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Beach Party Koko'Ino's lips pull taut across her face in a rictus grin wider than any mortal could manage, baring needle-sharp fangs as she steps across the veil between the spiritual and the mundane. "Oh," she giggles, "this is just loving precious." Behind her, Bolt finishes his dive and lands softly on a tree branch as though he weighed nothing at all. Silently, he peers between the fronds, ready to jump into the fray should things turn ugly. "So you found my snack bar. So what?" She sweeps her arm out over the open ocean. "Plenty of fish in the sea..." Leering unpleasantly at Spark, she adds: "...and birds in the air." Koko'Ino shrugs. "And the Realm...you must not have been paying attention if you think they're the ones calling the shots anymore. But hey, if you want to try to take down Grandmaster Scrubbing Bubbles, I might actually hold off on eating you for now." She licks her lips. "I could use a laugh." Offhandedly, she waves back at the treeline. "Oh, and don't think your boyfriend up there is gonna save you." She snickers at the twinge in Never's expression. "Yeah, I can smell him all over you. Someone likes to ride the lightning, huh? Oh, and what is this little treat?" The goddess cranes her neck to look over the gunwales of the rowboat, directly at Butterfly. "Hey there, mousey. Don't think I can't see..." Koko'Ino frowns as she trails off. "Huh. These morons think their weapons are worth a flying gently caress, but you...your aura says that you're the only one who can actually do anything to me." Suddenly, she leaps, not like a mortal athlete, but writhing through the air like a fish. She lands in the rowboat next to the Daybreak, her feet still not quite touching anything solid. Up close, her eyes are visible behind her mask of bone: flat, lidless discs of solid black. "Now, why do you suppose that is?" House Party It takes a few minutes for Rose to fully dry her eyes and calm herself enough to answer Wyrm. "She...she was my sifu...but more than that, she was my friend." She pulls herself up to sit next to the Abyssal, leaning against the wall. "She was a genius. Not even a century old, and a master of three of the Five Glorious Styles. If she'd had time...she might have one day been a Grandmaster herself. But..." Rose sighs. "She wasn't really...good with people. She always knew what to do, what her mission in life was...and she couldn't understand why everyone else didn't just know, too. I mean, I know how to fight, but you saw how that went when the Jewel was attacked. Everyone else fell into the Method of Ideal Naval Defense, and I shot myself out of a ballista. I think she was always kind of disappointed in me as a student...but she never gave up on me, either." "And then the Empress disappeared, and Anathema started popping up everywhere, and..." She shivers. "...a lot of the monastery didn't make it. And she tried to be stoic and keep things together, but I think...no, I know that it got to her a lot more than she let on." Rose stares down into her lap. "We all lost a lot of friends." "And then we got reassigned to Petraya, and...well...you saw her journal." There's a long silence following Rose's words, finally broken when the fireblood dares to look up at her surroundings once more. "This stuff...it all looks like hers." She blinks. "No, wait...it is hers, but...she lived up at the mission with the rest of us! And besides, this place is way too fancy - what kind of Immaculate would live here?" She hesitates as she thinks her own words through. "I mean...besides the kind who works with Anathema?" -------- While Wyrm and Rose talk about feelings, Onyx busies herself searching the townhouse for possible threats. Even beyond this place's obvious use in lulling guests into a false sense of security, something feels off to the Day caste. Yes, an assassin in here could do some serious damage, but how would one even get in? Well. How, besides posing as part of a celebrity's entourage? Also puzzling her is the matter of the scratch marks in the floor. If the victims were taken from inside the building, there should be signs of struggle near the entrances...but there aren't. Instead, marks are all situated well into the house's interior, and her sense for death shows her no evidence of bodies hidden in the walls. Taking another look at the gouges, a thought occurs to Onyx. What if people weren't dragged out through the front door? What if there's another way in that Wyrm missed? But with her level of diligence, how could she have missed anything? Onyx: Following the scratch marks back through the house, Onyx realizes that they're all centered around a single room: the communal baths. Inside, she finds no further damage...in fact, so little damage that that itself becomes suspicious. There ought to be at least a little wear and tear; that there isn't suggests that the room was recently refinished. And something still bothers her... And then it hits her. Indoor plumbing. Fresh water. Twin Springs Monastery. The room is dominated by a large, central sculpture of a roaring dragon, mounted on a slab of basalt. Strange, given that the Order condemns any sort of representative art as idolatry. Four taps are mounted on the statue's base...but with as much plumbing as ought to be inside that thing, the flow is oddly weak. In any case, no human could possibly lift it from its setting to move it aside. But a handful of Exalts working together from beneath it...that's another story. Donner Party In answer to Damnation's request, Herald only raises his hand for a high-five. "Bro," he asks, "are you gonna keep talking?" In a flash, the white-haired youth is replaced by a white-feathered falcon bigger than a heavy warhorse. "Or are we gonna go break stuff?" About five minutes as the bird flies to the north shore, roughly enough time for a single social exchange before Herald and Damnation arrive. As the pair rises above the canopy and vanishes into the distance, Ceaseless undoes the heavy, wooden crossbeam and enters the encampment. Inside, the situation is every bit as dire as Never implied. Cyanin and Smaragdi are packed into the cramped space, the stench of fear and excrement overpowering the Midnight's senses. The expressions on the faces looking at him are simultaneously terrified and weary beyond belief. With a pop! a figure materializes in one of the shrines at the center of the village. Its overall body plan is roughly humanoid, but it possesses the claws and hump-backed shell of a crab, and tentacles ring its beaked maw. It's hard to read its expression, but if Ceaseless had to guess, he'd peg it as "quizzical". More, similarly-bizarre entities fade into visibility before his eyes, along with the ivory faces of the dead and the exhausted-looking mizukami that Never described earlier. Next to the row of shrines is a stone altar littered with human remains, the bones scoured and picked bare by the hungry spirits. "Brethren!" Voice-of-Ages' sonorous tone rings out across the palisade. "As it was foretold, so has it come to pass! Our saviors walk among us!" Stepping forward from the mob of zombie sharks, he uncoils his arm at Ceaseless. "Behold, ye faithful, ye villains: the very face of Death!"
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Feb 6, 2013 20:33
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - Taking to the Skies! Damnation high-fives Herald, full of energy. "Let's do this." He hops on the morphed Thunderbird, giving a brief nod to Ceaseless and Voice-of-Ages. Though he had enjoyed training with the flight of thunderbirds, been impressed with Blood-on-the-Wind's dedication to carnage, and found Bolt's willingness to sacrifice his own blood for the sake of their mission very noble, it wasn't until this moment that a very important revelation dawned upon the pirate. Thunderbirds know how to party. Planning ahead, Damnation curiously removes and stows his gauntlets. Damnation now has an intimacy of Flight of Thunderbirds: My Fightbros MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Feb 7, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 20:57
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The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden I need an Personal: 12 --> 3/19, Peripheral: 21/31, Blood-Rose: 6/7, Willpower: 7/10; Anima: Bleeding Caste Mark Butterfly froze in place when she heard Koko'Ino's voice pop out, and shook in horror when the goddess called out Butterfly and landed right next to her. Okay Butterfly, play it safe, no sense getting yourself killed yet. She's really powerful, but there's got to be a weakspot somewhere. Just need a distraction to find it. "I KNOW!" Butterfly squeed out in a voice that was probably a little louder than intended. "They all rely on their little pointy sticks, but those are soooo obvious and can get taken away or break real easily. It's really sad. BUT LOOK AT THAT!" Butterfly squatted down to get a better look at the goddesses outfit. "Just covered in feathers, beautiful thunderbird feathers and...is that... their bones?" She took a moment and looked up awkwardly at Spark, then back at the outfit. "I didn't realize they were so nice...well, everything else about them is pretty so I suppose their bones would be too..." Her hands were moving all over Koko'Ino's outfit, occasionally lifting up a feather but for the most part not making actual contact to alert the war goddess. The rope holding it all together was hemp, not worth mentioning. "And your hair! I haven't seen hair done like that before, and oooooh the little beads they're so pretty and colorful, I'm sure when you jump around like that it's like a rainbow dancing all in the air, woosh! Weee! It looks amazing on you...I would ask if you could do my hair the same way but I don't think I could pull it off anywhere near the way you do!" (By the way, this entire time Butterfly has been analyzing Koko'Ino. First, activating Pitiless Triage Judgement, to check her current health. Doubting anything's there, but if there's something I want to know. Second, Int+Occ+2nd Ex to look for Weakspots in Koko'Ino: 10d10x7+5 11 Third, Int+Craft to examine Koko'Ino's outfit: 8d10x7 2 Thes approved as a 1-die stunt. 2 Motes come back!) Krysmphoenix fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Feb 6, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 21:14
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Daughter of Onyx & Silver The Day caste comes skidding back into the bedroom, speaking very rapidly. "Yes, very sad what happened to what's-her-face. You all got stationed on Petraya, at Twin Springs Monastery? Well, um. I think I found the other spring. It's in the baths, and people have been dragged in there (rather than hidden in the walls, or something). Probably taken underneath the dragon fountain (which should totally have better water pressure, by the way)." Onyx finally pauses for breath, and gives the Fireblood and the Moonshadow a level look. "What? It's the only way an assassin could get in unnoticed and dispose of the bodies."
