Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[MasterDAF]

[PREVIOUSLY]
​

After checking the local shop that sold healing reagents and offered medical aid, Viktor had come up empty. Out of ideas, he scratched his head. The day was ending, and the healer was nowhere to be found at his place of business. If I was a healer, where would I go after work?

He looked carefully at his immediate surroundings, trying to come up with an answer, and was surprised when Koharu appeared around one of the street corners.

"There you are!" she yelled, dashing to his side. "Ram stopped by the shop to retrieve your manacles from the storage room, and told me what happened."

She looked down at his doublet, noticing the slight trickle of blood that had escaped through the leather around his abdomen. "What's this? Were you hurt!?"

"Yeah, but it's nothing. I'll just need to take it slow the next few days--"

Koharu slapped him across the face, and his eyes flew up in surprise. "Hey, what're you hitting me for?" He pointed at his wound. "I've had enough of that for one day, I think."

"I knew you should have kept your armor with you. Even while visiting the King's Tower. From what Ram told me of the assailants, you could have been killed!" She shook her head, furious. "I can't protect you efficiently if you're gonna walk around in a simple jerkin and hope for the best."

"Well, I am a Solar--"

"As such, from now on either you'll agree to wear your armor when you head out, or I'll be accompanying you indefinitely. Perhaps both."

He hung his head, knowing there was no fighting this. The bloody wound, though shallow, was proof enough that he had been too cavalier choosing not to keep his defensive armaments around at arm's reach. "Alright, we'll figure out a better system in the morning. For now, help me find the physician. Aredin wants him to help stabilize a couple assassins we incapacitated and prepped for lock-up."

Putting pressure on his side to keep the pain down, Viktor and Koharu looked about until they found the physician and ushered them up to the King's Tower.

[CURRENTLY]​

Viktor nodded along as Aysik spoke, rubbing his sore wound. "Ha! I suppose a drink like that could help wash a lot of issues away."

He thanked Annika for the glass, then took a long refreshing drink from it. He felt the Essence surge through his body as it made his mind feel sharper and his spirit more resilient, even if his current state of health would beg to differ. His eyes began blinking rapidly as memories flooded back to him.

Vague images of pounding metal and ornate objects flashed through his mind. Creations of a bygone age, and structures the size of whole towns swallowing mountains of blessed metal and producing massive suits of armor. He was reminded of the vat of yellow metal he observed on the his night of Exaltation, watching it bond to the Jade sword as he fused the two together.

"Viktor?" Koharu's whispering voice cut through his collage of memories, and drew him immediately back to the table. She layed a light hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head of the memories as one would shake off rain, focusing on her look of curiosity -- or was it anxiety? -- and the moment at hand. "Yes, of course. Just tired from tonight's excitement." He grinned. "I'll be fine coming morning. Speaking of which..."

He looked to the group as Aredin mentioned food. "I think I'll have to bow out early tonight. I could use a bit of rest, and there's plenty of final prep-work to be double checked before tomorrow's ceremony."

 

[jaydude]

"See you tomorrow." Annika says to Viktor after hearing his words.

"So, it looks like it's just me and the two of you now." Annika says to Aredin and Darian, recalling Durke wanting to leave and talk to his men. "You sure you still want me to join you out on the town? If it's only going to be us three, I might as well leave you two to enjoy a nice date."

 

[Psychie]

Darian smiles at the other woman. "We have fought side by side together, and share a bond that few outside this room would understand. I can handle having you with us as we go out tonight. Aredin and I will still have our special day tomorrow when we stand before the Unconquered Sun together and pledge our love for one another. Please, join us."

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar clears his throat and steps forward. "If you don't mind, I wouldn't object to drowning some sorrows in a good bottle of spirits. All I got to do tonight was to be shown just how much I still have to learn in order to hold my own in any future fights. I just got in the way of Aysik and this other Sidereal as they fought."

Aysik just gives a laugh. "You don't give yourself enough credit. You have only been an Exalt for a year; it takes time to develop your powers, and for the time you have been training, you are doing quite well. If I had any doubts of you, tonight dispelled them. You were willing to stand up, toe to toe, against someone with a lot of experience. That takes guts. I'm proud of you, and I'm proud to be your Sifu. Go enjoy yourself tonight and I'll stay here and help keep watch over the prisoners until Lady Darian has her chance to work her magic on them."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin made a pensive gesture for a moment, "Well, I understand what you mean, but it is as Darian says. Our big day IS tomorrow and our rehearsal dinner was interrupted by a wyld hunt. I'm sure we could all go for a night out drinking to calm the nerves. So let's have some fun, yeah?" Aredin added, wide grin on his face.

