Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[jaydude]

Annika nodded. "So, shall we get back to looking around?"

 

[Psychie]

"That would probably be best. If there is something hostile in there, my Essence is still depleted from our earlier fight. It will take some hours to be able to recover." Darian looks over at Annika, then says, "Lets finish our explorations."

 

[jaydude]

Annika nodded, and went back to exploring the pyramid, keeping an eye out for anything that might be hidden or concealed.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco, in her full War Form glory, flies over the city they just conquered, looking for any of Filial Wisdom's troops that attempt to flee, and also to survey it from the air, noting any building that might be of interest.
She does it while playing catch with the pteroks, and ends any kill she does with a prayer to the twin goddesses who helped them clear the ruins and reclaim the city.

 

[Sherwood]

Those outside the pyramid can see that the Pterok forces are in the midst of an orgy of slaughter, killing the forces of the Goblin King wherever they come across them. Some stand and fight, but the smart ones flee, either underground or out of the city. There is little that the rabble can do against the artifact weapons and Awakened Essence powers of the Dragon Kings.

Those inside the pyramid find a small arsenal of mundane weapons and armor, all well maintained and ready for use. Some rooms you come to are empty, having been scavenged over the years.

Annika and Darian do manage to find the suite of rooms that the former master of Rathess was using as his own, filled with gemstones and stacks of jade. Several Artifact weapons are in here, made from a variety of magical materials. There is nothing that you come across that you would call a Key, especially since you don't know what it looks like or what it opens or controls.

By now, for hours have passed, and you are able to recover Essence from your Hearthstones since only Aredin is at rest.

So, other than the one for you were able to find, Darian and Annika have gone through the pyramid. When you step outside, you can see that it is a bright morning as your reptilian allies are celebrating their win. Besides the two that were exploring the pyramid, no one else knows of the massive sealed door down in the lower levels. What is everyone doing now?

 

[jaydude]

Before telling the other exalts about the sealed door, Annika would try to find Leeayta, and ask the reptillian goddess if she knew anything about it, and what it had been built to imprison. When she did tell the rest of the circle, she wanted to be able to give them as much information as possible from her own mouth, rather than have the explanation interrupted by a need to go and do some more research.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin opens his eyes, rising from his nap meditation and performing a couple basic stretches, "Well... time to get back to work, let's see what the rest of the circle is up to."

With that, the young lord would wander around the interior of the pyramid casually, seeing if he'd stumble into one of his circle mates, allies, or the hearthstone chamber where he could attune to the local geomancy of the pyramid.

 

[Sherwood]

Assuming that Darian joins Annika in their search for Leeayta, the two of you are able to locate the goddess overseeing a rite of celebration where some of the captured beastmen are being sacrificed on a makeshift altar to the Unconquered Sun. Several dozen Dragon Kings are there, gathered in a large circle to witness the rite. As you approach, the crowd of reptiles part open for you with bows of respect and honor, giving you unfettered access to the goddess.

As the rite is completed, she turns to you. "Welcome back, Noble Exalts! We are all thankful for you ridding the city of the blight that was the Goblin King. There will be much celebration over this victory. You look as if there is a question in your eyes. How may I be of service to you?"

When you describe to her the massive locked door in the heart of the pyramid, the Lizard Queen replies, "I am somewhat familiar with what you speak. Back during the First Age, a Solar and his Lunar mate tried to overthrow the queen of the Deliberative and wrest control of the Sword of Creation, back when Rathess was still the seat of power. Their attempt was thwarted, and the two were locked away, buried alive so that they would have all that time to suffer for their crimes and think about the price of failure. Their cell was built by several of the greatest builders of the Age, made to be impossible for the prisoners to escape. I do not know if it is possible for the door to be opened from this side. To my knowledge, no one has ever tried."


Aredin is able to locate the hearthroom of the pyramid with little difficulty. It is indeed linked to one of the three hearthstones you have in your possession on Filial Wisdom's sword. Once you pull the great blade back from Elsewhere, you are able to attune yourself to the manse if you wish. With some examination, you are able to discover that this particular manse generates a Crystal of Legendary Leadership (Oadenols Codex, pg 107).

