Trial By Fire - Exalted 2e IC Thread

[Red Shadow Claws]

Before leaving the meeting, Sirocco would say that she would be in her Hawk form for the trip. After all, if the people there raise giant hawks, it could even be a point in the merchant prince's favor if he has a hawk. And one that is not shackled and bound.

Sirocco bows to the elemental. "I thank you for your great service, and I haven't forgotten the request you made of Heaven and me. Tell Ma-Ha-Suchi that we would be delighted to meet with him." And then she will go and inform Aredin and Darian about this turn of event.

 

[Psychie]

When Sirocco comes in and tells them of the news that Ma-Ha-Suchi is wanting to speak with them tomorrow afternoon, Darian gives off a pleased expression. "Excellent! I shall gladly entertain our distinguished guest and help set the proper mood to speak with Ma-Ha-Suchi. If it is needed, please send a message to him that he will be welcome here, and we will honor him with our promise of safe passage."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin seems relieved, wrapping an arm around Darian as the satisfaction of her enthusiasm set in. "Well, that's one winner so far. I reckon our other prospect will need a little more motivation to meet with us. I know you just got back, but I am looking forward to another adventure together."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

When Sirocco comes in and tells them of the news that Ma-Ha-Suchi is wanting to speak with them tomorrow afternoon, Darian gives off a pleased expression. "Excellent! I shall gladly entertain our distinguished guest and help set the proper mood to speak with Ma-Ha-Suchi. If it is needed, please send a message to him that he will be welcome here, and we will honor him with our promise of safe passage."

Sirocco bows lightly "As per our gathering earlier, I have taken the liberty to message him that such a meeting is approved. I will be sure to be there when he arrives." She winces a little as the baby kicks and then continues "I have only heard rumors about him, and am very interested in meeting him in person. I hope the meeting will also bring about a gathering of the Silver Pack, sicne it seems that my other message to Raksi, another elder Lunar, has gone unanswered."

 

[Sherwood]

True to his word, the following day just before lunchtime, one of the guards at the door come into the Tower to tell Aredin and Darian, "M'lord and Lady? There is a man here to see you. He says that he is Ma-Ha-Suchi, and you have invited him to meet with you. Shall I send him in?"

 

[jaydude]

Annika decided that she too would sit in on the meeting with Ma-Ha-Suchi. She might as well hear what was discussed firsthand, if it was to take place within Gwynnin.

 

[Psychie]

Upon hearing the news, Darian's face lights up with pleasure. "Excellent news. Please escort our guest to the library, and have a servant offer him something to refresh himself after his trip. Let Ma-Ha-Suchi know we will join him momentarily."

With that done, she goes over to a mirror and checks her hair and her outfit. Lets go with something simple, but regal. No need to try and boast of our position here in Gwynnin, as the rulers of the city or as Solar Exalts. She decides on a white and silver robe and shawl, emblazoned with the holy symbol of the Unconquered Sun over the left breast of the robe. Darian is not expecting any hostilities from their guest, but in this day and Age, it would be a foolish risk to not be prepared. The shawl will serve well enough as weapon if it comes to it, and it helps to complete my outfit. Besides, its not like I am going to be facing off against Ma-Ha-Suchi by myself if things go badly.

As her final act before heading to the library, she makes sure that runners have been sent out to the others of the Circle to inform everyone to come to the meeting.

 

[Rykon]

Aredin decided to keep himself as he was for the most part. His usual attire was a step above the usual traveling merchant prince. However, since acquiring a formal station he felt obligated to represent the success of the growing village. He was well prepared for the start of negotiations, so he looked to Darian with a chuckle as she appraised her own appearance. "I suppose it has been quite a while since we've had an important guest." By now, he had learned better than to try and rush perfection, especially since she acquired her own sight. Once she seemed satisfied, he smiled and offered his arm. "You look absolutely amazing, my love. Ready?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco was pacing the kitchen an hour before Ma-Ha-Suchi was due to arrive. it was to be her first meeting with the Lunar Elder, and she was both excited and a bit intimidated by it.

At first, she was gonna wear her usual attire, a simple garb that would allow her to easily move around, but with encouragement from Heaven, she has managed to find an elegant, yet simple dress of silvery colored fabric, that felt a bit strange, as it was form fitting, and felt too revealing in it's tightness, not to mention that it didn't feel like it gave her the full range of mobility she grew accustomed too.
But pacing the kitchen did give her one benefit. She managed to snatch a couple of sweets the chefs had produced for the upcoming meeting, sating, a bit, her sweet tooth that she developed over the past two months, which she 'blamed' on her pregnancy.

