A Cold Day

Sherwood

Sherwood

Luna's Concubine
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It is a cold day in the East as the Manta skyship you are riding in approaches the might flying citadel called Scattered Petals of the Thousand-Toothed Blossom, a light snowfall coming down on the great fortress that makes it look like some kind of holiday ornament hanging in the sky on some invisible hook. The beauty of the moment is overshadowed by the grim reality of the situation that has brought you together here today.

It was three years earlier that you were approached one by one by a Chosen of Secrets named Duncan as he delivers a dire warning to you. The Fivescore Fellowship plots against the Solars, and is bringing in the Dragon Blooded to do the dirty work of actually wielding the knives that will bring the great Deliberative down. He warns you against raising an alarm, saying that action will only put off the slaughter, not put a stop to it. Duncan looks forlorn as he says, "Despite my best efforts to win allies and sway the opinion of the elder Sidereals, the decision has been made, and their plans are moving forward to put an end to the Solars. I fear for the future of Creation under the control of the Dragon Blooded, so I have decided to launch my own plan to restore the rightful leadership of the Deliberative, with your help."

As time passes, you slowly begin to make your arrangements to secret away materials and weapons to equip an army to retake Meru from the traitors inside the vast storehouses of the Titan. By pulling some strings and promising favors, you have been successful in getting several officers on the Titan replaced with men and women that are loyal to you, to assist in preparing to use the Blossom as the command center of your effort to rally troops together under your banner.

The Manta lands and the exit ramp opens up and a woosh of cold air comes into the passenger compartment of the ship. You are met in the landing bay by one of the loyal Dragon Blooded officers that you were able to transfer in. With a glare, he snaps off some orders, "You there! Quit gawking like a bunch of trainees! Grab those crates and get moving! This way!" Once you are away from the landing bay, the Dragon Blooded officer apologizes to you. "Please forgive my tone, Noble Exalts, but I felt it was necessary to maintain your cover and get you away from the rest of the crew that do not know about our plans. Duncan is waiting for you in the cargo bay."

Even knowing what to expect, the changes done to the storage room are startling. Subtle magics are at work to keep prying eyes away from the room, making it possible for you to walk right past the chamber and never even see it. Once you get past that, there is an outer chamber that is filled with assorted boxes of random stuff as a camouflage for the real treasure of the inner chamber; the stasis chambers that you will be sleeping in for the next two hundred years. Lady Ash's Warstrider, Spring Thunder Over the Mountain, stands in the corner as a silent watcher as Duncan makes his final checks over the life support systems.

The Chosen of Secrets turns to face you as everyone walks in. "Welcome, my friends. I wish this was under different circumstances, but it is what it is." He finishes his checks with a nod to himself. "Excellent. Everything is ready." He points at the massive airlock-style door to the outer room. "Once the door is closed, the entire inner room will be shifted into Elsewhere, making it completely secure for the next two centuries. The next layer of your defense will be a plethora of more conventional weapons in the outer room, along with the 'don't see me' magic that will turn attention away from here. Finally, the entire Titan is here to help keep you safe until you are ready to come out into Creation once more."
 
"This still feels like running away," Khutulun says and fiddles with her ever-unruly hair to get it under some kind of control. The Lightbringer is a short woman, barely over a meter and a half, but powerfully built and only the greatest of fools would think height were a reliable measure for the danger posed by a Sword of Heaven. "You don't have to do this," she adds, turning her gaze to her Mate. "Duncan has assured us that the threat to Lunars is far less, you could live on the edge of Creation and work for its betterment, returning to us when the chamber opens again." There is an odd look in her eyes as she speaks, this is a subject the two have discussed before, and one that she is herself conflicted on.
 
Weiss gives Khutulun a long look and a sigh. "As I have said before, my place is by your side. Do you think that I could stand idly by while the Deliberative is wiped out around me? I would fight, and from what Duncan has said, I would most likely find my next Exaltation soon after. Best for me to be here, now, with you. And just think of the challenge ahead of us. Even with all of this," she motions with her hands around her at all the gear that they secreted away, "it will be a true struggle the likes of which has not been seen since the Primordial War. This is going to be a true battle for all of Creation."
 
Ash goes over Thunder's shining exoskeleton, giving it a last, unnecessary polish. Two hundred years is a long time to leave a friend alone, even though she's been assured gods don't perceive the passage of time in the same way humans do.

In truth, she's also postponing, for as long as she can, the moment she must lie down to her own long and lonely slumber. Ash brings no contingent of loyal soldiers or servants with her across the long night -- she's never really cared much for the Terrestrials, whose privileged upbringing has always rubbed her the wrong way, and asking mortals to make such a leap into the dark would be cruel and unfair. So be it. But it means that, when she wakes up...
 
Justinian grasps the handles of the chain daiklaives he keeps at his side, then lets go and claps his hands together. "Well I, for one, am very excited to get started! There wasn't much to do as a Night Caste, and a world turned against us will surely provide some interesting challenges!" He turns to a man standing behind his right shoulder, and says, in a quieter tone, "Do what you can for our people. They will need guidance in the years to come." With that, the slender Exalt cracks his knuckles and begins double-checking his stored equipment to make sure everything is present and functional.