 

[Rykon]

Aredin will move the hearthstone to his attuned Reaper Daiklave, still not having built enough physical strength to find the Grand Daiklave usable enough in a real fight. Once he had properly attuned and set the hearthstone into his own blade, he would head outside and observe the city in the wake of their recent victory.

 

[Psychie]

Darian listens to the story being told by the goddess with interest. "I have never heard of any attempt to overthrow the Deliberative, but I am hardly a First Age scholar. It does make me wonder, what if the item that the Deathknight was searching for was hidden away in there, too? In any case, this is information that the others will wish to hear."

 

[jaydude]

As she and Darian approached Leeayta, Annika's attention was drawn to the makeshift sacrificial altar the reptilian goddess had set up, her mind thinking, I wonder if we can persuade Aredin to capture Fair Folk and butcher them like this instead of killing them on the spot. He might like that.

"I don't think it makes much sense to lock away something like that with a prisoner who was imprisoned for high treason." said Annika, when Darian was finished speaking. "But anyway, shall we go and look for the others?"

Assuming that Darian decided to accompany Annika again, the Night caste would say to the Zenith. "I've been thinking; if that Solar and Lunar were both imprisoned during the First Age, and their prison's remained unbreached ever since, those two would have avoided getting caught up in the Usurpation. We could have two powerful First Age veterans beneath that pyramid. Then again, they'll most likely have no idea what's happened to the world ever since their imprisonment."

 

[MasterDAF]

Organizing the various objects Filial Wisdom had kept upon his person took some time to do properly, keeping the Twilight crafter busy while the rest of the circle searched the pyramid and the large Lunar huntress mopped up the enemy stragglers. Viktor rejoined the group to view the ceremony of victory and listen to Leeayta tell her story, watching with curiosity and wondering the cultural significance of sacrificing enemy hearts to the sun.

 

[Sherwood]

By now, it is mid-morning, and the Circle of Exalts have now been able to find one another after the various romps you've taken about the city and the pyramid. While Aysik and Dunbar are still in the city, the other two Sidereals that arrived with Aysik offer up their farewells, as they have pressing business to attend to now that Han-Tha has been destroyed.

The two goddesses of Leeayta and Relza have been joined by a third that makes her residence in the city: Shining Flower, The Mistress of Hearts. She is a staunch devotee of the Unconquered Sun, and when the Usurpation took place and his worshipers were all directed to turn away from Him, her prominence waned also. At the moment, the Mistress has taken over the altar and is performing the sacrifices herself, dedicating each heart that she cuts out to the highest god.

Right now, Aysik is leaning back on a pile of rocks, smoking a pipe, looking quite content with himself, and Dunbar is reading a old book that he has found somewhere, also looking very happy with the way events have played out this day.

What do you do now?

 

[jaydude]

With the goddesses, the Sidereals and the rest of her circle gathered, Annika would tell everyone about what she and Darian found during their search.

"While looking around the pyramid, Darian and I found the rooms that Filial Wisdom was using as his bedchamber. We found a large amount of gemstones, jade, daiklaves and the like in there, all stuff that will no doubt be valuable and useful. In the lower levels of the pyramid, we found a big, locked door. According to Leeyata, it was put down there before the Usurpation, to imprison a Solar and Lunar who tried to overthrow the previous ruler of Rathess, Queen Merla...or Merala, I think she was called. Anyway, Darian convinced me to not try and open it for the time being."

Having bought everyone up to speed, the Night caste would wait to see what everyone made of what she had said.

 

[Sherwood]

bumping for MasterDAF Rykon Red Shadow Claws

 

[Rykon]

The young lord smiled and nodded in silent greeting to the final goddess of the city. Aredin gave a moment of silence to gauge the reactions of the circle before speaking. Trying to refrain from giving anything resembling orders to influence their opinions he eventually decided to speak up, "Well, without any more information, I think we shouldn't do anything rash in regards to the door. I can't imagine they'd still be alive after all this time in lockup without food or water... or air... Study it if you like, but let's not risk opening it without all of us present. Preferably with more aid than we had to deal with the Goblin King. Any pair of Exalts to have survived this long in isolation are likely very insane and very powerful."

