Into the Ruins - Exalted 3e IC

[Sherwood]

Amara smiles, saying, "You should judge us by our own actions, not those of the Solars long gone. We are a different breed, tempered by our own experiences and chosen to be Exalted based on those experiences. We will be back, and we will then free the angry ghost and send it on its way to the Underworld where it belongs, just as promised. I will say thank you on my own behalf for the trust you've placed on us. We will not let you down."

 

[Purr]

Amara smiles, saying, "You should judge us by our own actions, not those of the Solars long gone. We are a different breed, tempered by our own experiences and chosen to be Exalted based on those experiences. We will be back, and we will then free the angry ghost and send it on its way to the Underworld where it belongs, just as promised. I will say thank you on my own behalf for the trust you've placed on us. We will not let you down."

"Well said, Amara!" The Lunar claps and nods. "Spoken as true as de lovely moon shines in de sky!"

Antonia says nothing, and instead of speaking, she places her hands over her face and lets out a long sigh. She finally murmurs out, "This is the new generation of Solars? May the gods have mercy!" Dropping her hands, she looks over at Da Chonk and says, "Are you sure you don't wish to stay here with me instead? You could share some more of your amazing stories with me if you did. . ." The wood spirit looks hopeful, but seems to know that there is really no reasonable way to keep you here with the promise of such an adventure on your horizon.

Chowlett Eonivar jaydude Psychie Rykon Sherwood

O Mighty Fat Cat looks down at his feet, hiding a shy smile before glancing back up to Antonia. Pleased at seeing the Wood Elemental display such compassion for people she has known only for a short while, the large Lunar replies in his sing-song tones, his every sentence sounding like an impromptu melody - the way his fellow Rainbow Children speak.

"What I wish to do is to stay here with everyone. I wish to share more with you, Antonia. I wish to meet Dunbar Kirk. I wish to not run from de wickedness dat dogs our every step and forces us to sleep with one eye open...." his massive chest expands as he take a deep breath, "... but what I ought to do... is take my new friends far from here - to de mystery-filled jungles of Rathess. Dis way, we take away de foulness dat haunts dis beautiful place. In my eyes," he points to them, "dis foulness is de only scar in all dis blessed realm. I would have a hand in healing it. People like you and Dunbar and all de land and spirits here? Dey are special. And so are you."

O Mighty Fat Cat turns to his fellow Exalted careful to include Antonia. "We will share again. When my Circle of friends here and I succeed? We will come again here with new tales! New things to share with you! But best of all - we..." he opens his muscled hands wide, "...we go and do what is right."

Da Chonk closes his hands and slowly lets his arms fall to his sides, his pleased smile and stare remaining on Antonia in the hopes that she understands and that she accepts.

 

[Psychie]

With a smile, Antonia looks to Da Chonk and says, "I will hold you to that promise, noble Fat Cat, and I will be looking forward to hearing more wondrous tales of your many adventures. Travel safely, all of you, and come back. Until then, I bid you farewell."

It does not take you long to gather your things; after all, you didn't have much with you besides your own clothes and other personal gear. Thankfully, there are some things that are salvageable that you can bring with you, like some waterskins that are in relatively good shape that can be filled up to get you through some of your travels, and some pouches that can be used to gather up some of the fruits that are growing in the glen to help sustain you on your journey.

With everyone on the back of the Fat Cat Express, the large Lunar is now ready to travel. Purr Do you plan on taking to the air, or sticking on the ground for now?

Also, who has possession of the hearthstone from the manse here?

Sherwood jaydude Chowlett Eonivar Rykon

 

[Purr]

Do you plan on taking to the air, or sticking on the ground for now?

Psychie

Spoiler: OOC

Air. Preferably with as much stealth and safety as possible. This means hiding behind any low-flying clouds, making use of natural surroundings, not making unnecessary sounds, and so forth. =)

O Mighty Fat Cat is ready to travel!

O Mighty Fat Cat excuses himself from the circle to perform a prayer to Luna for their safe travels and that what The Circle does will further Luna's aims.

