gracefully above her head. She goes up onto her big toe, bending at the waist, her left leg extending out behind her, arms out. She rotates elegantly on the spot, twisting the rug in a spiral of purple fabric about her foot. She rotates faster, raising her leg up, her foot rising to meet her hands above her head as her back arches, silken robes falling in delicate curtains across her form. As she turns, a trace of flame extends from her foot, her hands making a cascade of sparks that fade before they reach the floor. A small hop, she rotates in the air, her legs switch positions mid-rotation and she lands, perfectly en-pointe this time on her left foot. She straightens up, still balanced on one foot, and completes a slow, perfectly poised rotation around, unwinding the rug, repeating until the furnishing is back to its original shape, still tracing fire with her raised leg. She steps, spreading her arms wide, gently fluttering them in the air in imitation of the fire-bird he'd mocked her as. Smouldering wings trace the air as she passes, moving across the room. She turns, the fire drifting within, and she can feel his intangible eyes upon her. She reaches up and grabs the silken folds of the four-poster bed's coverings, her back arcs sensuously. She leans back, letting the fine fabric take her weight, her legs sliding outward into the room. She knows he's here, knows he feels powerful. She falls backwards, the drapings running through her fingers, her backside touches the edge of the bed, her shoulders and head almost touching the purple sheets before she grips down, stopping the descent. She holds there, looking up at head-height before her, right where he would be had he pushed her down onto the bed, her chest rises and falls with passionate excitement...

    she releases a hand from the fabric, pivots on her foot and hauls up with her other arm, swinging herself off the bed and over the silver-rimmed chest. She stands, composed, her fire fading. She brushes down the creases in her robe, straightens her neckline, walks over to the box of papers and lifts it. The Dancer walks to the door, pauses to look back into the center of the room, and blows a single kiss. She exits to the left.

    Spoiler: OOC & Rolls
    Show
    Okay, that was a trip to write. Dancer is spending a Willpower to ignore the Instill attempt. She is then making an Appearance+Presence roll to seduce Lacroix, should he be present (and she'll feel really silly if he isn't). She is supplementing this roll with Glowing Coal Radience (6m) and Warm Faced Seduction Style. She adds three autosuccesses and rolls an additional non-charm die for every 10. In addition, she may convert up to essence (2) bonus dice she'd gain from her appearance (5) to non-charm autosuccesses. If she succeeds, she not only seduces him, but he gains an additional minor tie of lust towards her, unless he spends willpower to resist this effect.
    Appearance+Presence+Specialty (Turning up the heat!)+Stunt+3 Autosuccesses+2 potential Autosuccesses. Non-charm bonus die to be rolled below.

    Spoiler: Rolls
    Show

    (13d10)[1][2][5][7][1][1][6][6][6][4][1][2][10](52)
    Non-charm bonus die: (3d10)[3][2][5](10)
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
    -Me

  21. - Top - End - #81
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    When Dancer looks back at the door, an orangutan is crouched there. It's staring at her with a deeply perplexed expression, one of the many expressions that orangutan faces are really good at. Very slowly, it shakes its head, as if to say I just don't want to know. Then she gestures at Dancer to follow, so that she can quickly show her the lift. Once that's done, she lumbers off back to the storeroom -- then stops, and turns to blow Dancer a big rubbery-lipped kiss.

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Granny's gonna move that stuff.
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  22. - Top - End - #82
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Nord carried a box full of foodstuffs past, raising an eyebrow at the orangutan blowing Dancer a kiss. He then glanced at the dragon, shrugged and gestured after the monkey. "She found an elevator. Bring those papers down to the ship, but quickly; we hit the motherload for supplies here. Food first, then weapons, Thornguard armor, and medical supplies. We don't have a lot of time."

    The things Nord would say if he'd known she'd spent the last minute or so trying to seduce a ghost she wasn't even sure was there...
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

    When Gods Go To War comes out March 8th

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  23. - Top - End - #83
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "It's... wow. It's beautiful." The sight of the mural poleaxes Marrow, and he stands rooted to the spot. It truly is incredible, in scope, in detail, and in wealth. Reaching out a hand, he trails his fingers over the lines and whorls, feeling the cold jade under his skin. From the dragonborn on upwards, until he comes to the young woman with the crescent-moon-mark and glances nervously at Whisper. Truthfully, he's a little surprised at his own reactions, here - marvelous art of Anathema standing tall over Dragonblood and all he feels is the barest twinge. Admittedly, even before the Fall he'd hardly been devout, and in the time since he's known only one kind of Anathema. These others... he looked up at the ruling pair again. They could wait.