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Feb 7, 2013 02:01
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, At the Palisade Ceaseless is glad he'd taken the time to work on his hat in the spare moments while he was too frustrated by the essence drives to work on them. From the rim all the way around the hat, the Midnight had hung strands of finger bones to form a veil. He'd carefully kept all the individual strands organized by finger and the veil itself organized by hands, leaving the too-short thumb boned out, of course. It gave a pleasantly scalloped bottom edge that was also slightly easier to see through than the top edge due to the thinner bones near the fingertips. From his perch atop the shark zombies, the veil was perfect; just long enough to lend him an air of macabre mystery while still allowing him to see the audience below him and the audience to see his fabulous facial hair. At Voice-of-Ages' introduction, Ceaseless bring the zombie sharks to a halt, then rises to his feet. "Thank you, faithful servant," rasps the Midnight. He raises his voice to a volume that fills the palisade, despite the damage wrought by the ocean on his throat. He is trained to overcome the roar of wind and wave or the babble of a party both, after all. "Mortals, spirits, attend me, for I bring deliverance." Ceaseless pauses to let his eyes sweep the crowd and those assembled to contemplate what deliverance might mean for them, under the circumstances. "Petraya has gone awry of late. Even those among us who have made errors of judgement do so in reaction to the terrible perversions of the natural order who have almost completely overrun the island. Given the pressures placed upon you, we are minded to overlook many errors in judgement so long as those who have made them assist us wholeheartedly in Petraya's rescue and resurgence. We are but the first of many, sent to aid you in this time of peril. Do not doubt that our will and wits and might are sufficient unto the task at hand. I am sure that even the dullest among you do not doubt our fortitude." Ceaseless grins a bitter grin, fangs bared and parched lips crackling wide. His eyes glitter behind the veil of bones with malice, madness, and hunger. A few pale specks of red form upon them briefly before he licks the blood away. "I am known as The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore in honor of my devotion to our cause. You may call me Lord Ceaseless. Let us begin by cleaning things up, shall we? Death is patient, no need to rush headlong into his grasp by ignoring basic sanitation." Spending 12 xp to raise Performance from 3->5. Spending 5 motes to activate Morbid Fascination Style. Charisma+Performance 9->5 sux Spending a Willpower to channel Conviction and make a Cha+Per roll for speech. Cha+Per+Conv 13->6 sux
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Feb 7, 2013 06:14
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Spawn of the Devouring Wyrm - Trophy Room "She was your friend, now she is your memory." Wyrm gives Rose a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Guard her well." With the nun's suffering eased, Wyrm has time to again consider her surroundings. The masks, spears, shields, figurines, all so neatly arrayed around her. She hears Onyx's abrupt and dry report. She picks up the mask, "After all, a Girl needs her Trophies." The crew, ever-present on the sidelines stand to a slightly safer distance as from their leader rises a most feared and dreadful sound - Wyrm laughs. Gripping the mask the face of a dear friend, Wyrm whirls about a quick lap of the trophy room, cackling all the while. "Oh, you would have been a pleasure." She slams the mask back in its place in the display. She looks, delighted, back at Rose, "Pick one, to keep her with you. The rest, we send home." She spies Auling in the corner of her eye. He's kept around, alert, but can't shake off the look of a lost puppy. Time to throw a bone. "You - prepare the ceremony. You will appease your first victim." Snap of the fingers, flick of the wrist, and crew is assigned to aid Auling in preparing to pay respects to the slain. Wyrm departs, taking Onyx in tow. "You found their way in, good. Trap it. Let them learn how we entertain unexpected guests." As quick as that she's off again. There are other fires to set. He, Jackal, is swiftly bypassed, leaving the little icebox defenceless. A few bottles of good years of this and that are swiftly pillaged, dragged sloshing and bubbling to the Reflecting pool to meet their destinies. A ring of firedust is set around a groove meant for incense. A nagging sensation behind the eyes that this is what one should not do swiftly drowns in Wyrm's share of the offering. This is important. "Bolt From Brightest Day," His share is poured into the ring, "May these good spirits find you well. If not, may they light your path to brighter days. Know that you have made your presence felt, and that your name is on the lips of those who would call you to battle. For good or ill. Know there is no doubt that you shall face their slings and arrows with strength, and grace. Know that none can cage the thunder." Wyrm strikes a little match, "To brightest day, from darkest night, amen." The hammer falls, the powder lights, and with a roar of thunder, her words take flight. Charisma+Perform+Wp to spread the good news. Will 6/10
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Feb 7, 2013 18:59
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Cruel Intentions Koko'Ino stiffens. "Ew, get off, GET OFF!" Disgusted, she grabs Butterfly and hurls her to the back of the rowboat, then vigorously wipes the spots where her armor was touched. "You smell like poverty and old people!" Butterfly: Both her armor and her spear are magic, natch. The armor grants her resistance to air- and electricity-based attacks, halving any post-soak damage taken from such. Unless you're very much mistaken, her spear is tipped with one of Siakal's own fangs, and carries a fraction of her bloodlust - it functions as a direlance that's extra-nasty against wounded foes. Given this, and Koko'Ino's fighting style, it's probable that her other powers are also tied to bloodshed. "Now," she snarls, addressing all present, "you're going to tell me why you're here. You're going to tell me everything you know about the situation. You're going to tell me who else knows about the situation. You will omit nothing." As she speaks, her countenance darkens, and the wind rises in a cold howl. The seawater around the rowboat blackens, then freezes over entirely. "And when you're done, I may be so generous as to let you prostrate your worthless selves before me in worship and abasement instead of drinking your blood and sucking the marrow from your bones!" Bolt leaps from the tree and hits the ground running, unslinging his axe as he races to Never's side; halfway there, he slows, cocks his head as if listening, then nods resolutely and joins the others. Spark, meanwhile, tries his best to look inconspicuous as he sidles across the ice towards Butterfly. Gingerly, the elemental mage extends a hand to his fellow sorceror. "Come on!" he whispers urgently. Drops of rain begin to fall from the cloudless sky, red and viscous. "Don't even think about it!" Koko'Ino snaps at Spark. Shadowy figures writhe at the very edge of vision, tentacles and beaks and needle-fanged maws, horrors from the ocean's deepest trenches. "I COMMAND YOU, PATHETIC INSECTS! BOW AND SCRAPE, BEFORE I GROW WEARY AND DROWN YOU IN YOUR OWN BLOOD!" Hoo, boy. Time for some Exalted social combat!  Anyways, Koko'Ino's using a charm called Stoke the Flame, which inspires strong emotions; in this case, supernatural terror. 10 sux worth of scary, plus any difference between her Appearance (5) and your own, -1 for you outnumbering her. If she exceeds your MDV, you must either succumb (and do as she says, while accepting an Emotion of terror), or spend WP to resist based on how much she beat you by. I'll spare you the pain of Exalted maths. Bolt has very good mental defenses and Valor 5, which gives him an extra +2; he passes without needing to spend WP. Spark isn't quite that together, and spends 1 WP to resist. Never gets winged, and her MDV is not wonderful; resisting will cost 2 WP. Butterfly has the second-highest MDV of any PC (only Watcher's is better), but with an Appearance difference of 3 and Valor 1, she'll need to spend a full 3 WP to shake it off. Furthermore, since she has only Conviction 1, failing to WP it will give her an Intimacy of Koko'Ino (Terrified Awe). HOWEVER, there is a way to make this suck less. The cost for Butterfly can be dropped to only 1 WP...if she declares resisting to be in accord with her Motivation, and thereby commits herself to trying to end Koko'Ino's horrid practice of human sacrifice. Think of it like a Compel in Dresden. Deliverance The inhabitants of the enclosure fall silent at Ceaseless' words. Something in his speech demands they listen; demands they show him the respect due the voice of Oblivion. As he finishes, a soft murmur sweeps through the assembly; tentatively, hesitantly, the spring maiden begins to step forward and opens her mouth. She hasn't said two words before she's loudly and rudely cut off. "Errors in judgement?" Ceaseless' words echo in his ears, indignant and incredulous. "Abomination, do not presume to stand in judgment of your betters!" The speaker, at first, is not readily apparent...until Ceaseless realizes that a blocky statue, an idol of black stone marbled with green whose cranium is an open bowl of roaring flame, is in fact a deity in its own right. "We, who lower ourselves to guide and shelter you in your time of crisis - have we not given enough? Are we not wise and gracious?" His words are more than empty platitudes - there is a palpable sense of authority about the deity. All the same, however, Ceaseless can tell that the tribals' patience with his antics has worn thin. "I, Flame-Upon-The-Peaks, son of great Lord Aukanok, demand an apology for your insolence and blasphemy!" Flame, who claims to be the son of one of the west's Six Great Volcano Gods, is more of a known quantity to the islanders. All the same, though, everyone who isn't a god here is definitely more inclined to listen to Ceaseless than him right now. His social attack gets 5 sux - not even close to beating Ceaseless' MDV. Thesaurasaurus fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Feb 7, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 19:06
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The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden Compel Accepted Personal: 3/19, Peripheral: 21 --> 1/31, Blood-Rose: 6/7, Willpower: 7 --> 3/10; Anima: Totemic Aura Zombies: 35 --> 25; Resonance: 0 --> 1 The Girl Who Became Butterfly posted:Descending Sakura was a tall and beautiful man, with the eyes of a huntsman, and the heart of a poet. He prided himself for his seemingly countless beautiful gardens across his estate. When the sun began to set in the sky, the gardens were placed under the shadow of the tallest tree just outside of his estate. At this hour, lanterns were to be lit throughout the gardens, making it seem as though the entire garden was glowing in it's beautiful radiance from afar. The gardens earned Descending Sakura the praise and envy from across Creation, to which he played the generous host and showed them off to all who passed by. The water seemed so terrifying. It's waves moved in the wind, like fangs and teeth ready to devour Butterfly. At first, Butterfly obeyed, falling to her knees in obedience to the terrible power before her. She cried silently, for she could not bring herself to speak. She could not tell if the blood falling before her eyes was her own or of that from the cloudless sky. The Girl Who Became Butterfly posted:"Remember this moment, your sacrifice." Descending Sakura spoke out, his voice so calm and steady as if he was speaking before an audience. "When I am done, I will be generous how you sacrificed my gardens, and you will continue maintaining them until the day you die." * * * Thud. Thud. Thud. "LOOOOREN! GET OVER HERE! THE ZOMBIES ARE TRYING TO BREAK FREE!" Ragara Kaida braced herself against the door leading to the section of the Envoy of Eternal Peace that was reserved for Butterfly's pet zombies to roam freely and get their daily exercise. Considering Spawn of the Devouring Wyrm's opinion of Butterfly, it wasn't very surprising that the section of the boat was particularly tiny and only had a single door which was always barred and locked, despite the fact that they had never tried to break free. Until now. Thud. Thud. Thud. "What's all the commotion about..." Ledaal Loren mumbled out, rubbing his eyes. From his hair, it looked as though he had just gotten out of bed. Although the boat both gave both of them the willies if they stayed on it too long, it did have the best furnishings and Butterfly said they were free to drink whatever tea they could get their hands on while she was gone. "The zombies always stay put if Butterfly says so." Thud. Thud. Thud. "Well they aren't now! Get over here and help me keep this door shut!" Kaida braced herself against the door, stopping it from breaking apart. At first the zombies had scratched at it, and when they realized that didn't work they started colliding against the doorway. So far it was at random intervals, but if those happened to sync up, she certainly wouldn't be able to keep it shut. Thud. Thud. Thud. Loren looked through the glass window on the top of the door, at the zombies within. Most of them were against the door, but there was one that stayed away, looking back at Loren. He recognized it on sight, it was Butterfly's favorite. Jenkins. He seemed...sad? "Kaida, set them free." "WHAT? Are you out of your mind?" That was it. He'd lost it. Lore had finally snapped, it was only a matter of time. "Trust me! It's important." Kaida frowned, and then stepped away from the door. The zombies had stopped trying to break it down as well. One by one she undid the restraints on the door. "If we both die and end up like them, I'm eating your brains first." Then finally she opened the door, and got out of the way. One by one, Butterfly's zombies escaped from their prison, and quickly made their way up the deck, with Jenkins leading the way with one of Butterfly's (many) parasols in his hands. Confused, Loren and Kaida both followed. Once free to open air, all thirty-five zombies moved their way to the northern most tip of the ship, silently gazing outward. Jenkins stood at the front, and turned to face the rest of the zombies. Not once had Butterfly abused them. Although she could be childish and use them as makeshift furniture when it matched her convenience she never once treated them badly, drinking blood and tea next to them. The zombies were not her slaves. The zombies were not her servants. Even when they broke apart, no longer able to hold themselves together she kept what she could, combining body parts together to return them to undeath in a new form. The zombies were her friends. It was time to return the favor. Jenkins turned back to the North, gazing endlessly into the distance. One by one, zombies began to fall, collapsing on their own weight as the magic that bound them together was extracted from their bodies. Ten zombies fell in all, and more were already showing signs of weakening. The parasol splashed against the waves of the ocean, set free as Jenkins too collapsed onto the deck. * * * She could feel herself falling victim to Koko'Ino's spell, the unceasing sounds of the terrors of the deepest pits of the ocean. Bolt-from-Brightest-Day had cast aside that fear like it was nothing. Spark-of-Inspiration had managed to overcome it as well. Certainly Never Within Reach had the power to prove her namesake to this goddess. But Butterfly was powerless before the goddess. To her, Butterfly was nothing more than a vessel to hold valuable information. She was just going to end up a sacrifice again... "Have mercy on us..." "Spare us this agony..." "Do not draw it out..." "End our lives swiftly..." The prayers from the remains of Descending Sakura's estate, and it's now decadent garden, was nothing new to her, and they had whispered in her ears for ages. As punishment she extended their deaths but one day she would return and grant them the peace of unlife. But for once, she heard new prayers break in. Silent prayers, but it was power none the less. It was the prayers from her zombies. Mrs. Agney. Sir Lambert. Old Lady Witherly. Mr. Shuffles. Ms. Ainsworth. Old Man Garrod. Mr. Gibbons. Miss Chambers. Little Kimberly. Oh spirits...Jenkins. I...I won't forget this. With sudden resolve, Butterfly began to raise her body off the surface of the rowboat from where she had landed. She heard Spark's whispering, but so had the goddess. When she had finished shrieking, Butterfly spat next to the goddess' feet "No." The Girl Who Became Butterfly posted:But ______ had protested too late. Already her vision had been cast into pure darkness, her whole body feeling empty and gone. There was nothing but pure emptiness. Pure oblivion. "I won't become a sacrifice. I swore I would stop that nonsense. I won't tell you anything." Watcher had her head in the jaws of his sharks out of fear that she might just tell what she knew to anyone who would listen, or worse, report it back to Captain Wyrm. And this wannabe shark was coming up to her demanding for that very information? "I'm not worthy enough to be spat on by the powers at play here, and you aren't worthy for my own spit. If we're pathetic insects, then you are nothing." Then The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden laughed as she called upon the power around her. "And I've seen it." Once more darkness spread out from around her. "True nothingness." The darkness burst into black flames, rising all around her. The wood of the rowboat rotted in her presence. "Endless oblivion. The power that defies Creation itself!" The black flames then took wings and scattered wide. Countless butterflies fluttered all around her, inverted in color from Creation around it. Several of the butterflies clustered together behind her, taking the form of a dark-robed necromancer. As Butterfly threw out her arm, pointing straight at Koko'Ino, the form of the necromancer mimicked her motion. "Spark! Bolt! Help me show this whelp what true nothingness looks like!" As Butterfly began to recite the dark words of Necromancy as fast as she possibly could, the void colored butterflies swirled around her with power. With her final words, the butterflies would fly straight into Koko'Ino and fill her heart with pure Oblivion. * * * Holy poo poo! Let's break 10k characters on this! Okay, a lot is happening here. First off, I'm taking the Compel to post something about Butterfly's motivation to break out of Koko'Ino's charm with a Willpower. Next, Joining Battle. My Wits is 3, Awareness is 0. Invoking Compassion for another Willpower, and using a second for an Auto-success on this. And finally calling upon Spark and Bolt to help me out here and getting another Auto-successes at the cost of a dot of Resonance. Total thing is 7 dice with 2 auto-successes. Join Battle: BRING IT, SHARK BITCH!: 7d10x7+2 7 Since I have no idea what Koko'Ino's Join Battle roll is going to be, I'm moving on to the next step: Shattering Void Mirror. This takes 20 motes to cast and the standard 1 Willpower. Taking ALL of it from Peripheral for maximum flavor. Additionally, the amount of Willpower I've thrown away has started to bite into the dots of Willpower I devoted to maintaining the zombies, so with each dot 5 more will go poof until only the 10 from Followers remains. As a reminder, Shattering Void Mirror is loving scary. It deals raw lethal damage dice equal to twice of Koko'Ino's remaining health levels, and it ignores armor. Additionally she also lose motes of Essence equal to twice Koko'Ino's permanent Essence, targeting Peripheral first. If it kills her, her soul explodes in inverted-color voidness and the body is left behind completely drained of color.
