Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[Kalin Scarlet]

"I value your knowledge more than any power you may possess, useful as it may be. What would you want in return for that?" Heaven clutches the artifact enveloping his left forearm, brushing a finger over the unoccupied indentations on its surface.

 

[Sherwood]

At the Great Pyramid, Rogosh is still looking a bit stunned that he is being offered a chance to go out of his imprisonment. He is acting like it must be some kind of joke, and the truth is going to slap him down before he can get outside. Ever so slowly, he starts on his way up the ramp to where the door is set in the stone. At the very edge, he stops and holds out his hand across the threshold. Feeling nothing to bar his way, he takes a step out into the hallway.

Finally free of his ancient prison, he turns back to look at the Circle. With tears in his eyes, the large avian manages to mutter out, "Thank you. Thank you so much. Now, I need to see the sun and sky once more before this will feel real to me. Only then will I start to believe that I am free once more, able to stretch out my wings and fly into the air whenever I want to."



In the summoning room, the air elemental ponders Heaven's request. "You seek knowledge. That can be a very dangerous thing, depending on what you wish to know. I am willing to become an advisor to you without being bound by your spell if you perform a service for me in return. There is a nearby Lunar that possesses a Yassal Crystal with a companion of mine trapped inside it. If you can get ahold of this Crystal and free the elemental inside it, I will willingly be your advisor for a full year and a day. I do not require the Crystal; just the spirit trapped inside. Use whatever means you wish to accomplish this task, and I will be yours."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin stowed his weapon away in the folds of his clothes, letting it slip into elsewhere. "Happy to see an end to this madness." He said bluntly gesturing at the mural. "As long as we can have peace between us, I will be satisfied. I do have some work for you though, if you're of a mind to hear me out. Once you see what has become of this world, I'm sure you'll have many questions anyway. Hopefully, things will make sense soon enough." On the way out of the Pyramid, Aredin's relief was palpable. The thought of having to potentially kill another Celestial Exalt so soon left a far heavier burden on his soul than he had realized. He looked to Viktor, Darian, and Annika, with a heartfelt smile that seemed to say, "It is done, this one can be saved."

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven seems to consider this for a moment before turning to face Sirocco. He smiles and stares up at her confidently as he speaks.

"What do you think? Does that sound like a fair exchange to you, Sev?"

 

[Psychie]

Darian is now feeling cautiously optimistic as the Lunar makes his way up and out of the Pyramid to stand out in the open air once more. She sends a smile and wink over to Aredin as they all escort Rogosh through the halls. "Rogosh, you must prepare yourself for a bit of a shock. Creation has fallen far from the time you were last free. The Second Age is just a shadow of what once was. I do hope that, once you have had a chance to acclimate yourself to this time, you would be willing to help my husband and myself in our efforts to rebuild from the ashes."

 

[MasterDAF]

Viktor quietly followed the group up and out of the chamber that had acted as the ancient Lunar's prison for so long. His weapon was moved to it's sheath, so as not to alarm the ancient exalt, but he continued to eye the elder carefully as they left the pyramid for outside. The Twilight crafter could be quite cautious by nature, and that wasn't about to change just because the Lunar had not attacked them yet.

 

[jaydude]

Relieved that the ancient Lunar was proving to be reasonable so far, Annika put her knife away as she returned Aredin's smile.

 

[Rykon]

"What are you waiting for? The exit is this way!" the young Solar shouted, making sure Aysik and Dunbar knew not to react in a hostile manner to the ancient Lunar, unbloodied, but still in war form nonetheless. He maintained an optimistic grin, nodding the pair of Seers forward to follow them at a light running pace.

Aredin reached for his wife's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, his old gesture of communicating appreciation. However, he thought it past time to finally adapt to the vast difference in capabilities these last few weeks had brought to them. Aredin reached out with his conscious will to activate the ring's heart bond for a full test drive. Its power revealed excitement blending with the fluctuations of fleeting thoughts and mental reflexes. A current of both adoration and lust spiked when he shared glances with Darian. Each time Viktor came into view, though, there was mounting concern. Don't worry buddy, my eyes are still open. I'll keep my promise. He thought to himself.

Once the sun's light peaked around the corner of the pyramid's corridors, he gave a toothy grin. Well, we did warn him about the withered husk he's about to witness. Let's just hope he doesn't think we're responsible for the lack of... well... everything, out there. We've only been here about four or five days now, and yet it's already starting to look better than we found it. Pride began to swell as he glanced back at the circle. "Well as bad as it might be for him out there, I still think all of you have made a huge difference in bringing Rathess back to glorious life. Take heart, we're only just getting started!"

