Exalted 3E - Tale of a Falling Empire IC

[Random Word]

Asuna shakes her head, "You won't believe it. White peace and a nonaggression pact. I believe she is entirely serious when she claims the recent reforms have persuaded her she no longer needs to invade Kandara. She gains nothing by delaying her siege, and we gain much. She appears to be on a crusade for good governance in the Threshold." She smiles wryly, "Perhaps if we promise to let Manato draft Imperial policy for Yangofu she'll give it back to Ledaal?" She pauses, unsettled, "Surely that wouldn't actually work."

 

[D. Rex]

Asuna shakes her head, "You won't believe it. White peace and a nonaggression pact. I believe she is entirely serious when she claims the recept reforms have persuaded her she no longer needs to invade Kandara. She gains nothing by delaying her siege, and we gain much. She appears to be on a crusade for good governance in the Threshold." She smiles wryly, "Perhaps if we promise to let Manato draft Imperial policy for Yangofu she'll give it back to Ledaal?" She pauses, unsettled, "Surely that wouldn't actually work."

"But if it did..." Fel said speculative. No doubt pointing out that it might be a pretty big opening to take advantage of... if it did.

"After all... it was the kind Manato who we could say is responsible for what she sees as an improved style of governance. It would not be farfetched that she may look upon him with some degree of favor for that act."


"You considered black dye... what about the option of red?" He asked pointedly to Asuna.

 

[Rykon]

Manato began to laugh just as he was drawing in smoke from his pipe. After a short moment of coughing up gray fumes with a smile he finally gave his remark. "I'd hope not. I'd get executed from the rumor mill accusations within the turn of the season. Hells, I wouldn't even get anything out of it going about it like that."

When Fel made his suggestion, the fire aspect braced himself on a chair as his stomach turned. Why did I have to be the one to get forced into business school? He groaned internally. "You want me to play lawyer for a Solar? Fel, what did I do to hurt you enough to suggest such a thing?" He reached for the wine pitcher and filled a goblet. There was a noticeable pause while contemplating whether to drink from the pitcher or the goblet before draining his glass and filling it a second time. Whatever scheme his friends were hatching, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it while sober.

 

[Random Word]

Asuna gives Fel a thoughtful look, then leans back in her chair, intertwines her fingers behind her head, and closes her eyes. "No, not lawyer for a Solar. Let me think. Placing myself in the mind of an Anathema... ineffable madness aside. If we take her letter at face value, and I have enough corroborating evidence I feel that not an untenable limb to go out on for planning purposes, we can infer she does not inherently believe herself to be the only source of legitimate authority, nor the only competent administrator. Surprisingly, she isn't out for revenge. If any of those were true, no amount of reform would ever have caused her to delay her assault. She only believes her crusade justified when correcting egregious failures of governance. So... now that she has Yangofu why should she keep it? She has no known personal ties to Yangofu. She has placed governors she believes competent, now she moves on to the next city. There's no end game here. She can't build an empire capturing only mismanaged cities and ignoring everything else. She cannot defy the Realm indefinitely with one Satrapy. Kandara was her home, and she only captured Yangofu to build the power base she needed to reform Kandara. She's... done. She doesn't need Yangofu anymore."

She opens her eyes, blinking in surprise. "I do not believe Jinlong has any idea what she's doing. And yet she appears to be in a position of overall authority. With one good push her coalition may collapse. If she were persuaded that Yangofu would be well managed if returned, and that Kandara won't return to business as usual without her looming threat, her alliance would fracture between those who genuinely want to end the Realm and those personally loyal to her." She gives Manato an appraising look, "You may be on to something, Fel. Red might be my favourite colour."

 

[D. Rex]

Walking over to Manato, Fel plucked the pipe from his friends mouth, "Well, for starters, you somehow get all the pretty ladies while I am up to my elbows in soot and grease." He said with faux irritation as he used the pipe to gesture to Satori, Asuna, the others in the room.

"If not for Kessi, I may very well have humored the addition of flogging to our schemes, of which we discussed."


