Trial by Fire - IC Thread

[Random Word]

Maja nods in support of Kuaidao's question. "They are already our enemy," she mutters darkly, "If there is to be negotiation, let cold iron do the talking."

 

[Sherwood]

With that being said, Rory does look thoughtful. "Well, there may be another way. The Fae do have a champion, a fierce warrior that has bested many of our clansmen that have tried to face him. I know that I was a tough fighter, but before I Exalted, I know that I was never a match for the slime. Even now, I can see that I am not the most powerful fighter of this bunch. Perhaps . . . one of you could challenge their champion in a test of arms and force them to stop culling our people. If that were to happen, I hazard a guess that most, if not all, the clans out here would quickly fall into line with you to face the army of the dead in gratitude."

jaydude Random Word Psychie D. Rex Rykon

 

[Psychie]

Spider lets out a chuckle. "If that do be true, friend Rory, I am thinking that the only problem we would face is trying to decide which one of us gets the honor of killing this 'champion' of theirs. I say we give it a go, and have the Fae bring on their fighter to do combat with one of us."

 

[Rykon]

"Aye, that sounds like a fine way to burn an afternoon," Valden adds with a grin. "I hazard a guess our commander here would want to leverage the... ah... what's the word... recognition, as the victor to build his ranks. That said, I'm more than happy to cut down a fat-headed hobgoblin masquerading as a 'champion' for the chance to stretch."

 

[Psychie]

Spider laughs out loud at that. "Valden, I like the way you think!" She then raises up her drink to the Solar in a salute.

 

[Rykon]

The reformed enforcer checks his tankard to find it now full then raises it in kind. "Of course! Here's to another round of drowning sobriety! And those cackling gits with their 'champion'!" Valden bellows, returning the salute and downing yet another pint.

 

[Sherwood]

The night goes on, and soon enough, the next day comes forth. Right now, the messengers that are going to be sending for the various clans to meet up at Alcar Dal are gathering their gear and preparing to ride out to spread the word. Even as that is going on, the rest of the clan are now starting to prepare for the journey to the sacred valley.

It is clear that if you stick with Rory's clansmen and travel with them, it will take you at least a week, possibly two, in travel time to get to this valley. Taking the Folding Landship will obviously make for a much faster trip, but you cannot take everyone with you on the ship. There is also the option of traveling by Stormwind Rider or on the backs of your Lunar companions. What do you do?

 

[jaydude]

The night goes on, and soon enough, the next day comes forth. Right now, the messengers that are going to be sending for the various clans to meet up at Alcar Dal are gathering their gear and preparing to ride out to spread the word. Even as that is going on, the rest of the clan are now starting to prepare for the journey to the sacred valley.

It is clear that if you stick with Rory's clansmen and travel with them, it will take you at least a week, possibly two, in travel time to get to this valley. Taking the Folding Landship will obviously make for a much faster trip, but you cannot take everyone with you on the ship. There is also the option of traveling by Stormwind Rider or on the backs of your Lunar companions. What do you do?

Assuming that our plan is to have one of our own challenge the Fae champion, Kuaidao would probably want to just travel with Rory and his clansmen, since there doesn't seem to be much point in arriving to the summit early.

 

[Sherwood]

Despite what must be some raging hangovers going on, the tribesmen begin the process of packing up their yurts in order to move on to the Valley. You can tell by watching them that this is not the first time that they have done this kind of thing; it is a commonplace event to have to move in order to follow the wandering herds of elk and reindeer out there.

Even with all the hard work of the tribesmen, it takes several hours of very hard work before they have their possessions lashed up on carts for the oxen to haul everything along. Yeddim would be better for this, but the huge animals just eat too much fodder for Rory's people to be able to keep them fed. So, they make do with oxen.

With a set of distinctive red flags flying overhead, the whole tribe sets out for the Valley known as Alcar Dal in order to meet up with the other tribes in the area, and possibly throw down the gauntlet with the Fae champion.

Unless the party does anything of interest, there is little to do besides hike along with the clan on their way.

