Wedding Bells - IC Thread

[jaydude]

This had to have been the longest period of time Kasumi had spent on land since the final stages of her pregnancy roughly a year ago. And despite her sense of duty to both family and the Realm, she found herself glad of a chance to finally relax a bit, even if it likely wouldn't last once they had cast off. Sea voyages could be subject to misfortune at the best of times, and on top of that, there would no doubt be those who sought to sabotage Arissa's marriage and V'neef's plans.

For the moment though, Kasumi put those thoughts aside as she followed Enathia's lead in complementing Domon. "Indeed. Truly, this is a magnificent vessel."

Spoiler: Kasumi Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33

Committed Essence: 5

Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 5 dice (5 successes for 5m through Breath and Essence Control)
Health Levels:
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_]
-3: [_]
Incapacitated: [_]
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Unarmed

Actions
Rush: 7
Disengage: 7

Evasion 3, Parry 6
Soak/Hardness: 3/0 (Gala clothes, +0 Soak, +0 Mobility Penalty)

 

[Sherwood]

Captain Domon smiles and preens as he receives the complements on the ship. "Ah, I thank ye. Your words are too kind. Once everyone is onboard, we can be at sea within the hour. Mr. Renner! Look lively up there! Yon deck is not a place for a soft landing place if you lose your grip on the rigging! <sigh> Come now! Lets get to work on your sea legs!"

With everyone making their way up the gangplank to the deck, V'neef gives each of you a loving embrace as she says goodbye. "Don't forget, I will be joining you for the wedding, so lets not ruin anything! This treaty will be quite the boon to our House, giving us some very real resources to secure our rightful status as one of the Great Houses of the Realm. Captain Domon, take good care of your passengers, and I look forward to seeing you again for my own voyage to Wavecrest in a few short months."

Capt. Domon bows to V'neef, and says, "Of course, M'lady. It will be my honor to have you onboard, and I assure you that your family will be delivered safely to their destination on time and in one piece. The Waverunner is one of the finest ships on the sea, and my crew will treat you and yours as one of our own and take good care of everyone onboard."

Arissa makes her way to the bow of the ship, positioning herself out of the way of the work of the crew as she looks out to sea with a wistful expression on her face. When someone approaches her, she comments, "This will be my first trip away from home in years, and when I finally do come back, it will be a very different experience for me. I'll be a married woman then, and who knows what else will be changing in my life?"

 

[WlfSamurai]

Enathia gives a friendly side-hug to Arissa as she steps up and leans on the railing next to her.

"Just...one step at a time, Arissa," she says in a kind, but serious tone. "There's a lot riding on this whole thing, sure. But, at the end of the day, you're just a girl. On a ship. We'll be out to open sea soon. You're not trapped in a room with a bear. Just you and a lot of people who're looking out for you. Nothing else right now." Enathia gives Arissa a warm smile.

"Also, no matter what, if you get out there and this isn't something you can do, it's okay. You get to make the final call, yeah? I'll back you on whatever YOU decide. We can go down fighting together. Don't tell anyone I said that last bit. It's not what I should be telling you. But, you give me the signal and I'll be right here."

 

[Psychie]

Moretta makes sure that she knows where her room is before setting out to find a place on the deck where she can see their departure but not be in the way of the ship's crew as they work. Once a spot has been picked out, she leans out over the rail of the ship, watching the hustle and bustle of the port as they make their final prep work to get underway.

 

[Sherwood]

The crew go through the routine of getting the ship ready to sail with a quiet efficiency and no wasted actions. Soon enough, the gangway plank is pulled in and the twin paddlewheels on the sides of the ship begin to spin up, slowly starting to move the great vessel away from the dock. As the Waverunner pulls out into the open sea, the sails drop down and fill with the blowing sea breeze and the ship begins to speed up, leaving the shore behind.

The next several days settle into a quiet routine. Capt. Domon is a gracious host, spending a decent chunk of his time seeing to the needs of the various Exalts onboard. Arissa spends much of her days sitting quietly at the bow reading a book, trying to learn more about her future home so she is not totally ignorant of the customs and history of Wavecrest, especially since she will be spending a long time there.

Just over a week into your trip, the weather is a little rough with strong winds and higher waves, making those without good sea legs have a bit of trouble with keeping their footing, but Capt. Domon assures everyone that the Waverunner is quite the sturdy ship, and this weather is of no concern to him.