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Feb 8, 2013 00:05
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Oh what a bloody boring development. Jackal couldn't help but sneer at Rose and Wyrm's silly little drama. And for his superior presence to be ignored like that... How incredibly stupid! Very well then, there must be something more amusing to do in this place than observing such emotional babble and drinking himself into a second death. He takes another swig from the bottle and leaves the room mumbling at how his talent is being seriously wasted with such incompetent buffoons. "I, Ja-er... Regal Unbowed Dragon, need nothing of this poo poo. Perhaps there must be something else to do..." Like report to his so-called Masters. Yes, the Deadlords could appreciate a report. Of course, while Jackal wanted to postpone the whole Creation-razing thing, in his craven and black heart he knew that cajoling his 'superiors' always brought good results. At least until he decides he's had enough to do with those gibbering dead imbeciles. The Moonshadow retires himself to a more secluded location, sitting in a more relaxed version of the Lotus position as he tried to contact the Neverborn, his inner voice echoing to unknown eons and dimensions, still keeping the same barely-contained smugness and superiority sense. "We have arrived at the filthy little Island. It appears that the infected by the life-blight are many. Are there any reinforcements and such that can be sent our way? Know that we have little time, and are on dire conditions, so it's for the good of our cause that I, Jackal, am assisted!" Activating Whispers, spending 1WP.
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Feb 8, 2013 00:10
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99 Problems Skimming low over the canopy, Damnation and Herald crest the edge of the jungle just in time to witness Koko'Ino issuing her ultimatum. Dread power pours forth from the goddess, a terrible aura enshrouding her - both mount and rider can feel the echoes of her words clawing at the insides of their skulls, seeking purchase upon their psyches. "Bro, I'm gonna do something crazy, and you're gonna have to trust that I know what I'm doing." Bereft of lips, Herald's range of expression is limited, but from his tone, had he lips, they would be grimacing. Pulling his wings sharply to his sides, the thunderbird begins to dive... In the launch below, Koko'Ino breaks off her monologue in sheer disbelief at the insolence of the tiny creature before her. Then, shrieking incoherently, she twirls her spear, drawing it back in preparation to drive it through Butterfly's gut. Bolt and Spark close their eyes - the Abyssal's incantation is too long, and the goddess is too quick - the spear's razor point is two feet away...a foot...six inches... Without warning, a tremor runs through Butterfly's form, a wave of pure speed, fierce and electric. She opens her eye (two inches) and utters the last syllable of her spell. An un-flash of darkness de-luminates the sunlit beach, devouring light and life. Amidst the howling of the freezing wind and the wailing of the dead, a horrible, bloodcurdling scream sounds out, at once distant and quite near. Vision returns, along with Koko'Ino...the real Koko'Ino. Her ethereal substance blasted away by the power of the Void, her true horror is bare for all to see. Perfect, golden skin is replaced by slimy scales, her feet by flippers, her face by a gaping, piscine maw. That certain *ahem* feminine traits are still present only makes her all the more disturbing. "YOU!!...YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE WRETCH! I'LL KILL YOU, FILLET YOU A STRIP AT A TIME, GRILL YOU UNTIL YOU'RE loving CHARCOAL!!!" She jerks her spear back, then thrusts once more. Up in the air, Herald whispers: "Jump. Now." Without waiting for a reply, he twists out from under Damnation and shifts into his human form in midair. In a golden flash, a chain of Orichalcum materializes in his hand; twisting and flipping as he falls, he holds it at full extension and brings it down hard. It catches Koko'Ino on the back of her skull as Herald and Damnation land in the boat beside her, crushing its hull to splinters, then writhes and wraps around her once...twice...thrice... On the fourth pass, it snags her spear, once again pulling it away a split-second before Butterfly loses an organ or two. Binding the weapon at an angle against her body, the chain pulls taut; struggle as she might, the goddess' injuries take their toll, and she can't muster the strength to break free. "I've got her!" Herald yells, somewhat redundantly. "Quick, trap her in the gem!" Once again, too many rolls to link. Executive summary: through a miracle of the RNG (and a 3-die stunt, everyone have an XP!), Butterfly beats Koko'Ino by 5+ sux on JB and gets her spell off before Koko can retaliate - 14L damage. Herald rolls best on JB and attempts to clinch her; even with her excellencies, thanks to her wound penalties from Butterfly's spell, the clinch sticks and she's held. Butterfly takes a point of Resonance for accepting Bolt and Spark's Benefactions, but who cares. Milton, you're the one with the Yasal crystal; trapping her will take a point of WP. If you roll at least 3 sux on JB, it's all over for her. Gonna update for the port/palisade crews once battle is formally over.
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Feb 8, 2013 01:44
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - We're On A Boat, Motherfucker Hey, Girl. Welcome to the Crew.: 10d10x7 4 +1 for Boat. Spent 1 WP on Valor Channel. Damnation lets out uproarious laughter that shakes the boat. "Of all the villains of the seven seas I have ever met, you are the most short-sighted and pathetic. You've wielded power here how many years? You've spent untold eons eating and wearing thunderbirds. You're vain, gluttonous, and unbelievably stupid. My friends met Bolt, stole his friend back from the Realm, and in one month we've made you look like a complete idiot. You were eating the thunderbirds, and they're some of the best warrior allies I've seen in my entire military history. You have no military mind, only a mirror and a gullet. But, what else should I have expected from a mere undersecretary?" He heartily gulps from his hip flask containing some foul-smelling pirate beverage. "There's good news though, Under-my-boot-Secretary! We are going to battle Cleansing Tide! You even get to help! You, in your own way, will be allowed to augment the powers of the greatest pirate crew in the history of the West. It's a promotion from your position as an idiotic pale imitation of Siakal, I promise." While moving his left hand quickly behind his back, Damnation blows Siakal a kiss with his right. "Let me show you to where you'll be spending the next few years, sister." He then gently takes his right hand and pats her on the cheek patronizingly. Spending 1 more WP to put Koko'Ino in the Yasal Crystal. Total WP is now 7/10 MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 02:06
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, At the Palisade As Flame-Upon-The-Peaks speaks, Wandering Rainbow whistles a cheerful tune beneath it's breath. By the end of the god's speech, the well-bejeweled skeleton's whistle has grown in volume sufficient to fill the palisade and is clearly recognizable as The Ballad of Bellowing Ox, much beloved Creation-wide for its tale of the misadventures of the titular character, a preening, vainglorious, pompous Dynast sent away from the Realm to try his luck in the Satrapies, where he is regularly brought low by his hubris and stupidity. When the god thunders to his conclusion, "... an apology for your insolence and blasphemy!" the skeleton looks around with a vaguely confused air. "Oh, I'm sorry," it says cheerfully and waits just long enough that someone might start to think this was the apology the god had demanded, "I didn't realize someone else was talking." It taps the location where it's right ear would reside. "I always find it easier to hear the friendly words, for some reason." Ceaseless sighs mournfully. "I'm sorry, Flame-Upon-the-Peaks, that my companion was unable to hear the details of the many ways in which you have assisted those in your charge. He does have a somewhat unusual physiology. Wandering Rainbow, perhaps if you stood closer to the son of Lord Aukanok and he spoke more pleasantly, you might be able to take note of those prior deeds. I hope that they outweigh the obviously miserable conditions and appallingly short-sighted wastefulness apparent on the altar for all to see!" Ceaseless takes a breath to calm himself and addresses the whole crowd. "We truly do appreciate any assistance you have offered in the struggle to save Petraya and her people. With your cooperation, we shall build upon the foundation of your successes an unshakable force that will sever this plague from the isle like a scythe through grass!" Ceaseless hops down from his perch and claps his hands together. "Now, let's get to work. As you were about to say..." he says to the spring maiden as Wandering Rainbow produces paper and ink from somewhere and approaches Flame-Upon-the-Peaks, it's permanent smile wide on bony cheeks. Wandering Rainbow uses Imprecation of Ill Manners to give Flame-Upon-the-Peaks a -5 external penalty on his speech, using personal essence. Since that reduces him to 0 successes, he won't sway anyone and has a -5 external penalty on all subsequent social attacks this scene.