D. Rex jaydude Rykon Psychie Random Word

 

[jaydude]

Kuaidao would be smiling to himself during the journey. To him, it was almost like being on the march in the legion once again, making his way to the future sight of yet another battle. At several points he'd glance over at the rest of the Exalts in the group in order to see how they were all handling the trek, but otherwise he tried to get into the habit of regularly checking the map they'd gotten from the two Abyssals. It wouldn't do for them to get ambushed en route to their destination when they were all out of formation, his old army instincts told him.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 30/40
Anima: Dim

Committed Essence: 10 (Dauntless + Guardian Host)

Willpower: 5
Join Battle: 7 dice
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_],
-3: [_]
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, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Psychie]

Spider does her best to help out the clansmen as they work, trying to learn how to be useful instead of just a fifth wheel that sits around doing nothing. During the time on the march, she settles herself into a nice pace to be able to watch over Bard and the others. No one besides Maja seems to understand her need as a Lunar to protect the people as much as she does. But, Spider doesn't hold that against anyone, and she simply keeps her eyes and ears open.

When she sees Kuaidao pull out that map, Spider is there to examine it with him. She has already learned from her reading of the Ten Thousand Correct Actions of the Upright Solder that knowing where the enemy is before they know where you are is a huge tactical advantage, and this is much faster and easier than turning into one of her bird forms and flying around in circles.

The Lunar spends some of her time with Kuaidao, peppering him with questions about his experiences in the Legions, trying to learn more about how a real soldier's life is compared to what she's reading in her book. She makes sure to let Maja know that there is no intent to get frisky with Kuaidao, just to keep the other woman from getting the wrong idea of the time she's spending with her man. No need to get into a jealous spat with her over something that is not an issue in Spider's mind.

 

[Sherwood]

The next ten days are long, with nothing much going on besides putting one foot in front of the other. With the use of the fancy map that Kuaidao has, you are able to spot the fact that the tribesmen are under observation from riders of other tribes, and at one point, a group of Fae. More disturbingly, though, is a run-in with a small band of the walking dead. It does not take you long to be able to set an ambush for the zombies, and they are quickly dispatched by the efforts of the various Exalts looking for a good fight. It is likely that the undead are either a scouting party, or just a fighting force sent out to harass any people they run across. Compared to the fighting power of the Exalts with you, the band of undead are not a threat to your Circle.

It is mid-morning on the tenth day of travel that you come across another large group of travelers heading towards the same destination that you are. As you get closer to them, you can see that they also have a pair of very brilliant red flags flying overhead. Looking at them from a distance, Rory says, "Ah, ye see there? Another tribe has gotten our message of the meeting at Alcar Dal. The red flags are the sign of safe passage, so we must play nice with them and they have to do the same, just so long as we stay close to the flags. If you wish to go speak with them, take one of the smaller banners that our riders wore to let them know you are there under the same flag of truce that the main body of the tribe."

 

[jaydude]

Kuaidao looked at the other tribe, then at Rory.

"Do you recognize them?" he asked, the unspoken question being that if there was any history between Rory's tribe and the other one, he wanted to know it before approaching.

The group of undead had posed little threat, but the fact that they'd shown up at all had troubled the Dawn Caste, since it showed the enemy was confident enough to start probing away at their territory. While not dwelling on strategic thoughts, he'd answer Spider's questions about his old life as best as he could, while also taking the opportunity to get to know her better in turn.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 30/40
Anima: Dim

Committed Essence: 10 (Dauntless + Guardian Host)

Willpower: 5
Join Battle: 7 dice
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_],
-3: [_]
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, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

Rory nods, shielding his eyes from the glare of the afternoon sun on the ice. "They be the Red Claws, a clan who's leader is so stubborn, he can teach lessons in it to a rock. It takes a long time to get Hallasan to make a decision, but once he does, they stick to it like glue. They are not exactly friends, but not quite enemies." He lowers his hand and turns to look at Kuaidao. "As long as the flag of truce is flying, we can go and talk with Hallasan and his people, and give them a heads-up about the pending threat by the Deathlords."

