Fantasy Return of the Scarlet Empress - Exalted 2.5 IC

[keeperofkore]

Tines frowns a moment before looking very serious, from the depths of her pockets she pulls forth a series of chords pulling them forth and releasing a small flock of messenger sprites "Solars of the Cult of the illuminated. Chosen of the light this is Tines of Morning Sunlight, servant of heaven and fifth chair of the inner council. There has been a major attack on upper leadership and as such I am invoking a lockdown, follow your intuition, stay together, check anyone with the bells of sunlight. Our enemies are likely servants of hell and can be seen as such. The Empress is confirmed as a servant of the Ebon Dragon, I repeat if you see any member of the inner circle including myself check them thoroughly for any taint and stay safe, if this attack is successful you all are going to be the largest opposition force the forces of hell will have to deal with and as such it is only a matter of time. For those who have accepted my tutelage and bear my mark please confirm this message with the others. I will reach out again when able, I am currently on my way to Kether Rock and look forward to seeing your preperation. This is not a drill"

 

[a311243549]

The Empress has been co-opted by the Ebon Dragon. The Empress holds access to the Sword of Creation.

The Ebon Dragon holds access to the Sword of Creation.

Words cannot express how bad this is.

Also heaven is under attack, the Ebon Dragon is probably filling the Realm with infiltrators, Sidereals are probably dying right now, and my workshop is probably trashed. However, it's hard to focus on ancillary matters when the Ebon Dragon holds the greatest weapon in Creation, though.

...but that's not true, is it?

"OK." I state, thinking furiously. "Assuming Chejop's strike team fails, the greatest immediate danger is the Realm Defense Grid going live. The Ebon Dragon has enough associated spies, infiltrators, and general espionage capability that he could probably identify where any counteroffensives are massing from, even if he can't actually infiltrate it. That means that any key people and materiel that cannot withstand a direct strike need to be moved to Heaven, the Underworld, Malfeas, or the Daystar for protection. I could probably design some sort of shield, but that would take at least a few weeks."

"Alternatively, we can attempt to disable it... though that would pose a risk if he then tries to incite a Raksha invasion. The Jadeborn could help with that, or the Pattern Spiders if we can convince them to take a more active role in affairs. If we can convince Nysela to allow some of your students to help pilot the Daystar, that would also buy us some tactical flexibility, in terms of how much we can safely sabotage the RDG."

 

[Sherwood]

Rogosh looks dumbfounded at the news, and even more so when the two Sidereals with him seem so distressed. He thinks for a moment, then says, "I seem to recall that when the city of Thorns was destroyed, there were many earthquakes and storms that did nearly as much harm as the initial blast did. Perhaps . . . The Demon Empress may not want to destroy all of Creation in her bid to conquer it. After all, before her long departure, she could have used the Sword of Creation on Lookshy to conquer the Threshold a dozen times over and never did. What we need is a weapon of our own that can rival hers. I don't suppose you know if something that can fill that role?"

"Here is another thought: the message said that Chejop has proof of this from Mnemon. Where is she, and what proof could she have? Hell, even without her proof, she is a powerful Exalt on command of one of the most powerful Houses of the Scarlet Empire. Why not see what it would take to get her on our team?"

 

[a311243549]

I wince at Rogosh's first question, as I think about how to word my response, remembering long nights under a hateful green sun, spent in discussion with my friend and former mentor. "It's not a matter of finding a weapon that can evince more destruction than her own. The Daystar, the Incarna if they could be roused, the Pattern Spiders with the Loom of Fate, masses of summoned Third Circle Demons, the Last Supplicant... there are many things that could bring devastation on a comparable scale to Creation's Sword."

Let alone the fact that the Jadeborn could certainly make their own equivalents to Soulbreaker Orbs, Protoshinmaic Vortices, Thousand-Forged Dragons, and the sundry other mass-produced superweapons of the Deliberative. I think to myself. But perhaps let's not share that one with the class.

"However, it's a matter of goals. The Ebon Dragon doesn't need to conquer Creation with the Scarlet Empire — just inflict enough damage and devastation that anything worth saving is lost, and there's nothing left to oppose his rise. That's why I speak primarily of defense and sabotage and alliances — our true enemy is not here at all yet."

"Nevertheless, the latter line of of thought does hold merit. What do you think, Tines? Should we try to track down Mnemon?"

 

[keeperofkore]

Tines nods "if they are bold enough to strike heaven things are dire, we will need all the allies we can get. I have seen the woman once when I toured the isle with my sifu, I can send her a messenger but I do not know what to instruct her to go, any thoughts on neutral ground?"

 

[a311243549]

"The empire of the Mountain Folk would be neutral as far as she knows, but less than I might like. They do not trust the Exalted, and for good reason, but with the Realm compromised, they will likely be essential to our efforts. Bringing Mnemon into their territory without first pulling her into our alliance would cause them to see her as just another Exalt, which could complicate things when we all need to work together."

"Yu-shan would probably be seen as too partial to us... perhaps Lookshy? Though it would likely take her some time to travel there, if she agreed."

