Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[Sherwood]

The moonsiver swords slide through a gap in the thick hide of the Lunar and bite deep. But this is an old Lunar and is rather tough, so while he's badly injured, he's still alive and kicking.

Melinda taps into her Essence reserves for a nasty flurry of blows, and despite the fact that she's using bare hands and feet against such an armored foe, you can hear the distinctive sounds of ribs breaking under the force of her attack.

This was just enough to push the big man over into Incapacitated, and his eyes roll back in his head as he slowly falls over and crashes into the deck. His chest is heaving as he struggles to breathe, and given a bit of time he will be able to recover even from this series of wounds. Even now, you can see that the heavy flow of blood is starting to slow as his Charm of Halting the Scarlet Flow is kicking in.

If you wish to finish him off, he is helpless and no roll will be required to do so. What do you do?

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks down at the fallen Lunar with a touch of pity. It was too bad that he was such a staunch defender of this mad Solar; he could have taught them all so much. But what makes him so valuable to them is also a tremendous danger. If he wanted to, he could probably turn this whole fortress against them with all the weapons it possesses. Not to mention what he could do himself if he were prepared for a fight. No. Best to end it now while they still can.

"I am sorry we have to do this, elder. I hope you know that I take no pleasure in this, but you are just too dangerous to have around, especially since we have slain your Solar commander." She walks over to him and places her swords at his neck, then lunges her blades in deep, trying to remove his head completely.

 

[Sherwood]

As the head rolls away from the body, Rory lets out a deep breath and slowly lowers his blade, then secures it on his back once more. He looks down at the two bodies now bleeding out on the floor and he kneels down next to the Solar. Taking her hand in his, he says, "She may have been a mass killer, but I am thinking that sometime a long while ago, she wasn't all that different than us. Something in her just . . . got broken over the years. I think that it would be the right thing to send her onto the Underworld with the blessing of the Unconquered Sun."

He closes his eyes for a moment, and then a flare of fire can be seen leaping out to consume the still form of Admiral Garrett to send her soul onto the Underworld. He brushes the ash of the burnt body off of his hand, then rises to go do the same for the now headless Lunar. It takes a moment for the brilliant flames to reduce the Lunar's body to just a bit of dust.

Once both bodies have been burnt up and reduced to ash, Rory turns to Melinda with a somber tone of voice. "Well now. We seem to have won the day. The question now seems to be, now what?"

Melinda says, "To be honest, I am not entirely sure. I've never had to resurrect an ancient First Age fortress to try and prevent an invasion of Creation by a horde of the walking dead. We need to see if it is going to be possible to reactivate the fortress without damaging it. TARU, please perform a full diagnostic on the primary systems of the Titan and report to us on the status."

 

[jaydude]

"She may have been a mass killer, but I am thinking that sometime a long while ago, she wasn't all that different than us. Something in her just . . . got broken over the years..."

"They were all like that. It's the reason the Usurpation happened." replied Kuaidao. "At least we can take comfort in how her Exaltation - and that of her companion - will be passed on to someone more deserving of it."

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

During the next hour, Melinda is a bit busy with trying to get a complete picture of the Titan's systems and the overall status of the place. Much of what she's asking of TARU is total gibberish to you, but it seems to make sense to the woman.

What do you do during this time? Is there anything you wish to look at?

Random Word jaydude Psychie

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks about the room, wondering if there is anything in here to occupy her while Melinda is busy with the technical stuff that is way over her head. She turns to the mummified body seated in the center seat, wondering what his story was. Did he follow the Solar Admiral blindly, or was he a voice of reason in her madness? Either way, he died here as he sat, keeping watch over her and the Lunar. A very lonely way to die, just sitting there, waiting for the end. He should be honored for his dedication, even if it was misguided.

She turns to Rory and says, "Rory, could you give this body the same treatment you gave the other two Exalts? It is the least that can be done for one that died in the line of duty, guarding his superiors."

OOC is there anything left behind from the bodies besides ash? Anything that survived being burned away? What about the one in the center seat? Any goodies there?

 

[Sherwood]

OOC is there anything left behind from the bodies besides ash? Anything that survived being burned away? What about the one in the center seat? Any goodies there?