It is a cool, crisp morning and the winds and waves have decided to settle down a bit, but with the dark clouds on the horizon, it looks like you are heading towards a small rainstorm. None of the crew appear to be concerned, though, and they continue to keep an eye on the sails and lines, keeping the ship moving onwards.

Everyone, please give me a Perception + Awareness roll.

 

[Psychie]

Rolling for Moretta

5 successes

 

[jaydude]

Rolling for Kasumi.

3 successes.

Spoiler: Kasumi Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33

Committed Essence: 5

Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 5 dice (5 successes for 5m through Breath and Essence Control)
Health Levels:
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_]
-3: [_]
Incapacitated: [_]
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Unarmed

Actions
Rush: 7
Disengage: 7

Evasion 3, Parry 6
Soak/Hardness: 3/0 (Gala clothes, +0 Soak, +0 Mobility Penalty)

 

[Random Word]

Melati makes agonising choices about which of her many trunks to fit into the hold of the Waverunner and which to leave for follow-up vessels. Once aboard she delights in showing off the parting gifts she received from Grandmother in preparation for the journey: The beautiful varicoloured plumage of the snake-dragon wood elemental Kemuning coiled around her neck, and the demon gold and green jade lotus bulb she will plant when she reaches Wavecrest. She is sitting near the bow, leaning over the taffrail to enjoy the view and to allow the newly born Kemuning to stretch her wings.

Perception 3 + Awareness 3 + Stunt 2 = 5 hits

 

[Sherwood]

As the ship sails along, those on the deck can see a thick band of fog in the air in your path. With the chilly morning air and the warm water, it isn't a real surprise to see some fog, and the crew don't seem to be concerned about it.

It is not until the Waverunner slips quietly into the mist that the first signs of trouble can be seen. The wind driving the ship forward starts to die down, and as the speed drops, so do the crew on deck! One by one, they slump over and pass out on the deck where they stand, and one unfortunate soul falls out of the rigging and hits the deck with a loud thud and the crack of breaking bones, but even that pain doesn't rouse the unconscious crewman.

Even Arissa looks woozy, along with Capt. Domon. He shakes his head, trying to clear the cobwebs away. "Ungh! This mist is cursed! We have to get out of here!" He stumbles towards the wheelhouse, and as he does so, a large dark shape can be seen looming out in the mist, getting closer. First glance says its another ship, not quite as large as the Waverunner, but big enough to be troublesome.

WlfSamurai Psychie jaydude Random Word

Everyone please give me a Stamina + Resistance roll, difficulty 4

 

[jaydude]

"Ugh...what in Malfeas?" whispered Kasumi, as she found herself dropping to her knees upon the deck of the ship. If this stamina-sapping mist was something she'd encountered before, she had yet to recall what it was.

[Stamina + Resistance roll = 2 successes. Dang, guess Kasumi goes sleepy-bye.]

 

[Psychie]

Moretta can feel the effects of the mist as it washes over her, and is struggling to keep her wits about her.

Botch

 

[Random Word]

At first Melati enjoys the novelty of the cool mist, admiring the way the droplets form on the blossoms in her hair as she struggles to keep Kemuning from chewing on them, but soon she feels the clearly unnatural soporific effect, sees the silhouette of a vessel looming in the mist, and worse, sees Kasumi and Moretta wavering. Panic wells up inside her - if they fall she is sure to be captured, and who knows how long it will be before these pirates ransom them back to the family. She can feel her eyes start to flutter, and- No. Grandmother is relying on her. She will not fail. She must act quickly to stave off a humiliating loss of face and avoid any opportunity for rivals to seize the advantage in Wavecrest. She must do what she does best: Play.

She concentrates on cycling wood essence through her meridians to purge the poison and tosses Kemuning up into the air, willing her to return to her true form. In an explosion of colourful flower petals and a thunderous screech fit to wake the dead Kemuning transforms into an immense serpent with brilliant flower petal scales and varicoloured feathered wings each as large as a ship's sails. Melati implores Kemuning to beat her wings as hard as she can, creating a buffeting wind that pushes back the encroaching mist. Her hands free, she snatches her sanxian from where it rests against the railing nearby and pours her soul into the most potent magic at her disposal, the signature technique that has made her famous in Eagle's Launch and invaluable to her House. She cycles wood essence through her fingertips into her instrument and her throat chakras into her voice, the joyous and life affirming melody stirring and empowering the wood essence in everyone who can hear it, sending an invigorating surge of healing energy coursing through their veins. Moss extends from her feet and Kemuning's discarded petals take root to blossom into beautiful and exotic flowers on the deck as coruscating waves of power radiate off her, pulsing in time to her music.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Melati is spending 4m 1wp on Harmonious Life-Affirming Song to grant everyone a bonus success on resisting the mist, and granting them 7x faster healing on any injuries, poison, or disease suffered today. She's spending 5m to activate her anima power to grant herself double 9s against poison, bringing her anima up to burning.