Taking a long draw from the pipe, he inhaled it without coughing. Passing it to Larissa as he passed by her. She looked like she needed it. While he didn't want to let it show right now, it would have been a disaster if he lost her if he lost any of his hearth.


"Never interrupt an enemy while they are making a mistake." He quoted, thinking about Jinlong.. "And we are going to capitalize on just that. Lucky for you, Manato, I will be leaving the details to the tender groping hands of Asuna. The spheres of politics and diplomacy are not ones I am well versed enough in to plan such an escapade."

 

[Rykon]

Hearing Fel speak of Kessi was confirmation of a suspicion of a sort. It had been obvious Fel was losing the desire to pursue Satori. It was nice to see he was doing just fine elsewhere. Manato gave his friend a congratulatory nod and a smile. "You know I can't take all the credit for that. Besides, you're doing a great job of finding your own joy in life. I'm proud to call you brother, Fel."

With his pipe now out of his way, he took another swig of wine trying not to think about what public opinion would look like after another public act of cruelty. "I'm still glad flogging was taken off the table though. I don't think it'd be possible to retain any goodwill from the people if they are given reason to think the recent changes are temporary or superficial. At the least, I wouldn't be willing to undertake the kind of work it'd take to salvage the situation. We've made good progress so far, but the situation is too delicate to risk such a thing right now."

"As for these political schemes..." Manato sat his wine glass aside with one hand and rubbing his temples with the other. "Very well. I will continue to put my trust in you Asuna. My life is in your hands. We'll figure this out one way or another." His head rose to address the first obstacle. "Since any open or official meetings are obviously off the table, I presume our next move is to make contact by spell? Given that stall tactics are still on the table, we've some measure of flexibility in timing so long as our allies continue to stick around."

 

[jaydude]

The two Thunderbirds have left Larissa's side prior to her arrival at the meeting. Presumably they're either carrying out their next assignments, or awaiting them.

Out of all the members of Satori's council, Kirito is the one most relieved to see the Mnemon Air Aspect. He, Boroma and the Ragaras then listen to the subsequent conversation between her, Manato, Fel and Asuna, but all of them look mildly doubtful at the end of it. They're not dismissing the plan outright, but they do seem aware of ways in which it might go wrong.

"I'm sure that Zadari could perform such a spell. And I certainly think the idea is worth a try." Voruna says. "That said, I fear that any claim we make about Jinlong being unable to hold onto Yangofu would carry less weight than you might like, Asuna. At least while the Great Houses remain divided."

Kirito nods in agreement. "Not to mention that for all we know, Jinlong might have other allies, and territories besides Yangofu. She's been confirmed to have been one of the Blasphemous for at least four years; that's plenty of time for her to stick her barbs around and gather minions. A fight between her and the Realm might not be entirely lopsided..."

[Pass. While they have some doubts, Boroma, Satori and the council are all willing to give the plan a try. With the points I've raised here, do you still want to go ahead with it right now?]

 

[Random Word]

Asuna nods to Voruna and Kirito, rising from her seat, pacing back and forth and becoming increasingly animated as she speaks, "Valid criticisms, all, but she is considering walking away from invading Kandara because it might cause unnecessary suffering. She is risk averse when it comes to civilian casualties. We don't need to prove to her the Realm will retake Yangofu, merely point out that she can't guarantee the safety of the people if she forces the Realm to try. The difficult part is convincing her we can force Ledaal to accept reform, and prevent them from cracking down on the city when it's returned. I'll need your help with that, Fel."

"I don't doubt that she has allies, but entire cities captured? That's difficult to keep quiet. We would have heard something. I do not believe she has a vast empire waiting in the wings, but chose to march here with only ten thousand peasants hastily recruited from Yangofu and some mercenaries. She is not able to oppose the full might of the Realm today, but someday she will be."

"This course of action costs us very little if it fails and could gain us much. It does not hinge on Jinlong actually ceding Yangofu. Merely by considering it, and seriously discussing the notion with her allies, she is likely to estrange herself further. She has already strained her relations by even considering withdrawal here. They did not march all this way merely to turn aside and allow us to rule unchallenged. If we can prompt a split we can defeat them in detail where while united it would be folly to meet them in pitched battle."