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Feb 8, 2013 02:55
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Never Within Reach -  As Koko'Ino roared her commands, a chill of unnatural fear ran up and down Never's spine. It was not impossible to resist, but Never found herself unwilling to expend the energy to do so. She had done her part in this by spotting and revealing the dematerialized goddess. In her current state, defiance was risking much for a meaningless victory. She was not so shaken that she would give in to the Celestial's demands, all Koko'Ino could do was force her to stand by and watch. A petty, poisonous little thought wormed through the back of her mind. Her last attempt to defend Butterfly had met with a rebuff. If the Daybreak wanted to stand alone, then she was more than welcome. Outwardly, Never stood perfectly still on the sand, neither cowering nor prostrating herself as demanded, but unable to move from her place. She shivered in the warm air. Inwardly, she buried her anger. Once there was a woman who knew when to bite her tongue. The distant memory was tainted with regret. Once there was a woman who could bite it no longer, who suffered and died for her words... Never watched with open eyes as Butterfly's aura enveloped the beach and her fury ripped through Koko'Ino. Damnation decended from the sky with Herald not a moment later. Two crimson teardrops streaked down her cheeks as she stood by and did nothing. mistaya fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 03:46
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↓ + (B) Snarling with fury, Koko'Ino attempts to bite a chunk out of Damnation's hand. All she manages is a harmless (if disgusting) gumming as her fangs dissolve into scarlet mist, followed by her extremities, then her limbs, then her entire torso. Thinking quickly, Butterfly snatches her spear before it can evaporate, and pulls the strap fastening her armor. Thankfully, the Deathknights' view of her as her overcoat falls away is mercifully brief. The mist becomes a cloud, then a vortex that twists and strains against the pull of the binding. Koko'Ino is drawn inexorably into the crystal, the gem's amber coloration replaced by a deep, crimson stain, a roiling mass of ichor surging against its bonds. The goddess' thrashing causes the stone to shudder once...twice...three times before at last falling still. Wild KOKO'INO was caught! Would you like to give your KOKO'INO a nickname? ...okay I'll stop now. Hot Air Flame-Upon-The-Peaks stamps and sputters indignantly at being brushed aside, the fire in his bowl burning a deep cherry-red. For an instant, it seems almost as if he's about to strike at Rainbow before a handful of ghosts flock about the skeleton protectively and he thinks better of it. With the rather useless deity resigned to impotent grumbling, things proceed more productively. The mizukami's once-pristine robes are stained with blotches of inky black, and although it's hard to tell, her face looks even bluer than it rightly should. Her voice is faint, with undertones reminiscent of water running over stone. "Ceaseless." She dispenses with the formalities - Ceaseless gets the impression that she's far past the point of caring. "You say that you can stop this. You got that leaden-witted blowhard to shut up, so I'm inclined to believe that you can do what most would think impossible. My name is Gentle Murmur; lie to me, or make promises you can't keep, and you'll find out just how gentle I'm not. "I am...or was...one of the Sisters of the Twin Springs. If you're here to stop the man who murdered my sister..." Murmur's crystal-blue eyes darken to pools of blackness, and bystanders' breath begins to mist in the air. "...I will tell everything I know of him and his accursed mission." Due to the Dead Pelts. Paintings. Carvings. Oddments. Mask. Rose's fingers tremble as she helps sort through her old sifu's belongings, looking for the one thing of hers to keep. The pile of painful memories has grown high indeed; bit by bit, Auling carries them away to the townhouse's hearth. Wyrm's prayer and sacrifice are answered in short order, Bolt's voice echoing silently in her head. "Thanks for the heads-up. We found Siakal's daughter and some other spirits keeping the tribals locked in a palisade, so we stuck her in the Yasal crystal that Blood was in. Also, some kind of evil magic that has Watcher and Butterfly acting secretive and panicky - I don't know, but whatever it is, they seem pretty worried." Jackal's meditation is pleasant, quiet, and peaceful. USELESS. Straining, he reaches out with his will, seeking the Void. In his mind's eye, he sees that perfect nothingness, that to which his dread master's masters most aspire. Ever so gently, his thoughts brush against- Jackal: A lone candle lights the darkness, a single flame wavering against the infinite black. In the distance, the walls of the cavern rise to infinity as your ship glides across the blackened mirror of the water below. Abruptly, the vessel stops and the candle gutters out. Nearby, the Envoy likewise coasts to a halt. A will-o-wisp of black flame appears atop a distant ledge, and somehow Jackal knows that something is terribly, terribly wro- And just like that, you're back in the townhouse, an emptied bottle of gin at your side and the first signs of inebriation making themselves felt. Odd - this vision was clearer than any you've had before. Why did it just cut off like that? Rose gives a short cough to get Wyrm's attention. "...we're ready." In her hands, the one thing she chose as a keepsake: a simple, weathered and well-used oaken quarterstaff. Thesaurasaurus fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 04:15
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, At the Palisade "If Cleansing Tide is the man who murdered your sister, rest assured that there are few things I would like more than to bring him low," rasps Ceaseless with fervor. Seeing that the human inhabitants have begun to move about in a manner suggestive of cleanup, Ceaseless turns briefly to Voice-of-Ages. "Elder, could you guide your people in doing what needs to be done? Thank you." Turning back to Gentle Murmur, the Midnight says, "Shall we sit somewhere less public for your tale, my lady? I think it not impossible that he has spies about."
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Feb 8, 2013 05:30
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - North Shore Damnation slaps Herald's hand once again, grinning, then gingerly puts back on his soulsteel gauntlets, careful to never let the Yasal Crystal leave his possession. He then raises one eyebrow at Butterfly. "That was perhaps the most impressive display of the Necromantic arts I have seen in my entire life. She could have skewered you in one blow and you didn't even flinch! Colour me impressed, Butterfly, colour me impressed indeed." The pirate looks over her spoils of war. "I'd like to see a proper funeral for those bones. As Knights of Death, we ought to see such things carried out in a certain way. As for her lance, though, I reckon that's yours until you choose to give it up." Hefting the crystal directly in front of his face, he intones "And, for now, this is mine. Koko'Ino, you will be allowed to assist in the destruction of Grandmaster Cleansing Tide, but only from inside your crystal. Any information or assistance you provide will be duly noted." He then looks out to the thunderbird Chieftain. "Bolt, you know the spirits in these parts better than I do, but I figure there's a whole palisade Ceaseless isn't presently winning over, and I can make things go more smoothly if I bring back proof that the prison warden is captured. Since you've got friends and such around here, it'd be nice to have you come." Turning back to Butterfly, he chuckles. "If you want, you can go check on Watcher and show him you've captured one of Siakal's fangs. Or, you can come with me to the palisade. Or do whatever the hell you want. You've earned it." Looking at Never last, something else springs to mind. "Do we need to check with Wyrm's group in the city? Have we heard anything from them? You could do that if you'd like, or check on Ceaseless. I've asked much of you today already." Damnation wants to personally hit up the other palisade with Herald and anyone else who wants to come along, especially Bolt. He'd like Never to check on Ceaseless and he's interested in hearing if we've received any info from the City Team. Butterfly owns, she and Spark go wherever they decide is most fun. MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 06:24
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Blighted Jackal Face Master Useless indeed. It seems it was a folly for the Abyssal to try and trust the rotting imbeciles who are supposedly pulling the strings on them. Cryptic images and messages instead of the real deal... drat them! Truly, if there was something that Jackal wished more than everything was to cast aside any pretension of servitude that he had to the Neverborn. To hell with these imbeciles and their lack of help, he'd start his campaign of conquest without them. He throws the bottle at a wall, shattering it into hundreds of glistening glass shards while lifting himself. Still... That vision could have been something more. Perhaps it was something else that prevented it from being completed, but what and how? Knowing nothing about that was incredibly irritating, and it didn't helped with Jackal's sour mood. He returns to the room where Wyrm and Rose where, snarling at the two. "There is something afoot. Are there any caves in this island? Caves in which our ships can fit inside?"
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Feb 8, 2013 16:17
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The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden North Shore Personal: 5/19, Peripheral: 1/31, Blood-Rose: 6/7, Willpower: 4/10; Anima: Totemic Aura Butterfly collapses on the seat of the rowboat, clutching the stolen spear and bones tightly. Her anima butterflies scatter from the giant necromancer they formed, and settle to just fluttering around the rowboat for the time being, while the inverted color ones return to some sense of normality. Butterfly flails her arms around trying to shoo her anima away to no avail. "Just...doing my duty..." She mumbles out, staring at the crystal ball that now contained Koko'Ino. She stuck her tongue at the crystal orb before refocusing on Damnation. "There will be a funeral when we return to the ship. My zombies gave up their power to help me there. I'll speak to Bolt as for what he wants to do with the bones." Slowly rising from the rowboat, Butterfly stepped off and back on to dry land. Her endless swarm of butterflies followed her, with many landing on the Daybreak to take the form of the necromancer's robes once more, only this time placed on her shoulders instead of hovering behind her. Of course, many still danced around her and would leave a trail that could probably have her recognized from miles away, but at least this was more compact. "I still don't feel like talking to Watcher, especially now. I'll join you to the Pallisade with Ceaseless. Hopefully, if he's finished I can take a nap." And then she saw Never, who still seemed to be shaken in place. Butterfly walked over to the Day caste, placing one hand on her shoulder, and use the other to wipe away the bloody tearstains. "Never, are you alright? It's over, we stopped her..." Krysmphoenix fucked around with this message at 23:25 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 23:06
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Never Within Reach -I brought BBQ! Butterfly's gentle touch broke the last remnant of the war goddess' spell and Never let out a sigh of relief. Her first instinct was to bat the comforting hand away, but she thought better of it. Stray butterflies from the Daybreak's aura flitted past her face, alighting on her shoulders and hair. They were warm, each one a tiny fragment of power. It felt a little like being hugged. It still shocked Never how quickly the timid doctor had called down Oblivion's wrath. But then it had been a big surprise for Koko'Ino too. Still she should have thought more of a fellow Deathknight, even one who threw tea parties. Butterfly had earned her respect. "I do not deserve your kindness." she said, dropping her eyes and lifting a finger for an aurafly to land on. "My inaction was shameful. I must atone for it." She stepped away, letting the auraflies return to their master. The one on her finger clung until it was too far away, and faded to nothing. She turned to Damnation. "If Ceaseless has the first palisade in hand, then that is where I will go. I am in need of rest and a meal after today's excitement, and I believe the doctor is as well. If you plan to conquer the second palisade, then Bolt, Spark, and Herald should be plenty of backup. If you require assistance send Herald back, I'll tell Ceaseless to be ready should anything happen." She offered a hand to Butterfly, and took to the sky once more. -- As they flew low over the clearing, Never slowed to a hover. "The people in that palisade were wretched. I doubt they have food for themselves, let alone guests." She landed and set Butterfly down. "If we are their saviors, it is our responsibility to provide." Summoning the great black bow to hunt game was beneath it's ability. Something more mundane and less likely to obliterate was required. Never walked through the destroyed treeline, looking for a suitible branch. With a few quick swipes from a discarded yet still razor-sharp obsidian butterfly she stripped the bark and bent it gently to see if it would do. It was no masterwork, in fact she could snap it quite easily if she drew too hard, but it would suffice for a simple game-hunt. She slid her sleeve back and removed a long twisted braid that was wrapped around her forearm in a half dozen white loops, then knotted the bowstring into place. This was not the first time she'd found herself needing a lesser bow, and having a spare quality string on her person had proven invaluable. The stave was easily discarded and replaced as necessary. From her coat she took Bolt's arrow. The black shaft still tingled against her bare fingers. "Now, we hunt." A predator's smile crossed her lips. --- Something large, heavy, and fishy (if fish got that big) landed on the stone altar that had for so long now been a symbol of fear and misery to the people forced to live in the palisade. It cracked under the weight of all that meat, and the huge sea beast slid down, revealing the sparking black arrow that had taken it in the eye. A few seconds later, Never Within Reach, carrying the still-glowing Butterfly in one arm, landed beside it. She set the doctor down and threw her hood back, spreading her wings wide. Then she put one hand on her hip and pointed to the dead shark with the other in her best impression of Jackal. "Eat. Recover your strength. Remember who slakes your hunger and tends your ills." Just enough essence remained to reveal her caste mark for emphasis. There were expectations to meet, after all. She stalked away from the onlookers in search of someplace to rest. mistaya fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 9, 2013 05:32
