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Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e IC

OOC
Here
Characters
Here
It is spring in the region of the River Provinces, being pleasant during the day but with temperatures still dropping to a bit chilly at night where you are in need of a warm bed to curl up in or a good fire to keep warm. Right now, our Circle is on the run, having just evaded an attack from the Wyld Hunt in the suburbs of Nexus. Thanks to Aredin's Guild connections, you were able to slip out of the city in the middle of a caravan being run by a business rival of Aredin, letting you hide in the midst of the other workers and guards of the caravan as it heads east along the road.

But while things were going smoothly for you as you travel, there has been a bit of a hiccup. Grey Stone is the first to wake, his head feeling like it is packed with wool and you are very dizzy and light headed, lying on a hard floor with only a few blankets keeping you warm. It is clear to you right away that you were drugged, probably in your dinner from the night before.

Looking around, it is dark in there but Grey Stone sees that he has been stripped down to his small clothes, along with the others in the Circle that are snoozing on the floor of whatever it is that you are in. You think that you are locked inside one of the wagons of the caravan, but you are not certain of that. You can tell that you are not moving, so if you are in a wagon, it is stationary. All your weapons and armor are gone, and there is no sign of Mercy's Agata.

As you are still trying to shake off the effects of the drugs, the others are starting to stir a bit, showing that they are about to wake up soon.

jaydude jaydude what do you do?
 
"Urgh...what on Creation is going on?" Grey Stone muttered, the old monk grumbling as he sat up and looked around. He took note of his fellow Solars, all of whom appeared to be in a similar predicament to him in terms of missing clothes and recent drugging. Upon seeing them start to wake up, he gave a small sigh of relief, then turned his attention back to the confines of this place. Specifically, he was looking for a hole in the walls, ceiling or floor, or anything else that would tell him where he and his Circle were right now.
 
Looking about, you can see that there are a few small cracks in the wooden construction of the walls that might let you peek outside. Shifting over to one of them, you don't see much; it is pretty dark outside, indicating that you've woken up from your drug-induced slumber sometime in the middle of the night. There are a few glimmers of a campfire off to the side, but the angle of your vision is just wrong to get a good look at it.

However, now that you are this close to the crack in the wall, you can hear brief snippets of conversation, too quiet to do more than identify that there are two or three people out there having a talk.

By now, the rest of the Circle is starting to wake, with the same mental fog that Grey Stone is feeling. The slowest to start to recover is Silent Glade (having the lowest Stamina rating of the group), but even he is shifting around a bit, trying to figure out where he is.
 
Grey Stone moved away from the hole, then placed his hand upon the wooden wall, testing its durability. He might have been able to break out of here, but he'd prefer to hold off on doing such a thing until the rest of his Circle had recovered.

[Could Grey Stone roll Strength and Athletics to try and smash a hole in the wall? If so, what would the difficulty be?]
 
Amara reaches up and rubs her face, trying to shake off the grogginess and figure out what the Malfias is going on. "Ungh. What. Happened. To. Us? Where are we?" She tries to sit up, feeling very wobbly as she does so, and looks around. "This is not where I lay down last night." Amara looks down at the floor near her, feeling a bit of panic rising up as she is unable to locate her daiklave.
 
Grey Stone moved away from the hole, then placed his hand upon the wooden wall, testing its durability. He might have been able to break out of here, but he'd prefer to hold off on doing such a thing until the rest of his Circle had recovered.

[Could Grey Stone roll Strength and Athletics to try and smash a hole in the wall? If so, what would the difficulty be?]
Testing the wall, you are not certain that you would be able to break it down by yourself. It feels very durable. Also, while you are still under the influence of the drugs, you will have an increased difficulty to all physical actions.
 
Amara reaches up and rubs her face, trying to shake off the grogginess and figure out what the Malfias is going on. "Ungh. What. Happened. To. Us? Where are we?"
Grey Stone glanced over at Amara. "I don't know yet. I only just woke up myself, and so far I haven't been able to learn anything. Aside from how our captors seem to have a means of keeping us contained..."
 
Aredin awoke laying still for a moment as he heard signs of chatter from the group. After a brief moment he sat up, trying to remain as quiet as possible. He held a finger to his mouth in a shushing gesture as a reminder not to alert the presence of others just yet. He spoke in a soft whisper, "Listen for movement."

