Exalted 2.5 - Sidereals IC

[jaydude]

Shi-vash rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Before I say anything else, remind me to never use that analogy with you ever again." she said in her more normal voice, seeing fit to include the other two Sidereals in the conversation now. "Anyway, as for contacts, I've got a good amount of pull within both the Scavenger Lands and the Cult of the Illuminated, which I can use to get the message out."

 

[Random Word]

Insight looks up innocently as Shi-vash inquires as to her well-being. "The matter? No. Definitely not. Absolutely no object lessons about Solars and boxes here. None. Not even a little one. And even if - hypothetically speaking - someone were to go the Mercurian lengths required to conjure one - and why would anyone do that? How rude - , I think in the interests of team cohesion it best the philosophical ramifications of this nonexistent lesson be left unexamined."

After a beat Insight's expression brightens and she cheerfully asks, "On a completely unrelated note, did I hear someone say something about killing Solars?"

 

[jaydude]

Shi-vash let out a breath, giving Insight a bitter grin. "Xun's come to the conclusion that eight Solars who were once imprisoned here have been let loose in Creation once again, and want to take their revenge on it. As much as I hate to do so in this case, I'm inclined to agree with him there."

"And trust me, I'm just as aware of the implications of such a thing as any of you Bronze Stars. Maybe even more so; after all, my side is the one that's trying to control the damn Solars." she added, trying to assure the other three that she had her priorities set right here, but also aware that she might be coming off as excessively and unnecessarily sardonic. "And I can't say that I can imagine attempts to rein these ones in going well at the moment."

 

[Psychie]

Amara is all for getting out of the pit and away from the stench. "Control or eliminate, one way or another we will have to deal with this Dominator person and the other Exalts with him or her. Before we go up, lets make sure that there is nothing left in the other buildings. We may be able to get some idea of just what we are going up against, if there are any other kinds of Exalts with this one Solar, or if they are all Solars. In any case, we need to move quickly. No doubt that this Dominator is already stirring up trouble."

 

[Sherwood]

Searching the other seven prison buildings, you are able to see that there are similar wards on all of them, broken into from the outside. But while they have that in common, there are some critical differences. Two of the prisons have similar markings of orichalcum, indicating that they are also Solars, but not as powerful or perhaps as culpable as the one titled the Dominator.

Three of the buildings have seals on the doors made of moonsilver, and the writings inside the buildings display a vile curse written by Luna, condemning these three of her children to their fate for following their Solars in this mad plot to overthrow the Unconquered Sun.

The last two buildings are the least ornate of the lot, and they are sealed in jade. Inside one, you find the mark of Mela, the Elemental Dragon of Air, and the last you find the writing indicating that the Exalt in here was one of Hesiesh's Exalts, the Elemental Dragon of Fire.

Other than the writings in Old Realm, there is nothing else inside the various prison cells.


With nothing else to look at, the four of you start on your way back up the tunnel to the surface.

 

[jaydude]

"So. By my reckoning, we've got three Solars, three Lunars and two terrestrials. Not quite as bad as eight Solars." remarked Shi-vash, as the four of them left the tunnel. "Still, I imagine there'll be a few busy days ahead of us."

She wasn't too concerned with making plans at the moment. Her main priority right now was surviving long enough to warn Ayesha, Chejop and Nazri about what had happened here. Those three could decide how to handle the situation.

 

[Random Word]

Insight sighs and looks morosely up at the sun as they exit the tunnel. "We really fucked this up, huh? Just one more thing we didn't see coming. Even without their panoplies, six extremely pissed Celestials from the high First Age is, 'someone go warm up the Sword of Creation' bad. Except, oops, we don't even have that anymore. Fuck that selfish bitch for pulling an Autochthon now of all times. Don't suppose anyone has a spare Soulbreaker Orb sitting around? The West always was my least favourite direction."

 

[jaydude]

Shi-vash snorted. "Even if we could procure one of those things, we can't squander it on blasting part of the West just because you're in a bad mood." she told Insight. "Come on. We've dealt with the Solars when they had much larger numbers once before. As problematic as this is, I've no doubt we can sort it out."

 

[Random Word]

Insight smiles, "That's what I love about you, Vash. You're a perennial optimist. Creation could be ending tomorrow and you'd tell me to think of all that paperwork I won't have to file."

"Well, Xun, how would you like to take me to Heaven?"

 

[jaydude]

"Don't. You know he'll jump on the innuendo there." teased Shi-vash. "Anyway, I don't know if I'd call myself an optimist as much as I would a realist. The gap between that and cynicism isn't quite as narrow as some people might think. We've handled especially powerful and troublesome Celestials before, so I think it stands to reason that we can do so with these six."

 

[D. Rex]

"I would not!" Xun said indignantly im response to Shi-vash before thinking about it a few moments. "Alright, I would. But you pointing it out makes it hard to come up with an appropriately inappropriate reply."