 

[jaydude]

Annika listens to Darian, Aredin and the Sidereals before she gives her replies.

"Well if you're sure, I'll come along for the ride." She says to Darian and Aredin. "And in case you haven't guessed yet, I'm smiling." she adds, remembering the other woman's blindness.

"So, shall we head off now?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar nods. "Sure. Like I said, I could use a good drink." He then turns to look at Aysik. "Thank you, master, for your kind words. That means much to me." He then turns back to the trio of Solars. "Lets go."

 

[MasterDAF]

[EXTREMELY PREVIOUSLY...]

VIKTOR : THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS
ENTRY #1​

Map:

Spoiler

Story:

Spoiler

3RD DAY OF ASCENDING AIR, RY 769​

“That’s the guy?”

Viktor and his recently found helper Koharu stood in the shadows of the Sandstream Café, sipping coffee as visitors and residents alike scurried by. They pretended to share a meal as they observed the sailors and deckhands working at the dock across the street. One man in particular, an overweight Delzhan covered in garish silks and sporting a worried look on his face, stood out amongst the rest. Koharu nodded her – its – head in response.

“Silver dinars can help sway anyone’s decisions. Especially an underpaid trader with product to move and no one to sell to.”

He nodded in agreement. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. So, all we’ve got to do is show him this hand gesture—”

“No,” she grabbed his hand and posed his fingers in the shape of stacked circles, “like this.”

He looked down and memorized it, before releasing his hand from the pose. “Like that. Got it.”

A young man working at the harbor tripped and dropped a bucket near the distressed Delzhan merchant. Its contents spilled out onto the dock and sloshed a thick green liquid onto the man’s shoes. The trader flew into a rage, yelling something incomprehensible as the embarrassed young man tried in vain to apologize.

Finishing the sludge-like coffee he had been nursing, the blacksmith flicked his tongue in response to the bitterness and then placed the mug down on a nearby empty table. “Alright, let’s go.”

As they joined the busy foot traffic outside the café, both Viktor and Koharu pulled thick hoods up over their heads to obscure their faces from those passing by. While perhaps this would have appeared conspicuous within the nations of the Scavenger Lands, the culture of Chiaroscuro embraced a manner of dress that included loose flowing cloaks and drawn head coverings as normal attire.

This proved to be fortunate for them, as the city was still buzzing with rumors concerning the prison break that had occurred days earlier. Each citizen asked swore to a golden flash racing through the city, and every guard claimed to barely survive a fight with the assailants. While the people busied themselves with overblown stories and exaggerations, Dynasts from the Realm had arrived and were searching for the ‘Anathema’ responsible. The Wyld Hunt had been quick to rouse the sitting garrison and organize random patrols through the streets and lower districts. They hoped such patrols would catch the malevolent Exalts unaware and ill-prepared.

Viktor had split from his fellows in the desert outside the city as they exited the tomb. He wished them well, and as they departed he felt sorely tempted to join them. Yet he had promised to forge a pair of rings to commemorate the eventual wedding of Aredin and Darian. These would magically seal their bond as Emperor and Empress and form the keystone to their new society. Such an important item would require equally impressive components, and the smith was sure he wouldn’t find the esoteric materials needed if he simply traveled East with his fellow Exalts.

Without the aid of his circle-mates however, Viktor knew he couldn’t stay in the Realm tributary long. He had visited his forge and quickly drained it of the items he valued most, knowing it would only be a matter of time before the Terrestrials found it and began putting the pieces together. He was no spymaster, and an extended game of hide-and-seek was destined to end poorly.

Luckily, one of Koharu’s purposes in the First Age involved sneaking about and killing those who opposed her master’s agenda. Viktor had no interest in ordering her to kill, but her scattered memories addressing covert operations proved to be invaluable. Her ability to stealthily work around obstacles and predict Terrestrial actions before they occurred played a large role in avoiding the Dynast patrols.

Over the course of two days, they gathered supplies and made their way relatively unimpeded across the separate districts but were unsure of where to stage their eventual escape. Every gate out of the city featured a checkpoint of Realm heavy infantry in addition to the modestly-outfitted Delzhan regulars. This made the odds of a successful attempt extremely low at best.