One does not brush shoulders with guild infiltrating cults without witnessing the occasional backstab or two. Whatever party that decided to abduct them had a reason to leave them alive, at least for now. Were this merely to collect a bounty their heads or corpses would have been more than sufficient than to risk their escape and retaliation. Still, though they had managed to acquire drugs and dosages sufficient to knock out an Exalt. The expense for such a thing was a common complaint among those in the dark circles he'd run in a decade ago. The circle seemed to be burning it off faster than intended.

After having a moment to take in the circumstance and remember his training from uncle Taom, Aredin gestured to Gray Stone and Amara. He made a silent punching noise to the wall and shook his head. Then he motioned his fist downward to the floor and nodded. Most structures, pens, or other means of confinement had weak points even among the likes of regular human traffickers and brigands. Much as some folks with reinforced doors will neglect to reinforce the walls or doorframe, many armored wagons neglect the baseboards. After all, who would expect an attack from below a moving armored cart?

[Rolling Intelligence+Lore to declare a fact that the floor is a likely weak point of their prison. Adding an Excellency for 4 peripheral motes. 7 successes.]
 
He made a silent punching noise to the wall and shook his head. Then he motioned his fist downward to the floor and nodded.
Grey Stone gave a shrug of his shoulders when Aredin punched at the wall, as if silently replying that he'd already confirmed that wasn't a viable option. He raised his eyebrows in an intrigued manner when the merchant indicated the floor though.
 
Merciful Fire of Emancipation awoke.

Her emerald eyes opened to peer up at the ceiling of whatever tight wooden space they had been put in. For a moment panic set in, her head throbbed, the taste of pepper from the stew they had been given the night before still was strong on her pallette and a distinct flavor of something else . She cast around sucking in air a moment realzing she was in a distinct state of undress which caused her further anxiety.

She spoke out in Low Realm, her native tongue <"What is going on?!?>, her voice a whisper.

Ever since the Circle had met Mercy, she always made sure her body was covered except for her face, usually wearing simple robe, hooded claok, a hajib, and even gloves over her thin and slight form. And now here, her body was displayed for all of them for the first time, showing the scars, mystical symbols and arcane tattoos that covered her slightly bronze colored skin. Even in the dim light of the enclosure, the arcane runes and symbols seemed to glow slightly on her body, not necessarily enough to cast any light but enough that they could be seen. The most prominent tattoo was on the back of her neck, the slave brand of House Cynis.

She slowly sat up, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, shutting her eyes with the throbbing of her head, and then looking around at the rest of her circle, recognizing their forms in the shadow and hearing their words. Speaking now in Riverspeak, whispering

"I told you that I thought they added pepper to the stew to cover up something...I offered to cook but nooooo <mockingly in a very bad impression of Aredin's accent> 'We should take their hospitality for allowing us to accompany them..' "

She stopped herself, realizing her words were not going to help their situation. She worked on trying to refocus and recenter herself to prepare to cast something before offering up. "I can just blast the door open with a burst of fire if you want..."
 
Amara gives Mercy a smile, saying, "Lets not blow ourselves up in the process of trying to get out of here, shall we? Using your spells might be an option, but lets not be too hasty." Seeing that Aredin has an idea to check the floor for a way out, she rises to her feet and does her best to help pull the blankets aside to expose the flooring to be examined, all the while keeping as quiet as possible to avoid raising an alarm from their captors.
 
After having a moment to take in the circumstance and remember his training from uncle Taom, Aredin gestured to Gray Stone and Amara. He made a silent punching noise to the wall and shook his head. Then he motioned his fist downward to the floor and nodded. Most structures, pens, or other means of confinement had weak points even among the likes of regular human traffickers and brigands. Much as some folks with reinforced doors will neglect to reinforce the walls or doorframe, many armored wagons neglect the baseboards. After all, who would expect an attack from below a moving armored cart?
Once the dirty blankets are moved out of the way, Aredin is able to drop down on his hands and knees to inspect the floorboards of the wagon, and sure enough, it does look a bit worn compared to the hardy structure of the walls and door. It looks like it would be easier to either pry or bash your way through the weaker pieces to get yourselves free. But depending on how you do it, it will make a bit of noise and could draw a response from guards.
 
Aredin raised an eyebrow at the impression. He'd never advocate trusting a guildsman, much less a competitor. Hells, he'd taken part in executing a merchant prince in much the same manner as this. Was there something more at play here that tricked them into this trap? Who gave them blankets and forgot to bind their hands? Nothing about this made sense in this drug-induced stupor. Whatever it was, he couldn't remember and there wasn't time to dwell on it yet. They needed weapons, now.