She looks from Satori's court to Manato, clasping his hand, eyes shining, "You are the only one who could do this. You are the one who convinced her to turn aside from Kandara. You must have won her trust and grudging admiration, or she would not even be considering peace. If you can persuade her you would have the authority to drive policy in Yangofu, she has a stark choice to make: Risk terrible harm to the people of Yangofu when war inevitably comes to their doorstep, or peacefully withdraw with safe passage for her followers in exchange for the very reforms that made violence unconscionable in Kandara. Make her feel like this is a victory - her assault gave you the leverage you needed to force the Isle to listen to good sense. If her objective is truly the well being of the people, she achieves it without bloodshed. One way or the other she'll be forced to commit fully to violence or peace. We shall see her true colours."

[Pass. This is Asuna's suggestion, but if it's rejected she'll just come up with a new plan and execute that instead. She likes it because she doesn't see a condition under which she loses. At worst word of Manato's meeting with an Anathema to negotiate her surrender and withdrawal go public, but I think those actions are all easily defensible in a salon. At best Jinlong recognizes the ethical quandary she's in and cedes Yangofu, possibly irreparably shattering her alliance. Middling results would be merely discussing the option with her allies and sowing discord. Neutral results are she flatly refuses and recommits to the assault, putting us squarely back where we started.]

 

[Rykon]

Manato took a deep breath and held it for a few moments. He never had an intention of actually allowing peace between the Empire and the Anathema. Even if ancient grudges could be set aside and prevailing theology discarded, this gesture meant coming to terms with one's greatest failings. With all of their collective shortcomings. This enemy was not but a mob accumulated from the consequences of their own hubris and forged by ancient devils reborn to torment them in the hour of their greatest weakness. To treat with that same enemy as if they had equal merit, justification, authority... might... It nearly tore his heart in half. Worse still that the evidence always fell in her favor.

Cynis Manato opened his eyes and exhaled slowly. The pleading radiant gleam of his lover's gaze tugged on the strings to what was left of his heart. This light within the darkness demanded that he decide. Was the pride of nurturing the ancient grudge worth the future he'd be planning? Was the unwavering protection of the dead's honor worth more than the lives of his hearth? He made his decision. "I hate having to resort to this, but I'll do it if you think it's necessary." He pulled her close, one hand gently on her neck to draw her into a kiss, as the other traced down the side of her tempting curves. When they finally began to part, he whispered with a smile, "Let's talk later."

He turned his head back to address the court. "If I'm to make this work, I've an idea to improve our odds. Tell me, Satori, if push came to shove. How do you feel about Greyfalls?" Manato asked with a mischievous grin. "This little plot of theirs got me thinking... Jinlong will likely still demand a price for Yangofu. United or divided, I think we can agree that for one that can amass large numbers of hardened troops in short order, she's not likely to regard threats of retaliation as well as we might like. However, given that many of her number hail from Kandara, perhaps they might settle for getting you a transfer to another Satrapy far enough away from here. It'll be a tough sell to the Cynis triumvirate, even though Greyfalls is rarely held by a given house for long. Cynis also has plenty of interests here, with one of our own esteemed Exalts to manage them with Harun here even if my dear cousin Verheen wasn't keen to move in. Meanwhile, even if we've no intent for our houses to actually negotiate a trade like this, the pretense of negotiating the trade can be useful for buying us time."

The fire aspect gave a shrug, "This all presumes the initial pitch falls through. We can also find another candidate for a transfer if house Ragara has any ideas. Alternatively, we can think of another way to sweeten the deal if you want. Given the weight of the decision, take as much time as you need."

[Pass. I'm fine with trying the 'if we can fix Kandara, we can also fix Yangofu' pitch. The transfer is merely an added option we can keep in our pocket if the initial sale fails. I'm not entirely sure Ledaal will be trusted with it a second time, but we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it.]