Koharu decided they should work towards escaping through the large harbor seated on the Inland Sea. Located at the northside of the city and open to large numbers of sea traders, it would be the most difficult area to rapidly secure. With Viktor’s approval, the automata began scouting the docks and speaking with the less prestigious or money-hungry ship captains. After another day of gathering information, Koharu was sure she had found their ticket out.

The two fugitives made their way through the bustling crowd, careful to avoid drawing attention to themselves. They had to move slowly, as they carried a number of items from Viktor’s shop between the two of them and didn’t want anything suspicious dropping from under their cloaks. The pressure of the crowd pushing against them from the front began to ease as they neared the docks, and Viktor called ahead to his comrade. “That’s a little nicer, eh?”

Koharu failed to return his smile, and instead shot him a look of warning. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, then looked past her and felt the smile slide right off his face. A cadre of armor-clad soldiers approached ahead of them, blocking their path and physically pushing citizens out of the way. Behind the forceful soldiers strolled a stocky man and an athletically-built woman, both wearing thick maroon-colored breastplates and carrying similar looking weaponry. Viktor would have bet a talent of silver it was all Red Jade.

Crap, and here I thought the harbor would be the easy way out. He motioned for his partner to follow him to the side of the chaotic crowd, and they began pushing towards a nearby alley. With a little shoving and a muttered curse or two, Viktor was able to slip out of the waves of people and step into the small alley. He looked back to the throngs of people, scanning the faces as he searched for Koharu.

As she neared the edge of the crowd their eyes finally locked onto one another’s. She appeared ready to join him, and then her eyelids widened in surprise. Looking back, she saw the male commanding officer of the soldiers had secured a tight grip on her cloak and was pulling her towards him. Viktor began to leave the alley, but a gesture from Koharu signaled for him to stay put.

The Terrestrial turned her towards him and pulled the hood down to reveal her face. “Yer no Chiaroscur’n, tha’s fer sure.” He looked her over as she stood her ground, “yer somethin’ much…bett’r.”

What do I do? Viktor gripped the wall next to him, knowing he needed to act quickly but unsure of what that action should be. If I fight, I’ll have to burn through Essence to have any chance to succeed. The moment my anima banner flares though, they’ll call the might of the garrison down on our heads. I can’t do that. He balled his hands into fists and shook his head. But if I do nothing Koharu and I could be separated, or worse! I don’t know how to navigate my way around the Realm’s finest without her. I’ll be as good as dead. “So be it,” he said under his breath, “at least I’ll go down swinging.”

Viktor moved forward, stepping out of the alley and reaching towards the hammer hidden under his cloak. He tensed his muscles, preparing for the fight to come. His fingers brushed the cold metal of his weapon, reassuring him of its presence. Koharu noticed his actions though, and before he could retrieve the hammer she acted first and struck at her captor.

Articulating her fingers like claws, she tore through the underside of her would-be tormentor’s forearm, causing him to bellow in pain. Before he could react, she planted a kick in his gut to send him flying off of his feet and into the female Exalt standing beside him. “Run!” she called out to Viktor.

The crowd exploded into a wave of madness, with half the crowd trying to get away and the other half pushing for a better view of whatever was happening. The mortal Realm infantry were at a loss, trying to avoid injuring civilians and thus being swept around by the frenzied mob. Viktor shook his head, moving closer. “No, I can help you!”

The two Dragon-Blooded warriors had begun rising from their prone positions, fire springing to life around their bodies and causing the crowd to recede as the flames spread. The male commander looked to be in anguish as he cradled his useless arm. He quickly pulled away to prevent being injured further. The female Exalt stepped forward though, barking orders to her soldiers to surround the female anathema and keep her from escaping.

As the soldiers regrouped and began to push back against the crowd Koharu yelled to Viktor, putting steel into her voice. “I will meet up with you later! Go now!”

The Fire-Aspect Dragon-Blood reached behind her back and retrieved a massive Red Jade Reaver Daiklave from the large sheath strapped over her shoulder. Her eyes glinted with a malevolent gaze as she leveled the blade at Koharu and sneered. “You’ll pay for that!”

The Dragon-Blood swung her massive blade at the automata, trails of fire following the weapon and making it glow like a torch even in full daylight. Koharu easily anticipated the blade arc, rolling forward and dipping around it before delivering a palm-strike that bounced off the soldier’s armor.

“I think not.” She dropped into a low crouch, placing her hands on the cobblestone beside her and quickly shifting her weight to them. Her leg swung across the ground like a scythe and knocked the Terrestrial’s feet out from under her.