Items found on the Solar:

A Collar of Dawn's Cleansing Light
A pair of Orichalcum Bracers
Her clothes are a suit of Silken Armor

Items found on the Lunar:

A pair of moonsilver slayer Khatars
A small belt pouch made of starmetal that can hold several square feet of stuff, far more than its small size would indicate.
A ring made of jade.
and a single arrow made out of moonsilver, including the feathers of the fletching.

 

[jaydude]

With the battle over and the bodies of their foes disposed of, Kuaidao found himself eyeing the bracers that had once been worn by the Solar.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

With the battle over and the bodies of their foes disposed of, Kuaidao found himself eyeing the bracers that had once been worn by the Solar.

Looking at the bracers, you can see that they are clearly a set, and that both are engraved in the elegant flowing lines of a bird, with a hearthstone socket on the right armband, but not on the left. The bird on the left arm is much more elaborate, with raised lines of orichalcum and filaments of jade. You can tell that there is something more to the carving than just mere decoration.

OOC after channeling 10m into the armband, it brings the carving of the bird to life using the stats of a Clockwork Bird (pg 116 of Arms of the Chosen) with the three-dot version.

 

[Random Word]

Blood runs from the tip of Kuaidao's sword where it pierced City-killer, cast from Maja's clothes as quickly as it falls to pool on the floor beside her. It takes her a moment to realize City-killer has stopped struggling. That the light has left her eyes. Surely it's a deception. Even when Kuaidao gently pries her away, and she reluctantly releases the body to cling tightly to him instead, she doesn't let it out of her sight. Or Tah-Rue. The body could be playing dead, and the Spirit could turn those guardian Spirits in the hallway against them to avenge its old masters at any moment, like it did to those who died trying to kill them so long ago.

Only once Rory reduces the bodies to blessed ash, and Tah-Rue remains docile, does her body finally flush the adrenaline. Relief washes though her, and with it shaking hands and flowing tears. "I thought we were going to die. I tried to... when she didn't... It was all I could do to hold her down. You saved me. Thank you," she says, giving Kuaidao a grateful kiss. "I don't want to be here anymore. Can we... can we go? I don't know anything about... whatever this is. I don't think I can help. I just need some air."

 

[Psychie]

Spider kneels down and picks up the arrow, looking at it with curiosity. She says, "I've heard of magical bows, but never have heard of a magic arrow. And this guy didn't even have a bow. Why carry a single arrow like this one?"

Turing to look over at Maja, Spider says, "We just got here, and after all that we've gone through, I think it would be a bit premature to just up and leave right now. Lets see what we have here first."

 

[Sherwood]

With a sigh, Melinda finally slides her seat back from the console with a sigh. "Ok, long story short, the Titan is in relatively good condition, but in order for it to be fully usable, it will need a bit of maintenance work to get its systems back up and running smooth. In order to do that, we will need a crew of trained technicians, or at the least, a crew of people willing to use the learning machines here to learn the ropes of the place."

"For that, we have a few options available to us. One thing we can do is bring techs from Yu-Shan or Lookshy and have them start working on the systems here. Option two is to bring the current residents of the outer mountain inside and teach them. Each option has its own risks and benefits involved. If we bring in help from outside, we will have to be careful with whom we can trust. If we use the locals, we can train them ourselves with the help of TARU and the learning machines, and use the rapid education systems to indoctrinate the locals here to obey us as the leaders of the Titan. The same issue will arise when we start to gather in other Exalts; we will need to let them know in no uncertain terms that this place is being run by our own general," she points at Kuaidao, "And that all his orders are to be followed."

Melinda pops her aching neck, saying, "We can start the process of moving the mountain in probably a week or two. After that is the question of what we are going to do about all this rock and debris on top of the place. We cannot use the Essence weapon turrets, the hangar bays for the airships or the main weapon of the Citadel, the Eye of Judgement with the piles of stuff on top of us. We'll have to have it all removed before using all that stuff."

She then looks over at the Circle and says, "Right now, we have some time to make the decision of what to do. Shall we use the fortress, or not? Either way, we still have a war to fight."

