Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[Red Shadow Claws]

Viktor nodded and whispered back, "I agree."

The Twilight crafter began moving his hands through a pattern of sigils to gather essence for the spell. "What is the name of the Lunar I will be sending our message to?"

Sirocco suppresses a shudder as she almost whispers the name "Ma-Ha-Suchi"

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor's eyes widened, recognition flashing across his face as he heard the name of the feared Lunar warlord. Ma-Ha-Suchi was a puissant warrior he was familiar with, in name at least if not personage. Many of the sorcerer-engineers the crafter had worked alongside during his service in the Seventh Legion referred to the massive bestial exalt as the 'Scourge of the Scavenger Lands' and an 'enemy of all civilized people.' The Twilight craftsman slowed his hand gestures, recognizing Aredin's wish for pause, then looked to Sirocco with curiosity and whispered his response. "Do you really think he would be willing to fight alongside us or provide aid to our endeavors? From the rumors I heard in Lookshy, I'd think the beastman just as likely to raze Gwynnin to the ground and feast upon our soldiers."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco's face betrayed her feelings "I do not know him personally, but I have heard of him, from both the people of the Scavenger Lands, and from my fellow Lunars, but he is all we've got. And I don't think he'd be aiding the Walker... we can but try."

 

[Sherwood]

With everyone gathered together, trying to decide on what kind of message, if any, to send to the Lunar, there is a sudden change in the condition of your prisoner. She stiffens up as if in pain, and she starts to cry out, "No, Master, no! I have told them nothing! I am loyal to you always!" She begins to squirm on the floor, and you can see that there is smoke rising up from her, as if she were about to burst into flame! Voice begins to scream, a deep, heart-wrenching sound of pure agony.

If you are going to try to do something, you think that there are only moments before it becomes too late.

 

[jaydude]

"...Ah." said Annika, having realized that they were seeing the powers of the Abyssal's master in action, and that their prisoner might not be around for much longer. She looked at the sorcerers of the group. "Is there anything we can do to stop this?"

If not, she was tempted to take out her daiklave and stab the Voice through her heart, figuring that doing so would be more merciful than leaving her to suffer her master's retribution.

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor turned his head sharply towards the prisoner, surprised by her sudden exclamation and subsequent pained writhing on the floor. Seeing her in visible pain, he quickly made up his mind to trust her and moved towards the Abyssal. " I have an idea," the crafter yelled over Voice's screams of pain, "but be ready in case it fails!"

The blacksmith jogged over to their captive, taking a knee next to her and gripping Voice's arms tightly where they met her shoulders. Viktor stared intently into her eyes, as though attempting to look through them to the Deathlord likely causing her pain. He released a powerful wave of essence, like a cracked dam forced to crumble beneath unbearable pressure, and for a split-second almost felt light-headed as his body was energized by the flood of essence filling his body like a vessel of righteousness. The surrounding walls were bathed in golden light, reaching every corner of the room and bleaching some of the stones as though they had withstood the presence of the Sun himself.

The sigil of the Twilight caste blazed bright upon Viktor's forehead, and his eyes took on the radiant holy glow of the Unconquered Sun. His words reverberated as he spoke loudly with the unassailable authority of a Lawgiver passing judgement. "You who would assail this world of life and leave it an empty husk, begone! You who would see every man, woman, and babe be sacrificed upon the altar of dark vengeful Gods, begone!"

His eyes searched furiously through the Abyssal's enchantment as he spoke, hoping to find the specific magics that entrapped her so that they could dispel them. "Leave this vassal of yours, for she is no longer a servant under your thrall but a beneficiary of the Sun's blessed forgiveness!" He forced additional steel into his voice as he brought forth his supernaturally holy command, praying such an onslaught would prove unbearable and convince the dark lord to comply. "All glory is to the Unconquered Sun on high, and your malevolence is not welcome here! Release your operative from her bonds, so that she may be bothered by your blasphemous taint no further!"

[Essence/WP Costs: (Enemy-Castigating Solar Judgement) 2m; (Anima Banner) +9m; (1 auto-success) 1wp]
['Rebuke' Roll: 3 Charisma + 2 Presence + 2 Stunt + 1WP = 2 Successes]
[ Anima 'Charm Identification' Roll: 5 Intelligence + 5 Occult = 9 Successes]

 

[Sherwood]

Viktor leaps into action, pouring his Essence into the stricken Abyssal. When you touch her skin, it is so hot it almost burns your hands, but you push through the pain to try and help Voice. With the righteous power of the Unconquered Sun bolstering you, Viktor commands the force that is attacking her to release their hold on her. As you focus on her, you can see a sudden change come over the face of the tortured woman. She looks at you, and in a strange voice, you hear her say, "This one is my plaything, to do with as I will. Like a guttering candle, I can snuff her out. Are you sure you want this battle, little man?"