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Spawn of the Devouring Wyrm - Re-Requiem for a Plant Wyrm eyes Rose's choice of keepsake. Plain, practical, experienced. Perfect. Respectfully assembled on the hearth, the worldly things of the late Cynis Xulan stand ready. Before them, her crew has placed a high-backed chair. Beside it, a small table holds a glass of wine. She takes her place, and looks warmly at the mask. At her guest of honour. "Here we are again." "I've said your peace once already, but then, I only knew you from some ill words a little bird told me, and you were hardly in the state of mind to listen." She takes a slow sip of her drink, "So, here we are again." "Your family is doing well. They've inherited you clever little tricks, your blessed persistence in the face of adversity, your sympathy for a sister's pain. They will fight on, to preserve what you became, with all your strength of spirit. Just as She will fight to end them." "Your Rose is well. You saved her from your bitter fate. She was there to share your final moment, but then, you were hardly in the state of mind to listen, nor her the state to speak," Another slow drink, "So listen now. Hear the lamentation of your final student. Teach her to wield your strength, so she may slay your last mistake." She motions for Rose to address the waiting pyre. Rest in Peace, Prepare for War - Study Gathering folks around nice tables happens often around Wyrm. "The northern team has discovered a point of interest in the local shadowland of great and non-specific power, desired by the enemy. A hostile force under one of the officer plants was met and destroyed in open combat with minimal resources spent. Officer was captured alive, preserved and imprisoned. Native population confirmed to be under violent supervision of local deities, the dominant spirit was subdued and captured, further investigation and recruitment of local settlements is under way." The past covered, Wyrm move on to the future. "In two hours time, the force in the city will complete their summoning ritual. Herein lies opportunity. The spell will place two friendly combatants in the heart of enemy territory. Knowing this, they're prepared the site accordingly to defend against assault from within should their binding fail. Knowing that, we can do better." "First, it a known tactical reality that to be at its most effective a defence must privilege one side over the other. To best prevent a hostile point from striking out, they must turn their fortress inside-out. When they call out the birds, we place them under assault and they will have nowhere to brace their backs." "Second, Invitations. Their efforts will be calibrated to contain or combat two powerful elementals. Two sorcerers to perform the bindings, meaning two officer plants, and enough warriors to defend them should they fail." Though fresh from a funeral, Wyrm is back to having fun, "So we send more. Use each summoner's call to inject a volatile payload alongside their intended targets. Enough to swiftly break their ritual concentration, then proceed to break them." "Once this is done secrecy will be at an end. We must be prepared to engage the enemy at all its vital points. Burn out the roots. We shatter the infested command structure within the city, freeing the natives to rally behind us and press the offensive. Once our positioning favourably aligns, we retrieve the ships and assault the core of the enemy. City-folk from the south, villagers from the north, an ill wind at our backs over the sea." It is only all of this that Wyrm acknowledges Jackal's odd question. She turns to the two who'd lived here a time and raises an eyebrow. 12/16 Personal, 6/10 Will A_Raving_Loon fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 10, 2013 02:11
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Hate Springs Eternal "Spies? Ha! He needs no spies. If he were to snap his fingers, any one of these layabouts would attend him like a faithful hound, hoping for a scrap from his table!" Murmur declares, gesturing at the gods speaking with Rainbow, who are by now looking quite nervous at this turn of events. "But neither he nor their madame have given them say-so to leave; we should be able to speak freely outside these walls." She looks about. "Where is that good-for-nothing Celestial, anyways? Ah, no matter. If you can't kill her, you've no hope against the Grandmaster himself." The mizukami steps from her stream, the hems of her robes whipping into mist as she walks, and marches out the north gate. "Long ago, when the Solars ruled the world, that Immaculate mission was a grand temple to Lord Aukanok; only fitting that one fraud should take the place of another. That coward fled when the world broke and the flames went out, not that it made a difference to the rest of us. The Fae came all the same. Some of us fought. Most of us died. All of the Raksha died, though, so we still called it a victory and went on with picking up the pieces." Ceaseless: World broke...flames went out...that shouldn't happen - a change in geomancy shouldn't affect something like a volcano. The Deathknight and the elemental make a leisurely circuit through the jungle around the palisade. "But you're not here to listen to an old woman natter about people dead and gone. It was about ten years ago that the Dynasts felt the need to bring religion to Petraya, and only one since that butcher set up shop. 'Grandmaster Cleansing Tide' - HA! Doesn't matter how clever they think they are, or what faces they're wearing - I've been around long enough to know a Sidereal when I see one! "But that's a war long since fought and lost. Ever-Rising - my dear sister - and I humored them while they harangued the poor, unwashed masses about all the things Pasiap and Mela and Daana'd are supposed to have told them to do. But then, that desk-jockey found something in this dreary place, and he panicked. He played his cards close to the vest, but I swear I heard him muttering something about 'Olkaida', and someone was the key to stopping it - what was the name? Zhou? Xian? "Whatever it was, it shook him to the bone. He began taking any of the Cyanin who knew anything about anything - not many, I'm afraid - and dragging them down into the deepest caves beneath the temple. He let no-one else know, not even that dreadful masked woman; I only knew because the springs run deeper than he suspects. Around the height of Water, he had the local governor and his household quietly killed, and carved a tunnel between my spring and my sister's. When...when that was done..." Murmur's voice begins to quaver, and crystal tears roll down her face. "...he summoned Ever-Rising and he...he..." She slumps to her knees and sobs, and it's a good fifteen minutes before she can bring herself to speak clearly once more. "When I realized what he'd done, I knew that I would be next, so I...I befouled my spring." Her voice carries tones of both grief and shame. "Let sulfur poison the waters, let algae choke it...so that when he saw it, he would think that I had killed myself. And...and I fled. Escaped as a cloud, drifting for days, praying that no Immaculates or thunderbirds would see me...until a storm passed, and I rained down around here. "For a time, I hid in the stream, until she came - Koko'Ino. It was right about then that those awful creatures begin to prey on the humans, and she swore that Yu-Shan had sent her to put a stop to it. Perhaps it was even true. But she's a fickle creature, loyal only to herself, and Tide must have offered her a better deal than she was getting because when next she showed her face, it was to round up all the refugees, spirit and mortal alike, and lock them in pens like cattle. She must not have known who I am, though, because...because I'm still around to tell the tale." By now, Ceaseless and Murmur have almost completed their second lap. "I am tired, deathknight. I am tired of grieving; tired of running; tired. Last night, while Koko'Ino and her 'guests' were holding an especially gruesome feast, I retreated to my home to see what had become of it. He had cleaned it up, scrubbed away the stains...like nothing had changed. I slipped past the guards as fog - he's done something dreadful to them, too; they hold far too still and don't talk, even to each other. Perhaps I thought I could end him, but..." She sighs. "I overheard him chanting, and smelled raw meat. It was the new moon, so I couldn't see anything...but when he finished, the very mountain shook, and I heard a terrible roar, and a drone like the buzzing of insects, and I flowed down the mountainside as quickly as I could." Standing in front of the north gate once more, she turns to Ceaseless. "I have told you all that I know. In return, I ask only that you promise he will suffer for his crimes, that..." She trails off, and her eyes go wide. In an instant, the temperature drops below freezing, and twin war fans of jagged ice appear in her hands. Their spikes point to the north, at two more Deathknights and a trio of men with improbable hair colors. One of them is delicately folding a vestment of feathers and bones; all of them are armed. Herald looks up from Koko'Ino's overcoat. "Oh, hi! We're back from..." He notices the terrified spring maiden. "...um. This is awkward. Hi?"
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Feb 10, 2013 06:00
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - Rudely Interrupting As Damnation lands amidst the first palisade, the one Ceaseless had been left to take care of, he finds himself rather impressed with the general state of things. Meandering about, he finds Voice-of-Ages. He displays before him the ichor-stained crystal, Shark Goddess angrily moping within. "Priest, spread the word that Koko'Ino was bested by the powers of The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden, as the magics of the Underworld are far superior to the parlour tricks of the spawn of Siakal, and that I, Last Damnation of Atlantis, have imprisoned her within a crystal. Due to her crimes and impertinence, her imprisonment shall be indefinite. Let it be known that not even those who hold rank in Yu-Shan can defy Death's Lawgivers without consequence." Just as the pirate finishes, he notices the ship's engineer rounding the bend with some old spirit-woman. "Hail, Ceaseless. Good news; Koko'Ino has been captured. Your authority over this area should be undisputed." Remembering presence of the woman, he makes a quick addendum. "Of course, we have no intention to reign over this place as tyrants and eat people. Our presence here is on behalf of a fixed and definite purpose. We shall capture Cleansing Tide and take him down to the Underworld personally, as well as destroy this filthy plant infestation that makes a mockery of the intended cycle of life and death." Pondering what he overheard of the woman's musings, his curiosity is piqued. "You say he turned the guards into something inhuman; You must be speaking of Grandmaster Cleansing Tide as well. It could only be either him or Cynis Xulan, and I decapitated Cynis Xulan twice and watched her corpse burn. If you want the man chained to a rock in the lowest levels of the Underworld, sleep prevented by the howling of ghosts, beset by the foul detritus of dead Primordials at all hours of the night, pray tell me, Spirit..." Wait. Damnation had assumed she was terrified of him, but he looked at her eyes and then looked back at Bolt and Herald. She was terrified of the Thunderbirds. "I assure you, ma'am, these Thunderbirds are not here to harm you. They have lost close friends to the machinations of Grandmaster Cleansing Tide and the evil that besets this island, as well as having kin eaten by Koko'Ino. Bolt-From-Brightest-Day and his clansmen have proven time and time again that they are willing to put disputes and rivalries aside to assist in bringing the forces behind this evil to justice." He pats Herald on the back and brings him forward. "Why, just now this young spirit risked his life in order to bind Koko'Ino in chains so that she might be captured, and with Herald and Bolt as my allies, I obtained results." Again, he displays the Yasal crystal, placing it right front of her so she can see Koko'Ino's form within. "While I know Thunderbirds are spirits of war and strife, this group, since I have encountered them, have attacked no one unprovoked save the military forces of Cleansing Tide, nor have they expressed an interested in hurting anyone remotely resembling you and your sort of spirits. I have complete faith they will continue to stay focused on fighting the real enemy, and I merely ask that you agree to do the same." Calming Down The Water Spirit: 20d10x7 14 Jewel of the Celestial Mandarin reduces the difficulties of rolls influencing spirits by 2. Personal Essence 6m/19m, Peripheral Essence 19m/25m, Willpower 7/10 Waiting to see a reaction for a few moments, he then continues. "Pray tell me, how does Cleansing Tide defeat his enemies aside from the use of the plant creatures and the members of his Immaculate Order? Does he have any powerful spirit allies? If so, what do they do? Have you ever seen or heard of him fighting someone himself? I wish to know his forces and their strengths and weaknesses so that he might be defeated. Also, do you think he has used magic on the Volcano itself? Why do you think it has lain dormant for so long?"
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Feb 10, 2013 06:58
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The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden Nap Time... Personal: 5/19, Peripheral: 1/31, Blood-Rose: 6/7, Willpower: 4/10; Anima: Chilling Bonfire? It was a strange sensation, to be emanating such power yet feel so exhausted. Previous flying with Never had shown Butterfly that the Day Caste did not like being affectionately squeezed while flying, and given her current state of fatigue she was more than content to just be dragged along. Mostly Butterfly just wanted to get in a shelter and take a nap until her anima wasn't constantly giving away her location. Although, after seeing Never find some use of her leftover Obsidian, Butterfly couldn't help but pick up some of the shards of her butterflies to see if she could find some practical purpose for them. Once they were out of the air they didn't really serve much purpose for her, but some people might like to have it. Certainly the natives on the island would love to use the droppings of a Deathknight for tools. Once the hunting was done and she was finalllly dropped at the Palisade, Butterfly just waltz into the nearest unoccupied hut. "Anyone who disturbs my rest will be turned into a zombie, and not treated well!" Then a thought passed. "And save those shark bones. I know someone who might want them." With that she lay down and went to rest in her own aura of darkness. At least it blocked out the sun and made it easier to sleep.
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Feb 11, 2013 05:13
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, Outside the Palisade "It is true, my lady, these are allies in our current struggle."
