Dreams of the Second Age - Additional IC

The Mistress raises her eyebrow. "Do not underestimate an army of over a million trained soldiers; war ghosts that have seen combat in life and death in service to their dark master. The power of the Lion is such that, even if his rivals try to betray him, he could crush them below his armored boot. You will need to marshall a large force to face him, either in Creation or in the expanse of the Underworld." The sudden change of topic to Han-Tha's sanctum seems to take her by surprise. "I know where he hides his layer, and I could be . . . persuaded . . . to part with that information to you." She smiles as she slinks over to settle herself down on the seat next to Aredin. "Persuade me well, my friend."
 
Aredin


Aredin felt the guilt hit him in a very physical sense. The inside of his chest churned in pain, aching tendrils of sensation reached down his limbs and back to his core. Then, as he reached for the ghost of woman he had longed for over the last several years of his memory, it faded. Grasping her hands in his as he looked into the green hues of her eyes with a smile, Aredin spoke, "In that case, it seems I can stop waiting after all these years." As he would move in to kiss her, Aredin removed the Ring of Shadow Walking from his right hand and slid it onto the Mistress's left ring finger. Aredin would continue the passionate embrace for a moment before pulling his head back enough to speak. "I wanted Nikola to finish it first, and then... well, news of the usurpation hit. Everything was all about preparing for the survival plan. I had been forcing myself not to do something hasty...and then you... No. No, none of that matters now. Mistress, I've been patient long enough, marry me." Aredin said, still locking eyes with hers. "Marry me...and we will slay the Lion and his pride."
 
She jerks back from you with shock. "Marry you?!? Of all the things that I had expected from you at this moment, that didn't even make the list! I was thinking of seducing you, but marriage - " She shakes her head. "You don't know what you are asking of me. After all this time, and everything that has changed in me, you don't know me." Looking down at the ring on her finger, she finally replies. "I will not say yes, but I am not saying no, either. Once you see what it means to be a Deathlord, perhaps you will change your mind, and if so, I will not hold you to your request. But if you still desire to be with me once you have seen the darkness in me, I will have you as my own." With that, the Mistress sensuously slides her robes from her body, revealing her nearly perfect form in all its glory. "It has been a long time since I have taken a lover. I hope I still remember what to do with myself."
 
Aredin


For a brief moment Aredin thought to himself, 'Seducing me to what e-' the thought evaporated from him mind as he saw her. Aredin smiled, "I guess we'll have to find out." Aredin removed his amulet, and therefore the fine raiments it provided, setting it on the table before moving over to join his beloved for the night.
 
After the first week has gone by, drastic changes has taken place in the Flying Tower you are using as your base of operations. Well over a hundred young Dragon Kings now populate the Tower, and from the intense training regimen that they are undergoing, they are beginning to turn into a cohesive fighting force instead of a wild bunch of rabble. Also, from the supplies laid in reserve not only by the Circle of Exalts, but in Leeayta's military museum and the four Elder Dragon Kings, artifact armor and weapons are filtering out to bolster the ranks of the growing army, making even the most fumble-fingered hatchling a deadly opponent.


Rine has been working non-stop to get the airships fully functional with the aid and blessing of Relza.


Aredin has been spending more and more time with the Mistress of Tears in her Holdfast. The Mistress still wishes to meet with the Exalts of your Circle, but in the meantime, she has offered to allow her servant Voice That Speaks From the Heart of Darkness to assist in training the Dragon Kings and prepare your army for the battle against the forces of Filial Wisdom. It is up to you if you wish to allow the Abyssals to enter your territory and work with the hatchlings.


Mask and Wren are helping the Awakened Dragon Kings to add to their numbers, and since there are several thousand wild stalkers running about, you have plenty to work with.


The forces of the Goblin King are also stirring, training his rag-tag army for some unknown purpose. Perhaps he has come to notice your work in 'his' city, and is about to stomp you flat.


What is the focus for the next week of training, and do you allow Voice to aid you in teaching the Dragon Kings in the art of war?


Also, you notice that the Fae in the other Flying Tower are sending out reconnaissance parties into the Underways, searching for something. Perhaps it is related to the hidden, shielded chamber that the city Goddess cannot enter?
 
Mask


Mask will take some downtime to take a quick peek to see if he can find anything on what the Fae are up to, sneaking about the underways and seeing if any of them let out any secrets as they search. Otherwise, aside from keeping his eyes on Filial Wisdom's army to keep everyone abreast of what he's up to, so far he's continuing with Wren to wrangle up more wild stalkers.
 
Rine continued to work on the flying craft, using a mixture of Sorcery and Wyld Shaping to perform the bulk of the repairs. The fine details he would have to take of himself, and it was slow but fulfilling work.