 

[jaydude]

"I don't doubt that she has allies, but entire cities captured? That's difficult to keep quiet. We would have heard something. I do not believe she has a vast empire waiting in the wings, but chose to march here with only ten thousand peasants hastily recruited from Yangofu and some mercenaries. She is not able to oppose the full might of the Realm today, but someday she will be."

"This course of action costs us very little if it fails and could gain us much. It does not hinge on Jinlong actually ceding Yangofu. Merely by considering it, and seriously discussing the notion with her allies, she is likely to estrange herself further. She has already strained her relations by even considering withdrawal here. They did not march all this way merely to turn aside and allow us to rule unchallenged. If we can prompt a split we can defeat them in detail where while united it would be folly to meet them in pitched battle."

Everyone seems to approve of the proposed plan, though Voruna gives a little shake of his head. "Most of Jinlong's mortal forces consist of Kandaran peasants. The rest are from other lands, and we can't be certain they only joined up to conquer Kandara." he says. "Still, that isn't to say we can't weaken them. If anything, we might be able to get Jinlong to release the Kandarans from her service and spare them involvement in battle, now that we're looking to rehabilitate ourselves and reform."

[I don't recall whether or not Asuna shared the contents of her spy's letter with Voruna or anyone else. If she has, he's referring to the information provided there. If she hasn't, you can assume that Voruna has some of his own people embedded within Jinlong's army, who may or may not also be working for Asuna.]

He turned his head back to address the court. "If I'm to make this work, I've an idea to improve our odds. Tell me, Satori, if push came to shove. How do you feel about Greyfalls?" Manato asked with a mischievous grin. "This little plot of theirs got me thinking... Jinlong will likely still demand a price for Yangofu. United or divided, I think we can agree that for one that can amass large numbers of hardened troops in short order, she's not likely to regard threats of retaliation as well as we might like. However, given that many of her number hail from Kandara, perhaps they might settle for getting you a transfer to another Satrapy far enough away from here. It'll be a tough sell to the Cynis triumvirate, even though Greyfalls is rarely held by a given house for long. Cynis also has plenty of interests here, with one of our own esteemed Exalts to manage them with Harun here even if my dear cousin Verheen wasn't keen to move in. Meanwhile, even if we've no intent for our houses to actually negotiate a trade like this, the pretense of negotiating the trade can be useful for buying us time."

The fire aspect gave a shrug, "This all presumes the initial pitch falls through. We can also find another candidate for a transfer if House Ragara has any ideas. Alternatively, we can think of another way to sweeten the deal if you want. Given the weight of the decision, take as much time as you need."

The Ragaras all look surprised at this suggestion, though it seems more due to them having never considered it themselves.

"That's certainly an interesting tactic, Manato." Satori says after a period of consideration. "Very well. If you think it'll give us more chance of succeeding, we can say that I'll consider transferring to another satrapy. Though I can't promise such a thing will ever go through."

With nothing else to discuss, Zadari stands up and shapes a messenger spirit, and sends it to Jinlong with the agreed-upon message. The council then breaks up for the evening.

[Scene over. Everyone gets another 5xp.]

A few hours later, when the Dynasts within the palace are starting to retire for the night, a note is slid under Asuna's door. Were she to read it, she'd recognize the handwriting as that of one of her agents, who presumably doesn't want to risk disturbing her (and possibly Manato). It says the following:

Lady Asuna

Your attempts to utilize the criminal underworld appear to have borne fruit. The god-blooded thief, Klepta, has come to us with information pertaining to the Anathema known as Annika, whom he claims was a rival of his back when the two of them were plying their trade in Nexus. Klepta says that he not only recognizes her, he has also sensed a power within her that resembles that of the Unconquered Sun. He has secretly tracked her to the Silver Yeddim, an inn within the commercial district of the city, where she is staying with another woman who - according to Klepta - possesses a power akin to that of Luna.

Below this paragraph is a small map detailing the location of the Silver Yeddim Inn.

 

[Random Word]

Asuna reads the note with a grin like a cat that's finally caught a prized bird. Oh, the games we shall play. She pauses then, her mood darkening slightly. Then again, the last Anathema ran circles around me and toyed with my memories like it was nothing. I may, reluctantly, have to admit I am out of my depth.