 

[Sherwood]

With the word going out that Ma-Ha-Suchi is in the Kings Tower, everyone that is interested in meeting the old Lunar has the chance to be there. When you get to the library to meet your guest, you see an older man, appearing to be in his late forty's or early fifties, with white hair and beard. He is not wearing any obvious weapons or armor.




When Aredin and Darian first walk into the room, he is standing up at one of the bookshelves, perusing the various books that have been gathered there. He turns to look as you walk in, a slightly grumpy look on his face.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

While impatient, Sirocco waited until Darian and Aredin walked in to join them, she nodded at the Lunar Elder, but wasn't letting her guard down. After all, she knew well what she could do even without any weapon or armor, and he was far more powerful than herself. In fact, remembering the tales about him, this is likely not even his true form, but a human form he stole at some point.

 

[Rykon]

"Greetings neighbor, and welcome to our home. I trust much of what you see here is a far cry from the days of glory, but it beats running from indoctrinated lynch mobs." Aredin said in a frank and cordial manner. He scans the room briefly for any signs of the servants, though compared to Darian he has accepted the relative obliviousness of his own senses. He turned to a servant by the door and gave a vague gesture to signal for food before turning about.

While various individuals or objects may escape his notice, much of the Lunars demeanor would not be. Aredin always had a tunnel vision for people, it gave him an edge for negotiations. Before he went too far down the trail of introductions, he'd attempt to glean what he could of Ma-Ha-Suchi's disposition.

Spoiler

Rolling Perception+Socialize to discern his motives/emotions

5m personal for an excellency so pool is

2Per +3Soc +3Specialty: Reading People +5Charms = 13

Hm... Not a good roll... 3 successes

 

[Psychie]

Darian offers up as regal of a curtsy as she can. "Please, be welcome. I am Darian Lambert, Chosen of the Zenith Caste, High Priestess here in Gwynnin, and wife to my Lord Aredin." She stands up straight, looking over their visitor, wondering what might be visible to her new eyes. Motioning over towards the various seats, Darian glides over to one edge of a couch and settles down. "Please, make yourself comfortable. We have much to discuss, and I hope for a positive resolution to our talks."

 

[jaydude]

Annika opted to dress somewhat formally, with a smart scarlet shirt, as well as dark-brown breeches and boots. While she wanted to avoid looking out of place alongside Aredin, Darian and Sirocco, she'd never been one for being overly ostentatious; it was always her instinct to try and fade into the background. The only artifact she bore to the meeting was her orichalcum amulet with its Gemstone of Surface Thoughts.

As she looked at the old man who was supposedly Ma-Ha-Suchi, Annika would examine him with her Gemstone of Surface Thoughts.

 

[Kalin Scarlet]

Heaven joined the others, wearing his usual light-woven robes. He stood beside Sirocco, wrapping an arm around her waist and offering her a gentle squeeze. While he expected there to be much conversation, the sorcerer wasn't much interested in being a part of it. He'd genuinely hoped that the other Lunar he'd invited would grace them with her presence; Raksi, an Exalt that had discovered her gift for sorcery in her youth much like he had, or so he'd heard. The opportunity to speak with her would have been worthwhile. Sadly, it seemed it was not meant to be, this day.

 

[Sherwood]

With the gemstone, Annika can hear "These Solars act so self assured. The fools. This Empress will squash them like bugs with her toy, and in the process, send all of Creation to Malfias in a basket tied with a bow." From the feel of his thoughts, this is truly the Lunar Ma-Ha-Suchi.

His facial expression does not betray his inner thoughts, but instead, he smiles and bows to Aredin and Darian. "I thank you for your warm welcome. Your town of Gwynnin is lovely, but it doesn't hold a candle to you, my dear hostess." Turning to Aredin, he says, "Your wife is truly a vision. Count yourself a lucky man. So! With all that has just happened in the Blessed Isle, I would guess you are now somewhat nervous as to the gate of this town, yes? I would wager that her return is the talk of many in Creation right now."

 

[Rykon]

Aredin chuckles at Ma-Ha-Suchi's flattery, "So everyone tells me... I'd say my luck is that I am blessed to have her as my partner in our grand adventure, rather than a painfully beautiful vision, as you put it." Aredin paused to show a warm smile to Darian. Perhaps he had ruined her advantage of being underestimated, but he wanted to leave her open to interject her own thoughts in negotiations. "Regardless... no, I am no longer worried about the Empress. I am merely rushed. We have a lot to accomplish with little time to see it done. It is, however, convenient for arranging meetings with those that are though." Aredin gave a sly grin, turning the table on the guest. "We have a few options for dealing with her and the stolen weapon she wields. However, I am more curious about your own concerns and disposition. Outside of Sirocco here, we don't get much news or input from the Lunar host at large. Rogosh is a valuable friend to us, but he has no ties to those that survived the end of the First Age."

