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

[Sherwood]

"Ailera," Ysandre calls out and looks around for the Night Caste. "We have need of your skills again."

Ailera slips from her hiding spot in the shadows and steps forward. "As you wish, M'lady. I will have the doors open in moments." She places her hand upon the doors, and with a slightly audible click of the lock, she pushes the doors open, being cautious for any threats on the other side.

OOC Obviously, I'm using my Lock Opening Touch for 5m to open the door, and another 5m on Sensory Acuity Prana.

Only 2 successes on my Perception roll.

 

[jaydude]

Pushing the doors open, Ysandre, Arumi and Ailera find themselves inside the palace entrance hall, a great room with a number of doors and archways leading to other parts of the building. The room's central feature however is a large staircase leading to the upper floors of the palace, where the royal apartments are located.

Two more guards are stood on either side of the door. Though sleepy, they quickly level their poleaxes at the three women, but before anyone can come to blows, a figure at the top of the staircase shouts out "Stand down!"

The figure is an elderly man with a bald patch and grey mutton-chop beard. In the light of the candle in his right hand, you see that he wears only nightclothes, and that his expression, once one of shock, is now a look of relief.

"Princess Ysandre?" he asks. "Oh, thank Venus. When I saw the army within the grounds, I feared the worst..."

Ysandre soon recognizes the man as Regis, a God-blooded descendant of Wun-Ja, and her father's chancellor and most trusted advisor. Much like the king, he always had a soft spot for Ysandre and her brothers, and even served as her tutor from time to time once she was chosen as the heir to Nalia.

"I take it that you're the one leading that army, your highness?" asks Regis, as he walks down the stairs.

 

[jaydude]

Back in the palace grounds, it doesn't take too long for the other Exalts and mortal troops to secure the area, disarm the guards and patch up the wounded. With that all dealt with, Ryan, Quill, Zedradon and Catseye come in to join Ysandre, Ailera, Arumi and Regis in the palace entrance hall. Ganzin opts to stay outside and keep an eye on things in the grounds.

 

[Sherwood]

While all of this is going on, Ailera will do her best to stick to the shadows, keeping her eyes open for any threats to Ysandre and the others that she might be able to defeat before it can become a danger.

Perception roll 3 successes
Stealth roll 4 successes

 

[jaydude]

Ailera is unable to see any threats within the entrance hall aside from the guards, both of whom look to have stood down at Regis's order.

 

[Esbilon]

"I am," Ysandre answers, stepping up in front of the assembled Exalts. "It is good to see you again, Regis. Even if the circumstances are less than ideal. Tell me, where can I find my brothers and Melisande?"

 

[jaydude]

Regis bows his head. "The Queen...or should I say, Quincel's wife...I don't know where she is. The last time I saw her was a short while ago, when she was telling me that the palace was under attack. I saw it for myself through one of the palace windows moments later, and might have seen you during the battle, though I wouldn't have recognized you from such a distance. She left my side immediately afterwards, I cannot say where to."

"As for Quincel, I went to tell him what was happening immediately after that. He was in bed; I woke him up. When he heard what was happening, and that the palace grounds were being overrun, he first wanted to take to the field and rally the guards. I advised him that the battle was lost, that I had seen Exalts within the enemy ranks, and convinced him that he should flee while he could." he continues, now a little ashamed. "Forgive me, your majesty...I did not know that you were the one leading the attack, and I did not wish to see Quincel's life threatened. Besides my duties, I care for him like I care for you, and your other brothers..."

"We can talk about your reasons later on." Arumi says, an aura of impatience about her. The more time spent talking, the more time Quincel and Melisandre have to get away. "How could anyone escape this place? We have it surrounded."

"There is a secret passage leading from the castle wine cellar to a stable outside the city walls. That's where I directed Quincel." answers Regis. "As for your other brothers, Dorian and Raymon, I sent people to wake them and warn them, and was on my way to check on them when you opened the doors into this building."

Dorian and Raymon, Ysandre remembers well. Dorian is two years younger than her, and he was always nice to her while she and her other siblings were growing up, though he also gave her a lot of friendly teasing about not being particularly "ladylike" by Nalian standards. Unlike her and Quincel, he never showed much interest in politics and statesmanship, preferring instead to focus his attention on painting and pretty girls. As for Raymon, he was ten when the old king first took ill, and was very much the typical "annoying yet sweet-hearted sibling" for Ysandre in the past, while also dreaming of becoming a knight when he was older.

 

[jaydude]

Ryan and Tannis's search of the palace takes them down to its wine cellar, a rectangular underground chamber with dozens - if not hundreds - of large wooden barrels lining its walls. From the wide archway that serves as the room's entrance, the two men see a man and a woman at medium distance from them moving along one side of the room, checking the barrels closest to the floor one at a time.