 

[Psychie]

After his devotions to Luna are complete, Fat Cat once more takes on his large flying form and settles down to allow everyone up on his back. With a powerful downbeat of his massive wings, the Lunar takes to the air and sets off on his way to Rathess!

The miles pass by far below you as the Circle flies along. Several days go by uneventfully, but eventually even our mighty Fat Cat grows tired as the sun starts to get low on the horizon and is in need of taking some time to rest his wings and get some food in his belly. As he starts to lower his altitude towards the ground, the keen eyes of the various Exalts spot off in the distance a small walled town that might be a good location to find a hot meal, a foamy drink and a warm bed that is not a sleeping bag on the hard ground.

Knowing how far the reach of the Immaculate Order has, it would most likely be a Bad Thing to simply land in the town square and shapeshift back into a human form. It would probably be best to land a distance from the town and walk up as a simple bunch of 'ordinary' travelers. Unless, of course, you decide to bypass the town and spend the night elsewhere.

What is your plan?

Purr Sherwood Rykon Chowlett Eonivar jaydude

 

[jaydude]

Grey Stone cleared his throat with a stony grunt. "There's a town up ahead. Perhaps it would do for us to rest our bones within more hospitable conditions."

In truth, he himself was more than capable of happily roughing it in the wilderness, and he was largely thinking about Fat Cat's wellbeing. He'd noticed the way the Lunar's flight had been starting to waver within the last couple of hours.

Spoiler: Grey Stone Stats

Essence: 1
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33
Anima: Glowing

Willpower: 6/7
Join Battle: 5
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1,-1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 1

Attacks
Faith's Pillar (10 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 18, Overwhelming 5, Bashing, Melee, Reaching, Smashing, Two-Handed)
Unarmed (13 dice Withering, 8 dice Decisive, Withering Damage 15, Overwhelming 1, Bashing, Brawl, Grappling, Natural)

Actions
Rush: 6
Disengage: 6

Evasion 4, Parry 4
Soak/Hardness: 4/0

 

[Sherwood]

Amara nods, saying, "Well, I for one wouldn't mind the chance to get into a real bed tonight, and possibly a hot bath. We have no lack of funds to be able to get whatever supplies we need, and the rest would do all of us some good. Let us land a distance out and make our way in on foot as to not alarm the locals."

 

[Chowlett]

Silent Glade looks around at the forest below, so familiar in its general nature and yet so strange in the specific nature of this particular area.

"A wise woodsman knows when he does not know enough. We could survive out here for a night, I have no doubt; but this far east the dangers will be larger. The town will provide some safety - although questions will be asked of where we appeared from. Most people here will be known to them already."

He considers a little, before touching Cat on the head and speaking directly to him: "Set down some distance outside." Turning to the group, he adds: "I will approach unseen and alone, to spy out any threat."

 

[Purr]

Chowlett Psychie

O Mighty Fat Cat turns his head and looks at Silent Glade as he's speaking. Then, with the toothy grin the Lucky Fat Cat Express is known for in some parts, O Mighty Fat Cat replies to Silent Glade with a deep nod.

He begins a leisurely and watchful descent to the area Silent Glade points out. Once he is in proper position, he lands carefully and allows everyone to disembark.

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy looked up from her book and listened to the conversation, and noted the beginning descent down towards the ground to an area remote from the town. She felt the familiar ping of anxiety from within her chest, that worry that nowhere was safe from the dragonblooded and the wild hunt. And yet the idea of a warm meal, drink, a soft bed to sleep in, maybe even a bath all sounded wonderful to her. The latter seemed to outweigh the former in her mind and so she closed her book and placed it back into her satchel, and started to arrange herself in preparation to walk and go into town.

She briefly pulled out the soul metal skycutter Black Wing from its sheath in a way to give herself from comfort from her anxieties knowing it was at her beck and call. The cold, dark black gray nonreflective metal bladed artifact was dormant at the the moment, but she knew it would sound its distinctive voice if given the opportunity to draw blood. She had not had to use it in battle yet and part of her almost was afraid to find out what it would become if she did. She had practiced quite a bit with the weapon in the recent past though and felt that she was ready to bring its ancient power to bear if she needed to. She slowly slid the weapon back into the sheath she had made for it and then proceeded to place it on her back under her cloak so it would not be in plain sight as she prepared for their journey back into civilization.