    Behind them, more art, and this one almost more impressive. Gods and dragons, and each so alive it was almost like... it was almost like the artist had known them, like they'd posed for this. The dragons... Marrow bowed his head, slightly. Standing here facing them, it felt like he was being judged.

    The survivor's cry of pain pulls him out of his reflections, and when he reaches the man he lends him his shoulder to lean on. "The techs ran? Ran where?" Marrow asks hurredly, staring at the great Soulsteel door at the end of the hall. They needed to find the prisoners, true, but there was no sense rushing if they were running into a trap. "Do you know what's through there?"

  24. - Top - End - #84
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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    The lower floors of the tower are not what Whisper expected. If she'd thought about it, she probably could have guessed that the tower is older than the Mask's conquest of Thorns - it takes time to build something like this, and why would the Mask devote that time and effort to something this far outside his borders? But she hadn't bothered to think about it. Now she can't help but wonder: what was this place? Who built it, and what happened to them? How long has it stood abandoned?

    The vision takes her by surprise. She shakes her head violently as she snaps out of it. A trick? Something to lull her, make her forget - it doesn't matter. Trying to figure out dream-logic never helps; you just have to ignore it and keep moving. The wailing of the dead helps, there.

    She's heard of things like this, relics made to draw in the souls of the newly dead and prevent them escaping to Lethe. She's never seen one before. It's worse than she imagined - this close the noise is overwhelming, the screams - they're talking to her, they can see her, they're all trying to talk at once and it's horrible but she's not sure how to get them out -

    Whisper darts over to the forge, picks up a hammer - staggers, because it's heavier than it looks and it doesn't look light at all - and then brings it up in a clumsy overhand strike at the soul cage.
    Avatar by GryffonDurime. Thanks!

  25. - Top - End - #85
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    HalflingWizardGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Heights Team
    As Dancer turns back to blow a kiss to the room, she sees... blue. Her first instinct is to bring her blades up, but after blinking it's clear that whatever she's level with is not Lacroix. It's... just an ember. A single piece of cerulean fire, floating at eye level with her. The little creature flits forward, bumping against her forehead.

    And just for a second, unbidden, she can experience the same feelings she'd been trying to evoke in Lacroix! She can feel that sense of power, excitement, want! She feels...

    She feels a sharp pain in her chest. Dancer winces, as the little fire-spirit nuzzles gently against her neck, making an appreciative purring sound. And suddenly Dancer remembers! Her Highness used to tell her son a bedtime story about a bold knight who rode out to save the town where people's hearts were burning. This is a Heartflame - it's a creature that spreads emotions to the point they physically combust. Were it not for Dancer's Exaltation, it could've hurt quite badly. And if she'd really gotten lost in the vision perhaps even Hesiesh's blessing wouldn't be enough.

    There's a small metal plaque by the lantern. 'Pyrefly' is carved upon it. Was Lacroix keeping this creature as a pet?

    Spoiler
    Show
    Sticks, add 'Familiar; Pyrefly' to your sheet as a 3 dot merit. At least for now. It may or may not stick around, but for now Dancer's made a friend!


    Regardless, the group are done with their initial activities now. They've cleaned out the storeroom of its most precious contents, and Lacroix's office of key information. There might be a few more valuables in there for Granny and Nord, however - the two are likely more appreciative of material value than the very professional Fire Aspect. And Dancer knows the Hearthroom is important if they want to destroy the tower in its entirety, rather than leaving the bones of the laboratory for Mask to restaff later. There might even be more useful intelligence there.

    But... hey. What happened to the rest of the Thornguard? The three of you haven't seen any sign of the half dozen or so who withdrew at the end of the battle. That might be a matter of concern.

    Depths Team
    Marrow
    The old man grumbles at Marrow's words, waving back at his recent rest. "How the heck should I know? They had me strapped to a table. I figured they ran for the stairs up." He glances back down the hallway with a frown. "Given that you two came from that way, I'm guessing no. If we're lucky, the eejits ran into an unstable section, brought the whole passage down around their heads."