She gestures to a nearby servant, "Please send word to Cathak Xandra, Ledaal Fel, and Mnemon Larissa that it would be my singular pleasure to entertain them in my quarters at their earliest convenience. Stress that word. Have tea prepared. Something bitter and complex, but with a sweetener on the table."

Asuna sits seiza at a low table in the small room in her suite she's modified for security. Tastefully concealed wards and charms are inside art, lanterns, and furniture, as well as recently added wall panelling. A line of salt and powdered glass runs along the base of every wall. She adds a very large quantity of sweetener and sips her tea quietly as she waits. She nods but sits silent as Xandra, Larissa, and Fel filter in, only speaking once they're all assembled after taking one final sip. She smiles slightly, "My two favourite peerless killers in all Creation, and Fel. I have a present for you." She pushes a sheaf of documents across the table, "A Wretched and a Face-Stealer are staying in these two rooms of this inn. Here are their last known descriptions and my best guess at their true names as well as their last known aliases and, for the Wretched, a possibly outdated description of her demonstrated abilities. They are Jinlong's spies, and have been embedded in the city for several days doing general reconnaissance but otherwise nothing of interest. I defer to your collective expertise in this most delicate of matters. Should they perish under unfortunate circumstances, I will inform Manato he is not to attend a meeting with Jinlong under any circumstances."

"There is a non-trivial chance this is a trap. Proceed accordingly."

She sits back and sips her tea quietly, waiting for the verdict of this council of judge, jury, and executioner.

 

[Psychie]

During all this time, Xandra has been spending her time with the various troops, making sure that they are prepared for a fight with the right weapons and the knowledge of how to use them. Many times in the past, a war with uneven sides was won by the simple fact of morale, and having something worth fighting for. Xandra seeks to make sure that the brave men and women here understand just what it is that they fight for, and let them know that the Dragons themselves stand with them.

When word comes to her that Asuna wishes to speak with her, she nods to the messenger. "Lead the way."

 

[D. Rex]

"Should I take it that my suggestion will not be the one we are pursuing? Of trying to plant Manato in Yangofu as a agent for us, and secure the the city for us." He asked.

"I would enjoy dipping my sword into their hearts only marginally less than Xandra would. However, are their deaths worth the the potential gain of extra time to prepare?"


Fel mulled over their reveal in his head a little longer. "I knew their kind would be present. It was all but assured when it was revealed their kind were with Jinlong. Strategically speaking, nothing has changed as we have already been taking precautions. Knowing they are here, and who they are, however does give us the advantage as we can now feed false information to Jinlongs army."

"However, should death be what we seek... we can arrange things in a far more subtle way. If we can get the targets to play their hand, then we can have Jinlong believe their deaths were due to their own incompetence. We can use the creature hunting mandate within our walls to catch one of them in creature form and kill it. Pretending we did not know it was a spy. Or we can trap the face stealer into revealing they are a fake or traitor and deal with them accordingly pretending we did not know they were a Jinlong spy. This is. After all, wartime, and it would be expected that some of us are trigger happy given the anxiety surrounding these events. Another option is to rake them captive and use them as bargaining chips for any schemes we may have. Such as Manato seeing them returned as a show of good faith, to win him a seat at controlling Yangofu."

"Do not get me wrong... the thought of sparing such beasts turns my stomach, but we are in a precarious position. And we have no option but to win."

 

[Sherwood]

After her her fight with the Lunar that nearly ended in her death, Larissa is feeling troubled and seeks out mental relief in the best way she knows: meditation in the temple to the Immaculate Dragons. After doing her best to calm herself and failing, Larissa lets out an angry snort and makes her way to the dojo. I can't even master my own heart and end my turmoil. Once more I have failed.

Slipping into a set of training robes, she begins to go through the simple katas of her youth, hoping to find some relief in the rituals and quick movements. By the time that she has worked up a good sweat and have beaten the crap out of several training dummies, she is feeling much better, even if not fully at ease. That won't happen until the threat that this group of Anathema pose is eliminated.