 

[Psychie]

Silent Glade looks around at the forest below, so familiar in its general nature and yet so strange in the specific nature of this particular area.

"A wise woodsman knows when he does not know enough. We could survive out here for a night, I have no doubt; but this far east the dangers will be larger. The town will provide some safety - although questions will be asked of where we appeared from. Most people here will be known to them already."

He considers a little, before touching Cat on the head and speaking directly to him: "Set down some distance outside." Turning to the group, he adds: "I will approach unseen and alone, to spy out any threat."

Are you going to supplement your Stealth roll with Charms, and if so, which ones?

 

[Chowlett]

[I'll drop a 5m Excellency into it (which I won't track on the assumption that the round trip will take more than an hour, and therefore I'll respire it back), plus specialty. I'm also going to travel within the tree canopy, making use of the Monkey Stone, and approach from an unexpected angle.] 6 successes - not bad, not great.

As soon as Fat Cat touches the ground, Glade leaps nimbly from his back, landing sure-footedly on a nearby tree branch scarcely wider than his foot. Swiftly running along it as if it were the ground itself, he quickly disappears into the canopy, the shades of green dappled across his armour making him blend perfectly against the leaves and bark.

 

[Psychie]

jaydude Chowlett Sherwood Purr Eonivar Rykon

It doesn't take Silent Glade long to make his way to the town. Its walls are in good repair, standing a good thirty feet high. On this side of the city there is a large gate that is standing open, with a pair of bored-looking guards standing there, talking to one another about a woman that one of the guards is apparently sweet on.

Visible through the gate you can see what looks like the typical small town street stretching out in front of you. People can be seen walking, kids playing, going about their business doing whatever it is that people in small towns do.

Chowlett Please give me a Perception + Awareness roll

 

[Chowlett]

Sure thing. From his position in the trees, Glade lies stretched out on a firm bough with a clear view along the main street. As still as any jungle panther waiting for prey, he patiently waits and watches.

2 successes. I swear this roller hates me.

 

[Psychie]

With the view that Silent Glade currently has, he sees nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seems to be just as it all appears; a normal town with normal people. If there is something out of the ordinary, you'll need to actually get inside the gate to look around.

Chowlett Eonivar Sherwood Purr jaydude Rykon

 

[Chowlett]

As satisfied as he can be from out here that there is nothing overly wrong here, Glade returns to the others.

"I saw nothing to concern me", he tells them, "but stone buildings can hide much. Caution, still, as we approach. The gate is guarded, but they seem mortal."

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy was adjusting her hijab and looked up at Silent Glade thoughtfully and address him and the others. “What is our story going to be for those people if they should ask? We are quite an odd collection of travelers and are going to stand out. We should have some sort of story as to why we are traveling and why we are traveling together?”

She frowned a moment and sighed, there was a bit if fear and anxiety in her voice. “ To be fair I am not good at this sort of thing. If these were spirits or elementals I would be ok but regular people? I am not in my element at all here. I would love a hot meal, a bottle of red wine, and a long hot bath, I have not had any of those for some time but I feel the eyes of the Dynasts on me every time I go into a town. I am glad I am here with you all, I am happy I am in good company here, but the fear remains.”

 

[Sherwood]

Amara lets out a slight chuckle. "Well, we're clearly not merchants, since we have no goods to trade or sell. We can always simply give a version of the truth, that we are adventurers on the road, moving from one place to another, and we are simply looking for rooms for the night and provisions for the road. We don't want to say that we are heading to Rathess, since the Wyld Hunt is still out there, looking for us, and we don't want to give them any more information than necessary."

"Shall we head out? That hot meal isn't going to feed me from here."

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy rose an eyebrow at her sister and shrugged, out of habit she started to raise the deep hood of her cloak over her head but decided not to. She adjusted her satchel across her robe and under her cloak, and put on her gloves. She had thought of casting some protective spells but thought that may be a bit too obvious. She flexed her fingers in her gloves and turned to the others ready to go.

