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."
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."