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Feb 11, 2013 18:15
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What Is It Good For? Damnation's inspiring speech notwithstanding, there are still some two thousand years of bad blood between the elementals and anything close to camaraderie. Even so, the mizukami's expression of shock and hate softens almost imperceptibly when he drops Bolt's name. "Attacked no-one unprovoked since you met them?" Murmur echoes. "Ha! How long has it been, an hour? Perhaps two?" Nevertheless, she folds her fans shut with a crystal chime, whereupon they melt back into the palms of her hands. She regards the thunderbirds warily. "Bolt-from-Brightest Day, is it? Almost didn't recognize you without your hand up some poor maiden's skirt!" Bolt flushes. "Ah! I didn't...I mean, I haven't...have we met?" "The Raksha Invasion. I saw you leading the charge against their behemoth, pelting it with lightning." She smiles cruelly. "If you'd seen me, however, I wouldn't have been doing my job. I'll trust you this once...for old times' sake." Turning past him, she eyes Damnation sharply. "And you! Pestering an old woman with endless questions! Scarcely a moment's rest since this awful business began, but does anyone ever think of poor Murmur? No, you just keep poking and prodding and..." Damnation: If she's able to carry on a rant this long, she must be feeling at least a little better. Between the scolding and figure wagging, you gather enough to deduce that Cleansing Tide prefers to use sorcery and minions to fight underhandedly and indirectly, but he's not at all afraid to get his hands dirty himself if it comes to that. He knows at least the Five Glorious Dragon Styles and quite probably a lot more than that. She's of the opinion that the volcano stopped working because the Balorian Crusade hosed up the world's geomancy, and Aukanok didn't stick around to fix it. Inside the wooden walls, an almighty uproar arises at Never's desecration. The gods shout and scream and pronounce vile curses upon her, but none seem quite bold enough to actually do anything to an Anathema without Koko'Ino around to back them. Ultimately, they settle for naming her unclean and forbidding the Smaragdi from partaking in the meal. The Cyanin, however, seem only too happy to descend upon the shark, tearing off chunks of meat and greedily devouring them. Some take the time to heat it through over a campfire, but most are too hungry to care. Anyone present here may buy up to Cult 2 if they care to spend the XP. Enjoy it while it lasts. A voice like the breaking of waves against rocks whispers in the minds of the Deathknights and the thunderbirds. When I get free - and I WILL get free - I will make you suffer in ways even the Neverborn couldn't dream of. Bolt nods thoughtfully. "Actually, that reminds me." He strides over to the altar, kicks the picked-over skeleton of the shark off of it, and casts a murderous glare at the gods. "Now listen here. I know that loving look on your faces. I know what you're thinking. 'Wow, it's such a shame I can't pretend I'm on vacation anymore. Maybe if I sneak up the mountain when no-one else is looking, Cleansing Tide will thank me for the intel with an extra holiday or two!'" He looks each of them in the eye in turn. "Let me make this as clear as loving possible: you are nothing to him. He will not spare you, let alone reward you. You are witnesses. You are liabilities. You are a ten-thousand obol house with a twenty-thousand obol lien and a hundred-thousand obol binder. All that ratting us out to him will get you is a quick death to make sure you don't change your mind, because you can drat well be sure you're worth more to him as starmetal than as a friend. You want off the island? Fine. You've got one option." Without warning, he whips out his axe and brings it down overhand, splitting the slab neatly in half. "You can fight. You can fight with us, or you can fight against us. Makes no loving difference to me. You, however - the only way to keep your sorry asses in one piece is to get off them and earn your loving keep." Everyone take an hour's worth of mote recovery. Once everyone's had the chance to rest a while, the time comes to discuss next courses of action. "I've gotta be honest," Bolt says to Damnation, "the spirits in the nearest palisade aren't anywhere near Koko'Ino's level of power. Really, all you'd need to do is head on over and show them your new pet rock, and they'll roll out the velvet carpet." He looks to the others. "And speaking of welcomes, Captain Wyrm sent me a little message in a bottle while Butterfly was turning fish-bitch inside-out. Apparently, we made a little too much noise, and in a couple hours, Spark and I are going to be summoned into a killbox. If they know what Xúlan knew, we won't be able to break the binding in time to fight back." Taking a moment to let it sink in, he continues. "This doesn't have to be all bad, though. A rendezvous could help us all compare notes and figure out our next step." Herald looks nonplussed. "You're going to make plans with the plants?" Bolt shakes his head. "No, with Wyrm and her team. See, when we're summoned, anything we're carrying comes right along with us. Technically, there's no reason 'anything' can't be a person or two -" "...inside-out...exploded..." Spark mutters under his breath. Bolt coughs. "Technically, it should be workable with Exalts, even if a mortal couldn't survive the trip. But I have to warn you, it's already a hell of a thing for those of us who are meant to go through Dragon Lines." He grins. "That said, a binding circle shouldn't do a drat thing against someone who isn't an elemental or a demon." Catch a Riiiiide? Ashes to Ashes V'neef Auling is nothing if not a poet and an artiste. Between the times in life where he's forced to pick up his sword and fight, he makes his way with a song and a clever turn of phrase. It's all a game, an endless party. No harm, no foul, funny punchline, laugh, close curtains. For the first time in his life, words fail him. Even if he hadn't been the catalyst for her transformation into a viral abomination, Cynis Xúlan was the absolute last person in Creation to humor any kind of buffoonery. And now, he's to speak at her wake. There's a long pause after Wyrm's speech, not broken until Rose steps forward and puts her hand on the woodblood's shoulder. He looks up at the pyre-to-be and speaks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I'm sorry I hosed everything up. I'm sorry I didn't notice everything was horribly wrong until it was too late, and I'm sorry so many people got killed or worse because I didn't stop you in time. I'm sorry for all of that. "And you don't care about that at all. You always said that apologies were for people too spineless to go out and fix things for real, so that's what I'm going to do. Rose and I are here on Petraya with those Anathema - sorry, but without them there's pretty much no way we can take on Cleansing Tide. And we will take him on, and we will win - that's my apology to you." Ever so gently, Rose squeezes his shoulder. She smiles. "What he said." She points her finger at the pile. A moment later, the world is aflame. Wyrm: It's faint - almost imperceptible - but at the exact moment that Rose lights the pyre, you feel the faintest brush of deathly Essence, a familiar and welcome chill down your spine. This act has not gone unnoticed. -------- Rose looks nonplussed at Jackal's rude bequest. "There are some caves on the southern cliff face, but just regular sea caves - nothing a warship could fit inside. I mean, maybe if you took it apart and put it back together like one of those bottled ships, but I don't think that's what you're looking for." Thesaurasaurus fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Feb 11, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 20:25
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - The Palisade As he listened to Bolt, Damnation's mind wandered. He was confident in his earlier request to Voice-of-Ages; After all, he was the one who carried him through miles of jungle, conversed with him in Old Realm, blew Koko'Ino a kiss, and trapped her in a Yasal Crystal which he's still carrying with him. That's not a bad story to tell around a campfire, so far as pirate stories go. In all likelihood, the Cyanin would be telling stories about him for years to come. Cult 0 -> 1 3xp I also recover motes. Personal Essence 19m/19m, Peripheral Essence 20m/25m, Willpower 7/10 Damnation jolts back to awareness after hearing Bolt mention a killbox. "Wait, what? You mean to tell me that the enemy are going to teleport you directly into one of their sanctums or prisons, no doubt with alpha plant wardens or dirty sorcerers?" He pauses for a moment, making sure Butterfly is still asleep. "They're bringing you into close quarters, where they're going to think they'll have you captured, but if one of us came with you, they wouldn't expect it at all!" Just a flavor roll to see if Damnation is enthusiastic about this prospect: What the gently caress? A Dragon Line? Inside-Out?: 5d10x7 2 And Resistance 1 -> 3 4xp It's not clear whether Damnation's wild gesticulating and lecturing is coming from him being drunk or just from sheer excitement. Gulping from his hip flask, he begins to yell at the younger Thunderbird. "That's the whole point, Spark! Right when your guts are inside-out and hanging from the crow's nest, right when they've shot you point-blank with a cannon and your head shouldn't even be attached to your shoulders, right when Siakal's pet spawn took one of your crewmates hostage and you're on the other side of the island, that's not just when a pirate attacks, that's when a pirate has to attack, mate." He tosses the flask to Bolt. "Brother, I didn't even get to draw on Koko'Ino. If you're going into enemy territory for a fight, you're drat well not leaving me out." Rapidly about-facing, he faces down Spark and pokes him in the chest. "And you, matey, you're not scaring me away so you can have all the fun for yourself." Damnation calms down a little bit and faces the other palisade. "If you reckon we've got time to visit the other palisade and tell them what's what, I'm going, but you're coming with me. It looks like Bolt's speech proper cowed those deities into realizing Tide's got nothing for them long-term, and if you start to disappear, I drat well better be right there."
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Feb 12, 2013 01:58
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, Outside the Palisade "I'll come along. For research purposes only, of course," grins Ceaseless as his fingers tap unconsciously on his sword hilt. "We need to find some enemies who are edible, though" he mutters to himself, "this plant zombie business is bad for morale." "Something Murmur said's been bothering me though. Be right back." The Midnight finds Butterfly and brings her to the water spirit. "Murmur, you said the volcano shut off because the world broke. Did someone tell you that? Because that doesn't sound geomantically plausible to me."
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Feb 12, 2013 06:04
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Never Within Reach -Why You Don't Feed Strays Two hours passed without incident and Never found herself stirring. She could hear soft voices outside the hut. They weren't disturbing her rest, it was something else. Something... Her eyes widened. Were they praying? To her? A slow smile crept across her lips as she stretched, already feeling much renewed. She pushed aside the dirty cloth that served as a door and shielded her eyes from the sunlight. About a dozen people in a half circle around the doorway bowed their heads to her. They mumbled thanks and praises for "The Provider" in seatongue. They were scrawny and filthy, with wide staring eyes. Most of them were older, but there were a few children as well. "Mistress Nevah!" A ragged little girl who couldn't have been older than eight rushed forward, clutching something she held up reverently with both hands. Bolt's arrow gleamed between her dirty fingers. Never took it from the child and patted her on the head. She turned to the crowd and spoke to them in their own tongue. "Know that your prayers fuel the destruction of your enemies." She said. She didn't have Wyrms' gift for words but these people didn't need flash and gesture. What they needed was vengeance. "I won't depart until it's done. But I am of the Underworld and duty will take me far from this place. If you choose, you may follow me. I will not punish you without reason, nor will I reward you. If you earn either, you will know." She touseled the girl's hair, then stepped through the crowd and headed for the group. Buying those 2 Cult dots. YAY FOR MOTES! -- Upon hearing Bolt's explanation of the imminent battle and Damnation's insistence on riding the Dragon Lines with him, Never just laughed. "If there is anyone here who could survive that trip it would be you." She paced back and forth, weighing options. After that cowardly display on the beach her first instinct was to demand to ride along as well, but that was not clear thinking. Disoriented and trapped in a melee with powerful martial artists would only make her a liability, not an asset. She needed to be clear headed to shoot straight, and without height and distance she would not be nearly as effective. But there was still time, if she was quick. She touched Bolt lightly on the shoulder. "I'll go to Captain Wyrms and join the outside assault, with Butterfly if she's of a mind to come along. If I leave now I should beat the spell by a good quarter hour. I wish I could come with you, but..." She closed her eyes and just felt his aura for a moment. "I will come for you. We'll teach this enemy that trick only works once." mistaya fucked around with this message at 10:23 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 10:18
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Geomancy 101 "Well, I certainly don't know what else it could have been!" Murmur replies. "Before bits of the world dissolved into chaos, there was a great river of fiery Essence flowing beneath the island, pooling in that mountain. When the faeries, came, it shifted. Not by much, only a few meters or so - we killed them before they could do more than that - but apparently enough for the volcano to go cold. And where did it decide to go but right beneath my spring! Hours every day, whole years of my life spent keeping my little brook from turning into a hot bath where people might carry on with all manner of indecency! "But yes, the Dragon Lines moved. There are more influences on Petraya now, although you mustn't think that means more stable! Nobody's really meddled with the buildings themselves for centuries, though, not that they can - those are some tough old stones. The Dragon-Blooded tried to knock some walls down, but bless their fleeting little hearts, they simply couldn't, and that dreadful Sidereal put a stop to it anyways when he came. Honestly, I can't fault him for that, at least. Who knows what might have happened if they moved the Dragon Lines yet again?" Int+Occult 3 sux: That still doesn't sound right - a volcano might be weakened by the shifting of a dragon line, but to go out altogether...that sounds less like a volcano than a demesne. 4 sux: If there's anything Dragon-Blooded are good at, it's breaking stuff. If they couldn't take down the walls, it might be because they're reinforced by Essence. Sounds almost like a manse. 5 sux: Influenced by shifting Dragon Lines...flames went out...indestructible architecture...what if this volcano isn't a volcano at all? What if it's actually one giant Essence Vent for a really, really big manse? Well, for starters, that would be scary on a number of levels. Beyond the fact that it could well make the mountain a weapon capable of targeted mass-destruction, it also implies that it was flatly a miracle it didn't suffer Essence buildup and explode when the Raksha invaded. Tampering with it could be very very dangerous. Furthermore, the fact that the Deebs didn't seize it for themselves, and that Never's Essence-sight didn't reveal anything special about it from the air, suggests that it's designed to funnel geomantic energy inward, masking its own output. While this is good in that the Realm doesn't have yet another superweapon to turn on you, it also means that there could be rather a lot of power raging in the heart of the mountain. 6 sux: If, as Murmur suggests, the lack of eruptions is the result of a deadlock between geomantic forces, it might be possible to cast a "tiebreaker vote," such as it were. A sufficiently-powerful burst of elemental (or otherwise aspected) power could cause the currently-stagnant demesne to take on a new alignment. Of course, if this were to happen, you would have to rearrange the manse's architecture to accommodate the change within a week, or BOOM.