At the surface, Xun looks towards his ship, "Eight, dear." He corrected he Shi-vash. "Even if two are not celestials, we should not discount them so quickly. What they may lack in potency, they have just entered a world that greatly favors Terrestrials. And a greater chance of convincing dynasts to join them. Especially those who are looking to size the thrown in the Empresses disappearance. Their knowledge of the First Age alone could put the current order out of balance in ways we would rather not happen."


The man reached down and picked up his discarded shirt and jacket. It would not fit him right now, given his embodiment of draconic form, but he liked that shirt. Didn't want to leave it behind. He would enter the ship and get it started and ready to head to Heaven.

 

[Psychie]

Amara is happy to get to the surface once more, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. "Uh, that was vile down there. I think I will need a week to get the stench off of me. But never mind that. It doesn't matter if there are six or eight Exalts to worry about. They are all a danger to us and anyone that comes across their path. Look at what was done to the scientists of the dig site. All they did was make the mistake of breaking the seal on the prison, and were turned into that." She points over at the remains of the necro-monster.

"Lets get the hell out of here." Once on the airship, Amara settles down into a seat and begins to meditate, taking long, slow breaths to cleanse her mind and speed the recovery of her Essence.

 

[jaydude]

"I hate to say it, but you're right about the Terrestrials." the Chosen of Secrets admitted to Xun, silently cursing herself for not figuring this out.

Stepping onboard the ship, Shi-vash took the seat next to Amara, and she too began to meditate.

 

[Random Word]

Insight shakes her head, "For shame, Vash. You would deny a man his simple pleasures in life?"

She reclines on a divan in the cabin for a nap. Meditating was for people who didn't have a stack of IOUs from Yaogin to rival Chejop's inbox. She yawns, "I don't buy the 'bumbling mortals broke the seals on a First Age prison' angle. I'll grant you mortals are surprisingly capable of Celestial tier shit stirring when they put their minds to it, but I don't think they were up to this. Some fuckwit read those big warning signs, still decided it was a good idea to break the seals, and was powerful enough to do it. I think they came here to open this prison on purpose. I hope they were somewhere in that corpse dragon, but if not I'll be happy to correct the oversight."

 

[D. Rex]

"I hate to say it, but you're right about the Terrestrials." the Chosen of Secrets admitted to Xun, silently cursing herself for not figuring this out.

Stepping onboard the ship, Shi-vash took the seat next to Amara, and she too began to meditate.

Xum grinned broadly, "I do not suppose I could get that in writing, could I? In case I forget you said that." He joked as he sat down in his swiveling captains chair.

Once everybody was on board, he would get the engine running and cast off into the sky. Not as much company in the cabin, had to focus on flying rather than taking a nap. But he could still talk a bit if her raised his voice a bit. "A fair point, Insight. Worth an investigation. When we get back, we can see a team sent to examine the place thoroughly, and perhaps do an autopsy on that creature. To see if every that was recorded there can be accounted for. If we're lucky, and it was a foolish mortal, then they got their just desserts during the necrotransmogrification. At the very least the desk jockeys can do some cross referencing to check for any suspicious history."

 

[jaydude]

Xun grinned broadly, "I do not suppose I could get that in writing, could I? In case I forget you said that." He joked as he sat down in his swivelling captains chair.

Shi-vash let out a theatrical groan. "I'll write it down and hand it to you once I'm back at my residence, okay." she offered.

"So. Anyone have any plans for when we're back in Yu-Shan? Aside from reporting in to Chejop, Ayesha and Nazri, of course." she addressed the group as a whole.

 

[Psychie]

Amara looks over at Vash and says, "I have a feeling that with what we now know, our meeting with the higher-ups will take some time to go over. After that? I don't know . . . maybe getting a warstrider to stomp on these Exalts?" She shakes her head. "I joke - mostly. I just don't think that someone locked away for thousands of years for trying to overthrow the Unconquered Sun will be open to facing a non-violent way of wrapping this up."

 

[jaydude]

"Hey, I'm not denying that possibility." replied Shi-vash. "That said, I was asking what each of us was thinking about doing after getting debriefed, but before getting our next assignment."

 

[Sherwood]

As Xun takes his airship along to the nearby Gateway to Yu-Shan, it is quiet and uneventful, giving everyone some nice downtime to be able to reflect upon what has happened at the archeological dig site.

While you are in route to the Gate, Vash has a message spirit arrive for him from Ayesha Ura. It says:

"Shi-Vash, I have received your message, and I am thankful that you are all unhurt. Reinforcements are sadly unavailable at this time, thanks to the turmoil in Yu-Shan and Creation as a whole. The nature of the monster you have described is disturbing, and any and all observations you can make on site are greatly needed to understand the possible threat to Creation that it poses. If there is a Deathlord making waves, it will be a real challenge to set things right. Report when you can. Chejop, Nazri and I are in council together, anxiously awaiting more news."