In response to Amara. "So we are adventurers...a half truth is more believable than anything else I suppose. I will let you all do the talking. I am ready to go when you all are."

 

[Psychie]

jaydude Eonivar Chowlett Sherwood Purr Rykon

With no objections being raised, now that Silent Glade as come back, the reunited group begins to make their way to the open gates of the town.

As the six of you draw closer to the gates, the two bored guards that are still standing there quickly spot your group and stand up straighter, but they don't make any hostile moves by doing something like drawing a weapon or sounding any alarms. A third guard steps out from behind the gate and stands in the middle of the opening, obviously intending on speaking with you before you enter. He's armed with a shortsword on his hip.

This one guard raises his hand in a universal gesture to stop as you approach in the afternoon light. Speaking in Forest Tongue, he says, "State your business here, strangers."

 

[Sherwood]

With a tired smile on her face, Amara says (also in Forest Tongue), "Greetings, sir. My fellows and I are travelers in need of more provisions, a hot meal and beds for the night. We plan on being on the move once more as soon as our needs are met. I assure you that we plan to cause no trouble here for you in this town."

 

[Purr]

Psychie

O Mighty Fat Cat smiles with the cat-curious eyes of a newcomer, "O men, maybe you can tell us of your people's traditional drinks and delicacies?" He pats his big round Buddha-belly in anticipation. "I believe to taste a town's culinary specialties is to appreciate de town and her people. Maybe you have a local brew or favorite dish you can recommend?"

If any of the guards appears the least bit suspicious, O Mighty Fat Cat glances up to the sky where the moon hides and says with folded hands and dreamy expression as he launches into brief descriptions of real eating establishments (the kind that people who guard wooden towns might visit someday). Slowly, he reminisces. "I am talking about Mama Divine's sweet chicken dumplings! Or de Battlehammer bread pudding made with smooth whiskey at de Cloak and Crossbow! Maybe you have had de Mountain of Meat Platter at Spinnrad complete with spiced potatoes arranged alongside tangy and strong sauces all washed down with a cold Vikingernes Mjød bottle of mead?"

With a hungry look, O Mighty Fat Cat hopes to share with the town guards the one thing that all men he has ever known have in common - the desire for good food and drink!

Spoiler: Miss Game Master?

I would like to try a Charisma (4) + Socialize (2) roll, please? Add 1 dice for Stunt (or is it 2?). Include Charmed Existence Merit (take away the first 1 rolled)?

 

[Psychie]

The one guards' face doesn't change his expression from being grumpy as he looks over the six of you. With a bit of a glower, he says first to Amara, "I'm glad to hear that you plan no altercations in our town. We won't put up with any trouble here." He then looks over at Fat Cat, saying, "We have a few different restaurants and inns that might be of interest to you. I'd suggest the White Elk Tavern. They serve a good brew that we all enjoy."

He gives a quick set of directions on how to get there, but before he can step aside to let you in, one of the other two guards says, "Uh, what about the time? Its nearly dark, and we're going to have to close the gates soon."

"Humph. Good point. Strangers, you might wish to return in the morning, after we open the gate again. You don't have much time before dark, and Aldurtown is not a place for outsiders after dark." His glum look seems to indicate that he wants to say more, but stops himself before continuing on.

Everyone, please give me a Perception + Awareness roll, or if you'd rather, a Perception + Investigation roll. Just let me know which one you pick.

Rykon Sherwood Purr jaydude Eonivar Chowlett

 

[Eonivar]

Mercy tried to watch and follow the exchange, frowning that she did not know the tongue spoken here. She kind of shifted and swayed a bit, moving weight from one foot to the other in her discomfort of the situation. Amara and Fat Cat seemed comfortable and confident that they would be ok. Gazing up through her hood, she watched the guards, noting their style of dress, their mannerisms, and their armor and weapons, and then her eyes wandered to the area around the gates and them.

Mercy rolls Perception+Awareness = 3+2 = 5 dice = 1 success

 

[Sherwood]

Amara does her best to hide her frown at the comments of the guard, and instead asks, "What is going on here, that this town is not a place for visitors after dark?"

Perception + Awareness pool of 5 dice.
4 successes