"We can try and muffle our escape with the blankets," he said in a hushed voice, "but it's unlikely to leave us completely unnoticed. Still..." He looked over toward the floorboards and considered the impact of their escape. If they pried the boards up, it'd still make some noise. If they broke through the boards, that'd definitely turn some heads if this lot wasn't completely incompetent. Or was there a much easier take... fake sleeping and strangle whoever comes to remove them with the blankets. He shook his head in silence as he stared at the floor. "We could try the waiting game and ambush a foolish guard, but any time we give them adds risk. Let's break out and bust skulls."
 
Amara looks over at Mercy and asks, "Don't one of your spells give you hardened skin, like metal? If you were to cast that, not only would it protect you, but you could then help us pry up these loose floorboards. Personally, if I find out the person responsible for taking us captive and stealing our things, there will be hell to pay. I fought too long and hard to get my items for me to leave them behind!" She is whispering, but it can still be told that the Dawn Caste is irate and ready to spill some blood in her efforts to get her weapon and armor back.

She then thinks for a moment, wondering. I can call my blade to my hand when I need it, and there are times it literally appears in my grip. I wonder if I can't do the same here? After all, I can still feel the connection to Destiny from here in my commitment of Essence.

OOC Do I believe that by using this Charm, I can summon my daiklave to me?
Extending her hand, the Solar may summon her weapon with but a thought. This Charm can reach a weapon within short range. Roll (Wits + Melee) at difficulty 4. On a success, the weapon flashes to hand instantly, without traversing the space between. On a failure, the weapon leaps to the Solar’s hand, overcoming friction and gravity to do so. However, it is unable to defeat doors, chains, or other similar obstacles, and even if the path is unobstructed, the weapon does not return until the Solar’s next turn. The Exalt cannot use this power to steal weapons, only to call her own weapon to hand.

Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
I [ ]

Willpower: 8
Essence: 1
Personal: 13
Peripheral: 33 / 20
Committed: 13

Join Battle: 9 +3i
Form Charm Join Battle: 11
Parry: 6
Evasion: 4
Resolve: 2
Guile: 1

Natural Soak: 3
Armored Soak: +8, Hardness 7
Hearthstone Soak: 2
Total Soak: 13

Weapons
Destiny
Attunement: 5m
Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Evocations of Destiny
A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
 
OOC Do I believe that by using this Charm, I can summon my daiklave to me?
You will need to score 4 or more successes on your Wits + Melee roll in order to do so, or else the blade will not appear in your hand and will be stopped by the barriers between you and it, but yes, you feel that if you do, you'll have your sword in hand.
 
Amara clenches her fist, then says, "One of my gifts from the Unconquered Sun is the ability to be able to call my blade to my hand. If Destiny is close enough to me, I might be able to bring it to me and use it to help us gather the rest of our supplies. But there is a risk. If our weapons are being watched, it may be noticed that the sword is suddenly missing. We'll have to be ready to act quickly once I give it a try. I won't Call the Blade untill we are all ready to make our escape attempt."
Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
I [ ]

Willpower: 8
Essence: 1
Personal: 13
Peripheral: 33 / 20
Committed: 13

Join Battle: 9 +3i
Form Charm Join Battle: 11
Parry: 6
Evasion: 4
Resolve: 2
Guile: 1

Natural Soak: 3
Armored Soak: +8, Hardness 7
Hearthstone Soak: 2
Total Soak: 13

Weapons
Destiny

Attunement: 5m
Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Evocations of Destiny
A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
 
Mercy stood up and stretched wishing she had to something to tie back her hair. She was not used to having long hair after years of being forced to have short hair as a slave. She grinned looking at Aredin in response to his words. "That sounds like a plan...sorry about my lousy impression and words...I...I am still trying to find my filter..." and she looked over at Amara..."Why yes..I was going to do the very thing you suggest"

Mercy takes a deep breath to focus through the fog in her head, really hoping it clears, she closes her eyes, reaching up with her right hand to touch the chakra point on the center of her forehead, while invoking the words of connection, at her touch there was a spark of flame that briefly lit up the room and made a slight ringing sound, as she opened her first connection to the Ifirit Lord Laris-Ifan, her arcane tattoos seemed to flash and then glow more than their usual, like the fire was just starting.