Sorry I still haven't finished his sheet - it's been hard to find free time lately - but I figured I could at least go ahead and start his RP without the stats finished.
 
Weiss does her best to remain focused on the task at hand of getting ready and to not spend all of her time glaring at Duncan. Of all the Exalts here, it seemed to take her longer to come to terms with the evidence that the Sidereal presented to them in order to recruit them for this wild scheme. Ever since she was first Exalted, she has had a problem with the meddling of the Fateweavers, a throwback to the events of her own Second Breath. But as much as she has her issues, if there is even a chance that Duncan is right, they have to take this drastic step. Its only two hundred years, not like its going to be all that long, right?

"Soooo, Duncan, tell me again why you are not joining us in this deep sleep? I just want to make sure that we are all clear on what to expect when we wake up."
 
Duncan rolls his eyes as he tries to keep his patience. "My dear Weiss, as I told you before, I have to stay out of the chamber to be able to maintain the effect on the Loom of Fate that keeps this room hidden from the rest of the Sidereals. Without me, there is no guarantee that you won't have a welcoming committee of powerful Exalts just waiting to deal with you, loyal guards here or not." The old man looks straight at Weiss. "It is not too late to change your mind. I will not force you into this if it is not absolutely what you wish to do."
 
Gritting her teeth, she responds, "I have already told you, I am in this for the long term. I have spent too much time hunting out apostates against the Unconquered Sun to see the Deliberative fall when I still have breath in my lungs." She is feeling slightly miffed at everyone questioning her resolve, but Weiss does her best to keep her feelings hidden.
 
Duncan holds his hand up in a peace making motion, seeming able to sense Weiss' displeasure. "My apologies, my dear. I did not mean to offend. We should-"

He is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Dragon Blood officer, looking concerned. "My Lords! A group of Exalts just appeared in the control room! Several Sidereals and many soldiers in battle armor! They asked for Duncan specifically, and do not seem to be in a mood to take 'no' for an answer. Captain Ellis is doing his best to distract them and buy some time, but they are quite focused."

Duncan stands, suddenly looking much older. "We are out of time, my friends. Somehow, word of my actions have been discovered. When I leave here, close the door. That will protect you from whatever fate that awaits me. With luck, I will only be sanctioned and not executed. Sleep well, and I hope to see you when you awaken." With that, he heads for the door, followed by the crewman.

What do you do?
 
Ash hesitates. Every instinct is screaming to run after Duncan -- whatever awaits him out there, it would be a coward's act to let him face it alone.

Then her hands are on the control panel, and the massive double doors are rolling shut.

"Into Your hands, O Sun Unconquered,
we humbly entrust our brother.
All his life You warmed him with Your light,
Deliver him now from darkness..."
 
Weiss is no fan of Duncan, but suddenly she finds her opinion of the man shifting. She is ready to charge or are the old man but stops herself as Ash activates the controls for the door. She stands there for a moment watching the airlock close, wondering what will happen to him. Nothing pleasant, I'm sure. Well. That certainly gives some credence to the evidence he showed us earlier.

As Ash says her prayer, Weiss bows her head.
 
As Justinian readies his equipment for the upcoming events, he hears the door slide shut and Ash begin to pray. As she trails off, he turns to her and finishes:

"Yet may even the night shield your messengers from harm,
For their can be no night without day,
No darkness without light.
May the Sun, Moon, and Stars watch over him,
and the Light and Dark protect him."
 
As the massive airlock doors close, you feel your ears pop as the life support system for the room kicks in to keep you alive as the entire chamber makes its shift into Elsewhere. Now you are sealed in for the next several hundred years. Now all you have left to do is slip into your individual stasis pods to sleep the years away.
 
"Well. That is one of the most heroic things I have ever seen a person do." Weiss shakes her head for a moment and takes a seat upon the edge of one of the stasis chambers with a heavy sigh. "We are in it for the duration. I suppose that we need to get into our pods and get on with this sleep. Anyone have any last words to say before we start this?"
 
"This is it, then," Khutulun says and reaches out for her Mate with a steady hand. She looks around at the others, catching each of their gazes and nodding to herself at the determination she sees in them. Another might have asked them if they were truly ready for this, but they are the Exalted of the Sun and the Moon, and hesitation is not in their nature.
 
Ash looks at the door for a minute, thinking of her friends -- Tvept and Salina and Gibbous Moon Song, Amayana and Snowrunner and Granite Archetype -- and most of all of Whiteflowers, Whiteflowers who had been born, raised and Chosen in Meru ("My Exaltation came with tea and a free presentation plate.") and would never leave the city for long.

Then the artisan-priest puts on her brightest, most determined smile. "All right, chums, let's do this!"
 