If it came to a vote, Rine would adamantly oppose letting Voice approach the Dragon Kings. Not because of any personal biases, they Abyssals were too new for him have formulated any opinions, but because he was unsure how how their death essence would interact with the newly awakened enlightened essence of the Dragon Kings.


As for the Fair Folk, Rine would conjure up more Eyeless Minions and grant them potent stealth and scouting skills before sending them off to observe their movements.
 
Aredin


Shortly after his proposal to the Deathlord, Aredin tried to organize a meeting including both the Mistress and Doll of Dreams and Blood. Should he get both of them to agree to discuss matters of strategy, he would lay out a few books, scrolls, and parchments for going over different topics of deathly power. His automated pen for recording conversations was at the ready so that none of them had to bother with the minutiae of note taking.


"So, if we're eventually going to have to take on this Forlorn Waffle fellow, I need some information so we can come up with a plan. As much of a bad time I've had with it in the past, I need to know more about Necromancy. What advances have been made in the study of it since the First Age and what sort of powers should we expect the army to throw at us?"
 
The Mistress laughs at the 'Forlorn Waffle' reference to the mad Goblin King. "Thank you. There are few enough things in my unlife to make me laugh. Now, necromancy is a multi-tiered gift of power, similar to Sorcery. At this time, you are too far removed from the Void to be able to tap into the darkest level of the art, but I can change that." She gives you a mysterious look at this comment, but says nothing more about it. "Doll has taken to the necromatic arts with vigor, and she has recently mastered the final circle of power, making her my most talented pupil in that field. Expect to see horrors at the hands of the Lion unlike any that you have dealt with before. Everyone that falls on the battlefield will fuel his Essence, and every body can be brought back as a zombie to continue to fight for our enemy. He has war machines that are rivaled only by the arsenals of the First Age, but these are made of bone and sinew instead of metal. Finally, I have heard that he is in the process of manufacturing a massive skyship that will not only work in the Underworld, but in Creation also. This airship is a flying battlewagon, capable of raining down death on a scale not seen since the First Age."


She shifts a bit on the couch, looking at you with dark intent. "Are you interested in learning the secrets of necromancy from me? I can begin your instruction now, but it will take some work for you to master the Void level magics, work that I am capable of performing upon you if you so choose."
 
Aredin


Aredin stroked at his chin in thought. "I am interested, but this does not seem like a choice that should be made lightly. There are two questions I have for you though. First, what would you use to fight this problem if you had the choice, a Solar or an Abyssal? Second, this corruption, I want to know everything you can tell me about the madness of the first age and what this process might have to do with it."
 
The Mistress waves her hands as if they were balancing scales. "Solars on one side, Abyssals on the other. They have many of the same powers, if only different by their aspect - Void or Celestial. Against the Lion, any ally I can have on my side will be a welcome one."


Mask has observed that the forces of Filial Wisdom are preparing for a battle, and it looks like they are planning on clearing out the Fae from the other Flying Tower. With the numbers on their side, it seems unlikely that without some sizable force stepping into the mix, they will not survive the sheer numbers that the Solar can throw at them. The Fae continue to send scouting parties into the Underways, but now their numbers are being jumped on by the cannibalistic forces of Han-Tha.
 
Aredin


Aredin rubbed at his forehead in fatigue, "So neither side seems to give an advantage over our foe... What of my second question? If the Solar exaltation is flawed enough to be twisted in such a way... Is there some connection to why the Deliberative went mad?" Aredin waited as his thoughts echoed his unspoken comment, 'And why my first circle tore each other apart over the span of a single disagreement?'
 
"There are many that would say that it is simply due to your Exaltation that the Deliberative went mad; but the Solars are not the only ones affected by strange behavior. Have you not noticed your Lunar companions becoming more and more short tempered with time and the rising of the moon? The arrogance of the Fivescore fellowship that let them condemn the entirety of the Celestial Exalted in one fell swoop, but refusing to admit that they were just as twisted as those they sought to put down? Even the Dragon Blooded have their version of this curse. Whatever has happened to make this happen is a power greater and older than the Deathlords, and the oldest of our number spring from some of the first Solars that have ever fallen. No, this is somehow related to the Primordials; a powerful curse that has affected all Exalted in one form or another. I'm not saying that the Deliberative would have not fallen in time, but this has accelerated the process. You want to know who is responsible? I would point my finger at the Malfians, locked away in their prison. They are the cause."
 
Mask


If he can find a way to get away with it, Mask will also spend some extra time sabotaging any of the groups taking out Fae in the underways, so as to not impede any searches that might lead him to something useful.
 
Aredin


Aredin pondered the idea of the curse for a moment, "So even if I became an Abyssal, I'd be at just as much risk as my first circle of just flipping out and killing everyone... If not worse." Aredin sighed continuing to try and find away around his assumed doom, "If it is the Yozi couldn't we just bind their third circle souls to spill the information? Possibly even lift the curse? If not, then what about other Primordials? Gaia, Autochthon, and...the missing one... couldn't they remove it?" Aredin ran his hand through his hair, the redness in his eyes showing his frustration and fatigue. He took a moment to stop himself and reconsider the situation, "Ah, I did say only the two questions. Unless there is something you need from me, I think I need to take a moment and clear my head." Aredin sat waiting for one of his hosts to respond.
 