 

[Sherwood]

When Rogosh finally walks out of the halls and into the light once more, is quite shocked at the ruin of the city before him. But that doesn't stop him from looking up at the sky for the first time in only Sol knows how long and taking a deep breath of fresh air. His wings spread out wide, and after a few tentative flaps, he lifts off from the ground and hovers there for a few moments before settling back down on the earth.

Turning to face the Circle of Exalts watching him, he finally lets his Warform fade away and you now see a fairly handsome middle-aged man with dark hair and skin, marking him as a descendant of Southern stock. Tears are welling up in his eyes as he says, "How in the name of all that is holy could things here in Rathess falls so far? What happened here while I was locked away?"

 

[Rykon]

"I'll merely start with the short version. The Solar empire crumbled under a rebellion known as the Great Usurpation, orchestrated by a faction of Sidereals. Their pawns were the Dragon-Blooded. The Exalted host hasn't been whole since and that was thousands of years ago. Most of us Solars had even stopped exalting during that time frame. During this time there was a massive plague, known as the Great Contagion. All the while, forces of chaos plotted against the world. A horde of Raksha marched to every corner of the earth, laying waste to all we know and love. It was stopped by a Dragon-Blooded, known as the Scarlet Empress, seizing the Sword of Creation to burn away the Fae. It's been almost 800 years since she came to power, and she disappeared 5 years ago. Given all of this, I doubt there are any of those who came against you so long ago still drawing breath." Aredin paused in silence for a moment to let that sequence settle in.

"For further context, I am only 21 years of age and Exalted for merely a year. We've been in the city for less than a week. We don't have a real relationship with the Lunars that remain, save for one. We have some contacts among the Sidereals, those still loyal to the host as a whole. Dunbar and Aysik here are among their number. If you wanted to find the current incarnation of your friend, I'm sure they could offer something. As bleak as things may seem, we have claimed a great deal in a short time." Aredin moved closer to Darian, presenting a more unified front of the budding nation's rulership. "We are well on our way to steering this world back on the right course in short order. Our first order of business has been to restore this city and its people. We'd love to have you join us as a valued elder for our young nation." Aredin was notably skimming past some details but wanted to provide only enough information for Rogosh to either inquire further or commit to their cause as he was.

[Let me know if I strayed into territory outside of what I should know. I think the vast majority of this was explained IC or common knowledge to the inner threshold.]

 

[Psychie]

Darian slips her arm around Aredin's waist as she joins her husband in telling the tale of the past Age. "This may look like a bleak, dark world that you have come into, but we are the glowing light that will guide the people of Creation out of the darkness. We are well on the path to accomplishing our goal, but there are many hurdles that must be overcome, hurdles that a man of your experience and knowledge would be a great help in setting aside."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Heaven seems to consider this for a moment before turning to face Sirocco. He smiles and stares up at her confidently as he speaks.

"What do you think? Does that sound like a fair exchange to you, Sev?"

Sirrocco has remained silent till Heaven included her. She inclined her head at the Elemental. "Pray tell, oh spirit of the air, who is this Lunar you speak of? As one of Luna's Chosen, perhaps I can approach it, and get the Yassal crystal, and the spirit trapped therein."

 

[Sherwood]

The elemental replies, "Remember, I do not care of the crystal itself, just the trapped spirit. The one you will need to find is known as Nine Tailed Hawk. This Exalt has a small territory to the north and west of here."

Red Shadow Claws You may give me a Intelligence + Lore roll to see what, if anything, you know about this Exalt.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

The name wasn't too familiar, but Sirocco would not admit this with Heaven listening, at least not without trying her best.

Spending WP for one auto success.

4 mighty succcesses on two dice and one WP.

 

[Sherwood]

In the process of getting your own Moonsilver Tattoos, you have come across this name before. From what you remember, this one is a Changing Moon, and a bit of a troublemaker. He is most famous in the Silver Pact for stealing things that are considered impossible to nab. Well, impossible for anyone but a Lunar.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco grins, at both Heaven, and the elemental. "I know of this Lunar. I will pledge myself to help recover said crystal, so we can set your friend free, but, since we have just freed this fair city from those who sought to bring misery and death here, I think it is high time my friend and I rejoin our Exalted allies in figuring out what is our next step, and I will definitely include this piece of business to them, so we can get to it faster rather than later.