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With those words, the four of you are now faced with getting into your individual pods for your long sleep. As you lie down, the cover slowly comes down over you, and a cool mist fills the chambers around each of you. One by one, you fade into a dreamless sleep.

Time passes

The pods slowly open as consciousness returns. The first thing you become aware of is just how stiff and sore your bodies are. Joints crack and pop as you start to shift your way out of the stasis pods. The next thing you notice is that the room is barely lit, with only the emergency lighting and a few indicator lights on the control panels providing any kind of illumination. One by one, your eyes go to the panel by the airlock, and you can all see with relief that the lights on it are green, showing that the chamber is now unlocked and indicating that you are no longer trapped in Elsewhere. The final thing that comes to you is the fact that all of your Peripheral Essence has been drained, leaving you just your Personal pool available at this time. Looking about, you can see that all of your gear is still here, and your hearthstones are providing energy to you, so it is only a matter of time before your power is fully restored. It does come to mind that there was a safety feature in the stasis pods to be able to use your own Essence to fuel it in the case of an emergency. Apparently, something happened while you were out cold that made the system kick in to provide life support.

It will take you a few minutes of moving and stretching to get your full range of movement back, but at least for the moment, there is no immediate need to leap forth and do battle.
 
Earlier...

Weiss looks over at Khutulun and tries to smile, feeling the stress of the moment hitting her hard. All she can manage to do is to put her hand over Khutulun's and give her a brief reassuring squeeze. Before anything else can be said, the Lunar climbs into her stasis pod and activates the equipment, then closes her eyes to wait for sleep to come.

Upon Awakening...

Letting out a brief groan of discomfort at her aching joints, Weiss sits up and looks about the room, taking stock of the area. "Unh. I feel like I just slept for a few hundred years. Damn. I'm as stiff and slow as a old lady. Is everyone ok?" With another groan, she climbs up to her feet and stretches, feeling her back pop. I need to do some katas to get the blood flowing once more. Got to get a move on.
 
In the near-darkness, Ash opens her eyes. Before anything else -- even the aches in her joints and muscles -- she notices the telltale signs of a power failure to both the Titan and their stasis pods. The first is not so surprising: they were expecting wars and natural disasters aplenty, and the Directional Titans are beasts when it comes to Essence consumption. The second is more worrying. We designed these things with a hundred-year safety margin. So why did the batteries die?

Silently, she sends a thought along the psionic bond she shares with her warstrider: Thunder? Thunder, are you there?
 
"I'm good," Khutulun says as she exits the chamber that has held her for... however long it has been. Hopefully two centuries, but this does not feel like a regularly scheduled wake-up call. With a thought, she calls the Cry That Wakes the World to her hand, and revels in the warmth provided by the Hearthstones enshrined in it. She looks around the room for any sign of wear and tear, her sword resting casually on her shoulder, rising almost her full height above her.
 
Arynne said:
Silently, she sends a thought along the psionic bond she shares with her warstrider: Thunder? Thunder, are you there?
Click to expand...
It takes a long time to get any response; far longer than you expected. Finally, the awareness inside the great machine replies, Ash? Is that really you, or am I dreaming this? It has been so long that you have been asleep, so very long. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up again.

With a weapon once more in hand, Khutulun can feel her strength starting to return. As you look about the inner chamber, everything seems to be in its rightful place, but in the dim light, it is difficult to tell one hundred percent. The airlock door is still closed, even if it is not sealed tight to keep you alive in Elsewhere.

After a mighty stretch, Weiss begins to move through the first few steps of her martial arts kata, and you can feel the soreness and stiffness starting to fade away. It feels good to be on the move once more.
 
A cold chill runs down Ash's spine.

Leveraging herself out of the stasis pod, and ignoring the stiffness of muscles not used for far too long, Ash lurches over to the warstrider looming over them from the shadows. They'd had to give the room a 30-foot ceiling to accommodate Spring Thunder, but there was no way she was leaving him behind.

She'd had to leave everything else. She wasn't going to lose her best friend, too.

Ash lays a hand on the gleaming golden frame. "It's really me, Thunder. I'm alive." Speech has not been necessary between them since the day she Exalted, but she really, really needs to hear his voice right now. Even if the strange fusion of god and machine makes the voice coming out of the mask rather...peculiar.

"How long has it been, do you know?"
 
Something in Ash's voice makes Weiss pause. "Lady Ash? You know more about the workings of this mechanism than I. Can you see what has happened here that caused the machines to drain our Essence? Was there a malfunction?"
 
Thunder replies to Ash's question by speaking out loud for the benefit of all in the room. "You have been asleep for many thousands of years, but the exact number is unknown to me. It has only been in the last few years that the chamber has made its return from Elsewhere. I am sorry that I cannot be more exact in my data to you."
 
Weiss looks up at the Warstrider in shock. "Many thousands of years?!? No. NO! That cannot be true! This is some kind of strange joke, right? This was just supposed to be two hundred years, not thousands! How can this be?" With wild eyes, she looks around at the Solars in the room, almost begging for them to tell her that this was just some prank that they were playing on her.
 
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