Gritting his teeth, Viktor turned and bolted towards the harbor. I have to trust her. His eyes darted around the different ships tied up at dock and the sailors watching the commotion with worry. A number of the deckhands grabbed empty buckets and dunked them beneath the surface of the water, a precaution in case either of the Terrestrials decided to jump aboard with their animas blazing.

Viktor ran anxiously between the ships, swiftly scanning each one until he found the Delzhan merchant they’d observed earlier. “Hey, you!” The man took one look at the cloaked figure running towards him and bolted. For being a slightly overweight man, the merchant moved like a spry and scared antelope. He made a beeline up the gangplank and quickly took the helm of his ship.

“Push us off, lads!” the man yelled to the deckhands. His voice was lost in the ongoing commotion, but the trained sailors seemed to understand his gestures. They began untying the ropes securing the ship to the dock, so that it could float free of the harbor. Viktor followed the man, catching up to him at the helm.

“I was supposed to meet you here. See?” He thrust his hand between them and showed the merchant the special gesture Koharu had taught him.

The old merchant shook his head. “No, no, I know nothing.” He turned and shouted for the sailors to move faster, ready to put all of this behind him.

“Listen here!” Viktor grabbed the merchant by the flowing collar on his outfit, pulling it taut. “I have no interest in playing games. My partner and I have got to get out of here now. You made a deal with her, and I’ll be damned to Malfeas if I let you pull out of that arrangement now.”

The merchant looked around as he briefly considered his options. One of the larger sailors stepped away from the rigging, placing a loose hand on his cutlass and looking at them. “Ev’ry thing alrigh’, cap’in?”

Viktor let a small bit of Essence leak into his anima, causing the caste mark on his forehead to faintly glow as a half-filled circle. The merchant’s face became pale as he looked at the glowing mark. “Yes,” he nodded vigorously, “everything is fine. This monst – this man is joining us.”

Viktor released the spineless merchant and looked back towards the raging battle. From his low vantage point however, he was unable to see past the scurrying throngs of people. All he could perceive was the occasional gust of flame and the screams from the crowd accompanying it. He nervously squeezed the bannister at the helm. She’s got to get out of there.

“And we’re off!” cried one of the midshipmen. The ropes had been completely untied and the ship was slowly pulling out of the harbor.

“We can’t leave yet, my partner is still up there,” Viktor relayed to the merchant.

The merchant shook his head. “I will honor our agreement. I know what a demon like you would do if I refuse. But if those Dynasts reach the ship and trace flames onto my vessel, then I’ll be ruined. Nothing you can do will be worse than that.”

Viktor turned back to the shore and spit out a curse. He could see people fleeing the battle towards the docks, flames alight upon their clothing. They jumped into the water, their only recourse, and soon the area immediately around the dock was filling up with people.

After a moment, Koharu appeared. She was still fighting the lone Dynast, each seemingly stuck in a stalemate. The automata would launch a flurry of attacks to keep the Terrestrial off-balance, then the Dragon-Blood would retaliate with a mighty swing that forced Koharu to either leap back or risk evisceration.

The Dynast screamed, anger becoming manifest within the blazing typhoon of her anima and engulfing everyone in her immediate area. The people unlucky enough to be nearby yelled out in pain and surprise, and those who remained standing rushed to the waterfront. Koharu had to use careful footwork to keep from tripping on the myriad charred bodies surrounding her, and the Fire-Aspect saw her opening.

“Fall to the burning embrace of Hesiesh, anathema!” The Dragon-Blood swung her mighty blade low, as though to mimic Koharu’s tactic of taking out her opponent’s legs, but feinted and then drew it across mid-swing. The blade seemed to move quicker than the automata could react, and it took every ounce her predictive ability to step back at the last second. The Daiklave drew a charred gash across Koharu’s lower torso, causing sliced and fused wires to become visible and throwing her backwards towards the docks. Koharu’s injured body slammed into fleeing civilians and disappeared under the stampeding crowd.

The Dynast threw her head back and laughed, a manic grin spreading across her face as she took a step closer to victory. The Jade-clad woman stalked forward, down the steps to the dock, and looked through the crowd for her prey. “Come come anathema, time to face your end.”

Viktor ran to the front of the ship ready to leap from the bow and swim back to the dock, but the merchant grabbed him from behind. “You can’t help your friend now. You’ll just get yourself killed.” The man released his cloak. “Then again, in that case perhaps you should go.”

Viktor took a breath, then shook his head and looked back to the merchant. “No, you were right the first time. I can’t help anyone if I’m dead. And she wouldn’t want that for me.”

