Exalted 3e: Dead of Night

[D. Rex]

The monk was hardly phased by your attempt, but your efforts were not in vain.

The monk slammed his claws against the shaft of the spear and you could feel the demonic weight behind it. You feel yourself being pushed back, but were able to catch yourself before you plummeted off the towering beast. If he had hit much harder... you might have been flung off entirely.

The monk ran past, landing behind the hellboar, looking ready to try and strike again.

Spoiler: Ooc

The monk deals a lucky 9 initiative damage, bringing you to 3.

The monk gains 10, being him to 11.

Current round
Ember - 21
Jontom - 17
Luanna - 10
Karyn - 10
Red Tusk - 9
Red Monk 1 - 1
Mors - 25
Demon Spider - Dead
Red Monk 2 - -6

Next Round
Karyn - 15
Red Monk 1 - 11
Red Tusk- 9
Luanna - 3
Ember - 3
Jontom - 3

Pumpkin Spice Cyanide It is Mors turn. Will you be trying to fell Red Monk 2, or go to the aid of Luanna with the troublesome monk?

 

[Sherwood]

With as many initiative points as Pumpkin Spice Cyanide has, you can make a Decisive attack and probably destroy one of the Red Monks in a single hit.

 

[Pumpkin Spice Cyanide]

Mors retaliates against the monk (red monk 2).
Using the hammer of the axe, he thrusts to strike the monk in the face and give him the added distance he needs to switch his feet and twist into a swing that sends the axe blade audibly cutting through the air and towards the monk's torso.

 

[D. Rex]

Pumpkin Spice Cyanide
The red monk tried his best to defend, bringing his hand out to try and stop the blade, but the force behind Mors blow was too much...

Mors axe cut through the clay like an axe through clay. Slicing through the demons arm and sheer through its torso in one big lumberjack swing.

The legs remained on the ground as the upper half fell. Both crumbling into dust. The red monk was slain.

Spoiler: Ooc

The red monk is dead. Your initiative is reset to 3.

Current Round
Karyn - 15
Red Monk 1 - 11
Red Tusk- 9
Luanna - 3
Ember - 3
Jontom - 3
Mors - 3

New round. Everyone recovers 5 motes of essence.

Psychie
It is Karyn's turn, and there is one demon left, and he is looking both nervous and flighty now. What would you like to do?

 

[Psychie]

Karyn shifts her stance over to aim at the Red Monk, then looses a arrow at it. "The servants of Malifas will not stand in the light of the Unconquered Sun!"

Making a Decisive attack.

8 successes to hit
6 levels of lethal damage

 

[D. Rex]

The arrow slams into the chest of the demon, burying itself half deep into the red clay. It neither gasped nor fell. But it did stagger back, his body drooping slightly.

It looked from the Spider, to the red dust left of the other monk, and then to the circle of Solars that was before it. This fight was now unwinnable. "One day, Solar. One day the we will." It said. Its body began to crumble as it took a great step to exit the temple onto actual earth. Its body fell apart, melding with the dirt until it completely disappeared.

You knowledge of demon summoning gives you some idea what happened. It must have fled to its master. Such a trick is common among bound demons, at least the ones that arent suicidal. And if it was bound to a sorcerer, it is no doubt going to warn its master. Though... not that it would matter. At the Peak of the Imperial mountain, it would take at least a week to get a Hunt up the ruined slopes.


Combat time end. You all have claimed victory.

 

[Sherwood]

Jontom takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out, sheathing his blade as he does so. "Not bad. Not bad at all. That could have gone a lot worse." He looks over at each of his companions and says, "Excellent work, all of you. Now, let us do some investigating to see just where in Creation we are."

 

[Psychie]

Karyn shakily nods in agreement. This kind of a fight was not one that she has ever been before, and it was a bit of a shocker. "Uh, yes. We should look around, but be wary. There was a reception party here, and the one demon has undoubtedly left to tell its summoner that there is trouble on the Imperial Mountain. Other threats besides demons may lie in wait."

Before she heads for the exit, she looks around in the chamber to see if there is anything of interest in here that they may have overlooked in the battle.

5 successes

 

[D. Rex]

There was nothing. The place was picked completely clean. Save for the Orichalcum structure of the building itself.

But... you would notice series of writings, writes and runes etched into stone and petrified furniture. From what you could read, and from the decorations molded into the Orichalcum itself. This place... it was called The Temple of the Golden Bull, and it was an ancient house of worship to the Unconquered. Unquestionably from the first age, back when the Imperial Mountain was spanned in a brilliant city that creation has never witnessed since. If this was true... the state of this temple must have taken ages to have even deconstructed it to this point. No telling what was done to the rest of the mountain. A lot of work went into erasing the past. But at some point, even the most fervent of haters had to give up. Some works are just... everlasting.

 

[Sherwood]

Jontom moves towards the door cautiously, watching and listening for other threats.

OOC are the doors open or closed? Assuming that there are doors, that is.

 

[D. Rex]

Jontom moves towards the door cautiously, watching and listening for other threats.

OOC are the doors open or closed? Assuming that there are doors, that is.

There are no doors to the temple, or if there were, they have been long since taken.

 

[Sherwood]

Jontom will then step outside, keeping his guard up as he does so. If there is no sign of hostiles out there waiting for them, he motions for the others to follow. "Ms. Karyn? First off, you were able to get us here with this portal quite quickly, saving us a lot of much needed time. Thank you. Now, is there anything you can tell us of the Imperial Mountain that might lead us in the right direction?"