 

[Random Word]

Maja bites her lip and considers for a moment before relenting to Spider's request, "Okay," she says with a sigh. She can do this. Just a little longer. "Saving the world. Saving the world," she mutters to herself under her breath. She wipes her tears away and avoids looking at the piles of ash on the floor. It's better than a body, at least, and she gives Rory a grateful nod.

Maja is no less lost after Melinda relates her assessment of the situation, but she understood one part all too clearly. "We are not using 'rapid education systems' -" What even is that? I should destroy it before anyone else gets a bright idea "- to indoctrinate anyone," she declares with cold fury and a glare that screams, How could you even suggest that? Do I even know you? How do you trust someone who would do something like that? Would she so casually do it to them?

Maja is deep in a fortress in a room with the ashes of a mass murderer, the Spirit who killed everyone who tried to stop her, an - admittedly so far surprisingly nice - Icewalker, and now her all-seeing soothsayer has decided to reveal she's a monstrous all-seeing soothsayer. And the day had been going so well.

Yu-Shan is Melinda's home. If they're anything like her, they don't need more of them. No one is messing with the minds of the people on the surface. They'll help on their own, or they'll get off the island, and she's not in a mood to argue. That leaves the last and, by virtue of the fact she knows nothing about it, least awful option. "What's this Lookshy thing? Who are they?" she demands. Please don't be terrible.

 

[jaydude]

Looking at the bracers, you can see that they are clearly a set, and that both are engraved in the elegant flowing lines of a bird, with a hearthstone socket on the right armband, but not on the left. The bird on the left arm is much more elaborate, with raised lines of orichalcum and filaments of jade. You can tell that there is something more to the carving than just mere decoration.

OOC after channeling 10m into the armband, it brings the carving of the bird to life using the stats of a Clockwork Bird (pg 116 of Arms of the Chosen) with the three-dot version.

Kuaidao opted to leave the bracers for the moment. He already had a lot of essence commitments within his panopoly.

Turing to look over at Maja, Spider says, "We just got here, and after all that we've gone through, I think it would be a bit premature to just up and leave right now. Lets see what we have here first."

Still holding onto Maja, Kuaidao gave Spider an annoyed glare. "This fortress isn't going anywhere and she's clearly dealing with a lot of trauma. Would showing her a bit of sympathy be more effort than fighting two Celestial Exalted?"

With a sigh, Melinda finally slides her seat back from the console with a sigh. "Ok, long story short, the Titan is in relatively good condition, but in order for it to be fully usable, it will need a bit of maintenance work to get its systems back up and running smooth. In order to do that, we will need a crew of trained technicians, or at the least, a crew of people willing to use the learning machines here to learn the ropes of the place."

"For that, we have a few options available to us. One thing we can do is bring techs from Yu-Shan or Lookshy and have them start working on the systems here. Option two is to bring the current residents of the outer mountain inside and teach them. Each option has its own risks and benefits involved. If we bring in help from outside, we will have to be careful with whom we can trust. If we use the locals, we can train them ourselves with the help of TARU and the learning machines, and use the rapid education systems to indoctrinate the locals here to obey us as the leaders of the Titan. The same issue will arise when we start to gather in other Exalts; we will need to let them know in no uncertain terms that this place is being run by our own general," she points at Kuaidao, "And that all his orders are to be followed."

Melinda pops her aching neck, saying, "We can start the process of moving the mountain in probably a week or two. After that is the question of what we are going to do about all this rock and debris on top of the place. We cannot use the Essence weapon turrets, the hangar bays for the airships or the main weapon of the Citadel, the Eye of Judgement with the piles of stuff on top of us. We'll have to have it all removed before using all that stuff."

She then looks over at the Circle and says, "Right now, we have some time to make the decision of what to do. Shall we use the fortress, or not? Either way, we still have a war to fight."

Maja bites her lip and considers for a moment before relenting to Spider's request, "Okay," she says with a sigh. She can do this. Just a little longer. "Saving the world. Saving the world," she mutters to herself under her breath. She wipes her tears away and avoids looking at the piles of ash on the floor. It's better than a body, at least, and she gives Rory a grateful nod.