    That thought gets a happy chuckle from the old captive. He follows Marrow's gaze towards the Soulsteel Door, frowning as he thinks back. "They were talkin' about a secure storage room. It's for stuff they salvaged when they were reclaiming this place, as well as some components that got shipped in from Aspir. Gotta be some pretty nice stuff back there" Stepping closer, Marrow can confirm that the hefty portal bears the familiar sign of Mask's visage. There are however no readily apparent locks, or even hinges. At a glance it seems like there's just a solid sheet of metal in the midst of the corridor. There is a bizarre device to one side, rising up to Marrow's midsection - a strange slightly rusted stand, held aloft by four coiled metal legs. It looks a little like it was meant to show potted flowers, or a bust of some famous figure, but currently there is nothing atop the small platform at the top of the spiral. Was this the keyhole? Had someone removed the key?

    Rivers
    Rivers' eyes are sharp, and they work quickly - sprinting down the winding maze of corridors after each faint sign of activity. There's a woman affixed to a stripped down bed in one room, unconscious and with blood pooled on the mattress beneath her, but thank the dragons the incisions are easy enough for Rivers to bandage and they can tell she's still breathing. They have her brought back to the junction that led out, before jetting back down the path with the speed and fury of their namesake.

    The next prisoner is conscious, just. The faint moan had been enough to illuminate the path to this small workroom. The grey furred wolfman looks up at him with bleery, weak eyes; it's strange to see a form with so much muscle looking so weak before him, incision scars criss crossing his torso. "Dragon?" the wolfman croaks. Surprise at his rescue isn't enough to stop him gratefully accepting the help however. Rivers pulls the shaggy oaf up from the table and over their shoulder, and proceeds out of the room, once more looking to return to the extraction point.

    Only they've been turned around thanks to the fast pace. It takes Rivers a minute to reorientate themself. And the Dragon Blood catches a glimpse of something strange through one open door as they try to find their way.

    The necrotechs have assembled in one large room here - it looks almost uncomfortably like one of Bountiful Waters' warehouses, given the many large hefty crates that have been stacked in rows across the floor. A quick glance around the perimeter confirms to Rivers that there are no prisoners within, thank the Dragons. The red robed servants of the Mask seem very intent on something - they're retrieving various supplies - tools, lenses, cables, conferring with one another, then exiting at various points on the far side of this strange installation. As they do, others return - seeking out goods, having their own conversations, then returning to their urgent work.

    Are they also hunting the remaining prisoners? No, they can't be - the old man said they'd run from him. So what are they up to? Did these technicians miss the alarm?

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    I didn't specify difficulties on the rescue mission, did I? ;)

    Let's say 2sux nets you a freed prisoner. Congrats, you're half way done! But you have a distraction now.


    Whisper
    The hammer clangs against the outer ring, the force of rotation on the impact sending it spinning across the room, wrenched out of Whisper's grasp in an instant. Whatever this substance is, it's very strong. If she's going to destroy it, she'll need something with massive force behind it. Glancing upward, the sight of the smelter is tempting. If she could knock the furnace cauldron off of its moorings, the thing would slam down right into the Soul Cage - shattering the wretched thing for sure. And since the ghosts are incorporeal, it wouldn't hurt them one bit!

    Of course, trying to disassemble heavy industrial equipment might not be too easy. And looking at the cage, Whisper can intuit another way. This thing is ultimately a construct of sorcery (well necromancy) and her own mastery of essence could be enough to deal with it. Just as she draws threads of essence together to cast a spell, she could tear the threads that sustain the cage asunder, and leave it nothing more than a few useless metal rings. Whisper's sure she could do it in theory... but sorcery requires concentration, and it's hard to concentrate with the ghosts screaming at her. She'd have to silence them somehow if she wants to try and use her art here.

    Spoiler
    Show
    So yeah - distortion! It's a thing! Whisper can use her sorcery to rip the soulcage apart - I'm gonna cite this as difficulty 3, goal number 15, terminus 5. But if you try to do it with the ghosts screaming at you, the difficulty rises to 7. She could also try to sabotage the smelter - it's really big, so dropping it on the cage should smash it to pieces. I'll improvise a difficulty for that based on how you go for it.

  26. - Top - End - #86
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    pfm1995's Avatar

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Marrow leans over to tap the stand, humming softly to himself in confusion. Could be a missing key, could be the door itself is an artifact - either way, no-one'd gone up the stairs since they'd put down the last of the zombies so whatever was needed to get through this door should still be down here. If he was very lucky, maybe he'd find it with the remaining prisoners.

    Clapping the old man on the shoulder as he runs past, Marrow heads pell-mell down the worn stone hallways but skids to a stop at the first intersection. It'd be nearly impossible to search this whole place on foot, especially by himself, especially if he was just running here and there. Instead, he planted his feet, closed his eyes, and breathed.