Once she is cleaned up and properly dressed as benefiting a scion of house Mnemon, she is about to leave when she gets word that her presence is requested by Asuna. Without a word, she moves quickly to the meeting.

 

[jaydude]

[OOC: So after a bit of internal debate, I've decided to at least do a bit of a timeskip in order to get us out of the metaphorical rut we're in story-wise. Whether we all want to continue will be another matter.]

Whether due to inaction, ill-luck or inferiority, Annika and Selket are able to remain at large, and no further sign of them is detected within the city.

Later...
The next few days see a drastic change in Kandara's situation. A trio of senior Ragaras - one of whom Asuna's spy network identifies as a member of Ragara Banoba's inner circle - arrive within the city, having previously been alerted to the situation there by Satori, and hold discussions with her and her council behind closed doors. For the first time since your own arrival, your kinship is excluded from the political dealings of Kandara, the Ragaras deeming this to be strictly a family affair. Even Asuna's spies have a hard time learning what's going on, but eventually you find out the truth; the Ragaras have agreed to an unofficial nonaggression pact with Jinlong after a number of secret discussions with her. It's almost certainly an illegal deal under Realm law, but due to the clandestine nature of its creation, there's no evidence that it exists besides your word, and the Ragaras have all the plausible deniability they need.

As per the agreement, the Blasphemer will disband her Kandaran forces and withdraw to Yangofu, and take no further hostile actions against any possessions belonging to House Ragara. In exchange, Kandara will cease its involvement in the slave trade, have its tribute reduced to a reasonable level, and commit no further atrocities against its mortal population. Arrangements are also made for Satori to return to the Blessed Isle, owing to the lingering hatred the Kandarans and Boroma still have for her. She thanks you all for your help, and is able to leave with her head held high, followed by Javald. Kirito, Voruna, Zadari and Kessi are retained by the replacement satrap, one of the three senior Ragaras who arranged the secret truce.

The way the Ragaras put it, Banoba currently does not have the resources to spare on either warring with a faction willing to leave him in peace during these troubled times, or "fixing House Ledaal's mistakes", as the three representatives put it. Nevertheless, Red Tiger, as well as Ledaals Jarong, Fashi and Shusho, are all outraged at these excuses and the apparent collusion with Anathema, though you can imagine that they're also unhappy about not getting their satrapy back.

Asuna's spies within Jinlong's host reveal that she has followed the terms of the unofficial agreement and released the Kandarans from her service, though many choose to accompany her back to Yangofu. Yin-Shizi indicates that he will not do the same, and disappears eastward, evading all attempts to follow and slay him. Kirito and Voruna can't shake the feeling that he'll be back someday.

Later still...
A month passes without incident. Voruna and Asuna's spies report that Jinlong is keeping to Yangofu while also monitoring the surrounding satrapies, and that Yin-Shizi was last seen some distance east of Nagaraja. So far, neither of them have made any moves against Realm territories in the area.

Sengon leaves his temple, taking on the role of an itinerant monk in order to spread the Immaculate Faith back across the region. Kirito starts rebuilding the Imperial garrison, offering Xandra and Asuna roles in this process, should they wish to take them. Voruna, Zadari, Boroma and the new satrap continue to implement the schemes put in place by Manato, running the satrapy with competence and rebuilding people's faith in the Dragon-blooded. Gradually the economy recovers, and when taxes and tribute recommence, they're set at a level between that of the Scarlet Empress's time, and that of the period after her disappearance.

With the apparent danger over, all the reinforcements from other territories, including those from the Akarukan mine, return to their respective domains. Tahaki, Red Tiger, and Ledaals Jarong, Fashi and Shusho all choose to stay in the region and aid your hearth however, should you wish for such a thing. Nellens Mabuka continues doing business in the region, while support for the Cult of the Illuminated within the city gradually withers away, now that the Anathema-led conquest is seemingly no longer happening. As for the Kandarans, they grumble a little at the taxes, but it's a far cry from when people were willing to throw mud and animal dung at Dynasts.

The region is at peace, but with the Empress still missing on the Blessed Isle one cannot help but think that it will eventually come to an end, one way or another...