Maja is no less lost after Melinda relates her assessment of the situation, but she understood one part all too clearly. "We are not using 'rapid education systems' -" What even is that? I should destroy it before anyone else gets a bright idea "- to indoctrinate anyone," she declares with cold fury and a glare that screams, How could you even suggest that? Do I even know you? How do you trust someone who would do something like that? Would she so casually do it to them?

Maja is deep in a fortress in a room with the ashes of a mass murderer, the Spirit who killed everyone who tried to stop her, an - admittedly so far surprisingly nice - Icewalker, and now her all-seeing soothsayer has decided to reveal she's a monstrous all-seeing soothsayer. And the day had been going so well.

Yu-Shan is Melinda's home. If they're anything like her, they don't need more of them. No one is messing with the minds of the people on the surface. They'll help on their own, or they'll get off the island, and she's not in a mood to argue. That leaves the last and, by virtue of the fact she knows nothing about it, least awful option. "What's this Lookshy thing? Who are they?" she demands. Please don't be terrible.

"Lookshy is a powerful city-state far to the south of here, and east of Creation's centre." Kuaidao said in answer to Maja's question, speaking calmly following her outburst. "They're another civilization with a large Dragon-blooded population, and they've long been rivals of the Scarlet Empire in regards to military might and First Age lore. So they could perhaps help us here, but they're not much more tolerant towards us Celestials than the Scarlet Empire are."

He then looked at Melinda, narrowly managing to keep his eyes from narrowing in another glare. "I'm inclined to agree with Maja here. After all the time I've spent watching others swallow the Scarlet Empire's indoctrination, I'm not in favour of spoon-feeding it to anyone myself. We can try to persuade the people here to help or let us make use of this fortress, but not through underhanded means. Not after what I've been through."

"As for having all the gathered Exalts be loyal to me, I've served in the legions, so I know how valuable a chain of command can be. But chains need forging and tempering; we might be able to win over those who are freshly Exalted with our greater degree of experience, but we're going to have to come up with something better than 'we were here first' for everyone else. I need to prove myself the one most suited to lead, assuming that actually is me here."

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Psychie]

Spider is a bit taken aback by Kuaidao's harsh tone, but knows him well enough to let it go past without calling it out. She then mumbles out a quiet, "Sorry, Maja. Didn't mean to make light of your feelings."

She thinks about what the Solar is saying, commenting, "Well, this Lookshy place. I've never been there, but I've heard of it. How do you think they would like to get access to a place like this? If I don't miss my bet, I think that they would be falling all over themselves to get their mitts on a floating fortress, even for a little while. What if . . . We go to the city, and talk to them, showing them a taste of what we have to offer and form a coalition to work together to protect Creation from the forces of the Underworld. This citadel would certainly make for a real game changer for Lookshy if the Scarlet Empire ever decides to try and invade the region. We just make sure that they can't take the citadel through treachery by keeping TARU on our side."

"As the old saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. If they don't get along with the Realm, they may be just the right bunch of people to ally ourselves with."

Spider then twirls the fancy arrow around in her fingers, asking of Melinda, "Hey, just wondering. Have you ever seen an arrow made from the magical materials like this one? It seems kinda strange to me, to forge the metals into an arrow like this when you don't know if you will ever get it back after firing it."

 

[Sherwood]

Melinda looks at Maja and Kuaidao with an unreadable expression, saying, "The teaching consoles here are harmless, but if you wish to not use them, we can avoid doing so. It will just limit our options on what we can do. All they would do is speed up the education of those using it, teaching them how to perform various simple tasks that they would otherwise lack."

Rory pulls out a flask from inside his robe and takes a swig, then lets out a loud belch. "I'll be happy to go to this Lookshy if you want. It sounds like the best option to get a bunch of people in here that are trained in the ways of making such machines work. But can we move the place as it is? Or will we need to do some work on the doohickeys in here to make it possible?"

She looks over at the big man and says, "We would need to bring the power systems up from idle, but we can do that simply enough, assuming that there are no damaged systems that have not been taken care of. It will take us a while to get to Lookshy, since the top speed of the citadel at its best is a mere twenty miles per hour, but that might be reduced with all of the rock on top of us. Plenty of time to determine our plans of how to approach those of the city. There is still the question of the locals on the slope of the mountain to deal with."