The struggle continues, a war of Essence raging inside the body of Voice. You are on the razor's edge, teetering on the very cusp of success. You just need something small to push you over the edge of victory.

 

[Psychie]

Seeing the struggle that is underway, Darian charges forward and places one of her hands on the chest of Victor, and the other on the chest of the would-be assassin. Channeling her own Essence to flare her Caste mark and making her Anima shine bright, she calls out, "There is no darkness so black that a single flickering candle can't dispel it! The holy power of the Unconquered Sun will compel you! Begone from this vessel! Her fate now lies with the light!" With that, she pours her power into both Viktor and Voice, trying to do something, anything, to aid her friend in this fight.

 

[Sherwood]

As Darian places her hands on the two, she can feel the raging storm of the fight going on inside the two figures with whatever dark power it is that they are fighting. When you invoke the holy power of the Unconquered Sun as one of the priests of the great God and pour your Essence into the fray, both Viktor and Darian can feel the virtual dam break under their combined power, flooding Voice with positive Essence and washing away the flames that were about to consume her body. As this happens, Voice's body spasms for a moment, and then she lies still, gasping for breath in the sudden release of the pain.

At this point, both Viktor and Darian can feel the tenderness in their hands from the burning skin where the heat was so bad that it almost brought blisters up on your own hands, and it will take some time for you to recover your spent Essence from the strange struggle that just took place.

Whatever kind of magic was being used, be it a Charm or a Spell, Viktor is unfamiliar with it, but you can say that it was a battle waged with a foe with a higher Essence rating than you. Some part of you wonders if you were able to defeat the opponent, or if he let you win.

Spoiler

Well done! I will go ahead and award the group another 4 xp, part from the good role playing, and part due to the fact that it was a cool scene of the two Solars fighting for the life of the Abyssal assassin that nearly killed one of your own.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin turns toward one of the Awakened Dragon King guards and speaking in Dragontongue asks, "If you have any, can you grab some medicine for pain and maybe some for burns?" This isn't Chiaroscuro, so aloe may not grow here. Hell the place is a couple steps above a dump heap until we showed up, they probably don't have much in the way of provisions at all...

Looking back to the success of Viktor and Darian, the young lord smiled and stood up from the ground. "Very well done both of you." Though, seems like we'll have to come to blows with this master of hers. We're probably going to need significant reinforcements before this is over. With a short shuffle into a pocket, Aredin would produce a chilled container of honeyed tea and swap back to normal speech. "Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring anything for burns. All I have is a cold drink I used to have at home. Hope it helps."

 

[Psychie]

Darian stands up slowly, feeling a bit wobbly as she does so. "That was . . . interesting. I caught a glimpse of the power behind the effect that was setting this poor woman ablaze, and it is formidable. We will have our work cut out for us when it comes time to deal with this threat. In the meantime," she looks down at her tender hands, "I am not hurt bad enough to worry about. The one that I am worried about is her." She looks down at Voice with compassion in her face. "This one might be of need of some serious healing. If she is too badly hurt for us to deal with, there is the option of taking her to the medical center that treated me and restored my eyes. That is, assuming we are willing to offer up such a concession to her."

Feeling her strength starting to return, she says, "I wonder, what will Voice do now that we have shown that we are willing to fight for her life?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco was stunned by the display of power she witnessed. Sure, she and Heaven had at times flared their Animas, but to see these two Solars do it, working in unison to fight some dark foe, and all to save this Abyssal, who tried to KILL one of them... she was shocked, amazed, and humbled...

She didn't even notice that she had crossed the distance and was now near Heaven, and was holding his hand, except this time, not to encourage him, but to somehow draw encouragement from him.

And she vowed to do her best to have Ma-Ha-Suchi convinced to aid their efforts.

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor stood as well, blinking a few times and then nodding in agreement with Darian. "Yes, very formidable." He considered voicing his concern over the nature of their victory, but decided to hold off until he had a chance to collect his thoughts on the matter.

Looking down at the Abyssal he remarked, "with a little luck, and some of the Sun's grace, perhaps she'll find her way to the light." He touched his tender palms together and cracked the smallest of grins. "Or at least reconsider attacking us again."

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven watched in panic as their prisoner's body burned from the inside out, as his new allies fought to save her life, a life that was only endangered by his own actions...when Sirocco touched him, he nearly shrunk away from her in fear.

Heaven turned to her, and noticed her clutching his hand, and realized how he'd frozen that entire time. He'd been useless, his sorcery, as far as it had grown, without worth in the face of his own inaction...

"Please, help her however you can..." Heaven rushed to Viktor, dragging Sirocco along behind him. He kneels beside the older twilight, and whispered. "Send the message. We can't afford to wait."