 

[Psychie]

Spider listens to the various stories from Kuaidao about being a soldier with interest, rarely interrupting his narrative. She is learning so much, but there is so much more to the arts of war than this humble fighter knows, and it does seem that they are running out of time to prepare for the fight coming up.

When they catch sight of this other clan on the move towards the valley, she is pleased. "Good. At least one of the outlying clans have responded positively to our call. Lets hope that there are others; we'll need them." Spider listens as Rory describes this leader and chuckles at the description. "Sure. Why not go over and say 'hello'? I'm sure that they are looking at us and are wondering if we are going to do just that. But, I would not yet advertise our Exalted nature yet. We don't know how they may respond to that."

 

[jaydude]

"I agree. Going over to speak with them likely wouldn't do too much harm." said Kuaidao.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 30/40
Anima: Dim

Committed Essence: 10 (Dauntless + Guardian Host)

Willpower: 5
Join Battle: 7 dice
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_],
-3: [_]
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, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

Does anyone else wish to join Spider and Kuaidao on this friendly visit?

 

[Random Word]

With the group collectively resolved to Fae-slaying, Maja is in high spirits and returning from a hunt when Spider approaches to reassure her. Maja smiles and waves dismissively, "Don't worry, I know. I can smell you aren't interested in him like that." She pauses awkwardly, "That's weird, isn't it? I shouldn't have said that out loud. It's not like you smell bad or anything. I think you smell nice, just not - um, I'm going to stop now. Yeah. You go talk to him about war and stuff as much as you like."

She listens closely to the stories exchanged, whether flying above the tribe to watch for danger, playing games of chance with Northern conscripts amongst the Realm soldiers accompanying Mahina, or walking alongside the group. She doesn't feel comfortable mingling with the Icewalkers. She'll fight to free them from the Fae, but she's disgusted they submitted to the agreement at all, and she didn't trust them to begin with. When a new group shows up in the distance she's hardly more inclined to socialize, but she doesn't hesitate to accompany Kuaidao to keep a lookout for treachery. These people only respect violence and fear, and she will answer any whiff of disrespect or hostile intent with a heart stopping glare.

 

[Sherwood]

Rory hikes up his kilt a bit and says, "Eh, well, I can go with ye to meet Hallasan, their chieftain. He can be touchy, but shouldn't be a problem for us."

So we have Rory, Spider, Kuaidao and Maja heading over through the snow, making sure that you are walking with the tribal flag of truce with you to avoid any 'incidents'. It is clear that you have been spotted by the group of thirty or so archers with arrows knocked watching you as you approach. Rory smiles and waves, but you get no response from them. They glower a bit as you come closer, but they part ranks to allow the four of you to pass.

Once you are in the midst of the other clan, a trio of riders come working their way through the crowd, two men and one woman. All three are in their mid-forties or so, and are all armed with a slashing sword on their hip and a long lance in their hands. They look you over for a moment in silence, then the woman says, "Rory, you pig. What do you want?"

He grins, then says, "Ah, I remember you fondly, too, dear Beatrix. These are my freinds Spider, Maja and Kuaidao, and we wish to meet with Hallasan to give him a brief preview of what we wish to bring up to the clans at Alcar Dal."

One of the men lets out a bark of laughter. "You? Friends? You must have fallen in a river to wash off some of your stink in order to get some friends." The man makes a point of taking a deep sniff, then shakes his head. "No, that certainly didn't happen. You still reek of the swine you call a tribe."

Much laughter can be heard from the dig, and a darker expression comes across Rory's face. He then says, "As I said, we are here to see Hallasan, not trade jibes with toothless dogs that spend their days yapping at their betters." More laughter, this time aimed at the one that Rory just insulted. "Are you going to inform him that we are here?"

The one fellow glares at Rory, then says, "Be glad that we are on the road to Alcar Dal, or else I would call you out for that!"

"But we are on the road to Alcar Dal, and are here under the banner of truce. For the third time, we are here to speak with Hallasan as a courtesy, not a requirement. Lead us to him or we will leave."

A new voice cuts through the crowd, saying, "Beatrix, were you planning on trying to bed the man here in front of everyone, or were you going to escort him to me as is his right?"