Then, the Sidereal looks over at the arrow that Spider has in her hand. She looks puzzled. "I've never heard of an arrow of the magical materials being made before. Usually, that is saved for the bow or crossbow that fires a normal arrow, not the ammunition itself. May I examine it?"

 

[Psychie]

Then, the Sidereal looks over at the arrow that Spider has in her hand. She looks puzzled. "I've never heard of an arrow of the magical materials being made before. Usually, that is saved for the bow or crossbow that fires a normal arrow, not the ammunition itself. May I examine it?"

Spider nods, handing over the requested artifact. "Sure. Take a look at it and see what you can figure out about it."

Looking to the others, she says, "If we just go to Lookshy, they will probably think we are crazy if we just claim to have the location of a flying fortress in our pockets. I would think that the best way to get their help is to show them that we have a flying mountain with a hidden First Age fortress tucked inside it. That will get us a much better response, at least, I would think so. That can also give us time to prowl around this place and learn more about it."

 

[Sherwood]

Spider nods, handing over the requested artifact. "Sure. Take a look at it and see what you can figure out about it."

Melinda takes the arrow and studies it carefully, taking her time and checking in with the tiny spider spirit that she keeps in her pocket. After a moment, she says, "I don't know for certain what it can do, but I can tell you a few things about it. It is a single use artifact that will lose its magic once fired, and it is rather powerful. I believe that this is connected directly to your Luna somehow, and that when the arrow is fired, she will know of it. This might be a way of directly contacting the Changing Goddess. Other than that, I have nothing more for you about it, I'm sorry. If I were you, I would keep that arrow in a very safe location."

With that, she hands the arrow back to Spider.

 

[jaydude]

Melinda looks at Maja and Kuaidao with an unreadable expression, saying, "The teaching consoles here are harmless, but if you wish to not use them, we can avoid doing so. It will just limit our options on what we can do. All they would do is speed up the education of those using it, teaching them how to perform various simple tasks that they would otherwise lack."

"When you say they're harmless, do you mean that they won't warp the minds of those who use them? That those people wouldn't be made to accept things that they'd otherwise be hesitant to believe without a good explanation?" asked Kuaidao. "To shackle someone's mind like that...it's little different to what the Fair Folk would do, wouldn't you agree, Maja?"

Spoiler: OOC

Am I going to need to make a roll here, in order to get Melinda to give us the full, honest picture about what the teaching consoles do?

Also, just to make sure that we're all on the same page, is Melinda meant to be describing literal brainwashing/mind control here?

She thinks about what the Solar is saying, commenting, "Well, this Lookshy place. I've never been there, but I've heard of it. How do you think they would like to get access to a place like this? If I don't miss my bet, I think that they would be falling all over themselves to get their mitts on a floating fortress, even for a little while. What if . . . We go to the city, and talk to them, showing them a taste of what we have to offer and form a coalition to work together to protect Creation from the forces of the Underworld. This citadel would certainly make for a real game changer for Lookshy if the Scarlet Empire ever decides to try and invade the region. We just make sure that they can't take the citadel through treachery by keeping TARU on our side."

"As the old saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. If they don't get along with the Realm, they may be just the right bunch of people to ally ourselves with."

Rory pulls out a flask from inside his robe and takes a swig, then lets out a loud belch. "I'll be happy to go to this Lookshy if you want. It sounds like the best option to get a bunch of people in here that are trained in the ways of making such machines work. But can we move the place as it is? Or will we need to do some work on the doohickeys in here to make it possible?"

She looks over at the big man and says, "We would need to bring the power systems up from idle, but we can do that simply enough, assuming that there are no damaged systems that have not been taken care of. It will take us a while to get to Lookshy, since the top speed of the citadel at its best is a mere twenty miles per hour, but that might be reduced with all of the rock on top of us. Plenty of time to determine our plans of how to approach those of the city. There is still the question of the locals on the slope of the mountain to deal with."

Kuaidao shook his head. "The time it'll take to get people between here and Lookshy will be long, with or without this fortress. Give me a month and I can whip any group of people into fighters with the skill and tenacity of the Imperial Guard, but that'll take me a month, and I'll need to be with the group I'm training during that time. Not to mention that as far as I know, we might need an Exalt here to help marshal those who are coming here."

