Chronicle of the Scavenger Lands (Exalted 3E) - IC

[Esbilon]

"A pleasure, Captain Mara, Catseye," Ysandre replies, her smile lighting up her face. "I find myself rather curious to know exactly what Ryan has told you about me before agreeing on leaving with you on my own." As she speaks, her deep, blue eyes take hold of Mara's and demand the same answers Ysandre asked of the young captain.

OOC: Read Intentions on the good captain, Per 3 + Socialize 3 + Excellency 4 + Stunt 2 = 12 dice => 8 sux. Spending 4 Peripheral motes. Damn, if only I'd activated Motive-Discerning Technique and gotten double 9s

 

[jaydude]

Mara smiles back at Ysandre. "Not much, aside from that helping to restore you to your rightful throne would make him and I rich. He certainly didn't mention how beautiful you are."

Examining Mara, Ysandre gets the sense that for now, the Dragon-blood is trying to get a feel for her, and see if she's receptive to having another woman flirt with her.

 

[Epiphany]

For her part, Catseye is torn between a bit of envy that her Captain is so taken with the other woman and being rather taken herself! After all, Catseye had grown up in the court of Thorns, had traveled the Hundred Kingdoms extensively and even visited with a certain number of spirits possessed of supernatural allure. She is no stranger to beauty. But the woman with the mercenary captain is possibly the loveliest she's ever seen.

With a firm swallow, the Eclipse sketches a brief nod of acknowledgement when introduced by Mara but otherwise remains silent as she sizes up the two. Is this the dispossessed Queen looking to reclaim her nation? With a face like that, the woman wouldn't have much trouble landing supporters. Enough supporters, though, and the right supporters are unsolved questions though.

Politics. Thorns had played the game well but had lost. Lost hard. Catseye hopes her Captain isn't going to let a beautiful woman commit them prematurely. Only luck had saved the Eclipse the last time she'd been ensnared when two rival political powers smashed into each other.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan shrugged, allowing himself to step aside from the conversation given the two mercenaries' interest in Ysandre. "Well they certainly seem to like you and they haven't brought a hunt on me yet." Ryan said as he rested his hand on Warden's orichalcum pommel. "Though, I reckon we could all just give Ailera a visit real quick if you aren't ready to return to camp."

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera happily takes another drink as she contemplates what her next step should be when dealing with these other Solars.

 

[jaydude]

"Either option works for me." says Mara as she looks at Ysandre, waiting to hear the Zenith's decision.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill thinks for a second. After all, if Ryan sent a soldier, they must have gotten delayed a bit. "You're probably right. Well, he did say he was bringing several people to discuss a potential work. Care to direct me to Ryan's tent, so we can get it ready for our guests? You soldiers are used to rough conditions, but I want a bit more cozy life." And with that he pays his belly and lets out a laugh.

 

[jaydude]

Tannis nods, and leads Quill over to Ryan's tent. It's close to the center of the camp, and a bit larger than the others; Ryan not only sleeps here, but also handles his company's business and day-to-day affairs there.

"I reckon we should get a table and some chairs in here, so that people can sit down while talking." says Tannis. "Anything that you'd suggest?"

 

[Esbilon]

The young queen in exile is hardly a stranger to flirtation, her family does claim descent from Venus herself after all, but since her father took ill, it has been quite far from her mind. It is pleasant to be the object of someone's desire again, and to be so for herself rather than her title has a simplicity that makes her smile.

"I think it is safer to split up," Ysandre begins, taking her eyes off Mara again. "You have proven your ability to avoid outside interference," she says to Ryan, "and the rest of us can make our way to your camp easily enough if we move rapidly. We would attract more attention together and spend more time in a city I'm no longer sure is friendly towards us."

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera is feeling a bit pouty as she finishes off her latest mug of ale. She turns to a random stranger in the tavern and asks, "Why haven't I heard from him yet? It looks like I'm going to have to go looking for him on my own." On somewhat shaky legs, she rises up and heads for the door, planning on going to look for Ryan. Perhaps I'll run into him on the street.

 

[Epiphany]

Catseye's silent, letting the Captain and the noble woman sort things out. Ysandre's choice of words suggest she's in charge, which means she's the one to watch. Just as well that they're going with her. The noble woman's concern over an unfriendly city is a concern for her as well, though. They'd docked her many times in the past several years. What had happened that made it unfriendly? Or perhaps Ysandre had tried recruiting, only to find the local powers unfavorable to taking a stance that would involve them on one side of the conflict?