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Feb 12, 2013 17:43
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - Knowing Stuff Damnation wanders over at the last minute, able to hear some of Murmur's information. He's not the best at this sort of thing, but it's oddly similar to one chapter of the plan he's been mentioning since before they landed on Petraya, a glorious work of deception and double-blinds known only, so far, as The Undercity Shuffle. He grins widely at hearing the explanation. Perhaps this was something to which he could relate! Rivers of Essence WTF: 3d10x7 4 "You know, when I led a platoon of elite Nemissaries back in Thorns, we were selected for a special mission by the Mask of Winters. That city was built like a proper fortress, mind you. It wasn't some easy conquest like a bit of countryside. The walls were drat near indestructible and loaded with Dragonblooded. The gates and walls underneath the city were so powerful they couldn't be pierced with my soulsteel daiklave! I poo poo you not! God-damned stone and you can't break it with a daiklave. I said it was impossible, and Mask of Winters slapped me right across the face. He kept replenishing my stock of Nemisarries and told me to attack different spots in the Undercity every day, and every day I'd fight the Dragonblooded of Lookshy, and every day I'd fail utterly." "It was the most senseless thing in the world to me at the time. What's the point of an attack where you can't beat your opponent? I'm all for bleeding them dry, but every single day I'd be sent into the Undercity. Mask would tell me that there'd be a secret river approach that might lead into the city that way, and he'd tell me to go attack things with my Nemissaries. And Nemessaries aren't cheap ghosts, mind you; They're right proper blighters, might even slay a young Dragon-blooded on a good day. We'd attack the walls and the iron gates, looking for openings, and eventually we'd make enough noise that they'd send a proper Lookshy brigade after us, I'd lose half the Nemissaries or so, and I'd finally have to retreat. I did this for weeks, I tell you. Countless streams, countless walls, countless assassins out for my life, and I'd just be banging on those motherfucking doors like John Motherfucking Henry, trying to make them come down, and nothing ever came of it." "It wasn't until one day when Mask of Winters told me he was sure he'd found the proper spot that something happened. He said he was really sure about the intel of this secret entrance that I'd have to keep fighting until the absolute last moment. And I did. I brought double the normal order of Nemissaries, all equipped with the finest steel weapons and armor, we went to the spot, and we hammered away at every little chunk of all like ol' Auto himself forging an Exalt. We banged and we banged all through the day, and when night came, four full talons of Lookshy boys set upon us. Jade bit Soulsteel, bullet bit bone, and e'ry bastard there died, bleeding right into the water, I tell you. I burned my last, tiniest mote stabbing through their captain's fancy 'elmet and was nearly dead myself, lying there. And, ladies, I poo poo you not, I saw the gate begin to melt like butter right in front of me. Right as I saw it, I saw yet another talon coming after me, and since I was proper spent, like I said, I sprinted through the thing towards the city sewers like some twit child who'd just stolen a sweetroll. All the while, walls and gates and doors starting to melt around me. I come up through the sewers, and what do I see? The city gates had rotted like a corpse and Mask hi'self was already inside!" The pirate grins and takes a swig of grog as he finishes the story. "Turns out, there was no secret entrance. Mask was sending powerful ghosts to die in just the right places to disrupt the energy of the manse, turnin' it all dark and broken like. Andit worked! I bet those Fae shits did a right similar thing, some proper cheeky poo poo to gently caress with the whole demense, and now the volcano doesn't work! And, the dragon-blooded were just banging away like me and my nemissaries, rest in peace, and John Motherfucking Henry and they couldn't knock it down because the drat thing's still a manse!" I recover 1 WP for this stunt, bringing me to 8/10 WP. MiltonSlavemasta fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 18:26
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The Waves, Ceaseless and Unending, Devour the Shore, At the Palisade "So Cleansing Tide is confirmed as one of the Betrayers and our 'volcano god' ran away because his fake volcano stopped working right and he didn't know how to fix it. The Dragon-Blooded were stopped from damaging the manse further when Cleansing Tide arrived, but we have no evidence that the Sidereal has attempted to repair it." Ceaseless' veil clatters softly as he paces, head down and hands clasped behind his back. "What does this change? Let's see... One, I'm not sure Wyrm's scheme will work the way she wants. Two, the betrayer can't have shared knowledge of what he's sitting on here with his putative superiors back home. If he had, the Realm would surely have made more of an effort to repair or protect such a potentially powerful weapon. Three, I think we really don't want to have to use any of our contingency plans and one of those plans almost certainly won't be feasible at all. The island is too big a prize to abandon it."
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Feb 12, 2013 23:00
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Spawn of the Devouring Wyrm - Vila Loathe to miss an appointment for mass violence, Wyrm is being redressed and rearmed by her crewmen some time before the discussions close. Layers of various shades of green adorn her body, coils and frills of vibrant red around her neck. For the time being they shall maintain their act, returning to the city to go through the business of preparing a rousing hunt. The purchase of maps and bait, hiring scouts and beaters, and of course the invitation of respectable guests to share in sport and leisure befitting their status, all on their agenda. Under this pretense they would maneuver into range of the target and wait for the festivities to commence. Wyrm would go on horseback, Auling would be allowed to dress for the occasion and ride with her. The crew would march in escort, Poem and Rose serve as carrot and stick in any semblance of business they saw fit to conduct. Onyx would remain the blade dangling over the throne. All said, the act would not be needed long. When the time was right and the pieces set, they would embark.
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Feb 13, 2013 03:05
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Blighted Jackal Face Master Oh great so the vision is completely useless. Either that or the Dragon-Blooded strumpet or even maybe both for the matter. Indeed, being attached to such people makes Jackal wonder how much of a saintly and merciful man he is for not slaughtering every single one of these lowly worms. Alas, perhaps his thirst for blood might be finally quenched. Yes, perhaps it is time to actually send some unwitting imbeciles to the underworld, how incredibly fun that will be! Now that this incredibly droll funeral is done, Jackal amuses himself doing his own preparations for the pretense "hunt" that is to come. He goes alongside his underlings into the city to arrange hounds, bows and arrows, spears and swords for large game, machetes to clear vegetation and other kinds of miscellanea equipment. Truly, no one would think that such items would be used to help arm whatever makeshift battalion they would later raise, no? He, Jackal, awaits atop his own horse, his black armored coat covering the purple tunic within. The thought of whatever lovely atrocities would happen now on filled his dark heart with giddiness. Plutonis fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 03:42
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Watcher at the Gates of Sorrow ...Forty-nine... ...Fifty. As if in a trance, Watcher has been pacing a slow spiral around the circle, looking systematically at every square inch of ground to make sure that nothing has been missed, that no clue is left unfound. It has been a spar of calmness and peace in an otherwise raging sea, but now that he has had the chance to slow down and think, it is time to leave. The old man gestures for his sharks to stay nearby and guard the place and begins walking to the palisades--either he would find the bloody wreckage of his crewmates, or there would be something useful to do. Reaching the palisades, he begins looking carefully at the villagers milling about and bowing, tapping a few select ones on the shoulder and gesturing for them to follow him. He chooses a small hut devoid of any current occupants and shufles his targets into a line to be questioned. Who is to gainsay the man wearing a pair of sharks? Before he ducks his head into the hut to question his first witness, Watcher walks up to his first officer. "Damnation, it seems like you have done good work here; might I ask some questions of the shark-goddess you have trapped? I cannot assure you that I will be done before you must leave, but it may be wise to leave her behind anyways." Buying up to Investigation-5 for dis. OldMidgetWillow fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Feb 14, 2013 |
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Feb 14, 2013 02:52
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Last Damnation of Atlantis - Last Words Damnation thinks carefully about the request. "If Koko'Ino got released in a tight space full of mortal victims, she would easily achieve heights of power that would be difficult for me to handle. She'd also be likely to target the weakest first, so that would leave two unscathed alphas and one raging war goddess at full power." He opens a bag attached to his belt and hands off the Yasal Crystal to his Captain. "Whatever disagreements we have had, it stands that you have been the one to show cautious restraint and delicacy, and that is what I would need from someone to pass this off to them. I think you are smart enough to realize that if you let her out, for any reason, you will probably die. I think you're one she won't be able to tempt or confuse into that." After he hands it off, he recalls what Bolt said to him earlier. "Oh, there's another palisade we haven't yet addressed. Bolt tells me the spirits there are weak in comparison to the War Goddess and they should submit if you demonstrate we have captured Koko'Ino. It would be ideal if you began to organize the resistance in the north; Mortals, ghosts, everything combined into one unified front, so you may wish to do that. Be sure to tell them that Cleansing Tide did not come to save Koko'Ino, and he values them even less, and if they attempt to defect, we will have to eat them instead of putting them into crystals. Or put your own spin on it." As he walks away to discuss battle preparations with Bolt, he remembers one more thing. "Oh, and don't try to annihilate her with necromancy just because you hate Siakal. We can torment Siakal more with her alive than with her dead."
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Feb 14, 2013 03:19
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Watcher at the Gates of Sorrow The Admiral snorts. "Annihilation is awfully low on the list of things to do to her. Don't worry, I'll give her back in one piece though." With that, Watcher spins around and stalks (as much as anyone can stalk wearing what he is wearing) to the hut to question the goddess. Holding the crystal awkwardly with large shark-mouths, he begins: "Tell me of every powerful entity you have encountered since six months before the troubles began."
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Feb 14, 2013 03:27
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The Everlasting Butterfly of the Decadent Garden Bad cop and... angry cop? Personal: 5 --> 19/19, Peripheral: 1 -- > 3/31, Blood-Rose: 6/7, Willpower: 4/10; Anima: Dark Aura? Butterfly arose from her makeshift bed with a soft yawn as she stretched out her arms. That was exactly what she needed. Although she wasn't full of energy, she now had at least enough to toss another Shattering Void Mirror or a couple Death of Obsidian Butterflies around, in case someone big and scary came up and tried to attack her. With an aura of darkness still clinging to her, she left the hut, looking around. In the distance she could hear some of the villagers chattering among themselves. Something about the thunderbirds getting summoned into a trap, a volcano with messed up Dragon Lines or something, and something about a man wearing sharks taking over a hut with Koko'Ino's Yasal Crysta---wait a second! With a frustrated shriek Butterfly drew her sword and stormed into Watcher's hut. "No! I know what you're doing." She shouted loudly, the looked behind her shoulder and realized she was making quite a scene. Awkwardly she closed the door behind her and lowered her voice but it was still a very angry hiss. "We're in this together, you don't get to do this without me around." She put away her sword and moved to a corner of the hut, sitting down but keeping a focused glare on Koko'Ino's prison, wondering if since she already proved she could pull off a spell right next to her captor war goddess if she could do so again on Watcher.
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Feb 14, 2013 20:48
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Watcher at the Gates of Sorrow With an annoyed glare, Watcher acknowledges Butterfly's completely unasked for presence in the hut. "I thought that we would start with...cooler heads. But now that you're here..." He sighs and makes room for his fellow Abyssal to sit. His irritation is genuine, but there is an underlying relief there--he would never have asked for it, but it was good to have someone else to share the burden with. Before they begin (again) the interrogation, he leans in to whisper at Butterfly: "Have you ever thought that having the person who trapped her present might make it harder to get useful information out of her? But we'll run with it, now that you're here."