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

"When you say they're harmless, do you mean that they won't warp the minds of those who use them? That those people wouldn't be made to accept things that they'd otherwise be hesitant to believe without a good explanation?" asked Kuaidao. "To shackle someone's mind like that...it's little different to what the Fair Folk would do, wouldn't you agree, Maja?"

Melinda shakes her head. "The learning machines are capable of imparting knowledge into a person rapidly, taking a lesson that would normally take weeks and condenses them into something a person can pick up in a few days of study." She pauses for a moment, then says, "I suppose that if the learning machines were given a lesson that involved some sort of doctrine that it could be used to make someone believe something, but the information I am interested in teaching relates to the mechanical details of the Titan, not any social or cultural education. Besides, the lessons we would be using are all thousands of years old. If you wished to 'warp' the minds of others, it would require you to make a whole new program, a skill that no one here has. Even I would have trouble doing that, and I have a great deal of experience with such technology."

Kuaidao shook his head. "The time it'll take to get people between here and Lookshy will be long, with or without this fortress. Give me a month and I can whip any group of people into fighters with the skill and tenacity of the Imperial Guard, but that'll take me a month, and I'll need to be with the group I'm training during that time. Not to mention that as far as I know, we might need an Exalt here to help marshal those who are coming here."

Rory scratches at his big belly as he rumbles out, "Well, we have a community of people here that might be willing to be recruited into an army if we offer them something worth fighting for. From what I've seen of these dead lords, we will need all the help we can get. Does this fortress have personal weapons that can be used to equip these people? Hidden away in some sort of armory, perhaps?"

Melinda says, "Normally I'd say yes, but only the Gods know what is currently in the armories at the moment. They may have been raided by the old crew before they were killed. That is just the kind of thing we need to learn more about. I have a thought that I can go down to the power room to start the process of bringing the reactors up to operational levels. With more power, we can use the lights and stop relying upon our own glow to provide illumination. Once that is done, we can plot a course to Lookshy, assuming that is the plan. This will take some time, time that can be used to train the volunteers here how to fight as a cohesive unit."

The big Solar nods, saying, "While you do that, we can start to explore the place and see what arms we may have to equip an army with. I've heard stories of the First Age where the soldiers had gear that puts to shame anything that we might otherwise pull out. Imagine an army going to battle with items from here! What a sight that would be!"

The Sidereal woman then says, "Yes, it would. Now, there shouldn't be anything left in here that we have to worry about, so as long as you don't go pushing buttons you should be safe enough to wander about if you want. TARU? Are you able to communicate with multiple people at once, or just one at a time?"

The spirit replies, "I can maintain up to five hundred different conversations at once with no delay or lag time in my responses, Noble Exalt."

"Excellent. What about internal communications? Are they working?"

"Not yet, Noble Exalt. Insufficient power. But I can relay messages between you easily until such time as communications are reestablished throughout the citadel."

Melinda looks satisfied. "Very well. I would suggest we get started with our investigations while its quiet and we have the time. Who knows what the future will bring. If there are no objections, that is."

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks around the room, saying, "This place is supposed to be able to house thousands of people in it, right? That should mean a lot of good quality weapons and armor lying about, just waiting for us to claim them. I am thinking that Melinda's idea of getting the power up for our lighting is a good one, and the rest of us can look around and see what we have to work with here. Rory and I can pair off, and Maja and Kuaidao can be a group, and use TARU to relay messages between us."

 

[jaydude]

Spider looks around the room, saying, "This place is supposed to be able to house thousands of people in it, right? That should mean a lot of good quality weapons and armor lying about, just waiting for us to claim them. I am thinking that Melinda's idea of getting the power up for our lighting is a good one, and the rest of us can look around and see what we have to work with here. Rory and I can pair off, and Maja and Kuaidao can be a group, and use TARU to relay messages between us."

"Good idea." said Kuaidao, before he turned to Melinda.