 

[keeperofkore]

"Lookshy would be reasonably neutral and unlikely to be on the side of our enemies. They have never had any love for the empress and the more who know of her state the safer I believe we all will be... I wish we had someone who could carry the word in good standing to the chosen of luna but I do not think they would believe us without someone to vouch for us"

 

[Sherwood]

The flight onwards to Kether Rock continues for some time in silence, leaving each of you to your own thoughts. What breaks the silence is another pair of messenger sprites, this time the sender is Lytek, god of Exaltation and the Keeper of the Shards. They appear in the air before the two Sidereals and soak the same message:

This is Lytek, and this message is sent to the last four of the Sidereals. The Conclave was attacked by infernal forces, and all but one that attended the meeting was killed. Yu-Shan is in chaos at the sheer scale of the disaster that has befallen us. Beware of further treachery. Respond to me when you can do so safely. Much work has to be done.

 

[keeperofkore]

Tines is silent for some time before she speaks "so we are half of all sidereals... guess I am not getting any vacation time this year... I wish I knew where the other two are, I am betting one is the green lady though"

 

[a311243549]

I spend some time in thought. "We're certainly the canny sort, and I wouldn't be surprised to find another couple faking their own deaths, here and there. But nonetheless, things are indeed dire, especially if the last survivor turns out to be just a ronin like I suspect." A moment later, a dark thought strikes. "On the other hand... Sidereals are not incorruptible either. Perhaps some caution with regards to any survivors is in order."

As I speak, I write to Lerayl, asking her to run a fast sweep of the battlefield to see if the devil-eaten have left behind anything important, willingly or otherwise. I take care to emphasize that she may only take loot of hellish origin, knowing that this will both promote thoroughness, as well as hopefully prevent any misunderstandings should she screw up and get caught. With luck, she'll find something that I can analyze to gather some useful data on the attackers – and even if not, it should still keep her occupied and prevent her from finding further trouble. Once she's done, she should check Lytek's cabinet to do a manual count of the number of Sidereal Exaltations present against the 96 that should be there, and then report back to me. Just in case.

Mara herself gets a message as well, short and to the point: "Your mistress's master has done something truly impressive. I understand why you didn't inform me ahead of time, and you understand why you're going to give me the details now that it's already happened. Spill."

 

[Sherwood]

Spoiler: OOC Stuff

Just to let you know, I've been fighting a nasty migraine for a few days now, and while I am starting to feel better, I have a ways to go before I am at 100% That being said, I will endeavor to put up a decent post. Here you go.

The long flight to Kether Rock is long and relatively quiet as each of you are lost in your own thoughts as to what has happened, and the potential outcomes that lie in your future. Finally, the rocky mountain of the hidden encampment can be seen off in the distance, and soon after, the flying cloud that is your transport slows and settles down to land.

As you step off of the cloud and onto the sun-baked rock, a large group of armed men and women step out from various alcoves and hiding spots, all in armor and ready for a fight. Rogosh waves at the various armed soldiers and keeps his hands well away from his own weapons. "Stand at ease, everyone. It is I, Rogosh Eagle Eye, with friends, and we bear ill tidings. Quickly, gather the other Illuminated. We have much to discuss. Go now, with haste!"

Some of the soldiers scatter to gather up the other Exalts that are there, but others are still eyeing the three of you with some suspicion. One, a grizzled old man steps forward and says, "Aye, we know Rogosh, and our teacher, Tines. But we have also seen the ability of the Chosen to be able to mimic the forms of others. Before we stand aside, prove to us that you are whom you say you are."

 

[a311243549]

"Well, I'm probably unknown to you unless Tines has been telling tales. If one of you is of strong nerve, I could use heaven's arts to truly show you I am what I say, but I suspect that doing so would only serve to turn your suspicions of subversion upon each other, if it did not drive you mad in the process."

As I speak, I allow the mirrors to swirl around me in a widening spiral, held in the delicate arms of dreams and possibility, each reflection a single imperfect cross-section of the whole. The mirrors do not merely reflect myself either, but also my interrogators, something that becomes immediately obvious as my hand extended hand brushes through the reflections as they whirl around me, each soldier in turn briefly feeling the touch of a fingertip at their throat. And at the same time...

Weavers of the Loom, arbiters of possibility. Bless me now in this turning-point of fate, that my determination shine through on this dark day.

"Nevertheless, know that I am Kurea Ohashi, armiger of fate, on urgent business for the good of all Creation. Accept or suspect me at your discretion, but I cannot allow you to stand in my way."

 

[Sherwood]

Rogosh looks at the man that is challenging your identity and says, "You are wise to not blindly trust what you are told, but let me reassure you that this is indeed our teacher and mentor Tines, I am truly Rogosh, and the third member of our trio is one of the Sidereals that you have been warned to be on the lookout for, going by the name Kurea. As I said, events have transpired that place the whole of Creation at risk. So before we spend needless time trying to convince you of our identity, name a task that only Rogosh could accomplish, or ask me of an encounter between us that only you and I would know. Then we can move forward with our very pressing business."

The man that raised up his suspicions of your identity says, "Aye. I can ask you questions. In our first time playing Gateway, who won and how?"

The Solar laughs. "You know that I can't wrap my head around the rules of that game. I've never been able to win at it no matter how many times someone tries to explain it to me. Any other questions for me?"

There are a few other questions before the suspicions about the three of you are put at ease, and the spokesperson that laid out the challenge finally bows deep, saying, "I hope you will forgive my impertinent behavior, noble Exalts, but we have been taught than an abundance of caution is the order of the day. No disrespect was ever meant. How may we be of service?"