More laughter can be heard at the woman's expense, and she says, "Uh, Hallasan, we were about to bring him to you. It is Rory of the White Fangs."

The man called Hallasan comes forward, a rather unimpressive figure that is rather short and stocky, with no hair on his head except for a thick mustache. He is wearing lightweight furs and no obvious armor, and the only weapon on him is a single dagger on his belt. He looks at the four of you and then says, "It is cold out here. Come to my wagon and we can have a cup of mulled wine and talk."

Rory nods, and says in a quiet voice meant just for the three of you, "Ah, good. I was hoping for this. Except for running into Beatrix, things are going quite well."

You are led to a large covered wagon and the short Hallasan climbs up into it and leaves the rear flap of the covered wagon open for you to come in with him. Inside, it is roomier than you would expect, with the floor laid out with many furs to sit up on. Hallasan sits at one end of the wagon, and says, "You have come here under the flag of safe passage after calling for the moot. What is it that you wish?"

 

[jaydude]

If Kuaidao had known that there was going to be this much friction between Rory and Beatrix, he would have advised against going over to greet the other tribe. Still, once Hallasan had come over and defused the situation, the Dawn felt it would be best to take up on its invite. It wouldn't do to create fresh tensions through an unintentional display of rudeness.

===

"We noticed that you and your people were travelling close by, and Spider here thought it would be a good idea to come over and say hello." Kuaidao answered in Skytongue once he was sat down inside the wagon.

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 30/40
Anima: Dim

Committed Essence: 10 (Dauntless + Guardian Host)

Willpower: 5
Join Battle: 7 dice
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_],
-3: [_]
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, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)

 

[Sherwood]

Hallasan gives Kuaidao a faint smile. "So polite. My father had tried to teach me manners like this when I was a boy, but my head is just too thick to have let the lessons in very well. But I can try to be more refined than usual." He looks over at Rory, then says, "It was your messenger that came to us, calling for a meeting at Alcar Dal. Why? From the way the messenger spoke, it was a matter that would require as many of the clans to be addressed as possible by you, and presumably, your guests here. What is so important that it would bring you to risk your reputation amongst the clans like this?"

 

[Psychie]

Spider looks over at Hallasan and says, "Have you had much trouble with the walking dead lately? Because Rory's people have. They ran into a . . . hideous monstrosity, a thing made of dozens of bodies spliced together, bent on destroying them all. We have information that there are two of the Deathlords that are preparing to invade Creation, and you and your people are right in the path of their armies."

 

[Sherwood]

The man looks at Spider with a surprised expression. "The walking dead?!? Well, yes, yes we have. We have not seen such things in the manner you describe, but we have had many encounters with zombies, and there have been a few hungry ghosts that our shaman have had to dispatch with his magics. We had thought it was something to do with the other clans, and not some precursor to a full on invasion. What proof do you bring to me to show that this is true, and not the workings of a vivid imagination?"

 

[Sherwood]

bump?

 

[jaydude]

The man looks at Spider with a surprised expression. "The walking dead?!? Well, yes, yes we have. We have not seen such things in the manner you describe, but we have had many encounters with zombies, and there have been a few hungry ghosts that our shaman have had to dispatch with his magics. We had thought it was something to do with the other clans, and not some precursor to a full on invasion. What proof do you bring to me to show that this is true, and not the workings of a vivid imagination?"

Kuaidao gave a nod. "I can understand you not wanting to believe us. Two ancient ghosts with colossal power preparing to make war is not a scenario that I'd like to be real." he said patiently, while also putting a calm emphasis in his voice. "Still, it's as you said earlier. Rory would not be so foolish or conniving as to risk his standing among your people for a mere lie."

[Rolling Charisma + Presence, and claiming one point stunt. I also get a bonus dice from Tiger's Dread Symmetry, giving me nine dice total for this roll. 4 successes.]

Spoiler: Kuaidao Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16/16
Peripheral Essence: 30/40

Committed Essence: 10

Willpower: 5
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, Mobility Penalty -1, Hardness +7, Attune 5)