"You know, if you had been more clear about the true mechanics of the learning machines, and not used the word 'indoctrinate', me and Maja might have been a bit less reluctant to make use of them for our own needs." he said kindly, wanting to clear up what he hoped had been a huge misunderstanding.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

Melinda looks embarrassed, saying, "I apologize for my choice of words. I have to remember that you have different sensibilities than my fellow Sidereals. They have a very different opinion on the value of being able to manipulate the thoughts and minds of others. I shall make my way down to the reactor core and see if I can at least get enough power to get the lights back on. There shouldn't be anything in here that will be a risk to you, but you should still be careful. We can use TARU to relay messages back and forth. I'll keep in touch."

With that, she turns and heads for the door, leaving the four of you.

Rory clomps over to Spider and thwaps her on the shoulder with a big, beefy hand. "Ready to go examine the armories, lass? Let us see what we have to work with."

 

[jaydude]

Kuaidao nodded at the others, before turning to look at Maja. "Come on. Shall we get to looking around?"

He was starting to come around in regards to the learning machines. He only hoped that his lover could come to feel the same way, especially now that Melinda had given her clarification.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 22/40
Anima: Burning

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 4
Join Battle: 7 dice
Health Levels: -0, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -1, -3, Incapacitated
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Guardian Host (Orichalcum & White Jade Daiklave): 14 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 15 Damage, Overwhelming 4 (+3 ACC, +12 DMG, +1 DEF, OVW 4) (Lethal, Melee, Chopping)
Straight Sword: 13 W. Accuracy, 11 D. Accuracy, 12 Damage, Overwhelming 2 (+2 Accuracy +9 Damage, +1 Defense, +2 Overwhelming) (Lethal, Melee, Balanced)

Actions
Rush: 10
Disengage: 8

Evasion 4, Parry 7
Soak/Hardness: 11/7 (Dauntless, Soak +8 6, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Random Word]

Still holding onto Maja, Kuaidao gave Spider an annoyed glare. "This fortress isn't going anywhere and she's clearly dealing with a lot of trauma. Would showing her a bit of sympathy be more effort than fighting two Celestial Exalted?"

"Sorry, Maja. Didn't mean to make light of your feelings."

Maja's eyes flash, embarrassment and wounded pride at being the only one affected sublimating into anger. "We aren't all hardened killers," she snaps.

"You know, if you had been more clear about the true mechanics of the learning machines, and not used the word 'indoctrinate', me and Maja might have been a bit less reluctant to make use of them for our own needs." he said kindly, wanting to clear up what he hoped had been a huge misunderstanding.

"No!" she roars, the still swirling flames of her anima whipped into a frenzy, "You are not letting her manipulate you like this! She doesn't get to take this back. She meant what she said. 'Indoctrinate the locals to make them obey us' isn't fucking ambiguous! It's not a slip of the tongue!"

She whirls on Melinda, fangs bared and finger pointed like a dagger at her heart as she leaves, "You know exactly what these machines can do and your lies are a storm to cover your tracks like a thief in the night because the suggestion was monstrous! We have to save Creation, so I'm not smashing those machines and leaving right now, but if you lie to me again about something this important I am gone. I'll find some way to help save Creation without you, because you won't leave anything left worth saving." [Maja will take a Major Tie of Disgust for Melinda, but also a Minor about tolerating her for the good of Creation.]

"As the old saying goes, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. If they don't get along with the Realm, they may be just the right bunch of people to ally ourselves with."

Maja nods, grudgingly. "A bunch of dragons who hate the Dynasts only as much as they hate us are strange bedfellows, but fuck if I don't want to get out of here. Oh great spirit Tah-Rue, can you manifest outside the fortress to accompany us to this Look-shy? If not, what can we take from this place to prove to their wise ones this place exists and is as we say?"

Sure, it's full of people who want to kill her, but where isn't these days? It's somewhere new, and it will feel good to be moving again. Feel good to be anywhere but here under the oppressive weight of all this stone, and death, and horrible machines built by people who killed more people than she's ever seen.

Maybe they can hide the fact that they're not dragons long enough to get the fortress working. Long enough for something more anathema than them to show up. This wasn't much of a plan, but she wasn't much in the mood for planning anyway. Every essence-suffuesd fibre of her being wanted to do, and specifically do it not here.