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Feb 16, 2013 01:22
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Over The Skies And Far Away Bolt takes Never's hand, running his up her arm to her shoulder, a tingling, pins-and-needles sensation following close behind. "Don't worry," he winks, "I'll make sure to save a couple for you." A collective gasp arises from the tribals as Herald transforms into a great raptor wreathed in white lightning; the bird takes a few minutes to just bask in the awe and adulation (and the seething resentment of the upstaged deities) before making ready to depart. Bolt watches as they spread their wings and lift into the air, his eyes following Never until she vanishes into the distance. Amazingly, the pair goes completely and utterly unnoticed on their approach; even more amazingly, Herald manages to keep quiet the entire time, pausing only to assume his human form as the edge of the jungle draws near. The location Bolt gave her marked in her RPA, Never locates the palatial estate just as the sun begins to set, Wyrm and her entourage a stone's throw away. Jackal is nowhere to be seen, but the other Exalts have mounted up. Auling, wanting neither to touch Wyrm directly nor to risk offense by falling from her horse, has settled on the awkward middle ground of pinching the hem of her dress between thumbs and forefingers; the consequences that would follow if he were to fall in this state seem not to have occurred to him. You have time to share info; put any convo-stuff in your subsequent posts and it'll be inserted into the timeline here. -------- Back at the palisade, Bolt and Spark transform and Ceaseless and Damnation mount up. "Get ready," Bolt announces. "We're live in ten." Bolt and Spark put up Infinite Mastery for Melee and Occult, respectively. If you have any persistents you want to drop, now's the time. Meanwhile, unobserved by the others, Wandering Rainbow wanders perhaps a bit too far and vanishes in a puff of black smoke, along with half a dozen ghosts. Rainbow is spending tonight in the Underworld to spread goodwill and SKELETON HUGS to the local ghost population. -------- Heading into town, the Deathknights, their retainers, and assorted elemental-types rapidly come within sight of Jackal and his minions in the bazaar district a couple blocks from the warehouse. They look to have finished their shopping, gathering a more-than-considerable arsenal of less-than-considerable weapons. Never: Hmm...there sure are an awful lot of people out and about for this time of day. Wyrm: There are definitely way too many people out here. A number of them are milling around the bazaar and the warehouse, and they aren't locals. Of those, a sizeable portion looks more than a little bit out of it. Jackal: Ah, the Realm pissants are here. It's late, and some of them look stoned out of their minds, but at last the recognition due you, Jackal, has come. Surely, that they encircle you to cut you off from that ingrate Wyrm is a sign that they wish to swear their unqualified fealty without her tawdry presence marring the proceedings. Even now, that fireblooded twerp from the docks approaches stumbling every few steps, no doubt to be the first and he had better hope most useful person to bow before you, Jackal! Interview With The Raging Bitch The swirling red vapor within the crystal condenses into the goddess in miniature, thankfully returned to a more human-looking state. "All the powerful beings I've met since six months before this started...hmmm, let me get out my rolodex. OH, WAIT." Watcher smiles darkly. "Don't worry, if you need any supplies, some of us still with the ability to move of our own free will can help." Koko'Ino puts her hand on her chin and purses her lips. "You know, I'm not sure what to do with you. I mean, she's gonna be sashimi, but you...little too old to be of use to me." She folds her arms under her chest and smiles cruelly. "Or to any woman, for that matter." Butterfly rolls her eyes. Sashimi? Who was it that nearly killed who again? Although she does snicker slightly at Watcher's expense, but shakes off the humor. Can't be letting the prisoner get too comfortable. "Just answer the question." "Whatever." She takes a seat and stretches out. "Nothing better to do...yet. You know, Yu-Shan can be pretty loving dull, but I had no idea about this place. There I was, just living it up, when mother calls to tell me I have a job to do. 'REAL work', she says. 'A chance to earn your keep', she says. Bitch." "I'm glad our thoughts seem to be unified on one thing at least," Watcher interjects. Koko'Ino disregards him entirely and keeps talking. "And I thought, 'this is going to loving suck', until she tells me I'm supposed to keep an eye on Chairman...what's he calling himself? 'Cleansing Tide'? And I'm like, 'Score!'" She rolls her eyes. "And then I actually get here, and it's like, 'Nope. First guess was right.'" "And so what all have you learned from keeping an eye on him?" Watcher asks. "For starters, he pays better. Standard salary with no overtime versus an all-you-can-eat buffet and a promotion on completion? Not exactly a hard choice," she answers. "True--he was offering hazard pay. Given your current state, was it really enough?" "I think I can hold out for a week." She leers at the Deathknights. "Assuming you live that long." "Why," Watcher asks, "what happens in a week?" "Primetime, baby. We're out of beta, we're shipping on time, and your...sad little cry for help finally stops annoying those of us who actually have a life. Sayonara, Skullstone!" Butterfly blinks. She had started to space out the boring details of a goddess' life of laziness, but that bit catches her attention. "You mean the Chakra Orchid? He's finally done experimenting with it?" "He said the 'Purple Heartbreak' strain had been stress-tested, and it was time to clean up the prototypes, and I don't even know, half of what he says makes no loving sense and the other half is loving boring." Watcher is incredulous. "So what I am hearing is that you were tasked with keeping track of a dangerous, powerful madman and you have just been taking him at his word?" Koko'Ino puts her hands out and shrugs. "Hey, the sneaking around is only until the proof of concept is finished. Once that's done, we won't be renegades - we'll be the heroes who stopped you once and for all." Watcher just laughs. "Is that so? Do you even know who the real person holding the strings is? I come here to ask you some questions, and all I hear is your own ignorance." "The gently caress are you talking about?" Butterfly looks up at Watcher, curious as to what he was going to say. Trying to dig for more details from Koko'Ino would mean exposing her to the secret as well turning her into a liability. "And so," Watcher announces, "we get back to our first question: What powerful entities have you seen, especially on the island, since you came?" The goddess squirms slightly, sensing that she's not getting out of this one. "Look, the first few months I was here, all he had me do was keep an eye on the locals and anyone he sent out here, make sure nobody was wise to him or that Yu-Shan hadn't sent anyone else to spy on him." "Then, during Calibration, I feel this massive pulse of death-mojo. Even from miles away, I could tell it was something above my pay grade, so I stayed out of it. It goes away, and the next time I see him he tells me a Hekatonkhires broke through and he had to put it down. I'm like, 'loving warn me if that's what we're dealing with'." "Then he starts going on with how something was right in front of him this whole time, and I kind of zoned, but he stopped loving around after that. He pulled some strings and got what's-her-face, that mask lady reassigned here, then started taking the Cyanin and their ghosts prisoner and using his fate-whammy to sneak them past the 'macs." "And me? I know when getting a real answer would make me a liability, so I just smiled and nodded and made sure the locals didn't bother him once creepy mask lady finished her part of the work." "Wow," Watcher says flatly. "So it was willful ignorance? You never thought to dig up some dirt so you would have some leverage?" "You know what happens when you play cloak-and-dagger with a Sid?" she asks. "You loving lose." Watcher stares. "So I have to ask--why did Siakal choose you of all her minions to 'keep a watch over' the Chairman? Given what I've heard so far, there has to have been someone more qualified." "There were rumors - I'm talking rumors of rumors, fifth-hand, from a guy who knows a guy who has an uncle who works in the Games of Divinity - that someone in the Bronze faction had a plan to deal with the Solars once and for all. Mother's been getting a lot more Ambrosia since they came back, so she sent me to find out what was what so she could make sure to back the right side." "And so instead of actually figuring that out, you willfully kept yourself from learning any truly dangerous information and took a Sidereal's word for it?" She laughs. "Who cares? Once this is done, what mother wants will mean precisely gently caress-all." She sweeps her arm out as far as her prison will allow. "Picture it - a home office, right between the Barque and the Panoply. On the door, 'Koko'Ino: Daimyo of Piracy'. Every plundered vessel, every sacked port, every butchered captive, a prayer in my name." "And what exactly have you done to earn all that?" Watcher asks. "It's Yu-Shan," she answers. "You earn something by taking it." "So...since we took you, does that make me the Daimyo of Piracy now?" Butterfly says, looking down at Koko'Ino's tiny tiny form. Butterfly's answer is a torrent of profanity and macabre threats that would make even Damnation blush. "Right right right, get in line. So...the Hekatonkhires you heard about. Did you see any trace of it? Or even the damage it may have left behind?" Finally settled down enough to speak coherently, Koko'Ino glares daggers at Butterfly. "I didn't look that closely, in case there were still bits of it crawling around, but...I did go to take a look at the place where it broke through. It was...the weirdest thing. All the trees and ferns and poo poo for fifty yards around...their foliage was gone. Like, stripped away - no green anywhere. But just the foliage." "And where was that?" Butterfly demands. "Is that place still stripped of foliage or is it back by now?" "It was back. Don't know if it still is, after your little carpet-bombing chewed the place up." She pauses. "Do you know what I'm saying? You're good at chewing carpets." Another pause. "See, I'm implying you're a les-" Butterfly reaches down and flicks the side of the Yasal Crystal next to Koko'Ino's face, trying to get a nice ringing sound. "If it weren't for the greenery being missing, would that spot have been otherwise inconspicuous? Nothing in or near that area worth mentioning?" Watcher interrupts. "After the blight, what exactly changed? Were there any personnel changes?" Once she settles down from cursing at Butterfly again, the goddess glowers at the pair. "Besides what I already told you, he started bringing in more Immaculates - looking for ones who weren't doing so well and having them reassigned. The only one he wanted specifically was creepy-mask. Then she did her thing, and he turned them into plant-monsters. The end." She stands. "Now unless you're about to let me out, I have nothing more to say to you." "Well," Watcher asks, "let's think about it this way: why do you think Tide is going to win?" Koko'Ino says nothing, but merely gives Watcher an evil, razor-fanged grin. "Classy. I don't want to be on the losing side here either--but from what we've been talking about so far, it seems as if I know more about the real players here than you do." "And if a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, what do you think your knowledge is going to get you?" "Killed," he replies, "or worse, if I lose. But that was going to happen regardless if I lose, and knowing things helps me to be on the winning side." "Well then, that settles it. I'm not saying another word." At that, the crystal's inner light fades, leaving the gem dull and murky black. "Okay!" Butterfly reaches down and pokes the side of the crystal a few more times before getting up and looking at Watcher. "Tonight, after we help the birdies, we need to talk. Bring your dancing shoes, we're having tea." And with that, Butterfly left the hut. Watcher nods, still stunned at the sheer idiocy of the goddess. After a few minutes, he leaves as well, taking the crystal with--it would be safe with him.
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Feb 16, 2013 16:18
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Daughter of Onyx & Silver - Villa Onyx nods to her fellow Abyssals, calculating angles and potential energies as she inspects the bath. Within moments, generous proportions of arsenic salts in solution suffuse the bathwater. She wrinkles her nose at the smell, electing to conceal it with essential oils of jasmine, ylang-ylang, and oleander. A sensuous chuckle escapes her lips as she spots a vial of peppermint oil, and drops it in with the whole mess. "Oi, you. With the face. Get over here for a bit." Before Jackal can protest, she's dragooned him into helping her lift the statue just slightly, going to work on the foundation's support. There. Anyone attempting to come in from below will be liable to collapse the whole bath in on themselves, given the weight involved and the shear forces she's set up. "Thanks, Jackal. You're a peach." A quick kiss on her new crewmate's cheek, and she's off to set up a snare trap to ensure an interrogation suspect. It's not soulsteel chain, but the high-tensile fishing line should at least keep who or whatever got snagged busy long enough for them to sort them out. The pulley system designed to whiplash them into the walls and ceiling was just a precaution. 5 sux on 8 dice (Wits+Larceny) to Set Trappe. Into Town Onyx stretches her shoulders, walking alongside the rather ostentatious crowd of retainers kept by Wyrm and Jackal. As she does, a subtle cloak of Essence envelopes her. She becomes just another shadow among the shadows of the afternoon, though her compatriots are as aware of her as ever. "If we're going to be getting into trouble, I need to go get my ride. What's the plan?" Activating Unseen Wisp Method, (4m) to impose a -2 external penalty to notice or attack me on everyone who's not an Abyssal. I can make reflexive Stealth rolls without need for cover or concealment. Lasts for an hour. 5 sux on the Stealth roll; still sticking to the shadows in order to take advantage of the Shadow Cloak Technique specialty.
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Feb 16, 2013 22:22
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