The Dynast on the dock was becoming increasingly agitated. She couldn’t find her wounded quarry, and experience told her that no body recovered meant they weren’t dead yet. Her anima blazed brighter and hotter, singing the docks and catching small bits of combustible wares on fire. Almost the entirety of the deckhands were in the water at this point, trying to avoid the raging Terrestrial and the bonfire accompanying her.

“No!” she belted at the top of her lungs. She had fought her opponent to the point of victory but failed to grasp it before it could slip through her fingers. The Terrestrial fired off a bolt of flaming essence and the nearest ship and watched as the hull erupted and began to sink. Her anger would not be sated today.

The ship pulled out of the harbor, the blaze behind them growing smaller. Viktor watched as the Dynast turned to one of her mortal soldiers, barking commands of some kind, and then the group of soldiers quickly ran off to follow through on their orders.

Koharu, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else I could have done. Shouting could be heard from the side of the ship, and Viktor rushed over to see what was causing it. Three sailors were trying to pull a grizzled old man out of the surf and over the side of the deck. He reached down, offering a fourth hand, and together they were able to secure grips well enough to pull the man aboard. Sloshing water onto the deck, they laid down a moment breathing heavily from the strain. The older man coughed up seawater and gripped his bleeding abdomen as though injured. His skin looked tough and leathery, like he had lived most of his life working under the constant observance of the sun.

Viktor and the midshipmen regained their footing while the merchant ran over to ask what the commotion was from and who the strange man was. The grizzled old man fought to contort his weathered face into a smile, and inside the enclosure of his frizzy grey beard one could see he was missing more teeth than he’d retained. “My name is Fergis of Galloway,” he wheezed out. “But you know me by another name.”

Before their eyes the man’s skin began to shift like water flowing under a thin surface of ice, and after a moment the grizzled old body that had stood before was replaced with that of a lithe young woman. The man’s previously bleeding wound had been replaced with a long gash across the mid-drift, and charred circuitry could be seen inside.

“Koharu!” Viktor ran forward and wrapped her in a great bear hug. So enthusiastic was he that he almost bowled her over in the process.

“Ah, yes I do recognize you,” the merchant conceded. “Though I don’t believe you mentioned anything about angering Dynasts when last we spoke.”

Viktor let her go, and Koharu shook her head in response. “No, I had hoped they wouldn’t play a role in our leaving the city. I am sorry it caused so much inconvenience for you and your crew.”

“I think you got the worse end of the stick.” The man pointed to her injury.

She nodded, “yes, that was an unexpected complication. The children of Hesiesh are formidable opponents when roused to anger. I am just glad I took one out of the fight before their fires began raging, or I might not be standing here at all.” Viktor nodded along in agreement.

The merchant finally allowed himself a smile, looking around at the open water surrounding them, and then turned his gaze back to Viktor and Koharu. “Well, we should be safe from here on out. With all the ships slipping free during the fight, and the chaos of the civilians jumping from the docks, I cannot imagine they had the chance to figure out which ship you climbed aboard. That is, if they even noticed you at all.”

He shouted orders to the deckhands to prepare the ship for choppy waters, then escorted the pair down below deck. “I don’t doubt however that the Dynast you fought will immediately relay news of your sighting to the Imperial navy. The Realm will most likely run extensive searches on any ships they find in the area for the next few weeks.”

The two stowaways nodded along as he led them to a sparsely furnished cabin towards the back of the ship. “Yes,” Koharu agreed, “that does make sense.”

“As such, I request that you stay below deck for the foreseeable future. Our agreement for travel to Cherak will be honored, I assure you. But your presence up above would serve only to place my men and myself at greater risk.”

“You have our word,” Viktor replied.

“Good.” The merchant adjusted his outfit, then turned to leave. “I shall have provisions sent to you, once we have put a little more space between ourselves and Chiaroscuro.”

Once the merchant had left, Viktor began to take a look at Koharu’s injury. He took a seat in front of her and carefully prodded the area around it, while manipulated the exposed wires.

“That was not how I intended our escape go,” she stated. “The danger was much too close to you.”

“To me?” He stifled a laugh, then looked up and smiled. “I think you’ve got that backwards. But at least we made it.”

He leaned back on his stool, placing one hand against his chin and gesturing to her injury with the other. “Though I’m not sure what I’m gonna do about this. It’s definitely past my pay-grade.” He shook his head. “The best I could do for now would be to patch it over, and hope nothing else hits you there. But I don’t know the first thing about repairing the charred wiring inside your chassis.”