Both of these two carry lanterns, allowing Ryan to get an idea of their physical characteristics, even if he can't make out their faces from his current position. The man appears to be young, has short hair with a golden color similar to that of Ysandre, and wears a white shirt, brown trousers and black leather boots. He wears a sheathed steel straight sword on his belt, and judging by his slightly messy hair and untucked shirt, he likely had to get out of bed and get get himself dressed very quickly, and very recently.

The woman on the other hand has black hair that goes down to her waist, and wears a simple and plain - yet clearly well-tailored and expensive - ankle-length gown of black silk. The skirt looks to have been roughly cut with a knife at the sides, as if to allow for more freedom of leg movement, and the bodice and sleeves hug a body much like that of Lyla. As far as Ryan can see, she's unarmed, though the gown's sleeves and skirt look like they could conceal a knife.

Elsewhere...
The Crimson Fangs scour the building as per Ryan's orders. The Vaktri and Agata - the latter of which is currently materialized pending orders - that Catseye had summoned earlier also offer her their aid in the search. Several noncombatants are found - servants, ladies-in-waiting to Melisande, a few council officials - but all are persuaded to surrender to the soldiers if confronted. The guards assigned to the palace take a little more convincing, but the few who don't agree to throw down their weapons are all subdued non-lethally.

Red Shadow Claws Esbilon Sherwood Epiphany D. Rex , where are your characters/what are they doing during this?

 

[D. Rex]

As requested, Zedradon will be looking for Quincel.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan lifts a single finger to his mouth to indicate the need for silence. He gestures upward then at his ear to indicate someone to report back to the main group upstairs. To the others with him, he quietly directs the soldiers to fan out to surround the man and woman while he attempts to sneak up more directly on the two seeking to escape. For his own route, he watched the movements of the lanterns and followed the shadows cast on the wine kegs, lurking his way through the cellar to evade both their line of sight and the touch of lantern light.

If the approach was successful, he would have swords raised to their throats and in a commanding tone call out. "Both of you drop your weapons and come with me. If you cooperate you will not be harmed. We would have words with you."

[7 Successes on Stealthy approach]

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera will spend her time moving about the place, helping to disarm and detain any guards she comes across until such time as Ysandre can either vouch for them or otherwise decide their fate.

 

[jaydude]

With Ryan...
Both the man and the woman remain unaware of Ryan and his men as they continue searching the wine kegs, until the Dawn Caste has blades against their throats, causing them to let out small gasps of surprise.

"Impossible! How did you sneak up on us?!" the man asks in an agitated whisper, as he slowly draws his sword and lets it fall to the floor.

"What does that matter now, you fool?!" the woman whispers, sounding more irritated than fearful at the moment, before she slowly turns her head to look at Ryan out of the corner of her eye. "Still, I have to say I'm impressed. There are few in this kingdom who can get the drop on me."

Unlike the man, she makes no effort to disarm herself of any hidden weapons.

[Ryan is now holding both of the two at bay. Roll Join Battle, Rykon .]

Initiative
Ryan -
Melisande - 7 (Held at bay)
Quincel - 6 (Held at bay)

 

[Rykon]

Ryan gestures for the men to try and restrain the couple before speaking. "How indeed. Let's just say I have been given a blessing of a similar nature to the one your wife here has. Still, I'll gladly take the compliment." He paused for a moment as he attempted to take the urgency out of his voice while maintaining a vigilant watch. For now, he tried to shift mental gears into making sure he could protect the charges and prevent their escape. "I understand the stubbornness and the wish to protect what you've worked hard to achieve here, Melisande. If we were here to take everything apart and kill you, I wouldn't have bothered speaking. Now, both of you are coming with us upstairs so we can talk plainly. The sooner we get this over with the sooner you two can get some sleep."

[7 starting initiative]

 

[jaydude]

"So you've figured out who I am." replies Melisande, a smirk on her face. Ryan's men appear hesitant to approach and try to restrain her; they and their leader can clearly see that she isn't planning to give up yet. Quincel meanwhile appears docile, and Sergeant Tannis is able to tie up his hands with rope.

Then suddenly, Melisande attempts to duck down and dart backwards, a movement that would keep her in close range of Ryan, but create just enough distance to let her fight back.

[Quincel has surrendered, but since both Ryan and Melisande have initiative 7, he gets no control rounds. Roll Join Battle again, Rykon . This time, Melisande is using 6m of Personal Essence for her Awareness Excellency. She has double 9's, but with the -2 penalty she suffers as a hostage, she gets 6 successes for a new initiative of 9.]

 

[Rykon]

Ryan sighs but brings his Daiklave to bare regardless. "You're wasting both our time by trying to fight, you know that right? You only risk your own secret getting out." As he detects movement his steps to follow with his blade forward and into her path of movement, hopefully cornering her between the wine cask and the now restrained Quincel.

[If she is moving out of close range I believe that's a disengage that costs initiative unless there is some sort of charm involved. Anyhow, rolling JB again. Looks like 6 initiative this time]

 

[jaydude]

[No, it wasn't intended to be a disengage action. I've edited the text of my post accordingly. Also, both you and her regain 5m of essence.]