 

[D. Rex]

Your question is quickly answered for you as you turn around and look up... there was nothing. No mountain, not even clouds.

Well, that was a lie. There was something. Something that was easily unmistakable for the Sun on a quick first glance.

Two things were immediately apparent. The only direction you could go from here was down... for you were at the very peak of the mountain. Second, above this mountain, about a good hundred or two yards above the temple, was a great glowing ball of essence. Just hovering there.



Immediately outside the temple, was bare rocky dirt, a massive yard of weathered stone that wrapped around the temple, like a platform. It was all empty, save for a large ring of Orichalcum at the edge of the platform. Large enough to fit Mors twice over in every direction.

One curious peek over the edge. And you would see how high up you were... looking down you could see the clouds. And they were as far away as they would be if you were looking up from the ground.

 

[Random Word]

Ember follows Jontom outside into the square. "The right direction? You don't need Miss Karyn's insight for that. The sun is right there, Master Swordsman. You can't miss it," she observes wryly. "We're all here to watch the final sunset; all we're missing is a blanket and a nice bottle of wine. I've never seen a sunset from the Imperial Mountain. Such bittersweet beauty." She sighs despondently and sits down cross legged in the dirt near the edge of the square. "Saturn only knows how many will die in the coming days. Time, our cruel taskmaster, cracks the whip as darkness falls."

 

[Psychie]

Karyn walks out of the room with the Gateway and looks around in wonder. It is one thing to read about such places and things, it is far different to experience them in person! She looks up at the burning orb of Essence in the sky, and immediately feels a sense of calm and contentment. "This must be the Avatar of the Unconquered Sun!" The woman then falls to her knees and raises up her face and hands, and offers up a heartfelt prayer to her new God.

 

[D. Rex]

Psychie
Would you like to give an Int+occult roll to see what it is?

 

[Psychie]

Rolling.

6 successes

 

[D. Rex]

The more you pay attention to it... the more you feel. So bright and warm, tingling your body with it's own peripheral essence. As if someone condensed all if the essence in the blessed isle and crammed it into the ball.

Something sparks in your memory. Confirmed by a faint glimmer shooting into the sky. As you shift your gaze, you see another. Then another. Looking towards the edge you see near invisible shimmering motes carried upwards towards the orb as if carried by a powerful updraft.

It hit you, then... this was no god. But that didnt mean it was any less amazing. It was pure essence. Essence of the land of creation itself and all those within. The rumored flows and currents of essence that flowed through and across the land. It all came together here.

You have heard about such things... legends. Theoretical, but disapproved of in most colleges, given that where these lay were too dangerous to explore. With many explorers having died trying to find them.

For ages, the Imperial Mountain had been forbidden to climb. And it was guarded by the Immaculate Order. Looking around you can see why... so much Solar relics remained here. And looking back up you see another reason.

You were standing on the tip of the Elemental Pole of Earth.

You... were standing in the tip of... you had a sudden realization that this was possibly a very dangerous area. So incredibly rich with essence. With all this essence flowing, it wouldnt be unimaginable for a particularly nasty flare of essence flying up the mountain to burn a person to cinders with its sheer power.

Though... you also seem pretty safe. The exalts who built this place must have had such foresight. For essence seems to be giving the temple a safe and respectful berth.

 

[Psychie]

Rising back up to her feet, Karyn says, "Humph. I just realized, this is actually the Elemental Pole of Earth! That ball of light is not the Unconquered Sun, but the Essence generated by the most powerful demense in all of Creation, one that was so powerful even the old Solars couldn't do much more than try and control it, instead of simply making it into a manse and using the power that this place generates!" She looks around in wonder at the sight.

"But since that is just a huge ball of Essence, where is the Unconquered Sun?"

 

[Sherwood]

Jontom steps out slowly, looking about carefully.

7 successes!

 

[D. Rex]

The sun is still in the sky, right where it should. Towards the west, leaning down towards the horizon. Those who wish to give the sun a closer look, give me a perception + Awareness roll.

Looking around the temple itself, they would find it... relatively empty. Some pillars and structures remain. What was once gardens are now just barren dirt. But on the edge there is a large Orichalcum ring. Approximately two yards in diameter that is resting on a Y shaped hinge. The lowest point of the ring is knee height. There are four in total. One on each of the cardinal directions of the temple platform.

 

[Sherwood]

I'll take a close look at the sun.

Another 7 successes.

 

[D. Rex]

Don't botch.

 

[Psychie]

Karyn will move to get a better look at the rings, and will try to see if she can line up a view of the sun through the ring and see what she can spot.

You had to say something about a botch, didn't you?

 

[D. Rex]

Jontom, you see the sun. Looking at it directly is still hard, so you shade your eyes from its intensity. As soon as you do, you catch sight of something you would have missed. Something hidden by the glare of the sun. Something you wouldn't have seen if you weren't in this location. A burning flare if the sun licked out, and from its tip was hurled a twinkling light that hurtled down to creation at incredible speed.

You thought it was your imagination at first... but then it happened again. You tried to follow the location this time. It burned through the clouds, heading for land. You couldn't quite tell were, but there was no explosion or anything else. It just disappeared quietly below the cloud line.