She nods and favors him with a graceful smile. “One step at a time.”

Viktor took a breath, calming himself, and returned the smile. “Okay then.” He stood up and looked around the room. “Where do you think they keep scrap metal on this floating hunk of wood?”

 

[Rykon]

Aredin had a driver bring a carriage around front of the tower, as they needed to save some time if they were eventually going to question the Sidereal intruder and his pet barbarians. With the courtesy one would expect of a high-class merchant, Aredin escorted his guest and the two ladies to what many rumored to be an ancient structure within the town.

Mark is a god-blooded chef, as the stories tell it, born to a goddess of the hunt from the many trophies that adorn the cabin-like hall of his diner and brewhouse combination, though he denies such lineage. Few ever can get the man to speak much, so not many would know his true parentage. None that outlived old Mark, anyhow.

Those sensitive to essence always seemed to feel a ping of something mystical in the air, though many dismiss it as the smell of his food. Truly, the great restaurant of Gwynnin is a wood aspected manse, formed as a minor demesne beneath its construction from the sheer potency of the brews, trophies, and hale patrons from all along the river building it's geomancy and dedicated little god. The manse itself is fairly minor, providing excellent tools for the craft of Mark's profession as well as preventing any brew or meat from spoiling within the walls of the manse. Many of the best drinks in the house are of a long-aged variety from black beers to honeyed whiskey with supplies straight from the apiary at the edge of town.

Upon arrival, Aredin throws open the double doors, holding them for the party to pass through. Stepping forward, Aredin sent a silver dinar sailing across the dimly lit lodge atmosphere with a flick to the apprentice lutist playing in a dark corner of the age-old establishment. "Mark! Man am I glad to see you still servin' the good stuff! Would you believe we just had a pack of inbred brutes ruin our rehearsal dinner? Ah, anyhow, ya got meat and drink for four?" Aredin asked with a broad grin, dropping a small pouch on the bar counter.

Spoiler: Example Music

 

[jaydude]

Annika follows Aredin into the establishment, looking around at all the hunting trophies gathered by its owner, and being most impressed by the ones taken from hardy and dangerous animals.

"I wouldn't say that they're inbred as much as they are deluded and self-centred, to tell you the truth." Annika replies to Aredin's comment about the attacking Dynasts, as she grins and sits herself down at the bar.

 

[Rykon]

"Aredin raised an eyebrow at the the twist of insults and merely returned to his point. Almost as if they spent nearly a millenia marrying cousins together, but at least the result is the same. They are tucked away bleeding in lockup." Aredin caught a bottle of his favorite whiskey slid down the bar to him as well as a few glasses. After pouring drinks for the group, he pondered something for a moment.

"Y'know, I didnt expect the star child leading them to be more rabid and zealous than they were. I was worried we'd have get someone to mop the foam from his jowels off the floors of the tower."

 

[jaydude]

"I suppose you have a point." Annika admits, before she accepts the glass of whiskey offered to her. "I didn't really pay attention to the Sidereal. Aysik and Dunbar seemed to have him in hand. But I guess some zealotry is to be expected if he's from the Bronze faction. You know, the ones who insist that the Usurpation was a good idea even though it resulted in over half of Creation being destroyed."

 

[Sherwood]

Mark comes from behind the counter with a small dish towel in his hands. "Lord Aredin! Lady Darian! Lady Annika! So good to see you all again!" He takes the dish towel and tosses it over his shoulder, then offers Darian a elbow so he can help guide her to a seat. When Aredin tells Mark about how the dinner was ruined, he stops dead in his tracks. "What? Who would dare? No one from Gwynnin, that is for certain! I will tell you for sure that whoever did it will be banned from my good establishment! I will have no business from the likes of them! Come, let me get you something to ease your nerves. Marian! Break out the fine wine from the cellar and bring it up right away!"

 

[jaydude]

"The sentiment is appreciated, Mark, but I imagine those attackers will have bigger things to worry about than getting barred from your fine establishment." Annika replies with a smile. "As for who would dare carry out this outrage, so far we believe them to be members of the Wyld Hunt."

 

[Psychie]

Darian lets Mark take her arm and gently guide her to a seat, nearly stumbling when the host skids to a stop. She laughs. "Easy, Mark. Don't forget that the Realm is not very fond of us, and will do much to take us out of the picture. Thankfully, this Hunt was dealing with a Circle of the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun. By working together, we were able to not only defeat them, but we now have several prisoners to try and reason with. But all of that can wait. We have a wedding to prepare for, and a night of stress-free relaxation to help make it happen. Mark, my good man, we place ourselves in your capable hands."