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven smiles at Sirocco, pride and affection for the Lunar in the expression in equal measure. He turns back towards the elemental and nods. "It sounds like we have a deal. As such...might I know your name, spirit? If you have one, that is."

 

[Sherwood]

Heaven smiles at Sirocco, pride and affection for the Lunar in the expression in equal measure. He turns back towards the elemental and nods. "It sounds like we have a deal. As such...might I know your name, spirit? If you have one, that is."

"You may call me Moroeth. Use that name to call me once you have freed my fellow elemental, and I shall come. In the meantime, will you release me?" You get the impression that the spirit is being very patient, but does want out of the summoning circle.

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

"Aw, and here I thought we were starting to bond...ah well. Until we meet again."

Without another word, Heaven ended the ritual, sending Moroeth back to wherever it'd come from. He exhales a breath, feeling a rush of emotion that left him flushed. He laughs, turning on a heel and embracing Sirocco, pulling her close(or at least, as close as she allowed).

In that moment, he could feel his heart pound harder than it did when he first met his partner. The two were in a life or death situation at the time, but now it was just her, and him, and the sense of euphoria filling his mind.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Overcome with witnessing her first summoning, and her memory jogging just right to recall her fellow Lunar, which she barely even saw, she barely registered Heaven's embrace at first, swept up in the moment, but then she stiffened, and sadly, registered Heaven's reaction to her stiffening too late, hating herself. After all, she was occasionally flirting with him, and then seemingly rejecting him.

But she couldn't help but flashback to how her own father disdained hugs, thinking them, as well as all "extreme" emotions, to be a show of weakness.

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven felt how she grew stiff, and a small chill snuffed out the rush of emotions burning inside of him. He pulls away from her, his hair covering his eyes as backs away, stepping out of the ritual circle. "H-heh...Well that was exciting, yes? I apologise for that silly bit at the end, there, sorcery just...does that to me sometime. Let's just forget that happened, yeah? Come on, we should probably catch up what the others." He says, walking out of the room without looking her in the eyes once.

 

[jaydude]

Annika would fold her arms and give Rogosh a friendly smile, before speaking to the elder Lunar.

"So, Rogosh, is it? I'm Annika, the Night caste of our little band. I wouldn't mind getting to know you a little better, but right now I'm just glad that you're willing to help us out."

 

[Psychie]

Darian continues to try and put the elder Lunar's mind at rest. "Be at ease, Rogosh. Thank you for shifting out of your war form. There is no reason to worry. While many threats exist in Rathess, they are all underground, afraid of the sunlight for having lived in the darkness for so long. We will soon have all of the city under our firm control, and will raise our banner high to call forth as many of the Exalted as possible to join our new Empire."

 

[Sherwood]

Dunbar says, "Perhaps we can get our new ally a good meal and help to acclimate him to this new Age that he's awakened into. No need to rush, of course. We all have plenty of time." He motions for everyone to join him in walking back towards the Flying Tower where you have made your temporary base in the city.

Rogosh looks around at the vine covered buildings and sighs. "I suppose it was too much to hope for, that the wonders of my world would last. Nothing is eternal, after all. Please, forgive my rudeness for not being more . . . social . . . than I normally would be. I have been locked away for a very long time, trapped by myself with the body of my Bondmate to remind me of my failures to protect him. Let me start over?"

He clears his throat, and tries to put on a smile. "I am Rogosh Alcar, also known as Rogosh Eagle Eye, and I am a No Moon Caste of the Exalted of Luna." He offers up a regal bow and holds it, then stands upright once more. "It is my pleasure to meet all of you, especially the lovely ladies of the group. I cannot even imagine how long it has been since I have had the good fortune to look upon such beauty. Master Aredin, you are truly a lucky man to have such a lovely wife, and M'lady Annika, do not think that I do not hold you in high regard. You both shine like the light of many stars in the sky."

He then takes the necklace from the Solar's body that he has been holding in his hands this whole time and slips it on his own neck. In a quiet voice, he says, "Oh, my dear friend. How I have failed you. Forgive me."

 

[Rykon]

"Dunbar, Aysik... you said you had a look at the records of his reincarnations. Would you happen to remember where Rogosh's bond mate might be now?" Aredin said somewhat suddenly. Inwardly, he felt the grips of sorrow pains clutching at his chest yet attempted to conceal it. "I still remember what that kind of pain feels like. We should help make this right if we can."