I'm hoping Kemuning's wingbeats pushing back the mist can also grant everyone either a bonus success or circumstance bonus dice on their roll to resist.

Stamina 2 + Resistance 1 + Stunt 2 = 5 dice; Yay double 9s. 3+1 = 4 hits.

 

[Sherwood]

OOC Random Word just saved Psy from her botch with that success she's giving out. Just waiting on WlfSamurai for his roll.

EDIT
At the moment, Psychie is at a -2 to her rolls and dice pools, and Random Word and Jaydude have no penalty.

 

[WlfSamurai]

Enathia sees the crew struggle and fall. And even her fellow Terrestrials struggling. Without thought or action, she flushes her blood with her Essence, driving her own resistance as that of the Dragons themselves, as the mist swirls around her.

[Spending 4m for 2 auto successes and reroll 6s. Rolling Stamina + Resistance: 3 successes + 2 auto successes = 5 successes]

 

[Sherwood]

As the shadow comes closer in the mist, it can be seen to be another sailing vessel, but it is not as large or as pretty, since it is clearly a normal vessel and not a magically powered First Age one like the Waverunner. It closes in, and from the other ship voices can be heard, one giving out a shout of, "Grapples!"

At that order, several hooks can be seen being flung across the gap between the two ships and latch onto the hull of the Waverunner, pulling tight and starting to drag the two ships closer together. Several dozen men and women with swords and cudgels can be seen though the mist on the other ship, clearly getting ready to board.

Most of your crew are unconscious, along with many of the military escorts you have with you. Only a handful of the mortals onboard were able to fight off the effects of the mist and stay awake, and you can see that they are all very woozy, and will not be much good in a pitched battle between your side and the pirates.

It will not be long before the two ships are pulled together, but you do have a few moments to act. What do you do?

 

[jaydude]

The sight of grappling hooks latching onto the Waverunner's hull could mean only one thing to Kasumi. Getting back up to her feet, she rushed towards the side of the ship the would-be pirates were approaching, while calling out to her fellow Dragon-blooded.

"Everyone be on guard! Interlopers approach us!"

She didn't think the mortals would be of much use in their current states. Once at the side of the ship, she drew Kirameku Namida and raised it high, trying to make sure whoever was intending to attack them could see the daiklave through the mist. Hopefully they'd at the very least get second thoughts about picking a fight with a ship bearing at least one Exalt.

"You make a grave error today, miscreants!" she shouted haughtily, directly to the crew of the other ship. "You attack a vessel of the Realm, and one that bears many of its champions no less! You will not only kill yourselves needlessly, but condemn yourselves in your next lives as well!"

It sounded impressive, she thought. But it would probably be much more so if it came from the mouth of one of the Fire Aspects.

Spoiler: Kasumi Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 28/33

Committed Essence: 5

Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 5 dice (5 successes for 5m through Breath and Essence Control)
Health Levels:
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_]
-3: [_]
Incapacitated: [_]
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Kirameku Namida (Withering Attack 13, Decisive Attack 10, Base Raw Damage 15, Overwhelming 5)

Actions
Rush: 7
Disengage: 7

Evasion 3, Parry 6
Soak/Hardness: 8/0 (Lamellar Armor, +5 Soak, -1 Mobility Penalty)

 

[Psychie]

Moretta is struggling to keep her eyes open, but as she stands there she begins to gather together her mystic energies in preparation of casting a spell.

OOC With my Heirophant's Eye, it gives me +1 SM, for a total of 4 built up so far.

 

[Random Word]

Melati sighs in relief as those most qualified to keep her safe resist the soporific mist. If she's going to contribute anything to her own defense, she's going to need her bow. Or any bow, really. She sends a quick mental command to Kemuning to try to tear up those grappling lines before she scrambles towards the passage belowdecks. Which of her trunks is her bow backed in, anyway? This is the sort of thing one had servants for. Maybe she can find the ship's armoury...

[Melati's not much of a fighter, and she would have had no reason to have her weapon with her on deck. She'll probably have to spend at least a few rounds finding a replacement.]