 

[Sherwood]

The sun rises on a beautiful day, a brilliant orb climbing up into the heavens. The whole town is up early, getting the wedding preparations finished up and ready for the procession through the town. Bakers are working on a series of wedding cakes; enough for the whole town to be able to join in and have a piece of the tasty treat, and there are whole barrels of wine that have been brought into Gwynnin, enough to put the town into a drunken party well into the night.

But before the party can start in earnest, there is a wedding to have. Set to take place in the Temple of the Sun at high noon when the light of the sun is at its brightest, the pews of the Temple are filled to capacity with the VIP guest list, with a long procession set to take place through the town to show off the wedding party to all.

The Exalts of Gwynnin all have places of importance in the Temple set aside for them as Aredin stands at the front of the isle, waiting on his beautiful bride to be.

 

[Psychie]

Darian fidgets anxiously in the anteroom as several ladies in waiting help make sure her hair, nails and clothes look perfect. She has to place a lot of trust in her helpers since she cannot stand in front of a mirror and see her own reflection to offer up her opinion on her looks. In her mind's eye she can picture just how she wants the dress to appear, thanks to some helpful input from Aysik. Darian stands there, and with the help of her Infinite Resplendence Amulet, she has successfully (she hopes) recreates a wedding dress back from the height of the First Age.

She turns to talk to the waiting Sidereal. "Are you sure that this is correct? I can't help but worry that I am getting some important detail wrong. And I wish to say again, thank you for walking me down the isle today. I can't think of another that would fit that role better than you."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin stood beside where his groom's men, Viktor and Dunbar, would join him. His attire was prim, clean, and adorned with a most unsubtle dose of the radiant effect of the amulet. In spite of the sheer blackness of the cloth in the suit, the gilded linings and accents gave him a proper halo of light befitting his caste. He could feel the sheer quality of what he bore upon himself as the weight of life as it was before struck his heart one last time. Where once was fear, there was only sorrow. He longed for his brother to stand beside him one last time, peddling fish with dad by the seaside plazas of his hometown. I am sorry brother, father... mother. Today is the day I let you go. She is my world now. Together, we will make it all these years worth it. I promise.

After a few idle moments in reflection, he waited as a smile etched itself onto his face, bound to last until the rise of a new day at least. When they stood beside him, he'd ask "Will you two do me a favor?" Aredin paused for a moment. "Can you commit as much of this day to memory as possible? I want her to really know just how great the wedding is turning out to be. Even if she can't see it yet."

 

[jaydude]

"So, how do I look?" Annika asked one of her thieves as she stood there in a fine, dark purple dress that had been "acquired" during her gang's travels, and now served as her attire for the wedding.

"You look gorgeous, boss." The thief answered, sounding almost mesmerized by her beauty.

"Thank you. Though I hope I don't look too gorgeous. I don't want to upstage the bride after all." Annika replied, to which the pair of them chuckled.

"You know, I think this'll be the first wedding I've attended where I actually received an invitation." She then said, generating more laughter from the two of them.

"What can I say, boss? We're moving up in the world."

The thieves had now moved out of their camp on the outskirts of Gwynnin, and into a large, previously abandoned townhouse within the walls of the settlement. Annika had arranged for them to work alongside the town guard, serving as eyes and ears who wouldn't be given away by uniforms, but could use civilian attire to pass unnoticed by those they were watching. In exchange for their work, they and their boss would get a regular stipend from the government. If all went well and the circle was able to control more than just Gwynnin, Annika hoped to develop her thieves into a clandestine intelligence agency, infiltrating the circle's enemies, gathering information, and sabotaging their efforts.

With the occasional bit of theft, of course.

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor stood near Dunbar at the front of the room, off to the side from Aredin and serving in the capacity of a groom's men as his friend had requested of him. Though he knew very little about Aredin's family, he had inquired previously in order to narrow down the arcane link eventually forged into the Eclipse caste's wedding band. Through the brief discussion, he was made aware that the younger man had been close to his brother before some sort of horrible event concerning Raksha occurred. Viktor could never hope to fill the lost-brother's shoes, but he would do his best to support Aredin in this role as his friend and circle-mate.