She needed to know more...

 

[Rykon]

Ryan gave a respectful nod and took his leave of the three ladies, "I'll be on my way then. I'll meet you all at camp." Ryan was still wary of acquiring new pursuers, so he tried to move as fast as he could without attracting unwanted attention.

 

[jaydude]

Ailera soon runs into Ryan, Ysandre, Catseye and Mara, and everyone makes their way to Ryan's camp shortly afterwards. Mara and Catseye end up accompanying Ysandre, Mara engaging in some more light, flirtatious banter with Ysandre when the Zenith caste makes it clear that she's open to it. None of the Solars see the five Water Aspects who were following Ryan and Ysandre earlier, or anyone else trying to tail them.

As she enters Ryan's camp, Catseye soon sees a problem; with the number of men the Dawn has fighting for him, and the size of Mara's crew, the Resplendent Dolphin doesn't have nearly enough space to carry everyone. She estimates that they'll need another ship of roughly the same size in order to transport both groups by river. Mara says nothing for the time being, though she has no doubt figured this out for herself.

That evening sees the five Solars and Mara sat round a table that has been set up in Ryan's tent, the interior lit up by a number of lanterns. Two of Ryan's men stand guard outside the tent's entryway. On one side of the table sits Ysandre and her existing allies; Ryan on her left and Quill on her right. Opposite the three of them sit Ailera, Mara and Catseye, the potential new recruits. For the moment, Mara has not yet told anyone that Catseye is also a Solar.

"So then, shall we get down to business?" asks Mara with a smile, leaning forward in her chair and resting an elbow on the table.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan explains the plan much as he had before. "My proposal is thus Ysandre... We are mercenaries and mercenaries like to have guarantee of payment for putting their lives on the line on another's behalf. We expect that both now and shortly after the formal beginning of your reign, funds will be tight to cover restoration and rebuilding efforts. However, one among us is well versed in both ruins and gemstone mining. What we ask for is both what short term funds that could be spared on completion of the mission and a share of income for new scavenging and mining windfalls that will come in the following days. We will not be idle in this time, as both hard labor and peace keeping will be critical for maintaining stability in the early days. This will help us keep our forces paid, grow our resources, train your new forces, and keep you financially solvent. Thoughts?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

By the time the other had arrived to camp, Quill had Ryan's men bring in some odd and pieces of metal, and has assembled them into functioning, if not too pretty, chairs and table. It was all done in haste, and with no proper tools, but for the twilight, it was not a hindrance, as he worked with his bare hands to bend, shape, and connect the various pieces.

Now, he reclined in one of the chairs, waiting to hear how things go, though he did smile when Ryan mentioned him as a ruins and gemstone mining expert. While he didn't really know a lot about gemstone mining, he did know some, more than any of the others present, likely, and what knowledge he lacked, he knew he could learn quickly.

 

[Esbilon]

When they sit down that evening, Ysandre has had some time to compose herself. While the bandits that abducted them left her without a change of clothes, she has washed her face, brushed her hair, and display what jewellery she has more prominently. Sitting between Ryan and Quill, her hair seems like spun gold, her eyes shine like diamonds and her bare neck is as graceful as a swan's. She is a vision to behold and looks every inch a queen.

To Ryan's question, she answers: "There is a more pressing matter than my ability to pay for your services - your ability to deliver what is needed. Nalia's army is just that, an army, and while I have the greatest respect for you all personally, your men number in the hundreds where my brother can command thousands. When I went into exile rather than fight Quincel immediately, it was because I did not want to tear the country apart and at best win a pyrrhic victory. Until and unless we are in a position of far greater strength, the risk of returning seems to greatly outweigh the potential gain."

OOC: I've activated Awakened Carnal Demiurge (giving me +1 Appearance Indefinitely) and Thousand Courtesan Ways (giving me +1 App for the Scene). I don't want to roll against PCs, but suffice it to say that Ysandre's looks are quite literally divine.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill was enraptured by Ysandre, though a part of him wondered why he hadn't noticed her so strongly before, since everyone else simply paled in comparison, and surely with the way she looks now, the entire town would have followed her, into a Shadowland if need be.
But that part of him was now formulating a plan for an Orichalcum tiara with delicate filigree, and set in it, are the three sapphires he purchased, though now their glory seemed faint in comparison with the beauty of Ysandre.