Melisande doesn't respond with anything besides a grin. Instead she opens her hand, and a daiklave of Starmetal appears within it in a flash of light. Then in a movement almost swift for the eye to see, Melisande grips the daiklave's handle and slashes at Ryan's legs, her anima appearing in a blaze of pale-gold light around her body.

[Withering attack, using 3m Peripheral Essence for Excellent Strike, and 10m Peripheral Essence on Melee Excellency. 23 Attack Dice in total, and can reroll ones. That's 17 successes. How do you wish to defend, Rykon ?]

Initiative
Melisande - 9 <---- (Anima Burning)
Ryan - 6

Elsewhere...
Ailera, Quill, Catseye and Zedradon all hear what sounds like a muffled clash of magical materials below, as do the soldiers with them. If they all start running now, they can reach the wine cellar within two combat rounds.

 

[D. Rex]

Zedradon will rush towards the sound of battle. Pushing soldiers out of the way as needed. If there is a fight nearby, Quincel can wait.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan can tell the attack would strike true, even with his own prepared defenses. With a forward step and a raised blade, he pushes from the cask while interposing his own Daiklave from the adjustment she'll have to make to land her swing and upset her balance.


[Spending 1m for Dipping Swallow Defense to raise parry by 1 via Fivefold Bulwark Stance's effect, and another 2 motes on the Melee Excellency for another +1. With a one-point stunt, that's a Parry of 10 and the Soak is 8.]

 

[jaydude]

Ryan is able to deflect Melisande's blow onto his orichalcum breastplate, but the force of it does succeed in knocking him off balance.

[Strength 3 + Damage 12 + 7 Threshold Successes - 8 Soak = 14 Damage Dice. 7 successes, giving Melisande +8 Initiative, and crashing Ryan.]

Initiative
Melisande: 9 (Anima Burning)
Ryan: -1 (Crashed) <----

Next Round
Melisande: 17 (Anima Burning)
Ryan: -1 (Crashed)

Your move, Rykon

 

[Sherwood]

Is Ailera in the area close enough to come to Ryan's aid?

 

[Rykon]

Ryan rolls with the strike and braces against another wine rack behind him. Absorbing the shock with his knees, the commander recoils back through the air and whips the fiery Daiklave overhead. The burning jade weapon hurtles down upon Melisande with the force of a falling mountain.

[Using Perfect Strike Discipline for 1w to add 10 dice to the Withering Attack roll and activating Excellent Strike for 3m just in case. 16 Successes assuming a 1 point stunt. Note: I'd accidentally forgot to reduce the die cap by 2 since Excellent Strike gives the free success, but if you ignore the last two dice in the initial roll it comes up the same.]

 

[jaydude]

Melisande's eyes widen, and raises her daiklave up to try and parry the blow of Seething Drake. Red Jade makes contact with Starmetal in a clash that is near-deafening within the wine cellar, and that reverberates through the walls and floors of the palace.

The Eclipse caste manages to parry the blow, but improperly so, and is sent staggering sideways. She remains in close range of Ryan.

[Melisande's Parry is six and her Soak is 3, seeing as she didn't have time to don any armor. That in mind, go ahead and roll damage, with 10 threshold successes.]

 

[Rykon]

Rolling Withering Damage...

13 Successes by my count, so Ryan should gain 14 initiative.

Pool was Strength 3, Weapon Damage 12, Threshold 10, and -3 for Soak, so 22.

 

[jaydude]

[Round 2. Ryan and Melisande both regain 5m. Zedradon and Ailera will arrive at the start of the next round.]

Melisande is slow to recover her poise after deflecting that last blow, allowing Ryan to make the next move.

[Your go again, Rykon ]

Initiative
Ryan: 13 <----
Melisande: 4

Next round
Ryan: 13
Melisande: 4

 

[Rykon]

Ryan grinned as Seething Drake recoiled off of the Starmetal Daiklave. "You think just because you were chosen as an Eclipse you get to so casually stand in defiance to the Dawn unarmored, huh!? You think you're strong enough to manage this world on your own, do you!? Wake up!" Ryan called out. He turned on his heel to let the momentum of his blade flow into the next swing. He aimed for a sweep at her legs to drive her fully off balance and onto the ground. "Grow up!" Ryan snarled with his caste mark now burning upon his head. "If I was here to kill you, I'd do it right now. We aren't here to murder you. So stop with the foolish games and listen dammit!"

[Spending 5 motes on an excellency just to flare a little. Making a withering attack. If it crashes her, the plan is to follow up with One Weapon, Two Blows if she doesn't immediately surrender. 13 Successes on the Withering attack. Assuming the Parry is now 5 given onslaught rules, if she boosts defense we can just count off damage dice from the end. Looks like another 7 Withering Damage.]