The Mistress nods and waves her hand, dismissing you. "Take all the time you need. One day is pretty much the same as another to me now."
 
Zen-Aku


Zen politely declines Whisper's offer of training the soldiers. He already has the necessary charms to train all of them; not to mention the fact that he doesn't fully trust Whisper, as was the norm for Zen.


The Dragon-Kings continue their training from the previous week, sharpening their quickly raising their melee prowess exponentially. They still have a really long way to go before they are up to Zen's Exalted standards but they are making very good progress. Among the training Dragon-Kings, Zen-Aku takes the most skilled of them and begins to shape them into proper lieutenants skilled in bladework and tactics. To these Dragon-Kings, he offers them the usage of custom Gunzosha armors tailored for Dragon-King usage.

Tiger Warrior Training again to raise Melee.
 
As the days go by, the Dragon Kings are becoming more than a bunch of untrained rabble and are starting to look like a actual fighting force. When not training with Zen, the four Elders and Leeayta spend time with the hatchlings, teaching them the ways of the Dragon King Essence powers, making them even more fearsome. But, before their training can be more than just begun, events are transpiring elsewhere in Rathess.


You receive word from your spies that Filial Wisdom is leading a large force up against the Fae currently calling the other Flying Tower their home. With the Solar in the lead, you can see that there is little hope for the defenders in the Tower unless some miracle happens. Do any of you intervene in the battle in any way?
 
Zen-Aku





Upon the matter of the Fae, Zen knows that they cannot afford to let the technology to fall into Filial's hands. Alternatively, Zen proposes, that they leave the Fae to die and seize the technology atop the tower in the confusion. By doing so they could get rid of the Fae without risking their own forces as well as obtain majority of the technology that the tower holds.


Either way, he doubles his efforts to prepare the Dragon-Kings for war. It is only a matter of time that they will see their first battle, and Zen wishes to ensure that all of them survive the battles ahead alive.
 
Mask


Mask takes some extra time to scout out the Dragonblood champion of Filial Wisdom, trying to discern any weaknesses or strengths he might have, as taking care of one of their leaders might help keep them in a decent amount of disarray.
 
Aredin


Aredin, having returned to the Mistress after a short moment of thought. "So, the sanctum. Where is it? If we are to end the immediate problem, I need to be rid of that leech of a god so I can realign Filial's demeanor."
 
She looks at Aredin with a odd smile. "I do not know if you will be able to 'realign' the Goblin King, but the sanctum of Han-Tha is in a ruined tower just over a mile from the city." She produces a map, and places a delicate finger on one spot. "It is overgrown and quite well hidden from sight; it will take some effort to locate it even knowing where it is. I can send along one of my servants to aid you if you would like."


Back in the city, the battle for the Flying Tower rages on. Mask is keeping a close watch on the forces in play; the Dragon Blooded is never far from the mad Solar, and they both seem to take great pleasure in the fighting. Even with the bottleneck of the Tower entrance, Filial Wisdom has come with several hundred troops, not to mention the sheer power of the Solar himself with his grand daiklave. It is not long before the barricades are shattered and the unkempt forces of the Goblin King are racing into the Tower.
 
Mask


Mask uses his time as wisely as possible, picking off smaller groups of the Solar's forces any time they get separated from the whole, and tries to figure out any way possible to separate the Dragonblood himself from the Solar, from any distraction that could possibly be made to even just using the Tower's defenses against them.
 
The butchery in the Tower is complete. As the minions of the mad Solar celebrate, Mask finds that Filial Wisdom and his Dragon Blooded soldier are busy searching the chambers used by the Fae nobiles for something specific. Whatever it is that they are looking for, it seems that they have found it. With a joyful cry, you can see the Solar walking out of one of the side chambers with an ornate wooden case the size of a shoebox. He walks out to the courtyard where several hundred of his troops are celebrating and he shouts, "I have the key! Soon, once we secure the Dragon, all of Creation will tremble at our footsteps as we march on the great cities of the South and lay them waste and feed on their broken bodies!" A great cheer goes up across the square. Filial then leaves with the bulk of his forces and heads back to the main pyramid that he calls home.


At this time, all the various Exalts are back at your own Flying Tower, along with Shadow That Walks, discussing the pending problem of Filial Wisdom.
 
Mask


"It looks like they picked up some kind of key. I tried to get my hands on it, but I didn't want a confrontation. At least we know his plans, now." Mask settles into a comfortable chair and winks at Wren before he lays back and lets everyone else know what he overheard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Back
Top