At her words, Quill manages to clear his mind abit, and adds words of his own "Your words ring true, but in order to bring in the amount of troops to overwhelm the Nalian forces, we would need to gather many men, and to be able to pay them for their services in the mean time. And to do that, we will need a sizable sum to attract such men, and to train them."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan merely gave a blank stare, then rubbed his eyes. "I will endeavor to ignore the lack of faith in my men here, but I concur preparation is certainly a prudent move. This is part of why lovely Ailera here is such a valued addition to our team. She can help us... Hm.... acquire assets from otherwise unhelpful or actively confounding individuals possessed of a notable surplus." Ryan paused. He somewhat disgusted at how dressed up he phrased rob unallied rich people, but here he was making the sales pitch. "Alternatively or additionally, we can reclaim some resources from one of the many clans of bandits dotting the countryside and make some people safer in the process."

"This will get us a start while we're here, depending on how long we are willing to wear out our welcome here in Marita." Ryan added with a brief concerned glance at Ysandre. "So I'd like to ask we keep reasonable time frames in mind. On that note, Ailera, were you able to come up with any potential marks yet or do you need something from us first?"

Sherwood

 

[Esbilon]

"I have seen your men, Ryan, and while they are a well-disciplined and skilled group, they are hardly the Legion of Silence or the Brides of Ahlat. Please do not misunderstand me, I am grateful for the assistance of you yourself as well as that of your soldiers, but we need to keep the scale of things in mind here. Regarding recruiting more mercenaries, I am concerned at whether or not less moral captains than those here present will be able to restrain their men when marching through my homeland."

 

[Rykon]

"No, they are not and yet both would die or flee in terror against us in the field. They do not yet have the experience in drill, but they have a force of spirit that will overwhelm them all the same. Such is the power of the Dawn that broke the Tepet Legions on the backs of barbarians, lest you forget. As for other matters, I have no intent to bring other captains aboard this venture for the same reasons. We will grow the units we have and ensure they are up to muster before we make a move."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill shakes his head. "We need a source of money for this endeavor, and while our esteemed new friend here" and he gives a bow to Ailera "has offered to help procure us some money, in an honorable manner, I presume." and he winks at her "Nonetheless, we will require great funds for this. And I believe I may have a solution. As Ryan has so thoughtfully describes, I do possess some knowledge of the Shogunate era, and we might be able to use it for our own use. There is a Jade mine a week's ride east of here. It was lost during the Balorian Crusade, and I have managed to find it, on paper. I haven't been on site yet, but if we can get it up and running, it would be a great asset."

In the back of his mind, Quill also recalled that in the last days of the Shogunate, that mine was the site of a Wyld Hunt, where the leader had managed, with a single blow, to cut the Solar's hands, and to cleave asunder his Orichalcum bracers. But Quill did not voice this part, for he hoped to find the pieces of the bracers, and someday, use them to forge the tiara he envisioned for Ysandre.

Rolling to Introduce Fact
Spending 3 motes on Lore-Inducing Concentration, 4 motes to add 2 successes.
Harmonious Academic Methodology adds (Essence) non-Charm auto successes, since it involves my specialty.
Bottomless Wellspring Approach also adds an auto success.
Lore-Inducing Concentration gives another auto success, and lets me reroll 6's.

For a total of 5 auto successes, and a final total of 7 suxxes.

 

[Sherwood]

On that note, Ailera, were you able to come up with any potential marks yet or do you need something from us first?"

Ailera has been quiet for much of this discussion, trying to learn more of the people involved and hopefully not making a fool of herself. But when she is called out by Ryan, she does answer. "The people I have been able to talk to here have a limited knowledge of the targets I would be looking at. I would like to get a better read on the dynamics of the situation while actually there before setting any target in stone. I'm sorry I cannot be more specific at this point."

 

[Rykon]

Ryan gives a nod to Ailera. "Perhaps we should start with the mine that Quill mentioned so we have a lower profile when we look to further operations in Marita. Ysandre and I already had to bypass five Water aspects with suspect motives just today. Staying longer than necessary is just an excessive risk that should be avoided."

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera returns the nod. "Understandable. I have little to pack; I carry most of my belongings with me in my pockets. Less to have to worry about if I have to make a quick withdraw from a location. Ready to go when you are."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill nods "Most of my belongings are home, in Great Forks, so am traveling light at the moment."