With that done he rushes out of the room, squeezing Sirocco's hand in an attempt to stop his own from shaking, leading her somewhere more private. "We need to talk..."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Heaven watched in panic as their prisoner's body burned from the inside out, as his new allies fought to save her life, a life that was only endangered by his own actions...when Sirocco touched him, he nearly shrunk away from her in fear.

Sirocco was confused when Heaven almost shrunk in fear. Not that she hadn't seen him do it, but this was where he had always talked about. Being with a group of fellow Solars. Why should he be afraid?

"Please, help her however you can..." Heaven rushed to Viktor, dragging Sirocco along behind him. He kneels beside the older twilight, and whispered. "Send the message. We can't afford to wait."

She let herself be dragged along, after all, with a quick movement, she could have stopped him in his tracks, as she was far stronger than him, but when he whispered to Viktor, she uttered "and to Ma-Ha-Suchi, cause we NEED his help."

With that done he rushes out of the room, squeezing Sirocco's hand in an attempt to stop his own from shaking, leading her somewhere more private. "We need to talk..."

The moment they got out of sight of the others, Sirocco brought him to a full stop. She planted her legs wide, and crossed her arms. "You want to talk? then talk." It was a stance she had taken with him on occasion, when she was in a rush to do something, and he still needed to work through things.

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven glanced sideways, and sighed. "I...I want to say that I'm proud of you, Sev. I've watched, and been impressed by how you've come into your own since we've arrived. You take initiative and show the strength and confidence Ive always loved..."

He lowered his head. "And I've done almost nothing. I've felt so out of my depth with everything that's happened since we've joined these people. And I've kept up a good face so far, but now... Prisoner or not, I put that woman in danger because I wouldn't account for her master's abilities. And when I could have interceded, when I had the chance to act as she lay dying in front of me?" Heaven slams a shaking fist into the wall, collapsing to the floor as the rest of his body shakes in turn.

"I froze. All this power I've worked for, to what end? I'm the same boy that lost everything 5 years ago..."

"I'm afraid." He looks up at Sirocco, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Sev, for the first time since we've come together, I am afraid. I fear that for all that I've learned, that I may truly be powerless. I fear that I'm not good enough...and I fear most of all that I'll lead you to your end."

 

[jaydude]

Annika would watch in shock and amazement as Viktor and then Darian fought to stop whatever force was attempting to consume the Abyssal. When the battle finally ended, she had only one thing to say. "...wow."

As Heaven and Sirocco left, and discussion turned to what to do regarding the Voice, Annika would offer her opinions on the matter. "If that medical facility can give Darian working eyes, I think it can heal her from what just happened. I imagine that in terms of a master, we're far better than the one who imprisoned and murdered members of her family and put that enchantment on her. Though I have to wonder; did we get rid of that enchantment for good, or just stop it from doing its work for the time being?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Heaven glanced sideways, and sighed. "I...I want to say that I'm proud of you, Sev. I've watched, and been impressed by how you've come into your own since we've arrived. You take initiative and show the strength and confidence Ive always loved..."

He lowered his head. "And I've done almost nothing. I've felt so out of my depth with everything that's happened since we've joined these people. And I've kept up a good face so far, but now... Prisoner or not, I put that woman in danger because I wouldn't account for her master's abilities. And when I could have interceded, when I had the chance to act as she lay dying in front of me?" Heaven slams a shaking fist into the wall, collapsing to the floor as the rest of his body shakes in turn.

"I froze. All this power I've worked for, to what end? I'm the same boy that lost everything 5 years ago..."

"I'm afraid." He looks up at Sirocco, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Sev, for the first time since we've come together, I am afraid. I fear that for all that I've learned, that I may truly be powerless. I fear that I'm not good enough...and I fear most of all that I'll lead you to your end."

"WHAT?!" Sirocco yelled, before she could stop herself. "You stop right there, I will NOT have you belittle yourself. You have focused your studies on the Occult, and I am sure that you have immense knowledge and ability that these others do not possess, but you need to step up, and show them your knowledge. Heck, they accept you far more readily than they accepted me, and I had to use force to show them that i ain't backing down. In fact, force is the only thing that I have to show, because I haven't bothered to learn much of anything outside of combat." She puts her hands on his shoulders, and looks him deep in his eyes. "None of us knows what her master's abilities are, and we have no means of knowing, unless we can get some relevant info from either the Sidereals, which I still loathe to trust fully, or one of my fellow lunars, though the one I know who might be able to help, is probably not the safest bet for it. As for you leading me to my end... sorry boy, but it is far more likely that you will die than that i would. There's a reason why more Lunars survived the death of the Solars, and the subsequent attacks on the Lunars, driving us out to the Wyld."