Mercy's eyes opened at the familiar warm touch of the Ifirit Lord, the warmth filling her body accompanied by the familiar and exciting rush of magical energy as she reached down and opened the chakra point on her chest for more, and then at her stomach, each touch causing another ring and a brighter spark. Upon opening the third chakra she began to chant silently the ancient words to channel the energies to summon forth her control spell as the essence channeled through her body, her tattoos glowing warmly in the enclosed space.

Mercy Rolls to Shape Sorcery in order to cast Invulnerable Skin of Bronze, with one free success with Ancient Tongue Understand, and using her one free Full Occult Excellency with the Supernal Control Method.

(Rolling Intelligence+Occult + full Occult-Intelligence Excellency = 10+10 = 20 dice)

First Shaping Sorcery Roll = 8 Successes + 1 Automatic Success = 9 Sorcerious Motes (needs 20 total to cast spell)

Second Shaping Sorcery Roll = 9 Successes+1 Automatic Success = 10 Additional Successes (19 of 20 Successes)

Third Shaping Sorcery Roll = 4 Success+1 Automatic Success = 5 Successes (24 of 20 Successes)

Upon the opening of her third chakra the spell took hold as her skin seemed to glow for a moment and then take a shiny sheen.

There was a look of utter rapture on Mercy's face upon casting the spell, the channelling of power gave her such a thrill, she smiled as the invocation faded "Ok, what do you want me to do?"
 
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Seeing that Mercy is gathering her power to cast the spell, Amara decides it is time to try to summon Destiny. She holds out her hand, focusing her Essence and her will to bring forth her sword from wherever it is being stored. Destiny is her weapon, connected to her by bonds of Essence. She is a Dawn Caste of the Solar Exalted, and there is no power in this world that will bar her from having her chosen Daiklave in hand.

Her foes will regret their decision to try and betray them, for whatever reason it was for.
I will also spend a Willpower point to try and make sure I get enough successes for the Charm. Shit. Only 3 Successes.

Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
I [ ]

Willpower: 8 / 7
Essence: 1
Personal: 13 / 12
Peripheral: 33 / 20
Committed: 13

Join Battle: 9 +3i
Form Charm Join Battle: 11
Parry: 6
Evasion: 4
Resolve: 2
Guile: 1

Natural Soak: 3
Armored Soak: +8, Hardness 7
Hearthstone Soak: 2
Total Soak: 13

Weapons
Destiny

Attunement: 5m
Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Evocations of Destiny
A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
 
Amara can feel the connection between her and Destiny, but there is just enough distance between you and the blade that it doesn't just appear in your hand. You can always try again, but for now, it was not successful.

It takes Mercy a few moments to build up the Sorcerous Motes to be able to cast the spell, but once done, she is able to envelop herself in the power of the Invulnerable Skin of Bronze. The floor creaks under the added weight of the metal, but so far, it is holding firm.
 
Amara glares at her empty hand, frustrated that her power was not enough to bring Destiny to her. She closes her eyes, and redoubles her efforts to bring the daiklave to her. I am a warrior, and without my weapon, I am only half a person. The others will need me to help protect them until we can find their things, and without my sword, that will not be easy.
Again, not enough successes. Damn. EDIT forgot my stunt bonus, and with my Willpower point, that is just enough.

Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ][ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
I [ ]

Willpower: 8 / 6
Essence: 1
Personal: 13 / 11
Peripheral: 33 / 20
Committed: 13

Join Battle: 9 +3i
Form Charm Join Battle: 11
Parry: 6
Evasion: 4
Resolve: 2
Guile: 1

Natural Soak: 3
Armored Soak: +8, Hardness 7
Hearthstone Soak: 2
Total Soak: 13

Weapons
Destiny

Attunement: 5m
Type: Light (+5 ACC, +10 DMG, +0 DEF, OVW 3)
Tags: Lethal, Melee, Balanced
Evocations of Destiny
A user of Destiny may change the result of one die on an attack or damage roll, moving it up or down one digit. For example if a player rolls seven dice with the results “5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 2, 10,” they can change one of the dieʼs digits. In the above example, they might change the “6” up one digit to a “7” thus adding an additional successes. The magic of Destinyʼs evocations directly relates to the numbers rolled on dice. As such some players may also choose to decrease a number rolled.
 
It takes a moment and it nearly failed again, but yes, Amara finally has her Daiklave in hand.

Outside, the blazing light of Mercy's spellcasting and Amara's efforts to summon her sword have not gone unnoticed. Several voices can be heard coming your direction. You are about to have company.
 

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