 

[WlfSamurai]

Enathia looks back and forth, searching for fire. Seeing several warming braziers on deck, she dashes to the closest. She begins thrusting her hand into the brazier, drawing the flames out over parts of her body, as if washing fire over them. As she does, pieces of her articulated plate manifest as the flames solidify into red jade armor.

Once this process if finished, she reaches into the flames and draws her red jade direlance—Dragon's Tooth—out, like it had been sheathed there the entire time.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Spending 3m on Elemental Sheath and 3m on Elemental Aegis.

The armor process takes 2 minutes. So, I'm sure other stuff is going on while I'm trying get my armor on.

 

[Sherwood]

As Enathia reaches into the flames and pulls forth her Direlance and armor, the other ship draws closer as the grapple lines pull everyone together. Voices can be heard from the other ship, whooping and hollering, psyching themselves up to fight anyone that the mist has not put to sleep to seize the Waverunner.

When Melati looks for a weapon to use, you remember that there are chests of gear positioned strategically around the ship that might hold something for you to use.

Kasumi stands ready to respond to the boarders.

Moretta will have one more round of gathering Sorcerous Motes before the pirates can begin to board your ship. Go ahead and roll for the SM, then everyone please give me a Join Battle roll.

 

[Psychie]

Continuing to draw in Sorcerous Motes, Moretta tries to focus her thoughts on the act of casting and not to fall asleep.

Man, the dice don't like me today. Only 3 more SM for a total of 7

 

[jaydude]

It seemed the poor fools approaching them were insistent on getting themselves killed here, Kasumi thought to herself. Well on their heads be the consequences.

The Water Aspect lowered Kirameku Namida to her side and took a deep breath, taking in the scene around her as her Anima emerged in the form of a thin, dark-blue outline. Enathia was ready for battle, and Moretta was clearly preparing to use sorcery, but most of the Waverunner's mortal crew were down, and Kasumi knew that Melati wasn't much of a fighter. Odds were she'd have to try and draw the focus away from her allies and subordinates less able to defend themselves.

Spoiler: Mechanics

Spending 5m Peripheral Essence on Breath and Essence Control, giving me 5 automatic successes in place of having to make a Join Battle roll, and bringing my Anima up to Glowing.

Spoiler: Kasumi Stats

Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 13/13
Peripheral Essence: 23/33
Anima

Committed Essence: 5

Willpower: 7
Join Battle: 5 dice (5 successes for 5m through Breath and Essence Control)
Health Levels:
-0: [_]
-1: [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_], [_]
-3: [_]
Incapacitated: [_]
Resolve 3, Guile 2

Attacks
Kirameku Namida (Withering Attack 13, Decisive Attack 10, Base Raw Damage 15, Overwhelming 5)

Actions
Rush: 7
Disengage: 7

Evasion 3, Parry 6
Soak/Hardness: 8/0 (Lamellar Armor, +5 Soak, -1 Mobility Penalty)

 

[Sherwood]

There is a series of dull clunks as the grapples do their job and pull the two ships together, and a raucous cheer can be heard from the pirates as they lay down boarding ramps to help bridge the gap between their ship and the Waverunner.

Everyone, please give me Join Battle rolls.

jaydude Psychie Random Word WlfSamurai

 

[Psychie]

Moretta continues to build up her Sorcerous Motes in preparation of releasing her spell.

Total of 5i, and 7 SM gathered so far.

Spoiler

Health Levels
-0 [ ]
-1 [ ][ ]
-2 [ ][ ]
-4 [ ]
Incapacitated [ ]

Essence: 2
Personal: 13
Peripheral: 31 / 26
Committed: 10
Willpower: 7

Join Battle: 5 + 3i
Evasion: 5
Parry: 3
Guile: 3
Resolve: 3

Virtuous Guardian of Flame
Parry: 6
Perception: 10
Soak: 7
Hardness: 2
Health Levels
[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] - [ ][ ] -0

Soak: 2
Virtuous Guardian of Flame: 2
Armored Soak: 5
Total Soak: 9

Elemental Bolt Attack
Accuracy: +5 Close; +4 Short; +3 Medium; −0 Long; −2 Extreme;
Damage: 10 + Essence (doesn’t add Strength); Overwhelming: (Essence + 1)

 

[Random Word]

Melati careens back out onto deck, knuckles white around the first bow she could find, quiver over her shoulder, breathing heavily from the frenzied search.