 

[Sherwood]

It takes several hours for the manacled prisoner to wake up after her near death experience of nearly being burnt alive. She shifts about, acting as if she is still in a sizable amount of pain, but at least she is still alive. With her Essence being suppressed by the power of the cuffs, her own healing Charm doesn't have the power to speed her recovery. If you want her to be able to heal any faster, you'll have to either remove her bindings or bring her to the medical center to allow it to work on her.

 

[Rykon]

"I have to wonder; did we get rid of that enchantment for good, or just stop it from doing its work for the time being?"

"I'd really rather not take chances with this one just yet regardless of which it was... Let's take her to the medical center, it'll give us far more information on her condition anyways." Aredin pulled out his globe, eyeing it somewhat angrily in contemplation. "Viktor, how are the armaments on the aerial platform? Can we hold long enough in the event the enemy moves on the tower?"

 

[MasterDAF]

*Earlier*​

After feeling confident that the Abyssal would survive her near-death ordeal, Viktor rushed up alone towards the landing pad where the derelict shyships sat. The request to send a message still reverberating in his ears, he wished to find a secluded spot to cast the spell.

"Here goes nothing," muttered the Twilight crafter as he began to make the requisite hand gestures to focus his essence. His hands glowed slightly golden as he spoke his message aloud. "Lord of Beasts and Breaker of Cities, I humbly call upon you to answer my request. A mutual foe has been discovered of great puissance, while an allied shapechanger points us to you for support."

He scrunched up his face for a moment in contemplation, then he continued. "We are led by two great Lawgivers, that you shall meet should you attend them. We would be glad to speak with you about our horrific shared opponent."

He then directed the Cherub to take his message across the winds to the Elder Lunar called Ma-Ha-Suchi.

His spell complete, Viktor slumped to the ground for a few minutes and considered the action he had just taken. If the Elder Lunar wasn't aware of their presence in the Southeast yet, he would be now.

 

[Sherwood]

With the message sent, the unconscious Abyssal is taken to the medical center to have her burns treated. Once more, everyone is able to sneak out of the Flying Tower that is under the control of the Dragon Kings and slip into the Undercity undetected by anything brave enough to face off against you. In relatively little time, the group makes it to the center, and this time, Darian gets to see the diagnostic and treatment process from the outside.

After about two hours of waiting, the cocoon opens to reveal the now healed Voice, lying there in peaceful slumber with all of her burns and arrow wounds gone with healthy pale skin in their place. After a moment, the woman opens her eyes and looks about in curiosity. It doesn't take long for her to get caught up on the events that happened, and Voice looks at Viktor and Darian in awe.

"After all I have done with nearly killing you, you still risked yourself to . . . save me? Why?!? How is it possible? Is this some kind of trick, a test of my loyalty?"

Dunbar smiles and places a hand on her shoulder. "No, this is no trick, no test. This is our hope that you can be brought back from the darkness and back to the light. You don't have to be afraid of us, we are willing to be your friends if you let us, and friends always watch out for one another. Aredin and Darian are looking to forge a new Age here in Rathess, and I can see in them the strength to be able to do so. Come out of there and swear your oath to them, and help us bring about a brighter future than anyone has ever imagined."

Voice slowly climbs out of the cocoon, her eyes darting about to take in each of you. Finally, she lowers herself down to one knee in front of Aredin with her head bowed low. "I will swear your oath, Noble Exalts. Just please, if it is possible, let me save what little family I have left before they are all consumed by the Walker in Darkness."

Rykon Psychie MasterDAF jaydude Red Shadow Claws Kalin Scarlet

 

[jaydude]

"Well, you heard her." Annika said while smiling at her fellow Solars, glad that the Abyssal was willing to join them, and take the oath that would ensure her loyalty. Or at least discourage her from betraying them. Once that was done however, there would still be the matter of her family.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin flared his anima, the image of a shrouded falcon wreathed in a white corona came over him. He drew his blade and held it over Whisper's shoulders one at a time. "By the will of the Sun are you granted mercy. I accept your oath of fealty." With that he would bind it with the authority of his caste, ensuring the dignity of the small ritual was not lost on her. With that Aredin reached down and unbound the Abyssal from the shackles, placing them back into the spatially distorted pockets conjured by his amulet.

"For the time being, you answer to Annika and are charged with being a protector from the shadows. May you find peace through service." Turning back to Viktor and Dunbar, Aredin added. "See to it her loved ones are tended to. Aid her as best as you can."

 

[jaydude]

Aredin assigning Whisper to her came as a surprise to Annika, but she supposed it made sense, seeing as they were both women who preferred to work in the shadows.

"Welcome to the fold." Annika said, extending a hand to help Whisper back up to her feet, before turning to Viktor and Dunbar. "Anything the two of us can do to help? Depending on the circumstances, we might need to rescue her parents."