 

[Psychie]

Darian has the good manners to blush slightly as the old Lunar uses his honeyed tongue to complement her. "You are too kind, but I thank you for your words. Of the two of us, I feel that I am the lucky one of the two of us, because I get to call my Lord Aredin my husband and partner in our work to bring about a golden age to Creation."

 

[jaydude]

"Rest assured that however things may look here, we are taking the Empress's return seriously. After all, the Realm believes us all to be kin to demons, and seeks to eliminate every last one of us." said Annika to the elder Lunar once the others had spoken, wanting to address the thoughts she'd seen in his mind, and emphasize that it was in all their best interests to work together.

 

[Sherwood]

As you talk, the door opens up and a pair of servants bring in wine and glasses for everyone, and they go about their business pouring drinks. Once they finish, they leave as quietly as they had arrived, and the old Lunar takes one of the glasses from the tray and slowly inhales the aroma of the wine before taking a gentle sip.

"Lord Aredin? May I be blunt? You say all of the right things, but I must admit that I am wondering just how you plan on following through with your grand dreams of a reestablished Solar Deliberative in light of the recent destruction of Thorns. Yes, the Empress did dispatch a vile blight in the form of Mask Of Winters and his Juggernaut, but if she had known of the number of Solars here in the city of Gwynnin, perhaps we would not be having this conversation right now. It could have just as easily been these people here that were blasted, not Thorns."

 

[Rykon]

"It's simple really. You want to remove the threat of the Sword of Creation? You have to do one of two things: deal with the one who wields it or acquire a countermeasure to deal with its effects. Other than the threat of Elder Sidereals, there's not much stopping us from ambushing her in the night and annihilating the Empress. Dragon-Blooded, while fierce, simply cannot compete with the level of force we bring to bare in personal combat. While we have killed one Elder Sidereal of the Bronze Faction before, being outnumbered by them would be rather unwise, I cannot speak for how many they can or would field at a single given time though."

Aredin stopped to take a drink for a moment before continuing. "Regardless... the latter option... we have heard of an old Artifact that may be of use. Walker in Darkness certainly seems eager to acquire it, anyhow. It's one that is said to be able to drain essence from the land. I have no idea if it may be able to stifle or smother an onslaught from the Sword of Creation, but even if it can't, no Deathlord should be trusted with it."

Aredin paused after his long explanation and rubbed his eyes in an effort to smother his own aggravation at the situation. "On our way up to this artifact though, I have other business to address... Namely the Lunar that neglected to show up here, Raksi. We have very ancient and powerful sorcery available to us, and I need capable minds on hand to research a solution to this ridiculous mess. There's little time to tolerate her petulance. I believe I already have appropriate bargaining chips to get her to listen, but any counsel you would offer is appreciated."

"I'm sure you are just as dissatisfied with this state of affairs as I am. I would love nothing more than to see this painted pretender cast down from this position of power that was only made possible for her by our own artifice... Before that time comes though, I'd like a better plan for occupying those Bronze traitors to give us an opening. Would you like to hear more or are these options still not enough for you?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Sirocco was quite impressed with Aredin, despite it all. Talking like that to an elder Lunar could lead to future strife.
But then again, her own words came ringing. As she was about to say that just as easily, if she had known he had several Lunars, the Empress' could have annihilated his Nameless Lair.

 

[Sherwood]

The old Lunar eyes Aredin, then says, "If there is a artifact that might be of use to us, I also would be interested in finding it. Especially if it is being hunted down by agents of the Deathlords. That alone makes it of value, if only to keep it out of their hands. Raksi, on the other hand, it will be difficult to get any kind of response from her. I know her, and long ago when the Wyld Hunt was raging in earnest, she retreated into the Wyld for a long time. The time she spent there damaged her, and even once the elders of the No Moons came up with the idea of fixing the various Castes with the Moonsilver tattoos, it was almost too late. Her mind is . . . twisted. It is possible that with the threat posed by the Empress might be enough to get through to her, but I cannot say for certain."

 

[Rykon]

"I guess I'll have to try and heal her then." Aredin said matter of factly. "I can't help with physical changes, but I can heal mental maladies. I suppose with a little creative effort, we could eventually leverage Solar Sorcery and Rogosh's undiminished status to help repair the Lunar spirit. That will likely take more time than we have at the moment. If you'd like to join us on these endeavors you are welcome to do so. I think you'll find that we truly do seek a better life for each of our friends, be they mortal or Exalted. You've seen much of our numbers already, is there anything you would ask of us before committing to the cause?"

 

[Psychie]

Darian does her best to add her assurances to those of her husband, saying, "We will find a way to deal with the danger of the Empress and her super weapon, but with every Exalt that joins our cause it makes us stronger. We could really use your aid."