He was dressed in a fine brown leather doublet over a red long sleeved cotton shirt, and matched with brown trousers and boots. He refused to wear armor during the ceremony, regardless of the recent Sidereal attack, which infuriated Koharu to no end. He finally pacified her by agreeing to wear a single dagger in his boot and allowing her to scan for hostility by standing far away in the back of the Temple of the Sun. What he didn't tell her was that the jeweled dagger protruding from his boot was a cheap piece of glitzy trash, adorned to look expensive but fitted with a shoddy blade. It was something made more for show than practicality, and sure to break upon any impact involving the slightest of force. He didn't agree with being armed during such a ceremony, and this allowed him to put his bodyguard at ease without compromising his stance on the subject.

Viktor nodded at Aredin's request. "I am truly happy for you this day, my friend. I will do my best."

He reached up to his breast pocket and patted it for the thousandth time, reassuring himself the rings were still sitting within it. He was excited to hand them over, so that they may begin to serve their purpose. He was also a tad anxious, confident that they would work but unable to shake the slightest inkling of doubt. I know they will work. We chose complementary components, and I poured my soul into forging them together as best I could. I'll just be happy when I see them on Aredin and Darian's fingers, and their golden light shines forth. Then I'll know all is good.

A thought occurred to the blacksmith, and in good humor he clapped a hand on his circle-mate's back and smiled. "You know, you are unequivocally the de-facto leader of our little group. But be prepared," his smile spread into a mischievous grin, and he gave a teasing wink. "When your vows are complete and the bedsheets tussled, you'll have a new leader of your own."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin chuckled, "Y'know, when it's the right person, the idea of serving them for the rest of your days is more exciting than anything else. She is truly precious, talented, and caring. I wouldn't trade what we have for all the cosmos under the Sun." Aredin slipped a small flask of water from his coat and took a sip. "So especially from today forward, I am no more the leader than she is. I love her and trust her to be my partner in all things."

 

[LowRollLyfe]

Durke, breathing hard from running, rushes into the temple. Not sure where he should be, Durke slides through the crowd in the back of the room. He straightens his finest cloak (it is faded velvet, a gift from an old friend) and attempts to comb his twisted mess of hair out of the way. After a few minutes waiting, Durke can't help but to start fidgeting so he pulls out a flask and takes a draft of wine to calm himself. The woman to his right gives him a disapproving glare and he returns it with a smile. "Sorry, gettin' all worked up 'bout this weddin'. I just met the bride and groom and don't want to make an arse of myself." Durke sighs, than offers the flask to the elderly woman. "Where's my manners? Would you like a swig?"

 

[Sherwood]

When Aysik and Darian make their appearance at the entrance of the Temple, people in the audience let out a collective gasp at the beauty before them. A radiant beauty, she is escorted by the old Sidereal down the isle before he leans over and quietly says to Aredin, "Here you go, my friend. You are a lucky man."

The ceremony is led by one of Darian's fellow priests, and he steps forward and begins his opening words. After the usual pre-wedding platitudes, he finally starts into the wedding vows. It is a blur of emotions for Darian and Aredin as they place Viktor's well-crafted rings on each other's fingers, and they feel the effects of the rings' magic start to work.

Finally, the priest reaches the end of the ceremony as the sun reaches its zenith above the town, its bright light shining in through the glass windows, and as the light shines down on the happy couple, it is almost like the Unconquered Sun himself has given his blessing to this grand event.

Thunderous applause fills the chamber as the wedded pair seal their wedding with a kiss.

 

[Psychie]

Darian is nearly overcome by the excitement of the moment. It had finally happened! She was married to the most wonderful man in all Creation! Of all the wondrous events in her life, this tops them all.

The reception afterwords was a blur of people giving her their congratulations and drinking toasts to their happy union. But even as she celebrates, a small voice in the back of her head could be heard to whisper, And soon, you will honeymoon in Rathess! What other wonders await you there?

 

[Rykon]

Aredin found it difficult to track every detail like he'd hoped. The ceremony was now past, and the reception party seemed both eternally long and painfully short all at once. Perhaps the alcohol distorted his perception of the evening, or perhaps it was the magnetic effect of the ring. All he could see was his wife. All else faded to a gray blur in the moments of revel, cheering, dancing, singing, even swiping one of the bard's instruments and having a go at some of the music through the haze of fine liquor. Was I always like this, I wonder? He thought, nearly losing his balance trying to take a seat and sober up. Yeah, I guess so. Restraint was never one of our strengths, was it?

Eventually, the party came to a close. It's array of friendly faces, fresh pastries, old brews, and loud noises faded. It's absence left him a moment to enjoy married life before finally dozing off to dream of the first capital.