With a pause, Aredin took a pull from his wineskin. "With the city united and mostly clean of surface vermin, I s'pose we should discuss what comes after the well-earned rest." Aredin looked to the spirits, then to his circle. "Are there any other issues we should know about?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco was watching the sacrifices closely. She had seen them performed by her friend, when she was nursed back from her wounds, and it still held a fascination to her. But reluctantly, she turned back from it when the others gathered and began to speak. "I do not know much about your own powers, but I have met one Lunar who claim that he had spent several centuries in hibernation, so we might be facing a First Age Lunar in there, though I'd be careful, since us Lunars had a terrible tragedy of our own after the usurpation, and we might be facing something even more terrible than a First Age Lunar..." She seemed a bit reluctant to continue talking about it.

 

[jaydude]

"Dare I ask what you mean by a terrible tragedy, or something worse than a First Age Lunar?" Annika asked Sirocco with a look of curiosity, while sitting down on a nearby rock and resisting the temptation to look at the other woman's thoughts. It sounded like whatever it was, Sirocco wasn't entirely comfortable about sharing it with the rest of the group, and Annika didn't want to find out without Sirocco being okay with it.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco looks around the assembled group, and visibly gulps. The proud Lunar is hesitant to share such info, but she realizes that not sharing it might spell a greater disaster, so she lowers and head, and her voice. "It is a story i was told by the elder Lunar who gave me my Moonsilver tattoos. In the First Age, there used to be 5 Castes, according to the 5 phases of the moon. But after the usurpation, something happened, and the castes wouldn't remain fixed, not on those Lunars who were reborn, and neither on those who survived. We found a way to fix the Castes, but the process involved somehow made it impossible to hold the 5 Castes, and only 3 can be fixed. But even so, those who do not get their Caste fixed, or those who wait too long to do it, eventually undergo a terrible transformation, as the power of the Wyld turns them into horrors. What would happen to a Lunar who did not undergo it for millenia, and yet somehow survived, I cannot even begin to imagine, but I have no desire to ever discover." She was visibly shaking as she told the story, and at the end of it, she broke down crying.

 

[jaydude]

Feeling more than a little guilty for reducing the Lunar to tears, Annika stood up and walked over to her, before sitting down next to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry like that, or bring up something that unpleasant for you to talk about. I won't trouble you about it any more." she said, giving the other woman an apologetic smile.

 

[Psychie]

Darian looks at the group and asks, "So, if there is an elder Lunar in there, are we going to try and open up the door? We may be facing off against a real challenge if there is a hostile person in there, having been locked away for so long. Hell, the Exalt in there may not even be sane after being locked in there all alone."

She turns her attention to the Savant of the bunch: Dunbar. "You seem to know a lot about the history of Creation. Do you know the identity of the Exalts in there, and what they did to warrant such a punishment?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar sets down the book he was reading and adjusts his glasses. "Well, without more to go on, I can only come up with one case that this might be. At one point in the early days of the Deliberative, there was an attempted overthrow. A large army was built up by the attempted usurpers, which was soundly defeated by the loyalist troops and other Exalts. The Solar in charge of the overthrow attempt, along with her Lunar bond-mate, were taken alive and after a show trial, they were locked away. The location of their prison was a closely held secret, but it sounds like you have found them."

He pauses for a moment, taking a drink from his flask before continuing. "The Solar was a Dawn caste named Remma Tax, and the Lunar was a No Moon I believe, and his name was Rogosh Eagle Eye. I would be interested in seeing the door to see if there are any other clues to delve into."

 

[jaydude]

"Well I can certainly show you the door later on." said Annika, before asking her next question, addressing the three goddesses and both the Sidereals. "Why did those two try to seize control of the Deliberative in the first place?"

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar looks over at Annika and shrugs. "I only know one side of the story, that they were overly ambitious and wanted to rule Creation themselves. Sol only knows the truth of it, since this version of what happened was written by the winners of the fight."

 

[jaydude]

Annika nodded in acknowledgment of Dunbar's words. "Right. Well, I'm happy to just drop the matter for the time being. I'd rather focus on things happening outside of our domains anyway."