When the airship arrives at the Gate, you can see that the guard force of Celestial Lions has been reinforced, now with double the original number of guards. Instead of just letting you fly through as you normally would, you are stopped by the security force, and two of the Lions actually boards the ship and looks over everything and everyone (respectfully, of course) before letting you continue on into the Celestial City.

The Lion in charge at the Gateway says, "Forgive the delay in allowing you entrance, Noble Exalts, but these orders come from the offices of Chejop Keyjak himself, along with a message for you that he wishes your immediate return to the Bureau. There are units from the Aerial Legion waiting inside to escort you directly there." With that, he bows and orders the inner doors of the passage to be opened and allow you to fly through.

True to his word, there are a number of airships in the air, mostly gunships, there to bolster the defense of the Gateway. Two of the ships break off from their orbit and slip into place on either side of Xun's ship, the pilots signaling for you to make haste to the offices of the Bureau of Destiny. You do not get the idea that you are in trouble of any sort; just that your mission and the information you hold is of import to the Fivescore Fellowship.

Upon landing on the roof, you are met by an aide that is there to walk with you to the three elder Exalts.

 

[jaydude]

"Why do I get the feeling that they somehow figured out what's happened?" Shi-vash asked the others once the lions had left. She could think of no other reason for those in charge to bump up security here.

 

[Psychie]

Amara is quiet as she takes in the extra levels of security that is evident, wondering what they have just gotten themselves into. She looks to Chejop in askance, waiting for the leader of the order to start the debriefing.

 

[Sherwood]

As you enter the office, you can see that there are several prominent spirits and other Sidereals in here, all of them looking confused as to why they are there. Finally, Chejop orders the doors closed and he looks to the assembled audience. "My friends, we have had an incident that concerns all of Creation and Yu-Shan. Several hours ago, a hidden prison of several criminal Exalts was opened, and the occupants of the prison have been unleashed upon us. There was a alarm set to go off if anyone ever breached the seals, but it took this long before the attendants in the Bureau to understand what they were seeing." He looks grim as he delivers this news.

Ayesha stands up next to Chejop. "This is an event that concerns us all, political factions be damned. This prison was supposed to be a hidden tomb for a group of Exalts that had directly challenged the Unconquered Sun and were struck down but not killed. Their punishment was to be locked away for all time, free to ponder the error of their ways. As you can guess, these Exalts were quite powerful, and they represent a threat to us all. The only good news from this is that they are not the Exalts they were, as their Shards were removed from them, trapping them in a state of quasi-death. I fear that the leader of these Exalts is now as powerful as one of the feared Deathlords."

Chejop nods in agreement with his counterpart. "We have many irons in the fire, and there are few of us capable of taking the time to hunt down these criminals." He turns to the four of you, saying, "I am releasing you from your other duties to be tasked to go after these . . . creatures, along with Gavin Martel. He will join you. Where is Gavin? Ah, there you are. Do well on this, and all of you will be given significant rewards. Needless to say, you will be provided with what you need to accomplish your task."

Gavin Martel is a fellow Sidereal that you all are familiar with, a Chosen of Battles that has been around the block a few times, and is quite skilled in several different martial styles, making him a good choice to join you in your hunt. He is several hundred years old, and of the same Essence level as the rest of you. He glances over at the four of you with a wry smile, then turns his attention back to Chejop. "Of course, sir. I will do what is needed, and I look forward to working with my fellows."

 

[jaydude]

Shi-vash's impulse had been right; the higher-ups did know what was going on, and from the size of this meeting and the words being said, they were taking it very seriously indeed. As they should be, she thought, given that they were supposedly dealing with something as powerful as a Deathlord

She gave Gavin a friendly nod, and then turned back to the three elder Sidereals. "I believe I speak for all my comrades as well as myself when I say that we will do everything in our power to put an end to this threat." she said. "For the sake of this task, is there any information about these wayward Exalts that you can provide for us? Such as their names, physical descriptions and the abilities they once had?"

"Also, may I assume that all three of you want them killed?" she asked, mostly thinking about Ayesha.

 

[Random Word]

"Hey, I'm not denying that possibility." replied Shi-vash. "That said, I was asking what each of us was thinking about doing after getting debriefed, but before getting our next assignment."

"Thought I might make a few social calls, maybe get my nails done while Creation is ravaged by antediluvian horrors," replies Insight airily.

---------

Insight exchanges the customary not-at-all-secret Crimson Panoply handshake with Gavin as he joins the team. "Can never have too much of the best Division," she says with a grin by way of greeting.

"Oh, I do hope we want them killed. Introducing angry Celestial ghosts to their beloved Oblivion is my..." she counts briefly on her fingers, "Seventh favourite thing to do in Creation. Just give the word, Sir."

 

[Sherwood]

Chejop nods at Insight's question. "Yes. Find this . . . criminal and his associates, then destroy them. You have at your disposal any and all of the resources we have to aid you, including access to the Loom of Fate. Time is of the essence, though. If you cannot end this threat in a reasonable amount of time, I will have to take other steps."