    Marrow of the Root is a Wood aspect, blessed of Sextes Jylis, the Leaf Upraised in Vigor. All things that live are within his remit, all things that grow and die and change. His breath is the breath of every creature, his pulse, their pulse. He knows them, as he knows his own body. He can feel them, as he can his own body even though his eyes be closed.

    At least, that's the idea; he'd never purposefully done this before. He'd felt what he wanted to feel now before, during his exaltation and a few times since, but using it like this was... uncharted territory. Familiar pangs of doubt filled him, as he tried to wake his power - maybe if he was more experienced, had an actual mentor, or even just hewed closer to the Wood Dragon's teachings he'd be better at this. Still, though he be hasty, thoughtless or inconsiderate, the power is in his blood and it will not be denied.

    With each exhalation, snaking roots of ethereal essence spread out from his feet in a web, running along the storied stone of this ancient tower. With each inhalation, feelings like smells were carried back to him. With each pause, peak or trough, he listened.

    Then, to his left, he thought he heard something.

    Spoiler: Rolls
    Show
    "Perception and Investigation" - (5d10)[10][9][8][6][6](39) and I'll spend a WP for a bonus success. Yeah, definitely want to spend some xp rounding out my abilities.

  27. - Top - End - #87
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    MonkGirl

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    Nov 2017

    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    The Dancer flushes, first at the Lunar's good-natured ribbing, then at the sudden surprise of an amorous spirit.

    "Well hell-OH! Hey watch it, haha!"

    She can't help it, she's always had a weakness for cute creatures, and one with an essence so like her own...

    "Hey little one, calm down! I...oh help, c'mere! Come...here!" She manages to clasp her hands around the tiny bundle of fire and peers at it through her fingers. "So, you were the presence I felt? You just project what's around you, huh? Then earlier, that smug...you were making me feel what he'd want me to feel?"

    Her mind races with the implications. She's heard of these fickle spirits, their powers around emotions. As an entertainer, as a...She pauses in her thoughts. If this thing can project emotions as complex as those she felt earlier, then it could impart information, however indirect. This creature could be a powerful asset, but also a liability. The Dancer has always been good about keeping herself in control, passion is for the performing floor, so if she can make this thing her partner...

    "Well Pyrefly, want to come with me? I'm going to meet some new people and I bet you'll enjoy that more than sticking around in this dingy TASTELESS office!" She says the penultimate word loudly, just in case the ghost is about and could use some needling. She takes the lantern, just in case it is attached to the thing as a nest.

    Walking up to Nord, the Dancer indicates the floating ball of fire hovering near her head. "I made a friend. These are the commander's papers. Once we get the rest of this down, we should get the Lunar woman and find the Hearthroom, I expect it's close-by. That egomaniac ghost would want to feel important by staying near."
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
    -Me

  28. - Top - End - #88
    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Eurus's Avatar

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    When Granny finishes tossing the last sacks of grain into the hold, she ponders what to do next. She could probably loot quite a bit from this place, all sorts of creature comforts that the Thornguard take for granted... but the tower itself might be a bigger priority. This monolith of corrupted power is a weapon in the Mask's arsenal, and it's not one that the rebels can easily take for themselves. Destroying it, then, might be the only option.

    Pondering, she tracks down Dancer and Nord and shifts back to human form. It's annoying that she needs to, when her other shapes are so much faster and stronger and generally more comfortable, but being able to talk is a bit of a necessity when you're working with other people. Another good argument against doing so.

    "I'm going for the manse itself. If either of you are good with magic, you might be useful."
    Avatar by araveugnitsuga.

  29. - Top - End - #89
    Titan in the Playground
     
    HalfTangible's Avatar

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    Nord nodded at the tiny fire spirit. "Nice to meet you, blue." So Dancer could charm someone else's pet into following her, too? Remarkable. He'd have to ask about that later... and he would avoid asking why the bed in the room behind her had clearly been messed with.

    Nord shook his head at Granny's question. "I can lift, but I never had much talent for sorcery." He took up the papers Dancer held, making his way to the elevator again. "I'll keep loading supplies. Find the Hearthroom, but don't destroy it; that might just create a shadowland here."
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

    When Gods Go To War comes out March 8th

    Discord: HalfTangible

    Extended Sig

  30. - Top - End - #90
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    MonkGirl

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    Default Re: Exalted 3e - Welcome to Thorns (IC)

    "Confirmed." The Dancer liked Nord, despite herself. His blunt efficiency was comfortingly nostalgic.

    "Well then Madam, shall we be off?"
    “Sorry for making things complicated!”
    -Me

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